Wandering Firebender
Sixty Six: Who You Can Trust (Part 2)
"I can't believe you're here!" Elio exclaimed in disbelief, "I thought it was gonna be at least another day or two."
"I told you we'd meet you here, didn't I?" Aang said with a laugh, "Hey, do you have any extra rooms where Katara and I can stay?" He requested.
"Yeah yeah of course! Delun, could you give Aang and Katara rooms to stay in, please?" He called to Delun, who was standing at the other end of the hall. He nodded and ran over.
"Yeah! Yeah, I got it, captain." Delun said with a nod, leading Aang and Katara to their own rooms.
"Come in, Cindra, have a seat," Elio invited her to sit with him on the edge of his bed. "Is that all of your stuff?" He asked, gesturing to the large pack that she had with her.
"Yep! I'm all packed up! What's going on, Elio?" She asked.
"Well, you remember how we talked about possibly getting to travel together again?" He brought up.
"Of course." She answered with a nod.
"Well, that's what this is basically," Elio said with a chuckle. "When I got back home, the new Fire Lord, Zuko, asked to see me. He kinda gave me a job, heheh. He phrased it as being a kind of 'special agent' for him, handling very important assignments." He explained.
"Really?! That's amazing! Is this Fire Lord Zuko guy good?" She asked.
"Yeah, he's friends with Aang, so I trust him. He's made it pretty clear that he wants to help the world recover from the war. We've had several conversations about what that'll entail for us now." Elio said with a nod.
"Wow, that's amazing. That's really good, Elio! I'm so proud of you." She said with a giggle.
"Proud of me? What?" Elio repeated with a confused chuckle.
"Yeah! You're doing everything you can to help people, and now you have this big position and an airship! That's awesome!" Cindra exclaimed with a laugh. Elio smiled warmly at her.
"Yeah, that's true. I'm really glad you're here. I told Zuko that I really wanted to have you on my team if I was going to be traveling the world like this." He said.
"Really?" Cindra smiled, feeling touched by this, "Well I'll help however I can, you already know that."
"That's why you're here," Elio chuckled and stood up. "You can unpack in the room right here next to mine. I'm not sure how much time we'll be spending in here." He said.
"Okay! Sounds good. Ooh, this is so exciting!" Cindra said with a giggle as Elio took her to her room.
Elio watched as Cindra walked into her room. She looked around curiously before setting her pack down on the bed. She opened it up and pulled out some of her blankets and personal belongings, setting them down either on top of the bed or on the nightstand next to the bed.
Then she turned around and realized that Elio was watching her.
"What?" She asked with a chuckle.
"Nothing, nothing. Just let me know if you need anything else, alright?"
"I will," Cindra smiled. She walked back to him and gave him another hug. "Goodnight, Elio. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Elio replied, rubbing her back with one hand before letting her go and going back to his room...
The next morning, Elio was woken up early by a knock at his door, "Captain? It's Mila! Are you awake?" She called through the door before knocking again.
"Mmm...what is it?" Elio sleepily called out.
"One of those Earth King Dai Li guys is outside asking for you. I told him I would come and get you." She said.
"So early?" Elio grunted as he pushed himself to sit up. He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes and stretched his arms before getting up, "Did he say what he wanted?" He asked as he opened the door.
"Uh, no, sir. I didn't ask." Mila answered, shaking her head. Elio nodded a little.
"Okay. I'll be right down." He said, starting to move forward.
"Um, sir, if I may," Mila stopped him at the door. "You might wanna...fix your hair before you step out." She advised. Elio gave her a weird look.
"What do you mean?" Elio asked before backing into the room and taking a moment to look at himself in the mirror. His hair was all ruffled up from tossing and turning in his sleep. He took a moment to brush it with his hands, bringing it down over his eyes,
"This is good enough. Let's not keep our man waiting." Elio decided, making his way out the door. Mila followed him out.
"Good morning," The Dai Li agent waiting outside greeted him as he came out. "Sorry for disturbing you so early. Are you Elio Chinen?" He asked.
"Yes, sir, that's me." He answered, rubbing his eyes again.
"The Earth King sent me to be your escort for the day. You expressed the desire to visit the Jasmine Dragon and the San estate, yes?"
"The...yes! Yes, I did!" Elio answered quickly when he realized what the Dai Li agent was talking about, "I'm glad you guys handled this so fast. When do we leave?" He asked.
"Whenever you're ready."
"Perfect. I just need a little bit of time to get myself and my friend ready...are you hungry? Why don't you come inside and have breakfast?" Elio offered him.
"I...I'll sit and wait." The Dai Li answered hesitantly. He pulled some rock out from the earth and sat down just outside of the airship.
"Alright. I'll be there soon," Elio said before going back inside. Mila glanced at the Dai Li agent but didn't say anything as they went back inside.
"I didn't see Appa outside." Elio commented to Mila as they went back up the stairs.
"Appa...?"
"The Avatar's sky bison." Elio clarified.
"Oh! The Avatar and his girlfriend left already." She informed him.
"What? They did?"
"Yeah. I guess something else came up." Mila guessed with a shrug.
"Alright...guess I'll catch 'em another time then."
Elio quickly got himself ready to go, putting on his uniform and skipping out on the armor. Once he had everything on, he woke up Cindra. He didn't take the time to explain what was going on to her yet; he just asked for her to get dressed and eat quickly so they could go.
After scarfing down a quick breakfast, the two of them went outside. Cindra was surprised to see that an unfamiliar person wearing very official looking robes was waiting for them. When Elio and Cindra approached, the Dai Li agent stood up and cleared his throat.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. It'll just be us two going in." Elio informed him.
"Alright. The nearest train station is in the Agrarian Zone. We'll get you on the first train to the Upper Ring. Please follow me." The Dai Li agent directed them.
The Dai Li agent turned and started walking towards the Outer Wall. Elio and Cindra silently followed behind him. Cindra wanted to ask Elio more questions about what was going on, but she decided to stay quiet for now.
The Dai Li agent led them through the Outer Wall. He used earthbending to create an opening for them. When they crossed into the Agrarian Zone, there was a train station nearby that seemed to connect to the wall itself. A train was already there waiting for them.
Elio and Cindra boarded the train. The Dai Li agent followed them in and sat off to the side with his hands folded within his sleeves. Elio stood closer to the center and held onto a support rail. Cindra stood with him, holding onto the same rail as the train departed.
"Whoa," Cindra shifted uncomfortably. "This is so weird." She commented with a chuckle.
"Oh yeah, you're getting forced onto all sorts of modes of transportation, huh?" Elio realized.
"Yeahhh. I'll take this over being super high up in the air though." Cindra giggled.
"Haha yeah, except when we gotta take the airship to get out of here." Elio pointed out.
"Oh man..." Cindra grumbled, making Elio laugh again. Cindra shook her head and giggled a little before changing the subject, "So where're we going?"
"We are headed to the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. It's the center of the city where things are the nicest; really nice houses surrounding the Earth King's palace. I have a letter from Fire Lord Zuko that's going to his uncle Iroh. After that, we're going to Alger's house." He answered.
"Alger's house?! I didn't know he lived here! Wait...I thought the first time we met him, that was his house." Cindra said.
"He owns two estates. But I'm pretty sure we'll find him at this one, considering how he was when I last saw him." He reasoned.
"Ohh...man, we're actually in Ba Sing Se now. Remember when we first started traveling together? This was where we were trying to go the whole time." Cindra recalled.
"Yeah, how can I forget? When I was living here with Sri, I thought a bit about what you would've thought of everything here." He admitted, looking out the window.
"Yeah? That would've been interesting," Cindra said, looking outside too. "I wish we had a little more time to look around."
"Maybe next time." Elio said with a shrug...
Finally, the train reached the Upper Ring. The Dai Li agent escorted them to the Jasmine Dragon first per Elio's request. The shop had only just opened for the day when Elio and Cindra entered. There were only one or two patrons already sitting inside, but everyone in the shop gave the two of them weird looks because of their clothes.
"We're looking for Iroh! Where is he?" Elio asked. No answer came.
Iroh, who was in the back room making tea, hummed a tune to himself as he came out and served tea to one of his customers. Sensing a change in the atmosphere, he turned towards the entrance. Elio smiled kindly when he made eye contact with Iroh.
"Haha, look at you!" Iroh said with a laugh, stepping out from behind the counter and going to greet Elio, "You look like a fully grown man now. I'm impressed. Although, I don't recognize this uniform. Is it new?" He asked, lifting up one of Elio's sleeves.
"It is," Elio answered with a chuckle. "It's really nice to see you again. Oh! This is Cindra, my friend from the Northern Water Tribe – the one I told you about." He introduced them.
"Ohh. Ohh! What a beautiful young lady! It's a pleasure to meet you, Cindra. I hope the journey down here wasn't too troublesome." Iroh said with a chuckle as he shook hands with her.
"Not really. It's nice to meet you too, sir." Cindra replied politely.
"Would you two like some tea? Anything you like." Iroh offered.
"Maybe a quick cup. But we're here on business, so we'll have to keep it brief." Elio agreed.
"I see. Come to the back with me then." Iroh gestured for them to follow him, and all three walked into the back room.
"This is a beautiful shop you have here. I love all the little details and the art." Cindra complimented him.
"Thank you, dear. It's always been my dream to run my own tea shop," Iroh said with a smile as he began to prepare a brew for them. "I take it that you are now working with my nephew?" He presumed. It took Elio a moment to realize that Iroh was talking to him now.
"Yes, sir. He's recruited me as a sort of special agent for him. He says that he trusts me to handle important, sensitive stuff." Elio explained.
"Ohh, that is a great honor. You should feel proud. There are not many people that have ever served in that way. Lesser still, the amount of people that Zuko trusts." Iroh commented.
"Of course...he's asked me to deliver this letter to you. I don't know what it says, but I'm sure he'll want you to write back when you can." Elio said, taking the letter out and holding it out to him.
"Oh? I'll look at it tonight after the shop closes. Could you please put it in that cabinet up there?" He requested. Elio handed the letter to Cindra and she placed it in the cabinet.
"Do you have any advice for me, sir? I could sure use some." Elio requested with a chuckle. Iroh chuckled too as he brought two cups of tea for them.
"Haha, I don't, actually. A new era of history is beginning now, and you will probably have to make decisions that I can't even imagine. The answers you seek from me are already within you. You just need to look inward for them.
"But if you want something to keep in mind moving forward, remember this: the only way to avoid history repeating itself is to know it well. Do not avoid mistakes and failures; address them and find your own way to rectify them so you won't fall into the same traps...
"Hmm, I guess that counts as advice, doesn't it?" Iroh realized before letting out a hearty laugh. Elio chuckled and smiled.
"It does, but thank you. I'll pass that along to Zuko when I return home." Elio promised.
"Please give him my love, and look after him for me. You're all welcome here anytime you wish." Iroh said with a warm smile before all three of them drank their tea...
"What a nice man," Cindra said as the two of them left the Jasmine Dragon. "He reminds me of my grandfather before he died."
"Oh yeah?"
"Mhmm, he was a really deep thinker too...how do you know him?" Cindra asked curiously.
"Iroh? He's the Fire Lord's uncle. We also escaped prison together that one time." Elio answered. Cindra's eyes widened.
"That's the Iroh you escaped with?! But he's so nice and sweet and...old!" Cindra expressed her shock. Elio chuckled at this.
"Appearances can be deceiving, I guess. Anyways, we should be coming up on Alger's house. I hope he's home." Elio said, pointing out the familiar house ahead of them.
Elio and Cindra approached the front door by themselves while their escort waited at the front gate. As they came to the door, Elio briefly recalled when Alger had invited him and Sri here for dinner that one evening. He was looking forward to some more of that hospitality.
Elio knocked on the door. Already, he could hear a few voices talking inside. However, Alger wasn't the one who answered the door. Neither of them actually recognized who was at the door. But he recognized Elio and Cindra.
"Oh...my...goodness! I must be dreaming!" He exclaimed, happy to see them.
"...who are you?" Elio asked slowly.
"Ah, yes yes, we've only met once, so you mustn't recognize me. It's Igor, remember? Alger's cousin?" He reminded him. Elio stared at him absently, still not remembering him.
"...heyyy, Igor! How're ya doin', buddy?" Cindra greeted him awkwardly. She didn't remember him either.
"Igor! Who's at the door?" Alger called from inside.
"It's your fire and water friends! Please, come in! Come in!" Igor enthusiastically brought him into the house. Cindra looked around, amazed by how big and clean the mansion-like property was.
Alger came to the door and smiled happily. His hair was still longer and fluffier. He had a cut under his cheek that was in the process of healing. Other than that, Elio didn't see any other injuries. He greeted Elio and Cindra with tight hugs.
"My friends. It's really good to see you both. I'd heard word about your airship arriving the other day. I'm glad to see that it's you, Elio. And Cindra, you're looking lovely. Welcome to my home." Alger greeted them both.
"Thank you. Your home is really nice, Alger! I love all the white." She complimented with a giggle.
"Haha, thank you. Please, come in. The others are here too." Alger said as he brought them both into the living room.
"Others?" Elio asked.
When they came into the living room, Cindra was surprised to see a decent sized group of people: four guys and one other girl. She didn't know them, but Elio knew most of them: he picked out Sri right away along with Koda, Marx, and Nezu: the three firebenders that he'd run into a month ago.
"Yooo! Elio?!" Nezu exclaimed as soon as he saw them come in.
"What?! No way!" Koda and Sri both exclaimed at the same time. Everyone got up from where they were seated and quickly crowded around Elio and Cindra.
"What are you all doing here?!" Elio asked.
"Alger brought us in after the end of the war. Since we don't have anywhere else to stay, he's been taking care of us." Marx explained.
"I see. What happened to your arm?" Elio asked, Nezu, noticing that his arm was wrapped up in bandages.
"Oh, this? Got my arm broken in the big final battle. It hurt like crazy, but I'm glad we all survived. We did everything we could that day, and we ended up winning." Nezu said with a smile.
"That's really good. I'm glad you're alright." Elio said with a nod.
"Heyyy, I remember you," Sri said with a chuckle, greeting Cindra. "How's the ice up north?" She asked.
"Still frozen," Cindra answered with a giggle. "You're Sri, right?"
"Yep!"
"Elio's told me a lot about you. Thank you for helping him out so much." Cindra said appreciatively.
"Of course. You know we met before, right? In the desert?" Sri reminded her.
"...oh yeahhh!" Cindra remembered and laughed at herself for forgetting.
"Oh hey, Cindra! Let me introduce you to these guys. This is Nezu."
"Hey!" Nezu greeted her. Nezu had pale skin, brown eyes and dark hair that fell over his eyes. He smiled and waved at her in a friendly way.
"That's Marx." Elio pointed him out. Marx had slightly more tanned skin and hair that was cut shorter. He smiled politely at Cindra and nodded in a way that reminded her of Alger.
"And this here is Koda." Elio introduced her last. Koda had pale skin, long dark hair that fell past her shoulders, and eyes that were more golden in color. She was pretty, which made Cindra curious as to how Elio knew her.
"Whoa whoa guys, hold up one second. Is no one going to address the fact that Elio here is wearing a fancy Fire Nation uniform?" Koda pointed out. Elio acknowledged this comment and used this as a way to get right to the reason why he was here.
"You're right. Let's all sit down. I'd actually like to speak with all of you." Elio invited them all to sit. So everyone gathered and sat down on the living room couches to talk.
"Is everything alright, Elio?" Sri asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be?" Elio asked.
"Because you've just arrived unannounced here wearing an unrecognizable uniform belonging to a former enemy nation, a nation that if I recall, you were also an enemy of." Igor summarized.
"...I mean yeah, I guess." Elio acknowledged.
"Are you a soldier now, Elio?" Koda asked, looking at him with concern.
"Not exactly...I'm a special agent under Fire Lord Zuko now." He informed them.
"Zuko's the Fire Lord now?!" Marx exclaimed, shocked and horrified by this news. Koda and Nezu had similar reactions to this.
"Oh man, the war isn't over, is it?" Nezu rubbed his forehead and shook his head worriedly.
"No, it's definitely over. Guys, I've spoken with Zuko several times now. He wants to establish peace, and he's working hand in hand with the Avatar to achieve it." Elio reassured them.
"Really?" Koda looked doubtful.
"Really. I actually came here to speak with Alger about this, but since you four are also here, I'd like to talk with you too. My airship is just outside the Outer Wall. I'd like you all to come back to the Fire Nation with me." He revealed.
Nobody responded to this right away. They all were in such a state of disbelief at what they were hearing. Finally, Alger said something.
"What is your mission now? As a...special agent?" He asked.
"To help the world move towards peace and balance however I can...I know it sounds crazy, trying to convince you all that the Fire Nation has changed now from like one day to the next. But I believe what Zuko says, and I believe what the Avatar has said.
"Now I'm just trying to do my part. And you all have shown me that you at one point had a desire to do the same. Well if that's still what you want then this is your chance." Elio spoke frankly.
Alger and the others all exchanged glances, letting this sink in. Elio wasn't sure what they were thinking; he could only hope that he had done a good job expressing his own convictions...finally, Koda spoke up.
"Alright. I'll go." She decided.
"Yeah?" Elio looked at her.
"It's like you said, this is our chance to do more than just sit on our butts and hide like cowards." Koda said.
"That's not exactly what I said but we can go with that if you want." Elio nodded.
"We should all go," Koda said to Nezu and Marx. "If you're feeling up to it. We should continue to be a team." She said sincerely. Nezu and Marx nodded in agreement.
"We're with you." Marx said.
"My arm's not all the way healed but hey, I'll still go." Nezu agreed with a chuckle.
"I'm actually a healer. Maybe my waterbending can help." Cindra offered.
"Oh really? Sweet!"
"What about you, Alger? Will you come?" Elio asked him. Alger looked at him and nodded.
"Sounds like there's more work to be done. I'll continue to help how I can," Alger said with a smile. "Perhaps it'll be fun."
"I wouldn't mind a little bit of fun along the way," Elio said with a chuckle before looking at Sri. "And you, Sri?" He asked. Sri's eyes widened in surprise.
"Me? You want...me to go too?" Sri asked slowly, pointing at herself. Elio nodded.
"Of course, yeah." Elio answered with a smile.
"...why?"
"Because I think you would be great for the team." Elio stated simply. Sri cleared her throat and looked away.
"I, uh...don't think I would be. I think I'll stay here." Sri said quietly. Elio looked surprised by this.
"Really? You sure?"
"Perhaps this is a conversation that you two should have privately." Alger suggested.
"Right, yeah. Elio, can we talk outside?" Sri requested.
"Yeah, of course." Elio nodded. The two of them stood up, leaving everyone else in the living room...
To Be Continued...