Wandering Firebender
Seventy Three: The Way Things Were
The sun was starting to set in the Fire Nation. Elio put on his uniform but left his armor on top of his bed. He took a moment to check his hair before stepping out of his quarters. When he did, he was met by Alger, who was also stepping out of his room.
Alger had on Fire Nation clothing too: a vest with fabric that draped down to his thighs as well as pants and boots. Elio couldn't help but smile at seeing his earthbending friend wearing Fire Nation clothing. He walked up to him and patted him on the back.
"Hey, bud. The new outfit looks nice on you."
"Thanks. This fabric has a little bit of weight to it. Are you sure this is normal to wear here?" Alger asked, holding a piece of it up. Elio chuckled at this.
"Of course! We are going out, so I got you something a little nicer."
"I appreciate that. I'll wear it tonight, but respectfully, this might be the only time I do." Alger said with a little chuckle.
"That's fine!" Elio laughed. "We're just waiting on Sri and Cindra now." He said.
"I heard our names!" Cindra called through her door.
"Yep! Are ya'll done yet? Everyone's waiting for us!" Elio called back.
"Yeah, just about! We wanted to try on the new clothes that Zuko bought for us!"
"I don't think I've ever worn clothes this nice!" Sri said.
"Well come on out, let's see it!" Elio said with a chuckle.
The two girls stepped out of Cindra's room wearing their new clothes courtesy of the Fire Lord: fine Fire Nation clothes decorated with gold and black stripes similar to Elio's uniform. They wore tops that cut off at their ribs with long dresses and sashes around their waists.
While Sri had stopped there, Cindra went an extra step by braiding her hair and wearing a nice headpiece, as well as her favorite necklace: the one with the shimmering purple stone.
"Whoa..." Elio's eyes widened.
"I take it by your bewildered expression that you like what you see?" Sri teased as the girls came over to join them. Elio chuckled a little.
"Yeah, heh...you both look amazing." He said.
"Try not to make your staring so obvious," Alger teased him, tapping his arm with the side of his fist. "Come, let's go meet with the others."
"Right," Elio cleared his throat and led the way out of the airship. "You guys are gonna love this place. All the Fire Nation soldiers hang out here." He said.
"Oh yeah? Is it a popular spot?" Cindra asked.
"Pretty much, yeah. My father took me here once when I turned 15. From what I can tell, it's always packed this time of day." Elio said with a chuckle.
"Fire Nation hangout spot. I'm curious to see it." Sri commented.
Soon, Elio's friends got to finally see the place he was talking about: the Dragon Flare Tavern. It was a 2-story restaurant built like a beach house with an open floor plan and multiple balconies where patrons could sit and eat or stand and converse.
Elio in particular was excited to come here again. Everyone knew that the tavern was most often frequented by Fire Nation soldiers of all different ranks. The last time he had come here, he was the son of a general. Now he was entering as a captain and special agent.
As for the others, they weren't as excited, but they did want to support Elio, and it would be a nice way to take a break and relax. Additionally, the rest of Elio's crew would be here too, so it would be a good opportunity to get to know who else was on the ship.
"Oh wow. This place looks nice." Sri said.
"And packed! Will we be able to get seats?" Cindra asked.
"Oh yeah. I made reservations for everybody." Elio answered, smiling as he opened the door for them and let them go inside first.
They entered into the Dragon Flare Tavern to find that the inside was full of Fire Nation soldiers: they were standing around talking or sitting at tables or at a nearby bar. It was a full crowd that only mostly consisted of Elio's crew.
Within the establishment itself, it was packed with decorations consisting of Fire Nation memorabilia: old weaponry, banners, as well as murals and paintings. Elio's friends' eyes all went wide at seeing this. However, Elio comfortably led the way through.
"Come on through. Excuse me, guys. Hey, Delun! Mila! Glad you guys could make it! Hey, Koda!" Elio greeted people as he shuffled through, clearing a path for his friends to follow him. They silently walked behind him in single file, sitting with him at a table in the back corner of the main area.
"Alriiight. I'll get the menus and our drinks." Elio said cheerfully before walking towards the counter. Alger, Sri, and Cindra all looked at each other.
"Does anyone else feel weird being here?" Sri asked.
"I'm quite uncomfortable right now." Alger admitted.
"Me too. But we're here for Elio, and look how happy he is to be here." Cindra pointed out.
"Hey, guys. Wow, I didn't even recognize you. You guys look great." Koda walked over and greeted them pleasantly.
"Thanks, Koda. I kinda like rocking the Fire Nation look." Sri said with a little chuckle.
"Haha, well you make it look good."
"Here you go, guys," Elio walked over and set their drinks down on the table. "So I forgot to mention, whenever you decide on what you want, just head over right there and give your order to that gentleman. They'll bring the food out when it's ready."
"That's different." Cindra commented.
"I think that I'm ready." Alger said, being the first to close his menu and stand up.
"Great. Feel free to hang out. I'm gonna talk to my crew for a bit then I'll be back." He promised.
So Elio went off again with his drink in hand, meeting and mingling with different members of his crew. Meanwhile, Koda, Marx, and Nezu sat with Alger, Sri, and Cindra so they'd have some company, and someone to introduce them to other soldiers.
However, the lively atmosphere was soon disrupted by an older man in uniform entering the tavern. He came inside and marched right up to Elio, who was at the counter placing his order. Elio felt a tap on his shoulder and, when he turned around, was greeted with a punch to the face.
"There you are, you murdering traitor!" He spat at Elio. Elio, still stunned by the punch, slipped sideways and caught himself against the counter. Several other soldiers quickly started to press in; some of them surrounded Elio and his attacker, while members of Elio's crew were trying to pull the older man away.
"What in the world?!" Elio exclaimed in surprise, getting his bearings. The older man wrestled an arm free and tried to throw a fire punch at him but it missed.
"Ah! That was for my son! You murdered my boy!" The man continued yelling.
"That's enough," One of the bartenders shouted. "Get him out of here!"
"I'll see myself out. But this isn't over, Chinen!" The man declared, spitting in his direction before yanking his arms free again and leaving the tavern as quickly as he had come in. Elio watched him in astonishment, taking a moment to brush himself off.
"Are you alright?" Delun asked, coming up next to him suddenly.
"Whoa," Elio momentarily flinched before nodding. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Who was that?" He asked.
"That's Reuben Ming Sr. He's a retired admiral. His son was a part of the siege on the North Pole like last month. He never came back." Delun explained.
Elio's eyes widened. Hearing these words, the color drained from his face.
Elio was much quieter for the rest of the night. After that dramatic scene had transpired, it was all he could think about. He ate in silence and left soon afterwards without saying anything to his friends or his crew.
Despite not having another mission yet, Elio directed his crew to prepare the airship for their next departure. For the next few days, things were functioning on the airship, but a strange aura hung in the air whenever Elio would walk into the room...
"I'm really worried about, Elio. He looks like he's still really shaken by what happened with that admiral." Cindra said to Mila while the two were talking in the commons area.
"It's been three days and he's hardly said anything at all." Mila pointed out.
"I was actually gonna ask you if you'd talked to him. No luck, huh?" Cindra shook her head.
"Yeah,looks like Admiral Ming really did a number on him. And he hasn't stopped either. Word is he keeps demanding to see the captain. I think he wants to challenge Elio to an Agni Kai." Mila speculated.
"Oh no, not one of those," Cindra uttered, remembering what happened the last time she saw Elio participate in a firebending duel. "And has Elio said anything at all about it?"
"Nothing," Mila answered with a shake of her head. "As far as I can tell, he seems to be totally ignoring it."
"Ignoring what?" Elio asked, walking up to them. Both of them flinched, but Mila still answered him.
"Admiral Ming was running his mouth to the guards again this morning. He wants to fight you, captain. Rumor has it he's issued for an Agni Kai." She relayed.
"Makes sense," Elio nodded slowly and glanced to the side. "Well, we have an assignment from Fire Lord Zuko. We leave tomorrow."
"So you're running?" Mila asked impatiently.
"Hey, that's uncalled for." Cindra quickly came to Elio's defense.
"Sorry, but, like, how can you just ignore this? He attacked you and is trying to tarnish your reputation, captain. If it were me, I would-"
"I know," Elio interrupted Mila. "But that's not the right thing to do here."
"You think there's a non-violent way to settle things?" Cindra presumed.
"I don't believe so. Ming is far too angry to be reasoned with, far as I can tell." Elio answered, looking down at the ground thoughtfully.
"So then what are you gonna do?" Mila asked. Elio sighed and shrugged, shaking his head.
"I don't know." He answered honestly before walking towards his quarters. Mila sighed and rested against the nearest table.
"I don't get why he doesn't just knock that guy out and get it over with. We all saw what happened – the whole crew has been talking about it." She commented.
"Elio always tries to do the right thing. He just needs time to figure it out." Cindra said, looking back at him worriedly as he shut his door behind him.
"You'd know better than me. All I know is he better figure it out soon before things get out of hand." Mila responded...
Unfortunately for Elio, things did get out of hand. The next day, as Elio's crew was preparing the airship for takeoff, Admiral Ming managed to get onto the grounds of the palace. Elio was walking across the air strip when the admiral appeared to him again.
"There you are! What's the matter, captain? Afraid to take responsibility for your own crimes?" Ming mocked him. Elio sighed irritably, taking a step back.
"For your own sake, sir, I've given you time to reconsider this. I'm not interested in a duel with you." Elio said as politely as he could.
"That's not how this works, boy, and you know better. Does the new Fire Lord know how much of a coward his captain is?" Ming continued to try and goat him into a fight. His loud, incessant yelling was now starting to draw a crowd of soldiers, including members of his own crew.
"The admiral has issued you a formal challenge, Elio. You are honor bound to accept it." Someone said to him.
"He's afraid!" Another soldier shouted.
"One way or another, you will answer for the death of my son, traitor!" Ming declared, getting into a fighting stance.
"Whoa, hey, what're you doing?" Elio asked in surprise. He tried to take another step back, but some of the soldiers standing behind him pushed him forward again.
"We fight here. Right now." Ming stated.
"This is ridiculous," Elio shook his head, sliding his staff into its sleeve. "This is not how things work anymore. I'm not fighting you."
"Then burn!" Ming yelled, stepping forward and shooting fire directly at Elio.
Elio's eyes widened in surprise. He immediately ducked to the side to avoid the fire. He spun around and turned towards Ming. He got into a fighting stance, but he had to restrain himself. After a moment, he made it clear that he still had no intentions of fighting back.
"Elio! You need to get this over with!" Mila shouted to him from somewhere in the crowd.
The surrounding crowd of Fire Nation soldiers was starting to get rowdier. After Ming's first attack, they all exclaimed in surprise and backed up a few steps to give them more room. But they were doing nothing but encouraging this brawl.
"Make your move!" Ming shouted, attacking again.
Ming shot a strong fireball. Elio got into a wider stance and stopped it with his palm, allowing the fire to travel around him. Ming shot several more. Elio moved out of the way and deflected one upwards to keep it from hitting the surrounding soldiers.
"I won't ask you again! Stop this attack! Now!" Elio shouted at the admiral. Ming's eyes narrowed on him; finally he was about to get the fight he wanted.
"The only thing that will make me stop is your life in exchange for my son's!" He yelled back at Elio before advancing and attacking with a furious barrage of fire punches.
Elio took a cautious step forward and brought his hands up, catching the punches and directing them outwards. He blocked the last one and spun around to get behind the admiral. He pushed him, causing the older man to stumble forward before catching himself.
Ming growled and turned around, throwing another strong fire punch. Elio stepped forward again, weaving underneath his arm. Elio then stood up and twisted his body, punching Ming directly in the side of the head and knocking him to the ground.
The soldiers all exclaimed in shock at the strong punch. Ming groaned in a daze, laying on his side. He turned his head to look up at Elio, who was still standing over him at his feet. Elio balled his fists and glared down at his opponent.
"This fight is over." He declared.
"Then finish it!" Ming demanded. However, Elio shook his head.
"This is where it ends. Go home." Elio ordered quietly, turning away from him.
"Hypocrite! You spare my life but take my child's? He was younger than you, boy!" Ming roared, shooting another strong blast of fire at him.
Elio spun back around and extended his right hand out, diffusing the fire with his palm. The flames shot out like a star in every direction, creating a fan that prevented either of them from getting burnt.
When the fire dissipated, so did the clamoring of the crowd. Ming stared up at Elio with a shocked expression. Elio took in a breath through his nose before speaking.
"I'm truly sorry about the loss of your son. Honestly, I don't know if it was me that killed him. Maybe I did. However, I'm not entertaining this any longer. You need time to grieve, sir, heal in your own proper way without inciting more violence.
"This is the last time I will address this issue," Elio said before looking up. He scanned the crowd, picking out members of his crew and glaring at them. "This is the last time any of you will speak of this matter – to me or to each other.
"We represent the values of the Fire Nation, do we not? You should be ashamed of yourselves, treating such matters like some kind of underground fight. Those of you who are with me, board the ship now. We're leaving."
With that, Elio turned towards his ship and started walking. The soldiers moved aside for him. Those among Elio's crew who were there followed him back into the airship. They were expecting to be lectured further upon entering, but the captain just went upstairs to his quarters.
"Captain," Mila ran up after him, catching him in the hallway. "Are you alright?" She asked.
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm alright." He answered shortly.
"Are you?" She asked again doubtfully. Elio let out an exhale.
"This whole thing has been incredibly frustrating. But I'll be fine. I guess I just have to start reconsidering how I'm going to lead these men who are so used to the way things were." He hinted at his thoughts.
"I'm sorry." Mila said.
"It'll be alright...I guess you were right. I should have addressed this sooner." He acknowledged.
"Yeah...is it true, what you said? You really don't know if what he's saying is true? About you killing his son?" She asked. Elio shrugged and sighed.
"I couldn't tell. I wouldn't be surprised though." He answered before turning and opening the door to his room.
"How can you not know?" Mila asked unsurely. Elio looked at her for a few moments.
"A lot happened that day that I haven't even begun to wrap my head around yet. Maybe I didn't kill him that day. Maybe I didn't kill anyone. Or maybe I killed dozens of Fire Nation soldiers in those airships. Regardless, the Fire Lord still asked me to be here...
"I have to lead by example. And sometimes that means not fighting when people want me to...or fighting even though I don't want to." Elio said before entering his quarters and shutting the door behind him...