Wandering Firebender
Ninety Seven: Bonfire
The sun was beginning to set over the Earth Kingdom, casting a golden glow over the walls of Ba Sing Se. The member's of Alger's staff were a bit apprehensive to follow their master out of the city. They hadn't seen the other side of the city walls in a long time.
In fact, a few of them had never seen this side of the wall.
"Sir...some of the men are a bit apprehensive to be...oh my..." Ket trailed off upon seeing Elio's large, imposing airship coming into view. Many eyes fell onto the large Fire Nation insignia on the side of it.
"These are really the guys that helped us with the house?" Alger overheard one of the younger men say under his breath.
"You all know Elio; you've gotten to know him over these past few weeks. I promise you, there is nothing to be worried about. These are good people." Alger said to reassure them all.
The rest of the ride up to Elio's airship was completely silent. As they approached, they saw Elio and some of his men were already outside gathering materials to burn. They were still in the process of arranging things for the gathering, but that didn't stop Elio from coming over to greet everyone.
"Hey, everyone! Welcome! We're glad so many of you could make it!" Elio said with a smile, "Come get comfortable. We're going to get the fire started shortly. And we're grilling some food." He said, clasping his hands together.
"We also brought some drinks." Alger said.
"Oh perfect. Here, bring them this way. We have a table together. We're still gathering chairs right now." Elio mentioned.
"No need. We earthbenders can make sure everyone has enough places to sit." Alger said with a nod.
"Right yeah that's true." Elio realized.
At that moment, everyone's attention was diverted by the sudden flaring of heat and light as some of Elio's men used their bending to get the bonfire started. As the flames cracked and rose up high, some of Alger's men grew more tense.
"Well looks like the fire's started. Make yourselves comfortable!" Elio invited.
There was an indescribable yet palpable tension among Alger's staff as they all slowly approached the bonfire and found their places around it. Elio's men did their best to be inviting and greeted a few of them as they passed by, but they could tell that Elio's men were also staying on guard.
"This is really weird." Delun commented to Elio, observing the awkward scene as it was playing out right in front of them.
"I know what you mean. It'll be alright." Elio said quietly with a reassuring smile.
This time, Elio and his men were the ones who were made to flinch as Alger and the earthbenders created seats of stone around the bonfire. There was a momentary pause from all those present from the Fire Nation before normal activities gradually resumed.
"Hope everyone's hungry!" Sri announced as the chefs of the airship started to bring out trays with different foods. Several other crew members followed behind to help serve everything. This piqued everyone's interest.
"Ohh that smells good," Elio said. He could tell that there was grilled meat being served along with everything else on the menu. "Come get some food, guys! Everyone from Alger's party goes first." He invited them. It took a little bit, but some of them started to get up and make their way over to get food finally.
"Oh wow there's more people here than I thought." Cindra said as she walked over next to Elio.
"Yeah, sorry, people from the Water Tribe will have to get their food last." He said to her jokingly. She shook her head at him and nudged her elbow into his side.
"You're such a dork." Cindra snickered at him.
The parties present gradually began to settle. Soon food was served and the earthbenders got to have a sample of what grilled food from the Fire Nation tastes like. Elio sat with Alger and stayed quiet for awhile, listening in to the different conversations until things eventually circled to him.
"So you serve as captain under the new Fire Lord: Ozai's son? Right?" One of the earthbenders asked.
"That's correct," Elio nodded. "I'm the captain of this ship. I also serve as Zuko's special agent – which basically means that I get the extra sensitive assignments like talking to the Earth King or the chieftains of the Northern Water Tribe." He explained further.
"I see," Alger's men nodded in understanding. There was general astonishment among the men upon hearing that Elio had such personal dealings with some of the most influential figures in the world. "Why do you think that Zuko chose you for something like that?" One asked him.
"Elio's been through a lot. He's earned his position a dozen times over." Sri answered the question for him.
"Heheh it's okay, Sri, you don't have to hype me up. Really, the Fire Lord knows that I fully agree with pursuing peace with the other nations, not fighting for territory or control. It hasn't been easy but I do hope that the rest of the world soon sees that too." He expressed to the group.
"What is the Fire Lord like? How does he compare to his father?" Another earthbender asked.
"Zuko has some very complicated feelings about his father," Elio answered honestly. "We've had some private conversations about it; he doesn't want to get caught up in trying to be the opposite of what his father was. For him, it's not about rectifying the past per se but rather paving the way to the future."
"You speak about those as if they're mutually exclusive." Ket pointed out.
"They're not," Elio shook his head. "I don't know how many of you are aware of this but Zuko actually lived here in Ba Sing Se for a little while as a refugee just like some of you, just like me." Elio brought up.
"Is that so...? I wasn't aware of this." Alger said.
"It's true. You've been to the Jasmine Dragon, right?" Elio asked.
"Oh! You're talking about Iroh, right? The tea shop?" Cindra chimed in.
"I've been there. The special mint is my favorite." One of the earthbenders acknowledged with a smile.
"Mine too." Elio laughed.
"I haven't been yet. Sounds like you need to take us, captain." Delun teased him as he passed by and tapped him on the back of his head with the tip of his finger.
"Heheh...anyways my point in bringing that up is Iroh, the guy who runs the shop, is Zuko's uncle and mentor. He's a retired general who traveled here with Zuko during the war and then chose to stay after it ended." Elio revealed.
"The old man is a firebender?" Their eyes widened at this.
"I think Iroh is a perfect example of someone who has fought for and against the Fire Nation. I personally tried to be neutral until I had no choice but to take a stand against them. Zuko was for and then against and now he's in charge. It's a lot.
"Anyways, now that the war's over things have become a little more complex than just what side you're on. To do our part, we really have to consider what are the ideals that we agree with and want to see happen in the world and be the first to extend the olive branch." Elio described.
"What do you mean by that?" One of the earthbenders asked.
"Well...uh...we can't really afford to sit around and wait for each other to be the one to initiate peace talks and stuff. That's kinda what I mean. Someone's gotta take that first step and stick their neck out, you know?" Elio clarified what he meant.
"Stick your neck out?" Ket inquired, noticing the particular word choice.
"Oh yeah, you'd be surprised how many times we've arrived somewhere just to get chased out of town or attacked." Elio said with a dry chuckle.
"Attacked? By whom?"
"Earthbenders usually." Delun answered with a shrug.
"Why?"
"Because we're Fire Nation." Mila answered simply before taking a sip of her water.
"What my friends are alluding to is regardless of us sending out proper notice in advance that we're coming with relief supplies and such, there are those who have made it clear that they are not yet ready to accept anything the Fire Nation has to give, good or bad." Elio summarized more diplomatically.
"I see your political side is coming through, Elio." Alger commented, nudging him with his elbow.
"Ugh." Elio snickered and shook his head at this comment.
"Yeah, Elio, get out of work mode." Cindra added.
"Actually, captain, I just had an idea." Mila spoke up.
"What's that?" Elio looked back at her.
"Why don't we go in and bring out our instruments? Get some music going." She suggested.
"Music from the Fire Nation? I'd actually like to hear this." Alger agreed.
"I'm sure you would buddy," Elio gave him a sideways smile before getting up. "Alright, I'll help you get the instruments then."
Elio and a few of his men (the ones who had brought the instruments and knew how to play them) brought their instruments out and gathered around the fire again. After a few minutes, traditional Fire Nation music was being performed for everyone in attendance.
Elio hung back for awhile to observe everyone's reactions. Most of his crew were smiling and nodding as they listened to the music. For them, the music felt nostalgic and brought back memories from when they were younger and in school.
For Cindra, Sri, Alger and his men, the music was pleasant but also incredibly unfamiliar. Elio figured that perhaps many of them had never considered that the Fire Nation had its own music; it was a culture that they were catching a glimpse of for the first time.
While everyone was becoming increasingly engrossed in the music, Cindra now noticed how Elio was staying off to the side by himself with a distant look in his eyes like he was thinking about something serious. She excused herself and walked over to him.
"What're you doing standing so far away?" Cindra asked as she approached him and ran her hand on his arm.
"Hm...just observing." He answered simply, glancing at her for a moment before looking at the scene around the fire again. Cindra took a spot next to him, keeping her hand gently wrapped around his bicep even though his arms were folded.
"What're you thinking about?"
"Heh...it just clicked for me that this is the first time there's been a gathering like this in at least 100 years. Isn't that crazy?" He asked with a quiet chuckle.
"Yeah...oh wow yeah. I didn't think about it like that." Cindra said, her eyes widening as she watched the gathering through this new perspective.
"Yeah...makes me wonder what they're thinking: the firebenders, the earthbenders. It's gotta be surreal, right?" Elio guessed.
"Everybody seems to be having a nice time though. So I'd say that it's going well." She commented with a faint smile.
"That's good. That's what we want...I guess at the end of it all this is the goal." Elio thought aloud.
"What do you mean?" Cindra asked, turning her head to look at him.
"I mean everything that we're doing: the missions and the relief efforts. All of it is supposed to inch the world closer to this: peace between everyone without issue or it feeling so weird." He explained.
"Pretty big aspirations there. I can't say I haven't thought about it. Long as we're helping people, I'm sure we'll get there eventually." Cindra said encouragingly while giving his arm a little squeeze.
"I hope so...I really do." Elio said with a tired sigh.
Cindra glanced at him worriedly, taking note of Elio's almost defeated tone as he said that. However, she decided that now wouldn't be the best time to bring it up. That could wait until later in the night...
As the hour grew considerably later than what everyone had been planning, Alger made the executive decision to end the festivities and take his people back home. They all stood up, shaking hands with Elio and his crew. Elio and Alger exchanged a hug.
"Thank you for putting this together. This was actually fun." Alger acknowledged with a smile.
"Thanks for going along with it. Hopefully there will be more to come" Elio smiled back and nodded.
"Get home safe, Alger!" Cindra waved to him.
"Thanks. I'll be back early in the morning with my things. Don't leave without me, please." Alger said with a chuckle.
"I will try my best." Elio responded with a chuckle.
Alger and the others waved goodbye then turned to walk back to the train station returning into the city. As they walked away, Elio and his crew packed everything up and brought the tables and remaining food items back into the airship.
Elio made his way over to the bonfire, using his boot to kick aside some of the kindling and let the fire die out. As he did so, Cindra waited nearby in silence, lingering until everyone was back. Then she approached him once Elio was done putting out the fire but before he could go back into the airship.
"Hey, Elio? Can we talk?" She requested, resting her hands in front of her.
"Everything okay?" He asked, tilting his head in concern.
"That's actually what I would like to ask you." She revealed. Quickly understanding what she meant, Elio turned and offered his arm to her.
"Come on. Let's walk for a bit then." He offered.
Cindra smiled and slipped her arm in with his. Her eyes drifted downwards as the two went for a short walk around the outside of the airship. In the distance, they could hear the chirping of birds and bugs. Up above, the moon cast a dim light over their dark surroundings.
"Elio, when was the last time that you got a good night's sleep?" She asked.
"Still remember that huh?" He noted with an ironic chuckle.
"I promised you that I'd be checking in on you. With everything going on with Alger I haven't said anything but I do want to know how you're doing since we've been here awhile and haven't had the stress of any missions, you know?" She explained.
"Yeah. It has gotten better actually, at least a little bit." He answered.
"And the nightmares...?"
"It's not as often. Just here and there. I can feel the dreams starting up and I pull myself out of it and wake myself up before I get sucked into it again." He reported.
"How often does it happen?" She asked, looking up at him.
"We're down to...maybe twice a week? Sometimes 2 weeks?" He answered with a sigh.
"I see...I'm sorry you're still struggling with that." She said consolingly.
"It's okay. I'm struggling with the sleep now more than anything. Even when I do sleep I don't feel like I'm getting much rest. Like I wake up tired." He revealed.
"I can tell. You've seemed less...motivated lately. When I first met you, you were always looking ahead at the next decision you needed to make in order to survive, which is what we needed at the time, but now that things are good...
"I don't know - the way you talk about things always feels like you're just drifting; waiting for the next destination to be given to us and then you follow through as you're supposed to. Which isn't a bad thing...it just doesn't feel like you." She expressed her worry.
Elio let out a silent breath as he considered what she was saying. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. He knew very well that Cindra viewed him in a way that he did not see himself. It made it difficult to know how to take her words.
"Things were different back then, Cindra. A lot simpler. Back then, I thought that I had given up the chance to be...anything really. Things were a lot easier when it was all about survival." He admitted.
"Yeah...you're under a lot of pressure. I can't imagine. So...can I ask a very big question? And I need you to think about it seriously even if you don't have an answer." She prefaced the question she was about to ask with this instruction.
"Okay. Ask." Elio nodded.
"Is this really what you want to do?" Cindra asked.
"What do you mean?"
"This: being Zuko's 'special agent', going on all of these missions and having to be like a political representative. Is this the life you want?" She asked again.
There was a long silence between them. Elio's walking speed slowed a lot. Cindra slowed her pace to stay next to him, allowing him time to gather his thoughts and consider her question. She resisted the urge to say anything so as not to distract from the focus of the conversation.
"...I don't know. Somebody's gotta do it, Cindra." He answered quietly.
"But does that somebody have to be you?"
"Why not me?" Elio countered, "I've come all this way now. It has to have been for a reason, right? Why else would the moon spirit bring me back?"
"Elio...if you really want to keep going then you have to acknowledge that you won't be able to do it all on your own; you don't have to carry all of this weight on your shoulders." She reminded him in a firm tone.
"I know. That's what I have you here for." He said in reply. Cindra stopped suddenly, looking up at him in surprise.
"W-What did you say?"
"Yeah: you, Alger, Sri; the whole crew. Of course I wouldn't be able to do this without any of you. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without your support." Elio continued.
"Oh...yeah of course." Cindra nodded, realizing what he meant.
However, Elio walked in front of Cindra and placed his hands on her arms. He slid his hands down to takes hers. She looked up at him in surprise again, saying nothing else as she held his hands.
"Thank you for keeping such a close eye on me during all this. All of this would be a lot harder for me if you weren't here. Don't think that I'm overlooking what you're doing just because of everything else going on. I really do appreciate you too." He said with a surprising amount of direct sincerity.
It caught Cindra off guard. She was actually speechless. She wanted to say something – anything to show that she was taking his words to heart. But nothing was coming out in the moment. So instead she just nodded wordlessly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"...you know I'm always here for you." She said quietly, just under a whisper.
Elio smiled a little to himself and hugged her back, wrapping his arms firmly around her. Perhaps there was more that needed to be said between them but, for now, they were both content with just holding each other in silence...