Koete ↠ Sokka

Chapter 7: The Pirates - Part 2

Following the river downstream, they arrived at a bustling pier. Large wooden ships were docked at every post, guarded by men and women littered with scars. The village itself was run-down, small shacks next to each other filled to the brim with trinkets, food and traded goods, fronted by merchants from what seemed to be all corners of the world—judging by the colours of their clothes. Charlie remained vigilant, keeping a hand over her bag to ensure it wouldn't be stolen by a con artist.

The people seemed almost pitiful—some sitting along under their conical straw hats, staring at those passing with dark eyes. Charlie's eyes widened at one Fire Nation soldier who stared down in distaste at his plate of food, physically unable to eat it because he was missing an arm, completely removed from his shoulder. She tore her eyes away, passing a woman donned in light blue who lifted and shook a smaller man by his collar while he begged to be put down.

Hearing some commotion from ahead, Charlie slowed down, the rest of the gang behind her matching pace. "Who's brave enough to take a look in this bag?" an older man rasped out, standing atop a bench with a blue pouch in his grip and fishing it over the heads of those gathered.

"Okay, keep it moving guys," Charlie said, ushering them along. "And be careful, we should probably stick together."

Aang let out a sound of awe at the sight, completely imperceptive of the danger and more entertained by the diversity of those residing on the dock. "Ooh, let's go in here!" Aang suggested, bolting into one of the smaller wooden stores lined with green drapes. Charlie groaned at the sky before trudging off to follow Aang. She was seriously considering bringing back that puppy comparison based on how easily distracted and hyperactive he was.

The back wall of the shop was lined with racks of clothes of all styles and colours in complete disorder. Shelves were packed to the brim with small trinkets and toys, squeezed together to fit into the smallest surface area possible. It was a chaotic mess of a store, but Aang seemed to love it, picking up everything he came by.

Sokka poked his head between Charlie and Katara. "Hey, I'm gonna check out the food store next door. We'll meet out front later." He spun to leave but let out a strangled yelp when Charlie grabbed the back collar of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Hey, hey, did everyone just completely ignore when I said we should stick together?" she questioned, throwing her arms out in dismay while looking between the group.

"Okay. Katara, you watch over Aang, and make sure he doesn't buy anything stupid," he said, waving his hand in the airbenders direction. "Charlie, you're with me."

She pursed her lip but agreed with a nod. Together they left the store and travelled the short distance to the food store, giving a wave to the guy behind the counter. A scar covered his face, crossing over his nose. "Hey, how're you doing?" Sokka asked casually. The man slammed his hooked fist on the table, causing the two to jump while his expression remained unchanging. "Okay, not a talker, that's cool, that's cool," he mumbled, holding his hands up in defence.

Shuffling over to the baskets of fruits and vegetables, Charlie realised she couldn't name half of them. Aside from the obvious apples and watermelons, some fruits were large and covered in yellow spikes, while others were small, bright pink and lumpy.

Her eyes moved over something akin to raisins, but a brighter shade of red. "Sokka, what are these?" she asked, pointing to the pile. He only took a quick glance before returning to placing an assortment of food in his bag.

"Dried goji berries," he answered, inspecting a papaya.

She'd never heard of them before. "Huh," she mumbled, drumming her fingers on the wooden rim of the crate.