Mixed Troubles - Sokka x OC

Chapter 12: Approval

Hey guys! New chapter, one I think is more interesting than the other. I hope you all enjoy, so therefore, happy reading!

Presenting.......

|Approval|

Safiyah

The woman and I are staring into the depths of our eyes, even though we can't see each other. Just by staring in her direction makes me feel wary of her strong gaze. 

Returning her strategy of blunt statements as greetings, I say, "What happened to the light I saw a couple seconds ago?"

The woman doesn't answer. She just lights up her palm, showing her face under a light, scarlet hue. The situation almost makes me laugh; while my mouth is hanging open, surprised that a fire bender is normally residing at a village in the Earth Kingdom, she is frowning skeptically at my expression, as if I have no reason for this reaction. 

"I- what- why-" I stutter. "Whoa." On my last word, I look down to the woman's feet with wide eyes. 

Up above, I hear an annoyed sigh. In fact, the annoyance isn't trying to hide. "If I help you pack, will you go faster?" I look up at her and I see one quirked eyebrow, showing she's waiting for my answer. 

"Sorry, sorry, but who are you?" I say, confused and startled by this whole encounter. This woman has a huge amount of nerve. Absolutely huge. I suppose that's what happens when you're old. 

"Someone from the Fire Nation, like you." I open my mouth to try and shut down the fact, but she stops me. "Don't even try to deny it, I can tell right from those eyes." I swear in my head furiously while rolling my eyes. 

"Sorry ma'am, but you seem to, uh, like, strongly dislike me, so pardon me for not immediately wanting to stay at your house, which I'm sure is lovely, warm, and nicely decorated," I say with heavy sarcasm running through my mouth like a strong spice. 

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry for taking pity on someone who could get killed and shunned if they were found out to be a fire bender!" The woman returns my sarcasm without an effort and her tone fluctuates throughout her sentence. The first half comes out softly yet venomously, but when she gets to "killed", the tone raises in volume and resembles the one you use when you scold a child. Then she adds, "And my name is Isuya."

However, instead of being scared by the death threat, I feel a sort of confidence. Almost like nonchalance at her words. I've been traveling through the Earth Kingdom for a while and nobody accused me of being a fire bender. However, I also didn't stop much when I passed by villages. 

Plus, I really don't want to die because of wind. 

I decide to accept Isuya's somewhat kind offer. 

"Could you back up a little? I need to get out if I'm going to go with you," I say pointedly. Isuya moves aside in limited steps, like there's someone else controlling her steps. 

By using Isuya's dim light, I pack up my belongings. The hardest thing to pack is the tent since I know I'll struggle with the wind.

I finish everything minutes later and Isuya and I make our way to the village back entrance.

We move quietly through the village, catching all sorts of houses in our sight. The houses here are more packed together than most Earth Kingdom villages. They all have the general design, but each one has some unique trinket or a resemblance of something that makes each house different. Most of the houses have hazy, dim lights, probably to set the mood for going to sleep. 

Finally, we reach Isuya's house after battling the windy storm. Its face is completely plain; I suppose that's what differentiates it from all the other houses.