𝕍𝕖𝕟𝕦𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕂𝕪𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕚 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣: 𝕊𝕠𝕜𝕜𝕒 𝕩 𝕆𝕔

Chapter 42- The Puppetmaster

Ominously, Hama says. "Mysterious town for mysterious children."

She smiles creepily and saunters away, leaving Sokka feeling suspicious.

We make it back to Hama's inn, we all begin unpacking groceries. Sokka walks over to a counter and sets his basket down.

"That Hama seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something."

Katara is unpacking items. "That's ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay." She picks up a cabbage. "She kinda reminds me of Gran-Gran."

"But what did she mean by that comment, 'mysterious children'?" Sokka questioned.

"Gee, I don't know." Katara said. "Maybe because she found five strange kids camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?"

I shrugged my shoulder. "I'm with Sokka on this one."

Sokka wrapped his arms around my body, pulling me closer to him. "Thanks, Venus."

Katara lightly rolled her eyes. "Of course, Venus is going to agree with you, she's your girlfriend, she'll support anything you do!"

I rose my left eyebrow. "Not everything, but Sokka is usually always right when it comes to these things, his instincts never seem to fail."

"I love you!" Sokka pressed his lips to my cheekbone, making a smooching sound. "And you wonder why I love Venus more than you!"

"Whatever," Katara huffed.

"I'm gonna take a look around." Sokka intertwined our hands together as we walk away and up a flight of wooden stairs.

Katara appears along with the others at the bottom of the stairwell. "Sokka! Venus, what are you two doing?" Sokka peers around the inn. "You can't just snoop around someone's house."

"It'll be fine." Sokka responds.

While Sokka peers into a room. Aang worriedly says, "she could be home any minute."

Katara walks down the hallway with the rest of the team. "Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble and this is just plain rude!"

Sokka tugs on a cupboard door. "I'm not finished yet." He grunts as he tries to pull it free. "Come on..."

The cupboard suddenly opens, revealing several wooden puppets stowed inside. The dolls fall forward, held together only by their strings. Everyone gasps; Sokka protects me as he withdraws his sword, backing us up and pointing it straight at the puppets.

"Okay, that's pretty creepy." Aang shutters.

Katara walks over and closes the cupboard; a bit weirded out. "So she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that." Angrily, she says. "Sokka, you've looked enough." As Sokka ascends into the attic. "Hama will be back soon."

Sokka struggles to open the door. "Just an ordinary puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Well then why does she have a locked door up here?"

Katara is annoyed. "Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff!"

"We'll see." Sokka peers through the keyhole into the room. "It's empty, except for a little chest."

I lightly squealed. "Do you think that it's treasure?"

Sokka grows excited, his eyes growing wide, he uses his sword to pick the lock.

Katara approaches her brother. "Sokka, what are you doing? You're breaking into a private room!"

"I have to see what's in there." Sokka glances over at me. "V, can you help me?"

I take Sokka's sword from him, picking the lock with the tip of the sword.