Eclipse (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chapter 24: Reinforcement

"Thank you, but I don't think that this is anything to be impressed by," she replied with a laugh as she placed another piece on the map.

"Not this task in particular, but with you in general," he explained, "You have the makings of a leader."

She shook her head. "I'm far from it. I'm only good at a couple things, and working with others isn't one of them." She made another piece and placed it on the map.

"You know, my daughter is a waterbender, and I've never seen her do that."

She looked at the man blankly.

"Bend without a source of water."

"As a waterbender, I may have always been a little more conscious of water in general, but water exists all around us. Even though we can't see it, there's water in the air, so there's no need to have buckets of water around to bend," Miyuki replied. "I used to take the ice and snow for granted in the Tribe, but after being away for so long, I've picked some things up here and there."

"Your parents must be so proud."

She set the list down and stared at the map, her eyes searching for the right location as she shook her head. "I wouldn't know," she replied quietly. "They were both killed when I was young." She placed the piece down.

She used to guess at it from time to time, but honestly, she had no idea what sort of person her parents hoped that she would become or what they hoped was in store for her in the future.

He lowered his head. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," she replied. "We're all dealt the hand we're born with, so the best I can do is to make the most of what I have."

"I can't even begin to imagine the hardships you've gone through," he began. "We lost my wife to the raids when my kids were young too." His expression fell. "They had me and their grandmother, but hearing the way that they speak now, seeing the way they've grown, it was hard enough for them." He put a hand on his forehead. "My daughter- You've probably heard it- she speaks to me in this clipped tone now. She probably resents me for leaving them, but what could I do? I'm the chief, and we couldn't sit back and do nothing while we were getting raided."

"I'm sure it was an incredibly difficult decision to make."

He nodded. "There hasn't been a day since I left that I haven't thought of them."

They both heaved a sigh. The mood weighed down on them until, finally, Hakoda spoke up. "How did this happen? I wanted to compliment you, but we ended up talking about me. And something so depressing, at that." He forced a chuckle to lighten the mood.

She smiled faintly. "Sometimes you just need to get things off your chest, and I don't mind listening."

He laughed. "You're a good kid, Miyuki. As a parent, I can assure you that your parents would be proud."

"Thank you," she said softly, unwilling to look up for the fear that her eyes would be glistening with tears.

He nodded and stood. "Alright, I'll leave you to your work. Make sure you get some rest."

She nodded. "I will. Good night."

"Good night."

Extra:
"Sokka, what do you think of Miyuki?" Hakoda asked his son the folloiwng morning, who looked up at him blankly.

"What do you mean?"

"She has the makings of a good leader, don't you think? She's sharp and confident, and you've seen the way that she takes control and surges ahead in a fight. She's the warrior type."
"Dad, what're you trying to say?" Sokka asked.

His father raised his eyebrows at him. "You know."

"EW! No! No! Never!" Sokka shook his head furiously before glancing around for her. He whispered, "She's scary. Like scarier than the Fire Nation princess. At least with her you know she's out to get you. With Miyuki, she'll smile and make polite conversation for hours and hours and then BAM! Icicles are raining down on you and you're dead."

"Chief Hakoda," Miyuki began from behind them. Sokka jumped out of his seat and she raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to the Chief. "I worked with Bato and charted out the course to pick up our allies using the reordered list I made last night." She handed him the papers. "I've never done something like this before and their individual locations are prone to changing overtime, so please look things over before finalizing everything. If you have any questions, I'll answer them to the best of my ability."

"Thank you, Miyuki," the chief replied. "Before you go, what do you think of my son?"

She raised her eyebrows. "In terms of?"

"Oh, just in general."

"He's a creative person, the definition of 'thinking outside the box.' I wish he played pai sho so I could battle wits with him." She glanced at Sokaa. "His jokes could use some work though. The energy is good, the execution is a bit unstable." She lowered her head a little. "If that's all, I should be on my way. I have quite a few reports to look through." She lowered her head and murmured, "Please excuse me," before heading out.

Hakoda folded his arms. "Hm." He thought about it for a long moment. Maybe she was a little too good for Sokka.