Eye of the Storm

Page Sixteen

"Uh...hi." the man seemed utterly confused and Sokka just shrugged at him. Gopan turned to Quila "Probably because of that." he said in reply to her previous question. "Oh, we're going to a meat place?" Aang asked when he saw the restaurant they were walking into. "Come on Aang, everyone here eats meat, even the meat." Sokka gestured to a cow hippo eating a fly covered piece of meat. "You guys go ahead, I'll just eat some lettuce out of the garbage." Aang replied, the gang just shrugged and walked inside.

After they ate, they walked back outside to see that Aang wasn't there. "Huh, maybe he's still trying to find something to eat." but after a while of waiting they decided to split up and look for him, but no matter how much they looked they couldn't find him anywhere and just decided to head back to the cave and wait for Aang to return.

It was dark when the airbender finally returned. His new clothes were covered with soot and burn marks. "Where have you been!? We've been worried sick!" Katara demanded, "I got invited to play with some kids after school." Aang said as he undid his headband. Quila did a double-take when she realized what he just said. Sokka sprung to his feet "After what!?"

"I enrolled in a fire nation school. And I'm going back tomorrow."

"Enrolled in WHAT!?" he shouted, then fell backwards in disbelief. They all sat around a fire, and were all looking to Aang "Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds...really terrible."

"Yeah, we got our outfits, what do you need school for?" Toph chimed in. "Every minute I'm in that classroom, I learn something new about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." he held up a picture of the current Fire Lord, then exchanged it for another, somewhat sloppier one. "And here's one I made out of noodles!"

"Impressive, I admit. But I still think it's too dangerous."

"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow."

"Hmm... I am a fan of secret rivers. Fine, let's stay a few more days." Sokka relented "Flameo hot-man!" Aang exclaimed and ran off, the group exchanged a look and repeated his words in confusion.

The next night, they were all sitting around after Sokka and Katara got back from Aang's school, where he apparently got in trouble for fighting. "That's it! No more school for you, young man!" Sokka commanded, stroking his fake beard. Quila was worried he'd never take it off now. "I'm not ready to leave yet, I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka, you get to be normal all the time."

"Ha-ha" Toph laughed, earning a glare from Sokka. "Listen guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we want to change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."

"Aang makes a good point. Maybe if we teach these kids to loosen-up, perhaps that'll mean better for our future." Quila chimed in, "What could you possibly do for a country of deprived little fire monsters?"

"I'm going to throw them a secret dance party!" Aang announced, doing a little dance himself. "Go to your room!" Sokka commanded, looking slightly annoyed.

They placed candles all around the cave, preparing for this dance party that they were apparently hosting. Gopan was lighting candles while Quila was helping Katara get the drink fountain going. "I can't believe we're hosting a dance party. It seems so...silly." Sokka said to no one in particular. "Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating fancy footwork."

"They're coming! Everyone stop bending!" Toph announced, and they stopped setting up while Aang sent Aapa out the back of the cave.

Aang jumped in front of the stage when the band started playing. "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Flameos! Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving." he turned, but saw that no one was dancing. "What do we do now?" One of the kids asked "This is when you start dancing!"

"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave." Well, when he said it like that it sounded like a bad thing. "Yeah! What if someone finds out!?"

"Oh boy. Listen guys, dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can take away from you."

"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon, but we don't do that here."

"Sure you do, you have for generations! It just so happens that I know several classic Fire Nation dances. A hundred years ago, this was known as the 'Phoenix Flight'." he ran low on the ground, and the students looked on in amazement. "And, this was the 'Camelephant Strut'." Aang jumped from side to side and did a roll close to two nearby girls as they giggle. Aang finishes the dance with a back flip, landing on one foot. The boys stared in awe at Aang.

Toph and Katara were sitting at a table with Quila and Gopan sipping from some ice cups Katara and her had made. "Who knew twinkle toes could dance?" Katara just smiled at Aang, but there was something about it that made Quila raise an eyebrow.

Aang invited a girl with a ponytail to dance with him, and Katara's smile faded a little. "They look pretty good together." Sokka noticed, and Katara looked away "If that's what you like." she replied, her face was a light dusting of pink. Quila smirked at her, noticing this blush. Katara was obviously jealous.

After a while of dancing Aang ran over to Katara, and offered out his hand. "I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't really made for dancing. And I--I'm not sure that I know how to--" She played with her hair nervously, "Take my hand." Aang said with a smile. Katara smiled back "Okay." Everyone watched in awe at their dancing and Gopan walked over to her. "Hey, Quila."

"Yeah?"

"Remember when we went to that ball in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se?" Quila smiled, remembering that night in a fond light. "Yeah, we got a lot of income that night." He turned to her, smiling lightly, holding out a hand. She smiled back and placed her hand in his. They walked into the space where Aang and Katara just were.

They bowed to each other quickly. They then turned to the crowd, their backs to each other. As if mentally connected they began the dance, circling around each other, keeping their backs to each other, once they got the feel for each other's space Quila cartwheeled forward, then back again. When Gopan felt her back against his he did the same. They spun around each other, never going further from each other than an outstretched arm's length. Performing tricks they usually only performed at night. Flips and jumps that went so high and spun so many times. In the middle of the dance Gopan grabbed her hand and spun he around to face him, then grabbed her other hand and lowered her to just above the ground, then snapped her up so their faces were barely inches apart. She jumped away from him, and they proceeded to make moves at each other that looked like a fight. Her showing off waterbending tricks and stances, just with no water. And Gopan jabbed his hands out in different places, replicating his arrows. Finally the dance ended with him wrapping his hand around her waist, and her falling limp in his grasp, leaning backwards so her long hair touched the ground.

But their fun wasn't to last as a man stepped in with Fire Nation soldiers. "He's the one we want! The boy with the headband!" he pointed at Aang. But as the guards were searching, kids took their sashes and tied them around their heads to confuse them. While the guards were trying to find Aang in the crowd they escaped through the back of the cave, Toph earthbending the entrance shut behind her.

They were flying away on Aapa, to wherever they would end up next. Quila and Gopan were still out of breath from the dancing. "We're safe now, Sokka. You can take off the mustache." Katara told her brother, who still had the fake mustache and beard glued to his face. "Oh no I can't, it's permanently glued to my skin."

"Great job, dancey-pants. I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free."

"I don't know, it was just a dance party, that's all." Aang said with a shrug. "Well, that was some dance party Aang." Katara leaned over and kissed Aang lightly on the cheek, making the boy blush. Quila just smiled "Yes it was, Gopan and I haven't danced like that in a while."

"Where did you two even learn to dance like that?" Toph asked them, they just shared a knowing glance "Let's just say, we had a lot of practice."

"Flameo, sir. Flameo." Sokka praised Aang with light clapping.