The Unrivalled Expert in Human Nature

Chapter 2

A soldier walked by but didn't see them.

"He was..." she started, letting go of his shirt.

"Yeah..."

"That's the only reason why I..."

"Uh-huh..." he looked away, "I think I know how we can shake them. Straight out and a few streets over. I know a guy."

"No, we need your ship to get out of here..."

"Just trust me, alright?"

She chuckled, "I'd rather take my chances with them alone." the tips of two of her fingers lit up.

"No, no... No lightning. Stealth is crucial. Can't you just follow me there?"

"Your ideas are what brought me here, Captain Stealth. I won't get myself captured because you don't want to kill people." she said, and Wen chuckled like he had no idea what she was talking about, "Like that man on your ship. You should have killed that fool."

Just as she was saying that, Wen bended some water out of his pouch, turned it into icy blades and sent them flying towards the street. When Azula turned around the soldier standing behind her was already dead. So, she might have misjudged the Captain a little.

They both ran outside and found themselves surrounded almost immediately.

"How about that lightning now?" he whispered while pretending to surrender. Azula didn't need to be told twice. She struck the biggest man and then turned to Wen, only to find he was already climbing the closest building.

He was rather surprised when he saw her use her fire to propel herself up there after him.

"In my experience they'll follow us up. And start shooting arrows and rocks..." he looked around now that they had a high vintage point, "If we want to get to the sea we should really-"

"We're going with your plan. Lead the way."

It was very visible on Wen's face he was about to gloat, but he didn't get a chance since the first soldiers had just climbed after the two of them.

"Follow me." he said and started running, jumping from one rooftop to another, while Azula fell behind to shoot one of the men with lightning.

"You can only take out one guy with that?" Wen asked while they were running side by side.

"What do you suppose the width of a lightning bolt is?" she snapped at him.

"Fair enough."

She turned around to take one more soldier out with her lightning, but there were a lot more of them. When she turned back she noticed they were at the end of a row of houses. The next one was way too far for a person to jump to it. A person without firebending that is...

"How are you-" she asked, seeing Wen wasn't slowing down at all while running towards the gap.

"Just go!" he yelled, and she hurried in front of him and made the jump with the help of her fire streams. As soon as she landed she turned around and saw Wen jumping, giving himself a shove with his bending water. When he was about at the half of his jump it became apparent he wouldn't make it. He reached out his right hand, but he would have still been a meter away from Azula's hand if he hadn't used his water to extend his reach.

When he began falling he transformed the water connecting them into ice and Azula was able to pull him up from the side of the building. Both him and Azula, as well as all the soldiers, were surprised that worked.

He then showed her what building they were looking for, but before entering they needed to deal with another group of soldiers on the ground.

"Lightning when I tell you." he said before placing ice in front of the men on the ground. Most of them slipped and fell right away and that was when he turned the ice to water. "Now!"