The words never said

Heroes

Katara

"Why did I have to come along again?"

I smirk mockingly at Zuko, who draw the short straw today – (literally, we actually play that game when we have a decision to make) – and has to accompany me to buy food in Ember Island's market. (I'm the designated food buyer/cooker in the group, but we have a relatively recent rule to not go out alone after all the times we have almost being imprisoned or roasted alive, so we decided to never go out again without at least one more person of the group.) (The whole cutting straws and seeing who draws out the smallest is because not everybody likes to do something as unexciting as going to the market to look for groceries.)

Aang would have gladly accompany me today, I know; but since he's still on his avatar-training-schedule, he and Toph are having more earthbending practice while Zuko comes with me.

It does not requires a genius to figure out that Zuko does not enjoy going for groceries, either. But at least he's sticking to the rules in the group. (Ah, rules!) (Finally some common sense is coming down to all of us!)

"You chose the shortest straw, remember?" I say, "Now you have to come buy vegetables with me. That's how the game works."

"Yeah, because making group decisions based on a game is totally mature and formal."

"Not everything has to be a big, boring business conference, Zuko."

"I think a conference is better described as 'serious'."

"It's 'seriously' boring."

Zuko frowns at me. I laugh.

"I thought you were the serious one in the group," he reminds me.

"I am," I playfully step into a water pond, and then another, "But some things are worth a more easy-going approach."

"Mm-hmm," Zuko's slightly unimpressed hum is unexpectedly more amusing than you would think.

I don't know why, but since Zuko got chosen as the one accompanying me today, I've felt much more relieved. Perhaps it is because he's an actual native from the Fire Nation – which is still hostile territory for Team Avatar – and he has visited Ember Island before, so he knows the culture and the zone. He's perfect for helping me mix with the crowd!

I mean... Aang's advices and knowledge about the Fire Nation would have been useful, too... Around a hundred years ago.

Although, I have to admit I got worried about how on Earth we could possibly hide Zuko's identity. He's not only the Prince of the Fire Nation, he's also the traitorous Prince of the Fire Nation; if the locals ever found out about who he is, I don't doubt they would be harsher on him than possibly all the rest of us, Aang included.

His scar is a significant, if not "absolutely-revealing", proof about who he is. I thought he wouldn't be able to step outside the house without a mask that hid his entire face.

Turns out his disguise could be surprisingly simpler than that. (As simple as a black cape with a hood to cover up a person's whole face can be.)

He looks like somewhat of a somber figure walking around in the middle of the day with that dark cloak covering him, there are a lot of pedestrians shooting disconcerted, (and a little frightened), looks at us. But I guess it's preferable to have a few nosy neighbors instead of an entire mob chasing us out of the island. To be honest, I think the outfit fits him. And he doesn't look nearly as terrifying as he truly was back when we first met. Even though I can't see much of his face, the whole "black cloak and black hood thing" matches his moody personality, which is attractive, (in some way that I can't completely decipher).