Dragonfire | Mako

TWENTY-SEVEN

Under the cover of the night, five figures moved closer to the fortress that was considered a city, their eyes wide open despite the hour. In the horizon, the sky was just starting to get painted a dark purple, betraying the hour, the countless of stars still bright as the sun slowly began its ascend.

One by one, they climbed in a sewer, swallowing their disgust as the woman in the front started bending all the water around them to make sure they didn't touch it. They walked on in silence until the woman right behind the one bending the water turned around to briefly face her friends and spoke up.

"Have you memorised the plans of the city?"

"We have," she got her reply instantly by the man walking in the end. A flame ignited in his palm, shedding light to the tunnel. "We're going to get him out, Kaida."

She only nodded in response as she turned back to her front, her eyes narrowed in determination. She attempted to keep her focus sharp and to think of what was truly important, but the more she tried to banish all disturbing thoughts from her mind, the more the dream she had had last night slipped in, disrupting her concentration and draining her emotionally bit by bit.

-

A small child was sitting in front of a cell, her eyes bright, flames swirling in the depths of her pupils like an endless void of scarlet. She glanced from side to side, her eyes glued on a person sitting behind the bars of a cell. The girl was standing in the light - the only light provided in that shady cell - and despite the location, she was smiling. She leaned forward, her chin pressed on her palm as she spoke.

"Grandpa tells me you don't like tea but I wanted to bring you some. I've asked him before and he said they don't give you tea here. I don't think that's very nice."

Her companion slowly raised her head, dark hair mixing with strands of grey falling in front of her eyes. She didn't attempt to push it away from her face and in the cracks in between her hair, the girl caught sight of her lips curling in a smirk.

"I didn't expect you to get me tea, Kaida."

The woman's voice as she spoke was sharp, holding no kindness, but the girl smiled nonetheless and scooted a bit closer.

"Are you going to try it?"

Slowly, the prisoner moved closer to the bars. Her eyes, the exact same shade as the little girl's, didn't stray from her as she picked up the cup and raised it to her lips. The girl grinned and she slowly lowered the cup once more.

"That's the best tea I've had in years."

The girl didn't quite catch the underlying tone of sarcasm coating her companion's voice as her grin widened. "I knew it! Iroh keeps saying it's awful but he has no idea about tea."

She hummed in response as she took a closer look at the girl. For a while, the cell was sank in silence as the girl waited for her eagerly to speak up. In time, she did.

"Did your mother set your hair like that?"

The girl beamed at her as she raised her tiny fists and grabbed both stray strands of hair that were framing her face while the rest of her hair was pulled up in a bun. She shook her head. "I asked a servant to do it. A few days ago, grandpa was talking to Iroh and I about a few of his adventures when he was young and he showed us a picture of his family. You were there too. Your hair was really nice, so, I asked a servant do it for me."