ACT ONE. a game of cat-deer and mouse!
CHAPTER vii. ❛ THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD. ❜
zuko's ship,
99 ag.
"THE ONLY REASON YOU SHOULD BE INTERRUPTING ME IS IF YOU HAVE NEWS ABOUT THE AVATAR," Prince Zuko spoke, his voice one of uncharacteristic tranquillity. Uncle Iroh exchanged a glance at the waterbender to his side and pulled an oopsies expression. Nevertheless, he entered the boy's chambers ━━━ his new companion following shortly behind. Of course, Jing-hai was happy to disturb that firebending imbecile, so she greeted him with a condescending smile.
"Well, there is news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it," Iroh told him hesitantly. "Don't get too upset."
Zuko was kneeling before four candles in a meditative like state. He seemed to be channelling his inner frustrations into the flames of the candle, making them rise at a steady height. Calm, cool and collected. A mindset Jing-hai had never really seen him in. It was as if the boy had three emotions and three emotions only.
Spoiled, arrogant and bitter.
"Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now whatever you have to say, I'm sure that I can take it."
"Right," Jing-hai scoffed and the boy peeked his eyes open, shooting daggers in her direction.
"Okay, then...we have no idea where he is," Iroh decided to just rip off the bandaid.
"WHAT?!"
The prince's eyes bulged and the candle flared to the ceiling, exploding in his wrath. Jing-hai rolled her eyes at his dramatic flair and Iroh tossed her one of his fans. When he pulled a second out of his robes, the understanding man begun to waft the heat away from his face. The room was practically an oven.
"You really should open a window in here," Iroh advised.
"Or a freezer," Jing-hai commented. Then, taking a flask of water from her tunic, she absorbed the liquid and moved it through the air in an attempt to cool herself down. Gently spraying herself, she was pleasantly surprised at how refreshed she felt. It wasn't a total disaster!
"Ooh, can I get in on some of that?" Iroh requested.
"Sure," Jing-hai smiled.
Then, rather over-confidently, the girl was certain she could manipulate the water forwards. And it was a good idea! In theory, that is. In reality, what the princess actually did was end up completely drenching the firebenders in the rest of her drink.
She grimaced sheepishly. "...oops..."
"GET OUT!" Zuko cried in anger, shaking the water off of him. "You did that on purpose!"
"I did not!" Jing argued.
"Did too!"
"Did not! Ask anybody! I'm a useless waterbender!"
"Well, I can see that!" he snapped, motioning to his soggy clothes.
The girl couldn't help but to laugh.
"Uncle, what is she even doing here?" Zuko complained, gruffly. He marched over to the waterbender. "Unless you're ready to tell me where the Avatar is hiding, I don't want to hear from you!"
Iroh tried to diffuse the tensions.
"I, for one, am feeling very refreshed!" he declared.
Zuko glared at Jing-hai one more time before groaning and snatching a map out of his uncle's hand. "Give me the map!"
Jing-hai's eyes lit up now.
Whilst the prince had been sleeping, she had been up scheming. It wasn't easy, sneaking past Zuko's guards. Each one was attired in a helmet identical to another ━━━ and it was impossible to tell what they could see and what they could not. And if they were sleeping or if they were merely standing still for a very long time. But eventually, she had heard the snores erupt from beneath the red skulls, and so she set out on a mission. By now, Jing had mastered the art of tip-toeing. And taking advantage of Zuko's exhaustion, it wasn't long before she had been standing inside the Prince's chambers.
"There have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he is impossible to track down," Zuko sighed, gazing at his map.
That wonderful map.
A piece of crumpled paper he had been practically worshipping since it arrived. That damned paper. It was marked with every location that there had been a possible Avatar sighting and, as a result, had become the ship's brand new compass. Jing-hai figured the pen truly was mightier than the sword. Because in that one sheet of paper, it navigated an entire army. And so the princess had destroyed it's every credibility. Erasing potential Avatar hot spots, crossing off locations that she had never even heard of and triggering pointless journeys all morning had resulted in the perfect recipe for disaster.
Without concrete evidence, it would be impossible to find him now.
"How am I gonna find him, Uncle?" Zuko groaned, lost in a landmass of zigzag scribbles and false hope. "He is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering."
Jing-hai smiled, and thought about how she knew her companions were probably clueless right about now.
"Maybe you should just give up," the girl innocently suggested.
When Zuko pointed at the door, this time she obeyed.
Her work here was done.
∘₊𖦹─── ·࿐࿔· ───𖦹₊∘
zuko's chambers,
war ship.
"DOES SHE HAVE TO EAT WITH US, UNCLE?" ZUKO SCOWLED, seating himself at the head of the table. Since the prince did not invite the rest of his crew to eat with him, his audience was pretty inner circle. Just an old man and an arch enemy. The perfect company. Jing-hai paid him no heed and was actually rather excited for dinner. She was starving, for one. And she never turned down an opportunity to spite the prince. Jing knew her newfangled happiness irritated him more than he liked to express. Especially now, after being dealt a hand of such unfortunate cards.
"Don't be rude, Prince Zuko," Iroh scolded. "Pay him no heed, Jing-hai. My nephew still needs to work on his table manners."
Jing-hai smiled and gazed across at the man before her.
He was an old, jovial man with grey hair and a large round build full of wisdom. His eyes were kind and he had that look about him. The look of a life well lived. It wasn't hard to see that love took a front row seat in the hardships he faced. And through that loving soul, Jing-hai couldn't believe he was Fire Nation. She didn't understand how someone, birthed into evil, could be so...good. Nor how someone so good could love someone so bad. And yet, Iroh looked at his nephew with pride all the same. Jing liked to think that it was as though he was living out his childhood through the journeys of his kin.
"Need I remind you, uncle, she is not a guest," Zuko spat. "She's working with the Avatar."
"And you're working for the Fire Lord," Jing-hai fired back.
He frowned. "My father has nothing to do with this—"
"Your father has everything to do with this. The Fire Lord is a monster ━━━ and the apple clearly didn't fall far from the tree."
"And would you rather I was more like you? Turning my back on my family? On my people?"
The girl felt sick with rage.
"You don't know anything about me! Or my people!"
"I know that you're a walking migraine and a lousy waterbender. And I know that you lied to your people. The Northern Tribe said that their child had been kidnapped. Yet here you are, safe and sound. It's a mystery you hadn't been found out sooner with that...ridiculous hair!" Zuko complained.
"Oh, so now you have a problem with my hair?" Jing-hai laughed incredulously. "My people have nothing to do with you so don't you dare speak on them for another moment!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
A moment of silence passed, the two teens locked in a hardened stare.
"Wow, this fish is delicious," Iroh finally said, munching on his dinner. Suddenly, Jing-hai lost her appetite.
A knock on the door saved them from their woes. There, outside his chambers, stood one of his guards. And with a gesture of his hand, Zuko invited him inside. The firebender approached silently and whispered something in the Prince's ears. The girl had tried to eavesdrop, but his terrifying helmet forbid her from doing so.
But as it turned out, she didn't have to.
"The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island?" Zuko repeated, gladly. It was the first real news he had received in days and he stood up from his chair in excitement. "Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not getting away from me this time."
Jing-hai deflated.
Though her diversion plan had worked, it had only been temporary.
"Uh...are you going to finish that?" Iroh tried his luck in response, pointing to Zuko's untouched fish with his fork. The man was greatly disappointed that he had not yet been able to enjoy his feast in peace.
"I was going to save it for later!" Zuko snapped defensively, grabbing his plate and taking it far away from the man. Jing-hai and Iroh exchanged an amused glance. And together, they turned back to their meal.
∘₊𖦹─── ·࿐࿔· ───𖦹₊∘
kyoshi island,
south sea.
STEPPING OUT ONTO THE BOW OF THE SHIP, Jing-hai could barely control her wonder. The island awaiting them was nothing short of a heaven. The girl was sure of it. Having spent almost every minute of her livelihood in the glaciers of the Northern and Southern Poles, grass was practically a stranger to her. And so, when her eyes fell upon the earthy greens, her excitement felt appropriate. All around the marvellous plantation hotspot, there were trees and bushes and fruits and rivers. It was no wonder the Avatar seeked sanctuary in such a dreamworld.
"It's beautiful," Jing-hai marvelled in awe.
Zuko had overheard the girl's comment and scowled. "It will be nothing if it does not hand over the Avatar."
The girl's chest sank when she remembered why they were here. To hunt down the world's only hope of salvation. Jing-hai knew what needed to be done. Quickly, she would need to make a diversion. Or at the very least, put out a warning to her friends. So, not really thinking at all, she had a wonderful idea. The girl marched over to the railings of the ship and climbed, ready for a splash.
"Help!" Jing-hai called out in the air before throwing herself overboard.
Zuko turned his head just in time to watch the girl disappear. For a moment, he did not understand what had happened. But when he pieced together the jigsaw of her actions, the prince sprinted over to the other side of the deck. And by the time he reached it, Jing-hai was lost to the waves ━━━ just as she had been found. She faded away at first and plunged into the depths of the ocean. And then, as quickly as her fall, the waterbender rose from the water, mounting something...spectacular.
"Wooooh!" the girl squealed.
It was no secret that Kyoshi Island was home to some of the most exotic creatures. And it's Elephant Koi was no exception. The creature was enourmous in it's size and Jing-hai looked like a pea in comparison. That didn't stop her, however. Ever since birth, her connection with the fish had been strong. And those who knew her legend knew why. Because when the Ocean spririt, La, saved her life that night, her tribe had forever worshipped it's mortal form. Koi. And so, the fish respected the waterbender, as she did it.
"What are you doing?" Zuko called out, eager to move on.
"What does it look like, fireboy!" she shouted, giggling.
The Prince watched her silently, not sure what to think. Of course, he recognised she was stalling. But he needed the girl by his side when he reunited with the Avatar. Otherwise, how else could he draw him out? She was the bait, after all. And she couldn't help him if she was out frolicking with the fishes.
"Very impressive," Iroh complimented as he waddled over, egging the girl on.
"We don't have time for this," Zuko muttered.
Jing-hai tightened her hold on the fantastical beast as it dove into the air. The Koi was a whopping length of forty to fifty feet, and made a splash that managed to drench Prince Zuko ━━━ much to her amusement. The fish she rode was a pale shade of yellow with broken patterns of orange. Amber swirls were most prominent down it's back, between it's eyes, on the tip of it's fins, and in small circles around the bases of it's tail. The friendly giant featured a single dorsal fin supported by about half a dozen spines. Then, additional fins including a pair of pectoral fins, a pelvic fin, and an anal fin on the ventral side; as well as a relatively small, single-lobed caudal fin. This elephant koi also possessed barbels on the sides of it's mouth.
"Sea monster!" Zuko cried out.
In an instant, the fish evaporated. Jing-hai was thrown from the back of her friend and slipped away into the waves. Furiously, she broke the surface and pouted.
"Whoops. I must have been mistaken," he said, innocently.
The girl let out a groan of frustration as she climbed back on-board. "You did that on purpose!"
Zuko shrugged, not bothering to hide it. Then, turning his back on her, he snapped his fingers at a nearby guard. In a matter of minutes, the firebender was suited up for battle. His regular armour made an appearance but now sporting a brand new helmet. Thick, black and lethal. He was ready for war.
"Make sure the rhinos are ready," the prince demanded.
"We're going to catch the Avatar."
✧ ▬▭▬ AUTHOR'S NOTE! ▬▭▬ ✧
kyoshi island supremacy! I actually can't wait to write team avatar to reuniting bc suki gave sokka his character development && I love that for her!!!!!