A/N: Suuuuper sorry for the delay with this one. Please accept this lengthy chapter as a peace offering <3
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The Gaang was traveling atop Appa with a large cloud surrounding them. Katara and Aang bent the cloud around the bison so they wouldn't be spotted. Although it was hard to see through the fog, Eziri could faintly see the land below and her heart started racing.
They were headed towards the island in the far east of the Fire Nation. Although Eziri hadn't been there before, it still felt like she was returning home. Normal teenagers might feel excited and happy at the thought of returning home after so many years. But all Eziri felt was anxiety and dread.
She remembered how widespread her father's propaganda was. She remembered the class politics and stiff culture of her home nation. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she'd never felt freer than when she was away from her nation. She watched the bison approach land and nervously fiddled with the bracelet around her wrist.
Sokka led the bison down towards the shore and both Aang and Katara kept their cloud coverage around them.
"I think I see a cave below." Aang said, pointing down to the ground.
"Shh! Keep quiet!" Sokka chastised. He landed the bison and Aang dissipated the cloud. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut."
Everyone started climbing off the bison. "Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in." Toph said sarcastically.
Sokka spun around with a paranoid look on his face. "Hey, we're in enemy territory." Sokka pointed towards a nearby toucan puffin. "Those are enemy birds." Eziri knew he was right; they were in enemy territory. But something about her boyfriend being so on edge in her own nation just heightened the already deep pit of guilt in her stomach. She couldn't help the shame that crept up at the term 'enemy.'
"Sokka, you're being ridiculous." Katara rolled her eyes. "It's not like the birds are spies or something, right Eziri?" Katara turned towards the firebender. Eziri was standing a few paces away from everyone, anxiously biting her fingernails. Katara waited for a response but it seemed Eziri wasn't paying attention. "Eziri?" She asked again.
"Hm?" Eziri turned her head to see three pairs of worried eyes on her. "Oh um...yeah." She mumbled. Luckily, Katara dropped it and they all started towards the cave.
Before anyone could even walk inside, Sokka jumped in and crouched down. He crept through the cave, inspecting it as though the Fire Lord himself would pop up at any moment.
"Well, this is it." Having thoroughly inspected the cave, Sokka relaxed a bit. "This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins." He dropped his head. "Hiding in cave after cave after cave after cave..."
Eziri tuned her friends out and set down her bag. She sat on a small boulder and just focused on taking slow, deep breaths. She hated that she was falling apart over nothing, and she was trying to maintain her composure so her friends wouldn't worry.
"Ezi, are you coming?" Aang asked. Eziri snapped her attention to the airbender. He could see the confusion on her face. "We're going to get new clothes." He explained. Everyone else stared at her expectantly.
"Oh." She glanced down at her bag. "Um, I think I'm all set." She pointed to her bag, which still held a few Fire Nation outfits, and gave him a light smile.
"O-Ok." Aang said nervously.
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up with you." Sokka instructed. The three younger kids left and Sokka walked over to Eziri. "Are you ok?"
Eziri forced a slight smile onto her face. "Yeah. I...I think I just need a minute alone."
Sokka sat down beside her. "Are you sure? I don't mind staying here if you need some company."
"No." Eziri patted his leg. "I'm sure–go get some new clothes." She kissed him on the cheek and stood up. "I think I'm gonna go sit by the water for a while." She picked up her bag and left the cave without another word.
Eziri didn't like that she was being so closed-off to her boyfriend, but she had no idea how to voice what she was feeling. After all, she was mostly filled with guilt and shame. If she expressed that to anyone in the group, they'd just tell her it wasn't her fault and she shouldn't feel that way. She really wasn't in the mood for another optimistic pep talk.
Eziri went down to the water and ducked behind some boulders to change. She pulled on a one-sleeved, slightly cropped red shirt and loose-fitting red pants with small slits up the sides. Her shirt fell just low enough to hide her scars, but she tied her sash around her waist anyway, hiding her exposed skin. She also pulled on a cropped, black vest with gold trim, just to ensure none of the burn marks on her back were visible. She looked down at herself and sighed. The sight of the familiar red fabric just made her feel worse.
Eziri left her bag in the sand and decided to walk out into the water. She waded in up to her waist and closed her eyes, reveling in the warm sun. Usually the sun brought a feeling of energy and life. But since she'd lost her bending, something about her always felt cold. She swam out a bit farther and stayed in the water for a few more minutes, just letting the crashing waves and the nearby birdsongs calm her nerves.
Eventually, she heard the faint chatter of her friends by the cave and assumed everyone had found their new clothes. She walked out of the water, squeezed out her hair, and picked up her bag. She went to raise her body temperature to dry her clothing and paused. She looked down at the soaked fabric and frowned
"There you are!" Aang said brightly. "Look at my–" Aang rushed over and paused. "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing." She shook her head. She hadn't yet worked up the courage to tell Aang about her bending. None of her friends had mentioned it either, assuming Eziri wanted to be the one to tell him. She cleared her throat and tried not to be annoyed at her soaked clothing. "Look at you!" She forced a smile on her face. "You look like a real Fire Nation kid." She looked at his headband and giggled. "Although, I'm pretty sure you're wearing a belt on your head, kiddo."
Aang patted the fabric. "Really?" He shrugged. "Oh, well. It hides my arrow." Eziri examined his outfit and found it peculiar. It didn't look like everyday clothing, but Eziri shrugged it off–styles could have changed since she was in the Fire Nation. "C'mon." Aang grabbed her wrist and tugged her behind him. "We're going into town to get some food."
–
They made it to the town and everyone bought small accessories to finish their Fire Nation outfit. Eziri bought a pair of red, fingerless gloves to cover her hands. She still had them bandaged, but mostly as a precaution. She really just hated looking at how messed up they were.
"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So, everyone just follow my lead and stay cool." Aang instructed. Eziri squinted her eyes at him, in utter disbelief that he expected her to follow his lead in her own nation. "Or, as they say in the Fire Nation, 'stay flamin.'" Eziri slapped her forehead and Aang strutted off ahead of the group.
"No one says that here, do they?" Toph asked with an amused grin.
"Of course not." Eziri shook her head and followed the group.
"Greetings, my good hotman." Aang said to a random stranger. Eziri cringed. Aang would certainly stick out while they were in the Fire Nation.
"Uh, hi." The man said, confused. "I guess..." He turned and continued walking.
Eziri trailed a few paces behind everyone. She still couldn't shake the strange feeling of being back home. This town was unfamiliar, considering she didn't often venture outside the palace, but yet it still felt like home. The red clothing, the warmth of the summer sun, the slightest scent of fire lilies in the breeze all reminded her of her childhood.
She wished it made her nostalgic, or gave her some form of comfort. But all it did was put her on edge. She felt like she was being stared at as they walked around the town. In reality, it was probably all in her head. But she still found herself nervously glancing around.
The group walked up to a small restaurant and discussed whether or not they should go inside. Eziri tried to pay attention, but something caught her eye. She turned her head and saw a large bulletin. Her face was plastered all over it—dozens of missing posters pinned to the surface.
"Eziri, what do you think?" Katara asked. Eziri's head was still turned away and her eyes were wide. "Eziri?"
The firebender blinked a few times and turned back to her friends. "Um...I don't think I should be here right now." She nodded her head towards the bulletin. Sokka, Aang, and Katara all looked.
"What is it?" Toph asked. She could sense Eziri's nervousness through her heart rate and soon felt everyone else match her reaction.
"There are tons of posters on a bulletin." Eziri explained quietly. "They all have paintings of my face."
"Maybe we should go..." Katara suggested.
"No. You guys stay—get some food. I'm gonna head back to the cave." Eziri glanced around her nervously. "And we should probably not use my name anymore." She turned and left her friends, not giving them any time to disagree. She kept her head down and hurried back to the cave, silently hoping that no one would spot her.
"Do you think she should have stayed with Dad?" Katara quietly asked her brother.
Sokka sighed. "I think being back in the Fire Nation is really hard for her." He didn't like the idea of being separated from his girlfriend, especially considering the fact that she only just started speaking again.
"Sokka, she's starting to act the way she did after what happened with Yue. She's shutting everyone out." Katara said with concern. None of them liked to think about the way Eziri acted after the events at the North Pole.
"No. It's not like that. She just needs some time to adjust." Sokka said dismissively.
"But what if–"
"She's not leaving." He said sternly. He walked ahead of the group, leaving the others standing in tense silence.
"Who's Yue?" Toph asked curiously.
—
Thankfully, Eziri made it back to Appa without incident. She went over to one of her bags and pulled out her knives. She inspected them and picked up the sharpest one.
She filled a large bowl with water and tried to see her reflection. It wasn't great, but it would have to do. She untied her hair and took a deep breath.
Before she could overthink it, she reached up and used the knife to cut a large chunk of her hair off. She gawked at the fallen hair clump and forced herself to continue. The bowl of water didn't provide much help, but it was good enough.
Eziri cut her hair so it fell just beneath her chin. Her whole life she'd had long, beautiful hair. It was a little unsettling to see herself with short hair. She dumped out the water and went over to her belongings, searching for a way to make herself look different.
She got an idea and grabbed some money. She left to visit one of the merchants at the edge of the town.
"Excuse me, I broke my glasses last week and I was looking to buy a new pair."
"Sure, I don't have much but there's some over here." The man led her to a small table with a few pairs of glasses. "How blind are ya?" He asked with a smile. Eziri laughed.
"Not too bad."
The man shrugged and picked up a pair. "Here. These are the lightest ones I got. Just plain glass and nothing else, if ya ask me." He joked. "But give 'em a try."
Eziri took them and put them on. She didn't notice a change in her vision as she looked around.
"Well? Whadya think? Need somethin' stronger?" He asked.
"No. Actually, these are perfect. How much?" Eziri paid the man and hurried back to the cave. The square metal frames felt weird on her face. She figured it would probably take a while for her to get used to something constantly in her field of vision.
—
When the others returned, Eziri was sitting in the sun with a book in her lap. Since they left Ba Sing Se, she'd re-sparked her interest in the journal she found at the Northern Air Temple. Reading about someone else's peaceful travels and discoveries brought her a bit of happiness.
"Eziri, we brought you—" Katara stopped short when she saw Eziri and gasped. "Your hair!" Sokka was behind her and walked up with a look of confusion.
"Is something wr—oh." Sokka noticed Eziri's change in appearance and stopped beside his sister.
Eziri put down the book and self consciously started combing her hands through her short hair. "Shit, is it that bad? I didn't have a mirror."
"No!" Katara said quickly. "It's just...different. I almost didn't recognize you."
"Well, you look the same to me." Toph joked. Eziri smiled and relaxed a little.
"I need someone to even it out." Eziri stood and closed her book.
"I think I can help with that." Katara said with a smile. "Where'd you get the glasses?"
"Oh, just some merchant at the edge of town." Eziri pulled them off and held them out. "I don't think they have real lenses in them." Katara took the glasses and put them on herself.
"Huh." She looked around her, trying to see through the lenses. "Yeah, nothing looks different." Katara shrugged and handed Eziri the glasses.
"Wait, I wanna try!" Sokka came over and took the glasses before Eziri could put them back on. "Hold on, you guys don't see a difference?" He asked.
Eziri and Katara shared a look. "Uh...no."
Sokka squinted at some nearby plants. He lifted the glasses and dropped them a few times—swapping between his own vision and his vision with the lenses. "Yeah, neither do I." He shrugged and handed them back to Eziri. "I like the hair by the way." He said with a smile. Eziri put the glasses back on and grinned.
"So, where's Aang?" Katara asked.
Eziri gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean? He was with you guys."
"We split up in town—he was going to find vegetarian food. We just assumed he came back here."
"He didn't." Eziri said worriedly. "How long ago did he leave?"
"Pretty soon after you left." Sokka explained.
Eziri started to internally panic but kept her expression neutral. She knew there were a million ways for Aang to get into trouble here, but she didn't want to freak her friends out.
"O-Okay, well maybe he just took a little longer than expected. We should give him some more time before we panic." Eziri decided.
"Do you think we should look for him? Maybe we could ask some of the people in town if they've seen him."
"No." Eziri shook her head. "That'll only draw attention. We should wait it out and see if he comes back in the next couple hours. On some off-chance that Aang does get captured or something, we'll search for him tonight while it's dark—that way we're less likely to be spotted."
Katara reluctantly nodded in understanding. "Alright." She sighed and tried not to worry. "Well, I guess we could work on your hair in the meantime." She suggested.
Eziri smiled and pulled out the knife she used earlier. "Give it your best shot." She handed the knife to Katara and the two girls sat by the edge of the cave where the light was better. Katara evened out the choppy ends of Eziri's hair and even added some bangs. Both girls were satisfied with the results.
They cleaned up the discarded hair and joined Toph and Sokka inside the cave.
"So, what should we call you when we're out in public?" Asked Katara. "I guess your name would be a dead giveaway, huh?"
Eziri sighed. "Yeah. It's not exactly common." She thought it over for a minute and shrugged. "How about Lin? It's pretty basic."
"I like it." Katara smiled.
"Ooh! What if we just spelled your name backwards?" Sokka suggested. "That would be..." he poked his tongue out of his lips and thought about it for a moment. "Irize?"
"Yikes." Toph mumbled.
"Um...let's just stick with Lin." Eziri said with an apologetic look. Sokka deflated a little.
"Ok. Lin it is." He said in defeat.
—
Everyone remained inside the cave and anxiously awaited Aang's return. Eziri kept her nose buried in a book and tried to mentally prepare an escape plan in case they had to go on a rescue mission. Sokka sprawled out his maps and invasion plans, making slight adjustments to the schedule. Katara worked on dinner for everyone, looking up at the entrance of the cave every five minutes or so. Toph propped herself against a boulder and picked her toes.
After what felt like an eternity, they all heard Aang's soft footsteps approaching. Katara stood and was the first one to speak. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick."
Eziri put down her book and allowed herself to relax. She was grateful they wouldn't actually have to break into a Fire Nation prison. She had been internally kicking herself for letting Aang leave her sight and she was glad he came back unscathed.
Aang pulled off his headband. "I got invited to play with some kids after school."
Sokka leapt to his feet. "After what?!" He screeched.
"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school, and I'm going back tomorrow." Aang said nonchalantly.
"Enrolled in what?!" Sokka screeched again. He mock-fainted in disbelief, plopping his head into Eziri's lap. As serious as the situation was, she couldn't help the slight giggle at her boyfriend's antics.
"Okay, why don't we all just take a deep breath and try to relax. Aang is back safe and sound. That's what matters." Eziri suggested as she ran her hand through Sokka's hair. She said the words for her own sake just as much as the others'.
"I'm with Eziri. Why don't we talk about this over dinner?" Katara suggested. She was finished prepping the food and scooted over to the kindling and fire pit her brother set up. She started rummaging through her bag and frowned. "Has anyone seen our spark rocks? I thought they were in my bag."
"Why doesn't Ezi just light it?" Aang shrugged. Everyone else tensed and avoided eye contact. Sokka slowly sat up and scooted off his girlfriend. "What? Why are you all acting like I'm crazy?"
"Um...Aang...I need to tell you something..." Eziri reached into her own bag and pulled out the rocks. She tossed them to Katara and sighed. "I haven't been able to bend since my hands were crushed." She admitted quietly.
"What?" Aang asked in disbelief. "No..." Aang shook his head. "But Katara's been healing you. I bet you just need a couple more healing sessions and you'll be good as new."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Katara interjected. She lit the fire and started on dinner. "I'm doing everything I can for Eziri's hands, but the damage is extensive." Katara glanced nervously at Eziri.
"I'm sorry, Aang. We'll have to find you a new firebending teacher." Eziri said sadly. "I can show you some basic forms, but I can't quite get the movements right." She held up her gloved hands. "You'll need someone with functioning hands to teach you." Eziri looked down at her lap in shame. Her friends had tried to assure her a million times that her injury didn't make her useless, but it wasn't enough to convince her. She was so ashamed that she let Aang down.
Sokka noticed the shift in Eziri's demeanor and decided to change the subject. "Can we circle back to the whole Fire Nation school thing?" He asked.
Aang launched into the story of how he accidentally ended up at the school and enrolled as a new student from the colonies. He happily chatted about his new teacher and friends–spending a good deal of time talking about how he played 'hide and explode' at recess. Mostly, he talked about how he was excited to go back the next day.
"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds...really terrible." Sokka said.
"Yeah, we got our outfits. What do you need to go to school for?" asked Toph.
"Exactly." Sokka nodded. "Toph and Eziri are with me. Looks like you're outvoted."
"Actually, I'm not entirely against it." Eziri shrugged. Sokka and Katara gawked at her. "Don't get me wrong, I think it's reckless and dangerous, but let's be real: the Fire Nation thinks Aang is dead. The last thing they'll expect is for the Avatar to randomly pop up in a small-town Fire Nation school. I mean, the fact that they just let some random kid enroll today says they're not exactly diligent with the school roster."
"See? Ezi's with me!" Aang said cheerfully.
"Hold on there, school boy, I'm not quite finished." Aang deflated a little. "Besides you getting a chance to be a kid for 5 seconds, I think this could be a good learning experience. The Fire Nation's propaganda runs deep. Children are taught a modified, inaccurate version of history that portrays the Fire Nation as the hero in every situation. I think it will be good for you to see it first-hand. Understanding the culture here can only help with your firebending training."
"You're seriously siding with him?" Sokka asked in disbelief.
"I know, I don't entirely understand it myself, but I am siding with him. So long as Aang doesn't use his airbending or show his tattoos, he looks like every other kid. I don't think anyone will notice. Besides, mainland Fire Nation citizens are pretty prejudiced against colonials. They'll just attribute Aang's quirks to colony behavior." Eziri shrugged.
"Yeah! They all just think I'm weird because I'm from the colonies." Aang agreed. "Every minute I'm in that classroom, I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." Aang held up a picture. Eziri slightly winced at the accuracy of her father's portrait. "And here's one that I made out of noodles!" Aang held up another picture of Fire Lord Ozai, made from macaroni.
"Impressive, I admit, but I still think it's too dangerous."
Aang glanced at Eziri and gave her a quick wink, telling her to go along with his plan. "I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then." He tried to hide his sly grin. "It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace."
Katara gave Eziri a questioning look. Eziri smiled and subtly shook her head. Toph could tell that Aang was lying, even without Eziri's confirmation.
"We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow." Aang told Sokka.
"Hmm, I am a fan of secret rivers..." Sokka pondered it for a moment. "Fine, let's stay a few more days."
"Flamey-O, Hotman!" Aang cheered and ran off.
"Flamey-O?" Sokka said incredulously. Katara just shrugged and went back to what she was doing.
—
The next day, Aang left for school bright and early. Eziri made sure to inspect his uniform and taught him a bit of Fire Nation etiquette before sending him off. She then grabbed her book and crept out of the cave, careful not to wake any of her friends.
She walked down to the water and sat down on a large boulder by the shore. She had been particularly glued to the airbender journal she picked up at the Northern Air Temple. The others weren't sure why she was constantly buried in the book, but she didn't care. The monk's wisdom quelled her anxiety and she was happy to lose herself in his writing.
"Should we go after her?" Katara asked her brother once Eziri had left the cave.
"I don't know." Sokka said sadly. "I'm worried that hovering will only make things worse. I think she just needs to sort things out on her own."
"But she doesn't need to go through this alone. That's why she has us!" Katara protested.
Sokka shrugged. "I don't think she sees it that way." He sighed and turned his attention back to his master schedule. "Just give her some space. I think she'll come around when she's ready." It pained Sokka to let Eziri suffer in silence, but he knew by now it was the only thing that worked. If he pressured her to talk to him, he knew she'd end up pushing him away.
–
Eziri spent the morning absorbed into the small journal and eventually decided to take a break. She marked her page and set the book down on her boulder. As she gazed out over the water, she decided to try her bending once again.
Eziri sat cross-legged on the sand and began with the most basic part of firebending; breathing. She did her best to feel the energy from the sun to channel her inner fire. After she thought she'd figured it out, she stood and started going through basic firebending form. To her disappointment, nothing came out of her palms–not even a measly puff of smoke.
She kept trying until her muscles ached and her lungs burned. She mentally cursed her stupid hands for being so useless and flopped onto the ground. She stared down at her gloved hands and sighed. She slowly pulled off the gloves and examined the damage. Her fingers were still visibly misshapen and there were small, prominent scars flecked across her skin. She decided to start with her hand movements. If she could manage to get her hand motions correct, maybe her bending would follow.
With a new sense of determination, she stood and tried again, this time focusing only on her hands. Her range of motion was severely limited and she struggled to get the movements right. After entirely too long, she let out a frustrated groan and decided to give up for the day. She went to pick up her gloves and winced. She looked down and noticed her hands were slightly swollen. She rolled her eyes and ignored the soreness as she gathered her gloves and book. She made her way back to the cave and was surprised to see Aang standing in front of everyone. He turned at the sound of her footsteps.
"Ezi, can you be my mom?"
Eziri blinked a few times, trying to process his question. "Aang, I'm 16. If I were your mother, I would have been 4 when you were born. Don't you see a slight problem with that?"
"But I need someone to be my parents! You and Sokka have to come talk to the Headmaster with me."
"Oh hell no." Eziri said quickly. "Listen, I had to deal with my own headmaster at the Royal Fire Academy for girls. I'm not doing that ever again. Besides, my face is plastered all over the town. I don't think it's a good idea for me to go with you." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, kiddo." She turned to Sokka and Katara with a sly grin. "However..."
–
Eziri helped her boyfriend and Katara prepare to be Aang's fake parents. Katara wore a fake belly to appear pregnant, and Sokka put on a fake mustache and beard–a combo that Eziri despised.
She tried to give them some tips and hoped the pair would take her advice. She and Toph saw them off and then went back inside the cave.
"Ok, I have a proposition for you." Eziri said.
"Ugh, you don't want to sit here and talk about your feelings, do you?"
"God, no!" Eziri said quickly. "I wanna spar."
Toph furrowed her brows. "I thought you couldn't bend."
"I can't. But I need to train. I'm getting rusty."
Without warning, Toph raised a small earth pillar and knocked Eziri to the ground. "You're always rusty." She sassed.
Eziri grumbled something under her breath and got to her feet. She pulled out a knife and shifted into a defensive stance. "Give me your best shot, metalbender."
Toph smirked and started launching her attacks.
—
By the time the others got back, Eziri was lying flat on her back, trying to catch her breath. Toph sat on a nearby boulder, picking at her nails with a bored expression.
Katara was the first to enter the cave. Her brother and Aang trailed a few paces behind. "Uh what happened here?" She asked.
"I kicked inferno's butt." Toph shrugged. Katara looked at Eziri and the girl just nodded in agreement.
Sokka and Aang walked in, the former looking stern and serious. "That settles it!" Sokka said in a ridiculous accent. "No more school for you, young man!" He stroked his fake beard, causing Eziri to roll her eyes. She couldn't wait to get rid of his little disguise.
"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 mocked as Sokka glared at her. Eziri bit her tongue to stop herself from joining Toph's laughter
"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."
Eziri sat up and rested her arms on her knees. "He makes a good point."
"What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka sassed. Eziri brought her gaze to the floor. She wanted to be mad, but she couldn't deny that Sokka was basically right.
"I'm gonna throw them a secret dance party!" Aang started dancing with a smile on his face.
"Go to your room!" Sokka pointed to the inner part of the cave.
–
By some miracle, Aang convinced the others to go along with his dance party idea. They all decided to have dinner then prepare for the party. Sokka sat by the fire, working on dinner. Toph and Katara were outside sparring, and Eziri sat at the edge of the cave reading a book.
Aang approached the firebender slowly. "Ezi, can I ask you something?"
Eziri marked her page and closed her book. "Sure, kiddo." She patted the space beside her. "What's on your mind?"
Aang sat down next to her, his face deep in thought. "Well, today my teacher was talking about what happened to the Air Nomads, but she described it as a battle. She said the Fire Nation defeated the Air Nomad army..."
Eziri sighed. "Yeah...that's the story my family and the elders on the council concocted. They teach children that it was some heroic battle instead of genocide." She looked away, feeling too ashamed to look Aang in the eye.
"Is that what you were taught? That the Fire Nation battled the Air Nomads?"
"Yes." She admitted. "I was subjected to the same curriculum as all the other children. However, I had the benefit of the palace library. It's one of the only places in the Fire Nation with uncensored, accurate history books. Only the royal family and higher-ranking council members are allowed inside."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry, Aang. I'm sure that wasn't fun to hear about." She said sympathetically.
"It's alright." He leaned back on his palms. "I guess it just makes sense now—why the people of the Fire Nation go along with the war."
"Yeah, my family spent a lot of time putting themselves in the best light possible. Of course there are people who don't agree with the war, but there are too many people blinded to the truth."
The pair sat in silence for a few moments until Aang spoke up again. "Why is everyone so stiff here? I mean, when I used to visit the Fire Nation, it was different from the Air Temples, but I don't remember everyone being so...uptight."
Eziri chuckled lightly. "I guess the Fire Nation is pretty uptight, huh?" She brushed her shoulder against his, earning a small smile from the boy. "But think about how that culture translates to bending. Earthbenders are stubborn and strong because that's what earthbending requires. Waterbenders are adaptable and fluid because that's what waterbending requires. See where I'm going with this?" She asked.
Aang nodded.
"The Fire Nation has a reputation for being a bit rigid and uptight because it's similar to our bending. Firebending requires quick, precise movements; you can't be stiff while firebending, but you need to get the movements 100% correct. The unflinching rigidity in Fire Nation culture is needed for firebending. Too much fluidity or imprecision can result in unpredictable bending. Do you understand?"
"I think so. You're saying that firebending kind of has to be uptight because mistakes can be dangerous?"
"You got it."
"Does this mean you don't dance? Like the rest of the Fire Nation kids?"
Eziri froze and fiddled with her glove. "Um...no..." She said with embarrassment.
"Seriously?!" Aang practically screeched.
Eziri huffed and stood up. "Whatever. It's not a big deal." She quickly changed the subject. "C'mon, I think dinner is almost ready."
–
That night, they all lit candles around the cave and created a few stages made of earth for the band to play on.
"I can't believe we're having a dance party. It seems so...silly."
"Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork!" Aang said with a little dance.
Toph's posture straightened and she turned her head towards the entrance of the cave. "They're coming! Everyone stop bending."
Aang sent Appa out the back of the cave and the Fire Nation children started pouring in. Eziri put on her glasses and sat down at one of the tables close to the band. Aang stepped out in front of the crowd and gestured to the small stages.
"Ladies and gentleman, the Flamey-O's!" He smiled at Eziri and practically bounced with excitement. "Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving."
"I think they might need some encouragement." Eziri nodded towards the shy group of kids and Aang frowned.
"I guess you're right." He disappeared into the crowd and the band started to play.
Toph and Katara approached Eziri's table and stood by the band. They all watched as Aang drew everyone's attention in the center of the dance floor. He started demonstrating different dance moves and encouraging the other kids to join.
"Who knew Twinkle Toes could dance?" Toph remarked. Eziri and Katara shared a slight smile, happy to see Aang having some innocent fun for once.
Aang continued dancing and even partnered with one of the girls from his class. Eventually, he got more and more of his classmates to join. After a while, he popped over to the table and extended his hand to Katara.
She looked around nervously. "I don't know, Aang." She started to fiddle with her hair. "These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I-I'm not sure that I know how to–"
"Take my hand." Aang smiled warmly at her. She returned the gesture and slowly placed her hand in his.
"Okay."
Eziri smiled as the pair hurried out onto the dance floor. "That was smooth." She said quietly to Toph. The earthbender chuckled and 'watched' Aang and Katara with her bending.
Sokka took the opportunity to stand beside his girlfriend. He cleared his throat and used his 'Wang Fire' accent. "May I have this dance, milady?"
Eziri chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Only if you never call me that again." She stood and followed Sokka out into the crowd. The further out they got, the more nervous Eziri grew. "Soka, I-I've never done this before..." She admitted quietly.
He gave her a reassuring smile and put his arm around her waist. "Don't worry; you're not the only one." He gestured to the crowd of Fire Nation children. Eziri smiled at the pure joy on their faces–all of them getting to dance for the first time. She realized that no one in the room was going to judge her and tried to relax. She smiled and started to dance around at Sokka's lead.
Across the cave, one of the little Fire Nation children saw Eziri and Sokka on the dance floor and gasped. She tugged on her friend's sleeve to get his attention.
"Isn't that Kuzon's dad?" She asked.
The boy followed her gaze. "Yeah, I think so."
On the other side of the dance floor, Eziri and Sokka shared a short kiss.
"But that's not Kuzon's mom!" The little girl said to the boy. They both watched Kuzon's dad cheat on his mom in shock. They got the attention of some other friends and started gossiping among themselves.
Eziri squinted her eyes at the little gaggle of Fire Nation children across the crowd. "I think we have spectators." Eziri said to Sokka. He spun them both around so he could look.
"Yeah...I guess we do." Sokka watched as one of the kids approached Aang and Katara. The kids chatted for a moment and then the child pointed towards Eziri and Sokka. "Uh oh." Sokka mumbled.
To Sokka and Eziri's surprise, Katara gasped and stomped over to them. Katara rushed right up to her brother and smacked him across the face.
"Wang! How could you?!" She shrieked.
Eziri slapped her hand over her mouth and bit her lip to keep from laughing. She awkwardly stepped away from the Water Tribe siblings, holding in her laughter at Sokka's dumbfounded look. She glanced over to Aang and saw the young airbender sporting a cheeky grin.
Just as everyone was starting to enjoy themselves, there was a disturbance at the front of the cave.
"He's the one we want!" The headmaster from the school shouted. He pointed towards Aang, flanked by two guards. "The boy with the headband!"
"Uh oh." Aang darted into the crowd and tried to hide from the soldiers.
Eziri and Sokka rushed over to Toph and headed towards the back of the cave. They were soon joined by Katara and they all waited as Aang continued to dodge the soldiers. Slowly but surely, all the other Fire Nation children took off their belts and wrapped them around their head, giving Aang more cover.
Once the Gaang was sure Aang could get away, they all climbed onto Appa and prepared to make their getaway. Aang rushed after them and used his earthbending to close the exit behind him.
They exited the cave and took off into the sky, a contented silence settled amongst them.
Katara glanced at her brother and eyed the fake beard and mustache. "We're safe Sokka, you can take off the mustache now."
He started stroking his beard. "Oh, no, I can't. It's permanently glued to my skin."
Eziri wrinkled her nose, not liking the idea of her boyfriend sporting the fake hair much longer.
"Way to go, dancy pants." Toph said to Aang. "I think you really did help those kids, you taught them to be free."
"I'm with Toph. Those kids will never forget this night, kiddo." Eziri said with a proud smile.
"I don't know, it was just a dance party, that's all."
"Well, that was some dance party Aang." Katara leaned forward and kissed Aang on the cheek. He turned slightly pink and looked away. '
Sokka slowly clapped. "Flamey-O, sir...Flamey-O"
Eziri rolled her eyes at the phrase but smiled and leaned onto her boyfriend's shoulder. He was slightly surprised but slung his arm around her shoulders and leaned into her touch.
After a rough start, Eziri was pleasantly surprised to have such a fond new memory in her old home. Maybe hiding out in the Fire Nation wouldn't be so bad after all.