"I think I see a cave below," Aang said as we floated along on Appa, disguised as a cloud.
"Leep quiet!" Sokka said annoyed, "great job with the cloud camo, but next time let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud who knows how to keep its mouth shut."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in," Toph said sarcastically.
"Hey, we're in enemy territory, those are enemy birds," Sokka said as one sat on his head. We all went into the cave, but it was dark and boring. "Well, this is it.this is how we'll be living until the invasion begins, hiding in cave after cave after cave after cave..."
"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people, what we need is some new clothes," I reasoned as I looked down at my burnt water tribe clothing.
"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out," Toph said.
"If we get fire nation disguises we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave," Katara reasoned.
"Plus, they have real food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" Toph asked.
Momo quickly grabbed some as Toph spooked them, "looks like we got outvoted, sport. Let's get some new clothes," Sokka said and we went to what looked like a laundry place.
"I don't know about this," Aang said, "these clothes belong to somebody."
"I call the silk robe," Katara called out as she ran.
"But if it's essential to our survival then I call the suit," Aang said as everyone ran.
I giggled at them and went looking, I grabbed some clothing that would be easy to fight in, but also hid my necklace. "Ta-dah normal kid," Aang announced tying a headband around his arrow.
"Hmm I should probably wear shoes," Toph said, "but then I won't be able to see as well. Sorry shoes finally, a stylish shoe for the blind earthbender."
Katara came up shy wearing her silk skirt, "how do I look?"
Aang looked star-struck, "uh, your mom's necklace."
"Oh oh, yeah. I guess it's pretty obviously water tribe, isn't it?" Katara said as she took it off.
We quickly went to town and finished off our looks with an accessory, I decided on a matching arm bracelet with a hair piece to complete my fire nation look. I looked at my reflection and sighed, "I never thought I would look like this again..."
"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here one-hundred-years ago," Aang said. "So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool, or as they say in the fire nation 'stay flamin'."
I leaned over to Sokka, "they don't say that though."
Sokka shrugged, "just go with it." As Aang went about with his odd hundred-year-old customs I just gave everyone apologetic looks when they looked at us funny. We stopped somewhere to get some food, but Aang didn't want to go in. greetings, my good
"Oh, we're going to a meat place?"
"Come on, Aang, everyone here eats meat even the meat," Sokka said.
"You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage," Aang said. I gave him a weird look but went in anyways. After a wonderful meal that I haven't had since I was a little girl we left, but Aang was nowhere to be found. Rather than making a scene of ourselves, we decided to wait in the cave in case Aang came back. If he didn't come back by tonight, well the firenation was going to get a rude surprise with an angry Katara.
I was just about to go look for Aang when he walked in, "where have you been? We've been worried sick," Katara said angrily.
"I got invited to play with some kids after school," Aang said.
"After what?"
"I enrolled in a fire nation school and I'm going back tomorrow."
"Enrolled in what?" I asked surprised.
"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea," Sokka said, "but it sounds really terrible."
"Yeah, we got our outfits, what do you need to go to school for?" Toph asked.
"Every minute I'm in that classroom I'm learning new things about the fire nation. I already have a picture of Firelord, Ozai.and here's one that I made out of noodles," Aang said holding up the pictures.
"Impressive, I admit," Sokka said, "but I still think it's too dangerous."
"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river, then. It goes right to the fire lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow."
Sokka looked at me and I held my hands up, "I was taught by my parents, I never heard about a secret river."
"Hmm I am a fan of secret rivers. Fine, let's stay a few more days," Sokka agreed.
"Flamey-o, hotman!"
"Flamey-o?" Sokka asked, Katara and I just shrugged.
~ H ~
"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea, Aang. First, it seemed fine, but now Katara and Sokka had to pretend to be your parents," I said gently to Aang.
"That settles it, no more school for you, young man," Sokka said stroking his beard.
"I'm not ready to leave," Aang said. "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. Listen guys, those kids at school are the future of the fire nation. If we wanna change this place for the better we need to show them a little taste of freedom."
"What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka asked making me smack him.
"I'm gonna throw them a secret dance party."
"Go to your room," Sokka said.
"Actually," I said smiling. "That would be a brilliant idea!"
~ H ~
"I can't believe we're having a dance party, it seems so silly," Katara said.
"Don't think of it as a dance party but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork," Aang said.
"They're coming," Toph said. "Everyone stop bending."
I looked around as kids walked in all wide-eyed and hesitant. "Ladies and gentlemen: the flamey-os!" Aang announced as people started playing music. "Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving."
"Now what do we do?" A kid asked.
"This is when you start dancing," Aang replied.
"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave..."
"Yeah, what if someone finds out?"
"Oh, boy," Aang muttered as I stepped forward.
"Listen, guys dancing isn't something you think about," I said.
"Yeah!, it's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you," Aang added.
"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon, but we don't do that here."
"Sure you do.you have for generations, it just so happens that Emiko and I know several classic fire nation dances," Aang said as he crouched and started running around sitting down. "A hundred years o this was known as 'the Phoenix flight'."
I stepped forward and demonstrated a dance my parents taught me, "and this was done in the Fire Nation palace, the 'camelephant strut'."
The kids slowly began to start dancing as Aang showed them some more moves. At one point in time, Aang and Katara began a dance that was rooted in Water Bending style. I smiled at them as I grabbed a violin and began to play with them.
Unfortunately, the fun had to end and in walked in the headmaster. He ordered his guards to search for Aang, but the kids put on their belts as headbands. I quickly ran to the back and we flew out on Appa.
"We're safe, Sokka. You can take off the mustache, now," I said.
"Oh, no, I can't. It's permanently glued to my skin," Sokka said stroking it making me wince.
"Way to go, dancy pants," Toph said.
"I think you really did help those kids, you taught them to be free," Katara said.
I smiled at him, "you taught the kids how to have fun and do what as right."
"I don't know, it was just a dance party, that's all," Aang said.
"Well, that was some dance party, Aang," I said.
"Flamey-o, sir flamey-o," Sokka applauded.
~ H ~