The whole gang had separated from the ship, and were now flying on Appa on their own. "Hey! I think I see a cave down below!" Aang announced from inside their air bended cloud, "Shh! Keep Quiet!" They felt Appa land and Aang bended the cloud away. Sokka was the first to jump off the bison's back and looked around suspiciously before turning around and facing them. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep it's mouth shut."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us up there and turn us in." Toph replied sarcastically, causing Quila to chuckle at Sokka's expense. The water tribe boy pointed to the toucan puffins on the rock above his head. "Hey, we're in enemy territory. Those are enemy birds." he said as one of them landed atop his head, making all of them laugh.
They all walk into the cave, none of them seemed very excited. "We have to live in here?" Quila complained, "At least it's better than being on a ship." Gopan tried to be optimistic. "Well, this is where we'll be living until the invasion begins. In cave...after cave...after cave." his head dropped more every time he repeated 'after cave'. "Sokka, we don't need to become cave people. What we need is some new clothes." Katara said, revealing her dirty and torn water tribe outfit. "Yeah, blending is better than hiding out. If we get fire nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding out in a cave." Aang agreed with a smile. "I could use some new clothes too." Quila said, seeing the tears in her brown boots.
"Plus, they have real food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave hoppers?" She thrust her fist against the wall, causing the white cave hoppers to jump out of the ground. Momo jumped forward and plucked one up, shoving it in his mouth. Gopan scrunched up his face, showing his disgust for the odd colored bugs. "Looks like we got outvoted, sport. Let's get some new clothes."
They arrive at a house where they have dried clothes out on several wires. "I don't know about this, these clothes belong to someone." Aang said, sounding unsure, "I call the silk robe!" Katara announced as she hopped the rock. "Well I call the two-piece skirt!" Quila followed her lead and snatched the items of clothes off the wire.
She changed clothes, and braided the front bit of her hair, and tying it back, and letting her long hair fall to her mid-back before walking out to see that the rest of her friends had changed as well. She was now wearing a cropped red top with gold accents, a red skirt, and long gold sash, gold sandals, and gold bracelets. Gopan was now wearing a dark red sleeveless top with dark gold accents, a dark gold sash around his waist, grayish pants, and tall boots. He spiked up his hair a bit, and he had some stubble coming in.
"How do I look?" Katara asked, Aang looked like he was about to reply, but instead said, "Your mom's necklace..."
"I guess it's pretty obviously water tribe, isn't it?" Katara seemed sad to take it off.
They went to the local town and stopped at some shops to buy some accessories. A necklace with a gold band and a red jewel caught her attention. "Ahh, this here necklace would look fabulous with your dark hair, young lady." the shop owner said to her, holding out the necklace in his hands. I'm sure your boyfriend would appreciate it too." he nodded to Gopan who was standing beside her, and she laughed "No, no, he's not my boyfriend. Anyway. How much for the necklace?"
"Three pieces." Quila set down the amount and gently took the necklace from the shop owner and fastened it around her neck, and attaching the matching earrings. She looked over to see Gopan putting on some dark gloves that had holes for the pinkie and ring fingers.
"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So, everyone follow my lead and stay cool. Or, as they say in the Fire Nation, stay flamin'." As Aang turned the corner, Quila leaned over to Gopan, "Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" They followed the Avatar out, who turned to a man eating meat on a stick and said, "Greetings, my good hot-man."
"Uh...hi." the man seemed utterly confused and Sokka just shrugged at him. Gopan turned to Quila "Probably because of that." he said in reply to her previous question. "Oh, we're going to a meat place?" Aang asked when he saw the restaurant they were walking into. "Come on Aang, everyone here eats meat, even the meat." Sokka gestured to a cow hippo eating a fly covered piece of meat. "You guys go ahead, I'll just eat some lettuce out of the garbage." Aang replied, the gang just shrugged and walked inside.
After they ate, they walked back outside to see that Aang wasn't there. "Huh, maybe he's still trying to find something to eat." but after a while of waiting they decided to split up and look for him, but no matter how much they looked they couldn't find him anywhere and just decided to head back to the cave and wait for Aang to return.
It was dark when the airbender finally returned. His new clothes were covered with soot and burn marks. "Where have you been!? We've been worried sick!" Katara demanded, "I got invited to play with some kids after school." Aang said as he undid his headband. Quila did a double-take when she realized what he just said. Sokka sprung to his feet "After what!?"
"I enrolled in a fire nation school. And I'm going back tomorrow."
"Enrolled in WHAT!?" he shouted, then fell backwards in disbelief. They all sat around a fire, and were all looking to Aang "Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds...really terrible."
"Yeah, we got our outfits, what do you need school for?" Toph chimed in. "Every minute I'm in that classroom, I learn something new about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." he held up a picture of the current Fire Lord, then exchanged it for another, somewhat sloppier one. "And here's one I made out of noodles!"
"Impressive, I admit. 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."
"Hmm... I am a fan of secret rivers. Fine, let's stay a few more days." Sokka relented "Flameo hot-man!" Aang exclaimed and ran off, the group exchanged a look and repeated his words in confusion.
The next night, they were all sitting around after Sokka and Katara got back from Aang's school, where he apparently got in trouble for fighting. "That's it! No more school for you, young man!" Sokka commanded, stroking his fake beard. Quila was worried he'd never take it off now. "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 laughed, earning a glare from Sokka. "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."
"Aang makes a good point. Maybe if we teach these kids to loosen-up, perhaps that'll mean better for our future." Quila chimed in, "What could you possibly do for a country of deprived little fire monsters?"
"I'm going to throw them a secret dance party!" Aang announced, doing a little dance himself. "Go to your room!" Sokka commanded, looking slightly annoyed.
They placed candles all around the cave, preparing for this dance party that they were apparently hosting. Gopan was lighting candles while Quila was helping Katara get the drink fountain going. "I can't believe we're hosting a dance party. It seems so...silly." Sokka said to no one in particular. "Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating fancy footwork."
"They're coming! Everyone stop bending!" Toph announced, and they stopped setting up while Aang sent Aapa out the back of the cave.
Aang jumped in front of the stage when the band started playing. "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Flameos! Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving." he turned, but saw that no one was dancing. "What do we do now?" One of the kids asked "This is when you start dancing!"
"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave." Well, when he said it like that it sounded like a bad thing. "Yeah! What if someone finds out!?"
"Oh boy. Listen guys, dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can take away from you."
"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 I know several classic Fire Nation dances. A hundred years ago, this was known as the 'Phoenix Flight'." he ran low on the ground, and the students looked on in amazement. "And, this was the 'Camelephant Strut'." Aang jumped from side to side and did a roll close to two nearby girls as they giggle. Aang finishes the dance with a back flip, landing on one foot. The boys stared in awe at Aang.
Toph and Katara were sitting at a table with Quila and Gopan sipping from some ice cups Katara and her had made. "Who knew twinkle toes could dance?" Katara just smiled at Aang, but there was something about it that made Quila raise an eyebrow.
Aang invited a girl with a ponytail to dance with him, and Katara's smile faded a little. "They look pretty good together." Sokka noticed, and Katara looked away "If that's what you like." she replied, her face was a light dusting of pink. Quila smirked at her, noticing this blush. Katara was obviously jealous.
After a while of dancing Aang ran over to Katara, and offered out his hand. "I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't really made for dancing. And I--I'm not sure that I know how to--" She played with her hair nervously, "Take my hand." Aang said with a smile. Katara smiled back "Okay." Everyone watched in awe at their dancing and Gopan walked over to her. "Hey, Quila."
"Yeah?"
"Remember when we went to that ball in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se?" Quila smiled, remembering that night in a fond light. "Yeah, we got a lot of income that night." He turned to her, smiling lightly, holding out a hand. She smiled back and placed her hand in his. They walked into the space where Aang and Katara just were.
They bowed to each other quickly. They then turned to the crowd, their backs to each other. As if mentally connected they began the dance, circling around each other, keeping their backs to each other, once they got the feel for each other's space Quila cartwheeled forward, then back again. When Gopan felt her back against his he did the same. They spun around each other, never going further from each other than an outstretched arm's length. Performing tricks they usually only performed at night. Flips and jumps that went so high and spun so many times. In the middle of the dance Gopan grabbed her hand and spun he around to face him, then grabbed her other hand and lowered her to just above the ground, then snapped her up so their faces were barely inches apart. She jumped away from him, and they proceeded to make moves at each other that looked like a fight. Her showing off waterbending tricks and stances, just with no water. And Gopan jabbed his hands out in different places, replicating his arrows. Finally the dance ended with him wrapping his hand around her waist, and her falling limp in his grasp, leaning backwards so her long hair touched the ground.
But their fun wasn't to last as a man stepped in with Fire Nation soldiers. "He's the one we want! The boy with the headband!" he pointed at Aang. But as the guards were searching, kids took their sashes and tied them around their heads to confuse them. While the guards were trying to find Aang in the crowd they escaped through the back of the cave, Toph earthbending the entrance shut behind her.
They were flying away on Aapa, to wherever they would end up next. Quila and Gopan were still out of breath from the dancing. "We're safe now, Sokka. You can take off the mustache." Katara told her brother, who still had the fake mustache and beard glued to his face. "Oh no I can't, it's permanently glued to my skin."
"Great job, dancey-pants. I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free."
"I don't know, it was just a dance party, that's all." Aang said with a shrug. "Well, that was some dance party Aang." Katara leaned over and kissed Aang lightly on the cheek, making the boy blush. Quila just smiled "Yes it was, Gopan and I haven't danced like that in a while."
"Where did you two even learn to dance like that?" Toph asked them, they just shared a knowing glance "Let's just say, we had a lot of practice."
"Flameo, sir. Flameo." Sokka praised Aang with light clapping.