"So what were you doing in the water, it's a little cold to be swimming."
"I had been thrown off the ship I was stowing away on." I said.
"Why did you stow away on a ship?" He asked.
"Because I wouldn't have much money left over after."
"That's not what I meant." He said. "Why were you leaving your home?"
"How did you know I was leaving home?"
"You look homesick."
I sighed. How could I look homesick?
"I left because I didn't want to stay at home anymore."
"And because you couldn't face something that happened to you?"
"How do you know about that?" I asked.
He chuckled. "I am the nephew of a fortune teller, perhaps you have heard of her. Her name is Wu."
"I haven't."
"Oh well. She predicted that the second son of her brother, my father, would have psychic powers. And here I am!"
"Huh." I said skeptically.
"So anyways, what are you running away from?"
"I'm not running away from anything!" I said.
"Yes you are. I know it."
"But you don't know what I'm running away from?"
"No." He replied.
"Some powers." I said. "No wonder you're just a fisherman."
"Hey, don't try to change the subject. Tell me, you'll feel better if you do."
I told him everything, from the birthday party to my fight with the men.
He took some time to mull it over. We were quiet for a while as he continued to row his boat.
Time skip - 30 minutes
"Why did you run away?"
"What?"
"I said - Why did you run away?"
"I told you, I didn't want to see those men ever again."
"Are you sure it's because you don't want to admit what happened?"
"Yes." I said.
"Maybe you should try to face it." He said nonchalantly. "Admit it happened, what could have happened, and get on with it."
"Look, just row the boat." I snapped. I knew he didn't deserve that, but who did he think he was, giving me life advice?
He kept quiet for the rest of the trip. I thought about what he had said. I faced what happened to me, right?
Time skip - 3 hours
The boat docked at an earth kingdom outpost. I was glad the awkward trip was finally over. I grabbed my backpack, thanked the fisherman for helping me and got out as he was carrying out a net full of fish.
"Are you sure you don't want me to bring you to Omashu? It wouldn't be any trouble."
And stay on that wobbly boat for another few cringeworthy hours? No thanks. I had my dose of seasickness for the day.
"Thanks, but I'll stay here." I replied.
He tipped an invisible hat and was just about to leave when I stopped him and said:
"I'm really sorry I got mad at you like that earlier... I guess you just hit a sensitive spot."
"Don't worry about it!" He said.
I smiled at him and he smiled back. It was our way of saying goodbye silently. Then, he tipped his imaginary hat and walked away.
I walked around the impressive fortress. Not at all like what we have back home. Back home everything was so elegant, with fire nation banners and all of the soldiers walking in a orderly line. Here everything was so... Rocky. Literally. Everything was made of rocks, and there was little to no order here. Of course, I was probably biased, but still.
I knocked on a door. If I was going to find a place to stay, I had better start as fast as I could, before the sun set. It looked like I had one or two hours left of sunlight.
A short elderly woman opened the door.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I am Y/N and I need a place to sleep for the night." I said.
"Where did you come from? And why are you so wet?"
Oh right. My clothes still hadn't fully dried. On the boat, we kept on getting sprayed by the waves, so they didn't really get the chance to.
"I came from a small village west from here." So far, so good. Hopefully she wasn't the best at geography. I knew most people didn't like fire nation citizens, so I was hoping she wouldn't realize who I was. "I was thrown overboard from the ship I was on. Luckily, a fisherman found me and brought me here."
"Oh, you poor dear." She said sympathetically. "Come in, you can sleep in the attic."
"Thank you for this. It is very appreciated" I said in my most mature voice. My mother taught me and Zuri to talk like that for special occasions. Because it was more "presentable".
She led me to the attic. I put my back pack down and sat on the child-sized bed. I did my best to hang my change of clothes on the beams of wood of the ceiling.
I heard a knock on the trap door. I opened it and the old lady came in.
She handed me a long grey towel. "Here, wrap yourself in this while I go wash your clothes"
She turned around and started grabbing my change of clothes I had tried to hang. I guess she wasn't leaving the room so I started to get undressed.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Gaya."
"That's a nice name." I said, handing her my clothes. I wrapped the towel around me tightly. "Do you know where I could get a bite to eat around here?"
"You'll be eating here, with me." She replied. "The company would be appreciated."
"Thanks."
She left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. I took Zuri's stone from my bag and rubbed it. I felt at peace.
Later, Gaya returned with my dry clothes. She told me to get dressed and get freshened up in the bathroom, then to join her for supper.
The supper was delicious. She had cooked a noodle soup, some rice, dumplings and mango pudding for dessert. I ate like there was no tomorrow. I might be composed most of the time, but in front of a lots of delicious food, I go crazy. I went to bed feeling full and satisfied with my day.
Time skip - 1 week
That week passed calmly. I got to know Gaya, met the other residents of the outpost, and saw General Fong. The outpost was a beautiful place, despite it's "rockiness".
As a took a walk around the village, I noticed a small gathering. I went to go see what to was all about. Talking with General Fong were three kids: One short bald one with a blue arrow on his head, a pretty girl with a water tribe outfit and a tall pony-tailed boy with blue eyes.
The short boy looked my way and smiled. I smiled back.
Ok now the real story starts! Sorry for all the backstory...
Hope you liked it!!