(A/N: Apologies that it's late. Long day.)
You all sit around the campfire telling stories, Toph started it off with The Man with a Sword For a Hand, Aang passed it to Sokka who told the total bore fest, The Blade of Wing Fun. You decide to go next. "I experienced this one myself." You say, "Me and Zei were walking through Ba Sing Se when from a door, we heard a man gasping for breath, like there was none in his lungs, we go in. The man is on the floor, convulsing. Me and zei act quickly turning him on his side, letting him seize it out and helping him spit up flem when he was done... well, that was what it was supposed to be, instead he was coughing up blood. He clutched onto me with dead eyes, his skin as pale as the moon. I knew he was gonna die, but I kept calm as Zei rushed to get a doctor. I asked him what'd happened, what caused this? He was so weak. He whispered in his last raspy breaths, 'Red eyes... pale skin... vampire.' And with that, he passed away in my arms. When they did the autopsy, his skeleton had collapsed inward. Nothing can do that, sure as hell wasn't The Bride of Corinth. We looked for months. Nobody fit the description. I don't know what attacked him to this day, god help us, it could still be out there."
"Now that's a scary story." Toph says, "Take notes, Sokka."
Sokka acts cool, "It wasn't that scary. You're only scared because it was real."
"Well I've got another real story that might change your mind, it didn't happen to me, though." Katara says.
"Is this one of those 'a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to' type of stories?" Sokka asks, lazily.
"No, it happened to Mom." Katara says seriously. Sokka tenses up. "One winter, when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So Mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home. Just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice." In a small voice, she whispers, "'It's so cold and I can't get warm.'" Back to her normal voice, "Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when everyone got back, Nini was gone."
Aang covers his ears with Momo's in terror, you pull Toph a little closer instinctively and Sokka hides behind a tree. "Where'd she go?" The Water Tribe boy asks.
"No one knows." Katara says, gravely. "Nini's house stands empty to this day, but sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney. Like little Nini is still trying to get warm."
Toph gasps, "Wait! Guys, did you hear that?!" Katara, Aang and Sokka huddle together. "I hear people screaming under the mountain."
Sokka seems to think it's a joke. Maybe it is. "Pfft, nice try."
You close your eyes and sense the area as they continue talking. "No, I'm serious. I hear something." Toph insists.
You reach the blood-curdling screams of what would seem like the damned, deep beneath the ground. "You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories." Katara dismisses.
"No, she isn't. I can feel them." You whisper, "Anguish, fear, loneliness." You look up, terror in your eyes, "I think something is terribly wrong."
"It just... stopped." Toph says.
"Alright. Now I'm getting scared." Aang says.
Suddenly, you hear a voice from the woods, "Hello, children." The group shifts sides, huddling around Toph as you step forward, pulling out both of your swords, ready to fight if need be. "Sorry to frighten you, my name is Hama." An old lady says, revealing herself. You hold your swords steady. "I will not hurt you." Reluctantly, you put them away. You can sense something sinister radiating from the woman. A wicked energy, a killing instinct. "You children should not be in the forest by yourselves at night."
"I can say the same for you." You reply cautiously.
"I know a thing or two to keep me safe." She smiles, "I have an inn nearby, how about you come back with me for some spiced tea and warm beds?"
"Yes please." Sokka whimpers. She leads the group away.
Katara and Aang sit at one side of the table, you and Toph on the other, and Sokka at the foot. Hama pours you all cups of tea.
"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight, you have a lovely inn." Katara compliments.
"Thank you kindly, young lady." Hama says, smiling. "You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in."
"Whaddya mean, disappearing?" Sokka asks.
"When the moon turns full, people walk in and they never come out." Hama explains with grave sincerity, then she gets cheery, "Who wants more tea?" Everyone looks at her with worried eyes. You sip your tea and physically cringe at the flavor of it, setting it aside. She gives you a questioning look. You're not like the rest, are you? "Oh, worry not. You will be completely safe here. How about I show you to your rooms and you can get a good night's rest?" She stops in front of the first room. "For the fellow with the swords and the blind girl. This is the couple's room. No noises louder than a conversation after ten." You and Toph both blush as you enter the room. While Toph changes in the bathroom, you take your boots off and set them by the door, then your shirt and tunic and your pants to put on some pajama pants from the back pocket of your bag. You lie in bed, groaning pleasurably at the comfort of an actual bed for a change. Toph comes back in the robe you haven't seen since the ship and joins you in bed.
"I missed seeing you in that." You whisper. She blushes, cuddling closer to you.
"I missed feeling you without your shirt on." Toph admits. This time, your face heats up. "What do you think of Hama?"
"I think I don't trust her. She has a black... aura I guess."
"You can see auras?" Toph asks, incredulously.
"I don't know. Maybe? It's weird. I don't actually see them, it's more like-- I feel them. Like the screams. I didn't hear them, I sensed them."
"What color is mine?"
"Yellow-orange, bright, vibrant, wild, a little harsh but not overbearingly so, occasionally sinister. It's beautiful. Just like you."
"Yours?"
"Light blue. Bright, calm, occasionally solemn and thought out, collected, yet disastrous. Well-kept yet self destructive. Same as Aang's." You wrap your arm around her and pull her closer. "You still scared?"
"No."
"Well, I'm going to sleep then." You kiss Toph softly. "Goodnight, Darling. I love you."
"Love you too." She says. It doesn't take long for you to both fall asleep.
"Y/N. What happened to you? You used to be a hero. You're a coward now."
"B/2/N. What do you want from me?"
"You're scared of Ozai. You're scared to lose Toph. You're scared of your own shadow."
"By that definition, you yourself are a coward. You were a better bender than me, sure. But you were afraid to face me in a fight. You were afraid Father would treat you like me when you lost, so there was an excuse every time. You're the biggest coward I've ever met."
"You won't make it far making enemies of everyone."
"My only enemy is myself."
"Your girlfriend will die because of your weakness."
"And you died because of yours."
"You're a failure to Father, you're a failure to everyone. You weren't there when we needed you. It's your fault we're dead."
"If I were there, I'd be dead too. I'm not. Whether you like it or not, I am the last L/N. It's my right to carry on the legacy. I wish you were still around, B/2/N, I really do, but... this is goodbye."
You take your father's katona and slice the image in two.
You wake up with a slight start, not recognizing the environment before seeing Toph beside you and you calm down. Now you piece together last night's events and remember, pulling free of Toph and standing up, moving to the restroom to look in the mirror. You have bags under your eyes, your beard is long enough to move separate from your face now. Your hair is still in that awful clip, you take it out and redo it, it looks less sloppy now. You already look like you're Fire Nation. You change back into your everyday clothes and stretch, your joints crackle and pop like tap dancing on bubble wrap. Just like that, you're ready to start the day. When you're out of the restroom, you see a stirring Toph.
"Hey darling, how'd you sleep?"
"Mmm, good for once." She laughs. "The best I've slept since the boat."
"I'll give it to her, Hama knows how to make you comfortable." You caress Toph's cheek for a second before she gets up and goes to the restroom to change. You grab your boots, your bag and your swords before walking out of the room and finding Katara, Aang and Hama at the table. "What, are you guys plotting against me?" You joke. Toph comes out after you and grabs your arm. "So what's the plan?"
"We're gonna help Hama pick up groceries." Katara says.
"I told her she did not have to, but she insisted." Hama smiles. I can smell a bad egg from a mile away, she's a bad egg.
"Here, let's wake up Sokka." Katara decides. Once she does, you're all on the road. You sort of autopilot through it. Sokka and Aang discuss the spirit world for a bit while you focus on trying to make sure Toph doesn't drop the basket she insisted to carry on her head. Then you all make it back to the inn, without Hama.
"That Hama seems a little strange." Sokka says, setting down what he's carrying, "Like she knows something, or she's hiding something.
"I'm with Sokka on this. I don't trust her." You agree.
"You're both being ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay." Katara argues, "She kinda reminds me of Gran Gran." You take the basket off of Toph's head and Aang drops his.
"In my experience, people like her are unpredictable." You say.
"Your experience is specifically with unpredictable people!"
"Fair point."
"What did she mean by that last comment; 'mysterious children?'" Sokka asks.
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found five strange teenagers camping in the woods at night?" Katara asks sarcastically, "Isn't that a little mysterious?"
Sokka shakes his head, "I'm gonna take a look around."
"Woah, ain't that a bit much off of a hunch?" You ask. Sokka ignores you and walks upstairs. "Alrighty then." You follow him upstairs behind Katara and ahead of Toph, Aang is at the back.
"Sokka, what are you doing, you can't just snoop around someone's house!" Katara exclaims.
"It'll be fine." Sokka says.
"She could be home at any minute." Aang warns.
"Dude, come on. There has to be a better way." You try.
"Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble." Katara says, "And this is just plain rude!"
"I'm not quite finished yet." Sokka replies, attempting to open a closet. "Come on..." he growls as he pulls. When it comes open, several puppets pop out, scaring Sokka half to death.
"Okay, that's pretty creepy."
"You think that's bad? I had to fight my way out of a room filled with thousands of dolls. That ain't shit." You laugh.
"So she has a hobby." Katara agrees, "There's nothing weird about that."
"I wouldn't go that far, Kay." You say, "Puppeteering is inherently weird."
Sokka moves into the attic. "Sokka, you've looked enough! Hama will be back soon."
"Just an ordinary puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Then why does she have a locked door up here?"
"For the same reason you lock up a briefcase? It probably has important shit, Dipshit."
"What he said." Katara agrees.
"Sokka you're about to commit a crime you can't undo, I'd suggest you think this over."
"I already have." Sokka says, looking through the keyhole. "It's empty, except for a little chest."
Toph gasps excitedly, "Maybe it's treasure!"
Sokka starts to pick the lock with his sword and you lean against the wall, "Sokka, there's an old saying. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is not gonna get you anywhere." Sokka gets the lock and everyone shuffles into the room. "Nobody ever listens to me." you whisper before following the group.
"We shouldn't be doing this." Aang says. You've given up trying at this point and lean miserably against the wall.
Sokka tries the chest and it's locked. "Maybe there's a key here somewhere."
"Oh! Hand it over!" Toph says, turning the space rock bracelet into a key and trying to open it.
"Come on, come on!" Sokka hurries.
"This isn't as easy as it looks." Toph retorts.
"Guys, I don't know about this." Aang says, but he himself is biting his nails in anticipation. You sense Hama enter the house but don't utter a single word. You're done with them right now.
"This is crazy, I'm leaving." Katara says.
"Suit yourself, do it Toph." Toph unlocks the box and the four huddle around it. You know that they won't find much of anything in the box.
Then Hama comes in and looks at you, surprised, before seeing the other four and sighing, "I will tell you what is in the box." Sokka hands the box over and Hama opens it and shows them what they what Sokka just risked prison time for: a fucking comb.
"An old comb?" Sokka helplessly asks.
"It is my greatest treasure." Hama explains, "It is the last thing I own from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."
Sokka and Katara's jaws drop at this revelation. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe?"
"Just like you."
"How did you know?" Katara asks.
"I heard you talking around the campfire." So she stalked us? No red flags? Alrighty then.
"But why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asks.
"I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a great water tribe dinner. Of course, it is impossible to get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean cumquats are a lot like sea prunes if you cook them long enough." You, Aang and Toph have simultaneous 'Nam flashbacks.
"I knew I felt a bond with you straight away." Katara says, excitedly.
"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right." Sokka says. The secret she's truly hiding is much more sinister. Katara hits him, "But I'm sorry we were sneaking around."
"Apology accepted, although... is he always that quiet?" She points at you.
"Only when he's being condescending." Sokka says, "He's pretty cool once you get to know him. Aren't you, buddy?!" You glare holes through him and he laughs nervously. "And when he's not angry."
"What do you mean you're not coming to dinner?!" Toph hisses.
"I feel like I made a pretty clear message with what I said."
"This is big for Katara and Sokka, and you're just not gonna show up? Because you don't like the vibe you have?"
"One of the last things Zei ever told me was to trust my gut. Every time I don't, shit goes south. I need to know."
"You know what? Fine. Go ahead on this awful scavenger hunt. I'm not covering for you."
"Okay. Tell them that I left. Tell them that I don't trust the witch, I don't give a fuck. The only thing I'm worried about right now is your safety. I will make damn sure that you're safe. Even if you hate me for it." You sigh, "I don't have to say the three words. You know my lines." With that, you climb out of your window and walk into the pre-nightfall world. You see a guy from the market. You put on a detective voice, "Sir, my name is Detective Lee E. Firelord Ozai sent me here to investigate the disappearances."
The man looks around, "Okay."
"So, how long has this been going on?"
"Since before I was born."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty."
"Has anyone you know been taken?"
"Yes, a lot of good people."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. It's a part of life now."
"How many people here have owned properties for over thirty years?"
"I don't know, sorry."
"That's okay. You've done more than help me." You pat his shoulder and walk away dropping the detective voice and picking up one of a surveyor, grabbing your clipboard and knocking on the door. "Hello sir, I'm here to take the decennial Fire Nation pride test."
"Okay..."
"Question 1: Who rules the Fire Nation?"
"The Firelord Ozai."
"Correct! Question 2: Can you recite the Fire Nation national anthem by wrote?"
"Maybe?"
"Recite the Fire Nation national anthem by wrote." He does as asked. "Correct! Question 3: Do you love your nation?"
"Um... yeah?"
"PUT SOME HEART IN IT!"
"Yes sir, I love my nation!"
"Correct! Question 4: Who in this city has owned a property for thirty plus years?"
"Well... I..."
"Guards!"
"Wait! Um... there's uh... Mr. Bato, Old Man Ding, Tao and Hama, those are the only names I know."
"Correct! Question 5: Do you love Firelord Ozai?"
"Yes!" You can tell he's lying.
"Correct! You have passed the Fire Nation Patriotism Test."
"Oh cool, what do I get?"
"Nothing!" You cheer before slamming the door in his face. Then you walk away, now with a mental list. Three witnesses, one suspect. You could crack this case in your sleep. First you visit Mr. Bato. After asking around, you find his modest home. He sits on the porch smoking a pipe. "Hello. You're Mr. Bato?"
"Who's asking?"
"My name is Bao, I'm from the colonies. I'm here because of the disappearances."
"The disappearances? Oh. The moon disappearances."
"How long have you been living here?"
"Seventy-two years."
"How well do you know Hama?"
"The innkeeper? Not well. She came here when I was ten with the look of an insane person. She rented a room at the hotel, married the owner. One day, he disappeared. That's when they started. She may seem like a sweet old lady, but I know better. You do too from the looks of it. Be careful. She can't be trusted."
"Thank you, sir. Your contribution is appreciated."
"Thank you, Bao, for giving an old man some good company."
You shake his hand before walking away. Tao is next. You meet him at his stand. "Hello, Tao."
"Oh, hey. You were with Hama! Here, I have a gift for her."
"Uh, no can do, I'm afraid." You reply, "I have a big thing I have to go to. I just wanted to ask a question about her. What do you think of Hama?"
"She's kind, smart, beautiful, honest, she's a good person."
"Hm. How long have you known her?"
"The entire thirty-two years I've lived here."
"Hm. Okay, thank you."
"Glad to help."
You bow and move around asking about where Ding lives. He is the hardest to find, but that doesn't deter you. You catch him just before the sun rests, but he also has other visitors. "Well I didn't expect to see you here." You say. Aang and Sokka glare at you. "Ironic how we both ended up at the same witness. You must be Mr. Ding. I'm Cheng, I report for the Fire Nation Newsletter, I was hoping I could get an interview."
"I'm gonna be in the news? Yipee!" The old man cheers, "I'd love to give a polite young man like you an interview."
"Great!" You say, "How long have you lived in this town?"
"Oh, seventy years or so."
"How long have these disappearances been occuring?"
"Maybe... sixty years?"
"Now the inn-"
"I heard that you saw the spirit, did you get a good look at it?" Aang cuts in.
"Didn't see no spirit. Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. It forced me to start walking toward the mountain! I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs. It just about had me into a cave up there and I looked up at the moon for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. But then, the sun started to rise and I got control of myself again. I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could."
"Why would a spirit want to take people to a mountain?" Sokka asks.
You and Toph both have a moment of realization. "Oh no!" Toph exclaims, "We did hear people screaming under the mountain. The missing villagers must still be there!"
You all look at the mountain. "Whether it's the spirits or not, I'm not gonna let people sit around and suffer." You say, before starting to run forwards. The rest of the team follows.
Toph leads you towards a cave. "This is the place, let's go!" She says, before jumping in.
"I can't see anything down there." Sokka whispers.
"Don't be a pussy." you grunt, shoving him in before jumping in yourself. You all run towards a door with torches on either side. Toph uses her metal bending to blow the door off its hinges before you all run into a chamber where people are chained up. "Last time I checked, spirits don't do this." You whisper in disgust.
"It was no spirit." A lady says as Toph frees someone, "It was a witch."
"What do you mean?" Sokka asks.
"She seems like a normal old woman," Toph frees her. "But she controls people like some sort of dark puppet master."
"Hama." Sokka growls.
"And another point on the scoreboard for me." You mutter.
"I knew there was something creepy about her, we wouldn't have known it was her if I hadn't searched her house."
"You can tell by the calluses on her hands that she's a puppeteer, don't give yourself too much credit." You grunt.
"We have to stop her!" Aang yells.
"You guys go, I've got it from here." Toph says. She quickly gets up and kisses you. "For luck."
"Of course." You nod, "Come on, guys. Let's kick some ass!" You, Aang and Sokka run back the way you came and you stop at the exit, closing your eyes and sensing out the area. "Follow me."
You find Hama getting up after being knocked down by Katara. "We know what you've been doing, Hama!" Sokka yells.
"Give up, you're outnumbered." Aang says, taking a stance.
"No!" Hama replies, "You've outnumbered yourselves." Then she does something that takes control of your bodies. You, Sokka and Aang are launched at Katara. You feel a burning sensation in your chest before you roar in a mixture of pain and power, gaining control over your body. With a grunt you kick Aang aside. And Katara punches Sokka. "You are a very powerful young man. But it is still three against two."
"Y/N, you're glowing." Katara grunts, attacking Hama before Sokka draws his sword and flails it wildly.
"Kay, thanks for the compliment, but we're kinda in a life or death situation." You reply, punching Aang in the gut and pinning him against a tree.
"No, I mean you're actually glowing!" You dodge out of the way of a blast that freezes Aang to the tree. "Sorry Aang!"
"It's okay!" Aang assures her as she does the same to Sokka.
"You would never hurt your friends, right Katara?"
"She might not, but I would." You reply.
"Gee thanks, Y/N, you're a real stand up guy." Sokka says, lamely
"And do not let them hurt each other!" Hama finishes, sending Sokka and Aang at each other, but she stops them right before they hit each other and that burning feeling is gone. Hama tenses up and you realize what's happening, Katara is doing to her what she did to you. You collapse to the ground, having wasted all of your energy and look at the moon. Sokka rushes to your side to check on you. Soon, Toph is hovering over you.
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah." Sokka says, "He's just weak."
Hama's last words before she's taken away ring in your ears as you numbly watch the moon overhead, "Congratulations, Katara, you're a bloodbender."
Katara starts to sob when you hear a voice you've never heard before. "So you're training my Sokka to sword fight?"
"Yeah, finishing what Dao started." People look at you weirdly.
"What's your name?"
"Y/N... what's yours?"
"Yue."
"Yue? That's Water Tribe."
"Yeah, yeah it is. I will give you some of my energy."
"Will that make me part spirit?"
She laughs quietly, "No." Then you feel energy rush through you as you jolt upright.
"I think I just met the moon." You say, "Sokka, did you... did you fuck-"
"No! We didn't get that far..."
"She called you hers." You reply, rubbing the back of her head. He blushes. "She gave me some of her energy.
"Was she nice to you?" Toph asks
"I think so?" you reply, "She wasn't rude." You get up and put a hand on Katara's shoulder. "You good?" You ask. She wraps her arms around you and cries into your shoulder. Soon, your entire group is in the hug. You feel the weight of your current predicament as you look up at the moon. "The day is almost here."