From a resting platform overlooking the ferry station, I leaned against a stone pillar, quietly watching Aang and the others catch up with Suki.
"You look so different without your makeup!" Katara smiled. "And the new outfit!"
"That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them." She replied with a smile before her eyes drifted toward Sokka. "And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?"
... Was she flirting with him when we were right here?
"Ahhh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and then." Sokka rolled his shoulders nonchalantly as he shrugged. "Nothing major."
"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked, to which Suki nodded.
"Yeah. After you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees, and we've been here ever since."
Just then, Momo hopped next to where she was seating and chirped happily.
"Hi, Momo! Good to see you too!" She scratched him behind the ears before glancing back at the group.
"So why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?"
A heavy silence settled over the group before Katara quietly answered.
"Appa is missing. We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se."
Suki's smile faded.
"I'm... so sorry to hear that." She gave her condolences and turned to Aang. "Are you doing okay?"
I let out a quiet sigh.
As expected, everyone's eyes shifted toward Aang. He immediately stiffened.
"I'm doing fine. Would everybody stop worrying about me—?"
"Avatar Aang!"
A frantic voice echoed up from below the platform.
Looking over the railing, I spotted Than, Ying, and Weng waving desperately.
"Someone took all of our belongings; our passports, our tickets, everything's gone! Please, you have to help us!"
"I'll talk to the ticket lady," Aang said, trying to reassure them before making a beeline for the ticket station.
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"Looks like that's a bust," I muttered to our group and Than's family as the ticket lady refused to issue them three replacement tickets—even after Aang offered to give up our own.
Aang walked back toward us, shoulders slumped.
But the moment he saw the dejected expressions on Than's family, the disappointment in his eyes gave way to quiet determination.
He took a deep breath.
"Don't worry," he said. "You'll get to Ba Sing Se safely."
He looked at Than, Ying, and Weng in turn.
"I'll lead you through the Serpent's Pass."
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Walking towards the path to the Serpent's Pass after getting the directions from the ticket lady, Sokka trudged ahead with both hands on his head, lamenting our change of plans.
"I can't believe we gave up our tickets and now we're going through the Serpent's Pass!"
Behind him, Toph clicked her tongue and jabbed him in the side with an elbow.
"I can't believe you're still complaining about it."
"Wait!" A familiar voice called out from behind us. Turning around, we saw Suki jogging toward us, now dressed once again in her Kyoshi Warrior uniform, her face highlighted with heavy makeup. "I'm coming too!"
Sokka blinked in surprise before hurrying over to meet her.
"Suki! A-Are you sure that's a good idea?"
She gave a light frown. "Sokka, I thought you'd want me to come."
"I..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I do, it's just—"
"Just what?"
A second later, he let out a silent sigh and smiled.
"Nothing. I'm glad you're coming."
I watched the two in silence, an amusing thought slowly forming in my head.
During one of our downtime conversations, Sokka had drowsily mentioned something about his girlfriend turning into the moon or something like that while staring at it one random night.
Honestly, I still wasn't sure if he was joking.
"Think they'll end up together after all this?" I whispered.
Toph, who had clearly overheard me, simply hummed.
"... Toph?"
"Just thinking," she replied dismissively.
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"This is the Serpent's Pass?" Sokka stared at the path ahead. "I thought it would be a little more windy, you know, like a serpent. Huh, I guess they misnamed it."
I kind of agreed with him.
The path ahead was narrow and uneven, but it didn't exactly scream giant dangerous serpent. If anything, it looked like a regular mountain trail.
Now outside Full Moon Bay, I carried the supplies I had managed to purchase from other refugees, enough to last us at least a week onto my shoulders as the pregnant woman, Ying, walked toward the stone beam marking the entrance.
"Look at this writing! How awful!" She gasps. Toph turned toward me.
"What does it say?"
"'Abandon hope.' Whoever wrote this must be a swell guy."
"How can we abandon hope?" Weng cried aloud. "It's all we have!"
Aang stared at the warning carved into the stone.
"I don't know... The monks used to say that hope was just a distraction."
He turned back to us.
"So maybe we do need to abandon it."
"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, concern immediately entering her voice.
Aang looked down at his staff, his grip tightening.
"Hope isn't going to get us into Ba Sing Se. And it's not going to help us find Appa. We need to focus on what we can do right now."
He lifted his head.
"And right now, that's getting across this path."
============================================
Strolling behind Toph, I quietly observed the Fire Nation ship approaching in the distance.
"The Fire Nation controls the western lake, while the Earth Kingdom controls the eastern side," Suki explained. "Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side and don't want anyone finding out what it is."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Than's feet gave way.
His eyes widened as he lost his balance, slipping toward the edge of the narrow cliff.
"Than!" Ying screamed, reaching out desperately.
Before he could fall, a rock platform shot up beneath him, catching him only a few inches from the edge.
"Relax," Toph said with a confident smirk. "You're with an Earth Bender, remember?"
With a wave of her hand, she Bent the rock forward, launching Than safely back onto the Serpent's Fang.
"Nice catch," I said, patting her shoulder.
She immediately shrugged my hand off and continued walking.
... Huh. That was weird.
Before I could think about it further, my instincts suddenly flared.
My gaze snapped toward the Fire Nation ship.
Narrowing my eyes, my vision sharpened.
Fire Nation soldiers were loading a flaming projectile onto a massive catapult!
"They spotted us!"
I gestured and broke into a sprint.
A massive fireball launched toward us.
Aang immediately leapt from the Serpent's Fang, unfolding his glider as he soared into the air. And with a swing of his staff, he struck the incoming attack and redirected it back toward the ship.
The fireball crashed into the vessel, sending sparks and flames across the deck.
But the soldiers were already preparing another shot when the ship was already beginning to sink.
When Aang couldn't intercept the next fireball in time before the ship sank, I stepped forward.
A burst of explosive flames erupted from my hands, tearing the projectile apart before it reached us. The fragments rained down across the sea, hissing as they struck the water.
I glanced down at my arm with a grin.
"Feels like it's brand new."
Katara's healing really did wonders.
"He's a Fire Bender?!" I heard Suki whisper loudly at Sokka from the side, who gave a weak shrug.
"Well, he's more of an Explosion Bender?"
"He's a good guy," Katara quickly reassured her. Though, judging by Suki's doubtful expression as she stared at me, I wasn't sure that helped my image much.
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NEXT UPDATE: 6 August, Thursday
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