Fire and Earth. (SeverusX & TheBusDriver)

[Artificial Sugar]

Shina had grown used to the rocking of the ship for the most part by now. It was still difficult to sleep, sometimes, but only very rarely. She of course, preferred being on land, seeing as she was an Earth Bender, but, this was the life she had chosen. She'd fallen for the Prince of the Fire Nation, and this is what she had to deal with. Living on a ship. Sighing, Shina finally decided to just get up for the day, after she'd been tossing and turning all night.


Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Shina got out of bed and walked to the small bathroom connected to her chamber, where she ran a hot bath. Bathing herself quickly, Shina got out and dried off before putting on a clean outfit. She wore the typical colors of an Earth Bender- green, usually. Though she was pretty much part of the Fire Nation at that point, she was traveling with Zuko to help interrogate people about the Avatar.


As such, it generally put people at ease to see she was an Earth Bender. So, she wore those colors to calm people, and help them be at ease to speak to her. She got plenty of information that way, though they had yet to actually find the Avatar. It seemed that he was constantly getting away from them, always one step ahead. It was beyond frustrating.


Shina herself didn't really care about capturing the Avatar- she was only interested because she wanted Zuko to regain his honor. She'd been in love with him for years, though it seemed her feelings weren't returned. Even so, she'd stuck by him, and been his most loyal soldier- though she felt that she was more than just a soldier.


His uncle, Iroh, treated her as if she was family. Smiling at the thought, Shina brushed her hair and then left her room, making her way out onto the deck. It was fairly early in the morning, so no one was up quite yet, though she was sure Zuko would be, soon.

​

Ty Lee woke up peacefully, a smile on her lips as she opened her eyes. She'd never felt so peaceful in all her life as she had in the recent years. Taking a moment to lay in bed and enjoy her moment of quiet before she had to get up, Ty Lee yawned and stretched, feeling awake and energetic as always. She'd always been an energetic type of girl, and that didn't seem to be changing, even as she got older. She was grateful for that. In her line of work, she needed energy to deal with all the rude or dumb people.


Sitting up in bed, Ty Lee looked around her room for a moment, admiring it before standing. Taking her time, she walked to the bathroom and shut the door, heating the coals under her bathtub before she turned the hot water on. After filling the tub with water, Ty Lee undressed and got in, sighing happily as the hot water washed over her body. After enjoying the water for a while, she washed her body and hair, then drained the tub, before getting out.


After drying her hair, she brushed it and put it in her signature braid. Even now, she continued to braid her hair, though it was considered childish by some. She dried her body off and dressed in her normal outfit, before slipping her typical armor on. Now, as General, she had to always wear armor, just in case anything happened. She had to be ready to battle at a moment's notice. It sucked, but the perks of being a General outweighed the bad things like fighting.


Leaving her room, she made her way to the War Room and took a seat at the head of the table. One of her soldiers joined her, and she told him to fetch her new Right Hand Man, named Hiro Takigage. She had heard of him from other people, and he seemed the right man for the job. Crossing her legs, Ty Lee leaned on her elbows on the table, clasping her hands under her chin, waiting.

 

[TheBusDriver]

Zuko's eyes slowly opened, or at least how much one in particular was able to. The shamed prince starred at the metal ceiling of his room for what felt like a hour before sitting up slowly. A hand, his hand slowly reached up to the left side of his face and touched the red scar. The unpleasant feeling of the damaged skin along with the small sting that never seemed to go away motivated him. He would do this everyday, to serve as a reminder to what he was doing, what his goal was, what he was fighting for.


Letting out a quiet sigh, the prince decided he was in bed long enough and decided to get ready for another day of searching for the boy that always seemed to get away from him every where they went, the Avatar. Going into his personal bathroom, only to wash his face and tie his hair into that almost signature pony tail. Zuko began to put on his equipment and nearly stormed out of his own bedroom.


Walking down rather quickly down the metal hallways of the ship, only to slow down once he passed his uncle's door. He was the closest thing to a actual father in his life. But, that will change once he regains his honor and his own father sees the error of his ways that he is a worthy son. He seemed to repeat to himself in his head, as if somewhere deep down he knew it was all for nothing. Quickly shaking the thought he opened the metal door to the deck as it let out a loud metal squeak before a loud thud was heard as it closed.


The sun just barely lit up the sky, it would soon be sun rise. Out of the corner of his eye Zuko spotted a guard on patrol and halted him. "You, wake the ship up...except my uncle" He stated, the last part coming out unexpectedly even for him. He figured he could use the rest, besides he wasn't currently needed.


As he turned he spotted the real key piece he required, Shina. The strange earthbender has some affection for him but never understood why nor did he care. What he did care for however, was that she was willing to do just about anything for him, and her skills and background made her the best pawn for this board. Walking up to her slowly, the fire nation prince gently placed both hands on either sides of the girl's strong shoulders. She was shorter than him by about 6 inches and was much more slender than him considering she was a earthbender.


Zuko lowered himself a bit so he could get closer to the girl's ear. "There's another earth village that you can scout, ask around about the avatar and if nothing significant comes up from them then we'll take a more...direct approach. Is that understood?" The prince said in a hushed tone before removing his hands from her and standing next to her side looking onward from the ship, awaiting her answer.

​

Hiro grinned like a child as he scooped up the pile of gold coins from the floor into his bag. "Heh Heh Heh~ Care for another go at it?" Hiro asked with a smug grin on his face, extending his hand for another bet. This shell game was easy money, especially with gullible saps like these who were too dense to see Hiro switch hide the shell within his palm only to place it under another cup. Years of thieving as graciously gifted him with rather nimble and fast hands.


The fellow fire nation soldier laid down face first in defeat, along with others slowly backing away from him. Laughing as he cupped his chin with his hand before speaking again. "How did they ever let you become a soldier with eyesight like that?" He mocked as he continued to place the gold coins into his pouch. Hiro got up and stretched out his arms, letting out a tired yawn. "Sometimes it just isn't fun if it's too easy" He muttered to himself as he began to walk, instantly the filled pouch jangled with gold coins bouncing together. A smirk cracked his lips "But, it's always so worth it."


Just before he could take another step a fire nation soldier in standard garb along with the skull like mask that hid his face with his helmet approached him. He stood stiff with his hands at his sides and spoke "Captain Takigag, General Ty Lee wishes to see you in the war room" He stated before quickly leaving to do who knows what. Hiro grumbled slightly, one of the cons of being Captain was having to drop whatever he was doing if he were summoned.


What made this worse was the war room, although his was a pretty decent strategist which surprised even him, it didn't take away from the fact that these war room meetings could be boring beyond belief. How did he even get promoted to captain, something he always asked himself. His still young career as a enlisted fire nation soldier went by so fast. It sometimes feels like he just woke up and was promoted to captain, but honestly he didn't mind most of the time since the pay was better than most.


Hiro began to make his way to said war room, passing by many tents and buildings along the way. Some soldiers greeted him with a simply wave or a hello, and it was hard to ignore them. Others gave him rather dirty looks, which confused him but the jangle of the gold coins reminded him where he got them from. Along the way he began to wonder what his general actually looked like, three days here and he's never actually met them. The only thing he knew about them was that they were unstable enough to need supervision, yet deadly and cunning enough to be a general. Images of hardened war lords with scars littered throughout their body flashed in his mind as he began nearing the war tent.


When he walked in however, there he saw his general. A rather small petite looking girl with a long braid, she had a bored look on her face as if she didn't want to be here herself. Definitely not what he was expected, then again the same could be said for a street rat like him becoming a Captain. "G-general, you summoned me?" He asked standing up stiff and folding his hands behind his back. Another con from being in the fire nation as a whole, showing respect and formalities to any one of higher rank than you. Being the lowest officer rank didn't help either.

 

[Artificial Sugar]

Shina felt hands on her shoulders. They weren't necessarily rough, or mean, but they weren't gentle, either. She turned, already knowing it was Zuko. As he leaned down to speak in her ear, she could feel his breath on her skin, and she shivered. She loved him, and though he wasn't in love with her, any time he got close made her shiver and tingle. It was sick, really. Shina wasn't an idiot, she knew that he used her love for him as a tool to get what he wanted, but she didn't care. She'd do anything for him, no matter her own feelings on the issue. She was hunting the Avatar with him, despite her own indifference to the boy. That was only one thing, though. She'd done plenty of terrible things for the Banished Prince.


"Yes, I understand." Shina replied quietly, looking over at Zuko as he stood beside her. She studied him for a moment before turning her attention back to the ocean. She could never explain to anyone why she loved him. It was confusing, even to her. She knew that her sister would never understand, and she was sure no one in any other place besides the Fire Nation would understand, either. And of course, once they'd caught the Avatar and finished everything, she was sure Zuko would cast her aside. Then she would be screwed.


Hearing steps behind them on the deck, Shina turned to see Iroh, a smile on his face as usual. He seemed to always be chipper and happy, unlike Zuko. Shina wondered how he had become such a cheerful person. Iroh approached and placed a hand on both Shina and Zuko's shoulders, and grinned. "We should go have some tea while we're waiting to arrive in the next town." He said, knowing that Zuko wouldn't refuse. Generally, Zuko didn't refuse his uncle. And even if he did, Iroh would find some way to weasel him into whatever he wanted.

​

Ty Lee smiled when Hiro entered. He looked slightly afraid, which made her feel a certain delight. Maybe some people would call her sick or twisted, but Ty Lee, now, as a general, enjoyed striking fear into people. She'd always been a sweet girl, but since becoming general, she'd lost some of that sweetness. Not all of it, though. She just liked to be a little more mean now. It was part of her job, after all, and she had to do it correctly. Standing, Ty Lee put her hands behind her back, studying the man for a moment before speaking. He looked nervous, awkward, too.


"I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you." She said, voice high pitched and sweet as always. It was a wonder that anyone was afraid of her. She seemed so sweet and innocent, until she sent her soldiers to kill you. Ty Lee took a seat on top of the War Table, crossing her legs, studying Hiro with interest. He seemed nervous, but she'd heard good reports on him. She'd been studying him for a while, and he'd caught her interest.


"Well. I need a new Right Hand Man. And, lucky you, I decided that you fit the requirements!~" She exclaimed happily, jumping off the table and flipping over to him, poking his cheek when she reached him. A large grin spread across her lips as she giggled. "So, what do you say, Hiro?" She asked, not bothering to be formal. She didn't have to be formal with anyone.

 

[TheBusDriver]

Zuko blinked and tensed up slightly at the sudden contact on his shoulder, he quickly turned only to his . "Oh, you're up" The prince spoke to his uncle in what seemed to be his usual tone. However, those were knew Zuko long enough would be able to pick up the very subtle difference in tone he spoke to his uncle with. Their relationship could easily be seen as father and son than nephew and uncle, though Zuko would never admit to that.


Zuko was just about to speak out to say how tea would just be wasting precious time he could be using searching for the Avatar. But, he knew he'd eventually be talked into doing so, besides he needed something in his stomach after the meals he skipped plotting courses for the villages to visit. Crossing his arms and closing his eyes the prince simply replied with "Fine".


From the corner of his eye, he could see his uncle smile brightly. "That's the spirit, I'll prepare some Ginseng" The old general stated before walking off to prepare the table and tea. Zuko watched him go as he looked back at Shina. He was surprised how the two got along so well, he always thought she resented all of the fire nation except for him. Then again what does he know about her, he's never bothered to check nor did he care. Though getting to know your tools is always a great strategy when it comes down to it, last thing he needed was to find out first hand her weaknesses when she would prove to be the most vital.

​

Hiro nearly flinched when his general jumped from her position and flipped toward him. His eyes closed for a brief moment as she landed before him, as if waiting for the worst. His eyes opened when he felt his cheek get pushed in by her finger, he resisted the urge to tell her to remove the finger from his cheek or swat her hand away but was too afraid to do so. Last time someone disrespected a general like that they were severely scared and banished, and that was the prince and got off easy, who knows what they'd do to a street rat like him. But, he didn't know which he feared more, what the nation would do to him or what Ty Lee would do to him.


He could tell she was getting some form of pleasure from this, and he couldn't do anything about it. Maintaining his composure he looked forward at Ty Lee, doing his best to maintain eye contact without cowering away. "I-it is a honor m-ma'am." He stuttered out, he was a stressed mess as sweat began to form from his forehead. He wasn't sure how someone could make him this uncomfortable, not even the gang bosses he ripped off scared him this much.


In his mind he began to take deep breaths to calm himself which did help slightly. "I-if there is anything you should require, I am always willing to serve." He forced out, nearly gagging at the very idea of him submitting to anyone. But. he didn't have a choice in the matter, even though he was sent to guide her actions by the end of the day she still called the shots and he felt like more of a servant than anything.