Carved In Rock || ATLA

Lost Boy

The Desert Continued

"There was a time when I was alone, nowhere to go, and no place to call home. My only friend was the man in the moon and even sometimes he would go away too." - Ruth B

🌊 🏔 🔥 🌪

Zuko had seen some rough places over the years, but the Misty Palms Oasis might have just been the worst. His shoulders twitched with anticipation as they had made their way through the outlaw's paradise, constantly feeling as if he'd need to draw his swords at any moment. He couldn't believe his Uncle had drug them here looking for a friend.

"No one here is going to help us," Zuko said as his eyes scanned the tavern they had entered, the place full of thugs. "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

"So do we," Iroh admitted. He sipped his drink and watched as people primarily kept to themselves, including a lone man about his age sitting at a Pai Sho table. "Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend."

Zuko followed his Uncle's gaze and furrowed his brow. This man was unbelievable. "You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?"

"I don't think this is a gamble," Iroh assured.

Across the tavern, Yu and Xin Fu sat on a bench and watched as the fugitives approached the Pai Sho table. The latter was eager to get moving, but Yu laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Let's take them now!" Xin Fu insisted.

"This place is full of desperate characters," Yu explained. "If they find out we're collecting a bounty, we might have to fight them all just to keep our prize. Patience."

Iroh stopped in front of the table and gestured towards the board. "May I have this game?"

Fung was a well-versed man, having experienced many things in his life. His head had long since gone bald, his brows and mustache white with age. His clothes were plain, his demeanor calm, he wouldn't catch the attention of most people but Iroh wasn't most people after all.

Fung motioned for the man to sit across from him, and he sank into the chair with the boy sticking close by. "The guest has the first move." He watched as the challenger plucked up the lotus tile without hesitation and played it directly in the middle of the board. "I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways." He cupped his hand and bowed at the shoulders as a sign of respect.

Iroh returned the gesture with a smile. "Those who do can always find a friend."

Fung's suspicions were quickly being proven correct. "Then let us play." He picked up a tile and placed it down on the board.

Zuko watched as his Uncle and this man seemed to play without either truly having to look at the board, their bodies moving on autopilot. The game went on for a short while, and by the time they finished the tiles had somehow managed to form the shape of a lotus flower.

"Welcome, brother," Fung said with a nod. A Grand Master, a welcome sight. "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko demanded to know.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game," Iroh said with a smirk as he flipped a tile between his fingers.

Xin Fu had officially run out of patience. "I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping!" He declared loudly as he rose from his spot to storm across the tavern, stopping before the Pai Sho table with Yu following closely behind. "It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!"