Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

14

❃ Cactus Spikes ❃

The old stranger peaked his grey head through the window to make sure they hadn't been followed. Then, he closed the door behind him and turned his attention back towards his guests. Keya quickly realised that they were in a flower shop. Clay pots and vases littered the whole place. She walked over to one and sniffed it curiously. It didn't smell too great, so she scrunched her nose in disgust. Zuko noticed and rolled his eyes with his arms crossed. He was far too wary of the stranger to let his guard down, no matter if the guy got along with his uncle. Keya, on the other hand, was too trusting of strangers. It annoyed him to no end, even though he didn't know exactly why.

"It is an honour to welcome such a high-ranking member of the 'Order of the White Lotus'." The man bowed respectfully as he spoke to Iroh. The high-ranking member in question smiled at his compliment. The stranger continued. "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets." He walked over to the door in the back of the shop.

"Now that you've played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging? Or is someone in this club going to offer some real help?" Zuko asked impatiently as he followed them. Keya ignored him, too busy inspecting a pretty cactus.

"You must forgive my nephew," Iroh apologised to his friend, "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts. The girl behind him shows some potential, but even she has not been introduced to life's many secrets yet." Keya looked up for a moment and wondered what he meant by that.

The White Lotus man knocked on the back door twice and waited. Soon thereafter, someone opened the latch and gazed through it. Another stranger eyed his visitors and spoke cryptically. "Who knocks at the garden gate?"

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh answered without a moment of hesitation. This was some kind of password. Were all old people in secret clubs? Was this a thing she was unaware of? Keya wondered just how much she didn't know of the world.

The door opened and the two sagely men stepped forward into what appeared to be some kind of back room. Zuko tried to follow, but the door slammed into his face. The latch opened again. "I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here." Iroh instructed the two of them.

Keya shrugged and continued to admire the pretty cactus. Its green leaves looked like large dinner plates. She was curious to know whether they were hollow or not. Small, pale spikes grew from the edges of the cactus to protect it from being eaten. On the top, a pink flower blossomed. The young airbender was not too keen on disrupting the unique plant, so she just rubbed her chin in thought. How could she figure out if the cactus was hollow without cutting it open?

"Aha." She mumbled to herself and grabbed the cactus's pot. She wobbled with its weight as she struggled to hold it up without dropping it. It was surprisingly heavy.

The impatient Prince huffed and looked at the girl when he heard her make a sound. "What in Sozin's name are you doing? You're going to break it."

"I won't, Zuko. I'm just trying to- ai!" Keya almost slipped beneath the weight. The sharp needle-like spikes almost pricked her in the process. Zuko instinctively jumped forward to help her, but held back when she regained her balance.

"I'm trying to shake it a bit to find out if there's water inside." She explained a second later. Zuko pinched his brow in frustration.

"Really, Keya? You could have just cut it open." His eyes remained focussed on her figure as he spoke, looking for any hint that her silly plan would go wrong.

"I don't want to do that- See? Do you hear that?" Keya enthusiastically wobbled the cactus in her arms.

Out of pure boredom, Zuko strained his ear to listen (his scarred ear was rather useless when it came to soft sounds). She was right! As the two held their breaths and surrounded the green cactus, they could hear the soft slushing of cactus juice coming from inside. Zuko was about to comment on it and tell her that, yes he could hear it, and now she should put it back, when Keya's strength failed her and she almost dropped the plant. She immediately held it tightly in response and managed to prevent the pot from crashing on the hard stone floor. However, in doing so the cactus grazed her face with its sharp spikes.