Daughter of War❟ ZUKO

𝟬𝟬𝟮 New Friends

Chapter Two
NEW FRIENDS

✴

"SO, you guys are waterbenders?" Aang begins, his grin widening as Ruyi escort him and his friends toward their temporary residence. Meanwhile, Appa, Aang's flying bison, is brought to a nearby farm, where he's given plenty of seaweeds to eat and is well taken care of.

The king of the Easterly Seas, ruler of Ch'uan and father to Prince Ming-Yue, has tasked Ruyi with escorting their esteemed guests to the house where the Avatar and his friends will reside for a while. They are to stay there before joining the king at the Great Palace of Ch'uan for the grand feast in the evening. He's intrigued to meet this small guy who claims to be the Avatar, especially since the Avatar has been missing for one hundred years.

Ruyi strides ahead, her gaze fixed forward, and she doesn't bother to look back as she responds with a sharp tone, "Well, you're not blind, are you?" She maintains her cold demeanor, even toward the Avatar and his companions.

Their honored guests exchange surprise glances, particularly Katara, who appears offended by Ruyi's remark.

Feifei quickly intervenes, offering an apology on behalf of her older sister. "I'm sorry. Ruyi can be a bit cold sometimes, but you'll warm up to her, I promise!" She tries to diffuse the tension with a nervous laugh, clapping her hands together in a gesture of peace. The last thing she wants is for the Avatar or his friends to argue with her older sister.

"No, you won't," Ruyi replies with brutal honesty, causing Feifei to flinch.

"Sister! Please show some respect to the Avatar and his friends," Feifei scolds gently, though she's irritated by the need to play the bigger person when her older sister should be taking the lead. After all, she's the general and the older sibling, for Spirit's sake!

Katara crosses her arms over her chest, shooting a glare at Ruyi before turning her attention to Feifei, seeing her as the more rational one to talk to. She puts on a kind smile and addresses her.

"So, Feifei, can you teach us waterbending?" she asks sincerely, hoping that the people of the Sea can assist her and Aang in improving their waterbending skills before they reach the North Pole. "Aang needs to master waterbending, so I thought maybe you could──"

"No, can't," Ruyi interjects curtly before Feifei has a chance to respond, causing Katara to snap.

"Hey, if you don't want to teach us waterbending, just say so nicely!" she exclaims angrily at the rather rude general. "Is that so hard to do?!"

Ruyi simply shrugs and remains silent, further fueling Katara's anger. Just as she's about to continue venting her frustration, Feifei steps in, yet again.

"It's not that we don't want to teach you waterbending," Feifei begins, trying to soothe the other girl's frustration. "It's just that we really can't."

"And . . . why is that?" Sokka asks, his brows furrowed as he looks at her.

"Well, centuries ago, after a war ended when Suijin was the Avatar, she established her own civilization apart from the other nations, as she was seen as a traitor and corrupt," Feifei explains. "She developed waterbending techniques exclusively for her people──us, people from Ch'uan──that couldn't be replicated by other waterbenders. To help us master these techniques, she bestowed her qi upon us."

Aang and Katara nod in understanding.

Meanwhile, Sokka mutters under his breath, clearly annoyed by Ruyi's chilly demeanor. "See, was that so difficult to explain?" he grumbles quietly.