Violent Delights, ATLA

chapter fourteen, the tantrum thrower and his patient listeners

14
THE TANTRUM THROWER AND HIS PATIENT LISTENERS

"I WAS GOING TO DO that Zhao man a favour. Those sideburns make him look like a sooty mangabey. Also, he's not a very nice person. I'd have done the world a favour if I burnt him like a potato." Tai Yang huffed, flapping his wings once and generating a humongous current in the wind almost blowing San away.

"Oh, Spirits, he does look like a sooty mangabey." San mumbled before returning to the matter at hand with a shake of her head. "But that's not the point I wanted to make! What I meant was that I can't believe you almost burned everyone to a crisp!"

"Forgive me for being rusty. I only meant to burn the temple down and aid Avatar Roku."

There was a pause, the windy air turning still.

"Why did you help Avatar Roku?" It was a curious question. Nothing judgemental or demanding detected.

"Because he's the Avatar." He answered. "And I believe the kid's destined to end this Hundred Year War. I may be the sun, the source of power for all firebenders, but I'm disappointed in what they've turned this world into. Your friend's ancestor, Fire Lord Sozin, was a disgrace who Avatar Roku should've ended a long time ago. Now the kid has to end the war he's started."

"But how could he? He's just a kid." San pitched in her opinion with a shrug. He only recently become active in this world and she doubt he had all the time in the universe to master all of the elements in time to carry out his duties professionally. To end the Fire Lord to end the war. She simply couldn't imagine it.

Tai Yang exhaled sharply through his nose, the dandelion seeds nearby scattering themselves across the air. "He is, but he's also the Avatar."

"So... you want me to side with the Avatar?"

"I don't want to force you to do anything, San." He whispered, closing his eyes for a nap and letting her pet his scales soothingly. It was time for her to wake up. "I know helping that boy to capture the Avatar is important for you because you want to see your mom again. And you feel more comfortable standing by his and the old man's sides because they're like family to you as opposed to joining a group full of people you don't know."

San opened her mouth to say something but decided otherwise. It wasn't like she saw eye-to-eye with the Fire Lord's ideals or her father's belief in Fire Nation supremacy. The war in general was something she despised without a doubt as it coaxed the worst out of people and determined only who was left, not who was right. Right now, she wanted to prioritise her mother's safety, see to it that she was safe and sound and the only way she could do it was to aid the exiled prince in capturing the Avatar first and foremost.

✷

"I don't understand how you can use dual swords. Isn't it more convenient to use one?"

"It's easier for me to use two." Zuko said, resuming to teaching San how to wield a sword as he promised on the foredeck. Upon her insistence, he let her use a single sword only lend by one of the crew members. "It's like I'm wielding two halves of one whole so it's actually not that difficult."

"Well, I'm only going to wield one whole."

"Fair enough."