Eclipse (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chapter 6: Trust

The night air was crisp and clear as Miyuki walked from town back to the port where the ship had anchored for the night. She was rather pleased with the new finds that she found while strolling the market today, and she was excited to read through the new material that she purchased for cheap. To begin with, the old man seemed confused as to why she would want an old book on home remedies that was just lying around in the corner of the store and an encyclopedia of sorts on local flora and fauna, but his loss was her gain. To make things better, she managed to make a bit of extra money selling off some rumors she heard while wandering through town. All-in-all it felt like a win-win to her.

When she got back onto the ship, the crew were huddled around a fire and listening to Iroh sing as some of them backed him up with instruments. Not an unusual sight, not to say that she joined them often either.

"Ah, Miyuki! Welcome back. Will you be joining us tonight? The love song you sang last time was so beautifully heartbreaking."

She smiled politely. "Ah, perhaps sometime later? For now, I want to read some of the new books I found in town."

The crew laughed and Lieutenant Jee nodded at her. "You and your books. Feel free to join us whenever you're ready, Miyuki."

"I will. Thank you, Lieutenant."

With a polite bow, she made her way to the prince's quarters and knocked on the door. "Uncle, for the last time-!"

"It's me," she called back.

"Oh." He fell silent. "Come in."

She pushed the door open and glanced at the grouchy expression on his face before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

"Uncle's just been asking me to play the tsungi horn," he grumbled before lifting the blanket for her in invitation.

She huddled under the plush, warm blanket gratefully and leaned against the wall near the foot of his bed after stacking the books by her side. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to join them every once in a while. The captain sings the most amusing comedies, and Lieutenant Jee knows an unexpected number of love songs."

"I'll go if you ever sing again."

She chuckled. "That may be some time from now, considering I sang only because I lost a game of pai sho last time."

"My statement stands."

She chuckled at his grouchy expression and the way that his mouth pulled into a small scowl at her laughter. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm reading today? Or are you content with me just reading in silence today?"

"I'm always content."

She hummed noncommittally as she opened the first book and began to read.

"So what are you reading about today?" His tone was gruff, but when she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, he was pretending to look disinterested in her answer, eyes flickering to and away from her.

"I found a store being run by an old man whose wife used to be a herbalist and bought all of her old materials off of him for cheap." She set the book down. "I assume you're not interested though?"

"I-" He hesitated. "If you're willing to explain things to me, I'll listen."

She felt herself smiling at him softly before she realized that such a fond expression reached her face. She covered her mouth with a fist as she turned her head to the side and coughed to hide her smile. "Yeah, come here." She patted the space next to her and waited for him to shift there before placing the book open in front of them.