fire in your eyes • zuko

xii

A long cart ride later, the three outlaws arrived at a hidden Earth Kingdom refugee port. Getting through customs was relatively painless and soon enough, they were aboard a ship to Ba Sing Se. Nava leaned against the railing beside Zuko, and took a sip from a wooden bowl of rotten food. Immediately feeling sick, she tossed its contents overboard.

"I'm tired of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt... I hate living like this," Zuko said as he also tossed his food into the ocean.

"You and me both."

Both teenagers looked over to see a boy their age chewing on a piece of straw.

"My name's Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters: Smellerbee and Longshot."

Smellerbee, a short haired girl in dark clothing nodded at them. Longshot didn't say anything.

"Here's the deal," Jet went on. "I hear the Captain is eating like a king while the rest of us munch on his scraps. That doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of king is he eating like, exactly?" Iroh asked.

"The fat, happy kind," Jet turned back to Zuko and Nava. "You want to help us liberate some food?"

"Sure!" Nava said excitedly. "It's been a while since I did something illegal."

"I'm in." Zuko said.

"Alright, this is my plan: tonight, after everyone has eaten, the girl and Longshot will keep a lookout while you, me, and Smellerbee will sneak into the kitchen and grab the food. The guards pass the kitchen every two minutes, so we don't have a lot of time. We'll climb up there and once we've got the goods, the archers will send an arrow with a rope attached for us to zipline down. Then we'll be home free."

Nava nodded appreciatively.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," she said. "I'm N — Miyu, by the way. This is Lee and his uncle Mushi."

"Good to meet you, we'll regroup in a few hours."

///

With the moon high in the sky, the five teenagers crept to the second level of the ship. Longshot and Nava stayed back while Jet, Zuko, and Smellerbee scaled the side of the ship, hanging onto the rail as a guard with a lantern passed. Once he turned the corner, they pulled themselves up and disappeared into what looked to be the kitchen. Nava readied her bow when she heard Smellerbee warn them the guard was coming back and shot it at the same time Longshot did. She held it taut as the food sailed down her line, and the others on Longshot's. They pulled the arrows free just as the guard passed for a second time and disappeared into the shadows.

"That was amazing!" Nava whisper-yelled. "I haven't done something like that in a long time, I forgot how exhilarating it is!"

Jet smiled at her.

"I take it you guys pulled quite a few heists in the past?"

"I did, Lee didn't. Not until we met, anyway."

She gave Zuko a fond smile and the corner of his mouth quirked up in response.

"You're a bad influence on me," he said.

///

Nava helped Jet hand out the food to the other refugees. A woman clasped her hand with tears in her eyes.

"This is the first meal my family and I have had in days," she said. "Raava has sent you to us."

"Eat well tonight," Nava said. "I'll hope for your continued wellness."

As they made their way back to their group, Jet made idle conversation.

"Are you and Lee, like, together or something?"