Koete ↠ Sokka

Chapter 2: Omashu - Part 2

At their arrival to the castle, they waited for an audience with the king. The tight grip of the guards never left their wrists, almost cutting off circulation in their hands. She stood to the left of Sokka, squaring her shoulders as much as she could against the guard's grip. She could feel the stares of the rest of the group on her.

"Do you guys mind?" she huffed out, turning to look at them. They were quick to look away, trying to act as if they hadn't all been caught in action. She almost did a double take, finally getting a good look at the group. It was odd seeing them in person, and as her eyes drifted across them all, she saw they seemed to have more distinct characteristics than in the cartoon. Sokka's jaw was more squared, his shoulders broad, and his face defined. Katara looked like a model, her face resembled a statue, with sharp cheekbones and strong nose. Both of the siblings had extremely defined eyes, blue like the ocean during a storm. Aang was also more defined, his cheeks still holding the puffiness of a child, but Charlie could tell he was still growing out of the 'baby fat' stage. His limbs were lanky as he was growing into them, but he was still shorter than the rest. Aang's tattoos were prominent on his skin and in his eyes, he had the confidence of a man much older than himself.

By the time Charlie processed their features, the king had entered the throne room. The guards turned to their king, expectant looks on their faces.

"Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!" the cabbage merchant yelled. Charlie scoffed loudly, garnering his and the King's attention. "That one first!" he pointed at her. She shot him a quick glare in return as the guards ordered him to be quiet. The king raised an inquisitive eye at Aang, studying the young boy who squirmed under his gaze.

Given the impression their sentence would take a while, Sokka turned to face Charlie, "So what's that guy got against you? You didn't even do anything."

"Not a clue," she shrugged innocently, hiding her slight smirk by turning her face away for a moment.

Sokka raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, leaning forward to get a better view of her face. "You sure about that?" he said, noticing the constant glare she was receiving from the cabbage man, and the stronger one that she sent back. "I wanna know what dastardly crime you committed against the man's cabbages."

"I didn't do anything."

Sokka gave her an unimpressed look.

"Other than annoy the shit out of him," Charlie finally admitted with a small shrug, followed by more complaints from the cabbage man in the background. Sokka snuffed a laugh, slightly taken aback at her choice of words. Bumi seemed to have had enough time analyzing Aang and swept his eyes over the rest of the rag tag crew. He halted at Charlie for a split second, smiling as though he knew something no one else in the room could comprehend.

"Have you made a decision my lord?" the guard holding her asked.

"Yes. Let's throw them..." The group of teenagers, except for Charlie, seemed to hold their breath in anticipation. "A feast!" Sokka first looked excited at the mention of food, but his suspicion grew at Charlie's unchanging expression.

Sitting between Katara and Aang at the feast was a welcome break from Sokka's questioning stares. Apparently, food was enough to keep him preoccupied for now. There was a good amount of it too, definitely too much for five people, but she wasn't complaining. Dishes of exotic food were placed on the long rectangular table, where Bumi sat on the opposite end.

A guard came and tapped Charlie lightly on the shoulder, a clean shirt in hand. She looked up at him with confusion before remembering her busted chin, so she stood up and followed him to a pristine bathroom. Against one wall was a vanity made from stone, with a polished piece of crystal hanging above the sink like a mirror, and opposite sat a toilet-like structure. It was comforting to see something at least slightly familiar.

The guard handed her the clean shirt before closing the door behind her, but Charlie knew he stood outside to prevent her from escaping. She took the opportunity to use the bathroom before changing her shirt, but when she turned on the sink, her heart stopped. She tried to reason with herself. It was just a faucet, and the water which flowed through the small opening was controlled. Charlie's hands shook as she ran them under the stream and soaked her old shirt, using it to wipe the dried blood off her staining her chin and neck. The main gash had scabbed over, so she was careful not to irritate it. She involuntarily flinched every time she touched the damp cloth to her skin, but when Charlie was finally finished, her eyes stung slightly. She waited until she'd pulled herself together just enough to reopen the door, coming face-to-face with the guard. His eyes softened slightly at the sight of the girl, pale skin still stained pink from the blood. Glancing down at her wrists, bruises started to form where he'd held her during the arrest.

"Sorry," he spoke softly, as if not wanting anyone else to hear the sentiment. She only nodded in response as they reached the dining room again. Charlie offered him a tight-lipped smile as he guided her back into her chair, trying to ignore the curious looks from the three and king who waited for her return. Instead, Charlie looked down at her new shirt, which was a darker shade of green and wrapped slightly tighter around her torso instead of hanging oversized. She was slightly amused at the idea of being on the cover of a magazine with all of her recent outfit changes.

"Tell me, young bald one," the king began, looking towards Aang. Charlie held in a laugh, letting a heavy breath escape instead. "Where are you from?"

Aang stared at the king for a moment, unprepared for the question. "Kangaroo Island!" he blurted out too quickly. Bumi nodded and muttered under his breath, accepting the answer.

"I hear that place is really hoppin'!"

Charlie couldn't help but snort, her laughter being the only thing to break the awkward silence. After a beat, Sokka burst out laughing as well, earning strange looks from Aang and Katara.

The king let out an exaggerated yawn, stretching his arms. "All of these good jokes are making me tired."

The corner of Charlie's lip twitched into a lopsided smile. "You only told one," she said, watching as Bumi turned his body, as if leaving his seat. Suddenly, he sent a chicken leg flying straight for Aang. Charlie flicked her head up, following the chicken's trajectory to see Aang airbending the food away from his face, causing it to float in mid-air. She gasped lightly. Unlike in the cartoon, there were no animated markings to show where the air was headed, only the aftereffect of Aang's motion. She was immediately intrigued, a newfound curiosity born.

"You're the Avatar," Bumi stated strongly, pushing his chair out and standing. Aang gasped and dropped the chicken leg, hiding his hands under the table. "Care to explain yourself, Mr. Pippenpaddleopsicopolis?"

Flustered, Aang stood up with his hands raised. He let out a forced laugh, saying "You caught me! I'm the Avatar." While Aang continued his rambling, Charlie noticed Sokka giving her a hard look after her expression didn't turn to one of surprise at the supposedly 'new' knowledge.

Katara grabbed Charlie's wrist, gesturing her head towards the guarded door behind them. On the inside, she was somewhat touched that Katara was trying to help her escape, even if they didn't know each other. Together, the four started to back away from the table, inching closer to their escape. The guards, however, had another plan in mind. They tilted their scythe-like stick weapons, crossing them over to block the doorway, stopping the four in their steps.

Katara stepped forward, her hands in tight fists by her side. "You can't keep us here. Let us leave!"

Bumi picked up a green from his plate, holding it up for them to see. "Lettuce leaf?"

Charlie let out another snort, covering her smile with her hand. She saw Sokka give her an unimpressed look, no longer in the joking mood.

She crossed her arms and turned her head away. "What? It was funny."