“Don’t worry, Lady Sergeant. I’ll protect your fleshy bits.” Avani said. “They’re my favourite parts of you, after all.”

She was disappointed when Kasai said she had not brought her cuffs with her, but she should be focusing on saving their friends, not what she had been focusing on for most of the time they had spent alone together. It was probably for the best.

Avani followed Kasai, grinning when she noticed how the woman rubbed her hand over the hickey she had left on her neck. She didn’t say anything though, but it occurred to her that it might be difficult for her to hide it from their friends as she had ruined her coat already. Mio would definitely be pissed if she noticed it.
They arrived at a body of water. In the middle of it, a distance from the shore, a massive tree could be seen. She couldn’t see any island below the tree, rather its roots were forming a base in the water, probably extending far into the water. It was a surreal environment. Avani whistled at the sight, impressed and in awe. 

“I ain’t afraid of anything.” She said to Kasai, but she was worried she wouldn’t be able to use her earthbending up in the tree if they had to climb to the top.

Avani waited for the woman to turn her back on her again. The mischievous smile appeared on her face, and she used her earthbending to jump up on Kasai’s back, grabbing a hold of her and shouting. “Yip, yip, Kasai!” 

The smaller woman couldn’t prevent the combination of Avani’s weight and her speed from pushing them both into the water. There was a splash as they hit the water. Thankfully, it was not too cold or too hot. It was surprisingly deep right at the edge of the shore too. Avani surfaced with a bubbling laugh.

“I’m glad I didn’t bet anything on the theory that cops could fly.” She splashed her hand into the water, making a wave move in the direction of Kasai, who didn’t seem all that happy about having been jumped. 

Avani’s mood dampened slightly as well, when she realized what she had given up just for a prank. If she hadn’t jumped Kasai and pushed them both into the water fully clothed, they may have gotten undressed on the shore to avoid getting their clothes wet. 

“That was thoughtless and childish of me.” Avani sighed, acting genuinely sorry about what she had done. “I should have waited until you had undressed.” She laughed and splashed more water at Kasai, before setting off to swim the distance to the tree.

Swimming with only one good arm was not as problematic as she had expected it to be, even if it did slow her down compared to Kasai and got more water in her face than what was usual for her when swimming.It proved problematic to get onto the roots of the tree once she reached it though.They were smooth and wet, making the surface quite slippery. She managed eventually when she found a good spot to climb up on. 

She turned to look up the trunk of the tree. “I’m not certain I can climb this with one functioning arm. I could brag and say I’ll beat you to the top, Kasai, but now I’m honestly concerned what may happen if one of us falls. Well, me in particular. Do we have any rope?” Avani asked. 
“Maybe I could stay down here and make sure you don’t hit the roots if you fall. You weigh nothing compared to what I usually lift.” She bragged smiling. “I doubt you could stop me from falling on the other hand.”