Thankfully, Katsu was taking responsibility for his lifestyle choice. Yakedo harbored no ill-will for the boy, but was certainly comforted by the fact that he hadn’t remained a child or turned into a real criminal since he left. The Grand Lotus let the small group work out what they wanted on their own until Katsu asked him a question.
“If you’ve any friends, I recommend choosing one that knew you before you found out you were the Avatar. Are you still in touch with any of them? The Fire Nation would certainly have less defectors looking to hurt you,” He mused, hesitating as he thought out loud. “Where you go is up to you, Katsu. You guys can get anywhere you want. I’ll leave you a bit more cash, make sure you can get where you need to, where you feel safe. I can’t even know for sure where you’re going – trust me, you’ll be safer without the attention on me being on you as well.” Hideki gave a small smile and clasped the boy’s shoulder.
-----
Siku huffed and rolled her eyes, “Stop. No self-pity on this one, Katsu. There’ll be time to pay us back when we find somewhere to settle down, alright? Sounds like we’re gonna have a long way to go and… we can’t be at each other’s throats for that.” She sighed and tried to push the irritated look from her face. Stepping up to Katsu, she knocked on his forehead, “Hey, you. Yeah, Mr. Avatar. You wanna pay me back? Let’s get somewhere safe – like the Fire Nation or wherever you wanna go – and then duel me. That way, I can officially say I beat the Avatar in a fight,” She declared proudly. “Once Asha is all packed up, we’ll go get mine, and then we’ll head out, alright?”
-----
Siku’s House
“No, Sesi… You can’t go with us…” Siku explained as she packed her things. The girl’s younger sister stomped her foot.
“You don’t let me do anything! You wouldn’t let me learn with you and your pro-bender buddies, you don’t let me go around the city with you, I don’t get to do anything!” She complained.
SIku sighed and took a knee in front of the smaller girl. “I know, I’m sorry… I promise, when I get back, we’ll go and do all sorts of things. And then, when you’re older, we’ll leave the city together and I’ll show you some of the really cool places I get to see now, okay?”
The girl kicked at the floor absently, frowning and staring downward. “Ugh… Fine… But… You have to write, okay? Lots and lots!”
Siku rolled her eyes and smiled, “Fine, Sesi. I’ll try, okay?” Meanwhile, she had risen back to her feet and opened an armoire in the large bedroom. Inside was a leather harness with shoulder and hip guards. After putting it over the clothes that Asha had given her on the island, Siku pulled a long black case from the shelf inside and placed it on her bed.
“Siku, why are you taking… that with you? You’re just travelling aren’t you?” Sesi asked nervously.
Siku sighed, “It’s… uh… ceremonial, Sesi. It’s not because I expect to need it or anything,” She said with a reassuring smile, unlocking the case and pushing the top open. Inside, a long, curved dao. The handle was wrapped in pitch-black leather with a modest, circular crossguard. In the case, just above the sword, was a sheath of white emblazoned with a golden dragon wrapped about it. Culturally, it was a hodge-podge of themes. The sword itself was used in the Earth and Fire Nations by benders and non-benders alike, the sheath was of Fire Nation design and origin, but Siku’s father had given it to her after they moved to Republic City from the Water Tribe. She inserted the blade to the sheath and attached it to her hip before rising and shutting the case, closing it back into her armoire.
Giving her sister a hug, she finally went back downstairs to the foyer where her father, Katsu, Asha, and Yakedo stood waiting. She had a bag and on back with some changes of clothes and a bedroll – nothing too huge. She wore a pair of rough leather gloves which she often used when practicing her swordsmanship. Her father seemed a bit irritated, but was trying not to let it show to Katsu. Siku would be fine out there, but he didn’t want her to leave. She wasn’t even done training…
“Alright, Hideki… I’ll trust you on this one. But this effort better not be extraneous…” The older man stated, “You know it’d be really bad if this got out… If you guys are going to the Fire Nation, I know somebody out there… Lives a little bit like a hermit nowadays, but he’s in a little coastal town out there… I think it was… Iwa, on one of the tail-islands of the Nation. One of the real small ones at the end of the tail somewhere… I might have the name wrong, but he’s a very talented water bender. Find yourself out that way, I think you could benefit a lot from at least some of his tips,” He said, looking more to Siku than Katsu.
Siku nodded, “Thanks, papa… I… Guess we should really get going,” She said, shifting on her feet before giving her parents and Sesi each a hug before all of them let. Siku wasn’t sure if Katsu had spoken to her father much while she was packing, but it didn’t much matter now as they all departed. It didn’t seem like long before all five of them were at their final meeting point. They stood at one of the small routes out of the city, westbound. Yakedo and Hiresh looked to the three newest travelers and Yakedo sighed.
“This is where you guys and us part, I suppose. Take good care of these ladies, Katsu…” He said with a small smile before looking to Siku, “Keep him in line, Ms. Tsukiko. It’s not often you get to have an Avatar in your debt,” He teased. Despite his age, Hideki still held onto that youthful excitement, even in the most serious of situation. “Come on, Hiresh, I’ll get you to the station and talk to the Chief.”
And with that, they were gone… and Team Avatar was once again formed. Siku looked to her two newest companions and then placed her hands behind her head, “Leave it to me to travel with the one Avatar that doesn’t have a faster ride than his own feet,” She mused tauntingly. “Ready for this, Asha? We’re gonna be stuck with doofus here for a while, don’t let him get the better of ya.” She winked, glad that she’d not even had the time to process leaving her family yet.
“If you’ve any friends, I recommend choosing one that knew you before you found out you were the Avatar. Are you still in touch with any of them? The Fire Nation would certainly have less defectors looking to hurt you,” He mused, hesitating as he thought out loud. “Where you go is up to you, Katsu. You guys can get anywhere you want. I’ll leave you a bit more cash, make sure you can get where you need to, where you feel safe. I can’t even know for sure where you’re going – trust me, you’ll be safer without the attention on me being on you as well.” Hideki gave a small smile and clasped the boy’s shoulder.
-----
Siku huffed and rolled her eyes, “Stop. No self-pity on this one, Katsu. There’ll be time to pay us back when we find somewhere to settle down, alright? Sounds like we’re gonna have a long way to go and… we can’t be at each other’s throats for that.” She sighed and tried to push the irritated look from her face. Stepping up to Katsu, she knocked on his forehead, “Hey, you. Yeah, Mr. Avatar. You wanna pay me back? Let’s get somewhere safe – like the Fire Nation or wherever you wanna go – and then duel me. That way, I can officially say I beat the Avatar in a fight,” She declared proudly. “Once Asha is all packed up, we’ll go get mine, and then we’ll head out, alright?”
-----
Siku’s House
“No, Sesi… You can’t go with us…” Siku explained as she packed her things. The girl’s younger sister stomped her foot.
“You don’t let me do anything! You wouldn’t let me learn with you and your pro-bender buddies, you don’t let me go around the city with you, I don’t get to do anything!” She complained.
SIku sighed and took a knee in front of the smaller girl. “I know, I’m sorry… I promise, when I get back, we’ll go and do all sorts of things. And then, when you’re older, we’ll leave the city together and I’ll show you some of the really cool places I get to see now, okay?”
The girl kicked at the floor absently, frowning and staring downward. “Ugh… Fine… But… You have to write, okay? Lots and lots!”
Siku rolled her eyes and smiled, “Fine, Sesi. I’ll try, okay?” Meanwhile, she had risen back to her feet and opened an armoire in the large bedroom. Inside was a leather harness with shoulder and hip guards. After putting it over the clothes that Asha had given her on the island, Siku pulled a long black case from the shelf inside and placed it on her bed.
“Siku, why are you taking… that with you? You’re just travelling aren’t you?” Sesi asked nervously.
Siku sighed, “It’s… uh… ceremonial, Sesi. It’s not because I expect to need it or anything,” She said with a reassuring smile, unlocking the case and pushing the top open. Inside, a long, curved dao. The handle was wrapped in pitch-black leather with a modest, circular crossguard. In the case, just above the sword, was a sheath of white emblazoned with a golden dragon wrapped about it. Culturally, it was a hodge-podge of themes. The sword itself was used in the Earth and Fire Nations by benders and non-benders alike, the sheath was of Fire Nation design and origin, but Siku’s father had given it to her after they moved to Republic City from the Water Tribe. She inserted the blade to the sheath and attached it to her hip before rising and shutting the case, closing it back into her armoire.
Giving her sister a hug, she finally went back downstairs to the foyer where her father, Katsu, Asha, and Yakedo stood waiting. She had a bag and on back with some changes of clothes and a bedroll – nothing too huge. She wore a pair of rough leather gloves which she often used when practicing her swordsmanship. Her father seemed a bit irritated, but was trying not to let it show to Katsu. Siku would be fine out there, but he didn’t want her to leave. She wasn’t even done training…
“Alright, Hideki… I’ll trust you on this one. But this effort better not be extraneous…” The older man stated, “You know it’d be really bad if this got out… If you guys are going to the Fire Nation, I know somebody out there… Lives a little bit like a hermit nowadays, but he’s in a little coastal town out there… I think it was… Iwa, on one of the tail-islands of the Nation. One of the real small ones at the end of the tail somewhere… I might have the name wrong, but he’s a very talented water bender. Find yourself out that way, I think you could benefit a lot from at least some of his tips,” He said, looking more to Siku than Katsu.
Siku nodded, “Thanks, papa… I… Guess we should really get going,” She said, shifting on her feet before giving her parents and Sesi each a hug before all of them let. Siku wasn’t sure if Katsu had spoken to her father much while she was packing, but it didn’t much matter now as they all departed. It didn’t seem like long before all five of them were at their final meeting point. They stood at one of the small routes out of the city, westbound. Yakedo and Hiresh looked to the three newest travelers and Yakedo sighed.
“This is where you guys and us part, I suppose. Take good care of these ladies, Katsu…” He said with a small smile before looking to Siku, “Keep him in line, Ms. Tsukiko. It’s not often you get to have an Avatar in your debt,” He teased. Despite his age, Hideki still held onto that youthful excitement, even in the most serious of situation. “Come on, Hiresh, I’ll get you to the station and talk to the Chief.”
And with that, they were gone… and Team Avatar was once again formed. Siku looked to her two newest companions and then placed her hands behind her head, “Leave it to me to travel with the one Avatar that doesn’t have a faster ride than his own feet,” She mused tauntingly. “Ready for this, Asha? We’re gonna be stuck with doofus here for a while, don’t let him get the better of ya.” She winked, glad that she’d not even had the time to process leaving her family yet.