The gangplank was still down. Katara heaved a sigh of relief as the siblings crouched behind a snowdrift. Sokka ducked down and scuttled over to the next snowdrift, waving for his sister to follow. "Okay," Sokka whispered. "We have to do this quietly. No talking."
"Then hush," she hissed.
On their hands and knees, they crawled up the ramp, the tops of their heads barely visible from down below. The soft leather on their gloves and boots hissed softly against the metal, and Katara was terrified they could hear her breathe.
Then Sokka sucked in a very sharp breath that she was sure the whole world heard. She elbowed him in the back of his thigh.
"Funny meeting you here," a smiling voice said. Sokka and Katara were on their feet in an instant. the short, fat old man the voice belonged to put a finger to his lips.
They tiptoed guiltily onto the deck behind him. He led them into a room in the command tower, with a low table and a small window, and shut the door behind them. "First my nephew disappears, and then I find the two of you trying to sneak back onto the ship. Very suspicious."
"We weren't sneaking onto the ship," Sokka tried. "No, we were sneaking off backwards, yeah."
Katara cringed.
The old man smiled. "Would you like a cup of tea? I'm about to start a pot."
"I'd like one." Katara tried to smile. Really, she would feel a lot better, she thought, if she had a cup of scalding hot water to bend if something went even more wrong.
"It just doesn't make sense to me." He took a teapot, small brazier, and a bottle of water off one of the room's shelves and poured. With a slight push of his wrist a small fire began to crackle in the brazier. "My nephew wouldn't let you two out of his sight if he believed one of you was the Avatar, because the Avatar is the only hope he has of going home and reclaiming his throne." He leveled them with a furious stare. "And if you had escaped him, why would you come back here?"
"Wait." Katara leaned over the table. "What throne?"
"Because ah, neither of us is the Avatar, and um, your nephew knows that now, and he let us go!" As Sokka's voice sped up, it grew higher and higher. "But we left something on the ship, and we're just going to get it, and, uh..." he trailed off.
The old man folded his arms and eyed Sokka skeptically. Katara let her head fall to the table.
Sokka scowled at her. "Well, it's mostly true." Then he looked up at the old man. "Your nephew? The guy with the weird bald headed ponytail thing, bad ugly scar? He's the Avatar."
"Shut up, Sokka!" Katara cried. "I promised him we wouldn't-"
"Are you trying to tell me that my nephew is the Avatar?" The old man almost dropped the teapot. "No. I cannot believe you. It is not possible."
"I'm sorry Katara," Sokka told her in that calm voice he used when he thought she was being too stupid for anger, ignoring the old man. "But this way, they can lock him up, and we can go home, and you'll be safe, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Katara closed her eyes. "I promised."
"Yeah, well," Sokka started angrily. "I think that went out the window when he decided he was going to fess up himself and let them arrest him."
"My nephew," the old man said very slowly. "Is the one who is supposed to bring balance to the world? Prince Zuko?"
"I guess?" Sokka squeaked.
The old man blinked his wide, horrified eyes. "And he wants to turn himself in?"
Katara shrugged. "That's what he said."
"I don't want to see my nephew locked up." He sat down heavily. "I love him."
"Then you better stop him before he tells everybody else," she mumbled.
"And this is why you came back?" he said with a weak smile.
Katara looked back at him stubbornly. "Someone has to make sure he does what he's supposed to."
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branchandroot
Uncle finds out
Date: 2012-05-04 04:44 am (UTC)~*~
The gangplank was still down. Katara heaved a sigh of relief as the siblings crouched behind a snowdrift. Sokka ducked down and scuttled over to the next snowdrift, waving for his sister to follow. "Okay," Sokka whispered. "We have to do this quietly. No talking."
"Then hush," she hissed.
On their hands and knees, they crawled up the ramp, the tops of their heads barely visible from down below. The soft leather on their gloves and boots hissed softly against the metal, and Katara was terrified they could hear her breathe.
Then Sokka sucked in a very sharp breath that she was sure the whole world heard. She elbowed him in the back of his thigh.
"Funny meeting you here," a smiling voice said. Sokka and Katara were on their feet in an instant. the short, fat old man the voice belonged to put a finger to his lips.
They tiptoed guiltily onto the deck behind him. He led them into a room in the command tower, with a low table and a small window, and shut the door behind them. "First my nephew disappears, and then I find the two of you trying to sneak back onto the ship. Very suspicious."
"We weren't sneaking onto the ship," Sokka tried. "No, we were sneaking off backwards, yeah."
Katara cringed.
The old man smiled. "Would you like a cup of tea? I'm about to start a pot."
"That's okay." Sokka's voice cracked. "We're fine."
"I'd like one." Katara tried to smile. Really, she would feel a lot better, she thought, if she had a cup of scalding hot water to bend if something went even more wrong.
"It just doesn't make sense to me." He took a teapot, small brazier, and a bottle of water off one of the room's shelves and poured. With a slight push of his wrist a small fire began to crackle in the brazier. "My nephew wouldn't let you two out of his sight if he believed one of you was the Avatar, because the Avatar is the only hope he has of going home and reclaiming his throne." He leveled them with a furious stare. "And if you had escaped him, why would you come back here?"
"Wait." Katara leaned over the table. "What throne?"
"Because ah, neither of us is the Avatar, and um, your nephew knows that now, and he let us go!" As Sokka's voice sped up, it grew higher and higher. "But we left something on the ship, and we're just going to get it, and, uh..." he trailed off.
The old man folded his arms and eyed Sokka skeptically. Katara let her head fall to the table.
Sokka scowled at her. "Well, it's mostly true." Then he looked up at the old man. "Your nephew? The guy with the weird bald headed ponytail thing, bad ugly scar? He's the Avatar."
"Shut up, Sokka!" Katara cried. "I promised him we wouldn't-"
"Are you trying to tell me that my nephew is the Avatar?" The old man almost dropped the teapot. "No. I cannot believe you. It is not possible."
"I'm sorry Katara," Sokka told her in that calm voice he used when he thought she was being too stupid for anger, ignoring the old man. "But this way, they can lock him up, and we can go home, and you'll be safe, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Katara closed her eyes. "I promised."
"Yeah, well," Sokka started angrily. "I think that went out the window when he decided he was going to fess up himself and let them arrest him."
"My nephew," the old man said very slowly. "Is the one who is supposed to bring balance to the world? Prince Zuko?"
"I guess?" Sokka squeaked.
The old man blinked his wide, horrified eyes. "And he wants to turn himself in?"
Katara shrugged. "That's what he said."
"I don't want to see my nephew locked up." He sat down heavily. "I love him."
"Then you better stop him before he tells everybody else," she mumbled.
"And this is why you came back?" he said with a weak smile.
Katara looked back at him stubbornly. "Someone has to make sure he does what he's supposed to."
The old man nodded. "It is an arduous task."
"So," Sokka cut in. "What's this prince thing?"