The Fire Lord's Ward // MakoxOC

The Search Begins

"We'll be within range in a couple of hours," Iroh updated Eri and Bolin who sat in the small library on the ship.

They both sat surrounded by maps trying to pinpoint just where the camp might be. The area was surrounded by mountains so the thought was that they might be an underground camp. Su was going to meet them to try and use the Beifong scanning technique to see if there was any open areas beneath the mountain.

"Is the team ready?" Iroh asked, leaning against a bookshelf.

Eri nodded, "As ready as they'll ever be I suppose."

Bolin shot up excited, "I wrote all of our backstories. I've been testing everyone on the way here with pop quizzes! They finally know them well enough they don't even need their notecards. It took them forever."

Eri laughed, "Bolin you gave them all 25 notecards to memorize. They were quite intense."

"Well, I memorized mine right away..." Bolin grumbled putting his head in his hands.

"We're having one last meeting before we leave the ship," Eri said looking to Iroh. "You're welcome to join us. We were about to head there now."

The two stood from the table as Iroh gestured for them to lead the way. They walked to the private lounge room where four other benders were waiting for them.

Viso, the lanky water bender stood by the tea table shoveling spoonful after spoonful of sugar into his tea. His long hair was dreadlocked and tied back loosely. He shot a look to the door and smiled at Eri as she entered.

Loshi was laying upside down on the couch reading a book about armor through history. She was short but strong. She was a metal bender from Zaofu and was sent by Su to help the mission. Her long black hair was back in two braids that fell lazily onto the ground.

Rao was staring out the window, the frown he always wore was etched on his face. The fire bender was a top guard of the Fire Nation and had been Zuko's first pick to assist the task force. Eri was a bit worried about his negative attitude and serious aura but decided his skill was worth it.

Sele kept his hands busy by juggling balls of ice. The bender was sent by the twins up in the Northern Water tribe. He was a gentle giant with a voice so deep it calmed anyone around him to the point of immediate trusting.

"What's up boss?" Sele asked, melting the ice and bending it into the skin tied to his waist. The others noticed the three newcomers to the room and turned towards them.

"We're almost to the drop point," Eri said with a look to Iroh.

"We'll stay docked here in case you need a quick escape but the camp will be deep in the mountains. It'll be up to you to get back here to me," Iroh said to the group, letting them know how alone they would be.

"Once we find the entrance you know your roles. Bolin and I'll make a camp nearby to be our base of operations. The main goal is to train with them, learn how they operate, and gain their trust as you go. We need to know if the northern camp is their only other strong hold and if they're actively recruiting or still licking their wounds," Eri looked to her crew. "I know you guys'll make us proud and help bring an end to the Red Lotus once and for all. As you all know, this mission is secret. We tell no one what we are up to. You keep to your new identities and hopefully they'll stick throughout the operation. You travel under the guise of a moving circus so if we need to extract you it won't seem suspicious of you all leave at once. Seem fair?"

The group nodded. At this point they all knew their roles well. 

-

After a long ride in the small recon balloon Asami had given to the team, they were finally at the base of the mountain the group had pinpointed to be the most likely place the Red Lotus would be hiding. 

Su was sitting next to Kuvira, the two were having a quiet conversation and only noticed the group once they were close to the mountain. 

"Su!" Eri called walking to the metal bender.

"Eri! It's a pleasure to see you again. Loshi my dear, how are you?" Su asked the bender she'd sent to aid the mission. 

"Doing great Su," Loshi said giving a small bow. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

"Of course Loshi, your father's actions are not your own," Su responded. Loshi was Aiwei's daughter and had learned his truth telling abilities from him. She had become the newest adviser to Su and was the perfect addition to the team. Aiwei had never brought her into the Red Lotus Organization so no one knew who she was, but if they did she could use her father as an excuse to get out of trouble.

"We found an entrance around this way," Kuvira stepped into the conversation and gesturing behind her.

"Lead the way," Eri said with a smile. She was grateful the girl had decided to join them, she was an excellent bender and Eri knew she would always watch her back.

The group of benders followed Kuvira and Su. Bolin moved in step with Eri and let out a sigh.

"You okay?" Eri asked him quietly.

Bolin shrugged, "I know I should be excited for this new job, I just..."

"Wish we had a break first?" Eri finished for him. 

"Yes!" Bolin exclaimed, "I just want to have more time with Opal, you know? She's so incredible, she makes my heart soar when I see her. She's so sweet, and funny, and smart, and so beautiful... you know what I mean?"

Eri's gaze softened, "Sometimes I wish I did."

"You mean you've never-" Bolin's voice died off.

Eri shook her head, "Nah. Never really felt ready for something like that. I had so much to work on for myself that it never made sense to look for affection somewhere else when I knew I couldn't return it."

"What about now?" Bolin asked gently.

"Now?" Eri echoed him. Her fingers spun the new topaz ring on her finger, "Yeah, I think I could."

-

"The entrance is there," Su pointed to a small crevice in the rock. "I don't think we could've ever found this without the map you had Eri."

"They were the idiots that left it out," she said with a shrug.

"Now's my time to shine," Bolin said with a wide smile. "Ringmaster Bolin is ready for duty!"

Everyone in the group wore unique and slightly colorful outfits. Bolin had a tall top hat and a well fitting green ring master outfit that fit in with his usual earth kingdom clothes. Sele had only a blue vest on, no under shirt, showing his defined muscles. His cover was a juggler, something he'd practiced for hours in preparation for the job. Rao and Loshi wore similarly designed acrobatic outfits although they were red and green respectively to show their bending heritage. None of the clothes were perfect or very new, they tried to give the look of poor traveling circus members that fully believed in the cause.

"We'll help Eri set up camp then head back to Zaofu," Su spoke to the group preparing to enter the caves. "We'll see you soon. We want daily reports if possible. If we don't hear from you in three days Eri is coming in after you. Please be careful."

"We will!" Loshi said cheerfully. She was excited to prove herself to the group, she was the youngest by far and definitely the most joyful. It was almost comical to see her in matching clothing with Rao who's scowl was deepening every second. 

"Good luck, I'll be closer than you think," Eri said, dismissing the group. She wasn't sure what would happen next but she was ready for anything.