𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕

𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒔

                 Chapter Sixteen
Elora

It had been about a week since our departure from General Fong's army base. We found ourselves stationed at a picturesque riverbank, where Katara and I were engrossed in honing our waterbending skills. Meanwhile, Aang frolicked in the water with Momo, and Sokka? Well, he was floating gracefully on a rather sizeable leaf, as if auditioning for a role in a riverbank ballet.

"Are you two almost done?" Sokka inquired lazily, his arm shielding his eyes from the sun's glare. "We've got places to be, you know. Omashu isn't going to come to us."

Katara shot him a pointed look. "Are you sure you're ready to go, naked guy?" she retorted, gesturing at his near-naked state.

"I can be ready in two minutes. Or, you know, whenever," Sokka replied nonchalantly, though Katara remained skeptical.

"Sure thing," I chimed in, drawing out the 'ur' with an amused grin.

"I can!" Sokka protested, sitting up on his leaf. Suddenly a splash of water hit me. I glanced up to see Sokka chuckling, clearly forgetting I had waterbending skills. With a mischievous smirk, I raised a massive water bubble and released it above him, sending him tumbling into the river with a splash. As he resurfaced, shooting me a glare, I couldn't help but laugh.

"You totally deserved that!" I called out, still chuckling. As the laughter subsided, we were greeted by the sound of music drifting down the hill. We looked up to see a group of people strolling towards us, their melodious tunes blending seamlessly with the tranquil atmosphere of the riverbank.

"Heh-hey! River people!" The man serenading us greeted with a grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"We're not river people," Katara corrected him with a shake of her head.

"You're not?" The man's expression shifted to one of disbelief. "Well then, what kind of people are ya?" he inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Just...people," Aang replied with a nonchalant shrug, his gaze wandering over the river.

"Aren't we all, brother?" the man mused cryptically, his smile taking on an enigmatic quality.

Sokka, ever the skeptic, waded through the water and stood up hiding me behind him as he pointed a finger at the man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Chong, and this is my wife, Lily," the man introduced himself, gesturing towards the woman beside him. "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!" he declared cheerfully, strumming the instrument in his hand with gusto.

"You guys are nomads? That's great!" Aang exclaimed, his face lighting up with genuine excitement. "My best friend and I are nomads," he added, casting a proud glance in my direction.

"Hey, me too!" Chong chimed in, beaming at us. We exchanged puzzled glances, unsure if he was being serious.

"We know...you just said that," I interjected, unable to resist the urge to point out the obvious. Chong simply shrugged, seemingly unfazed by my observation.

"Nice underwear," Chong remarked suddenly, pointing directly at Sokka. The color drained from Sokka's face as he darted away in embarrassment, leaving the rest of us to contend with the eccentric nomads on our own.

✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾

We all gathered around Appa, nestled comfortably against his furry sides, as Chong and Lilly regaled us with tales of their travels. Sokka returned, now fully dressed, and joined us, albeit reluctantly.

"Hey Sokka, you should hear some of these stories; these guys have been everywhere," Aang enthused, flashing a grin as he leaned against Appa, whose fur was now adorned with colorful flowers.