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"Why are you here?! And why is your weird bird here too?!"
"Now, that's no way to greet your dearest sister."
In traditional Fire Nation armor, Princess Jingyi of the Fire Nation boarded the much smaller ship belonging to her older brother, Zuko. She gave a silent wave to the soldiers who escorted her, letting them silently sail off. The old retired military bird, specifically a raven-eagle named Eza, remained perched on Jing's shoulder, watching under a scarred face.
Strands of long, thick black hair swayed with the icy wind. A gold and red headpiece adorn a part of her hair in a traditional bun, matching the color scheme of her uniform.
She looked Zuko up and down observantly. Her brother wore a similar uniform, though his head remained regularly hairless, except for a single part that grew out to be a long ponytail. His most distinct feature was still the burn on the left side of his face, gifted to him by their father. Though her face remained stoic, she could feel the guilt creep up on her, so she broke eye contact.
"General Iroh," Jingyi acknowledged her other relative instead, who was enjoying a board game and tea. He seemed like he changed little, which pleased her secretly.
"I am no longer a general. Uncle Iroh will do." The man gave a welcoming smile to her. He was the older brother of Ozai, but unlike Jing's father, he showed kindness to her. He was graying with a beard and part of his hair tied up.
Zuko scowled at the respect the soldiers gave her. It was clear she had worked hard for her position, while he was left for dead on an impossible mission. He repeated, "Why are you here?"
"To find the Avatar of course."
"You have no reason to do so."
"Would it be too much of a stretch to say I just wanted to help a brother out?"
"Yes."
"True. l I think you're a failure and disgrace to the Fire Nation." Jingyi clasped her hands together as she gave the stunned Zuko an unimpressed look. "Is that what you wanted me to say? Truthfully, I don't think you can find the Avatar. Much more skilled people tried and failed, so why would you? You would have to be extremely lucky or..."
"Or what," the 16-year-old demanded impatiently.
"Accept my gracious help," she smirked. She passed by the annoyed boy and knelt by Iroh and casually looked at his game. Her bird hopped onto the table, stumbling due to his limp wing, to greet Iroh. "Unlike you, I've been told I'm lucky. For my white fire and for surviving so long."
"We can't find the Avatar with luck."
"But that's all you have... with me of course," she mused, allowing herself to pour some tea from the teapot her uncle had. Zuko gritted his teeth. "I have more resources, more power, and more experience. Yes, you have trained hard on this little boat and I'm sure you have gotten stronger but the master of the four elements could beat you to a pulp."
