Don't Leave Me (Zuko x OC)

Chapter 9

Iroh, Zuko and I were sipping tea quietly in his room. 

"See Prince Zuko. A moment of quiet is good for your mental well being."

Before Zuko could take a sip, the ship was hit and he spilled it all over his face causing his ponytail to flick forward. Pushing his hair back, he growled and stood up, wanting to know what that sound was. Some terrifying creature climbed on board with a woman riding. 

"Get back! We're after a stowaway!" She yelled.

Zuko charged forward, "There are no stowaways on my ship."

The creature bite into our floor and ripped some metal boards up, throwing them at our soldiers. Out of the hole crawled a man in immense panic, running for an exit. But when the creature's tongue hit his neck, he fell to the ground. 

Zuko stared in shock, "Is he...paralysed?"

"Only temporarily, the toxins will wear off in about an hour. But by then he'll be in jail and I'll have my money." She picked up the man and flung him over her shoulder. 

"But how did you find him on my ship?"

She pet the animals fur, "My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away."

"Well I'm impressed." Iroh complimented. She cracked her whip and the shirshu ran off, "Very impressed. 

Zuko scowled at him, "We're going to follow her. Prepare the mongoose-lizards."

"Yay." I said sarcastically, turning to leave. 

I was going to ride my own but Zuko picked me up and put me on his ride before jumping on behind me and grabbing the reins around me. After riding for half the day we came across an Earth Kingdom tavern, looking very run down. The shirshu was 'parked' outside so we knew the woman was here. Zuko helped me down before turning to head inside. If I thought the yells were loud from outside, they were deafening in here. In the centre, the woman was arm wrestling with a man who's arm was the side of her head. 

Zuko marched through, "Out of my way! Step aside filth!"

Iroh clumsily followed after him, "He means no offense. I'm certain you bathe regularly."

"I need to talk to you!" Zuko said as he approached the table.

"Well if it isn't my new friends. Angry Boy, Prissy Princess and Uncle Lazy."

Iroh laughed heartily at the insult. The woman slammed the mans hand down and cheers erupted in the bar.

"Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back!"

"I'd love to help you out but I'm a little short on money." She said as she collected in the heaps of money she'd just won. "Drinks on me!"

Zuko grabbed her drink, "Money isn't what I had in mind."

Outside, Zuko presented Katara's necklace June. I huffed. 

He still had that? 

What's he keeping it for? Besides apparently tracking the Avatar down. 

"I need you to find someone."

"What happened, your girlfriend run off on you? Who this then, your mistress? Rebound? Pretty rough to be tracking down your true love in front of her." She smirked, looking me up and down. 

Rage filled me at the insinuation. 

"It's not the girl I'm after. It's the bald monk she's travelling with."

So he's not going to deny any of that? Or defend me? 

I wish I'd stayed on the ship.