Wandering Firebender

Seventy One: Sowing Seeds

"Captain...with all due respect, why are we doing this if both you and Fire Lord Zuko are already pretty convinced that this isn't going to go well?" Mila asked Elio as the two of them talked by the map table.

It was first thing in the morning aboard Elio's airship. They were already in the air with a set course for the Earth Kingdom. While Elio was waiting to speak with his friends regarding their current mission, he'd gotten into a discussion with Mila about what he expected was to come.

"Well, sometimes it's worth the risk to do the right thing...but just be prepared to pack up and go in case things go south." He quickly added. Mila giggled at this.

"Hahaha, alright, captain," She said. Her and Elio shared a little laugh over this. "Oh, here comes your crew." She pointed out. Elio turned to see Alger, Cindra, and Sri all walking over.

"Perfect timing, guys. One sec," Elio held his finger up and turned back towards Mila. "Could you please brief the rest of the squad on everything I just told you? I want everyone on the same page when we arrive. Alright?" He requested of her.

"Of course. I'll go find them right now, captain." Mila said, doing a quick salute before leaving Elio to talk to the other three. Alger, Sri, and Cindra all gathered around the map table with him.

"Did we interrupt your conversation with your girlfriend?" Sri asked jokingly.

"Ugh," Elio scoffed and chuckled. "Not my girlfriend. That would be inappropriate." He said in response.

"But you two are friends. You two must've known each other for awhile." Cindra said, assuming that Elio and Mila must've already known each other. Elio shook his head and shrugged.

"Not really. I just try to have a nice ongoing relationship with everybody on the ship." He explained.

"Emphasis on the relationship part." Alger played into the joke with a smile. Elio rolled his eyes and smiled too.

"Uhuh, alright. Gather around, guys, let's discuss the mission now, please." He directed the others.

"Sure thing, captain." Sri said in a teasing manner while twirling her hair with her finger.

"Heheh. Okay. What do you have for us today, Elio?" Alger asked, helping to direct the conversation back towards the serious topic at hand.

"Alright. So Zuko has us flying out into the Earth Kingdom again. This time, we're heading here." Elio pointed to a particular spot on the map where a small coin had been placed down as a marker.

"Where is that?" Cindra asked.

"That's where Omashu is." Alger realized.

"Yes, we're going to Omashu." Elio confirmed.

"Why?" Sri asked.

"In the cargo hold below us right now, we're carrying a ton of relief supplies: food, first aid, building materials; so on. We're going there to personally deliver all of this stuff to the city." Elio explained.

"Oh wow!" Cindra exclaimed in surprise.

"Was the city in bad shape after Sozin's Comet?" Alger asked.

"Actually, not really. We've received intel that Omashu is serving as a-a central hub for sending out supplies to smaller, neighboring cities. So this stuff we're bringing is just giving the operation a boost, you know?"

"That makes sense. I'm glad that the Fire Lord is so willing to help out." Sri said appreciatively.

"I agree...but I am hesitant," Alger admitted. "There are a lot of earthbenders in Omashu. If they see us coming in this big Fire Nation balloon, I doubt they would just let us in." He shared his thoughts.