Wandering Firebender

Seventy Three: The Way Things Were

The sun was starting to set in the Fire Nation. Elio put on his uniform but left his armor on top of his bed. He took a moment to check his hair before stepping out of his quarters. When he did, he was met by Alger, who was also stepping out of his room.

Alger had on Fire Nation clothing too: a vest with fabric that draped down to his thighs as well as pants and boots. Elio couldn't help but smile at seeing his earthbending friend wearing Fire Nation clothing. He walked up to him and patted him on the back.

"Hey, bud. The new outfit looks nice on you."

"Thanks. This fabric has a little bit of weight to it. Are you sure this is normal to wear here?" Alger asked, holding a piece of it up. Elio chuckled at this.

"Of course! We are going out, so I got you something a little nicer."

"I appreciate that. I'll wear it tonight, but respectfully, this might be the only time I do." Alger said with a little chuckle.

"That's fine!" Elio laughed. "We're just waiting on Sri and Cindra now." He said.

"I heard our names!" Cindra called through her door.

"Yep! Are ya'll done yet? Everyone's waiting for us!" Elio called back.

"Yeah, just about! We wanted to try on the new clothes that Zuko bought for us!"

"I don't think I've ever worn clothes this nice!" Sri said.

"Well come on out, let's see it!" Elio said with a chuckle.

The two girls stepped out of Cindra's room wearing their new clothes courtesy of the Fire Lord: fine Fire Nation clothes decorated with gold and black stripes similar to Elio's uniform. They wore tops that cut off at their ribs with long dresses and sashes around their waists.

While Sri had stopped there, Cindra went an extra step by braiding her hair and wearing a nice headpiece, as well as her favorite necklace: the one with the shimmering purple stone.

"Whoa..." Elio's eyes widened.

"I take it by your bewildered expression that you like what you see?" Sri teased as the girls came over to join them. Elio chuckled a little.

"Yeah, heh...you both look amazing." He said.

"Try not to make your staring so obvious," Alger teased him, tapping his arm with the side of his fist. "Come, let's go meet with the others."

"Right," Elio cleared his throat and led the way out of the airship. "You guys are gonna love this place. All the Fire Nation soldiers hang out here." He said.

"Oh yeah? Is it a popular spot?" Cindra asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. My father took me here once when I turned 15. From what I can tell, it's always packed this time of day." Elio said with a chuckle.

"Fire Nation hangout spot. I'm curious to see it." Sri commented.

Soon, Elio's friends got to finally see the place he was talking about: the Dragon Flare Tavern. It was a 2-story restaurant built like a beach house with an open floor plan and multiple balconies where patrons could sit and eat or stand and converse.

Elio in particular was excited to come here again. Everyone knew that the tavern was most often frequented by Fire Nation soldiers of all different ranks. The last time he had come here, he was the son of a general. Now he was entering as a captain and special agent.

As for the others, they weren't as excited, but they did want to support Elio, and it would be a nice way to take a break and relax. Additionally, the rest of Elio's crew would be here too, so it would be a good opportunity to get to know who else was on the ship.