The Thief |Sokka

THIRTEEN

Jaya had expected the dining room of the Fire Nation palace to be bathed in luxury, but for some reason, she was still surprised when she saw it. She had been made silent when she entered the imposing room with a ceiling so high she could easily have formed a tornado inside—she had that much room to move—pillars placed every few ways as if this was the throne room. In the middle of the room was the dining table and when she had sat down, she did not comment on how soft the seat was. She had to admit, even though in her years as an airbender travelling with Aang she had been a guest to many rich families or rulers, she had never been treated this way, as if she were actually a royal. For that reason, she thought to herself she had been treated the best by Zuko, in the Fire Nation. It was peculiar. Definitely not what she would have preferred. She felt a lot more at ease in a normal setting – here, in riches that weren't her own, she automatically fell back into a more detached yet a lot more professional role. 

The same could not be said for those around her. Toph and Sokka sitting on her left had started eating at once, talking among themselves all the while as if they were right at home. Jaya had gathered some vegetables in her plate and had proceeded to eat slowly, bits by bits, making herself as small as possible beside Aang who hadn't stopped talking to Zuko ever since they had sat down, as if that was going to make her appearance there any more polite. In a similar manner sat Mai, although she suspected that was how she usually was like, and so did Akira sitting right opposite Jaya, the picture of elegance and aristocratic upbringing. Katara next to him was quiet as well, her gaze on Sokka and Toph who were intent on making as much noise as possible.

"Zuko, pass me the meat, will you?" Sokka called out to Zuko from the other side of the table. 

Zuko took a moment to take in what Sokka was telling him, still immersed in conversation with Aang as he was, but before he could do anything, Akira sitting in the middle reached for the meat and passed it over himself.

"Thank you, Akira!"

He smiled in a reserved manner, "You're welcome."

Mai sitting on Akira's right side kept on eating in silence, as did Zuko, sitting at the head of the table on Mai's other side. Sokka's and Toph's side of the table was buzzing with noise. Jaya herself did not quite know what to do, so she settled for quietly appraising the man opposite her.

She hadn't seen Akira properly but once, when she was certain she had stopped Hakoda from causing a scene in the middle of the plaza where they had gathered for Zuko's coronation. He seemed a bit different from how she remembered him. His hair had grown, his face seemed sharper, but most things were the same. His gaze had not changed one bit. He still looked around as if he was judging anyone passing by, or as if he was calculating anyone's next move. She guessed it was a habit he would never grow out of, the same way she would always think to herself how much something was worth whenever she saw an item of value. It was a means of survival, for both of them. It would take a longer time until they both managed to get over it.

Occassionally, Akira would meet her gaze as she looked. The first time he did, she looked away. The second, she thought to herself she had nothing better to do than rile him up, so she looked a while longer. The third time she was certain her goal was to annoy him a bit and entertain herself, so she did it for a while longer. It wasn't the most amusing activity she had ever participated in, though, and so she was glad when Zuko finally called the attention to him. 

"I would like to thank all of you for coming. I know you must have been busy back in your homes."

"We were," Sokka replied in a sassy tone Jaya knew he was using on purpose. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Katara shake her head. "You are welcome, though."