The Thief |Sokka

TWENTY-FOUR

Jaya had not missed the Fire Nation. The sun always seemed too strong, little wind available for the people to cool off, so much stillness one could perhaps forget one day what it meant to be alive. With the sweltering sun high above, it was hard for anyone who wasn't used to it to feel settled, especially when they had seen as many parts of the world as she had seen. The Fire Nation felt stilted at times. No matter what her opinion on it was, though, she could have never claimed the Ember Island beaches weren't a sight to behold.

The tropical forests gave way to beaches of golden sand, soft underneath her feet although hot enough it was a struggle to walk on without shoes on or without her feet first dipped in the water. The waves were gentle, the ocean stretching on and on at her feet as she looked ahead, nothing to obstruct her view. No matter how many times she visited, there always seemed to be something about Ember Island that made her feel almost serene.

They had arrived only a few hours ago. Their trip to Ba Sing Se had been over soon enough without any disturbances, and after their arrival yesterday evening she had heard from Aang this morning that he had been outside to see Katara and Akira off on their journey to the South pole. The rest of them had woken up leisurely in the morning and had left on Appa in the early noon to head to Ember Island so that they would make Sokka's wish for a vacation a reality. Jaya had half expected Akira offering his house as their vacation spot to be a trick, but as they arrived, she realised it wasn't. The house they would be staying could not have been anything but his – there were pictures of him when he was little scattered all around the house, some looking happy and childish, others all proper, mainly those where his parents were around. It was a bit unsettling, stepping into a place that was so evidently not her own, especially as she registered the luxury of the building. What was even more unsettling, though, was the occassional portrait of Akira's parents scattered across the halls, his father looking down at her judgementally, his mother appearing all proper and lifeless as she stared at somewhere ahead. 

Mai seemed rather familiar with the house. She knew where every room was located, where Akira kept everything. It was evident which person was closer to Akira when Zuko appeared lost half the time and needed her guidance whenever he was looking for something. Jaya had stayed at the beginning, just until everyone could make sense of the house and she felt like her help was not needed anymore. She had hovered over Aang and then Sokka long enough to ensure they were alright, and when she was sure, she had been quick to announce she would be leaving to take a walk around the area. No one had objected or offered to join her, so she had left on her own.

She had long since took off her shoes and she was now holding them in her hands as she walked across the coastline, the waves brushing past her feet and her ankles, making the bottom of her trousers damp but she had long since stopped caring about it. The sun had started to lower in the horizon, so most people had left at this hour, and so she enjoyed the solitude and silence that came with her choice, even though she knew there was a chance she would get sunburnt and the clothes had started sticking to her body due to the heat. She still did not want to stop walking. So she kept on going, on and on, until she was unsure exactly where she was. All she knew was that she had walked far enough from Akira's house to have no knowledge of her surroundings but she did not fear. She would just have to walk her way back. 

The breeze was pleasant as she made her way back. She just enjoyed her time on her own, not a thought in her mind but how content she felt at this point in time. Until she saw in the distance a person wearing blue heading the opposite way she did, walking by the waves just like she was. She knew who it was even though they were too far away for her to make out their characteristics. The only person in this area that could have ever worn blue was Sokka. 

She kept her eyes on him as they both walked closer to each other. She could make out his features now – it was definitely him. He sent her a wide grin as he got close enough she could see it and as if on instict, she smiled back at him. Sokka waited a few ways away so that she could reach him and then joined her on her walk back.