The Thief |Sokka

TWENTY-SEVEN

The Fire Nation was a location Jaya didn't often travel to compared to all the expeditions she and Aang had done in the Earth Kingdom, but despite the lack of frequency in her visits, she didn't find herself complaining. In other words, she didn't mind at all. She had seen enough of the Fire Nation, in her opinion. Despite her somewhat hostile thoughts when it came to the country, though, on the last morning she was going to be staying in the palace, she found herself actually enjoying the while she spent there.

It was a day of preparations. Jaya and Aang had ensured from the day before, once they had finished following the prisoners to the main island of the Fire Nation and had reached the palace, that all they needed for their trip the next day was in order. They only would have to load them on Appa the next morning, and she was glad for it, otherwise she didn't quite know how long it would have taken them to leave.

She woke up to the servants moving around even though it was obvious they tried to make as less noise as possible. She opened the curtains of the room wide, let the light get in the room and just stood there with her eyes closed—long hair pushed back by the wind, hands wide open, holding the curtains at a distance to let the light in, her head lifted so that she could feel the warmth better—soaking in the sun for a little while. She took in slow breaths, so deep they made her breathless as she exhaled. She brought herself to get back to her bed and get dressed properly and prepare for the day ahead a while later.

It didn't feel like her last day in the Fire Nation. There was nothing different about this morning from the rest except from the pit in her stomach, present even though she knew not the reason for its existence. She ignored it. A while later, she left her room.

Sokka's room was rather close to her own, so close in fact, she could even see his door from her room. She paused in her steps, her gaze locked on his door. Her feet refused to move that way and her mind was in shambles – what would it mean if she went over? Nothing good, she was certain. So she turned around, and headed to a room that was far safer.

Aang's room was close still, although not as close as Sokka's. She had to get to the main hallway to reach it, and so she came face to face with the servants that had been moving around ever since she had woken up. She greeted a few of them and continued, walked quickly close to the wall so that she would not delay them. She started walking normally again when she reached the corridor leading to Aang's room. She stopped by his door, knocked twice, and without expecting a reply, entered. She was met at once with Aang's figure on the floor of his room, his back turned to her as he meditated. He spoke without looking as she closed the door behind her.

"Good morning, Jaya. I see you still refuse to wait for my approval before coming inside."

"You know the door is a luxury," she countered with a smirk as she walked around and sat on the edge of the bed in front of him. "In our travels, we don't even have a place to stay."

Aang's eyes remained closed as he smiled. "I take it that means I may have no privacy."

"When did that start to bother you anyway?"

He chuckled, and this time, he opened his eyes. His posture loosened and she knew, he had stopped his meditation for the day. He lifted his head, looked her in the eyes.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Isn't it a bit too early to leave yet?" she shrugged, her nonchalance seen as false from the caution betrayed in her tone. "The servants are still preparing things, I saw them in the corridor. Not to mention that Zuko and Mai would never let it go if we left before they could greet us."

"Not to forget Sokka," Aang added with a teasing smile. "He would be bitter if you left without a kiss goodbye."

"Be quiet," she chastised with a shake of her head. "You know this is not going to work."