ultraviolence | avatar, the last airbender

17

AS PER KIARA'S IDEA, ZUKO, IROH, AND KIARA STOLE TWO OSTRICH HORSES FROM SONG AND HER FAMILY. Stealing was morally wrong, yes, but they needed a way to get around. Certainly, anything was better than walking around on foot all the time. After another day's worth of travel, they ran very low on coins. Iroh sat and begged people for coins, while Zuko pouted next to him.

"This is humiliating! Uncle and I are royalty. These people should be getting us whatever we want!" Zuko griped. Kiara rolled her eyes at Zuko. He could be so privileged sometimes.

"They will if you ask nicely," Iroh said with a smile.

Kiara heaved a sigh and sat up. As she began to walk away, she heard Zuko sneer, "Where are you going?"

She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. "To get a job, smart guy," She said sassily. "We'll be lucky if we'll get enough money by end of today for two loaves of bread."

Kiara wandered off in the city to look for any kind of work. It took her about an half hour of searching but eventually she found a wanted help poster for a small tavern. She took it gratefully and walked back to where Zuko and Iroh were sitting. She saw a gold man dangling a gold piece in front of Iroh, who was singing something along the lines of, "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se. But the girls in the city they look so pretty."

Kiara watched from afar and smiled at Iroh's goofiness. She liked that even though he used to be a ruthless Fire Nation general, he could still tap into his goofy side and be humble. It was when the man pulled out swords and jabbed them at Iroh, making him dance while singing. Kiara frowned, folding the paper and placing it in her back pocket. It was clear the man was making a mockery out of Iroh. Not only that, but he could seriously injure him with his sword. The man began to laugh after Iroh finished his song. "Nothing like a fat man dancing for—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kiara came from behind him and punched the side of his face. While he was stunned, she flipped him over his shoulder. He laid on the ground, out cold. This got a few stares from bystanders.

"Kiara!" Zuko said angrily, scrambling to his feet.

Kiara straightened her posture and fixed her hair. She often found herself playing with her hair much more often since Zuko cut it. "What?" she asked innocently.

"You can't just go around and fight everyone you don't like," Zuko growled. "You're going to get us thrown into jail."

Kiara shrugged. "Watch me," she said with a cheeky smile. Kiara bent down and stole the rest of his coins sneakily, so no other people could see.

"What happened to not stealing?" Zuko asked.

Kiara shrugged, stealthily placing the coins in her pocket. "If hell is a place, I've been damned since I was fourteen."

"You did not need to act with violence, Kiara," Iroh said gently.

"But he was making fun of you," Kiara protested. For some reason, she felt oddly overprotective of Iroh. Anyone who dared to mock him made her blood boil.

"I appreciate your concern for me, but I am okay," Iroh reassured her. "He was a nice man."

"But—" Kiara started. Iroh nodded at her. "Never mind."

Zuko nodded and didn't say anything else. She wondered why he was so concerned with why she did what she did. A little while later, they found a small cave outside of the village to hide out in. As Kiara went to hunt in the woods nearby, Zuko also left to do something. When she returned during dusk, the cave was littered with stuff. A brand new tea pot and tea cups for Iroh, more food, blankets, and clothes.