Fighting Fire with Fire ~ ☼ ZUKO X OC ☼

Chapter 8

The next day I rose with the sun. Just like every other day, I was the first up. I couldn't stay in the house, I felt like I was suffocating and that the ceiling would fall down and crush my bed at any moment. I spent the early hours of the morning in the garden next to our house going through fighting styles and working on my defence skills. We won't be safe in Ba Sing Se forever and once we leave I will have to prove that I can fight and defend our group without bending.

"Morning you lot." I grin, putting down the bowls of fruit on the table. The others stumble down the stairs, rubbing their eyes.

"What is this?" Aang mumbles, looking at the table.

"Breakfast." I smile returning to the bench and bringing over the last few bowls. "I figured since I was up I could make some, that way we can spend more of the day looking for Appa." Aang's eyes light up at the mention of his sky bison, quickly sitting down and eating his food eagerly.

"Thanks Virra." Katara appears at my side, giving my arm a grateful and reassuring squeeze before sitting down and joining the others. I smile to myself before sliding into the seat beside her and eating my food.

☯

Sokka can't draw. At all.

We have been home for the last few hours, attempting to make posters for Appa. But combined with Toph's blindness, Sokka's inability to draw, my lack of patience and Laia's preference of using ink to practise her bending, it is safe to say no one should ever see these posters.

"Sokka, just give up. You can't draw." I laugh, staring at his demonic looking attempt at Appa.

"I can! Can't you see it?" He rebuts, lifting up his piece of paper for us to see.

"No!" I hear myself, Laia and Toph sing in unison making me shake my head with amusement.

"You guys just don't have a creative eye like I do." He mutters offended, putting the paper back down and adding more details.

"We're back!" Katara sings as she bursts through the door, Aang and Momo following close behind. "We found a printer to make our posters!" She grins, holding up a detailed poster of Appa. I chuckle at the frown that appears on Sokka's face as he looks up at it.

"Hey, I thought designing the 'lost Appa' poster was my job!" He whines, "I've been working all morning on my Appa." He holds up his poster again as Katara holds her hand up to her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head!" Aang laughs, pointing at the poorly drawn Appa on Sokka's poster.

"It looks just like him to me." Toph scoffs, lying on her back not even looking, even though she couldn't even see it since she is blind. That comment causes both myself and Laia to join in on the laughter.

"Let's just stick with the professional version." Katara hums. In response Sokka growls before ripping up his poster.

"Come on! Let's get busy!" Aang grins, holding up two handfuls of posters.

☯

Of course they made me go to the lower rank to hand out posters. Not Katara or Sokka, no, me. Laia and I walk down the main road in silence handing out fliers to whoever will take them and pinning some to bulletin boards whenever we spot them.

"Ugh, this is going to take all afternoon!" She groans, dropping her head.

"Yep, too bad you're not an air bender otherwise you could be flying around with these. And I could be at home." I sigh, handing another poster to a bypasser. She scoffs under her breath in response and shakes her head.