COLLISION - a zuko and yue centric tale

Chapter twenty

"That white-haired @#($%) of a #$@#*%((%) Water Tribe girl. What is it with Water Tribe women?"

Iroh paused in the middle of bringing his cup of jasmine tea to his lips, suddenly glad to have chosen this particular bar.

"And that one fighter. Didn't seem to be with the Water Tribe warriors."

"He seemed like some kind of body guard or something. Or maybe he was trying to steal her too! Ha."

"Don't laugh. Kinruh's chest is practically in ribbons because of that guy. And we don't get anything for our trouble either. You jokers couldn't even catch a little girl."

Iroh was careful to not turn and let them see his face. They might remember him. The pirates.

He had wished he had seen the last of them — but this news of a white-haired woman...

Iroh had heard rumours of the white-haired princess of the Northern Water Tribe. Whispers. The Water Tribe was secretive, after all.

The lion-turtle said that he would meet a white-haired woman. The spirits had not brought Iroh and this mysterious woman together yet, but she was clearly laid in his path. Iroh would take the hint.

He raised the cup of jasmine to his lips and took a slow sip.

WHAT THE @#($)*#@%) — he spat it out. It was atrocious tea. It seemed the Earth Kingdom didn't know how to brew proper jasmine. He would have to rectify that... someday.

Until then, he would have to locate that bounty hunter Zuko had found. Perhaps she could help him find this woman.

///

"So what are you doing here?" Zuko asked, returning Yue's earlier question.

"Oh, um, I'm supposed to be on a diplomatic mission to the Earth Kingdom."

"Mm." Zuko paused. "Supposed to?"

"Well, I guess I'm not doing that anymore. It's not my main goal right now. My main goal would be..." Yue trailed off. She really wasn't sure. Just what she knew from Tui, which wasn't much. Just that she should keep travelling in the vague direction she was heading.

"Yeah." Zuko said. He didn't know what else to say.

"Yes." Yue said. She didn't know what else to say.

They walked in silence.

Feathers plodded alongside them.

"You look good!" Yue told him, a while later. "Really... healthy."

"Uh, thanks?" Zuko looked down. "You too."

Yue flushed. Why had she said that? He did look good. And healthy. Most of the time she'd spent around him was when he was bleeding out from his severe injuries. But it was odd to say that, wasn't it?

And so the exiled Fire Nation prince and the runaway Water Tribe princess walked on.

///

"Where are you going, anyways?" Zuko asked on a brief break from trekking up the mountain the road they were on had turned up into.

"Not sure." Yue hummed. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Drifting...

"Ah."

"You should ride Feathers." Zuko blurted out.

"What?! No, no he is your ostrich-horse. I couldn't."

Zuko scratched his neck, remembering how he came to be in possession of Feathers. "Well, how about we take turns?" He said lamely.

"How about you go first?" Yue said. Zuko shrugged. Yue watched carefully how he got astride Feathers. She had no idea how commanding an ostrich-horse worked. She only knew how to be helped astride and then manage to keep from falling off.