Open Your Mind

Chapter Seventeen

"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." Katara said as she walked towards the small kiosk at the crossroads they had followed the path too.

Xiaodan folded her hands behind her in a relaxed position as she followed the dark-haired girl over to the kiosk and read one of the poster's curiously while Aang trailed after the white-haired girl.

"See if you can find a menu." Sokka quipped as he held an empty pouch upside down, "I'm starving!"

"I bet we'll find something to eat here, the Fire Day's festival." Aang commented and pointed to the poster Katara and Xiaodan were looking at, then he began to read what it said aloud, "Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians."

Aang trailed off and he turned to the two girls with an excited look on his face, causing Xiaodan to quirk a dark brow at him curiously.

"This would be a great place for me to study some real Firebenders!"

Xiaodan stared at her brother as if he'd grown a second head and started walking around, quacking like a turkey-duck.

"You might wanna rethink that." Sokka said drily from the other side of the kiosk, "Lost at this."

Aang and Xiaodan walked over to the young warrior too see what was on the other side of the kiosk.

"Hey, a poster of me!" Aang exclaimed and Sokka crossed his arms over his chest.

"A wanted poster." He grumbled and shook his head while Aang took own the poster, "This is bad."

"I think we better keep moving." Katara commented as she and Xiaodan stared at the poster over Aang's shoulder.

"That maybe for the best." Xiaodan agreed as she read the poster, "Every Fire Nation soldier is probably looking for you, little brother."

Aang looked up at the two girls almost pleadingly, "I have to learn Firebending at some point and this could be my only chance to watch a master up close."

The two girls pursed their lips and looked at each other indecisively.

"I guess we could check it out." Katara stated unsurely as she looked at the ground.

"But!" Xiaodan cut in, when Aang pumped his fist in the air excitedly, "We have to be very careful and remain inconspicuous."

"What?!" Sokka demanded, looking at the two girls in shock, "You wanna walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired-up with their, you know, fire?"

"We'll were disguises." Xiaodan responded easily as she walked over to Appa with Katara and Aang, "Well, you guys will, I'll just do something about my hair."

"Besides," Katara added, "If it looks like trouble, we'll leave."

"Yeah," Sokka muttered sarcastically as he followed after the other three, "Because we always leave beforewe get into trouble."

Xiaodan giggled quietly and hopped into Appa's saddle then grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her up beside her.

"You guys stay out sight here while we go to the festival." Aang instructed Appa and Momo when they reached the edge of the forest a little bit a ways from the Fire Nation town and the two ducked down behind a small bush that barely covered Appa's face.

Aang smiled then turned to Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka, "Ready disguises!"

Sokka and Katara pulled the hoods of their black cloaks up over their heads while Xiaodan ruffled her soot-darkened hair gently so that it hid her face slightly. The three turned to look at Aang as he turned back around, his orange shawl pulled over his head and a large grin on his young face.