The Blue Spirit ღ (Zuko x OC)

Chapter Ⅺ: Head Above Water

Author's Note:
Hello, beautiful readers!
Here is some suggestions for mood (in chronological order):
♪AURORA - Runaway
Last Verse:
♪ Phildel - Switchblade

Please enjoy ♥ — Heather

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A couple days at the Abbey had been a nice change for Nala. She felt comfortable with the women and enjoyed the scent of of the perfumes. She'd proven to be a great assistance to the Abbey, as every morning before the Sisters woke, she'd bring back many cart-fulls of fruit, wildflowers, spices and vegetables. She would spend the rest of the day scraping the seeds from the plants, hanging plants to dry and mixing ingredients. In exchange, the Sisters gave her a comfortable place to sleep among them and three meals, and what Nala appreciated most of all — their company. On her last day, she had led one of the Sisters out to all the patches she'd been harvesting from and marked the path with twine, giving the Sisters instructions on how to maintain all the gardens well.

As she was leaving, the Sisters fussed over her, ensuring she had as much food as she could manage, some clothes and at Nala's request, a few pouches of seeds and calligraphy ink. The women gave her kind words as a final parting gift, before the girl left for the North.

Nala had spent her entire day walking, when she first smelt the divine aromas of revelry and saw the many colours emanating from a village by a river. She made her way to the river first, kneeling down to rummage through her pack for the ink. She tipped some into her hands, then began to spread it through her shoulder-length hair, running it through top to bottom until her hair was entirely slicked and black. Screwing her eyes shut to avoid the dripping ink, she gathered her hair in her hands and secured it before rinsing her hands in the water. She used the water and a cloth to dab her face of excess ink then began to eat a riceball the Sisters had packed for her. When she was done, she dipped her head into the river, then dabbed it dry with a cloth.

The town was full of verve. Colourful lanterns and shops with sizzling delights lined the streets, which were filled with jingling instruments and joyous feet. She made her way to a vendor selling beautifully hand crafted masks. Behind the shopkeeper, a Jiaolong-style Oni mask had caught Nala's eye. She marvelled at the intricate detailing of the tusks, the snarling expression of the dragon and the fiery whiskers that were so lovingly hand-painted.

"Do you like it?" Asked the vendor. Nala nodded. "It was a delight of mine to craft."

The woman reached behind her and presented the mask to Nala. It was even more striking up close, with incredibly intricate details and motifs of blazing passion that told stories of a far away land.

"This is very unique." Nala murmured, a knowing sheen in her eye. "Who was he?"

The woman's head jerked up to look at her, a warm surprise in her expression. Her cheeks flushes the colour of the mask as she leaned in closer.

"He was a man from the Fire Nation's Military." The woman's voice was very low. "He told me stories of Jiaolong sages, and how their flames could fill the sky. He had ... a passion I'd never known."

Nala couldn't help crack a smile over the woman's coquettish school-girl like retelling of the Fire Nation man she'd once loved.

"And where is he now?" Nala asked, half hoping the woman's love story had a happy ending. She felt her stomach sink as the woman sighed sadly.

"He had to go home." Nala placed her hand over her's, giving her a look of deep recognition. "Above all things, they love their Nation the most."

Nala and the shopkeeper were silent for a while, the raging festival being drowned out just for those moments. There was a sincere solace they could find in each other.