TOMOKO - burning gold. (atla)

s e v e n | THE AVATAR'S ESCAPE

"ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙʀᴀɪɴꜱ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴇᴇᴛ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱʜᴏᴇꜱ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴛᴇᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴀɴʏ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ'ʟʟ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ..."-ᴅʀ. ꜱᴜᴇꜱꜱ

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now

THE BUSHY HAIRED GIRL FELT CONFLICTED   upon seeing the Avatar in custody. Tomoko had thought she'd be prepared for the day when Zuko captured the Avatar, but whenever she had imagined it, it was always a powerful old man. Someone who hated the Fire Nation and was not afraid to kill her or her family.  He was not what she had been expecting, and every urge of her morality told her that the imprisonment of a child was wrong. A chill fell down her spine as she stood off to the side, watching Zuko gloat to the Airbender.

"This staff will make an excellent gift for my father." Zuko mused. "I suppose you wouldn't know of father's, being raised by monks."

Zuko waved his hands to the guards. "Take the Avatar to the cell, and take this to my quarters." The Prince handed the staff to Iroh, who stood beside him. Iroh in turn passed it off to a guard. The older man gazed over at his adopted daughter, who was looking at the water with her head hung low.

"The ocean must be very interesting for you to be inspecting it so closely." He commented. Tomoko felt his presence beside her, but said nothing. Iroh looked at her, and he could sense her inner turmoil. "If you keep your inner conflict to yourself, you'll never be free of it. I know you feel what you are doing is wrong, Tomoko."

Her muddled eyes looked up at him. "I don't get it, Uncle. I should be happy. I am happy. Zuko has finally gotten what he has spent the last three years searching for. He gets to go home." She shook her head and looked back down at the water. "And yet, I can't help but feel awful. He's just a kid, not that much younger than when Zuko was banished."

"Sometimes, what we expect from life is not what we get. But it is in times of the greatest unease and stress that one's true character is revealed." Iroh told her. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You aren't wrong for feeling the way you do about the Avatar's capture, just like you aren't wrong for wanting to help Zuko."

Her gaze stayed on the water. "I don't think Zuko would understand. All he cares about is himself anymore." She grumbled.

"You know that that isn't true, Oko." He looked down to the water and looked at the two of them in their reflections. "He comes from a lot of pain, and he lashes out, like a wounded animal. He is desperate for comfort, even if he seeks it out in the wrong way."

She turned her head to him, and he gave her a comforting smile. "You need to be patient with him. Be there to help give him the support he needs, and eventually, he will blossom into the beautiful young Prince he was always meant to be."

She returned his smile and gave him a long hug. "Thank you, Uncle. You always know what to say."

They pulled apart, and he ruffled her hair lightly. "Now go and see him. I want you to check up on him for me."

She have a light hearted chuckle, before giving a mock-salute and a playful determined look. "Aye aye, General." She spun on her heal and made her way across the deck.