TOMOKO - burning gold. (atla)

e i g h t | ZHAO

now

THE PRINCE DECENDED FROM the ramp and onto the solid ground of the port, his Uncle and best friend in tow. He glared at anyone passing by, and eyed the row of tall Fire Navy ships docked next to theirs.

"Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible." He commented lowly. "I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail."

"You mean the Avatar?" Iroh asked, and Zuko quickly whipped around and growled lowly.

"Don't mention his name on these docks. Once word gets out he's alive, every fire bender will be out looking for him." Zuko hissed.

Tomoko eyed the ship behind them. "The last thing we need is competition in this race, especially with the damage we sustained." She said. "We don't need anyone else getting in the way."

"Getting in the way of what, Ms. Ishida?" A snarling voice queried from behind her. Tomoko's widened and spun around, and her face contoreted into distaste at the man approaching them.

She stood tall, puffing out her chest in an effort to make herself look more intimidating.

"Captain Zhao." Zuko growled as the man approached. The Prince subconsciously took a step in front of Tomoko.

"It's Commander now." The Fire Nation official purred, his snake eyes slithering over the juveniles in front of him. Zhao took in the appearance of the older man with them, and bowed politely. "And General Iroh, great hero of our nation."

"Retired General." Iroh reminded.

Tomoko's glare never left Zhao. The man was truly a beast. The face of someone who reveled in the destruction of other nations, and inflicting pain onto others. Zhao had been the one to torture and interrogate Tomoko's father when news of Shizuki's betrayal reached the Fire Nation's Royal Court. Zhao had also been one of the advocates for her removal from General Iroh's care, citing her dishonored name and presence a stain upon the Palace.

"The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcomed guests any time." Zhao greeted, and his eyes flitted to Tomoko. "Along with their pet."

Tomoko's chest burned in rage, and her body tensed up. Iroh put a hand on her shoulder in reassurance and restraint, subtlety telling her not to engage with him.

"What brings you to my harbour?" The Commander inquired.

"Our ship is being repaired." Iroh replied, gesturing to the ship behind him.

Zhao took in the sight. "That's quite a bit of damage." He hummed.

"Yes. You wouldn't believe what happened." Zuko stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened."

Iroh's face dropped suddenly at his nephew's statement. "Uh, yes. I will do that." He mumbled. "It was incredible!" He enthused, before quickly whispering to Zuko. "What, did we crash or something?"

Tomoko cleared her throat, her eyes straight ahead at Zhao. "We encountered a rogue Earth Kingdom ship on our journey back from the South Pole's waters. They attacked us and we sustained damage from the altercation and from the ice bergs as we made our escape." She explained, not missing a beat.

Zhao's eyes narrowed, and her companions stared at her in surprise but kept there mouths shut. "Really." Zhao wondered, his voice laced with suspicion. "You must regail me with all the thrilling details."

Zhao took a step closer and lowered his head as he dared Tomoko to look into his soulless eyes. Tomoko could smell his breath fanning her face when Zhao addressed them again. "Join me for a drink?" He challenged.