Wandering Firebender

Sixteen: Sand Ocean

Elio and Cindra found their way to a small town, presumably where their guide was going to take them in the first place. As they approached it, they decided to discuss what they would need for their journey. It was an odd thing to be embarrassed about, but he was apprehensive to have this conversation. He didn't want to get into a disagreement, particularly a disagreement about food.

"So I think there isn't anything that I really need to buy other than food and a map of the Earth Kingdom. How are you on supplies and stuff?" He asked.

"I'm pretty good. I have what I need for whenever we set up camp. So yeah, I think we just need food and the map." She agreed.

"Alright. Well how about we get the map first and then we'll grab some food to take on our way out?" He suggested. She smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good to me."

The two of them, after walking through the town and asking around, entered into a small shop that was said to be run by an old man named Lao. Moving aside the cloth curtain that separated the outside and inside of the shop, they stepped into a small, quiet space that was decorated with various knickknacks and mementos from different parts of the Earth Kingdom and seemingly beyond.

"Well hello there! What can I do for you two kids?" The man behind the counter, who was presumably Lao, greeted them as they entered.

"You must be Lao, the owner of the shop, right?" Elio asked.

"That'd be me! You been looking for me? You don't owe me money, do you? Do I owe you money?" He asked humorously. Cindra giggled and shook her head.

"No, sir. The people in town say you're the man we need to see to get a map of the Earth Kingdom. We're trying to get to Ba Sing Se." She explained. The man's eyes widened and he nodded in understanding.

"Oh, I see! Well, you kids came to the right place! Give me a couple minutes to pull out a map for you." He said, holding up a finger as he walked into the back room of the store. Cindra and Elio waited patiently at the front counter.

"I like that stone necklace over there," Cindra commented, pointing out a thicker necklace made up of smooth stones that was on display. "It kinda reminds me of betrothal necklaces back home."

"Yeah, it's nice," Elio said, looking at it and nodding approvingly. "What's a betrothal necklace?" He asked curiously.

"Back home, we have a tradition. When a man asks a woman to marry him and she says yes, he'll carve out a necklace and give it to the woman to wear until the marriage ceremony." She explained. Elio smiled at this sweet, romantic concept.

"That's one of the nicest things I've ever heard. That's cute. And the necklaces that they make look like this one?"

"Well, not exactly. They're just similar." She said with a chuckle. At that moment, Lao came back out with a rolled up map in his hands.

"Okay!" Lao exclaimed, rolling the map out across the counter. He used his finger to direct them across the map as he talked, "This is where we are now, and you kids want to get to Ba Sing Se. That's over here." He traced his finger upwards across the map to point out the large city.

They were almost on the other side of the mainland.

"That's a long way to go." Cindra unhappily acknowledged with a small shaking of her head.

"You're absolutely right. And unfortunately, your options aren't that great either," Lao continued.

"You can take this longer, winding path," Lao traced his finger in a downward curving path that turned back up towards Ba Sing Se. "This is the safer path. It avoids any treacherous geography or Fire Nation camps.