Cause Some Trouble, Chapter 17
CAUSE SOME TROUBLE
CHAPTER 17---DISTRACTIONS
The next morning, Kuei got to sleep in for once. And when he finally woke up around mid-morning, he found himself in an exceptionally good mood. It took him a few moments to remember why. He beamed from ear to ear and scrambled up out of his tangled blankets to quickly get dressed. Kuei shot a look over at the other futon bed as he walked to the door; Basam was still sound asleep with one arm draped over his face. Kuei considered waking him, then decided against it. Today was their day off, after all.
He slid the door open as silently as he could and stepped out into the hallway. The farmhand house was quiet that morning. He crept down the hall to Zafirah’s room, where he hesitated at the door. What if she was still asleep? He raised his fist to knock and then lowered it. He strained his ears, trying to pick up any sounds of activity from within, but he heard nothing. He lifted his fist again, dropped it once more-and then the door slid open and Zafirah stepped out, bumping into him. They both jumped back a step. Kuei’s cheeks heated up a little, but he saw that Zafirah was blushing as well.
Zafirah recovered first, giving a breathless little laugh and pushing a lock of hair out of her face. “Mornin’,” she said.
“Uh, good morning,” he said quickly. “I-I was just coming by to see if you were awake yet.”
Zafirah grinned. “Funny, I was just on my way to do the same thing,” she said.
“Ah,” Kuei said. He was suddenly very nervous again. Zafirah was standing there before him with an amused smile on her face and he found himself completely at a loss. “How did you sleep?” he ventured to ask.
“Not too bad, but I did have some trouble keeping my eyes shut at first,” she said, her grin turning into a smirk.
“As did I,” Kuei replied. What in the world was he supposed to do now? Zafirah’s smirk softened and she stretched her hand out to him, beckoning with her fingertips.
“Let’s go get some breakfast,” she suggested. He nodded and took her warm, callused hand, twining his fingers with hers. I suppose I’ll just have to take all of this one step at a time, he thought. He glanced sideways and saw a furrow in Zafirah’s brow.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. She looked up and put on a smile.
“I just had a bad dream last night, that’s all,” she said.
“Oh,” he said, concerned. “Do you, er, want to talk about it?”
There was a pause before she spoke again. “It was about our tribe. The Fire Nation attack,” she said quietly.
“Ah.” Kuei exhaled slowly, wishing he knew what to say to reassure her. He put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.
As soon as they stepped outside, Bosco lumbered over to them with a happy growl. The bear sat up on his hindquarters and licked Kuei’s face. He laughed and patted the bear’s head.
“Good morning to you, too, Bosco,” Kuei said. “I hope that you, at least, had no trouble falling asleep last night?” The bear roared and bobbed his head.
“Y’know, sometimes, I could swear he actually understands what you’re sayin’,” Zafirah commented with a chuckle. Kuei shot her a sidelong look and smiled.
“What makes you so sure that he can’t?” he replied, arching his eyebrows. Bosco roared again and clapped his massive front paws together. Zafirah looked back and forth between them, then laughed and shook her head. Then the bear let out a low gurgle and sniffed curiously at their joined hands. “It’s all right, Bosco,” Kuei assured the bear. Bosco sniffed again and then reared up again and licked Zafirah’s cheek. She let out an undignified squawk and wiped her face with the back of her free hand.
“I guess he approves, huh?” she muttered. Kuei didn’t reply; he was too busy laughing. Then Zafirah laughed along with him and rubbed behind Bosco’s ear. “Thanks, Furball,” she said. They strolled across the dirt yard to the main house, leaving Bosco at the door and heading into the kitchen. Mrs. Liu usually had three kitchen staff helping her cook, but it was their day off as well. On days off, the farmhands were left to either prepare their own food or go into town for their meals.
“What should we make?” Kuei wondered as they walked into the kitchen. Zafirah padded over to a ceramic jar sitting on the countertop. She peered inside and smiled.
“Jook,” she announced. She held out the jar; Kuei looked inside and saw cooked rice. He guessed that it was left over from Mr. and Mrs. Liu’s dinner the night before.
“That sounds good,” Kuei agreed. It had been a while since he’d last had rice porridge; breakfasts at the royal palace had tended to be much fancier than that, so he’d usually only eaten it when sick. “How do we make it?”
“You find a pot to cook it in. I’ll go and get some water.” She grabbed a pail hanging from a hook on the wall. Kuei watched her saunter out of the room and smiled to himself. Then she paused in the doorway and shot him a wink over her shoulder, making him blush. Find a cooking pot, he reminded himself. He quickly dug around in the kitchen cupboards until he found one. He set the pot on a hook in the fireplace and quickly started a fire burning beneath it. Zafirah came back, lugging the pail of water. They dumped the water and rice into the pot.
“Now what?” Kuei asked.
“Just let it sit, give it a stir every so often till it’s got the right thickness,” Zafirah said.
“Ah. And how long will that take?” he asked.
Zafirah shrugged. “There’s not really a rule about it or anything.”
“Ah.” Now that they had nothing further to do, Kuei felt the nervousness return. He sat down by the small kitchen table, crossing his legs and tapping his fingers against his knees. Zafirah came over and sat down next to him. He managed to smile at her, which she returned warmly. How am I supposed to proceed here? he wondered. What was appropriate? What happened next? Well, no, he did have some idea. There were… certain obvious ways in which a relationship differed from friendship, but he hadn’t the faintest clue how to go about bringing up that subject with Zafirah. Although it was certainly a subject that he wouldn’t mind exploring with her…
For now, though, he simply reached out and gently placed his hand on hers. She laced her fingers with his and her smile widened. Then she scooted closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes. For a while, they just sat there contentedly. Zafirah pulled away slightly and Kuei opened his eyes to see her smirking up at him. She grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him forward, pressing her lips softly against his. Just like the night before, that sweet contact between them filled him with warmth. He kissed back, still feeling clumsy. And he still couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands! He left them resting on his knees.
Then she bumped into his glasses, knocking them askew. They pulled apart, Kuei laughing sheepishly. He took the glasses off and set them down on the table, then turned back to Zafirah. What was he supposed to do, though, now that the moment had been interrupted? Do I just… start kissing her again? he wondered. Then a better question popped into his head: Why not? He ducked his head and kissed her, more boldly than before. She kissed back with even more energy, reaching one hand up to curl her slender fingers around the back of his neck.
And then a bubbling sound caught Kuei’s attention. He reluctantly pulled away from Zafirah and glanced over at the fireplace.
“Um, our porridge seems to be boiling,” he said breathlessly. Zafirah swore and scrambled over to the pot, grabbing the long-handled spoon and stirring it. The porridge was done soon after that, and Kuei grabbed a pair of bowls from the cupboard.
Basam walked in as they sat down to eat, yawning and stretching. “Good mornin’,” he said with another yawn. He glanced at the bowls on the table and sniffed appreciatively. “Is there any more of that?” he asked. Zafirah gestured to the pot hanging in the fireplace.
“Help yourself,” she said. Basam filled a bowl and sat down at the table next to them. A mischievous grin crept over his face and he looked at his sister. “So, what’s the plan for today? Any chance we could get some Earthbending practice in, or are you two gonna be joined at the lips all day?” he teased. Kuei nearly choked on a mouthful of porridge.
Zafirah smirked again. “Oh, I guess I could clear some time in my busy kissin’ schedule to chuck rocks around with my dear brother,” she teased right back. Kuei coughed and hurried off to get a drink of water. Basam chortled and dug into his meal.
////////////////////////////////
After breakfast, they headed down to the beach across the road from Liu’s farmland. The shoreline there had rock outcroppings all along it-Zafirah figured it’d be the perfect place for some Earthbending practice.
As they walked down to the beach, Zafirah’s mind went back to the nightmare she’d had. The gruesome scenes flashed through her mind’s eye again, churning her stomach and making her jaw clench.
“You all right?” Basam asked, nudging her with his elbow.
“I had some rough dreams,” she muttered. “Hey, you ever dream about… y’know, the Fire Nation attack?”
He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. “All the time,” he muttered. He lightly jabbed her shoulder with his knuckles. “You gotta keep your head up, though. We did what we could for the ones that didn’t make it, and for the ones that got captured… well, our tribe’s tough! Wherever they are, I’m sure they’re helping each other get through it.”
“Yeah,” Zafirah murmured. They reached the shoreline and she couldn’t help but cheer up a little at the prospect of getting to do some Bending.
“C’mon, Basam,” Zafirah said. She scrambled up onto a flat slab of rock that jutted out into the waves, Basasm following behind her. Kuei and Bosco watched them from the sand. Zafirah put her hands on her hips and looked around, tapping her toes on the rock. “Yeah, this’ll do,” she decided, smiling.
Basam bounced on the balls of his feet, fists raised. “So what’re we starting with?” he asked, excited.
“Hmm, I dunno. Let’s try making a crack in the rock or something,” Zafirah suggested. “Maybe we can break off a chunk and use it to practice moving rocks around.”
“Good plan,” Basam agreed. They took their horse stances side by side.
“Okay, so, you remember all that chi stuff we talked about?”
“Sure.”
“Try to tap into that again.”
“Okay, sure.” Basam shut his eyes, concentrating hard. Zafirah focused herself, too, drawing upon the chi source that Daiyu had taught her about. “So, what’s the movement for cracking stone?”
Zafirah paused. “Uh… I’m not sure, actually,” she admitted.
“Oh, oh, hold on!” Kuei exclaimed. He dashed over to the rock and clambered up onto it. “I remember seeing this in a scroll, in the royal library,” he said. “Hmm, now, how did it go?” He planted his feet apart with his knees bent, brought both fists up sharply, then sliced his right hand out and to the side. Nothing happened, of course. “I’m sure it’s more impressive with actual Earthbending,” he said, shrugging awkwardly.
Zafirah bit the inside of her lip, trying not to laugh. “I’m sure,” she agreed dryly. Then she pulled him down by the front of his tunic and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for trying, anyway.”
He gave her an awkward smile. “I suppose I’ll just, ah, go swimming,” he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. He scrambled down off the rock and walked across the beach towards the water.
“Okay, let’s try this!” Basam said eagerly, rubbing his hands together. They took their stances again.
“All right,” Zafirah muttered, raising her fists. “One, two, thuh…” She trailed off in mid-word and her gaze slid to the side as she caught sight of Kuei dropping his tunic to the ground. He was facing out towards the water, giving her a view of his back. It was a great view. Then he dropped his pants, too, kicking them away and bolting towards the water.
“Come on, Bosco!” he yelled, his voice drifting over. The bear roared and ambled after him, splashing into the shallows. Kuei laughed as he plunged into the water.
Basam’s hand waved in front of Zafirah’s face, making her jump. “Hello?” he called.
She whipped around, her face hot, and glared at her brother’s teasing grin. “Shut up,” she muttered, jabbing a finger at him.
“Hey, I didn’t say anything!” he said innocently. “We gonna do some Earthbending or what?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she agreed. Then she paused, thinking. “Actually, I got an idea I wanna try out. It popped into my head this morning when I was getting dressed.”
“What kind of idea?” Basam asked curiously.
“Well,” she started slowly, “The biggest thing that keeps us Sandbenders from Bending rock is that it’s so different from sand, right? You remember what that Professor Zei guy said once? That Sandbending is more like Waterbending than regular Earthbending?”
“Sure, I remember,” Basam said.
“So, what we need is something that’s halfway between sand and stone,” Zafirah said.
“You mean sand compression?” Basam asked.
“Yeah. If we make a ball of sand and pack it in real tight and dense, it might be like Bending stone,” she said. “It’s still sand, but it’s more solid, like stone would be.”
Basam frowned, considering it. Then a wide smile split his face. “That’s brilliant, Zafi!” he exclaimed. “I think you’re right, it could work! Let’s try it.” They walked about ten paces apart and stood facing each other. The twins raised their arms and raised a sand tornado from the beach. Zafirah smiled, feeling warmed from inside as the familiar motion came back to her. It’d been ages since she’d gotten to do this.
They got the tornado whirling faster and faster, and then they held their hands out, palms forward, and pressed. The tornado spun into a ball that shrank in on itself, getting smaller and tighter. Finally, they lowered their hands and the sand ball lowered with them, sinking to the ground.
“Sure looks like a boulder to me,” Basam said, putting his fists on his hips. “We oughta make another one, so we both get one.” Zafirah nodded. They started another tornado spinning, and in no time at all they had a second sand boulder. Then they lined the two sand boulders up and stood side by side.
“Ready?” Zafirah asked, sinking into her horse stance.
“Ready!” Basam replied, his forehead furrowed in concentration.
“One…” Zafirah said.
“Two…” Basam said.
“Three!” they shouted together. They punched their fists forward and the sand boulder sailed across the sand. A wide grin broke out across Zafirah’s face as triumph surged through her. The hardened sand was more sluggish than usual, but not as stubborn as rock.
“It worked!” she exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air.
Basam laughed, clapping his hands together. “Good call, Zafi,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said, feeling more than a little proud of herself. Moving together, she and her brother thrust their right hands out and summoned their sand boulders back with a curl of their fingers. Basam launched his into the air with a stomp of his foot. It soared up high above their heads, then crashed down and cracked into pieces.
“Sand, dear brother. Sand, not stone,” Zafirah reminded Basam, smirking widely.
“Heh, yeah, sorry,” Basam said, rubbing the back of his neck.
A while later, Zafirah was winding up for a kick when Kuei spoke up from behind her. “How’s the Earthbending going?” he asked. Zafirah let out a yelp and kicked a little too hard; the ball flew across the sand, shot past a startled Basam, and exploded against the rock outcropping they’d been on earlier.
“Hey, watch it!” Basam yelled, waving his arms at her.
“Sorry!” she shouted back. She turned around to tell Kuei about their new technique, but once again her words caught in her throat. He was just standing there, soaking wet, with drops of water streaming down his chest and arms and legs, and apparently completely unaware of what this was doing to her.
He smiled expectantly. “So? How is your practice going?” he asked again.
“Uh,” she replied. She gave herself a mental shake. “It’s goin’ great! We’ve got a new technique we’re trying out.” Then she smirked and slid her arm around his waist, eying him appreciatively. “And how was your swim?” she asked.
He blushed under her gaze and chuckled nervously. “Ah, it was very nice,” he said quickly. Then he smiled and laughed more openly. “It was lots of fun, really! It’s been ages since I’ve gotten to do that much swimming.”
“Glad to hear it,” Zafirah said, smiling back. Then Bosco lumbered up the beach to join them, his fur matted with water and sand. He roared and shook himself.
“Ugh, Bosco, stop that!” Zafirah exclaimed, raising her arms against the flying clumps of wet hair and sand. She flicked her hand towards the bear and the clumps froze in midair. Kuei laughed.
////////
That evening, the three of them went into Meihui for dinner. After they’d finished their meal, they decided to stop by the botanical garden again, since Basam hadn’t gotten to see it the night before. This time, though, Kuei and Zafirah walked hand-in-hand. He smiled at her as they strolled along the path; she winked at him and slid her arm around his waist. He gently rested his own arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
“Nice place, here,” Basam commented. He stopped to sniff at a bright purple flower. “I wonder how much water it takes to keep it all looking this nice.”
Zafirah snorted. “I said the same thing last night!” she said.
“Hah! I’m not surprised,” Basam replied teasingly. “So, how much water does it take?”
“Lots, I figure,” Zafirah replied wryly. She idly tapped her fingers against Kuei’s side. He smiled at her again, but it quickly turned to a frown as he caught sight of Bosco from the corner of his eye.
“Bosco, stop that!” he chided. The bear paused with his forepaw in the midst of swatting at the surface of a koi pond. Bosco lowered his head guiltily and growled, then lumbered after Kuei. Zafirah snickered beside him.
As they left the gardens a while later, a sudden memory sprang to the front of Kuei’s mind. “Oh, that’s right!” he exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. The two Sandbenders turned to stare at him.
“What? What’s going on?” Zafirah asked, confused.
“The invasion, remember? The Avatar’s plan to invade the Fire Nation capitol. I told you about it after the eclipse. If there’s any news to be had about it, it’d surely have spread this far by now!” Kuei said quickly.
“Oh, yeah, I remember,” Basam said. He rubbed his chin, considering for a moment. “Hey, let’s see if we can find some merchants to ask. I mean, me and Zafi used to hear all kinds of news back at the oasis, just from talking to merchants.”
“He’s right,” Zafirah agreed.
“All right,” Kuei said eagerly. They wound their way through the crowds, Kuei setting a swift pace, until they reached the market on the eastern side of the town. The market square was almost empty at this hour, but there were still a few merchants with their wares on display.
“Let’s split up,” Zafirah suggested, “Ask as many people as we can.” Kuei and Basam both nodded and they parted ways to begin their quest for information. Kuei spotted a flower vendor to his right and quickly walked over to it, with Bosco close on his heels.
The merchant grinned as he approached. “How about a flower for your lovely lady-friend?” the middle-aged man said with a knowing gleam in his eye. He gestured towards Zafirah. Kuei gave him a smile and another nod, perusing the selection of blooms. “That’s a strange animal you got there,” the merchant added.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Kuei agreed. He chuckled. “He does get that reaction quite often.”
“I can imagine,” said the merchant. Kuei smiled and went back to examining the flowers.
“So,” Kuei said, hoping to sound casual, “Have you heard any news from the war front lately?” He leaned over the cart, inspecting a cluster of orchids. He was all but holding his breath as he waited for the merchant to reply.
“The war front? What war front?” the merchant said with a snort. “Ba Sing Se’s fallen, the Northern Water Tribe’s holed up even tighter than ever before… there ain’t no war front, son.”
Kuei’s heart sank. “There hasn’t been any news from, uh, from the Fire Nation, then?” he asked, trying to keep his voice level.
“Why would there be?” the merchant grumbled. He then put on a forced smile and waved a hand towards his wares. “Anything striking your fancy?” he asked pointedly. Kuei picked a vivid, purple lily. He paid for the flower and left the stall. Two stalls later, he’d acquired an apple, a small bag of sugared almonds, and nothing but bad news. Dejected, he rejoined Zafirah and Basam at the edge of the square. From the looks on their faces, he could only assume that they hadn’t had any more success. They retreated to the side of the road to talk.
“I got nothing,” Zafirah said.
“Likewise,” Basam said quietly. Kuei heaved a sigh and rubbed his right hand over his face, almost dislodging his glasses. Bosco whined and nudged his other hand sadly.
“That’s it, then,” he murmured. “Either the invasion failed, or it didn’t happen at all.”
“Maybe these guys just haven’t gotten the news yet,” Basam suggested, ever the optimist.
“No, I don’t think so,” Kuei said heavily. “We’re on the western coast right now, at the closest point to the Fire Nation’s outlying islands. If there were any news from the Fire Capitol, it would have reached this coast by now-especially if it were news of a major victory!” He groaned and pressed his knuckles against his temples. He felt a sudden surge of guilt in the pit of his stomach.
Zafirah placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and then cleared her throat after a moment. “So, uh, what’s with the flower?” she asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Kuei glanced down and saw the lily still tucked carefully into his belt.
“Oh,” he said, plucking it out. “It’s, um, for you.” He held it out to her.
Her face lit up as she took it from him. “Thanks! It’s gorgeous,” she said. Then her forehead furrowed and she raised an eyebrow at it. “Uh, what exactly do I do with it?”
“Well, I… I suppose you would put it in your hair,” Kuei said. “Here, allow me.” He took the flower and tucked it into her hair behind her ear. He let his fingers pause for a moment on the soft strands of her hair, then dropped his hand and managed a smile.
“How’s it look?” Zafirah asked.
“It looks lovely,” he said. Zafirah beamed at him, reaching up to touch the flower. Then Basam coughed and cleared his throat, smirking at them, and Kuei quickly drew back from her. “Oh, I also bought these,” he added, pulling the apple and the bag of almonds from his pocket. Zafirah arched an eyebrow at him. “It seemed rude to press for information without buying anything,” Kuei said, feeling a bit silly.
They cut the apple into thirds and shared it and the sugared almonds for dessert, sitting down on a stone bench in a vacant corner of the market square. But Kuei could hardly taste the treats through the guilt still gnawing at him. Zafirah noticed and nudged his arm.
“What’s wrong?” Zafirah asked, her forehead furrowing. Kuei heaved a sigh, trying to find the right words.
“If there’s no news, then there’s been no victory; and if there’s been no victory, then the Fire Nation still has the upper hand… and they still have Ba Sing Se by the throat,” he said bitterly. “Here I am, playing around and having a good time while my city is still in enemy hands!”
Zafirah scowled and reached up to grab his chin, forcing him to look at her. “Listen to me, Kuei: there is nothing you can do about it right now!” she said firmly. “I know how bad you want to help them-how do you think me and Basam feel about our tribe? But you can’t take back the city by yourself. No one could do that, except maybe the Avatar. You wouldn’t be helping anyone by going back there right now. You’d just get captured and maybe killed. All you can do right now is wait and hope, okay?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
He looked away, frowning at the apple wedge in his hand. He remembered what she’d said that morning about her nightmare, and he knew that she felt a similar pain. Finally, he turned back to her and nodded. “I just wish there was something more I could do,” he muttered.
“Maybe there is,” Basam said contemplatively. “I mean, look what we managed to do during the eclipse! I bet there’s a way we could still manage to mess with some Firebenders, just the three of us.” Bosco whined, making Basam laugh. “Sorry, I meant the four of us,” he said, patting the bear on the head.
Kuei smiled, buoyed by his friend’s enthusiasm. “Perhaps you’re right,” he agreed.
“Sounds good to me!” Zafirah said, that particularly fierce grin of hers returning. “I’ll take any chance to rile up some Firebenders.”
Kuei chuckled at his friends’ enthusiasm. He ate the rest of his apple wedge, his good mood returning. Even so, he couldn’t ignore the guilt that lingered in his gut.
//////////////////////////////
When they arrived back at the farm that night, the rest of the farmhands were gathered outside again, sitting around their usual fire and sipping rice wine. Basam went to join them, but Zafirah shook her head.
“Nah, no thanks,” she said. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“How about you, Kuei?” Basam asked.
“I think I’ll pass,” Kuei said, smiling. Bosco, however, grunted and sat down next to Basam. Kuei chuckled. “All right then, Bosco, you stay here. Good night,” he said, patting Bosco’s head. He gave the bear a hug and then followed Zafirah into the farmhand house. They walked down the lantern-lit hallway with their hands clasped until they reached her room. At the door, they stopped and faced each other.
“I feel like we’ve done this before,” Zafirah joked.
Kuei chortled at that. “I know what you mean,” he replied dryly. “Still,” he added, his tone softening, “It’s a routine I could get accustomed to.”
“Hmm.” Zafirah stepped close to him and reached up, sliding her arms around his neck. His breath caught in his throat as she brought her face within a hair’s breadth of his. She grinned. “Me too,” she purred.
“Hngh,” was all the response he could manage. Her grin turned almost predatory as she pulled him down for a kiss. Her lips brushed lightly against his. His arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her body against him. When the kiss ended, Kuei pulled back breathlessly. Zafirah smiled up at him, much more softly this time.
“C’mon,” she said, jerking her head towards the door. “Stay with me for a while.”
“Um… all right,” Kuei said nervously. He followed her through the sliding door, which she shut behind them. It was dark in her room; the only light came from the moon and the stars, spilling in through the open window in the far wall. Zafirah walked over to the lantern sitting on her dresser, lighting it with the spark rocks that sat beside it. The candle inside cast its flickering, orange light over her face as she turned back towards him. Zafirah walked the two or three paces back to him and slid her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. He smiled, his arms encircling her to return the embrace. They stood that way in the middle of the room for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other’s presence.
After a moment, Kuei decided to be bold. He drew back from her a little, lifted her chin with his fingertips and kissed her gently. She sighed quietly against his mouth and he could feel her smile. Encouraged, he kissed her more firmly. He brought his right hand up to cup the back of her head, his fingers working their way into her soft hair. She tightened her arms around him, pressing her body even closer against his. And then she bit softly at his lower lip, sending a warm shiver down his spine.
A sudden attack of nerves made him reel back abruptly. “I, uh, I should go,” he said, embarrassed at himself. He was glad for the dim light in the room hiding his blush. “It’s getting late…”
“Wait, hold on!” Zafirah said hurriedly. She grabbed his hand as he turned to leave. He glanced back at her, surprised. She chewed her lip as she gazed up at him. “Stay here tonight,” she murmured.
He hesitated for a second, and then he smiled. “All right. I’ll be back in a moment.” He gave her hand a squeeze and slipped out of the room, quickly heading for the bathhouse. He splashed some water on his face, washing away the salt from the ocean. Once he was done, Kuei hurried back to Zafirah’s room. He knocked on the door as lightly as he could, not wanting to wake anyone else.
“C’mon in,” Zafirah’s voice called from within. Her room was dark again, the lantern unlit on the dresser. Zafirah sat cross-legged on the futon at the opposite side of the room. The moonlight from the window pooled around her, illuminating her warm smile, making his breath catch again. He crossed the room, his pulse thumping in anticipation of holding her in his arms. Kuei seated himself next to her on the futon, his eyes still lingering on her moonlit face. She nudged his shoulder; he took the hint and laid back on the thin mattress. He took his glasses off and set them down beside the futon.
Zafirah grabbed the blanket from the foot of the futon and brought it with her as she lowered herself down next to him. She stretched out against his side, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her left arm across his torso. After a moment’s awkwardness, he got the situation figured out and curled his left arm around her waist. She settled the blanket in place over both of them and then draped her arm over him again. Kuei sighed happily and wrapped his other arm around her as well, hugging her tightly. She pressed her face against his neck, her breath warm on his skin.
“Hey, Kuei?” Zafirah asked softly.
“Yes?” he replied, stifling a yawn.
“You never kissed anyone before me, did you?” Her tone was gentle as she said it, but the question still made his face go bright red.
“Ah, w-well, I…” he stammered.
Zafirah laughed quietly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to be shy about it. I just got that feeling. And you did say back in the desert that you didn’t have a whole lot of time for the ladies in Ba Sing Se.”
“You remembered that?” he asked, astounded. He felt her shrug. “It’s true,” he admitted. “You know by now how isolated my life was in the palace. And with Long Feng’s constant interference, well…” he let his voice trail off, sighing. “I’d half-hoped you wouldn’t notice,” he added ruefully.
“Hey now, don’t say that!” Zafirah protested. She propped herself up on her elbow, looking sternly down at him. “Don’t worry about it, okay? We’ll just have to make sure you get plenty of practice,” she said, her wink barely visible in the darkness. He chuckled at that. She dipped her head to kiss him, and then settled down beside him once more.
As Kuei stared up at the shadowed ceiling, his arms snugly around Zafirah, he remembered something that he’d wondered earlier in the day.
“Zafirah?” he whispered.
“Hmm?” she mumbled.
“Are you… homesick?” he asked.
“Hmm.” She tapped the fingertips of her right hand against his ribs. “A little bit, sometimes, yeah. Why d’you ask?”
“It just occurred to me this morning, while I was watching you and Basam do your Earthbending practice. I was remembering what you’d said about your bad dreams last night.”
“Ah. Sure, I get homesick once in a while. It’s not so much the desert itself that I miss, though. Mostly… I miss our tribe.” Her voice dropped even lower, so he could barely even hear it. “I wonder if they’re doing all right.”
“I wish I could tell you,” Kuei said somberly.
“Basam figures they’re helping each other get through it, and he’s probably right. I know my tribe’s made of stern stuff. I just wish I could find out where they are,” she went on. “Or maybe it’s better that I don’t know. Spirits and ancestors, when I think about what the Fire Nation might be doing to them…” Her voice faded. “We just gotta keep going though, I guess. A person could go crazy, thinking like that all the time. I just gotta believe that they’ll be okay, somehow.” She sniffled, then huffed out a breath. “I can see why you were feelin’ so guilty before,” she added after a brief silence. “Being free and happy while your people are in the Fire Nation’s fist.”
“You were right, though,” Kuei said. “There’s nothing we can do for them right now, except for keeping them in our thoughts. That, and doing whatever we can to… to piss off some Firebenders!”
She chuckled. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Well, since we talked about it earlier, how about we make that our goal? After we leave this farm, we go and find some Firebenders to piss off? In the name of the Janan Tribe and Ba Sing Se!”
“I like the sound of that plan,” Kuei said. “I’m sure Basam will agree. He was the one to bring it up earlier, after all.”
“Definitely,” Zafirah said. She yawned widely, making him yawn as well. Kuei’s eyelids drooped as his tiredness suddenly caught up with him. Zafirah tightened her arm around Kuei’s torso. “Good night, Kuei.”
“Good night,” he replied, letting his eyes fall shut. They fell asleep in each other’s arms.
//////////////////////////
CHAPTER 17---DISTRACTIONS
The next morning, Kuei got to sleep in for once. And when he finally woke up around mid-morning, he found himself in an exceptionally good mood. It took him a few moments to remember why. He beamed from ear to ear and scrambled up out of his tangled blankets to quickly get dressed. Kuei shot a look over at the other futon bed as he walked to the door; Basam was still sound asleep with one arm draped over his face. Kuei considered waking him, then decided against it. Today was their day off, after all.
He slid the door open as silently as he could and stepped out into the hallway. The farmhand house was quiet that morning. He crept down the hall to Zafirah’s room, where he hesitated at the door. What if she was still asleep? He raised his fist to knock and then lowered it. He strained his ears, trying to pick up any sounds of activity from within, but he heard nothing. He lifted his fist again, dropped it once more-and then the door slid open and Zafirah stepped out, bumping into him. They both jumped back a step. Kuei’s cheeks heated up a little, but he saw that Zafirah was blushing as well.
Zafirah recovered first, giving a breathless little laugh and pushing a lock of hair out of her face. “Mornin’,” she said.
“Uh, good morning,” he said quickly. “I-I was just coming by to see if you were awake yet.”
Zafirah grinned. “Funny, I was just on my way to do the same thing,” she said.
“Ah,” Kuei said. He was suddenly very nervous again. Zafirah was standing there before him with an amused smile on her face and he found himself completely at a loss. “How did you sleep?” he ventured to ask.
“Not too bad, but I did have some trouble keeping my eyes shut at first,” she said, her grin turning into a smirk.
“As did I,” Kuei replied. What in the world was he supposed to do now? Zafirah’s smirk softened and she stretched her hand out to him, beckoning with her fingertips.
“Let’s go get some breakfast,” she suggested. He nodded and took her warm, callused hand, twining his fingers with hers. I suppose I’ll just have to take all of this one step at a time, he thought. He glanced sideways and saw a furrow in Zafirah’s brow.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. She looked up and put on a smile.
“I just had a bad dream last night, that’s all,” she said.
“Oh,” he said, concerned. “Do you, er, want to talk about it?”
There was a pause before she spoke again. “It was about our tribe. The Fire Nation attack,” she said quietly.
“Ah.” Kuei exhaled slowly, wishing he knew what to say to reassure her. He put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.
As soon as they stepped outside, Bosco lumbered over to them with a happy growl. The bear sat up on his hindquarters and licked Kuei’s face. He laughed and patted the bear’s head.
“Good morning to you, too, Bosco,” Kuei said. “I hope that you, at least, had no trouble falling asleep last night?” The bear roared and bobbed his head.
“Y’know, sometimes, I could swear he actually understands what you’re sayin’,” Zafirah commented with a chuckle. Kuei shot her a sidelong look and smiled.
“What makes you so sure that he can’t?” he replied, arching his eyebrows. Bosco roared again and clapped his massive front paws together. Zafirah looked back and forth between them, then laughed and shook her head. Then the bear let out a low gurgle and sniffed curiously at their joined hands. “It’s all right, Bosco,” Kuei assured the bear. Bosco sniffed again and then reared up again and licked Zafirah’s cheek. She let out an undignified squawk and wiped her face with the back of her free hand.
“I guess he approves, huh?” she muttered. Kuei didn’t reply; he was too busy laughing. Then Zafirah laughed along with him and rubbed behind Bosco’s ear. “Thanks, Furball,” she said. They strolled across the dirt yard to the main house, leaving Bosco at the door and heading into the kitchen. Mrs. Liu usually had three kitchen staff helping her cook, but it was their day off as well. On days off, the farmhands were left to either prepare their own food or go into town for their meals.
“What should we make?” Kuei wondered as they walked into the kitchen. Zafirah padded over to a ceramic jar sitting on the countertop. She peered inside and smiled.
“Jook,” she announced. She held out the jar; Kuei looked inside and saw cooked rice. He guessed that it was left over from Mr. and Mrs. Liu’s dinner the night before.
“That sounds good,” Kuei agreed. It had been a while since he’d last had rice porridge; breakfasts at the royal palace had tended to be much fancier than that, so he’d usually only eaten it when sick. “How do we make it?”
“You find a pot to cook it in. I’ll go and get some water.” She grabbed a pail hanging from a hook on the wall. Kuei watched her saunter out of the room and smiled to himself. Then she paused in the doorway and shot him a wink over her shoulder, making him blush. Find a cooking pot, he reminded himself. He quickly dug around in the kitchen cupboards until he found one. He set the pot on a hook in the fireplace and quickly started a fire burning beneath it. Zafirah came back, lugging the pail of water. They dumped the water and rice into the pot.
“Now what?” Kuei asked.
“Just let it sit, give it a stir every so often till it’s got the right thickness,” Zafirah said.
“Ah. And how long will that take?” he asked.
Zafirah shrugged. “There’s not really a rule about it or anything.”
“Ah.” Now that they had nothing further to do, Kuei felt the nervousness return. He sat down by the small kitchen table, crossing his legs and tapping his fingers against his knees. Zafirah came over and sat down next to him. He managed to smile at her, which she returned warmly. How am I supposed to proceed here? he wondered. What was appropriate? What happened next? Well, no, he did have some idea. There were… certain obvious ways in which a relationship differed from friendship, but he hadn’t the faintest clue how to go about bringing up that subject with Zafirah. Although it was certainly a subject that he wouldn’t mind exploring with her…
For now, though, he simply reached out and gently placed his hand on hers. She laced her fingers with his and her smile widened. Then she scooted closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes. For a while, they just sat there contentedly. Zafirah pulled away slightly and Kuei opened his eyes to see her smirking up at him. She grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him forward, pressing her lips softly against his. Just like the night before, that sweet contact between them filled him with warmth. He kissed back, still feeling clumsy. And he still couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands! He left them resting on his knees.
Then she bumped into his glasses, knocking them askew. They pulled apart, Kuei laughing sheepishly. He took the glasses off and set them down on the table, then turned back to Zafirah. What was he supposed to do, though, now that the moment had been interrupted? Do I just… start kissing her again? he wondered. Then a better question popped into his head: Why not? He ducked his head and kissed her, more boldly than before. She kissed back with even more energy, reaching one hand up to curl her slender fingers around the back of his neck.
And then a bubbling sound caught Kuei’s attention. He reluctantly pulled away from Zafirah and glanced over at the fireplace.
“Um, our porridge seems to be boiling,” he said breathlessly. Zafirah swore and scrambled over to the pot, grabbing the long-handled spoon and stirring it. The porridge was done soon after that, and Kuei grabbed a pair of bowls from the cupboard.
Basam walked in as they sat down to eat, yawning and stretching. “Good mornin’,” he said with another yawn. He glanced at the bowls on the table and sniffed appreciatively. “Is there any more of that?” he asked. Zafirah gestured to the pot hanging in the fireplace.
“Help yourself,” she said. Basam filled a bowl and sat down at the table next to them. A mischievous grin crept over his face and he looked at his sister. “So, what’s the plan for today? Any chance we could get some Earthbending practice in, or are you two gonna be joined at the lips all day?” he teased. Kuei nearly choked on a mouthful of porridge.
Zafirah smirked again. “Oh, I guess I could clear some time in my busy kissin’ schedule to chuck rocks around with my dear brother,” she teased right back. Kuei coughed and hurried off to get a drink of water. Basam chortled and dug into his meal.
////////////////////////////////
After breakfast, they headed down to the beach across the road from Liu’s farmland. The shoreline there had rock outcroppings all along it-Zafirah figured it’d be the perfect place for some Earthbending practice.
As they walked down to the beach, Zafirah’s mind went back to the nightmare she’d had. The gruesome scenes flashed through her mind’s eye again, churning her stomach and making her jaw clench.
“You all right?” Basam asked, nudging her with his elbow.
“I had some rough dreams,” she muttered. “Hey, you ever dream about… y’know, the Fire Nation attack?”
He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. “All the time,” he muttered. He lightly jabbed her shoulder with his knuckles. “You gotta keep your head up, though. We did what we could for the ones that didn’t make it, and for the ones that got captured… well, our tribe’s tough! Wherever they are, I’m sure they’re helping each other get through it.”
“Yeah,” Zafirah murmured. They reached the shoreline and she couldn’t help but cheer up a little at the prospect of getting to do some Bending.
“C’mon, Basam,” Zafirah said. She scrambled up onto a flat slab of rock that jutted out into the waves, Basasm following behind her. Kuei and Bosco watched them from the sand. Zafirah put her hands on her hips and looked around, tapping her toes on the rock. “Yeah, this’ll do,” she decided, smiling.
Basam bounced on the balls of his feet, fists raised. “So what’re we starting with?” he asked, excited.
“Hmm, I dunno. Let’s try making a crack in the rock or something,” Zafirah suggested. “Maybe we can break off a chunk and use it to practice moving rocks around.”
“Good plan,” Basam agreed. They took their horse stances side by side.
“Okay, so, you remember all that chi stuff we talked about?”
“Sure.”
“Try to tap into that again.”
“Okay, sure.” Basam shut his eyes, concentrating hard. Zafirah focused herself, too, drawing upon the chi source that Daiyu had taught her about. “So, what’s the movement for cracking stone?”
Zafirah paused. “Uh… I’m not sure, actually,” she admitted.
“Oh, oh, hold on!” Kuei exclaimed. He dashed over to the rock and clambered up onto it. “I remember seeing this in a scroll, in the royal library,” he said. “Hmm, now, how did it go?” He planted his feet apart with his knees bent, brought both fists up sharply, then sliced his right hand out and to the side. Nothing happened, of course. “I’m sure it’s more impressive with actual Earthbending,” he said, shrugging awkwardly.
Zafirah bit the inside of her lip, trying not to laugh. “I’m sure,” she agreed dryly. Then she pulled him down by the front of his tunic and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for trying, anyway.”
He gave her an awkward smile. “I suppose I’ll just, ah, go swimming,” he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. He scrambled down off the rock and walked across the beach towards the water.
“Okay, let’s try this!” Basam said eagerly, rubbing his hands together. They took their stances again.
“All right,” Zafirah muttered, raising her fists. “One, two, thuh…” She trailed off in mid-word and her gaze slid to the side as she caught sight of Kuei dropping his tunic to the ground. He was facing out towards the water, giving her a view of his back. It was a great view. Then he dropped his pants, too, kicking them away and bolting towards the water.
“Come on, Bosco!” he yelled, his voice drifting over. The bear roared and ambled after him, splashing into the shallows. Kuei laughed as he plunged into the water.
Basam’s hand waved in front of Zafirah’s face, making her jump. “Hello?” he called.
She whipped around, her face hot, and glared at her brother’s teasing grin. “Shut up,” she muttered, jabbing a finger at him.
“Hey, I didn’t say anything!” he said innocently. “We gonna do some Earthbending or what?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she agreed. Then she paused, thinking. “Actually, I got an idea I wanna try out. It popped into my head this morning when I was getting dressed.”
“What kind of idea?” Basam asked curiously.
“Well,” she started slowly, “The biggest thing that keeps us Sandbenders from Bending rock is that it’s so different from sand, right? You remember what that Professor Zei guy said once? That Sandbending is more like Waterbending than regular Earthbending?”
“Sure, I remember,” Basam said.
“So, what we need is something that’s halfway between sand and stone,” Zafirah said.
“You mean sand compression?” Basam asked.
“Yeah. If we make a ball of sand and pack it in real tight and dense, it might be like Bending stone,” she said. “It’s still sand, but it’s more solid, like stone would be.”
Basam frowned, considering it. Then a wide smile split his face. “That’s brilliant, Zafi!” he exclaimed. “I think you’re right, it could work! Let’s try it.” They walked about ten paces apart and stood facing each other. The twins raised their arms and raised a sand tornado from the beach. Zafirah smiled, feeling warmed from inside as the familiar motion came back to her. It’d been ages since she’d gotten to do this.
They got the tornado whirling faster and faster, and then they held their hands out, palms forward, and pressed. The tornado spun into a ball that shrank in on itself, getting smaller and tighter. Finally, they lowered their hands and the sand ball lowered with them, sinking to the ground.
“Sure looks like a boulder to me,” Basam said, putting his fists on his hips. “We oughta make another one, so we both get one.” Zafirah nodded. They started another tornado spinning, and in no time at all they had a second sand boulder. Then they lined the two sand boulders up and stood side by side.
“Ready?” Zafirah asked, sinking into her horse stance.
“Ready!” Basam replied, his forehead furrowed in concentration.
“One…” Zafirah said.
“Two…” Basam said.
“Three!” they shouted together. They punched their fists forward and the sand boulder sailed across the sand. A wide grin broke out across Zafirah’s face as triumph surged through her. The hardened sand was more sluggish than usual, but not as stubborn as rock.
“It worked!” she exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air.
Basam laughed, clapping his hands together. “Good call, Zafi,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said, feeling more than a little proud of herself. Moving together, she and her brother thrust their right hands out and summoned their sand boulders back with a curl of their fingers. Basam launched his into the air with a stomp of his foot. It soared up high above their heads, then crashed down and cracked into pieces.
“Sand, dear brother. Sand, not stone,” Zafirah reminded Basam, smirking widely.
“Heh, yeah, sorry,” Basam said, rubbing the back of his neck.
A while later, Zafirah was winding up for a kick when Kuei spoke up from behind her. “How’s the Earthbending going?” he asked. Zafirah let out a yelp and kicked a little too hard; the ball flew across the sand, shot past a startled Basam, and exploded against the rock outcropping they’d been on earlier.
“Hey, watch it!” Basam yelled, waving his arms at her.
“Sorry!” she shouted back. She turned around to tell Kuei about their new technique, but once again her words caught in her throat. He was just standing there, soaking wet, with drops of water streaming down his chest and arms and legs, and apparently completely unaware of what this was doing to her.
He smiled expectantly. “So? How is your practice going?” he asked again.
“Uh,” she replied. She gave herself a mental shake. “It’s goin’ great! We’ve got a new technique we’re trying out.” Then she smirked and slid her arm around his waist, eying him appreciatively. “And how was your swim?” she asked.
He blushed under her gaze and chuckled nervously. “Ah, it was very nice,” he said quickly. Then he smiled and laughed more openly. “It was lots of fun, really! It’s been ages since I’ve gotten to do that much swimming.”
“Glad to hear it,” Zafirah said, smiling back. Then Bosco lumbered up the beach to join them, his fur matted with water and sand. He roared and shook himself.
“Ugh, Bosco, stop that!” Zafirah exclaimed, raising her arms against the flying clumps of wet hair and sand. She flicked her hand towards the bear and the clumps froze in midair. Kuei laughed.
////////
That evening, the three of them went into Meihui for dinner. After they’d finished their meal, they decided to stop by the botanical garden again, since Basam hadn’t gotten to see it the night before. This time, though, Kuei and Zafirah walked hand-in-hand. He smiled at her as they strolled along the path; she winked at him and slid her arm around his waist. He gently rested his own arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
“Nice place, here,” Basam commented. He stopped to sniff at a bright purple flower. “I wonder how much water it takes to keep it all looking this nice.”
Zafirah snorted. “I said the same thing last night!” she said.
“Hah! I’m not surprised,” Basam replied teasingly. “So, how much water does it take?”
“Lots, I figure,” Zafirah replied wryly. She idly tapped her fingers against Kuei’s side. He smiled at her again, but it quickly turned to a frown as he caught sight of Bosco from the corner of his eye.
“Bosco, stop that!” he chided. The bear paused with his forepaw in the midst of swatting at the surface of a koi pond. Bosco lowered his head guiltily and growled, then lumbered after Kuei. Zafirah snickered beside him.
As they left the gardens a while later, a sudden memory sprang to the front of Kuei’s mind. “Oh, that’s right!” he exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. The two Sandbenders turned to stare at him.
“What? What’s going on?” Zafirah asked, confused.
“The invasion, remember? The Avatar’s plan to invade the Fire Nation capitol. I told you about it after the eclipse. If there’s any news to be had about it, it’d surely have spread this far by now!” Kuei said quickly.
“Oh, yeah, I remember,” Basam said. He rubbed his chin, considering for a moment. “Hey, let’s see if we can find some merchants to ask. I mean, me and Zafi used to hear all kinds of news back at the oasis, just from talking to merchants.”
“He’s right,” Zafirah agreed.
“All right,” Kuei said eagerly. They wound their way through the crowds, Kuei setting a swift pace, until they reached the market on the eastern side of the town. The market square was almost empty at this hour, but there were still a few merchants with their wares on display.
“Let’s split up,” Zafirah suggested, “Ask as many people as we can.” Kuei and Basam both nodded and they parted ways to begin their quest for information. Kuei spotted a flower vendor to his right and quickly walked over to it, with Bosco close on his heels.
The merchant grinned as he approached. “How about a flower for your lovely lady-friend?” the middle-aged man said with a knowing gleam in his eye. He gestured towards Zafirah. Kuei gave him a smile and another nod, perusing the selection of blooms. “That’s a strange animal you got there,” the merchant added.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Kuei agreed. He chuckled. “He does get that reaction quite often.”
“I can imagine,” said the merchant. Kuei smiled and went back to examining the flowers.
“So,” Kuei said, hoping to sound casual, “Have you heard any news from the war front lately?” He leaned over the cart, inspecting a cluster of orchids. He was all but holding his breath as he waited for the merchant to reply.
“The war front? What war front?” the merchant said with a snort. “Ba Sing Se’s fallen, the Northern Water Tribe’s holed up even tighter than ever before… there ain’t no war front, son.”
Kuei’s heart sank. “There hasn’t been any news from, uh, from the Fire Nation, then?” he asked, trying to keep his voice level.
“Why would there be?” the merchant grumbled. He then put on a forced smile and waved a hand towards his wares. “Anything striking your fancy?” he asked pointedly. Kuei picked a vivid, purple lily. He paid for the flower and left the stall. Two stalls later, he’d acquired an apple, a small bag of sugared almonds, and nothing but bad news. Dejected, he rejoined Zafirah and Basam at the edge of the square. From the looks on their faces, he could only assume that they hadn’t had any more success. They retreated to the side of the road to talk.
“I got nothing,” Zafirah said.
“Likewise,” Basam said quietly. Kuei heaved a sigh and rubbed his right hand over his face, almost dislodging his glasses. Bosco whined and nudged his other hand sadly.
“That’s it, then,” he murmured. “Either the invasion failed, or it didn’t happen at all.”
“Maybe these guys just haven’t gotten the news yet,” Basam suggested, ever the optimist.
“No, I don’t think so,” Kuei said heavily. “We’re on the western coast right now, at the closest point to the Fire Nation’s outlying islands. If there were any news from the Fire Capitol, it would have reached this coast by now-especially if it were news of a major victory!” He groaned and pressed his knuckles against his temples. He felt a sudden surge of guilt in the pit of his stomach.
Zafirah placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and then cleared her throat after a moment. “So, uh, what’s with the flower?” she asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Kuei glanced down and saw the lily still tucked carefully into his belt.
“Oh,” he said, plucking it out. “It’s, um, for you.” He held it out to her.
Her face lit up as she took it from him. “Thanks! It’s gorgeous,” she said. Then her forehead furrowed and she raised an eyebrow at it. “Uh, what exactly do I do with it?”
“Well, I… I suppose you would put it in your hair,” Kuei said. “Here, allow me.” He took the flower and tucked it into her hair behind her ear. He let his fingers pause for a moment on the soft strands of her hair, then dropped his hand and managed a smile.
“How’s it look?” Zafirah asked.
“It looks lovely,” he said. Zafirah beamed at him, reaching up to touch the flower. Then Basam coughed and cleared his throat, smirking at them, and Kuei quickly drew back from her. “Oh, I also bought these,” he added, pulling the apple and the bag of almonds from his pocket. Zafirah arched an eyebrow at him. “It seemed rude to press for information without buying anything,” Kuei said, feeling a bit silly.
They cut the apple into thirds and shared it and the sugared almonds for dessert, sitting down on a stone bench in a vacant corner of the market square. But Kuei could hardly taste the treats through the guilt still gnawing at him. Zafirah noticed and nudged his arm.
“What’s wrong?” Zafirah asked, her forehead furrowing. Kuei heaved a sigh, trying to find the right words.
“If there’s no news, then there’s been no victory; and if there’s been no victory, then the Fire Nation still has the upper hand… and they still have Ba Sing Se by the throat,” he said bitterly. “Here I am, playing around and having a good time while my city is still in enemy hands!”
Zafirah scowled and reached up to grab his chin, forcing him to look at her. “Listen to me, Kuei: there is nothing you can do about it right now!” she said firmly. “I know how bad you want to help them-how do you think me and Basam feel about our tribe? But you can’t take back the city by yourself. No one could do that, except maybe the Avatar. You wouldn’t be helping anyone by going back there right now. You’d just get captured and maybe killed. All you can do right now is wait and hope, okay?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
He looked away, frowning at the apple wedge in his hand. He remembered what she’d said that morning about her nightmare, and he knew that she felt a similar pain. Finally, he turned back to her and nodded. “I just wish there was something more I could do,” he muttered.
“Maybe there is,” Basam said contemplatively. “I mean, look what we managed to do during the eclipse! I bet there’s a way we could still manage to mess with some Firebenders, just the three of us.” Bosco whined, making Basam laugh. “Sorry, I meant the four of us,” he said, patting the bear on the head.
Kuei smiled, buoyed by his friend’s enthusiasm. “Perhaps you’re right,” he agreed.
“Sounds good to me!” Zafirah said, that particularly fierce grin of hers returning. “I’ll take any chance to rile up some Firebenders.”
Kuei chuckled at his friends’ enthusiasm. He ate the rest of his apple wedge, his good mood returning. Even so, he couldn’t ignore the guilt that lingered in his gut.
//////////////////////////////
When they arrived back at the farm that night, the rest of the farmhands were gathered outside again, sitting around their usual fire and sipping rice wine. Basam went to join them, but Zafirah shook her head.
“Nah, no thanks,” she said. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“How about you, Kuei?” Basam asked.
“I think I’ll pass,” Kuei said, smiling. Bosco, however, grunted and sat down next to Basam. Kuei chuckled. “All right then, Bosco, you stay here. Good night,” he said, patting Bosco’s head. He gave the bear a hug and then followed Zafirah into the farmhand house. They walked down the lantern-lit hallway with their hands clasped until they reached her room. At the door, they stopped and faced each other.
“I feel like we’ve done this before,” Zafirah joked.
Kuei chortled at that. “I know what you mean,” he replied dryly. “Still,” he added, his tone softening, “It’s a routine I could get accustomed to.”
“Hmm.” Zafirah stepped close to him and reached up, sliding her arms around his neck. His breath caught in his throat as she brought her face within a hair’s breadth of his. She grinned. “Me too,” she purred.
“Hngh,” was all the response he could manage. Her grin turned almost predatory as she pulled him down for a kiss. Her lips brushed lightly against his. His arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her body against him. When the kiss ended, Kuei pulled back breathlessly. Zafirah smiled up at him, much more softly this time.
“C’mon,” she said, jerking her head towards the door. “Stay with me for a while.”
“Um… all right,” Kuei said nervously. He followed her through the sliding door, which she shut behind them. It was dark in her room; the only light came from the moon and the stars, spilling in through the open window in the far wall. Zafirah walked over to the lantern sitting on her dresser, lighting it with the spark rocks that sat beside it. The candle inside cast its flickering, orange light over her face as she turned back towards him. Zafirah walked the two or three paces back to him and slid her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. He smiled, his arms encircling her to return the embrace. They stood that way in the middle of the room for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other’s presence.
After a moment, Kuei decided to be bold. He drew back from her a little, lifted her chin with his fingertips and kissed her gently. She sighed quietly against his mouth and he could feel her smile. Encouraged, he kissed her more firmly. He brought his right hand up to cup the back of her head, his fingers working their way into her soft hair. She tightened her arms around him, pressing her body even closer against his. And then she bit softly at his lower lip, sending a warm shiver down his spine.
A sudden attack of nerves made him reel back abruptly. “I, uh, I should go,” he said, embarrassed at himself. He was glad for the dim light in the room hiding his blush. “It’s getting late…”
“Wait, hold on!” Zafirah said hurriedly. She grabbed his hand as he turned to leave. He glanced back at her, surprised. She chewed her lip as she gazed up at him. “Stay here tonight,” she murmured.
He hesitated for a second, and then he smiled. “All right. I’ll be back in a moment.” He gave her hand a squeeze and slipped out of the room, quickly heading for the bathhouse. He splashed some water on his face, washing away the salt from the ocean. Once he was done, Kuei hurried back to Zafirah’s room. He knocked on the door as lightly as he could, not wanting to wake anyone else.
“C’mon in,” Zafirah’s voice called from within. Her room was dark again, the lantern unlit on the dresser. Zafirah sat cross-legged on the futon at the opposite side of the room. The moonlight from the window pooled around her, illuminating her warm smile, making his breath catch again. He crossed the room, his pulse thumping in anticipation of holding her in his arms. Kuei seated himself next to her on the futon, his eyes still lingering on her moonlit face. She nudged his shoulder; he took the hint and laid back on the thin mattress. He took his glasses off and set them down beside the futon.
Zafirah grabbed the blanket from the foot of the futon and brought it with her as she lowered herself down next to him. She stretched out against his side, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her left arm across his torso. After a moment’s awkwardness, he got the situation figured out and curled his left arm around her waist. She settled the blanket in place over both of them and then draped her arm over him again. Kuei sighed happily and wrapped his other arm around her as well, hugging her tightly. She pressed her face against his neck, her breath warm on his skin.
“Hey, Kuei?” Zafirah asked softly.
“Yes?” he replied, stifling a yawn.
“You never kissed anyone before me, did you?” Her tone was gentle as she said it, but the question still made his face go bright red.
“Ah, w-well, I…” he stammered.
Zafirah laughed quietly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to be shy about it. I just got that feeling. And you did say back in the desert that you didn’t have a whole lot of time for the ladies in Ba Sing Se.”
“You remembered that?” he asked, astounded. He felt her shrug. “It’s true,” he admitted. “You know by now how isolated my life was in the palace. And with Long Feng’s constant interference, well…” he let his voice trail off, sighing. “I’d half-hoped you wouldn’t notice,” he added ruefully.
“Hey now, don’t say that!” Zafirah protested. She propped herself up on her elbow, looking sternly down at him. “Don’t worry about it, okay? We’ll just have to make sure you get plenty of practice,” she said, her wink barely visible in the darkness. He chuckled at that. She dipped her head to kiss him, and then settled down beside him once more.
As Kuei stared up at the shadowed ceiling, his arms snugly around Zafirah, he remembered something that he’d wondered earlier in the day.
“Zafirah?” he whispered.
“Hmm?” she mumbled.
“Are you… homesick?” he asked.
“Hmm.” She tapped the fingertips of her right hand against his ribs. “A little bit, sometimes, yeah. Why d’you ask?”
“It just occurred to me this morning, while I was watching you and Basam do your Earthbending practice. I was remembering what you’d said about your bad dreams last night.”
“Ah. Sure, I get homesick once in a while. It’s not so much the desert itself that I miss, though. Mostly… I miss our tribe.” Her voice dropped even lower, so he could barely even hear it. “I wonder if they’re doing all right.”
“I wish I could tell you,” Kuei said somberly.
“Basam figures they’re helping each other get through it, and he’s probably right. I know my tribe’s made of stern stuff. I just wish I could find out where they are,” she went on. “Or maybe it’s better that I don’t know. Spirits and ancestors, when I think about what the Fire Nation might be doing to them…” Her voice faded. “We just gotta keep going though, I guess. A person could go crazy, thinking like that all the time. I just gotta believe that they’ll be okay, somehow.” She sniffled, then huffed out a breath. “I can see why you were feelin’ so guilty before,” she added after a brief silence. “Being free and happy while your people are in the Fire Nation’s fist.”
“You were right, though,” Kuei said. “There’s nothing we can do for them right now, except for keeping them in our thoughts. That, and doing whatever we can to… to piss off some Firebenders!”
She chuckled. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Well, since we talked about it earlier, how about we make that our goal? After we leave this farm, we go and find some Firebenders to piss off? In the name of the Janan Tribe and Ba Sing Se!”
“I like the sound of that plan,” Kuei said. “I’m sure Basam will agree. He was the one to bring it up earlier, after all.”
“Definitely,” Zafirah said. She yawned widely, making him yawn as well. Kuei’s eyelids drooped as his tiredness suddenly caught up with him. Zafirah tightened her arm around Kuei’s torso. “Good night, Kuei.”
“Good night,” he replied, letting his eyes fall shut. They fell asleep in each other’s arms.
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