Chapter Text
A fishing boat had picked up Zuko after he had been swimming for hours toward the shore since jumping from the warship. The fog had disappeared within minutes of him starting to swim, as had the boat. In contrast, the coast or any sign of land didn't appear until eight hours later, two of which he had spent recovering on the boat. It took another two hours from then until they reached the shore, where Zuko paid a good number of gold coins to the fishermen for saving him. As far as Zuko knew, they could have ignored him and left or thrown him back into the sea once they saw his distinctive eyes, but instead, they had saved him, given him shelter, food, and a good place to rest. So Zuko was grateful to them, and even more so when they let him ride in their cart to take him to the different cities where they would collect orders to deliver the catch the next day from the net they had left when they rescued Zuko.
It was the early hours of sunset when they arrived at the last city, and Zuko got out, saying goodbye to the fishermen, to lose himself among the streets of the unknown city looking for some reference to where on the map the city was located so that he could go to Liang's house or to the bar that June usually frequented; it was more common to find her at the bar than at her family home anyway, and being in the south of the continent Zuko expected not to be too far from either of the two places.
Night had already fallen by the time he learned that he was in a village called Gaoling, at least two days' ostrich-hair journey from the nearest village to Liang's house. And between that nearest village and Liang's house was half a day's travel, so yes, Zuko wasn't going to arrive that night. And after how horrible his last few days had been, Zuko wasn't going to start a journey on foot. Why would he buy a mount for two days' travel, only to end up sleeping in the open air after a couple of hours? He was injured, tired, and needed to wash the blood and salt off his clothes and the few remaining usable items in his travel bag. So, he didn't need much internal debate to decide to stay at an inn in the village with hot springs.
Of course, he didn't consider that his scars might attract attention, attention that Zuko disliked and certainly didn't need if he wanted to go unnoticed. For that very reason, he went straight to a corner of the hot springs and hid underwater, hoping that the other people would forget his presence and leave one by one so he could emerge.
He ended up leaving late at night and had to walk halfway across town to reach the only restaurant still open. Zuko would blame the exhaustion that made him walk like a zombie for all the terrible decisions he was making that day.
He would also blame that same exhaustion for bumping into a little girl who was running across the street as Zuko approached. The girl quickly got up using her earthbending and ran again, turning the corner and digging a hole in the ground next to a house, only to jump in and close it while Zuko, still getting up, stared at her in bewilderment.
- Hey! You! - shouted an angry looking man with skin tanned from constant and careless sun exposure, straight black hair that fell below his shoulders, and clothing far too scantily clad for the last days of winter. Weren't his arms cold in those sleeveless tunics? Or his legs, since his pants only reached his knees and he was barefoot? Or his partially exposed chest? Perhaps it wasn't the cold; perhaps he was showing off his muscles, which the man certainly had. Although Zuko couldn't quite grasp it, having seen several people do the same throughout his life, he'd lived with soldiers for three years, he was more surprised if there was a single day when someone wasn't flaunting their muscles in the open air. - Where did the girl go? - Zuko raised his eyebrows, puzzled by the man's demands. Certainly, the little he'd seen of the girl before she hid was enough for him to know she wasn't related to the man who seemed to be chasing her. After a moment of silence, the man violently grabbed Zuko's robes in an attempt to intimidate him. - Answer me, or I'll crush you alive! -
What a rude man, Zuko thought, unimpressed, before pointing toward the path the girl had taken before disappearing underground. He didn't bother to clarify that the girl was still hidden in the middle of the path, and even if he had wanted to, the man had already released him with the same force and run off again, vanishing into the village in a matter of seconds.
Brushing the dust off his clothes after those two encounters, Zuko headed toward the space where the little earthbender had hidden, tapping lightly to let her know her pursuer was gone and she could come out.
The earth opened in front of Zuko's eyes, and the girl jumped out with a mischievous grin before sealing the hole she had left behind. A swift fist soon met Zuko's side, which the golden-eyed man nearly dodged before recognizing it as a gesture of camaraderie and allowing it to land.
- Well done, hot steps - the girl said, amused. - I was getting bored of running. -
Steps what did she call him?
Zuko nodded and turned to head towards the restaurant the inn had told him about; it was the only one open at that hour. Even the kitchen at the inn where he was staying had already closed by the time he left the hot springs.
- Hey, you're not from around here, are you? - the girl said, using her earthbending to land beside him and walk alongside him. Zuko shook his head in response. - Aren't you going to answer? - Zuko stopped in his tracks as he turned to look at the girl, wondering if she had simply ignored the movement of his head. Her black hair, styled in a voluminous bun atop her head and secured by a green and yellow headband with small white tassels at the sides, had strands escaping across her face. Her meticulously cared-for skin was as white as pure milk, though speckled with dirt, partially obscuring her eyes. Perhaps she truly hadn't seen him. On the other hand, the girl would have to be blind not to have seen the sharp head movement he had made, first to nod and then to shake his head when she had spoken to him.
- What? Are you mute or something? Or did Xin Fu make you deaf with all her yelling? - the girl mocked, turning her head toward him and revealing to Zuko her green eyes with faded pupils. Oh, she was indeed blind, and he had forced himself to be mute. So yes, what they both thought was the other ignoring the other one was just a terrible combination of both physical disabilities.
Zuko couldn't help but let out an incredulous sigh, realizing how implausible the situation was. This caught the girl's attention, and she raised both eyebrows before tilting her head to the side, an amused smile slowly but surely spreading across her lips.
- I can't believe it - the girl said, still smiling. - You're really mute? - She placed her hands under her eyes and pulled back the skin, revealing her wide-open, discolored eyes. - And I'm blind. We're the beginning of a bad joke. - The girl laughed, eliciting an amused snort from Zuko. She smiled even wider before giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder. - Aha, I made you laugh. Now you have to be my friend. - Zuko made a quick sound of denial. - Hey, nobody else laughs at my dark jokes about blindness - the girl said, waving a hand in front of her face. - I'll stick with the few who can appreciate it. -
The golden eyed boy couldn't help but shake his head in amusement as he snorted at the girl's remarks. He quickly resumed walking with her, keeping pace without hesitating for a moment, just as she hadn't hesitated to jump beside him without missing a beat. Zuko wondered how the girl could do all this without seeing. He would have to find out, since he couldn't ask her. And if he wrote it down for her, she wouldn't be able to read it.
- So, where are we going, Hot steps? - That nickname again? Zuko thought, rolling his eyes and continuing to walk. - It's not like you could tell him anyway - the girl muttered to herself. - Oh, well, I guess it'll be one of those relationships where one person talks and the other just listens and agree to everything - The girl smiled again. - I'll take your silence as agreement. -
It was impossible to stifle Zuko's amused snort before he lightly nudged the girl's shoulder. She giggled as she kicked up dirt beneath Zuko, intending to trip him, only for him to jump at the movement of the earth, dodging the little trap.
- That was agile - the girl nodded appreciatively. - We need to have a spar. I want to see how well you can dodge my moves so I can improve them. -
Zuko immediately made a sound of denial. The girl might be small, and from her scent he could tell she was an omega. She might be blind and look like a porcelain doll with perfectly cared milky skin without a single imperfection, but none of that meant she couldn't kick the ass of anyone who underestimated her. The way she used her bending with such confidence, Zuko guessed she was a prodigy at earthbending, and he wouldn't be surprised if she was already a master. And the way she spoke about combat let him know that she not only had experience in them but was also adept at easily defeating her opponents.
- What? You think I can't fight you? - the girl said, clearly annoyed. Zuko made another sound of denial, earning a nod from the now confused girl. - No? No what? You don't think I can fight you, or you don't think I can't fight you? - A grimace quickly appeared on the earthbender's face as if she had tasted something disgusting. - Ugh, communicating with you is going to be quite a problem, isn't it? - The girl huffed, lifting the strands of hair above her face before shaking her head again. - You'd better come up with something because I can't see the solution to the problem. -
Another amused snort escaped Zuko before he realized it. The girl certainly had several ways of making fun of her own condition, Zuko thought as they arrived in front of the restaurant he had been directed to at the inn.
- Is it a restaurant? – asked the earthbender, sniffing excitedly at the steamed buns and spiced soups – isn't it a little late for dinner? –
- Welcome, would you like… - The man who greeted them at the entrance suddenly fell silent, half-bowing as he stared in astonishment at the young bender beside Zuko. - You're the Blind Bandit. -
The what did he say?
- Ha, of course I am - the girl boasted, crossing her arms and raising her head haughtily. - The best earthbender and undefeated winner of Earth Rumble. -
Was the girl some kind of celebrity in this town?
- Would you like a table for yourself and your companion? - the man asked, his gaze shifting from the firebender to the earthbender and back again.
The pale boy nodded as the man led him to a free table, although almost all of them were free because of how late it was. He didn't let the man speak again when they sat down before gesturing to the only remaining table with customers in the restaurant who were eating a plate of various and different types of dim sum. He raised the same hand to make a number two gesture, hoping the man would understand because he couldn't exactly write to him when his notebook had been ruined by water when he jumped off the cliff in the Baruu forest, forcing him to throw it away.
- Two plates of dim sum - the man nodded before walking away, shouting orders to the kitchen.
- Two plates? - the blind bandit asked, turning her head in surprise toward the former prince. - Wow, you have more of an appetite than I thought - the girl laughed before sniffing at the man who brought the order and placed it in front of the two dimbinders. - I won't lie, they smell good. Maybe I should order a plate - she began to mutter the last part before Zuko placed one in front of her. The young girl's brow furrowed in annoyance. - You ordered the second plate for me? - A growl escaped her lips, clearly directed at Zuko and drawing the attention of the other diners. - I don't need your pity or to be fed like a stray pygmy puma. If I wanted, I could buy every dish in this place! I could buy the whole place! -
- Is there a problem? – asked the man who was serving at the restaurant, approaching quickly because of the disturbance caused by the earthbender.
Zuko simply dipped one of his chopsticks in the sauce and used it to write on the table, much to the horror of the man serving them, before signaling for him to read aloud.
- I didn't offer you a plate because I felt sorry for you, I did it because I wanted to - the man read. - You told me to be your friend, friends share, so I'm sharing my food with you. -
And also because it would have been idiotic of him to eat right in front of the girl, even if she couldn't see him, without offering. Zuko was hungry, so he preferred to buy her another plate rather than just eat half of his own. Although, he could have asked beforehand, except for the part where it would be difficult for both of them to communicate.
- Hmm - the girl frowned, crossing her arms as if carefully considering her words before shrugging. - Fine, I believe you. Anyway, you saved me from having to ask. -
The former prince of the Fire Nation turned his gaze back to the man who was serving them and who was now wearily looking at the mess on the table caused by the sauce when Zuko decided to use it to write. The golden eyed man gestured towards the rag the man was carrying so he could clean it up; Commander Rangi would be furious if he didn't clean up the mess he himself had made. The man gave a quick, grateful bow while the girl next to him huffed, her cheeks full of food.
- You know the waiter could do it, right? - she asked, and by this point Zuko was truly wondering how she managed to know what Zuko was doing or where he was without ever missing a beat. - You're just a sweet cinnamon roll that looks like a saber-toothed moose, aren't you? - Zuko snorted, amused, as he rolled his eyes and finally started eating with the extra chopsticks the waiter had left. - that's the exact opposite of me - the girl smiled at him. - People underestimate me because of that, until I prove them wrong. - She slammed a fist against the palm of her other hand as if demonstrating, before returning her hands to the chopsticks to continue eating, looking slightly embarrassed as she playfully pushed her food from side to side. - When people see me, they think I'm weak, and they want to take care of me. I thought you wanted to do the same, and that's why I reacted the way I did. I can take care of myself by myself, you know? I don't need anybody. -
The golden-eyed man made a sound of understanding as he nodded his head, more out of habit than believing that the girl would recognize the movement. He tapped his chest, trying to make enough noise for her to hear, and earned a raised eyebrow from her.
- Did the same thing happen to you? - Zuko nodded. Although he wasn't exactly treated as someone weak who couldn't take care of himself, he was certainly underestimated, sidelined for both physical and mental activities. An omega prince who was nothing more than a pretty ornament following his father around, who didn't excel as a bender, and whose heart was too soft for the Fire Court. For the Fire Nation, omegas could fight and be very intelligent, but their primary function would always be reproduction, so any other aspect would be undervalued, even if one was the crown prince. - But that doesn't happen to you anymore. When we came in, the waiter and the couple over there were afraid of you. - Frowning, Zuko snapped back to the present and followed the direction the earthbender was pointing, which led directly to the only remaining couple at the table. The golden-eyed boy already had a headache. How could this blind girl possibly know where they were? Besides, Zuko was certain that both the waiter and the couple were afraid of the earthbender, not him, judging by how they followed her with wide eyes, terrified. - What did you do? -
Escaped, basically, Zuko thought, his fingers tapping on the table as he tried to come up with an idea of how to tell her, and a better story. He could always say the same thing he'd said to Sokka so many weeks ago beside the abandoned Southern Water Tribe ship.
- Did you run away from home? - Zuko froze, turning in surprise to the young girl beside him. Could she read minds? No, that didn't make sense. No one could, as far as Zuko knew. But how could she have known exactly what Zuko was thinking? Maybe she was just guessing. That made the most sense… - You seem surprised - she commented, smiling. -Didn't you realize you were doing Morse code? -
Zuko's eyes fell to his hand as if they had just betrayed him by revealing his thoughts without his consent. In defense of Zuko, and his hands, he admitted he hadn't been aware that he seemed to be mindlessly tapping his fingers on the table, and he also hadn't realized that the girl beside him knew morse code. How old was she? Eleven? Twelve? Zuko didn't even know what morse code was at eleven years old, and he hadn't learned to use it until he was fourteen, after a year and a half of learning it from the Yuyan archers…where he had practiced every night by tapping on the tables at dinnertime.
Yes, it must have been etched into his subconscious.
On the other hand, Zuko also had to wonder, how had the so called blind bandit heard him? He hadn't made much noise, if any at all. He'd tapped his fingers, sure, but just like when he walked, he hadn't made a sound.
Well, if he could communicate with her now, he wouldn't have to keep that question nagging at him.
"How did you hear me?" Zuko asked, tapping his fingers on the table, still silent, just to make sure it hadn't been for the same reason he though.
- I didn't hear you - Toph denied, frowning. - Well, when you hit the ground to make it come out, I did, but... - Oh, yes, that was probably subconscious too; his rhytem when knocking on doors could apparently be translated into Morse code as a greeting. - ...Now it's the vibrations, not the sound. - The girl crossed her arms. - Honestly, hot steps. Just because you don't make noise with your mouth doesn't mean you don't have to, not even when walking or banging on tables. It's like walking next to a ghost; I feel you walking, but I haven't heard a single one of your steps. -
“Vibrations?” Zuko asked, frowning in confusion. The blind girl just smiled mockingly before stuffing a steamed bun into her mouth and standing up, leaving Zuko bewildered.
- Come on, you’ll see what I mean - the girl said, still with her mouth full, heading for the door. Zuko had to quickly stuff the three remaining buns into his mouth, put the money down for his order, probably paying more than he should have because he didn’t have time to wait for change, and ignore the strange looks from the two remaining diners, both because of his sudden departure and because his cheeks were stuffed with food like some kind of squirrel or skunk.
“Where are we going?” Zuko asked, running after the earthbender while snapping his fingers in morse code to make himself heard.
- I'll take you to my masters - the girl replied, continuing to run until Zuko stopped, looking at her uncomfortably. This caused the girl to stop, staring at him in surprise. - Is something wrong, Hot steps? -
"People don't..." the earthbender scoffed mockingly.
- My masters aren’t people - the girl retorted before turning around and running off, ignoring Zuko’s completely blank stare, as if his brain had been fried by one of his father’s lightning bolts. - I’m sure you’ll like them, but I’m not going to wait for you, so hurry up. -
Zuko started running again, still not understanding the earthbender’s words. He definitely wanted to meet the teachers of the self-proclaimed greatest earthbender, who, according to her, weren’t even human.
There was no way Zuko was going to miss this.