Chapter Text
Vidya already figured out they were going south, just from how cold it was getting and that she needed an extra jacket, but no more than a week after the air temple exploration, Vidya noticed more icebergs. She remembered in the show, the third episode was at the southern air temple, but was Zuko planing on going to the south pole? That sounded like a dumb thing to do, and Vidya wasn’t even sure if Katara and Soka’s dad left yet to join the war.
Vidya made sure to listen to the crewmates’ gossip as she worked, and got the conclusion that they were doing a sweep, but not docking. Just close enough for them to look through telescopes. Being so close to the south pole also mean that they were halfway to Ba Sing Se, but considering it’s only been three months, Vidya had a feeling the second leg of the trip was going to have way more stops.
She thought about just asking, but wasn’t sure if she really cared. Not like Vidya was planing on exploring any of the towns they’ll stop in. She already knows from the few they did stop in that they will be Fire Nation controlled, and Zuko only lets them stay for a day.
Vidya pulled the oversized jacket that other engine worker Mina more or less shoved at her without a word, looking up at the aurora australis as she walked along the deck to the back of the ship. She had no idea what the lights were called in this world, and made a note to ask someone since it was her first time seeing them.
Then she looked down and noticed she wasn’t alone. And it wasn’t the usual crew manning the ship this late at night (though they were so far south it was dark for only a few hours).
The smart thing to do was to leave. Who knows what Zuko was pacing the desk this late at night, but he was doing right in front of the engine Vidya needed to check before her graveyard shift was done and she can sleep for the whole day, so she asked.
“What are you doing up?”
Zuko turned to her, apparently not hearing her walk up (which was a habit more than one crew member commended).
“Why are you here?”
Vidya just pointed to said engined, and Zuko deflated.
“Oh, uh, right.”
Zuko awkwardly moved, and Vidya looked at him looking over the ocean. He didn’t really look like the angry Teen she was use to.
“You don’t have to leave. It’s a nice night for thinking, or whatever you were doing,” Vidya said before doing to work.
“Do you always work this late?” Zuko asked just as Vidya stuck her head in
It was just a routine check to make sure everything looked fine and wasn’t rusting in the salt air. Only reason why vidya was doing it so late was to let it cool when they turned it off earlier.
“Just for tonight. Do you always take walks this late?” Vidya leaded out to ask before going back to work.
“No. I just… was restless.”
“Bad dreams?” Vidya guessed, and she didn’t even need to look to tell she was right.
“No! I just… couldn’t sleep.”
Vidya finished, but having something to do with her hands made it much easier to talk with Zuko.
“Tea can help.”
“Argh, you sound like my uncle. No wonder you two get along.”
Vidya smiled at that.
“You have a good uncle. Definitely top tier, but not as cool as my uncle.”
“You have an uncle?” Zuko asked, and Vidya did look up this time.
It would be better to say nothing about her family, but what was the harm? She could just be vague.
“He’s a researcher, archaeologist who studies ancient civilizations. Always finds centuries old scrolls that are really cool to look at and try to translate.”
“Oh, that does sound cool.”
“I know right?” Vidya said happy that Zuko agreed. “I’m going to be joining up with him after I’m done working here.”
“Right. You’re on a yearly contract,” Zuko said, sounding a little…annoyed.
Huh, I wonder how many people on this crew have yearly contracts. This is a indefinite mission after all. Zuko is the only one who can’t go home.
Vidya did feel a little bad. She only been on the ship a few months and have already seen people leave. Even if Zuko doesn’t act like it, it probably stings being reminded everyone else can go home at any point.
They fell into a very awkward silence after that, long enough that Vidya could no longer pretend to be working and pulled her head out of the engine. Zuko was leaning on the rail near by, staring up at the stars. Only, when Vidya looked as well, she noticed he wasn’t looking at the stars, but the aurora australis.
Which reminded her of her earlier thought.
“Hey, do you know what the lights are called?” Vidya asked before she realized she should have just taken this chance to leave while she could still mark her interaction with Zuko as a positive one.
But Zuko responded calmly.
“Uncle called them spirit lights. Said that they are caused by spirits interacting with the stars.”
Vidya couldn’t help but pull a face at that because while spirits are real…
“I’m pretty sure they are caused by the planet’s magnetosphere being distributed by solar winds. This planet defiantly has a magnetosphere of or compases wouldn’t work, and…” Vidya trained off because she noticed the look Zuko was giving her.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Zuko said, and Vidya nodded getting ready to leave before he continued, “but it does sound more realistic than spirits are making lights in the sky.”
That sounds more like he doesn’t think Spirits are real, which is wrong but...
“Yeah… I mean, I would have to figure out if that’s really going on. Maybe make a solar telescope,” Vidya thought outload, looking up at the night sky.
“A what?” Zuko suddenly asked, or maybe demanded, which got Vidya describing what a solar telescope was, and then a telescope modified to look at the stars rather than far away objects on the horizon.
Zuko didn’t look any less confused, but he kept asking questions, not making Vidya feel like he was getting bored of her explaining her re-inventions. She even pulled out some of her notes to show him, but despite the southern lights and almost full moon, it was too dark to really read.
“You use charcoal to write? Why not a brush and ink?” Was Zuko’s only comment as she put them back away, and Vidya had to keep from rolling her eyes.
“Ink is expansive, and you need more space to write with a brush, not to mentions it’s pretty easy to get charcoal in this place.”
“You’re stealing?!” Zuko started to yell before remembering most of the crew was sleeping and manage to lower his voice enough that he sounded like a tea kettle.
“Yes. I’m stealing your highly viable charcoal that Gopal uses for cooking,” sarcastically joked before remembering she was talking to Zuko, who could very easily fire her from the crew.
And also fire her.
“It doesn’t matter what worth you think it has, it’s not honorable to steal! If you need writing supplies, just ask next time,” Zuko huffed out, refusing to look at her.
Vidya was... a little shocked. Both by how offended Zuko sounded by her stealing joke and that he was offering to give her writing supplies in a round about way.
“Not honorable huh,” Vidya whispered, wondering if she was miss remembering the event in the show were Zuko stole from refuses when he and Iroh were on the run.
It could be he was willing to act all high and mighty when he could have anything he wanted just by asking.
But Vidya wasn’t sure if that thought was right either. It wasn’t like they were overfilling with gold and resources on the ship. Iroh probably had the most lively lifestyle with custom teapots and Pai Sho, but he still pulls his weight on the ship when needed. There was a strict budget, since overindulging could mean starvation if they get stuck in a storm in the middle of the ocean or in a area not friendly to Fire Nation.
“...Thank, but I wasn’t actually stealing. Gopal just give me some pieces too small to use some times. It would have been thrown away otherwise,” Vidya explained.
“Oh. Well. Good,” Zuko awkwardly said, and Vidya wasn’t able to keep her snort of laughter contained.
Right away Zuko puffed up like a ostrich horse, and made a disgruntled noise before stomping off.
Even so, Vidya didn’t feel too bad about their conversion when she went to bed with the sunrise.
They were get into into warmer waters after more than a moth of sweeps of the souther islands around the pole. By the time they got to a port safe enough for Fire Nation to dock, they were planing on staying over night. Meaning Vidya was taking that short amount of time to do a full check of the engines with Takuma, and Chiyo who was keeping watch since they needed to be fully inside the engines. Mina was suppose to be helping, but there was something happening in the helm that had her running. Vidya was a little worry since the no-nonsense women never ran, but she figured someone would have told them if the ship was about to explode.
It was lucky that Takuma was such a small man, since Vidya would be a little more worried crawling so far in there by herself. As it was, it didn’t take too long to go through all four of the engines, and nothing happened besides her clothes getting so stained by the coal residue that she wasn’t sure she could save them.
“I’ll let Lieutenant Jee the parts we need to replace, and the ones that we should replace sometime soon before we get into more northern waters,” Takuma said as Vidya gave him the notes she took during the examination.
It wasn’t required, but Vidya felt more like she was helping rather than just poking around by writing things down. There wasn’t a whole lot they needed to replace, but the ship was already decommissioned before Zuko got it, and the Arctic sea waters wasn’t helping.
“We aren’t leaving until tomorrow morning, you two should taken the rest of the day off and get some shore leave.”
“It’s not shore leave if it’s only half a day!” Ryota, one of the sailors usually in the helm with Jun-Seo, yelled as he passed us.
“At least you are getting some!” Takuma yelled back, and Vidya was surprised to hear some annoyance in the usually joking old man.
“Are we suppose to be getting shore leave?” Vidya asked, trying her best to clean up with the bucket of water and rag left out for them
“Non military ships are, which we should be, expect for we are on a private mission from the Fire Lord. Lieutanant Jee is trying to pass that request along but...” Takuma trailed off, and Vidya could have heard she heard Zuko shouting.
But Zuko. Vidya finished in her head with a sigh.
“Well, I think I will be taking your offer for the rest of the day off,” Vidya said, shaking out her mostly clean hands.
“Chiyo, are any of your friends taking the time off?”
“Some,” Chiyo said after a moment, and Vidya had a bad feeling where the conversation was heading.
“You should take Vidya with you and the other youngester. She wasn’t able to explore last time we docked for more than a night.”
“You don’t need to,” Vidya quickly interrupted.
Vidya didn’t really care about the town. She just wanted to get away from the ship or a little bit. And maybe practice her airbending. She was too worried to do anything on the ship, but not being able to do anything for five months now was starting to make her feel antsy. It was a little strange to her since it never felt like that back in Shan Hei, but Vidya also had places she could safely practice.
Not to mention all the running she did for the resistance.
On the ship, there just wasn’t any place she felt safe doing that. Sometimes she wished it was a sailboat so she could have made the excuse of climbing the sails or going into the crows nest and pass off any airbending as fast climbing. But the iron ship didn’t have anything like that.
“I don’t mind,” Chiyo said, and Vidya just couldn’t find a good reason to go into the town, but not with the others.
It’s fine. I’ll just slip away at some point. Vidya promised herself as she got some clean clothes on before going to the deck. Chiyo was there, along with Mina which was a surprised since Vidya didn’t know they even talked to each other let along friends. Then the cabin boy Dong-Geun showed up, and Vidya returned the wave he gave her, and then...
Vidya didn’t react to the solider and two firebenders who were coming along. They weren’t in their full armor, but still had on the underclothes that they all wore.
“Akhil! Chae-Won! You were able to get away from training the little princeling today?” Dong-geun asked the two firebenders.
They both looked a little older than the others, maybe late twenties or early thirds. The women, Chae-Won, shook her head while the man, Akhi, sighed dramatically.
“General Iroh wanted to do some shopping, and we were able to slip away during their argument.”
Vidya was pretty sure she could still hear said argument.
Honestly, It’s impressive how much Zuko’s voice carries.
Vidya grand plan of just sticking to the back of the group while the young adults did their exploration of the town, waiting for them to be distracted enough not to notice her absent failed before she even got off the boardwalk.
“Ah, I see you haven’t left yet, mind taken Zuko with you? He needs some new clothes.”
“Uncle!” Zuko hissed loudly enough that Vidya could hear him.
So close. Vidya didn’t turn around, just kept staring at the dock and took the final step even if it was too late.
“We are going to be stuck babysitting?” Dong-Geun complain next to her even as one of the firebender elbowed him to shut up.
“Weren’t you already suck babysitting me?” Vidya asked, ignoring Iroh trying to convince Zuko to go.
“Yeah, but you’re as not annoying.”
Dong-Geun yelped as he got elbowed again.
“I’ll be sure to mention that on my next job interview. Not as annoying as prince Zuko,” Vidya said in as dry as a tone as she could, and Dong-Geun snorted before crying out.
“Hey! Why’cha elbow me that time, I didn’t even say anything!”
“I’m not going to hit a kid,” Akhil said, and Vidya wondered if he ever had to fight a kid.
Or even burned one to death.
Vidya shoved that thought far, far away.
“I’m 14,” Vidya said, well aware that saying that did nothing but made her sound more like a kid, but still wasn’t able to stop it from leaving her mouth.
“Exactly. Too young to join the military, and therefore still a kid.”
“Hey, did you hear the Earth Kingdom is getting desperate enough that they are letting 10 year olds join their army?”
“That’s fucked. I can’t believe earthbenders are such savages-” Akhil suddenly stoped mid sentence, and Vidya took that chance to see if Zuko was behind them, but no, he was still trying to argue with Iroh that he clothes weren’t too small.
“-uh I mean I’m sure not all earthbenders are savages. Just the ones in the Earth Kingdom. I’m sure if any earthbenders joins the Fire Nations they would be fine.”
Vidya raised a brow at that.
“I doubt anyone would be willing to just join the nation they have been fighting against for generations,” Vidya said before she remembered who she was talking to.
But Dong-Geun stepped in, waving his one hand in her face.
“Hey, hey, let’s just go before the others notice. They can caught up later with the prince.”
Vidya was more than willing to let the conversation slid. It wasn’t like she would convince any of them that the Fire Nation has been feeding them nationalism propaganda their whole life.
Only problem was that the group she was now with, was Dong-Geun and the two firebenders. Chiyo and Mina were still waiting to see if they had to escort Zuko around. Or more likely Mina and the solider were waiting, and Chiyo just wasn’t close enough to hear them make a brake for it.
Either way, Vidya had to change her plan slightly since it was a smaller group. The town wasn’t a Fire Nation one, but a ‘independent’ port that served both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom people. Vidya wasn’t sure where on the map it was, but she knew they were still going along the souther coast of the main Earth Kingdom after the southern Air temple was a bust. The east air temple was their next stop, but there was other stops along the way mapped out as ‘likely spots’.
She’s already five months into the trip, and about halfway to Bai Sing Sei.
I could just leave and try my luck on land. Vidya thought as she looked as some of the goods being sold in the open air market.
She was out of the fire control area, so it wouldn’t be hard to find another group of refugees to travel with, but there was still fights going on. And Vidya would be traveling on her own. There was just more risk involved with that, especially considering being on Zuko’s ship wasn’t that bad. She was halfway done with her trip, and the worst that happened was telling Zuko off that one time.
And nothing happened.
Vidya waited to see the rest of the ‘youngsters’ join up, Zuko full on sulking like a kid rather than a recently turned 14 year old. The ‘light armor’ he was wearing wasn’t helping matter with how it was clearly to big in the shoulders and too short in the legs. She watched him try and fail to dodge a peddler, and used that distraction to slip away.
The port town was next to a forest, different from the one near by Shen Hai. Thicker, with taller trees. It was easy getting to the edge of the town and slipping in.
Vidya walked far enough that she couldn’t hear anything but birds chirping in the trees before letting out a sigh of relief. There was no one around, and enough twigs and leaves on the ground that she should be able to hear if anyone walked in after her.
Vidya knew she was taking a huge risk airbending so close, but she felt like she was going to go crazy if she didn’t at least try.
Vidya wasn’t planing on taking too long, she didn’t want to make the other worried that she did get lost. She just quickly went through the earth bending moves her dad taught her, pulling the air around with the moves. Leaves rushed around with the moves, and for target practice, Vidya started aiming them at the trees, watching as they exploded the bark off the tree.
Vidya couldn’t help but think about her dad as she did the earthbending moves. It was grounding, and she slowly felt the stress and anxiety of being on Zuko’s ship leave. Worries about what she was going to do in Bai Sing Se, worries about what she was going to do in general. Just focused on the moment.
She just gone done with all the moves that she learned, and was about to do them again when she heard a snap of a branch.
Vidya cut off her airbending even before she turned around. The leaves gently floating down in the now golden light from the beginning of the setting sun. Vidya stood in place, still half in her stance just in case as the foot steps got closer.
“What are you doing here?” She asked when she noticed Zuko of all people stumble over a branch and into her view.
Any worry that he saw her airbend left when he jerked towards her, looking like he didn’t even noticed she was there.
“What are you doing here?” Zuko demanded to know, and Vidya didn’t move.
“I asked you first,” Vidya said even though she felt like she was doing a poor job of trying to act normal, but it was hard not to freakout.
If he saw me airbending, the forest would already be on fire. It’s fine. Vidya reasons with herself in order to avoid the urge to slam Zuko into a tree and make a brake for it.
“I don’t need to answer to you!” Zuko yelled, and Vidya really didn’t get why he was being so defensive.
What the fucks your problem. Is what Vidya wanted to say, but she held her tongue.
“What, did you get lost or something,” Vidya bit out, which wasn’t that much better.
“No! The others wanted to go to a private bathhouse, and I wanting nothing to do with that!”
“What?” Vidya asked because that didn’t clear up anything.
Bathhouses were more common in the Fire Nation that the Earth Kingdom. If anything, a private one would be even more ideal for Zuko to go to.
Hang on, his he blushing? Why would he be embarrassed about the others going to a bathhouse? Unless...
“Like a brothel?” Vidya asked, and Zuko went even more red.
“I didn’t go!”
“I wouldn’t tell your uncle,” Vidya promised, finally relaxing her stance when it became clear Zuko didn’t see anything.
“There’s nothing to not tell, since I didn’t go. I can’t believe they would do something like that. I should tell uncle.”
“They’re all consenting adults. Just let it be.”
Not like the crew needs any more reason to get annoyed with Zuko. Vidya thought as she imagine the complaints if they weren’t allowed to ‘have fun’.
“Did you know they were planing on doing...that?”
“No. But again, it’s not surprising.”
“Then why did you leave?”
Shit. Okay, just need to come up with a good reason to be standing in the middle of the woods.
“I was becoming one with nature,” Vidya sarcastically said.
FUCK.
“Like... Fire breathing?” Zuko asked, the sarcastic tone obviously going over his head.
Okay. This is fine. I just need to roll with it.
“Fire breathing?” Vidya asked in hoped that it would lead the conversation away from herself.
“Uncle says that it’s an important skill for firebending even though none of my instructors in the palace mentioned it,” Zuko explained, sounded a little annoyed.
Vidya then made the connection that he was talking about that meditations in front of candles he would do in the show. Usually before something angered him and all the fires went up.
“Not really… I’m not a firebender, so I was just meditating,” Vidya said since meditation was a normal thing to do and not air nomad exclusive.
“But couldn’t you do that on the ship?”
“There’s no trees on the ship,” Vidya said before quickly walking past Zuko.
“Anyways, I’m done now and was going to head back. Did you want to come with or continue taking the scenic route back.”
There was no doubt in her mind that Zuko did somehow get lost trying to head back to the ship. Or more likely, he stormed off in the wrong direction and refused to turn around. She would make fun of him for it, but she was suddenly tired from the close call.
Or maybe from doing airbending after being unable to do it for so long.
“Hey, did you see the theater masks they were selling?” Vidya asked in another attempt to make Zuko forget what she was doing, and also because she saw a ‘blue spirit’ mask.
Vidya didn’t really pay much attention to it, since it wasn’t any different from the other masks. Theater masks for plays from all over (meaning Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom). She didn’t even know what the play or mask was called, but figured if Zuko used it, he might know.
And just like that, Zuko started ranting about how shoddy the craftsmanship was, how the masks were the wrong color or had the wrong symbol on it. Vidya might have done drama class in her past life, but she only gone to a few plays. And none of the type that Zuko was use to.
“Did you use to do to a lot of play?” Vidya asked when he started to wind down, not even noticing they were back on the dock.
“Not often. My mom use to be an actress, and kept a few of her old scripts.”
Zuko was quite, and Vidya almost stopped walking, expecting him to talk about the ember island players and how bad they were, not his mom.
“Your mother was an actress?”
“She never told me the name of her group, but she was in a leading role for Love amongst the Dragons.”
Vidya always wondered what happened to Zuko’s mom. The show ended with the idea she was still out there, but as a cliffhanger. However, Vidya wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to ask Zuko about his mom, and she ended up asking more about the play.
Unfortunately, she only got Zuko to explain how badly the ember island player bunched the play before they got back and was interrupted.
“And Azula would always make me be the dark water spirits and-”
“Ah, did you two have fun.”
Zuko closed up right away, and Vidya wanted to do the same with how pleased Iroh was looking.
Oh, he was hoping we would become friends. Vidya suddenly realized, the answer to the unsolved question from so long ago.
Which, of course, made her not want to do that. Zuko was fine, but still loyal to the Fire Nation. Any friendship would have to wait until after he leaves.
And even then, probably not until he becomes Fire Lord. Only by then, there would be no reason why we would talk.
“Uncle! I thought you said you were too busy to come with us!” Zuko yelled, and Vidya took her chance to leave.