Fire and Wind: A Costly Mistake

Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! And even if you don't, I hope you all have a lovely day regardless!

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Seng knelt down on the edge of the fishing warehouse, ignoring the way that the wind coming off the sea buffeted her face as she reached into her pack and retrieved a long, cylindrical spyglass that she then held up to her eye, directing it towards the massive battleship bobbing gently in the waters off the shore.

Several soldiers were visible on board, their red and black armor lit up by the light of the lanterns burning in their hands. They patrolled the deck, walking back and forth or simply standing on the edge of the ship, keeping an eye out for anyone who might approach. Seng could also see the flicker of lights on the deck below, lanterns passing by the port windows. More patrolling soldiers, most likely.

“Whoever's on that ship must be really important.” She muttered to herself as she gazed at the deck, “Important and rich.”

They wouldn’t miss a bit of that wealth disappearing into her pockets

Turning her gaze elsewhere, Seng looked for a way inside. The deck was obviously a no-go. There was no way she’d be able to avoid that many eyes no matter how sneaky she was; she’d need to find another way inside. Somewhere that a normal person wouldn’t think to guard…

There. Up on the bridge, there were several open windows out of reach of a normal person, but well within hers. Seng couldn't see any sign of activity inside either, no lights or detectable movement, at least not from this far away. That was her way in.

Seng eyed the bridge thoughtfully, before moving her eyes downwards, mentally mapping out the ship as she thought about the most likely location that the noble's quarters might be in. She had never been inside of a battleship before so it could honestly be anywhere.

“But if I were a noble with a sense of entitlement and little to no sense of self-preservation…” She muttered to herself, bringing her eyes back up to the bridge, “I’d want somewhere I could look down on everyone around me.”

It was a long shot honestly. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to put your quarters in the most exposed part of the ship, but if she were completely confident in her security or ignorant to the danger posed by a wartorn country, she would definitely demand a room with a view.

“I’ll start at the top and work my way down.” She decided, stowing her spyglass away, “If I’m fast, I’ll be able to get away with something valuable. Enough to pay Shu, at least.”

Pulling her tunic tightly around her, Seng looked around at the shadows surrounding her to make sure that nobody was around to see her, before stepping forward and dropping to the ground several dozen feet below.

With a frown of concentration and a quick twirl of her wrist, wind slid underneath her feet and up her legs, slowing her down enough that by the time she had reached the ground, she had lost enough momentum that she was able to simply roll forward and kill any that was left.

Hopping up to her feet, the airbender began to slowly creep her way towards the ship bobbing gently in the water ahead, making sure to keep an eye out for any hidden soldiers that might have been guarding the docks themselves.

Luckily, the night was completely silent around her apart from the creaking of the ship's metal hull and the gentle crash of the waves against the wooden dock, and soon enough, Seng had reached the side of the battleship. She was close enough to it that nobody would be able to see her without deliberately looking over the edge of the deck, which was good because what she was about to do wasn't subtle at all.

She wasn’t willing to risk airbending her way all the way up there. She could do it, probably, but it would be loud and definitely draw attention to her. No, for situations like this, she had a special tool to get the job done.

Still keeping one eye on her surroundings, Seng reached back into her quiver, her fingers sliding over soft fletching as she searched for something specific. A moment later, her fingers caught on a piece of cold metal and she immediately reached for it, pulling a thin, steel arrow out of her quiver.

She brought it in front of her, holding it up to the moonlight to make sure that it was still in good condition. It looked like any of her other arrows except for the material that it was made of and most importantly, the large hook that was welded to the end where the arrowhead would normally be. She scrutinized it intently, making sure that said weld was still in good condition, and nodding when she saw that it looked as sturdy as ever. That was good. Less chance of her falling then..

Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a coil of thin, but tightly woven rope. She tied it around the shaft, hooking it through a specially made catch that was specifically designed to hold it, before grabbing her bow off of her back and nocking the arrow.

She pointed it straight up at the open windows above her as she pulled back on the drawstring. The arrow was significantly harder to draw than all of her others due to its weight but that was by design. It was meant to hold her full weight, after all, so she was more than willing to deal with some extra difficulty drawing it if it meant it wouldn’t snap the moment she tried climbing up.

Aiming carefully, Seng took a moment to steady her aim before letting the arrow loose. It soared upwards with a whistle unlike any of her other arrows, losing momentum quickly thanks to its heavy weight and that of the rope attached to it, and it just barely managed to make it to its destination, sliding into the open window just before falling short. It almost immediately began to get pulled back towards the earth as gravity began to have its way with it, until, with an almost-silent clink, it stopped as the hook caught on the edge of the window, preventing it from falling any further.

Stowing her bow away, Seng grabbed onto the rope dangling in front of her and gave it a sharp tug to test its stability. It barely moved, completely secure.

She took a deep breath, reaching out to grab the rope with both hands, “Alright, here we go. In and out, Seng. Can’t risk getting caught now. Not when I’m so close.”

With one more breath to calm her chi, the airbender burst into motion, her arms pulling herself upwards and onto the side of the ship with both hands. The moment that her shoes found purchase on the slick iron, she began moving. In a move that would be impossible for anyone else, she began running up the side of the ship, aided by the wind that seemed to come out of nowhere, pushing her upwards even as gravity tried to pull her back down.

Seng couldn’t use her airbending to jump high enough to reach the window, not without being heard at least, but she could certainly use it to boost herself upwards. Helped by the rope, instinct, and the wind rushing around her, Seng quickly scaled the side of the battleship, the sound of her shoes slapping against the hull almost silent when compared to the crashing waves doing the same around her and in a matter of seconds, she found herself within arms reach at the window that she wished to enter.

Letting go of the rope, she lunged for it, managed to hook her fingers onto the windowsill before gravity began to pull her back down. With a grunt, she heaved herself upwards and into the ship, falling onto her back with more noise than she would have liked to have produced.

Rolling to her feet, the airbender looked around the hallway that she had entered, keeping her eyes and ears for the glow of lanterns and the sounds of boots slamming against the floor that would let her know that someone had heard her less-than-silent entrance.

Nothing. The hall around her was completely silent and dark, with the only light around her being the moonlight drifting in from the windows. She was alone.

Quickly gathering her arrow and rope and stowing them in her quiver and pack respectively, Seng wasted no time in picking a direction and beginning to move down the hall. She needed to be quick about this before someone realized that she was here. In and out.

She stayed low to the ground and away from the windows just in case someone down below happened to look up here. She slinked through the halls, keeping an eye out for anything that might denote the quarters of whatever noble was on board.

It was more difficult than she had expected. Every single door she passed looked the exact same, a slab of iron with a wheel on the front to open them. There was nothing differentiating any of them from the others.

Or so she thought. Just as Seng was about to give up and go search another area of the ship, she turned a corner and was met with something different.

The door’s face wasn’t plain like all the others she had passed. Emblazoned in the dark iron was an even darker crest, the symbol of the fire nation proudly standing out for anyone who passed it by to see. Two massive banners flanked it, the same symbol displayed on them in bright red trimmed in gold.

“This has to be it, right?” She muttered as she approached the door, “Everything around here looks the damn same. I don't even know where I came in at. So why are you different?”

Deciding there was only one way to find out, Seng reached out to the handle, preparing to open it, only to pause with her fingertips mere inches from the door as her ears picked up the sound of something making its way in her direction.

Freezing in place, Seng stayed completely still, wondering if her mind was just playing tricks on her only for the sound to persist, slowly becoming clearer as if it was getting closer. It almost sounded like… voices!

Eyes widening in panic, Seng looked around for somewhere to hide as the people coming down the hall slowly grew closer, only to find that there was nothing around her but banners and paintings! Nothing she could hide behind!

Her heartbeat quickened as the voices grew close enough that she could actually hear her footsteps, and she looked towards the nearby window, wondering if she should just cut her losses and jump out. She'd survive a fall from this height, she was sure, as long as she used her airbending to break her fall before she hit the water.

Wait! Her airbending!

Seng looked above her, taking in the network of pipes in the ceiling that would normally be just out of reach. Making a split-second decision, she crouched down and leapt upwards, a quick burst of air propelling her fat enough that she was able to lock her hands around one of the thicker pipes, immediately swinging up and into the ceiling with her legs.

Seng winced as the skin on her hands began to sizzle the moment that she touched the pipe, but she just managed to stay quiet as she let go of the hot iron, cruising in her mind. That one must have been connected to the boiler room or something.

She fought the urge to look down at her hands so that she could see the damage, instead climbing upwards into the network of pipes as the voices finally reached her.

There were two of them, a man and a woman by their stature. They were fully armored in dark leather and red plate and had white skull-shaped masks obscuring their faces. Firebenders.

The taller of the two turned to his companion, confusion in his posture, “So then what are we doing here? We resupplied like two days ago. I thought we’d be heading south by now to deal with the insurgents near Omashu.”

There was a sigh as his fellow soldier gave him a suffering look through their mask, “I already told you, cinder-brain, the captain said that the prince was last sighted here and she needs to meet with him. It isn’t our job to wonder why, we just do what we’re told.”

They passed underneath her, and Seng did her best to huddle further into the darkness in case they happened to look up. She eyed them as the man sighed despondent, “I guess… but still, don’t you think-”

“No. I don’t get paid to think. I get paid to guard the ship. Which is what I’m trying to do so if you’d save the questions for when we’re off duty, that would be fantastic.”

The voices faded into the distance as the guards left earshot, and Seng stayed where she was for another minute or two to make sure that they were actually gone, before dropping down from the ceiling to land on her feet silently.

“The prince, huh? Wonder what that's about?” She muttered, eying the direction the two had disappeared in, before shaking her head and reaching out to the door once more, “Well whatever it is, I won't be staying around long enough to find out.”

Grasping the wheel and turning it, the door opened with a near-silent creak, revealing even more darkness inside. The moment the gap between the door and the frame was wide enough, Seng slipped inside, sliding into the room and closing the door shut behind her.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and Seng froze as she was met with a soft-looking bed only a few feet away from the door. An occupied bed.

A woman was lying in the bed… no, it was a teenager, one close to Seng's own age. She had hair as dark as the night just outside and skin as pale as the moonlight shining on her sleeping face. She didn't seem to stir as Seng had entered, making the girl glad because she hadn't noticed her at all.

This was definitely the noble, wasn't it? Seng had never seen someone so fitting of the title in her life. Even sleeping like she was, this girl somehow just oozed elegant aristocracy, as if she was born to tell people around her what to do. With sharp cheekbones and full lips, she was so much unlike anyone Seng had ever seen before that it was actually slightly startling.

Her face was set into a expression of peace, her lips parted slightly as she snoozed comfortably, and Seng spent a moment watching her sleep, wondering how someone so soft looking could possibly be the daughter of the man responsible for so much pain, before shaking out of it and moving on to why she was here. The money.

She looked around the room for anything valuable, only to frown at what she saw, or more rather, didn't see.

Given that this girl was a noble, Seng had been expecting chests full of jewels or at least a heavy coin purse left out in the open for her to swipe. Instead the entire room was bare, almost spartan in appearance, with even the walls bearing only the minor of decorations.

Sure, there was some expensive looking furniture and even a massive, ornate banner hanging one the far wall, but there was practically nothing that she could actually steal to sell. It wasn't like she could just walk out of here with the desk or something.

Her heart sinking at the idea that this had all been for nothing, Seng looked around intently searching for something, anything, that might actually be worth some money.

As she turned, something glinted in the corner of her eye, and she immediately made her way towards it in hopes that it was something worth selling.

Luckily for her, she wasn't wrong. It was absolutely something worth selling.

Sitting on the dresser beside a hairbrush and other accessories, was a hairpiece, one seemingly made of gold. Seng picked it up with delicate fingers, staring at it in silent wonder. It clearly belonged to the girl sleeping in the bed behind her, the valuable metal shaped into the shape of the Fire Nation’s crest. An accessory made specifically for a noble.

How much could she get for something like this? She could probably buy Shu’s boat!

With an eager smile now that she has her ticket north, Seng pulled her pack off of her back, preparing to shove it inside, only to be interrupted before she could.

“Sneaking into my chambers while I sleep… Putting your hands on the property of royalty… You must have a death wish.”

Seng’s hand froze mere centimeters from putting the hairpiece in her pack as the voice came from behind her. She whipped her head around, horrified to see that not only had the girl awoken while she had been looting the room, but she had also somehow managed to stand up from her bed without Seng hearing or even noticing.

Locking eyes with her, the noble held up a hand, making Seng tense, before her eyes widened as a bright blue flame burned to life within her palm, lighting the room a cool shade of azure.

‘Blue fire…?’ Seng thought, staring at the flames in surprise and wariness. She brought her gaze back up to the girl who was eyeing her with a golden-eyed glare.

“You've made a poor choice tonight, thief…” The girl said slowly, staring Seng down, “Stealing from the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation is a mistake that few live long enough to regret. You will be no different.”

Her voice was calm yet every word sent a shiver down Seng's spine. There was danger lurking behind her gaze, like a predator spotting their preferred prey in the wild, and Seng felt herself tensing almost automatically.

The princess suddenly narrowed her gaze and the fire dancing in her palm suddenly doubled in size, the heat so great that Seng could feel it from several feet away. She tensed, unsure of what to do as the princess stared her down, “For intruding upon my personal chambers and daring to steal the royal hairpiece, I'll ensure your end is especially painful.”

The princess suddenly moved, blurring into motion so fast that Seng barely had time to widen her eyes before a blazing torrent of flames was sent straight towards her face, intent on burning it off.