A few hours later, the group was gathered in what could be described as the tent that served as the office of Hakoda, the leader of the Southern Water Tribe.
Shisui's group and Zhao represented the Fire Nation, even wearing clothing or emblems that showed their affiliation with that nation. Perhaps the only one 'out of place' was Shisui, in his classic black robes with gold accents.
Next to them, representing the Earth Kingdom, or at least the Beifong family, were Toph and her master, Lao Ge. After the Elder's demonstration of power and the assembly of the Difference Machine, he was invited by Hakoda.
The Southern Water Tribe is represented by Hakoda and his wife Kya, as well as Sokka and Katara. Although there were many 'youngsters' present, everyone knew that only a few were allowed to talk at this gathering.
"I don't think it's a good idea to invite a Ba Sing Se representative, but the Beifong family's reputation is quite well known in the world, isn't it?" said Hakoda, noticing Lao Ge's bored look, which caused the elder to nod.
"Well, I understand that my apprentice's family is quite prominent. And since this seems to be a meeting to discuss news about the Avatar... I guess it concerns many parties here," Lao Ge replied, glancing sideways at Zhao, who was wearing his Vice Admiral's uniform.
"I don't know what they see so much in my family; my dad is drowning in papers, and my mom wants to marry me off to 18-year-olds..." Toph muttered with some resentment, but everyone could hear her.
Ty Lee had to hold back her laughter at the teenager's words, it was the first time she had heard the word 'old' used to describe an 18-year-old man, which she certainly found quite hilarious.
"Ignore her, She's in her rebellious phase." Lao Ge gently patted his apprentice's head before apologizing on her behalf.
"Don't worry, young people are always like that, they usually don't understand the efforts their parents make for them," Zhao commented from experience, making the atmosphere less tense.
Although trivial, this kind of conversation sparked communication among the three groups, and they gradually got used to chatting with each other without so much rigidity.
Soon, the topics of conversation came down to the most important: the Avatar. The Fire Nation's attempt to 'eliminate' the Avatar 100 years ago was discussed, and the atmosphere became a bit tense until Shisui spoke up.
"These are terrible mistakes of the past that scarred not only the Fire Nation but the world, and the current nation is not aligned with that thinking. Sozin himself felt remorse for his actions, and our entire nation will forever owe the Air Nomad." With Shisui's words, the other groups understood two things.
The Fire Nation's current attitude had truly changed from the way it had acted years ago, when it had seemed like a rabid dog ready to bite anyone who got in its way.
Yes, the Fire Nation was attacking everything it could, in a great battle front that it was only able to resolve because of the high technology that the war had advanced. If it were any other nation, such an act of madness would be costly.
Even in the present day, with so many changes brought about by Shisui and the rest of the Fire Nation, many people still held a grudge, nay, a hatred for the Fire Nation, which was somewhat justified due to their past actions.
The other thing that was clear from Shisui's words was his affiliation with the Fire Nation. His affiliation with the Fire Nation was clear when people heard the way he said 'our entire nation. '
Kya looked at Shisui carefully, feeling a little sorry that the relationship between Shisui and the Fire Nation was quite faultless and correct, where she couldn't find any cracks to take advantage of.
After all, who wouldn't want Sage Shisui to be a part of their nation? Rumor had it that many families were sending proposals to Shisui, not only from the Fire Nation but from the Earth Kingdom and even from Agna Qel'a, the capital of the Northern Water Tribe.
But she didn't focus much on that, now she had a much better target to work on, Zhao. Kya always paid close attention to this particular man, so she was able to notice the subtle reaction Zhao had when he heard Shisui's words.
Rejection. It was a small reaction of rejection to Shisui's words. The man knew how to control himself quite well, but Kya could notice that small gesture, which made the plans in her mind surge endlessly.
"So we can assume that you're not here to hunt him down or anything, right?" Hakoda got straight to the point, causing the Fire Nation group to wear different expressions.
"Our Fire Nation has no such intention; in fact, our original intention is to accord with him or her," Zuko replied this time, taking the lead in the conversation.
"My father even plans to use him or her as a mediator because even if the war is at a low pace, it is impossible to stop it." Zuko's words echoed loudly because it was true.
So many decades of war, struggle, suffering, and hatred could not be eliminated by mere wishful thinking. No matter how much one wanted it, the snowball had already grown so much that no one could stop it, only mitigate it.
"The desire for peace is in many, but you must know that the Avatar, though powerful, is only human," Hakoda replied, and this time it was Zhao who continued the conversation.
"Avatars are not just a human, they are like the valve of this world, keeping things from reaching their limit. Except for some Avatars with strange hobbies, many of the Avatars' actions have a strong purpose.
Remember Avatar Kuruk? He was thought to be lazy and useless, but through the other Avatars, we learned of his actions against the spirits that harmed the human world.
Even if a nation could fight those spirits, it would still suffer, but Avatar Kuruk took care of them all by himself," Zhao said, absorbed in his role as one who genuinely sought the Avatar to bring 'peace' and end the already very long war.
"True. The power an Avatar can unleash can greatly silence anyone who tries to continue the war. Also, depending on how many years the Avatar lives, the new generations can grow up without so much hatred and suffering," Lao Ge added from experience.
Being 4,000 years old, what had Lao Ge not seen or heard? He had seen even more terrible acts than those committed by Sozin at the beginning of the current war.
Having seen peace and war alternate in the world, he was already insensitive, especially since so many of those changes came from the Avatar.
"So, since we felt the Avatar's awakening, not only do we feel the desire to seek him out, but by rule there must be more people interested in seeking him out, perhaps to recruit him, perhaps to kill him, or perhaps to manipulate him.
At least we are honest and clear in our purpose," Zuko said, causing Hakoda to touch his chin and sink into thought.
"The spiritual pulse came from here. Even though I am not a Waterbender, I am an experienced fighter, and I could feel the highly spiritual atmosphere that day," Kya said, giving her husband time to think.
"Yes, it was probably felt all over the world. It was as if the world itself was announcing his return. What would he have done? Maybe he reached a higher level of power or had some success in his training, who knows," Lao Ge blurted out his view of the situation, unaware that he was barely touching the truth.
"Is it confirmed that he is the ancient Avatar? The one believed to have been born decades ago? But what if he's from the Water Tribes? Who knows, maybe they hid him here?" This time, Zhao decided to do a little test and looked at Hakoda, who looked up, his face full of mockery.
"We hardly have any waterbenders here. Do you think the Fire Nation has spared us all these years? Hehe, he's probably an Air Nomad elder. Those guys are fanatical about asceticism and meditation, aren't they?
Who knows, maybe he was meditating on an iceberg and just woke up with hemorrhoids from holding a meditative posture for so long." Hakoda showed his rude nature by saying these words without any regard for decorum or the polite and respectful facade he had maintained before.
As the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, he was not only a pirate but also a warrior tested by blood and fire, so he had no compunction about speaking his mind.
Even though his words were close to the truth, it was obvious that Hakoda was very upset about Zhao's test, and more than angry, he was resentful.
He didn't like Zhao very much, and as the leader of his tribe, many of the Waterbenders killed by the Fire Nation's actions were acquaintances and even friends of his.
"I'm sorry, Vice Admiral Zhao may not have known how to explain his words well. But we have a thought that he is probably a fairly old Airbender.
We don't know if he has mastered other elements or just achieved great spiritual achievements, but that doesn't change our purpose, which is to meet him, not to attack or pursue him." this time, it was Azula who took the lead, giving Zhao a stern look before speaking.
Zhao had to resist the princess's predatory look; her bad mood was obvious. Zhao's words had ruined what little good atmosphere there was in this meeting, and she didn't like that.
Though she always let Zuko or Shisui speak for the group, she was also a princess, a person with well-earned merits in the army in the heat of battle, and above all, a person with a very hard attitude towards anyone but those close to her.
At least Azula's words calmed Hakoda, who gave the princess a nod before speaking again, this time much more calmly and decorously.
"Whether it's a super powerful elder or a waterbender, we don't know, it doesn't matter, does it? If what we want is news, to be able to talk to him or her and have a healthy relationship, the main thing is to find out the basics.
What does the Avatar want? We want things from his person, but as a human, it is impossible for him not to have desires and feelings, even if he is an ascetic, he must want something, and if he asks for it, how will we solve his request?" these were the questions Hakoda was thinking, because as a pirate, he understood human nature quite well in his way.
"This... Isn't the Avatar someone who acts for the good of all?" asked Katara, a little surprised by her father's questions.
"Katara, learn something: No one, and I mean no one, acts out of kindness alone. Not even Sage Shisui would do that, would he? Even the peach tree he planted is only out of pure kindness; at least he will get some benefits from our side, right?" said Kya, and with his question, she looked at Shisui, who nodded.
"Yes, people who act out of pure kindness are so rare that they could be considered unique in every generation, and I'm no saint... I want a lot of those peaches in the future," Shisui said, his little joke easing the tense atmosphere of the meeting.
"What could an Air Nomad elder or a stray Waterbender possibly want - women? Money? Power? I mean, if he's an Air Nomad, it's probably the former to revive the Airbenders, hehe." Although it had a certain joking connotation, Lao Ge's words made some sense.
Even the most ascetic would feel sadness if his people were nearly wiped out, wouldn't he? Although asceticism is just a guess, all available identity options should be considered.
"Wouldn't it be easier to find him and ask him?" asked Shisui, getting a few looks from some people.
"Isn't it more fun to think about what a being as powerful as him would want?" asked Toph, revealing the desire to gossip in some of those present.
Even Zhao wanted to say and hear what the acting Avatar would want!
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AN: Cof cof. I will see the Moon eclipse woooo.