The meal was spicy. A little too spicy that Sooyeon thought her whole mouth was on fire. She had never encountered these strange red peppers in her meal before and if it wasn’t for her father telling her not to eat them, Sooyeon thought she was going to die. On several occasions she saw the fire nation girl looking at her with that condescending smirk. Her agony seemed to fuel the laughter in her eyes. How she hated her more and more.

Luckily, the dessert was tame. It was a large chocolate with a molten center. It was sweet and warm causing her cheeks to flush red from the utter delight. She noticed the stubborn fire girl liked sweets too with her 3^rd helping of cake. Maybe she did have a soft side after all.

“That was a wonderful meal. Thank you for hosting us.” Chief Jung proclaimed as he patted his bloated stomach.

The fire nation leader placed both hands on the table as if to get up, “I am pleased to have you here. If you don’t mind, I would like to talk some business before you rest for the night. I would do it tomorrow morning but you see the Fire Festival is starting and I will be very busy then.”

The eldest of the water nation shook his head, “No problem at all. I will have to call my guard to take Sooyeon home. She wouldn’t want to hear what us old men have to say.”

Laughing the fire nation leader gesture to his daughter, “Never mind that. Have my Taeyeon take her back. She knows the way to where you are staying.”

Both Taeyeon and Sooyeon groaned internally at this plan, but Taeyeon being obedient, “Yes father.”

“There! You see. She will be in good hands.”

The water chief smiled as his daughter, “I will see you when I am finished. Don’t wait up.”

“I will go to bed as soon as I arrive. I promise.”

Kissing his daughter on the head, “Good girl.”

Sooyeon smiled at her father before going over to Taeyeon’s side whispering, “I don’t need your help.”

Taeyeon snickered, “Like you know where you are going.”

Both the girls bowed to their fathers before exiting the home. At first the two didn’t’ say a word, but Sooyeon was curious about one thing, “why didn’t you tell me you were the next heir?”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes, “I am not. My brother is. I am just the stand in while he goes away. Today I am my father’s favorite child because my brother is gone, when he returns, I am invisible again.”

Sooyeon frowned at Taeyeon’s situation, “I have a sister too…younger.”

Taeyeon looked the water girl up and down wondering why she needed to mention another sibling.

“I was jealous of her when she was born. My father loves her so much that he often ignored me and stopped training with me when she was born. Then I realized that she need more care than me. I was more than capable of going to classes and practicing my bending on my own. He wants me to be strong and independent to rule the nation one day. I don’t think having a sibling makes him love me less.”

Taeyeon stopped walking to face the water girl, “your nation is strange. Love and affection is only shown through dependence and resilience. I would often fight my brother and whoever won, father would be most proud of.”

Sooyeon laughed, “I think I now know why they say fire and water can’t mix. You will never understand my nation’s way of life, just like I can’t understand yours.”

“I agree with you on that. To us, your nation is weak.”

Sooyeon almost fell on the floor laughing, “You really believe that? Is it because we can show love?”

Taeyeon leaned on a nearby can, “That and water is not very powerful.”

“Oh yea? I can blow things up just like you. Water has its own dangers.”

“Wanna bet?” Taeyeon lifted her brown in a challenge.

Sooyeon stood up straight, “Fine. Let me prove you wrong and…and whoever wins gets to choose a prize.”

Taeyeon smirked loving this challenge, “Challenge accepted.”

“I will not duel you…do you know a place where we could destroy some things?”

“Oh yes. I have the perfect place in mind.” Taeyeon smiled excited for this little game. It has been a long time since she felt such an exhilaration for something so silly.

Sneaking around town, Taeyeon convinced Sooyeon to slip behind the city walls to some unknown location. Sooyeon didn’t know why she was so trusting of the fire girl, but when she looked into those yellow eyes, she saw a glimmer of happiness. Although what they were about to do is a silly bending game.

“Here!”

Sooyeon looked around to see nothing, “I really have no idea what you are proposing.”

Taeyeon walked forward for a bit past a few trees and pointed at an abandoned village, “Around 5 years ago, this was an Earth nation village, but a huge fire consumed most of the houses. The Earth nation blamed us naturally, but that makes no sense. Why would we need to burn down a little Earth nation village?” Stepping around some of the rubble Taeyeon stopped at a small shop, “These people lost their homes and livelihoods. Most of them needed to make money to support their families so they moved to other villages in the Earth nation. So here we are, an abandoned playground.”

Sooyeon went around the streets before climbing over a wall and into a home, “Is it scary to say that I can still feel their presence here?”

Taeyeon came over and saw the layout of the house, “No one was killed if that is what you are implying?”

“No.” Sooyeon gestured around the house, “Can’t you just imagine that this was the bedroom, over there a kitchen and here the area where they ate. It is like you can feel the happy memories they must have had here.”

Taeyeon shrugged, “What is the point of happy memories with no roof over your head? Also, all of this will be erased soon. I heard we have plans of expanding our walls. If you and I don’t destroy it today, it will still get destroyed in the near future.” Kicking a few rocks, “So are you ready to be amazed at my amazing bending skills?”

Sooyeon scoffed, “You wish.” Looking around, Sooyeon saw no open water source, “Hold on. Wouldn’t this be more fair if we did this with a place that had water too?”

Taeyeon laughed, “Are your bending skills so weak that you can’t make it out of thin air?” Snapping her fingers, Taeyeon produced a small flame that she formed into her hand, “Fire benders need nothing but our skills.” Shifting her left foot back, Taeyeon ed her arm forward sending the flame into a small shop, causing a small blast of dust in the air, “If you have no water, I assume you forfeit our wager.”

Sooyeon also let her foot go back into a battle stance, “You think there is no water? Although water can’t always be seen, it is all around us and under our feet. Without water, the plants can’t grow and the air would be as dry as the sun.” Concentrating, Sooyeon moved her hands around like a ball. The more she spun around her hands, droplets of water started to form into her hands until she had enough to snap her right arm forward and then kicked around to her other foot so she could use her other hand to turn the waterball into ice as it smashed through another building.

Taeyeon nodded in approval, “Impressive. I might have underestimated you.” Not one to be bested, closing her eyes, Taeyeon fisted her hands together and breathed in deeply. Focusing all her chi to where she wanted, the girl kicked forward with a tornado of fire coming out, completely burning the store.

Sooyeon let out a small clap, “Not too bad, but we should make this more interesting. Instead of showing off our skills like this, we should see who can destroy more things within a time frame. That would require skill and speed.”

“I accept!” Taeyeon moved around the town, “You get that side and I get this one. 1 minute to do the most damage.”

Sooyeon moved over and clasped her hands together, “I am ready when you are.”

Taeyeon took a battle pose, “I am too.”

Sooyeon breathed in deeply, “Ready.”

“Set.”

“GO!” Sooyeon held her hands up as she all the water out the ground, surrounding herself with water droplets. her hands, they all turned into shards of ice before she ed her body forward and released the razor sharp shards all over the buildings before her.

Meanwhile, Taeyeon used her hands and feet to kick and punch flames into each building she saw. It was an endless dance of spins, kicks and directing the fire with her fists.

Rubble fell from the buildings, old windows were shattered, any greenspace caught aflame during the constant barrage of fire and ice.

“Stop!” Sooyeon said after the minute passed.

Taeyeon bent down out of breath from the intense workout, “It has been a while since I did that much…”

Sooyeon breathed in deeply to compose herself before opening her eyes, “Your side is still burning.”

Taeyeon wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked up, “What did you do to yours? All your buildings have holes.”

Looking back and forth, Sooyeon concluded, “Tie. You just caused your buildings to go on fire and I made a ton of holes…neither of us win.”

“What?! No way! That building is going to collapse any second now…”

Sooyeon laughed, “so will mine.”

Taeyeon didn’t know why but she started laughing too.

Another minute passed before both girls stopped their laughs and fell onto the ground catching their breath, “The moon makes my bending more powerful.”

Taeyeon was also on her back looking up at the moon, “I am the opposite, I get the greatest strength from the sun.”

Sooyeon smiled, “We have a moon festival back home…we dance and have great food. It is a time to celebrate the gifts we were given by the moon goddess. Is that the same for your Fire Festival?”

Taeyeon to her side to face Sooyeon, “No. It is not for the sun if that is what you are asking. It is a celebration of the whole Fire nation showing our power and glory.”

Sooyeon also to her side to see Taeyeon, “Not to diminish your celebrations, but that seems less significant.”

“Why? It is a festival about us.”

“Celebration should be to give thanks. Thanks for all the good things you receive, not for what you have accomplished. It sounds selfish to celebrate something like that.”

“You just don’t understand. Tomorrow, you will see what a true festival is like. It will be unlike anything you have seen before.” Taeyeon said proudly before standing up, “not much dancing I am afraid…”

Sooyeon smiled as she took Taeyeon’s hand to get up, “already you are telling me it is no fun.”

Taeyeon huffed, “Dancing is such a silly thing. Only clowns dance for our amusement.”

“It is fun. I bet you have never tried dancing before.”

“Of course I have. The fire nation has some traditional dances that us royals must learn.”

Sooyeon rolled her eyes, “That isn’t the same, see you have to move your body move to the music like this, and then your hands…” Without thinking, Sooyeon reached forward and took Taeyeon’s hands in her own, “Arms can do this.”

Taeyeon blushed as she quickly retracted her hands, “…silly. Anyway, I need to get you back. I mean we both should get back.”

Sooyeon stopped dancing and sighed, “Minho is probably out trying to find me if father returned to the hotel.”

Taeyeon collected her jacket and put it back on, “Is he the man from before? Tall…muscular…rude.”

“Yep. That is him, but he isn’t rude. He just gets his point across fast.”

“Is he your bodyguard? Or something else…like a future leader in your village?”

Sooyeon stuck out her tongue in disgust, “No way! I see him as a future general, but nothing more. He is the top soldier in the village, assigned for my father, but Minho is always sent to find me when I try to have fun.”

“Are you saying I am your fun for tonight?”

Sooyeon wanted to find a witty comeback, but for now she had to agree, “I didn’t have a bad time if that is what you are asking.”

Taeyeon smirked, “better than your silly moon dancing?”

Sooyeon shoved Taeyeon’s shoulder, “Not even close.”

Taeyeon smiled as she caught up with Sooyeon, “you water tribe people have a strange sense of fun. Bending is something not all of us can do in our nations…so it is fun when you can don’t you think?”

“Then only a few of the people in your nation can have fun? Dancing is a collective gift that we all…well the water nation can do.”

“I told you, I can dance!”

Sooyeon turned around and started walking backwards, “I won’t believe you until I see it for myself.”

Taeyeon frowned in disappointment, “I…”

Before Taeyeon could answer, a tall mysterious man, cloaked in black ran between the girls. Taeyeon and Sooyeon assumed a battle pose until the man took off his mask, “Miss I have been looking all over for you. What are you doing on the outer walls?!”

Sooyeon and Taeyeon relaxed as they recognized Minho, “There is no danger out here.”

Minho looked at Taeyeon for a second, eyeing her out.

“She isn’t dangerous either.”

“I need to get you back.” Minho stood tall, executing his authority.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes at the man trying to look threatening.

“We were heading back.” Sooyeon interjected.

“I will take you back.” Minho insisted.

Sooyeon looked at Taeyeon who was watching her just as intently with those yellow eyes, “Taeyeon was-“

Taeyeon started walking towards the village, “I am going.”

Sooyeon reached out and caught Taeyeon’s coat, “Wait…See you at the festival?”

Taeyeon lightly tugged her arm away from Sooyeon’s grip, “Of course. I am the main event.”

Sooyeon smiled, “Will I see you dance?”

Taeyeon scoffed, “Don’t be silly.”

Sooyeon laughed, “But I expect to be entertained!” Sooyeon knew Taeyeon could hear her, but she watched the woman walk away until she dissapeared into the darkness.