Into the Fire
collab with @Mobley Eats
"Excuse me, miss."
Wei froze.
...Who in the actual fuck had the
audacity to approach her? Especially after the shit she just pulled with that pathetic little merchant man? Stiff as a plank of wood, she turned and took in the newest face--and instantly dubbed it as annoying. Well, anyone could've showed up and she still would've came to the same deduction.
But still, either way. This man's presence fucked with her on a spiritual level.
"Didn't ask for your name or for you to come bother me," she grumbled, gaze snapping down to the offered hand… Another scoff escaped her, eyes rolling as she merely slapped it away. "Fuck off, Mak-whatever."
The corner of Makoto's lips were pulled upwards into a smile. Wow, not even sparing a moment. He could
feel the hatred radiating from the young woman, so much so that it was almost as if someone was spitting fire in his face. Even as his hand was smacked away, Mako didn't waver. He let out a soft
hm, and carried on as if nothing happened.
"I'd do that, if you didn't look
exactly like the type of person who's going through the Si Wong desert. And who would probably fight their way through it until the sand swallowed them whole." His tone got dark and gloomy, before he cleared his throat once more and reiterated his peppy smile. "But, luckily, I'm the best guide you'll find for miles. Miles and miles of sand. And nothing else. Pretty expansive. Pretty daunting. Unless you've got a good guide."
"Holy
fuck, you're still talking?!" A low growl escaped Wei, her agitation bubbling more and more by the second. Who in the hell was this prick anyhow? And what right did he have to randomly approach her and assume all this shit about her? Crossing her arms and burning twin holes through the man, she muttered, "How fucking fascinating. I won't say it again, dipshit--fuck off. My business is none of yours."
Makoto stared down at Wei, unphased by the glare that threatened to rip through his soul. She was definitely terrifying - he wasn't going to deny her that. A vicious teenager was not something to be underestimated. But he wasn't about to miss a business opportunity.
"Alright," Mako said, putting his hands up. "So, we'll skip your business. Let's talk about...." He scanned the room, and then pointed to the older looking man entering the inn. He didn't look
old, just
older, and definitely wise. "Him. He goin' through the desert?"
Wei's eyes followed Mako's finger, gaze falling on General Fong Xu. He seemed to be checking in his squadron, talking casually with a woman manning the front counter. As soon as the face registered, a sneer pulled at the teen's lips and her eyes rolled. "The fuck is it to you, huh? I've seriously never met such a nosy and weird fuck like you," she grumbled.
Regardless, Wei wasn't blind to an opportunity for freedom. If this idiot stranger wanted to chat up Fong Xu, then be her fucking guest. Heaving a sigh, she cupped her mouth and yelled out, "Oi, asshole general!"
A pause…
Slowly, calmly, General Fong Xu turned in the pair's direction, dull eyes scanning the situation from afar. In the next moment, his gaze roamed the ceiling, a silent prayer to himself before politely excusing himself from the counter. He approached at a steady pace, his armor clanking quietly with each step. "...I hope you'll remember to address me with more respect in the near future, Wei," he said.
Wei merely flashed him the middle finger.
The general bit back a groan. "...What do you need from me…" The question was pointed initially at Wei, until his attention finally took in Makoto and the question suddenly dispersed between both of them, waiting for an answer from either party.
Makoto couldn't help the chuckle that fell out of him as…
Wei called over the general. A fitting name. His laughter quieted the moment the general came into view. He didn't look like a man that appreciated being laughed at.
Well.. No one did, really. Beside the point.
"...Sir," Makoto offered, with a little respectful bow of the head. "I was curious as to whether or not you were planning to travel through the Si Wong desert. If you seek a guide, look no further. My name's Makoto."
Fong Xu's brow crinkled in pleasant surprise as Makoto bowed; he never viewed the residents of Chisawa as ill-mannered or inferior to him. Never. However, being shown blatant respect for his rank wasn't exactly at the top of his expectations list for the duration of his team's stay here. The general mirrored the bow, bending at the waist and holding it a moment before erecting his posture. "A pleasure, Makoto--"
"Fucking lies," Wei grumbled.
"--As a matter of fact, yes. We will be traversing Si Wong after resting for the night…" To be perfectly honest, he hadn't considered hiring a navigator but it made plenty of sense to do so. In hindsight. As mentioned before, he'd only crossed the desert twice in his life and one of them was still fuzzy in his memory. Thus, seeking out Makoto's services could be beneficial…
But he wouldn't just subject the safety of his squadron to a face he'd just met.
"How much experience do you have, Makoto?" he asked.
Makoto's gaze continued to fall to Wei, trying not to show his amusement for her little interruptions. "The desert is as much my home as Chisawa, sir. I practically grew up in it. I'm a travelling merchant, with business on the other side, so getting across quickly is as much my interest as yours."
Any other selling points? Makoto paused. "Oh. And I'm a proficient sandbender. In case the desert really decides to swallow us whole." He chuckled at his own joke.
Fong Xu hummed, nodding here and there as he listened to Makoto with diligent ears. So far, he liked what he was hearing; although he hadn't told him much yet, he'd been saying all the right things. They would need to travel as fast as possible; the less of a wait his fellow rebels could endure in Gooling, the better.
But then the man's surprise doubled, somewhat showing through in his features. "A sandbender? Well, that's intriguing." Without missing a beat or batting an eyelash, his leg swept at Makoto's feet, curious to see any instinctual bending unfold.
"Intriguing? I mean, it's -- AH --" A cry erupted from Mako at the sudden attack, not having expected it one bit. Out of pure instinct (maybe it was panic, a little bit of panic, a lot of bit of panic) sand from the pouch on his hip and dove for his feet in an attempt to harden around his ankles and steady him. It was too little too late, however, and despite the sand that met his feet, Makoto still hit the ground with a hard
thump, back connecting with wood as pain laced up his spine.
"...Ouch." He muttered. "...Did not expect that."
A guffaw immediately escaped Wei before erupting into a long string of cackles. "Ha! Serves you fucking right!" The smile stretching across her lips was the widest it had ever been.
Fong Xu, on the other hand, failed to spot the humor. Humming in satisfaction, he extended a hand out to Makoto with the intent to assist him back onto his feet. "I see… Apologies for that, Makoto. I just wanted to check behind your tracks. There's nothing worse than entrusting a new face to my precious squadron and realize that they're not as competent as they say."
"He's still not competent at all," Wei said while rolling her eyes. "The idiot can barely stay on his own feet--"
"If I recall correctly, Wei," the general interrupted, tone even and chilled, "Everyone's first instance of so-called incompetence shouldn't mark their overall skill. If that were the case… watching you, an earthbender, blatantly take a boulder to the back would've ejected you from my squadron immediately."
Wei's face burned an entirely new shade of red, her features contorting with bubbling rage. "You! I! F-fucking!
FUCK YOU IT WAS A SNEAK ATTACK!"
"Eloquently put, as always," the general sighed.
Gratefully, Makoto took Fong Xu's hand and pulled himself up, dusting himself off and returning the sand to his pouch with a practiced flick of the wrist. "I understand," he offered with a nod, trying not to let redness reach his cheeks as Wei's cackles resounded. He couldn't help a surprised cough at Fong Xu's heated comeback, which sent Wei down a whole new angry path. He covered his mouth to hide the smirk, clearing his throat and returning himself to a level of calmness he'd been trying to keep.
"Very eloquently." Mako echoed with the ghost of a chuckle. "Would have thought she'd be a firebender, but… do you sandbend?" He directed the question towards Wei, but turned back to Fong Xu quickly. "Depending on the size of your… squadron, we can take my sandsail. Especially if I have another sandbender the trip will be easier. Unfortunately I'm a one man show. But am… am I at liberty to ask what your squadron is doing crossing the desert?"
"No," Wei growled, the heat still lingering in her cheeks. She had resorted to folding her arms tightly, nails digging into the skin of her forearms, and turning her back to the pair while adopting the guise of occupying her gaze on a far off batch of merchants. After a moment of gnawing the inside of her cheek, she burned through Makoto with a glare so fiery that it could've confirmed his initial suspicions. "I don't have an affinity for fire or that flimsy sand bullshit. I bend earth."
"And patience," Fong Xu tagged on dryly, the volume just a step below a whisper, but more than loud enough to reach Wei's ears. However, before the teen could properly detonate for a second time within the same ten minute interval, he patted her on the shoulder. "But, I cannot overlook how valuable that stubbornness will be. Just… learn to direct it accordingly, Wei." Again, Wei just huffed and muttered curses under her breath, conjuring a multitude of creative ways to paint both men in bruises from head to toe.
The general's attention shifted to Makoto's latter questioning. "Honestly? No, you are not at liberty to ask, but I see no harm in telling you that we're simply a military force answering a distress call. They're waiting for us and need to get there as soon as possible… I doubt we'll be able to manage a sandsail if you're the only sandbender."
"..Ah." Mako murmured, shaking his head. "Well, even if we won't be taking a sandsail, I would still be happy to teach you some of that flimsy sand bullshit." He shot her a grin, even if his words were genuine.
"I have my own steed, so that won't be a problem." A military force, huh. They looked pretty… mismatched to him. Nothing like normal soldiers. Especially not Wei. "Interesting team you've got." He offered, rubbing the back of his neck, which was now a little sore.
They had an interesting relationship, the general and Wei. It seemed like some sort of mentorship, with all the hypotheticals thrown in the air. How valuable the stubbornness
will be. Perhaps it was a squadron in training.
"Well, we'll make the speed at which we get there priority number one. How many people are in your force?"
Wei rolled her eyes. "No fucking thanks. I'll stick with earth." The fucking audacity--as if she would ever consider learning anything from this prick. She'd rather chew off her own hand and feed it to a Fire Nation soldier. And that wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
"Interesting is…" A brief pause of contemplation from Fong Xu. "...A word. Yes. Along with potentially powerful. I have full faith in my group, after all. And we have nine members; the total would be ten with your addition to the batch. So," he politely folded both arms behind his back, gaze expectant. "What will you charge? No need in dancing around the topic you're most concerned about."
Mako shrugged. "Your loss. Not so fun being an earth bender in the desert if you can't sand bend. Nothing grounding." His tone was nonchalant. If she wanted to be helpless, that was her problem. Potentially powerful, Fong Xu said, but not powerful quite yet. Definitely a squadron in training. Wei looked young, too. Guess they were recruiting early.
"I believe you, sir." Mako said, a soft chuckle falling out of him at the man's next comment. Ah, yes. The big question. "Guilty," He said with a sigh. "Things have been… dry here, as I'm sure you can tell. You do what you have too." He pondered a moment, touching his chin in contemplation. "I think… five gold pieces would do it. If that's fair to you."
"Whatever." Wei was on the verge of driving her fist into Makoto's nose. It was by the grace of the gods and Fong Xu's presence alone that held her back from doing so. "How about you fucking talk less and focus on your job." Growing sick of the men's presence, she rolled her shoulders, eliciting a few pops that shot uncomfortable sensations down her bruised back. She managed to bite back a grimace and turned to go find a nice quiet corner to boil in until rooms were figured out.
"Get me when you're done spouting bullshit." It was unclear which male she directed the comment to.
Fong Xu watched her leave with a heavy and exasperated sign weighing down the back of his tongue. She was such… a handful, to put it lightly. But, he had dealt with far worse men in the past and refused to let her attitude bother him for long. "I… truly do apologize for her anger. The origins of it is beyond me. Our entire team, to be perfectly honest. Anyway…" He squinted at Makoto and fell silent for a few moments.
"...No, it doesn't sound fair. At all." He said this with the intent of leaving an ambiguous air about it, but he was more so leaning towards the fact that the pay was unfair to Makoto. Had he always been charging past customers such a low navigation rate? Or was it simply the norm for a tiny village like Chisawa? The general allowed a simple shrug. "But, if that's the charge, then so be it. Five gold. We leave no later than tomorrow afternoon, though I prefer to depart by morning."
"...Bye." Makoto said softly, waving Wei off even though she had already stomped away. He could see the exasperation in the general's gaze, and he found it somewhat amusing. It likely wouldn't be so funny once he was stuck in the desert with her, but...he'd cross that bridge when they got to it. "No need," Makoto said, waving a hand dismissively. Wasn't his place to apologize, "she's pretty feisty. Maybe it lends itself helpfully on the battlefield."
At Fong Xu's next statement, though, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He said it so calmly, yet firm, and Makoto couldn't wonder how exactly five gold pieces didn't sound fair, but before he could make any counterclaim, the general agreed. Much to Makoto's confusion.
"Morning it is." He said after a pause to recollect himself, offering his hand to the man. "It'll be a pleasure working with you, sir."
Expression plastered with the epitome of neutrality, Fong Xu accepted the handshake. His grip was firm. "A pleasure indeed."
