HOME | DD

Description
Chapter Four: "Softened"

“Bumi, what are you doing…” Jeong Jeong froze as he turned, eyes locking in on Piandao.

“Why I was just showing Master Piandao around camp.” Bumi offered in response to the almost question.

Jeong Jeong’s surprise quickly dissolved, leaving behind a harsh glare; he turned his head to avoid looking at the swordsman. A dull ache throbbed in Piandao’s chest; this was not the reunion he had hoped for.

“Very well.” Jeong Jeong walked around them, heading for the camp’s border. “I will take your place for watch duties.”

***

“We can not stay here. The Fire Nation will send more men now that you have deserted as well.” Jeong Jeong informed Piandao; the two were seated in Jeong Jeong’s tent, discussing what their plan would be now that Piandao had left the army. “I do not wish to put this village at risk by staying here.”

“Even if we leave, these people are still at risk. If the Fire Nation learns that they aided us, they will show no mercy. We should stay to defend them.”

He shook his head, “The villagers are prepared to move when we leave. This seperation will be better in the long run.”

Piandao processed this information; staying here and defending the village would work for a while… but the Fire Nation would send more troops than they could handle. He sighed, “When will we leave?”

“In two days. A few of the men have offered to travel with us.”

…

They decided to head east, around the swamp, towards Omashu. There were several villages around the area that they could gather supplies; hopes were high they could reside safely in the city for a while.

“Let us come with you.” Sio offered. Nava stood at his side, a bag clutched in her slender hands.

“You two go on with the rest of the villagers.” Piandao smiled. “Go start a family and be happy. Jeong Jeong and I will be fine with the men we have.”

Nava stepped forward, holding the bag out. “At least take this. There should be enough medical supplies in there to last you until you find a village. Jeong Jeong’s eye needs to be treated daily.”

He nodded, taking the bag from her. “Thank you, Nava.”

He leaned forward to bow in gratitude and departure; he blushed when the woman leaned forward and kissed his cheek, being caught off guard.

“Thank you for saving my husband. We will miss you.”

…

“You never told me why you spared my life.” Piandao asked, trailing behind and to the left of Jeong Jeong. They were no longer part of the army, he could walk side-by-side with the man as a companion if he so wished, but he still felt that aura of demanded respect radiating around the fire bender just as strong as it had been on the day they first met. The band of villagers accompanying them, six men altogether, book ended them; three to the front, three to the rear.

“You never asked.”

“I’m asking now.”

“Have you ever killed a man?”

“No but-”

“Keep your hands- and conscience- free of that burden.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Would you have killed me?”

The question caught him. His orders had been to capture the deserter by any means necessary; no complaints would have been raised had he returned with a corpse. “Murder is murder no matter the situation. It would go against my morals to take another’s life.”

Jeong Jeong nodded, “I could tell.”

Piandao shot him a questioning look.

“It was easy to observe by your fighting stance… and the way you hold your brush when painting. Your eye for detail is outstanding. Are you self-taught?”

He was starting to become irritated with how off-topic the conversation was, “Yes I am, but must you continue to change the subject?”

“I never changed the subject. You wanted an answer and I’m giving it to you.” He stated, “You may have been unfortunate enough to have been born in the Fire Nation, but you are not like them. Your spirit has not been tainted by the savage curse of fire. That is why I spared you.”

Piandao did not question this line of logic; it made perfect sense.

…

They set up camp just outside the boundaries of the swamp, deciding it best to pitch the tents where the ground was still guaranteed to be solid. It may be days before they get through the icky water, even if they were trekking around it as much as possible.

“It’s not going to be an easy trip.” Piandao held his hands to the fire, catching the warmth the flames provided. The night chill was settling over them; the grass prepared for frost.

“If deserting the army were easy, more people would consider doing it.” Jeong Jeong sat away from the rest of the men, preferring to warm himself with his fire bending than to sit and be sociable around the fire. Piandao let out a small laugh at how blunt the fire bender was; the other men ignored them, continuing their own conversation concerning the swamp.

“The swamp contains magical properties.” Tep spoke up. Piandao had been dismayed when he found out he had volunteered to join their crew. Despite being accepted by the other men, Tep seemed to still resent him, shooting him glares at every possible moment. “They say you see people in that swamp; some of them are ghosts, some are visions of people you’ll meet in the future. It’s sacred land, that swamp, connected to the Spirit World…”

Piandao shook his head; he believed in spirits, yes, but some things seemed a bit out there for him. But let the men have their ghost stories.

…

Piandao remained by the fire as the rest of the men retired; he had first watch that night. A breeze blew in from behind him, pulling the fire away and bringing a harsh chill to him.

“I suppose that is one good thing about being a fire bender.”

Piandao nearly jumped out of his skin; he had thought that Jeong Jeong had went to bed like everyone else. He hid his surprise, “Hm?”

“So long as I am conscious, I can use my bending to keep my temperature steady.” Jeong Jeong sat beside him, watching the fire flicker with a degree of hate in his gaze.

Silence. A group of cricketants chirped in the background. He decided to break the silence.

“When I was a child, I would have given anything to be able to bend fire like you.” His tone was near emotionless, quivering on the brink of despair. “They were ashamed that their only son wasn’t a great bender, so they took me out of their lives.”

“You may not think so, but fate showed you great mercy when she chose to make you a nonbender. Fire only brings out the destructive qualities in men.”

Silence consumed their conversation once again; only the sound of the fire popping and crackling and the sound of the cricketants sung to them. At some point, the fire fell dangerously low in the pit; Jeong Jeong observed this and flicked his wrist. Them flame obeyed him and danced high again. Piandao added more wood to prevent it from lowering again. One of the men came to relieve him of his post not long after that. Piandao stood and retreated to his tent; Jeong Jeong remained sitting by the fire, meditating.

This became a nightly event for the pair: Piandao would take first watch, Jeong Jeong would sit up with him. Some times they would talk, others they would meditate. It was nice to have the company, to have a friend.

***

Piandao stared at the new outfit he had been given after settling into his tent; he would change into it after he had gotten some sleep. He sat on the blankets provided for him to sleep under, meditating, reflecting. He needed to keep his priorities straight.

He needed to train, to get used to the feel of the uniform and be assured that it would to nothing to hinder him in battle. He also needed to stay focused on the upcoming battle; the meteor was growing ever closer. He couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Unfortunately, that meant he would have little time, if any, to try to patch things up. No matter how much he wanted to be close to Jeong Jeong again, fate was not on his side. And after the war, there was no guarantee he’d see the man again…

Sighing, he laid back, burying himself under the blankets. He dreamt a pleasant dream of an altered past- one in which he never returned to the Fire Nation, where he and Jeong Jeong had never fought, never parted ways. He dreamt a horrid nightmare of an unthinkable future- one in which Jeong Jeong died during the battle.

Description
Chapter Four: "Softened"

“Bumi, what are you doing…” Jeong Jeong froze as he turned, eyes locking in on Piandao.

“Why I was just showing Master Piandao around camp.” Bumi offered in response to the almost question.

Jeong Jeong’s surprise quickly dissolved, leaving behind a harsh glare; he turned his head to avoid looking at the swordsman. A dull ache throbbed in Piandao’s chest; this was not the reunion he had hoped for.

“Very well.” Jeong Jeong walked around them, heading for the camp’s border. “I will take your place for watch duties.”

***

“We can not stay here. The Fire Nation will send more men now that you have deserted as well.” Jeong Jeong informed Piandao; the two were seated in Jeong Jeong’s tent, discussing what their plan would be now that Piandao had left the army. “I do not wish to put this village at risk by staying here.”

“Even if we leave, these people are still at risk. If the Fire Nation learns that they aided us, they will show no mercy. We should stay to defend them.”

He shook his head, “The villagers are prepared to move when we leave. This seperation will be better in the long run.”

Piandao processed this information; staying here and defending the village would work for a while… but the Fire Nation would send more troops than they could handle. He sighed, “When will we leave?”

“In two days. A few of the men have offered to travel with us.”

…

They decided to head east, around the swamp, towards Omashu. There were several villages around the area that they could gather supplies; hopes were high they could reside safely in the city for a while.

“Let us come with you.” Sio offered. Nava stood at his side, a bag clutched in her slender hands.

“You two go on with the rest of the villagers.” Piandao smiled. “Go start a family and be happy. Jeong Jeong and I will be fine with the men we have.”

Nava stepped forward, holding the bag out. “At least take this. There should be enough medical supplies in there to last you until you find a village. Jeong Jeong’s eye needs to be treated daily.”

He nodded, taking the bag from her. “Thank you, Nava.”

He leaned forward to bow in gratitude and departure; he blushed when the woman leaned forward and kissed his cheek, being caught off guard.

“Thank you for saving my husband. We will miss you.”

…

“You never told me why you spared my life.” Piandao asked, trailing behind and to the left of Jeong Jeong. They were no longer part of the army, he could walk side-by-side with the man as a companion if he so wished, but he still felt that aura of demanded respect radiating around the fire bender just as strong as it had been on the day they first met. The band of villagers accompanying them, six men altogether, book ended them; three to the front, three to the rear.

“You never asked.”

“I’m asking now.”

“Have you ever killed a man?”

“No but-”

“Keep your hands- and conscience- free of that burden.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Would you have killed me?”

The question caught him. His orders had been to capture the deserter by any means necessary; no complaints would have been raised had he returned with a corpse. “Murder is murder no matter the situation. It would go against my morals to take another’s life.”

Jeong Jeong nodded, “I could tell.”

Piandao shot him a questioning look.

“It was easy to observe by your fighting stance… and the way you hold your brush when painting. Your eye for detail is outstanding. Are you self-taught?”

He was starting to become irritated with how off-topic the conversation was, “Yes I am, but must you continue to change the subject?”

“I never changed the subject. You wanted an answer and I’m giving it to you.” He stated, “You may have been unfortunate enough to have been born in the Fire Nation, but you are not like them. Your spirit has not been tainted by the savage curse of fire. That is why I spared you.”

Piandao did not question this line of logic; it made perfect sense.

…

They set up camp just outside the boundaries of the swamp, deciding it best to pitch the tents where the ground was still guaranteed to be solid. It may be days before they get through the icky water, even if they were trekking around it as much as possible.

“It’s not going to be an easy trip.” Piandao held his hands to the fire, catching the warmth the flames provided. The night chill was settling over them; the grass prepared for frost.

“If deserting the army were easy, more people would consider doing it.” Jeong Jeong sat away from the rest of the men, preferring to warm himself with his fire bending than to sit and be sociable around the fire. Piandao let out a small laugh at how blunt the fire bender was; the other men ignored them, continuing their own conversation concerning the swamp.

“The swamp contains magical properties.” Tep spoke up. Piandao had been dismayed when he found out he had volunteered to join their crew. Despite being accepted by the other men, Tep seemed to still resent him, shooting him glares at every possible moment. “They say you see people in that swamp; some of them are ghosts, some are visions of people you’ll meet in the future. It’s sacred land, that swamp, connected to the Spirit World…”

Piandao shook his head; he believed in spirits, yes, but some things seemed a bit out there for him. But let the men have their ghost stories.

…

Piandao remained by the fire as the rest of the men retired; he had first watch that night. A breeze blew in from behind him, pulling the fire away and bringing a harsh chill to him.

“I suppose that is one good thing about being a fire bender.”

Piandao nearly jumped out of his skin; he had thought that Jeong Jeong had went to bed like everyone else. He hid his surprise, “Hm?”

“So long as I am conscious, I can use my bending to keep my temperature steady.” Jeong Jeong sat beside him, watching the fire flicker with a degree of hate in his gaze.

Silence. A group of cricketants chirped in the background. He decided to break the silence.

“When I was a child, I would have given anything to be able to bend fire like you.” His tone was near emotionless, quivering on the brink of despair. “They were ashamed that their only son wasn’t a great bender, so they took me out of their lives.”

“You may not think so, but fate showed you great mercy when she chose to make you a nonbender. Fire only brings out the destructive qualities in men.”

Silence consumed their conversation once again; only the sound of the fire popping and crackling and the sound of the cricketants sung to them. At some point, the fire fell dangerously low in the pit; Jeong Jeong observed this and flicked his wrist. Them flame obeyed him and danced high again. Piandao added more wood to prevent it from lowering again. One of the men came to relieve him of his post not long after that. Piandao stood and retreated to his tent; Jeong Jeong remained sitting by the fire, meditating.

This became a nightly event for the pair: Piandao would take first watch, Jeong Jeong would sit up with him. Some times they would talk, others they would meditate. It was nice to have the company, to have a friend.

***

Piandao stared at the new outfit he had been given after settling into his tent; he would change into it after he had gotten some sleep. He sat on the blankets provided for him to sleep under, meditating, reflecting. He needed to keep his priorities straight.

He needed to train, to get used to the feel of the uniform and be assured that it would to nothing to hinder him in battle. He also needed to stay focused on the upcoming battle; the meteor was growing ever closer. He couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Unfortunately, that meant he would have little time, if any, to try to patch things up. No matter how much he wanted to be close to Jeong Jeong again, fate was not on his side. And after the war, there was no guarantee he’d see the man again…

Sighing, he laid back, burying himself under the blankets. He dreamt a pleasant dream of an altered past- one in which he never returned to the Fire Nation, where he and Jeong Jeong had never fought, never parted ways. He dreamt a horrid nightmare of an unthinkable future- one in which Jeong Jeong died during the battle.