2 Prologues: The Actress
Tansanee kept a close eye on her brother as the sun began to set. He had been practically glowing all evening. Their parents had come home a few hours ago, but Ryo hadn't said anything to them about leaving in the morning. Tansanee had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't told anyone but her.
Suddenly she was worried. The Souvanatong family was one of the most prominent families in Agna Qel'a. How were her parents going to look when everyone found out that both of their children had run away? Would it be better if she stayed? The girl felt conflicted. She hugged her knees close to her, tuggin her night dress over them to cover her ankles.
Her mind was mostly made up to join her brother, so the time was coming to set her plan into motion. She needed to wait until Ryo was asleep to do anything. The hours crawled by agonizingly slow, till finally she heard him stop shifting in his quilts and his breath evened out. She loomed over her brother, holding the curtains of her hair back to look him in the face. He was very handsome, and all the girls in town had asked him out at least once. His features were more familiar to Tansanee than her own.
She arose quietly and dressed warmly. The cloud sailor would be high in the clouds and it would be frosty till they reached the Fire Nation. The beads on her parka clicked as she fastened the coat, and she froze. Eyes wide, she watched her brother for any signs of movement.
The girl finished dressing and rolled up her skins to fill with extra clothes and food and water. The night was still. Snow fell softly upon her hometown, and cold water lapped gently against the sides of the canals. She would miss the familiarity of this place. The tranquility. But it was the only place she had ever known...she wanted more than this.
She trekked as quietly as she could to Lorna and Hina's house, a few streets over. They had a private lot behind their icy house in which they kept their cloud sailor. The couple were traders who were gone more often than not and had seen nearly every place in the world. Tansanee had discovered her passion for discovery from listening to their stories as a kid. Many of the beads on her jacket were gifts from them, carved with the colors of other nations.
The cloud sailor was the water tribe version of a war balloon. A large skiff with a generous hold, it was topped with safety rails and an enormous set of lightweight sails. It was powered by water bending. Once it was pushed into the water, the benders would send bursts of water vapor into the vertical and horizontal sails to push the boat up and forward at the same time. It would rise until it reached the clouds, where it had an endless fuel supply. If the clouds dried up, it could be used as a regular boat.
Tansanee crawled into the contraption and got belowdeck, curling up behind her makeshift pack. She was grateful for her small size, but knew that she would get cramped soon. She tried to fall asleep, and hoped that the morning would come soon. She didn't want to be discovered until it was too late to turn back.
