Zhao's arrival

I took a long time to just talk to other soldiers. Trying to get gossip or rumors about the world. I also constantly practiced my bending, I could only practice fire bending and its sub-bendings. The only none fire based bending I could practice was lava bending and that was only based on lava bending was very established. After all this time, the only progress I made was learning about Zuko's banishment and his quest to find the avatar. If I was correct I was 1 year younger than Zuko, and with lion turtles gone I wanted to be constantly up to date. Learning Zuko's age it gave me a decent idea of when I was.

It sucked, knowing how things would go down, but then not knowing how things would go down. On the bright side of this I got decent surprises like Zhao having a large cutting scar across his face. It was an easy assumption to say he was attacked by Wan Shi Tong, though as to how he got the scar across his face was story I wanted to know. I didn't really know how to challenge him to an Agni Kai, if I just walked up to him and challenged him it would look like I'm arrogant. I needed him to issue the Agni Kai, to do this I wasn't quite sure however. As I was wonder how to be enough of an asshole to Zhao for him to challenge me, he came to me.

"So you are the famous lava bending prodigy? I must say it is pretty interesting being able to bend a type of earth as a fire-bender, if there wasn't reports of you actually fire-bending I would almost suspect you of being an earth-bender."

I stared at him, did he imply I was a spy or was he implying something else. I would had no idea how to respond to that honestly. "I don't really understand what your implying Captain Zhao, but I can tell when I have been insulted. I was born and raised within the our great nation, and I will have to protect not only my honor but the honor of our nation as well. So if you wish to be so brazen about disrespecting where I have been born, you should just insult yourself as well in the process. Please go do your job, while I do mine. I have a few reports to file and clean up the tunneling site."

His eyes twitched, I think I had him. i wasn't sure though, he had fought Zuko in an Agni Kai but hadn't ever challenged anyone. I hoped my bullshit was able to piss him off enough to actually challenge me though, after all he tried to attack Zuko after the Agni Kai was done. He was able to be pushed over the edge, I just had to find the edge. As I walked away though I heard some whispers...

"I have never heard of a fire bender who can earth bend, I want you to watch him."

"Sir, If you don't mind me asking what do you mean earth bend?"

"The only documented lava bending reports all came from earth nation benders, and last time I checked the earth nation doesn't bend fire."

So he read up on bending techniques eh? This meant his time learning about water spirits might've lead him to other nation techniques...A little disconcerting, but I now had to reorganize my list of Tasks, Zhao would be last. He just provided me the extra set of hands for that earth nation encampment. If his squadron didn't help, I could then accuse him of helping the earth nation perhaps? I could easily get him to challenge me if I could set him up.