Men of Hate and Appreciation (2)

The sight of Makapu Village stunned the trio for a moment. Be it Omashu, Chay Thang Colony, or other villages in their journey still developing to be a colony, there seemed a sense of harmony. Of course, this excluded the village near Omashu who had their children taken away until just several days ago. That location was gloomy. However, now, the three of them sensed tension. A barely tolerable one. The Makapu Village had fire nation soldiers guarding all around but they didn't converse with the villagers.

In fact, the two sides completely opposed one another. For a moment, Nik's gaze fell on a distant mountain. A volcanic one, if Bumi is to be believed and the known location of the waterbending prisoners.

While the two parties ignored one another, the villagers suddenly shot glares in their direction. More specifically— Sun.

"You seem popular around here," Nik tried to converse once again but Sun merely scoffed, refusing to reply.

"Tch, I want to punch that traitor's face in," a voice blew over.

Katara and Suki looked at each other as others began to speak softly, "Hush, Aunt Wu said not to antagonize them. Has she ever been wrong?"

"Come on, just because he stopped the lava from flowing once doesn't make him less of a traitor."

Each comment, for better or worse, made Sun's body tense until they reached the other end of the perimeter of the village where two fire nation soldiers secured the entrance of a traditional mansion. Katara's body tenses at the sight of guards so close until...

"Oh, Sun! Are these the ones Aunt Wu sent you to bring over?" One of the guards removed their mask covering the face of the helmet to reveal a goofy-looking woman. Goofy as in her smile. Seeing her, Sun visibly relaxed instead and shrugged, "Something like that. I think Granny Wu will be interested in seeing him," he pointed back with his thumb towards Nik as the two guards looked at him. The woman's eyes lit up but then she glanced at Katara and frowned, a little curious why the water tribe woman was so freaked out.

"Why's that?" The other guard inquired while Sun passed them and brought the trio along, pushing the doors of the mansion open while keeping his reply concise, "Because Granny Wu didn't see him coming."

Once the four individuals entered the mansion, Sun waited by the entrance without raising his voice.

"Uh... are you not going to call out this Granny Wu?" Suki inquired, causing the teen youth to mumble, "I used to... but years of experience with Granny has shown me that it's pointless."

Before he could be questioned further, the doors further past the wooden hallway of the mansion slid open and Nik was reminded of the paper doors that slid open in his homeworld, a specific point he noted in Yuuko's and Megumi's home.

From the door came forward a tanned girl. Sweet smile and wide, brown eyes. She wore a pink robe with purplish, embroidered ends and her dark, wavy, and quite literally unruly hair tied into two braids that curved upwards. Giving a toothy grin to Sun, she skipped forward, "Sun! She did say you'd get here. Sorry, I was busy learning a few signs." Then curiously looking over his shoulders, the young girl, probably as old, if not older than Sun, greeted with a bow, "Hello, my name is Meng. I am Aunt Wu's assistant and help her daily."

"I am Suki, it is nice to meet you," Suki returned the bow, making Katara and Nik follow with the same.

"Anyway, tell Granny Wu for me that this guy here, Nik, is not someone she told me about," Sun gestured in Nik's direction causing Meng to blink before she glanced at Sun with a smile that Nik was all too familiar with, "Really? Then you should wait with us... we could really use your protection."

Sun frowned, posing a question, "Granny Wu doesn't need any protection. She said that to me the first day she took me in... did something happen?"

"Umm..." dodging his gaze, Meng stuttered, "It isn't for Aunt Wu..."

"Oh, you mean the mansion?" Sun shrugged, "I guess I can take a few more minutes out but I need to go back to the cells after that."

"Hmm," Meng nodded, gesturing for the four to sit on the cushions set nearby and then brought a set of snacks. "Please wait for a few minutes. I will call each of you one by one as Aunt Wu asks me to." Meng stated, sneaking another glance in Sun's direction.

"So? Who is this Aunt Wu? Or Granny Wu."

Suki questioned, noting that Katara was more comfortable by being silent around the more militaristic side of the Fire Nation while Nik enjoyed the snacks, filling his unusually large appetite as usual.

"You'll meet her soon enough," Sun kept up with simple answers that didn't give out too much.

"That's fair," Nik swallowed the chewed chunk of sweet wrappings Meng had presented and changed the subject, "I hear that you can stop the flow of Lava... weren't you an earthbender?"

Sun's body froze as his expression grew a tad bit gloomier, "None of your concern."

"And the village hates you. Like, they ignore others. But you... wow, pure hate, or fear. But not Miss Meng and probably Granny Wu, right?" Nik smiled.

"Again, none of your concern," Sun snorted.

Nik didn't push further. The complicated architecture of the mansion made it so that he couldn't hear things from a distance more easily. By now, Nik was getting more and more sure that this was probably an instinctive use of some form of bending.

While the four of them sunk into silence, Meng finally walked out once again.

"Um, Suki, Aunt Wu wants to meet you."

Meng smiled at the auburn-haired woman as she glanced at Nik, causing him to shrug. He was as lost as the remaining team members.

Once Suki left, Meng gave her simple directions and sat in front of the guests instead.

"Nik, is it?" Meng smiled, "Why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself? Did you see interesting things during your travels?"

In return, Nik saw through the simple but genuine plow. Returning with a smile, he replied, "A few. Of course, if Aunt Wu did predict our arrival, she must have seen quite a few things, too, right?"

Meng stuck her tongue out, realizing she had been found out. Of course, Sun's constant acknowledgment that Aunt Wu failed to 'see' or in this case 'predict' Nik made it easier for him to conclude a few things.

"Katara, right?" Meng turned to Katara who kept mostly to herself, "Can I try and read your palm? I'm helping Aunt Wu more and more these days. Of course, you can ask Sun. He knows I'm good."

Seeing others gaze at him, Sun shrugged, "Doesn't matter since Granny Wu would be doing the same thing."

'Wow... look how smoothly he rolls over any predictable relationship,' Nik chuckled internally. But then again, Sun didn't seem the most subtle individual, and his constant frowns and scowl made it clear that he wasn't the easiest to interact with either.

"How about mine?" Nik offered, stretching out his hand with a curious expression.

"Alright," Meng nodded. Holding Nik's wrist, she traced her index finger over the lines of his right palm and hummed curiously.

"So," she began, "Um, are you a perhaps a warrior?"

Nik and Katara instantly rolled their eyes, the credibility of this Aunt Wu decreasing ever so slightly.

---

"So, you can predict everything?" Suki inquired a wizened old woman with greying hair tied into a loose bun and her head adorned by a headgear that seemed to be an inverse of the traditional symbol of wisdom— a crescent curving around a small circle. Suki took in the appearance of the woman and the room. Thickly decorated, similar to her make-up but it only made them look more dignified— Both, the woman and the room.

Sitting on a cushion in front of Wu over a small fire maker, Suki waited for the woman's reply.

"No one can predict everything. Just as how I couldn't predict the arrival of the third one in your group. But please, do call me Aunt Wu."

"I'm—"

"Suki, I know," the woman smiled.

"Did you predict that?"

"No. Meng informed me."

The reply caused Suki's lips to twitch. But in hindsight, she should have expected something like this. She wouldn't be the first person to test and doubt Aunt Wu.

"What I can tell you is something more interesting other than your name. So, Suki, is there something you want to ask?" Aunt Wu smiled, confusing Suki.

"Didn't you want something from us? You did send Sun to pick us up—"

"Before you could infiltrate, yes," the woman nodded.

The revelation caused Suki to narrow her eyes while frowning.

"I can ask anything?" Suki inquired again to which Aunt Wu nodded.

"What do you want from us?" She stated, making Aunt Wu chuckle, "I was hoping something along the lines of fortune-telling. Or other forms of prediction. After all, that is the art I excel in."

"Fine," Suki scoffed, "What do you see in my future... say, five years?"

"Your hand, please. Right one," Aunt Wu gestured, making Suki place her right palm over Aunt Wu's hand as the older woman closed her eyes and softly whispered a few things under her breath.

"I sense great things. Notable of them all is the downfall of Phoenix and your support to the Avatar."

Suki's body tensed instantly but she kept waiting until Wu opened her eyes, smiling smugly, "And a romantic interest. A warrior from the south with a flair of dumb jokes."

Suki's mind reeled as Aunt Wu perfectly described Nik who came from the south to Kyoshi Island and boasted a few dumb jokes and puns at times.

"Is that it?" Suki inquired with a renewed vigor, causing Aunt Wu's smile to widen.

"So, it does interest you, too, right? How lovely. I enjoy sharing such passionate talks."

---

It took a few minutes until Suki walked out and silently sat next to Nik. Glancing at him more than ever, enough to cause Katara surer of her suspicions. But unable to voice them, Katara entered through the same door which Suki was led into by Meng.

Unlike Suki's calm observation, Katara took everything with a sense of amazement. Her gaze roamed over to the decorations before she gazed at the old woman gesturing for her to sit in front.

"Hi, I'm—"

"Katara, I know," Aunt Wu nodded with a complacent smile but oddly suspicious after Meng's lack of display on Nik, she questioned, "Did... Meng tell you that?"

Wu blinked and nodded, "Insightful one, aren't you, young waterbender."

Katara flinched this time.

"Don't worry. You can call me Aunt Wu, Katara. Just like what I told Suki, I mean you no harm. In fact, I am destined to not only help you but the Avatar in finding the right direction, too. So, feel free to ask me anything."

"Can Sun really bend Lava?" Katara instantly questioned. She had heard a few whispers while moving through the village and Meng, obviously, poured over many feats Sun had achieved. Hearing her question, Aunt Wu sighed softly.

"It is called Lavabending. A rare form of earthbending," Aunt Wu replied, "And Sun can naturally bend Lava, more so than chunks of earth at times."

Katara grew silent and then inquired with a conflicted expression, "If he is an earthbender... why does everyone hate him? Didn't he save the village? At least, that's what I have heard."

"He has saved this village but Sun isn't from the Makapu Village. Instead, he comes from Yu Dao Colony... quite a bit away from here. He came to Makapu Village while the Fire Nation soldiers were setting up their bases," Aunt Wu revealed, a piece of particular information catching Katara's sense but she kept her silence. "In reality, Makapu Village is near that Volcanic mountain and ever since I have settled here, I predict each year if the volcano would destroy the village or not so that we can leave the location in a timely and orderly manner.

One particular year... six years ago, I suppose, I predicted that the village will not be destroyed. But was it because of the Fire Nation soldiers doing something at the base of that mountain or not, the volcano did erupt."

Katara gasped softly, "What then?"

"Sun saved the village. His ability to bend Lava brought him praise from the Fire Nation soldiers but the others..." Aunt Wu shook her head, "Colonies have already accepted the mix of two cultures but many villages still can't. The villagers of Makapu fear Sun's Lavabending. Ironically, Yu Dao Colony did, too, which caused him to leave his home in search of another one. Still, saving the villagers earned him grace from many."

Katara nodded, a bit stiffly.

"So... the villagers here only hate him because..."

"He resembles a fire bender," Aunt Wu revealed a bitter smile.

"And I suppose Sun is one of the key members that should be keeping the volcano from erupting no matter what the Soldiers do near the base of the mountain," Katara concluded. Aunt Wu had already revealed many hints that also seemed to suggest that she knew what the trio had arrived for but neither Suki nor Katara admitted it openly.

"He is," Aunt Wu nodded, "What can a boy do except keep a distance from those who do not want him and stay near those who appreciate him?"

This hit Katara harder than she would have expected. She suddenly recalled her innate distaste for every fire bender and citizen in general and even if she did put a facade of acceptance, deep down, she simply couldn't come to terms with accepting those who tore her family apart. But now, she met with someone who was the opposite. While she hated, Sun was the one being hated upon and for reasons that shouldn't be his fault...

Then again, Katara realized, how different was she from the hypocritical villagers who scowled and growled at their own savior?

"Hmm?" Aunt Wu hummed, "For a Southerner, you have really smooth skin. Do you use some lotion?"

Brought out from her gloomy thoughts in such a screeching drift of a steer of conversation, Katara couldn't help but chuckle wryly, "Yes, I actually have this seaweed lotion. I share it with Suki, too. My grandmother taught me how to make it. It keeps the skin smooth and the region of use doesn't grow unnecessary hair, too."

Katara's words caused Aunt Wu to exclaim, "Oh, my! Could you share it? I sense a great romantic interest coming my way in a few days. A lord, if you believe me. Mighty and having a back of a tiger..." revealing a blush that almost made Katara bash her skull in, Aunt Wu continued, "So... I wanted to prepare."

Forcing a smile, Katara gave the details but this made her curious once again, "Um... you said you foresaw a romance... could you..."

Katara lowered her head, raising her palm in silent approval as Aunt Wu traced her fingers through Katara's hand, "Hmm, I sense a great interest in your love line. You will find comfort in the arms of a powerful bender. Playful at times, naive, too. But he is capable of great change and bringing one to the world, too."

Katara blushed slightly.

'A powerful bender... playful and sometimes naive... like how he can be oblivious to my signals sometimes... could it really be,' Katara could only relate to one powerful bender near her who even had troubles controlling his strength and he was certainly playful. Michi's situation directly came to Katara's mind and if a married woman can forget her husband and status then... 'his' embrace would most certainly be comfortable, right?

Katara soon came out after a long chat. In fact, despite her deeper realizations, she felt happy and comfortable but once she sat next to Nik, she couldn't help but display the same patterns that Suki did.

Meng was certainly confused while Sun picked his nose, attracting Meng's attention.

"Fine, it's my turn, right?" Nik smiled, breaking Meng out of her fantasies as she nodded in a hurry, more than willing to let Aunt Wu try and understand the anomaly.

---

"So, Sister Wu, I can ask you anything?" Nik questioned as Wu's expression brightened.

"Child, didn't I just ask you to call me Aunt?"

"Nonsense," Nik scoffed, "If I call you Aunt... it would bring a certain something inside of me that I can't afford to run amok else it might threaten to break down the walls, and ruin the mattresses," he ended with a warm smile but his words were anything but so... 'moderate.' Just listening to Nik's blatant and obvious intent caused Wu to roll her eyes but her smile didn't lose its luster.

"So, I take, you enjoy older women," Wu questioned.

"Truly a great fortune teller, you," Nik chuckled.

"So? Nik. You are one mystery I couldn't unravel. The spirits won't talk to me about you except lies. Mischievous ones, the lot of them. Takes good skills, measures, and experience to understand the difference between the truth and a lie. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually. Can you tell me what you told Katara and Suki? Because I don't mind the way they are looking at me and I wonder if me saying it would bring me... rewards. Of certain nature."

"I was just made to believe you are a man of elder interests," Aunt Wu narrowed her eyes.

"It's because of the experience," Nik smiled, "I feel that those older than me are generally wiser. And if I have that... level of wisdom, I can guide those who thirst for such enlightening experiences."

Wu finally scoffed a chuckle. It has been a long time since she enjoyed banter. The Villagers would simply believe every single prediction of hers and granted her rate of success is 100%, a being like Nik truly made her feel a little refreshed.

"I see... oh, well. Katara and Suki merely talked about general things. The stuff they should wear or not wear. What they can eat or not," Wu smiled, not willing to give out the 'juicy' details, "And some cosmetic products that can keep the skin smooth and continue to restrain the growth of hair."

"Oh," Nik blinked, "Do you mean the weed lotion?" He inquired.

"You know?" Wu looked surprised as Nik shrugged, playing his cards close to his chest, "I do. Who knew it's so simple, right?"

"Exactly. Years of fortune-telling didn't teach me that all it takes a vial of grounded seaweed mixed with the nectar of ground lilies to make such an effective lotion."

Nik nodded plainly.

'Well... that's one doubt cleared,' however, he cheered inwardly.

"Hmm, Nik, what do you think of fortune-telling? Something tells me that someone who cannot be predicted will make a great fortune-teller." Aunt Wu suddenly questioned.

"I don't know," he shook his head, "If I cannot be predicted... as you said, then there will be many who are the same. And I'm sure that it predicting future accurately cannot be such a simple thing to learn given that Meng... couldn't do anything."

"Of course, it's hard. A person needs to be spiritual. More than spirits themselves, a few times."

Wu smiled.

"May I ask something?" Nik thought for a moment.

"Anything," Wu nodded.

"What are spirits? I mean, how can you talk to them... and what do you talk about?"

"Hmm," Wu closed her eyes, "It is hard to explain in words. Spirits... can be considered... experience and nature given form. But again, I warn you. Spirits, more often than not, are mischievous and conniving. Be cautious should you meet any one of them."

Nik nodded. Wu's expression finally eased as she continued, "So? It is quite rare to meet a person like you. Would you be willing to share some stories from your journey?"

"Um, sure," Nik nodded.

---

When Nik finally came out after a chat with Wu longer than Suki or Katara, the two women instantly glanced in his direction as if expecting some form of clue in through his facial expression but not recognizing anything of value, they collectively sighed softly. This caused the duo to look at each other, an odd blush reaching their cheeks.

"Wu said that we can stay in the mansion for a few days so we don't have to look for other residences," Nik revealed.

"Don't call Granny by her name," Sun frowned, causing Nik to shrug. "By the end of the session, Wu and I became really good friends. She insisted I drop the formalities, so I did. Oh, and she wanted you to bring Meng to the top of the mountain for a vase of Panda Lilies."

"Hmmm... fine." Sun stood up, looking in Meng's direction, "Come on."

"Ah, on the way, we will stop by Uncle Pot's shop for a serving of Sweet breads!" Meng instantly revealed a toothy grin, causing Sun to banter, "Do we have to?"

"Of course! You like them from the moment you came to the village. Besides, he's the only one who wouldn't overcharge you!".

"Hey, not so loud!" Sun groaned, causing the guards outside the mansion to snicker good-naturedly, something that caught Katara's attention again.

***

Shout out to Adrian Chow!

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