Intensity

"Isn't it strange that Mistress Michi would come to see us off?" Suki questioned Katara with an innocent expression while Katara frowned, unable to hide her discomfort as well as Suki, but still played along, "I know right? But she did say she wanted to see off her saviors... do you remember saving her specifically?"

Nik silently looked at Katara before a cyan crystal almost nail-sized appeared in his left hand. Tossing the crystal into his mouth, Nik let out a pleased grunt, his eyes squinting.

"Stop enjoying candies!" Katara hissed.

Since they were a King's guest, they were filled with reserves in the matter of a day before they left. Suki, Katara, and Nik took on foot since the two did not want to ride Komodo Rhinos while Nik also made sure to devour the ship Zhao arrived in while the firebenders were temporarily imprisoned and the prisoners of the ship now freed. Most of them were captives from the war itself so being able to recollect their bearings in Omashu was a great blessing to them. Yet, Bumi also had a lot of work on his... 'hands' at the moment.

The crystal Nik swallowed was one of the most popular sources of trade— Rock Candy.

"Look, we've been on foot since morning. It's been four hours," Nik sighed, "And you said you'd boil the water but all of us are getting hungrier."

"Then why don't you say it out loud?" Suki crossed her arms over her stomach as it grumbled softly. It's simply amazing how her stomach hadn't acted until someone spoke of starving next to her.

"Say what out loud?" Nik questioned.

"You know what..." Katara pouted.

"Ah... I remember now!" Nik patted his forehead, "I really did forget to tell you something."

Nik gazed at Katara, making her expression ease somewhat. However, instead of doing what the two had expected— admitting to his crimes, Nik did something else. Something appeared on his left palm again. In his hand was a light blue cylinder with one end of it shut by a black cork.

"What... is that?" Katara inquisitively eyed the water tribe's mark on the length of the cylinder as Nik continued to smile and work silently. Uncorking the cylinder, he shifted the opening downwards onto his right palm and a brown, somewhat old scroll slid out.

"I cannot help but notice that you lack insight in waterbending. Would this help?"

Nik questioned, unfurling the scroll as Suki was leaning forward by now, too. Both the girls' blue eyes trailed the contents of the scroll.

On the surface was drawn a series of figures performing a set of moves with a conspicuous representation of water being moved to the will of the movement.

Not only that, there were many details written down in fine print and Katara's eyes widened the moment she realized what this was.

"It's a waterbending scroll!" She cried out in pleasant surprise.

"Exactly," Nik rolled up the scroll and placed it back into the blue tube before pushing the cork down against the opening.

"Thank you so much," Katara instantly smiled when Nik chuckled with mischief flashing through his eyes.

"What will you give me in return?" Nik uttered.

"Huh?" Katara blinked.

*Kuuunnn*

Suki pressed down on her stomach as she cringed due to embarrassment, "Let's drop everything for the moment. Nik, take out some jerky, oh, and the canteen of milk. It should still be warm, right?"

'Milk and meat?' Nik looked at Suki but didn't question her taste in food. Instead, he brought out rations not only for her but for himself and Katara, too.

Katara, by now, had an indignant expression, fully knowing that the karma of annoying Nik had caught up rather quickly and it was similar to the bite of a Bitchshark (Dogshark).

Their meal lasted a few minutes with a pot of water left cold, still waiting to be boiled only for Nik to silently store it away. Aside from a light package filled with emergencies, a pouch of water for Katara to bend, and Suki's weapons belted on her waits and shield guard strapped onto her arm protector and properly folded in, everything else was stored into Nik's space.

[Name: Nik Faran

Age: 20 (80)

Code: GC—EHG—98034

Authority Rank: 0 (89.7461/100)

Paradise: Transmigration

Bloodline: Adonis' Ember (Common)]

'So close,' Nik judged internally. He was looking forward to changes once he reaches the next rank.

"So... I was thinking... how stupid our argument really was," Katara's words made Nik and Suki roll their eyes at the same time as an endearing grin touched Katara's lips but the healthy blush of shame due to the realization of how her actions would be perceived also kissed her cheeks in tandem.

"Right? So stupid," Nik smiled, waving his hands with a chuckle.

"Exactly. There is no shame in admitting it. It's not like you did anything wrong," Suki pursued with a serious expression.

"What did I do?" Nik inquired again, "And if I did something that you think I did which also happens to be, as you say, not embarrassing, then why don't you tell me what you think I did so that I can confirm if I did what you think I did or if I did not do what you think—"

"Stop! Stahp!" Suki groaned, unable to hear the long, confusing passage anymore as Nik grinned.

"So?" Nik glanced at Katara.

"So?" Katara looked confused.

"You want the scroll?" He continued.

"I want the scroll..." Katara nodded seriously, "Please?" she added hopefully, wanting her exotic charm that she think she had to work on Nik but almost getting ensnared by his intense gaze she coughed softly and waited.

"Well..." Nik narrowed his eyes, "Why don't you tell me the thing you think I did?"

Katara blinked as Nik held the tube from one end and waved it towards her, "If you speak, I will give you the scroll."

"Really?" Katara inquired. Suki looked doubtful, too.

"You did... ehm..." Katara lowered her head, face flushed and warm as she stuttered, "M-Michi?"

'Well... that is the summary for it,' Nik mused with a shrug as he tossed the useless tube (to him) towards Katara and she caught it promptly.

The two women gaped.

Nik really did give up the scroll.

"Uh..." Suki looked at Nik.

"It wasn't that hard speaking it out loud, right?" Nik winked as he stretched his arms before standing up, "Now, let's train! I really want to beat you in a proper fight!"

"Wait, what?" Katara interjected, "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Nik nodded.

"You were truly having an affair with Mistress Michi?" Suki inquired. Now out in the open, she realized... she didn't even have any reason to feel uncomfortable.

"Well, she was getting ignored by her husband and I was being ignored by my first and second wife," Nik pointed out as the duo flinched, never considering the possibility that handsome men can be this shameless, too, "So we found comfort in each other's arms."

"We were just acting!" Katara complained.

"How hurtful, to think I'm the only one who took our roles seriously," Nik heaved a sad sigh before clapping his hand, "Now, can we train?" He smiled.

Speechless and lost by the entire conversation, Suki stood up silently while feeling a bit numb herself, Katara opened the tube and unfurled the scroll. While she did read it, she only felt distracted, having to read stuff again and again.

---

"Huff!" Nik stumbled back on the ground, various parts of his body soaked in sweat as his arms spread out with grass grazing past his injured knuckles which made his expression turn a bit pained.

"Is something wrong?" Suki sat beside him and inquired softly.

"Come on? Is it still about Michi?" Nik groaned. He, too, felt a little disheartened when he thought of Michi. By any standards, Nik didn't want to leave Michi if possible. They 'clicked', after all. Yet, he was weak and Michi was scheduled to return to Fire Nation and once she learned of the reason for Nik's departure, her reluctance turned into encouragement. After all, Michi didn't wish harm on Nik. Instead, she gave a clear explanation of where she lived in Fire Nation, and although not understandable at the moment, Michi was sure that he would be able to find his way through the directions she had sent him off with.

"No, not that... sorry for pushing, too. But you were too intense today... so I just felt curious," Suki's glance landed on his fists. She had no thought of bandaging him up. It was part of the course since Nik needed to understand a bit about healing herbs, too, and a warrior who cannot take care of non-fatal injuries, at least, by the slightest, needs to be taught on the 'how.'

"I just realized that yesterday..." Nik muttered after a few seconds of silence.

"I thought I wanted a reason to do things... to live. Have ambition... and I did. I have a pretty awesome ambition now," Nik chuckled, "But I felt so stupid when I understood that I don't need a reason to get strong. To be safe. To be strong enough to defend myself and not get injured."

"You... were under the impression that a reason is needed to ensure one's safety?" Suki had a strange expression as if she was looking at someone foolish.

"Tell me about it. I'm only beginning to think straight," Nik snorted another chuckle as he sat back up, "So? What's next?"

Suki pursed her lips seeing his enthusiasm. It was annoying because he wasn't alone.

"Hey! Look at this!" The two gazed in Katara's direction as she aimed her palm towards her open pouch before moving her arms swiftly only for nothing to happen.

"Oh... did I get something wrong?" Even without registering the duo's attention, Katara knelt and picked up the scroll to go through the contents of the move she had been practicing for an hour once again.

"Come on, what's next?" Nik pulled on Suki's attention as a tick mark felt creeping up on her forehead and she forced a pleasant smile, "Hand-to-hand Combat."

"I thought it was making medicine..." Nik blinked.

"No, it's sparring," Suki stood up as Nik shrugged and got up himself.

"So, how do we—"

"Too slow!"

*Pah*

*What the—"

"Too naive to stay in one place!" Suki left no inch of Nik's meat unbeaten.

---

The wilderness only grew as they walked towards the north. Their destination was, according to Bumi, should be a village called Makapu. The operator caught by Bumi had revealed that the process of controlling the minds was extremely delicate and it was currently only spread to the major cities of the Earth Kingdom and other important locations that even he wasn't aware of.

Sadly, due to the Waterbender captives located within this village, it was one of the spots where this tactic was used, although, not in a higher capacity since the region was only inhabited by a village.

According to Bumi and what he had heard over the past three years, the geographical spot was where Makapu village is situated is quite convenient to imprison waterbenders there.

Traveling a day and getting beaten up at the beginning of it already took a lot out of Nik but the journey was mostly pleasant.

The trio stuck to the weary trails formed by constant traveling that led them through a safer route and having a more informed and recent map from Bumi helped them a lot. For the most part, the group had yet to interact with another group of travelers but they had planned to stop by another village on their way to Makapu since traveling three weeks straight was not what any of them wanted, eliciting a groan from Nik again since traveling on Komodo Rhinos would have been convenient... but then again, the two beauties were only pleasant to him and not Katara and Suki.