"That's enough, Sokka. Stop causing trouble," Katara said, approaching her brother, and touching his shoulder to signal him to calm down.
"Fine..." Sokka resigned, slowing the impulse of his body was releasing, and soon Zuko did the same.
"Sorry for my brother's rudeness," Katara, showing off her acting skills, apologized to the Fire Nation youths, even giving a slight bow.
"Don't worry, boys are like that," Mai replied, making Zuko do his best not to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, boys like to show off how strong and cool they are. Come on, come closer, I like your outfit," Ty Lee quickly grabbed Katara's arm and pulled her towards the group of friends.
Soon only Shisui, Zuko, and Sokka were left, almost as if this situation was a repeat of last night, only Aang would be missing to complete the foursome. Still, the boys 'interacted' pleasantly, causing Hakoda and Zhao to be effectively fooled.
"Looks like the boys got to know each other, that's good," Hakoda looked with some discomfort at Katara, who seemed to get along well with the Fire Nation nobles, before patting his eldest son, Sokka, on the head.
It was rather dangerous for Hakoda that Katara had decided to come with them to meet the Fire Nation entourage, but his wife Kya had decided that their youngest daughter needed to 'see the world,' and in particular, meet Sage Shisui.
The purpose? Hakoda didn't ask, with his age and experience, the best he could do was listen to his wife, so he just listened and brought his daughter to the meeting.
After all, Katara was a waterbender and could defend herself if things got bad, but seeing how the youngsters seemed to hit it off pretty quickly, in his opinion of course, he was able to put his mind at ease.
"So, Prince Zuko? A pleasure to meet you," Hakoda showed his hand to Zuko, who felt a little uncomfortable with the gesture, before holding Hakoda's arm, who did the same.
"You seem to know very well how to greet each other," Hakoda joked with a subtle smile on his face.
"Yes, although I was hesitant at first, then I remembered that Shisui taught me that kind of formality," Zuko was smart and subtly changed the subject to Shisui, causing Hakoda to finally look at the nearby sage.
"Fire Nation people greet each other with a fist bump, Earth Kingdom people greet each other with an arm bump, and we greet each other with an arm lock. How should I greet you, Sage Shisui?" Hakoda asked, making the atmosphere a bit strange.
"As you wish," Shisui was the first to offer his open hand to Hakoda, who quickly returned the greeting.
"It seems that as Prince Zuko, you adapt easily," Hakoda pointed out, but Shisui simply shook his head.
"I'm just being polite, your territory, your ways of greeting," Shisui replied before dropping the greeting.
"Well, this atmosphere is too cold for us to chat, why don't we go to a better place, Leader Hakoda?" Zhao broke into the conversation, making the others pay attention to him.
"Father, the preparations must be finished by now," Sokka whispered to Hakoda, making Hakoda's blue eyes sparkle.
"Good! I really can't get used to the cold outside the South Pole, that's why our tribe has prepared a feast for you, I guess so much snow must make you uncomfortable," Hakoda pointed to the sleds they had arrived with.
There they could see Ty Lee tossing a piece of meat to what appeared to be a Sealdog, an animal with black and white fur, which caught the morsel of food in mid-air with a leap, earning the girl's applause.
"They're so cute!" exclaimed Ty Lee before stroking the animal's furry head.
"Too bad they can't stand the heat, or I'd have one," Mai said, poking the fat belly of one of the seal dogs, causing it to lick her face.
"And they're heavy," Petra said, holding a large Sealdog in her arms that kept writhing and trying to lick Petra's face, who pulled her face back to avoid the restless animal's mischievous tongue.
"You don't want one, luckily we have igloo houses or yurts, these unruly things could bring down any building because of how restless they are," Katara said, scratching the back of one of the Sealdogs' ears, causing it to emit a low buzzing sound.
"I prefer the Turtleducks," Azula didn't approach the restless and cheerful Sealdogs, they were too cuddly for her, and seeing Mai wipe the drool from her face only made her keep her respectful distance.
"Come on Azula, just touch them, they're so soft. Look, they're as cuddly as me," Ty Lee pressed her face against one of the Sealdogs, and strangely, they both had the same smile, the same big eyes full of anticipation.
"Fine, you win, stop melting me with your tenderness," Azula resigned herself, approaching one of the Sealdogs and carefully placing her palm on the furry head of one of them.
The Sealdog, however, opened its mouth and took a soft bite at Azula's hand, who almost burned the animal's face with her impulse, but when she realized that the restless Sealdog only wanted to lick her hand, she stopped herself.
"It liked you," Katara said sideways, watching as Azula gradually began to use both hands to stroke the Sealdog's soft fur.
Soon, the princess, who had earlier refused the Sealdogs' closeness, was surrounded by several of them, clinging to her body and trying to compete for her hands.
"I never thought I'd see this, it seems Azula has too much affinity for animals," Petra said, quickly putting down the Sealdog she was holding as it whimpered.
She then took out a piece of parchment and a piece of graphite from the bag she always carried with her and drew this scene using Earthbending. Since graphite was technically a mineral, Petra could control it just as Shisui could with ink.
As a result, Petra could draw as well as if she were reproducing reality in her strokes. This action startled Azula, but she was having a lot of fun with the animals, so she didn't stop her friend from drawing.
Watching an Earthbender use her drawing skills impressed Hakoda, who looked over at Zhao, who walked beside him as the group approached the sleds.
"It seems the talents of the Fire Nation are quite high, Vice Admiral Zhao, I never thought an Earthbender could do this," the men had gotten close enough to see the result of Petra's drawing.
It was a fairly realistic drawing of Azula interacting with the soft, furry animals. Petra then looked at Shisui and handed him the scroll while winking at him.
"Don't let Azula forget this," there was a mischievous grin before she looked at Hakoda.
"The elements are not just for destruction or fighting, you can also do interesting things with them. You should see the paintings that Shisui makes," Petra said these words before attacking a Sealdog again.
"Our Fire Nation always has talent, Leader Hakoda," Zhao replied to Hakoda's previous comment, causing him to click his tongue.
"Looks like I need to see more of the world, I've missed a few things," Hakoda said before turning to look at Shisui.
"Do you make paintings with waterbending? I'd like to see you, if possible, teach my daughter that skill," Hakoda said before pointing at his youngest daughter.
There was no need to hide the fact that his daughter was a Waterbender, for since the Fire Nation's hostilities had subsided, many Waterbenders in the South Pole had been spared death, though they were not as skilled or powerful as those in the North Pole.
If the North Pole used the water element as much as possible, the South Pole focused more on martial arts, influenced by the harsh environment they lived in as well as their pirate and hunting activities.
"I have no problem," Shisui replied with a nod, which made Hakoda smile.
"You're nicer than I thought, Sage Shisui," Hakoda blurted out before he put his fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle.
The men who had come with Hakoda, as well as the Sealdogs playing with the girls, stood at attention, though it was funny how the animals raised their bodies with silly grins on their faces.
"We're going to escort our friends to the tribe, stay alert, and get ready," Hakoda explained, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
His wife had specifically asked him to 'test' Sage Shisui with tricks and words, to pay attention to his actions, how he handled himself, and how he reacted to certain situations.
Since everyone was riding the sleds, Hakoda's plan was simple, he would take the whole group down a dangerous route and 'kindly' ask Sage Shisui to perform.
The thing is, how dangerous should it be, was it worth it? Hakoda thought as he watched his youngest daughter, Katara, chatting happily with the noble women of the Fire Nation.
'I hope you continue to make no mistakes as usual, Kya,' Hakoda prayed before gesturing to the drivers of the other sleds.
At the tribal leader's signal, the group veered off the beaten path; not knowing exactly how to find themselves at the South Pole, the Fire Nation group did not notice the strange detour.
But the danger was approaching. A great roar was heard in this all-white place, causing the sleds to stop. Soon a pair of Polar Bear Dogs appeared in front of the contingent, these specimens were particularly large among this species.
"They seem to have become bolder," Sokka, unaware of the high-level games his parents were playing, watched the appearance of these huge creatures warily.
Although it was rare for Polar Bear Dogs to raid the paths used by the tribesmen, the tense situation made him ignore the obvious inconsistencies of this situation, but just as he was about to act, his father Hakoda's hand stopped him.
"Sage Shisui, I don't think it's a good idea to delay us, and although my people can handle those Polar Bear Dogs, I think someone as powerful as you could at least take care of one of them," At this point, it was obvious to the others that this situation was a ruse, but seeing Shisui smiling, no one from the Fire Nation side said anything.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of both of them," Shisui simply waved his hand, dismissing Hakoda's 'help'.
'If you want to test me, let me show you something,' Shisui thought as he got off the sled and walked toward the dangerous animals.
Shisui used his gift and noticed that the animals seemed a bit tense, also they didn't seem to be as 'wild' as one would expect. But in this world, many animals were particularly intelligent, so Shisui was not surprised by this situation.
Having seen this situation before, the smile in Shisui's eyes faded a bit because one of the Polar Bear Dogs was pregnant.
At first, Shisui had thought to play around a bit and then just get some pelts as a coat for him and Azula, but this situation certainly changed things.
'Did they know about this situation, what do they want to try? It seems that either Hakoda is very cunning or there is a great strategist behind him,' Shisui thought before he exhaled and let the white steam come out of his mouth.
The larger Polar Bear Dog growled at him threateningly as he approached, but Shisui simply ignored it and walked calmly towards them. His mind rejected many ideas until he concluded.
Did he have to fight? Did he have to demonstrate and show his power every time someone wanted to test it? Shisui came to a conclusion: NO. So a completely different impulse came out of his body than the one he always used.
This impulse, filled with the stillness and softness of the water, non-verbally transmitted his intentions to the two large animals. Hesitantly, the two animals allowed Shisui's approach to the point where he was able to touch the pregnant belly of the female.
"Easy, it looks like someone made a mistake and we ended up in your territory, right? Sorry about that. At least let me tell you that your offspring will be born big and strong. So please let us pass, no one will attack you," Shisui said to the female, causing her to stare at him before letting out a low growl.
Then the female Polar Bear Dog licked Shisui's face, who allowed it. Then the two large creatures looked at the humans on the sleds before moving out of the way.
"It seems... that Sage Shisui has different ways of working things out," Hakoda said with some awe in his voice, causing Azula to smile, though her narrowed eyes indicated that she was thinking about some things.
"After all, he is a Sage, you don't earn that title by simply fighting or displaying your power in the raw," Azula replied, making Hakoda look at her carefully before smiling.
"That seems to be the case," Hakoda said, and although he still had certain prejudices against Shisui in his mind, at least he was able to know something important about Shisui, he wasn't a warlike madman.
Something that was better seen and verified than just read or heard.
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AN: I took a break yesterday, so today I'm uploading a chapter together with the Dragon Ball chapter.
By the way, here are some pictures made with AI, belonging to Azula, I got them some time ago.
Read my original novel! We have Waifus, and Bee Waifus too(? and Husbandos~ xDD
I love TheAnPlayer2's meme xDDD HAHAHAHA I can't stop laughing. I love all your memes, those people who comments my chapters made my night, thank you~ 12K collections! Woooo!