"I'm not even staying with the crew?" Y/N asked, watching Iroh light the fire under his kettle. Zuko was quickly strapping on his outer armor, the ship still docking at the large metal port.

          "No. Cabinboys and such usually stay onboard, no matter where the crew is going. If you get bored you can do the dishes or something, I don't care. Just stay out of the way of the workers and don't draw attention to yourself." Zuko commanded, tying the strap across his back and glancing at himself in the mirror. Ummm...

          "You tied it wrong in the back." Y/N noticed, standing from her cushion on the floor and reaching for the strangely tied knot.

          "Don't touch me." Zuko hissed, turning towards her to prevent her from getting near the straps. "It's fine." Y/N rolled her eyes, grabbing his shoulder pad and turning him around, quickly undoing the knot. Surprisingly, he didn't attack her on the spot.

          "No, in fact, it isn't. Stop moving, you grouch." Y/N grabbed his shoulders roughly and shook him lightly to get him to stop complaining and turning. "Trust the lowly fisherman barbarian, you bend over and that knot would come out." 

          "Don't just knot it wherever." Zuko growled. "It's easier to take off that way. I can do it myself." Y/N finished, and crossed her arms.

          "Who said it had to be hard to undo? That one end there? Yank on it straight forward under your arm and it will come undone. It won't fall out if it's pulled from any other angle." She explained quickly, going back to sit down.

          Zuko looked at her for a moment, and yanked on the loose end straight down. Then sideways. Then up. The knot didn't budge. He glared at her and growled under his breath. 

          "We'll be back when repairs are made. Don't cause trouble." He commanded, slamming the door on the way out. Y/N sighed lightly, watching the kettle over the fire.

          "Here is your tea. Thank you for helping my nephew." Iroh smiled, placing a hot cup of tea in front of Y/N. "I'm sure we'll be back soon. There is some cookies in the cupboard over there if you get a little hungry." He walked out, giving Y/N a tiny wave before he closed the door, which Y/N returned.

          "Thank you for your kindness." He's so sweet. She thought with a smile, taking a deep breath. Now just to wait for a couple hours.

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

         Y/N felt extremely uncomfortable staying back in the ship, holed up in Iroh's room with no clue what was going on outside. Her faith in the banished prince was wavering. 

          He wouldn't turn me in, would he? She thought, her hands shaking a little as she picked up the cup of tea Iroh was kind enough to brew her before leaving. It was a rational fear. She had already done her part of the deal awhile ago, the only assurance she had was Zuko's word, which she wanted to trust, but now she was regretting her quick decision.

          She should leave. But where would she go? This was a fire nation port, and she had no other means of transportation. The best choice was to sit... and wait.

          Something that calmed her nerves was that, if all went smoothly, no one would even go into Iroh's room, since it wasn't near the damage. All she had to do was stay quiet, and act like a cleaning girl if necessary. 

          Y/N couldn't help but think about what he had said.

          I count the seconds until you leave my ship. She involuntarily shivered, taking a sip of hot tea and glancing nervously towards the large iron door. Just stay quiet.

                    That was easy.

                        Right?

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

                                Zuko's POV

          Zuko tried his best not to fidget impatiently. The longer they stayed, the farther away the Avatar got. Captain- now apparently Commander Zhao seemed to thoroughly enjoy Zuko's obvious discomfort, even while explaining the Fire Nation plan to conquer the Earth Kingdom.

          "Speaking of, how has your search for the Avatar coming along?" Zhao slowly turned towards Zuko, a smirk plastered across his face. Zuko glared at him.

          "Unsuccessful, so far." He said sourly. Zhao didn't waver, stepping closer.

          "Is that so?" He slowly paced in front of the prince, smiling down at him. "Not even a trace? Your father would be disappointed."

          "I will find him." Zuko insisted, looking up to meet the commander's gaze. Zhao didn't reply, carefully studying him. A guard pushed into the tent, briskly walking over to his commander and whispering something in his ear. Zhao's smile widened, and he muttered something inaudible back to him. The messenger quickly departed.

          "Excuse me, Prince Zuko, is your crew loyal to you?" He asked absentmindedly, gazing around at the ceiling and walls of the tent. 

          "Yes. Yes they are." Zuko answered simply. What is he trying to do? He thought, glaring at the floor. That smile is insufferable.

          "Indeed, I would agree with you." Zhao's grin suddenly turned to a scowl. "They seem to go along with your little story about the Earth Kingdom ship, but I know it's a lie. They are, however, keen to give away other information." He stopped in front of the table where the tea sat, watching the flickering candles. 

          Zuko didn't say anything, thinking it wise to simply hold his tongue. Zhao seemed to be waiting for something, but got no response.

          "Let's diverge from the topic here for a moment." He said suddenly, not taking his gaze off the candles. "Do you check for stowaways regularly?" Zuko hid his confusion, staying still as a rock. Stowaways? How will this get him his answer?

          "Yes, every time when depart." He responded carefully, looking up to study Zhao's expression, which was just as void as his own. 

          "Prince Zuko, you are young, unexperienced, and impulsive, but I know you aren't daft." Zhao whipped his head around to look him straight in the eye, a smile creeping across his lips once again. "You wouldn't let something like this slip under your nose. So tell me this."

          Two guards pushed through the tent flap, holding a slumped body between them, throwing the beaten and burned waterbender to the ground at Zuko's feet. Zhao smirked, crossing his arms.

          "What's with your extra passenger?"