The tent flap rustled, opening, allowing blinding daylight in to foster his migraine. He tried to sit up, too quick, meeting the eyes of one of the natives from before. The native's eyes widened and he exited the tent as quickly as he had appeared. Dizzy, Piandao fell back against the makeshift cot.

Outside, he could hear an incomprehensible argument. He assumed it had something to do with him.

"I see you are conscious again." Jeong Jeong stated, entering the tent. A crude bandage was tied around his right eye.

"Unfortunately." He looked up at the ceiling, away from the fire bender. It did not feel right to look in the eyes (Eye, he mentally corrected himself) of the man he had been told was a traitor.

"Your wound was not deep; it should be healed soon. I had the villagers treat it before my own."

Piandao could feel that golden eye studying him, gauging his reaction to the statement. There were too many things that didn't make sense at the moment. The roaring pain in his head, however, drowned out any and all questions he might have posed at that moment.

Jeong Jeong continued after a brief pause, "Tep, the man who was in here before myself, will return soon with food."

With that, he disappeared into the sunlight.

Tep returned with a steamy bowl of some unidentifiable meat only a matter of minutes after Jeong Jeong had left. Piandao's stomach gurgled as the smell invaded his nostrils. He sat up, slow this time; hunger usurped the pounding in his head. Tep, wary of this stranger in his care, eyed him with great caution, refusing to budge from his spot at the entrance of the tent.

"Without my sword, I'm mostly harmless." His lips quirked upward into a smirk; Tep shot him a glare.

"Just because Jeong Jeong stuck up for you doesn't mean the rest of us trust you." His tone dripped venom, but Piandao was more shocked by how well the man spoke for one dressed so primitively. Tep stepped forward, thrusting the bowl toward him. Disdain trickled in his voice, "Eat. I'm sure it's not poisoned."

Piandao leaned forward, outstretched hands snatching the food away from the Earthkingdomer. Tep watched as he began to chow down, expression smug, before turning to leave. "And they call us savages..."

A woman entered his tent that evening, a bag tied to her hip and a bowl of water in her hands. Piandao gave her a curious stare from his place on the floor.

"I'm here to check your injury." She said flatly, covering any fear she had of him as she maneuvered behind him. She crouched down and got down to business, slender hands moving his hair away from the cut. He could hear her smirk, "Wey really did hit you hard... It's a good thing that rock didn't have very many sharp edges."

Piandao grunted as one of her nails poked a bit to hard and close to the gap, sending a new shock of pain through him.

"I cleaned it well when Jeong Jeong brought you in yesterday and it doesn't show any signs of infection." He could hear rustling as she rummaged through her bag. She reached around and held out a small white capsule to him. "Here, take this. It'll help with the pain."

He did as ordered, nearly gagging at the bitter taste of the pill as he let it sit on his tongue too long before swallowing. After his taste buds recovered, he cleared his throat. "I appreciate your care, miss..."

"Nava." She offered her name as she dipped the cloth in her hands into the bowl of water. She pressed it against the cut, dabbing away crusted blood. They sat in silence as she cleaned the wound, until she placed the wet cloth bag in her bag. "My husband told me to never trust a Fire Nation soldier. He said that you're all self-centered creatures of destruction."

"But you trust Jeong Jeong."

Nava continued to pack up her few supplies, "Jeong Jeong saved our village from being destroyed by that horrible monkey of a man with sideburns. We are returning the favor by housing and protecting him. That is not the same as trust."

Piandao fell silent as the woman stood, her ebony hair swaying against her back. She had nearly reached the door when he spoke up, "What happened to your husband"

Pain took over her face; she did not give an answer, only made a hasty exit.

Sleep did not come easily that night; he never had liked trying to sleep in unfamiliar territory. But it did come, restless as it may have been.

When he woke the next morning, he was surprised to find his sword lying by his side, a parchment on top of it. He unrolled the letter, nodding as he read over it; he understood what he needed to do now. He stood, picking up his sword and strapping it across his back.

It was going to be a nice walk back to his men.

Lao Phan was still among the soldiers when he rejoined them. The bounty hunter gave him a smirk, "We were beginning to think you were dead."

Piandao rolled his eyes, pointing at one of the sergeant's in his squad, "Give the man his pay."

The soldier obeyed, tossing a bag of gold coins to the greedy hunter.

"Your services are no longer needed."

"Whatever. I need some more booze anyway." Lao Phan snatched up the leash of his grizzlyhound and tugged on it. Iylan grunted, standing and lumbering with the man in the direction of Omashu.

"Were you able to capture the Admiral" One of his men asked.

A stupid question; if he had, would the man not be with him right now, his prisoner"

"He managed to get away." A modification of the truth, a half-lie. "You were able to drive the savages off"

"Most of them." The sergeant responded; he motioned to an isolated tent on the edge of the camp. "Sergeant Pire captured one of them."

"I see." Piandao turned, walking towards his own tent. "Make preparations to begin traveling north on the morrow."

Orders given, he retired to his tent; he had only a few hours for preparation.

He relieved the night watch after the moon reached it's peak. He waited for hush to settle over the camp again; a wave of snoring gave him signal to slip into the prisoner's tent. The man glared at him, blues eyes (odd for one from the Earth Kingdom, he noted) burning into his skull.

"Are you here to interrogate me" Voice bitter, gravelly from thirst. "I won't tell you anything concerning Jeong Jeong so you may as well just return-"

"I'll only ask you once to stay quiet." Piandao stated, removing a key from his sleeve and unlocking the shackles that cuffed the man's arms and legs. "I am a friend of Jeong Jeong's; I'm not here to harm you."

The man refused to believe him, stubborn anger radiating from his being; at least he followed instructions about remaining quiet.

"Your name is Sio, correct" The man nodded; Piandao tossed the shackles, key still in the lock, to the side. "Your wife misses you."

Sio's eyes widened at the mention of Nava; he no longer seemed to care that this man was the enemy as he stood. Piandao signaled him to hold still for a moment as he went to the tent's entrance, sticking his head out and checking for clear surroundings. He turned back to Sio, motioning for him to exit. He was last to leave the tent, dropping off his letter of resignation where the prisoner once was.

"Halt!" The villagers surrounded him, eyes cold until they spotted Sio standing beside him. They greeted their lost brother back with open arms and began back to the village; Sio signaled Piandao to follow.

Nava burst into tears of joy when Sio emerged from behind the other men. She dropped her basket and ran to him, not caring that the fruit she had been carrying covered the ground. Her arms wrapped themselves around her husband's frame, locking him in her loving embrace. Piandao couldn't help but smile; he knew now that he was doing the right thing.