CHAPTER THREE
( TESTS AND DECISIONS )

NOT TOO LONG AFTER she dozed off, she abruptly awoke when guards entered the chamber, taking her and the Water Tribe siblings out. The guards kept the three of them in place at a wall in a corridor. Flo was tempted to try and bolt, but she knew she couldn't go against earthbenders and she didn't want to cause much more trouble. So she stayed put between Katara and Sokka, both of whom shared worried glances every once in a while. They didn't have to wait too long, and soon enough earthbenders opened up a sort of doorway in the wall. On the other side stood Aang with the Earth King. The guards who held them then slipped rings on their fingers. When it moved on its own to fit snuggly on her finger Flo, along with the brother and sister, tried to pull it off, but none of them succeeded. Flo then went to bite it off, just to see what would happen, but the guard beside her quickly slapped at her hand.

"...so I will give your friends some special souvenirs," the Earth King continued on whatever he had been talking to Aang about beforehand. "Those delightful rings are made out of pure genemite, also known as creeping crystals. It's crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate, really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."

"Ah! It's already creeping!" Sokka shouted in a panic.

"I'll do as you want," Aang said to the King. The old man grinned mischievously and hummed.

They first got taken to a cavern. The floor was covered in stalagmites, and there was a waterfall with a key dangling from some sort of chain in the middle of it, a ladder underneath. Everyone stood on the balcony that overlooked the area. The genemite already grew up Flo's, Katara's, and Sokka's forearms.

Omashu's king laughed. "It seems I have lost my lunch box and I'm hungry." He paused, looking to where the key dangled in the waterfall. "Ooo, there it is. Would you mind fetching it for me?"

Flo eyed the dangling key from where she stood. To her, it was a simple solution. Shoot an arrow through one of the chain's loops and lodge it into the wall, therefore getting the key from the waterfall. Of course she also knew that the pressure of the water would cause an arrow to fall away from the key and chain. Besides, Aang didn't have arrows – well, her type of arrows, because he definitely had some, they were just tattoos – and he didn't know how to shoot them, either. Her mouth formed into a thin line. She really hoped that Aang could figure something out, because she did not want to die trapped in creeping crystal.

They all watched as Aang tried to climb the ladder. Flo subtly winced as he soon lost his grip and fell from the ladder because of the waterfall. Aang then tried to jump into the waterfall, which worked as well as one would expect: terribly. He then broke off the tip of one of the stalagmites. Using his airbending, Aang threw it. The tip caught one of the loops of the chain and the key broke off. The stalagmite stuck in the wall above the King's head. One corner of Flo's mouth twitched up slightly.

"There, enjoy your lunch!" Aang shouted. "I want my friends back, now!"

"Uh, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsy," the King said.

The three prisoners and Aang were brought to another balcony after that, one above an arena. The King stood at the railing, and the three teenagers were not too far behind him with the guards. The crystals had creeped along their arms and now Flo, Katara, and Sokka stood there, covered from their chins to their ankles.

Aang landed in the arena carefully near a bunny on a rock. "Okay, found him!"

"Bring him to me!" the King shouted back. "Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsy."

Flo made a face and sound of disgust at how the man referred to himself. Sokka quietly laughed, amused at her reaction. The amusement from him got cut short as a large animal landed behind Aang. The bunny started to hop away and the twelve year old was quick to chase after it, though the goat gorilla then started to chase him. The bunny went into a hole in the wall. Aang tried to search for the bunny there but stopped and turned around to face the giant animal.

"Flopsy?" he asked. The goat gorilla gently picked up Aang and licked his face. "Flopsy!"

The King of Omashu started to whistle and making kissy noises. Flopsy dropped Aang and hurried to his owner, rolling onto his back to let the King rub his belly. "Aww, that's a good boy! Yes, who has a soft belly?"

Aang jumped out of the arena and on the balcony with them. He looked to the three covered in crystal. "Guys, are you okay?"

"Other than the crystal slowly encasing my entire body, doing great," Katara replied.

"I wouldn't exactly call it slow," Flo commented just as the crystal encasing Sokka grew on the left side of his head. It caused him to lose balance and fall over. If she didn't have the crystal restricting her, she would help him up.

Aang looked to the King. "Come on. I'm ready for the next challenge."

They were taken to a third arena. It was larger than the former one, and it was clearly made to used for earthbending, if the dirt floor was anything to go by. The King of Omashu stood on one balcony that looked over the arena, while the three teens were on the other. The creeping crystal now encased most of the bodies. Only their faces and feet weren't covered now.

"Your final test is a duel and as a special you may choose your opponent," the King explained. "Point and choose."

Two men walked out. Both muscular and large and terrifying. One held an axe, and the other didn't hold any weapons. Flo guessed he probably just relied on his strength, and she hoped that Aang would choose him rather than the guy with the axe.

"So, you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?" Aang asked, thinking.

"Choose wisely."

He stayed quiet for a second or two as he looked at his options. "I choose," he started slowly. Then, he pointed at the old man. "You!"

The King laughed. "Wrong choice!" He corrected his posture. The robes he wore fell to the ground and revealed that the old man was shockingly muscular. He then stomped on the ground, which blew Aang into the arena. He laughed once again and the King jumped into the arena, landing near Aang. "You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see."

"Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?" Aang asked, sheepish and hopeful.

Flo let her head fall forward the best it could. Her forehead rested against the crystal encasing her. They were doomed. So, doomed. She shouldn't have let Aang talk her into coming with them. She should have stayed and went on her way. But the twelve year old just had to beg, didn't he? While the Avatar and the King fought one another, Flo thought to herself how she was going to leave the three friends the moment they leave Omashu -- if they ever do. But, she hesitated at the thought of leaving them behind.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka were best friends. Flo even wanted to say they were family. Three kids, alone on a journey to the North Pole, none of them experts on fighting just yet. All sorts of things might happen on their journey. Things that had Flo uneasy. They needed an adult, someone to make sure they wouldn't have themselves accidentally killed. Which was why Flo wanted to leave; she wasn't an adult. But, she wasn't a kid either. She stopped being one a long time ago, if she wanted to be honest.

She'd regret this discussion, she knew. But someone had to keep them alive. Keep them from losing one another.

After a while, Flo looked back up. She could see a rock floating in the air, and she hid her grimace as she noticed that both Aang and the King were underneath it.

The King laughed, again. "Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart." He threw the rock away from them both.

"Huh?"

The old earthbender suddenly emerged from a hole in the balcony. It closed beneath him and Aang came up with the use of his glider. "You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question."

"That's not fair!" Aang exclaimed. "You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."

"Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?"

"Oh, come on!" Sokka complained.

The King ignored him. "Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. What...is my name?" He paused, as if giving Aang a chance to answer. Then, "From the looks of your friends, I'd say you only have a few minutes." He then left, and the four were alone other than a couple of guards nearby.

"How am I supposed to know his name?" Aang asked.

"Think about the challenges, maybe it's some kind of riddle," Katara suggested.

"I got it!" Sokka exclaimed suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"He's an earthbender, right? Rocky!" Silence followed, and off in the distance one of the guards coughed. "You know, because of all the rocks?"

"We're gonna keep trying, but that is a good backup," Katara said.

"We're doomed," Flo voiced her earlier thoughts, a crystal growing near her face. She ignored Sokka's offended expression.

"No, we're not," Aang said, optimistic where Flo clearly wasn't. "So, back to the challenges. I got a key from the waterfall. I saved his pet and I had a duel."

"And what did you learn?" Katara asked.

"Well, everything was different than I expected."

Katara eyed the crystal warily as it grew near her cheek. "And...?"

"Well, they weren't straight forward. To solve each test, I had to think different than I usually would." Realization came over him. "I know his name!"

+++

They were all once again in the throne room. Aang and the King stood facing one another, and the old man was back in his green robes, hunched over. Flo stood a bit away with Sokka and Katara. The fifteen year old watched as Aang interacted with the crazy king.

"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities." The man started to laugh and snort. 'Bumi, you're a mad genius!" Aang ran up and hugged his childhood friend. Flo blinked and smiled softly, though it went away as the right half of her face got covered by more genemite.

"Oh, Aang," King Bumi said. "It's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally." He rubbed at Aang's head.

"Uh, over here!" Katara raised her voice to get their attention as the three moved closer. Only her face was visible, and Sokka's mouth was the only thing the others could see of him.

"Little help?" he asked.

King Bumi made a fist and then a movement of him pulling back. The crystals all shattered. They flew in the air because of the earthbending, and King Bumi caught a piece. "Genemite is made of rock candy," he said and took a bite. "Delicious!"

Flo's mouth parted in shock. She could have bitten the ring off from the beginning.

"So this crazy king is your old friend, Bumi?" Katara asked.

King Bumi frowned. "Who you calling old?" Pause. "Okay. I'm old."

"Why did you do all this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka asked.

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." He, once again, laughed and snorted. "But I do have a reason." Bumi turned to his old friend. "Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord, and when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius!" Aang smiled and bowed to the king. "And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help defeat the Fire Nation." Momo then jumped onto Aang's shoulder. "And you'll need Momo too."

Aang looked up at King Bumi and smiled some more. "Thank you for your wisdom. But before we leave, I have a challenge for you!"

+++

While Aang went with King Bumi down the postal slides, and while Katara and Sokka waited back at the palace, Flo left. She didn't go far. She just left the city and to Appa and Sleemo. She needed a place to think by herself, and she also just wanted to finally see her hawk-cat after an entire day. Sleemo flew into her chest the moment she came to the top of the hill they left her and Appa at, and Flo happily greeted Sleemo back with a gentle hug. She even patted Appa's forehead when he lowly grumbled at her.

Flo grabbed her cloak and clipped it on. She then climbed a nearby tree (thought, it was difficult because all of that standing made her ankle ache once again), sat on a sturdy branch, and sat there with her cloak wrapped around her, the hood up and her bow and arrows on her back. Lines formed between her brows as they inched together. Sleemo nestled in her lap, happy with finally being able to be with her owner. A little part of Flo wanted to take a quick nap. The lack of sleep from the night before finally caught up to her, but she didn't want to miss it when the others came back. Plus, she just needed to think.

Despite not wanting to stay with the three friends, she couldn't help but acknowledge how weirdly right it felt when she was with them. She didn't want to admit it, but she had to. They certainly weren't her favorite people in the current moment, but there was something about Aang, Katara, and Sokka that felt good. It felt right. And it's something she hadn't felt since her own family. It scared her a little, if she wanted to be honest. These three friends appeared in her life with little to no warning out of no where, and their time together hadn't even been that long, either, and each other them annoyed her in different ways. She didn't want that feeling of rightness to be real because of that, but it was real and no matter what she couldn't change that. And, Spirits, did it scare her.

She lost too many people. She didn't want to go through that again.

Losing her mother, Fen, to a sickness that they couldn't get help for because money was tight, and not too long later Biming, the youngest of the three brothers and just a year older than her, for the same reason was too much. Then the second oldest brother, Hachi, and the oldest of the three girls, Ju, had tried to speak against the Fire Nation soldiers tearing through their village only to get publicly executed was too much. Lei then sneaking off, disguising herself as a man to take their father's and brother's place in the army was too much. Kuron went after her, to try save one of his little sisters, but never came back. Neither of them did. Suddenly, it was only Gang and Flo up until Gang's presence was demanded. The man had no choice but to go. He never came back, either. None of them came back, and they never will.

Then about a year and a half ago, Flo let her guard down for the first time in a long while. She met the Freedom Fighters, and not too soon later, she saved Sleemo from a trap. The group of teens had a leader. Tall, dark skinned, shaggy hair, and a stupid stalk of wheat between his lips at all times. He charmed her; younger, naive, pitiful, easily manipulated, and lonely Flo crushed hard. She had been close to loving him at one point, she knew, but now she only hated him. She left as soon as she could. Or rather, they left her. Smellerbee and Longshot, and The Duke and Pipsqueak, and all the others. They bonded. But Jet ruined it. And somehow, even that was too much for her.

So, Flo didn't want to get close to these three kids. She wanted to leave before the attachment set in, because she knew she wouldn't be able to handle losing anymore people. Everyone left her in time. She needed to leave Aang, Katara, and Sokka before they had the chance.

But they also needed someone. Of course they had one another, but there was the looming fact that there was a war going on and that Aang was the Avatar. Two well enough reasons to get one of them or all of the trio killed. They were a little family of sorts. They cared for one another deeply. Flo didn't want to think about how any one of them would react if they lost each other.

Voices cut through the silent air. Flo looked down to see them walking back. Aang was excitedly telling the siblings a story with a wide grin, and Katara listened closely as she walked along, a soft smile on her face. Sokka was trying and failing at acting as if he didn't care for it. Soon enough, the three of them made it to Appa. Sleemo tried to get out Flo's lap to fly to them, but she held the hawk-cat there, waiting. Thinking. Deciding.

Maybe if they left without her, she wouldn't have to make a decision.

"Where's Flo?" Aang asked. "I thought you said she came back early."

As Sokka shrugged, Katara answered. "It...might have been a lie," she told him cautiously and hesitantly. "She did say that she was leaving at our next stop."

Even from high up in the tree, Flo could see the deep, saddened frown on Aang's face. "Why didn't she say goodbye?"

Flo felt guilt pierce her heart, along with a bit of familiarity. Why didn't she get to say goodbye to her family? Her dark eyes watched as Sokka walked up to the younger boy. He draped an arm over Aang's shoulder as a comforting gesture. "Maybe it's for the best," he tried.

"I don't know," Aang said. "She said she's been alone for a long time, and I-I was kinda hoping..." He trailed off, head tilting forward as he stared at the ground.

"Come on," Katara started. "Let's go ahead and leave."

Aang nodded. He grabbed the reins for Appa and started to tie them on the bison's horns, and Sokka and Katara struggled to push the saddle in that direction. Flo sighed quietly and released Sleemo. She then easily and silently climbed down the tree, and landed softly behind the two siblings.

"I'll come with you."

Both Sokka and Katara let out similar screams of terrified surprised. Katara spun on her heel, ready to either attack or run, Flo couldn't tell, but she relaxed the moment she recognized the other girl. Sokka, on the other hand, jumped and tripped into the saddle. He rolled over and stood up with a hand on his heart.

"Don't do that!" he yelled.

Flo suppressed the amusement and kept up the neutral expression. "Sorry," she said.

Aang looked up from where he sat on Appa's head. A wide, surprised and happy grin reached from ear to ear. "Flo!" he exclaimed. With the use of his airbending, he got off of Appa and raced towards the girl. He attacked her in a bone crushing hug, the force knocking the hood of her cloak off, his head going right under her chin.

Flo's eyes widened drastically and her arms went held up, body tense. She glanced at the brother and sister, but the smile on Katara's face and Sokka's smirk made her look away in an instant. She lowered her arms, but only to rest her hands on Aang's shoulders and gently yet forcefully push the boy off of her. She did her best to ignore how great the hug actually felt but somehow also made her want to burst into tears. With a clear of her throat, she stepped away from Aang. "I'm not coming as a friend," she stated, which made all of their expressions falter.

"Then why are you coming?" Sokka asked.

"Because," Flo started, trying to find the right words. "Because... She can barely waterbend, he's a literal child, and your boomerang can only do so much." Each of them looked slightly offended, but she didn't dwell on their feelings at the moment. "None of you are dying, if I have anything to do with it. You need someone make sure not too much harm comes your way, or keep you from getting arrested by someone who isn't Suki or King Bumi."

Katara looked skeptical. "And that person is you?"

"How do you think I survived on my own for five years?"

The weight of that question pressed on the other three the instant it left the other teen's mouth. Aang looked slightly horrified; Katara's taken back look made Flo tear her eyes away, because the other's blue eyes became glassy. Sokka looked the most neutral, but not completely so. Sad, maybe; possibly even angry on her behalf. It's the most serious she's seen him look.

Aang eventually found it within himself to smile. It was small, not as big as all the others, but still a smile nonetheless. "Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're coming with us," he admitted.

The serious expression Sokka had vanished. "Hold on wait, you're basically becoming our babysitter! This isn't cool at all. We're, like, the same age!"

"And yet, you sound seven."

Aang 'oh'ed while Katara snickered. Sokka was greatly offended, and he tried to form a comeback but came up empty handed. He hung his head low and his shoulders drooped. "I deserved that, I guess," he muttered.

"Well, let's get a move on," Katara suggested after laughing shortly at her brother. "We can't waste anymore daylight."

And with that, Flo helped them get the saddle on Appa.