How exciting.

Tarinda bids the pirates a polite goodbye and sets out toward Eliko's village; she should be able to get there without having to stop and sleep and this way won't be trackable directly to it.

Over the hills and through the fields.

Eliko's village is on a plain, surrounded by farms. Three larger roads converge there. It's the middle of the night when Tarinda gets there.

She doesn't want to camp out in the wilderness lest a spirit visit her. If there are barns or benches or any of that sort of thing she'll catch a nap, Page ready to wake her before dawn.

There's a barn over there. The ostrich-horses chirp sleepily at her intrusion.

Good night, ostrich-horses. She naps.

Morning dawns bright and clear, with rustling of feathers and stamping of hooves.

Time to sneak out of this barn and go looking for Eliko!

Seems like this village gets up later than the Fire Nation towns she's been in before. There's not much activity at the crack of dawn.

That's all right. She wanders, learning the layout.

Farms on the outskirts, buildings and houses clustering in the center around a large, dusty square where the three roads intersect. An old man ambles out and nods a greeting.

"Hello there. You're out early."

"Didn't sleep very well. Do you know where Eliko lives?"

"I do, yes. I suppose you'd be Tarinda, then?"

"I am! Was I expected?"

"No, not at all. But I didn't think there would be too many strangers asking about Eliko by name who match the descriptions she had of you."

"Makes sense. What's your name?"

"Chen Lee. I am the mayor of this village."

"Oh! It's very good to meet you, Mayor."

"Likewise. Eliko is likely to sleep a few hours more yet. Is your business urgent?"

"Not especially. I don't mind waiting."

"Allow me to offer you a cup of tea, then. And perhaps something to eat, as well?"

"That's very kind, thank you."

"This way, then." He leads her back to his house, a little ways up the street. It looks like the ground floor serves as an office space, while he lives above. He puts the kettle on and offers a tray of biscuits. "Two days old, I'm afraid. Didn't have the chance to get out to buy some yesterday."

"That's all right, hunger's the best seasoning!"

"True enough. I also have fruit, boiled eggs, some bacon if you'd like..."

"That all sounds wonderful, although I don't know enough to guess if it'd be putting you out..."