The Painted Spirit

Part I

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He's struggling so very hard. Trying to get in, but he knows he can't. Struggling to wade through the moat, it's hard to see through the two holes of his mask. It gives him tunnel vision and he believes his mission is done for.

General Iroh was moved to a higher guarded prison. They feared he and the prince were plotting so they disallowed any further visits. Now even for a simple "hello" he had to cross a moat and scale a wall.

He misses the days when all he had to do was shove aside a singe guard. That was child's play compared to this.

His foot gets caught in some built up muck on the bottom. He stumbles, nearly falling over. The water is now up to his knees and he is cold. The night air does nothing for his lowering body temperature.

She watches all of this from the ledge of a cliff not too far away. The veil shields her face from view, but she can see it all clearly. It was a promise she had made, never to turn back on someone who needed her. She'd had her eye on this mysterious stranger for days. He seemed to be in need of her help. There was no way she would turn her back on him either.

She floats down gracefully to the end of the moat where he came from. She's fortunate that this is the Fire Nation, for her presence is covered up by the steam. As the masked stranger struggles through to get to the other side, she takes a deep breath and suddenly the water level lowers. What once came almost to his hip now tickles his ankles.

He stops for a moment, confused, perplexed, but then shrugs it off as a trick of the night. When he reaches the other side, he draws his swords, and then sneaks around the side of the building to evade the guards. She watches with a pleased smile on her face. A few guards look like they are on his trail but she quickly blocks their way with steam. There was no way she'd let him fall back now.

As he scales the side of the tower he notices a veiled figure in the distance. There's a misty aura around it, almost spiritual. He smirks behind his mask then nods his thanks in her direction. Whether or not she saw it he couldn't tell.

Sensing his gratitude she sighs. Another night, another lost soul she had saved.

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To be continued….