XIAZHI

"Arrrgh, how does someone just not exist?!" That would be Zuko, finally getting frustrated, apparently. Azula set her books down: the two of them had been going through various records, obtained from the Fire Sages, of tax payers. Nowhere in here was there a Poppy. You know what they say - a nation's most reliable records are their tax records. Apparently, even the Fire Nation's tax records tanked.

"We should tell father about this," Azula commented. "Look, I remember seeing this name on a gravestone last year. I highly doubt he's still paying taxes."

"Azula. I could really care less about the inaccuracy of the Fire Sages' tax records. No offense."

Azula sighed, sliding the large leather bound book out of her way. "Zuko, are you sure her name is Poppy?"

"That's what she said."

"Yes, well, I'm sure you really want to believe her, but right now I'm starting to wonder if she gave you a fake name."

There was a pause. "You think she would have?"

"You are a bit intimidating." A pause. "And if she really did threaten you, then I suppose one might not want to get in trouble for it."

"I wasn't going to do anything about it."

"Well it's not like she knew that, all I'm saying." A shrug. "I think your best bet may be just hoping she's at Xiazhi."

"She only came to Lixia because Jet lost one of his dancers." A drawn out sigh, and Zuko slid down in his seat. "I'm never going to find her."

"Now, come on," Azula chided. "Let's think positive here."

"... I'm not known for my skill in the ways of positivity."

He really wasn't. "Well, you never know, maybe she will come. You're awfully interested in this girl, Zuzu. It's a bit scary."

"I like the way she talks to me. You know? Like... I'm just Zuko instead of Prince Zuko."

"Interesting thing to find attractive. Your interest in females baffles me, brother."

"Remember what I said? Sometimes I confuse myself. And anyway, she's... interesting, she's got more to say to me than 'uhuh'. I didn't know a thing about her and we had at least a five minute conversation. That's really something to me."

Azula just nodded. "Okay. Whatever makes you happy. But, if you can't find this girl, don't be too broken up about it. If she gave you a fake name, I'll be surprised if you do ever see her again." Fair warning. And, Azula didn't like the idea of her brother moping about the girl that got away. "Is that what you're wearing?" A slight gesture at a pile of clothing nearby.

"Yes. ... you've got permission to go through it and replace everything if you want." He went back to the books, skimming through lines of names.

Azula took that as the cue to go over and look his choices over. Hm, not too bad. Not that she expected it to be particularly fantastic: Zuko wasn't known for his fantastic clothing choices, but, usually his decisions weren't too terrible. She just liked giving him flak.

"Fine enough."

A pause, as Zuko looked up from the rows of names, arching an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. I can't think of anything better." Well, more like, anything she might have in mind would be too hot for the season. It was pretty warm outside as it was, being as this was the midsummer festival, a vest wouldn't do.

"Just... making sure you didn't develop a fever or something."

Azula laughed. "No. Just figured I wouldn't torment you this time. You've got plenty of other things on your mind." A short pause. "Just... don't drive yourself into the ground Zuzu."

"I won't."

"Ah, mom and dad would like you out for lunch today. They think you're being antisocial."

A derisive snort. "Yeah. I'll come then." There was a pause. "I'm not being antisocial."

Azula shrugged. "I know that. Maybe you should tell them about her. They might have some ideas we don't."

"I might." It was a viable option, at least. If nothing else, maybe they'd stop with the talk of grandchildren.

"I've got training to do. So, I'll be that way, if you need me."

"Thanks."

"No problem. And good luck. Seeming like you'll need it."


He didn't make any headway after Azula had gone. It wasn't like Zuko had been expecting to make any, all things considered. Actually, it might be a bit strange if he'd found something she'd overlooked, or similar. Azula, after all, was the prodigy, not him. He wasn't what one would call stupid, but, not exactly the brightest, either.

Ah, but, he had somewhere to be, so, he put the rows of names and numbers away, for now. A quick change of clothing, and he joined his parents out in the garden for lunch. They were already talking when he arrived, so, he just bowed at the both and took a seat.

"Ah, Zuko, glad you could make it," Ursa smiled. "We were afraid you'd locked yourself in your room by accident."

... that was the hint to apologize for being rude, wasn't it. "Sorry mother, I've... gotten a bit occupied."

"By what?" Ozai asked.

"Ah... looking for someone," Zuko responded. "Girl I met at Lixia. Azula thinks she gave me a fake name. Nothing's coming up under the one she gave me."

"What are you looking through?"

"Tax records. It was Azula's idea. Oh, and she wanted to tell you, they're a bit inaccurate."

Ozai frowned a bit. "I see." Tax records, inaccurate, go figure. "Well, maybe you should go through the immigration records."

"We have those?"

"Of course," Ursa answered. "Since the end of the War, at least. If she's been here longer, I don't think we'd have record of it. Ah, unless she entered the Fire Nation through a regulated port?" Ursa turned to her husband for confirmation.

"Yes," Ozai confirmed. "If she came through a different port, or even not through a port at all, you won't find anything. But, it's worth searching through, if you want to find her so much."

"Her eyes are green," Zuko said. "I don't think she's Fire Nation, she may be in there."

Ursa frowned. "Earth Kingdom? Perhaps one of the colonies?"

"Perhaps," Ozai allowed. "Is this girl really that interesting?" An eyebrow arch followed the question. Confused Ozai was a bit confused.

"I think," was Zuko's response. "You or mom would probably think she's abrasive, loud and rude, but, I like her."

"Abrasive, loud, and rude," Ozai repeated. "Well that certainly bodes well for our lack of migraines in our old age."

"Ozai," Ursa intoned, a bit of a warning in the words. "If Zuko likes this girl, perhaps we should just be pleased he's finally found some interest in the opposite gender."

Once again, Zuko was not blushing. "Mom, it's really not that miraculous."

"We were certainly beginning to wonder," Ozai intoned. "Well, I hope you find this girl. She seems... interesting, at least."

"Interesting..." Zuko started, trailing off a bit, thinking. "Not the word I'd use," he decided. "I was thinking... saucy, confident, not afraid of bending the rules a little. But she talks to me, you know how Mai just sort of... sits there and occasionally drops a word or two that might, on anyone else, hint she's listening? She called me Sparky."

"Sparky?" Ursa repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"Not like it's a bad thing just... she called me Sparky. ... oddly endearing. ... does that make me strange?"

"... ye -" Ozai started. Ursa cut him off.

"Absolutely not."

Zuko just chuckled. "Yeah, it makes me strange. It's alright, normal's overrated anyway."

"It still seems like a bit of a strange, sudden thing," Ozai pondered. "Really, you're chasing after a fairytale. It doesn't happen that way in the real world."

Zuko shrugged. "You and mom met at a festival, didn't you?"

Ozai blinked. "... you were actually listening while I rambled about love at first sight."

Now that was funny. "Yes, yes I was." There was a pause. "And Azula already went over the don't be all broken up about it if you can't find her thing."

"Azula was right," Ursa commented. "It'd almost have to be a miracle if you find this girl again."

"Well," Zuko concluded, "there's nothing really wrong with believing in and hoping for a miracle, right?"


"Shouldn't you be over there, helping Mai?" Ty Lee sounded a bit worried. Probably, the girl didn't want Toph getting in trouble for helping her instead of Mai. But, Toph just shrugged.

"I guess. But I think it's safer if I just stayed over here for now."

"Ooooh," Ty Lee started, the light seeming to finally turn on, "did you two get into a fight or something?"

"... or something." Noncommittal was the safer route of dealing with Ty Lee. Besides, she wouldn't really call what they had a fight, necessarily. It was just Mai waving a relationship that only existed in her head. It wasn't like Toph really cared. Prince Zuko was probably never going to speak to her again anyway, and it really didn't matter if he didn't. Nor did it particularly make a difference if he did. Naturally, Toph had attempted several times since Lixia to get this idea across to Mai, and the other girl wouldn't hear of it. She swore Toph was trying to ruin her chances of wooing the handsome young prince and having her happily ever after.

Yeah, because Toph really gave a fuck.

"Or something?" Ty Lee prodded. "Come on, don't leave me hanging like that! What happened?"

Toph shrugged. "She thinks I'm trying to ruin her dreams of fortune and grandeur. Frankly, I couldn't give an elephant-rat's -"

"Toffee, there's Toffee," of course Jet was here. Why wouldn't Jet be here? Honestly, it made sense, he was the festival organizer. Some days, Toph wondered why and how, that was a good question, the strapping young daredevil rule-breaker had landed this job of all jobs. ... it was probably the occasionally skimpy skirts the dancers dressed in. Nothing like that fine, sweet noblewoman rear end.

"Yes," Toph deadpanned. "And if you're going to ask me, again, if I'll replace Keiya, again, I'm going to tell you, again, suck it. So you may as well save us both the trouble and buzz off."

"Ooh, Toffee Toffee, someday, you'll make some very lucky, or gravely cursed, man a very worn out husband."

Interesting theory. "Actually, I thought I'd just pick a cave somewhere and live out the rest of my life dancing around a fire naked and talking to my imaginary friends. I'll have a herd of purple badgermoles as my companions."

"You'll need someone there with you, else you won't know the badgermoles are really purple," Jet stated, nodding.

"Oo, purple badgermoles, can you imagine how cool they'll look?!"

"Yes Ty Lee," Jet and Toph responded, almost reflexively.

"You lucked out the last time, Jet," Toph said. "And I'm not a dancer. Dancing is not what blind people do."

"Blind people also don't do a lot of things you do."

"You're not winning this one. I can still whip you."

"Mm, yes, you do still owe me a rematch. No way you got away from my hook swords quite that easily my lovely little flower."

"Suck it, Jet."

"Okay," he responded, holding his hands up and backing away. "If that's the way you really feel about it -"

Of course, Toph's patience was about as thin as the air up in the mountains, and his perfectly rehearsed speech was interrupted with a short streak of earth. He, fortunately for him, noticed it coming before it hit him, and managed to dodge it.

"This isn't over," Jet whispered, in what he probably thought was a threatening tone. "You haven't seen the last of the Freedom Fighter." ... with that, he scuttled off to go feel up some of the dancers under the guise of checking their dress for mistakes.

Ty Lee giggled. "Sometimes, if I didn't know better, I'd think Jet had a crush on you."

"Yeah right. Maybe he does, but for all the wrong reasons."

"You know, it's like you intend to be alone all your life."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting security and peace of mind."

That made Ty Lee frown. "You can get that with someone else, too. It just takes the right person."

"Yeah, well, I don't know if you've noticed or anything, but I'm not exactly on the list of the Fire Nation's most wanted singles. And it really doesn't matter anyway."

"So, what if it happens?"

A shrug. "Then I guess it happens. In the meanwhile, you should turn around so I can finish what I was doing."

Ty Lee snorted, but at least she did turn back around. "Fine. But I'd better be maid of honor." ... just, not arguing. That was a safer route.


The dancers made their way to the festival grounds. The crowd that had gathered was quiet and hushed, waiting. The dancing, as it was banned in the Fire Nation so long, was a particular point of interest of these festivals. The dancers came down the hillside, and then fanned out, in pairs of two, each one headed for a different pile of sticks and dried out hay on the hillsides. One by one, the balefires roared to life, given the flame of the dancers' torches, and bright colors and cheerfully crackling flames signaled the start of Xiazhi.

They said the preparations crew had designed the balefires with bits of powdered metal in them, causing the flames to change colors as they burned. One spat a stream of green flame out one side. Another spat purple. It was symbolic, of the new understanding of Fire, as not only destructive, but as nurturing, passionate, alive. The dancers regrouped, throwing their torches into the brazier to feed the Sacred Flame with, also dancing and curling around itself in a variety of different colors, and the drums began. With it, the crowd erupted into sound and activity, as Xiazhi fully began.

It was not, really, surprising when Mai began to pick her way over to him, weaving not-quite expertly through the crowd toward him. His smoldering amber gaze was, however, too busy seeking the small blind girl with the most striking pale green eyes he'd ever set his gaze upon. Probably, it was a bit ridiculous, how easily he'd become rather enchanted by her, but, they say that, when true love comes to you, you just know, in your heart, in your soul, that the other side of the fire of your life burns in them.

Silly, wasn't it. Zuko had never much placed weight upon the stories and fairytales told to young girls. Likely, those stories were woven just as much to entertain as they were to train those same young girls to marry without question. Did it make him a girl then, that he sought the other side of his life's flame? He'd given up, once, a long time ago, and somehow, 'Poppy' had all but reignited the search, the hope that, one day, his soul would find its other half.

... thinking so sappy-like wasn't getting him any closer to spotting her. "Hey Zuko," came Mai's unfortunately inevitable greeting.

"Hey," he answered. Sort of distracted sounding, a bit non-committal.

"Are you -?"

"Um," he interrupted, turning to her fully, "I'm actually a bit preoccupied, at the moment, sorry."

"Oh." Was that a flicker of disappointment he'd caught in her tone? Hmm. Must observe this mysterious behavior more. ... later. "With what?"

"Looking for someone, actually."

"Oh." And now it sort of sounded... angry. Hmm. "If you're looking for the blind dancer, she's -"

"No, actually," he started, his mind working very quickly to formulate a good diversion. "I'm looking for my sister." She, he knew, was on the other side of the festival, probably showing a few dudes up in an archery contest.

"Right."

"Would you mind helping? We'll cover more ground if we're both looking. I'll stay here."

"Sure," she answered, and then shuffled once again into the crowd. As soon as he was sure she was gone, he, too, slipped into the crowd and vanished.

Only to nearly run into Ty Lee. "Oh! Hey Princey!" ... you know, she was a lot more pleasant and interesting to be around than Mai. How the hell were they friends again...?

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"Oh it's okay. Hehe. Oo, you look a bit lost. What's up?"

"Looking for someone," was his once again non-committal answer. Or, at least, he hoped that's what it came out as, and not something else. Like, desperate.

"Oh goody!" Ty Lee chirped, "search party!" And suddenly, she became somewhat serious. Somewhat, as Ty Lee didn't entirely do serious. Her voice lowered as she asked, "the little blind dancer?"

"She's not that little," Zuko answered. "Don't tell Mai."

"Oh I won't. You didn't hear it from me but, she's at the docks." A short nod, intended to confirm her statement, followed.

"Oh." ... note to self, ask Ty Lee more often. "Thanks. Hey, what's her name?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"She gave me Poppy."

A frown. If Ty Lee remembered right, that was the girl's mother's name. Strange, that she'd give him that name. "Well, I know her real name, but, it may be better if you didn't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll understand eventually, oo! Azula!"

"Ty Lee!" Zuko spat, whirling around to follow her movement as the girl bounced off toward Azula.

... "Girls are crazy." Well, on the bright side, he'd gotten one answer. Now, he supposed, he could go ask 'Poppy' about it.


One would think, being as Toph was blind and all, she'd abhor sticking her feet in the water this way. But, she could still mostly see; her palms held her up, flat against the dirt, the water barely high enough to dip her toes in. She could hear the festival from here, along with the rowdiness of the Fire Nation's navy, presumably having a festival of their own aboard the ships. If she could ever be something besides what she was, maybe she'd be a pirate.

... okay, no, scratch that, ships, ugh ships.

Somehow, the footfalls that approached weren't all that surprising. Still, she gave a mental sigh, wondering how he'd managed to find her this far away from the festival grounds. He stopped, just beside her, his boot not quite in danger of ramming against her hand, and then shuffled around in place, and crouched down beside her. It was quiet, for a good long while, before either of them dared to break the silence.

"So," Zuko started, "you gave me a fake name."

There was another pause, shorter than the first, granted. "Yes."

"Do I want to know why?"

"Oh, Sparky, sometimes a woman needs to keep hold of her mystery."

Strangely, he seemed amused by this. "Mystery, huh?"

"I'd become far less interesting if all of a sudden you knew everything about me." Well, she thought, at least.

He wouldn't tell her how, since Lixia, she'd managed to, with a single, ten minute conversation, completely invade his mind. He wouldn't tell her how, somehow, he saw her eyes in the stars every time he looked up at night. It seemed so stalkerish, and, actually, a bit desperate.

But, more than anything, he wanted to know her, wanted to know everything he could learn, wanted to know the little things, the things she liked and hated. He was drawn to her at least that much.

"Welp, I suppose I'll need to begin unraveling your curious veil of mystery, dear lady."

An amused chortle. "Sure," Toph easily agreed, "if you think you can take it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey, some ladies, really aren't so lady-like." And, as if to make a point, she pulled her legs up and sat like a man.

"For some reason," Zuko answered, "I'm okay with that."

"... really? I'd figure since you're a Princey guy and whatnot you'd get along better with a charming lady-like... well, lady."

Ah, now that was cute. "Ah, actually, believe it or not, my mother has her moments. Most are surprised by that, she's so reserved and regal, but, once in a while, she and dad will get to talking about something and then the next thing I know they're chasing each other around the hallways."

Perhaps in spite of herself, Toph found a smile creeping its way across her features. "That's kind of cute, Sparky."

"Yeah, I always thought so too." As... strange as it occasionally was. And, slightly creepy because if they did that in the hallway, just imagine what they did behind closed - you know what, next subject. "Uh. So, where are you from?"

"Earth Kingdom." A short pause, and she added, "not the colonies just the Earth Kingdom. Ah, after a point I guess the Fire Nation sounded safer than the Earth Kingdom."

He tried not to frown, he really did. One slipped out anyway, a tiny bit. "The war's been over for years now. Why not go back?"

Toph shrugged. "Honestly, don't know. Maybe the Fire Nation just kind of became home." Actually, it was anything but, ah, though telling the Fire Nation's Prince that his nation sucked and she would happily get the hell out of here if given the chance... bad form, rather. And it'd probably lead to uncomfortable questions.

Fortunately, Zuko seemed none the wiser about the things she didn't say. "Well, we've still got a long way to go, but, that's kind of heartening to hear."

"It should be. I'm rather picky about where I stay." ... well, she was. She just didn't have much choice in the matter. Though, these days, running away was sounding better and better. The last one she'd run away from had sprained her ankle.

"So," Toph started, thinking they'd probably better change the subject before she said something she didn't want to, "I hear the balefires are particularly pretty to look at."

"I can think of a few other things that are prettier to look at," Zuko answered. ... she was not blushing, for the record. He, unfortunately, noticed the slight flush and chuckled. "But yes, they are. They're sprinkled with metal dust, so that they'll burn different colors."

"What's it look like?"

The question sort of caught him off guard. He didn't think, being as she was blind, she'd have much interest in what it looks like, and, he had no experience explaining what a fire looked like. Especially not in a way that a blind person could understand what he was talking about. Hm. Well, he could try, he guessed. "Um. I've never explained it before, I don't... know if it'll make any sense."

"Try anyway," Toph replied. ... okay, but if he bombed at it, she asked.

"Ah... well, I suppose they kind of look like life to me. Fire burns in a very chaotic way, when left to its own devices. The flames dance around in no order or pattern, sometimes flaring at random, uh flaring is kind of like -"

"I know the word," Toph interrupted.

"Right. So it moves around with no pattern. Sometimes, I think life is like that, with the random flares and sparks, no warning, it just happens. I suppose color is a hard concept to understand if you've never seen it before. Um. I think the scholars these days are saying color is just another form of light or something. Suppose then, it kind of makes sense that fire, as it gives off a lot of light, would come in a lot of different colors. Since the fire consumes the entire bale, rather than a bit at a time, some sections are one color and others a different one. ... did that even make sense?"

Toph smiled a bit. "Not a damn word."

"Well," Zuko snorted, "I tried I guess. I just suck at this."

"No," Toph shook her head, "It was interesting to listen to." And the slight glimpse, even if it made no sense to her, into what fire meant to him, which was nice. For her it was a scary thing, something she couldn't control or understand.

"Come here," Zuko said, scooting a bit away from the dock, and holding his hand out for her. She hesitated, of course. He laughed a little. "I'll show you."

"Show me what?"

"Just come here. I won't hurt you."

After a few moments, she eventually scooted over to him, sitting in front of him. He held his hand out, bending a very small flame in his palm. The other took one of hers, and moved it to the very edge of the heat the flame gave off. "You can feel the heat, but not the light. Strangely, heat and light tend to kind of go hand in hand. Fire can be gentle, calm, or it can be angry and consuming. The Fire Nation used to feed their Firebending with anger. When the war ended, dad changed that. I think, Firebending thrives best on happiness and love."

A little giggle escaped. "You sound like a sappy romantic."

"So what if I am?"

Er... awkward turtle-duck... "Um," she started, pulling her hand away. Zuko took the cue and the fire went out. "I think I might go get some cider, it's a bit... well insanely hot around here."

An amused sound, not quite a laugh but almost, escaped him. "Yes, I suppose it is. But you know what, you're the lady, even if you don't think of yourself as one. I'll go." With that, Zuko stood, brushing himself off a bit. "And this time, Saucy, please stay."

"Toph." It slipped out before she could stop it. ... damn it all.

"Toph?"

"My name. It's Toph."

For a moment, he was quiet, perhaps mulling the name over. Then, with a slight smile in his tone, he said, "Toph. Suits you loads better than Saucy." He turned, heading back toward the sounds of the festival, presumably intent on that cider.


Her brother was practically skipping. That was... awkward, on so many levels. So, naturally, Azula pulled herself away from the archery range off to the side and made her way over to Zuko, who was quite thoroughly glowing.

"Hey," she started as soon as she got close enough, "did you catch a fever or something?"

"Her name is Toph," he promptly informed her. "Toph. That's her."

And for a moment, Azula was silent, trying to figure out what the - oh! The girl. The dancer girl. Her name really wasn't Poppy then. "Right. Well, I'm glad you have her actual name -"

"She's not from the colonies though. She said she's from the Earth Kingdom. Said that the war got bad enough she relocated over here to duck under it." Well, not in those words, but, basically.

"Ah." ... and yet the war had been over for a good while now and she was still... not questioning it too hard. "Strangely, here probably was one of the safest places to go." The battlefront, of course, never made it back across the Mo Ce.

"Anyway, I gotta jet, I only came over for cider," Zuko said, raising the two glasses as a means of explanation, and then skipped off, leaving Azula only a little puzzled. This girl was getting more and more interesting as the festivals went by.

Some minutes later, Zuko sat down beside Toph again, handing her one of the two glasses.

"Thanks," she said, half mumbled.

"And thank you too."

"For what?"

"Not running off."

Yeah... um, that might be something to thank her for, yes. "You're... welcome. I think."

"You think?" He sounded amused.

"Well, I'm not sure if this is the part where I run screaming for my mommy toward the hills or not."

A laugh answered. "I'm not that bad."

"Hey, you're practically a stranger, how do I know that?"

"Well, the nation's relatively peaceful?"

"Ah, yes, because one's father's actions are properly representative of one's own." A slight smile graced her features. "Nothing personal, but, your father is Fire Lord, not you. The nation is peaceful because he made it so."

For a moment, she was sort of concerned she may have overstepped, but, he snorted, quietly. "Yeah. You're right." There was a bit of quiet, Toph sipping at her cider, Zuko swirling his around. "Would you like to dance with me?"

And she damned near choked on that cider.

"Whoa, sorry," Zuko said, patting her back slightly in hopes of helping her recover. "You alright?"

"Fine," a bit terse. "Did I hear that right?"

"... um. I know it's a bit random I guess and you said at Lixia dancing's not really your thing but..."

That was... odd. An eyebrow quirked upward, and her head tilted slightly, in apparent confusion. "Wait, you remember that?"

"Should... should I not?" Now Zuko was the confused one.

"No I - well, I guess you shouldn't, technically, it's a bit strange but..." And now she was rambling. He actually remembered what she said. He'd been listening to her. Well of course he was, that was generally what remembering tended to require. Ah, that was a very odd feeling of... elation? Someone besides Ty Lee actually listened. And, apparently, she'd made enough of an impression on him that he remembered it beyond a few hours.

To say yes... or... well, she could dance, clearly, she just didn't like to. It tended to require removal of ones feet from the sweet, blessed earth, especially when dancing with someone else. And Toph did not do that. There was a shift of motion where he was, and he moved away for a moment, before coming back, kneeling in front of her and sliding something in her hair. It smelled like...

"This is a fire lily," he explained. "Fire lilies aren't much anything like fire, except their colors, but they're believed to be symbols of purity and passion. They're a favorite of artists and poets. Please, just one dance."

Yeah, she knew what a fire lily was symbolic of. ... he really was a bit of a sap. That was okay though. It was actually kind of charming. "Alright," she eventually sighed. "But you swing me around and I'm going to nut shot you so hard."

A slight wince. Somehow, he didn't doubt her words. He shifted again, holding his hand out. "Shall we?"

"Don't make me regret this," she grumbled, reluctantly placing her hand in his and rising with him.

"I won't. ... or, well, I'll try not to."

"You do know how to dance, right?" Just checking. But, he was royalty, he'd probably at least learned how to -

"You wound me," he half-heartedly pouted, before gently pulling her into a relatively slow dance, around in a circle, careful not to destroy any more of the fire lilies. They only bloomed around this time anyway for a few weeks. "I am, after all, a Prince. It is my job to know how to do things like sweep lovely women off their feet."

A slight snicker escaped her. "Sure it is."

Being this close to him was almost enough to make her dizzy. He had an odd smoke-like scent, rather heady but not overpowering, with an undertone of something sweeter, all mixing with the scent of the fire lily in her hair. At least he didn't talk much when dancing, apparently, because she was sure she wouldn't make any sense at the moment. Instead, she just focused on moving around in the circle with him, taking care not to misstep.

"I meant that."

Toph arched an eyebrow again. "Meant what?"

"You're very lovely, Toph. In more ways than the one."

"And you're so out of my universe, it's insane."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He hesitated, for just a moment, but it was long enough for Toph to detach herself from him.

"I should go. Thank you, for the dance." She gave a short bow, and then turned to leave, but her hand caught her wrist.

"Wait, will you be here for Liqiu?"

"I don't..."

"Please come."

She didn't want to tell him she'd do something she wasn't entirely sure she could. There were always so many things for a servant to do, it probably wasn't all that surprising her schedule for the next festival was a bit in the air. All over the air.

Eventually, she sighed. "I'll try."

"Thank you." And then he did something weird and kissed her hand. ... why would he - just... not focusing on it too much. It only served to confuse her more than she already was. And butterflies... another bow, and she turned again, and this time, he let her go, her slightly smaller hand sliding out of his easily.

And he hoped, probably more than he'd ever hoped for anything, that she did come back.


He'd disappeared, and so had the little blind bat. That irritated Mai, more than she'd really care to admit. She'd found Azula, of course. Over at the archery range to one side. But, she'd lost track of Zuko, by the time they'd gotten back over there, and Azula went back where she was, leaving Mai to scan the crowds in confusion and probably what was as close to irritation as she could possibly get.

Ah, Ty Lee. "Ty Lee," Mai called. Fortunately, the girl heard her, dipped a little in a bow to the male she'd been dancing with (he looked stupid, no harm), and shuffled over to the other girl.

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Zuko?"

Ty Lee shook her head. "Nope." ... there was a strange uneasiness with which she said that, that made Mai think otherwise.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." A nod accompanied that one.

"Ty Lee, we're friends."

"Yes? I honestly have no idea! If I did know where he is, I'd tell you."

"Alright then," Mai started. "Where's the blind brat?"

A very upset sigh answered first. "She has a name Mai, it won't kill you to use it. And I don't know where she is either."

"I know she has a name," Mai replied coolly. "I don't like using it."

Not going to argue with her, Ty Lee was. It just wasn't worth the fight. She thought, maybe Mai found it easier to deal with it, the idea that maybe Zuko and Toph were missing and they were missing together, by stripping Toph of her humanity in her mind. Still, it wasn't like, even for all the years they'd known one another, Zuko ever really seemed interested in her back.

Frankly, Ty Lee thought it nearly a miracle the Prince hadn't turned tail and run every time he'd seen her. He was cute, sure, but, Mai knew so very little about him, and they had pretty much nothing in common. Or, at least, that was the way Ty Lee saw it. She might be wrong.

"If they're together, I think I should talk to her about it."

"And... say what, she's not allowed to enjoy a festival?"

"She's not allowed to make moves on Zuko."

Ty Lee arched an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because I love him. What other reason would there be?"

"Doesn't seem he loves you, Mai."

"You take that back."

"Telling you like it is, as a friend. I'm telling you the truth, rather than what you want to hear. Besides, it's a festival, these things happen. You act like the world's going to stop and hold still just for you."

Mai was quiet for a moment, her gaze turning elsewhere. "It's just hard to get anywhere with him if he's never here."

"Well, Mai, maybe that's your sign. The sign that tells you, he's really not that interested in you."

"Oh shove off." Mai turned and wandered off then. Hm. This whole thing could end rather tragically, if Mai didn't learn to let Zuko be who he was rather than the modified version of him in her head. She couldn't even call that version of him 'glorified,' as really, that version only existed to spend at least half his life fawning over Mai.

Okay, to be fair, she wasn't that selfish, but she was starting to sound like she was. Really, though, aside from just trying to help Zuko and Toph along, as they seemed to be rather interested in one another, there wasn't much about this she could do. All there was to it, and Ty Lee would just have to make sure to be there to help pick up the pieces if this shattered into a million of them.

It was sad to think that, really, it may very well do just that. And all because one of them couldn't let go.


Ty Lee had eventually decided, after watching Mai weave through the crowd, presumably still searching for Zuko, to return to watching Azula at the archery range. Perhaps unsurprisingly, or at least it shouldn't have been surprising, Azula wasn't there when she got back. Now it was her turn, apparently, to wander about like a lost pup -

"There you are," came Azula's voice. It was a bit unexpected, and Ty Lee rather gracelessly squealed and jumped.

"Oh, jeez don't scare me."

Azula seemed amused. "I do apologize. I was looking for you."

"Ha, I was looking for you."

"You seem a bit upset."

Ty Lee shook her head. "Not too much. ... well, I guess I am." Technically speaking. "This whole thing is just -"

"What thing?"

"Maybe we'd better find a seat somewhere."

With that, Ty Lee shuffled through the crowd again, Azula following, and found a place off to the side to sit. Fortunately, the cider bar wasn't too far away, so she pointed at it, and stood, returning a moment later with a few glasses. One she handed to Azula.

"Thank you," Azula intoned.

"Ah, you're welcome. That's what friends are for."

"So they are. Toast to friends?"

"Heh, toast to friends," Ty Lee agreed, and their glasses tinked together quietly, before both sipped a bit.

"Well," Ty Lee started, "have you noticed Zuko's apparent obsession with this girl?"

"Ah, the blind dancer?"

"She's not actually a dancer. But that's the one."

"I've been helping him, or trying to help him, find where she comes from. He says he thinks she's the one or something. How does he even know that, they've just met?"

"Well, they met last festival, so, technically, not just met, but pretty close huh?"

"Indeed," Azula drawled. "... what do you know of this?"

"I know Mai doesn't like it."

"Of course Mai doesn't like it, Zuzu's attention is on someone other than her." A short pause. "... never really struck me as the jealous type, however."

"Oh she can get pretty vindictive," Ty Lee half-giggled. "It's actually a bit scary."

Azula shook her head. "Never mind her. Are you friends with this girl? What's she like?"

"Jeez Azula, be more open about your curiosity, would you?"

"Oh come on, I'm his sister, it's my job, or, well, one of them. The other is teasing him relentlessly and making his life miserable."

"Lovingly miserable, I should hope."

"Of course. Now about this girl...?"

Ty Lee sighed. "Well, I can't tell you too much. She comes from the mainland Earth Kingdom. Actually," Ty Lee shifted up, leaning closer to Azula, "I can't tell you the details, but she's not what you think."

"... how are you really going to say that and leave me hanging?"

"Very easily actually. Look, she's got a lot of things in her past I don't really understand. She is an Earthbender though. She sees through Earthbending, something she calls seismic sense. Like... sensing vibrations, I think she said, through the ground and any earthy floor substance like stone, she can pinpoint where everyone is and their general stance and whatnot. That's partially how she's a good dancer, she follows the other dancers' movements through Earthbending and copies them."

A slight frown. "That's... a very unique skill. Father would be very pleased with her mastery."

"I'm sure he would be," Ty Lee agreed. "She hasn't had the time these days to continue refining her abilities, but she says she learned Earthbending straight from the badgermoles."

"No kidding?"

"No kidding." Ty Lee sat back down. "She's stubborn, prideful, very independent, got a hell of a mouth on her... if nothing else, I'm sure she'd match Zuko's fire just fine."

Azula made an amused sound. "Sounds it. You think they've got a chance?"

"I'm betting it. Just watch, I give it until Lichun, they'll make it official."

"Lichun you say? Hmm..."

Well, maybe they would. Quietly, the other girl slipped back through the crowd, before either of the two girls noticed. Yes, maybe they would make it official by Lichun. But this was presuming Mai intended to let them.


Oh, ow, there was a wall there. Graceful, Toph, let's just slam right into the wall. Even better, it wasn't as if she were drunk. ... not literally, anyway. Some part of her was still somewhere back there, in the meadow near the festival, dancing with...

She really shouldn't get so caught up in this. He was a Prince for the spirit's sake, and she was just a scullery maid. Worse, technically, she still owed Mai's family over 600 gold pieces. That was her purchase price. The meager amount her step-father had gotten for her, and the insanely high amount everyone that owned her after that paid for such a rude, unruly servant. And she'd stay one of those, because Prince Zuko could do better than her.

This damnable fire lily in her hair, it seemed to be taunting her, reminding her that, clearly, Prince Zuko didn't think that. Yet, anyway. Eventually, he would change his mind, Toph was sure. And then there she'd be, having to deal with watching Mai marry him and wishing she was her. Of course, Toph tended to wish she was anyone but herself as it was, so perhaps that wasn't all that surprising in the end.

But she didn't have the heart to take the lily out, either. It was... kind of sweet, how stubborn he was about getting to know her. This was something, she thought, she could get used to, given the time.

"Finally back, I see." Toph froze in the entrance hall. Mai, of course. She had little issue recognizing voices.

"Yes." She wasn't afraid of Mai. No, and she never really would be. The worst that happened was, she'd be sold again and that'd be the end of that. Not like it mattered.

"Took you long enough, considering you weren't supposed to be doing anything but waiting for me."

"You were a bit busy," Toph answered, her voice strong. "I figured while you were off having fun, I'd go entertain myself."

"I see." One thing about the blind bat, she did have nerve. Quite a bit of it. Yet for some reason, Mai was the only one that saw her backbone in this house. Her parents appeared to either never see it, or completely miss it. "You don't have to lie. I know where you were."

"I see." Yes, she was in fact mocking Mai, just a bit.

"Listen to me you little runt," Mai started, closing the space between them to lower her voice, to what she probably thought was a threatening tone. Toph just found it funny. "I will be the one that marries Zuko. You cease prancing around in front of him and distracting him."

"Or what? Ya gonna whip me? Bring it."

"I can do far worse than that. Quit testing my patience. You're not allowed to attend the festivals anymore, and if you dare to anyway," a hand reached over, snatching the lily out of her hair and crushing it, "you'll wish I'd whipped you." She stayed where she was for a moment, before turning on her heel and stalking into the hallway, presumably toward her bedroom.

Not that Toph cared where the hell she went. "Two can play that, bitch." ... funny how defensive she was getting. As Toph had initially thought, Zuko would change his mind eventually, and Mai would win in the end. And it wasn't as though Toph cared. She didn't want Zuko anyway. Princey types, they were always a handful, as it was.

It didn't matter. Toph didn't care. And maybe, if she kept telling herself that, it'd become the truth, because she shouldn't care.


"She danced with me, 'Zula! It was the most... amazing - and when our hands touched, I knew, I knew it was her -"

For a moment, not intending to be rude of course, Azula tuned him out. Zuko was straight gushing, and, really, it was a bit freaky. If she ever found someone that didn't strike her as a complete and utter idiot, and she did this, please, just... put her out of her misery.

"How do you know, Zuko?" She finally asked, breaking his rambling tanget. "You hardly know this girl. For all you know, she could be a criminal."

"She's not," he responded, rather terse and almost defensive. "She's... she's not. I just know, you know, like... how you wake up in the morning and you know, just by the feel of the air, or something, that it'll rain?"

"Love doesn't work that way, Zuzu."

"Well maybe not in your universe. In mine, yes it does."

A groan, and Azula pressed a hand to her temple. "Zuzu, I just... I'm worried, okay? I don't want you... well, getting caught up in something you don't fully understand."

Zuko frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," a head shake, "Ty Lee wouldn't tell me the full of it, but I don't want to be picking up the pieces afterward is all."

For a moment, both were quiet. And then, Zuko sighed, shuffling over to sit beside his sister. "I know," he said, softly. "And if it were the other way around, I wouldn't want to either. But, it's part of being alive, you know? Taking chances, even if that chance is riding on a 50/50 chance of it really, really fucking sucking if it turns out wrong. I like her, 'Zula. She's smart and spunky, and... she talks back to me and treats me like I'm a person. And I know you're used to being priviledged and probably don't understand the draw to that..."

"I really don't," Azula answered, sounding a bit amused. "But, you know, if she really makes you this happy, maybe I can just... be happy for you."

"I would be a little concerned if you suddenly changed your tune. But it would mean a lot to me if you did."

"Just be careful. Unfortunately, our station sets us up for a lot of trickery. And I don't want this to turn out to be just an elaborate trick."

"I know it does." There was a pause. "But, you know, uncle says we're not really any better than anyone else in the end. We were just born lucky, is all."

"I guess." A shift, as Azula hugged him. "Remember what I said. And good luck with this girl of yours, she at least puts you in a very good mood. We should get some sleep."

Heh. He hugged her back, rather easily. "Yeah, probably. Unfortunately, I'm a bit wired."

"Love drunk, is that the term?"

"Not sure I would call it love just yet. At least a crush. A very big crush."

"Fair enough. Good night Zuzu," and she stood and headed for the door.

"Night 'Zula."

Yeah. A very big crush indeed. A little startling, really. But he wouldn't question it, just follow the road until it stopped somewhere. And he was looking forward to learning where this road led him.


Notes: And here we go, the 'ball' scene. Lol. I'm sure we'll get a few more of those though, soon as we get into the winter months and outdoor festivals aren't quite so practical. I'm planning on a masquerade for one of them. That'll be fun.

Yeah. Um. Lol Ozai and Azula are awwwwkwarrrrd. I keep thinking But Azula is crazy and Ozai is a JERK! But no he's not. Yes he is. NO HE'S NOT - AAAAAHHH MOTHER LAAAAAND!111one *mental meltdown*

Xiazhi is the summer solstice, or midsummer. This is usually on June 20, 21, or 22, depending on precise sun location, and of course hemisphere, and it is the longest day of the year, barring at the poles. Poor poles. Probably the most important of the solar festivals for the Fire Nation. The sun would be either just barely in Gemini, an air sign, or just having entered Cancer, a water sign. Does anyone else see the irony there because I do?

Ah, right. The metal dust idea came from fireworks. Fireworks, in the real world, are made with various mineral compounds in them to give them their color. If you slip a bit of copper sulfate or boric acid, for instance, into an open flame, the fire will turn green. Maybe that's how they did the green fire in Harry Potter for the Floo Network? Lol Probably not, it was probably computer generated. Anyway. If you've ever owned a gas stove, you'll note that gas stoves burn blue. Then, as dust particles in the air "crash" into the flames, they spark the more common orange-red. An example of how fire can change colors based on what's in it.

Also, unlike with Like the Sun, this one has no other background thing going on, it's just a straight romance story. I have a few other Toko fics in mind that will have other things with it, assuming my mind ever fleshes them out any, but, it should. Toko appears to be my A:TLA OTP. I am totally okay with that.