Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. To be honest, it was very painful to write because I had to pick apart and analyze the actual episode which is much harder than it looks. Hopefully the rest will be easier and faster to write since I get to make up my own stuff rather than just rewriting someone else's. Oh! and just a heads up, I might change the title of this story, because I'm not so sure 'Hope Floats' is going to fit with the rest of it, but we'll see. Enjoy ch.2! Even though there's nothing in it that you don't already know...mostly...

Jin hugged her pillow as a steady flow of tears streamed down her face. How could she have made such a misjudgment? She buried her face into the pillow overcome with the shame of her own stupidity. Her body involuntarily stiffened as she accidently reviewed the day's events in her mind.

***

She sat there, holding her tea, and watching him. She couldn't figure out why, but the seemingly effortless way he walked, the way he held his shoulders back appeared to give him an air of confidence that greatly appealed to her. His features were also flawless. That was except for a very large scar encasing his left eye and most of that side of his face. She narrowed her eyes as she studied the unnatural disfigurement. This was no ordinary scar. It reeked of treachery and violence. Looking at it, she could almost feel the pain it must have caused this boy; physically and mentally.

He looked in her direction and their eyes accidently met. Embarrassed that she had been caught staring, she immediately looked away and blushed. Afraid to look up again, she looked down at her tea and realized she hadn't touched it the entire time. She took a sip and grimaced at its coldness.

The boy's voice whispering to the old man who also worked there triggered her eyes to snap up and lock onto him behind the counter. He had his back turned to her as he spoke to the older gentleman. Suddenly the old man's eyes shifted from the boy's face to hers. Her stomach did a flip flop. They were talking about her. A thousand questions buzzed through her mind. What are they saying? Is it good or bad? Does he like me or is he freaked out because I was staring at him? The more questions her mind fabricated, the quicker her heart rate became. His back was still turned to her, and she sensed a window of opportunity. She wanted to throw up.

She then forced herself to take a deep breath. Remembering what the Avatar had said to her, she stood up and made her way to the counter. There's only one way to find out, she thought to herself. She never quite realized just how far the counter was from her chair until now. With each step she took, her stomach became more twisted. Then all of a sudden, she was there and didn't know what to do.

She mentally slapped herself. Duh! This was a tea shop! People normally go to the counter to pay for the tea! "Thank you for the tea," she said. He immediately turned around to take her money and turned his back to her once again without a word as if by reflex. He needs encouragement…isn't that what the Avatar said? She thought to herself. "What's your name?" she asked with a smile while he still had his back to her.

The boy spun around. "My name's Lee," he replied immediately again, as if by reflex. "My uncle and I just moved here." That last bit of information surprised her mostly because it was completely irrelevant to her question. What would compel him to tell her such a thing? Perhaps because he feels lonely and outcast in a new place and was fishing for companionship? She liked this explanation of hers and it gave her the boost of confidence she needed to complete her mission.

"Hi Lee," she replied to him, "My name's Jin." She continued to smile at him. With her excitement at finally having a conversation, she couldn't help it. Keep it moving! She scolded herself. "Thank you and uh," she looked away unable to meet his eyes. "Well…I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime." She cautiously met his eyes to analyze his response. She continued to smile in the hopes that it would conceal just how nervous and insecure she felt.

"He'd love to!" exclaimed the friendly older gentleman who Lee claimed was his uncle. Really? Does this mean they were really talking about me? And about how much he likes me? All this excitement made her feel like floating to the ceiling. "Great!" she exclaimed, her face beaming. "I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown!" She then walked out of the shop without looking back.

She hadn't planned on asking him out and could hardly believe that she did. She didn't have any idea what they would do. The fountain! She suddenly remembered. She loved the fountain and it was the most romantic place in the city at night.

Shaking her head, she realized that probably wasn't a good idea. Romance on a first date? That would come across as way too strong and probably scare him away. She settled for the most common alternative: dinner. She smiled to herself. It would be a good opportunity to talk and learn a little more about each other before they got to the romance.

Her muscles stiffened. Would they even get that far? She shook her head before any more of her insecurities moved in. She had asked him out with only hope working on her side, and she succeeded. She would not allow herself to drown in self doubt. Not after such a victory. She then occupied herself with thinking positive thoughts as she made her way home.

***

Jin stared at her reflection in the mirror. Until now, she had never noticed just how plain she looked. She had no identifiable features that classified her as beautiful or ugly. She supposed that her more appealing aspects included her green eyes and her long brown hair, but the same could be said for most of the women in Ba Sin Se. I hope he doesn't think I'm too boring, she thought. How can I make myself stand out from all the other women?

She studied her braided pigtails in discontentment. They were so droopy…so…boring. They seemed to say, "I'm a social outcast that doesn't do anything for fun except sit in tea shops and watch people." Her hair went flying in all directions as her fingers hastily untangled her braids. He needs to see that I like to have fun too, she thought.

After being in braids her hair was fluffy and kinky. Struggling slightly to smooth it out, she pulled it back into a high pony tail and left out some shorter chunks for her bangs. After finally getting the hair tie around the thick bundle, she studied her reflection again. Her frizzy pony tail was so fluffed, it spiked out in all directions. She smiled deviously at herself. Now that was fun.

She jumped when she noticed the red glow of the sunset illuminating her room through her window. She grabbed some coins for the restaurant and checked her appearance one last time. Satisfied with herself, she hastily went down stairs and out the door. She stopped on the doorstep and took a deep breath. "This is it, Jin," she told herself, "Please don't screw it up." She then began her brisk walk towards the shop.

***

Jin stared at Lee across the table struggling to start a conversation. She decided that small talk was not one of his talents. It felt more like an interview than a conversation. "Excuse me, Sir," the waiter inquired to Lee, "would you and your girlfriend care for desert?" Jin's stomach jumped at the word 'girlfriend'.

"She is not my girlfriend!" Lee replied with more volume than necessary. How embarrassing! Jin didn't know what to do or say, so she stuffed her face with a huge mouthful of noodles. She wouldn't feel obligated to comment on such a statement if her mouth was full. "Uh," Lee started, "you have…quite an appetite for a girl." The expression he wore was so awkward it was almost comical. He looked down and twiddled his thumbs.

"Um," Jin replied, "thanks?" She suddenly felt sorry for him. He obviously wasn't comfortable around people he didn't know very well. She had to find a way to help him loosen up. "So…Lee," she began fishing for something that might start a conversation, "What were you and your uncle doing before you came here?"

"Uh…we've been…traveling around for a long time," Lee replied. This sparked Jin's curiosity.

"Oh! Why were you traveling so much?"

"We were…a part of…this traveling circus." His expression was casual.

Jin's excitement grew. "What did you do? Wait," she tapped her chin, "let me guess." She thought for a moment then said the first thing that came to her mind. "You juggled," she pointed a finger at him.

His expression malformed from casual to hard. "Yes, I juggled."

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle," Jin exclaimed. She gathered a few cups and utensils she had in front of her and shoved them across the table. "Can you show me something?"

His eyebrows shot up and betrayed his uneasiness. He cautiously took the items from her and tossed them in the air only for each one to come crashing back down on his head. "I haven't practiced for a while," he said in explanation.

Jin's heart skipped a beat. He looked so sweet and innocent sitting there across the table with food and smashed dishes littering his face. "It's alright," she replied. She couldn't care less if he could juggle well or not because right now, she was simply elated just to have him for company. A thought occurred to her and her excitement compelled her to blurt it out before fully thinking it through. "Hey," she said still staring at his adorable apologetic face, "I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city."

***

She knew she told herself the fountain was off limits, but she couldn't help herself after he pulled her heart strings like that. Excitement pulsed through her as she ran toward her sanctuary with Lee in tow. "I'm so excited for you to see the firelight fountain," she panted behind her. "The lamps make the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way." Her anticipation grew with each step they took towards their destination.

They finally arrived to a dull gray ordinary fountain that in no way matched the description Jin had just given it. They lanterns surrounding the pool were dreary and lifeless. "I can't believe it!" she shouted, "They aren't lit." Disappointment lingered on the edge of her eyelids waiting to spill and betray her. She couldn't bare look at him and in her shame stared at the ground instead. I guess my romantic fantasy wasn't meant to be after all.

"Close your eyes," suddenly came Lee's voice. She looked at him to find that his face was very stern. "And don't peek," he warned.

Jin smiled as the disappointed died away and the excitement returned. She eagerly covered her eyes and waited to be told otherwise. A series of whiff's and sizzles immediately followed and her curiosity threatened to disobey him.

"Ok," he said, "now you can look." Jin removed her hands.

"Oh wow," she said in awe. Her eyes soaked in the light of dozens of shining lanterns reflecting in the crystal clear water of the fountain as she walked around it admiring its beauty. "What happened? How did they light?" She looked at him, her eyes slightly narrowed, "What did you-" Her questions were cut off by his smile and she suddenly forgot that she ever wanted an explanation. She smiled back and stood by his side as they admired the fountain in unison.

What happened after that, she didn't know exactly what she was thinking. All she knew was that she wanted so badly to thank him for making this moment more special than she had ever imagined it. She reached for and grabbed his hand turning him to face her. Still holding his hand, she gazed into his eyes.

"I brought you something," he said suddenly as he held whatever it was between their faces. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea."

"Lee," she said as she brought her other hand up to take it, "this is so sweet."

"Don't thank me," he replied as he released her hand and took a few steps away, "It was my uncle's idea." He turned his head away from her. "He thinks you're our most valuable customer."

Jin analyzed the gift and smiled. "Your uncle is a good teacher." Her attention shifted back to his turned away face and her body began to think and act on its own accord. A few steps closed the distance between them before she reached an unusually bold hand to his far cheek to turn his face towards hers. "I have something for you too," she said, "Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

Lee narrowed his eyes at her but eventually obeyed. Jin swallowed hard in attempt to cure the nervous lump in her throat. She took one step closer so that their toes touched and stood on her tippy toes. After giving him a peck on the lips and moving away, he closed the gap between them once again and returned the gesture.

As suddenly as it happened, it was over. One moment he was inches from her and the next he was half way across the fountain. "What's wrong?" Jin asked almost desperately.

***

Jin's body convulsed as she sobbed into her pillow. She could not force herself to sleep as those two words haunted her thoughts: It's complicated.