A/N: Heeeeeeeere I am! After an insidiously long hiatus, I have finally gotten my act together (well...my own apartment, anyway...-sweatdrop-) and a library card, so now I can update on the conveniently not-broken library computers!

Having finally checked the reader response to the author's note my oh-so paranoid friend was kind enough to post for me, I was surprised. Surprised and touched.

It truly warms my heart to hear how much this fic has entertained you all. Quite honestly I was expecting a revolt of massive proportions (people tend to hate you when you post author's notes instead of the next chapter...), so I am also relieved that I am NOT dead.

You guys must really love this story to have put up with that crap. So thanks!

P.S. This is a serious chapter. I swear it's not filler. Besides, you're looking at a really, REALLY long chapter. Would I be so cruel as to stuff it with unnecessary plot development? Would I? Please!


Chapter Nine: Toeing the Fine Line

While it is traditional for me to start off a chapter bewailing whatever shit-tastic situation I managed to stumble (usually headfirst) into, I just don't feel like it right now. As it was, I have come to the sudden realization that bitching is for the weak, and, besides which, won't accomplish anything except pissing off everyone around me. Anyway, it didn't even make me feel better, so what would be the point?

I could laugh, scream, and sob all I wanted. It wouldn't be getting Aang or his friends out of the dungeons.

"Julie, your tea is getting cold," General Iroh reprimanded me.

"Sorry," I muttered. To mollify him, I took a long sip of the tea. It wasn't his "special" tea, whatever the hell that was, but it still managed to take off a lot of the chill from the South Pole. I was still in a pretty shitty mood, but that was to be expected given current circumstances.

In my other hand, I fiddled with Aang's staff (the same staff Zuko had, against his better judgment, entrusted to me in the last chapter) and continued to feel guilty.

"You seem melancholy and distracted," said Iroh pointedly. I looked up at him, all, 'Really, Dude?' but otherwise silent as a brick wall. What did he expect me to do? Spill my guts right there with the tea things?

When the silence persisted, I managed to shrug. "It's nothing," I said.

The old man looked at me shrewdly. "I get the feeling you haven't heard a single thing I said about earthenware kettles."

I looked away. Man, this sucked.

"I was listening," I mumbled, slouching a little in my chair.

Iroh's eyes glinted. "Really? Then what did I say was the key to making fine tea?"

Le Crap on a stick! I hate pop quizzes; even on a normal day when I wasn't sitting on my butt on a hostile enemy ship in the middle of freaking no-where with little or no hope of getting home again! Though it wasn't as though Iroh was going to torch my ass with his smite-worthy firebending if I got his question wrong, I still didn't want to look like an idiot, either.

I flummoxed. "You just said it was the kettle...didn't you?"

He sighed. "Proper aging, Julie. I was saying that there are a number of ways to improve the quality of the tea itself-such as using an earthenware kettle as opposed to a metal one, as well as using fresh water that hasn't been boiled already." He shook his head at me. "But unless the tea has been aged correctly, the taste will be hindered greatly."

I blinked at him. Iroh was starting to get really tea-righteous all of a sudden. Huh, I thought. Maybe pretending to be a tea fanatic wasn't the best way to keep Zuko from sinking his assbear claws into me. I started to think that it would have been preferable to have been poked to death with flaming spears.

I'm just saying.

"The way most tea is served in public places," Iroh continued, lost in yet another tea rant. "Just a cup of lukewarm water with a...a...tea bag...!" He shuddered and was silent for a minute, as though trying to compose himself. Without opening his eyes, he said to me, "Julie, for the love of Agni and for your own personal safety, never let me catch you holding one of those monstrosities, or so help me...!"

Um...whoa.

"Why, it is an outrage to anyone who cares about tea!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the table. At this point I had scurried away to a corner, a safe distance and out of range of any fire-spewing wrath that may have been forthcoming.

Then, Iroh blinked at me in confusion. It was as though he had just remembered I was there.

"Julie, why are you sitting so far away from the table? Come here and finish your tea."

No way, old man. You can just finish my tea and let me quietly cower here like a little bitch until you're finished. But I realized that that answer wasn't going to fly, so reluctantly I scooted my ass back to where I should have been sitting.

"Sorry," I said, and meaning it. I really was sorry that I had provoked him into a fit of rage. But Iroh didn't seem too pissed, so I guess we were still cool and whatnot.

"You really must be bothered about something if you can't even concentrate on tea," he said. "What is on your mind?"

Only a complete stooge would have spilled their guts-or rather, my guts-about how badly I was stewing for landing Aang and his best friends in a shitload of Fire Nation whoop-ass and prison cells. I knew Iroh was understanding, but he was still Fire Nation, after all. And we hadn't progressed enough in the series to the point where he would directly defy his nephew to help Aang.

Shit, I realized. I wondered if I was even going to stick around to see that, or if I would even survive that long. This was just way too hodge-podge and convoluted for my tastes. Where was a simple road-map when you needed one?

"Nothing," I lied. "My shoulder kind of hurts, though."

Actually, this was true. Not only did it hurt, it throbbed. It was like a living, breathing, angry...thing...bent on making me miserable. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse instead of better; but that was besides the point. I was more worried about how I was going to fix this little shit-festival I had created. I could barely concentrate on thinking of an escape plan for Aang, let alone pay attention to Iroh's tea lecture.

Iroh frowned. "If it hurts badly enough, we can have the healer look at it again."

Oh, hell no. Having that miserable butt-munch open up my shoulder cast would only cause him to bitch endlessly about how much trouble I was causing him. Besides, there was the little detail that I needed to (somehow) help Aang escape. And I couldn't do that if I was in a hospital bed...cot...whatever.

Screw it. I wasn't going to sickbay, and that's that.

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "I just...well..." I tried to think of a way to retrace my argument to a less traitorous one. "General Iroh, can I...ask you something...?"

"You just did. But you may ask something else, if you wish."

I nodded. "It's just...the Avatar...he's just a little kid. I thought he was, like, ancient or something."

I, of course, was bullshitting. I knew full well that Aang was just a hyperactive tween with the soul of an innocent monk-baby. I just wanted a reason to justify my angsting over his capture.

Iroh looked at me carefully. It was as though he were weighing my words very carefully, although why he would do that was completely beyond me. I never usually said anything worth consideration. I was typically straightforward...at least, when my life wasn't at stake.

"My nephew and I believed the same thing," he said. "We were just as surprised as you to see that he was actually a young boy."

"Doesn't that bother you, though?" I pressed. I knew I was pushing my luck, but I was really curious how they would justify something like this. "I mean, the fact that he's so young. He can't possibly be your enemy. He barely even put up a fight back on deck."

Iroh looked at me. "Does it bother you?" he asked.

I blushed. "Well...yes. Yes, it does. He's just a kid, General. He shouldn't have to die just because...I mean, he can't help being born, can he?"

He held up a hand to calm me. The man was so Yoda-like that it made me shut up faster than clam at a New England brunch. I hadn't realized I had shouted until the weight of the silence that followed pressed down on my ears.

"I can see you feel very strongly about this. I also agree with you to a certain extent. But you have to understand that my nephew has been hunting the Avatar for the last three years. He too feels strongly about this quest. He too is conflicted, perhaps just as or even more conflicted than you are right now."

I scowled, but I allowed the logic. I may not like Zuko very much, but he wasn't a stubborn emo-pants for no reason. I guess I could try to see things his way...maybe...

"I can assure you that the Avatar will not be killed," he continued. "If he were to die, he would simply be reincarnated, and Zuko would have to begin his search anew."

I could not imagine the holy-hell-tastic hissy fit Zuko would have if that should happen. I didn't want to think about it.

"What about his friends?" I demanded. "The two Water Tribes-persons and whatnot. Are they going to die?"

"They will be arrested, but unless they do something foolish and dangerous to our mission, we have no reason to harm them in any way."

"But they're still going to Fire Nation jail, aren't they? Crap!"

I couldn't keep the panic out of my voice. Anxiety was warping my imagination so that all I could see in the near future was Sokka being made into a prison bitch. Or maybe Katara getting some prison tattoos. Ew, to both of those fear-induced delusions.

Iroh quirked an eyebrow at my outburst. "Is something the matter?"

Hastily, I pulled myself together.

"I mean...darn those not-Fire-Nation tards and their...evil intentions..." I said awkwardly. "They clearly deserve to rot in a cell. Oh, look, I think I hear Lieutenant Jee calling me. Better not disappoint the man, right?"

I got up out of my chair and made a break for the door.

"Later!"

I dashed out the door, leaving a not-very-surprised ex-General in my wake. He shook his head at my retreating form.

"The girl needs to drink more tea," he decided privately. "She is far too high-strung for her own good sometimes..."


Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ship, a very private and urgent conversation was taking place.

"How can you be so calm about this? Look how drastically Julie's presence has tampered with the flow of time!"

Bo-Fen looked at her brother indifferently. They were currently standing guard outside of the dungeons, looking quite menacing in their faceless minion disguises. However, it was the one place they could have this discussion without being overheard by someone else. No one wanted to go near the cells; partially because Zuko had threatened bodily harm to whomever should enter without direct permission from himself or Lieutenant Jee, but more so because the place was damp and depressing.

It was quiet except for the steady drip-drip from the ceiling.

"I don't see what you're so upset about, Shen. S'far as I can tell, the pirates were the only thing that came unexpectedly. It was probably just a hiccup in the plot that came about when Julie crossed over into our world. I would expect breaking the rules like that should result in a few...distortions..."

Shen-Long shook his head in exasperation. "And you don't think the Avatar's capture was unexpected...? I'm telling you, this wasn't just a hiccup. It's so much more than that. Something's going on that we don't know about!"

There was a long silence. "You're overreacting, hon'," said Bo-Fen. "You don't seriously think that one of the other Mesmers is behind this, do you?"

"Shhhh...!"

"What? We're alone."

"The prisoners might hear you. The last thing we need is for the Avatar to find out about them. Our master will be furious if the Avatar caught wind of the Inner Sanctem." He was quiet for a minute, flipping through his options. "We should tell Mesmer Dorian everything. He was suspicious of Julie, as well as Mesmer Prospero's idea from the very beginning."

Bo-Fen gave him a look, which he couldn't see beneath the face-plate. "So Mesmer Prospero wants to go on with the plan, in spite of the slight anomalies taking place. So what? That doesn't mean that Julie is his personal agent. How can she be? None of the Mesmers can cross over into other worlds..."

Shen-Long looked pale within his armor. "A fact that I find somewhat troubling. If someone as powerful as they are cannot penetrate through those barriers, how can one girl possibly do it?"

His sister merely shrugged. "I suppose it's why Mesmer Dorian wanted us to keep an eye on her. So let's put the issue of the pirates and all the other weirdness aside. We knew that there would be disruptions anyway, so why freak out over every little thing?"

"Because there's a chance that Julie is something...worse."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Bo-Fen asked incredulously. "Did you see how Julie reacted to those pirates? The girl was nearly killed trying to save us! Poor kid..." she added, shaking her head. "No, I don't think she's anything bad, Shen. She doesn't have that look about her. If anything, she's just one person who got here by accident...and now she's probably going to get mixed up in this whole big mess...!"

"It might be an act."

"Please," Bo-Fen sighed. "Anyway, when it all comes down to it, it doesn't matter who sent the pirates or why. We both decided that Mesmer Prospero can't be trusted. To be honest, I doubt any of the Mesmers can be trusted, but it's a risk we both decided to take. Remember?"

Shen-Long felt tired all of a sudden. "Yes, I do. All too well, sis'."

"Good. Now that we've gotten that settled, what are we going to do about the Avatar?"


Unaware of the intrigue taking place around me, I had since come to the conclusion that I was the only person who could possibly save Team Avatar. The time was ripe to come up with a plan that would, hopefully, get the Gaang out of the ship dungeons of death and despair and on Appa's back, flying merrily off towards the distant sunset; only that would mean Aang was driving and not Sokka since they'd be going West instead of North, towards the opposite Pole. Sokka was the anal-retentive yet lovable all the same map guy, while Aang was the equally lovable but somewhat geographically retarded bald kid.

Do the math.

Anyway, I was wandering the lower sections of the ship, kind of hoping to stumble upon the cells by accident. On our previous tour, Bo-Fen had...conveniently forgotten to show me where the cells were. Probably in case I should ever find myself a resident of them myself one day.

Unfortunately, not only did I not know where the cells were, I barely had any idea where I was going. It was darker than Davey Jones's proverbial locker and stank of rotten eggs. By that observation, I figured that I was either closer to where I wanted to be (because who would clean a dungeon?), OR I had really fucked up and ended up near the engine rooms. And I knew out of simple common sense that only an idiot would put the prisoners' cells so close to the ship's fuel source.

Can anyone say, "flambee ole!"?

I decided then that if I came across an engine room, I'd just mosey up to the engineers all ninja-like and steal a map of the ship...or their keys, if they happened to be carrying them. I was assuming, of course, that they even had maps to begin with, and that I could take them without being noticed. But I was going on what the Gaang had done in the episode with the Drill as it penetrated the walls of Bah-Sing-Se.

So, I was creeping along, minding my own business, when I bumped into something in the dark. I didn't even realize it was a person until he spoke to me from out of the blackness. And even then, I had just kind of assumed that it was just Shen-Long or someone equally as unimportant.

How very wrong I was.

"Julie," said Lieutenant Jee sharply.

I jumped about half a foot in the air before stumbling on the unsteady boat floor, nearly falling on my butt, as I was so prone to do these days.

"Um...hiya, Lieutenant Jee. Pleasant view down here, huh?"

I was, of course, being facetious. I had to squint really hard and already know where to look before I could even slightly make out the man-shaped form of the navy officer. I could imagine him frowning sternly at me, as though finding my witticism, even at my own expense, to be highly inappropriate and unladylike.

The chauvanistic douche-waffle.

"What are you doing, skulking near the galley? And why aren't you in uniform?"

Note to self: check to see if people from the Fire Nation have reptilian night vision. There was no way he should have been able to tell that I wasn't wearing his hideously pink garment of subordination. Not in that pitch darkness.

"I'm...I'm...lost..." I stammered, as it was the first excuse that popped into my brain. Then, it occured to me that this might actually be the most plausible explanation I could have used, so I went with it.

"Lost," Lieutenant Jee repeated, as if he didn't hear me correctly.

"Well, it's so dark down here!" I defended hotly, trying to sound as though I was about to cry. Which, by the way, wasn't so hard considering how nervous I was. "I...I keep trying to find the hold, but I keep going around in circles. And I tried to find Bo-Fen and have her help me, but I can't find her either!"

"Bo-Fen is in the cells, guarding the Avatar. So is Shen-Long."

This certainly was news to me. Maybe I could ask them where the cells are later, instead of stumbling around like an idiot. But then, what if they asked why I wanted to know? I still wasn't sure if I could trust Bo-Fen, after that incident with the mast.

No, I'd have to do this myself. Damn.

"Are you...crying, Julie?"

I blinked. Huh. Maybe he didn't have spooky night-vision after all. Well, okay, if this helped me lie my way out of this, then why the hell not?

"I...I'm fine...!" I said as dramatically as I could. "It's not like I'm...scared or anything...I mean, the Avatar's locked up. He's not going to try to kidnap me again...right?" I added in a small voice.

Right. As if I could ever be afraid of someone as sweet and unassuming as Aang or his goofy, rag-tag pals. But Lieutenant Jee didn't necessarily know that, did he? Well...to be honest, I wasn't sure what the man knew.

To my relief, the man had been all ready to come to the rescue, and willingly ate that pile of shit like it was chocolate mousse.

"I figured as much," he said, somewhat kindly in spite of his blatant 'tardation regarding my gender. "Young woman have passionate dispositions, and have a lot of trouble coping with duress. They can't help it, I know," he added, correctly interpreting my silent shit-fit for what it was. "Sometimes, they get so compelled by a situation that their emotions simply run away with them. Which is why every woman needs a reliable man to keep her grounded and stable."

He nodded smugly at my outrage, which I could only guess was evident on my face.

"Um..." I mumbled, not sure if I could speak without breaking character as the damsel in distress. I was thinking that kicking him in the balls might just give me away.

Lieutenant Jee kept going as if I hadn't made a sound.

"To be honest, Julie, I had a feeling you would eventually succomb to your true nature as a woman. It was only a matter of time. I mean, there has just been one crisis after another, what with you nearly drowning, the mast incident, the pirates, and then being taken hostage by the Avatar himself!" Jee paused for a moment, I think, to shake his head slowly and somberly. "It's just too much for a young female to handle."

Assbag!

Who the hell did he think he was? How could he possibly know what I could or couldn't handle? I mean, I survived a lot of crap on my own, without a so-called reliable man to assist me. Thank you very much.

As a matter of fact, half of the traumatic things that I had to endure were things that Lieutenant Jee couldn't possibly know about. Living in the bad part of the city with a drunken, miserable excuse for a human being, let alone a father...having to walk on egg-shells around the man, even the few times he was sober...being the target of frequent, even routine, beatings just for looking at him the wrong way; drunk or sober, it didn't matter. And the few times I had considered running away, and the one time I had actually made the attempt...

...well, once was enough. I never did it again. I still had the scar on my stomach as a glaring testimony to what happens to cowards who run. And, anyway, before his career went down the toilet, he had been a private investigater for some major law firm upstate. As long as I lived, I knew that wherever I could try to run to, Dad would always be able to find me. Always.

Except now. Now, I was out of his reach, possibly forever. I refused to cower before a man ever again. The only thing I regretted about this was the one person who would not only bristle, but lunge for the jugular had she heard Lieutenant Jee's careless words. Jessie.

She was my best friend and the only person who might have been able to take care of me, if such a person could possibly exist. But she was worlds away from me. I'd probably never see the mother-hen-in-the-making ever again. Not unless I achieved a miracle and found a way home. But half of me didn't even know if I wanted to go back. Did I really want to go back home, back to my father? Could I do that for Jessie's sake?

I never mentioned this, reader, but I spent hours staring up at the ceiling at night, wondering this very thing. It was probably a pointless thing, since I probably couldn't get home. But it didn't prevent this question from haunting me.

Hastily, I got my mind back on to something I could handle at the moment: my aggrivation towards Lieutenant Jee.

"Forget it!" I snarled, ripping myself away from his helping hand. I staggered back a few steps as the rocking of the ship caught me off guard, but I let the motion carry me towards the passage I had just come from. "I'll find the hold myself! I don't need you, you sexist pig!"

There was a slight foosh as Lieutenant Jee lit up a small flame. Luckily, it wasn't one of those places on the ship where Firebending wasn't allowed. A ghost of a smile, wry and condescending, appeared on the older man's face as he regarded me. He looked as if he had just won a game of chess.

Huh?

"Now that sounds more like the impertinent maggotflea I know and despair of," he said crisply. His smile faded into a more business-like expression. "Run along, now, like a good girl."

I humphed and began to stomp off towards the hold. I would go there and rethink my strategy, but also, I really wanted to rest. My shoulder seemed to be throbbing from all of the stress and irritation.

"And Julie?"

I paused, turning to glare at him. "What?"

"Try to stay out of trouble."

I shot him a dubious look. What did he mean by that? He couldn't possibly have guessed what I was really doing down here...did he? Was this his round-about way of trying to...warn me? Of telling me to keep away from Aang?

Or maybe...maybe, in a stupid, indirect way, he was telling me to be careful...?

Meh. I liked it better when he was just a douche-waffle. At least that was easier to wrap my brain around.


Hours later, after his guard shift had ended, Shen-Long returned the keys to Lieutenant Jee.

"Here they are, Sir," he said, his face flushed a little from underneath the face-plate. He handed over the circlet of metal with the many keys dangling off of it. The superior officer took the keys absent-mindedly. "Bo-Fen told me to give the keys to you. She had to use the little girl's room."

"Women," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "How was the Avatar?" he asked.

"Quiet," said Shen-Long. "It was a good idea to keep them drugged. You were right, as always, Sir."

"Yes, well, we didn't want them escaping. Poor Julie. The girl is traumatized after that stunt those rebels pulled yesterday. Imagine, being the victim of a kidnap attempt."

The officer looked tentatively at Lieutenant Jee. He wasn't sure if he actually meant what he said, or was being sarcastic. After all, he knew that, despite the man's undisguised lack of regard for the fairer sex, he wasn't stupid either. If he didn't notice the air of familiarity the Avatar had towards Julie...well, he was very surprised.

For Julie's sake, however, he kept his mouth shut.

"A girl as stubborn as she is, though, she probably doesn't want to admit how scared she is," the Lieutenant continued. "So I was thinking...maybe we should give the girl something to keep her mind off of the Avatar."

"For her sake, or for ours, Lieutenant Jee?"

The man looked at him. "Shrewd. I meant it when I said that it wouldn't do to have the Avatar escape. Prince Zuko would have us all drawn and quartered...spoiled, self-centered brat..."

"So what do you plan to do, then?"

Jee smiled a smile that was void of alterior motives...which, meant, of course, that he was totally planning something. "I'll tell you over a drink."

Shen-Long liked the idea. After all the fuss today, he could really use a drink. With a nod, he followed the Lieutenant away from the cells, but not before handing off the keys to the next soldier on the shift. The nameless guard saluted them before taking his place. He stood there like a statue until both of the men had gone away.

It was quiet. It was too dark to see very well, but the guard could hear very distinctly the drip-drop sound from the ceiling, the damp smell overwhelming his other senses.

It was very easy for the stranger to sneak up on him.

The soldier didn't realize he wasn't alone until the hands came out of the darkness, behind him, and spun the helmet around on the guard's head. With a choked cry, the man struggled to right it, stumbling around to get a look at his assailant. Quick as a flash, the stranger found the cache in the guard's armor and clamped down hard on the pressure point.

The guard slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The stranger didn't hesitate. After sitting the guard up in a sitting position, the keys were removed from his belt-loop and swiftly pocketed. When he eventually came around, he would think that he had merely fallen asleep.

The only time the assailant paused was to glance over towards the cells. No, there would be no freedom for the Avatar today. It was still too soon. The thief knew that right now there were still changes being made in the shifts. Too many witnesses...and besides...

One glance towards the cells told the thief everything. Aang was out cold. In the neighboring cells, so were Sokka and Katara. They had been kept sedated for the past several hours, and would be kept that way for as long as possible. Prince Zuko had been very specific about that.

So they can't escape now. Once they wake up, though, they'll probably figure out not to touch the food.

The thief was counting on them being able to focus long enough to read the notes that were left for each of them when they woke up. Then, locking the cells again, the stranger calmly strode upstairs and into the darkness of the ship.

Sure, once Prince Zuko realized the keys were still missing, he'd be angry. Angry and suspicious. But so long as the Avatar remained in his cell, he wouldn't immediately think of a plot of escape. Actually, it was more likely that he'd think the guard fell asleep and lost the keys.

Anyway, if Zuko really wanted to suspect someone, it wouldn't be the true culprit. No, it would be the rather conspicuous redhead who was still asleep in the hold. In plain, it would be me, Julie McVay. Not that there would be enough evidence to pin me on anything. But that really didn't matter right now.

What mattered was not getting caught. And the thief was secure in the knowledge that this wasn't going to happen. And it was with that in mind that this stranger left the dungeons and went to blend in with the others on board the ship.


A/N: Le gasp! Someone stole the keys to the cells! And what did the note for Aang say? More importantly, just what is Lieutenant Jee planning for Julie? You will find out when she does, but that won't happen until later. Sorry, guys. Deal with it.

Okay, okay, fine. Not my best work, but it's been a while since I posted, and I had a lot of stuff to cram into this, so...yeah. I'm sorry you didn't get to read any daring escape scenes. But I felt that it was really necessary to depict the inner conflict Julie was feeling this entire time. Not only is she feeling guilty over getting Aang and his friends captured, she's wrestling to figure out her own destiny in all of this. Plus, she's homesick. That's a lot of weight on her mind, you know.

Be prepared to laugh, cry, and scream in frustration as you wait for the next chapter. I can only go to the library to type twice a week for two hours at a time. So...yeah. Typing and editing take a really, really long time. Especially while I'm worrying about how my bills are going to get paid.

Not to worry, readers. I will continue to work on this fic. It's a challenge, and that appeals to me. -Evil smirk-

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Okay, so I know now, based on the lucious reviews I have received (many thanks, by the way), that you guys really like Julie. Yayness! I was worried that she was a bit Sue-ish. I am relieved to see that she is nothing of the sort.

But I am a bit surprised that no one has commented on any of the other OC's, or even any of the main characters (for the most part). So I'm going to ask you guys quite bluntly: What do you think of Shen-Long and Bo-Fen? Are you guys even remotely curious about the sub-plot with these so-called Mesmers and this Inner Sanctem thing? Or is it just pointless backdrop?

Seriously, I need to know. It's an important part of the story, and Shen and Bo are semi-important characters. But if no one is interested in them, I can't say for sure how well this bodes for the rest of the fic...

SO JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! YOUR OPINION MATTERS TO ME! Duh.

Oh, and tell me in a review, Sil' vous Plait. I'll be waiting.