When their group rallied in the plaza outside the theater, Iroh pronounced, "Is it just me, or does anyone else have a craving for cake?"

It was indeed that time of day when a snack sounded like a good idea. Tea time, the ladies of the Fire Nation high court called it, Katara remembered. Also known as gossip time.

"There's a great new tea shop around the corner," Iroh said without skipping a beat.

The shop owner met them at the door and of course, he and Iroh knew each other already. They exchanged the formalities, as did Zuko, Ursa, and Katara who were all standing at the front of their group as they crowded just inside the entrance.

"I'm afraid I don't have a table that will seat all of you," the owner lamented. "But I can split your group into two tables of four if that's alright."

"Not a problem at all," Iroh said. "I trust business is going well." He nodded approvingly at the apparent popularity of the place.

"Yes, yes, I think the Eastern Dragon is catching on just as quickly as its sister locations did." The owner gestured toward the only two remaining tables.

Iroh, Zuko, Katara, and Ursa ended up at one table, and Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Suki sat together a few tables away from them. The shop's other patrons had obviously recognized them when they came in, and Zuko slumped down in his chair, hoping to avoid the many curious gazes that were cast in their direction.

"You really should get out of the palace more often, Nephew." Iroh laughed at Zuko's obvious discomfort.

"Uncle, this place sorta looks like… the shop in Ba Sing Se," Katara observed.

"That is because it happens to be the Jasmine Dragon's newest affiliate," Iroh answered, beaming.

"Oh." Katara furrowed her brow. "But why call it the Eastern Dragon when Ba Sing Se is… ohhhhh… is the tea shop in the Caldera affiliated, too, then?"

"That one would be the Western Dragon, and it is the pioneer location, yes."

"Wait… you owned a tea shop before the one in Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked.

"Yes, I found it to be a nice distraction when I came back from the war. It was during a part of my life when I needed to realign my priorities. Plus, one should always make time for tea and cake. Let's order some, shall we?"

A group of girls then walked briskly by their table, all giggling and waving at Zuko. He rolled his eyes. Katara tried to ignore the pang of jealousy she felt.

"Zuko, be polite," Ursa spoke in her usual even tone. "From what I gather, you're a star in a play now. Not to mention the leader of this country. You will have to learn how to indulge your fans at least a little bit."

Fans? This was an entirely new concept to Zuko. He looked questioningly at his girlfriend. "But, Katara was in the play, too. She's as much a star as I am."

Just then, their server, an apron-clad teenager from the Earth Kingdom, arrived. "But she's the peasant, remember. Nobody really cares about her," he said with a hint of disdain.

"Excuse me?" Katara eyed the server incredulously.

Zuko remained surprisingly calm. "I care about her. And I don't really care what others think. She could be Fire Nation nobility or from the lower districts in Ba Sing Se, it doesn't matter to me."

"Don't even pretend like you care about those of us from the districts," the other teen snapped. "You don't even know what it's like down there."

"I'm sorry, but have you even seen the play?" Zuko retorted. "There is some element of truth to it… specifically all the places I've been."

Iroh loudly cleared his throat. "Alright there, that's enough. I'm sure we can—"

Another voice entered the scene, this one a young man from the Fire Nation. "Forget the Earth Kingdom peasants! What does our Fire Lord care for those who suffer in his own nation? We have poverty and famine to rival that of Ba Sing Se's lower districts, and here our illustrious leader throws lavish parties, dates exotic women, and takes luxurious vacations."

A third man stepped in, and suddenly afternoon tea threatened to become a midnight tavern brawl. "You will respect your Fire Lord," he growled while raising his fists.

Both Iroh and Zuko stood to intervene, but the tea shop owner was quick to act and managed to escort the three troublemakers outside before anything else could happen. "I am so sorry about that General Iroh… and Fire Lord Zuko. My ladies, please accept my sincere apologies," the owner said when he returned. "Jin! Table nine needs assistance please!"

"Jin?" Zuko had just sat down, but he stood back up again when their new server arrived tableside.

"Hi, Lee, oh… ha… um, Fire Lord Zuko." She blushed.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko still seemed confused about what he should be doing in this situation. Bow to her? A hug? A handshake? Serve her tea?

"Oh, my boyfriend, Than, and I are transfers from the Jasmine Dragon. I've been working there since the war ended. They needed some people to help start this new shop. I've never been anywhere else, so I thought it would be fun." She shrugged and then started arranging cups and saucers on their table. "You'll have to forgive Than, though. He's having a harder time adjusting, I think."

Zuko fidgeted a little more and then finally sat down. He still found it unnerving that nearly everyone in the tea shop appeared to be watching them. "Wait, so that guy is your boyfriend?"

Jin sighed. "Yes. He's a good guy, really." She then turned to face Katara. "I'm sorry that he insulted you. I'm Jin, by the way. I'm not sure if we've met."

Katara gave a small Fire Nation style bow but then wondered what exactly was socially appropriate for them, two peasants from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe exchanging greetings in a setting among Fire Nation nobility. She also felt certain they had met before, but then realized that eavesdropping on Zuko's date with her probably didn't count.

Jin was just as talkative and bubbly now as she had been then. "But I feel like I practically know you anyway. Everyone has been talking about you two."

"Oh, really?" Zuko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I guess we can dispel the rumor that you've sailed off to the South Pole to get married, then, since you're here." Jin put a hand on her hip. "Did you come here to get married?"

Katara started coughing, like she had swallowed wrong or something. Married? Haven't we only just kissed… like once... in public?

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Jin backpedaled. "I haven't even taken your order, yet."

Once their tea and cake had been served, Jin lingered to chat with them even more. "Of course, I think an Ember Island wedding would be nice. You have the beach and the mountains… plus there's loads to do here."

"Oh yeah, what would you suggest? Besides going to a play… and hiking the volcano…" Zuko asked in earnest.

"Well, have you ridden The Last Airbender, yet?"

Katara started coughing again. This time she was grateful to have her tea to sip, but she also silently cursed the stupid Ember Island Players for planting the dirty notion of threesomes in her mind. The resulting image after what Jin had just said… she shook her head as if trying to rid herself of it.

"Is that the zipline thing?" Zuko didn't seem to notice Katara's flushed face.

"Yeah," Jin replied. "So, it's pretty popular with the locals. And couples like it because they harness you in together all nice and tight." She then seemed to suddenly acknowledge Iroh and Ursa's presence. Iroh simply smiled. Ursa remained expressionless. "Err, um, but it may not be the best thing to do in the winter, I don't know," Jin added.

As they were leaving, Zuko doubled back to speak to Jin one last time. Katara followed, still feeling a bit on edge about everything, her newfound celebrity status, of sorts, the influx of gossip from the capital, the relentless stares from everyone at the tea shop, and the excessive friendliness of a girl who once dated her boyfriend.

Zuko handed over two tickets as Jin was clearing their table. "Here. Take Than to the play… you know, if you can get the time off…"

The Earth Kingdom girl glanced nervously over at the tea shop owner. "Well, I don't know if he'll have a job after today."

"That's OK. I'll have my uncle put in a good word for him. It was a… simple misunderstanding." Zuko nodded to her, and then took Katara's hand in his.

"Thanks, Fire Lord Zuko," Jin said. "And it was nice to officially meet you, Katara."

Zuko then led Katara out of the tea shop to join the rest of their group. It felt nice to not be so secretive about their relationship for a change, but she really wished that people would just stop staring so much. We're just holding hands for spirits' sake. The next thing they'll be talking about will be threesomes, no doubt!


When everyone else went back to the theater the next day to see Forbidden Love, Zuko convinced Katara to try the zipline with him. The idea of flying through the air suspended by a cable sounded fun to her. The mongoose lizard ride they had to take deep into the jungle in order to embark on this adventure, however, did not. Zuko assured her they were perfectly tame, but the last time she'd seen these creatures, they had been hunting her… with Mai and Ty Lee on their backs.

"But Ty Lee is a friend now," Zuko offered by way of comfort. "And Mai, too, sort of."

"Just because they are more friendly doesn't mean I think these beasts are." Katara wasn't sure what bothered her more, their menacing spikes or yellow beady eyes.

"It'll be fine. Come on, we can ride together, if that'll make you feel better."

The mongoose lizard handler simply shook his head at the teens and handed the reins to Zuko. At this reaction, Katara felt a little silly and almost requested her own mount, but Zuko took her by surprise when he lifted her swiftly into the saddle and then settled in behind her. She sighed as she leaned into him. He always had a way of making her feel safe.

They soon arrived at an old wooden tower-like structure, and Zuko tied up the mongoose lizard to a nearby post. Katara read the weather-worn sign, "The Last Airbender: Take to the skies and experience the thrill of your life."

"They really should change the name of it," she said.

"Yeah, they should," Zuko agreed. "It's been around for ages, though. I've never done it, but I know my cousin did."

"Well, at least we know someone who lived to tell about it." Katara wished she could take back the words as soon as she said them.

Zuko didn't say anything in response, but his sidelong expression said enough. He rubbed his hands together, still sweaty from holding the reins, and then began to climb the rickety ladder toward the top of the tower. Katara followed, then wondering if the mongoose lizard should have been the least of her worries. Been around for ages, huh?

They were greeted by a lively old man at the top who looked like he might be as old as the tower, but both were still standing and in full operation, he guaranteed. He recommended that they harness up together because that's what all the youngin's do, plus the additional weight would make them go faster. He tried to convince Katara to remove her waterskin for safety purposes, but she wouldn't have it. After the incident at the parade, she was determined never to go without it again.

Again, she leaned into Zuko's strong form and reveled in that familiar sense of security before he began the countdown to their jump.

"You ready, Katara?" The rasp of his voice brushed across her ear. "OK, in three, two, one…"

It was a glorious feeling! Like flying but completely different than being on Appa. Granted it was a little cold as the air whipped in their faces, but Katara spread her arms out to embrace the sensation of weightlessness… of free-falling…

Then, it was a little too much like free-falling.

Katara fought the blur in her eyes the wind caused so she could see more clearly. They were, in fact, going down, not across. Is this… supposed to happen?

Zuko's laughter quickly turned into frantic yelps. "Katara, the line… it's…"

She whipped out the water from her skin, but at that point they were falling so fast, she couldn't get a grip on anything. She could tell they were below the treeline as an occasional branch would catch her arm or leg, shooting pain through her entire body. When she realized she wouldn't be able to grab anything with the octopus arms form, she encased them in a giant bubble of water. At least maybe she could cushion the impact of their fall.

Zuko had been working furiously, too. At first, he tried to leverage the harness or the cable somehow, thinking he could also use the trees to their advantage. He then had the idea of using fire propulsion from his feet to slow them down, but Katara's water bubble squelched the breath he needed in order to properly firebend. In a frantic combination of adrenaline and hard concentration, he was able to burst the water in time to push the flames through his feet that would effectively soften their fall. His fire plus her water, however, enveloped them in a cloud of pressurized steam. He gripped her tightly for the last several feet of their descent… but oh, how it burned.

They lay on the ground panting and motionless for a few minutes. They were still strapped together, and Katara had therefore landed on top of Zuko. He groaned as he rolled them over to their sides and fussed with the buckles of the harness.

"I had it, you know," she said in between trying to catch her breath.

"What?"

"We would've been fine with the water, if you hadn't…"

Zuko jerked the harness off with unnecessary force and pushed himself away from her. "S-s-sorry for saving your life."

"Well, this was your stupid idea anyway." She rolled to her back to look up at the sky, the one that was now void of a cable line that had once been there.

Zuko let out a noise of frustration. He then examined the redness on his arms and reached up to touch the tenderness on his neck. They were minor burns, nothing really, but they still stung. He saw that Katara had them, too, along with several cuts and scrapes from the tree branches. Still, it could've have been much worse.

"I don't suppose you know where we can find some water around here," she snapped. "Mine just disappeared into thin air."

"I thought you could just command water out of thin air!"

"Well, I'm a little stressed right now!"

Yeah. You're right. We should find some water." His tone softened. It wouldn't do any good to fight in their current circumstances. "And we should get moving. We don't want to be stuck out here after dark."

The memory of a scorpidillo sting was all it took for Katara to launch herself to her feet. She then realized, too, that arguing was stupid when their survival was at stake.

"We should go… this way." Zuko noted the position of the sun. "If we head toward the beach, then we can follow that around back to the house. Or maybe find someone to help."

Zuko gathered up the harness and pieces of the cable he could salvage stating that they could come in handy. Katara prayed to Yue that they wouldn't need any of his special survival skills, because either help was on the way—surely someone had seen—or perhaps the beach was just up ahead.

After they had walked a ways, Zuko did find something that would shed light on their situation.

"Katara, it's the other end of the cable," he said as he pushed aside some leaves and sticks to get a closer look.

"Well, I guess since it was so old, it was bound to break sooner or later."

"No, Katara." Zuko gasped. "The line was cut. It… wasn't an accident."