Sakura02: He'll get better once they get to Ba-Sing-Se! I promise!

AvatarCat11: Congrats on graduating! My little sister actually just graduated from high school :) Yes, the Rough Rhinos were in the episode.

Thank you: Shifuni, itachi-sister, and Zutarafan14 for reviewing!

Lan sighed as the boat rocked roughly back and forth. Her legs dangled over the side of the boat as she sat between Iroh and Zuko. She looked distastefully down at the gruel in the bowl beside her. Making sure no one was looking, Lan quickly shoved the disgusting glop over the railing. "Please tell me we'll get to eat better food in Ba-Sing-Se."

Iroh grinned. "Of course! Who would've ever thought that I would return to site of my greatest military defeat as a tourist." He laughed good naturedly and ruffled Lan's hair. He smiled when he realized for the first time that her hair was now just at her shoulders and he could swear she was a couple inches taller now. His granddaughter was growing up.

"We're not tourist." Zuko grit out. "We're refugees in case you haven't noticed." He took a swallow from his own wooden bowl and quickly spit it out over the railing. "I'm sick of disgusting food like this! I'm sick of living like this!"

"Aren't we all?"

Lan turned around to see a boy about Zuko's age approaching them. He had shaggy brown hair and a piece of prairie grass sticking out of his mouth. Lan eyed him suspiciously as he came to a stop in front of them.

The boy smiled. "My name's Jet. These are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." He motioned to a rather short girl that could've passed for a boy and a boy a little shorter than himself.

Zuko glanced down when Lan grabbed a hold of his hand. "Hello." He said without turning his gaze from the lake. He looked down when he didn't hear Lan say anything. "Say hello."

"Hi." Lan said softly. She managed a small smile when Smellerbee grinned at her.

Jet, undeterred by the less than enthusiastic greeting, leaned against the railing beside Zuko. "I hear the captain is eating like a king while we refugees have to live off of scraps. Doesn't seem very fair, does it?"

Iroh glanced at Jet suspiciously. "What sort of 'king' is he eating like?"

"The fat happy kind." Jet smirked as Iroh was practically drooling. He turned his attention back to Zuko. "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?"

Zuko glanced down at Lan and saw that her eyes were practically sparkling at the mention of delicious food. He looked down at the gruel in his bowl before tossing it over the railing. "I'm in. Stay here with Uncle." Zuko nudged Lan over to Iroh before following after Jet.

"It'll be okay." Iroh reassured Lan when he saw the worried look on her face. He squeezed her shoulder before grinning. "Why don't you go explore the ship?"

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Lan asked worriedly.

Iroh laughed. "Of course. Go have fun."

Lan reluctantly left Iroh's side and began exploring the ship. There wasn't much to it. The ship they had had when they first began searching for the Avatar was more complex than this one. She did meet a lot of kind people, though. She wondered if they would treat her differently if they knew who she really was. She flashed back to Lee and his family and her stomach began hurting. Suddenly no longer wishing to explore, Lan made her way back to where she'd left Iroh.

By the time she got back to him, the moon was in the air and Zuko was back with Jet and his companions passing out some of the most delicious food Lan had ever seen in her life.

"Where have you been?" Zuko asked as he waved her over to the little circle of pillows they were all sitting at. He frowned when he noticed the upset look on Lan's face as she sat next to him. "Are you okay?"

Lan quickly smiled. "Yes."

Iroh smiled as he sipped at his tea. He glanced over at Smellerbee. "So…Smellerbee…that's a rather unusual name for a young man."

Lan frowned at her uncle as an irritated look flashed across Smellerbee's face. "She's not a boy, Grandpa. Smellerbee is a girl."

Iroh looked rather surprised as Smellerbee stormed off. "Oh…then it's a wonderful name for a lovely young lady!"

Lan rolled her eyes as Longshot went off after Smellerbee. She glanced up as Jet sat beside her and handed her a bowl of steaming hot soup. "Thanks." She muttered.

Jet nodded. "From what I've heard, people eat like this everyday in Ba-Sing-Se. I can't wait to see the giant wall for myself."

Iroh nodded in approval. "It is a truly splendid sight to behold."

Jet raised an eyebrow. "You've been there before?"

"Yes. When I was a different man." Iroh said, regret clear in his eyes.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of either." Jet said quietly. "That's why I'm going to Ba-Sing-Se for a new beginning; a second chance."

"That's a very noble thing to do." Iroh said approvingly. He glanced meaningfully over at Zuko. "I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

Jet looked curiously between Iroh and Zuko before turning his attention to Lan. "What about you, kid? You ever done something you're not proud of?"

Lan thought for a moment. "Nope. Not even when a stuck the eel in Lee's pillow."

"So that was you!" Zuko shouted, poking Lan roughly in the forehead. "You're going to pay for that."

Iroh smiled as Zuko and Lan began playfully fighting with each other. It had been a long time since he'd seen his nephew and his granddaughter happy like that. He shook his head as Jet looked at him questioningly.

As soon as she was finished eating, Lan curled up with her head in Zuko's lap and fell asleep. Zuko ran his fingers through her hair absentmindedly, much like he had done when Lan was much smaller to soothe her after a nightmare.

"So, what's she to you?" Jet asked curiously as he got comfortable.

Zuko looked down at Lan. "She's my cousin." He said softly after a beat. "Her mother died giving birth to her and her father was killed in the war. She never got to see either of them."

Lan could vaguely hear the people around her talking as she drifted off to sleep. Again, the woman with the mask was waiting for her. She lifted up her mask just to reveal brightly painted lips as she spoke quickly and quietly to Lan. Lan couldn't understand what the woman was saying and she shouted to the woman, but her voice was lost among the screaming wind around them.

When Lan woke up, her head was resting on her own sitting pillow and Zuko's as well. She looked over to see Iroh snoring loudly and Smellerbee and Longshot sleeping close beside each other. She sat up when she realized Zuko wasn't anywhere to be seen. She got up and wandered over to the front of the ship and found him talking to Jet. Yawning, Lan went over to Zuko and hugged him around his waist. The morning mist made it difficult to see anything in front of them. "Are we there yet?"

Zuko cracked a small smile. "Almost." He frowned at the worried look on Lan's face. Completely ignoring Jet now, he knelt in front of Lan. "Everything okay?"

Lan quickly smiled and hugged Zuko around his neck. "Yeah. Just a strange dream."