AVATAR
The Young Lady Of Legends
She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc
O~O~O~O
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Ba Sing Se – City OfConnections
"Hmm...Emma's tea was better..." I muttered. Zuko turned away from me, an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh, right, sorry...I forgot, she's your girlfriend." I knew by now that she was still alive.
"She is not my girlfriend!" Zuko protested.
"Sure she's not." I replied soothingly, smirking. He's so got it bad...
O~O~O~O
The Tale Of Toph And Katara – Two Pearls
The Avatar and his friends were staying in a comfortable, well-furnished house in a part of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se.
One morning, when they'd been there for about a week, the day started off like any other. Aang was shaving the shaving cream off his already-bald head with a razor blade. The bald monk nodded at his reflection in the mirror, satisfied.
Next to him, Sokka used the tip of his machete to cut off the few hairs growing above his upper lip. He clicked his tongue and at his reflection.
On the other side of Sokka, his younger sister Katara fixed the hair-loopies on either side of her head. Once she was done, she smiled.
One a chair nearby, Momo was giving himself a bath like a cat, and Yang-Chong was perched on the back of the chair, preening his feathers.
Katara then left the bathroom and walked back into the room that she was sharing with Toph. The blind Earthbending girl was lying face-down on her bed, her hair a horrible mess and her blanket lying sloppily over her.
Katara gasped. "Huh! Toph, aren't you gonna get ready for the day?"
Toph lifted her head, and her wild bed-head-hair flew about wildly. Katara watched in shock as Toph got up, and announced: "I'm ready."
"You're not gonna wash up?" Katara asked her faintly. "You've got a little dirt on your…well, everywhere, actually."
"You call it dirt." Toph shrugged. "I call it a healthy coating of earth."
The Waterbender regarded her newest friend for a moment, before a smile lit up her tanned face. "Hmmm. You know what we need? A girl's day out!"
"Do I have to?" Toph whined. It didn't sound like her kind of scene.
"It'll be fun!" Katara assured her.
O~O~O~O
The two girls found themselves standing out the front of a large building decorated with pictures of flowers and plants. Fancy-looking women dressed in beautiful robes walked out and smiled at each other.
"The Fancy Lady Day Spa?" Toph repeated the name after Katara had read it to her. "Sounds like my kinda place."
"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asked her.
Toph sighed, shrugging. "Sure Katara, whatever you say. As long as they don't touch my feet."
O~O~O~O
Two hours later, the two girls walked down the street, looking like completely different women. They'd had their feet scrubbed (much to Toph's displeasure- the attendants had had to hold her down), their faces muddied and then cleaned, a sauna, and a make-over. Both girls now wore lots of make-up, and they'd had their hair washed.
"Well, that wasn't so bad. I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel…girly."
"I'm glad." Katara replied, smiling. "It's about time we did something fun together…" She trailed off, her thoughts drifting back to their missing travelling companion. It had been nearly a month now, since Emma had been captured by Sandbenders. Katara didn't know if Emma had managed to escape but, from the sounds of things, she prayed to the spirits that their friend was okay. Emma would have loved to have come along on their girls day out – well, she would've loved everything except for the face-masks, since she didn't like things like that on her face. She would've laughed at Toph making faces through the mud, though, and also at the Earthbender accidentally-on-purpose Earthbending the foot massager ten feet away.
Katara sighed, and then heard a smilar sigh beside her. It appeared that Toph's train of thought was heading in the same direction…
As the two girls walked across a stone bridge that crossed a creek, they passed three girls going in the other direction. The girls were dressed similar to them, although one carried a fashionable parasol.
"Wow, great makeup." The girl with the parasol said.
"Thanks." Toph replied.
"For a clown!" The girl went on, and she and her friends laughed.
As they'd hoped, Toph stopped walking, and her shoulders sagged.
"Don't listen to them," Katara put a hand on Toph's shoulder. "Let's just keep walking." She glared at the girls over her shoulder. She knew these types of girls, she's met them in many of the large cities they'd been to. Girls who thought they were all-that, and loved making fun of other people. Emma had once remarked that mean girls were like a virus – if they infect one person, then everyone else gets sick, too.
"I think she looks cute," Said a girl, with her brown hair tied up into buns. She appeared to be the ringleader of the group. "Like that time we put that sweater on your pet poodle-monkey!"
The other mean girls laughed, and the one who hadn't spoken yet said: "Good one, Star!"
The truth was, Star was actually quite jealous of the two girls that she'd just encountered. They weren't as dressed up as Star and her friends, and that was the problem. The little Earth Kingdom girl had a sweet, doll-like face, beautiful misty eyes and the shiniest dark hair Star had ever seen. And the Water Tribe girl, well! From her exotic to her tanned skin to her deep blue eyes, the unique way she wore her hair and the beautiful handcrafted choker around her neck…neither of the two girls needed fancy clothes to make them look good! Their own nations' robes were enough.
Star was an insanely spoilt and jealous girl, and this was just too much.
"Let's go, Toph." Katara said.
"No, no." Toph turned around. "That was a good one! 'Like your poodle-monkey'! Ha ha!" She laughed. "You know what else is a good one?"
She stomped her foot down, and Earthbended a hole in the stone bridge beneath the three mean girls, and they fell down into the creek below with a scream.
"Now that was funny!" Katara agreed, and used her Waterbending to create a huge wave to send the three girls screaming away downstream.
Toph turned and walked away, still dejected, and Katara hurried to catch up with her.
"Those girls don't know what they're talking about." The Waterbender said comfortingly.
"It's okay." Toph replied. "One of the good things about being blind is I don't have to waste my time worrying with appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am." She stopped walking.
Katara stopped beside her. "That's what I really admire about you, Toph. You're so strong and confidant and self-assured. And, I know it doesn't matter, but…you're really pretty." She said sincerely.
Toph smiled, a little more confidently. "I am?"
"Yeah, you are." Katara reassured her.
They began walking again.
"I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like." Toph said suddenly.
Katara laughed.
"Thank you, Katara." Toph punched Katara's shoulder in a friendly way.
"Ow!" Katara complained, rubbing her sore shoulder. "You know, I think it was because there were three girls there, it was a little bit hard, wasn't it?"
"She's in this city." Toph said, confidently. "If she'd been here, she would've put those girls in their place."
"Actually, I think we did." Katara admitted.
The two girls laughed.
Downstream, Star and her friends (Cloud and Moon) coughed and spluttered as they dragged themselves out of the water.
"Not a word about this to anyone!" Star said fiercely to her friends, who nodded in agreement. "Now, come on – everything's ruined. I need new robes for the Star Festival."
"It's named after you, isn't it, Star?" Cloud chirped.
"And, it's next week, on the same day as your birthday, right Star?" Moon added, trying to shake the water out of her parasol.
"Leave it." Star snapped, swatting it out of Moon's hand. "You'll get a new one. We all will. Masks, too. And, yes, you were both right. Why, it's practically my festival. It should be good, even though I wish they didn't invite certain people from the other rings. It simply isn't done…"
"No, it isn't." Her friends intoned in unison.
O~O~O~O
O~O~O~O
O~O~O~O
The Tale Of Iroh – Can't Look Back
Iroh, whom was walking pleasantly down the lane, when he stopped to examine a basket being sold by a merchant.
"If this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?" The merchant said cheerfully.
"No, it is not a romantic picnic, but it is a special occasion." Iroh replied, handing the merchant a few coins and picking up the basket. He happened to notice a closed flower in a vase before he left, and slid it into the shade, out of the sun. "The moonflower likes partial shade." He remarked, as the flower burst into bloom.
He continued on his way, and presently came across a merchant selling liugins. As he was examining the stringed-instrument, the sound of a crying child caught his attention.
Turning around, he saw a little boy standing in the middle of the street, crying. His attempted, in vain, to console him.
Iroh picked up one of the liugins, and began playing a song as he walked towards the boy and his Mother. Iroh began to sing: "Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foam, little soldier boy, come marching home, little soldier boy, comes marching home…" He knelt down beside the boy.
The little boy immediately smiled, and he reached up and tugged on Iroh's long beard.
"Yeowch!" Iroh exclaimed, but he didn't mind. It was worth it just to see the little boy smile and laugh like that, after he'd been crying.
O~O~O~O
A short while later, Iroh was passing through a courtyard, carrying his purchases. Four boys were playing a kicking game with a white ball, using Earthbending to get the ball through the goals.
One boy created a path for the ball to roll along, but the goalkeeper used Earthbending to stop the ball from getting through, and launching it into the air.
As Iroh walked by, the ball flew straight towards him. He ducked just in time, and the ball sailed on past, crashing through a window.
"Hey!" An angry voice yelled from inside the house.
"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur," Iroh said, walking towards the boys who gathered around to hear him out. He went on, brightly: "And, to seek to restore honour!"
They suddenly heard some smashing going on inside the house, and a large, angry-looking man appeared in the window.
"When I'm through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!" The man bellowed.
"But not this time." Iroh went on. "Run!"
They did, Iroh running faster than any man his age should have been able to.
Hiding in an alleyway, he set down his basket of purchases and checked around the corner to see if he was being chased but, to his relief, he was not.
However, he had more issues, as a voice behind him said: "You! Give me all your money!"
Iroh back turned around, to see a messy-looking man pointing a dagger at him. His legs, however, were bent at a very strange angle.
"What are you doing?" Iroh wanted to know.
"I'm mugging you!" The man replied.
"With that stance?" Iroh raised an eyebrow.
"Wha…what are you talking about?" The mugger exclaimed. "Just give me your money, old man!"
"With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over." Iroh replied and, swiftly, disarmed the man, who ended upon the ground because of it. Iroh, however, helped the man to his feet and showed him how to achieve a much more solid stance. That way, he'd be more of a threat.
"But, to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type." Iroh told the man.
"I know…I'm…I'm just confused." The man admitted.
Upon hearing this, Iroh smiled, made the man a cup of tea (and, one for himself too, of course) and sat down to listen to the man's story and try to come up with a solution to his problems.
"So, you really think I could be a good masseur?" The man asked, sounding surprised.
"Of course!" Iroh responded.
"This is so great!" The man exclaimed. "No one has ever believed in me!"
Iroh was sorry to hear that. "While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing." Iroh smiled.
O~O~O~O
That evening, Iroh knelt on the grass atop a hill within the city. He gazed upon the memorial he had just constructed, including the sketched picture of his beloved son, Lu Ten. He had been quite a handsome young man, but now he was gone. Iroh looked upon the picture and said: "Happy Birthday, my son." Tears fell from his eyes in steady streams. "If only I could have helped you." He began to sing the same song he had sung before, only this time his voice was close to cracking, due to the grief that was still aching in his heart, and most likely would be until they met again.
"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam, little soldier boy, come marching home, brave soldier boy, comes marching home…"
Not a day went by when Iroh didn't miss Lu Ten. He blamed himself for his son's death. A life that should never have been taken. A life that could never be replaced.
His shoulders shook.
Unseen to Iroh, the wisps of grey smoke from the incense sticks swirled together, and drifted behind him to form a human figure.
The ghostly form of Lu Ten watched his Father. He looked not a day older than he had been the last time he had walked the earth alive, and he reached out a ghostly hand and placed it on his Father's shoulder.
O~O~O~O
O~O~O~O
O~O~O~O
The Tale Of Aang – Monster Corral
The young bald monk named Aang soared above the large city of Ba Sing Se on his glider, and then he landed on a particular street, which was lined with various cages and pens built into the rocks.
Inside the cages there were things like Dragon Flyers and Armadillo Lions and, to Aang's surprise, they all seemed very bored.
He knelt down in front of the Armadillo Lion's cage and held out his hand, saying: "Hey there, fella. You look hungry." The lion roared loudly, and Aang quickly jumped back with a yell, withdrawing his hand because he really wanted to keep it.
The Armadillo Lion curled up into a ball and rolled away.
The zoo keeper walked up behind Aang, sweeping. "Hm. They are hungry."
He seemed sad and, as Aang walked with him, the story came out.
"The Dai Li won't give me any money because the kids stopped coming." The zookeeper explained. "And the kids won't come because my zoo's nasty and broke."
Aang glanced sideways into a cage that they were passing. "What kind of animal is that?" He didn't recognize the occupant.
"Oh, that's a Rabbiroo." The zookeeper told him. "I wish I could get her a big open prairie like she likes. I'd let her hop her way to happiness."
Aang smiled suddenly. "Let's do it!"
"Say again?" The zookeeper blinked.
"There's a big open space right outside the walls of the city." Aang said, still grinning.
"But how are you gonna transport all these wild critters?" The zookeeper asked him.
"Don't worry. I'm great with animals." Aang responded.
O~O~O~O
In no particular order, here's what happened next:
The Sabre-Monkeys wreaked havoc in a pottery shop.
An Elephant-Mandrill stampeded down the street after a crowd of terrified people.
The Dragon Flyers swarmed over another group of people.
Even more people were menaced by a Platypus Bear which chased them down an alley.
The Armadillo Lion rolled up and ran amok.
And, the cabbage merchant was wailing again, as the Rabiroo devoured green plant after green plant. "My cab…" The Rabiroo looked right at him. "Oh, forget it!" The cabbage merchant walked away. The Rabiroo continued to chow down.
"This was so much easier in my head." Aang admitted, after using his staff to shoo away the Dragon Flyers with Airbending.
Just then, he snapped his fingers, formulating a master plan to save them all from his first master plan.
Reaching under his shirt, the young Airbender pulled out the bison whistle hanging from the red ribbon. With a great deep breath of Airbending, he blew into the whistle, which emitted a much louder and higher sound than usual. It practically caused a sonic shockwave to fan out across the city and, more to the point, it got the attention of all the wild animals.
Aang rode his Air Scooter down the street, blowing the whistle again before leaping up into the air and gliding down the main street, followed by all the animals. A turtle seal brought up the rear.
At the gates, the zookeeper was pleading with the two guards on duty. "But you have to open this gate!" He begged.
"Or what?" One of the guards replied.
The zookeeper pointed behind himself. "Or that!"
The Avatar was approaching on his Air Scooter, with an entire stampede of assorted creatures behind him.
The second guard ordered: "Open the gate!"
O~O~O~O
The animals grazed contentedly soon after, in their brand-new Earthbended-corals, in the new zoo just outside the walls. The guards at the gate, and a lot of other people, now came to see the animals.
Every one of them was now happy and content, including the Rabiroo, who now sported three little joeys in her pouch.
Aang stood by her enclosure, talking to the zookeeper. "Well, Mr. Zookeeper, how do you like your new facilities?"
"Excellent job, Avatar," The zookeeper replied, smiling. "You should think about working with animals for a living."
"Mommy," A child's voice said suddenly, and Aang glanced over his shoulder to see the boy pointing into another enclosure. "Ms. Snowflake got out of the house again."
Aang frowned.
"Fluffykins?" A female visitor peered down at her tan and dark brown cat, which was hissing at the curious Elephant Mandrill. "What are you doing down there?"
"On second thought," The zookeeper said to Aang. "You should probably stick to saving people."
Aang laughed nervously.
O~O~O~O
O~O~O~O
O~O~O~O
The Tale Of Karai – Trail Of Seeds
A small young woman with her dark hair tied up messily walked down the street, holding a shopping bag full of food.
"I can't believe they made me do this by myself!" Karai (Kai) grumbled, trying not to balance the heavy bag on her very round belly. "Imagine, sending a pregnant girl to do your grocery shopping! Just because I used to be a cook, does that mean I'm the only one who can have anything to do with food preparation? I mean, what could they both be doing that's so important? !" She grumbled to herself, and people got out of her way because of it.
Just then, she felt somebody nudge her arm and, when she turned to look, she saw a little boy, no older than eight and about the same height as her, with his hand out to her.
"What do you want, kid-chops?' She snapped.
"Give me some food." He demanded, sounding just as stubborn as she was.
"Get a life." She responded, and turned to go. "I got bigger problems."
"Come on, lady, I gotta eat." The kid demanded. "You can spare a few things, can't you?"
"I said no." Kai replied. She looked around. "Go and bug your parents or something."
"I got no parents." The kid said, sullenly. "Why do you think I'm here?"
Kai had to admit that she did feel a little sorry for him, and so she set her bag down on the ground to take something out for him.
Just as she stooped down, the kid snatched the entire bag away from her, and took off running down the street!
"Hey, get back here!" Kai yelled, getting to her feet as fast as she could which was difficult because of her round belly. She ran after the kid, who was a lot faster than he looked. "When I get my hands on you you're gonna wish you were arrested by the Dai Li instead, you here me? !"
"You can't catch me, you fat old hag!" The kid responded, laughing in a way that infuriated the already furious Kai.
He turned the corner before she did, and she sped after him, just as she heard a yelp from the kid.
She turned the corner to see the kid being held up by the back of his robes, by the rocky hand of a Dai Li agent. The kid's legs were struggling futilely in the air, and Kai felt a thrill of smugness at this fact.
"What did I tell you, you snot-nosed little kid?" Kai aid triumphantly, trotting over to them. "Justice!"
The Dai Li agent holding the little thief was in his twenties, with a long dark brown braid and handsome features. He looked from the kid he was holding, to the bag of groceries on the ground, and then at Kai, and said: "Aiguo! She's not fat, she's pregnant!" He glared at the boy.
"So what?" The little boy, Aiguo, snapped, meeting the glare of the Dai Li agent steadily, which Kai thought was very brave of him until he said: "You're only annoyed with me for stealing because you think it'll make you look bad, big brother!"
"You shouldn't be stealing at all!" The Dai Li agent who was his brother shook his head. "Do you think Mum and Dad will be any more forgiving than the rest of the Dai Li, Aiguo?"
"I don't care." Aiguo said sullenly, his dark brown eyes glaring out from underneath his fringe of dark brown hair.
"Parents? !" Kai repeated. Her hands flew to her hips as the two brothers looked at her. "You told me you didn't have any parents!" Her red eyes flashed. "So what, you're a thief and a liar now, is that it? You little brat!" She was practically breathing fire.
"You old hag!" Aiguo glared at her. "None of this would've happened if you'd just shared!"
"I live with two other people, soon to be three!" Kai snapped back.
"Who cares?" Aiguo struggled with his captor, eventually able to free himself, and then he grabbed a bag of seeds and ran off, leaving his brother, Kai and the rest of the groceries behind.
Kai and the Dai Li agent watched him go, and then exchanged a glance.
"I apologize for my little brother's behaviour," The older brother bowed slightly. "My parents and I are very busy with work, and I'm afraid Aiguo does not know what to do with the time he spends on his own, which is often."
"I've half a mind to introduce him to a Platypus Bear sometime!" Kai responded, attempting to stoop down and collect her groceries.
"Here, let me help you." The Dai Li agent said quickly, kneeling down and quickly gathering the items back up in the bag for her. "My name's Tai-Lung, by the way."
"Kiki." She replied shortly, still feeling annoyed about what had just transpired. "Look, no offence, Tai-Lung, but I think your brother needs some firm discipline or, at the very least, a hobby."
Tai-Lung sighed. "I know. I'd at least like to know where he is for most of the day. The neighbours say he's never at home when we're all out."
"Let's find out!" Kai said suddenly.
"What?" Tai-Lung just looked at her.
"Look," She pointed, and he looked. "The bag of seeds is leaking. He's left us a trail. We can follow it, and see where he is. You've got me curious now, I have to know." She said, in a way that told him she was going anyway.
They both glanced at the grocery bag.
"Don't you have a family to feed?" Tai-Lung asked her.
"Eh, they can wait." She shrugged.
O~O~O~O
"I know this place," Tai-Lung had insisted on carrying the grocery bag for Kai, as they walked along. "We used to come here every month for a picnic."
"Nice place." Kai admitted, because the flower-filled meadow really was pretty. In the centre of the meadow was a massive tree and, it was at the foot of this colossal plant, that they found Aiguo.
He held the mostly empty bag of seeds in his hand, and was calling up to the tree: "Koko, come down, please!"
"Koko?" Kai repeated, glancing at Tai-Lung who looked just as confused as she did.
They marched up the small hill towards the tree.
Aiguo turned as the two older people approached, and was immediately on the defensive. "Why are you here?" He asked. "How did you find me?"
"It wasn't hard to do, little brother, you left a trail yourself." Tai-Lung pointed out, and Kai threw a handful of seeds down onto the ground.
Aiguo glanced at the almost empty bag of seeds, and blushed angrily. "Yeah? Well, who cares?" He tossed the bag onto the ground. "Go away." He added, sullenly.
"Who's Koko?" Kai wanted to know, hands on hips. "Tell us." She added, a little more softly.
Aiguo looked at the ground. "She's…she's my pet." He said, finally. "I rescued her from some bad men, and I've been taking care of her ever since."
"That's why you keep stealing food." Tai-Lung realised.
"She needs me." Aiguo protested. "She's going to have babies and she's hurt her leg, and can't defend herself yet." He pointed to a rope ladder that lay at the foot of tree. "She can't climb very well, either, so I kept her in that tree and used the rope ladder Dad made years ago. But, somebody pulled it down, and now I can't get to her."
Kai and Tai-Lung exchanged a glance, and Tai-Lung set down the bag of groceries. To his brother, he said: "Why didn't you come to me for help? Or, Mum and Dad? We would've listened…"
"No you wouldn't have," Aiguo said, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand and brushing away a few tears that threatened to leak out. "You guys are also busy with work and, besides, Koko's not supposed to be here…she's from far away…"
"Because you stole her." Kai said flatly. She did feel a sense of affiliation with this Koko, because she too was not supposed to be here. Kai was gazing up at the tree, and then she said: "Tai-Lung, you guys are all Earthbenders, aren't you?" He nodded. "Can't you just Earthbend a platform or something up to the tree to get to Koko?"
Tai-Lung shook his head. "Not without uprooting the entire tree. It's old and unstable, it's been here since Ba Sing Se was first built." He explained. "This whole entire meadow's like that." He added.
"But what about Koko?" Aiguo exclaimed.
"Aiguo…" Kai said thoughtfully. Years on a military ship had sharpened her mind to come up with a new plan immediately if the first one failed. "How good are you at climbing?"
O~O~O~O
Aiming carefully with her bow, Kai shot an arrow into the leaves of the tree, and they all heard the thwok as it hit the wood of branch.
"You did it!" Aiguo exclaimed, as Tai-Lung tested the weight of the rope that was attached to the arrow, and declared it strong enough to support Aiguo's weight.
Grinning, the young kid began climbing the rope, while his brother and Kai watched him in silence. He swung hand-over-hand up the diagonal rope disappeared into the mass of green leaves.
The seconds ticked by until, finally, Aiguo called: "Okay, I got her! I'm coming down now!"
"Be careful!" Kai called, despite herself, and saw Tai-Lung grin as Aiguo slid into view, holding onto Kai's own waist sash as he slid down the rope.
When he was safely on the ground, Kai asked him: "Okay, where is she?"
Aiguo was cradling something inside of his robes and, as he handed Kai her sash back, he said: "You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"
"Why?" Tai-Lung and Kai asked at the same time.
Aiguo looked annoyed. "Just promise, okay? Or else you can't see her!"
"Okay, fine, we promise!" Kai threw her hands up in frustration. "Just tell us what the big deal is, already!"
"Aiguo, why can't you tell Mum and Dad?" Tai-Lung asked his little brother, who was unwrapping a small bundle from his robes. "Why did you have to keep Koko a secret?"
"Because she's a long way from home." Aiguo said quietly, finally holding out the creature to be seen.
It had a long body covered in reddish-brown fur, and short black legs. Its light face had light tear markings, robust cranial-dental features, a black mask and white eyebrows. Its head was round with medium-sized upright ears, and a black nose. Its long bushy tail had alternating red transverse black rings which ended in a black tip at the end of the brush. Koko looked up at the strangers with beady black eyes, before trying to lick at a bandage on her left front paw.
"She is a long way from home," Kai breathed, and saw Tai-Lung glance her way. "Her home, that is." The Firebender said quickly, as Aiguo stopped his pet from savaging her own leg. "Anyway, I don't think she'd eat seeds. She'd probably eat insects and small bits of meat and stuff." She was gazing at the Fire Ferret with a new source of comfort. Here was someone who was like her, with child (well, in Koko's case it was probably multiple childs) and from the Fire Nation, so not supposed to be here. Here was someone who had someone to take care of her now, even though she'd been hurt in the past. She was going to be okay. It filled Kai with…hope.
"I can help you talk to Mum and Dad about this," Tai-Lung was telling his brother. "No one will care that Koko's from the Fire Nation – I can assure you I'll make sure of that." He promised.
"Really?" Aiguo looked up at his brother. His brown eyes had lost that guarded look. They were shining. "Thanks, big brother!" Tai-Lung coughed and glanced pointedly at Kai. Aiguo blushed. "Oh, right…sorry for trying to steal your groceries," He said, as Koko chirped conversationally. "And…for calling you fat…and…,well, anyways, thanks, you know…for helping out…" He smiled at her.
"Don't worry about it," Kai replied, smiling back at him. "You're not actually half bad. You know, for a kid." She shrugged.
"Well, you're not half bad either," Aiguo admitted. "Even though you're, like, half a person when it comes to height, what happened did they squash you into a wooden box when you were a baby?"
"You are so arrogant!" Kai cried. "I just totally saved your ferret's life, you ingrate!"
"Don't do me no favours!" Aiguo stuck his tongue out at her. "There are plenty of tall people out there with bows and arrows! How old are you anyway, twelve?" He taunted her
"You take that back, you impudent little brat!" Kai lunged forwards and grabbed Aiguo's ears, pulling them outwards. "I'll box your ears for you!"
"Ow, let me go, you monster!" Aiguo shouted, as Koko twittered, her bright eyes curious at all the commotion.
"You should learn to respect your elders, you got that you ratbag? !"
"Shorty!"
"Smart-mouth!"
"Hot-head!"
"Lying thief!"
As Kai argued with Aiguo, and Tai-Lung and Koko simply observed the antics, Kai realised: There's a Zuko born in every nation, isn't there?
O~O~O~O
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The Tale Of Sokka – The Battling Poets
Sokka walked down a candle-lit street at night, playing with his boomerang. He threw it up into the air and caught it.
A sound caught his ear – girls in a nearby building appeared to be speaking in unison and, intrigued, Sokka crept closer to hear them through the window, ignoring a man struggling with his Ostrich-Horse in an alley nearby.
"Through all the long night, winter moon glows with bright love, sleet her silver tears." The girls all wore beautiful robes and headdresses. The student speaking onstage looked pleased with herself, as she read from her scroll.
Sokka sighed, and a dreamy look came over his face. "Ahh. Poetry."
The Ostrich-Horse behind him suddenly kicked out, hitting Sokka and sending him flying through the window and into the class.
The girls all gasped in surprise.
Sokka was hanging from the window, part of the frame around his chest. He started to apologize, pulling himself into the room and falling onto the stage.
"I am so sorry. Something struck me in the rear. I just…wound up…here?" He blinked in surprise as the girls all giggled and clapped, and then looked quite pleased with himself.
The woman at the far right of the group stood up, clapping softly but also looking quite stern.
"Five, seven, then five. Syllables mark a Haiku." She (Madame Macmu-Ling) bowed her head to him. "Remarkable oaf."
Sokka gave her an annoyed look, and thought things over for a moment before he smiled. "They call me Sokka. That is, in the Water Tribe." He counted the next five syllables on his fingers. "I am not an oaf."
The girls all giggled again, but Macmu-Ling was far from impressed.
"Chittering monkey," She intoned. "In the spring he climbs treetops. And thinks himself tall."
"Ooooh." The students all said.
Sokka understood. This lady was insulting him. Well, he would show her!
"You think you're so smart. With your fancy little words. This is not so hard." Sokka crossed his arms and smirked.
"Ooooh!" The students were all very impressed.
"Whole seasons are spent." Macmu-Ling walked up onto the stage with Sokka. "Mastering the form, the style. None calls it easy!" She admonished him.
"I calls it easy!" Sokka informed her. "Like I paddle my canoe." He turned around and paddled his behind once. "I'll paddle yours, too!"
The students all laughed at this.
"There's nuts and there's fruits," Macmu-Ling told him. "In fall the clinging plum drops, always to be squashed." As she said this, she withdrew a plumb from her sleeve and dropped it to the ground, where she stepped on and squashed it.
Sokka taunted her. "Squish-squash, sling that slang." He was becoming more and more comfortable with this. "I'm always right back at ya! Like my…" He withdrew his boomerang from his back and held it in front of Macmu-Ling's face. "Boomerang!"
The student all laughed, as Madame Macmu-Ling looked annoyed but left the stage and sat back down again.
Sokka sheathed his boomerang and turned to face the crowd of students again. "That's right, I'm Sokka! It's pronounced with an "okka"! Young ladies, I rocked ya!"
The students were silent this time, all giving him annoyed looks.
Counting on his fingers, the young warrior realised why. The last line had contained six syllables – that was one too many!
A large security guard with an earring suddenly grabbed Sokka's collar and picked him up. "Uh, that's one too many syllables there, bub."
He tossed him outside.
Sokka hit the ground with a thud and sat up.
He groaned, holding his head. ."Poetry…"
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The Tale Of Zuko – The Flame Of Hope
At Pao's teashop, Zuko and Iroh were working the late-shift, because Kai was feeling unwell that evening.
Zuko approached his Uncle. "Uncle, we have a problem," He said quietly and, for just a second, Iroh nearly panicked. Had Zuko found out that it was Kai who had gotten everyone to start calling Iroh's nephew 'scar-face'? He descended the ladder from where he was stocking the shelves. "One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation." Of course, Iroh turned to glance at the very attractive brunette sitting in the corner of the shop, sipping tea. Zuko made his Uncle turn back around. "Didn't I say don't look? !" Zuko hissed, as his Uncle grinned at him.
"You're right, Zuko." Iroh said, still smiling. "I've seen that girl in here quite a lot." He nudged his nephew. "Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you!"
Zuko was stunned. "What?" To be perfectly honest, he had never even looked at another girl since…well, since her…
Zuko suddenly jumped, because the girl from the tea shop had suddenly appeared at the counter. "Thank you for the tea." She handed Zuko a few coins. He took them and turned away. "What's your name?" She asked him, smiling.
Zuko turned back to her, looking slightly awkward. "My name's Lee." He replied, and then added: "My Uncle, cousin and I just moved her."
The girl's eyes lit up from this piece of information. That pregnant girl wasn't a threat to her! "Hi, Lee." She said. "My name is Jin. Thank you, and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?"
Zuko was stunned. With a completely non-aggressive show of assertiveness that Emma could have never pulled off, this new girl was asking him out on a date! What would Emma say if she were here? What should he say? !
Iroh had the answer, however. "He'd love to!" He couldn't very well have said no. And, also, he was thinking: Zuko needs to remember how to interact with girls other than Karai…
Jin was thrilled. "Great! I will meet you in front of the shop at sundown!"
O~O~O~O
Standing out in the street that night, Zuko now had to admit that he felt utterly ridiculous. He was dressed in a very handsome green outfit, and had his usually messy hair combed and parted.
Jin suddenly appeared at his side, startling him.
"Hey." She said, by way of greeting. "Well, look at you." She reached up and mussed up his hair back to normal again. "You look so cute!"
"It took my Uncle ten minutes to do my hair." Zuko told her, not in an unkind way.
O~O~O~O
Dinner was, decidedly, uncomfortable.
"So, how do you like the city so far?" Jin asked him.
"It's okay." Zuko replied.
"What do you like to do for fun?" Jin wanted to know.
"Nothing." Zuko admitted.
What great conversationalists they were.
The waiter came over and addressed Zuko. "Excuse me, sir. Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?"
"She is not my girlfriend!" Zuko yelled angrily.
Everyone in the restaurant stared at him, including a very short girl wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Zuko narrowed his eyes over at the familiar pregnant young lady (who appeared to have made a miraculous recovery), before turning back to Jin, who appeared not to have noticed anything was amiss.
Zuko tried to find something to say to her. "You have…quite an appetite for a girl. You're not pregnant, are you?" He asked, thinking that usually only Kai ate this much.
Over at her table, the pregnant girl in question choked on her water.
"Um, no," Jin responded awkwardly. "So, Lee, where were you and your relatives living before you came here?"
Zuko cringed. "Um, well, we were travelling around for a long time…"
"Oh!" Jin smiled. "Why were you travelling so much?"
"We were, uh, part of a travelling circus." He fabricated.
"Really?" Jin sounded interested. "What did you do? Wait, lemme guess, you…juggled!"
Over at her table, Kai watched as Zuko nodded. "No, no, don't agree with her, you idiot," She whispered, and then groaned softly as Zuko agreed, at Jin's persistence, to demonstrate his (non-existent) juggling skills for her. "Don't do it, I've seen this kinda thing before, oh, there you go…" She started laughing as Zuko failed miserably.
Jin, however, didn't laugh, but just smiled gently. "Come on, I have something I really wanna do…"
"Where are they going?" Kai wondered, starting to get up but, just then, the baby decided to kick her. "Or not…" She groaned, sitting back down again quickly. Looks like you're on your own, scar-face…don't be unfaithful…
O~O~O~O
"What's this?" Zuko asked, surprised.
"This is one of my favourite shops," Jin explained, as they wandered between the aisles. Rows and rows of colourful masks in every shape and size decorated the place. There were animal masks and people masks and plants masks, in all different colours, too. "Ever since I was a little girl." She picked up a flower mask, and smiled at it.
Zuko examined the mask closest to him, which was decorated to look like a brown bear. It reminded him of the mask Emma had worn at the Pohuai Stronghold. Sure enough, it was next to an angry-looking blue mask.
Suddenly, he realised that Jin was standing next to him, and very close.
"Thanks, Lee," She smiled at him. "I had a really great time tonight and, well, I have something for you." She held out two small pieces of paper, which she handed to him.
"What's this?" He asked, surprised.
"The Star Festival, it's in a few days time." Jin explained. She swept her arm out behind her. "And, it's a masquerade, so everyone has to wear a mask. You have to have a ticket to get in, however. My Mum knows someone in the Middle-Ring, so she got us some tickets. One of those is for you, and you can also bring someone else along with you. I hope you'll come with me, though…as…my date?" She asked hopefully, and then she leaned towards him.
Zuko quickly draw a piece of paper and held it in front of her lips.
"I brought you something too." He told her. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea. Sorry there's only one."
Jin took the coupon. "Lee, this is so sweet." She said sincerely.
Zuko stepped back a bit. "Don't thank me. It was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer."
"Your Uncle is a good teacher." Jin replied.
"Yeah, that's what Emma said, too." Zuko recalled, before he could stop himself.
Jin hesitated. "Emma?" She repeated, and looked at Zuko. "Was she…? Is she…?"
Zuko paused, and then nodded ever so slightly. "Maybe…I don't know where she is right now, though." He felt ashamed. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he'd wished that he was spending this night with Emma instead…
"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" Jin guessed, softly but in a very matter-of-fact way, so that it almost wasn't a question.
Again, Zuko nodded.
"I see." Jin sighed. "Well, thank you for putting up with me this evening…I hope it all works out for you. I'll see you at the Star Festival." She turned and walked quickly out of the shop, nearly bumping into Kai, who was waiting outside.
O~O~O~O
Zuko and Kai walked back to the apartment a few minutes later.
They were silent, until Kai dared to ask: "Did you buy a mask?"
Zuko nodded, and showed her the red fox mask he had gotten for himself.
"Nice," Kai peered into the bag. "Hey, wait, did you buy two masks?" They had reached home by that stage and, instead of answering her, Zuko continued on. "Well, did you?" She called after him, as he stomped into his room and slammed the door shut.
Iroh looked over at Kai. "How did it go?" He asked.
"I think it went alright," She shrugged. "He seems…preoccupied, though…"
"Yes, I thought he might be." Iroh sighed. "Still, I'm glad he had a good time…"
Inside his room, Zuko heard this and, he too, sighed. The moonlight reflected off the two masks on his desk, the red fox and the blue round-eared cat laying side-by-side together…
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The Tale Of Momo And Yang-Chong – Two Flames
When Momo awoke from his nightmare, Yang-Chong was there. The blue-eyed phoenix cooed softly in his musical tone to the lemur, but then he himself jumped at the clap of thunder that could be heard. Both of them leapt into Sokka's greenEarthKingdombag and, when they re-emerged, Yang-Chong had a piece of white fur in his beak. Momo looked at it for a moment, and then pulled it out of the phoenix's beak gently.
Both creatures examined it and then realised that it belonged to Appa.
Momo chattered, and Yang-Chong answered him with a soft chirp.
Momo then tied the fur around his leg, and took flight into the sky when he thought he saw Appa's shadow, but it was just a cloud. Aang had made that same mistake before.
Yang-Chong took one look outside at the rain, and ruffled up his feathers as if to say: No way.
He settled back in for another nap instead, dreaming about his missing mistress and how they used to boil tea together and she would sing to him. His favourite song was: Wings Of Fire. He missed her so much, it almost hurt.
O~O~O~O
Momo was saddened. His search for Appa was not going very well. He'd mistaken things like cloud shadows and white trees leaves for his buddy. The lemur's ears drooped. Where oh where could Appa be?
He flew down to a deserted street and landed on a water barrel with no lid to take a drink.
His long lemur tail accidentally knocked over a stick that fell to the ground with a thud, alerting three Pygmy Panthers of the lemur's presence.
They tried to catch him, and he tried to fly away but one swatted him clean out of the air. Momo decided to run on foot after that.
The panthers chased him again after awhile, but soon all four of them were captured in a net.
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Yang-Chong opened his eyes, startled. He'd been dreaming about Emma's song to him, and suddenly…he could hear the song in real life!
Crowing almost triumphantly, he spread his wings, and took off into the skies, glad that the rain had now stopped.
Was she here? Would he finally get to see his beloved mistress again, after all these weeks?
Just then, he caught sight of a cart moving through the streets of the Lower-Ring. In a cage in the back of the cart was…Momo!
Yang-Chong gave a cry of alarm and, though he didn't really wish to give up his search, he arced downwards, heading towards the cart which had pulled up out the front of a butcher.
As Yang-Chong landed on the top of the cart, and was horrified by the sight of the butcher's produce, Momo managed to free himself from the cage, and then stopped to rescue the three Pygmy Panthers, too!
The butcher shouted out a warning, and Yang-Chong immediately and very bravely flew right into the butcher's face, clawing and pecking in order to give Momo and the panthers time to escape.
The butcher suddenly grabbed Yang-Chong around the neck, and slammed him down onto a chopping board.
He picked up a large butchers knife, and was about to behead Yang-Chong, when a little boy with a red ferret on his shoulder suddenly ran into the butcher with force, causing him to let go of Yang-Chong who flew out of the shop immediately.
The young boy shouted something at the butcher that Yang-Chong couldn't hear, and then hurried to catch up with the phoenix.
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Momo, meanwhile, didn't know how close Yang-Chong had just come to ending up like Headless Mike.
The three panthers were very grateful to Momo for saving them, and then one of them noticed the white fur tied around Momo's leg. The black cat detached the bison fur with his teeth and took of running.
Momo called to him, alarmed and upset, and then he and the other two panthers followed. The ran through the streets of Ba Sing Se, until they reached a hole in the ground where the panther left the piece of fur for Momo to find.
As the three panthers took off, Momo realised what they had been leading him to – this hole was in fact Appa's footprint.
Momo lay down in the footprint, clutching the piece of Appa's fur to him…
O~O~O~O
Yang-Chong landed on the edge of a wooden barrel, as the boy who had saved him approached him slowly, smiling.
The pregnant Fire Ferret jumped off of her master's shoulder, chirping in a friendly way to the phoenix.
Yang-Chong responded by ruffling up his feathers, and then cooing, a question.
The Fire Ferret whistled in reply, before jumping down from the barrel and streaking off across the pavement as fast as her pregnant body would allow her to go.
Yang-Chong and the boy followed her, until they all reached two young people talking as they sat by a fountain.
One was a Dai Li agent, and the other was a pretty girl with long dark brown hair who appeared to be singing.
The Fire Ferret leapt up onto the girl's shoulder.
Yang-Chong flapped his wings to stay in midair, realising that he had not been hearing his mistress singing. Of course – Emma's voice was prettier than this girl's. But…that song was from Emma's world, so maybe this girl had met her? !
Yang-Chong chirped anxiously, another question, and the Fire Ferret responded with a slight mewing sound.
The girl glanced at the phoenix, and then whispered something to the Dai Li agent. He nodded, and mentioned a location.
As soon as Yang-Chong heard it, he turned and took flight, nearly clipping the younger boy with his wings.
Flying through the rain now, Yang-Chong found the location, but only Momo was there, curled up inside a large footprint.
Yang-Chong crowed sadly. But…there was proof. Emma and Appa had both been here.
They were in Ba Sing Se, but…where?