Starting really, really late on this one. I lost two days somewhere (mostly playing Brouzouf: Divine Brouzoufmancy) and slept in most of today. This one will be somewhat different from the source material, but it shouldn't be that hard to write. Hopefully I can get this done in one go. (And then I can go back to gaining all of the Brouzoufs! I love E.Y.Ǝ.: Divine Cybermancy.)

It was unbelievably refreshing to have an inexhaustible supply of clean, fresh water after being in the desert for so long. Aang and Katara were enjoying the deep river with some swimming while Toph just stayed on shore, kicking her feet in the cooling river. Tom would have joined Aang and Katara, but he didn't really have anything to wear for that. He'd have to remember to get something to swim in once they got to Ba Sing Se.

Sokka was the only one not content to just relax as he poured over maps he had taken from Won Shi Tong's Library. He was concentrating on the map so hard he didn't notice his sister climbing to the top of a nearby cliff overlooking the river. "Waterbending bomb!" Katara's impact with the water resulted in a tidal wave rising over everyone. Aang was thrown from the river and Sokka and Toph were drenched as the wave came down on them. The only one that managed to avoid such a fate was Tom, having blocked the wave with his Pressure Barrier.

Everyone laughed with joy at that except for Sokka, who shockingly managed to find something to complain about. "Sure. Five thousand year old maps from the Spirit Library. Just splash some water on them."

"Sorry," Katara said bashfully as the waterbended the moisture out of the maps to instantly dry them.

"So did you figure out what route we're going to take?" Aang asked as the group gathered around Sokka's newly dried map.

"We just got out of the desert, so we must be around here," Sokka explained as he pointed out a location on the map. "We need to go to Ba Sing Se which is here. It looks like the only passage from the south to the north is this sliver of land called the 'Serpent's Pass'."

"You're sure that's the best way to go?" Toph asked skeptically.

"It's the only way to go," Sokka emphasized. "Unless Appa's ready to fly us over the lakes in our way."

Aang patted his big furry friend on the head, "He's doing better, but I don't want him to hurt himself again…" Appa gave a contented grunt at the attention he was getting.

"Then I guess that's settled," Sokka said, storing his maps, "To Ba Sing Se we go. No more distractions."

"Hello there, fellow refugees!" a random stranger hailed.

Sokka gave a suspicious look as Aang and Katara ran up to greet them. "You do this to yourself, you know," Tom said with a knowing grin. Sokka just groaned as the two groups met proper.

The newcomers were two adults, likely husband and wife given that the woman was clearly expecting, and a younger girl, probably their daughter. "So are you guys headed to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang asked.

"Sure are," the man said, "We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby."

"Great! We can travel through the Serpent's Pass together," Katara suggested brightly.

All three refugees recoiled at that thought. "The Serpent's Pass?" Ying gasped, "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"

"Deadly route?" Toph parroted. She gave Sokka a good hard punch in the arm, "Great pick, Sokka."

Sokka recovered quickly enough, "Well, we are desperate."

"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay," Ying's husband suggested, "Farriers take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se."

"And it's hidden," Ying added, "So the Fire Nation can't find it."

Just to rub it in, Katara rubbed her chin as if in thought, "Hmm. Peaceful ferry ride, or deadly pass…" Sokka was not nearly as amused by his sister's sarcasm as she was. Still, it was hard to argue with her logic.

It didn't take long to get to the cave in which the hidden port was located. Aang even suggested that Ying ride there on Appa's saddle, though she politely declined. Tom suggested that the three refugees stick with them until they got to Ba Sing Se, but they said they didn't want to be a bother and the groups parted. The cave the bay was hidden in was filled with the tents of the refugees that weren't able to get on a ferry for one reason or another. The place carried an air of oppressive sadness.

It didn't take long for Aang and company to get up to the desk that granted tickets to the ferry. The got a good show of the kind of person in charge of distribution as an unfortunate (and somewhat familiar) cabbage salesman had his inventory destroyed. And by a trained Platypus Bear no less! The forty something year old woman showed little concern for his grief as she demanded "NEXT!" with her raspy voice.

"Umm, five tickets for the ferry to Ba Sing Se, please…" Aang asked tentatively.

"Passports," the woman demanded in a sharp, automatic response.

"No one told me we needed passports," Aang admitted.

"Don't you know who this is?" Sokka asked, "He's the Avatar."

"I see fifty Avatars a day," the woman scoffed, continuing her paperwork. "And by the way, not a very impressive costume," she pointed out a group of people in outfits clearly meant to mimic Aang's. Still, Aang nodded contently at that sincerest form of flattery. "Besides, no animals on the ferry!" the woman added, motioning to both Momo on Aang's shoulder and Appa behind them. "Do I need to call security?" The attention turned back to the Platypus Bear who was still destroying what was left of the previous applicant's cabbage cart.

"That won't be necessary," Aang assured as he backed away.

Toph stepped up as the woman called for the next applicant. "I'll take care of this," she assured. Toph placed what looked like a business card on the woman's desk, "My name is Toph Bei Fong and I'll need five tickets."

The woman at the desk gasped at the sight of the simple slip. "The golden seal of the flying boar! It is my pleasure to help anyone of the Bei Fong family!" she said with a seated bow.

"It is your pleasure," Toph assured. "As you can see, I am blind, and these three imbaciles are my valets," she explained, gesturing to Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

"W-well, what about him?" the woman asked, referring to Tom.

"That would be my bodyguard," Toph supplied right away, "You can never be too careful these days."

"Right, of course," the woman agreed, still flustered, "But the animal there is-"

"Is my seeing eye lemur," Toph said, cutting her off. "And needless to say the big one is carrying my things."

"I- uhh, well…" the woman stammered, "I suppose I can make an exception for your seeing eye… lemur… but I'm afraid the other one is simply too big. It just can't fit on the ferry."

"Well, if we load the saddle and all our stuff on the ferry," Aang said, thinking out loud, "I guess he and I can make it across the lake on our own."

"Alright then," Toph said, turning back to the lady, "I'll only be needing four tickets for the ferry."

The woman seemed more perplexed by the second, particularly at how the giant, fluffy, six-legged thing was supposed to get across the lake at all, but she shook herself out of her thoughts long enough to continue her work. "Right, well… Normally it's only one ticket per passport, but this document is so official… I guess it's worth four tickets."

With that sorted out, Toph grabbed the four tickets and the group departed. Tom couldn't help but roll his eyes at the idea that something being judged as "official" enough to bend the rules for. "Eighteenth century bookkeeping at its finest." He then looked to Toph, who was at the front of the group after her triumph, "So I'm your bodyguard?"

"Disappointed?" she asked.

"Not at all," Tom replied, "Though I loath to see the day you need one."

Toph chuckled, "Don't worry, Hotshot. That day'll never come."

They didn't get far before Sokka got grabbed by a young, angry-looking female security guard, who demanded he show her his ticket and passport. "Is there a problem?" Sokka asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I got a problem with you!" the guard said, jabbing him with an accusatory finger. "I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think your hilarious, and let me guess; your traveling with the Avatar!"

"Do I know you?" Sokka asked, now just as curious as scared.

"You mean you don't remember?" the guard asked, "Maybe you'll remember this." She grabbed Sokka by the shirt threateningly, only to give him a kiss on the cheek.

It only took another beat before Sokka realized who the guard was; "Suki!"

They group moved to as secluded a location as they could find to talk to one of the first friends they had met on their journey. Suki took note that not everyone in the group had been with them at the time. "So," she said in Tom and Toph's direction, "I see you've made some additions to the gang."

"This is Toph and Tom," Aang introduced. "We met Tom a little while after we left Kyoshi. And Toph we met a little while back. She's my earthbending teacher."

"Nice to meet you both," Suki said politely, the two in question returning the curtesy.

"You look so different without your makeup," Katara noted, "And the new outfit…"

"That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them," Suki explained before turning to Sokka, "And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?"

"Ehh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and again," Sokka said while flexing, "Nothing major."

"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked.

"Yeah. After you left Kyoshi we wanted to find a way to help people," Suki answered, "We ended up escorting some refugees and we've been here ever since. So why are you guys getting tickets to the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?"

"Appa got hurt when we were in the desert on the way here," Tom explained.

"Is he going to be okay?" Suki asked, genuinely concerned.

"He'll be fine," Aang assured, "We just want to give him as much of a chance to rest and recover as we can."

"Well, that's good to hear at least."

The conversation might have continued, but Ying and her family rushed up to the group. "Avatar Aang," she addressed, clearly distraught, "You have to help us. Someone took all of our belongings! Our tickets, our passports. Everything's gone!"

"I'll talk to the lady for you," Aang assured.

It went about as well as you'd expect. "No passports, no tickets!" the crabby lady snarled absolutely.

"But she's pregnant and all of their stuff was stolen!" Aang pleaded, "You have to make an exception."

"No exceptions! If I just gave a way tickets willy-nilly, there'd be no more order! And you know what that means; no more civilization!"

"What if we gave them our tickets?" Aang suggested.

"No!"

"But-"

"NEXT!"

"Don't worry," Aang said, returning to Ying and her family, "You'll get to the city safely. I'll lead you through the Serpent's Pass."

Yeah, it's broken up, but I think it works. It's not like nothing happened here. Not really much to say as the fun part will be in the next half. Luckily I have plans for that. See you then.