Chapter 88: Eyes

Zuko did not like Ba Sing Se.

As soon as they'd stepped foot off of the monorail that took them past the Inner Wall, he'd felt it. Eyes. Staring at them. Watching them.

Some of them were obvious. Other refugees stared in awe, mainly because of Aang and his 'casual' displays of Airbending. Zuko received the usual wary glances that he'd gotten used to over the last few years; his swords and armour attracted stares, as did the patch covering his left eye. While he was used to it, that wasn't to say he enjoyed it.

Katara, Sokka, and Aang seemed oblivious to the others that were watching them.

The eyes hidden by shadows.

Zuko saw them, though; he was pretty sure Toph knew they were there too. Her head kept drifting in the same direction as his.

He muttered under his breath to her, "You sense them?"

She nodded slightly.

Zuko said, "Keep your feet on them. I'll keep an eye out too."

She tiled her head towards the others. "Should we tell them?"

Zuko shook his head. "Not yet. They'd freak out. Sokka's paranoid enough without us helping. Pretend you've not noticed them."

Toph nodded.


When they'd left the monorail, they'd been greeted by Joo Dee. She was a very obvious set of eyes; though her's weren't filled with the admiration of the refugees, they were fairly blank save for a strange sheen that seemed to coat them.

Zuko was unnerved by the fact that she didn't seem to blink. At all. That, and the fact that her smile remained far too wide, revealing too many teeth. It reminded him of the sand shark they'd encountered in the desert.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee! I have been given the great honour of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Lee! Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

They'd all recoiled slightly at the force of her greeting.

Sokka shook it off first and said, "Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King. Immediately."

Joo Dee just smiled and nodded. "Great! Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it!"

Sokka's eyes went wide. He said, "Maybe you missed what I just said. We need to talk to the King about the war. It's important."

Joo Dee tilted her head to the side, staring unblinkingly at Sokka. "You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here."

They exchanged looks with one another. Something strange was going on.


Iroh was in the kitchen of the Jasmine Dragon, brewing several different pots of tea for waiting customers, when he paused. He tilted his head back slightly and allowed his eyes to drift shut.

Something…

Something was happening. A change, perhaps. Not like the North Pole, nothing quite so profound, but something.

For a long time, Iroh had been… spiritually aware. His meeting with the Masters, along with his trip into the Spirit World, had opened his eyes to such things.

The Avatar had entered the city. He was here, in Ba Sing Se.

Iroh sighed. While he desired to meet the boy, of whom he had heard so many good things, he didn't think he should. It wasn't his purpose in Ba Sing Se.

He frowned. His 'purpose' wasn't going well. He'd been trying to track down the missing members of the Ba Sing Se Chapter of the Order, but to no avail. It was like they just… vanished. He'd almost suspect the work of Spirits, except that they were loathe to enter such large gatherings of humanity. Towns, yes; but cities? No.

Iroh finished brewing the tea, before passing it to one of his assistants to serve to the waiting customers. Then he excused himself to his office.

He had a letter to write. It was best that he kept Pao in the loop about what was happening in Ba Sing Se.


Joo Dee had escorted them into a large carriage, pulled by a team of ostrich-horses.

She said, "We are currently passing through our Great City's Lower Ring. It is home to many newcomers to the city, people who are just starting out their lives here."

Sokka said sarcastically, "Like refugees? You know, because of the war?"

Joo Dee just smiled. "There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

Katara pointed out of the window and asked, "What's that wall for?"

"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls! There are the ones outside protecting us, and the ones inside, that help maintain order.

"As I was saying, the Lower Ring is home to many newcomers, as well as craftsmen and artisans. People that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lovely. Full of life!"

They stared out of the window. Zuko wouldn't describe the place as 'quaint'; 'slum' was more like it.

They see two men stood in an alley, both visibly armed. One passed a pouch to the other and received a handful of coins.

Joo Dee said, "Of course, there are always those that defy peace and order. You do want to watch your step here, just in case."

Katara demanded, "Why do they have all of these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?"

Aang shook his head, looking sad. "This is why I never came here. I always heard that it was so different from the way that the monks taught us to live."

Zuko growled under his breath, "This city is a prison. It's no place to make a life."

Toph nodded in agreement.

Joo Dee moved the conversation along. "We are now entering the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se; it is home to the financial district, shops and restaurants, and our city's most esteemed university. Go Badgermoles!"

Zuko, Toph, and Sokka frowned at her, while Katara and Aang aimed for polite expressions.

Sokka said, "We met a professor from the Ba Sing Se University. Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology. He took us to an ancient, underground Spirit library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the Earth King to hear."

"Isn't history fascinating?" Joo Dee said with a smile. "Look! Here's one of the oldest buildings in the Middle Ring, the Town Hall."

The carriage stopped and Joo Dee disembarked.

Sokka said quietly, "Is she deaf? She only seems to hear every other word I say."

Toph shook her head, scowling. "It's called 'being handled'. Get used to it."

Zuko couldn't help but nod in agreement. He recited, "'There are none so deaf as those that won't hear.'"

Aang asked, "Where'd you hear that?"

Zuko frowned. He'd not meant to say it aloud. He cleared his throat. "It's… it's just something that my Uncle used to say sometimes."

At the mention of his Uncle, Katara looked over at him. They made eye contact, and then she looked away hurriedly.

Zuko sighed and was the first to exit the carriage after Joo Dee, to be shown around the Middle Ring.


"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here!"

Katara looked out of the window and was unsurprised to see another wall. This one was guarded by men and women in wide-brimmed hats. They watched the carriage pass by with glared eyes.

She asked, "What's inside that wall?"

Sokka added, "And who are those mean-looking guys in robes?"

Joo Dee answered, "Inside is the Royal Palace. Those men and women are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all of our traditions. They were founded by Avatar Kyoshi herself."

Sokka looked out with renewed interest. His mind couldn't help but drift to Suki; looking at the Dai Li, it wasn't hard to see which group truly carried Kyoshi's legacy.

Aang asked, "Can we see the King now?"

Joo Dee shook her head. "Oh, no. One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King."

Toph sighed and muttered, "Of course not, because that would be easy."

Joo Dee clapped her hands and the carriage rolled to a halt. "Here we are! Your new home!"


Joo Dee had proceeded to give them a tour of the small estate that had been provided to the Avatar. It was almost like a compound in its right.

A messenger knocked on the front door and Joo Dee answered, taking a proffered scroll. She unfurled it and read.

"More good news!" She said. "Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed and it should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual."

Sokka shouted, "A month!?"

Joo Dee replied, "Six to eight weeks, actually."

She rolled the scroll back up, tucking it into her sleeve, and clasped her hands together.

"Isn't this place nice? I think you'll enjoy it here."

"I think we would enjoy it more if we weren't staying for so long. Can't we see the Earth King any sooner?" Sokka said.

Joo Dee just smiled. "The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world! But he will see you as soon as time permits."

Sokka just shook his head, muttering curses under his breath.

Aang said, "If we're going to be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Appa."

"It would be my honour to escort you anywhere you'd like to go." Joo Dee said.

Toph snapped, "We don't need a babysitter."

Zuko casually placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, but she shrugged him off.

Joo Dee replied, "Oh, I won't get in the way. And to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"

The group looked at one another.

Zuko stepped forward and bowed to Joo Dee in the Earth Kingdom style.

He said lowly, "Actually, honoured host, our journey to this great city has been a long one and we would all do well to get some rest, maybe a light meal? You understand, of course."

Joo Dee's head tilted and she smiled brightly. "Of course I understand, Lee. I can arrange for a light meal to be brought within the hour. Perhaps you'd like to begin your exploration of the city in the morning?"

Zuko nodded. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for being considerate of our needs."

Joo Dee bowed. "It is my privilege and my pleasure."

Joo Dee exited the house and departed in the carriage. Zuko watched her leave before locking the door.

Sokka said, "What the hell was that?"

"That was me buying us the rest of the afternoon and the evening to ourselves, without Joo Dee breathing down our necks."

Sokka opened his mouth, closed it, and then said, "Good job."

Zuko nodded. He said, "We'll have to be careful, though. Just because she's gone, doesn't mean we aren't being observed."

Toph said, "I'm thinking those Dai Li guys."

Zuko nodded again. "Me too. There's something off with them. Can't explain it."

Aang shook his head. "I'm sure you're just being paranoid. They were made by an Avatar, how bad could they be?"

Zuko's mind drifted to other things that had been made by an Avatar; the main one that occurred to him was the devastation of the Fire Navy Fleet at the North Pole. That was pretty bad, all things considered.

Instead he said, "I hope you're right."


They'd done as Zuko said they would. They'd chosen rooms and unpacked what few belongings they had.

Zuko was sat on his bed, running a rag over his breastplate, when he felt a presence in the doorway behind him. He tilted the armour, as if examining it, and saw Katara reflected in it.

He said quietly, "What do you want, Katara?"

She cleared her throat and said, "I… think we should talk. About what happened. You know, before the drill?"

Zuko kept his back to her, remaining focused on his armour. He said, "You slapped me."

She sighed. "I did, yes. I'm sorry."

Zuko shrugged. "Okay."

He watched her face contort into a frown. She shook her head. "No, it's not okay. You're my friend; I shouldn't have hit you."

Zuko shrugged again. "I provoked you. You hit me. Don't worry about it."

Her frown didn't go away. He sighed and lowered his breastplate, turning around to face her.

He said, "You think I should've argued and defended myself against Than and Ying. You think I should do it whenever someone spits on me for being Fire Nation."

Katara nodded. "Of course you should defend yourself. Why wouldn't you?"

Zuko shook his head. "Katara, people have a right to hate the Fire Nation. You and Sokka hate the Fire Nation."

She frowned. "I-I-uh! I don't hate you. People shouldn't hate you."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Katara, if people knew I was Fire Nation, and I defended myself against every attack, I wouldn't have chance to do anything else with my time. It's quicker and easier to just let it slide. Everyone has a reason."

Katara sighed. "I hate it. I hate that people are like that with you. I hate that you just accept it. That you're used to it. I just… hate it."

Zuko nodded. "I know. I'm not exactly a fan. Like you said, though; I'm used to it. I've been dealing with it for a while now. Rightly or wrongly, people are going to hate me as soon as they realise I'm from the Fire Nation."

She sighed and walked over, dropping on the bed next to him. She said, "Are we… okay?"

He smiled slightly at her. "We're okay, Katara. It's just… Sometimes you've got to let things go, you know? You can't save everyone, and you can't fix everything. That applies to everyone. It's great that you want to, but it's not always the right move."

She groaned. "You sound like Sokka."

Zuko just raised his eyebrow at her and she corrected herself. "Okay, you don't sound like Sokka. You make the point far more clearly and politely than Sokka ever would or could. But it's the same point."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, it is, I suppose."

They were quiet for a while. Zuko picked the rag back up and returned to cleaning his armour.

Eventually she said, "I am sorry for slapping you, though. Sounded like it hurt."

Zuko shrugged. "I've had worse blows to the face."

Katara cringed. "Please tell me that was supposed to be a joke. And then, please, never make jokes like that again."

Zuko grinned. "Fair enough."

She smiled back at him.

Not for the first time, Zuko couldn't help but think that she had a pretty smile.