Finally they arrived at the house set up for them and Aang gaped.
"This is so big!" Aang stated and true enough. It was a big and beautiful house, complete with a large garden and a pond. "This is perfect! There's even room for Appa in the garden!" he exclaimed as he pulled out his bison whistle and blew.
Joo Dee blinked and soon after one ten ton bison dropped down from the sky with its two animal friends on the back.
"He's been hanging around above the clouds while we were on tour." Aang informed in a grin.
"I see." Joo Dee blinked. "Well I suppose that as long as he stays here. In your new garden and home. It will be all right."
It was pretty obvious Joo Dee weren't happy about the bison… Not that Zuko blamed her. Clearly Joo Dees objective was to maintain order.
And a ten ton bison just dropping from the sky was anything but orderly.
Just then a guard came running offering Joo Dee a scroll which she picked up and read then looked up. "good news! She beamed. "your request to meet the earth king is being processed. You should have an audience in one month."
That made everyone gape.
"A month?!" Sokka gaped.
"Six to eight weeks actually." Joo Dee smiled. "The earth king is very busy running the greatest city in the world. He will see you when time permits."
"Can't you make it go faster?" Sokka asked. "We are actually on a time schedule here. Solar eclipses don't just postpone because the king was busy."
"I am sure he is looking very much forward to meet you." Joo Dee said. "Now. Let me show you around your new home." she said stepping in.
"They are not going to let us see the earth king are they?" Toph asked.
"No." Zuko said. "They will keep us here for eight weeks. Then say something came up and tell us it will be another three weeks. And then another and another. If they wanted us to meet him, they would make the time."
"So they plan on just keeping us here?" Katara. "Forever?"
"It really does look like it. Doesn't it?" Sokka said.
Zuko looked up. Seeing the massive walls looming above them. No matter where you went in this city. The walls would be visible from view casting their shadows across the houses… It made Zuko think of the fire nation strongholds… Meant to keep enemies out… And prisoners in.
The inside of the house was of course just as big, spacious and luxurious as the outside. Fifteen rooms total. Which meant ten rooms the group didn't actually need, provided they intended to sleep in separate rooms.
And from the way Katara and Sokka was unconsciously shuffling closer together for comfort, it didn't really look like it.
Even Zuko had to admit… He rather not sleep alone in a big spacious room right now. With Joo Dees big smiling face imprinted unto his mind and the sense she would be standing on the other side of the window.
"I hope everything is to your liking." Joo Dee asked. "Please let me know if there is anything you lack. And of course, if there is anything you want to see. I would be happy to escort you."
Zuko looked at Joo Dee. "Are we allowed to leave this house and explore on our own?"
"That would be very unsafe don't you think?" Joo Dee asked. "This city is big. Very big. And it wouldn't do to have honoured guests become lost. But don't fret, I would be more than happy to escort you anywhere you like."
"So we are prisoners." Sokka said.
"No. You are our honoured guests." Joo Dee smiled. "And we sincerely hope your stay here will be comfortable and pleasant. You must be hungry. Food will soon be send to you." she said as she bowed. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No… We're fine." Aang said. "We are all really tired. So we are just going to rest."
"Of course." Joo Dee bowed. "Then I will take my leave. I will be seeing you tomorrow." she said and backed out the door. Soon the carriage leaving and Joo Dee with it.
"Urgh. Finally!" Sokka groaned as he dropped down on a pillow. "I thought she would never leave. That lady creeps me out!"
"What's wrong with this place?" Aang asked. "My skin is all tingling and I feel like I can't breath right."
Zuko frowned as he stood up then walked to the window and looked outside. Their neighbour seemed to be wide-eyed looking through his own window. But the moment Zuko looked the man gasped in fear and jumped away. Then Zuko looked to the street where a woman was doing the same, it was the same reaction as she screeched and ran.
"Zuko?" Aang asked.
"I would say this is like the fire nation capital." Zuko said. "But it's worse." he said turning back facing the others. "And Capital city is the home of a fire lord who rules through fear." he stated. "I think the question here is obvious. What could be worse than that?"
"You think…" Aang gasped. "The earth king is as bad as the fire lord?" he asked.
"I don't know." Zuko admitted. "He has been hiding within these walls and not helped his own citizens across the kingdom. In this very city you can see how the poor are ignored… Out of sight out mind." he reminded them turning back to the window. "I think. It's the same mindset in regards to the war. They are not participating in it. They are ignoring it! There was just an attack on the outer world and it is being ignored." he hissed. "As if it's going to be that easy? As if Azula will just give up after one failed attack. They are about to be invaded and it is ignored!"
"Then what do we do?" Aang asked.
Zuko closed his eyes as he sighed. "If Ba Sing Se falls. That will pretty much be the same as the fire nation winning the war."
"We have to warn them at least." Katara said. "At least we have to try!"
"It's not really our problem though." Toph said. "Maybe we should just leave. Look somewhere else for people to join the strike force."
Zuko closed his eyes. "My people are in this city. Fire nation refuges… and I promised them they would be safe. If the fire nation takes the city they will be the first ones to be punished."
Sympathetically Aang looked at Zuko.
Sokka sighed. "Okay. Let's try to figure a way to see the earth king. Talk to him directly at least and then, at the very least. We can say we did all we could."
Zuko exhaled relieved. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. My sister would kill me if we just left without trying to help." Sokka said. "Katara can never leave behind people who needs help."
Katara huffed annoyed.
"That is what makes her so amazing though." Aang grinned, a stupid smile on his face.
Zuko groaned deeply as he turned away. Trying to determine where the tea kitchen would be! He needed to do something to calm himself down.
Damn. He really was turning more and more into his uncle. Was he going to loose a couple of inches too in the near future?
Zuko shook his head as he finally found the room he was looking for and opened the cupboard to find rows upon rows of tin cans with tea leafs.
It looked like all the different kinds of tea in the world was represented here.
The tea set Zuko found was beautiful hand crafted, glazed in a red shiny colour and having golden leafs as decorations. Zuko wouldn't be surprised if that was real leaf gold.
The cups were of course matching.
He found a mortar made from shiny black onyx, obviously very high end and worth a smaller fortune by itself.
The candle holders around were made of pure silver and there were even gold spoons.
Holding a spoon made of gold in his hand it wasn't lost on Zuko that he had been used to items like these growing up. He had barely even considered their worth. The phrase being born with a silver spoon in your mouth wasn't really that inaccurate.
How-ever… A prison made of gold was still a prison.
To top that off it was only after he had spend six months at sea had he realized the absurdity that selling a spoon like this could feed an earth kingdom family for a month.
It was a distraction. All of these pretty and beautiful things were meant to satisfy and distract them. And for greedy people who just wanted that luxury it might have worked.
With a deep sigh Zuko put the spoon back down and instead filled the small silver kettle with water…. Silver.
"Heh. Of course you found the tea kitchen first." Aang smirked as he walked in the door.
"It has been a very stressful day." Zuko replied. "I just needed to ground myself for a bit."
"Yeah I noticed." Aang smiled. "Tea making is like meditation for you isn't it?" he asked. "You seem to use it that way. To calm yourself down."
Zuko nodded. "It does help." he admitted. "I should have tried it sooner like my uncle suggested. I used to have a lot of anger issues."
"I know." Aang chuckled amused and Zuko shook his head. Well obviously Aang knew. "It's going to be okay Zuko." Aang assured as he jumped up on the counter to sit there so they were in same eye height.
"I hope so." Zuko sighed as he finally decided upon what leafs to use. How in the world had they managed to get Oolong here? That plant was native to the fire nation and was impossible to get in the earth kingdom. As Iroh had loudly been complaining about when he couldn't celebrate new year the traditional fire nation way with Oolong tea.
Zuko sighed as he picked up a bit of Oolong taken back by the familiar scent. To think that the first time he would smell this in three years was in Ba Sing Se.
Then Zuko sighed as he continued working. "Azula wont just give up though. And right now I have no reason to think that the Ba Sing Se guards will do anything about it. We might have to just move on."
"Well at least we'll try before moving on." Aang said.
"Yeah." Zuko nodded. Then sighed deeply. "This wont be easy though. They are clearly hiding something. Maybe even a lot of things. There are things these people don't want us to know. And that's probably also why they wont let us see the earth king."
"All the more reason to figure it out." Aang said. "I am the Avatar. My purpose is to find balance in the world."
Zuko nodded. "Yeah." he said as he started to warm the water.
"It.. It's going to be okay." Aang repeated. Though the way he said it. It sounded like he was more saying it to assure himself than Zuko.
Zuko looked up at Aang and was suddenly stricken with how young he was. He was just a child with the burden of the entire world on his shoulders Zuko exhaled deeply as he allowed Aang to just sit on the counter while Zuko worked.
Then finally Zuko had his cup of tea and pushed it into Aangs hands.
Aang looked up at Zuko.
"My uncle would always say. That as long as there is tea. Things really aren't as bad as they seem." Zuko informed.
Aang smiled amused.
"He also said he would rather go three days without food than one day without tea." Zuko rolled his eyes.
At that Aang laughed.
"What would he be saying now?" Zuko asked in a frown. "Zuko." he made his voice older and raspier than normal in an attempted imitation of Irohs voice. "You must look inside and find the truth in yourself which will reveal your other self and that can help your first self! The clouds are dark but the sun will make a silver lining and your other self will find truth within yourself as he looks at that silver strong. Then you will find your true self… Self."
At that Aang openly laughed loudly almost spilling the tea all over himself. "That made no sense!" he said. "What did you just say?"
"I have no idea." Zuko admitted and Aang laughed as he dried his eyes with his sleeve.
"Thanks Zuko. That helped a lot." Aang said.
"But... it didn't make any sense." Zuko objected.
"No. It made no sense what so ever." Aang laughed. Then took a sip of his tea. And he brightened up "This tea is amazing! You're becoming really good at this!"
"You think so?" Zuko asked.
"Definitely!" Aang grinned making Zuko smile.
Huh... maybe things weren't so bad as long as there was tea.