All Katara could say was that she was disappointed by the state of the Misty Palms Oasis. The way that Aang had talked about it made it sound like an awesome resort, home to one of the wonders of the world. It was supposed to be a pristine ice spring, but all that Katara could see was a pitiful lump of ice in the center of the small, rundown village. But she could smell food cooking from several of the buildings, causing her mouth to water, and allowing her to forget her disappointment.

The sun was quickly sinking beneath the horizon, and with it, the heat of the day. The Oasis was small, but there were quite a few people milling about. Most of them looked like vagabonds and travelers, like them. Everyone seemed to be congregating in the biggest building in the village, which appeared to be a tavern or inn.

"We should be able to get something to eat there," Iroh said as he nodded towards the large building before he dismounted from Dusty.

"With what money?" Zuko demanded to know.

Iroh looked at his nephew sagely. "Sometimes, you can receive good fortune, if only you have a little patience."

Zuko clenched his teeth. "What does that mean?"

"Come," Iroh said as he started to walk towards the tavern.

Zuko glanced sideways at Katara, and she just shrugged. The two of them started after Iroh, but a snippet of conversation caught her attention, coming from outside a nearby shop.

"Yeah, a little blind barefoot girl and her friends passed through here a few days ago," a man in ragged clothing was saying to two other men. One of them was beefy and serious, while the other was thin and older.

"Did they give you any indication where they were headed?" the thin one asked in a reedy voice.

The raggedy man held up one hand, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "Maybe you could give me a little incentive?"

The bulky man stepped closer to him. "Are you suggesting I break your fingers?"

The man quickly dropped his hand. "They went into the desert! Too bad there's almost no chance they survived."

Katara felt Zuko tug on her sleeve, then his husky voice was in her ear. "Come on."

She picked up the pace so that she and Zuko could catch up to Iroh, who was almost to the tavern. Because they were all hurrying to get inside, none of them saw the wanted poster with Iroh and Zuko's faces prominently displayed, with a large bounty, hanging on a nearby shop.

Zuko was in a foul mood. It had been a long, hot day on top of everything that had happened with Katara, and none of them had eaten since the night before. This village was even smaller and more pitiful than Lee's village, and none of them had any money for supplies. His uncle taking them into the tavern, which smelled of cooking food, was akin to torture.

The tavern was crowded. There were a plethora of travelers and merchants occupying the tables. There were also the dark-skinned people who lived in the desert, distinguishable by the wraps they wore around their heads. Zuko, Iroh, and Katara lingered in the doorway.

"No one here is going to help us," Zuko told Iroh irately. "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

Iroh chuckled as he walked deeper into the room. "So do we." He nodded towards a table near the back. "Ah, this looks interesting."

Zuko looked at what his uncle was referring to, and his expression darkened. There was a thin old man seated behind a Pai Sho table. He resisted the urge to exhale a plume of smoke as he turned towards his uncle.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko snapped.

Iroh started for the table. "I do not think this is a gamble."

Zuko and Katara had no choice but to follow him. He wasn't pleased, but Zuko didn't exactly have any better ideas. He glanced over at Katara to gauge her reaction, but her eyes were trained on two men sitting in a shadowy corner. He glanced at them, but he didn't recognize them.

Iroh offered the man sitting at the table a short bow. "May I have this game?"

The man gestured for Iroh to sit. "The guest has the first move."

Iroh sat down on the low stone stool and picked up a tile from the stacks on the edge of the table. Zuko and Katara hung back. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched his uncle lay down his first tile.

Zuko had never understood the appeal of Pai Sho. It was a boring and drawn out game, with stupid rules. He hated trying to form the Harmonies, and overall, he just wasn't very good at it.

Zuko glanced down at the tile his uncle had played. The man seemed to be interested in it, too.

"I see you favor the white lotus gambit," he remarked as he looked up at Iroh. "Not many still cling to the old ways."

"Those who do can always find a friend," Iroh replied knowingly.

The man offered him a thin smile. "Then let us play."

Zuko looked at Katara from the corner of his eye as he huffed out a breath. "This might take a while."

He grabbed an extra stool and pulled it over for her, gesturing for her to sit. She did, and then he sat down beside her as Iroh and the man, who informed them that his name was Fung, began to play in earnest. He propped his chin in his hand, his face creased into a scowl.

"You don't like Pai Sho?" Katara's voice was a low murmur in his ear.

"No, I don't," he replied. He looked at her. "Do you?"

She shrugged. "Aang taught me how to play. It's a little confusing, but I like it. We don't really play Pai Sho in the South Pole."

"Oh."

They fell into silence as they watched Iroh and Fung continue to play. Zuko was dreadfully bored, and his stomach's constant growling was irritating. What was the point of this game? What did Iroh expect to happen?

He glanced sideways at Katara from time to time. She watched the game with a lot more interest than he did, which gave him ample opportunity to study her without her noticing.

She was tired and dirty, with bags beneath her eyes. She'd lost weight since he'd found her, and now her broad cheekbones were more prominent in her face. But she was still pretty. Beautiful, maybe. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he found her very attractive, which just complicated everything more.

His thoughts were interrupted when Katara looked at him. Zuko dropped his gaze as his cheeks heated up.

"You're staring," she whispered to him, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. Her very nice lips that looked very soft, even if they were a little chapped right now.

Zuko cleared his throat. "Sorry. I'm just...tired."

It was weak. He knew it, and apparently she knew it too because she just hummed in acknowledgement as she returned her attention to the game. But then she shifted a little closer to him.

"There's two guys in the back corner," she murmured out of the corner of her mouth. "They've been watching us since we came in."

Zuko felt a shiver of trepidation run down his spine. His and his uncle's faces were plastered on wanted posters all over the Earth Kingdom. Had they been recognized?

His hand instinctively reached for his scar. His mark was impossible to miss. There was nothing that could be done to hide it or fix it. The most he could do was wear his wide-brimmed hat, but apparently, that still wasn't enough.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Zuko murmured, hoping that he sounded more confident than he felt.

"Maybe it's because I'm the only girl here," Katara remarked quietly. He noticed the way she was wringing her hands, so tightly that her knuckles were bloodless.

Zuko's eyes skirted the room inconspicuously as he frowned. He was surprised to see that Katara was the only woman. And, given what they had already been through with the thieves, that made him wary. He found himself scooting his stool a little bit closer to her, until their shoulders were brushing. He couldn't even say that he was surprised at his protectiveness.

Then Iroh and Fung rested their hands in their laps. Zuko knew enough about the game to know they had finished, but he couldn't tell who won.

Fung looked at Iroh with a knowing smile. "Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

Zuko looked between them as his brow furrowed. "What are you old gasbags talking about?"

He winced as Katara's foot found his toes. She shot him a dark look, and he scowled back.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game, nephew," Iroh told him. He picked up the white lotus tile and rolled it between his fingers.

Suddenly, there was a commotion behind them. Katara looked back over her shoulder and let out a gasp. Zuko and Iroh were instantly on their feet as well. The two shady men Katara had told him about were making their way towards them with serious expressions on their faces.

The larger of the two men jabbed a thick finger at Zuko. "It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!"

Suddenly, Fung was in front of them, blocking off the two men from getting at Iroh and Zuko. Zuko's hand was on the hilt of his swords, and from the corner of his eye, he saw that Katara was ready to uncap her water pouch at a moment's notice.

Then, Fung looked at Iroh and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your head! The girl is an accomplice!"

Zuko looked at Iroh with wide eyes. "I thought you said he would help!"

"He is." Iroh put his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Just watch."

Fung looked at the two men and put his hands on his waist, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" Fung demanded to know.

That got everyone else's attention. Suddenly, it seemed like every eye in the tavern was on them. Zuko shifted subtly for better balance in case it came to a brawl. All of the rugged travelers present were standing up, brandishing a variety of weapons.

"Uh oh," Katara murmured.

"Maybe we shouldn't…" the thin man squeaked.

But his larger companion only grinned ferally as he advanced towards Zuko and Iroh, cocky and arrogant. Thankfully, he was intercepted by a man with a deadly-looking blade.

A full-fledged fight broke out rapidly. The two men retaliated, using earthbending to deflect their attackers. Zuko felt a tug on his sleeve. When he looked at Iroh, he beckoned for him and Katara to follow him. Zuko grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him as Fung led them out through a side door.

They hurried across the village to a small building on the outskirts. There were flowering plants in pots outside the door, but there wasn't any more time to observe anything else as Fung ushered them into the small shop. It smelled heavily of flowers and herbs, and Zuko saw that every surface was covered in plants.

"Thank you," Iroh said to Fung with a bow.

Fung returned it. "It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus." He gave Iroh a conspiratorial look. "Being a Grandmaster, you must know so many secrets."

"What is he talking about?" Zuko demanded to know.

Iroh looked at Zuko sagely. "I told you. Pai Sho is more than just a game. The Order of the White Lotus is a very old organization. We use Pai Sho as a method of communication, or to learn if someone is a member."

"Wow, that's really cool," Katara breathed, her eyes wide. "It's like a secret society."

"Exactly," Iroh said with a nod, his eyes twinkling.

Zuko huffed out an impatient breath. "Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging or is someone in this club gonna offer us some real help?"

"Zuko!" Katara admonished him.

Iroh looked at Fung apologetically. "You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate, and he has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." His eyes cut to Katara. "Though Master Katara might have some potential."

Katara flushed pleasantly as Zuko snorted and rolled his eyes. Then Fung led Iroh to a door in the back of the shop and knocked. The small window in the door slid open, revealing a narrow strip of a man's face.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" the man asked.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries," Iroh replied.

The man on the other side nodded before he opened the door to admit them. But as Zuko and Katara went to enter, the door was closed in their faces. A second later, Iroh opened the window in the door again.

"I'm afraid it's members only," he said. "Wait out here."

Then he closed the window, leaving Zuko and Katara alone. Zuko let out a puff of air as he slouched against a table and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Great," he grumbled. "Now what?"

Katara came and leaned against the table beside him. "Now we wait."