Part 2 - Order
The Magnificent Turtle Duck landed back at the Southern Air Temple, opening its Shell for Tenzin to hop out and re-join Jinora. Claire and Kang bid him farewell before the mad inventor closed the Shell once more.
"I had hoped Tenzin would know a thing or two about the Spirit Portal, him being an Air nomad and all."
Kang slumped in his seat and pondered to himself before a light bulb popped over his head, "We need someone with a vast knowledge of the spirit world, right?"
"Well... yes, that would be ideal."
"I know a guy... well, I know of a guy who's very familiar with the Spirit World."
Her eyes lit up as she enthusiastically pumped her arms, "Can you take us to him!?"
"I can! But it'll be a long ride. He's all the way in Ba Sing Se."
"Do we have enough fuel to get there?"
He waltzed over to a small compartment, opening it up to reveal a plentiful supply of metal canisters, "I'm always prepared!"
"Great! Let's go!"
He shut the compartment and strolled back to his seat, setting off towards Ba Sing Se.
"...hang on a wee minute, why didn't you take us to him in the first place!?"
"Because you asked to go see Tenzin instead."
The Magnificent Turtle Duck soared over ice tipped mountain tops, lush green fields and forests, and the many, many tiny villages of the Earth Kingdom, as well as over the Serpent's Pass until they reached the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.
Claire's head perked up at the sight of it, "Are We There Yet?"
"Well, yes... but also no. That was the outer wall. Our location is the Upper Ring!"
"Upper Ring... that's where the Earth King lives, right?"
"Indeed! But we aren't going to see him."
The two flew further into Ba Sing Se, soaring over the pauper state of the lower ring and the hospitable surrounds of the middle ring until finally making it to the extravagant Upper Ring.
"Keep an eye out for a green building with an orange and gold roof; there should be a fountain out front," Kang explained.
Claire nodded and peered out the window, spotting a building which matched the description, with other smaller buildings dotted around, "Down there!"
He looked over to the building and nodded before beginning their descent. They hovered to the side of the fountain out front and touched down safely. Still, despite that, the presence of the machine instilled horror within Ba Sing Se's residents, many fleeing from The Magnificent Turtle Duck in terror as Claire and Kang leapt out from the Shell.
"No need to panic! We came for some tea!" He strolled into the building.
"We've heard it's lovely!"
They stood at the entrance of the teahouse; round wooden tables surrounded by chairs and a white and black tile floor. Whitestone and brown wood made up the walls.
A buff, green-eyed, black-haired waiter adorned in green and gold robes swiftly approached, "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! That was quite the entrance you two made!"
"Indeed!"
"Now, are you here for tea... or information?"
Kang's eyebrow flinched, "Both!"
The waiter guided them to a table and pulled their seats out for them, "What Tea can I get for you?"
"A Tapioca Tea!" Kang requested; Claire unsurely asked for the same.
The waiter bowed and took his leave to create their order as they turned their attention to each other, "You know, I was expecting the person we came to see to greet us." Kang said
"Do you know his name? Or what he looks like?"
"I know what he looks like old, large beard, partially bald head..."
"Sure you aren't just describing Zu?"
He smirked and shook his head, "No, no, but I see what you mean... his name is just on the tip of my tongue..."
The waiter returned with their tea, placing down the amber liquid with softballs of tapioca inside accompanied by a straw. He took a seat next to them, getting comfortable and letting out a relieved sigh, "And finally, what information can I get for you?"
Kang drank the tea through the straw, enjoying it thoroughly, "He really was ahead of his time."
"Kang!"
The Mad Inventor broke his attention away from the tea, "Oh, yes. Where is uh..." despite his time to think, he still struggled to remember the name as he muttered to himself.
"Pyro? ... Gyro? ... Iko? ..."
He finally snapped his fingers, "That was it! Is Iroh here?"
But the waiter sorrowfully sighed, "Iroh... vanished around two decades ago when my brother and I were teenagers working here."
Claire set her tea down and perplexingly stared at him, "Hold on, 'Vanished'?"
"Yes, my brother and I never found a body... but I remember him coming to me in a dream once."
"Do you remember the dream?" Kang asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table.
"Vaguely. All I can remember is that on the day he vanished, I had a vision of him, saying-"
'The time has come for me to go on a new adventure, but not in this world.'
"And then told me."
'I'm leaving the Jasmine Dragon in your hands; I know you'll do me proud.'
"Then I woke up."
"A new adventure not in this world..."
"So... the only person who had 'vast knowledge on the Spirit World'... left for the Spirit World."
"Yeah, I think so... I miss him from time to time; he was a kind man who had enough stories to fill a library! Did you know he was the one who set the Fire Lord up with his wife?"
Claire sipped her tea and lightly gagged as the tapioca balls hit her throat, "Ooh, his wife?"
"Oi, little miss curious! Remember why we're here!"
She softly glared before leaning over to the waiter, "How much for the story Mr..."
"Oh, I'm Bolin! And to tell one of Iroh's stories, consider it on the house!"
Claire cheekily flexed her eyebrows as Kang shook his head, "And before we start, could I get... a different tea?"
"Tapioca not to your taste?"
She shook her head as Bolin shrugged, "What replacement would you like?"
"...Got any White Emerald?"
"Ooh, yeah! We just had some shipped in from the United Republic!" He turned to the counter on the far side of the room and snapped his fingers, "Mako! One White Emerald for the lady!"
The muffled sounds of a man complying came from the back room while Kang eyed up Claire's Tapioca, "...can I finish that?"
"...Sure."
Kang heartily dunked her old drink into what was left of his while Bolin prepared to spin his tale.
"This all happened around sixty years ago, a couple decades before my brother and I were even a twinkle in our parent's eyes! The Fire Lord dropped in for his annual visit to the Jasmine Dragon, you'd think he'd take an airship, but he just took the train like a common man."
A Twenty-five year old Zuko strode through the extravagant roads of the upper ring, passed Asiatic houses of stone, wood and metal. He adorned himself in dark green and black robes with his topknot tied down and flowing. He strode by the fountain and into the Jasmine Dragon as a bell dinged overhead, catching the attention of the wizened master of tea himself. His beard grey and flowing with the top of his head bald and shiny while a grey mane flowed down the back; he adorned himself in pristine gold, white and green robes.
He smiled as Zuko plopped himself down on a seat beside the counter, "You look more tired than usual."
"I've been hounded almost nonstop by the sages and my advisors to find a wife recently; I can barely sleep a wink at night!"
Iroh settled a cup down before him, "Then relax, and enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea!"
"Thank you, Uncle."
Zuko gazed into the tea, his reflection staring back as the entry bell jingled once again.
"Sorry I'm late, Iro- Mushi!"
A woman with dark olive-green eyes and brown hair styled into a bushy ponytail strode in; she adorned herself in green and gold robes which draped to just below her knees, with grey pants and flat green shoes.
Iroh happily smiled as his eyes darted between the two, "No need to worry, Jin; business has been slow this morning."
Zuko sceptically sipped his tea as Jin sauntered around the counter and eyed up Zuko, her eyes widening with each slithering glance, "LEE!?"
Her shouts near enough deafened the pair as the gears in Zuko's head finally began to turn, "JIN!"
The two silently and awkwardly stammered as Iroh tapped the counter, "Jin, this is my nephew; I've told you about him a few times."
Jin's gaze darted between the two, "You mean you were serious about Lee being Fire Lord Zuko!?"
"Please don't call me that while I'm here."
She set her eyes on him as he heavily sighed, "I come here to forget about being the Fire Lord for a few hours... sometimes I just miss the simple life of just... serving tea and being with my uncle."
"I'll leave you two to catch up," he leaned over to Jin, "And you should know, he's unspoken for," he whispered with a wink before sauntering away.
The back door slammed shut as Zuko and Jin eyed each other up, "So... what brings you here?"
"I work here."
"Oh, right, right," The incognito Fire Lord sat flustered as Jin waltzed around to his side.
"How about you? Did you become Fire Lord because your juggling career fell through?"
He chuckled, trying to buy time to formulate a response, "Right now, I think I'd prefer a career in juggling."
"What makes you say that? Surely royalty like yourself spends day and night sipping only the finest teas and wines with your wife and several concubines lapping at your heels."
"...just the opposite, actually."
"Wait, really?"
He nodded, "No wife, no concubines... do have the tea and wine, though."
"In that case, perhaps we could go out while you're here."
Zuko sat flustered until Iroh leapt back through the door, "He'd love to!"
"Uncle!"
"Don't deny it, Nephew~!"
Zuko sat stuck between a rock and a hard place, "I suppose... it wouldn't hurt."
"I'll meet you after my shift is over!"
Jin took to her work for the day, serving patrons nonstop while Zuko chatted with his Uncle until the sun descended over the horizon. Jin whipped off an apron and strolled out onto the main floor.
"Never a dull day at the Jasmine Dragon!"
Zuko smiled as Jin hooked her arms around his and whisked him out the door, "I've got just the place in mind to begin our date!"
Iroh happily smiled as he watched them go.
The two arrived at a magnificent emerald, marble and gold building; two gigantic double doors stood anchored open with a waiter in a dark green and white uniform between them. The couple strolled up to him.
"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?"
Zuko stammered as Jin confidently approached him, "The yellow dragon hungers at five o'candle."
The waiter's green eyes perked open as he nodded, "right you are, miss, please, follow me."
She winked at Zuko as the two sauntered into the mahogany and dark green matted interior; tables aligned the wall while a skylight allowed the moon to illuminate their surroundings. The waiter guided them to the only table for two in the house, where Zuko pulled out Jin's seat for her before taking his own and browsing the menu.
"What can I get for you both?"
"A bowl of your finest hoisin chicken udon noodles!" Jin spoke with fire in her voice.
"I'll have the Komodo chicken special."
The waiter nodded and jotted down their order before taking his leave.
"So now that we're alone... how did you get us in with that phrase?"
"Your Uncle just told me to say it when we got here; for a moment, I thought it wasn't going to work!"
"My Uncle?" Zuko pondered for a moment as a discrete figure peeked over a menu on the far side of the restaurant.
"Iroh said that the two chatted for what felt like hours, reminiscing over what happened during the past ten years since the end of the war. And despite the Fire Lord's awkward nature at the time, he never missed a beat once the conversations really started rolling. Even while they ate, laughed and shared in the moment."
Zuko and Jin departed from the restaurant, shortly followed by the discrete figure slinging away into the night.
"Where do you want to go now? If you're still up for being out this late."
Jin pondered for a while, "It's a bit out of the way, but... there is one place, my favourite, in fact!"
The two waltzed down to the train station and rode down to the lower ring. They sauntered through the pauper estates whilst dank smells permeated the air, but they didn't mind, and until long, they found themselves before a stone fountain with unlit candles surrounding it.
Jin patted his back, "do your thing, fire man!"
Zuko smiled as he swiftly shot fire from his fingertips, lighting the candles one by one until fire flickered on all the wicks. The flames reflected and sparkled amongst the water like radiant crystals as the two gazed around and smiled at the delicate flames. Their hands gravitated towards each other, their palms locking as they turned to each other, their gazes affixing on each other until Jin yoinked out a coupon from under her robes.
"I got you a gift!"
Zuko twitched between smiling and flustered as he happily took it, "Was this Uncle's idea or your own?"
"I came up with this one all on my own!"
The two stood in a silent affirmation as the light of the flames danced around their faces; the two leaned into one another and shared in a kiss, the two holding each other close until they gently broke away from each other.
"Thank you for tonight, Jin."
"There'll be more where this came from; you might just have to turn your annual visits into monthly visits!" She said with a sultry wink.
"They stayed by the fountain for hours, but Iroh never worried the slightest bit, he knew they'd be safe, and at about one in the morning, The Fire Lord returned to this tea house to find his Uncle waiting for him."
Zuko marched up the stairs with a beaming smile on his face as he found his Uncle snipping a bonsai tree.
"How was your night, Nephew?"
As Zuko headed for the guest room, he turned his smiling face to him, "...thank you, Uncle."
The two nodded in a silent affirmation as Zuko took to his rest for the night and ended Bolin's retelling.
"After that night, The Fire Lord did just as Jin said; he started coming around every month before popping the question. And the rest is history."
Kang and Claire sat in amazement while sipping their teas.
"Did Iroh... seriously plan the entire thing since Jin started working here?"
"Took me a while to believe it too, but it's true! Ever since the Fire Lord's old girlfriend ditched him, Iroh had been planning to find him a proper suitor, and it ended up being the girl he met during his time as a refugee."
Kang solemnly smiled, "Well, thank you for the story, Bolin... but I think we best be off; we still need to find someone who knows something about spirits!"
He rooted in his leather pouch before pulling out a sack of gold pieces, "Here, take this as payment for the tea and information!"
Bolin picked it up, peering inside as shock washed over his face, "But... this is way too much!"
Kang finished drinking his tapioca, shortly followed by Claire happily swallowing her White Emerald.
"... I am delicious..."
"Consider the excess a donation to the tea house!"
They stood up, leaving the shocked Bolin by the table, "T- thank you, sir!" He bowed as they took their leave.
But he observed Kang waltz away and hummed to himself as his eyes slanted, "He's got a familiar spring in his step..."
The duo approached The Magnificent Turtle Duck, only to see it surrounded by City Guards and Dai Li agents.
"What is this thing?" a guard poked it with a spear.
"Looks like a... Giant Turtle Duck."
The poking around of the guards and Dai Li agitated Kang as he recklessly rushed in, "Hey, what are you doing!?"
One of the Dai Li launched a Rock Glove at his arms, stretching it around his body and wrapping it around his forearms, "Oh my!"
He fell to the ground with a groaning thud as the Dai Li looked to one another, nodding and pointing to Kang as five of them rushed in. But Claire dashed for her friend, launching him up to her chest with a column of earth and grappling him before swiping her leg along the ground and unleashing a howling gust to sweep away the unprepared Dai Li.
She charged at The Magnificent Turtle Duck, but the City guards prepared a blockade, intending to stop the duo's escape. However, she bent the rock glove off Kang's arms, allowing him to launch himself on fiery Jets into The Magnificent Turtle Duck.
Claire pulled the water out from the fountain, bending it around herself before swiping it across the City guards and freezing them in a wall of ice.
He opened the Shell for her, "Let's get moving!"
The Avatar quickly climbed up the stairway and into the cockpit, the Magnificent Turtle Duck swiftly shooting off into the sky and away from Ba Sing Se.
As they left, Bolin stood in the doorway, utterly stunned by what he witnessed. His brother, a slender gentleman with amber eyes, short black hair adorned in green and gold robes with a red handkerchief tucked in a chest pocket, approached him, "Everything alright?"
Bolin whiffled his head and turned his focus to him, "I'm pretty sure I just served tea to the Avatar and didn't even realise until just now."
His brother peered out the door, gazing around at the Disorientated Dai Li and frozen City Guard. As well as an elderly Earth King Kuei adorned in Gold and green robes, emerald beads draped around his neck. A green hat with a golden circle and a square etched out of its centre, and of course, accompanied by his old bear Bosco.
"Did they like the tea?"
"The goggled guy she was with did, and I'm pretty sure she really liked the White Emerald."
"...Let's prepare the King's favourite just in case."
Bolin saluted like a military general, "Aye, Aye, Mako!" he said with a mockingly deep voice.
Kang and Claire flew over the border of The United Republic, the night had already fallen upon it, and a half-moon hung in the sky, surrounded by a sea of clouds whilst stars peeked through the gaps. He smiled at them with fond memories whilst an intrigued Avatar stared at him.
"Do you mind if I ask something?"
"You know you can just go ahead and ask. Unless it's too personal."
"Can't the Magnificent Turtle Duck go... well, a lot faster than what it has been?"
"Indeed! This beauty could circle the globe within two hours if I really put the pedal to the metal!"
"Then... why are we going so slow?"
"Conserve fuel and take in the sights!"
But while they did just that, a massive clang came from above them as they began to descend.
"Oh, c'mon, not again!"
Kang twisted the steering stick and made The Magnificent Turtle Duck spin through the air to shake off their unknown assailant.
But as they righted themselves, they caught a glimpse of a gigantic fiery coloured bird with four wings, claws sharp enough to slice steel with ease and long feathers dangling behind it.
"Do you want me to handle this again?"
"No, Khana's not here, and you're the only one who can fly!"
Claire shot up and marched for the metal door.
"Flying The Magnificent Turtle Duck isn't that difficult."
"Pretty sure Khana still has nightmares from the last time I flew it. I can handle this one!"
"Well, good luck!"
She nodded and strode through into the interior as he pressed the shell button. The Shell opened to reveal the Giant Phoenix blocking out all of the sky. Claire swiped and lashed out with crescents of air, but the corrupted Spirit swerved out of the way and swung its wings out to unleash a waving bolt of flame.
Her eyes flared as she tried to bend the fire to her will, parting some of it around The Magnificent Turtle Duck, but the rest scorched the interior and parts of her clothes.
Claire snarled and glared at the Spirit as it sized her up, "what I'd give for some water..."
But as she spoke, her eyes turned to the clouds, making a zealous smirk come over her face, "oh yeah, it's all comin' together."
"Kang, I've got a crazy idea! Take us up into the clouds and flip upside down!"
"I approve of crazy ideas!" His muffled voice replied as they arched and flew into the clouds above.
The Phoenix Spirit gave chase as it squawked and screeched, but The Magnificent Turtle Duck flipped upside down, and Claire closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and allowing gravity to take its hold as she fell through the clouds.
Her emerald eyes flared open as she flexed out her arms and spun through the skies, bending the clouds to her will and onto her arms as watery tendrils. She ceased her spin as she fell toward the Phoenix and flicked her wrists out, letting loose a barrage of icy blades, "It's showtime!"
Claire kicked out and punted the blades at the phoenix one after another, grazing, piercing and slicing the Spirit as she fell ever closer. She came face-to-beak with the Spirit and rammed her fist into it.
And as it screeched, a vision clouded her mind, the sight of a blackened figure infesting its mind, and the words, 'Bring me the Avatar' repeating over and over within its head.
The Phoenix Spirit fell from the sky as Claire flexed out an Air Sphere, watching it descend to the lands below. She caught up to The Magnificent Turtle Duck and landed back within its Shell, marching back into the cockpit with her shoulders slumped and head hanging.
"...everything alright?"
She took her seat and heavily sighed, "just... hitting that Spirit gave me a vision of what happened to it. And I know it was trying to kill me, but... it felt wrong to do what I did."
"I understand. But, we don't know how to cure them, so really we haven't got much of a choice."
"Yeah... hopefully, Chief Unalaq knows what to do."
Kang uneasily hummed as they reached the Republic City skyline and descended toward the Derelict Estate, where Khana, Ghazi, Zu and Li relaxed inside a giant stone hot tub surrounded by scattered armour, clothes, boots and a pair of sandals.
Khana tilted her head back to the sound of the roaring engine, "'Back in time for dinner', my ass..."
Zu peeked out of his eye, "guess you two better get goin'?"
"Ideally. We need to tell Claire about Unalaq!"
She rose from the stone tub as Li flexed his palm to the water, making steam fizzle all around while he and the other three moaned with delight.
"Kadan... five more minutes."
She slowly quivered back in, "...five more minutes."
The soaring duo glided into the metal tunnel, retracting the wings and landing safely in The Hanger. They leapt out and waltzed through the door into the eerie quiet.
"That's strange... I thought they'd be here."
"What? You expected them to stay cooped up in my lab?"
Claire slowly nodded, "huh... fair enough. Think they're gallivanting around the city?"
"Trust me, Ghazi doesn't gallivant."
However, while they conversed, the low hum of the elevator caught their ears, then a revitalised Ghazi and Khana entered.
"Hello there!"
"Oh, hello!"
Claire noted their fatigued but relaxed demeanour, approaching with arms out, expecting them to fall at any moment, "Are you two... all right?"
"We went to investigate your Chief because we agreed something did not seem right. And then in Kadan's elite stealth, she sneezed and threw us into the sewers, where we fought an Unagi and finally escaped... then we were washed down by your friends."
Ghazi turned his gaze to Kang, "Inventor, I would recommend discussing with your friend about setting up a hot spring somewhere in the city."
He oohed at the prospect, "Hey, that's not a bad idea!"
Despite his attempt to quickly change the subject, Claire scowled at the sewer explorers, "All I said was that the Chief seemed odd! How did that warrant spying on him?!"
"We didn't mean any offence! But I think it's safe to say he's up to something!"
She crossed her arms, "Go on..."
"Well, he did start talking to himself after the soldiers left..."
Kang shook his head, quietly chuckling at the two as Claire scoffed, "So... him talking to himself means something's suspicious?"
"'Ant Ghabi, Avatar. For something so obvious to go over your head is a disturbing sight."
She stepped forward and glared up at him, "What exactly are you talking about!?"
"Engage that thing you pass for a brain and think for a moment; if your Chief had something to tell you, why would he come here with a company of soldiers?"
"To protect him from Talos! He almost killed him after all!"
"Then that just adds to the suspicion. Why risk travelling out here when he could send a messenger and remain safe within his fortress of ice? Surely there are rooms even his own Son does not know about!"
Claire's eyes slanted as she gazed down to the ground and mulled it over, "... shit, you've got a point."
"It is blatantly obvious that this 'Chief' is playing you into a trap. And although his information about the Spirits is true, we should travel to this Spirit Portal without him."
"How are we going to find it, though? Whale-tail island is huge!"
Kang strode up and patted her shoulder, "Remember what Tenzin said about Toph or Lin being able to find it? She'd use Seismic Sense to find the chamber!" He hopped over to Khana and held his arms out to her, "And we have our very own Seismic Sensor!"
She faintly smiled as Ghazi nodded, "unless you have any other ways of entering the Spirit World, it is in your best interest we go ahead with this plan."
Claire nodded, clicking her fingers and smacking her lips, "Everything Kang and I tried were a bust so..."
Khana gazed up to the ceiling and pondered to herself, "... Have you tried contacting your past lives?"
Her head perked up, "I... haven't."
"You can meditate in the Shell of The Magnificent Turtle Duck if you wish."
"Thank you, and you too, Khana," she smiled and marched out into the Hanger.
Kang pressed the button on his remote, opening the Shell and putting his leather pouch down on a table. She stepped inside The Magnificent Turtle Duck as the Shell closed behind her. The Avatar sat down on one side of The Shell's cold metal floor, placing her hands together and inhaling through her nose then through her mouth, shutting her eyes to begin meditation.
A misty blue form emerged from her, placing itself on the opposite side of The Shell Chamber before taking the shape of Aang, "Hello again, Claire."
The Avatar opened her eyes and smiled, "Hello!"
"I've seen your adventures, and I can tell you're trying to gain access to the Spirit World."
She nodded, "I need to find a way into the Spirit world; My friend Talos has somehow corrupted the Spirits, asking Iroh for help was a bust... and the last person... well, persons we could think of who have knowledge on the spirit world are my past lives."
"There are several ways to enter the Spirit World, such as through meditation."
"Doesn't meditation only send my spirit there, not my body?"
"Yes... that would be inconvenient. Your body would be defenceless, and prolonged separation from it could be fatal."
Claire winced, "And I doubt my friends can meditate into it... any other ways?"
"The Mortal and Spirit world's energies are at their closest during a Solstice. You may be able to get there during the Summer or Winter seasons."
"Well... unless there's an Autumn solstice, I don't think those are an option..."
"If I remember correctly, Sokka was able to get to the Spirit World physically when Hei Bai abducted him..."
Claire puckered her lips to the side with a sceptical hum, "Didn't he also end up stuck there until you calmed him down?"
He whiffled his head, "How did you know?"
"Sokka told me all about it."
The disgruntled Aang pondered to himself, "The only other option I could think of is the Spirit Oasis back at the North Pole, which could be an entrance to the Spirit World... although if what happened to Kuruk's wife is anything to go by, you could end up getting stuck there... or worse."
"I guess this portal is my only option... speaking of which, have you ever heard of 'The Nexus'?"
"I can't say I have, no..."
Disappointment washed over her, "Oh well, thank you for your help, Aang!"
She stood up, but Aang raised a hand to her, "One last thing... I wouldn't trust your friend, Kang... he's a potentially dangerous person."
The curious Avatar sat back down, "I've heard you've had a run-in with him."
"I did... during our battle when I redirected his Lightning, the scar on my back tensed up."
His Spirit shivered.
"At the time, I reacted out of fear, intending to strip him of his bending... but he got away thanks to his friend... I don't know how they alluded me. Even Toph couldn't find them."
She placed a hand to her chin and mulled over his short tale, "He doesn't seem like a 'dangerous person' now... a bit on the mad side, but not dangerous."
"Perhaps he's not as dangerous as I first thought when I crossed paths with him..."
She affirmatively nodded, "Thank you again!"
She bowed to him one last time before his Spirit faded back into her.