Koza allowed Huvanni to drag her all the way out of the courtyard and down the main roads, passing by several very confused onlookers. Huvanni stomped against the paved roads, her shoulders tight and on the defense- like a soldier charging head-first into battle. Koza found herself staying absolutely silent, the sudden shift in Huvanni's normally bubbly attitude rather alarming; not to mention, she didn't want her shoulder to get dislocated from fighting against the Air Bender's force.

Huvanni led the charge for several minutes, serpentining through streets and alleyways. They finally started to slow down in what Koza recognized as what was normally referred to as West Street: Rows of houses and mansions that were, unbelievably, located in the West end of Ki Lo. It was such an original name Koza could hardly believe it.

An old friend and associate of her father used to live here, so Koza's had come through the neighborhood quite often during her childhood for quaint gatherings and delightful parties. While Koza enjoyed the temporary nostalgia, Huvanni's angered front began to falter. Her footsteps became lighter and her brisk, hardened pace had slowed significantly. She looked all around at her surroundings, her eyebrows furrowing while she glanced quickly in between houses.

"You're lost, aren't you?" Koza sighed. Huvanni jumped, as if she had forgotten Koza was even there. She turned around and met her eyes, her grip on Koza faltering enough so that the Fire Bender could finally break free. There were red marks on her wrist from where Huvanni's fingers had clenched the skin, but luckily they were already beginning to fade.

"Lost? Who's lost? I'm not lost." Huvanni moved her gaze away to break the fierce eye contact.

"What did you expect, running off into the middle of a city you've been in for barely three days!" Koza demanded in a whisper, keeping her eyes peeled at their surroundings for anyone listening in.

"Okay, I'm sorry. You're right, that was stupid. I shouldn't have just stormed off like that," Huvanni sighed. "But I had to do something! I couldn't just stand there and let that guy talk to you like that. Who does he think he is, putting you in that kind of situation?" She ranted, the same fury momentarily sparking back to life on her face.

"But to Air Bend in front of a huge crowd of Fire Nation students? Huvanni, you could've easily been caught right then and there. What in the name of the Spirits were you thinking?" Koza demanded. Huvanni continued avoiding her gaze.

"...Look, I don't know. I don't know what I was thinking. All I knew was that you were in trouble and I couldn't just stand there and watch it happen. But hey, on the bright side: none of those people know what Air Bending looks like, right? I hid my Bending behind my back, so maybe nobody saw it." Huvanni's voice had gone rather quiet. Koza rubbed her temples, trying to think.

"Don't think I don't appreciate what you did, because I do. Really. I just... I don't want you risking yourself just to keep some jerk from hitting on me. It's not like it hasn't happened before." Koza folded her arms. Huvanni finally looked up to meet her gaze again.

"But I want to protect you." The sheer desperation in Huvanni's voice took Koza by surprise. She wanted to protect her? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

"You barely even know me." Koza said before she could catch herself. The two girls had only known each other for about three short days; they were practically still strangers.

"That's not true," Huvanni said quietly. "I know a lot. I know you hate mushrooms. I know you love history. I know you're not very close with your family." She listed. All things she had observed over the course of the past day, Koza realized. When she had removed the mushrooms off of the turtle-duck from last night's dinner, hanging onto every word of today's lessons, the faces she made whenever Ojin and Fulay spoke...
Had Huvanni been quietly observing her this entire time?

"Those are just... little things. Pointless quirks that don't matter." Koza muttered.

"I think they matter. They're what make you you. ...But I can also tell that you're kind, generous, loyal to a fault. You care for the well being of all life, even if you don't admit it. And I know you're putting way too much blame on yourself over things that are out of your control." Now it was Koza's turn to break eye contact, turning her head away so she didn't have to look at those piercing gray eyes any longer.

Koza had always tried to be as closed-off and reserved as possible, just as how she was raised to be. The less you allow others to know about you, the less weaknesses they can use against you. She and Ojin had become masters of shutting off and shutting down over the years, burying their inner thoughts and feelings so deep that even they themselves couldn't reach. For Huvanni, this go-lucky, childlike Air Bender to analyze Koza with such ease, to be able to read her like she was an open book... It was humiliating, to say the least.

"I'm assuming I'm correct, then." Huvanni said, noting the wave of shame wash of the Fire Bender's face. Koza's hand twitched with annoyance.

"So what if you are? What are you even trying to prove with that nonsense?" Koza exploded. Huvanni didn't waver under Koza's frustration. Her face was so neutral, so unbothered that it shook Koza to her very core.

"That you deserve to have someone on your side," she said. "You deserve to have someone who will back you up the same way you back me. You deserve to feel safe, even if you don't think you do. And I want to be the person who provides that for you." This was starting to become too much to bear; it felt like Koza's entire state of being was aching with each word.

"How? How could you ever trust someone like me that quickly?" Koza urged.

"Because whether or not you realize it, you're a good person." said Huvanni.

"That's not true," Koza said all too quickly. "A good person wouldn't go against their family, their home, their people over a gut feeling."

"They would if they recognized that in doing so, they're aiding a cause that is much bigger than themselves." Koza hadn't even realized up until now that Huvanni had taken hold of both her hands. The Air Bender's soft, gentle fingers held tightly onto Koza's calloused ones. "I know this must be so much for you to take on all at once. You're at war with yourself, one part wanting to do what's morally right and the other wanting to do what's socially right."

Momentarily, Koza's mind relapsed to her troubled thoughts of the night before. How, just as Huvanni described, she felt like she was being ripped apart at the seams. Koza wondered, with heavy unease, how much of her thoughts and intentions the Air Bender had picked up on.

"I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do, that's not my place," Huvanni continued. "But I know that me being here is causing you way too much stress. Koza, you've already shown me such incredible kindness and selflessness, I can't even begin to repay you for it. But if you're facing this much inner turmoil, then maybe I should-"

"Absolutely not. You're not going anywhere, Huvanni." Koza cut her off, being able to predict the other girl's next words. She took her hands back and fixed the single hair atop her head that had fallen out of place. "Going against the Fire Nation in this way, okay yes, I admit that it's beyond stressing me out. But that's not a valid excuse to just send you off into the unknown. I promised to keep you safe, and I intend to keep that promise. Until either your leg heals up enough for you to travel alone or we find some excuse for my family to take you to Ba Sing Se. Oh, speaking of, how's your leg?"

Huvanni lifted her pants leg, revealing the injured appendage. Though the burn wasn't as cherry red as it looked on the night the girls first met, the skin was now shiny and blistering. It would no doubt leave quite the scar; a permanent reminder of what the Air Bender had endured.

"It's fine. I told Uvi I had accidentally gotten too close to two Fire Benders duking it out and she said she'll keep an eye out for medicine that might help. But don't change the subject," Huvanni wagged her finger at Koza, dropping the fabric of her pants to cover the injury once more. "I don't want you thinking you have an obligation to help me out. I said it before, and I'll say it again. You did not do anything to me or my people. None of this is your fault."

"Vanni, I'm not about to sit idly by and let, as far as we know, the last of the Air Benders just waltz around the Fire Nation alone and hurt." Koza said sharply. Huvanni looked at her curiously, and Koza continued. "I am conflicted about all of this.. I don't want to bring shame to my family, or get arrested and placed in Capital prison. And I'll admit, a part of me still doesn't want to believe everything you've said about the Fire Nation and Sozin. But no amount of guilt or conflict I could feel would be enough to throw you to the lion wolves and just walk away. No amount of honor is worth that." She spoke with a steadiness and confidence that she wasn't expecting. Koza felt some of her guilt and anxiety melt away, realizing she meant every single word. Huvanni pressed her lips tightly together, blinking away bits of moisture that had begun to form in her eyes.

"Thank you, Koza. Thank you for everything you've done and plan on doing. I know it's not much comparatively, but just know that from here on out, I'll have your back no matter what. Not as someone in your debt, but as someone who trusts you completely. If you'll let me, I'd love nothing more than to be your friend." Huvanni said. Koza's heart twinged. It had been a long time since anyone offered their friendship to Koza. The Fire Bender had almost forgotten what it was like to have something like that.

"Friends it is." Koza tried her best to hide a giddy smile, but failed under the level of wasp butterflies that had started fluttering in her stomach. The two girls looked at each other for quite some time, a new sense of warmth and appreciation emitting from both parties. Eventually, Koza's mind returned to reality, and she became acutely aware that they still needed to find a way home.

"We should start heading back. We probably don't want to be out here after the sun sets." said Koza. Huvanni blinked, snapping back to reality as well.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, we should do that. You should probably lead the way, though." Huvanni said with a sheepish grin, motioning for Koza to go ahead. Koza proudly took the initiative to step up as leader, and with Huvanni following close behind her, led the pair out of West Street and back onto the familiar path the carriage took day after day. The girls remained silent for the journey back home, both lost in their own individual thoughts. Every so often, Koza couldn't help but wonder what Huvanni was thinking about. Maybe it was for the best she didn't know.

They eventually reached Koza's home just as the sun was already making its way down the horizon, a sunset imminent within the next hour or so. Koza had barely knocked once on the front door before it opened with such a great force, Koza nearly toppled back in surprise. Uvi stepped out onto the porch, looking down at the two girls with a feverish expression.

"Ms. Koza! Ms. Huvanni! Where in the Spirits were you two?" She cried loudly. "Master Ojin came home on the carriage hours ago!"

"I'm so sorry, Uvi," Koza said guiltily, bowing her head in apology. "Huvanni… um, wanted to walk home from school in order to see more of Ki Lo. I…. suppose we failed to inform Ojin beforehand. My most sincere apologies for-" Koza didn't have the chance to finish the statement before Uvi tightly embraced her, hugging the younger girl close to her chest. Uvi's body was trembling.

"I kept imagining the worst, that-that something terrible had happened to you. Oh Spirits, I don't know what I would've done if you had gotten hurt, or worse. Ms. Koza, please don't ever do that again." Uvi's voice quivered, keeping such a tight hold of the Fire Bender that she could barely move at all. Koza could barely even fathom what was happening right now. Was Uvi really this concerned over Koza's well-being? Nobody had ever reacted this way before to Koza doing anything, especially Uvi; then again, Koza had never taken this long to get back home before, either.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry about that, Ms. Koza. I-I don't know what came over me. I suppose I've just gotten more emotional in my later years." Uvi at last released her hold on Koza, stepping back and wiping her wet eyes on her sleeve. Koza was too stunned to even move, simply staring blankly ahead.

"It's-it's alright, Uvi. Really, it's okay. Honestly, I appreciate your concern." Koza finally found her voice, though it was rather quiet. Uvi gave a soft smile and sniffled.

"You're very kind, Ms. Koza. Lady Fulay and Master Ojin have eaten already, but I-I still prepared both yours and Huvanni's dinners. They're even still warm, so-so please sit down once you're both ready." She said, bowing quickly and hurrying inside, taking short breaths as she did so.

"'You're very kind, Ms. Koza,'" Huvanni said from behind Koza, mimicking Uvi's accent almost perfectly. "See? Even Uvi thinks so!"

"You two would be the only ones who'd think so." Koza waved her off. Huvanni's playful expression transitioned into a softer one.

"She really cares about you, huh?"

"I… guess she does." Koza said. She had never really thought about it before the past couple of days, but she supposed it was the truth. Uvi always treated Fulay and Ojin like, well, the rich family she worked for. But she always treated Koza with more compassion. She almost treated her like family. Koza wondered why she had never noticed it before.

"Well anyway, let's eat. I'm starving." Huvanni said, playfully pushing past Koza as she headed inside. Fulay and Ojin were nowhere to be seen, probably both having gone back to their respective rooms. Uvi was re-adjusting the table setting and placed down two plates of what appeared to be some kind of vegetable dish. Koza noted her hands were still shaking somewhat as she did so.

"Ms. Huvanni, the Lady informed me of your dietary restrictions last night. I sincerely apologize for serving you food you were unable to eat, and I promise it will never happen again. I've made a vegetable stew for you both. I sincerely hope you enjoy it." She said courteously.

"Thank you, Uvi. I appreciate all the hard work you do. Thank you for the meal" Huvanni said, taking her seat at the table. Uvi bowed with a bright smile and vanished into the kitchen, leaving Koza and Huvanni to ravenously eat their meal. There was a minute or two of silence as the girls wolfed down the stew, which was delicious, before Huvanni spoke up.

"We should make a fruit pie tomorrow." Huvanni said randomly while Koza was mid-bite into a spoonful of stew.

"Huh?"

"A fruit pie. They're a common desert in the... Earth Kingdom." Huvanni said, glancing momentarily to the kitchen to check and make sure Uvi wasn't still there. Realizing they weren't being listened to, she continued. "Sweet egg custard filled with the most delicate fruit cream. They are so good."

"You really like pastries, huh?" Koza asked. Huvanni grinned.

"Sweets are one of the major food groups for the Nomads. We sometimes got the pies exported from the South Temple, made by this one monk... Gyatso, I think his name was? The Nuns were all pretty good bakers, but none of their pies ever competed with the ones from the Southern Temple. They were absolutely incredible. You'd really like the cherry ones, I think."

"Well, unfortunately I don't think I know how to bake an Air Bender fruit pie." Koza said. I don't know how to bake, period, she thought to herself. "But there's gotta be at least one place that sells some kind of pie around here. Not all of the Fire Nation citizens are that wound up. We could go look tomorrow if you want?"

"Sounds like a plan. I doubt anything here is as good as anything back home, though. No offense."

"None taken. You're probably right about that, anyway."

Dinner quickly finished between the two girls, and after sitting at the table for a bit longer to talk about their school lessons for that day, Koza decided to bid goodnight and take a long bath; she thought maybe relaxing her tense body with hot water would help her sleep that night. She trudged upstairs after handing her plate to Uvi, and entered the room that was at the end of the hallway. A large wooden tub took up most of the space in the room, a long rope pulley hanging from the wall directly over it.

Koza took off her clothing and gently set them aside from the tub. She then carefully removed her precious hair pin, finally releasing her hair from its painful prison. She reached over and pulled the rope, which opened up a board in the wall. A stream of pleasantly-warm water flowed out of the wall, filling up the wooden tub and wafting steam into Koza's face. She waited until the tub was filled up a little more than halfway before releasing her grip on the rope, which sent the wooden board in the wall back into place, stopping the stream of water.

Koza carefully stepped inside the tub and sat down, allowing her body to warm up to the temperature before submerging herself completely. She felt the hot water cover her skin, washing over all the bruises that stained her body, both old and new. She laid there in bliss, keeping everything under the water except her face. At one point, she held her breath and went completely under, feeling like she was being completely enveloped in a warm blanket. She then put her face back above the surface, the air of the room now feeling bitterly cold against her features.

Koza didn't even remember closing her eyes, but by the time she opened them again, she realized she had been in here for a much longer time than she had intended. She looked down at her hands and saw that her fingers were wrinkled up, telling her that it was time to get out. Koza sat up out of the water and positioned herself to sit directly under the rope pulley. She yanked it again and a new stream of water poured directly onto her head, soaking her entire body with freshly-warmed water. She took a piece of soap that was laying close by and washed the invisible filth off of her skin, scrubbing herself tensely like she was trying to remove something more than dirt.

Koza eventually finished her bath, allowing the no-longer steaming water to drain through a removable hole in the tub. She allowed her body to drip completely dry, standing still in the now frigid air which made boar goose pimples appear on her arms; but she didn't seem to react to the cold. Koza then turned to a cupboard that hung on the wall and opened it, removing a perfectly-fluffed black robe. She placed it on and exited the room, heading into her own bedroom and changing into her nightgown.

Koza had only just finished combing out her wet hair when a strange noise caught her attention. It sounded like someone was laughing from across the hall. Was it Huvanni? Clearly Ojin wasn't somebody who just broke out into spontaneous laughter, so it didn't take a genius to deduce who was the source of the noise. Deciding to see what Huvanni was laughing at, Koza walked across the hall and knocked on the door to the guest bedroom.

"Huvanni?" Koza asked. "Can I come in?" The laughter suddenly stopped and there was no further reply, so she decided to take that as a yes. Opening the door, Koza was met with the sight of Huvanni sitting against the back wall with her knees pressed into her chest, her eyes wet and red. Koza felt her shoulders sink as the realization dawned on her: Huvanni wasn't laughing, she was crying.

"Huvanni! What's wrong, are you okay?" Koza said quickly, rushing to her side. Huvanni held back another sob, trying to frantically wipe her red cheeks on her sleeves.

"It's nothing, I'm-I'm fine." She insisted, her body shaking with each breath.

"No, you're absolutely not fine. Tell me what's wrong." Koza pushed. Huvanni couldn't get herself to look up at the Fire Bender.

"I was… I was thinking about the Air Temple. All those girls, all those women… Noll… My people as a whole, I just… I'm sorry, I-I thought I was learning to live with it… But as soon as I let myself think back about it, I-I just broke down." Huvanni put her hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds of her cries.

"It's only been three days, Vanni. You have to let yourself grieve." Koza urged.

"But it won't achieve anything! They're all dead, I understand that perfectly clear! So why can't I.. Why-why can't I…." Huvanni trailed off, her words being replaced by a silent stream of tears. Koza kept close beside her, rubbing her back in a rather pitiful attempt at comforting the girl. It was quite a bit before Huvanni calmed down enough to speak again.

"I miss them so much." Huvanni managed to spit out.

"I know."

"I wish they were all still here."

"I know." Huvanni sat on the floor and cried for a long time. Koza's legs were completely numb from the claustrophobic position she was in and yet she didn't dare move a muscle. There was no way she'd leave a friend in a vulnerable state like this.

"Koza...?" Huvanni suddenly asked, her voice now dry.

"Yes?"

"If… If it's not too much trouble, can you stay with me? I can't... I don't want to be alone right now. I'm sorry." Huvanni whispered, keeping her eyes focused on her knees.

"Don't apologize. I'll stay with you for as long as you need."

"Thank you." Huvanni sniffled, shifting so she could be closer to Koza. Koza finally released the tension on her knees and fully sat down on the ground, keeping her arm protectively on Huvanni's back. It didn't take long for Huvanni to fall asleep afterwards, no doubt having completely exhausted herself from the panic attack. Her head leaned against Koza's shoulder, her hair drooping down and entangling with Koza's.

Koza watched her sleep silently for a few minutes, wanting to ensure that no nightmares followed her slumber. Once she realized things seemed to be at ease, Koza felt her own eyes beginning to grow heavy. And, though she was propped up against the wall in a sitting position with another girl leaning on her shoulder, Koza had had her first night of blissful sleep in quite a few days.