A/N: Well this only took me five months, but that's one month less than the last update! Maybe chapter 4 will be with you all in 4 months...

I also got my first review! Guest, I really appreciate what you wrote. I feel exactly the same about reading stories with all original characters instead of established ones, which is in part why I've been so nervous to share this story. I'm especially proud of the relationships I'm building between the characters, so the fact you picked up on this and liked it is awesome. I hope this update finds you well and you enjoy this chapter too!

Chapter 3 – The Discovery

Ha Jun I

He had finally escaped from imprisonment, only to land himself in an entirely different hell, thought Ha Jun darkly as he watched the ridiculous scene before him.

Crowded on the deck, the sailors and passengers all simpered and none too subtly tried to nudge each other out of the way, all vying for the attention of the petite girl serving them tea.

Rei giggled at something one of them said, an airy, tinkly, bordering on squeaky sort of laugh that made his blood boil. He found himself unable to mask the growl of irritation that rose through his throat.

"She's not that bad." Tulok attempted, for the fourteenth time that day, to pacify him.

"She's a nightmare!" He hissed back. "Setting aside the fact that we're now as conspicuous as a flying fishopotamus, she's not stopped talking since we got on this boat! If it's not about tea, it's about books, or historians, or famous rock formations. I'm sick to death of it."

"She means well." Tulok scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "From what I gathered she's read a lot of books but not, you know," he flapped his hands. "Experienced a lot of life."

"Obviously. The maps she has? Were pulled out of inaccurate fire nation school textbooks."

"She got us out of prison." Tulok began counting on his fingers. "Bought along money and supplies. Supplied passage on this boat…"

"I'm not sure if it counts when you outsource the actual work to an agent on the inside, but sure. She's done the bare minimum. But we need better than mediocracy. We need to survive."

Tulok frowned. "Why are you so worried? We're over halfway there. We'll be on Earth Kingdom soil by tomorrow."

"We'll be on Fire Nation Colony soil. We're not safe until we're far away from Fire Nation jurisdiction. That could take up to a week longer if we have to travel on foot. And a week is plenty of time to track us down and drag us back to a place worse than Shuhon."

In the distance, he could Rei snort and giggle. He rubbed his chest, trying to will his heart to slow down, to steady. He winced as he heard another snort. An uphill battle it seemed.

"Hey man, I get it. This is terrifying. But you've been working yourself into a frenzy these past few days. You've got to chill out."

He sniffed. "I am the picture of calm."

They were both silent for several moments, the murmur of the other passengers filling the companionable silence. Ha Jun concentrated on the steady sway of the ship, and after a while could no longer feel the hurried thump of his heartbeat. He sighed and pushed himself off the ship's railing, turning to gaze out to sea. "One more night and we'll be rid of her. Thank Tlalli."

Tulok didn't reply, but Ha Jun could sense the shift in the air. Glancing to the right, the sight of his friend looking down and kicking his feet, only confirmed it.

"Tulok. Tell me you're not reconsidering keeping that, that infant with us."

"Would you stop calling her an infant!"

"She's dead weight. Our chances of evading capture hurtle down the longer she stays with us. The only thing she appears to be good at is her ability to ensure that no one on this boat, when later interrogated, will forget the ridiculous girl who held tea ceremonies on deck."

The other man sighed, looking back over to where Rei was starting to pack up her beloved tea set. "I feel bad. I said I'd help her and now I'm what, betraying her?" He gazed imploringly back at Ha Jun. "I can't just leave her at the mercy of the Fire Nation now she's gone and deserted them. That would be like…. well…ah shit, like abandoning a baby."

By this point, Ha Jun was acutely aware of his teeth grinding against each other. "Well, you're going to have to choose between the two of us once we get to land. You can come with me, and my people will help get you home, or you can stick with Princess Punctilious and go on a mad crusade for the Avatar."

"Princess…what? What does punctu-wosit mean?"

Ha Jun ignored him, turning back towards the ocean. He liked Tulok damn it, he had a good heart even if he was too hot-headed at times. Of course, that good heart had a downside in that, despite him and Rei being unable to go an hour without some kind of argument, Tulok seemed unable to follow through with their original plan of dumping her as soon as they'd left Fire Nation territory.

Tulok awkwardly cleared his throat next to him. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know I'm being a dickhead for changing our plan last minute."

The sound of footsteps running towards them caught them both off guard, they both whirled around to look behind them.

"Guys! GUYS!" Rei careened over, skidding slightly against the wooden planks of the deck in her excitement and grabbing onto Ha Jun to steady herself. He stiffened, allowing her to regain her balance before prising her hand off his arm with his finger.

"Min Wei says tonight The Chalice should be visible in the night's sky! Well only if it's a clear sky, which is only about fifty percent likely given we're approaching land, which will bring more cloud cover…what time are we getting there again?"

"My answer has not changed since you last asked."

Rei giggled awkwardly, unable to meet his gaze. "Sorry. I keep thinking about so many other things that I end up with no space for it all."

Ha Jun, with great difficulty, attempted diplomacy. "Despite my objections, you're continuing to make quite the impression on a number of the passengers. I am concerned we are drawing too much attention to ourselves."

"I'm doing my best, but everyone is so happy to talk and socialise….it feels like if I didn't that would draw more attention…"

"The more noticeable we are, the more likely we are to meet a legion of Fire Nation soldiers when we arrive in Binfei." As soon as he'd finished speaking he mentally slapped himself for giving away his intended plans.

"Oh oh oh!" Rei started hopping excitedly from one foot to the other. "Is that where we're going first? I've read so much about West Heiatu already – did you know it has a thriving population of fireflies? Huge swarms of them are seen in the surrounding fields, the largest number outside of the foggy swamp! There are several festivals that incorporate their cycle—"

Tulok cleared his throat. "Um, I think Ha Jun said it was Binfei, not West Hey-whatever."

Rei blinked at him. "It's the same place, we just call it West Heiatu now."

"And how do you presume to know so much about my hometown?" He was distinctly aware of the sound of his blood roaring in his ears.

"A tourists guide to the colonies talked about it at length—um…that is…?" Rei trailed off nervously.

Breathe in, breathe out. You are a still pond, a cloudless sky, a desert untouched by wind. Breathe in, breathe out. It's not like there's any earth on this ship to bury her in anyway.

"…popular to visit is it then? Since your people saw fit to improve our town? Change its name?"

She mumbled something he couldn't quite catch. He stared over her head at Tulok, who looked slightly ill.

He exhaled, clenching and unclenching his fists. "At least there are still fireflies."

"Ha Jun, I…I'm sorry." Rei whispered, eyes wide with unshed tears. "I should have taken more care when talking about We…Binfei. Its colonisation was an injustice."

"…an injustice."

"Yes!" Rei looked around nervously before leaning her head in, voice hushed. "This is what I want to do. This is what our mission will help do. Free your town and others. Help the airbenders."

It was hard to respond. He knew deep down that Rei was sorry, that she was not responsible for the political and military decisions that had led to the invasion of the Earth Kingdom. But he knew that if he spoke now, he knew his next words would be cutting and accusatory. And that wasn't needed, not now.

Tulok cleared his throat and signalled for Rei's attention. "Do you want to, err, tell me about the stars then? That you want to see?"

Rei looked nervously at Ha Jun, before nodding and stepping back from the railing. "Oh!" Her face brightened. "We should talk to the captain; I told him you were from the Northern Water Tribe, and he has a cousin who lives there! Maybe you know him?"

Ha Jun attempted, for the fourteenth time that day, not to push her into the ocean.


"You're…kidding. You're actually joking. Please, for the love of Tlalli, tell me you're joking."

Rei looked imploringly at Tulok, who was gazing at a nearby bird with an intense focus.

"Rei."

"Look, give me time to walk through what I have. There's a lot of useful supplies!"

"Money is useful. Food is useful. Maps are useful."

"I did bring money."

"You bought a not-very-large coin purse and nothing else remotely valuable!"

"Well, that's not entirely true," Tulok interjected. "You could sell those musty books. Or use them as kindling."

Rei spluttered and squawked, immediately turning on Tulok with a tirade that Ha Jun instantly blocked out, choosing instead to stare dejectedly at the open bag in front of him. Bending down, he examined the set of engraved bottles made of dark glass, in which he could see viscous liquid glistening.

"What even are these? Potions? Poisons?"

Rei paused in her bickering and blinked up at him. "Oh, they're my essential oils!"

Ha Jun, unable to stifle his groan, fell into a crouch, head in hands. As the only member of their group who wasn't in captivity prior to their journey, Rei had been on the hook for providing the majority of their supplies, save the bedding he and Tulok had taken from the detention centre. It hadn't even occurred to him that, much like her speech and mannerisms, her packing had also seemingly gone on a tangent away from its objective.

"Listen, I acknowledge we never actually told you what to bring, how do you not see how objectively useless all this stuff is!" He heard Tulok hiss. "What was going through your head?"

"I've not done anything wrong! Neither of you has given me a chance to actually go through the bag and explain everything. It's not like we have a treasure map where X marks the Avatar – we're going to have to do a lot of research along the way."

Ha Jun held his hand up, aware that it suddenly felt very cold and tingly. "It's OK Tulok. We just need to get to Binfei. My family can look after us when we get there. You can stay as long as you want until we figure out a way to get you home."

He glanced up just in time to see Rei's mouth fall open in shock. "What?"

Tulok threw his hands up in the air. "What the fuck?! Why would you say that?"

"You're…you're going HOME? You're not…you're…you're leaving me?"

"I'm not! Ha Jun just got his words mixed up," he snarled, affixing Ha Jun with a particularly frosty look. "Didn't you?"

"Yeah, sure." He looked around, tuning out Rei's shrill voice and focusing on their surroundings. It was golden hour, and the sea next to them was calm, twinkling in the evening light. Most of the other passengers had already been picked up in carts, either hired or by family. Others had begun to clump together in small groups outside the carriage station. If they were going to salvage anything out of this complete disaster of an escape, they needed to move quickly. He gathered up Rei's bag of junk and stood up, looking around before he began to stride towards the station, where two of the groups had merged into a small crowd.

"Excuse me?"

A middle-aged man turned to face him, the relief of no longer having to engage with his squabbling children plastered across his face. "Evening. Do you need directions?"

"We're hoping a carriage to Binfei departs from here?"

"Hm." The man scratched his chin. "Only a long one. It'll stop at a lot of places. You'll be traveling well through the night, and it'll be crowded."

"Do you know when it leaves?"

The man had no sooner shaken his head than the old woman behind him interrupted. "That's my route home. It won't be here for another two hours."

Flabbergasted, Ha Jun looked back at the man he'd spoken to first, who shrugged before turning back to his screaming children. Around him, members of the group had started to dig rations out of their pockets and bags. One family had purchased large steaming dumplings from a vendor just down the path, cooking just outside his own small home. Starting, he noticed that the vendor had turned to meet his gaze and was now beckoning toward him.

He wandered over. "That smells delicious, Uncle."

The vendor eyed him, gesturing towards his clothes. "A long trip to the Fire Nation, was it?"

He chuckled bleakly. "Too long. I'm grateful to be on these shores once more."

The man chuckled and passed him two large dumplings. "Welcome home then, son."

The fluffy, gently steaming dumplings smelled incredible, cracked at the top to show off the glistening meat and gravy within. He paused.

"There's only two here. I have two friends."

The vendor shrugged. "I don't think they'll like these." He continued after a pause. "Outsiders tend not to. You enjoy, son."

"…thanks." He bit into one. By Tlalli, it was heavenly. The first bite of food that wasn't salty rice and vegetables or dried meat and porridge. He savoured the rich gravy on his tongue as best he could but found he'd finished the dumpling in only a few bites. He gazed around, suddenly feeling guilty, but Tulok and Rei were still in a heated conversation and hadn't seemed to have noticed him talking to the vendor. He gleefully bit into the second.

"Where are you headed?" The vendor asked, poking the fire.

"Binfei. My home village."

"That one has been taken."

"I know." He gazed down, momentarily lowering the dumpling. "I was there as it was happening."

"So that's how they got you, huh?"

"Yeah. That's how they got me." He stopped for a second, wondering how much to open up to a stranger he'd just met. But after six years, it felt so good to talk to a friendly face, to eat good food. "I was one of the initial protestors. I think they singled me out to make an example. They almost got Dad too, but he managed to get away. They shipped me off to Shuhon quickly, which is why the others never managed to rescue me."

The man scowled. "That was what, five years ago? Seven? A lot has changed since those days. No one has any fight in them. Everything's Fire Nation now – Fire Nation holidays, Fire Nation laws, they're all wearing Fire Nation colours!" He spat on the ground. "It's sickening, that's what it is. All those towns, they're lost, and others will lose their way soon enough."

"I'm going to make it right. When I get home to my father, we're going to finish what we started, and take our home back!"

The vendor chuckled lowly. "Good for you! Just be careful now, with those ones."

Ha Jun looked up from his last remaining dumpling. "What do you mean?"

"That's a Water Tribe you're with, right? Filthy, greedy and sneaky they are. I say you can't trust anyone that's not from the same soil these days. When we take back our land, we'll kick them all out, won't we?"

"Ah." So, it was like that.

"Plus, the girl is obviously Fire Nation. It will not do good to travel with her – she'll be a target on your back. Good Earth Kingdom boys don't consort with Fire Nation girls."

Ha Jun looked down at the dumpling in his hand, where half still remained. The meat inside glistened invitingly. He dropped it.

"Tastes rotten."

The vendor swore at him, and he turned, heading back to Tulok and Rei. They were both looking at him with matching expressions of confusion.

"What's up?"

"Why is that guy so mad at you?" Rei pointed at the vendor, Tulok slapping her hand back down.

"Don't point at him!"

"He was bad news." Ha Jun crossed his arms. "A lot of people in these parts mistrust outsiders. The war has only made it worse."

Rei twisted the bracelet on her arm. "I mean I wasn't expecting anyone to be fond of me – but I see why my presence wouldn't make people comfortable."

Ha Jun raised his eyes at her bracelet, thick and very obviously solid gold. "You can start by putting that away. That could probably feed all these people for a full month alone."

Rei winced, letting her sleeve fall back down to cover the jewellery. "Sorry. Thank you."

"Hm?" He turned to her, eyebrow raised.

"I know it's not easy, having me along. I know I don't know what I'm doing half the time. But I do appreciate everything you're saying! I am learning!"

It didn't feel like she was, but he could appreciate what she was trying to do.

"Well, we have a long wait before our next stage of the journey. Let's see what other wisdom I can impart." He stretched, catching Tulok's gaze, who was smirking at his in a smug, self-satisfied, I-told-you-she-wasn't-so-bad kind of way.

"How old are you, Rei?"

"Eighteen."

"See? Infant."

"Fuck off."


He had not been expecting many changes, not in a mere six years, but the new infrastructure was everywhere. Familiar streets and buildings seemed displaced, like they'd been flipped upside down and stuck at a peculiar angle. Even the air smelt funny, sweet, spicy, and smoky all at once.

Ahead of him, Tulok and Rei both stared around them with barely concealed wonder at the marketplace, which too had grown since he'd last seen it. Although the crowd it had drawn seemed lively and friendly, there was also a tension in the air, like a string that had been pulled taught.

Tulok turned back to face him. "You said you had family?"

"…yes. They are nearby."

It was mortifying enough to find out his home had an entirely new name, so there was absolutely no way he was about to admit that the town had changed so much that he was lost. Ridiculous.

They wandered for a while, the sun climbing in the sky as they did so, following streets that Ha Jun slowly started to remember, the directions and the interconnections more than anything.

"Stop." This was his street.

"We're here?" Tulok peered around him at the road. "Like, I don't want to offend your folks by asking for food as soon as we get there but I'm only going to be able to hold out for about thirty seconds more."

He rolled his eyes. "Go buy something then. I should probably go alone to start with anyway. The sight of Rei might make my father's head implode."

Rei bounded up to Tulok. "I saw spicy noodles a couple of streets back!"

He wrinkled his nose. "That sounds awful. Can't we just buy some meat on a stick?"

"Mmmm slurpy slurpy lovely noodles!"

"Why-you don't make it any more appetising when you say it like that."

Ha Jun, now an expert at tuning them out, approached the houses across the street, just a bit further along from where they were. A lone woman was outside, scrubbing a pile of clothes, and looked up at him as he approached. She was an older woman, maybe in her forties, with tightly curled greying hair peeking out from a headscarf wrapped tightly around her head. He recognised her face, although her name was escaping him.

"You look familiar."

"Auntie." He bowed. "As do you. But I'm afraid it has been a long time since I've been home, and there's much that I do not remember."

She hummed, continuing to scrub. "What is it you're looking for here?"

"Ha Fu and his sons."

She paused, suds dripping through her fingers. "I don't recall the name."

"Are you sure?"

"Who are you?" Her tone was more hostile. Something was not right. Were they in hiding?

"Auntie, forgive my impoliteness." He bowed once more. "Remind me your name."

"Li Min." Her eyes, whilst cautious, looked into his directly and unwaveringly. She didn't seem to be attempting to lie to him.

"I am Ha Jun. I am simply looking to reunite with my father and brothers."

She went back to scrubbing, head bowed. He'd taken half a step forward before she spoke again. "The one who was taken?"

"Yes. You remember?"

"Hardly." She threw the clothes down and got up, brushing soap off her clothes. "There's a lot from back then I don't wish to recollect."

"I am sorry for bringing up memories past. I will take my leave." He bowed, sights now set on the small house at the end of the street.

"They aren't here."

A pause. He blinked. "Where are they?"

"They packed up and moved on." Her tone was sincere, but the pity in her eyes made his stomach heave.

"…where?" He croaked, mouth suddenly very dry.

She shrugged, her sympathetic gaze still on him. "I never found out. I don't…I don't think your father thought you were still alive."

He clutched his chest, willing his pounding heart to slow down. Darkness had already begun to creep across his vision.

"He remarried you see."

"I see." Why did his fingertips feel numb? He closed his eyes.

"Ha Jun?" Tulok's uncertain tone seemed to echo as though it had come from a distance. His fingers and his toes were buzzing.

"It was more than four years ago now. I'm sorry."

"Hey! Hold up for a second, he needs space." Someone had grabbed hold of his hands.

"I'll go get water." The voices were fuzzy. His fingers and toes were buzzing. The feeling of warm thumbs rubbing circles on the backs of his hands felt like a tether for his otherwise weightless body. Had he fallen? He wasn't sure.

"Stay with us now buddy." A sweet, almost woody citrusy scent was tickling the back of his nostrils. He inhaled then, suddenly and sharply, realising at that moment he'd been holding his breath.

"Keep going." A voice near him murmured.

"Everything is going to be fine. We're here." Tulok spoke clumsily but gently.

The hands holding him crept up until they were holding his wrists, thumbs continuing to make firm strokes along his skin. He breathed in, shallowly, the tightness in the pit of his stomach growing.

"This is too much." He gasped. "This is all, too, much."

"I know, I know. It's all going to be OK though."

"My family is gone, I'm a prisoner on the run, and the only two people I have with me are two sheltered kids."

"…you are free, in the country you were born in. You have people here who are looking out for you. Everything will be fine."

"How?" Was he crying? "I don't see how it's going to be fine."

"You don't need to worry about that now. Focus on yourself, how you are now. Keep trying those deep breaths, OK?" It was Rei, but her voice was hushed and low, and almost entirely unfamiliar. He breathed in again, the citrus smell curling down the back of his throat.

"I…OK." The hands on his wrists continued, firm and comforting. He dared not open his eyes.

A thud of footsteps signalled Li Min's return. "I have water! I'm so sorry, I feel awful—"

"Can we have something sweeter? He needs sugar." That was Tulok.

"There's a teahouse, not too far from here."

"Ha Jun, you're doing really well, those are much deeper breaths." Rei again. "Take all the time you need."

He opened his eyes. Rei was before him, gaze steady. Tulok and Li Min watched cautiously a few feet behind her. "Can we…not be on the street?" He rasped, throat aching.

Rei nodded, Tulok immediately stepping forward to help him up. She let go of his wrists, leaving behind an oily residue with the citrusy scent clinging.

Ha Jun rose unsteadily to his feet, uncomfortable with how much Tulok was supporting his weight but without the strength to push him away. Li Min pointed to a street leading off from the one that they were on, and Rei nodded, packing up two of the small bottles of oil from her bag. She followed her gaze and smiled nervously.

"It's bergamot oil. You only use a drop, but it's supposed to be very soothing."

They reached the corner of the street, at which point the teahouse became visible. Its defining feature was a spacious terrace situated in front of the shop, vines, and flowers twisting up the posts and across the beams of the roof. As they approached, they could see the many patrons sitting, steam gently curling from the teapots and cups in front of them.

Li Min hurried ahead, snagging a table with three chairs and pulling a fourth one over, apologising to its previous owners who waved her off. Tulok, who had been silent up until this point, leaned over and whispered "How much do you bet Rei is going to lecture someone here on proper tea etiquette in the next 15 minutes?" which earned a chuckle from Ha Jun, and a glare from Rei, who stomped up the stairs to the deck to reach the table first.

They sat down and stayed there quietly for a moment, Rei flicking idly through the provided menu.

He decided to break the silence. "My family is no longer here."

Tulok frowned. "Where are they?"

Ha Jun shrugged and gestured at Li Min. "She doesn't know." He paused. "She's a neighbour."

"Do they have any friends? Anyone they might have told where they were headed?" Rei chimed in.

They looked at Li Min. She drummed her fingers on the table, avoiding their gaze. "I don't believe they told anyone."

Tulok narrowed his eyes. "What aren't you saying?"

Li Min sighed, leaning closer to the table and gesturing for the others to do the same. Looking directly into Ha Jun's eyes, she spoke slowly and steadily. "I told you your father remarried. Maybe one year after you were taken."

"Right…"

"She was Fire Nation."

There was a deafening silence. Ha Jun could feel Rei looking at him, and it took all his willpower to keep his expression neutral. "I see."

"There was a lot of…negative attention. From both sides. I believe that's why they left, but I can't say for sure. They didn't tell anyone, just packed up and left in the middle of the night, both your brothers with them. And," she paused, looking back down at the wood of the table. "Their new baby girl."

Silence again.

"I will get some tea I think." Li Min stood up and looked at them expectantly.

Tulok and Rei exchanged a glance. "Mint tea please, for the three of us." Rei held the menu out.

"With honey on the side." Added Tulok.

Li Min nodded, turning away and walking to the doorway of the shop, pushing through the curtain and disappearing from view.

The three of them sat there for a moment, Tulok and Rei looking at Ha Jun, Ha Jun looking at the table.

"Do you want to ta—," started Tulok.

"No." Finished Ha Jun.

"…right. OK."

A beat. "What will you do?"

"I…I don't know." Ha Jun paused, then looked back at Rei. "What about you? Where are you going?"

"Oh!" Rei started. "Uh…Omashu, didn't I mention?"

Ha Jun decided it was best that he didn't mention his habit of tuning her out. "Sorry, my brain is all over the place."

"No, no, it's fine." She waved her hands. "There's someone in Omashu that was best friends with…you know who. I only have his name, but apparently he's this earthbending prodigy, so he shouldn't be too difficult to find. The hope is he'll know something, provided we can get him to trust us."

Tulok cleared his throat, gesturing to Li Min, who had returned with a tray of tea, cups, and plates. She set it down, glancing pityingly at Ha Jun again. "They had some buns left so I got one each."

"By Tui, those look good." Tulok immediately grabbed one, ripping into it with a noise of appreciation. He scoffed at Rei, who had also grabbed one and was pointedly breaking into it delicately with her hands, ripping off small pieces to eat one at a time. Ha Jun looked at his bun on the plate but didn't feel hungry.

Tulok took one of the cups Li Min had just poured, taking a heaping spoonful of honey and stirring it through before pushing it over to Ha Jun. "Here."

"I'm not hungry. Or thirsty."

"You need sugar. Once the shock is over your appetite will come back."

He felt himself scowl as he took the tea. Although it was obvious that Tulok and Rei were doing their best to help, the feeling of being looked after, babied even, was making him feel restless and frustrated. He took a long draw of the hot, sweet tea and breathed deeply, willing himself to shake the last pangs of panic.

"I'm sorry Tulok, I'm not going to be in a position to help you home."

Tulok cleared his throat. "I think…that's OK. I was going to go with Rei anyway."

"You were?"

"Yeah. I haven't been back home in such a long time. I think I miss the food more than anything." He smiled derisively. "I felt bad because I didn't want to go back, but I think that's OK. I'm doing a good thing now, I think."

Rei smiled over at him, a lovely, genuine smile that immediately seemed to make her a far more likable person. Ha Jun sighed, taking another sip of tea. "Right, so I'll go to Omashu."

Rei twisted towards him, astonished. "You will?!"

"My blood pressure is already through the roof. The thought of leaving you two alone to make the journey to Omashu with all your limbs intact might just kill me. And besides," he gazed back at where his father's house had been. "I need to go somewhere. I don't think there's anything for me here."

Li Min leaned forward, seemingly eager to make up for the incident earlier. "You will need a guide! I know someone, my brother has just returned from Ba Sing Se and he spoke very highly of their guide!"

"Oh, well, I think just a map is fine." Ha Jun reached out for his bun, suddenly hungry. "We want to be discreet."

"No, no, you'll need a guide. The roads have not been safe since the war started. Bandits, soldiers," she lowered and voice. "Even spirits have been spotted, playing tricks on unwary travellers."

The three looked at each other. "I don't know if we can afford to pay someone…" Tulok started.

"I can only advise you, the decision is yours." Li Min set her cup down and reached for the teapot. "It's not sufficient to be a bender these days. The best way to stay alive outside of the towns is to know what danger looks like and how to avoid it, quickly. You could wait for the large convoys of soldiers to travel, but it's difficult to know when that'll be. Are you in a rush?"

"Well…the sooner the better really." Ha Jun turned to Rei. "You need to think of a way to get more money if you're going to travel beyond Omashu."

Rei fidgeted. "We should get the guide. It's the quickest and safest way to Omashu. When we're there, we'll figure something else out."

Li Min jumped up, collecting the empty cups. "Excellent! I'll bring these back and go see if I can find her. Hopefully, no one's hired her since…I'll be ten minutes or so!" She bustled off back inside the shop.

Tulok grabbed her untouched bun. "These are so good!"

Rei cleared her throat pointedly and pulled a face, gesturing with her eyes at Ha Jun. He, in turn, rolled his. "I can see you, you know."

"Well, he should be sharing."

Tulok half-heartedly held out a lump of the bun, but Ha Jun shook his head. "I'm concerned about our monetary situation."

Rei's face fell dejectedly. "I'm sorry. I know I should have bought more. It wasn't that easy collecting it."

Ha Jun waved her off. "It would be fine if we were stopping here, but I'm concerned that this guide is going to take most of what we have." He sighed. "And I was honestly hoping for some new clothes too. And maybe a bath." He sighed again, deeper this time. "I can't get my hair to stop smelling of prison."

"Oh!" Rei waved her hands excitedly. "You can use lavender oil for that! I have some in my bag."

Tulok let his head slump to the table. "You have an oil for literally everything except safe travel to Omashu."

Rei yanked herself free from her chair, stumbling a bit before righting herself and running to Ha Jun's side. "Let me take a look at any potential damage first, but otherwise you should see noticeable effects after the first application." She paused. "Can I…err…touch your scalp?"

Surprisingly, he didn't feel particularly bothered by the request. "Whatever." He turned to Tulok, shrugging as she squealed and started running her fingers through his ponytail, loosening the strap that held it in place and letting his hair down.

"Your scalp does look a little irritated, but otherwise it just needs a bit of love! Your hair is so lovely, I can't wait to give it a treat!"

They stayed there for what felt like only a few minutes, in comfortable silence, Rei humming and combing her fingers through his hair. Ha Jun felt the tension leaving his neck and shoulders, the warmth of the midday sun on his face.

"What are you doing?"

The whole group jumped at the unfamiliar voice, whirling around as a unit to stare at the figure standing next to them. Her gaze cast over them, lingering a second longer at Rei and Tulok.

Tulok found his voice first. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh good, you're still here!" Ji Min had returned and was standing next to the girl. "Nima, this is the group I was telling you about."

Nima caught Ha Jun's studying gaze, put her hands on her hips, and tipped her head back. Like most of the villagers, she had brown hair, cut short above her shoulders, and tied away from her face. She looked very typical of the area, if a little boyish, apart from the spear and short sword strapped to her back and side respectively.

"Nima here returned from Ba Sing Se a week ago. Took my brother and his family across, and very well looked after they were. You won't have any problems getting to Omashu with her as your guide."

Tulok frowned. "Her?"

Nima wrinkled her nose, pulling a face that seemed a cross between annoyed and exasperated. "I heard the water tribes were sexist, but I didn't expect it to be flung in my face less than a minute into our conversation."

Tulok gaped, face red, as Rei poorly attempted to disguise her laugh with a cough.

"He didn't mean to offend." Ha Jun smoothly interjected, stepping slightly in front of a still-spluttering Tulok. "These are dangerous times, and we want to make sure we make the journey safely."

"Young!" interrupted Tulok from behind him. "I meant you seemed young!"

"…anyway, provided you can tell us how qualified you are, we can discuss payment."

Nima frowned. "How qualified do I need to be for a journey on the main road?"

"We'd prefer not to be on the main road."

He immediately regretted his reply. The atmosphere, up until this point, had been nervous but still amenable. Now it was tense, hostile even; the trust that you extend to those you've just met, giving them the benefit of the doubt, now extinguished and replaced by suspicion reflected in Nima's eyes.

"Why?" She questioned, simply.

"That's our business." Ha Jun responded.

"I cannot guide you on this path without knowing what is trying to drag you off of it."

"Can you not just accept that we are trying to keep a low profile?"

She exhaled sharply, brows furrowed. "Okay, listen. I don't need to know the exact details of why you, a fire nation princess, and this monstrosity from the water tribes decided to form the world peace alliance, but if you're not going to at least give me information on whom you're running from, and therefore whom I might have to fight for my life against, I am walking away."

There was a pause. Li Min mumbled something about tea and headed into the café.

Ha Jun decided to go for half-truths. "She," he jerked his thumb back at Rei. "Defected from the Fire Nation. We're helping her get to Omashu to, err, figure out where she wants to go next."

Nima looked to where Rei was, her lip curling in contempt. "And what makes you think you can trust anyone from the Fire Nation?"

Ha Jun turned in time to see Rei's face crumple, the piercing delivery of the words having its intended effect. He spun back to face Nima, bristling. "It's all part of the world peace alliance."

Nima snorted and crossed her arms. "If you intend me to escort not only one, but two obvious foreigners all the way to Omashu, then it's a steep price."

"We are prepared to pay, a quarter now and the rest when we arrive." He crossed his arms, mirroring her.

"Half now and half when we arrive."

"A third now, and the rest when we arrive."

"Show me what you have."

He frowned. Drat.

Rei rushed forward, teary-eyed, money purse already tightly grasped in her right hand.

Nima glanced over. "That meagre portion of coin will barely cover it."

"Surely you do not intend to take all we have?"

"Surely there is more that can be provided, especially by a Fire Nation noble."

"Then," Rei's voice was soft, her gaze downcast, something else now gripped tightly with both hands. "What about something better than our coin." She outstretched both hands; within them nestled her gold bracelet. "It's solid gold, the finest quality. Even sold at market it would fetch a fine price."

"I need a third now," Nima responded, not even bothering to look at the bracelet.

"…then take the whole thing. The entire payment upfront."

For the first time since they'd met her, Nima looked surprised. "Then how will you know I'll keep my side of our agreement?"

Rei looked up, gaze fierce. "Trust."

Ha Jun couldn't help but smile. Tulok, less subtly, whispered 'pow' under his breath and mimed an uppercut.

Their prospective guide stood stock still for a moment, staring at the bracelet. She slowly took it from Rei's outstretched hands, feeling its weight before tucking it into her tunic.

"Touché." Her expression mollified for a moment, before falling back into its neutral countenance. "Your Fire Nation ban will be useless once we leave the colonies. Use what you have now to buy supplies, then change the rest to yuan. Sell anything you don't need for extra coin, as you're carrying it otherwise."

"What? We're doing this now?" Tulok looked around haphazardly. "I thought we were going to stay in town a bit longer?"

Nima rolled her eyes. "No, dipshit, I'm giving you time to get everything in order. Sleep in proper beds because you won't sleep in one for a month." She looked at Ha Jun. "Day after tomorrow? Leave at six am sharp."

He nodded, standing closer to Rei. "Thank you. I hope by the end of our trip you can return our trust."

Nima hummed noncommittally and made to leave the terrace. "Oh, one more thing." She turned. "You'd better get some new clothes. Your cloaks aren't, err, cloaks of invisibility. Fire Nation prison wear will raise a few eyebrows in these parts." Rolling her eyes, she disappeared into the crowd.

Tulok waited until she was gone and turned to the other two, bristling with unsuppressed annoyance. "Well, she was an arsehole."

"Tulok!"

"What? She made you cry! That's so not cool. Right, Ha Jun?"

He sighed and glanced over to the doorway where Li Min had just appeared, carrying a teapot and cups balanced precariously on a tray. "She's a smuggler, or at least once was. She doesn't like the idea of being in such close quarters with someone from the Fire Nation and I don't blame her. But," he looked at Rei. "Not everyone from the Fire Nation is a threat. And we have a month to show her the kind of person you are."

She smiled warmly at him, a far cry from the nervous, shaky smiles she often sported. "Thanks."

The tea tray clattered down on the table between them. "More tea!" Li Min crowed, seemingly relieved that the yelling, hostile negotiations, and panic attacks had ceased. "Where's Nima?"

Rei took hold of the teapot and cups. "We made a deal."

"You have a month then." Ha Jun turned to the others.

"Hm?" Tulok looked at him. "A month?"

"To convince me to join you after Omashu."

The tea went flying.


"Oh my god."

"I know."

"It's…breath-taking!"

"I know!"

"So shiny and soft and smooth…and my cuticles!"

"That's the almond oil."

"I feel bad for wanting to chuck you into the ocean now."

"You're…what?"