The sun had just risen. Its orange glow colored the edge of the sky. The gang rested by the edge of the mountain. Appa was nuzzled up next to the rocks, enjoying the warmth they radiated. Azula had mentioned the mountain was an inactive volcano. While Aang and Zuko remembered Umbie's volcano, Azula had pressured them into camping by the hot rocks. Making a fire in Ryujin wasn't exactly a mistake Azula wanted to make.

"It's simple: Zuko and I stay with Appa by the mountain. Aang, Mai, and Ty Lee go to see her parents." Azula had ordered on their way over.

"Why?", Aang scratched his head. "You seemed so willing to go once Ty Lee asked."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to ignore your implication." Aang scratched his head at Azula's words. "But the clan of Ryujin is not a fan of the Keohso. We aren't allowed in their lands."

Aang punched his open palm. "Oh yeah! You mentioned that back in Jiangzhu."

"Ugh," Zuko groaned, "I can't believe we're going to have to spend all of tomorrow hiding in the woods."

"Oh come on! I haven't seen my family since the circus tour started!" Ty Lee whined. "Besides, we're about to go into the Water Colony. That's, like, way more dangerous."

"Will I have to go into town?", Mai butted in with her usual deadpan.

"Oh, do you prefer staying with the giant walking carpet? I have to warn you: he farts." Azula gave a wry look to the unamused Mai. Appa, similarly, growled at Azula's comment. "Oh, don't start with me, after you threw me in the mud."

As if on cue and out of spite, a horrid odor came from the rear of the flying bison. While Aang and Ty Lee laughed like children, their friends were not amused. Mai made her decision rather quickly, in between her gagging.

That all seemed so far away as Aang's eyes opened. His mind was clouded by the hazy fog of sleep. Leaning up against Appa, the monk rubbed the dreams from his eyes. In front of him slept his friends. Well, Mai was new, but the Avatar felt he would win her over fast. He does have a track record with these things.

Sighing, the airbender thought of home and of Monk Gyatso. The Avatar held no illusions that Monk Gyatso was still alive. A hundred years is a long time. The monk was already in his golden years when Aang knew him. However, when Aang looked at his friends, he could feel like Gyatso was close to him.


A lemur screeched in its cage, rattling the tiny box that held it. The screeching echoed throughout the tiny carriage. A mountainous man punched at the carriage walls.

"Shut up, you flying rat!" The man continuously slammed on the carriage walls. "I go through all the trouble to capture you in that blasted Air Temple down south and not one of these fire savages even want to buy you. You best be lucky you're stringy. Otherwise, I'd probably eat you."

With a harumph, the man turned back to the road. "If you don't sell in this next town, then you're kindlin' tonight!"


With little fuss, the gang went through their morning routine. Within an hour, the trio of Aang, Mai, and Ty Lee were off towards her home. Aang and Ty Lee had decided to make a game of the trip to town.

"I bet I can get there without my feet touching the ground!" Ty Lee rang out as she leapt to a nearby tree. "Faster than you!" She then swung off its branch to the adjacent tree.

"Hey, no fair! You went first." Aang smiled as he made an airball under his feet, racing down the mountain in style. "Too bad for you that I have bending."

"Hey, no fair!" Ty Lee smiled. "No bending!"

Aang burst his air bubble. He rode a wave of air and landed on a nearby branch. "Okay, I don't need bending to beat you." The monk stuck out his tongue.

"I'll make you eat those words." Ty Lee gave a devilish grin.

Mai didn't increase her pace for even a fraction of a second. Her eyes scanned the scene with utter contempt. She groaned. Her mind tried to focus on the sound of her breathing to drown out the pair.

"Maybe the fart bag wasn't that bad.", she thought for a moment.


Bato carried a tray of food in his hands. His weathered face wore a sullen look. He took a deep breath before knocking on the Prince's door.

"Sokka? Prince? I had the servers make your favorite food." Bato himself could not stand the smell of the fried hippocow steak, but the young lord loved it whenever they entered a Fire Islander port.

Like a spark going off in his mind, Bato reached into pocket and pulled out a small box. "I also brought some Pai Sho pieces. I know your favorite version is vagabond. I actually have been practicing. I might actually last ten minutes this time.

Bato forced a laugh. He didn't receive any response from inside.

Sighing, Bato put the food at the base of the door. "Look, war isn't pretty sometimes. I know you want Admiral Hahn to be punished for what he did, but I don't know if the Nukilik's will feel the same way." Bato looked to his left. His gaze avoided the door as if it was Sokka's eyes. "Your father has always been soft at heart, but Arnook and the other dynasts are not."

Bato swallowed. "And Admiral Hahn is to wed Arnook's only daughter."

"Please, just go."

"I'm just getting you ready, my lord." Bato looked at a sword scar on his leg. "I've protected your father best I can from the rough nature of nobility. I don't know how well I can protect you in my old age, losing to some Fire Islander pup with magic pokes."

A silence followed. Bato moved to leave, but the door opened. Sokka was standing in the doorway, picking up his meal. "You know, I'm not a kid anymore, even if I failed my ice dodging. I don't need you to protect me anymore."

Bato sighed. "I wish that was true, kid, but life isn't that kind."

Sokka tightened his grip. "Then I'll make it kind," he yelled out. "If the Avatar can change the world as just one person, then so can I!"

"The Avatar is spiritouched! He controls all four elements! You saw what he did to that volcano!" Bato screamed at the boy. What was he thinking?

"That and a coin can buy you dinner! Without a good mind for strategy, the Avatar is just a weapon!" Sokka didn't back down from the older gentleman's rebuke.

Bato wanted to scream, but stopped himself. He tried to fight it, but he found himself laughing. "You and your dad." He paused. "You're exactly alike."

"Well, I'm a lot like my dad." Sokka paused. "Both of them."

"And your mother's flattery too." Bato ruffled the boy's head. "Come on, how about you eat that before it gets cold. I'll set up the Pai Sho board."

Sokka smiled. Stepping in, he let the old man enter his room.


"No fair! You cheated!" Aang pointed at the gloating Ty Lee. She was grinning like a cheshire dogcat.

"Oh? Did I?" The gymnast mocked.

"You knocked out the branch I was standing on!" Aang pointed at a broken tree branch above him.

"Oh?" The girl moved her fists under her chin. "Do you really think I'd do something like that?" She flashed him the most innocent catpuppy eyes.

Aang huffed. He leaned in as he squinted at the fire islander. "I don't like how Azula's rubbing off on you."

"Ugh. Can we please get this over with?" Mai walked past the pair.

Aang leaned into Ty Lee. "Is she always this cheery?"

"Oh, that's just how Mai is. She's so funny like that", Ty Lee beamed. Without skipping a beat, the girl somersaulted to Mai's side. Aang, not to be outdone, lept to the other side of Mai.

The girl just sighed. This was going to be a long day.


Zuko tried his best to relax by the tree. The sun was nice and warm, as was common in the fire islands. The wind blew just enough to keep him cool. The bugs and birds chirped soft enough to be soothing.

Zuko hated it.

Getting up, he collected his swords from his bags. "If you need me, I'm going to be practicing."

Azula turned away from her nails. "Perhaps I should come along. It has been some time since I practiced my firebending."

Zuko shrugged at her sister's suggestion.

The siblings found a small clearing not far from their encampment. From the flat land, they could still look up to see their lazy ride mulling about the forest.

"It's as good as any." Azula shrugged. "Can't get too far. This close to the Water Confederation colony and we can't take an eye off a flying bison."

Zuko chuckled. "You should have seen him on the prison ship. I think any poachers dumb enough to take Appa would be the ones in real danger."

"Appa or Aang?" Azula pretended to mull it over. "One of those two would be on a warpath if someone tried to take the other. Not sure who'd I'd rather have on my bad side."

Zuko drew his swords. Falling back into the stance Paindao taught him, he began to move through his fluid forms. "Well, if you're afraid of Aang of all people, then you really have changed."

Azula scoffed as she entered her cat stance. "You didn't see the runt in Jang Hui. Neither did I really, but airboy took down the entire water platoon," the fire princess struck forward, her blue flame dancing in the air, "with a little help from me, of course."

Zuko's swords swam through the air in a flurry. The prince grunted as swung the left blade in a feint, as his right blade came in for the kill. "Something tells me it was more than a little help."

Azula took a deep breath. She felt energy surging in her gut. Clearing her mind, the girl tried to split the energies, like her father showed her. The energy refused to break. From the tip of her fingers, a thunder cloud of blue flame crackled lighting as it tore across the clearing.

The fire princess looked at her smoking fingertips with contempt. Her ears perked at laughter. Was that Ty Lee? Wasn't LeeLee in town? No, wait, that was a male voice.

Surprised, Azula looked at her brother's cackle. She couldn't remember the last time she saw her brother laugh like he was now. A little flame grew in her throat. "And what's so funny?"

Zuko let his swords fall to his side. "It's just that we haven't done 'this' in forever. Train together. Just talk. Like we were kids."

The princess let herself smile. Relaxed in her posture, the womans joins her brother in his dumb laugh. "Better than we were kids, honestly. It helps not having some boar yell at us the whole time."

Azula eyed her brother's swords. "So, what was that? A waterbending style?" Azula poked at her brother.

Zuko looked at his swords. "Uncle gave them to me. Piandao said that a water confederate style worked best with them."

"Of course Uncle would give you a weapon that you can only master by 'looking outside yourself' or 'going out of your element' or some other fortune cookie nonsense." Azula rolled her eyes.

Her brother laughed. "And what was that? Still trying to do lightning generation? Father's technique?"

Azula shrugged. "Uncle can do it too, apparently. It's our birthright. I can't surpass him unless I master it." Azula stared at her fingertips. "The energy won't split in my stomach. It just comes out in one burst, like a lightning cloud."

"A fiery lightning cloud? Water, air,and fire?" Zuko rubbed his chin. "Looks like you're 'looking out of your element' too."

Azula smirked. "Guess it's a sibling thing." Zuko smiled back.

The swordsman rolled his shoulders as he turned towards his sister. The prince settled into a battle stance.

Azula's face befuddled. "You can't be serious."

"Why not? I can't surpass Father unless I can best a great firebender with just my swords." Zuko's eyes burned.

"Hm? A great firebender?" Azula smirked. A tear formed in her left eye, but she swiped it away. Taking a breath, the princess entered her cat stance. "I guess learning how to fight someone who doesn't use bending might be useful. Never know when Mai or Ty Lee might betray us." Azula amused herself with the ridiculous thought.

The air blew through the clearing and pushed the grass. A creak was not far off as the sound of running water could be heard in the distance. The ground was strong and unmoving: perfect for a sparring match. The sun was high in the sky. It's heat burned at the combatant's head.

The pair grinned and set off at one another.


"Ta-da!" Ty Lee twirled. Her arms were stretched out in a gesture resembling a bow.

Behind her stood a rather impressive pagoda-like building. The structure was surrounded by a large wall that stood defiantly against the city it resided within. Even from the outside, Aang could see the large ferns that must have been planted along some sort of garden. While the surrounding city was impressive in its own right, with a healthy number of buildings and residents, this "palace", for lack of a better word, put it all to shame.

Aang whistled. "This is where you live? That's like four times the size of Zuko and Azula's house!" Aang rubbed his chin. "Are you also royalty?"

Ty Lee giggled. "Nah, just nobility. My mother is the head of the Ryujin clan. We control the largest landmass in the Islands."

"Neither of you should ever let Azula hear you say that." Mai shrugged.

Aang ignored the comment. "How do we even get in?"

Mai and Ty Lee smiled. "Air nomads." They joked amongst themselves.

Ty Lee walked up to the guards. The two guards looked at each other. They were confused by the girl's presence.

Ty Lee faked a cough.

The guards took a single look at her and stamped their spears. On cue, the gates creaked open. "All prepare for the return of Ty Lee. Heiress of Clan Ryujin."

Ty Lee coughed again.

"A-and Circus Hall Of Fame hopeful!"

Ty Lee gave an approving nod.

The monk marveled at the scene behind the gates. Rows of servants were lined up from the gates to the doors of the building.

Ty Lee motioned for the rest to follow. Mai was unamused. Aang, however, was marveling at the display.

The servants bowed the second Ty Lee walked by, but returned upright the moment she passed. The butlers and maids stayed at attention for Mai yet dispersed before Aang could pass. The monk tried his best not to take offense. It wasn't too hard for the Avatar, however, as he was not accustomed to such lavish treatment.

At the end of the line of guards stood a figure that gave Aang pause. It was a girl who looked exactly like Ty Lee. She was flanked by five identical twins. The only thing that helped Aang tell the difference between Ty Lee and the girls were the white dresses that the sisters were all wearing.

Aang was behind the other girls, but he could tell the two visibly changed their stride upon seeing the girls up front. The monk traveled enough to recognize the garb, of course. White had a few meanings but it was commonly viewed as a symbol of death. If a group of women all wore white, that likely meant one thing: a period of mourning. None of the girls looked older than Ty Lee and there were no men beside them. The Avatar had a bad feeling.

The monk expected her to greet her family by running up and hugging them, if the circumstances were different. Instead, Ty Lee slowly strode to the girls and meekly greeted them.

"It's so good to see you all. My tour ended. I...have ended up in some other...situations. I wanted to meet with...mom and dad and catch up before...I left again." Her voice was strained. The girl refused to look at her sisters. The acrobat kept pausing and struggled to find her words.

The center girl stepped forward. The girl went to speak. Then she stopped. Finally, she leapt forward and hugged Ty Lee. The pair began sobbing.

"They're gone, aren't they?" Ty Lee forced out. "I saw 'him.' He attacked me on Crescent Island. He did it, didn't he?"

The other girl pulled back and looked Ty Lee in the eyes. Taking a moment, the girl wiped away her tears. "Yes." Her voice was identical to Ty Lee's voice. "The Combustion Bender. He...he did it."

Aang moved to put a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder, but Mai stopped him. Her stare said everything to the monk: this isn't your place.

As Ty Lee practically fell forward, her sisters rushed in to hug her as a group. Together, they made their way into the foyer.

Mai and Aang were asked to wait in the guest room by a servant. It hurt to leave Ty Lee like this, but Mai was right. This was a family matter and Aang's wasn't actually family.


Azula was the first to act. She shot forward from her cat stance. A torrent of flame burst from the end of her fist. While an impressive size, the flame was intentionally low intensity. It would sting but it wouldn't burn, especially not when it was dispersed so widely.

Zuko leapt to the side of the blaze. He used his right fist for leverage. Landing on his feet, the prince barrelled forward to close the distance.

The princess wasn't going to let that happen. Zuko's weakness was range as long as kept refusing to use firebending. Pride, Azula thought, ran too strongly in her family. She mused on this thought without a hint of irony.

With a wide arcing kick, a wave of fire came flying at Zuko's legs. The prince leapt over the inferno, which was exactly what Azula hoped for. Helpless in the air, Azula moved through a tossing motion and hurled a stream of flame at the airborne Zuko.

The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hearing the flames reach him, he swung his sword in a fluid arc. The speed of the strike sent a small gust of air that blew back the flame. The returning arc cut through the remaining blaze. Zuko landed safely on his feet, mere inches from his sister.

With her advantage stripped, Azula moved to the defensive. Quickly, Zuko flipped his swords so that the flat of the blade would swing at his sister. The first volley was easily dodged with some simple side stepping on the princess part. However, the prince had a plan.

Pushed backwards, Azula felt a branch bump the back of her feet. While she caught herself with her other foot, the momentary imbalance gave Zuko an opening. Swinging his blades up, Zuko stopped the flat of the blade inches from Azula's chin.

In the adrenaline rush, the fire princess needed a moment to realize why everything had stopped. Her eyes moved down to see the blades. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I have to admit: I'm surprised." Her words were colored by bits of bruised ego. However, some sibling pride was nestled in them as well.

Zuko lowered his swords. "I could go another round."

Azula thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps not. There's always some risk in sparring. We probably shouldn't push our luck before an invasion."

Zuko smoothly put his swords away. "An invasion?" He cupped his chin. "It feels different to think about it that way."

"Perhaps you'd prefer something flowerly like 'simply walking into enemy territory." Azula rolled her eyes.

"We have been taking nothing but risks up to this point. I guess I forgot we were even taking them anymore." Zuko shrugged.

"Not a good sign but I suppose it's practically necessary for a war." Azula looked at the bright sky. "We don't have other options. If the Day Of Black Sun passes, well, we better get used to being the serfs of the Confederation for the rest of our days."

"Or rebels." Zuko looked sternly

Azula looked back at her brother with a smile. "We already are rebels: fighting the water confederation, battling the Fire Prince, breaking clan treaties for Ty Lee's errands."

"You really do just roll over for her." Zuko crossed his arms. He smirked at his flustered sister.

"LeeLee just...when she needs something, I like to give it to her. She is my princess, after all." Zuko had never seen Azula blush before in his life. Was he actually getting under her skin for once?

"And what about you and Mai? Hm?" Azula leaned into her brother. "You were pretty scared to see her."

"Uh," Zuko paused, "that's unimportant."

"You know you can't lie to me." Azula grinned. She knew she got back the upper hand.

"It's just that...Mai makes me feel...uncomfortable." Zuko blurted out.

Azula was surprised. "She makes you uncomfortable?"

"I never know what to say. I always feel afraid of saying the wrong thing. I am just absolutely terrified of being next to her." Zuko stomped around the clearing.

The princess laughed. More of a cackle, really. She lost her breath a few times in the mess.

"What!?" Zuko exploded.

Azula put up her hands. She needed a second to catch her breath. "Zuzu? You know how I feel about Ty Lee?" She paused. "Before I finally told her, those were my feelings."

Zuko blushed and turned away.

"Fine, Zuzu, play it that way." Azula toyed. "Just keep what I said in mind."

Zuko drew his swords and went back to his practice. Azula rolled her eyes at her baby of an older brother. The princess returned to her training as well.

As she resumed her workout, the princess was surprised to find her energy was more malleable. The positive and negative energy still refused to split, but it didn't hold together as tightly. Her fire clouds were even noticeably different: the sparked with more energy. She was far from her goal but she felt just a little bit closer.

Her brother similarly felt a little lighter. While Azula's words had flustered him, his trances were coming easier than ever. He could fall back and let his body move like the waves by just closing his eyes. He didn't have to center himself as firmly. Just the motion was starting to be enough. He was far from his goal but he felt just a little bit closer.


A screech echoed in the town square. The high pitch whine came from a tiny rattling cage. A winged lemur was unpleased with the tiny cage. It was unaccustomed to a large city. The myriad of people milling about scared the tiny critter. It needed to get away. It didn't feel safe.

"Shut up!", the vendor hit the cage with a stick, "you're scaring away my customers!"

As if on cue, two guards were coming to the stall. The man turned to them.

"Afternoon, officers. Interested in a pet? Perhaps one for the misses or the little ones?", the vendor put on his charm.

"Do you have a permit for these animals?", the guard got straight to the point.

"Permit? Why should I need a permit to do business?", the man balked.

"Because we have laws. And the law says you need a permit to sell exotic animals. Do you know what these animals could do to the local ecosystem?" The man tilted his head as he examined the vendor. "Do you even know what I mean?"

"I will have you know my animals are top of the line. They don't have any diseases or what not, if that's what you're reckoning!" The man screamed in the guards face.

Unamused, the guard looked to his colleagues. "Okay, shut this place down."

"What you can't do this!", the man argued as the guards pushed him aside.

Methodically, the guards began taking the animal's cages and loading them onto a carriage.

"Hey, that's my property!", the man began poking a guard in the back.

The guard sighed. "They're invasive species. They're going to be taken to a zoo where they won't do any harm to the local wildlife."

"They weren't harming nothing in their cages!", the man did not relent.

"And they were going to remain in their cages after you sold them?", the guard turned back on the vendor.

"That's none of my business!" The shopkeep yelled.

His eyes fell on the cage holding the lemur. Acting on instinct, he tried to pull it away from the guard.

"Give me back my property!"

The lemur screamed as it was pulled back and forth. It kept beating at its cage. Finally, the old man fell back. The cage fell on the floor and the door broke open. The winged lemur saw its change and took it. In an instant, it rushed out and took flight. Not before throwing a piece of cage at the shop keep. The metal chunk bash the vendor's nose and gave him a red welt.

"Now look what you did!" The vendor complained. "You let them out of there's cages, not me."

The guard responded by tackling the vendor. Restrained, the guard pushed the vendor into the carriage as well.

"What? You can't do this!"

"Selling without a permit, owning illegal animals with intent to sell, introducing an invasive species into the ecosystem, interfering with guard work, and assaulting a guard." The guard leaned forward. "Yes, I can."

Slamming the door shut, the guards left for headquarters. They weren't going to comb the city for a single winged lemur. Maybe if it was a male and female pair, but what harm could it do on its own?


Aang and Mai were led to a large circular room. The pair were left in the lavish room to await being called by the heiress. Extravagant, the guest room was high into the palace. Under better circumstances, the group could enjoy the view of the city. However, that was not to be the case today.

Mai slumped down within a chair while Aang sat next to the window. The two did not talk at first. While the monk did not know the parents, the sight of Ty Lee breaking down had hurt the Avatar. The boy cursed himself for not being able to help his friend.

Mai must have noticed his turmoil.

"Ugh, stop feeling sorry for yourself." She rolled her eyes.

"What's your problem? Ty Lee is torn up. I just want to help her." Aang turned to the deadfish girl.

Mai blehed at the self-righteous comment. Aang turned back to the window. The pair went silent again for a time.

"You know, you're not a very nice person." Aang sniped.

Mai furrowed her brow.

"Your friend is hurting and you're telling me I shouldn't feel bad." The monk continued.

Mai bit her lip.

"I just don't like seeing my friends miserable." Aang barked.

There was a brief silence.

"Are you done?" Mai groaned.

The Avatar huffed. "Yes."

"Good." Mai got up and raided the desk for a book. The girl seemed to have wanted the room quiet for her reading.

Aang pouted his lip. Tired of the silence, the monk hopped off and got a peach to eat. Taking an angry bite, the Avatar tried to focus on his food.

As Aang went for his second bite, he felt his hand suddenly become empty. A rush of wind came by his face. A grey and white blurred pass him.

Then, Mai growled.

The monk turned to see a creature scurrying across the girl's face. With a strong push, Mai threw the monkey-like beast across the room. The lemur spread its wings and glided. Scurried into a corner, the little thing began to defensively eat its peach.

"A lemur!" Aang chirped. The creature screamed in response.

"It's a big rat." Mai put her hair back into place.

"We used to have these all over my temple." Aang tried to slowly approach the lemur. It hissed. "I-its afraid."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I am not apologizing for throwing it."

Aang gave her a quick look before he turned back to the lemur. "I don't think it's you. The lemur has patches of missing fur. He's been hurt." Aang looked at the lemur more closely. "He's afraid of people."

The monk tried to move forward again, but the lemur just hissed. The tiny primate grabbed tightly to his meal and turned its body to block the monk from taking the food from it. Aang backed off.

"He's hurt." The Avatar mumbled. Taking a waterskin from his waist, Aang pulled up a small ball of water. "I might be able to heal those wounds if he'd let me."

Seeing the water form, the lemur just became more erratic. The creature began clawing in the direction of Aang. It sent a clear message: "back off." The monk recoiled. The Avatar was unsure how to proceed.

Mai groaned. With a quick stride, she picked up another peach from the plate and held it towards the lemur. The winged lemur looked at Mai curiously. Mai sighed. She took a bite and swallowed. Then, she presented the peach again. The lemur flinched. It quickly ate the peach it held to the core. Then, it sheepishly inched its way to Mai. It sniffered her twice. Finally, it began to nibble at the peach in her hand.

Mai nodded at Aang. Distracted by the peach, Aang moved in. With the water placed on the lemur's mange, the water began to glow. The lemur barked, but did not move. A calm sensation took over the beast. Charmed to the pair, the lemur kept eating from Mai's hand. Within moments, the mange of the lemur had vanished. Healthy flesh had replaced the diseased skin of the primate.

With a sound of relief, Aang moved the water back into his waterskin. Mai looked up at him. The monk smiled at her. The noble just rolled her eyes.


Ty Lee retired to her room. Crying with her sisters had done little to ease her pain. The acrobat just wanted to be alone. Her room was luxurious and sickenly pink. Falling face-first into a pile of stuffed animals and dolls, the noble tried to forget the day.

Her pillow grew wet and sticky from her tears and snot. The girl had feared this was the case since crescent island but threw the idea to the back of her mind. It couldn't be true. She had refused to believe it. And now? What was she to do? Could she even go to the colony like this? She should be at home with her sister, in mourning.

The girl's mind then switched to Azula. Her girlfriend took her here and her girlfriend needed her soon. They were going to the Water Colony. That was the center of the Water Confederation's presence in the Islands. All of their military might was centered there. And they were going on the chance of finding the "Blood Witch."

Well, it was more accurate to say that they were going to see if she even existed. Azula suggested they go in as good colonials. Pretend to be traitors to the Fire Islands. Search the colony. Gather some information. Then, if she did exist, get her.

Still, it was risky. Could Ty Lee abandon them? Now? They needed her. Azula needed her.

And she needed to be here.

Ty Lee turned over and sat up. She held her legs close to her chest. What was she to do?

The acrobat sighed and looked at the bright sky. She needed to speak with Aang and Mai. Azula was too far away. If she went to her, she'd already be making her decision. Mai had been her friend since they were a child and Aang was like a little brother to him. Ty Lee needed someone to help her decide and they were the only ones who understood the danger and necessity of the situation.


Aang and Mai heard a knock at their door. The monk was playing games with the lemur, who had come out of its shell. The Avatar had continued to practice the healing arts on the lemur. Some of the winged lemur's fur that was lost to mange had even begun to regrow. Mai had been trying to ignore the pair and read her book. She had lost that battle, to her irritation.

The knock on the door was yet another noise the young noble did not wish to deal with today. However, it was also an escape from the monk and his annoying pet.

Mai rose and opened the door. When she saw Ty Lee, Mai's was crestfallen by the sight. The acrobat was withdrawn into herself.

Without a word, Mai let Ty Lee in. Aang quieted, which confused his lemur. The acrobat plopped down on a chair.

There was a long pause.

"I don't know where I should go." Ty Lee mumbled.

Aang and Mai looked at each other perplexed.

"Should I go with you to the colony or stay here with my family and mourn?" She continued. "I can't abandon you, but I can't abandon them either. I-I don't know what to do."

Ty Lee looked at her own clasped hands. She needed an answer. Any answer.

Aang opened his mouth, but Mai beat him to words. "We can't answer that." Mai spoke flatly.

Ty Lee looked at her friend, sadness and confusion wracked her face.

"This is your life. You need to decide how you want to do this." Mai looked back at her book.

Aang wanted to scream. "You can't just abandon her like that." Aang turned to Mai as he spoke. He gestured to Ty Lee to emphasize his point.

"I'm sorry, is her life 'yours'?" Mai didn't look up. "Or Azula's? Zuko's? The Fire Island's?"

Aang wasn't sure what to say.

"Ugh." Mai groaned and looked back at her book.

There was silence. Ty Lee sniffled. Then, she felt something weird on her fingers. It was a weird lapping feeling. When she looked down, she saw a tiny little lemur licking at her fingers pensively. It's big eyes stared up at Ty Lee. The acrobat felt something warm in her and she let a small laugh out. The winged lemur took that as a sign and climbed up to her hair. The noble let it sit there as it made a pseudo-nest of it.

"I'm going to go back to my room." Ty Lee turned to her friends.

Carrying the lemur with her, Ty Lee without a word.


As night fell, Aang and Mai heard another knock at their door. Ty Lee wasn't cheery but she was resolute. Without any real need for discussion, they followed her to the living quarters. There, Ty Lee had already summoned her sister.

Aang and Mai stood behind the noble as she made her goodbyes.

"I'm sorry," Ty Lee held back tears as she sat across from her sisters, "I know things are awful and I want to stay here with you all and help you, but I'll need to go in the next few days."

Her sisters didn't respond. They just let Ty Lee talk.

"I-I should let you know about some things." Ty Lee paused. "My friend, Aang, he's the Avatar."

One of the girls gasped. Another expressed disbelief. "The Avatar? That's the excuse?"

Aang responded with a brief demonstration of his abilities. A simple trick of water being forced into waves in their glasses followed with a simple gust of air. While the techniques were mundane for either bending style, one person should not have been able to do both. The disbelief was quieted. A sense of awe replaced it.

"Aang is going to the Water Colony. We have a plan to get a waterbending teacher. I-I still plan to stay a day or two, but we have a deadline to hit and-"

One of the girls stopped Ty Lee. She shook her head. "Lee, we'd never thought you were going to stay long."

Ty Lee looked up.

"I mean, of course, we'd want you to stay for a bit, but you've never been one to stay in one spot for too long."

One of the other girls laughed. "Yeah, that's just how you've always been. Mom and dad knew that. They didn't want their deaths to keep you here."

"It's not like any of us even brought it up, sis." Another girl piped up. "Even if you just needed to bounce after a day, we'd get it. It's how you deal with things."

Ty Lee's faced wobbled. The acrobat bawled as she hugged all her sisters as best as she could. Aang and Mai realized they should excuse themselves. They told Ty Lee they'd wait at camp and let their "traveling companions" know of the delay.

They weren't sure if Ty Lee heard them, honestly. The sobbing was pretty loud. However, this time, Aang didn't feel as bad. While Ty Lee was crying, she wasn't crying out of despair, not entirely.


Zuko and Azula had started a fire to warm themselves under the night sky. The day had dragged on. The pair hadn't expected Ty Lee's visit to take so long. The prince had already started dinner.

When Azula finally heard someone coming, she expressed annoyance at how long they had taken getting here.

"LeeLee, I know you haven't been home in a while, but you could have sped things up a bit. We aren't exactly supposed to be here." Azula poked at her stew.

"Actually, it's just us." Aang interrupted.

The princess looked up from her stew. "What happened? Don't tell me she planned to stay a while?

"It-it's complicated." Aang sat.

The monk did his best to summarize everything that had happened. There wasn't too much to tell, but the Avatar did worry that Azula might not take some of the news well.

He was right.

"T-that freak ended Ty Lee's parents!" Azula had stood up. "If I ever find him…" The campfire briefly flared into an inferno.

Zuko sighed. "I hope neither of you were hungry." He looked at the now evaporated stew. Taking a breath, the prince turned to Aang. "We can wait a few days. The Day of Black Sun isn't for a long time. Ty Lee needs her time."

"What LeeLee needs is revenge." The fire princess broke in. She pointed at Aang. "Aang, you went too easy on him last time. Next time, don't hold back."

"I didn't even do anything! That was Roku!" Aang threw up his hands.

"Then grandpa was too soft. I'll correct that next time!" Azula spat.

Mai poured herself some of the stew that had survived Azula's flare up. The noble tuned out the conversation. People talked too much. They always had so much going on and always needed everyone to know what they were thinking. Mai preferred to keep things close to her heart. She ate her stew quickly. Occasionally, she looked up to see Zuko doing the same. She smiled, especially since Zuko didn't join in on Azula's rant or Aang's attempts to calm her.


Admiral Hahn was unaccustomed to waking up in an unfamiliar place. In his entire life, the noble had never been hit before, let alone knocked unconscious. To wake up on a hospital bed was unfamiliar. While the icy structure seemed like home, he felt a dry heat in the air. The two feelings conflicted. His dazed mind eventually put it together: this must be the Western Tribe.

The Fire Islands were much like their namesake: hot, dry, and intense. The lands were mainly grasslands and mountains. Even the land's winters were warm. Not even the coldest winter months ever brought snow. Most Fire Islanders could go their entire lives without ever seeing ice.

And yet, Hahn laid in a room of ice. The Western Tribe was an act of defiance against the very land it stood up. Not just defiance, but dominion. The Water Confederation existed in the poles and lived in frigid temperatures. Their native cities were built from ice. To build such a structure in the heartland of the hottest lands in the world was a declaration of strength and superiority of the Water Confederation over the other lands.

Hahn did not appreciate such things, however. Even were he in the best of health, the symbology would be lost on him. Hanh was less likely to understand it while his body ached and his mind swam.

With time, the Admiral collected himself. He commanded his body to get up. The pain he felt trying to do so was unbearable. That agony was dwarfed by the sudden shock of the figure that loomed over him. Admiral Hahn had to take a few deep breaths before he addressed the mountain of a man that had shocked him.

"Were you just sitting there the whole time!?" Admiral Hahn coughed. "And what is that scar on your chest?"

The admiral pointed to a red mark at the center of the man's chest. It looked like an explosion had gone off and burned the skin. The combustion bender narrowed his eyes.

"Oh right. You're a mute. I forgot." Hahn put his hair back into place.

Then, it hit him. Everything came back to the young noble. Crescent Island. Avatar Roku. The fall.

The first thing Hahn saw was the islander's face when he returned to the moment.

"You survived that?" Hahn disbelieved. "I survived that?" Hahn smirked. "I'm invincible."

Hahn forced himself to his feet. The pain was intense at first but Hahn muddled through it.

The admiral stared out through his window. "Sokka better watch out: Sokka and the Avatar. We're back."