To Aang's great relief, both Zuko and Katara mellowed out the more time that passed from their wedding. It didn't hurt that, as Fire Lord and ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe respectively, they were immediately thrown back into their work once all the guests left and the decorations were put away. Aang had gaped at them, sitting in desks that were pushed together so that they faced each other, and studiously working two days after the wedding.

"Aren't you supposed to take a vacation or something after you get married?" he had asked, neatly stepping out of the way of a messenger that had barreled into the room. The newlyweds had looked up at him, blinking owlishly.

"Are you kidding? It took us four months of organizing to get the past three days off in a row," Zuko had replied, sifting through the stack of scrolls that the messenger had brought. "Hon, are the negotiations with the new iron works on Whale Tail Island for me or for you?"

Katara held out her hand without looking up from what she was writing. "That's mine, thank you dear." If it weren't for the pet names, Aang would have thought he was spying on a pair of coworkers in an office. Katara finished what she was writing, set her pen down, and made an effort to stop and look Aang in the eye. "I'm sorry Aang, I promise it won't be like this the whole time you're here," she assured him, reaching out for a blank piece of parchment. "We just need this morning to catch up on a few things. Do you think you can entertain yourself until this evening? We could definitely meet you for dinner." Aang's heart ached at the familiar warmth in her eyes and the mothering tone, and it reminded him that above all else, Katara was his best friend.

"Actually, that's perfect. I was going to go visit Mai at work this morning." At that, Zuko and Katara looked up simultaneously and exchanged an inscrutable glance.

"Oh?" Zuko said carefully.

"You two seem to be getting along," Katara added in an equally neutral voice.

Aang was beginning to feel a little uneasy with the tonal shift in the room, and he wasn't really sure where it was coming from. "Yeah, she said the museum had some artifacts from the air temples, I wanted to check them out while I was in the city." He didn't know why he felt the need to defend himself, as though he needed a good reason to see Mai. It wasn't exactly their business, which was why he hadn't told either of them about his visit to her the previous night.

"That's amazing, Aang!" Katara exclaimed, a touch too enthusiastic. "Tell Mai we say hi, and we'll see you tonight for dinner." Before they could say anything else, another messenger marched in with an armful of papers, and Aang took the opportunity to sneak out of the office. He felt a little guilty about how relieved he was to have some time to himself, but it wasn't like there was anything he could do to help them. He wasn't exactly a paperwork guy. He brushed aside both those feelings and the couples' weird reaction to Mai, and set off for the museum.

The Caldera City Museum was a large, archaic-looking building that Aang could remember from his visits to the Fire Nation over 100 years ago. He had never been inside, and he did a quick lap around the building on his glider to scope it out. It was a beautiful structure, made of pristine marble and covered in vines. He landed in front of the building and clipped his glider to his back, welcoming the cool air that greeted him when he pulled open the door. It led to a small desk, behind which a young woman was reading. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, then did a double take.

"Are you the Avatar?" she asked breathlessly, looking him up and down. Aang grinned and stepped forward, because in between restoring harmony between people and saving the world, he had learned to appreciate the perks that came with being the Avatar.

"I am, but you can call me Aang," he greeted her warmly, holding out a hand to the woman. Rather than shake the hand that he was given in turn, he bent his head to plant a light kiss on her knuckles. "And you are?"

The girl melted, only reluctantly taking her hand back when he retracted his own. "I'm Rika," she answered, leaning forward on the counter. She suddenly seemed to remember her job. "Oh, did you want to see the museum? I could see about getting you a private tour."

While Aang was not opposed to the dangerous gleam in Rika's eyes, he had come here with a purpose. "I'm actually here to see Mai, is she free?"

Rika's face fell. "Oh," she pouted, standing up. "I'll go let her know you're here." She walked away with a decidedly exaggerated sway to her hips, which Aang was more than happy to watch until she disappeared from view. Once he was alone, he circled the room, examining the few pieces of art that were on display in this entrance hall. They were all from the Fire Nation, and all seemed to deliberately be unrelated to the war. He was reading the caption next to a painting depicting one of his past lives when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Aang," Mai's voice rang out, sounding oddly formal. Rika brushed past her, bumping Mai's shoulder with her own to return to her desk. She flashed him one last flirtatious grin, which he returned with a wink, before he had to run to catch up to Mai. "Do you have to do that?" Mai complained when he caught up to her, leading him down a set of stone steps. "She barely does any work as it is."

"Do what?" Aang asked, feigning ignorance. Mai gave him a look, but apparently didn't feel like commenting further, because she let it drop. Instead she led Aang to a warehouse underneath the museum. The seismic sense that Toph had trained into him told him that they were well underground, encased in stone. His head was moving back and forth like a pendulum, sweeping across the vast space that was full of artifacts. Many of them were wrapped up or in crates, but he could see flashes of color here and there. When they arrived at their destination, Mai instructed him to stand to the side while she began pulling down boxes. She slapped his hand away when he tried to help her, telling him that if he wanted to be useful he could grab a trolley. There was one at the end of the aisle, and Mai begrudgingly let him help stack the boxes onto it. She did one final check of all the labels (a string of numbers and letters that meant absolutely nothing to Aang) before she was satisfied that they had everything and could take them to her office.

Mai's office was a small space connected to the warehouse, as neatly organized as her apartment. She cleared a few other relics she had been working on from a table and began unpacking the boxes, this time letting Aang help. "I could have had all this set up already, if you had given me a warning that you were coming," she berated him, but there was a teasing note in her voice that told Aang that she wasn't still upset with him.

"A little spontaneity is good for you," Aang argued, carefully unwrapping a large stone slab from its protective layer of paper and cloth. He gasped when the full picture was exposed: it was a mosaic, from the walls of one of the air temples. It had clearly been taken a long time ago; the artwork still at the temples was worn and faded from their century of neglect. This one shone so brightly it made everything else in the office look dim, a beautiful landscape featuring the sky bison and airbenders working in tandem. Aang ran one hand lightly across the surface, feeling tears spring unbidden to his eyes. He reverently placed the stone on the table to help Mai finish unpacking everything.

In the end, there were five pieces of art, a combination of mosaics from the walls and oil paintings. There was a small bison carving that Aang recognized as a children's toy, and a ceremonial robe worn by the nuns when a new airbending master was confirmed. He held each piece in his hands, running his fingers across them, noting the smoothed edges and occasional scorch marks. Mai respectfully stood behind him, telling him all the information they had on each piece and asking him questions. She was jotting down his answers in a small notebook, but mostly was just letting him look and talk. He couldn't help but close his eyes as he ran the orange silk of the robe through his hands, remembering the woman who had held his hand when he had been getting his tattoos. He couldn't recall her name, but she had had dark brown hair streaked with gray, and wrinkled hands that looked fragile but were strong enough for him to cling to for hours.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Aang moved on to the three necklaces that were all that remained of the museum's collection of Air Nomad relics. The first two were recognizable as the kind worn by the adult monks, that matched the one that Aang himself was wearing. He hesitated to pick up the last one, his brow furrowed. Rather than simple wooden beads, the chain was made out of colorful clay beads, alternating in orange, yellow, and blue. The tufts of bison fur that adorned the other necklaces were replaced with glossy, iridescent feathers. Even the pendant with the air symbol etched on it was strange; it had the texture of wood, but felt like stone. He picked up the necklace, examining it, wracking his memory for any hint of what it could be.

"Yeah, that one is strange, none of us have been able to get much out of it," Mai's voice drifted in, and Aang was alarmed to find that he could hear very little over the pounding of his heartbeat. "The pendant is made of petrified wood, but none of us know where it came from, or what animal the feathers are from."

"Which temple?" Aang found himself asking. His ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton.

"The Eastern Air Temple." Mai finally seemed to notice that something was off, and she set down her notebook and pen. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he whispered. A drop of water fell onto the pendant and he realized he was crying. "I don't know what it is." The enormity of his ignorance began to sink in, and he began to sway on his feet. Dimly, he was aware of Mai taking the necklace out of his hands and guiding him into a chair. She hovered uncomfortably at the edge of his vision, then he felt her hand grip his shoulder, grounding him. With a pop, his ears cleared and the world returned to him.

Mai was standing in front of him, one hand clasping his chin, moving his head from side to side to look into his eyes. She looked panicked, and she was practically yelling. "Aang! Are you okay? Aang, I swear on Agni, if you die here I will kill you myself." Aang blinked a few times, his vision clearing a bit more each time. His gaze focused on Mai, who dropped her hand from his face like it burned her.

"What happened?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Your tattoos started glowing, and you almost collapsed," Mai answered, still sounding worried. "I'm going to get you some water, can you stay upright for a minute?" Aang nodded, and she disappeared, flying out the door. He groaned and rubbed his head, his gaze drawn to the unusual necklace.

Aang often felt burdened by the knowledge that he was the sole descendant of the Air Nomads, the last airbender. If he had known that was to be his fate, he would have spent his years with them learning everything he could about their culture, their history, their traditions, so he could pass it on in this strange new world. But he hadn't been an encyclopedia, he had been a carefree child, focused more on planning pranks and inventing games. This necklace could have been a single experiment of a bored jewelry maker, or it could have held great cultural significance for the temple. That knowledge was lost forever.

Mai returned, somewhat more composed, with a glass of water. He accepted it gratefully, draining it in a single gulp. "Thank you. And I'm sorry I scared you."

"Are you kidding? I'm sorry, I should have known better, of course all of this would upset you," Mai fretted, wringing her hands together in a way that seemed more like they were looking for a knife than out of grief.

Aang frowned at that, then reached out to take one of her hands. "Hey," he said gently. "This wasn't your fault. There are a lot of things I still have to learn about being the Avatar. It…my heart aches, thinking about my people, and to be reminded that so much of them has been lost forever. But," he paused, squeezing her hand until she looked at him before continuing. "I'm glad to see these traces of them, here. It means they aren't gone forever. Even this…" with his free hand he picked up the strange necklace, the feathers glimmering in the lamplight. "I'm devasted that we'll probably never know what this is for. I would be even more so if I had never known about in the first place."

Mai regarded him carefully, still not looking convinced. She seemed to notice that they were still holding hands, and quickly dropped it. When she finally spoke, she sounded decisive. "Keep it."

Aang froze. "Excuse me?"

"Keep it," she repeated herself. "Take all of it, if you want," she gestured to the table covered in relics.

The curveballs that Mai threw at him still always managed to take him by surprise. "Don't you need them here? Aren't people studying them?"

Mai shrugged. "The scholars here have wrung every bit of information they possibly can from them. We're essentially just storing them here forever. Anyway, they're not ours. Someone stole them from the temples a hundred years ago."

Aang was still staring in disbelief, amazed that Mai could be so calm and collected about him stealing from her work. "Wouldn't you get in trouble?"

She looked away. "No," she lied unconvincingly. Catching his skeptical look, she groaned. "Whatever, if I hid the crates in the back, nobody would notice for ages."

Aang really did consider it, for a minute. He ran his thumb over the bizarre pendant, admiring how the swirls of the air insignia integrated with the natural whorls in the fossilized wood. He looked over the rest of the artifacts, thinking about how nice it felt to hold on to pieces of his heritage, the reminder that there had once been more than just him.

"I can't," he finally said, setting the necklace down on the table. "I don't need more things to weigh me down." He cracked a lopsided smile at Mai. "Besides, you guys seem to be doing a pretty good job taking care of them for me."

Mai pursed her lips in a thin line, but didn't argue. She accepted his help packing the artifacts back up, and returning them to the warehouse. On the way back to her office, he got an idea.

"Sooooo…" he began. "When do you get to take a break around here?"

Her eyes narrowed, intrigued. "Why?"

"Well, at the wedding you wanted to go for a ride on Appa, right?"

"I recall."

"And I said no, because I had been drinking."

"A wise decision."

"But I'm not drunk now."

"I would hope not, it's not even noon."

"So if you can take a break now, I think I could convince him to take us flying."

"Hmm."

"Or I guess I could leave you here and go by myself, but that's not as much fun."

"Quite a dilemma."

"Mai."

"Hold on, I'm thinking."

"Mai!"

"Well, if you insist. I guess I could take a break."


Rika had spent most of her shift planning her date with the Avatar. She had even written down her address on a piece of paper, so she could coyly slide it to him and tell him to pick her up at eight. They would go to a nice restaurant, then a bar for dancing, then hopefully back to her place…

The Avatar breezed right by her desk without looking at her, chatting eagerly with that gloomy cataloguer, Mai. Rika sighed and crumpled the paper into a ball, sweeping it into the trash can under her desk. First the Fire Lord, now the Avatar, she thought sourly, turning her attention to her work for the first time that day. Unbelievable!


Mai didn't think it unreasonable to be a little wary about meeting the Avatar's enormous bison. She had seen first hand the kind of carnage it could cause. It also wasn't difficult to see that the creature was sentient, not simply a beast of burden that carted people around on its back. She had heard from Zuko enough times how the bison's acceptance of him was the first step in Aang trusting him during the war. Still, Mai was adamant that she would absolutely not be offended if the bison didn't like her.

Aang obviously didn't share any of her anxiety, bounding the last few yards towards the bison in large steps assisted by airbending. Appa was sunning himself, half rolled onto his back, snoring loudly. At the sound of Aang's approach, the bison righted himself and lumbered to his feet, taking a few steps forward to meet the airbender halfway. Mai hung back, noting how Aang's entire being seemed to light up in the presence of the creature. She thought that, after the incident at the museum, this ride might be as much for him as it was for her.

"Alright Appa, say hi to Mai!" The bison's enormous head lowered, appraising her with an intelligent spark in his eyes that made her feel like she was actually under scrutiny. "And no licking," Aang continued sternly. "Mai looks too pretty today to get covered in drool." Mai shot him a glance, but Aang wasn't looking at her at all, too busy rubbing the bison behind one ear. Remembering his casual flirtation with Rika, Mai sternly reminded herself not to take him too seriously. She focused her attention on the more pressing task at hand, which was not being rejected by a ten ton fluff monster. She took a step forward, hesitantly holding out her hand for the bison to inspect. He continued to examine her with that alien gaze, before pushing his nose into her palm. She jumped, pulling her hand back sharply at the sudden contact, but the bison continued to placidly watch her. Encouraged, she reached out her hand again to pet Appa's nose. He nudged against her hand, moving it up to the fur in between his eyes. She couldn't help but smile, marveling at how soft and luxurious his fur was. The beast closed his eyes, seemingly content.

"He likes you," Aang declared. He had busied himself grabbing the reins from the nearby stable, and smoothly leapt from the ground to Appa's head. "I hope you don't mind just sitting on his head. It's not worth it to get his whole saddle on for two people," Aang talked while he worked, tying the reins to the bison's horns with the ease of someone who has performed a task a thousand times. Mai continued with her assignment of befriending the bison, which seemed to be going well. Appa had leaned his head towards her, and she could feel her clothes billow with each breath that he took as he sniffed her. Relieved to have passed whatever metric the bison used to judge people, she allowed him to assess her, which seemed to consist of him pushing his nose into her clothes and trying to get in her pockets.

"Ready! Hey, stop that," Aang chided the bison, finally noticing his inspection of Mai. "Begging for food, you're going to make her think I don't feed you." Appa grumbled at that, in a way that sounded so belligerent and contrary that Mai had to laugh. Aang beamed at her, then held out a hand to help her onto Appa's head. Mai accepted the help, and the next thing she knew she was being yanked up next to him, without having to boost herself up at all. He continued holding onto her hand while she settled down on the bison's fluffy head, though Mai was astounded by how stable and comfortable it actually was. She was still nervous, but reminded herself that this had been her idea in the first place.

"Hold on," was all the warning she got before Aang wrapped the reins around his knuckles and shouted "Yip yip!" Mai had half a second to grab the airbender's arm because with a single mighty leap, the bison was airborne. Her stomach flew up into her throat as she looked down, watching the palace and the rest of the city rapidly shrink beneath them. Riding on the sky bison was an entirely different experience from the air balloons, which Mai had flown in dozens of times. The balloons were slow and ponderous, and you were encased in silent metal the whole time. They were mechanical, steadily churning their way through the air in a way that felt more like riding on land than flying. On Appa, the rushing wind was deafening, tearing the hair from her face and rippling through her clothes. She could feel the bison breathe and move through the air, slipping between air currents like a fish traveling down a river. It felt alive, and Mai finally understood why Aang spent so much of his time flying. If she could, she would never set foot on the ground again.

Appa slowed his ascent when the entire caldera was the size of a dinner plate, the roar of the wind quietening down to a whisper. Aang cleared his throat, then nodded towards his arm when she looked at him. She followed the nod and realized that she was still clutching his arm in a death grip. Embarrassed, she let go, mumbling, "Oh, sorry."

"You're good, you can keep holding on if you want, just not so tight," he said breezily. "There's also a handle over there," he gestured towards the horn nearest Mai, and she belatedly realized there was a thick loop of rope attached to it. Mai hesitated, then wove her hand through the handle, gripping it close to where it was tied onto the horn. From here, she had a closer view of the ground, and she couldn't help but lean out over the side to take it all in. They passed by a flock of birds, who gracefully veered away from Appa's enormous form as he flew by. The edge of the flock didn't turn soon enough, and for a moment Mai was surrounded by wings. The birds swarmed by her, not a single one getting close enough to touch her. Mai gasped, transfixed as the spectacle hastened past her and disappeared in the distance.

"What do you think?" Aang laughed. He reached one hand towards her, like he was going to tuck her hair behind her ears, and Mai instinctively jerked back. Aang raised an eyebrow, then plucked out a feather that had gotten stuck in her hair. He offered it to her and, though she was not one to collect trinkets, she accepted it, tucking it into her sleeve. Later, when he dropped her off at the museum, she would pull the feather out and smile, placing it decisively on her desk.

"It's amazing," Mai answered honestly. Her usual cynicism felt out of place here, soaring through the sky more free than she had ever been.

Aang looked pleased. "Amazing! Do you want to fly Appa?" Mai didn't quite understand at first (weren't they already flying on Appa?), but Aang held the reins out to her and it clicked.

"Can I?" she asked, doubtful. From what she had seen, it didn't seem like Aang did the steering via the reins. Rather, the two had some kind of connection, and the bison just seemed to know where Aang wanted him to fly. That didn't seem like something that could be transferred to another person.

"Of course! There's nothing to hit up here, and Appa knows not to plummet to the earth with people on his back," Aang replied cheerfully. While that didn't reassure her, she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. She accepted the reins from Aang and immediately felt the bison rumble underneath them, as though he knew someone else was trying to steer. Mai was not an "animal" person, so she was shocked by how badly she wanted this creature to like her. She listened carefully as Aang instructed her on how to use the reins, then the next thing she knew his hands were folded in his lap and she was in charge. She experimentally tugged on the left rein, and felt a wave of relief as the bison instantly turned to the left.

After a few minutes of lazily soaring in zig zags across the sky, Mai voiced an idea she had. "Can we go up any higher?"

Aang, who had been laying back and watching her from under hooded eyes, sat upright. "Yeah, we can." He tilted his head, a playful dare sparkling across his expression. "I'm game if you are." Mai responded by tugging on the reins, signaling Appa to start climbing higher and higher in the air. He caught on pretty quickly and began moving in a spiral, inching upward on every swirl. The geography of the Fire Nation spread out below them; Mai could see vast swaths of forests interspersed with volcanoes, both dormant and active. Though it got brighter as they rose, the air temperature dropped, and before long Mai was shivering. Undeterred, she urged Appa upward, towards the sun.

"That's enough," Aang finally said, stopping her. Mai considered arguing with him, but he gave her a look. "I can keep the air breathable and warm enough here for a while, but if we keep going up all three of us are going to pass out." Mai couldn't deny that she was freezing, nor that each breath that she took felt empty, devoid of oxygen. Aang moved his arms in a familiar circling motion, and fresh air settled around them like a warm blanket. Reluctantly, she signaled for Appa to halt. The bison obeyed, hovering miles above the earth. Now that they had stopped, Mai could fully appreciate the view. Fearlessly, she scooted herself next to Appa's horn, then held onto it with one hand while she leaned out over his head. It was freeing, she realized, to see the world from this perspective. The Fire Nation capitol, which had dominated her every thought and action for 26 years, was invisible from up here. She began to grasp how big the world was, and how little of it she had actually seen. With a jolt, she realized that she hadn't left Caldera City in two years. It was a shame, she thought, slowly hauling herself to her feet so she could see more. The world was a beautiful place.

Turning back, Mai caught Aang staring at her, an odd, almost wistful smile on his face. "Why are you smiling at me like that?" she asked defensively. It didn't quite seem like he was laughing at her, but she couldn't think of any other reason he'd be looking at her like that.

To her surprise, he turned bright red at the question, and quickly looked away. "It's nothing. Most people don't like to fly this high. They get scared they'll fall." He was deflecting, trying to change the subject. Mai let him.

"I like it," she answered simply. "I forget that there's more to the world than the capitol. You can't even see the city from up here. And," she added with a droll smirk. "I won't fall."

There was quiet for a minute. "Oh, you can see Mount Nantai from here," Aang pointed to an enormous shield volcano, its black ashen surface half-covered in green vegetation. "There's a village on the northern side, they collect this amazing blue obsidian from the volcano and use it for all of their weapons and jewelry. Have you been there? It's not far from the capitol."

"Is it not far when you don't have a flying bison?"

Aang chuckled. "Okay, it's maybe a week by foot."

Mai's mouth quirked at his correction. "Hmm. Sounds far." She lowered herself back down so she was sitting on Appa's head, one arm still protectively curled around his horn. "And no, I haven't been there. I don't really travel anymore."

"Why not?" Aang sounded astonished, like the thought of staying in one place never crossed his mind. Which, she supposed, it probably hadn't.

Mai shrugged. "Work. Life. It's easy to get caught up in the nonsense of the city." She didn't feel like elaborating further, and thankfully Aang didn't press her. He regarded her thoughtfully before saying, "We should get going. Do you want to fly us back?" She accepted the proffered reins, shifting back down on Appa's head until she was next to the airbender. It was purely because of the bitterly cold air temperature that she moved close enough that their arms pressed together, allowing her to soak up some of his heat. Benders always seemed to run hot, irrespective of their element, she had found. Aang caught her eye and grinned, moving his arms so he could lean back on them, his right arm now braced behind Mai so she was tucked against his side.

"Ready when you are!" Without another word, Mai flicked the reins and Appa began to slowly descend. When they were close enough to start seeing people again, Aang indicated for her to hand the reins over, and he finished guiding them back down to land. To her surprise, he didn't direct them to the palace, but rather dropped her off right in front of the museum. Mai slid off of Appa's head and landed nimbly on the ground, then moved to pet him on the nose as a goodbye. The bison closed his eyes and made a noise that sounded like he was happy, which Mai counted as an absolute win.

Aang had also jumped to the ground and they were now standing and facing each other, awkwardly silent. Mai spoke first. "I should get back to work."

"Ah. Right." In a rare turn of events, Aang seemed at a loss for words.

"Thank you though," Mai added in a rush. "That was…" she trailed off, trying to think of a word that captured how magical it had been to fly, and failing miserably. "Amazing," she finally got out, resorting to her earlier adjective.

Aang seemed pleased with that. "You're welcome, I'm glad to hear that," he said warmly. "And thank you too, for…" he gestured back towards the museum, indicating their tumultuous morning. "All of that. Letting me visit." He caught her incredulous look and laughed. "Really! I won't lie, it still hurts to see those things as…remnants. But it means a lot that you have them, and are keeping them safe." He leveled his gaze at her, intense gray eyes as dark and turbulent as storm clouds. "I mean it, thank you."

Before Mai could say anything, he wrapped one arm around her in a quick hug, before bounding back onto the bison's head. He looked over his shoulder down at her, a contemplative expression on his face. Mai raised one hand to wave goodbye and he returned the gesture, then the bison took off and Mai was alone. She remained outside for a second longer, then shook her head and returned to work.


Aang had a crush on Mai, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

He was laying on his back in one of the palace gardens, staring up at the orange sky that was slowly fading to black. He had a little time before he was supposed to meet Katara and Zuko for dinner, which meant that he had time to think, which meant that his thoughts turned to Mai.

His two day trip to the Fire Nation had already gone on a week, and he didn't see himself leaving anytime soon. Katara and Zuko didn't ask him again about his plans; they seemed happy enough that he was lingering as long as he was. Spending time with them was getting easier, although they still found ways to be unbearably awkward. Now, Aang found himself to be less bitter about it and more amused. Once they had caught up with the work they had gotten behind on during the wedding, both of them managed to find time to hang out with him. In the morning, he meditated with Zuko. Katara accompanied him to the market, pointing out the trickle of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe vendors that had made their way there. Later on in the day, they would spar; sometimes just one of them against Aang, sometimes both. They made sure to meet him for dinner every evening. Even when they weren't available, Aang found ways to keep busy. Once word got out that the Avatar was in the Fire Nation capitol, requests began to trickle in from the surrounding areas from people that needed help. Aang had a hard time saying no, and would fly out to assist whenever he could. The tasks ranged from settling disputes between neighboring villages to redirecting a branch of a river for a nearby farm. It made Aang feel good to bring immediate aid to people that needed it, and reminded him that being the Avatar was an excellent job.

And every day, he saw Mai.

If he could sneak away in the afternoon, he would stop by the museum and take her out for lunch. If she was busy, he would hang around until she explained what she was working on, so intently focused on the artifact that she didn't notice him staring at her. After dinner he would visit again, this time at her apartment. He always came in through the balcony, not wanting to deal with the moody doorman in the lobby. He never had any excuse to come see her, and thankfully she didn't ask for one. They would sit and talk, glasses of wine in their hands, and Aang would wonder how a woman who tried to show no expression could be so vibrant and interesting. Mai was smart, and loved to argue. If she thought Aang was wrong about something, she would disappear into her room and return with a book or scroll that proved her point. She was funny, in a way that even she didn't seem to realize. But she would make a wry comment in that deadpan tone of hers that would make Aang absolutely lose it, and she would look surprised to see him laughing. When Aang could convince her to, she would bring out some targets and they would practice throwing knives. Mai was a good teacher, but Aang mostly did it for the moments that she got to show off. Lightning fast and equally precise, she tossed the knives in a way that looked effortless, each knife finding its mark every time. It was terrifying and exhilarating, prickling under his skin like lightning.

Aang was extremely aware that he fell for people very, very quickly. In almost every village he traveled to, there was some young lady or gentleman that would catch his eye, and he would be gone. Most of the time it was fun; he loved to flirt, stealing kisses and sweeping people off their feet, both secure in the knowledge that he would disappear soon. Being friends with Mai almost made it harder, because he didn't want to just disappear on her. It didn't help that he was having a difficult time reading her and figuring out how she felt about him. She seemed to like spending time with him, and certainly didn't complain when he popped by. But she definitely had her guard up, and Aang got the feeling that she thought he was playing a game. He was aware of the political dance that Fire Nation nobility thrived off of. It was a lot of passive-aggressive double talk, meant to seek out vulnerability without exposing yourself to the same. Aang despised those kinds of games, but he suspected that Mai was all too familiar with them.

Aang sat up, the first few stars of the evening dotting the indigo sky, and concluded that he would do nothing. He could continue to be friends with Mai without complicating things, and soon he would move on. Satisfied at having made a decision, he headed back into the palace, aiming for Zuko's private dining room.

Though he hadn't been running late, Aang was startled to find Zuko and Katara already seated at the table, their heads huddled together as they argued furtively. They stopped when he walked in the door, giving Aang the feeling of being a child walking in on his parents. "What's going on?" he asked without preamble, slowly pulling his chair out and lowering himself into it.

The couple across from him exchanged a look. "We've been keeping tabs on a faction of criminals that aren't happy with me," Zuko began to explain. "It's not that uncommon, people want a return to the glory days, they think my father was unjustly dethroned, et cetera." Aang was amazed and a little proud at how calmly Zuko was able to talk about the dissenters in the Fire Nation. At the beginning of his reign, he had taken every insult personally, especially when people suggested that his father or sister deserved to be on the throne.

"Normally we can ignore it, it's usually just poorly organized grumbling," Katara took over, one hand folded over Zuko's on the table. "But recently, one group has started unifying in a concerning way. We think they might be trouble. We got word today that they're having a meeting in a warehouse on the edge of the city. We're deciding whether or not to send someone to check it out."

"I'll go," Aang said instantly. He held up a hand to cut off the inevitable protests. "I mean it, I'm here to help."

Zuko's brow furrowed with worry. "This is serious, Aang. We don't know anything about this group. It'll be dangerous."

Aang waved a hand dismissively in the air. "Please, 'danger' is my middle name!" His smile faded as his friends glared at him. "Come on guys, you know I can handle it. Who do you trust to do this more than me?"

That seemed to settle it. Katara huffed a heavy breath, but still gave him a tired smile. "Thank you, Aang. You can go after dinner." She got up to talk to the guard standing just outside the door, so that he could inform the kitchen staff that they were ready to eat. Zuko looked grateful, but still worried.

"You really shouldn't go alone," he reasoned. "At least let us find someone to go with you."

Aang thought about that, then his face lit up. "I know exactly who to ask."


It was a little earlier than Aang was used to showing up at Mai's apartment. He had eaten quickly, eager to be on his way. Despite the danger, there was nothing like an exciting spy mission to get the blood going. He alighted on her balcony, folding his glider into a staff and propping it against the wall. Her window was open, which was unusual, but he figured that she was expecting him and wanted him to let himself in. He obliged, poking his head through the opening. "Hey, are—"

He was cut off by a sharp whistle, then suddenly he couldn't breathe. He gasped for air, trying to figure out what had just happened. His eyes flickered downward and he realized that two knives had pinned his shirt collar to the windowsill, pulling it tight against his throat and choking him. He looked up to see Mai staring at him, not appearing apologetic in the slightest.

"You should probably start using the door," she began conversationally, striding over to him. "Why are you wearing all black anyway?" She stopped in front of him to pull the knives out of the wood, close enough that he could feel her breath on his face.

He refrained from answering until she had freed him and taken a step back. "I've got a mission tonight," he said, rubbing at his neck. "Want to come spy on a criminal ring of conspirators?"

Mai stared at him, then shrugged. "Sounds not boring. I'm in."