So I've actually been sitting on this update for uh... awhile now, but I didn't publish it because I had made myself dead set on writing out their entire journey to Ba Sing Se in one chapter, and long story short, I ended up frustrating myself because the chapter kept getting longer and longer and still wasn't finished and ended up giving myself a case of burnout. Oops! Anyways I let myself sit on this chapter for a long time before finally realizing it wasn't as bad as I'd thought when I was super frustrated and ended up coming to the decision to split it in half- so now you have this! An update! Can't say when the next one will be, but like... here's this! Now if some of y'all could stop assuming this fic is abandoned and stop hassling me about updates, that would be great.
As always, thanks for reading!
kintsugi
two kids loose in ba sing se (what will they do)
part two
"Do you have-?"
Not for the first time, Zuko let out a long sigh, not even bothering to hide the exasperation in his voice. "Yes, I have everything, I promise. You don't need to keep asking."
Xia-Su probably didn't mean anything by it. This was her first big trip too, so she was probably just nervous, even if she tried to play it cool. He guessed technically it wasn't her first trip, but something told him that she didn't count her journey from her hometown to Gaoling as a trip.
(He knew he didn't.)
Xia-Su frowned, as if she still wasn't entirely convinced, but before she got the chance to say anything, a knock on his doorframe cut her off.
"Oh, you're both here!" Yun nearly chirped. "You two have everything? It's going to be a long trip!"
Ever so slowly, Xia-Su closed her mouth.
"...yeah, okay," she said a moment later, "-that is pretty annoying."
Zuko huffed, but couldn't resist a slight smirk. At least now she knew.
"I've got everything," Zuko said, before directing his best unnerving smile in Yun's general direction, "-but do you?"
"Yeah, Yun," Xia-Su said, matching his smile unprompted, "-do you?"
Yun narrowed his eyes, his lips setting themselves in a tight, suspicious line. "I'm starting to think I arrived at a bad time."
"Now what would make you think that?" Xia-Su asked, doing what was possibly the worst fake innocent blinking he'd ever seen in his life. Granted, her competition was Azula, which meant she was already starting off on a bad foot.
(...maybe not his best choice of words. He'd just... keep that to himself.)
"Nope," Yun held up his hands, already backing up half a step, "-I'll just come back later when the two of you aren't looking at me that way."
"What way?" Zuko asked, continuing to look at him the exact same way.
"Yeah, Yun," Xia-Su's expression didn't change either, "-what way?"
Yun stood in the doorway for precisely a second longer- and then immediately disappeared down the hall, running at an impressive speed for someone of his age and general activity level. He and Xia-Su simply exchanged a look, the latter slowly arching a brow.
"...should we go after him?"
"Nah," Zuko shrugged, "-let's just let him sweat."
"You know one of these days," Yun said, "-I'm going to get those kids to stop being so mean to me."
At the stove, Old Lady An just laughed.
"Still sneaking out, I see."
"Still here to meet me, I see."
Arching a brow, Zuko's lips twitched upwards into a grin. He and Toph hadn't actually discussed whether or not she'd be sneaking out tonight- but then, they never did. Though knowing her, he sincerely doubted she'd pass up this chance- especially since they were leaving for Ba Sing Se tomorrow morning. It was hard to say if she'd even get the chance to have time to herself during the journey. This might be the last opportunity she had to really let out some steam. There might be a chance during the three days it would take to get to the port of Jíliú, but after they boarded the ship?
Yeah, not a chance.
Of course, all bets were off once they actually got to Ba Sing Se. Something told him that after a week and three days of being stuck with her parents, Toph would be about ready to blow. She'd find a way to sneak out- no matter what stood in her way.
(If somewhere, a certain cultural minister caught a chill, Zuko had no way of knowing.)
"Can't have my ward getting hurt." Zuko shrugged.
"Please," Toph snorted, "-like anything could hurt me."
"It could happen." Zuko said. "You could get sucked into the spirit world or something. Uncle always said bending was useless there."
Toph considered it for a moment, before shrugging. "Eh, fair point. Not sure how useful you'd be in that scenario either, Scruffy. You wouldn't be able to bend either."
"Maybe not," Zuko agreed, before reaching over his shoulder to slightly unsheathe his dao, "-but I have swords."
"Yeah, because stabbing a spirit would totally work." Toph teased.
"Hey, you never know until you try." Zuko shrugged, sheathing his dao.
Toph just grinned, punching him in the shoulder in a way only she would consider light. "So what's your Uncle doing running around the spirit world anyways? Seems like a weird hobby."
"Oh," Zuko frowned, tilting his head slightly as he fell into step behind her, "-I think he went there to see if he could bring my cousin back to life."
Or at least, that was the rumor. Uncle had never actually spoken about the spirit world to him in depth, but everyone knew he'd gone there after Lu Ten's death. Granted, he'd also never asked, but considering what he knew about Uncle, the rumors didn't seem all that far-fetched. It was no secret that losing Lu Ten had hit him hard- and if anyone could find his way into the spirit world and back, it was Uncle.
"Huh," Toph made a vague noise of appreciation, "-sounds like a pretty bold guy."
"Yeah," Zuko smiled, "-he is."
He wondered what he was doing right now. They didn't get a lot of rumors about the Fire Nation in Gaoling- at least, not about the royal family. He'd barely even heard talk about his own banishment, although he had heard whispers about Azula's sudden ascension to Crown Princess. It kind of sounded like no one really had a clear picture as to what had happened to the Crown Prince, which... didn't actually bother him as much as he thought it would.
Maybe a year or two ago, that would be different, but as things were now... he was kind of okay with it, actually. The less people talked about Prince Zuko, the less likely it was that his identity would be exposed. And given their upcoming trip...
...yeah, he was hoping his luck in avoiding rumors would hold strong even in Ba Sing Se.
"You're thinking about Ba Sing Se, aren't you?" Toph asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Zuko frowned.
"With you?" Toph arched a brow. "Always."
Zuko huffed. "Just a little concerned, that's all. I am Fire Nation, you know."
"Don't sweat it." Toph said. "If anyone starts acting shifty when they see you, I'll be the first to know."
Zuko blinked, before slowly smiling. Toph might come across to boastful to some, but he knew that she didn't say anything if she couldn't back it up. Knowing that she'd be by his side was pretty reassuring, actually.
"Thanks," he said, "-that helps."
"Hey," Toph shrugged, "-you watch my back, I watch yours."
"...that's a blind joke, isn't it?"
"You know me so well, Scruffy."
"Ugh," Zuko groaned, rubbing his shoulder where one of Toph's attacks had managed to hit him harder than he'd anticipated, "-I thought you were supposed to be watching my back."
"That was then," Toph beamed, "-this is now."
For all that Toph probably wanted to keep going, they decided to bring that night's sparring session to an early close. They both had to wake up early tomorrow, and neither of them particularly wanted to start out the first leg of the journey on too little sleep. The night air that greeted them as they left the cave had a touch of chill to it, a reminder that winter was only a scant few months away.
Toph, unusually, was quiet.
Usually they chatted on their way back. Sometimes they'd talk about that night's session, or sometimes it'd just be about stuff that had happened around the household. Sometimes it was just meaningless chatter, little more than noise that kept the forest from sounding so quiet.
Tonight seemed different, which probably meant she had something on her mind.
"Hey," she finally broke her silence just as the walls of the Beifong manor came into view, "-can I ask you a question?"
Tilting his head, Zuko frowned slightly. "Of course."
Toph shifted slightly on her feet, for the briefest of seconds seeming almost... hesitant? Huh. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty serious to get that reaction out of her.
"You've been on a boat before, right?"
Oh. That was what this was about.
He couldn't exactly blame her. He was worried about stepping on a ship again himself, but at least he'd be able to see where he was going. Toph would be completely cut off from her element while they were onboard, leaving her blinder than ever. For someone so deeply rooted in it, that had to be concerning.
"No, they just picked me up and threw me across the ocean." Zuko quipped. "Guy had a really good arm."
Toph snorted, the laughter enough to break her out of her odd mood. He smiled, reaching down to ruffle her hair- only this time, she didn't try swatting his hand away.
"I haven't been on many wooden ships," he admitted, "-that's kind of not the Fire Nation's thing. But we won't be on it for longer than a week, if everything goes well. Besides, you'll have me with you. I'll watch your back."
Toph hummed, leaning in closer so that their sides were touching. "Thanks, Scruffy. That's actually kind of reassuring."
"I try."
Despite his efforts to go to sleep early, he slept fitfully that night, dreaming of lost cousins and Fire Nation ships. After his second rude awakening, Zuko groaned, rolling out of his futon and lighting his lantern with a flick of his wrist.
If he couldn't sleep, he could at least try to relax.
Heading to the kitchen, he stopped just outside the door. The stove was lit- he could sense the flame from here. Hesitating for the span of a second, he nearly turned on his heel- before changing his mind and entering the kitchen.
After all, he lived here too.
Xia-Su glanced up at him in surprise, just about to set a kettle over the flames, before her expression gradually settled into one of understanding.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Zuko shook his head. "Bad dreams."
"Yeah, me too." Xia-Su said. "Want some tea? I don't make it as good as Yun, but..."
"We could always go wake him." Zuko jokingly suggested. "But thanks. You probably make it better than I would anyways."
"Probably?" Xia-Su arched a brow, sounding slightly offended. "One sip of your tea would keep us awake for the whole trip."
Zuko frowned, taking a seat at the empty table. "It's not that bad, is it?"
"It's terrible." Xia-Su said frankly.
"Oh," Zuko frowned, "-guess that explains why I'm never on tea making duty anymore."
Uncle had always been able to brew up a good cup of tea, but he guessed he hadn't quite inherited that ability. He would have thought that after three years...
Eh. At least he'd gotten better at everything else.
"I see you're still using that cup."
Blinking, Zuko glanced down at the teacup in his hands. The fire lily pattern that had been painted onto it was slightly less vivid now, a testament to it's frequent usage. At first he'd wanted to just keep it on display, but he'd eventually realized that it made Xia-Su and Yun happier to see him use it.
"Of course," Zuko said, "-it's my favorite."
The edge of Xia-Su's lips twitched upwards. "Glad to hear it."
Zuko hummed in reply, letting a comfortable silence wash over them. It wasn't often the servant's quarters were this quiet, but aside from the crackling of the fire and the creaking of the wooden bench, there was hardly a sound.
"You want to talk about it?"
Glancing up, Zuko met Xia-Su's eyes. "Not really."
Xia-Su hummed, shifting her feet slightly. She was mostly keeping her weight on her left foot, one hand periodically straying towards her right knee.
It wasn't hard to guess what she'd dreamed about.
"Yeah," she said, "-me too."
They stayed up for awhile like that, chatting quietly about nothing in particular. By the time he returned to his room, his eyelids were heavy with exhaustion.
He didn't startle awake again that night.
The first rays of sunlight had only just begun to creep over the horizon as Zuko did a final check of his pack. Mostly he just wanted to make sure he hadn't just dreamed that he'd washed his teacup and packed it back in his bag, but thankfully it was there. Hauling his pack onto his back, he tested its weight. He'd packed light, even though he wouldn't actually be carrying it for long- the Beifongs had hired luggage carts for the trip, sparing no expense even for the servants in their company.
He'd probably be fine, but...
"Oh, looks like you're ready." Yun observed, appearing in the doorway like an errant spirit summoned by thinking his name, overloaded pack and all. "Still sure that's all your bringing?"
"It's all I'll need." Zuko remarked, arching a brow at the man's own pack. "Sure you'll need three different teapots?"
"You're right," Yun said, "-I really should have packed four."
Biting back his laughter, Zuko ducked his head to hide his smile. There was no way he was going to give Yun the satisfaction of knowing he thought his bad jokes were actually funny sometimes- even if he was pretty sure he knew anyways.
"Now then," Yun said, "-Xia-Su's probably already waiting for us outside and I am not going to miss watching her try to mount an ostrich-horse."
"You know she'll get mad at you if she hears you say that." Zuko arched a brow.
"And that's exactly why she won't hear me say it." Yun winked.
Huffing, Zuko shook his head before following behind Yun. Turning around to shut his door, he briefly hesitated, suddenly struck by the strangest feeling. It took him a few moments to place it- it had been such a long time since he'd felt anything similar. Not since their family trips to Ember Island- and those had been a long time ago.
It was the feeling of leaving home.
He hadn't really had the chance to feel that way when he'd left the Fire Nation. He'd still been half-delirious with fever when his father had him loaded onto that ship. He vaguely remembered someone guiding him briefly to his quarters, but he'd only had the presence of mind to grab weapons- in hindsight, there was a lot of things that he regretted leaving behind, even if it would be hard to explain why he had a portrait of the Fire Lord's wife in his possession. The heart shaped rock Mai had given him would have been easier to explain, but...
...what was done was done. He couldn't go back. Even if he could, he doubted anything was left. He wouldn't be surprised if father had erased every trace of him in the palace.
For a brief moment, he wondered if he should actually pack more- before slowly relaxing. This wasn't like when he'd left the Fire Nation. He might be leaving for awhile, but it wasn't forever.
He'd eventually come home.
"You coming?"
Glancing in Yun's direction, Zuko slowly smiled, sliding the door shut behind him.
"You know," Zuko tilted his head, glancing up at Xia-Su, "-Yun was saying something about how he didn't want to miss you getting on the ostrich-horse."
It was only early fall, but Xia-Su's cold smile made it feel like the dead of winter.
The first leg of their journey would be on land.
It was a three day trip to the port of Jíliú, where they would catch a ship straight to Ba Sing Se. They'd be traveling via Chameleon Bay, arriving through the Eastern Lake. The Fire Nation controlled the opposite lake, a lasting consequence of his Uncle's march to Ba Sing Se. There had been attempts to seize control of it back since then, but the Earth Kingdom simply didn't have the naval forces to match that of his homeland.
Even so, the Eastern Lake was safe. He'd heard before that Chameleon Bay was being guarded by Water Tribe forces- mostly from the Southern Tribes. As far as he knew, the Northern Tribes had kept themselves isolated since the last great clash between his nation and theirs, over eighty years ago now. His tutor had rushed through that particular historical event, claiming that they'd determined that the Northern Water Tribe simply didn't have enough importance to waste resources on conquering it, but in hindsight he was pretty sure he was just trying to cover up the fact that they'd been driven out.
Served them right.
"Something on your mind?"
Glancing up at Xia-Su, Zuko shook his head. He'd fallen into step beside her ostrich-horse, the animal traveling at a sedate speed to match those of the ones pulling the carriage up ahead. Given that bandits were a concern too, he'd been surprised to see how ostentatious it was, the symbol of the flying boar etched in gold on both sides, but those were nobles for you.
(And yes, he was aware of the hypocrisy in that statement, thank you.)
"Just thinking about Chameleon Bay." Zuko replied.
"About the Water Tribe, you mean." Xia-Su said with a knowing smile. "It's fine. I'm curious about them too. I've never seen a Water Tribe ship before."
"Me either." Zuko admitted.
He'd seen some in pictures, but he wasn't sure how accurate his Fire Nation textbooks were to reality. The ships he'd seen had always looked weak and puny, but there had to be something to them if they'd been able to keep the Fire Nation at bay for this long. Even without their waterbenders, the people of the Southern Water Tribe were a force to be reckoned with.
"I'm surprised you haven't, Xia-Su." Yun piped up from behind them. "I thought you grew up in a port town."
He was keeping a good pace, but then, they weren't exactly going fast. Except for the Beifong's retainers who had a less flashy carriage of their own, everyone else was on foot.
"Yeah, one that the Dragon of the West conquered years ago." Xia-Su said. "It never really got reclaimed after that. Not strategically important enough."
Zuko tried not to wince. He knew his Uncle's war efforts had left a lasting impact on the Earth Kingdom, but sometimes it was hard to reconcile that with the loving man that he'd known. He'd changed after Lu Ten's death, but...
"What about you, Yun?" Zuko asked, changing the topic. "You ever see any?"
"Nope." Yun said. "If we passed by one on the last trip, I was too seasick to notice. Beyond that, I've never really left Gaoling. You two are more well-seasoned travelers than I am."
"I wouldn't exactly call stumbling around the Earth Kingdom half-starved traveling." Zuko remarked.
"Ah, fair enough." Yun said, briefly catching pace with him long enough to obnoxiously ruffle his hair. "But it brought you to us, so it couldn't have all been bad, eh?"
Zuko huffed, swatting Yun's hand away even as the man withdrew it, chuckling. He didn't even try and attempt to fix it, already knowing it was a lost cause. He didn't exactly have the same access to the products he'd had back when he'd been a pampered prince, so it had ended up kind of wild.
Maybe Toph had been right when she'd nicknamed him Scruffy.
(He'd absolutely never tell her that.)
"No," he said picking up his pace just enough to get ahead of them, "-it sucked. Totally not worth it."
He didn't have to look back to know they were both smiling.
Carriages, she quickly decided, sucked.
She'd already kind of suspected as much, but it had only taken about three minutes of actually being in the damn thing to confirm it. For one thing, it was slow- she could walk faster than this! Even worse, she was trapped in here with her parents, which meant having to listen to her father's constant reminders and her mother's constant reassurances.
But even that she could (sort of) put up with.
No, the worst part of riding in a carriage was that she couldn't feel the earth under her feet. She'd already prepared herself for being removed from it on the boat- but somehow it hadn't quite dawned on her that the same would be true for the carriage ride. In hindsight it really should have, but she guessed she'd been so focused on the boat part that it had kind of slipped her mind.
And she hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to Zuko yet.
She knew he was out there. She'd sensed him before she'd been made to board the carriage. Right now, he was probably trailing behind their carriage with the other servants- probably with a lot better company than she currently had.
"Now remember, Toph," her mother began, "-once we get to the inn, you are to stick close to your father and I."
"Yes, mother," Toph said, somehow resisting the urge to grit her teeth, "-I remember."
How could she forget? She'd only told her like, twenty times.
At least they'd be spending the night in an inn during the first night. They would be staying overnight in a prosperous town free of Fire Nation control, the name of which escaped her, and leaving early in the morning for the next phase of their travels. Her parents had apparently stayed at this inn before, and spoke highly of its lavish comforts.
Honestly, she didn't get it. She didn't need a fancy bad. She'd be just fine with a nice patch of earth. But hey- at least staying in an inn meant she might have the chance to sneak out.
(Emphasis, she thought, on the might.)
They arrived at the town they'd spend the night in just a little before dusk.
He barely caught a glimpse of Toph as she was escorted out of the carriage by her father. She didn't look in his direction, but he knew she'd picked him out from the crowd. He also knew that the slow steps she took weren't the result of stiff muscles from being cooped up in a carriage for hours, but rather, a deliberate attempt to dig her toes into as much earth as she could while she had the chance.
Yeah. Couldn't blame her.
"Li!" Xia-Su called out, just as Toph followed her parents into the inn's main gate. "You coming?"
"Coming!" Zuko called back, grabbing his pack from the luggage cart and heading towards the back gate. This was an inn for fancy nobles- any servants accompanying them were expected to sleep in a separate building at the back. He wouldn't be seeing Toph tonight.
Well, not officially, anyways.
"You going somewhere?"
"...out for a walk?"
Glancing out the window and then back at her, Li tried to pretend like he didn't already have half his body through it. She almost had to admire his audacity.
Almost.
"On the roof?" She asked, arching a brow.
"...I wanted to look at the stars?" Li offered weakly.
"You know if you're going to see the young miss, there's better ways than sneaking out the window." Xia-Su pointed out.
"Are there, though?" Li asked.
Opening her mouth, Xia-Su slowly shut it. Servants spent the night in a separate building for a reason, and she didn't know if Lord and Lady Beifong would be willing to arrange the meeting themselves- they probably wanted the young miss to spend the night sleeping, not talking to Li. Plus if word got out that a young man had spent the night in room...
...well, she knew enough about both noble society and heterosexuals to know how that would go over.
Heaving a long sigh, Xia-Su folded her arms in front of her. "Just don't fall off."
"Please," Li flashed a smile, "-when have I ever fallen off a roof?"
"Knowing you?" Xia-Su said. "I'm assuming at least six times."
Ah. The look on his face suggested she'd hit the mark exactly. Dimly, she wondered if this was some kind of Fire Nation noble thing, or if this was just a Li thing.
Probably just a Li thing.
"Just be careful." Xia-Su insisted.
"...yes, ma'am."
"About time!"
"Nice to see you too." Zuko remarked as he slipped inside her window. "So how's the inn?"
"It's fully of snooty rich people," Toph said, "-how do you think it is?"
Zuko just hummed, leaning back against the bed she'd been ignoring in favor of a nice patch of earth. "So basically it's terrible."
"You know it." Toph said. "I guess the food's decent, at least."
"Wish I could say the same." Zuko huffed. "Pretty sure I could have made something better than what the servants were served."
"That bad, huh?" Toph arched a brow.
"Awful." Zuko said.
Toph chuckled, finally feeling a little more like herself rather than the fragile doll she'd spent the entire day playacting as. She'd been so excited about having the chance to actually go somewhere, she hadn't factored in the that it would require her to spend way more time with her parents than she usually did.
It almost had her wishing for the boat. At least she'd get some privacy there.
"Glad to know you think my suffering's funny." Zuko said.
"Oh, it's hilarious." Toph beamed. "So, any chance we can sneak out? I'm itching to get a little earthbending in after today."
"That bad, huh?" Zuko asked.
"Awful." Toph said.
Zuko huffed in amusement, before hauling himself to his feet and peeking out the window. "Looks pretty busy out there. Pretty sure if someone saw me with you slung over my shoulder-"
"Stop," Toph held up a hand, making a face, "-I think I get the idea."
If her parents even so much as caught wind of what looked like a potential kidnapping, they'd probably turn right back around and head home, and they definitely wouldn't let her ever go anywhere else again. Plus they'd almost definitely fire Zuko, which it should go without saying would be the worst outcome at all.
The last thing she wanted was to go back to the time when she had no one to talk to.
"So we can't go out the way I came," Zuko began, "-but what about that way?"
She could feel him point towards the door. Thankfully the inn's floors were made out of stone, so she could actually sense the gesture- but it also meant she could sense the guard her father had stationed outside of her room. She was pretty sure she could take him out easily, but...
"Yeah, I don't think we're getting out that way either." Toph said. "Dad got a guard."
"A guard?" Zuko asked. "I thought that was supposed to be my job."
"Relax," Toph said, "-he probably just wants to make sure you have a full night's sleep."
"Are you sure?" Zuko asked. "Because that doesn't sound like your father. I'm pretty sure he still hates me."
"I don't think he hates you," Toph said, "-he just dislikes you."
Zuko huffed, but it was mainly just in amusement. "There's a difference?"
"If he hated you, I'm pretty sure he would have fired you by now." Toph said.
Her father was a lot things, but he wasn't the type to keep around people he genuinely hated. He didn't like Zuko, that much was clear, but he at least trusted him to do his job properly. The fact that he'd even agreed to this trip was proof enough of that.
Zuko hummed in consideration. "Guess that's fair."
"Besides," Toph said, "-he probably just wants to make sure you're well-rested so you can guard us on the second leg of the trip tomorrow."
"Okay, that sounds more like your father." Zuko said.
"Yeah, it does." Toph said, moving over so that she was sitting next to Zuko. "So if sneaking out's a no go, what else should we do? I don't know about you, but I definitely don't feel like sleeping."
Zuko tilted his head, seeming to consider it for a moment. "We could share embarrassing stories about other people?"
"Now you're talking my language, Scruffy."
After Toph's third attempt to stifle a yawn, it was obvious that it was time to actually get some sleep. Standing up, he let out a loud yawn that was only half-faked. He'd just spent pretty much the entire day on his feet, so it came as no surprise that he was feeling a little tired too.
"You're leaving already?" Toph asked.
"We're both tired," Zuko said, "-and we both have another long day ahead of us. We should get some rest."
Toph frowned, clearly not happy with that. "Can't you stay a little longer? I missed hanging out with you today."
Zuko blinked, before cracking a faint smile. "Same here. But I'm pretty sure if you start nodding off in the carriage your parents will worry that you're sick or something and try and turn this whole caravan around."
Toph grimaced. "Yeah, good point."
"Besides," Zuko began, "-we can talk tomorrow too."
"You sure?" Toph asked, arching a brow. "Because I'm pretty sure we're staying at another noble's mansion tomorrow night, and I can't help but remember what happened the last time you tried sneaking around a noble's mansion."
"I got a job?" Zuko said.
Toph snorted, pounding his leg with her fist just hard enough that it would probably bruise tomorrow. "Smartass."
"Thanks." Zuko remarked, before peering out the window, doing a quick scan of the surroundings. By now the streets surrounding the inn were empty- most everyone had gone to sleep. It wouldn't be a bad time to sneak out... if it wasn't actually true that they needed some of that themselves.
Besides, he was pretty sure everything but the seediest of places were closed by now.
(Something told him they'd be seeing a lot of those once they reached Ba Sing Se, anyways.)
Toph yawned, spreading herself out over the floor, clearly intending to sleep there. "G'night Zuko."
"Night, Toph."
That night, he dreamed of the earth.
It was a comforting dream- the feeling of sand between his toes from his days on Ember Island gave way to the smell of dirt and rocks that filled the Earth Rumble arena as cheers echoed around him.
In the center of it all was Toph, her teeth gleaming white in a wide grin.
It felt right.
"Now remember, Toph," her father began no sooner than had they departed the town they'd spent the night in, "-when we arrive at Lord Jian's residence, I expect you to be on your best behavior. We do not want to insult his generous hospitality."
"Yes, father," Toph said, resisting the urge to grind her teeth behind her smile, "-I remember."
How could she forget? He'd only reminded her several times before the trip, and several yesterday. She was blind, not amnesiac.
"Excellent," her father said, "-now, let's review your table etiquette."
You know on second thought, maybe never leaving the family estate wasn't so bad.
Actually, she'd take that back. Maybe there were some benefits to spending the night at another noble's manor.
All Zuko had to do was look in his direction, and Lord Jian's heartbeat would speed up like a rabbit-mouse that knew it was being watched by something bigger than it. It was a familiar sensation at this point- Zuko's glare had that kind of effect- but there was something about it happening in the man's own home that made it way more entertaining than usual.
Or maybe she was just going mad from boredom. It was a distinct possibility.
"...your daughter's bodyguard is... quite something."
Lao could only heave a long sigh.
"...going somewhere, kid?"
Arching a brow, Yun folded his arms in front of him. He wasn't sure how he should react to the sight of Li trying to sneak out the window, but the first emotion he was hit with was... well, not exactly indifference, but whatever the opposite of surprise was.
Yeah. This seemed like something he would do.
"I was... going to visit Toph?"
"Through the window?" Yun asked.
"...yeah?" Li said, looking him dead in the eye, almost daring him to challenge him.
Yun held his gaze for a long moment- and then shrugged. "Yeah, okay. Have fun. Don't get caught."
"Thanks," Li said, "-I don't plan on it."
Watching Li slip out all the way through a window he knew for a fact that he could never fit through, Yun merely huffed. Yeah. He didn't think he'd get caught either. If he hadn't been starving that day three years ago, he doubted Huan and Yang would have been able to catch him.
Damn glad they did, though.
"...you look exhausted."
Toph just grunted in response, not moving from where she was lying on the floor. "You could say that."
"Long day in the carriage?" Zuko asked, crouching next to her.
"You could say that." Toph repeated, with just as much enthusiasm as before. "There's only so many etiquette lessons a girl can take in a cramped space."
Zuko snorted. "I know that feeling."
"And then dinner!" Toph said, flinging her arms up into the air. "Do you know how annoying it is to just have to sit there and listen to my parents drone on for hours?! It's not like I haven't heard all of my dad's stories dozens of times already!"
"Yeah," Zuko agreed, "-that sounds pretty annoying."
Toph huffed, rolling over on her side towards his direction. "Whose idea was it to agree to this trip anyways?"
Arching a brow, Zuko's lips twitched into a faint grin. "Uh, yours?"
"You like your ankles the way they are, Scruffy?" Toph challenged.
He just snorted. "Good luck finding another sparring partner if you try it."
"I don't know," Toph said, "-the Hippo might make a good one."
"Yeah right," Zuko said, "-you'd get bored with him after two days."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Toph admitted, before springing to her feet with a sudden burst of energy. "So? How's it look out there? My feet can only see so far."
Zuko hummed, peering out the window. He'd done a loop of the grounds before coming, and from the look of it, Lord Jian was just as tight on security as Lord Beifong was- or at least he was when he had visitors. But beyond the manor was plenty of wide open space- and most importantly, trees that could be used as cover. They probably wouldn't have to go far if they wanted to find someplace nobody could see them.
"I think," Zuko said, glancing back at Toph with a broad grin, "-we can sneak out tonight."
If they weren't supposed to be keeping quiet, he was pretty sure Toph would have let out a loud whoop.
"Now this is more like it!"
Zuko snorted, watching as Toph hurled a decent sized chunk of earth into a nearby tree. She'd probably been holding back a lot these past two days, cut off from her element and stuck in a small carriage with her parents.
"So," he began, letting a trail of flame dance on the edge of his swords as he drew them, "-you ready?"
Toph's toothy smile was all the answer he needed.
"Hey," Toph asked on their way back, "-what's the ocean like?"
Zuko frowned, unsure how to answer the question. He used to be able to see the ocean any time he wanted from the Caldera, but it had been years now since he'd so much caught a whiff of salt air. Not since he'd started moving further inland to try and avoid places where people might recognize him.
"There's... a lot of water?" Zuko haplessly replied.
"No shit, there's a lot of water, Scruffy," Toph elbowed him, "-even I know that."
Zuko huffed. He kind of had a feeling that wasn't what she was asking, but the question she actually asking was harder to answer. The Fire Nation was an island chain- the ocean had been a part of his life for so long, in so many different ways, that it was hard to really describe what it was like to him.
Once, the thought of the ocean brought with it fond memories of Ember Island- memories that had turned a lot more bittersweet in recent years, even before his banishment. There was the time he and Mai had stolen down to the shores of the Caldera when no one had been watching them, and hid from their guards for hours before they'd finally been found by Ty Lee. Or the time Azula had stepped on a scorpion-jellyfish hidden in the sand, and he'd had to carry her all the way back home.
Now it just reminded him of his delirious voyage to the Earth Kingdom- of the fact that he could never return home, even if he wanted to.
(Sometimes he wondered if he even still did.)
"It's... kind of hard to explain." Zuko finally admitted. "I've got a lot of complicated feelings about it."
Toph hummed, for a long moment not saying anything.
"...is it true the air smells like salt?"
Drawing in a deep breath, for a moment Zuko swore he could almost smell the ocean air, despite the fact that they were still half a day's ride from it. Closing his eyes, he slowly exhaled, the scent fading away with his breath.
"Yeah," he said, "-it does."
That night, he dreamed of the ocean.
It wasn't the Ember Island of his childhood, or even the feverish seas of the early days of his banishment. The ocean was raging- a fierce storm the likes of which would have forced them to wait out the duration in the Caldera's bunker.
Something was there, deep in the ocean.
(When he woke, it was with a bone deep chill.)
Xia-Su caught the scent of salt air first. Out of the corner of his good eye, he could see her posture shift, her back growing stiff in the saddle. He was about to ask what was wrong when he smelt it too.
It was a different scent from the salty ocean breeze he'd grown used to in the Caldera, but then, the Earth Kingdom had substantially less volcanoes. Still, it was unmistakable in its familiarity, seeping through his bones with a strange mixture of homesickness and homecoming.
Somehow he'd thought it would be a lot worse.
"Smells like home." Xia-Su remarked.
"Yeah," he said, taking in a deep breath of salty air, "-it does."
"If you ask me," Yun crinkled his nose, his cheeks already a faint green, "-it smells like a week's worth of vomit."
Exchanging a glance with Xia-Su, they both snickered.
Toph had to resist the urge to let out a sigh of relief as the carriage jerked to a stop. She'd thought it would have been more tolerable given that they only had a half-day's ride today, but knowing that had only made her even more anxious to get it over with. She literally had to bite her tongue to keep herself from blasting out of the carriage so that she could plant her feet on some real earth again.
You know. For however long that would last.
"Now Toph," her father began, "-remember to be on your best behavior. This inn-"
"-has a long and very prestigious history." Toph finished, somehow just barely managing to keep herself from sounding as irritated as she felt. "I remember."
Her father simply hummed in response, though not in a disapproving manner. He took her hand, guiding her down the carriage steps with the kind of care and caution she was certain he thought she was grateful for, before her toes could finally dig into that sweet, sweet earth again. She nearly sagged in relief, before just as quickly perking up.
Salt.
She'd heard people say that the ocean air smelled like salt, but until Zuko had said as much, she'd kind of thought they were just pulling her leg.
The ocean breeze really smelled like salt.
She took in a deep, long breath- and was then promptly pulled forward by her father, even as her mother pushed her forward, a guiding hand that was almost painfully gentle on her back.
Yeah. She didn't know why she expected anything different.
"So, you think Li's sneaking out again tonight?" Yun asked, casting a glance towards where the boy in question was finishing the last bit of his meal.
"Oh, you caught him too?" Xia-Su asked, sounding perfectly unsurprised.
"Yep." Yun said.
"He's not very subtle, is he?" Xia-Su asked.
"Nope." Yun agreed. "Ah well, what's youth without a little adventure?"
Xia-Su laughed in response, but he couldn't help but notice she didn't disagree.
"We're sneaking out."
"Hello to you too." Zuko said, as he slipped inside Toph's window. "That bad?"
"Terrible." Toph said. "The faster we can get out of this dump, the better."
Arching a brow, Zuko cocked his head slightly. "I thought this was supposed to be one of the finest inns in the Earth Kingdom outside of Ba Sing Se."
"Exactly," Toph said, "-that's why it's terrible."
Zuko snorted. "Can't argue with that logic."
"You're darn right you can't!" Toph said. "Now can we leave?"
"One second." Zuko said, peering out the window.
There were just as many guards posted around the place as the last inn they'd stayed in, but that one was only half the size of this one. There were also significantly less people on the streets- guess rich people didn't linger.
"Yeah," he said, offering Toph a hand, "-we're good. Come on."
She took it without hesitation, only to grip it just a little harder as he guided her onto the rooftop. He wasn't entirely sure what the roof tiles were made up of, but whatever it was, it didn't exactly seem friendly to her earth sense- though knowing Toph, she probably wouldn't say anything.
It was hard to admit weakness when it was always assumed of you.
"So where exactly are we headed?" Zuko asked, pretending he didn't notice the way she squeezed her body just a little closer to his.
"Where else?" Toph snorted. "The ocean, of course."
Zuko arched a brow. "I thought you weren't interested."
"I'm not interested in boats," Toph corrected, "-but I've never been to the ocean before. I want to see if I can bend sand."
"Sandbending, huh?" Zuko asked, careful maneuvering Toph's shoulder so as to guide them away from a nearing patrol, "-sounds fun."
"You're darn right it does, Scruffy."
"So how's the sand?"
They'd traveled until they'd reached a relatively secluded stretch of beach, just past the main hustle and bustle of the port town. This far out, there was barely any light save for what the full moon gave them, but he'd long since adjusted to working in low light. Even so, some part of him wished he'd had the foresight to bring a lantern- if only so he could properly see the sour expression on Toph's face.
Because she was very, very annoyed.
"I take it back," Toph said, kicking the aforementioned sand, "-sand sucks. Everything's so grainy!"
Unable to help himself, Zuko let out a loud snort. Pivoting on her heel, Toph stomped on the sand, sending a half-hearted wave of it... just slightly to his right. Which just made him laugh harder, and caused Toph to glare more.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Toph rolled her eyes. "By the end of tonight, I'll have mastered this stuff."
"Is that a challenge?" Zuko asked, arching a brow.
"You know it, Scruffy." Toph said. "Who knows? Maybe you'll even beat me this time."
Yeah. Somehow he doubted that.
He didn't.
Toph didn't exactly master sandbending either though, so he'd count that as a victory. Although given enough time, he didn't doubt that she could.
"My uncle once told me there's whole tribes of sandbenders living out in the Si Wong desert." Zuko remarked on their way back, winding their way through the still-dark streets. He let Toph lead the way, her steps more confident now that she was on solid ground.
"Huh," Toph crossed her arms behind her head, "-maybe I could get one of them to teach me. You know, assuming I can ever get away from this place."
"The port?" Zuko asked, cocking his head.
"Home," Toph said, before seemingly correcting herself, "-the house."
"Why not now?" Zuko asked. "There's no one around to stop you if you wanted to run away."
There never had been, really. If there was one thing that had become apparent to him, it was that no one could stop Toph when she truly wanted something. She could have left the Beifong manor at any time. She had left the Beifong manor before, twice in fact- but both times, she'd come back.
Toph's steps slowed, until she came to a full stop. From behind, he couldn't quite see her expression- just the tightness of her shoulders, before she slowly exhaled, letting the tension release from them.
"I can't."
She didn't elaborate. He didn't expect her to.
If there was one thing he knew, it was how complicated family could be.
He dreamt of Azula that night. She was smiling, but he couldn't see her eyes.
(He wasn't sure he wanted to.)