I don't own the Avatar. Enjoy~

Chapter 3-

Are oh so pretty~

"You look so beautiful, Sunan!" Mrs. Bunnag cried, clapping her hands in delight at her daughter's finished wedding dress. "Thank you, Jin!" Sunan grabbed me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back, careful to not poke her with the needles I was holding between my lips.

Sunan was always beautiful. Even some from the upper ring knew her as the loveliest girl in Ba Sing Se. She was three years older than me, but had always been kind to my friends and I. Her fiance, Akio, was from the middle ring, and a great man.

"Akio won't know what hit him!" I said, smoothing down the dress of white and meadow green, being extra careful with the flower embroidery I'd added to the bottom of the dress. "Can I see?!" Eun cried from the other room, and from the slight thumping sound, he was bouncing up and down.

"Come in, Eun." Sunan said with a laugh. Eun squealed loudly when he saw her, Sunan spinning in a few slow circles to show off her dress with a wide smile. "Tui and la! You look like a dream, Sunan! Doesn't she, Auntie!" He cried, eyes wide and a slight flush on his cheeks.

"She does! How much do I owe you, Jin?" Mrs. Bunnag asked, pulling out her coin purse. "Consider it my wedding present." Sunan and her mother both looked mortified. "No, oh, no! Jin, I can't accept that!" "Jin, honey! Please! Let me pay you something!"

I couldn't help but smile, shaking my head. "I can't let you do that." "Are you sure?" Mrs. Bunnag gave me a tight hug. "Of course!"

"You darling girl!" Sunan cried, rubbing her eyes. We kicked Eun back out of the room, before helping Sunan out of her wedding dress. Once she was back in her everyday dress, her mother rushed out to start making dinner, Sunan helping me clean up miscellaneous pieces of thread and fabric.

"Are you bringing a date?" She asked, stacking the extra fabric together. "Probably not." I said with a blush, putting away my needle case. "Why not! You're beautiful, sweet, and lovely! Any guy would be happy to go out with you!" Sunan tucked her fabric stack in my basket, gasping when she pricked her finger on a pin still stuck in the one piece.

"Are you OK?" She waved me off, sticking her finger in her mouth. "Mh fme! Ymh dinn't answer muh questim." She mumbled around her finger. "Do you remember my date a few months ago?" she nodded, settling down on the floor beside me. "I...I still really like him, even though I only saw him once after our date. And he was working when I saw him. He was quiet, and a bit standoffish, but Lee was still so sweet to me. I, he, um."

"I understand." Sunan said, smiling knowingly at me. "You still carry a flame for him. A pretty large one, if I'm not mistaken. And that's ok, Jin! That's how it was for me with Akio when we first got together. Did I ever tell you about that?"

I thought for a moment, racking my brain for any memory of their start. Nothing came up. I knew they had a lot of troubles at the beginning, but that was it. "No, I don't think you have." Sunan smiled, playing with her engagement bracelet. The thin gold and ruby bracelet shown in the light of the lamp nearby.

"I've liked him since we were children. He'd stop the other boys from pulling my hair and chasing me with worms, and he'd walk me home late at night. But, Akio never flirted, never tried touching me, never tried using his kindness to get me to be with him as some of the other boys would do. He was genuine, and I fell in love with him because of that. I finally asked him out, and he said yes. The rest is history." Sunan sighed, a love filled look filling her eyes. "I love him. So much. If you see Lee again, ask him to the wedding! Love's mysterious, and, spirit's willing, your one and only will come soon."

"Dinner's ready, girls!" Eun cried from down stairs. "We're coming!" Sunan called back before turning to me. "Remember what I said, Jin. Love is strange. I have the feeling that your one true love is thinking about you right now. Now c'mon! Mama made egg drop soup!"

Sunan's romantic streak ran a mile wide, but for once, I was thankful for her love of love. She constantly tried playing matchmaker, and would go on and on about how everyone had someone searching for them. But, for once, I was grateful for it. It gave me hope that I'd see Lee again soon.

"Lord Zuko, are you sure about this plan?" The head guard in my entourage asked, the idea of going to the lower ring of Ba Sing Se obviously filled him with disgust. "More than anything." he nodded, bowing to me. "If you're so sure, my lord."

"I am, thank you. You're relieved for the evening." "Thank you, my lord." He said with a bow before leaving the room. I leaned against the railing of my balcony, enjoying the cool breeze of the evening. The stars were clear and bright tonight, and down below, the courtyard was bathed in the light of thousands of lanterns.

The last time I'd seen lanterns nearly as beautiful as the ones in the Earth King's palace, I hadn't been anyone special. Just a refugee. It wasn't in a palace, but the slums. But, they were still more beautiful than almost anything in the world.

The only thing more lovely was my company that evening.

The bright light of the garden below filled me with hope that I'd see Jin again soon.

Itsnot2014anymore- Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!~