Zuko barely got sleep the night after they returned from the village. Between his uncle coughing every so often and his own growing worry, sleep was not something that Zuko's subconscious would easily slip into.
Right before dawn, the younger man checked on his uncle one last time before slipping out of the cabin.
If Iroh could not tell him the meaning of the lotus tile, perhaps the men he had played with could.
By the time he'd made it into town, the sun had just crested the line of trees and allowed warm, yellow sunlight to blanket the buildings.
Zuko stalked into the cafe, sitting down at the Pai Sho table. The cafe appeared to just have opened, only one other customer seated at a table across the way.
Two workers busied themselves behind the long counter, filing various teapots and taking small tea cakes out of the stone ovens.
One worker regarded the younger man with a curious gaze; as his hair was significantly mussed and a dark circle was present under his good eye.
Zuko, feeling the middle-aged man's gaze, turned to stare at the worker.
The worker made eye contact with the bright amber before quickly looking away, realizing he'd been caught looking.
"Where are the men that were here yesterday?" Zuko asked, standing up and moving over to the counter. "I saw you working."
The man turned around, green eyes wide. He had to be in his thirties, with square glasses and straight brown hair, pulled into a low ponytail.
"W-what?"
Zuko pressed his palms into the edge of the counter, growing irritated.
"The men! Playing Pai Sho with the older man who drank probably two pots of jasmine tea!"
"Oh," he responded, still embarrassed. "They are regulars. They'll get here probably around two."
Zuko's knuckles turned white, gripping the counter's edge.
"Where do they live?"
He blinked rapidly. "Uhh...which one?"
"UGH! Any of them! The one who's always here first, I don't care!"
The other worker slipped into the back room, not seeming to care that his coworker was being interrogated by an angry teenager. The door creaked shut and the two simply stared at one another for a few moments.
The worker hastily pulled a notepad out of the apron pocket at his waist.
He scribbled out an address, pushing the paper on the counter towards him.
Before Zuko could even say anything, then worker had scurried away into the back room.
Zuko huffed again and he felt a headache coming as his lack of sleep was rapidly catching up with him.
Growling, he snatched the paper off the counter and glanced at it.
The address wasn't too far away, if he remembered correctly.
Uncle had taught him early on to be aware of his surroundings in new places. It wasn't a skill he was keen to pick up on at first, but now, it was something he was grateful for.
Shoving the paper into his trousers pocket, he left the establishment.
After spending fifteen minutes wandering, he came across the street, situated on the southern end of the village.
He paused just before the porch, staring anxiously at the shipyard in the distance.
Zuko turned his gaze back towards the house, taking a step up onto the small wooden platform that fashioned as the man's porch.
Knocking firmly on the door, he shifted his weight impatiently.
A few moments passed and he could hear someone walking towards the front door.
It opened with a creak, an old woman peeking her head through the opening.
"Can I help you?"
Tiredness pulled at his mind, and he could hear Iroh chiding him for forgetting his manners.
"Hello..." he swallowed, clearing his throat. "My uncle played a game of Pai Sho with...with your husband yesterday and I was wanting to speak with him."
At the mention of Pai Sho, she turned and screamed back into the house, "Hideo!"
A slightly cross sounding man answered, "WHAT???"
If he hadn't been so tired, he may have cracked a small smile at the couple.
"Door's for you!"
She left, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Zuko peered curiously through the crack. He caught a glimpse into the home, decorated with ornate pots filled with bamboo and leafy plants.
A few seconds later, a stout man with wiry silver hair poking out from under his hat came into the doorway.
Hideo stepped out onto the porch, squinting in the morning sun.
Worry gnawed at Zuko, thoughts of Iroh laying alone in the cabin.
"Yes?" He asked, staring expectantly at the boy.
"You played Pai Sho with my uncle yesterday." Zuko said, dumbly.
"Yes."
"I-He-...we need help." Zuko continued, fishing the lotus tile out of his pocket. "He gave me this before he passed out. He's very ill."
He stuck his hand out towards the man, who eventually unfurled his fist for Zuko to place the tile into his palm.
Hideo murmured lowly, though Zuko couldn't quite understand what he said. The elder man glanced up and down the street warily, before opening his door and shooing Zuko inside.
They stood in the foyer of the home, almost standing in the living room. Their living room was decorated much like the foyer Zuko had earlier gotten a peak of. Shades of green and khaki brown dotted the room, the furniture and decor having the same color theme.
"Your uncle gave this to you?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Zuko snapped.
Hideo stared at Zuko, clearly surprised at the lack of respect. His face hardened and he went to pass back the tile.
"I don't know why he'd give you this."
He dropped his gaze to the ground before shooting the man a glance.
"No, I'm sorry...I haven't slept." Zuko raked his hands through his hair. "Please, you have to help us."
After a few seconds ticked by, Hideo continued.
"You don't even know what this means, do you?"
Zuko stared at one of the pots he'd noticed earlier.
"I know it has to mean something...he carries it everywhere."
Months ago, deep in the desert, his uncle had left him waiting in a small hallway forefront of his mind. He and some other men had spent what seemed like hours in the back room, talking and doing Agni knows what.
"Is it some secret club?"
Something mysterious twinkled in Hideo's eyes, yet he ignored Zuko's question.
"Fine. I'll help, but only because I don't like her." He said instead.
Her? Zuko thought. Who is he talking about?
He must have noticed the expression on his face, as he continued, saying,
"Your sister has quite the notorious reputation. Your uncle told me of what she did, and what you did in Ba Sing Se."
His mouth dropped open in surprise.
Hideo said nothing more about Azula, instead going into the nearby chest of drawers to fish out a piece of parchment and a pen. Scribbling out a note, he eventually fanned the parchment to dry the ink before rolling it up.
"Take this down to the fourth ship in the harbor, the captain should take you anywhere you'd like to go if you show him these."
Hideo passed the lotus tile and the note back to the young teen.
Zuko nodded. "Where should I take him- my uncle?"
He was met with a steely green eyed gaze. "That, is up to you."
Hideo seemed to be done with the younger man, walking him to the door.
Zuko, on the other hand, wasn't finished.
He had so many questions- and he wanted answers to them. Zuko was desperate enough he'd even settle for some of his uncle's wisdom...although that wisdom never seemed to clearly answer any of the pressing questions he had.
"What about the Painted Lady? I heard soldiers talking about her."
Hideo had opened the door, now guiding Zuko out with his hand pressed on his shoulder.
"Unless you know of another healer," he said, as Zuko stumbled out onto the porch. "I'd say she's your best shot."
And just like that, Hideo shut the door in the young man's face.
~0~
On her seventh night of being the Painted Lady, Katara had just left the factory, a pack full of medicine on her back. She'd left three men frozen to the chain link fence behind her.
Interaction with the soldiers was definitely not ideal, but they had grown privy to her usual route. They'd even attempted to move their storage locations to make it more difficult on her, but they didn't exactly have many options.
Katara descended down the steep ravine, having found a new way to bend the water up onto the rocks and carry her down with more ease then walking.
Summoning the fog around her, she began her journey across the water, humming to herself.
When Katara had reached the midway point of the river, she noticed something. Two dark blobs stuck out on the horizon, right next to Docks' dock.
Curiously, she hovered over to it, pulling more fog around her body and sending some towards the dock.
What was it?
As she grew closer, the blobs moved and she frowned. Another large object, which she guessed was a rock, was situated just off the wood and on the grass.
She came to a stop, squinting through the veil.
Suddenly, one of the things grew taller and she realized it must be two people.
The figure came to the edge of the dock and called out to her.
"Please! You have to help him!"
The scratchy voice met her ears and she felt a tickle of recognition in the back of her mind.
Why did this person sound...familiar?
Hesitantly, she came a bit closer, and it was then she could see him, in the moonlight.
There Zuko stood, hair wild, eyes tired, clothes in near tatters. His scar was a stark contrast to his pale face, nearly blending in with his hair.
Katara tucked her chin down, using the hat to block her face.
A barrage of thoughts hit her mind, and the girl struggled to make a decision.
Iroh had always been kind to her and the others, and he had teamed up with Aang to rescue them...
The fight at Ba Sing Se came back to her mind and she recalled how Iroh pushed Aang aside to save his life.
If it wasn't for Iroh, Aang wouldn't have survived. A small voice said. And if it wasn't for Zuko attacking his sister, Iroh wouldn't have been freed. You need to help them...
"Please!"
Zuko cries pulled her attention back to what she assumed was Iroh's body laying on the ground.
"Give me some room," she said, making her voice sound deeper and mature.
Zuko stared at her in obvious awe as she approached, hovering over the water to the shoreline. He stayed on the dock, fidgeting anxiously.
Turning her back to the prince, she knelt at the ground next to Iroh. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only one on the ground, as a sleepy looking ostrich horse laid a few feet away.
Ah, an ostrich horse…I wonder where they came from…
She uncapped the water skin at her side and pulled the water from it. Cloaking her hands in the liquid, the soft blue glow cast shadows over Iroh's sickly and tired looking face.
Katara slowly moved her hands over his body, searching for signs of distress in his chi and in his body. Iroh seemed to be asleep, if not passed out, yet she could feel his life force clinging on for dear life.
She hovered over his arms, trying to recall what side the lighting would have entered his body. Reaching the forearm, she felt the mass amount of pain and energy swirling just beneath the surface. Concentrating, she began to heal the wound the rest of the way, before following his arm up to his shoulder, gently moving his chi.
Once she'd reached his shoulder, she felt more damage in the muscle fibers and the soft tissues around it. Hints of what she could only assume was arthritis lingered in the joints.
Katara continued her process, moving around his upper body, feeling bits of damage from old age and angry clumps of chi and energy.
When she reached his lungs, she felt some sort of buildup. She wasn't sure what it was at first, but after a slight jerk of her right hand, water came out of his mouth with a cough.
Rustling came from behind her, and she feared Zuko had came closer with his uncle's cough.
Using the same hand, Katara flicked her wrist, concentrating on the ground behind her.
Sure enough, the thin patch of ice she'd bent came into contact with Zuko's stride. He fell to the ground with a dull thud and a groan.
"I told you to give me space." She murmured, still keeping her voice low.
"Owww," Zuko retorted. "What are you doing to him?"
Katara expelled the water from her hands, pulling more up from the waterskin.
She felt the last of the water come out and she continued her healing, knowing that one session would not fix everything.
~0~
Zuko grunted as he hit the ground, slipping on a patch of ice.
That hadn't been there before!
"I told you to give me space," the Painted Lady said, not evening turning around.
Zuko stared hard at her back.
Small stripes on her shoulders peeked out from behind the veiled hat and dress.
Zuko found himself curious about the spirit, as in the dim moonlight he could only see her in black and white.
What color was her dress? What did she look like?
Fog swirled around her eerily, the blue glow illuminating the fog and the outline of her figure.
"What are you doing to him?" He asked, gingerly picking himself up off the ice.
The spirit said nothing, simply continued whatever it was she was doing.
Zuko debating trying to get a better look but eventually decided against it, not wanting to chase the spirit away.
A few more seconds passed and he clenched his jaw.
"Spirit!"
The Painted Lady stiffened slightly at the tone. Zuko almost didn't notice the motion beneath the swathes of fabric and thin layer of fog, yet it still was there.
"He has much damage," she replied cooly. "I cannot heal everything now, but I can take away some of his pain."
Zuko sighed heavily, wishing she would be able to make Iroh feel brand new, just like that. Slumping to the ground, he leaned against a pillar of the dock, waiting.
After a few minutes, the spirit stood up and seemingly hovered back over to the water.
Fog swirled around her and moved away from where she had been near his uncle.
Iroh groaned slightly, causing Zuko to scramble to his feet.
"Go to him," she said and Zuko cast her one last glance before rushing over to him.
Iroh's eyes blinked open, staring around in confusion.
"N-nephew?"
"Uncle," he replied, kneeling at his side. "How are you feeling?"
Iroh could just barely see the Painted Lady hovering above the water, moonlight illuminating her.
"Much better," Iroh took a deep breath and was relieved to find most of the pain was now gone. "Thanks to our new friend."
Zuko turned back to look at the Painted Lady.
The veil billowed in a sudden gust of wind, causing stray strands of dark brown hair to come free and flap in the breeze. The dress flowed behind her, the moonlight barely illuminating her through the fog.
Zuko could barely see the hair beneath the veil, yet he knew it was there, shining back at him in the moonlight.
Getting to his feet, he went over to the edge of the dock, still staring at her.
"Thank you, Painted Lady."
She simply inclined her head before saying, "All I ask is that you help the citizens of the river in return."
Light blue eyes sparkled from behind the veil, framed with dark lashes.
Zuko glanced back at his uncle.
He still hadn't yet decided what his path would be, now that they were considered to have committed treason against the Fire Nation. Not that they even had the time to think about that, as Zuko was more preoccupied with getting himself and his uncle to safety.
The Painted Lady watched curiously at the two's interaction.
Little did Zuko know that Katara was still wondering about Zuko's stance on the war. She wondered if he truly had changed sides.
Iroh pushed himself up slightly, favoring his injured side. He too wanted to get a better look at this spirit.
"We can do that, can't we, Zuko?"
His uncle squinted at the feminine figure hovering over the water. Fog continued to hover in the air around her, and it traveled a good distance behind her. The moonlight reflected off her arms, which seemed to be the only part of her skin that wasn't blocked by the veil or the dress, and he could see triangles leading up the back of her upper arm.
Something about her seemed...off to Iroh. He hadn't interacted with spirits in quite some time, yet he knew something was different about this one.
He'd spoken to the White Lotus members about her that day in the previous village, yet even they were not quite sure if she was the real deal.
Zuko tore his eyes away from the fog that floated behind her and instead looked at her.
He bowed slightly. "Thank you."
Though Zuko couldn't clearly see her face, he knew she was staring at him.
The spirit slowly backed up into the fog, disappearing without a trace.
~0~
Once the fog enveloped her body, she rubbed her temples.
Zuko and Iroh being here could cause trouble, and she wasn't done yet. She wanted to do more for the villagers before moving on.
Reaching the wood platform near room, Katara bent water up and over the wood, before expelling it from beneath her, leaving feet on solid ground.
Katara made her stealthy journey over to Pu's healing hut, where the few sick folks remained.
She emptied her bag, laying the medicinal supplies on Pu's table. She cast a wary glance around the room, her eyes lingering for a few moments on the few sleeping forms of the people.
Fatigue ebbed at her consciousness, and the girl knew Iroh's healing had taken more out of her then she probably should have let it.
Slipping out of the hut and heading back towards her own room, she eventually slipped under the shadow of the shop. Once she was back inside her room, she stripped her disguise and sat down on a crate, deep in thought.
How had Zuko- and Iroh- managed to make it all this way? How had they found her? Katara frowned, trying to think, but she did not quite understand the impact she was making.
This new appearance of a spirit, especially one doing so much good, created more waves then she could possibly know.
Katara pulled water out of her water skin, moistening a small cloth with it. She wiped at her face and arms, removing the reddish-purple markings.
In fact, news of the Painted Lady's return would spread far beyond the merchant port. Countless towns along the Jang Hui river, and other rivers as far as the Earth Kingdom would soon begin to idolize her, hoping she would come to them and heal their sick.
Little did she know, her presence and future as the Painted Lady would bring back a far more infamous yet righteous spirit that hadn't surfaced for quite some time.
The fatigue she'd felt earlier had now creeped onto her face, eye struggling to stay open.
Moving to her bedroll, she pressed her face against the pillow, eyes searching the dark for the answers she was looking for.
Yeah… Katara thought. Tonight definitely didn't go as planned. Those three soldiers interacting with me is going to be bad news.
