Previously…

"Sokka's plans always manage to work themselves out."

Katara tore her gaze away from the young man. She'd gotten him to stop pacing at least, and he seemed to have calmed down to where he was at least logical.

"Where would she take him?" Katara asked. The ship had disappeared behind the mountainous island that sat in the middle of the river. "Iroh, I mean."

Zuko stared at the empty stretch of water and sky, where the boat once sat. "The prison northwest of the city, probably. Less chance of idol gossip that way. That, and my father will want to keep him close. He won't underestimate him again."

Katara went over to Akira once more, placing her hand on her forehead, feeling her chi and life force beneath the surface. She was asleep. Her leg seemed to be slightly injured, but nothing serious.

A few villagers were coming down the beach, most likely to check on them.

She looked to Zuko. "Let's go get him then. Not like I'm not headed that way anyways."

Zuko's expression was unreadable. Katara thought she saw a flicker of relief, but it vanished as quick as it appeared.


"You want to travel with me?" He asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't trust me."

She hesitated.

Did she?

Trust Zuko?

Their encounters flicked through her mind. The North Pole, their spat with the pirates, and so many other instances.

But…he seemed to have turned over a new leaf. Or, he at least acted like he did…

Katara had no way of being completely sure, but Zuko had stepped in to help her three times now, if she counted Ba Sing Se. How many more times would he have to prove himself changed before she could trust him?

Now you're asking the right questions, Katara, her Gran Gran would say.

And Iroh too, probably. That thought brought a small amount of despair to her thoughts. Poor man.

Wait, why was that even his main concern, anyways? She wondered.

Shouldn't he be more concerned with him actions helping the Avatar - helping Aang?

The villagers grew closer, their anxious chatter between them growing audible.

"I didn't," she gnawed her lip at the past tense of the word. The thought nagged at her once more. "Why are you more worried about that then helping the Avatar?"

His gaze drew her eyes in, to his face, to his own sparkling amber eyes. To the scar that marred the side of his face- the thing that was rumored to have started it all.

She briefly wondered if it was true. He'd mentioned before Lee and the villagers kicked him out, they'd yelled insults his way, about his father, about his banishment.

His eyes willed her to continue.

"Helping me is helping Aang."

Noa, one of the villagers she'd recalled delivering clothing to on her first day, reached them. Two men flanked him, staying back when they noticed Katara speaking rather adamantly to her companion.

"Akira," he hurried over to the woman. "Is she okay?"

Katara sent him a sympathetic glance before looking back to Zuko. She folded her arms across her red tank.

"I healed the majority of the damage. Can you take her home, Noa?"

Another sidelong glance. The man bobbed his head in agreement before hauling her up into his arms. He took one long look to the young pair, clearly in discussion, before leaving.

"I want to travel with you because it's safer. I had too many close calls my first week alone."

Zuko folded his arms at that, mirroring her position. He remained silent.

"Besides, I'm not sure where Aang is going. If anyone can track him, its you. I'd bet money that you're going that way anyways- for Iroh - so why don't we just travel together?" She paused a beat. "You owe me that much."

Katara's conscious flared guiltily at the mention of him owing her for healing Iroh.

That hadn't been why she did what she did as the Painted Lady. At all.

She didn't mean it, not completely, but she'd thought that it would perhaps nudge him in the right direction.

In her direction.

"Fine."

Her lips twitched upwards into a relieved smile before she pressed them together, not wanting to show the relief. She instead nodded, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"When do we leave?"

~0~

If Zuko had any further qualms about their arrangement, he didn't show it. They'd went back to the village, only to quickly gather up their belongings to ride back across the river to the west. Katara protested at first, her mind and body aching from the exertion of the very very long day she'd had. But Zuko had simply stared at her, picking up a bag of food and sticking it out to her.

"The longer we stay here, the longer we put these people in unnecessary danger." He rasped.

She hoisted up her bedroll and bag of belongings to her shoulder before taking the proffered food with a sigh.

"I still want to know why, Zuko," she told him. "Eventually, you're going to have to tell me. If you do want to help, I mean."

Dock - or maybe it had been this 'new' brother Bushi - the one that claimed liked cleaning rivers, silently escorted them the across the river.

By the time they'd reached the western shore, the moon was high in the sky. It had to be near midnight, if it wasn't already. The once sullen landscape gleamed brighter under the night sky, the clear water like a mirror to the moon's light. The edge of the forest was illuminated under the reflection, the tall trees seemingly outlined by all the darkness behind them.

"Thank you," he smiled softly to the pair as they disembarked. "Be safe in your travels."

Katara held the man's gaze for a heartbeat, offering him a grin in return.

"C'mon," Zuko murmured to his new traveling companion. "The quicker we put distance between us and them, the quicker we get to sleep."

She made herself turn away, looking to the silty ground and then to Zuko, who too had been looking at Dock/Bushi/Xu. Whatever thought that had Zuko staring at the man - and past him, back towards the village - seemed to drift away with Dock, as Zuko turned to begin their journey.

Katara silently followed him up the ravine, bending whatever remaining water out of her clothes and shoes.

She didn't need to add gnarly blisters to the list of her ailments.

She offered the same luxury to Zuko, who simply had paused mid stride to look down to his pant cuffs and feet. He glanced back over his shoulder to the girl, offering her a nod of thanks.

They took their time at first, cautiously picking their way through the dark wood. It seemed to grow quieter as they advanced deeper, the trickle of the river no longer present in the background - something Katara hadn't realized she was so used to hearing until it was gone. The crickets occasionally sang from their homes in the brush. Their song was the only real distraction from Katara's thoughts of what else could be in the brush, as the only other noise she really noticed was the occasional snap of a small twig from somewhere nearby in the darkness.

The forest was dotted with massive pines, the tall trees stretching so high towards the stars that Katara briefly wondered amidst her aches how old they could be.

"Iroh said the trees could be as old as benders themselves."

"Oh," she breathed in return.

Had she wondered that aloud?

Large moss smattered boulders and even larger patches of underbrush speckled the landscape ahead, the shapes barely distinguishable in the dim light. Her eyes fought to focus on the terrain ahead, fought to stay open. Katara didn't think she'd been this tired since they'd stayed up all night fleeing from Azula with her friends. Moss grew up a few smaller tree trucks, like sleeping bags around their brown torsos.

Sleep…she sighed at the thought.

She slowed, coming across a familiar bush. It was the type of bush she'd discovered a few weeks before, dotted with those familiar purplish red berries.

Her face paint, but also, food.

Katara stopped before the bush, haphazardly pulling off two limb's worth of berries and slipping them into her extra neckerchief. Zuko was beginning to disappear in the distance. He didn't seem to even realize her absence, having been more than a few strides ahead of her the entire time.

Sighing, she pushed herself faster down their makeshift trail, her limbs screeching at the exertion. Eventually she had returned to her place behind the young man. If Zuko had realized she'd stopped, he made no indication; though Katara wondered if he'd slowed his pace just enough for her to be able to catch up.

They fell back into their steady rhythmic journey for a few more minutes. Her mind had checked out for the day by then, her limbs somehow carrying her tired body through the dark.

Katara suddenly smacked into something warm and hard. She winced, stepping back in the dim light. Zuko turned around, raising his good brow at her. His face seemed to lighten at the sight of her face.

"Sorry," she squeaked, briefly wondering how haggard she must look for her to not even earn some sort of growled retort from Zuko.

"We'll stop here for the night." Was all he said before unceremoniously dropping his bags to the earth.

She blew out a puff of air, dropping her bags next to his.

"Ooohh." She fluffed her bedroll unceremoniously to the ground, barely paying attention to make sure there wasn't any pebbles beneath it. "Sleep."

She was in her bed, eyes closed before Zuko even had to time to clear himself out a patch. After a few movements to get off her wounded arm and scoot pebbles out from beneath her, she felt herself begin to drift to sleep.

"Are you not hungry?"

Zuko's voice rumbled, the rasp being the only thing that seemed to stimulate her mind from slipping into unconsciousness.

"Nnngh," her hand poked out of the blankets, waving dismissively. "Eat in the morning."

She could have sworn she heard him snicker in response.

~0~

Katara's eyes crackled blearily open, the sunlight and crackle of a fire having pulled her from her slumber.

She forgot how much she hated mornings. Being awoken by the bright sun in your face was the worst.

Just another thing she'd have to thank Akira for, if she got to see her again.

A roof over her head.

Her vision focused once the layer of sleep worked itself out of her eyes.

The sun was midway in the morning sky, illuminating the landscape around her. It was something she'd not paid much attention to in the wee hours. They were situated in a small clearing, the massive trees and underbrush lightening up to give them a patch just large enough for them to stretch out with some personal space.

And, Katara noted, not get poked in the face by stray foliage.

The fire crackled again, drawing her attention to the figure kneeling over it, fiddling with a pot.

"Morning," Katara mumbled, curiously peering at Zuko's back.

Her stomach rumbled at the sheer sight of the pot being placed over the fire.

"Morning," Zuko hummed gruffly in response, barely glancing over his shoulder. He looked more awake then she thought he should.

Maybe its a firebender thing, rising with the sun, she mused to herself. Must be nice.

Fabric rustled from behind Zuko, who was desperately trying to recall how his uncle set up their camp fires to cook.

"Here," Katara offered, suddenly beside Zuko. Her hand reached out to take the pot from him. Their arms brushed slightly at the contact, moving away quickly, nervously. "You have to put it over the part of the fire that's a bit older, so it gets even heat." She continued, picking up a long twig to poke at the logs.

"Thanks," Zuko offered, moving out of her way.

The timber shifted, sending embers up into the sky with a rush. She stoked the fire until she was satisfied.

Katara leaned back, sitting on her heels.

"I don't mind cooking," she said, the silence an anomaly.

Between Sokka and Aang, she didn't know who jabbered more. Toph, thankfully, would help her corral the two most days - and keep them from driving the girls absolutely insane.

Zuko eyed her hesitantly for a moment. "All right."

The communication eased Katara's nerves slightly, but not enough to make her stop talking.

"I'm the only one that cooks and cleans," she bent a stream of water out of her water skin, filling the pot slightly. "I wonder how they're getting on without me…"

Trailing off, she send Zuko a thankful nod as he pushed chopped up potato and seasoning into the pot. She swirled the contents around with her bending.

"It sounds like you're their mother." He said after putting the lid onto the pot.

Zuko smirked at her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

In a way, she kind of was. She'd never really looked at it that way before.

She held his gaze, thinking about what she said. Shrugging in response, she added. "My mom died when I was young, remember? I guess it always has been second nature to try and fill that role for my brother…"

They finished cooking and ate their seasoned potatoes and jerky, neither saying anything further.

~0~

A handful of hours later, Zuko and Katara slowed to a stop. The ocean swelled peacefully ahead of them, signifying the end of their island.

The eastern side of the Fire Nation was comprised of six smaller islands leading towards the massive main continent, Zuko had said earlier that morning.

Katara had sensed their approach on the ocean earlier that day, the great body of water calling to her like sirens sung to sailors.

They both slowed to a stop, staring out across the deep blue water. The next island was nowhere in sight and Katara sighed.

How could they make it to the next island, and then to the island after that…etc…?

"We need a boat," Zuko said, mirroring the waterbenders growing frustration.

"Yeah," Katara drawled. "I can bend water, but I can't bend that much water."

Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes.

A port sat in the distance to the north.

"Wouldn't expect you to." He gestured to the port in the distance. "Let's see if they're able to help us out."

As they followed the rock-sand mixture down the shores, Katara pulled the bag of coins she'd taken from the factory out of her bag.

"This could help," her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I don't think Mung will miss it too bad."

Zuko furrowed his brows at the pouch. "How much is there?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. Handful of gold, couple silvers, maybe a few coppers."

"So, not enough for a boat." He deadpanned.

Katara stuffed it back into her bag with a tight lipped expression. "No…guess not. But hey, at least we won't starve."

The town grew closer and closer.

"Hey, I could always don my Painted Lady get up and-"

"Steal one?" Zuko cut in. "Very Painted Lady of you, Katara."

She rolled her eyes. "I was going to say," she jokingly glared at Zuko. "Before I was so rudely interrupted, I could perhaps work some waterbending magic and convince one of the dock masters to loan us a ship."

Zuko stepped up onto the dirt-carved step as they reached the village. "But why would she need a boat? She's a spirit."

Katara grumbled beneath her breath, following him up the stairs.

Their banter flowed easily as a brook, she thought. Zuko was by no means as friendly to her as Aang - and maybe just a tad more polite then Toph - but she appreciated his ability to retort back in a way that was a bit different than her brother or Aang.

The port was almost the size of Akira's village. The western border of the town was dotted with ships and massive docks, enough for half a dozen ships. The wood, a deep brown, was the same color of the massive trees that filled the forest they'd left behind. A line of steel warehouses sat in front of their corresponding docks. The pair ventured up behind said warehouses and began walking down the narrow alleyway, taking a path that led deeper into the village.

As they advanced in, Katara noticed that the shopping district of the town seemed to be closer to the southern side. Multiple shops selling a wide variety of goods and services dotted the town's street. Vendors seemed to sell anything from food, trinkets, housewares and even weapons.

The port-village was surprisingly well kept for its small size, the shops and vendors well developed enough to rival those in Ba Sing Se.

A small restaurant sat beside a grocery store. The smell of warm food drifted to Katara's nose on the breeze. Her stomach ached, having worked through their breakfast long ago.

She glanced to Zuko, trying to perhaps grab his eye, but he too seemed interested in their surroundings. Though, Katara wasn't sure if it was the scenery he was looking at, or the myriad of sailors, vendors and villagers that milled about.

"Zu-" she tugged his sleeve, suddenly remembering his fake name. "Lee."

His head jerked down to his left side, where Katara peered up at him.

He was jumpy. So it was the latter he was worried about.

"Want to stop and get lunch?" She gestured to the restaurant across the way, invitingly decorated with a myriad of plants and deep red and gold decor.

His eyes flicked to the new group of men shuffling by them.

"Sure," he replied huskily.

The group of men laughed at something, eyeing the brunette next to him.

Katara nervously inched closer to Zuko, who in turn, threw his arm around her shoulders as if it was second nature. She stiffened at his touch for a heartbeat, before allowing herself to relax into it. He ushered her towards the restaurant, sending daggers with his eyes at anyone who dared look their way.

"I don't like the way these people are looking at us," he murmured, leaning down to her ear. "We need to eat and find a way out of here."

His warm presence, probably influenced by his bending, trickled across her shoulders beneath his arm. To her surprise, his presence that once unnerved her now comforted her, like a warm blanket.

She looked up at him and nodded, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know.

She was just as on edge as he was, now that she'd noticed the raunchy and generally suspicious temperament of many of the natives.

Chiding herself for getting distracted by her first large Fire Nation city, she made note to ensure that it wouldn't happen again.

She'd traveled all over the world, shouldn't she have known better by now?

The pair casually sauntered into the restaurant, not wanting to give away their nervousness, taking a seat in a booth in the far corner of the restaurant.

Zuko had slid into the back booth before Katara could, wanting to have his eyes on the entrance.

Katara slid into the open seat, feeling the curious gaze of the patrons on her back. She looked around as if studying the artwork, trying to see who all was in the room that could cause trouble. A foot nudged her own beneath the table and she startled.

"Relax," he hissed, pulling his foot back. "I won't let anyone bother us."

The smell of baked bread and spicy food drifted from the kitchen, following the two waiters that exited.

A middle aged waiter approached their table a second later, forcing Katara to plaster a friendly smile on her face.

"Good afternoon," he greeted. "My name is Aiko."

Two menus slid across the wooden table.

"I'll give you two a few minutes to look at our menus. Would you like anything to drink? Tea? Perhaps some water?"

Zuko, who'd been staring at something past the server, flicked his eyes to the shorter bearded man - Aiko. "We'll have water."

Katara nodded in agreement, picking up a menu.

Aiko regarded her for a second before curtly nodding, leaving the two to decide on their food.

They ordered their food and ate, forcing themselves to converse about random topics as to not appear as tense as they felt. The meal was hearty, both having ordered some sort of sandwich, loaded with meats, cheeses, vegetables and topped with a spicy sauce. Katara slipped three silver coins out of her pouch to leave on the table before they left.

Zuko's arm was casually slung across her shoulder once again as they strolled out of the building.

"Relax, Katara," he murmured down to her. "They're more likely to leave you alone if they think you're my girlfriend."

Her cheeks burned and she tucked her chin to hide the redness from the boy.

He's probably right, she thought to herself.

Her darker then most complexion made her stick out like a sore thumb already and she really didn't want any of the leery men to get any bright ideas. There was no telling what sorts of ill-tended folks were out there.

"You have a sword strapped to your back," she said softly. "Shouldn't that make them leave us both alone?"

They strolled past a few more shops when she felt his arm shift, tensing slightly.

"I think we're being followed," he said through gritted teeth. "Laugh like you're clueless."

Katara gaped up at him. Zuko drummed his fingers expectantly on her shoulder and she forced a grin to her face, chuckling stiffly.

A larger group of people walked towards them and Zuko led her through the crowd before darting back to the left, down an alleyway between two of the warehouses.

His arm slid off her shoulder, briefly brushing against her injury. She hissed in pain, grabbing onto Zuko's proffered warm hand as he pulled her down the path. They made it about halfway before she squeezed his hand, getting him to stop. A bulletin board was positioned on one of the buildings, filled with advertisements and wanted posters. Her own face stared back at her.

Zuko ripped off the poster of her off, crumpling it up and tossing into a nearby barrel.

"What made you think we were being followed?" Katara asked, watching the paper disappear into the opening.

He stared in the direction they came from. "There was a younger man at the restaurant. He left right before we did. He was just…paying too much attention."

"Do you think he recognized one of us?" She gestured to the posters.

Zuko shrugged.

Behind her face had been one poster of the Blue Spirit and another of Zuko and Iroh.

"The Blue Spirit," she breathed. "Have you heard of him?"

Zuko's face remained carefully blank. "Isn't he that vigilante?"

Katara nodded, thinking back to their encounter at the factory.

"He helped me destroy the factory- er, well, helped the Painted Lady. He's a master swordsmen."

Something flicked across Zuko's face, slow enough for Katara to catch it, but too quick for her to comprehend what it meant. Instead of speaking, he simply pulled down his own poster.

Katara stared at the masked man's poster for a moment before ripping it down, too.

"What happened to your arm?" He asked, feigning cluelessness. "I'm surprised you didn't heal it."

She chewed her lip. "Uh, I got hit by a throwing knife at the factory. My healing doesn't work on it."

Zuko thought back to his and Iroh's conversation about the injury, before he knew the Painted Lady was Katara.

They continued down towards the shipyard.

"How are you feeling?"

A sidelong glance. "Why?"

"Fire nation metalworkers often times will dip their knives in mercury."

"Mercury?" She echoed.

"It causes hallucinations and death in large quantities-"

The blood drained out of Katara's face.

"But in smaller quantities, it can cause slowed healing and compromised immune systems."

"Spirits," Katara groaned. "Don't scare me like that."

He snickered. "Sorry."

"What's the plan for getting a boat?" She asked, the shipyard now in full view. The Fire Nation vessels loomed ahead, each varying in size and built. At one end sat two massive Fire Nation cruisers, the pointy bows of the ships slicing through the sky menacingly. The metal hull glinted in the midday sun and Katara found herself grateful that those two ships were at the far end of the dock. A variety of other ships were docked down the line, some primarily wooden, others a wood-metal mix. The ship at the last dock, however, sent a chill up Katara's back.

It was one of the smaller vessels on the coast, though it was easily the most familiar.

The ship was near identical to Zuko's.

The one he'd followed Appa on for so many weeks.

Zuko seemed shocked by the sight of it too, recalling how Zhao had enlisted pirates to destroy his ship.

"Is that-?" Katara started.

"No," Zuko shook his head. "Couldn't be. Zhao destroyed it. It-It must just be a sister ship. Old like my ship was."

"Could we afford that?"

He shrugged. "Depends."

The bow of the older and smaller cruiser was squared off like a ferry, unlike the new cruisers on the other end of the yard. No one seemed to be on board, at least that they could see. The warehouse in front of it was silent as well.

"She's a beaut, ain't she!" A scratchy older voice said from behind them.

Zuko turned around to see the owner of the voice. It was an older man, perhaps in his 40's. His bald head gleamed in the sunlight, a stark contrast from his bushy eyebrows. The only other hair he seemed to have on his face was the long mustache that jutted down past his chin.

"She sure is, I've never seen a cruiser like her," Katara smiled politely.

"Ah, that's because a boat like her hasn't been around in almost 80 years! She's an early model of those bad boys," his thumb jerked down to point at the other end of the shipyard.

"She wouldn't happen to be for sale, would she?" She asked, still trying to remain friendly to offset Zuko's generally broody mood.

The man stroked his long mustache, glancing between the two. "For the right price she may be…why? Are you wanting to buy her?"

Zuko stared blankly. "We need a ship to get back to my family in the capital. We, uh," he trailed off.

"Young love," the man crooned. "I remember the days. Not supposed to be together, are you? Or did you meet her elsewhere and they don't know about her yet?"

Katara felt Zuko awkwardly shift from beside her and begin scooting away. She pointedly grabbed his arm, linking her arm through his.

Better to pull on the man's heart strings, she figured.

"Something like that," She cooed and laughter bubbled out of her throat. "That's us! Young love, ain't that right, Lee?" She tilted her head, letting her head rest on the side of his shoulder.

Zuko froze for a split second before a grin spread across his face too.

"Yes sir," he rasped. "Got to get her home to meet my family." He pulled his arm out of Katara's grasp and looped it around her waist, fingers brushing her skin between her cropped tank and flowing pants.

Her skin tingled beneath his touch.

Spirits, why did playing couple make her so nervous!

They weren't a couple, they wouldn't be a couple.

She had nothing to be all weird about. It wasn't like either of them enjoyed the act, Katara reassured herself.

"Well," the man clasped his hands together in front of him. "I'm not the owner of the boat, unfortunately, but I can point you in the direction of who is! He may be willing to part with her, for the right price, of course." He looked both ways down the path before leaning in, as if he was going to tell them a secret. "Truth be told, I don't know why he keeps her. He sits around playing Pai Sho or drinking more then he sails now-a-days. We have plenty of folks that would pay good money for his docking spot."

Pai Sho? Katara thought, briefly wondering if maybe they'd get lucky and he too would know something about the white lotus tile's significance.

"Alright," Katara smiled widely, batting her eyelashes at Zuko. "That sounds great. Right, love?"

Pink washed across Zuko's cheeks at the pet name and the grin on Katara's face only widened.

She actually made him blush!

His fingers dug into her side, one by one, clearly trying to get her to lay off on the couple act. The motion tickled, making Katara squirm slightly in his grasp.

Zuko nodded in agreement, fingers still wiggling into the soft area above Katara's hip bone. She turned and pressed her face into Zuko's neck and chest, trying to hide her chuckles from his unintentional tickle. She snickered a few times, accidentally breathing in the fabric and his own smell.

The young man smelled…different… then what she'd expected.

Not that she'd thought about what he'd smelled like- but she didn't expect him to actually smell like a campfire.

But he did, and in the best way, if it was even possible.

He smelled like burning wood, smoke and somewhat of sweat. Though she didn't find any of it unpleasant.

And she wished she would have.

"Okay then!"

Katara pulled her face away from Zuko, convincing herself to glance up at his expression. She wondered how he felt about her being so close to him.

Did he even realize that he was tickling her?

They held one another gazes for one, two, three heartbeats. Stormy blue stared into liquid gold, each holding something beneath the surface, neither able to divulge what.

Katara glanced away first, blinking rapidly, her cheeks warming.

The man had already walked off, waving at them to join him over at the next dock, presumably his own.

"My name is Kaito. Ren is the gentleman-" he met Katara's eyes. -if you can call him that - that owns the Akagi."

Her head tilted to the side. What did he mean, if you could call him a gentleman?

If Kaito saw her confusion, he didn't elaborate further on the matter.

"Interesting name for a ship," Zuko mused, mostly to himself.

The trio came to a stop outside the entrance of the Kaito's warehouse. "If you head down the alley between my building and Ren's," he gestured down the way, "and take a right, you can usually find him at the tea shop or down at the Red Dragon."

"Thank you Kaito." Zuko offered the bald man a nod.

"Of course," he cheesed at the pretty young girl. "Good luck with the parents." He winked and turned to go into his warehouse.

The door clinked shut and Zuko withdrew his arm. "Young love?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

Katara blushed under Zuko's stare. "What? It was easier to pull on his heart strings."

He shook his head in disbelief.

~0~

After inquiring at the tea shop for Ren, Zuko had been pointed in the direction of the Red Dragon.

"Why was the shopkeeper so surprised we asked about the Red Dragon?" Katara asked as they departed the tea shop. "Is it… some kind of brothel? Aren't those outlawed here too?"

Her nose scrunched up at the idea of having to go into one of those places. She wasn't too savvy on everything that went on at such a place, but she got the gist of it.

Enough to know she didn't want to visit one, at least.

Men and woman alike had tried luring Sokka- as he was the oldest- to come visit such a place.

Thank Spirits Sokka had enough common sense to say no to such an offer, generally being firm enough with the answer where they wouldn't try to be persuasive in their tactics.

Zuko's good eyebrow furrowed alongside his nose. "They're outlawed, but I've found people tend to come up with some convincing work-arounds."

"Can't we just wait until this Ren person comes out of there to see if he wants to sell?" Katara fidgeted, staring down the street at the entrance of the Red Dragon.

It was about the size of the average tavern. The building was two stories tall, one side dominated by two balconies to overlook the bustling streets. The entrance was in the middle, a large crimson door with a brass handle. A few windows dotted the bottom and top floors, outlined in the same dark red as the door and roof.

"Do you really want to be here longer then we absolutely have to?"

"Do you have to answer a question with another question?" Katara retorted, hands on her hips.

Zuko gazed at her with a deadpan expression.

"If you want to go in there and see a bunch of topless girls, go right ahead!" She continued, throwing her hands up.

Passersby peered curiously at the girl fussing at the scarred boy, who stood there, arms crossed, taking it with a glare.

"What are you talking-"

"I'm taking a walk." Katara cut in, shoving her hair out of her face angrily. She needed space. Space from him, space from how he was making her think, just...space.

Spirits, that boy knew just how to get under her skin! Why couldn't he just agree that neither of them needed to go in there - nor were either of them old enough!

He probably wanted to go inside to see the half naked woman. He was male, after all. She sneered before stomping away from Zuko.

Katara had just made it to the start of the Red Dragon when she heard a ruckus come from inside.

The side door on the bottom floor's porch flew open and Katara watched in horror as a humongous man - she assumed some type of bouncer - tossed a much smaller young woman out onto the dirty streets, her body careening over the railing and into the dirt with a thud. The dirt blew up into the air, sending a fine mist of grime over Katara.

She stared down at her clothes with shock.

Just great.

"Hey!" The woman scrambled to her feet. "You still owe me my last check!"

She ran over to the railing, hissing something else to the large man.

The male snorted at her, waving his hand dismissively before shutting the door behind her with a shake of his head.

The woman whipped around with a growl.

"What are you looking at?" She bared her teeth at an older man she'd caught gawking. "You've never seen a working woman before?"

Her brown eyes flicked over to Katara, expression softening at the younger girl.

"Sorry hun," she looked her up and down. "Didn't mean to get dirt all over you. It's all that arse's fault. I don't know why he doesn't know how to treat a lady."

The woman had curled dark hair, her eyes lined with equally dark makeup. Katara figured she couldn't be older then eighteen.

"I'm Augustine," she continued dusting her clothes off.

"June," she said dumbly. "Do-Did you work there?"

Katara's stupor at how absolutely young Augustine was had yet to wear off. She looked to the woman and then back to the building behind her…then back to Augustine.

"For Spirits sake, I'm not some sleazy whore," she pulled a notepad out of her pants pocket, waving it at the girl. "I was a waitress."

"So, that's not a brothel?" Katara squeaked.

Augustine threw her head back with laughter.

"A brothel?" She repeated after her laughter had subsided. "No! No, it's a bar and inn. Though, I suppose I can see how the lines get crossed.

Ren over there thinks just because he owns the place he can fire his best waitress for not putting up with harassment." She jutted her thumb towards the door. "Some of the men get handsy a few drinks in, and I've told them I won't put up with it…and when I don't, they act surprised."

The waterbender raised an eyebrow at the thought of the petite girl holding her own against a drunk older man.

"I'm sorry, did you say Ren?" Katara asked. "I'm actually looking to speak with him. I want to buy his boat."

Augustine stared at the younger girl for a moment before breaking out in laughter for the second time.

"Oh honey, get in line."