Chap. 2

Zuko's New Friend

The streets of Ba Sing Se bustled with activity. People moved through it in amazing numbers, as they looked through shops, or met friends for lunch, or simply walked around looking for something to do. It was here that the whistling form of a man dressed in silver, with cape and cap walked.

Trueno, the ram-Knight of Thunder, moved through the streets with practiced grace, his happy-go-lucky nature at ease here. The ram had lived in many cities over his centuries of life; he knew how to move around quite well, and he was rather pleased to be in such a large group of people. Though he was normally a rather happy individual as a rule, Trueno was always happiest mixing with a large group, especially one made of strangers. It was likely this trait that had allowed him to survive within the tightly knit Knights for so long. It was also what allowed the ram to cheerfully say hello to all that passed him, and let him compliment merchants on the quality of their wares. Granted, most people were happy to speak with him; a chosen of the gods has a rather hard time keeping his identity secret, especially when he is an animal-human hybrid and dressed in silver clothes. Yet Trueno's personality allowed him to keep a good mood.

And at the moment, it had another good trait- keeping him in a good mood even though he was slightly lost. Now let's see. He thought as he looked over the streets. Zuko said his job was by the silverware shop and the instrument place. Did I pass those already? God, I hope not. But despite his situation, Trueno refused to allow himself to worry. The ram had decided many years ago that worrying about something never let anyone accomplish anything and just made everything seem worse then it was. Trueno applied this belief to everything in his life; even the situation with the Dai Li didn't weigh on him as heavily as it did the others. While Trueno certainly took it seriously and had put forth many ideas to solve the problem, he was also confident that they could put forth an effective solution in time. It was an attitude that the others had both appreciated and been annoyed by, which was quite common for the ram.

Ah well, Desierto is never happy anyway. Besides, Oscuridad told him not to rip my guts out anymore. The ram thought as he continued to walk the streets. As he thought a it more on the situation, the ram then noticed a stand in front of him, one who's products glinted in the sunlight. "Silverware. Oh good, I am on the right track." Trueno said, as he noticed another stand nearby that was filled with lutes. Looking past that, Trueno then saw a small, squat building from which the smell of ginseng emanated. "That's gotta be it." The ram said, as he made his way to the teashop.

Reaching the shop quickly, Trueno pushed open the door and walked inside. Nodding his hello to the people in the shop, he quickly began to look for Zuko. He saw the young Firebender a second later, clearing a nearby table.

"Hey Lee, how goes the day?" the ram asked, remembering to stick to the boy's alibi. Zuko started a little, but quickly regained his composure.

"Fine, actually." He said, as he finished clearing the table. "What brings you here?"

"Your uncle and my sister." Trueno answered. "We're out of jasmine again."

"What? I just gave Uncle some more two days ago!" Zuko cried out in astonishment.

"He goes through it fast. Plus we're here to help him now." Trueno said with a shrug.

Zuko sighed, but moved to the back of the store, where the counter was. Walking behind it, Zuko reached into one of the many shelves on the wall and withdrew a pouch of leaves. Grabbing a small leather bag from under the counter, Zuko filled it with jasmine leaves and handed it to Trueno.

"Four silver with employee discount right?" the ram asked, as he reached into his moneybag and withdrew the coins that Hierro had provided. Zuko nodded, took the money, and placed it under the countertop.

"Do me a favor." Zuko said, as he put the money away. "Tell Uncle that we're low on jasmine and we won't get more for another week."

"Right. Do you have more though?" Trueno asked.

Zuko nodded, but before he could elaborate, his eyes suddenly went wide and he started to move away from the counter. Confused, Trueno turned around; only to see a young girl about Zuko's age with brown eyes stand before him. She was dressed in a simple green robe, with her dark brown hair tied into pigtails. Still, Trueno noticed her face most of all. Pretty girl. Trueno thought as he asked, "Can I help you?"

"Oh, um, maybe." The girl replied nervously. "This'll probably sound stupid, but um… are you one of the Elementals?"

"My, how'd you guess?" Trueno asked, as he ran his fingers over his curling horns. The girl giggled a bit at that, as Trueno smiled and said, "Yes I am. My name is Trueno. And you are?"

"My name's Jin."

"Then the pleasure is mine, milady." The ram said, as he gently took the girl's hand and kissed it. Again, Jin giggled and withdrew her hand. Trueno grinned, only to hear a loud cough from behind him.

"Oh I'm sorry Jin." Trueno said, as he turned around. "This is my friend Lee. We've known each for a long while."

"We've already met." Jin said quickly, as she looked over at Zuko and said, "Lee, you didn't tell me you were friends with an Elemental."

"I-I didn't get a chance to." Zuko stammered.

"Wait, do you two know each other?" Trueno asked.

"Yeah, I've been coming here for a while, and we've talked a bit." Jin said. "We even went out last week."

"Oh really?" Trueno said, looking over Zuko, who instantly looked away. But the ram already had his answer; he remembered Zuko saying that he'd had to work late last week, and how Iroh had left to help him. I'll bet the old man set them up. The ram thought as he looked over at the two of them.

"Lee, I spent most of last week thinking about what happened…" Jin began, but Zuko cut her off.

"Yeah, about that Jin, I'm sorry I ran off. It's just… well…. It was really complicated."

"It didn't seem that way to me." Jin said coldly.

Zuko began to stammer again, as he tried to explain. "I-It's just…. I-I had…. This girl in the circus….. and it was just too soon."

Jin didn't seem convinced though. Thankfully, Trueno came to the aid of his friend. "Lee, I told you it might be too soon after Lokia. But I guess you know now, don't you?"

"Lokia?" Jin asked in surprise.

"She was this acrobat in the circus." Trueno said, his quick thinking mind picking up on the bits and pieces he'd gotten from the conversation. "They had a deep relationship before he left to come here. When I ran into him a few days ago, he said that he was trying to move on, but it was very hard for him. But if he hurt you Jin, I'm sure he's sorry."

At that, Jin's face softened a bit and said, "Well, I guess if an Elemental will vouch for you…."

"I swear Jin, I didn't want to hurt you." Zuko pleaded. "I'm just… struggling with a lot of things right now and well….."

"It's ok. If I went too fast for you, then we can change things." Jin said. "Maybe we can try again?"

"Actually, I think I can help you with that." Trueno said. "Lee's been staying with me and my friends while we're in the city. One of them happens to be an excellent chef; it'd be crowded, but it's a step in the right direction."

"That sounds great." Jin said. "Besides, I'd like to hear a few stories about Lee the circus juggler."

"Oh I can tell you plenty." Trueno said with a laugh. "I taught this boy everything he knows."

"If that's the case, I think he needs a refresher course." Jin said with a laugh.

"Boy, have you forgotten everything I taught you?" Trueno said to Zuko. But the boy was merely looking at the ceiling, as if he was angrily venting at some higher power for the current state of affairs.

"Well, I'll have to show you again." The ram said, as he picked up three empty teacups from a nearby table. Holding them in his hands, Trueno threw them in the air and began to effortlessly juggle. Jin smiled as she watched and applauded the ram.

"Watch this." Trueno said, as he threw the cups up high, then pulled one arm back and began to juggle the cups one-handed. Jin applauded even more, as did the other patrons of the ship. Seeing an audience, Trueno decided it was time for the finale. Throwing the cups up high once again, Trueno suddenly flipped backwards and landed on the counter, balancing on one hand. Holding out his other hand, the ram continued to juggle the cups.

This last trick brought tremendous applause from everyone in the shop, as Trueno caught each cup, placed it down on the counter, and then fell back onto his feet.

"Like I said, everything he knows." The ram said with a bow.

"I'd say he had a great teacher then." Jin said with a laugh. "So how should I get to your house?"

"Meet Lee here around sundown; he'll take you there. I'm afraid I can't tell you what kind of food there'll be though."

"Don't worry, I like everything. See you then." Jin said, as she turned and walked out of the shop. Trueno waved goodbye, then turned to Zuko, who was staring at him with a frozen expression of shock and disbelief. Nonplussed, Trueno looked at his friend and asked, "So what happened with you two, anyway?"