I did a thing.

Jinora could barely contain her excitement as she touched down in the harbour. She had done it. She had actually done it. She was out. She was away from home. Away from that prison. Her heart was racing, unable to keep still as she flaunted a giddy smile to no one in particular. It felt like a weight had been lifted on her shoulders. It felt like she was free.

She was free.

Jinora took a moment to lean against the seaside railing, taking in the view of the dimly lit jail standing against the dark horizon beyond. She closed her eyes and stuck up her nose at it as she breathed in deeply. The scent of the salty sea breeze calmed her, the sound of the crashing waves soothed her. It did not take long for the young airbender to settle.

Composed, it quickly became apparent to her how barren the city was in the pre-dawn hours. Save for the sound of the sea, it was remarkable quiet. It was unsettling seeing the city in such a state, as though humanity had suddenly disappeared and she was all that was left. At that moment, she came to the realisation that she stood out standing alone outside. Wanting to avoid looking suspicious to the eyes of anyone who may be watching, she took to the air again.

The view from above only emphasised the desolate feel of Republic City. The streets, usually fill with traffic, were empty, save for the odd automobile or two. Jinora thought it funny how one of the largest culture capitals in the world could feel so empty. But that was fine for her. It worked in her favour. It was now unlikely anyone would look up and spot the young girl gliding above the towering buildings. However, this luxury of not being seen would not last forever.

If she wanted to loiter around the city during the day, she needed to blend in with the crowds. That was unlikely while she still wore her air nomad garb, having nothing to change into before leaving Air Temple Island. She needed to find a change of clothes. The idea was to find a clothes line hanging between two high rise buildings and unceremoniously take some clothes that looked to be her size. The thought of that plan reminded Jinora of just how much Skoochy's personality was rubbing off on her. She could feel the heat rising in her face at this thought, but she quickly shook away the idea as she steeled herself toward the matter at hand.

Clothes. Now.

It didn't take long to find a set of lines hanging high in an alley between two tall apartment buildings. Her keen eyes spotted articles of clothing that looked to be her size. Like an airborne predator, she dived down toward them, snatching them in successive passes like a gust of wind before heading off to review her catch. She settled herself on a nearby rooftop and she plopped her findings onto the ground. She didn't take much, she didn't need to. She found a brown jacket, grey trousers and a matching cap. They were slightly too large for her, but it was fine by any means. She could easily wear them over her normal attire, forming an extra layer to protect her from the cold of winter. The cap could have been a little smaller, but it meant she could pull the visor down over her eyes, hiding her recognisable face from the general public.

All seemed well with this new outfit. Though she couldn't clearly see herself, she supposed it would be hard to recognise her. And considering her petite frame, she was sure she could pass for a boy if she muddied herself up a bit. But that would have to wait for another time. The lack of sleep and the pre-dawn hours were beginning to take its toll on her young body. She needed to find a place to sleep. She departed from her position atop the high rise and settled for an alleyway close by.

With a light yawn, she settled herself down on the cold ground and assumed the most comfortable position she could. Looking for that certain street urchin would have to wait for now.

Unbeknownst to the fact that Jinora had run away in the pre-dawn hours that morning, Skoochy went about his day as normal. The hours went by as another dull day passed spent wandering aimlessly around the city for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. Taking in the usual sights, the usual smells and the usual sounds. Day in, day out. Night after night. It was all the same to him. There was little for a homeless child like him to do after all. The life of a young vagabond was a dreary existence. But despite this bland reality that seemed to play like a broken record, there came a time everyday where he would perk up. A time where things started to get interesting, or maybe not and simply continue business as usual. But lately things did not start to get interesting. Lately it was just business as usual. It might have had something to with a certain airbender girl. Kind of. Maybe. Sort of. Yeah, it did.

It had become a daily ritual to commute to the statue of Zuko outside Central City Station. Although they had never verbally agreed on it, Zuko's statue had sort of become their meeting place for whenever Jinora would sneak out of home. He remembered the first night he had met Jinora. How she nearly got herself killed running onto a busy road, chasing after his little bag snatcher of a friend, and his manly, fearless heroism saved her as he braved the automobiles and snatched her off her feet to safety. After that, he showed her around the city, having fun teasing her all along the way. It was a fun night.

From then, Jinora's subsequent visits would always lift his mood. They did a lot together. Intimate talks on the seaside, watching the stars at night, that makeshift pro-bending match… Heck, there was even that time Jinora brought him food. Her visits always seemed to make his night. Her visits offered an escape from his bleak reality. It was nice. It was just a shame that she got caught. By the Chief of Police of all people. Downright rotten luck was what that was. But he supposed it was only a matter of time. Since that night, he hadn't seen her.

Skoochy sighed as he trudged along the packed walkway. It had been a considerable time since the night Jinora was caught. Yet every night, he made the pilgrimage to the statue. Each time, he would get his hopes up. Each time, he would wait around. Each time, he would turn back the way he came, crestfallen. It soon came to the point where his rational side would expect her to not make an appearance, but he would still make the journey to the statue with hope in his heart. Hope that would prove to be false each time.

He often asked himself when Jinora's visits became the norm for him. He had spent the past few years doing the same thing every day. But suddenly the airhead showed up and in such a short space of time, it felt off not having her sitting by Zuko's statue, book in hand and off in her own little word, just asking to be startled by a surprise yell, shove or tap on the shoulder. When did her presence become so important in his day to day life? Why did it suddenly become so important? He had friends around him. It wasn't like he was all alone by himself. Why was she the exception?

The young boy ran his fingers through his unkempt hair as he groaned out loud in frustration, catching the eyes of passing strangers. These thoughts, these feelings, they were all so new, so foreign. How was he supposed to deal this this he wondered? He shook his head and readjusted he hat as he pushed aside these confusing thoughts. With a huff, he continued along his way to his destination. Once again, he still held a sliver of hope that Jinora would be in her usual spot. Once again, he didn't expect her to show up. Same thing, different day.

He reached Central City Station in good time. There was not much in the way of a crowd by the statue. A few people here, a group of street kids over there. Not much stood out aside from a small figure leaning against the railing surrounding Zuko's statue.

Hold on.

Skoochy took a deep breath to quell the sudden pounding of his heart in anticipation. It couldn't be, could it? He approached the small person leaning against the railing. They looked to be his age or a bit younger, wearing a puffy jacket and trousers, a cap pulled down hiding their downward pointing face and a small sachet bag slung over their shoulder. There was always the possibility. But there was always the possibility that it wasn't.

Oh please, spirits, don't be so cruel.

He approached the leaning figure and called out, 'Uh… 'Scuse me?'

The person's downward facing head shot up in an instant. Skoochy was greeted by the sight of two large, brown eyes staring straight at him. Right then and there, Skoochy recognised her. It really was her.

It was Jinora.

'Skoochy!' Jinora cried out as she shot to her feet.

He was still flabbergasted as she wrapped her arms around her torso and embraced him. She had actually shown up.

Finally…

As Jinora pulled back, Skoochy caught the sight of her beaming smile. He couldn't help but smile back at her. She had missed him as he had missed her. But something didn't seem quite right. Not yet. Something was missing. Skoochy frowned for a moment as he thought about it, earning a puzzled look from the girl in front of him. Then abruptly it clicked.

Skoochy cleared his throat as he leaned down, bringing his face level with Jinora's, 'Geez, airhead. Took you long enough to show up.'

Puzzlement turned to annoyance as he called her that nickname once again. Skoochy was greeted by a blast of wind to the face. But he had expected it. He held his hat in place as he simply smiled at her as he was assaulted.

Yeah, everything is fine now.

And that's the chapter. Reviews are most welcome.

I know this one is the shortest one yet, but I'm just glad I got it out.

Status report: Inspiration is virtually non-existent, and hence my motivation has faded. This story was originally intended to be a 20-ish chapter story, but I think I'm going to cut it down depending on how I feel. We'll see. This will be done eventually, but don't hold your breath just yet.

Stay tuned for updates.