Curse you poor eyesight...if this comes up funny, sorry, I had to make my typing text bigger. Grrr...

Sokka didn't accuse Zuko of stealing the necklace. Sokka didn't know Zuko had the necklace. The poor former prince had been trying to give it back, but he never had the opportunity to talk to her. Why? Because her brother was reveling in having Zuko as a servant, having him every stupid thing.

"Sokka, I'm sure the contract stated he was to help his uncle with the kitchen stuff," Aang said whenever Sokka told Zuko to do something completely trivial. "That's what we're paying them for."

"What contract? Are we even paying him? I know we're paying his uncle, but him? I thought he was just baggage," Sokka remarked. Zuko was ready to knock this little brat's block off, but didn't want to cause problems for his uncle. Iroh didn't know, but Zuko had been observing his uncle since they had arrived in Ba Sing Se. The filth and overcrowded-ness of the third circle had taken its toll on Iroh's health and he had developed a cough when he thought Zuko wasn't watching.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he continued what he had been doing, which was getting Sokka's dumb boomerang down from a high ledge that the "warrior boy" was too lazy to try and reach. Zuko wondered how the boomerang could have gotten up there, short of the boy throwing it up there on purpose. (Which he had probably done.)

It had been about half a week since the Avatar and his friends had hired Zuko and his uncle. (Secretly, he wished he were back in the third ring. At least that idiot couldn't boss him around there.) The two girls, whom Zuko had gathered were Katara and Toph, were out a lot, being incredibly secretive. He supposed it had to do with the Avatar's upcoming birthday. Whatever the reason, it was when they were out that Sokka took full advantage.

"Could you hurry? I'd like to practice before Katara gets back."

Break

"Excuse me, sir, could you tell us where we could find an art student who signs her work 'Asatu'?" Katara asked. The professor shook her head.

"I don't think there are any girls taking art courses this term. You could ask Professor Gan. He knows a bit more about the art department than I do."

"Any idea where we could this Professor Gan?" Toph questioned.

"Try the sculpture park. He likes to people-and-statue-watch there. It's just north of here. You can't miss it."

Katara and Toph thanked the history professor and went on their way. "I don't why you are so set on finding this artist. She probably got a picture and carved it," Toph said. Katara nodded.

"I know, but there's always a chance she didn't. C'mon." The two girls followed the path to the garden. Katara stopped. "That's a big sculpture."

It was carved into the likeness of the first Earth Avatar, Avatar Bhumi, and it stood out at the front. Katara could see the sculptures of Agni, Jala, and Vaya, the first Fire, Water, and Air Avatars, respectively. Agni's sculpture seemed a little neglected, but Katara assumed that was only expected, with the war and all. "Hmmm…which statue to check around first?" she murmured.

"Try that one over there." Toph pointed the general direction of a statue. Katara shrugged and went off.

Thirty statues and five ponds later, they found the elusive professor. He was sitting on bench, one elbow on his knee, his fist under his chin. He appeared to be thinking. Katara approached him carefully. "Um, Professor Gan?" The man jumped.

"I didn't break that statue! The arms were gone I when I got there!" He realized who had gotten his attention. Nervously, he ran a hand through his salt and pepper colored hair. "Oh, sorry. Please forget I said anything just now. May I help you?"

"Yeah. You know an artist who signs the work 'Asatu' and recently carved a flying bison?" Toph asked, fed up with all the walking and searching.

"Flying bison? A six-legged beaver-looking thing with horns?"

"Yeah."

"Was it made from jade?"

"Yeah."

Gan shook his head. "Nope. Don't know the man." At Toph's agitated face and Katara's fallen, he chuckled. "But I know the woman. Would you like to see her?"

Katara perked up and nodded. "Yes, if that's okay." Gan scratched his stubby chin.

"Hmm. I think she started on another project, which means she won't talk to anyone for several days. Could you wait until then?" Toph turned to Katara and whispered in her ear.

"Do we pull the Avatar card?"

"No. We can wait a few days, like on Aang's birthday on Friday. Is she free Friday?" Katara asked the older man.

"Since she's only working with clay this time, she'll be done by Friday at about one," Gan said. "Would you like me to tell her you asked for her?"

"Yes, please. If she wants to know our names, it's Katara and Toph. We might have a few more friends with us, since we're looking for her because of the jade sculpture we bought for a friend's birthday," Katara said. Gan nodded.

"I'll tell her. Pleasure meeting you ladies." He bowed; Katara bowed in return.

"Same to you. C'mon, Toph." Toph shook her head. "Why?"

"We're lost. I can't tell which direction we came from," the blind Earthbender replied.

"Did you past the Vaya statue or the Bhumi?" Gan asked.

"Bhumi."

"Go left, then left, then right. I get lost all the time in here. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Gan resumed his previous position, muttering something about the shape of the lump of rock he was studying. (That's what the sculpture looked like. A lump of shapeless rock.)

It took a couple of tries, but the two teenaged girls got out around dinner. "We missed lunch!" Toph moaned. "All because you had to go find some loony professor!"

"Hey, that student of his could know where Appa is, Toph, so it was worth it. And are you telling me you wanted lunch after that huge breakfast we had this morning?" Toph sighed.

"I never thought someone who was raised in a palace could cook so well," she remembered. "I never ate such spicy food! I liked it." Katara laughed and hugged Toph in a sisterly way.

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on my brother? You sound a lot like him," she teased. Toph scowled.

"He likes that painted chick, Suki. I heard them talking and…kissing," Toph admitted. Katara giggled.

"Shame on you! Eavesdropping on my brother." Toph punched Katara in the arm playfully.

"Are you saying you never did?" Katara laughed even louder at that, giving Toph her answer.

"I'm his baby sister; it's my job to spy on him. Someone has to do it," Katara joked. Toph laughed and shook her head.

Break

Katara and Toph arrived back at the house just as dinner was done. "Perfect timing," Aang said, waving his hand in greeting.

"We got lost in a sculpture garden," Toph explained. "It's kinda easy to do, especially when one can't see and the other stops and looks at the First Avatar Sculptures, and every sculpture that catches her eyes."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Which one are you? The blind one or the one with the short attention span?" Katara hit her brother with a water whip.

"I do not have a short attention span, Sokka. You're the one that can't find entertainment in one thing for more than fifteen minutes! Well, except girls."

Zuko, who was eavesdropping, refrained from snorting. She obviously hasn't seen him ridicule me, he thought. Absently, he felt the pendant in his pocket. The smooth stone helped to calm his nerves; he had noticed the same thing when he had first possessed it. Often, especially when he had missed the Avatar, he would hole himself in his cabin, attempt to meditate, and end up rubbing that pendant.

"Um, nephew? A little help?" Zuko turned to see Iroh struggling to get past the sliding screen that separated the rest of the house from the kitchen. Zuko pulled the screen back and helped his uncle through. "Thank you."

"I don't see how you can be so cheerful all the time, Uncle. We're lower than those two Water Tribe peas-siblings ever were!" Zuko had almost said "peasants", but since they were his employers now, he really couldn't call them that. "And that so-called 'warrior' seems determined to belittle me at every possible opportunity." Iroh gave his nephew a meaningful look.

"Can you blame him? You were trying to capture the Avatar and you did tie his younger sister to a tree, though that was her fault. I'm sure it'll pass," Iroh commented, leaving his nephew and going out into the dining area with the dinner. Various "thank you's" and "smells delicious" remarks greeted Iroh. Zuko winced when he heard Sokka's voice ask (more like order) him (Zuko) for a drink.

Grumbling, Zuko went back into the kitchen, poured a cup of the tea his uncle had made, and walked out. All this time, he was trying to think of a plan to hurt this thorn without being caught.

Katara noticed that Zuko seemed unusually despondent, and she remembered overhearing a discussion between Zuko and his uncle a few mornings ago, the day after they had arrived.

Flashback

"Uncle, how do you do it?" Katara strained to hear them better.

"Do what, Zuko?"

"Deal with it all! Losing your status, your money, your honor, your home?" The sneaky Waterbender heard Iroh sigh.

"I never cared for the title 'Retired General'. It makes me sound old." He chuckled, then grew serious. "As for the next thing, money is not important, Zuko. And, I have natural ability to make anyplace seem like home."

"What about your honor?"

"There are only two ways to lose honor. One, if you are a young woman (thank Agni you're not), then someone can take it forcibly from you. Two, if you take away a young woman's honor, which you have not done, or anything else dishonorable, again, as far as I know, you have not done."

"Tell that to the Fire Nation," Zuko spat. Iroh sighed. Katara could picture him shaking his head and putting his hands in his sleeves.

"Everything you do has a ring of honor to it, Prince Zuko," he said quietly. Katara heard Zuko stop, then snort in derision.

"I'm not a prince."

End Flashback

Coming back to reality, Katara watched as Zuko handed her brother his drink. "Hey, Zu-um, Lee," she said suddenly, catching herself. Everyone turned to her. Katara blushed furiously.

"Yes?" What does she want?

Oh, great job, Katara! Just open your mouth, why doncha? "Um, I plan on doing some last-minute shopping for Aang's birthday tomorrow. Would you please escort me? I don't want another incident like last time."

"Last time? What happened last time?" Katara waved her brother off.

"Nothing. Someone tried to rob me, but Zuko caught them and returned my…necklace." She was not about to tell Sokka about her private bag.

"Again? Geez, Katara, you really need to get that band replaced. That's the, what, third time you've lost it?" Sokka remarked.

"Fifth, actually," his sister corrected. "So, Zuko? Will you?"

Zuko thought about it. Stay here and be insulted by her brother, or go with the girl, Katara, and return her necklace. "I'd be willing to escort you," he said, bowing.

"Thanks. Can you be ready at around ten? I want to leave before lunch but after the morning rush."

Playing the part of servant to a "T", Zuko replied, "I can be ready by nine, if you'd prefer." Agni, how he hated playing servant to these people. Yes, apart from the Water Boy and the times he had been chasing them, they had been nothing other than polite; it still killed him inside, damaging his already wounded pride and weak sense of self-respect. He didn't notice Katara nodding, slight concern in her eyes.

"Nine sounds okay. In that case, I'm off to bed. G'night."

Well, how's it so far? Sorry if the updates are slow; I have a group thingy on Tuesdays and various school clubs, plus we recently got the last two X-Men movies. (My sister and I did joint "Fangirl Squeals" when we saw.) Life is veddy hectic. (Yes, I mean veddy, not very.)