While Zuko went to get food for the two of them, she guessed he would bring her something back she lied back down. Her mind raced with thoughts of what her plans to do should be. She didn't know where to go next, or if she should be alone in her travels. There were no clues of her friends, and if she wanted to search she first had to find a clue. Maybe the talk around here could give her the answers she needed.

Then the thoughts of occurrence flashed in as well. Were they looking for her? Were they worried about her? Would they find her? Were they all safe and together, all of them on Appa? Was Aang practicing the elements?

"I need some answers!" Katara suddenly shouted aloud receiving unwanted attention. The people probably thought that she was crazy anyways. If only they knew that she was the Water bender friend of the Avatar and the boy with her is the banished prince of the fire nation. There would be two dead benders in the Witch doctors hut, a bounty turned in and a very angry Avatar. Aang wouldn't take that at all; there would be some people to seek closure with.

Katara noticed as the day went on that Zuko hadn't returned, and wasn't returning which left her in the situation to fend for herself. She had to either earn some money or go off, in the hopes and search of her friends. Maybe she could find them before the day ended and wouldn't have to find another shelter with her enemy's items and an empty stomach.

Earning money it was. Piling her items and wrapping them in the blanket she stashed it out of view from where everyone was positioned and soon to be piling in. In the other room saw the old witch doctor sitting on the floor and mixing herbs in a clay pot. With a quick glance from her slanted eyes she continued with her work.

"What is it," she questioned in the voice of a loud whine nag. The lady didn't make contact with Katara only with what she was doing projecting a rude image on her behalf.

"I would," bravely begun she stopped as her eyes followed a bug that crawled up the lady's arm and stopped halfway there.

"You would what!" snapped the old lady annoyed at Katara for being in the room. If she wanted her to leave she wasn't going to leave without a fight.

"I would like a job here," Katara blurted way to fast hoping the elder woman heard her right.

"What can you do?" The lady stopped her work this time now looking at her observantly up and down making her feel not only anxious but awkward at the same time. She stood up as straight as she could.

"I can heal people," Katara said.

"Yeah, how," the lady questioned and held a welcoming hand for her to join her which was meant to make her feel more comfortable.

-

Ready to go to work for some money the lady agreed to pay her by the amount of work she completed by sundown. She had to also do some of the cleaning as well. Her tribal clothes and to be replaced by a pair of pants and a kimono jacket which were both a sack like color and very dingy. It was like the last person who wore them didn't appreciate them and took every nook to mess them up. There was also a hole in the back of the pants and to her relieve the top part went down just enough to cover it. In all they were what she had to wear and she was not going to complain.

The hairstyle was not her though. Four braids tightly, tightly turned into a bun and her front braids were taken out and that hair was pushed back into the tight bun. The whole thing gave her a headache because her hair wasn't used to be being tight or all up high.

Tending to these people was not an easy job. The first thing being that there were just too many of them and they were not soldiers either. All of the people, every single one of them were refugees that did not get out of the line of fire in time. A lot of the damage to her was her mental state because just the many people here put a downing on her. All of them had a story to tell, and all had a reason for telling their story.

"I had to help my grandson when the Avatar-"

"The Avatar," Katara cut off in excitement, after applying the healing applied a blanket to the cold fragile woman.

Sitting on bent legs she asked, "When did you see the Avatar?"

The woman had to think about this for a moment and she thought. In her mindful thoughts she zoomed out with a blank look on her face.

Katara didn't know at first what to do. Was she thinking or was she in shock? The story that she was thinking of with her grandson must've been that traumatic. Was her grandson here? She couldn't wait for the lady to snap so she gently shook her shoulders and the woman blinked.

"Are you ok ma'am," she questioned gently. The woman sat up and took Katara's hands into her own and looked away for a moment.

What could this woman have seen that made her this way? For herself she saw everything she didn't want to see and more but she her state of mind was still intact.

The lady didn't end up telling her so she left it alone. It was her tragedy but if an old lady was capable of making it to this very town then maybe the place of location wasn't very far away. Maybe by foot before the sun sets below the sky she could get out to the location with the hopes that the lady was right when she said that Aang was there.

Setting everything where everything belonged and scratching in-between two braids which pulled and inched all day she went back into the room where the Witch Doctor once again sat only this time she was weaving fabric together.

"I've completed everything you have asked me to complete," Katara said bowing her head low keeping her eyes up though.

"Let me ask you something," the lady said standing up. She went over to a small box in the far corner of the room and reached into it pulling out a few things. Then she went over to a big box about the size of herself and opened the lid searching though that one as well.

Wasn't she going to ask her a question? Hadn't she just requested the attention of her?

Still on the task at hand she asked Katara, "Where is the young man you were with at the beginning of the day?"

He abandoned me; she really wanted to say but didn't want the lady getting any ideas because a few simple words turned the wrong way could get someone into trouble.

"He was just a person I had met walking in," Katara lied standing straight up but attention focused somewhere else. If the lady looked her in the eyes she could probably tell that she was lying and actually get the wrong idea.

"Seemed to me like there was something more," the lady said pulling out a long sword and bringing the sword and a small pouch over to her.

"Here take these with you when you leave. I know that young man meant more to you than you let on, and since he has not returned you are upset. The attack on the town a few miles away was invaded. Maybe your friend went there and was attacked or taken in as a resemblance to a fire nation soldier. Either way I know you are headed in that direction, so take these and take care of yourself. You are a very hard worker and wonderful girl. With your abilities you will make it." The lady bowed at Katara, "And I do hope you find your friends." The lady went back over to her weaver and resumed.

Whatever way that lady knew how to read Katara like a book and know even what she was doing next Katara just knew one thing: the town, the one that was attacked was most likely where Zuko went, and although he said that he would come here and then they would go their separate ways from here she kept telling herself that the only reason she was going to go there and see if he was there was because she had to return his stuff and make sure he was well enough so scower wherever it was that he was going. Wrapping the sword into the bundle and the bundle on her back she took off to go where the attack took place like walking into enemy territory.

-

Tell me what you think