A/N: Today we'll be breaking format, using several smaller plots instead of a single plot for the entire chapter.
Fortunately this resulted in a longer than normal chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter 22: The Tales of Ba Sing Se
The Tale of Aang and Katara
Content to wait a few days before trying to reach the Earth King again, Aang decided to relax in the relative safety behind the city's walls. No Fire Nation soldiers, no sneaky archers, no crazy royalty, nothing that immediately wanted him dead. Aang felt that he deserved a mini vacation from being the Avatar, and that just a day relaxing wouldn't hurt anyone. In the morning of a beautiful day Aang quickly shaved off the fuzz of hair on his head that grew during the night.
After brushing her hair in the bathroom, Katara put her hair loops in place for the day. Smiling in the mirror she felt that today was going to be a good day. She walked out and into the main living room, where she found Aang eating a salad breakfast. "Hey Aang, got anything planned for today?" Katara asked.
"Not really," Aang admitted. "I thought about visiting the zoo."
"Where is it?" Katara asked.
"The lower ring," Aang answered.
"Is it any good?" Katara asked.
"I don't know," Aang admitted. "Let's check it out."
Together Katara and Aang walked into the backyard and climbed into Appa's saddle. The bison took off and flew towards the lower ring while the riders looked for the zoo. It wasn't difficult to find, as one of the larger facilities in the lower ring. Despite its size the zoo was crammed with cages with animals that were too big for them. The zoo was so compact that there wasn't a spot to land Appa without crushing something under his weight.
Still in the air Aang guided Appa in circles above the zoo. "Do you see a place Appa will fit?" Aang asked.
"Not without him getting stuck," Katara answered, looking over the side of the saddle. "There's nowhere to park in this part of the city."
"I guess I'll have to come back later on my glider," Aang said. He turned to face Katara. "Well I had nothing else in mind. Got any ideas?"
Thinking for a moment Katara thought of one place she would like to visit. "There are a couple of spas back in the upper ring. We could visit one of them."
"Okay," Aang said, making Appa turn around.
The flight back to the upper ring only took Appa a few minutes, and the spas were easy to spot from the air. Plenty of space was available in between each spa building, allowing Appa to land with ease. Looking around Katara and Aang saw several spas to choose from. There was the Fancy Ladies Day Spa for girls, the Proud Gentlemen's Club for boys, and the Couple's Paradise Resort for both.
"How about that one?" Katara suggested, pointing to the last spa.
"Couple's Paradise…" Aang muttered. "Sure, let's try it."
Inside the spa Aang and Katara were given the royal treatment, the people working there glad to serve the Avatar. Being the spa chosen by the Avatar was going to improve the spa's reputation, drawing customers away from the others. The best of the spa employees were tasked to make the Avatar's visit as pleasurable as possible, anything to leave a good impression on such an important patron.
First stop in the spa was the scented baths, where they had over two dozen varieties available. Aang chose one that smelled like peach and soaked in it until it seemed that the scent came out of his skin. Katara picked one with a rose scent, relaxing in it until her fingers started to wrinkle in the warm water.
Second was an hour long massage for Aang and Katara, focusing on their backs. Aang wished that it could last for days, relieving stress in places he didn't know he had. Katara nearly fell asleep during the massage, enjoying it far more than she knew she should. When the hour was up the next stop was the sauna, where the heat inside relieved stress where hands wouldn't be appropriate.
The final stop was a makeover for Katara and a head waxing for Aang. When it was over Aang liked his scalp's new shine, and not having to shave his head for at least a few days. Katara liked the makeup she received, appreciating the quality work put into it. With nothing else interesting them at the spa, Aang and Katara left.
Leaving the spa completely satisfied Aang and Katara had one more surprise. The spa had even cleaned Appa's fur, leaving the bison resembling a giant pillow with a face and horns. "Hey buddy, I see you've also had a good time" Aang said, and Appa yawned in response.
"This was completely worth it," Katara said.
"Yes it was," Aang said, far better than the zoo.
The Tale of Suki
With nothing important to do today Suki wandered the streets of Ba Sing Se. In her Kyoshi Warrior uniform she gathered odd looks from people in the upper ring, so she explored the other rings of the city. She felt the most comfortable in the lower ring, where most of the refugees had bigger concerns than the outfits of others.
Stumbling across a playground Suki watched several children playing a game of bending soccer. Kicking a ball and shaping the ground the kids enjoyed their game, until one of them accidentally kicked the ball through a window. Suki was waiting to see if the kids would apologize on their own until she saw the owner of the house, a large muscular brute of a man. Understanding completely, Suki watched the kids run away and followed them past a few alleys.
Once the kids were out of harm's way Suki walked into an alley, unaware of a homeless man waiting there. Armed with a knife the man got in Suki's way. "Hand over your money, now!"
"Seriously?" Suki asked, fingering her fans and wondering just how desperate the man was to mug someone that was armed.
"Now!"
Just before Suki could wipe the floor with the mugger she saw a teenage boy enter the other end of the alley, a boy with brown hair and wearing a red shirt with blue sleeves. "Leave the girl alone!" the boy demanded, drawing his hook-swords.
As the mugger turned to acknowledge the newcomer he left himself vulnerable to Suki. She whipped out her fans and struck the mugger's arm, forcing him to drop the knife. Another strike to his chest slammed the mugger into a wall, knocking the wind out of him. The mugger fell to the ground beside his knife, and Suki planted her foot on his chest.
The newcomer watched the near instant takedown, and whistled. "So much for rescuing the damsel in distress," he muttered, sheathing his hook-swords.
Suki stepped off the mugger and kicked the handle of the knife, making it skid across the alley. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I can handle myself."
"And quite well indeed," the stranger said. "My name is Jet."
"I'm Suki. Do you make a habit out of waiting for people to get mugged?"
"Oh no, this is just a shortcut I use to get to work," Jet answered. "I just ended my shift and just happened to arrive in time to watch you beat that guy senseless."
"Speaking of which…" Suki muttered, spotting the mugger running away. "Should we go after him?"
"Nah, I think he's learned his lesson," Jet said. "Say, are you in the mood for a cup of tea? A couple of friends of mine work at a tea shop nearby."
"Sure."
Jet led Suki several blocks down the street into a better part of the lower ring. Amongst several stores was the tea shop that Jet mentioned. Inside the shop had about a dozen customers, enough to keep two employees busy. Jet introduced Suki to the waitress Smellerbee and the tea maker Longshot. Neither of them had believed they could have normal jobs and a normal life before arriving in Ba Sing Se, or at least what passed for normal in the big city.
Smellerbee walked up to the table where Suki and Jet sat at. "Hey Jet, do you want the usual?" Smellerbee asked.
"Yes please," Jet answered.
"And for you?" Smellerbee asked, referring to Suki.
"Green tea please," Suki asked.
"Coming up," Smellerbee said. She walked to the back where Longshot was brewing tea and delivered the order.
Only nodding in response Longshot got to work on the order. Just a few minutes later he had the order ready. For Jet he made his specialty blend of tea earl grey, along with the green tea for Suki. The owner of the shop watched the delivery, glad that he found reliable employees.
When the order was delivered Suki and Jet tasted the tea. The strong flavor of the tea made Jet smile. "I never knew Longshot could make good tea until we came here."
Glancing at the back of the shop Suki looked at Longshot, observing how he never said a word. "I'm not surprised," Suki said. "He is quite the silent type."
Jet chuckled at the comment. "Yea, but he's a great guy. He's earned everything he has."
With a big gulp Suki finished her tea. She placed the cup on the table and dropped a few coins as well, enough to pay for both and a little extra. "Well it was nice meeting you," Suki said, standing up.
"Nice to meet you too," Jet said. "I don't suppose you might come back here again?"
"Possibly," Suki answered. "The tea here is great."
The Tale of Toph and Haru
Fresh out of a Dai Li training class in the middle ring, Toph walked through the wide streets. She was wearing a Dai Li hat and flexing her fingers with stone gloves on. The malleable rock on her hands felt like a second skin, and she liked the idea of carrying earth wherever she went. As she wandered past a group of middle ring merchants Toph overhead them talking about an earthbending tournament, and decided to give The Blind Bandit a proper debut in Ba Sing Se.
Meanwhile Haru also wandered the streets of the middle ring. On the side of a building he saw a poster for the earthbending tournament, and thought he had a shot at winning the prize money. He thought about telling Aang about it, but figured that having the Avatar compete would be cheating. Instead he tore off the poster and followed directions on it to the bending arena in the middle ring.
The earthbending tournament was held in an arena open to the sky, and any earthbender could sign up to compete. Inside the ring was a large square of raised stone, with a ten foot gap between the ring and the audience. Unlike the stone ledges at the arena in Gaoling, the audience would sit in actual cushioned chairs that were most comfortable closest to the ring. Dozens of Dai Li were stationed around the ring to divert stray boulders away from the audience during matches, protecting the nobles and wealthy that could afford front row seats.
Early in the afternoon everyone that wanted to compete had to sign up at the arena. In an office room Haru waited in line for a few minutes for his turn. Stepping up to a desk with an old lady behind it Haru said "I want to compete in the tournament."
"Name?" the old lady asked.
"Haru."
"Stage Name?"
"Excuse me?" Haru asked.
The old lady sighed. "Something catchy, like that last guy who's using The Boulder."
"Oh…" Haru muttered, not expecting to need a fake name. "How about… The Prime Punisher?"
"Good enough," the old lady said, writing it down onto a name registry. "Move along."
Half an hour after Haru signed up Toph showed up to join the tournament. Registering as The Blind Bandit she was admitted into the competitors' waiting room. Over a hundred people were there waiting for a crack at the prize money, but only one would succeed. When the tournament began the competitors were taken out in pairs, one of each pair coming back before the next pair would leave.
Halfway through the first round Toph got her first match. She fought The Boulder, who claimed to have won Earth Rumble VI. Annoyed that someone took her old title while she was away, Toph humiliated The Boulder in their match. She hadn't even let him make a single attack, starting the match by bending the ground apart beneath The Boulder, splitting his legs apart. A boulder into The Boulder's chest immediately after threw him out of the ring, ending the match in victory for The Blind Bandit.
Near the end of the first round Haru got his first match. He fought a tall man with a large gut called The Hippo. During the match Haru focused on deflecting The Hippo's attacks, stalling until his opponent wore himself out. It didn't take long to exhaust The Hippo, who never stopped throwing earth at Haru. Once The Hippo was exhausted all Haru needed to win was a single strike to knock him out of the ring.
One by one competitors were eliminated from the tournament. The Blind Bandit was an instant favorite, the fans loving to watch big bulky men losing to a little girl. The Prime Punisher slowly gathered a loyal following with each match, rooting for the underdog of the tournament. People were already taking bets on who would win when they would eventually fight each other.
After defeating a woman going by The Tectonic Titan, Haru made it to the final round. Surprised that he made it so far in the tournament on his own, he was looking forward to facing The Blind Bandit. In one corner of the ring Haru waited for his opponent, and when Toph arrived she stood in the opposite corner. In the middle of the ring were an announcer in black and a referee in a white, about to start the match.
"Here we are folks! The championship battle!" The announcer gestured to Haru. "In this corner we have our cruising crusher, The Prime Punisher!" A portion of the audience cheered before the announcer gestured to Toph. "And in this corner we have our gouger from Gaoling, The Blind Bandit!" The audience cheered even louder.
The bald referee waited for the crowd to quiet down a bit before he would start the match. "Let's get it on!"
Once the announcer and referee were out of the way Toph started with a barrage of pebbles bent from the floor. Bringing his arms together Haru bent the pebbles together, forcing them into a dense boulder in front of him before throwing it back at Toph. With a punch Toph shattered the dense rock into a cloud of dust, shrouding the ring and giving her a sight advantage. Next thing the audience saw was Haru being ejected from the top of the settling dust cloud, falling towards the ground outside of the ring.
Thinking fast Haru bent the earth in the ring closest to where he was falling, separating a slab of stone from the rest of the ring. Pulling the slab towards himself Haru landed on it instead of the ground, then bent the slab back to the rest of the ring. As Haru fused the slab back into the ring the audience was completely silent, wondering if Haru's move was legal.
The referee looked at Haru, judging whether or not breaking apart the ring to avoid going out of bounds was a rule violation. "I'll allow it!"
Resuming the match Haru bent blocks of stone from the ring and threw them at Toph. She raised a wall of rock to block the stone, then threw the entire wall at Haru. While Haru bent the moving wall into dust Toph used the delay to bend a ton of rock around herself. In just a moment Haru faced a twenty foot tall Golem.
"Oh boy, this is not good," Haru muttered, just before dodging a punch from the Golem. When the Golem swung an arm at him Haru leaped on top of the arm, then struck it with his fist to break it off at the shoulder. With bending assisting his muscles Haru lifted the severed arm and smashed the Golem with it, shattering the arm and enough of the Golem's torso to reveal Toph inside.
Toph leapt out of the Golem as it crumbled onto the floor. "You know, you're the second person to beat that trick," Toph said.
"Thanks… I think," Haru said.
"Can you do this one?" Toph asked. She bent earth into a suit of armor, leaving only her mouth exposed to breath.
"Neat trick," Haru said. Mimicking his opponent Haru made his own suit of earth armor, only instead he left his face uncovered. Then he made a plate of stone cover his mouth and charged at Toph.
Pulling back his fist Haru moved to punch Toph, but she ducked under the arm and hit Haru's gut. Stone protecting it cracked under the force of blows, coming apart after the fifth strike. Haru brought his fists down on Toph's head, breaking the stone on it and his fists. Toph brought her fists up into Haru's jaw, breaking the stone that covered his mouth. As Haru stumbled back Toph launched the stone on her fists into Haru, pushing him off the side of the ring and onto the ground below.
Out of bounds, Haru lost the match. As he got up he could hear the crowd cheering for his opponent's victory, though he could still hear a few girls claiming they loved him anyway. While he may have lost the tournament, Haru was happy that he made it farther than expected.
The referee walked over to Toph's side. "And the winner is…" The referee took Toph's hand and raised it above her head. "The Blind Bandit!"
The Tale of Sokka
Working as an archivist for the Dai Li was incredibly boring for Sokka. His main task was analyzing reports from agents in the lower ring, determining which were worth Long Feng's attention. Reports that weren't worth the Grand Secretariat's time were filed away for later reference, just in case a minor dissenter became a problem later. Sokka didn't like the work, but it was a price to pay for getting Long Feng to support taking action on the Day of Black Sun.
Reports from across the lower ring gave Sokka a clear picture of life in that part of the city. Living there was difficult for nearly everyone, refugee and local alike. Anyone with some level of desirable skill would be removed to the middle ring, the better conditions there keeping the skillful content. Occasionally a refugee could earn a place in the upper ring, but they were few and far between. For most people the conditions were barely good enough to survive, but the hope of advancing to a better ring and fear of the Dai Li kept the populace from revolting.
Sitting at a desk in an upper ring office Sokka was nearly finished with his work for the day. There were several other archivists in the same room, and a Dai Li agent at the door keeping an eye on them. Sokka knew that the Dai Li didn't trust him yet, and likely wouldn't for quite some time. The agent almost caught him stuffing a report about Jet into his pocket. While Sokka didn't like the guy he didn't think Jet deserved whatever the Dai Li did to dissenters.
"Last one…" Sokka muttered, looking over the final report of the day. It was a profile log of a recent refugee named Li Mei, standard examination for everyone that did not arrive by ferry. She was described as an early teen with black hair and suspiciously light skin, though the agent that wrote the report suggested that she might be a half-breed from a Fire Nation colony. The report recommended that Li Mei should be lightly monitored, due to asking too many questions about how to reach the palace.
Something didn't seem right about the girl in the report to Sokka. In the report it appeared that Li Mei wasn't settling into a new life in Ba Sing Se, as if she were expecting to leave at any moment. She also ordered a lot of take-out for her meals, something that refugees simply did not do in the lower ring. Either she was a terrible cook or had more money than she let on, possibly both.
"Hey, uh, Lee is it?" Sokka said, asking the Dai Li agent watching him. "Can you get someone to check this person out? Her story doesn't add up."
Agent Lee stepped outside the door to the office for a few seconds, then came back inside. "Everyone else already left for the day," Lee said. Walking over to Sokka's desk he looked at the last report. "How about you take care of this one?"
"Really? You trust me enough for this?" Sokka asked.
"No… But I have other things to take care of," Lee said. "Besides, your shift is just about done anyway."
After taking a moment to tidy up Sokka left the office building and headed for the lower ring. With the report in hand Sokka searched for the place Li Mei worked, a cheap salon next to the wall between the lower and middle rings. It was right next to the gate in the wall, positioned to catch the eye of people that passed through the gate and refused to pay the expensive prices at the upper ring spas.
Arriving at the salon in the late afternoon, Sokka stepped inside to find many women coming and going. Feeling really out of place Sokka hesitated to approach a girl behind a counter by the back wall. The secretary had brown hair and brown eyes, and there was a sign on the counter that said her name was Jin.
"Hello there, welcome to the Dangerous Lady Salon," Jin said. "Where every makeover makes you drop dead gorgeous."
Slowly Sokka walked up to Jin, twiddling his thumbs. "Hi, um, is Li Mei available?" Sokka asked.
Jin looked down at Sokka's hands, seeing that his fingernails were short and slightly chewed. "You must be here for one of her wonderful manicures," Jin said.
"Um, yes," Sokka said.
"Right this way," Jin said. She led Sokka into a hallway towards another room. "Li Mei is really good with nails, but don't let her touch your hair."
Sokka wasn't sure how to respond to that tip. "I'll take your word for it."
Inside the new room were several chairs and counters with tools and nail polish on them. A few of the chairs had girls and women sitting in them with employees working on their hands. Jin saw Li Mei finishing up a young girl's nails. "Li Mei, I've got a challenge here for you."
When Sokka saw Li Mei walk over he could swear he'd seen someone just like her before, but couldn't place it. She had light skin and black hair in long bangs, and her eyes were bright amber. She moved as if she should be running the place, not merely working there. The green clothes she wore did not seem like the right color for Li Mei, or for the Fire Nation Princess Azula.
Azula would have noticed the awkward stare from the Sokka, if she hadn't been giving one as well. She could swear she'd seen someone just like him before, but couldn't place it. Though most Water Tribe peasants looked the same to her, there was something oddly familiar about this one. A nagging feeling told Azula that she should find out who this boy is.
Jin noticed the awkward stares between Sokka and Azula. "I see you two already know each other," Jin said. "I'll be out front if you need me."
Once Jin was out of the room Azula focused on Sokka. "Alright, let's see your hands."
"Like this?" Sokka asked, holding both hands in front of him.
One look told Azula that not much could be done for Sokka's short and rough fingernails. "I'll do what I can. Sit."
Taking a seat Sokka let Azula work on his nails. She only needed five minutes to file down the rough edges and clip off a few hangnails. While she worked Sokka got a good look at Azula's nails, nearly perfect and sharp enough to cut skin. "Did you practice on your own nails?" Sokka asked.
"Naturally," Azula said. "What was your name again?"
"Sokka."
"So where did you hear about me?" Azula asked.
"If I told you I'd have to kill you," Sokka said.
"The Dai Li then," Azula guessed. Before Sokka could deny anything she cut him off. "I'd have to be blind to not see them watching everyone."
"Okay, you got me," Sokka said.
A moment later Azula finished with Sokka's nails. They were still dull, but any sharpening would make his fingers bleed. "Done," Azula said and put the nail file away.
Getting up Sokka looked at his smoothened nails, then reached into his pocket for some money. "How much do I owe you?" Sokka asked.
Still curious about Sokka, Azula quickly thought up an excuse to not let him leave her sight. "You could buy me dinner."
Half an hour later Sokka and Azula arrived at a restaurant in the middle ring. A waiter showed them to a table outside and gave them some time to choose a meal. The restaurant was out of turtle-duck, so Azula ordered a rabbaroo steak. Sokka ordered a dish of ocean cumquats, the closest the restaurant had to sea prunes.
While waiting for the food to arrive Sokka felt like making small talk. "So when did you arrive in the city?"
"About a week ago," Azula answered. All she had to do to get inside was swallow her pride and pretend to be a common refugee. She didn't have much of a plan in Ba Sing Se, just trying to find any weaknesses in the city and exploit them. "How about you?"
"Same," Sokka answered. He figured now was the time to ask a question he wanted since he met Azula. "Have I met anyone in your family before? You look really familiar."
"I don't think so," Azula said. She made a mental note to never let Sokka meet Zuko anytime soon. "So what do you do in this city?"
"Nothing important really," Sokka said. "I'm more of a glorified bookkeeper than anything else."
"For the Dai Li?" Azula asked.
"Yeah, I kind of stumbled into the job," Sokka said.
The waiter returned and delivered the meals Sokka and Azula ordered. They didn't talk while eating, since Azula believed it wasn't proper and Sokka couldn't with his mouth constantly full. Sokka finished first with his plate a mess of cumquat scraps, while Azula took her time savoring the rabbaroo meat. Once she was finished the waiter took the plates away and let Sokka and Azula order dessert.
While she waited Azula decided to explore what possible connections Sokka might possess in the Dai Li. Her efforts before meeting him had all run into a brick wall. "I suppose you've met the guy who runs the Dai Li?" Azula asked.
"Oh yea," Sokka said, leaning back in his chair. "I've met Long Feng. He's the real person running the whole city."
"I don't suppose you can arrange a meeting with him?" Azula asked. "Or at least put in a good word?"
Sokka shook his head. "I'm not that high up on the food chain. But I could ask my friend to look the other way if she's nearby."
"You have a friend in the Dai Li?" Azula asked, curious about another possible lead into the organization.
"Only the greatest earthbender in the world," Sokka said, stealing Toph's favorite brag. "She's the person Long Feng wanted on the payroll, I'm just part of the complete package."
"Interesting," Azula muttered. Then she saw the waiter come back with dessert, strawberry fruit tarts with cream on top. "I'd love to meet this friend of yours."
Sokka thought about having her meet Toph, who could tell when people were lying. He put the thought out once he realized he was thinking like a Dai Li spy. "That might not be a good idea," Sokka said. "There's enough attention on you without bringing the star agent into the picture."
"What do you mean?" Azula asked. She thought the agent she spotted a few times was standard for everyone.
Feeling guilty about his original motive for finding Li Mei, Sokka reached into his pocket and pulled out the report on her. "Well this makes you look suspicious," Sokka whispered, sliding the report over to Azula.
Quickly reading the report Azula understood why she would be watched. She had thought nothing about ordering so many meals, since her first attempt at cooking at been a disaster. "So I should keep a low profile for a while," Azula whispered.
"That's the idea," Sokka said. He quickly ate his fruit tart, then got up to pay the bill. "I guess I'll see you around."
"Count on it," Azula said, finally making progress infiltrating the city.
The Tale of Zuko and Mai
Getting inside Ba Sing Se had been far easier than Zuko had expected. Following Azula's lead he posed as a refugee with Mai, where no one batted an eye at seeing a displaced couple. No one at the wall or behind it was looking for Fire Nation royalty among Earth Kingdom peasants, allowing them to hide in plain sight. While acting like a peasant should have been beneath Zuko, he relished the opportunity to be outside the scrutiny of his nation. As Lo and Lee, the city only saw a normal teenage couple among the other refugees.
Taking jobs at a weapons shop in the lower ring provided a suitable cover for Zuko and Mai. The prince knew quality dao swords when he saw them, having dabbled with sword fighting in private. He started carrying a pair of swords with him in the city, just in case he needed to fend off a mugger. Mai was surprisingly good at selling throwing knives, usually sealing a deal by showing how accurately she could throw them.
On a day that the shop was closed Zuko and Mai wandered the streets of Ba Sing Se. "This city is boring," Mai complained.
"Everything is boring to you," Zuko said.
"There's got to be something to do," Mai said.
As if on cue a large shadow passed over them, making Zuko look up to see an outline of a sky bison overhead. "That will work," Zuko said.
Following the bison lead them to a zoo in the lower ring, one that was in terrible condition. As a boy Zuko had visited a zoo in the Fire Nation, but that one had habitats bigger than the entire facility here. It was pathetic, and while inside Zuko believed that Mai looked even more bored than physically possible. They waited for the bison to land so that they could track the Avatar, but the beast only circled above.
"Why isn't it landing?" Zuko muttered. For minutes he watched the bison drift in a lazy circle.
Mai made a few glances around the cramped zoo. "Maybe it's afraid of getting stuck?"
The bison stopped circling the zoo and flew away, heading towards the upper ring. Zuko and Mai tried following it, but the bison passed the wall between rings far from any of the gates. They weren't even halfway to a gate when the bison was out of sight behind the wall. It quickly became clear that they weren't going to reach the Avatar today.
"Well that wasted half an hour," Mai said.
"Guess I'll have to find something else to liven up your day," Zuko said.
Back to wandering the lower ring Zuko and Mai walked down one of the many back alleys of the city. They walked past a homeless man with a knife, who wasn't nearly desperate enough to mug a couple. Entering the next alley they found a group of children running through it, paying no attention to Zuko or Mai as they ran past them. Immediately after the children a large muscular man ran past, chasing the children.
While Zuko was confident that the children would get away safely, he was still annoyed that the man chasing him had yet to be arrested by police. Then he saw Mai take a knife and throw it into the heel of the man chasing the kids, crippling the leg and bringing him down. Zuko felt no pity for the man, believing that he got what he deserved for targeting children.
"Who knew you had a soft spot for kids?" Zuko asked.
"They reminded me of my brother," Mai answered.
Leaving the crippled man behind Zuko and Mai headed for the middle ring. They passed through a gate between rings and explored the wider spaces the middle ring housed. Seeing a crowd of people walking by Zuko was curious about where they were going. The crowd stopped outside an arena, and the people in it started buying tickets to see an earthbending tournament.
Zuko checked his pockets to be certain of how much money he brought with him. "Want to see a show?" he asked Mai.
Mai glanced at the arena and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
After buying a pair of tickets Zuko led Mai inside the arena. Their seats were halfway between the front row and the nosebleed section, providing a decent view of the ring. Before the tournament began Zuko bought drinks for himself and Mai, and got annoyed at the higher than normal prices inside the arena. By the time the tournament began the arena was packed with spectators, many of which were gambling on the matches.
"Take any bets yet?" Zuko asked as he settled into his seat next to Mai.
"You know I don't gamble," Mai answered, taking a drink out of Zuko's hand. It was filled with black tea.
Watching the tournament provided a decent display of what Ba Sing Se's earthbenders were capable of. Most of them were pathetic and wouldn't last five minutes in a battle with Fire Nation soldiers. Without constant threat of attack the locals had let their skills decay over time. The victors of the first round all either served on the outer wall or lived in another part of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko believed that if the wall fell the benders inside would not stand a chance against the Fire Nation.
Near the end of the first round Zuko found a little surprise. He recognized one of the combatants. "Is that who I think it is?" Zuko muttered.
Mai saw the young girl fighting a large muscular man and easily beating him. "Looks like she survived the siege."
Keeping a close eye on The Blind Bandit during the tournament, Zuko learned much about her. She was clearly far more dangerous with home field advantage, nearly unstoppable when surrounded by earth. The only vulnerability seemed to be projectiles in the air, as she seemed to react to her opponent's bending motions than the projectiles themselves. None of the other earthbenders picked up on the weakness, stubbornly refusing to be creative with their bending.
Only in the final match did The Blind Bandit face a creative opponent. The Prime Punisher compressed his opponent's rock barrage and threw it back, broke apart the ring itself to keep from out of bounds, and improvised a version of rock armor. The match was the best of the night, but in the end The Prime Punisher wasn't skilled enough to win.
"And the winner is… The Blind Bandit!"
Mai stood up from her seat to leave. "I'm hungry," she muttered.
"Well we're not eating here," Zuko said, getting up as well. "The food is too expensive, even for a prince."
As the audience left after the tournament Zuko and Mai exited the arena. Zuko looked for a good place to eat that wasn't busy, which took a while. Near dusk he found a restaurant that was only moderately busy and brought Mai inside. After a short wait a waitress led them to a table, and along the way Zuko saw Azula sitting nearby. A moment later Zuko recognized a boy that Azula was sitting with.
"What is this, find old enemies day?" Zuko muttered.
Zuko made certain that the table the waitress provided was behind the Water Tribe boy before sitting down. He faced away from the boy just in case he turned around. Zuko kept his voice down in the restaurant, trying to listen in on Azula's conversation. Noise from other customers blocked most of the dialogue, disappointing Zuko.
After a meal of jackalope stew Zuko waited for Azula to finish. He and Mai had to order dessert to buy time and avoid looking suspicious, ordering fruit tarts with rose petals on top. Zuko saw the Water Tribe boy leave first, exiting the dining room to pay his bill. A moment later Zuko heard someone else approach his table.
"How long have you been there?" Azula asked
"Long enough," Zuko answered, trying to bluff. "So who's the boyfriend?"
"What?" Azula stuttered. "He's no friend of mine."
"Could have fooled me," Mai said.
Azula slammed her palm onto the table hard enough to shake dishes on it. "He just happens to be my lead into the Dai Li."
"You mean our lead," Zuko said.
"Don't fool yourself," Azula said. "He recognized the family resemblance, but didn't put two and two together."
"Or you just want him all to yourself," Mai suggested.
Clenching her fists Azula had to focus to prevent smoke from rising between her fingers. "If we were anywhere else you wouldn't say that."
"But we are here aren't we," Zuko said. He got up from his seat to leave. "Well go have fun with your Water Tribe refugee."
After paying the bill for the meal Zuko left the restaurant with Mai. It was getting late in the evening and Zuko wanted to head back to the apartments to rest. The streets in the lower ring began to clear up as people returned to their homes, trying to avoid the criminals that came out at night. After dark no one walked in the streets alone.
Confident that he could handle anything from the lower ring, Zuko took his time walking through the emptying streets. All Zuko wanted at the moment was to enjoy the walk with Mai, everything else could wait. Along the way to the apartments Zuko found a place that seemed to resemble Mai, a fountain surrounded by torches that were not lit. It was dark and grim, just like the restrained personality that Mai showed in public.
"Gee, isn't this place depressing," Mai said.
"You certainly would know," Zuko said, inching towards Mai's side.
"I suppose if those torches were lit, this would be a romantic place," Mai said.
Zuko took a moment to look around and found no one else nearby. Then he started shooting small flames at the torches, quickly lighting them with very little effort. In under half a minute Zuko was finished, and the lights filled the fountain and reflected off the water. "Better?" Zuko asked.
Mai gave a slight nod. "Risky."
"I'd risk anything, just to see you smile."
Getting close to Zuko's perfect face, Mai gave a small smile. "You succeeded."
Right there, next to the shining fountain, Zuko and Mai kissed. Absorbed in the moment they enjoyed it and each other, nothing else mattered. Not the enemy territory, not the unconventional courting, nothing but Mai was important to Zuko during the moment. The kiss ended all too soon for Zuko, though he would cherish the memory.
"That was worth the risk," Zuko said.
Mai grabbed Zuko's shirt with her left hand and place her right finger on his chest. "Don't ever do that again."
A/N: Let's see here... I've blatantly shipped Kataang, set up Jetki, a tiny bit of Toru, implied Sokkla, and continued Maiko, all in one chapter. Please tell me which ones work, which ones don't, and whether or not I should even bother with shipping at all.