Lu Ten was weeks outside of Ba Sing Se and still had no idea where he wanted to make his permanent hiding spot from the Fire Nation. He made his way to a coastal Earth Kingdom village called Huang, but the Fire Nation presence loomed there as well. It was at the harbor where he decided to board with a fisherman who was trading with the Fire Nation. The fisherman asked Lu Ten no questions about where he was from or what he was doing, which Lu Ten thanked the spirits for. He had no desire to be interrogated. He simply told the fisherman that his name was Ping and he was a refugee. Lu Ten was not really sure how he felt about returning to the Fire Nation. But he figured it was the last place anyone would look for him. And even if he was discovered, there would be no way of knowing about his family. Unless, of course, Zuko had revealed him, but since Lu Ten left Ba Sing Se with no trouble, he assumed Zuko had remained silent.

The fisherman was headed to Hing Wa Island, but Lu Ten knew the place to be occupied by Fire Nation military, so he requested to be dropped off on the island just south of Hing Wa, Zhong Island, where there was a small village. Lu Ten paid the fisherman when they docked, and he disembarked, headed for the village marketplace. It seemed to be a sleepy town with not much going on. Lu Ten decided it would be the perfect spot to settle and wait out the end of the war. A familiar feeling washed over him as he looked around for somewhere to stay. However, he doubted he would have the same experience he did in Ba Sing Se. This time, he wasn't pretending to be a refugee.

"You're new here," said a voice. It came from a kind-looking old woman.

"Uh, yeah," he returned awkwardly.

"My name is Hama," she continued. "I run an inn up on the hill. You're welcome to stay there a few nights until you find your own place."

"Thank you," Lu Ten said and bowed to her.

He followed her to her inn on the hill. She showed him to a room, but something was off about the place. He realized that there were no other guests in the inn. He was alone with the woman. He pushed the oddity to the back of his mind, figuring that it was due to the remoteness of the island. After a few moments, he offered any help he could to Hama.

"Thank you, young man," she said. "I would very much like some help putting together a meal for this evening. You'll want to be staying in tonight since it's the full moon."

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot you aren't from around here," she said. "Well, people have been disappearing on the full moon, son. It is believed a spirit is angry with the residents of this island."

"It seems I have chosen the wrong place to stay," Lu Ten joked.

Hama snickered.

That night, Lu Ten helped Hama make a stew for them to eat for dinner. However, Lu Ten could not shake his suspicion of the woman. As friendly as she seemed, there was something off about her, and he could not quite place what it was. She doted on Lu Ten, but it felt forced – like there was some ulterior motivation behind the kindness.

As they sat down to dinner, Hama began to ask Lu Ten about himself. She asked where he was coming from, and he made up some lies. He told her he was from a small Fire Nation colony, but held up his name of Ping. He told her that he wanted to start a better life for his wife and child, and the Fire Nation could provide that. As the fire dwindled in the fireplace, Hama requested that Lu Ten go fetch some more fire wood. He obliged, and went to the side of the inn where she instructed. It was the one closest to the woods. He noticed that there was no fire wood there. He turned to go back inside only to find Hama standing there.

"Oh, there you are," he said. "There's no fire wood here, but I can go collect some in the wood if you like. I'm not sure about all these disappearances, but I think I could make it back."

Hama smiled eerily. "Oh, aren't you a brave one?"

He shot her quizzical look. "Sure?"

"Well, good luck to you," she said ominously and shuffled off.

Lu Ten shrugged and started toward the forest. He didn't go far before he had to take in the beauty of the full moon. He bowed his head toward it to honor the moon spirit. Suddenly, when he tried to rise, he felt that he could not, as if there was a weight on his back. His whole body went rigid, and he felt he had no control of his own body. Whatever possessed him, forced him upright, and then had him walking toward the mountain. He struggled, but he couldn't fight it. Whatever it was, it was stronger than his own will.

"What's happening to me?!" he wondered aloud.

He heard a wicked laugh from among the trees. Hama emerged from behind them.

"You think I don't know who you are?" she said. "I spent decades among Fire Nation royalty and higher ups. They frequently visited my cell. You have clearly spent years trying to change your ways, changing your gait and the way you speak, but you can't hide it."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lu Ten argued.

"Who are you really, Ping?!" Hama demanded. "If that is your name!"

"What are you doing to me?!" he returned. "What are you, witch?"

"Witch, you say?" she scoffed. "More like the greatest water bender in the world!"

She thrust her hands down and Lu Ten was slammed onto the ground, his head hitting the hard earth beneath him. He writhed on the ground, but could not break Hama's grip on him. It terrified him to think that she was actually bending the blood in his body and controlling his every muscle. He felt a little sick to his stomach as she pulled him up again, realizing he was a real life puppet for this woman. He could do nothing to defend himself. All he could do was let her force him up the mountain and into a cave, where he saw a good number of people chained to the wall. He had no choice but to allow Hama to do the same to him, and his hands were cuffed to a chain attached to the wall. He had about five feet of chain in order to move, so he was luckier than most of the other people. Hama cackled as she departed. Lu Ten was at a loss. He looked around at the others, hoping for some sort of answer to this insane event, but everyone just shook their heads. They had no idea why she was doing this to them.