Teo had few visitors since he woke in the White Lotus camp outside of Ba Sing Se. Mostly it was Bumi that sat beside his bed and told him stories. Most of the stories were of his Father and his Aunts when they were children. When the healer had told him he was well enough to sit up, Iroh had "kidnapped" him by finding a wooden wheelchair and bringing him outside for a Pao Sho tournament.

The days blended together and his opponents had been switched out by the various old men that hung around the camp. Not that he minded, the game took his mind off of other things like Azula and his injuries and that his Father was in prison. He was just about to head back to his tent when there was a commotion in the camp.

Teo found himself alone once most of the old masters met to greet their "guests", Iroh being the only exception. The old man stopped and smiled, bending over the board and moved a single earth tile, trapping one of Teo's fire tiles. "Perhaps you should go back to your tent for now, Teo," Iroh said quietly, glancing towards the camp's informal entrance.

"I could use a nap. Pakku's playing always puts me to sleep," he smiled and pushed the wheelchair back to his tent. He was still technically using the healer's tent, but he was the only injured person currently in the camp. He gingerly swung himself onto the cot and lay down, the effort of being awake for so long taxing on his still healing body.

He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until he woke to someone humming in the tent beside him.

"Who's there?" he croaked, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the brightness that came along with being conscious.

"It's alright, my name is Katara. I was just helping to restock the medical supplies. Needed something to do," she seemed to ramble a little bit.

Teo cracked open an eye and moved his arm slowly. She was staring at him. At the wheelchair. The space on the bed that should be occupied. "You get a question if you answer one first," he said, scrubbing his face with his hands, making an attempt at wakefulness.

"Oh. Alright, sure."

"Why did you come here? I haven't seen you here before."

"Oh my friends and I were... we were looking for somebody. And we found this camp instead," she walked over cautiously, then took a seat on the stool beside his cot. The stool his grandfather usually occupied.

"Who were you looking for?"

"I thought it was my turn?"

"Right, sorry. Go on ahead."

"What happened to you?"

"I survived an execution squad. I'm... I was told that my legs were mailed to... my family. As a message," the words spill from his mouth easily.

"We were looking for Iroh. Well, we were looking for Aang first, then when we couldn't find him, we thought of looking for Iroh," she filled in easily. He saw her mentally going over his still-healing injuries, she couldn't keep her concern and pity from her face. She must be a waterbender.

"You look familiar," she said suddenly, then her expression darkened. "You! You're one of Azula's cronies! But Zuko said you were dead." The waterbender took an offensive stance, but the confusion on her face remained.

Teo just looked at her like she was insane. He was exhausted and in pain and this girl just wanted to try to pick a fight. "Didn't you just hear me? The Fire Lord tried to kill me!"

The tent flap opened, revealing two silhouettesagainst the sunlight. "Katara! I'm sorry for running away, I... what's going on?" The Avatar looked at Katara and then to Teo and his brow furrowed.

Teo opened his mouth for a truly Azula-worthy sarcastic remark when the tent flap opened again, revealing Bumi with a tray.

"Oh! Aang! And Katara too! I see you've met my grandson, Teo. He's been staying with us for a while. Isn't it nice to have family around?" Through his extra cheery tone, there was an undercurrent of command. The old king would not broke argument. "Now, why don't you two run along and let Teo have some dinner?"

The Avatar and waterbender simply nodded and left. Though Teo could tell that they were full of questions. He hoped that they would ask someone else.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Teo said quietly, carefully sitting up on the cot. He grit his teeth and held his breath as pain shot up the end of one of his legs.

Bumi was quiet as he set the tray of soup and tea on the table and resumed his seat on the stool beside the cot.

Thankfully he didn't speak until Teo let out a shaky breath and lay back against the pillows. "How are you feeling today?"

"I was alright this morning, then I tried to sleep. I didn't expect... guests," Teo accepted the bowl of soup that was handed to him and slowly started eating.

"Honestly, I was surprised it took them so long. The comet arrives tomorrow."

"Really? So soon?" Teo frowned, though couldn't find fault with the date. He had been unconscious for at least two weeks. The world didn't stop for him to nap.

"I'm afraid that time is not always on our side."

Teo nodded and finished his dinner quietly. "What will happen tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, the old masters and I will take back Ba Sing Se. The Avatar and his friends will deal with Ozai. He has... declared that Azula become Fire Lord while he conquers the rest of the world and rules as... the Phoenix King."

"The Fire Nation loves the idea of the Phoenix. When their legends aren't about dragons, they have to do with phoenixes. If... Azula is Fire Lord... that means... I can go home?" Teo had little hope, but the plea slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"I had hoped, that you would want to return to Omashu with me, once Ba Sing Se has been liberated," the old king said softly, finding something very interesting in the dirt on the floor.

"Oh. I see," Teo carefully lay back down, careful not to jar the ends of his... stumps. He had essentially traded one disability for another just as he had been traded from Fire Nation to Earth Kingdom. He had hoped that he would be finally free, but he now just had a different master.

"Once you are well enough to travel, we will speak with the Fire Lord and your Father."

Teo nodded, but he didn't expect that meeting to ever happen. He closed his eyes and dreamed of Azula, beautiful and powerful in the robes of the Fire Lord.