Honor Among Thieves

by fullmetalgrigori

Nimble body. Deadly aim. Sticky fingers. Quicksilver tongue. She's a thief with a heart of gold and a pathological liar with the very best of intentions. Put together? She's a most unlikely addition to the Avatar's traveling entourage.

13. Ignorance and Bliss

A/N: Good God. What a terrible week. One thing after another after another. Boston, you're in my prayers, and I know you'll get through this. We're with you all the way.

But I hope I can lighten whatever load you may be carrying with a chapter to lose yourself in. I'm pretty proud of this one, and I hope you enjoy it too.

A bit of a warning: Ba Sing Se is a little darker in my retelling. But there's nothing too serious in this chapter. There is, however, slight language. I usually try to censor Mira to the best of my ability, but she beat me in this one. Just a heads-up.

Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA. Just Mira and some new concepts.

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Chapter Thirteen

Ignorance and Bliss

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Mira didn't get the best night's sleep in the barracks, but she had expected as much. Barracks were, after all, built for durability, not comfort. Mira stretched languidly as the five waited at the Outer Wall station for the first train of the day. She sighed as her back popped and she rolled her shoulders. Other than a few kinks here and there, she really couldn't complain. Spirits knew she'd slept in less comfortable places. The army cots were downright fluffy compared to a few trees and alleys she'd made do in.

The train pulled into the station with the grating screech of rock scraping rock. Two earthbenders were stationed on each end to propel the train, and as a result, the vehicle was reversible. It could run its entire route without turning around once. The train ran back and forth all day, until it was stored in a warehouse in the Lower Ring overnight. A bit of a risky choice for storing a locomotive so important to the city, but aside from a few problems with graffiti, there were no major complaints.

The five boarded quickly and chose seats in the middle of the compartment. Five minutes later, and the train pulled out from the station and glided along the stone track toward the city. Mira watched the farmlands of the Outer Ring whiz by, crop after crop blurring together into a sea of green and gold. She let her mind drift, and wondered for at least the tenth time that morning if she was really going to risk venturing into the Lower Ring. The temptation was great, but so was the danger. She didn't know which side would win.

"Look, the Inner Wall," Katara pointed out. Mira started as she turned to look. She must have zoned out for longer than she thought. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece."

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka warned. "We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp!" He jerked his head as he looked around the train car, eyes wide.

"You been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph asked skeptically, after a pause.

"I'm just saying," Sokka shrugged, "weird stuff happens to us."

The universe, apparently, decided to prove Sokka right. At that precise moment, a rather rotund man with a glassy look in his eye and a pineapple hanging from his mouth plopped down on the bench in between Toph and Sokka, and began to suck on the pineapple. Mira watched him, wide eyed, then turned to Sokka. "You just had to say that, didn't you?" She reached across the aisle and yanked Toph over to sit next to her. Sokka squeezed in next to Aang, shooting the fat pineapple man a wary look as he did so. Aang paid him no heed, as he was too busy staring out the window to do so.

Katara noticed and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry Aang, we'll find Appa."

"It's such a big city," Aang murmured.

"He's a giant bison," Sokka scoffed. "Where could someone possibly hide him?" Mira took his chin and turned his head as they passed over the Inner Wall and finally got a look at the vastness that was Ba Sing Se. "Oh," he finished weakly.

"Yeah," she said. She shot Aang a sideways look and felt sorry for him. Seeing how huge Ba Sing Se was wouldn't do anything to lift his spirits. But she'd do everything in her power to help him.

They soon pulled into a Lower Ring station that was relatively well kept. They disembarked quickly and stood in the entrance of the station, all gaping at the city laid out in front of them.

Save for Toph, of course. She sighed noisily. "Back in the city. Great."

"What's the problem? It's amazing!" Sokka marveled, drinking in the sight.

"Just a bunch of walls and rules," Toph dismissed, waving a hand. "You wait; you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."

Mira reached over and squeezed her hand. "You too?" she murmured.

"Not the best memories for me," Toph muttered, huffing at her long bangs.

"Me neither," Mira admitted. "But some are better than most." Toph looked over in surprise, a question written all over her face. "Not all people here are bad," Mira continued. "Some are pretty decent."

"People we'll get to meet?" Toph questioned.

"Oh, hell no," Mira laughed. "At least, not if I have anything to say about it." Toph looked injured for a microsecond, and Mira scrambled to correct herself. "It's just—there's someone I know Katara wouldn't approve of," she explained. "And I've already got one lecture coming. I don't want another." Toph nodded sagely. "Maybe I'll take you," Mira tossed off casually. "That is, if you asked nicely." She grinned wickedly and tapped Toph twice on the shoulder. The young earthbender scowled, but her lips twitched faintly as she did so.

Mira looked up from the quiet conversation and found Katara watching them, a soft smile on her lips. Probably glad she and Toph were bonding, or something. She raised an eyebrow, and Katara answered with one of her own. She gave Mira a Look, to which Mira sighed in reply. She knew Katara was just dying to talk to her about the Serpent's Pass incident. Mira had managed to box away all her conflicting emotions, and she didn't need Katara to go rummaging around and spilling them all out. She was doing fine. She didn't need one of Katara's heartfelt moments. So she decided to avoid Katara for as long as possible. Maybe she'd get lucky and Katara would forget.

Well, one could hope, right?

Mira turned her gaze elsewhere, and someone else instantly caught her attention. A petite woman with long, dark hair and green robes was approaching them. She seemed perfectly normal, except for the wide smile pasted across her face. It looked completely unnatural to Mira, and it immediately made her suspicious. Something was off about the woman. Mira didn't even need to hear her speak to know this.

The woman marched right up to the five and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Mira." She nodded to each of them in turn. "Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

Mira was taken aback before she realized that all upper class arrivals to Ba Sing Se would receive the same treatment. When she'd lived in Ba Sing Se before, she'd lived solely in the Lower Ring. It was bizarre, to be treated so well after living so low.

"Yes," Sokka answered immediately. "We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately."

"Great, let's begin our tour," Joo Dee said, completely ignoring Sokka. Her smile didn't even falter. "And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it." She turned and started descending the steps to the train station.

Sokka blinked in surprise before barreling down the stairs after her. "Maybe you missed what I said," he tried again. "We need to talk to the King about the war. It's important."

"You're in Ba Sing Se now," Joo Dee said cheerfully, her robotic smile still in place. "Everyone is safe here."

Eyebrows lifted all around, save for Mira's. She'd lived here before. She knew of the conspiracy to hide the war. Anyone who'd lived there more than a few days knew. She hadn't mentioned it to the others because she knew they wouldn't believe her. Sometimes it was easier to show, rather than tell.

A fine, stately carriage waited at the bottom of the steps. Joo Dee swung open the green lacquered door and ushered everyone inside, but Mira hesitated before climbing in. She wasn't used to being catered to. It felt wrong to accept the kindness when the same government that was providing for them now gave so little to the lower class. But she had no choice in the matter, so she stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind her. There came the snapping of reins, the wheels jolted underneath them, and the carriage lumbered forward.

"This is the Lower Ring," Joo Dee explained and the carriage passed through one of the wider streets inside the ring. Mira peered out the window to see the marketplaces and back alleys she'd come to know so well just two years before.

"What's that wall for?" Katara asked, having spotted the barrier that separated the Lower Ring from the Middle Ring.

"Keeps the poor and starving away from the upper class," Mira answered bitterly. "No one wants to see trash littering the streets."

"No, that's not it at all!" Joo Dee exclaimed. "Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us, and the one's inside that help maintain order." Mira rolled her eyes and leaned back. "This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively," Joo Dee added.

"Yeah, really bustling with trade," Mira snapped irritably. She looked pointedly at the street outside, and the others followed her gaze. Two burly men stood arguing at the edge of an alley. They looked over at the carriage simultaneously, lips curled in a sneer. One carried a large gleaming sword, which was currently tucked in his belt. He laid a hand on its hilt slowly, fingers flexing as he glared at the occupants of the carriage.

"This is why I never came here before," Aang said quietly, clearly unsettled. "I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live."

"You have no idea," Mira muttered under her breath.

It took nearly thirty minutes to reach one of the crossings between the Lower and Middle Rings. The change was instantly obvious. The streets were much better kept, and the side streets could actually fit more than one person. No trash littered the gutters, and everything had a well-kept air about it. Mira scowled. She had visited the Middle and Upper Rings before (there were very few places that could really keep her out), but she hadn't liked them one bit. Alright, so maybe she didn't mind the Middlings (as was the nickname for all Middle Ring residents) so much. But the Scuppers…they she couldn't stand.

"This is the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, home to the financial district, shops and restaurants and the university," Joo Dee narrated, not even bothering to look out the window.

All heads, save for one, turned Mira's way. They were looking to her for her honest view on the Middle Ring. She shrugged. "Not bad. They just sort of go day by day…some pity the Lower Ring and hire them for work. Some of 'em can't stand us."

"Us?" Joo Dee asked, lifting one perfectly manicured eyebrow.

Mira leveled a cool gaze at their guide. "I lived in the Lower Ring a couple years ago. So spare me the propaganda. I know what it's really like."

Joo Dee examined Mira thoughtfully, her face unreadable. Mira suddenly had the sinking feeling that Joo Dee was more powerful that she'd initially thought. She broke the stare and gazed out the window in an effort to avoid Joo Dee's eyes.

Sokka was either oblivious to the sudden tension, or he was choosing to ignore it. "Yeah, we met a Professor from Ba Sing Se University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the King to hear!" He said all this in one breath, and was left gasping for air when he finished.

But Joo Dee's infernal grin never wavered. "Isn't history fascinating? Look, here's one of the oldest buildings in the Middle Ring, Town Hall." The carriage ground to a halt outside a delicate-looking stone building, and Joo Dee stepped daintily outside.

"Is that woman deaf?!" Sokka exploded. "She only seems to hear every other word I say!"

"It's called 'being handled'," Toph grumbled. "Get used to it." She crossed her arms and slumped against the seat. She stubbornly remained in the carriage as the others piled out. Mira kept to the back of their small tour group as Joo Dee began to drone on about the Town Hall and how some famous Earth Kingdom activist had found Ba Sing Se so many years ago, and how miraculous it was that he'd managed to build the beginnings of the city on top of a badger-mole colony, and so on and so forth. Mira edged backwards as Joo Dee kept talking. She couldn't stand another moment in this woman's company. She waited until Joo Dee had turned around to point out some intricate detail on the building to make her move. She darted in between two buildings and made her escape.

She exhaled in relief. It was stifling, being shuttled around from place to place. She much preferred to roam free, subject only to her own whims. She retraced the path the carriage had taken them until she'd crossed back over the bridge to the Lower Ring.

She paused after crossing the small bridge and inhaled the mingling scents of sewage, body odor, and various foodstuffs. The smell assaulted Mira's nostrils, and she knew from experience that it would take at least a week to get used to the atmosphere of the Lower Ring. She remained where she was for a few minutes as her eyes roamed over the chaos. People bustled through the streets, head down and avoiding eye contact. Children ducked under arms and crawled under legs where they had to as they dashed down the road. Beggars lined the storefronts, wrapped in rotting blankets, small dishes resting on the ground in front of them. Merchants called out over each other as they competed for attention from the consumers that filled the improvised, haphazard markets. A group of shrieking children played street ball in an enclosed square down the alley. For all the horrific sights, there were also scenes of hope. The balance appealed to Mira.

After a habitual tug to her hood, Mira set off into the streets of the Lower Ring. She squeezed in between people and ducked into alleyways as she made her way through the city. She didn't exactly have a destination in mind; she just let her feet take her where they would.

She turned down one alley and immediately regretted it. Emaciated waifs clothed in rags slumped in the gutter that ran alongside the buildings along the lane. A hazy, cloying smoke clogged the air. Mira coughed and waved her had in front of her face. She'd always hated the smell of ringweed.

The figure closest to her lolled its head in her direction at the sound of her cough. Its hair was matted with grease, and the thin frame gave her no clue as to whether she was looking upon a male or female. Its eyes were clouded over in the typical fashion of someone high on ringweed.

Mira hated the drug. She'd seen far too much of it in her previous stay in Ba Sing Se. Ringweed was ground from the leaves of the ringweed plant, which grew all-to-well in certain parts of the Outer Ring. A small cloth pouch was filled with the plant paste, and when placed under the tongue, the drug would take effect. Symptoms included an intoxicating warmth and sense of well-being, something that was much too rare on the streets of Ba Sing Se. To the truly desperate, the drug was a promising escape from a less-than-desirable life. Unfortunately, most dealers forgot to mention that it was extremely addictive. It was also (eventually) deadly. Most ringweed users tended to give up on life; cause of death was voluntary suffocation simply because they stopped breathing.

Mira could feel her eyes welling up from the sting of the smoke, and she hastily left the alley behind. She pushed her way through the crowd on the street, desperate to put distance between herself and the ringweed addicts. It broke her heart to see so many people on the brink of death, knowing she could do nothing. They'd orchestrated their own demise. No matter how many times she told herself that, though, it still hurt to see it.

A subtle tug at her belt snapped her to her senses. She whirled around in time to see a boy trying to lift her coin purse. "Oh, no you don't," Mira growled, glad to find someone to take her frustration out on. Within seconds her arm was wrapped around his neck.

"Gah!" the boy gasped as he tried to pull at her bicep.

"Give me back my money," Mira hissed, her mouth close by his ear.

"Jus' need it fer food," the street urchin wheezed out.

"Then I suggest you pickpocket somebody else," Mira answered calmly. She plucked the cloth coin pouch from his grip and quickly released him. By the time he'd regained his breath and turned to look for her, she'd melted into the crowd.

She felt no remorse for taking back her money. If it had been someone who had truly, deeply needed it, she might have let them simply run away. But the boy had a well-fed, sneaky look about him. He wasn't on the brink of starvation. He had several options ahead of him, and Mira knew it wasn't a matter of life and death if he didn't get her money. He would survive.

Mira absently reached behind her back to stow her coin pouch into a hidden pocket she'd sewn into the back of her cloak. She was met with nothing more than a cloth strip sewn to the fabric. She huffed in irritation. She'd ripped the pocket when she'd methodically torn apart her cloak in the desert and had forgotten all about replacing it. Well, there was no better time than the present.

She kept her head down but her eyes alert as she passed through the streets of the Lower Ring. She saw many clothing stalls set up along the streets, but passed by them indifferently. Most of the items displayed were made from cheap cloth and the stitching was sloppy. She was hoping for something a bit higher in terms of quality. After thirty minutes of searching, she grudgingly admitted that a trip to the Middle Ring was necessary.

She spotted it at the first street corner she came to. A beautiful deep green cloak was hanging on display outside a shop. It was perfect.

But how was she going to acquire it?

The shop next to the clothing store caught Mira's eye. Several delicate bowls and vases were set out on display tables on the small porch running alongside the front of the shops. And Mira knew exactly what to do.

She searched the ground for a suitable rock to throw. She picked up one medium-sized pebble and tossed it in her hand a few times. It was large enough to do some damage, but small enough that it would be easy to throw and easy to miss in the pile of glass shards. After one last check to ensure that no one could see her, Mira pulled her arm back and let the stone fly.

Two vases and a bowl exploded with a deafening crash, drawing attention from several passerby. The portico was quickly swarmed with bystanders and shop owners, and Mira took the opportunity to step onto the porch and approach the shop under the pretense of curiosity. In a split-second she had the cloak wrapped in her arms and was walking away. As soon as she was out of sight of the shop, she took off running and didn't stop until she'd passed into the Lower Ring once more.

She unhooked the clasp of her old, torn cloak and fastened her new acquisition around her neck. She let herself be a girl for a moment and rubbed the fabric, marveling in its soft (yet durable) cloth. It was a much better cloak than the one she'd had before.

Now came the task of disposing of her old garment. She refused to simply toss it in the trash or the street for the poor to pick up later. She wanted to give it to someone who really needed it. The problem was, a majority of the Lower Ring residents were too proud to accept charity. She needed to be discreet.

She turned down a street with several alleys she knew the homeless used for sleeping. She eased her head around the corner of one of these alleys (she'd learned the hard way not to surprise the residents of these back streets) and saw a few blanket-covered lumps littering the alley. Silently, she lowered the cloak to the ground and balled it up a bit, like a makeshift pillow. When they woke up, they'd see the cloak and assume someone new had foolishly left it behind after stealing a few minutes' sleep in the alley. Someone would take it for their own, and never realize that Mira had left it there on purpose. Everyone would walk away happy.

Mira continued to wander around the Lower Ring, taking in familiar sights and sounds. She reveled in the feeling of total anonymity. She was surrounded by hundreds of people, and yet no one knew who she was. She could go anywhere she wanted, do anything she wanted, and no one would be the wiser.

She realized with a start that she recognized the street she'd just turned down. She couldn't go this way. At least, not yet. She wasn't ready. She hastily turned around and retraced her steps until she was several blocks away. She cut across a few streets via back alleys until she'd put several blocks distance between them. She stopped on a street corner and took a few minutes rest.

But it seems that there is truly no rest for the weary. A distressed shout drew her attention to the next street over. She darted through an alley, leaping over a handful of wooden boxes that blocked the way. She skidded onto the cobbled road, head turned left then right to find the trouble. She nearly groaned out loud when she saw it.

A kakodaemon was tearing apart a cabbage stall with reckless abandon. It cackled in delight, and the high-pitched sound only added to its sinister appearance. The elderly owner cowered behind a pillar on the adjacent store's small portico. He whimpered softly, one hand extended toward his ruined stall.

The kakodaemon's shadowy tentacles lashed out and seized hold of two plump cabbages. The arms whipped around, and the vegetables were suddenly heading straight for the merchant's head. He only just avoided them by ducking back behind the pillar, and the cabbages hit the storefront with an audible splat. In a burst of motion, the cabbage merchant abandoned his stall with yelp and ran down the street at a dead run, nearly falling over as he skidded to duck down an alleyway. She was now alone on the street with the rogue spirit.

Mira's eyes were already scanning the road in search of the appropriate materials. She wouldn't be able to hold a proper ritual, per se, but she had a sudden feeling that she knew what was drawing the chaos spirit.

Her eyes spotted an abandoned spice stall. She slowly made her way toward it, making sure to keep quiet. Her fingers brushed over several leather pouches until they landed on the right one. She plucked the bag from where it was hanging and quickly looped the drawstring through her belt.

Another quick look down the street rewarded her with a long, sturdy katana on display outside of a shop to her right. She crept along the street-side gutter, not daring to take her eyes off the kakodaemon, who was intent on destroying every scrap of the cabbage stall. Mira slowly took hold of the katana, flexing her fingers along the hilt before tucking the blade into her belt. Salt on one hip, sword on the other, and she was ready.

…Only, she hadn't counted on a Dai Li agent to materialize at one end of the road. He stood absolutely still as he assessed the street, his face partially hidden by the plumed straw hat typically worn by the Dai Li. He wore a green robe so dark is was almost black adorned with the light green and gold symbol of the Earth Kingdom.

Mira sidled backwards until she was hidden in the shadows of a back alley. She didn't trust the Dai Li. Better to wait and see what he was doing there than risk provoking his anger by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Dai Li agent stepped forward, and it was at that moment that Mira noticed the brown scabbard hanging from the agent's belt. He was armed with what looked to be a dao sword, an unusual choice for the Dai Li. Nearly all agents relied on rock gloves, which Mira now noticed to be conspicuously missing from this one's hands. She narrowed her eyes as she watched the agent step silently down the street. What was he doing…?

Her eyes snapped wide open. Spirits, she'd been stupid. It was so obvious now. She hadn't seen it when she'd lived in Ba Sing Se before, because she hadn't yet received Guang's training. Now that she'd returned, it was easy to put the pieces together.

The Dai Li may have originally been founded to protect Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage, but somewhere along the line, the agency had been corrupted. Now they served only to suppress any whisper of the war outside the walls. A lie had been concocted, a lie so huge it covered the entire Earth Kingdom capital city. A lie that extensive came with an excessive amount of negative energy. Be Sing Se would be heaven for a chaos spirit. And so much negative energy wouldn't draw just one kakodaemon. No, a whole flotilla would be running around the city, wreaking havoc. In order to sustain the lie and keep the people happy (read: quiet), the Dai Li would have to suppress these daemons. At some point in history, the Dai Li had become spiritual warriors. They banished the chaos spirits drawn to Ba Sing Se by the anti-war conspiracy. And that was why there was a Dai Li agent with a sword walking down the street.

Mira was perfectly content to just sit and watch the agent take care of the kakodaemon (she was itching to find out how the Dai Li handled spirits), but circumstances prevented her from doing so. The Dai Li agent had been walking silently down the road toward the chaos spirit, and had managed to escape its notice. He slowed as he drew nearer to the stand, and one hand went to wrap around the hilt of his sword. His eyes were glued to the spirit, and as a result, he missed the cabbage detritus that littered the street. His foot landed squarely on a fragment of the vegetable, producing a near inaudible snap.

As quiet as it was, the sound was enough to draw the spirit's attention. The kakodaemon paused in its destruction of the cabbage stall, its feelers whipping around as if to taste the air. In an instant it had leaped atop the stand and growled menacingly at the Dai Li agent.

The man wasted no time. His sword gave a slithering shiver as he drew it from his scabbard. He swung at the kakodaemon, but he was no match for the spirit's speed. Mira could only make out a shadowy blur as the chaos spirit dodged the sword blade and leaped for the roof directly to Mira's right. She mumbled a mild oath and resigned herself to another spirit battle.

The universe just can't give me a break, can it?

She whipped out two throwing darts and wedged them into the mortar of the building next to her. A hop, skip, and leap later, and she was perched along the long, narrow beam that ran down the center of the roof. She crawled along the beam with one hand as she reached into her salt pouch with the other. There was no way she would have time to stand up, draw her sword, and swing at the little bugger before it realized she was behind it. The spirit was wholly focused on the Dai Li agent on the street below, and Mira had every intention of keeping it that way. The agent stared back, still and tense as he watched the daemon on the roof. He gave no indication that he saw Mira creeping up behind the spirit, even though she was in plain view of the entire street. She was thankful for that. Any change in the agent's composure could make the spirit aware of Mira's presence.

She stopped her forward motion when she was around six or seven feet away from the daemon. She didn't even dare to breathe as she brought up her clenched fist. A tiny stream of salt trickled out and landed silently on the wood beneath Mira's feet.

The spirit froze, its tentacles paused in midair. Mira's eyes went wide and her heart nearly stopped. But before she could move, the daemon had spun around and was baring its gleaming white fangs in her face.

Mira didn't hesitate. She threw the salt in the spirit's face, and the little side street was filled with its keening wail. The kakodaemon's tentacles writhed around in pain, and Mira jerked backward to avoid them. She wobbled on the roof and began to pitch sideways. Her heart rose into her throat.

She rolled around as she slid down the tiled slope, her hands searching frantically for purchase. They finally caught on the edge of the roof just as her body slid off. She dangled in mid-air, shoulders screaming in protest, but otherwise unharmed. She glanced down to make sure the ground was clear before letting go and landing in a crouch in the alley.

She didn't let herself catch her breath. She drew her stolen katana and darted out of the alleyway, this time not even trying to hide her presence. The daemon already knew she was here; she'd lost any element of surprise. The best path to take now would be to banish the spirit before it could do any more damage.

The Dai Li agent's sword was whirling in a silver blur as he pinned in the spirit. Mira dashed to his side as she dug around in her salt pouch. "I have the salt," she told him shortly. "You keep it trapped, I'll banish it."

"Leave," the agent said quietly, his voice low and dangerous.

"Um…what?" Mira's eyebrows drew together. "Excuse me? I'm trying to help!"

"The Dai Li have this covered," the man muttered through gritted teeth.

"The Dai Li?" Mira challenged. "Or you?" Her voice softened. "I know what I'm doing. I've done this before."

The agent started in surprise, and that miniscule movement was enough for the daemon to leap at the Dai Li agent's face. Before Mira was even aware of moving, she was shoving at the agent's shoulder and knocking him down. She landed on top of him, and the air was knocked from her lungs. The agent's straw hat had toppled from his head as he hit the ground, and Mira was finally able to get a good look at his face.

What caught her attention first was his age. He looked only a few years older than Mira. He couldn't have been more than twenty, at the most. His coarse brown hair was cut in a military style that didn't quite do its job of making him seem older, and pale green eyes stared back at her in surprise. No doubt he'd gotten a glimpse of her face as well and was surprised to see a young teenage girl underneath the cloak.

Mira's common sense returned to her in an instant, and she scrambled up off the Dai Li agent. She whirled around, her eyes darting this way and that as she searched for the daemon.

A deep, dark shriek had her whirling around. The spirit stood in the road, feelers seething, and teeth bared in a furious grimace. The kakodaemon had been denied of its prey, and it thirsted for pain and chaos.

Not today, Mira thought fiercely, and she drew her sword as the daemon charged for her. It ignored the Dai Li agent still sprawled on the ground and leaped into the air, fangs heading straight for Mira's jugular. Mira pivoted to the side and swung the sword with all her might. Replace the katana in her hands with a stick of wood, and she might have been playing streetball. The flat edge of the sword hit the spirit right in the middle and sent it flying down the street.

Mira didn't stop to watch it soar. She reached down a hand to pull the Dai Li agent up, and tossed him the salt pouch. "I'll trap it, you banish it," she called over her shoulder as she ran down the street towards the daemon. She didn't wait for his reply. She reached the spirit just as it woozily got to its feet (it seemed the salt was finally beginning to take hold), and she slammed the sword blade down on top of the spirit, effectively pinning it to the ground. She kneeled on either side of the blade, her knees keeping the sword locked against the chaos spirit. The Dai Li agent materialized at her shoulder, and she leaned back to give him room.

He dropped a handful of salt on top of the spirit whilst murmuring a short sentence. Mira couldn't make it all out, but she did hear the words "lie" and "war". She smirked. She'd been right about the negative energy.

An ear-shattering scream echoed through the alley as the spirit writhed underneath Mira's sword. She jumped back as the tentacles abandoned their languid waving and lashed out with a vengeance. The daemon's shadow-black skin boiled and bubbled, and gray steam wafted into the air. Moments later, and the spirit had boiled away into thin air.

Mira released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and sat back on her heels. She looked over her shoulder to find the Dai Li agent walking away. "Oi!" she called loudly. "You're welcome!"

He glanced back over his shoulder and fixed her with an unreadable stare. She met his gaze defiantly, chin lifted and eyes blazing. After a long minute, he gave her an imperceptible nod before bending down to retrieve his hat. He turned down a side alley, leaving Mira alone in the street with nothing but a destroyed cabbage stall for company. With a groan, she slowly pushed herself up and began the journey to the Upper Ring. She didn't know when she'd be missed, but it would do well for her to find the others anyway.

She'd just turned down a side alley when she saw it. A little flash of red, paired with a sprig of green. Mira felt the corners of her mouth turn up. It'd been so long since she'd encountered one of these. Too long.

A bloodred flower bloomed brightly in the dim little alley. Thick, fat petals erupted from a black center, and a curling creeper vine was rooted into the ground of the gutter. The gutterflower, it was called. Known for its hardiness and ability to grow nearly everywhere, the persistent little weed originated in the Lower Ring. Mira clipped one flower with her knife and brought it closer to her face. She inhaled. The sweet, floral scent of the flower was paired with the musky scent of decay. Life and death, merged into one. Mira found it not the least bit poetic.

It was this flower that gave the Lower Ring residents their name. The Uppers called them gutterflowers. It was meant to be an insult, since the flower was a pesky weed. But the Lowers took it as a sort of compliment. The gutterflower was hardy, and despite growing in the gutters, still managed to smell sweet.

The same couldn't be said for the Upper Ring residents. There was no mistaking the intent of their nickname: Scuppers. Mira wasn't entirely sure where the term had originated, but one popular theory was that someone had taken to calling the Upper Ringers "Scummy Uppers." Shorten it a bit, and there you had it.

Mira sat back on her heels and rolled the flower stem around in her fingers as she thought. One question in particular bounced around in her mind: Should she bring Aang down to the Lower Ring?

She knew he was at least partially aware of the problems that existed in Ba Sing Se. He knew the poor were isolated and contained in the Lower Ring. But she knew that he didn't quite realize the full implications of it. Was it her responsibility to show him, the Avatar?

The answer came almost immediately. No, she would not. Aang was already so preoccupied with the war, and the eclipse, and finding Appa, that adding another burden seemed almost cruel. Aang would take one look at the beggars lining the street and would instantly try to help in any way he could. He'd work himself to the bone, and then he'd be of no use when the time came to fight. No, this was Mira's war. While Aang was fighting on the front lines, she would be working away on the streets, helping out where she could. Besides, winning the war would do more to help the refugees than Mira ever could on her own. Those who'd come to Ba Sing Se seeking sanctuary could leave for their homes, and the city would relax as it was bled of temporary occupants. More attention could be spent on the citizens, and not on covering up the war. Ba Sing Se might even become a pinnacle of innovation, if given enough time. Mira's eyes unfocused as she imagined such a city. Buildings standing tall and proud, gleaming in the morning sun. Gutters teeming with wildflowers, flags proudly waving from every window. People stopping to talk to one another in the streets. All classes mingling in one enclosed city. No walls. No segregation. No prejudice.

Mira's faint smile faded, and she was suddenly brought crashing down to earth. Even if they managed to win the war and defeat the Fire Lord (and some days, that seemed like a fantastically big if), there was no way they could magically banish prejudice and hate. People would still hate other people for the smallest and most insignificant of reasons, and there was nothing she could do about it. Mira sighed heavily. Some days, it seemed, were solely designed to make her weary. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Obsessing over what may or may not come never did anyone any good. She'd tackle those problems when she got to them. For now, she would stand up and find the others.

And so she did.

---

Mira was halfway through the Middle Ring when she realized that she had no idea where they would be staying in Ba Sing Se. The only thing she knew was that the Ba Sing Se government was providing Aang a house in the Upper Ring. It could take days to find them. She couldn't exactly go door to door and ask if the Avatar was home. Well, perhaps she'd get lucky like she had in Omashu. Knowing Aang, he'd be prowling around looking for clues about Appa. Maybe she'd catch a glimpse of him in the street.

She kept her eyes open and alert as she passed elaborate house after elaborate house. Mira felt the unfairness of it all raise her hackles, and forcibly exhaled. She was just one girl. She couldn't change Ba Sing Se by herself. Stop the war, and transformation might be possible. That was her goal. That was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

She sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere by just wandering the streets. She needed a better view. She backed up a few steps, ran toward the wall of the house to her left, and with a few light steps, she was hanging from the roof. She pulled herself up, ignoring the screaming in her arms. She'd strained something while hanging from the roof back there, and swinging that katana so hard hadn't helped. She wouldn't ask Katara for any help, though. Soreness she could handle.

She stood on top of the roof, one hand shading her eyes from the bright afternoon sun while she searched for the others. A flash of bright blue drew her attention, and she saw all four clustered in the doorway of a smaller Upper Ring house. She made note of their position and quickly dropped from the roof. She cut through a few backyards, and soon enough, she was standing on the edge of the street, waiting for the others to finish talking to a small, squirrely-looking man. She debated walking up to the door and joining them, but popping out of nowhere was always more fun. She squashed the small grin on her face and settled into her best nits and knobs face (nits and knobs was a game of chance based on how well you could fool you opponent. It paid to have a stone expression).

The squirrely man whispered something to the group and slammed the door shut, effectively cutting off their conversation. Mira remained where she was as the group huddled amongst themselves.

Sokka turned around first. The confusion on his features lasted a split second before his eyes widened and he flinched in surprise. "Gah!" he squeaked. "Where did you come from?" The others looked around at Sokka's exclamation, and eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Touring the city," she said, shrugging indifferently. "That, and I can't stand Joo Dee."

"How did you find us?" Toph asked curiously.

"I can track anything," she deadpanned. After a brief pause, she said, "Actually, no, I can't. I just got lucky."

"Well, now that you're back, maybe you can help us with something," Katara said. She began to lead Mira to a rather spacious house across the street. "What do you know about the Dai Li?"

"Officially, they're the cultural guardians of Ba Sing Se," Mira answered. "Protecting traditions, and all that."

"That's what Joo Dee said," Aang cut in.

"Why do I get the feeling that's not the whole story?" Sokka chimed in sarcastically.

Mira snorted as they entered the house. "This is Ba Sing Se. You never get the full story." She quickly sobered. "Unofficially, they're the secret police. They make sure no one talks about the war inside the walls."

"Why would they do that?" Aang asked, shock and disbelief written across his face. He sank to the floor by the window, his eyes never leaving Mira's.

Mira untied her cloak and looped it over one of the hooks nailed to the wall. She waited until everyone was settled before answering. "Because as long as there's no war, the government can control Ba Sing Se. They probably think everyone will break into riots if word gets out." Mira paused as she sat down across from him, completing the little circle they'd formed. "Problem is, practically everyone knows about the war. They just keep quiet, for fear of disappearing in the middle of the night. The war is not unknown in Ba Sing Se. Practically half the residents are war refugees. It's just a secret."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asked, his tone carrying the slightest hint of accusation.

"You'da believed me?" Mira asked skeptically.

"…Fine. Maybe not," Sokka muttered.

"Thought it was best to show you. Didn't do any harm, did it?"

"We came to tell the Earth King about the eclipse," Aang said slowly, looking utterly defeated. "What if he says no? What do we do then?"

"Well, what if the Earth King doesn't know about the war?" Katara postulated, tapping her cheek with one finger. Mira opened her mouth to retort, but Katara held up a hand. "No. Hear me out. You say everyone knows about the war." Mira nodded. "So why still keep it a secret if everyone knows? They have to know they're not fooling everyone."

"What if it's only to fool certain people?" Sokka added, catching onto the idea. "Like the King?" He looked to Mira for her opinion.

She shrugged. "It's possible. Your reasoning is a little tenuous, but I can see it."

"So all we have to do is talk to the Earth King," Sokka said. "However that's going to happen."

Whatever small hope their conversation had raised was swiftly quashed. They still had no concrete way to get to the Earth King (it went without saying that Joo Dee's method didn't count).

"We'll worry about that tomorrow," Mira decided, waving the matter away. "It's been a long day."

Nods were exchanged, and their circle broken. Sokka stood and wandered into the kitchen to find some food, Toph leaned back and closed her eyes for a nap, and Aang stood at the window, looking up into the sky. Mira rose and finally had a proper look at the place where they would be staying. The front door opened into a spacious atrium, and several doors lined the sides of the room. The room was slightly raised in the back where it turned into a common sitting area. A large, airy window dominated that wall. A small kitchen was tucked away in the back left corner, and a hallway leading to a large communal bathroom was to the right. All in all, it wasn't too lavish—something Mira appreciated.

Katara caught Mira's gaze as she scanned the room. In that split-second of eye contact, Mira knew instantly what the waterbender wanted. They hadn't really talked since Mira's panic attack, and Katara was dying to get some time alone with her.

Not on her watch.

Mira darted into the nearest room and slid the door shut behind her. She took a few steps inside and noted that aside from a medium-sized bed and small chest of drawers, there was nothing else in the room. It was free for her to claim.

"Mira?" Katara's voice drifted tenuously through the door.

Mira gave a non-committal grunt.

"Can we talk?"

"Not now."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm irritated with you." Well, nothing like brutal honesty to dissuade someone.

But Katara was clever. "Is that going to change anytime soon?" Mira could practically hear her foot tapping impatiently.

"No."

"So, you're avoiding me."

Mira slid the door open with a bang and rolled her eyes. "Gee, what gave it away?"

"Mira," Katara admonished. "I'm only trying to help."

"And I realize that Katara, I really do," Mira sighed. "But not all of us need to have a long meaningful talk whenever we fall apart."

"Not all of us have someone who'll listen," Katara countered.

Mira closed her eyes and rubbed her temples slowly. "I appreciate the offer, Katara," she muttered through gritted teeth. "But I'm fine."

Katara fixed her with a stormy stare. "You think you need to be strong and invincible all the time. But you don't."

"Yes, I do!" Mira snapped, eyes flashing fire. "Every second of every day, I have to be careful. I can never let my guard down."

"Do you not trust us?" Katara asked softly, and the change in her demeanor threw Mira off. She'd gone from anger to sadness in less than a second.

"It's not you!" Mira exclaimed. "It's something that happened before I met you. You think you know me, Katara, but you don't. You don't know anything about me."

"Because you won't let me!"

"Because I can't! It will not happen, Katara! Daichi, can't you just be happy with me now?" Mira wasn't sure when the pleading tone entered her voice, but it seemed to work on Katara.

"You know I am," she said softly. "It's just…I want to help. And if you keep lying all the time…" She trailed off uncertainly.

Mira cursed silently. She'd never thought in the beginning that her lies would cause so many problems. "I've done things I'm not proud of, Katara. I'm just trying to keep that away from you. Let me deal with my faults," she urged, and she could see Katara beginning to weaken. "This is my problem. Let it be mine."

There was a moment of tense silence, then Katara nodded. She gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry. Just trying to help."

"Always a mother, you," Mira remarked as she tried to hide her sigh of relief.

Katara chuckled weakly, but it died on her lips after a few seconds. "Are we okay?" she asked.

Mira nodded. "Always."

Katara's smile widened, and she took a few steps back. "Right. See you later, then."

Mira threw off a two-finger salute and slid the door shut. She leaned against the thin wood and sighed heavily. She'd bought herself some time.

But spirits only knew how long it would last.

---

Katara burst through the front door the next morning, her ocean blue eyes blazing in excitement. "I've got it! I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph drawled. She affected a haughty tone and said, "'One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King.'"

Katara held up a fancy-looking scroll. "The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear."

"You mean platypus-bear?" Aang asked, brow furrowed.

Katara consulted the scroll. "It just says bear."

Mira tuned out as the others kept chatting. A party would be an ideal in to the palace. Crowds of people all dressed up in their finest, chatting amongst themselves as they vied for position in a glittering ballroom…yes. It was the best scenario for them at the moment, and Mira intended to seize it.

"Won't work," Toph said, and her simple, matter-of-fact comment brought Mira back down to earth.

"Why not?" Katara asked, her face falling.

"Well, no offense to you simple country folk," Toph sniffed, "But a real society crowd would spot you from a mile away. You've got no manners." She plucked a pastry from a bowl sitting next to her and began munching.

"Excuse me?" Mira and Katara cried simultaneously.

"Says the girl who takes great delight in picking her toes at least twice a day," Mira commented, wrinkling her nose.

"I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it," Toph explained, tossing her pastry to the side. "You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late."

"You'd be surprised," Mira defended.

"I thought you grew up in a small Earth Kingdom village," Toph said slyly, head ever-so-slightly turned in Mira's direction.

Mira turned a faint shade of pink and resisted the urge to growl out loud. "I'm a thief," she explained hastily. "Pretending to be someone else comes naturally."

Toph gave Mira a hard stare, then shrugged. "Alright," she allowed, "So maybe you could pull it off. And Katara. But you two…" She raised an eyebrow as her head turned toward Aang and Sokka.

"Aw, c'mon," Aang protested. "I'm mastering every element. How hard could manners be?" He snatched a nearby curtain and wrapped it around himself in an imitation of a cape. He looked down his nose and lowered his voice as he began to speak. "Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water-tribe. Ms. Katara Water-tribe. Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty, your Momo-ness." He giggled a bit as he addressed the lemur.

Sokka jumped up and wrapped a second curtain around himself to join in on the charade. "Avatar Aang, how you do go on," he said in a deep, snobby drone.

Aang bowed deeply to Sokka, and he returned the gesture. The two boys went back and forth, back and forth, until they both attempted to bow at the same time. They cracked their heads together and fell the floor in a groaning heap.

"I present to you: case in point," Mira said sardonically, her arms spread wide to point to the boys.

"You two would be lucky to pass as busboys," Toph snickered.

"But I feel so fancy," Sokka pouted.

"So I take it the girls will go in the front and the boys from the back?" Mira clarified.

Toph nodded. "Now all we need are the costumes."

---

"Would—you—hold—still!" Mira grunted as she wrestled with Toph's head.

"Maybe I wouldn't move so much if you would stop poking my eye out!"

"Maybe I wouldn't poke your eye out if you stopped wiggling!" Mira retorted. The tip of her tongue poked out of her mouth as she traced the outer edges of Toph's milky green eyes with a thin, ostrich-horse bristle brush. When her eyes were finally finished, Mira gratefully let go of Toph's face and set the brush down on the counter. "You're done, save for a little lip color," she said. "Scoot over a bit so I can do Katara."

Katara, who had been watching Mira in wonder, sat down slowly. "How exactly do you know all this?"

Mira took a small cloth and began to rub a white cream onto Katara's face. "I didn't exactly mention what I was doing before Ba Sing Se, did I?"

No," Katara said warily.

"Well, I traveled with gypsies. You want to master your craft, you learn from the best, yeah?" She didn't wait for an answer as she reached for the pot of kohl to brush onto Katara's eyelids. "The gypsies are the best at thieving. So I learned from the masters."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" Katara asked.

"What, tell you that I learned to steal from a group of liars and charlatans? I can practically feel the disapproval rolling off you."

"Fair enough," Katara allowed.

"But what do gypsies have to do with make-up?" Toph asked.

"They wear it all the time," Mira said as she began to line Katara's eyes. "You stay with them, you end up learning more than just pickpocketing."

"Like what?"

"Make-up, for one," Mira said, waving the brush in the air. "And gypsies are consummate performers, so you usually learn one of three things: an instrument, singing, or dancing."

"Which one were you?"

"Can't play an instrument to save my life, and I'm practically tone-deaf, so that left dancing."

Katara's eyebrows nearly flew off her face. "You dance?"

Mira waved a thick brush sternly in Katara's face. "Yes, I do. And I'm quite good at it, too." She swiped the brush across Katara's cheeks.

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"I'm sorry, were you not listening? I just told you I was musically disinclined in the worst way. And I can't heal. Isn't that enough?"

"You're right. Sorry."

Mira waved the matter aside. "Can you do Toph's hair while I put on my dress and my make-up?"

Katara nodded, and Mira turned her attention towards herself. She slipped into her silky dark green kimono and wrapped a towel around her neck to keep from getting any kohl on her dress. She quickly rubbed cream into her skin, brushed kohl across her eyelids, lined her eyes, and dashed some blush across her cheeks. She took a small, sleek brush and dipped in into a clay pot of lip color before running it across her mouth. She pulled the towel away and searched the counter for her hairpiece. Katara was putting the finishing touches on Toph's hair, and would soon be waiting for Mira to help her with hers. After she was done, Katara would fasten Mira's.

Her eyes flicked past the mirror, and Mira nearly did a double-take. A tall, slim girl stared back at her, but she didn't look dirty or half-starved. She'd filled out the past few weeks, and the make-up on her eyes accentuated features that normally faded into the shadows of the hood. Almond-shaped eyes the color of burnished bronze shone in her face, and her thin, narrow nose didn't look quite so severe. Her normally cracked lips were smooth and shining. If she looked closely, there was still a haunted look in her eye that only a gutterflower would have. But she could hide that well enough.

All in all, she could hardly recognize herself. A bonus, since she couldn't bring her cloak with her.

"Mira?" Katara's soft voice cut through her examination. Startled, Mira whipped her head around to find the younger waterbender giving her a knowing look. Mira shot her own dirty glare back and preoccupied herself with wrapping Katara's bushy hair around the hairpieces they'd picked up earlier that afternoon. She mindlessly wound strands of hair around the delicate wooden flourish, hairpins sticking from her mouth as she pinned and tucked and desperately tried to tame the wild entity sprouting from Katara's head. After nearly half an hour of work, though, it was as good as it was going to get.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I always did the makeup before the shows. Never did the hair."

Katara examined herself in the mirror, gingerly touching and prodding at her updo as she did so. "I think it looks great," she beamed, grinning at Mira in the mirror.

Mira grunted and picked up her own hairpiece. She knew Katara was compensating for what had happened the day before. It irritated her. She wasn't some fragile little doll that would shatter if mishandled. She could take anything Katara threw at her, and the fact that the waterbender was ignoring this rubbed Mira the wrong way.

She took a seat on the recently vacated bench and stared at herself in the mirror as Katara gently worked her hair. Mira's eyes pored over every inch of her reflection. Mirrors were hard to come by on the road, so Mira hadn't honestly seen her reflection in years. Well, that wasn't strictly true. She'd seen herself in rivers and lakes and ponds. But not in a smooth, unblemished piece of glass like this. And never when wearing makeup. Perhaps that was what was drawing her attention so much.

She was a bit startled at her newly discovered vanity. She felt sort of ashamed for spending so much time simply staring at herself, so she flicked her eyes around the room, searching for anything to watch.

A bouquet of gutterflowers sat in a crystal vase on the counter, and Mira's lips twitched at the sight. She'd picked them herself earlier that day while Toph and Katara were shopping for dresses. They'd disappeared into one of the Upper Ring shops, and Mira had stayed behind. She'd seen a wild patch of gutterflowers growing in the dirt alongside the building. She'd felt a pang in her chest as she realized they'd be destroyed by an Upper Ring landscaping crew that night. Before she'd even registered what she was doing, she'd picked all of them and had stowed them in one of her many hidden pockets.

And now here they were. Katara must have found the bunch lying on the counter and decided to put them in a vase. A wild idea began to blossom in Mira's mind.

"Alright, you're done," Katara announced, stepping back. Mira looked back at the mirror, and her eyes widened. Her curly black hair was now straight and glossy. Mira had no idea how Katara had managed it. Her hairpiece was a shining ivory, and it made her hair look even darker than it was. She tentatively ran a hand across it, and was satisfied to feel that Katara had secured it well. But something was missing…

She plucked a gutterflower from the vase and trimmed it with the dagger she'd tucked inside her kimono. She ignored the disapproving glare from Katara (she assumed it was about the knife that had magically appeared in her hand) and tucked the blade away once she was finished. One quick hairpin later, and the flower was tucked into her hair, right at the base of the headpiece. The scarlet red blossom was a stark contrast to her dark hair and pale face. She smiled. It was perfect.

She grabbed her fan from the counter and turned to Toph and Katara. "Ready?"

They nodded, and Mira made to leave the bathroom. Katara caught her elbow, and Mira turned back with a questioning look on her face. "Let us go first," Katara said. "You should be last, because you look so different."

Mira shrugged, but her mouth twitched as she did so. She had to admit, the idea appealed to her. So she stepped aside and allowed Katara and Toph to step through the doorway into the common room. Mira stayed in the shadows, her head slightly cocked to hear the boys' reactions.

There was a choking sound, then the clearing of a throat. "You look beautiful," Aang said softly, and Mira could practically see his beet red face. She wished she could witness it in person.

"Wait…where's Mira?" Sokka asked.

Mira took that as her cue. She flicked open her lacquer wood fan and swept through the doorway. She peered over the edge of the fan and batted her eyes delicately.

"No way," Sokka breathed, eyes bugging out of his head. "You look like a girl!"

"Oi!" Mira cried, affronted. She snapped her fan closed, and with a flick of her wrist, it was spinning through the air straight toward Sokka. He yelped and flattened himself to the floor, and the fan landed on the ground behind him with a clatter. Sokka whipped his head up to glare at Mira, but she merely lifted an eyebrow haughtily. "Commoners do not talk to ladies like that," she sniffed.

A part of her cringed at the words spilling from her mouth. She sounded just like the people she'd despised and worked against for years. It's only a role, she told herself. You're doing this so you can help others. You know this isn't you.

The muscles that had coiled tightly in her middle slowly began to unwind as she held out a hand towards Sokka. When he gave her a perplexed look, she pointed at the fan and cleared her throat before waggling her fingers. He scowled and mumbled a few choice words, but crawled over to retrieve her fan nonetheless. She took it from his hand with a flourish, and Katara let out a small giggle from behind her. "Alright ladies," Mira said, turning to face the other girls, "Ready to go?"

Toph nodded and Katara looked past Mira's shoulder to address the boys. "We'll get in the party, and then find a way to let you in through the side gate."

They both nodded, and soon the girls were on their way.

---

"You're sure your Bei Fong papers will let us in?" Mira muttered, leaning in so that her mouth was close by Toph's ear. She didn't want to take the chance that the people around them would overhear.

"It got us tickets to Ba Sing Se, didn't it?" Toph answered, sounding a tad irritated.

"I just want to be prepared in case something goes wrong," Mira defended.

"Well, don't worry about it," Toph dismissed. "We'll get in."

Mira's mind was already working on a Plan B before Toph was even finished talking. Years on her own had taught her that things very rarely worked out perfectly. It was well worth the effort to craft at least two backup plans, and maybe even an extra to really be safe.

Mira scanned the palace in front of her as they stood in line. The normally intimidating structure was softened by the shadows of the fading twilight. Strings of green twinkling paper lanterns had been hung from the tops of the roof, and soft yellow lamps lit the courtyard leading to the front entrance. A long line of formally dressed party-goers snaked its way along the building, and the air was filled with a symphony of chatter and excited anticipation.

But Mira was not caught up in the enthusiasm. Her narrowed copper eyes were busy assessing the entrances and exits, the caterers and the servers, the possible ways to slip inside unnoticed. For that was what she did. She waited, and she watched, and she listened.

"Invitation, please," came the gruff voice of the guard. Mira pulled her focus away from Plan F (which involved paint, a paper lantern, and copious amounts of rope) and watched him carefully. He seemed bored with the routine, but Mira knew that she couldn't fully count on his apathy. Even disinterested guards were still guards.

"I think this will do," Toph said snootily, waving her Bei Fong seal at the guard.

The guard shook his head, no longer slouching or droopy-eyed. "No entry without an invitation. Step out of line, please."

Told you, Mira wanted to whisper in Toph's ear. But she knew that if she dared she'd most likely end up with a black eye or bruised jaw, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Look, the Pangs and the Yum Soon Hans are waiting in there for us. I'm going to have to tell them who didn't let me in." Toph threw out what Mira assumed were important names in an attempt to sway the guard, but he remained unimpressed.

"Step out of line, please," he repeated. Only this time, his voice was laced with an ominous tone—one that left no room for argument.

Mira's hand curled around the inside of Toph's elbow, and she gently tugged the younger girl along as they stepped aside. Her mind was working frantically as her eyes flicked around, assessing people and weak spots and access points. They were getting inside. Mira would see to that.

One man in particular caught her eye. He was descending from a carriage, and his flowing green robes and regal manner practically screamed "high-ranking government". The guards bowed to him as he approached. If they could scam him, he could probably get them inside. Mira nudged Katara and nodded toward the man. Katara returned the nod, and Mira explained the plan to Toph as they walked over.

"Excuse me, sir?" Katara asked, touching his sleeve to grab his attention. The man turned to look at them, and Mira realized immediately that he was absolutely the worst man to ask help from. She didn't know him personally, but she'd known men like him. Oh yes, he looked friendly enough, but there was a cold, calculating look in his eyes. He had an absolutely predatory air about him, and Mira knew that they would have to tread very carefully if they were to succeed.

Katara faltered slightly as the man looked at them expectantly, so Mira took over. "My blind little sister here lost our tickets," she said softly, blinking up at the man with doe eyes. "Our family is already in there, and so's her friend's," she added, gesturing to Katara. "Would you please help us? Our parents will be worried sick over little Duna here." She batted her eyes a few times as she tried to suppress the urge to retch. She really wasn't meant to run with this crowd.

"I would be honored to escort you," the man said quietly, a small smile on his face. But the smile did not manage to reach his eyes, and Mira felt another twinge of caution shoot through her middle. She didn't like this at all. But as the man turned and gestured them forward, she had no choice but to follow.

"Please, come with me," he beckoned, and Mira had to force one foot in front of the other. Katara seemed perfectly fine after her initial hesitation, but she wasn't used to making split-second decisions about people. Mira found that her gut seemed to have the right idea about most people, and her gut was now telling—no, screaming—at her to be careful. She didn't know what exactly about this man put her on edge. Perhaps it was his quiet tone, or a slight edge to his voice, or the aura of power and control about him…Mira couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She had to remind herself to remain loose and fluid while she walked. It wouldn't look right if she stalked into the ballroom like she would a back alley. She needed to roll her shoulders back, swing her hips just a little more, and twist her lips into a pleasant expression. Scowling at everyone definitely wouldn't help keep their cover.

They followed the government official into the massive ballroom. Several long tables were set up along the walls and lined the polished dance floor. Ladies dressed in silky robes and glittering jewelry talked and flirted, while the men laughed and discussed trivial matters. Silent servers slipped through the crowds, and hands reached out to pluck at their platters. A large bear was seated at one of the tables and was wolfing down anything that came near its jaws (whether it was edible or not seemed not to matter).

Mira rolled her eyes. A lavish party for an animal. No wonder the Lower Ring was starving.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the man asked, and Mira wasn't sure if he was referring to the sparkling ballroom or the gorging bear. "By the way, I'm Long Feng. I'm the cultural minister to the king."

Mira stiffened at the word "cultural". She was probably being paranoid, but the Dai Li were (officially) the protectors of Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage. She blinked twice and forced the thought from her head. She needed to calm down and get her act together. She wasn't sure why her gut disliked Long Feng so much. But it hadn't been wrong before, so she resolved to keep an eye on him throughout the evening.

"I'm Mari," she said, since Katara seemed to be having trouble with names. "And this is my little sister, Duna, and her friend Kwa Mai."

"Now, where are your families? I'd love to meet them," Long Feng said innocently.

Mira waved her hand in the air. "Oh, I'm sure they're around here somewhere. I don't see them right now, but we'll find out way." She forced her lips into a smile. "Thank you for your help."

She tugged Toph along as Katara followed on Mira's other side. But she'd only taken a few steps when Long Feng reappeared in front of them. "Don't worry," he said calmly (as that seemed to be his only tone), "As your escort, it would be dishonorable to abandon you ladies without finding your families first. We'll keep looking."

Dammit, Mira thought. Just leave us alone like a good little scupper. Daichi knows you lot are good at it.

Mira felt Katara lean in close. "I guess Sokka and Aang are on their own."

"They'll be fine," Mira reassured, but she couldn't help the visions of Sokka and Aang trying (and failing) to crash the party. Her mouth didn't know whether to twist into a frown or a half-smile.

"Sisters?" Toph whispered. Mira's brow wrinkled in confusion, then cleared as she realized to what Toph was referring.

"Oh…yeah. It's more believable when a couple of us are related. Besides, we look similar enough to pull it off." And that part was true. Give Mira green eyes and they would be sisters.

"Oh," Toph said in a small voice.

"That a problem?" Mira asked, unsure.

"No," Toph said suddenly, her voice stronger. "Forget about it." Mira opened her mouth to press further, but Toph held up a hand in front of Mira's face to cut her off. "It's fine," she insisted.

Mira's jaw shut with an audible clack. "You know, it's creepy how you can do stuff like that," she muttered, referring to Toph's perfectly placed hand. "I'm starting to doubt that you're blind at this point."

Toph grinned widely and followed after Katara. Mira quickly caught up and looped her arm through Toph's.

Toph jerked her arm away. "You don't have to lead me around," she scowled. "I'm fine on my own."

"I know you don't need me," Mira hissed in her ear. "But Long Feng thinks you're a helpless blind girl, so if he turns around and sees you strutting about like you own the place, he'll get suspicious." Mira hesitated. "And I don't trust him. Let's just pretend until we can give him the slip, alright?"

Toph relaxed slightly at Mira's words and allowed her arm to remain where it was.

"Now," Mira muttered, her eyes scanning the ballroom around them, "Let's see if we can escape Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Intimidating, yes?" She spotted Katara not too far away and nodded her over. The three girls began to walk along the edge of the room, and quick glances behind revealed Long Feng following at a discreet distance. He was close enough that he was technically escorting them, but far enough away that he could observe most of the room. Most people wouldn't have noticed the strategy of his position, but Mira was used to doing the exact same thing when tailing marks in the Lower Ring.

"You're tense," Toph murmured five minutes later, as they were making yet another circuit around the room.

"I don't like it in here," she explained shortly. "I'm a gutterflower. I don't belong here."

"Yes, you do." Toph's voice was calm and matter-of-fact. For a twelve-year-old, she was a lot more perceptive than people gave her credit for. And not just in regards to her eyesight, either.

Mira started at Toph's insight and nearly tripped on the hem of her dress. Toph's raised eyebrow told Mira that her slip-up had not gone unnoticed. "I don't know what you mean," she snapped, a bit too loudly. Katara's eyes slid over to Mira in a silent question.

"You say you grew up in a small village," Toph prodded. "But you fit in here. You've got the posture. I've heard you talk the talk. You pass as a blueblood. Who exactly are you?"

Mira scowled. She'd hoped to get through this night without getting the third degree. "I'm a thief," she hissed sharply. "I survive by pretending to be something I'm not. Blending in means seeing another day for me. That's who I am. A shadow. I'm whoever I want to be." Her tone left no room for argument, and Toph dropped the subject.

---

"You're a little late, aren't you?" Mira asked, arms crossed and hip cocked.

The server she'd been addressing whirled around, panic in his eyes. When he saw who was addressing him, he relaxed as a scowl crossed his face. "Well, we would've been earlier, but someone forgot to let us in."

"Not our fault, Sokka," she dismissed. "We've had a shadow since we came in. I only just managed to lose him. Where's Aang?"

Sokka craned his neck to peer over the heads of the crowd. "He was right next to me a few minutes ago," he said to himself. "Ah. He's found Toph." He pointed, and Mira followed his finger to see Aang talking with Toph and Katara.

"Well, come on, then." Mira clucked her tongue as she turned on her heel to approach the others. "It seems that we've lost our shadow," she remarked to the girls, peering over their shoulder as she did so, just in case.

"All thanks to you," Katara grinned.

"As much as I'd like to take full credit for that—"

"Never stopped you before," Sokka muttered as one corner of his mouth twitched into a half-smile.

"—something tells me that we haven't seen the last of him," she finished as she elbowed Sokka in the ribs.

"What are you doing here?" A high-pitched, panicky voice cut through the chatter that surrounded them. Mira tensed and whirled around, ready to retrieve one of two knives she had hidden on her person.

Joo Dee stood in front of them, wringing her hands and looking distraught. "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble!" Her eyes flicked around nervously as she checked to see if anyone had realized that the five teenagers in front of her shouldn't have been there.

She stepped forward and pushed at Sokka in an attempt to get him to leave, but he merely threw up his empty serving tray in defense. "Not until we see the Earth King," he insisted stubbornly.

"You don't understand," Joo Dee pleaded desperately. "You must go!" Her voice cracked, and Mira began to wonder if it really was the best idea to be staying in the ballroom.

Joo Dee shoved at Sokka again, but he was not prepared for her this time. He stumbled into Aang, who in turn bumped into a guest staring nearby. Everything might have been smoothed over rather easily, had Aang not been clutching a pitcher full of punch. The sticky red liquid flew everywhere, easily coating the woman from head to toe.

Her indignant scream cut through the noisy chatter of the ballroom, and the eyes of nearby guests began to turn their way. Mira automatically tensed, and she tried to shrink from view. "Sorry!" Aang cried, panicking. "No, don't shout!" Without thinking, his hand shot out and a gust of air erupted from his palm.

"Aang!" Mira hissed, eyes wide in fear. He'd been trying to divert attention away from them, but what he'd just done ensured that every eye in the room would be turned their way.

Of course, the woman started oohing and ahhing over Aang. He stood frozen, eyes wide, not quite sure what to do.

Thankfully, Sokka was a little more prepared. "You keep 'em distracted, we'll look for the Earth King," Sokka whispered to Aang. The young airbender nodded, and began to perform an intricate series of juggling tricks. Mira used the opportunity to slip into the shadows of the ballroom's corner.

She opened her mouth to call the others over, but a pair of hands wrapped around her arms and lips. Her cry of alarm was muffled as she was abruptly pulled into a passageway behind her.

She was roughly turned to face her captors. Unsurprisingly, two Dai Li agents stood before her. She realized that the pair of hands holding hers behind her back was, in fact, a set of stone gloves. Another pair was attached to her face and preventing her from calling for help.

Mira's eyes narrowed as she glared at the men in front of her. She wasn't a fool; she knew she was no match for them in this state. But that didn't stop her from trying to convince them that she was.

The agent on her right reached out to take her shoulder and guide her down the hall, but Mira wasn't having any of that. Her foot shot out as she aimed a vicious kick at his shin. She felt a glimmer of satisfaction as the crack echoed in the dim hallway.

A string of curses erupted from his mouth as he doubled over in pain. Mira sniffed haughtily and stepped past him, adeptly dodging the second agent's attempt to wrangle her arm. Even with her legs free, she wasn't getting out of this. The smartest thing to do was to go with the agents and finally figure out what was going on.

But dammit, she would do it with dignity.

She rolled her shoulders back and allowed an agent to step past her and down into the depths of the passageway. She would have smirked at the dirty glare he shot her if her face hadn't been covered with a rock glove. The second agent trailed behind, in case she had any ideas of turning tail.

The narrow corridor emptied into a large central chamber. Several other hallways branched out from it, leading to other parts of the palace. Suddenly, Mira felt the bonds tying her hands begin to loosen. The stone gloves were removed from her hands and face, but the agents remained wary. Mira smirked. Damn, it felt good to be scary.

Echoing footsteps drew Mira's gaze to the adjacent tunnels. Toph, Katara, and Sokka were marched into the chamber by three Dai Li agents. Aang was led in by Long Feng himself. He gestured to a doorway to Mira's left, and the way he was looking at her chilled her to the bone. She could not refuse his invitation.

The door was pushed aside to reveal a small study filled with bookshelves at one end. The other was taken up with a low table and a large fireplace. A few weak lamps had been given the task of lighting the room, but were doing a poor job. The fire attempted to help, but a large part of the room remained in shadow.

The five teenagers filed in, and Long Feng took his place cross-legged behind the table and in front of the fire. He watched them calmly, with the air of someone who was very used to fixing problems just like this.

Sokka broke the tense silence, as he was apt to do. "Why won't you let us talk to the King? We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities," Long Feng replied. His tone was that one used when addressing a small child.

"This could be the most important thing he has ever heard," Aang said seriously, his large gray eyes wide and earnest.

"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se," Long Feng dismissed. "All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources," his eyes flicked over each one of them in turn, "Including the military."

"So the King is just a figurehead," Katara said stonily, icy blue eyes flashing with anger.

"He's your puppet!" Toph spat, tiny hands balled into fists.

"Oh, no, no," Long Feng said airily. "His majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly change of an endless war."

"Bullshit." Mira's quiet voice echoed through the small library. Her hands shook with the effort it took to keep her anger reigned in. She was finally facing the man responsible for the poverty she'd been trying to fight for months. The man responsible for the kakodaemons, the fear, the atmosphere of secrecy and deception that smothered the city. She'd wanted this moment for so long. But she needed to tread carefully.

"I beg your pardon?" Long Feng said sharply, eyebrows raised. "I don't believe that language is appropriate for a proper lady."

"Oh, but we both know I'm no such thing," she replied calmly.

"Yes," Long Feng agreed. "The gutterflower disguised as a noblewoman. I wonder," he added suddenly, "which is closer to your station of birth?"

"Doesn't matter who I was born. Only who I am now. And I'm someone who cares very much about the state of this city. A city you seem to have no regard for."

"On the contrary," he corrected. "What I do, I do for the city. You barrel in here, with your talk of war and bloodshed. What effect do you think you will have? Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic."

"Those aren't children you're talking about!" Mira cried, throwing her arm out for emphasis. "They're people! At least give them the chance!"

"And let this city fall into chaos?" Long Feng snorted.

"Better than letting them fall to an enemy they don't even know exists!" Mira retorted. Her face softened into a smirk. "Oh, but wait. No one's fooled by your precious lie," she reminded him softly. "You can't keep something that big a secret. No, you aren't tricking anyone. Except maybe one."

"I'll tell the King," Aang threatened, chiming in.

"Until now, you've been treated as our honored guest," Long Feng said coldly, rising and rounding the table to stand face-to-face with Aang. "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war at all, you will be expelled from the city." He turned crisply and returned to stand behind the table. "I understand you've been looking for your bison," he said, so softly his words were almost swallowed by the crackling of the fire in front of him. "It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest."

His unspoken threat hung heavily in the air. Aang's eyes widened in fright before narrowing in silent anger. Mira could feel the fury rolling off him in waves and was almost surprised when Long Feng didn't combust from the force of it.

"Now Joo Dee will show you home," Long Feng dismissed.

But the woman they found when they turned around was not Joo Dee. Yes, she wore the same clothes and eerie smile, but her hair was shorter and styled differently. She was not Joo Dee. "Come with me, please," she asked softly.

"What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm Joo Dee. I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city," she replied, and her artificial smile grew wider.

"I'm guessing she was replaced," Mira said, and she felt a pang of remorse. She hadn't bothered to see what had happened to the first Joo Dee in the ballroom.

She had a feeling that the answer wasn't pleasant.

---

A/N: Some background: The term "gutterflower" was inspired by the Goo Goo Dolls album of the same name. The album artwork is beautiful and ties into this and some upcoming chapters.

Also an inspiration: the song "Liars and Cheats" by Hit the Lights. A great song, and very much tied to Mira's character in the next few chapters. I'd recommend listening to it if you get the chance.

I really can't wait for the next episode. I had to split it into two, because Mira's got quite the adventure coming up. Lots of backstory, lots of action. Stay tuned!

Please leave a review on your way out. They mean the world to me.