Chapter 34:
The floor was scattered in posters all in which portrayed a many legged creature with an arrow on it's head and a dark patch over it's back. The drawings were sideways, front on and all slightly different. Sokka was lying on the floor with a brush and ink, he had a piece of paper before him as he draw on it with the brush another image. Toph was lying off to the side as Freya had a book in her hand.
The front door of the house opened and Aang walked in before holding the door open for Katara who followed him.
"We found a printer to make our posters." Katara called as she and Aang ran towards the three. Katara held up the poster in which Appa was sitting perfectly drawn on the front of, the title on the top, a picture of Aang at the bottom and information beside it. Aang grinned and nodded pointing at the paper.
"Great." Freya smiled as she put the book down. Sokka however looked up disappointed
"Hey, I thought designing "the lost Appa poster" was my job. I've been working all day on my Appa." Sokka held up one of the pieces of paper he was currently drawing on. There were six legs out of the sides and then two more from the bottom of the drawing in which the arrow was pointing to.
"Is that what they are?" Freya asked surprised and Sokka scowled at her. Aang chuckled before looking unsure as Katara covered her hand to try and hide her giggles.
"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head." Aang said
"This IS his head." Sokka turned the page so that the arrow pointed towards him now.
"Why are feet coming out of it?" Katara asked as she walked forwards and took the paper from her brother.
"Those are his horns!" Sokka snatched back the paper irritated. He bowed his head sadly. "I haven't seen him awhile ok?!"
"It looks just like him to me." Toph smiled from her spot on the floor. Freya started snickering as Sokka grinned.
"Thank you, I worked really…" he paused as he remembered Toph couldn't even see his drawing. "Why do you feel the need to do that?" he questioned
"Let's just stick with the professional version." Katara decided
"It's already done after all Sokka, means you can relax." Freya smiled. The boy responded by ripping up the drawing in his hands.
"Come on, let's get busy!" Aang said enthusiastically as he pulled out several more mini flyers from his bag.
"Great!" Freya beamed "I got the lower ring!" she grabbed a heap of mini fliers from Aang before running for the door and everyone watched her surprised as she left the house.
"Well that was rather enthusiastic…" Katara believed
"Almost like there was something else exciting her…" Aang nodded
"Well she did apparently make a friend." Toph reminded them and the four shared a look. "And she's been going out quite a bit since…"
Freya moved through the streets of the lower ring before the tea shop came into view. Zuko was outside and had his arms crossed as he wore his white apron. Zuko's hair was ever longer and now growing over his face and into his eyes.
Soon he'll be able to tie it back up again. she thought. With a closer look the girl realised he seemed annoyed about something. She frowned as she moved towards him.
"What's wrong?" Zuko turned to look at the girl slightly surprised. He'd clearly not seen her coming despite the street being rather empty.
"Nothing." he said stubbornly, turning away from the girl. She rose an eyebrow at him.
"Sure that's why you're standing outside the shop?"
"Why are you here?" he demanded of her, changing the topic. The girl scowled at him for his tone but wasn't surprised his frustration at whatever it was was being thrown at her.
"I was going to ask Iroh if I could put this in the window." She held up one of the fliers and Zuko glanced at it before he turned and his full attention was on the piece of paper.
"The Avatar…" he mumbled "He's here!"
"You'd think considering I'm here you'd have realised he was here too sooner." Freya mumbled "Appa is missing, he got taken by some sand benders while we were in the desert. We've gotten information he's here in Ba Sing Se." she explained. Zuko stared at the flier and said nothing.
"Well you can keep that one, I'll go and give your uncle another one." she moved to step around the boy but he grabbed her arm. She looked at him and saw the sudden conflict on his face.
"Zuko?" she asked. He glanced at her and then back at the flier. She pursed her lips. "Zuko, trust me on this, you do not want to mess with us not retrieving Appa." the boy looked at her and suddenly saw the seriousness in her face. "Zuko, I swear to god, if you get in our way from saving Appa, you're not just going to have us five to deal with, it'll be a lot worse."
"Oh yeah?"
"You didn't see how angry Aang and I got when we find the guys who took them." Freya said and he stared as he saw the ferocity in her face burning with both disappointment in herself and seriousness behind such a situation. "I know you probably still want Aang to go home, but trust me, you do not want to get involved." she then looked at the tea shop. "Besides, good things can happen to you here. You don't need to be a prince and living in a castle to be happy." she frowned and glanced down "Other things and other people can help do that regardless of where you are." she reminded him and Zuko looked at her before he sighed and released her arm.
Freya felt like he wanted to respond and was surprised as he said nothing.
"You care about your Nation and your people, well Appa is really important." Zuko watched her as she began to plead. "Appa is really important to me. And especially to Aang. If you hear anything can you please tell me?" she asked and he looked at her surprised by the desperate look in her eyes.
He sighed and nodded to her and then couldn't help but smile as her expression broke out into a grin.
"Thank you!" she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. He chuckled a little before she kissed his cheek. Zuko watched as she turned for the tea shop and moved in to see Iroh talking with some guys.
"Morning I-Mushy." Zuko followed the girl and his uncle beamed up at the girl. She smiled, glad she'd caught her slip up.
"Freya, excellent news!" the girl looked surprised as the man got to his feet. "This man has offered me my own tea shop in the upper ring!"
Freya looked at the man shocked. "The upper ring?" instantly she glanced at Zuko who rose an eyebrow before the girl covered the shock with a beam. "Well that's amazing! He is a good tea maker." Freya nodded to the men sitting at the table. "When do you get it?" she asked
"As soon as we settle the deeds." one of the men smiled at her and she smiled back.
"We'll be so much closer then!" Zuko's eyes narrowed and he looked at the flier in his hand again before he tucked it away into his shirt.
"I even get to name it!" Iroh smiled and Freya chuckled
"Well as you should do if it's yours." she nodded.
"So why are you here my dear?" Iroh asked her
"Well I was going to ask something of you but if you're getting your own tea shop than it's alright, I'll come and ask you later when you've moved into your new place!" she grinned and Iroh did the same as he nodded.
"Well I've gotta go but congratulations I-Mushy! Let me know where your shop is and I'll visit as soon as I can." she grinned. Iroh nodded and accepted a hug from the girl before she turned for the door.
"Freya!" Zuko moved after her and she waited. "You're in the upper ring?" he asked
"Yes." she responded. "If you hear anything about Appa let me know." she smiled and Zuko watched as she kissed his cheek and then ducked out the door quickly.
Freya hurried around and she jumped over the roof tops dropping the rest of her fliers all over the lower ring. She dropped a few more over the middle ring before returning to the house and finding everyone but Aang back already. Sokka and Katara were playing a game at the table as Toph lounged around on the floor.
"You guys were quick." she exclaimed
"You took forever." Toph believed
"Yeah I got caught up." she admitted
"With that friend you met?" Toph asked again and the two water tribe siblings rose an eyebrow as they watched the older girl.
"Yeah. I went to put one of the fliers up in a few shops down there so." she shrugged. Freya knew better than to lie to the girl that could feel her change in body reaction that came with lying. All she was doing was withholding information.
The door opened behind the girl and Aang came in with his glider and Momo.
"I just finished dropping all the leaflets. Has anyone come in with news about Appa?" Aang asked immediately as he removed his bag and leaned his glider against the door. Freya had taken a seat between the siblings as they played and Katara didn't look up from the game as she answered the Avatar.
"It's only been a day, just be patient." she instructed waving her hand at Aang.
The boy slumped and looked at Freya who shrugged.
"You can't do anything yet Aang, just wait." she assured with a smile.
The boy sat down and slumped on the table before there were a knock on the door behind him.
"Wow, you're right! Patience really pays off." Aang jumped to his feet and ran to the door quickly. "Joo Dee?!" Katara, Sokka and Freya turned surprised.
"Hello, Aang and Katara and Freya and Sokka and Toph." the original Joo Dee was back and she walked in through the door with her usual wide grin on her face. The other four walked towards her and Aang as she addressed them.
"What happened to you? Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?" Sokka questioned
"What, jail? Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage." Joo Dee said bowing.
"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph admitted
"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country. It was quite relaxing." She said and Freya rose an eyebrow.
"Hang on, we broke the rules under your supervision and they gave you a holiday for it?" Freya asked not believing it.
"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee." Katara admitted as Sokka and Freya shared a suspicious look.
"I'm Joo Dee." Joo Dee said pointing to herself.
"Why are you here?" Aang wondered. Joo Dee responded by pulling out one of the fliers that the group had dispensed over the city.
"Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance." Freya huffed annoyed
"Of course we need bloody permission. Because fliers will totally destroy the harmony you have here!" she snapped
"We can't wait around to get permission for everything." Sokka believed
"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." Joo Dee decided. Freya felt her fire boiling before Aang moved and stood in front of the women angrily. His face turned red out of frustration and steam blew from it as he yelled at the women.
"WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RULES, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING PERMISSION!" He rose above the women and flung his arms around so fast they blurred. Joo Dee looked at the boy surprised and slightly worried before she began to back out of the house and Aang advanced on her. "We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of our way!" and the boy slammed the door on the women.
"Well said." Freya nodded.
"That might come back to bite us in the blubber." Sokka thought as the red disappeared from Aang's face.
"I don't care. From now on we do whatever it takes to find Appa." he decided.
"YEAH! Let's break some rules!" Toph turned and with a thrust of her hands the wall to her left broke and cracked until there was an explosion and the entire wall had been blown out.
"Can you please not destroy the house though. We do still need to sleep here for the minute." Freya reminded the girl slightly annoyed.
The five proceeded with leaving the house and moving off down the streets with the fliers and posters in their hands. Sokka had a bucket and some brushes and he swiped the brush of glue over a wall before putting up a poster, a larger version of the fliers.
"We'll split up to cover more area." Sokka decided as he looked at the poster. Katara, Aang and Freya all put one up as well, as Toph leaned on the wall beside Sokka. "Toph, I guess you should just come with me."
"Why because you think I can't put up posters on my own?" The girl suddenly snatched the brush swiped it over the wall, grabbed a poster and smashed it into the wall. No one said anything as the poster was stuck on the backwards, the blank side facing up. Toph slumped. "It's upside-down isn't it?"
"Well… no." Freya said truthfully.
"I'll just go with Sokka." Toph agreed and she turned to follow him, Freya moved off in another direction as Katara and Aang split up as well.
They moved through the streets of the lower ring and stuck posters up over the walls. Freya was putting up a few before she heard Katara shout and the sound of rushing water followed before a cry sounded.
The girl turned and ran through the streets in time to see water shooting past her and through the streets with someone as it's prey.
"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" Katara snapped before icicles went shooting at the boy. Freya jumped in the way and with a wave the ice turned to water and fell to the ground.
"Katara what are you doing?" she asked confused as she turned around. A boy stood behind her in dark colours and black, light armour over his clothes. His hair was long and drawn to one side as he had large hooked like weapons in his hands.
"Move Freya!" Katara said
"Okay, why?" the girl questioned
"That's Jet. Leader of the Freedom Fighters and who lied to us and tried to flood an innocent village just to get rid of the Fire Nation there!" Katara demanded.
Freya paused and looked at Jet as she remembered Sokka, Aang and Katara telling her about them after she'd returned from Zuko's ship.
Katara moved up beside Freya and took up another bending stance.
"I don't want to fight you! I'm here to help." Jet crossed over his weapons before he dropped them on the floor. Freya rose an eyebrow and glanced at Katara who looked at him surprised. He looked at her and smirked and she glared before shooting him with more icicles. Jet backed up into the brick wall behind him as the icicles stabbed in around his middle and above the shoulders on either side of his neck.
"Katara, what is it?" Sokka, Aang and Toph came running up behind the two girls as Katara stared a Jet with anger.
"Jet's back." she responded simply.
"Katara you're being much too defensive here." Freya believed
"No I'm not! We can't trust anything Jet says." she believed
"But we don't even know why he's here." Sokka confessed
"I don't care why he's here. Whatever the reason is, it can't be good." Katara snapped with hostility and Sokka jumped from her tone.
"I'm here to help you find Appa." Jet admitted and he opened his hand to reveal one of their Lost Appa fliers.
"Katara, we have to give him a chance." Aang believed as he and Sokka peered at the flier.
"He's the only one who's come to help." Freya agreed "And you're being ridiculously hostile right now."
"Easy for you to say you weren't there when he almost flooded an innocent village!" Katara snapped at her
"Don't go getting angry at me when I was the one who was kidnapped." Freya snapped back and Katara flinched slightly.
"I swear, I've changed. I was a troubled person, and I let my anger get out of control. But I don't even have the gang now. I've put all that behind me." Jet explained
"You're lying!" Katara said bitterly.
Toph walked past the girl who looked surprised as the earth bender moved to the wall were she put her hand on the bricks Jet was leaning against.
"He's not lying." she said
"How can you tell?"
"I can feel his breathing and heart beat. When people lie, there is a physical reaction. He's telling the truth." Toph explained before she, Freya, Sokka and Aang all turned to Katara.
"Katara, we don't have any leads. If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out." Aang believed as he turned to her.
"Appa is more important than your personal anger and grudge." Freya agreed. Katara looked slightly annoyed but she sagged her shoulders in resignation.
"Alright…" she then jammed her finger at Jet. "but we're not letting you out of our sight!" Jet blinked at her and Freya placed her hands on Katara's shoulders, moving her slightly away from the boy.
"So, what you got Jet?" Freya wondered
"I heard about a place near where I work that was holding a large creature. I'll show you." Freya wave her hand and the ice disappeared and Jet stood up before he walked past them and then past Katara who glared at him.
The group moved through the lower ring following Jet before they came to an empty barn.
"This is the place I heard about." he said as they walked inside. There were holes in the roof and the sun beamed through them as the floor was rather clean and there was a bundle of hay in the corner.
"There's nothing here." Aang admitted as he stood in the doorway.
"But it is big enough to hold Appa." Freya admitted
"If this is a trap…!" Katara snapped ready to attack Jet again
"I told you, I work nearby! Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa." Jet said defensively
"He was here!" Everyone turned to the blind girl and Aang and Freya ran up to her as she held up a bunch of fur. It was Appa's white fur and Aang brushed it in his hand.
"We missed him." he frowned.
"The Dai Li probably moved him when we put the fliers and posters out. Of course someone would notice a flying bison here." Freya believed as she looked around. "Though you'd think they'd notice him leaving too…" she mumbled
An old man suddenly walked through the room with a broom as he swept the floor.
"They took that big thing yesterday." he spoke up and Aang straightened up shocked and Freya looked at him surprised. "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur and various, uh, leavings all day." the man began to walk off away from them.
"An island?" Freya asked.
"What island?! Where's Appa?!" Aang asked frantically
"Foreman said some rich royal type on Whaletail Island bought him up, guess for a zoo or such, though could be the meat would be good." he said as he patted his forehead.
"We've gotta get to Whaletail Island." Aang said strongly as Sokka picked up a map and looked for the place on it. The boy looked confused. "Where's Whaletail Island?" he asked.
Sokka looked up from the map glumly.
"Far. Very far." he laid the map down on the floor and pointed at an island. "Here it is. It's near the South Pole almost all the way back home." Everyone kneeled around the map as Freya watched the man confused, thinking.
"Aang, it'll take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom. And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island." Katara believed but Aang got to his feet.
"I don't care. We have a chance to find Appa. We have to try." he believed
"Must be nice to visit an island. I haven't had a vacation for years." the janitor said from the background and Katara looked annoyed.
"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" she questioned
"Shuffle on, I get ya. No more need for "old sweepy."" he complained
"You're right Aang." Katara said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Right now, our first concern has to be finding Appa. We can come back when we have him."
"All right, let's get moving." Sokka decided as he put away the map and everyone followed him to the door. Everyone that is except Freya who didn't move.
Jet had also moved off to follow them.
"I'll come with you."
"We don't need you help." Katara snapped
"Why won't you trust me?" he asked before he turned to walk off after Sokka and Aang.
"Gee, I wonder?" she huffed sarcastically as she crossed her arms.
"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph asked from beside her.
"What? No!" she dejected
"I can tell you're lyyyyying." Toph said teasingly.
"I'm not! Look it doesn't…" Katara looked around for a change of topic before she noticed Freya looking at some of the hair in her hand. "Freya what's wrong?" the girl looked up.
"It just makes no sense." she believed and she walked towards the two. "Why would they take Appa away from the city?"
"They sold him?" Katara said simply with a shrug.
"Freya, Toph, Katara, come on!" Sokka shouted. Freya moved and the girls followed her.
"But Katara, remember what Long Feng said? He said it'd be a shame if we couldn't succeed in finding him. Long Feng wants us under control, he can't stop us looking for Appa by moving around the city or putting up posters. But it sounded like he was oddly confident when he used Appa as a threat." she explained
"What are you saying?"
"You don't think Long Feng has Appa do you?" Toph asked
"Well I don't know for sure and I'd have no idea how Long Feng even found him when he's so absorbed in the city but, if he did he'd hold the bison against us to keep us under control." Freya believed "If Appa was here and Long Feng found him, why'd he send him out of the city?" she asked "He can't control us like that. And he can't control Appa either."
"You think Jet's lying?" Katara asked angrily
"No, Jet seems pretty certain, but that doesn't mean what he heard was even correct. Long Feng has the Dai Li everywhere, who knows what he could accomplish." Freya said
"But why send us to Whaletail island?" Toph asks
"It gets us out of the city and out of his hair. We can't mess things up if we're not here." Freya shrugged "He doesn't care if we're here or not just as long as we don't ruin the order he has." she rolled her eyes.
"Then we shouldn't leave Ba Sing Se?" Katara believed
"I don't think so. One there's no proof Appa will still be on that island by the time we finally make it there. But on the other hand, we've got no proof I'm right in order for us to stay." Freya said annoyed "Can we really risk that?"
Katara frowned and realised what she meant.
"We can take the train out to the wall, but then we'll have to walk." Sokka spoke up from ahead of the three girls.
"Don't worry, on the way back, we'll be flying!" Aang said grinning
"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se. Worst city ever!" Toph explained as she threw open her arms.
Behind her two people suddenly moved out from the street and looked surprised. A girl with rather shaggy hair and paint on her cheeks and a boy with a hat on his head and a quiver of arrows on his back. Both were dressed similarly to Jet.
"Jet!" Freya turned confused and so did Katara as the others stopped
"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore?" she demanded
"I don't!" Jet said with bewilderment as the girl suddenly ran forwards and threw herself against Jet in a hug. She was full of relief.
"We were so worried. How did you get away from the Dai Li?" she asked
"The Dai Li?!" Katara asked aghast.
"I don't know what she's talking about?" Jet said as everyone crowded around confused.
"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple weeks ago. We saw them drag him away." she explained as Katara looked at her
"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city." Jet said baffled. Toph stood between the two and kneeled down to touch the floor.
"Why was he arrested?" Freya asked
"He was accusing two men, an uncle and his nephew, for being firebenders." she said to the girl. Katara, Aang and Sokka looked surprised and Freya bit her lip.
"I haven't met any firebenders!" Jet thought.
"This doesn't make any sense. They're both telling the truth." Toph exclaimed
"That's impossible." Katara thought
"No, it's not." Sokka thought "Toph can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed." he said pointing at the boy.
"That's crazy! It can't be." Jet said with distress. "Stay away from me." Everyone began to circle Jet and he looked at them all shocked and worried.