A/N: Beware the ides of March!

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Aang and co. joined the party. They found Iroh playing a child's harmonica with a smile on his face as a man and a woman danced, a little girl stared entranced, and two young men sang a song. Another young man with a sketchbook made scratching noises as he captured the basic shape of Iroh's face in charcoal.

Aang turned red and rubbed his head nervously. "Hey, do you want to -" he began. But Katara was already going to sit by the little girl's side. "Never mind," he whispered.

Iroh finished the song with a long, drawn out note. The two singers held their last line for just as long. When they ended, there was a moment of silence, then applause. The two singers bowed. The man and woman who had been dancing laughed in joy and sat down near the little girl. "Oh, new people!" the woman observed. "Welcome!"

"How did the game go?" Iroh asked.

"The other guys were less motivated than we thought they would be," Sokka said. "They didn't really want to play. Early night tonight."

Iroh smiled. "Except for my nephew, I see."

"He had something else to do first," Katara explained. "Hi there!"

The little girl gasped and reached out for her hair loops. She pulled one free before Katara realized what she was doing. The woman reached out and pulled her back. "I'm so sorry! Our daughter can be too curious sometimes."

Katara plugged her hair back into place. "It's okay."

"Whose monkey is this?" asked the artist. He had laid down his sketchbook and picked up his pack to keep Momo from going through it.

"Sorry!" Aang picked up Momo. "He's just hungry."

"We're all a little hungry," one of the singers said. "I expected a tourist town to serve food. I didn't even get a breakfast." The other singer agreed.

"The market looked a little barebones," added the artist.

Aang and co. tried their best to keep their smiles on. Uh oh. This was bad. After all the work they had done and lives that had been risked to free the Rosewoods from the grip of the soldiers-turned-bandits, it would suck if the town acquired a bad reputation and all of that work went to waste.

"I'm sure they've just had a rough growing season," Katara said. "We've been traveling a lot, and we've seen it. The farms didn't do well this year. There's a supply shortage." Aang and Sokka nodded. They had seen no such thing. Katara was making up a lie.

"Really?" one of the singers asked. "I live a couple valleys over. Our farms have been doing just fine. But maybe this town gets food from different farms."

It took a lot more effort to keep their smiles up. Uh oh. That was especially bad news. The lie hadn't worked. Now what?

The sound of footsteps came from outside. Zuko joined the party. He looked around. "What did I miss?"

"We were just wondering why the market's empty," the artist said. "I don't mind; I brought my own food. It's just a little weird."

Zuko's eye twitched and he immediately looked away. "Well…" His tone of voice was off. It sounded completely unlike his usual voice, and he looked visibly nervous. Aang and Katara's stomachs plummeted. Zuko must be a bad liar! If he exposed them as liars, the party would be ruined. Katara regretted ever having tried to lie.

"I was just talking to someone in town," Zuko said. To everyone's immense relief, his voice started off slightly odd but rapidly recovered. He looked directly at the visitors again with no sign of nervousness. "She said that just before we all showed up, a large party visited. Earth Kingdom soldiers on…vacation, and also making sure the Fire Nation didn't have a secret base here. They've strained the town's food supplies."

"Oh, is that it?" Katara said. "We thought it might be supply problems from the farms. That's good to know." Zuko stared at her blankly.

That explanation pleased the visitors. They laughed and commiserated over the strains of having to provide unexpectedly for large groups of people. The young man from a couple valleys over had actually experienced this. There were no more complaints. The singers refreshed themselves with water and stood up to sing another song. Iroh played the harmonica. The little girl got up and started to dance, flitting like a spark around the whole middle of the room. Everyone else had to step back to make room for her.

Aang made sure to pick the same corner as Katara. He released Momo, and the lemur sat on his shoulder. "Do you think -"

"This is great," Katara whispered. "Zuko's a bad liar! He couldn't make something up to save his skin. The only thing he can do convincingly is a half truth. If I ask him something, and he has to answer, it'll be at least half-true."

"Forget about Zuko," Aang suggested. "How about we -"

But Katara was too busy wondering, "If everything he says is half true…which half is it…"

Aang sighed. Here he was, trying to get her to dance with him, and all she could think about was Zuko. He shot a glare at the firebender. Zuko, sitting near his uncle, was too busy eating some food the family had shared with him. He didn't notice.

After a while, when she seemed less caught up in her thoughts, Aang tried again. "Katara?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to, um, dance? It looks like fun…"

"Sure!" Aang's heart leaped for joy as Katara pulled him into the dance area. Then she released his hands and went over to the little girl, joining in her dance. Aang's heart sank into his guts again. He joined Katara and the little girl, and the three of them had fun trying to keep up with each other. They danced like crazy lemurs all around the room, sometimes falling down or geting dizzy and laughing at the silliness of it all.

It was a wonderful party. Even Zuko started to smile. When it finally ended, with the parents of the little girl pleading exhaustion and everyone else realizing then that they were also tired, nobody was unhappy or disappointed. It had been a great night. The little girl complained that she wasn't sleepy while holding onto Katara's waist and yawning. Katara went with the parents to help get her into bed. Zuko looked over the artist's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. The artist turned pale. He gave Zuko the sketch of Iroh that he had just made and shivered. One of the singers stopped to ask where he could get the most beautiful roses this town had to offer. Iroh gave him directions to what sounded like one of the houses Aang had passed on the way in.

When all the tourists were gone, Iroh yawned and made to go to bed. "Wait," Aang called. "What happened after we left? How did you and Zuko set this up?"

"It's late," Iroh said with another yawn. "Let's tell our stories in the morning."

It really was late. Aang had no choice but to agree. They unrolled their sleeping bags and settled down for a peaceful night. It had been a long, long day.

.

Katara awoke early the next morning. She was one of those people who could give herself a set time to wake up just by thinking about it. Before going to sleep, she had planned on waking up earlier than the others. When everyone was up, the storytelling would start. There was something she needed to do before then.

She went into the bathroom and freshened up as best she could, then crept out the door and down to the inn's stables. Appa was still sleeping. Katara hugged him, burying her face in his soft fur, which helped her racing heart slow down. Then she found a quiet place behind him, took a deep breath, and prepared herself.

"'I was wrong,'" she muttered. "No. I should start with something I believe. It has to be sincere. 'Thank you.' No, that's too forward. I should lead in gently. Something like, 'So, do you want to hear what happened yesterday?' No, not that. Come on, Katara. You are good at being kind to people. You are good at making up and giving speeches. Remember what you did for the earthbenders trapped on that ship. You are smart and capable. You can do this." The trouble was, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She came back to the idea of starting by admitting her own faults, but dismissed that idea. It was too unpleasant. She eagerly considered any other idea she could think of.

It would have been so much easier not to do this. For the entire length of the party, she had believed she wouldn't. There was no need for something so drastic as to admit that she was to blame for actions she had taken that were wrong, and mistaken, and now she wanted to change her mind and try to do better. It made her palms sweat to consider doing that. No, there was no need for something so drastic. She hadn't done anything so wrong that a drastic fix was needed. She wasn't the only one at fault. It would be fine if she let everything be unspoken and allowed her actions to speak for her. From now on, she would be more of the person she wanted to be. Everyone would see her living example and understand that she had changed.

But after the party, when they all lay down to sleep and there was nothing to do but think… Since when had that worked in the past? If Aang hadn't said it aloud, she never would have known that Zuko felt trapped, even though in retrospect he blatantly was. How had she failed to see something so obvious? Letting actions speak for themselves didn't always work. She hadn't heard what Zuko was really trying to say.

If he could be brave enough to admit to feeling powerless, she ought to do the same. There was no way she could be a coward. Now, as she dried her hands on her pants and rubbed Appa's soft fur for reassurance, she reminded herself of that. "I don't want to be the kind of person who can't say what they really mean," she whispered. "I can do this. I have to do this."

Coming to the stables had been a great idea. Appa's snoring helped her feel stronger. His great big bulk helped her think that everything would be okay. She dried her hands again, took a deep breath, let it out slowly, smoothed back her hair, and came out from behind Appa.

Zuko was there.

They stared at each other in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be awake so early, and he wasn't expecting her to be in the stables of all places. "What are you doing here?" they asked each other at the same time.

Neither had an immediate answer.

Katara steeled herself. Wasn't this what she had just been planning for? "Zuko, I… I wanted to say…" All her plans flew out of her head. How had she decided to start? She couldn't remember. "I'm sorry."

He was listening. She took another deep breath and met his gaze. "I made a mistake. I assumed the worst about you, and I shouldn't have. I blamed you for things that aren't your fault. I've never looked kindly at you. Those are my mistakes, and I apologize. I was wrong. From now on, I'll try to do better."

She paused to catch her breath. It felt like something had been carved out of her. That should have hurt, but instead it was…a relief? It was confusing. Zuko stared at her in shock.

Katara summoned up the rest of her courage. She had more to say. "Thank you, Zuko. Thank you for helping us save Aunt Wu's town. Thank you for helping us last night. Thank you for telling jokes even though you didn't want to, and finding a game we could play together. And thank you for helping me be a better person. I saw things from the blacksmith's point of view yesterday. I learned how to do it from you. You've taught me how to get past my own ego and see what someone else is really thinking. I always wanted to be a person that could do that. Thank you."

His mouth had fallen open. Her speech had stunned him speechless. Katara took that as a sign that it had worked. She walked around him. She should let him process it all in peace.

"Wait." He turned around. "Katara."

She turned back.

He reached into one of his pockets and fished around. He held something out to her. Even in the dim morning light, she could see it. Dangling just below his closed fist, a blue disc with markings etched in it that reminded her of the ocean and its tides. Of home.

Katara took it from him. "My mother's necklace." The sight of it brought tears to her eyes. "You had it this whole time?"

"I brought it as a peace offering," Zuko said. "I thought it would make things easier. But I woke up that morning and saw you glaring at me like I was a criminal, and suddenly I didn't feel like offering peace anymore."

Now it was Katara's turn to stand and stare with her mouth hanging open. Her most beloved possession had been within her reach the whole time. For more than a week, it had been right next to her. She could have been reunited with the only reminder of her mother at any time, if only she had been willing to be kind. It was all because of her own actions.

She put it on. The necklace felt heavier around her neck than it had before. Now it was not only a reminder of her mother. It was also a lesson.

Zuko shuffled awkwardly. Katara looked at him with new eyes. They really were alike. He couldn't say hard things any better than she could. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He tried to walk past her.

"Wait." She reached out and grabbed his arm as he passed. "What were you about to say just now?"

He stopped and sighed. She waited silently while he gathered his strength. He didn't look like he was gathering his strength. He looked annoyed and frustrated. If she hadn't known they had things in common, she never could have understood the true meaning of his actions. Why did he have to hide so well? Why did he have to look the opposite of what he really was? Was she seeing all the way through him, or was this another layer of obfuscation? Why couldn't he show the world who he was the way Aang did? Although, that would take the mystery out of him. Aang wasn't exactly the sort of person who you had to pay attention to all the time. He would be good ol' Aang no matter what. It would be ever so slightly boring if Zuko was that way too.

"I don't like being treated like a criminal when I haven't done anything wrong," Zuko said. "But…I don't mind the way you try to figure me out. It's…nice not to be invisible." The last sentence was barely audible.

"Even though I only looked at you that way because I thought you were up to no good?" Katara asked gently.

"Yes."

She smiled. "Don't worry. I wasn't planning on stopping. I still want to pry you open and learn all those secrets of yours."

His lips twitched. "Don't expect me to make it easy for you." He darted past her to the entrance to the stables, turned and called, "Find me if you can." Then he was gone.

That single sentence gave Katara the keys to many mysteries. She had heard children playing together call out "Catch me if you can!" But finding was very different from catching. If he needed to be found, then he was currently lost. Trapped, powerless, and now lost. How could Katara ignore someone who needed her help so much?

She followed him up to Iroh's room, where everyone else was awake. Storytelling was about to start.

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Iroh rubbed his hands together. He was looking forward to storytelling very much. Everyone had such different perspectives on the same event and only by sharing them could anyone understand the whole, glorious tale. It was a pleasure to gain a full understanding by hearing someone else's perspective. It was a pleasure Iroh hadn't had for the past week. There was a sharp divide between his nephew and everyone else, and it was causing a lack of mutual understanding that was really starting to chafe Iroh's nerves. He had finally seen enough. He understood enough to begin to act. As soon as the meeting was over, he would start.

"I guess we should start since we entered town first." Aang told them the story of how they'd entered town, seen the hungry people, deduced there were bandits, gone to the blacksmith and gotten his help. "He sent us all over the place. I think it was because he needed time to send a message. When we finally got to their hideout, Viki was expecting us." He summarized how they had spent the whole day training the rebels and making plans, which were changed at the last minute, and how the attack had gone. "The whole camp was awake and armed. I was terrified. I thought I might have to use the Avatar State." He looked up at Zuko. "But then Zuko yelled out that he'd captured Jin. He was on a rooftop with swords wrapped around Jin's neck. Everybody stopped fighting. He showed them his firebending and asked why they would fight for Jin when Jin doesn't treat them well. I used my airbending, too. And just like that, all the soldiers surrendered."

"That's an incredible story," Iroh said, his eyes wide. He didn't often hear a tale that dramatic. To think that such things had been happening while he sat peaceably in an inn!

"What about you guys?" Aang asked.

Zuko looked at Iroh. Iroh looked back before realizing that his nephew expected him to speak. "Oh! While we were waiting for you to come back, we had a very nice discussion about trees. Then we sat patiently and thought for a while. Eventually, we noticed that it was quiet. Too quiet. You don't have the best history of staying out of danger, young Avatar." Iroh described how they had met the woman and learned of her plight, how Zuko had promised to save her son, the plan they had come up with. All Iroh said about their argument was, "I doubted that he could do it. I'll be very interested to hear how it all happened." Then he told them how he went to the inn, rounded up everyone he could find using his charming ways. "And you know the rest."

Everyone in the room, including Momo, turned to look directly at Zuko. He crossed his arms and fixed a scowl on his face. "While Uncle went to the inn, I visited the blacksmith and got swords."

"Wait a second," Sokka broke in. "You're telling me he had really good swords that he hadn't already given to someone? There are at least three ways that can't be true."

"I got swords. They came from him," Zuko repeated. His voice was just a little off, if you were listening very closely.

Which they were. Sokka looked extremely skeptical. Iroh rubbed his beard. Katara whispered, "Which half…"

"Anyway," Zuko said. "I headed for the forest, figuring that was where their hideout was." He told them of his encounter with Viki, Tang and Ming, the challenge they gave him, how he found his way to the bandits' hideout through the trees. He told them what he'd heard from the drunks. "Then I found my way to Jin's tent. It was easy; his tent was bigger than the others and fancier, and more heavily guarded. I used my swords to disarm the traps around it, and captured someone who came out the back." He described the fight in Jin's tent, Jin's last mistake, dragging him up to the roof, the way Jin did not fight. "I think he was convinced that his archers would shoot me. He didn't realize that they would be scared enough to give up. That's the end of my part. You know the rest."

Sokka continued to look extremely skeptical. He peered into Zuko's face intensely. "Hmm…" He shrugged. "This part sounds plausible."

"Where are your swords now?" Katara asked.

Zuko looked away. But his voice was normal as he said, "I got rid of them. The last thing I need is another reason for you people to look at me like I'm a rabid monster."

"How are you so good at hiding the truth without actually lying?" Katara hissed. Zuko refused to answer.

"You didn't have to get rid of perfectly good swords," Aang said. "We wouldn't mind. We're not scared of you that way anymore."

Zuko shrugged. Iroh's resolve strengthened. Yes; now was the right time to act. All his instincts told him so, and he trusted them.

The Avatar and his friends went downstairs to help the rebels deal with the soldiers. Zuko nearly went with them, but Iroh grabbed his arm. "Nephew. We need to talk." They waited until the sound of footsteps died away.

Zuko sat back down on the floor. "What did you want to talk about, Uncle?"

Iroh sat across from him and put on his most serious face. "I'm proud of you, Nephew."

Zuko was completely disarmed. Of course he was; that was why Iroh had started this way. "You are?"

"Yes. I've refrained from interfering with your struggles because I wanted to see how you would handle them yourself. You've done a wonderful job so far." Iroh grinned.

Zuko smiled back. "Thank you, Uncle. That means a lot."

"But there are still some problems I think you need help with," Iroh said. "You have to make a decision, Zuko. You can't keep going in circles like this forever. You must choose. Are you their companion or their enemy?"

"This is just a temporary alliance against a common enemy," Zuko said.

"Do you really think it's going to stay that way?"

"Of course it's not. I'll go back to being enemies with them later."

"How? By betraying them the way Zhao suggested?"

Zuko snarled. "Of course not!"

"What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing! I'll figure it out when I get there."

Iroh shook his head. "I hate to agree with Zhao, but he was right. That's no way to plan. If you don't make a decision soon, it will be made for you. You can't keep up this dance of friendliness one day and fighting the next. That is not a sustainable cycle."

Zuko glared at him. But eventually, he looked down. That was a reliable sign that he was thinking about what Iroh had said.

Iroh let him. When Zuko finished thinking (Iroh knew this by the characteristic way he crossed his arms), Iroh said, "There's something else I want to talk about."

"Yes?"

Iroh ran through all of his plans again. He needed to approach this conversation delicately. "Before we left, Jeong Jeong told me something concerning."

Zuko stiffened all over. "What did he tell you?"

"He described something that I've seen myself," Iroh said. "Once, when I asked you something about the water spirit, something strange happened to you. Your face went blank. It was as if you were wearing a mask. And then you lied to me, and it sounded convincing. I felt like I was talking to a stranger. Jeong Jeong saw the same thing." Iroh took a deep breath. "What's going on with you, Zuko? Why are you keeping all these secrets?"

Zuko lowered his eyes in either shame or guilt. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I just can't talk about some things yet. I haven't figured them out. I don't know what I would say about them."

"That's all well and good," Iroh replied. "But it doesn't explain why your face became a mask. I've never heard of anyone acting so completely unlike themselves. It worries me."

"I'm figuring things out," Zuko repeated.

"Do you need help?"

"No."

Iroh considered the risks of asking his next question. It was a dangerous, heavy question, not to be asked lightly. He decided to risk it. "Are you lying to me right now?"

Zuko shot him a glare. "Do you think I'm a liar?"

Iroh raised his hands. "I was just -"

"I am not! I don't care what you think you saw. I wouldn't lie to you. If I need your help, I'll tell you."

Iroh smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

There was a moment of silence while they both cooled down. Zuko sighed. "Let's go and help with the soldiers." Iroh agreed. Together, they left their room and followed the Avatar's trail.

Sokka met them in the hall. "Great news," he announced. "Viki and his crew have decided to keep half a dozen of the nicer ones. The rest are getting marched out of town. And we're taking Jin with us. We're gonna fly him out of here and drop him in the nearest Fire Nation town." Sokka sounded entirely too happy about the idea of willingly paying a visit to a place filled with firebenders. He leaned in and whispered, "I give him fifteen minutes once we leave."

"You didn't hear how surprised he was that disrespected soldiers might not be loyal enough to risk their lives for him," Zuko said. "I give him five."

"You gotta give the guy some credit for making up this plan."

"He's an idiot."

Sokka rummaged around in his pouch of money and pulled out a silver piece. "A silver piece says I'm right!"

"You're trying to bet on something we won't be around to see?"

Sokka deflated. "Oh. Right." He put the coin back in his pouch. "I still think he might last fifteen minutes."

"He'll get arrested before we're even out of sight distance."

Iroh looked back and forth between the two of them. Even he, who made his footing stable at all times and had the life experience to look past every little up and down and see the broader picture, was disoriented. The ups were too up and the downs were too down. It was as if Zuko was two entirely different people. Two weeks before, Iroh would have called the idea of amiably arguing with people you also didn't trust and had explosive hurtful fights with an impossibility. How was it possible?

"I bet he will not be arrested before we're out of sight distance." Sokka brought out the silver piece again. "There. Now we have something we can bet on."

Zuko had money of his own that he had brought with him from the ship. He checked to make sure he hadn't already spent all the silver pieces in it. "Deal."

Iroh shook his head. As long as Zuko took his words to heart and resolved this contradiction, he could let the strangeness slide.

.

Aang gave all of his money to Viki and his mother. "You guys need it more than I do."

"Thank you," Viki said. He bowed at each member of their five-person band. The newly titled town defenders stood behind him looking proud, and secretly sweating underneath their armor. The villagers weren't entirely happy to keep them around. They knew as soon as the Avatar left, they would be walking a razor's edge. So they stood and looked as respectable as they could.

Almost everybody had flocked to the town's central square to see the Avatar off. Aang and co. stood in front of the road to the inn. Jin was secretly being kept in the stables, and the rest of the former soldiers on the edges of town. Once they were done saying their goodbyes, Jin would be loaded onto the saddle from behind, as quickly and quietly as possible, and Viki would send word to march the others out.

Fighters said tearful goodbyes to "Master Sokka." Katara pushed her way through the crowd to personally say goodbye to the blacksmith, who leaned against the post of his smithy. People of note thanked the Avatar for honoring their little tourist town with his presence. Aang couldn't help but notice a surprising amount of fighters thanking Zuko, too. Was his face a little red? No, that couldn't be. A prince would never be embarrassed by public adoration. But still, he did look a little awkward. The innkeeper distracted Aang at that moment, thanking him for patronizing her business. He bowed and said, "My pleasure." When she left, he realized with a start how easy it had been. How had he, a twelve year old monk from an isolated mountaintop, gotten so used to fame and crowds?

The crowd began to disperse. Sokka climbed up onto the saddle and gave the signal, then helped three of the larger and stronger fighters load Jin into the saddle. Jin glared viciously at each and every one of them, his dark eyes trying to scorch them with black fire. It didn't work. Nobody was even looking at him.

They flew for an hour, following the land downhill until a river appeared. A river town could be expected to have a Fire Nation presence. They easily found one that did. Sokka sliced through all of Jin's bonds before they touched ground. Appa landed in an open marketplace for precisely the few seconds it took Sokka to roll Jin down his tail. "Good luck in your new life!" Sokka called. Then Appa leaped into the air in a hurry, for firebenders were racing to meet him. Zuko joined Sokka at the back of the saddle to watch, with a hand over his scar so he wouldn't be recognized.

The firebenders lashed at them with fire whips, but Appa was too quick. They turned their attention to Jin, who was brushing himself off in a haughty manner. He could be seen talking to the firebenders surrounding him. Then, just before Appa flew out of sight, one of the firebenders grabbed him by the arm.

Zuko held out a hand. Sokka put a silver piece in it. They laughed together at Jin getting exactly the fate he deserved.

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A/N: Credit for the last half of Iroh's scene goes to the guest reviewer who thought Zuko kept going in circles and Iroh should be more involved. Correct on both counts.