The only emotion Aang felt stronger than frustration was concern. Bowing slightly to the spirit, he left the spirit world and returned to his body. The boy sighed before gliding down to where his friends were still standing. Evidently, while he was in the middle of his conversation, they had not stopped trying to make sense of what had happened. The group quickly noticed their friend when he landed.

"Did you find out anything useful?" Zuko asked.

"Not really," Aang admitted unhappily. "On the bright side, Appa and Momo are safe."

Sokka blinked at him. "And I'm very happy to hear that, but I'd be even happier if we knew whether or not we were too. Did you find out anything involving us? "

"There's a spirit called Zan Fa who says we have to stay here to bring peace."

"But we just did that for the world and the Earth King," Toph commented. "We're just the go-to people for everyone now. Not even spirits are excluded."

After a moment, Katara looked at the Avatar with worry in her eyes. "How do we get out of here?"

"That's the thing, we don't." Once Aang saw the horror on his friends' faces, he spoke again. "At least we don't until we fix the problem."

"What actually is the problem?" Suki asked him. "'Bring peace' is a pretty vague instruction."

The airbender glanced towards the two land masses. "My best guess is that those groups are fighting. It looked like we showed up in the middle of some attack."

"This is different from our war, though," Zuko pointed out. "With us, we knew who initiated what. We're coming into a conflict without knowing any of the background. Even if we start talking to people, we're just going to be given that person's perspective."

Sokka nodded. "Exactly. Everyone's going to be biased. Couldn't the spirit have said that the people to our right decided to start attacking people on the left? That would've been a very appreciated nudge in the right direction…literally."

"I told you everything the spirit said," Aang revealed, looking pensive. "Apparently, we have to learn the rest for ourselves. Unfortunately, the only way we might be able to do that is by talking with them. They'll probably tell us their side to it, but we can judge for ourselves afterwards."

"Hmm," Sokka added, shaking his head.

"What?" Katara asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Our record isn't great for this method. We're going to have half of us become sympathetic to one group and the rest will be supporting the other. Then, you, oh bridgey one, will have to make the decision and will probably just concoct some story about games and rivalry."

"I'm not doing that again," the airbender said defensively. "Honestly, if we tried, it would probably just cause Zan Fa to keep us here indefinitely. Luckily, time doesn't pass at the same rate here, so our absences won't be noticed in our world until a really long time passes."

While the others were talking, Toph had started bringing up more earth from beneath the water so that they could be on dry land. Once that was done, she crossed her arms.

"Okay, another problem then. Let's say we go with that plan to talk with people. They all got away from us as quickly as possible. They think we're monsters. We're not going to get much information from them unless we threaten to eat them, and that might just cause them to faint on us."

Suki's expression became thoughtful. "Good point, but if I saw giants, I would probably want to talk with at least one of them so that I could get an idea of what I was up against. Even if the land is tiny, it probably has a lot of inhabitants. I'd be shocked if none of them were bold enough to approach us. We just have to find who."

Katara tapped her chin. "Now the issue is figuring out how to draw out that person."

While the group considered how to go about doing this, more people were considering their next actions. Before the team had arrived, events in that world were proceeding as usual. A battle was going well even though no clear victor existed, but this too was just part of the usual routine. What was most definitely not routine was when six figures who made mountains look miniscule suddenly came treading through the ocean as though it were a puddle. The people were unsure if they were consumed more by shock, confusion, or fear. All seemed to exist in equal quantities. The wave which nearly killed them only exacerbated these negative emotions. One small comfort was that the giants had not attacked them again. This allowed the fleets to safely return and for the people to regroup. They only wished they knew how to do that.

On one of the land masses, in a room that would have been too small to fit any members of the team, three people were speaking. A man with hints of gray in his goatee was pacing from one side of the room to the other, with his arms behind his back. Another man was leaning against a desk and a woman sat near him.

"We need to see if they're enemies or not," she said.

"I know," the pacing man admitted tensely.

"But we shouldn't be hasty in our decisions," the other man added. "They're…enormous. It's unnatural. Whatever powers they might have, they could use them on us. We couldn't defeat them no matter how many of our best benders we brought."

"That's true," the pacer said, going faster.

"It is," the woman admitted. "However, what's also true is that we could die any second if we have no clue what they want. They wouldn't have a reason to lie to us. It's not as if telling us they're not friendly is gonna make them have to look over their shoulders in case of an attack. They have the advantage here, so if we ask them what they want–no matter how good or bad the answer is–at least we'll know. I'd rather be aware that I should start making my peace with the world than find out in the moment."

The walker finally stopped pacing and brought a hand up to his face. "You're both right. I'll talk with them. I suppose a positive to this is that they won't be difficult to find."

He gave a weak laugh that did not change the serious expressions on the faces of the two individuals.

"I know this is dangerous," the man admitted. "It's my responsibility, though, and I won't have anyone else doing it."

"I can come with you," the other man offered, standing up straighter.

"No, I won't go with anyone. This is for me alone. I wouldn't feel right taking anyone just in case it backfires." He paused, feeling anxious. "Wish me luck."

Saddened, the pair wished him well on his journey and he began leaving the building. They had spoken while people on the other land were also proposing ideas. Four people were in a throne room, each appearing contemplative and worried.

"There's no reasonable explanation for them being that big," a young woman said.

"They're monsters," a man who resembled her stated, frowning. "What more do you want?"

"They didn't seem like monsters."

"If you find something else that has a head which could touch the sun, let me know."

"They weren't that big. Maybe they were spirits."

"They weren't spirits," an older woman disagreed. Her hands were together, pointer fingers touching in concentration. "Our weapons wouldn't have hurt them, but that one was affected by the arrow."

"Barely."

"'Barely' is still being affected. We know nothing about them, so we cannot afford to ignore the few facts we are provided. At least two of the giants can bend elements and they are not spirits. Whether or not they are monsters, that is to be decided."

"But if they were monsters, why would they stop the wave from killing everyone?" the other woman inquired.

Behind her, the fourth person was nervously cleaning a table. She kept dusting it faster and faster, thinking more about the strangers. The eldest individual noticed and gestured for her to stop.

"You're dismissed for today. The last thing any of us need to worry about is a perfectly shined table."

When the maid was gone, the woman addressed the other two people again.

"That wave they stopped was the same wave they caused. They didn't save our people so much as decide to not follow through with an attack. Since the actions canceled out, they effectively did nothing apart from nearly giving everyone a fright attack. No wave of such power has ever been caused by a single individual. They're dangerous and will be treated like the threats that they are."

"Mom, why would they have stopped the wave if they wanted to kill us? Wouldn't that prove that they're peaceful?"

"If anything, it proves they are reckless and impulsive. Even if they did not mean to kill us this time, they acted rashly enough to nearly do so, and we would have died if the giant waterbender had not reacted so quickly. Those are not qualities I trust."

"I'm with Mom," the young man said, a determined look in his eyes. "I say we take them out."

"I did not say that we would go that far," the mother chastised. "We would be just as careless as they are if we did. No, we'll simply find a way to convince them to leave."

The daughter unhappily regarded them both. "Am I really the only one who doesn't think that's fair? They seemed just as shocked to be here as we were with them showing up."

"How shocked they felt is irrelevant," her mother stated. "They could have killed us within the first five minutes of being near our home. Imagine what would happen if we gave them an hour. I'd be shocked if they were not killing someone as we speak, so we should probably conclude this now and deal with the matter."

"I want to go then."

"No."

"Then, I can," the brother offered.

"No, neither of you are going. I will go myself."

After a short pause, the daughter gestured to herself. "I can do this. I'm the only one here who doesn't feel antagonistic towards them. If they're as dangerous as you both think, the second they sense hostility, they'll strike."

"So, you plan to march up to them and offer friendship?" her brother inquired skeptically. "I'm sure they'll jump at the chance to form an alliance with us. Just don't let them jump too much or they might break our island apart."

The sister frowned at him. "I plan to offer peace. We wouldn't survive an attack anyway, but if they worked with us, that could be just what we need. I'm the best one for the job. Whatever I find out, I'll let you both know, and if I think that I'm in danger, I'll get out of there. I promise. It wouldn't be difficult to hide from them. There have to be millions of places I could use that they wouldn't see."

Several seconds elapsed as the other relatives considered this, both appearing to dislike what had been said.

"Bring some soldiers to stay just out of sight," the mother instructed. "If you can't hide fast enough, you'll need the support."

Nodding, the young woman left the throne room and went to get the soldiers. A small group in tow, she traveled to the docks, heart pounding in her ears. The giants were clearly visible standing between the two lands. With surprise on her face, the approaching person saw that the earth had risen beneath them. They were no longer in the water, so that meant there was an earthbender among them. She disembarked to step towards the people, attracting Toph's attention. The girl stopped talking and gestured with her head to where the newcomer was approaching.

"Seems like we won't have to work too hard on finding a way to get to them. Here comes somebody now."

The others turned and saw the small person. Squinting, they saw that she was dressed in royal robes. She stopped when the team's gaze was on her, nearly losing her nerve. Forcing herself to continue, she kept walking. Placing her right hand over her heart, she began to address the friends.

"Welcome to our lands, Great Beings. I am Princess Durnaz of Rhijaj. We have never met individuals like you, so please inform us of how to best accommodate you during your stay."

"'Great beings?'" Sokka echoed. "That's a new one."

"We're in Rhijaj?" Zuko asked, glancing between the princess and lands.

"I am from Rhijaj. The other land is Xei." Durnaz paused, seeing the group look at one another. "I can ensure better hospitality if I know the duration of your stay."

"We don't even know that, Princess," Toph admitted. "Wish we did. Also, you can tell your servants to stop hiding. I know they're behind that new hill over there."

Durnaz's eyes widened slightly. "Apologies. I didn't mean for them to seem sneaky."

"They just want you to be safe," Zuko said. "You're their princess. They probably wouldn't have let you leave otherwise."

"Yes, thank you for understanding." Durnaz hesitated. "I heard that you were not aware of how you came to arrive here."

"That's true," Suki told her. "We just got pulled out of the sky and dropped here. From the sounds of it, we should help out."

This put a smile on the princess's face. "You would help us?"

"Well, what is it that you need help with?" Katara inquired. "We saw that you were fighting."

"We were. We have been at war for ten years."

Sokka shrugged. "It's sad that the number doesn't even sound bad. Why are you fighting?"

Durnaz's face clouded over and her eyes moved from the team to the other land. "The people of Xei are cruel. Though our war has lasted merely a decade, our troubles have existed far longer. Since the time of our ancestors, my people have been abducted by those in Xei."

"That's terrible," Katara gasped.

Her brother shot her a look. "You're doing it again," he whispered. "Let's get more information."

With a small nod of her head, the waterbender took a breath and waited for Durnaz to elaborate.

"Have you been able to retrieve anyone?" Zuko asked, brows furrowed.

"We have not. Everyone who has been taken has remained lost. No one's ever returned." Durnaz stopped talking, swallowing hard as she tried to keep her eyes from becoming watery. "If you could help us, please do. My father was one of the people taken. I know he would never have left of his own volition. He's somewhere, but I cannot help him. Whenever we ask for our loved ones to be returned, their captors deny the accusations and call us cruel in return."

The friends turned to one another.

"Could you give us a moment?" Aang requested.

Durnaz nodded quickly. "Of course. Rhijaj is the island behind me. Whenever you are ready to talk, if you go to the palace in the center, I'll come to speak with you."

With a slight bow of her head, the princess returned to the ship with the soldiers. The team watched until the tiny people were back on the vessel.

"So, there are prisoners of war in a war that didn't start until the prisoners were taken," Sokka said, scratching his head. "Well, I guess some information is better than what we started out with."

"The question now is, do we believe it?" Suki asked.

"She wasn't lying," Toph informed them. "It's tricky to feel all the same vibrations when the people are so small, but I didn't notice any changes. I felt more trembles on the ground when Ms. Crown was walking than when she was talking, so I think she believes what she said if nothing else."

Aang kept looking at the ship returning to Rhijaj, then at the other land. "Xei might have a royal family too. If it does, they could tell us what their explanation is."

"We probably shouldn't say anything about what we found out here," Zuko suggested. "It could put them on the defensive if we mention the abductions."

"And if nobody comes here soon, we'll be stuck here longer as we wait," Katara said, discontent.

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that wait," Toph said with a grin. "We're as popular here as we are back home. We've got a new visitor."

The group turned around and saw that another ship had approached from the second land. A man was walking towards them. With the people looking at him, he froze. Unsurely, he cleared his throat before lowering his gaze with a slight bow of his head and pacing a hand over his chest.

"Welcome to our humble lands, Esteemed Guests. I am President Megat of Xei and have come to make your acquaintance."