If Yee could describe his experience in the South Pole in one word, it would be 'cold'.
Expectations for his mission at the pole were at an all time low and not even his breath of fire training with Lu Ten could reassure him fully before coming here.
He was, at first, glad that he was given his first solo assignment from Lu Ten but as he went through the training and actually stepped foot on the boat to the South Pole, the novelty wore off. Add that to the fact that his playtime with Huno was put on hold for the time being, he was not amused. Mayan's fussing over him was another thing that added to his conflicted feelings about this mission. She'd packed him preserved food, made sure his Uncle Bing got him an Earth nation ship with a trustworthy crew to take him on his way and drilled into his head to listen to his spirit guide when it came to his training with keeping warm. He had thought she was overdoing it at first but when he finally thought about the situation fully, he realized he may have signed up for something way above his pay grade. It is often said that firebenders don't do well in the cold, so Yee's chances of success were looking slim.
The final nail in the coffin was, of course, Jazaih. His mood about where Yee's first mission was had gone from pride to full on irritation and overprotectiveness. Yee told him that Lu Ten said Yee was perfectly capable of handling the situation at the pole and he would not give him a task he would not be able to handle and in response, Jazaih claimed that if it were possible, he was ready to wrestle Lu Ten in the spirit world for the poor attempt at reassurance. Still, Yee was thankful for Mayan and Jazaih. The couple had fully grown on him since it had taken him time to see them as family. The only one who just naturally felt like family was Huno and of course it was because of her cuteness and preciousness. Who wouldn't want to be family with her? With Mayan came Bing and Gili. It took him time to warm up to them too but with Bing's constant funding of Yee's expenditures on trinkets for Huno, it did not take too long.
After a couple of minutes pacifying Huno's cries for her brother leaving on his own, Mayan's trials of trying to pry Yee from Jazaih's death grip in the guise of a hug (which ended in Mayan stepping on her lover's foot, earthbender style) and his pack secured around his body by Mayan, Yee had left to meet up with Bing at the nearest port. There he was given a pep talk on how to interact with the Water Tribesmen and to look out for any prospective business opportunities for his uncle. Yee rolled his eyes but nodded his head in agreement. With a quick hug and a slight shove, he made his way into the ship designated for him and they set sail for the South Pole.
When he had saved Shuyan from a strange spirit made of a jelly-like substance, he wasn't expecting Shuyan to become attached to him. He was good with animals but with Roro, he wasn't sure if spirit animals were part of his forte. His mind wandered back to the spirit he was supposed to investigate. All he knew was that it was a trickster spirit which came with the ability to shape-shift into anyone or anything. He was also told that its presence was causing a disturbance at the pole and the future brought about its activities was suspicious and bleak. Yee remembered the gelatin body that attacked Shuyan with so much viciousness, almost as if it was trying to make sure she stayed away or protect something from her. Its form has switched from its base blue jelly form to a mixture of things it could shape-shift into. Human hands with swords, an ostrich horse beak and the feet of a komodo rhino. It was freaky but Yee was intrigued. Shuyan had fought valiantly, freezing it in place at times and sending wave after wave of water at it, but alas, she was no match for its ferocity and intensity. With a few jets of flames fired at it, Yee had managed to scare it off and collect Shuyan's heavily panting form from the ground. Something he found strange was that, although her body appeared to be made of water, she was warm to the touch and did not wet his hands or clothes while in contact with him. He shrugged the thought off and had taken Shuyan to a nearby cave to recuperate. He would also have to ask her about the details of her interaction with the spirit from before but by then, her recovery was the priority. With his set up and the flame to ease him into easy meditation, he was able to enter into a state of ease as he stroked Shuyan and paced his breath with the movement of the flame. Of course, good things don't last and he was interrupted by a stranger.
Yee sighed. He took a look at the unique boy he had just met that day. Mandeq, son of Tuloq. He was indeed strange in the sense that he did not meet up to the expectations Yee had for meeting someone from the pole. He thought he would get a more visceral reaction and maybe an 'ashmaker' jab here or there. Not even a single slur and the face Mandeq made when he looked at Yee at times also confused him. It was like a puzzle Yee was trying to solve but Yee found puzzles troublesome. Though, that did not stop Yee from being grateful for the tribesmen's assistance. At least this cold mission he was set to do would not be as strenuous as he had initially imagined. Yee sighed internally once more and focused on their walk. The sounds of their boots crunching the snow was rhythmic and made Yee slightly sleepy but the little frostbitten wind that brushed past his face made sure to keep him awake.
After a couple of minutes into their trek through the ever expansive snow, they were greeted with a couple dots of buildings up ahead. It was surrounded by a low wall of ice with a big open gap. They made their way closer and Yee could see a couple of shacks, small structures made of snow and a few gaggle of people making their way through the area. As they approached even closer, Yee could see the people were exchanging goods and materials. The sound of Mandeq rustling through his pack caught Yee's attention and he was met with a smile on the other boy's face.
"I'm just checking to see if the fish I had packed is still good for trade," Mandeq said. Yee lifted a brow at that. His attention was then brought to the snow as thought of how the people of the village would react to his guide's plus one and it worried him enough to make a slight frown. "What?" Mandeq inquired and Yee looked back at him curious too.
"What?" he asked back..
"Your face, you look a bit worried. Though, with that face, anyone who has met you for the first time wouldn't notice," Mandeq replied with a little chuckle. Yee sighed and ran his hand down his face to land on his chest where the necklace lay. He fiddled with it a little.
"I'm just a bit worried about how the people there may react. That's all," Yee answered truthfully. Mandeq hummed at that.
"Worry not, fire child. If anyone gives you trouble, I will assist you to the best of my capacity," Shuyan said unexpectedly. This made Yee crack a little smile and Mandeq to huff in exasperation.
"Don't worry, I have a few tricks up my sleeve if we do get into trouble. You can trust me," Mandeq assured him with a smile. Yee looked at the boy and his unwavering aura and smiled back.
Finally, they passed through the open gap of the ice wall that surrounded the village and arrived at their destination. Yee pulled his hood tighter to cover his face a bit more. The buildings lined up haphazardly along the walkway but there was indeed a clear path that was made for walking around. There were a few stalls with a couple of people battering while others were hanging around and chatting about. Yee noticed there were mostly women, children and elderly around. Yee focused his eyes and realized the aura of the place was entirely off. Yes, there were people smiling and helping each other out which gave a sense of camaraderie but the light grayish aura Yee saw and felt made Yee think the whole village was in a bit of a depressive episode. Could it be connected to the reason he didn't see any men walking about or at least one who doesn't have a foot close to the grave? He wasn't sure. Luckily, he had someone right next to him that he could ask.
"Mandeq…" Yee began before he was dragged by the other boy to a stall nearby. They stopped in front of an old woman covered in blue and furs. There were crates full of food stuff and other things, Yee couldn't tell were, surrounding the woman. She looked sleepy but once she noticed Mandeq infront of her, she sat up a the stool she was sitting on.
"Ah, Mandeq, my child. I'm glad you are here today," she said in greeting. She glanced at Yee for a bit then focused her attention back on the other boy. "I see you brought a friend here today. Who is this?"
"This is Nan. He is from a closeby village. I found him lost and decided to help him out," Mandeq said without hesitation. Credit had to be given to the boy, he was a quick thinker and Yee was impressed. Though, he had to remember that his name was Nan now but he could work with that. Quietly, he could hear Shuyan snickering and he was glad the old lady didn't seem to notice.
"Aww, poor boy. Don't be afraid to ask for anything," the woman studied him closely with more suspicion before Mandeq spoke again.
"He is very shy. I've barely managed to get him to talk to me or get that parka off but he was too scared to be left alone so I had to bring him with me," Mandeq said. The old lady rose brow then smiled again at them both. Yee studied her closely. She was indeed wrinkly like every old person he had ever met but her aura was slightly brighter than the rest of the village.
She clearly wasn't the shapeshifter he was looking for. That one had an ever fluctuating aura around it but there was something special about her but Yee wouldn't know more unless he got the opportunity to ask her without getting himself in trouble with the village.
"That's a nice necklace you have there, child. Must be some kind of family heirloom," she inquired carefully. Yee shifted a bit to play into his new found shy persona and she chuckled at that.
"Come on Grandma Voya. If he didnt say anything to me, he won't tell you anything either," Mandeq complained. She chuckled at this too.
"Ah, child. Be calm, I was just wondering which family he belonged to. That necklace just reminded me of the tale of the spirit stones my mother used to tell me about. If it is one then I am just glad there is another thing the fire nation hasn't taken away from us. It is indeed beautiful. I'm happy there was at least one of us in the tribe that was able to preserve such a relic," she said with her focus entirely on the necklace. Her eyes glistened with something like astonishment and what Yee could only describe as reverence. Yee could tell she knew more than what she was letting up. With her attention back on Mandeq, she smiled again. "So what exactly have you brought me, child?"
"I have a good catch of fish today," Mandeq brought out a bundle of fish from his pack which were tied together at their tail. They were handed over to Voya who took them with an appeasing eye. Once she was satisfied with their quality, she gestured to Mandeq to pick what he wanted from the crates that laid before her at her feet. She watched with amusement as he ruffled through the things he wanted with her attention occasionally landing at Yee from time to time. Yee took the chance to look around and saw it was just the same all around. People talking, trading and so on. The aura was just the same and suggested nothing that could help him track down the shapeshifter he was after.
"Alright. I'm good," Mandeq said as he stood up after putting goods in his pack. He gave Voya a big smile and thanked her. She smiled at him in return and told him to never be afraid to exchange with her anytime. "I have another thing I'd like to ask," Mandeq began and Voya knitted her brows in curiosity.
"What is it, child?" She inquired with a soft tone. "What else do you need?"
"Ah! No! It's nothing serious but I was just wondering if there was any new development in the village or something. You know I don't live here to get any gist, so I am very curious," Mandeq said with his hands gesturing in a placating manner. Voya's face smoothed out into a calmer version and she smirked at Mandeq's mannerisms.
"Well, if you did bother to listen to your village when they decided to move along, you wouldn't be in this state would you," Voya retorted.
"Grandma Voya. We've already talked about this," Mandeq whined like a little child, forcing Yee to fight back a laugh. It was indeed funny to witness the interaction between them.
"Fine, fine," she relented with a cheery smile. "The only thing new I've heard about is the return of Arroya's daughter who had been missing for three days. She was found two days ago. I heard she was found not too far outside the village, lying in a patch of snow safe and sound but dehydrated and cold. They say it may have been the work of spirits. I'm not too sure about it though but that little girl is as stubborn as she is lucky. Maybe a combination of both saved the girl's life," Voya rubbed her chin and leaned back a bit. "I'm sure you were just worried about if those ashmakers were spotted around or so and I can gladly say they have left us alone and kept that streak till this day," Mandeq nodded his head at the information received and Yee's mind began locking onto this girl with a supposed spiritual encounter. He tilted his head under the hood and Mandeq seemed to recognize the gesture. He turned back to Voya.
"Arroya… the village cook right?" Mandeq asked. Voya nodded to answer. "Thank you very much. I am glad the girl has been found,"
"Ah, please. You didn't even know she was missing," she waved her hand as if to dismiss his statement. "If you are really curious about her, you can head to the common cooking house and meet the mother there. There are quite a few people who have been going to visit her with congratulations and so on. Here," she leaned back, grabbed a box behind her and shoved it into Yee's hands. "Give this to her when you visit. It has spices and condiments I managed to secure for myself,"
Mandeq looked puzzled. "How on earth did you…?"
"Ah, keep your questions to yourself, child. This old lady doesn't spill her secrets. So as you don't spill yours," she said to Mandeq but her gaze focused on Yee. He pulled on his hoodie a bit more and readjusted his hold on the box.
"I'll keep that in mind," Mandeq relented.
"You better. Now shoo. I have other people I'd like to trade with. Your handsome face isn't enough for me today," she shooed them and they walked away from her stall.
Mandeq pulled Yee in another direction and Yee assumed they were heading over to the cooking house. Yee remembered what he wanted to ask Mandeq.
"So, where are all the men? I only see women, children and old people," Yee asked. Mandeq's aura, which had been so strong and unwavering, seemed to waver a bit before settling. Yee could see the small frown the other boy tried to hide and he knew he had hit a sore spot for the older boy. Mandeq sighed.
"They aren't here. They… they left to help the earth nation fight the fire nation," Mandeq answered with some hesitation.
"All of them?"
"Yes. All of them," Mandeq said bitterly before biting his lower lip.
"Oh," Yee said softly. He had heard some news about the Water tribe joining the earth kingdom in the war efforts but he didn't know about the exact percentage of people sent to aid and what their demographic was. That explained the depressing aura in the village. Mothers and fathers probably miss their sons and children, their fathers. Who knows how they hunt for or secure food now that the men aren't around. Yee shook his head. That was none of his business. After all, he couldn't do anything about it. He should find that spirit and get it off their hands, at least, he believed that may help them. Indirectly or not.
The walk to the cook house was quiet and only filled with the sound of people chatting and an occasional greeting at Mandeq as they passed by the villagers.
Suddenly, they were stopped in their tracks by a young girl, about Mandeq's age, who screamed the older boy's name from their left.
"Tui and La, it's Kyumi," Mandeq whispered with frustration. His face was scrunched up with annoyance then he smoothed it out once she came closer. The girl, Kyumi, took her place right in front of them and eyed Yee, suspiciously, up and down. Her arms were folded in front of her and her hip was tilted a bit to the side. She wore a gray blue parka and had pigtails braided in blue string placed over her shoulder, on her chest. She was about Yee's height but she looked way more intimidating than the boys combined.
"Who's this with you?" she demanded from Mandeq and Yee could see why Mandeq wasn't happy with this encounter. She seemed very bossy.
"Just someone who's lost. He's staying with me for a bit. Right now, he's helping me with my errands," Mandeq replied curtly. The expression on her face settled a bit and she had a small smile begin to form on her face.
"He? Of course, what girl would be interested in an outlier like you? I should've known," she said in triumph. Yee was not sure but he could say that she was clearly interested in Mandeq and she was a girl. Well, Yee wasn't good with these sorts of things so he decided to keep his mind away from this particular train of thought.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, " Mandeq rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we are busy so excuse us now, Kyumi," he began to push Yee around Kyumi but the girl was persistent and she stepped into their path again.
"That doesn't answer my question though. Who is he?" She demanded. She tried to look under his hood but Mandeq stepped in front of him.
"He is Nan. Nan, this is Kyumi. I'm Mandeq. Done. Now we know each other's names. Bye," Mandeq said and tried to drag Yee away from there but again Kyumi intercepted their path. Mandeq sighed with frustration. "What is it now, Kyumi?"
"That's a nice necklace you have there. Where'd you get it?" she asked haughtily.
"Family heirloom," Mandeq answered quickly.
"I wasn't asking you," she said with annoyance laced in her tone.
"He's shy," Mandeq said.
"And so what? He can talk can't he? And why is he hiding his face? Got something to hide?" she tried to look at Yee more but Mandeq blocked her view. He stood to Yee's side but in front of him. Yee could still see the girl as she stared at Mandeq intensely.
"He is shy and easily scared. Your polar ogre face will scare him off," Mandeq replied with a bit of humor in his voice. Kyumi spluttered at that. Yee was getting tired of this and he had to readjust his grip on the box he held. There weren't a small amount of things inside and he would appreciate it if they could move along and deliver the goods quickly.
"Who are you calling ugly? You're not much of a looker yourself," she poked Mandeq's head several times and he slapped her hand away. Yee rolled his eyes and kicked Mandeq's boot. Mandeq looked at him with a furrowed brow, looked at the box he held then looked at Yee again. His stare was intense and Yee wasn't sure what was going on so he gave a small smile and Mandeq's eyes widened for a moment before he blushed then faced Kyumi. Kyumi noticed the interaction and surprisingly looked even more agitated. Yee internally sighed.
What in the world is going on?
"We have to go now. We have to see Arroya and then head back home before night time," Mandeq grabbed Yee's arm and dragged him forward. Apparently, this wasn't over and they could hear footsteps following them from behind. "What is it now?" Mandeq asked but didn't stop his pace with Yee in tow.
"What? I also want to see Arroya too. I also want to know how little Harri is doing," Kyumi said from behind them. Mandeq groaned and they made their way to the cook house.
Kyumi was suspicious.
Who exactly was this stranger Mandeq of all people took interest in. He barely gave any kids their age attention and it took her a while to even have a civil conversation with him. When he first came to their village to trade with them, she had tried to get him acquainted with the village kids and herself but he basically ignored them and focused his attention on his trade and discussions with adults. He was so full of himself, he probably thought he was grown and all that but if he was all that, wouldn't he be with the other men at the Earth kingdom waters?
Now, some random kid she had never heard of or seen is acting all mushy with Mandeq for no reason. Moreover, what was that strapped around his back, some kind of weapon or something? How strange. And that necklace, family heirloom? Kyumi was skeptical. She may not know every village and the people who inhabit them but she knew it was almost impossible for someone of the tribe to still have that kind of valuable on them. Though, she supposed, she knew of the Head chief's daughter, Katara, and the beautiful necklace she wore round her neck. She had only seen her once when her father, this village's chief, had taken her along with him when there was a village chief gathering in the head chief's village.
She eyed the boy a bit more from behind. She wasn't even sure he was about, she hadn't heard him speak and from the look of Mandeq's face as he interrupted her investigation, they were clearly hiding something. She stared at his boots. They were pure black and made of a material she had never seen before. That parka too, she could have sworn she had seen Mandeq wear this specific one before, so did he give this one to him? Why? She pursed her lips. She wasn't sure what to make of this boy at all. Again, was he even a boy? Mandeq could be lying. Maybe he didn't want her to know of his interest in this person if it was a girl. She's not even sure their gender mattered to him. From that look she saw Mandeq give the stranger, there was clearly something there. She wasn't sure why Mandeq would be secretive about it though. Maybe because this person was actually a boy? Argh! Her head hurt and she just wished she could pull off the stranger's hood and see what their expressions were. Maybe they were reciprocal or something, she couldn't tell. So frustrating. Well, it's not like she really cared who Mandeq was interested in but there was a feeling inside her chest she couldn't describe that bothered her about it.
They arrived at the cook house and were greeted by the smell of soup and other food cooking inside. The cook house was just a circular wooden building with a curtain as the doorway and no roof so you could see smoke rise as people cooked inside. Mandeq pulled the curtain aside and gestured for her and Nan to enter inside. Nan went in quickly and Kyumi followed suit but not before giving Mandeq a dirty look as he held the curtains open for them. She could hear him scoff behind her and she smiled a bit at that.
Once they were all in, they were met with a questioning look from Arroya who was sitting in the middle of the room and sorting out pieces of meat. She seemed better than the last time Kyumi saw her. Her eye bags have gotten better and that most definitely had to do with the return of her stubborn little daughter, Harri. With a word from no one, Nan immediately walked up to her and handed over the box he had been holding to Arroya. As soon as she took it with an even more confused face, he immediately went to take his place partially behind Mandeq. Kyumi could feel her eye twitch at that.
"Why, thank you…?" Arroya said in a questioning manner. She tried to get a better look at the boy but he tugged on his hood and squeezed more into Mandeq. Kyumi could just feel the corner of her lip twitch at that too.
"Sorry, this is Nan. He is very shy. I'm helping him out for a bit. He is from another village nearby," Mandeq spoke up for him and Kyumi couldn't resist giving an eye roll to that. She looked at Arroya who was inspecting the goods in the box. She looked at Mandeq with a smile and a questioning raised brow. "It's from Grandma Voya," he answered. Arroya smiled even more and stood up. She made her way to the crates behind and placed the box given to her in one of the empty ones. To the side, Kyumi spotted Nan whispering something indecipherable into Mandeq's ear and Mandeq nodded to whatever it was. Arroya came back to meet them, gave Kyumi a small kiss on the cheek, gave Mandeq a small hug and pat Nan's shoulder lightly. Then, she returned back to her stool and smiled at them again.
"Anything else?" Arroya asked, not dropping her smile for a bit.
"Yes, how is little Harri?" Kyumi asked. She was worried about the little brat and had yet to visit her ever since her return.
"Well, you know that little bugger. Stubborn as always. She has been refusing to take her medicine but she's alive well and kicking," Arroya replied with cheer. A cough had escaped from Mandeq and Kyumi eyed him, suspiciously. If he's sick, he should take his sick self out of the common kitchen before he infects the kids' lunch for the day.
"Uh, can we see her and how she's doing?" Mandeq asked surprisingly and Kyumi had to do a double take. He rarely takes interest in others apart from adults so this was an interesting development. She could only conclude this had to do a bit with Nan. Nevertheless, she will still follow them closely and see what they're up to for themselves.
"Sure, sure. I'm sure she would love to see you Mandeq. She always talks about you. I swear by La, it's almost like she wants to be you when she grows up," Arroya said with a bit of a chuckle and Kyumi laughed at that. She laughed even more when she noticed Mandeq's astonished look. She found it cute as he scratch the back of his head and looked to the ground with a little smile that she almost….
Hell no.
She shook her head and turned her attention back to Arroya. She wouldn't look more at Mandeq's stupid face.
He was NOT cute.
"You don't mind if Nan comes with me? I can't exactly leave him behind," Mandeq asked expectantly.
"Of course, as long as you trust him. I trust him too," Arroya replied. She gestured with her hand as if to say it was no problem. Kyumi hid her disappointment. Why was this mother being so carefree with strangers? This was beyond her and she resisted the urge to smack a hand to her forehead. Whatever, she will stick to her original plan, watch those two closely. "You can come with me right after I finish sorting these out. The other ladies should be back here any minute to relieve me of this duty," Arroya said and as if summoned, the other attending kitchen staff walked through the curtains and greeted the people already inside. There were five of them. They all shared looks of surprise when they saw Mandeq and barely even noticed Nan who was standing right beside him. One of them caught sight of Nan's necklace and Kyumi smirked in hopes of the boy getting questioned. The woman shook her head as if to not even bother and went to relieve Arroya of her workload. Kyumi's smirk faltered and she shook her head in disappointment. The people of this village could not be relied on.
The initial group met Arroya outside after she clean-up and made their way to Arroya's house. Once they were inside, they were greeted by an older lady, Uwa, who had been trying to get Harri, who was sitting in her sleeping bag, to eat something. Once Uwa spotted Arroya, she stood up immediately, gave her the bowl she had been holding and smiled.
"Here, now you can deal with your problem child as your problem. Let's not do this again. You're welcome," Uwa said and left the house immediately without even sparing a glance at the other visitors. Arroya sighed and her cheery smile broke into a small frown. They all turned their attention to Harri who had her arms crossed in defiance and looking away with a pout. Arroya took her place on the ground next to her daughter and tried coaxing her to watch whatever was in the bowl.
"Come on now, my darling. Eat something. I brought visitors. Even Mandeq, your idol, has come to see you," the mother said gently. Harri's head snapped to look at Mandeq and she smiled wildly.
"It's really you!" the little girl exclaimed happily, however, that excitement didn't last long as she jumped in her seat once she focused her attention on Nan.
Kyumi knew it. There was something strange happening here and she was going to get to the bottom of it.
Azula tossed the ashes of the scroll she had just read to the side. Intercepting Zhao's spy network was easy as pie, he was simply no match to the network that she had built by herself. Strangely, the reports of Zhao tracking some Fire Colony half-breed interested her. From the reports, it says that this one could firebend and that had caught her attention. Why he hasn't been grabbed for future conscription was beyond her but she could add him as a tile to her pocket for future use. The reports also say he was a shaman and Azula scoffed at that. She was just like her father when it came to the affairs of spirits: she couldn't care less. Only Agni themself can demand such reverence from her and even Agni is up on her curio board. She wondered, why exactly did the boy head to the South Pole? Could he be conspiring against the Fire Nation and making relations or is this spirit business for him? Again, Azula scoffed at that. It wasn't like she could do anything about it for now. She only had this network she built herself and only a few enforcers at her command at the age of twelve but she knew with more time, she can do more.
Unconsciously, she found herself wondering what happened to Zuko before biting back a bitter laugh. Maybe if she had this network when she was far younger, she could have had more information about his disappearance. She knew he didn't die by some Earth kingdom rebels but what she didn't know was killing her. It was not like she really cared about her ever fading brother but she just didn't like the fact that the mystery had gone unsolved for a few years now. Maybe mother knew, that's why she disappeared the day after too. Azula would make it her mission to find her when she's older. Not to see her dear old mothers face again, oh no, but to demand answers and maybe punish her a bit for abandoning her duties at the palace so easily.
Whatever, she had to focus now. Zhao was rising through the ranks fast and maybe it was time to consider figuring out a way to stash him in her pocket. She would not be blind sided by anything her father does, unlike Zuzu, and she can thank Agni that her uncle is unserious and lazing about on a decommissioned ship filled with nobodies.
She sighed to herself. Being an only child was no fun at all. Her friends couldn't always come to visit her too due to the highly enforced security restrictions. Where was Zuzu to set ablaze whenever she was bored? At least she could remember that part of their relationship quite well with fondness.