"Don't run off," Mara said sternly. "Stay with Dad."

Saph rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you're not taking us. And putting us on leashes," she added under her breath.

"I heard that. Now go before I change my mind."

On their way out of the building, they stopped to pick up Zenya, who opened the door before they even knocked. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet with impatient excitement.

"She's been up for three hours already," Valen said. "Woke me up at the crack of dawn." But despite the fatigue on his face, he was smiling.

"Got any plans today?" Jojin asked him. "You're welcome to join us."

The smile slipped, but only for a second before coming back. "I do have plans, actually. Thanks again for taking her for a few hours."

Saph was barely listening, instead trying—and failing—to keep up with what Zenya was signing. "What is she saying? I only know a few words."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Valen took a stack of papers from the kitchen island. "Here. These are all the new words we've been learning this week. She's got a sign language class now. I asked for an extra copy, so you can keep these."

"Oh no, more homework," Saph joked. "Thanks."

"She's saying, 'Go now,' by the way. Among other things. I really can't keep up with her anymore, to be honest. Drives her crazy."

He said a few things to her, much more slowly. Saph thought one of them might be 'no bending'. Not long after, they were off. Shylo was waiting for them outside his apartment building.

"'Bout time! I thought you said nine?"

"Yeah, sorry. I overslept and had some chores to do…"

Jojin gave her their secret smile and mussed her hair, and Saph leaned into him for a one-armed hug. He always let her get away with a lot more. Or at least didn't nag as much.

"So where are we going?" Shylo asked.

Jojin hummed. "I dunno. Any ideas? You probably know the city better than I do."

"Heh. I don't think you wanna go to my usual hangouts."

Saph caught an amused sideways glance between them, which she didn't understand. So much for me learning how to read people. Nobody ever makes any sense.

She turned her attention to Zenya, who was already having the time of her life, from the looks of it.

"Is she dancing?" Saph mused. "Just like when we were at–" Her voice cut off with a soft gasp as the memories hit her. Blue sages everywhere. Fear. Panic. Nausea. Blood and death.

She hadn't had as many nightmares as expected. Not as many as Koko, who had woken her up most nights when they were sharing that stone tent. But still, the ones she had haunted her.

I guess maybe it's a good thing the Council is making me go to therapy. Just like when I talked to Yura back in Dao-Shu, except this time I don't have to try and convince anyone that Jade is real.

"Saph?" Jojin asked, brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

They'd all stopped walking and were now looking at her.

"Nothing. I was just thinking… C'mon, let's go."

Oldtown's main park was full of life. Upbeat music from a live band got everyone's feet tapping. Zenya was the only one to fully let loose, but watching her was more fun than anything else. She seemed to be able to make it up as she went along.

The dancing soon turned into a rousing game of tag. Shylo had been right—Zenya loved it. And she was good at it, too. Faster than she had any right to be.

"Ooh, meat pies!" Shylo exclaimed once they were all tired and hungry. "I'll take three."

Saph could only stare as yet another unpleasant memory rushed in. This was how it had all started: Stealing a pie, kidnapped, rescued by Koko. That one choice had changed her life in an instant. Would she—or anyone else—know she was the Avatar if none of that had happened? Would she still be living a dull life in Dao-Shu?

A tug on her sleeve made her turn to Zenya, who was signing something.

"What? What does that–?" Saph thought hard; she was pretty sure she recognized it. "See? See what?" She looked around to find a small group staring at her, whispering. The youngest—a girl of around ten or eleven—nudged the man next to her, and he started walking over.

"Dad?" Saph murmured.

"What?"

Before she could explain, the man had reached them.

"Um– Excuse me. I'm so sorry to bother you. My daughter's a big fan. Of the Avatar, I mean. She's grown up with stories. And she's seen pictures of you in the newspaper…" His eyes kept darting away, face getting redder, and he offered a piece of paper. "Sorry. She wanted me to ask if you'd be kind of enough to sign this clipping for her…"

"Oh!" Saph exclaimed, shocked. But also pleased. She leaned back to look at the girl in question, who flushed and hid behind someone else. Saph laughed with delight. People liked her! They knew who she was and wanted to be her friend! She was so tongue-tied that the only thing to come out of her mouth was, "Okay!"

"Here's a pen. Thanks. Again, sorry to bother you."

"No, no, it– it's okay. I don't mind!"

The black and white photo was familiar. Nani always showed her these things. The blurb read: While the Council has offered no official confirmation yet, blue sage Koko's young protege has been witnessed bending more than just fire. It's safe to say we've got an Avatar here in Oldtown!

Her hand hovered, unsure what to write. Just a signature? That felt too impersonal. "What's your daughter's name?"

"Ming."

Just above her head in the photo, Saph wrote 'To Ming' and then signed it 'Avatar Saph'. Yeah, that's better than my full name. I don't want people to call me Avatar Sapphire.

The man thanked her again and returned to his family, who erupted in a storm of unheard whispers as they threw glances back at Saph.

"That was exciting! Kinda made me nervous, though… It's hard talking to strangers."

"It's probably gonna keep happening," Shylo said. "People are starting to recognize you."

"I guess that's alright. As long as I'm with you guys, I'll be okay, I think."

She looked up at her dad, who smiled back, though there was an edge of concern crinkling his eyes.

"I think we should get back. Don't want your mother to worry."

Later that night, Koko gave her the same faintly concerned look when they were all gathered at the Beifongs' for dinner. Apparently, it was Valen's birthday, though he hadn't mentioned it before.

"Just be careful," Koko said. "Remember what I told you before."

Saph waited a few seconds for her to elaborate. "I'm gonna need a hint. You've told me a lot of things."

"Don't trust anyone who hasn't earned it."

"It's not like that. These people, they're not blue sages. And they got verified to live here. That must mean something. They're just excited to meet the Avatar. I know you're used to getting stared at, but this is different than how people look at you. It's hard to explain how it feels."

Koko crossed her arms and pressed her lips into a thin line, jaw tight. "You think I don't know what it feels like to be famous? I won my first pro-bending championship when I was about your age. I was in the papers, magazines, on the radio and television. I couldn't go anywhere without being recognized."

Saph hadn't considered that. "Do people still recognize you? I mean– that version of you. From before. You don't look that much different."

"Every now and then, someone does. But most people only see the tattoo." She fixed Saph with a firm expression. "I know you're having fun being recognized, but just remember that people will always want something from you."

"Where's Koko?" Saph asked a few days later when she arrived at the gym to find Opal waiting for her. "Did Shylo get in trouble again and she had to go to the school?"

"Actually, she's sick."

"Oh." Koko? Sick? That seemed wrong. She was the strongest, healthiest person Saph knew. "How sick?"

"I'm not sure. But don't worry. You know Koko. No doubt she'll be back to normal in a few days. Never could stand to lie around."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Fortunately, Opal went easy on her today. They spent quite a lot of time meditating and discussing spiritual things.

"Koko told me you were able to access the Spirit world last weekend."

"Yeah. It was sort of like a dream. I got to see Jade for a while." Saph's shoulders slumped. Their visit had been so wonderful, yet something felt off in hindsight. "It's been so long since Republic City. I spent a lot of time with her there, but now she seems so distant. Like I'm becoming a different person and leaving her behind. But I don't want to! I want her to come with me. But it feels like she doesn't belong here and I don't know how to fix that."

"She's always with you, even here. Korra too. They're both part of you."

"What about all the other Avatars? I have a class that teaches me their histories, and my teacher said the connection was broken. So does that mean they're gone forever?"

Opal shrugged. "No one knows. I sometimes wonder if Harmonic Convergence might function as a sort of reset—that Raava can only hold a limited number of past lives. Full memories, identities, personalities. Maybe fate always intervenes to reset the count after a while, one way or another."

"That's no fun for the people who have to start over, like me and Korra."

"It's unfair, yes. Being the Avatar is inherently unfair."

"Yeah, no kidding," Saph muttered. "You know I actually used to wish I was the Avatar? And it's cool, I guess. I've even had a few people ask for my autograph. I feel like the mover stars from Gran's stories. But I know being the Avatar is more than that. It's scary to think about the future. And I don't like being so busy all the time. I can't wait until I'm done with training and can do what I want."

Opal let out a short laugh. "I think you'll find that adulthood comes with its own busyness. The Avatar's job is never done. Just ask Koko. I'm sure she remembers what life was like with Korra." She languidly stretched her arms up and got to her feet. "Well, that's enough rest, I think. I wasn't expecting to teach today and I'm not really feeling it, but just like you have a duty to the world, I have a duty to not let you slack off too much. Let's go through the beginner forms again."

The days began to blur together. School, gym, home, sleep, school, gym, home, sleep. A single weekly day off was not nearly enough.

Her second free day had nearly arrived, and she was so over this final day's training. Practicing earthbending without being able to actually earthbend even a little bit was beyond frustrating.

"This is stupid," she complained to Valen, who was currently assigned to teach her. Zenya would've gotten a rant, too, if Saph knew enough words. "I do everything just like you say. I'm a very stubborn person. I know I have the right attitude to earthbend."

"You do," Valen agreed. "There's no reason I can see that you shouldn't be able to do it. That must be one serious block you've got."

An errant thought darted through her mind—one that she'd often chased away. Jinora said the block was fear, and Saph had mostly done her best to forget about the scariest times in her life. Her therapist had told her to confront them. Accept them. But when she did that, all it did was make her more afraid!

As usual, Zenya was nearby practicing on her own. She had little patience for Saph's lack of progress. This was the only place she was allowed to bend, and she seemed determined to take advantage of that, refusing to simply repeat beginner forms ad nauseum.

"What am I supposed to do to fix it?" Saph asked, discouraged by how amazing Zenya was at earthbending. It came so easily to her.

"Keep practicing. Learn the forms so that your body has the muscle memory. And then once you're able to connect it with the chi, you won't be starting from nothing. Actually, as frustrating as this is for you, learning how to wait is a big part of earthbending. At least the way the Beifongs taught me, anyway. Wait, watch, listen. You'll know when the moment is right."

The advice made her think about what Nani had said: 'I live in hope that, one day, Koko will get over her aversion to emotional intimacy. So I watch and wait. Occasionally nudge.'

Perhaps nudging Koko was a bad idea, but Valen was much more easygoing.

"Have you talked to Koko at all? Do you know if she's still sick?"

His brows furrowed for just a moment before relaxing. "I haven't seen her, but I think she's on the mend. I'm sure she'll be back to her usual schedule in a couple days."

"I hope so. I bet she really hates being sick, just like she hated being hurt. Probably driving Nani crazy."

"Probably," he agreed. "Koko's physical strength means a lot to her. And she doesn't like to rest."

He knows her better than I thought he did. Does that mean anything? "I know you're right, but why do you think that is? She always looks tired. What's wrong with resting?"

Valen smiled, but his eyes said something else. "I'm glad you can still ask that question. It gives me hope. And I'm sure you'll give a lot more people hope, soon."

Saph didn't understand at all what he meant but found herself encouraged, nonetheless. That feeling lasted until two days later, when Koko was indeed back to their usual training sessions—and hacking her lungs up every few minutes.

"Fuck," she muttered after a particularly violent episode.

"You shouldn't be here," Saph fretted. "You should be at home, resting."

"I've had enough of that, thanks. Stop worrying. It's just a lingering cough. I'm not actually sick anymore. Nani gave me a clean bill of health."

"I don't believe you." It's my fault. I didn't heal you well enough after you got hurt. Are you ever going to be the way you were before?

In the short time they'd been there, Koko had already snapped at her twice. Now, she rounded on Saph with cold fire in her eyes. "Be quiet and get to work! You're not here to talk. You're not here to question me. Leave it alone!"

The hateful look on her face was far too much like the time she'd come home drunk and said awful, scary things about her past. Saph's eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm– s-sorry," she mumbled, lip trembling.

Koko took a few steps away, pinched the bridge of her nose, and coughed again. When she turned back around, the fury had melted away into surly regret. "I've had a really fucking bad day, and it doesn't have anything to do with you. I'm sorry I yelled. Call it a lesson, if you want. One way or another, you're going to have to learn how to handle people yelling at you for things out of your control."

While her tone was gentler now, the words still felt harsh.

"Everyone wants to make me hard," Saph said in a voice that started small but grew in strength. "But I'm not. I'm soft. I don't want to be hard. I don't want to be changed from who I am."

Koko stared at her, blank and inscrutable. Her likely response wasn't difficult to guess: 'The world doesn't care what you want. You're the Avatar. You just have to accept what goes along with that.'

But what she actually said was nothing Saph could've ever anticipated.

"Don't change. Stay soft. It'll hurt more, but I think you'll be happier for it, in the end."

"That's the fifth person since we sat down," Saph grumbled. Only two weeks had passed since her first encounter with fame. This time, Valen had taken her, Shylo, and Zenya out to dinner. Half the restaurant wanted an autograph, apparently. "Why can't they just let me eat in peace?"

"I thought you enjoyed the attention?" Shylo asked.

"I do. I did. But they have no respect for my personal space. And no one actually cares about getting to know me. They just want a souvenir. Bragging rights. 'I met the Avatar!' That's all I am to them: A story."

'Angry?' Zenya asked with furrowed brows.

Saph had to think for a few seconds before answering. The sudden influx of new information—both from school and the papers Valen had given her to study—was proving a challenge to keep straight.

'Annoyed.'

Apparently, emotions were what Zenya was currently learning about. Could she tell the difference between mad and annoyed?

'Why?'

Saph sighed and turned to Valen. "How do I explain this to her? About how I'm tired of people always coming up to me for an autograph?"

He responded by telling Zenya directly, in short, halting motions. Saph imagined it was the equivalent of a toddler learning how to speak.

Which makes me like an infant. Kinda like how the Council treats me… "I can't believe you get two whole months off school," she complained to Shylo. "It's not fair."

"Oh, that reminds me," Valen said. "I wanted to let you know that, during the school break, Zenya's going to train with you on weekdays, just until I get off work."

"Really? Koko's okay with that?"

"Actually, she offered. Your parents have agreed to help, too, so Zenya may hang out at your place more often."

Saph smiled at her, pleased they'd see each other more. And even more pleased that Koko was being unusually nice to Valen. "What about you, Shylo? What are you doing over the break?"

"Working. Koko gives me money for food but it's not enough to go out to eat or buy anything else."

"What about when school starts back?"

He shrugged. "I'll probably work evenings. It's not like I ever bother to do homework," he added with a smirk. "What are they gonna do? Kick me out? I sit in my chair and behave like a good little boy. Mostly. I think the teachers gave up on me, to be honest."

"Wonder what that's like." Saph pushed the remainder of her rice around the plate, not really hungry anymore. "My teachers don't ever let me forget that I'm the Avatar and I have a duty to learn about everything that's ever happened in the whole world."

"For someone who claims to be sick of all the Avatar stuff, you sure do talk about it a lot."

She shot a grouchy frown at him, not in the mood for his teasing.

"On that note," Valen said, "I think it's time to go. Your mom was pretty firm that I have you home by seven."

Saph stared at herself in the mirror and blew away a stray piece of hair. The hum of overhead lights in the girl's bathroom was the only sound to distract her from her thoughts, which were a mixture of wishing she looked different and wishing she could somehow get out of the next two hours of geopolitics.

I wish I looked more like Jade. She's prettier than me.

The first time she'd seen her sister's face clearly, it had looked like a distorted reflection. Not anymore. They couldn't be more different, in her eyes. Perhaps others would think they looked alike, but Saph could see the subtleties now. Jade had more delicate, feminine features. In fact, there were times when her face put Saph in mind of Koko. They didn't look alike, exactly. It was just an odd sort of similarity.

She let her hair down from its messy updo and shook it out. I really need a haircut. Maybe I'll ask Dad if he can take me somewhere so that Mom doesn't cut it herself again… After a few dismal seconds of staring, she put it back up. Better to have it out of her face.

Her teacher would probably be wondering where she was. At least he—probably—wouldn't come in here looking for her, but he would scold her if she took much longer.

After one more commiserating sigh for her reflection, Saph left and headed down the hall for the classroom she had all to herself. What was real school like? With a bunch of kids all in there together?

As she often had over the last few weeks, she peeked through the window into one of the rooms. The teacher was saying something. Four students near the front had their hands in the air while two in the back appeared to be sleeping.

"Hard to go back in, isn't it?" a voice said.

Saph whipped around to find a boy near her age. His hair was the blackest of black, but his brown eyes were warm. He was tall and lanky and didn't appear to have grown into either his hands or his ears yet.

"Oh–" she said, unable to form any real words for a couple of seconds. "It's not where I go. I– I mean, I'm going to a different room."

Expecting the now-familiar look of recognition to appear in his eyes, she was both relieved and disappointed when it didn't happen. The silence grew into awkwardness as they stood there, staring at each other.

"Cutting class?" he asked finally.

"No. I went to the bathroom."

"Oh, yeah, cool. Me too. But I don't really want to go back in there yet. I just moved here and school was…different where I lived. Not so long and boring." He had an odd way of talking—slow and drawn out, with a heavy-lidded gaze. It gave him a sleepy air.

"Yeah, I didn't even have school before I came here. Now I have it every day! Even on the weekends! It's terrible." The words came out all in a rush. While small talk was hard, complaining was easy.

"The weekends, too? What did you do to deserve that?"

"Oh, uh– Nothing. Hard to explain," she muttered as her eyes darted away from his face.

"Mysterious. Nice. Well, I'm Chen. Nice to meet you…" He trailed off with an expectant look on his face.

A moment of obliviousness faded into understanding. He wants to know my name. Duh.

Should I tell him?

Will he know who I am?

Well, he just moved here. Maybe not.

Anyway, I'll probably never see him again.

"Um– Saph. I'm Saph."

"Saph. Huh. That's a…different kind of name. Is it short for something?"

"Yeah."

Again, that expectant look.

"I don't like my name," she continued. "I've always gone by Saph."

"Oh, okay." He gave her a little crooked smirk. "Well, see ya round, Saph. I better go. I hear detention is even more boring than class."

"Wow, this is awesome," Saph gushed as she paced through the house. She'd been expecting bare stone walls, much like their home in Dao-Shu. This one, however, was like Nani's with paint, paneling, and wood accents. Each room was filled with high-quality furniture and even decorations like potted plants and scenic paintings.

"Perks of being the Avatar," Nani said at her shoulder. "And now we can see more of each other, since my house is just a five-minute walk away."

Nearly everyone had come to help, which Saph thought was a little silly. There was no furniture to move except the television, which had been a gift from Nik. Pretty much everything they'd been using at the old apartment had to stay there, and the new house had everything they could possibly need. She'd never seen her mom so visibly happy as when they got a good look at the spacious kitchen.

"What is this?" Mara had asked in wonder as she turned over a metal object in her hands.

Nani chuckled. "It's an egg-slicer."

"Huh?" Saph blurted, thinking it the dumbest thing she'd ever heard in her life. "How do you slice an egg?"

"First you have to hard boil and peel it."

"That's a weird way to eat an egg. But why not just use a knife? Seems silly to have a special tool just for that."

The entire group of moving helpers—which consisted of Nani, Koko, Shylo, Valen, Zenya, and Bolin—had little to do. There were only a few boxes to move, and then most of the guests sat around to talk and wait for lunch.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Valen could be heard asking from the kitchen."

"No, no, go sit down!" Nani said.

"Alright, alright."

Saph had wandered to her bedroom—her own bedroom!—and was now sitting at the desk in one corner.

"Nice digs," Shylo said from the open door.

"I had my own room back in Dao-Shu," Saph murmured. "Well, I shared it with Nani when she visited. Bolin helped us build that house, but I don't remember. I was only a little older than Lia is now."

She glanced in the direction of her sister's room across the hall. Lia was napping at the moment, so the house was quiet aside from the murmurs of the others.

Shylo sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you miss Dao-Shu?"

"No. Well, yeah, sort of. I miss the swamp. I miss life being simpler, but–" She shrugged, not sure what she was trying to express. "I remember being so bored all the time. There was nothing to do. I didn't have any friends. Didn't go to school. I just had to take care of Lia all the time and help with chores. Sometimes I went to the swamp, but my mom didn't let me go much. It's much better here. No blue sages."

"Except one," Shylo joked.

"Koko doesn't count." Saph wondered why she'd even come. She didn't ever seem to enjoy social gatherings, though she did usually show up when expected. But this? Moving house? There was no rational explanation. Or maybe there was…

In a low voice, she said, "I think she likes having excuses to be around Valen. And have you noticed that Zenya really seems to like her now? Not constantly stuck to my side like a burr," she added, laughing, though also a little regretful.

As if on cue, Zenya materialized and plopped down on the floor. She was signing all kinds of things but appeared to be talking to herself.

"Do you know what she's saying?" Shylo asked. "Hey, I wonder if she's noticed anything about Koko and Valen."

"I wouldn't begin to know how to ask her that. And no, I don't know what she's saying. It's too much, too fast."

"Do you think she realizes you live here now? That you won't be just down the hall from her anymore?"

Saph sighed. "I don't know. Probably not. She'd be more upset if she knew."

"Maybe she thinks she's gonna live here, too."

"Well, hopefully my parents will let her stay the night sometimes. That would be nice. I feel so alone most of the time."

"Yeah, I get that. My place is too quiet. Kinda wish I lived in a house with other people."

Saph shook her head; he didn't get what she had meant. "I'm not actually alone. I just feel that way, like no matter how many people are around, I'm always gonna be in this separate little bubble." To herself, she added, Even with you and Zenya. Everyone knows I'm the Avatar and it affects every part of my life.

Shylo didn't answer. He just stared at the floor, his usual cheerfulness nowhere in evidence.

"You've made some friends at school, right?" she asked him, hoping it would help.

"Yeah. And some enemies, too," he added, smirking, though there was a glint of darkness in his eyes.

"Enemies? What do you mean?"

"Ah, nothing. It's not like that. Just some people rub each other the wrong way, you know?"

Saph didn't know, actually. Her circle was small and mostly family. Everyone in it seemed to like her. The closest she could come to relating to his plight was how she and her mother didn't always get along, but she had a feeling he was talking about something different.

Before a response came to mind, Nani's voice called, "Lunch is ready!"

The next morning, Saph was back to her usual schedule. The only difference was that now, being further away from the center of the city, she had to get up even earlier to walk to school with her escort. Today, it was a young woman who was chattier than most of the others. Saph responded with little but noncommittal grunts.

Fortunately, they'd only been walking for about five minutes when she spotted a familiar face approaching from another direction. He saw her, too, and waved.

"Saph, right?" he said when they met at the corner.

"Yeah. Uh– Chen?"

"Yep." He glanced uncertainly at the officer standing nearby. "Your sister?"

Saph let out a weak laugh, reluctant to explain. "No. Long story."

"We should get going," the officer said. "Don't want to be late."

"I'll walk with you," Chen said. "Where are you going? Is that your school stuff?"

"Yeah…" Saph muttered. "I don't get a break over winter. Only one day a week, now."

"Damn. That's brutal."

They walked without saying anything for nearly a full minute. Saph found she was lost without Shylo's constant chatter. Even Zenya was easier; the silence wasn't awkward with her.

"Where– Uh–" Saph stammered, just to say something. "Where are you going?"

"My parents sent me to the store for milk and bread. I live back that way."

"Oh, yeah, me too. But down that other road. We just moved there yesterday, from a tiny apartment."

Chen nodded sagely. "I know the feeling. Me and my parents got crammed into a two-bedroom house with another family. Guess it's better than–"

He cut off suddenly and stopped walking. Saph, who'd mostly been staring at the sidewalk right in front of her feet, looked up to see an ashen face full of fear. Her head whipped forward toward whatever had made him stop, only to see Koko approaching ahead.

"Oh, don't worry. She's friendly. Er– sort of. Anyway, she won't hurt you."

"Y- You know her?" Chen managed.

"Yeah."

That was all the explanation she could offer before Koko stopped in front of them and gave Chen a hard stare.

"Who's your friend, Saph?"

"Chen. From school. What are you doing here?"

"Going home."

"Oh. Darn. I was hoping you were about to get me out of school this morning."

"Why would I do that?"

Saph gave her a crooked smile. "Because you want me to be happy?"

Koko's only response was, "See you this afternoon," as she walked away.

"I'm very confused," Chen said once she was gone. "I've never met a blue sage like that before."

"That's Koko. She– Uh– She's teaching me firebending."

"How'd you meet someone like that, though?" He shook his head. "I mean, I'm guessing she's reformed or whatever. Which is weird, but okay. But you seem like you know her really well."

"Yeah. I've known her awhile. It's a long story." She exchanged a quick glance with her escort, who smirked but said nothing. Saph wasn't sure how to explain, or even if she should. Talking to a near-stranger was hard enough; Koko's insistence on keeping her own life private complicated matters. "Where did you live before here?" she blurted to change the subject.

Fortunately, that got him talking and she didn't have to say much else until they went their separate ways. His story was a sad one, but typical. Poverty, blue sages making life messy. He and his parents had gotten approved for residency in the city after weeks of living as refugees on the surface.

No wonder he was so afraid of Koko when he saw her…

But Saph was determined to make him feel welcome here in Oldtown. Everyone needed a friend. He must've agreed because he was there the next morning, and the one after that.

Saph walked to school with Chen for a whole week before he figured out who she was.

"I feel like an idiot," he drawled in his sleepy voice. As they often did, his fingers drummed on his thigh as he walked. "Why didn't you tell me?" There was no anger or resentment in his question, only curiosity.

"Honestly? I've been dying to. But I didn't want you to think I was bragging."

He let out a low laugh. "I thought you were going to say you liked hanging out with someone who wasn't a rabid fan."

"I do like that. No autographs, please," she joked.

"Don't see the point in that sort of thing. It's just a piece of paper. I'd rather be able to chat with you and ask you things."

Saph looked at him sideways while they walked. "Is that why you meet me every morning, even though you don't have school?" I hope he's not trying to date me…

"I'm an early bird. I like to take walks in the morning. Always have. It's nice to have someone to talk to."

Thanks for not answering my question. "I'm not that great at talking. I'm sure you can tell."

"You're a funny sort of Avatar," Chen said with a thoughtful hum.

Saph was on the verge of being offended when he continued.

"I always pictured someone with like, a big presence. Wise and world-weary. Walking around all serious with an entourage. Never really thought much about how Avatars get to be that person. What they're like when they're still just kids."

"It's hard. Really hard. I have to train and study all the time. And I'm so stressed out that I have to talk to a shrink every week. Which…actually is kind of helping, but whatever. The point is that the Council still won't let me do anything. And even if they did, I think I'd be too scared, anyway."

"You ever killed anyone?"

Saph's breath caught. For a torturous moment that stretched on into eternity, she was thrown back into the fight with the blue sages. Most of the details were fuzzy, but there was this bright spot in her mind. Korra had taken over then and Saph could just recall some of the images and sensations.

"No," she said in a small voice. It wasn't me. It was Korra. She did those things. Not me.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. You're too innocent. You've probably lived here your whole life, snug as a bug."

"No. Only a couple months. I only just found out I was the Avatar."

"Oh, okay. How many elements can you bend?"

"Three. Well, sort of. I'm still a beginner at waterbending."

"Can I see?"

By the end of that week, just before the weekend, Saph truly looked forward to their walks.

"You're the only person I know that treats me like a normal person but also isn't sick of me talking about Avatar stuff."

"I could never get sick of it. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. I always wanted to be a bender, but if I can't have that, at least I can be friends with the Avatar."

"I used to think like that. I wanted to be the Avatar's sidekick. Get out of my horrible town and go on crazy, fun adventures. I didn't know what it would really be like. If I had, I wouldn't have daydreamed about it so much."

Although Chen exuded the attitude of someone who didn't care about anything and generally seemed tired of the world, his curiosity about her life never ran out. For the first time since discovering her weighty identity, Saph actually began to look forward to what the future held. Chen had a way of making her see the bright side of it, despite his dark and dreary outlook.

"Are you coming to the tournament tomorrow?" she asked him just before arriving at school.

"Tournament?"

"Yeah. At the gym. It's a martial arts competition. Benders and non-benders sparring."

"Oh. Are you doing it?"

"No, it's only for adults. Anyway, I don't think they'd let me even if I was seventeen. But some people I know are gonna be in it. Koko, my firebending teacher, will be."

"That blue sage?"

"Yeah. She'll probably win. She's pretty much the best bender in the world."

"Is she a combustionbender?"

"Yes–" Saph faltered as the word came out of her mouth. Am I allowed to say that?

"Huh. Are you?"

"Oh, no! I don't want to learn that. It's just awful." What little she knew of the process—what Koko had told her in a drunken rage—was enough to know she never wanted to try.

"Yeah. It's pretty brutal. I once saw someone get both their legs blown off."

Saph always looked at him sideways when he said stuff like that—not in a voice of disgust, but morbid fascination. "That's horrible."

"Yeah. I know."

"C'mon, Saph," her escort said. "You need to get inside or you'll be late."

"Oh, alright." To Chen, she added, "You should come to the tournament tomorrow. It'll be fun. I actually get the day off for it, by some miracle."