Fight 39: Tales of Ba Sing Se

The Tale of Toph and Katara

Before a large mirror, Aang, Sokka and Katara fixed their hair until they were satisfied. Even Momo was washing himself... like a cat. Katara went to the girls' room and found Toph still sprawled face-down on her futon, in her pajamas, her blanket sloppily covering her. The waterbender gasped at the sight and asked if she wasn't gonna get ready for the day . The blind girl sat up. Her impressive bedhair resembled a black mane, just even wilder and messier. She sent a loogy bulleting to the spittoon, stood up, brushed a large amount of (excess) dust off her sleeping shirt, and declared herself ready. Katara hoped she'd wash up since she had a little dirt... everywhere actually, though Toph called it a "healthy coating of earth." It was then the waterbender had the bright idea to have a girl's day out. It would be fun! Her female friend agreed, although she didn't sound all too eager about it...

The two went to a spa. Fancily dressed women in beautiful robes walked out, smiling. Toph once more voiced her reluctance as it wasn't really her type of place. But Katara didn't listen and told her to be ready for some serious pampering . And again, Toph agreed... as long as they didn't touch her feet. And not long later, Katara was sitting happily having her feet scrubbed... unlike her friend who didn't look very good, held down as she was by two women while another was struggling hard to scrape the massive amounts of dirt off her feet. The earthbender was grinding her teeth and making noises of anger and frustration, trying to endure... until she snapped and couldn't help but sent one of the staff members flying and crashing against the wall in the hallway beyond the room. Next they took mud baths, with mud covering their faces in a mask, cucumber slices over their eyes. Their hair wrapped in warm towels, was being treated too. An attendant arrived with her arms full of fresh towels and walked over to Toph who, as she exhaled, bended the mud around her mouth and eyes, causing it fly up and move strangely. Scared by the monster or alien, the poor employee screamed and ran off. The girls laughed. After exfoliating their skin, they went to the sauna. Like the mud bath, spending time in the sauna helped flushing out the toxins in the body, relieve stress and relax muscles. Toph kicked the ground once and a rock erupted from the cold pile next to her and landed onto the flameless brasero in the middle. Katara bended water onto the hot rocks and more steam rose. They both sighed contentedly.

When everything was over, the girls walked down the streets of the upper ring wearing makeup. Toph's bangs no longer covered her forehead, and had been combed back behind her ears to show off how pretty she had become.

"Well, that wasn't so bad. I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel... girly." She commented.

"I'm glad, it's about time we did something fun together." Katara replied, touched, before thinking about Chenlian. They had some fun, but they had never done something just the two of them like this. Unless it was useful to her in a way, Chenlian, just like Toph, wasn't one to just do girly stuff like this. It would be good if they did some day, the three of them... she'd certainly agree if told it was just to spend time with friends who liked her... What was she doing now? She hadn't contacted them or returned to them. She had left them to stay with Zuko... why? She couldn't be sacrificing herself for their sake, right? To control his movements so he wouldn't go after them... No, well, that might be part of the reason, but she actually knew why... despite everything, he was still so important to her... she still wanted to believe, she didn't want to give up... But could he really be saved? She didn't want her precious friend to suffer needlessly. No, she couldn't be pessimistic! She knew Chenlian's strength and discernement. If it was her, she could make it, or at the worst, at least escape before it's too late. Well, if it was her she should be alright. They only had to trust and wait. But then, as they crossed a stone bridge, they passed three girls in fancy dresses going the other direction.

"Wow, great makeup." The first one said. Toph thanked her. "For a clown!" The mean trio giggled cruelly and stopped walking. The child's face dropped. Katara told her to ignore them and keep going.

"I think she looks cute. Like that time we put that sweater on your pet poodle monkey." The second girl mocked too, to the third one's pleasure. They laughed again.

"Let's go Toph."

"No, no. That was a good one! 'Like your poodle-monkey'... Ha ha!" Toph turned back and laughed too. "You know what else is a good one ?" She opened a hole in the bridge right under the three who fell down in the creek below screaming.

"Now that was funny." Katara admitted, her hands on her hips, as she looked down through the hole, smiling, at the drenched young women. Then she waterbended a large wave that washed the screaming girls away. She ran back to her friend. "Those girls don't know what they're talking about." She tried to comfort her.

"It's ok. One of the good things about being blind is I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am." And still, the earthbender looked so hurt that tears ran down her face. Even if her mind knew, the heart was another matter.

"That's what I really admire about you, Toph. You're so strong and confident and self assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but... you're really pretty."

"I am?" Toph smiled hopefully. The lady of the Water Tribe confirmed. "I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like." The child was back to being herself. Katara laughed. Toph thanked her and punched her friend's shoulder in a light, friendly way but her light way was enough to make her yelp in pain.

The Tale of Zuko and Chenlian - part 1

In the teashop, Zuko walked down the aisle carrying a tray of cups and looking over his shoulder. He went to his uncle who was stacking things behind the counter. They were joined by his girlfriend who was returning with a tray full of empty cups and teapots. He told them in a whisper they had a problem. One of the customers was onto them.

"Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation." He said before forcing Iroh to turn around as he had turned to look. The old man had a grin on his face. "Didn't I say don't look!" He angrily chided his uncle through gritted teeth. The life veteran agreed that he had seen that girl here quite often. And obviously that situation amused him a lot. Chenlian stared at her. She was really pretty in a natural way, without artifice, her long dark hair was braided and she seemed like a simple, nice, honest girl. And indeed, she was often here...

"Aren't you just being paranoid? Either she really likes the tea, or..." The mahogany haired girl stared at her boyfriend's handsome yet clueless face. He really didn't understand. She heaved a sigh. Well, it was fine if he didn't get it since that meant he had no interest. And she trusted him anyway. As she walked away, Iroh nudged his nephew and said that girl had quite a little crush on him. Although he wanted Chenlian and Zuko to be happy together, he wasn't against just a little drama from time to time.

"What? !" The male teen reeled back in surprise.

"Thank you for the tea." The discussed customer suddenly appeared behind them, startling them. The scarred young man looked around. Chenlian was nowhere in sight. The regular handed him a few coins. He took them and turned away from her. "What's your name?"

"My name's Lee. My Uncle, Meiling, and I just moved here." Zuko faced her again.

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime ?"

"Sorry. I already have a girlfriend, and I love her." He replied gently but firmly, without a single hesitation.

"It's Meiling, right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you happy with her?"

"...Yeah." The boy looked down. In the kitchen, with the same tray still in her hands, hidden by the wall right behind the counter, Chenlian looked down with a small smile and finally returned to work.

Later this evening, Chenlian was brushing her hair for the night while Zuko, sitting on his bed, was pensively staring at her. He had been quiet for some time, and she hadn't felt the need to speak up or ask questions since he seemed to be thinking. It was good for him to think and find his own answers. But suddenly, he broke the silence.

"Chenlian... you may call me a horrible jerk, but... I wanted to accept that girl's invitation. I wanted you to feel insecure and jealous too, like I'm feeling about you whenever you smile at another man... but even as I thought that, my body moved on its own and I had already refused her." He seemed puzzled by his own feelings. His lover stopped and put the brush down. She smiled, remembering what she had thought when he had first kissed her... that she wanted the wounds she caused him to scar and tie him to her, how happy she was when he was jealous of other guys... it was the same. She stood up and walked over to him before leaning in and holding his face in her hands, so close to hers.

"If those feelings make you a horrible jerk, then so I am. You don't have to feel guilty about those. Do you regret turning her down?"

"No."

"Then it's fine. You refused her because you love me, because you knew you didn't need to do that to confirm my love for you, you couldn't stand purposefully hurting me, and you couldn't use an innocent girl and her feelings like a tool for something like this. That's the sort of man you are. You're a truly kind person. I love you, and I feel really lucky being with you." She smiled sweetly. And captivated by the warmth and tenderness of her amber eyes, he put a hand on the nape of her neck, and closed the distance. He kissed her, wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He lightly bit her lips and licked them before his tongue darted in the opening and the kiss grew more passionate.

The Tale of Iroh

Iroh was strolling through a market street when he found a basket to his liking. The merchant suggested a lavender one for a romantic picnic but the old man turned him down. It wasn't for a romantic picnic, though it was a special occasion. He handed the merchant a coin and picked up the basket. As he left the stall he noticed a closed flower in a vase and slid the vase out of the sunlight and into the shade.

"The moonflower likes partial shade." He smiled as the flower perked up. He bowed to the vendor and walked away. Soon though, he heard a wailing child that his mother was unable to comfort. He started singing and approached the little boy, kneeling down at his side. The little one stopped crying and smiled, entranced by the song. When Iroh was finished, the child pulled the elder's long gray beard and laughed as he moaned in pain. The old man smiled again good-naturedly and petted his beard. The boy's mother took her son by the hand and led him away.

Next, Iroh stumbled upon a ball game played by four boys in a courtyard. There was a goal at each side made of eight tied sticks. They had to make the white ball go in the enemy cage through earthbending, and they had to defend with earthbending too. A child kicked the ball and made a slanted path for the ball to roll along. Another player earthbended to impede the path of the ball before it reached the goal and made it rebound back. However, the bad orientation caused to shoot right to Iroh's face. He ducked just in time, but the ball broke through the window right behind. A crash and a loud angry voice were heard from inside. Iroh walked over to the boys who gathered around him.

"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor-" He advised before loud noises were heard and all five of them looked up, startled, as the head of a very imposing and scary man appeared on the other side of the smashed window.

"When I am through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!" He angrily warned them.

"-but not this time. Run!" Iroh finished and they all scattered, running as fast as they could. The old firebender hid in an alley, put his basket down, and made sure he wasn't being chased. But then he was threatened from behind by a mugger. It was a messy man, with patched up clothes like many people here. He had a dagger pointed at Iroh and his legs were bent in an odd angle. "What are you doing?" Iroh questioned with a sad disapproving expression. The thief honestly replied he was mugging him. "With that stance ?" The retired General insisted. The mugger looked at his own legs.

"Wha- what are you talking about ?! Just give me your money, old man!"

"With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over." The old man explained and, in one swift move, grabbed his attacker's arm, disarmed him, and knocked him to the ground, proving his point. Iroh twirled the dagger in his hand then helped the man to his feet. "With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat." Iroh gave the weapon back and demonstrated a proper stance for the mugger who tried to imitate him. Not satisfied, the former military man adjusted his form. "Much better! But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type."

"I know. I'm... I'm just confused." The man looked down. And he started telling all his troubles to Iroh who very kindly and patiently listened and advised him and made him tea. "So you really think I could be a good masseur?" He sipped the tea made for him by his 'victim'.

"Of course!" The old one replied sincerely.

"This is so great! No one has ever believed in me."

"While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing."

The sun was setting when Iroh reached his destination. It was a lone tree at the top of a grassy hill, very similar to the one where his son had been inhumed. This one overlooked the city. The mourning man removed his straw hat, and piled up a few rocks at the base of the tree. He placed a cloth on them that trailed down the grass. Then he put, three peaches, an incense holder, and a bag on the cloth, as well as a picture of his son he propped against the stones. He then lit two sticks of incense with his fingers by clicking the tips and placed them down too. It was truly a small, humble memorial for his passed, beloved Lu Ten.

"Happy Birthday my son. If only I could have helped you." Tears fell from his eyes as he began to sing, struggling to keep his voice from cracking under his grief.

The Tale of Aang

As often, Aang was soaring through the skies of Ba Sing Se in his search for Appa. He landed in a practically deserted street, and folded his glider. He walked down the street, lined on both sides with various cages and pens built into the rock. All the different creatures looked depressed, and his expression was just the same. He approached an armadillo lion gnawing at the bars and held out his hand, saying he looked hungry. The beast roared, causing Aang to jump back in surprise, before curling into a ball and rolling away in its pen as the zookeeper walked behind the child, sweeping. The old zoo owner explained they were all hungry. The Dai Li wouldn't give him any money because the kids stopped coming. And the kids didn't come because his zoo was nasty and broke. Aang spotted a large animal that looked like a gray kangaroo with a rabbit head and asked what it was.

"Oh, that's a rabbiroo. I wish I could get her a big open prairie like she likes. I'd let her hop her way to happiness."

"Let's do it! There's a big open space right outside the walls of the city." The Avatar decided suddenly, smiling. The zookeeper was worried about how they were going to transport all these wild critters . "Don't worry. I'm great with animals." Aang grinned.

Not long later, all the creatures had been freed and were wrecking havoc in the shops, eating or breaking things, terrorizing people who ran for their lives. A certain cabbage merchant tried to save his products from the rabbiroo... and gave up. Aang descended into a street and used his staff to shoo the animals away with airbending and complained it was so much easier in his head. Then he had an idea. He blew in his bison whistle with all his strength and airbending power. The sound spread, drawing all the beasts. The Avatar rode his air scooter down the streets, blowing the bison whistle and followed by a large stampede with a very slow turtle seal bringing up the rear. Meantime, the zookeeper was begging the two guards at the wall to open the gate.

"Or what ?" A soldier asked, not taking his interlocutor seriously at all. Both he and his pair had their arms crossed.

"Or that!" The zoo owner pointed behind him at the approaching stampede headed by Aang.

"Open the gate!" A guard yelled and he and his partner ran away, leaving the poor man standing there. The massive wall of Ba Sing Se slowly opened. The airbender stopped blowing, jumped off his scooter and onto his glider before reaching the wall. On the other side, he landed on another air scooter among the creatures that were spreading out. As he rode, he punched the ground causing a large wall of earth to rise and encircle the fleeing animals. Once he was finished, the scooter dissipated and with earthbending, he created a specialised area for each species, resulting in a spacious, open zoo. The guards, the zookeeper and a whole bunch of kids and adults entered, amazed, and moved among the newly formed pens. The little ones were laughing and running around. The animals too seemed to prefer this place. The rabbiroo stopped drinking from a pond to look up at the guests, and three infant rabbiroos poked up from its pouch.

"Well, Mr. Zookeeper, how do you like your new facilities ?" Aang questioned.

"Excellent job, Avatar. You should think about working with animals for a living." The man replied. But then the boy looked behind him as a child's voice caught his attention. Indeed, pet cats and dogs seemed to have been caught in the stampede and ended up in the same pen as some zoo animals. "On second thought, you should probably stick to saving people." The zookeeper told Aang who laughed nervously.

The Tale of Sokka

Dusk. Sokka was wandering through the streets, sometimes throwing his boomerang and catching it. In an alley, a man struggled with his ostrich horse while others were unloading a cartload of food. As he passed them, he heard female voices inside a building and stuck his head inside the window, intrigued. It was a sort of classroom with a stage. It was exclusively for women and all the girls were quite beautiful and wearing gorgeous dresses and headpieces. The student on stage read her poetry to the class. The boy listened, his head resting on his hands, with a dreamy expression.

"Ahh, poetry." He sighed, clearly more interested in the elegant young ladies. But then the struggling ostrich horse kicked backward and hit Sokka right on his behind, sending him flying through the window and into the class. The startled women gasped. He was hanging from the window, part of the frame around his chest. He started to apologize and he pulled himself into the room and fell onto the stage.

"I am so sorry. Something struck me in the rear. I just... wound up... here..." He stood up and scratched the back of his head. The girls giggled and clapped. The warrior grinned stupidly, pleased with the attention he was receiving from the wellborn beauties. A slightly older woman stood up. She looked quite stern despite the fact that she was applauding too.

"Five seven then five, syllables mark a Haiku..." The poetry teacher, Madame Macmu-Ling, bowed her head to him a little. "...Remarkable oaf." She finished. It seemed she had not appreciated having her class thus disrupted. Sokka's eyebrow twitched, annoyed as he was to have been labelled like this. Then he pondered for a second.

"They call me Sokka, that is in the water tribe..." He idiotically counted the next five syllables on his fingers as he said them. "I am not an oaf." That made a few girls giggle again. The teacher did not applaud this time. So he had decided to talk back.

"Chittering monkey, in the spring he climbs treetops, and thinks himself tall." She tried to put the defiant kid down. The students 'oooohed'.

"You think you're so smart, with your fancy little words, this is not so hard." Sokka replied smugly.

"Whole seasons are spent mastering the form, the style, none calls it easy!"

"I calls it easy! Like I paddle my canoe... I'll paddle yours too!" The boy turned around and paddled his behind once, causing the girls' laughter to fill the room once more.

"There's nuts and there's fruits," Madame Macmu-Ling pulled a plum from her sleeve and dropped it. "...in fall the clinging plum drops, always to be squashed." She stepped on the fruit, squashing it.

"Squish-squash, sling that slang. I'm always right back at ya, like my... boomerang!" After making different arm motions to give more impact to his words like the teacher had done, he drew and presented his boomerang. The girls laughed again. The professor looked annoyed but walked off stage and back to her seat. If retaliating and replying to him made him grow stronger, then probably she should try letting him self-destruct. Sokka turned to the class and raised his arms up to silence the laughter and call for attention. From now on, it was his one-man show! He sheathed his weapon and made more arm movements. "That's right I'm Sokka, it's pronounced with an 'okka', young ladies, I rocked ya!" However, this time his words were met with total silence and harsh stares. He started counting again. His final line contained six syllables instead of five. A large man approached him and grabbed him by the collar.

"Uh, that's one too many syllables there, bub." The security guard said as he picked Sokka completely up and threw him head first across the room and out the doors that closed behind him. Outside, he hit the ground with a thud and sat up holding his head.

"...poetry." He muttered dejectedly.

The Tale of Zuko and Chenlian - part 2

Chenlian returned to the teashop, her arms full of bags. One contained tea leaves as they had ran out of some types, and the others contained snacks. She was the one who had the idea to sell them with the tea and she had received permission to test it. Zuko smiled and welcomed her back... before fiercely glaring. She looked at him quizzically.

"Go put this garbage back where you picked it." He ordered. She turned and jumped away when she saw Senya behind her, grinning and waving. She hadn't sensed him at all!

"What are you doing here?!"

"I followed your scent here." The merchant's son grinned innocently. She blankly stared at him. "But what a cruel treatment you two are giving me... even though I am a customer..." He began dejectly before emphasing his position. Clerks must not be rude to customers. The owner arrived and berated Lee for his bad attitude and very obsequiously asked the young master what brought him to their modest little shop. Surely, there must have been no need for him to come to such a lowly place. "It's fine. There are things you can only see by making detours. If it's for the best tea, served by the best woman, I'd go anywhere, even the other end of the world." He smiled sweetly at Chenlian. His aim couldn't be clearer. The shop owner ordered Meiling to attend to his needs. There was no way around it. Zuko was still about to fly into a rage but he was stopped by his two companions. He couldn't do that now. Things would get too complicated.

And so she served him...and flat out closed any possible opening, although that didn't stop him from attacking. But he accepted everything with a smile. His presence had also caused Zuko's mood to take a turn for the worst, which (though very natural and understandable) didn't help any. Certainly, that looked like that guy was only playing around but she could feel genuine care and gentleness. So when she poured steaming tea on him when he'd take his jokes too far... and he'd look so much like a hurt and dejected puppy, she couldn't help but heal him afterwards... And Zuko, who constantly had his eyes on them, would evidently see everything and throw a teapot at the flirt when Chenlian had gone to look for the first aid kit she had created herself and they were out of her sight. But Senya would always skillfully catch whatever was thrown at him.

And after a few days spent in this fashion, since he kept flirting with Chenlian even though she kept rejecting him one evening, after closing, Zuko followed him and confronted him in an alley. The exiled prince grabbed Senya's collar, pinned him against a wall and 'asked' him to stop stalking his girlfriend.

"How violent and dangerous..." Senya lamented like a gossiping housewife watching a quarrel from the sidelines. "And you, are you certain you're the right man for Meiling? How can you be sure? If you two really loved each other more than anything, I'd concede an honourable defeat, but I feel there's a discrepancy between you."

"What?! How can-"

"Is that the life you really want? Is that the place where you really want to be? If you love her as much as you claim you do, what efforts would you make for her? How much would you be willing to sacrifice? Could you follow her and support her with everything you have like she's doing with you? Meiling is a great girl willing to give all of herself to others. She can live anywhere as long as she's with those she loves. Being with people one holds dear and protect the happiness born from that. To her, there's nothing more important. But what about you? I get the feeling we're quite alike... as long as we obtain what we really want, we don't mind destroying everything else... So, that begs the questions... do we really want the same thing? Do you really want that girl? More than anything in this world? If not, will you destroy her to get what you really want? In that case, aren't you worse than I am? I... want her, and only her." All trace of lightheartedness had disappeared. He was serious. There was only confidence and a challenging light in his eyes. And the meaning of his words could not be clearer, 'if you care the slightest bit about her, let her go before you destroy her... and then she'll be mine'.

Zuko was greatly shaken. He loved Chenlian. There was no doubt about it. So why were the words caught in his throat...? Even though that guy had so blatantly picked a fight with him and accused him and he'd like nothing more than to proudly deny those accusations? Although he couldn't admit it, his words had stirred something in his heart, like they had touched something that should have been left alone, like they had fanned smoldering embers. And that frightened him. That person had a frightening power that he had not expected, a power that reminded him of his sister, and against which he was helpless. And he was scared of the truth in those words, and the consequences. He loved Chenlian, and he wanted to be with her. But...

Senya smirked, swatted the boy's arm away and left. Zuko returned 'home', and the first thing he did was tightly hug the woman he loved. Surprised, she whispered his name and wondered what was wrong with him. He was... trembling.

All the evening and next day, Zuko was absent-minded and the shadow over his face had deepened slightly. And he wouldn't tell her anything. She was worried, but luckily there was going to be a fair. The shop would be closed and the owner and Iroh would make their own tea stall while the youths would enjoy their day. Chenlian did her best to help him relax and keep his mind off things. She dragged him along most of the day... food stalls, jewelry, clothing, trinkets, earthbending shows, animal shows, circus shows... But actually, she was the one enjoying it the most. It had been awhile since she had been in a place this lively. She was unexpectedly sensitive to her surroundings. When people smiled, so was she, when people were gloomy, she'd try to do something about the cause. And seeing her all excited like this, he couldn't help but smile too. Seeing her so genuinely happy made him happy too. Pale pink flowers were pinned and braided into her mahogany hair. But it wasn't just that she had a lovely appearance. It was how radiant she looked. Just gazing at her seemed to gently melt all his fears and doubts into something soft, warm and fluffy, like he was touched by a soothing light. That sweetness was so overwhelming that all bitter thoughts and feelings he had once had towards her now seemed to belong to a far distant past, like some half-forgotten memory, unrelated to the person he was now. When he was with her like this, he could forget about everything else. But still, it was obvious she had been trying to cheer him up without pressing him with questions all this time. He must have really worried her. In the late afternoon, he suggested they escaped the crowd for a romantic picnic. She was really surprised. Although he had already wanted to spend time alone with her, it was the first time he had suggested a romantic outing. She beamed. They bought a lavender basket and food from the stalls and left the city for the hills.

The couple laid down a blanket and took out the food and drinks. He had even prepared a vase full of flowers. He was so caring and attentive, unusually so. But it made her so happy. They talked about everything and nothing, sometimes simply held each other and kissed, just being together, enjoying each other's presence, warmth and love. As night fell, Zuko took out four large candles in wooden recipients with several wicks he dispatched around them. He had even thought of those. After the stars, they watched the fireworks that signalled the end of the festivities. It was time to return. But as they cleaned up and prepared to leave, he asked her to wait and produced something from his pocket.

"You can use it to decorate your hair or as a pendant or even a bracelet." He said, blushing and looking away. It was a purple ribbon from which was hanging a golden lotus flower. Chenlian took the present.

"Thank you. It's lovely. So how come you're being so thoughtful all a sudden?" She kissed his cheek and half teased him.

"Is it so strange for me to think of my girlfriend?"

"No, I'm just surprised since you never asked me out on a date or brought me a gift."

"Did you... like it?"

"I loved it. This whole day is surely one of the happiest in my life." The girl smiled softly, sincerely. Zuko kissed her deeply, passionately, and their tongues tangled like a bond. Then, holding hands, they made their way back to the city.

Suddenly, as they were walking through the empty streets (as the festival had taken place in another part of the city), Chenlian remembered a place a vendor had told her about, a really pretty one at night so she spoke to her boyfriend about it. She wanted to go there before going back, firelight fountain... The lamps made the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way. She wanted to see it. She led Zuko into an open area with a large fountain in the center, surrounded by a line of lamp posts. There were lamps on the low wall delimiting the fountain, on the water, on the higher level, and a large stone one at the top. But everything was dark.

"What?! I can't believe they aren't lit! That granny didn't tell me about that! It must be because it's far from the main place..." She stared at the fountain wistfully, disappointedly for a time before looking at Zuko with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, maybe another time. Let's go back." She started leaving but the young man caught her wrist and told her to close her eyes. She protested for a second before obeying. The Fire Nation prince walked into the circle held his hands together and closed his eyes as he prepared. Chenlian and Azula were better at precision work, but...

His eyes opened and he shot small bursts of flame with his index and middle finger of each hand in all directions at the candles, lighting them. When he was finished, she opened her eyes with his permission and was stunned. It was so gorgeous... but what had moved her most of all was that he had actually used his firebending, thus taking a great risk in case they were discovered, all for her sake, to please her. She tightly hugged him. He could really be an idiot after all, taking such risks just for something like this... That was why...

"I love you." She muttered in his chest. But he heard her. Zuko smiled and kissed her again.

They returned home. Iroh was already there and trimming his bonsais by the window. He asked how their date had been. His nephew replied a small 'nice', but the old man could tell enough from their expressions. The boy had definitely cheered up... a lot... and the girl looked positively radiant. He grinned, satisfied. Zuko entered the bedroom, followed by Chenlian who suddenly hugged him from behind. She was glad he felt better and weren't upset anymore. It was because of that guy, right? He didn't have to pay attention to him. Actually, he must not since that would only encourage him. And she reassured him and comforted him. She thought he was only upset because of his jealousy. He grabbed her arm, pulled her around to face him and kissed her.

But then, she decided to tease him about Senya after all. Despite all his faults, she respected that guy's tenacity. If a man gave up after being rejected just once or twice, he was not worth mentioning. But that guy... no matter how many times she turned him down, he kept charging. Of course a girl's heart would sway when confronted this long by such earnest passion by a man who saw her as his number one priority. It was true he was dangerous. He constantly tested the resistance of the defenses, caused cracks, slipped in, and controlled you from within. And she watched his annoyance grow with amusement. She really liked seeing him jealous after all... because that meant he cared, she was important to him, he loved her... and she too was feeling reassured. Just like him, she had doubts and insecurities, it was just that unlike him, she made sure not to show them. She wanted to be strong for him. She wanted to support him. In any case, Senya's existence lit a fire under her lover. However, her feelings were so obvious that this time her teasing only met with relative success... as long as she had Zuko by her side, then everything was fine, and she didn't risk anything. Zuko was all she could see. And Zuko saw and felt such love he had to kiss her. Their emotions were simply overflowing. He squeezed her tight, and mark her neck, insisting that she was his. Right, she couldn't belong to any other man, ever.

The Tale of Momo

Appa and Momo soared above the clouds and reached the canopy of a giant tree like the one in the Swamp. The bison hovered under the fruits-laden vines on the tree and the lemur flew up. He began eating and tossed some down to Appa who chewed too. Appa suddenly gave a deafening roar. Momo woke up with a start because of the thunder and quickly leapt and hid into Sokka's green Earth Kingdom bag that was hanging nearby. He poked his head up after a bit and realized he had a bunch of white fur lying on his head that did not belong to him. He sniffed it and remembered Appa.

He noticed a large shadow crossing the lawn and took off after having wrapped the fur around one of his front legs He chased it but after all, it had been cast by a cloud, not his friend. His ears slumped in dejection as he looked at the fur tied around his arm. But then a white form with horns attracted his attention. But when the lemur flew over, it was to find out it was only a tree with white leaves and branches sticking out. And again, his ears dropped in disappointment.

Momo decided to look into the city. After a time, he landed on a water barrel to drink. But after a few sips, his wagging tail accidentally knocked over a stick that fell loudly to the ground. The noise alerted three pygmy panthers that were rummaging through garbage. The panthers growled and suddenly pounced on him. Momo managed to dodge and ran into a box with a few openings big enough for him but not enough for the felines. They reached inside but couldn't catch him. The lemur slipped out of an open crack in the back and took off. The panthers, however, were hot on his trail. They chased him by running on rooftops, one of them was able to swat him down. This time Momo ran into a crowd of humans.

He wasn't followed but a man picked him, put a hat on his head, and tossed him into an opening in the circle of the people where two monkeys were already dancing to the beat of a drummer. Momo danced too. The crowd cheered and clapped, but the panthers were stalking just outside the perimeter of people, peering in between the legs at their prey. A monkey did a handstand on the lemur's head, and the other did the same on the first monkey's feet. Momo struggled to keep balance. Tired of waiting, the felines growled and jumped into the circle. Momo fled again but this time one of the cats managed to grab and hold onto him and was taken for the ride. This slowed him down though, and allowed the other two to jump on him and all four creatures crashed down. When the dust clears, Momo had been pinned to the ground. However, before they could strike their catch, a net captured all four of them, and dragged them off. Their captor placed the three panthers in a cage and Momo in another and locked them with a peg. As the cart moved away, the little one rubbed the clump of bison fur against his face as if fearing he'd never see his friend again.

They arrived at a butchery. While the animal catcher and the butcher argued, Momo reached through the bars and removed the peg holding his cage shut. He opened it and started to run away, before stopping and looking back at the pygmy panthers that were all staring at him sadly from their cage, like begging him to help them. And against all expectations, he freed them too and they escaped together.

Momo and his three new friends were sitting on a rooftop overlooking the city and watching the heavy rainclouds. One of the panthers was affectionately rubbing its head against Momo's. Suddenly, one of the felines removed the wad of fur from the lemur's arm and ran off with it. Chattering loudly, Momo and the two others followed. The panthers led Momo through the streets of Ba Sing Se untill finally one of them placed Appa's fur down inside a hole in the ground. Momo landed in the hole as the cats ran off. He looked at this strange hole and realized that it was actually a footprint made by none other than the Appa. Chattering softly and sadly, Momo laid down on the only trace left by his long lost friend, and curled in a ball, holding the precious wad of fur as the rain started falling down.