Responses to Reviews:
RonaldM40196867: It wasn't always the plan, I just thought it would be a cool thing for Poppy to think to get her.
Zigzagdoublezee: A large part of the rest of the story will probably hinge on what the Air Nomads decide to do in Ba Sing Se, yes.
As Always, Please Review!
The sun was beginning to set over Ba Sing Se by the time they were finished, and Zuko, Mai, and Chomden the Air Nomad emerged into the fading light. Their robes were lightly spattered with paint, and Chomden was grinning happily.
"Thank you for letting me join in," she said. "I really enjoyed that."
"You looked like you did," Zuko nodded.
"Sounded like it too," Mai added dryly. Then she smiled at the other girl. "You have a nice singing voice."
"Thanks!"
"Ready for tomorrow?"
"Oh yes," Chomden smiled. "I know my lines and everything.
"Lines?" Zuko asked.
"Well, line," Chomden amended. "They wouldn't let me play the main role, but I have a small part."
"I guess Fumika had already taken the main role," Mai nodded.
"True, I would hate to take part away from someone," Chomden said. "But the rest of the cast is also a little too old for me."
"Unless Zu- uh, I mean Li played the main role," Mai said. Zuko grinned.
"I'm afraid I'll have to let the others take the lead on this occasion."
"Do you act then?" Chomden asked.
"Not really," Zuko replied "I prefer to stay backstage."
He glared pointedly at Mai as he said this. He was undercover, and would probably be recognised if he tried to tread the boards here. His girlfriend took no notice.
Chomden looked around.
"Are you staying in the city?" She asked.
"We have a flat in the lower ring," Zuko told her. "We haven't been here especially long. I think we were some of the last ones in before the Fire Nation siege began. What about you?"
"The Earth King has provided us some accommodation in the upper ring," Chomden shrugged. "It's rudimentary, but it'll do."
"How long are you planning on staying here?"
"... I don't know," Chomden realised. "It depends what the elders decide, I guess. After that I'll go back to the Eastern Temple."
Mai stared at her for a moment.
"What would you like them to decide?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" Chomden looked up sharply.
"As far as I understand, your elders are debating whether to intervene in the war against the Fire Nation or not. Surely you must have a preference."
The Air Nomad looked around, and then lowered her voice.
"I'm not a soldier," she said, "None of us are. What I think is that we should be getting as far away as possible."
"So you wouldn't intervene?"
"You haven't seen them!" Chomden raised her voice and rounded on them with wild eyes. "We can't fight them."
"Would you be asked to fight them?" Mai asked, bht Chomden took no notice.
"I was there!" She said. "I saw what they did at the western temple. If we couldn't stop them there, we can't do it now!"
She suddenly seemed to remember who she was talking to. She took a shaky breath.
"Sorry," she said. "It's just... they came as guests, you know. We offered them hospitality, food and drink. But then the screaming started. They must have let soldiers in, because the next thing I know we're being woken up by shouting and fire, so much fire. They rounded us up, scared us, told us we were not allowed to return to the temple. The only reason we were not killed is probably because they didn't want to kill us. I know you're refugees too, you have seen them. So you know. We can't win. The only option is to run as far and as fast as we can, and don't look back."
She looked up at the sky.
"Besides, we're not warriors," she said. "What use would we be on the battlefield? We can't fight, we're pacifists. It would go against everything our culture teaches us."
Zuko just nodded. After all, was that not exactly what he had been doing all this time? His own family wanted to kill him because of a mistake made that very same night, after all.
"You'll find no arguments from me," he said. Mai looked at him sharply.
"Where's this coming from?" She asked. "You fought a tank, apparently. Single-handedly! You fought me, but you didn't know who I was."
"I fought one tank," Zuko nodded. "But that doesn't mean I can fight the whole Fire Nation army."
Chomden looked thoroughly confused at this.
"I'm sorry, you fought a tank?" She asked. "And you fought her?"
"Long story," Zuko told her. He had been about to say something which would have definitely given the game away about who he was. He looked at Mai, very pointedly. "But the point is, we are trying to keep our heads down. Aren't we."
Mai turned around, and stared at the setting sun for a moment.
"Alright," she said quietly. "But what happens when there's nowhere else to run?"
"We don't need anywhere else," Zuko told her. "Ba Sing Se is impenetrable."
"And they can't reach the other air temples," Chomden added. "I know they are safe. And I don't want to give the Firelord any more reason to target us."
Mai just shrugged.
"Alright, forget it then."
"Avatar Yue is out there," Zuko said with conviction. "She'll sort all of this out. The best thing for us, like I said, is to keep our heads down until it's over."
"Li, Avatar Yue is just-" Mai cut herself off. "You know what, you're right. We should just sit still and hope everything turns out for the best."
Zuko immediately picked up the undertone of sarcasm in her voice. It wasn't hard.
Both of them stared at one another, both itching to carry on the argument, to say things that would reveal their identities to Chomden. But they held their tongues.
Chomden picked up on the tension.
"Is everything alright?" She asked. "Because I can go..."
"It's fine," Zuko broke off the eye contact first. "We can discuss this later in private."
"Yes, I think we can."
"Oh, trouble in paradise, is it?" Chomden took a step backwards. "I hope it wasn't anything I said."
"Don't worry, it wasn't," both of them said at the same time. Chomden had been through a lot, and it was pretty reasonable that she wouldn't want to tangle with the Fire Nation again.
"Shall we change the subject?" He asked. Chomden brightened up immediately.
"Do you want to see my sky-bison?"