"I am so sick and tired of that woman following us everywhere we go," Sokka grumbled, glaring at Joo Dee's carriage through the window of their guest house as it rolled away.
Aang sighed heavily as he sat down on one of the pillows next to the dining table in the center of the room. While he had initially been sympathetic towards Joo Dee, now, he couldn't help but agree with Sokka. The woman's constant need to accompany them everywhere was becoming more than simply irksome.
It had been ten days since they had arrived in Ba Sing Se, and they were no closer to finding Appa than they had been the day they'd gotten there. Ten days, and their request for an audience with Earth King Kuei was still at least three weeks away from being "processed". Ten days, and still no word about Iroh and Zuko.
He had been trying so hard to cling onto hope, to not give into despair. But with each day that passed, he not only found himself growing more pessimistic, but more frightened. More angry .
"And why does she only seem to hear every other word I say?!" Sokka added, turning around and throwing his hands up in the air.
"It's called 'being handled'," Toph said, plopping down onto the sitting pillow across from Aang. "I told you, the city is all about walls and rules. If you don't try to fit in, or if you cause too much trouble, this is what happens."
"I knew it wouldn't be easy to find Appa," Aang sighed, shaking his head. "But it's really starting to feel like it's difficult to do anything in this city."
"Not without Joo Dee breathing down our necks," Sokka muttered. "She's acting like she's our babysitter. And we don't need one. Not with Katara around, anyway," he added before the waterbender smacked her brother on the arm with a frown.
Sokka was right; every day since they'd arrived, they had traveled to a different part of the city, speaking to shopkeepers, restaurant owners, civilians, guards—anyone who was willing to listen, really—in an effort to uncover any sort of trail that might lead them to Appa. However, their efforts had been fruitless, and Aang couldn't help but feel that Joo Dee was in some way partly responsible, though he had no idea why she would want to interfere with their search in such a way.
Additionally, Aang had quickly discovered that his initial critiques about Ba Sing Se's class disparity had only been proven to be more than justified with every new trip they had taken to the Lower Ring. How was it that he and his friends were living in a spacious Upper Ring house with more than enough amenities and high-class meals being delivered right to their door three times a day, while the refugees who had already suffered so much to get to Ba Sing Se had to live in squalor, packed together in dirty streets and dilapidated houses as they scraped by to make a living?
It wasn't right. Aang was the Avatar , supposedly the most powerful person in the world, and yet right now, he was powerless to do anything to truly help the people of the city who needed it the most. Because he had to wait for a request to be approved.
However, what perhaps weighed on his mind—and heart—the most out of everything was the lack of news about Zuko and Iroh's whereabouts. Had they gotten captured? Had they been turned away at the Outer Wall for not having passports? Had they even made it out of the desert?
The ache of the Fire Prince's absence in particular had continued to grow stronger with every passing day. Aang often spent his nights lying awake thinking about what he should have done differently, what he should have said to the Fire Prince if he'd have known they would be separated for so long. And he very much was beginning to get a sinking, dreadful feeling that he was truly not going to see Zuko again for a long time.
When he wasn't lying awake consumed by his thoughts, he'd begun to have nightmares. The most distressing one by far had been a recurring nightmare in which Zuko and Iroh had been captured by Azula and returned to his father, whose face was always obscured in shadow. In almost every iteration of it, he had been forced to watch as the Fire Lord punished Zuko by engulfing him in a fire blast, paralyzed and helpless to protect the boy he loved no matter how much he struggled and screamed.
They're just dreams, he told himself, shaking his head. Remember what Katara said. Worrying about the worst case scenario isn't going to help anything.
He leaned forward with another sigh, setting his elbows on the table as he pressed the heels of his palms over his closed eyes. That was definitely easier said than done.
"I know she has something to do with why none of the people we've talked to have been any help with anything," Sokka continued ranting, now pacing back and forth. " I can't get into the university to talk to any of the astronomy professors about the eclipse, Aang can't get into the palace to talk to the Earth King, and nobody we've talked to seems to have any idea where Appa might be."
"Wait. I think you're onto something," Katara said, folding her arms with a concerned expression. "The people we've talked to… it doesn't feel like they won't help us because they don't want to. It feels like they won't help us because they're scared ."
"But Katara ," Sokka replied sarcastically, stretching his mouth into a wide grin. "Why on earth would anyone be scared? Don't you know that we're in Ba Sing Se, the greatest city in the world? Everyone is safe here!"
He dropped the Joo Dee impression when Katara gave him an unamused glare.
"Hey, I agree with you," Sokka said defensively. "There's something off about this whole place. Honestly, the longer we're here, the more I wanna leave ..."
"Are we even sure Appa is in the city?" Toph said, picking up a pastry from the plate on the center of the table and taking a large bite. "Maybe we should try looking somewhere else."
"We aren't leaving," Aang interjected, whipping his head up to glare at both Sokka and Toph. "We've barely scratched the surface, and I'm not giving up yet. Besides, Zuko and Iroh are supposed to meet us here. They won't be able to if we leave."
"Well, it's not like you made it super easy for them to find us," Toph muttered under her breath with a frown.
Aang immediately felt himself grow tense. Toph was right, and he knew it. However, he still felt a spark of irritation in his chest.
"I did the best I could, okay?" he replied defensively.
" Did you?" Toph replied, raising an eyebrow as she finished eating her pastry. "Because we could have gone back to the oasis to get them. At least we actually knew where they were."
Toph was now voicing aloud the thoughts he had been ruminating on for the past two weeks; her remarks shined a stark light on what he was trying so desperately to ignore.
"...Appa was in trouble," Aang defended weakly. "I had to go after him."
"And look at what good that did," Toph snapped. "Now we don't know where any of them are."
The intensity of Toph's emotional response was unexpected. The earthbender had maintained a relatively easygoing attitude ever since they had escaped the desert; in fact, it had almost begun to annoy him seeing how little the earthbender had supposedly seemed to care while he had been in so much pain this whole time.
"Toph," Katara said, quickly making her way over to the irate earthbender. "I know you're upset, but there's no need to–"
"We don't even know if they're okay!" Toph interrupted, slapping her hands on the table and causing the ground to shake slightly, which startled both Aang and the Water Tribe siblings. "I just don't understand how you could care more about an animal than your own friends —"
"Appa is my friend!" Aang shouted back just as heatedly, bolting to his feet with his fists clenched at his sides. "He's my oldest friend!"
Toph was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed as she folded her arms again.
"Zuko was my first friend," she replied quietly. "He was the first person I've ever met who actually listened and understood me. And now he's…"
Upon seeing the earthbender lift a fist to her eye to stubbornly wipe away a tear, Aang felt his anger begin to dissipate. He hadn't known that Toph had grown so fond of Zuko in the short time she'd known him.
"Toph," he sighed, sitting back down and closing his eyes. "The decision I made in the desert was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make in my life . All I knew was that Zuko and Iroh were safe in Misty Palms, while Appa was in danger."
He opened his eyes and looked up at the earthbender, who remained silent, her head turned away from him.
"Also…" Aang continued quietly, his throat growing tight as he looked back down and began to trace the intricate patterns of his arrow tattoos on his left hand with his thumb. "Appa's not just my oldest friend. He's the only connection to my old life—my people— that I have left."
He looked back up to see that Toph had turned to face him again, her expression having softened.
"...I knew how important Appa was to you," she mumbled, her expression guilty. "But… I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry I got mad."
"It's alright," Aang replied with a sigh. "And… just so you know. I do regret not going back to Misty Palms. But I can't go back and change it. All I can do now is keep looking for Appa, and hope that Iroh and Zuko will find us soon."
He glanced up at Katara, who smiled encouragingly and gave him a gentle nod.
"Look. I know none of us are fans of Ba Sing Se," he continued, pushing himself to his feet and walking over to the open window to peer out into the quiet street. "But Appa, Iroh, and Zuko aside—Sokka was right when he said there was something off about this city. People are suffering. As the Avatar, it's my responsibility to help them."
"And how are you gonna do that?" Sokka questioned. "We can't talk to the Earth King for weeks, and I still think Joo Dee is making darn sure we aren't making any progress towards any of our other goals."
"There has to be a way I can see the King sooner," Aang replied, pressing the side of his fist over his lips. "If I could just talk to him… I think we'd have a much easier time tackling all of our problems."
"I admire your optimism, Twinkle Toes," Toph said, propping her chin up with her hand. "But you're assuming that he'll actually listen to you."
Aang frowned slightly. "You think he won't?"
"In my experience, rich and powerful people tend to have a habit of only caring about themselves," Toph sighed. "And the Earth King happens to be the richest and most powerful guy in the world. Other than the Fire Lord, I guess."
"But surely the king would value the opinion of the Avatar, of all people," Katara said.
Toph shrugged. "Maybe, if he's actually a decent person." She turned to Aang. "What'll you do if he doesn't listen? Or if he just doesn't care?"
Aang's brow furrowed. "I… don't know," he admitted. "But I have to at least try first."
"You can do whatever you want. I'm just trying to warn you ahead of time."
"Hey, we can worry about whether or not the king will listen to us once we actually figure out a plan for how we're going to get in to see him," Sokka said. "Any ideas?"
There was a prolonged silence as they all struggled to think.
"…I've got nothin'," Toph sighed.
"Wait," Katara interjected, her eyebrows rising as a look of realization appeared on her face.
"What is it?" Aang asked.
The waterbender darted over to the small table that sat against the wall next to the door, where their mail from the last few days sat in a pile. Since they had arrived, she had been checking it first thing every morning to see if there were any important messages, but so far, they had only received a daily scroll detailing recent and upcoming events in the Middle and Upper Rings. Unsurprisingly, events in the Lower Ring did not seem to be a topic of discussion in these scrolls.
"The other day when I was going through our mail, I saw an article," Katara said, pulling one of the scrolls out of the pile and unfurling it, her eyes squinting as she scanned it for information.
"What article?" Aang questioned, looking over her shoulder. "And why didn't you mention this earlier?"
"I didn't think it was important at the time," Katara replied before her eyes lit up excitedly. "Here! It says 'Earth King Kuei to Celebrate Adoption of New Pet Bear With Celebration at Royal Palace'. It's in two days!"
"You mean platypus bear?" Aang questioned, squinting in confusion.
"No. It just says 'bear'," Katara replied, brow furrowing as she cocked her head at the scroll.
"Certainly you mean his pet skunk bear," Sokka said.
"Or his armadillo bear," Toph added.
"Gopher bear?" Aang attempted.
"Just… bear."
There was another prolonged silence.
"This place... is weird ," Toph muttered.
"The palace will be packed," Katara said, her enthusiasm returning. "We can sneak in with the crowd!"
"Won't work," Toph replied, laying down on her back with her arms propping up her head.
"Why not?" Katara asked with a frown.
"Well, no offense to you simple country folk," Toph said as she stuck her pinky in her nose. "But a real society crowd will spot you a mile away. You've got no manners!"
" Excuse me? I've got no manners?" Katara huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not exactly 'lady fancy fingers'!"
" I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it," Toph replied. " You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late."
"Aha, but you learned it! You could teach us!" Sokka interjected.
Aang felt his spirits begin to lift for the first time in several days as the exciting prospect of sneaking into a high society party began to sink in.
"Yeah, I'm mastering every element," he said, walking over to the elevated lounging area, which was surrounded by several large gold curtains. "How hard could manners be?"
With a grin, he yanked one of the curtains down and draped it over his shoulders with a flourish.
"Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe, Ms. Katara Water Tribe," he nodded to his friends. "Lord Momo, of the Momo Dynasty. Your Momo-ness."
He bowed deeply towards the lemur, who cocked his head to the side before mimicking him with a nod.
Sokka grinned as well, jogging over to pull a curtain down for himself.
"Avatar Aang, how do you do? Go on, " the warrior declared in an exaggeratedly nasal voice, bowing deeply towards Aang.
With a smirk, Aang bowed deeper, causing Sokka to frown and deepen his own bow again. Aang responded by bowing even deeper . Their bows continued to increase in depth and quickness until–
" Oof! "
With a wince, they both banged their foreheads together and collapsed onto the ground, curtain-capes thrown eskew.
"Katara might be able to pull it off," Toph said as Aang looked up to see that both she and an unamused Katara were now standing over them. "But you two would be lucky to pass as busboys ."
"But I feel so fancy!" Sokka pouted.
Zuko would probably agree with Toph, Aang thought with a bittersweet chuckle.
I bet he would know how to fit right in…
"Do I really have to wear this stupid hat?" Zuko muttered.
Jet laughed as their wooden cart rolled along the smooth stone streets of the Upper Ring. "I know. It's pretty ridiculous. But If it's any consolation, it looks good on you."
"...That is a complete and utter lie."
"No, it's not. But it could use a little adjustment," Jet replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, reaching both hands out slowly from where he sat directly across from him.
Zuko's eyes widened slightly, wondering what on earth the other boy was about to do to him in front of the other bussers that were riding in the cart with them. Suddenly, with a quick movement, Jet grabbed the sides of his hat and yanked down, pulling it down over his eyes.
"There. Now you won't have to worry about it falling off."
Zuko grunted in slight annoyance as he yanked the hat off his head. "I'll just put it back on when we get to the palace," he muttered, feeling his ears grow slightly warm.
"Look! We're almost there!" one of the other bussers exclaimed, pointing to a massive reddish-orange wall ahead of them. "I never in my life thought I'd get to see the Royal Palace with my own eyes …"
As Zuko turned around, his eyes widened. Even in the dim moonlight, he could see just how large the palace wall was. Not even Hari Bulkan's royal palace was this grand and imposing.
Instead of passing through the main tunnel, however, the cart continued rolling until they made a right turn, eventually entering through a much less impressive side gate. Zuko couldn't help but feel disappointed that he wouldn't get to see the full grandeur of the palace from the front.
Unsurprisingly, the servants' entrance was much more understated. Zuko saw that the other carts that had been ahead of them had already parked next to it; several of the bussers had already dismounted and were now hard at work carrying various items into the palace. Their own cart carried hundreds of stacks of silverware and cutlery, along with tablecloths and napkins, while the other carts carried a myriad of different foods and ingredients for the kitchens, along with jugs of alcohol.
At last, their cart came to a stop, and as they hopped out, Jet pulled Zuko aside.
"So what's the plan?" he whispered. "There will probably be lots of guards inside the party, and those Dai Li guys could be hiding anywhere. We'll need to be extra careful."
"I know," Zuko replied quickly. "I'll… explain more once we get inside."
The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure what they were going to do once they were inside. The palace was much larger than he'd expected—it would likely not be easy for him to navigate.
His best hope, he figured, was finding one or more Dai Li agents to tail. Whether or not they could actually lead anywhere interesting or useful, he did not know. He could, however, hopefully glean some worthwhile information from eavesdropping at the very least.
Zuko did have to admit that it was going to be strange attending a high society party as a servant rather than as a distinguished guest. Not that he'd attended many parties before his banishment, nor had he done much mingling with the Fire Nation nobles when he had attended them. Back then, he'd either sat quietly with his mother, or had been forced to play with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee somewhere else while the adults were doing the talking.
He and Jet made their way to the nearest cart, where they each picked up a crate of vegetables and filed into the line of bussers entering the palace. Almost as soon as they stepped foot into the building, however, Zuko felt a nervous twinge in his stomach.
For some reason, now that he was actually here, the reality of his situation was beginning to settle in. This might be his one and only chance to find some information about Aang—if he screwed this up, there were several less-than-ideal outcomes that could very likely occur as a consequence.
The one that by far seemed most anxiety-inducing was the prospect of being caught and imprisoned by the Dai Li. He hadn't forgotten the haunted look in Iroh's eyes when he'd told him how Lu Ten had died.
…And yet, he would need to actively find and follow one of their agents.
Had he been in over his head when he'd decided to do this? He was practically an ant fly voluntarily flying into a spider wasp's nest.
I've done this before, he told himself. I can do it again.
Zuko's thoughts were interrupted by a warm, pleasant smell from somewhere up ahead, and his stomach grumbled audibly. It hadn't been long since he'd last eaten, but it had only been a simple meal of congee that Iroh had made before they'd departed the Lower Ring.
"Ugh, I know," Jet sighed. "The rich people always get the best food, and we're not even allowed to eat any of it even though we're the ones doing all the hard work."
Zuko's brow furrowed, feeling a twinge of shame. Once, not long ago, he had been one of those people, rarely sparing a second thought for the servants of the Royal Palace in Hari Bulkan or the hard work they did every day to keep the royal family happy.
"Yeah," Zuko murmured. "It's not fair."
When they at last reached the kitchen, his eyes darted curiously around the room, watching as servants and bussers exited and entered while at least a dozen chefs diced and prepared dishes for the partygoers.
" Lee ."
Zuko looked over to see Jet gesturing with his head to follow him, and he quickly realized as several annoyed-looking bussers and servants passed by that he was somewhat blocking the doorway. He shook his head rapidly as he hurried over to the Freedom Fighter, following the other boy's lead and placing his crate onto the large table with the rest of the vegetables.
"You alright?" Jet asked out of the side of his mouth with a slightly furrowed brow as they exited the kitchen. "You seem a bit… distracted."
"I'm fine," Zuko replied, shaking his head again as they broke off from the flow of traffic and stood to the side. He needed to keep a clear head and focus on why he was here. "We should–"
"Bussers!" a voice barked in interruption.
Zuko looked up to see a stern-looking middle aged woman standing in front of them.
"This isn't the Lower Ring , boys. No time for loitering and chit-chat. Go pick up a carafe and get into the ballroom. "
"Yes, ma'am," Jet replied as he and Zuko both nodded and bowed.
With that, the woman strode off, disappearing as fast as she had appeared.
"We need to find somewhere quiet so we can plan our next steps," Zuko sighed, folding his arms. "I don't want to waste my time here pouring wine for these people."
Jet nodded. "Gotcha. Time is limited."
"The servants' quarters should connect to the rest of the palace," Zuko said, turning around to assess the hallway that led past the kitchens.
"You think so?" Jet questioned.
"Yes," he replied, looking both ways before he began to move forward down the hallway. "They need to be able to access all the other rooms, but in a way that's not intrusive to the nobles."
As he spoke, a memory began to surface in Zuko's mind: the time he and Azula had discovered the "hidden" servant hallways of the Hari Bulkan royal palace. They had likely caused a lot of trouble for the servants with how much they had chased one another around that day; his mother had been irritated with both of them once she had found out what they'd been up to.
"In a palace this big," he continued as Jet jogged to catch up with him. "There's got to be at least one room that doesn't have any other people in it."
Jet nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe there's… a supply closet or something around here?"
Before Zuko could reply, he heard the sound of footsteps, and held out his arm to stop Jet from continuing forward. Unfortunately, there was no place for them to hide in the narrow space.
Just ahead of them where the hallway split into two directions, two young servant women appeared from around the left corner, hushedly discussing something with one another. When they noticed Jet and Zuko in front of them, they both halted with surprised looks on their faces.
Well, this mission is already off to a great start, Zuko thought sarcastically as he felt himself begin to sweat.
"Bussers?" the older of the two girls, who was tall and had an austere look about her, questioned with a frown as she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "...The party is in the other direction."
"Uh… Sorry," Zuko began as he wracked his brain for a good excuse, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "We were just… We were looking for…"
"Our apologies," Jet interrupted, stepping forward as he flashed his handsome grin. "It's my buddy Lee here's first night on the job, and he's feeling pretty nervous," he said, patting Zuko on the shoulder. "I thought he might want to get some fresh air for a minute. One of the other servants mentioned there's a courtyard nearby, but it seems we may have gone the wrong direction."
I almost forgot how good of an actor this guy is, Zuko thought as he struggled not to roll his eyes again.
Upon seeing Jet's disarming smile, the younger girl's features softened, and she flushed. "That's so kind of you to look out for your friend," she said, her wide green eyes sparkling as she gazed at the boy. "I definitely remember how overwhelming my first time at the palace was."
She turned to give Zuko an empathetic look, but when her gaze landed on his scar, he saw her inhale slightly, her eyes widening before her expression shifted to sympathy.
A twinge of annoyance burned in Zuko's chest, though he tried to ignore it. "...Yeah," he replied, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact. "It's… a lot to take in."
"You aren't going the wrong direction, by the way," the same girl said with a kind smile, pointing behind her. "The courtyard is around the corner to the right at the end of this hall."
Jet and Zuko exchanged a brief, surprised glance. So there actually was a courtyard nearby.
"Xiaomei," the older girl interjected disapprovingly through gritted teeth. "We can't just let them wander around by themselves."
"Nian, don't you have a heart?" Xiaomei replied, tugging on the taller girl's arm with pleading eyes. "Don't you remember how scary it was when you started working here?"
"No," Nian replied with a deadpan look.
"We won't be long," Jet said. "I promise."
The older girl remained unaffected by Jet's charms, simply narrowing her eyes at him in response. However, her expression seemed to waver when she looked back at Xiaomei, who was still looking at her with large, pleading eyes.
"Whatever," she sighed at last, shaking her head. "We don't have time to babysit."
"Thank you, ladies," Jet nodded, bowing politely.
Nian simply rolled her eyes as she grabbed the younger girl's hand and strode forward, forcing Jet and Zuko to quickly move out of the way. From over her shoulder, Xiaomei waved at them before turning back around to allow her prickly companion to drag her away.
"...That went more smoothly than I thought it would," Jet murmured once the girls were out of sight.
Zuko sighed heavily and shook his head. "You know what, maybe I do need a little air."
Before Jet could respond, he picked up his pace and rounded the corner. When he arrived at the paper doors leading to the courtyard, he pushed them carefully aside, looking both right and left to make sure there weren't any guards patrolling. He wasn't certain that they weren't allowed to be here, but he still wanted to avoid them just to be safe.
Despite its modest size, the courtyard—which was likely one of many, if Zuko had to guess—looked as though it had been meticulously maintained by the royal gardeners. Several ancient-looking maple trees were scattered about, their red leaves fluttering and falling in the gentle breeze, and the soft yellow glow of the walkway lanterns gave the place a sense of warmth despite the chilliness of the late autumn night.
Zuko took a deep breath in through his nose, breathing in the crisp air. As he exhaled, he felt the tension in his body release, and his mind became slightly more clear and calm.
He could do this. He would do this. He was going to complete this mission, and he was going to make it out alive.
After a moment, he motioned for Jet to follow him to a secluded area of the courtyard where a maple tree sat surrounded by patches of bamboo and large decorative stones. When they entered the small, semi-enclosed space, they both sat down on a lone stone bench that sat underneath the tree.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Jet asked after another brief moment of silence.
Zuko sighed again, taking off his hat. "…I don't know. I think my uncle's gotten in my head about this mission."
"I'm assuming he didn't miraculously change his mind about it since you had that argument the other night?"
Zuko crumpled the fabric of the hat in his hands. "He's just… worried about me getting hurt. And he's not wrong to be. Messing with the Dai Li will be dangerous. But I have to do this."
Jet removed his hat as well, setting it down next to him, and his dark eyes studied Zuko intently for a moment.
"…Because of Aang." There was a tightness in his voice.
"…And the rest of my friends," Zuko added, keeping his gaze fixated on a falling maple leaf as it twirled in the breeze.
But yes. Because of Aang.
Jet cleared his throat before speaking again. "Well, if it's any consolation… I have faith in you. And you're not alone in this."
Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw the Freedom Fighter's hand moving closer to him. However, when he turned to look at the other boy, Jet quickly pulled his arm back, folding his hands in his lap as he avoided Zuko's gaze.
"...Thanks, Jet."
Jet turned back to look at him with slightly raised eyebrows.
"I'll admit, I was skeptical at first," Zuko continued with a small smile. "But… you really have changed. You, Longshot, and Smellerbee have all been good friends to my uncle and me these past couple of weeks. Honestly, you've helped me stay sane."
"Like I said. You're not alone, Lee," Jet replied with a nod, grinning back at him as he clapped a hand on his back. "So. What's the plan?"
"Right," Zuko nodded. He pushed himself to his feet, setting his hat next to Jet's on the bench before beginning to shrug off his uniform by pulling it over his head. "This is probably as good a place as any to hide our uniforms for now. We can come back for them later."
Jet nodded as he began to shrug off his uniform as well, revealing the dark-colored clothes he was wearing underneath, similar to Zuko's.
"Our first priority should be to try and find a Dai Li agent," Zuko continued as he began to fold his uniform. "Once we do, we can tail them."
"Sounds simple enough," Jet replied, copying Zuko and folding his uniform as well.
"You'll need to make sure to follow my lead," Zuko said seriously. "Because this is gonna be much more dangerous than what we did on the ferry."
" Relax , Lee," Jet replied with a smirk as he took Zuko's uniform and stacked it on top of his own before crouching down to place them both under the stone bench along with their hats. "I've done my fair share of sneaking in my day. I'll be careful."
Zuko eyed the other boy with slight apprehension as he gathered his hair—which was getting past shoulder-length at this point—and used a band to tie it into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck before pulling his hood over his head. Then, he reached down to remove the Blue Spirit mask he'd stashed in his robes.
"What's that? " Jet questioned, staring at the mask with confusion. "It looks like one of those creepy masks they use in, like… plays and stuff."
Zuko was surprised that Jet knew what kind of a mask it was. "That's because it is," he replied, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm going to use it to keep my identity concealed. Even if I cover up the bottom half of my face, my scar is still pretty recognizable."
Jet nodded, his eyebrows rising with intrigue. "I see. That's a smart idea," he replied with a grin. "And it looks pretty badass, too."
Zuko smirked slightly and exhaled through his nose. "I guess."
"So," Jet said as he pulled up a simple cloth mask over his nose and mouth. "Just to recap: the plan is: find a Dai Li agent, tail them, and… hope that they lead us somewhere useful?"
When he put it that way, their plan did not sound incredibly sound. But it wasn't like either of them had a better one.
"...Yep," Zuko sighed. "That's the gist of it."
"Well," Jet replied, putting his hands on his hips. "We'd better get going. Hopefully we can make it back before anyone notices we're gone."
One of the first things that came to Zuko's mind as he and Jet crept through the palace halls was that this place—especially when compared to the only other Earth Kingdom palace he'd been to—felt strangely easy to sneak into.
While Omashu's royal palace had been carved out of the mountain itself and guarded by earthbenders who controlled who could enter or leave, Ba Sing Se's royal palace—while significantly larger and more opulent in comparison—seemed somehow less protected.
Zuko had also begun to take note that nearly every guard they'd seen so far had carried a melee weapon, meaning they were likely not earthbenders. Again, strange that the home of the Earth King himself was not teeming with them.
He couldn't help but wonder: was the Earth King an earthbender, similar to how the Fire Lord was a firebender? If so, was he as powerful an earthbender as King Bumi?
Additionally, he wondered what type of person the Earth King was. Considering the man was very likely using the Dai Li to keep the populace submissive and fearful, Zuko assumed that he probably wasn't a great person.
…Surely he wasn't as bad as Ozai , though.
Just as they were about to round the next corner, he stopped in his tracks when he heard voices. He turned to Jet and made a shushing motion with his index finger, and the two stuck close to the wall.
"Ma'am. This report is to be delivered to the Earth King immediately," one of the people said in a hushed voice. "General How specified that it is important."
"Of course," a second voice replied. Though it was calm, there was a slight edge of irritation in it. "Please inform the general that the Grand Secretariat will review the report when time permits and will send word to your superior once he has done so. You are dismissed."
"...Yes, ma'am."
There was a sound of quickly retreating footsteps, then a sigh.
Suddenly, the sound of a second pair of footsteps began to grow closer.
Zuko and Jet both shared a panicked look before whipping their heads around to scan the hallway, desperately searching for anything to hide behind, but none of the curtains in this hallway were large enough to conceal both of them, and there were no more tapestries.
However, when Zuko looked up, his eyes widened. Above them were intricately decorated exposed beams, large enough for a person to climb on.
Motioning to Jet, Zuko ran over to one of the narrow, long-hanging curtains and hoped to the spirits that it would hold their weight. He pulled himself up as quickly as he could until he'd reached the beams, then reached down to help Jet up as the other boy reached the top of the curtain as well.
Zuko's heart pounded in his chest as he watched a woman round the corner below them. The dark uniform and conical wide-brimmed hat she wore were unmistakable: she was a Dai Li agent. They'd found one at last.
The agent stopped for a moment and surveyed the area carefully, almost as if she could sense that something was slightly amiss. As he watched from above, Zuko began to wish he and Jet had attempted to sneak their weapons in with them despite there not having been a decent way to hide them under their busser uniforms.
If he really got into trouble, he'd have to use his firebending, and he was hoping to avoid that at all costs.
Eventually, the agent started moving again, and Zuko let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Now we just need to follow her without getting too close," Zuko whispered as quietly as he could.
"Maybe we should try to get a hold of that report," Jet replied quietly. "Sounds like some important information about the War if it's from a general. Could be useful."
Zuko nodded in agreement, and they both carefully continued to tail the Dai Li agent from above. Eventually, she came to a stop at a pair of large, heavily decorated green and gold doors. She lifted a hand, which was covered in a glove made from a strange, almost rock-like material, and pressed her palm to the keyhole.
Almost immediately, Zuko grabbed hold of one of the curtains, intending to slide back down. However, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Jet whispered.
"I need to follow her," Zuko replied. "That door looks important. If we don't go now, we might miss our chance."
"But we don't know what's in there," Jet replied, his eyes wide with anxiety. "What if there are more agents? We aren't benders, and we don't have our weapons. We'll have no way to defend ourselves."
Zuko's eyes darted back down to the agent, who was now pushing the door open.
"I'm sorry, Jet," Zuko replied, pulling himself out of the Freedom Fighter's grasp. "I have to go."
For Aang.
" Lee!" Jet hissed as he slid down the curtain and landed softly on the stone floor.
Zuko darted across the hallway, slipping through the door at the last second before it closed again with a rumble, separating him from Jet.
Hopefully this won't take long, Zuko thought to himself, trying to push down his guilt at leaving the other boy alone in the hall.
To his relief, the room was quite dark, and appeared to be completely empty save for the agent in front of him. The only light sources came from dimly lit green crystal sconces on either side of the door, and a large, green-flamed fire burning in a fireplace to his left, and many rows of full bookshelves lined the walls.
Zuko quickly slipped into the darkest corner of the room, keeping deathly still as the agent placed the report on a large desk directly across from the doorway with several other stacks of paper spread across it. He held his breath again as the agent turned back around and made her way back to the double doors.
Just as she placed her hand on the door handle, however, the agent stopped for a moment and frowned, turning to look back at the desk. Then, she shook her head, and at last, exited the room.
Zuko felt himself relax again once the doors had fully closed, though he knew he needed to remain on his guard in the event that either the same agent returned or another showed up. He had to be efficient with his time here.
He lifted his mask to sit on the top of his head as he made his way over to the desk, picking up the report that the agent had just placed there. When he unfurled the scroll, he saw that it was indeed a report from a "General How" indicating that Fire Nation military activity had increased in the Taihua Mountains, which laid directly to the northeast of Ba Sing Se, with a map and list of villages and towns that were considered most at-risk.
I hope Teo and his father will be alright, Zuko thought with a furrowed brow, recalling their battle with War Minister Qin at the Northern Air Temple nearly a year ago. Thankfully, it seemed that the Fire Nation military had not yet expanded their influence that far north yet.
He set the report down and began to sift through the other stacks of paper. His eyes scanned through each page, looking for any mentions of "the Avatar" or a flying bison. However, most of them only contained bureaucratic information. There were many documents detailing updates on city infrastructure, supply trade routes, construction projects, government meetings, economic trends… None of which were relevant to him.
Just when he was about to give up on this stack and move on to the next one, however, he came across a paper that looked to be an addressed letter with an Earth Kingdom stamp at the top of the page.
It read:
Grand Secretariat,
I have recently received some information which I believe may be related to the unfortunate incident at my social event last week. Supposedly, rumors have been circulating regarding a rise in seditious activity in the southwestern quarter of the Lower Ring. I would like to request that a small group of Dai Li agents be dispatched to investigate and quell any potential threats of organized public disturbance. I would also, of course, be more than happy to take the lead in these investigations. I will provide further details when we meet at Lake Laogai tomorrow afternoon.
–Y.
" 'Grand Secretariat'…?" Zuko murmured to himself, pressing the side of his hand to his mouth as he looked back at some of the other documents in the stack, seeing that they were also addressed to a person with the same title. Whoever this Grand Secretariat was, it seemed they had a significant amount of power, not just over the Dai Li, but over the entire city.
Unsurprisingly, Iroh had been right.
While this news was grim, there was a silver lining to it, however: if Aang was in the city, then it was likely this Grand Secretariat person would be aware of it.
Come on, he thought to himself as he began to file through more documents, none of which contained any useful information. Give me something about Aang. Anything.
As he neared the bottom of the stack, at long last, he caught sight of a familiar pair of words—a name —that made him catch his breath.
Avatar Aang.
Zuko quickly pulled the paper out from the stack. It appeared to be a short, unsigned message of correspondence with the same official Earth Kingdom stamp as the previous letter he'd seen, though the handwriting was different, and there was no signature.
Avatar Aang and his companions were intercepted at Poh Kong Station this evening by J.D. #37 and are being escorted to their new residence per your instructions. We will begin to take immediate measures to increase security at all city entry points to better prevent future oversights.
- Agent M.
Zuko felt his heart begin to pound in his chest again as he processed this information, his breathing quickening with both excitement and anxiety.
Aang and the others were in Ba Sing Se. But it seemed that the Dai Li had gotten involved almost as soon as they'd arrived.
Who—or what—is J.D. #37? Zuko questioned internally, biting his lower lip as his eyes poured over the letter again, as if reading it multiple times might somehow reveal more information. And where were Aang and the others taken? How long have they been here?
Frustratingly, no date was listed either on the front or back of the letter, so there was no way to know how recent it was.
He needed more information. Something, anything that could point him in the right direction of Aang's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, he was also running out of time; if he didn't return to Jet soon, he might think that something had happened to him and do something stupid.
Just as he began to reach for another stack of papers, however, he heard a creaking sound from across the room. With a sharp inhale, he quickly pulled the Blue Spirit mask back over his face.
When he looked up, he locked eyes with a man—one who was, surprisingly, not dressed in the uniform of a Dai Li agent—standing in the open doorway.
The man's shrewd eyes widened slightly, and with a sudden movement, he punched a fist forward.
Thinking fast, Zuko leapt to the side, dropping the stack of papers and narrowly avoiding a diagonal pillar of earth, which likely would have struck him squarely in the chest if he had been too slow.
"It seems you have gotten lost on your way to the opera house, friend ," the man said calmly, entering the room as the scattered papers floated to the floor at his feet. Though his statement and tone was laced with mild humor, the man did not smile as his cold gaze bored into him.
Is this the Grand Secretariat? Zuko wondered. Regardless of who this man was, his presence caused a sense of unease to begin gnawing at his gut. I need to get out of here.
"Not the talkative type?" the man continued, walking over to his desk and placing his fingertips on top of the papers that Zuko had sifted through. "You really made a mess of my desk," he sighed, shaking his head before looking back up at Zuko. "Would you mind telling me who sent you?"
Zuko did not respond.
"Come now," the man said. "It will be much easier if you tell me this now, rather than later in an interrogation cell. My agents have been known to use… creative ways to get prisoners to reveal their secrets."
His agents, Zuko thought, swallowing nervously. This man has to be the Grand Secretariat.
His eyes darted towards the open door for a moment.
I have to just make a run for it. There's no other way I'm getting out of here.
Zuko attempted a mad dash towards the door. However, he only got halfway there before he was slammed in the side with a pillar of earth, groaning in pain as he was thrown to the ground.
"I must say, I'm impressed," the man said calmly as he made his way over to Zuko, looming over him ominously as the dim green firelight danced behind him. "I imagine it takes a lot of courage—and skill—to sneak into one of the most classified rooms in the royal palace. Either your employer must be paying you handsomely…. or you're very desperate."
Still, Zuko remained silent, clutching at his now throbbing right arm as the man drew closer.
"Yes, I'm sure it's painful," the man stated calmly, though there was a small smile on his lips. "But you should consider yourself lucky. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already. I would recommend you avoid struggling if you would like to save yourself from future pain."
I don't have a choice, Zuko thought, clenching his left fist as he felt it begin to grow warm. I have to use my firebending.
Just as the Grand Secretariat began to move into an attack pose again, however, a figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere, jumping into a flying kick that struck the man in the side and knocked him to the ground with a grunt.
Jet?! Zuko quickly realized as he watched the Freedom Fighter press his foot into the Grand Secretariat's chest.
"You aren't going to lay one finger on him," Jet snarled, pressing his weight into his foot and causing the man to release a pained exhale, though his eyes seemed to burn with a mixture of astonishment and rage.
Zuko's eyes widened, however, when he saw the Grand Secretariat's hand ball into a fist.
"NO!" Zuko shouted, scrambling to his feet and grabbing Jet's wrist with his uninjured left hand to pull him off of the man just as the latter sent a rock flying up at him.
"Come on," Zuko said frantically, pulling Jet towards the door. "We need to get out of here. Now. "
"Watch out!" Jet exclaimed, and just as they exited the door, Zuko looked over his shoulder. His breath hitched when he saw the furious Grand Secretariat, who had pushed himself up onto one knee, punch forward, sending another larger rock towards them.
Zuko yanked Jet to the right, saving him again from being struck, and they continued running in that direction. Fortunately, he could see an open window at the end of the hall; it seemed that it was their only option for escape.
He pulled Jet forward, and they both ran as fast as they could until they reached the window, vaulting through it and into a patch of bushes.
Almost immediately, Jet moved to get up, but Zuko squeezed his wrist and shook his head. Jet's brow furrowed, but he remained silent.
After a moment, just as Zuko had expected, he heard a pair of frantic footsteps approach the window from inside.
"Grand Secretariat Long Feng!" an unexpected voice—a woman's—suddenly called out.
The footsteps stopped.
"What is it?" the Grand Secretariat snapped.
"Sir… Are you alright?" The woman asked, sounding taken aback. "You look—"
"…I am perfectly fine, Joo Dee," Long Feng replied, his voice calmer, though still tinged with irritation. " Please continue. I assume this is urgent?"
"Yes, I— I— Well—" the woman—Joo Dee—stuttered, sounding nervous. "They're here . I don't know how they managed to get into the party—I'm so sorry, I tried to tell them they needed to leave, but they refused, said they needed to speak to the King, and I—"
"That's enough," the Grand Secretariat interrupted, his tone growing harsh again. "We will discuss the consequences of your failure once this is resolved. For now, I will take care of it."
"Forgive me!" Joo Dee immediately begged, her shaking voice sounding absolutely terrified. " Please . I promise I will do better. They don't trust me yet, but I– I just need to–"
"Joo Dee, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
There was a moment of silence.
"…I am honored to accept his invitation."
The abrupt change in the woman's voice immediately sent a chill down Zuko's spine. All previous signs of distress were no longer present; they had been replaced by a tone of perfect, unnatural calmness.
"Thank you, Joo Dee," Long Feng replied. "Come. Let me escort you."
With that, the pair of footsteps departed, leaving Zuko and Jet alone in the quiet of the bushes.
"…What in the name of the spirits just happened?" Jet whispered.
It had not been easy for them to find their way back to the small courtyard in which they had left their uniforms, but somehow, they managed it despite having to take a completely different route to avoid running into any more Dai Li agents.
Once they had ensured that the courtyard was still devoid of guards, they made their way back to the stone bench under which they had hidden their uniforms, where Zuko took a moment to sit and rest.
"You alright?" Jet observed as he pulled down his cloth mask, his concerned eyes moving to Zuko's right arm, which he was still holding close to his body. "How's your arm?"
"It'll be fine," Zuko replied as he took off his Blue Spirit mask with his left hand and stuffed it back into his robes before running a hand through the top of his hair. "It's just bruised."
"If it was 'just bruised', I don't think you'd be grimacing so much," Jet replied with a frown, crouching down in front of him. "May I?" he asked as he nodded down at Zuko's arm.
Zuko blinked at the other boy with wide eyes for a moment.
"…Fine," he muttered, looking away as his ears began to burn again. "But I swear it's not as bad as you—"
He audibly winced as he felt Jet gently lift and move his arm, scrunching his face involuntarily as a sharp pain radiated from the place of impact from Long Feng's earthbending attack.
"Yeah. That's not good," Jet sighed.
"What are you, a doctor?" Zuko replied sarcastically, not intending to sound rude, though it ended up coming out that way due to his pain and exhaustion.
"No," Jet replied. "But I had to deal with broken bones pretty often with the other kids when we were all living in that forest near Gaipan. I'm pretty familiar."
Great, Zuko thought. My first broken arm, and I got it from the head of the Dai Li. Uncle's not gonna be happy about this.
Jet held his chin thoughtfully for a moment before standing back up, removing his cloth belt from around his waist.
"…What are you doing?" Zuko questioned confusedly, raising an eyebrow.
He got his answer when Jet wrapped the belt behind Zuko's neck and around his forearm, creating a makeshift sling.
"It's not perfect," Jet said, putting his hands on his hips. "But it's better than nothing."
Zuko's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. Thank you," he said, looking down at this arm and suddenly feeling guilty. "…Both for this, and for the save back there."
Jet shook his head, folding his arms as he took a seat next to Zuko. "I'm sorry for not getting there faster. If I had, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
Zuko shook his head as well. "Don't beat yourself up. I'm the one who impulsively ran in there after that agent. I should have been more careful."
"I understand. You had to take your chance," Jet replied with a small, sympathetic smile. "Did you find anything about Aang?"
"Actually… yes," Zuko replied with a sigh. "He and the others are here in the city. The Dai Li has records of their arrival."
"Really?" Jet replied, raising his eyebrows. "That's great!"
"Yeah…" Zuko murmured, looking off to the side.
"You don't seem as excited as I thought you would be," Jet replied confusedly.
"The problem is, I have no idea where they are," Zuko sighed frustratedly. "They could be anywhere in the city."
He looked back up at the Freedom Fighter when he felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder. "Hey. At least we know for sure that they're here. And wherever they are, we'll find them."
Zuko nodded, smiling slightly as he felt the tension in his shoulders ease somewhat. Jet was right. He should focus on the positives.
"What about the War?" Jet asked, removing his hand from Zuko's shoulder. "Did you get a look at that report the Dai Li agent had?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't much other than confirmation that there's been an increase in Fire Nation military activity in the Taihua Mountains."
Jet frowned. "I don't like the sound of that. I hope they aren't planning an attack on the city or something…"
"Me too," Zuko sighed. "The only other bit of information I found wasn't about the War necessarily, but I still think it was important. There was some note of correspondence about 'a rise in seditious activity' in the Lower Ring. Whoever sent the letter was asking the Grand Secretariat to dispatch a group of Dai Li agents to go investigate."
"Wait," Jet replied, holding up a hand. "Who is this Grand Secretariat person?"
"He's the head of the Dai Li," Zuko replied. "…And the man who was attacking me. The one you kicked."
Jet's eyes widened considerably for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face. "I kicked the head of the Dai Li to the ground. Huh."
"Don't get too cocky about it," Zuko replied, rolling his eyes lightheartedly. "You were lucky he was distracted when you attacked him."
Jet chuckled. "Honestly, we're both lucky to be alive right now, considering how pissed off he looked."
Zuko's smile faded. "Yeah. But that means probably gonna have this whole palace swarming with guards before long. I think we need to head back."
Jet nodded, his expression growing serious as well. "Let's get back into uniform, then."
" Finally, she's gone," Sokka sighed as he, Aang, Katara, and Toph gathered in a corner of the ballroom following an unexpected encounter with Joo Dee.
Unluckily for them, the woman had somehow managed to find out that they had sneaked into the Earth King's party. She had practically begged them to leave, claiming that they were all going to be in "terrible trouble" if they did not.
Somehow, by some miracle, while they had managed to get her to leave them be by standing their ground, now that she was gone, Aang couldn't help but feel concerned about the woman. There had been something different about Joo Dee's demeanor during this encounter; he recalled a clear indication of frustration and fear in her eyes that he had never seen before.
"How did she even recognize us in these disguises?" Sokka questioned.
"I mean, she has been spending every day following us around since we got here," Katara said. "And it's not like we're wearing masks."
"And I told you two that you'd be lucky to pass as busboys, not that you actually could ," Toph added, folding her arms. "You just don't have the air of someone who has experience in the service industry. And Sugar Queen here tried her best, but she unfortunately has 'peasant' written all over her."
" Hey ," Katara replied with a frown. "You didn't exactly do a whole lot to prepare me. I could have used a little more to go off of than just 'smile and nod politely'."
"Well, I wasn't the one who decided to ask a random stranger to let us in," Toph said. "We're lucky we finally ditched him. He was definitely starting to get suspicious."
"What else was I supposed to do?" Katara countered, putting her hands on her hips. "We didn't have invitations, and of course the guards weren't gonna let us in on the claim that you're a Beifong without any proof. I don't know why you thought they would."
"I have an authoritative presence," Toph defended. "A lot of times that's enough for people not to question."
"Clearly not this time," Katara replied, rolling her eyes.
"Guys, can you please stop arguing?" Aang muttered under his breath as his eyes scanned the ballroom for what felt like the hundredth time. "We need to focus on figuring out which of these people is the king. Any ideas?"
"Find the fanciest-dressed person in the room?" Sokka suggested, holding up an index finger.
"It looks like all of these people are competing for the title of 'fanciest-dressed person in the room', Sokka," Katara sighed. "That's not gonna be easy."
"Should I just… start going up to people and asking them if they've seen the king?" Aang questioned, squinting his right eye.
"Bad idea, Twinkle Toes," Toph said as she procured a crab puff from the plate Sokka was holding. "Servants don't talk to the nobles unless they talk first."
"What, is he gonna get the guards called on him if he tries?" Sokka snorted.
"Honestly, the likelihood is pretty high," Toph replied, taking a bite of her crab puff.
Aang slumped his shoulders and sighed heavily. Once again, there was more proof that the class system in this city was all kinds of screwed up.
"Wait a minute," Katara said, leaning closer to him as she pointed to the opposite end of the ballroom. "What's going on over there?"
Aang's eyes narrowed as he looked towards the direction she was pointing in. The chatter of the nobles around them was beginning to grow louder, and there seemed to be a crowd congregating at the front of the room.
"They're bringing out some giant… tent on sticks," Sokka said, squinting his eyes.
"A palanquin?" Aang realized, his eyes widening as he and Katara shared a look of realization.
"That has to be the king!" Katara exclaimed.
"I need to get over there!" Aang replied, shoving the carafe he was holding into Sokka's free hand.
"Hey!" He heard the warrior protest as he darted off into the crowd. "I wanna see him too!"
"Excuse me," Aang apologized as he slipped past the nobles, many of whom gave him annoyed and confused looks. "Excuse me. Sorry!"
He grinned in relief when he saw the palanquin stop, but just as he exited the crowd, he noticed that the atmosphere in the ballroom had become eerily subdued.
At first, he wondered if he had made some sort of social faux-pas—a busser daring to approach the King. His fears appeared to be confirmed when he was approached by a serious-looking man.
While the man was not dressed in a particularly fancy outfit and his hair was styled in the common fashion worn by many men in the city—including those in the Lower Ring—Aang had a strong feeling that this man was no ordinary partygoer, nor ordinary citizen.
"Um, hello," Aang said, forcing a nervous smile. "So, I know I may look like an ordinary busser, but funny story—"
"I know who you are, Avatar Aang," the man interrupted calmly and quietly. Surprisingly, he didn't appear angry.
"You do?" Aang replied, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "How did you recognize me? We've never met."
"I make it my business to know everyone who enters the city," the man replied with a small smile. "It is a great honor to meet you. I am Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and head of the Dai Li. I would like to talk to you."
Aang frowned as the man in front of him bowed politely, hands behind his back. He craned his neck to look over Long Feng's shoulder, seeing that the Earth King's palanquin was already being taken away.
"Your friends will be waiting for us in the library."
Aang's eyes widened as he spun around, his gaze moving over the murmuring crowd searching the back of the room for his friends. They were nowhere in sight.
He turned back to glare at Long Feng, but saw that he was already departing. The man stopped and looked over his shoulder, looking at him expectantly.
Aang reluctantly followed, nervously eyeing the row of guards to his right as he went.
After a few turns through the hallways connecting the ballroom to the rest of the palace, they arrived at a pair of large green and gold doors. Standing in front of the doors were two people—-a man and a woman—dressed in dark robes with conical wide-brimmed hats.
Dai Li agents? Aang thought anxiously.
The agents bowed to Long Feng before opening both the doors for them, and Aang followed him inside.
To his relief, he quickly spotted his friends sitting on a couch to his right, across from a fireplace lit with green flames to his left. Upon spotting him, Katara jumped to her feet.
"Aang!" the waterbender exclaimed.
"No need to worry, young lady," Long Feng said. "I have not harmed the Avatar." He turned to Aang. "Nor have I harmed your friends."
Katara's expression shifted to one of shock upon seeing the man. "It's you ."
"What's going on?" Sokka demanded as he and Toph got up as well. "You know who we are. Why won't you let us see the King?"
"Yeah," Aang added, removing his busser hat and crushing it in his fist as he stepped forward. "We've got some important things we need to discuss with him. Like the fact that the people in the Lower Ring are suffering while the wealthy people in the Upper Ring apparently lounge around and go to parties every night."
Long Feng sighed. "Avatar Aang. Believe me when I say that I understand your concern. But that is a much more complicated issue than you think."
"Who are you to decide that?" Aang questioned. "I want to hear what the king has to say about it."
"Earth King Kuei is a busy man," Long Feng replied as he made his way over to sit across from them on a bench in front of the fireplace. "He does not have the time to get involved with political squabbles."
"This isn't a political squabble," Katara interjected. "These are people's lives. They need help now! Doesn't the king care about all of his citizens?"
"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties related to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the government and military."
"So the king is just a figurehead…" Katara murmured.
"He's your puppet! " Toph added angrily.
"Oh no no, " Long Feng replied, holding up his hands and shaking his head. "His majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands trying to solve complex political and economic issues, nor with the hourly changes of an endless war."
"Fine," Aang muttered. "So the king can't help. But clearly you can. You can help us, the people of this city, and the rest of the world. "
He looked at Sokka, giving him an encouraging nod. The warrior blinked in surprise for a moment before his eyes widened slightly in realization.
"Yeah," Sokka said. "We recently found some information in an ancient library about a solar eclipse that left the Fire Nation defenseless . If I can get into the university and talk with some professors in the astronomy department, find out when the next one is, you could plan an invasion—"
" Enough, " Long Feng snapped, showing anger for the first time and taking Sokka aback. "I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan. It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the War not be mentioned within the walls."
"… What? " Aang murmured, shaking his head. "What are you talking about?"
"Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic," Long Feng replied, his hands behind his back. "Our economy would be ruined. Our peaceful way of life—our traditions—would disappear. In silencing talks of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia: the last one on earth."
"You can't keep the truth from all these people," Katara argued as she stared at the man incredulously. "They have to know."
"I'll tell them!" Aang said angrily, pointing a finger directly at Long Feng. "I'll make sure everyone knows!"
The Grand Secretariat's frown deepened.
"Until now, you've been treated as our honored guests," he said, leaning forward ominously, meeting Aang's glare with narrowed, condescending eyes. "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the War to anyone, or if you attempt to incite seditious activity in the Lower Ring, you will be expelled from the city, by force if necessary."
The man turned around, walking over to the green-flamed fireplace. "I understand you've been looking for your bison," he said quietly. " And that you have been expecting to reunite with some friends in the city in the near future. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete those quests."
Upon hearing this, Aang felt a cold spike of fear in his chest, followed by a burning rage in his stomach.
Before he could snarl a reply, however, he felt a gentle hand rest on his forearm, and looked down to see a fearful Katara looking up at him, shaking her head slightly.
"Now," Long Feng continued, turning back around. "Joo Dee will show you home."
To their left, the double doors opened again, letting bright light flood into the dark room. However, the person who entered was very clearly not Joo Dee—though she was dressed the same.
"Come with me, please," the woman said, coming to a stop across from them. Her mouth was stretched into a wide smile.
"…What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara asked shakily.
"I'm Joo Dee," the woman said with a bow. "I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."
Aang felt a chill run down his spine.