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Chapter Text

Aang was having a nightmare, she could feel it. Something tugged at Avella’s mind, whispering that the Avatar spirit was growing increasingly wild and restless, that the Tether was needed. But she couldn’t move; Aang had told her about his out-of-body nightmares where he watched himself in the Avatar state a few nights before, had asked for her help in finding a way for more control, and if she would step in sooner the next time it happened. 

Avella didn't know how to help though. The monks had promised that they would show her how to connect with Aang so that they could better understand the Avatar spirit and state to gain more control, but Aang had fled before the training had started and she had never been told even the basics of what she was supposed to do. 

Momo purred softly on Avella’s stomach as her hand combed through his fur, she sighed and sent a soft blast of air at the fur hammock next to her, causing Aang to shoot up with a gasp and look around quickly before slipping out to the deck of the Northern water ship that the Gaang was on. Carefully slipping the lemur off, she followed Aang's example; she needed some fresh air. 

“Wanna talk about it, Apple?” Aang turned at Avella’s soft inquiry, looking lost and worried. Avella schooled her expression, doing her best to hide that she felt just as lost, before pressing her friend for answers. “Was it the same as last time?” He nodded, wrapping his arms around himself.

“I don't really wanna talk about it. It was scary, I don't like losing control like that, Vel.” He whispered before leaning into her. They stayed like that as they watched the sunrise, each silently lost in their personal whirlwind of thoughts. 

Kamari stretched as she walked above deck with her cousins sleepily trailing behind her. They would need to be leaving soon if they wanted to reach the nearest Earth Kingdom outpost before dark and she knew the benders from their sister tribe would want to have a proper goodbye before sending them off. She absently noted the Air Nomads looking out over the water as she disappeared into another area of the ship in search of food. 

It was nearly midday by the time they were ready to go, far longer than Kamari had expected. “Katara, I want you to have this,” Pakku said and he pulled an ornate vial out of a bag, handing it to the girl. “This amulet contains water from the spirit oasis. The water has unique healing properties, don't lose it.” Ah , that explains why she wasn’t getting the pretty necklace. She watched Katara thank and hug their master before clambering onto Calla, then stepped forward when Pakku turned to her next. “Kamari, for you I have the rare skin of an Arctic owl rabbit, preserved perfectly and meant to cool the body down.” Kamari bowed respectfully and followed Katara into the bison's saddle. 

“Aang, these scrolls will help you master Waterbending. But remember, they’re no substitute for a real master.” Avella admired the craftsmanship of the box Pakku handed Aang, eyeing the blue stone that was set in the wood forming the water symbol and concluding that it seemed to be a mix of lapis and sea glass. 

“Avella, some of the tribe noticed that you were drawn to the sea glass decorations around the tribe and wanted you to have these sea-glass earrings as a thank you for what you’ve done.” She stared at the earrings in awe, almost forgetting to thank the present tribe members, hypnotized by the way the sunlight danced through them. She carefully poked them through the holes in her ears and lit up at the gentle jingle, tossing Aang a dirty glance as he snickered from Appa at her mesmerized movements. 

Kamari watched in amusement as Sokka excitedly stepped in front of Pakku, “Sokka… take care, son.” Snickers broke out among the teens as the boy deflated, Kamari struggling the most as her cousin sadly clambered onto Appa. Pakku had handed her Sokka's parting gift, hidden with hers, a note attached clarifying it was his and asking that she give it to him later. Apparently, the old man had a sense of humor and wanted to get back at Sokka for eating Pakku’s octopus noodles on the first day of the joint journey. Sokka’s gift was two of Yue’s hair pins, beautiful things that had been carefully hand-carved by the princess herself.

“Fly east to the Earth Kingdom base, General Fung will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There, you’ll be safe to begin Earthbending training with King Bumi.” The teens nodded at Pakku’s instructions and waved to the people of the Northern Water Tribe, flying off as Katara shouted at him to say hi to Gran-Gran for them. 

This was the life . The spa smelled of cherry blossoms and incense, the baths were always the perfect temperature, people waited on her hand and foot if she so desired, and the food was delicious- Hotaru was delighted to finally be able to relax. The spa was one of the first places they’d seen when they finally found land again, and General Iroh was quick to lead both teenagers to the relaxing resort. The calming sound of rushing river water below the spa helped with the ambiance, and Hotaru felt like she could fall asleep where she was- and honestly, she probably had taken a couple of naps here or there. Zuko, however, was brooding again- for once, Hotaru knew exactly why. It was the anniversary of his banishment, AKA the fourth anniversary of the Fire Lord making it known to the world that he was the worst father ever, even beating out her father for being terrible.

“There it is!” Sokka cried, catching sight of General Fung’s land. The area was surrounded by white walls that split in four different directions, barracks housing the Earth Kingdom soldiers scattered around a tall, important building. Aang led the whole gang down to land the bison gently on a large balcony, a man who must have been General Fung stepped forward with a warm smile on his face, arms spread wide in welcome.

“Welcome, Avatar Aang!” The man cried, and Kamari felt rather awkward as she stretched her stiff limbs while the General and his troop bowed to the teenagers. “I am General Fung. And welcome to all of you great heroes- Appa, Momo, Calla Lily, the brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, the powerful Kamari, and the mysterious Avella.” Kamari had to admit that being called powerful did wonders for her ego, but an explosion sounded behind her and she flinched, turning to see- fireworks . To celebrate and show off their arrival, the General had set off actual fireworks . Instantly, Kamari’s perception of the man dipped a little below sea level. He sure seemed cocky.

The whole gang was quickly ushered inside, Appa and Calla given the royal bison treatment- if there was such a thing. The General took the teenagers to the war meeting room, where they all sat around a table with a complete map of the Earth Kingdom spread across it. “Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole.” Fung gushed, and Avella felt something weird curdle in her gut- nobody should be that excited over deaths, no matter how deserved. “I can’t imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power, it’s an awesome responsibility.” The man continued, and Avella froze. He was jealous . Fung was jealous- and power-hungry. She decided to be on guard- and glancing around showed that Kamari was thinking the same thing, thank the Spirits. Aang admitted that he tried not to think about it too much, and Fung’s eyes seemed to gleam madly, the only crack in his kind mask.

“Avatar, you’re ready to face the Fire Lord now.” Fung declared, and Kamari let out a snort of laughter before she could control herself. All eyes turned to her, and she cleared her throat awkwardly, quieting down- but he still needed to master all four elements- Katara said that last bit in confusion, and Fung tilted his head. “Why? With the kind of power that he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now!” Fung proclaimed, and Kamari flinched back from his excitement. 

Sokka pointed out that Aang could only do those things in the Avatar state. Fung furrowed his brows at that, stroking his carefully groomed beard in thought, even as Aang started to explain what the State was. “I’m well aware of that State. Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you’re able to summon unbelievable power.” Fung broke in, and Avella pursed her lips. It was more than that. “Without you, we’d be slaughtered before we even reach their shores,” Fung said, strolling over to view a world map, glaring a hole into the small printed Fire Nation part. “But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation,” Fung murmured, almost religiously, and Avella slammed her hands on the table, standing up.

“His name is Aang . Not Avatar, not a weapon, and certainly not yours to use! The Avatar state is more than that, and is not to be used for purely human desires, no matter how noble they may seem! The State is dangerous right now, the power you so clearly covet is far too much for Aang to control. That is why he must master the four Elements before harnessing the Avatar State- you are a fool if you believe the Avatar to be some mindless weapon you can control!” Avella shouted, nearly snarling at Fung’s unbothered face. The man was completely delusional if he thought his horrid plan would work. Aang stammered out that he also didn’t know how to get in or out of said State, never mind what to do when he was there. Fung lit up at that, and Avella felt as though Aang had just sealed their fates.

“So it’s decided then! I’ll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State, and then you’ll face your destiny.” Fung declared, causing Avella to blanch- no no no, did her speech mean nothing to him?? Well apparently not, and even Aang thought it could be a good idea to learn to control the State. She wanted to scream- she was the Tether , her entire thing was helping corral the State- and she knew this was a bad idea! 

Katara stood, declaring that nothing was decided- Aang would face his destiny his way. Fung shrugged, which was a complete 180 from his earlier actions. “Well, while you take your time learning the four Elements, the war goes on.” He said, gesturing to his side. “May I show you something?”

Avella watched as a line of injured and bandaged Earth Kingdom soldiers marched across Aang’s view, gaps in the men showing a med bay filled with more injured people. She squinted as a few men seemed to be limping on the wrong feet, and one used his very bandaged hand to drink from a cup of tea. Some were walking on their ‘broken’ legs. It was so obviously faked- apart from the soldiers actually injured in the med bay- but it was a guilt trip. Fung declared that every day the Fire Nation took lives, that those soldiers were lucky because they got back, and that Aang could end it now. The man stalked away, and Avella reached out to grab Aang’s hand- even without the guilt trip, he was conflicted. 

Aang strode into the room the five teenagers shared early in the morning, sighing as he sat on his bed. He admitted that he spoke to General Fung, saying he’d help by going into the Avatar State. Avella sat up, frowning. “Aang, this isn’t a good idea. There’s a reason for learning the Elements before you can master the Avatar State- this is dangerous- extremely so.” She spoke, but Aang shook his head. He was set- and Avella groaned, before laying back down on her bed. “Fine, but I’m not happy about it. You make your mistakes, you get the consequences.” Avella griped, pointedly turning her back on the rest of the group. She cuddled Momo close, frowning as Aang tried to justify what he was doing- whether he was talking to her, their friends, or himself, she didn’t know.

“This rare chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant,” Fung’s advisor stated as he placed a strange something in a cup of tea, handing it to Aang. “In an ordinary warrior, it improves strength and energy tenfold. In you, it may induce the Avatar State.” The man said, and Aang looked doubtful at the claim before drinking. His foot began to twitch, and Avella scooted closer to the advisor.

“What was the name of that enhancement, again?” Avella murmured, and the man stuttered, frantically pulling out several scrolls and some glasses, squinting at the papyrus.

“Oh, it’s called caffeine.”

Aang was practically bouncing off the walls- and the only reason he wasn’t doing it literally was because he was scooting around on a ball of air instead of actually jumping. Avella watched him chatter away, voice half an octave higher as he rode the ‘caffeine high’, finally slamming into a wooden pole and ending his momentum. Avella flicked her hand to flip his robe back from covering his head, wincing at the new, painful-looking mark on his forehead.

The next attempt was trying to shock Aang into the Avatar State. Kamari watched boredly as Sokka decided to try his hand at it, and Katara covered Aang’s eyes. Sokka stuffed Momo down his shirt and pulled his head down as well, making it seem like his head was replaced by Momo’s. Katara pulled her hands away and Momo let out an indignant screech, making Aang yell and flinch away. Kamari burst out laughing as Sokka started stumbling around, Momo wreaking havoc in his tunic as Sokka tried to get the tangled lemur out, with Aang still not in the Avatar State.

The next attempt took place in an underground room- not fitting for an Air Avatar, honestly. An old man stood there, declaring what was going on. “You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the Bending nations.” Avella tried to stifle a snicker- he looked ridiculous. The man pushed a large bowl in front of himself, spreading his arms wide. “Now, I will join the four Elements into one!” He declared. “Water,” pouring a pitcher of water into the bowl, “Earth,” tossing a plate of dirt in, “Fire,” waving a lit torch around it, “Air” blowing a bellows into the mixture. “Four Elements together as one!” The man cried, lifting the bowl above his head- before tossing the mixture inside at Aang. Avella fell to the floor in laughter as Aang was splattered in mud- and of course, not activating the Avatar State. He did sneeze, though- and Avella was glad she was on the floor, most of the mud that flew off him missed her.

“Look at these magnificent shells!” Iroh declared, and Hotaru gasped in delight as she scooped one of the delicate items up. They were indeed beautiful, smooth, and shiny. “I’ll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come!” He declared, and Hotaru laughed. Maybe they could make a windchime out of them. Zuko scoffed, saying they didn’t need more useless things- they needed to carry everything themselves now.

“Hello, brother, uncle, and… disgraced daughter of the late Admiral Zhao.” A voice drawled behind them, and Hotaru twisted to see none other than Princess Azula herself, smirking at the three of them. The shell in her hand fell to the floor and shattered, but Hotaru was too shocked to do much about it. Zuko barked a question of what she was doing there, and Azula hummed. “In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions.” She teased, sitting down and crossing one leg over another. “Have you become so uncivilized so soon, Zuzu ?” 

“Anyways, I’ve come with a message from home,” Azula said- but after so casually breaking a pretty shell, Hotaru wasn’t inclined to believe it was a kind message. “Father’s changed his mind, and family is suddenly very important to him. He’s heard rumors of plans to overthrow him- treacherous plots. Family has the only people you can truly trust.” Azula said, before adopting a sadder look, glancing out the window of their small hut. “Father regrets your banishment, he wants you home.” A beat passed, before Azula turned to face Zuko again, raising her eyebrows slightly. “Didn’t you hear me? You should be happy, excited, grateful . I just gave you great news!” Azula crooned, and Zuko turned away. Iroh stepped up, saying that perhaps Zuko just needed a moment with the news, and Azula scoffed. “Don’t interrupt , Uncle!” She snarled, before composing herself once more. “I can see you need time with this news. I’ll be back to collect you tomorrow. Good evening.” She inclined her head politely, striding out of the hut. Hotaru let out a breath, shuddering- the Princess had only become meaner since they were children.

“Hey, Aang?” Avella brought up, leaning against the balcony walls. Aang hummed, turning to face her slightly. “Remember when we went to the Southern Temple, and we found Monk Gyatso? That was a horrible, traumatic experience. With the North Pole, a Spirit had just been murdered in front of us and we’d just been kidnapped- also traumatic. At your level of consciousness and training, the Avatar State isn’t you being you anymore. It’s scary, but not for the reason you think it is. I’m not scared of you, I’m scared for you. Only bad experiences can bring the Avatar State out right now, and they all leave lasting mental scars on us. And Fung will do anything to get to the Avatar State- no matter how cruel it is. This isn’t a good idea.” Avella said, and Aang sighed. He was glad to have heard that, but he was still doing this. Avella let out a sigh of her own, leaning her head on Aang’s shoulder. “I know, but I can’t see you do this to yourself, Apple. I won’t watch whatever Fung puts you through tomorrow, I’m not watching you lose yourself in rage and pain. Goodnight.” She whispered, pulling away and walking off to the bedroom again. Avella was still awake by the time Aang entered but had turned her back.

“We’re going home, after four long years,” Zuko said, tone disbelieving. Hotaru didn’t believe it either, but Zuko had a different thought process. “It’s unbelievable!” Yes, it is- even Iroh admitted that he’d never known the Fire Lord to regret anything. “Did you listen to Azula? Father realized how important family is to him! He cares about me!” Zuko said firmly- Hotaru wanted to ask who he was convincing, them or himself. Iroh said that he cared for Zuko, trying to talk sense into the teen- but Zuko turned away. “You don’t know how my father feels about me.” He said, and Hotaru hummed.

“Since he’s been with you, unwilling to leave your side for the last four years, of course not. But I do- my father was only all too happy to share what the Fire Lord thought of his son. He’s disappointed in you and what you do, he says you’re a failure, a disgrace, and an embarrassment. Zuko, you will not be going home to be reunited with your family- your family is here. You are going to be reunited with an abuser.” Hotaru spoke, barely flinching when Zuko rounded on her, furious. He spat that she didn’t know what she was talking about, Azula wouldn’t lie about this- “ Wouldn’t she? She’ll do anything to get what she wants, whether it be a reaction or praise from the Fire Lord.” Hotaru cut in. Zuko stumbled back, eyes wide with shock, and Hotaru felt a twinge of regret. But if she didn’t say anything, she’d regret that even more.

Hotaru refused to go with Azula- not like she’d been invited anyway. By the next morning, Zuko had managed to fight with Iroh. Iroh had packed up his things anyway to follow Zuko, and Hotaru watched the two of them descend to Azula’s boat. On a hunch, she packed her own items up, making sure everything was secure- and that a single seashell was placed on the table. Maybe one day they’d return to the little house. She looked out the window again to see faint blasts of fire at the ship and let out a groan- of course, Azula was lying. She ducked out of the house before the Fire Navy or Azula herself could return after seeing a bolt of literal lightning flash into the ocean, running off into the forest where she knew Iroh would lead Zuko.

“The thing is, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to trigger it on purpose,” Aang said, and Avella froze outside the door. She pressed her ear to the door, listening in- had Aang finally changed his mind? “So, I guess that’s it,” Fung said something, but Avella couldn’t tell with the stone in the way. “Yeah, I’m sure. I can only reach the Avatar State when I’m in genuine danger.” Fung said something else, and then suddenly the floor wrapped around her feet. Avella yelped as she was pulled under the floor, rock practically writhing around her and grating against her skin until she was pulled out into the courtyard, into Fung’s grasp. The ruins of Fung’s desk laid on the ground with a dusty Aang looking horrified, Earth Kingdom troops attacking him. 

Avella yelped as Aang ran around, large stones carved in the Earth Kingdom symbol thrown at him, trying to squish him. Aang got trapped in one and Fung pulled him forward, looking furious. “You can’t run forever!” The man yelled, before pulling her out from behind him. “If you won’t enter the Avatar State for yourself, maybe you will for your friend!” Fung cried out, and Avella’s breath froze. Surely he didn’t mean- surely not. 

Avella’s world spun as she sank into the earth up to her calves, trying to pull herself out to no avail. Aang sent a giant gust of wind, but Fung countered it with a rock to protect himself. Avella squeaked as she was pulled in further, up to her thighs. The world started going fuzzy, just a bit- and Avella could tell that words were being exchanged, Aang and Fung kept yelling at each other. Katara, Kamari, and Sokka were taking care of the other Earth Kingdom soldiers. But Avella could only focus on the fact that she was slowly sinking into solid earth. 

Slowly turned into quickly, far too fast for Avella’s liking. She let out a cry as she was abruptly pulled in up to her neck, breaths coming short and labored- the weight of the world was on her chest, nearly literally. Avella managed to glance at Aang- his eyes were filled with tears, just like hers- before Fung’s fist clenched, and her world was filled with oppressing, claustrophobic darkness. Funny, she’d never had a problem with small spaces before this.

Kamari gasped as Avella disappeared under the earth, Aang diving to try and reach her and just barely missing. His head bowed, and Kamari started inching away- Fung was in huge trouble now. Aang’s tattoos began to glow white, and the Avatar whipped their head around, face already contorted in pure rage. Fung let out a laugh, overjoyed that his plan worked- and Kamari got a good, good look as his face turned from maniacally delighted to horrified and terrified. The Avatar rose on a tornado of wind and dust- Kamari got flashbacks to the South and a Fire Navy ship, back before they had bigger problems- and blasted Fung away. Fung tried to regain control, yelling something- but his voice was blown away in the furious, howling winds.

Avella gasped for breath, coughing up bits of dirt that had made their way into her lungs. She hunched over, nearly blinded by the sudden light, a near tempest raging around them. She glanced up to see the Avatar in all Their righteous fury, all that power and anger directed at Fung. The man was cackling that it was all a ruse, that she had always been safe, it was a trick to bring the State out-, and that it worked . Her heart sank as the Avatar dropped downwards suddenly, creating an earthquake that pushed every single Earthbender back and destroyed the courtyard. The Avatar flashed blue briefly, and Avella watched as Roku stole Aang’s spirit away, leaving them at the pure mercy of the Avatar, unable to do anything to help.

Avella had just barely gotten her feet under her, her entire body trembling. The Avatar had formed a half-sphere around Themselves, nearly unmoving before Fang, Roku, and Aang all dove back into the body. Aang abruptly came back into consciousness, groaning as his body gave out from the stress. Avella managed to scramble to him, hugging him close and mumbling apologies and reassurances. Even as he looked around, gazing at the destruction he caused, Avella tried to ground him- ironic, considering what had just happened. 

“I’m sorry, Vel. I hope you never have to see me like that ever again.” Aang whispered, and Avella just hummed, burying her face in his shoulder as she squeezed him tight. It would happen again- and next time, she’d fight beside him. She had to.

“Ha, are you joking? That was almost perfect!” A rude voice suddenly cut in, and Avella turned to see Fung. She flinched back from the man as he strode up, grinning widely. “We just have to find a way to control you while you’re like that!” He said, already starting to plot. As he was rambling about ideas they could try on the way to the Fire Nation, Kamari casually walked up behind him and smacked the back of his head with her pick. The jerk went down instantly, showing a very satisfying faceplant into the broken ground.

“Anybody got a problem with that?” Kamari barked, grinning smugly as all the Earth Kingdom soldiers present shook their heads. They sheepishly asked if they still wanted an escort, and Kamari scoffed. She kicked Fung’s unconscious body, pretending to think. “Oh, I think we’re all set.” She said, almost laughing when the soldiers tried to eagerly comply with the wishes of the Avatar’s friend group. Not soon enough, Appa and Calla were soaring through the skies once again, headed to Omashu. Kamari brushed some extra dirt from Avella’s robes as they flew, mentally cursing that disgusting Fung under every Spirit she could remember.

Hotaru caught up with Zuko and Iroh along the riverside, nearly running into them. For now, they were probably safe- Azula would rather take her anger out on people she knew would be there, like soldiers under her command. Zuko pulled out a knife, and Hotaru snatched it before he could chop his phoenix tail off. “Let me, please.” She murmured, carefully cutting Zuko’s hair. She left enough to ruffle, so he still visibly had hair. She then sawed off Iroh’s topknot and trimmed his hair and beard before taking her curls into one hand. She took a deep breath and swiped the knife through, nearly stumbling from the sudden loss of weight. She pulled the other two away from dropping their hair in the river, instead burning it. They left the gross-smelling scene of the crime- and despite the social horror she had just committed, Hotaru felt lighter. Almost like chopping off her hair meant chopping off her troubles, somehow.

Chapter Text

“You guys are gonna be done soon right? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover if we want to make it to Omashu today,” Sokka commented lazily as he floated on a giant leaf.

The Waterbenders scowled at him, pausing their lesson as Katara snarked after her brother. “What,” she hissed, “like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?” Avella snickered from a matching leaf, stroking a sleeping Momo as the boy defended himself- saying he could be ready in 2 minutes. 

Kamari huffed as she turned back to her pupil, “Show me your octopus form.” She commanded him. Aang took up a kata form and she sighed, moving to correct his position as Katara explained what he was doing wrong. 

“Your arms are too far apart, you need to protect your center. Remember that while water is fluid like air, it's heavier and wants to move along certain paths so it’s not as forgiving. This technique is even more difficult because you have to split your attention among the arms to prevent a slow reaction and opening in its defense.” The Avatar blinked a few times before nodding and pulling on the water around him to form 8 watery tentacles. Katara and Kamari slipped into position and began tossing chunks of ice his way. 

It wasn't long before he wrapped an aquatic tentacle around Katara’s leg and froze Kamari into the ankle-deep water, signaling the end of the spar. Kamari looked back at a splash as Avella burst out of the water laughing from where she had fallen off the leaf, pointing at her friend. “You make a fine octopus, pupil Aang.” Her cousin choked out, holding back a laugh at the Avatar's playful take on the form, a head added to the tentacles surrounding him as he swayed his arms up and down. He looked ridiculous. 

When she had finally caught her breath Avella apologized to the lemur she had accidentally dumped into the water. She looked up at the sound of distant humming, someone was headed their way and it wasn't long before the others noticed either. The tune grew louder and she could distinguish a few voices and instruments in the small group before, finally, the people came over the small hill in the path and the words became understandable. “-Don’t fall in love with a traveling girl, she’ll leave you broke and broken-hearted-“ and just as soon as it started, the music stopped as the group noticed them. 

“Hey, hey!” The man who appeared to be the leader exclaimed excitedly, “River people!” Katara chuckled, confusedly informing him that they were not, in fact, river people. The man looked genuinely confused as he asked what kind of people they were then and Avella had to stuff her face in Calla’s fur to stop herself from laughing at the exchange between the man and Aang. 

Avella cut in as Sokka stalked forward, asking “So, who are you?” The man smiled and introduced himself as Chong before turning to introduce his wife, Lily, saying that they were nomads. This of course excited Aang which led to the discovery that Chong was not the shiniest shell on the beach. Maybe he had sniffed the wrong flower… or ten. Chong complimented Sokka’s underwear, prompting the teen to cover himself with a leaf and awkwardly scoot off.

Hotaru shoved at the bushes around her, trying to find her way back to Iroh after another failed attempt at finding food. She finally had some luck when she heard Zuko raging about the situation, guessing that he didn't find any food either. After a few more moments of struggling she broke through the dense underbrush to see Zuko looking done with his uncle who was staring at an odd bush that grew a singular flower. Zuko stomped off to attempt fishing, so she approached Iroh to ask what in the name of Agni he was doing. “This bush will either make a delectable tea or a deadly poison,” he told her conspiratorially, helping pull branches and leaves from her tangled hair. Somehow she didn't think this would end well- Iroh’s love for tea overtook his rationale at times. This would probably be one of those times. 

Chong’s group introduced themselves, and it turns out that while Chong led them, the brains of the singing nomads was a boy about their age who introduced himself as Naoki. He said that their group had traveled a lot of places- and where they hadn’t been yet, they heard about through songs and stories. Chong mentioned a giant nightcrawler he could lead them to, and Naoki cleared his throat before reminding Chong that the teens probably had another destination in mind.

“Yeah. Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Kamari and Katara are busy-” Said girls glared at Sokka from where Lily and Moku were braiding said girls’ hair with flowers. “-But we need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows. We need to get Aang to learn Earthbending somewhere safe.” Sokka reiterated, and Chong hummed.

“Sounds like you’re headed to Omashu,” Chong said, and Naoki and Sokka facepalmed in unison. “There’s an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains,” Chong murmured, and Kamari asked if it was real or a legend. Chong grinned, strumming his guitar. “Oh, it’s a real legend alright!” He chirped, and Naoki sighed before strumming his own instrument- it was a nice song, regardless.

“Two lovers, forbidden from one another! A war divides their people- and a mountain divides them apart. Built a path to be together rrr …” The group sang before Chong hummed. “And uh, I forgot the next couple of lines, but then it goes-” He inhaled before the song continued. “Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountain! Secret secret secret secret tunnel llllllllllll ! Yeah!” Naoki let out a whoop as the song finished, doing a little ditty at the end- it was a fun song to sing!

“I think we’ll just stick with flying. We’ve dealt with the Fire Nation before, we’ll be fine.” Sokka said, striding over to flop against Appa’s belly. Kamari pursed her lips, smoothing over one of her new braids.

“Yeah we’ll be fine , but even if we can deal with the Fire Nation, why would we want to mess around with them more than necessary?” Kamari said, shooting a look at the others. Aang winced, sighing as he stood up.

“The offer is great, but Air doesn’t do well underground. Appa especially hates it, and we’ve got to keep our bison comfortable.” He beamed, and the teens nodded at each other- how bad could it be?

Ten minutes later, Naoki was twisting a small torch together when the teenagers and their bison came back, looking and smelling vaguely burnt. “Secret love cave, let’s go.” They all chimed in, and the nomads jumped to join.

Zuko pushed through the bushes again, a very crude wooden spear slung over his shoulder. At the very, very tip of it wriggled a very small fish. Hotaru tried to stifle a laugh as she came up on the sight- even her fishing had gone better! Iroh was still crouched to examine the mysterious flower. “Zuko, Hotaru. Remember that plant I thought might be tea?” He asked, and Hotaru shared a glance with Zuko. Here it was. Iroh turned, revealing itchy rashes all over his body, cheeks slightly swollen. He stood up, using a stick to itch at his body. “When the rash reaches my throat, I will stop breathing. But look what I found!” He said chipperly, showing off a clump of red berries. “These are Pakui berries, known to cure the poison of the White Jade plant!” A beat. “That, or they’re Makaola berries, that cause blindness.” Iroh sheepishly stated. 

Zuko wasted no time before tossing the berries off into the forest- they were not taking any more chances, and they needed to get help . Iroh was starting to contort himself into various positions to try and scratch his rashes, frowning. “But where would we go?” The old General said. “We’re enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives from the Fire Nation!” 

“If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they’ll have us killed,” Zuko stated, before Hotaru piped in.

“But if the Fire Nation finds us, they’ll give us back to Azula,” Hotaru stated, all three glancing at each other before unanimously coming to a decision.

“Earth Kingdom it is.” The three chimed in, turning to walk upriver and hopefully find an Earth Kingdom settlement. Hotaru slapped Iroh’s hands away from himself, hissing at him to stop itching, that only made it worse !

As the large group trekked through the ruins of an ancient Earth Kingdom town, Sokka asked how far away they were from the tunnel. Chong decided that it was the perfect time to admit that it was a labyrinth of tunnels, made by the lovers so they’d never get found. Naoki and Sokka facepalmed- they were sure to end up with large bruises on their faces from Chong. Kamari wondered how Naoki kept up with Chong’s idiocy for so long. Lily piped up that all they needed to do was trust in love, according to the curse. Because of course there was a curse. 

Soon enough, they all made it to the tunnel before Sokka finally asked what the curse was. “Well, the curse states that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise, you’ll be trapped in them forever.” Chong said cheerfully, and Kamari let out a heavy sigh. Of course, the Spirits wouldn’t make this shortcut easy on anyone, would they? Then, Lily piped up that the other part of the curse was that those who couldn’t make it out would die- which- Kamari thought was pretty obvious if the entire point was to not have escaped at all.

“Yeah, that’s it. There is no way we’re going through a cursed hole.” Sokka stated- but just as he said that the smell of acrid smoke and those nasty fireballs hit all of their noses. A couple of explosions sounded, one closer than the other, before Sokka groaned. “And the Fire Nation is coming closer, aren’t they? Making this our only option because they’re tracking us.” He stated glumly.

“So, all you need to do to make it through is to trust in love?” Avella said, getting a nod from Chong. She glanced at Aang, who was looking at Katara, and quickly turned away. “We can probably make it, then.” She stated before Sokka ushered them all into the cave.

As they left the sunlight and fresh air, Calla and Appa got rather jittery and uncomfortable. Unfortunately for the entire group, a few Fire Nation tanks had followed them- but instead of chasing them inside the underground labyrinth, they just blew up the entrance, forcing them all into pitch-black, dusty air. Before they did, Avella heard them mention that it was ‘too dangerous’ and ‘hadn’t they heard the song’. Just great , even the Fire Nation thought this was a bad idea.

Appa was whining and pawing at the blocked entrance, and Avella ran over to soothe him despite her own chest tightening. The nomads had some torches that lasted two hours each- but Sokka and Kamari had to stop Lily from lighting all five at the same time. Sokka groaned, grabbing some blank parchment from Calla’s saddle, saying he was gonna make a map. Kamari glanced over at him, one eyebrow raised. Somehow she didn’t think that would work. The entire group started walking, and Avella was glad the tunnel was at least large enough to fit like five bison all hugging each other; it didn’t feel like General Fung had her again.

Hotaru had found them a healer’s hut in a small village, and one of the healers quickly got to work slathering some green paste all over Iroh. “You three must not be from around here, we know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into a tea and drink it .” The young woman remarked, and Iroh laughed sheepishly. The girl hummed, dipping a rag in water before patting it on Iroh’s rashes again. “So, where are you traveling from?” Zuko spluttered out that yes, they were travelers, and Hotaru wanted to slap him upside the head. The girl giggled, turning to face Zuko. “So, do you travelers have names?” She asked, and Hotaru slapped a hand over Zuko’s mouth as discreetly as she could.

“I’m Sage, and this is my... brother Lee and our uncle Mushi.” Hotaru blurted out, wincing at Zuko and Iroh’s confused and somewhat judgmental glances at her. Iroh hummed, before remarking that they called ‘Lee’ Junior because he was named after his father, and called her Bug because she liked to eat bugs as a kid. The girl introduced herself as Song, remarking that they looked like they could use a good meal. Song smiled warmly, inviting them to her house for dinner. Zuko refused, and Song hummed before remarking that her mother always made too much roast duck. That always had been Iroh’s favorite. Iroh was roped in easily- and admittedly, Hotaru had missed good food.

Sokka was horrible at making maps. He could read them, sure- but actually, Kamari was suddenly not so sure of that, watching Sokka twist his map this way and that after leading them to ten dead ends in a row. But they’d already been through this way- she remembered making a symbol with some stones for a landmark- and the path they had taken previously was blocked off. The only explanation possible was that the tunnels were changing- but she still didn’t get how love factored into it.

Just as Kamari spoke her thoughts out loud, the tunnel seemed to shake. Pebbles dripped down from the ceiling as Avella turned towards the other visible tunnel. “Something’s coming,” Avella stated, and the others turned to where she was facing, wary.

“My daughter tells me you’re refugees- we were once refugees ourselves.” Song’s mother spoke, placing an entire roast duck on the table. Song nodded, sighing.

“When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away, and that was the last time I saw my father.” Song spoke, looking downcast. Hotaru felt pain spike in her heart, only made worse by Zuko remarking that he, too, hadn’t seen his father in many years. “Oh, is he fighting in the war?” Song innocently asked, and Hotaru tried to quietly slurp up her noodles- technically yes but also no, the Fire Lord was involved but wouldn’t dare directly involve himself and his precious, glossy hair. Zuko just answered yes.

Naoki had to physically restrain Chong from wailing miserably about the curse and the changing walls, Avella listening closely to the distant tunnel. Suddenly, a sharp wailing noise made the girl flinch, screeching as the tunnel and their visions were suddenly filled with hyper, terrified wolf bats. It soon died down to just one, and Sokka tried swiping at it with the lit torch. Unfortunately, said torch slipped out of his grasp and landed on Appa’s foot. 

The bison freaked out, already on high alert from the earlier fireballs and the underground caves- and soon he’d pulled Calla into both bison running around and slamming haphazardly into walls, letting out terrified bellows. Rocks began to rain down at a faster rate than before, and Katara shouted something about a cave-in. Soon enough, plenty of ceiling collapsed- ending up with three groups. The first group had Sokka and the nomads, another group had Kamari, Katara, and Calla, and the third group had Appa, Avella, and Aang.

After dinner, Zuko went out to meditate (hopefully), and Hotaru watched as Song went out to talk with him. Meanwhile, she and Iroh were enjoying Song’s mother’s delicious tea, the rashes from the White Jade finally gone from Iroh’s skin. 

Naoki hummed, striding along with his group, grinning as they played the Secret Tunnel again- this time, with different lyrics that he got to make up. “Oh, don’t let the cave-in get you down ( get you down ), oh don’t let the falling rocks turn your smile in-to a frown! Oh, when the tunnel’s as dark as that you need someone to bring you back out to happy town, hey!” Naoki sang, laughing as he twirled about before resting eyes on the grumpy teen they’d gotten stuck with. He strummed his lyre again, grinning. “Oh don’t let the cave-in get you down, specifically Sokka !” He sang, smirking at the annoyed look on the other teenager’s face.

Avella gasped as they came upon a stone door, sealed shut. “Look, it might be the exit!” Aang cried out, and the two teens rushed over. Upon seeing that they couldn’t open the door- probably only possible with Earthbending- Appa rammed into it headfirst. Avella blinked as that sure got the stone door to roll out of the way- but it wasn’t the exit. Instead, it seemed to be a tomb. 

Avella stepped down the stairs, marveling at the architecture. It looked very old, the air ancient yet cool and crisp, somehow. The two tombs that indeed held the two lovers’ bodies lay in the center of it all, and when Avella brought the torch closer to the stone, inscriptions could be seen. “Hey, these pictures tell their story.” She pointed out, and Aang jogged over to look. 

“They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages. The villages were enemies, so they could not be together. But their love was strong, and they found a way. The two lovers learned Earthbending from the badger moles- ooh, that’s cool - and became the first Earthbenders.” Avella spoke, moving from one carving to another. 

“They built elaborate tunnels so that they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever in the labyrinth. But one day, the man didn’t come. He died in the war between their two villages. Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her Earthbending power- she could have destroyed them all. Instead, she declared that the war was over. Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace. The woman’s name was Oma, and the man’s name was Shu. The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love.” Avella glanced at Aang, who was staring at the wall behind them, focused. She turned as well, to see another inscription. Love is brightest in the dark , surrounded by a carving of Oma and Shu kissing.

Sokka led them to yet another dead end. Naoki was getting tired of his high-and-mighty ‘ maps and science being superior while magic, love, and Bending are inferior’ attitude. Said teen then snapped that at least he was thinking of ideas- so Naoki decided to mess with him. “Since the story talks about trusting and believing in love, isn’t the answer obvious?” He piped up, the others turning to him, Sokka with hope in his eyes. Ha, as if . “We have to sing a love song!” He cheered, causing Sokka’s eyes to dim and the nomads to whoop, pulling their instruments up front, beginning a new song. Sokka facepalmed, and Naoki sent a wide grin to him. Music made everything better, he had no idea what Sokka was complaining about.

“How are we gonna find our way out of these tunnels?” Aang asked, still staring at the carved walls. Avella hummed, tugging at a strand of hair.

“Well, I have an idea- but it’s pretty crazy, and pretty silly, honestly.” Avella laughed, turning away when Aang looked at her eagerly, asking what the idea was. “I mean- I was thinking that the curse says we’ll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love. And- and here it says that love is brightest in the dark with a picture of the lovers kissing.” Avella said, before turning back to Aang. Aang looked confused, and she decided to just blurt it out. “Well, what if we kissed?” She asked, and Aang looked shocked. “See? It was a crazy idea!” Avella laughed, abruptly turning away. Aang laughed awkwardly too, and Avella winced at her awkward delivery, before trying to laugh it off. “Us, kissing? What was I thinking? Can you imagine that??” She shrugged, glancing at Aang.

Aang laughed, face looking a little weird. “Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t want to kiss you !” He said, and Avella’s face dropped. What exactly did he mean by that? Aang looked like he instantly regretted the words that came out, but was unable to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in. “No, that’s not what I meant! Just that if it’s between kissing you and dying-” Avella scoffed, crossing her arms. “What?! I’m saying I would rather kiss you than die! It’s a compliment!” Aang spluttered, and Avella let out an angry, hurt scoff. How dare he.

“Well at this point, I’m not sure which I’d rather do, since you’re always making eyes at Katara who barely looks at you anyway!” Avella shot, shoving the torch into Aang’s hand before stomping off. She felt her face warm with anger and embarrassment and had to rub at her eyes to keep from crying- how mortifying.

Kamari followed Katara, infinitely grateful that she wasn’t claustrophobic. Katara was rambling, rather scared, and Calla wasn’t much better, clearly upset about being both underground and separated from her Airbender. “Look, the curse is about not trusting in love, yeah? And while the story might originally be about romantic love, who’s to say it won’t work with familial, platonic love?” Kamari cut in, making Katara blink in surprise. As they walked, thinking about the idea, Kamari realized that it had merit- but she and Katara squabbled over things so often, that she wasn’t quite sure of Katara’s feelings toward her. Katara quietly admitted that she might be right- oh and that their torch was running low. So Kamari grabbed her cousin’s hand, and even as the light dimmed, they continued walking. She refused to leave her family behind.

Fireflies lit up the surroundings when Hotaru, Zuko, and Iroh left. She and Iroh bowed politely to Song and her mother, and Hotaru physically dragged Zuko over to make him bow lightly as well. Then, Song spoke up. “I know you don’t think there’s any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!” Song said cheerfully, and Zuko grumbled out that he knew. As they left the gate, Zuko noticed the family had an ostrich horse with a small cart attached. His face furrowed in thought, and Hotaru shook her head at him- they couldn’t steal from such nice people!

Zuko had no such qualms, somehow. Or maybe he just buried the guilt deep, deep down. Hotaru sighed and pulled some of her last stored jewelry out from her pockets, placing them in the creature’s stable as some form of repayment. She clambered in the cart with Iroh, and Zuko leaped aboard the ostrich horse, leading them off. The animal moved without complaint, and as they drove by Song’s house once more, Hotaru caught sight of Song looking out at them from the window. Her heart froze, but Song merely looked sad, closing the window and not raising an alarm. She glanced away quickly, squeezing her robes in her hands as the cart rattled away- this sucked .

“We’re gonna run out of light any second now- what will we do?” Aang asked quietly, and Avella let out a sigh, murmuring that she didn’t know. Her anger had fizzled out- Aang had apologized for a solid few minutes, and the guilt was obviously eating him alive. She turned and grasped the base of the torch with Aang, gazing at him as the light lowered. With every lowering flicker of the fire, the two Airbenders got closer together, until the light went out entirely.

A few moments of darkness passed before the ceiling lit up in an array of glowing stones, littering the cave like stars. Avella gasped as she instantly ran up a wall to collect some, marveling at the beautiful aqua light. She turned the stones one way to another, admiring the glittering light, before wrapping them in a cloth, and stuffing them in her bag. “Beautiful- they must only glow when there’s no other light- that is why love is brightest in the dark! The lovers knew about the glowing stones, while those who chased them would bring torches! It’s incredible!” Avella gushed, laughing at Aang’s dumbfounded face before pointing down where the crystals seemed to be leading them. “Look, they’re leading us out!” She cried, grabbing Aang’s hand and running along the glowing path, giggling at Appa’s eagerness to follow.

Naoki’s lyre strumming was interrupted by all-too-familiar snarling from the tunnel ahead. He yelped as their group was bombarded with crazy wolf bats again- but they were gone just as quickly as they’d arrived, almost like… “They’re running from something.” Sokka said, and Naoki grimaced. Whatever a wolf bat ran from surely couldn’t mean good things for them. Just as Chong asked what those beasts could be running from, the entire tunnel shook. A rumbling noise got louder and closer before the wall shattered to reveal a ginormous badger mole in front of them. A second later, another badger mole broke in behind them, caging them in entirely. With mighty slaps of their clawed paws, Naoki and Sokka were separated from the nomads, with just his lyre on the ground between them and the badger moles. Sokka scrambled back from the snout of one, wincing as his hand hit the strings.

Naoki blinked as the badger moles seemed to perk up at the sound. “Wait- Sokka, give me my lyre.” He whispered, snatching it from a whimpering Sokka. He had a hunch- since badger moles had horrible eyesight, they surely made up for it with better hearing, smell, and touch. And for creatures constantly living in a mountain? Music must be a rarity. Naoki took a deep breath, settling his nerves, before starting to strum. “Ohh, badger-moles are coming towards me,” He glanced at his friends. “-Come on guys, help me out!” He sang, tone wavering. At the entrance of the other nomads’ instruments, he relaxed slightly, continuing his made-up song. “The big-bad-badger moles, who opened the tunnels, hate the wolf bats, but lo-o-ove the sounds!” He sang, nearly giggling hysterically as the badger moles’ heads bopped to the beat.

“It’s some kind of crystal.” Kamari breathed, looking up at the ceiling in wonder. Katara nodded, snorting when Kamari let out a low whistle of amazement. The walls, too, had faint bioluminescent algae of sorts growing, stopping the girls from tripping over unseen rocks on the floor. Kamari then smirked, turning to her cousin. “Hey, wanna make a bet on how many crystals our sticky-fingered friend will have by the time we get out of here?” She asked, and Katara’s eyes lit up with the fire of familial competition. Numbers were traded back and forth, ranging from just two to over fifty (somehow, if the girl could even carry that many) as the cousins strode through the tunnels, laughter ringing throughout the stone walls.

Appa was the first one out of the caves, lowing happily as he rolled around in the grass. Avella laughed, letting out a delighted whoop as she spun in the fresh air, causing a small dust devil to kick up around her. She closed her eyes to soak in the warm sunshine, beaming when Aang grabbed her hand to enjoy the sight as well. Katara, Calla, and Kamari ran out not long after, the two girls giggling before demanding Avella tell them how many crystals she took while Calla rolled around with Appa. Avella stuttered out that she took about 40- 38 to be precise- and Kamari let out a groan, Katara whooping. Avella spluttered upon finding out they made a bet on her, but she was laughing anyway.

Naoki cheered as the badger moles broke them out of the mountain, sliding down the furry beast’s back and dusting himself off. Once all passengers were off, he strummed another chord, and the badger moles grunted before turning and walking back into the mountain, the new exits closing up behind them with a crash. The cousins all hugged, before asking each other how they all got out. Aang beamed at Avella, and Kamari looped an arm around Katara, both parties saying that they let love lead the way. Sokka hummed, before remarking that he let giant music-loving badger moles lead the way. Momo bounded over to the bison, chattering and waving his arms about as he told his story of the events.

Kamari blinked, poking at Sokka’s forehead. She asked why it was all red, and Chong scooted over. “Nobody react to what I’m about to tell you- I think that kid might be the Avatar!” He whispered loudly, pointing to Sokka. Sokka facepalmed again, leaving a large red handprint on his face. The teenagers all laughed, Naoki snorting as he joined in. The nomads all glanced at each other, sharing looks, before Lily stepped up.

“Naoki? You seem to have made friends with our fellow nomad travelers, here. Would you like to travel with people closer to your age?” Lily offered. Naoki glanced from her to the teenagers- the Airbenders seemed delighted ( plural Airbenders, what the heck), and Sokka was the only one even vaguely hesitant about it. Naoki opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Chong handed him his belongings and another flower crown. This prompted all the other nomads to give him a flower accessory, and they soon departed.

“Are you guys gonna head to Omashu too, then?” Naoki asked quietly- he’d spent years with his nomad friends. They all beamed at him.

“Nope!” Moku piped in, and Aang simply said ‘Okay!’ before waving the nomads on their way. Naoki laughed as Chong already began composing a new song as they left, Lily twirling her skirts as they hiked. He turned to his new traveling companions- guess he had to help teach them, mainly Sokka, how to enjoy music and the actual traveling, like the nomads taught him.

“The journey was long and annoying,” Sokka narrated as they climbed the mountaintop. “But now we get to see what it’s really about- the destination!” He cried, gesturing grandly to Omashu. Naoki looked at the other teens’ pale faces, before clearing his throat and popping Sokka’s excited bubble.

“Uh, your destination is a Fire Nation-controlled city?” Naoki asked dryly, raising an eyebrow as Sokka spun around, squawking in alarm that no, it was not supposed to look like that .

Despite the situation, Avella caught sight of the various plumes of smoke drifting off of Omashu and snorted, leaning close to Aang. “Hey, looks like the Fire Nation is bringing the weed back to Weed City.” She whispered, the two Airbenders letting out snorts despite the danger the city was probably in.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe it. I know the war spread far, but Omashu always seemed… untouchable.” Kamari breathed, standing next to her cousins. The two Airbenders were staring at the beloved city, before she sighed, rubbing at her forehead. Now, apparently Ba Sing Se was the last Earth Kingdom stronghold left standing. Katara said something about needing to let it go and leave it behind, and Avella scoffed. 

“No way! Aang and I are going in there to find Bumi!” Avella retorted, crossing her arms.

“Guys, we don’t even know if Bumi’s still-” Sokka’s words froze as the Airbenders glared at him, making him mentally reevaluate what he was about to say. “A-around. We don’t know if he’s still around. I know you had your heart set on learning Earthbending from him, Aang, but other people can teach you Earthbending.” He continued, and Aang turned away stubbornly- it wasn’t about finding a teacher, it was about finding a friend.

Of course, they couldn’t enter Omashu the way they did last time. Appa and Calla floated the teens down into the deep ravine that surrounded the city before the Airbenders began poking at what looked like a secret passage. “A secret passage? Why didn’t we use that the first time around?” Kamari asked curiously, before the metal grate popped off and a sea of stinky, sewage goop rushed out. Oh, that was why. She shuddered and pinched her nose, hoping it would at least dull the smell of rancid slime.

Avella and Aang used their Airbending to keep the muck off themselves, and Kamari and Katara managed to use their Waterbending. Sokka and Naoki had to splutter through the grimy mess since Sokka insisted on being the last one to go through and Naoki couldn’t exactly Bend muck. The group ended up at a sewer grate, and the first four climbed out before a goop monster showed up, groaning. Avella yelped as the monster was splashed with water and blow-dried by Aang, revealing Sokka with purple pentapuses all over his face. Sokka let out a screech, and Avella had to quickly slap a hand over his mouth, tickling the little creatures so they’d let go. Naoki cooed at the adorable little creatures, giggling as the one he held in his hand squealed happily.

Of course, a posse of Fire Nation guards came up, asking why they were out past curfew. The Water Tribe teens scooted to cover up Aang and Avella while they hid their arrows, stammering that they were just headed home with Naoki nodding quickly. Upon turning and attempting to leave, one of the guards called out for them- asking what was on Sokka’s neck. Avella quickly piped up that it was pentapox- highly contagious and deadly. Sokka caught on and began coughing, somehow scaring the guards enough that they ran away. Following suit, the six teens split from the scene of the crime, searching for Bumi.

Katara asked where they would be keeping Bumi, and the Airbenders glanced at each other. “Somewhere he can’t Earthbend- somewhere made of metal.” Aang decided, Avella nodding in agreement. Sticking to places that housed a lot of metal, the six teens continued sneaking around, looking for the old, mad king. 

As they walked, Kamari noticed some boulders start rolling down one of the closed mail chutes- headed right for a small procession that had a baby! With a quick swipe of his staff, Aang reduced the rocks to rubble- alerting the procession. They cried out something about the Resistance, capital R, and Kamari yelped as Avella tugged them all down, darted daggers flying up to where they had just been- that girl had good aim. Unfortunately, a couple of guards and said girl began climbing a ladder, forcing the teens to retreat. Kamari gasped as the girl flicked more darts at them, creating an ice shield to block them before running off, groaning as the girl followed them. Just as Aang got close to being nicked, the floor dropped underneath all six, dropping them into the darkness- and apparently, right to the Resistance of Omashu.

Avella was sick and tired of being underground. The green lighting that reminded her of Bumi was the only thing that kept her mind from thinking she was stuck under Fung’s hand again, and the harsh words from the Earthbenders in the Resistance didn’t help. According to them, Bumi just- gave up. Just handed the city over. Avella paused at that, even as Aang sputtered a quiet, disbelieving denial. That… That sounded like one of Bumi’s favorite Pai Sho tricks; a temporary loss to blindside the enemy into giving up a more precious victory. Before she could remind Aang of Bumi’s playing style, however, the Resistance continued about how fighting the Fire Nation was the only path to freedom, whether King Bumi followed them or not.

“Actually, that’s not the only way.” Naoki pointed out, blinking in shock with all the eyes suddenly on him. “You could leave Omashu- Ba Sing Se is still sturdy, you could be traveling fighters. You’re spending all your energy to fight- what will happen when you have no more energy?” Naoki continued, watching as the three men seemingly in charge debated amongst themselves. They finally agreed to give survival a try, before bringing up that thousands of citizens would need to escape, with no way out. Naoki hummed, gaze drifting to where Sokka was scratching at his pentapus markings. “Suckers!” He exclaimed, this time not caring when all gazes snapped to him. “Everyone’s about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox!” He cheered, grinning when some of his friends’ eyes lit up with recognition.

It didn’t take much time, honestly. Soon enough, barrels of pentapuses were being carted around the city, the little creatures stuck onto skin and given plenty of tickles, making it appear as though all the citizens had gotten very sick- and Sokka and Naoki gave acting lessons. Kamari winced as a pentapus was tugged off her hand, leaving the skin tingling, before staring at an old man with a peg leg and a cane walking around feebly, groaning in pain. Apparently, he was a star of acting, thanks to years of practice. The man grinned, the only thing keeping Kamari from thinking he was actually in pain. And thus, the sloppily-cobbled-together plan was put into effect. Suddenly, she looked around- Aang and Avella were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, they had a plan of their own.

Avella had to admit that as she and Aang raced along the housetops, the Omashu citizens were pretty darn good at pretending to be sick. A few of them even fell over, pretending to foam at the mouth as they cornered the Fire Nation guards. She winced as a metal bell clanged over and over, the guards shouting that there was a plague. She finally turned away to follow Aang, having trouble keeping her giggles quiet. Somehow, despite committing numerous war crimes, the Fire Nation was still picky about their hygiene of all things.

With the city mostly cleared of Fire Nation and Omashu citizens, Aang and Avella sprinted around, searching the city. A white flash caught her attention, and she gasped as she spotted Flopsy tied to a cog, forced to turn it continually. Aang broke the chain with Waterbending, and Avella sighed happily as the giant goat rabbit hugged them both tight- she’d missed the cuddly furball. She followed Aang’s lead to get on his back, snorting when Aang tried ‘yip yip’ on him. ‘Let’s go’ worked, however, and Avella decided very quickly that she much preferred flying on Calla to being bounced around on Flopsy.

Naoki was hurrying around, making sure the citizens of Omashu were all huddled around a warm campfire when the Airbenders returned with a giant goat rabbit. He was not ashamed to say he yelped at the sight, catching attention. Just as the other teenagers gathered around, the Earth Resistance leader came up, saying there was an issue with the headcount. Naoki’s stomach dropped- but instead of the expected missing person, they had an extra. The man pointed to Momo, who had a toddler donning red wrapped around the poor lemur, giggling and squealing.

Sokka made the baby cry. Avella quickly swooped the poor toddler up, cooing and soothing him while glaring at Sokka. Yes, the baby tried to eat his club, no that wasn’t an excuse to yell at him! He was just a baby. A hawk screeched as it swooped close to their fire, and the Resistance leader went to collect the message. 

“This is from the Fire Nation Governor,” Aang said as he read it. “He thinks we kidnapped his son, so he wants to make a trade. His son Tom-Tom for King Bumi!” Aang gasped, and Avella looked up at her friend in surprise. Of course- the choice was obvious, and the next day came with the six teens preparing to fly in on the bison to return baby Tom-Tom and get Bumi back.

The trade was at noon. Avella bounced sweet little Tom-Tom in her arms as she grimaced at the half-built statue of the Fire Lord, awaiting the Governor’s appearance. Three figures soon came up- but it wasn’t the Governor. It was the girl from yesterday and two others- one of whom had a Fire Nation emblem in her hair, and Avella’s breath paused momentarily. Ohhh, this was bad. A familiar cackle spread through the air, and Avella gasped happily at the sight of her friend- yes he was encased in a metal box, but he seemed content regardless. And he was safe!

The girl on the left- the Princess, if the twin bun girl was correct- murmured something, and Avella frowned. “She’s calling off the deal, we need to think quickly,” She whispered, moments before said girl strode forward to declare the exact same thing. Bumi laughed and bid them all goodbye, which relieved Avella slightly- but they were still about to be under attack, and that Princess’s gaze was predatory. Of course, Aang screamed after Bumi and rushed off to catch him- revealing his arrows. Avella groaned, but couldn’t take time to yell at him- the other two girls had launched an attack.

Naoki yelped as the bun girl threw darts at him, thankful that the tips seemed to be made of something he could Bend. He flipped the darts up and out of the way, ducking and pulling at the ornaments in the girl’s robes to keep her from attacking him. Her gaze was icy- and wasn’t the baby her brother? Ohhh no they messed up, this was an older sister with someone to protect. Kamari and Katara jumped in to help him with the fight, and Naoki wished he were a Waterbender, too- their Bending looked so cool and powerful!

Avella ducked and dodged, Tom-Tom laughing in her arms as the girl in pink pursued her easily. Avella kept squinting at her, even as the girl tried to jab her body. “Hey, your facial structure looks familiar. Do you by chance have Ty in your name?” Avella asked, tone calm as if they were just having a conversation. The girl blinked in shock and nodded, and Avella gasped happily- that’s how the face was familiar to her! “Ohh, did you have a Ty Song in your family a few generations back? She was an Airbender! You have the body and movements of an Airbender down perfectly!” She complimented, laughing as the Ty girl startled from her words, stumbling. The misstep caused her to fall, and Avella leaped from scaffolding to scaffolding, keeping Tom-Tom securely in her arms, a new hope blooming in her chest for the future of Airbending.

The pink girl came tumbling down extremely gracefully just as they’d all managed to start herding the older sister back, and Kamari yelped as all of a sudden her arms went numb. Katara and Naoki, too, seemed to suffer the same fate of being unable to Bend, and the older sister laughed mockingly, asking them how they’d fight without Bending. A whistle cut through the air, and Sokka came through on Appa. “I seem to manage just fine!” He shouted, and Calla landed and slapped her tail hard enough to throw the two girls back harshly. Avella leaped onto Calla’s back from above, still carrying the baby, and the five teens went off to rescue Aang.

Aang and Bumi were sliding down the chute system, followed by the Fire Princess- honestly, blue fire, Kamari thought that was a little overkill. But a rock spike managed to break the Princess’s cart, forcing her to stop while the metal coffin continued to slide, the two bison following suit.

Avella gasped as Bumi abruptly Earthbended a stop to the chute. She gently placed Tom-Tom down in Calla’s saddle before hopping off, Aang looking just as mystified. “Why didn’t you free yourself?” Aang demanded, and Avella pursed her lips. “Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What’s the matter with you, Bumi?!” He asked, furious. Bumi just hummed.

“Listen to me, Aang. There are options in fighting, called Jing. It’s a choice of how you direct your energy.” Bumi declared, and Aang groaned before saying that he knew- positive for attack and negative for retreat. Bumi laughed, letting out a snort. “And neutral Jing, for when you do nothing!” Aang blinked, asking if there were three. Bumi blinked at that, before giving a serious answer. “Well, technically, there’s 85, but let’s just focus on the third. Neutral Jing is the key to Earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike. It’s why I surrendered, and it’s why I can’t leave now.” Bumi said, glancing around conspiratorially. 

“Guess I need to find someone else to teach me Earthbending,” Aang said sadly, turning away, and Bumi nodded.

“Your teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral Jing. You need to find someone who waits and listens before striking.” Bumi advised, and Avella laughed as Momo abruptly landed on her head, before bouncing over to Aang. Bumi grinned. “Momo’s mastered a few Jings, himself!” Momo screeched at that, and Avella snorted. “Goodbye Aang and Avella, I’ll see you both again when the time is right,” Bumi stated, and Avella waved as the mad king Earthbended himself back up the chute, his crazed, snorting laughter fading with distance. 

Late that night, Avella leaped onto the Governor’s roof. He and his wife were crying quietly, clutching each other as they gazed out at the nearby mountains. She looked down at Tom-Tom in her makeshift sling before silently jumping down, carefully unloading the toddler. He let out a happy babble at seeing his parents, starting to toddle towards them. Avella didn’t manage to move in time when the parents found their baby, staring at the tattooed girl in shock. Avella decided that since Iroh probably thought she was a Spirit, she could keep that train of thought popular. “Keep him safe. I couldn’t protect my little siblings when it was necessary, and every little child deserves to grow up safe and happy.” She spoke, using Bending to sound ghost-like. The parents clutched Tom-Tom close, looking at her like she was a ghost- ha- and Avella threw down a smoke bomb, making sure to be long gone by the time the smoke cleared. Now that was a close call.

Chapter Text

Hotaru could see that Zuko was mortified. They were currently camping at a small rice farming village, peddling for money. Iroh had his hat open and waiting, accepting a few coins. A girl walked by and Hotaru complimented her lovely lilac dress- Iroh complimented her smile, and the girl laughed after giving them a coin. A ragged man came up, smirking cruelly. “Hey, how about some entertainment in exchange for a gold piece?” He said, winking at Hotaru. She visibly recoiled, shivering. Zuko and Iroh looked furious on her behalf, and Iroh decided to perform by singing a song.

“It’s a long, long way to Ba Sing Se but the girls in the city, they look so-o prett-ayyyy!” Iroh sang, grinning widely. The man scoffed, pulling out two swords and demanding some action. He started slashing at Iroh’s feet, forcing the old General to dance as he continued his song. “They kiss so sweet that you really have to meet the girls from Ba Sing Se!” He continued singing, a slight waver in his tone. The man laughed as he teased Iroh, dropping the gold coin to the floor and sending an ugly wink Hotaru’s way before striding off. Hotaru retched, shivering. That was disgusting .

Calla and Appa lowed quietly, flying over a giant swamp. Avella stared at the greenery, entranced. She could swear that the water peeking through the trees was glittering with Spiritual power, and only snapped out of what she realized was a trance when Naoki asked, “Hey are you taking us down for a reason?”, causing both her and Aang to jolt- somehow, they’d guided both bison to start drifting downwards. Avella glanced at Aang when an uneasy shrug, eyes drawn to the swamp again.

“This will sound weird, guys, but I think the swamp is calling to me, telling us to land there,” Aang said, and Kamari groaned. Great, more Avatar nonsense that the rest of them could potentially get hurt over. Sokka quipped about asking the swamp where to find something to eat, and Kamari rolled her eyes- he would never change. “Hey, King Bumi told me to wait and listen- and now that I’m actually hearing the earth you want me to ignore it?” Aang rhetorically asked. Kamari hummed, something uneasy in her gut- something was ominous and just plain Wrong about that swamp. 

The others voiced this thought to the Airbenders, who seemed to fold under the pressure, commanding the bison to continue. Unfortunately, Naoki heard a whipping noise behind them, turning to see a tornado. “Uh, throw in an extra yip or two, would ya? We’ve gotta move and fast !” He yelped, screeching as the tornado was upon them before they could even move, the world spinning around him in a very nauseating way- he clung to Calla’s saddle for dear life, but just as he thought he couldn’t hold on any longer- his hand slipped. The animals and the people were separated as quick as a whip, and Naoki yelped as he crashed into some branches on the way down, finally splashing into some murky water. He let out a groan, muddy bubbles popping near his ear. Ow . And ew.

Avella watched Aang leap up through the canopy in search of Appa, Calla, and Momo, but apparently, everything just looked the same from up there. It was only after the entire group pulled three leeches from Sokka- much to his chagrin- that Aang swung down again on a vine to report his nonexistent findings. He mentioned that the tornado disappeared, too, and Avella blinked. “Oh, it’s definitely a Spiritual thing then. What are the legends I’ve heard about swamps, forests, trees, and tornadoes…?” She dissolved into muttering, pacing back and forth and even up a tree trunk as she thought. The only thing that came to mind was the Infinite Lifeforce that shared visions of the future and past- but that was very famously only in the Spirit World.

Kamari sighed, watching Sokka try and chop up the vines blocking their designated path with his club- the sharp end wasn’t very useful for this. Avella mentioned that maybe they should be nicer to the swamp, and she snorted- it wasn’t sentient, just creepy. Katara admitted that it did feel pretty alive, but not much could be continued from the conversation. Kamari sighed as she pulled her pick out to help, Sokka grumbling curses as he somehow got tangled in the vines.

A few hours later, the entire place was shrouded in mist. Naoki shivered as the temperature quickly cooled, barely able to see the figures of his friends in front of him. A sudden bubble of swamp gas poofed nearby, startling Katara and Aang. A sudden human-like scream scared everyone, and Naoki yelped in fear as he jumped. A small white bird was making that horrible racket- and Naoki groaned as he tossed a small pebble at the beast, making it fly off. What a scary jerk! Sokka stomped off to start getting wood for a fire, Avella and Aang wincing with every slice of his machete.

A small fire soon bloomed, and the six teenagers huddled in a hollow section of a giant tree. Of course, Katara had to speak up. “Does anyone else get the feeling we’re being watched?” She asked, and Sokka scoffed. He started swiping at a bug that kept buzzing near him, and Kamari cried out in shock as it glowed extremely brightly. Eyes squinted, she watched as it flew off into the swamp- illuminating many glowing eyes from various predators in the swamp. Right, they were alone, except for the swamp monsters.

Avella woke up to a tickle around her legs. She jerked her limbs, thinking it was a spider- she’d already had one of those giant things crawl up her leg when she was eight, terrifying her for life- and woke up the others with her startled yells. Vines had wrapped around all six teenagers, leading off in different directions, and Avella could only watch as they were all dragged away. She crossed her arms, not even bothering to fight as the vines carefully tugged her through limbs and puddles- this was happening for a reason.

Kamari panted as she finally put her water back in her Bending pouch, running off into the fog as the vines finally paused in their attack. She’d gotten separated from the others- but when lost, the worst thing you could do in an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar predators was yell . She soon made her way to a small clearing, the nearby mangrove trees covered in pink blossoms. A figure flitted past, and she jerked to attention- but Kamari could only see the silhouette of Katara, facing away. Kamari let out a relieved sigh, jogging up to her cousin- who was crying in front of a human-sized stump. Kamari knelt down to comfort her- but if Katara couldn’t move that fast, who would?

Naoki hated this place. In every single shadow, he saw that stupid ex-leader of his with that dumb piece of hay in his mouth with that idiotic smug grin and those harsh words. Naoki sent a pebble into every single one, grumbling as Jet’s mocking, taunting, cruel voice vanished with every toss, and came back with every ripple in the water. This swamp sucked- did it really have to bring up his worst insecurities about his Bending? He froze as he saw two figures place a basket down and run away, the figures blurry. He groaned as he looked in the hallucination basket- it also seemed to enjoy bringing up the fact that he’d never met his family, either. How kind .

Kamari yelped as Aang ran full-speed into her and Katara, the three rolling down a large root and into Sokka, before finally crashing into Naoki, the five groaning. Everyone started shouting questions and accusations, and talking about what they saw- Sokka said they were all just tired and hungry, Aang was chasing some girls in fancy dresses who kept laughing at him, Naoki saw his parents- wow now that’s a trauma for later -, Katara saw Aunt Kya, Sokka thought he saw Yue, and Kamari saw someone . Then she froze, glancing around at the enormous tree they had all somehow gathered around. “Wait. Where’s Avella?”

Just as the words left her mouth, a giant vine-swamp creature thing with a wooden face mask appeared all of a sudden. The five teens screamed and split, Naoki screaming as he was grabbed. Sokka cut the vines, making the boy land face-first in the mud before both he and Aang were batted aside easily. The monster tried to grab Sokka and Naoki and dash away, but Kamari rode the swamp water and cut a hole clean through its shoulder. It sewed itself back together with a slimy sound, and Kamari shuddered before assuming a battle stance.

Katara rushed the thing with a wave of water, and Kamari had to catch her cousin as an explosion of swamp vines launched her into the air. The beast engulfed Sokka inside it, and Kamari growled before sending a slice of ice at it. And another. And another and more and more until she could see Sokka’s arms. She called for Aang to pull him out, Naoki trying to help- when in the heart of the beast, she saw a flash of human skin before the vines reformed around it. Kamari allowed herself one full second of shock, before doubling down, yelling for Katara to help her. Finally, Kamari sent out a sharp water whip, slicing the wooden mask clean in half. Time seemed to freeze as the top half of the vine-thing slowly sloughed off while Aang shouted about calling them there just to kill them, revealing a man clad in nothing but a leaf loincloth standing there. The man looked just as surprised.

“I didn’t call you here,” The strange swamp man said, shrugging. Kamari glanced at her cousins, Naoki, and Aang, who looked uneasy, before focusing on the strange man again. Aang explained what was going on, that the swamp was calling to him, and that he was the Avatar. Upon finding out that bit of information, the man gestured for them to follow- and since he so readily turned his back, Kamari thought he was either naive or trustworthy. So she followed.

As they climbed up the giant tree, introductions were sorted out. The man protected the swamp from folks who wanted to hurt it– like Sokka and his machete. Sokka laughed, relieved to hear that there was truly nothing mystical about the swamp, and the man chuckled. “Oh, this place is plenty mystical, all right! It’s sacred. I reached enlightenment right here, under the banyan grove tree.” The man said, sitting down right between two giant roots. “I heard it calling me- just like you did!” The man beamed, taking a deep, cleansing breath. 

“See- this whole swamp is actually just one big tree, spread out over miles. Branches spread, sink, and then take root and spread some more- one big, living organism, just like the entire world.” The man spoke reverently, and despite herself, Kamari was awed. The entire gigantic swamp- was just one tree. That was indescribable. But- she got the tree, but not the whole world. Suddenly, Avella swung down from a vine, grinning with some strange vine-flower crown braided in her hair.

“Yeah! The whole world! Do you think we’re any different from each other, this tree, the animals, or any other living being? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together . You can just feel everything constantly growing- and we’re all living together, even if most people these days don’t act like it. All of us have the same roots in love and humanity, and we are all branches of the same tree of life.” Avella spoke sagely, laughing as the vine she’d gotten herself twisted up in untwirled, causing her to spin as fast as the tornado. The man laughed at the sight before Katara asked about their visions. He hummed, scratching his beard in thought. 

“In the swamp, we see visions of the people we’ve lost, loved, or believe to be gone. But the swamp tells us that they’re not! We’re still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death.” Naoki nodded sagely, frowning. So why did he see Jet and two adults he’d never known nor cared about? Also, why did Aang see a couple of girls he’d never met before? The man chuckled, gesturing to Aang. “You’re the Avatar, you tell me why your vision was someone unfamiliar.” Aang frowned, thinking, and Avella sat up, finally over her dizzy spell.

“Simple- since time is an illusion, it’s people he will meet. And reaching enlightenment is great and all, but I miss my sweet bison, Calla. We still need to find her, Appa, and Momo, you know? So- Aang, since everything is connected, wanna do your Avatar thing?” Avella asked, and Aang took a deep breath, placing his open hand down on the Bunyan root. His arrow glowed briefly- just on his hand- and Avella watched a trickle of light flow through the root and the swamp, presumably to their bison and Momo. He gasped, jumping up as soon as the glow faded- apparently, they had to hurry. 

Appa and Calla had been caught in nets by some other leaf-wearing men. The man they’d spent some time with was called Huu- (Hue?), who took pride in scaring folks and swinging vines. Kamari just snorted as another Swamp Bender- Due- enthused with Katara about being Waterbending kin. Now she wasn’t laughing at that- she was laughing at Katara’s disgusted face.

The Foggy Swamp people were kind enough to lead the six teens to their campsite, apologizing for trying to capture and eat the bison and Momo. Everyone was bonding at the fire, and Sokka was trying to explain everything. Apparently, the only part he had that was still unaccounted for was the tornado- but Huu said he just Bent the water in the plants. Kamari shot up at that- Bending Water inside things, of course - and squealed internally at the new route to take Bending experiments through. She wondered how delicate she could get with Bending water through living beings- did it extend past plants, perhaps? Now this was food for thought- thankfully, not those giant bugs.

Sokka sighed and said that apart from the weather, there was nothing mysterious about the swamp at all. Avella watched as another of those demonic screaming birds landed on a nearby root, a vine coming to life to swat it away. She blinked- and decided nope, not tonight- nobody was Bending that, no sirree, that was not her problem to deal with. Sentient swamp aside, the visions she’d had were quite enlightening. She had the sudden- but not new- urge to sock the Fire Lord in the face.

Hotaru kept her black cloth tied around the lower half of her face. She followed the scumbag man from earlier down into an alleyway. She watched as Zuko, clad with a new Blue Spirit mask, robbed him and stole his swords- the man sucked with them. Zuko left the man crying for mercy and a pouch full of money- but Hotaru wasn’t done with him yet. Heating a knife until it glowed, Hotaru approached her prey silently- the jerk would never be rude to girls or women ever again . She’d make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Kamari yelped as she was rudely woken up by being surrounded by bounty hunters on komodo rhinos, cutting the teens off from most of their supplies. She sent some water whips at two of their attackers while Katara sent water whips at the others, leaving Naoki and Avella free to gather as much as they could before a hidden fifth hunter started throwing bombs and fireballs at them, forcing them to leave. It was only afterward did she realize- “We left my pick and Sokka’s boomerang!” Kamari cried in dismay, groaning as she practically melted in Calla’s saddle. But it was too late now- life was more important. What a rushed way to start the day.

Of course, the group had lost most of their supplies, too. Stopping by a singular merchant stall made Sokka pout more, being dubbed ‘Ponytail guy’ instead of ‘Boomerang guy’. The man happily accepted Kamari’s Water Tribe money and wished them a happy Avatar Day, mentioning a festival. Kamari perked up at that- Avatar Day? Now that was interesting- and perhaps some festivities would take her mind off her missing weapon.

The village that housed the festival was located right at the edge of the cliff. Something about the geography of the strangely shaped land was familiar to Avella, but the colors and music coming from the festival soon stole her attention. Soon enough, giant floats made of the three most recent Avatars- Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang- all wheeled their way through. Avella hummed, looking critically at the Aang float- it was… grinning. Very creepily. She shuddered- Aang’s smiles looked nothing like those dead, fish-eyed stares that wooden thing gave off.

A nearly-naked man- what on earth were the customs here - sprinted up, holding a flaming torch while the spectators cheered him on. With a sudden war cry, the man ripped through the Kyoshi float- lighting it on fire. Naoki blanched at the sight of the latest Earth Avatar going up in flames, shuddering. The Roku Avatar float soon met the same fate, with the entire village chanting ‘down with the Avatar’. Suddenly, Avatar Day got a whole new meaning to it. One with extremely negative connotations. 

Hotaru yelped as a giant gourd and two baskets full of warm pastries hit the floor of their homely cave, causing the fire to spark erratically. Zuko grumbled something about where they came from didn’t matter, and she sighed. But the pastries smelled good- and tasted even better- was that fruit filling ?? Yum!

Avella watched as the man tossed the torch onto the Aang float, wincing as it torched the right side of his face. Huh, funny, the exact opposite side of Prince Zuko. The flames quickly spread, and before Avella could tug him back by his robes- oh wait no, this time it was Katara who acted first. Admittedly, Avella felt proud as Katara doused the three floats with ease, the crowd getting angry at her actions. Then , Aang stepped in, showing off his bald head and blue tattoos. “It’s going to kill us with its awesome Avatar powers!” One man cried, and Avella promptly turned and slapped him.

“He/him pronouns for this Avatar, thank you very much!” Avella snapped, glaring fiercely at the quickly-reddening man who had spoken. Hah, considering the berth his neighbors were making, it wasn’t cool anywhere to misgender someone, no matter how much of an asshole they seemed.

The village leader scoffed, speaking in a rather nasally, pitchy voice. “You should leave, Avatar and friends! You are not welcome here, especially with what you did to us in your past life as Avatar Kyoshi!” The man declared, pointing at the burnt Kyoshi float with an accusatory look. “She murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great!” Avella blinked. Wait- Chin the Conqueror? Ohhh no .

Aang asked for a chance to clear his- and in general, the Avatar’s- name, and the village leader declared that the only way to do that was to stand trial. Naoki face-palmed at that- no way was the jury going to be impartial. Or the judge for that matter. It was going to be a faulty trial by default and therefore impossible, which is probably what the village wanted. All the rules had to be followed, including bail money. Aang heartily agreed- and was promptly chucked into their jail. Unlike the merchant, the village didn’t accept Water Tribe money.

Honestly, Avella was offended on Aang’s behalf- and also, Aang offended her just a bit, too. The stocks he was stuck in were meant for a fully grown man; his entire head and hands could easily slip through. The jail had an open ceiling. Nothing but morals and guilt kept Aang in jail, since he wanted to clear his name the proper way. A little bit of flattery later, had Sokka clad in a silly-looking inventor’s hat with a moving monocle lens, ready to act as a detective for a 300-year-old case. Honestly? At this point Avella was amused and intrigued- should anything happen, of course, she knew plenty of the story herself. But maybe she could get some good laughs out of this before they bounced.

“This is the crime scene!” The village leader declared, gesturing to the cliffside. Kamari was not amused. “This is the footprint of the killer, Kyoshi.” He continued, and Kamari watched Sokka inspect every inch of this place carefully. “It happened at sunset, 370 years ago today, that she emerged from the temple and struck down Chin the Great!” The leader lamented, pointing to a pinkish statue of said Chin the Great. “After that tragic day, we built this statue to immortalize our great leader- feel free to appreciate it!” Kamari almost laughed as the mayor walked away, up until Sokka pointed out that the statue and the temple were cut from the same stone. That meant Kyoshi couldn’t have set foot in the temple, because it didn’t exist. That was one good hole- but probably not enough to prove the Avatar’s innocence. Somehow, Sokka got a dragon pipe to smoke bubbles- why smoke bubbles, she had no clue. Of course, the solution Sokka thought of was to visit Kyoshi Island.

Avella didn’t want to visit Kyoshi Island, for once. She decided to explore the village- cloaked, of course. Despite the impending trial, Avatar Day seemed to be going in full swing- and the deep-fried pastries sure were great, Sokka was right. All the others had gone to the Island- Naoki in particular was excited about visiting Kyoshi’s Island- and left her in charge of the money. Big mistake. Okay- not entirely! She bought a new wardrobe for Naoki, his nomad outfit wasn’t very practical for staying warm during flight nor for blending in anywhere. And maybe there were some pretty earrings she thought Katara would like- a shiny belt for Kamari, a couple of other trinkets- but she couldn’t help it! They were so pretty. Avella watched a magpie collect small shiny things in its nest and stifled a laugh- same, bird, same. But it was also a good opportunity to find out what the villagers thought about all of this- and why they held onto such a grudge for such a long time.

“This girl you’re talking about? She’ll come around, you just gotta hang in there.” Avella heard as she approached Aang’s jail cell, poking her head over to see Aang interacting with his fellow prisoners, rolling her eyes as the others reaffirmed what the snake-tattooed man said.

“Or you could listen to her and take her ‘no’s for what they are, and stop pushing her even farther away because of your pushiness. The last thing a woman wants is to be treated like an object or a prize, and constantly trying to ‘capture’ her is just disgusting.” Avella piped up, reveling in the flinches from the prisoners. “After all, that’s probably the main reason none of you have lovers.” She starkly pointed out, grinning when the men slumped. She turned to Aang, frowning. “Aang, no means no and yes means yes. That’s all you should worry about- and if Katara keeps denying your advances- don’t give me that look, we all know you like her- you need to accept that she just sees you as a friend- a little brother, even.” Avella ranted, sticking her tongue out at Aang before vanishing again. Ugh, she needed to buy some more shiny things to get her mind off of that casual misogyny. Yuck.

“Honorable mayor, we’ve prepared a solid defense for the Avatar,” Kamari stated- Oh, did she mention that it had taken several glares and hits from the dragon pipe before Sokka sheepishly gave the reins over to her? We did an investigation, and found some very strong evidence.” The mayor scoffed, saying that evidence wasn’t how the court system worked.

Naoki squinted. “Then, how can Aang prove his innocence?” He asked slowly as if the mayor was slow. He probably was. Apparently, the mayor said what happened, the person on trial said what happened, and then the mayor decided who was right. “Yeah, that’s not fair. Do you at least have a semi-impartial jury? Nobody is correct 100% of the time.” Naoki deadpanned, the mayor laughing that it was called justice because it was ‘just us’. Naoki groaned as the mayor strode away, laughing. “That man needs a good rock in the brain.” He grumbled, kicking a stone angrily. The trial would go horribly- he just knew it.

“Looks like you did some serious shopping- but where did you get the money?” Iroh asked, inspecting a shiny new teapot Zuko bought. Hotaru glanced at the Prince, just as curious. Zuko asked how he liked his new teapot, and Iroh retorted that tea tasted just as delicious from porcelain and tin. “I know we’ve had our differences, and some difficult times lately. We’ve had to struggle just to get by. But it’s nothing to be ashamed of- there is a simple honor in poverty.” Iroh stated wisely, and Zuko just retorted that he had no honor without the Avatar. Hotaru groaned. 

“Zuko, even if you did capture the Avatar, I’m not sure that it would solve all our problems,” Hotaru stated plainly, weathering Zuko’s glare impassively. Zuko sighed, stating that there was no hope. Hotaru frowned and stood to leave as Iroh tried preaching to Zuko about staying hopeful. She passed by a particular tree and froze, staring at its roots. Oh .

The trial went terribly. Aang stuttered and messed up all of the evidence and facts. It was a catastrophe- and Katara made it worse by proclaiming that they were about to hear from the great Avatar Kyoshi herself- only to reveal Aang in old, ceremonial clothing and makeup. He spoke in a falsetto voice, and Avella could just feel the anger coming from the Avatar. So, she counted down from three, two, one…

A mini tornado kicked up, obscuring Aang from view and darkening the sky. When the wind dissipated, Kyoshi herself was there, staring impassively at the gathered audience and ignoring their shocked cries. “I killed Chin the Conqueror. He was a horrible tyrant. Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender. I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home, but he did not back down. On that day, we split from the mainland. I created Kyoshi Island so my people could be safe from invaders.” Kyoshi finished her tale and closed her eyes, the tornado kicking up again. This time, the light and color came back to the world, and the tornado vanished to reveal Aang in his ill-fitting Kyoshi garb again. Avella face-palmed.

Fates were apparently decided by a wheel of punishment. Who knew? Certainly not Naoki, who felt like he was close to fainting- he met Avatar Kyoshi herself . He could die happy now. 

Hotaru made sure she was all packed- Zuko’s face was familiar. She hid in the cart- no way Iroh didn’t know as well- and upon the familiar shaking movement, she popped her head out to see Zuko on the ostrich horse, leaving Iroh behind. She opted to stay quiet for the time being. When they were out of the forest she’d speak up. For now, Zuko could wallow in self-pity, she had a journey to plan. 

The wheel of punishment looked unappealing- except for one option of community service. Aang accepted his fate and spun the wheel- after giving a sharp look to Avella so she wouldn’t tamper with it. It ended up as ‘boiling in oil’, and Kamari winced- that would not be fun. At all. Ow . The crowd cheered for a minute before a small, familiar object clattered to the ground nearby. Kamari squinted at it- and it soon exploded in a plume of smoke- the bounty hunters, that’s right ! She completely forgot about them!

This time, the hunters came to claim the village for the Fire Lord. They asked for the leader, and the precious statue of Chin was chopped up scarily easily. The mayor yelped, asking for Aang to do something, who just stared at him. “Gee, I’d love to help, but I’m supposed to be boiled in oil.” He deadpanned- Avella was so proud of him for that one. The mayor quickly turned the wheel to ‘community service’, begging him to do something to help. So Aang did- blasting one of the hunters off the cliff with Airbending. Avella decided to not point out that Chin was killed the exact same way.

The hunters- apparently called the Rough Rhinos- went to decimate the town. Bombs and flaming arrows galore set houses and food on fire, and Kamari was just trying to run after them, dousing flames. An explosion had her pickaxe flying through the air and embedding in the wall right next to her head. Kamari and the hunter she was chasing blinked at the projectile before Kamari yanked it out of the stone with ease, smirking at the hunter and resuming the chase. The fight was laughably easy, honestly. She could even say she had fun disarming the hunters, blowing up their ammo, and forcing their rhinos to run amok in the forest without regard for their riders. Sokka even sprinted by at one point, sobbing in delight about his boomerang always returning. Good times.

The day ended with fireworks shot into the sky, and Naoki enjoyed the festivities. The green lanterns were nice, and the non-hateful glares were pretty cool too. Oh, and his new wardrobe- it fit him properly this time! The mayor tried to push the unfried dough through as the new Avatar Day treat, and Avella had to quickly stop him and the production of the dough. An hour or so later, everyone was eating fried pastries, made sparkly with sugar to symbolize the improved Avatar standing. Plus, it tasted good. Fillings of various berries were added to some of the treats, giving a tangy aftertaste. Avella proudly called them ‘donuts’, saying that the Nuns at the Temples would make something similar to celebrate birthdays. 

“Yeah, no. This is by far the worst town we’ve ever been to.” Kamari stated quietly, getting snickers from her friends- yeah, it kind of was. Sokka tried to eat one of the last unfried dough avatars, and everyone else retched as the raw dough oozed out of Sokka’s mouth despite his best attempts to slurp it up again. Kamari nearly threw up, shuddering.

Chapter Text

Sokka was debating over getting a new bag. First, it was too expensive, then he deserved it- and just as everyone was walking away, he finally decided to get it. A man put a hand on Naoki’s shoulder, making him let out an ‘eep!’ sound. “Hey, you kids like Earthbending? Do you like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu’s Earthbending Academy!” The man handed a couple of flyers to the teens, and Naoki turned his copy over. A coupon on the back for a free lesson. Huh. Well, worth a shot.

It was not worth a shot. Naoki had to dig sand out of his ears. Master Yu sucked. He was impatient, rude, greedy, and got mad at Naoki over things he couldn’t control about himself! He definitely wasn’t the teacher for Aang. As some boys walked out of the Academy, however, Naoki picked up on their conversation. “I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble 6.” One said, the other humming in thought.

“Yeah, he’ll have to go through some of the best Earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ!” The other boy said, and Avella noticed Aang perk up at the mention of awesome Earthbenders. She poked him and glanced at the boys a couple of times, asking a silent question. At Aang’s desperate nod, she grabbed Kamari and Katara’s hands, dragging them off to go and ‘politely’ ask the boys where the Rumble was taking place and when. A girl had to keep her secrets, after all. It was laughably easy- she didn’t even need to do anything other than try and look intimidating, the Waterbending girls had frozen the boys to the wall in an instant! Awesome. 

The Rumble arena was in a huge cave a short distance from town, lit by the now familiar glowing green crystals that hung above them. The group made their way to an empty spot and Aang questioned why no one was sitting there in the front row; they were quickly answered when a boulder nearly flattened Sokka as it crashed into the seats. “I’m guessing that's why,” Naoki stated in a slightly dazed voice. 

“Welcome to Earth Rumble 6!” Announced a man who appeared from beneath the stage, “I am your host, Xin Fu. The rules are simple, just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win.” Katara sighed as she sat, “This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other isn’t it?” Kamari and Naoki nodded excitedly as Sokka happily replied “That's what I paid for.” Kamari shot a look at Sokka, confused- they didn’t pay.

Avella and Aang watched carefully as round after round was fought; first, the Boulder vs. the Big Bad Hippo, then Boulder vs. Fire Nation Man, then the Boulder fought and won 5 more rounds before the final fights were announced. The Hippo had fought between the Boulder’s rounds, going against the competitors of the losing bracket and showing he was only weaker than his first opponent but Avella wasn't really sure why they had these alternate fights. Sokka was way too into this, fawning over the Boulder with every fight, but he was happy so Avella didn't comment on it. Kamari seemed to be enjoying the fighting as well, cheering with Naoki at the displays of bending and power. But Aang seemed to be anxious, none of the fighters seemed to be practicing the 3rd Jing and there were only 3 fights left. 

“We have narrowed it down to The Boulder and The Big Bad Hippo! Now they will face their final opponents, but first, will they be teaming up or fighting separately?” Now that was interesting, 2 reigning champs? Kamari leaned forward as Xin Fu flipped a coin, heads they would fight together, tails separate. “And it’s tails! I give you: The Big Bad Hippo versus our first champion: The Jade Demon!!” The central platform moved to reveal a fierce-looking girl about their age cloaked in a rich green champion cape lifting a gold and black belt shaped like the Earth Kingdom symbol proudly above her head until some attendants carried it away and removed the cape. 

Gasps rang out among those who had never been to the Rumble before when the cape slipped from Jade Demon's shoulders to reveal horrible burns covering her right arm from wrist to shoulder, even reaching up her neck to just above her jaw. Kamari was suddenly glad her hunting scar was in a spot that didn't affect her abilities, unlike whatever that was, could the girl even bend with that injury? 

The Gaang watched as the Hippo lumbered forward, dwarfing the Demon who had to be nearly as tall as Zuko and Kamari. “Hippo go easy on you.” Jade Demon’s previously indifferent face twisted as she bared her teeth in a condescending smile. Her mismatched eyes glittered in the green crystal light, amused at Hippo’s audacity.

“I really wouldn’t recommend that, the people hate when the fight is over that soon and then I won't get paid as much.” Naoki doubled over laughing at Hippo’s offended face while Avella exchanged a curious glance with Kamari, how much did these people get paid? 

With a roar Hippo made the first move, stomping hard to rock the stage as he charged Jade. Stone and dirt enveloped her legs and she barely swayed at the harsh shaking, The Demon ducked and quickly formed a ramp nearly sending Hippo out of the ring. Spectators watched as the Demon quickly moved back to the opposite side of the arena to watch the Hippo regain his balance with calculating eyes, slipping into a loose stance as he charged again. 

This time though he pulled himself to a stop and used his momentum to send rock spikes her way which turned to dust when they got within a few feet of her. Naoki gaped, the girl had turned a dozen stone spikes back into dirt with ease, she didn't even move through an entire kata to do it either. The two fighters circled each other for a moment, the Hippo tossing large boulders and spikes, all of which were deflected or shattered by the Jade Demon, whose eyes were fixed on reading her opponent's movements. After the hippo sent a wave of earth at her, the Demon seemed to have found what she was looking for and went on the offensive. 

With a few sharp movements, she first threw a pillar underneath the Hippo that sent him crashing into the crystal chandelier high above them, then yanked the crystals down to drag him back to the stage at an alarming speed, then finally as the Hippo hit the ground she spun and threw him harshly into the wall below the Gaang. The whole fight lasted only about 2 or 3 minutes, but Avella had a feeling that it could have ended sooner if the Jade Demon had wanted. The crowds cheered as the champion slipped over to a small platform below where Xin Fu stood, looking smug at the crater in the wall the Hippo had left behind. 

“Quite a performance! Our next fight is sure to be just as exciting, please welcome The Boulder and your second champion: The Blind Bandit!” A younger girl with a striking similarity to the other champion raised her belt, this one gold and forest green, the actual colors of the earth symbol. “She can't actually be blind. It’s just part of her character, right?” Katara asked hesitantly. Aang shook his head softly, saying he thought she was . 

Sokka chimed in with “I think she is… going down !” He shouted as his new man-crush took the stage again. Kamari and Katara shared a quiet sigh, shaking their heads in unison. Avella, meanwhile, was nearly vibrating with excitement at a possible new Bending style.

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl.” Huh, guess he was going to start this fight similar to the previous one. The Blind Bandit scoffed and teased him about being scared. The Boulder got over his conflicting feelings fairly quickly after that. The Boulder let out a war cry as he began to move forward, but had only made it a few steps when the Bandit sent the earth to catch the foot that was coming down and moved it sharply to his side, sending him into a painful split. The man didn't even have time to recover before the girl, who looked to be younger than Aang and Naoki, sent pillars into his back and flung him into the wall opposite the Hippo’s crater.  

“How did she do that?” Kamari wondered while Sokka lamented over the Boulder's defeat. 

Aang smiled, “She waited and listened. They both did.” The Jade Demon joined the Blind Bandit on the main platform, the two girls showing off their matching belts with sly grins. Xin Fu announced the winners and dual champions, before asking the crowd if there was anyone who wanted to dual fight them both for a chance to claim the belt and a money prize. Silence, and the Jade Demon glanced around, whispering something to the Bandit. Together, the girls started to laugh at the crowd, making Aang jolt. Avella glanced at him, curious, but yelped as Aang grabbed her hand and pulled her down, dragging her up to the ring. “We’ll fight them!” He cheered, and Avella just facepalmed. Whatever his reason was, she was gonna kick his butt when this was done.

Xin Fu leaped back up to the announcer’s podium, and the Blind Bandit grinned. “Do people really wanna see four little girls fighting over here?” She jabbed, the Jade Demon letting out a mocking cackle in return. Now that they were closer, Avella could see the Bandit’s milky eyes. She really was blind. A stark contrast to the Demon’s heterochromia; one eye was a golden amber, the other a forestry olive green. Aang took a step forward, and the Bandit struck, intending to launch Aang in the air. So he did- floating gently to the side. The Jade Demon blinked in shock, but before she could say anything, Avella had launched forward and shoved her with some Airbending, separating the two champs.

Avella walked in a circle with the Demon, barely noticing Aang yelling at the Bandit as he dodged her attacks, the Bandit getting increasingly angry. Avella nimbly flipped over the Demon’s next rock attack, dancing over to the Demon’s right side. The Demon pursed her lips, eyeing the cloaked figure suspiciously. “Someone’s a little floaty, huh?” The Demon snarked, and Avella beamed. She sure was!

Suddenly, a gust of air and a shout had the Demon glancing over. The Blind Bandit fell over with a boulder thanks to Aang’s Airbending, and Avella quickly sent an Air-powered kick at the Demon’s next rock, shoving it into her stomach and forcing her off the ring. Aang ran down to try and talk to the Bandit, but Avella was grabbed and handed the bag of gold coins and one of the champ belts, the other saved for Aang. He looked morose, shoulders slumped- he must not have been able to catch the Bandit or the Demon.

The next morning, the Gaang split up to try and find either the Bandit or the Demon. Aang, Sokka, and Kamari went to the Earthbending Academy while Avella, Katara, and Naoki searched the town, looking for clues. Of course, nobody wanted to talk too much to very obvious strangers- Naoki had better luck than the girls. At the outskirts of town stood a house with a flying boar insignia, surrounded by walls and looking majestic. 

Aang was excited as he remarked that it was the boar from his vision. They decided to stake it out first and snuck around back to the gardens. There was a pond and paths lined with flowers and bushes that Kamari had never seen before. She groaned as the Airbenders floated into the courtyard and helped her cousins down, shaking her head but following them anyway, running through some larger bushes and peeking around trees. 

One moment they were sneaking around, and the next moment Naoki was thrown into the air and tossed into a berry bush. “What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?” He heard a voice demand, shifting to see a girl in an expensive dress glaring at Aang. It took him a moment to realize that it was the Blind Bandit and quickly looked around for the Demon while Aang asked how she knew it was him. 

“Don't answer to Twinkle Toes. It’s not manly.” Avella snickered at how dejected Sokka sounded, then burst out laughing when Kamari pointed out that Sokka was the one whose bag matched his belt. She didn't have time to recover as she listened to Aang ramble out an explanation on how they found the girl, mentioning a crazy king, a magical swamp, and listening to rocks before Katara stepped in and spared Avella’s ribs. 

“What Aang is trying to say is he’s the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon, he won’t be able to defeat the Fire Lord.” 

The Bandit declared that it wasn’t her problem and that they needed to leave, but Naoki had to know. “Where’s the Jade Demon?” He asked. That made the girl pause, fingers flexing as if trying not to Bend. Naoki swore the ground rolled slightly under his feet, but nothing actually moved.

“None of your business. She’d snap you in half if you interrupted her anyway.” Oh, that just made him more curious and apparently drew Kamari in too, because she asked what they would be interrupting. “Toss-up, she’s either training with her parents or in her lab discovering some new poison.” That was not terrifying at all, “Now leave before I call the guards.” When they didn't move she started shouting for help and they scattered. Time for plan B.

Avella knocked on the door, squeaking when it slammed open to reveal a strong older woman. She narrowed her eyes at the shorter teens outside her door, gritting out a “What do you children want ?” They all stammered for a moment before Aang recovered, clearing his throat. 

“Sorry to bother you ma’am, but I heard that this house belonged to a prominent family in the area and thought it respectful to introduce myself. You see, I'm the Avatar.” The woman paused before gesturing to someone in the house, inviting them in a few moments later. Aang sure could use the Avatar card in his favor when he needed to. 

They followed the woman to a meeting room where they met the Bandit, Toph apparently, and her parents Lao and Poppy Beifong. The woman who had answered the door introduced herself as Poppy’s sister, Kaki, before leaving to retrieve her daughter. Lao invited them to stay and join the family for dinner, saying they were in for a treat as Kaki’s family lived in the town over as her husband was a Firebending commander in charge of the Fire Nation battalion that overlooked the nearby colonies. Poppy stepped in at the teens’ panicked expressions, “Don't worry, he isn’t here this week, apparently there was a meeting on an island just off the coast” This information did little to calm Kamari, and she exchanged suspicious looks with her friends as they followed the Beifongs through the halls. 

Kaki caught up to them outside the dining room with a girl following after her. “Allow me to introduce my daughter, Daiyu” the elaborately dressed girl bowed, only looking at the guests once she straightened back up. It was the Jade Demon. Naoki blinked at how different she looked, like toph, she appeared nothing like she had while fighting. It didn't help that her long-sleeved dress covered most of the burn to make it harder to ID her. Then he remembered what Lao had said. This girl's father was a Firebender, and it was visible from her amber eye. He shuddered as she walked past him with her mother to join the rest of the Beifongs as they entered the dining room. 

For some reason, Master Yu from the Academy was eating dinner as well. Lao and Poppy Beifong shot the occasional upset glance at Daiyu but allowed the servants to fuss over the blind Toph and disabled Daiyu anyway. Kaki didn't look any happier than her daughter, glancing occasionally at the empty seat next to her where her husband usually sat. A bowl of hot soup was placed in front of the girls, and Lao commanded someone to cool it off for them. Aang cleared his throat and with a wave of his hand, had sent teeny tornadoes to cool the soup. The adults at the table clapped at Aang’s display, and Kamari smirked at the sight of Toph looking upset.

Lao asked Aang how long he thought the war would last, and Aang awkwardly glanced at Daiyu, who blew a strand of hair out of her face, remembering what Naoki had whispered to him as they sat down. “Well, I’d like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of next summer, but I need good Earthbending teachers in order to do so.” Aang hedged, and Daiyu felt the ground shake just a bit from Toph’s anger. Lao recommended Master Yu, mentioning that he’d been teaching Toph and Daiyu since they were little. “Wow, then they must be great Earthbenders, probably good enough to teach someone else- ow !” He yelped, and this time Daiyu sent a smug little grin to him.

“Oh, no no no, not at all. You see, Toph is blind, and Daiyu is crippled due to a Firebender attack. They are weak, delicate disabled girls, incapable of strong Earthbending.” Naoki slurped up a noodle upon hearing that, raising an eyebrow. He was fully able-bodied and couldn’t do a bit of what those girls could- it wasn’t about being disabled at all. His opinion of Lao Beifong dropped below the dirt. 

Kamari quietly asked about the previously mentioned attack, leaving it open to be answered or ignored. Kaki answered, “My husband, Ayato, is hated by the Earth Kingdom citizens and seen as a traitor by his Fire Nation peers. The other soldiers think that he betrayed his nation by marrying an Earthbender for love, not a Firebender or someone in a position of power. We get assassination attempts from both sides and unfortunately, they went after Daiyu one day. We consider it a miracle she survived the attack at all.” Kamari glanced apologetically at the girl, she hadn’t expected Kaki to reveal so much, but Daiyu was too busy trying to set her food on fire with her glare. 

The dinner continued awkwardly, and Aang poked Toph more, smartly leaving Daiyu alone for the moment. Eventually, Toph must have had enough and Avella blinked as Aang’s chair was shoved forward, forcing his face into his soup. He glared at Toph, who simply smiled demurely, before letting out a huge sneeze. The food went flying, with Avella barely able to duck under the table. When she popped her head back up, Toph and Daiyu were flicking food off their faces, and Toph snarled. “What’s your problem?!” She hedged, and Aang asked what hers was in return. Daiyu stormed out of the room, growling out something about changing, leaving the two teens to start butting heads, before Poppy cleared her throat, calling for dessert.

The Beifongs were kind enough to allow the Gaang to rest in their home for the evening. Aang was patting Appa through the open window when the Earthbender girls entered the room, causing him to yelp and move into a fighting position. Daiyu smirked, and Toph hummed. “Relax Twinkle-Toes. Look, I’m sorry about dinner. Let’s call it a truce, yeah?” Toph said, and Daiyu silently led the two shorter teens out for a walk in the gardens.

“Even though I was born blind, I’ve never had a problem seeing,” Toph said, walking along a small stone bridge crossing a stream. Daiyu and Aang followed along, content to let Toph speak. “I see with Earthbending. It’s kind of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is- you, Daiyu, that tree, even those ants.” Toph said, and Daiyu tilted her head in the direction of the tiny creatures slightly at Aang’s clear confusion. Aang complimented it, but Toph’s face twisted. “Our parents don’t understand. My parents have always treated me like I’m helpless simply because I'm blind. Daiyu’s parents think she’s weak because of her arm and therefore can’t Bend, they don't let her practice Earthbending anymore cause they think it will aggravate the injury. They would’ve locked her up like me if it wasn’t for the assassins, so they rigorously train her in weapons instead.” Aang hummed, asking why they stayed if they weren’t happy.

Daiyu spoke up at that, raising a brow. “They’re our family, Aang. Toph’s parents definitely suck, but mine try. Sort of. Besides, where else are we supposed to go?” She asked, using one arm to shrug. The Avatar mentioned that they could travel with him and their friends, and despite herself, Daiyu locked eyes with Toph’s gray ones. “Yeah, you guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do- that’s the life. It’s just not our lives.” Suddenly, something was off.

“We’re being ambushed!” Toph yelled, kneeling to place a hand against the dirt. Daiyu tried to run with the other two teens, but the mole fighter tunneled up and surrounded them. Daiyu prepared to fight- but her vision was covered with metal. The Hippo laughed as he stomped on the three metal cages, and Daiyu growled- fuck , of course, stupid Xin Fu and his lackeys found out where they were.

Avella shot upright. The others looked at her in confusion and alarm, but she was already trying to gather guards and the Beifongs, leading them to the garden. Two small holes were there, with a scroll stabbed through with a knife. Kamari picked it up and read through it- a ransom note, of course- and Sokka squealed about getting the Boulder’s signature. Lao asked Master Yu to go with them, and Kamari scoffed that they were going, too- Aang was their friend. Kaki declared she would be joining them too, she would not let her daughter be taken from her. Poppy knelt before the two divots in the ground, weeping. “Poor Toph, poor Daiyu- they must be so scared!”

“You think you’re so tough, why don’t you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?!” Toph yelled. Xin Fu replied that he wasn’t smiling, and Daiyu rolled her eyes. Using a bit of dirt that they’d left in the cages, she flicked it in the man’s eye, grinning at his pained yelp. Suddenly, Daiyu heard her uncle’s voice. She watched as a bag of coins was passed over, before her cage and Toph’s were let down. The bottoms opened and she hissed as her right arm hit the ground painfully, stumbling up and running with Toph back to their family. Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder, starting to lead the girls away. Daiyu frowned at that- the Avatar was still stuck, and about to be sold to the Fire Lord if that scumbag Xin Fu was to be believed. He always had been greedy.

“Toph, Daiyu- there’s too many of them out there. We need Master Earthbenders- we need you!” Naoki pleaded, jogging to the tunnel where the Beifongs and Yu had gone through. The girls paused, and Lao turned with a glare.

“My daughter is blind, and my niece is disabled! How dare you! They are disabled and tiny and helpless and fragile! They cannot and will not help you!” Lao blustered. Kaki raised an eyebrow at him. Her daughter was capable of protecting herself, Ayato had made sure of that. She watched her niece as Toph pulled her hand from his. She sighed and handed Daiyu her quarterstaff, knowing her daughter was as stubborn as she was. 

“Yes, we can,” Toph stated simply, before she and Daiyu strode into the ring again. Daiyu took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of underground, closing her eyes and allowing the earth to give her sight- just like Toph. A spire of rock stopped the greedy Earthbenders from taking the Avatar’s metal cage, and Daiyu leaped on top of the ring with the help of a rock, Toph quick to follow. “Let him go!” Toph demanded, Daiyu rolling her neck in anticipation. “We beat you all before, and we’ll do it again!”

Avella winced as Aang’s cage was thrown carelessly to the side, Xin Fu and the other Earthbenders ready to fight the teenagers. Daiyu and Toph stopped the others from going out to fight, stating that it was their fight, their moment. So Avella grabbed Naoki and pulled him to Aang’s cage- maybe some clay could be molded into a key to get him out.

The Earthbenders all tried to run up as one. Foolish, really. Daiyu grinned savagely as they all approached, letting Toph make the first movement. The ring rumbled with Toph’s spread hands before a stamp of her foot caused the floor to practically explode, the two cousins leaping off in different directions to fight. A cloud of dust obscured the arena, but Daiyu and Toph weren’t bothered by this at all. In fact- it helped them out. Daiyu shut her eyes again as she strode into the dust, slinging her staff on her back and letting out a sadistic cackle.

Daiyu’s first ‘opponent’ was the Chameleon Man. She felt him crawl through the ring cautiously before tossing a pebble to hit his head. At getting his attention, she strode closer- presumably into his line of sight- and easily flicked the two balls of rock he threw away, he honestly needed new strategies. The stones clattered uselessly behind her, and before the Chameleon could land, she sent a dull spire to jab him in the gut. The Chameleon flew up, and Daiyu calculated his trajectory to beam him a couple more times before finally sending him out of the ring to match Fire Nation man- Toph worked just as quickly as she did, maybe faster.

Avella sighed in relief as the third clay key finally worked, the bottom of Aang’s cage opening up. He jumped out, getting into a fighting position before everyone shook their heads. She pulled him back from joining the fight, simply pointing to the cloud of dust.

Daiyu followed the Hippo out of the dust cloud, giggling as he blindly - ha - swung around a large stone disc. The Boulder soon fell through to join him, but Toph had finished the rest of her opponents too, the two girls working in tandem. The Hippo beat his chest like a monkey, and the Boulder mimed crushing a rock between his hands, looking like he popped a vein in his neck. Daiyu was not impressed. A third Earthbender tried swinging in from above, yelling his oncoming approach, and Toph twisted part of the ring. The swinging man fell into both the Hippo and the Boulder, and Daiyu sent all three out with one well-placed kick, almost like she was kicking a ball. The dust cloud suddenly cleared with Toph pushing her hands down, revealing none other than Xin Fu as their final opponent.

The three Earthbenders started slowly circling one another, one against two. Xin Fu sent a barrage of rocks at the two, and Daiyu simply flicked a hand up, creating a barrier around her and Toph. When Xin Fu’s attack ended, both girls flicked a wrist, each sending half of the barrier cutting through straight to the man. He dug his hand into the ground and lobbed a ball of rock at them, Toph easily dodging and Daiyu turned it to dust with barely a tap. Twin shoves from the cousins later, Xin Fu was unconscious in the stands, groaning weakly. Daiyu was startled at the sound of cheers and clapping, turning to see the other teenagers looking excited at the showdown that had just commenced.

Avella watched as Toph tried appealing to her father, justifying her actions and begging for his view of her to not change. Lao Beifong agreed, simply saying that he’d allowed his daughter too much freedom. The man refused to budge, demanding that the Avatar and his friends be escorted out. She glanced back as Aang apologized to Toph, seeing a single tear drip down Toph’s cheek as the girl apologized, too. Daiyu had been ushered away by her mother to another room, no doubt being scolded as well. Barred from the Beifong property, the only thing they could do now was head to Calla and Appa, and prepare to head out again.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find you a teacher,” Katara soothed Aang. The Avatar was overlooking the town, regret clear in his eyes. “There are plenty of amazing Earthbenders out there.” Katara continued, only sighing when Aang replied that there wouldn’t be any others like those two. Avella suddenly let out a yell and pointed, and the others turned to see two teenagers running up, traveling bags slung on their backs- Toph and Daiyu! The girls came to a stop alongside the bison, and Daiyu sent a grin up at the other teens. “What are you two doing here?” Katara asked, and Daiyu smirked.

“Oh, uncle changed his mind. He said we were free to travel the world!” She said chipperly, grinning unrepentantly when Naoki, Avella, and Kamari burst out laughing at the bald-faced lie. Daiyu gave them a small smile, “My mother decided she didn't want me to almost blow up the house from my experiments anymore, and decided it might be safer if I travel with you ‘cause the assassination attempts have increased. My father will understand and Uncle will just have to get over it.” Avella smiled and joked along with the original lie, “Well? Let’s get going before he changes it again!” Daiyu said, ushering Toph onto the bison alongside her. “Oh- by the way,” Daiyu was reminded, turning to glare at the tall Water Tribe teen. “Belts.” She demanded, raising an eyebrow. The boy sighed and tossed them over, Daiyu managing to catch hers while Toph’s belt hit her in the head.

Chapter Text

Hotaru was tired. And hungry. And thirsty. And so was Zuko. Their yelling and fighting had petered into simple conversations, and then into silence. The poor ostrich horse stumbled slightly as they traveled through the desert when they all froze at the smell of cooking meat. Hotaru turned to see a slab cooking on a campfire, and Zuko grasped at his swords. But before he could make a move, Hotaru spotted a very pregnant woman leaning against a tree for some shade, the man tending the campfire also dutifully tending to his wife. Zuko loosed his hold on the swords, and Hotaru quietly urged them to continue. They did.

They traveled through ruins of battles long fought and forgotten, stone discs cracked and slowly vanishing to the pull of nature and time. The sun burned hot and bright, not a cloud nearby to cover the sky, and Hotaru had to pull Zuko into the cart with her, carefully leading the ostrich horse on. Zuko had nearly fainted by the time they made it to a village, and he climbed out and took their measly two coins left to pay for some feed and water. 

Hotaru watched a couple of young boys toss an egg from behind a barrel at a group of men gambling nearby, wincing when the egg hit true. The boys ran away before they could get caught, and the men tried to intimidate her and Zuko into either admitting they did it, or admitting they saw who did it. Hotaru snarked that maybe a chicken flew over, and one of the men chuckled at the joke. Unfortunately, when the shopkeeper returned with the bags of feed, the men- Earth Kingdom soldiers, apparently- stole them, thanking the teens sarcastically for their contribution. They left with a warning, patting the two hammers at his sides for emphasis. The shopkeeper sighed, explaining that the soldiers were supposed to protect the village from the Fire Nation- but they were just a bunch of thugs instead.

Hotaru climbed onto the ostrich horse and Zuko into the cart, when one of the boys from earlier popped up, grinning. “Hey, thanks for not ratting me out!” He chirped. Hotaru simply blinked tiredly at the boy before steering the ostrich horse onward, but the boy soon grabbed the reins to stop them. “I’ll take you to my house and feed your ostrich horse for you! Come on, I owe you two!” He said, ushering them onwards, and- looking at his eager eyes, Hotaru wasn’t willing to refuse such a kind offer.

The boy led them to a farm filled with sheep pigs and cow pigs, all oinking noisily at the strangers. The boy remarked that nobody could sneak up on them, giggling as he led the ostrich horse into a stable. A man strode up, asking if they were friends of Lee’s. Hotaru opened her mouth, but the boy- Lee- ran out again, looking excited. “These guys just stood up to the soldiers! By the end, they practically had them running away!” Lee cheered, and Hotaru flushed at the exaggerated description of things. A woman- Lee’s mother- strode up, asking if they had names, smiling. Zuko stuttered, and Lee’s father told the mother- Sela- that they didn’t need to say their names if they didn’t want to- that anyone who stood up to the bully ‘soldiers’ was welcome in their home. Hotaru glanced at Zuko uneasily.

Before she could stutter through an excuse, the family explained that the real soldiers were off fighting the war- like Lee’s older brother, Sen Su. Sela offered supper, and when Zuko predictably refused, she mentioned that the father- Gansu- could use some help with the barn, and she could use some help in the kitchen. Hotaru nudged Zuko to join Gansu, while she stepped into the shaded house to help Sela prepare supper for five.

Hotaru woke late that night with the sound of the barn door creaking shut. She sat up to see Zuko getting up as well, not looking alarmed, but he got up and left anyway, with Hotaru quick to follow. Lee was in a sunflower field, haphazardly using the dual swords he’d nicked to play with. Hotaru giggled as Zuko startled the poor boy, before gently coaching him through how to use the weapons properly. Zuko was kind, Hotaru knew- the boy she saw as her brother deserved to be able to show this kind face.

Sela tried to give Hotaru a box filled with food the next morning, to get them through some more meals. Hotaru politely declined, before the animals at the farm started to squeal again. A plume of dust showed the thug soldiers from yesterday coming up, surely wanting trouble. The lead man- Gow apparently- grinned, smugly telling Gansu and Sela that their son’s battalion had been captured. Gow made it worse by talking about what the Fire Nation did with the last battalion they’d taken prisoner, and Zuko moved their ostrich horse to protect the small family from Gow’s advances. The man scoffed at being shown a challenge, turning his tail pathetically. Hotaru spat after him, muttering something very unkind back from the Fire Nation.

Gansu said that he’d go to the front lines to bring Sen Su back. Sela cried and the couple went off to prepare while Lee walked up to Hotaru and Zuko, shyly asking if ‘when his dad left, would they stay?’ Hotaru’s heart broke as she said that no, they had to move on- but Zuko handed something gilded and beautiful to the boy- his prized pearl dagger from Iroh. Zuko told Lee to read the inscriptions, and before Lee could reply, Zuko had commanded their steed to move on. Hotaru turned away, unwilling to look at Lee’s hurt face as they left.

“Azula always lies,” Zuko murmured as they were lying in the grass. Hotaru sat up to look at him weirdly- was he okay?- before Sela came up riding her cart, looking desperate.

“Please- you have to help. It’s Lee- the thugs from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them. I don’t even know where he got a knife!” Sela burst before her shoulders slumped. “Then they took him away. They told me that if Lee’s old enough to fight, he’s old enough to join the Army.” She sobbed, and Hotaru stood up instantly. Zuko grasped at his swords, and the two nodded at each other. “I know we barely know you, but-” Sela’s words stopped as she saw the two teenagers stand up, Hotaru pulling out her own gilded dagger.

Lee was tied to the water tower and brightened up upon seeing the two teenagers arrive on horseback. The four thugs stood up as well, brandishing their weapons, and Hotaru sighed as she pulled her slowly regrowing hair into a bun. Zuko demanded that they let Lee go, and Gow laughed, not believing the implied threat, asking who they thought they were. 

“It doesn’t matter who we are. But we know who you are. You’re not soldiers, you’re bullies .” Hotaru spat, keeping her knife sheathed for now. “Freeloaders abusing your power, and mostly over women and children. Pathetic. You don’t want Lee in your army, you’re just sick cowards messing with a family who has already lost one son to the war.” She spat, crossing her arms. Gow scoffed, asking his fellow thugs if they were gonna let the teens insult them like that.

The first two, brandishing spears, went down laughably easy. Zuko simply grabbed one by the face and shoved him to the dirt, and Hotaru elbowed the other in the gut as she easily dodged his weapon, kicking him almost a full house away. The two scattered, whining like dogs, and neither teenager even had to unsheath their weapon yet. The third man Hotaru just nimbly kicked the sharp end of his weapon off- she didn’t even touch him- and he ran away crying. That just left Gow, who was growling in poorly restrained fury.

Gow pulled out his mallets, unfortunately looking like he was familiar with battle. Zuko pulled out his twin swords, and Hotaru flipped her knife out. The two males squared up, and Gow sent rocks their way. Without their armor to easily break the blow, Hotaru had to dodge what came her way, while Zuko sliced what he could with his swords. Gow went after Zuko, sending rock after rock at him, and Hotaru sprinted by the side of the fight to cut Lee free. She hid him behind her as Zuko got punted by a spire of rock, wincing at the bruise that was going to cause. Zuko seemed to be unconscious, but as Gow approached, Zuko Firebended .

Hotaru could see the horror in the villagers’ faces as Zuko’s fighting got far more deadly, swords with fire creating a powerful combination. It took two blows before Gow was down, flinching as Zuko merely took the pearl knife from him again to return to Lee. He proudly declared who he was- Prince Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, heir to the Fire Nation throne. An old man shouted that he was a liar, an outcast who was burned and disowned by his own father, and Hotaru’s shoulders slumped as Zuko didn’t even seem to register the insults.

Lee didn’t accept the knife. He spat that he hated the both of them, and the village gathered to glare at both teenagers as they left- but didn’t stop them. Hotaru’s gut twisted as they rode out of view of the village and into the setting sun, sighing. “The Fire Nation isn't on the right side here, Zuko. I don’t think we saw that until now.” Hotaru murmured, finally turning away with a knot in her stomach. Everywhere she went, from now until her death, most likely- people would hate her because she could Firebend, and because she came from a Nation of monsters. Remembering the Coronation of Fire Lord Ozai at the funeral of Fire Lord Azulon, their new leader smirking as his father’s corpse burned behind him, Hotaru wondered when exactly the Fire Nation became so evil.

Chapter Text

The bison were shedding. It was spring again- time for shedding, baby animals, and fresh flowers. Avella snorted as they landed- already, within a minute of standing still, Appa and Calla had covered the nearby ground in their discarded fur. Toph hopped down first, face lighting up at the sensation. “Hey, you guys picked a great campsite, the grass is so soft here!” She said happily, and Daiyu snorted as she slid off Calla’s tail.

“It’s not grass, the bison are shedding,” Daiyu replied, snorting as Sokka and Aang pulled some of the fur on top of themselves to act as mustaches and hair. Kamari and Katara rolled their eyes at their antics, but what really set Daiyu off was Toph stuffing some shedding fur in her clothes like armpit hair. Katara remarked that it was gross, and Daiyu raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not gross, it’s a part of nature!” Avella said happily, breathing in the crisp air. “Rebirth, flowers blooming, the bison get a new coat- everything gets a fresh start! Plus, flying bison fur is one of the best materials in the world for cloth-making!” She said, already starting to collect some fur in large bags that were probably made for that purpose. Appa and Calla were trying to lick their old coats off themselves, causing them to sneeze- and fur to go flying everywhere. Avella brushed some out of her hair, sighing. “Alright Calla, time for you to get a bath and a brushing while the others set up camp.” She led her bison off to a nearby river, giggling at the fur being dropped everywhere.

When it came time to set up camp, Daiyu and Toph were lying about, chatting quietly to one another as Daiyu meticulously organized a set of vials and pouches. Kamari raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips. “Are you two gonna help us set up camp, or…?” She asked, tapping her foot. Daiyu gave her a glance before pulling out a traveling chemistry set, and Toph stamped her foot to create a stone tent.

“There, our camp is all ready. Got something to complain about?” Toph snarked, and Kamari’s cheeks reddened in anger.

“Actually, we normally load and unload our supplies together, because that makes the load lighter on everyone and makes it a faster task,” Katara said shortly, catching Kamari’s thoughts exactly. 

“Look- we don’t need a fire, we have our own food, and our tent is set up. What exactly is the problem here?” Daiyu burst in, scoffing. “We did our part, why are you nagging us and trying to be our mother? You guys never said anything about help before.” She goaded, rolling her eyes. Katara huffed before turning away, and Daiyu shrugged.

Kamari tried to apologize later that night- whatever for, Daiyu didn’t know. But she was right that they were all tired, leaving the Waterbenders to be snappy and particular about things. Of course, in the middle of the night, sleep was interrupted by something strange. Toph felt it first, alerting everyone, and the whole group woke up to talk together. “It feels like an avalanche, but- but not an avalanche at the same time. Some machine, perhaps, though I’ve never felt anything like this.” Daiyu explained, frowning. 

It was decided that they would leave, better safe than sorry, and Daiyu watched as the other teens worked together to clean up their campsite- all she and Toph had to do was put their rock back. Some long-forgotten lesson from her parents stirred at the back of her mind. Something about how units of soldiers survived… but it didn't make enough sense to spend the energy dwelling on. Once in the air, she glanced in the direction she’d felt the rumbling and squinted at the cloud of dust and smoke. She heard Naoki ask what it was, but couldn’t tell in the moonlight. Weird.

Hours of flight later- that sucked by the way- they all finally landed. Daiyu and Toph were the first ones off, of course, but Kamari asked them to help unload things that didn’t belong to them; because they were part of a team now, they had to work together on this. Daiyu scoffed- she didn’t ask for their help in unloading her things, they could deal with their own. It didn't make sense to her why would the others want their help anyway; people really shouldn’t trust others with their stuff, as you never knew what they would do (ok- maybe that was her paranoia from previous assassination attempts speaking, but still!), and she had very temperamental experiments she didn’t trust anyone else with unloading. Katara scoffed, muttering about how they were selfish and unhelpful, and Daiyu gasped in offense.

“Look here, Sugar Queen , we gave up everything we had just so we could teach Aang Earthbending. Don’t talk to us about being selfish when we have nothing else!” Toph snapped, and Daiyu sat down harshly to create another stone tent. Katara spluttered, but before she could say anything, Toph made a stone door slam in her face. Katara started yelling something, and Daiyu felt like that girl really needed a good sleep.

“The stars sure are beautiful tonight. Shame you can’t see them, Toph .” Kamari heard Katara say, and she coughed as she sat up. 

“Katara what the actual frozen hell was that?! I don’t care how pissed you are at the Earthbenders acting like toddlers, do not pull the disability card! Ever !” Kamari snapped, just as one of the Earthbenders sent Katara an earth-kick, sending her careening into Naoki and Sokka’s sleeping areas. 

Daiyu snarled, “How dare she say that, if she wasn't supposed to be a friend she'd be dead for that comment,”’ her amber eye flashing as she exited the tent after Toph who was sharing the news. 

Of course, the thing was back. Avella felt like she was forgetting something as they all flew off again- deeper bags under everyone’s eyes, of course- but she checked her bags. All of her things were there, all of her friends’ things she was tasked with carrying on Calla’s back were there- all of her little secret things were safe and hidden, and nothing was missing. But she couldn’t shake the feeling- and losing sleep didn’t help that suspicion at all. She practically fell asleep in Calla’s saddle, snuggling her freshly washed bison close. With a new coat of fur, Calla was so soft !

Kamari had no clue how the machine thing kept finding them, but Aang sure tried to make sure they’d be safe this time. He led them over craggy cliffs, spiky stalagmites where a cave once had been, and up a whole mountain before finally landing Appa. Calla landed soon after, Kamari the only one sort of awake on the other bison. The camp was quickly and shoddily set up, with some things missing- like the tent and the campfire- but she was so tired she didn’t care. Naoki murmured that he didn’t care anymore, he’d find the softest dirt pile and sleep there, and Katara griped that he had a good idea since Toph and Daiyu wouldn’t help anyway.

“Didn’t realize you were a baby who still needed someone to tuck you into bed, kiss your forehead, and sing you a lullaby, Sugar Queen.” Daiyu snapped, eye twitching from exhaustion and anger, she was so tired . She heard Kamari let out a sigh, starting to think out loud.

“Okay, fighting amongst ourselves clearly isn’t helping- I’m talking to you, too, Kat. So something is chasing us. We don’t know who or what it is. It might be Zuko, we haven’t seen him since the North Pole.” Kamari said, and Naoki decided to pipe up, asking who Zuko was.

“Oh, just some angry ponytail dude who keeps chasing us all over the world,” Sokka said sleepily, and Avella woke up momentarily to let out a sleep-deprived giggle.

“What’s wrong with ponytails, ponytail guy?” Avella slurred, laughing quietly, and Sokka groaned, rolling over so his face was in the dirt, complaining that he had a warrior’s wolf tail, not a ponytail. Big difference. “Anyway, whatever or whoever is chasing us probably can’t get us up here, so everyone shut up and let me sleep .” The last part was snapped with a considerable amount of venom, and not another word was said in camp after that.

Unfortunately, Momo didn’t talk. He just chattered, jumping from one person to another. Kamari let out a long-suffering whine as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Momo, please tell me I’m hallucinating that stupid smoke trail coming closer to us.” She murmured, before shooting up. “Wait- that’s the thing! How’d they find us!” Kamari shouted, causing the entire camp to groan, slowly gathering themselves up as well.

The thing- a train of some sort- came to a stop, finally. Naoki squinted as the dust and smoke cleared before a door opened, and three teenage girls riding very large lizards came out. The girl on the right wore pink and had a beautifully maintained braid- Naoki wanted to put flowers in it. Then he snapped out of it. Nope no no no, they were following them incessantly, their intentions definitely were not good.

Katara yelled out that it was the three girls from Omashu, and everyone got into a battle-ready position. “We can take them, six on three!” Toph said, and Naoki paused before reminding her that he and Sokka were there, too. “Oh, yeah. Three on six plus Naoki and Sokka!” Toph amended, and Naoki flushed with anger. Just because his Bending was weak didn’t mean he couldn’t fight ! That was just rude of her. He appreciated it when Daiyu flicked her as mumbled tiredly about being nice.

Daiyu and Toph sent a barrage of rocks in their way, but the three girls didn’t even slow down. To give them some time, Daiyu sent up a rock wall while everyone else climbed on the bison, taking off, but an explosion of some sort, followed by darts- easily stopped with a rock- penetrated the wall with ease. Daiyu heard Avella’s breath hitch at a blue flash before the girl’s heartbeat calmed down slightly. Blue fire arched in the air behind the two bison as they flew off, and despite herself, Daiyu shivered slightly, phantom pains ghosting up her right arm.

One of the girls apparently could do something that removed one’s Bending ability. Daiyu was slightly terrified. And since the twin bun girl threw knives and one more shot blue fire, as Katara said, she had to assume it was the girl in pink. Huh. Appearances were misleading. Good to know. But since every time they landed, the girls found them again, the Gaang had to keep flying. And they couldn’t keep that up forever.

Hotaru knew those tracks. A Fire Nation steam train made those. She and Zuko were in hot pursuit- as quickly as their ostrich horse could go, anyway- she named him Chonk. Clearly, Azula was behind this- and apparently, Azula had tasked herself with capturing the Avatar.

There was a gap in the air. Avella shot awake and yelled for Calla to go down, sharply, wincing as her passengers let out cries of alarm as she woke them up. She’d apologize, but Appa had fallen asleep and Calla was close behind. Avella leaped off of Calla to help Aang wake Appa up, Bending the clouds to slow them down- but two falling ten-ton bison were heavy, and she was already sleep-deprived. Just before reaching the treeline of an upcoming pine forest, Appa woke up. Avella yelped as pine boughs hit her repeatedly, everyone’s bodies jerking around as Appa reorientated himself, finally crash-landing next to another river.

Daiyu sighed as she rolled off Calla’s tail, not even caring about grabbing her bedroll. “Okay, we have distance between us and the crazy girls, can we please follow Appa’s lead here and sleep?” She begged, before Katara decided to start a fight. Again .

“Of course, we could have gotten to sleep earlier if Toph and Daiyu didn’t have such issues.” Katara spat, Kamari wincing at Toph’s high-pitched, indignant screech and Daiyu’s furious growl. Aang tried to pacify them, and Daiyu held a hand up to the Avatar, goading Katara on.

“I’m just saying that maybe if you’d helped out earlier, we could have set up camp faster and gotten some sleep, and maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation!” Katara shouted, and Daiyu felt her eye twitch again.

“You’re blaming us for this?” Toph asked incredulously, scoffing. “We never asked you for anything, jack squat! We carry our own weight! Besides, if there’s anyone to blame, it’s Sheddy over here!” Toph shouted, and Aang spluttered. “Yeah, I went there, I’m blaming Appa!” Toph yelled, grabbing a handful of fur. “You wanna know how they keep finding us? Because Appa and Calla leave trails everywhere they go!” She shouted, tossing the fur to the ground. And now Aang got involved.

“How dare you blame Appa and Calla! They saved your life at least three times today!” Aang retorted, crossing his arms. “If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you! You’re always talking about how you carry your own weight- but guess what! No, you don’t! Appa and Calla do! They carry all of our weight! And they never had a problem when it was just the six of us!” He shouted. Glaring, Daiyu took a deep breath before speaking in an eerily calm voice. 

“I would be careful how you speak to us, because ‘you never know where hidden enemies may lie’,” she quoted one of her parents’ favorite teachings before letting her voice raise a bit, “None of you even said anything about how you set up camp, just asked for help vaguely, not even saying how we could’ve helped. In case you didn't realize, neither of us has ever been a part of a group, never had to set up a camp before, and never been beyond the walls of our hometowns! So excuse me for not falling immodestly in sync with your daily routine! You keep complaining about being exhausted, but never once considered taking shifts on the bison then letting the beasts sleep somewhere with one person while continuing on foot once rested, waiting for them to rendevous!” She was barely suppressing a roar at this point, “and just so you know, I haven’t slept in 5 days now!” Daiyu then turned abruptly, Toph quick to follow.

“We’re out of here.” Daiyu spat, easily moving Sokka and Naoki aside when they tried to physically get in the way. “Don’t worry, we won’t slow down your precious shedding fleabags any more than we already did,” Daiyu said flippantly, rage forgotten, sticking her tongue out at the teenagers before heading off into the trees with Toph.

Avella finally woke up. “ We forgot to wash and brush Appa !” She gasped, blinking as everyone seemed to flinch at her presence. “Hey, where’d Daiyu and Toph go?”

A plan was quickly made, Avella chewing out everyone present for their hand in the prior events. Appa was given a thorough bath by those who could Waterbend, and scrubbed by those who couldn’t. All of Appa’s soaked and discarded fur was collected in Aang’s messenger bag, and everyone would go in two directions after hiding the bisons’ saddles. The Airbenders would make a fake trail of fur to lead the train off-course, and everyone else would go find Daiyu and Toph. “Be careful of the treetops, don’t break them!” Avella yelled as the two bison took off, Calla and Appa taking extra care to not break the tips of the trees before zooming off as fast as their exhausted forms could go. Avella nodded to Aang, the two opening up their gliders and taking off in the opposite direction, leaving a hefty trail of fur behind them.

While the anger had faded somewhat with a nice walk, Daiyu was still ticked as she strode through the forest, Toph right beside her. Suddenly, a new heartbeat was detected, and Toph sent a molehill of rock to knock the person over. An old man in green groaned, rubbing at his backside, and Daiyu gasped- oops, they hadn’t known they hit an innocent.

Avella closed her eyes as she flew, allowing the air currents to direct her and Aang through the skies above the forest. Aang led her to an abandoned town at the edge where the forest met dry plains, houses broken and burned. Avella and Aang walked slowly through the main road in the village, continuing to scatter Appa’s fur- internally, Avella cried at the loss of pristine bison fur that could have made wonderful clothing and tapestries. An abandoned bell chimed with a faint breeze, and Aang sat down right as the trail ended. Avella yawned and headed into a house that was still somewhat standing, hoping for some shade in her nap.

Two of the three girls found them again. Kamari gasped when Sokka and Momo alerted them of that fact, whipping Calla’s reins when Katara flicked Appa’s, trying to encourage the poor bison to go faster. Just as the bison barely made it across an upcoming river and Kamari thought they were safe, the girls’ lizards ran across the water . Kamari sent a wave at the two, groaning when the pink-haired one nimbly leaped off, jumping from tree to tree. Naoki yelped as the cute girl tried to punch and jab at his body, porcelain clinking together to form shoddy armor. She winced as she tried hitting Sokka’s head after rendering the teen’s arms and one leg unusable, and Naoki sent a kick at her as she was cradling her hand. “I’m sorry, you just keep attacking us! You’re super cute but you’re not exactly being very nice!” Naoki yelped, sprinting away as the girl ran after him again.

Kamari and Katara ducked and weaved to avoid the other girl’s darts and knives, unfortunately getting pinned to a nearby tree, stopping them from Bending as Naoki and Sokka stumbled over. “I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you, it’d be more exciting. Oh well, victory is boring.” The knife girl sighed, and Kamari blinked.

“If victory is so boring, why not try losing?” Kamari offered. Ty Lee and the other girl didn’t get a chance to reply as a strong gust of wind sent them careening off into the river, Appa and Calla having gotten some strength back. “Oh, what would we do without you two lovelies?” Kamari gushed, laughing as Naoki and Sokka got slobbered on.

“Alright, you’ve caught up with me. Now who are you and what do you want?” Avella heard Aang say, silently waking up at sunset. She peered out of a broken window to see the Fire Princess approach- alone. Was she cocky or just that good? 

“You mean you haven’t guessed? Can’t you see the family resemblance? Here’s a hint!” The girl said, before placing a hand over the left side of her face, contorting her expression into a snarl. “I must find the Avatar to restore my honor,” the girl grumbled, and Avella fought not to laugh- psychopathic as that poor girl seemed, that was a pretty good Zuko impression. Aang was silent, however, and Avella had to hide a snort as the girl spoke up again, voice chipper. “It’s okay, you can laugh. It’s funny !” 

Aang asked what was to happen now. “Now? Now, it’s over. You’re tired, alone, with nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. You can run, but I’ll always catch you.” The girl said, and Avella frowned. Creepy. Aang stated that he wouldn’t run, and Avella rolled her eyes. She made sure her cloak was covering her again and gripped her staff tightly, moving silently in case Aang needed her.

The old man led Daiyu and Toph to a cliff overlooking some lovely rice fields, the sunset creating a magnificent orange glow. “Here is your tea,” the man said, smiling as he poured three cups, handing two to the cousins. Toph didn’t take hers, and the man hummed. “You two seem a little young to be traveling alone.” He said, and Daiyu felt spikes rise in her chest. So, she snapped at him that he seemed a little too old to be traveling alone. He laughed kindly at that, and despite herself, Daiyu took her cup of tea. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Toph blurted as Daiyu watched the man poke at the small fire with a stick, a frown set on her face. “We look like we can’t even handle being out by ourselves.” The man denied such an accusation, shaking his head lightly, and Toph scoffed. “You wouldn’t even let us pour our own tea!” She retorted, and the old man hummed. 

“I poured the tea for you two because I wanted to, and for no other reason.” The man said. Somehow, that made Daiyu relax.

“People look at us and think we’re weak. And that because Toph’s blind and my arm is severely burned, we need people to take care of us- but we can take care of ourselves by ourselves, with nobody else to tell us what to do.” Daiyu explained cautiously, feeling like she was defending herself from someone harmless- she kind of was. Although she still struggled here and there, she had long accepted her injury and found little shame in it. She was better at ignoring this line of thought than her younger cousin, but the days of no sleep were weighing on her. She wished her father hadn’t run her through drills all night before he left- and really shouldn’t have stayed up late in her lab the other nights. It was starting to turn out to be a really stupid decision. 

“You sound like my nephew, always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone’s support.” The man said, and Daiyu admitted that his words sounded like the ideal life. No support meant no betrayal. “There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you. Not that I love you two- I just met you both!” He chortled, and Daiyu felt herself laugh along, with Toph giggling. Toph asked where his nephew was, and Daiyu saw the man visibly wilt.

“I’ve been tracking him. He has a friend, who, no matter how prickly he is, refuses to leave him alone, even if it means leaving me alone.” The man said, and Daiyu quietly asked if he was lost. The man closed his eyes, sorrow embedded in his body language as he sipped his tea. “Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed, and he’s going through very difficult times. He’s trying to figure out who he is, and he went away.” Daiyu blinked at that- that was why the old man was following him; because he loved him. The man hummed, taking another drink. “I know he doesn’t want me around right now, but if he needs me, I’ll be there.” This man had a very lucky nephew- and Daiyu voiced that thought. Then it hit her. The lesson, the one her father taught her, about soldier units surviving -they lived if they were efficient, and they were only efficient if everyone filled in the gaps to complete needed tasks. That was what the others did, that was where she and Toph were deficient and why they were so upset . She and Toph thanked the man, and he smiled. “It was my pleasure! Sharing tea with fascinating strangers is one of life’s true delights.”

“No, we didn’t mean that. Thank you for what you said,” Daiyu clarified, feeling warm- and not just because of the delicious tea. “I think it helped both of us.” She grabbed her bag, Toph slinging her own over her shoulder. They started to walk away when Daiyu froze, remembering something. “Oh- and, uh, about your nephew, maybe you should tell him that you need him, too.” She said, before heading off with Toph- they had some friends to find and apologize to.

The girl asked if Aang really wanted to fight her, but before Avella or Aang could do anything, an ostrich horse ran past, dropping off two teenagers and a cart before running off again. One of the teens stood up to reveal themself as Zuko, stating that yes he did. The other girl, Hotaru, stood up straight as Zuko declared that the girl- Azula- should back off because the Avatar was his. Avella rolled her eyes at that, groaning. The four teens were in a stand-off, and Avella saw Azula shift just a bit. That was her cue.

Hotaru gasped as Azula shot bluebell flames at Zuko, sending him crashing into the ruins of a house. She sent a curving wave of flame to the escaping Avatar, but a cloaked figure appeared and seemed to Bend the flames away- with Air or Fire, she couldn’t tell- and she certainly wouldn’t say in front of Azula. Flames were thrown back and forth, with blasts of air on Aang’s part as the Avatar and his hooded companion dodged blue and orange fire alike. Azula somehow ended up in the middle, eyes flicking from Hotaru and Zuko to the Avatar and his companion, before the Avatar sprinted up a flight of stairs.

Avella followed Aang, quickly forming an air scooter alongside him as the doorway they ran through led to nothing, snorting as Azula barely managed to skid to a stop before catching herself. Zuko had no such luck, and Avella let out a snort of laughter at the sight of Zuko falling into debris, seeming unharmed regardless. Their air soon began to run out, so Avella leaped at Azula. She was the distraction, as Aang swept her feet and forced her to fall next to Zuko, the Airbenders managing to escape. Unfortunately, Azula cut off their escape points, and Avella ended up trapped under a board alongside Aang. Azula lifted her hand, ready to Firebend, when a water whip abruptly appeared, tugging Azula back.

Kamari ducked the first bout of flame coming from the Fire Princess, grinning feral at the girl. Naoki sent shards of porcelain at her, Sokka swung his machete, Katara and Kamari worked together to Waterbend- and suddenly the Fire Princess fell, Toph and Daiyu grinning as they arrived just in the nick of time. “Thought you guys could use some help!” The two Earthbending cousins chorused, beaming. Kamari sighed in relief, grinning at Daiyu before the Princess tried to escape down an alleyway. Of course, the Gaang followed her.

Hotaru had no clue how Iroh caught up to them so quickly, but she was not complaining. The Avatar, his friends, Zuko, Iroh, and herself all stood around Azula, blocking the Princess from escaping. “Look at that, traitors and enemies working together. Oh well, I give up. I know when I’m beaten. You got me- a Princess surrenders with honor.” Azula jabbed, but Hotaru didn’t let up- the calculating gleam didn’t once leave Azula’s eyes.

Azula always lies - Hotaru remembered Zuko muttering that on their journey quite a bit. And it seemed like this occurrence was no different, as Azula sent a bolt of blue flame at Iroh. Hotaru jumped out, breath stuck in her throat as she tried to bat away the fire- most of it still hitting Iroh, unfortunately. She vaguely registered a blue explosion and someone yelling that ‘she got away’, before Zuko was kneeling beside her and Iroh. Iroh’s face was contorted with pain, and Hotaru felt tears well up in her eyes at the harsh sting.

Katara gasped at the sight, and Kamari knew that the situation was extremely delicate, even as Azula ran off, unseen. Zuko yelled for them to get away from his Uncle and Hotaru, and Kamari frowned. Katara could heal . Katara said that she could help, and Kamari quickly pulled up a wall of water just as Zuko threw back a wave of fire. Hotaru grasped his hand, shaking her head, and Katara quickly ran forward. She managed enough healing that Toph, Daiyu, and Avella no longer looked heartbroken at the sight of Iroh before Zuko lost his patience again. Kamari tugged her friends and family away, running away from the burning village. Leaving Zuko, Hotaru, and Iroh there alone. That night, they finally got some good sleep.

Chapter Text

“Today’s the day!” Aang cheered, floating with every jump. “Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I’m finally starting Earthbending- with two teachers!” He laughed, and Avella smiled, cheering quietly along with him. Sokka grumbled at being woken up, and Avella snickered at the grumpy teenager. The ground started to rumble, and Avella turned to the large stone tent where Daiyu and Toph had slept. The tent fell apart to reveal the two Earthbenders in all their glory, wide awake and ready to teach some Bending. (Or at least he thought, Daiyu was ready to go back to sleep at a moment’s notice.)

Sokka grumbled again, and Daiyu sent a shark-like grin his way. “Sorry, Snoozles, we’ll try to keep our Earthbending quiet.” She snarked, rolling her eyes, she felt a little bad, but if she had to be up she didn't find it fair for the others to sleep in. Toph sent Sokka high up in the air before he fell with an oomph on Appa’s saddle, sputtering in tired anger before curling up again to try and sleep some more.

Aang asked what move Daiyu and Toph were gonna teach him first, rambling about the possibilities- rock-alanche, trembler, a land-whirlpool, and Daiyu reveled in the slight blanch he gave when both she and Toph sent matching grins his way. “Let’s start with just moving a rock,” Toph stated, and Daiyu laughed at the deflating Avatar. Hey, he had some funny ideas for what they could call their moves.

“The key to Earthbending is your stance,” Toph stated, Daiyu examining the Avatar’s flimsy form. Avella, Katara, Kamari, and Naoki were watching from the side.

“You’ve got to be steady and strong- rock is a stubborn element, and you’ve got to be even more stubborn.” Daiyu chimed in, shoving Aang slightly. The Avatar nearly fell over even as he proclaimed that he got it, and Daiyu snickered.

“The actual motion of moving a rock is pretty simple,” Toph said, Daiyu demonstrating with a simple punch to her boulder, sending it into the ravine walls. “Ready to try?” Toph asked, and Daiyu raised an eyebrow, ready to watch the Avatar’s first try; maybe they should just have him run through the motion first a few times… Nah, he’s the Avatar, he’ll be fine. Aang’s first try had him moving back instead of the rock, Naoki joking that rock beats Airbender. The clay-wielding boy soon disappeared to find clay along the riverbed and practice his own Earthbending. He was thinking of making porcelain gifts for his new friends, and his lyre had a chip in it that he needed high-quality clay to fix.

Iroh finally woke up, Hoaru gently finishing the wrapping on his chest, shoulder, and arm. Zuko took it upon himself to tell Iroh what happened while he was unconscious- probably not a good idea, considering Iroh tried to get up immediately afterward. Zuko poured Iroh tea, and Hotaru assured him that she made it, not Zuko. The poor boy couldn’t use a fire to make anything to save his life, unfortunately. Once everyone had a cup of steaming tea, Hotaru allowed herself to relax slightly. She shouldn’t have, because Zuko begged Iroh to resume his training. And Iroh went along with it, claiming Azula was a crazy person who needed to go down.

Aang and Katara were discussing what he could have done wrong- he did it exactly like Daiyu did, what if he went at it from a different angle- and Toph grabbed Aang’s sleeve to stop him. “That’s the problem! You’ve got to stop thinking like an Airbender, and think like an Earthbender.” Daiyu lectured, Toph knocking on Aang’s head like a door. “There’s no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity-trick that’s gonna move that rock. You’ve got to face it head-on; and when we say head-on, we mean like this.” Daiyu said, gesturing to Toph. Toph headbutted the rock, causing it to break apart. Aang jumped back in alarm, and Daiyu raised a brow as Katara jogged over.

“I’ve been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience- lots of encouragement and praise, kind words. If he’s doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction?” Katara said, and just as Daiyu was about to say something, Avella walked up with a scowl.

“Katara, I know you weren’t about to teach Earthbenders how to teach Aang like a Waterbender. Every element is different, fundamentally, to learn to Bend it. Your method works for Water, but this is Earth. It’s the element Aang will struggle with the most, the one that is directly against everything he was taught as a child. You can’t protect him from himself, his power, or the lessons he needs to learn.” Avella lectured, before turning to the Earthbenders. “To snap Aang out of Air style, injure his Air. The easiest way to do that right now is with his glider.” She said, handing the priceless instrument to Toph before bowing and dragging Katara off, leaving Daiyu to blink at her cousin in shock. Did an Airbender just understand Earth?

Slowly, as the day passed, Aang got better. He went from falling from having a boulder on his back while Toph raised his knees high and jabbing his hands uselessly at the rock- to using Sokka’s machete to slice the rock- and physically pushing a covered-in-rock Toph back across a line. Granted, Daiyu had literally caged him in so he could only go forward or backward, but it was working. That being said, something was once again nagging her. She was letting Toph do most of the teaching, so maybe that’s where it differed, but she felt that it may help to teach the stances and bending theory more than Toph was. She wasn't sure if she wanted to interfere though, because letting Toph teach meant she could go through all the daily exercises her parents drilled into her (it had felt wrong not doing them the last few days and she had missed the feel of her quarterstaff splintering trees in one swing). Hey, where did Sokka go?

“Lighting is a pure expression of Firebending- without aggression,” Iroh said, and Hotaru blinked. Azula used it with plenty of aggression, right? “It is not fuelled by rage or emotion the way other Firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise, and deadly, just like Azula.” Iroh said, pouring a new batch of tea for everyone. Zuko opened his mouth, but Iroh beat him to it. “I will not teach you to Bend lightning. Rather, I will teach you and Hotaru how to redirect it safely.” He declared, and Hotaru nearly spit out her tea- lightning could be redirected?

“There is energy all around us. The energy is both Yin and Yang- a positive energy and a negative energy. Only a select few Firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance, and the energy wants to restore balance. And in the moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide guidance and release, creating lightning.” Iroh lectured, and Hotaru caught on every word. That sounded complicated and wonderful. She gasped as Iroh created lightning, shooting it off into the sky with wide eyes. Zuko shouted that he was ready to try, with Hotaru quick to nod her head in agreement- she wanted to try too!

“Time to try something else!” Avella heard Toph say. Daiyu was at the top of the ravine, balancing a boulder. “Dai’s gonna roll that boulder down at you. If you have the attitude of an Earthbender, you’ll stay in your stance and stop the rock.” Toph commanded. Katara started to speak up about how she was unsure about this, and Avella dragged her a little farther away, shushing her even as Toph blindfolded Aang, telling him to sense the vibrations of the boulder while he was at it. Avella watched as the rock came down, and Aang jumped out of the way. She and Toph facepalmed in unison.

Daiyu scoffed as she ran down, glaring at a remorseful Aang. “You had a perfect stance and a perfect chance and you blew it tremendously! If you’re not tough enough to stop the rock, then you can at least give it the pleasure of smushing you instead of jumping out of the way like some jelly-boned wimp!” Daiyu spat, huffing as Avella strode up. She blinked as she realized her mother had said something similar when she first tried this exercise before she had a decent grasp on Bending, she snorted at the reminder as it had later become an inside joke.

“Here, let me try- even if I can’t Earthbend, I can practice a new Airbending form.” Avella offered, and Daiyu decided to humor her, rolling the boulder back up. As the boulder rolled down, Avella copied Aang’s stance from earlier but forced herself to stay stagnant. The air was compressed- forced still, squeezed smaller and smaller- she punched outwards when the boulder was inches away from her, blinking as it practically blew away in pieces of dust from the forceful wind produced, the stone disintegrated just like that. “Huh. Now do you get it, Aang? There is literally no other way to go except through the rock. Not above, or under, or around- you have to out-stubborn earth itself.” Avella said, brushing her hands clean. Daiyu let out a bark of laughter, high-fiving Avella when she got back down. Aang just sighed, taking Katara up on her offer to Waterbend instead.

Zuko’s attempts kept exploding in his face. Literally. Hotaru was trying elsewhere on her own, as Zuko’s voice was close to breaking, but she was trying to meditate first. Zuko always had so much anger in his heart- but maybe Hotaru could try. Her first attempt ended in an explosion, too. Hotaru sighed, trying to search within herself- what or who was she so angry at, that it was impacting her Bending? Herself? Her father? The entire Fire Nation? Or… Iroh’s words from earlier came back to her- about how lightning was Firebending without the anger, without the emotion. That was it- even if she couldn’t get lightning, maybe if she powered her fire with something better than anger, she could understand herself better!

“This block is temporary, you know,” Kamari remarked, watching Aang and Katara weave water between the two of them. “Avoiding it like you’re doing even now is precisely the issue. As soon as you-”

“I know, I know, I know! Face it head-on like a rock, but I can’t do it! I don’t know why I can’t, but I just can’t do it!” Aang burst, pushing the water bubble harshly into the pond again. Avella flicked some droplets from her hair, raising an eyebrow at Aang.

“I believe I’ve told you this a couple of times already, Aang. Since Fire and Water are opposites, Air and Earth are opposites. You were raised with the exact opposite mentality and life from Earth- of course, it’s hard for you to get!” Avella said, striding into the water to poke Aang’s forehead. Kamari took that moment to throw a reed at Aang without warning, the Avatar slicing it with water neatly- proving he was Master-level at Waterbending.

“Aang!” The water and airbenders turned to see Daiyu running at them looking victorious. “I figured it out! We keep yelling at you to think like an earthbender, but do you even know what that means or what kind of mindset that requires?” The boy blinked.

“Um… face it head-on?” Avella watched amused as Daiyu frantically shook her head, a predatory grin splitting her face and making the Avatar subtly scoot away. Now that Avella looked closer, were Daiyu’s teeth slightly bigger and sharper than the average person's? Hmm… she thinks so; it's not unheard of, Avella’s were sharper and Naoki’s teeth behind his canines looked like a smaller set of canines.

“No, that's just a saying that helps. Here, get in the first stance we showed you, run through the motion, and visualize the rock in front of you while you do it.” The Waterbenders began to dry off as they watched him repeat the kata a few times while Daiyu watched with the same calculating look she had fighting in the rumble arena. Kamari watched in interest as she began to bend the soil under him, forcing him to move and shift his weight until Daiyu seemed to be satisfied.

“Do you feel the difference in your stance now? In a fight those areas were openings to be exploited, now they should be covered and secure. Now feel the energy of the earth around you, the same way you feel the movement of water and air, it doesn't move as much but feeling that energy should help connect you to the element.” Avella was nodding along which made Daiyu smile, it also seemed to make a bit of sense to the boy but wasn't quite sinking in. At some point, Naoki had shown up and was listening in fascination as the masterful earthbender began explaining some bending theory.

“Earth is considered stubborn and set in fixed styles, and to a point it's true, but it's also diverse there are many ways to use the earth to your advantage. You will never get to that point if you don’t first command the element. Don’t be nice to it, don’t ask it to move, and don’t try to coach it along its flowing path, because it will never respect you for that. The only way it will listen and respond is if you prove that you’re strong enough to command it and stand against its challenges.” Aang had been nodding along looking slightly put out and a bit guilty and Naoki frowned as Aang tried again to move a rock, failing just as spectacularly as before and storming off before anyone could stop him. Daiyu sighed, exchanged an annoyed glance with Avella, and then disappeared to forage for plants she could use for her experiments.

“Fire is the element of Power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire, will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.” Iroh lectured, using a stick to draw the Fire symbol into the dirt. “Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.” Iroh sketched in a simplistic Earth symbol, before continuing. “Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!” An Air symbol was added, leaving just Water to be drawn- but Hotaru wasn’t entirely sure if that last comment was necessary for this lesson. “Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.” The final element was drawn in, and Iroh clasped his stick. “It is important to draw wisdom from many different places, and that is why I am teaching you about the different Elements. If we take it only from one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements and the other nations will help you become whole.” Iroh said, creating a large circle to join the four Elements together. Hotaru nodded her head, looking like she understood- but she didn’t quite get it. Perhaps it was the kind of wisdom that only came with age.

“Anyway, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the Waterbenders!” Iroh cheered, and Hotaru blinked. Wait- what? Zuko smiled faintly at the mention of Waterbenders, looking thoughtful, and Hotaru squinted at him. He must think fondly of a Waterbender or even several, to get that reaction- but Hotaru wondered how, who, and why.

Daiyu strode over to where Aang was meditating, holding her staff loosely in one hand and his in the other. Toph followed her, holding a bag of nuts- with a scribble of Aang’s face on them, very clearly his snacks. “Hey Aang, Toph and I found these nuts in your bag, and we figured you wouldn’t mind! And besides, even if you did, you’re too much of a pushover to do anything about it.” Daiyu said mockingly, waving the bag tauntingly around, letting the nuts clack together, then handed her cousin the Airbender’s staff. Plan A failed so it was time for plan B- listen to Avella and let Toph cause chaos.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t mind, I’m happy to share anything I have.” Aang drolled, probably trying to keep himself from grimacing- but Daiyu and Toph weren’t facing him, and she couldn’t see his expressions from their angle. So Daiyu tapped the earth once, and Toph grinned, pulling a nut out.

“You know, we’re really glad you feel that way because we also found this great new nutcracker!” Toph said, twirling Aang’s staff before slamming the butt end down, neatly opening the nut. Daiyu could just feel the Avatar’s flinch, smirking. It was working. She crushed a nut with her staff to see him react to the noise the same way.

“Actually, I’d prefer if you didn’t-” Toph cracked open another nut, a wide grin on her face, and Aang visibly recoiled. Oh, Daiyu should wind him up more often, this was fun.

“That’s an antique, handcrafted by the monks-” Another flinch from Aang as Daiyu smashed a nut open this time, enjoying the salty snack. “It’s a delicate instrument!” Aang wailed, and Daiyu scoffed.

“It’s not the only delicate instrument around here,” Daiyu muttered to Toph, knowing full well that Aang could hear, but the boy didn’t give them a reaction. The cousins shrugged and decided to head off again, having done part of their duty by riling Aang up. Toph slammed the staff against various rocks as she went, and Daiyu tried not to snicker as Aang tried to calm himself down.

Nobody had seen Sokka all day. Except Kamari, who found him talking to a baby sabertooth moose lion cub, trapped pretty firmly in the ground. He was talking about karma and being vegetarian and stuff while the adorable thing tried fetching him apples, wagging its tail, and tugging at his ponytail. But Kamari wasn’t an Earthbender, so she left the hilarious scene to find someone who was- and she ran into Aang, luckily.

Kamari led Aang back to Sokka, who tried pulling him out by the fingers- which just gave her cousin more pain. “Oh- Aang, I know you have a block, but-” Kamari winced as Aang tried Airbending Sokka out- a total disaster. “-But Sokka needs Earthbending right now.” She finished lamely, snorting as Sokka’s boomerang conked him on the head. Aang wilted at that, clearly feeling guilty, and Kamari glanced at Sokka- she had no clue what to do about this. So she awkwardly left to find Toph or Daiyu before Aang could rant to Sokka about how weird, hard, and uncomfortable the whole event was.

Hotaru was trying to tune out Iroh- look, he was wise and all, but she was trying to feel her Inner Fire, okay? She knew that he was trying to teach Zuko about a Water-like Firebending technique, but she would rather do her own thing right now. She tuned back in as Iroh was sputtering something about not shooting lightning at Zuko, was he crazy, before remarking that he would hopefully never need to use the technique. Iroh strode off as thunder began to boom, signaling the beginning of a storm. Hotaru turned to head inside so she could continue meditation, completely missing Zuko heading in the opposite direction.

Daiyu sat on a rock, watching in amusement as Aang Airbended a giant sabertooth moose lion around, since Sokka was very clearly stuck. But every blast the Avatar made just made the creature turn and shift a bit- it was only when Aang Airbent like an Earthbender did the forceful air push the animal back enough that it understood not to fight, and Daiyu couldn’t help but slowly and sarcastically clap alongside Toph as the dust cleared. Upon the two boys sputtering and asking what she and her cousin were doing there, Daiyu grinned widely.

“Yeah, we were here pretty much the whole time,” Daiyu said flippantly, not even blinking when Aang went on a tirade that he was in trouble, Sokka was in trouble, and the girls could have helped in any way. “Guess it didn’t occur to us,” Daiyu remarked, and Toph lazily tossed a nut to hit Aang’s forehead. As Daiyu pulled out the Avatar’s staff to crack open the nut that was now on the ground, Aang finally strode up and physically stopped the staff from swinging down.

Aang took his staff back, and Toph jumped down from the rock she was perched on. “Do it, do it now!” She commanded, and at Aang’s confused spluttering, Daiyu continued.

“Earthbend! Do it! You stood your ground against a crazy beast- and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me! You’ve got the stuff, now do it!” Daiyu roared, flexing her arms rather impressively. Aang finally stamped his foot down and shoved a rock away using Earthbending, and Daiyu let out a whoop. “There it is, you did it!” She called, and Aang cheered. Sokka cheered too, and Daiyu was abruptly reminded that the poor teen was still stuck. Aang bounded over to try and get him out, but Daiyu grabbed his collar to stop him while Toph went to free Sokka. “Love the enthusiasm, Twinkle Toes, but let’s leave the delicate Earthbending to the Masters for now.”

Avella cheered as the troupe of four returned, Kamari and Katara cheering alongside her. The Water Tribe cousins hugged Sokka, who looked rather haunted. “The entire time I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what’s really important.” Sokka droned. Now, Avella almost thought Sokka would say something introspective, wise, or insightful. But Avella’s attention was stolen by Aang, who was excitedly showing off that he could Earthbend now. Avella ran up and hugged him, grinning as he tried to explain that the key was being rooted and immovable- just as Appa licked the both of them, sending them flying and sprawling to the dirt floor. Avella laughed alongside the rest of their friends, squeezing Aang tight- she knew he could get it eventually.

As the storm raged and the dusk grew to night, Hotaru paused in the middle of sipping her tea. Where was Zuko, off being broody and melodramatic again? She’d prefer that to his Blue Spirit gallivanting, honestly.

Chapter Text

Naoki strummed his lyre, humming quietly as the group walked. The bison needed a short rest, so the group paused at a small village before continuing. Funnily enough, roles had been given out without anyone saying anything. Daiyu and Toph were out-scamming the scammers on the street without Katara catching them, Kamari was messing around in the water troughs and laughing as the animals waved their heads at the display, Aang was chattering away happily to Sokka about something, and Avella just ran past him, giggling with something new and shiny tucked in her hands. Naoki blinked as a coin made its way into his bag, a young woman smiling at him- oh, it was the music.

As Naoki played for the locals, probably getting a few coins, Daiyu ushered Avella over. She and Toph were trying to outdo a few guys at poker with high stakes to prove they were confident, but the only thing of value Daiyu had on herself at the moment was a few spices that could be used as chemicals. Avella plopped down a few glittering crystals and a beautiful red necklace, and the men around the table blanched. Daiyu grinned, glancing at her cards. She did have a pretty good hand. A couple of men bowed out, but still more stayed. Daiyu cleared her throat, and Avella pulled one of her many bags out, rummaging around before pulling something else out. A beautifully carved piece of whalebone, nothing Kamari recognized, a very gilded amulet, and a fancy-looking book. The men left began to sweat, pulling out what meager valuables they had if they tried to stay in. So Avella dumped her bag out into the pool. Gems, gold, and rare carved items of all sorts tumbled into the pot, and the last men groaned as they bowed out, showing their cards in defeat. Daiyu high-fived Toph and Avella, who scooped up the entire pot into her bag before scampering off again. Daiyu reshuffled the cards, grinning as the men looked at her and her cousin in fear. “Another round, anyone?”

A few hours later, the teens left the village, bison refreshed and jerk scammers sucked dry of riches. Kamari was teaching Daiyu and Toph about the best way to skin a catch, showing off her prowess as she prepared their lunch, Aang and Avella cheering Sokka on as he made the campfire. Katara produced some fruits and rice she had bought for Aang, and the whole group ate their fill before Kamari noticed something.

“Hey, Avella, why do you eat meat? Aang’s a vegetarian, and you don’t eat meat all the time, but you do eat it. Why’s that? I thought you Nomads couldn’t?” Kamari asked, and Avella sipped at her water pouch before replying.

“The Air Nomad teachings are all about respect for all living things. That means we only kill when necessary for survival, we don’t waste anything we are given, we thank the spirits of the animals that gave their lives- but yes, some Nomads become vegetarian instead. The Temples were very self-sufficient, and if one goes without meat for a very long time, their bodies can’t handle it. If Aang ate meat right now, he’d get sick no matter how well it was cooked. Although I know you’re all respectful about your kills- and it tastes good, one reason I make sure to eat meat at times is to keep myself healthy, just in case.” Avella said. Naoki blinked at the long lecture, letting out a whistle.

“Dang, and I thought I was respectful to those around me. Nomads take it to a whole other level!” Naoki joked, grinning as the gang laughed around the campfire. 

As time passed on, the group relaxed slightly. Aang, Daiyu, and Toph were doing some Earthbending practice. Kamari had a veil of water around her, presumably experimenting with something else. Naoki was lying back, staring at the clouds in the sky as he strummed his lyre, thinking of a new song. Avella was laughing as she pulled out item after item from her pockets and bags, making Katara splutter and Sokka laugh, when Naoki got a great idea.

“Hey- we all need a nice break, how about we go on some short vacations? Nothing longer than a few hours, nothing too far out from where we’re headed, just something to unwind a bit!” Naoki proposed. He grinned at the thoughtful faces around him, before Aang sprinted to Appa’s saddle, pulling out a new map, calling that he had dibs on going first- yeah, Naoki didn’t have an issue with that.

“What’s out here?” Kamari asked, glancing around at the bare desert around them all. Aang and Avella were sitting next to each other, wooden whistles in their hands.

“A lot. There’s a bunch of little-” Toph began before Avella hurriedly shushed her, grinning excitedly. She glanced at Aang and the two grinned, before starting to play. From all of the little holes came little meerkats, each one able to sing perfectly to one note. Avella glanced around as she played, excited as each little critter sang along to the notes she and Aang played. That was until Sokka plugged their flutes with his hand.

“Yeah, don’t we have more important things to worry about? Like making a plan?” Sokka asked drily, and the others glanced at each other. Daiyu stepped up, smirking.

“We do have plans, Snoozles! We’re all picking mini vacations since we’re exhausted and in need of relaxation.” Daiyu snarked, waving her hand. “Aang’s practically been training his arrow off, so what’s the harm in having a teeny bit of downtime?” She asked, stopping Sokka in his tracks before he could start an angry rant. 

“Yeah and even if you manage to master all the elements, it’s not like we have a map of the Fire Nation. What, should we head West until we reach the Fire Lord’s house?” Naoki snarked, and Avella glanced up, stuffing her flute in Calla’s saddle as Naoki continued. “Knock knock, Fire Lord? Anybody home? We’re here to beat you up!”

“Yeah, I don’t think so. We need intelligence for this, we need a map and a plan of how to get in.” Sokka stated, and Aang played one more note, making a meerkat pop up underneath Sokka with a squeak. Kamari snorted at that, rolling her neck.

“Alright, alright. How about this- we finish our mini-vacations, making them as mini as possible, and then we’ll look for Sokka’s intelligence!” Kamari snarked, grinning when everyone but Sokka burst out in laughter at the playful jab. “Anyway- Katara, time for our pick!” She sang, pulling open their vacation map. She glanced over the different landmarks before Katara pointed to what looked like a glacier in the desert.

“What about that one, Misty Palms Oasis?” Katara asked, and Avella lit up.

“Aang and I have been there! It’s a pristine, natural ice ground- one of nature’s beautiful wonders! … A hundred years ago.” Avella piped up, deflating slightly at the last bit. The gang glanced at each other before Kamari shrugged and rolled the map up again. What the heck, time to see a natural oasis!

It was not a natural oasis. What was once a huge, beautiful chunk of ice was barely the size of a small fountain, and Naoki was sorely disappointed. It was steaming even as the gang strode past it, a dog licking at the slowly melting ice. People covered in cloth except for their eyes were scattered throughout, all staring suspiciously at the teenagers. One man spat at Naoki’s feet, and he gingerly stepped over the nasty wad before following the others inside a mud and clay hut- a bar. At the actual bar, a man ordered a mango, and the bartender used an ice bowl to make a mango smoothie. He lit up- after the heat in this desert, that sounded amazing. He voiced this.

“I don’t see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy!” Kamari said, grinning as Sokka strode over to order first. Unfortunately, just as the man turned around, he bumped into Aang, spilling his mango smoothie all over him. Everyone around gasped before Aang cheerily chirped that it was no worry, he cleaned up easily. A blast of air later had Aang clean and dry, and the man staring in amazement.

“You’re a living relic!” The man cried, and Avella grimaced under her hood. Oh goodie, another reminder that her entire people and culture were dead. “An Air Nomad, right in front of me,” the man whispered, before bowing jovially. “Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University! Now tell me, which of the four Air Temples do you hail from?” Zei asked, dragging Aang over to a table. Avella watched as Zei pulled out a strange measuring contraption, measuring Aang’s head even as he answered. “Oh, splendid! Now, tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?” And with that, Avella decided to do something else- namely, see if there were any shinies about. She could clear up any misconceptions Aang accidentally made later- if she felt like it.

The droning of Zei as he questioned Aang about every detail of his life faded into background noise, and Daiyu took a moment to look around. With everyone in their gang getting their smoothies, people were starting to disperse slightly. Naoki had pulled out some paints and was decorating one of the blank walls in the bar, much to the delight of the patrons. Kamari had gone out with Katara to poke around the ice, Avella was pickpocketing tired-looking people as they sipped their alcohol, and Sokka was inching closer to Zei, interested in an intellectual.

“So, Professor! You’re obviously a well-traveled guy, do you have a more current map? Ours is a little… dated.” Sokka grit out, grimacing as he held Aang’s century-old map in his hand. Zei nodded, rolling out his map as the rest of the gang coagulated close, watching Sokka pore over it. “Wait- no Fire Nation? Doesn’t anybody have a good map of that place?!” Sokka groaned dramatically, but Kamari was more interested in the various and repeated apparent treks into the middle of the desert- Zei must be searching for something. She pointed it out, and Zei sighed sadly.

“Yes, but all of my trips have been in vain, I’m afraid. I’ve been able to find lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom, but I haven’t managed to find the crown jewel-” Avella perked up at hearing that . “-Wan Shi Tong’s Library.” Zei finished, tone almost reverent. Toph snorted at the silliness of the idea, and Zei hummed.

“Well- it’s not just any library! This library is far more valuable than gold, diamonds, and every rich resource available on the planet! It is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge. And knowledge,” Zei choked up, “is priceless .” Daiyu grinned, eyes sparkling. 

“No, knowledge is Power. ” One thing Daiyu learned from all her experiments, the more you knew about the world and the body, the better you were at navigating it. Her dissections of small mammals greatly helped her spot weak points in others’ fighting styles and spot injuries from posture and movement.

Toph remarked drily that it sounded like good times, definitely mhm yes. Zei didn’t seem to pick up on the sarcasm, lighting up at another opportunity to talk about the library. “Oh, it is good times!! According to legend, it was built by the great Knowledge Spirit Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his foxy knowledge seekers!” Sokka perked up at the thought of attractive assistants, and Kamari remarked that Zei meant that the assistants were actual foxes. Zei beamed, clasping his hands together. “You’re both right! They’re handsome little creatures- Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world and put them on display for mankind to read so that we might better ourselves.” 

Zei placed a blueprint of the assumed temple down, and Avella squinted at it. It looked almost familiar- probably because of the Spiritual design. And then, of course, Sokka pointed out that it would probably have books from all over the Fire Nation. Avella squeaked and nearly inhaled the last of her smoothie as Sokka loudly declared that he found his ideal mini vacation spot, slapping a hand on the table. He wanted to find the library of Wan Shi Tong. Zei begged to be allowed to join the opportunity of a lifetime, warning them of the perils of trudging through the Zi Huang Desert, saying he almost died and that the desert was impossible to cross. Then, Avella grinned widely.

“Professor, would you like to see our Sky Bison?” Avella chirped, grinning wider at Zei’s astonished face.

A few men were crowding around a growling Calla and Appa, Zei barking at the ‘Sandbenders’ to shoo and get away from the bison. Avella joined in at seeing how uncomfortable Calla was, yelling at them to leave the Avatar’s bison alone. A tornado of sand was kicked up in a strange little boat, clearly how the Sandbenders got around, and Daiyu narrowed her eyes in contemplation. Sandbending, huh?

It was blistering hot. Naoki had wrapped his shirt around his head to get a bit of shade, groaning quietly. He was thankful Kamari had reminded them to refill their water pouches, freezing the contents so they wouldn’t boil over, but it was still just so hot . The others were draped over the two bison, but Sokka was looking around intently with his telescope, and Zei was bouncing excitedly like a kid, overwhelmed with joy. Good for him. 

An hour of flight later Toph was groaning, asking if the ‘giant library’ even existed. Zei piped up that some said it doesn’t, and Avella frowned. Maybe it was just in the Spirit World, invisible to the human eye and in another realm completely. That would suck. Well, for the others- she and Aang could probably still visit.

“There it is!” Toph cried out, and Daiyu stifled a laugh as everyone crowded to look where Toph was pointing. She already knew what was going to be there, since- well- Toph was blind and had gotten her with the same trick for years. At seeing the others glare at Toph for lying to them, her cousin grinned wickedly. “That’s what it will sound like when one of you spots it .” She snarked, waving a hand blindly in front of her face. Daiyu laughed until her sides ached- their faces were hilarious !

“It shouldn’t be this hard to spot a giant, ornate building from the air.” Kamari griped, squinting out into the orange sand. It all looked the same- a huge library would be obvious . Up until Sokka pointed out a single spire, and Kamari yelped as the bison suddenly changed their course to head to the spire.

Katara sighed as she looked at the blueprint- obviously, it wasn’t what they were looking for. Avella grabbed the map, glancing from the paper to the spire a few times before nodding, a decision made. “No, it is. The library is just sunk under the desert- see the tip of this spire on the very top in this blueprint?” Avella remarked, pointing out the identical markings on the spire and the paper. As if summoned, a wolf ran up with a scroll safely carried in its mouth. It barely glanced at the humans, lemur, and bison before running up the side of the spire, disappearing into the small window. That settled it. “Yeah, this is the right place, just completely buried under the sand.”

Zei started to wail about his life ambition being full of sand. Daiyu and Toph rolled their eyes, placing a firm hand on the spire’s wall. While their seismic sense was fuzzy at best with all the shifting grains of sand, they could certainly make out the giant building deep below. Daiyu informed the gang of such a discovery, including that the inside was completely intact. Kamari said they should go in through a window, just like the knowledge seeker, and Toph remarked that they should go without her.

“Oh come on, Toph! The knowledge, the architecture inside! Maybe there’s a long-lost way of communicating that was meant for blind people!” Daiyu gushed, patting the spire fondly. Toph shrugged, turning away from it. Daiyu sighed, but Aang seemed to be focusing.

“That might be a good idea- since obviously, our bison can’t fit through those tiny windows. Having someone behind to keep them calm and safe is probably a good idea.” The Avatar spoke, and Daiyu wilted as Toph seemed to light up at the obvious excuse not to go. But Daiyu refused to force her to go, so she just watched and laughed as Sokka failed to get a grappling hook in the window. In the end, Aang and Avella had to jump up and hook them on themselves so the others could pull themselves up. Daiyu got some help, of course- even if being in the open air without even a bison underneath her was horrifying.

Appa, Calla, and Toph all faced each other. Then they all glanced away. Toph crossed her arms. All three seemed to glance at each other again. Calla awkwardly scratched behind her ear. Toph nodded her head, attempting to seem cool. “What’s up?”

Avella floated down slowly, hugging Daiyu carefully as the other shimmied down a second rope. The library was breathtaking, ethereal crystal lights and intricate carvings of times long gone coated the walls, ceiling, and floor. Bookshelves reached incredibly high up, with numerous stories all connected with glittering stairs. Avella was afraid to make a sound even as she placed Daiyu on the ground, grinning as the girl sighed in relief at touching earth again.

“Holy volcanoes! The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol-” Naoki gushed, bouncing excitedly at the worn tiles. Despite their old appearance, the imagery everywhere of owls and the lovely mosaic in the center was awe-inducing and incredible. Naoki could stare at it for hours if the others would let him. 

“Nice Owl.” Daiyu summarized, grinning at him before turning to eye the bookshelves hungrily. With every title and genre under the sun, knowledge accumulated from all over the world over thousands of years, scrolls and books so old she may not know the corresponding alphabet- mesmerizing.

The clicking of giant claws had Avella hurriedly shushing everybody, tugging them behind nearby pillars- just in time. The Great Spirit of Knowledge, Wan Shi Tong, was a ginormous black owl spirit. They strode through the halls of the library before focusing on the rope still leftover, their head turning over 180 degrees before focusing on where the humans were hiding. “I know you’re back there.” They spoke, and Avella let out a small little ‘eep’ sound- Wan Shi Tong was notorious for not liking humans, she remembered.

Zei came out first, grinning widely. “Hello! I’m Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University!” He practically ran up to the Spirit, before the Owl stared him down impassively, telling him to leave the way he came- unless he wanted to become a stuffed Head of Anthropology. Everyone, hidden or not, glanced to where the Spirit was looking, to see a wall filled with stuffed heads of various creatures, people, and Spirits long dead. Yeesh.

For some reason, the teenagers decided that it was the perfect time to come out. Sokka asked if the Owl was the Spirit who brought the library to the physical world, and the Spirit seemed to preen slightly. “Indeed I am. I am Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows 10,000 Things. And you are obviously humans, which- by the way- are no longer permitted in my study.” Kamari asked what he had against humans, and the Spirit hummed- the walls seemed to vibrate slightly from the force, yet nothing moved. “Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans, like that Firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy. So who are you trying to destroy?” The Spirit asked, probing.

Sokka spluttered, trying to say that they weren’t into destroying. Wan Shi Tong blinked, and Avella could see nothing and everything and their reflections in Their eyes. The Spirit asked why they were there, then, and Sokka tried to claim that it was knowledge for knowledge’s sake. The entire library seemed to blink. “If you’re going to lie to an all-knowing Spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it.” They said drily, and Kamari spoke up that they weren’t lying- they were there with the Avatar, that Aang would vouch for them. Sokka nudged Aang not too gently, the young Avatar hissing in pain before saying that yeah, he’d vouch. 

Wan Shi Tong hummed, perusing the bowing humans. “Very well. I’ll let you peruse my vast collection of knowledge on one condition.” Uh-oh, Daiyu nearly said aloud. “To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute some worthwhile knowledge.” Oh- wait, that wasn’t so bad.

Zei offered a tome from the University- the first edition, according to Wan Shi Tong. Katara offered her stolen Waterbending scroll, and the Spirit admired the stylish illustrations before accepting it. Sokka gave a… special knot. The Owl remarked that he wasn’t very bright, was he? Naoki offered a new form of clay he’d invented by mixing different piles of earth and clay through his journeys, written down with proper proportions. Avella offered a scroll detailing the story of Zin Whei and Whei Zin and the subsequent Gan Jin and Zhang Tribes, their hundred years of fighting, and the three days that ended up with the two tribes reuniting again. Daiyu offered knowledge on how lead could lead to dangerous side effects in cauldrons, cups, bowls, plates, silverware, and more- it was accepted since Wan Shi Tong hadn’t known that yet. Kamari offered one of her Waterbending scrolls, one that Pakku had very recently made, with Yugoda the Healer’s additions placed on. Aang offered… his wanted poster. The Spirit reluctantly admitted that it did, technically, count as knowledge. Wan Shi Tong offered for them to enjoy the library, leaping off and spiraling down into the depths of the library, far beyond sight.

“So, do you like flying?” Toph asked. Now Appa scratched at his ear, while Calla rumbled quietly in response. “Of course, I’m more comfortable on the ground where I can see. Well- I don’t see the way you do,” she said, the bison blinking at the small girl. “I feel the vibrations in the ground with my feet, but this sand is so loose and shifty, it makes everything look fuzzy.” Toph groaned, letting a handful of sand sift through her hand and back to the desert floor. Appa groaned loudly, and Toph grinned. “Not that there’s anything wrong with fuzzy!”

The knowledge was incredible. Mixes of scrolls, portraits, melded papers, and books coated the library. Naoki pulled out a book about pottery detailing, creation, and painting from the Fire Nation. Enthralled, he sat down to memorize the entire thing right there and then. Kamari squealed in delight at an ancient Water Tribe scroll detailing Solstice Rituals that had long since been lost to time. Daiyu lit up at a more recent book on plants and their medicinal uses- both good and bad. The section on plants found worldwide that could cause temporary blindness or paralysis, in particular, was… intriguing. Avella oohed quietly at a bunch of scrolls with illustrations of Nomads before the traditional Temple Tattoos, with different markings for each Cardinal Direction- and using the air currents and cloud bending to soar before the bison could be ridden! 

“Aang, did you know that in a past life, you were left-handed?” Katara pointed out, and Kamari snorted as both Daiyu and Avella whipped around at Aang’s remark that he always knew he was special, saying that they were left-handed too! Then, she caught Sokka trying to steal a book. She pulled it out of his hand, shaking her head. She whispered to him to just copy the information he wanted on his own paper, so he wouldn’t be stealing. Sokka nodded reluctantly but gave a sign he’d honor that, so Kamari let him go again. Sokka did like his Water Tribe Honor.

Sokka found something about the Fire Nation’s darkest day, with a date at the top. Avella lit up at that. “Ooh, I know! The Darker Days are eclipses, and the Darkest Day is a total solar eclipse! They’re rare and beautiful, with up to fifteen minutes of absolutely no Firebending available. The moon blocks out the sun, strengthening Water and drastically weakening Fire. There should be an astrology section- maybe we can find the next eclipse date. Sokka, don't steal that!” Avella yelped before Sokka could grab at the partially burned papyrus paper, the teen groaning before manually trying to remember the date. Then, they decided to find the Fire Nation portion.

It was burned to a crisp. Everything inside the Fire Nation section, past and present, was burned and blackened, with just soot and ash left over. Sokka groaned at the sight, remarking that he just had to know when the next Darkest Day would be, and a Knowledge Seeker came up, whining and pointing. So, they all decided to follow the Seeker. 

The Seeker led them to a closed, sealed door. It slipped through a small hole in the wall before the circular door rolled out of the way with the scratch of stone on stone, revealing a beautiful astronomy tower. Daiyu watched as a lever was pulled and backdrops and props began to move around- corresponding with the date on the dial in the middle. After pointing this out, everyone decided to start messing with it. Day, night, night, and day, the sun and moon shifted back and forth before Sokka pushed them aside, putting in the date from the burnt Fire Nation paper. The room darkened, despite the date being the middle of the day. Daiyu squinted and let out an appreciative whistle- sure enough, the moon completely covered the sun. Now, they just needed to find the next date. Sokka declared that they needed to get the info to the Earth King and that the Fire Nation was going down . And then the room darkened for a new reason.

“Mortals are so predictable and such terrible liars.” Wan Shi Tong spoke, and Avella glared at Sokka. The Spirit blocked the way, posture imposing. “You betrayed my trust. From the beginning, you intended to misuse the knowledge for evil purposes.”

“You don’t understand, it’s the Fire Nation that’s evil!” Sokka protested, and Avella let out a loud, harsh laugh.

“Yeah, from our perspective. From their perspective, they may be the heroes! There is no good or bad to this war, Sokka, there’s only death and pain. Wan Shi Tong, knowledge will always be used for evil just as it will always be used for good. Not only does it depend on one's perspective for which one it is being used for, but also their morals. As Daiyu keeps muttering -‘knowledge is power’, but power isn’t necessarily bad . Perhaps the person uses their power to help someone, that's good; but in doing so maybe they make someone else’s life worse, does that make them evil? In that person's perspective, yes. Knowledge is neither good nor evil. It is a tool like a knife, is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is, and they are only evil if they consciously choose to be cruel. The Fire Lord has chosen to be cruel and is misleading his nation to believe his ideals are good and that they are right, but to everyone else, they are evil, murderous, and willing to commit genocide. It may seem evil to you if we use this knowledge to stop the Fire Nation, but this small group is damaging the rest of the world and most would see this action as good. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” 

Wan Shi Tong let out an inhuman, screeching rattle in His chest. “You are right. Humans will always believe their wars are justified, and always take what they think they need. Therefore, I shall make sure nobody can ever abuse my knowledge again.” The Spirit declared, spreading Their wings. “Your words have made sense. I give you five minutes to leave before I pull my entire library into the Spirit World.” He warned, starting to flap his giant wings. Getting the hint, the humans sprinted out of the planetarium, winding through bookshelves and corridors to find the spire they’d entered from. 

As they ran, Avella cursed humanity and war with everything she had under her breath- because of humanity’s flaws, intricate and priceless knowledge would be forever taken away. As they ran, the Spirit didn’t follow them- she paused. Wan Shi Tong didn’t follow them. Daiyu’s bag was quite a bit bulkier than when they’d arrived- and some of this knowledge could genuinely be used just for good. Grabbing some random books and scrolls, Avella scribbled out a note to Wan Shi Tong before handing it to Zei. Why? Zei decided not to escape, but to spend his entire life in the library reading books. He’d never use the knowledge, but he would have it and that was enough for him- and honestly, Avella didn’t have the time or the patience to argue with another stubborn being.

Sand began to fill the library, Daiyu dodging streams of sand as they poured down. Sokka and Aang had doubled back to the planetarium again, Sokka yelling that he needed that next eclipse date. The group made their way to where they’d entered from, the Waterbenders quickly starting to climb the rope with Naoki following suit. Avella grabbed Daiyu and boosted her out before hurriedly doing what she could to help the others. Despite having five minutes, apparently , Wan Shi Tong was furious. The library shuddered and cracked as the Spirit wove His way into every fiber of the building, Zei seemingly unbothered. Daiyu squinted as she slid down the spire and to the desert again, groaning at the harsh sun. Thuds and sparks in her seismic sense told her that her friends had followed suit- but two large masses were missing.

Avella froze. Toph was trying to hold the library up, barely able to pull away when Sokka and Aang finally leaped through before it slid quickly into the sand, vanishing in an instant. The poor girl was exhausted and sweating- and the bison were nowhere to be seen. Her heart began to race before a familiar quiet lowing made her look up, Calla sadly floating down. Avella hugged her bison close, letting out a shuddering sob as she saw her dear friend with huge lashes on her tail and forehead. Where was Appa, and what happened to Calla Lily?

Chapter Text

The wind was howling, sand and dust obscuring everyone’s vision and stinging against any part of their bodies not protected by layers of clothing. Aang turned to Toph, furious. “How could you let them take Appa and hurt Calla? Why didn’t you stop them?!” He cried out, knuckles turning white as he grasped at his glider, furious and heartbroken.

“I couldn’t!” Toph cried out, desperate to make him understand. “The library was sinking, and you guys were still inside, and-”

“You could have come to get us!” Aang interrupted, stalking over to her. “I could have saved him!”

Daiyu narrowed her eyes, stepping in to defend Toph. “We can barely feel any vibrations out here with the sand, Aang. Toph is blind without her seismic sense, there was nothing she could do!” She snarled, prodding the Avatar in the chest, making him stumble back a step. Not even the Avatar was allowed to hurt her cousin, and how dare he blame her for what happened. Daiyu bared her teeth and brandished her quarterstaff as Aang took another step towards Toph, bearly paying her words any mind. Avella ran up, separating the three furious teens.

“Arguing with each other isn’t helping either! Look- you both have good points, but what happened already happened! Why are we wasting time arguing and fighting when we could go after them and get Appa back?!” Avella reasoned, pleading with Aang. Aang scowled at her, shoving her back.

“You’re one to talk, you still have Calla! None of you get how I’m feeling right now, and you don’t even care about Appa! None of you care about Appa, you’re just talking about how to get yourselves out of this desert!” Aang yelled. Sokka, Naoki, Kamari, and Katara- who had indeed been musing about how the group would escape the desert- flinched as Aang pointed at them, the accusation clear. Aang stalked away, leveling a final glare at the rest of the Gaang. 

“I’m going after Appa.” Aang spat, spreading his glider’s wings and leaping off into the sandy winds. Avella ran after him briefly, but a pained groan from Calla kept her from taking off as well. She kicked up a cloud of sand in Aang’s fleeting direction, before turning to the rest, rejoining the group.

“Calla isn’t up for flying, but she can carry whoever is weakest on her back while we walk. We better get going- we need to get to Ba Sing Se.” Kamari stated, watching as Katara helped Avella bandage up the bison’s wounds. A smile came to her face despite the situation at Calla licking Avella, making the Airbender’s hair slick up. The Gaang headed out in the opposite direction they came from, the blistering sun burning the backs of their necks.

Hotaru was close to tossing a piece of bread at Iroh. Zuko was leading Chonk while she and Iroh rested in the cart, and said old General was moaning and groaning in pain, clutching his injured shoulder. It sure didn’t stop him from teaching them new Firebending techniques, it was just to stop traveling. Hotaru offered to pause and set up camp, and Iroh denied it. A moment passed. A whole minute passed before he started groaning again, and Hotaru yelped as Zuko abruptly pulled Chonk to a stop.

Iroh scrambled out of the cart, sighing in relief as he sat down on a nearby rock. Hotaru and Zuko shared a long-suffering glance before a rustle in the trees caught their attention. She snapped into a Firebending kata position, just as the Rough Rhino bounty hunters rode out on their komodo dragons, surrounding the three of them. “Colonel Mongke, what a pleasant surprise.” Iroh drawled, and Hotaru had to bite her lip hard to keep from laughing at his delivery.

“If you’re surprised we’re here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps.” The Colonel spat, narrowing his eyes. Zuko asked if Iroh knew them, the General happy to oblige. The Rough Rhinos were, according to Iroh, legendary with each member being a different kind of weapon specialist- and they were also, apparently, a very capable singing group. Mongke scraped his metal cuffs together, assuming a Bending kata position atop his rhino. “We’re not here to give a concert, we’re here to apprehend fugitives! Now enough stalling- men, round them up!”

Hotaru turned and kicked the bolus aside of the man who attacked her first, grinning as the heavy ball and chain wrapped around the leg of a komodo rhino. Iroh quickly gave the behind of the creature a heavy slap, prompting the poor thing to run off in a panicked frenzy- taking both its rider and the Bolus Master with it. She turned at the sound of a whistling arrow just to see Zuko precisely shoot a jet of flame at the archer’s weapon, neatly cutting the string and rendering the bow useless. Iroh soon zoomed by with Chonk and the cart, and Hotaru quickly grabbed onto the wood and slung herself in, Zuko soon following with only the bomb master of the Rhinos left. The three humans and the ostrich horse managed to escape in the ensuing dust cloud, with Iroh remarking how nice it was to see old friends.

“Now we just need to get you some old friends who don’t want to attack you!” Hotaru yelped, facepalming at Iroh’s sudden face of deep thought as if that had never occurred to him before. That, or he was thinking of something else just as profound. 

Daiyu had no idea how long they were walking, but it was long enough for their surroundings to get hazy from the heat, for everyone to get sunburns and near heatstroke, and for everyone to get so sweaty they were almost as sticky as tar. She had long removed the 2 outer sash layers of her combat dress to wrap her arm and head in an attempt to protect herself from the sun. “Katara, Kamari, can I have some water?” Toph asked quietly, and Daiyu could have sworn. Her younger cousin, who had just been through a horrible experience and yelled at by one of her first friends and now had to blindly walk through a blistering desert without shoes on, hadn’t even asked for water the entire time they were there. 

“Okay, but we’ve got to conserve what little we have,” Kamari said, giving up some of her Bending water for each member of the group- and a larger one for poor Calla, who was sweating buckets under all that fur. Sokka groaned, remarking that it was the water from the swamp, and Kamari rolled her eyes. “Again, it’s all we’ve got- we kept the food and water on Appa.” She remarked, blinking in surprise as Sokka suddenly became very animated.

“Ah, not anymore- look!” Sokka declared. Avella looked to where he was pointing just as the two boys zoomed up to a cactus with pretty salmon blooms growing on it. Sokka sliced the top of it with his shortsword, and the two boys eagerly slurped up the liquid inside. “There’s water trapped inside these!” Sokka defended at Kamari’s warning, and Avella warily filled a couple of small bottles with the stuff. Perhaps Daiyu could run some tests on it. Seeing that they were the only ones to be drinking the cactus juice, Naoki grinned and downed another gulp of it.

“Suit yourselves, it’s very thirst-quenching!” Naoki chirped, before blinking. The sun turned very very bright all of a sudden, the colors of the world around him becoming very bright. Sokka had two heads. “Drink cactus juice. It’ll quench ya,” Naoki slurred, grinning, and Sokka joined in with a grin.

“Nothing’s quenchier, it’s the quenchiest !” Sokka blurted out, Naoki laughing as his friend did a worm dance on the sand. Katara took his bowl of cactus juice from him, saying something, but all Naoki could focus on was the Earthbender girls. He couldn’t seem to get his mouth working, however- but Sokka came to his aid! “Hey, who lit Toph and Daiyu on fire?”

Avella sighed, glancing up. Momo had taken a few sips of the cactus juice as well, and the lemur was chittering and churring as he zoomed around in the sky in tight, fast circles before losing control of his wings and flumping to the ground. Daiyu snorted. “Can I get some of that cactus?” She drily asked, giggling as Naoki and Sokka were shoved unceremoniously onto Calla’s back, Momo rolling around in the saddle with happy, bubbly chirps. She burst out laughing, however, when Naoki suddenly screamed and asked how they got there in the middle of the ocean. This kind of chaos was her favorite, so she snagged one of the cactus flowers with absolutely no intention of growing its seeds to use future plants in experiments or hallucinogenic drugs. Nope, none at all.

As the group walked, Avella’s thoughts turned to Aang. He was alone in the desert, flying around and looking for Appa. And if they couldn’t find him, that was yet another piece of their past that they lost- and a dear friend gone from Aang’s life, again. She wasn’t quite sure he could handle that. But glancing at Calla’s careful stepping kept her from taking off in search of him, tears pricking at her eyes. She couldn’t afford to cry right now, she had to conserve water. Suddenly, the air was displaced. A loud bang sent out shockwaves, and a huge dust cloud rose up behind them all. That was Aang. “What was that?” She heard Daiyu ask, Toph asking what was what . And then Sokka and Naoki claimed it was a giant mushroom, waving their arms about as they cried out in joy about a friendly mushroom, a mushy giant friend. 

They were stopping at Misty Palms Oasis. Iroh had guided them there, and Hotaru glanced at the ice the village was famous for with a disbelieving look. It was barely bigger than Chonk. Iroh guided them inside a sheltered and cooler building, Hotaru sighing in relief at the temperature change. Look- just because she was a Firebender didn’t mean she was impervious to heat!

The world was turning red, the sun starting to set when Avella heard the whistle of a glider approaching. The others glanced up when Aang’s shadow passed overhead, the teen unceremoniously landing with his back to them all. Avella ran up to him, ignoring the burning in her legs. She hugged him, ignoring the sweat that caked both their bodies. Katara brought up how they had to go- but without their flying bison, nobody had any ideas. Naoki had one, asking the circle birds- the buzzards, actually, scavengers waiting for them to die. Finally, Avella scoffed. 

“Alright- screw this. We’re getting out and we’re doing it together. We’re gonna escape the desert, find Appa, and warn Ba Sing Se together. Everyone who’s walking, grab hands. Let’s move !” She barked, pulling Aang up. He frowned but dutifully held onto her hand, numbly following her. Avella stayed in the lead, Calla bringing up the rear with the cactus-drunk members still firmly in her saddle. With the sun beginning to set, the temperatures began to cool to manageable levels, and Avella felt a small burst of energy keep her going. 

When Daiyu could see the stars in the sky, she called for the group to take a break. With relieved sighs, everyone collapsed onto the cool sand, Kamari and Katara sharing a bit more water- leaving their stores dangerously low. Suddenly, she got an idea. “Hey, Sokka, show me the stuff you got from the library.” She said, blinking in surprise at the teen’s outrageous response.

“What!? I didn’t take anything from the library! Who told you that?!” Sokka yelped, gasping as Momo clambered into his lap. “It was you!” He accused the lemur, Momo chattering as if to prove his innocence. As Sokka argued with a lemur, Daiyu snatched his bag and pulled out a couple of scrolls, finding a star map. They could find the direction of Ba Sing Se this way and travel during the night while resting and hiding during the day to keep from overheating. 

Claiming the first watch, Daiyu started searching Calla’s saddle for more cloth she could wrap everyone in come daybreak. Daiyu slid back to the sand after setting aside all suitable fabric for the morning with a sigh. She had also grabbed some burn ointment she used on her arm on bad days, she was worried about Toph's feet after walking on the burning sand all day. With practiced ease, Daiyu applied it to her burn and her more exposed skin then made her way to her exhausted cousin. “You awake?” She hummed after pooping down in the sand, she barely heard the muffled groan in response, that being ‘No.’ Perfect . “I have something for your feet, it should help the pain go away,” Toph sighed in relief as Daiyu carefully rubbed the cream on the angry red skin, absentmindedly describing the starry sky which her cousin’s milky eyes reflected perfectly.

“Thank you,” Toph sighed after Daiyu finished, having even wrapped some cloth around them as protection making sure it was still thin enough for her to sense through it. “No problem, if the sun is too much tomorrow let me know and I'll carry you.” Daiyu took the handful of sand thrown in her face as a good excuse to move to Avella. Her lighter complexion meant she burned faster than the rest of them and she had used her cloak as padding for one of Calla’s injuries, probably for the best since the fabric was pretty thick and no matter how breathable it was it would’ve been a pain to travel the desert in it. 

“Your shoulders look pretty red there, wanna see if this will help?” The Airbender who had been sitting and staring in the direction they were heading turned and eyed the container of ointment with a reasonable amount of suspicion, “It’s not gonna turn my skin gray, is it?” Daiyu spluttered 

“No! I apologized for that, it was an accident! This helps burns and inflammation, I promise.” The Earthbender pouted as Avella’s laughter broke the skepticism and she agreed before letting Daiyu cover her red arms and face, applying extra to her shoulders as they seemed to have gotten the brunt of it. 

“Thanks, that feels a lot better.” The girls smiled at each other before Daiyu frowned, “He’ll be okay. Appa is a ten-ton flying bison. Calla is with us and none of her injuries are severe enough to cause lasting issues. We will make it out of this desert, find Appa, and it will all be okay.” The wind swirled around them as Daiyus' green and gold eyes met Avella’s blue-gray ones before the Airbender nodded and blinked back tears to hug the Earthbender. 

Once they parted, Avella moved to get some rest while Daiyu moved on to Naoki and Sokka, thinly coating their exposed arms and red faces. It was rather difficult as Naoki was convinced she was trying to paint his face his least favorite color and turn him into a music-hating clay monster, sadly she made it worse when she couldn’t suppress her laughter any longer. Katara and Kamari watched as she showed them how to correctly apply it to each other's arms and faces so too much wasn't used while the skin was still covered completely, their Waterbending helped to even it out too so even less was used than if she had applied it herself. She opted out of bothering Aang, instead letting Avella apply it since she had watched the Waterbenders learn and his glider had protected him from most of the sun.

Once Daiyu was sure the others were asleep or at least resting, she began patrolling the perimeter of the camp, keeping an eye out for enemies and their missing friend. She was proud of herself for only pausing to admire the sky full of more stars than she had ever seen 3 or 4 times. 

“No one here looks like they’re gonna help us, everyone looks like filthy wanderers.” Zuko hissed, and Hotaru rolled her eyes, rebutting that they did too. Iroh scanned the tavern crowd, before lighting up and leading the two teens to a Pai Sho table, one manned by a singular old man. “You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?” Zuko asked, Iroh replying that he didn’t believe it was a gamble. 

Something caught Hotaru’s eye as they walked. She glanced to her right discreetly, keeping her body movements calm, and found two men who seemed to be staring at the three Firebenders. They must have been bounty hunters of some kind based on the money-hungry look in their eyes, and Hotaru was instantly on high alert. Her hand crept to the knife hidden under her skirt, ready to fight if need be. The old man at the Pai Sho table said that the guest went first, so Iroh moved.

“I see you favor the White Lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the old ways.” The old man stated, raising his eyebrows. Iroh replied that those who do can always find a friend, and Hotaru felt like she just missed something important. “Then let us play.” The old man stated, and Hotaru felt like she was watching the most high-stakes Pai Sho game of her life- and she once watched a game where two soldiers were betting their rations, best portions, and even a medal of honor. By the end of the game, by placing tiles in mirrors of each other, a lotus symbol was created using the Pai Sho pieces. “Welcome, brother.” The old man declared, nodding his head. “The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets.”

Zuko groaned, asking what was even going on. Iroh chuckled, claiming that he always tried to tell the two teens that Pai Sho was not just a game- just as the suspicious individuals stood up abruptly, starting to stamp over. Before they were close enough for Hotaru to stab, the old man stepped in front of them. “I knew it- you three are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!” He declared. “You think you’re going to collect that bounty and take all that gold ?!” Shock shot through Hotaru, but before she could stab the old man, everyone else in the tavern started to fight, arguing over who was going to get the bounty. In the immediate confusion, the Pai Sho man dragged the three of them out of the tavern, to a flower shop.

A few hours into resting, Daiyu got everyone up. By lightly kicking them, of course. Her mouth tasted like mud yesterday, but now it just tasted like sand- a sentiment verbally shared by Toph who smacked her lips, trying to escape the taste. Before she could kick Aang, the Avatar abruptly stated that he was awake, he couldn’t sleep. His tone was obviously testy, but Daiyu wanted out of the damn desert and she wanted out now . “Great, Twinkle Toes, less time waking you up. Now let’s move.” She stated drily, narrowing her eyes in a clear invitation to fight her. Before she could goad the Avatar into actually moving, a shadow cut across the moon, in a very familiar shape. But as everyone looked up, the moon shone through it, showing it to be just a cloud, and not Appa like Aang had desperately begged for.

Katara turned to Aang, asking if he’d go get the water from that cloud. Avella pushed on his shoulder, sighing. “I’m better at Cloud-bending, I’ll get it. Aang, can you check Calla’s dressings for me?” She asked, taking off before Aang could argue. The cloud was barely there with almost no water, but Avella pulled all of the possible air out, squeezing the cloud dry. Kamari’s water pouch was barely filled to the top- but filled nonetheless. Kamari opened her mouth as if to remark on it, but Daiyu slapped a hand over her mouth. It would not do anyone well to have both of the Airbenders pissed at them.

Suddenly, Toph fell over with a pained grunt. “Ow! Geez, I am so sick of not feeling where I’m going!” She complained, rubbing her toe. “And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert?!” She yelled, gesturing to the little bit that wasn’t buried. Avella watched Daiyu go to help Toph up while she twirled her staff, slamming it down. With a gust of Airbending, the sunken boat was revealed, a Sandbender’s boat large enough to comfortably fit Calla and every person there. Said bison let out a happy grumble as she clambered on, eager to get the sand out of her fur and paws. Kamari let out a whoop as she explored it, pointing out a compass that was clearly pointed in just one direction. Avella pushed the sail around as everyone else boarded, creating a mini tornado to power it just like she’d seen the Sandbenders do. The boat lurched a bit, let out a creaky groan, and finally set off with Kamari and Katara shouting out directions, following the compass. Daiyu tried to help her in an effort to figure out Sandbending, making the tornado spin a bit faster. A swoop of hope made Avella’s chest light- they had a way out!

“It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus.” The Pai Sho man said, and Hotaru slowly turned to stare a hole into Iroh’s back. The Order of the What . “Being a Grandmaster, you must know so many secrets.” The man continued, and Hotaru’s stare only intensified when Iroh mentioned that they should discuss that elsewhere since the teens were not inducted. She stared until the two old men went through yet another door, growling as she halfheartedly kicked a pot, sitting down beside Zuko. Well, now what? At least the flowers smelled nice, she mused. Maybe she could learn to make a flower crown.

Avella had missed the wind whipping through her hair. The glider was quite efficient as it sailed across the cold sand, the stars lighting their path. Daiyu and Kamari were discussing how the compass wasn’t pointed north, but instead to whatever the magnetic center of the desert was, Daiyu stopped helping when she realized she had no idea what she was doing and she cared more about leaving the desert quickly than learning a new bending technique. Aang was sulking, Toph was still rubbing her injured foot, and Sokka and Naoki were still high on cactus juice, passing an also-high Momo between them like a furry ball. The magnetic center soon became clear- a giant rock appeared out of the sand and dust, looming over them. It took the rest of the night to actually reach the rock, Avella wincing as she attempted to stay in the rock’s shadow near the bottom. It smelled weird, she didn’t trust it. So she stayed with Calla and the high boys while the others explored the weird rock.

Daiyu laughed at Toph’s delighted exclamation of solid ground, making a rock angel from her glee. There were some very strange holes burrowed into the rock, and something itched at the back of Daiyu’s head. To escape the sun, they wandered in, and Naoki exclaimed excitedly that he was finally starting to come off the cactus juice. Then he tripped and face-planted directly into the sticky walls of the tunnel. Daiyu placed a hand on the weird substance as Naoki swayed, trying to spit the nasty-tasting gunk out. She closed her eyes, feeling the earth with Toph. “These tunnels aren’t natural, they’re carved. Something made these,” Daiyu said, grimacing at the sickeningly sweet-coppery smell of the sticky gunk. “Something buzzing- something that’s coming right for us!” She gasped, the itch finally making sense- it was buzzards !

Kamari barely made it free of the tunnel, diving to the side with the others as a bunch of angry hornet vultures started pouring out of the tunnels, waking up with the sunlight. Sokka was swiping at nothing while the others were fending off the buzzards, and Kamari had to drag him away from the cliffside. She turned at the sound of a screech, just to see Momo being carted off by one of the buzzards. The Airbenders leaped off to follow, clearly furious, and Kamari was only too glad to follow everyone else down the rock, attempting to escape the dumb beasts. “Toph! One-third of a stone ring, to your right!” Kamari heard Daiyu call out, the two Earthbenders sending a volley of stones at some approaching buzzards, knocking them far away.

It was easy to free Momo- a simple air kick had the lemur flapping alongside Avella. But Aang was continuing to chase the hornet vulture. With a powerful slice, she watched as Aang swatted the beast out of the sky, the thing landing with a heavy, far-away thump . It lay still, unmoving. Avella ran up to it to check- and yep, it was dead. Aang had already started to storm away, so she quickly recited a death prayer and harvested some useful parts, stuffing them in her satchel before jogging to catch up to Aang and Momo. His face was shadowed by the force of his glare, and Energy was sparking in the air so thickly that she couldn’t speak.

Naoki yelped as, all of a sudden, chunks of rock flew up from the sand to bat away the leftover buzzards- clearly not done by the Earthbending cousins, who were also surprised by the turn of events. The dust cleared to show several other Sand Gliders, a small group of Sandbenders manning each one. The two groups stared at each other, neither side giving anything away, when Aang suddenly swooped down, landing heavily on the sand. 

The door creaked open and Hotaru snorted awake, blinking blearily. Zuko rattled off a couple of questions as Hotaru tried to wake herself up fully, rubbing her eyes. “Everything is taken care of,” Iroh soothed. “We’re going to Ba Sing Se. My friend tells me the city is full of refugees- nobody will notice three more. We can hide in plain sight there- and, it’s the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation!” Iroh piped up. Hotaru blinked- has he met Azula before?

“What are you doing in our land, with a Sandbender sailer? From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe.” One of the Sandbenders said- judging from his stature and clear commanding power, Kamari assumed he was a chief of one of the Desert tribes. 

“We found the sailer abandoned and buried in the desert- we’re traveling with the Avatar.” Avella piped up, glancing at the young man to the right of the Chief. “One of our bison was stolen and the other horribly injured, and we have to get to Ba Sing Se,” Avella said, and the young man strode forward, snarling at the accusation that their people stole anything. The chief snapped at the boy- Ghashiun- for throwing an accusation based on doubt. Toph’s breath hitched, and she pointed in the boy’s direction.

“I recognize the son’s voice,” Toph stated. Avella’s chest froze, the air froze, and the world itself was silenced to allow Toph to speak. “ He’s the one that stole Appa and hurt Calla .”

“You stole Appa. You hurt Calla Lily. Where is Appa?! What did you do to him?!” Aang snapped, leveling his glider at the chief’s son. Aang sent a gust of wind to blow up one of the nearby glider boats, twitching with rage at the boy’s dismissal of guilt. “Where is my bison?” He asked lowly, Avella striding up to stand beside him. Toph said she never forgot a voice, and she didn’t lie .

Hotaru was in a pot. She wasn’t smoking pot (sadly), she was in a giant flower pot with dirt and a plant on top of her head. From the muffled conversation around her, the pots filled with Firebenders were being wheeled away- she mentally said goodbye to Chonk, her pot clinking slightly against Iroh and Zuko’s pots at the cart’s movement.

“You tell me where he is now ,” Aang spoke, blowing up another boat when the son hesitated. The chief turned to his son, asking what he did, and the son spluttered that he didn’t do anything. Toph scoffed, narrowing her eyes.

“You said to put a muzzle on him and disable her!” Toph accused, and Avella felt something snap. The air buzzed with the Avatar’s power, the chief’s son apologizing- just because the bison belonged to the Avatar, not because they were innocent creatures. The Avatar commanded Ghashiun to tell him where Appa was, and the boy spluttered that he traded him to some merchants, who were going to sell him at Ba Sing Se. A sphere of air surrounded the Avatar and Avella, the girl watching numbly as everyone else- friend and foe- ran out of the growing tornado’s blast zone.  

Avella watched the Avatar float into the air, emotions churning within her. Concern won out in the end- they couldn’t get answers out of a dead man. She strode forward into the wind, the currents whistling around her, but not moving her away. She grabbed the Avatar’s forearm, their head snapping to the side to glare at her- but Avella wasn’t swayed. She gently pulled them down and turned him to face her, hugging him tightly. The Avatar was stiff in her arms but Aang was crying, hands trembling from the force of his pain. Avella cried too- for Aang, for Calla, for Appa. The sphere dissipated after a few seconds and Aang’s face softened, the Avatar spirit retreating to allow Aang to grieve. He deserved a good cry.

Chapter Text

Traveling to Ba Sing Se without flying bison sucked . Look, Avella knew that pretty much everyone traveled that way, especially since the Air Nomads were freaking massacred , but it sucked. It took forever- but at least they passed a lot of medicinal herbs and plants in the two weeks it took to travel. About a day or so from the Ba Sing Se checkpoint, Naoki found a huge pool of water in a sinkhole- by falling into it, of course- and everyone used that as an excuse to clean up and do a bit of relaxing before pushing into the city.

Toph was dipping her feet in the water, kicking small splashes over to Daiyu who was filling her mouth with water and spitting it back at Toph, both girls cackling. Sokka was poring over the Library scrolls he had. Naoki was plucking away on his lyre, keeping the instrument out of the water as he sat in the shallows. Kamari and Katara were having a competition to see who could do the best/coolest/biggest splash/dive into the sinkhole pool. Aang was diving deep, freezing himself, and popping up only to have Avella jump on his frozen body to break it- sending him back down. Essentially, Avella was trampolining on ice-Aang. Kamari’s latest dive- a ‘Waterbending bomb’ as she called it, created a huge splash. Ice-Aang was thrown to the stone side where it shattered, causing everyone but Sokka to laugh at the sight of water sprinkling down- or the feeling, in Toph’s case. Sokka griped about the water damaging the 5000-year-old maps from the Library. Katara Bent the water out of Sokka’s latest scroll- the map of the area around Ba Sing Se. The group crowded around Sokka, who spread the map out on the ground- maybe he finally decided on their route.

“Okay, we just got out of the desert, so we must be around here,” Sokka said, pointing to one spot on the map. “Since we need to get to Ba Sing Se, we’re looking for anywhere that connects the North to the South. And the only spot I can see here is this sliver of land called the Serpent’s Pass. And since Appa’s missing and we can’t fly Calla-”

Avella shot a glare at Sokka, but Aang sighed. “It’s okay, really. I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se and telling the Earth King about the eclipse.” Aang said. See, Avella almost believed him. But his face was shut off, his tone dull, and his body language curled in- literally . The others took him at face value, and Avella shot Aang a look this time. He was not escaping a conversation with her. Sokka declared that it was to Ba Sing Se they would go, with no more distractions. That’s when three Earth Kingdom refugees popped up, sending warm greetings.

The group- oh, there was a pregnant lady named Ying, who looked very pregnant- was startled at the mention of Serpent’s Pass, since only the truly desperate took that route. Apparently, there was a ferry at Full Moon Bay, one that took refugees across the lake every day. So obviously, the choice was between a peaceful ferry ride or a deadly pass. Privately, Daiyu thought that the peace wouldn’t last- their luck never held.

“I can’t believe how many peoples’ lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation,” Katara remarked, looking around the bay. It was underground and filled with refugees- tents were set up and camps made. Everyone was looking for a bit of life- to be safe in the walls of Ba Sing Se.

Iroh appeared to be brooding as he stared across the water, barely moving with the ferry. “Who would have thought after all these years I’d return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace as a tourist?” The end of Iroh’s sentence was punctuated with the old General pulling on a straw hat and grinning. Hotaru face-palmed. Say that any louder , why didn’t he? 

Zuko groaned, remarking that they weren’t tourists, they were refugees. Mister Prince started on a rant, all upset about eating old food, sleeping in the dirt, and living like this. A scoff got their attention, and Hotaru turned to see quite the pretty boy with a piece of straw in his mouth, flanked by two other teens. He introduced himself as Jet, here with his Freedom Fighters Smellerbee and Longshot. Zuko gave a clipped hello, and Jet didn’t even register it. He stormed ahead with something he’d heard about the captain eating like a king while the refugees starve- and his plan to remedy that. 

To get on the ferry, people had to have passports. Daiyu groaned internally- it’s not like every refugee would be able to take their legal documents when escaping from fire . But every line had a rather rude lady running the store, various soldiers and guards flanking them. As they moved up in the line, Daiyu heard the lady’s incessant screeching get weirder and weirder. No vegetables allowed- a strange man with a cart full of cabbages sobbed hysterically as a somewhat tamed platypus bear destroyed the whole cart. Finally, it was their turn.

Aang pulled the Avatar card. Of course, he did, but Daiyu saw all the people in Avatar costumes to the side, of course, the brat lady wouldn’t accept that. Daiyu tapped the ground, and Toph tapped back. This was their time to shine. She dug in her pockets and pulled out two very shiny, gold papers, slamming them down on the woman’s table. “Eight tickets to Ba Sing Se, courtesy of the Beifong family,” Daiyu said smugly, grinning. The woman’s eyes widened and she oh-so-delicately touched the golden flying boar insignia, before attempting to retain her mean persona. She questioned Momo? Toph’s seeing-eye lemur. Calla? The better equivalent to a cart for Toph, softness included for comfort. Idiotic people with the two girls, one of whom enjoyed dressing like the Avatar? Idiot valets who they were unfortunately very attached to. The woman caressed their papers one more time before handing them back, stamping eight passes with a forced-looking grin. Her lipstick was smeared.

Sokka cheered as they strode away, chatting about how they scammed that lady good- when he was dragged suddenly by his collar. A teen girl demanded their tickets and passports, clearly in uniform. Sokka stuttered, caught unaware, and the girl rolled her eyes. She had a problem with Sokka, specifically- guys like him with their sarcasm, thinking they’re hilarious, traveling with the Avatar. Sokka asked who she was. The girl grabbed the front of his shirt, glaring. “You don’t remember me? Maybe you’ll remember this!” She declared. Naoki turned, expecting a punch or something- but instead, the girl kissed Sokka’s cheek. Sokka’s attitude instantly changed, cheering as he hugged the girl- Suki!

“Why did nobody tell me Sokka had a girlfriend?” Naoki whispered, and Kamari cringed. That was a far more delicate question than he thought. Suki brought them up to a watchtower, exchanging stories. The other Kyoshi Warriors were out and about, helping people, ending up stationed at the bay. Suki then asked why they weren’t using Calla and Appa to fly. “Appa is missing and Calla is recovering from injuries. We hope to find Appa in Ba Sing Se and have Calla healed by then.” Kamari spoke, glancing at the Airbenders. Aang’s expression shuttered closed, and Avella laid her head on his shoulder. Suki asked if they were okay, and Aang snapped at her. “Hey- Aang, quit it.” Kamari scolded, sighing. “Grieving isn’t a good excuse to take it out on others.” After saying that, she glanced over to Katara just a bit- because her younger cousin needed that lesson too.

Ying, the pregnant woman from before, called out for help- a thief stole her tickets, passports, and belongings, and the crabby lady didn’t help them. Unfortunately, the Avatar card didn’t work, the Beifong symbol had already been used, and passports couldn’t be exchanged. Aang reassured the three refugees that they’d make it to Ba Sing Se safely- he’d guide them through the Serpent’s Pass himself.

Turns out, swapping and changing tickets outside of the crabby lady’s eyesight was possible. Eight tickets were handed out to women, children, elderly, and sick people who clearly needed them, and Daiyu dragged a complaining Sokka by the ear- until Suki ran up to join them in rather complicated makeup. The outfit looked amazing, though. Suki and Sokka had a little spat of some sort, judging by Suki’s stony gaze and Sokka’s despondent one, but they had a Pass to get through. No time for romantic troubles.

The pass was more straightforward than the name implied- it was just very thin. Calla could float a few inches off the ground by now with just one passenger, and it was agreed that Ying would be that passenger. Carved into the pass’s entrance was ‘Abandon hope’. The refugees were afraid of the phrase and its possible meaning, but Aang rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. The monks used to say that hope is just a distraction, so maybe we do need to abandon it.” Katara spluttered, but Avella hummed.

“In a way, he’s right- but we’re still not going about it the right way. Hope alone won’t get us into Ba Sing Se. We can’t hope our way across the Pass, and we can’t just hope to find Appa. What we can do, however, is put the optimism aside to focus on pragmatism as the situation calls for it. So what we do is be very, very careful. Don’t go running ahead, don’t yell in fear or excitement, don’t do anything too extravagant. We need to be careful.” Avella lectured, crossing her arms. Only after she got nods from everyone else did she step aside, allowing the group to begin traveling along the Serpent’s Pass.

“The Fire Nation controls the Western Lake. Rumor has it they’re working on something big on the other side, and they don’t want anyone to find out about it.” Suki said, glancing through a hole in the rock. Naoki followed suit, wincing at the sight of a Fire Navy ship sailing by. Unfortunately, Ying’s husband slipped. Toph caught him with a sudden outcropping of rock, but the ensuing rockfall alerted the Fire Navy ship to the crossing travelers. The first fireball shot their way was deflected by Aang and back to hit their ship, but the next one hit the stone above everybody. Sokka shoved Suki out of the way, but Daiyu simply created a rock angle to deflect the rocks. Sokka didn’t even thank her, instead chastising Suki for not being more careful. Daiyu squinted at Sokka’s back- something wasn’t right.

By nightfall, the group had made good progress. Calla was resting as Avella applied some pastes to her healing wounds, the others surrounding the fire for warmth. Ying’s husband was massaging her feet, even though she hadn’t been walking all day, the picture of a perfect, doting husband. Daiyu pulled out the books she got from that rude oversized owl as well as her portable lab. She wasn't any good at playing doctor but she figured she could try. 

After finding a more secluded area of the cliff where she could safely handle chemicals, Daiyu began opening her books and mixing powders. The paste that Avella was using for Calla was running out quickly and, in Daiyu’s personal opinion, not working fast enough. If she could make more or even improve it the swift bison would recover much quicker, and if it wasn't species-geared it could be used on the cuts she knew the others were hiding. Plus it wouldn’t hurt to put her newfound knowledge to the test and make Ying something to help her pregnancy aches.

During the night, Zuko and Jet went on their food run. Honestly, Hotaru was excited about any food she might be able to snag, so she volunteered to be on the lookout with Smellerbee. A quiet alert had the two on food-bagging duty running out, packs full. Longshot lived up to his name by shooting an arrow with a rope attached, which they all used to get down. Hotaru tugged hard and got the arrow back just as the next guard walked by, meaning that their mission was a success.

Avella found Aang on a cliff, looking out at the ocean. “Aang, it’s okay to miss Appa. I miss Appa.” Avella started, looking intently at Aang- who was trying to studiously look away. “Something’s wrong, don’t try to lie to me. In the desert, all you cared about was finding Appa and reuniting with him again. Now, you’ve flipped on the complete opposite side, acting like one of those monks who dyed their clothing black and claimed that everything was pain and sadness, so death was the quickest way to free oneself.” She rolled her eyes, shuddering slightly- there was a reason those monks never got their tattoos. Aang snorted slightly but soon sobered, sighing. He replied that in the desert, he was so angry about losing Appa that he lost control- and he hated that loss of control. “But now you’re not letting yourself feel anything - again, a complete opposite. It’s just gonna hurt even more when the feelings inevitably rush back in- trust me, I know how that feels. Look- it hurts more to hope sometimes, of course, that’s just how life is, and it hurts to care. Loving is painful and difficult no matter who or what you love, whether you think you’re attached or not. And- Aang?” 

Aang paused, having tried to step away. Avella enveloped him in a tight hug, breathing deeply. She stayed there until Aang’s heart rate rose back up to a normal level, and his breathing was even and deep. “Try to keep caring, okay? I don’t want to see you lose yourself on the other end, either.”

The food was delicious. Iroh made conversation with Smellerbee while Jet handed out other portions of food- terribly. He probably shouldn’t have assumed Smellerbee’s gender. And a name doesn’t necessarily reveal a gender. Azula, after all, was named after Azulon- both of those names could be masculine or feminine. Longshot sent a single look to the girl, and she sighed. “I know, you’re right. As long as I’m confident with who I am, it doesn’t matter what other people think.” Hotaru blinked, shocked. Longshot didn’t even say anything!

Jet shared that he did things in his past he was ashamed of, and that’s why he was headed to Ba Sing Se- for a new life, for a new chance. Hotaru stole a glance at Zuko, wondering. He lived a horrible life in the palace, on the ship, being chased and chasing for no reward- and honestly, he needed to lose the princely attitude. A new life in Ba Sing Se could be very beneficial to Zuko and to all of them. 

The next morning was mostly downward, which was no real issue. Avella, Calla, and Ying- the pregnant passenger who looked about to burst- brought up the rear by floating, before being stopped by everyone else. Part of the pass was entirely underwater. Kamari ordered everyone to get in a single line, with Calla and Ying floating above. Everyone else followed Katara as she cleaved a path through the water, Kamari bringing up the rear, and Avella ensuring the air was fresh for them all. Fish swam across, quite a lovely sight honestly, and Kamari giggled as Momo swam by, trying to catch one. Suddenly he shot back in, shaking like crazy, and the dark shadow appeared to be a creature. Before Kamari could figure out what exactly it was, it ran through the bubble, piercing it. Water began to gush in, and Kamari left her stomach at the bottom of the pass as Toph and Daiyu rose them up on a spire of rock- just about halfway across the sunken part of the Pass. A poisonous green spinal fin sliced through the water around them, the bright coloring a clear warning.

“Oh, this is why it’s called Serpent’s Pass,” Naoki muttered, letting out a hysterical laugh. Calla was protecting Ying on the dry side, waiting for everyone else, and the sea monster seemed to not care about anyone who wasn’t in the water. Seemingly. Yeah, no it immediately tried to attack them and had to be batted away by Aang. The Airbenders instantly took off to distract the serpent, and Kamari made an ice bridge. Everyone started to cross except Toph- and Daiyu paused in the middle, yelling for her cousin to accept the temporary blindness and run over already. Toph didn’t move until the monster physically slammed into her island, missing her by a few inches and forcing her onto the ice. She began inching across- and honestly, Kamari had no time for that. So she skated around, scooped Toph up, and quickly made her way to the dry ground again. Daiyu yelped as she slipped and nearly fell in her haste to follow, the ice shattering as soon as everyone was across.

With everyone across safely, the Waterbenders joined the fight, skating around on small ice surfboards. The four Benders ducked and weaved around the sea serpent, causing it to shriek in confusion- and Avella was hating the sound of its voice. But with three Waterbenders and an Airbender who liked tornadoes, the serpent was soon whipped into a literal whirlpool. The colors spun together faster and faster until the creature was a neon lime blur, eventually causing the poor thing to slam full-bodied into the Pass behind them. Avella caught a scale that flew off, cheering at the trophy. The Serpent sank into the waters and retreated, leaving the rest of the Pass to be just a few hours’ journey.

Daiyu could have face planted, she was so delighted to see actual, proper solid land again. She settled for shoving Sokka down- in excitement at seeing the wall, she defended. The wall was visible from where they were, a mere day’s journey away. Of course, Sokka jinxed it. “Now it’s nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se!” He declared. Then, Ying went into labor.

Sokka panicked. Naoki fainted. Daiyu erected a stone tent for privacy, wincing at the sudden pained cries of Ying. Toph practically climbed a tree to escape the vibrations from that particular spot of earth. Kamari put herself on washcloth duty, rushing in and out with water and towels as needed. Avella, Suki, and Katara went in to assist Ying with the birth. Aang sat down awkwardly and waited. Sokka tried helping- and fainted as well.

The end of the day was filled with the cries of a healthy, newborn baby- one of the smoothest deliveries Avella had ever witnessed. The baby was a bright-faced, healthy-lunged little girl who was quickly swaddled for comfort and tucked into her mother’s breast, the two new parents fawning over the little bundle of joy. With Ying’s permission, the teens crowded inside the tent to get a look at the baby- even though Avella had to drag Aang in since he was still in his moping phase. Aang smiled softly at the sight of the peaceful baby, and Avella nudged him with a smug look on her face- she knew he needed to see a miracle like that. The new father quietly and reverently asked what they should name her, and Ying hummed thoughtfully.

“I want our daughter’s name to be unique, and I want it to mean something,” Ying said, and Avella startled as tears began to leak from Aang’s eyes- tears of happiness, this time. He wiped his eyes and strode forward, eyes focused on the cute little baby.

“I’ve been going through a really hard time lately. But you’ve made me hopeful again,” Aang murmured, and Ying perked up.

“I know what to name our baby- Hope !” Ying declared fondly, kissing the baby’s head. Aang and Avella grinned at each other before quietly heading out- since the other boys fainted again, causing Katara to panic over what caused it this time while Daiyu and Toph laughed.

“I thought I was trying to be strong.” Aang said, glancing away. “Really, though, you were right. I was running away from my feelings. Seeing this family together, happy and full of love, it’s reminding me about how I feel about Appa- and how I feel about you,” Aang confessed. Avella grasped his hands, a warm grin on her face- totally not ignoring her own tears, no sirree. This time, Aang initiated the hug, both parties squeezing until they were breathless with laughter and practically falling over, overcompensating repeatedly to try and balance, ending up spinning each other as they refused to end the hug- it was now a battle of wills, love, and friendship!

Finally, the two pulled apart. Toph handed Aang his glider as he looked around at his friends, a bounce in his step and a spark in his eye that had been missing. “I promise, I’ll find Appa as fast as I can, I just really need to do this,” Aang said, meeting nothing but support. Everyone said a short goodbye- a ‘see you later’, to be technical- and Avella watched Aang take off into the sky, headed straight towards Ba Sing Se.

Suki approached Sokka- and of course , Kamari had to listen in- She was basically Sokka’s twin, so she had to make fun of him for getting a girlfriend. Apparently, she came along just to protect Sokka, to ensure he made it across the Serpent’s Pass safely. Funny, especially considering how Sokka was constantly trying to keep Suki safe the entire trip. Suki started rambling, apologizing- and Kamari had to hold in an excited scream, seeing Sokka make a move. Suki would be an amazing sister-in-law- when they defeated the Fire Nation, of course, since Suki was a Kyoshi Warrior first and foremost. That didn’t stop the two lovebirds from making out for a solid three minutes before Naoki finally pulled them apart, though. Seeing all the love in the air was rather sweet, to be honest- but did it really have to be Sokka who got a girlfriend first?

Chapter Text

It took shorter than previously thought to get nearly to Ba Sing Se, but Aang swooped down on his glider with Momo before they could even get close. The Earthbenders brought the whole group up as Aang explained what happened, and what stopped his search for Appa. It was a giant metal creation, looking like a drill but thousands of times larger than a regular drill. Once reaching the top of the Outer Wall, Ying and her family left to get somewhere safe inside the walls. The Gaang, meanwhile, decided that they had to do something about the giant drill- mainly because it had the Fire Nation symbol on it, which meant nothing good.

Of course, Ba Sing Se had soldiers on the wall. That was a good sign. They barked that civilians weren’t allowed on the wall, but Aang’s Avatar Card actually worked for once. And then the guy in charge said that their help wasn’t needed, going on a long ramble about how nobody had ever gotten through the wall. Daiyu brought up the Dragon of the West. The man stuttered through an excuse. Daiyu and Toph were not impressed. The man said that the drill problem would be quickly solved with a team of elite Earthbenders- the Terra Team. Cool name, but two red and pink flashes quickly dashed the man’s beliefs of the Terra Team’s success.

Naoki gasped as he stared down at the Terra Team getting absolutely decimated. The scary blank-face girl- Mai was it?- and the pretty acrobat Ty Lee was there, effortlessly defeating the Terra Team. He sighed and rested his chin on his hand, watching Ty Lee chi-block, duck, dodge, kick, and absolutely destroy her enemies. She was so powerful- and did it all with a smile too. The man in charge wailed something about being doomed as the Terra Team fell to Ty Lee’s fists, and Naoki had to hold in a snort. He gave in so easily , it was quite pathetic for a war general. “Hey, maybe you’d like to accept the Avatar’s help now?” Naoki piped up, grinning when the general meekly slunk over to Aang, asking for his help- even saying please! What character development!

“Question is, how are we gonna stop that thing?” Aang asked, tapping the Outer Wall as he stared at the drill. The others looked as well, measuring how fast it was moving and how far away it was. With no sudden changes, knock on wood, the drill would take a good twenty minutes to arrive. Twenty minutes to plan- oh yeah, they could do this.

“So- Mister Lee, Miss Sage, and Mister… Mushy , was it?” The teller lady drawled, raising an eyebrow at their papers. Iroh corrected the pronunciation and flirted with her. Hotaru tried to suppress a gag, but at least they were granted access to Ba Sing Se. Oh, Hotaru couldn’t wait to feel the sun on her face again- being underground was so annoying .

The Terra Team was quickly brought back, and Katara was asked to help. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do much, as she never learned how to fix chi-blocking. After the first patient’s description, Naoki sat up straight. “Ty Lee! She doesn’t look dangerous, especially at first, but she knows the human body’s weak points and has the maneuverability to use that to her advantage! Isn’t she clever, taking people down from the inside?” He gushed, before freezing at the dry looks he got. He let out a quiet cough. “The other one, the knife girl, is Mai. If they’re here, Princess Azula is as well- and she’s the most dangerous of the three.” He quickly rushed out, relieved when the judging looks turned into shock, consideration, and apprehension. 

“That’s it!” Avella and Daiyu yelped together, before snickering at the twin response. Daiyu stepped forward, her golden eye blazing. “Naoki said it perfectly- taking them down from the inside! If there are no weak points on the outside, then we sneak inside the drill and take it apart there!” Daiyu explained, grinning. Sokka and Kamari thought about it before accepting it as a good plan- hitting the machine’s pressure points would be quite the efficient takedown.

After getting everyone down to the ground again, Daiyu took charge. “Alright everybody, when Toph and I create our cover, you guys won’t be able to see. So stay close to me and Toph the whole time.” Daiyu ordered before the cousins created a huge dust cloud cover. “Run!” Daiyu yelled, and the eight teens rushed into the dust, to the drill.

Toph made a hole when they were just at the drill, and everyone jumped in before Toph closed it again. “It’s so dark in here, I can’t see a thing!” Sokka complained.

“Oh no, what a nightmare!” Toph remarked sarcastically, and Avella let out a snort. Sokka apologized- but it was kind of funny, even Daiyu could admit that. 

Finding a service entrance was easier from underneath the drill, so Avella and Aang positioned themselves to help everyone else up- except Toph. “No way am I going in that metal monster, I can’t see or bend in there at all. I’ll slow it down from the front- and Daiyu, don’t even think of staying with me! You’ll be more useful on the inside, with everyone else.” Toph lectured, Daiyu rolling her eyes before bitterly agreeing with Toph. Shutting the door behind them bathed the seven teens in red light, and it was official: they were inside the giant drill.

“We need a plan of the machine- some schematics, a blueprint, anything that shows what the inside looks like,” Sokka said, looking around. Avella groaned quietly at the stale, humid air- staying inside a machine sucked . Daiyu kicked a wheel off a pipe, causing steam to hiss out. Sokka grinned, catching the idea. “Good job, Daiyu- with a machine this big, it needs engineers who can come and fix anything broken!” He complimented, high-fiving the girl. Sure enough, a masked engineer soon came in, with plenty of rolled-up scrolls in his apron. A couple of ideas were thrown out before Avella snuck in through the steam cloud and stole a couple of scrolls- that way, perhaps their entrance to the drill would be hidden more than if the Waterbenders froze the poor engineer. Firebenders didn’t do well with the cold.

One of the scrolls Avella had grabbed showed the front view of the drill- with an inner and an outer part. Examining it, Kamari pointed to some of the markings. “These bracers that connect the inner portion to the outer portion would be perfect- destroy what makes the drill move. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of work to get through, so we better get started.” Kamari said, and the teens nodded, faces set. Sokka rolled the scroll back up and the group ran off, following the other scroll Avella had taken to get the quickest, most efficient way there.

Waiting for the train was boring- but at least Jet showed up, pretty boy he was. Now, just because he was focused on Zuko, that didn’t mean Hotaru couldn’t enjoy the eye candy when she saw it. A cart with tea was brought out, and Iroh requested jasmine. Hotaru requested the same- but the tea was cold. She shuddered and downed it anyway as Jet and Zuko went to talk somewhere else, nudging Iroh. “Hey- don’t even think about heating it up, who knows who could be watching? Make yourself some better tea when we’re in the city, but do not risk anything for a cup of tea right now .” Hotaru hissed, glaring daggers into Iroh. He groaned dramatically but suffered through the cold tea anyway, with Hotaru not letting up her gaze even once- Iroh was such a picky drinker. Jet strode off as Zuko rejoined them, sighing in relief at seeing no steam coming from their cups.

“Wow, it looks a lot thicker in person than it does in the plans,” Sokka remarked. Avella whispered something to Aang, causing the two to snicker, but refused to tell Kamari what they were laughing at. “Well, go on!” Sokka said, cheerily shoving the Benders to the first bracer. Kamari growled at her dumb cousin, nodding thankfully when Naoki pulled him away. Readying her water, she got into position beside Katara and Aang.

It took a solid five minutes just to cut through one bracer, and Kamari’s arms were burning. It took honest hard work to cut through metal with water- it had to be done at a very precise angle at a very precise speed, and it had to be repeated over and over and over again. With a terrible, grating shudder, the broken bracer slid off its axis. Kamari groaned and sat down, wiping sweat from her brow. “It’ll take forever to cut through all those bracers like this- we won’t get to do enough damage at this rate,” She complained, sighing.

All of a sudden, a rumbling began to start. Naoki cheered that they must have broken the drill, and they had to get out of there fast. Avella grabbed his sleeve and held him in place, shaking her head. Just in time, because an announcement came up somehow through the metal. It was a congratulations on reaching the Outer Wall, signifying that the Fire Nation could start a countdown to victory. The Gaang glanced at each other uneasily, dread filling their guts.

Daiyu stared at Sokka and Naoki trying to push at their one broken brace, in disbelief. “Are you seriously thinking that’ll work? We need to go about this a different way- I suggest an Earthbender way, and not cut all the way through. It’s bad form and a bad idea to put a hundred percent into one attack- instead, it’s better to do a bunch of small attacks everywhere and deliver a final blow when the drill is reeling. What we can do instead is weaken the braces- that’ll be easier. Then, someone can go to the top and deliver a final blow.” Daiyu finished, eyes gleaming. “Now, let’s get to work!”

Splitting up and not cutting all the way through made it infinitely easier. Those who could Waterbend had it the easiest, already having a plan- but Avella and Daiyu were not to be left behind. Daiyu had brought some rocks of her own and was grating them against the metal at an impressive speed, sparks flying off as she slowly cut her way through. Avella was performing Firebending katas with Air, managing to superheat the air around the bracers and partially melt every single one she came close to.

It was going well until Sokka yelled for everyone to duck. Bluebell flames flew by just as everyone heeded his warning, Kamari looking up to see Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. “Wow, Azula! You were right- it is the Avatar… and friends .” The last word was said with a wink to Naoki, who turned bright red. He grinned and waved at Ty Lee happily, yelping when Avella and Daiyu tugged him to the side, breaking his staring contest. It was time to retreat.

While running away, a crossroads was made clear. Aang went one way while everyone else headed the other way- to escape. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the Fire Nation girls were just as clever, also separating. At an apparent dead end, Naoki turned to see Ty Lee and Mai bear down upon them, grinning at the sight of the girl in pink. They had made it to a slurry pipeline- water and earth mixed, according to Avella. That was their way out- but they had to hurry. Naoki was the last to jump through the hole, the five teens getting swept away by the slurry. A few moments later, Naoki heard another splash and knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. He just hoped it was Ty Lee and not Mai they would be dealing with.

Spilling out of the slurry was disgusting . Avella shivered as the cold grime clung to her hair and clothes, Airbending as much away as she could while still standing in the ankle-deep sludge. Ty Lee’s signature pink soon made its appearance, but the combined Bending of Katara, Kamari, and Daiyu quickly stopped her exit. “Keep that up, let’s build up the pressure so it’s ready to explode with Aang’s final blow!” Avella called out, the three Benders nodding and focusing intently on keeping the slurry from escaping. Yuck.

There wasn’t anything Avella could do now, so she decided to go and join Aang. She sprinted up the side of the drill as Toph appeared to add more Bending power, quite enjoying the sound of her feet against the metal of the drill as she ran. She made it to the wall just in time for Azula to blast some fire at Aang and Momo, and she quickly leaped and pulled the lemur to safety. “Momo, go, get out of here!” She called, tossing Momo up in the air. Momo caught the hint and flew up as quickly as he could- leaving the two Master Airbenders and the Fire Princess alone at the top of the drill. Avella glanced down to see a large ‘X’ cut into the drill- Aang’s spot for the final blow. She had to keep Azula away from him until that blow was struck, no matter what.

Azula was a very good Firebender. Even with Aang’s temporary stone cover, she managed to almost burn the two of them several times. Finally, a bluebell spin of flame shattered their protection, and Avella yelped as she and Aang were flung against the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. Aang collapsed, but she managed to stay on her feet- just barely, even as the drill broke through the Outer Wall. Azula sprinted to the two Airbenders as Avella pulled Aang up, but before contact could be made, the backed-up slurry exploded .

Avella would have enjoyed this if it were a water slide or something fun- not sliding down a death trap covered in slime and mud while trying to both escape a homicidal princess and stop said death trap from entering Ba Sing Se. Airbending got the gunk off of her- again , might she add- and kept her airborne as she helped Aang clamber back up, both teens sliding around slightly on the slippery drill. The two made their way to Aang’s ‘X’, glancing at each other. “Now all I need is a-” Aang was interrupted by the huge clang of a boulder slamming down right beside them, but neither Airbender was even phased. “Actually, that is exactly what I needed.” Aang quipped, grinning at Avella’s laughter. He Earthbent the sphere into the desired shape- a chisel- and Avella helped him ease it into place, directly in the ‘X’. They glanced at each other and nodded, both turning and Airballing up the side of the wall. Now this was fun. Avella could almost imagine she and Aang were racing along the sides of the Temples a hundred years ago just before Aang got his tattoos, one last time they got to have fun without the threat of the world hanging over their heads. 

As Avella and Aang sprinted down the wall again, using their Airbending to speed them up to where Avella felt she could go no faster, she spotted Azula making her way up the drill again. So she shoved Aang forward with a blast of Air to speed him up once more, instead falling down beside him as she spun and kicked in Azula’s direction. The bright cyan flames of Azula’s obvious attack missed her and Aang by a few inches as Avella’s air blast pushed it away from them, and Aang landed solidly on the giant chisel. A huge shockwave kept Avella afloat as Azula was catapulted across the entire drill- dang, that was far- and Avella heard the telltale creaking and grumbling of the drill’s insides. From every pore, it started to spout that nasty slurry, and the metal began to dent and distend from both the loss of structure and the overflow of grime. The drill broke down piece by piece until slurry was everywhere- coating the walls, the drill, and everyone around. Avella yelped as the added weight of the muck made her fall- luckily, Aang caught her. They blinked at each other and started to laugh, cheering at the obvious success.

An ominous rumble was the only warning they had before Daiyu Earthbended the six teens up onto a pillar, the slurry spewing out like a volcano as the drill exploded from the inside. Naoki winced at the sound of Ty Lee painfully hitting the rock, but he couldn’t exactly help her. The broken drill began to steam and physically break apart, the annoying rumble of the spinning blades finally slowing and stopping. When the slurry stopped and Ty Lee lay on the wet ground, spitting and groaning, the group decided to make their escape. Naoki tossed Ty Lee a small towel he’d had in his bag on him as they left, hoping it helped her out a bit.

A conductor called for the last train to Ba Sing Se, and Hotaru ushered Zuko and Iroh inside. They sat down beside a young woman, her husband, and their little baby- a newborn, by the looks of her. Earthbenders began to move the train smoothly as Hotaru gushed over the adorable baby- Hope, apparently- and they made it out of the tunnels and into the Outer Ring by sunset.

“Good work out there, Team Avatar!” Sokka piped up, slinging his arms around Katara and Kamari. Kamari groaned- he’d been trying to keep that up all day, ever since hearing about the Terra Team.

“Say it as much as you like, it won’t catch on,” Katara gritted out, and Sokka wilted before gasping and pulling out his boomerang, twirling it.

“Then how about the Boomerang Squad? See- it’s good because it’s got ‘ang’ in it!” Sokka cheered. Aang shrugged with a small grin, saying he kind of liked that one.

“How about we workshop it on our way into the city?” Daiyu offered as a compromise, groaning as Sokka continued to try his weird names as they headed into the city. The Aang Gang? Seriously? The Exquisite Eightsome? That didn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

“How about we’re just the Gang? Or- Gaang with two ‘a’s, for Aang?” Avella finally offered, eye twitching at Sokka’s continued terrible naming skills. The ‘Gaang’ was accepted much to Sokka’s dramatic wailing, and time moved on.

Chapter Text

Daiyu watched the scenery pass by, pursing her lips. All this land, all these resources, and Ba Sing Se was keeping them from those who needed it. She had to admit that the architecture was nice, though, and the trains were made wonderfully from speckled stone. Katara let out an exclamation to get everyone’s attention, so Daiyu glanced over as well, just as they reached the Inner Wall and therefore the Inner Ring. And then Katara remarked that she couldn’t believe they made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece.

“Don’t jinx it! We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city’s been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp.” Naoki quickly got out, Daiyu looking at him weirdly.

“Have you been drinking cactus juice again?” Daiyu asked, amused at Naoki’s affronted spluttering. Then a rather strange man sat down between Sokka and Naoki, sucking on a cob of corn. A solid, entire cob of corn that managed to fit in his mouth like a baby’s pacifier. What .

Avella smiled faintly at hearing Calla rumble, the large bison flying alongside the train. She was almost fully healed thanks to Daiyu’s wonderful balms- perhaps they could be spread to human soldiers as well. Aang wilted, and she scooted closer to him, bumping their shoulders together. “Don’t worry Aang, we’ll find Appa. Even though it’s a big city, he’s a big bison! And as long as he’s within hearing range of our whistles, he’ll come to us too. I mean, Ba Sing Se is big, but it’s not like…” Avella trailed off as they passed into the Inner Ring, blinking in shock. Ba Sing Se had definitely grown in the past century- the entire Ring was choked full of houses, small pools, shopping districts, and more. It was stuffed to the brim with the upper class of Ba Sing Se, with plenty of space to hide a large bison. And that wasn’t even considering underground- speaking of, she should probably mention the giant, ancient underground city to the Earthbenders.

The train finally slid to a stop and the Gaang stepped off, Daiyu and Toph groaning at being back in the city. Naoki asked why, and Daiyu cheerily explained that cities were nothing but walls, rules, and weird people like the corn man. Daiyu watched Aang blow his bison whistle, Calla rumbling nearby but no Appa appearances. “He’s here, I can feel it. Hang on buddy, I’m coming for you.” Aang murmured and Daiyu frowned. The Avatar was missing Appa- heck, they all were.

Avella felt a strange presence- an almost chokingly empty one, at that. She turned to see where the train had slid away to reveal a woman with a strangely wide, orchestrated grin. She barely blinked, introducing herself as Joo Dee, their guide around the city. Every member of their group was mentioned by name- and judging by the shudders from Kamari and Naoki, Avella wasn’t the only one insanely creeped out. Daiyu was just staring intently as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle. Joo Dee asked if they were ready to get started, and Sokka tried launching into an explanation about the time-sensitive information about the war they needed to get to the King. Joo Dee did not react to that, instead cheerily starting the tour. Avella glanced at Daiyu- something was fishy, and something had to be done about it.

“Maybe you missed it. We need to talk to the King immediately about the war- it’s incredibly important.” Kamari stressed, trying not to shake Joo Dee. The woman was giving her the creeps. Joo Dee simply continued to smile, saying that they were in Ba Sing Se now, and everyone was safe there. 

The tour was quite large. It started with showing the Gaang the Lower Ring, with Joo Dee explaining the many walls; outside for protection, inside for maintaining order. Toph scoffed at that, and Daiyu rolled her eyes. The Lower Ring was where newer arrivals lived, as well as the craftsmen and artisans- those who worked with their hands. Avella squinted- that didn’t seem right for a developed city. A flash of movement caught her eye, and she glanced up to see a group of men parading about in clear uniforms, and her stomach dropped. The infamous Dai Li, originally made by Kyoshi for the protection of Ba Sing Se’s citizens- a supposedly secret order. To have them so blatantly showing themselves as Secret Police, there was something very rotten in the city indeed. But part of their job was silencing people who discovered them- Avella would have to be careful about who she spoke about the Dai Li to, and when.

Hotaru was admiring the Lower Ring’s market, trying to choose between one dark green scarf or a gray one. Everyone was looking at her weirdly because of her red hair, and she desperately needed to hide it- better than she had been, with a nasty old rag. She quickly bought the green one and ran to catch up with Zuko and Iroh- the latter had a vase filled with soft orange flowers. They admittedly smelled rather nice, even though they were incredibly poor. Zuko grumbled that he didn’t want to make a life here, since the city was a prison. Privately, Hotaru agreed- but only partially. It may be a prison, but better to have a home than to not have one at all. Ugh, she was sounding like Iroh! She needed to drink something other than tea, as fast as she could.

The Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se was next on the tour, and Avella was disappointed to see Dai Li agents here, too. The scenery was nicer, though, with space between the buildings for nice roads, with moats and plants for decoration. The Middle Ring was for the financers, shops, restaurants, and the university. Avella winced, remembering Professor Zei. But it was good to know that she wouldn’t have to bounce from Ring to Ring for some… shopping . Kamari attempted once more to explain to Joo Dee that they had to speak to the Earth King, but Joo Dee simply pointed out the Town Hall, giddily exiting the carriage. Naoki remarked that the woman must be deaf, but Avella quietly sucked in a breath. Not deaf- brainwashed . 

Daiyu glowered at the creature calling itself Joo Dee, it had taken her longer than she was willing to admit to connect all the dots and realize that it was brainwashing. In her defense, the absolutely lifeless yet instinctual movements were too routine to be natural and so jarring that it was all she could focus on. Also, the woman held too still, the kind of stillness that sages take decades of meditation to achieve, something she never had the patience for. The Earthbender exchanged glances with Avella and sighed, shoving the part of her that wanted to dissect Joo Dee to study the effects of brainwashing on the nervous system as far down as possible. She could always try to replicate it on a rodent. 

“Well, you certainly look like official tea servers. How do you feel?” Their new boss asked, and Hotaru hummed. Donning aprons was far more embarrassing than she thought, courtesy of her upbringing, but she didn’t look half bad. Poor Iroh, meanwhile, had the largest size the tea shop owner had, and still couldn’t tie it. The man laughed and offered them some tea while he went to get extra string, and Hotaru laughed at Iroh’s exclamation that the tea was just hot leaf juice.

“Uncle, that’s what all tea is,” Zuko replied, deadpan, and Hotaru burst out in quiet giggles, cheeks reddening from her attempts to keep herself quiet and not alert their new boss- or anyone possibly unsavory outside. Iroh scoffed, mourning the fact that someone in his own family could say something so horrible. Hotaru gladly tossed the tea, grinning at the General’s proclamation that they were definitely going to be making some changes around the shop- it desperately needed it.

Finally, the Upper Ring was home to the most important citizens. Dai Li agents were here, too, of course- just in smaller quantities, apparently actually trying to stay hidden. Avella guessed that they were mostly bodyguards- or handlers, as Toph so eloquently put it. They passed the Earth King’s palace as they headed to their ‘new home’ thanks to Joo Dee, and finally, everyone else noticed the Dai Li agents. Joo Dee’s face twitched ever-so-slightly before she laughed at Sokka’s question about the ‘mean-looking guys in robes’, happy to reply. “Inside that wall over there is the Royal Palace, and those men are agents of the Dai Li- the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions.” All of them? That wasn’t foreboding at all. Aang asked to see the King now, and Joo Dee just laughed again, brushing the question off.

Finally, the carriage came to a stop, Calla only too happy to settle in the house’s yard and begin munching grass. A courier sprinted up and handed Joo Dee a scroll before sprinting off again, and Joo Dee excitedly said that their request to speak with the King was being processed, supposedly being done in a month. Avella face-palmed, groaning. No way was the Earth King that busy.

The house was, admittedly, not bad. But Naoki couldn’t settle. Joo Dee was still hanging around, talking happily about how nice it was and how they were going to love staying there- forever. He did a quick double-take at that last word, but Aang quickly said that if they were going to be there for at least a month, they needed to look for Appa. Joo Dee happily offered herself as an escort to anywhere they needed to go, and Naoki let out a short, disbelieving bark of laughter. “Yeah, no. We don’t need a babysitter, lady.” He snarked, rolling his eyes. Joo Dee protested, saying she wouldn’t be in the way at all, calling herself a bad host if she left them alone. Naoki hung his head, groaning. It would take a lot to get through to her. Who put her up to this, and how much were they paying her to keep smiling??

The first stop to looking for Appa was searching all pet stores in Ba Sing Se. Several times, it seemed as though the shop owners were about to say something, but they would quickly look scared and stutter an excuse about needing them to leave. Their next stop was asking the university students about the war with the Fire Nation- but the boy they were talking to stuttered and glanced to their side, rushing to class with a hasty excuse. Avella and Daiyu glanced there to see Joo Dee finishing an action of shaking her head ominously, moving back to a neutral position- her smile not budging even once. Joo Dee dropped them off at their house soon after, apologizing for nobody having seen the bison. She recommended rest, with news that someone would be by with dinner later. Kamari caught sight of a man in the house across from them, staring almost desperately. Kamari pulled the group to his house, wondering what was up- it was probably important.

The owner of the house, Pong, introduced himself. He never left his doorframe, hiding behind it constantly. Pong stuttered about not talking about the war, not getting in trouble, and how long he waited to get this house. Pong gave them a warning before shutting his door- stay away from the Dai Li . Avella and Daiyu glanced at each other, disbelieving expressions mirrored. Yeah, right.

Dinner was a meager affair, but Hotaru felt satisfied. The meal was nutritious despite the small serving, Iroh even offering tea. When he went to light the fire, their spark stones went missing, so Hotaru volunteered to borrow some from their neighbor. She’d felt eyes on them all day and was not about to risk Firebending. 

A few days passed, maybe a week. It was rather boring, waiting for a message that would apparently never come, but the Gaang’s search for Appa kept them busy. At least, it did, until Katara rushed in with some papers in her hand, excitedly yelling that she found their way into the Earth King’s palace. Apparently, he was having a party that very night for his pet bear.

Hold up. Wait. “A bear? You mean a platypus bear, right?” Kamari asked, squinting at the papers in Katara’s hand. Katara shook her head.

“Certainly it’s his pet skunk bear!” Naoki piped up, and Katara shook her head again. 

“Or his armadillo bear- gopher bear even??” Avella asked, tilting her head. Katara shook her head. Nope, just ‘bear’. Everyone glanced at each other.

“This place is weird ,” Toph said, and Daiyu agreed. How could an animal just be part of an animal? It didn’t make sense. A moment of quiet, to digest the strange information, before Katara rushed right on. The palace would be packed, and the group could slip in with the crowd. Toph and Daiyu snorted, shaking their heads. “That won’t work. No offense meant to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd would spot you from a mile away.” Toph drawled, picking dirt from between her toes. Daiyu could sense the disbelief, cutting in before Katara could retort.

“And yes, we know how to act civilized. We’ve grown up with it, after all. We choose not to follow society’s rules, but we still know them by heart. It’s probably too late for you all to learn, regardless.” Daiyu said flippantly, grinning. Katara was getting visibly puffed up, which was pretty funny to see. Aang said it couldn’t be that hard to learn manners, especially since he was already learning every element.

Of course, the boys all pulled the drapes down, cloaking themselves in makeshift robes and attempting to act all high and mighty. Momo was apparently Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty, His Momo-ness. Also apparently, the Water Tribe cousins’ last name was Water Tribe. Bowing at the waist with a bent back repeatedly until slamming heads together was ‘polite’, which ended with Naoki groaning at his new headache. 

“Yeah, no. The girls can probably pull it off- but you three? No class at all. You’ll have to find a different way in since you’d be lucky to pass as busboys.” Daiyu stated bluntly, crossing her arms. The boys wilted at that, and Daiyu scoffed. “Alright girls, time to get all fancy .” She shuddered, already dreading the day ahead. Toph always made things harder than they needed to be. 

It was nightfall by the time the five girls returned, dressed in modern Earth Kingdom Upper Ring fashion and carrying paper fans, so they could demurely hide their smiles and bat their eyelashes shyly. Flowers adorned their headdresses and their hair was all done up- and even though the makeup felt strange, Kamari had to admit that they all looked good. Aang perked up, eyes focused on Katara as he said they all looked beautiful. Sokka flicked his forehead.

“Okay, we’ll get in the party and then try to find a way to let you guys in through the side gate. Good luck to us all!” Katara chirped, the girls folding their hands neatly in their robes before striding off, the five of them the perfect picture of a high-class girlfriend group. Naoki watched them go, snorting as Momo walked by, still dragging his drape behind him. Seems he enjoyed being Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty, keeping up with the joke the full day later.

Their second day lasted longer than the first- probably because Iroh forced his way into the brewing pots, taking over. Customers were far more common, each one complimenting the tea, and Hotaru was running her feet ragged trying to keep up with the continuing orders. Even when the shop dwindled to just a handful, they still kept asking for more and more tea. Despite that, it was quite nice– it was rhythmic and calming, something that Hotaru could see her father hating. It was perfect. 

Of course, things couldn’t go perfectly forever. The door slid open with a slam to reveal Jet, who was looking around, eyes wide and twitching. “I’m tired of waiting- these three people are Firebenders!” Jet roared, pointing at each Firebender in turn. The teen pulled his hooked swords out, brandishing them threateningly. Hotaru and Zuko glanced at each other, a question of ‘what’ passing through the shared look.

“I know they’re Firebenders, I saw the old man heating some tea!” Jet yelped, and Hotaru and Zuko glared briefly at Iroh. He must have done it while they were both looking away, back at the train, because of course the old man didn’t dare suffer through a bad cup of tea for any reason. Their customers remarked that of course he did, they worked in a tea shop. “He’s a Firebender, I’m telling you!” Jet roared, blocking the only exit with his body and his weapons. Two men in uniform stood up, warning Jet to drop his swords. Jet didn’t listen, turning instead to the Firebenders. “You’ll have to defend yourself, then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do.” Jet goaded, and Hotaru leaped into action. Pretty boy he may have been, but even she was getting tired of this.

Hotaru grabbed the guards’ swords and unsheathed them in one fluid movement, just in time to kick a table at Jet. The teen avoided the distraction, leaping over it and engaging her in swordplay. And Jet was fine, sure, but he hadn’t had training and it showed . Just because he knew his way around his weapons didn’t mean he knew his way around a fight. His attacks were sloppy, uncoordinated, and his balance was always shifting. Honestly, Hotaru felt almost guilty about defeating him so quickly- he wasn’t that good a fighter. Jet rushed in, face set, and Hotaru twirled to give her borrowed swords more power, swinging them to meet Jet.

Avella did not want to wait in a super long line of posh people with snooty invitations, just to trust in Katara and Toph’s made-up scenario about the Pangs and Yungsoo-Hans. So while everyone else was waiting in line, she was floating in! Literally! She’d have brought Kamari or Daiyu, but they couldn’t sit on clouds. Or float. Nobody ever thought to look up, and she slipped between a heavy drape and slid to the ground before stepping out, maintaining composure. Now, she just had to wait for her friends to enter.

A carriage pulled up just as their little group had been escorted out of line. Daiyu was getting annoyed by this- invitation or not, barely anybody would refuse the Beifong symbol. Katara dragged the other three girls- damn Avella for being able to fly, her Earthbending wouldn’t help in Ba Sing Se- to an important-looking man, making up an excuse about their cousin- Toph- losing their invitations. Tacking on an ‘our family will be worried’, Daiyu thought the performance was pretty good. The man seemed to think so, too, guiding them inside. 

Avella found out what a bear was- just a bear. It looked incomplete and goofy, but just as much of a wild animal as any other bear creature she’d seen. According to a whispered conversation, the seats near the bear were extraordinarily hard to get. Watching the bear create a huge mess and ruin their clothes, Avella was glad to be missing out. She spotted Kamari, Katara, Daiyu, and Toph finally enter, following some weird-looking man. He introduced himself to them as Long Feng. They attempted to leave, but Long Feng just popped back up again. Creepy, but she had to let the boys in.

“Don’t worry, as your escort, it would be dishonorable to abandon you, ladies, without finding your family first.” Long Feng drawled, and Kamari fought to keep her face neutral. This dude was setting off all the creep alarms- like a combo of Hahn and Jet and someone just as slimy. He continued to show them around, searching for their family, and Kamari tried not to groan.

“Where are they?” Aang murmured, and Naoki shrugged, kicking a pebble. It was pretty boring, crouching behind a statue and waiting for the girls to show up. “Oh- there’s Avella! Let’s go!” Aang said excitedly, and Naoki yelped as he attempted to get up, legs shaky from sitting down for what felt like hours. Making sure the coast was clear, the three boys plus Momo all crept in through the door Avella held open, entering the Earth King’s party.

The front of the tea shop exploded with the force of Jet kicking Hotaru outside. She ducked and rolled back up as quickly as she could, deflecting Jet’s next blow at a moment’s notice. “You must be getting tired of using those swords, why don’t you go ahead and Firebend at me?” Jet taunted, and Hotaru rolled her eyes. Admittedly, it had been a while since she fought, and Zuko was at the edge of her vision, visibly itching to fight. So she kicked Jet away and tossed Zuko the swords, ducking under Jet’s next slice to allow Zuko to join the fight instead. Hotaru sat down heavily on a box, catching her breath as the two boys went at it. Iroh shouted to Jet that he was confused, not knowing what he was doing- and Zuko took a swipe that could have beheaded Jet if he hadn’t ducked. Instead, it sliced his stupid wheat piece apart. Jet leaped back and onto a well, eyes wide with mania. “You see that?! The Fire Nation is trying to silence me! It’ll never happen!”

“We need to be on the lookout for the King- fancy robes, lots of jewelry, the works,” Sokka muttered, and Naoki facepalmed. Clearly, by looking at anyone here, it could be anybody at the party. The eight teenagers slowly gravitated towards each other, sharing quiet grins, before- of all people- Joo Dee showed up, looking frantic.

“What are you doing here? You have to leave immediately, or we’ll all be in terrible trouble!” Joo Dee hissed, trying to push Kamari to the exit. Kamari simply spread her legs to widen her stance, unmoving. Joo Dee instead tried to push Sokka, who tumbled into Aang, who accidentally shoved a busboy, who splashed everything in his pitcher on a young woman. At the girl’s shriek, Aang quickly Airbended her dry- removing the silly little hat he’d had on and revealing his identity as the Avatar in the process. Finally, as the attention of everyone at the party turned to Aang, Joo Dee’s smile faded. For some reason, Kamari disliked that even more than the creepy smile.

Avella shoved Aang to the table, whispering for him to keep their attention while the others searched for the Earth King. Aang started to do Airbending and Waterbending tricks, much to the amusement of the bear and the awe of the partygoers, while everyone else snuck around, searching for the King. Apart from missing their main objective, the party was pretty fun now.

Metal clanged against metal as Jet and Zuko fought- and Hotaru had to blink in surprise at Zuko using an Airbender’s maneuver of slipping behind the opponent to stay in their blind spots. Some men in uniform stalked up, barking at everyone to drop their weapons. Jet spat that they should arrest the Firebenders, since they were Firebenders. Hotaru stepped in, sighing. “This poor young man is confused! We’re just refugees like everyone else here, he’s the one who attacked us and the tea shop!” She pleaded. Eyewitnesses collaborated with what Hotaru said, confirming her story, and the eyes of the police turned to Jet. Jet spluttered that they were Fire Nation, trying to swing his sword at the man. Hotaru winced at the sound of metal meeting rock, Jet’s arm being bent behind his back until both hands were Earthbent in cuffs behind him. She watched Jet be dragged to a cart led by ostrich horses, Jet continuing to howl and beg for them to listen to him. Even as the cart door shut, and people started dispersing, Jet continued to yell. Hotaru shivered- that mania, that obsession, she’d only seen it twice before. Azula and Ozai had the same look, geared towards power.

A gong sounded, catching everyone’s attention, and Naoki turned to see a palanquin carried by sixteen servants be brought in. The figure inside was hidden by green draping, but there were far more guards than Naoki thought- even for a party. Stone hands quickly snuck up behind him, clamping his mouth shut and tugging him backward. Naoki could only let out a muffled grunt as he was dragged to a library- why was everything glowing green here, why not another color for Spirits’ sake? He was unceremoniously tossed on the ground, soon followed by the other teens and Momo- and Long Feng. The Political Minister claimed that the Earth King had no time to get involved with political squabbles and the minutiae of military activities. Naoki blurted that this could be the most important thing the King had ever heard, and Long Feng simply said that the King’s only priority was maintaining Ba Sing Se’s cultural heritage. Naoki squinted- that sounded an awful lot like the King was a puppet, a figurehead while Long Feng was the real guy in charge.

Avella shared a glance with Daiyu. So they were right- Long Feng, this minister guy, was the real brains behind Ba Sing Se’s operations. He was clearly keeping everyone, including the King, in the dark- and brainwashing anybody who said otherwise. As Long Feng monologued about how the economy would be ruined, the peace and traditions vanishing, and worse if the war was mentioned, Avella had a plan. Long Feng would regret trying to cross the chaotic members of the Gaang- and dismantling a fake peace to end a real war sounded pretty darn good. Long Feng called Ba Sing Se a utopia, and Daiyu made a face. 

Aang threatened to tell everyone what was going on, and Long Feng just grinned. “Up until now, you’ve been treated as our honored guest, Avatar. But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city.” Long Feng said, before turning to the fire. “I understand you’ve been looking for your bison,” he mentioned, and Avella froze. No . Surely not. “It would be quite a shame if you were unable to complete your quest.” He did . A new woman masquerading as Joo Dee came in to escort them to their Ba Sing Se house, grinning. Avella felt sick- the others did, too, by their expressions.

Chapter Text

After the party, the Gaang tried to bring back some sense of normalcy. Step one, encouraged by Avella, was daily morning grooming. She and Aang would tend to their tattoos, shaving any extra body hair- or head hair, for Aang. Sokka would shave off the beginnings of his mustache, Katara would pin her ‘hair loopies’ back in place, and Kamari would redo any small braids that had fallen apart during the night. Even Momo was grooming himself, combing his paws through his fur, and eating any bugs he found. And then there were the Earthbenders.

Daiyu woke up to the door creaking open, a sliver of light hitting her in the face. She let out an incensed hiss, rolling off her mat. Toph groaned at the disturbance, and both girls sluggishly sat up to reveal their wild bedhead. Daiyu spat in a spittoon nearby, grinning as the golden metal shuddered from the force of it, her hair was nigh impossible to control so the bed head looked similar to when it was down and brushed without product. Toph stood up at Katara’s nagging about getting ready for the day, simply brushing a layer of dirt off. Daiyu stood up as well, grinning. “We’re ready for the day!” Toph proclaimed, grinning. Katara didn’t look amused.

“You’re not going to wash up?” Katara asked hesitantly, before gesturing to the girls- and Naoki, who had come stumbling out of his room, yawning. “You’ve got a little dirt on your… everywhere , actually.”

“You call it dirt, I call it a healthy coating of earth!” Naoki chimed in, strumming his lyre to help wake him up. “A little dirt never hurt anyone Katara, let us live!” Toph and Daiyu nodded along to Naoki’s words, but Katara wasn’t convinced.

“Yeah, no. You know what we all need?” Katara said, eyes lighting up. Daiyu squinted and leaned away, already wary of the girl’s ideas. “A girls’ day out!” She cheered, and Daiyu winced at the resounding whoop from where the others were- clearly in Avella’s voice. She let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead. Already, she could tell that there was no escaping this. Well, yet , at least. 

Unlike Toph who was a slob, Daiyu liked looking put together as she thought it made her look more intimidating. As an Earthbender a layer of dirt was useful and inevitable so her mother taught her how to carefully manage how much and where that layer was most effective, Kaki even taught her and Toph techniques so they could keep the dirt covering their skin in their high-class clothing without anyone being able to tell or getting the fabric dirty. She learned early on that a messy lab is impossible to work in so her stuff was meticulously organized and checked over each day, a habit she shares with her father. So she wasn’t exactly against a girl’s day if it was a spa day or a shopping trip, but she was not a fan of make-up or other people touching her, especially her feet, something she knew her cousin hated. 

Kamari had to admit that Ba Sing Se had pretty nice spas, with plenty of areas to relax and get pampered. They deserved a small break before trying again with the Earth King, for sure, and a relaxing day out was perfect for both having fun and getting the Dai Li to loosen their patrols. Toph’s only rule at the ‘Fancy Lady’s Day Spa’ was for the workers not to touch her feet- and considering they were her eyes, Kamari was happy to force Katara into obeying, no matter how much she thought the girl’s feet needed a good wash.

The foot scrubbing felt rather nice, but Kamari was distracted by Avella’s giggling. It seemed the girl’s feet were ticklish, enforced by a worker having to restrain her. Toph was almost restrained until Kamari and Daiyu stepped in, and Toph just got a good foot soaking instead. After the foot scrub came a mud bath- and it felt heavenly . Until Toph and Daiyu used Earthbending to scare the poor workers, making the other girls in the group laugh. Honestly, had they never experienced an Earthbender before? The final step at the Spa was a sauna- and with an Airbender, two Waterbenders, and two Earthbenders, it was absolutely perfect. Toph and Daiyu made sure the stones were always hot and placed where they needed to be, while Katara and Kamari added more water streams to the steam. During all of that, Avella was keeping the air thick and cloying while still allowing them to breathe, letting the warm air soak into them all. Despite a few ladies fainting and some knickknacks inevitably going ‘missing’, the spa was a resounding success.

Leaving the spa wasn’t possible without doing makeup, much to Daiyu's annoyance- lucky simple eye makeup was enough to satisfy the workers so they could leave, and that was when the girls split up. Kamari, Katara, and Toph went one way, while Daiyu and Avella stated that they wanted to go shopping. Katara waved them on their way, and Kamari just whispered at them to not cause enough chaos to be kicked out of the city. Twin manic grins met her, and she just sighed before following her cousin and the youngest member of the Gaang. 

Unfortunately, the good day couldn’t go on forever. As the three girls strode over a bridge, another trio of girls- clearly Ba Sing Se socialites- strode across as well. One girl was the ringleader with a delicate parasol, her pretty face marred by her sneer. “Hey, pretty makeup.” The girl began, but when Toph thanked her, the girl just grinned meanly. “For a clown and her scarred circus friend!” She jeered, and her small entourage tittered uselessly.

Katara murmured for them to keep walking, but one of the other girls decided to speak up as well. “No, no, I think she looks cute,” She paused, and Kamari narrowed her eyes. “Like that time we put a sweater on your pet poodle monkey! A shame for the poor girl who will never be pretty enough for a husband, you know.” She finished, and the three girls laughed once more- honestly, that noise was grating to Kamari’s ears. Katara bit out that they should just go, but Toph’s shoulders squared, and Kamari cracked her knuckles.

“No, no, it was actually pretty funny,” Toph lightly said, turning to face the trio. “‘Like your poodle monkey’- you know what else is a good one?” She snarked, before breaking the bridge directly under the girls. Kamari grinned widely at the resulting splash, peeking over the new hole to see the three soaked girls look dumbly up at the Benders.

“Now that? That was funny.” Kamari said, winking at the girls before using Waterbending to send them on their way with a wave, relishing in their terrified screams. Honestly, the entire ‘river’ was just a few inches deep, they’d be fine. What crybabies. She turned to see that Toph had started walking away, and ran to catch up with her and Katara.

“Hey, those girls don’t know what they’re talking about, okay?” Katara tried to soothe, and Toph just shrugged off her comforting hand. 

“It’s okay,” Toph stated, her hunched shoulders betraying how she felt. “One of the good things about being blind is that I don’t have to waste my time worrying about appearances. I don’t care what I look like, and I’m not looking for anyone’s approval, I know who I am .” Toph had paused by the end of her rant, and Kamari placed a hand on her shoulder.

“And we admire that about you, Toph. You’re strong, confident, and self-assured- and you deserve to have that view.” Kamari stated, tone firm. She was not going to allow the strongest Earthbender ever to talk bad about herself like this. Toph let out a small sniffle, and Kamari frowned. “And… I know it doesn’t matter, but… you’re really pretty.” She said, squeezing Toph’s forehead. The girl’s small smile lit up her whole face, and Kamari was only too happy to confirm it. Because she was pretty, and Toph deserved to know it and find power in it.

While the other three girls were bonding, Avella and Daiyu decided to get to the bottom of what was going on. The first step, outlined by Daiyu, was to get the Dai Li to arrest them. That part was surprisingly easy- Avella stole a few shiny objects, Daiyu started talking about fighting and wars- not The War, just wars in general- and they were thrown into a carriage within minutes. It was even better to see the Dai Li’s expressions when they noticed that the very expensive dress Daiyu picked out that Joo Dee- and therefore the government- paid for had an entire sleeve ripped off. Daiyu tore it off shortly after they left the spa after deciding it was uncomfortable and the burn would draw more eyes and questions so she could bring up the war. The girls high-fived, settling in to wait. And wait. Ugh, this was taking forever.

Avella closed her eyes, listening in to the Dai Li guards. They were taking the girls to a place called Lake Laogai, apparently, and she quietly relayed this information to Daiyu. They were to be taken in for the Joo Dee program- total brainwashing. Avella shivered, just in time for the carriage to suddenly plummet below the earth. Being suddenly cut off from the air made Avella’s breath catch, but this wasn’t like with Fong, where Aang was there to help. No, this was for Avella and Daiyu to do alone, no panicking down here. A couple of deep breaths later, and the girls were ready to leave the carriage. 

Unfortunately, they were separated immediately. Both were bound with stone cuffs, and with a quick tapping sequence, the girls had a plan to wait just a bit, gather some info, and cause chaos in an hour. They were dragged to different places, and Avella made sure to step extra loudly, allowing the echoes to give her a mental map. Daiyu had an easier time, with her seismic sense. Daiyu was shoved into a ‘Joo Dee’ outfit and placed unceremoniously into a room filled with women in the exact same garb- one of whom was the Joo Dee from the Gaang’s entrance into Ba Sing Se. The girls and women were all shoved into the center of the room, where a lantern spun around the group in a steady, dizzying pattern. Daiyu kept her eyes firmly on the Dai Li agent in the room with them cataloging all the information she could about his abilities based on his body type and slight movements, even when the man kept his own eyes lowered, giving phrases that the brainwashed women all repeated dully. 

“I am Joo Dee, welcome to Ba Sing Se,” Was the first phrase, and Daiyu fought to keep from shivering- the first thing these women lost was their very identities, apparently. That was horrifying. “We are so lucky to have our walls to create order.” The man intoned, and the women all repeated it. Daiyu glanced around, noticing that the women were all staring blankly ahead of them- right into the lantern’s path. The brainwashing must work with the lantern’s path, fascinating. It flashed across Daiyu’s eyes, making her wince- How long did this take for it to work, she wondered. Hours? Days? Weeks? Did these women have families? 

Avella was dragged directly to Long Feng, the King’s Advisor. He sat smugly on a throne, guarded by Dai Li agents hiding in the shadows. Avella had to hide a smirk- she could feel their very breath, did they think they could hide from her, from the air itself? What an amusing thought. “Avella of the extinct Air Nomads-” oh no he didn’t. “-you stand here accused of the crimes of stealing from our blessed city and harboring malicious, blasphemous talk of a nonexistent War inside this city’s walls.” Long Feng intoned, and Avella just tossed her hair back, daring him to continue. He did. “You may think that because you’re with the Avatar, you have power in this world. I’m happy to inform you that you do not, in fact, have power. I have power, and I will use it to keep my city safe, protected, and ordered. You are not a player in this Pai Sho game, you are merely a tile, whereas I am a Master of the Game.” The man drolled on, Avella rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, okay old man. And that’s saying something, considering I was born probably a good fifty years before you- Ba Sing Se didn’t used to be this glum, lemme tell you. So here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to let me go and give me and my friend control of the Dai Li and yourself, or you will face the consequences.” Avella chirped, grinning. Long Feng let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head.

“Oh? And what will you do if I dare to disobey such an ‘order’?” Long Feng teased, not noticing that the rock lanterns seemed to flicker, despite not using fire to stay lit. Avella’s grin widened.

“Goodie, you chose the fun way. A common misconception of us Air Nomads is that we are a weak people, pacifistic and meek.” Avella began, straightening up. A quick blast of air had the cuffs around her wrists crumbling away, and she flicked the debris aside with barely a glance. “But it seems even just a century of being lost has hidden the truth about us from you, Advisor .” She spoke, slowly stalking up to Long Feng. The man flicked a wrist, seemingly unconcerned, but his eyes widened when no Dai Li agents came to his rescue. Avella grinned, tilting her head. “Air Nomads are pacifists because we are powerful. Because we hold the very breath of life in our hands and in our Bending. After all, you are only peaceful if you are powerful, otherwise, you are simply harmless. Every single Nomad is a Bender, and every Bender with tattoos is a Master. You claim to be a master of Pai Sho- do you even know the seventy-three Jis? I think not. You are a fool, a fool so desperate to keep any cards in your favor that you will let the world and yourself burn before releasing that control.” She paused at this point, having reached Long Feng’s throne. The man was gripping the armrests tightly, fury written across his face. Avella simply smiled. “Allow me to give you a taste of what the Nomads were capable of, especially in our prime.” She murmured, before stepping back. The lanterns shattered, put under intense force of air pressure until they splintered. The room blackened instantly, nothing but the sound of the Dai Li and Long Feng breathing in panic, and Avella’s giggling.

While Avella was causing psychological terror, Daiyu was having her own fun. It was remarkably easy to detain any Dai Li agents around and restrain them- honestly, they were only talented with the stones they carved around their hands like gloves. Even their rock attacks had no real oomph in them, no power. Not only that but they all trained together in the same style, so once she found their weak spots it wasn't even fun to exploit them more than a few times. It was a horrible style anyway, they left their sides completely open as they pulled back to launch the stones! She hummed happily as she considered what experiment would best suit her newest captive, a taller lean man with a squarish head, before adding him to the growing group of struggling agents being dragged behind her by the very rocky restraints they wielded. Hmm… maybe his unusual jaw shape affected his speech patterns. 

Daiyu was heading through any rooms she could find- she was sure there were more somewhere, that the tunnels led to other places, she was just worried about the women first and foremost- to shatter any brainwashing rooms and look for any files. Finally, she came upon an office of sorts, with boxes and boxes of papers. Each paper had a quickly drawn portrait of the woman in question, their name, their family, and their reason for getting landed in the Joo Dee program. So while waiting for the hour to be up, Daiyu was sprinting around, tossing papers at the faces of the Joo Dees and watching the light come back to their eyes, various women crying out in shock, fear, hatred, and despair. There were still plenty of Joo Dee's loose in the city itself, but this was a good start. She shot her best mad scientist grin at the 20(?) or so Dai Li now covered in mud and scrapes, cackling at their looks of fear and attempts to override her control on the stone holding them. Feeling that there was a distinct loss of people, Daiyu turned on her heel and ran off to join Avella- she couldn’t have all the fun alone, now could she?

Avella waited until Long Feng pulled out a small, personal glowing crystal as a mini torch before opening her eyes and grinning widely. As she had been hovering right in his face in the dark, the sudden glow of her eyes made the man almost shriek, tumbling back to his throne. It was only too easy to pull him out, forcing the Dai Li agents into the air and spinning around listlessly, breath torn from their throats as they tried to call for help. Avella watched their movements become increasingly more panicked, but only allowed the pressure to drop when Daiyu burst in, mismatched eyes wide and a manic grin on her face, dragging more agents into the room. She turned to Long Feng, who was disheveled on the ground, eyes wide and looking like he saw a deadly Spirit. “So, have you reconsidered yet?”

The sun was rising on yet another beautiful day in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, and Iroh was perusing the markets. He examined a lovely square picnic basket, woven finely and made with great care. Denying the suggestion the shopkeep made of a romantic picnic, Iroh purchased the basket he’d laid his eyes on and made to strode off before catching sight of a partially-wilted moonflower, placed directly in the sun. He gently nudged the plant into the shade, telling the shopkeep what the flower preferred. Once within its preferred environment, the flower bloomed, sending a sweet, milky scent into the air. Iroh bowed politely to the shopkeeper who bowed back, continuing on his shopping rounds.

The next stop on Iroh’s list was searching for a good musical instrument- but the crying of a young child interrupted him. Iroh turned to see a young boy wailing as his mother crouched, trying to console him with no success. Iroh deftly snatched one of the stringed instruments from the stall and began to strum, singing a song he’d heard since childhood. Once the song was finished, Iroh was rewarded with a huge grin from the child and a yank on his beard, making the older man wince. But the child was in high spirits now, and Iroh continued on his way. He didn’t need to purchase an instrument for this particular picnic, anyway.

Passing through an alleyway, Iroh met a group of young boys who were playing with a ball. The ball was bounced around using simple Earthbending until it soared right at his face. Iroh ducked, but the window behind him wasn’t so lucky. An angry man’s voice filtered through, and Iroh paled as a man who was surely taller than the house he resided in peeked through the window. He’d intended to teach the boys to apologize and restore their honor when making mistakes, but this man was dangerous. Everyone present cleared the scene, and Iroh zoomed through the markets at speeds he hadn’t gone in quite a while, quickly becoming winded. Whoo, he needed to keep up on his katas more.

Iroh slumped against an alleyway wall, panting and staying upright to catch his breath. As he peeked back from where he’d come to see if the huge man had gone after him, a younger voice captured his attention. Iroh turned to see a young man with a wispy mustache and a knife, brandishing it at him with the worst stance he’d ever seen. So of course, he questioned the young man. The man- a boy, really- blustered that his stance didn’t matter, he was mugging the elder man. Iroh shook his head and deftly disarmed the boy, sending him crumbling to the ground. Iroh quickly pulled him back up, administering a more solid stance. After the boy copied the improvement, Iroh praised him and offered to listen- nobody would rob another in the Lower Ring without good reason.

The young man wanted to be a masseur, and thanked Iroh for being the first person to believe in him. Iroh smiled, deciding to impart some non-combat-related wisdom to the young man. “While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing,” Iroh said, sipping his tea. The young man smiled and drank his tea, digesting the new information.

It was nearly sundown by the time Iroh reached his destination, the sky burning orange and making the nearby tree glow gold. Iroh allowed the familiar motions to calm his mind, setting up a small shrine and laying fruit offerings, lighting the incense. He gazed at the portrait that stared back at him, his son Lu Ten smiling at him in calm joy that he’d never show again. “Happy birthday, my son. If only I could have saved you.” Iroh murmured, closing his eyes as all-too-familiar tears slipped down his cheeks. The song he’d played for the boy earlier- and his son in his childhood- came back to him. It was always Lu Ten’s favorite lullaby.

“Leaves from the vine

Falling so slow

Like fragile tiny shells

Drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy

Come marching home

Brave soldier boy,

Comes marching home.”

Aang spent the day searching in every animal-related place in the entire city that he could. The city’s only zoo, unfortunately, took up most of his time. The zookeeper genuinely wanted to care for his animals, but the Dai Li wouldn’t give him money if children came- and nobody wanted to come and see sad animals. So of course, Aang decided that he’d free them all- there was plenty of space outside the first wall, and it was still in Ba Sing Se. He was great with animals, how hard could it be?

Very hard. Aang ducked as a plate smashed right where his head used to be, wincing as the all-too-familiar voice of the Cabbage Man wailed about his cabbages as a rabbi-roo munched her way through, the man sadly giving up halfway through. Aang winced- how many cabbages could that man afford to lose? But he had no time to think about that any further- he had animals to corral. Aang sighed- and then got an idea. He pulled out the bison whistle and pulled in a mighty breath, blowing out as hard as he possibly could. The high-pitched shockwave went through the entire city and then some, blowing through every single alleyway and cubbyhole. Elsewhere, deep below Lake Laogai, Avella’s ears twitched at the faint sound. Even deeper under Lake Laogai, Appa tried a thundering roar, straining against the bonds that held him- his boy was calling for him!

The animals all thundered to the sound of the noise, for reasons unknown but Aang was not going to look a gift ostrich horse in the mouth. Even Calla had come, lowing and helping him corral the animals out of the residential areas. Aang continued to blow the whistle as he air-balled through the city, headed to the Inner Gate. The gate was open- not enough, but open- and the animals poured through it.

Once exposed to fresh air and open space, the animals seemed shocked. Aang took advantage of their momentary pause to Earthbend new habitats and fences for them- lowering and raising certain heights to accommodate climbing animals, and Waterbending pools of drinking and swimming water for different creatures. Soon enough, an entirely new zoo had been made- and Aang watched in delight as citizens of Ba Sing Se poured out, cheering and examining the happier animals. The zookeeper tearfully thanked Aang for what he did, grinning widely, and Aang beamed. His eyes then turned to Calla, who was entertaining a few children on her own, and his smile dimmed. He helped a lot of animals, but he couldn’t help Appa. He still needed to find Appa. Watching a housepet snarl at a baboon ox, Aang laughed sheepishly- maybe he should focus a little inward, first.

The day after Aang’s zoo fiasco, Sokka was enjoying the benefits of Upper Ring life. While Naoki was getting Earthbending lessons from Toph and Daiyu, he decided to explore- and found a treasure trove of giggling girls. They were in some sort of poetry school, talking about haikus- five, seven, five. Now, Sokka wasn’t dumb, but poetry sure didn’t come easily to him. He managed to make the girls laugh though, and while he missed Suki, he wouldn’t be amiss to kissing a cute girl.

Naoki finished up his lesson on Earthbending- he hadn’t gotten much better, but his control was less wobbly- just in time for Sokka to come in, grumpily muttering something about poetry, rubbing his backside. Naoki glanced at the Earthbender girls, and all three decided they’d rather practice more Earthbending than deal with… whatever that was.

Zuko had a date. An honest-to-Spirits date , and Hotaru was over the sun about it. A girl had come into the tea shop and found ‘Lee’ cute, being bold by asking him out first. Iroh had accepted on behalf of Zuko for Jin- that was the girl- and Hotaru was so excited to be spying on- ahem, supervising - Zuko’s first-ever date! She and Iroh had so much fun dressing him up- finally, a reason for the nicer robes Iroh had bought.

Jin had offered sundown, and that was when Zuko was shoved out the door. Hotaru watched with glee as the girl ruffled the hair Iroh had so ‘carefully’ gelled down, turning it back to its usual chaos. Hotaru had to hide a squeal when Jin called him cute- aww, her baby Zuko, all grown up!-, leading him out to explore the Lower Ring together. Hotaru stuck to the shadows.

Dinner was extremely awkward. Hotaru clearly had to teach Zuko how to flirt with a pretty girl, like she wanted to do with June. Ah, June, she missed June- wait no, Zuko was failing his date. He gave monosyllabic answers and handed out backhanded compliments, fiddling with his hands nervously because he had no clue what to do with them. Hotaru resisted the urge to facepalm- a sudden movement would definitely alert Zuko to her presence.

After the failed dinner- somehow, Jin was still smiling at Zuko, the girl led him to a place that she’d gushed about as the best, most romantic spot in Ba Sing Se. Supposedly, it was a fountain surrounded by hundreds of lovely lights. Hotaru decided to walk ahead in search of it- and found it abandoned this time of night, lamps unlit. This would not do. Before she could hear Zuko and Jin’s footsteps, Hotaru shot small, precise blasts of fire at every lamp in sight, diving out of the way just in time for Jin to draw Zuko in. With a delighted squeal from Jin, Hotaru knew she’d done the right thing as the two gazed at the glittering water. She may have missed a few of the floating lanterns in the water, but Zuko told Jin to close her eyes. He lit them himself, and Jin started a question about how before simply deciding to enjoy the moment- but Hotaru saw the flicker of realization in her eyes. Jin did not move to alert any Dai Li around, simply gazing softly at Zuko. Hotaru nodded sharply- Jin was a good one.

Hotaru had only looked away for a moment, she swore, but Zuko managed to mess up an incredibly romantic moment by offering Jin a coupon for free tea . Jin saved it and gave Zuko a chaste kiss on the lips- Hotaru nearly screamed- before Zuko pulled away. A war was waging in his eyes as he stammered an excuse to Jin, sprinting back to the tea shop, and Hotaru gazed at a downtrodden Jin before running after Zuko. She’d apologize for her idiot brother-in-everything-but-blood later, the idiot just had to be given some therapy first. At least he’d admitted that the night was nice.

After Long Feng’s warning about Appa, the Gaang took turns sleeping with Calla. Every night had someone different, with Momo often cuddling up to the bison as well. But with a storm, several days after the party, not even the Dai Li were seen running around Ba Sing Se. Naoki, who was on guard duty and enjoyed it because Calla was a living heater, watched Momo jump around because of the thunder before wrapping something around his wrist, and flying off. He wasn’t worried- Momo could pick his way out of anything. Besides, he was tired. Momo returned the next day anyway, clearly saddened by something but willing to snuggle with anyone who opened their arms for the small lemur.

Chapter Text

Calla missed Appa. The giant city she’d seen a few times before had changed in the long time she’d been gone- she’d always known. The air smelled different, the people apart from her air people were different, and nothing tasted the same. Appa was her companion, her friend alongside her girl and his boy, but the incident in the desert had left Calla grounded for a while.

Being grounded sucked, Calla had absolutely no idea how humans managed to spend their days without flight. Her legs and tail stung from the sharp rope the bad men had struck her with, but one of the girls smelling of earth had kindly created a sweet-smelling paste that helped her heal faster. It tasted pretty good, too. And despite needing to stay in an enclosed space for a while, Calla was never left alone. Momo came and gave her company, chittering away, and there was always one of the humans with her. Appa’s boy was sad a lot of the times he visited, so Calla made sure to snuggle him extra hard and try to groom him- he needed more fur to keep him warm, but she would have to suffice. The strange men would lurk around, but a quick slap of her tail and some Air bending to her will had them scattering, whether a human was awake with her or not. Calla didn’t know if the strange men were there to take her or the humans, but she wouldn’t let either happen. Until Appa returned, and the two could keep the silly group of young humans safe, it fell on Calla. And Calla would never give up- honestly, neither would Appa. So Calla waited for Appa to return. Because he would- of course he would. Nothing could keep them from their humans, or each other.

Every night with one of the humans was different, and allowed Calla to get to know them better. Nights with the dirt-boy became nights with Naoki, and he would sing songs as he braided her fur. He spoke of missing families long gone, of friends who betrayed him, and of how weak he felt with his lack of Bending power. Calla enjoyed hugging Naoki close during those moments, purring quietly to soothe him. Bending power or not, he was a good boy.

Appa’s boy- Aang- was sad when he stood watch with her. Calla knew that he saw Appa when he looked at her, but was proud of him spending time with her as well. He still smelled of the Air Temples from a long time ago, filling Calla’s nose with memories of being a calf, of nosing up to her mother and being very excited to meet the young humans who would become their best friends. Aang always fell asleep in the crook of one of her legs, and Calla refused to budge until he woke up on his own.

The Water children, too, were pleasant to be around. Actually, everyone was. The boy would detail stories of power back in his icy home, and the younger girl would talk about anything and everything that crossed her mind. Whenever she mentioned the fire boy- Zuko- however, Calla noticed that her face would twist up, and she would bury her hands in Calla’s fur to distract herself. The older Water girl, Kamari, would whisper stories of her icy home as well. Calla’s most recent memory with Kamari was with the girl explaining how she got her facial scar, and why it had barely seemed to heal. It was from a poisonous creature she was hunting, back when she was young and still believed the war was just a far-off fantasy. The poison wasn’t meant for humans, but the scar would take a very, very long time to fade, Kamari said. Her eyes always got distant when she remembered her scar, so Calla would bump her softly, rumbling. Those nights ended with Kamari curled up against her head, breathing deeply as she dreamed.

Toph still felt guilty. Calla wished she could speak the language of the humans, to reassure the poor girl that it wasn’t her fault. Toph would trail her fingers along Calla’s healed wounds in practiced motions, as if remembering when they were fresh. She would weep quietly and beg for forgiveness from Appa, and Calla could only curl her tail around the poor girl. It wasn’t Toph’s fault, she just wished the humans would tell her that too. When the crying was done, Toph would mess with the dirt and sand, whispering harsh promises that she would never be caught unawares ever again. Calla hurt for the poor girl, but was so proud of her strength.

Nights with Daiyu were interesting, because the barn would be filled with interesting smells. Daiyu would play around with various clinking bottles and liquids, and Calla would paw at her muzzle if one of the smells got to be too much. Daiyu would apologize and carefully discard the mixture, and soon got rather good at creating lovely perfumes. Every different liquid created a new scent- and for some, Calla was even allowed to taste! A couple tasted bad but helped her sleep well, and some tasted good and made her limbs feel jittery and excited.

All the nights with the different humans were nice, but Calla enjoyed nights with her girl, Avella, the most. They had been together for years, and had known each other longer than anyone else. Calla was closest to speaking with Avella, because she didn’t even need to. Familiar motions of fur braiding, ribbon weaving, and flower crowns filled the quiet nights, and Calla felt at peace. Sometimes, Avella would show her some small trinket she had hidden away in Calla’s saddle, and allow her to sniff it before launching into a story of how she got it. Calla was amused by her girl’s sticky fingers, but definitely enjoyed when such cute items would be draped upon her. Calla’s current favorite were some pretty crystals that hung on her ears, so when she flicked them, a lovely tinkling sound lit up the air. Calla definitely loved her humans, and couldn’t wait for Appa to return so she could share all she learned with him, and for him to do the same.

Chapter Text

Aang and Avella burst inside the house, cheering about finding a printer to make the ‘Lost Appa’ posters. The art was well done, and the calligraphy was beautiful. Daiyu looked up from where she’d been watching Sokka absolutely destroy perfectly good parchment, snorting at the teen’s exclamation that he thought he was in charge of making the posters. The others gathered around to squint at the badly made paintings, everyone offering their own critiques until Toph remarked that she thought they looked amazing. Daiyu snorted sharply, laughing as Sokka pouted, finally understanding the joke. With Sokka’s tantrum soon out of the way, it was time to spread the posters around the city.

Avella enjoyed any time in the sky, no matter the circumstances to get it. While she’d prefer not to be searching for a lost friend, she’d rather search for him than not. Besides, it was easy to scatter a ton of posters throughout the city from the air, just dropping them down on the citizens’ heads. The Dai Li had quietened down dramatically after her and Daiyu’s takeover, but Avella didn’t trust them as far as she could spit at them. Yes, the normal phrase was about how far she could throw them, but she could throw someone pretty darn far with Airbending. Regardless, she had a job to do.

Hotaru quite enjoyed working in a tea shop- it was humbling, but not in an embarrassing manner. It was, for sure, quite funny seeing their boss try and convince Iroh to stay after an Upper Ring man offered them their own tea shop. Iroh would have full rights over everything and complete creative freedom, and the three Firebenders would get a new apartment in the Upper Ring to match. Zuko scoffed, but Hotaru just went out to dispose of some ruined tea- the Upper Ring! Things were looking up for them!

And then Hotaru got slapped in the face. By a piece of paper. She peeled the parchment away from her to really look at it- but not discreetly enough, as Zuko had come out as well, gasping at what was on the paper. One of the Avatar’s bison was displayed, a missing poster with calligraphy begging to be reunited. Hotaru looked up to see the Avatar flying off again on his glider, barely noticing as Zuko grabbed the missing poster from her hands. Just as Zuko was starting to grow as a person. This wasn’t good.

Naoki had fished out his Element tiles, and the non-Airbenders were playing, trying to match the elements up. Aang and Avella soon slammed the door open, with Aang hurriedly asking if anyone had come in with news about Appa yet. Naoki rolled his eyes, saying that they should be patient. Aang pouted and sat down.

Someone knocked on the door just a minute later. Aang bounced up, excited that patience paid off so well- Daiyu facepalmed. Aang rushed to the door and opened it to find- Joo Dee. The first Joo Dee. Avella and Daiyu glanced at each other uneasily- they must not have found all the brainwashing rooms when they took over the Dai Li. Joo Dee mentioned that dropping flyers and putting up posters was illegal in the city unless one had proper clearance. Daiyu scoffed- they didn’t have time to get permission for everything. Aang’s face reddened as he got up in Joo Dee’s face, screaming that he didn’t care about the rules, he was going to find Appa, no matter what anyone else said. He slammed the door in Joo Dee’s face. Toph and Daiyu let out twin whoops, destroying a wall of the house. Finally, they could break the rules without Aang and Katara getting ticked at them!

“I was thinking about names for my new tea shop- how about the Jasmine Dragon? It’s dramatic, poetic, and has a nice ring to it.” Iroh brought up, beaming. Hotaru sent him a grin and a nod, busy trying to stuff her belongings in her satchel. Who knew that settling down just for a few weeks would end up with her collecting so many new things for her own space? Not her, apparently. Zuko, unfortunately, slammed the Avatar’s poster down. Iroh frowned, glancing over it. “We have a chance for a new life here, Zuko. If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us.” Iroh warned, and Zuko rolled his eyes. He replied that good things were happening to Iroh , and nobody else- that he wanted more in his life than serving tea and being a commoner. Hotaru huffed, saying that Zuko really needed to think about what he wanted- and why. Zuko replied that he wanted his destiny. Hotaru and Iroh shared a glance, sighing. “What that means is up to you,” Iroh stated, and Hotaru turned to continue shoving one of her dresses inside her satchel.

The Gaang was hanging up posters all over the city. Daiyu, Toph, and Sokka were one team- since Daiyu preferred to cause some chaos, and Toph was blind. Her few attempts at putting posters up ended horribly- one was backward, and one was upside down. Avella, Katara, and Kamari went in another direction. Finally, Naoki and Aang went around with Momo, the former strumming around on his lyre to gather attention from those around him.

Avella followed Katara and Kamari to a spot in the Lower Ring. As Katara was putting up a poster, an all-too-familiar voice called out to them. “Katara?”

Kamari turned, her heart dropping to her feet. Her hearing was correct, unfortunately. Lo and behold, in Ba Sing Se, was Jet. He carried the same smirk as he always did, and Kamari just barely registered her cousin's growl before a wave crashed down on Jet, even as he was yelping about being a changed man. Kamari sent ice shards at him even as Jet stumbled into an alleyway, pinning him to the wall even when he dropped his weapons. She didn’t dare believe him- he was a manipulating liar anyway.

Avella glanced behind her to see the rest of the Gaang running to where the commotion had happened, Katara and Kamari holding matching positions, wary of the pinned Jet. Jet looked different- he still held a hint of mania in his eyes, but there was no straw in his mouth, no bags under his eyes, and yet- that blankness was eerily not Jet. As Katara and Sokka argued about why Jet was there, the boy in question blurted that he was there to help them find Appa. He released what was in his hand, one of the Gaang’s posters unfurling. Aang relented immediately, but when Katara crossed her arms, Jet tried pleading. He said he’d let his anger get out of control, and that he was a troubled person. Avella squinted- yeah, no, Jet would never say that, no matter how he ‘changed’. Something was wrong. 

Katara cried out that Jet had to be lying, but Daiyu and Toph shook their heads. “He’s not, we can tell. When people lie, there’s a physical reaction- and because of our seismic sense, we can sense heartbeats. Jet’s not lying- or at least, he believes himself to be telling the truth.” Daiyu stated, crossing her arms. Something about Jet seemed familiar, but not that she’d ever seen him before- something else was scratching the back of her mind. Katara finally relented, allowing Jet to lead them somewhere.

Somewhere turned out to be a huge, abandoned barn. Avella took a deep breath once inside and coughed- it smelled musty, old, and rotten here. Something was wrong. Oh-so-coincidentally, an old man was there, sweeping and tidying up the place. The old man drawled about being relieved he didn’t have to care for the big old thing, that some fellow at Whaletail Island bought him, and he was shipped off yesterday. Somehow, Avella didn’t think he meant Appa- she didn’t smell bison anywhere near the barn. Jet seemed genuinely apologetic, and Katara was having none of it. So of course, Toph asked if Jet was her boyfriend. Avella let out a snort, quickly trying to hide her reaction from an incensed Katara. Whatever the plan had to be, it sure didn’t include staying inside the musty barn.

The Gaang plus Jet headed out into the Lower Ring streets again, when Kamari suddenly heard Smellerbee. Smellerbee and Longshot were there- proving that Jet was lying- but he truly believed in his words. Smellerbee asked how he got away from the Dai Li, and Avella snapped her fingers even as the others in the group looked shocked at the revelation. “That’s it! The Dai Li pulled a Joo Dee on him. Daiyu, Toph, I’m guessing you feel that both Jet and Smellerbee are telling the truth. Jet’s been brainwashed, that’s why he thinks he’s right!” She burst out, Jet panicking as the two Freedom Fighters and the Gaang closed in on him. His breathing started to pick up and behave erratically, so they had to act fast.

Zuko snuck out in his Blue Spirit getup. Honestly, Hotaru forgot he even had it. But she couldn’t just let him go be stupid in a city filled with Dai Li alone, so she quietly snuck out after him. It was easy keeping silently to rooftops as Zuko went and goaded a Dai Li guard, admittedly impressed with how easily he took control of the situation. Zuko, not the Dai Li. 

“The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us- maybe that janitor was in on it too, or he was talking about a completely different creature.” Avella reasoned, gazing down at Jet. He had been tied up in a chair, where the whole group of teens had gathered. Smellerbee and Longshot let the Gaang use their apartment, Jet looking panicked. “Maybe they have Appa here, too- maybe they have Appa where they had Jet.” She said, sharing a careful glance with Daiyu. If the Dai Li did have Appa under Lake Laogai, he was stuck somewhere they couldn’t hear or feel him. That wasn’t good. 

“We need a way to jog his real memories,” Sokka murmured, before lighting up. “Hey- Katara, give him a kiss! That should help him remember something!” He joked, laughing even as Katara socked him in the arm.

“Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka, with that dumb idea.” Katara spat back, and Kamari rolled her eyes.

“ Maybe you should try healing his mind, Katara. Just focus on the chi and energy in his head.” Kamari finally pointed out, causing her cousins to pause and look sheepish for a second. Katara pulled her water out, ignoring a struggling Jet as she wrapped the water around his head, starting to heal. The water pulsed with a faint blue glow, signifying it was doing something , and Jet’s struggles slowed. He squeezed his eyes shut, starting to sweat from the effort of pushing past a mental block.

“They took me to a headquarters under the water, under a lake,” Jet murmured, as if in a trance. Sokka gasped, pointing out that Joo Dee said something similar- that she had a vacation at Lake Laogai. Jet seemed to spasm at the name, eyes wide. Guess Sokka hit the nail on the head. 

“Takeshi?” Jet’s confused groan caused an instant reaction in 3 people. Smellerbee looked at Longshot in shock, Longshot dropped the arrows he was cleaning, and Naoki leapt at the still-restrained freedom fighter with a roar. As most of the Gaang stood motionless trying to process what was happening or in surprise at an actually-angry Naoki, Daiyu, who had seen him get angry trying to Earthbend ‘properly’ and therefore less surprised, ran to intercept the clay wielder. 

Naoki fought against the taller bender, snarling “ Never call me that again, you murderous, pigheaded, berry-stinking traitor!” Avella let out a surprised choke, she wasn't even aware Naoki could be rude, let alone say that . Daiyu pulled at the stone around her to hold the enraged boy while she wrestled his ceramic flail out of his hands, wincing as the sharp edge of the chain cut her hands. 

Once she was sure most of the clay-based items in the room were out of his reach, she dragged him out to cool off, signaling for Avella and Toph to follow. The rest of the Gaang watched tiles shake in an effort to reach Jet in confusion while Longshot and Smellerbee were deep in conversation before they too slipped out after the Earthbenders in hopes of speaking with Naoki. 

The next day found the Gaang- plus the Freedom Fighters- at Lake Laogai, searching for the entrance. Daiyu nodded to Avella before clearing her throat, stopping a conversation about draining the lake from Sokka and Aang. She Earthbended the entrance up, easily opening the porthole. The group all silently went down, Avella shivering at the feeling of being underground- again.

Dai Li agents were creeping around in groups of two, mainly. Jet managed to keep them from being spotted, ducking behind walls and motioning silently when it was safe to move. One door was open slightly, a Joo Dee brainwashing session happening right at that moment. Avella let out a small puff of breath- seemed she and Daiyu would have to talk with the Dai Li later.

Hotaru helped Zuko shove open a heavy stone door, entering a cell large enough to hold several flying bison on top of each other. Inside was the Avatar’s bison, chained at all six legs and growling at the intruders. Hotaru let out a pained noise, but Zuko stopped her from moving forward. He slipped the mask off his face, and Hotaru blanched- Zuko seemed to be warring with himself. 

“So what was all that about yesterday?” Sokka’s whispered question had half the group shushing him, but the rest turned to who the question was aimed at. Naoki couldn't decide whether he wanted to glare at Sokka or the monster they had all just followed into the depths of the earth, but decided that telling them it was none of their business was an acceptable response. 

Seems the other freedom fighters disagreed since Smellerbee piped up, “Your friend here grew up with us. He was part of our group for years until one day after a mission he disappeared, Jet said he was killed by a passing squad of Fire Nation soldiers.”  Naoki snorted cynically at that and Jet shifted nervously. 

“Ah yes, because how could I defend myself with such useless bending abilities, after all, they will never be combat-ready . Or maybe someone discovered a mixed fire and earth family with a fire-wielding child and tried to kill said child only to be stopped by the weakest Earthbending ever, and said if they ever saw me again they would kill me!” Kamari watched in appreciation as Jet looked progressively more like a dog with its tail between its legs with every rage-laced word. Naoki always had a way with words- specifically being able to spill emotions into them so you felt a certain way or knew what he felt- In this case, he was turning them into weapons aimed at the back of his once leader and friend. 

Aang urged the group to keep moving quietly as Naoki took a calming breath to continue his tale. He told them he never knew his parents, jumping from orphanage to orphanage, foster home to foster home until one day he was out in the woods foraging for snacks after another orphanage home refused to let him back in. He had just found a ripe raspberry bush when a gangly child with straw in his mouth fell out of a nearby tree, that was how he met Jet. At the time, he didn't really have a name, each place called him something different and he couldn't remember what the first orphanage said his parents named him, so he let his new best friend pick out a name. 

“Takeshi, that's what he chose. ‘ A name meant for a fierce warrior, because you’ve fought so hard ’. That's what you said, remember?” He prodded Jet, pain clear in his face and voice. “That's what it was supposed to mean. Until we found out I had bending, then for you it meant a powerful Earthbender who could end the war. But I was never enough, not when I could only wield clay and ceramic and never for long or a large amount.” Jet had been upset that there was no progress after months of training, Smellerbee had tried to help figure out why he was struggling so much but couldn’t find anything. She had turned to Longshot and Tiny after that to teach Naoki how to wield a weapon properly. 

The three of them had shown him how to hold a dagger and swing a sword, only later trying a flail which was now his go-to weapon of choice. The freedom fighters grew, taking in more orphans and runaways affected by the war and Naoki began spending more time entertaining the youngest members with his little clay creations and music rather than going on missions and training. 

Jet, already sour about the weak clay-only bending abilities, grew more irritated that the ‘great warrior’ chose to spend his time singing to kids when he could be fighting the Fire Nation. After lashing out a few times, Naoki reasoned that if Jet was away from the camp stopping Firebenders, if something happened to the forest or camp the kids would need someone to help them. They agreed to do one more mission before Naoki became the dedicated caretaker of the freedom fighters, the last mission Naoki would ever have. 

The mission itself was completed without much of an issue, a simple attack and ransacking of one of the Fire Nation caravans at the far edge of the forest. But on the way back they discovered the mixed-bending family, a non-bender fleeing her nation and her earthbending husband with their three children. Jet and Naoki stayed the night with the family and helped around the house, but as they were leaving Jet saw their youngest child Firebend. 

Naoki had subdued him and dragged him halfway back to the tree base before Jet went after him and banished him from the forest. It was almost a month of running before Naoki was found by Lilly and the other singing nomads. It was that first night with them, listening to Chong’s singing and feeling more at ease and at home than ever before, that the faint memory of his first caretaker whispering his name; ‘Naoki’. 

The group followed Jet inside the large room, only for the door to slam shut behind them. Green lights flickered on to reveal chains up at the ceiling, with plenty of Dai Li agents dangling from above. Long Feng was standing in the room as well, looking displeased. “You have made yourself enemies of the state. Take them into custody.” He stated, with the latter part of his sentence meant for his agents. Longshot fitted an arrow into his bow, and everyone else got ready to fight.

Daiyu launched herself up via a pillar of earth, flicking away Dai Li attacks like they were horseflies. Honestly, they were. Even as Dai Li agents sent rock pillars after her, or ran up the stone walls to try and get the jump on her, she and Toph could easily beat away the ‘strongest force in Ba Sing Se’. Daiyu watched happily as some of the Dai Li turned on the other agents, the ones loyal to her and Avella, before sending them to free more Joo Dee and interrupt as many brainwashing sessions as possible. She heard Avella scream out in fury that Long Feng was escaping, the teenagers working on the few Dai Li agents left standing. Aang, Avella, and Jet were the first three to escape the fight and chase Long Feng, and Daiyu silently wished them luck before sucker-punching an agent in the face- ha, the fool thought he could sneak up on her . Seems the agents here needed a lesson.

Avella followed Aang and Jet into the room that Long Feng ran into, not even phased when the wall slammed down behind her. The three teens spun to see Long Feng leaping down from the ceiling, assuming the same position he always did, assuming he had all the power in the world.

“Alright Avatar, you’ve caused me enough problems.” Long Feng drawled, his hands behind his back. “This is your last chance,” He warned, stepping forward, “if you want your bison back.” Aang gasped, demanding to know where Appa was since Long Feng did have him. “Agree to leave the city now, and I’ll waive all charges on you and let you and your friends leave with your… lost pet.” Jet brought up his swords, and the Airbenders readied their staffs. Long Feng grinned as Jet spat that he was in no position to bargain. “Am I not?”

“Jet, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai.” Long Feng said, tone smug. Avella glanced at Jet as the older teen murmured that he was honored to accept the invitation. Barely a second later, Avella shoved herself and Aang down to avoid Jet’s sudden swing of his blades, and a new fight began. His face was blank, his pupils dilated, his stance uneasy, his gait unsteady, his mannerisms wrong , and Jet fought like the puppet he had been forced to become.

The bison continued its growl- honestly, that was quite impressive. But Hotaru supposed that it did have quite large lungs. Zuko readied his swords, but before Hotaru could stop him from doing- something- the door opened to reveal Iroh. The old General looked sad before it turned to indignation. “And what, pray tell, were you planning to do with the Avatar’s bison, hole it up in our new apartment? Should I put on a pot of tea for him?” Iroh asked. Zuko started to say that he had to get it out first, and Iroh shouted to interrupt. “And then what?! You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole- you had him, and then you had nowhere to go!” Hotaru’s head snapped to the side as she stared at Zuko in shock- he actually caught the Avatar?? Zuko looked like he sucked on a lemon at the clear reminder, so Hotaru decided to hold off on her questions for now. Zuko spat that he would have figured something out, and Iroh stopped him again, yelling even louder. “No! If his friends hadn’t found you, you would have frozen to death! You say this is your destiny- but is it your own destiny or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force upon you?” 

“I’m begging you, Prince Zuko!” Iroh pleaded, and Hotaru froze. “It’s time for you to look inward and start asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want ?” Zuko let out a scream, throwing his dual swords and Blue Spirit mask to the ground. Hotaru blinked, dumbfounded as his scream echoed throughout the room. 

“Jet, it’s us, Aang and Avella! You know us, you don’t have to do this!” Aang yelped, and Avella cursed under her breath as puppet-Jet knocked their staffs away. Long Feng laughed, saying that he no longer had a choice in the matter. Jet was sweating, breathing heavily- even though nothing of note had happened in the fight yet. Avella blew Jet away with a gust of wind when the teen got too close to her for comfort, and Aang tried pleading with him again. “Jet, it’s me! I’m your friend. Look inside your heart, you don’t want to do this!” Long Feng interrupted, ordering Jet to do his duty- and honestly, Avella was just about ready to shut him up for good. “He can’t make you do this! You’re a freedom fighter!”

Jet’s eyes cleared up, and he froze. Long Feng barked at him to do his duty, to do what he needed to, and Jet twisted on his heel. Avella watched as he threw a sword at Long Feng with pinpoint accuracy, Long Feng dodging, and- and then a cloud of dust obscured Jet. She hurriedly cleared it away, not even caring as Long Feng made his escape again- Jet was on the ground, his chest caved in as a large, pointed rock stood where he once did. 

“I’m sorry, Aang, Avella…” Jet whispered, and Avella shook her head- he didn’t have to be sorry anymore. The wall scraped open once more, and Avella barely noticed as the rest of the teens ran up. Katara looked shocked for a second before pulling out her water, kneeling down to heal Jet, quietly murmuring that it wasn’t good. Smellerbee shook her head, demanding that the Gaang should go find Appa, she and Longshot would stay and help Jet. Katara protested, but Longshot bowed his head.

“There’s no time. Just go. We’ll take care of him.” Longshot spoke, and Kamari blinked. Honestly, she thought he was mute- perhaps just selectively mute, then. “He’s our leader,” Longshot said, raising his head again to show that he was determined, his dark eyes solid in his stance. Jet coughed, quietly telling Katara not to worry, that he’d be fine. Kamari had to pull Katara to her feet, but her cousin started walking on her own. Naoki spared one last glance at Jet, with Smellerbee crouched over him and Longshot aiming his bow, just in case of an attack. And then finally, Naoki turned away from the Freedom Fighters.

“He’s lying,” Toph whispered, Daiyu nodding along. Sokka looked downcast at hearing the whisper, but the Gaang had to keep moving. Daiyu followed the others, trying not to focus on the way that with every step, she could feel Jet’s heartbeat fading. She shoved the next earthen door open, but the chains were broken and empty- six of them. Appa was gone, meaning Long Feng must have beaten them to him. “Let’s get out of here, maybe we can beat them elsewhere!” Toph yelled, the Gaang turning and running back to the exit tunnel.

Naoki breathed in the fresh air but had no time to appreciate it. The group of teens tried to outrun a steadily growing group of Dai Li agents but were stopped by a large stone wall in the way. He stumbled to a quick stop, barely keeping himself from slamming into the wall painfully. He was getting really sick and tired of these walls.

Daiyu groaned- she’d had enough. She stepped forward, jutting her chin out. “Long Feng, did our words mean nothing to you? We warned you what would happen.” She spoke, spreading her arms out. The others behind her shifted, confused, but before she and Avella could do anything- Momo swooped down, chittering around Aang, before flying back up into the sunlight. Daiyu squinted before twin rumbling roars started, growing louder by the second. In a flash, Appa and Calla flew down, crashing easily through the Dai Li’s walls, sending the agents flying into Lake Laogai. Appa landed in front of Long Feng, the last one, and Calla behind. Long Feng tried to leap and attack, but Appa easily caught his leg in his mouth. Daiyu watched in amusement as Long Feng tried to escape to no avail, only for Appa to literally skip him across the lake. Once, twice, three bounces, and then Long Feng fell in with a splash. Appa spat out Long Feng’s shoe, and then the Airbenders cheered.

Avella crashed into Appa in delight, laughing as Calla cuddled up close. She heard Aang whisper that he missed his buddy, and she buried her face in familiar fur to dry her tears. He smelled of dirt, caves, and home. Appa and Calla let out calming rumbles, relaxing, and the mismatched family basked in the sunlight together, soaking in the feeling of being reunited once more.

Hotaru climbed out of the tunnel, glancing up to see two bison flying off back to the city. She stepped aside so Zuko could pull Iroh up, watching Zuko stare at his Blue Spirit mask. Iroh murmured something about Zuko having done the right thing, and Zuko’s face twisted up before relaxing. The Blue Spirit mask was tossed lightly into the water, and Hotaru blinked in shock as a piece of Zuko sank into the depths. Dimly, she wondered what future archaeologists would have to say about that.

Chapter Text

The Gaang paused on a small island on a lake- not Lake Laogai, they were tired of that- to cover Appa in the love and attention that he so desperately needed. While the Airbenders were laughing as their bison covered them in slobber, Kamari approached the others. “We need to get an audience with the Earth King. So much has happened, and the date of the eclipse draws ever nearer. With how Long Feng treats everyone, I’m pretty sure the Earth King has no idea what’s going on in his own city. Therefore, we need to be the ones to open his eyes- since nobody else will.” Kamari said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, but Long Feng has complete control of the city. I think we should just leave this horrible place behind us, since we have no idea if we could even get the Earth King’s help!” Katara protested, and Daiyu tilted her head.

“He… He doesn’t have complete control of the city. Sure, he has Lake Laogai and the palace, but- Avella and I may have spent the last couple of weeks dismantling and changing various areas of the Dai Li?” Daiyu said, grinning sheepishly when several heads snapped in her direction. A flurry of questions slammed right into her, and Daiyu hurriedly waved her arms. “Wait, wait wait wait! One at a time. We couldn’t tell you because you were all still focused on Appa, and only Avella knew how the city was supposed to be run, even from the shadows. Long Feng is worse than we thought, but his power only reaches so far. We’ve also been mainly trying to disable the Joo Dee and various other brainwashing programs since that’s been having a lot of impact- even some Dai Li agents are brainwashed! To properly fix all of this, we need to get the Earth King on our side. He may be just a figurehead for now, but all of Ba Sing Se loves him. If he can make a public statement for us, the whole city will stand with us as well.” Daiyu declared, narrowing her eyes. She’d thought this out, and made a plan- now she just needed the rest of the Gaang to stick with her. The others glanced at each other, and then finally to Katara. She’d been the most adamantly against returning to the city. Katara thought for a moment, and then her face hardened.

“Before the Dai Li find us, let’s fly.” Katara ground out, Appa and Calla letting out loud roars of excitement.

After taking a small break for energy, Calla and Appa were zooming through the air, to the gigantic palace. As they got in range, unfortunately, it was clear that the Dai Li stationed at the palace were still under Long Feng’s thumb, as made evident by large boulders soaring through the air at them. Avella batted one aside, twirling her staff, and Aang effortlessly turned another approaching boulder to dust. As the two bison angled to the ground, cavalry on ostrich horses and on foot arrived, soldiers dressed in armor ready to battle. Avella tapped Aang on the back, and he leaped out, falling straight to the ground. When he landed, a shockwave burst forth, upsetting the soldiers and allowing the bison to land. The humans all hopped off the bison quickly, geared and ready to fight.

As the group sprinted to a large staircase, Ba Sing Se soldiers attempted to come up on both sides of them. Daiyu, Toph, and Aang made easy work of the cubes, Daiyu spinning plates of earth to shatter any cubes of rock that came her way. It was almost like a dance- a disgustingly easy dance. Katara and Kamari brought up the rear with water whips, knocking aside any soldiers that made it past the first surge.

Another troop started storming toward the group, and Naoki solidified his stance. The decorated vases and tiles suddenly all flipped up and spun the soldiers around, knocking them aside. Naoki accepted an excited high-five from Avella, catching his breath with just a bit of effort as the Gaang advanced.

The next obstacle was a moat, with only one bridge connecting the two sides. Soldiers bunched up on the opposite side, but Kamari knew they would be no problem. The Earthbenders protected the group from two giant stone badger mole statues by flipping the floor up again, and when the dust settled, Kamari nodded at Katara. It was their turn to be awesome. She and Katara leaped across the water, using the river to their advantage, knocking the whole platoon into the water with one flick of her wrist. She tumbled and went into a roll before popping up, joining up with the group again at the base of the stairs. More soldiers began pouring out, and Avella yelled something about a slide. Before Kamari could puzzle that out, Daiyu and Toph stepped forward again.

Daiyu flicked her wrist, a satisfying shuttering noise sounding as the stairs flattened, forcing the descending soldiers to slide down at an uncontrolled rate. Aang brought the group up via a stone elevator, Appa and Calla roaring and batting away any falling rocks or soldiers with their tails. Two walls of earth shoved in either direction of yet more advancing soldiers cleared the path to the palace, and Daiyu followed Aang and the others in as they stormed the palace. Honestly, didn’t the Earth King have any better security?

The Palace seemed to be a maze. The entrance had three different directions it split off into, each one looking identical- and having soldiers pouring out of each one. Avella twirled her staff and spun, letting out a powered scream as she forced the wind to burst out. Most of the soldiers were forced back the way they came, and Daiyu was quick to use stone pillars to pin any leftover soldiers to the ceiling. Avella listened carefully to the echoes, pointing in the direction of the Earth King’s rooms- yeah, the Palace was quite literally a maze. Honestly, it was better security than the hundreds of soldiers. Go figure.

It took them a long time, but Hotaru was surprisingly relieved to see their cruddy little apartment. Climbing the stairs made her abused legs scream, and she was just as exhausted as Zuko looked. Iroh hadn’t stopped gushing about how he did the right thing, letting the Avatar’s bison go free, that it was right. Zuko muttered something, but his uneasy tone made Hotaru snap her head in his direction- just in time, because he fainted. She caught him before he hit the ground, wincing as their one nice vase shattered- but he was burning up, even hotter than Firebenders normally ran. Iroh ran up, and the two shared an extremely worried look- something was very, very wrong with Zuko.

Finally, the Gaang reached a very opulent door. Sokka tried kicking it down and failed miserably. Probably because the door was very reinforced. A quick blast of air had the doors caving in, the Gaang and the bison running in. Of course, Long Feng was there. Luckily, so was the Earth King, and he looked insanely confused by what was going on. Aang stated that they needed to talk to him, and Avella heard Long Feng tell the Earth King they were there to overthrow him.

“Oh, your advisor is spouting monkey shit. We’re here to help you!” Avella spat, shaking her head. “We’re on your side. This looks bad, of course- we invaded your palace, defeated your guards, broke down your fancy door- but we have important information for you!” She protested. The King rolled his eyes, stating that if they were telling the truth, they’d drop their weapons. Aang dropped his staff first, and the others released their weapons/elements as well. Of course, the Dai Li cuffed them. Long Feng sneered, commanding the agents to take the Avatar and his friends somewhere they’d never see daylight again- and that’s when the King finally got a clue. He seemed unsure, glancing between the boys until Aang briefly uncuffed himself to wave. The bear padded up and started sniffing Aang, making him laugh and the King smile. Apparently, that was all they needed to do- get the bear to like them.

Aang stepped forward, keeping his hands cuffed. “Well, sir, there’s a war going on right now. It’s been going on for the past century, in fact. The Dai Li has kept it a secret from you, to control you and the city. You may think it’s crazy, but Long Feng didn’t want us to meet with you or tell you anything, so he stole my sky bison to blackmail and distract us- and blackmail is the least of his crimes, honestly- he brainwashed our friend!”

Long Feng placated the King, saying he’d never met a sky bison before. Daiyu coughed discreetly, shaking her cuffs off easily. “Then let’s compare Appa’s mouth to that bite mark on your leg, Long Feng.” She said, pointing to the bitten leg. The King nodded his head, and Long Feng’s pant sleeve was pulled up. Appa’s teeth were compared to the bite, the bison happy to comply, and the King admitted that there was definite proof of Long Feng lying. The teens cheered until the King said there was no proof of a conspiracy. The teens groaned, but the King mentioned that this was worth looking into. Long Feng and his Dai Li agents stalked off, but one in the back winked at Daiyu and Avella- one of their guards. Relieved that Long Feng would have a tail on him, the girls guided the King- King Kuei- onto Calla, since she was the only bison so far that kept her saddle.

Zuko was coughing and miserable. Hotaru had to physically stop him from spilling the entire bucket of drinking water on himself, rolling her eyes. He was burning up with one hell of a fever, sweating and shaking, complaining about being thirsty. But he had to get through this sickness before anything else- and Hotaru guessed that the illness was more than just physical. It was no coincidence that he got sick right after doing something against the morals his father had forced on him three years ago.

The group debated on where to lead King Kuei, and Daiyu brought up the Outer Wall, where the drill had pierced through. Avella had gotten word that the Dai Li were currently trying to dismantle the Lake Laogai location, which meant that proof was out. Honestly, she hoped nobody was left inside the crumbling, underground caverns. The next best piece of evidence was the gigantic drill, which not even the Dai Li could dismantle so quickly. The King was given a quick tour of somewhere outside his palace wall- wow, he was more sheltered than Toph had been- via a train, and then flown on Calla to the Outer Wall. As they flew, Kuei admitted quietly that part of him hoped they were lying. Avella shared a glance with Aang- they did, too.

The drill was indeed still there. As Kuei leaned against his Outer Wall, faint from the sudden influx of information, Long Feng decided to show his greasy, slimy face again, trying to placate the King- ooh, it was imported work for a construction project. Right, not even Kuei believed that. Long Feng must have realized that as well, because his face fell, before trying a new angle. Surely the King didn’t trust these children more than his most loyal attendant? The King scoffed, commanding the Dai Li to arrest Long Feng so he could stand trial for his crimes against the Earth Kingdom.

Long Feng only brought two Dai Li agents with him. Both of them glanced up and grinned beneath their round helmets, and Daiyu stifled a laugh. They were only too happy to drag Long Feng up and cuff him- there were supposed Earthbender-proof holding cells scattered throughout the city, that’s where Long Feng was headed. Long Feng continued trying to yell about how he was needed even as he was dragged away, and Daiyu delighted in the way Avella literally pulled the breath from his lungs, making him cough and go silent. About time.

Night fell, and the Gaang made their way back to the Palace, King safely in tow. Daiyu got a note that Long Feng was safely apprehended, allowing herself to sigh in relief. Kuei was very upset about being a King of Fools, bemoaning the fact that there was a war with the Fire Nation. Boom, time to jump in, Kamari or Sokka.

Kamari jumped in. “That’s why we came to Ba Sing Se in the first place, Your Highness. We think that you could help us end the war once and for all. We don’t have much time- there’s an ancient comet coming this summer that will grant insane power to the Firebenders, and an eclipse happening before then that will render Firebenders powerless. We have the exact date and time written down and memorized, we just need forces and soldiers to carry out our plan. We need to invade the Fire Nation on the day of the total solar eclipse- the Day of Black Sun, as history scrolls so fondly call it.”

Kuei was uneasy at the idea, claiming that moving troops out of Ba Sing Se left it vulnerable. Naoki tilted his head, frowning. “You’re already vulnerable. Just from what I know, I can list at least five different ways to sneak into your city and take control of you and all of Ba Sing Se. The Fire Nation won’t stop until your walls fall, leaving three options. One is to sit back and wait for them to attack. Two is to attack. And three? Three is to run away and abandon your people the one time they actually need you.” Naoki stated, crossing his arms. Kuei sighed, thinking it over.

The King agreed to help. Avella squeaked and laughed as Aang hugged her and twirled her around, Momo clambering on her head. The others celebrated as well until a new man- General How- came in, reporting that they searched Long Feng’s office, finding very interesting things inside. He motioned for whatever it was to be brought forth, stepping aside.

A green chest was brought up, easily unlocked and opened. According to How, Long Feng had secret files on every person in Ba Sing Se- including the Gaang. Inside the chest itself were letters to the teens, the first of which was for Toph and Daiyu. It was passed to Aang, then to Toph, and then to Daiyu who opened it. “It’s from Aunt Poppy, Toph. She’s here in the city and wants to meet up with us. Wow, it’s honestly just sad that Long Feng intercepted letters from our family.”

The next letter was for Aang, from the Eastern Temple. It had been attached to Appa’s horn when he was captured- and dang, if only Avella could speak Sky Bison. There was no letter for the Water Tribe cousins, but General How mentioned a promising intelligence report about a small fleet of Water Tribe ships protecting Chameleon Bay, led by Hakoda. The group collectively let out a sigh- of relief, anxiety, trepidation, or something else. They all had news that was good in at least one sense.

“You should know this is not a natural sickness,” Iroh said, pouring tea for himself and Hotaru. She accepted the cup with a slight incline of her head, sipping the warm liquid. Zuko was sleeping fitfully, groaning, and they’d placed cool washcloths and blankets on him to help. “What’s happening is that Zuko’s critical decision, what he decided to do beneath that lake, was in such great conflict with his idea of self and his image that he is now at war within his mind and body. This is a metamorphosis for him, and metamorphoses are always unpleasant. But when he comes out of it, he will be the beautiful prince he was always meant to be.” Hotaru hummed, dabbing Zuko’s forehead with another washcloth. Who he was always meant to be, huh? That was food for thought.

Aang’s letter stated that a guru was living at the Eastern Air Temple, claiming he could help Aang master the Avatar State. The Water Tribe cousins knew where Hakoda was, and what he was doing. The Beifong cousins knew that Poppy was in the city, wanting to meet with them. Everything was big news- and that meant the Gaang probably had to split up to cover all their tracks. Aang protested, of course he did- they just got Appa back and just got the family back together.

“Aang, you have to meet this guru. This is important for you- I can go with you. Partially to see this guru, but also I miss my home temple. Toph, you should at least go and see your mom, preferably with Daiyu for help- just in case. Sokka and Kamari, you two should go see your dads. Katara and Naoki, stay here to help the Earth King organize the Day of Black Sun’s invasion.” Avella said, dishing out roles. Katara accepted that she’d have to stay, and Sokka squealed, bouncing excitedly at getting to see his dad. Kamari grinned- it had been years since she saw her father.

It only took a couple of hours for the bison to be prepped for the journey- Appa to Chameleon Bay, Calla to the Eastern Temple. Naoki helped his friends pack their bags, with Earth King Kuei coming out to wish everyone a good, safe journey. Sokka gave Aang a noogie, Daiyu laughing at Aang’s disgruntled expression- apparently, he’d wanted to tell Katara something, but people kept interrupting. Too bad for him. She turned back to Avella, “I’ll contact Faolán before Toph and I meet Aunt Poppy so he can lead our section of the Dai Li for a while. That way we can both have some time off. Other than turning more agents, freeing Joo Dee, and stopping the brainwashing I'll probably have our agents bring others to me intermittently so I can… correct their views. I think I made a potent hallucinogen from the cacti juice you provided me and I need someone to test it on. Do you have anything else I should have Faolán arrange?” Avella watched in amusement as the closest Dai Li agent's face drained of color before nodding. “Have him post guards around Long Feng, both hidden and obvious, and that all food brought to him is thoroughly checked and is given to him by one of ours. We want to make sure those loyal to him can’t get in contact to make plans, hopefully, that will help loosen his grasp on the city.”

A man approached as those leaving started to climb on the bison, remarking that there were three women here to see the Earth King, hailing from the Island of Kyoshi. Sokka yelped, falling to the ground, exclaiming that Suki was there. Naoki frowned, crossing his arms. “But- we already knew Suki was here. She and the other Warriors are helping refugees cross safely into the city- why would she want to meet with the King all of a sudden?” He asked, tilting his head. “You guys go, Katara and I can handle any Kyoshi Warrior imposters if that’s the case. King Kuei, you can likely trust them- but don’t leave them unguarded. If they’re true Warriors they’d understand, and if they’re not they’d get upset.” Naoki advised, Kuei nodding along and accepting that.

“I’m really gonna miss you guys,” Toph murmured, and Daiyu frowned- she knew exactly how she felt. Katara quickly kissed Aang on the forehead before Avella pulled everyone into a group hug, Sokka awkwardly patting Aang and Katara’s heads. The hug felt nice, especially since they were splitting up for an unknown amount of time. Unfortunately, the group still had to split up. Goodbyes were said, and bison were mounted. Appa and Calla took off into the sky, heading to Chameleon Bay first before splitting up.

Hotaru woke up with a snort at Zuko’s shout, the boy panting. He must have had a nightmare. She peeked into the room where Zuko was lying, seeing him carefully touch his scar, as if making sure it was still there. What on earth had he managed to dream up in his delirium?

Toph stood in front of the door Aunt Poppy was supposed to be in, taking a deep breath. Daiyu squeezed her shoulder, a silent support. Daiyu knocked on the door, and it creaked open. “Hello, Mom?” Toph called out, the two girls entering the building. The house’s lights were off, and there was no furniture. Alarm bells rang in Daiyu’s head, but she was too slow to act. A quick whoosh was her only warning as metal jaws clamped around her and Toph, forcing them into a metal cage. “Hey, who do you think you’re dealing with?!” Toph yelped, Daiyu kicking uselessly at the reinforced metal.

“A couple of loudmouthed brats who strayed too far from home, that’s who.” A familiar voice drawled, and Daiyu scowled. That was Xin Fu, and she’d bet a gold coin that Master Yu was there too. Great, it was a trap- one she and Toph couldn’t escape from.

Chapter Text

Hotaru stirred the jook, inhaling the strong aroma. It took getting used to, but the food did smell quite lovely. Zuko came out with a smile on his face, saying that it smelled delicious and that he would enjoy a bowl. Hotaru shared a glance with Iroh, delightedly confused. Since he recovered from his fever, Zuko had been… different. A good different, for once. Hotaru remarked about the difference, and Zuko actually chuckled. “It’s a new day! We have a new apartment, new furniture, and today’s the grand opening of your new tea shop! Things are looking up, Hotaru and Uncle.” Zuko said, kneeling to sip at his jook. Hotaru stared at the teen she considered a brother looking happily out their window and grinned- finally, he was taking off his father’s shackles. Happiness was a good look on him.

Appa landed at Chameleon Bay, and Kamari turned to see Sokka bite back a retch. Honestly, she felt the same way. Neither of them had seen their fathers in years, and they had no idea how they would react to seeing their children here, all grown up. “Come on Sokka, let’s do this.” Kamari said, clearing her throat to hide the tremor in her voice. The two humans and Appa headed down to the beach, ready to meet the Water Tribe warriors.

At first, it was quiet inside the camp. As Kamari and Sokka stepped in, conversations ground to a halt, and men looked over at the two teenagers. Sokka crossed his arms, and Kamari gripped at her dress slightly. One of the men approached, staring blankly at the two- before clasping forearms with Sokka, welcoming him in. Kamari rolled her eyes- oh, she’d forgotten how sexist the Water Tribes were. The two teens were ushered to the main tent, and Kamari blinked to adjust to the dimmer lighting once inside. Chief Hakoda and several others were poring over a map, and Bato caught sight of them first. He grinned at the two before nudging two familiar men, who both looked up in shock. Kamari’s father, Boruk, surged to his feet to envelop his daughter in a hug, laughing in delight.

Naoki was getting pretty tired of meeting with the Five Generals of Ba Sing Se, but a plan did have to be made. A base belonging to some dude named General Fong would be the launching point, and with the eclipse happening in exactly two months, there was plenty of time to gather the Army and Navy. A missive was handed to Katara as Momo jumped on the map, scattering the small stone pieces that demonstrated the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. Katara joked that they could just send in Momo to do some damage, and Naoki snorted. The generals didn’t, however- man, they needed to lighten up a little. The missive only needed the Earth King’s seal, and the two teens headed off right away.

Avella squeezed Calla’s reins in her hands, all-too-familiar mountains brushing off clouds that clung to them in the golden hour. The Temple was almost like she remembered- a little overgrown, and one of the towers seemed to have collapsed entirely- but this was her home. She led Calla to land at the traditional bison landing point, since the guru was at a very obvious mediation spot. A simple hop, skip, and jump later, the two teens were seated in front of the guru, with Calla off to explore her old stables. Avella would join in later to explore her old home, she just wanted to make sure Aang would be okay.

Guru Pathik introduced himself as a friend to the Air Nomads, a personal one to Monk Gyatso. Avella and Aang shared a quick glance, sitting down in the lotus position. Aang asked how he would teach him to control the Avatar State, and Guru Pathik hummed. “You must gain balance within yourself before you can bring balance to the world. And the first step to gaining balance begins with this!” He said, cheerily holding out a very stinky bowl. Avella cringed away as Aang was forced to drink it- onion and banana juice, disgusting , shivering at the sounds of slurping.

Daiyu could only play ‘kick the metal wall’ so many times before her foot started to hurt. It was getting pretty annoying hearing Jin Fu and Master Yu bicker over and over about the dumbest things, and she wondered how the two stayed together enough to track her and Toph to Ba Sing Se of all places. Toph suddenly banged on the door, yelling that she needed to go to the bathroom. A genius plan, since one of the men surely had the key to the metal cage, but it didn’t work. Daiyu tapped out a pattern on Toph’s arm, trying to think of a new plan if stupid Jin Fu was determined to make them sit in their own excrement if necessary. Jin Fu growled and slammed his fist on the metal, making Daiyu growl in return. 

“Quit your banging and kicking! You may claim to be the greatest Earthbenders in the world, but not even you can Bend metal!” The cart began to move again, but Daiyu barely noticed it. Bend metal - could she and Toph do that? Was there enough earth in the metal to be bent in the first place?

Avella raced through the silent halls of the Eastern Temple, echoes of ancient laughter causing her heart to ache. Familiar turns, places where paint had been worn down from so many little hands patting the same spot, secret passageways and more opened themselves to Avella. Without anyone around to help with upkeep, the architecture started to fall apart. The Statue Room of powerful Nomads long passed was broken down, and when she went to the old bison stables, the baby bison teething bar was rusty and grimy. But her little hideyholes were still in place- areas where she’d stashed riches and anything else she stole, or even places she’d stored scrolls about every subject under the sun. She pulled one dusty scroll out and lightly rubbed at the old seal, remembering when she and an old friend snuck into the Fire Palace to steal this from the Fire Nation’s library. Avella put the scroll away, replacing the brick- after the war, she’d have lots of time to bring back all this knowledge. Avella stood up and breathed in, basking in the light of the full moon, and headed to her old room. Just like Aang, she hadn’t cleaned it in a hundred years.

A quick toweling off of dust later had Avella leaping down to where Guru Pathik had Aang, at the meditation ponds. He was attempting to teach Aang about chakras and how they worked, all seven of them- and how all seven needed to be open to master the Avatar State. As Guru Pathik explained that life was messy, and chakras got blocked, Avella poked at the gunk blocking the first pond. With the algae out of the way, the water started flowing properly for the first time in a hundred years, the water turning a beautiful crystal clear.

Avella led Pathik and Aang to one of the meditation caves- yes, the Eastern Temple had a lot of meditation places, she was aware. Exploring her old home some more would be too painful, so she would stay with Aang and help him open his chakras. She settled into the lotus position, ready to hear Guru Pathik- perhaps he would be a better chakra teacher than some of the nuns. Spoiler, he was, even warning Aang that beginning the process meant no turning back until it was completed.

The first chakra to be opened was the Earth chakra, located at the base of the spine. It dealt with survival and was blocked by fear. Avella breathed deeply, sinking into a trance-like state. She poked around her spine mentally, searching for the fearful muck that she surely had. Distantly, she noted Aang doing the same, even letting out a scared yell from whatever he saw. Her mind started to flash with bright lights, fire, pain, and the suffocating silence of being buried alive- so she reached her hand out, squeezing Aang’s. The touch grounded her, reminded her that the vision was not real, simply a manifestation of her fear. Avella breathed in, took a tight hold of where that fear was nestled deep inside her, and allowed it to flow within her with a slow exhale.

The next chakra was to be opened at a spot practically under one of the Temple’s precious waterfalls, the crashing water not diminishing how Aang and Avella could hear Guru Pathik. This was the water chakra, something very obviously pointed out by their surroundings. It was based just below the belly button, dealing with pleasure and getting locked by guilt. Avella shivered as she thought about everything she blamed herself for- not protecting Aang, not stopping him from running away, going with him, and the adventures they went on that ended with people getting hurt or killed. Her eyes burned and she leaned back, a jolt of energy running down when she knocked her spine with Aang’s. She focused on the churning in her stomach, squeezed, and then let go. It already happened, she could only grow from her mistakes. She was not beyond guilt, but it was simply a part of her, and Avella could forgive herself. So she did.

Kamari watched as Sokka bonded with Hakoda, laughing at his horrible invention naming skills. The Stink and Sink- honestly, it fit, but it was horrible. Kamari turned back to her father, who was looking at her with near-starry eyes, excited to hear about her adventures. Kamari was about to launch into her story of actually going to the North Pole when the alarm was sounded, and the men rushed off to battle. Kamari froze, hands shaking- she was going to be left behind again, left to the mercy of her mother- Boruk placed his hand on her head, causing Kamari to suck in a breath, dispelling the creeping darkness. He smiled, holding out his hand. Kamari grabbed her father’s hand, accepting the pull to the mission- she’d have to fix the ‘men’ ideology later, she had some Fire Nation ships to wreck first.

The Jasmine Dragon’s opening was a resounding success. Zuko and Iroh had a heartfelt moment in the kitchen as Hotaru took orders and seated customers, smiling to herself. From the puppet of a cruel Admiral to a disgraced outlaw to a wandering nomad to a poor refugee- and now finally to a hostess of a tea shop, living out her days peacefully and with joy. Hotaru made sure to tuck a stray lock of hair under her bandana, greeting the next customers with a grin- things were looking up.

Sunset brought the Fire chakra, located directly in the stomach. It dealt with willpower, being blocked by shame. Avella breathed deeply, allowing her small shames to flit through her gut before rejoining her energy again. Aang muttered that he would never Firebend again, that he couldn’t, and Avella turned to face him. “You will, Aang. Mistakes happen. It’s okay to blame yourself, but you didn’t know any better. Forgive yourself for being excited about something and not thinking of consequences you didn’t know existed. Breathe in, hold, and breathe out that shame.” Avella instructed, rubbing Aang’s back. The teen breathed deeply, face screwed up in self anger before releasing, a peaceful look on his face soon forming. Guru Pathik remarked that the fire chakra for Aang opened more like a burping bison than a flowing creek. Aang let out a burp of his own, Avella letting out a startled snort. Aang smacked his lips, remarking that it tasted of onion, banana, and something else… pickles. Avella shared a shrug with Guru Pathik- Aang’s shame tasted like pickles, apparently. Weird.

The fourth chakra was to be opened at a broken-down building, located in the heart. The chakra, not the building. Avella’s own heart twinged at seeing how worn out a part of her home looked, but tried to clear it away. The heart chakra dealt with love, but was blocked by grief. Avella glanced to her side, at one of the statues of a close-eyed nun. For a moment, Avella thought the statue looked directly at her- but that was the grief and shame talking. Avella closed her eyes, allowing the pain and despair of losing a whole century, part of her identity, her entire culture, and most of the world itself in her icy sleep. Guru Pathik remarked that they felt a great loss, but that love was an energy too, circling around everyone. Avella peeked open to glance at Aang, seeing his pained expression melt into a soft smile, his shoulders untensing. Her heart soared- she’d found a new family, people she loved more than anything. This chakra opened with a painful twinge, with the memory of a long-forgotten way of living. She wiped her tears, trying not to giggle as Aang quietly asked for some more onion-banana juice.

Further in the Statue Museum was the unlocking of the sound chakra, the three humans sitting at the base of the largest statue in the building. The sound chakra was located in the throat- dealing with truth, getting blocked by lies. Avella hummed almost inaudibly, closing her eyes to meditate once more. Aang murmured that he never wanted to be, and Avella blindly reached out to hold his hand again. He couldn’t lie about his nature as the Avatar- and though she wasn’t allowed to admit it aloud, Avella could not escape her nature as the Tether. She was the one attachment he could keep, the one he needed to keep in order to stay the necessary bridge between the worlds, without floating off into space. But Aang had to come to that conclusion himself. Avella pushed away the guilt of lying to him, even if it was just by omission. She breathed out, feeling the very air vibrate with the opening of her chakra. Avella opened her eyes to see Aang looking at peace with himself, and Guru Pathik looking pleased.

The sixth ‘pool of energy’, as Guru Pathik called it, was the Light chakra. Its location was the center of the forehead, dealing with insight and getting blocked by illusion. Avella sank into her own mind to push away her illusions, barely listening to Guru Pathik. He was saying something about Aang having a false Tether, that he was lying to himself about a form of love. The conversation turned to how the four Nations separated everyone, despite everyone and everything being connected. Honestly, Aang should have learned this already in the Swamp. The sixth chakra opened, leaving Aang with much to think about.

Toph and Daiyu took turns hitting the pressure points of the metal cage, eyes closed and feeling the very core of their prison. Daiyu could sense little flecks of earth meshing together to create the sheet of metal. “Come on metal, budge.” Toph hissed quietly, and Daiyu sent a solid kick at the metal. It dented, and the girls let out a quiet whoop. “Toph, Daiyu, you rule.” Toph hissed out, the girls high-fiving before returning to their mission.

Naoki and Katara headed to the new tea place that just opened up that day, the Jasmine Dragon. It had glowing reviews from literally everybody who visited, but when Naoki went up and asked the hostess for a table for three- Momo was with them- Katara let out a gasp. The hostess looked vaguely familiar, and two also-vaguely-familiar voices sounded from the kitchen. Katara grabbed Naoki and started to run off, hissing something about Fire Nation invading Ba Sing Se. Panicked, Naoki stumbled before running alongside her in earnest, getting the story in short gasps of air as they went. It seemed unbelievable, but Katara had more experiences with this particular Fire Nation trio- apparently General Iroh, Exiled Prince Zuko, and Honorable Admiral’s Daughter Hotaru. Naoki thought they’d never be caught dead in green, nor see the Prince smile since his father burned him, but there was a first for everything, apparently.

The final chakra had the humans situated at the top of a tower, on the flat part of the roof, perfect for windy day meditation. The infinite night sky stretched above them, and Avella breathed deeply. She allowed the stars to reflect in her gaze for a moment before surrendering to silence and darkness, assuming the lotus position again. The final chakra was the Thought chakra, located at the crown of the head. This chakra dealt with pure cosmic energy- oh, that’s why Guru Pathik chose this spot specifically, nice choice- and was blocked by earthly attachments. 

The Avatar’s only exception was Their Tether, Pathik explained. “The Avatar is the bridge between the two worlds, but a bridge has two sides. While the Avatar can freely cross between the worlds, Their Tether is what links Them to life again. This is someone who has always been with you, will always be with you through thick and thin, someone who is another part of your soul just as much as you are a part of theirs. Your lives are so entwined with each other that nothing you could say or do won’t affect the other, your two spirits dancing around each other for an eternity of balance. In effect, despite their name, your Tether is a human person, and is the one attachment that must never be severed upon extreme mental and physical pain upon both participants. So, Aang, are you prepared to let your attachments flow down the river with the rest of your energy, forgotten?”

“What? Why would I let go of Katara?” Aang burst, and Avella flinched. Her heart panged- but even subconsciously, Aang knew Katara wasn’t his tether. Aang seemed to realize that, his face flitting through various emotions. “Wait- no, if I’m worried about losing her, she’s not my Tether. But- who is? Who can I trust to always have my back, who is my Tether to existence?” Aang pleaded, reaching for Guru Pathik. Avella lightly knocked his shoulder, smiling sadly when he looked at her with wide eyes.

“You already know the answer to that, Aang,” Avella murmured, reaching out and grabbing his hand. She squeezed, tapping her forehead to his. “I made a promise- several, in fact, all for you. Please, Aang, letting your attachments flow through you doesn’t mean letting them go literally- Pathik didn’t explain it right. It’s not to forget the attachments themselves, it is to forget your harsh hold on them. If you love them, let them go- and if they love you, they will stay. You can do this, Aang, I know you can.” Aang stared at Avella, but she refused to break the look first. She needed him to understand, and the world needed the Avatar.

“Suki, thank goodness you’re here! The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city- we just saw Prince Zuko, his uncle, and Zhao’s daughter Hotaru and we need to tell the Earth King right away!” Katara rushed out, but Naoki squinted at the girl to Suki’s right. She looked familiar. Suki stood up and began to speak, and that’s when he realized- that wasn’t Suki. That was the drawling voice of Princess Azula, making the Kyoshi Warrior on the left Ty Lee . He shifted his foot but was too late, not even able to flinch back as Ty Lee leapt towards him and Katara. A pinch at his shoulder had him crumbling into Ty Lee’s arms, Katara thudding to the floor. Azula said something about a family reunion, but Naoki couldn’t move any part of his body. Panic made his vision go dizzy- just minutes ago, things were going according to plan. Now, everything was quickly falling apart.

Aang took a deep breath, saying that he’d try. Avella watched him close his eyes, breathing deeply as he burrowed into his own mind. His tattoos began to glow, and Avella began to float a bit- surrendering her own attachments was easy at this point. Aang’s face relaxed entirely, and as the Avatar’s energy began to light up the air, Aang gasped. The glow faded, and Avella sat harshly on the ground again in shock. Aang turned to Avella, eyes wide and worried. “Katara and Naoki are in trouble- we have to go!”

Guru Pathik warned Aang desperately that he’d just locked his chakra, that with the intentional choice he had just blocked himself from entering the Avatar state ever . Avella grabbed Aang’s hand, silently assuring him that she was staying with him. He leaped off the roof, Avella quick to follow. Calla was nearby already, and her childhood home soon faded into the clouds as they raced back to Ba Sing Se. Avella attempted to meditate on the journey back, see if she could find what happened- but the fear stopped her.

Finally, the metal gave way. Daiyu ducked below the cart and Toph clambered on top, just in time for Xin Fu and Master Yu to come around, inspecting the new hole in shock. As the two men leaned in, Daiyu sent some rock to force them in, and Toph jumped down. The two girls worked together to meld the metal shut again, both of them kicking the stupid cage. “We are Toph and Daiyu Beifong, greatest Earthbenders of all time- and don’t you fuckers forget it!” Daiyu roared, leaping off the cart with Toph to create a fluid boulder- they had to get back to Ba Sing Se as quickly as they could. The two men who had been hunting them would be fine. Probably.

It was time to board the ships. Kamari was boarding the familiar wooden boats when a loud rumble split the air. She and Sokka turned to see Calla and Appa- when did he get over from his relaxation spot in the woods?- land. Aang looked at them, despair and determination warring on his face. “Oh, this can’t be good news,” Sokka muttered, and Kamari agreed. The two bison were soon in the air, Kamari watching as the boats with her father and Uncle Hakoda grew smaller with the growing distance. She’d make her father proud- she’d make everyone proud.

A royal servant came into the shop, handing Iroh a scroll. Hotaru peeked over his shoulder to read, letting out a delighted squeal. The King wanted to try their tea! Hotaru laughed and spun as Iroh ran off to change into a better outfit immediately, Zuko continuing to sweep with a smile on his face. Their luck was really turning around for the better- and it was about time, honestly.

Chapter Text

Appa and Calla knew what was going on- or at least, they completely understood their owners’ worry. The flight to Ba Sing Se was faster than the flight out, the two bison soaring next to each other so the four riders could talk.

“What kind of trouble are Naoki and Katara in?” Kamari asked, rolling her eyes when Aang stuttered that he didn’t know, he only knew they needed help. “Great. I sure wish your epic Avatar powers came with instructions or heavens forbid some specifics. Do we need to turn the entire city upside down- again - to save my cousin and our friend?” Kamari snarked. Aang hummed, muttering that he saw the two underground for some reason, but didn’t know where it was- it looked old.

Avella gasped, sitting up straight. “They’re in Old Ba Sing Se! The current, modern city is built entirely on the ancient, underground ruins of the old city- that’s where they’re likely to be held, the place is a maze ! And- hey, wait, what’s that?” She asked, pointing to twin clouds of dust.

Daiyu could honestly get used to traveling this way. Ba Sing Se was in the distance and steadily getting closer, when familiar rumbles made her ears pop. Appa and Calla flew down on either side of her and Toph, Sokka asking snarkily if they needed a ride. Daiyu caught a startled Toph, quickly rushing on. Okay, maybe it took way less energy to ride on a flying bison.

Hotaru took in the sight of Ba Sing Se’s palace- it looked far more regal than she’d expected. That was probably because of her cruel upbringing, honestly. Iroh gushed about how excited he was for this opportunity as she followed him and Zuko, how he thought he’d be a conqueror instead of the Earth King’s personal guest. “Destiny sure is a funny thing, isn’t it,” Hotaru murmured, getting verbal agreement from the old general and the Banished Prince next to her. She could get used to things like this, though- there was way less stress than living under the Fire Nation’s thumb.

“So… how’d it go at the guru?” Daiyu asked, petting Calla’s fur as they flew over the first Wall. Aang stuttered something about it going wonderful, that he’d gotten full control of the Avatar state, but Daiyu caught the unamused look Avella shot at him. Aang was hiding something- but if it wouldn’t impact future fights like the one they were surely about to enter, he could keep his secrets.

The Earth King should be more punctual to things like these, especially with his own arrangements. Hotaru made sure the teacups were placed perfectly as Iroh poured the hot liquid, but still, no royalty showed up. Dai Li agents started walking in- and a few would make sense, truly, but they surrounded the three Firebenders within minutes. Hotaru’s senses sharpened- something wasn’t right. As Hotaru began to stand, however, a girl in green strode in, drawling that it was tea time.

“Azula!” Zuko barked, standing up, fists clenched. Azula didn’t even glance at him, instead talking sweetly about the Earthbending Dai Li with a Firebender’s killer instinct. Hotaru widened her stance as subtly as she could, but Iroh got to it first, delicately picking up a cup of tea.

“Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname, the Dragon of the West?” Iroh asked, sipping at his tea leisurely. Azula examined her nails, saying she wasn’t interested in a lengthy anecdote. Iroh smiled, and Hotaru shared a glance with Zuko. “No anecdote, more of a demonstration!” Iroh said, grinning. At once, the two teens ducked and hid at Iroh’s back, but Hotaru still got a great look at the Dragon’s fire breath. The Dai Li flinched away from the flames and Hotaru grabbed Zuko’s sleeve, tugging him through a flimsy wall- Azula was most definitely after them and that was not good at all. Iroh used lightning and Hotaru used her own powerful fire to blast a hole into a dead-end wall, and Hotaru leaped first. Flames and a bush slowed her fall, and Iroh was quick to follow- but Zuko stayed back, spouting something about it being time for him to face Azula. Hotaru and Iroh facepalmed in unison- oh, that idiot .

“Katara and Naoki are fine, you have nothing to worry about!” The King said chipperly, beaming. Aang stepped forward, swearing that he was sure of his vision, but the King shook his head. “Well, she was off with the Council of Five, planning the invasion, and since then she’s been off with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors.” Sokka relaxed, telling Aang that they were fine, they were with Suki. Avella crossed her arms, squinting. Something wasn’t adding up.

Naoki and Katara were slowly exploring the strange crystal caves they’d found themselves in when a round hole opened up. Two teens in green and beige were tossed down, Naoki peeking out from behind a large crystal as the hole closed up again. Katara let out a gasp, shouting ‘Zuko and Hotaru’, which must have been their names- but honestly, Naoki had no clue what was going on, but Katara was mad so he was definitely gonna stay out of the way of whatever fight she was about to start.

The two bison landed at the Ba Sing Se house, and Daiyu leaped to the ground. She barely noticed the others enter the house behind her, tapping her toes on the ground. “There’s nobody else here, just us.” She said, watching Momo wind himself around Aang’s torso. Then she blinked, turning to the door. “Wait- someone’s at the door- actually, Toph and I know who it is!” She said, grinning as Toph went to the door.

Kamari stepped back warily as Toph opened the door to General Iroh, nephew of Zuko who chased them across the entire world. Iroh looked somberly at them, saying that he needed their help. Kamari’s eye twitched. She agreed. What?

Aang asked how they knew the kind old man, and Daiyu grinned. “Well, Toph and I accidentally knocked him down in the woods one time, and he gave us some tea and advice. It was pretty good- both the tea and the advice.” The old man requested to come in, and Daiyu happily ushered him in. Her friend’s face soon sombered, and he turned to face the group.

“Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se.” Aang gasped, saying that she must have Katara and Naoki. Iroh nodded, sighing. “She has captured my nephew and a girl I consider my daughter, as well.” Avella hummed, nodding. She piped up that they could work together to defeat Azula and save the four teens, but Sokka spluttered, protesting against saving Zuko. Iroh sighed, bowing his head. “I know how you must feel about my nephew. But- believe me when I tell you there is good inside him.” Iroh stressed, carefully gripping Sokka’s shoulders. Sokka protested again, but Kamari grabbed his arm.

“Sokka, Katara is in trouble. Ba Sing Se is in trouble- so many innocent people- your little sister, one of our dear friends. You can put aside your dislike for Zuko until we get those who are precious to us safe. Working together is our best- and possibly only- chance.” Sokka finally relented, and Kamari nodded. Iroh set his shoulders, saying he brought someone who could help. He gestured outside, and Kamari poked her head out. Two Dai Li agents were there, one tied up and one not. The free Agent nodded at Avella, before rushing into an explanation. A coup was planned to free Long Feng and take over from the Earth King, taking out all five Generals and the King all at once. Sokka drew his weapon, demanding to know where Katara was, but Kamari squinted at him. “Sokka, we already kinda knew this? The Old Ba Sing Se Catacombs?” The agents blinked and nodded, reaffirming her story.

“Why did they throw you in here? Oh wait, let me guess- it’s a trap so that when Aang shows up to help me and Naoki, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!” Katara was shouting. Hotaru chose life, behind the angry girl and sitting next to one of the members of the Avatar’s group- Naoki, as he quietly introduced himself. Zuko was seated facing away from Katara, but Hotaru could see his slumped shoulders giving away his warring thoughts. “You’re a terrible person, you know that?” Katara spat, and Hotaru winced. Even if it wasn’t at her, that was something mean. “Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world’s last hope for peace! But what do you care? You’re the Fire Lord’s son . Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.” Katara spat. Hotaru closed her eyes, starting to tremble- it was no longer Katara yelling, it was her father.

Zuko interrupted Katara, saying she didn’t know what she was talking about, but Naoki was more focused on the Fire Nation girl- Hotaru- shaking next to him. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was unsteady, showing a very clear panic attack. He rubbed her back and breathed evenly for her, keeping an eye on the shouting teens just in case. Katara shouted that how dare he assume what she knew, because of what the war put her through- personally. She brought up the dead mom card, and Naoki winced with her. That was until Zuko whispered that the Fire Nation had taken his mom, too. Naoki stared at the Prince, eyes wide. He hadn’t gotten much news either as a freedom Fighter or with the Nomads, but even he knew about Princess Ursa’s disappearance . 

“Well, whaddya know? There is an ancient city under there, like Avella said- but it’s deep. Really deep.” Toph said, Daiyu nodding as she pulled her hand away from the stone. 

Avella hummed, tilting her head, watching the Earthbenders create a tunnel down to the catacombs. “We should probably split up, there’s a lot to do. Some of us should go down and find Katara, Naoki, the redhead girl, and the angry jerk- no offense- and the other half should go find the Earth King, to warn him or protect him from Azula’s coup.” Kamari nodded, humming as she thought this through. That was probably best- she, Sokka, Daiyu, and Toph would be best to alert the King and protect him. Aang, Avella, and Iroh could go rescue the other four, with one being the Avatar, one being a super powerful General, and the other being a powerful Airbending Master.

“So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice and great tea.” Aang started, scratching the back of his neck. Avella stifled a quiet laugh, focusing on keeping dust from entering their airways. Iroh chuckled, saying that the key to both was proper aging. The old General asked what was on the teen’s mind, and Aang paused just to open a bit more of the tunnel. Dang, the Catacombs were really deep. “Well, there’s this Guru I met with, and he was supposed to help me master the Avatar State and control this great power. But to do it, I had to let go of someone I loved, and he was ranting about false attachments and a Tether, whatever that is- but the point is, I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t let go.” Iroh hummed, calling Aang wise for choosing happiness and love over perfection and power. Aang tilted his head, opening another section of the tunnel. “What happens if we can’t save everyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I’m not powerful enough?”

“I don’t know the answer to that,” Iroh said simply, and Avella paused. “Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving,” Iroh paused as Aang broke down one more section, revealing the crystal cave catacombs. Avella squeaked in excitement, instantly rushing in to collect a few of the shiny stones amongst Iroh’s chuckles. “You will come to a better place.” The area they’d found their way into looked like a huge courtyard, possibly meant for Bending hundreds of years ago. 

As the small group reached the top of the stairs, Kamari gasped and tugged everyone behind a pillar. Daiyu lightly knocked against the stone, eyes widening as Dai Li agents suddenly ambushed one of the Five Generals. The coup was happening now , and they were running out of time to warn the Earth King. She grabbed Toph’s hand and pulled her cousin along, guiding the Water Tribe teens to the King’s quarters.

Kamari panted as they broke into the King’s quarters, seeing King Kuei and two Kyoshi Warriors. Sokka visibly sagged with relief, approaching the King and expressing his relief that they were just in time, but Kamari glanced uneasily at the Warriors. They never traveled in groups of two, and something was off about them. One of the girls lightly cartwheeled over, looking over them. She remarked that she wondered what they were just in time for, and whatever had happened to the cutest member of their group. She winked at Sokka regardless, and Kamari raised an eyebrow as he leaned away, saying he was involved with Suki. The Warrior tilted her head and said just one word, but Kamari’s insides froze. “Who?”

Daiyu reacted first, having noticed the other girl's eyes as soon as they locked with hers, after all, out of the 2 of them there was only one green eye. She launched herself at the closest fake warrior, separating her and Sokka before jumping out of range and drawing her quarterstaff. Kamari dove to the side, avoiding Mai’s knives, tumbling up and sending a water whip at the girl. Daiyu and Toph focused on keeping Tai Li away, but the unmistakable sound of a flame had her pausing. Kamari turned to see Azula herself, a cyan fire held near the Earth King. Sokka held his arms up first in surrender, unwilling to risk the King, and Kamari followed suit. Two pained thumps and one Ty Lee poke in the shoulders later had Kamari joining her cousin and Earthbending friends on the floor, limbs buzzy and chi blocked. Even Momo was captured in a rocky prison! Crap.

Katara bowed, and Naoki’s eyes bulged in shock. “I’m sorry I yelled at you before. It’s just- for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was always your face I pictured.” Zuko frowned and touched his scar, and now Hotaru’s eyes bulged. The two not involved glanced at each other- oh snap something was gonna happen. And something did indeed happen. Katara was quick to stop Zuko’s self-deprecating thoughts, striding up to him. “No, no, that’s not what I meant.” Zuko stopped her, sighing.

“No no, it’s okay. I used to think this scar marked me- the mark of a banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I’ve come to realize that I’m free to determine my own destiny, even if I’ll never be free of my mark.” Zuko said, and Naoki tilted his head, visibly confused. Hotaru winced, mouthing ‘later’ to him. 

“Maybe you could be free of it,” Katara said. Zuko voiced what the others were thinking- what?? What on the physical plane was she talking about? “I have healing abilities-” Zuko butted in, saying it was a scar, and it couldn’t be healed. Katara dug in her pockets, pulling out a small vial, corked with a delicate crescent moon symbol. “This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole.” Sorry, what water from where ? Naoki really needed to get more backstory from his friends because what ? “It has special properties, so I’ve been saving it for something important. I don’t know if it would work, but…” Katara’s voice trailed off, and she gently touched Zuko’s scarred cheek. The Fire Prince’s eyes were closed, trusting her, and Hotaru nearly screamed. Yeah, and then the wall exploded.

Naoki waved the dust away, coughing to see Aang, Avella, and General Iroh. Katara ran to hug Aang, and Naoki grinned as he headed over to his friends. Iroh hugged Zuko and Hotaru, everyone trying to ignore how Aang and Zuko were glaring daggers at each other. Ah, a sweet reunion, nothing could ruin this.

Oh yeah, Aang had sass . Iroh had to talk Zuko down from attacking the Avatar, Hotaru groaning into her hands in sheer embarrassment. Iroh laughed, telling the group of teens to go and meet up with their other friends, the Firebenders would catch up later. Aang and Avella were quick to run off with Naoki right behind, but Hotaru didn’t miss how Zuko and Katara glanced at each other before turning away as one, Katara melting into the shadows as she followed the Avatar.

Hotaru heard Zuko weakly ask why, and Iroh was only too happy to comply. “You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been before. And now, you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It’s time for you to choose. It’s time for you to choose good .” Iroh intoned. Just as he said that, Hotaru yelped as the poor General was suddenly encased in crystal. She and Zuko put up fighting stances, turning to see Azula come down, flanked by two Dai Li agents. 

“Oh, I expected this betrayal from Uncle, but from you and Hotaru, Prince Zuko? You are many things, but irredeemable is not one. You can still bring back your honor and redeem yourself, Zuko- and Hotaru, it’s finally time to make your father proud.” Azula said, and Hotaru fought to keep her expression neutral. Iroh shouted, trying to struggle against the unrelenting crystal, but it didn’t budge. Azula scoffed, glaring at Iroh before deliberately softening her face, and looking at Zuko. “I need you, Zuko. I’ve plotted every move of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back- you will have Father’s love. You will have everything you want.” Iroh pleaded with Zuko again, and Azula motioned for the Dai Li agents to leave them. She strode off in the same direction as the Avatar had gone, and Hotaru turned to free Iroh as soon as the girl was out of sight.

“We’ve gotta find the others!” Katara yelled, following the Airbenders into a huge underground room- honestly, Naoki thought that ‘ room ’ was a very modest word, this entire cavern could fit an entire city’s worth of people. Something sounded off after a few moments, and Naoki yelped as Aang suddenly twisted around, raising a rock wall. His action was just in time as blue fire exploded against it, turning most of the stone into dust. Avella quickly blew the cloud away to reveal Azula, her face set and stance bold.

Katara and Naoki stepped up with Katara sending a wave at Azula, and Naoki tugging on the ornaments in her clothing. Azula stumbled slightly but still managed to superheat the water into steam, causing yet another lack of sight. Naoki stepped away from the steam as Azula leaped out from the top, having run up a rock. She blasted fireballs at the teens, and the Waterbenders quickly created a water shield. Azula landed on a rock, and Naoki pulled at everything inside him, alongside Aang. The stone pillar Azula was on crumbled, dislodging her and forcing her to stumble in between the four teens, each in a fighting stance. Azula seemed shocked to see two Airbenders- guess she hadn’t believed the rumors Naoki was sure had been flying around.

Avella yelped as orange flames exploded between them and Azula, the culprit appearing to be Zuko. He glanced from Azula to Aang, and Aang sucked in a breath at seeing something in his gaze. A second later, Zuko began to attack Aang and Avella, while Azula rounded on Katara and Naoki. Avella yelped, spinning over a torrent of fire, eyes wide- she’d thought he was starting to move on, but apparently not.

“See any Dai Li agents nearby?” Daiyu asked, and Sokka shook his head in the negative. Kamari was trying not to fidget restlessly, irritated beyond belief. The two Earthbenders stepped up to the solid metal door and Kamari shared a confused look with Sokka. That look melted into pure shock as the two girls grabbed the metal and pulled it out of shape, tossing it against the far wall. The King yelped about not leaving without Bosco the bear, but the teens paid him no mind- they could find the damn bear after stopping the coup and ending Azula’s attack. Kamari followed the Earthbenders as they ran out, keeping a tight hold on the King’s sleeve so he didn’t try to look for his bear, inevitably getting lost.

Aang and Avella spun in a circle, creating a person-shaped construct of air that blew right at Zuko, knocking him off his feet. Avella watched Aang leap after Zuko, the two engaging in a fight, flinching as Zuko nearly exploded Aang after the young Avatar tried to protect himself from the fire with some crystal. Zuko formed two fire whips, reminiscent of Katara and Kamari’s water whips, starting to flail them at the teen. Avella leaped up to help Aang, batting the flames away when she could.

Naoki ducked under one of Azula’s attacks, whistling in appreciation when Katara managed to slice off part of her hair with some water- not even trying to. A huge explosion rocked the cavern, startling Azula, and Katara took advantage. She knocked Azula down, and as the girl was getting up, covered herself in water, using the liquid to catch and trap Azula by an arm and a leg. She raised Azula in the air, the girl starting to panic, when Zuko’s flames cut through Katara’s water tentacles. Naoki armed himself with as many ancient pottery shards as he could find, seeing Azula’s attention shift to Aang as he climbed out of a dent in the ground.

“I thought you had changed!” Katara screeched, and Naoki sent some clay to block one of Zuko’s attacks. The teen narrowed his eyes, stating simply that he had changed. Naoki ducked under another attack, stumbling away as the two elemental whip-users started to go at it. Honestly, it seemed like far more than just a fight, and Naoki did not want to get caught in that crossfire.

Azula stared Aang down, and Avella fought to keep herself still and hidden. Azula started to boost herself forward using her signature bluebell flames, and Aang covered himself in crystal before moving forward as well. Avella winced as the two made contact, Aang’s protection shattering and sending him flying backward. She sprinted forward to stand in front of him, raising her arms against Azula. 

Ty Lee was trying to teach Bosco how to do tricks and stand on his front paws. She was easily taken down, Mai sighing and simply letting them take Bosco. Daiyu grinned as they ran off, the King happily hugging his bear, turning to Ty Lee. “Hey, Naoki thinks you’re cute too!” She called out, laughing at the girl’s dumbfounded face. As they raced through the palace, Dai Li agents appeared out of nowhere and Daiyu was barely able to stop the others from attacking them. 

“Wait! These ones are friends.” Sokka shot her a disgruntled look as they rounded the next corner only to be joined by 2 more. A taller man with sharp features and olive eyes slipped closer to her, “We were able to dismantle the last of the brainwashing programs before we heard the news of the coup. 4 of the 5 generals are secure and escorted by teams of 4, with orders to escape if necessary. The majority of the Dai Li have been turned by the Fire Princess, and we don't have enough forces to re-secure the city if it falls- we only have enough to mitigate the damage or evacuate civilians in small numbers.” Well, that certainly wasn't good news Kamari decided, baring her teeth at an operative who stumbled closer than she liked. She watched her friend's face though as the cogs in Daiyu’s mind began piecing together the next steps for her and Avella’s small force. 

“Well done Faolán, thank you, that certainty makes certain things easier. If the capital falls there will certainly be a lot of issues and backlash, if possible I want most of our people handling preparations for if that happens,” As they exited the palace Daiyu paused to make sure everyone was out and headed toward the bison before continuing, “Handpick 3 or 4 others to stay with us in case the earth king needs to go into hiding, then set a line of succession for the agents staying in the city. I want you with us and the king. I trust your judgment of whether it's safer to pull everyone away from Azula’s people if she wins or if it's worth it to try to get into her inner circle.” Both the king and Faolán were protesting before she had finished, but she ignored their arguments of not needing protection and how they would be more effective elsewhere. 

“Faolán. You can't stay here, if Azula gets her hands on you it will be a problem, you are the one Avella and I gave the most information to. She can use that info or use you to control our guys, it's safer for everyone if you leave Ba Sing Se.” Kamari pulled the king onto Appa’s back and tried not to frown when Daiyu won her glaring contest. She wasn't sure if the 4 extra Dai Li would be too much for the bison to carry, or if they were really necessary especially since there was also a bear to deal with. The man -Faolán- gave orders to the agents still on the ground, before clambering into Calla’s saddle.

Katara couldn’t hold up against the two Fire Siblings, Naoki running to support her as she slammed against a crystal wall. He caught her, wincing at seeing her almost faint. He raised a spinning wheel of pottery, sharp shards pointed directly at the Fire Siblings, but there was no need. Aang exploded out of wherever he’d landed, sending an earthquake before rolling on a boulder up to the Fire Nation Royals. Before he got there, sadly, a Dai Li agent- not one of theirs- leaped in front of him, dislodging him. Aang fell with a shout, landing harshly on the stone floor. Naoki winced, but saw that Avella was headed to him- he could focus on waking Katara up.

Avella gasped, watching as Dai Li agents poured in from hidden tunnels. About eight surrounded Katara and Naoki, the former having managed to get up, forming an octopus defense position. Forty had lined up behind Azula and Zuko, ready to listen to their orders- luckily, Avella saw a few familiar faces. Avella stood next to Aang, glancing around. It would be a difficult fight, perhaps impossible, but she would go down fighting for herself, for Aang, and for her friends.

“I’m sorry,” Aang whispered, and Avella startled. Her flinch was enough for him to hide himself in a crystal tent, where Avella couldn’t see him. The distraction was enough for her Dai Li agents to turn on their fellows, sowing chaos. Katara and Naoki were putting up a good fight- Naoki had finally gotten the hang of hitting pressure points with his pottery. The crystal began to glow, and Avella backed away. No, the crystal wasn’t glowing- Aang was.

Avella covered her face as Aang’s crystal tent exploded, a pillar of light stretching to the cavern ceiling. The Avatar- Aang- began to float up, face contorted in fury but his posture lax. The resulting airwaves shoved the Dai Li agents back and caused all the fighting to pause momentarily. Everybody stood still as the Avatar’s power filled the underground catacombs, making the air itself pulse with energy. Suddenly, Avella saw movement in the corner of her eye. Azula had managed to move and was standing behind Aang, gearing up for an attack. So she pushed through the feeling of honey keeping her still, leaping up to join the Avatar in the air. She wrapped her arms around Aang, whispering a quiet apology- and her world exploded with pain.

Naoki gasped, watching the two Airbenders fall to the ground, limp and still coursing with electricity. Princess Azula looked smug, even as Katara rode a wave so she and Naoki could catch the two Airbenders, falling to their knees at the sudden weight- physical and emotional. The Dai Li and the Fire Siblings began to regroup after the sudden flooding, and Naoki could only clutch Aang close, Katara cradling Avella. Before an attack could be made, new flames appeared, forming a wall between the four teens, the Firebenders, and the Dai Li. Iroh and Hotaru leaped down, clearly furious. The old man shoved Hotaru to the group and she sprinted to stand in front of them, wielding her own fire as a defense against the Dai Li.

“You’ve got to get out of here! Take the Avatar and go- and please, take care of my girl,” Iroh said firmly. Hotaru shakily inhaled, but Naoki nodded. He pulled the girl close, and the five teens were soon pushed up on a Katara-made geyser, heading out of the cavern. Hotaru watched as Iroh fought them off, only surrendering once they were out of sight. She bit her lip to hide a mournful wail, shaking her head- she had to get the other teens and herself to safety, first. Anything else could come after that.

Night had fallen in the time it took for the Gaang plus King Kuei, his escorts, and Hotaru to clamber onto Appa and Calla, flying off somewhere new. Kamari’s hands shook as she kept the Airbenders upright, trying not to scream at how limp and lifeless they were. Katara pulled her Spirit Water apart into two pieces, pressing the glowing water into the furious red burns on the Airbenders’ backs. Aang’s was brand new, but Avella’s seemed to have been old and broken open, lightning scars spreading outwards as though her back had cracked. The water seeped into the wounds but for a moment, there was no movement.

Kamari sighed in relief as Aang’s tattoos glowed briefly, the boy weakly reaching out to grab Avella’s hand. The girl hadn’t woken, but her breathing had stuttered before resuming, strong and steady. Aang passed out again soon afterward, but Kamari knew they could heal from this. They may have needed a new plan, and Ba Sing Se may have fallen, but they were alive . She glanced uneasily at the Firebender in their midst, the girl’s fiery red hair whipping around in the air. But Iroh had vouched for her, so Kamari could give her a chance.