Avatar:Kindling[M]{DamoniquexAshen}

[Damonique]

Despite her apology and the approximation of kindness that Xia had showed her, Aoki still seemed nervous before her...which the Avatar thought only right and proper, considering their stations. The scribe had not been without courage when she'd first approached her, but that had all melted in the face of flames as easily as the ice her eyes resembled...but those same eyes held something else, as well, a glimmer of hope.

Unlike so many other supplicants in the crowd that bore nothing but worthless gifts and empty words, the Water Tribe girl brought something that Xia saw some true value in...her scrolls, of course, but also her experiences. Here was someone who had witnessed the...unpleasantness...that had taken place in the North with her own eyes. Xia could not easily forget that pang of regret she had felt when she first laid eyes on the girl, and Avatar Feng knew in her manifold soul it was her duty to set that land to rights where her predecessor Song had failed. This girl may prove instrumental to fulfilling that duty.

The other, the Earthbender, was another matter. The Avatar ignored most of his words, but paid close attention to his display of talent, in which he change not only the shape of the stone around them, but it's texture...turning the mundane into something not only functional, but also beautiful. Without a word, Xia reached up to run her calloused fingers along one of the whorls he had incised into the stone, finding it smooth and flawless...she doubted even the most skilled stone-carver could achieve such a result with the usual tools. Even some of the guards and nobles seemed impressed, with the exception of the Senescal, who Xia suspected wouldn't have been impressed if the man had moved the world itself.

The Avatar took note as he named himself as Caius Mercator...that last name caused Xia to raise an eyebrow, but she said nothing yet, looking the man over again, more thoroughly. His features were no less plain that she had seen at first glance, nose small and puggish, mouth large and smiling, same as his eyes. He was a large one, to be sure, weighing at least three of Xia and likely four of Aoki, with broad, muscular shoulders and arms that she could almost admire if not for his equally bulging belly half-hid under and green vest.

Such a retainer might prove useful, pitted as she always was against men who thought her weak for her size, her sex, or both...a strong guard might dissuade them some without forcing her to do so with fire. Better if I could teach him how to scowl, that smile makes him look harmless as a puppy. She thought idly, as Sunset finally calmed enough to return to them, flying in through the gap Cai had made in the barrier and rather than returning to her shoulders, the dragon landed his golden self right atop the big man's head. That made up her mind, and Xia favored him with one of her rare half-smiles.

"Your courtesies coud use some work, to be sure, but you skills speak for themselves, and my dragon speaks louder You may attend me into the city, Cai..." She trailed off, setting the nobles watching this all play out to frantic sputtering that was music to her ears, and that she raised a hand to silence. "...and bear my luggage. No doubt you have the strength for it." She added in a tone that was somehow both playful and condescending at once, gesturing back to where some crewmen from the ship were unloading her scant possessions. A pack of travel supplies, two cases of books and scrolls, and heaviest of all, a fine rosewood chest, decorated with her family emblem, containing her assorted arms and armor. That dismissal seemed to mollify the highborn...some. Then she turned Aoki, beaconing her closer. "You as well, Aoki. I still mean to see those scrolls you spoke of....most of them, anyway, and you and I have much to discuss. Over tea, perhaps?" She offered in a much kinder tone than Cai had gotten.

Beside her, Tsen knew better than to say anything, given his recent chastisement of him, only offering up a puzzled glance, first to his Avatar, then towards the strays she had picked up within less than an hour of arriving on the mainland. Aoki, at least, he could understand. A girl roughly her own age, clever and well-traveled...and hailing from the Northern Water Tribe. He knew her mind on that nearly as well as Feng herself. But whatever game she was playing with this Earthbender, the Nomad could not unravel...but for the suspicion that it went deeper than whatever showed on the surface.

[Ashen]

Avatar Feng scrutinized Cai's work, and most may have grown nervous, may have taken a wobbly step back or awkwardly cleared their throat, but Cai stood firm, either overconfident or unaware of how much pressure was suddenly on his shoulders. The Avatar seemed impressed, at any rate, and just as Cai was about to ask her what she thought, he heard the powerful beats of a creature's wings. He looked up to see a flash of gold, but suddenly it was perched atop his messy curls. Cai offered it a hand to sniff, chuckling lightly at the creature. "Hey, little guy," he cooed, not even realizing that this was the Avatar's pet, the one helping her decide his immediate future.

Once Feng spoke, Cai smiled his thanks to her, honored that she would find something suitable in his skills. His mind whirred with possibilities. He'd be teaching the Avatar, helping her to perfect her earthbending, someday perhaps surpassing even him... How would he tell Remus? The thought excited him. Your hood rat little brother is helping nobles now. Never thought I'd get here, huh Rem? He turned to his task, to all of Feng's possessions... Perfect, he thought. Heavy lifting was how he made his living, so this would be easy. He bowed to the Avatar before meeting with the crewmen unloading her possessions. He greeted them all cheerily and took up the fancy chest first. It was a decorated thing, clearly of importance, and its weight made him wonder what the Avatar would bring along on her travels. He hefted it with care and waited for direction on where to take it.

Aoki was still as she stood there, intimidated by all of the people around her. The nobles were judging her already, but none more than that airbender, whom she looked at with fear and intrigue. She'd spoken to few airbenders in her life, and though she had many scrolls on airbending, it was rare that she got to see it masterfully performed. She wanted to ask this man to airbend for her, to show her how it worked, so that she might fill her journal with the details she knew Ami would eat up. But after his outburst just moments before, and his glaring looks, she knew it would be a long while before she would get the chance.

She was addressed, and Aoki faced Feng with a smile. She nodded simply, then gave the Avatar her most formal Fire Nation bow. She'd been there a few times, had learned how to properly bow by watching the people and even talking to a few. Now, she wondered if it would make a difference. Feng wanted her to come along, so she couldn't have destroyed her chances entirely. Standing again, she nodded happily. "I would love to have tea with you," she said. Looking after Cai, she suggested, "After you unpack? Would you like any help?" Though Aoki doubted she would want some stranger touching her things, especially when she had anyone in the Earth Kingdom to help her now, she figured it was still polite to ask. If Feng didn't need her now, Aoki thought she might find a new journal in the market. She had much to tell her sister, and she knew there would be so much more.

[Damonique]

"His name's Sunset...he was the youngest and smallest of the latest clutch hatched by the Sun Warriors. I could have chosen the largest of his siblings, or even tried to claim one of the adolescents, but he came to me first. A sign, perhaps." The Avatar stated wistfully as Cai introduced himself to the golden serpent, who seemed in no hurry to be anywhere but atop his head. The day the Dragon had imprinted on her had been the happiest day of Xia's life...which was bereft of many happy days. It had only been the size of her palm, then, but as late he had been eating more and growing larger every day. The Sages claimed he'd be the size of an ostrich-horse before the year was out.

While she had expected some show of indignation or complaint, Cai stepped to his task diligently, following orders as if he had been born to it, which pleased the Avatar. Even if he remained useful as no more than dumb muscle, that was all well and good. What was important was his loyalty. She nodded approvingly and turned her attention back to Aoki, who had managed a passable Fire Nation bow, which Xia returned with a nod of recognition, and even one of her true smiles, crooked teeth and all.

"Oh, I'll have tasks for you as well, but manual labor? I think not. We have Cai for that. Come, the city awaits..." She answered vaguely, and turned on heel to beacon for the assembled Earth Nobles to lead on. The palace guards bent open the other side of the earthen dome Caius had made from their crude fortification, and the procession continued into the Harbor Gate that passed through the great outer wall of Ba Sing Se. On the others side, it was so open one could almost forget that they were completely walled in. As far the eye could see, there were fields and farms, grazing lands, even small villages.

This was the city's hinterlands, able to provide food and fodder for the people living within, regardless of the state of the world outside the walls. It was how Ba Sing Se had been able to survive a thirty year siege while, if the tales were to be believed, officially claiming that the war was not not even taking place at all. Walking across it would have taken hours, but preparations had been made. Just inside the gate were three long, well-appointed silver Cabbage-Corp limousines, open-topped and freshly-waxed, glistening in the sun, and two larger but less-impressive passenger vans for their luggage and guards.

Xia beaconed for Aoki and Tsun to join her in the first car, that they shared with the Grand Senescal and Prince Kito, while Cai was waved off towards one of the vans. It wasn't anything personal, but he simply wasn't dressed for the occasion. That was something else she would have to fix before they went out in public. Once everyone was settled, they set off on the long, winding road that led to the first inner wall, and the city proper. Xia busied herself taking in the sights while Sunset flew overhead, having steadfastly refused to get into the metal box with Caius.

Even here, the Spirit Wilds were present, large swaths of alien flora who's sizes, shapes, and colors defied all logic dotting the landscape. Where they appeared was utterly random, and here and there she could see where they had grown up through what had once been homes, farmhouses, and even entire villages, the occasional wall, roof, and tower visible through the trees and roots. New settlements had been thrown up to replace those lost to the Wilds, seemingly as far away from them as possible.

And with the Wilds, came the Spirits themselves...glowing beings of every shape and size imaginable going about their own business. Beside her, Tsun had taken up a meditative pose, and as they always did when he reached out to them, the Spirits came, flying, hopping, and running to their left and right as according to their shape. Both the Grand Senseschal and their driver seemed disconcerted by being suddenly surrounded, but were either wise, or more likely too afraid to say anything against them.

But Xia could guess what they would say, she hadn't failed to note the earlier talk of pressing concerns that required the Avatar's attention. It was the same old conflict going on all over the world since the portals had been opened....people were used to the world belonging entirely to them, and were resentful of being forced to share it. The Spirits themselves were entirely apathetic to the plight of lands lost, families displaced, and ruined businesses. They did not make, buy, or sell goods, and their homes and ecosystems were set, unchanging since the dawn of time.

There were no easy answers to these questions. Korra had likely done more harm than good, flip-flopping on the issue from place to place and year to year, agreeing with whichever side she thought had the most compelling argument at that moment, but laying down no solid precedent to be followed. Song, meanwhile, had argued for as much seperation as could possibly be managed within the Earth Kingdom, coercing the Court into using their military to ensure that seperation, with force if necessary, while the Air Nomads and White Lotus did their best with the rest of the world. Instead of attempt to broach the subject with the nobles now, she instead turned to Aoki beside her, looking for an outside opinion.

"What do you think of what Korra did, leaving the portals open? Many love her for it, and just as many spit on her name. Me, I was her, once, so I can't exactly judge." She asked casually, giving no suggestion of her own thoughts so the girl wouldn't be afraid of answering the question honestly.

[Ashen]

Aoki didn't know what more to expect out of her day, but she certainly hadn't been expecting to ride around the Earth King capital in a limousine. For a moment the girl just stared at the line of cars. She'd seen them before of course, had spotted them moving through the streets of large cities, carrying people more important than Aoki would ever be. Of course it made sense that the Avatar herself would travel in this way. When Feng motioned for her to join her, though, Aoki's face grew warm.

She'd never had much money herself. Aoki was a wanderer, and because of that, she didn't keep jobs for long. She moved about the lands taking small jobs, delivery jobs or quick tasks that wouldn't keep her in a single place for more than a month or so. She didn't travel with much, only basic necessities and her collection of scrolls and journals. She often devoted afternoons to mending her clothes and blankets, her gloves and boots. She didn't spend frivolously; she couldn't. So now, being presented with this ride, this representation of everything she never had... Aoki humbly nodded and followed Feng into the car. Just that morning, she'd never imagine she'd be here, helping the Avatar, riding in her limousine, heading off to a place where they might have tea.

The inside was roomier than she could have imagined. Members of Feng's entourage piled in, and Aoki noticed that Cai was sent to a different car. Looking over the Avatar, she wondered if that was to protect them from him, from his large size and his impressive ability, but she didn't dare voice her questions. She didn't know why Feng was allowing her to sit so close to her, just a common peasant girl, an orphan from a lost land. Aoki glanced towards Feng again. Is that all she saw in her? Some homeless girl, some tool to perfect waterbending? Aoki shook her head. She shouldn't have been judging Feng, she told herself. They barely knew each other, and first impressions were everything.

As they drove through Ba Sing Se, Aoki didn't remove her eyes from the windows. She was amazed at the largeness of the city, the impressive structure that had caused it to stay standing for so long. The people outside the inner wall seemed so different from the stories she'd heard. Ba Sing Se was a place for rich people, she'd been told. She knew the people in the outer walls fit the stereotype less, but she was amazed at how differently they lived. If she had been born in Ba Sing Se, which ring would she find herself in? She then fantasized about it, the inner wall, the wealth that spiraled about its citizens. She pictured herself in that world, a girl dressed in a sky blue dress, her long hair done up in a bun, her family regal and loving and formal and alive.

Aoki was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed all the beings making their way to the car. They were the spirits, the things that had roamed the earth as long as she could remember. Aoki had always been fascinated by them. She wondered what it was like for her ancestors, before Korra opened the portal to their world for good. To have the entire earth for humankind... It struck her as selfish, and even if the spirits often ruined civilizations, she watched them with a childlike awe. They were here fro Feng, she had to guess, and absently Aoki turned her attention to the girl. What did she think of the issue?

As if Feng had read her mind, Aoki suddenly had the question addressed. The Avatar wanted her opinion? She stammered for a moment, then shut her mouth to think things through. "Well," she murmured, still in thought. "I think that's unfair, actually." She focused her blue eyes on Feng's smoky ones. "I think you are allowed to judge what your past selves have done. How will you ever grow if you don't evaluate your own actions?" She tilted her head, wondering if she were speaking out of turn. Clearing her throat, she turned her attention back to her question. "I think humans need to learn to share our world with the beings that are also entitled to it. I appreciate Korra's message she sent by opening the portal. We all belong here, no more than anyone else. True the spirits cause problems for us sometimes, but I think that just means we need to learn how to live together."

While Aoki had been speaking, her gaze slid outside, to the strange creatures moving around them. After she finished speaking, she searched Feng's face. Was that the answer she'd wanted? Aoki believed in her words, but she had her doubts, too. Humans wouldn't learn to live with the spirits. She was living proof that humans couldn't even learn to live with each other.

[Damonique]

Xia turned her head to one side inquisitively as she heard out Aoki's answer. Her first point was something that the Avatar grappled with constantly in her own mind whenever she heard or read about her past lives, trying to reconcile her own opinions and decisions with those made by her predecessors. With so much many centuries behind her, it was difficult for Feng to feel anything but insignificant, that last and least in a line of established heroes. But every Avatar had felt that, at some point or another...it didn't make her any different.

"I'll have to find my own answers, somewhere out there. All the others have, not that anyone seems to want to let me do the same." Feng answered, letting a hint of bitterness seep into her voice on the end of the statement, in a low tone to ensure their privacy. Not that anyone else in the car seemed to be paying them much attention, with all eyes on the spirits swirling around them.

As for her answer to her real question, or at least whatever answer she thought safe, Xia found it of little use....a sweet sentiment, surely, and one that Tsun and his fellow Air Nomads would approve of, the formation of a society that not only coexisted with but embraced the spirits. But such a society had never existed, in all of remembered history. If there was a natural order, it placed the Spirits on top...the time of the first Avatar, as revealed by Korra, made that clear enough....not that Aoki had likely read that rare testimony. Perhaps she would offer to let the scribe read it over, a fresh pair of eyes might lend some perspective. If nothing else, Korra wasn't a boring author, her memoirs scattered with expletives and crude humour on nearly every page, some of which made Xia embarrassed to share a soul with her.

While Aoki and the Avatar carried on their conversation, Tsun maintained his meditative pose, so silent one would think he was asleep, but for the occasional twitch at the corner of his mouth or flash of an expression taking over his features as he conversed with spirits surrounding them. One by one, the strange creatures departed to their homes as their motorcade approached the main gate to the outer ring...and it was clear why. While the gate itself was open, a full compliment of Earth Nation soldiers was in position, eyeing the spirits nervously and only relaxing when they were well away. Clearly, the Earth Court would not tolerate the Spirits within the city itself. Tsun finally opened his pale eyes and frowned, glancing at Xia, his expression all she needed to know what he thought of that.

"Sharing....isn't something that comes naturally to us...humans, I mean. Just look around...." She stated, gesturing to their left and right as they entered the city proper....or the lower ring, at least. While she knew it was in far better shape it had been during the reign of the last Earth Queen, Kuvira's reforms had not long outlived her Empire, and signs of poverty were already sprouting up here and there like weeds. The buildings were overgrown warrens piled around and on top of one another haphazardly without any central plan or layout. They were all made of the same chalky, light brown stone the whole city was composed of, obviously made by Benders, but of varying levels of talent. Most were nondescript, family homes stacked atop family businesses.

There were very few people left in the streets, everyone who could miss work to go see the Avatar's arrival had done so, and those unlucky ones who couldn't were going about their business as usual, some stopping to point at the unusual sight of their vehicles starting the drive up the raised highway that would bring them to the train station, their stop. Rail was the only link between the rings, none of the cities streets besides this main thoroughfare to the station had ever been modified to accommodate wheeled traffic...the cost was too much for the treasury to bear, and few citizens outside of the Upper Ring could afford a car anyway.

Their vehicles were unloaded and they were all ushered quickly into a private car of the waiting train by uniformed Dai Li agents waiting for them, differentiated from regular Earth Kingdom soldiers by their stone gloves an wide-brimmed hats. Each and every one took the time to bow respectfully before the Avatar as she passed, which the Grand Senescal appeared to mislike, given they completely ignored him. Xia would have to find opportunity to meet with their leader. Just as Avatar Kyoshi had first created the Dai Li, Avatar Song had reformed the order, making them the apolitical protectors of the city and it's citizens, membership and leadership attained on merit alone, completely independent of the ever-changing members of the Court. If anyone would give her straight answers as to what was going on, that would be her best bet.

Once all were aboard, the stone train, propelled by Earthbenders, as was traditional, zipped through the Middle Ring without a single stop, leaving little to be seen about it but that it was well-ordered, bustling, and a generally more pleasant place to live than the Lower Ring would ever be, even at a glance. But it was not their stop...they were headed right to the top, into the Upper Ring, surely to be her true challenge, and Xia found herself drumming her fingers on the seat beside her nervously. Tsun was two seats down, too far to offer his usual steadying hand and comforting word, though his eyes expressed sympathy. So instead, Xia's hand reached instinctively for that of Aoki beside her, pale, calloused fingers clasping loosely around the scribes darker, softer ones, which were smudged with ink from her constant writing. Trying to take her mind off of the inevitable, she turned to the scribe.

"I mean for us to visit the Jasmine Dragon for tea, once I freshen up. Many of my forebears spoke highly of the place. It was founded by the Dragon of the West, while he and Lord Zuko were refugees from their own nation. If anything represents the ability for peoples to set aside their differences, that's it. A man who spent half a lifetime trying to conquer this city finding a peace and shelter within it's walls." The taller girl explained as the train made it's ascent, and looked around for Cai, finding him almost at the rear of the car, taking in the sights. Sunset was fussing in his lap, and trying to snake it's beak into his pack. The Dragon hadn't eaten yet today, and seemed to think the Earthbender had something worth eating, Xia chuckled at the sight.

[Ashen]

Feng had an attitude to her, Aoki realized, and as the Avatar continued to speak, Aoki wondered if this was the life she would have chosen, had she had the chance. While Aoki was fantasizing about being a noble, she wondered if Avatar Feng liked being escorted like this. Did the girl like being surrounded by the most important people in the world? Did she like being so protected like this, and so sought after? The bitterness in her voice suggested otherwise, and Aoki wondered how different they would be if they could switch lives.

She was quiet for the rest of the trip in the limousine, eyes taking in their surroundings the further into the city they got. Aoki was aware of the others in the car, and she wondered if any of them might get offended at Feng's attitude. She wondered if Feng even cared. The spirits were heading off again, leaving them alone, and Aoki caught the airbender imperceptibly mumbling. She wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was telling them, but she knew her silence would ensure her presence here for longer, so she didn't utter a word.

Feng spoke again, and Aoki nodded solemnly, looking around at their new surroundings. The soldiers that welcomed them into the walls of the city looked unnerved, if not annoyed. She noticed they were watching the spirits. Turning her attention back to the Avatar, she wondered what plans Feng had for such an issue, whether she would work towards the harmonious utopia that Aoki spoke of or if she would take a more realistic approach and put restrictions--or try--on the spirits disrupting the humans.

They were slowing to a stop all too soon, and Aoki shifted. They were stopping here? They were at a train station by the looks of it, and Aoki realized they were continuing on, but that they could not continue like this. She followed Feng to the train, taking in its intricate design. She'd been on trains like this before, but this one was different; it was still so traditional, so dependent on the culture of Ba Sing Se. Looking to Feng and her crew, she wondered if now would be a good time to write in her journals. Deciding against it until later, she boarded the train and, like a kid in a candy store, eagerly took mental notes of everything going on.

Cai boarded the train too, much further behind Feng. Her dragon was still lingering around him, and Cai joyfully played with it, petting it lightly and offering it what snacks he had packed for his delivery job. He'd been within the walls of Ba Sing Se, had even been to the innermost ring, so none of this was terribly new to him. He wasn't surprised that they were boarding the train, or heading to the land of nobles. He was part of the Avatar's entourage now, after all, and this was just another delivery job.

Aoki was distracted by all of the new stimuli, but suddenly she felt hands on hers. She jumped the slightest bit, eyes darting down to her hands. Avatar Feng was touching her? Aoki didn't know what to make of it. Besides the odd babysitting job, she hadn't held hands with anyone since Ami. How long had it been? And Feng trusted her to this so freely? She knew she was thinking too much of it, and she tried to focus on what Feng was saying, but her mind was whirring. She felt like a schoolgirl being noticed by her crush. Blushing, Aoki tugged the comparison away.

"The Jasmine Dragon sounds lovely," she replied with a nod. She knew the tales of Iroh, hailed a hero in the Fire Nation. She'd never been to his tea shop, of course, and she wondered how many exotic teas they would be able to offer. It was the location to get tea, after all. She found herself getting excited at the tea date. "You must have tea often," she guessed. To someone like the Avatar, the simple drink couldn't have been much a luxury. "Have you ever had it iced? We used to do that at home, ice our teas. It tastes completely different cold, as if by magic." A bittersweet smile met her features as she thought of a home no longer living. "Ah," she seemed to recall, "would you want help freshening up?" She didn't much know what to do, and awkward, the girl tried to offer what help she could where she could.

[Damonique]

Aoki seemed startled by the sudden familiarity of the Avatar's hand over her own, through which Xia could feel her steady heartbeat increase in tempo, an increased warmth and the lightest dew of sweat, be it from embarassment or...or..Xia dismissed any more down that line of thinking, both because it struck her as unlikely, the girl seemed too proper for that, and because it wouldn't matter anyway. Whatever fate had drawn them together for, that surely wasn't it.

The contact had been almost involuntary, seeking out some human connection to remind her she wasn't alone. It was a childish reflex, she knew...one that should be irrelevant, but still managed to be comforting. Always able to blame others for her own weaknesses, Xia had a long list of those she could hold responsible for that....and as always, her parents sat at the head of such lists, for denying her even that normalcy early in life, followed by the White Lotus and Fire Sages for sequestering her away, and even Tsun himself for getting her too used to such contact after so long without. She was about to take away the offending hand, but a sidelong glance at the scribe stopped her. There was a flash of memory, one of dark skin, blue eyes, and a kind smile. The hand remained, and the Avatar tried to quickly find her place in the conversation she had instigated, only for something unthinkable to pass her ears.

"Tea...Iced. Iced Tea..." The Avatar sputtered in most unladylike fashion, as if failing to wrap her head around the very concept. In the Fire Nation, tea-making was an art that had spanned the centuries, becoming a formal part of civilized life, nearly a religion in and of itself, at least to the Firebending upper-class, that had percolated down to the peasantry over time. And without exception, tea must be served and drank as near to boiling as one could handle, to allow it to go cold would be a grave insult to the one who prepared it....but that was in the Fire Nation, Xia reminded herself. She would have to forget those provincial biases, so she considered the idea again from a more neutral angle, drawing from all she had heard or read of the rest of the world.

"I suppose you have plenty of ice at the poles, and the Waterbenders could make it anywhere else besides....you'd think you'd prefer a warm drink living somewhere so cold, but I've read about how in such a climate, you have to let your body temperature change gradually, or risk going into shock. In War in the Bitter North, Admiral Keizo Feng said he lost one in five men to...." The Avatar began excitedly, as always making up for a lack of life experience with her wealth of book-learning that she thought Aoki, of all people, might understand the value of...until she trailed off, realizing she was reciting from a military manual. Written by one of her own ancestors. About his experiences in waging a war of conquest against Aoki's people.

To her, it was all academic history...to the Water Tribe girl, it had to be much more personal, and painful. The Avatars hand quickly removed itself from where it rested familiarly atop the scribes, and rose up to cover her mouth, aghast at what she had already said, as if she could shove the words back in and unsay them.

[Ashen]

And just like that, so easily, Aoki had offended the Avatar again. She had just been building off of what Feng had said, had only brought up a tradition from home; what was so wrong in that? But Feng's expression changed, as if she might explode again. Aoki's eyes darted to the others on the train, those who had already turned their attention away from the two. Would she have to face the wrath of the Avatar alone, now? Her airbending friend wasn't far, but what would he be able to use to shield her now? She braced herself, preparing for an identical outburst to the one before, but she was met with a curious calm, an inquisitive tone, the moments of offense and rage suddenly dissipated like mist between them.

Aoki stood, dumbfounded, questioning what she had just seen. Feng had been offended about something, hadn't she? Had her perceptions been wrong? She tried to shake the thought and continue the conversation, tell Feng about the many cold foods and drinks she enjoyed from home, with ice in abundance, and to tell her about the warm drinks they had, the drinks flavored with foreign spices and, on rare occasions, even chocolate or mint, but Feng continued on, giving a history lesson from some book she read about some general or another who had lost men to the bitter cold of--Oh. Admiral Keizo Feng... Had Aoki ever learned the names of her people's so-called heroes, the ones who had overthrown the waterbending tyrants and taken over her North for themselves, the firebenders who plucked off her own family members and killed or scattered them all over the world, never to be reunited again? Their names had always meant nothing to her, but as Feng rambled about the man, about the war "hero" who shared her surname, Aoki couldn't help but feel a deep pain in her stomach.

Aoki felt the hand on top of hers retreat as the Avatar realized what she'd been saying. Aoki couldn't blame her, of course, but she also couldn't stop the agonizing memories that rushed to her mind, the memories of elders being torched at their core, of mothers being thrown from their children and tossed to an icy ocean, of young adults losing lives before they had even begun. Feng had been told this story, had read about how it was a success for the Fire Nation, no doubt. She must have read about this genocide as if it was a conquest, a tale of victory passed through her blood. Aoki's gaze turned to the floor. What could she say? She should have known this would happen, that Fire Nation children would be taught in this manner, that the world would have no sympathy for a people no longer breathing. But the Northern Water Tribe native had avoided books and scrolls on the matter, preferring to stay ignorant. Now, as her ignorance shattered like ice around her, she couldn't understand why it ached.

She was silent for a long while, caught in the storm of wanting to break the silence but not knowing what at all to say. The longer they sat like that, the more images filled Aoki's head, the more feelings crowded her heart. She shook her head, her dark hair falling over her eyes, as if to hide them. She brushed her hair away from her face, surprised to find her hand was shaking. "It's okay," she said quietly. "I know it's not your fault." She brought her eyes back to Feng and offered a sad smile. "It was a success for the Fire Nation, I'm sure. Our resources fueled your kingdom, and our labor built a bit of your structure." The enslavement, the pillage and rape of her people; was she defending it? She cleared her throat again. "It's why I'm here, you know? My sister and I, we had dreams of traveling the world. I have been, since then. Here--"

Grateful for the chance to change the subject, Aoki dove into her bag, pulling out a scuffed, leather-bound book. Flipping it open, she showed off some of her doodles of some animals she had seen in the Fire Nation. "I'd found a firebending scroll while I was there," she explained, "and I was fascinated by it--something about bending lightning? The seller was asking a bit more than I could afford, but..." She flipped a few pages, to a set of drawings of a stick figure moving, tiny words under it teaching the bending she had just talked about. "My memory isn't perfect, but I looked at that scroll so long; I think I've got most of it here. I also have notes of my adventures, throughout this notebook, of the things I've seen. I'm going to give it to her when I see her again. In a way, I'm just... following our dreams."

The sparkle in her eye showed her excitement for her logs more than anything could, but her voice was laced with the bittersweet memories that had just been forced up. She didn't want to linger on them, on Feng's privilege in learning about the genocide from a book and her trauma in learning about it firsthand. She hoped Feng would take an interest in her logs, but Aoki knew she was talking now more to distract herself than the Avatar.

[Damonique]

The Avatar lowered her hand from her mouth slowly, and set it over the other resting in her lap, her expression shifting to an unreadable line, regaining her composure and steeling herself for whatever vehemence the girl had bottled up, waiting to come out at just such a time as this...how could it not? And what could she say in return to such vehemence when it came? Instead of turning to meet those deep blues, her smoke-grey eyes lowered to study the intricate flame etched into the surface of the golden emblem that cinched the crimson scarf about her neck.

Xia would not, could not apologize. It wasn't even a matter of saving face for herself....this inter-generational conflict that had left wounds all over the world went far beyond her own person. Tens of thousands had died on both sides, many and more direct members of, or tied by marriage or loyalty to the house of Feng, those honored dead who's names she had been learning before she herself could speak. To admit any fault on their part was to spit directly on their countless unmarked graves. Those cruel seas did not give up their dead.

But instead of angry tones, she received only silence, and slowly turned to look the girl in the eyes....and what she saw there was even worse than the most venomous hatred she could imagine. Just the deepest sorrow one could imagine...if no tears fell, it was only because they had all been exhausted. The moment seemed to linger for all too long, as if time had stopped, until Aoki finally found some words to say. "I know it's not your fault.", the emphasis clear. It wasn't absolution, or forgiveness, just a statement of that fact that Xia herself was blameless, too young to have been involved...except she knew deep down that wasn't true. Xia was Song, Song was Korra, Korra was Aang....and on and on it went. If the Avatar inherited the triumphs and honors of their predecessors, so did they accept their failings and disgraces. And doing nothing as all that happened....happened...was far up the list of those. Maybe Aoki had been sent to her as the universes way of trying to finally settle that debt. She finally found her tongue.

"I...I can't change the past. I can only say I will not do as Song did, I will not turn a blind eye. I must do better, set things aright, if I have to go there myself. Not for you, or for me. For the world. For balance." Xia said with what she thought was conviction, loud enough for everyone in the train to hear...as if a public promise would change anything. It didn't feel like it did. But it was better than saying nothing at all.

There were more words that she only half-paid attention to as Aoki at least pretended to see things from the Fire Nation's point of view...Xia could have made the case better, explained the economic and cultural causes of the conflict from start to finish with the eloquence of a Military Academy instructor, but it would have been pointless. Justifications meant little and less to both dead soldiers and surviving civilians. Xia just heard her out as the topic shifted, first to the crude reproduction of a Lightning-bending manual, and then to a more personal subject, Aoki's own world-walking and the reasons she continued to do so.

"You've been to the Fire Nation?" Was the Avatars first question, more than a little surprised by that, she'd think the scholar would have avoided her nation and people wherever possible. Aoki's overall goal, to go everywhere and see everything. Despite everything she thought she knew of the girls pain, she couldn't suppress the hint of jealousy she felt. No-one cared where the Water Tribe girl went, what she did. Whatever she had lost, Aoki had gained the sort of freedom Xia could not imagine in her small world. She glanced at where Tsun sat across the car, watching their quiet conversation intently rather than sparing a glance for the spectacular view of the city below out the window, feeling guilty. It was the sort of freedom the Nomad had possessed before Xia had turned him into her....she didn't even know what he was to her, not anymore.

The rest of the train ride passed by as the two of them spoke of lighter things, less awkward than one would expect now that they had learned to avoid to touchier subjects. They studied the facsimile-scroll in some depth...Aoki had not been boasting when she claimed some knowledge of the theory and art of Bending despite lacking the ability herself, providing useful insight. For Xia, Firebending was as easy of breathing, but when trying to learn something new, instinct wasn't so useful. But between them, they made quite a bit of headway picking apart what the original scroll had been trying to teach. Xia found herself enjoying collaborating on the problem immensely...it reminded her of the long days spent learning Airbending first from, and then alongside Tsun.

But it was over far too quickly as the train finally settled to a stop in the Upper Ring station, in line with the long thoroughfare leading up to the steep stone steps to the palace grounds. Once again, there was a crowd in attendance, though this one was smaller and more formal than that which had greeted the Avatar at the docks, made up of the Earth Nations Political, Military, and Mercantile Elite and their attendants, those who would never leave the comfort and security of the Upper Ring, even for such an occasion. Each one seemed better-dressed than the last, always playing the game of one-upmanship. Xia was not overly impressed with them. What she was impressed by were the Badger-moles.

Four of the great grey-and-brown beasts from the royal menagerie had been brought out, kept calm by handlers with bushels of roots and soothing tunes played by flutists. Xia wondered idly if they would dance...Wu had been fond of his dancing Badger-moles. Her uncle had seen them perform at the weak Prince's funeral. She sighed and stood as the others did, beaconing first to Aoki, and then towards where Caius sat further down, sharing a morsel of food with Sunset. She whistled two high-pitched notes and the golden serpent reluctantly scarfed down the last of it's meal and made it's way back to her shoulder. For the Earthbender, she gestured once again towards where her luggage was stacked overhead, indicating he should resume his task for her.

"Once more, and I can finally do away with this damned topknot." The Avatar whispered ruefully to Aoki beside her as she adjusted the hairpiece that held the aforementioned style in place, and made sure her scarves and emblems were rightly-positioned as well. A glance at her reflection in the window told her she looked sufficiently impressive, and she moved up to stand third-in-line to get off the train, allowing only Jon Li San and Prince Kito precedence over her.

[Ashen]

The conversation died down, and as the two women picked up with talks of travel and bending, Aoki let out a small breath. She noted Feng's surprise that she'd visited the Fire Nation, and she explained to her that that was the first place she'd visited, to prove to herself that they were people like any other, that the nation was peaceful, that what happened to her home had been an anomaly. She hadn't believed it when she'd set out, now years ago, and she wondered if she even believed it now. Avatar Feng mentioned making things right--no, making things balanced--but the promise fell to adamant ears. How could balance ever come to a world where a girl was raised not by her tribe but the world who'd stripped them from her? Feng's ideals were just that, pointless dreams that would never come to be, but Aoki kept silent, a polite smile bound to her features.

Aoki tried to distract herself with the new task at hand, the scroll she'd made herself from the one she couldn't afford. Feng was able to provide insight she'd never considered herself, and absently Aoki wondered what that was like, to know bending through instinct rather than study. Removing a quill from her bag, Aoki marked small corrections in the scroll, with Feng's help. The scroll was old now, a relic of sorts, but Aoki wanted it to be perfect when she showed her sister, and she happily listened to Feng offer her knowledge of the art. The Avatar really would be invaluable to her research, and Aoki had to admit, talking like this, despite the different between them, in their upbringings, in their abilities; the carefree air about their conversation reminded Aoki of how she talked to Ami, so long ago.

Before she knew it, their train was stopping again. When the vehicle stopped moving, Aoki looked out at the people who had gathered, the many earthbenders who had come to see the Avatar in their own ring, instead of fighting for her attention among the poorer citizens. These people screamed of their nobility, of their wealth, and Aoki shifted uncomfortably. She was suddenly aware of all the tears in her clothes she had not yet stitched, all the scuffs to her boots, even the flyaway hairs falling down her back. For a moment, she considered herself not even worthy to be standing in the inner ring, among people she had no business seeing. She cast a glance towards the Avatar's earthbending tutor, his simple garb, his carefree smile. Realizing she at least wasn't the worst dressed, Aoki stood from her seat and prepared to continue their adventure.

The animals here interested her, and she was sure to make mental note of them, their anatomy, their behaviors. Aoki was dying to write in her journals, but she would have to update them later, when all the energy died down. Her attention was pulled from the cute badgermoles when she noticed the Avatar's dragon return. Casting another glance towards Caius, who had already resumed his task, Aoki followed after the Avatar. She was surprised to hear of her discomfort with her own hair, and Aoki wondered how long before she had to present herself too, how long until she was wrapped prim and proper and uncomfortable, all to look whatever part the people needed her to look.

Avatar Feng had to go through her whole dance again, this time greeting the nobles in a more polished manner. Aoki thought she looked beyond irritated, but she kept up with the polite formalities. Aoki tried to stay in the shadows, not knowing how to interact with the gathered crowd and not wanting to offend anyone. She tried to hide herself until they started moving again, off to a new destination, hopefully closer to settling down and having that cup of tea with Feng.

Aoki had to admit, she didn't know where they were going. She silently followed behind Feng, listening to her off-hand comments and occasionally giggling at them. Seeing the girl so unamused with the fanfare somehow made Aoki feel more comfortable, and she was able to walk through the inner ring of Ba Sing Se with her chin held high. Eventually they arrived at a forest of a garden, filled to the brim with all types of fauna. Aoki couldn't help but be distracted by it all, the vibrant colors and the fortified stems, the buzzing insects and the singsong chimes of birds. Beyond the garden was a mansion, a palace--was this where they were to stay? She glanced towards Feng, a question in her eyes, but her attention was caught again by the flowers outside. The Water Tribe native was still caught off-guard by so much green, a scene her childhood was lacking. This was gorgeous, was overflowing beauty, and Aoki thought she might be able to sit in this garden and doodle what she saw for hours.

The scene was a shock to Cai too, and his mind wandered to the tiny apartment back in Omashu that he shared with his brother and his fiance. This manor was decorated with gardens and statues that would make anyone jealous. What better place for an Avatar to live? Cai thought to himself. He hefted Feng's chest again and started walking towards the manor. For even just today, he felt he was living a dream, and he could only look forward to seeing where this all lead him.