in the end it doesn't even matter

     The bow was a nice gesture, and Nina made sure to make note of it as she placed the apple in the stranger’s open palms with her own gloved hands. The introduction was a bit informal, but from his blue robes and bow, she figured he wasn’t from around here and took the chance to introduce herself with a smile. “Hello, Hahn,” She bowed, but not as deep as the stranger. “It is an honor to meet you. I am Nina the Flame.” After the introduction, she watched as Hahn picked up some fruits, unsure of their ripeness, and asked her how to tell which were best.

     She smiled, and gently placed her hand around the fruit he was holding in one hand, but not taking it from him. “With the passion fruit, you want to make sure it has a bit of give,” She applied a little pressure to the skin of the fruit. “And see here?” She circled a patch of wrinkles on the fruit with her pointer finger. “This means that it’s just beginning to become overripe. In a day or so it’ll be sweeter than the smoother kind.” She searched the bin for an example of a just ripened fruit, and showed it to him.

     “The colors on this one are the perfect purple. I happen to love to use these in cool flavored teas, especially in the heat of the summer.” She placed it down and moved out of the way for other patrons to view the fruits. “Passion fruits are a bit pricey, so make it count.” She winked and pulled a goji berry from her basket. “Goji berries are the best for ginger teas, and for snacking.” She popped on into her mouth, and watched as a few other people approached the stand and they started talking to the owner.

His eyes trailed after Nina's fingers, fair skin against deep purple. "Thank you," his eyes briefly returned to her features once more. He lapped up her advice like a parched traveler at an oasis, picking up another passion fruit. A gentle squeeze, a gingerly rotation of the fruit in his palm. “Perhaps you can teach me tea-making with these fruits too, next time,” he joked with a chuckle escaping his parted lips.

“You mentioned The Flame?" The name rang familiar in his mind, perhaps from a brief mention of them in the old tomes he'd read back when he was in the Northern Water Tribe, but he remembered little else. Hahn picked up another fruit, this one he recognized as a dragon fruit from his books. He passed his fruits to the shopkeeper to pull out his coin pouch. He prided himself as a voracious reader, but knowledge was a vast, infinite ocean, and even the largest waterskin had a limit to its capacity. For him, some books must have slipped through the cracks between his fingers. And some books may have become outdated and obsolete in the time they'd been written to now, he'd learnt.

     “Nice jab. Didn’t work, cause I’m not a hypocrite. I stand by my words and hardly contradict myself.“ Toph raised one brow, though much more than often she more forceful ways to be expressive. Her facial features were easily disregarded by simple people who saw her for her blind eyes. This man was no exception, his previously thrown pebble at her clearly showing how much he was worth her attention. Yet, this was the most interesting thing that had happened to her for the day. She wondered if this little confrontation would turn into a full-blown deathmatch with words. Katara was usually much better with words, but Toph knew how to throw sarcastic little vipers at people.

     Toph waved her hand, disregarding his attempt of a joke. “Clearly you’re not funny as well.“ she paused, smirking. “But you’re right. You don’t owe me anything. That’s the best way to escape responsibility and hide your thoughts for whatever reason. At least speak them out bravely instead of hiding behind honor, a well-poised stoic, and a condescending look.” Yeah, Toph could see his expression through her Seismic Sense and she was going to tell if he lied about anything that would follow. “At least tell me which Nation you hail from so I can adjust my jabs accordingly. You sound like a spoiled Fire Nation Royalty kid at first sense.“

Hahn could just roll his eyes for eternity at the girl. Not only did she lack any self-awareness at her own flaws,—he supposed despite all her earthbending skills, it couldn't help her there—she also seemed to lack in other areas he didn’t feel particularly inclined to unpack. For one, he hadn’t meant to be funny, he had just wanted to get him off her back. But it seemed that all of it had gone over her head, and he still had to deal with this pesky devil’s spawn, who was somehow blind but still able to see. Perhaps it was that earth bending skills of hers... maybe the tremors from the ground? Did shifts in facial muscles even affect the ground that way? Whatever it was, he muttered inwardly, if she had been under him during his time in the army, he would've charged her with insubordination and kicked her out of his section at the first opportunity. Dealing with disobedience did little for his health, and he'd much rather waste his energy on something better.

sargeant in the water tribe army wasn’t exactly an overwhelming accomplishment to her. the fire navy had practically crushed the southern water tribe, and the northern tribe hadn’t been involved in any major battles in the sea to her memory, none that were talked about in the earth kingdom anyway. as far as she knew, the only time the northern water tribe really got involved was on their own land, which had been deemed impossible to reach until the attack on the moon. rumor had that battle ending with the avatar saving everyone’s asses.

smellerbee didn’t know what she was listening for, what part of his qualifications would believe he was worth propping up. part of her wanted to hear the kinds of things jet used to say. that he had no mercy. that he’d do whatever it took. that he understood pain and he knew how to inflict it back. smellerbee also knew that jet was no peacetime hero. the things she valued in him were not what would make a good leader here, they had a different place in the world. she needed to hear something jet wouldn’t do. and jet wouldn’t give one shit about securing anything but fear in the hearts of the fire nation.

she met his eye and tried to really feel out his faith in this idea. “i hate the fire nation. i can’t help you make the fire nation love you, but i can help make your path a little clearer. you saw the council, the ruling class here wants things exactly how they were with ozai. they’re not going to listen to anyone who won’t let them collect extra taxes and burn down towns for fun. not unless they’re scared and think you’re the only way to end that fear.”

Hahn thought she didn't particularly seem convinced, but maybe she was just hard to read. Either way, he felt that maybe he shouldn't have wasted his breath, or maybe he shouldn't have even approached her at all. After all, she was still young, from the looks of it-- was it silly to have blind faith in a child? But then again, weren't they all children, to some degree? The Fire Lord that sat on the throne now, the Avatar... and even him. What could their little experience afford them? How could they possibly know how to deal with the unprecedented fallout of a millennium-long war?

He weighed her words as he pieced together his own. He knew it would be difficult to strike a balance between being the savior for the aristocrats and a champion for the working class, not especially if they were fundamentally so at odds, but maybe there was a way to somehow unite them all. If he was being honest, that was probably the part that was the haziest of all in his plans: it had been an unexpected curveball to learn that the commoners hadn't been a fan of Ozai (why hadn't they revolted earlier?), and Hahn had been spending the past days figuring out how to piece things together. But he was working on it.

Open Starter! Time: a day or two after the public forum Location: Caldera City street vendor

     As the sun peeked over the eastern crater walls of Caldera City, Nina shuffled through the early morning crowds towards her favorite produce stand. She stood out amongst the flood of dusty red commoners; her robes were the finest she owned, the silk fabric depicting red flowers with black branches against a white background. She admired the attention to detail in every petal, and found the gown to be the only one suitable for her plans that day: She would make breakfast fruit tarts for her fellow Ladies of Fire, then visit the Royal Palace where she had requested an audience with the Fire Lord himself. She had found the idea preposterous at first, when the other Flames proposed the idea. He was swamped with other tasks, she was sure, but the others used their leverage to have the meeting come to fruition. This was going to be the most important day of her life.

     She rose early that morning to get dressed, do her makeup (red eyelids, eyebrows, and lips), and decorate her hair with a red flower kanzashi and two symmetrical fire crest hair pins. After the hour or so it took her to get all of that done, she dressed in her robes and headed out the door. Baking had become a comforting act to her, and now more than ever she needed to relieve some of the pressure building up inside her. The vendor she always went to knew her after the 6 or so years she had been coming to him for fruits. He no longer gawked at the traditional Flame regalia she always wore, but others on the streets sometimes couldn’t help but stare. Newcomers and strangers to the niche Ladies of Fire culture always seemed to follow the ladies with their eyes, and Nina felt the familiar sensation coming from right behind her. She kept a calm composure, bought the produce she needed, and turned to the stranger. 

     “Would you care for an apple?” She held out the red fruit. “I promise it’s one of the best you’ll find in the city. I’ve been coming to this stand for years, and it’s the only one I trust for the best quality.”

Hahn hadn't meant to stare, but the lady's elaborate finery did little to dampen his curiosity-- he hadn't seen anything quite so beautiful that demanded both awe and respect. Somehow, he’d never thought of beauty in that way: it had always seemed so at odds with the kind of respect he’d known, one born of intimidation and power. Beauty was supposed to be graceful, fragile, and yet it struck differently this time.

Before he knew it, she'd turned around to meet his gaze, taking him aback slightly. Her make up was... different, yet to him it was somewhat reminiscent of the Kyoshi Warriors. Perhaps it was their power that came from grace, one that he’d given little thought to initially. Or perhaps it was the reds on their eyes, but he had little time to ponder further. Instead, her offer caught him off guard, and he found himself stumbling for words, "S-sure, thank you," he bowed deeply, before offering both palms to accept the gift.

Suki pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that.” She and Zuko were exactly close. Sure, she’d managed to push her minor personal grudge against him to the side sort of, but to think that they’d ever confide in each other for anything would be a bit of a stretch. “I guess you could consider us co-workers, to an extent.” It seemed to be the closest word to come to mind, in regards to their relationship, resulting in a small chuckle.

She was lost in her thoughts, humming softly against her lips without notice. It wasn’t until she’d heard an abrupt sound come from the other. Suki stopped in place as she turned towards him, eyes wide with worry. Was it something she said? Studying his face, it appeared as if he’d suddenly fallen ill. As to what it was, Suki had no clue. Instead, she was only able to offer an awkward chuckle at the excuse of excitement. 

In no time, he had rushed ahead of her towards the restaurant. Offering a polite smile, she thanked him with a small nod of her head before walking in towards an open table. As she did so, Suki couldn’t help but feel a bit off put by his comment referring to himself as a commoner. Once sat, she began to respond once more. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Hahn. Perhaps you can all meet another time, then.” Seeing as they’d already come this far. They were quickly greeted by a server who promptly took their order. Suki had gone with the recommended house dumplings and tea.

“So, what brings you out to the Fire Nation?”

"Sure... All in due time I suppose," Hahn laughed it off, tugging the hem of his sleeve. He found refuge in the menu as the server approached, ensconced from her preposterous ideas of him having a meal with Sokka and Katara. If his prior encounter with Katara earlier that day was anything to go by... the palpable awkwardness might be more than he was able to swallow. And with Sokka... who knows what kind of fists he'd need to throw to protect himself from that disturbed child. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. No matter, he wouldn't think more of it unless the possibility became truth. "I'll have the seafood dumplings with chamomile tea, please and thank you," he said as he gave a small bow of the head to the waiter.

He returned his attention to Suki. "Ah, well I heard the coronation was not something to be missed," he shrugged, "so why not? It would be my first time stepping on Fire Nation land, anyway. I'm assuming you too? Or do you live here now?" He toyed with the bottles of condiments at the side of the table, observing the viscous flow of the dark liquid in one of them. The coronation definitely wasn't a disappointment, though. He'd only briefly stayed by to look, but the grandiose palace, coupled with the performative firebending that was on display did steal his breath away. It was tempting to think about how the coronation would look like if he was Fire Lord. (Would he get benders from both the Fire Nation and Water Tribe? It would be a rather ironic union of the two elements, but it would be beautiful, no?) But he knew it didn't do well to dwell too much on ifs.

smellerbee ran her tongue along the side of her mouth over her teeth, considering. he stood like rich people, and he talked like rich people, but he was saying things she could get behind. whether or not it was him personally who sat on the throne, the idea of putting someone who wasn’t from the fire nation on that pedestal sounded pretty nice to her. and wouldn’t that just be poetic justice? a hundred years spent destroying nations, wiping out the air benders, burning down the earth kingdom, and driving away the water benders only to be ruled over by another nation themselves for a hundred years.

the only problem was he didn’t have any more real backing than she did if the northern water tribe wasn’t in support of dethroning lee. she crossed her arms over her chest and drummed her fingers against her dark shirt. his people might get involved. and might was the best odds she’d heard in a while.

“i take politics personally, especially when it concerns rich men in tall towers making decisions without considering the rest of the world. i think zuko is a liar and he can’t be trusted to hold true to a decision.” she let out a long, slow breath, considering her next options. he needed allies in the city. so did she. if smellerbee intended to play this damn political game, she was going to need political allies like hahn with funds and positions and the ability to sound like he knew what he was saying in a court room. “i’m invested in putting a better person in power, and i don’t think there are good people in the fire nation. doesn’t mean you’re the right man for the job either. what makes you qualified for ruling this place?”

Hahn had learnt that if you let your emotions ride you, you might get pushed off the edge. Quite literally, in his case. It sounded like Smellerbee had a personal vendetta against the Fire Lord, letting it drive her. But what right did he have to judge? He was probably the same when he was her age. So he put the thought on the back burner, turning his focus on her question instead.

He let out a mirthless chuckle. "Well, for starters, I used to be a sergeant in the army. I know what it’s like to lead, what it’s like to make difficult decisions, and most importantly," he paused, more for effect than anything, "I know what it’s like to make the wrong ones and not crumble under them." He’d been a wreck for the first few days after his failed mission, sure, but who wouldn’t if they’d lost everything? At least he knew how to brush the dust off his knees and come back stronger. Most people were weak, held back by their regrets. Hahn? He had his fair share of them, but he was never going to let them control him, try as they might.

"They," he gestured backwards to where the pair came from, "think it’s easy. Make some noise, and at best the Fire Lord listens to their pleas."

"At worst, create a power vacuum, put a new face up there," he sneered, pointing a finger in the general direction of the palace, "and everything is okay. Perhaps it will be, for awhile. But it’s a cycle. Wait until Ozai’s old followers come back, stronger. Wait until they demand more, stage another coup. What happens then?"

      Qin Lee didn’t really care that the stranger didn’t hear him on the protest. Actually, that was even better, there was no need for any unwanted enemies now that the former soldier wanted anything but that. Yet, the man before him was bitter tongued, precisely of what Qin couldn’t pinpoint. The unfamiliar’s face was bringing up old memories in his brain but it was as if a dark shroud was covering the circumstances around their meeting. Perhaps he saw the man in his many travels around the villages or the Earthen Kingdoms. Maybe he was leading a bit of a more adventurous lifestyle too until he mentioned it. The Northern Water Tribe. That’s when the shroud dispersed and allowed his guilt to overwhelm him.

      He remembered it all too well. The generals’ plan was to make the Northern Tribe bend their knee, yet the ultimate felony they did was kill the moon spirit. Qin remembered all too well the sky turning red as the moon vanished from existence, the fire burning in his veins as he was fighting for his life from Water Tribe fleet invaders, burning in him. He never wanted to hurt those men and, then, a little part of him was happy some of them were able to escape. “Beg my pardon.” Qin apologized. “I’m Qin Lee.” The soldier extended his hand to greet the man, guilt on his eyes and the bittersweet taste of attempted redemption on his lips.

     “Yes. They want transparency and representation. They are done being stomped on by corrupt Fire Lords and bloodlines.“ Qin looked at Hahn with a questionable gaze. What was he doing here? “Only time would tell if anything will be reaped from this protest. I do agree that people from all Nations would want representation before the crime-filled Royal Palace. Let’s just say the Fire Lord has a lot to think about.“

well, dethroning the fire lord was a platform she could get behind. if she had time, maybe she’d unpack all the complex emotion she had mixed up with lee, now zuko, and the death of one of her best friends, practically the only family she had left, the hate for the fire nation, and the fall of ba sing se. but she didn’t have time. “hahn, we have something to talk about then.”

the freedom fighters moved quickly, and they walked away from the crowds, into back alleys and the shade cast by tall buildings. the group fanned out, one going up onto a roof, the others taking relaxed positions near entrances to streets. a series of short whistles signaled to her that they were watching for those ears. it looked like a well organized operation. the truth of it was they just had a small, elite team here. smellerbee walked slowly with hahn, hands moving to her hips and away from her weapons. “so, water tribe doesn’t like the fire lord sitting in the big chair either, or is it just you?”

it wasn’t exactly a secret in ba sing se that the dai li had flipped on the city and joined with the princess. trusting governments to get things done hadn’t really worked out for them. she wasn’t sure she wanted to get mixed up with a force like the northern water tribe who avoided the war as long as possible. who knew what would happen if it got dicey here, they may just retreat to their ice covered lands again and wait for the earth kingdom to solve the problem.

He watched Smellerbee's team move into the shadows swiftly, somewhat impressed. Did the Water Tribe hate the new Fire Lord? He doubted it-- they probably couldn't care less, as long as they were served the justice they deemed necessary. They hadn't even stuck around for the other nations when it came down to it, simply hiding behind their shiny ice walls that they'd rebuilt after the siege; they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Perhaps it was a Northern Water Tribe thing, this selfishness that ran deep in his own blood.

But telling her the truth would mean he’d lose any appearance of political authority. Whether it existed was an entirely different matter altogether, but he didn’t want to outright lie to her. It was too dangerous. A short hum escaped his lips as he weighed his words. "It's personal," he said, turning to look down at what little light reflected off his boots, "but I'm planning on making it political."

smellerbee had weapons on her now; two swords over her shoulders, and a knife strapped to her leg. it was like it was harder to walk without the weight of steel somewhere on her frame that was easy access. she’d been at war ever since she was born, she was comfortable when she was ready for a fight. politicians fought differently, uncomfortably, and without open combat. but just because she was in the city fighting a politician’s game didn’t mean she had forgotten the feeling of someone coming up behind her. her fingertips rested on the pommel of her knife. 

blue wasn’t the color she expected to see when she turned around, much less a water tribe man. she knew there were plenty of people from other nations in the city right now, but if anyone was going to come up to her, she had expected it to be some fire nation guard with a desire to silence her. her eyes went up and down, taking in his size, where she’d kick first, the obvious soldier’s build he had, where he might be keeping weapons in his finery. “smellerbee, these are my freedom fighters.” she moved her off hand to gesture to the people behind her, “who’re you, and what does the water tribe need from us?” the freedom fighters were always an us, never a her.

Hahn eyed the hand she had on the leg, clearly at the ready anytime the situation turned sour. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to play with fire without a way to put it out, but he didn't intend to let it grow into an unruly blaze. In any case, he supposed it was only further incentive to make sure this didn't end up in either of their bloods being drawn. As though to convey his innocuous reasons for being here, he clasped his hands in front of him, in the open for her to see. "Well met," he said as he gave a quick nod to the rest of the freedom fighters.

The young man’s short responses and drawn-out silences had their intended effect on Katara, who awkwardly shifted her stance. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that he was purposefully trying to rid himself of her. But that was silly… right? She had been nothing but pleasant, and it wasn’t like he was harboring some deep-seated grudge against her—being a total stranger and all. Either way, she couldn’t help but feel as awkward as she did the day before when she had tried to keep up a conversation with Zuko’s girlfriend, Mai, and had explained that Aang had been eating a bowl of raw lettuce because it was a “monk thing” before rushing off to potentially find him something “less leafy.” (Definitely not one of Katara’s finest moments…)

Forcing herself to keep her smile from slipping, the waterbender decided it was as good a time as any to take her leave and try to locate her friends. After all, the protesters were all gone. Her job here was done—not that she had really done much outside of sit and listen to the protesters speak, mind you. “Well, I should probably be heading back.” She gestured vaguely away from the Palace grounds. “I hope the rest of your stay here in the Fire Nation isn’t as… eventful as today has been, and that you get to actually enjoy it,” she stated, truly meaning the sentiment despite how awkward she now felt. “Oh, and do try those scallops if you get the chance!”

With one last friendly grin and a small wave, Katara turned away from the Northern Water Triber, her feet swiftly carrying her away. It wasn’t until she was safely around a corner, letting out a sigh of relief that she had escaped the awkward silence without saying anything too embarrassing, that she realized that he hadn’t even told her his name.

The town hall meeting had been much more... civil than he'd expected, considering the uproar that had been the protests only a few days ago. But he supposed that most of them had gotten that rage out of the system, dust settling to reveal a much more docile demeanor that was at the core of these people. He had to give it to the Fire Lord, too-- the latter had been quick to pacify the bubbling turmoil beneath the city, but Hahn certainly hoped that this forum wouldn't be all that the people needed to continue sucking their thumbs as they continued moving to the humdrum of their regular lives. No, he wanted them to nurse the fire inside them that had been awakened, let the flames lick all that they speak and touch.

So when Hahn saw the girl who'd spoken up against the Fire Lord with a vehemence that struck his soul, there was no hesitance in his footing as he made his way to her petite frame. His gait was careful; he didn't want to seem like he was ambushing her little team. Not when she'd called themselves fighters. He'd barely caught on to the last of her address to her team when he made his presence known, though he was certain she'd already sensed it when he was approaching. "Quite a speech earlier," Hahn said, the corner of his lips upturned, "I'm impressed."

Such an honor to meet an extremely skilled waterbender like her? Katara felt like he was laying it on a bit thick… but then again, maybe he just had an overly enthusiastic personality. (She’d give him the benefit of the doubt.) Feeling awkward at the gushing praise, she simply smiled in return. “Um… thanks. Calling it an ‘honor’ may be pushing it, though,” she confessed with a laugh. “There are just as skilled waterbenders in the Northern Water Tribe, if not more.” Sure, Katara was proud of her waterbending; her skills had come a long way in the years since she had left the Southern Water Tribe to travel with Aang. However, she would never be one to brag about her abilities—especially to a stranger. Besides, Katara had just as many non-bender friends who could hold their own equally as well in a fight. Her brother Sokka, for instance. 

Speaking of Sokka… “From what I saw during my time there, the Northern Water Tribe had extremely skilled warriors, too. My older brother trained with them for a bit.” The young man before her certainly looked like he could be a warrior, but Katara refrained from flat-out asking out of fear that she would unintentionally insult him. The Northern Water Tribe, though in many ways similar to her own tribe, had some fairly antiquated notions about things like who could learn to fight. Perhaps there was some (stupid) law that commoners, as he claimed to be himself, could not be warriors? After all, before she had come along, women couldn’t learn to use waterbending for fighting.

As he gestured out toward the palace grounds, Katara turned her gaze away from the young man to survey their surroundings. In the short timeframe of their interaction, the final remaining stragglers had departed from the scene. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened. Only the Fire Nation Royal Palace remained, as imposing a figure as ever against the horizon, sunlight glittering across its rooftop tiles. “He has a hard job ahead of him,” she agreed. “I certainly don’t envy his position.” But though she felt a kinship towards this stranger because he was Water Tribe, Katara wouldn’t say more about the newly crowned Fire Lord. After all, there had just been a massive protest that called out his actions—or perceived lack thereof. Shooting a pleasant smile back at her companion, she steered the conversation into safer waters. “I hope you got the chance to enjoy the coronation celebrations, at least. Did you happen to try the bacon-wrapped scallops? The seafood is surprisingly good here.”

“Of course,” Hahn nodded at the mention of the Northern waterbenders, letting out a nervous laugh. Okay, perhaps his effusive manner had been a bit much, but at least she hadn’t said anything about it. At most, she’d probably think he was an obsessive fanboy, which wasn’t that bad. At least it would have the desired effect of scaring her away without him actually having to scare her anyway, so he’d call it a small victory, misconceptions about his true emotions be damned-- she’d probably be kinder to him if she thought he had an unrequited crush anyway.

Not that he hated her, though. Perhaps there was a tinge of jealousy, if he ever decided to be honest with his emotions, but apart from that, he didn’t think he had any particular strong feelings towards her. Just a preference for zero interaction with the war heroes, please and thank you; they reminded him too much of his own pains. It was nice to know that Katara actually knew the bounds of her own capabilities, though, unlike that nut-brained boy she called her older brother. Her maturity exceeded his by leaps and bounds, it was honestly a surprise to Hahn that they were related at all, much less that she was the younger of the two.

At the mention of her brother training with his army, Hahn could only offer a tight-lipped smile. “The warriors were definitely skilled, I knew some personally.” He couldn’t stop the small sense of pride blooming, flowers finding homes in the cracks of his ventricles, knowing that he’d had a hand at training some of their finest warriors. Knowing he had been one of them, even if it had only been for a blip on the grand scale of things. Even if some of the petals were tinged with sadness.

     Though she could not see the pebble, Toph immediately raised her hand to take control of it and proceed to play with it by making it dance in her palm. So the stranger liked to bite, huh? Well, Beifong liked to ravage. “It’s called conjoining and being one with your element. I’m an earthbender, hence all this fire and heat unsettles me and makes stuff… well boring!” she threw the pebble at the stranger, making it go right past his ear. She wasn’t in the mood to listen about the spirits. Twinkle Toes always rambled about them anyway, she didn’t need another lecture. “The spirits gave me bending and here I am. Fifteen and already mastering earth and metalbending, helped the Avatar kick ass with rocks, was part in defeating Ozai and, well, obviously helped save the world. Not that I’m bragging.” She pointed her head towards the direction of the unfamiliar. “What did you do in your ‘oh so mature life’ beside whining?”

     She furrowed her eyebrows. Toph was not stupid and knew that everybody suffered from inner turmoils in today’s world, even herself. Sarcasm wasn’t going to fix the situation and the stranger obviously allowed rage to overwhelm him more than reason. Toph was kinda guilty of that too. She raised a little wall to block the young man from moving forward, bending it away after she rushed to catch up to him. “I might be blind, but I’ve seen the cruelty of the world as well. Seems like you like to jump to conclusions.“ She crossed her hands and pointed her milky gaze towards him. There was something odd about his presence that she couldn’t quite put her inger on and the tremors of the earth didn’t help her much. “Why do you have to be so negative?“

He was jumping to conclusions now? Hahn scoffed. "If you want to call people out on their flaws," he turned his back to the wall she had just erected, eyes now on her, "best make sure you aren't being a hypocrite." He had intended to ignore her jabs, even if they had hurt, but she was doing a darn good job getting on his nerves. He let his eyes drift skywards as he focused on his breathing; he had already let his emotions take over him and that was his first mistake. He had to be in control.

He watched the whites meet blues, tracing  whorls of drifting clouds as he felt the tension in his body release. This girl--his eyes flicked to her-- felt like a splinter, and it had only been a minute of meeting her. He had probably been too quick to throw his emotions into the mix of his reaction, and now he was paying for it. Old habits die hard, he supposed, and his old habits might just be the thing to put him in his grave. It didn't mean he wouldn't stop trying to kick them, though. Consider it a metamorphosis-- slow, but possible in the natural order of things.

Location: Caldera City Time: A day after the City Hall meeting        - Opened for anyone -

     Toph had her hands extended and waving helplessly, wandering around the streets of Caldera City and bumping lightly into strangers. Muffled and innocent ‘I’m sorry’ escaped her lips each time she did it, a secret smirk harboring inside her conscience. Today was one of those boring days. She had nothing to do, Sparky was probably doing some boring Fire Lord stuff, Twinkle Toes was probably meditating at some boring cliff and Katara and Sokka probably still slept… boringly. Toph wasn’t sure if Suki would be around, the Kyoshi Warriors were usually early birds.

     “Oof, I’m sorry,“ she said to a stranger who she sensed turning around on his heels after their collision.

     “Be careful, stupid girl!“ he said, a flick of her finger enough for him to stumble on his feet when he later continued down the path, kissing the ground. “I guess pretending to be helpless can also turn out to be boring.“ She turned to the feeling of presence beside her. “Are you gonna bore me as well? Let’s do something fun for once after this hell of protests and political issues. We can throw pebbles at squirrels or go find a mud or a swamp and go soak ourselves in!“

"Your child-like joys are absolutely envious," Hahn drawled, tossing a pebble he'd just picked up in her direction. He wondered how old she was-- she barely looked fourteen, but he was never one to be good with guessing ages, anyway. He shook his head, watching the man she'd just tripped throw a vexed stare backwards. "The spirits give you bending, and you use it to do this," Hahn muttered, face contorting in distaste. He could still remember the bitter taste on his tongue when he'd learnt that he wasn't a water bender. That he wasn't special. That he wasn't part of them. He could still hear the benders' taunts echo between walls, smell their disdain permeating the growing distance between them, feel their feelings of superiority burning against his back.

He remembered the way his childhood had been ripped through the middle, a timeline split at that point of discovery. Two distinct pieces, damaged beyond repair, never to be made a whole again. And in the same way, the fact of his existence stripped the world bare before his eyes, revealing the horrors of humanity, and stealing his innocent belief in the capacity to be good. A sorrow passed through him at the memories.

Suki nodded at the question. “In the Fire Nation, citizens usually don red attire, much like you wear blue in the Water Tribes— though I’m sure that much you probably already know. The same goes for palace guards.” She was certain that she was oversharing, but it was a quality she’d happened to pick up from her grandmother overtime. Rather than scare the man (something she believed to have already done moments prior), Suki wanted to make him feel at ease while showing him around. “I don’t work for the Fire Lord, no. But I happened to fight alongside him once or twice.” 

Hearing what little the other new about Kyoshi Island, Suki was actually a bit surprised. All this time she believed that they were a small island that no one really spoke much of. But perhaps the creatures which resided in their shores was enough to attract attention from water tribes of both poles. Just the thought cause her to smile to herself with pride in her home. Just thinking back to her hometown, she dearly missed the taste of freshly caught seafood, prepared to perfection by her grandparents. But as she still hadn’t tasted anything similar, she opted to offer the next best thing in the Fire Nation. “I’m still familiarizing myself with the restaurants here, but there’s a pretty good dumpling place nearby if you’d like to try it out.”

She began to walk forward, but at a slow enough pace that he wouldn’t fall behind or get lost. “I’m Suki! But my friends are Sokka and Katara.” Another proud smile made itself a home on her lips as she spoke of her friends with glee. “I would think they’re pretty famous for traveling with the Avatar, but they’re both very talented in their own rights.” Sokka had come a long way as a warrior since his first arrival on Kyoshi Island, while Katara had become a master in Water Bending. “And yours? Maybe we can all go for dumplings and you can bond over reuniting with fellow Water Tribe members!”

Like a sponge in water, Hahn took everything in, nodding along as he sealed every bit of information in his memory. He may have been trying to gather intel, but he couldn’t help but let a little of the child-like curiosity of his bask in the warmth of knowledge. “The Fire Lord must trust you a lot then.”

“Well, lead the way, madame.” he said, and with an extravagant flourish of his hand and a deep bow, he gestured in the completely wrong direction.

Her excitement was palpable, even with the flurry of tastes and smells that were attacking his senses as they walked down the street full of shops stocking teas, confectionery and other delicacies. It would probably have been nice to listen to her (almost like taking a warm bath after a long day out in the cold, he thought), had she not been talking about Katara and Sokka. Especially Sokka. He tried his best to keep his smile from turning into a frown, but his muscles were straining against his conscious effort. He settled for pressing his lips into a thin line instead— hopefully she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice.

He was about to give his name, when he choked on the expletives that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat, hacking and coughing as he tried to regain his grip on the astral plane. At least it wasn’t a dumpling, he muttered inwardly, a surly expression beginning to spread across his face. Have a meal... together? His head tilted skywards, throat still raw, curses now befalling the spirits instead. Were they really that cruel? Was there somehow no other Southern Water Tribe people in this universe that people knew?

Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her, but this stranger seemed to be glancing at her more than the average person. Was there something on her face? A stain on her gown? With a slight frown, Suki took a glance down at herself, but couldn’t find anything unusual. Her head cocked sideways with concern and confusion as she tried to think up possible scenarios. 

Was it her uniform that scared him, perhaps? It wasn’t everyday that one saw warriors outside of the palace— not Kyoshi Warriors, anyway. And even if that were the case, she hadn’t done anything that warranted him to feel afraid…did she? Unless…was he guilty of something? Suki slowly returned another glance over at the stranger just as he began to speak. Instantly, she was filled with regret for ever doubting his innocence.

“Water Tribe, huh?” She replied with a toothy grin. “I’ve got a few friends from the Southern Water Tribe, maybe you know them.” Her words were very light and she was practically singing at the thought of Sokka. Even if this person had no idea who he or Katara were, Suki felt that it’d be a disservice to not assist one of their nation’s people.  

“It’s actually no problem at all! I’m not even an official guard of the palace.” Suki admitted to the other with a shoo of her hand. “Just helping out the new Fire Lord for the day…I guess, something like doing a favor for a friend?” The last word was spoken very quietly and with much hesitance. “And I’m generally just around to help anyone who needs it. But if you’re looking to go anywhere specifically, I think I’ve gotten familiar enough with the grounds to escort you there.” 

Hahn had half-expected her smile to look jarring against her rather intimidating makeup. Except, when she flashed him a wide grin, expectations melted into a reality of a different plane, and he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that it was kind of charming. He felt himself return the smile without any effort of his own, muscles crinkling the outer corners of his eyes. The thought sent a momentary pulse of what he could only describe as guilt coursing through him for his deceit, and his smile fell, but he easily threw up a bulwark around his heart before that pulse could reach the beating organ. A necessary evil, he chanted quietly, and it was simply a small lie. He was sure he’d done worse things. Or he’d be doing worse things... to her. Hahn pushed the sullying thoughts away, his attention returning to the present.

“Oh, so the palace guards are different?” Hahn probed, “Do you usually not work for the Fire Lord, then?” He knew little of the Kyoshi Warriors beyond what he’d read in history books, so it was little wonder that he was already working to mine information out of her. “Well, I’ve heard about the giant lake, but not much beyond that,” he hummed in thought, tapping his finger against his chin, “Hungry? What about one of your favourite places to eat?”