Big Booty Bitches {Told you I would}

[Fateful]

For roughly a week, the four of them had traveled without incident. They slept in shifts, with at least one person awake while the others slept. More often than not, Jet always took first watch, and there were nights when he let the others sleep almost the entire evening. Jet never woke Suyin during the night to take a watch, but if she was awake, he would let her stand guard while he rested. The normal schedule was for them to eat, the others to sleep while Jet stayed watch, then he would wake Longshot, who would stand watch until dawn. Smellerbee complained the first day, but her complaints soon faded when Jet had her scout during the day and find them food later in the evening.

If there was one thing that Jet was skilled in, it was delegation. He knew strengths, weaknesses, and knew how to overcome the weaknesses of those with him. For example, he often had Suyin butcher and cook the meat when they had a successful hunt. In the past week, they’d had meat on an average of every other night: fish, boar-deer, even a rabbit-hen. Most of the food was eaten between the four of them in a single sitting, or the next day for breakfast.

Although Jet sometimes helped in hunts, he was always last to eat. Smellerbee and Longshot didn’t argue with him. They always made plates and started eating without question. Sometimes one of them would make a plate for Suyin. After three days, she was likely so hungry from running all day that she didn’t complain about eating with the other tree. Jet would eat what was left, and on the rare occurrence there wasn’t anything, he didn’t complain.

Luckily, the nights were warm and they didn’t need a fire all through the night. It helped them stay hidden.


When Jet did sleep, he slept well. Better than he had in years, perhaps because he finally had his purpose back, or perhaps because this was the most active he had been in years. It felt good to be actively doing something that wasn’t training. He tried to wake whenever the sun rose, but neither Smellerbee or Longshot would wake him. They would let him naturally rise on their own, and they would pack and leave, usually while Jet was eating. He would give them instructions in the morning, where they were going, how far he hoped to get, and if they had to do anything that day, like find water.

On the ninth day, Jet woke up a little after dawn. He drank the rest of the water in his canteen and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. They were near a river and all of them had bathed the night before. He walked to it to fill more water. The water smelled clean here and he recognized some of the flowers. They were close to the freedom fighter camp. He remembered walking through these woods years before.

He remembered a lot of things that choice had caused him.

As he filled his canteen, he thought about the Freedom Fighters, how he found each one of them and figured out which weapon suited each of them best. He smiled. It had been years since he had been so nostalgic. Maybe it was his return home, but it could also be the familiar smells and sounds of charted territory.

He didn’t need a map.

He returned to the campsite with all the canteens filled. The others were awake by now. “We’re going to keep heading east all day today.” He told them, sitting down on a rock. He didn’t have a shirt on, as it was too warm for him to sleep with it on. “After we reach the Nettle bridge, we’re going to head north a ways.” These were landmarks for the Freedom Fighters, they had unique names for a lot of things.

As they went through the Earth Kingdom, Jet had started to teach Suyin things, what plants were poisonous, what ones she could eat if she was sick, what roots she could chew if she could dig up and suck on if she was thirsty. They had gotten a few of those roots a day or so ago, just to be safe. The heat meant they went through water more quickly.

Jet stood up and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on. “Whenever you’re ready to go.”

The other three were eating breakfast, leftover porcupine-hog from the night before. The quills made for good weapons and writing utensils, but the meat was savory and tasted amazing. It was considered a delicacy in the Earth Kingdom. It wasn’t an easy animal to bring down.

There was some left overs, but Jet was waiting as usual. It had happened more than once that Longshot or Smellerbee had taken more if they were still hungry. Suyin was encouraged to do the same. When Longshot got up and left to scout ahead, Jet started to eat breakfast with a knife he pulled from his belt. They didn’t have forks, so he did a lot of cutting and eating off of a blade.

[belated valentine]

As they trekked through the Earth Kingdom, Suyin was curious and cautious at the same time. There was so much there that was different than what she was used to, and the differences only grew as they wandered further into the wild. She saw flowers and plants she'd never seen before. Animals too. But one of the smallest yet most notable things - at least to her - was the smell. The Fire Nation had a smokey-ness to it, as strange as that sounded. It was similar to the smell of burning wood, except not strong. It was more subtle and comforting. She actually missed it a lot. Here in the Earth Kingdom it smelled greener - obviously - and a little bit like dirt? It wasn't a bad smell, it just didn't smell like home to her.

Her least favorite part was butchering the meat. Back home she'd had a komodo-dog and the catch she had been forced to chop up last night had looked oddly similar to it. She was never much of a meat girl. She ate it, but she never really thought about where and how it'd come into her meal. Nor did she care.

The food however, after it was cooked, tasted pretty good. She was surprised. For something that was cooked out in the wild on a random pile of sticks, over a tiny fire, was actually not too bad. She hadn't used her firebending too often in the last week or so as they traveled, so the closest she got to feeling it again was when she got to help start the fire. Often, she was afraid to firebend as she was afraid of getting ambushed, even though she was pretty sure there weren't any people - aside from them - for miles. Suyin was pretty sure there were still a lot of Earth Kingdom citizens who hated the Fire Nation, and she didn't want to get caught up in that. But her body yearned for it, to produce fire. As odd as it sounded. There was a sort of tension inside her that wished to be released.

The thought of meeting up with the rest of the freedom fighters - who all likely had a distaste for the fire nation - scared her. She knew that she was going to be unliked and it wasn't comforting. Hopefully the stay would be super temporary and she could maybe eventually go home. Although she was still likely to face punishment for trying to assassinate the fire lord. So really, she wasn't in the greatest situation at the game.

Still, she had gotten pretty used to being with Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot. With the exception of Jet, she was almost entirely comfortable with the other two. There was something about them that really was nice. Sometimes Jet too, but sometimes he did scare her.

As they all gathered for breakfast, she was eager to join in. Even though porcupine-hog wasn't the greatest meal, it was still pretty delicious and she was grateful for the food. She gathered with the rest, and she proceeded to eat slowly. "How long until we get there?"

[Fateful]

It wouldn’t be long before they were reunited with the other freedom fighters now. A few days at the least and a week at the most. If they kept up the pace they had been at since splitting with Aang and Toph, then the four of them would more than likely arrive in three days time.

“Probably three, four days.” Jet answered as he picked up his weapons and the pack he carried. Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee had always traveled light. It was hard to obsess over possessions and things when you really didn’t have any. They had their weapons and one another, and that had kept them alive this long without (much) conflict.

Once they were ready to move, Jet walked at the back, letting Longshot scout out front. He told them what direction they were headed for, and a general direction was all any Freedom Fighter needed. Jet didn’t normally give too many instructions. He didn’t see the point in such things. If he gave them too much information, mistakes could follow. So, he was intentionally vague to protect from them being overheard and to keep things simple.

Longshot lead them off and Smellerbee wasn’t too far behind him. Suyin was behind her, but at a distance of maybe thirty yards. Jet lingered to ensure no one was tracking them. He did this every morning.

Within an hour, he had caught up to Suyin and could see her, but didn’t approach. He whistled a smooth bluebird-hen call and two other calls followed within fifteen seconds, first Smellerbee then Longshot.

Their whistles, which easily mimicked the birds around them wasn’t an easy adjustment. Jet actually smirked when he saw Suyin look to the trees. This was when he emerged from the woods to approach her, since she would expect movement.

“Everything’s clear.” He said, hoping it would ease her mind. After all, it was she they hunted.

His weapons were secure to his back as he walked and glanced over to her. “You shouldn’t be nervous. Even if they do manage to find you all the way out here, they’ll never be able to take you. I won’t let them take you.” He didn’t bother to explain why they wouldn’t be able to take her, or why they shouldn’t even try. He would protect her and that was all there was to it. As of yet, he had not given a reason that would show he would deceive her (unless you counted their initial meeting).

Their pace was slower around this time of day because of the heat of the sun, it was a pace just below a jog and it was enough enough to keep pace with. Jet didn’t run ahead of her because leaving a doe-calf at the back of the heard was asking for trouble when it’s all predators wanted.

He slowed down and stopped when he saw Smellerbee ahead of them at a river. This river had grown far larger than it had five years before. It was too wide to jump across now. Since the rainy season had not yet hit, the bank of the river was fairly small and they may have been able to walk across the muddy and murky bank, but Jet wouldn’t risk it. Too many people in the Earth Kingdom tried to cross rivers like this before the wet season and ended up falling into pockets of air and suffocating or drowning.

They would have to find another way ‘round.

“There’s a village not too far ahead.” Longshot’s voice came from a tree above them. He flipped down and landed in front of Jet.

Jet nodded. “Let’s go.”

[belated valentine]

As they traveled through the forest, Suyin stayed mostly quiet. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, she just didn't feel as though she had much to say.

Smellerbee had chatted with her here and there, explaining some things about the Earth Kingdom that weren't common in the Fire Nation. Longshot just nodded at her. By now she was used to his silent ways and she was starting to understand him slightly. Smellerbee and Jet seemed to be able to understand him perfectly and the trio were in sync at all times. To them maybe it wasn't strange, but from her point of view it definitely was. Well, maybe not strange, but it was interesting to see.

The only other person she'd had something similar with was Angel, but even then it wasn't to this extent.

Smellerbee didn't need a map to know where they were. They were close to their forest now. "Looks like we're arriving at Wang Shu. We're in between Makapu Village and Gaipan," she said, as they proceeded further.

They were just about at the gates now. The village was very small and wasn't even on the map. The only reason Smellerbee had known where they were was because they were from this area, and so the three of them were familiar with the villages around there. Wang Shu hadn't had a large population since a centuries back, and even then it wasn't anything large. Especially after the war was over, a lot of people headed for the bigger cities now that they were safe. Cities like Ba Sing Se. With the war gone, people had larger dreams and thought that the city could fulfill that.

"Should we hang out here for the day, you know maybe we could sleep in a bed tonight?" she asked, glancing at Jet.

Suyin perked up at the thought of a bed. It had been days since she'd had one of those. Not that she was complaining. Being alive was better than having a bed, but she was only human and these small things excited her. "Maybe a bathroom too," she piped up. What was a toilet anymore anyway? The bushes were great and all but there was nothing like a good old toilet. And a sink. Now that she was thinking about toilets and sinks, she really had to go.

"I hear you on that one," Smellerbee had interjected. If anything she knew what it was like to be without a toilet, but a toilet was a toilet and she wouldn't pass that up. "Hey Jet, potty break."

Suyin was happy to hear that. Maybe she could even wash her hair, which felt gross on her head.

[Fateful]

Jet glanced to Smellerbee as she started talking. He didn't want to spend the rest of the day here, he felt it would waste a good portion of their time. However, they only had four hours of daylight left, so it wouldn't really inconvenience them too much. They always said a good leader knew when to concede to the desires of his people. "The village is small. We can possibly stay the night if it's available, but I don't want any complaints if there's no where for us to stay. Do you understand?" He didn't bother to look at them when he stated this.


It took about an hour for them to get to the gates of the village from where they started. However, the village was much larger than it looks. A good sized, prosperous village had been hidden away next to this great lake. Jet could tell from the many boats visible around the village that this waterway emptied into the sea. This river had cut this part of the earth kingdom into a small island. It was rather impressive to him. No doubt the river had given them a wider range of trade and more jobs. This part of the earth kingdom was doing remarkably well. Even the construction of the homes was better than the last time they came through here.

Well, there didn't seem to be a reason they couldn't stay the night now.

“Come with me.” He told Suyin. Whenever he split from Smellerbee and Longshot, he left Suyin with them as little as possible. He knew she would never hurt the two of them, but if someone attacked and tried to take Suyin, Jet wanted the one they attacked to be him. He wouldn’t risk his two best friends.

Jet led Suyin into the village with him. They were all dressed in Earth Kingdom clothing, so gone was the red silks and fabrics Suyin once wore. If not for her eyes, someone would just assume she didn’t get out in the sun much.

It didn’t take Jet long to start talking to someone about crossing the bridge.

“I was looking for the bridge keeper.” Jet said, approaching a few men who were working near the water. The bridge was inside the village and close to where they were.

One of the five men stepped forward, he had on a green shirt and dark pants. He was dressed as a laborer, as were the others. His facial hair was well kept and neat across his chin. “That’d be me. Why do you need to cross so close to the rains?”

“To get back home. We live between Gaipan and the Village.”

This time the man looked surprised. “Gaipan, huh? Lot of commotion going on over that way, I don’t blame you for leaving it.”

Jet’s eyebrows moved slightly. “I haven’t been there in over a year. What’s happened?”

The man shrugged, as if Jet should already know. “Wu plans to marry his daughter to the second son of Kumi’s point; you know, to have a son to succeed him. I don’t trust the marriage. It seems to be that they may be planning a conquest from here to there. I’ve been told not to worry, but it’s still a consideration.”

Jet deeply considered this information. “Wu was never so foolish the last I was there. The Fire Nation is gone, we have no need to start conquering one another.”

The man laughed and nodded his head. He was kind and quite carefree. “One of my apprentices told me something similar. He said they’d have to burn down the forest of Jet to get here.”

“Forest of Jet?”

“Yeah, I never heard of it either, but apparently the kid learned to fight there. One hell of a smith. Anyway, I can see you’re familiar with the area, but uh..”

The man gestured to Suyin with his chin as they spoke. Jet shrugged his shoulders at the silent question. “The war left scars.”

The man looked a little sad to hear that and nodded. “Alright then, young man. I can certainly allow you and your friend passage ‘cross the bridge. Ah! Listen to me, I never got your name there, young man, I’m Mengyou Xiangxin. ‘Round here, everyone calls me Meng.”

“Anquan, and this is Chai. Thanks for your help.” Jet gestured for Suyin to follow him.

AS Jet walked behing Meng, he glanced to Suyin to ensure she was close. "Since it's getting late, do you know of somewhere we could stay the night?"

Meng nodded, but kept walking forward. "Oh of course. There are places all around. Depends on how much you got to spend, obviously."

"I can work in trade for housing."

Meng grinned. "Yeah, i get that impression from you. Alright, I'll bring you by my place. I could use someone to help me with a few things. And maybe your friend here can help my wife and daughter with dinner. I don't have a problem if you stay the night, but I only have two extra beds."

"That's not a problem," Jet replied. "The other two with us are together. I'll have them get something for dinner."

"Oh no! It would be my pleasure. If you work for the rest of the day, it's only fair I feed you too."

[belated valentine]

“Yeah, whatever,” Smellerbee had replied as they entered through the gates of the village. After the war, many villages and towns eventually stopped closing their gates throughout the day, and only closed them at night to keep animals from raiding their food. They were almost unnecessary now, but they still stood. Remnants of the war. “Don’t be a stick in the mud all the time.”

Suyin stuck beside Jet as they walked toward the center of the town. People glanced their way, probably wondering why four dirty young adults were marching into their village. Her hair had been taken down from it’s traditional Fire Nation style and her clothes had been long burned. Instead they were replaced with neutral tones and green, and her hair was pulled back into a braid on her back. A messy and likely unruly one currently, probably housing a few leaves.

Her fingers traced her wrist habitually, though she stopped herself as she had hundreds of times before when she remembered that her bracelet wasn’t there. It had been made of a piece of leather, a few beads, and then in the center a small rock which could be used to ignite fire under any condition, wet or not. Rolling the beads under her finger had become something she did as a form of relaxation. She had done it since as long as she could remember having it.

The hairs stood up on the back of her neck when the man looked her way. Fire Nation citizens or even just firebenders weren’t outlawed in the Earth Kingdom, and she was sure there were many there, roaming freely after the war. But there was still tension, she knew this for sure. The war hadn’t ended that long ago and people were still weary of her kind. Not that she blamed them. Her fingers grazed the bandages on her neck and she looked away, hoping to disappear from his sight. As she did so, a little girl ran towards them.

“Welcome to Wang Shu! Are you guys travelers?” she questioned, unafraid. She looked to be about eight. In her hands were handmade necklaces of tiny flowers in different colors. “My mommy and I grow and sell flowers and sometimes I make these and give them to the visitors that come through.” She tugged on Suyin’s hand, motioning for her to bend down. When she did, the girl placed a ring of red flowers around her neck.

When she did, she took notice of the bandages. “You got hurt but the flowers my mommy and I grow are blessed under Ling Tuhns name so they grow into flowers of luck and healing so they’ll help you get better.”

She went around and produced similar necklaces for Smellerbee and Longshot. Yellow for Smellerbee and purple for Longshot. She then made her way to Jet.

“Hey bend down mister.” she commanded, looking up at Jet as she held up a brightly colored orange flower necklace. She stood waiting for him to allow her to place it on him. “Orange is for inner peace,” she stated, knowingly.

[Fateful]

Jet watched as the small girl approached them and smirked slightly. He enjoyed seeing kids that were secure and felt safe approaching strangers. It made him feel that the war was truly over, that the children of the earth kingdom stood a chance. As the girl presented flowers to the others, he looked surprised when she offered him flowers. He turned to face her completely and bent down in front of her. His knees bent, but his feet stayed on the ground as he lowered himself to be almost face level with the girl so she could place the flowers around his neck. "Now tell me something, have you been studying us and that's why you made these for us, or did you grab them when you saw us?" He teased with a small smile on his face. "Either you're too smart for your own good or unreasonably lucky to know that I've been having quite the internal struggle lately."

Perhaps it was the way he was raised or the way he grew up after his parents died, but Jet never really had it in him to refuse anything to a child. And this one was far too pushy to accept no for an answer. She reminded Jet of Smellerbee, or perhaps of his mother when she was a girl. Granted, he remembered very little of his parents, but he remembered his mother's hair, it was curly like this girls and he found that charming about her.

[belated valentine]

"No, I'm psychic!" the girl insisted. "Just like my mom! I can read people easily because my mom is a fortune teller and the flowers help her see clearly." She placed the flowers around Jet's neck and gave his head a pat. "I give flowers to all the new people that come to town, I'm like the welcome committee. I give people the flowers that suit them cause my mom says I need to practice." Around her own neck was another handmade necklace of multiple colored flowers. There was nothing behind hers, she had just made one for herself because she liked all the different colors. And they all brought good things. Suddenly she seemed more serious.

"Don't worry, the thing that is troubling you will become easier to deal with. But the only way you can get through it is if you clean yourself from the inside. It's hard to let your troubles go but let it pass just as the war did." She gave a sigh. "But it's okay, I get it. You have issues. You'll deal with them. Anyway my name is Luani, what are you guys called?" she asked, glancing around at the group.

[Fateful]

Psychic? Yeah, he liked her already. Normally kids like this were amusing to him, but when she kept talking, he looked slightly more surprised. Well, that escalated quickly. He knew that this girl definitely had some form of skill, but he wasn't sure what to do about it, not really. He didn't say anything for a short time. He also wasn't sure how to clean himself from the inside out. He'd come a long way in the last few months. For fucks sake, he was harboring, lying for, and protecting a fire bender that tried to kill the fire lord to restart the war and end the peace that followed Zuko becoming fire lord. Granted, he would never say these words to anyone but he knew when someone was a good person, when they were capable of being a good person. Zuko had the potential to be a freedom fighter. If Suyin was what he thought she was, maybe the fire nation wasn't truly their enemy. Well, actually they were, but there were enemies everywhere.

Maybe he was overthinking this, but it was still something he had to keep in mind.

For their protection, Jet knew he had to keep lying about their names. The nicknames of the freedom fighters, at least the head three, were incredibly well known. If someone here knew about the Forest of Jet, then his name could make them targets. "I'm Anquan. You gave the red flowers to Chai, yellow to Mingzhi, and purple to Xùhánglì. You're very sweet to give us flowers and personally welcome us to your city, Luani. Since you're so keen on welcoming us here, why don't you tell us what your favorite part of the city is? That way, we'll know what we have to see while we stay here."

[belated valentine]

Suyin was fairly surprised to see that Jet's entire attitude brightened up around the child. Cute, she thought. Some people preferred puppies, some children.

"Are you guys staying with Mr. Mengyou and his family? They are really nice people, his daughter is my best friend." She pointed down the street. "He lives down there, and if you guys are hungry there's a nice place to eat this way. Mister Laong Yu makes great food and he always gives visitors their first meal for free." She grasped Jet's hand and lead the group down the street. "My mom and I live down that way," she pointed to another street, intersecting the one they were on. "My dad is a tradesman so he is in another town trading goods. You can come by our house for tea or even a reading if you'd like. My mom might give you one for free."

As they walked she glanced back at Suyin, who wandered ways back. "Speaking of readings, her future is very dim. Fires go out, some before others." Despite her age, Luani was smarter than most children her age. Smart enough to recognize a fire bender.

[Fateful]

Jet held the child's hand and allowed her to lead him through the village like a doll. He enjoyed the girl and didn't at all mind how informative and helpful she was being. It seemed as if this was a good village and they would indeed be safe here. That made him smile and it almost made him a great deal more comfortable. This is what he was used to in the Earth Kingdom. It was like this no where else in the world. The closeness and the welcoming of people. He loved being home, and being so close to home just made him yearn even more for it. In time, they would be able to return home and he couldn't wait for that day.

At the mention of Suyin's fire, he glanced back toward her. He bent swiftly at the knee and lifted Luani into his arms and carried her beside his face. "Hey there kiddo, can I ask that you not tell anyone about that? If you are a psychic than you know why it has to stay a secret. right?" He held her in his arms and didn't bother to put her down as they walked through the village. He knew the basic layout of the village. All the old villages followed the same basic structure, with all the roads connecting together in a circle to represent the earth.

"You are very kind to offer us so much, perhaps I'll have to get you something to show our appreciation." He teased as they walked together. However, when he finally stopped and lifted her so she was looking directly at him. "Why don't you take these three to get something to eat. I need to find Meng and help him. Do you think you could show them around without me?"

Jet led the three others to Meng's home and left them there with the Luani. He smiled and rubbed the top of her head. "Keep them out of trouble, okay?"

He walked to where Suyin was and softly took her arm. "I'm going to leave for a few hours so we can stay the night. I want you to stay close to Smellerbee and don't do anything too out of the ordinary. If anything happens, send Longshot to come find me." His hand touched her hip as he turned her so she was completely facing him. To anyone else, it would look as if he was about to kiss her, but instead, he slid a small, yet incredibly sharp blade into her clothing. "Be careful." He smiled at her before leaving.

Meng needed help taking down some trees and cutting them into fire wood. He had taken more orders than normal, since the rains were coming and he was running behind. Jet took off his shirt and armor before he even started cutting. It was too hot for him to remain completely clothed.

After they cut down a tree, they dragged it back with horse-dogs. They fed the dogs as they cut the enormous logs into sections. As soon as Meng realized he knew how to swing an axe, he let Jet alone to work.

He cut them into logs, then in half, then into fire sized pieces. Some large, some small. He then bundled them and tossed them into a cart.

Meng had three children. His oldest was a girl, no older than 7. The second was a son, age 5. The youngest still suckled at her mother’s breast.

“That’s stupid.” The seven year old, Mei insisted as Jet worked with Meng.

“Yeah, and why is it stupid?”

“’Cause it is stupid. Why would you wander around like a dummy?”

“Mei.” Meng narrowed his eyes.

“I like being a dummy. I learn when I wander around, so it’s fun. It’s dumb for you to wander around, you’re way too small.”

“I’m not small, I’m a giant!”

Jet grinned at her and paused in his work to face her. “Yeah? I can see you’re a giant, but you have a few more years before you grow into it.”

Mei grinned and nodded. “Papa, can he stay?”

“Can’t do that kiddo, I gotta keep wandering around like a dummy, remember?”

“When you stop wandering, you should come back.”

Jet smiled at her and leaned against the axe in his hand. “When you become a big giant, I’ll have to come back and see you, hm?”

Mei laughed.

“Run along now Mei,” Meng insisted. “Why don’t you go help your mother?”

Mei slid off the shelf and waved at them while running until she disappeared from view.

“You’re good with children. Do you have any?”

“No, I just like them.” Jet replied with a chuckle. “I grew up with a lot of kids, even babies when I was fairly young. Family was always an important part of my family.”

“Family is important to us all.”

By the end of the day, Jet helped down, chop, and divide two large trees. They dragged through the fields and he delivered wood to a few of the families in the area. All of the orders had been fulfilled. After that, Jet helped raise some fires for the weapon smiths and moved metal. Everywhere he went, he seemed to get along with those he helped. The smiths were quite grateful for his strength.

When Jet and Meng returned, it was two hours past dark, around 8. Dinner was ready and Jet stretched his arms above his head as they walked through the door.

[belated valentine]

There was a steady stream of laughter that bellowed out of the door once they opened it.

"Yeah, and that's when he stumbled and dropped the whole pot of soup! The whole thing, right in the middle of the dinner party. Aye aye aye!" A woman's voice could be heard from the center of the living room.

There were people gathered in the small room, seated in the couch and various mix matched chairs that seemed to have been pulled from the dining area to accommodate the people. There seemed to be a small party happening. Small.

There was a slightly burly man sitting on one of the couches, arms crossed and his face slightly red. "By god Biyu, these people will think I'm an idiot thanks to your stories."

The woman named Biyu laughed and tucked a strand of dark brown - nearly black - hair behind her ear. Her wrists, fingers, and neck were adorned with various pieces of gold jewelry and brightly colored gemstones.

Her skin was dark, slightly more than Jet's. But the thing most striking about her were her clear blue eyes which contrasted beautifully with her darker skin. It was obvious that she had inherited her traits from the water tribe, but the only liquid she could move was the one in her cup, which she held up to her mouth as she took a sip. "Oh sweetheart, relax. I’m only telling stories."

The man chuckled and his glance turned to the door as Meng and Jet entered. “Meng! Late to your own party huh?” He turned his eyes on Jet. “Oh this must be the fellow Luani was telling us about.”

Biyu smiled. “Oh, love, he’s just as handsome as you described him to be,” she gave her daughter a glance.

“Mom!” Luani blushed and crossed her arms.

“Come, join us. Let’s pour you a cup of tea, dinner is still ways away.” She patted the open seat beside Suyin on the couch. She herself sat on the floor beside the coffee table, but it in no way bothered her.

[Fateful]

The loud laughter was welcome. Jet felt better when he heard it and glanced to Smellerbee and Longshot. He nodded to them as he entered and moved toward where the others were.

"Biyu, please take pity on us. Let us go and rinse off before we make this room foul with all the work we've done. There are women and children here. Let us clean up first." He insisted, taking Jet by the arm and leading him through the kitchen. There was a river in the back of the house and Jet could feel the warm water of a Spring. They had the water hooked up to a strange pump system Jet had never seen before. He pumped a lever a few times and water came from a side of the house from something like a metal hose. Jet removed most of his clothes and stood under the water, letting it wash over his body. Dirt, sweat and grime washed down his tan and heavily scared skin. The water was cool, almost cold, but he didn't mind. It was cool, but the evening was warm. It was probably the most relaxing part of the entire day. These people seemed to have figured out many areas of industry and used water to make their lives easier and also more full of wealth. He only hoped Gaipan would be the same way. Jet used some soap Meng offered him.

Once finished, Jet switched and pumped water while Meng washed. They dried, redressed and went back inside. Tea had already been poured for them and waited steaming on the table.

Luani was standing from her seat and looked to be telling a story to everyone, acting her way through it. Jet sat in the open seat next to Suyin and when Luani finished her story, he motioned for her to come to him. When she did, he lifted the girl into his lap and smiled at Biyu, silently telling her that she could sit back in the chair since Luani's seat was now vacant. He didn't mind having the girl with him. She was light enough to where it didn't matter. Jet's hair was still slightly wet and dripped onto his armor.

He eyed Suyin for a second and leaned toward her. "Relax. I promise you're safe here." He smiled to try and put her at ease. He had gone all day without any word from Longshot, so it was quite clear that they would be safe here for a night, or even a few days: not that he was willing to wait that long. They had to beat the rains and make it back home. Otherwise it would take them another week to get through the forest.

[belated valentine]

Suyin shifted as he sat next to her, making room for him. She sipped at her tea, which tasted good but the tea here just wasn’t the same. Not like Fire Nation tea. “I like this,” she stated softly, looking up at him. “Everyone is really nice.” Her gold eyes looked out at the crowd gathered around, laughing and chatting together. This sure was different to the scene they’d been in the past week. Wilderness and solitude. It was actually incredibly nice for a change.

She did stay to herself, sipping at her tea in her seat while the others talked. Smellerbee and Longshot were there, but they were at the other side of the table, looking at her in pity as the various people tried to talk to her and break her out of her shell. To be honest, she felt a wave of joy wash over her upon seeing Jet. Gladly, she had let him sit next to her. Maybe now he could save her from any uncomfortable questions. He seemed to be good at lying.

She finished the tea, second cup, and sighed. Within seconds, the empty cup was grabbed from her hand and instantly refilled. “Wai-” The cup of brand new tea was in her hand before she could object.

Biyu stood and took the seat that her daughter had abandoned. Suyin had taken notice of this, slightly confused as to why she had been sitting on the floor in the first place. In the Fire Nation, the youngest always gave their seats up to the older generations when they became present. It was rude to have a seat while someone older than you stood or sat on the floor. Things sure were different in the Earth Kingdom.

“Oh, since I’ve had a few drinks my vision is clearer than ever! Readings are on the house tonight, who wants ‘em?” she set her cup down on the table.

Her husband sighed, “oh, here we go.”

[Fateful]

Jet took his cup of tea and sipped from it. He made a face, but was clearly pleased afterward and looked at Biyu. "Did you do this?" He asked with a smirk. There was alcohol in it, he could taste. He raised it to her and leaned back in his seat. He didn't hold Luani in his lap, but she seemed content leaning against him.

As the readers were offered, the chatter of the room was interrupted by Mei running into the room with her feet patting the stone floor. "Luani!" Mei took her friend's hand. "Come with me. I want you to help me with the plates." The girls helped their mother make appetizers for the tea when the party was just getting started. The two girls left and went into the kitchen, with the help of Meilin and carried out three rather large plates of cheese, fruits, and various breads. They set them on the table.

After the plates were on the table, Mei grabbed a star-berry fruit piece and climbed into Jet's lap. "Try this, it's my favorite!" She insisted, pushing it into his face.

The leader smiled and opened his mouth and ate the fruit she offered him. He chewed what was in his mouth and swallowed. "I guess this is what you meant by a giant." He teased, pulling her hair from her face and putting it behind her ear.

Mei laughed and nodded. "Yep! So you should try some of the cheese too. You did a lot to help my daddy today, I heard all about it."

"Yeah, you heard all about it while you were watching me work."

She pushed his chest softly, then stuck out her tongue and looked at Suyin. "You have really really pretty eyes, they're like the sun."