The sun begins to set below the horizon when Zuko and Jin finally leave The Bronze ladle. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant, the banging of metal and wood at the nearby shops, and the constant chatter of the city itself begins to die down as they continue their date. Around them, the locals are returning home after a long day at work. In the distance the barking of a dog echoes through the city that's settling down for the night. Above them, clothes hung out to dry rustle in the gentle breeze, muted arguments from some of the houses are barely discernible. As Jin leads him towards the center of the small town, she spots a broken down wall and sighs. Zuko instantly hears the change in her tone and squeezes her hand gently to gain her attention. "Something wrong?" He asks, she stops to stare at the dilapidated part of the wall before looking up at him through sad emerald eyes.

"My friends and I used to play Stoneball right there. We had found some abandoned fishing nets in the river and used them for goals. Whenever we were lucky enough to get chalk we'd draw and make murals on that wall. I remember the pictures we drew of the Dai Li, of the badgermoles and of Avatar Beifong... I used to feel so safe here." She sighs, and Zuko takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulder and hug her tightly to himself.

"One of the sad truths about life is that time moves on, things change and we don't want them to." He replies, pressing his cheek on top of her head. "But, that change can be beautiful."

She looks up at him when he finishes speaking and kisses his cheek. Clenching his free hand, he lifts it upwards forcefully causing more stone to lift from the ground and the damaged portions to fuse together. He walks her over to the stone wall before placing a hand on it and curling his fingers in. The stones shift, some shrink, others are pulverized to dust and pebbles as he moves his hand and then taps the wall. The once perfectly flat face of the wall now displays a mural depicting himself, Avatar Beifong, Avatar Kotak and Avatar Fa Yen. With a discrete use of his firebending, he scorches the wall slightly adding shading and depth to each of the portraits he's made with his bending. She looks at the mural in awe of what he's capable of.

"Thank you, Lee." She says, causing him to smile confidently at her before extending his hand allowing her to take it. She leans up to capture his lips in a deep kiss, but a sharp male voice cuts through the night.

"Stop right there," The man speaks, the voice startles Jin and instinctively Zuko pushes her behind him as he gets into a fighting stance. "Don't move a muscle. Both of you, your coin purses. Now." The man demands as he walks out of the darkness between the buildings. A dirty rag covers his face as if it was trying to be a bandana, his eyes a dingy hazel color. He's covered by a cloak that looks to be firenation in make, several sizes too big for his meek form. The knife in his hand is far from a fighter's weapon, it looks to belong to a chef rather than a thief. Its edge is chipped, rolled and glinted in areas rendering it so dull it's practically useless. He stands in an unsteady stance, the knife held outwards as if he was more afraid of it then anyone on the other end of it would be. Zuko can tell the boy is his age, seventeen but severely malnourished and gaunt. His eyes dart between them, burning of desperation instead of anger and malice. "D-didn't y-you hear me?!" He roars but Zuko's response is calm and collected.

"I did." Zuko says, making direct eye contact with the would-be assailant. "But I can tell you don't want to do this." The man tenses slightly when Zuko says this but he hardens his resolve and brandishes the knife towards Zuko more.

"Sh-shut up! You don't know anything!" He shouts again, flexing the knife forwards but there's no force behind it whatsoever. "I'm warning you! Do as I say and give me your coin purse!"

"I do." Zuko replies, and the man's hold on the knife slackens slightly. "You're hungry, probably haven't eaten in days, you're suffering from illness, your skin is pale and you're flush with fever and you're tired. Above all of that you're angry, angry at the world and afraid that if you don't do anything you'll just vanish." Zuko's words strike home each and every time, but the man's anger gets the better of him.

"I warned you! I said give me your money!" He shouts, raising his hand high and trying to slash forwards at them. Jin screams in terror when he slashes forwards but Zuko lunges inwards thrusting his hand up catching the mugger's wrist before twisting the knife free. He allows it to fall into his opposite hand before he knocks his assailant off his feet. The young man winces, expecting a beating or to even be slammed to the ground but to his surprise Zuko just holds him up by his coat before pulling him upright.

"Violence isn't the answer." Zuko says before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a couple of glowing diamonds. "Tell me your name." He says, and with no other option, the man swallows his pride and speaks.

"Hai F-fen... My name is Hai Fen." The boy replies, his face is still tense with fear expecting some sort of retaliation but it never comes.

"Sit." Zuko commands before erecting a stone stool for the man to sit on. Hai Fen stares at him for a moment before he does as he was told. He takes a seat in front of Zuko, still looking up at him with sad and desperate eyes. "I was angry too once, a long time ago. I thought I lost my honor, lost my way but anger is not a weapon. It's a symptom of shame, of self hatred, of desperation." Zuko says before placing the glowing diamonds into a small coin purse filled with silver and gold pieces. "The first step to healing is asking others for help. Even if you think you're all alone, there will always be a kind soul to help you in your darkest hour." Zuko extends the coin purse forwards allowing Hai Fen to take it.

"W-why?" He asks, his voice cracking from the tears of joy beading up in his eyes. "W-why would you h-help me?"

"Simply because it is the right thing to do." Zuko replies before pulling out his water skin and uncorking it. The man watches in awe as Zuko shifts from just bending earth to now bending water. A long stream of water snakes its way out of the water skin and over his hands. "Hold still." Zuko says calmly, all Hai Fen can do is watch in awe as Zuko presses his hands over the man's chest starting to heal his sickness.

"Y-You're the... the avatar." Hai Fen stammers, the soothing sensation of the healing waters relieving weeks of suffering from fever. "I... I promise I'll use what you gave me for food."

"No. Use it to better your life. If you're willing to overcome your fear to try to be a thief, then becoming a soldier, or a guard should be well within your abilities. Give back to the people around here, they're suffering just like you." Hai Fen nods before bowing to Zuko, the young prince tries to offer the man his knife back but he refuses and vanishes into the night as quickly as he appeared.

"I think your title fits you perfectly. You could've easily burned that knife away." Jin says as Zuko takes a deep breath then returns the small earth stool to the ground.

"Could have, but what good would that do? He had burn marks around his hands, all I would be doing is just proving to him that there are no good firebenders." Zuko replies and a moment later, the warm soft sensation of Jin's form pressed up against him returns. He feels her hug his arm tightly against her.

"Still want to go see that special spot I mentioned?" She asks and he nods yes at her question. "Alright, it's this way." She says as she begins pulling him along once more.

Zuko almost has to run in order to keep up with her as she excitedly pulls him along. Winding through side streets, tight alleyways and past dilapidated houses. The houses they pass begin improving in their states of repair, proper brick and mortar, no cracks on the outside fixtures, and proper shingling on the roof tops. The clothing wires between the buildings turn to wires supporting colored flags and the roads start to be illuminated by oil lanterns. Weaving through a couple buildings, they finally come across a wider street that leads to the center of the town.

He feels her grip on his arm weaken and their pace slow to a crawl as they come across a lone fountain surrounded by stone lantern shrines that have long been neglected. Fifteen stone lanterns stand in a perfect circle around the central fountain, one lone lantern crumbled and fallen over, its head shattered on the ground. The circular fountain base is chipped, crumbling in places and covered in moss. The once vibrant depictions of gentle turtle ducks are now barely recognizable. Leaves and algae clogs up the once beautiful waters of the fountain, its main lantern is partially crumbled and water spits from the clogged openings in lethargic spurts when the pressure gets too high for the clog to hold it any longer. It stands like a smile with broken and missing teeth, once beautiful but now forgotten to time.

"No..." Jin whimpers, seeing the disrepair; she lets go of his hand, slowly approaching the decrepit and crumbling stone basin. "It used to be so beautiful..." She says as a tear begins to fall from her right eye. "Mother Roji used to bring everyone from the orphanage here, just after dusk. When it was cool, and the air was gentle." She slowly drags her fingers along the stone basin, feeling the wear of the weather and of time against her finger tips. Small pebbles break away at her touch, moss collecting under her fingers as she lifts it to her face so she can see its true state of decay. "The candle was always lit, even when things seemed like they couldn't get worse. When we didn't have food, or when there weren't enough blankets it still burned. We were told that the fire was magic, that if it went out then Ba Sing Sei was in trouble..."

Zuko walks up to her side, taking in the sight of the crumbling fountain. When she turns to face him, her face full of tears and sadness, his heart breaks seeing her so upset. "As a little girl, I'd wish on the eternal flame. I believed that if you wished on the flame and tossed in a small coin then your wish would come true... I wished for many things. True love... that I could grow wings and fly... to meet my parents..." she says before laughing to herself. "They stopped taking care of it just after my tenth birthday... and bit by bit it fell apart. The Dai Li said the lower rings didn't need decorative fire, that we just needed food... but we still came here anyways. My friends and I would pretend it still burned, that the water still ran... t-that the wishes would come true..." She begins to break down, her voice catching in her throat as she tilts her head down and cries softly. Zuko wraps his arms around her and pulls her close, allowing her to cry as he studies the fountain.

"Jin." Slowly she gazes up at him through tear stained eyes, he raises a hand gently to her cheek and wipes away her tears. "I want you to close your eyes." He requests, his tone is gentle but confident. She sniffles slightly before nodding to his request. She wipes her eyes with the sleeve of her robes before covering her eyes with her hands. "Don't peek." He leads her a few paces away from the fountain in order to begin his work.

Taking in a deep breath, the cool night air speeds up around him as it's bent just by his breathing. Stepping forwards with his right foot, Zuko lifts both arms into the air with his hands flat and fingers pressed together. The murky water in the fountain responds to his control, leaping upwards and forming a wide ring of water. Clenching his right fist, he yanks it backwards pulling out the dirt and grime that's collected from the water. With the other he slides his hand through the air then across his body causing the water to follow his movements. The stream circles around following the movements of his hand as he wills it to swallow the once forgotten fountain. He rotates it faster and faster before it makes contact with the filth riddled stones. The pressure of the water blasts away the years of neglect, the moss and algae that has accumulated over the once pristine marble. He lets the dirty water wash into the gutters along the street as fresh water begins spraying from the fountain.

Shifting into a wide horse stance, Zuko pulls his arms inwards into a tight form as he balls his fists up. Flexing his arms outwards he shifts his feet forwards and flays his fingers apart. The marble fountain reacts to his commands, the chips, pebbles and dust that have eroded away are pulled into his control and fused back together through his movements. The carvings are inverted so that he has extra marble to work with. The lantern in the center is pulled apart before it's reassembled mid air and returned to its perch. The hole where the natural gas would flow is reopened allowing it to flow freely. Around him the forgotten lanterns are restored, the shattered lantern levitates upwards then fuses back to its original position. With a clenched fist, the marble sets itself back into place, the imperfections across the surfaces are compressed flat and smooth.

Standing back up to his full height, he pulls his hands up and inwards before bringing them to his chest and pushing them down towards the ground. He takes a deep breath as he switches into this new stance, the winds fueling the flames of his soul. He leans forwards and thrusts his hand out two fingers outstretched causing a small bolt of fire to fly from his fingertips. With dozens of targets around him, he fires bolt after bolt of flames to their wicks. The soft light begins illuminating the forgotten fountain. The lanterns that float on the water return to their places as Zuko fires the last bolt to the central flame in the center. With an audible Fwoosh, the eternal flame reignites basking the area in it's radiant golden light.

With the gentle wind, he slowly wafts his arms outwards allowing it to wrap around Jin and gently usher her forwards. With her eyes closed she steps forward, following the feeling of the air around her she walks towards Zuko. Step after step she takes, feeling the gentle breeze at her back as it beckons her to walk. As she gets near, Zuko wraps his arms around her then dips her down as if the two were in a dance together. The sudden motion almost causes her to almost uncover her eyes but she holds her hands still until he speaks again. "Ok, you can open them." he says and timidly she removes her hands from her eyes. Looking down at her, with his arms around her back she stares up in awe at Zuko's form bathed in the golden light around them. He pulls her back up to her feet before spinning her outwards allowing her to view his handy work.

"Wow... it's... it's just like I remember." Her voice echoes with childlike wonder as she walks around the fountain looking up at the gentle flames that will never burn a soul. He watches as she dances around the tall lantern poles before returning to him. "It's perfect." She says before reaching up and wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. "Thank you... My Dragon." She says before capturing his lips with hers.

This time, both of them close their eyes simultaneously, their kiss is warm and heartfelt but also hungry. She creates the invitation to battle with their tongues, and he capitalizes on it. In an instant he attacks her tongue with his, pressing against hers feeling the bumps of her taste buds. The lingering flavor of her mint tea is still in her mouth and he hungrily laps it up in their embrace. Her arms wrap around the back of his neck as she leans up and presses her lips hard against his. She separates briefly to catch her breath, and adjust her footing before recapturing his lips with just as much fervor. She presses upwards onto the platforms of her feet as she feels his hands begin to explore her body. His arms snake around her waist and up her shoulder blades, feeling her muscular form lean, dense and alluring. Timidly his left hand explores lower and lower, over the curvature of her butt and she purrs at his touch. Suddenly, her foot slips off the small pebble she was standing on and she falls forwards.

Both of their eyes widen in shock as the sensation of falling overtakes them, the angle she was pushing him into is too extreme for him to recover and right himself. With her weight added to his, he can't right himself and ends up falling with her backwards. The pair fall backwards and splash against the water causing it to soak their silk clothes and splash over the sides of the basin. Jin quickly sits up and grabs Zuko's hand in order to help him get up. As he does so, his soaking wet hair matted up and covering his eyes. He spits out a mouthful of water before lifting a hand and brushing his wet hair from his eyes. Looking down at him Jin smiles before the pair begin laughing with one another. Zuko laughs hard through his belly and she clutches her sides from laughter.

"It's getting late you know, I think we should head home for the night." Zuko says as the two crawl out of the fountain. With a burst of airbending he dries himself off before using it to dry her and her clothes as well. The burst of cold air causes goosebumps to race across her skin and her nipples to become visible through her silk robes and his attention is once again drawn there. She shivers at the cold before cuddling up to Zuko once again.

"D-do you think I could... stay with you for tonight? I don't want to be alone." She asks, a light blush across her cheeks as she timidly looks up at him.

"I'm sure the others won't mind." He replies before abruptly picking her up, her face lights up with deep blush as she's cradled in his arms as if she weighs nothing. "I know a shortcut." He says before squatting down and jumping upwards he rotates as leaves the ground. Around his waist a tornado forms and tenderly dances along the ground as he wills it forwards to take them home.