The stench of rusting metal, blood and tears wafts through the underground lair of the Dai Li. The screams of those being incarcerated are silenced by slamming doors as each are dragged into the reeducation centers and brainwashed. Descanters, prisoners, even former firenation soldiers, one by one they're all brainwashed and indoctrinated into the city with no memory of who they once were. The secret tunnels run all over the city, not a single place is out of their reach. Entrances where no one would think to look, and others that hide just as well in plain sight. Two junior agents sit beside each other in a small cafeteria, a pai sho table set up between them. Both with barely the whispers of facial hair on their faces, their eyes still bright with naivety and youth. One of them picks up a rose tile and prepares to place it on the corner to complete a harmony on the board. "Game, set ma-" He's about to speak when the wall beside them abruptly explodes into a shower of pebbles and dust. Both agents spring to their feet, their hands outstretched and fists clenched ready for a fight. However the man who escapes the dust is one of them. His eyes crazed and bloodshot, his hat slightly burned and his clothes tattered.

"Shen?!" The younger of the two exclaims as Agent Shen stumbles up to him, he clutches the younger agent's robes and hoists himself up.

"It knows... bloody arms... spider's arms... blue mask... the bending... the bending wasn't right... it's a demon!" Shen rambles, his burned hands clutching tightly against the younger man's tunic. The two men exchange a glance before Shen rushes over and grabs the other man. "Xaolan... You... you have to believe me... it's not human!"

"Shen just calm down, what happened out there?" Xaolan questions, trying to help his friend to his feet but Shen just continues to ramble.

"You don't understand... it knows..." His voice comes as a whimper, his bloodshot terrified eyes gaze up pleading with Xaolan for help. "It let me live... wanted witnesses... it knows... it knows what we've done... it's coming for us." Shen pleads before letting go, his rambling turns to insane laughter as he grabs the corners of his head. "It's under our skin... it's in my head... it asked about the bison... the spirits are angry!!!" His shouts echo through the halls of the hidden prison.

All around him, doors open and dozens of women appear like phantoms. Their hair perfect, perfect posture, their smiles ever present, their robes without a single crease out of place. The manufactured figures all wore the same empty smile, the only variation between them is the color of their eyes and the definition of their cheeks. All of them, Joo Dee's. "Agent Shen, please come with me, you need rest, need food. Everything is fine now." A younger looking woman with pale green eyes and chocolate caramel colored hair speaks but Shen's madness has already taken root. "No! Don't say that... Don't smile like that! Get away from me!" He roars, crawling backwards with his hands and knees to a corner in the room. They step closer, another Joo Dee appears from the shadows, their smiles empty, unmoving. "Be calm, there is no war in Ba Sing Se." They say in unison but Shen lashes out again. "Shut up... shut up shut up shut up SHUT UP!!!" He screams, quickly bending a tomb around himself as he huddles his knees around his chest.

"Silence." The voice of a senior officer cuts through the maddening cacophony of Joo Dees. "Shen." He pauses, waiting a few moments for him to calm down. "The Earthking has Invited you to Lake Laogai" A second later, the walls he had created to cover himself recede into the floor and he stands to his full height. His eyes no longer crazed but dilated as he stood perfectly still.

"I am honored to accept his invitation."

On a throne of jade, steel and silver, Long Feng twists his mustache slightly as he reviews the movements of Team Avatar. He reads over the report from a Joo Dee, how the avatar threatened them if they stood in his way of rescuing the bison. "The Avatar may be a figure of authority and peace on the world stage, but not here. Not in my city, it seems that the time for subtlety may be over and more drastic measures may need to be taken." His voice is just above a whisper as he monologues to the small statue of a badgermole sitting on his desk. Beside him, an hourglass has its last few grains fall to the basin below. "He's been gone for three hours now." He says aloud before grabbing the hour glass and rotating it once again. The pearl sand within begins to fall again, counting the time before the doors to his private chambers open.

In tattered robes, stained in what appears to be blood, his breathing stagnant and calm, but his face is covered in sweat. "You're late. Agent Shen." Long Feng says as Shen walks calmly to his desk before standing at attention, so still that even statues seem to move in comparison. "Report." He orders as Shen doesn't blink, barely breathes as he replies. "I was attacked." Long Feng arches an eyebrow. "A demon attacked me, in the Lang Hollow slums." His voice is steady, unwavering and without the slightest sign of an inflection. He speaks every word in the same robotic monotone single note. "It appeared from the mist, its only warning sign two droplets of water dyed to look like blood. The demon's face was blue and white with a snarling grinning expression. It carried twin swords, moved unnaturally, bent water, air and fire without moving its hands. Demanded to know about the bison, and it let me live for a reason." After a moment of deep thought Long Feng speaks a single question. "What did you say to it?" The pause now was less robotic, as if behind the hypnosis he was still afraid of it. "The Truth." With a noise that's a mix between a growl and deep contemplation, the puppetmaster lets his strings relax slightly. "Shen. The Earth King has decided to retire for the evening."

"I am honored to have had an audience." Shen replies, his voice no longer carrying the manufactured loyalty as he relaxes. He bows to Long Feng before turning away and leaving the room.

"Multiple elements... Only one being can do that... but many spirits can do the same." Long Feng says aloud as he grabs a piece of parchment and uncorks his inkwell. With a fountain pen, he draws ink into its reservoir before bringing it over the paper.

"There has been a report of an entity that has attacked Agent Shen.

For the time being, he is relieved of duty until his mind heals.

This is a difficult task, however I request for three volunteers to confirm that the Avatar and this "Blue Spirit" are one in the same or are separate entities.

This mission is merely espionage, track his whereabouts and do not engage unless absolutely necessary.

There is a significant chance that it may be a suicide mission...

I expect three volunteers by the end of the week."

The ink drips off the page like blood, the pigment almost the same hue. He doesn't sign the parchment. He doesn't need to. It would be read to every agent, by his Joo Dees... he won't have to wait long for the mission to be manned.

***

Katara lays beside Aang, cradling him in her arms like a big spoon with its smaller partner in a drawer. The airbender fast asleep, but his body still hitches and trembles from the memories of sorrow. Her heart aches with each soft whimper, each burning tear that falls from Aang's face. He's going through the same pain that she did when she lost her mother. Flashes of sleepless nights were her dreams were plagued by the man who murdered Kya in their home. Memories of how she'd wake screaming, only to be comforted by her father, or Sokka like she now does for Aang. Appa is his last tie to a life that she could never know, every part of who he was is gone and with Appa missing he's now completely alone. Each night for nearly a week now she spends it comforting him, staying by his side through his grief. Every few nights Zuko repeats the same routine, he'd appear wearing that mask, use the glider and return hours later. He returns in the dead of night, filled with bruises, smelling of ash and sometimes blood but he carries no answers. Today she's determined to make a difference to Aang, and she starts by going to Iroh for advice. They had spoken about his son, Lu Ten, in the past and it is a subject she doesn't bring up out of respect for Iroh. With no other options, she decides it's time to speak to him on the matter of grief. When she lost her own mother, she was far too young for the reality to truly set in and even now she harbors the same grief, anger and hatred over what happened. Iroh is different, maybe it is his age and wisdom that made him able to work through his grief but now she needs to draw upon it.

The old general would often wake long before dawn, go on walks along the street or just sit and meditate in the back yard beside the small stream that flows there. This morning she hears the sound of the back door opening and she decides to get up and go speak with him. She had stayed beside Aang that entire night but she got little sleep, the young airbender held her tightly as if he thought that letting go of her would cause her to vanish too. Now that he's rolled over, she manages to get up out of the bed without waking him. Her eyes are red from the early hour, and each time Aang would have a nightmare she'd wake to comfort him. She pulls him closer against her chest, embracing him deeply to try to ease his sleep for a few more hours. "We'll find him Aang. I know he misses you as much as you miss him." Her thoughts don't make it to her lips, but she still communicates this to him through a subtle kiss on his cheek. Slowly, she undoes the covers from herself, her nightgown cascading down her form as she slips out of bed. Before leaving she lifts the blanket up over him more, then she turns to exit the room. She leaves the door open to make sure if he wakes up or has another nightmare she can hear him. The smell of vanilla and lavender fills the small home early in the morning and the cool breeze flows through the house from the open door.

The dim light of a couple candles slowly burning illuminates the room, revealing the perfectly set table ready for the morning meal. The rear goji door to the home is open, allowing the chilly morning air to come inside and lick her skin. She shivers slightly as goosebumps erupt across her flesh, instinctively hugging herself from the cold. Iroh sits looking out at the small stream behind the villa, she can see that he's steeping a pot of tea just in front of him on the stone path leading into the garden. The orange light of fire has become something she only fears when on the battlefield, but from him and his son it was calming, inviting and pleasant to be near. She walks over to a small pantry beside the door, reaching in and grabbing a piece of dried and spiced meat before she exits. Iroh barely turns to look at her, instead he opts to shift himself over giving her room to sit.

"I figured you'd want to talk to me." Iroh says as she takes a seat beside him. The older man sits cross legged with a pot of tea being warmed by his palms. "I saw it in your eyes, that you wanted to talk."

"Yeah..." She says and before she can continue her thought, Iroh holds up a hand and pours some tea into a small ceramic cup offering it to her. She'd never turn down the offer from him, graciously accepting the cup and its sweet smelling liquid. "He's miserable, and he's bottling up all his pain and anger. He's hiding it from us and he's not eating that much... When we go to bed, his resolve fails and his sorrow consumes him."

"I was afraid of that." Iroh replies before taking a long sip of his tea. "The boy has had his entire world view shattered. He comes from a time long before I was even born. He's lost everything, his people, his twin, and now the last thing he has of that life is gone too. It's as if the world is fighting against the continuance of the air nomads." Their conversation stops for nearly two hours, neither speaking, just sitting together in quiet contemplation. As the first rays of sunlight begin to peak over the walls Katara breaks the silence.

"I was going to ask how you handled your own grief..." She hesitates for a moment, looking at the old general's whiskey colored eyes. "How did you move past losing Lu Ten?" She finally asks, and Iroh takes a long deep breath in and sighs.

"I never did, but I know that he isn't truly gone. No one is ever truly gone, I know that he is happy in his next life and that brings me some closure." he paused, smiling softly as he looks at his cup of tea. "I've learned many things through my years. The lesson of loss is always the hardest to learn. While it still hurts, I do things that he had enjoyed, things that were special to us and that takes away the pain." Iroh replies, "Take this tea for example. Vanilla and Lavender, his favorite blend of tea. His mother, Li Hua wore the purple flowers in her hair and always wore perfume made from vanilla. I lost her the day Lu Ten entered this world." He says and a single tear rolls down his cheek. "While he never knew his mother, I'd make sure that he knew her memory through those two flowers."

"You make that tea for us a lot." Katara says, looking down at the half empty cup in her hands. A soft smile grows on Iroh's face as he takes another sip of the tea. "...You make it when you think of them."

"I always think of them, but I make the tea when the memory becomes too painful and I want to reminisce on better times." Iroh responds, pausing to refill her cup and then refilling his. "The boy is trying to bury his pain, trying to show us, show himself that he's fine but pain when buried will take root."

Katara furrows her brow in thought, "How do we help him?" She asks, and Iroh takes a moment to sip his tea and think. It doesn't take long for an idea to come to life, and as he turns to look at her a glint of mischief shines in his eye. Despite the weariness of age, Iroh's younger boyish playful self glints at the idea brewing inside.

"We remind him of who he was before the war. Before the burden of being the last airbender was foisted upon him." Iroh says and Katara begins to connect the dots on what he's thinking about. "Zuko once spoke of a game that Aang used to play with the other children in the southern air temple."

"Air ball?" Katara asks, causing Iroh to nod.

"While you and I are not airbenders, perhaps there's a way we can revive that old pass time?" Iroh's reasons and the idea he had concocted suddenly ignited in Katara's mind as well. "Tell me, what are the rules to the air ball game?"

"Aang said it was simple, they use airbending to keep a ball rotating and flying and the point of the game was to launch the ball through a series of spinning gates on the other side of the field. The hard part is that the game took place on tall raised wooden posts and the players had to balance the entire time." The mischievous smirk on Iroh's face grows as he begins concocting an idea for how the game could be played.

"I believe we can have it work similarly, but without the spinning goal posts. Instead we make them a couple of posts that are connected by a crossbar that the ball has to go through. We make the field full of stone pillars like the original and you all balance upon them. We run the small stream through the center of the field so you can waterbend easily." Katara's face lights up with excitement when Iroh explains his idea. "I'm a bit too old to take part in such rigorous sports but I can be the umpire if you'd like."

"That sounds perfect but, what do we make the ball out of?" She asks but Iroh merely taps the ground a few times. Realizing what he means, Katara stands up ready to put this plan into action. "Thank you... Uncle" She quickly hugs the older man before getting up to go inside to tell this idea to everyone else. As she stretches and turns she hears him speak again.

"You are very welcome, my dear." Iroh replies, a soft smile glows on the old general's face, and with a nod she heads inside.

The other members of team avatar have begun to wake up; all of them aside from Aang. Like most mornings, Zuko stands over the wood burning stove, the wok in front of him alight with frying eggs, chili oil, scallions and ginger. He stands shirtless in his trousers as he jostles the wok with a ladle in his off hand keeping the eggs moving and cooking. Sitting on a stool beside him, Jin is wearing his tunic, tied just enough to retain her modesty but still revealing skin. Behind Zuko, Sokka grinds a few oranges against a stone juicer pouring the contents into a pitcher that Yue adds ice to and other slices of orange. Predictably, Toph is the last to wake up her outrageous bed head making her hair puff out almost three times the size of her actual head.

"Yue can you pass me the soy sauce and fish sauce?" Zuko requests, causing the white haired woman to melt a portion of a block of ice sitting beside the cabinets before withdrawing the two sauces. "And last night's rice."

"Is Aang still asleep?" Katara asks, prompting Zuko to lean backwards and peer into Aang's room. The young airbenders sleeping form is facing away from the door, Momo draped over his shoulder like a wet towel also fast asleep.

"Looks like it." Zuko says as Yue adds the rice to the pan before Zuko adds soy sauce to the pan. "He's been sleeping a lot since Appa was taken. Oh, hand me the sweet heavy soy sauce as well." Zuko says before his attention returns to their breakfast.

"I've noticed, Lee, I want to distract Aang for a while today, something that will keep him preoccupied for a while. Any ideas?" Katara asks before she remembers what she wanted to say to him. "Oh! Before we do that though, I need you to make an airball like the one back at the southern air temple. It needs to be able to survive all of our bending."

"Why don't you take him out? Just the two of you," Yue suggests casually. "Visit the gardens, the koi pond. They've got chilled watermelon tea in the markets. It could be a date." Sokka's head jerks up and he quickly turns his head to his sister whose face is as red as a ripe chili pepper.

"Hold on, did you just say date?" He questions, watching as Katara tries to hide her embarrassment behind the pitcher of orange juice.

"Yep." Zuko answers, not even looking up from the wok.

"You can't deny it Katara, I felt your heart skip a beat. You're in Looove~" Toph drags out the word with a teasing sing-song like tone.

"I-It's n-not go-going to be a date!" She stammers as she slams her hands on the table and stands up. Her hair and clothes bounce slightly as she springs upright with indignation

"Right... Just like it Wasn't a kiss when you and Aang made out in the cave of two lovers." Sokka's sarcastic comment causes his sister to blush even harder, turning a shade of red that even the author can't find the words to describe.

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone!" She shouts, turning her embarrassment to anger and directing all of it at Zuko.

"Sokka paid me to." Zuko replies, continuing to stir the rice in the wok before cracking a couple duck eggs into it and adding salt.

"Unbelievable." she grumbles, sinking back onto the stool and burying her face in her hands. She takes a deep breath then uncovers her face as she makes her decision. "F-fine. We'll go out."

"Alright! To the totally 'not-a-date' between Miss Fussy Britches and Twinkletoes!" Toph celebrates, holding her orange juice into the air to toast to it.

"Here here." Zuko says sarcastically as he lifts the bottle of heavy soy sauce into the air.

Katara glares at her, snatches a piece of crispy rice from the wok, and picks up Aang's bowl before she storms off toward his room. "You are all the worst!" She shouts, trying to drown out the sounds of laughter coming from the other benders.

As she enters the room she finds that the curtains are shut, letting only dim light into the room as she enters, on the bed, Aang slowly pets Momo behind the ears. His fingers slowly run through the lemur's fur. "You awake?" Katara asks softly, causing Aang to roll over and look up at her. His storm silver eyes are now dim and almost dull like pencil lead. "I brought you breakfast... Zuko made it." She whispers and Aang slowly manages to sit up as Katara sets the tray on the bed then sits down beside him. "He burns the rice." Aang says, his voice hoarse from grief and sadness. "It isn't burnt... well I don't think it is. It's fried, with oil and butter, soy sauce, eggs and vegetables. He made yours first, no meat and no garum." She says as she picks up the bowl and hands it to him. He accepts the gesture and picks up the flat bottom spoon before he scoops up the rice and brings it to his mouth. A moment of silence passes between them as he eats, and she notices the enthusiasm grow as he shovels more and more into his mouth.

"It's really good." He says and for a moment she hears his old self again, smiling as she takes the empty bowl from him and passes him the tea which he graciously accepts. She rests a hand on his shoulder, rubbing him gently with her thumb. He takes a deep breath as he finishes the cup, looking over at her the ghost of a smile forms on his lips.

"Come on, I'm sure you want more." She says, pulling his head into her chest again as she hugs him. She feels him press harder against her shoulder as she embraces him. "I... want us to do something together today. Just you and me." Even in the dim light, she can see a slight blush glow along his cheeks. The incentive of spending time with her is more than enough to coax him from bed.

"Thank you, Katara." Aang says as she allows him to get up and out of the bed. He quickly throws on his tunic before coming back to her. He wraps her up in a tight hug again, tilting his head into her shoulder as she rubs her hand along his back. They stay like this for several moments before the cracking of ceramic startles the two. The two of them share a laugh hearing Sokka yelling at Toph in the other room before she takes his hand and leads him towards the door. "Wait." He says, causing her to stop in her tracks. Aang suddenly leans up and kisses her on the cheek causing both their faces to glow with a slight blush.

Meanwhile, Jin follows Zuko out to the back yard, watching him inspect the stone beneath his feet for something that would work. "Most of the rock around the earth kingdom is either sandstone or granite. Ba Sing Sei was built on a mountain so we should have some decent rock to work with." Jin says as Zuko jerks a hand upwards causing a large cube of rock. She watches as he flicks the top of the stone cube causing the outer layers to turn to dust leaving a perfectly spherical ball of solid granite. He picks it up and inspects it for a moment before flatting his hand out and piercing it into the center of the stone. Jin tilts her head to the side as he hollows out the ball. With his pointer finger he carves out slits in the ball allowing air to travel through it before flatting the edges of the remaining stone allowing it to catch lift easier. He tests this by airbending through the ball causing it to rotate rapidly for a moment. Content with his work he burns the outside and tempers the stone. Taking a step back he furrows his brow at the stone ball, lifting it up and dropping it onto the dirt making sure it can survive and to his surprise it even bounces slightly.

"It feels like it's missing something." Zuko says aloud, inspecting the grey stone ball for a moment.

"A bit of color would work." Jin suggests causing Zuko to glance at her for a second. He watches as she walks over to the side yard and bends down to grab something. Her robes hang open slightly around her chest giving Zuko a pleasant view of her breasts as her robes hang just low enough to expose them for a moment. As she stands back up she's holding a jade roof tile that had come off during a training accident a few days ago. "Think this will work?" she asks before reaching down and collecting a few more broken roof shingles.

"Actually yeah that'll look really good." Zuko says as she returns and hands him the five shingles that had been broken off the roof. "Might have to tell Joo Dee that we broke the roof, again."

"Well, that was Toph's fault. We were just trying to enjoy some tea on the porch and she launched you into the roof demanding to train." Jin complains but Zuko just laughs.

"You're still mad about that?" he asks, taking the shingles out of her hands then molding them to the ball. "Did I ever tell you how we met? I literally had to fight her to get her to be my teacher." Jin giggles at this before Zuko stands to his feet and holds up the jade and granite sphere in his hands. "Like it?" He asks, a confident smirk on his face.

"Looks great, now we just gotta hide it from Aang until we can set up the rest of the field." Jin says as she turns to head back inside.

With blushing faces Katara and Aang finally exit his room and walk into the dining hall. Predictably, their brand of morning chaos is already underway as Sokka is now wearing most of his fried rice with his bowl on his head like a hat. He's shouting red faced at Toph who had decided that Sokka blocking her way to breakfast was best mitigated by earth bending his bowl into her face. Beside him, Yue is doubled over laughing so hard she isn't making noise anymore as she pounds the table with her balled up fist. Even Iroh himself is chuckling as he attempts to bring a clump of fried rice to his mouth. "Alright knock it off, we're gonna get a noise complaint." Zuko says as he air bends the food off of Sokka then replaces his bowl.

"Morning." Aang says as he takes a seat beside Katara. Zuko immediately passes over the other bowl of rice set aside for him before pouring the airbending master another cup of tea. "Thanks for the food, Zu-Lee." He corrects himself mid sentence, almost saying Zuko's real name for a moment but Jin doesn't notice.

"Hopefully I didn't burn the ginger this time." Zuko says as he sits beside Jin, his bowl seemingly glowing red from the chili oil, flakes and cut fresh chilis dotting the bowl. Even the smell wafting off of it can curl nose hairs from the intense heat.

"Holy crap Lee, why does the air taste spicy?!" Sokka asks as he starts coughing from the aerosolized capsaicin.

"Sokka, I don't get onto you about Sea prunes. I don't want to hear you complaining about how I make my food." Zuko replies, grabbing his spoon and shoveling rice into his mouth. The entire time he glares at Sokka.

"It can't be that spicy right?" Yue asks, trying to reach over with her chopsticks to steal some of Zuko's rice. However a deadly look from the avatar causes her to retract her hand. "I knew you were defensive about food but I think this is a bit much."

"If you want to know what it tastes like then here." Aang says as he borrows one of her chopsticks then sticks the end in the candle causing it to catch fire. "Here, try this." He says, handing her the flaming chopstick back. Yue stares at it for a moment, half debating about actually eating the flame before Aang continues. "I made the mistake of taking a bite of his food once. My mouth was on fire for a week."

"Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way." Iroh adds, causing the group laughs before continuing their meal. "Thank you for the meal, my son. I'll see you all at home this evening, I have some errands to run for my store." Iroh says as he excuses himself from the room.