Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

16

The strict woman suddenly looked a bit shy. Her emerald eyes went wide as a small blush appeared on her pale, wrinkly cheeks. However, it seemed that she had not been charmed enough. "Oh my, you definitely have a way with words... but don't think that that's going to work with me! I see through your lies." Her dark eyes squinted at the three suspiciously. A nasty scowl was present on her face, despite the colour of her cheeks. Iroh stepped up his game.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. As a young man I vowed to appreciate all the beauty that this desolate world has to offer. Your skin is pale as snow, your hair dark as a cloudless night and your eyes deep and mysterious... how could I not speak of such beauty? Even if I never get to see the magnificent wall of Ba Sing Se, I'll be a satisfied man knowing that I've witnessed something greater. Although, then again, if the women of Ba Sing Se have but a tenth of your beauty, I cannot imagine not trying to witness it for myself. I hope you can forgive me if my passion came off as illegitimate, but-."

"Yeah, yeah. Good luck on your journey! Here's your ticket, sir." Her shrill voice giggled and her scowl was nowhere to be found. Her perfectly manicured nails slid across her desk and elegantly handed Iroh their tickets and passports back. Iroh smiled and bowed at her in response.

"Your smile makes my day, madam. Thank you for the tickets." He said.

She blushed and waved in response. With that, they were off to their assigned ferry. Behind them, Keya could hear the woman yelling at the next customers.

"Whew, such charming words. Did you think of those yourself? I didn't know you were such a ladies man, Iroh." Keya giggled once they were out of ear-shot from the ticket lady.

Iroh smiled and winked. "This old man is full of surprises, Miss Keya. Don't forget that!"

"Shh! It's Jun now!" She laughed with a whisper, referring to her new fake name. She initially didn't agree that she needed one, but the Order of the White Lotus had put a fake name on her passport just to be sure.

The two continued to joke with one another for a bit while their third counterpart rolled his eyes in disamusement. No one in their right mind wanted to hear about their uncle's romantic adventures, after all. Besides, the trio were clearly not like the rest of the people here. Iroh and the Prince himself clearly had some Fire Nation heritage (although most people seemed to forget that once they saw Zuko's scar) and Keya... well, Keya was just different.

Zuko observed her as she joked with his uncle. Something about her mannerisms was un-Earth Kingdom like. Whereas most people in the Earth Kingdom had a certain toughness to them, which permeated the way they walked and talked, Keya was more elegant. It was as if she had a natural bounce in her step, as if she was as light as a feather. She stood out. He hadn't really noticed it when they met, but it was more apparent to him now. Perhaps it was due to the Water Tribe heritage that she had on her father's side, or perhaps it was due to that nomad heritage on her mother's side that his uncle had spoken about... Whatever it was, it was different and noticeable to him. Zuko worried that the combination of their little group would stir too many suspicions.

In the meantime, Keya noticed another noticeable group standing near the brick wall that they were approaching. A small group of boys, girls and other creatures were standing together. They were dressed in orange and yellow clothing, unlike anything she had ever seen. Most unusual were their haircuts - or rather, the lack thereof. A couple of them had long staffs in their hands. Keya prodded Zuko.

"Look over there -but don't make it obvious. Is one of those guys the Avatar?" She whispered secretively and nodded in their general direction. He immediately turned his head in alarm and observed them closely, as if he was hoping that the Avatar would indeed be among them. After a good scan, he shook his head and smirked.