As an reward for protecting Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation attack, the group and I were allowed into the city.
We were now on the system bus heading to Ba Sing Se. After a long day I had dozed off, resting my head on Sokka's lap as he stroked my hair gently.
"Look!" Katara shouts. "The inner wall."
"Shhh! Soul's sleeping." Sokka scolds his sister.
"Sorry."
"I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece."
"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka says jumping out of his seat causing me to fall.
"I'm so sorry Soul." Sokka panics, picking me up from the floor.
Out of no where, a man sucking on corn, sat in between Toph and Sokka.
"Don't worry, Aang, we'll find Appa." Katara reassures.
"It's such a big city."
"He's a giant bison," Sokka says walking over to Aang and Katara. "Where could someone possibly hide him?"
The three looked out the window in awe.
"Let me see." I say standing up and looking out the window with them.
"Oh." Sokka gasps.
The bus stopped once we made it to the station.
"Ah," Toph sighs. "Back in the city. Great."
"What's the problem? It's amazing!"
"Just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait, you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."
As the buses pass by a weird smiling lady walked over to us.
"Hello, my name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Princess Soul, Sokka, Katara, and Toph. Welcome to our wonderful city, shall we get started?"
"Yes," Sokka answers. "We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to The Earth King immediately."
"Great, let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it." Joo Dee says walking away.
"AUGH!" Sokka groans. "Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to The King about the war, it's important."
"You're in Ba Sing Se, now. Everyone is safe here."
We all look at her dumbfounded.
*ೃ༄ *ೃ༄ *ೃ༄
"This is the lower ring." Joo Dee says showing us around the city.
"What's the wall for?" Katara asks.
"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls," Jo Dee responds. "There are the ones outside, protecting us, and the ones inside, that help maintain orders. This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively."
We made eye contact with a man holding a sword.
"You do want to watch your step, though."
"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara asks.
"This is why I never came here before," Aang says. "I always heard it was different from the way the monks taught us to live."
"This is the middle ring of Ba Sing Se, home to the financial district, shops, and restaurants and the university."
Sokka looks up excitedly. "Yeah, we met a professor from Ba Sing Se University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the King to hear!"
"Isn't history fascinating?" Jo Dee speaks, completely ignoring everything Sokka said. "Look, here's one of the oldest buildings in the middle ring, town hall."
"Is that women deaf?" Sokka asks. "She only seems to hear every other word I say."
"It's called being handled," Toph says. "Get used to it."
"The upper ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not to far from here."
"What's inside that wall?" Katara asks.
Three men from afar glared at us.
"And who are the mean looking guys in robes?"
"Inside is the royal palace," Jo Dee answers Katara's question.
"Those men are agents of the Da Li, the culture authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions." Jo Dee says now answering Sokka's question.
"Can we see the King now?" Aang bluntly asks.
Jo Dee giggles. "Oh, no! One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King."
"Not even the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe?" Sokka asks grabbing my shoulder.
At last, we had made it to the house, we were staying in.
"Here we are, your new home." A man runs over to Jo Dee handing her a note.
"More good news. Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual."
"A month?" Sokka gasps.
"Six to eight weeks, actually."
Once we settled into house Jo Dee started talking.
"Isn't it nice? I think you'll really enjoy it here."
"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying to long," Says Sokka. "Can't we see the King any sooner?"
"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world, but he will see you as soon as time permits."
"If we're gonna be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Appa." Aang suggests.
"I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like to go." Jo Dee bows.
"We don't need a babysitter." Toph scoffs.
"Oh, I won't get in the way. And to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"
We made a stop at the pet store. "I'm sorry," the clerk says. "But I haven't heard anything about a flying bison. I didn't even know there were any."
"If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing, where would they go?" Aang asks.
"Where's the black market? Who runs it? Come on, you know." Sokka asks bombarding the clerk with questions.
"Uh," the clerk starts sweating. "That would be illegal. You'll have to leave now. Your lemur is harassing my sparrowkeets."
The next stop was the university.
"Hmm, I've never seen any sandbenders or nomads around here," says the student we were speaking to. "You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on desert cultures."
"Right," Sokka says. "And which of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?"
"Uh," the boy stutters. "I don't know, I'm not a political science student, I have to get to class."
As we were about to go home for dinner, a man was staring at us through his window.
"Hey, come with me." Sokka says as the rest of us follow him, as he knocks on the mans door.
"You're the Avatar. I heard you were in town. I'm Pong." He says answering the door.
"Nice to meet you Pong." I smile.
"Oh my spirits, it's the Princess herself." Pong says going on his knees praising me.
I give him my hand. "Oh, please stand up."
"Sorry, Princess," he says getting up.
"So, Pong" Sokka speaks. "What's goin' on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?"
"War, scared? What do you mean?"
"I can feel you shaking." Toph confirmed.
"Look, I'm just a minor government official. I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble."
"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asks.
"Shh, listen, you can't mention the war, here. And whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li." Pong says slamming the door on us.
*ೃ༄ *ೃ༄ *ೃ༄
We were all in the house, bored when Katara ran into the house with a piece of paper in her hand. "I've got it I know how we're going to see the Earth King."
"How are we supposed to do that? One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King." Toph says mimicking Jo Dee.
"The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear."
"You mean platypus bear?" Aang corrects.
"No," Katara bluntly says. "It just says bear."
"Certainly you mean his pet skunk bear," Sokka says.
"Or his armadillo bear?" I add.
"Gopher bear?" Toph says.
"Just bear." Katara shrugs.
"This place is weird."
"The place will be packed," Katara says. "We can sneak in with a crowd."
"Won't work," I reply.
"Why not?"
"Well, no offense to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd would spot you a mile away," Toph says.
"Yeah," I add on. "You've got no manners."
"Excuse me?" Katara huffs. "I've got no manners? Your not exactly the nicest Princess, you have the most intimidating resting bitch face. And you," she says pointing at Toph. "You're not exactly lady fancy fingers."
Toph burps. "I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it. You never learned anything,"
I couldn't help but laugh. "And frankly, it's a little too late."
"Ah-ha, but you guys learned it! You could teach us." Sokka suggests.
"Yeah, I'm mastering every element. How hard can manners be?" Aang says wrapping himself up in the curtains. "Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe. Miss Katara Water Tribe. Lord Momo of the Momo dynasty, your Momo-ness."
Sokka wraps himself up in the curtain too as he puts on a snoppy voice. "Avatar Aang. How you do go on."
Aang bows, then Sokka, then Aang again, then Sokka again, and then they both bow, banging heads.
I raise my eyebrow. "Katara might be able to pull it off, but you two would be lucky to pass as busboys."
"But I feel so fancy." Sokka replies.
The girls and I decided to dress up as formal attires.
We walked out the door giggling as Aang and Sokka blushed.
"Wow," Aang gasps. "You look beautiful."
Sokka flicks Aang's head.
Katara was about to respond when Toph shoved her fan in her face. "Don't talk to the commanders, Katara. First rule of society."
"We'll get in the party and then find a way to let you in through the side gate." Katara says as we walk away.
"Bye, Soul." Sokka calls after me.
"Bye, Sokka, See you later."
The girls and I were initially refused entry by a guard, who rejected even Toph's family seal, but we eventually managed to get inside with the help of an official named Long Feng.
After a while we found Sokka and Aang.
"Thanks for letting us in." Sokka says once he served Toph her crab puff.
"Sorry, but the guy who escorted us in won't let us out of his sight," Katara says.
"And he's hot." I say fanning myself with my fan.
"What guy?" Sokka says looking around and then narrowing his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" I hear a familiar voice say. "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble."
"Not until we see the King." Sokka says.
"You don't understand, you must go." Jo Dee says shoving Sokka which led to Sokka falling on Aang which led to Aang spilling hot tea on some lady.
"Sorry, no don't shout," Aang says blowing a gust of air at the lady, drying her.
"The Avatar," she smiles. "Oh, I didn't know the Avatar would be here."
Once she said that everyone turned their attention to Aang.
Sokka then whispered something to Aang.
"Watch this everybody," Aang shows the crowd some tricks.
A couple hours later the Earth King finally decided to show up.
"Aang, the Earth King." Sokka whisper yells to Aang from afar.
Sokka started running forward to the Earth King but got held back by the guards.
"Augh, ugh, let me go!"
"Hey, let go of him!" I yell, throwing a hot fire whip at the guard whipping his face.
"Ahh." He shrieks.
I was about to attack the other guards but one snuck up behind me, cuffing me.
Once everyone was literally captured into the library by Long Feng, Sokka started asking questions right away.
"Why won't you let us talk to the King? We have information that would defeat the Fire Nation!"
"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities."
"This could be the first important thing he's ever heard." Aang says.
"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military."
"So the King is just a figurehead," Katara says.
"He's your puppet."
"Oh, no, no," Long Feng says. "His majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly changes of an endless war."
"But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless, you could lead an invasion..."
"Enough," Long Feng interrupts Sokka, as Sokka backs away quickly into my arms. "I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan. It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic."
"You can't keep the truth from all these people," I say. "They have to know."
"I'll tell them," Aang says angrily. "I'll make sure everyone knows."
"Oh Princess and Avatar until now, you've been treated as our honored guest. But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Da Li Agents." Long Feng says getting in my face.
I spit in his face as he growled at me grabbing a handkerchief from his pocket walking away. "If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city. I understand you've been looking for your bison. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest. Now Jo Dee will show you home."
A random lady walked in front of us. "Come with me, please."
"What happened to Jo Dee?" Katara asks.
"I'm Jo Dee. I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."