The Girl in Ba Sing Sei

By Jixie 9/2008

Avatar: The Last Airbender © Nickelodeon

It was three days after their date that she went back to the teashop.

Jin had realized, early on, that this is something which would require a great deal of persistence on her part. But wasn't that true for all things worth having?

The date had been… well… it had been interesting, if nothing else. Lee was so sweetly awkward around her, but he had tried, really. In the end he became flustered and left, and truthfully Jin had been a little sore about that that, but she forgave the slip up.

Of course, her luck being what it was, Lee wasn't there when she entered the shop. She had the rest of the evening off, and knew that he would show up sooner or later, so she ordered a ginseng and settled into a table in the corner. The teashop was busy, and she listened to snatches of conversations drifting around her. It was a good way to find out what was going on in the city.

Eventually, she stopped paying attention and let her mind wander.

The attraction she felt was on many levels. The lower ring of Ba Sing Sei was filled with refugees from all ends of the Earth Kingdom and beyond. They all had a history, most of them tragic, many of them a mystery. But Lee was… something more. He was an enigma, with his quiet broody nature and the massive disfiguring scar across his face.

Jin hadn't seen the scar initially. In fact the first time she noticed him, he wasn't even facing her. It was a good opportunity to ogle without getting caught.

When she saw the scar, at first she'd been very put off by it. Swollen and discolored, it ruined an otherwise handsome face. Once the shock wore off, however, the scar became an subject of curiosity. How had he received it? How had he survived? She was fascinated.

Plenty of refugees bore scars and other injuries from attacks from the Fire Nation. Yet Jin had seen few so obvious and so extensive, and she had a strange feeling that… this was not just the result of a Fire Nation raid on an Earth Kingdom village.

This thought of hers was expounded by his and Mushi's golden yellow eyes.

Certainly, it was uncommon but not unheard of for people in the Earth Kingdom to have traits characteristic of other nations. Inter-racial couplings were unusual, but not as much as they used to be. It was entirely possible that the two were of the Earth Kingdom with recent Fire Nation ancestry…

…but, no.

She had contemplated, hesitantly, for about a week before making a move. Were physical attraction and curiosity worth getting involved in… whatever he was a part of?

Then she saw him fight, and decided that yes, Lee was definitely worth pursuing.

The shaggy, unkempt (but still roguishly handsome) boy had attacked— inside the tea shop!— unprovoked. Lee had fought back with such grace, controlled yet passionate, and watching him had given her such a rush of… of… well. There was no getting him out of her head after that.

So she asked him on a date. His uncle Mushi had accepted for him, and Lee had begrudgingly agreed to it. It was already apparent that Lee was wanting in social skills, and to what extent she learned over the course of their date. She made small talk, never pressing, never doing anything she thought would make him truly uncomfortable. She let him fib, badly, his way through dinner conversation, with amusing results. And then…

He lit the lanterns by the fountain for her. Her eyes had been closed, but she knew, she knew, there was only one way he could have.

It was so much more than just a romantic gesture. It answered the very question she hadn't dare to ask.

What was it he'd said before running off?

'It's complicated'?

Absolutely.

Lee said nothing, but he took the seat across from her. She waited, finishing her tea before addressing him.

"Hey there."

"Hi." He paused, hoping she would pick up the conversation. When Jin said nothing, he started fidgeting. "So, uh, you're not mad?"

Jin laughed. "No, of course not. Why should I be?" she replied, still smiling. "How are you doing?"

"Okay. I should probably get to work though."

"It is busy tonight."

"Yeah it is. Oh. How— how are you?"

'He's really bad at this,' she thought, but she was more amused than anything. "I'm alright." Demurely, she added, "don't let me keep you."

He stood to leave, sliding the chair back into place, and then: "If you wanted to… we could do something… tomorrow."

Four days, and she arrived at the teashop, waiting for Lee. It was between jobs, so they didn't have much time.

She had done her hair up differently and hoped it wouldn't fluster him too much.

Jin waited until she had to leave for her shift.

Lee had stood her up.

In the next couple days that followed, Jin was too busy— and too angry— to do anything about it. When she found herself with a little free time however, she went straight to the teashop.

Lee wasn't there. Mushi wasn't there. Politely, she requested to speak with the shop owner. She asked him if he knew where they lived, and he was kind enough to oblige.

"But they won't be there for much longer."

"Excuse me?"

"They are moving to the upper ring. Mushi is opening his own tea shop there…" he sighed. "At least it won't be direct competition, we'd never last." Then he noticed her expression. "I don't believe they've left yet, miss."

Thanking him profusely, Jin hurried off.

It was Mushi who answered.

Which was a good thing, really. For all Lee's social gracelessness, even he should have known better than to let her waste an entire evening waiting on him, and then never bother to get in touch and apologize for it. Between that and the fact they were moving into the upper ring, and she had to find out from the tea store owner… fire bending be damned, she was going to give that boy a piece of her mind!

Instead, she found herself giving a polite, if absent-minded, bow of the head to Mushi. "Is Lee around?" she asked, unable to disguise the tense note in her voice.

"I am very sorry," his words were drawn out, edged with concern. "Lee cannot see you right now."

Then there was no more anger, not even the fleeting sense of frustration. All she could feel was a sinking sickness in her belly.

"Is he okay? What happened?"

"Ah, don't worry. He has a fever, but once this passes, he will be just fine."

Jin tilted her head to the side, slightly confused. "Well… can I come in? Do you need any help?"

"Thank you for the offer, but no, no, I'm quite—"

He paused, mid-sentence, and hesitated for a moment. "Actually, would you be able to go and pick up a few things?"

Jin returned not long after that, with everything Mushi had requested and the change that was left over. Mostly dried herbs, some of which she recognized their medicinal properties, for tea no doubt. No big surprises there.

The stout old man invited her in this time, and she stood uneasily in the entryway of their apartment. It was much like any other homestead in the bottom-dwelling slums of Ba Sing Se. The building itself was structurally sound, its foundation constructed by meticulous Earth benders, but every inch of the place showed signs of age and neglect. It was carefully decorated, with odd baubles and flourishing house plants, each item strategically placed. Jin had the feeling Mushi knew a great deal about how to arrange a home to best accommodate the flow of energies, even in a decrepit old apartment in the worst part of town.

She quickly gave him the goods, then offered the modest collection of copper pieces in her cupped hand. Mushi shook his head.

"Keep them. Thank you for running errands for me, it was a great help."

She nearly refused, but Jin never turned down a handout, and knew she could use the coins. If Mushi and Lee were moving into the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, then they surely had more of a discretionary income than she ever would. Tentatively, she pocketed the change. "Is Lee…?"

He was already gesturing her towards the door. "If you would be so kind, please excuse me now."

"I…" she started, reaching out and resting her fingers on the old man's wrist. "Please. Let me stay."

They stood for several long moments, frozen in place, neither willing to relent.

Finally, Mushi sighed and smiled at her. "I suppose it would be nice for you to stay and visit Lee. Wait here for a moment." Then he smirked, a mischievous expression creeping into his features. "Let me check if he is decent before inviting a lady into his room."

She waited, only to find herself being ushered into another part of the apartment moments later. No sooner did he take her to Lee's room, then Mushi excused himself and disappeared.

Kneeling besides the futon, she wondered what to do or to say, and sat uneasily staring at her ill boyfriend until Mushi returned.

A shadow fell across the room, floorboards creaking as Mushi made his way into the room. Jin did not look up to greet him.

"Are you two deserters, or spies?"

He continued, unfaltering, around to the other side of the futon, carefully setting down a pile of clean towels and pitcher of water before sitting across from the Earth Nation girl. If he was at all surprised by the fact that she knew they were Fire Nation, it didn't show.

"If you want to get technical," he replied, "then I would have to say neither. We're exiles. If you're wondering whether or not we support the war efforts, then we are simply refugees looking to be successful in the tea business."

She glanced up quickly, trying to read any fear or dishonesty in his eyes.

There was none.

"Why doesn't anyone else notice?"

"Oh, there have been a few. But people see what they want to believe, and most people in this city want to believe there is no war going on. That there is no way the Fire nation could infiltrate Ba Sing Se. If King—"

She felt a sudden desperate need to end this conversation. It was bad enough she was openly talking to Fire nation deserters— exiles— whatever, but Mushi was leading into the situation in Ba Sing Se. The politics…

…the propaganda…

…the deception…

The things she'd heard and seen. The stirring of news and fighting that always went away quicker than it came. People disappearing. Entire families being 'relocated'. The vacant expressions, the stunted minds of the ones who did come back.

She looked up at Mushi, her face grim. He got the picture and fell silent, and they sat in awkward stillness for what felt like an eternity. "So…" Jin finally started, clumsily changing the topic. "I take it Lee's been sick for the last few days? Has the fever been getting better, or worse?"

"He's been sick for most of his life. As for the fever… it's always the worst before it breaks."

"Ummm…?"

He picked up a towel before responding, gently wiping up sweat from the unconscious boy's brow. "This illness is not physical, it is strictly a manifestation of his own internal conflict."

"Oh," she replied, although she didn't quite understand what he was talking about. Shifting her weight, she looked from Lee to Mushi and back. Lee certainly looked dreadfully ill, but his expression was relaxed, almost… peaceful, even. Mushi was attentive, and caring, but didn't seem too anxious over his nephew's health. He was confidant that everything would be just fine. Jin found herself easing into that confidence, letting it reassure her.

Lee and the old man would move into the upper ring, and their teashop would be successful. Jin would find a way to continue seeing Lee, and he'd eventually grow past his awkwardness, and some day she'd be married and living in the higher class, with children and a booming business and…

…she was getting ahead of herself.

"Do you… will you guys stay here? In Ba Sing Se?"

"You may not have heard," Mushi replied, a slight wistful tone in his voice. "I'm opening my own tea shop. Fate be willing, I would like spend the rest of my days here." Then his voice deepened, just a little, as if he was struggling to keep the graveness from it. "But life can be full of uncertainty. During wartime, it's impossible to say whether if one will stay or go."

She had nothing to say to that. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them. "Can I… I mean…" Hazel eyes met gold, begging for an answer. "What's his real name? In case?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out before long."

She never saw them again after that.

In the months that passed, Jin saw the rise and fall of the Fire Nation empire within the walls of Ba Sing Se. The last real stronghold of the Earth Kingdom fell without a drop of blood spilled. She had to admit, from what gossip told her of the conquest, it was quite an amazing feat.

She wished their recovery of the city had been so painless.

They were in the midst of rebuilding, after all the death and destruction. The city had been partially devastated, homes and buildings torn apart by the forces of nature, wrought by human hands, and the terrible machines brought in by the Fire Nation armies.

Passing through the streets, once worn and familiar, now scorched and littered with rubble, she looked ahead at the water fountain. At one time it had been the most beautiful part of the city slums. Now it hurt her heart to look at it. The battle had been particularly rough here.

It still reminded her of the only Fire Nation people she'd ever had a chance to get to know. Not surprisingly, they had disappeared the same time the city was overthrown. She never had found out whether they had made a calculated escape (which she earnestly hoped), or if they'd been captured (which she prayed hadn't happened). Or worse, if they'd returned to the army (in which case, if she ever found Lee, she would personally castrate him). Every so often she'd think about it and wonder how they were doing. And then she'd get back to reality. She was here in Ba Sing Se, and they weren't.

Jin had never felt so uncertain about her future. Before, the city was untouchable, a safe haven amongst a war-torn country. Then, when the unthinkable happened… very little had actually changed within the city walls. It was now, with the Fire Lord beaten and dethroned, and the war officially over, that she lost her bearings.

This new Fire Lord promised an era of peace, but even backed by the Avatar himself, Jin wondered if it was possible.

News from the cities and villages outside was inconsistent. In some places, the Fire Nation army had quietly slipped away, while others— admittedly, these were almost wholly Fire Nation in population— stayed strict Fire Nation colonies. There were a few places that she'd heard had allowed them stay with some sort of diplomatic neutrality, although she had no idea why, because war or not… they were still universally reviled within the Earth Kingdom.

At least, she realized, news was actually coming freely these days.

Hurrying through the once-picturesque clearing, she passed an information board. One way or another, things were changing! Once it held only wanted posters or lists of penalties for breaking the law. Now there was a detailed inscription of the new Fire Lord's proclamation of the end of the war. It was accompanied by a barrage of official stamps and seals, and for show— or for the illiterate, how should she know?— a picture of the likeness of Fire Lord Zuko himself.

A course laugh escaped her throat. And the more she stared at the Lord's visage, with its unmistakable, blatantly obvious, unquestionable disfiguring scar… the harder she laughed. The heavens and earth! Jin gasped and snorted through uncontrollable hysterics, passer-bys gawking and walking in a clear path around her.

She was there for what felt like forever, until her body shook and her belly cramped up, and tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes.

(The end?)