I wrote these to tide Floranna over while I was writing "Quiet Shadowed Places" and to test out what she liked.

Adrift

The air in front of him burned.

Zuko reached up and swatted the fire blast away, circling his arm back to shield himself. He kept his body tight as he twisted though the air and only wobbled a little when he landed. A smile tried its best to yank his lips up. "So?"

"Do it again."

"What!" he slammed his hands down on his uncle's table. "But I detected every fire blast!"

"And your form was still weak, Prince Zuko. Do it again."

"Teach me the next form!"

Iroh put his hand over Zuko's and squeezed, proud. "Do it again."

Alone

When his own ship had rolled under his feet, he hadn't needed the cane. He'd been trapped there with every corridor and every room for years and years and years, and they never changed.

The road didn't roll, and he didn't know where it went.

But there was boy holding his hand. His hand shifted against the boy's uneasily and he longed to grab for his cane.

"No one can sneak up on us."

Zuko snickered. "No kidding."

He let the boy lead him to his parents and didn't yank his hand away.

It would be rude.

He felt helpless.

Aloft

"I hate it too."

When Zuko didn't answer, Toph poked him hard between the ribs. "What?"

"Flying." With every little jolt, his stomach bounced up into his mouth. "First time I was up here and couldn't see anything..."

"I'm fine."

He wanted to tell her to shut up; he couldn't see on the ground either. She should stop- "Oh." He flushed.

He tried not to remember the air whistling past his ears as he missed Azula's airship. "It's worse when I don't know where the ground stops." She punched him in the arm, but it quickly turned into a hug.