Epilogue

Six Months Later

Suki tried not to fidget until lunch. A bead of sweat worked its way down her temple and the chinstrap of her hat tickled. The air in the Ba Sing Se processing center was stifling, made worse by the stench of unwashed travelers and the lack of air circulation.

She strolled over closer to the docks. No breezes filtered through the entrance, and the glow of the green crystals made time seem to loop endlessly. She sighed in defeat and lifted her coarse sleeve to wipe off her face.

At least I don't have to worry about smearing my makeup now, she thought. She had been at this post for close to six weeks, and had no more leads than she had when she left Kyoshi Island.

A bell rang, noting the hour. Suki sagged in relief and wove through the crowds to grab her lunch from her locker. She glanced around before climbing up the wall to the small shelf where she perched to people watch from a distance. This was her favorite part of the day, when she was above the fray. Nobody even thought to look up here, let alone bother her to help track down a wandering child or ask her why their false papers weren't working.

She hoisted herself over the ledge and froze. There was a boy already up there. He was a few years younger than she was, and he stared at her, just as wide-eyed, a fruit tart halfway to his mouth.

"I guess you needed some peace too?" she asked, deciding not to let this intruder ruin her lunch. She unfolded her kerchief and munched on a rice ball.

"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else would use this," he said, fruit tart still midway to his mouth.

His hands were wrapped in dingy strips of cloth, and though he wore the greens and browns of the Earth Kingdom, there was something off about how they draped across his body. Suki motioned to his fruit tart, studying him closer.

"Want to trade an Unagi ball for a bite of that?" she narrowed her eyes as she tried to identify the fruit. "Lychee nuts?"

"Oh, I love Unagi balls," the boy said, eyes going wide. "You must be from the South."

Suki took the quarter that the boy offered her and held out the ball in return. She wondered if this world-traveler knew any worthwhile information to share. He seemed sweet enough – she could conduct this interrogation like a normal conversation.

"Yep, Kyoshi Island," she replied.

His eyes grew larger with excitement. "Kyoshi has an island?"

Suki nodded slowly. Who knew Kyoshi if they hadn't visited the shrine and the island? She pretended to still chew the lychee nut pastry while trying not to scare him off.

"Yes, it's a haven for refugees like here," she settled. "Kyoshi was an Avatar, you know."

The boy nodded. She needed a name. "I'm Suki, by the way."

"Aang," the boy replied, sticking out a grimy bandaged hand for her to shake.

She raised an eyebrow at his hand. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm still eating."

His face flushed and he muttered apologies.

"So, if you've traveled," she spoke around the rice in her mouth. "you've probably heard the rumors."

"Which ones?" Aang responded a little too nonchalant.

"With Winter Solstice," she laid her cards out, waiting for his response.

He furrowed his brow. "Erm, which rumors?" he shrugged half-heartedly.

"Oh, you know, about the Avatar," she pressed.

With that he practically flew up. "Oh, I see my friends, and I think they're looking for me over there," he said before practically floating down the wall face.

Aang. That was definitely an Air Nomad name. It lacked the hard k's and t's of the Southern Water Tribesmen who had given her a lift to Chameleon Bay. Aang was turning out to be the most interesting refugee she had met.

She tracked his movement through the crowd. She had left Kyoshi Island immediately after the large statue's eyes had glowed pale blue on the Solstice. Nobody, even the eldest villagers, had ever seen anything like it before, but once she hit the mainland, rumors of a boy with Airbending Tattoos who the Fire Nation had lost spread.

Even after the Southern fleet had dropped her off, she heard the same stories everywhere she went. Paintings and statues of avatars from so long ago even their names were lost glowed blue as if somebody were looking back out. She had taken this job as a way to gather information and save up money to join the Avatar if she ever found him. The gossip was good at this busy post, but Suki wondered if it was time to move on soon.

She spotted Aang waving at a group. She wiped her hands and clambered back down the wall. She wove through people, ignoring those who asked for help and even stepping around one pushy woman. She slid behind a pillar where he wouldn't see her. It was a strange group indeed. There was a couple all over each other – a Water Tribe woman with a young man with Fire Nation complexion and a nasty burn scar on half of his face. Suki winced thinking about what caused it. A man who looked Water Tribe sharpened the edge of a boomerang, and a blind girl also stood with them.

Aang pointed up at the ledge, and they directed their attention there. They huddled closer to each other, and Suki cursed to herself. There was no way should could eavesdrop with their heightened guard.

One of Aang's wrappings had loosened, and he took it off to rewrap it. She held her breath when she saw the blue tattoo.

Her eyes widened in glee when she realized where they stood. She paced across the floor away from the group and stood on a tile at the opposite side, where the acoustics threw the sound from the spot where the group stood.

Crowds bustled around her as a ferry docked, but she stood with her feet wide, hoping nobody would bother her here. Their voices were as clear as if she were on the other side of their pillar.

"-think we should be worried?" Aang asked.

"Well, our ferry leaves tonight, so we can keep an eye out for her if she tries to follow us," a man with a Southern accent replied.

"Why couldn't we have flown on Appa?" Aang responded.

"Will you give it a rest?" and impatient man's voice snapped. "We've been over this so many times – better to get into Ba Sing Se undetected and then have an easy escape. We should have come here weeks ago instead of taking so many group vacations."

"Right, so Zuko won't take any more vacations," a girl sniped. "You weren't the one who couldn't see for the month we spent at the South Pole."

"That wasn't a vacation," another girl said. "That was – us trying to keep my family happy. We're probably going to get into the city, find Lee's uncle and probably end up testing as many tea variations as we can afford. Not a vacation."

"I thought you liked tea," the impatient guy – Lee or Zuko – said.

"I do when the experience is relaxing," the second girl's voice grew shrill. "This," Suki imagined the girl motioning to the bustling port. "is not relaxing."

The crowds thinned as one of the ferries loaded, and she was able to see the group. The man with the huge scar on his face stood close to the girl from earlier, holding her elbow.

"Hey," he said more softly, though to Suki it sounded like he was next to her. "We'll find Uncle in the city, apologize that he had to miss the ceremony, and drink some tea," his voice got a little rumbly and made Suki blush. "Maybe we can send all four of them out on the town so we can have his apartment to ourselves."

"Or maybe we could sneak off for romantic date," the girl was turned fully toward him now, holding his hands. "Find a trashy inn and have another honeymoon."

"You know, that sounds like a vacation I can get on board with," he smirked. "After Aang defeats my father, maybe we can go to Ember Island again."

Suki decided that she had probably heard enough and strolled back to her post, keeping them in sight. She mulled over the strange conversations she had overheard. This group, made up of at least two water tribesmen, an airbender, and a man who looked remarkably like the wanted poster of the banished prince that had made its way to Kyoshi Island. The same man who talked about vacationing at Ember Island after defeating his father.

She stood at attention even more and scanned the station for any potential threats to this rag-tag group. As soon as their ship had departed, she put in her notice to quit her post immediately, and purchased her own ticket to Ba Sing Se to track down and join the Avatar.

Thanks for all of the support – reviews, messages, follows, and favorites – you guys are the best. I'm excited to have finished my first multi-chapter fiction! It was kind of fun to go back and compare my 10k word first draft to the finished work.

I have another project in the works that I will start posting after I have it plotted out more. I may need a sounding board for a few ideas, so if you're interested in helping, hit me up here or over on tumblr (I'm dragon-hearted-girl). Hope to hear from you!