Avatar Zuko

Chapter 32

Toph and the others had all been led from the top of the wall down to the very edge of the city, so that they could catch the train into the inner ring. Apparently, thanks to them saving Ba Sing Se from Azula, they were being granted a large house to live in in the richest, snootiest place in probably the entire Earth Kingdom. Toph, however, was not at all bothered in taking advantage of this ‘privilege’ since the city life was not for her.

Still, she walked with her friends towards the train, knowing they had to be here to save Appa and talk to the Earth King about defeating the Fire Nation on the day of the eclipse.

“Hello, I am Joo Dee, and I am here to accompany you to your new house in the inner ring. If you need anything, just ask.” Said a women, Joo Dee, cheerfully- almost robotically.

“Great, we need an audience with the Earth King.” Requested Sokka enthusiastically, as they all got onto the train in their own compartment.

“I'm sorry, but the Earth King doesn't take meetings on such short notice. Now, if you'll look to your left you'll see the west side of Ba Sing Se…” Joo Dee droned on, completely boring the earthbender and apparently infuriating Sokka.

“But we have information that's critical to the w-” Argued Sokka, clearly not getting anywhere.

“And to your right you'll see…” Interrupted their guide, not even reacting to what Sokka had said.

Soon Joo Dee’s voice just became background noise as the others discussed, quietly, their plan of action.

“Our first priority should be finding Appa.” Stated Aang, not sounding as though his mind could be changed.

“Okay, but in the meantime we also need to tell the King about the eclipse, which means we need to talk to him.” Agreed Sokka, also seeming determined.

“Plus… Ba Sing Se is pretty huge, who knows how long it will take to find Appa.” Commented Katara, to which Toph agreed since, whilst stopping the drill, she had been close enough to the city to sense how massive it really was.

“Yeah, and Azula is ruthless; she won't stop until we're all captured. So we have to be on the lookout for her.” Chipped in Zuko, being a bundle of fun and good news, as always.

The trifecta of difficulty left a sour weight resting on the group’s shoulders, making them quiet. Since the conversation had died, now the only voice filling their compartment was that of Joo Dee, who was saying nothing to lighten their spirits.

“In the outer ring we have the agriculturists, artists and craftsmen- people who work with their hands. It's very quaint, as you can see!” She explained, not that Toph could see (or even sense from inside a moving train).

“There's a guy mugging someone and several refugees going into a house that's way too small for them.” Whispered Sokka into her ear, apparently wanting to keep her in the loop.

“Great, a class system.” She muttered back sarcastically.

“Um, Joo Dee, who are those shadowy guys?” Asked Aang as brightly as he could, probably smiling.

“Those are the Dai Li, they maintain our great city’s cultural heritage and protect the citizens.” She explained, but all Toph heard was that the government was restricting poor people.

“This place is… Not how I expected it would be.” Said Katara, sounding pretty disappointed.

“Yeah, this is why I never came here when I was younger. The monks always taught us that all life was equal and this place… Goes completely against that.” Grumbled Aang, probably pouting, as they kept chugging along.