The Search Within the Force and Flame

II

It's midday in the joint Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom colony of Yu Dao. Dozens of green and red colored buildings line the cityscape as similarly patterned attired people walk the streets. Inside the main capital building a horseshoe shaped desk is placed in the center of the room. At each of the seats are representatives from the colony with Logan, Katara, Sokka, Aang and Zuko filling in the five seats at the other end of the desk. The Earth Kingdom professor rambles on about the subject he is lecturing about.

Logan sits slight hunched, using his left elbow as a kickstand and his left hand cupping his eye as it twitches in boredom. Sokka leans over to Aang, "Tell me again, how exactly is boring lecture guy supposed to help us figure out what to do with Yu Dao?"

"He's an expert on ancient Earth Kingdom theories of government. The Earth King thinks we should draw on the wisdom of the past to build a society of the future," Aang says enthusiastically.

"Even if the past bores me out of my skull," Sokka says flatly as he crosses his arms on the desk and puts his head down.

"Can you two keep it down? Some of us are trying to listen!" Katara snaps.

"Sorry, Katara!" Aang says, very apologetically.

Sokka's head snaps up, with a coy grin on his face. "Surprise, surprise. My boring sister likes the boring lecture guy."

Katara menacingly looks at Sokka. "Hey! That's my girlfriend you're talking about!" Aang snaps.

Logan straightens up in his seat and looks over at this exchange as Katara, still menacingly looking at Sokka, whisps her hand outward as a leach of water arcs out from the cup she's holding and hits Sokka in the face, turning into snow. Aang covers his mouth as his shoulders move violently up and down as he tries to contain his outburst of laughter. Logan rubs his eyes and smiles, shaking his head. Zuko is staring forward, in a trance and barely listening. It isn't until the word, "family", is mentioned that snaps him back.

Zuko raises his hand, "Professor, can you repeat that last part?"

*Sighs*, "A teenager is a teenager, apparently, even if he's the head of state," the professor says under his breath.

"I was explaining, Fire Lord Zuko, an ancient Earth Kingdom philosophy: Family is in essence a small nation, and the nation a large family. Do you understand," the professor says.

Zuko has a defeated look on his face as Aang looks on in concern at his distressed friend. "In treating his own family with dignity, a ruler learns to govern his nation with dignity," the professor says. Zuko looks down in sadness.

"Zuko, you good? I mean, have you been listening to him? I'm trying and all I hear is BLAH, BLAH, BLAH," Aang says, trying to lighten the mood.

Zuko, looking straightforward, "I put my father in a prison and my sister in an institution. My mother's been banished for years. What does that mean for my nation?" he says.

"Zuko, that's not what---The guy's a blowhard! Only people like Katara are taking him seriously," Sokka interjects over Aang.

Katara frowns in nonamusement and arches out more water from her cup. The snow stops above Sokka's face as Logan uses the Force to hold it in place. "Not this time Kat," Logan says with a smirk. Katara quickly glances at Logan and gives a sarcastic grin. She flicks her hand and the snow splits. One half hits Sokka in the face as the other hits Logan in the face. The two boys groan in annoyance as they wipe away the snow.

"If you four are finished goofing off, may I continue?" the professor says in annoyance.

"Apologies, please continue," Katara says, motioning her hand forward.