Balance | Old Version

Chapter 70 (City Of Walls And Secrets)

Elua's POV.

We had made it to Ba Sing Se and were now sitting in a train as it speeds down the tracks. When we first got here we had to dismantle a huge metal drill that was trying to get through the outer wall, but in the end, we stopped it.
"Look, the inner wall," Katara says as she points out the window. We look out the window as we enter the inner wall. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece," She says.
"Hey don't jinx it!" Sokka exclaims. "We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp," He tells her, crossing his arms.

"You been hitting the cactus juice again?" I ask him jokingly.
"I'm just sayin', weird stuff happens to us," He states, he's not wrong. A very strange man with a glassy stare and a large yellow plant in his mouth sits beside me. I move closer to Sokka, trying to get away from this unusual person.
"What is with you two?" Katara asks Sokka and I.
"What?" We both ask at the same time.
"You both seem...closer," She says with a suspicious look on her face. Sokka and I look at each other, I wasn't really sure what we were at this point. I suppose we were together, but we never clarified that.

"We've just been getting along more," I tell her, shrugging. She doesn't seem to believe that but, she doesn't question us. She looks over to Aang, who was a sad look on his face.
"Don't worry Aang, we'll find Appa," Katara tells Aang as he looks out the window sadly.
"It's such a big city," Aang states.
"He's a giant bison. Where could someone possibly hide him?" Sokka asks as we get to the other side of the wall and see thousands of houses, big and small. "Oh," He says as his confidence falters, seeing how hard this will be. The train comes to a stop and we all get off.
"Back in the city. Great," Toph says sarcastically.
"What's the problem? It's amazing!" Sokka states looking around in awe.

"Just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait; you'll get sick of it in a couple of days," Toph tells him as the train speeds off. I look behind us and see a woman staring at us, smiling in a strange way.
"Hello, my name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar and Nadir around Ba Sing Se," The lady says as she bows to us. "You must be Sokka, Katara, and Toph. Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?" Joo Dee asks us.
"Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately," Sokka tells her seriously.
"Great, let's begin our tour. Then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it," Joo Dee says smiling.

"Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the King about the war, it's important," Sokka tells her again.
"You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here," Joo Dee says with a smile as she leads us to a carriage and we hop inside. "This is the lower ring," She tells us as we ride through a not so nice looking part of the city.
"What's that wall for?" Katara asks pointing to another wall outside the window.
"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us, and the ones inside that help maintain order," Joo Dee explains. "This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively," She says, still smiling.

We look out the window and see a man with a big sword smiling at us, we quickly look away.
"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara asks, not liking how they are separating people by the money they make.
"This is why I never came here before. I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live," Aang says as we go through the second wall.
"I've been here a few times, one of my friends lived here," I tell the others.
"Juna?" Aang asks, remembering the spunky girl that I used to visit.
"Yeah, she lived in the higher ring. But, I didn't come here often," I state as I look out the window, everything had changed. There were more houses, more people, and fewer trees.

"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here,"  Joo Dee says as we pass a wall, the palace behind it.
"What's inside that wall?" Katara asks pointing to the walls around the palace.
"And who are the mean-looking guys in robes?" Sokka asks, looking at the guards by the entrance.
"Inside is the Royal Palace. Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions," Joo Dee explains.
"Can we see the King now?" Aang asks.

"Oh, no! One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King,"  Joo Dee says smiling, we all look at her in annoyance as we come up to a nice house.
"Here we are. Your new home," Joo Dee says. We get out of the carriage and stand in front of the nice house as a messenger hands Joo Dee a letter. "More good news, your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual," She says with a wide smile.
"A month!?" We all shout in shock.
"Six to eight weeks, actually," Joo Dee says with a very annoyingly happy smile.