Shots

ODD NEIGHBORS

She lived with her father in an apartment next to a tea shop in Ba Sing Se, and―

​​​​​​​T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶a̶S̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶S̶e̶

―right next door was a wise, old man, and his nephew. They are quaint, she think. It's calm and peaceful, they are warm. She spends more time with them then in her home because her father is at work. She misses him. He's been at work for the past two―

T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶a̶S̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶S̶e̶

―weeks. Sometimes she gets worried, though she ignores the ache in her stomach and drinks tea. Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong. She has to believe that, or The Dai Li will take everything she has. They've already took Mom. She'd seen her on the street, and when she tapped on her shoulder she introduced herself as Joo Dee, Mom's name was not Joo Dee. She plays along.

Mushi makes the best tea she has ever had, and Lee is charming in his own awkward, brotherly way.

They took her brother too―

T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶a̶ S̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶Se

―and it hurts sometimes; but she ignores it and drinks her tea with Mushi and Lee. They substitute her missing family, and she smiles at them when they walk past her. It's quiet.

Today she met the Avatar, he's younger than her by a good few years, she's seventeen after all. He is sweet though, an Airbender, it's amazing really. She smiles at him too, and tells him to have a good day. He says he's going to stop the war, but―

T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶a̶ S̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶S̶e̶

―she tells him that he's too young to be worried about such nonsensical things such as made up wars. She pats his hairless head and makes it back to her home. On the way she gives Mushi the tea leaves he's been raging on about. He says he's found a way to make them sweet.

She says she'll be happy to try when he asks. Lee steps into the apartment right when she's telling Mushi about the Avatar and his odd fantasy about a war. They both freeze. She thinks they must have the same problem as her, she gets scared far too easily, because it can't be anything else―

T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶a̶S̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶S̶e̶

―can it? No that's impossible. She tries to forget, because it hurts when she thinks about it too much. She ignores it and goes to bed, they must be mistaken.

T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶a̶S̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶S̶e̶