Azara sat in between Toph and Sokka as the train rumbled along, Aang and Katara seated across from them. "Look, the Inner Wall! I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece," Katara breathed out excitedly, pointing at the approaching structure.

"Hey, don't jinx it! We can 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!" Sokka shouted out dramatically as the rest of the group shot him a look.

"Have you been drinking cactus juice again?" Azara sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm just saying, weird stuff happens to us," Sokka shrugged as a man sucking on a corn ear sat in between Azara and Toph, pushing Azara into Sokka as they all looked at each other with the same startled expression. Azara shifted over, not wanting to be crushed by the random man, but Sokka didn't have much space to move over, leaving them in a slight predicament.

"Uh, I can move to the other side if you're—" Azara suggested as half of her body was resting on Sokka's and the other half on the small space between Sokka and the random man.

"—No, no, uh, it's fine," Sokka stuttered out as the train hit a bump, which moved Azara further into Sokka's lap. The two refused to meet each other's eye line, lest their very prominent blushes be noticed by the other.

"Don't worry Aang, we'll find Appa," Katara reassured Aang, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's such a big city," Aang mumbled into his crossed arms, sounding doubtful of their ability to find Appa.

"He's a giant bison! Where could someone possibly hide him?" Sokka replied, trying to cheer Aang up. However, the optimistic look in his eye faded as they entered the Inner Wall, and the giant city was suddenly revealed to them.

"Welcome to Ba Sing Se," Azara muttered out, staring at the expansive city below them. The train slowed as it entered the station. The group moved to disembark with the rest of the crowd, which was predominantly refugees.

"Back in the city. Great," Toph huffed as Azara shared a similar expression on her face.

"What's the problem? It's amazing!" Sokka spoke excitedly, looking around at the vast city.

"It's just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait, you'll get sick of it in a couple of days," Toph continued, crossing her arms over her chest. The train started to pull away behind them, revealing an Earth Kingdom woman with a weird smile and look in her eye. Azara raised an eyebrow as the woman approached, her gut twitching that something was off with her.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee! I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, Azara, and Toph! Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?" Joo Dee asked, her wide smile unchanged as she clasped her hands together behind her back.

"Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King, immediately," Sokka stated, stepping forwards with a determined look in his eye.

"Great! Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it!" Joo Dee responded, completely ignoring Sokka.

"Ugh! Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the king about the war, it's important," Sokka tried again as Joo Dee didn't even blink at his statement.

"You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here," Joo Dee spoke, causing the group to share confused looks with each other.

Jo Dee eventually convinced them to follow her down to an ostrich horse carriage. Azara stared out the window of the carriage, already bored of Joo Dee's incessant ramblings as they continued through the streets of Ba Sing Se. "This is the Lower Ring," Joo Dee announced as Katara looked up at the Lower Ring Wall.

"What's the wall for?" Katara asked, but Azara already knowing the answer.

"Oh, Ba Sing Se had many walls! There are the ones outside protecting us, and the ones inside, that help maintain order," Jo Dee explained, the same annoying smile on her face.

"And by maintaining order, you mean keeping the poor refugees out of the hairs of the nobility," Azara muttered, but she was promptly ignored by Joo Dee.

"This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively!" Azara glanced out of the carriage at two men conversing in an alley. One held a large sword that reflected the daylight as they both glared at the carriage. Momo, spotting the men as well, hurried into Azara's lap to hide from the men. "You do want to watch you step, though," Joo Dee added nervously as Azara kept her unimpressed look.

"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara questioned the group, causing Aang to sigh.

"This is why I never came her before. I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live," Aang replied, leaning on the inside of the carriage.

They eventually made their way into the Middle Ring, but the group was becoming more restless. "This is the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, home to the financial district, shops and restaurants, and the university," Joo Dee continued her tour, seeming to not realize the bored looks on each of the group's faces as she spoke.

"Yeah, we met a professor from Ba Sing Se University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the Earth King to hear!" Sokka stated, his voice raising in volume with every word as he leaned towards Joo Dee.

"Isn't history fascinating? Look, here's one of the oldest buildings in the Middle Ring, Town Hall!" Joo Dee pointed out, the same wide smile across her face before she stood up and exited the carriage. Sokka stared after her with an annoyed expression as Azara brushed Momo's head, bored.

"Is that woman deaf? She only seems to hear every other word I say," Sokka complained as Toph groaned from across the carriage.

"It's called 'being handled.' Get used to it," Toph replied as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Their tour eventually progressed to the Upper Ring, the houses appearing larger and grander than before. "The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here!" Joo Dee announced as they passed another wall with a huge gate. The roof of the Earth Kingdom palace could be seen behind the wall.

"What's inside that wall?" Katara asked as Azara raised an eyebrow at the oddly dressed men standing in the gateway.

"And who're the mean-looking guys in robes?" Sokka added, turning back to Joo Dee.

"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 smiled, as Azara narrowed her eyes at the Dai Li agents.

"Can we see the king now?" Aang huffed, growing increasingly annoyed and bored.

"Oh no, one doesn't just pop in on the Earth King!" Joo Dee responded, raising a finger to add to her point, which caused the group to collectively groan. They continued on quietly in the carriage until they came to a stop in front of a small house. "Here we are! Your new home," Joo Dee pointed out as the group made their way out of the carriage and up the stairs to the entrance of the house.

Azara looked back as Joo Dee as she was approached by a messenger, who handed her a scroll, before running off in the direction that he had come. Joo Dee unfurled the scroll, quickly scanning its message, before smiling up at the group of teenagers. "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!"

"A month?!" Azara shouted, flabbergasted despite her experience with court. I mean, shouldn't a meeting with the Avatar take precedence over random nobles and random projects?

"Six to eight weeks, actually," Joo Dee corrected, before walking up to open the doors to the house. Azara glanced inside the house as Joo Dee opened the doors and walked inside. "Isn't it nice? I think you'll really enjoy it here."

"I think we would enjoy it more if we weren't staying for so long. Can't we see the Earth King any sooner?" Sokka asked, ignoring the lay out of the house.

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world!" Joo Dee explained causing Azara to raise an eyebrow.

"You mean the finest kingdom, right? Like the whole rest of the Earth Kingdom? Not just Ba Sing Se?" Azara questioned, placing her hands on her hips as Joo Dee ignored her again.

"He will see you as soon as time permits," Joo Dee replied, making Azara and Sokka share a frustrated glance with each other.

"If we're going to be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Appa," Aang stated, staring out the back window.

"I'd be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like to go," Joo Dee offered as the group shared another round of annoyed expressions.

"We don't need a babysitter," Toph insisted, getting up and walking towards the door. However, Joo Dee stepped in front of her, blocking her escape.

"Oh, I won't get in the way. And to leave you alone would make me a bad host! Where shall we start?" Joo Dee asked as Toph turned around with a dark expression on her face.

They started their search at a small pet store in the Middle Ring. Azara tried to ignore the incessant squawking of a cat owl as Aang explained their situation to the pet shop owner. "I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about a flying bison. I didn't even know there were any," the man shrugged, looking back and forth between Aang and Sokka.

"If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing, where would they go?" Aang prodded as Sokka stepped up next to him.

"Where's the black market? Who runs it? Come on, you know!" Sokka accused, pointing his finger at the pet store owner, who started to sweat under Sokka's gaze.

"Uh . . . that would be illegal. You'll have to leave now, your lemur is harassing my sparrowkeets," the pet store owner stated hurriedly, obviously anxious to get them out of his store.

Choosing to remain in the Middle Ring, they decided to try Ba Sing Se University for any leads. Walking around the campus, they quickly found a student to talk to. "Hmm . . . I've never seen any sandbenders or nomads around here. You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on desert cultures," the university student replied, fixing his glasses.

"Right. And which of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked, placing his hands on his hips, glaring down at the student.

"Uh . . ." the student trailed off as he looked to Joo Dee, who shook her head. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, Sokka spun around, but she stopped before he could see her. "I don't know. I'm not a political science student . . . I've got to get to class." He stood and tried to hurry away, but he tripped and dropped some of his scrolls. He haphazardly picked the scrolls up before sprinting off, not even sparing the group another look.

They decided to walk through the Middle Ring market on their way back to their residence to see if there were any indicators or whispers of Appa's presence in the city. Azara walked between Katara and Sokka as they combed through some shops. Glancing around at the stands, Azara's eyes widened as she spotted a familiar piece of jewelry.

Breaking off from the group, Azara went over to inspect the stand further. "Anything interest you in particular dear?" the old woman behind the table asked, a kind smile on her face.

"Just looking," Azara replied, returning the smile, before staring back down at a particular type of bracelet.

"Azara, we're going to head back," Sokka stated, walking over to stand beside her at the stand as Azara looked up at him. "Did you find anything?"

"No, I was just looking at those bracelets," Azara explained, pointing at the golden bands, each with a carved charm hanging from them. "My cousin would send me and my sister ones from when he was in the Earth Kingdom," Azara continued, sighing as she thought of Lu Ten again.

Sokka looked over at her concerned as she quieted at the mention of her cousin again. From their time together, Sokka knew that Azara rarely brought up her family, and over time he just accepted that she would talk about her family only if she wanted to. But, back on the Outer Wall, she had mentioned her uncle's son, her cousin, for the first time. And both times she mentioned him, she always withdrew into herself.

"We should probably catch up with the others," Azara sighed, thanking the merchant woman, before turning to leave. Sokka glanced back up at the stand for a moment, before following after Azara.

The group got back into the carriage and headed towards their designated home, all annoyed at how the day had turned out thanks to Joo Dee's meddling. They hurried out of the carriage and back up to their house as Joo Dee remained in the carriage. "Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your bison. Why don't you go get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner, later," Joo Dee called from the carriage before it pulled away.

Azara watched her go with a frustrated expression before Sokka hurried down the steps towards the street. "Hey, come with me," Sokka gestured for them to follow him as he ran across the street. Reaching the door of the house directly across from them, Sokka knocked loudly. After a moment, a man cracked open the door, a small kind smile on his face.

"You're the Avatar! I heard you were in town. I'm Pong," he introduced himself as Aang smiled at him, nodding.

"Nice to meet you, Pong."

"So, Pong, what's going on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?" Sokka asked as Pong suddenly looked nervous, sweat beading on his forehead.

"War? Scared? What do you mean?" Pong stuttered out, as Azara raised an eyebrow at the change in his demeanor.

"I can feel you shaking," Toph huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, as Pong swallowed lightly.

"Look, I'm just a minor government official," Pong stated, looking out of his door for anyone else on the street before continuing. "I've waiting three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble."

"Get into trouble with who?" Azara pressed, stepping forwards.

"Shh, listen, you can't mention the war here. And whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li," Pong replied before shutting his door, causing the group to share confused looks. 

A.N. Another update, because suddenly my creative streak is back! The second half of the episode should be up within a few days. The update after that might take more time since I'm going to do some OC chapters in place of the Tales of Ba Sing Se episode.

Also we're getting close to the end of Book 2 so thank you to everyone who has read, commented, and voted all along this whole story and I hope you'll all stick around for Book 3, which is already in the works!