Chapter Fifteen: The Tales of Ba Sing Se

[This transcription is an exact replication of the one found on AvatarSpirit.net. This page is a tool for further exploration after the initial reading.]

The Tale of Toph and Katara
Written by: Joann Estoesta and Lisa Wahlander

(The title slide for the tale fades into an exterior shot of the gang's house in Ba Sing Se. It then cuts to a shot of Aang’s head in a mirror covered with shaving cream as he shaves it off with a razor blade. Shot pans left to Sokka's head in the mirror to show he has a few hairs growing above his lip which he cuts off with the end of his machete. He then clicks his tongue and points at his reflection. Camera pans left again to show Katara in the mirror as she fixes together her hair loops. Once they are placed, she smiles and the camera cuts back to show the whole room, with them all staring at the mirror, and Momo off to the side on a stool giving himself to bath like a cat. Shot cuts to a dark room where, Toph, her hair a horrible mess, lays face-down on her bed, her blanket sloppily laying over her. A sliver of light cuts through the darkness as the door opens. Katara enters the room and gasps at the sight.)

Katara: Huh! Toph, aren't you gonna to get ready for the day?

(Toph whips her head up causing her wild bed-head-hair to fly about. She quickly spits a large loogy into a nearby spittoon which spins upon impact. Cut to Katara’s face as she looks shocked, then cut back to Toph as she gets to her feet and brushes a large amount of dust off her sleeping shirt.)

Toph: I'm ready.
Katara: You're not gonna wash up? You've got a little dirt on your... everywhere actually.
Toph: You call it dirt. I call it a healthy coating of earth.
Katara: Hmmm. You know what we need? A girl's day out!
Toph: Do I have to?
Katara: It'll be fun.

(Cut to outside of a large building that is decorated with pictures of flowers and plants, Toph and Katara stand near the entrance. Fancily dressed woman in beautiful robes walk out and smile at each other.)

Toph: The Fancy Lady Day Spa? Sounds like my kinda place.
Katara: Are you ready for some serious pampering?
Toph: Sure Katara, whatever you say. As long as they don't touch my feet.

(They walk in, Toph with her head hung low. Cut to an interior shot where Katara sits happily having her feet scrubbed. Shot cuts again to a close-up of Toph's foot as the attendants, who have to hold the girl down, are hard at work trying to scrape the massive amounts of dirt off her feet. A close up of Toph’s angry face show she isn’t pleased with this.)

Toph: Arrrr! Rrrrr! Errrr!

(Cut to a shot of an empty hallway within the spa as suddenly an explosion of dust erupts from one of the doorways as the frame is crumpled and an attendant flies out and hits the opposite wall, Toph having just performed some earthbending apparently out of annoyance. The shot cuts to Toph and Katara each taking mud baths, with mud covering their faces in a mask, cucumber slices over their eyes, and their heads rapped in towels. An attendant with arms full of fresh towels walks over to Toph. Cut to Toph's face as she breaths in then exhales which it apparently some form of earthbending as the mud on her face begins to move strangely and creating a scary appearance. The attendant, having seen this, screams and runs off. Katara and Toph laugh, as the mud around Toph’s mouth forms a large goofy smile.)

Toph and Katara: Hahaha!

(Shot fades into a pile of rocks in the sauna that Toph and Katara now occupy. Toph kicks the ground once causing a rock from the cold pile to fly onto the pile of hot rocks. Katara, using waterbending, slashes the hot rocks with some water creating steam. They both sigh.

Fade into Toph walking down the streets of Ba Sing Se with the front of her hair, which usually hangs to cover her forehead, now combed back behind her ears and her face now with lots of make-up.)

Toph: Well, that wasn't so bad. I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel... girly.
Katara: (Cut back to show them both walking together, Katara's face has make-up as well.) I’m glad, it's about time we did something fun together.

(Cut to a shot of the two crossing a stone bridge over a creek. As they do, they pass three girls going the other direction. They wear fancy dresses and robes, one sporting a fashionable umbrella.)

1st Mean Girl: Wow, great makeup.
Toph: Thanks.
1st Mean Girl: For a clown!

(Toph's face drops into a frown as the stop walking.)

Katara: Don't listen to them, let's just keep walking.
Star: I think she looks cute. Like that time we put that sweater on your pet poodle monkey.
3rd Mean Girl: Good one, Star!
Katara: Let's go Toph.
Toph: No, no. That was a good one! "Like your poodle-monkey"... Ha ha! You know what else is a good one?

(Toph pounds the ground once causing dust to rumble up as her earthbending shoots across the bridge to where the girls stand. A hole opens up in the stone bridge where Toph's earthbending reaches them and all three fall through into the creek.)

Girls: Ahhh!
Katara: Now that was funny.

(With one move of her arm, Katara waterbends a huge wave that sweeps the girls away and down stream as they scream. Cut to a shot of Toph walking away from the bridge as Katara jogs to catch up.)

Katara: Those girls don't know what they're talking about.
Toph: It's ok. One of the good things about being blind is I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances. (Cut to her frowning face.) I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am. (They stop walking, shot cuts back to show the both of them.)
Katara: That's what I really admire about you, Toph. You're so strong and confident and self assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but... you're really pretty.
Toph: (Smiling) I am?
Katara: Yeah. You are.

(Shot cuts to show them walking away together from behind.)

Toph: I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like.
Katara: (Laughs)
Toph: Thank you, Katara. (She punches her in the shoulder in a friendly way.)
Katara: Ow!

The Tale of Iroh
Written by: Andrew Huebner

(Title card for this tale fades into a shot of a marketplace in Ba Sing Se from overhead. Cut to a shot of the street that shows Iroh walking pleasantly down the lane and stopping to examine a basket being sold by a merchant.)

Merchant: If this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?
Iroh: No, it is not a romantic picnic, but it is a special occasion. (He hands the merchant a few coins and picks up the basket. Iroh turns to leave the market stall when a closed flower in a vase catches his eye. He slides the vase out of the sunlight and into the shade) The moonflower likes partial shade.

(Iroh bows to the merchant and walks away. Shot fades into Iroh examining another merchant's stall which sells 'liuqins', which are a type of Asian lute which is a stringed instrument. The sound of a crying child catches Iroh's attention and he turns around to see a boy sobbing the middle of the street and his mother trying to console him.)

Child: (crying) Wahh!
Woman: Shhh. It's ok. Shhh.

(The sound of music being played on one of the liuqins is herd as Iroh approaches, singing a tune with a smile on his face. He gets down on one knee next to the boy as he sings.)

Iroh: (singing)
Leaves from the vine, falling so slow.
Like fragile, tiny shells,
Drifting in the foam.
Little soldier boy, come marching home.
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home.

(The boy's frown instantly turns to a smile as he reaches up and pulls Iroh's long beard.)

Iroh: Yeowch!
Child: Hahaha!

(Iroh smiles and pets his beard. The boy's mother takes her son by the hand and leads him away as Iroh stand and looks after them with a very pleasant look on his face. Scene fades to a courtyard as Iroh enters to pass through. Four boys are in the courtyard with a white ball playing a game. One of the boys hits the ground with his foot and the ball shoots up and back down. He kicks it and then follows up with some earthbending. A patch of earth rises to create a path for the ball as it rolls along. Another player earthbends to impede the path of the ball before it reaches the goal. This causes the ball to launch up and into the direction Iroh is standing. He moves out of the way just in time, but the ball rips through the window directly behind where he was. A crash and a loud voice can be herd from inside.)

Angry Man: Hey!

(Iroh walks over to the boys as they gather around him to listen to what he has to say.)

Iroh: It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor-

(Loud smashes are herd and all five of them look up, startled. Shot cuts to show the window as a very large body and head are visible through the hole.)

Angry Man: When I am through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!

(Cut back to Iroh and the boys.)

Iroh: -but not this time. Run!

(The boys and Iroh all run in different directions. Shot changes to show Iroh running down the marketplace street quickly. He hides in an alley, places the basket down, and the shot changes to shot him looking around the corner to see if he's being chased.)

Mugger: You. Give me all your money!

(Shot changes to show a messy looking man with a dagger pointed directly at Iroh standing behind him, but the shot pans down to show his legs bent at a very odd angle as he stands.)

Iroh: What are you doing?
Mugger: I'm mugging you!
Iroh: With that stance?
Mugger: Wha- What are you talking about? Just give me your money, old man!
Iroh: With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over.

(In one swift move, Iroh grabs the arm of the mugger and disarms him, while simultaneously proving his point by pushing his attacker and knocking him to the ground).

Mugger: Ugh!

(Iroh twirls the dagger in his hand then helps the man to his feet.)

Iroh: With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat. (Iroh demonstrates a proper stance for the mugger. The mugger attempts to imitate Iroh's stance, but is still not assuming the correct form. Iroh walks over to him and holds his attacker's head still while he adjusts the man's stance by nudging his backside forward with his foot. After helping him assume the correct form, Iroh is now pleased with the man's stance.) Much better! But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type.
Mugger: I know. I'm... I'm just confused.

(The next shot shows a close up of the mugger's hands holding a cup, while off screen Iroh pours hot, steamy tea for the man.)

Mugger: So you really think I could be a good masseur?

(Shot cuts back to show the two still in the alley, sitting on the ground sharing some tea and talking.)

Iroh: Of course!
Mugger: This is so great! No one has ever believed in me.
Iroh: While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing.

(The scene fades into the next which is a shot of a tree on a hill within the city as the sun is setting; very similar to the tree from Iroh's flashback in Bitter Work. Leaves gently fall from the tree as Iroh approaches the trunk and looks out over the city as a softer version of Iroh's liuqin music from earlier plays in the background. Iroh places the basket down and removes his hat. He then rests on his knees and piles some rocks at the tree's base. Searching though her basket, he removes several things and places them at the bottom of the tree. He pulls out a sheet of paper and looks at it for a few seconds, closing his eyes and bowing his head, before placing it down as well. Finally he pulls two joss sticks, which are sticks of incense that burn, and lights them with his fingers by clicking the tips and places them down as well. The shot then shows that Iroh has just made a small memorial for his passed son, Lu Ten. The memorial is little more then the burning joss sticks, a few apples, and a bag of unknown contents. Most importantly, a sketched picture of Lu Ten sits against the rocks. He was quite handsome and had the same hair features that his father once did.)

Iroh: Happy Birthday my son. (Cut to his face as he begins to cry.) If only I could have helped you. (He begins to sing his song from earlier, only this time he has difficulty keeping his voice from cracking under his grief.)
Leaves from the vine, falling so slow.
Like fragile, tiny shells,
Drifting in the foam.
Little soldier boy, come marching home.
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home.

(The tale ends with a freeze frame of Iroh under the tree sitting atop the hill. The images in the scene blur into a beautiful ethereal impression of color and form. This all happens in time with the music. Then a message appears during the final notes of the song. The message pays homage to the life of the talented actor who voiced Uncle Iroh.)

"In Honor Of Mako"

The Tale of Aang
Written by: Gary Scheppke

(This tale's title card fades into an aerial shot of the city as Aang soars down over it on his glider. The shot cuts to a mostly deserted street, save for one man walking alone, as Aang lands on it, twirling his glider back into a staff. Shot cuts to Aang walking down the street, which is lined on both sides with various cages and pens built into the rock. Aang passes each pen and looks in to see different creatures looking sad and depressed, his expression matching theirs. He stops and looks up into a cage where a group of dragon flies, which look like very small dragons with small wings like an insect's. Shot cuts to him looking down into another pen which is a pit to see another baboon-like creature lying on the ground, apparently very bored. Shot cuts to an armadillo lion gnawing at the bars that keep him in. It looks up as Aang approaches.)

Aang: (Kneeling down and holding his hand out) Hey there, fella. You look hungry. (The creature roars loudly causing Aang to jump back in surprise) Ahh!

(The armadillo lion curls up into a ball and rolls away in its pen as the zookeeper walks behind Aang, sweeping.)

Zookeeper: Hm! They are hungry. (Shot cuts to the zookeeper and Aang walking together through the zoo) The Dai Li won't give me any money because the kids stopped coming. And the kids won't come because my zoo's nasty and broke.
Aang: (Looking into a cage) What kind of animal is that?
Zookeeper: Oh, that's rabbiroo. I wish I could get her a big open prairie like she likes. (Cut to show the depressed creature) I'd let her hop her way to happiness.
Aang: (Smiling) Let's do it!
Zookeeper: Say again?
Aang: There's a big open space right outside the walls of the city.
Zookeeper: But how are you gonna transport all these wild critters?
Aang: (Grinning) Don't worry. I'm great with animals.

(With a loud crash, the shot cuts to a group of monkey-like creatures wreaking havoc in one of the shops in the city, throwing pottery and breaking things. The owner comes in swinging a broom in an attempt to save his shop and manages to send one of them flying, Shot cuts to the creatures fleeing the shop and into the street just as an elephant mandrill comes stampeding down it while people run for their lives. In the background another group of people come running out of an ally covering their heads to escape the dragon flies that fly over them. A platypus bear enters the street and stands on its legs, swinging and growling as more people scream and run away. It pursues a group down an ally and the armadillo lion comes rolling in and runs off in another direction. Cut to a shot of the rabbiroo devouring cabbages from a pile. The shot cuts back to show that the creature is assaulting none other than the Cabbage Merchant's cart who is desperately trying to save his beloved cabbages.)

Cabbage Merchant: MY CABB-- (The rabbiroo looks up at him with a cabbage in its mouth. It chews it a bit and returns to the cart.) --oh, forget it!

(Shot cuts to several people in the street covering their heads as dragon flies hover over them. Aang descends into the street and uses his staff to shoo the creatures away with airbending. He uses a large blast of air to knock all of them out of the street.)

Aang: (Scratching his head) This was so much easier in my head!

(Getting an idea, Aang snaps his finger and reaches into his shirt to pull out his bison whistle. He flips the whistle into the air and, using airbending, inhales a great amount of air. Then, catching the whistle, he blows into it with huge force. The whistle squeals louder and higher than usual, as the shot pull back to show a shockwave of sorts emitting from where Aang is and through the city as the whistle's sound spreads. Shot cuts to the monkey-like creatures from earlier, one with a pot over its head still, which hear the sound and run off. The dragon flies, who apparently found new people to terrorize, hear it and abandon their targets to investigate. The rabbiroo, still devouring cabbages as the Cabbage Merchant sobs in the background, leaves the cart as she hears the whistle as well.

Shot cuts to Aang riding his air scooter down a street blowing the bison whistle. Cut to an ally where we see Aang fly by on the main street, a large stampede of creatures follow him, with a very slow turtle seal bringing up the rear. Shot cuts to the zookeeper talking with two guards at the wall.)

Zookeeper: But you have to open this gate!
Guard 1: Or what?
Zookeeper: (Pointing behind himself) Or that!

(Cut to Aang quickly approaching on his air scooter, still blowing the whistle, with a huge number of animals chasing him.)

Guard 2: (Cut back to him standing by the wall) Open the gate!

(Shot pulls back to show the massive wall of Ba Sing Se opening to allow Aang through. As Aang reaches the opening, he stops blowing the whistle and jumps off his scooter and onto his glider. The creatures plow through the opening as he soars up and over the wall. On the other side, the creatures are shown coming out of the opening and starting to spread out as the run in all directions. Cut to shot that shows Aang soar down behind the running animals and onto his air scooter again. As he rides, he punches the ground causing a large wall of earth to rise as he rides in a large circle creating a pen to block the fleeing animals. Once he finishes, he jumps off his scooter and lands in the center of the pen he just made. He earthbends again, causing a square portion of the ground to descend and create a small pit. He turns around and brings his arms up high to cause a large pillar of earth to rise, then turns and punches outward which, when the shot pulls back, shows him making more walls to separate the animals.

Shot cuts to show, apparently after Aang had finished, a large area of rock walls and pens all situated like a zoo made from Aang's earthbending. Shot cuts to show the guards and the zookeeper entering, all looking amazed at what Aang just did. A group of kids, all laughing and smiling, push past them and run in. Shot cuts to show the entirety of Aang's new zoo as people move around the newly formed pens and examine the animals. Shot cuts to show the rabbiroo drinking from a pond then looking up at one of the guests as three infant rabbiroo poke up from its pouch. Cut to Aang speaking with the zookeeper beside one of the pens.)

Aang: Well, Mr. Zookeeper, how do you like your new facilities?
Zookeeper: Excellent job, Avatar. You should think about working with animals for a living.

(Aang looks behind him as a guest's voice catches his ear.)

Child visitor: (Pointing into one of the pens) Mommy, Ms. Snowflake got out of the house again.
Adult Visitor: (Shot shows a hissing cat in of the pens) Fluffykins (Cut to the guest's face) What are you doing down there?

(Shot cuts to show the cat hissing at the elephant mandrill it's sharing a pen with.)

Zookeeper: On second thought, (Cut to him and Aang) you should probably stick to saving people.
Aang: (Laughs nervously)

The Tale of Sokka
Written by: Lauren Macmullan

(Tale fades into Sokka walking down a candle-lit street at night. He reaches back and pulls his boomerang from its sheath, throws it into the sky, and catches it as it comes back. Shot cuts to him walking past a building and into the ally beside it. In the ally, a man struggles with his ostrich horse. Sokka passes them, and by the windows of the building, as he hears voices from inside. Intrigued, he turns and sticks his head inside the window.)

Sokka: What's this?

(The shot from Sokka's perspective shows the rooms to be a classroom of sorts with a stage. The girls that occupy the class all wear beautiful dresses and head pieces. There is a student on stage reading her writings to the class.)

Student on stage: Through all the long night, winter moon glows with bright love, sleet her silver tears.
Sokka: (His head resting on his hands, looking pleased) Ahh, poetry.

(Shot cuts to the ally again, as the ostrich horse, who is still struggling with his handler, kicks backward and hits Sokka right his the behind sending him flying through the window and into the class.)

Students: (startled) Oooh!

(The girls all gasp in shock as Sokka hangs from the window, part of the frame around his chest. He starts to apologize and he pulls himself into the room and falls onto the stage.)

Sokka: I am so sorry. Something struck me in the rear. I just... wound up... here?
Students: (Laughing and clapping)

(Sokka grins as he stands in front of the class. The woman on the far right of the group of girls stands up, applauding softly but looking stern.)

Madame Macmu-Ling: (Applauds Sokka) Five seven then five, syllables mark a Haiku, (bowing her head to him) remarkable oaf.
Sokka: (Looking annoyed, then ponders this for a second.) They call me Sokka, that is in the Water Tribe, (counting the next five syllables on his fingers as he says them) I am not an oaf.

(The girls laugh but Macmu-Ling still looks stern and does not applaud this time.)

Madame Macmu-Ling: Chittering monkey, in the spring he climbs treetops, and thinks himself tall.
Students: Ooooh.
Sokka: You think you're so smart, with your fancy little words, this is not so hard.
Students: Ooooh!
Madame Macmu-Ling: (Walking up to Sokka on stage) Whole seasons are spent mastering the form, the style, none calls it easy!
Sokka: I calls it easy! Like I paddle my canoe, (Turns around and paddles his behind once) I'll paddle yours too!
Students: (Laughing)
Madame Macmu-Ling: There's nuts and there's fruits, (Pulls a plumb from her sleeve and drops it to the ground) in fall the clinging plumb drops, always to be squashed.

(She steps on the plumb, squashing it.)

Sokka: (Making different arm motions) Squish-squash, sling that slang. I'm always right back at ya, like my... (drawing and presenting his boomerang to her face) boomerang!
Students: (Laughing)

(Macmu-Ling looks annoyed but walks off stage and back to her seat as Sokka turns to the class again and raises his arms up to silence the laughter.)

Sokka: (Sheathing his boomerang and making more arm movements) That's right I'm Sokka, it's pronounced with an "okka", young ladies, I rocked ya!

(This time his words are met with total silence as he stares over the class who look annoyed at him. Cut to his face as he begins to count his fingers, attempting to figure out of he had too many syllables. Sure enough, he realizes his final line contained six syllables instead of five. A large man approaches him and grabs him up by the collar.)

Security: Uh, that's one too many syllables there, bub.

(Picking Sokka completely up, he throws him head first across the room and out the door. Outside, he hits the ground with a thud and sits up holding his head.)

Sokka: ...poetry.

The Tale of Zuko
Written by: Andrew Huebner

(The tale fades into an exterior shot of Pao's teashop, the place where Zuko and Iroh both work under the guise of Lee and Mushi respectively. Cut to a shot of the inside where Zuko walks down the shop with a tray of cups and looking over his shoulder once at something off-screen. He walks up behind his uncle who is on a ladder, stacking things on a shelf behind the counter.)

Zuko: Uncle, we have a problem. (Iroh descends the ladder,) One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, (Cut to a shot of a very attractive girl sitting in the corner of the shop sipping tea.) but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation. (Cut back to the pair, Zuko forces Iroh to turn around as he had turned to look. Iroh sports a grin on his face.) Didn't I say don't look!
Iroh: (From off-screen as the shot cuts back to show the girl.) You're right Zuko. I've seen that girl in here quite a lot. (Cut back to them.) Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you.
Zuko: (Reeling back in surprise) What?!
Jin: (From behind both of them suddenly, causing them to part to show her.) Thank you for the tea. (She hands Zuko a few coins who takes them and turns away from her.) What's your name?
Zuko: (Turning back to her) My name's Lee. My Uncle and I just moved here.
Jin: Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?
Iroh: (Before the stunned Zuko can respond) He'd love to!
Jin: Great! I will meet you in front of the shop at sundown.

(Jin walks away, leaving Zuko standing bewildered as his uncle throws an arm around his shoulders with a large, goofy grin on his face again.

Fade into an exterior shot of the shop again, only at nighttime now. The door opens as Zuko steps out into the street. He is wearing a very handsome green outfit, a contrast to his typical brown every-day clothing. Though the most startling and humorous change in his appearance is that his hair, which is usually shaggy and unkempt, has been combed and parted. He walks out into the middle of the street and looks around as Jin emerges from around the side of the shop and approaches him.)

Jin: Hey. Well, look at you. (She reaches up and messes his hair so it looks normal again.) You look so cute!
Zuko: It took my Uncle ten minutes to do my hair.

(Jin grabs Zuko by the arm and leads him off as he glances once back at the teashop. Cut to what appears to be town square of sorts where several people stand around doing various activities. The shot centers on the exterior of a patio restaurant. Cut to the Zuko and Jin who are eating at this place, Jin sipping on tea while Zuko pokes at his last meatball with his chop sticks, not looking at his date.)

Jin: So, how do you like the city so far?
Zuko: It's ok.
Jin: What do you like to do for fun?
Zuko: Nothing.
Waiter: (Walking over to address Zuko) Excuse me sir. Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?
Zuko: (Shouting and pounding the table with his fist) She is not my girlfriend!

(The restaurant goes quiet as everyone glances over at him. The waiter walks away and Zuko laces his fingers and looks around at Jin who seems to have not taken any kind of offense or, indeed, any form of notice to this outburst and is devouring noodles from a bowl at an alarming rate. Zuko blinds once before speaking again to her.)

Zuko: (Trying to find something to say) You have... quite an appetite for a girl.
Jin: Um, thanks So, Lee, where were you and your Uncle living before you came here?
Zuko: Um, well, we've been traveling around for a long time.
Jin: Oh! Why were you traveling so much?
Zuko: We were uh, apart of this traveling circus.
Jin: Really? What did you do? Wait, lemme guess, you juggled!

(Zuko, arms folded, pauses for a moment before responding.)

Zuko: Yes. I juggled.
Jin: I've always wanted to learn how to juggle. Can you show me something?

(Jin holds out an assortment of objects apparently from the table that Zuko takes in his arms. He then throws each one up in the air, one after the other, and then prepares to catch them. He succeeds in catching none of them and one manages to fall onto his head and break into many pieces. Jin doesn't laugh, but smiles gently.)

Zuko: Whoah! I haven't practiced for awhile. (He wipes the shards of pottery from his hair.)
Jin: It's alright. Hey, I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city.

(Scene fades into a street somewhere in the city that is lit only by the light of the full moon and is deserted save for Zuko and Jin, the ladder leading the former by the hand.)

Jin: I'm so excited for you to see the firelight fountain. The lamps make the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way.

(She leads Zuko into an open area with a large fountain and several posts with candles on top surrounding it in a circle; however, to spite its apparent name, it is dark and the candles unlit.)

Jin: I can't believe it! They aren't lit.

(Zuko looks at the disappointed Jin's face for a moment, then at the candles.)

Zuko: Close your eyes and don't peek.

(Zuko walks out into the circle of candles, holds his hands together, and closes his eyes as he prepares. A close-up of Zuko's face shows his eyes open and another shot shows him begin to firebend. Using his pointer and middle fingers on each hand, he shoots small bursts of flame in all directions at the candles to light them. Once finished, he stands straight and looks at Jin, still with her eyes closed.)

Zuko: Ok. Now you can look.
Jin: Oh wow... (Shot shows the whole area lit by the candles. Jin walks to Zuko looking around in amazement) What happened? How did they light? What did you...? (Zuko simply smiles at her.)

(They both turn to look at the fountain. As Zuko examines his work, Jin brushes her hand through her hair and smiles at him, though he doesn't see. She reaches over and grabs his hand to hold it. Having attracted his attention, Zuko turns to look at the girl smiling at him. They both turn to be face to face and as Jin begins to lean in for a kiss, Zuko quickly draws a piece of paper which he holds between their lips.)

Zuko: I brought you something. It's a coupon for a free cup of tea.
Jin: (Taking the coupon) Lee, this is so sweet.
Zuko: (He takes a few steps away from her.) Don't thank me. It was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer.
Jin: Your Uncle is a good teacher. I have something for you too. (She walks back to him and places her hand on his cheek.) Now it's your turn to close your eyes.

(He does so and Jin makes her move. The shot shows both of their lips as Jin delivers a short kiss and pulls back slightly. Zuko's lips move to hers to return the kiss and he begins to but the shot cuts to show him jumping back away from her. He stands for a second, looking at her, then turns his back and begins to walk away.)

Jin: What's wrong?
Zuko: It's complicated. I have to go.

(Zuko runs from the fountain leaving a confused Jin standing alone. The scene then cuts to Iroh who is leaning out of the window of his and his nephew's apartment, looking up and down the street apparently waiting on Zuko's return. Behind him, the door opens as Zuko enters without saying anything.)

Iroh: How was your night, Prince Zuko?

(Zuko walks across the floor and into what must be his room and slams the doors behind him without a word. Iroh looks after him for a second with a confused look on his face before turning back to the window to trim the flowerbed sitting there. Though, when the sound of the doors opening again is herd, he turns back around. Shot cuts to show Zuko's face in the crack between the two doors.)

Zuko: It was nice.

(He closes the door again as Iroh smiles pleasantly and returns to his flowers.)

The Tale of Momo
Written by: Justin Ridge and Giancarlo Volpe

(This dialog-free tale opens with a shot of a tree, similar to the giant one seen in The Swamp, towering high above the clouds. Suddenly, Appa flies up through the clouds and over to the tree. A new shot shows many fruits hanging from what appear to be vines on the tree. Appa hovers underneath these and Momo is seen perched upon the buffalo's head. Momo flies up and begins eating some fruit and tosses some down to Appa who chews them passively. As Momo continues to chew on one of the fruits, Appa suddenly gives a very great roar.

The screen flashes white and the shot cuts to Momo asleep on the windowsill of the Avatar's house. Startled by the thunder that woke him from his dream, Momo leaps up into Sokka's green Earth Kingdom bag that is hanging nearby. After a bit, he pokes his head up and realizes he has a bunch of white fur lying on his head that does not belong to him. After sniffing it a bit, the screen flashes white into a shot of Appa and Momo flying to indicate this is what Momo is thinking of at that second. With another roar of Appa's, the screen flashes white again and back to the real world as Momo chatters as he registers whom the fur belongs to.

The camera then pulls back to a shot from the lawn of the Avatar's house with Momo visible through the window. A shadow crosses the ground that looks very similar to Appa's shadow. Cut back to Momo as he wraps the wad of fur around one of his front legs and takes flight. He soars out the window of the house and into the yard to investigate if this shadow does indeed belong to his lost friend. But, alas, as he emerges from a tree he flew up into, he realizes that the shadow is merely being cast by a cloud. He holds his arm up and looks at the fur tied to it sadly, but then chatters a bit as he notices something new. Off in the distance, just on the other side of a roof, is what appears to be the top of the flying bison he is looking for. But when Momo flies closer, he finds out it was only a tree with white leaves and branches sticking out that looked similar to Appa's horns. Momo lands on one of these branches and his ears drop low in disappointment that he has once again failed to find his friend.

Fade into a shot of a street in the city as Momo soars down into it. He lands on a water barrel that has no lid and begins to drink from it. As he does, his wagging tail accidentally knocks over a stick sitting nearby. It falls to the ground with a loud thud that alerts three pygmy panthers who were rummaging in the garbage nearby. The panthers growl at Momo and suddenly pounce on him. Momo manages to dodge this in time and run into a box with an opening big enough for him but not enough for the panthers. The three predators surround the box and growl, two of them clawing in the openings to try and catch the lemur. Momo manages to slip out of an open crack in the back of the box and soar away. The panthers, however, are in hot pursuit. Chasing him by running on rooftops, one of them manages to swat him clean out of the air. After hitting the ground, Momo gets to his feet and runs on foot into a ground of people. The panthers do not follow their pray into the crowd.

Momo is then picked up by a man within this crowd and has a green little hat stringed to his head. He's tossed into an opening in the circle of the people where two monkeys are already dancing to the beat of a drummer in the background. After standing for a moment, Momo dances along too in a very strange and silly dance as a faster, livelier version of his theme music plays. The crowd all cheer and clap for the dance, but the panthers are stalking just outside the perimeter of people, looking in between the legs at their prey. One of the monkeys jumps onto Momo's head and balances with its hand, the other then doing the same on his head, and Momo struggles to keep balance.

The panthers growl and finally make their move, all of them leaping into the circle with a roar. Momo flees again, but this time as he tries to fly away, one of them grabs him round the middle and is taken for the ride, which slows him down in the flight. The other two panthers jump on and all four creatures crash into the ground. When the dust clears, Momo is seen pinned to the ground by one of his pursuers while the other two stand ready to strike their catch. However, before they can, a net flies in, captures all four of them, and drags them off.

A new shot shows an animal catcher placing Momo into a cage and locking it by placing a peg in to prevent the doors from opening. As the cart begins to move away, Momo rubs the clump of Appa fur still tied to his arm against his face possibly fearing he'll never see his friend again. Fade into a scene at what appears to be some sort of butcher, the cart as been pulled up next to the building. A view from Momo's perspective in the cage shows the animal catcher and the butcher arguing, though since this is from Momo's standpoint, the dialog is herd as gibberish. Another shot shows that occupying the cage next to him are the three pygmy panther scratching at their cage and crying out. Momo utilizes his opposable thumbs by reaching through the bars and removing the peg that holds his cage shut. As he pushes the cage open and begins to run away, he stops and looks back. The pygmy panthers are all staring at him sadly from their cage, realizing their fate rests with him. Momo leaps back onto the cart and begins to remove the peg to free them, just as the two men begin to approach. But when the men reach the cart, they find both cages deserted as right behind them, Momo and the panthers make their escape on the rooftops.

Fade into a scene on the roofs of the city, as Momo and his three new friends sit and watch the clouds. One of the panthers is rubbing up against Momo in a loving fashion; all three apparently very aware and very grateful for what Momo just did for them. Suddenly, one of the panthers uses its mouth to remove the wad of Appa's fur from Momo's arm. The panther with the fur then runs off and Momo, chattering loudly, follows as well as the other two panthers. The panthers lead Momo through the streets of Ba Sing Se till finally one of them places the wad of fur down inside a hole in the ground. Momo lands in the hole as the panther runs off. He looks at this strange hole and realizes immediately that it is actually a footprint made by none other than the Appa, the very bison Momo has been desperately trying to find. Chattering softly, Momo lays down on the ground holding the wad of fur. The camera pulls back to show the panthers sitting nearby watching as the rain begins to fall on Momo, lying in the only signature of his long lost friend. Fade to white.)

[End Credits]