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Description
"So I suppose you're a Fire Bender?" Ji Lian guessed, one hand on her hip as one finger lay on her chin, looking at the handsome young man with the scorched scar on his left eye. She was not joking. She knew.
Zuko looked nervous. And shocked.
"W-why would you say that?" He snarled, glancing around.
"You're a terrible liar," Ji said flatly, sweeping her arm, palm down, in an arc around her, as if to add emphasis to her words, "I'm not stupid. How else would you've gotten that scar? I know an Agni Kai burn when I see one."
Ji Lian's fiery hair was tied in a 3-layer bun, with a thick ponytail and two braids flaming out of it; her bright, huge violet eyes glittered in the lantern light. Above her eyes there were faint remnants of smoky green and a touch of gold-flecked eyeliner. She was only 15, and she looked weak at first- but she was tough. She had broad shoulders, and she was of average height. She wore a solid-gold belt that was slanted to the side, with pinkish-purple cloth hanging out on both sides; black leggings that hugged her graceful legs; a strapless top revealed a majority of her stomach, and wrapped around her chest several times with amethyst cloth; a bright turquoise bow guard; a forest-green band on her upper arm; and finally fire-nation style boots with dark gold lining and tops. Surprisingly pale, she looked like she could easily burn from the sun. She stood out from the crowd, of course, in her multicolor, mis-matching getup. She was graceful and lithe, and she wasn't easily captured in battle. She had been in many.
Ji Lian was a rogue, along with being a nomad. She lived off of the land, and every so often stole mandatory supplies. She tended to stick to the shadows, and wasn't easily caught. She could jump almost as high as any air bender, was as harsh as a fire bender, as well as being graceful as her element, water. She didn't care for earth. It wasn't her thing. In fact, earth made her feel restricted, save the forests. Unfortunately, in the large Earth Bending city of Ba Sing Se, there were no trees seen for miles.
Ji had to escape the Fire Nation when she was only 3. Her parents died, as far as she knew, which she thought was despicably cliché; she had no memory of them, and thus didn't mind too much. She always had her Manticore with her; silver lion's body, dragon horns, scorpion's tail, phoenix wings, and an ability to change size depending on the situation. Calypso was one of her only friends.
Zuko seemed to be lost in the past, and his hand involuntarily went to his scar, before he shook his head, suddenly aware of what he was doing. Calypso hissed next to her, scorpion tail rising. Zuko was a little shaky around Calypso, an eye on her tail, but he clasped a hand over Ji's mouth, and his gold eyes flared with a spark of rage. "Quiet! Do you want everyone here to know?! Your pet there will draw attention to us!"
In the great city of Ba Sing Se, the War or even the fire nation was not to be mentioned. It was strictly forbidden. He pulled her into an alley, looking around before she shoved his hand away and standing on her toes to get a little closer to his height.
"I could tell the guards," She said, then, again drawing to her full height, she batted her eyelashes at him, folding her hands in front of her in the shape of a leaf, "Of course, why wouldn't they believe an innocent 15-year-old girl?" She purred, and then went back to her regular stance, with a hand on her hip and the other arm hanging limply by her side.
Zuko looked at her, narrowing his brilliant auburn gaze. "I never said I was a fire bender," He retorted smartly, trying so hard to keep his story straight, “In fact, I could tell the guards that you accused me, and you'd be in more trouble for even mentioning."
"No, we'd both be in trouble for have a conversation even remotely pertaining to It." she pointed out, bored.
Zuko went rigid, trapped in a corner- and he hated the thought. His rage fumed. "So what do you want from me?!" He snapped, puffing out his chest and getting right in her face.
"The truth." Ji stated simply, narrowing her eyes in return, fists clenching and face tilting. She held his gaze. She wasn't afraid. Why should she be?
"The truth only goes so far," He snarled, anger rising. Why was she so infuriating? And hadn't he only just met her? He just ran into her on the road when she pulled him aside harshly, him yelling "Hey!" in protest…but her little pet there really creeped him out. He didn't trust it. It kept eyeing him with tanzanite slits for pupils, which sent a chill even down his own spine.
"Besides, someone would hear." He pointed out, jaw clenched.
"Why don't we find somewhere to talk in the city?" Ji wanted answers, and she was going to get them. Without giving Zuko time to answer, she firmly gripped his wrist, and pulled him away. "Follow me." She said simply, and walked quickly, before jumping nimbly onto a rooftop in the shadows. Calypso followed silently, and they both looked at Zuko expectantly from the darkness.
The Fire Bender frowned, before quickly spying a pile of boxes, on which he nimbly hopped from one to another. Ji frowned at his quick wits, but other than that she shone no emotion of praise. "Follow closely." And with that, she leaped like a deer from rooftop to rooftop, Zuko lagging a bit behind.
Calypso stayed behind Zuko, so if he tried to run, the Manticore could quickly overcome him. The only thing keeping Ji from moving faster was Zuko's clumsiness. He obviously wasn't used to this. He almost fell several times. Ji hissed like a snake. "Keep quiet!" she warned, obviously not amused.
"What more do you want me to do?! You have my jumping around the rooftops like an urban panther!" He barked, which sparked interest in her amethyst eyes. Ji Lian turned away and set off again. Little did Zuko know that she was making her way to a great waterfall close to the outskirts of the city.

"So we're here. Now what?!" The young prince had had enough of the hopping. He was panting, coughing, even. He looked close to fainting, for they didn't stop on their way.
It only took them about ten minutes with all of the screw ups, but it was a long time for the Fire Bender, who had no experience with this kind of agility and stamina this task took.
In a flash of pity, Ji Lian helped him by letting him lean on her for support, though he grumbled about not needing her help the whole time. Calypso even nudged him a few times, helping him stay on track. When they were deep behind the waterfall cave, Ji brought some water in and splashed Zuko with it, leaving him drenched.
"What was that for?!" He yelled, a little peeved at the young water bender.
"You looked tired. Thought I'd wake you up." She stated with a shadow of a grin. Calypso curled up in Ji's lap, with a purr that sounded like a deep-throated growl. Calypso hardly fit, being the size of a large wolf, so the Manticore founded a more comfortable position with her forelegs splayed across the Water Bender's lap instead.
As Ji stroked Calypso's soft fur, she looked at Zuko with a tilted head. "We could do with some light. If you very well please." It was more of a command than a request. The young man reluctantly lit up the room using a bit of fire-bending, which revealed a beautiful chamber in the darkness.
"How did you find this place?" His voice was not awed; rather, it was the opposite. Not only was he tired and annoyed, he was fidgety and twitchy around Ji. He didn’t know her, nor did he trust her impulsiveness.
"It doesn't matter. Now, I want answers. What rank are you? And, remember, I want the truth." Her voice was eerily calm.
Zuko wasn't ready to just nonchalantly say 'oh, yeah, I'm Firelord Ozai's banished son! You know, the one on the wanted posters along with my uncle, the Dragon of the West, Iroh.' On the contrary, he tried to change the question.
"You'll get the truth later. For now....Why don't we start with something about you first?" He shot her a look that said she shouldn't ask any more questions about his rank in the Fire Nation. "What about how you ended up in Ba Sing Se?" He asked, reclining against the smooth wall, stained auburn from the flames that danced.
"Why don't we stop trying to avoid questions we don't want to answer?" She said venomously, taking Zuko aback in the level of harshness. Ji sighed. "All right, then. My name is Ji Lian- the word for Cascade in Chinese, which you probably knew already- and my Manticore's name here is Calypso. "
At the sound of her name, the Manticore reached up her neck and licked Ji Lian's cheek, purring softly. Calypso sure was more affectionate than usual, and doubly protective and wary. It was surprising that Calypso wasn't snarling at Zuko right now, with him so close to Ji. And that's when Ji noticed Calypso's belly, which seemed more swollen than usual.
"I don't remember much from before I was 5. I woke up on an isle of the coast of the Fire Nation continent," at an odd look from Zuko, she paused, and then continued. “I was coughing up water as Calypso guided it out of mouth with an inhale of breath. It wasn't until later that I realized Calypso was a master Water Bender.
"Calypso raised me. We talk to each other through telepathy. She has the most vibrant voice, like chimes. She told me that her cubs had passed, but I never asked. I never wanted to bring up the subject or know.
“Calypso taught me many things. How to swim, and when I was just 7 I figured out I was a water bender. But, check this out," The young girl snapped her fingers, and immediately purple flames sputtered and sparked before climbing into a violet lick of flame. "Impossible...." Zuko whispered. "Pretty cool, right?" Ji said, thinking nothing of it. "No....Not 'pretty cool'....This isn't good. But there's no way you're the Avatar. Aang is. It is not the Water Bender's Cycle...." Zuko was talking more to himself than to Ji Lian.
"Well, listen," Ji captured the flame in the palm of her hand, snuffing the ember. "There's more.
"I excelled as a water bender, and at running, hiding, and stalking, hunting, riding. Not only is Calypso a companion, she's my mount. She can change her size at will....but she does have a limit. Anyway, she taught me everything I now know, if I hadn't taught it to myself. I'm also a cunning rogue and swordsman. But my strongest weapon is a bow,"
Reaching behind her back, Ji pulled out a jewel-encrusted silver bow, engraved with engulfing flames from the sun and the cooling rays of the moon. The string was wound of Calypso's fur and fibers from phoenix feathers.
"Calypso knew my skills before even I did. So she gave me this as a present, for my 14th birthday as we were off the coast of the Earth Kingdom, close to the Serpent's Pass. I begged her that we travel to Ba Sing Se, that I was skilled enough, and that I would learn even more out in the world. She finally agreed. I flew on her back to the Serpent's Pass, and we walked the rest of the way.
"We eventually made it to Ba Sing Se, worked along the way, earned some money, and now we live off of the food and money we collect, plunder, and work for. It is a pleasant life I live. I can fly out of the walls at any time. I learn from the animals. I learn from villagers. I even trained alongside Kyoshi Warriors and Chi-Blockers for a time.
"I guess that's it. We've lived here for about a year. I'm 15 going on 16 now. To tell you the truth, I always make friends. But never with girls. Girls are nothing but gossip and talk of nothing but boys. It’s funny though, because I prefer being friends with boys; they talk about battle, about fighting, but I learn a side of them that they don't show girls.
"I know their gentle side. But they've always been friends. I wanted them that way. Romance disgusts me, and most just think I'm pretty. Most of the time I'm so caught up in listening to them, they wouldn't know my real personality."
She was looking at the ground, her lips hidden by her elbows on her knees. Calypso nudged her cheek, licking her closed left eye with a gentle forked tongue. Ji Lian hugged Calypso's neck, and looked at Zuko, who was smirking just a bit. Ji suddenly became aware, and muttered "Sorry," looking away. She added, "I feel like I was rambling on."
"No...you're fine," Zuko looked down, then turned back. He had actually been listening intently. "Actually, my story is nothing like yours. Since I was little I'd been spoiled. After a huge event that nearly cost me my life, my mother, Ursa, saved me. She was always there for me. But I always loved my father, even if sometimes it looked like he didn't love me back. I looked up to him. I wanted to be as smart as him, as strategic, as proud.
"But...I screwed up and I....I got into an Agni Kai, and lost. My father saw me as weak...and everything-all the respect of my father, all his love- was shattered when he banished me to go find the Avatar. Only then could I go back and claim my rightful title as F-."
"As Fire Prince Zuko."

This is so damned old. But, I got inspiration to start this again. Enjoy. Rushed. Everything is x_X
I hate Categories. I'll fix it later.

Description
"So I suppose you're a Fire Bender?" Ji Lian guessed, one hand on her hip as one finger lay on her chin, looking at the handsome young man with the scorched scar on his left eye. She was not joking. She knew.
Zuko looked nervous. And shocked.
"W-why would you say that?" He snarled, glancing around.
"You're a terrible liar," Ji said flatly, sweeping her arm, palm down, in an arc around her, as if to add emphasis to her words, "I'm not stupid. How else would you've gotten that scar? I know an Agni Kai burn when I see one."
Ji Lian's fiery hair was tied in a 3-layer bun, with a thick ponytail and two braids flaming out of it; her bright, huge violet eyes glittered in the lantern light. Above her eyes there were faint remnants of smoky green and a touch of gold-flecked eyeliner. She was only 15, and she looked weak at first- but she was tough. She had broad shoulders, and she was of average height. She wore a solid-gold belt that was slanted to the side, with pinkish-purple cloth hanging out on both sides; black leggings that hugged her graceful legs; a strapless top revealed a majority of her stomach, and wrapped around her chest several times with amethyst cloth; a bright turquoise bow guard; a forest-green band on her upper arm; and finally fire-nation style boots with dark gold lining and tops. Surprisingly pale, she looked like she could easily burn from the sun. She stood out from the crowd, of course, in her multicolor, mis-matching getup. She was graceful and lithe, and she wasn't easily captured in battle. She had been in many.
Ji Lian was a rogue, along with being a nomad. She lived off of the land, and every so often stole mandatory supplies. She tended to stick to the shadows, and wasn't easily caught. She could jump almost as high as any air bender, was as harsh as a fire bender, as well as being graceful as her element, water. She didn't care for earth. It wasn't her thing. In fact, earth made her feel restricted, save the forests. Unfortunately, in the large Earth Bending city of Ba Sing Se, there were no trees seen for miles.
Ji had to escape the Fire Nation when she was only 3. Her parents died, as far as she knew, which she thought was despicably cliché; she had no memory of them, and thus didn't mind too much. She always had her Manticore with her; silver lion's body, dragon horns, scorpion's tail, phoenix wings, and an ability to change size depending on the situation. Calypso was one of her only friends.
Zuko seemed to be lost in the past, and his hand involuntarily went to his scar, before he shook his head, suddenly aware of what he was doing. Calypso hissed next to her, scorpion tail rising. Zuko was a little shaky around Calypso, an eye on her tail, but he clasped a hand over Ji's mouth, and his gold eyes flared with a spark of rage. "Quiet! Do you want everyone here to know?! Your pet there will draw attention to us!"
In the great city of Ba Sing Se, the War or even the fire nation was not to be mentioned. It was strictly forbidden. He pulled her into an alley, looking around before she shoved his hand away and standing on her toes to get a little closer to his height.
"I could tell the guards," She said, then, again drawing to her full height, she batted her eyelashes at him, folding her hands in front of her in the shape of a leaf, "Of course, why wouldn't they believe an innocent 15-year-old girl?" She purred, and then went back to her regular stance, with a hand on her hip and the other arm hanging limply by her side.
Zuko looked at her, narrowing his brilliant auburn gaze. "I never said I was a fire bender," He retorted smartly, trying so hard to keep his story straight, “In fact, I could tell the guards that you accused me, and you'd be in more trouble for even mentioning."
"No, we'd both be in trouble for have a conversation even remotely pertaining to It." she pointed out, bored.
Zuko went rigid, trapped in a corner- and he hated the thought. His rage fumed. "So what do you want from me?!" He snapped, puffing out his chest and getting right in her face.
"The truth." Ji stated simply, narrowing her eyes in return, fists clenching and face tilting. She held his gaze. She wasn't afraid. Why should she be?
"The truth only goes so far," He snarled, anger rising. Why was she so infuriating? And hadn't he only just met her? He just ran into her on the road when she pulled him aside harshly, him yelling "Hey!" in protest…but her little pet there really creeped him out. He didn't trust it. It kept eyeing him with tanzanite slits for pupils, which sent a chill even down his own spine.
"Besides, someone would hear." He pointed out, jaw clenched.
"Why don't we find somewhere to talk in the city?" Ji wanted answers, and she was going to get them. Without giving Zuko time to answer, she firmly gripped his wrist, and pulled him away. "Follow me." She said simply, and walked quickly, before jumping nimbly onto a rooftop in the shadows. Calypso followed silently, and they both looked at Zuko expectantly from the darkness.
The Fire Bender frowned, before quickly spying a pile of boxes, on which he nimbly hopped from one to another. Ji frowned at his quick wits, but other than that she shone no emotion of praise. "Follow closely." And with that, she leaped like a deer from rooftop to rooftop, Zuko lagging a bit behind.
Calypso stayed behind Zuko, so if he tried to run, the Manticore could quickly overcome him. The only thing keeping Ji from moving faster was Zuko's clumsiness. He obviously wasn't used to this. He almost fell several times. Ji hissed like a snake. "Keep quiet!" she warned, obviously not amused.
"What more do you want me to do?! You have my jumping around the rooftops like an urban panther!" He barked, which sparked interest in her amethyst eyes. Ji Lian turned away and set off again. Little did Zuko know that she was making her way to a great waterfall close to the outskirts of the city.

"So we're here. Now what?!" The young prince had had enough of the hopping. He was panting, coughing, even. He looked close to fainting, for they didn't stop on their way.
It only took them about ten minutes with all of the screw ups, but it was a long time for the Fire Bender, who had no experience with this kind of agility and stamina this task took.
In a flash of pity, Ji Lian helped him by letting him lean on her for support, though he grumbled about not needing her help the whole time. Calypso even nudged him a few times, helping him stay on track. When they were deep behind the waterfall cave, Ji brought some water in and splashed Zuko with it, leaving him drenched.
"What was that for?!" He yelled, a little peeved at the young water bender.
"You looked tired. Thought I'd wake you up." She stated with a shadow of a grin. Calypso curled up in Ji's lap, with a purr that sounded like a deep-throated growl. Calypso hardly fit, being the size of a large wolf, so the Manticore founded a more comfortable position with her forelegs splayed across the Water Bender's lap instead.
As Ji stroked Calypso's soft fur, she looked at Zuko with a tilted head. "We could do with some light. If you very well please." It was more of a command than a request. The young man reluctantly lit up the room using a bit of fire-bending, which revealed a beautiful chamber in the darkness.
"How did you find this place?" His voice was not awed; rather, it was the opposite. Not only was he tired and annoyed, he was fidgety and twitchy around Ji. He didn’t know her, nor did he trust her impulsiveness.
"It doesn't matter. Now, I want answers. What rank are you? And, remember, I want the truth." Her voice was eerily calm.
Zuko wasn't ready to just nonchalantly say 'oh, yeah, I'm Firelord Ozai's banished son! You know, the one on the wanted posters along with my uncle, the Dragon of the West, Iroh.' On the contrary, he tried to change the question.
"You'll get the truth later. For now....Why don't we start with something about you first?" He shot her a look that said she shouldn't ask any more questions about his rank in the Fire Nation. "What about how you ended up in Ba Sing Se?" He asked, reclining against the smooth wall, stained auburn from the flames that danced.
"Why don't we stop trying to avoid questions we don't want to answer?" She said venomously, taking Zuko aback in the level of harshness. Ji sighed. "All right, then. My name is Ji Lian- the word for Cascade in Chinese, which you probably knew already- and my Manticore's name here is Calypso. "
At the sound of her name, the Manticore reached up her neck and licked Ji Lian's cheek, purring softly. Calypso sure was more affectionate than usual, and doubly protective and wary. It was surprising that Calypso wasn't snarling at Zuko right now, with him so close to Ji. And that's when Ji noticed Calypso's belly, which seemed more swollen than usual.
"I don't remember much from before I was 5. I woke up on an isle of the coast of the Fire Nation continent," at an odd look from Zuko, she paused, and then continued. “I was coughing up water as Calypso guided it out of mouth with an inhale of breath. It wasn't until later that I realized Calypso was a master Water Bender.
"Calypso raised me. We talk to each other through telepathy. She has the most vibrant voice, like chimes. She told me that her cubs had passed, but I never asked. I never wanted to bring up the subject or know.
“Calypso taught me many things. How to swim, and when I was just 7 I figured out I was a water bender. But, check this out," The young girl snapped her fingers, and immediately purple flames sputtered and sparked before climbing into a violet lick of flame. "Impossible...." Zuko whispered. "Pretty cool, right?" Ji said, thinking nothing of it. "No....Not 'pretty cool'....This isn't good. But there's no way you're the Avatar. Aang is. It is not the Water Bender's Cycle...." Zuko was talking more to himself than to Ji Lian.
"Well, listen," Ji captured the flame in the palm of her hand, snuffing the ember. "There's more.
"I excelled as a water bender, and at running, hiding, and stalking, hunting, riding. Not only is Calypso a companion, she's my mount. She can change her size at will....but she does have a limit. Anyway, she taught me everything I now know, if I hadn't taught it to myself. I'm also a cunning rogue and swordsman. But my strongest weapon is a bow,"
Reaching behind her back, Ji pulled out a jewel-encrusted silver bow, engraved with engulfing flames from the sun and the cooling rays of the moon. The string was wound of Calypso's fur and fibers from phoenix feathers.
"Calypso knew my skills before even I did. So she gave me this as a present, for my 14th birthday as we were off the coast of the Earth Kingdom, close to the Serpent's Pass. I begged her that we travel to Ba Sing Se, that I was skilled enough, and that I would learn even more out in the world. She finally agreed. I flew on her back to the Serpent's Pass, and we walked the rest of the way.
"We eventually made it to Ba Sing Se, worked along the way, earned some money, and now we live off of the food and money we collect, plunder, and work for. It is a pleasant life I live. I can fly out of the walls at any time. I learn from the animals. I learn from villagers. I even trained alongside Kyoshi Warriors and Chi-Blockers for a time.
"I guess that's it. We've lived here for about a year. I'm 15 going on 16 now. To tell you the truth, I always make friends. But never with girls. Girls are nothing but gossip and talk of nothing but boys. It’s funny though, because I prefer being friends with boys; they talk about battle, about fighting, but I learn a side of them that they don't show girls.
"I know their gentle side. But they've always been friends. I wanted them that way. Romance disgusts me, and most just think I'm pretty. Most of the time I'm so caught up in listening to them, they wouldn't know my real personality."
She was looking at the ground, her lips hidden by her elbows on her knees. Calypso nudged her cheek, licking her closed left eye with a gentle forked tongue. Ji Lian hugged Calypso's neck, and looked at Zuko, who was smirking just a bit. Ji suddenly became aware, and muttered "Sorry," looking away. She added, "I feel like I was rambling on."
"No...you're fine," Zuko looked down, then turned back. He had actually been listening intently. "Actually, my story is nothing like yours. Since I was little I'd been spoiled. After a huge event that nearly cost me my life, my mother, Ursa, saved me. She was always there for me. But I always loved my father, even if sometimes it looked like he didn't love me back. I looked up to him. I wanted to be as smart as him, as strategic, as proud.
"But...I screwed up and I....I got into an Agni Kai, and lost. My father saw me as weak...and everything-all the respect of my father, all his love- was shattered when he banished me to go find the Avatar. Only then could I go back and claim my rightful title as F-."
"As Fire Prince Zuko."

This is so damned old. But, I got inspiration to start this again. Enjoy. Rushed. Everything is x_X
I hate Categories. I'll fix it later.