Azula blinked open her eyes, then cringed when she felt the throbbing pain in the back of her head. She must've hit it pretty hard. Her eyes gazed up at the stone ceiling as she gathered her bearings. Carefully, Azula sat up and took in her surroundings. She was in a cave sitting on a brown mat, a bundle of cloth that appeared to have been rolled up into a makeshift pillow laid at the end where her head had been.

The walls of the caves were decorated with paintings and murals of wildlife in their natural habitats. A Tigerdillo rolling in the grass, a family of Sabertooth Moose Lions running through the trees, a flock of Turtle ducks swimming in a pond, and a Platypus Bear crouched at the edge of a stream. The paintings were beautiful and detailed, giving a splash of color to the grayish brown walls.

Azula slowly rose to her feet, wanting to explore the cave further. She spotted two old looking crates, one smaller than the other, pushed up against the wall of the cave. Upon closer inspection, she discovered the larger crate had a cracked plate and an old tin cup placed on top of it, as if someone had turned it into a makeshift table.

A fishing pole, an old satchel, and several bowls lined up against the wall containing what looked like paint were the only other belongings in the cave. Whoever lived here, they didn't have much.

Azula gently touched the painting of the turtle ducks. The scene reminded her of their pond in the palace courtyard. Her mother and Zuko had always loved the gentle creatures. Though she found their incessant quacking to be quite bothersome.

"Do you like it?"

Azula spun around, getting into a defensive stance as she faced the owner of the voice. The Earth Kingdom boy quickly put down the bucket he was carrying and raised his hands.

"Whoa there, take it easy. I'm just bringing back some water for us to drink. There's no need to start throwing flames."

Azula's eyes widened at his words then narrowed as she held her stance. She'd forgotten that in her manic state she had used her fire bending to attack him. Roku had told her to get to know this Earth Kingdom peasant, but how could she trust him when he knew what she was?

"Why shouldn't I?" Azula asked. "For all I know, you've told the village I'm a firebender and an angry mob is coming to arrest me."

"I haven't told anyone." The boy promised. "And I'm not going to."

Azula raised her brow in surprise. "Really? You're just going to keep my secret? No conditions, no threats?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you were clearly upset when you attacked me and you've never done anything to hurt anyone before. I'm not going to turn you in for that. Besides, I didn't even get burned."

Azula was still wary but she lowered her fists, deciding she would see what Roku had found so interesting about this boy. "So, you said you had water?"

The boy nodded, bringing the bucket over and sitting it on his makeshift table. He lifted the lid off the smaller crate, producing a second cup which he proceeded to fill with water before holding it out. "Here you go."

Azula took the cup, swirling the water around in the glass as she watched him fill up his own. She waited until he drank some of his own before taking a sip of hers. The water was cool and refreshing on her parched lips, reminding her of just how thirsty she really was.

The watched as she drank, his head tilting to the side curiously. "So what's your name?"

"Mai." Azula lied, her old friend's name being the first thing to pop into her head. She was giving this boy a chance, but that didn't mean she had to give up all her secrets. "My name is Mai."

The boy gave her a small smile. "Pretty name. Mine's Ro."

"Ro...." Azula let the name linger on her lips. "I suppose your name isn't completely dreadful."

"Thanks, I guess." Ro replied uncertainly. "So Mai, what brings you to the Earth Kingdom?"

Azula tapped on the empty cup in her hand. "I ran away. I had alot of....family drama, at home. I couldn't handle it any longer so I left."

Ro nodded in understanding. "I get it, families can be complicated sometimes."

Azula eyed him curiously. "What about you? Why are you living in a cave?"

Ro sighed. "I went off on my own after my grandmother passed. My parents were already gone so I had no reason to stay in my home village. I stumbled upon this cave in my travels one day, and decided to make it my home. Been here ever since."

"I see." Azula gazed around at all the paintings once more. "Did you do all these paintings yourself?"

Ro nodded. "Yeah. A travelling artist came to the village one day and he showed my how to make my own paints. Since then, whenever I'm not working in the village I sit in here and paint pictures on the walls. I think it gives some light to this place."

Azula nodded, placing her cup on the table. "Well as lovely as your cave is, I must be getting back to my own home. I suppose I'll see you around."

Ro sat down his own cup. "Wait, how's your head? Are you sure you'll be alright to walk home? I never did ask why you were screaming down by the river."

Azula turned to face him, the last thing she wanted to admit was that she heard voices but perhaps another white lie could save her the trouble.

"I had a bad dream and was sleep walking." Azula lied. "When you spoke you woke me up and caught me by surprise. I didn't know where I was or who you were in that moment so I panicked and attacked you."

"Oh." Ro replied, seeming to buy her story. "Must've been some nightmare."

Flashes of what she had seen and heard that night flashed through her mind. Azula grimaced as she turned her back towards him. "Yeah, it was. Now if you don't mind I'd like to get home. My head is sore and I'd like to rest in my own bed."

"See you around then?" Ro asked as she walked away.

Azula looked back over her shoulder as she reached the entrance of the cave. "Yeah, see you around."