[silverfcng]

This is a private portrayal of XUAN from the Avatar Legends book CITY OF ECHOES. Default timeline set during the season 2 & 3 events of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Jess ( she / her, 42, pst ). est. Sept 2025. sideblog to bladeslinger.

destiny intertwined with ⸻ @jintletealeaf [Jin ❤︎]

Rules. About. Verses. The Silver Fangs.

[silverfcng]

@jintletealeaf said: ❝ Would you like some ? ❞ Jin asked , holding her teacup up to him . It contained a blue tea , something add but whimsical . Jasmine eyes held his gaze as she patiently waited . ❝ It’s called Butterfly Pea tea . I heard from my classmate that if you add a citrus fruit , like lemon , it changes colors ! ❞ Upon realizing how excited she got over tea , Jin lowered her cup back towards her and let her gaze fall . ❝ I . . . Just think it’s delicious . ❞

Xuan accepted the cup without hesitation, long fingers curling carefully around the warm porcelain. His attention lingered on the striking blue liquid for a moment before he glanced back at Jin, and he noticed how her excitement had immediately folded in on itself the second she realized she'd been rambling, which made something in his heart soften and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Jin, you’re allowed to think things are whimsical." He looked back down at the tea, tilting the cup slightly so the blue surface caught the light. "I think it’s fascinating." There was genuine enthusiasm in his voice. Xuan had always been the sort of person who wanted to know how things worked. It was why he spent hours experimenting with tinctures and powders in the apothecary, why he read old medical texts for fun, and why chemistry fascinated him.

"The fact that you can add something as simple as lemon juice and completely change the color?" He shook his head with an appreciative laugh. "That's practically magic." He knew it wasn't, of course. There was a reason behind it. Some reaction hidden inside the plant itself, pigments responding to acidity and changing structure. The sort of thing he could happily spend an afternoon learning about. "But I suppose that's what I like about chemistry," he continued. "You take two ordinary things, put them together, and suddenly they become something different."  His eyes drifted back to her. "I like how excited you got telling me about it. It's cute." Xuan took a careful sip of the tea, considering the flavor before nodding his approval.

[batterkins]

concept: you and me, lying together under the stars. i wrap my arm around you as i realize that you are everything that i could ever desire and more.

[sumimasu]

The dimples on Sumiko's cheeks deepened as she found amusement in the hint of regret that crossed his features as she clocked his slip up.

"At Masamune, dragon pearl jasmine tea — the leaves are rolled up like little pearls. It felt appropriate to start the collaboration with something that linked the tea shop name. They're paired with mikan-flavored nerikiri shaped like swirly clouds," she recited as if she were at work, explaining to another customer who had asked the same question. "At the Jasmine Dragon, it's a lychee-infused black tea paired with a daifuku that has persimmon in the center. Some autumnal flavors for both places. Personally, I'm partial to the tea offered at the Dragon and then the nerikiri at Masamune, but that's only because I don't like anko very much."

As the ointment was offered, she took it and tucked it away into her sleeve along with her wallet. "Speaking of being trampled, did you hear that the Avatar moved one of the zoos in the Lower Ring out to the Agrarian Zone?"

[silverfcng]

Xuan listened with far more attention than he intended to to show, leaning one hip against the counter while Sumiko explained the pairings. Somewhere around dragon pearl jasmine tea he felt out of his depth, though the mention of persimmon daifuku earned a thoughtful hum from him. “I’ll trust your judgment,” he said after a moment. “Mostly because I have no idea what daifuku is, but I’d like to learn.” His mouth twitched faintly at her preferences as he reached for the next stack of prescriptions automatically, though he wasn’t really focused on them anymore.

Then Sumiko mentioned the Avatar. And Xuan quirked a single brow with a skeptical expression. “…He did what?” A disbelieving laugh escaped him as he set the papers back down entirely. “You’re telling me the Avatar looked at all the actual problems in Ba Sing Se and decided the priority was relocating zoo animals into farmland?” He dragged a hand down his face slowly, already sounding exhausted on behalf of everyone involved. “I’m sure the farmers love that.” His tone turned heavily sarcastic. “Nothing says balance like losing crops because some shirshu needed more room to stretch its legs.” Xuan shook his head, snorting softly to himself. “The Avatar really stays focused on the important things.”

[sumimasu]

"You would think he also needs glasses like Ryusei, but I think he just forgets sometimes." Sumiko could almost hear the older of the twins add onto her words with something along the lines of "Probably because of all the collisions" about his younger twin, but she wouldn't have said it herself. If anything, she wouldn't be surprised if Ryusei was just jealous that he didn't pass the six foot mark yet, but it was a wonder how much two inches made a difference by how often Ryuto managed to bump his head into things.

She then thought back to a few days ago — was she working? "Oh! Right, we just started a new collaboration with a tea shop in the Upper Ring." She then started to count the yuans that would cover the price of the ointment, already knowing how much it was going to cost. "The owner worked with my dad and uncle to figure out some combinations of different wagashi and tea flavorings. There are some offered exclusively at Masamune and some exclusively at the Jasmine Dragon, so folks are trying to get all of them while they can since you can't order them ahead like you would for the regular menu.

"Buuuut, that's just to say if you're planning to get something for... someone..." Sumiko paused on purpose as she looked at Xuan briefly before she was back to checking she had the correct change. "You can put in a order for anything else on the usual menu to pick up ahead of time and skip the crazy lines. Want me to save you something now?"

[silverfcng]

Xuan folded the wrapped ointment neatly while she spoke, his attention caught a little more with every detail about the collaboration as he took the yuan from her and counted them automatically. However, the second she dragged out that someone, his eyes flickered up to hers, and there was the faintest look of regret on his face as he realized, far too late, he’d walked directly into that one himself.

“I really made that easy for you,” he muttered dryly, but a reluctant grin tugged briefly at the corner of his mouth before he looked back down at the coins in his hand. “What kind of tea flavors?” he asked, trying to regain any sense of nonchalance on the topic of Jin. “If I’m going to brave that line, I need to know whether it’s worth getting trampled.” He slid the wrapped ointment across the counter toward her.

[sumimasu]

While work was found in the Upper Ring due to the longstanding status of her family's confectionary shop — possibly as old as the Walls of Ba Sing Se themselves — Sumiko's home, the home she knew anyway as she knows at some point her ancestors moved from the Upper Ring, was in the Middle Ring. If she wasn't at work, she was here, away from the customers who had too much money, too much time on their hands, and too much gossip to share. While the Middle Ring clearly didn't have as many riches, it was still rich in gossip and stories as well.

Hu Yuan Apothecary was a regular stop and Sumiko was met the familar scent the store always had of the various herbs that made up the medicines, powders and salves galore, they had in stock. Her father and uncle were friends with Doctor Jan and she herself was pretty familiar with her daughters Layla and Aisha who helped out at the front, but it was a rare sight to see the youngest behind the desk, but there he was.

"Hello to you too, Xuan," Sumiko smiled as she approached the counter, though her tone had a hint of a tease in it. "Long time no see." She wasn't going to interrupt him past that, plus she knew the drill. She fished a folded piece of paper from her pouch — numbing ointment for pain relief for one Ryuto Masamune as his height often resulted in to too many bumps to his noggin to make things inconvenient, and he just ran out of his last prescription — and put it on the counter for whenever Xuan was ready.

[silverfcng]

Xuan took the folded paper from the counter with an absent little hum, eyes skimming the handwriting while he reached automatically for the nearby cabinet keys. “Mm. Ryuto,” he muttered. “That explains the numbing ointment.” A faint snort escaped him as he turned toward the shelves lining the back wall. “You’d think someone that tall would eventually learn to duck.”

The comment came easy, but the silence that followed stretched just long enough for Xuan to realize he’d slipped right back into his usual habit  of short answers with half his attention elsewhere like people simply disappeared.  “So,” he drawls, glancing back over his shoulder while unlocking one of the cabinets, “your family’s shop seems to be doing well.” He pulled down a small tin, checking the label carefully before setting it on the counter.

“I walked past it a few days ago. The line outside was ridiculous.” A crooked grin tugged briefly at his mouth. “I almost considered bribing Jiang to hold my place so I could get something for a... someone.” Xuan busied himself wrapping the ointment in brown paper, though it was obvious now he was making a genuine effort not to retreat completely into the task.

[silverfcng]

[ @sumimasu ]

Xuan sat behind the worn counter with sleeves rolled to his elbows, carefully sorting folded prescription slips into neat stacks beside rows of labeled jars. The apothecary smelled faintly of camphor and crushed mint, and the soft scratch of paper against wood filled the quiet while he worked through the morning’s pickup orders.

“Mrs. Fen… arthritis tonic,” he murmured under his breath, sliding another packet into place before reaching for the next slip.

The bell above the door chimed softly.

Without looking up, Xuan lifted a hand automatically. “Welcome in, just give me a moment.”

[silverfcng]

Xuan had trained with people twice @jintletealeaf's size without so much as losing balance. He’d fought in sand, rain, and ankle-deep mud. He knew how to compensate for shifting weight, bad footing, and unpredictable opponents. What he hadn’t accounted for was Jin hanging off him like a lemur while he was trying to demonstrate a basic hold.

The moment he tried to move, her grip nearly dragged him sideways. His boot scraped across the dirt as he caught himself, shoulders shaking once with a quiet laugh before he looked down at her arms looped around his middle.

“Jin,” he said, grinning despite himself as he attempted another step anyway, only for her weight to pull him off-center again. Xuan barked out a laugh under his breath and finally gave up on pretending he was still conducting a proper lesson. “Oh, this is bad,” he said dramatically, shifting her weight higher against him with ease. “I’ve been taken down by a girl half my size. The Fangs will never let me live this down.”

[bauliya]

do you think earthbenders often see water and fire benders obsessing over night/day/eclipses/temperature/cycles of the moon and air benders talking endlessly about spirits and lightness and go bitch,, just fucking,,,, bend,, stop with this nonsense,,,

[charlesoberonn]

Firebenders, Waterbenders, Airbenders: My bending powers are granted to me via the cosmic energies of the universe.

Earthbenders: My bending powers are for rocks. And they come from rocks.

[gargoylover]

Earthbenders: FUCK yeah concrete

[bauliya]

waterbenders: the moon isn't at an optimal position and the humidity is too low so I am going to die *dramatically faints*

earthbenders: FUCK yeah concrete

[silverfcng]

When he sees Lee, it's on sight.

[jintletealeaf]

🌿 — ❝ What ? No I - . . . I don't love him , Xuan . ❞ She knew she didn't . How could she love someone who { { left } } her standing by the fountains crying ? She couldn't . . . Besides , the boy she really loved was standing right in front of her , trying to convince her that the person who she went on { { one } } date with was a criminal .

. . . But the Lee she knew . . . He wasn't a criminal . . . Was he ?

❝ Xuan , I didn't. . . He said more than two words to me . I know you think he betrayed us , but maybe he had his reasons ? He . . . He { { had } } to have had his reasons . The Lee I knew was really kind , and gentle . ❞ She looked up at Xuan as she took his hand in his . ❝ He was my friend . . . Date aside , he was still a friend . And , maybe he could have been Jet's friend too , if they'd spent more time together . ❞ Using her free hand , Jin held onto his sleeve nearest her fingertips as she looked up at him .

❝ You don't have any reason to be jealous . . . I promise . Besides , the boy I really like . . . is the one standing here with me right { { now } } . The one who was sort of mean to me , when we first met . . . and who gave me his jacket that night when he found me crying at the fountains . ❞

[silverfcng]

His jaw had been set tight enough to crack stone, but it loosened when she took his hand. The warmth of her fingers against his drew his eyes down to where she clutched his sleeve, then back at her face, searching for hesitation, for the doubt he was so afraid he might see in them, but all he found was her. “You shouldn’t have been left crying by anyone,” there was no anger in his voice now, “Reasons or not.”

He exhaled through his nose, gaze drifting past her for a second as if he could see the outline of the boy they’d known as Lee—now an enemy who’d helped infiltrate and overtake their city. “I don’t know what kind of person he is,” Xuan admitted. “Maybe he was kind to you. I believe you when you say that.” His fingers tightened slightly around hers. “But kindness doesn’t erase what he is or what he’s done.” He looked back at her then, and the steel in him softened. “But this—” he lifted their joined hands slightly, “—this isn’t about him. It’s about me being an idiot.”A faint, self-aware huff of breath escaped him. “I’ve spent most of my life assuming I’m… replaceable.” His shoulders shifted, uncomfortable with the confession. “The upper ring is full of guys like him; rich, important, who get everything they want and I’m..” he stopped himself. “Just Xuan,” he finished instead.

Memories of that night she was left brokenhearted came to his mind, unbidden, and his ears burned faintly at the reminder of how he took care of her. “I wasn’t sort of mean,” he muttered. “I was absolutely mean.” But there was the ghost of a smile tugging at his mouth now. “And I gave you my jacket because you looked like you were about to freeze,” he added, softer. “Not because I thought it’d make you like me.” His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles.

[andallshallbewell]

[silverfcng]

Do you hear that? That's the sound of Xuan's little earthbender heart falling apart.

[jintletealeaf]

🌿 — Something in Jin quietly deflated as she watched the way he { { curled } } in on himself . The bitterness in his tone , reminding her of tea that lacked any sweetness , and how he sort of threw her own words { { back } } at her . In a way , it made Jin feel guilty for saying anything at all .

❝ It . . . Xuan , it wasn't like that . I didn't take him there to kiss him . I took him there because . . . I thought he might like them . ❞

Her arms sheepishly draped over her form as Jin quietly looked down at her shoes .

❝ I didn't expect to fall in love with him . . . Just have a nice evening . Besides , it shouldn't matter , anyway . He ran away . . . ❞ And the look on his face was one she would never forget for as long as she lived . ❝ He didn't even like it . . . ❞

[silverfcng]

“Wait—you love him?” All at once, Xuan feels the fragmented pieces of his heart crumble, hitting his stomach with a hard thump that makes him wince, his face contorting in visible pain. “I thought you had a silly crush on the guy, but love? Jin I—” He purses his lips tightly, trying with all his might not let this hurt show.

“I guess I’m just surprised, is all. The guy barely spoke two words to anyone that weren’t lies. He betrayed all of us.”

[silverfcng]

[silverfcng]

@jintletealeaf said: ❝ You don't have to be jealous , you know ? ❞ Jin said gently as she played with her empty teacup . ❝ It . . . it was just a kiss . ❞

“Who said I’m jealous of him?” He asks, tone obviously irritated by the subject of Lee. Or should he say the Liar Lord. “So you took him to the firelight fountain and kissed him so you could have a little romantic moment like the night your parents fell in love. It’s not like that’s a big deal or anything. Shouldn’t bother me at all.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a huff of breath making his bangs float up momentarily.”

[mysanityyoustole]

Can’t stop thinking about how Xuan gets jealous learning that has kissed other guys before. Imagine when he finds out her first kiss was the actual Fire Lord.