Aang wasn't sure where the earth kingdom official was taking him to dinner but as their carriage went into the shadier parts of Amkor he began to worry. He had been traveling the nations of their world to try and keep peace after the war with the Fire Nation ended three years ago. And he had met many officials and rulers and people on his journey. But no matter how many new friends he made he always missed Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and especially Katara. He still loved her even after she told him she saw him as a child rather than a romantic interest, which was the opposite of what she felt for Zuko. After Suki's death in the final battle Sokka and Toph decided they felt the same about each other too. It was a hard pill to swallow but Aang was starting to believe that since he was the Avatar, maybe it was his destiny to live alone and for peace only. In the middle of his reverie they pulled up in front of a plushy looking club called China Doll. They were seated by a bored looking waitress and handed a menu. Aang was surprised to see that the only thing on the menu was drinks. Aang didn't want to insult the official, but he really couldn't hold his alcohol. Then the already low lights dimmed all the way and a woman barely clad in anything strutted out on the stage and proceeded to take her top off. Aang was too shocked to look away, but when he could finally rip his eyes away and shut his gaping jaw, he realized the official had taken him to a gentleman's club. He hurriedly excused himself saying he suddenly didn't feel well and pulled the avatar card of having visions from the spirit world. He hated to lie like that but he was really getting uncomfortable. Aang had almost wound his way out of the maze-like club when he stopped dead in his tracks. There she was at the bar, all clad in red, long wavy chestnut colored hair, and pale gray eyes. She didn't look much older than his 16 years, but it didn't matter, he was enthralled. Almost as if she had sensed his staring she turned and smiled coyly with bright red lips and beckoned him over. Aang wanted to stop his feet but they moved on their own and suddenly he was sitting next to her on a stool at the bar.

"See something you like Avatar?" she purred.

"What! Oh yes, wait no! What are you talking about?"

She smiled at his fumbling words and ran a gentle finger down from the tip of his arrow tattoo and the side of his cheek,

"My time isn't free, even if all we're doing is talking, buy me a drink Avatar."

Aang was shocked by her boldness, he didn't know what to say or how to react. She was beautiful and yet she was also a call girl propositioning him.

"Sorry I was just leaving." he spouted hurriedly.

"Fine. Goodbye then Avatar Aang."

He had heard her voice crack slightly and he turned back to look at her. She was still lovely but now instead of a woman she looked like the little girl she was, sad and alone. Aang gulped and reluctantly sat back down,

"What's your name?"

"That's more like it! One fire whiskey on my good friend the Avatar, oh and my name is Ruri."

"Aren't you a little young for whiskey let alone alcohol?"

Ruri laughed dourly and said,

"When you work in a place like this it helps to be a little drunk all the time."

Aang flinched, all the woman here shouldn't be feared or looked down on, they didn't want to be here anymore than he did, probably more so.

"Why don't you leave then?"

"And were do you suppose I go?"

"Couldn't you get a job some where else?"

Ruri laughed a sharp laugh again,

"Sure if I could find a job, over half the people in the slums are unemployed. The ones that have jobs are either servants or work minimum wage jobs in the quarries or launderers. You may have ended the war but the economy is in ruins and there are even fewer jobs than during the war. Plus I was born here in this place, my mother was a whore and so am I, that's the way life goes. It could be worse, I could be a beggar on the street getting raped and not paid for it."

Aang knew all this, he knew all the statistics he had visited the slums but he had never met someone who lived in the hell called poverty. He was humbled and ashamed of how he had first looked at her with lust. There was silence between them for a long time as Ruri drank her whiskey slowly mulling over the ice, licking it out of habit. She felt kinda bad about how she had berated Aang, but the truth was he was just a symbol of peace and goodwill to all. He didn't know the first thing about living in a world where you were lucky to get a roof, clothes, and food every day.

"You can come with me!" he said suddenly, he had also been thinking over Ruri's situation and this seemed the only logical explanation.

Ruri tried hard not to scoff out right at his offer, there were so many reasons she couldn't possibly go with him.

"First off I'm a whore. What would people say? They would say the Avatar has his own personal concubine to look after him every cold night on that bison's back. Not to mention what good would I be besides as company I'm not a bender, well not really, so I couldn't fight beside you. I can't cook or clean so I couldn't help you there, which is also one of the reasons I wouldn't last a week outside of this place. I have no other skills besides the ones I have in bed!"

"That's not true, you're not a whore! Besides I'm really lonely I need someone to talk to! So it's perfect!"

"First off you don't know shit about me, I have sex for food and shelter, I'm a whore! So it doesn't matter how much you enjoy talking to me the only thing I'll ever be good for is hand jobs, blow jobs, and fucking!"

Aang turned bright red from frustration and from her blatant brazenness.

"Look the thought was nice but I don't want to leave, so you can drop the subject."

"Are you happy here?"

"What?"

"I said are you happy here? Is this all you envisioned for your life!"

Ruri stopped and now it was her turn to get flustered

"Of course this isn't what I want to be doing! But there's no other choice for someone like me. My mother worked here until she was stabbed to death by a jealous client when I was seven. I started 'working' here when I was 14 and yah I've dreamed of seeing the world, of being famous, of being powerful enough to break every one of these girls out of here and run away. But that's never going to happen!"

"What are you talking about? I'm offering you a way out right now, take it!"

"Sorry it's getting late we're closing so if you don't want to buy my services for the rest of the night it's time for you to go."

Aang sighed he would have paid for her freedom right then and there but he didn't bring any money because the official was taking him out to dinner, or so he thought.

"I'll be back." he said meaningfully looking her directly in her sad gray eyes.

"Sure. That's what they all say."

Then Aang walked out the door and right into the night in the darkest corner of the slums of Amkor in the Earth Kingdom.

Ruri sighed, he may be the Avatar but he was still a man. All men wanted was her body and when they got bored with that they left. He wouldn't come back because he obviously wasn't interested in her body right now. She had learned this lesson the hard way. The other girls had warned her, but when she had first started out at 14 she had fallen in love with her first john, a handsome rich lord who turned out to be a bastard. He promised to spirit her away and make her a princess so she would never want for anything again. It had all been lies and when she had finally snuck out to meet him at the train station, she waited for eight hours and he never showed. Ever since sex had just been a job, like it was for the other girls. She may have lived in this club all her life but what she had told the Avatar was the truth, she had always wanted to see the world outside these walls, let alone the entire city. Ruri had never even found her way out of the slums before. She pushed her empty glass angrily across the bar and brushed her long wavy hair out of her powdered face and stomped back to her room. Tears streaked her face as she thought angrily, he's like the rest, they never come back.

This story is sorta based off the song Roxanne by The Police, if you don't know it go listen to it, it rocks! I also wanted to make a love interest for Aang since Katara will probably turn him down. Please R&R