The cool, blue water rippled as he rowed his oar through it. It was so smooth, soft, and cool. After rowing his boat through the mucky swamps that were cleaned out after a girl pretended to be the Painted Lady, he wasn't used to the leisure ride that was rowing through the clean water. He was Dock, for the moment, at least. The old, cooky boatsman wore his floppy, wooden hat with the red stripe encircling the top. His white hair exploded out the sides of the hat and came back to land at his side-burns. The white goatee was even longer now, going straight down from his chin to his collar. As always, no matter which brother he was, he wore his light red and dark red striped vest over nothing, exposing his bare stomach and some of his chest, but returning around his hips.

His dark eyes swiveled to the right, and swiveled to the left. Was there anyone he could pick up, or was he alone? Dock stared to the left for a second. He knew he was getting old, but even he didn't how old he was, and neither did anyone else. Maybe Xu would know? Nonsense, Xu was just selling fish in the markets. Perhaps Bushi? Bah, he was just another river-cleaner! Dock chuckled to himself and tipped his hat. Finally, he saw features on the other port. There were four children and an adult, all Earthbenders. Dock gleefully remembered when he helped the Painted Lady and the Avatar across the lake. Two heroes! Once again, he chuckled to himself and thought of how Xu reacted to the news.

"Hallo there!" He called to the five earthbenders. They were a family, and the oldest one was obviously the father. He was tall, handsome, but obviously poor. All of the rest of them were as well. "If you're looking for food, this is the right place! Our fish have been plentiful ever since the Painted Lady and the Avatar helped us clean our river!" Dock grinned at them, his crazy notion of Painted Ladies and Avatars obviously stunned them. "What, you don't believe in the heroes? Why, they're as real as my brothers, Bushi and Xu!"

The man's oldest son stepped forward and spoke. "We have little money, and my father is mute, but we'd like to get to the town over yonder." All the smaller children agreed, and the small piped up, "Who's da Painted Wady?" All of the other kids, and even the mute father, stared at Dock in bewilderment, awaiting an answer.

Dock laughed uproariously in his old, croaky voice that had the edge of insanity on it. He stopped laughing, but still chuckling, pointed at them. "Ah-hahahahha, who's the Painted Lady? Good joke, good joke! I applaud you!" He clapped and stood up in his boat, applauding the little children. Finally, he realized that they were still staring at him in amazement. So, they were telling the truth. "Oh, dear, oh dear. Okay, well you all can hop in my boat, it's big enough, yessir, um, well I'll tell you the story. Oh, dear, oh, dear, how very ignorant you are, oh yes, oh dear, I must tell you the story now, oh dear..."

As he rowed, Dock related the story of the Painted Lady's beginning, and how she and the Avatar returned not long ago, saving the river and defeating the Firebenders. They all looked in confusion. "Oh, well," he began after he finished the story, "I don't even know half of it as well as my brother Xu does. But watch out, he can be a little eccentric! So can Bushi, come to think of it. Oh, dear, he could get really wild with that hose when he's cleaning rivers, but that's another story, so we can't get into- oh look, we're here!" As he rowed into the harbor, he looked around at all the kids and smiled his big, toothy grin. "There's a discount over at my brother's shop, you know! Xu is selling fish and oysters for barely anything at all!"

The little family bowed and gave thanks, and then went off to Xu's shop. Little did they know, it was the same man awaiting them.

Dock was awaiting them, still wearing the same hat and brushing his goatee. The hair sticking out of the sides of his hat were falling out, and as the little family approached, he covered it up. "Oh, yes, hello there, family!"

The oldest son nodded to him. "Hello, and thanks for helping us across the river! Is your brother around?"

"Oh, yes, he's here, but heed my warning. He can get pretty wierd..." Then, without warning, he sprinted around his little stall, opened a chest and pulled out a new hat, put his old one in, and continued running back to his stall. "Hello, there, strangers! My name is Xu, and my brother Dock told me you all were here! He lies quite a bit, so I didn't know whether to believe him. He's not as nearly nice as that old gray river-washer, Bushi! Now he's a pal, but I remember once when he got crazy with the hose while cleaning the river, but that's a different story, so we won't get into- oh, you're here for the fish, aren't you!"

The entire family looked at him in shock belief. They were all bewildered, confused, and a little annoyed. However, the oldest one decided to play along in order to the get the discount. "Hello, Xu! I'm Geri, and this is my family! Now, you're brother Dock said something about a discount..."

Xu pulled at the bracelet around his wrist. He was just a fish-seller. The war hadn't affected him at all, but it had changed this family's entire life. He had no negative relationships with anyone besides his brothers, and his only friends were his brothers, too! Xu was from this village, and he loved it with all his heart, he and his brothers playing a large role in it. "Well, now, I have a deal for you! Six fish for, hm, lemme see... zero coins! How does that sound?" He pulled out the stinky, mucky fish and pounded them against the wooden table.

The boys nodded and the little girl hopped up and down. "Thank you, Dock," said the second oldest child."

Xu stared him down, sizing him up and down. "The name's Xu, and don't associate me with that eccentric fisherman. Sure, we're business associates, but we're not associated." As he watched the family walking away, happy and blissfully ignorant, a single tear rolled down his cheek, yearning for a real family of his own.