Sang only wished for one thing, one thing.
Bubble bath? Would be nice, but no. 
Fountain of ice-cold water? Tempting. 
Lying face-down in chocolate on a soft bed while wonderful things were being done to her unmentionables? Strangely enough no. 
That the job of guarding the Avatar would be easier than actually reaching the Avatar? That’s the one. 

On her way from Kyoshi island she’d seen wonderful things. The boat-ride to the main land had been a puke-infested floating hell-hole, but once there she’d had a good time. She’d tasted new kinds of food, listened to new music and talked with some really funny people. Granted, some of them had only been nice to her because she was lost and had a big bag of money… keyword had. Once that was stolen the friendly gentlemen went up in smoke. She’d gotten lost, a lot. Fourteen times, the swamp didn’t really count because it turned out to be a shortcut. Her first ride in an automobile had been an amazingly wild car-chase where she was apparently the hostage (it turned super-awkward when she figured that one out) and her first ride on an Earth kingdom train had stalled for three days because the republic had blown up the tracks, yes all of them.  
She had to walk the last five miles with nothing but the map her master had given her and a canteen of water for company. It had started out well, but walking around on loose sand had turned out to be exhausting. It wasn’t just the heat, but the way sand slides away from underneath your feet, you always have to maintain your balance and you can’t push off properly for the next step which wastes a lot of energy. 


About three hours before the big event a sandglider slid to a halt outside the white lotus stronghold. A single passenger clad all in green (that could be spotted from a mile away) jumped off and enthusiastically waved goodbye to her companions in a way that were very seldom seen in the desert, since jumping up and down and flailing wildly with your arms will ensure death by heat stroke. Sang, being immediately recognized by her clothing, was welcomed with open arms and led to a dark room where the heat was slightly less lethal and she could take a nap in peace to regain her strength before her service was needed. 
A servant in typical sand-tribe clothing and a white lotus printed on a sash around the waist woke her up about two hours later. Her clothes had been cleaned and fresh water was available for a quick cleaning. The water wasn’t so much cold as it was colder than the surrounding air, back home she probably would’ve refused to use it but here the cooling sensation of water against her skin felt almost as good as the first sip of a really cold drink after a long and sweaty training session. 
Once clean, she put her uniform back on and was led by the sand person to where she’d meet the Avatar for the first time. A couple of people clad in gray walked ahead, but she didn’t pay them much attention, probably only some form of white lotus group…

Sang and the gray people were led out into a courtyard where a line of seats were arranged (in the shade). Each chair had an emblem on it and as the people in gray began to take their seats it all dawned on her. 
Embarrassed, blushing and giggling nervously she tip-toed over to her seat, trying as well as she could to hide her face from the already seated with her hands. Luckily no one had a chance to talk to her before a white lotus member greeted them with a short speech and sent in the Avatar for a demonstration. 

She was shocked. Speechless, breathless and almost paralysed. The Avatar was female, not only that, the Avatar was… A woman.  
A body filled with feminine charm, curves and just the right amount of bounce in just the right places. Sang sat silent and watched the Avatar move, she saw the Avatar’s thighs tense and relax, her torso twist slightly, her hips turn violently as the Avatar flew back and forth across the tiny battlefield. 

The alarm. Suddenly a bell sounded and every white lotus member stiffened. Years of martial practice kicked in and Sang’s eyes started to dart between the various groups of white lotus members in the area, trying to decide where the incoming danger was located. Word came about the attack, which really didn’t surprise any of the seated people. Calmly, like the eye of the storm, they were led away from the courtyard. Sang kept herself next to the Avatar, she was the bodyguard and there was no way she’d lose her protectee in the first ten minutes of her job after that trip. She even tackled a white lotus guide to stay right next to the goddess of all four elements. Afterwards she smiled about it. 

They were pushed into an airship and sent away after a quick goodbye between the white lotus and team Avatar. In a heartbeat the situation had turned from a nice and very interesting evaluation of the Avatar’s abilities to an invasion to an escape. All without the group even spotting a single enemy. Sang’s pulse was sky-high and her blood so rich in adrenaline that she almost attacked the airship’s four crewmembers and just barely managed to hide her attack as a violent need for cooling off thanks to her chosen weaponry, the twin fans. The crew didn’t really noticed as they had locked eyes on the Avatar, except for the guy in the odd glasses that couldn’t contain his laughter. A sharp flick of the wrist send a small gust of air into his face and forced him to turn away and rub his dry eyes.
The guy in charge, Blackburn (Is that a Fire nation name or would that be an insult?), greeted them, told them what was happening and then left them all alone in the room as the airship slowly took off. The seven people stared at each other, every one waiting for someone else to speak first, but no one did. The sound of the normally almost silent machinery that drove the airship forward filled the room and poked the uncomfortable silence like a spear. Suddenly, an explosion, Sang threw herself against the nearby window and tried to see where it had come from. The airship was alone in the air, but the ground was lousy with people, white lotus and republic army. A second later the two armies were tiny like ants and before long they were so hard to make out against the sand that there was no use in looking any more.

Then the chain of introductions started as Sang once more made her way to the Avatar’s side. 
“I’m Sang Saitong” she said once a gap in the conversation appeared. “...From Kyoshi island” she added and instantly felt like a fool. While the others wore practically the same thing, she still wore the one piece of clothing that was only made on that tiny little island. They’d really have to be idiots not to know where she came from, and now she’d stated it out loud like there was any question, her chair had a fan on it… Stupid.  
She smiled and hoped that no one saw through it before she turned to the Avatar, raised both hands, the right one a fist caught in the left, she held the greeting up high, almost level with her eyes to symbolize her respect for the woman in front of her. “I’m tasked with keeping you safe, Avatar. Chienn (respect).” She bowed her head, enough to lose eye contact, but she could still see the Avatar’s legs and shins.