Zhay could not believe he was riding a flaming train to Ba Sing Se.  He was still heated at his manager, but there wasn't much he could do now.  He was coming form a rally race in the Si-Wong Desert, and would have gladly driven his truck up to get up to his next gig.  But Yoru thought he had partied too hard the night before, and had slept too long this morning.  And so he had been left behind with train fair and a note.  

Well, maybe it was nice to nap on the train for the first leg of the journey, but now that he was awake it was hard to stop being aware of the press of people around him.  The Foggy Swamp water bender that could be smelled three rows away.  The Air Nomad who was playing a flute somewhere out of sight.  The sandbender girl in the seat across from him; the older man having a quiet, but apparently in depth conversation with her.  The firebender next to him who was just a little too warm to be comfortable, and who kept trying to talk to him, apparently recognizing his Fire Nation descent and believing them to be countrymen.

"Look, lady," he said to her eventually, "I'm an airbender from Republic City.  I've never been to Ember Island and I don't like spicy food.  I don't think we have the common ground you're expecting."  

She narrowed her eyes at him, and said flatly, "You're not an Air Nomad."  

"Not what I claimed to be," he waved his hand, in front of him, producing a gust of wind that blew her hair back.  Some people seemed annoyed at the disturbance, but Zhay ignored the grumbling and it died down after a moment.  The woman stopped bothering him after that, and went back to reading her book.

Zhay wished he had his cartridge player to listen to some music.