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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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re: that ask you posted a couple days ago about the male and female representation in RWBY, part of what makes RWBY's whole 'girl power' thing ring exceptionally hollow to me is the fact that there are like... no women in positions of real power in remnant. like at all. except the big bad.

winter is second in command to james. glynda is second in command to ozpin. all of the headmasters are men (for no discernible reason, imo; why theodore and not dorothea?). the leader of the ace ops was a white man (and then winter seemed to take over clover's position instead of either of the women of color on the team, and she was still second to james). RWBY is an all girl team, but JNPR was led by a boy despite a girl arguably being far more qualified (pyrrha). the happy huntresses are all women, and robyn had no real power to speak of--she didn't even manage to win the election, because jacques rigged it, and then the council ceased to matter. there was one (1) woman on the council, but she was so inconsequential that i can't even remember her name. (i suppose we're lucky it was the guy and not her who james shot lol) jacques controls the SDC instead of willow, even though he's not even a schnee by blood and actually married into the family for power. (and we don't even know how he got it over his wife.)

and then there's the white fang, which ghira led and not kali--and it's ghira who leads menagerie itself, while kali seems to be a housewife. sienna had five minutes of screentime before being brutally killed and her position assumed by adam, a man. cordovin is basically a one off lackey we haven't even thought about before or since. neo was second to roman. you have cinder, sure, who is a second but to salem, a woman, and raven as the leader of the branwen tribe--but what does it really say about your 'girl power' narrative when the only women with genuine systemic power in your world are villains or antagonists with massive bodycounts??

atla has the same sort of problem--a couple great female characters, but all the leadership positions are men (except the kyoshi warriors, an all girls group, and even then the leader of their island is an old man) and the one female mentor figure also turns out to be evil--but it at least has some great writing to help overlook that fact, and it came out in the mid-00's and so has some sort of excuse of being a product of its time. but rwby didn't even start until 2013 and it's still going and still making these kinds of decisions well into 2021.

where is this supposed girl power, exactly? am i really supposed to overlook the very patriarchal worldbuilding just because the title characters are girls?

That's an excellent summary of the situation, anon, and as with so much in RWBY, it comes down to the full context. Any one of these examples isn't necessarily going to mean much on its own. It's when you look at the pattern that you can start making a case for those conclusions: Why is the show marketed on "girl power" set in a world where men hold the vast majority of that power? And, more importantly, why is that setup not the point? We could easily have a story where that lopsided gender dynamic is the problem that the girls are looking to fix, but... that story doesn't exist. Like the problems discussed with Jaune, the supposed point here exists only on the surface. Dig just the tinniest bit — the above — and you hit on a lot of structural problems with this "girl power" world.

To add just a few details to what you've already said:

Salem indeed has power, but she's never allowed to fully use it. Each volume the frustration with this grows as Salem accumulates more abilities and then just sits on them. From literally hiding out for a thousand years to worries that she won't use the Staff in Volumes 9-10, Salem really isn't allowed to be the threat she's presented as on the surface. And yes, this is absolutely due in part to the "She's too OP and the writers don't know how to let her be that powerful while still having the heroes win" issue, but again, context. That problem doesn't exclude others occurring simultaneously.

Same double explanation with Summer. Yes, dead moms are an incredibly common trauma to dump on a protagonist, but it still left Yang and Ruby with Tai as their primary influence. And Qrow. The uncle becomes the extended family influence while Raven is the absent one/eventual antagonist. It's personal power as opposed to political power, but Tai, Qrow, Ozpin, formerly James... most of the mentors are men. Maria, a key exception, has been ignored in that regard. The story announced that she was Qrow's inspiration, setup her being Ruby's new mentor, and then... nothing. Nothing has come of that. She disappeared for a volume and then went off to Amity and was literally forgotten by the story when evacuating everyone was the finale's whole point.

Like that Endgame moment I mentioned, the Happy Huntresses feel a little too forced to me. Yes, it's the same basic idea as in ATLA, but ATLA, as you say, has a lot more going for it. The Happy Huntresses feel... on the nose? Idk exactly how to explain it. Like, "Here they are! Another team of all women! Isn't this how progressive storytelling works? Just ignore how this is a one-off team of minor characters compared to the world building issues discussed above." And if you're not paying attention, you miss just how insignificant they are, with a side of Robyn being, well, Robyn. The Kyoshi Warriors, at least, are based off of Kyoshi. A woman avatar who is a significant part of their history. That is, presumably, why they're an all women warrior group (but who notably still teach Sokka). The Happy Huntresses are all huntresses because...? There's no reason except that meta "We want to look progressive" explanation. Just like having all the women superheroes team up for a hot second so people get excited and ignore the representation problems across, what? 21 films? Don't get me wrong, I love that May is among the Happy Huntresses. I think including her in the explicitly all-women group was one of the better things RWBY has done in a long time, but the rest is still a mess.

RWBY is arguably about these smaller groups as opposed to systematic power (despite the writers trying to work that in with things like the White Fang and the election. Not to mention the implication that everything in Atlas is fine now that evil Ironwood has died and taken the symbol of wealth (the city) with him. We saw a human holding hands with a faunus after all. Racism and corruption solved, I guess.) So yes, our group is dominated by women... but Whitley is the one saving Nora, helping to defeat the Hound (plus Willow), thinking of the airships, and providing the blueprints they need to escape. Salem is our Big Bad, except Ironwood is the one the volume focuses on. Ruby is our leader, but Jaune is the one leading the group into the whale and getting praised for how heroic he is. Ren does more to shake things up, even if he's painted as the one in the wrong. Oscar gets to confront Salem and destroys the whale threat. Ozpin provides the information they need to evacuate. Meanwhile, when the girls do things in Volume 8 it's almost always followed by a long-stint of passiveness. Nora opens the door so she can be unconscious for most of the volume. Penny keeps Amity up so she can also be unconscious for a good chunk of time. Ruby sends her message and then sits in a mansion. Blake fights so she can tearfully beg Ruby to save her. Weiss, as said, takes a backseat to Whitley (and Klein). They forward the plot, absolutely, but comparatively it doesn't feel like enough.

It's that pattern then, no one specific example. More and more the personal power, not just the systematic power already built into Remnant, seems to be coming from the men. Not all the time, but enough that scenes like the tea drinking moment feel like a part of a much larger problem. Pietro taking control, Watts hacking, and Ambrosius literally remaking her when Penny is supposed to already be in control of herself and her fate. Winter being presented as the active mentor to Weiss, only to turn around and claim that Ironwood was actually responsible for everything. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and May straight up commenting on how awful things are out there while Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Oscar lead the charge against Salem — with the latter three doing the most to forward that mission (no fear, semblance, cane). As others have only half-joked, Yang's supposedly badass moment was bringing up a mother she's ignored for six volumes and briefly blowing up the immortal woman for a couple of seconds (with Ironwood's bombs). Even Marrow is arguably the most significant Ace Op after Clover. Vine isn't actually a character, Elm slightly less so, Harriet is there to go crazy and try to drop a bomb (notably before admitting to never-before-existed feelings for Clover), but Marrow? He's the one who breaks out. Who is meant to heroically stand up against Ironwood. Who comments on how awful it is that teenagers are fighting and, regardless of how messed up the moral messages are, is supposedly pushing for active change while all the women in his group, including Winter, insist on maintaining the status quo. Look at all these choices as a whole, it makes throwaway worldbuilding choices like "All the Maidens are women" feel pretty hollow. Why does it matter if Amber is a Maiden if she dies in a flashback so Ozpin can struggle to pass on the power? If Pyrrha dies before becoming one so Jaune can angst about it? If Raven is one and then disappears from the story entirely? If Winter has enough power to break Ironwood's aura, but supposedly had no power throughout every other choice she made getting here? If Penny is one, but is continually controlled by men and then asks another man to help her die? It's just really unconvincing, once you look past the surface excitement of a woman looking cool with magic powers.

When you do consider the whole of the story — both in terms of our world building and who is forwarding the plot in the latter volumes, getting the emotional focus, being proactive, etc. — there are a lot of problems that undermine the presumed message RT wants to write. They say, "girl power" by marketing RWBY with these four women, but too many of the storytelling decisions thoroughly undermine that, revealing what's likely a deeply ingrained, subconscious bias.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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rolandtowen · 3 years

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After years of courting, Sokka is still unraveling the layers of shame and guilt that Ozai wrapped Zuko in. An assassination attempt reveals yet another level of Zuko's trauma - luckily, Sokka is by his side his time to help him through the aftereffects.

content warnings: past child abuse, original character death, blood and injury, self-esteem issues | can be read as a follow-up to all the perfumes of arabia | read it under the cut!

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.”

- Mary Oliver

Sokka wakes up to the smell of burning flesh.

At once, he's out bed, grabbing his sword from it's place on the wall and assessing the situation. As he looks around, Zuko staggers back into their room, breathing heavily and gesturing for Sokka to drop his sword.

Zuko's shirt is slick with blood.

He collapses to the ground, his back sliding down the wall. Sokka rushes to him, kneeling at his side, checking for open wounds, praying to Yue that no major veins have been hit -

"It's not mine, I'm okay, it's - it's Min's." Zuko has a glassy look in his eyes. Sokka looks away from him for long enough to into the hallway outside their room. The crowd of Kyoshi Warriors parts, and Sokka can see two bodies on the ground. One, burnt beyond recognition - the other belongs to one of Zuko's personal aids, Min. He could have been sleeping, except for the mass of blood pouring from a laceration on his abdomen. Zuko makes a broken noise and Sokka's snapped back to this moment, Zuko crying in front of him.

"Zuko, what happened? You need to talk, baby. You gotta talk or you'll hyperventilate."

Zuko takes a painfully deep breath. "I thought I heard... something, and I sent Min to go check on it - and then I heard him scream - and I ran out and saw all of the blood, Sokka I never knew someone had so much blood in them - and then there was a man trying to stab me, and I defended myself." Zuko looks where his hands have fallen in his lap, trembling. "It, it was self defense right? I didn't want to, but he had just hurt Min and I was so scared -"

"Shh, shh, baby," Sokka presses a kiss to Zuko's forehead, pulling his shaking hands into a strong hold. "You did everything just right. You did everything right." He squeezes Zuko's hands, applying what he hopes is the right amount of pressure to bring Zuko down from his panic attack. "We're going to sit right here and let the Warriors take care of it."

Sokka holds Zuko in his arms for what feels like hours, until Suki taps him on the shoulder and mouths, all clear. Zuko is still wide-eyed, but he's stopped his shaking for the most part.

As Suki walks away, Zuko stops her. "Suki..." Sokka can see the tears forming in his eyes. "Did Min...?"

She crouches down next to the couple. "I'm so sorry, Zuko. It was too late."

Zuko lets out a wail of emotion, and Sokka can swear he feels flames lick out of Zuko's mouth.

"It should have been me!" Zuko's voice breaks and silence falls like a curtain between them.

"How can you say that?" Zuko can't meet his eyes. He cradles his head in his hands, "Spirits, Zuko, look at me! How can you say that?" Zuko looks up at Sokka. His bottom lip is trembling and his eyes are damp. "Because it's true." "I don't know what monster convinced you of this," he whispers, gently cradling Zuko's face. "But you deserve nothing that happened to Min." Sokka can barely catch Zuko's whispered reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Beloved, I have never been more sure of anything in my life," Sokka whispers, pushing sweaty strands of hair from Zuko's face. "Please, let me help you?"

Zuko exhales, and then he breaks. He sobs into Sokka's shoulder, and Sokka rubs circles into his back, whispering in his good ear - it's okay, I'm so sorry, you're safe here, you didn't deserve this - until the storm within Zuko rains itself out, and Zuko is quivering in his arms.

"I'm sorry."

"Zuko, you have nothing to be sorry for," Sokka pulls away to get a look at his partner's face. There he is, eyes red-rimmed and skin pale, but still Zuko. "Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to get you a glass of water, you are going to drink it, and then we'll get ready for bed. You need sleep. And I'm clearing your schedule tomorrow."

Before Zuko can protest, Sokka waves Suki down and instructs her to find Zuko's secretary and push all of his appointments back at least two days. Zuko zones out as they talk, his head swimming with the action of the last hour. He's vaguely aware of Sokka leaving the floor and returning with two cups and a jug full of water. He can hear the water pouring out of the jug, and thinks about how badly he wants to wash his hands of the heinous act he just did - but he can't, and Spirits, Aang is going to hate him -

"Hey, come back to me." Sokka is pushing a half-full cup of water into his hands now. "I'm going to take a sip, and then you take one, okay?"

Zuko obliges him, and they sit like that for an eternity, trading sips back and forth. Zuko can feel the fog clearing from his brain, can see his surroundings coming into focus each time he raises the cup to his lips. His eyes finally settle on Sokka's face, and he's rewarded with one of Sokka's soft smiles.

"Are you back with me?"

Zuko nods. "I'm -"

"Baby, if you apologize to me, I'm throwing you to the turtleducks." Sokka shifts so that they're both sitting with their backs against the wall. "Do you think you can sit on the edge of the bed for me?" He holds out his hands, and Zuko accepts them, allowing himself to be dragged to his feet and placed on their bed. Sokka stands in front of him.

"Is it okay if I take this off?" He tugs at the shoulder of the bloody shirt Zuko's wearing.

"Please."

Zuko lifts his arms as Sokka guides the article of clothing over his head, and then disposes of it in a wastebasket. No sense trying to get that much blood out of shirt that will only bring back bad memories. Sokka grabs a few things from their private bathroom, and returns to Zuko, who looks up at him with a staggering amount of trust. Sokka checks him one last time for any injuries he could have missed, and then begins the painstaking process of wiping the blood from Zuko's arms and chest.

"Is this okay?"

Zuko nods, eyes trained on the water basin that becomes darker every time Sokka rinses his cloth. "Hey, look at me." Zuko meets Sokka's eyes. "We don't have to do it tonight, but at some point we're going to have to talk about what you said when you were breaking down."

"That I deserved it?"

Sokka nods, wiping at a stubborn spot on Zuko's right wrist. "I know you're a self-sacrificing idiot, but this somehow feels deeper."

Zuko sighs. Sokka knows about the Agni Kai. But had he ever elaborated about Ozai's casual abuse? Probably not, for the first few years of their relationship, Zuko was trying to run a country without a coup every five minutes.

"I - You know about my banishment." Sokka nods, lips drawing tightly at the thought. "But that wasn't... unusual. Ozai, he - he thought that pain was a really effective teaching tool for me."

Sokka's finished with his washing, and settled on the bed next to Zuko, gingerly taking one hand into his.

"I guess, growing up with that always hanging over me, I think it made me reckless. At some point, I just accepted the fact that I deserved to be hurt." Sokka gives his hand a squeeze.

"I'm so sorry."

Zuko rubs at his good eye, willing away the tears budding there. "There was nothing you could do."

"No," Sokka concedes. "But we can do something now. I don't know how, but I will find a way to show that he's wrong." He brings their hands up and kisses the back of Zuko's. "You don't deserve any of that. You deserve kindness, and compassion, and good tea, and, and - anything but that. You're a good man, Zuko. And a good leader. You deserve good things."

Zuko swallows, a lump forming in his throat at the affirmations.

"Can you say that?"

Zuko tries, he really does: "I, I deserve... I -"

"It's okay if you can't yet." Sokka pulls him into a hug. "I have no doubt we'll get there."

Zuko melts into the embrace. "Together?"

"Yeah," Sokka murmurs. "We'll make it together."

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thisentertaining · 3 years

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Avatar: The Last Archivist

The main characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender as different Avatars from The Magnus Archives.

I did 14 characters, one for each entity.

Trigger Warnings: Basically every TMA entity. Specifically mentions of claustrophobia, cannibalism, suicide, manipulation, ect.

____

There is a boy, with eyes like a stormcloud, deep and fathomless. He has arrows tattooed on his head, on his arms. When you ask about them he laughs, and says ‘when I’m upside down’ as though that was all the explanation. He asks if you want to do something fun, a roller coaster, skydiving, a trampoline park. When you agree, it is fun, at first. You close your eyes to protect them from the rushing wind. When you open them again, the ground is gone. There is no down. There is only sky, and you are falling. Beside you he laughs, bright and joyous and childlike, though it can hardly be heard over your screams. His arrows are pointed up, wherever that is. As he cannonballs past you for the 3rd, 8th, 19th, 76th time he says that ‘fear is what makes it fun’. His ‘woops’ cover your sobs.

There is a girl, dressed in blue with loops in her dark brown hair. She watches you with soft, sad eyes and says ‘It’s so sad, isn’t it? Being the last.’ ‘The last what?’ you ask, but you know. ‘The last of your kind. There is no one to teach you how to reach your potential. You’ll never be able to train anyone to be like you. You’re the last.’ ‘I am.’ You say, feeling cold as a painful pressure settles on your chest. It feel like you could drown in your loneliness.

There is a boy, one who looks similar to the girl, who loves meat. Grilled, roasted, stuffed, boiled, hunted, farmed or store bought. Any kind of meat, cooked in any manner, at any time. In the moments where he is not eating meat, he is thinking about it. He eats, and he eats, and he eats, until he is long since the point of caring what the meat is. Who the meat is. As he finishes his plate he looks to you and licks his lips.

There is another boy, pale of skin and gold of eye, with a burn that stretches across his face. “I will capture my prey.” He vows. “And then my honor will be restored.” He hunts, and he tracks, and he follows a prey that can never escape. If you find yourself his prey, you can hide and run and fight, but will sone find his claws surrounding you. However, even as he catches you, his mind is on his next target, for his prey is not what he truly seeks. He will never achieve what he really wants, but still he hunts for it. He knows that the capture is the least thrilling part of the chase.

With him travels an older man, a man who is kindly, portly and always grants a smile. He offers you a cup of tea and a game of Pai Sho, but from your first sip and his first move, he Knows you far better than you know yourself. He gives you tea exactly as you like it, and every move you make he has something to meet it. His words are proverbs and pretty saying, but all touch a part of you that he should not know. He Knows. He Sees.

There is an island in this world, where women with painted faces and fans of blades congregate. Practice. Fight. They learn to use the force of others against themselves. They learn to go for the throat They are more willing to fight than to ask questions. In the water there is a monster that they feed the ships that dare get close. In their hearts there is a monster that they feed the souls of those who survive to reach the land. Tearing them apart until blood and bone can be used to paint warnings on their faces.

There is a boy. He is at home in the woods, living in the trees and filth and gime. He collect people. Children. They build homes in bug-filled trees until they have their own hive infesting the forest. A piece of wheat sticks in his mouth, green-blue and fuzzy with mold. He sees sickness in those that invade his home. He sees corruption in those outside of his hive. He stands at the foot of a dam, working on the logs until rot eats through them, purging the woods of the existing host and giving more room for his parasitic hive to grow.

There is a girl with long white hair. She has a kind smile, and mourning eyes. She tells you ‘You’ve always known that this was your fate.’ And you realize that you did. ‘You were given life for a reason, it makes sense that this would be asked of you.’ It did. What reason did you have to live except for this. You always knew it would come to this. ‘You are doing this for your people. It is your duty. It is a noble sacrifice.” You nod. You take whatever it is she offers you. And you End.

There is a man who is in the dark. He does not see truth, does not see life. He walks in the dark and in doing so imagines himself bigger than he is, and imagines others as smaller. He wishes to spread his darkness, an insipid thing that seems to be a tangible presence in any room he is in. When you are near him, colors leech away to a point that the world seems to exist in black and white and grey, no matter how much light or color you attempt to introduce. If given enough power, he would gladly blot out the light of the moon itself, plunging the night into wholly his domain.

There is a young girl whose feet never leave the ground. In her hair there is a constant layer of dirt and dirt. Her eyes are milky-white, but she never trips and never struggles. You ask her if she needs help and she laughs and laughs and laugh. She seems to grow as she does, until you realize that you are sinking. You are up to your ankles-shins-knees-thighs- in the dirt. She says that she cannot see, but in the ground she is no difference for her or anyone else. She says that one cannot stumble or trip or fall if they cannot move because of the ground’s embrace. She says that strength and sight and title means nothing to the earth. She sinks into the ground with a happy sigh right as the ground meets your eyes. Then you can see no more, and as she said, the earth cares not for your struggles.

There is a girl who is an acrobat in the circus. One may assume she would be a stranger, but no. She is quick to introduce herself, to identify herself apart from those she is often lumped with. However, there is something… not right. Her body bends and moves in a way that it Should Not, that the human body Can Not. She twists and flips and bends until her form is completely unidentifiable as one of flesh and blood and bones like yours. Her smile stretches a bit wider than lips should allow. She can make you do things, or make you stop, a few simple pokes and your body will no longer listen to your mind. A few more nudges and your mind will no longer listen to you.

Her friend is a Stranger though. A girl wo dresses plainly, with a face as expressionless as a mannequin and a voice that is as dry and as bland as an uncooked grain of rice. She holds knives sharp enough to flay your skin from your body. Sharp enough to flay your identify from your self. She reacts to little and speaks to less. You may know her name, but she will never allow you to know who she is.

The acrobat and the stranger dance and dangle at the strings of the web. Their friend, a girl of sharp features and a sharper mind. She wields cruelty and knowledge and vulnerability as tools, weapons that allow her to say and do exactly what she needs to make others follow her desires. She will talk to you, and she will lead you. You will follow her without question, without thought, until your feet are stuck fast in spider silk. She can lead anyone into her web with a smile. All but one. She has never dared try to ensnare her Father.

The girl’s father is cruel. He has ambition that supersedes the ability of every man, and does not care for consequences so long as he advances for his personal goals. He will burn through a bush and care not for the wildfire he started behind him so long as he can continue further. If anything, he will delight in having caused it. No one is safe from the destruction. Not his people, whom he destroys without reason and without care. He delights in the anguish they feel and the anguish their demise causes. Not his son, who bears his burn and hunts for an honor never lost. Not the world, which is slowly being burned around him. Not an ember touches his skin. If her were to burn you, he would likely never notice.

Aang – The Vast

Katara – The Lonely

Sokka – The Flesh

Zuko – The Hunt

Iroh – The Eye

Suki/Kyoshi Warriors – The Slaughter

Jet – The Corruption

Yue – The End

Zhao – The Dark

Toph – The Buried

Ty Lee – The Spiral

Mai – The Stranger

Azula – The Web

Ozai – The Desolation

Thanks for reading!!

Yeah, I don’t know either. But if anyone else is a fan of these and wants to make fanart of Martin and Iroh drinking tea together and complaining about loving over-dramatic nerds who do not react normally to acts of love and kindness, you would have my eternal thank.

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jaxsteamblog · 3 years

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Ice Queen

Click here to read the full fic on AO3!

After the borders were tacked down, and things returned slowly back to normal, the mundane aspects of life started to bubble back up. Thuy was off with her group, still working on the brand new world that opened in seemingly random points around the world. The Earth Empire was restructuring, a delightful task full of awkward meetings and forgotten names on Katara’s end, and so they were all expecting new ambassadors.

Zuko had to return to the palace for that. They had discussed for days what to do about Izumi, wondering what the best course of action was. Katara decided to meet her appointment in the new central palace in Republic City, figuring that Izumi could more easily spend time with her father should the need arise.

Not that they could figure out what was going on with their five-year-old since the news broke.

“Auntie!” Kya bellowed as she ran through the wide entry hall. Her small voice bounced off the cool marble and echoed in the empty space. Sokka and Suki followed; Sokka’s arm was thrown nervously over Suki’s shoulders.

“Hello dear one.” Katara murmured as Kya ran into her, putting her small arms around Katara’s hips. Her niece was the spitting image of Sokka, with only the faint reddish hue in her hair linking her to Suki. It made her heart ache sometimes, seeing the South Pole face and saying her mother’s name.

It was in these moments that she was relieved Kya had been born first, securing Sokka’s claim to the name.

“Can we practice now?” Kya asked excitedly.

“Don’t you want to see Izumi?” Katara asked curiously, too quick to think.

Kya’s face smoothed and she stepped back.

“Oh. Right. Sure.” She said and darted past Katara into the palace.

“She’s been really excited about this trip.” Suki said, looking after her daughter’s retreating form.

“Should we really be doing all this formal stuff so soon?” Sokka interjected and Suki sighed heavily.

“She’s a Waterbender. Everyone knows it and they’re asking questions.” Katara answered.

“I seem to recall someone being extremely pissed off about forced expectations and public announcements.” Sokka countered.

Katara gave him a stern look but he didn’t budge.

“I’m not taking her away or anything. She’ll just have to come for training sometimes, which of course means you both will be staying.” Katara glanced over at Suki, who smiled. “And if she chooses not to be my heir later on, then we figure something else out. It’s up to her.”

“How is Izumi taking it?” Suki asked.

Katara looked back over her shoulder, as if her daughter would appear.

“Zuko thinks she’s a late bloomer, but I know. I don’t know if that makes things worse or not.” She said and then sighed, turning back. “She’s not really talking about it.”

“And Lu Ten?” Suki inquired.

“He’s definitely a Firebender, but no fire yet. Which is a blessing I think.” Katara shook her head and shrugged.

“We’re doing the best we can.” She added.

“You think this would be easy, since we saved the world twice.” Sokka muttered.

“It is what it is.” Katara said, waving her hand in an attempt to dispel the lingering mood. “I’ve got some tea waiting.”

Kya, having forgotten her earlier disappointment, ran screaming through the halls with Izumi, two Swamp Tribe children, and a North Pole boy. Katara kept her amusement to herself as she watched the flinching security guards as something crashed in their earpieces. With the carnage, she assumed the younger brother of the Swamp Tribe matriarch was babysitting this time.

“So I assume I’m keeping my appointment?” Sokka asked as he plucked a red bean bun from the platter. Now deeply in their thirties, Katara had hoped he would stop eating like a child but half of the bun was shoved unceremoniously into his mouth.

“Nepotism at its finest.” Katara said as an answer. “No one else really wanted to go, seeing how Zuko spends most of his time here and the Prime Minister is kind of…”

“Dull.” Suki finished for her and Katara pointed back at her.

“I really liked that other guy.” Sokka said, taking a drink from his mug.

“Sato? Very nice man. His son Hiroshi always played so well with Izumi. Maybe next time.” Katara said and sat back. The banality relaxed her, and she wished her work would go no further than this. “I’ve finalized my schedule with Dong-Lee and dad, and nothing has really changed.” Katara continued.

“Still ignoring him?” Sokka asked.

“I’m not ignoring him.” Katara snapped. “I just think he needs to spend a little more time at the South Pole. With the people he actually represents.”

“Malina really isn't all that bad.” Sokka said and Katara glared at him. He responded by shoving the other half of the bun into his mouth.

“Look, the point is, the Earth Empire has finally selected their ambassador and he’s arriving tomorrow. There’s going to be a big, fancy dinner and I’ll introduce Kya as my heir.” Katara said.

“So where’s dad?” Sokka asked, his mouth still mostly full.

Katara slammed a hand on the table. “This isn’t about dad!”

“He’s on the triumvirate.” Suki said gently.

“And I am the head.” Katara retorted. Shaking her head, she deflated. “He’s flying up this evening. I figured he would’ve told you.”

“We haven’t caught up in a bit. Did you see what’s happening in the news right now?” Sokka replied and Katara snorted. For weeks there had been almost nothing talked about that wasn’t related to the spirits.

A knock at the door made them all turn.

“Come in.” Katara called. The door opened and a guard poked her head in.

“Excuse me, your Majesty, but Prince Lu Ten has woken up from his nap.” She said.

Sokka jumped up, shoving the back of Suki’s chair as he moved.

“Hey!” Suki exclaimed with a laugh. “You can’t monopolize all of the baby time!”

“Those freaky twins aren’t here, so I’m taking what I can get.” Sokka yelled back, sliding past the flustered guard to run into the hall.

After everyone was unpacked, and had a proper lunch, Sokka and Suki took Izumi and Lu Ten out into the gardens for a walk. Katara and Kya then made their way down to the practice grounds. The talk of her dad and growing stress of the next few days weighed on Katara and she hoped that this moment with her niece would cheer her.

The sun was shining, and it was a crisp day that she cherished in the early spring. The sea was a few miles away from the palace, but the building was situated atop a bending made hill so Katara could see ripples of blue-gray between the skyscrapers. A particularly strong breeze would occasionally bring the scent of salt water to her doorstep.

Kya held Katara’s hand as they walked over the small footbridge to the flat square. The training ground was covered in soft gravel and bordered by channels of water. It was a place they could all practice together, though more recently it was used to smooth out Toph’s plans for her new sport.

“Auntie?” Kya asked as they walked onto the gravel.

“Yes dear?”

“Is Uncle going to teach Izumi firebending?”

Anxiety plucked at a tendon in the back of Katara’s neck.

“Izumi isn’t a Firebender, sweetie.”

“Uncle says you don’t know yet.”

“Well…” Katara drifted, letting go of Kya’s hand and looking off into the empty air. “Your uncle didn’t have a strong spark at Izumi’s age, but he still had one. Izumi doesn’t, and that’s okay.”

“But how do you know? Is it because you’re a Waterbender?”

“I think so.”

“Will you teach me?”

“In time.”

“Auntie?”

“Yes dear?”

“Who taught you waterbending?”

Katara’s entire neck spasmed and her shoulders shot up to her ears. Muttering nonsense under her breath, she called some of the water from the channels and smoothed out the knots in her muscles.

Kya, her mother, had been there when Katara found her first instructor. It was Kya’s blood that Katara used in her final test with Hama.

“An elder taught me.” Katara said, using a truth to blur the unsaid horror. “She lives in a village somewhere in the South Pole now.”

It went against everything she had ever been taught to even consider killing Hama. Revenge took more than it gave, and Hama was not only an elder, but the only other South Pole Waterbender alive. She had returned Hama to the South Pole under heavy guard and with charms a Kyoshi Warrior had picked up from a guru in the Earth Kingdom. Hama had promised no further violence, being overcome with the promise of going home. She did not return to her village, to Katara’s village, but she was taken back home.

Kya had been buried at the prison, with hopes that she would be returned as well.

They were still waiting.

“Auntie?” Kya asked cautiously.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Katara said brightly. “Did you say something?”

“Were you thinking about the war?” Kya asked and Katara flinched.

“Why do you say that?” She questioned.

“Papa looks like that too sometimes.” Kya answered.

“I’m fine sweetie.” Katara forced a smile and juggled three balls made of water. “Ready to practice?”

They practiced for a couple of hours before Kya inevitably got tired and asked to get a drink. By then, Sokka and Suki returned and Katara had to finish business of her own. Dong-Lee, the Swamp Tribe matriarch, was waiting for her with a dense looking folder.

The afternoon wound down that way, with Sokka making a call to Zuko about their next meeting. Suki took charge of all the children currently in the palace, telling stories and generally keeping the chaos relegated to one room. By dinner, most of them had calmed. Just in time for Hakoda to arrive.

Although completely expected, Katara still grumbled as Malina stepped into the main hall.

“Gran-Gran!” Kya and Izumi both yelled and Malina knelt down to hug them both.

“You’re going to pull something Tara.” Sokka said, keeping his voice low, and patting her upper back firmly.

“Shut up.” Katara grumbled, idly twisting the anchor bead of one hair loop.

“Oh look-” Sokka started just as Katara registered the third figure coming into view.

“Bato!” Katara said, her voice amplified by surprise.

Bato dropped his shoulder bag and strode forward, his arms open. Katara met him and they embraced each other tightly.

“What are you doing here?” Katara asked as they stepped apart.

“Can I not come pay homage to my queen?” Bato said with feigned shock. Katara laughed and swatted at him.

“If your father insists on sending me all over the frozen blue yonder doing his dirty work, I deserve the perk of visiting the High Queen in her fancy new palace in Republic City.” He explained.

“Good to see you Bato.” Sokka said and the two men hugged with the same type of loving force.

“Young man, fatherhood looks good on you.” Bato said, holding the back of Sokka’s head and pressing their foreheads together.

Sokka smiled, his eyes squeezing shut and a pin prick of water poked out the corner.

“Is Zuko not here?” Hakoda asked from behind them.

“His court is in session to approve the new Earth Empire ambassador.” Sokka said, moving off to the side. He stood between Katara and Malina, but that still put her in Hakoda’s line of sight.

“Daddy is going to bring me a present when he comes back.” Izumi interjected and Hakoda chuckled as he bent down.

“Oh is he now? I guess I better give you my present first!” He huffed as he stood up, swinging Izumi into the air.

“How are you Katara?” Malina asked softly. Katara watched her father carry Izumi, with Kya hopping at his side.

“I’m fine.” She said tersely and started walking. “Dinner is nearly ready.”

“That was ice cold.” Sokka said, jogging up to walk with her. Katara snapped sharply, sending sparks of frost into the air.

“Don’t you forget it.” She retorted.

“It’s okay that she’s not mom.” Sokka said.

“No Sokka, it’s not.” Katara replied, her words clipped short.

Despite their political positions, they took their dinner in the private family room, away from the other tribal members. Even with the separation, politics still dominated the table conversation.

“Who is the Fire Nation sending out?” Bato asked. Katara settled in her chair with Lu Ten wriggling in her lap. He had begun refusing the high chair, but was still too small for a booster. So Katara had to feed him while her own food cooled just out of reach.

“Zuko has made his appointments but the ministers have to approve them as well. I like the lady he sent to Ba Sing Se though, so I don’t see that changing.” She replied.

“Ugh, remember the ambassador last year? What a piece of work.” Sokka grunted, reaching over to cut Kya’s food. She fussed, insisting that she could do it herself, while Izumi smiled demurely with her chopsticks in hand. The mixed menu was always a struggle, and Izumi was leaning more toward Fire Nation fare while Kya was used to the knives and spoons of the South Pole.

“Who is going from us to Ba Sing Se?” Malina asked, of no one in particular.

“I have always wanted to do some proper travelling.” Bato said. “More than just the horrible marching in the war.”

“That might be pushing it.” Katara said. “Dong-Lee’s sister is going to Ba Sing Se, and I’m sending Hahn to Omashu.”

“HAHN?” Sokka cut hard and the knife in his hand went skidding across the plate. With a huff, Kya pulled her plate back and started sawing the meat with her own knife.

“Two ambassadors?” Suki asked.

“Omashu is the largest seat of power in the south, and it makes sense to have people in both places. Kuei won’t let the Fire Nation send more than one though.” Katara said.

“But why Hahn?” Sokka demanded.

“He’s grown up a lot, Sokka.” Katara said, sounding tired. “And no one could accuse me of favoritism since you hate his guts.”

“Fine.” Sokka said forcefully. Suki leaned over and rubbed his upper back.

“Paw-Paw, look what Auntie taught me!” Kya said suddenly. Everyone looked just as Kya levitated the tea from her cup, pushing it high above her head.

“Careful!” Katara warned.

“Mo-om! Kya shouldn’t play with her food!” Izumi said.

“I’m not playing, it’s waterbending.” Kya stated.

“That’s very nice Kya.” Hakoda said carefully. “But let’s make sure not to drop it.”

“I won’t!” Kya fussed.

“Even if I do-” Sokka took a finger and moved it toward Kya. “This?”

Cold tea fell on Kya’s head, causing her to burst into tears and Izumi started pummeling Sokka’s arm.

“Izumi! We don’t hit!” Katara jostled Lu Ten, who was still eating peacefully, as she tried to get up.

“Don’t be mean to Kya!” Izumi yelled while Sokka chuckled. Suki bit her trembling lip as she used her napkin to mop up as much tea as she could.

“That’s enough!” Katara said, keeping one hand on Lu Ten - who was starting to fuss - and using the other to bend away the tea.

“Izumi, go to your room!” Katara said.

“Katara, it’s fine.” Sokka said.

“Don’t tell me how to parent!” She snapped.

Sokka leaned back, holding up his hand.

Izumi, sniffling, stomped out of the room.

“I didn’t mean to get her in trouble.” Kya murmured.

“You didn’t.” Katara sighed.

“Kat, how about I take Lu Ten so you can eat?” Hakoda, suddenly at her side, asked.

Katara whirled around, grabbing hold of Lu Ten with both hands.

“I certainly don’t need your help.” She said sharply.

Hakoda’s eyes went hard but he didn’t move.

“I raised two children, Katara, I know what I’m doing.” He said.

“When? When mom was still alive and Gran-Gran lived with us? Or after you went off to fight, taking mom with you and leaving us behind? Or was it after mom died and you decided to stay in the North Pole to court a new woman?” Katara shot back. “Because it certainly seems like Gran-Gran raised two more children after you abandoned yours.”

“And where’s your husband then? He’s not here to raise them himself.” Hakoda said darkly.

“Zuko is the Fire Lord! And, if you really want to get technical about it, dad, he’s a five hour flight from here to the middle of the spirits be-damned palace!” Katara shouted. “Now sit down before I decide to make Bato the new chief of the South Pole and kick you out of my home.”

Turning on her heel, Katara shifted Lu Ten onto her hip and walked out the dining room. Ice crunched under her feet, grinding into her soles like diamonds. Goosebumps rippled on Lu Ten’s arms and Katara let out a worried breath as she moved down the hall to the bedrooms.

“I’m sorry baby-boo.” She whispered, kissing Lu Ten’s chubby cheek. “Let’s go call daddy.”

Katara grabbed a phone and went into Izumi’s room, letting her talk to Zuko first. Izumi immediately related what had happened at dinner, telling him all about Katara’s unfairness and tyrannical rule. Then, letting Izumi go back to dinner, Katara stayed in her daughter’s bedroom, letting Lu Ten play on the floor beside her while she talked.

“So what else happened?” Zuko asked.

“I got into a fight with my dad.” Katara answered.

“I know all about that.” Zuko said and she snorted.

“I just don’t get him.” Katara said with a sigh.

“Well of course. You lived with him for the first six of years of your life, while only being conscious of it for two, three years tops. Then he went off to fight when he was younger than you are now. He came back to his children being adults, and one of them bonded to the ocean spirit.” Zuko replied. Katara patted Lu Ten’s diapered backside while she listened. They were nearly done potty training, but it was a busy time and accidents happen. Lu Ten grumbled at the attention, pushing himself up to rummage through Izumi’s things.

“So you’re saying I should just forgive him?” Katara asked.

“I am the last person to ask about forgiving fathers.” Zuko quipped. “But more I’m just trying to break through your stubborn insistence to be mad at him.”

“I want to be mad at him?”

“Yes.”

“Zuko!”

“Katara, you know this. We’ve talked about it in therapy. If you feel like you’re justified in being mad at someone, it means you can get away with being mean to them.” Zuko replied calmly.

“I do have a right to be mad!” Katara countered.

“I agree. But do you think Dr. Matsuzawa would think you’re handling this in a healthy and loving manner?” He questioned.

“Mmmmm.” Katara rolled her discontent in the back of her throat. Lu Ten repeated the noise, bouncing up and down as he did.

“Let’s talk about Izumi.” Zuko said, his tone shifting.

“What do you mean?” Katara asked.

“You don’t normally blow up at the kids.” He clarified.

“Yeah.” The pit of her stomach twisted, shooting sour bile into her throat.

Zuko kept quiet, giving her space to process her words.

“I’m just worried about her.” Katara said.

“Why?”

“Why?” She repeated, incredulous.

“Yeah, why are you worried about her? Has she said anything?” Zuko asked.

“Well, no. Not yet.” Katara admitted.

“Izumi and Kya adore each other. I don’t think she’s jealous.” Zuko said.

“I don’t know.” Katara said.

“Are you jealous?” Zuko questioned gently.

Katara sat up, her stomach wrenching horribly.

“What?” She asked.

Zuko didn’t reply right away, but sighed.

“I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to you about this, and now probably isn’t the best time to bring it up.” He said.

“Well you brought it up!” Katara said sharply.

“Katara.”

“You think I’m jealous that Sokka had a Waterbender and I didn’t?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? You’re weird about Kya.”

“How am I weird about her?”

“You nearly never say her name!” Zuko stated. “Maybe you’re not jealous but maybe you want Izumi to be, so you can have an excuse.”

“How can you say that?” Katara gasped.

“Katara, this isn’t an accusation. I think you’re hurting, a lot. The spirit world thing got us away from it all, but now we’re back. And there’s a little girl named after your mom, needing to learn waterbending, when you don’t really have the best experiences in your own instruction.” Zuko explained carefully. “I went through something similar with my firebending.”

“Zuko…” Katara whispered. Her throat tightened as her nose went numb and started to run.

“I’m coming home.” Zuko said softly.

“No, Zuko, you have things to do.” Katara said.

“I’ve already approved the ambassador, the ministers can handle the next part.” Zuko said dismissively.

“You can’t keep running from the palace. It’s pissing a lot of people off.” Katara said, sniffing and rubbing her weeping eyes with the heel of her hand.

“So what? What are they gonna do, depose me? None of these governors want to go up against me, my father is rattling around in a prison, Azula is quite happy in rehab, and Iroh is convalescent. Unless they want to go on a search for Ursa on their own, they’ve got no one to replace me.” Zuko scoffed. “Plus, Thuy likes me.”

“Having the Avatar in your pocket sure is handy.” Katara murmured.

“Thuy?” Lu Ten chirped, tottling back with his arms full of Izumi’s dolls. He held out one hand, dropping most of the dolls, and reached for the phone.

“Thuy?” He repeated and Katara laughed.

“It’s daddy.” She said.

“Daddy!” Lu Ten said excitedly, dropping all the dolls, and starting to bounce again.

“May I talk to my beloved youngest child?” Zuko asked. Katara laughed again and handed the phone over. Lu Ten took it with both hands, pressing it to the side of his face. A couple of the buttons beeped.

“Daddy coming home?” Lu Ten asked. Pushing herself back to lean against Izumi’s bed, Katara watched as Lu Ten babbled into the phone.

She wasn’t looking forward to their time apart.

With the call done, Katara gave Lu Ten a bath and put him to bed. Assigning a guard to act as a baby monitor, she then went in search of Izumi.

The residential wing of the palace was small compared to the rooms she kept in the North Pole and in the Fire Nation, but it was still much bigger than what she had grown up with. Being back in Republic City, Katara almost wondered if she was expecting her old college dorm. She hadn’t even returned to the campus, though they were certainly bothering her about it, but her mind kept returning to the uniform, beige buildings, relics of the war.

This palace was made with snow white marble, iron colored lumber from the Fire Nation, and miles of Omashu crystal to remind her of ice. The rooms were a mix of styles, some with low furniture and some with the more modern style of ornate desks and heavy pieces meant to be dusted, not moved.

Going through the rooms on the main floor, Katara found them all empty.

Not wanting to try the other bedrooms, she descended into the basement. This was the space Sokka had designed, and sure enough, it was where everyone important was hiding.

Sokka had built a pillow fort in the theater, a trail of popcorn leading to the draped blankets. An animated movie Katara vaguely remembered played on the large screen and she could hear both Izumi and Kya giggling. Deciding to leave them to it, Katara retreated.

With Zuko’s flight still hours away, Katara puttered around. She made more tea, put on a hoodie, and meandered out to the main courtyard to look at the stars. The sky was different here than the North Pole, and neither was at all like the sky in the South Pole.

Pulling her legs up higher on the lounge chair, Katara reached underneath for a folded blanket. She often spent nights out here and the staff was good about leaving cushions and blankets about for her. Folding herself over the arm was difficult with her tea in her other hand and Katara strained to reach.

“Let me.” A man’s voice said and the mug left her grip.

“Thanks.” She muttered, leaning further over and finally grabbing the blanket. As her hand folded over the fabric, the voice registered, and Katara looked down while she spread the blanket over her legs.

“Here you go.” Bato said, handing back her mug. Katara took it, holding it in her lap with both hands wrapped around it.

“Did you come to scold me?” Katara asked.

“You’re a grown woman.” Bato said with a grunt, sitting down in the grass beside her. “I want to make sure you still know your stars.”

Tilting her head back, Katara gazed at the stars.

“I’d rather you scold me.” She groaned.

“Really?”

“No.”

“I’ve already yelled at Hakoda.”

Katara rolled her head to the side to look at Bato, but he was still looking up at the sky himself.

“At dad?” She asked.

“You weren’t totally wrong Katara. He wasn’t around, even if he hated being away from you and Sokka, it doesn’t change the truth. Trying to pretend that he was still a dad is his way of telling you that he didn’t want to leave in the first place.” Bato explained. “But it doesn’t fix anything.”

“But I shouldn’t have said what I said.” Katara admitted.

“Sure, but where do you think you got your temper? It wasn’t your mother.” Bato scoffed.

“I never asked you about her.” Katara said softly, rolling onto her side to look at him better.

“Sokka did, but I wasn’t sure you would.” He replied.

“Will you tell me?” Katara asked.

“Of course.”

Banging rattled the thin door frame and Bato jolted upright, still tangled in his blankets and furs. As the banging continued, he clawed his way to freedom and shoved his arms back into the longjohns he was wearing. Moving from his bedroom in the back, he paused for a moment to put his feet into his unlaced boots before heading to the front door.

He yanked the shuttering door open, swearing in the bright summer sun.

“May you and your namesakes drown for a thousand cycles.” Bato growled.

“Oh come on Bato, too much sleep is bad for your health!” Hakoda said briskly.

“Did Kanna kick you out again?” Bato asked. He moved sleepily back to his bedroom, letting Hakoda close the door and follow. Kicking off his shoes, Bato began picking through the pile next to his bed while Hakoda leaned in the open door frame.

“She was up late for a birth.” Hakoda said, avoiding the truth. Bato found his pants, pulled them on, and then searched for his parka. When he found it, he shook it out sharply.

“Is Kya up yet?” Bato inquired, pulling the parka over his head.

“That’s why I’m getting you. You know her father hates me.” Hakoda said.

Bato straightened his parka and avoided his friend’s gaze.

He couldn’t put into words what his life was like at the time. His parents had died last winter when there was another outbreak of tuberculosis. There were relatives he could have stayed with, or even gone to live with Hakoda and Kanna. Instead he chose to stay in his family’s house. They weren’t adults yet, but life on the ice and a blockade cutting them off from the rest of the world, it wasn’t like there was enough room for a childhood.

Hakoda was trying, and so was Kya. They had grown up together; all of the children in the village had grown up together, but it was different for the three of them. Bato had known they all loved each other, but two summers ago, he found out that Hakoda loved Kya differently, and it made him feel strange.

But it was difficult not to love Kya, in one form or another.

Bato punished Hakoda by forcing him to wait as he got ready. Bato dressed properly, shaved, and put together a meager breakfast. Ever the spoiled one, Hakoda bemoaned the bland food, which got Bato in for whatever Kanna had bubbling away on her stove that day.

Being back at Kanna’s wasted another hour and finally, finally, they were out on their own.

Bato was sent to get Kya and he grinned weakly under her father’s glare. Whatever he had against Hakoda, Bato was sure it was both misunderstood and completely deserved.

“Ah Bato, I wish we were children again.” Kya said, hanging off of his shoulder. “I miss penguin sledding.”

“You know, I think there’s an old canoe out back of my house. My dad and I were supposed to mend it this summer.” Bato said.

“We can’t go fishing in a broken canoe.” Hakoda stated.

“But we might be able to go sledding.” Bato countered.

The sledding worked, but somehow Hakoda decided that what they really ought to do was hitch a polar bear dog to the sled and really get going. Figuring they wouldn’t even get close to a den, Bato agreed.

This resulted in them running full-tilt through the snow away from a pack of polar bear pups with their milk teeth still in.

Wanting to hide their injuries, Hakoda then decided it would be a good idea to sift through Kanna’s unguents while she was sleeping.

That turned into Hakoda and Bato being temporarily blinded and Kya laughing so hard she fell into a slush pit at the coast line.

From there, they all piled into Bato’s bathroom, sectioning off the shower stall for Kya while he and Hakoda squeezed into the tub.

The room was covered in clean, but cracked, white tile squares. Steam filled the space, making their vision foggy even after clearing away the odd unguents.

This was the pair he had done his ice dodging with. All of their parents had been alive and watched proudly as they completed the ritual. Hakoda was the brave, Kya was the wise, and he was the trusted. It felt like their fate had been sealed then, and Bato relaxed into the grip of it. When Hakoda’s father died in a fishing accident, he went right back into the sea to make sure he was taking care of his mother. Kya always knew how to draw Bato out when he was pulling away. It was how they would always be.

“What do you think will happen in the future?” Bato asked, watching the steam curl within itself.

“How far are we talking?” Hakoda asked in reply.

“Ten years.” Bato answered.

“Hopefully this war will be over.” Kya remarked. The sound of the water hitting her skin sounded different than the tile. It was a sound Bato hadn’t heard in his house for many months.

“I hope to have children.” Hakoda said.

“Oh?” Kya intoned, turning off the faucets. She stayed behind her curtain, and Bato heard the splash of water as she wrung out her hair.

Hakoda looked away and Bato chuckled.

“What if the war is still going on?” Bato asked.

“Well, we’ll have to fight in it I suppose.” Kya said dreamily.

“How do you figure?” Hakoda asked sharply, sitting up so quickly the water sloshed over the side.

“If you want to have children, you’re okay raising them in a world like this? Where we can’t even trade up north anymore for fresh food?” Kya asked. “No one’s buying our fish, the Waterbenders have already gone off to fight and none of them have come back, and we don’t even have a local hospital.”

“But there’s so much to lose if we enlist. There’s no guarantee it’ll turn out in our favor.” Hakoda said.

“And here I thought you earned the mark of the brave.” Kya chided.

“So are you not having children until the war is done?” Bato asked.

“I think if I married the right man, I’d have to win a war for my children.” She answered.

Hakoda, sinking back into the tub, sighed happily with a smile.

Katara looked at the cold remains of her tea as Bato’s words swirled in her head. She didn’t see any of her mother in Malina, and she couldn’t work out if that made her happy or not. Perhaps Malina was the type of woman Kya would have picked out for Hakoda herself, someone to comfort him, not challenge him.

“Losing Kya is different for your father and me. We all got separated, so I keep thinking Kya’s just waiting in an Earth Kingdom city somewhere, waiting for us to find her.” Bato added.

“I know where she is.” Katara murmured.

“I know. And it kills me that you do.” Bato said. “Your mother didn’t deserve any of this. She deserved to see her children grow up and to meet her grandchildren. She shouldn’t have a namesake yet.”

“So what about dad?” Katara asked.

“Hakoda deserves peace. If you hadn’t gone through what you did, I would say he deserves to reunite with his children and live comfortably to grow old and fat. But you also deserve a father not blunted by years of imprisonment.” Bato shook his head, now looking at the ground. “You both deserve better but there is no substitution.”

Briefly, Katara thought about Noriko, but banished the seed before it could plant itself in her mind.

“What do I do then?” She questioned.

“My advice? Start over. Your father is a good man, and he loves you very much. We went away because we really thought we were going to protect you, to save you. He never wants to be far from you.” Bato said.

“Then why does he only ever stay with Malina? He was barely in the South Pole until I ordered him to go back.” Katara said sharply, her anger returning faster than she expected.

“You were supposed to be in the North Pole more than you were, remember? But someone decided they were better off traveling with the Avatar, or hiding out in the Fire Nation. Places your father couldn’t easily get to.” Bato said. “And how often did you want to see Malina when you were home?”

“Mmmm.” Katara grumbled, assenting to his point.

“Zuko is coming, correct?” Bato asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be glad to see him again. I haven’t had the chance to really talk to him.” Bato stood and stretched his back. Katara could hear the succession of pops from his joints.

“I think you’ll like him.” Katara said.

“Really? The son of the man who slaughtered my people? Who kept medicine from our village and killed my parents? You think I’ll like the Fire Lord, hmm?” Bato asked casually. Katara sat up, alarmed, and tried to see Bato’s face in the dark.

“Most of all, Katara, I think you need to understand just how much Hakoda is willing to deal with because of how much he loves you.” Bato said. “I hear that your husband is a good man, and I trust that you wouldn’t marry an evil person. But we have suffered differently, you and I. And I don’t have love to help me forgive as easily.”

Without another word, Bato turned and walked back to the palace, leaving Katara alone in the dark. Revenge was not sought in their tribe. Harming another person meant weakening the community. But there was still the matter of justice. Bato would not hold Zuko accountable for the sins of his father, but politics changed things. Katara understood that, and she understood Bato knew the difference as well. His hostility toward the Fire Lord was not the neutral friendliness he used to talk about her husband.

Hakoda had only ever fought with her about politics when he learned of her relationship with Zuko.

Heading back inside herself, Katara went straight to her private rooms. She showered and took extra care with her routine, wasting more of her time before Zuko arrived. Brushing out her hair, Katara’s shoulders sank seeing the wide swaths of black in her normal brown. The past two years had been exhausting beyond a physical way and had tapped into her spiritual reserves. So much had changed, but there was still that feeling of loss over what had been left behind or broken.

Very similar to how she felt at the end of the war.

While smoothing lotion into her arms and legs, Katara took a moment to examine the scars. She remembered Zuko’s fingers tracing them years ago, his pale skin somehow paler than the raised lines on her body.

Standing in the mirror, Katara saw the other scars that sank into her body. The stretch marks that rippled over her stomach and down her thighs. Ebony threads were like embroidery over her dark skin making no pattern but beautiful still.

Pulling on a robe, Katara tied the belt and walked silently to the bed. Purple sheets, made of silk to protect her hair and cool to the touch. There were places in the midlands of the Earth Empire that considered purple dye to belong to the royals. Apparently King Bumi was fond of it, mixing it with the typical green attire of Earth Kingdom citizens.

Katara just loved the blend of red and blue.

Sliding into bed, she shivered as her damp and lotioned legs brushed against the sheets. Tucking herself in, Katara shuddered deeply once and then relaxed. She thought for a moment that she was jealous, but not about Sokka or Kya specifically. Katara had hated everything she and Zuko had to go through in order to even have this place. She hated the schedule and the weeks away from her children and husband, or missing just Zuko.

If the world hadn’t been placed in peril yet again, they may never have won this small victory in the first place.

So in a way, Katara was bitter that she hadn’t earned any sort of simple ending. Her father, Sokka, even Thuy were uncomplicated by their relationships. Either no one was high enough or, as it was for Thuy, the Avatar was someone who could simply do whatever they wished.

A life where she graduated from medical school, became a doctor, and lived with her little family back in the South Pole would never happen. Instead, she had to worry about her daughter’s inheritance, take on her niece as her heir, and run three different nations while also sitting as the lady of another ruler.

And Thuy. Of course, she always had a duty to her Avatar.

Picking up her phone, Katara scrolled through the messages to see if there was any update from Zuko. The flight app showed his plane still in the air, but near enough to Republic City. With almost a decade of ruling as a monarch, her social media was limited, but it was still nice to see what her friends were up to.

Jinora’s daughter Bumi was in elementary school and had bonded with her Sky Bison. Ikki had adopted another flying lemur, bringing her total up to four. Meelo, while not specifically posting about it, was still living near the rehab center where Azula was staying. He was actually incredibly helpful, despite the strange stories Rohan had told her. Meelo seemed to care a lot about Azula and brought his trained, monastic calmness with him when he visited her.

Rohan was on radio silence, again, as they were doing something mysterious out at the Eastern Air Temple.

Thuy’s new account for “the family” was called The Dream Tweem, tweaking the pronunciation of Thuy’s name for the pun. It made Katara snort every time she saw it.

The Dream Tweem was heading to a remote village tucked somewhere in the Xishaan mountains. Jae-hwan, despite his numerous trips with Thuy, was still not a fan of the cold and there were plenty of pictures of him dealing with snow.

Just as Katara was flicking through the album, she got a video call.

“Good evening Auntie!” Thuy said cheerfully.

“Is that Lady Katara?” Suzu’s voice came from behind Thuy and Katara watched her push her shoulder back.

“The kids are in bed!” Thuy said sharply.

“You’re lying!” Suzu retorted and shoved Thuy’s face aside. Katara laughed as she watched the excitement drain from Sula’s face.

“Hello Fire Lady.” Suzu said sadly.

“I’m sorry Suzu, had I known Thuy was going to call, I’d have collected the children.”

“It’s fine.” Suzu replied, dragging the last word out on a sigh while she slunk of view.

“Have you met the ambassador yet?” Thuy asked, her face returning to the screen.

“He comes in tomorrow.” Katara said, shaking her head.

“Oh, Zuko got his then right?”

“Blazes, how can you just call him that?” Zula asked.

“Because my parents weren’t crazy Fire Nation royalists?” Thuy asked, annoyed and confused.

“Are you talking to Auntie?” Jae-hwan came from over Thuy, pushing down on her head.

“Auntie, it’s cold!” He whined.

“I’m not you’re Auntie.” Katara said. “And your mother would lose her mind if she heard you whine like that.”

“Don’t tell mom.” Jae-hwan said quickly.

“I have Toph on speed dial.” Katara warned.

Thuy shoved Jae-hwan off her and sat up, looking at him offscreen.

“You know, sifu says you can’t be cold if you’re practicing.” She said and then laughed as Jae-hwan made an unseen gesture.

“Am I going to hear from Aktuk or Tashi?” Katara asked.

“They’ve gone on ahead to scout since they can handle the cold better.” Thuy said.

“Excuse me?” Zula interjected and Thuy rolled her eyes.

“My apologies madam inner fire.” She said sarcastically.

“Did you call for a reason Thuy?” Katara asked.

“Oh, right. I was wondering if you’ve done any more research on the energybending thing. Tashi and I were talking about it, after that spirit debacle, but we don’t know if we should try again.” Thuy said.

Katara was silent for a moment and Thuy was also still, looking perfectly innocent.

“Where in the mountains are you going Thuy?” She asked.

“A village.”

“What village?”

“A…. mountainous one?”

“Thuy, are you looking for the guardians?”

“Okay so, remember, you can’t really tell me what to do anymore now that I’m a fully awakened Avatar!”

“Thuy! We were all going to go once Iroh recovered!”

“I am so close Auntie! Tashi and I feel really good about this one.” Thuy began but stopped as Katara sat up.

“We don’t know anything about the lion turtles. It could be dangerous!” Katara said.

“Mister Whiskers isn’t even freaking out a little.” Thuy said, trying to calm her down.

“That’s probably because she’s brumating, let’s be real.” Jae-hwan muttered.

“Oh, big word from the street urchin.” Suzu said with what passed for friendly mocking between them.

“I am a Beifong you horrendous little bit-” Jae-hwan’s voice was cut off as Thuy stepped away.

“Are any of you taking this seriously?” Katara asked.

“Auntie, we just came off a world saving mission. We know the stakes. I don’t think anyone else expects to find anything, so they’re doing, whatever. But Tashi and I can feel something out here.” Thuy said.

“Well, don’t poke around there for too long. We’ll go to Ember Island this summer. You and I already know something is out there and we can go as a family.” Katara urged gently.

Thuy smiled and nodded.

“You know, my parents are getting kind of jealous.” She said.

Katara’s breath slowed from the coincidence.

“Oh?” She asked.

“It’s not a big deal, considering how we view family in the Swamp. But it is weird for them to have me be so distant.” Thuy said.

“Comes with being the Avatar I suppose.” Katara agreed.

“We all have things to deal with. Good thing they had other kids.” Thuy said jokingly.

Remembering what Bato said about substitutions, Katara stayed quiet.

“We won’t stay long. I promise.” Thuy said, taking her silence as a reproach.

“Be safe.” Katara said.

“We will Auntie. I love you.” Thuy said.

“I love you. Give the others my love as well.” Katara said.

“Of course Auntie. Good night!” Thuy said.

Before she ended the call, Katara could hear the chorus of other voices wishing her goodnight.

Laying back, Katara held her phone to her chest.

Thuy called her Auntie, but she had become more like a little sister. Thuy had picked her from the very beginning and nothing over the years could change her mind. From every bad mood to times of no communication, Thuy never wavered in her loyalty to Katara.

Her family was such a complex thing.

Katara found a video channel about an unseen man who made knives from all sorts of materials. Hours in, and in the middle of a video about making a knife from smoke, her bedroom door opened slowly.

“Katara?” Zuko called out softly.

Half-asleep, Katara roused and sat up. Her body was warmer now and her robe slipped off one shoulder from her movement. Zuko paused as he stepped in, light burning in his palm.

“Well.” He said with enough interest that Katara felt her pulse quicken. She laughed and straightened out her robe.

“Oh don’t go through the trouble on my account.” Zuko said, walking to the bed.

“Did you just get in?” Katara asked.

Zuko extinguished his flame as he put a knee on the bed, propelling himself into her arms.

“Yes. I went to check on the children first.” He said, his voice muffled as he pressed his face into the dip of her shoulder.

“Are they asleep?” She asked. She felt him begin to untie the belt and she chuckled.

“They were when I left.” Zuko said, sitting back now to properly attend the knot.

“I thought we were going to have a big talk.” Katara said as Zuko loosened the knot and undid the belt. He slid his hands through the small gap of the robe and around to her waist.

“You distracted me.” He said.

“By sitting here?” Katara asked and giggled as Zuko pulled her closer.

“Exactly. You know how beautiful you are, how dare you be visible when we have serious things to discuss?”

“You’re impossible.” There was laughter in her voice and Katara knew Zuko was smiling in the dark.

“I’m not sitting here flaunting such allure as if it weren’t enough to declare war.”

“War, sir?”

“War, my lady, and while I shall put up an earnest fight,” Zuko moved her, laying her back down as he straddled her and began unbuttoning his shirt. “I do believe you will best me yet again.”

“Oh but darling,” Katara said demurely, her fingers plucking at his belt buckle. “You may certainly try.”

And while she wished for light to see him, there had been enough years between them that she knew his body by heart.

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#zutara #fanfiction #jax writes #modern au #the fic that prompts built #i wrote 24 pages and none of it works for the prompt

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yxlenas · 4 years

Note

zutara prompt: Zuko takes a shot of lightning a 2nd time to save katara's life

Please try and spot the exact moment where Zuko really has his priorities RE basically dying straight.

Assassin AU! Post canon.

“Don’t you dare do this to me,” Katara snarls, “Don’t you fucking dare do this to me, Zuko.”

It’s only her fury and her bending keeping him alive right now, her hand contracting rhythmically over his chest as he gasps for breath in time with the push of his blood through his heart. Her fury is what’s keeping her from sobbing as well, the frozen corpse of their target crumpled on the dirty floor of the barn.

Zuko gasps out of time with her bending and Katara feels her heart stutter in time with his. The second his heart can beat and his lungs can work without her help he starts to scream in pain, writhing on the filthy floor as Katara holds him as still as possible.

They hadn’t expected their target to bend lightning, and it had taken them by surprise. The bolt had struck Zuko in the shoulder and torn through him with a horrible crackling sound. He hadn’t even had time to cry out before he’d dropped and gone limp. Katara felt it in her own chest.

She’d frozen the blood in their target’s body without a second thought, not even considering how she could bloodbend right now under a waning crescent moon, and fallen at Zuko’s side. The burn on his shoulder is oozing blood and clear fluids, and the edges are charred. Lichtenberg figures are already forming on the red skin around the burn. Katara is too preoccupied with how weak and erratic his heart is to treat the burn right now. In her arms, Zuko seizes. It’s more aggressive than his usual seizures, the small ones that remind her of the damage from the first time he took lightning. Bloody foam oozes from his bitten lips and Katara gets him on his side and forces his airways open with her fingers, clearing the back of his throat with a swipe of her index finger. Toph bursts through the earthen floor of the barn they’re in and the second she feels Zuko’s heartbeat she screams.

“Katara, it’s a heart attack, he’s having-”

“Shut up,” she snarls, as she feels the uneven pulse of Zuko’s heart get worse beneath her hands. Katara takes his blood and pulls, and Toph sobs as Zuko screams again. He vomits with the pain as Katara forces his heart to beat evenly.

“Send the signal,” she orders Toph, “and do it fast.”

By the time Sokka and Suki pull their unassuming cart around from the road to the barn, Katara has Zuko’s heart beating as well as it can and she’s trying to soothe the tissue damage tearing through his shoulder and chest. His head rests in Toph’s lap as she strokes through his hair, still sobbing. The burn is bad, third degree in places. Katara can feel the hysteria building. He’ll have another scar, likely more neurological damage. She wonders if this is what will completely take him out and away from her.

Sokka lifts him silently into the back of the cart and Katara wraps him in a blanket in an attempt to stave off worsening shock. Zuko drifts in and out of consciousness, shaking with residual electricity. Katara shakes him awake.

“Hey,” she murmurs, “You need to drink.”

Zuko can barely swallow, and his left arm won’t move. Katara knows it’ll fade as he recovers but it’s terrifying seeing him half paralyzed and so weak.

His ribs and shoulder joint are fractured, and the upper bone in his arm is covered in hairline cracks. His collarbone needs to be reset. They can’t do this until they reach the ship. Katara holds him tight and brushes his hair back from his sweaty face.

It takes them 14 excruciating hours to make it back to the ship. Her father looks at Zuko with horror in his face as he lifts his son in law from the back of the cart. Toph crashes into Bato with a sob of exhaustion and terror. Katara follows her father down into the ship and then sends him to get water and herbs. Zuko has been seizing periodically and Katara reaches for the heavy stuff they give him when they cannot be controlled, forcing some down his throat. Zuko moans and gags but the tincture stays down.

It takes two days for him to gain any sort of lucidity, two days of agonizingly difficult work on his damaged body. There are things that will never be the same. His heart is healing nicely, but his lungs are weak and filled with fluid, and his burn is infected and weeping fluid. It’s all Katara can do to keep him hydrated. His left extremities still won’t move. When his eyes open, he moans at the light and slams them closed again.

His first words to her are “Make it stop.”

“Make what stop, love?” she asks quietly, massaging his temples with cool water. It glows blue around her palms and seems to help with whatever he needs her to stop, because his golden irises are visible again shortly. Katara helps him to sitting. His head flops back and his breathing gets weak, heart stuttering in his chest. It may be healing, but it’s still weak.

“Hurts,” he groans, words slurring off his tongue. His left foot twitches. She checks the splinting around his shoulder and collarbone.

“What happened,” he rasps after a few sips of water and a few spoonfuls of broth he insists on feeding to himself. The slight exertion of that and a trip to the toilets has made him a sweating, limp heap of firebender, propped against pillows and curled in her lap. His legs are tangled in the sheets and her loose pants, head on her collarbone.

“Is he dead,” he mumbles, when Katara hesitates, “Did we get paid?”

“Yes and yes,” Katara murmurs, caressing his cheek and holding a cup to his mouth, “but he could bend lightning.”

“Oh,” Zuko grimaces. His face twists with nausea and Katara bends the bile and water he brings up into a basin. Zuko spits and pants, sagging against her. She tries to ease some of his discomfort with cool water over his sick stomach and throbbing head.

“He-” Katara stops and presses their lips together with a gasp, tasting her own tears. Zuko’s trembling fingers tangle in the end of her ponytail.

“You thought he was aiming for me. Took it right in the shoulder to keep it from hitting me.”

“That why it feels like I got trampled by a komodo rhino?” Zuko mumbles into her chest.

“Yeah,” Katara snorts, “Probably.”

“I’m okay,” he whispers, “Really, Katara.”

“Yeah you’re gonna be out of commission for months, dumbass,” she tells him, getting him to swallow some more water down. Zuko grimaces and lets out a wet cough.

“Naw,” he slurs.

“Yes,” she grumbles, “You’ve got pneumonia, and your heart got damaged again. It’s healing well but very slowly. You are done for a while.”

Zuko wraps his right arm around her, his left shaking and moving just a few inches. Katara kisses his sweat soaked long hair.

“I want a shower,” he groans into her chest.

“We’ll be on Kyoshi soon,” she murmurs to him, looping his silky strands around her fingers.

“Wanna do it together?” he snickers, “I’m sure I owe you for saving my life again.”

“Maybe when you can stand,” Katara teases, “and stop throwing yourself into danger, you idiot.”

“I do it out of love,” Zuko yawns, his eyes falling shut.

“I am a master waterbender fully capable of taking care of myself,” she reminds him with no real bite in her voice.

“You could kick my ass,” he slurs, tongue thick in his mouth with pain and sleep, “but it scares me to see you hurt.”

“I know,” she whispers, “get some rest, Zuko.”

“Stay,” he whispers.

“Always and forever.”

#Zutara #Cecilia writes #prompt #Zuko #Katara #Sokka #Suki #Toph Beifong #sukka #whump #Hakoda #Bato

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carnistcervine · 4 years

Text

Haunting AU

Hey everyone, it’s ya gurl Carnist with another AU that she came up with instead of sleeping.

*The Avatar is an ancient spirit amalgamate that is reborn into a new mortal body every time it's current one dies.

*However, since the attack on the Air Temples 100 years ago, no one has encountered any trace of the legendary being.

*It is with this knowledge that Ozai banishes his gravely injured son, sending him on a quest to find the Avatar.

*So, a freshly burned Zuko is send off with his uncle and a motley crew with a half-trained medic.

*At first Zuko's fever fueled nightmares are centered purely around the agni kai and his father burning his face away.

*However, it's not too long before the dreams evolve. The dark figure that looms over Zuko changes in shape, instead of burning him, it gently cups his chin.

*The figure is not Ozai, no, it looks barely anything like his father, it's hair is much too white, and the beard is too large.

*It is gentle with him, but he finds himself afraid anyway. Zuko eventually finds the strength to push away from the figure and run, but he finds that he's surrounded by familiar, yet unfamiliar figures.

*They loom around him, closing in on him, chanting his name.

*Thankfully when he wakes up, he's safely by his Uncle's side.

*By what is considered a miracle of Agni himself, Zuko recovers from his injury. The only reminder being the scar that now mars his face.

*Once he's well enough to stand, he demands to search the air temples.

*Iroh tries to get him to rest, as the old man knows Zuko will never find the Avatar, and needs this boy to take this time to rest and recover. But Zuko is too stubborn to listen. So Iroh assists the boy in getting around until he's well enough to walk on his own again.

*There is a heaviness in the temples that Zuko cannot ignore.

*He tries to anyway, leaving as soon as he's able to see the Avatar isn't around.

*He pushes himself to get back to firebending as soon as possible.

*Much to his dismay, he's developed pyrophobia. His terror over his own element drives him up a wall. Iroh is patient with him, but Zuko can't stand his lack of progress and nearly re-traumatizes himself trying to force himself to get over it.

*The Iron Slug roams from place to place as Zuko runs his crew(and himself) ragged tracking down every hint of the Avatar.

*He pours over any information on the Avatar or Air Nomads to find any info he use to locate the Avatar.

*He's absolutely obsessed determined.

*It's been three years, his crew have grown resentful of him, and his Uncle just keeps trying his best in the hopes that he can help his nephew.

*One fateful day, he spies a strange light while sailing through the south.

*"It must be the Avatar." He tells himself.

*His Uncle however, believes it to be nothing more than the southern lights and encourages him to get some rest, maybe drink some calming tea.

*Zuko persists and tracks the lights down to a small Water Tribe village.

*The village is nothing more than women and young children.

*Well, there are two slightly notable exceptions, a teenage boy and girl who hold the most vicious, venomous gaze towards Zuko.

*He simply brushes them off as he talks to the village's leader.

*The woman holds a firm glare at him, telling him that his people have already taken the last of the waterbenders, that their village has /nothing/ left.

*Zuko remarks that he's not interested in waterbenders, or warriors, or anything of the like. He's looking for the Avatar or information on the Avatar.

*The woman makes an odd expression, and tells him that the Avatar has been gone for a hundred years.

*Zuko knows that the woman is hiding something and threatens her at flamepoint, when suddenly his target comes out of hiding.

*A small boy, eyes burning with the purest light comes in from seemingly out of nowhere.

*The Avatar offers himself up if Zuko leaves the village alone.

*Zuko accepts these terms.

*He doesn't see the strange, pitying looks the villagers give him as he leaves.

*Zuko tells his men to lock up the Avatar, and they just look at each other, only opting to move when he yells at them to quit dawdling.

*Uncle looks very concerned and asks Zuko if he's feeling alright, Zuko says that his journey is finally over and he can finally go home, he's never been better.

*Iroh looks even more concerned at this, but Zuko brushes him off to go to his room.

*He's not surprised when he finds the Avatar sitting on his bed, head tilted like a curious puppy.

*Zuko's not really surprised that the Avatar has essentially been allowed to roam loose on his ship, his crew are a bunch of useless good-for-nothings and he has to do /everything/.

*The Avatar doesn't even so much as flinch as he approaches him, but the second he's on the stupid arrow head, he's all the way across the room.

*Like he teleported or something.

*Zuko pinches his nose. He should have known that catching and containing a spirit would be hard.

*The Avatar offers a friendly smile and calls himself Aang, he extends an offer of friendship to Zuko, but Zuko turns the spirit down.

*Aang frowns, glumly saying that he won't play along with Zuko's game if he doesn't wanna be friends.

*Zuko angrily yells that none of this is a game, when two new voices catch his attention.

*It's the Water Tribe teens from before.

*They're pretty pissed at him, ranting at him about how terrible he and his country are.

*Zuko yells and argues back until he's as blue in the face as their clothes.

*Eventually, he just yells at them to fuck off, and just like that, they're gone.

-Now for the other side of things-

*Iroh's already tired when Zuko goes on an impassioned rant about the southern lights. Like sure, they're very beautiful, but they've been down this road before.

*The Avatar is GONE. If they go and check out the lights, they won't find anything.

*They end up coming upon a tiny village, a remnant of the once might SWT. Iroh can barely bring himself to look at the place, seeing what his country has done to these innocent people hurts him deeply. But he needs to keep an eye on Zuko and make sure he doesn't get himself hurt.

*Iroh notes that the only people in the village are grown women and small children, and no one else.

*Iroh and the crew are very surprised at how easily Zuko agrees to leave the village.

*That surprise turns to muted horror when Zuko tells his crew to take the Avatar below deck.

*They want to ask Zuko exactly who he's referring to, as no one was taken aboard the ship, but Zuko is quick to get angry and yells at his crew to get on it.

*Not looking to get yelled at some more by the clearly agitated Zuko, the crew disappear below deck. They opt to gossip in the engine room like they usually do when Zuko is behaving strangely.

*Iroh tries to ask his nephew if he's feeling alright. He worries that some of their food might have gone bad or that the boy had caught something.

*Before Iroh can press further, or check for fever, Zuko disappears below deck to go to his room. He specifically requests that no one disturb him.

*Iroh hopes that Zuko is going to finally lie down and get some rest. He clearly needs it.

*The crew have grown used to tuning out Zuko's yelling, so they don't bat an eye at the shouting match coming from his quarters.

-Basically, Zuko is being haunted/possessed. The Avatar is pretty much a person that's possessed by a spirit amalgamate. Zuko is the Avatar.

*Aang is one of Zuko's past lives that's reaching out to him.

*Katara and Sokka are ghosts from the SWT that came to torment Zuko because they’re mad about being dead.

*Aang gets Katara and Sokka to slowly mellow out and chill a bit, and be a bit nicer to Zuko.

*Aang also convinces Zuko to go to all sorts of places in an effort to get him to have fun.

*He convinces him to visit Kyoshi, where Zuko is assaulted by the ghosts of the Kyoshi Warriors.

*When he inevitably gets captured by the locals after getting beaten and tied up by ghosts, Iroh has to come in and rescue his nephew.

*In fact, quite a few scenarios end up like this, where Aang somehow convinces Zuko to do something or go somewhere and Zuko ends up knee deep in ghost shenanigans, meanwhile Iroh's blood pressure could kill a komodorhino.

*Zuko has always been a bit off, but lately his strange behavior has taken a frightening turn. As no one else can see the ghosts(except Iroh, on few occasions) the crew go from near mutinous to deeply worried over Zuko and his mental state.

*Once they learn the truth of his scar, they want to go and kill Ozai themselves.

*A few times the Iroh Slug will dock at a port and a mysterious entity will be spotted. At first it's assumed to be a glow-eyed jiang-shi, only to be later identified as the lost Avatar.

*During these times, Zuko is overtaken by the Avatar Spirit and takes on one of his past live's appearances. Usually Aang's. He'll move in an unnatural manor, like something that isn't used to controlling a human body, or some limp, corpse being.

*It's not until Iroh realizes that he hears other distinct voices coming from Zuko's room, with no evidence of anyone coming in or out, that his nephew is being haunted.

*Slowly but surely, Aang drags Zuko northward so that they can "teach Katara waterbending". *wink wonk*

*It's only after they end up at the North Pole, fighting off waterbenders that Zuko goes into the Avatar state in front of his crew and they realize that /he's/ the Avatar.

*But the NWT also know that Zuko is the Avatar and they're like: 👀 so Zuko's crew is gonna have hell keeping custody of him.

*Especially when the ghosts keep trying to drag him away too.

*Speaking of ghosts, Yue is fairly ghost-like in appearance, with her pale brown skin, supernatural blue eyes, and snow white hair, but very decidedly physical and alive.

*But she is haunted/possessed by the Tui, and can empathize with Zuko on the being harassed by ghosts or possessing spirits.

*I'm still deciding on whether Toph should be a ghost or someone pretending to be a ghost.

*On the one hand: Ghost!Toph who kicks just as much ass and causes even more trouble than normal Toph, and haunted the shit out of the underground earthbending ring before she decided that harassing Zuko would be more fun. On the other: Little blind girl who dresses up as a spooky spirit and beats everyone's ass teaming up with a ex-prince who's possessed by an evergrowing, all powerful spirit amalgamation and constantly haunted by a pair of Water Tribe ghosts.

*It does eventually get back to Hakoda that the spirits of his children are haunting the Avatar and he just: 👁👄👁

#ATLA #Avatar #Avatar AU #Zuko #Avatar Zuko #Haunting AU #i wrote this instead of sleeping #I probably left something out but my last braincell is melting #It comes out that Zuko is the Avatar #So Azula ends up being sent to capture the Avatar #I'm not sure what I want to do with Zhao #But I do think it would be funny to have the ghosts harass him every time he messes with Zuko #Like they become a bit protective of him #He's their target #Back off sideburns

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philosopherking1887 · 4 years

Text

Zutaraang Week Day 3: Avatar State

Also on AO3 (currently as “Untitled Avatar State Smut” because it’s late and I couldn’t think of anything). @zutaraangtastic

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It was another sultry day on Ember Island, where the Avatar’s family had joined the Fire Lord’s for a brief holiday at the royal family's beach house. The heat was verging on uncomfortable for Katara, who was used to the chill of the South Pole. She and Zuko were reclining in chaises longues under the shade of a canopy that had been set up for them—well, really for Mai, who couldn’t tolerate too much sun exposure. But she was currently walking slowly along the shore with Aang, both of them bent to point out pretty shells to little toddling Bumi and Izumi (almost three and one-and-a-half years old, respectively).

Katara and Zuko were sipping from stoneware cups of mango and watermelon juice that Katara kept refreshingly chilled. Zuko’s was spiked with shochu (or soju, as they called it in the eastern islands), and Katara’s would have been too if she weren’t four months pregnant.

“Um, Katara,” Zuko said suddenly after a long stretch of comfortable silence that had Katara almost dozing off in the heat. “Can I ask you something?”

He sounded a little nervous, which instantly piqued Katara’s curiosity, effectively banishing her drowsiness. “If you have to ask,” she said dryly, “the answer is probably ‘no.’”

“Oh. Okay,” said Zuko, then fell silent again.

Katara sighed. “Joking, Zuko. What did you want to ask?”

“Oh!” Zuko sounded even more flustered, and looked it, too, which started to arouse something other than Katara’s curiosity. “Um,” he started again, already blushing. “Has Aang ever gone into the Avatar State during… during sex?”

Katara rose her eyebrows and blinked a few times. “What would make him do that? Obviously we try to keep it interesting, but we’ve never done anything genuinely life-threatening… and while we both see the value in a little frustration, I wouldn’t want to piss him off that much, either.”

“But… he can also go into the Avatar State on purpose, right?”

“Yes… when he needs to consult with his past lives, or summon extraordinary power to deal with a threat.”

“So… he probably wouldn’t be willing to do it for, uh. Other purposes.” Zuko sounded oddly disappointed.

“Wait. You’re not asking if he has; you’re asking if he would. Because you want him to? Why?”

Katara was genuinely puzzled. She, Aang, and Zuko had been lovers long enough to explore all sorts of inappropriate uses for bending. Bloodbending had been the first and most obvious—at first just to immobilize, more securely than with rope, then as Katara’s skill and precision developed, to spur on arousal or delay release by pushing blood into or away from a specific part of her lovers’ bodies. Well, mostly just Zuko’s; while Aang was game to try almost anything at least once, he found Katara’s intimate control far less thrilling and more unnerving than Zuko did. He was more amenable to Zuko’s use of heat and tiny sparks of lightning to enliven the sensation of his touch, and was even willing to reciprocate and sometimes to do the same for Katara when Zuko was not there to do it himself. Their most recent experiment was with the very carefully controlled withdrawal of air to enhance the experience of orgasm—Zuko’s suggestion, as usual, to which Aang had reluctantly been persuaded… partly by Zuko’s pointing out that it was much easier to control, and less likely to leave suspicious marks, than the way the effect was usually achieved.

But Katara really wasn’t sure what the Avatar State could add—other than, perhaps, the experience of previous Avatars… which at this point in Aang’s life was probably less useful in this arena, where he had gained quite enough experience and expertise already, than in the high-stakes moral quandaries and delicate matters of international or human–spirit diplomacy that the Avatar sometimes found himself faced with.

Zuko didn’t look straight at Katara when he answered. “I just wondered if… I don’t know. If it might be better, more intense, either for him or for whoever he’s with. All that concentrated power, physical and spiritual, and the combined knowledge and experience of hundreds of past lives…”

Katara wasn’t completely convinced. “If you’re looking for sex tips from Kuruk or Kyoshi—or if you think Aang needs them—you could always ask him to meditate, talk to them, and report back. He doesn’t need to be in the Avatar State during the act.”

“No, it’s not… it’s not that I think he needs advice. It’s about whether the state itself would make a difference.”

“Hmm.” Something still struck Katara as… off about this question. “Why are you asking me first, rather than just asking Aang directly?”

Zuko shrugged one shoulder, still evading eye contact. “I was a little afraid he might be horrified, or offended.”

“I don’t think he’d be offended… though I think he might also be a little confused. You should really ask him, though, if you’re that curious.”

“All right. Thanks, Katara.” Zuko finally looked back up at her to flash a small smile.

Aang and Mai came back to join them under the shade of the canopy, the children running ahead as fast as their short and, in Izumi’s case, still a little unsteady legs could carry them. Bumi reached Katara first, holding out a big conch shell, crying, “Mommy, look! Daddy says you hear wind.” He held it up to her ear to demonstrate.

“Daddy says you can hear the wind in it? That’s funny, I always thought it was the sea that you could hear…”

Izumi reached Zuko a few seconds later and threw her arms around him, almost knocking the drink out of his hand; he hurriedly set it down on a low table beside him so that he could return the hug. “Is everything okay, Zooms?” he asked, looking surprised and a bit concerned. (‘Booms’ and ‘Zooms’ were matching nicknames concocted by Toph and Sokka, who were bad enough in isolation but incorrigible in combination, that despite Katara’s gradually fading annoyance had managed to stick.)

“Miss you, Daddy!” Izumi chirped, not sounding at all distressed.

“You missed me? But you’ve only been gone half an hour!”

“She doesn’t have much of a concept of time yet,” Mai said dryly from behind her daughter. “At least beyond ‘I want that now’ and ‘not bedtime.’”

“Bumi’s not much better,” said Katara. “Or maybe it’s just the concept of waiting that he has a problem with…”

“Drink?” Mai said pointedly to Zuko.

“The ‘I want that now’ conception of time may not change with age,” Zuko teased her, even as he poured a small measure of shochu into a cup and then filled it with juice from a pitcher in an insulated chest they had brought out with them. He passed it to Katara for a little extra chilling, and then she handed it up to Mai.

“It remains effective,” Mai drawled, raising her glass in a little mock-toast of thanks. She sat down in a chaise on Zuko’s other side. He poured cups of juice without the shochu for Aang and for the kids, and helped Izumi try to drink it without spilling it all over herself or him.

Later in the afternoon, they took the kids inside for a nap, with more than the usual amount of protest—vacation at Ember Island offered so many enticements to stay awake!—but much less than the usual amount of time before they were fast asleep.

“Zuko has a question for you,” Katara said quietly to Aang as they closed the door to Bumi’s bedroom.

“Oh?”

“He asked me first because he was worried about offending you.”

“I’m not that easily offended,” Aang protested (only mildly offended at the suggestion).

“It is… an unusual question. But I told him he really should ask you.”

“Well, now I’m intrigued…”

To be continued.

#zutaraangweek2020 #zutaraangweek #zutaraang fic #zutaraang fanfiction #zutaraang smut #avatar state #zutaraang #aang x katara x zuko #avatar state sex

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beautyiisterror · 4 years

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10 questions tag 📚

Rules: answer 10 questions and ask 10 new ones. Thanks so much @therefugeofbooks for tagging me in this, i’m so excited!!!!!

1. What's your favorite cold drink?

if we are talking about alcoholic drinks, caipirinhas are the utimate cocktail, do not @ me!!!!! all flavors, are just *chef’s kiss*, but like in general i love orange juice and ice tea.

2. What's the first thing you notice about a person?

i honestly don’t know??? i mean, if they are goodlooking and not a bad person??? those are literally my two criteria. i like people who are smart and have pretty smiles and kind eyes, just not to sound shallow (which i kinda am lol)

3. Do you have any pets? What would you name if you had one (more)?

I DO!!!!!!! i have two pets acctually, a cat and a dog and they are EVERYTHING TO ME!!!! their names are jake (the dog) and belo (the cat). if i had one more, i would like to have a black cat named luna, because i’m a sailor moon trash.

4. What was your favorite TV show growing up?

i don’t really remember, but i used to love all shows with girls doing stuff? like winx club and totally spies. i used to love those!!! i still kinda do actually.

5. What's your ideal vacation?

i love travelling with friends, and unfortunately, i don’t get to do as often. so i think my ideal vacation would be like travel to a really cool, unexpected place, with the biggest number of my friends that we can gather to such adventure.

6. Is there any book that you want to read but by any reason you keep avoiding it?

you mean like, 70% of my bookshelf/kindle library????? hahahaha honestly, i buy books faster then i can read them so is always a HUGE tbr pile all around my room, i’m a chaotic reader, and i take no pride in that. but usually the books i keep avoinding are the classics, and the bigger ones. specially because, from a little time now i’m trying to add diversity to the cultural stuff that i consume, and it doesn’t help that most of the books i have here are from dead cishet white dudes. but i will get around reading them, even if is just to complain about it.

7. What book do you hope will be turned into a movie or TV show one day?

one of the best books i’ve read this year was my sister, the serial killer by oyinkan braithwaite, honestly, this book has everything that i love in fiction: complex women, sibilings relationships, FAMILY DINAMICS TO DIE FOR, pretty women comiting murder, humor... honestly five out of five stars, and i would love to see a movie adaptation of it. i would also love a kyoshi duology adaptation, even if i’ve only read the first book yet, i just love avatar universe so much, and kyoshi is my favorite avatar (ALSO A BISSEXUAL WOMAN OF COLOR IS JUST EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) it would be awesome to see a show about her. bonus points if it is animation, but honestly, there are so many great asian actresses around, i would love anyways.

8. Are there any books that are really popular but you dislike?

i can’t really remember many of those, even if i’m really picky with my readings, i’m quite easy to please. but a recent reading that was ABSOLUTELLY FRUSTRATING because i really wanted to like the book, was hanya yanagihara’s a little life. once again, the book covered subjects that i usually fell really drawn to, such as coming of age, found family, FRIEND GROUPS THAT DON’T FALL APART AFTER ADULTHOOD, non white writer/main characters, lgbtqia+ characters. honestly, a nox’s favorites textbook premise. AND YET, I HATED IT SO MUCH!!!! all the unecessary pain that some of the characters go to, that at one point through my reading i just rolled my eyes when something terrible happened/was revealed about the past of one of the main characters. and the identity of the non white characters wasn’t really explored as they should? it honestly felt like just more excuses to make those characters go through MORE PAIN. it was honestly hard to finish it up. and the more frustrating thing is that so many people seem to think this is a great representative book, just doesn’t sit well with me. i also think is impotant to say that there are SO MANY POSSIBLE TRIGGERS IN THIS BOOK, AND I DIDN’T SEE ANYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS BEFORE I READ IT!!! so i’ll leave a list of the triggers i was abble to notice throught out my reading, in case anyone is thinking about give it a go:

content warnings for a little life by hanya yanagihara: self harm, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, disordered eating, physical abuse of a minor, domestic abuse, abuse of character with a disability, loss of a child, drug abuse/addiction, sexual assault/rape, pedophilia, ptsd, forced prostitution of a minor

9. When did you last visit a library?

wow it has been so long... i think it was sometime in march of this year, that i went to my college library to pick up some class readings that i had to do, and then QUARENTINE HAPPENED, and i still am with the books i picked up lol. thank god that they lifted up the tax for late books or else i would have to sell my soul to pay it hahahaha i really miss going to college...

10. Could you recommend me a book that you think is underrated?

THIS IS SUCH A HARD QUESTION!!!!!!!!!! as i’ve said, i’m trying to do more diverse readings, and in this time i have come in contact with celeste ng’s work, and it’s honestly SUCH GREAT STORIES!!! i also love some contemporary brazilian authors like vitor martins and lucas rocha (both were translated to english recently, and i really recomend that if you are a english speaker you check their work), i also loved laura pohl’s debute novel, the last 8, she is brazillian as well, but her work is published in the us so no excuse not to check out. also, if like me you are a big fan of avatar universe you totally should check the kyoshi’s novels by f.c yee!!!! i also been meaning to pick up the trilogy of the poppy war written by r.f kuang and children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi, simply because: WOMEN OF COLOR WRITTING FANTASY!!!!! but it’s not really a recomendation, as i have not read those books, but i am definetly doing it in a near future.

(another author that i can’t go without mention is olivia pilar, she is a black bissexual woman who writes love stories between black women, and some of her short stories are available in english as well, and honestly WHOLESOME CONTENT!!!!!)

— Here are my ten questions, i don’t really know who to tag, but if you see that, and want to answer it i would love to see your answers, so feel free to keep on the tag! i had a lot of fun answering it, and i hope you guys do to!!!

what is your top 5 literature characters, and why?

are you a tea, coffee or hot chocolate kind of person?

what is your favorite/chosen aesthetic?

if you were the final girl in a horror movie, which song would you like to play in the soundtrack when you got away?

who are your favorite relationships in fiction (of any kind)?

how do you feel about villans?

what is your favorite boyband?

do you prefer physical or digital books?

what is your favorite type of story?

what is your favorite season?

Looking forward to see your answers ✨

#the tales of nox #tag game #ten questions #random #i will not re-read this so i apologize for any mistake #but you will have to deal with this #broken english is sexy there is nothing i can do about it #i also talk alot and write like my life depends on it so... lol god luck reading this mess

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mxrcayong · 4 years

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avatar 01.14

masterlist.

previous | next

chapter fourteen: trust

“Trust me this once.”

Johnny’s words seemed to bounce around her mind like a broken pinball machine, the ball to enter the scoring zone. Her heart felt like it was pounding – falling deeper and deeper into the pit of her stomach. The sound of the door shutting behind him resounded in the room, echoing off each wall as they momentarily sat in silence. Despite being momentary, each second seemed to feel like an hour.

But they had no time to dwell on it. Sukiara ensured it, quickly returning back to the initial subject; the plan and their tasks. “We have to assume they will be heavily guarded or equipped to handle benders, or both.” She seemed unfazed as if she was listing their grocery shopping list, even though she was obviously picturing the dangerous task ahead of them.

Jisung furrowed his eyebrows, confused. “What can handle benders? Other than the cuffs, of course.” At the sound of his voice and the panic in Sukiara’s eyes, Tari’s heart dropped further than before. He’s risking his life…he’s only two years younger than me.

Sukiara pointed to Tari, designating her the task of explaining what she had told Sukiara when she had stayed in Bak Mei for a week. “Uhm…” Her eyes still lingered on the door, praying Johnny and Kilari will burst through the door and return to their seats or praying that by some twisted means of fate, someone would come in and exclaim it’s a prank. However, Sukiara snapped her fingers – semi-breaking her out of the trance. “Uhm… when Kilari and Doyoung were attacked in the…” She trailed off, her words getting lost as she continued to pray Johnny and Kilari returned.

“The initial attacks?” Yuta finished for her and Tari smiled at him gratefully. His hand went to her knee, his thumb stroking up and down comfortingly. Hearing his voice successfully broke her out of her hypnosis on the door. She noticed Sonan and Doyoung leaning in, intrigued about what Tari had to say. They didn’t hear anything about this before, even if they were there and they felt guilty to how they didn’t notice her struggle.

“I had a hard time healing them and it felt like the wounds were…” She scrambled through her mind for the right words, “fighting back or needed extra effort to actually heal.” Tari said, still somewhat despondent. Doyoung’s eyes went wide, before his eyes quickly jumped to where Tari had healed him.

Sonan stared at Tari in shock. How did she not notice? She tried to search back in her memories for that moment, but she was a bit drunk by then. The memory was faded with missing pieces. They had drank to forget the aftermath of the attacks, and never has she hated drinking more.

“It’s safe to assume they’ll be armed with similar materials or similar techniques.” Sukiara took over the room once more. “They might’ve been inspired by Ty Lee’s fighting style.”

At the mention of the familiar name, a flashback to a memory Tari has never personally experienced overtook her senses. This is the first time in a while that a memory from her past life succumbed her involuntarily, taking over her senses as if she was reliving the moment.

Suddenly she was in an emerald room, something she recognized not only from her memories but the textbooks on the old legendary nation of Ba Sing Se. It was dark, the emerald seeming to reflect the shadows around the room. Tari could smell the scent of tea from the throne to the perfume of the Kyoshi Warriors in front of her.

An undeniable rage grumbled in her stomach, but she wasn’t in her own body. She had no control about what she would do about this rage - Avatar Aang was in control, and always the best at suppressing his negative emotions.

She could recognize, using Aang’s hindsight, the three Kyoshi warriors as Ty Lee, Mei, and Azula. Despite the rage seeming to pump through their blood, Tari also felt pity for Azula and a sense of missing Ty Lee and Mei (probably a result of Aang’s later friendship with the two).

The pity for Azula was overwhelming now as she lived through the memory, unable to act. Azula was only fourteen and was taught to be a war machine. She was born in the same life as Zuko, and Zuko was neglected and mentally abused – even physically. In the back of Tari’s mind, another mental image of Azula being dragged away by the mental institution and jail reminded Tari of her fate.

Katara approached, starting to water bend from the small capsule of water she brought with her. But Ty Lee cartwheeled towards Katara and flipped over her. Almost in slow motion, she pressed a point on Katara’s neck – causing Katara to groan in pain before falling to her side and the same water she was bending pooling out of her body.

“A combination of pressure points and acrobatics…” Tari commented. “But do you think the materials have something to do it?”

Instead of responding directly to the question, Sukiara deflected. She let out a sigh that Tari swore was the most disappointed sigh she has heard from her in her life. “I know you don’t like fighting, but I think…” She emphasized the word Tari had used in her questions, “you have to train and be ready to fight.”

Tari’s heart dropped. How about the other benders? Can they get stuck in the crossfire?

Before Tari could object, Sukiara shouted out demands and instructions. “I will finalise the plan by tomorrow night. You have 4 days and 3 nights to prepare. Tari and everyone, please go get dressed in training attire. Yuta and Jisung, fire and earth are Tari’s least mastered elements. Please train her with it. Especially fire, so please start on that today. I will send down our bending moderator to discuss with you Tari’s progress.” She turned to the only non-bender left in the room. “Sonan, feel free to help me strategize or practice with our weapons expert.”

With that, Sukiara marched out of the room with no reaction – as if she was a robot. These were the times Tari remembers that Sukiara wasn’t her parent or her legal caretaker, but a guardian and a manager. Her priority is not her wellbeing, but her ability to do the Avatar’s purpose; to keep balance in the world.

Tari was still shell-shocked, but she had an idea she believed Sukiara must hear. Jumping to her feet, she ran to the door frame and leaned out. From hanging out the room, she watched Sukiara walking down the empty corridor..

“Can you contact Lin?” Tari shouted down the hall, her words echoing throughout the corridor.

Sukiara turned around briefly, giving her a thumbs up, and disappeared down the hallway.

As soon as she turned around to enter the room once more, Yuta, Jisung, and Doyoung were already heading out. “Let’s train.”

99% of Tari’s childhood and her adolescence was training or doing homeschooling. Homeschooling, however, was a mere 20% as she took accelerated courses of study. She practically finished K-12 by age 12. It helped that the whole entire history being taught in classes was in her memories – she has technically lived them before. She merely had to learn other basic skills, from math to grammar. Despite that, school was always second priority compared to bending training. Consequently, training was a hefty majority of her childhood.

With that in mind, Tari can flawlessly braid her hair out of the way blindfolded. She can navigate the training centers in the island and the temples she trained at (given they haven’t changed) in a complete blackout under a night sky.

It didn’t take long before she was in the training center, biting anxiously at her nails while waiting for her ‘trainers’ Jisung, Yuta, and Doyoung. She didn’t know where to start. Should she stretch? Most likely, but she can’t seem to concentrate. She can’t seem to stop wondering where Johnny and Kilari ran off to, what Sukiara plans, or if her friends will be safe tomorrow.

In all her life of training; of knowing the procedures, of knowing every single stretch that could possibly be known to man – this is the first time in year Tari is standing in the middle of the courtyard, uncertain of what to do. As much as she dreaded training, she just wanted it to happen already so she can stop imagining how it’ll go (which, by the way, in her head – hasn’t gone well).

Within minutes, she sees Yuta, Doyoung, and Jisung walk down the steps with her bending guide. Yes, she had Sukiara as her guardian – but she had Lia Kim as her bending guide. In that sense, Lia Kim has theoretically mastered all the elements – however she’s purely a Water Bender. Resultingly, Lia monitors Tari’s growth with bending – she keeps track of what she has obviously mastered and what she has to continue in mastering.

She has many good memories with Lia. Lia always managed to make training somewhat fun – turning training sessions into obstacle courses, games of hide and seek, challenges, and just general fun. She was the only one of her ‘three main mentors’ who turned things into games; Sukiara was always in charge of acting like a parental figure while Choi Youngjun always had to be strict due to the accelerated course of education she was required to take.

Despite the group of them gracing kind smiles on their faces, Tari was still anxiously predicting any way training could go wrong – from her burning someone to them giving up on her. Tari found that her leg started shaking without her control.

Doyoung took one glance at her and noticed this; noticed her widened eyes, her lips between her teeth, her feet anxiously tapping at the ground. He didn’t know all about her past, but he knew about her now – so well, that they can communicate purely through their eyes. That’s all he needed to know, he decided.

So, he did what he did when Tari seems panicked in public; distract her.

“Honestly, I’m glad you’re practically forced to be training with me.” Doyoung smiled. “Like, if you went to the gym, I’m about 10000% certain you’d choose anyone but me to be your trainer.”

Tari felt a weight off her shoulders at Doyoung’s teasing smirk. She stood to her feet and playfully pushed his shoulder, “Yeah, because obviously you’ll somehow end up making me do something dumb. May I remind you of the fork stabbing incident?”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!”

The sun had set, and everyone was exhausted.

Hours and hours of training only brought them to a point of giving up, but Tari refused. Jisung has distracted himself with Doyoung once more, the two playing around with a small game they created that Tari and Yuta cannot understand at all. All they know is that when Jisung manages to balance on the airball and knock Doyoung off his feet, Jisung screams in celebration while Doyoung falls to his knees – cursing any higher being out there. Vice versa can be said when Jisung is sprawled on the floor.

They saw their work as over. Doyoung, from the very beginning, just had to remind Tari of the offensive and defensive moves of Air Bending rather than the daily tasks. Jisung had a bit more on his plate, but Yuta reminded them of Sukiara’s suggestion to tackle her biggest weakness first; fire. It wasn’t a surprise when everyone agreed.

Tari and Yuta were still in the middle of the courtyard, repeating the last move Tari couldn’t seem to master. Yuta was impressed – she was quick learner. He was surprised she didn’t master it sooner, however, he noticed she was mostly good at theory. She can describe a move perfectly, but when she actually tries to do it? Something goes wrong.

He notices how she hesitates, how her foot moves out of place, how she loses concentration on the actual move as she focuses on how she could mess up.

Her head was hurting. I swear I’m doing this right. She checked everything more than a million times; her foot placement for the millionth time, the positioning of her fingers, the angle of her arms – but all she could let out was a measly fire ball while Yuta seemed to call upon the burning core of the world itself.

Yuta could sense the frustration boiling Tari’s blood and placed his hand on her back. He’s been demonstrating from a distance initially, as requested by Tari to ‘avoid getting hurt’. But he’s been in her position before – and he often feels much more relaxed with the touch of a fellow human being.

A bell chime ran through the island, alerting every one of dinner now ready in the canteen.

“Thank God!” Doyoung praised, “I’m starving!”

Jisung following behind, “I wonder what food they’re serving today.” He commented, as if to himself. “As long as it’s not fire nation food, I’m good.” Jisung’s face turned into a painful wince as if he just ate into the spicy dish again.

The two stopped in their positions, noticing Tari not following behind. Doyoung sighed, “Tari, you need to eat.” Tari refused to answer, Yuta still hovering over her as he tried to analyse her face. It was stern – focused on the fake target placed in front of her. “Tari-“

“I’ll eat later.” She said coldly, almost as if her words were ice.

Of course, it’s not mandatory to go to dinner at the time. Mealtimes at Bak Mei last for five hours, so often, people go when they please. But Tari even missed lunch.

“Tari,”

“I’LL EAT LATER, DO!” Doyoung jumped at the change of tone. This is the first time she properly ever yelled at him, and that means a lot considering they have been roommates for approximately two years.

Yuta, himself, even flinched. Jisung’s eyes went wide. From his position as the closest to her, Yuta signalled to Doyoung and Jisung to go ahead and eat. “Go ahead.” He insisted, “We’ll catch up.” He winked at them, letting them know he’ll try his best to get her to eat.

“Go ahead, Yuta.” Tari stated, “You don’t have to wait for me, I’ll probably never get it anyway.”

“You can’t fire bend on an empty stomach, though!” He smiled, trying to charm into the canteen. She can’t say it wasn’t working; his smile was so bright, like he was radiating happiness. “Isn’t it fire nation night tonight? The food will definitely help, think of all the spice.” He made tingly-motions with his hands, making Tari’s guard fall down and letting himself chuckle.

Tari dropped her arms from the position. “Fire nation night was last night. It’s air nation food tonight.” Her voice was suddenly small.

“Even better!” Yuta clapped his hands, “My dad used to make the best dumplings. He was born in Air Temple Island actually, he actually was living with Aang.” At the mention of his name, especially while training – her heart hurt.

Was this how Aang was feeling? About fighting the fire lord? Conflicted, loss, unwilling to do it? How did he do it? Why can’t I be more like him?

The half-fire nation and half-air nation citizen smiled sadly, noticing – even under the courtyard’s dim lights – how Tari’s gaze fell to her feet with a darkened glaze. “Okay, how about this. I help you master this move. We go to dinner. And if you really want to, we do another training session after dinner. You don’t have to meditate tonight.” Yuta sighed.

Tari looked up at him; his sparkling brown eyes full of concern, his small smile. How could I say no? When she begrudgingly nodded, his small smile was replaced with a large one that showed all his teeth – his face immediately becoming brighter. She swore she wouldn’t need the courtyard to be lit up when he’s there, smiling. It reminded her of the candle fountain in the earth nation, something Lin snuck her out after curfew to show her. It was a beautiful sight.

“Okay, then, let’s get a move on because we need to get some food in you.” He teased, his hands immediately being put on Tari’s waist. At the skin ship, Tari shivered. She normally never shivers – it’s the beauty of air bending helping adjust to the temperature around her, but his touch seemed to shoot electricity throughout her. She regrets not wearing a longer T-Shirt, but she normally wears crop tops to train, especially when bending fire.

He was strong, but the way he helped Tari fix up her stance was gentle – as if she was a fragile doll. No one treated her as gentle when training as he is now, other than before she found out she was the Avatar. They always pushed her, continuously challenged her. She can’t recall every bad bruise and injury she got from training – it’s probably over a thousand. But he was treating her like she was made of glass. Her heart fluttered.

“You have to remain loose,” He nudged her feet to be wider apart, “you have to be ready to move fast so keep your heels off the ground.”

“But earth bending, your heels have to be down right?” Tari clarified.

“Yeah, but this is fire bending, babes.” Tari swears this man must know how to do lightning bending, because everything that comes out of his mouth sends electricity down her spine. He inched closer, his chest pressed against her back as he fixes her posture. His hot breath brushed behind her ear. “Keep your arms shoulder level.” His hands trailed upwards, tickling her sides, as it went to help her position her arms. “From,” His hand trailed towards her hand which is outstretched in front of her. “Bring this in with your fingers tight together as if they were glued on the sides,” Holding the back of her hand, he guided it close to her chest – as if pointing to her heart. “Turn your palm over as it faces you,” As he instructs her verbally, he’s helping guide her movements with his right hand while his left hand is still holding her hip loosely. “…and then slice the air and shoot it out.”

It all felt intimate; his lips behind her ear, his hot breath hitting it with very word, his hand against her hip. “Now, that’s the hand movements. Do you know what to do with your feet?”

Tari launched her right foot up, keeping the bottom of her foot flat towards the hypothetical opponent. “No, no, you need to point it towards the target. Pointing it makes your kick sharper and helps you move more efficiently.”

She nodded as she amended to his feedback. “Okay, perfect. Now do it without me. Remember, focus on fire. Focus on what you want. Focus on the energy you feel, the electricity within you.” He stepped back to watch her perform the move basically perfect, except for one thing. “You have to stay off your heels.”

“Ugh!” Tari could do this easily with air bending, which also emphasizes getting off your heels. “It’s just like air bending, but why is this harder?”

“Exactly,” Yuta grinned, his eyes looking down at her lips. “It’s harder because air bending is about peace, patience, liberty, and balance. That seems to be like you, from what I’ve seen. Fire?” He started leaning in, “it’s all about passion,” His voice became huskier and more hushed as he leaned even closer. His eyes glanced down to her lips, before back at her eyes.

Tari was surprised; as she found herself leaning in too. Soon, they were millimeters apart. “It’s about performance, but mostly - inner fire.” And his lips pressed onto hers.

It was as if the kiss could help them learn everything about each other, as if their lips were books about their whole lives and they just wanted to know everything. His lips were soft and moist, breathing into her lips gently as they kissed.

Tari pulled away, the heat in her cheeks not going to disappear any time soon. She felt awkward, but immediately wanted to cool the tension. “Passion, huh?” She chuckled, biting her lip and trying to hide her blushing cheeks from the cocky Yuta. “I thought fire bending was also about providing a source of life.”

The master bender chuckled. “Technically, yes. But I wanted an excuse to kiss you.”

She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Uh, yeah, dinner, shall we?”

Let’s just say, Doyoung knew something was up inside the canteen when she refused to mention training and when Yuta’s leg was leaning against Tari’s under the table.

request anything for future parts / penny for your thoughts here

#nct-writers #nct imagines #nct dream imagines #jisung imagines #yuta imagines #johnny imagines #nct angst #nct smut #doyoung imagines #kim doyoung imagines #johnny suh #johnny angst #nct 127 imagines #nct127 imagines #nct 127 #nct au

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thekyoshiweekly · 4 years

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8 Best Teas for Anxiety & Stress Relief

( Image from Pinterest )

Are you a coffee addict? I know I used to be one. For me, it was 3 cups of coffee a day and it definitely didn't keep the doctor away. I slowly realised that it didn't really help with my health, mood and appearance. I would wake up every morning feeling groggy. I wouldn’t be able to start a proper conversation without coffee and it didn't help with my anxiety either. Took me a while but I finally found a better beverage to indulge.

Hi, my name is Anamida and I am now a tea addict.

Nothing like a warm cup of tea to slow you down and brighten up your day. So here are some of my favourite teas that has helped me with my daily life.

Chamomile Tea

One of the most well-known fragrant teas that has an apple like aroma. It is a flowering herb (which has zero caffeine) that looks like a tiny daisy and is widely used as a natural medicine due to its health benefits.

Helps relieve anxiety disorders, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stress

Many rely on chamomile as a muscle relaxant. It acts like a natural sedative and helps reduce muscle spasm because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Great for people who suffer form indigestion, gastrointestinal disorder, insomnia, chronic cramps, and seizures. It is the perfect drink to help you unwind at night and is beautiful paired with honey and cinnamon. If you still have a hard time dozing off, try pairing it with lavender.

May have side effects such as drowsiness so don’t drink and drive. Not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Please consult with your doctor.

Rose Tea

Just like chamomile tea, rose tea has its own unique health benefits. If you enjoy spending your free time at the spa, they would usually provide a flower bath filled with rose petals. Why is that?

High in Vitamin C and helps reduce stress

Great to put in your skin care routine because it is antioxidant. Helps lighten visible scars, speeds up healing and boost immune system. Rose tea works the same once it is in your system. It may also help women with menstrual discomfort and heavy flows. If phlegm starts to build up, rose tea is a natural phlegm breaker, especially when paired with rosemary.

Green Tea

It lives up to its name because its green and leafy. Unlike chamomile, green tea has caffeine. But it doesn't make you jittery as to drinking coffee.

Packed with nutritions

Green tea is an anti-aging beverage and just like rose tea, it is antioxidant. But not a lot of people know that it is antibacterial too. So if you decide to have Japanese food for dinner, green tea helps with getting rid of the fishy aftertaste and smell in your mouth because it helps fight bad breath.

It also helps people with high blood pressure or anxiety because green tea lowers your blood pressure. But if you suffer from anaemia, it may have side effects so please consult with your doctor. I find green tea a great drink for daytime especially during meditation. Overall, green tea is great for the body and mind.

Peppermint Tea

The safest tea to consume for all ages. Just like green tea, it looks green and leafy but it is caffeine-free. So kids can enjoy it as well.

Anti-Inflammatory

When I think of peppermint, I think of candy canes and Christmas. Because of its cooling sensation, peppermint tea helps with stress, headaches, colds, and tummy aches. I find it very useful after eating a heavy meal because it gives a boost of energy when feeling fatigue. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it eases tension, migraine, stomach bloating and gas. You can also use peppermint as a mouthwash. Good for gargle especially after a wisdom tooth extraction.

If you are on diet, I come bearing good news. It has ZERO calories so not to worry. If you are allergic, consult your doctor.

Lavender Tea

Best known for healing pain and anxiety. It is one of the most top fragrance, from teas to soaps and oils. It is loved by many because of it’s calm and soothing aroma.

Natural sedative, antidepressant and reduces inflammation

Can be taken pure or paired with chamomile if you find yourself tossing and turning in the middle of the night. It consists of zinc, magnesium and potassium which may help if you’re in need of a better and longer sleep.

Lavender tea contains high amounts of antibacterial, antioxidants and anti-fungal. Just like rose tea, it boosts immune system and makes it easier for the human body to fight viral infections.

It is also reported to heal wounds, burns and eases mild eczema. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, lavender tea also supports digestive health. It can help stomach pain, gastric, nausea and diarrhea.

If you find yourself having an allergic reaction, consult with your doctor right away.

Valerian Root Tea

Another best known flower plant used to treat insomnia, headaches and anxiety. If you’re a herbal tea addict, then valerian root tea might be the tea for you. It has a strong earthy smell which is great to consume before or after meditation.

Reduces OCD symptoms and digestive problems

Valerian root tea is a natural pain killer and muscle relaxant. It calms the nerves and is good for those who suffer from seizures and heart palpitations.

May have side effects such as drowsiness. Do not take with medication or alcohol. Please consult with your doctor.

Lemon Balm Tea

It is traditionally used to treat heart palpitations which is best for those who suffer from anxiety and severe panic attacks.

Improves mood and focus

Lemon balm tea is a leafy herb which has antibacterial properties. Because of its refreshing lemon scent, it is reported to lighten up your mood and helps you focus better. When mixed with peppermint, it helps reduce inflammation, bloating and soothes constipation. Also reportedly to reduce PMS and weight gain.

Please consult with your doctor before consuming because lemon balm tea lowers blood sugar level. Avoid if you have hypothyroid because it clashes with thyroid medications.

Passionflower Tea

Passionflower is an exotic vine flower with purple and blue petals. It is traditionally used to soothe the nervous system which helps with stress, anxiety and depression.

Regulates blood pressure and mild hypertension

The same as most of the teas I’ve listed down, passionflower tea is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. May help with mild cuts and bruises. Stress and anxiety may lead to hair loss. The chemicals in passionflower have soothing and sleep-inducing effects which also helps treat dry hair, irritated scalp and insomnia.

Avoid when pregnant or breastfeeding. Avoid if you have heart problems because it interferes with blood thinning and other medications. Consult your doctor before consuming.

Thank you for reading The Kyoshi Weekly.

Let’s heal together,

Anamida

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthsupport #anamida #thekyoshiweekly #anxiety #depression #stress

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 6 years

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I’ll Meet You At The Bottom (Part 7)

Sokka awoke with an aching back. There was nothing quite as unpleasant as sleeping on the floor, but he didn’t want to leave Azula alone, he had to make sure that the woman didn’t hurt herself. For the most part, she had lie quietly—save for a few sobs—upon the bed. Something eventually provoked her though. Enough to get her to abruptly spring from her bed and start throwing punches. Sokka didn’t make a move to stop her until she started beating her fists against the wall. He felt it unwise to actually grab hold of her arms; not wanting to actually fight the woman coupled with a contradictory fear that he’d snap her wrists if he held too tight, kept him from doing so. Instead he held his hand level with the spot she was punching, by the time Azula’s rage subsided his knuckles were raw and bore traces of blood. As a painful tingling danced about the back of his hand, he watched her walk lopsidedly back to her bed, breathing heavily.

She never did fall asleep.

Neither did he.

So when she finally looked at him with clear eyes and with a mind that processed he truly was there—and had been the whole time, he didn’t know what to tell her. He knew he’d seen something she didn’t want him too, and by the vicious gaze she was cutting him, it was abundantly clear that he was to keep quiet.

“Good morning.” Sokka tried.

“I told you not to come back here.” Her voice was dangerously low.

“Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” He replied lamely.

“I’m fine.” Azula grumbled.

“Fine? You were yelling at the corner of the room.” He pointed out.

“Don’t you have some where to be?” Azula asked

He held up his hand, “you almost did this,” he pointed to his bruised knuckles. “To yourself.”

“I’m sure you’d much rather be elsewhere.”

“You’re on drugs.” Sokka persisted more bluntly.

Azula changed directions again. “Don’t you have a painting to work on?”

“Don’t you realize how serious this is?” He asked, growing increasingly more frustrated.

“You seemed pretty eager to tell me about it a few days ago.” Azula diverted. “So talk. Tell me about your stupid painting.”

“We can talk about that again after we talk about more important problems.” Sokka replied.

“Like how you’re still standing in my room, talking to me like I’m a child.” Azula retaliated. “You look like hell, by the way.”

He had to admit that she was as good at dodging subjects as she was at dodging attacks when they battled. So good, in fact, that he almost took the bait and replied, “if I look like hell, then what do you look like?” He held his tongue, the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel worse than she probably already did. Even less so, did he want to push her away for good. So instead he backtracked again, “You’re in a lot of trouble and I want to help—”

She cut him off. “Your friends are probably looking for you.”

Sokka pinched the bridge of his nose, it would seem that he’d have to change his line of attack. “They might be.” He agreed. “So why don’t you come downstairs and join me for breakfast?” He already knew the answer.

Fixing him a hard stare, Azula sat back down and crossed her arms over her chest. “I have no more plans to interact with you nor your barbaric friends.”

Finally, Sokka’s annoyance reached its peak. Clearly he was getting nowhere with her, she didn’t seem to want the help anyhow. She had a lot of insults to throw and no gratitude to give. “Me and my friends are barbaric? You’ve been wearing the same thing for days now, and you said I liked like hell? Ya know what? Fine, don’t come with me! If you want to be alone, then be alone.” He turned his back to her made a point of not looking over his shoulder as he walked, knowing that if he did those tired and solemn eyes would coax him back. If he looked back he would see her tousled persona and tiny frame in the doorway growing smaller and smaller still as he put distance between him. And if he looked back, he would have caught the glimmer of regret in her eyes and the way she seemed to shrink back into her room. Even without the visual he regretted the ruthlessness of his words, knowing that he’d probably struck a few raw points.

Instead he focused on what he would say if any of his friends asked him where he had disappeared to and what happened to his hand.

.oOo.

Azula knew that she had a habit of lashing out when angry or afraid. It was a newly acquired habit that seemed to have come with, or have been heightened by her abuses. She longed to go back to the time when she could just shut down altogether and display no emotion. It was easier. Easier and safer. She made a mistake in letting the Water Tribe man in, his angry departure only left her feeling worse than she would have if she didn’t take the risk at all. She truly had wanted to let him in, but not that far. He entered too fast and for it, saw too much too soon.

A new and horrible fear taunted Azula’s mind. What if he shared what he had seen? She would have to hold off on taking another dose, but Agni she needed one right now. She needed it so desperately as the scene from that morning played itself back in her mind. She couldn’t help but feel that he was right, she looked as dreadful as she felt. This haircut was less flattering than the first time she’d sliced her hair up and only served to annunciate how sullen and empty her face had become. She smelled heavily of tobacco and could very well use another shower. Her wrinkled clothing reminded her of just how lazy she’d grown…how useless. And the more she thought about it, the less energy she seemed to have to fix it. Each insult that she delivered to herself—amplified by Sokka’s potent reminder—drained more and more motivation from her. She was lethargic in the to begin with. The Ruby Tears always seemed to leave her feeling that way, especially if she took the cactus juice with it.

She needed something to make the truth go away.

To make everything go away.

Azula clutched her left wrist with a bruising force. She could feel the rough patches of scars, they offered their own methods as to how to make everything stop. Their suggestions were quite strong, she needed something to quiet them before…

She gripped her hand tighter.

Azula moved her hand to her head, trying to dull the pounding behind her eyes. The pain of it clouded her vision some. Weak and trembling legs, barely held her up right. She didn’t quite make it to her bed before collapsing against it. The beating in her brain doubled. Had she hit herself? A burst of warmth was spreading at her temple. She tried to put two and two together but she was sleepy.

So sleepy.

.oOo.

“Are you okay Sokka? You’ve been acting moody all morning.” Aang asked.

“Yeah you’re giving Madame Fussy Britches and Sir Knicker Knots some really good competition.” Toph pointed to Katara and Zuko.

“Sorry.” Sokka apologized. “I guess I’m just having another rough day.” He had no intention of elaborating. He should have been more patient with Azula. Of course, she was going to have a collection of off-handed remarks at the ready. She was hurt and afraid and he was pushing her. For all he know, it could have been the drugs talking. And even if she that wasn’t the case, she was still Azula. The same princess who had something sassy and witty to say.

And he had kicked her when she was done. He tried to take a bite of his arctic hen but the whole ordeal had left a sour taste in his mouth that was keeping him from enjoying it. If Suki were around she would know how to handle it. He took a seat, but didn’t bother with anymore of the food set before him. He had no appetite for it, especially now that the Kyoshi warrior was back in his thoughts.

His stomach lolled. He remembered the last thing Suki had said to him before leaving him; “you know what Sokka, you’re an ass!” He felt sick. “If you can’t treat a lady with respect than you deserve to be alone. I don’t even know why I tried, you made a horrible first impression.”

Tears prickled behind his eyes, the same tears he promised not to shed again. Apparently, he still couldn’t treat a lady with respect.

.oOo.

When one has nowhere to be and nothing of importance to do, time seems to just drift away. In that aspect it was very easy for Azula to slip into another one of her drunken dazes. She had scarcely crashed from the Ruby Tears and she was already lifting herself up again. Unlike the Tears, the cactus juice left her feeling quite marvelous. She had a burst of energy that her body couldn’t support.

Her latest task was to practice some firebending again. She dropped into a very basic stance, the one she always did when warming up. Her weight was shifted mostly upon her right foot so when she shifted into the next motion her body shook. She pushed forward anyhow, swaying a little more with each movement. She began lifting her arms; this stance in particular required symmetry—arms raising fluidly at the same time. Though she would have argued that, that was exactly what she had accomplished, Azula’s right arm was fully erect many seconds before her left. She offered a clumsy kick and an explosion of flames. With that blast she was on her back, wondering what had went wrong. She got to her feet, took another drink, and started over. Her stance twice as unbalanced as the first. Yet, that didn’t hinder her in pumping her arms back and forth, spitting out tiny and pathetic balls of fire.

But in her own mind she was doing very good.

In her own mind she had all the esteem and elegance she had once been praised for.

.oOo.

Sokka stood in front of her door. He’d been standing there for some twenty minutes trying to decide if it was wroth it or if he should go back to his room, tear up his painting, and start one with a more promising subject. He was determined to prove Suki wrong, determined to show her that he had respect. So with all of the courage Suki usually instilled in him, he give Azula’s door three sturdy knocks. She probably wouldn’t answer anyhow. He gave the woman a few moments before backing away, a very premature motion. The door was yanked open with a violent force.

“Oh, good you’re back. Wonderful.” Azula smiled. “I wasjust bending my practicing.” She slurred. “Maybe you can do me a favor and stand realniceandstill.”

Looking at the princess’ face again he wondered when the last time it was that anyone had treated her with respect. Her hair was plastered to her face by a sheen of sweat, there was a vicious gleam in her unfocused eyes, she was practically sliding down the doorframe she was leaning against, and her robe was slipping from her shoulders. He was frustrated to see that she had changed back into it instead of something clean. Regardless, he made a move to push it back up but she slapped the back of his hand. From what he gathered it had been a very long time since anyone had shown her respect. Despite her less than elegant words and appearance, he was going to try.

He should have been clearer about his intentions. “Can I fix your robe?” He offered.

“C-can can you fuckoff?” She asked, dipping more heavily into the door. Her robed fell down more, prompting him to avert his gaze.

“Can you fix your robe?” He tried, as he locked eyes with her.

“Does it bother you?” She questioned. He only had time to open his mouth before she spoke again, “‘cause if it does I have some’in that’ll really drive youinsane.” He only had time to shut it once more before the princess tore her robe completely open. He was relived to find that she still, at the very least, had those baggy sweatpants on.

No less, the sound of voices coming nearer instilled within Sokka, a new sense of urgency. The last thing Azula needed was to give the palace more rumors to be abuzz with. “Can we do this inside your room, in privet?”

Azula snorted and gave a laugh that lacked all poise and regalness. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you Sokka?” She sauntered closer to him, pressing her chest up against his. He took that as his opportunity to pull her robe closed and bind it tighter.

Placing a firm grip on her shoulders he replied, “I’d like to make sure you don’t hurt…or embarrass yourself.” He felt terribly conflicted in forcing her back into her room and closing the door, knowing how it would have looked had the owners of the voices turned the corner as he did so. Even if that wasn’t an issue it felt wrong, like he was cornering her. It felt so terribly predatory. He looked longingly at the door. Suki would be all over him for how he was handling things.

Azula’s robe had come undone again. Having been so lost in thought he wasn’t sure if she’d done it herself or if it had fallen that way. He peered down at her and she stiffened. He noticed for the first time that her head was bleeding. It would seem that he was the only one of the two who did realize it.

She propped herself up on her arms and thrust her chest up. “Well come here then.” She smirked.

Sokka’s stomach was growing queasy, all at once he began to loathe the woman on the bed for putting him in such an unbearably uncomfortable situation. He held his ground, back rigid, and face as undaunted as he could manage.

She crawled towards the edge of the bed, clawing at the bedsheets with more force than necessary. When she reached the very edge she growled, “come on Sokka, don’t youwanna u-use me like ev’ryone else?” She let body fall back onto the mattress and ran her hand over her chest. He assumed that it was meant to be sensual.

“Not at all.” Sokka replied, his stomach knotting much tighter than ever.

She botled up right, her expression changing alarmingly fast. “You you mean I’m not good enough foryou? Oh right. Forgot. I look like hell.” Her laugh had a pitch that sent chills down his spine.

“That’s not it.” Sokka sputtered quickly. “I mean that I don’t think you really want me to do…” he paused, “to do that.” He was going to throw up, no one has ever put him in such a situation and he didn’t know how to handle it. Without having done anything at all, he still felt like he was somehow taking advantage of her. So he walked into her closet and found something that looked both cozy and elegant, but also easy to put on. It was blue in color with embroidery resembling the lightning he’d seen her use so often, it would clash with the pants she was wearing but he’d never seen her wear blue. That and, of all of the sleep shirts he’d looked at, that one looked the easiest to put on. He removed it from the hanger and came back by Azula. The firebender sat with her head drooping from one side to the other. He held her as still as he could manage and pulled the shirt over her arms. He carefully buttoned it up and backed away.

The princess looked like she was about to weep. He tensed up again, fearing that he had overstepped his boundaries. “What’s wrong with me?” She asked. The lump in his throat doubled in size, if he didn’t choke on it, then surly he’d be choking on his words.

Not that he had any words.

“You haven’t had many people to care for you.” He replied, trying—for the time being—to take responsibility off of her. “That can damage a person.” He couldn’t tell if he was still talking about her, or if he had begun speaking of himself. “Can I care for you?”

“Can you?” she returned the question.

With cautious fingers, he brushed her bangs aside. Azula flinched and he drew back. He backtracked, “what happened?”

Azula raised her fingers to the bleeding bump on her temple. “I-I don’t r’member.” Her eyes dimmed even more.

“Okay.” Sokka replied. “That’s okay.”

“No, nod okay.” Azula replied.

As much as it hurt to hear, it relived him to hear that she was regaining some degree of self-awareness. “Can I clean it for you?” He offered.

Azula nodded.

He scanned the room for a glass of water or anything of the sort. Finding none, he told her that he would be right back. He was reluctant to leave her alone, but stepped out of the room anyhow. To his gratitude, she was still in remotely the same position as when he’d left. In that short time, she had taken to laying down.

He moved her bangs again, causing another start. He decided then, that it was best to be very clear about his intentions. “I’m going to dab it a little,” he informed before bringing the wet cloth to her head. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong. At least a little of what’s wrong?” He asked as he worked.

It would seem that the cactus juice loosened her tongue more than he anticipated. “I’malone. ‘M always alone. I have no control over anything. I-I can’t stop myself. I can’t stop.” Her speech was growing less connected with each point she tried to deliver. “I’m useless. Always was. ‘Rything I’ve ever done was pointless. I’m pointless…” she was listing so many things and with such a slur that Sokka was having trouble latching onto any one topic. So instead he just listened to her try to disjointed cry for help. He finished cleansing the cut and began dressing it. “Nothin has been a same since Sozin…” another indistinguishable jumble of words. “Sozin’s comet and after that things have been awful. I haven’t been right.” She pointed at her head, naturally at the spot he was trying to tend to. “Stupid. I’m soso…”

Sokka finished re-applying the bandage she’d moved and nodded, he was pretty certain that he’d got the meaning well enough. He helped her back into a laying position. He hoped that she would acknowledge what she was confessing after she sobered up. Though that would take giving up some pride and she never seemed like the type to trade pride for comfort. “I haven’t been right either.” He didn’t mean to, but he took her hand anyhow. “Not since Suki died.”

*****

Basic summery of the first part of this chapter to the last part;

#Sokkla #Azula #Sokka #Aang #Toph #Katara #Zuko #Avatar #Fanfiction

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froghattoadsocks · 4 years

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extinguishing water, boiling fire: chapter 1

zutara fanfic

synopsis: A few years after the end of the war, each member of the Gaang live their lives at peace, and continue to stay in contact. Zuko remains Fire Lord, Aang travels the world in order to deal with Fire Nation rebels, Toph becomes an Earthbending teacher, Sokka gets married, and Katara is left feeling alone. When they all return to the Fire Nation, Katara rethinks her life.

Katara:

It was a warm June morning, with the kind of weather that leaves the silk spread of a bed sticking to skin, and clots the air with a thin layer of moisture. Katara, eyes closed but not sleeping, listens to the distant clomping of a dragon moose’s hooves on a stone street. She’s tepid to get out of bed, until she realizes what day it is. There were always a few times during the year that her friends would return to the Fire Nation, all at the same time. They’d always let her know of their arrival in advance, leaving her impatient for weeks. She recalls receiving a letter from Aang first this time, which read:

Katara!

Great news! I don’t know if you remember the Earthbender general I met with to drive out Fire Nation rebels from Cranefish town, Ro Lon, but we succeeded much earlier than we thought! Isn’t that great? I’m writing to you as I’m packing up my gear (Appa says hello), and I’m coming back home! I should be there for about a month, and the rebels will travel by eelhound with Ro Lon and others. I think Toph’s private students are almost graduates, so I’ll be picking her up from Omashu soon.

We’ll see you in two weeks!

~Aang (and Appa)

She remembers the immediate warmth that flooded throughout her. Oh, to embrace her friends in a loving hug after so long was something she always anticipated, and now it was happening again. Sokka was the next to write, explaining that he and Suki have been wanting a vacation for a while. The small island of Kyoshi made Sokka “..go actually insane Katara. I don’t know if I’m built for this. The same sand, the same couple houses, one market, the looming statue of Kyoshi. Future kids playing in a circle by the Unagi.” Katara chuckled at her brother’s anxiety. The commitment was something he seemed to have trouble with, until he sent her another letter, completely contradicting the first.

Katara this is going to be short. I love Suki. I love this woman. We will have baby, and I will play with baby by the Unagi. But not dangerously, it is a baby after all Katara. You have to visit again sometime. In the meantime, Suki and I are planning a vacation.. Fire nation time? Hehe, be ready.

-Sokka

She was relieved to see her brother, to have family around again. Both blood and chosen. And then there was Zuko. Busy with, oh y’know running the Fire nation. He rarely had time to spend with Katara, even if he lived a few blocks away. She didn’t mind though. On days she wasn’t exploring, Katara would visit the palace, eagerly invited in by Iroh (if he wasn’t at the Jasmine Dragon). She’d spend hours sifting through the vast collection of books in the library, or taste testing Iroh’s new teas. She’d occasionally stick around for dinner as well, which Zuko made attempts to attend. It was always a surprise when he’d show up, with his erratic schedule and all. His hair slicked back into the traditional Fire nation ponytail, his robes slicked down so the dark red trim brushed the floor, Katara was always taken aback that the angsty, awkward teenager was leading a nation. Although, that isn’t to say Zuko has changed much. The beginning of their dinners were always formal. Zuko had trouble immediately dropping his Fire Lord persona; the stiff, monotone voice, perfect posture, a tense expression on his face. and eyes that seemed too tired. Once he became comfortable, there appeared the Zuko that Katara knew.

“So..”, Zuko had said, during a dinner once, tapping his thumbs together, “you wanna hear something funny?”, his rough voice cracking at the end. Katara stifled a laugh, and held a fist up to her lips, making eye contact with Zuko. He narrowed his eyes. smiling, tilting his head as he asked “What’s so funny Katara? I haven’t said my joke yet”. She grinned, replying “Nothing. I just really appreciate that even being such a powerful, godlike firebender, and leader of the Fire nation,” She pauses, batting her eyelashes, “you still haven’t passed puberty.” She remembers Zuko’s cheeks turning from milky white to a warm rouge, and his iconic neck rub as he laughed into his elbow. “Fuck you Katara.”

The memory stunted Katara’s heartbeat. She inhaled sharply, repressing the crush she may or may not have formed for Zuko. After all, there was rarely anybody that interested her. Most potential suitors in the Capital were Fire Nation nobility, such as high ranking generals, and upper class citizens with nationwide business and influence. Others worked alongside Zuko as advisors or guards. The men her age were blinded by their families position, and left Katara bored or angry. Nobody was like Zuko. Her name slides easily off his tongue, and his damn smile is always paired along with it. His laugh is permanently etched into her brain, as she is one of the few people that can get him to relax anymore. She grabs the lacy pillow next to her, shoving it into her face until she chokes the memory away. Finally, she swings her legs over the bed and stretches, excited to meet Aang, Toph, Sokka and Suki at the Palace. Rubbing her face, Katara waterbends the cool water from the bowl on her bedside table onto her face, wiping the drops of sweat away. Once refreshed, she slips on a light blue summer dress, and ties the ribbon around her waist. She examines her outfit in the lengthy mirror, proud she can comfortably walk around the Fire Nation Capital representing her home. Zuko had made sure, immediately after the war, that no xenophobia be permitted. He had stressed that each element, each nation, work together to create one world. She smiles at the speech he had given following his coronation, and the various ones after when rumors of rebels spread throughout the Nation. Kicking away her silky pajamas, she tidies her bed and hurries out the bedroom door. Rushing to her kitchen, she grabs a few purple berries, aware of the colorful consequence, and washes them down with cold water. She wipes her mouth, making a mental note of what to buy at the market before the arrival of her friends. She finds a pair of gray flats, and nearly topples over a messenger as she exits her house.

Zuko:

With pale, slender fingertips pushing against the dark table, Zuko receives word that the avatar and Toph are a few miles from the Capital. He smiles, and signs off on a document, sent by Aang weeks ago, to confirm the withdrawal of rebels from an Earth kingdom town. He sighs, pushing away the papers, and organizes them into a neat pile. Setting down his quill, he stretches in his burgundy chair, and stands. He relaxes his shoulders, and rubs his neck with both hands to relieve himself of the muscle aches that were sure to follow after hours of being hunched over.

“Zuko,” A voice behind him says, “I recommend you get ready soon.”

He turns to see his Uncle leaning against the frame of the grand meeting room entrance. Iroh holds out a cup of tea, smiling tenderly at his nephew.

“I’ll drink later Uncle.” Zuko says dismissively, about to pass by without a second thought.

“Zuko. Have you eaten today?” Iroh eyes his nephew, and feels his bicep. “Have you eaten anything within the past week?” He says, emphasizing the word anything.

Zuko grunts, but appreciates his uncle’s concern.

“Yes Uncle. I just haven’t had time to practice my bending lately.” He admits.

“Maybe once your friends arrive, you’ll have plenty of opportunity. Remember Zuko, you may wear that crown on your head but your duties must not make you forget who you are, what you need.” A smile spreads on Zuko’s face, always happy to receive advice from Iroh.

Zuko grabs his cup from his Uncle, and sips it slowly, the warm liquid calming him from his hours of passing legislations, and writing letters to other cities within and out of the Nation concerning the rebels. It puts his mind at ease. He bows at his Uncle, and briskly walks away towards his bedroom, his robes billowing behind him. Passing by multiple guards along the way, one of his royal servants quickly catches up to him.

“Fire Lord?” The man says nervously. Still after two years, he and other servants are traumatized by the previous ruler.

Zuko looks down at the man, now much taller than he used to be, and smiles.

“Please Izem, you can say Zuko.”

Izem, pleasantly surprised that the Fire Lord still refers to him by name, shyly smiles back, and lets his guard down.

“Zuko.” He corrects. “I was informed you have guests arriving today. Will you be requiring a different set of robes? I’m sure we could fashion something within time.”

He begins rattling off different styles of dress, and how they could tailor Zuko’s desires in the matter of an hour, guaranteed. Zuko reaches a hand out, slowing his walk.

“It’s quite alright Izem. These are old friends. Good friends. I believe I will go casual today.”

Surprised, Izem nods. Zuko has rarely been out of the Palace without Royal garments. He leaves the Fire Lord be, and Zuko is left with his thoughts, but not before he asks something of the servant.

“Izem?”

The man turns around, ready for any request of the Fire Lord.

“Please write to Katara for me. Let her know of the whereabouts of our friends, and tell her to be at the gates within the hour.”

Izem nods, and once again gets ready to leave, scratching down Zuko’s words on his parchment. Zuko stops him again.

“Could you actually add a hello in the beginning. And a please at the end.”

His servant chuckles, and nods to Zuko. Already adding the polite greeting and request to his letter.

It was always exciting getting everybody back together. It has a certain nostalgia to it. Zuko reminisces about the old times, how last year they had decided to leave the Fire Nation for a weekend, and visit the Southern Water Tribe. Although Zuko hated being out of his element, especially remembering the vast empty ice sheets that surrounded him and cloudy days that blocked out the warmth of the sun, he enjoyed meeting Katara’s family. During his time there, he had wanted Katara’s grandmother, who insisted he call her Gran Gran, to like him. He had spent his free time knitting in her tent with her, asking her about water tribe stories and what Katara and Sokka were like as kids. He was especially curious about Katara, asking Gran Gran what her interests as a child were, when she discovered her waterbending abilities, how she took care of the children once her father left. He also took the time during his visit to profusely apologize to the village, as if he hasn’t done that a variety of times before.

The lamps on either side of the intricately carved doors of his bedroom light as he enters. Immediately, the tingly scent cinnamon and spice greet his nose. His room is one of the view places he feels truly himself. Dark oak furninture and deep red walls surround his space. With a small skylight and grand balcony his only source of natural light, he ignites the candelabras in his room, casting a shadowy orange glow through the space. He turns to the mirror that hangs next to an old portrait of him and Iroh, and studies his face. He realizes how much the weight of the title Fire Lord has changed him during the past couple years. His face became broader, yet remained angular. His cheekbones were higher than before, the skin around his jaw tighter. Purple eye bags hung lightly underneath his eyes, a deep purple painted beneath his waterline. He placed a hand lightly against his scar, that has somehow become rougher over time. Eyeing the golden crown that shimmered behind his bun, he grimaced, reminded that the nation has still not met his goal. He still hasn't restored complete honor. For the next few days, he didn’t want to wear the burden of the crown. After all, he had just turned 19, barely an adult. His pale fingers grab the tip of the crown, slowly pulling it out of his hair. Fiddling it between his hands, Zuko decides to keep it within his bedside drawer. He feels the relief already, as if his friends were there. He wanted a few days to be a person again, reminding himself of his Uncle’s words. Kicking off his boots with that hideous, golden point at the end, Zuko removes his robe. He looks forward to nothing more than when he gets to remove the clunky, hefty robe off of his shoulders. He rolls them in circles, enjoying the light feeling. After undoing the clasps around his wrists, he pulls his thick shirt over his head. He stands shirtless, placing a hand over a scar on his abdomen, a constant reminder of the cool, metal knife plunged into him by a rebel. He pushes the memory away and finds a tunic of light material, worn commonly among his citizens. To match, Zuko finds a pair of maroon trousers, a bit too oversized for him, and pulls them on. He stares wide eyed at his reflection once he’s dressed. The shirt he thought would be perfect, actually stretches thin over his chest. He rolls his eyes at his Uncle’s comments about Zuko not eating enough, as the fit of his shirt proves wrong. He also realizes his pants fit well around his hips now, but remain baggy over his legs. The usual leggings he wears underneath his royal garments highlight his muscles, but in this, he looks like a regular visitor in the Capital. Clothes that fit just about right, worn and wrinkled from being thrown in his drawers too many times. He still felt like something was wrong, his appearance still awkward.

“My hair.”

Rarely does he leave his hair down. Even to sleep, he ties his hair completely up. Zuko removes the elastic holding his bun together, and shakes his head quickly, his black hair now a mess. Adjusting a few strands to the middle of his forehead, he’s pleased. He bends to the floor, palms resting on cool stone, and reaches his arm underneath the bed, rustling around for a moment. He smiles once he finds what he’s looking for; his old, trusty boots. The brown shoes are familiar to Zuko, and still fit from his days of traveling with the avatar.

AUTHORS’S NOTE:

this is my first fic! i’m unsure if i’ll be making anymore chapters (but i definitely have lengthy drafts of them) and dont know if i should continue on tumblr or not! let me know what you think/any suggestions:-)

#atla #zutara #18+#fanfic #zuko #katara #the last airbender #avatar #zuko x katara #fanfiction #avatar the last airbender #zutara fic #atla au #avatar ship #katara x zuko #zuko x katara fic #fire nation #avatar: the last airbender

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jaxsteamblog · 4 years

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Balanced Part 2: Recap and Trailer

The next installment of��“Katara’s Courtship” starts tomorrow, so here is a recap for the past three books and a teaser about what’s to come.

Under the cut for series spoilers!

In autumn, Katara found herself in a smothering rut. With age came expectations and none of them were what she wanted for her future. Running to the Fire Nation, Katara found Zuko burning under the same expectations. With the help of the romantic loving head matron Chang, the two share a space and catch on a little too quickly.

Before they can figure out what the new feelings mean, family comes crashing in. Sokka reminds Katara of everything that she’s been avoiding back home, while Azula brings Zuko’s past abruptly into the present. Katara, Sokka, and Suki, and the indomitable Chang join Zuko and Azula on a desperate search for Ursa, who may have been back in Hira’a the whole time.

Chained to her own demands for her life, Katara faces the tragedy of watching things fall apart despite her best efforts. Zuko and Azula, both realizing they’ve been left behind, react very differently to Noriko’s choices and Ursa’s betrayal. Azula, through Zuko’s intervention, finally finds peace as Riku, the daughter of Noren and Noriko.

Katara, feeling betrayed by Zuko’s choices, goes to the North Pole to fulfill her own familial duties. Aang, wanting to return things to normal, goes with her.

In winter, Katara lives in the palace behind the tall walls of the North Pole. There she meets Amaqjuaq, an orphan that was adopted by Arnook to regain an heir. He is a member of a spirit cult called “The Followers of the Atka” and encourages Katara’s participation. Aktuk, the de facto leader, pressures the two into various obligations concerning the spirit world.

Travelling there together, Amaq and Katara meet Aivilayoq, a spirit water dragon that proclaims to be the real teacher of waterbending. She tasks them with retrieving her egg, claiming it is the only way she can reunite with her wife, the spirit fire dragon Shapash.

Before they can puzzle that out, the Fire Nation sends their Ambassador with a fleet of gifts. The Ambassador turns out to be Yong Rin, Zuko’s personal assistant and Iroh’s common law stepdaughter. As an Earthbender, Rin is accompanied by a silent priest of a mysterious sun cult that has recently arisen from the ashes of the Fire Sages.

In the middle of all the various moving pieces, tragedy strikes in the South Pole. During reconstruction, spirits have been attacking a village near the South Pole oasis, where a spiritual storm has been growing.

Zuko unmasks himself, explaining that he couldn’t stay in the Fire Nation believing that Katara hated him. He and Rin join Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Amaq to head to the South Pole. Hakoda, as the head chief in the South Pole, returns with them, bringing his girlfriend Malina.

In the South Pole, Katara meets Aluki, Aktuk’s sister and representative of the spirit cult in the south. Aluki exerts a similar sort of pressure as Aktuk, putting a strain on Katara’s friendship with Amaq.

The spirits attack and Katara talks with Aivilayoq again. Katara gains the ability to Spiritbend, dispelling the storm at the oasis and retrieving the dragon egg with the help of the Sea Goddess Sedna.

But as Katara tries to grab at these threads, the world conspires against her. Aluki poisons both Katara and Amaqjuaq, ultimately trying to kill them both when the cult’s plans don’t work. Zuko is unmasked to the rest of their friends, and Katara receives a mortal wound. Bearing a new scar and harboring a poison in her blood, Katara misses Zuko’s departure for the North Pole as they hope to catch Aktuk.

When she recovers, Katara is met by Toph, arriving in the South Pole with startling news.

Zuko, after accepting an urgent message, is now engaged to the princess of Anyan, an Earth Kingdom stronghold run by the older sister of King Kuei.

The Gaang return to Republic City where they witness Zuko’s formal betrothal. Believing something is wrong with him, Katara refuses to accept that this was done willingly.

In spring, Katara fights off the sickness inside of her. While living with Toph at her academy, Katara and Sokka mull over what to do. Sokka is anxious; after leaving Suki to set up a school in the Fire Nation while he went to the North Pole, he has lost contact with her. Katara, already thinking that Zuko has been forced into his engagement, takes this as a sign that something is terribly wrong.

Meanwhile, Suki navigates the palace after Xianji, the princess of Anyan, has taken up residence. The princess’s servants are forcing people to drink a special tea, and no one is the same after.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph fly to the Fire Nation where they meet up with Ty Lee and the students of the school she was setting up with the Kyoshi Warriors. Among them is Chihiro, who seems to be taking over as the leader and is the daughter of rumored poisoners.

Taking them to the palace, Chihiro gets them before Zuko, who has returned to the traditional practice of being Fire Lord and doesn’t remember his relationship with Katara.

Xianji arrives and, flanked by an altered Rin and Suki, serves tea.

Katara passes out and is taken out of the palace by Chihiro. Finding out that Sokka and Toph have succumbed to the effects of the tea, Katara attempts to flee.

Still under the effects of the spirit poison, and not recovering from everything that has happened before, Katara falters still in the imperial city. She is found by Noren, who has taken Riku to the city for treatment.

Riku, still unaware of her past as Azula, offers to help Katara escape. The pair slip out of the city but are immediately pursued and spend weeks running to the Earth Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Sokka finds a small resistance within the palace and rescues Suki, but can do nothing for Toph who now suffers totally from her blindness.

While on the run, Katara is unknowingly pursued by a spirit in possession of Aluki’s body. She and Riku find a village burned by a spirit attack, only to meet with an unknown Combustionbender.

At the edge of their collapse, Xia Bau and Kanda, members of the White Lotus, find them and fly them to Ba Sing Se to meet with Iroh.

Exiled to Ba Sing Se for his relationship with an Earth Kingdom peasant, Iroh has lost connection with the Fire Nation palace. While they try to think of a plan, a message comes from the Upper Ring; Ruan, queen of Anyan and mother of Xianji, invites them for dinner.

Katara, having lost her bending and crippled by a leg injury, knows they are trapped. Still, they try to think of a way to escape the city, knowing that she has to at least try to save her friends.

The tea shop where Iroh lives is attacked and they are forced on the run. The spirit that had been hunting Katara is now in Aktuk’s body and hinders the Earthbenders pursing them. Still, Kanda reveals herself to be a Combustionbender that uses a gauntlet to control her bending instead of a tattoo. She also recognizes Aktuk, which worries Katara.

The spirit, allowing Katara to escape the city, turns out to be Aivilayoq, who partially escaped the spirit world thanks to Katara’s bending. The spirit informs Katara how to heal herself and save Riku, who is dying after protecting her.

In an airship with Riku, Aivilayoq, and Iroh’s stepsons Haoran and Jiro, Katara wonders if she’s in any shape to save anyone.

Now it is summer and time is running out. A summit between the nations is set to take place in just a few weeks, and that is where Zuko will announce not only his marriage to Xianji but also the execution of Ozai. Both actions are viewed unfavorably in the Fire Nation and threaten to spark a civil war. A war that a certain Earth Kingdom city-kingdom would be able to quell thanks to Xianji.

Katara has her bending back, but it’s only a fraction of what it used to be. Riku becomes her steadfast ally, but even that is threatened as a familiar face brings up memories that weren’t erased.

She also has to finally face her fears. The choice between right and wrong is never easy and often the right choice comes with dire consequences. Comparing Riku’s past to her own future, Katara has to make peace with Zuko’s choice, her bloodbending, and putting herself before anyone and anything else.

The enemy uses once friendly faces and Katara takes new allies with her to break Xianji’s hold. But will Riku turn out to be her best weapon or the key to her own destruction?

#fanfic meta #recap

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shadow-wasser · 5 years

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WIP Fic Whenever: Atlamorphs 10

Might as well start doing this again. WIP Fic Friday Whenever is a place where I will put a ‘quick and dirty’ first draft of either a short story or a chapter from a longer story. This will hopefully encourage me to improve my writing output. An Animorphs/Avatar: the Last Airbender Crossover. Yes it’s strange.

Love For The Daughter

I seethed inwardly as Avatar Twinkletoes began to hint at my earthbending career. I was seriously considering bending him into the floor when, out of nowhere, the boy Sokka, who had been eating like a cowpig, suddenly collapsed into his soup.

Everyone paused to stare, and the girl, Katara, stood up, her pulse racing. “Sokka!” She was beside him instantly, running her hands over him.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” my father lied. “Perhaps he is tired after your long journey?”

“No,” said Katara. “He’s not fine. There’s something weird in his system.”

“Stomach ache?” said the boy Aksi, who I suspected wasn’t all there in the head. He opened his mouth wide in a yawn, then faceplanted.

That was when everyone began shouting.

“He’s fine! We’ll call for the physicians-”

“Aski! Wake up!”

“Will everyone be quiet? I’m trying to heal!”

“Well, this is unexpected,” said my mother, but she was lying too.

I frowned. This was weird. Dad was lying, which meant that he knew Sokka wasn’t fine. Which meant he’d known it would happen. Which meant he’d done it. Well, I wasn’t worried. The boy wasn’t dead. I could feel his pulse and deep breathing. He was just asleep.

“Won’t everyone just calm down? I’m sure everything will be fine!”

“No! My brother and cousin are unconscious!”

I quirked my brow. That was a lie. He wasn’t her cousin. What was he?

The guards rushed in, hearing the commotion, and walked up to Aang and Katara. “Please calm down,” one said.

“Why? What did you do?” Katara was quickly becoming hysterical.

The Avatar was facing my father. “What did you do?” he echoed.

Then, the guard reached out and touched Aang, a small, almost undetectable piece of metal in his hand. The Avatar gasped, then his pulse slowed, and he collapsed.

“Y-you!” started Katara, and her hand reached towards the table. Then the guard touched her too, and she fell.

I pressed my feet onto the floor, not believing what I was feeling. There were four prone, unconscious bodies lying around the dinner table. It was surreal.

“Dad?” I asked finally. “What just happened?”

“I’m sorry you had to be here for that, Toph,” he said. “But the Avatar is too dangerous. He is a threat to us, to our family.” He straightened. “Guards, please escort Toph to her room.”

As I allowed the guards to lead me out, I tried to process what had just happened. My father had just attacked the Avatar. And won. Well, it wasn’t like it was a fair fight, but… why?

As soon as the guards had left me in my room, I buried my feet into the floors of the manor, feeling out what was going on. The Avatar and his friends were being carried down into the cellar, being tied up. Something was really weird. Was my father going to sell them out to the Fire Nation? I hadn’t thought he was like that… but who knew, anymore? He lied about everything, he could easily be keeping secrets.

Well, I’d had enough. I was going to find out what was going on.

I walked over to the corner of my room, behind my bed. There, clear as anything, was a portion of the floor that had been cracked and reformed so many times that stress fractures were etched deep into the stone.

I stomped, breaking it open and revealing my personal tunnel network. From here I could go anywhere in Gaoling, from the outskirts where the badgermoles lived to the bending arena. I jumped in, sealed the top, and skated through the tunnels until I was underneath my parents’ room. I pressed my ear to the ceiling of the tunnel, and waited.

Eventually, my parents walked in. “We need to notify Visser Three,” said my mother.

Visser Three? What in the world did that mean?

“Yes, and make sure they do not escape this time,” agreed my father. “We must be vigilant. It is possible that some Andalites have survived the crash, and are giving the Avatar their aid.”

“Andalites!” spat my mother, with more venom than I thought was possible for her. “How is it possible?”

“Nepthil one-three-two tells me that the Avatar had help from an unknown source in Chin Town. An Andalite may have been masquerading as Visser Three to free him. And pieces of Andalite metal were found in Kyoshi.”

I frowned. What were they talking about? Was this some kind of code?

“Ugh! I hate those Andalite scum!”

“As do we all,” growled my father. “But I shall call the Visser.”

My father walked over to his drawer, and withdrew a complex metal device that had been inside. I had no idea what it was.

For a few moments, there was nothing as my father fiddled with the device, then a voice said, out of nowhere: “Gresh nevelet huvvel Visser Three?”

Yes, I know that’s nonsense. But that’s what it said. And when I say it came out of nowhere, I mean it. There was no one else in the room, yet there was a voice. It was unnerving.

“Escref one-four-six reporting,” said my father. “We have important news for the Visser.”

“Dargif tithrel?”

“We have captured the Avatar.”

There was another pause. And then, a fourth voice came, also out of nowhere.

“Escref one-four-six. This had better be worth my time!”

I guessed that this voice was that of the mysterious Visser Three. And let me tell you, it wasn’t a nice voice. I can tell. He sounded like he stomped on kittens for fun, and ate babies for breakfast. Seriously.

“Visser," my father said quietly and humbly. Which was weird, since ‘humble’ wasn’t a tone my father often took. “Escref one-four-six of the Ibith Markep pool submits to you. May the Kandrona shine and strengthen you."

“Get on with it.”

“We have successfully captured the Avatar. We hold him hostage and unconscious at this very moment, and await your instructions.”

“Excellent. Infest him immediately with any Yeerk you have; we can use a more important individual later.”

“Yes, Visser.”

“I will be arriving shortly.”

“Yes, Visser.”

There was a pause, and my father again fiddled with the metal device. Then he turned to face my mother.

“We have another problem.”

“What is it?” asked my mother.

“Toph. She saw what we did. She may suspect.”

I frowned. What might I suspect? Suspect that they were working for some weirdo named Visser Three? Who was he, anyway? How did he speak without being there?

“What should we do? We cannot infest her. It is a part of the agreement.”

My father paused. “We cannot. The thought angers my host greatly. And she is blind. Useless as a host. But she can still speak, and warn the humans. We may need to kill her.”

Kill her.

I felt like my blood had turned to ice. I couldn’t have heard what I thought I'd just heard, could I? My parents weren’t going to kill me. No, they-

“True. No one outside the household knows she exists. She will not be missed. We shall kill her.”

Oh, crap.

I was frozen in place. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was trapped in some awful nightmare.

Then, something in my father’s vibrations changed. He began to twitch like he had been drinking too much chi-enhancing tea, or like he was mentally ill. His hands were trembling, and his face contorting.

“Agh!” he said. “My host is- is fighting me!”

“He is?” My mother leaned forward, then her head abruptly snapped back. She cried out. “Mine too! Ah!”

“No, Lao!” snarled my father. “No! You will not win. You will never win. No host has ever fought off a Yeerk. I- will- win! I-will- break you!”

My parents had gone mad. This was the only explanation. They were talking to themselves, gasping and jerking, stumbling. I felt sick, but I couldn’t stop listening.

“Poppy, I will destroy you,” said my mother. “You will be nothing! You- ack!”

Now my mother was strangling herself, her own hand around her throat.

But it didn’t last long. In less than a minute, they had regained control of themselves, their shaking had ceased, and they were standing straight, breathing heavily. Without another word, they both left the room.

I sunk to the ground, feeling tears run down my cheeks. My parents were crazy. They wanted to kill me. What could I do? Where could I go? My tunnels could take me away. Far, far away from Gaoling. But after that, where?

I only really saw one option.

--------------------

“Hey! Twinkletoes! Wake up! Up! Rise and shine, weenie!”

I kicked the Avatar, and he didn’t react. Oh come on! What had my dad drugged them with, anyhow?

Fine. We’d have to do this the hard way. My parents were coming.

I ripped up the floor beneath the unconscious teens, and they fell down into my tunnel. I quickly resealed the hole above us, and began the process of pushing the ground beneath them to get them out of the house.

I stopped in my room only after making sure it was empty of guards or parents, and only long enough to grab my earthbending uniform. I then slowly made my way towards the outskirts of town, where the badgermoles lived.

I would be safe there.

-----------------------

“Ugggghhhhhnnnnn.”

I sighed and reclined against a rock. It was about time! Too bad the first one to wake up was the idiot.

“Welcome to the waking world, Crazypants.”

“It is night time!” Was it just me, or did he sound a bit panicked?

“Uh. Yeah. You were out for a while there.”

“For how long?” Yeah, definitely panicked. His heart was going crazy.

“I dunno. Half an hour, forty-five minutes, maybe?”

“I have very little time left. Do not be alarmed.”

“Alarmed at what? Wait- whoa! Whoa whoa whoa what the-”

Right there, in front of me, he was changing. His bones were shifting around, his weight and density were changing. Extra legs were coming out of nowhere and- oh by the ghost of my long dead grampa, a tail!

My mouth hung open. I had no idea what it was. This was something completely new.

(Thank you for saving me.)

Now there were voices in my head. Obviously, my parents’ crazy was contagious.

“Okay,” I said. “Okay. What are you?”

(I am an Andalite.)

Andalite. There was that word my parents had used. They hadn’t liked Andalites.

Then, the other boy, Sokka the cowpig, started to stir. “Ooooooof. Oh boy. What was in that soup?”

The ‘Andalite’ walked over to Sokka and knelt down, touching his shoulder.

“Oooh yeah. No kidding, Aksi.” After a several-second pause, the prone boy sat up and turned his face towards me. “Uh, Aximili? Toph is right there.”

There was another pause, and Sokka turned his face towards the 'Andalite,' as though it was talking.

“Um, well, she’s blind, Aksi. She wouldn’t know if you were-”

“I can see you just fine,” I grated, getting seriously annoyed. “And I can also hear you, if you don’t mind.”

“You can see…?”

(Are you truly blind?) the voice of the Andalite asked in my head. It sounded... oddly strained. Disgusted? (By birth?)

“Yeah, what of it? Were you a four legged mind-talking freak by birth?”

“Aximili is… um… from somewhere else.”

“Yeah.” I raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Right.”

We were interrupted then by Aang and Katara waking up.

“Ooooooogh.”

“Aaaaaaaaaagh.”

Cowpig boy helped them to their feet, and they turned to face me. “Um, Toph, where are we?” asked Katara.

I shrugged. “Just on the outskirts of town. No one else knows we’re here.” I paused. Did I really want to go with them? They had a… thing… with them. But it was better than my other option, right? “So, my parents are insane, and want to kill me. I’m going to come with you instead, if that’s alright.”

It was their turn to pause. “They want to kill you?” asked Aang.

“Yeah. They’re totally crazy. But they knew about you,” I pointed at ‘Aksi.’ “They were talking to some weird voice without a body called Visser Three, and then they decided to kill me. They really need a healer.”

The three teens and one Andalite were very still. “Toph,” said Katara quietly. “I think there’s something important you need to know.”

They told me then, about the Yeerks, and the Andalites, and everything. As they explained, a better sequence of the evening’s events came to me. My parents… they had tried to protect me, had tried to keep the Yeerks from infesting or killing me. They’d tried to fight off the Yeerk possession. But they’d failed.

They didn’t want to kill me. They loved me.

My hands clenched into fists, and I grit my teeth. All this time - probably ever since Master Yu’s lessons had stopped - my parents had been controllers.

It made me angry. Really angry.

“We have a lot of enemies, Toph,” Katara was still saying. “The Fire Nation, the Yeerks… they’re everywhere. Almost everywhere we meet one or the other. But we do need an earthbending teacher, and Aang thinks you’re the one. It’s really your choice. We don’t want to force you.”

“I’ll do it.”

I heard Aang gasp, and I lifted my face, so they could see my expression. “I mean it. I’ll help you learn earthbending, and when we find those Yeerks, I want to help you kill them.”

(You are brave… for a vecol.) The voice in my head that time held… what? Curiosity?

I raised my eyebrow. “Vecol? What’s that?”

(A cripple. One who cannot heal themselves by morphing.) There, disgust, mixed with an arrogance that would make any noble take note.

I didn’t like that tone. “Cripple, huh? Well, I guess I am just a poor, helpless blind girl. Can’t take care of myself, can’t help anyone, just a dead weight, right Aksi?”

I let myself smile sweetly, then dug my foot into the ground, twisting the earth under Aksi’s front hooves to the side and sending him to the floor.

“And I can kick your freaky butt any day of the week. ‘K?”

I turned to face the others. “So, how about this ‘morphing’ thing, huh?”

--------------------

It wasn’t that hard. I opened up the mountain and walked through tunnels large enough to hold the entire Bei Fong manor. I sent down a pulse, a call, a ‘hello.’ Badgermoles are curious about new things in their tunnels. They would come.

And when the old female came over to get a good smell of me, I acquired her.

------------------

(This. Is. Awesome.)

My roar was the scream of a demon. My legs were pillars. My claws, lances. My head, a battering ram. I stomped, and rent the earth apart.

(Ohhhhhhhhh yeah!)

-------------------

“I really don’t see the point of this. Why would I need to fly?”

I stroked Momo, who was being very quiet.

“It’s fun!” said Aang. “Flying is so fun!”

Uh, no. Flying on Appa was not fun, and I doubted flying with wings would be much better.

“It’s useful,” said Sokka. “Being small and less noticeable.”

“Fine, whatever.” I let Momo go, and he scampered off.

(It would be wise to prepare yourself. You may experience sensory input that you are not accustomed to.)

“Okay, Aksi. I think I can handle it.”

I stood up, stretched, and concentrated.

For a moment, nothing. Then, I felt my clothes get loose and big around me as I shrunk. I heard cracks as my bones changed, and my ears itched as they expanded. I rolled my tongue around the inside of my mouth, feeling the teeth change and the muzzle form. It was weird, yet cool.

I listened to Katara shifing from foot to foot nervously. What was she worried about? This wasn’t so bad.

I felt a bit more concerned when my earth-sight disappeared. That hadn’t happened when I’d morphed the badgermole. It was unnerving. I felt really, really blind, like I do in those few seconds when I jump into the air. I didn’t like it. How could I see?

Then-

(Ah!)

It was- how could I describe it? It was sharp, and hot, and harsh, and yet none of those things. It was an invasion, a burst, an explosion of sensation. It was motion and depth and form, and a million other things besides. It was overwhelming.

My eyelids flinched shut, and it disappeared. Gone.

Oh, man. Was that sight? No way was that sight. Were people all in a fuss over that… that chaos? How could you make sense of that?

“Toph?” someone- Aang- was saying. “Are you all right?”

(How do you do it?) I wondered. (It’s too much!)

“Do what?” wondered Katara. Spirits, they can be oblivious sometimes.

(Handle all the- the sharp in your eyes?)

“Sharp in your-”

(She is seeing,) said Aksi. (And, as a vecol, she has never seen before. Experiencing a new sense can be overwhelming.)

“Like you with taste?” asked Twinkletoes.

(Yes, like that.) He sounded uncomfortable.

I took a deep breath, as well as I could with my tiny lemur nose. All right. Let’s do this.

I opened my eyes.

------------------------

I had to learn these things. They made no sense to me, and while Momo could react to them, he had no words to describe them.

Blue. The quality of Aang’s arrow, the sky, and Aksi’s fur.

Green. The quality of the grass, the leaves of the trees.

Red. The quality of blood, and fire.

Yellow. Aang’s robes.

White. The clouds, and Appa’s fur.

Brown. The earth

I closed my lemur eyes, and saw Black.

#wip fic #aximili #aang #katara #sokka #toph #gaoling #avatar the last airbender #animorphs #crossover #fanfiction #fanfic extra #my fic #yeerks

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 7 years

Text

The Fishbone and The Firelily (Part 2)

My computer got a virus so I typed this via phone and edited it on here in the text post section. Because of this the formatting might be odd and I don’t have a word count. So apologies if this one is shorter or just not up to par with the first chapter.

He saw a blur of trees and a scalding ray of light.

“Aang? Aang?” It sounded muffled and distant. Something intangible came after that.

He blinked twice little sparkles danced across his vision before growing into large sunspots. The voice came again, and he felt his body jerk twice. Black blotches rose into the corners of his field of vision. “Katara,” he tried to mumble, though it sounded more like ‘guahara’. His mouth felt puffy and tingly. The black blotches spanned out until there was nothing left of the blurred trees. Only a small bead of light pierced through the splotches, he tried with all of his energy to hold onto it. But it was getting further, or maybe he was falling backwards.

.oOo.

"He's not good condition." The healer confirmed." The arrow was laced. Blackthorn and white jade bush, the combination is lethal, and with a touch of shredded leechy leaves is very slow acting. It can take months before he finally succumbs. Whoever did this wanted to prolong his suffering." He examined the arrow tip once again. "My word! Whoever did this must absolutely loath the child. See those black flecks?"

Katara peered over the man's shoulder and observed the liquid dripping from the arrowhead. At first all she saw was a slick shimmery sea green with a swirl of lavender and then she squinted. She saw it then, small, almost undetectable flakes of black. Like tiny onyx shavings that seemed to sap away all light around them. Katara had to confess the poison was darkly mesmerizing, if she didn't know any better she would have drank it under the impression that it would taste as lovely as it appeared.

"What is it?” Sokka asked before she could. She hadn't realized that he'd come to stand right beside her.

"Demon blood." The replies grimly. "As dangerous to the body and soul as it is alluring to the eye."

"So how do we help him?" Katara asked.

"Maybe we can go get some more water from the Spirit Oasis." Toph suggested.

"It takes more than that to combat demon blood. What you need to do is seek out the heart pool." The healer instructed.

"The heart pool?" Sokka asked.

"They say it's somewhere near Hira’a. In a place heavy with spirit energy." The healer replied. “According to the locals it gives life to the town. It’s the source of most spirit activity in the Fire Nation.”

“Okay but where is it in Hira’a?” Toph asked.

“Near Hira’a.” He corrected. “To be frank, I'm not even sure that such a thing truly exists. I’ve sought the heart pool out for some time now and have found no such thing."

Katara squeezed Aang’s hand “If there’s even a chance to help him, we have to do it.”

“I would imagine that you do. The world without an Avatar isn’t a promising world.” The healer agreed. He rummaged through a few shelves, knocking over empty vials, books, and other trinkets. He ignored the clatter of a crystal at his feet. At last he came upon a stack tattered pages. “Here is a list of all of the places I’ve explored. These are locations you can bypass, they have nothing of use. The last few pages are maps.”

“Looks like we're due for another trip to the Forgetful Valley.” Sokka said after skimming the list. Katara could hear in his tone that he was less than thrilled.

Toph on the other hand seemed pretty enthusiastic. “Neat, I’ve been wanting to visit these faces you’ve been telling me about.”

“You think Zuko is up for another trip?” Suki finally spoke.

“I think that Zuko has a lot of Fire Lordly business to take care of. We’re on our own this time.” Sokka replied.

Katara held Aang close, leaning his head against her neck. She could hear his breaths coming out steady and calm, having yet to be burdened by the poison coursing through his veins. She hoped with everything she had that they would find this heart pool before his breaths had a chance to become labored.

.oOo.

Getting from the Capital to Hira’a in itself had been a task, one that ate away at the precious time Aang didn’t have. Despite protest from Sokka, Aang opted to give Appa a break from flying and left him in the care of TyLee and the other Kyoshi Warriors, leaving them a bison short. Naturally, Sokka made sure to remind everyone that he told them to bring Appa along, to the point where even Suki was urging him to be silent.

It was three days to acquire a ship and another two to arrive in Hira’a’s port. Katara marked each one off on her calendar, feeling hear heart crumbling further with each dash.

“He could be wrong you know, about Aang having a few months.” Suki pointed out.

Still clinging to the remnants of their last argument Sokka asked, “was that supposed to be reassuring?”

“Of course it was.” Suki snapped back. “I meant that Aang could have more time than we think.”

He could have ended it there, but his worry over Aang and the stress of travel added some fight into his spirit. “Well maybe you should think about how you say things.” Or maybe it was the knowledge that he and Suki very well could have been on their way to Ember Island for a much needed vacation, but instead they found themselves in another life or death situation. No matter how it was, Sokka was feeling entirely agitated. The worst of it, he couldn’t even begin to come up with a motivation for the attack.

“On the upside, it seems like healer Rozen has covered a lot of ground in the Forgetful Valley already.” Katara noted after ogling the the map for a good while. “But that also means that the Forgetful Valley is a lot bigger then we thought.”

“How much bigger?” Sokka asked.

“Well...” Katara trailed off. She double checked the map. “He covered pretty much the same ground we did when we went. I mean he explored the place a little more, but not much.”

Sokka groaned, with any and all hope of them having come across it without knowing, completely obliterated, he was forced to resign to that he and Suki would have to reschedule their vacation for sure. At this point, Sokka didn’t know if he actually wanted a vacation with her at all. He ran a hand through his hair, what was he saying? Of course he did! He decided that it had to be his anxious mind doing the talking. Still he and Suki didn’t speak for the duration of the day. The only words he uttered, in fact, were a few confirmations when Katara inquired about the map in correspondence to their location.

Another three days, and they were still within familiar territory, relatively speaking. There were a few faces that Sokka recognized on the trees, and the spirit pools where they had met the Mother of Faces.

“This seems like a good place to set up camp for the night.” Suki declared.

“Yeah, Suki’s right, this place is protected too, so we can get a break from worrying about sneak attacks.” Sokka agreed.

“You can get a break.” Toph shrugged. “The rest of us realize that not too many people come here.”

“I think we should keep going.” Katara gave her in put. “Aang’s getting worse and it’s only been little over a week. I think Rozen might have underestimated the poison.”

“He seems like he’s breathing alright.” Sokka pointed out.

“Yes but,” she lifted his shirt some. Beneath the cloth a thick dark patch was forming, raised in some spots like thick veins and spanning out agonizingly slow. Perhaps if it weren’t so dark, he would have been able to see the slight pulsations. “I-I don’t even know what that is. I think it’s the demon blood.”

Sokka’s expression softened. “Alright, if you think it’s best to keep going, we’ll keep going.”

Katara nodded. “Thank you Sokka. I want to get somewhere that isn’t marked on Rozen’s map, at least then it will feel like we’re making progress.” She kissed the avatar’s forehead. “Hang in there, Aang.” She listened for a response, anything to indicate that he could hear her. But his body remained slack and unresponsive.

They were hours deep into night time when they finally reached some uncharted territory. Sokka’s feet were sore and his back was beginning to ache. He was glad for the water he replenished. He took a quick drink and kept moving, his eyelids feeling heavier with each moment.

“Are we ready to call it a night.” Toph yawned.

The group came to a halt by a lake overrun by the most peculiar mangrove tree. Instead of dull tan roots, this tree boasted ones of metallic white. If Sokka stared long enough he could see tiny flashes of purple, that could be mistaken for fireflies if not for their color. They would occasionally blink across the roots and fizzle away.

“Yeah, I guess we can.” Katara answered. Sokka could hear the reluctance in her voice. But seeing the exhaustion in her eyes...he wouldn’t have let her push on even if she begged him to.

“Good night everyone.” Not even bothering to craft herself a tent of stone, Toph practically flung herself to the floor.

Sokka crafted a small fire. Some hours before he had done some hunting and decided to cook the meat before it spoiled. The only one who didn’t accept his cooking was the earthbender who was deep into some dream that sounded rather impressive.

Unlike Toph, Katara didn’t sleep easy. She held Aang as tightly as she could so to feel his heart pounding on hers. No, she couldn’t fall asleep, not when she was so busy monitoring his breathing. She felt as though it would somehow cease if she stopped. She was certain that she was alone in her wakefulness until she heard Sokka rummaging through his pack.

“What are you looking for?” She murmured sleepily.

After giving a small start he answered, “my waterskin.” He found it and brought another splash of cool water into his mouth. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“If only I could.” She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on her knees. “Aang would probably give anything to be awake right now. It’s not fair.”

“What isn’t?”

“That we want to sleep while he’s forced to.” Katara replied.

Sokka nodded. “We can’t think like that right now. If we don’t get some sleep, we’ll never be able to help him stop sleeping. Right?”

He made it sound so logical. So simple.”Right...”

And she tried.

Sokka though, he couldn’t seem to take his own advice. It wasn’t just Aang, it was Katara. He hadn’t seen her in such a gloomy state since their father left for the war so long ago. He feared more than anything, what would become of Katara if she lost Aang. In a way she was right; it seemed unfair that Aang could withstand an all out war only to die at the hands of what was probably a stray arrow. But then why was it tinged with poison, he asked himself. It was one fiasco after another. Such was the life of the avatar, he supposed.

He stashed his waterskin away and busied himself with laying out a sleeping bag. If he couldn’t actually get to sleep, he may as well go through the motions. He could still see the embers from his cooking fire glowing. It was almost soothing, hopefully enough to lull him to sleep. But then again, fire was never particularly something that he found comforting.

He gave his sleeping bag another shake, trying to get it to land as flat as possible so he wouldn’t have to do much smoothing himself. From behind, somewhere nearer to the mangroves he heard a soft rustle. In no mood to deal with anymore stress, he chalked it up to the sound of his own sleeping bag. He offered the mangrove tree one quick sideways glance and nothing more. If he let his eyes linger at least a little longer he would have seen her.

#Azula #Sokka #Sokkla #Aang #Katara #Kataang #Avatar #Fanfiction

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