katara

rising with the moon

[ethereal-rpg]

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

a-ming-a-ling​:

Rolling her head to the side, Ming opened an eye to look at Katara. In a matter of minutes the younger girl went from calm to bouncing off the nonexistent walls. She kept listening to the other chatter and finally she felt the same excitement Katara felt. It was actually a plausible idea from what Katara was getting at, and one that Aang liked. She rolled onto her stomach and sat up. “So, wait.” She held a hand up. 

“What you’re saying is that this is something we should look into? Because the book I was reading only mentioned it in a single sentence, and I have a feeling the government censorship would keep any other information under wraps as well.” She took a second to think about where they could find out more about the council… “I’ve got it!” She scrambled to her feet at the idea.

“Katara, the only place I can think of in Caldera that could possibly give more insight would be the Palace Library. There are thousands of books in there, but the only problem is the only person that I’ve ever seen in there was Azula.” When her brain finally caught up with her mouth, Ming registered Katara’s last question. “I think it could work. The Fire Lord would be a fool to not at least try, but the Earth King and Water Tribes… I don’t know if they’d go for it.” Feeling resigned to the fact that the idea was a long shot, she sat back down on the ground. “But, that doesn’t mean we can’t try, right?” She wanted so badly to find a solution to the problem, and this was as close as she could get.

Katara nodded along with Ming’s words, pushing herself to her feet in excitement when the other girl hastily stood. “The Palace Library? I haven’t been there yet… but maybe I can ask Zuko to show me around it when he has some free time. I’m sure there are texts there dating back to before the government censor. And if anyone would know where they were kept, it would be Zuko.” Or possibly Azula, but Katara didn’t think that the Fire Princess would have necessarily been a reliable source of information—even if she hadn’t been currently imprisoned. “Zuko has his hands full right now… so I may not be able to search the library right away. However, as soon as I can, I’ll report back whatever I find, and then we can go from there.”

This could work. Katara hadn’t felt so certain about an idea since she had promised Aang that she would stay by his side to help Zuko—at least through the initial stages of the Fire Nation restoration. “I think it’s definitely worth a shot, Ming. I can’t speak for the Earth Kingdom or the Northern Water Tribe, but I think the Southern Water Tribe would at least be in.” As the chief’s daughter, she could almost guarantee it. “Besides, isn’t the concern that people will not have a voice in how the world is shaped in this post-war era? Setting up a council would provide all nations with a platform to ensure that their voices are heard—on an equal standing.” She grinned. “We may have to… sell it a bit to the other nations, but I really think it can be done. We have to at least try.” If not for themselves, then for the world. 

[ofbeifxng]

Location: Caldera City Time: A day after the City Hall meeting        - Opened for anyone -

     Toph had her hands extended and waving helplessly, wandering around the streets of Caldera City and bumping lightly into strangers. Muffled and innocent ‘I’m sorry’ escaped her lips each time she did it, a secret smirk harboring inside her conscience. Today was one of those boring days. She had nothing to do, Sparky was probably doing some boring Fire Lord stuff, Twinkle Toes was probably meditating at some boring cliff and Katara and Sokka probably still slept… boringly. Toph wasn’t sure if Suki would be around, the Kyoshi Warriors were usually early birds.

     “Oof, I’m sorry,“ she said to a stranger who she sensed turning around on his heels after their collision.

     “Be careful, stupid girl!“ he said, a flick of her finger enough for him to stumble on his feet when he later continued down the path, kissing the ground. “I guess pretending to be helpless can also turn out to be boring.“ She turned to the feeling of presence beside her. “Are you gonna bore me as well? Let’s do something fun for once after this hell of protests and political issues. We can throw pebbles at squirrels or go find a mud or a swamp and go soak ourselves in!“

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

Katara had awoken that morning from another restless night, prominent dark circles under her eyes proving just how poorly she had been sleeping as of late. Grimacing at her reflection in the vanity in her room, the waterbender decided right then and there that she needed to do something about her exhausted, stressed complexion—it was time for a spa day. And so, with a recommendation from the palace staff to try the Fire Lily Day Spa, Katara made her way through the streets of Caldera City in search of the popular establishment. 

As she walked, Katara found herself softly humming under her breath, enjoying the cooler temperature of the morning air and the quieter streets. Her stroll through Caldera City today had been fairly uneventful in comparison to the craziness of the past few days. Well, at least until now… Katara frowned as she spotted Toph up ahead, catching the tail end of the younger teenager’s interaction with a bystander who she caused to trip with her earthbending. Rolling her eyes, but knowing full well that lecturing Toph about it would only fall on deaf ears, Katara walked up to the earthbender’s side. “It depends on what your idea of ‘boring’ is,” she stated, deciding not to comment about the scene that she had just witnessed. “It’s funny that you mention mud because I’m actually on my way to the Fire Lily Day Spa. Want to tag along?” She grinned. “It may not be as fun as ‘throwing pebbles at squirrels,’ but I know how much you enjoyed the mud baths when we were in Ba Sing Se.”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

a-ming-a-ling​:

A half hearted smirk lifted the left corner of Ming’s mouth at the thought that Katara, the girl who was so open and honest with Ming, practically a stranger, would have a hard time trusting Zuko. It was one more thing the two girls have in common besides jewelry and dismissal of the bloodsuckers around lakes. “I can give him a chance, I suppose. I just hope he doesn’t disappoint.” The whole world, she could have added, but reframed. Katara probably knew that kind of pressure better than anyone, and Ming didn’t need to remind her.

At the other’s answer to her question, Ming couldn’t help but feel her mood and smirk fall. “Yeah, you’re right. The world is tough right now, that’s for sure. You’ve probably lived more life in three years than most people live in a lifetime. Take as much time beside the water as you need.” She felt a cramp in her leg, and decided to flatten out and lay down on the grass. Arms behind her head, she closed her eyes and soaked in the sun. She tried to calm her mind, think of happy things to brighten up the mood. “You probably know a little about politics, right? I read this thing in a history book about some sort of council between the four elements, how do you think that played out? I mean, what did they talk about before the war, the price of Komodo sausages?” She let out a little laugh, hoping Katara liked the joke.

Katara grinned, resting her chin against the arms wrapped around her knees. “A chance is all any of us can ask for.” The rest would fall on Zuko. She, too, hoped he wouldn’t disappoint. The waterbender could only trust that, like he had with the gang in the three (yes, very long and adventure-filled) years that they had known him, Zuko would ultimately win over his nation’s citizens.

Swatting at one of those obnoxious little blood-suckers, Katara was momentarily distracted by the sudden (repulsive) thought that she could probably bloodbend the little pests away from them when Ming, now reclining in the grass, made a joke about a past council and the price of Komodo sausages. “Probably,” the waterbender replied, absently. “From what Aang has told me, things were fairly idyllic before the war…” She trailed off, her head lifting from its resting position on her arms, suddenly registering exactly what Ming had said. “Wait, there used to be a council between the four elements? That was actually a thing?” She turned her gaze to the young woman beside her, all other thoughts—of the protests, the war, and bloodbending insects (ew)—disappearing at this revelation. “I had no idea… What do you know about it?” The waterbender couldn’t hide the excitement in her tone, her blue eyes alight with her eagerness to hear more about this council. “I actually suggested a similar idea to Aang yesterday to bring up with Zuko—after he addresses the Fire Nation’s concerns, of course. The Fire Nation should definitely be his top priority,” she quickly reassured. “But after… There is just so much work to be done across all nations.” Katara paused for a moment, allowing herself to catch her breath after her rushed words, before hesitantly asking, “Ming, do you think it’s possible for a council like that to exist in this day and age?”

[spaceswcrd]

where. the fire palace, katara’s room when. midnightish, following the forum closed to @notjustyoursugarqueen

There wasn’t much guarantee that Katara would be awake at this hour, but Sokka couldn’t sleep, and Katara was his sister, which meant that she had a responsibility as his sibling to suffer sleeplessness with him. And besides, based on the patterns of behavior they’d developed from three years of a life essentially on the run and the unrest they’d witnessed the past few days, he was pretty willing to bet that she was awake, as ill at ease as he was.

That didn’t stop him from pacing in front of her door long enough that no fewer than three (3) palace guards stopped him to ask if he was lost, even though his own room was right next door and he probably could’ve paced there. A few of the myriad topics circling his brain at the time: should he have spoken at the forum? Public speaking and Sokka were not friends—Aang had given him a whole pep talk about it, in fact—but if even Teo could take the stage to discuss the records of atrocities he’d discovered, shouldn’t he have been able to hop up there and tell everyone about some of the ways the Southern Water Tribe had suffered, how the tribe had never had the opportunity to fully rebuild after the regular ravages from the Fire Nation while they stole away all of their water benders? Shouldn’t he have been able to remind everyone that Zuko, in his core, wanted to do good and heal the world, but the rest of the world deserved healing and reparations as much as the downtrodden citizens of the Fire Nation? And if the focus had become helping to purge the Fire Nation of its sins, what purpose did he serve here anymore? (What purpose did he serve here to begin with now that the war was over?)

And every time he thought about whether he should go home, he remembered it—the burning anger in Katara’s eyes as she boarded Appa with Zuko, ready to face off the man who murdered their mother, the way she said then you didn’t love her the way I did.

Sokka knew, of course he knew, that she’d just said it to hurt him. She didn’t really mean that; emotions were high, and she’d just been offered the promise of closure from the loss of their mom. But—what if she did think that he didn’t love their mom the way she did, and what if she was right? What if he’d lost his sense of duty to their home, and that was why he hesitated to return?

UGH, this was getting him nowhere. “Katara. Katara, open up, I’m freaking out,” he said to the door, accompanied with erratic knocking. But this was Sokka, so of course he didn’t wait for her to answer and instead threw open the door, tossing anxious handfuls of sizzle-crisps into his mouth. Wait, shit, where did he start? He couldn’t just come in here and unload all of his problems onto Katara without warning, never mind that Sokka didn’t “enjoy” talking about his “feelings.”

“…I think there’s an evil spirit outside of my room?”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

If Katara had been having trouble with sleeping before—with the constant nightmares stemming from their adventures and the, quite literal, near death experience at the hands of Zuko’s sister plaguing even her most pleasant of nights—then this was an entirely new level of sleeplessness. She had tried everything—from drinking a calming cup of chamomile tea to counting penguin otters sledding across ice in her head—to no avail. Every time she shut her eyes, it wasn’t the haggard face of Hama or the maniacal glee of Azula that she now saw; it was the faces of the speakers at the forum—particularly those of Teo and Smellerbee, who were neither Fire Nation citizens.

That day at the forum, every word that had fallen from their lips about the harm the Fire Nation had caused the other nations was like a dagger plunged into Katara’s heart until she was left with nothing remaining but guilt at the fact that she hadn’t spoken for the Southern Water Tribe, too. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to speak for her tribe; in fact, she was more than willing to be a voice for her people—in the appropriate setting. And as the forum was intended (at least from Katara’s point of view) to be a place for the Fire Nation citizens to air their grievances against the Fire Nation and the newly appointed Fire Lord Zuko, she hadn’t believed that the forum was that setting. But even with that belief, it didn’t stop the guilt from rising in her throat like bile or her thoughts from spiraling with regret.

About to accept the fact that this would probably be another completely sleepless night where she did nothing but stare at the ceiling, Katara jumped at the sudden muffled words and rapid knocks at her door. She would know that voice anywhere—even through the impressively solid construction of a Fire Nation door. “Sokka?” Before she could even get up to answer his incessant knocking, the aforementioned individual took the liberty to burst into her room, stuffing something (sizzle-crisps?) into his face. “Wha—” She shook her head, clearly confused. “An evil spirit outside your room?” Her eyebrows rose to almost meet her hairline. “What are you—twelve?” She rolled her eyes, motioning for him to shut the door behind him, before trying again with a gentler tone. “Do you want to sit down and talk about it?” Though Katara may have heard claims of evil spirits in earnest from her older brother during their childhood, she had a suspicious feeling (unsurprisingly) that this claim was just an excuse for something else.

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

bluearrowed​:

“Sorry,” Aang said, laughing in a good-natured way. He knew he’d probably gotten way too excited, but, even though Sokka was the ideas guy, Katara had some pretty good ideas too. Anything she came up with would be useful. Zuko needed all the help he could get to quell the angry protesters. So, Aang went quiet and watched Katara eagerly, waiting for her idea.

He nodded as she spoke. She was right– everyone had demands and requests and stories they wanted to be heard, but change needed to start at the source, and the Fire Nation needed to be addressed first. But that crowd of protesters wasn’t just made up of Fire Nation civilians. Aang followed Katara’s gaze, and looked at the mixture of people standing together – Earth Nation, even some people from the Water Tribe. They weren’t all there about the council. They couldn’t be. They had other issues, other reasons for protesting. Katara was right – after the Fire Nation council, Zuko needed to look at healing the pain his forefathers had caused to other nations as well. But Aang knew that already. They all knew that, right? What was her idea?

She squeezed his hand, and Aang squeezed back, and met her gaze. A council of nations. As Katara spoke, she got louder, but Aang didn’t care. She was passionate – she always had been. She believed in what was right, and she wanted to change things, just like Zuko, just like he did. He didn’t say anything, or interrupt. He just let her talk, patiently waiting for her to finish voicing her idea. After a moment, he said, “We don’t know if Zuko’s thought of this, Katara. But it’s a good idea. A really good idea.” He smiled warmly, wanting to encourage her. “You’re right. This isn’t all Zuko’s responsibility. And I like the idea of having a representative from each nation. They could be chosen by the people, so it’s fair.” He looked into Katara’s eyes, not letting go of her hand, and smiled. “If I see Zuko before you, I’ll tell him your idea,” he said, firmly. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

“Thanks, Aang,” Katara breathed, giving his hand one last squeeze before finally letting go. She meant it, too. Because though she felt deep down that the idea was a good one, she couldn’t help but have lingering doubts. The nations all on equal standing, working together to determine the next stages of this era of peace? Just a few weeks ago, when the Fire Nation was still under Ozai’s reign, the idea would have been laughable. In fact, in many ways, the idea was still a level of optimism that even Katara—someone who clung to hope in even the darkest moments—had difficulty maintaining. If they were to seriously consider undertaking such a large endeavor, it would take time and a whole lot of effort—two things that Zuko didn’t necessarily have much of right now with his hands full with his own nation’s calls for action.

“Perhaps we wait to mention it to him, though… At least a few days after all of this has died down?” Katara nodded her head toward the crowd once again, reminding him—and, more importantly, herself—that there were more pressing matters at hand. “I’m afraid this won’t be over when the protest ends,” she confessed, grimly. Actually, it didn’t seem like the protest itself would be over any time soon as more and more voices joined the fray. Frowning in concern, Katara turned her gaze back to Aang. “As much as I want to stay back here talking with you, it might be time for us to split up to keep a better eye on the crowd... Just in case we have to intervene if things start to get violent.” She really, really hoped that wouldn’t happen, but you could never be too careful. “I’ll meet up with you later, okay?”

fin

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

hahn-dredregrets​:

“Of course,” Hahn nodded at the mention of the Northern waterbenders, letting out a nervous laugh. Okay, perhaps his effusive manner had been a bit much, but at least she hadn’t said anything about it. At most, she’d probably think he was an obsessive fanboy, which wasn’t that bad. At least it would have the desired effect of scaring her away without him actually having to scare her anyway, so he’d call it a small victory, misconceptions about his true emotions be damned– she’d probably be kinder to him if she thought he had an unrequited crush anyway.

Not that he hated her, though. Perhaps there was a tinge of jealousy, if he ever decided to be honest with his emotions, but apart from that, he didn’t think he had any particular strong feelings towards her. Just a preference for zero interaction with the war heroes, please and thank you; they reminded him too much of his own pains. It was nice to know that Katara actually knew the bounds of her own capabilities, though, unlike that nut-brained boy she called her older brother. Her maturity exceeded his by leaps and bounds, it was honestly a surprise to Hahn that they were related at all, much less that she was the younger of the two.

At the mention of her brother training with his army, Hahn could only offer a tight-lipped smile. “The warriors were definitely skilled, I knew some personally.” He couldn’t stop the small sense of pride blooming, flowers finding homes in the cracks of his ventricles, knowing that he’d had a hand at training some of their finest warriors. Knowing he had been one of them, even if it had only been for a blip on the grand scale of things. Even if some of the petals were tinged with sadness.

With a modicum of effort, he pushed the sullying thoughts out of his head space, disappointment beginning to fill its place. She didn’t give him much about the Fire Lord to go on, which he supposed was his cue to leave… if he could. He merely nodded at her questions muscles straining to keep his lips upturned. Ending the conversation there would have been rather awkward and extremely rude, so Hahn opted instead for a rather curt comment. “The food here is lovely.” He punctuated the sentence with a long pause, hoping the silence would be enough discomfort for Katara to let him go.

The young man’s short responses and drawn-out silences had their intended effect on Katara, who awkwardly shifted her stance. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that he was purposefully trying to rid himself of her. But that was silly… right? She had been nothing but pleasant, and it wasn’t like he was harboring some deep-seated grudge against her—being a total stranger and all. Either way, she couldn’t help but feel as awkward as she did the day before when she had tried to keep up a conversation with Zuko’s girlfriend, Mai, and had explained that Aang had been eating a bowl of raw lettuce because it was a “monk thing” before rushing off to potentially find him something “less leafy.” (Definitely not one of Katara’s finest moments…)

Forcing herself to keep her smile from slipping, the waterbender decided it was as good a time as any to take her leave and try to locate her friends. After all, the protesters were all gone. Her job here was done—not that she had really done much outside of sit and listen to the protesters speak, mind you. “Well, I should probably be heading back.” She gestured vaguely away from the Palace grounds. “I hope the rest of your stay here in the Fire Nation isn’t as… eventful as today has been, and that you get to actually enjoy it,” she stated, truly meaning the sentiment despite how awkward she now felt. “Oh, and do try those scallops if you get the chance!”

With one last friendly grin and a small wave, Katara turned away from the Northern Water Triber, her feet swiftly carrying her away. It wasn’t until she was safely around a corner, letting out a sigh of relief that she had escaped the awkward silence without saying anything too embarrassing, that she realized that he hadn’t even told her his name.

fin

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

a-ming-a-ling​:

“You’re probably right, Katara. It’s just hard to trust him, when you know all of the bad things he can do. Didn’t it take time for you, too?” She didn’t know necessarily, but she had heard from the Ember Island Players play that Zuko had hunted her and Aang and some other people, and if that was true Ming had no idea how Katara did it. Trust was something that didn’t come easily to Ming, not anymore at least. She knew things about the Fire Nation that made her skin crawl, and in some ways she wished she’d been blissfully unaware of the whole thing. At least then she would have been happy.

But that wasn’t possible anymore. What had been done was done, and now everyone had to pick up the pieces of themselves and society, both tasks hard and sometimes impossible. She sat down on the ground then, patting the spot next to her as an invitation to Katara, and watched the water glisten in the daylight. “Has life always been this complicated, or do the Spirits just hate everyone?” She had her knees to her chest, and chin to her knees in a bit of a vulnerable position. It felt like the world was always one gentle breeze from caving in, and Ming couldn’t handle another rebuild. “You don’t have to answer that. But I do have a question I would like a response to: why are you out here on the Eastern Lake when you could be waterbending in the Palace garden?” She then looked over to Katara, waiting for a response.

Completely at odds with her previously serious demeanor, Katara suddenly let out a short bark of laughter at Ming’s first question. “Oh, you have no idea how long it even took me to stop hating his guts—let alone trust him!” The waterbender shook her head, clearly amused. “In fact, if you had told me a few years back that our enemy would one day become Aang’s firebending teacher and our friend, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she confessed, only willing to admit these things to Ming because they were the only two people crazy enough to be in the vicinity of this bug-infested lake… and because, well, she trusted the older girl. (Hopefully that trust wasn’t misplaced.) “I was only able to trust Zuko once he proved to me that he was worthy of my trust. But first, I had to give him the opportunity to prove it…” Like the Fire Nation citizens needed to do, she wanted to add. However, she knew that would be a bit too on the nose.

Accepting Ming’s unspoken invitation, Katara lowered herself to the ground to sit beside the older girl, pulling her knees to her chest. “Possibly a little bit of both,” she retorted, dryly, knowing full well that Ming’s question was mainly rhetorical. Life hadn’t felt so complicated back during her childhood in the Southern Water Tribe, but that had been a result of her own naivety to the true nature of the world and the war that raged outside of the icy confines of her home. As for the Spirits? Who knew what they were thinking—outside of maybe Aang. “Honestly? I just needed some time away from everyone to process everything.” Katara shrugged, eyeing the murky depths of the lake for a moment before turning her gaze back to Ming. “Am I correct in assuming that’s the same reason you’re here?”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

bluearrowed​:

As soon as Katara said she’d be here to help, Aang felt himself relax. He hadn’t realised how much he needed her until she said she’d that. He knew it wasn’t fair – she’d already travelled across the world for him, and faced danger so many times – but he still needed her for whatever came next. She’d helped him so much. She squeezed his hand, and he wanted to throw his arms around her and hug her, but the protesters could still see them, and he had to act like the Avatar. Which meant no hugging his maybe-girlfriend. So he just grinned, looking at her so that only she could see.

“Yeah, we will,” he agreed, when she said they’d help Zuko. He liked that he could say we. He’d been afraid of her answer, afraid that, now the threat of Ozai had passed, Katara would want to go home to the Southern Water Tribe. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she had. If he could have gone back to the Southern Air Temple ruins again, just to see it – if he could have taken some time for himself – he would have done. But he couldn’t. Already, he could feel the responsibilities and pressures of being the Avatar weighing down on him. He’d defeated Ozai three days ago – he could still feel the heat of Ozai’s flames burning through his rock shield, melting it, and he could still hear the clear ringing of his energybending, clearly in his head. He’d only just saved the world, but his duties weren’t done, and he knew it. When he talked about them, he focused on building a better world for everyone, and bringing peace, like Zuko had said. But when he thought about everything he still had to do? He felt tired and sick and overwhelmed.

Katara asked if he planned to speak to Zuko, and said she had an idea, and Aang brightened up immediately. “You do?” he asked, excitedly. “That’s great! I knew you would!” He could always count on Katara to have a good idea. Aang just bounced from job to job, figuring out what he had to do as he went, but Katara planned ahead. He smiled at her, expecting some kind of miracle.

Katara chuckled behind her free hand. Just as she had been thinking about how much Aang had matured during their travels and the stress of the past few days, he practically turned into an otter penguin pup in his excitement. It was like someone had flipped a switch in the teenager the second she had mentioned that she could potentially have an idea. “Now don’t get too excited! I’m sure it’s nothing that Zuko hasn’t thought of himself,” she demurred. Though she hadn’t had the opportunity to personally speak with Zuko one-on-one since the fight with his sister, Katara was certain that he had plans to change the way his nation was run. In the time that he had spent with the gang teaching Aang firebending, Katara had grown to respect and to trust Zuko. She trusted that he would do the right thing by the Fire Nation as well.

“Right now his focus should be on the Fire Nation citizens and addressing their concerns,” Katara began, volume dropping in pitch to keep the conversation between the two of them. “But what about after his citizens’ needs are met? What about the citizens of the other nations? Will there just be more and more protests outside his gates?” She let her gaze trail over to the crowded streets, taking in the pitchforks and the shouts and the chaos. No, they couldn’t just leave their friend to fend for himself in a sea of discontent faced at the Fire Nation. “After Zuko addresses the concerns with his own Fire Nation council, I think we should propose something bigger.” 

Katara met Aang’s gaze once more, tightening her hold on his hand that she still held. “A council of nations. With representatives chosen by each nation to work with Zuko and his council. Everyone on equal standing to communicate and work together to bring about this new era of peace.” Realizing that her words had steadily gained volume from the force of her passion the longer she spoke, the waterbender paused for a moment before adding, more quietly, “After all, the crimes of the war are not the Fire Nation’s alone to atone for. All of the pressure shouldn’t be on Zuko.” With the words spoken aloud, hanging in the air between them, Katara suddenly felt a bit embarrassed; it wasn’t like she was the leader of a nation. She was just some teenage girl with a lot of opinions. “But like I said, Zuko has probably thought of this already.”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

hahn-dredregrets​:

Katara’s unexpected greeting had Hahn fumbling with a bow of his own, but more a consequence of a lack of practice than anything else. His angles were probably awkward, motions a little excessive, and stance slightly askew, but it was the heart that counted, no? Except… he didn’t think that was there either. He scoffed inwardly, rising after he felt like what was an acceptable time to convey his (nonexistent) respect for the teenager. She didn’t have to know that, though, he thought wryly, the smile of his face slowly widening into a grin. “Ah, it’s such an honour to meet an extremely skilled water bender like you,” he gushed, holding back the bile that threatened to bubble up his larynx. Even with the years of grovelling as a teenager, it never did get easier. But ingratiating with her especially? The sour taste in his mouth was particularly pungent. “I used to envy water benders.”

Chief Arnook? Well, she certainly wasn’t lacking in her arsenal of weapons, was she? If Hahn had been any more aggrieved, his eyes would probably have narrowed by then. Instead, they merely twitched, as he began to work on ripping away the new metaphorical ice knife she’d just driven into him, sealing whatever hole was left in its wake. He hadn’t spoken to Chief Arnook in years, shame practically consuming his entire being when he gave his resignation. And even as shame morphed into something akin to grit over the years, he’d simply kept his head low. There was little reason to continue with formalities anyway. It wasn’t like he would be Chief anymore: with Yue gone and his credibility lost, The Northern Water Tribe would never have accepted his leadership.

“Ah, I wish I could tell you!” he laughed as he pushed a stray strand of hair behind his ear, “I’m just a commoner who wanted to see the coronation with my own eyes… clearly wasn’t expecting this, though.” He gestured towards the now-serene landscape of the Palace grounds, and it would have been difficult to imagine how it could ever be decimated by an angry mob had it not just happened. “Fire Lord Zuko must be having a hard time now,” he mused out loud, looking up at domineering structure that stood before them. Perhaps she could give him insight into the current Fire Lord’s psyche– it would certainly sweeten this encounter with her.

Such an honor to meet an extremely skilled waterbender like her? Katara felt like he was laying it on a bit thick… but then again, maybe he just had an overly enthusiastic personality. (She’d give him the benefit of the doubt.) Feeling awkward at the gushing praise, she simply smiled in return. “Um… thanks. Calling it an ‘honor’ may be pushing it, though,” she confessed with a laugh. “There are just as skilled waterbenders in the Northern Water Tribe, if not more.” Sure, Katara was proud of her waterbending; her skills had come a long way in the years since she had left the Southern Water Tribe to travel with Aang. However, she would never be one to brag about her abilities—especially to a stranger. Besides, Katara had just as many non-bender friends who could hold their own equally as well in a fight. Her brother Sokka, for instance. 

Speaking of Sokka… “From what I saw during my time there, the Northern Water Tribe had extremely skilled warriors, too. My older brother trained with them for a bit.” The young man before her certainly looked like he could be a warrior, but Katara refrained from flat-out asking out of fear that she would unintentionally insult him. The Northern Water Tribe, though in many ways similar to her own tribe, had some fairly antiquated notions about things like who could learn to fight. Perhaps there was some (stupid) law that commoners, as he claimed to be himself, could not be warriors? After all, before she had come along, women couldn’t learn to use waterbending for fighting.

As he gestured out toward the palace grounds, Katara turned her gaze away from the young man to survey their surroundings. In the short timeframe of their interaction, the final remaining stragglers had departed from the scene. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened. Only the Fire Nation Royal Palace remained, as imposing a figure as ever against the horizon, sunlight glittering across its rooftop tiles. “He has a hard job ahead of him,” she agreed. “I certainly don’t envy his position.” But though she felt a kinship towards this stranger because he was Water Tribe, Katara wouldn’t say more about the newly crowned Fire Lord. After all, there had just been a massive protest that called out his actions—or perceived lack thereof. Shooting a pleasant smile back at her companion, she steered the conversation into safer waters. “I hope you got the chance to enjoy the coronation celebrations, at least. Did you happen to try the bacon-wrapped scallops? The seafood is surprisingly good here.”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

a-ming-a-ling​:

Watching the water droplets release themselves from her hair and face and settle into the lake, Ming felt amazed by the power of waterbending. In the course of minutes it had frightened and confused her, and yet again the impression it left shifted like the tide, making Ming appreciate the beauty and prowess of even the smallest of drops. Now that she was dry, Ming could smile at the other. “No need to apologize, I just got carried away by the surprise.” Ming focused on tying up her hair as she listened to the rest of what Katara said, but paused at the mention of yesterday.

Yesterday, she had not been herself, not at all. She had been a monster who terrorized the street with an angry mob, slanging the names of two people whose names had no place on her lips, and above all, she had made a mockery of her own name. In that moment, she wanted to hide away from the world, crawl into a hole and pity herself. But, instead she finished fixing her hair, and focused on keeping her voice even and her eyes on the ground. “Yeah, yesterday… I-” Sighing, she tried to look into the other’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. If I said anything that hurt you, and even if I didn’t, it was unacceptable and I should have kept my mouth shut.” Apologizes always felt harder than they should, especially when you felt worse afterward. But, it had to be done, especially if it felt wrong. Wasn’t that how you knew you needed to apologize? “I know Zuko is a friend of yours, and having met him personally, I can tell he’s a good person. I just think he’s too young to be doing this alone, and that counsel? He may not be naive, but I’ve witnessed how some of those guys act and… let’s just say deceit and lies are their specialties.” She had good intentions, it was true, and she hoped that Katara could see that.

Katara immediately shook her head at Ming’s words, gently dismissing the need for the other girl to apologize. It was starting to become a bit ironic. How many times now had one of them apologized to the other—only to turn around and reassure that no apology was needed—during their brief encounters? The waterbender wasn’t sure how they kept finding themselves in this constant back and forth dance, but she couldn’t help but feel fondly of Ming because of it. Despite what Ming felt that she had to apologize for now, Katara knew deep down that Ming was one of the good ones. Harsh (heart-felt) words spoken at a protest—even if they had been spoken against one of her friends—wouldn’t be enough to change that.

“Thank you, but you don’t owe me an apology… No one should have to apologize for voicing their opinion.” Katara smiled wryly, thinking of all the apologies she herself would owe if that were the case. “If the citizens of a nation don’t speak up and make their concerns known, how can anything ever change? It’s the responsibility of those in power to listen to and act on those concerns.” She looked out toward the lake once more, watching a single dragonfly flit across the surface. “Zuko is young,” she agreed, quietly, “but I know him well enough to know that he won’t try to do it alone.” And if he did try to do something that pig-headed, the rest of the gang was there to remind him of how bad of an idea that was—whether he wanted the reminder or not.

“I know this is probably not what you would like to hear, but you have to give him a chance to listen. When given the opportunity, I think he’ll surprise you.” As the dragonfly flew away, Katara turned her smile back to the older girl at her side. “But until then, if you want someone to talk to about it, I’m here. I may not have grown up under the rule of Fire Lord Ozai, but even the Southern Water Tribe felt the effects of his tyranny.” She unconsciously touched a hand to her mother’s necklace, the smooth surface of the stone anchoring her to the present when the sad memories threatened to drag her under. “No one wants to go back to that world. We all want the Fire Nation to change for the better.” Or, at least, most of them did.

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

bluearrowed​:

Being with Katara made everything feel better. Aang could ignore the crowd behind them, even if it was just for now. He felt calmer and safer immediately. But, when she said she was distracted by the crowd, his smile faded a little. “Yeah I know,” he said, seriously. He knew a lot of people were still angry, and they wanted justice, but this? When he thought about the work he still had to do – the weight of responsibility that still hung over his head – he wanted to run away, like he had at the Southern Air Temple. He knew that was wrong, and he’d never, ever, abandon his friends, and the people who needed him – not after what had happened – but it didn’t stop him from feeling it. He might have been a fully realised Avatar now, but he still felt sick when he thought about how many people were counting on him.

But, as bad as he felt, he knew it was probably nothing compared to what Zuko felt. He met Katara’s gaze. Part of him wanted to tell her that he didn’t know what he was planning to do – what should he do, as the Avatar? Should he go visit the Fire Nation colonies, and try to get them to leave Earth Kingdom territory? Should he stay here, and help Zuko deal with the requests of the Fire Nation people? Should he try to rebuild the crumbling, ruined, architectures of his people, and preserve the Air Nomad culture? In his heart, he knew what he wanted to do. What he had to do. And he nodded.

“Yes,” he said, and it felt like he was making his first real decision since defeating Ozai. “I’m gonna stay here and help Zuko.” He turned around to look at the crowd again, holding his glider like a staff. “You’re right, Katara. These people need a lot of healing. I can’t just leave it Zuko to deal with on his own. I’m the Avatar. I’ve gotta help him restore balance to the Fire Nation.” He’d let the coronation and the celebrations get to him, and he’d forgotten his duties. He turned back to Katara, and he had to ask. They hadn’t talked about it yet. His voice was softer, more nervous now. “What… what are you gonna do?” he asked, quietly.

Katara solemnly watched as Aang turned to survey the crowd with glider in hand, once again feeling a pang of regret in her chest that the world wasn’t a kinder place. Instead, it was greedy and demanding, always taking, and taking, and taking. It had taken Aang’s childhood. (It had taken all of their childhoods, if she were to be completely honest.) And now, when the war was finally over—when a well-earned rest was just within their reach—it came calling with further demands and responsibilities. And because Aang was the Avatar, he was expected to sacrifice everything once again to answer the world’s call. And because Aang was Aang, he would do it without complaint.

It was too much weight for one person to bare. Just as Katara knew that Zuko would need Aang’s help, she knew that Aang would need help, too. So when Aang turned back to her with the quiet question of what she would do, Katara’s answer sprung immediately to her lips without hesitation. “I’ll be here to help you.” She reached forward to give his free hand a reassuring squeeze, her expression still serious but not as solemn as it once was. “I may not be the great Avatar,” she shot him a small teasing grin, “but I can at least provide another perspective. We’ll help Zuko through this.” She was confident they would. And then after… after the fire was put out here in the Fire Nation capital (no pun intended), Katara would figure out what path her future would take. She couldn’t promise Aang that she would always be by his side, but she would at least remain there for now.

For a moment, Katara just allowed herself to look at Aang, committing this moment to memory, her hand still gently holding his. Though he hadn’t lost his childlike demeanor, their journey had taken a toll on the boy—no, teenager—before her. She was so proud of the person he had become. He had done great things for the world, and Katara knew that he would continue to do more… even if she wasn’t there to see them. But she didn’t have time to sappily reminisce right now. “Are you planning to speak with Zuko again soon? I’m not a politician by any means, but I have an idea that may help…”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

hahn-dredregrets​:

Of course it would be her, he thought bitterly, now only registering who it was in front of him. Katara: a fraction of the Avatar’s beloved ragtag team. He should have recognized her a mile away. He really should have, so he wouldn’t be in this awkward mess of a potentially disastrous situation. There was nothing he could do now, though, so Hahn figured he’d just have to suck it up and make this conversation as painless as possible. At her question, his brows furrowed slightly, more affronted than anything. He’d be lying to himself if it said that it didn’t feel like Katara had waterbended icicles and driven them straight into his heart, opening wounds of the past he’d sworn to keep sealed. Without a doubt, old thoughts had begun to spill out of the open cut now: he could feel them bubbling, threatening to overflow and consume his placid demeanor. How could she– every girl in the North was probably crazy about him! Had he not been worthy enough for her to remember him? Did his rank in the army mean nothing? (And, although he wasn’t willing to admit it in retrospect: was he not good looking enough?)

No, you’re better than this, he thought trying to coax whatever Katara had inadvertently dredged up back to where they had to be. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could only hope that his scrunched face looked more like one of intense concentration and recollection than of aggravation.

Feeling somewhat in control of his emotions once more, he relaxed his features, even putting on a small smile. Hahn considered lying, but she knew Sokka and… well, it wouldn’t turn out too well if she found out she’d been lied to, would it now? He settled instead for vague truths. “Maybe? Don’t think we ever formally met, but… I was from the Northern Water Tribe,” he shrugged, omitting as much detail as possible. If luck was on his side, maybe she’d get called to do her ’hero duties’ (words laced with as much derision as he could possibly muster in an internal musing) before she’d even get the chance to ask about his past.

So he was from the Northern Water Tribe. Relief washed over Katara at the knowledge that she hadn’t been completely mistaken and made an utter fool of herself by addressing a total stranger. Not that she minded talking to strangers, usually, but she couldn’t help but feel that the tail end of a protest—where tensions were still running high—was perhaps neither the appropriate time nor place to be questioning an innocent bystander. (Even though the question of whether they had previously met was harmless by most standards.) The waterbender still felt like there was something she was forgetting—some memory lurking just beyond her reach—but she mentally put a pin in that to consider at a later time.

“That must be it! I spent some time in the Northern Water Tribe a while back, training under Master Pakku… with the Avatar.” Katara always felt awkward saying those words aloud—with the Avatar—however it was the one thing that people tended to remember. By herself? She was just some teenage girl from the Southern Water Tribe who could waterbend. She wasn’t remarkable or particularly memorable. But put into the context of being one of Aang’s companions? Suddenly people considered her to be a hero. Not for the first time, she wondered if her identity would always be defined by her friendship with the Avatar… but immediately felt the sharp pang of guilt that followed that train of thought. After all, she knew she was lucky to count Aang as a friend and to have had the privilege to accompany him on his journeys.

But back to the (admittedly handsome) young man before her… “I’m Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. It’s nice to formally meet you,” she stated, giving a traditional Water Tribe bow. Straightening once more, she shot him a warm smile. “I think you may be the first person I’ve run into from the Northern Water Tribe here. Did Chief Arnook also come, or were you sent as a representative for Zu-… Fire Lord Zuko’s coronation?” Fire Lord, she reminded herself. Katara needed to refer to him as Fire Lord while in the Fire Nation, talking to people outside of their immediate friend group.

[renissance]

ATLA: The Water Tribe 

Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.

[hahn-dredregrets]

Location: Outskirts of The Palace Time: Shortly after the protests OPEN.

The crowd had begun to disperse, once-disgruntled protesters now seemingly satisfied with whatever influence their little gathering might have had on their future. Well, what a first impression, Hahn mused, picking off imaginary lint from his sleeve cuffs. The pitchforks seemed a bit excessive now that they were fumbling back to carry out whatever errands they had, but he supposed he shouldn’t be too harsh on them. Obviously, he hadn’t meant to stumble upon what seemed like a budding revolution of sorts, but who could blame his curiosity with the ruckus that could be heard from streets away? And now that he had, who could blame the cogs in his mind for starting revolutions of their own?

Dissatisfaction after an abrupt seizure of power (and a rather forceful one at that) came as no surprise, except… lack of representation was certainly an unexpected reason. Hadn’t they been brainwashed to love their former Lord Ozai? Were they not angry about losing their beloved leader? Perhaps I give them too little credit, he thought dryly. But that meant he had to reconfigure his approach now that things were a little more… complex, to say the least. Now that the bourgeoisie and proletariat weren’t exactly united by a common goal, he’d have to jump through a few more loops to seal the Fire Nation’s trust in him. Maybe he should have done some ground work before this. He sighed, looking up at the remaining protesters dawdling about. His eyes lingered on the few rather vocal ones he remembered from the peak of the protest, before meeting gaze of another.

Well, fuck, he thought, with half the mind to look away. Instead, he smiled. Perhaps he could make this work. “Well, that was certainly… eventful?” he called out, voice faltering slightly at the end. He wasn’t sure where their allegiance lay, so he supposed it was better to err on the side of caution.

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

Katara sighed in relief as the crowd thinned out, the protesters returning to their everyday lives once more. Though she didn’t mind listening to the people voicing their opinions—in fact, the waterbender felt that it was necessary for the Fire Nation citizens to do so—there was only so long that she could stand leaning against a wall, ensuring that the protest didn’t take a more violent turn. Fortunately, despite the fact that some citizens had felt the need to bring along pitchforks to the protest, the event had remained relatively peaceful, leaving Katara with a skin of water at her side that she never once had to employ to (gently, mind you) separate brawlers.

Pushing herself away from the wall and wincing a bit at the stiffness in her body from being in one position for so long, Katara looked around at the remaining stragglers, attempting to locate her brother or one of her friends in the remnants of the crowd. Instead of spotting one of her companions, however, she found her gaze stop upon a strangely familiar-looking young man. Despite his familiar features reminding her of a far-off memory from her time in the Northern Water Tribe, Katara couldn’t quite put a name to the face. When his gaze suddenly met her own, catching Katara in her blatant staring, she flushed in embarrassment, quickly looking down to brush off the front of her skirt.

At the realization that this wasn’t going to be just an awkward meeting of one another’s gaze, however, the waterbender looked back up with a wry grin. “Eventful is… one way of putting it.” She agreed, before pausing for a beat. Should she bring up the fact that he looked extremely familiar? Would he find such a statement unsettling coming from a complete stranger? Throwing caution to the wind, she blazed ahead with her question anyway. “Um, I know this is going to sound really strange… but have we met before?” Katara cocked her head to the side, studying his features once more. “You just look so familiar.”

[a-ming-a-ling-deactivated202010]

Location: Eastern Lake (the big one), Caldera City

Closed to @notjustyoursugarqueen

The Eastern lake of Caldera City was large and expansive, and had the most beautiful park in the entire Nation (from what Ming had heard, at least). She liked to run around the sidewalk that bordered the lake, something she did increasingly more as the stresses of life wore on her. She had been running for about half an hour, thinking about the protest the day before, and the eyes that followed her everywhere out of recognition from the previous day’s antics, and she was annoyed. So annoyed, that she stopped running and instead headed to the rim of the lake. Few people ever got too close to the stagnant waterfront, as it attracted nasty bloodsucking bugs in the warm heat, but Ming didn’t mind.

In her head, the bugs were like her own guards, keeping anyone from approaching her and reminding her of her guilt. She sat there for a moment, swatting and smacking at the insects that dare to get close, and thought somberly of her family. Her mother came to her mind instantly whenever she thought of the Eastern lake, as she always told Ming of how it was made. She told her that one day, a horrible tsunami that came every 100 years flooded the city, and so the Fire Lord at the time decided that they would dump all the water into the lowest part of the crater, and thus the lakes were created. It might have been completely made up, but to a child it made perfect sense. Ming wondered if children still heard that same story when they visited, or if the world had forgotten it.

However, just as she was about to get wrapped up in her thoughts and spend the rest of the day mopping, a moving shadow cast down upon her. Startled, she jumped up thinking that she was about to be eaten by the largest bug in existence. Instead, she popped her head into a large pod of floating lake water, and immediately she scrambled to the ground as a small scream escaped her throat. Trying to find a reason that water would just be floating in mid-air, Ming frantically looked around, and spotted Katara. Katara, who she had met at the Coronation and mentioned she’s the Southern Tribe’s waterbender. Relieved that she wasn’t insane, Ming took a few breaths and got up to approach Katara. 

“Hey, Katara, it’s nice to see you again! Your waterbending is very impressive,” Ming picked up a strand of her soaked hair, “But I would love a warning the next time water starts floating above me.”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

After the events of the previous day, Katara had awoken with one certainty amidst all the conflicted feelings that the protest had unearthed within her—she needed to center herself. For the past few days—since the war ended, in fact—the waterbender had felt… off balance. She was uncertain about her purpose and place in this new world without the goal of helping the Avatar defeat Fire Lord Ozai. Uncertain about whether her home was back in the Southern Water Tribe… or with the found family she had amassed during their travels. Uncertain about her feelings and desires. And the protest had only served to amplify all those uncertainties, forcibly digging them back up from where she had quite purposefully buried them in the back of her mind only for the thoughts to double in size.

 And so, the first moment she could get away by herself, Katara did. Still not completely familiar with Caldera City, she didn’t walk with a specific goal in mind; she simply walked toward green. After all, there was a good chance that there was a body of water around for enough foliage to actually grow in the Fire Nation heat. Before long, her plan paid off, bringing her to a lush park with an actual lake. The second her eyes fell upon the lake, the water seemed to call to her blood, calmly coaxing her off the path around the lake and through the grass and mud to the water’s edge. It wasn’t the prettiest body of water… and Katara quickly found out the hard way that there were tiny bloodsucking bugs that seemed to live near it—something they definitely didn’t have in the South Pole, that’s for sure—but she didn’t care.

Unceremoniously, Katara sat down at the edge of the water, legs crossed and hands resting upon her knees with palms turned skyward. Ignoring the bugs, the dirt probably staining her skirt, the stifling humidity by the lake, she closed her eyes and simply breathed. Counting down from five, she turned her focus to the water. Four. The quiet sound of it rhythmically lapping against the shoreline, disturbed only by a fish breaching the surface somewhere in the lake or a water bug skating by. Three. The feel of it seeping into the ground below and around the lake, hydrating the arid earth, providing vegetation with life and underground insects with a damp, cool home. Two. The hum of it as it entered the roots of the plants within the park, pulsing through stems and leaves like millions of tiny heart beats. One. The blood rushing through her body, her own heart slowly beating in her chest, her breaths calming. Everything connected by the life force of water.

Lifting her hands from their resting position on her knees, palms still upward, Katara gently tugged on that force, knowing without even having to open her eyes that the water at the surface of the lake near her had risen into the air at her bidding. She could feel the individual droplets of water as they rose, combining into a single large globule of lake water. Eyes still shut, the waterbender began to move her arms in a graceful arc, mimicking the flow of the lake as she twisted the water. Though she didn’t physically watch it, she could still see in her mind’s eye the water dart and dive in an intricate dance around her head, before she began to move the water further along the lake’s edge. She continued like that for a few moments, completely focused on the water weaving and bobbing its way along the shore, consumed by the act of waterbending and the peace it brought her whirling thoughts. Until a small shriek shattered her concentration. 

Blue eyes flying open in a wild panic, Katara scrambled to her feet and ripped the globule of water back to her side, automatically freezing the water into a large spear of ice in case of attack. Gaze scanning from side to side to locate the threat, but only finding a wet Ming, the waterbender relaxed her stance, thawing the ice back to water and bending it back into the lake where it belonged. “Ming! I’m so sorry about that. I thought I was alone.” She frowned, inwardly chastising herself for letting her guard down so much that she had been practically dead to the world around her. Brushing hair away from her sweaty face—from both the exertion of her bending and the humidity—Katara made her way over to the other girl’s side. Noting Ming’s soaked locks, the waterbender smiled sheepishly. “Here… Let me help with that.” With a quick movement of an arm, she gently bent the water from Ming’s hair and back into the lake, leaving the other girl good as new—and, most importantly, dry. “It’s nice to see you, too.” The corner of her lips quirked, turning her smile into something a bit more wry. “Though, truthfully, I saw you yesterday in the crowd.”

[notjustyoursugarqueen]

bluearrowed​:

Aang saw Katara standing by herself. He wanted to go over to her straight away, but he knew he had to calm the crowd first. He couldn’t just run over to her. He stayed where he was, holding his glider like a staff, in case anyone wanted to talk to him. He had to do his Avatar thing, right? And listen to people’s concerns? The problem was, he didn’t even know why everyone was so angry. He’d been afraid people would protest but he thought they’d be people who supported Ozai, people who didn’t want Zuko as the new Fire Lord. Or maybe, they’d be people who had requests for reforms. But, as he looked around the crowd, he saw a lot of people he recognised from Zuko’s coronation party. And people were shouting for change and justice. How could Zuko change three generations of tyranny in a few days?

Everyone seemed happy to stand and talk to each other. Nobody wanted the Avatar’s help. Feeling kind of awkward, Aang took a few steps to the side. No one stopped him. So, he walked over to Katara quickly. He needed to see her, to talk to her. He felt bad, abandoning the crowd like this, but they obviously didn’t want another speech. And it wasn’t his place to speak. It was Zuko’s, as Fire Lord, and Zuko had said everything that needed to be said.

“Katara!” he said, relieved. She looked like she was deep in thought, and Aang waved at her as he approached. “It’s so good to see you.” He didn’t wanna hug her, in case the protestor’s saw, and said something. Was that dumb? Probably. But he wanted to look ethereal and Avatar-y, so he stood with his back straight, and his glider clutched in one hand. “Did you… uh… see Zuko and me?” he asked. What he really wanted to know was if she’d seen the protester’s yelling at him, but that sounded a little on the nose, so he just smiled. It was easier to relax, now he had his back to the crowd.

At the sound of her name being called, Katara dragged her gaze away from the protesters, blinking as though waking from a dream. Though she should have expected that he would find her within the crowd, she was still surprised to see the Avatar suddenly standing before her. “Aang,” she breathed, reaching out to gently place a hand on his arm. Without even realizing she was doing it, Katara gave him a quick glance over to ensure that no harm had befallen him as he had made his way through the crowd to her. Though the teenager in front of her had defeated Ozai and saved the entire world, she couldn’t help but still feel protective over him even now. (It seems old habits truly did die hard.) Satisfied that he was safe and sound, she returned his smile. “It’s good to see you, too.”

Dropping her hand from his arm, Katara nodded, her smile turning solemn. “Yes… but I was a bit more distracted by the crowd.” She slowly shook her head. “I mean, we knew there was the potential for protesting, but I never imagined it would be like this.” She gestured a hand to the scene before them. Though some citizens had evidently been pacified by Aang and Zuko’s speeches and had dispersed, the majority of the crowd seemed to be just more incensed than before. “There is a lot of healing that will need to be done here. Not just between the Fire Nation and the people of the nations it wronged, but also between the Fire Nation and its own people.” She let out a slow sigh, blowing a few strands of hair away from her face. “Zuko is going to need all the help he can get.”

Though she was hesitant to broach the subject of the future, not completely certain herself where her path lay, Katara knew that she couldn’t put off the conversation forever. Especially with the gut feeling she had that this protest was just the spark of something more. Gaze determined, she met the Avatar’s eyes. “Zuko’s definitely going to need your help, Aang… Is that what you’re planning to do?” Now that the war was over. Now that they didn’t have a single common goal—like defeating a crazed Fire Lord—uniting them. If Aang said yes, would that become Katara’s plan too?