I like this story. I will tell you why at the end. You will not like this story. I will tell you why right now.
This story is gross. It is demented. You don't believe me, but it will gross you out without the benefit of a gory fight scene or an overload of mush. In fact, there is no reason this couldn't be rated K. But it is still gross and demented. I'm serious. This is fair warning. Remember that when you review.
Practically, this story makes it so Jet doesn't have to be brainwashed. I don't really like Jet very much. I don't mind leaving him out of things. He was angry about me leaving him out, but there's not much he can do about it.
I don't own Avatar. The owners would never in a million years make something this demented happen.
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The Feast
"No, it's too risky," said Long Feng. "Let's see if we can still handle this… quietly."
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"I don't know about this," said Aang, pacing around the eerie house he was finally starting to get used to. "It feels like we could be walking into a trap."
Katara filled her canteen with water, the rivulet flowing gracefully from her delicate hands and into the container. Sokka continued to sharpen his boomerang. Toph picked at her toes nonchalantly.
"I said," said Aang frustratedly, raising his voice, "that I think we're walking into a trap!"
"We know. You've been saying so for the past fifteen minutes," groaned Toph.
Katara put her hand on his shoulder. He always liked when she did that because her hand was warm. Yes, because her hand was warm. That was the only reason.
"I don't think so, Aang," she said. Her voice reminded him of drinking tea with honey. "We've been looking for Appa for so long now, and we know it's been bothering the Dai Li. I think Long Feng might be able to help us if we promise to stay out of his way."
"And besides," reasoned Sokka without looking up from his boomerang, "what would happen if we didn't go? Word would get out that the avatar didn't attend a special feast with the cultural minister of Ba Sing Se. That wouldn't make you a very popular figure."
Aang sighed.
"Sokka's right," agreed Katara, saying what Aang didn't want to. "We have no choice. And besides, he's probably our best lead to finding Appa."
"Ju Dee's here," said Toph.
There was a knock at the door. Katara opened the door to reveal that, indeed, Ju Dee was there. Aang looked away from her toothy smile. She looked animated, the skin moving like it wasn't attached to her skeleton at all. Toph had once said she was used to it. Aang needed a few moments to realize she was joking.
"I just have this feeling something bad is going to happen," Aang whispered to Katara as they left the house, walking towards the carriage waiting for them outstide.
"Don't worry," she said. "If anything happens we'll all be there for you." She placed Aang's hand in her palm. It was warm. Aang looked into her assuring blue eyes and gazed upon her encouraging smile. They always worked.
Ju Dee's voice was unbearably annoying; it was as animated as her skin. "Long Feng is honored to serve a feast to the avatar and his friends," she was saying. Aang stared out the window of the carriage and tryed to listen to the sound of wooden wheels turning over cold cobblestones. "He hopes that you and he can find an agreement that is most suitable."
"Does he know something about Appa?" demanded Sokka. Aang's attention was brought back inside the carriage.
"I am sure you will find your bison once you make an agreement," grinned Ju Dee. Aang groaned and looked back out the window, avoiding Katara's concerned eyes.
The Earth Kingdom palace had a different air to it during the day. During the night of the party, the night when Katara had shown once again that she could be beautiful in many ways, the palace was simply… there. It was a big building. Inside was the party, and inside that party was beautiful Katara, as well as Toph. They had seen the palace once while Ju Dee was introducing them to the city, but it was different to walk up to it in full glory compared to watching it fade into the distance from a moving carriage. Now Aang was impressed. He had seen many big buildings all over the world before, but this one was different. It was straight, rectangular, confined like water in a container. It seemed to want to break free. It reminded him of Appa.
He took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" asked Katara.
"I'll be fine," said Aang. They dismounted the carriage and followed Ju Dee into the palace. He knew he hadn't sounded very convincing.
Long Feng was waiting for them, smiling in a toothy way that made it seem that he could have taught Ju Dee everything she knew. Aang did not want to walk further. He stood still at the end of the long room, far from the end of the long table before them, and even further still from the cultural minister of Ba Sing Se.
"Welcome, avatar," Long Feng said, bowing generously. Aang and the others followed the motions. Long Feng opened his arms. "Please, sit. Are you hungry?"
"Yes, Mr. Earth Minister, sir, I'm starving!" exclaimed Sokka. The four friends made their way to the table. Everything was lit by a low green light. Aang glanced nervously around for hidden Dai Li agents, but the dimness of the room made it hard to see anything. Toph would know if there were any, Aang reasoned. He sat in the middle with Katara on his right, Toph on his left, and Sokka on the far left. In front of them were pieces of pungent meat. Sokka licked his lips.
"Please, begin," said Long Feng.
Sokka noisily began and Toph eagerly followed suit.
"Mm! This is good!" said Sokka through a full mouth. "It doesn't taste anything like artic hen. What is it?"
"Oh, it's a very special Ba Sing Se delicacy," said Long Feng magnanimously.
Katara cut herself a small portion and looked it over.
"I'm sorry," said Aang, bowing politely, "but I don't eat meat."
"But I must insist," grinned Long Feng, his eyes wrapping around Aang's. "It is the proper way for a guest to act in Ba Sing Se."
Aang shuddered at his glare. Katara noticed and decided to put down her small portion, joining him in his temporary hunger strike. Aang poked at the entrée with his fork and felt his bile rise. He dropped his fork.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Long Feng," he said, bowing again. "But I must insist as well."
"Well, isn't that a shame," said Long Feng in a tone normally reserved for talking with toddlers rather than avatars. "Shall we get down to business, then?"
"Yes, please," said Aang, relieved the meat discussion was over. "Why did you summon us here?"
"Because I think I can help you with your quest. And you can help me with mine."
Katara spoke up excitedly. "You mean you're willing to send troops on the day of black sun to invade the Fire Nation?"
Long Feng shook his head. "Unfortunately, I meant your other quest."
Aang's face lit up. "You know where Appa is?"
Long Feng grinned. Aang wondered if he was talking to a male Ju Dee, a male Ju Dee who knew where Appa was.
"As a matter of fact, I do know where your bison is," he said. "And he is not far."
Sokka put down his fork and stood up, pointing at Long Feng. "Wait! You know where he is and you know he's not far? You have Appa!" he accused. "You've captured him!"
Aang stood up as well, reaching for his staff. "What? You have Appa?"
Long Feng quelled them with his hands. "I have called you here to see if you want to make a trade of sorts."
Aang reluctantly sat back down with a sneer and Sokka returned to his habitual devouring. Aang glared at Long Feng. Katara put her hand on his shoulder and whispered his name.
"I'm okay, Katara," he said in a low voice. "I'm not going into the avatar state."
She removed her hand from his shoulder, which instantly felt cold.
"What do you want from us?" demanded Toph. Aang was glad that she said it instead of him. She had a wonderful way of being forceful with her requests that Aang was yet to master.
"What I want is very simple," said Long Feng. "As I've said before, I can't allow the war to be mentioned inside the walls. Your presence in Ba Sing Se threatens our peaceful utopia. I request that you leave the city with your bison."
Aang glared at Long Feng, wondering how to respond without sounding too enraged. It was wrong to keep the truth from so many people, and with Souzin's Comet returning there would be no way the unknowing city would be able to defend itself against attack. They simply had to be informed and they had to fight back. Aang contemplated the words that would best explain this to Long Feng.
Sokka spoke first. "Do you have any more meat?" he asked.
"Definitely," grinned Long Feng. "There's much more where that came from."
"Just have mine," said Katara, handing Sokka Aang her plate to pass down to Sokka. "I'm not hungry."
"You can't keep the war from all these people," said Aang finally. "It's not fair to lie to them like this!"
"It is also unfair to rob them of their blissful happiness," replied Long Feng calmly. "Our walls are impenetrable and the people inside have no need to worry about the concerns of constant warfare."
"But what about when the Fire Nation attacks?" asked Katara. "How long do you think you can hold them off for?"
"Once Souzin's Comet comes your walls will crumble," said Aang desperately. "And your people will understand constant warfare after it's too late!"
Toph reached over and grabbed Aang's untouched plate. Long Feng grinned.
"Unfortunately, those are the conditions of my trade," he said. "Your bison for the peace of Ba Sing Se. I understand if you refuse."
Aang's head sunk.
"You can't keep a hostage like that!" cried Toph. "It's not right!"
"It is not right for you to barge into my city and wrench its values from underneath it."
"That's enough," said Aang, lifting his head to face Long Feng. He grinded his teeth with the effort of warding off the avatar state. "We will not give in to your ridiculous demands. We were prepared to find Appa when we came here, and we were prepared to fight you for him." He stood up and pointed his staff across the table at Long Feng. Sokka echoed the motion, and soon all four friends were fiercely glaring at Long Feng, assuming stances prepared for anything that was to come next.
Long Feng shrugged and Aang wondered why. "I was hoping the avatar would be more understanding of our situation and that we could at least finish the feast before our talks erupted into violence." He turned to Sokka and grinned widely. "What do you think about finishing our little feast, young man? How do you like your Ba Sing Se delicacy?"
Long Feng said the last sentence with immeasurable cruelty that made Azula's voice sound playful. Sokka looked down at his meat.
Realization hit Aang first. He screamed and knocked his chair over, falling to the floor. He screamed again and again, louder and longer than his voice had ever done before, banging his head against the floor, kicking and throwing his fists randomly in the air, his tattoos flickering on and off. Sokka bent over and threw up, also falling to the ground. Toph tried to keep her vomit in her mouth and failed failed. Katara watched the chaos with her jaw slack, her eyes still, her body still in shock as Aang's tattoos illuminated and wind began to pick up.
Long Feng scowled and made his way towards the door. Katara turned to him, tears streaking her face.
"You're a monster!" she cried.
"That's what you get for sticking your noses where they don't belong," growled Long Feng. "Now leave this city!"
With that the cultural minister of Ba Sing Se left the room and its aroma of vomit. Katara broke down crying, Sokka collapsed on the floor, and the body of the young boy lifted slowly and angrily into the air, preparing to destroy everything it came close to.
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Told you.
And yet I still like it, even though I'm glad it never actually happened. I got to have a little Kataang without making Aang seem completely obsessed with Katara's every move. I made something other than brainwash happen in Ba Sing Se, a plot like I was pretty... indifferent about in the actual show. It's all so easy when there's brainwashing involved! I also like the whole mystery and how nothing is explicit. Plus I got to give Appa a main role (shudder!), as well as other minor characters like the creepy Ju Dee whose name I can't spell. Aang's attachment to Appa is really hard to convey. I wish I didn't have to do it like this. Maybe I'll try again later and do more fluff.
My character for National Novel Writing Month was upset about me writing fanfics. This is our dialogue:
"Hey, Sam, are you free for a moment?"
"Sure. Sit down."
"So I hear you're writing Avatar fanfics."
"That is correct."
"And you like having things work out for him in the end. You like it when he falls in love with his dream girl."
"That just about sums it up."
"So you torture me, take away everyone I ever knew and loved, and physically disfigure me, and you give Aang everything he's ever wanted?"
"Yeah... sure... Look, I can write about something terrible happening to Aang, okay?"
"Thanks, Sam. That makes me feel so much better."