The first thing Katara noticed about the Fire Nation village was that it was busy. Everywhere she looked, people were walking through the small port town in groups and couples, moving between booths that had been set up haphazardly on both sides of the narrow streets. The street vendors shouted out to passersby in hopes of convincing them to check out their goods, their stands decorated with bright banners and sporting everything from spicy foods to colourful masks to noisemakers.
"What is this?" she asked, narrowly avoiding a little boy running full-tilt and spinning an object that made an obnoxiously loud rattling sound.
Sokka, trying to wring his shirt dry of foul smelling liquid a stumbling man had spilled on his shirt, scowled and said, "Does it really matter? All the regular shops are blocked off or closed – how are we gonna get our food?"
"I heard some guy yelling about some sort of flake-thing. Couldn't we just buy a bunch of that?"
"Trust me, Toph, you do not want fire flakes."
"What's wrong with fire flakes?" Zuko asked, tuning into the conversation for the first time since they had arrived in the village. So far, he had been surprisingly at ease amid all the chaos, absorbing it all with the slightest of smiles on his face.
"Gee, I don't know," Sokka said, tapping his chin in mock thought. "How 'bout the fact that it's like eating fire."
Blinking, Zuko continued to look perplexed.
"What day is it?" Aang asked, adjusting the broad-brimmed straw hat that hid his arrow and observing the hectic scene with increasing giddiness. He turned to his firebending teacher, beaming and wide-eyed as he asked, "Does the Fire Nation still celebrate family day?"
"What's Family Day?" Suki asked, standing so close to Sokka that one had to wonder if they had become fused at the hip and were simply too embarrassed to tell anyone.
"It's a Fire Nation holiday," Zuko explained. "Families go out to festivals like this and celebrate their . . . family-ness, and couples come out to, uh, celebrate their futures. People without any real family generally use it as an excuse to get hammered by saying their celebrating the memory of loved ones."
Eyebrows bunching together, Aang frowned. "I don't remember anyone getting hit with hammers a hundred years ago . . ."
Beside him, Sokka smacked his palm to his forehead.
"I dunno about you guys," Toph said, starting to walk away, "but when I see a party, I prefer to join in on it."
"Wait! We should – " Katara started, but the tiny blind girl had already been swallowed by the crowd. Gaze darting through the madness, she searched for some trace of green – wait, no red. Toph was wearing her Fire Nation clothing. But so was everyone; that was the point of blending in.
"Uh," Sokka said, staring in the direction their friend had disappeared in, "I think we may have a problem."
XxXx
"How could she be so stupid? I mean, she of all people should know how dangerous it is to go wandering around alone, especially in the Fire Nation! I know she's got, like, super-senses and has that whole 'I-can-take care-of-myself' mentality but that doesn't mean we're not going to worry or that she's invincible or –"
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to stave off his quickly developing headache. Ever since they had split up to look for Toph, Katara had been babbling nonstop about the insanity of the situation. He was torn between marvelling at how little she needed to breath and wishing he had opted to go with Sokka and Suki instead. Watching the couple make googly eyes at each other would be far more bearable than this. Plus, it was a universally known fact that Aang liked Katara; he probably would have enjoyed her senseless rambling.
"Are you listening?"
Great.
"Look," he said, grabbing her elbow and pulling her away from the rushing current of the crowd, ignoring her protests. "I know you're worried – we all are. But ranting like a crazy woman isn't really going to help matters. If anything, it's going to lead to two missing people . . ."
At first, Katara looked genuinely confused, only to have her eyes grow wide with realization. They narrowed just as quickly, blue irises seeming to darken like storm clouds as she opened her mouth to retort.
"Can I int'rest ya in some promise rings?"
Both whipped around to face the man addressing them. He grinned eagerly, revealing all his teeth and a few missing ones, as he gestured to the assortment of rings lain out at his booth.
"We're not –" Katara started, scowling so deeply her face began to look like a very convincing mask.
"Sure," Zuko said at the same time.
They both shot each other a look.
"Excuse us," Katara said, tugging Zuko a step away from the vendor. Leaning in close to him, she hissed, "What are you doing?"
"Remembering our cover."
"We never agreed on a cover!"
"Well, what do you want me to tell people? They'll never believe we're related." As he spoke, he grabbed one of her wrists and pressed her palm against his free hand, demonstrating the blatant contrast in skin tone.
Glaring at their joined hands, she muttered, "We could be distant cousins . . ."
"Cousins don't celebrate family day one-on-one. The connected parents would at least be with them."
She sighed, somehow managing to look even more annoyed. Glancing back at the vendor, she seemed to contemplate for a moment, worry and frustration drawing lines across her forehead. ". . . Fine. But nothing expensive, and only if we ask him about Toph. Say she's your blind sister."
With that, the pair moved back over to the vendor, donning identical forced smiles and dutifully holding hands. The man and his missing teeth continued to grin at them, sweeping one arm over the table as he said, "Take yer pick."
"What one would you like, dear?"
"I don't know, honey. I'm a colonist, remember? You choose."
Gaze roaming over the vast assortment of rings, Zuko struggled to hide his annoyance. The tiny circles came in everything from cheap bronze to gleaming gold, some plain and others encrusted with rubies or diamonds or any other variety of precious gems. As he considered their options, Katara tried asking the vendor if he had seen Toph, channelling both her frustration and her worry into the conversation.
"She just ran off without a word – we barely looked away for a second and then poof! She was gone."
"Oh, well, 'm very sorry to hear tha', but I ain't seen nobody who fits yer description. Maybe she's at the puppet show in the square."
". . . She's blind."
"So wha'?"
Zuko found himself drawn to one particular ring; it was gold and silver intertwined to form a circe, the start and end of both completely indistinguishable, as if the two materials had never been separate. Picking it up to study it more closely, he saw that they overlapped each other at some points and pulled away to form small gaps at others, creating an endless pattern of in and out, together and apart. Of all the items at the booth, it was the only one he felt the slightest inclination to buy.
It was pricey, though – not the most expensive option available, but certainly not cheap.
Then again, he had plenty of his own money he could spend. Glancing at Katara, who was still busy bickering with the vendor, he decided she didn't necessarily have to know the cost.
"I'll take this one," he said, cutting into their conversation as he held up the ring for the man to see. Tossing the appropriate amount of coins on the counter of the stall, he grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her away before she had a chance to recognize their value.
"About time you picked something," she grumbled when they had stopped in a nearby alley, safe from the chaos of the crowd. "I was this close to – hey, you only got one ring!"
"Yeah," Zuko said, grabbing her hand and gently sliding the band onto her finger. "The guy always gives it to the girl. By doing so he promises himself to her, and in accepting it she promises herself to him."
Jerking her hand away, she studied the piece of jewellery in the dim light of the alley, its weight feeling foreign. "Seems kind of one-sided to me . . ."
"Personally, I don't see how it's any different from your culture's engagement necklaces."
Crossing her arms, she glared at the wall and said nothing.
"Aw."
The simple, single syllable made the pair turn so fast they almost got whiplash. "Toph!"
The blind girl, standing at the entrance of the alleyway, grinned deviously as she said, "About time you two lovebirds got together. Gotta admit, I didn't think you'd have to balls to do it, Sparky."
And that's how the world renowned earthbender found herself running from a fight for the first time in her life.
Author's Notes: HAPPY ZUTARA WEEK 2010! 8D I hope you guys are as pumped as I am for all the fanart and fanfic that'll be pouring from the internet all week.
This was an interesting piece to write - I started it as soon as I heard this years themes, and I was a feeling a little rusty at drabbling after such a long time only writing chapter stories. I think it turned out alright, but it's really up to you guys to decide. n_n
Disclaimer: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and all of its characters are property of Nickelodeon, which I am in no way associated with.