Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Air bender, because I am not male. Thus I am not Michael or Bryan. If I were Michael or Brian, I would have gotten the ending right, the ending in which Zuko and Katara got together, not the alternate, Aang and Katara getting together.
She had a downright terrible sense of balance. If she were to walk along a flat road, she would find the one rock or root, and trip on it. Katara sighed. That was the fifth time that day she tripped on her shoelace. Sokka was always checking to make sure they were tucked in, but they always came out, and she always tripped on them. She often wondered why she never got a car, or maybe took the bus. With her luck of course, both of them would crash within five minutes of her getting in. But, she didn't let that get her down. Every day, she walked the fifteen minutes to work at the little bookshop on the corner, helping people find what they were looking for, and keep out the riff raff. She enjoyed her job, and every day, she walked into work with a smile on her face, and every day, she left with it still there.
She walked into the small bookshop, and heard the little bells tinkle to signify the opening of the door. It shut behind her, and she inhaled the smell of parchment and the small hint of pine from the air-freshener behind the counter. Books lined the walls and shelves, and a few small tables were located in-between. She went over to the counter, set down her bag, and checked the cash register. Moving on, she checked inventory on the computer her boss had in the back room. Then, she flipped the closed sign outside, declaring the small shop open. She took off her coat, and dropped in on her bag, then pinned on her name tag. She was ready for the day.
It was a small ritual, but was done the same way every morning. She sat down on the small swivel chair in front of the register, and took out the book she had been working on that week. It was a cute love story with enough magic and action intertwined to make it satisfying. Hmmm…magic. With magic, maybe her problems with balance could be resolved. While she was reading, the tinkle of the door opening reached her ears. Oh, a customer, and this early. She looked up from her novel. A young man with shaggy black hair, white skin, and a large red scar over the left side of his face was walking in with his hands shoved in his pockets, and a scowl on his face. He was wearing a red t-shirt and dark blue denim jeans. A black hoodie sweatshirt was tied around his waist. He also looked like he really didn't want to be there.
Katara just smiled. Maybe He'll find something he liked. She went back to reading. The young man walked around, picking up books, reading the backs, then setting them back, until he found something on one of the shelves he liked. He walked over to her, and placed it on the counter. She lifted her eyebrows at the title. It was the same book she was reading. She smiled up at him.
"Will that be all, sir?" She asked politely. His scowl remained.
"Does it look like I have anything else?" He said in a gruff, raspy voice. She just blinked at his rudeness. Her smile remained. Cheerfully, she replied.
"Nope. I'll just ring this up for you…" She took the book, scanned it, and came up with the total.
"Seven thirty-two, please." He handed her eight dollars, and she gave him his change, and his book. "Have a nice day sir! And please come again!" He grunted, took his things, and promptly left the store. She sighed. So much for first impressions.
The rest of the day passed as it usually did. A few customers came in, bought a few books, and Katara was as polite to them as she was to the first one she had that day, although they were a bit more polite to her than he was. After the last customer came by, she closed up the shop, and headed home. However, she only tripped about three times the entire way, surprising her. This was the least amount she had managed to fall before in that amount of time, and it surprised her greatly. She arrived at her apartment, and called out to Sokka, announcing her presence. When no one called back, she assumed he was out on his date with his girlfriend, Suki. Their lemur, Momo, came out to greet her. She laughed, and picked him up, nearly toppling, but managed to catch herself.
Wait.
She caught herself? That never happens. She shook her head at her newfound balance, and was almost relieved when she fell backwards when she opened the refrigerator door to give Momo a snack.
Hey. Who's cool, starting another fanfic that will undoubtedly take up the remainder of her time? I am. Please review!
