Part one.
"And then I said to him- I said- HEY. I know the Avatar! You should have seen the look on his face!" The jubilant man with especially rosey cheeks clapped a firm hand on Aang's stiff back signifying the end of a particularly yawn-worthy story.
The anecdote had been going on for much too long, but instead of walking away like any sane person, he had chosen to spare the man's feelings. His usual kindness had cost him almost twenty minutes, and quite a lot of patience.
Unfortunately, his sacrifice would mostly likely be for naught, he thought sullenly. The jovial Earth Nation General had obviously been enjoying the beverages that were being served around the ball. With every exaggerated laugh, the man practically smothered Aang with his rank breath that dripped with the pungent smell of alcohol.
The putrid smell sent shudders through his body, and his thoughts seemed to drown in the numbing scent.
Even though he was no longer a kid, but instead a man of twenty years, he still stood firm with his repulsion towards the drink. Sure, he would drink champagne or wine on special occasions, but for the most part, he found that the drink only caused him sadness.
He wanted to experience every moment in life, even the painful ones, and alcohol only served to depress the memories. Most drank to forget, but he wanted to remember. After one hundred years in an iceberg, it felt wrong to give up even a second of the life that he was so lucky to have.
At the thought of his extreme fortune, he cast his gaze away from the sweaty man and peered around the bustling room.
Every year, this ball was held to commemorate the end of the Hundred Year's War. Most of the time, the party was harmless, and sometimes even fun if both Sokka and Toph were able to make it, but this year it felt somewhat off.
Since he had arrived, he had felt a wave of unwelcoming, despite the fact that the party was devoted to his success. It had been strange at first, but the stares had diminished as time went on.
Dislodging that thought, he continued his search through the not-so-familiar faces. Occasionally he would notice an old friend, but he didn't linger on them for long. His silvery gaze was on a mission that could not be deterred by the strange appearance of Haru with facial hair.
"Have you seen my- uh Master Katara?" He spoke in a far off voice to no one in particular. The general who had been beside him moments ago, had lumbered off when a woman with extremely heavy amounts of makeup had floated past them.
With no answer to his question, he decided that his position in the corner of the room must be hindering his line of sight. He pushed off the wall that he had unknowingly leaned against at some point and started to maneuver through the large crowds.
He tried to walk in a relatively inconspicuous manner to ward off more pointless story tellers, but he knew his efforts were as aimless as the tales he was avoiding. Yet to his disbelief, most people seemed to be too absorbed in themselves to notice the man with bright blue arrows. He silently thanked the spirits for his luck.
As he moved around a suspiciously tight knit circle he heard a few snippets of their conversation, which was more gossip than anything else.
"Did you hear that she didn't even save herself for marriage?" A high pitched voice squealed from somewhere deeper in the depths of colorful gowns and suits. A few gasps emanated from the surrounding while the men just exchanged looks of interest.
His brows knitted in disgust at the people in front of him. The ball was meant to remember those who lost their lives and those who were saved, not shame some poor woman.
Bile rose in the back of his throat and he considered confronting the faces behind the cruel rumors, but before he could step any closer, a broad hand dropped onto his shoulder.
He turned in shock, startled by the sudden attention on himself, and found himself smiling at the man in front of him.
"Flameo, Sifu Hotman!" He laughed, completely forgetting the anger that had pervaded his senses moments ago. At the mention of his nickname, the firelord scowled in mock anger.
"What is it Toph likes to call you…? Twinkletoes?" Zuko asked with sarcasm dripping from his every word. Aang let out a sincere chuckle at the childhood name that Toph still used despite eight years of maturity. Obviously she would never change.
"It's good to see you, Zuko. How have you been?" He asked as the gossiping crowd dispersed behind him. He spared a glance at the troublemakers before focusing back to the man before him.
"I've been better… Turns out Mai is even more homicidal with a baby inside her, but I can't say I am surprised." He smiled as he spoke, obviously thinking about his soon to be fatherhood.
"Well I am happy for you both! On a completely unrelated note, have you seen-" His words were cut off by a familiar shriek and what sounded like a splattering liquid. In a fraction of a second, Aang had whipped around and was not facing the source, which was about twenty feet away.
Two angry women stood facing each other, one with red punch dripping down her intricate curls, obviously the victim of the splattering noise.
And directly in front of her stood the angry waterbender who held his heart. Only she was holding a punch bowl at that moment.
Even from his position, he could see the rage dancing in those icy blue irises. Her usually smooth features were crinkled into those that marked frustration and disgust. Her lips moved, forming words that could only be a warning, as if the punch had not already served its purpose.
The reaction in the lady's face told Aang, that he had exactly two seconds before she signed her death wish.
With speed that rivaled a tornado, Aang sprinted across the ballroom floor and darted between the women who were starting to resemble feral mooselions. He stood with his back facing Katara, and instead focused on the rampaging lady covered in the sugary beverage.
"I am so sorry, mam! I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding-, you see, Master Katara er, well she thought you were on fire-" The woman scowled at his lame peace making and sidestepped him with a roll of her eyes.
"No, the only mistake was letting that-...that whore in this building!" At this point, an audience had started to accumulate around the quarrel, and a few shocked gasps arose from the bystanders.
Along with a spine tingling growl from behind him. And not the fun spine tingling. The kind that made someone regret their decision to cut between the warring women.
He understood her anger. A fury had risen deep within him, and it took a few measured breaths to remember that airblasting the woman across the room would be against his culture. When the seething feeling started to dissipate, he finally opened his mouth to respond in the calmest way he could.
"She has every right to be here. Please watch your words." His voice was dangerously low and carried a silence across the room, as they anticipated his next move. Even he didn't know what he was going to do next.
The woman's eyes widened as she rethought her next words. He could see her brain working in an attempt avoid his unusual temper. At one point, her eyes glazed over the area behind him, and a small smile flashed across her tiny mouth.
"Of course you would defend her." As she spoke she locked her unsettling amber gaze on his and he suddenly recognized the woman in front of him. As if the final puzzle piece was falling into place, he finally saw the whole picture.
She was the same person who had been dishonoring the woman in the circle. The one that he had been about to scold. The sudden epiphany also brought her cruel words back to him, but this time they were more than just rumors about some random random.
They had been gossiping about Katara.
Instead of responding to the barbed accusation, he instead turned around to find Katara. But when he swiveled to where she stood, he found nothing.
Just an empty place where she had been, and a clear warpath dividing the bloodthirsty crowd around the catfight.
Part 2 is done. I will most likely upload it this Friday. I swear I'm going to get better at scheduleessss. Please forgive me.