Prompt: Social Network
United Republic is said to be the most innovative piece of engineering in history.
Recently, they developed this new form of technology called internet.
Katara isn't sure how it works; she isn't even sure what it is. But there is this "website" she can't get enough of. It something called PeopleBook.
She can meet other people from around the world on it (though she's already done that by herself) with a single click of the mouse. Other people have described it as a drug, something they're addicted to.
They're absolutely right.
Katara hates it, but she can't stop using it.
She's updating her profile one day when chat pops up for her. It's from Zuko. She smiles and answers warmly.
That is the start of many conversations to follow.
At parties, Zuko and Katara would end up having a conversation all by themselves, laughing at what he said while she was off washing up for bed.
No one else got their jokes. No one else understood their references.
But that's okay because PeopleBook is made to keep all the secret.
Then one day, Zuko logs on while drunk out of his mind. He sees Katara on and clicks on her icon: Hello?
Katara sees the word and answers back happily.
But by the time the conversation ends, her face is hotter than Azula's lightning. She tries to tell herself that he only said those things because he is drunk, but she has trouble convincing herself of that as she lies in her bed that night.
He had said he missed. He had said she was beautiful.
He had said he loved her more than Mai.
The next day, neither mentioned it. Over time, it was completely forgotten.
But Katara would sometimes be up late on the stupid social networking site while Aang slept in the master bedroom, hoping that the scarred king would log on and tell her once more how he felt.
She can't explain why she would feel that way, but for the next twenty years her heart would jump just a little bit higher when she saw Zuko than with anybody else. It never goes anywhere.
But she has these feelings now that she must live with. The only thing she can hope for is that Zuko is silently struggling along with her.