This fic is also on my tumblr blog where my username is Kuno-chan and my blog name is Dragoness Ramblings.
Disclaimer: Legend of Korra belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
This fic is co-written by kuno-chan and spiritypowers.
Fairy Tales
It had been fifteen minutes after the last hour's clock chime when Jinora was running back through the gate to Zuko's house, having lost track of time after discussing the details of what was tentatively her new job with Pema. She was grateful for the spare key Zuko had lent her for the time being when she arrived at the door and fumbled with the lock, before bursting through the door with beads of sweat forming along her forehead even in the chilly air.
The smell of pancakes wafted through the room as Jinora shut the door and kicked off her boots. She heard a rapid thumping racing toward her as she did and barely had time to turn when she felt something throw themselves at her. Looking down, Jinora's hand dropped to her daughter's head where Nima had her face buried in her mother's side. Nima was shaking and holding Jinora so tight that it almost hurt.
"Baby girl, what's-"
"Where did you go?" asked Nima, her face muffled in her mother's coat.
"Sweetheart, didn't Zuko tell you I was just looking around the town?"
Pulling back, Nima's eyes were wide and she nodded her head frantically, but almost as if she was still in a rapt state of panic deep inside her mind. The look almost scared Jinora, Nima's eyes wide as dinner plates and looking like a terrorized feline clinging to safety for dear, precious life. Instinctively, Jinora brought her hands to run through her daughter's hair.
"But why didn't you wake me up?" asked Nima in a kind of hurried, quavering speech. "Why didn't you just wake us up? Or take us with you? Why didn't you leave us a note? I didn't know where you were and Zuko told me, but I wasn't sure and I didn't know what to tell Rama and Taani and I wanted to know where you were and I was going to come look for you and-"
"Ssh, ssh, ssh, hey." Jinora gently hushed Nima, cupping her face with both hands. "Hey, I'm right here, baby girl. I'm not going anywhere. I didn't run away. Mama just went to go look around a little bit, okay? Because I'm staying. And I even got a job at the library for now. The one you showed me?"
As if on cue, the twins came scurrying in, even little Taani's movement a little frantic.
"We were looking for you. Where'd you go?" Rama asked quickly, staring at her intently. Taani just kind of moved in for a hug and Jinora opened an arm so her babies could cuddle her as they felt the need to. Looking down at her children, Rama and Nima both looked just plain scared. Taani, whose face never changed from it's blank dreamer's stare, seemed stuck to Jinora like a burr on a fleece, not wanting to let go of her at all. It made Jinora very nervous. She left for a couple hours and the second they found out she'd done so they… basically panicked.
If anything though, it was Nima's reaction that scared Jinora the most. It was natural for them to get a little scared, she reminded herself. After what they'd been through she knew they were probably scared she would disappear again. Jinora had been afraid they might just disappear out of her arms so she understood that.
But Nima was looking at Jinora like she'd seen the most terrible thing in the world. A look of nothing short of pure panic and terror.
"Okay, you three, it's okay… I'm here. Mama's not going anywhere. Mama even got a job at the library," she said soothingly, reaching out to smooth back Rama's hair. "Okay?"
All three of them nodded, silently. Nima let go very reluctantly, her fingers almost like claws digging into Jinora and her arms like a vice grip around her waist. Taani, however, seemed determined to stay attached, a hand in Jinora's.
"Did you guys eat breakfast already?" asked Jinora gently.
Rama shook his head.
"No, we were wondering where you were," he said.
"Okay, then. Let's go eat. Those pancakes smell delicious," said Jinora, smiling at them all. She ushered them along toward the kitchen.
"Thanks," said Nima automatically, walking beside her mother.
Jinora raised her eyebrows in question at the sudden comment.
"I made them," said Nima. "They've got chocolate chips in them. Taani likes those. But you weren't back yet when I was done so I was gonna go look for you."
They all sat down for breakfast, Jinora seating her children in and gone into the kitchen where Zuko was pulling out a bottle of syrup from the fridge. He looked up as he did and smiled a little. Silently, she walked up next to him where a tray of pancakes sat haphazardly laid on a delicate looking tray. A few of them, she noticed, were very burnt. She glanced at Zuko.
"She was very nervous," he explained quietly. "I normally just let her help, but she really needed something to do. Forgive me, I did tell them where you went, but they weren't very satisfied with that."
"It's alright," Jinora smiled gratefully. "I should have left a note... or just woken them up. They were just so peaceful I wanted them to sleep in."
"It's going to take a while," said Zuko, grabbing a few glasses and a jug of milk after tucking the bottle of syrup securely under his arm. "Everything will be fine."
Grabbing the tray, Jinora spoke before she could stop herself.
"I… I would never leave them."
Zuko smiled sadly at her after a moment, slightly shaking his head.
"...they don't know that."
He didn't say it unkindly, but rather, firmly. And... he was right. She knew that she would never leave her babies. But they didn't know that.
When they settled into the table, Nima immediately took the most burnt pancakes on the plate for herself and slid over the tray so Rama and Taani could choose their own pancakes.
Jinora slid one pancake onto her plate, but found her appetite had left as she watched her children uneasily trying to slip back into whatever "normal" was for them, with strained smiles and forced table talk. Of course they didn't know she wouldn't leave. She had to be more thoughtful about making sure they knew from now on. She would help them understand that she wasn't going to leave.
"Mommy you've got to eat more than one pancake," said Nima, looking at her mother's plate. "That's not enough."
Jinora smiled slightly, sliding one more pancake onto her plate. "Of course, baby. You did a great job."
Nima's smile grew a little more relaxed at the compliment, and Jinora caught one last look of sympathy from Zuko before they resumed their small talk over breakfast, commenting on the weather and further details on Jinora's new job at the library.
They'd be okay. Everything would be okay...right?
-:-:-:-
The next day, Jinora went to the library early that morning. This time, she stayed for breakfast and made sure her children saw and touched her before leaving, kissing them each as she told them exactly where she would be at and that she would be home before dinner. The twins seemed rather okay with it, but Nima fidgeted around nervously as she left.
"I'll only be gone for a few hours," said Jinora, getting down on one knee to be face to face with Nima. "I'm going to be with Miss Hee, okay? And if Zuko wants to bring you guys down a bit later then that's totally fine with me. I'll be right there… okay?"
Nima didn't say anything, but she nodded reluctantly.
"Okay. Why don't you practice that dance move you were telling me about?" suggested Jinora. "I would love to see it when I get home."
That made Nima smile.
"Okay," she said, her lips curving in that kitten-ish way that made Jinora grin. "I'll do that."
Giving her one last kiss on the cheek, Jinora left. When she got to the library, Pema was already at work with some of the books, taking out those simply and sadly too damaged to be of used, a small pile of books looking as if they'd been eaten at in a box.
"Morning," said Jinora as she slowly walked in.
"Oh, good morning!" Pema piped up, turning around with a book in her hand. "Wow, you really are an early riser, aren't you?"
Jinora grinned. "That'd be me. Always have been. Though you seem to be even earlier than me."
"I'm so used to it being a teacher and all," said Pema, smiling. "So, did you want to get started. I'm just pulling out some books we can't use, but I think our first order of business is to clean up this place. It's gorgeous, but it's also kind of a-"
"A dump?"
"You read my mind." Pema picked up a broom and duster. "Help me out?"
"That's what I'm here for."
For a while, they cleaned in different parts of the place and stayed relatively silent, music from a radio Pema had brought the only noise of comfort. After cleaning in some little spaces they finally reached the main area of traffic.
"So," began Pema as she reached up to dust a shelf. "Where are you from? If you don't mind me asking."
"No, it's okay," she said, looking up from her sweeping. "I'm from Republic City. Born and raised there as far as I know."
"Yeah? I was born and raised here myself."
"In this little town?" asked Jinora, smiling.
Pema beamed.
"Yup. Right here. I got a teaching degree from a university in the town over just so I could come back here. Luckily for me, they needed a grade school teacher and I've been here ever since. Well, I hardly ever left honestly."
"Must be nice," Jinora said, a little more to herself than Pema, "belonging to your own little community right off the bat."
"It sounds nice to be from a big city," Pema said, sighing wistfully. "I've never really been out there, but it's always sounded so exciting."
"More exciting for people who can afford to block the city out whenever they please," Jinora chuckled. "I honestly don't remember anything from before I was ten years old, and I was kind of passed around between foster homes in the city from then on."
"Mm, I see your point," Pema hummed sympathetically, and Jinora was getting ready to deflect her pity when, thankfully, she turned the subject away from her. "My parents retired out to the city back when I was still getting my degree, I think. I became a teacher pretty young, and Fablebrooke's a fairly easy town to find a place to stay. We're so small we can afford to pay one another in favors and produce, which I guess is one of the charms of small town life," Pema shrugged. "Although living with the same few hundred people for your entire life makes it kind of hard to meet people," she admitted bashfully. "Most women around my age here are already married, but… I guess it's just not happening for me yet." She smiled sadly as she swiped her duster over a lower shelf.
"Well, take it from the girl who got knocked up at eighteen: take your time," Jinora laughed feebly.
"Huh, I thought you looked awfully young to be the mother of a ten-year-old," Pema noted. "Would I be overstepping any bounds if I asked what the situation was with their father, or…?"
"Skipped town," Jinora replied a little more shortly than she meant to. "Same old teen mom story, really, even if he did stay long enough for us to have the twins." She sighed, fighting the tears that were beginning to sting at the corners of her eyes. "Not sure why I expected anything different, honestly," she added softly.
"I'm sorry," Pema said, and Jinora was a little relieved at the lack of pity in her voice; just regular sympathy. "Guys suck."
Jinora chuckled forcefully. "You're telling me. Anyway, at least I get to be with the kids now. That's all that really matters at this point in my life."
"It's great for them, too," Pema smiled. "Nima talks about you endlessly, you know."
Jinora's ears perked up. "She does?"
"Yeah, she holds on to all those videos and pictures of you for dear life. She's talked about the things you and...sorry, her father…used to do when she was little. She really cherishes those memories. She's also mentioned showing pictures and videos of you to her younger siblings. Keeping your memory has been really important to her."
Jinora smiled sadly. "I wish I'd been there so she wouldn't have had to. It was...hard, after their father left, and I didn't have time to get everything together before child services came, and...it was a mess."
"Well, I think what really matters is that you're here now," Pema said. "I don't claim to know anything about parenting, as I've never been a mother myself, but I can tell that you're doing your best. I think that has to count for something. And I think they know you're trying, and that matters more than any of us can say."
Tears of appreciation stung at her eyes this time, and Jinora looked up at Pema with a sincere smile. "Thank you."
Pema beamed back at her. "What are friends for?"
-:-:-:-
The response from the kids when Jinora got back was much more relaxed to her relief, even if they did cling to her for a little longer than she suspected was normal when they hugged her upon her arrival.
"I'm going to the grocery store to pick up some things," Zuko announced on his way towards the door. "and I'm going to have to take a detour to the Jasmine Dragon or else my uncle will definitely complain," he chuckled. "Jinora, are you okay with holding down the fort here?"
"Of course," said Jinora as Taani clung to her side. "We can even get started on lunch while we wait for you to get back."
"Only if you want," Zuko assured her, before giving them a final wave as he headed out the door.
Nima went to the window and watched Zuko leave, and Jinora looked at her curiously, not sure what to make of it when Nima grabbed Jinora's free hand and pulled her up the stairs to her room, the twins following close behind.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Jinora asked as Nima shut the door securely.
"Okay, we've got like an hour, so here's what you need to know," Nima said, and Jinora continued to give her eldest daughter a stunned look as she sat her down on the edge of the bed and pulled out a thick, leather bound book with the words "Once Upon A Time" embossed on the cover in gold.
"Oh, why didn't you have me read this before bed last night?" Jinora asked, but Nima cracked the book open and flipped a few pages to a minimalistic watercolor illustration of Snow White and Prince Charming.
"These are your parents," Nima said, pointing at the illustration. Jinora raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, you're going to have to let me in on what game we're playing because I've never heard of -"
"It's not a game," Nima said impatiently. "Everyone in Fablebrooke is from a place called the Enchanted Forest. Where the stories that we know as fairy tales are real. They were all sent here as a curse cast by the Evil Emperor and no one can get in or out, and none of the heroes get their happy ending."
Jinora almost laughed, but the unusually serious look on Nima's usually bright, smiling face kept her from it. She figured she might as well play along; after all, this was the first amount of alone time she was getting with her children.
She looked over at Rama and Taani. Even if Taani was still unreadable as ever, Rama's eyes were wide with conviction. "She's telling the truth, Mama," he said, and Taani nodded slowly.
"Um...okay," Jinora said, cautious with the way she responded. "And the book says that everyone was sent here?"
"At the end of the book, it ends when the curse is cast, and everyone is sent here." Nima flipped through several more pages to the end, where Snow White and Prince Charming were near the petite, lithe figure of a child. Nima pointed to that figure. "That's you."
Now, Jinora really had to bite back a laugh. She could see the likeness, even in its blurry watercolor - fair skin, dark hair, and Jinora had been very thin as a child - but how Nima had concocted all of this was beyond her.
"That's...me?" Jinora asked, trying very hard to keep her face serious.
Nima nodded firmly. "You're the child of Snow White and Prince Charming. You're the Savior that's supposed to break the curse on everyone in Fablebrooke."
"The Savior?" It was getting harder and harder not to laugh. "Okay, then...how would I break this curse?"
"I don't know," Nima shrugged. "You're the Savior. That's for you to figure out."
Jinora stared at Nima for a few moments, not sure what to think. The kids clearly believed everything she'd just revealed. Was this some kind of coping mechanism for them? It had to be, after everything they'd been put through over the past few years.
"Come on," Jinora said after a while, "we should get started on lunch before Zuko gets back." She started to get off the bed, but Nima tugged at her sleeve.
"That's another thing," Nima said nervously, "Zuko's the Evil Emperor."
Jinora's eyebrows shot straight up. "What? Why would you think that?"
"I've been figuring out who's who in all of Fablebrooke and he's definitely the Evil Emperor," Nima said, her voice hushed.
"Why do you think that? Baby, is he hurting you?" Jinora asked, cupping her daughter's face.
"No, no, he's nice to us, which is why I didn't believe it at first either, but… Mom, I don't think he's always been a villain. I think he's a good person deep down, but somehow...he became the Evil Emperor, and he cast the curse."
Jinora pursed her lips. "But he's not hurting any of you?"
Nima shook her head and Jinora let go of her face in relief. "It's weird, he's actually the nicest guardian we've had other than you and Daddy."
Jinora brushed off the involuntary tensing of her gut at the mention of Kai and sighed. "Okay. Good. That's good."
"I just feel weird around him ever since learning about it," Nima said. "He's a really nice man other than that."
Relief washed over Jinora at the confirmation that the "complication" that Nima had mentioned in her video letter was attributed to something as small as a child's imagination gone wild, and nodded as sympathetically as she could.
"Well, I think it'll be best to stay normal around Zuko, since so far he's been a nice man to us and not the Evil Emperor," she chuckled. She held out her hand to Nima and she took it as Taani held onto the other, and the children allowed themselves to be guided to the kitchen, where the conversation wandered off to more normal topics, even if Nima still seemed distracted.
Jinora supposed it was normal to hold onto this fantasy as a way to cope with everything, but she still couldn't ignore how concerning it could be if she held onto it for too long. Maybe she'd ask Zuko if she had been acting strange, without revealing anything she was sure Nima wouldn't want revealed; it wasn't exactly flattering to be dubbed an Evil Emperor.
But that was why she was here now, she supposed. She was here to fix everything that had been broken over the past few years, so Nima wouldn't have to hold onto this anymore. So she could move on from all the pain the past few years had inflicted on all of them, and so that they could all move forward together, as a family.
-:-:-:-
The next day, Jinora got a call from Pema. She was feeling a little under the weather today and didn't want Jinora to work on the library alone so they decided to meet back up tomorrow. That was fine with her since, anyway, she was keeping an eye on Nima. The curse thing worried Jinora a little more as the night went on. How long had that been a thing? How long had she used to that to placate herself?
It made Jinora realize just how in the dark she still was about her children. Rama and Taani seemed to be on it too, but Nima had seemed so absorbed in it. So convinced. In a way, she wanted to squash it soon… so the twins didn't pick it up also. Then again, Jinora was here now. Perhaps it would fade with time?
The whole thing was very worrying, which was why Jinora was actually somewhat relieved to have found Nima tucked snugly into a cushy recliner upstairs. As Jinora recalled it, Nima was supposed to have been upstairs straightening up her room. Not that Jinora minded. In fact, it reminded her of when her baby was a younger baby.
"I know I'm supposed to be her legal guardian," came Zuko's soft voice from behind her, so unassuming that Jinora wasn't even startled as she turned slightly to face him, "but, honestly, I could never find it in me to force her to get up to finish chores. She always seems so peaceful. I'd hate to ruin that."
Jinora smiled softly, looking back to her daughter. "Nima always loved naps, even as a little girl. She's a… always was a lazy little thing. Even as a baby. Teaching her how to walk was a little hard at first because she just liked to be carried. Never exactly grew out of that kind of thing… well, until now I suppose." Her smile faltered as she watched the falling and rising of Nima's chest, in time with her slow, steady breaths. "I'm rather grateful for it right now...she's grown so serious since I last saw her."
"She wasn't always?" Zuko asked. Jinora shook her head sadly. "Part of the reason I let her skip out on chores sometimes is because she always works so hard to take care of her younger siblings. She seems to forget that that's supposed to be my job. I assumed that it came from having to keep them together in foster homes for those first couple of years." Zuko smiled sadly. "You raised a very strong little girl."
Tears pricked at Jinora's eyes, and she dabbed at them before the tears could begin to flow. "Has she...has she been acting...strange, lately? As far as you know, anyway?"
"Somehow, she seems more stiff around me than she was several months ago," Zuko admitted. "I thought I was getting through to the kids after the first few months of being their legal guardian. I'm not sure if I did anything to make her think she wasn't safe -"
"I promise, this is the most stable situation they've been in in...a very long time," Jinora said, turning towards Zuko. "And she really does appreciate you, we all do." Even if Nima was going on about some curse, Jinora thought silently. "Has there been...anything else?"
"There might be," Zuko said, tilting his head in thought. "I've actually been having her see a therapist in town. When she was in school a few months ago, Pema noticed she was having trouble getting along with some of the other kids, and overall was having trouble...adjusting. She's been in therapy ever since, and...she seems to be taking it well, at least over the past few months. She only started during the end of the previous school year, and with school starting soon -"
"I understand," Jinora said. "And thank you for making sure she's getting all the attention she needs. Would it be alright for me to talk to the therapist she's seeing?"
"Of course," Zuko said right away.
Deciding to go while Nima was sleeping, Jinora got the therapist's office address and headed out, taking the twins with her. Still, she left a note anyway just in case. She definitely and actively wanted to avoid their earlier episode.
Like everything in Fablebrooke, the therapist's office was a few minutes' walk away from Zuko's house, and for a moment, normalcy washed over her as Rama and Taani held onto either one of her hands.
"I thought we were gonna go to the doctor's later," Rama pouted. Jinora let a smile slip.
"This isn't your doctor, it's Nima's therapist. You know him, right?" Rama nodded, though his pout remained. "I just want to talk to him."
"Nima's not coming too?"
"I didn't want to wake her up," Jinora replied, her smile fading as she approached the door to the office. A large "closed" sign was hung over the door, with the office hours etched into the glass door.
"What does that say, Mommy?" Rama asked, pointing at the closed sign with his free hand.
"It says it's closed," Jinora said, taking one last look at the door. "Guess I'll have to come by tomorrow."
"Can we go to the Jasmine Dragon before we go back home? I want a passionfruit bubble tea." said Rama, tugging on Jinora's hand.
She laughed as she nodded. "Of course, but we're picking up some for Nima too, right?"
"Sure, but more importantly I get some, right?" Rama asked impatiently. Jinora snorted and ruffled his hair.
She then looked at Taani, who was looking off into the distance. "You want some, too, baby?"
Taani nodded slowly, and followed easily when Jinora led them to the tea shop diner. They'd barely walked in when Rama exclaimed "Naoka!" and let go of his mother's hand to run towards the front booth where a fair-skinned, messy-haired boy around his age was sitting and waving him over.
Jinora looked at Taani. "That a friend of his?" Taani nodded once. "Your friend too?" Taani nodded again. Satisfied with that answer, Jinora walked over to the high chair next to Rama's, where he and his friend - Naoka, was it? - were stacking the dirty plates that hadn't been taken away yet.
An especially frazzled-looking waitress with a windswept bob clucked her tongue at the boy, taking the top few plates onto her tray. "Naoka, I told you not to play with the plates, you don't know who's touched that," she scolded.
"Mommy," the boy whined.
"Sorry Mrs. Beifong," said Rama, putting a plate down. Jinora reached out and ruffled Rama's hair again.
The waitress's eyes followed Rama to Jinora seated beside him, and her light green eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you," she said, scrambling to set down her tray of dirty dishes and taking out her notepad. "For here or to go?"
"To go," Jinora said, "and we just wanted four bubble teas. Iroh's not here?"
"No," the waitress said, jotting down the order quickly. "I think tonight was pai sho night? Either way, I'm the only one on duty tonight, so sorry if it takes a little longer to get everything out to you."
"That's fine," Jinora said. She gestured towards Naoka, who was fiddling with one of the used forks. "You're his mother?"
"Yeah, I take him and his siblings to work with me whenever I get busy shifts like this," the waitress said, picking her tray back up. "I haven't seen you around before."
"Yeah, I'm actually Rama and Taani's mother," Jinora said, unable to contain her smile as she squeezed her children's shoulders.
The waitress nearly dropped her tray.
"I can't believe I forgot you were visiting!" she exclaimed, setting her tray down again. "I heard a bit about it from Nima a few days ago, but I guess it slipped my mind…" She extended a hand to Jinora. "I'm Opal Beifong. It's so nice to finally meet you, Nima's said so many good things about you."
Jinora shook her hand, feeling both tickled and undeserving of anything good her children might have had to say about their previously absent mother. "It's nice to meet you too," she said. "And you're allowed to bring your kids with you to work?"
"Iroh and Toph don't have a problem with it, and their father's always out late, so someone's gotta look out for them," Opal said, picking up the tray once more. "I'll be back out with your bubble tea as soon as possible," she said as she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Thanks," Jinora called after her, before turning back to Rama and Naoka playing with the utensils again. She raised an eyebrow at her son. "Didn't Opal tell you not to play with those?"
Rama pouted as he dropped the spoon, but Naoka kept playing, content to not listen to an adult that wasn't one of his parents. Fair enough, Jinora thought.
"Wait, but if you're Rama and Taani and Nima's mommy…" Naoka began as he scraped the fork against the dirty plate. "Why do they live with Mayor Kasai?"
Jinora stopped in her tracks for a moment, but Rama simply answered, "Mama wasn't able to have a place for all of us, but Zuko's nice and is letting her stay with us now."
She nodded, grateful for the simple answer to a very complicated situation. "That's right. How do you two know each other?"
"Zuko used to let us stay with Uncle Iroh whenever he got too busy doing mayor things," Rama explained. "And Mrs. Beifong is always here. She gives me free pie sometimes!"
A clatter of plates shattering on the tile floor interrupted them, and Naoka stared at the pieces with a small 'o' of a mouth. Rama frowned at him as Opal came running out the kitchen door with four bubble teas in tow.
She set them down on the counter space in front of Jinora before frantically cleaning up Naoka's mess. Unsure of what else to do, Jinora immediately got down on her knees to help.
"I'm so sorry -" Jinora began, but Opal shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, my son pulls this all the time," she said, glancing over at Naoka pointedly. "Sorry if you felt like you had to keep an eye on them, I promise I don't make strangers watch my children for me. At least without not offering them free pie first." They both stood up and put the broken plate pieces on a tray along with the intact dirty dishes, much to Naoka's disappointment and Rama's relief as the former pouted and the latter let out a long exhalation. "Although I can offer you some to make up for it…?"
"No, you already seem busy," Jinora said, handing one tea to each of her children and carrying the other two in one arm. Taani immediately latched onto her free hand. "But it was nice meeting you, and it looks like I'll be seeing you pretty often." Jinora looked between the two boys again and couldn't resist smiling.
"Definitely," Opal said with a wide smile.
Rama and Naoka waved goodbye to one another, with a last minute "And nice to see you too Taani!" thrown in at the last minute as they walked out the door.
"I'm glad you can be friends with Naoka's mommy," Rama said, walking beside Jinora as she tried to keep the teas secure in her arm. "So when we play you both won't get bored."
Jinora chuckled, not sure how she could ever stay bored with her children around, and nodded. "Mrs. Beifong seems like a nice lady. Want me to see if I can fit in a playdate before school starts?"
Rama nodded eagerly and did a little skip ahead of them on the way back to Zuko's house. The gate was open to them, and Jinora had to let go of Taani's hand to unlock the door.
"Nima? Are you awake?" Jinora called as they all walked in and kicked their shoes off.
She followed the low murmuring of Zuko's voice and another man's, one that didn't quite register in the moment, to the kitchen.
"Hey Zuko, I guess Nima's not up yet, huh? Well, at least we didn't have to keep her waiting for too long," Jinora said, not fully processing the presence of their new guest as she set Nima's tea down. She brought her own straw to her lips as she finally looked up to greet their new guest when she swore her heart stopped.
It felt like her eyes were following everything in slow motion, as they went from Zuko, who was facing the man and smiling as politely as ever, if not looking a little frazzled, to the man himself, his undercut and dark skin far too familiar to Jinora before he even turned to face her. Once his green eyes met hers, her bubble tea fell to the floor, forgotten.
"Kai?"
It has been entirely too long since we posted the last chapter of this. Anywho, reminder that this story is co-written with spiritypowers, but yes! Kai and Jinora will finally reunite and I promise you won't be disappointed! It's going to be an eventful next chapter so thank you for all of you who have held out since the last update! Please keep with us!
As always, we love it when you guys drop those reviews! They really keep us motivated and keep us writing! Thank you for reading! Tune in for next chapter!