7. EVERY OTHER SATURDAY, MY CREW CELEBRATES A LITTLE TRADITION OF MY UNCLE'S DEVISING WHICH WE CALL MUSIC NIGHT. It is exactly what it says on the tin, and something I once loathed with a passion. My crew loved it, though, from the very beginning, and eventually, as the years of my exile wore on, their enthusiasm wore off on me. I can't say that I love it, exactly, because acting like idiots with musical instruments isn't exactly what I would voluntarily choose to call a good time, but…well…I'd be lying if I tried to say that it wasn't rather fun.
As luck would have it, though, a Music Night happened to fall on the Saturday of the second weekend of our stay with the Yuupik tribe. Katara and I had spent a rather trying and frustrating week, learning the basics of grammar and spelling. Suomi is kind, in that its grammar is really quite fluid, but that doesn't make it any less irritating to, well, anyone, much less a twenty-year-old doing her best to learn the rules for the first time, even a twenty-year-old as intelligent and hard-working as Katara. We even got a little testy with each other a few times, no matter how hard I tried to remember how much I struggled with my own grammar lessons, once upon a time. By Friday, though, she finally made something of a breakthrough, and I'm honestly not sure who was happier about it, her or me. Once again, her brother was forced to sit as she babbled on about what she had learned, while he tried his best not to look bored (because, let's face it, grammar is boring as fuck). As I sat there, watching the domestic scene, basking in the warmth of Katara's joy and enthusiasm, something that I can only describe as, well, madness overtook me. Before I even really knew what I was doing, I announced to the room that, in honor of Katara's breakthrough after a long week of excruciating work, I had decided that I would like to take her to my crew's Music Night the next evening to celebrate.
Needless to say, as soon as I said the words, I would've given anything call them back. I mean, what was I thinking? Casual flirting and grammar lessons were one thing, but all but asking Katara out on what could only be called a date? I had obviously lost my mind. I quickly began to run through the symptoms, trying my best to decide on a diagnosis. I had just made up my mind to seek assistance from the ship's medic when Katara made me doubt her own sanity by bursting into a smile and saying, "Why, that sounds awesome! I'd love to go!"
I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open. I know for a fact that my eyes went wide, and I can't help but suspect that my face when pale as a sheet. In short, I'm fairly certain that, for a few moments there, I looked like some kind of chronically ill fish that had been left out in the sun for too long. So, imagine my surprise when Sokka nodded slowly and said, "That does sound like fun, actually." I was beginning to suspect that I was a victim of some strange, twisted dream, a feeling made all the more intense by Sokka's next words: "I mean, you guys have just been working away in here for two weeks, and last weekend, my sister had you banging around in the kitchen for two days straight. You should do something entertaining."
I nod, slow and painful, wondering if it's a sign of an impending heart attack for my body to be completely numb. "So…umm…you're okay with it?"
Katara just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm twenty-gods-damn-years-old. If I want to go do something, I do it." She rounded on her brother, an accusing finger out. "Also, you can't go. This is a celebration for Zuko and I."
Sokka crossed his arms and huffed. "Like I'd want to go to some stupid Fire Nation thing anyways. You two go, have fun, bring me back some good jokes."
Katara laughed, loud and fierce. "Like you'd know a good joke if one hit you in the face. You're just as bad as Dad."
Sokka gasped, obviously deeply offended. "Hey! Dad's jokes are just fine!"
Katara clucked her tongue. "You would think that."
In the meantime, I had laid two fingers to my neck, checking my pulse. Satisfied that I was, indeed, still alive, and not in the process of dying, I finally reached the conclusion that I had, indeed, lost my fucking mind, and was no doubt spiraling further down into the abyss of insanity with every passing second. That settled, I began to wonder how I could manage to bring Katara to the party without my uncle losing his shit with glee.
Needless to say, I really shouldn't have bothered even thinking about it. I'll never forget that moment, later that evening, standing in our cabin, shifting from foot-to-foot, desperately trying to decide how to phrase things in as calm a manner as possible, until I finally just blurted out, "So, umm…yeah…I invited Katara to Music Night and…umm…please don't get weird about it?"
His eyes went about as wide as saucepans, and he leaped out of bed and did what I can only describe as a jig all around the room, giggling like a schoolboy. I watched him all the way through the entire sordid process, my heart slowly crawling its way down my throat and into my stomach, until, finally, he stopped, probably for breath, and said, "Oh, Zuko, that's wonderful. The entire crew will be over-joyed. We're going to throw out all the stops, and get the food and drink we hold back for special occasions, and, oh! I'll make sure to get the tsungi horn out of storage!"
I crossed my arms, trying my best to hold on to the last shreds and tatters of my dignity. "Uncle, I don't care what you say or what you do or what plots you cook up, I am not, under any circumstances, playing the fucking tsungi horn."
He snapped his fingers in the air. "That reminds me, we're going to have to work on your language."
I shook my head, trying hard not to stomp my feet. "I don't care how much you try to distract me, I'm not playing the gods-damn tsungi horn."
His eyes sparkled like the sea at dusk, as he clapped his hands together and sighed in a way uncomfortably reminiscent of an elderly spinster reading a steamy romance novel. "And I'll have to pull Kashiwagi aside and have him give you a haircut. In fact, the entire crew could use a haircut and a shave..."
I buried my face in my palm. "Uncle…"
"And I'll have the cook prepare some Water Tribe food. Didn't you mention the Lady Katara giving you some cooking lessons? You'll have to share some of those recipes with good old Nakadate…"
At that point, I gave up. I simply threw my hands in the air and walked out of the cabin, secure in the knowledge that my uncle had taken no notice of my departure, and had no need of my continued presence. As I left, my only action was to nod and feel somehow secure in the knowledge that the healers of the Earth Kingdom were right, madness really was contagious.
And that's how I came to be standing at Katara's door as the sun began to slid beneath the horizon, dressed in the nicest clothes I possessed (which wasn't much; I had celebrated my twenty-second birthday by tossing all of my carefully maintained formal robes and regalia into the sea), my face freshly shaved and my hair carefully and painstakingly done up in a casual-sort of topknot. How long did I spend on that topknot? Why, not long at all. How long should I have spent on that topknot? Really, it was just for show. It was all my uncle's idea to get the haircut. And you know what? It's not like I spent a half-hour carefully policing for stray hairs before I made the walk to the house. That would silly. No, really, I didn't. Honest.
Honest.
All of those thoughts quickly flew from my mind, though, the second the door opened. There, standing before me, framed by flickering candles from within and bathed in the dying light of sunset, was the single most stunning woman I'd ever seen. Katara was dressed in what could only be described as…well…a dress, the closest that the Southern Water Tribes got to formal attire, form-fitting and flowing, all the down to her shins. Her voluminous hair had obviously been carefully combed, brushed, braided, and set precisely in place. Even the habitual stray strands that brushed her left eye seemed just one more piece of the puzzle. Delicate earrings dangled from her ears, and her necklace looked freshly polished and shined. I had a strange mental image, of her and two or three girlfriends, fussing over her hair for hours on end while her brother groaned and whined in the next room.
I'll admit, I gaped. I might have even ogled. I know for a fact that I tiled my head slightly, so that my one good eye could get as full of a view as possible of the gorgeous young woman standing before me. The fact that I seemed to recover so quickly can only be ascribed to the etiquette lessons that were literally beaten into me from birth. As carefully and humbly as I could, I bowed low, bending fully at the waist, with form and grace that would have sent my etiquette tutor to an early grace, had he seen it.
Bastard always did accuse me of not paying attention…
"Lady Katara, it is a pleasure to see you this evening." I slowly and carefully pulled myself up, back straight and shoulders back, that crazy old tutor's lessons ringing in my ears. "It would be an honor to accompany you tonight, if you are amenable to such an outcome."
She blinked, an incipient giggle sparkling from the corners of her eyes. I had given the customary greeting in Nihongo, because that was the only way I knew how to say such a thing, but somehow, she seemed to have understood. She nervously (wait, she's fucking nervous?) brushed out some nonexistent wrinkles in her dress, threw her shoulders back, and said, "You just asked me out for the evening in a very courtly manner, didn't you?"
I nodded slowly, terror rippling through my veins. "I did," I said, lapsing back into Suomi. "I…kind of lapsed back into my old etiquette lessons there." I reached up, tugged at my collar, desperate that she somehow be unable to see.
A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "I see…have I ever told you that I find it rather distracting when you speak your native tongue?"
I tilted my head down a bit. "You've mentioned it a time or three."
She nodded. "Well, in that case, I believe we have a date to keep." She tilted her head towards where my ship was berthed. "Shall we?"
I bowed again, though not as deeply this time. "We shall."
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a wild Sokka appeared, poking his head into the doorway beside his sister's face. "Hey, Zuko! Wow…you're on time."
Katara rolled her eyes. "I told you he'd be on time. The Fire Nation doesn't work like we do."
I frowned. "I'm not sure I follow…"
Sokka grinned that stupid, happy little grin of his. "Here, we have something called Water Tribe Time, which basically means that you always arrive for everything at least an hour or two late. That's why I was telling Katara not ten minutes ago not to get so nervous, because surely you'd not be here for at least another hour."
I croak out a laugh, eyes still locked on Katara, unsure whether to be elated or frightened by the fact that her eyes were locked just as tightly on me. "Well, as your sister pointed out, things work a little bit differently where I'm from…"
He waved this aside, his hand flapping briefly into frame, coming perilously close to touching his sister's hair. From the look that passed briefly over her face, if he had actually dared to make contact, his hand would have very quickly been separated from his arm. "Whatever. Look, do me a favor?"
I nodded, still not really looking at him. "Name it."
"Right. If anyone asks, especially if my Dad happens to bring it up one day, when you came here tonight, I was seated on the doorstep, ominously sharpening a knife and giving you the Evil Eye. Got it?" He pauses, considers his words, then adds, "In fact, that's how I greeted you every morning. That clear?"
I nod again. It seems to be the only action I'm capable of. "No worries, I'll play my part."
He reaches out a light fist, making for my gimpy shoulder, until an ahem from Katara makes his fist stop in mid-air and make an awkward course-correction for my arm, where he gives a tap so light I barely feel it. "You're a pal, Zuko." He turns to his sister, smiles, says, "You two have fun, alright?"
She rolled her eyes so hard that I briefly feared that they'd fly out of her head. "We'll try, Sokka. Tell Kirima that I said hello."
Sokka's had flew to the back of his neck as an intense blush flooded his face. "Oh…well…umm…yeah…if I see her…"
She popped up, gave him a peck on the cheek, said goodbye, then shut the door behind her.
Then it was just us…
I cleared my throat, and tried my best to put on a confidant face. "You look lovely tonight, Katara."
Her face lit up, and she reached up and brushed those couple supposedly stray strands to the side. "You really think so?"
I nod. "I wouldn't say something like that if I didn't mean it."
She nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. "There are a lot of guys I wouldn't buy a line like that from, but…somehow…I believe it from you."
"Heh…thank you, my lady."
She giggled. "You keep using lines like that, and I'm going to be a puddle at your feet."
I give a shallow bow. "Then I shall endeavor to stop, if my lady requires."
She scoffs. "Oh, gods, no, please don't." She nods her head towards the ship, reminding me of our destination one more time. "As I said before, though, shall we?"
I smile. "We shall."
I move to her left side, and she threads her arm through the crook of my right one without a moment's hesitation. We begin walking towards the ship, slow and steady, not hurrying, not a care in the world. My heart is pounding away in the back of my throat, and I'm pretty sure that I'm dreaming, and surely this can't be real, but somehow, I don't care. I've never been more relaxed in all my life, even as a terror greater than the one that gripped me on the eve of my first battle four years before shivers through my body.
"You look quite handsome yourself, Zuko."
I chuckle. "You really think so?"
She shoots me a smile. "You're not the only one who only says what they mean."
"Heh…point taken."
We take a few more steps. At no point do we stop, though somehow, the further we walk, the closer we seem to move towards each other.
"So," she asks, "how long did you spend on your hair? Because it looks great. A huge difference from that shaggy mop you usually have."
I throw my whole body into what I hope is a nonchalant shrug. "Oh, ten minutes, max. No big."
"Uh huh. So, an hour?"
"At least. And you?"
"About the same. Ten, twenty minutes."
"So, all afternoon?"
"Pretty much."
We share a soft, light giggle. I really can't get enough of her laughter. What the hell is happening to me? I'm a prince, royalty, the flower of a proud nation, the product of centuries of tradition and breeding, hardly one to get giggly with a pretty girl, no matter how beautiful, or smart, or how much she's a woman, not a girl, or…
I stop myself. It's hard not to laugh.
You haven't been a prince for a long time, Zuko…
Why bother even thinking about it?
I don't bother to answer that, because I've known the answer for quite some time now.
I'm not a prince anymore…
So why not have some fun?
Like I said, I don't answer the last. It's my uncle's voice, booming in my head, that answers for me. I shake the words away, not because I don't appreciate them, but because my uncle's voice is the last sound I want to hear right now. I turn to Katara, the faint whisper of her voice ringing in my ears, and say, "What was that?"
She smiles, says, "I was just asking, anything I need to know?"
I shake my head. "Just have fun, and try to forgive my uncle. He's…well…excited is the best way to put it."
She arches an eyebrow. "Oh?"
I fight down a laugh. "Well…he's been on me to meet a nice girl for some time now. So, your presence is something of a…I dunno…validation for him."
She laughs. "Ah, I see. My Gran-Gran is exactly the same. You should've seen how she hustled and bustled about all day today when I told her what was going on."
"I think I need to sit down and meet you grandmother one of these days."
"You really do." A pause, a few more steps. "So, anything else I need to know?"
I consider for a bit. "Just have fun."
"I can do that." She giggles. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm better at that than you are."
"Heh…no doubt. Is there anything in particular you need to know?"
"Umm…any of your crew speak Suomi?"
"My uncle does, as well as I do, and a few of the crew can make themselves understood. Why?"
"I was just wondering if there were any words I needed to know, in your language."
"Well…what would words would it relax you to know?"
"Well…how about yes?"
"Hai."
"No?"
"Īe."
I have to work with her on that one before she asks for her next word.
"Right. That one was weird."
"I know. What else?"
"Please?"
"Dōzo."
"You guys like your weird sounds."
"Oh, trust me, I know. And, before you ask another question, thank you is arigatō."
"Finally! An easy one! So…arigatō?"
I nod. "Arigatō. Perfect, by the way."
She squeezes the spot where her hand rests on my forearm. "Arigatō."
I smile. "Olkaa hyvä."
We're almost to the ship now. She's speaking, saying, "You know, one of these days, I'm going to speak your language as well as you speak mine."
I don't laugh, I don't smile, I don't crack wise. Once, the idea that some Water Tribe peasant could speak my language as well as me, or master it in the way that I, a product of the Fire Nation, could master hers, would be so ludicrous as to barely be worth entertaining. Now, though? Well, it's enough to say that all I do is nod and say, "Of that, my lady, I have no doubt."
We're making our way up the gangplank to the ship. The sounds of my crew filter down to us, making clear that the revelry is already well underway.
She looks up at me. "You really don't, do you? You really do believe in me?"
I look back at her, right into her eyes. "I do."
She smiles. "Well, for the record, I believe in you, too."
I smile back. "Then I believe in me, too."
With that, we're stepping onto the deck, and my uncle is beginning my evening of humiliation by wrapping Katara in a big bear hug and proclaiming to all and sundry how happy he is to finally see his nephew on a real, live date.
As far as my dignity's concerned, it all goes downhill from there.
I'm having way too much fucking fun with this story. I hope you guys are, too.
By the way, the Japanese translations are the product of the finest work that seconds in Google Translate can provide. I hope you enjoy my hard work, and appreciate that irony that the guy who read a giant Wikipedia article on Finnish grammar can't be bothered to hunt down an actual Japanese speaker. Woo!
In the next chapter, I'm pretty sure I'll touch on the actual Music Night. I think? There will definitely be Zuko humiliation, because you really think Iroh's going to pass this opportunity up? Please. Stay tuned!
