Author:
moor on / beyondthemoor on LJ
Title:
Merits
Part
: Eleven
Genre:
Romance/humour/vamp/Modern AU
Fandom:
Avatar: TLA
Pairing:
Zutara, Jetara
Length:
1900 words, approx.
Rating:
M
Disclaimer
: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and all related rights belong to
their original creators… I am not among their ranks.
AN: In response to hyperroo' s vampire/Zutara
challenge, I present…
"Merits" – Part Eleven
At the club.
The spotlights shone from directly behind Toph, projecting her slender shadow out over the crowds and blinding anyone who looked too closely at her or her visitors that night. The music shook the room, as usual, and the dancing throngs were ignorant to the awkward hostility brewing on stage.
"I didn't know you were coming tonight," said Katara, emotionless, glancing at Aang. She'd just arrived at the top of the plateau where her best friend worked her magic and found she wasn't alone that evening. On one of the nearby armchairs (following Katara's complaints of a sore rear during her last visit, Toph now insisted on having comfortable surroundings when she worked), Aang sat relaxing and had been staring out over the crowd until he recognized her head pop up at the stairs.
"I'm just stopping by to talk to Toph." He glanced at the DJ who was at that moment revving the crowds with a jungle beat. It was still early, so she needed to warm her spectators thoroughly before leaving them to coast on house for a while. Gauging her fans' reaction, Toph experimented a bit with a new track she'd been working on; other than a brief wave, she hadn't acknowledged either of her guest's arrivals.
"I'll come back another time," pulling her winter coat tighter around herself, Katara turned and started back down the stairs.
"Wait!" he grabbed her sleeve impulsively.
Her heartbeat jumped and ran wild for a moment, before settling when she glanced at her ex-fiancé with a wary look.
Letting go of her, he reached up and rubbed the back of his head a bit uncomfortably, looking to the side for a moment before back at her again. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Uh, why don't you stay for a bit? You don't need to go."
Katara's stubborn pride was telling her to turn her back on him and go; her heart told her she knew better than to return his decision from several years ago back at him in childish retaliation. The air was considerably less stuffy on the raised podium
"I'm already here," she sighed, and joined him on one of the padded stools. She was glad to have a place to sit this time; the ground was clean where she'd settled the last time she came to see Toph, but it had been uncomfortable.
She looked over him then, from the corner of her eye, and in the over-bright light realized he had changed since she'd seen him last. Not the last time at her apartment, at the veiled 'welcome home' party – they'd hardly addressed each other that night. No, she was thinking of several years ago.
Compared to their last encounter before he left the country, his frame was still lean, but now toned with muscle; his face had formed a bit more, and hardened his jaw. He hadn't shaved his head since he'd arrived back by the looks of things, and instinctively she wanted to reach out and run her hand over the dark fuzz that now covered his skull like a soft moss over a calm forest's rocky slope, the way she used to love doing when they'd cuddle on the couch and discuss their wedding plans, and--.
She slapped the thought away irritably, but couldn't help but notice there was something else behind the changes she saw. It wasn't just physical. There was something deeper within him that had changed, too. His laughing, carefree manner was still there… but there was a certain maturity and confidence within him now, too.
He's an old soul, she heard the soft whisper from her core.
He's an old soul with cold feet, she argued back sarcastically.
Needing to break the silence and her examination of him, Aang smiled and leaned forward.
"She's gotten pretty good, huh?" he pointed at Toph.
"Yeah, she's had a lot of offers from major labels," replied Katara. They had to shout to hear each other over the music.
"Do you come often?"
"Now and then."
The conversation remained vague and impersonal.
For her part, Toph listened but didn't interfere. She really did need to test the waters with her new tracks to see which ones worked and which still needed work, and the Thursday crowds were slightly smaller and more intimate than the desperate, wild Friday and Saturday herds that threatened to burst the Bomber's seams.
Barefoot as usual, she felt the rhythms and stomping of her fans and basked in their enthusiasm and praise. Though she would never admit it, Toph loved her job. She'd always love the love. The glory of being the best didn't hurt, either.
It was closing in on eleven p.m. and the crowds were finally warmed up nicely.
She prepared to step away from her station to sit with Aang and Katara for a bit when she felt the same ghost-step she had the last time Katara had visited.
Toph straightened like a bird dog on a hunt, and faced the direction she'd felt the odd vibe emanate from.
What was that? She thought suspiciously, and 'scanned' the crowds with her feet.
A tremble, a slide, a step, she sent her senses out to detect anything that resembled the ghost-walker.
She waited.
It came again, from a different direction.
Immediately, she turned to that source.
Same person. It has to be.
They're quick, she realized, or just very good at cutting through the crowd.
Keeping part of her focus on the strange vibe, instead of turning on the house so she could relax with her guests, Toph put on a more industrial track. It was a harsher transition than usual, but the crowd reacted as she expected.
The ghost-walker faltered before regaining his step.
You don't belong here. Who are you? She thought to herself.
As much as she wanted to charge down into the mass of bodies and yank the intruder out, she knew it was too reckless to leave her dais.
I've got my feet's eyes on you, mister, she thought to the man fiercely. Just try and cause trouble.
With that, Toph resigned herself to just listening and waiting to find out what the man intended. She cut short the industrial, phased the house back in, and without a word of explanation about her strange twists in playlist that night, went to sit with her friends.
The ghost-walker disappeared, then reappeared a few more times while she talked.
She didn't miss a single move.
Around midnight, Katara bid Aang and Toph goodnight.
"Lab first thing," she explained as she put her jacket on again. "It was good seeing you both," she said truthfully. "We'll see if we can get together again soon." With Toph's participation, the conversation had turned lighter and more inviting. Entertaining, too. Katara was sorry to go, though her work demanded she must.
"Don't be a stranger," Toph grinned. "Unless you bring snacks after."
"Do you want me to take you home? I've got a car now…"
"Wait, you're going, too? I thought you were staying until 2!" exclaimed Toph.
"I'm fi--," Katara paused before she declined Aang's offer. Jet had told her to call him instead of walking home on her own. She didn't know if he was still awake, though.
Aang looked at her while she battled her indecision. Stubborn pride was one thing, but walking alone and making it home safely were another entirely.
Aang seized on her hesitation. "It's on my way," he added.
Grousing, Toph folded her arms in front of her and chewed the inside of her cheek. Fine, leave her to work by herself. She'd just sit here, and play with her peons—er, 'patrons'—and …
"Well, if it isn't a lot of trouble--."
But suddently the ghost-walker was suddenly at the base of the podium stairs, sending Toph straight into red alert-mode.
"Hold it right there, Mister!" she hollered, leaping to her feet and pointing down the stairway at the trespasser.
"What is it?" distracted from his talk with Katara, Aang looked at her as if she could teach 'warped' to a crazy person.
"Toph, what are you – Zuko!" cried Katara as she peeped over her friend's shoulder; her voice mangled his name with surprise.
"This is Zuko?" asked Toph incredulously. There was a distinctly disappointed note to her voice. Katara glanced at Toph and willed her not to say anything about her earlier rant; it was already obvious that the DJ was at least aware of who he was.
The man in question glared up at the trio staring at him.
"What?" he asked softly, and despite how quiet his voice was, it rose to meet them easily.
Katara wasn't sure what to ask first; she was too stunned to have recognized him to think straight. She started with the obvious.
"…What are you doing here?"
"I heard it was pretty good. I came to see for myself."
Katara wasn't sure when he'd found time to socialize when he'd been so busy laying siege to her at her office, but she was about to steam at the ears that he'd invaded both her work space andher personal space now. The idea that he was stalking her flitted through her head, but she pushed it aside.
Her fists clenched minutely before she released them again. She refused to let him see how upset she was. Now was the perfect opportunity to start ignoring him, as Toph had said.
"Aang, let's go," Katara ordered and took her friend's hand, hauling him up behind her. Too confused to understand, Aang complied. She turned back to her other friend. "Toph, I'll see you later. Thanks for tonight," she smiled and gave her a quick hug. "I'll--."
"You'll call me, I know. Oh, do I know…" teased Toph, suffering the hug with her usual aplomb. Behind Katara's strong front, Toph knew her friend was a bit unsettled by Zuko's presence. She kept her senses alert to him while she said her goodbyes.
"Thanks, Toph. I'll see you later."
"Night, Aang," Toph waved and listened as they walked down the stairs together to head out a back door instead of trying to navigating through the crowds.
She felt the ghost-steps start to follow.
"Oh no you don't," she called to Zuko, and he turned his head towards her, scowling.
"What?" he demanded.
She wasn't sure.
Her hesitation was enough for him; immediately, he started turning away from her to leave, too.
"Don't!" ordered Toph, stamping her foot; through it, she felt him pause again. She also felt the people around her.
The crowds were getting restless, and horror of horrors she was beginning to hear them trying to talk to each other. It was beyond time to switch the tracks, but something held her there, rooted to the floor while she addressed the ghost-walking man.
Zuko glanced up at her one last time.
"I don't know who you are--," she started.
"You've said my name," he retorted.
"No, who you really are," corrected Toph thoughtfully. "But… There's something different about you."
She sensed him still.
"Go hit on someone else," he said, and walked away.
"I'll hit on whoever I damn well please!" she wanted to yell. At the moment, admittedly, all she wanted was to hit him, though--period.
Huffing angrily, she stomped back to her tables and livened up the crowds again.
Her hands moved deftly over dials and keys,and Toph lost herself in thought. She could see why Katara disliked Zuko. Still, he'd been unnerved by her picking him out of the crowd like that.
A smile slowly spread across her face; so he doesn't like being the center of attention, huh? I'd hate to exploit that weakness.
...Without a bus full of witnesses.
With that, she made it her personal mission to get under his skin in retaliation; partly, to vindicate Katara; mostly, however, for her own personal satisfaction.
She'd put a call through to her people that night and see what she could dig up about mister 'Zuko Sozin'.
TBC.
AN:
I hope you enjoyed the 'break' with the 'thank-you' fic last
time, "In your own company"! Was it too much of a break? Should I post the thank-you fics outside the story? (Also, Castle Anthrax, you still
need to let me know what you'd like in your own thank-you fic!) (Thank you very much for all your reviews, btw -- you guys're so nice!)
AN: Part Eleven: First posted March 2nd 2008.
