"No matter how late, baby, I'll be staying up, I can't sleep without you." - From Brett Young's "Sleep Without You"
As the tram slowed to a stop, Katara gathered her things. At this time of night, there were only a few people left on the Ba Sing Se transit system. Making eye contact with the elderly woman across the aisle, she murmured a goodnight and stepped out of the cabin. The tram whooshed onward, and she took a deep breath of the clear night air. The world was quiet. She could feel contentment humming through her veins as she navigated the dark streets.
Approaching the manor, she saw a single room was lit upstairs. Katara let herself in the back door, stole up the stairs, and silently eased open the door.
Candles covered every surface. The tall, bright ones intended for chandeliers were arranged on the dresser, while short squat ones were placed in every square tile of the floor. The distinctly green ones (a gift from their Earth hostess) occupied the bedside tables, and the red ones brought from home surrounded the figure in the middle of it all – the meditating form of the Fire Lord. Eyes closed, hair loose, and breathing slowly. With every inhale, the flames thinned in unison, and with every exhale they flickered back, fat and bright.
It was a familiar technique, a perfect training exercise for visiting a foreign nation, as it required extraordinary control and concentration, while being fairly inconspicuous.
But with Zuko this focused, it was hard to resist the temptation…Katara leaned towards the nearest flame and blew it out, watching her husband all the while. His brows wrinkled slightly and the flame sizzled back into existence.
Still watching him, she leaned over and, in quick succession, blew out two of the tapers nearest her. Zuko's frown deepened, as did his breathing, and the flames burst back in his exhale. Turning away from him, Katara drew a deep breath when –
"You know, there's nothing wrong with saying hello," Zuko's wry voice caught her mid breath, and she turned to him, eyes shining and smile wide. He regarded her, seriously. "Did you have a good time with Toph?"
"Well, we started the evening with front row seats at Triple Rock Brawl, but –" she bent down to the sea of candles between the two of them and began blowing them out, "afterwards we went to the Jasmine Dragon, and I got the latest scoop on –"
With a deep breath from Zuko, the candles on the floor whisked out, leaving only their smoking trails, and the warm light of the countertop candles. Katara rolled her eyes and picked her way across the floor to the man-island before her, settling herself in his lap, as she continued talking, "the newest boy-toy named Lang who is apparently quite the catch, although she has no intention of settling down with him." She paused as she regarded him carefully.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, concerned.
Zuko wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the corner of her ear as he said, "I'm glad you're back."
Her smile returned as she wriggled closer to him and let out a yawn, "I'm glad to be back. Time for bed."
By the gleam in his eyes, Katara assumed that Zuko agreed.