Disclaimer: I don't own 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'
Notes: And on to Book One: Water, Chapter Fifteen: Bato of the Water Tribe (the third and final part) and also Book One: Water, Chapter Sixteen: The Deserter.

SMOKE

Smoke... smoke... had to get out of the smoke... suddenly a warm hand gripped onto her wrist tightly. Katara stopped breathing. "Where do you think you're going, water peasant?"

Flowerperson
© 2006

Part XIII: Porcelain

"Hurry up, Katara," Sokka whined impatiently, "Just pick a mask!"

But there was such a multifarious collection to choose from! The colours were mostly brilliant shades of red and majestic tones of gold but there were examples of other bright colours such as blue, green, yellow, orange and even purple. Creatures depicted in the disguises varied from fierce-looking dragons to the purest of Fire Nation maidens.

Katara's hand ran over the surface of one particular mask displaying a young woman, admiring the smooth texture of the porcelain. Finally picking it up, she went to pay the stall-owner only to have the coins returned; the masks were free for this festival.

After correcting Sokka and Aang's masks (her sour brother had originally had received the cheery sun whilst the cheery Avatar had gotten the sour mask), Katara handed them each some coins—they were Fire Nation money, so they would not be suspicious—and was about to lecture Aang to be discrete, and instruct Sokka to have fun when both boys simply disappeared. She guessed where they would be (Sokka eating at the food stands and Aang watching the firebending) so simply smiled behind her mask and glanced around for a stall that she could be interested in.

A jewellery booth caught her eye, its gold trinkets twinkling at her, as if hypnotising her into taking a look.

The craftsmanship was superb; there were foot-long dragons made entirely of gold (and rubies for the eyes) with its tail twisting around its body and each detail from its razor-sharp teeth to each individual scale was moulded to perfection, regal statues of past Fire Lords that managed to tell so much about their power and honour with simply a facial expression and their body language and ornate necklaces—some thin, some thick—with pendants of different words and symbols.

All the jewellery and trinkets were fashioned from gold, as this metal was famously part of the Fire Nation just as platinum and silver were associated with the Water Tribes, copper with the Air Nomads and iron and bronze with the Earth Kingdom. Silver, in her opinion, was much more attractive but gold just screamed power and radiance, whereas silver whispered of serenity.

Gazing over the different items, one certain necklace gained her attention.

She supposed that it was because it reminded her of her own. Its band was (obviously) a thin gold chain but its pendant was a circular ruby with the Fire Nation symbol engraved into the stone. Although it looked quite light, Katara knew it had to be expensive.

"Ah, I see you have good taste. Are you going to purchase it?"

Katara's head snapped up, stuttering over her words. The stand-owner was a greying man with thick spectacles (lines beside his eyes were crinkled, he must have been smiling). He did wear a mask, but it was only over his mouth and nose; it looked like a lizard's snout. "N-no… I was just… browsing…"

"Okay then," he said, still sounding cheerful, "Although I'm sure it would look beautiful upon such a pretty girl's neck."

She wondered how he knew she was a 'pretty girl' when she was wearing a mask to cover her face, but smiled behind her disguise anyway and left the stall, on the lookout for her next stop.

Gee, her feet really hurt from all the walking (and running) they had been doing. And look at my skin, she anguished as she rubbed her hands, it's all dry since I ran out of that special seaweed lotion! Judging by Zuko's dry skin—or what she assumed it was (out of spite), completely ignoring the softness and warmth from his skin when he had grabbed her wrists numerous times—she guessed that the Fire Nation didn't supply similar lotions.

That is, until she heard someone from a nearby booth hollering.

"Are your feet aching like you've been walking for days?" It couldn't be… "Is your skin as dry as a komodo rhino's hide?" Katara turned around, trying to find the source of the yelling, "Do you need some good ole pampering to get you re-energised? Well, look no further! Here at Madame Li's Beauty Stall, you can solve these problems, and many more! We also cater to warts and bunions!"

The Spirits must have been feeling merciful to Katara at last.

She walked over to the larger-than-normal stand and stood in front of quite a plump woman wearing a mask depicting another Fire Nation maiden, this time with much more make-up on. "Ah, a customer!" she squealed, "Please, please! Take a seat!"

Laughing nervously at the woman's eccentric behaviour, Katara sat down on what seemed to be a mix between a bed and a chair. And it was very comfortable, she added with a sigh as she squirmed to get in the most comfortable position.

"I'm afraid I can't do anything to your face, as it is customary in this festival to keep our masks on, but I shall give you a pedicure and a manicure. How does that sounds?"

Heavenly, she wanted to answer but instead chose: "Great!"

And so the slightly chubby woman got to work, putting lotions on her dry skin and buffering her nails before painting them a rich red that "complimented her dark skin". Genuinely smiling at the Fire Nation lady, she took off her slippers and allowed the beautician to start working on her feet.

This is what I need, she mused to herself; after all this running we've been doing, trying to get away from Zuko… Her muscles tensed, reminiscing all of the run-ins she had had with the Fire Nation prince. When she had been waterbending, recently when that woman's strange animal paralysed her, when she had staggered through the smoke and when he had disguised himself as the—

Someone wearing normal Fire Nation robes was walking past; but the clothes weren't bothering her—it was the mask. A blue and white mask displaying something that could only resemble a demon. If the person behind the mask was who she thought it was, then the demonic mask fit them perfectly. She could not be completely sure, however, because he was wearing a hood over the back of his head.

"Th-thank you," Katara stumbled over her words as she jumped out of the seat and put money in the stall-owner's hands. "I-I have to g-go…"

Rushing in the opposite direction, she ignored the woman's calls: "Don't you want your change?"

Come on, Katara! Faster! Faster! Too slow! Do you want to be captured again? In her haste, she had forgotten her slippers at the stall so was forced to run on the cobble-stones barefoot. Needless to say, her feet felt even worse than before.

Glancing behind her, the waterbender wasn't looking where she was going and therefore bumped into someone so hard that she fell backwards onto her behind. After blinking a few times and rubbing her sore bottom, she looked up to see her brother stuffing his face with food. His mask was under his arm; it was useless for eating, after all.

"Sokka!" she gasped, standing up and holding his hand tightly for an emotional support.

"Wha's the ruf Ka'ara?"

"I thought… I thought I saw…" Wait a second, if she told Sokka who she saw then he would get all stressful and order that they leave and Aang would miss out on the chance to see some firebending that he didn't have to dodge or counter for once. But if she kept it a secret, Zuko could find Aang and take him back to the Fire Nation; they would lose their chance to save the world, and also a best friend.

Still stuffing his face with food, Sokka asked "Thaw' you saw wha'?"

"Nothing, nothing," she waved her hand dismissively, forcing herself to calm down. Where's Aang?"

He shrugged, swallowing the food. "Watching the firebending show, I guess."

"Where is it?"

"In the centre. I passed by it but it's just someone cocky like Zuko—" Katara flinched and luckily, Sokka did not notice, "—but prettier. A firebending magician, or something like that. If you ask me, the food here is much more interesting although it doesn't even come close to the food from home. Do you know that I ate a lizard! …I'm not complaining though; it was quite good."

"I'll see you later, Sokka!" Katara shouted behind her as she weaved her way through the crowds to find Aang.

Suddenly there was a hand on her wrist and she was dragged into a nearby alleyway. The breath was knocked out of her lungs as she was thrown against the wall with a firm, warm body pressed up against her. A blue and white mask leered down at her; Katara was too shocked to even try and squirm out of his hold. It was all too familiar, too much like that time in the Fire Nation fortress…

"Well, well, well, what's a waterbender like you doing in a place like this?"

Recovering from the shock, Katara struggled against him. "I'm not letting you capture me again, Zuko!"

"Zuko?" he laughed and reached up for his mask, taking it off. "As you can see… I'm not His Honourless Prince Zuko."

Katara gulped. No, he wasn't Zuko.

He was much, much worse.

-

Iroh looked to Zuko, who was scanning the town in front of him. Even from here they could hear the people's laughter and singing; the city was holding the annual Fire Festival—something this particular area was famous for. Fire-twirlers, acrobatics, magicians, fireworks and the best of Fire Nation cuisine would attract thousands of people from all over the Fire Nation islands.

It had been a festival Zuko had enjoyed thoroughly as a child.

"Prince Zuko, don't you want to go into the city now? We'll miss the fireworks if we don't hurry up!"

His nephew did not reply, still staring at the large town before them. Flames could be seen from the centre; some fire-benders must have been performing. Claps and cheers were heard immediately afterwards—obviously, the spectators had been impressed.

"Zuko?"

"I don't want to see the fireworks, uncle…" he paused, turning his back to the city, "Let's hurry. The Avatar won't be stopping here."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay just to watch the show?"

"I said 'let's hurry', uncle. It's pointless to waste our time watching amateur firebending!"

He didn't think it was amateur firebending when he was a child. In fact, he was awed by the different shapes and uses for fire and how talented the benders were in manipulating them. Iroh sighed.

"Okay, Prince Zuko."

-

Sokka found Aang in a crowd watching a firebending magician do his encore. "You seen Katara?" he asked as he fished out the remainder of his fire flakes from the packet.

The Avatar shook his head, "I walked past her at a beauty stall thing. She looked pretty relaxed so I didn't want to disturb her."

"Huh, girls," Sokka muttered.

"Girls," Aang nodded.

-

So who's the guy that's worse than Zuko? Come on, come on, take a guess!