Chapter 21: Body Paragraph 19
A/N: Second part of the ball…
ATLA
The large ballroom was filled with waltzing couples and sniggering children, running in between the pairs.
Everywhere you looked you saw glee-filled faces, …except for one table in the back.
At this table sat Toph and Katara.
After their impressive entrances, Toph and Katara pushed their way through the masses to said table. Katara's reason was obvious, Aang was gone, so she had no one to dance with and no one she wanted to dance with.
Toph's reason on the other hand, was a little fuzzy. She announced that all the dancing was going to give her a headache, that she could already feel it coming.
Besides that, though no one saw, a young man her age had hesitantly asked for a dance and Toph had shut him down. She was over Sokka, of course, but she didn't want to have to break some other poor sap's heart.
Yeah, that's it.
Katara looked on as Suki and Sokka danced and Mai and Zuko held one another close, whispering things and giggling at each other.
Her heart ached at the sight of the couples together. It made her miss Aang, more than usual. Katara stood abruptly, pushing her chair, it tumbling to ground and catching Toph's attention. "Katara?"
But Katara hadn't heard her.
She picked up the skirt of her dress, and ran from the ballroom.
Always listen to what your heart is callingOnce outside, Katara allowed the tears to flow freely from her eyes. This was the first time since Aang's departure that she cried over him. There'd never been time before, always running meetings and helping Zuko, but now… now things were difficult.
The gala had brought on a reminder, the reminder that they'd won the war. Their victory was also a reminder, a catalyst; leading towards Aang's being gone for a year.
The tears on began to dry, making her face sticky.
Katara walked over to the center of the courtyard. The waterbender tipped her head back in awe. The stars were everywhere, sprinkling the sky like freckles on a child's face.
Katara sat down, no longer concerned about the condition of her dress.
Always listen to what your heart is calling
Staring at the sky, something occurred to Katara. Something big. Something she could do.
She ran from the courtyard to her bedroom, retrieving a scroll and calligraphy ink.
She began to write a letter, a letter she was going to leave for the others.
Always listen to what your heart is calling
As she progressed through her sentences, silent tears fell from her face. She couldn't do this… why was she writing the letter? This… it felt so wrong, but she needed it, needed him.
Suddenly, she dipped the brush into the ink and violently slashed it across the paper ruining what she'd written, silent tears turning into aggressive, gasping sobs.
Always listen to what your heart is calling
I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me.
She'd chosen. She was going to stay.
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Back in the ballroom, the crowd was ooh-ing and aah-ing as Fire Lord Zuko, made his well-planned out move, all the while, his eyes drifting around searching for a certain waterbender's familiar face.
A/N: So I just had this huge WOAH moment. Like, I realized that I didn't put Momo in this at ALL. Let's just say he went with Aang for all intensive purposes.
Was the Katara scene confusing? I'll re-write if so, but I thought it'd be more powerful without out right SAYING what she wanted to do, thus the conveniently placed Aang and Katara quotes.
Next chapter will be a fast-forward. Only one year though, so they won't be going over twenty.
REVIEWS= YayFEST
-Mandi (Toruh)