Unexpected Aftermath
[Since When Was I The Hero?!]
An Avatar: the Last Airbender plotbunny
By
EvilFuzzy9
I will not run away. I will not run away.
This was the mantra going through the minds of several different teens, the morning of the Harvest Festival, though for very different reasons.
For Aang, it was a matter of the Avatar and the Last Airbender telling himself that he would make tonight special for Katara. Not in the way that, say, Zuko might for his girlfriend, because the Fire Lord was a young man of sixteen, where Aang was just young. But the Avatar still wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly for his sweetheart, still wanted to ensure she had a good time.
It was intimidating, though. The eyes of the entire world would be on him, and he was really nervous. Compared to this, the night before the coming of Sozin's Comet seemed, in retrospect, positively relaxing.
For Katara, she was telling herself to face the reality of her feelings for Aang, and the fact that, as the girlfriend of the Avatar, she effectively belonged to the entire world. Going to the Harvest Festival in the Earth Palace would not be the same as going to some mere party back home. She had to represent the Southern Water Tribe, show the world that her people were not mere savages living at the fringes of society.
She had to show that the Water Tribes were every bit as civilized and cultured as the Earth Kingdom, in their own unique way. She had to prove that her people were different, yes, but not lesser.
This was a daunting prospect, and a heavy burden.
For Zuko Ozai's son, the still-kinda-recently crowned Fire Lord, it was very much a matter of facing the crimes of his forefathers. He could not pretend that the War never happened – as Uncle had once told him, those who did not learn from history were doomed to repeat it. But he did not want to bring it up, exactly, either, because he knew there was still resentment towards him and his nation for everything that had been done in the last hundred years.
He had to face the crimes of his father, and his grandfather, and his great grandfather, without actually mentioning them, and he had to show that the Fire Nation was changing its ways, while also not ignoring the matter of the crimes which had been committed.
Quite frankly, Zuko would rather face a tag team of his sister, Azula, cured of her madness but evil as ever, and his father, bending restored and utterly pissed, than go out there and stare down the nobility of the Earth Kingdom. But he had his responsibility as the Fire Lord, and he knew it.
Mai just didn't want to go to some boring-as-soot Earth Kingdom party.
But for the three people on whom this story has most strongly focused, over the course of its length and the breadth of its telling, it was a very different, yet also fundamentally similar matter.
For one, two of the three of them would be having their engagement announced at this party, and the third would be helping supervise the Earth King's protection detail, which would consist heavily of Kyoshi Warriors, who had arrived by boat the other day as per the agreed upon terms.
The first two, Sokka and Toph, were both very nervous about their part, though for admittedly different reasons.
For Sokka, it was chiefly because he still felt a little bad that he could not just tell everyone that he and Suki were still an item. While the Earth Kingdom nobility would not look down on a prince – especially not one as (apparently?) famed as Sokka – for keeping a mistress or two, as the Bei Fongs had phrased it, there were still certain expectations that had to be met.
There were always expectations. And in Sokka and Suki's case, they would be expected to at least make some nods to discretion, for today if nothing else. It would be quite the scandal, they had insisted, if the young prince were to be found having relations with his mistress the day the wedding was announced.
Sokka was still a little unused to being called a prince.
Still, though, he was nervous about the announcement, because while he had committed to going through with the marriage, for the sake of his tribe, it still seemed strange, to him, to be marrying Toph. Though a few days had passed since he, she, and Suki had made their intentions clear to the Bei Fongs (and then Chief Hakoda, later that day), Sokka was still coming to terms with the idea of Toph as a wife.
Partly because he was a little confused and flustered over how easily and readily he was able to envision it.
For Toph's part, while she was excited to the point of being nearly ill at the thought that she would be marrying Sokka, come her fourteenth birthday (a concession the Bei Fongs had made to the sensibilities of the Southern Water Tribe regarding the matter of the bare minimum as far as marriageable ages went), this was not to say that she was showing it. She still had her pride, after all, and she was still reluctant to let people know that she honestly liked Sokka – though a good few seemed to have guessed as much already, excepting, of course, the lad himself.
Even if Sokka didn't know about her affections, yet, a very large part of Toph was exceedingly happy at the thought of marrying him. And if a smaller, more confused and repressed part of her was also happy that Suki would be staying in the loop, well, that was a personal matter.
But this excitement also meant anxiety, and Toph was IMMENSELY nervous about telling the whole world that she and Sokka would be getting married. As far as she was concerned, that was as good as telling everyone that she liked the teen, and that was just too much for her poor, gruff little heart to handle. Toph did not handle mushy emotions well. She preferred keeping her soft, chewy center safe and secure behind a hard, crunchy outer shell.
(Toph had a very strong sweet tooth, and she tended to indulge when seriously stressed – so she was seriously craving some rock candy, right about now)
And for Suki?
I will not run away.
It was just a reminder of her duties as a Kyoshi Warrior.
"Okay, girls!" Suki called out to her assembled warriors. "Listen up!"
All eight of the armed and painted young women stood at attention. They were gathered in a rear courtyard of the Earth Palace, and the sun was nearing its zenith. The preparations for the night's party were well underway, servants and organizers scurrying this way and that as they hurried to meet the fast approaching deadline.
And the Kyoshi Warriors were there to do their part.
"Lie Ying, Midori," the commander, Suki, snapped out, causing two pretty, black-haired warriors to sharply salute her in the traditional Kyoshi fashion. "You two will be in charge of keeping rapscallions away from the... ahem... quarters of the Earth King's concubines."
The two girls, were they less professional, might have made expressions of disappointment at being assigned such a shift. But as it was, they simply nodded in understanding.
"Kagura, Xin Xing," said Suki, turning next to the two youngest warriors. "You two will be responsible for watching the kitchens and caterers."
These two looked happy at their assignment, the auburn-haired Kagura especially so.
"Uwaaah..." Kagura was drooling a little, eyes sparkling gleefully, no doubt envisioning all of the delicious foods that would be prepared and set out for the party guests. "I wonder how many kinds of rice they will have, yes?" she all but squealed, doubtless fantasizing about pigging out on the rich, abundant foodstuffs.
Suki allowed herself the luxury of a scowl as she shot the impulsive young warrior a scolding look.
"No eating," she said, "Not unless you're on break – and those have already been scheduled out, so don't even think about pretending to be on break the whole time!" she said sharply, knowing all too well this one's somewhat gluttonous tendencies.
Kagura had the decency to at least look chastised until Suki turned her attention to the next two.
"Ti, Genqian," she said addressing the twin warriors with a short nod. "I assume I can trust the two of you to work with the palace guards to cover any potential points of ingress or egress for uninvited guests?"
The two nodded. The twins were consummate professionals, two of the best in their order, and they were a dangerous pair for any opponent to face. The characters on their matching hair ornaments – one saying 近, near, and one saying 遠, far, indicated their specialization as a tag team, as well as their similar yet contrasting personalities.
Next, Suki addressed the second to last of the warriors present. The girl had dark brown hair, worn loose, though her bangs she pinned up on one side for practicality's sake. Her hazel eyes matched the color of Suki's own, and the commander gave the girl – her third cousin twice-removed, actually – a short nod.
"Ai, I assume you and Ty Lee will be able to handle any drunks or troublemakers that pop up?" she said.
The girl nodded, the motion flowing into a brief but respectful bow.
"Yes," she said, "but. Um." She frowned. "Where is Ty Lee?" she inquired.
Suki sighed.
"Helping color-coordinate the decorations," Suki muttered half sheepishly and half peevishly. She was still a little vexed over how spacey the otherwise talented fighter could be.
She knew that Ty Lee was no idiot, of course. An idiot would not have the focus or discipline to master a martial art as arcane and esoteric as the former acrobat had, and at such a young age, too. Chi-blocking was by far one of the most obscure and difficult martial disciplines Suki had ever heard of, and yet Ty Lee was a master of it.
So, no. The girl was not an idiot, or a fool. She may have acted bubbly and airheaded much of the time, and she might never have thought things through much further than the immediate, but that did not detract from the fact that she was very intelligent, after her own fashion.
But.
That also did not change the fact that Ty Lee was a most whimsical soul. The girl was a very 'in-the-now' kind of person, and she rarely sweated the details. So there were indeed times where she acted very idiotically.
Even if she wasn't really an idiot.
Ai – who had the same name as Suki's mother, actually, and was from her side of the family – nodded in understanding.
"So she's making sure the curtains match the drapes, then?" said the warrior, a lilting, playful tone in her voice.
Lie Ying sniggered.
Suki rolled her eyes.
"Yes," she said shortly, not being particularly in the mood for this.
Ai pouted, a little, at not being able to get a rise from her commander, but she shrugged it off easily enough and said, "Okay, sure. Yeah, I think we can handle it."
"Good," said Suki, smiling a bit wearily. Though she and Sokka had more or less figured out how things were going to work, there had still been a lot of smaller, though no less important, details to address regarding the future arrangements.
Like where the wedding would be held, or who would move in with whom, and where would they live? Because Toph would not be able to use her earth sense to see in the South Pole, they were leery of making her move in with Sokka – and the young tribesman had smacked his forehead in frustration when he realized that he had overlooked such a major detail – but also if Sokka was to be the next Chief, he couldn't just move into the the Earth Kingdom.
Eventually, they had managed to strike a compromise on the living arrangements, such that Toph and Sokka, when they married, would build a house on Whale Tail Island. The isle had traditionally been something of an outpost between the Southern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom, and in the past there had even been a large, permanent Water Tribe settlement on the island's southernmost tip. It was solid earth, and Toph would be able to live there without too much trouble, and increasing the Water Tribe presence on the island would certainly do much good for trade with the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation.
They had also talked about holding a wedding ceremony on Kyoshi Island, which was, while ethnically more or less Earth Kingdom, politically and economically separate, and technically had been declared its own independent nation by the 48th Earth King in gratitude to Avatar Kyoshi for halting the conquest of Chin the Terrible (and the Great, and the Conqueror, and many other epithets besides), but nothing concrete had been decided.
So, while things were certainly looking up, and they had established their terms, there was also still a lot to work out, yet. And it was a lot of work to finagle through the countless little details that they had overlooked in their initial rush.
But Suki was satisfied, though. After what felt like so much drama, it was nice to know that things were being worked out. There was still a lot to do, but for now she felt content with what they had accomplished, she, Sokka, and Toph together.
They were a team.
And they would stay that way.
Turning her attention to the last, and eldest, of the present Kyoshi Warriors, Suki smiled.
"Tae," she said, addressing the slim, ponytailed twenty-three year old. "You'll be overseeing with me. Okay?"
The woman nodded, smiling as softly and demurely as she ever did.
"It would be my honor, Commander," said she in perfect obeisance.
Suki smiled. She greatly respected the previous commander of the Kyoshi Warriors.
Tae was a good woman.
Trustworthy. Understanding. Experienced.
That was just what Suki needed.
Evening was coming on, the sun descending in the sky, when the festivities were finally kicked off.
Throughout the Lower Ring, rowdy parties were held, and there was much singing and drinking and dancing in the streets, as well as plenty of young and not-so-young lovers slipping behind carts or down alleys to celebrate in their own way.
A lanky, quiet young man with dark hair and pale skin slipped a hand down the pants of his petite, tomboyish companion, causing her to wriggle and squeal and playfully punch his chest.
In the Middle Ring, as well, it was a similar scene, though marginally less rambunctious and with noticeably better refreshments. As in the Lower Ring, there was plenty of singing and dancing and inappropriate fraternizing, but there were plays as well, theater acts put on by amateur performers, and much music.
A handsome, mustachioed young earthbender trailed kisses up the arm of a flushed and giggling waitress possessed of fairly considerable attributes. Both were visibly intoxicated, but nobody interrupted them.
In the Upper Ring, the festivities were the most orderly, though this was only relatively so. Even otherwise dignified nobles and government employees gladly cut loose on the day of the Harvest Festival, indulging a good deal in considerable amounts of food and wine and entertainments of all sorts.
A handsome, strapping, seasoned warrior of the Southern Water Tribe gladly showed off his burned arm and various other war wounds and battle scars to anyone who cared to see, boasting loudly and more than a little drunkenly of the prowess of Water Tribe men, such as himself, both on the battlefield and in bed.
But it is in the Court of the Earth King, in the Palace of Ba Sing Se, that our focus will be placed. For there, our heroes shall face their final trials (if trials you can truly call them), and this shall thus also be the setting of the last arc.
The Harvest Festival has begun.
And so, too, has the End.
A/N: Haha, wow, that ending up there wound up sounding a lot more melodramatic than I intended. XD
But yeah, this is basically the beginning of the final arc – if you can really call it as much – of Unexpected Aftermath. It's been a wild few months, but all good things must come to an end sooner or later, right? :)
And, honestly, the Harvest Festival will mostly probably just be a collection of scenes that I have really been wanting to do but haven't had the chance. (Zuko and Sokka having a swordbending kai?! Toph and Suki kissing?! HAKODA WRESTLING A MOTHERFUCKING BEAR?!)
Really, it's all for that last one. If I can pull it off, it should be either the most absurd, or the most glorious moment in this entire fic. Hopefully both! :D
(how many of you guys actually read the author's notes, I wonder?)
EDIT:
OH ALSO
BIG NEWS
(for me, at least)
I ACTUALLY DID A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF MY PROFILE LAST NIGHT.
YE GOD IT HAS BEEN SO FUCKING LONG SINCE I DID THAT.
At least now I can direct people to it without needing the disclaimer of "Man, I haven't edited that in FOREVER." Hell, go check it out, after you review, if only to see just how much better it is, now.
(By which I mean SHORT, SWEET, and TO THE POINT)
;P
EDIT PART TWO:
Oh yeah, forgot to mention: but Lie Ying, Xin Xing, Ti, and Genqian were all named/thought up by FlashWally22. And, as long as I'm on the subject, Tae and Kagura are basically just expies of, well, Tae Shimura and Kagura from Gintama.
Midori and Ai, however, I take full credit for. (aside from, y'know the whole universe and the Kyoshi Warrior's belonging to Nick and Bryke, but technicalities, amirite?)
TTFN and R&R!
– — ❤