KATARA
THE DREAM WAS STUPID; KATARA KNEW THAT, EVEN WHILE SHE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF HAVING IT. In it, she was sitting in a candlelit restaurant, across the table from one Lieutenant Tokugawa Zuko. He was dressed in a glittering dress uniform, and she was dressed in a gaudy gown that she would never, in real life, even look at, much less actually wear. She was acting demure and coy, and he was acting aggressive and assertive. She wilted and batted her eyes, and Zuko jumped her, right there in the middle of the crowded restaurant. The dream was idiotic, misogynistic, faintly disturbing (after all, she would never act like that, and it had taken only a week to figure out that Zuko would never act like that, either), and, gods help her, it was totally turning her on.
It was turning her on so much, in fact, that she was not in the least bit surprised when, right as the dream launched into the really good part, Zuko spoke with her brother's voice and she was jerked violently awake. Not surprising, maybe, but definitely irritating, and she felt completely justified in waving a hand through the air as she buried her face in her pillow and growled.
There was a long pause after this, and then she became aware of the sound of water dripping onto the floor. Intrigued, she raised her head just enough so that she could see, out of the corner of her eye, her brother, standing there, looking equal parts resigned and completely soaked.
She didn't mean to laugh. Honest.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, grabbing a blanket off the bed and dabbing his face, "laugh it up, you brat." His face more or less dry, he began toweling his hair. "Note to Self: From now on, if there is a carafe of water on sister's nightstand, dump out water before waking up sister."
"You think you'd learn," she pointed out, voice muffled by the pillow.
"Heh…you really think I would. Remember that time when we were kids, and you dumped a giant globe of water on my head?"
She didn't feel like answering, so she let the giggle do it for her.
"Yeah, I bet it was just fucking hysterical." Rolling his eyes, he dropped the now sodden blanket right on Katara's head. If he intended to motivate her into action, he went about it in the wrong way, at the wrong time, because she didn't move an inch. She buried herself fully in the pillow once more, reveling in the fact that she even had a pillow. He waited a few moments, and sighed. "Alright, this is just silly. Get your ass out of bed; it's breakfast time."
Her (completely justifiable, in her opinion) answer to that was to mutter, "Fuck off."
"Yeah, I know, the beds are, like, the most comfortable things on the fucking planet, but still, come on."
"I know right? These things rule."
"Trust me, I'm with you, but it's time for breakfast."
"Eat it without me."
"Look, I get it, you want to go back to your wild and crazy sex dreams, starring one Fire Nation lieutenant with a fucked up face, but we still need to go down and eat with the Bei Fongs."
"I was not having a sex dream...also, his face isn't fucked up, it's handsome..."
"Tell it to Mom. Seriously, get a move on."
"You get a move on."
"Ah…you're so mature in the morning."
"Kiss my ass."
"You know…I'm beginning to understand why you get so pissy when you have to roll Korra and I out of bed."
"Gah, I fucking know, right? Now, scram."
Visibly running out of ideas, Sokka pondered for a moment, then brought out his final shot.
"Look, you really want to leave Korra all by herself down there?"
Fuck. It was a cheap shot, and gods, did it work. Just like that, all of Katara's resistance melted. She sighed, hurling herself upright and peeling the hair off of her face. She blinked a few times, letting the world shift back into focus. She looked up, and watched her brother begin working on fixing his warrior's wolf-tail. She felt a strange, damp sensation seeping through the covers, and with a look of faint distaste, tossed the wet blanket he had dropped on her to the floor.
Finally, her brother's words filtered through the fog of sleep, and her exhaustion fell away. "You…that…that was really good of you to say, Sokka. You pretty much just made my day."
He gave an awkward shrug, looking embarrassed. "Hey, I never hated Korra; I love the tricky little scamp. It's just…" He rolled a hand through the air, as if trying to gather words into his mouth. "Shit, I dunno. Aren't you the one who told me I couldn't just sit around being angry for the rest of my life?"
She felt a little surge of pride. "Aww, you really do listen!"
He scoffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Now, hurry up and get yourself presentable; it's time to go."
Breakfast itself was nothing special, simple fare laid out on a plain table set on a veranda overlooking the estate. It was, Katara had to admit as she settled down beside her brother, a marvelous view. The veranda had been perfectly situated so that one could watch the sun rise without being blinded by it. The air was cool and light, and fresh tea steamed from strategically placed pots. Trees and shrubs, all expertly trimmed and maintained, whispered in the breeze, and Katara had the surreal feeling that none of this was real, but rather, a picture in a book. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathed deep the smells and tastes of fall and food and the world. It was an intoxicating mixture, and for a moment, she seriously considered just wandering off.
She opened her eyes, and found herself captivated by a beautiful sight. Not far off in the distance, there was a tree on a hill. The hill was low and shallow, but it stuck up from the surrounding grass. The tree was the perfect size, looking like its leaves would cover the entire hilltop. She wanted nothing more than to curl up at the base of that tree, curl up and read a book and pretend that she was home again.
Though it's not like they have trees like that, down in the South…
Or many books, for that matter…
A softly cleared throat shook out of her wool-gathering. She turned to find that the Lord and Lady Bei Fong had joined them. Katara was intrigued to see that the Lord and Lady were as immaculately put together in the morning as they had been in the depths of night. She had met the Lady Bei Fong briefly not long after she met the Lord, just long enough to discover that her name was Jiayi and that she had a kind smile and a warm, friendly voice. Both of them were looking at Katara, and Katara fought down a blush and put on a smile.
"I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head, "I'm afraid I didn't catch that."
The couple chuckled and smiled. "Oh, that's quite alright, my dear," Lao said, as he and his wife set about arranging food on their plates, "I was just observing that you've noticed my grandfather's tree." He pointed his chopsticks off the veranda, in the direction of the very tree Katara had been admiring.
Katara shrugged, her smile reaching her eyes. "Oh, yes, I was, as a matter of fact. I was just…thinking about how it looks like a lovely place to read."
Jiayi's eyes flashed in pleasant surprise. "Oh, you read? Marvelous! I'll have to take you straight to the library after breakfast."
Katara frowned, feeling vaguely put out. Beside her, she was vaguely aware of her brother, showcasing his ghastly table manners while stuffing his face and chatting with Lobsang, who was serenely nibbling on a fruit and puffing on his ever-present pipe. Where's Korra? She almost asked Sokka, but decided against it. She'll come eventually. Turning back to Lao, she took a moment to shake off the insecurities she always felt when dealing with the well-to-do of the world. "Why is it a surprise that I read? Should I not?" she asked, trying not to feel petulant.
"Read?" Jiayi said. "Of course you should! We had just heard that women weren't allowed to in the Water Tribes."
Katara shrugged. They spoke in Guangzhou, a language she still wasn't all that comfortable with, but somehow, she couldn't help but feel relaxed. Maybe it was the setting, or the food, or the Bei Fongs, or just the fact that she'd slept in a real bed for the first time since they left the North. Whatever it was, she, for the first time in far too long, felt rather decent.
"Well," she admitted, helping herself to the food, "it's not so much against the law as it is considered kind of weird, at least, in the South. My grandmother, however, was big on education; it was why left the North, where it actually is forbidden. It was one of the reasons why she made sure my mother and then me could read and write."
"Wonderful!" Lao said, looking genuinely impressed. "My wife and I believe everyone should be educated. It's one of the few things that the Fire Nation gets right."
Jiayi nodded. "Indeed. Say what you will, but the education system they're setting up here is quite remarkable. I truly hope that, once this horrid occupation is over, we'll decide to keep it."
"We'll keep it in Gaoling, if I have anything to say about it," Lao announced, patting the table. He nodded solemnly, before dropping his Lord Face and smiling. "All politics aside, though, my wife is right. You can have any book you want – we even have some in Inuktitut – and spend as much time under that tree as you like."
Katara could not even begin to describe how happy this information made her feel. Trying desperately not to look like a puppy that just got hugged, she let her smile light up her face as she said, "Really?!"
Jiayi nodded. "Of course! Our home is your home." Her smile changed then, shifting from genial to something Katara could only call sublime. "You know, that tree is one of my favorite spots on the estate…"
Beside her, Lao shocked Katara by blushing and mumbling, "Oh, dear, our guest doesn't want to hear about all that…"
"Well," Jiayi huffed, a playful glitter in her eye, "I want to tell her."
"Tell who what?"
And with that, one of the most remarkable looking girls Katara had ever seen stepped into her life. Later, Katara would be hard pressed to describe just what made the girl stand out. As girls went, she was fairly plain, cute but not pretty. She was very petite, short and slim, wearing plain clothes and with her hair in a lazy bun that left thick bangs hanging over her eyes. Her feet, Katara saw, were bare, and her eyes had this strange, milky, unseeing quality to them. She had a confidant swagger to her walk, and the way she held herself, chin up, shoulders back, was something Katara instantly envied about her.
But as for what was so uniquely remarkable…well…Katara just couldn't put it into words. Even Sokka, normally not one to be at a loss, found words lacking. The best they could ever come up with was to agree that, from that first moment, they liked the girl, and knew there was some different about her.
Meanwhile, the girl had arrived at the table, plopping down rather inelegantly between Lao and Jiayi. Lao smiled, while Jiayi hugged the girl and kissed her on the cheek. The girl responded by rolling her eyes and huffing, even as she smiled and visibly beamed under the attention. Watching, Katara instantly knew that this girl was the rumored daughter, and thus that this petite little thing, sixteen if she was a day, was to be Korra's earthbending teacher.
To her surprise, Katara found this not at all surprising. What is it about this girl?
"So," Katara said, "this must be Toph."
Lao beamed and patted his daughter on the head. "Yes, this is my little girl."
"The greatest earthbender in the world," Jiayi added.
"You know," the girl named Toph said, rolling her eyes as she dug into the food, "flattery won't get me to marry that idiot Aunt Daiyu keeps pushing on me."
"That fool?" Jiayi scoffed. "Please. Like I'd allow that to happen."
"Now, my dears, fool is a bit harsh," Lao replied, ignoring how his daughter and his wife – who, Katara noted, both looked and acted remarkably alike – rolled their eyes at him in perfect unison. "He's a good boy. Not right for Toph, of course, but still, a good boy."
"He's a fool," Jiayi said, voice making clear that the matter was closed, "and so is my sister for suggesting him."
"Oh," Toph said, giggling, "I can think of much better words for Auntie Daiyu."
Jiayi frowned. "Now, dear, what did I say about swearing?"
"Umm…" Toph made a big show of wracking her brain, before saying, "I believe the exact quote was, For fuck's sake, Toph, not in front of the gods-damn guests!"
Jiayi gave a savage nod. "Exactly, and don't you forget it." To this, Toph scoffed (exactly like her mother, Katara noted), Lao choked on a sip of water, Lobsang chuckled, and Sokka leaned over and whispered, "The fuck is going on…?"
Katara leaned over and, switching to Inuktitut, muttered back, "Just some family bonding. Apparently, we're not the only ones with a crazed aunt who's always trying to hook us up with her friends' kids."
Sokka smiled. "Good to know." He pondered a moment, then said, "You know, I think I like these people."
"Me, too. I'm think I'm really going to like Toph."
"Heh…right? It's really impressive that she can earthbend, too, seeing as she's blind."
Katara rounded on him, eyes wide. "She's what?!"
Sokka gave her a look, which she interpreted as, Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? "Yeah, didn't notice? It's in the eyes, the way she never quite looks at you, and how she moves. See how she's always swaying a bit? That's a blind people thing."
"Huh…" Katara nibbled her lip, then nodded. "You're right. I'm an idiot."
Sokka rolled his eyes. "Please. We'd be dead if it wasn't for you. Your record's still way ahead of mine on the, Noticing Important Shit Scale."
"True…still, I should've noticed."
"Eh, I gotta be first occasionally. Besides, with the language barrier, what else can I do but stare at shit?"
Before Katara could reply to this excellent point, Toph piped in, saying, "So, unless I miss my guess, you too just figured out I'm blind."
Katara gave an absent nod, unable to not feel a bit flustered. "Well," she said, switching back to Guangzhou, "my brother realized it right away. I was a bit slow on the uptake." She reached over, patted Sokka on the arm. "This is my older brother, Sokka, by the way," Sokka smiled and waved, mouth full of food, "and I'm Katara."
Toph shrugged. "Yeah, I know. I did my reading."
Katara giggled. "You often make jokes like that?"
Lao sighed, shaking his head. "All the damn time…"
Toph smiled. "It's what I do. Still, my initial question remains unanswered: What were you two going to tell Katara?"
"They were telling me about that tree over there, and why your mother loves it so much." Katara almost finished this with a gesture, before feeling awkward and letting her hand flop onto the table.
"The one on the hill?" Toph asked.
Katara nodded, and wondered why she was doing so. She couldn't help but wonder if she would be able to have this whole conversation while making faces and go relatively unnoticed. Something humming the back of her mind told her that this would not be a good idea. "I believe so, yes."
Immediately, Toph broke into a childlike grin. "Oh, that's the Reading Tree. That's just where my parents used to take me and read to me when I was a kid."
Katara bit down on an urge to go aww. "That's very sweet."
Toph scoffed. "Like a fruit tart."
Jiayi frowned. "Now, Toph, you loved those days."
Toph groaned. "Come on, Mom, you're going to wreck my reputation!"
Lao laughed. "That's what parents do, dear."
Toph stuck her tongue out at her father. "Yeah, well, you know-"
She never got to finish this statement, because at that moment, the Avatar herself arrived. She staggered into the room, still rubbing sleep from her eyes, giving a series of awkward, half-awake bows as she slumped down between Katara and Sokka. The siblings exchanged a look, and, to Katara's joy, Sokka didn't immediately move, or even try to shimmy away. Feeling rather pleased with how the morning was unfolding, Katara wrapped her arms around Korra, ruffling the girl's barely tamed bed-head. "Feeling alright, sweetheart?" she said, switching back to Inuktitut.
It was a sign of how unawake Korra was in that she didn't react to being called sweetheart. Instead, she sighed, rolling her head onto Katara's shoulder. "Oh, I'm just…um…wow. Those beds, guys."
"Tell me about it," Sokka said, making Katara feel even better about the day.
Not even awake enough to notice that Sokka had spoken to her, Korra gave Katara a quick hug and sluggishly pulled herself away. She brushed some hair from her face, and, doing her best to smile, said, in Guangzhou, "My lord, my lady, you guys have, like, the best beds on planet."
Said Lord and Lady smiled and bowed their heads, and Lao said, "Why thank you, Lord Avatar."
"I'm Toph, the best fucking earthbender in the world," said his daughter, as Katara, with some puzzlement, watched the girl press a foot firmly against the ground, nodding at something. "I don't have to call you Lord Avatar every gods-damn time I speak to you, right?"
Jiayi groaned, while Korra shook her head. "Honestly, I'd rather you didn't. Korra is just fine."
"For now," Toph began, rather enigmatically, Katara felt, "but we'll have to get you a nickname post-fu-"
It was the second time Toph was interrupted by someone entering the room, and this time, there would be no recovery. The doors behind the Bei Fongs had opened, and a man wearing the Bei Fong symbol of the white flying boar emblazoned across his chest and a sword on his hip slipped into the room. He went straight to Lao, leaning down and beginning to whisper in a way that looked rather frantic. Lao listened, his face falling and turning into a very unpromising frown. A whispered conversation followed, with a variety of looks exchanged between husband and wife and a concerned look on Toph's face. Conversation finished, the servant made his exit, and Lao, nodding at his family, stood. He cleared his throat, looking very forlorn, before setting his shoulders and saying, "I'm very sorry, my friends, but I'm afraid that a bit of a problem has arisen."
Lobsang frowned. "How big of a problem?"
Sokka leaned over Korra's head, whispering, "The fuck is going on? Something just went wrong, didn't it?" Katara silenced him with a glare, wrapping a protective arm around Korra, who suddenly looked rather pale.
Lao, for his part, exchanged another round of looks with his wife, sighed, and said, "Well…"
That was the day Katara discovered that Earth Kingdom nobility were rather fond of understatement.
So, a couple things about this chapter. First, the thing about Toph swaying: This is an actual thing that blind and severely visually impaired people do. It has something to do (if I remember correctly; my brother has ocular albinism, which means that there's no pigment in the cones of his eyes, and thus his eyes never really focus, so he exhibits a lot of behaviors similar to blind people) with that a lot of our sense of balance is derived from sight, and when you can't see, you sway. It's kind of like how, if you drink to much, you start to sway. Nowadays, they often train visually impaired people to not to that, but before they had schools and such, they didn't. Watch old Ray Charles interviews to see what I mean.
The other thing...wasn't this fun? I thought it was fun. A quick comment on Katara's dream: We all have dreams we're rather ashamed of when we wake up. That's the problem with fantasies; they tend to be rather embarrassing. Everyone here has had some kind of dream that, when asked what you were dreaming about, you muttered something along the lines of, "Oh, nothing, I can't remember..." And then your shifty eyes were shifty...
In the next chapter, Zuko arrives in Gaoling, and scans the rooftops, looking for a girl. Stay tuned!
