AN: Somehow this chapter ended up twice as long as I had planned. But hey, it's our first taste of Zutara!

1.8

the warmth of tea and strangers

/

"He's Mushi's nephew," explains Yue when Li doesn't say any more.

Katara gazes shyly at the young man while he drinks his tea. Now that she has a moment to really look at Li, she can't take her eyes off him.

He seems dead-tired, but even in exhaustion there's something sharp and alert about him. It feels like he's watching everything at once.

If not for his scar, his face would be handsome, even pretty. He has coal-black hair and golden eyes, and for a second Katara is afraid he's a firebender, but she knows it's not right to make assumptions. He could be an Earth citizen from the Fire colonies. All the pure-blooded Fire citizens live in the Upper Ring anyway, so it's unlikely that he is one.

Besides, there is something about the way he carries himself, something broken and humble, that Katara has never seen in any wealthy citizen from the Fire Nation.

Li's eyes meet hers and they share a moment of silence.

"Your tea will get cold," he comments.

Katara blinks. "What?" She looks down at her untouched tea. "Oh. Right." She laughs and nervously picks up the cup in the peculiar way Li and Yue had done, then hesitates. She hates to admit it, but she is afraid to try the drink.

Yue rolls her eyes. "Just take a sip, Kat."

Katara sighs, then gathers her courage and takes a sip. She freezes for a moment. The flavor is . . . she can't find words to describe it. The aroma is strong, almost flowery, and the drink warms her from her ears to her toes. She takes another sip, and another. Her eyes widen.

Yue grins at Katara's expression. "Good, isn't it?"

"Good?" Katara laughs enthusiastically. "It's amazing! Tui and La, I can't believe I didn't try this sooner! This might be what I've been missing in life!"

Katara takes another sip. The warmth reminds her of winter nights in the South Pole, of her entire tribe sharing stories around a bonfire, and Katara's heart aches with homesickness. The flavor is bittersweet.

Li raises an eyebrow. "Wait, you've never had tea before?"

Katara blushes. "We . . . didn't have it where I grew up, in the South Pole."

"Oh." The young man nods in understanding. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Yeah," she replies. "My family just moved to New Sozin this past summer."

"Really? Why did you move?"

Because, thinks Katara, the Fire Nation destroyed the Southern ice caps, polluted the skies with their warships, hunted the elephant seals and the polar whales and the otter penguins to near extinction. She says none of this out loud.

"There was nothing left for us there," she finally replies.

The waiter gazes at her for a moment, and she has a feeling he understands what she didn't say. "I'm sorry."

Katara tries to smile. "It's okay. We're trying to build a new life here."

"How do you feel about the city so far?" Li seems genuinely interested, and Katara is taken aback for a moment.

Fire citizens, and even middle-class Earth citizens, treat poor Earth and Water immigrants with disdain. It made the first few weeks in New Sozin incredibly difficult for her, as most citizens wouldn't even acknowledge her presence or talk to her when she tried to find a job in Middle Ring.

Life in the Lower Ring is easier, because she's surrounded by immigrants like her, but even so, it's not a friendly place. She can't even remember the last time anyone has asked her a genuinely nice question, besides her family and Yue. It feels oddly refreshing to have a real conversation with a stranger.

Li waits patiently as she gathers her thoughts.

"It's . . . so different here," Katara says. "I mean, it's good because we can find work and food here, after being on the road for so long. Spirits, this place is so much better than living on the road. But it's just really different from the South Pole. All the people and the houses and the food, it's a lot to take in sometimes. I still can't get over how you have hot water all the time, and how you eat fresh vegetables, and how you can go outside without three layers of clothing . . ." Katara pauses and glances at Yue and Li, realizing how long she's been talking. She laughs awkwardly. "Sorry! I'm rambling. It's been a long night."

For the first time since Katara met him, Li grins. It's brief, but bright and full of kindness. "It's okay," he says. "It's been a long night for me too. And I know what you mean, adjusting to this city takes time. It will get easier, trust me."

And for some reason, Katara does trust him. He sounds like he's experienced what she's going through.

"Did you come here from somewhere else?" she asks.

He sighs and stares down at his cup. "My uncle and I . . . we came here years ago, near the end of the Empire's conquest of the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh." Katara thinks she hears a tremor in his voice. It's an unsteadiness she's heard in the voices of countless people on the road, fellow refugees who lost their homes to the war. "Were you . . . did the Fire Nation take your home too?"

Li looks up, and Katara is startled.

She knows those eyes. She would recognize them anywhere, because she sees them in the mirror every day. They're full of pain and a blinding fury, the feeling she has when she thinks of what the Fire Nation did to her mother, her people, her home.

"They took everything from me."

Katara understands. Of course she understands. Without thinking, she gently touches his hand, which is clenching his teacup so tightly she worries he'll break it in his grip.

"I know how you feel," she whispers.

Li holds her gaze for a moment, giving her a clear view of his horrific scar. Whatever he's been through, it must have been awful. Katara tries to share with her eyes the empathy she can't put in words.

All the anger seems to fade out of him. He gives her a weak smile, and Katara smiles back.

Yue coughs quietly.

Katara suddenly becomes very aware of how long the moment has been, and the feeling of Li's hand under hers. She snaps her hand back to her tea cup, bringing it to her lips in an attempt to hide her blush.

Li finishes his tea at what seems like an impossible speed, downing the remainder of his cup in one gulp. He stands up abruptly. "I, um . . . I should get back to work. Take care, doctor." He turns to Katara with a shy smile. "It was nice to meet you, Katara."

Katara's eyes follow his graceful stride as he walks away, and she can't seem to stop blushing. Yue snickers madly.

"Ka-taa-ra," whispers Yue in a sing-song voice. "You like what you see?"

She tries to give her friend an ice-cold glare, but her face is just too red to pull it off. "Shut up, Yue."

"I'm not hearing a no!"

Katara groans in exasperation. "Spirits, Yue. I just met him! You jump to conclusions faster than Sokka on cactus juice!"

Yue laughs and decides to let Katara off the hook. "Speaking of Sokka," asks the doctor, "is your brother on the case related to those goons? The ones that came in to the ER last night?"

Katara sighs, remembering what Sokka told her. "Yeah, he is. They think the mask did it."

Yue's eyes widen. "You mean . . . the mask?"

Katara nods.

The doctor's brows furrow in worry. "I thought it was just a rumor. I've heard people say it's a rogue spirit, but spirits wouldn't carry swords, right? The wounds on those gangsters—they were so vicious, even if they were non-lethal. I hope Sokka stays out of trouble."

Katara hums. "I don't think the mask will hurt Guards. From what I've heard, he, or it, only seems to target criminals."

"You never know," says Yue. "Good intentions don't always make good people."

The two continue their quiet conversation, and Katara thinks maybe, if she allowed herself, she could rediscover something she's been missing in life. Ever since she moved to this city, she's been minding her own business and taking care of her family. It's the safest option, especially with the war going on and all the anti-refugee sentiments on the streets.

But Katara wonders . . . maybe it wouldn't hurt to get out once in a while, to talk with Yue over tea in the early morning, to meet new people like Li and Mushi.

Maybe, she hopes, she'll be able to find something that she once had at the South Pole, something she misses dearly.

A community.

/