Yu Dao Tech's layout and architecture are based on a famous public university in the U.S. Personal shout-out if you comment the correct guess!

CH 3 | At First Sight

Katara mulled over everything Sokka had told her. It was a lot to take in. "First, understand that part of why we aren't living on campus is because it's safer for us here." Sokka had begun, earning him a quizzical gaze. "Not all the Fire Nation colonies are bad of course, but Yu Dao has never really come to terms with... other benders. It's been 100 years and they were never able to get rid of earth benders or water benders, as hard as they tried. There are even some air benders cropping up!" Katara folded her arms apprehensively. "Where are you going with this?"

"Where I'm going is, it's safe for you to waterbend here at home, and for the most part when you're in South Central- most of the people living here are Colonized, too. Don't waterbend in the busy areas, and definitely don't do it at school." Sokka's answers were only doubling Katara's questions. "What do you mean, the people here are Colonized?" Sokka nodded. "Anyone with Fire Nation citizenship can get a provincial ID card- in other words, if you were born in the nation and moved here, or if you are a firebender. The rest of us, immigrants from the Water Tribe or indigenous Earth Kingdom residents are "Colonized." We can't get an ID, so there's a lot of things you can't do, for starters." "But wh-" Katara started, until Sokka held up his hand. "I honestly would rather have the whole gang here when we get into the rest. That should keep you safe for now. Don't bend, watch your back...and maybe change your clothes?"

"Why is Water Tribe attire not allowed?" Katara asked, taken aback.

"Oh, it's allowed, you just look like a dork. Ow!"

The first thing Katara realized with excitement was that the northeast corner was the location of the library with the massive bell tower that she always saw on the university's online homepage. It was even more incredible in person with its mismatched red brick and white limestone. The echoes of students walking under the barrel-vaulted awning filled her with awe. She could probably just sit on the steps and people watch the rest of the day, but she wanted to make sure she knew where the labs were before taking part in "shenanigans". Following the iconic Grand Staircase down to the quad, she consulted the map on her phone and was able to locate the bio labs without difficulty. Katara scoped the building, though the interiors all appeared to be locked, much to her disappointment. However, once she circled around back, she noticed that the fenced courtyard abutting the lab was open and seemed too far outside the northern school boundary into a pasture. She suspected that many of the barns and buildings on the other side would have animals, and so she set out with a skip in her step.

Katara was not disappointed when she made her way into the center barn, its doors already wide open, only to come face-to-face with the biggest animal she had ever seen. He was all horns and shaggy hair, 10 tons of muscle and teeth as wide as her hands. Appa would have been terrifying to behold were it not for his large chocolatey eyes, sweeter than any polar bear dog's. "You're a Sky Bison...You're amazing!" Appa snorted in agreement as Katara looked him over. "Can I pet you..?" she asked him quietly. Appa lowed and gave her a lick from heel to head. "Guhhh!" Katara said laughing and (looking around to make sure no one was around) bended the Appa slobber off her t-shirt and jeans. Katara hugged and pet Appa for a long time before noticing some tangled fur knots on his chest. "When was the last time you were brushed, big guy?"

Aang's personal fantasies would often begin with him happening upon a beautiful lady who had taken to his Sky Bison. Hopeless (literally hopeless as he often threw a running foot in his mouth when flirting with pretty girls) romantic as he was, he envisioned approaching the beautiful and unexpected acquaintance and melting her with a smoldering eye and wiggly eyebrows before whisking her away into the clouds…

That's why he blinked and rubbed his eyes more than once when he returned to the barn, a bale of hay over one shoulder and another in his hand only to find a tawny angel sitting in front of Appa brushing his chest while the bison dozed comfortably. The woman had not noticed him standing stupidly in the doorway, mouth agape and cottony. Instead, she chattered to Appa happily, unaware she was being watched "-and my favorite color is silver. Or grey, I guess? You know how clouds get when its raining, but the sun is out? Wow…that sounds cheesy. No wonder I can't get a date, huh buddy?" Appa 'Rowwwwr"d in agreement. "Yeah, the barn smell probably doesn't do me any favors either…"

25 seconds in and Aang was already a goner. He mulled over the best opening lines he could think of, desperately trying to get it right this time.

Hi, I love you. Will you marry me and have my babies? Get real, dude.

Wanna ride my Sky Bison? Too creepy.

Iseeyou'vemetAppaandheclearlylikesyouandyoudon'tknowthisbutthat'skindamylitmustestforanypersonI'llconsiderdatingandhe'sneverletaprettygirllikeyoubrushhimsowillyougooutonadatewithme? What is WRONG with you?

Before he could formulate a plan however, Katara met his gaze and jumped slightly at the realization that she was not alone. In the doorframe stood a tall, lean young man with a goofy grin on his face. He had on a dark beanie and an orange hoodie with a strange cloth wrapping around his waist—is that a baby sling…? And jeans that were tucked into rubber mucking boots. It was like a photo out of a sexy farm boy calendar.

Eventually Aang settled for "HI!" way too loudly. Ah, shit.

"Oh! H-hi. I'm sorry! I thought maybe I was allowed in because the door was open and I just transferred and wanted to see the labs, you see I'mavetmedmajorandIjustreallywantedtoseethefacilitiesbeforeIstartedandIwasn'tgoingtobargeinoranythingbutthegatewasunlocked" Katara blurted. And this is why you don't get dates, you idiot, Katara thought to herself savagely. "N-no it's okay! I mean, this is Appa. He's a Bison, you know that flies. Flying Bison." Aang was screaming internally at how hard words had become. Approaching closer, he dropped a hay bale in front of Appa and used his newly freed hand to rub the back of his neck nervously. Now he could see that the angel's eyes were oceany blue, like dark water under moonlight. She was fidgeting with her hair and biting her lip in a way that made him want to melt into a puddle.

Katara leaned over and said, "Of course your name is Appa" and stroked him affectionately behind the ear. "You look like an Appa." Aang chuckled and set the other hay bale down. "He's amazing. How did the school manage to adopt one? They're critically endangered." "He's mine, actually. Or I am his? It's kind of an imprint situation. Either way, he's my best friend" Aang said affectionately. Katara melted at the site and sound of this man—since when do tall, handsome men with honeyed tenor voices and blushy faces adopt wayward endangered animals? Do unicorns exist, too? "How?" was all she could really manage, but he seemed to understand and chuckled. The rumble of his deep laugh sent her stomach into somersaults. Lifting his beanie, he exposed the proximal portion of his arrow tattoo and she gasped. "I know who you are!" she said, pointing imperiously. In doing so, her posture, eyes and hair color suddenly reminded him of someone he knew all too well. "I know who you are too." He responded.

In unison, they said:

You're Sokka's roommate.

You're Sokka's sister.

They both laughed and suddenly the layers of their awkwardness peeled away and it felt like two conspiratorial friends meeting each other after a long absence.

"I'm Katara"

"Aang" he offered, his dopey grin now smothering most of his face. "Katara?" spirits, the syllables of her name out of his mouth sang like music. She fixed her gaze on him, besotted, as he began to untie the strange fabric pouch on his front.

"Have you ever fed a baby lemur?"