Awakening
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Aang said, approaching the bed where his wife lay.
Katara barely opened her eyes, heavy as rocks under the ocean. Her sleepy face rested on the pillow. Her blanket had fallen from her back hours ago and her nightgown was rising to her waist, causing her dark complexion to bathe in the cold of winter in combination with the fire of the fireplace.
"Who snores as loud as a bison?" Her husband said again, this time with a voice close to her ear, avoiding touching her with his icy hands.
"You" she replied with her eyes still closed causing a smile on her avatar.
"No, last night I thought Appa had come out of the barn looking for food and it was just you by my side, precious." He pushed Katara's hair back a bit and couldn't help but laugh when he saw the pile of saliva on the pillow. He planted a kiss on her brown cheek and another on her lower back, causing Katara to sigh. "Up, sweetie. We have to go see the local Zhu Teng."
"Let Zhu Teng his mother with his locals," she said lazily, surprising Aang with her expression and causing a more outrageous laugh.
"Honey, get up" he replied, patting Katara's bac over the thick blanket.
"Aang, why don't you go see if Momo pooped again on the table? Come on. "Katara turned away, ignoring her husband who was standing on the edge of the bed.
"I thought you heard me early. One of the logs fell and I kicked it to the poker when I tried to catch it. "Aang retreated from the bed, trying not to fall into it. He stripped off his sweaty shirt, grabbing one of the hand towels he hung over the corner of the door. Katara finally pushed her body out of reach of the padding and sat on her lap.
"What time is it?" She said, carving her eyes the brunette.
"Late, we arranged to meet at nine" Aang rummaged through the drawers and pulled out underwear and a clean shirt. He took the lotion and some peppermint salt off the counter.
"Did you go for a run?"
"Yes ma'am. Up to the pond by the funny rock just outside. I passed Mrs. Chong's bakery and she gave us some pieces for breakfast, it's warm. I made some sandwiches and some hot chocolate."
Katara stretched, throwing the covers down and, standing up on the mattress, she stretched her muscles until she touched her fingers buried in the covers. She stepped closer to Aang's scarred back and, taking his shoulders, she felt the shaved hair from his head on his lips as she kissed him, bringing a smile to his avatar. Katara wrapped herself around his neck and clung to him like an otter koala.
"Thank you, sweetie." His icy hands gently stroked the bristling skin of his wife's legs, and in a playful movement he threw Katara onto her bed, knocking her onto her back.
"I'm going to bathe in what you're getting ready and we'll have breakfast together, if we have time" he said after kissing her feet and hurrying toward the small shower outside the room.
"So what time is it?" Katara looked at the candle that marked eight in the morning. "You did it on purpose!"
"I have to bathe with hot water today," he answered under the trickle of water that barely fell from the pumping of the faucet, "you always finish it."
"It's late," said the brunette, trying to enter the small space of her bathroom, "let me come in with you."
"You know we can't fit the two of us" Aang made a small part of the ground bar the door, leaving Katara out of it and fighting with her for a while "and the well has barely any pressure, woman.
Katara clicked her tongue and gave up early. She tried to hurry by throwing her nightgown onto the bed and laying her silk shorts on the floor. The space of the room left only a little free corridor between the bed, the wall at the sides and the counter. Her budget had not been enough for something bigger when they decided to start their married life in Cranefish and settled, after all it was comfortable for a couple of lovers not to have to clean a huge house. As long as they had privacy and a roof over their heads during the winter, the rest was superfluous. However, Katara cursed whenever her bare feet hit the corner of the bed or when it got late and there was only room in the bathroom for one soul.
Her hair was a mess. She looked at herself in the mirror above the counter. She rubbed the dried slime off her cheek as she removed her thermal top, socks, and leggings. She heard Aang get out of the shower and stumbled into the bathroom, pushing her husband out of her despite spreading her legs as she slipped from the spilled water inside her.
"Is it okay if we buy fabric for a shower curtain?" Aang scoffed as he pulled the rest of his clothes out of the closet next to the bathroom, also taking down the blue parka. Katara grunted, making water control over the dampness of the room and her wet socks with a grimace of disgust. The closet door bounced off the bathroom door causing another growl from Katara, causing Aang to flee from it after slamming it shut again. The towel around her waist loosened, falling off midway. The candle marked eight thirty.
"Fifteen minutes, precious," he said, pulling his cloak over his tunic.
Katara came out of the bathroom with damp hair and watched as Aang put the food on the metal tray mounted above the fireplace. The bread looked delicious and a treacherous growl came from the brunette's stomach.
"Wow, calm down. You don't have to yell at me" Aang said, reaching for the apartment keys. Katara laughed leaving the room trying to make her the typical curls of her at her sides and with her dress on her.
"Today is not my day." She said. Aang put aside the search for him to plant a kiss on the forehead of his beloved.
He took the leather sash from the back of the chair and circled Katara's waist, fitting the metal hooks that closed her accessory. He also filled the canteens and hung them around her hips with the belt fastened higher up with her sash. Katara gave up and opted for a half ponytail, growling for the umpteenth time.
"Have you seen the keys?" Aang asked patting the pockets of her robe.
"No. You took them with you when you went for a run, didn't you?"
After remembering Aang took them from under the paper bag of bread and they ran from the fifth floor to the main street. Katara froze the edge of the sidewalk, sliding into the shops to turn the corner, where the smithy raised their metal curtains. Both curtains left a wide corridor for the anvil and ventilation for the furnaces so that you could walk through and get to the next block without problem.
"Good morning, Mr. Jomei!" The brunette greeted, followed closely by Aang who thawed the passage behind them, evaporating the ice.
"Thanks for the shortcut!" The bald man commented when he saw the surprised face of Jomei taking out the toolbox at the entrance.
"Look out, guys!" The man yelled, saluting mallet in hand.
Aang waved goodbye from his forehead and they continued to glide through the city, past the pedestrians, the carriages and the food stalls that gave off the aroma of steamed rice, meat and vegetables. Some girls greeted the young avatar causing Katara to become jealous, although she fell silent at Aang's kind smile.
"They're from the fifth, sweetie," her husband said behind her "Right here. There is Zhu waiting for us."
"It looks like a seaweed with that hideous coating. Who told him that she looked good on him? By all spirits" Katara snorted at the appearance of the scrawny little man swaying, trying to dispel the chill of the shadows.
The green robe clung to his elongated figure, and he swayed in the wind, as fragile and graceful as a pickle fresh out of the water. They arrived with the man apologizing for the delay and went up to the second floor of the premises where the laundry room, the flower shop, the cafeteria and the local handicraft shop on the first floor were distributed.
"All landlords share mailboxes, that's a problem but I'm sure I'll be able to solve it soon." The black-haired man raised his hands to show the place. "The roof does not leak and is generally the most equipped space I have available. There is another one by the bay but I doubt that is what you are looking for."
"It really is big."
"That's right, Master Katara, they are ten meters long by fifteen deep by three and a half high. There is a bathroom installed at the back and if you require water supply ducts we can install them."
"Would you hand it over with something else? I mean, I understand that it is still under construction, I just want to imagine how it would be finished." Katara peered through the long skeleton of the window, overlooking the shops in front and the cloudy sky of the city.
"Of course. We will put a sponge and wood cover to minimize noise for the owners of the premises below, as well as protection for their students." Zhu Teng turned to see the avatar at his back who was inspecting the construction with his palm on the wall. "Wood makes falls less hard. " Aang nodded at his direction and then his attention returned to Katara. "I assure you that she will have every comfort here and the confidence of honesty in dealing. Ask anyone who has rented any of my properties and you will not find bad reviews."
"I don't doubt it, Zhu Teng. The truth is that I really like the space. Will there be a way to install wooden bars and mirrors on the back wall? "
"Whatever you want."
Aang listened to the entire conversation dreading the last part. Katara liked the place and, not wanting to admit it, it was the one who convinced him the most. He felt her hand begin to sweat when he touched the disassembled window pane, leaning against the wall. He listened to his wife ask more questions about the owners, the services they required, the surrounding stores, and the nearby schools. His mind began to wander about how she would go about paying for something like that. Zhu still hadn't said the price but for something like that it should easily exceed his budget.
Zuko had gifted her good money after the war, which she had refused to accept until before her departure to the South Pole. After unmasking Azula and the Kemurikage in the capital he had no money to join Katara at polo and Zuko had convinced him to take the gift from him for supplies.
"And maybe for something more expensive. I can think of something traditional about the water tribes" Uncle Iroh had told him during tea time in his shop in clear complicity with his nephew. But with her wedding expenses, her constant traveling with or without company, Appa's food and her stable rent from the last few years and now the apartment and all the expenses of her married life, that money was almost gone. Of course, he had some savings for emergencies and the leaders of the nations had agreed to give him a minimum wage until he was of legal age and he could get a more rewarding job, money that he kept intact until now.
But he was afraid that all that would go away in just the first month's rent. His train of thought broke when he heard Katara's echoing voice in the room.
"Aang?"
"Sorry?"
"If you like the place..."
"Yes," he said, staggering a bit before continuing, "yes. It's what we're looking for, don't you think?"
"Yes" Katara replied. She wasn't going to show her but he saw in her eyes that she was already planning where to put each cabinet, cushion and water tank, that he imagined all the boys glued to the wall waiting for their turn to demonstrate the exercise of the techniques and her in front correcting their postures. He internally cursed himself for giving her wings, getting anxious.
"By when would you have it ready with the specifications I gave you?" Katara asked a pleased Zhu Teng.
"If all goes well, I'd have them fully operational within a month." If they give me a confirmation, I would set aside the place with only half of the deposit of the first month under contract.
"What do you think, Aang?" Katara approached him, taking his arm tightly.
"Which is a very accessible and certainly legal deal, Zhu Teng. We really appreciate you giving us priority and the time to show us the construction. But you still hasn't told us how much you asking for rent."
"Don't worry about it. I brought you the budget for a whole year and the general terms of the contract in writing."
"Thank you very much, Zhu Teng. We really appreciate it." Aang took the papers from the trembling man with a bow. "How much time can you give us for confirmation?"
"You see, because of the central location and the size of the place, I have many proposals. I'm afraid I can only give you two days."
"It will be enough, we will have an answer for you by then." Aang watched the disappointment pass through the sapphires of his wife accompanied by a smile of appreciation to the human seaweed.
Both left the premises and saw how the city had already come alive enough so that the carriages began to circulate and the laughter of the children in the schools echoed in the playgrounds. Katara wanted to take the papers by the hand but Aang stopped her by tucking them under his tunic as if he hadn't noticed the movement.
"You want breakfast? I heard that the position they put in the tenth is incredible" Aang said taking Katara's hand as if that had been his intention from the beginning.
"No, sweetie." I'll be late and Nurse Ishi is pressuring me. She doesn't want the other residents to believe there is favoritism." Katara watched the mothers whisper among themselves and the men of the earth kingdom in suits who would surely lock themselves in his offices all day. She frowned with little disgust and somewhat uncomfortable. "I keep getting used to it."
"Damn avatar. Someone should beat him up for being foolish enough to get such a talented and flamboyant wife."
"Someone has spent too much time with my sarcastic brother," she laughed.
"Come on, it's not like being Grandmaster Katara isn't enough. You have self-respect, you don't have to put all the blame on me."Aang approached a booth that advertised coffee and lychee-jelly-filled muffins. "Good morning, two of each please. Thank you, have a nice day."
"What do you say? Please, this didn't happen before I became your wife." Katara took the coffee from Aang and blew a little to cool it down. "At least not that often."
"You'll find your balance." Aang turned to the side, keeping his hurt face from seeing his wife. Instead he tried to keep a cool head, drowning in coffee.
"I didn't mean it like that." Katara immediately noticed her husband's reaction and tried to remedy it, "you know what I mean. Everyone here sees you as bait, they compete every day like hyena lions and if you show you have the slightest advantage they jump to eat you alive. You should see how they treat me sometimes, especially Saye. That idiot keeps making up stories about how I treat a patient badly or how I lick Ishi's feet."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He answered confused by the information. Instead of pushing the subject through, Katara had managed to delve into a problem that she had been carrying for a long time.
"Because it's part of the experience, I didn't want to worry you or make you feel bad, like now."
"Make me feel…? Katara, this is like what happened to Pakku, only this time you're allowing it and I wonder why."
"Aang, really, this doesn't matter." Katara looked around, waiting for Aang to drop the topic. She continued walking down the street towards the healing center next to the park.
"You lie. Why haven't you told him anything?" Aang was beginning to get upset. The bag with the muffins was heard crumpling in the avatar's fist. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"
"Because I didn't want you to intervene" Katara decided to be honest but it was like hitting him in the abdomen until she suffocated him.
"Do you think I'm Zuko? Give me more credit, right now I don't know what person you're describing." Aang was mostly anxious, anger being a fugue. He reflected on how contradictory what he was saying sounded and took a breath trying to regain some peace. "Katy, you can tell me everything that happens. It may upset me sometimes or make me sad or have a normal reaction but I will not do anything to harm you."
"Aang, I know. But it is not that. "
"Then?" Aang stopped short to look at Katara and how hard it was for him to tell her how he felt.
"You will never stop being the avatar and this will never stop happening. Wherever we go I will continue to be your wife and people will see me differently, as different as they see you." Katara spoke in such a serious way that it was difficult for Aang to stand. Despite lowering the tone of her voice and approaching until he felt her breath of coffee, his ears did not let the words be heard clearly because of the stupid beating of his heart. "And I will have to endure it as you do, to take care of your reputation, the influence you have on others. What would people say if the avatar's wife fights anyone who contradicts her where she goes? Or does them treat her in a derogatory or macho way, or with some kind of favoritism? What you proclaim is justice and equality and I must do the same, although sometimes it is difficult for both concepts to harmonize."
Aang was silent, thinking about the burden he had placed on the girl's shoulders for a long time. Katara stared at him for a moment and then pulled him toward the center, waiting for him to come out of the limbo he was diving into.
"Since… why… but…" Aang stammered, trying to accommodate the ideas in his mind as he moved down the street.
He decided to shut his mouth to the words and open it to eat the muffin, offering Katara hers. They both came to the center wiping the crumbs from their mouths. Aang took the rubbish from the brunette's hands and gave her a smile that, although it did not reach his eyes, was genuine. He saw the girl walk up to the front door. He sighed before breaking the silence.
"Thank you for loving me enough to bear it all. Thanks, Katara."
"I love you," she said without thinking, turning to his direction.
"Just promise to tell me if things get out of control, we can find a "just and peaceful" solution together. "
"I promise. What will you do today?"
"I'll go to the city hall to see if the paperwork from the schools arrived and if there is news of the peace accords of the four nations." Aang made a funny face that allowed Katara to relax her muscles and throw the weight that she did not know she was carrying. "I hope I don't have another endless meeting anytime soon. After that there is not much to do, maybe I'll wait for you at home, the city has been pretty quiet lately, as well as the hawks."
"Don't summon them." Katara looked up at the sky, searching for birds. Aang chuckled and walked over to say goodbye to her, leaving her on the third step of the building. "Take care."
"You too. See you at home."
•°•
In the minister's office there was a tremendous disorder, people coming and going with no apparent direction as well as a pile of papers on the desk that got bigger when a diplomat passed through the door, the commander of the guard being the last to cross it.
"Sir, we must stop this threat. It's the third time this month that alarming reports have come in from the commercial sector." The dark green-clad guard spoke with conviction, holding up the brown folder in his right hand.
"We have no proof that they are related, no clues to a common culprit." The minister took his job seriously so his serene demeanor made the chief guard nervous. The stamp fell for the fifteenth time on the paper and one more document went to the pile of ready files.
"Two from the earth kingdom in the first attack, one from the water tribe and one from the earth kingdom in the second, and three firebenders and one from the earth kingdom in the third."
"And do you see a pattern in that? How old are you, Commander?
"Sir, people don't feel safe. If we do not give them a guarantee that we have everything under control, new revolts will arise. The last two could hardly be contained thanks to avatar Aang..."
"Avatar Aang has brought nothing but trouble to this city. The crime rate has increased by sixteen percent since he moved here and you know it, Commander Bojan." Squirming in his seat, the minister turned to see the man in front of him. His voice altered a little to firmness but he remained composed. "I know you are concerned about these crimes but they have been isolated events such as those that occur in the lower sector of Ba Sing Se. Simple rats that seek to take advantage of the situation. We cannot be upset now by something so ordinary."
"Minister Silo, I wouldn't be here without considering it relevant." The commander approached the desk until he placed his hands on it, making the folder stick to the official seal. "Those "rats" left three workers unrecognizable, they are still in the morgue trying to find some trait to tell the families. In addition, three boats and a skidder were sunk in the attack on the eastern pier and the workers want compensation for negligence by the Civil Guard. The lawsuit is in the paperwork right now. If applicable, I don't want to imagine what will happen next."
"If you are so afraid of society, you shouldn't be commander of the guard" said the minister, leaving the seal on the inkwell. Bojan's anger was reflected in the window behind the minister. The clouds auguring snow for the next few hours, snow that would be stained with more government faults. After crossing his hands in front of him and glaring at the commander, the minister downplayed him again. "Lawyers will refute any paper that inept civilians turn in. No need to worry."
"With all due respect, I am not the one who hides behind lawyers to solve every problem that comes his way."
"Commander" the minister rasped in warning.
"My forces are stationed outside this office where you are kept with the rest of the Cranefish motions and demands. The lives of his guard and his people are at stake."
"If a riot does arise, leave it to his beloved avatar, he will know what to do. If there are casualties attribute them, he will not mind having more blood on his hands."
"What? " The guard's amber eyes widened as he heard the minister pushing him back from the desk. "Our job is to protect the city, watch over ..."
"Don't you dare lecture me and let go of that vague sense of honor that you have, or do I have to remind you that it was the guard who benefited from the latest black market raid?" Silo said, refuting any argument of the commander, taking a pair of keys from the drawer. The minister rose to the metal filing cabinet to his left. "Go with the guard and find the culprit. The new refinery machine will take a month and a half to arrive, and Beifong won't give up his seat until he recovers from the theft. In the meantime I want you looking for those jewels in the next seventy-two hours."
"They left no clues, it's a short time for ... "
"Commander, that's enough." The minister took from the file cabinet a bag full of gold pieces that he showed the commander, extending it in his direction. "After that time past, forget about our agreement. Do it for the sake of your father, I'd hate to see him outside the university hospital. Until I have any relevant news, I don't want to be bothered with it anymore. And let the avatar stay out of it, not a word about the incidents. Are you understand, Commander?"
"Yes, sir," Bojan said, taking the bag of gold, albeit reluctantly.
He emptied the contents into the leather pouch on his belt and tossed the cloth bag onto the minister's desk. Then there was two knocks on the wooden door followed by a young girl who poked her head out of him after she was allowed to enter.
"Sir, Avatar Aang is looking for you."
"Thanks Nomi, tell him I'll attend of him right away."
"I'm sure he's coming to follow up on the privatization of the schools of the fire nation," Silo said before the commander could tell him anything. He advanced to the door with the commander on his heels, his expression once again as solemn as when he entered the office and dismissed him with that diplomatic tone he used. "Thank you very much, Commander Bojan. You are very kind to come in person to bring the reports, next time you can send a hawk, I know you have a demanding job. "
The commander bowed before him already out of the corridor that led to the city hall reception where the avatar stood waiting in the middle of the armchairs, no doubt listening to the false courtesy of both of them. Aang was looking at the headline of the newspaper on the coffee table. The minister's voice diverted his attention.
"Young Avatar, to what do I owe your visit?"
•°•
"Is everything ready?" Raiden said illuminated by the incandescent fire dancing on his features.
"You just need to get into position, precious. I'll give you a nice bouquet of flowers and a helm cake with seaweed before I sleep with you." The green-eyed man pushed the man back, away from the table to position himself in place to see the map.
"Calm down Taro, we don't want another ship to sink" Kaito said, pointing to the eastern dock with the red piece.
"I'm tired of operating in the shadows, I just took care of leaving our firm. A brand that separates us from other fans" Raiden defended himself.
"I should mark you and then hand you over to the guard, you fucking idiot." Taro grabbed Raiden by the collar of his red shirt and raised a rock spike aimed at his back. An enraged Raiden released a flare from his mouth causing him to recoil, covering his eyes.
"Enough! Save energy. The next hit will be difficult." Kaito gulped down the rest of the poured liquor and poured the clear liquid back into the glass. "Taro will take care of the non-masters of the wineries in the bay while Raiden oversees the activity of the earthbenders on the south side of the market. We should keep a low profile until the waters go down a bit."
"Expect? ´Till the guard think of looking a little deeper underground? " Taro still hadn't regained his composure so his anger kept coming out like a volcano preparing to erupt.
"How about the commander's desire to search for clues goes down? How many times did I tell you to wait until there was no one at the refinery to take the jewels? Thanks to the spirits that only the guard was close, otherwise you would be at the bottom of the sea with a piece of metal tied around your neck!" Kaito hit the table, knocking the full crystal glass to the floor. The room was silent. Taro stared at the boss, emerald eyes being overshadowed by the hat on his head. "I wouldn't mind your fox-dog humor if you had more than jewels stolen to make up for it, maybe some competition."
Listen to me all! If I say we need to be stealthy, you act stealthily. If I say speed, you are like lightning. If I say fire flames, you scorch everything. If I say force, you cause earthquakes. If I say sink it, you flood the city. What I say is law. And what we will do will determine who stays or who signs their sentence. That will be our brand." Kaito glared at his subordinates angrily. He knew that suspicions were raised in the head of the commander thanks to his informants from the guard. The Cranefish bank robbery would require the best of his men who, sadly, had failed him in the last two robberies. "Now, I want the earthbenders at the entrance, they will be the first defense; Taro, Shu and Aneko will cover the front; Hoshi, Rang and Sulka the rear emergency exits."
Taro nodded in a bad mood and turned to see Raiden leaning against the wall as if he wanted to prevent him from collapsing, he was looking at the pieces memorizing the plan. The city map began to fill with tiles like on a Pai Sho board as it gave the positions of each teacher and group. The attack on the bank would have two subdivisions that would serve as a distraction with simultaneous robberies on the outskirts of the city, while an enraged horde would rise in the center of the city in front of the city hall.
Raiden figured it would only take a couple of fiery fists to knock out non-masters on duty when Kaito's voice of command rose again.
"... so the idiots will not be a problem. This time I don't want witnesses."
Aneko and Sulka looked at each other with a grin. Raiden rolled his eyes and lowered his foot off the wall, unbalanced. The others had their own shocked reactions but no one dared to contradict the boss after hearing his earlier speech. It was Taro who interrupted the shock of those present.
"When will we do it, sir?"
"Let's get things warmed up a bit first."We know that Silo does not want to reveal the details of our movements, so let us take advantage of that protection so as not to call the arrowhead direct to our affairs."
"I don't understand, sir."
"No wonder, Taro. Just take care of the market and recruiting, I'll tell you when we'll start the movement."
The meeting ended and the room emptied with the teachers talking amongst themselves, causing a murmur. Kaito remained looking at the map without noticing the waterbenders who entered the room receiving elbows and blows on the shoulders when going against the current.
"Sir, the northern tribe waterbenders have arrived."
"Two weeks late," Kaito sighed and finally walked away from the table, hands on hips.
"The ship was delayed off the coast of Ember Island, apparently the passports are changing the format and the permits had to be updated in the fire nation."
"I suppose it was not in their hands." Kaito addressed the man on the left in a commanding voice. "Leave the incompetent to the black market, those who have something to offer I want to see them before implementing the plan."
"Yes sir. Is it okay if we move those who are already inside to the apartments on the outskirts of the city?"
"Okay," he said without interest, "but I want you up front. Yakone, you move with the others to the outskirts."
"Yes sir. "