In all of the sixteen years of Koza's life, she couldn't remember a time when dinner had been this stressful. Uvi had originally urged Koza to instead go back upstairs and sleep off what was left of her spur of illness, but Koza's stubbornness eventually won her a seat at the table. Shio Kan had subsequently decided to sit next to his wife and across from Ojin and Huvanni, so Koza was placed at the head of the table, and several lengths away from the rest of the family. How appropriate.
"So, Huvanni," Shio Kan began while they waited for Uvi to serve the food. "What kind of work does your father take part in?" Cutting to the chase right off the bat, that was pretty in-character for Shio Kan. Koza looked towards Huvanni, trying to catch her eye in case the Air Bender needed backup.
"Mostly trade connections. Father makes deals with big names around the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, usually sages or nobles. Once both parties are happy with the resources they'll receive, they sign a treaty and get added to the trade roaster. Father always does his best to be fair." Huvanni droned off like she had rehearsed the answer. Seemed she didn't need Koza's help after all; for some reason, it made the Fire Bender feel gloomy.
"Ah, I see. My work involves me collaborating alongside some of the most powerful men in all of the Fire Nation, as a matter of fact. Perhaps in the future your father can collaborate with us. I doubt Fire Lord Sozin would be against more trade routes." said Shio, gingerly sipping on his hot tea.
"Yes, perhaps." Huvanni repeated, quickly glancing at Koza and dramatically rolling her eyes while Shio was distracted. Koza hid a snort.
"How is the Fire Lord doing these days? I heard a rumor a few days ago that he was looking sickly." Fulay chimed in. Although the question was clearly directed towards Shio, she kept her gaze fixated on her tea cup.
"Nothing but the babbling rumors of fools. I can assure you, Fire Lord Sozin is doing more than well for someone of his age and experience. In fact, I'd bet 100 gold that he has the strength in him to make it another fifty years."
"Have you met the Fire Lord face to face?" Ojin crowed, looking at his father with massive eyes.
"Indeed I have," Shio said with a smile. "Sometimes we nobility are told to gather in the royal chambers to discuss expansion plans or economic advice. It's politics, nothing personal. When you have a career that puts you high up on the social ladder, you must learn to put any personal feelings aside for the sake of your work." Fulay turned her head up and positively beamed at Ojin, who grinned in response to her expression. Koza felt her eyebrows furrow; what was that about?
"Dinner time!" Uvi chimed in cheerfully, stepping into the dining room from the kitchen wing. Much like the first night that Huvanni had stayed with them, Uvi had gone out of her way to prepare a multitude of dishes: Hippo oxtail skewers, smoked fish, braised vegetables, dumplings, and super-spicy fire noodles: Shio's favorite.
"The dumplings are vegetarian, don't worry." Koza overheard Uvi whisper to Huvanni as she placed the dishes onto the table. Huvanni smiled up at the women in appreciation.
"You've truly outdone yourself, Uvi," Shio noted, helping himself to a large portion of the fire noodles. "I appreciate the hard work you've done tonight."
"You're welcome, Master." Uvi said gratefully. She filled Shio's teacup that hadn't even gotten half-empty uet and scurried back into the kitchen, vanishing from sight.
The family ate in deafening silence, not a single soul daring to break the rule when Shio Kan was around. It seemed that everyone was even consciously chewing quietly to appease the head of the household. Koza kept her head down, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone- especially Huvanni. Even with Shio Kan's presence, Koza couldn't help but continue to think about the revelation she had made just this morning. Would she ever be able to put this behind her?
"I've missed a home-cooked meal." Shio exhaled once his plate was cleaned, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin. Now that he had finished, it seemed they were once again free to talk. "Don't take Uvi's meals for granted, Ojin, you're really going to miss them when you're at the Capital. The food there is spectacular, but something about the simplicity of home is truly spectacular." He said to his son.
"Ojin's going to the Capital?" Koza asked with genuine curiosity. She hadn't heard anything about anyone going to the Capital Island. The rest of her family all shared estranged looks with one another, coaxing someone else to answer the question so they didn't have to.
"Well… One of my superiors brought to my attention that a… unique opportunity arose among the other nobles. Some of the nobles were told that they could bring some of their children to the Capital and have them work under a special apprenticeship. Learn and work closely with the professionals, and if they do well, they might be offered a full-time work position. I thought that Ojin would be the best fit for the apprenticeship." Shio replied, drumming his fingers on the table.
"He had sent a letter weeks ago telling mother and I about the plan. We'll both be leaving in less than three weeks." Ojin said quietly, gazing at Huvanni longingly.
"I… see." Koza swallowed. So that's what Fulay and Ojin had been whispering about earlier last month… Ojin was offered the opportunity of a lifetime, one that all Fire Nation children aspired towards, and they had done everything to try and keep it a secret from her. "Did… you consider me at all?"
"Pardon?"
"For the apprenticeship. Did you consider both of your children for the position? Did you think about me at all?" Koza asked, struggling to keep the bitter resentment out of her voice. Shio didn't respond, simply looking at her with dumbfoundment. "So that's a no. Not like I'd expect anything less."
"Koza, your brother is older and needs the experience far more than you do. He's nearly nineteen years old, he's going to need a job as soon as he graduates from the academy. And as the eldest child, Ojin needs to set the standards for this family."
"Of course, Father, that's the only reason. Not because he's the favorite child or anything, I'm sure." Koza snarked.
"Watch your attitude, young lady." Shio said sternly.
"And we most certainly do not play favorites in this house." Fulay chimed in. Even Ojin couldn't help but give her a look of disbelief.
"I just don't understand why you didn't tell me. Couldn't you have even given me the dignity of trying to prove myself? Couldn't you at least pretend you care?" Koza exclaimed.
"That's enough, Koza. You're being hysterical." Shio said with icy callousness.
"Am I? You give Ojin everything he could ever want on a silver platter, and meanwhile you force me to work day and night for you to even glance in my direction! Are you seriously going to sit there and say that's not favoritism?"
"It's not favoritism if one child is far more worthy than the other!" Shio roared, slamming his fist on the table. At the impact, the several plates and other silverware clattered, sending a shockwave of unpleasant sound echoing through the room. Koza could feel several pairs of eyes burning into her, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. She felt tears start to well up in her eyes that she tried to force back into non-existence. Don't cry. Don't let him win.
"Who wants custard tarts?" Uvi's sing-song voice suddenly called as she stepped into the dining area carrying a tray of beautifully-shiny yellow tarts. Fulay, Huvanni, and Ojin all turned their heads to look at her. "Oh, am I… interrupting something?"
"No, Uvi. We just finished here." Shio said as his deadly gaze still locked onto his daughter's.
"...Ah. W-well, I do hope you enjoy. These tarts are… imported…" Uvi's voice failed as she set the tray down onto the table and hurried back into the kitchen without even bothering to clear the remaining plates. The silent battle of wills continued for several more moments; the tension was so thick, Koza could almost feel it physically weigh her down. Out of the corner of her eye, Koza could see Huvanni staring down at her lap.
"I think I'd like to be excused." Koza said quietly, finally admitting her defeat.
"Yes, that'd be best," Shio growled in response, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "I have important matters I'd like to discuss with Huvanni and Ojin, anyways. It's best you leave before you cause any more problems." Koza pushed her chair back and fled from the table, tears dripping down her cheeks as she turned away.
"I sincerely apologize for her behavior, Huvanni. Koza has always been something of a problem child, I hope you can look past that." Koza heard Shio's voice say once she had reached the staircase. Holding back a sob, Koza raced upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her. Two weeks, just two weeks and they'll both be gone… I just have to get through two weeks…
Koza sat on her bed, knees curled to her chest, and cried for quite some time. All the stress and pressure that had been building up within her was finally able to escape, if just a little. It didn't feel great by any means, but at least her isolation gave her some well-needed release. After she had cried all the tears there were to shed, Koza flopped back on her bed and tried to think of where to go from here. Maybe she could graduate from school early and finally leave home… maybe she could follow Huvanni to wherever the Air Bender was thinking of going…
Knock knock. Someone was at her door. She had a funny feeling of just who it was.
"Huvanni, please. I want to be alone right now." Her voice was dry and weak. The door creaked open and quiet footsteps padded into her room. Koza gritted her teeth together in annoyance.
"Huvanni, I said-!" She turned her head towards the door and stopped. Ojin was currently standing in her room, fingers still carefully clutching the door. He stared at her blankly as if he was just as surprised as she was that this was happening. "...Oh. I… thought you were Huvanni." Koza said awkwardly.
"I could guess. She's still downstairs being lectured by Father on economics and what have you. ...You two have grown really close, huh?" Ojin asked casually. Koza prayed that her face didn't flush at the question.
"You could say that."
"Has she… told you anything about her personal life? Like… I don't know, her future plans? Aspirations? If… there's someone back home that she's seeing…?"
"Spirits above, can you be any more subtle? ...No, she hasn't." Koza admitted reluctantly. Ojin's eyes lit up, though he tried to hide his excitement.
"I see." He murmured, muttering whispers to himself that Koza could not hear. She watched her brother pace for a moment before growing irritated.
"Okay, you heard what you wanted to hear. So would you kindly get out of my room?" She snapped. Ojin suddenly regained his focus in reality and frowned.
"Actually, that wasn't why I came in here."
"Then why? Oh, I see. Did you come here to-to brag about the new opportunity Daddy Dearest chose for you and not me? Gonna mock me because you're so successful and loved and I'm not?" Koza stood up, her upper lip curling like an animal's. Ojin didn't falter under her fury.
"The opposite, actually. I wanted to tell you that I, personally, think it's very wrong of Father to choose one of us over the other. We're brother and sister, we shouldn't be put up against each other like a couple of fighting bear dogs." Ojin said calmly, meeting her eye.
"You've never minded before. You've made it very clear that you love it when we compete. Because then you get to prove how much better than me you are." Koza hissed.
"I know," Ojin said guiltily. "Mother and Father always raised me to believe that I need to be the best no matter what. That as their only son, it's my duty to do better than everyone, including you. But it's not fair that they… that we treat you that way. It's a bit embarrassing that it took a lecture from Huvanni to get through to me. She's very knowledgeable about peace making." He said.
"When did you have the time for her to lecture you?"
"Today during the carriage ride to school. She… had a lot of opinions on how things should change here," He replied sheepishly. "But she's right. You deserve the same amount of respect that I'm given."
"...So what're you going to do about it?" Koza asked. Ojin blinked.
"Huh?"
"You're saying it's wrong for Mother and Father to treat me like they do. So what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't understand what you mean…" Ojin said cautiously.
"Are you going to tell them that? Demand from them that I should get equal treatment? That I deserve opportunities just the same? Or maybe even refuse the apprenticeship on principle?" Koza goaded. Ojin said nothing, staring at her wordlessly. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't feed me that garbage, telling me you've 'reformed' or whatever. You don't care about me at all, you're just trying to impress your little crush by mending the bridges our 'evil parents' destroyed between us."
"No I'm not!" Ojin shouted, his cheeks a bright crimson. His one tell.
"If you weren't, then you'd actually do something to help me. But you won't because you don't want to. You think that if you come in here and pretend like you're on my side, I'll forgive you and we can all live like one big happy family. You'll get to go on and be successful, and of course win over the girl of your dreams. Well, guess what, that's not happening now or ever. I know Huvanni better than you ever will, and she would never fall for a selfish jerk like you ." Koza shouted, getting right up and close to Ojin's face.
She clearly had struck a nerve with her last taunt. Ojin's entire face burned a bright angry red. He opened his mouth to retort or deny or say anything, but no words came out. He gritted his teeth, trying to will himself to say one last hurtful remark before storming out of the room without so much as a peep. Koza watched him go before slumping to the floor, taking a deep breath.
There wasn't a single part of her that wanted to dislike Ojin, but she did. It wasn't Ojin's fault that Shio Kan and Fulay treated them this way, but taking her anger out on her brother felt very good.
Koza remained on the floor for most of the night, her knees curled up to her chest while her head rested against the boarding of the bed. She kept dozing off and snapping back awake, repeating that cycle for several hours as the sun outside began to set. She hadn't even changed out of her dress, though she found she had no energy to do so. Bright moonlight was illuminating her room when, once again, Koza's door creaked open and light footsteps entered inside. Footsteps she finally recognized.
"Koza? ...Are you on the floor?" Huvanni whispered not all too quietly, staring down at the dark figure of her friend. Koza stretched out her legs, which had grown stiff and cramped from the uncomfortable position.
"Looks that way, yes." She replied, looking up at her. Huvanni was wearing a long light blue nightgown that flowed around her thin figure like silk. Uvi probably lent it to her while she stayed with them. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I couldn't sleep. I was so worried about you, Ko. I know you probably don't want to talk about what happened, but I wanted to at least make sure you're alright." Huvanni urged, sitting down across from her.
"That's just how Father acts. It's nothing I'm not used to." Koza said nonchalantly.
"That's terrible. Nobody should be 'used' to treatment like that. Your father has no right to make you feel unwanted."
"Yeah, well, as much as I'd love to agree, I don't think things are going to change overnight. Most days he doesn't even acknowledge me, so I guess that's better somehow. Ojin came up earlier to try and 'make peace,' but he didn't actually want to help." Koza scoffed, rubbing her arms. She thought for a moment, debating her next words, then continued regardless. "He has a crush on you, you know that, right?" Huvanni laughed loudly, then quickly covered her mouth.
"Sorry, sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but how could I not? He makes it… a bit obvious, you know?"
"Oh yeah?" Koza asked, shifting her legs around to regain feeling in them.
"I mean, he looks at me a lot throughout the day, especially at dinner. Lately he keeps trying to tell me about how successful he's going to be in the future. Probably trying to impress me." Huvanni giggled.
"You should go out with him to a restaurant. Then you'd get to see him flaunt his money around and order the most expensive thing on the menu, even if he doesn't like it. He did that with his last girlfriend and ended up spending hundreds of silver on something he didn't even eat." Koza grinned wildly.
"Maybe I'll do it just to get him off my back. ...Ojin's sweet, he really is-"
"Not true."
"-But I just don't really like him in that way, you know?" Huvanni smiled sadly. Koza inhaled.
"Is there anyone you… do like?" Koza timidly asked. Huvanni tapped her finger against her chin.
"Recently? Uh, no I don't think so. The last time I remember having a crush was when I was like, twelve, though. Boy, I was completely head-over-heels, it was so embarrassing." Huvanni laughed. Koza smiled sadly.
"Tell me about it." She insisted.
"Alright, if you really wanna hear about the boring stuff," Huvanni grinned. "Well, we were the same age, so both twelve at the time. We shared fruit together, prayed right next to each other, and always made sure to pick flowers together. I thought she was the sweetest, kindest, most amazing person I had ever met. I ended up growing out of it like three months later, but boy did I go mad."
"Wow, that sounds… wait, she?" Koza asked, a bit alarmed. Had she misheard her? Huvanni smiled a bit nervously.
"Surprise. I like girls! And guys. Honestly, I like everyone. Well, maybe not everyone in that way, but I have held hands with both males and females throughout my life. Scandalous, isn't it?" Koza's mouth hung agape and her heart began to pound. Huvanni… did like girls? So did that mean… she actually had the slimmest bit of a chance?
"N-no! Not at all. I'm totally okay with it," Koza said, then froze. "Not that there's anything wrong with it, I mean you can like whoever you want to. At least I think so. A lot of people around here don't really feel the same way." Koza stammered over her words so quickly she barely even understood herself. Huvanni watched her stumble with an amused expression.
"Thanks for the seal of approval," she laughed. "But seriously, I'm pretty relieved you don't care. The Nuns raised us to be open and expressive and that it didn't matter who we loved, as long as we loved with every bit of ourselves. Things are… quite different in the Fire Nation."
"Tell me about it.." Koza muttered.
"I'm happy you're different, at least. A little ray of hope in a pit of darkness." Huvanni playfully punched Koza in the arm. Koza bit the inside of her cheek. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"I'm glad. Don't listen to your family, Koza. You have so much worth, even if they can't see it. Good night." Huvanni pressed her forehead to Koza's before standing up and heading to the door.
"Thanks, Vanni." Koza nearly whispered, watching the blue silken ghost float out of her room and vanish into the darkness.