The group was escorted to the party by General Tahnuk later that night, with Aang following close behind. Sokka was stand-offish, walking by himself off to the side. Meili walked extremely close to Katara as if she were the waterbender's shadow.
The plaza was a grand and elaborate outdoor room that faintly resembled most Earth Kingdom ballrooms but had a sharper architectural structure. It was beautifully crafted, and Meili thought the frozen marble of the walls was beautiful. It was grand, even maybe a little bit too grand for merely a welcoming party.
Many people were already present, sitting at long tables decorated with fur-lined table runners and ceramic dishware. The Avatar's group was sat at a large table in the plaza's center, and Meili wasted no time taking a seat next to Katara. Sokka and Aang sat across from the girls, leaving two empty seats on either side of the long table.
Chief Arnook stood tall and majestic up on the center stage, waiting for the room to grow quiet.
"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe. And they have brought with them someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now." The chieftain paused for dramatic effect. "The Avatar!"
The crowds cheered as the monk stood up from his seated position, bowing and waving a hand at the applause. Meili hoped that the crowd didn't see her because she was busy pulling at the dress hugging her body uncomfortably.
"Also, we are celebrating the birthday of my daughter, Yue, who is turning sixteen – making her now of marrying age!"
And that was when Meili saw it: white hair, long and flowing like the ocean surrounding the Water Tribe fortress. The girl, Yue, was beautiful. Ethereal almost, like a spirit. She noticed that Sokka's gaze was fixated upon her.
The princess moved to the front of the stage, capturing the attention of almost every person in the room.
"Thank you, Father," she spoke, and Meili was surprised to find her voice just as enthralling as the rest of her. "May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times and welcome our guests to our home city, Agna Qel'a!"
The crowd cheered as a few of the tribesmen walked around to hand out the meals for the night. There stewed sea prunes, giant sea crabs, seaweed stew, and plenty of fish. Katara introduced Meili to some of the food, even though the Southern Tribe girl had not had many of the delicacies herself.
Meili wasn't really hungry, and her plate consisted of a few sea prunes and halibut.
She was trying to finish dinner as fast as possible. She didn't like parties or large crowds, or dresses, or the angry tension bubbling in the air between her and Sokka. Meili just wanted the night to be over.
On stage, three waterbenders began to perform a show of dazzling bending moves. The man in front was older, and Meili wanted to guess that he was the master Chief Arnook talked about earlier. With everyone eating and watching the waterbending demonstration, the group was surprised to see the princess approach the table.
"Hi, I'm Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe," she spoke softly, closing her eyes in a tight smile.
Sokka immediately scrambled to sit up straight in his spot. "Hi, there. Sokka, Southern Water Tribe."
"It's nice to meet you!" Katara smiled, and Aang nodded in agreeance.
"Likewise," the princess returned with a soft smile. Her eyes moved to look at Meili but noticed her gaze appeared slightly irked. Princess Yue swallowed awkwardly, folding her hands neatly in her lap as she looked away.
The two students from the waterbending demonstration then approached Aang to talk about waterbending, a topic that captured Katara's attention as well. The two waterbenders of the group animatedly left, excited to meet others with the same skillset.
With them gone, Meili was left to watch Sokka talk to the princess. And for some reason, this made Meili unreasonably annoyed.
Part of Meili felt terrible because her actions toward Sokka earlier that day had been harsh, cruel, lies. But in her anger, she had accidentally started to burn him. It was just a flicker of her chi that caused the electricity in her palm to flicker alive, but it didn't matter. Fire had to be controlled, and she had put Sokka in danger.
That was why everything had to stop. Because she couldn't hurt him
"So.. uh, you're a princess, huh?" he mumbled, almost as if he were too nervous to speak correctly. "You know, back at my tribe, I'm kind of like a prince there."
"Oh, really?" Yue asked with wide eyes.
"Prince of what?" Meili joined in with a glare. "Little kid warrior training?"
Sokka's eyes met Meili's for the first time since earlier that day, when she had dismissed their strange relationship, and the boy seemed to bite the inside of his cheek before speaking again. "No, not that. Can't you see that I'm having a conversation?"
"Sounds more like showing out to me."
Sokka scowled. "I was trying to tell the nice princess here that we had something in common, you know… making conversation."
"Making conversation by exaggerating the truth doesn't seem too genuine to me."
Sokka gripped the cup in his hand tightly as he shared an even frown with the girl.
As if sensing the tension between them, Princess Yue got up from her spot with a sweatdrop. "If you would excuse me, I have a few more guests I must greet. Maybe I will see you guys around."
"Y-Yeah, sure!" Sokka stated. "I'll probably be in town for a while, so I'm sure we'll be in each other's presence again."
Princess Yue looked bemused. "Be in each other's presence?"
"Y-Yes, like we are bound to talk again, you know?"
"I'm sure we will, Sokka of the Sothern Tribe."
He watched Yue walk away, moving swiftly, elegantly along the glacier floor. Clenching his jaw tightly, Sokka turned his head stiffly to the side.
"What was that?"
Meili distracted herself with the food on her plate, poking the sea prunes with a random eating utensil. "What was what, Ponytail?"
He looked at her now, staring pointedly at her downcast head. "You know what I'm talking about."
"You mean me calling you out on your bullshit?" Meili spoke, pausing in her actions to meet his eyes.
"I meant you trying to embarrass me in front of the princess."
Meili blew out a puff of air. "I wasn't trying to embarrass you. Frankly, I don't really care how she sees you."
"Alright, well, I'm leaving to go fix what you messed up."
"Go ahead, Prince Sokka," Meili chided sarcastically, and Sokka huffed angrily underneath his breath. He got up hastily from the table to follow suit after the ethereal princess.
Meili got up from her spot as well, suddenly finding it hard to breathe in the crowded dining hall. She walked around the plaza, listening to the exuberant voices of the tribe members. Tribal music was playing from a group of musicians, sending a sweet melody across the plaza. A caterer came around holding a platter. It had a jar of plum red liquid and several cups.
"Could I interest you in a glass, Ms. honored guest?" He bowed slightly, offering the tray out to her.
"No, thank you," Meili replied. "I'm not in a great mood."
"Well, this is an imported brew infused with fermented cactusfruit juice. Even just a quarter of a glass will put you in a better mood."
She looked into the Water Tribe man's eyes, the ocean blue orbs sweet and kind, but her mind wandered to the sapphire gems of Sokka, and the man's gaze suddenly felt like a devious taunt. In returned irritation, she roughly grabbed the jar and emptied the contents into a cup, starling the caterer.
"Um, Ms…"
Yanking the filled cup from the tray, she emptied the contents into her mouth greedily. It was sour, floral, and burned the back of her throat like an acidic static. But Meili didn't care: she just wanted the feelings in her head to disappear.
The Water Tribe man moved to say something about her erratic drinking behavior but faltered as Meili dumped the jar's liquid into her glass once more. She ignored the caterer's bargaining pleas with a swirl of her drink, stomping out of the plaza.
Meili wasn't sure where she was going, but being surrounded by all those people made her unusually uncomfortable, in a dress, no less. Also, Sokka's weird behavior towards the Water Tribe princess was irritating her.
The glass cup rested in her hand as Meili walked around the barren city, her footsteps leaving a trail in the light dusting of snow below. For once, she was cold, with small clouds of white air dispersing into the dark night around her.
She wasn't sure how long she walked for, but her feet soon led her to the top of a bridge overlooking one of the many canals connected throughout the city. Every couple of steps, her feet seemed to place themselves in a stumble, causing some of the remaining juice to drop tiny red marks on the white path beneath her.
She was thankful for the Water Tribe boots enveloping her feet; they were far more comfortable than traditional Earth Kingdom flats.
Meili sighed a feverish sigh as she flung herself against the icy rail of the bridge, and her eyes stayed transfixed upon the glowing plaza now a couple of miles away.
"I really walked that far?" she mumbled to herself, blinking her eyes to register the distance. She must have been walking for about thirty minutes. She questioned if Aang and Katara were wondering where she was.
"No, they probably don't.. even know I'm gone," she murmured slightly, letting out a sigh exaggeratingly slow. Her mouth was slack and felt heavy to move, but her consciousness was compelling her to speak.
"They don't even know," she repeated once more, throwing an elbow up onto the rail to keep her head steady. The other hand holding the half-empty glass moved the liquid to her lips. The smell was fragrant, and there was a fruity, ripe flavor profile that was sweet but bitter. After finishing a sip, her mouth felt dry, like the deserts she once read about in the book from the orphanage.
She missed Jai and his sweet little voice. He would've loved Aang and Katara. If he had just come along… or maybe if she had stayed with him… perhaps things would've made more sense.
Because right now, nothing was making sense. Not Meili's connection with Aang. Not her friendship with Katara. Not her weirdness with Sokka.
Nothing.
Did Jai even feel sad that she was gone? Did he even miss her?
Meili looked out over the bridge at the water below. The lights in the distance shined bright upon the canal, the glow distorting with every slight pull of the tiny waves. She sluggishly reached a hand out towards the water, her eyes trying to focus on the shining water.
Was she even worthy of being missed?
With another raise of the drink to her lips, the surroundings around her spun in a tilting blur. Once she regained her composure, she took a sip, feeling slightly nauseated by the taste. But for some reason, she couldn't stop drinking it. Because the Water Tribe man was right, it was making her feel good.
A laugh bubbled up from her numb lips. She wasn't sure what was funny, but Meili heard the giggles echo around the street. She stood up, the motion sending her tumbling down to the bridge in an ungraceful heap, spilling the drink in a splatter amongst the snow.
Meili adjusted to her new position, her brain attempting to become aware of her surroundings. Her eyes were transfixed upon the red snow, her breath slow, her body cold.
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the party?"
It took her a while to register the voice. It was, of course, the one thing she was running away from, but also the one thing she couldn't seem to escape.
"Too stuffy. Too noisy..." Meili mumbled, her head foggy. "Just too much."
Sokka saw that her eyes were lidded but darting around wildly, like she couldn't focus on anything around her. Meili looked up at him from beneath those straight, black lashes, her face scarlet like the drink staining the snow.
"Are you okay?"
"I spilled my drink," Meili stated, her words obvious, but a strange element painted her voice.
"Meili… what were you drinking?"
She paused, closing her eyes for a moment. Sokka wasn't sure if she was trying to remember or falling asleep.
"Hm… I'm not sure," Meili slurred, opening her eyes back up groggily, "but… why did you come. Where's … where's Princess? I want her instead."
Sokka bent down to her level, picking up a handful of red snow from the ground. Lifting it to his nose, he took a small sniff, but it didn't take him long to note the overwhelmingly strong scent of wine.
"Meili, we need to get you back to our place. Just half a cup of that stuff will have someone like Bato on their ass."
He tried to scoop her up from her bicep, but her hand feebly pushed him away.
"Don't touch me, Ponytail. I.. I'm mad at .. you."
"That's a surprise," Sokka said dryly. "I couldn't tell from your evil glares at the table."
"Just… just leave me alone. Go away."
Sokka glared at her drunken pout, her inebriation evident in the swaying of her torso. And he found that he was drawn to her in that dress again, the dark blue fabric contrasting her alabaster skin, her hair dark as coal. She looked mesmerizing against the blank white canvas of the snow, her body encapsulated in his culture's robes.
"You know I can't do that… Look, my dad used to drink this stuff all the time after my mom.. was… you know. Um, but all I'm saying is I know how this stuff makes people act. So I have to take you back."
"I'll walk there m-myself," she mumbled, standing herself up on her own. The world was spinning hazily around her, and Meili quickly grabbed onto the closest thing around her to prevent herself from falling.
Sokka, of course, predicted her movements, sighing as he caught her against his chest.
"Will you stop being so defiant," Sokka whined, his voice cracking slightly. "It's a long walk, and you're stumbling all over the place."
Meili stopped moving, her brain catching up to her body. Her head bounced around softly, feeling too heavy to hold up.
"How did you even find me?" Meili's mouth tumbled out.
Almost comically, Sokka's eyes darted out to look at the trail left behind in the snow: small footprints and tiny droplets of wine. "It wasn't that hard."
Meili removed herself from his grip, staring at the boy from underneath her unintentionally sultry gaze. His royal robes draped across his body, covering up most of his skin, for which she was thankful. Because she loved his tanned skin.
Sokka's eyes were soft, but they held the same allure from the night before.
"What's … wrong with me?" Meili whispered, clutching her fists by her sides.
Sokka shook his head. "You're just drunk. You'll be fine after you sleep."
"No, not that," Meili said. Her fists began to shake with … anger? … sadness? … annoyance? Her brain was too foggy to know.
"Then what?" Sokka questioned, moving by her side once again. The girl cursed inwardly as she let her head fall against the center of his chest. He smelled good, like the huskiness of warm wood.
Swallowing roughly, Meili closed her eyes because she knew that she wouldn't have started talking if she could see his expression.
"Why do I feel this way… why do you make me feel this way?"
She risked lifting her head up to glance at him. His face was foggy in her vision, but his eyes were just as captivating as always. Meili's unsteady vision darted between each eye, taking in their steely appearance.
"Do you mean you feeling jealous of Princess Yue?"
Meili's face contorted into disgust. "Why.. would I be – be jealous of her?"
"Because you didn't like me talking to her," Sokka said deliberately.
Meili looked down. Her mind was trying to take in his words, but her consciousness was almost purposefully drowning it out.
"What… what happened between us last night? Why was…" she trailed off, gripping her stomach tightly. "Why did I feel so hot? And why did I want… you to touch me? W-Why did I want to touch you?"
Sokka blushed at her words, knowing that she was only saying these things because she was inebriated, but it made him realize that despite her cold exterior, she was confirming her feelings for him too.
"I don't know, you tell me," he responded. Because truly did want to know.
Meili bit her lip softly, swaying in her spot gently. "Your skin," she spoke quietly, her vision following her hand as she placed it upon his knuckles hesitantly. "I ... I like the way it feels… on mine."
Her fingers traced the veins on his hand. He felt cold to her touch, probably because they were out in the northern night. But his skin was still that beautiful warm brown that she loved.
Sokka was blushing wildly as Meili stood there, her vision transfixed upon his skin. For the first time, he felt speechless, falling victim to her innocent intimacy. Meili's eyes were so earnest, truthful, heating him up beneath his robes involuntarily.
"And your eyes…" she trailed off, her seafoam orbs gazing upon his face. Meili's hands gently moved to caress either side of his face, her fingers feeling hot and feverish. "they're – they're so … I like them."
And now, he was bright red, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable beneath her gaze. He wanted to speak but suddenly felt like he did around Suki and Yue – too nervous to get anything right.
"You, uh, really think so? They're just my eyes. Um, I mean, sure they're blue, but they're nothing special."
Meili waited for him to stop talking as she blinked rapidly to clear up her foggy vision. She wanted to see his sapphire eyes underneath the moonlight. Focusing on them seemed to clear her blurry vision.
"They… are perfect. And – And you are so annoying, you know," Meili slurred, lightly tapping him in the nose with her finger. "But I like the way I feel… around you."
"You said earlier that you didn't like it – that you don't like me," Sokka said evenly, grabbing the hand upon his cheek and moving the appendage to drape over his shoulder.
Meili found her other hand trailing along his neck to join the other, clasping her hands behind his head. Her cheek fell once more against his chest, and she took in his scent. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, a soft husk mixed with the smell of sea prunes on his breath.
"I don't know what I want," she muttered into his top. "I – I don't even know what … I'm feeling."
Her eyes betrayed her mind, and she looked back into his blue orbs once again.
"What do you feel?" Meili whispered.
He looked down at her face, his hair falling slightly in front of his eyes. He knew she was intoxicated, but he himself was intoxicated by her presence. Sokka noticed the closeness of Meili's chest against his, the thinness of the fabric barely hiding the evidence of her coldness. Her fingers were rubbing little circles along the stubble of shaved hair on the back of his head, and he wanted to roll his eyes back in satisfaction.
But he couldn't because she was in no position to accept any advances he would make, no matter how badly he wanted to kiss her underneath the moonlight.
"I feel like I want you," Sokka spoke, moving his hands to cup her face this time. Her cheeks blushed wildly at his words, and the fingers twirling along the back of his neck stopped. "As more than a friend."
She bit her lip, those weird tingling sensations bubbling in her abdomen once again. Sokka looked like a hazy blur now, but his hands felt steady, keeping her grounded in reality.
"I think," Meili trailed off, biting her lip softly. "… I – I don't know … I'm scared."
"Of what?" he questioned, his face moving closer to hers.
"I don't want to hurt anyone again… I don't – don't want to lose you," Meili whispered. Sokka was close enough to smell the wine on her lips. And he wanted so badly to place his lips upon hers, but instead, he closed the gap between their foreheads, gently resting his face against hers.
"I'm not going anywhere, so don't be afraid," he said softly. They stood there for a few moments, basking in each other's touch.
Meili felt herself melt into his hands, giving in to the weird feeling he had been making her experience. And maybe it was a mix between her drunkenness and his words, but she felt her body burn in a way that it never had before: a sensation that transcended the butterflies in her stomach. A sensation that made her want more.
"Can I carry you home now?" Sokka questioned, pulling his head away from hers.
Meili meekly nodded her head, and her world began to spin as Sokka gently lifted her up into his arms. She kept her arms around his neck, snuggling closer into the broad plain of his chest. Listening to his heartbeat, Meili focused on the thumps as she was slowly lulled into sleep.
When she awoke, Meili had no idea where she was. Struggling to open her eyes because of the aggressive headache pounding against her skull, she attempted to regain her consciousness.
She remembered leaving the plaza, the cold snow, and for some reason, the smell of wood… with her mind foggy, she lifted a hand to her forehead, pressing on it firmly to try and counteract the throbbing of her head.
However, her movements caused something to stir beside her, immediately putting her on high alert. Meili blinked aggressively fast to see what was next to her but felt it first. A warm arm, coupled with a quiet mumble, gently touching her side.
With a squeak, Meili scrambled from her spot, attempting to pull herself away from the tanned arm burning her skin through her dress.
"Ugh, you're so loud," the voice grumbled, followed by a yawn.
"G-get off of me!" she stammered, tumbling off the cot she was apparently laying on top of. When her vision finally returned, Meili saw that she had been laying on top of the cot, fully dressed, with the Water Tribe boy sprawled out beside her.
Sokka covered his ears with a pillow. "Geez, can't you keep it down?"
"Um, no! Why are you in my bed? Did I not make myself clear yesterday? I want nothing to do with you."
There was a pause as the boy shifted in the bed, likely trying to wake himself up. Sokka sighed, remembering the girl's drunkenness from the night before.
"You made yourself very clear last night," Sokka grumbled smugly, propping himself up to stare at the girl sitting on the floor.
"Last night?" Meili repeated, her face flushing red. "What do you mean?"
"You don't remember anything, do you?" Sokka said, his face a little crestfallen at the realization.
"I remember walking in the snow and then waking up… with you in my bed!"
Sokka threw his head back down on the pillow, closing his eyes while throwing his arms behind his head. "You practically begged me to stay with you, actually. So don't point fingers at me."
"I did not!" Meili fumbled out. "I would not!"
"Yeah, you were hammered out of your mind – could barely even walk. I carried you back here and put you down to go to bed, but you wouldn't let go of my hand. And, you know, you're actually a lot lighter than you look."
Grabbing the other pillow on the cot, Meili threw the object at the boy angrily. "No, I did not! Like I would ever touch you."
"You were touching me a lot last night. You really can't handle your alcohol, can you?"
"Alcohol?" Meili repeated, touching her lips gently. "What… what did I drink last night?"
"It's a special type of wine imported from the Earth Kingdom. You're only supposed to have about half a glass, but you had two."
Meili inwardly cursed, knowing that the boy was right. After drinking that red liquid from the caterer, she barely remembered anything. But that meant that… if he was right about that, he was telling the truth about everything else.
"No, no, no," she whispered harshly, tugging at her hair, though that only worsened her headache. "That did not happen. You're lying."
"Believe what you want, Clueless."
Meili sat on the floor stunned, just hoping that she didn't say anything embarrassing or revealing.
"Where are Aang and Katara?" She spoke, hoping to divert the attention away from her actions the night before.
Sokka could see what she was doing but humored her question anyway. "Aang's waterbending with Master Pakku right now, and Katara is in the healing huts."
"Healing huts? They have those?"
"Yeah, apparently, the women here don't learn offensive forms of waterbending."
Meili snorted. "I'm sure Katara was thrilled about that."
"Oh, yeah. Totally thrilled. I got to hear her shriek about it all morning."
Meili picked herself up from the floor, brushing off her dress from the floor dust below. "We need to start making preparations to inform them of the battle coming up."
"Aang already did this morning. I have warrior training in a few hours to help teach the warriors here about Fire Nation soldiers."
"I sure hope I'm included in that training."
Sokka swung his legs over the side of the bed, wiping the remnants of sleep from his eyes. "Well, you were, until Master Poophead basically said that girls here aren't allowed to fight."
"That's bullshit," Meili said, watching as the boy rose from the bed. "I know ten times more about how to take down Fire Nation soldiers than every person here. I'm going to the training sessions."
Sokka sighed, facing the girl. "I know, but we're guests here. The Northern Water Tribe has different customs and traditions than my tribe. We just have to accept it."
"Well, I won't. Because I'm going to make sure this place stays safe."
Meili's eyes were determined, and Sokka blushed at her fierceness.
"Well, just make sure you change first. You don't want to walk into a room full of guys wearing that."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I don't look good in dresses."
Sokka's eyes roamed over her body. That wasn't the case at all because she looked beautiful, even then, with her hair wild and her dress crinkled from sleep. He shook his head, unable to believe that she didn't realize she would be a distraction.
"Do you need any water?" Sokka questioned.
"I can get some myself," Meili mumbled, holding the side of her head. She didn't even spare him a second glance as she walked out of the bedroom.
After getting ready, they began their descent towards the training grounds. Meili had on her old cloak over top of a tank top and Water Tribe pants. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. She walked a little way away from Sokka, hoping to give herself some much-needed space.
Meili could not believe that she had grabbed Sokka's hand to make him stay in bed with her. It was simply ludicrous.
Her gaze wandered down towards the boy's hand hung loosely by his side. He was back in more casual wear, which meant that his skin was more visible, almost tantalizing. And Meili cursed at the realization that he probably did try to grab him and hold his tanned hand. Only because she was drunk, of course. She never would have done it sober.
Meili wondered what she had said to him. He was obviously no longer mad at her, so maybe she just apologized to him. Even though such actions would still be embarrassing to her, it was better than the touching he was insinuating she had done.
Her fingers fiddled with one another, trying to distract her from the burning blush creeping up her neck. These feelings were beginning to grow more and more annoying. She needed to stand her ground, which meant distancing herself from Sokka even more. Hopefully, with a little bit of time, things could go back to normal.
Or, well, whatever they were before all those weird things happened between them.
Sokka and Meili arrived at the barracks a little later than they were supposed to, mainly because Sokka anticipated the walk to be shorter. Agna Qel'a was a large city, much larger than his own home. And even with Chief Arnook's map of the city, navigating around the icy streets was difficult.
A few of the tribesmen let them in, motioning down the hallway to where the training rooms were. Sokka moved in close to Meili, his voice lowering to hushed tones.
"Try not to draw a lot of attention to yourself," Sokka whispered. Meili ignored the closeness of his face to her own.
After following the hall down, they arrived at a large training room where several racks of weapons were secured and ready for use. The room was square and had several areas for different combative training purposes. A group of men was already present, laughing and making jokes with one another.
"Let me lead the way, okay? I'm great with other guys."
Meili rolled her eyes but obliged and followed Sokka toward the group. She was too hungover to combat the boy.
"Hey, guys! Sokka, Southern Water Tribe," the boy introduced suavely, jutting his thumbs toward his chest. "Who's ready to practice kicking some Fire Nation butt, am I right?"
The boys paused in their talking, and Meili noticed that there were four of them. They didn't look too enthused about Sokka's introduction. The largest boy of them all chuckled, probably twice the size of Sokka. His skin was fairer but still tan, and he had long hair that fell over his face, though part of it was secured into a bun.
"So you're the new recruit General Tahnuk was talking about. You don't look like much of a warrior to me."
Sokka knew the boy was referring to his lankier build, so he tried to ease the tension with a large grin. "I prefer to be faster than bulkier. It's easier to knock the Fire Nation geeks' heads together."
Meili shook her head, feeling the awkwardness in the air.
The bulky boy stepped up toward Sokka. "Well, my name is Hahn: Top warrior in the barrack and future son-in-law to the chief."
"You're engaged to Princess Yue?" Sokka questioned, almost in disbelief.
"Yeah, you got a problem with it?"
"No, congratulations."
Hahn sent a haughty scowl Sokka's way, and Meili already knew that she didn't like the warrior boy. As if on cue, Hahn moved his gaze over to her.
"And who's this? – The little loner over here that doesn't like to speak?"
Sokka gulped. "They don't talk much."
Hahn didn't seem to like that answer, crossing his arms irritatingly. "Well, just know this – both of you. I'm leading this training session, so don't interfere. Even though I'm the best warrior here, I need to gain some points with the chief."
"Got it," Sokka mumbled.
Hahn shrugged the boy off, turning back in his spot to face his peers. When the warriors were immersed in their discussion once more, Sokka pulled Meili off toward the other side of the training room.
"He seems very modest, huh?" Meili joked sarcastically, but surprisingly, Sokka didn't find it funny. He craned his head back around to stare at the group of boys laughing boisterously before resuming his attention to the girl in front of him.
"I would stay away from that guy," Sokka cautioned, jutting his thumb in the direction of Hahn.
"How kind of you to warn me," Meili deadpanned. "I handled myself around guys like him way before I met you. I'm fine."
"I know, I know, but," Sokka trailed off, "just keep an eye out."
The barracks began to fill up with more and more recruits as time passed, and Sokka found it fitting to introduce himself to more Northern tribesmen. Apparently, Water Tribe camaraderie was extremely important to their culture.
Meili took her time walking around the room to study the various weapons displayed. She wanted to take her mind away from the headache pounding in her skull. With every thump, it reminded her of just how embarrassing she had acted the night before.
Her gaze moved over the weapons. There were clubs, axes, blades, machetes, all of which Meili was familiar with; however, all the weapons were crafted from remnants of arctic mammals.
Some of the blades were larger, no doubt constructed from whale's teeth, but others were shorter. The extremely sharp ones Meili believed to be made from arctic wolf teeth: The tooth pattern resembled the fangs of the timberwolves back in Gaipan.
General Tahnuk joined the training warriors a few moments later, calling their attention with a loud cough.
"Men, we have heard word from the Avatar that the Fire Nation attempts to stop him from mastering waterbending. This means that we must train now to defeat them when the battle ensues. We have someone from the Sothern Water Tribe with hands-on experience joining us for the next few weeks."
General Tahnuk gestured to Sokka, who rose his hand sheepishly.
"If anyone has any questions, just ask our brother Sokka."
"How do we know we can even trust him," one of Hahn's cronies spoke coarsely. A couple of other men chuckled at the statement.
"Both Chief Arnook and I value his input. He is a capable warrior and a loyal friend. Is that reason enough for you, Sitka?"
The boy named Sitka frowned in irritation, sending a glare Sokka's way. Sokka merely let out a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
They were ordered to split off into groups of two to spar where weapons were preferred.
Meili knew that she had a choice to spar with Sokka, especially since his wandering eyes found hers from across the room. However, she needed to separate herself from him. Not only could their interactions cause more suspicions of her being a girl, but she knew his proximity would once again mess up her ability to think.
Meili instead picked a boy next to her. He was tall, lanky, no threat at all, but she needed his height to decrease the chances of him seeing under her hood.
Sokka watched the girl choose her partner, and he bit the inside of his cheek as she walked to a different section of the room to spar. Any feelings of protectiveness bubbling up into his chest fizzled away when a tribesman boy slapped his hand atop Sokka's shoulder.
"Hey, brother! Let's be partners!"
Sokka met the boy's wide eyes and cheeky grin with a faltering smile of his own.
After about twenty minutes of sparring, the pairs were tasked with switching partners, irritating Sokka. Unfortunately for him, his new partner was the Sitka kid. The snarky Northern Water Tribe boy was already on his list of Northern Water Tribe warriors he didn't like: Hahn being number one.
Sitka was tall and muscular, all brawn and biceps. He was older than Sokka, evident from the harsh line of his jaw and the stubble peppering his face, and his maturity coupled with his aesthetics made Sokka feel slightly substandard.
Both boys had a sword in their hands from their previous sparring match. The two weapons were variations of the whale's tooth scimitar, a long wooden stick with a whale's tooth on the end; however, Sokka's was much shorter, preferably used for close combat, while Sitka's was long, used more in a defensive nature.
"So, where's that girl you came here with?" Sitka questioned Sokka. The boy flicked his head to the side, sending his braided hair onto his back.
"You mean my sister?"
They collided weapons, and Sokka's body moved in close with his barbaric attack. Their scimitars disconnected, and Sitka twirled in his spot to send an attack towards Sokka's foot. The Southern Water Tribe boy rolled out of the way, lifting his weapon back up to block Sitka's next attack.
"No, we all saw that she has a betrothal necklace. I meant the other one."
Sokka's eyes quickly darted over to where Meili was sparring with another warrior before he flicked Sitka's scimitar away. Sokka didn't want to mention that the betrothal necklace was actually his mother's because he didn't like the lecherous look in the warrior boy's eyes.
"Oh, she's, uh, taking care of our flying bison."
Sitka whistled low underneath of his breath, dodging a close attack from Sokka. "Hmmm, so she's beautiful and a good caretaker. If she were Water Tribe, she would make the perfect wife."
Sokka fumbled in his stance, causing Sitka to push the boy off his feet. Sokka stumbled backward, trying to catch his footing. He shook his head, righting himself on the ground.
"What did you just say?"
"You know what I'm talking about. Hahn and the rest of us couldn't take our eyes off her at the party. She was only wearing an underdress; I bet she wanted the attention."
Sokka clenched his jaw angrily.
"She's not like that."
They exchanged another clash of their weapons.
"Oh, so you know her well then? Is she a fun time?"
Sokka sent him a warning glare, coupled with a harsh shove to Sitka's shoulder.
"I was just asking, sheesh," Sitka waved off, rolling his shoulder back where Sokka had struck him. "Most girls our age are flat like a board, just like your sister. But that girl was really packing. I guess she has to be to distract from that scar on her face, huh?"
"Do you want me to kill you?" Sokka questioned dangerously, finding it incredulous that the boy was so outwardly disrespectful.
"Alright, alright, that one crossed the line," Sitka defended, lifting his hands in surrender. "But I'm just saying, not all of us are trying to court girls … if you know what I mean."
The image of Meili blushing for another man, one of these sleazy Northern Water Tribe men, made him sick to his stomach.
"Well, keep comments like that to yourself. We are here to train – to protect the lives of our people – not to parade around our sexual deviancies."
Sitka grinned. "It's survival of the fittest, Sokka of the Southern Tribe. There is only one way to fight, and that's dirty. And the men that hesitate are the ones that lose."
Sokka clenched his jaw roughly at the boy.
When warrior training was over for the day, Sokka left so quickly that Meili knew something was wrong.
"Ponytail, what's up?" She spoke, trying to catch up with him.
"I don't want you going back there tomorrow."
"Excuse me?"
"It's no place for a girl like you."
Meili almost tripped in her footing, anger evident in her action. "Well, good thing you're not my dad, so I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm one of the best chances we have at beating the naval fleet coming."
"I know that," Sokka grumbled. "Just stay close to me then. I don't trust these guys."
Meili already knew that she wasn't going to do that because being close to him made her crazy. And she especially didn't want to listen to him after he deemed her incapable of handling herself.
"What about Water Tribe camaraderie?"
Sitka's words flashed briefly through Sokka's memory. "I don't think all of them believe in that."
He walked faster ahead of her, and Meili sulked behind him on the way back to their home. She didn't want to be looked down upon because of her gender. The entire Water Tribe was already doing that to her and Katara. But to have Sokka agree with their ideologies put a sour taste in the back of her mouth.
Back at the house, Aang and Katara were already inside, seemingly arguing about something. When Meili and Sokka walked in, the two waterbenders were standing in the middle of the room.
"I don't want to heal, Aang. I want to fight! This isn't fair."
"Look, I understand, Katara. But what more can we do? Master Pakku must teach me if I want to learn waterbending in time. The spirit said so."
Katara sighed. "I know, it just – sucks."
"Hey, I heard about what happened," Meili said as she walked inside, pulling her hood down. "If it makes you feel any better, I can't train with the warriors either."
Katara and Aang both turned their head to the newcomers, and the Water Tribe girl let out a soft smile at Meili. Katara sighed, looking down at her hands clasped in front of her.
"Their customs and rules are bullshit," Katara complained. "I didn't travel across the entire globe just be told no."
"He did say no, though," Aang interrupted.
"I know that," Katara growled out, her hands turning into fists by her sides. "And honestly, I bet this is why Gran-Gran left this place. Because she didn't want to follow these stupid people and their stupid traditions."
"Wait, Gran-Gran is from here?" Sokka questioned, moving next to his sister.
Katara nodded. "She was born here in the Northern Water Tribe. The healing instructor used to be friends with her when they were younger. But Gran-Gran apparently left without saying goodbye, even though she was engaged."
"If I was engaged to one of these assholes up here, I'd want to leave, too," Sokka griped, his earlier encounter with the men ringing around in his mind.
"How are you going to learn waterbending then, Princess?" Meili asked. "You said you didn't travel here to take no for an answer – are you going to try and ask him again?"
Katara bit the inside of her lip, unable to think of an answer.
"Why doesn't Aang just teach you?" Sokka propositioned.
"Wait – why didn't I think of that?" Katara gasped in astonishment. "At night, Aang can teach me whatever moves he learns from Master Pakku! That way, Aang can have someone to practice with, and I get to learn waterbending! Everyone's happy!"
"I'm not happy," Sokka and Meili said at the same time.
"Sokka, you're never happy," Katara deadpanned.
Aang grinned turned to Meili. "And based on what the spirit told you, we have about three weeks before the battle happens. It can't be that hard to lay low for the time being."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Meili sighed. "My cloak worked for years before this. I'm sure I can fool a bunch of stupid warrior boys."
"Hey, I'm one of those warrior boys!" Sokka defended, his voice cracking.
Meili looked at him pointedly. "Which proves my point exactly."
"Well, tonight, Aang and I will go practice where no one can see. It's the perfect plan," Katara said with a smile.
And it did seem like the perfect plan … until Aang and Katara arrived back at the house later that night, soaking wet and angry.
Sokka was sitting on the couch relaxing, picking dirt out from underneath of his nails with his boomerang while Meili stretched her legs out on the floor.
"Well, seems like you two had a good time out there," Sokka teased, looking up from his nail grooming.
Aang held his head down dejectedly. "Master Pakku uninvited me as his student. He caught me teaching Katara and said I disrespected his culture."
"He's a sour old man with no heart!" Katara shrieked, causing Meili to wince. "Who does he think he is?"
"A waterbending master, for one," Sokka replied snarkily.
His sister screamed between clenched teeth. "I know that!"
"So, what do we do now?" Meili questioned, hoping to diffuse the siblings' anger.
"I have to have Master Pakku be my teacher. Maybe I can just talk to him," Aang offered.
"I never want to talk to that… that… grumpy old jerk ever again!" Katara huffed once more, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Katara, just swallow your pride and apologize to the man," Sokka stated, continuing to pick at his fingers. "It's not like Aang can't teach you during our travels to find an earthbending teacher."
"But the spirits said I was eventually going to be Aang's teacher. How am I supposed to do that if he's the one teaching me?" Katara questioned.
Meili sat on the floor with her legs outstretched in front of her, leaning down to grab her toes. Stretching out her calves, she let a low grumble leave her lips. "This stupid tribe is getting on my nerves. If I were you, I would just knock some sense into this Master Poophead."
Katara remained quiet, and Aang cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"I'll talk to Master Pakku again. There's got to be something that will change his mind."
"Yeah, maybe there is," Katara mumbled, walking forward to the hallway, leaving the conversation.
The door to the female's bedroom closed with a slow tap, and Aang let out a breath of air that he had been holding.
"I hate animosity," Aang sighed, falling to the floor next to Meili. He wiped his face comically, dragging his hand downward, hoping to ease the stress overtaking him.
"Well, you left your iceberg at the wrong time then," Sokka said. "All the world is right now is animosity, animosity, animosity."
"It's just – I can't make everyone happy. How am I supposed to be the Avatar if I can't even balance my training with my friendships?"
"It's not your job to make everyone happy. Sometimes, doing the right thing will actually make people unhappy," Meili explained, her eyes calm. "But someone has to do it, and who better than the Avatar?"
"But why do I get to decide what is right and what is wrong?" Aang emphasized, throwing his hands on the floor angrily beside him. "Why do I have to be the one that determines that?"
"Unfortunately, that's just the way the fortune cookie crumbles," Sokka shrugged, putting his boomerang down on the couch beside him. "Leaders like us have to deal with more responsibilities than others."
Meili deadpanned at Sokka's statement, taking a deep breath before responding to Aang. "You're never going to make everyone happy, Aang. There will always be something someone doesn't agree with. What matters most is that you follow your heart and make decisions that feel right in your conscience."
"Follow my heart…" Aang repeated, standing up from his spot. "Thanks guys. I'll think about what you said."
The monk began to walk down the hallway; however, he paused before entering the corridor.
"Oh, by the way, are you two sleeping with each other again tonight?"
Meili immediately turned bright red, scrambling up from her spot. "O-of course not!" she stammered. "It was an accident."
Sokka whistled lowly. "Okay, Clueless, whatever you say."
Meili pointed a finger at him aggressively. "Shut up! You know it was an accident!"
Aang sweatdropped. "Alright, alright, calm down. I just wanted to ask. If it started happening all the time, people might get the wrong idea!" The monk let out a genuine laugh.
Meili blanched. "Okay, Aang, thanks for the clarification! As if I needed any more reason to stay away from this lunatic."
"Let's see how well that goes," Sokka grinned. Their gazes locked, causing Meili to scrunch up her nose unattractively.
"You're literally unbelievable," Meili grumbled, brusquely leaving her spot to zip past Aang. "I'm going to bed. See you guys tomorrow."
Unlike Katara's calm closing of the door, once Meili entered the bedroom, she slammed the door shut. Both Aang and Sokka winced at the loud bang, tuning their gazes toward one another.
"Girls, am I right?" Sokka joked nervously.
Aang, recalling Katara's scary screaming from earlier, shuddered. "Yeah… girls…"
A/N: Here's another update! Thank you to everyone following this story; it really means so much to me! Happy reading! :)
Also:
Vosck: I'm glad you liked the interaction in the last chapter! Thank you for your constant support on my story (heart emoji) :)