Just a note this first part is rated a little bit "M." Nothing crazy, but probably shouldn't read this around kids, your mom, or a priest. Thanks!

"Why are you being weird about this? It's just hair."

"Eyebrows are just hair. Beards are just hair. When you're talking about your … uh … womanly area, it ceases to be just hair."

"That makes no sense. And womanly area? Twinkletoes, stop. Just stop right there. You are a grown man. I know you can say puss-"

"– Toph ..."

"– I'd be cool with 'mound' or 'va-jay-jay' or even 'bullseye spot' –"

"– Toph."

"– But womanly area? Don't make me come downtown and punch you in the arm."

"How would that be different than what you do any other time we see each other?"

"… You've got a point there. Anyway, it's not a big deal. Buzzed or clipped down or bare or jungle – what do guys like best? Just in your opinion; I'm not taking a survey here."

Aang squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was honestly too early in the day for this, even if it was almost four in the afternoon.

Then again, this was one of the perks of owning a business. You could make your own hours and structure the day the way that was best for you. Aang was planning to leave early, in fact, to spruce his place up for a visit from Suki. They'd chatted recently about Air Nomad food and he wanted to introduce her to some of the curries he loved growing up.

And then, just as he'd finished up for the day, Toph had called, ostensibly with a lead on a potential client. But like most of their conversations, it quickly went from business to … whatever this was.

"Remind me why you're not asking Satoru this? Since he'd be, um, more intimately involved?"

"Because it's supposed to be a surprise. Keep up, Twinkletoes!" He could hear the eyeroll in her voice. "Like I said, I'd like the opinion of one dude I know who likes girls and you're the only one I could think of who would take this seriously and not assume I'm trying to sext or anything. You don't have any preference?"

Aang sighed deeply. At least he'd had the presence of mind to close his office door andnot put Toph on speaker. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.

"Not really. It's not my area." He smirked at her groan. "Whatever works for her, works for me. I'd be really surprised if Satoru didn't feel the same way. If you really want to try something, um, different down there, you should do it for you. If you're okay with how things are, you should leave it alone."

"... Huh. You could be right. And I've heard it's a bitch when it starts growing out again. Okay, forget that then. Maybe I'll just give him some amazingly sloppy head to celebrate his promotion –"

"– Toph!"

"– Moving on, how're things with you and Suki?"

Aang wasn't sure he liked that particular segue, but he was relieved to get off the subject of Toph's personal grooming and sex life.

"Things are good. We're having dinner tonight at my place. I'm cooking."

"Huh. Things are going better than just 'good' if you're doing a home date this soon. What's it been, three weeks?"

"A month this coming Saturday. It really feels like only yesterday since our first date …"

A goopy smile spread over Aang's face as he summarized for Toph the month of weekly dates he'd had with Suki. They'd not had the 'talk' yet to make things official and exclusive, but he was anticipating broaching the subject that night. They'd not been intimate, though they'd had some nice make-out sessions. Suki had pulled back a little from her first-date invitation though Aang had let her know that if it had happened, they would still be on the same trajectory. But Aang was also conscious he was okay with waiting, and it might be better that way.

" … Anyway, she's really great, Toph. Really great."

"All right, don't get all gushy on me. I get enough of that now that my dad's found a girlfriend and is having regular sex. Ugh ... I hate that I know that. This is your fault, Baldy."

Toph's snark came over the line loud and clear, though Aang could tell she was happy for him.

"But seriously, it's about time you stopped moping in your house with Thing 1 and Thing 2 and actually have the chance to get your di –"

"Okay, chill –"

"What? All I was about to say was 'and actually have the chance to get your di…stinguished bald head out of a book or a YouTube series –'"

"– Yeah, so we both know that was not what you were about to say –"

"– and join the rest of the world and have some fun. I mean, look at me – even I have a boyfriend, and I hate people. You're an Air Nomad, Twinkletoes. Your friends shouldn't have to pry you out of your apartment to get you to let your nonexistent hair down once in awhile."

Aang sighed again. Underneath the snark and double entendres, he could hear the concern in Toph's voice and it completely doused his irritation. Toph Beifong didn't exactly "hate people," as she claimed, but she also was not someone who made friends easily, mainly due to her prickly exterior and propensity to hold those who attempted to get close to her at arm's length. But when she truly cared about someone, it shone through – sometimes despite her best efforts. Aang wasn't always onboard with some of Toph's antics, but he had to admit she was probably right that he'd been a little too isolated and work-obsessed in the recent past.

"I'm not gonna argue with you," said Aang. "I'm enjoying myself and things have been going great in my life. No complaints."

"Oooh, shouldn't have gone there, Twinkletoes," said Toph, suddenly sounding solemn. "You may have just jinxed yourself."

Aang swiveled a bit in his chair to stare out the window at the city landscape, which looked breathtaking bathed in the crimson blaze of the setting sun. He admired the view for a moment before swiveling back and resting his chin on an upturned palm.

"Since when did you get so superstitious?"

"I'm not. But the minute you start talking about how amazing life is, that's when it all starts to into the crapper. I've seen it happen before too many times to people I couldn't give less of a shit about, so definitely wouldn't want that happening to you."

"I'm touched, Toph. Really."

"Well, you should be, because you actually mean a lot to me – as annoyingly serene and nice and freaking calm as you can be sometimes. Argh, your gushiness is starting to rub off on me! Time to be a complete bitch to someone and regain my equilibrium."

"Or – hear me out – you could skip that to do yoga and deep breathing and regain your equilibrium that way."

Toph chuckled dryly. "Good one, Twinkletoes. You're a funny guy, sometimes. Enjoy dinner and tell Suki I said hey. Y'know … we should maybe double date sometime. That might be fun. I promise I won't roast you in front of Suki. Much."

"What'd be the fun in that?"

Toph's cackle of pure delight made Aang grin as they rang off.

Glancing at his watch, Aang straightened up some papers on his desk and thumbed absently through a stack of paid invoices. He turned to look back out his window and frowned sharply.

The red-gold light that had filled his window was rapidly vanishing to be replaced by dingy, gray clouds. A moment later came the rumble of thunder and then the first drops of rain splattering against his window.

It was odd how suddenly the beautiful weather had been blotted out by the bad. Aang stared out at the gray landscape, uneasily thinking about Toph's admonition to not jinx his good fortune by openly bragging about it. Toph had sounded more serious then she usually did about anything, and as he watched the raindrops turn into a downpour, he felt slightly uneasy.

He jumped a little at the sudden knock on his door. Most of his staff had filtered out around 3 o'clock, but he recalled that his receptionist had stuck around to finalize some appointments and schedule a few potential clients.

"Come in!"

The door opened just a bit and the soft, pleasant face of his receptionist, Won-Yee, appeared through the crack. Aang thought she seemed a little mystified by something, which was unlike her. Won-Yee was … uncomplicated. Not stupid, by any means, just not very complex in her emotions.

"Sorry to bother you, Aang, but you have a phone call on line 1."

Aang stared at her in mild disbelief. It was very unlike Won-Yee to slip in her duties. She was probably the most dependable person in the office. But, Aang reasoned, anyone could make a mistake, even Won-Yee.

"I told you after lunch that anyone calling after 3:30 should be told that I'd get in touch with them next business day," he reminded her in a gentle voice. "Did you forget? It's not a big deal, but –"

"Of course I didn't forget," she said, looking slightly hurt. "That's what I told the woman, but she sounds … I don't know … kind of … off?"

"Off?" Aang lifted a brow. "What do you mean 'off'?"

"Just like … she's whispering and her voice is shaking," said Won-Yee. "When I told her that you'd return her call tomorrow, she asked me what time the office phones would be forwarded your cell. So then I said …"

"– Most people don't even know that happens," interrupted Aang, his frown returning. "Did you get this person's name?"

"It was the first thing I asked. It's Katara. Katara … Taslak, I think she said?"

Aang sat bolt upright in his chair, moving so fast his back cracked.

"What? Katara?!"

Won-Yee drew back a little, startled by his sudden vehemence.

"Yes, that's what she said her name was. Anyway, I told her –"

"– Is she still … monkeyfeathers …"

Aang's mind was spinning like a top inside his head and he had to counsel himself to calm down. But Katara? Calling him at work? And Won-Yee said she sounded … "off"? What in the name of fried egg tarts was going on?

"Did you tell her when the phones change over? Did she give you a callback number?"

"Aang, didn't you hear what I said earlier?" Won-Yee sounded slightly exasperated. "She's still on the phone. On Line 1. She sounded so strange that I said I'd see if you were still available. Should I –"

"Yes! Put her through." Aang's relief was palpable. "Thank you, Won-Yee, you're amazing!"

Won-Yee left the office smugly pleased at the compliment, but Aang barely noticed when she shut the door behind her. His entire focus was on the innocent-looking phone on his desk. He glared at it, his whole body wound in on itself like a overtightened coil, until it shrilled to life. Aang snatched it even before it completed one ring.

"Katara?"

"Aang?"

He caught his breath. The voice on the other end was indeed nervous-sounding and a bit tremulous. It was also barely audible, almost as if she were speaking from inside a well.

"Aang, I'm so sorry to bother you. Is this an okay time to talk?"

"It's no bother! I'm sorry for the delay in getting to me. That was my fault. And this is fine, the office is practically empty." He paused, trying to gauge how best to proceed. "You sound a little strange … is something wrong?"

"I … no … well … yes … I mean … maybe … I mean … yes, I think something is wrong …"

There was a deep breath, and the next words came out in a rush.

"I think someone's following me."

Aang bolted up from his chair, eyes huge.

"What? Are you … are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, yes. They were in a car this morning. A black sedan. And then … I was at the Yi Market and someone kept following me from stall to stall. I noticed, but I didn't get scared until I left the market and saw the person get into a black sedan and start crawling down the street while I was walking. It could be a coincidence, but … I don't think it is."

Aang swallowed hard. There was no mistaking the alarm in Katara's voice. He thought that she might even be keeping her voice low in an attempt to mask the extent of the anxiety she felt.

"Where are you now? Back at your office?"

"No, I … when I saw that car creeping after me, I just started walking really fast and turning corners sort of blindly. I called the office and said I wasn't feeling well and I was going home a little early and I was going to grab a cab but it suddenly started pouring and all the cabs were full. Then I thought I saw that car coming down the street. I was going to start running for the light rail station but that's when I realized I was opposite the Kuei Building. I ran in here like I was trying to get out of the rain."

She took another deep breath. When she spoke again, Aang thought she sounded steadier.

"I didn't know if you were still in your office but I figured I'd give it a shot. When the guards asked me who I was here to see, I didn't want to seem like too much of a weirdo, so I said I was here to see you, but that you told me to call when I got here. They left me alone but they're still kind of looking at me strangely."

Aang caught his lip between his teeth. The guards were probably a little suspicious because guests were usually sent down in advance and someone from the guard station called up to an individual office before allowing the visitor wider access to the building. He knew the guards on duty and reckoned that while they might have some doubts about her story, neither of them wanted to be responsible for throwing Katara out into the rain if she really was expected.

"It's all right. I'm glad you called me." Aang hesitated a moment. "That guy or whoever might still be out there –"

"I know they're still out there. From where I'm standing, I can see the car at the curb."

Which meant, Aang thought grimly, that the person more than likely could see her.

"You should come up to my office, It's on the 4th floor, Suite Quadruple-A. But don't use the main elevators. Let's see if we can trick this guy a little. Look down the corridor opposite the guard station. There should be some turnstiles there and another set of doors. Beyond those doors is a little garden area. … Do you see it?"

There was a shuffling sound, then Katara's voice came through again. "Yeah … yes, I see all that."

"Good. You can exit the building through the little garden. It takes people closer to the train station. But what a lot of people don't know is that there's an elevator bank back there, too. Go down the corridor like you're going to go out that second exit but make a left once you get to the end. There're guards down there, too, but don't worry – I'm going to call them now to let you up. The guy outside might wait awhile and then figure you went out the back."

"… And then leave. And I'll be able to go back to the office, get my car and get back home." She sounded immensely relieved. "Aang, you're seriously a genius. To the back and then left. Fourth Floor. Suite Quadruple-A."

"Yep. Just follow the arrows when you get off the elevator. They're the same color as my tattoos. Another one of Toph's amazing 'branding' ideas."

As he'd hoped, that got a faint chuckle out of her before the line clicked off.

Aang rubbed his forehead and went to the window, squinting down at the street. He couldn't really see anything amid the rain and people scurrying for cars and cover, but he didn't spot any dark sedan. He quickly got on the line to the guards, and after that bit was taken care of, he wandered out into the main reception area, where Wee-Yon was diligently working on her laptop.

He stood behind the reception desk and made a loud harrumphing sound. Won-Yee looked up at him without stopping her typing.

"Is everything okay, Aang?"

Aang decided it was best to sidestep that particular question and get to the point.

"Ms. Taslak is on her way up here," he said, attempting a breeziness he didn't really feel. "When she comes, you can head out. I'll take care of locking up and everything."

Won-Yee looked a little surprised, but soon hid that under an expression of cool professionalism.

"All right, but if she's a new client, shouldn't I at least start a file for her?"

Aang didn't like fibbing to people. Even small lies made him feel awful, but he didn't think anything would be served by telling Won-Yee all of Katara's business. Even if he did want to take Won-Yee into his confidence, he himself didn't even know what was going on.

"Um … she's not a new client. Officially. So no need for a file … yet, I mean."

Won-Yee shrugged a little and gathered her things to leave, murmuring about the rain, which was still coming down in buckets. She reached the door just as a gentle knock came, and Aang's breath caught when he saw Katara in the doorway, damp, pink-cheeked, slightly disheveled and with the expression of a pygmy puma escaping an unethical butcher – but still somehow managing to look like the most beautiful woman in the world.

Katara stopped short when she saw Won-Yee in the doorway and gave a tentative smile.

"Hi! This is the office of Avatar Efficiency Services? I got a little turned around at the fourth arrow."

Won-Yee looked Katara up and down with a sour expression that was not very professional at all.

"Ms. Taslak, I presume?" Her voice was chilly as she stepped aside. "Mr. Namgyal is expecting you."

Aang cringed. Won-Yee only ever called him "Mr. Namgyal" to tease or when she was annoyed. Judging by the way her lips puckered as if she'd bitten into an unripe moonpeach, Aang guessed that Won-Yee was very annoyed.

"Don't forget that the cleaners come in at 7." Won-Yee threw a disapproving look at Aang. "You'll want to probably make sure you're ... finished in here by then. Goodnight."

With that, she breezed by Katara without another word and shut the door much more firmly than was necessary.

Katara turned to Aang with a wary look in her eyes.

"Um … do I want to know what that's about?"

"Not really," muttered Aang. Ages ago, Won-Yee had had a little thing for him, but she'd moved past all that. Or so he'd thought.

"Let's go to my office. There's no one here, but we'll be a little more comfortable."

Katara didn't respond right away. She was glancing around the tidy, comfortable reception area, taking note of the closed doors of the other offices and the muted hum that descended on a busy office when most people had left for the day.

"This is really nice," she said, following him to the office directly behind Won-Yee's desk. "It's a lot like your apartment. Just … smaller. Same colors and all."

"Yeah, orange and yellow are traditional Air Nomad colors," said Aang. He left the door open a crack before pulling a chair out of corner and setting it opposite his desk for Katara to sit in. "A lot of people say it's soothing, and that's good. I want anyone who comes in to feel relaxed in here."

Katara nodded and sat, though the way she perched on the edge of the chair and gripped the sides as if she were afraid she'd fall off made Aang think that maybe the "extra-soothing color palette" wasn't working so well at the moment.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?"

Katara quickly shook her head, but did relax her grip a little on the chair.

"I feel like an idiot," she said quietly. "Running in here like – like some axe murderer from a horror movie was chasing me. … I thought I was imagining things until I got to the market …."

"Maybe you should start from the beginning." Aang settled into his seat. "When did you notice you were being followed?"

"Well, it started this morning –"

"This morning!" Aang's mouth fell open. "This person has been following you around that long?"

"No, no, it's … sort of complicated." Katara breathed in deeply, composing herself. "I was driving to work this morning. I was annoyed and rushing because I was a little late and traffic on the Vo was pretty much at a standstill. You probably know how it is."

Aang nodded absently. The Vo Expressway was one of the main arteries that stretched out into the outer areas of Republic City, feeding traffic directly into the downtown business district.

"I noticed this black sedan practically riding my bumper. A late-model Satomobile. A hybrid," said Katara. "At first I didn't pay too much attention because I thought we'd all gotten bunched up when everything was jammed. But when traffic started to move finally, this car was still tailgating me. It was frustrating, but I still didn't really think anything of it … until I moved to the right lane to get off at the Raiko Street exit. The car followed me and got off at that exit, too."

She stopped and rubbed her throat. "Actually, does that offer of water still stand?"

Aang was only too happy to comply, as it gave him something to do besides try to tamp down on his growing concern. So many questions swirled in his brain: Who would follow Katara? And why?

After she'd had a long swallow of water, she delicately cleared her throat and continued.

"Anyway, I moved to get off at the Raiko Street exit and the other car followed me. I did start to feel a little strange then. The car had been following me so closely on the highway and now getting off the same exit – though it's not like other cars weren't getting off there, too." She stared into the cup. "So I shrugged it off, thinking that maybe this was someone who might also work at Daisuke. I can't be the only person in the whole company who lives on the west side – or even who lives in Huynh Heights.

"… So I drove to the building and that car was still on my tail and I'd pretty much convinced myself this was some coworker I'd never met and this was just one of those coincidences that happens sometimes. I was even curious to see what the person looked like and if they were in my department, because I still haven't met everyone yet."

Katara stopped to take another drink of water. "But when we got to the parking lot, that's when it got very weird. You see, Daisuke Industries took over the old Sojin Building and back when the Sojin Building was constructed, there was no room for an employee parking lot. So Daisuke rents out a municipal lot right down the street from the building. Employees are issued a decal to put on their upper right windshield. You drive up to the lot and get scanned in and the gates open. Today, I was waiting in line behind other cars and that black sedan was behind me.

"When my turn came, my decal was scanned as usual, and the gates opened. But just when I was making the turn to find a spot, I noticed the black sedan was trying to back out. It kind of made a mess of things because there were other cars in back of it waiting to get in. The driver finally managed to squeeze out and then took off down the street."

Katara looked up at Aang, her eyes troubled. "It came to me that it couldn't have been a coworker, since they obviously didn't have a parking decal … so what were they doing literally following me right up to my job's parking garage?"

Aang found himself unable to think of an explanation that was remotely innocent or encouraging.

"I waited a while in the parking lot," continued Katara. "I just felt strange. I wondered if whoever it was, was maybe waiting for me down the street or something. I stood around until I spotted a bunch of people from my department heading in, and I joined them. I looked around, but I didn't see the sedan anywhere."

Aang hesitated a moment before asking, "Did you say anything to anyone? The friends you walked in with? Um … or Kei Lo?"

"Kei Lo?" Katara looked astonished. "Why would I have told him?"

Aang was taken aback. Was it over between the two of them already? It had been a little more than a month since the Palace of Ice. Maybe it had fizzled out?

"Sorry, I just thought … uh … since you'd be seeing him … at work, I mean," he stammered, wishing he had some water himself. "I guess I just assumed … you might … talk to him about it?"

Katara's expression suddenly lightened and she gave a little self-deprecating laugh.

"Tui's left gill … I'm sorry, Aang. I'm so frazzled right now, I'm not thinking straight. Kei Lo's been out of town all week. He's on a management trainee retreat at the old Cranefish Town municipal building. They can't use their phones until the day's events are over, so I couldn't have told him even if I wanted to."

"Oh! Gotcha."

Aang was so relieved to move past that subject that he was able to effortlessly brush aside the slight – slight – disappointment that pinged in his gut.

"Did you tell anyone about what happened?"

"No. I thought about texting Sokka, but I wasn't sure what exactly to tell him. 'Hey Bighead, guess what happened on the Vo today' probably wouldn't have gone over well." She shrugged with one shoulder. "A million things could have been going on there, and I didn't want to worry him. He has enough to think about since the city wants some revisions for the Hu Xin Bridge and he's on this really tight deadline …"

Aang nodded slightly as Katara downed the rest of the water. The Hu Xin Bridge was a massive city project to link the barrier islands out in Yue Bay to the mainland via Republic City. A couple of weeks earlier, Suki had mentioned in passing that Sokka was a civil engineer working at the Maksagak Company, one of the most prestigious building firms in the city.

Aang had wondered about that. Sokka clearly had brains to go along with the brawn and the good looks. Suki hadn't volunteered any further information on their breakup – and Aang hadn't asked – but he'd found himself again pondering why it hadn't worked out between them.

"I tried to forget it," said Katara after a few moments, and after declining Aang's offer of a refill. "It was busy at work, so it wasn't very hard. Then the afternoon came. There wasn't anything unusual until around 3:30. The entire staff got messages that there was going to be a fire drill," said Katara. "We line up by floor, the alarm goes off, and we go through the regular drill. Only, they can't get the alarm to stop. Something about the wiring. The company sends another message telling everyone to take a half-hour or so break outside the building and we'd get emails when it was safe to come back.

"I figured I'd do some browsing at the Yi Market while waiting for things to get back to normal," she continued, absently turning the empty glass around in her hands. "It's only a few blocks from the office and there's this stall that sells Southern Water Tribe snacks. I wanted to see if they'd restocked the chocolate-covered sea prunes."

She stopped and lifted a brow. "From your expression, I'm guessing you're not a fan?"

Aang had hoped that his dislike of that particular fruit wouldn't show so plainly on his face, but he couldn't forget the time he'd been at a client's and had been induced to try stewed sea prunes. He'd not been able to hide his distaste then, either, but luckily for him, his client had been merrily drunk at the time and thought it was hilarious. Maybe sea prunes weren't so bad covered in chocolate, but even then he had his doubts.

"Um … not really, sorry." Aang sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I think it's an acquired taste."

Katara leaned her head back and laughed, and Aang slowly straightened, transfixed. In his life, he'd seen only women who could laugh like that and look incredibly beautiful – not strained or affected. One had been Sister Dichen, a nun at the Eastern Air Temple who'd had an amazing serene face and wide gray eyes and made the most amazing fruit pies whenever Aang and the students in his age group visited there. The other was Katara.

"Yes, probably," said Katara, wiping her eyes, which snapped Aang out of his trance. "I have a feeling lot of Southern Water Tribe cuisine would be an acquired taste to most people."

"Some Air Nomad food, too." Aang's grin was crooked. "A lot of people seem to be allergic to meatless dishes."

"Yeah, Sokka's had that particular allergy since birth." She laughed again. "You know … this is literally the first time today I've felt relaxed. You must have some special power."

"It's the color scheme," he returned with a smile. "Or maybe it's my arrows. Or the bald head?"

Katara studied him closely her laughter softened to a fond grin.

"It's something. It's definitely … something."

Aang knew that in the next few minutes, he would hate himself – would absolutely despise himself, in fact – because his not-so-subconscious brain was shrieking at him to keep up the banter or sing, dance, whatever it took to keep Katara smiling at him like that. Looking at him like that.

No. Cut it out. Even if Suki wasn't in picture, this is serious. Someone may actually be stalking Katara. She could be in danger …

His directive to his not-so-subconscious brain was stern, even if just the tiniest bit resigned.

"The Yi Market," said Aang softly, wanting to get things back on track. "You were saying that you were in there …?"

Katara's smile vanished, which made Aang wish he could shove the words back in. Not only was the smile gone, but the haunted look that she'd had on her face when she'd come into the office had returned.

"Right. Yi Market." Her voice dipped low. "Well, there weren't any sea prunes, which was a disappointment, so I just browsed around for a while. I think it was when I got to the fish stall that I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I turned to give just a quick look and there was this … this … person at the next stall. I couldn't tell what gender they were or weren't because they were just swaddled in heavy clothes. They were dressed kind of like a parody of someone wanting to not be noticed. Black everything, including this sort of floppy hat that hid their face, long black coat, black shoes and black sunglasses – indoors! Even people passing by were looking like 'What in the name of the Spirits …?' But the person didn't move or react … except when I did."

Aang held his breath as Katara told the rest of the story – how she didn't pay much mind to this mysterious figure in black until it became clear that the person was following her throughout the market. How even when Katara ducked into the ladies' room hoping to wait them out, the person in black managed to pop up again only a few minutes after Katara reemerged.

"This may sound strange, but I didn't think I was really in danger," she said. "This was a crowded, public place. I actually wondered if this was something being filmed. Like some kind of prank show? The person was just dressed too weird for it to be anything else. But I wasn't in the mood, so I decided to leave. I hadn't gotten a message that it was okay to come back to the office, but I figured I could walk around the park for a little while.

"I got outside, and I saw that the sun was starting to disappear and there were storm clouds rolling in. I looked around to see if maybe a tram was coming, and that's when I saw that person. They came out of the same exit I did. And they looked right at me." Katara took a long, shaky breath. "And then they turned away and went a little bit up the street. I shrugged it off and started walking, like I planned. That's when … that's when I saw a dark sedan coming down the street. I swear it was the same one from this morning. And I was facing the street and could see that person in black was behind the wheel.

"I turned around and started walking fast. Not too fast, because I didn't want to draw any attention." Her breath was coming fast and her eyes looked frightened. "But I looked over my shoulder and that car was following me. It couldn't have been moving more than a few miles an hour. People were honking like crazy, but it didn't go any faster. When I turned a corner, it turned. When I went down a street, it went down the same street if it wasn't one-way. If it was, I'd lose it for about two minutes and then it would be right there on the next street over. … That's when I just started to run.

"The rain was coming down so I didn't think it would look too strange – lots of people were rushing around trying to get out of the storm. The car went faster. Not too much faster but enough to catch up with me. I just started running without knowing where I was going … I was trying to put distance between me and that car but it always seemed to be there, no matter where I turned. Then I got lucky – I went down a street that was blocked off for road work. The sidewalks were still open, though. I called the office and left a message that I wasn't feeling well and I was just going to go home. When I got to the other end of the block, there was the intersection and I started waving my arms to hail a cab, but they were all full … and in the traffic, I could see that car turning another corner to come toward me. I was getting soaked and I was starting to wonder if I should just call the police …"

She lowered her head, almost as if she had to regain her strength after telling the harrowing story. Aang waited quietly until she raised her head and sighed softly, brushing strands of wet hair that had fallen from her face.

"… Then I looked up and saw this huge, looming building right in front of me. I saw the name on it and just stared for a couple of seconds, wondering why it seemed so familiar to me. I was sure I'd never been there before. I was in such a panic trying to get away from that car that I wasn't even really sure what part of downtown I was in. But then it suddenly came to me why this particular building was ringing a bell."

Her smile at him was brief, but warm.

"So I dodged across the street – against traffic, which was so much fun – and came in here. The rest, you know."

Aang was quiet as his brain processed everything he'd heard, but no answers were springing to mind – only more questions.

"Did you get a chance to look at the driver from this morning? Even for a minute or two?"

"No, and I tried, when they were backing out of the lot," Katara answered. "The windshield was tinted, so I couldn't really see anything."

Aang's eyes narrowed as he tried to picture the scene. Tinted windows weren't standard on Satomobiles – they had to be special-ordered. His friend Kuzon was a car nut and had moaned about the amount of extra time he had to wait for his Satomobile SUV to be delivered because the windows had to be customized. So the car had to have been a special order, and, as such, had to have been pricey. That info might be useful.

"And you're sure the person in black got into the same car that was following you this morning?"

"Well … I can't say for certain," she said. "It was a black sedan, though. And it did have a tinted windshield."

"Has anything like this ever happened to you before? I mean, maybe not like this …"

Katara paused, then smirked slightly.

"Have guys followed me around on the street or at parties? Yes, a couple of times. Once at the Seaport Mall, some slimy guy trailed after me asking me if I wanted to be in movies and that he could give me a private screen test right away. I got really private with him when I threatened to kick him in his balls. He got the message and slunk off with his tail between his legs. But I've never been followed on the highway, and I don't think whoever this was, was trying to ask me out."

Aang felt he had to agree. Katara had clearly had enough experience with creepy jerks trying to shoot their shot at her to know the difference between that kind of behavior and what she'd experienced that day.

"Has anything else strange happened before now? Have you gotten weird phone calls? Unexpected packages in the mail? Doorbell ringing and no one there?"

She shook her head at each question. "Nothing like that. I was thinking … could this be a case of mistaken identity? My car is just a beat-up Jiang hatchback I bought from one of Sokka's old roommates last year. But there are a ton of them in the city … maybe the person saw the car and thought I was someone else? They could have been a process server or something?"

Aang thought it over, but almost immediately dismissed it. "Maybe if you'd only had the experience from this morning. But if we're going with the idea the person who was following you on the Vo was the same person who was tailing you around the Yi Market, then they would have known you weren't the person they were looking for, because they had a better chance to see you up close in the marketplace."

Katara's shoulders drooped. "That's a good point. I have no idea what's going on, then. Daisuke does have a probationary period for new employees and they say they do take into consideration activities that you do in your spare time, but they meant things like posting on Twitter. I doubt it involves having people in disturbing outfits and black sedans following you around."

"I'd have to agree with you there." Aang rested his chin on steepled fingers. "I suppose it could have been some other sort of mistake … not mistaken identity … but something else, but I doubt it. The way that person followed you when you were trying to dodge them? It was almost like … they wanted to scare you."

Her eyes were like a cat-owl's.

"Scare me? Why?"

"I don't know. It might not be that at all, but something about this feels more than just weird …"

His lips pressed into a tight line and he decided to leave it there for the moment. He knew there was more he could say, but without more information, he didn't want to go down a path that might lead to a dead end.

Aang straightened up and glanced over his shoulder out of the window. The evening was approaching fast. It was misting outside now, but intermittent rumbles of thunder made it clear that the storm wasn't quite done yet.

"Do you think … whoever it is … is still down there?" Katara's voice was as hushed as if she felt the person might be able to hear her.

"I doubt it." Aang turned back to her. "They probably figured you gave them the slip. Your car's still in that lot, right?"

"Yes …"

"So they may have figured that you'd gone back there to get it. If – if – this person is seriously following you, they could be laying in wait somewhere near that lot and plan to follow you back to your apartment."

Katara looked like she was going to vomit, and she shivered.

"Spirits … I – I hadn't even thought about that."

"Or maybe not. It could have just been some asshole who thought it might be funny to scare a total stranger."

Aang felt the anger rising in him. If this piece of garbage had somehow managed to touch or waylay Katara, Aang knew that there wasn't enough meditation in the world that would have been able to corral his rage.

"Will it be all right if you leave your car in the lot overnight? And would you be able to get to work okay in the morning without driving?"

"Y …es," Katara said haltingly. "Yes, it's fine. People do that all the time, especially if they're going on a trip somewhere and they don't live in a place with a lot or street parking. As long as you have the Daisuke decal, you're fine. And I live five blocks away from the train station. I'd have to get up about a half-hour early, but I'd be able to get to work fine."

"Good. Then here's what I suggest …"

Aang leaned forward and Katara did, too, as he outlined the sketch of a plan. Her eyes never left his face for a moment, which didn't distract him as much as he thought it might. He really was buckling down due to the gravity of the situation.

"… and then we'll see what happens. What do you think?"

Katara nibbled delicately on her lower lip, and Aang averted his eyes when his cheeks started to get hot. So much for gravity.

"I'm fine with doing that," she said. "But are you sure? I've already taken up a lot of your time. I know you were planning to leave here early – that's why your secretary wouldn't put me through at first. I'm sure I'll be okay. I don't want to ruin any plans you might have."

Aang thought about the ingredients he'd bought for his dinner with Suki that were waiting for him in his refrigerator. He thought about the cheerful, flirty texts he and Suki had exchanged earlier that day and the anticipation he'd felt …

… And then he thought about the tremor in Katara's voice on the phone and the hunted expression on her face, and the shudder that had run through her body at the thought of some stranger following her home.

When Aang thought about it later, he had to admit to himself that the decision was made because there was, in fact, no decision to be made. Not really. Katara needed help, and she'd come to him. That was all that mattered. Besides, if things went as he assumed they would, he'd have plenty of time for his dinner with Suki and there'd be no harm done.

"You're not ruining anything. This is important." Aang stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Let's see what there is to see."

So the covid vaccine finally arrived in my country for second doses and I've felt like shit all week. I did my best editing this chapter so forgive any spelling mistakes or lapses. I'm up for any guesses people will have as we get to the heart of the mystery but I'm not going to say if anyone is close or not until the story's over. We're more than 1/3rd through. And oh yeah, Won-Yee is from the comic "The Promise." She's the member of Aang's fanclub who told Katara she was happy to meet the Avatar's "first" girlfriend. LOL, as much as I hated her, had to admit that was savage. See you next Friday.