Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.
The Six Rules:
Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.
Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.
Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.
Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.
Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.
Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.
Chapter 11:
The Fortuneteller
Alec POV
A few days after Sokka and Katara recovered from their sickness, we found ourselves camped out along a river. It was midday, and very cloudy. We sat around the unlit campfire. Sokka used a whetstone to sharpen his knife. Katara studied the waterbending scroll. Aang fiddled with something in his lap. There was a splash in the river. Katara stood up and pointed. "Look!"
We saw a large green fish splashing in the water. Sokka stood up and narrowed his eyes at it. "He's taunting us." He said lowly. I rolled my eyes. Sokka could be such a drama queen sometimes. "You are so gonna be dinner!" He ran and grabbed his fishing pole, and attempted to cast the line, but the fishing line was gone. "Hey, where's the fishing line?" He asked, confused.
Aang perked up. "Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka." Aang had a point. Ever since we got the waterbending scroll, Katara did all the fishing, trapping them in bubbles with her waterbending and bringing them to us. He held up the object he'd been fiddling with. It was the fishing line, now woven into a necklace, with a red flower in the center.
Sokka took a close look at it. "It's all tangled." He complained.
Aang levitated to his feet. "Not tangled, woven." He insisted. He turned to my sister. "I made you a necklace, Katara." He looked down shyly. "I thought, since you lost your other one…" He held up the necklace with a goofy smile. Katara took the necklace and held it up. "Thanks, Aang. I love it." She said sincerely. I covered my mouth to hide my smile, and suppressed a laugh. Aang had no idea what he just did. By the customs of the Northern Water Tribe, Aang had basically proposed to Katara. Luckily for him, betrothal necklaces weren't a thing in the South Pole. The only one I saw in my time there was Katara's, and that was an heirloom.
Sokka wasn't so happy. "Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry-making business." He said sarcastically.
Aang missed the sarcasm. "I don't see why I can't do both." He replied sincerely. The fish splashed again. Sokka ran into the water with his knife drawn, trying to get the fish barehanded.
"So, how do I look?" Katara asked.
Aang and I turned around. My sister stood with one hand behind her back and the other touching her necklace in a cute pose. Thank the spirits she and Aang got together by the end of the story, because I don't know if the world could survive the number of broken hearts she'd leave in her wake if she stayed single. Aang's eyes bugged out of his head in awe, and he blushed heavily. I didn't judge him. I probably looked like that when I met Ty Lee.
Wait. Where did that come from?
Aang pulled on his collar nervously. "You mean, all of you or just your neck? I mean, because they both look great."
By this point, Sokka had managed to catch the fish, and heard Aang's compliment. "Smoochie smoochie. Someone's in love." He taunted. The fish wriggled free of his grip and smacked him, almost as if it was directed by karma.
Aang rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. Momo jumped on his shoulder. "I…well…"
"Stop teasing him Sokka." Katara chided in an annoyed voice. She walked over to Aang. "Aang's just a good friend," She said kindly.
Oof.
She patted Aang's head. "A sweet little guy,"
Ouch.
She patted Momo's head in a similar manner. "Just like Momo."
That had to hurt. Aang didn't just get friendzoned, he got lemurzoned! Poor kid. I knew it would get better for him, but still. Aang's expression fell. "Thanks." He said in dismay.
We heard a sinister growling noise in the distance. Aang jumped on a boulder to get a better look. Suddenly he pointed. "Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!" He yelled. We ran towards the noise, and saw an old man in blue robes, standing calmly in front of an angry, aggressive platypus bear. The creature was big, between twelve and fifteen feet tall when it stood up on its hind legs. It had paws easily the size of my head, and claws longer than my fingers. Its bill was full of razor-sharp teeth. A gigantic, beaver-like tail rounded out its arsenal of weapons. So, it was like a bigger, meaner version of a grizzly bear from my world, but with even more ways to kill you. Great.
The bear took several swings at the man, who just sidestepped calmly, smiling merrily all the while. The man noticed us. "Well, hello there!" He greeted happily, before dodging another attack. "Nice day, isn't it?"
Aang and my siblings started shouting advice.
"Make noise! He'll run off!" Aang shouted.
"No, play dead! He'll lose interest!" Sokka countered.
The platypus bear swung its claws at the man and missed again. The man laughed. "Whoa, close one!"
Katara put her hand to her mouth and gestured wildly with her other hand. "Run downhill, then climb a tree!"
"No, punch him in the bill!" Sokka shouted, swinging a fist upward to illustrate his instructions.
"And then run in zig-zags!" Aang added.
"No need, it's going to be fine." The calm man replied. The bear tried to hit him again. The man sat down to dodge the blow, which took a chunk out of the tree behind him. Aang jumped between the man and the bear, knocking the creature back slightly with an air blast. Aang assumed a fighting stance. "Whoa there!" He commanded firmly. The bear reared back and roared. Appa trotted up behind the creature and bellowed. The bear bristled in fear from the challenge from the much larger bison. The bear promptly laid a large egg about the size of a human head and ran to the river to escape Appa.
My siblings and I ran up to Aang and the man. Sokka picked up the egg. "Mmm, lunch!" He declared happily. He turned to the man. "Lucky for you, we came along."
The calm man stood up. "Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey." He bowed slightly.
Aang raised an eyebrow. "Aunt who?"
"No, Aunt Wu." The calm man corrected.
"I don't know. Third base!" I thought with a smirk.*
"She's the fortuneteller from my village." The calm man explained. "Awful nice, knowing your future."
"Sometimes, it's more trouble than it's worth." I muttered. He didn't hear me.
"That explains why you were so calm." Katara realized.
Sokka brought up the obvious point. "But the fortuneteller was wrong! You didn't have a safe journey; you were almost killed!"
"But I wasn't." The calm man replied, still smiling. "Okay, have a good one!" He began to walk away, before he paused and turned back to us. "Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this." He handed Aang a long, thin parcel and walked away.
"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes. It could be fun!" Katara suggested excitedly.
Sokka scoffed. "Oh come on, fortune telling is nonsense."
Katara pointed at me. "Then what do you call what Alec does?" She retorted.
"Then why don't you ask him?" Sokka asked pointedly.
"Because I won't talk, for the most part." I said, folding my arms. I wasn't really a fan of being compared to Aunt Wu. She just used parlor tricks and told people what they wanted to hear. I was trying to help people save the world.
Aang unwrapped the parcel, revealing an orange umbrella. "What do you know? An umbrella!" At that moment, we heard a clap of thunder, and it began to rain. Katara bent a shield of water above herself to stay dry.
"That proves it!" Katara exclaimed, before ducking under the umbrella with Aang.
Sokka held the egg above his head in an attempt to shield himself. "No it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!" I coughed loudly. "Unless you're Alec." He corrected. I coughed again. "Fine, a future, not the future."
"I guess you're not really getting wet then." Katara replied smugly. Sokka suddenly lost his grip on the egg, and it flew up into the air. I ran forward and caught it before it fell on his head. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Sokka's misfortune as much as the next person, but I wasn't about to let free food go to waste. That egg was big enough to feed all of us, and Aang, despite being a vegetarian, would still eat eggs. Egg custard tart was his favorite food, after all.
"Um, guys, could you give Sokka the umbrella, and let me stand under it?" I requested.
"Why?" Katara asked.
I gave her a flat look. "I don't know, maybe because you and Aang can keep yourselves dry with waterbending and we can't?"
"Oh, right." Aang said sheepishly. He handed Sokka the umbrella, which I darted under. Aang and Katara made water shields to stay dry. With that, we walked off towards the village.
As we made our way toward Makapu Village, Sokka and Katara continued to argue about Aunt Wu's possible powers.
"Of course she predicted it was going to rain, the sky's been gray all day." Sokka declared. He had a point. You didn't need to be a fortuneteller to predict a rainy day with these clouds.
"Just admit you might be wrong." Katara responded.
"Look, I'm going to predict the future now." Sokka waved his arms about in an exaggerated manner. "It's going to keep drizzling." He said sarcastically. Almost as if the universe itself was mocking him, the rain stopped almost immediately and the sky lightened up slightly. I chuckled at his misfortune. Sokka just closed the umbrella and grumbled.
"Not everyone has the gift, Sokka." Aang quipped.
Makapu Village was about the same size as Haru's village, but very different. Haru's village was impoverished, but Makapu was wealthy. All the food stands were full of meat and produce, and the people were dressed in some of the most expensive clothing I'd seen since Omashu. We made our way to a large building in the center of town, with a circular door. A man with white hair and black clothing stood outside. When we approached the door, he spoke.
"Aunt Wu is expecting you." He beckoned us to the door.
"Really?" Katara asked excitedly. I nearly rolled my eyes. Aunt Wu likely paid the doorman to say that, and Katara ate it up. We entered the building, and Momo followed us. It was probably the most luxurious room I'd been in, outside of King Bumi's 'refurbished chamber that was once bad'. Rich silk pillows and curtains decorated the area. A folding screen on the wall depicted a beautiful landscape with mountains, birds, and cherry blossoms. The room also smelled slightly like expensive incense. How was a village in the middle of nowhere this rich?
A young girl walked into the room. She was probably about ten years old. She wore a pink robe, with purple trimming. She wore her hair in two braids that stuck out of the side of her head, almost like antlers. She had cute brown eyes, and a big smile, revealing that she was missing one of her front teeth. She probably lost it recently.
"My name is Meng," She introduced herself politely, "And I'm Aunt Wu's assistant."
She noticed Aang, and her eyes widened. I covered my mouth to avoid laughing. It wasn't that she had a crush on Aang that made me laugh, it was the fact that Aang was currently slumped over, with a bored expression plastered on his face.
"Well, hello there." She said to Aang in a pleased tone.
Aang rubbed his nose. "Hello." He said with disinterest.
We sat down on the pillows in the waiting room. "Can I get you some tea, or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?" She offered, not taking her eyes off Aang.
Sokka brightened at the mention of food. "I'll try a curd puff."
Meng held her hand up at Sokka, not even looking at him. "Just a second." She kneeled down to be eye level with the Avatar. "So, what's your name?"
Aang couldn't see the signals she was sending, despite the fact that one could probably see said signals from space. "Aang." He answered flatly.
This delighted the pink-clad girl. "That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you?" She observed.
"I guess." Aang admitted awkwardly.
"Don't be modest, they're huge." Sokka joked, spreading his arms wide.
I looked at Aang. His ears were kind of big, but not absurdly so. I think it had more to do with the fact that he shaved his head. That definitely made his ears look bigger. Heck, Sokka's ears looked bigger when he wore his warrior's wolf tail, because he also shaved the sides of his head. I didn't bother with any of that. I just kept my hair simple. It looked a bit like Season Three Zuko's hair, but a few inches shorter and brown, instead of black.
Aang covered his ears in embarrassment and gave Sokka a glare. Meng stood up. "Well, Aang, it was very nice to meet you." She smiled slyly. "Very nice." She turned and left.
"Likewise." Aang replied, still not picking up the explicit signals.
"I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense." Sokka said dismissively.
"Try to keep an open mind, Sokka." Katara replied. "There are things in this world that just can't be explained." Her voice turned into a whisper, so we wouldn't be overheard. "Like how and why Alec's here."
"Speaking of that," I whispered. "Please keep that to yourself. The more people that know, the more likely that the Fire Nation finds out."
All three of them nodded. Katara grabbed my hand. "I let one of your secrets slip once, but I won't ever make that mistake again." She whispered firmly.
I gave her a kind smile. "Thanks, Katara."
"So, are you gonna talk to her?" Aang inquired.
"Talk, yes. Tell my secret, no." I replied quietly.
Meng came back around the corner, carrying a wooden tray with four ceramic cups of tea and a bowl of bean curd puffs. Before she could deliver them to us. The door to the main room opened. A young woman in a green dress, with green ribbons in her hair, came through the door and closed it behind her. She approached Meng with a big smile on her face.
"Oh, Meng!" She exclaimed. "Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love! He's going to give me a rare panda lily!"
"That's so romantic!" Meng replied dreamily. She cast a flirtatious look at Aang. "I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower."
"Good luck with that." Aang replied breezily.
The woman noticed Meng's look. She giggled. "Is that the big-eared guy who Aunt Wu predicted you'd marry?" She whispered to the braided girl. Now, I was the only one who heard it, because I was listening for it. Sokka, Katara and Aang remained oblivious. An embarrassed expression flashed over Meng's face briefly, before she approached us. She kept her eyes fixed on Aang, who stared off into space. She tripped and almost dropped the tray. Aang caught her hands before the tea or the curd puffs spilled. Aang accidentally held Meng's hands for a few seconds. They looked in each other's eyes for a brief moment. Meng blushed and pushed the tray to Aang.
"Enjoy your snack." She said nervously, before leaving in a hurry. Sokka quickly grabbed the tray from Aang, and was about to eat his first curd puff when Aunt Wu herself entered the room. She was old, but not extremely so. If I had to guess, I'd assume she was around Iroh's age. She wore a yellow robe with reddish-brown trimming. Her gray hair had a gold ornament in the front, just above her forehead. She wore red lipstick and purple eyeshadow. Her eyes expressed kindness, but I could also see that she was studying us closely, picking up every little detail.
"Welcome, young travelers." She greeted. "Now, who's next? Don't be shy."
Sokka looked away in disinterest. Aang and I turned our heads to Katara. My sister stood up. "I guess that's me." She said, her voice full of anticipation. She and Aunt Wu left the waiting room, leaving my brother, Aang, Momo and me. Sokka immediately stuffed his face with curd puffs.
"Not bad!" He said with his mouth full. He shoved the bowl in front of Aang. Aang put up his hands in refusal. I did the same. "I'm good on puffs." Aang said. "Me, too." I added. Sokka shrugged and kept eating.
"So, what do you think they're talking about back there?" Aang asked, trying to act casual.
"Boring stuff, I'm sure." Sokka replied casually. "Love, who she's going to marry, how many babies she's going to have."
"Aang, and three." I thought to myself with a small smile. Those two really were perfect for each other, especially now that I knew them as people. Aang brought back the laughter and joy that Katara had been missing since Kya's death, and Katara brought Aang down to earth and kept him focused on the task at hand, helping him grow up and become more responsible. Each had something that the other needed.
Aang's eyes widened briefly. "Yeah, dumb stuff like that." He tensed a little and bit his fingernails nervously. He stood up. "Well, I've got to find a bathroom." He left the rest of us in the waiting area. Sokka lay down on the floor, relaxing causally. He grabbed another puff. Momo grabbed the entire bowl before Sokka could get another one. Sokka's eyes were closed, so for him, it was like the bowl just disappeared for no reason, greatly confusing him.
A few minutes later, Aang strutted back into the room, a happy grin on his face. "Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break." Sokka observed.
"Yeah." Aang said. "When I was in there…"
Sokka looked away and held up a hand, begging Aang to stop. "I don't even want to know!" He said, disgusted. I choked back a laugh.
Aunt Wu and Katara reentered the room. "Who's next?" The fortuneteller asked.
Sokka stood up and stretched. "Okay, let's get this over with."
Aunt Wu didn't even bother to take him back to her room. "Your future is full of struggle and anguish." She said dryly. "Most of it, self-inflicted."
"But you didn't read my palms or anything." Sokka objected.
"I don't need to. It's written all over your face." She dismissed. I snorted with laughter. Even though I was certain she wasn't the real deal, she somehow picked up on the 'Kick Me' sign that the universe seemed to have firmly affixed to my brother's back. She turned to Aang and beckoned him. "You there, come with me."
Aang followed her to the back room. Katara joined us back on the pillows.
"So, how was it?" I asked.
"It was great!" She said excitedly. "She said I'm going to marry a very powerful bender! I wonder when I'll meet him, or where I'll meet him?"
"About a few months ago, frozen in an iceberg with a giant bison." I thought to myself, turning my head to hide my smile from her.
A few minutes later, Aang and Aunt Wu returned. Aang looked happy. She turned to me. "I suppose it's your turn now, young man."
I stood up. "I suppose it is."
I followed her to the back room.
Aunt Wu's back room was very spacious, and dimly lit. Cushions surrounded a small fire in the center of the room. A jug full of bones sat a few feet away from the fire. Aunt Wu and I sat down in across from each other, the fire between us.
"So, what kind of reading do you want, young man?" She inquired.
"I actually have some questions for you." I answered.
She gave me a sly smile. "You did strike me as a skeptic."
"So did my brother, and yet you bothered to bring me back here." I pointed out.
She laughed lightly. "True, but your brother seems more stubborn. And you interest me."
I took a deep breath. "I'll be honest, I don't think you can truly see the future." I confessed. "I think you're just very good at reading people and telling them both what they want to hear, and what's likely to happen anyway."
She didn't look offended. She looked…amused, almost. "I see, that's a very interesting theory. Do you have an example?"
"I think so." I stated. "Right before you saw my sister, you saw a young woman in a green dress. You told her that her true love would give her a panda lily."
"Ah yes, Hina. Such a lovely young woman. I hope my prediction comes true, soon." She mused.
"I suspect it will." I grinned. "After all, you probably told a certain young man to give a panda lily to his true love, and what a coincidence, he's in love with Hina."
She laughed and shook her head. "You are quite clever, young man. I did tell Fong to give his love the flower. Those two are perfect for each other, and have been dancing around one another for long enough."
I chuckled. "I know that feeling."
She raised an eyebrow. "The Avatar and your sister?" She guessed.
"So, you picked up on that, too." I noted with a smirk. "Yeah, Aang's had a massive crush on Katara since they met. It's only gotten stronger with time." I admitted. "Is that why you told her she would marry a powerful bender?" I questioned.
"Yes." She admitted. "You are right about me, young man. I cannot see the future, I was simply trained to observe and understand people."
I nodded. "I thought as much." I held up my hands placatingly. "Don't worry, I won't reveal your secrets. I'm just curious about a few things."
"Very well." She answered. "What would you like to know?"
"My biggest question is: how are you so wealthy? You don't charge anybody for readings, so where does the money come from?" I asked.
She smiled. "I was born to wealthy parents. I simply wanted a different life than the life of a noblewoman. I like luxury, but the lifestyle could be a little stuffy at times. I grow my own food in my garden, so I don't have to spend much money sustaining myself."
"That makes sense." I said thoughtfully. "My second question is: how is the village so wealthy? We've encountered villages that are similar in size to this one and are barely scraping by."
Her face fell. "Most of the poverty you've witnessed is likely due to the war." She said sadly. "Soldiers on both sides extort money from villages in their territory. Makapu is lucky. We're in the mountains near the coast. We have no strategic value as a port or a base. So, we've been relatively untouched by the war."
I nodded with sad understanding. This was probably one of the few places that hadn't seen much action, along with the Northern Water Tribe. Would other villages be as well-off if they didn't have soldiers extorting them? Maybe.
"There is another factor, though." She continued. "I assume you came here because of the umbrella?"
I nodded, wondering where she was going with this.
"That's my way of advertising." She explained. "When people hear about the fortuneteller, sometimes they come from far and wide for a reading. I don't charge money, but after such a long journey, they need food, supplies, and a place to stay for the night. I have many repeat customers from outside the village, which earns the village a steady income."
My eyes widened. This woman really was smarter than I thought. I walked into the village thinking that she was taking advantage of the villagers, but she wasn't making money off them. She was trying to help, in her own way. The villagers relied on her too much, but that was on them.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed." I said. "I just have one more request. Could you tell me what you can figure out about me just from observation?"
She grinned. Now I was speaking her language. "You're adopted. Your birth parents are deceased, but you came to terms with that long ago. You are burdened by a great knowledge and have many secrets, and it troubles you that you feel compelled to keep secrets from your friends and family." Her grin disappeared. "You recently went through some trauma. Also, you're a novice firebender." My eyes widened at that one. "Judging by your reaction, someone's reaction to your firebending was the source of your recent trauma." She observed. "You don't need to worry. If the Avatar trusts you, I will give you a chance." She reassured me.
I took a deep breath. She was good. "How did you know all that?" I questioned.
She smiled. "The adopted part was easy, you look nothing like your brother or your sister. Your parents death was actually an inference I made from the fact that you're adopted. I guessed about your knowledge from your eyes. You appear to be very intelligent, like you know many things, but also slightly guilty, like you wish you could share your knowledge but believe your secrets should remain secret." Her face fell, and her smile was replaced with sadness. "Your body language revealed your recent trauma. Even when your friends relaxed, you remained tense and alert, keeping yourself ready to respond to an attack. I've only seen that in people who went through something terrible."
I tilted my head, questioningly. "How did you know I was a firebender? And specifically, a novice one?"
"I could tell by the way you walk and breathe." She answered. "Firebenders walk firmly, but have more flexibility in their movements than earthbenders, and take deep, steady breaths. You walk like a firebender, but lack the confidence of a master.
That made sense. "You were right about everything you said." I confessed. I stood up and gave her a bow. "That's all I wanted to know. Thank you Aunt Wu. I promise to keep your secret."
She returned the bow. "And I will keep yours, young man."
We left Aunt Wu's salon and walked down the main street of the village. Momo sat on Aang's shoulder. "Well, now you got to see for yourselves how fortune telling is just a big, stupid hoax." Sokka declared.
Katara folded her arms and smiled smugly at him. "You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life." She snarked.
Sokka threw his arms up in anger. "That woman is crazy!" He yelled. "My life will calm and happy and joyful!" He kicked a rock, which ricocheted off a hanging sign and hit him in the head. He fell to the ground, grabbing his head in pain. He raised up a finger before we could say anything. "That doesn't prove anything." He insisted.
"Well, I liked my predictions." Katara said, satisfied. She clasped her hands together happily. "Certain things are gonna turn out very well."
Aang crossed his arms and leaned towards her. "They sure are…" He said slyly.
Katara turned to face him. "Why? What did she tell you?" She asked.
"Some stuff. You'll find out." He answered ambiguously.
She turned to me. "What about you?"
"I didn't get a prediction, I just asked a few other questions." I responded.
This confused Katara. She looked around to make sure we were alone. "Why? You already know our future, wouldn't you want to know yours?"
"A future, not the future." I corrected. "Besides, knowing everything is boring. I'd rather keep some things a surprise and make my own destiny."
She shrugged, not really getting my meaning.
We made our way to the center of the village, where the villagers gathered near a pagoda, staring at the clouds. The calm man who dodged the platypus bear earlier was also there. "What's with the sky?" Katara asked, looking at the clouds.
"We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village." The calm man responded.
Aang pointed up at a cloud. "That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny." He noted.
The calm man turned to Aang. "You'd better hope that's not a bunny!" He said in a slightly concerned tone. "The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction."
"Do you even hear yourself?" Sokka asked with disgust. I wondered what kind of doom and destruction a fluffy bunny cloud predicted. My best guess was a white rabbit with red eyes and razor sharp teeth jumping around and biting people's heads clean off.
A woman in the crowd pointed towards the large mountain outside the village. "The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt." She stated.
"We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves." The calm man explained with a smile. "But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that."
I facepalmed. Hard. These people would've won a Darwin Award back in my world.
Sokka shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman's superstition!"
Katara hushed him and pointed. "She's coming!"
Aunt Wu and her doorman/bodyguard walked to the pagoda. The villagers applauded her every step of the way. Aang and Katara also clapped. Sokka kept his arms crossed.
Meng approached Aang. "Hey, Aang." She pointed towards the sky. "Don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?" She asked with a big smile.
"Huh? Sure, I guess." Aang replied awkwardly. He moved away from Meng and towards Katara. "Hey, Katara, don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?" He asked excitedly. She just hushed him, slightly annoyed, before turning back to look at Aunt Wu.
Aunt Wu took her place in the pagoda, holding a cloud reading book. She studied the sky. "Bending arrow cloud…" She said thoughtfully. "Good crops this year. Nice big harvest."
A farmer in the crowd hugged his wife happily. "Darn good news!"
Aunt Wu continued. "Wavy moon-shaped cloud…let's see." She smiled. "Gonna be a great year for twins!"
A pair of twins in the crowd high-fived each other.
Aunt Wu spoke again. "And a cumulus cloud with a twisted nob coming off the end of it." She spread her arms wide. "The village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!" She declared. Everyone applauded wildly.
Aang took the opportunity to speak to Katara. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you." He said. "I like you, but more than normal." He confessed.
Poor Aang. Katara didn't hear him, and ran off after Aunt Wu. His face fell. "Never mind." He said sadly. Even Momo's ears drooped. I felt compelled to make Aang feel better.
I grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned to me with a surprised look. "She didn't reject you, Aang." I reassured him. "She just didn't hear you."
His eyes widened. "You heard that?"
I nodded and smiled. "Every word."
"And you're okay with it?" He asked incredulously.
I nodded. "Yeah. You're a good guy, Aang. You deserve to be happy. You both do."
He smiled. "Thanks, Alec."
Aang, Momo and I reunited with a fuming Sokka. "I can't believe all these saps!" He said angrily. "Someone really needs to scream some sense into them."
I shook my head. "Don't bother. These people are so dependent on Aunt Wu that they can't think for themselves."
Aang gave me a confused look. "They seem happy." He pointed out.
I gave Aang a meaningful look. "Maybe they're happy, but they're also ignorant." I retorted. "If Aunt Wu doesn't predict any danger, they won't be able to react if danger comes."
While Aang pondered this, Sokka approached a man wearing red shoes. "Hey you. I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those shoes, didn't she?"
"Yeah." The man nodded. "She said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met my true love." He clasped his hands together in anticipation.
Sokka contemplated this information and stroked his chin. "Uh huh." He looked the man in the eyes with a triumphant grin. "And how many times have you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?"
The man smiled sheepishly. "Every day!"
"The old self-fulfilling prophecy." I thought. "A staple of fortunetellers everywhere."
Sokka face twisted into an enraged expression. "Then of course it's gonna come true!" He screamed.
The man was delighted by this information. "Really? You think so? I'm so excited!" He walked off, completely missing Sokka's point. Sokka angrily kicked a rock. This time the rock hit a turkey duck which then attacked Sokka in retaliation. After the bird got bored, Sokka made his way back to Aang and me.
"Why do you let me do those things if I keep getting hurt?" He grumbled.
I grinned. "Because you wouldn't learn anything if I stopped you."
Sokka tried to convince several people, but to no avail. After Sokka failed to convince a filthy man to take a bath, despite Aunt Wu's predictions, Aang spoke up.
"So, Sokka, you know some stuff about ladies, right?" He inquired.
Sokka was clearly pleased with Aang's question. "Some stuff?" He put his arm around Aang's shoulders. "You've come to the right place. What can I do you for?"
"Well, there's this girl…" Aang started.
Sokka and I spotted Meng hiding behind a nearby barrel, giggling. "I think I know who you mean." Sokka replied.
"No, you really don't." I thought.
Aang didn't expect Sokka's answer, and looked at him with surprise. "You do? And you're okay with it?"
"Of course I am." Sokka said. "And to tell you the truth, I've been picking up a subtle vibe that she likes you, too."
While he spoke, Meng stood off to the side, waving her hands in an attempt to get Aang's attention, but Aang didn't see her.
Aang perked up, thinking of Katara. "She does?" He asked excitedly.
"Oh, yeah, she's crazy about you." Sokka assured him. "All you have to do now is not mess it up."
"Well, how do I do that?" Aang inquired.
"The number one mistake nice guys like you make: being too nice." Sokka declared. I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Aang's eyebrows shot up. "You can be too nice?"
"Yep." Sokka nodded. "If you want to keep her interested, you have to act aloof, like you don't really care one way or the other."
I facepalmed. That was horrible advice.
Aang rubbed the back of his head. "Well, okay…" He said uncertainly.
Meng walked up to Aang shyly. "Hey, Aang, I was wondering…"
Aang waved her off. "See you later." He said breezily before walking off. Poor Meng's braids drooped like dog ears. How did that hair of hers work? I shook it off. I had to stop Aang from making a big mistake.
"Wow, that kid is good." Sokka said, clearly impressed.
I shook my head and ran after the bald monk.
I caught up with Aang a few buildings away from Aunt Wu's salon. "Aang, can we talk?"
He turned to me with a questioning expression. "What about?"
"Don't follow Sokka's advice." I warned seriously. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."
"What do you mean?" Aang asked.
I smirked. "Well, first of all, he thought you were talking about Meng, not Katara."
Aang's eyes bugged out. "What?!" He exclaimed. "Why would he think that?"
I rolled my eyes. "Probably because she's been crushing on you ever since we got here." I stated, before getting serious again. "But, he's also wrong about being aloof. Let me tell you something about me: I was in a relationship, once."
He looked surprised by this. "Really?"
"Yeah." I admitted. I looked up at the sky, reminiscing about my first and only girlfriend. "We were assigned a group project in school. We immediately became friends. We remained that way for the next five years. Then, she invited me to a dance, as a friend. During the dance, we stared into each other's eyes, and before we knew what was happening, we kissed." I smiled. "We dated for the next four years." My smile fell. "But there was a certain spark missing, so we realized we were better off as friends."
"I'm sorry." Aang said sincerely.
I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. My point is that I didn't get into that relationship by acting aloof, I just acted like myself. If you act like you don't care, someone like Katara will just assume you really don't care."
Aang's shoulders slumped. "Then what do I do? Should I act nice instead?"
"No, you should keep being yourself." I answered. "You're more than just nice. You're also playful, silly, and have a strong sense of right and wrong. If you act differently than your actual personality, how will Katara ever fall in love with the real you?"
He looked up at me, seemingly understanding my meaning. "Then what should I do?" He asked.
I grabbed his shoulder. "Do what feels right." I advised. "If it's meant to be, it'll work out."
Aang nodded. I saw Katara exit Aunt Wu's salon. She looked down and kicked the ground sullenly. She walked over to a fruit stand. Aang saw her and moved to approach, but then he heard something.
"Ah, a panda lily!" I heard Hina gasp. I turned and I saw her grab a flower, and hug a slightly taller man wearing pink. Fong, I presumed. Aang noticed this too, and he looked at the couple, then back to my sister, then back to the couple again. He approached the couple. I left him to it. I saw Katara at the fruit stand. She picked up a papaya, and examined it. Then she did something different from the original story: she put the papaya down, and looked around. She saw me and approached.
"Can I ask you something…alone?" She asked.
I nodded. "Sure."
Katara and I made our way to an empty street. She looked around, making sure we were alone. Once she was certain, she looked me in the eye.
"Why did you make Rule One?" She asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "What brought this up?"
She shook her head. "Please, just answer the question."
I shrugged. "Basically, so that you could think for yourselves. Why do you ask?"
She looked down. "Did you come up with that rule because of this part of the story?" She whispered.
My eyes shot open. Sometimes I forgot how perceptive Katara could be. I smiled. "You're pretty smart, Katara. Yes, this part of the story was almost the entire reason for Rule One." I confessed. "Aunt Wu does a lot of good for this village, but the people can't think for themselves anymore. What made you realize it?"
She smiled sheepishly. "I kind of had a moment of clarity at the fruit stand. I asked Aunt Wu if I should eat a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow." She admitted. "I hate papaya, and when I was at the fruit stand, I asked myself 'why am I buying this?'." Her face fell. "Is she wrong about everything? Will I ever find love?" She asked sadly.
I hated seeing her like this. I looked around. "Katara, I'll bend the rules a little for you, here." I said quietly. "One of the predictions Aunt Wu made for you has a very good chance of coming true."
She looked up with wide eyes. "Really? Which one?"
I shook my finger in front of her. "Now, now. No spoilers." I said in a singsong voice. "I will tell you, it's not the papaya prediction."
That cheered her up and made her laugh. Suddenly, we heard footsteps. We saw Aang and Sokka approach us, along with Momo.
"Hi, Katara." Aang greeted shyly.
She smiled warmly at him. "Hi, Aang."
"We've got a problem." Sokka said seriously. He pointed at Mt. Makapu. "Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano."
"Are you sure?" Katara asked. Sokka didn't need to answer. We heard a massive explosion come from the mountain. The rumbling nearly made us lose our footing. We turned towards the mountain. It was billowing smoke.
"Does that answer your question?" I quipped.
We went to the village square. The villagers stared up at Mt. Makapu in fascination, but with no real concern on their faces.
"Everyone, that volcano is gonna blow any second!" Sokka exclaimed. "Aunt Wu was wrong!"
The villagers weren't willing to hear that. "Yeah, yeah," One woman replied dismissively. "We know you don't believe in Aunt Wu, Mr. Science-and-Reason-Lover."
I facepalmed. If you insulted someone's argument by calling them a 'science-and-reason-lover', you were probably on the wrong side, even in a world where bending and spirits exist.
Katara stepped forward. "If you won't listen to him, maybe you'll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as you do, but my brother and Aang saw the lava with their own eyes."
The calm man stepped forward. "Well, I heard Aunt Wu's prediction with my own ears." He countered.
"Must not burn the stupid to death. Must not burn the stupid to death." I repeated in my head like a mantra. How the fuck do you ignore an erupting volcano?
Aang jumped up on a roof so everyone could see him. "Please listen to us!" He begged. "You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here! You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction, you have to take fate into your own hands!" Some of the villagers looked thoughtful, but still didn't move.
The volcano erupted again. This alarmed some of the villagers. Sokka pointed up to the volcano spewing smoke. "Look!" He shouted. "Can your fortune telling explain that?!"
The man with the red shoes scoffed. "Can your science explain why it rains?" He asked teasingly.
"Must not burn the stupid to death! MUST NOT BURN THE STUPID TO DEATH!"
"Yes!" Sokka screamed. "Yes it can!"
The villagers ignored the danger and walked away.
"They just won't listen to reason." Katara said in dismay.
Aang jumped down from the roof. "But they will listen to Aunt Wu!" He realized.
"I know." Sokka groaned. "That's the problem."
"Well, it's about to become the solution." Aang said. "We're taking fate in our own hands." He raised an eyebrow mischievously. "First, I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book."
Aang broke into the upper floor of Aunt Wu's salon, while my siblings and I stood outside, trying to look casual. A few minutes later, he emerged with the book. He and Katara flew up into the sky on Appa. The clouds began to twist, slowly forming the shape of a human skull. Once they were done, Sokka retrieved Aunt Wu from her salon.
"Aunt Wu, look!" He shouted, pointing up at the sky. "Something's happening in the clouds!"
"That's very strange." Aunt Wu said quizzically. "It shouldn't…OH MY!" She gasped, noticing the skull cloud."
"What does that mean?" I asked. I kept my face serious, but I was playing dumb.
"It means volcanic doom!" Aunt Wu responded, terrified. "We must act!"
I nodded. "Gather the villagers, we'll need their help."
Aang and Katara returned from their cloudbending exercise. Aang addressed the villagers. "We can still save the village if we act fast." He pointed to my brother. "Sokka has a plan."
Sokka stepped forward, and pointed to the middle of the town square. "Lava is gonna flow downhill to this spot." He explained. "If we can dig a deep enough trench, we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river."
"If any of you are earthbenders, come with me." Aang said.
A kid raised his hand. "I'm an earthbender!"
His twin brother also raised his hand. "I'm not!"
"Everybody else, grab a shovel!" Sokka ordered, holding up a shovel. The volcano rumbled again. "Come on! We've gotta hurry!"
I was about to run and grab a shovel when Katara grabbed me from behind. "What is it?" I asked.
"Can you do anything with your firebending?" She whispered.
I shook my head. "The last time a firebender fought a volcano, the volcano won." I said grimly. "And that firebender was stronger than I'll ever be."
I knew my limits, and currently my limits were pretty low. I knew Sozin was able to channel the heat out of the lava when he fought the volcano with Roku, but I just knew the pose, I didn't know the mechanics of the technique. I was pretty much a nonbender in this situation.
The earthbenders and nonbenders worked quickly to dig a trench that was about twelve feet deep, and almost thirty feet across. To be fair, the earthbenders did about 98 percent of the work. Once we finished, the villagers evacuated. The sky had gone dark, the Sun obscured by volcanic ash. Most of the light came from the volcano itself. Gray ash rained down on us like snow. We saw the lava flow down the slope of the mountain, heading straight for the trench. It flowed into the trench, filling it quickly.
"It's too much! It's gonna overflow!" Katara exclaimed.
Another explosion rocked the village. A huge column of lava and ash erupted from Mt. Makapu. Burning rocks began to rain down alongside the ash. Katara, Sokka and I ran for safety, but stopped when we saw Aang just standing at the edge of the trench. A huge boulder fell into the trench, splashing up a massive amount of lava. A wave of lava threatened to engulf the entire village. Aang jumped up, and used airbending to blow all the lava straight up, halting its advance. Aang took in a massive lungful of air, and blew it out, cooling all the lava to stone and creating a massive rock wall between the village and the volcano. Aang relaxed and assumed a meditation pose.
"Damn." I said in awe. I knew it happened in the show, but seeing Aang do that in real life was amazing. He beat a volcano when even Roku couldn't.
"Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is." Sokka said in amazement.
Katara turned to him with a surprised expression. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender." Sokka replied.
Katara looked up at Aang, and her eyes slowly widened. I could tell she was seeing him in an entirely new light. "I suppose he is." She said quietly, fingering the flower necklace that Aang gave her.
"That's it, now you're getting it." I thought happily, hiding my smile behind my hand.
After the volcano calmed down and the villagers returned, Aang handed the cloud book to Aunt Wu with a guilty expression on his face. "By the way, we kind of borrowed your book." He admitted sheepishly.
Aunt Wu took the book back. "So, you messed with the clouds did you?" Katara and Aang both had guilty looks on their faces. Sokka and I just pointed at them, completely selling them out. Aunt Wu laughed. "Very clever!"
Sokka addressed the villagers. "No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling."
"But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't." The calm man countered. "She was right, after all."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. These people were hopeless. Sokka walked up to the calm man. "I hate you." He growled through gritted teeth.
Katara grabbed Sokka by the shoulders and led him away. "It's okay, Sokka." She said placatingly. "Everything's going to be all right."
Aang spoke to Wu. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, honey." She replied kindly.
"You didn't really see love in my fortune, did you? You just told me what I wanted to hear." He said with disappointment.
Aunt Wu smiled at him. "I'll tell you a secret, young airbender." She gestured to the sky. "Just as you reshaped those clouds, you have the power to shape your own destiny." Aang smiled, then made his way to Appa and my siblings. I approached Aunt Wu.
"Maybe pay someone a few silver to check the volcano every month or so." I suggested lowly, so that only she could hear. "Clouds can be very fickle."
She chuckled. "Indeed."
I climbed into Appa's saddle. Katara was at the reins this time. She waved to the villagers. "Goodbye everyone! It was so nice to meet you!" She looked down at Meng, who waved at us from the front of the crowd. "Take care, Meng."
"Take care!" Meng waved back.
We took off into the sky. "What a sweet little girl." Katara gushed.
I snickered. She had no idea that sweet little girl just called her a floozy.
AN: The Fortuneteller was an episode I watched many times before I wrote this fanfic, and helped me come up with the rules.
*If you didn't get that reference, look it up. It's one of the best comedy sketches ever.
