Chapter 57
"This isn't quite what I imagined working as a camp counselor would be like," Azula groaned, standing in the large kitchen of Iroh's Serpent's Lake estate and glaring at the piles upon piles of stacked dirty dishes.
"Yes, who knew that two dozen kids would leave behind such a mess, huh?" Yue chuckled, standing next to Azula.
"Oh, stop complaining, you two," Katara sighed at her two best friends. "If we work together, we'll be done in no time. Besides, we don't have to do it all by hand." She pointed at a large white box, roughly the size of a washing machine. "I had no idea Uncle Iroh would have one of them newfangled dishwashers installed here, but I guess it makes sense with so many dirty dishes."
"Uh, does it make similar infernal noises to the washing machine?" Azula was eyeing the dishwasher with undisguised suspicion.
"Don't worry, Azula," Yue grinned at the Fire Nation girl. "Even if it does, Katara and I will protect you," she said with a playful wink. Azula merely grumbled at the comment.
"Well, I hope you know how to operate it, because I certainly don't," Azula stared at Katara.
"One of the cooks showed me earlier. It's really simple," Katara said, opening the latch. She reached into the machine, grabbing the rack. She was about to pull it out, when suddenly an idea occurred to her. Katara assumed a worried expression, pretending that she was stuck. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "It's pulling me right in!"
With a panicked look on her face, Azula dove right for Katara and immediately began to pull her out of the dishwasher. "Are you alright?" Azula asked once Katara had been saved. "I knew I was right not to trust that thing. It looks way too much like a washing machine."
"Oh yes, I'll be fine now," Katara smiled, placing the rack on the countertop nearby. She then leaned in and surprised Azula with a kiss on the cheek. "You are my hero, Azula," she grinned. Behind them, Yue could no longer keep it in and burst into laughter.
Still blushing, Azula turned back to Yue and immediately put two and two together. "I can't believe you would pull something like that!" she exclaimed, turning on Katara. "You're such a jerk!" Azula added, shoving Katara, quite hard. Katara stumbled and steadied herself against the dishwasher. Azula looked hurt as she turned around to run away. Katara immediately realized that her prank had been a stupid idea.
Katara immediately raced after Azula, catching her before she had left the kitchen. When Katara grabbed her friend's arm, Azula tried to shake off her grip, but Katara had no intention of letting go. "I'm sorry, Azula, I truly am," she said sincerely. "That was really stupid of me. I thought it was just some lighthearted teasing, but I forgot that you might not see it that way. Sokka and I used to do this sort of thing back and forth all the time and we both knew that it wasn't meant to be hurtful, but that's not something you grew up with and I failed to take that into account. I'm really, really sorry for acting like a childish idiot."
"Katara didn't mean to embarrass you, and you have no reason to feel embarrassed, Azula," Yue joined in, smiling at them both. "Besides, I thought it was really sweet and brave how you reacted, especially since we know that the washing machine makes you really uncomfortable. And that dishwasher totally looks like the younger cousin of the washing machine."
Azula frowned and then let out a sigh, relenting. "Ugh, fine… but I'm still a bit annoyed with you," she tried to glare at Katara, but the expression in her amber eyes lacked the kind of ferocity which was there when she was truly angry.
"I know, and I deserve that. I promise to make it up to you, okay?" Katara smiled, giving Azula her best puppy eyed stare. Azula rolled her eyes, but she still allowed Katara to hug her. Yue was just beaming at them with a face splitting grin. "Alright, so… how about you and Yue get started on hand washing some of the plates, while I load up the infernal dishwasher?" Katara asked once they had parted from their embrace.
"Fine, although I really should make you do all the work for being a jerk," Azula huffed.
"I think we should make the evil dishwasher do most of the work," Yue suggested with a smile on her lips. She walked up to them and took Azula's hand, then leading her away towards the sink and the pile of dirty dishes crammed next to it.
As Katara began to load up the dishwasher, while at the same time keeping an eye on Yue and Azula as they worked nearby, quietly talking among themselves and occasionally sharing a giggle, Katara finally had a moment to reflect on their first week at the Serpent's Lake camp in their new capacity as Iroh's trusted subordinates. She had no idea why the three of them had expected this to be more like a vacation at a fancy resort instead of an actual job. Iroh certainly had said nothing of the sort.
It had taken only a single day for the trio to realize that they would have their hands full helping out with various tasks around the estate. Their primary task was to assist Iroh and make sure that all the camp events ran smoothly. This meant organizing various Pai Sho related activities and taking part in them, whether it was a speed Pai Sho tournament, Pai Sho puzzle challenge, or just breaking down some of the recent games from pro tournaments. Yue seemed to really thrive with these activities, assuming leading role from their little threesome. The younger children in particular seemed to be really looking up to Yue, and Iroh had even remarked in private to Katara that he was very impressed by how good Yue was with the kids.
Then there were the activities unrelated to Pai Sho that they also had to take part in planning. The day before, they had gone on a day trip across the lake to a nature reserve on the northern coast. It had been quite the experience, despite one of the younger kids getting bitten after poking a surly llama. Katara had thought that the llama had been fully entitled to take a bite out of the bratty kid. Besides, the boy was clearly over the incident, strutting around and showing off his injury like some proud war vet.
Azula appeared to have taken over organizing these Pai Sho unrelated activities, and she was already working on a couple of Ba Sing Se day trips, as well as a shorter visit to a nearby village that was famous for its local homemade ice cream shop. Katara was not in the slightest surprised about Azula's organizational and scheduling skills. All the planned activities were broken down to the tiniest detail, with precise time assigned to each activity, and Azula made sure to meticulously observe that her instructions were being followed. During the visit to the nature reserve, Azula had given some of the kids a hard time for lagging behind and not sticking to the schedule, so she hadn't exactly endeared herself to everyone. But Katara could see the merit in Azula's approach. She was an absolute perfectionist. Everything had to run according to her plan in order to maximize the fun/time ratio. At the end of the day, everyone seemed happy, and that was all that really mattered.
Iroh had suffered a misfortune just before the camp's opening, losing two members of his regular kitchen staff, one to illness and another to a sudden and unexpected but happy wedding engagement. So, Katara, Yue and Azula were now also expected to pitch in at the kitchen to lighten the load of the remaining cooks. This meant the most basic tasks of peeling and cutting tons of veggies, washing dishes, and so on. Yue and Azula mostly focused on handling things in the dining hall, using their experience as a part of the Jasmine Dragon waitstaff, while Katara was stuck in the kitchen with the arguably tougher jobs. Fortunately, her two friends were kind enough to come and help out with any tasks that remained unfinished at the end of the day, and there was usually quite a lot left to do, like on this particular evening.
In essence, the three girls suddenly found themselves with an unexpectedly heavy workload they hadn't necessarily anticipated. They rose early and were done sometime between nine and ten in the evening, although they did get a few hours of rest and relaxation throughout the day. But Katara still found it deeply satisfying to see their efforts rewarded in a smooth running of the camp and in the happy faces of the younger participants. It seemed that Yue, and even Azula, felt the same way. Also, after realizing how hard they were working, Iroh had informed them that he would increase their pay substantially. Yue and Azula in particular had been thrilled to learn that they would receive three times the monthly salary they were earning at the Jasmine Dragon, so it was definitely an incentive to put in a good effort.
It took them slightly less than an hour, but eventually the dirty dishes were conquered and the kitchen was clean and spotless ahead of another frantic day. The trio felt entitled to a little reward, grabbing a cider each from the fridge as they made their way out onto the terrace, the sun getting ready to set as the hour approached ten in the evening. Most of the younger kids had either gone to bed already, or had scattered somewhere, forming their own little cliques and groups of friends, just like Katara had done many years ago with Aang, Toph and Yue. Having noticed Aang and Toph sitting at one of the tables out on the terrace, Katara, Yue and Azula sat down with their friends. Nearby, Iroh was showing something on the Pai Sho board to the curious group of Teo, Meng and Kori. Iroh noticed that they were all carrying bottles of cider and he gave them a long stare, but perhaps realizing how hard the three of them had been working, merely smiled and returned his attention to the Pai Sho board.
"What's going on over there?" Katara asked with a smile as she sat down, pointing at the other table.
"Eh, they're all stumped by the puzzle Yue gave us earlier," Toph shrugged. She turned to look at the other Water Tribe girl. "How did you come up with that one, anyway?"
Yue had been all smiles the entire evening, but her expression darkened at Toph's question. "It's not mine, really. Hahn showed it to me, after learning it from Grandmaster Pakku," Yue said stonily. Katara found it impossible to resist the instinct to offer comfort and she reached out to supportively squeeze Yue's hand. She was relieved when a brief glance at Azula revealed no reaction. In fact, Azula had actually taken Yue's other hand, which Katara found to be an adorably sweet gesture.
Katara had been a little concerned about the jealousy aspect after Yue had moved in with them back in April. Even though Yue had spoken privately with both Katara and Azula to reassure them both that she wasn't going to get in the way, Katara had still been worried. In the past, Yue hadn't exactly been the most reliable and trustworthy where feelings and emotions were concerned, even if Katara didn't want to hold it against her old flame. Katara simply feared that once Yue realized that Katara and Azula were still in many ways far from an actual romantic relationship, Yue might decide to go after her anyway. And Katara on her part was trying her best to hold on to the promise to give Azula as much time as she needed, but… even if she really wanted Azula with all her heart, lately, Katara had started to experience some doubts whether Azula wasn't using this nebulous threat of her father as an excuse. Katara wasn't sure how long she was supposed to wait, anyway. She had been waiting on Yue for years, and it had been all for nothing. Katara didn't want to get burned the same way twice. What was reasonable time to wait before she was entitled to start experiencing doubts and insecurity?
Yue had done an admirable job in reassuring Azula that she didn't have any reasons to feel jealous towards her. Katara was grateful for it, because she was someone who liked to dish out a lot of physical affection to her friends, and at this point of her life, Yue needed plenty of support and comforting. It was very nice that Katara could provide it without making Azula jealous. However, Katara was now starting to wonder whether that had been the right approach. Maybe Azula would never be ready unless she felt a little threatened of losing Katara. Maybe making Azula a little jealous would actually provide the spark that was needed. Then again, Azula's mental frailty was still a real concern. Azula was just as likely to shut down all of her emotions, assume that Katara had made her choice to go after Yue and simply give up on their potential relationship. All in all, Katara was a bit frustrated about how to proceed.
"So, have you two geniuses figured out the puzzle then?" Azula asked, looking at Toph and Aang. "You don't need some extra hand holding from my uncle?" she added with a smirk.
"We're pretty sure that we have cracked it," Aang nodded. "Toph thinks it's the old triple sacrifice trick, and I agree. Orchid first, then double Chrysanthemum."
"Interesting," Yue remarked, clicking her tongue with an enigmatic look on her face.
"You're supposed to tell us whether we guessed right or not," Toph glared at her.
"Am I?" Yue chuckled. "Just present your solution to me tomorrow, and we'll see if you end up winning the prize."
"Ugh, she's not going to tell us, is she?" Aang groaned, looking at his partner in Pai Sho crime. "Maybe we should have joined Uncle Iroh and the others. If Iroh helps them figure it out, we'll have eggs on our faces, Toph."
"Pfft, I've been listening in and they sound really stumped," Toph shrugged, not looking bothered. "Have some faith in yourself, Twinkletoes. We have the solution and Yue is just messing with us. Besides, if we can't figure it out, those dorks won't figure it out either. Uncle Iroh isn't going to spoon feed them the answer anyway, even if he knows it. That would be cheating."
Katara glanced at the other table, noticing that Teo had been looking in their direction, but he then quickly looked away. Katara found it interesting that Teo had decided to attend the camp. He was almost her equal and didn't have too much to gain by being here, but then again, the friendship and camaraderie among the group was a strong attraction in its own right. Kori Morishita was in the same boat, being of the same age as Katara and Teo. She was slightly behind them in terms of pure talent, so Katara supposed that Kori still had a trick or two to pick up from Iroh, but what she needed the most was stability, and that wasn't necessary something that she could learn at the camp. Still, perhaps Kori also wanted to hang out with likeminded teens around her own age, and Katara couldn't really fault her for that.
"By the way," Toph spoke up a while later. "You should probably know that I was contacted by some big wigs in the national federation. They said that they've secured me a wild card for the next year's U21 finals, and they really want me to be there."
"What?" Katara blinked. "But surely the U18 gold is more prestigious. Why would they want you to swap early to the less prestigious bracket?"
"Well, first of all, I already have the U18 title, so I don't really care about winning the U18's again. Also, as you know, next year's U21 finals are in Omashu. That's Earth Kingdom soil, get it? National pride and all that crap, especially now when the tensions with the Fire Nation are starting to heat up… pun intended," Toph chuckled. Katara nodded at Toph's words. She had only a passing interest in politics, but she had heard about some brewing unrest in Yu Dao, with the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation accusing each other of stirring trouble. There was genuine worry about things escalating. "I told those federation officials that they needed to have more trust in Teo. I mean, he did really well this spring, right?" Toph asked. Her smile was uncharacteristically soft as she glanced at the other table. Katara felt very curious about that. In the past, she had dropped the occasional subtly encouraging hint to both Toph and Teo, but until now she hadn't noticed any developments. Perhaps the seed had finally taken root? Maybe Toph was eager to play at the U21 level because Teo was playing at that bracket? Katara resolved to keep an eye on the situation as it unfolded.
"Yes, Teo is becoming a force to reckon with," Yue agreed with a smile.
"Exactly, but the federation big wigs think that the Earth Kingdom needs more firepower to stop Katara from repeating," Toph snorted. "Besides, they are freaking out about you and Azula both potentially coming back to play. You are coming back next year, right?" she asked, looking back and forth between Yue to Azula. Katara found herself frowning at Toph's insistent inquiry. She knew that Azula was determined to resume playing and she was reasonably certain that Yue wanted it as well, but thus far they hadn't discussed any details about how that would work.
"I definitely want to play," Yue answered first. "I'm just… not sure about going back to Agna Qel'a right now. But if I can go, then I'm sure I would be able to qualify, even if some of the younger Water Tribe kids are pretty good."
Katara could see that Yue was apprehensive, almost frightened about the thought of going back to Agna Qel'a, even if she was desperate to play. She couldn't blame her friend for feeling uncomfortable. What Yue had gone through over the course of the past year had been a deeply traumatic experience. She was still only eighteen, but she was already divorced from an abusive husband. The only upside was that at least she had gotten out of that abusive situation before it had truly broken her. Still, going back to the Water Tribe posed risks. Hahn had already proved that he was willing to go to great lengths to hurt Yue, and just because he had agreed to a divorce that benefitted his family, it didn't mean that he didn't feel slighted and wouldn't seek retribution. Arnook Taqqiq might also be looking to confront his daughter, if perhaps not with violent intent. Katara knew that if Yue went back to Agna Qel'a this fall, she would have to be very careful to keep herself out of harm's way.
"If Katara goes with you, I think that should make it safe for you," Azula said, smiling briefly at Yue. Katara had to frown at Azula's comment. She did want to support Yue, of course she did, but with Azula also dropping hints about going to the Fire Nation in the fall, Katara was desperate to go with her. The few times they had talked about it, Azula had flatly dismissed the idea that Katara could accompany her. She was utterly adamant about not placing Katara in danger.
"We can discuss that later, I think," Katara said neutrally. Yue suddenly looked very hopeful. Katara knew that if Azula won their argument about accompanying her to the Fire Nation, it would be an easy decision to travel to Agna Qel'a with Yue.
"Well, I'm definitely going back to the Fire Nation this fall," Azula said with determination. "I can't let Ozai think that I'm afraid of him."
"Who wouldn't be afraid of him," Aang gulped uncomfortably.
"I hope that Uncle Iroh will at least go with you," Katara said, sharing Aang's discomfort, but not wanting to try and dissuade Azula from going. Pai Sho was in Azula's blood. She needed to be playing, or else she would wither and fade.
"Katara, I can't ask uncle to come with it me," Azula shook her head. "It would be so much more dangerous for him than it would be for me. I'm pretty certain that my father is livid at Iroh for harboring me and he wouldn't miss the opportunity to get back at Iroh."
"Isn't it just as dangerous for you, Azula?" Yue asked with concern evident in her voice.
"No, my father wants me to make that decision to come back, he wouldn't use force against me," Azula said confidently. Katara wasn't sure how Azula could be so certain of it. Hadn't Ozai already tried to use force on her when he had attempted to commit the most despicable of crimes?
"I hate the idea of you being there all on your own, Azula," Katara finally spoke up. "Is there nobody who could keep you company, just in case?"
"Not really," Azula shrugged. Her brow then furrowed as she thought of something. "No, wait… you've just given me an idea. I could call Mai and ask her to come and hang out with me. Actually, that might be really fun. I haven't seen Mai in years. Thank you, Katara," Azula gave her a genuinely warm smile.
"You're welcome," Katara smiled at her friend. She wasn't sure how much of a help Mai would be, but at least Azula wouldn't be alone. That on its own would provide her with some emotional support.
"I think I'll stick with the U18's one more year, sorry," Aang said, looking apologetic. "I know that it would be really fun if we got to hang out together once again, but winning the U18's twice in a row is a really big deal for me. Without Toph, I reckon I stand a very good chance at repeating. All that sweet prize money would do wonders for my college fund."
"We'll miss you, Aang, but I think you're making the right choice," Katara said. The others all agreed, nodding.
"Told you they wouldn't hold it against you, dumbass," Toph snorted, playfully punching Aang's shoulder. "Anyway, I think I'm off to bed. Better be rested before another field trip with Drill Sergeant Azula riding our asses."
"What? I do nothing of the sort," Azula huffed. Katara just about managed to hold back a laugh. Toph then left the terrace, heading back to her room and Aang followed her example a few minutes later.
The three girls continued to sit together, slowly finishing their ciders while engaging in idle conversation. Yue then leaned in closer to the other two. "How about we grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen and head down to the lake?" she whispered. "I'm not feeling sleepy yet."
Katara and Azula didn't need to be told twice. They left the terrace accompanied by Iroh's slightly suspicious stare, soon finding themselves out on the lakeside where Iroh had arranged for several comfortable benches to be placed next to the plank-way. Watching the sun go down as its last rays reflected on the shiny surface of lake water was about as romantic as it got, and it was definitely a wonderful way to round off another exhausting but satisfying day. They ended up sitting on the bench nearest to the water, Azula in between the two Water Tribe girls as they passed the bottle of Merlot among the three of them, drinking straight from the bottle like savages. It was a good thing that Azula was already slightly tipsy from the cider, or else she would have surely complained about such barbaric behavior.
"So, Azula?" Yue spoke up, having taken another swig. "Are you starting to understand why this summer camp is like the best thing ever?" she asked.
"I think so," Azula nodded. "But I probably wouldn't have been interested in coming if I hadn't already befriended Katara first, and then you. Before that, I would have just acted high and mighty, and everyone would have either hated or feared me. Hmm, although… from what Toph said, maybe the kids already hate or fear me. Am I being too bitchy? I don't think I am. I mean, these field trips need structure and organization. Otherwise, we'll just have anarchy."
"Don't worry about it, Azula, I think you're doing an amazing job, honestly," Yue smiled. "Seriously, a bit of discipline is needed. In the past, our day trips never went according to the plan and there was always a disaster or two. Kat, do you remember that time at Ba Sing Se zoo when Meng got separated from the group?"
"Oh spirits, that was ridiculous!" Katara laughed. "She couldn't even explain herself how she ended up in the giraffe enclosure. We spent like two hours searching for her, and we got to see barely half of what we had planned."
"See, that is exactly what I'm trying to avoid," Azula nodded, appearing encouraged by the story. "Some of these kids may be throwing tantrums about me being a little harsh, but that's just because they're too young or too stupid to realize that I'm only doing what's best for them."
"Haha, not the most diplomatic way of putting it, but I am in complete agreement," Yue chuckled. She took another swig from the bottle, definitely going at it a lot harder than Katara or Azula. "Oops, I'm starting to get really sleepy," she let out a yawn. "I think I'll start heading back." Yue rose from the bench. Katara and Azula were about to follow her, but Yue stopped them. "Hey, you can stay out here a bit longer if you want to, I don't need an escort, okay?" she added with a tipsy wink before walking off in the direction of the estate.
Katara sat back down on the bench and after a moment of hesitation, Azula did the same. Katara wondered if Yue's retreat was yet another attempt of hers to create a romantic interlude between her and Azula, hoping that something might finally come of it. Katara had become rather resigned about it all, since none of the previous attempts had led to anything. Katara reasoned that she should confront Azula about their feelings for each other, but she was reluctant to do so. Whenever Katara had tried to do it in the past, Azula had become angry about Katara apparently not taking the threat of Ozai seriously enough.
Still, there was something Katara wanted to discuss with Azula, and it was to make sure that Azula did not harbor any ill will for the joke she had played on her earlier in the kitchen. "Hey, Azula?" she asked, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of Azula's hair behind her ear.
"Yes?" Azula asked, turning to look at her. Katara tried to take heart from how comfortable Azula had become with physical contact between them. She seemed to react very well to it, almost as if she was severely touch-starved, so Katara had tried to push it more and more over the past month. A few times she had gone as far as kissing Azula on the cheek. Azula had become really flustered the first time she had done so, but the Fire Nation girl was by now fairly comfortable with accepting such affection, as long as it was done in private.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" Katara asked softly. "Well, I'm angry at myself for that stupid prank I pulled. I know how much you care about appearing dignified, but I guess I thought that since the three of us have become so close, a little teasing in a tight group of best friends would be alright. But I forgot what your mother said about being raised in a household where laughter was discouraged and considered frivolous. I imagine that the only pranks you knew were mean-spirited, not affectionately teasing."
"No, the pranks I played on Zuko were always quite cruel," Azula replied. "He wasn't someone who would try to get me back through pranks of his own, though. He yelled, he threw stuff and he came at me with his fists."
"Exactly," Katara sighed. "I had no right to forget that. Can you forgive me for being so insensitive?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Katara, there's nothing to forgive," Azula smiled at her. "I was a bit embarrassed, but I never believed for a moment that you would purposefully hurt me."
"That's right, I wouldn't," Katara nodded. She reached out and dared to brush the back of her palm against the smooth skin of Azula's blushing cheek. "You are so precious to me, okay? When I mess up with you, it really tears me up deep inside, you know…"
Without having intended to do so, Katara suddenly realized that she was leaning in towards Azula. She fully expected Azula to pull back, just as before. But then Katara was taken by complete surprise when Azula did the exact opposite and leaned in herself, so that their foreheads touched lightly. But Katara couldn't think about that, because all of a sudden, Azula's lips were pressed against hers and Azula's hands were roaming all over her back, digging into her hair. Even if Katara would have wanted to rationally process what was happening, there was no hope to do so. The rational part of her brain shut down and all she could do was to kiss Azula back with equal ferocity. They held each other with fierce intensity, borne out of months of denial that had finally been given its release.
Katara had no idea how long the kiss had lasted, but eventually they both were forced to come up for air. The intensity of it all had left Katara shivering and trembling. She hadn't expected anything this electrifying. It was certainly… something else. Katara looked into Azula's eyes, aware of the goofy grin on her own lips. However, Katara froze when she realized that Azula wasn't smiling. In fact, she looked horrified.
"Azula?" Katara whispered, deeply worried. Azula didn't reply. Instead, she jumped up to her feet and ran off before Katara could stop her.
Next chapter: They kissed, and about time too, but what does that mean going forward? We'll discover that and much more, the next time on… The White Lotus Gambit!