Chapter 69
Katara was not enjoying her first impressions of Omashu. Watching the plane touch down on the barely visible landing strip in a deep mountain gorge had been quite distressing and had made her feel a little ill. Yue seemed similarly affected, while Azula had slept through it all, wisely having taken a motion sickness pill. Katara was pleased that the small airport was at least operating with great efficiency, and less than an hour later, they were on the way to their hotel. Since Azula was still a little sleepy from the pill, and they definitely did not want to endanger their lives in this mountain region with relatively dangerous roads, they had decided against renting a car, instead flagging down a cab and arriving at their hotel some twenty minutes later.
Even though all three of them had their own rooms on the same floor, all paid for by the organizing committee, Azula had no intentions to stay in her room, simply accompanying Katara to her room and starting to settle in without any spoken words. It was needless to say that this suited Katara perfectly fine. A few minutes later, Yue arrived in Katara's room as well, so that they could continue to hang out together. The room was not particularly large, but the bed was just about the right size to accommodate all three of them with Pai Sho board in the middle. Gone were the days of hanging out with Azula in her penthouse suite and Katara recalled the Fire Fountain City tournament with great fondness and wistfulness, but considering who had actually paid for that penthouse suite, Katara definitely preferred their current, more modest arrangement than having anything to do with Ozai Nakamura.
"So, I grabbed this newspaper down at the lobby," Yue said, grinning as she retrieved the newspaper and opened the page dedicated to the start of the U21 World Championship finals in Omashu. "You might be interested in hearing predictions of the experts."
"Oh, do tell," Azula urged the other girl. Katara nodded eagerly. The expert predictions were always good for a giggle or two.
"Katara, apparently you're the big favorite to repeat," Yue smiled at her.
"I don't actually disagree with that," Azula nodded earnestly.
"That's sweet of you to say, love," Katara cooed, leaning in to peck Azula's cheek.
Yue merely grinned at them. "Anyway, they think that the two biggest challengers to Katara will be Toph and Teo," the white-haired girl said.
"Shows what they know," Azula snorted, looking insulted.
"Yes, I know who my two greatest rivals are," Katara looked at her two companions. She knew that Azula was going to push her all the way. They had been practicing very hard ever since the turn of the year and Katara knew that there was literally nothing between them. Yue had been a little behind the curve at the start of the year, but she had caught up quickly. Her private classes with some of the more talented kids of Ba Sing Se had given her an additional perspective and made her a much better player. Katara wasn't going to underestimate Yue. "So, these experts don't think much of your chances, do they?" Katara asked.
"No, they think that just because we have lost a year, it's going to set us back way too much," Yue said, looking amused. "They even gave Kori better chances of winning than to either of us, Zula." Katara found it absolutely adorable how Yue at some point had just switched to using Azula's pet name without prompting, and Azula had accepted it completely naturally. To think that less than a year ago Katara had feared that Yue coming into their lives might ruin her relationship with Azula, but those concerns seemed ridiculous now. There was genuine love and affection between the two most treasured people in Katara's life and it made her deliriously happy.
"That's just insulting," Azula grumbled. "Is there anyone else they're ranking above us? How about Ruon-Jian or Chan, I hear they are so talented," she rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"No, they've put us down as fifth and sixth, with odds of ten to one for us both," Yue replied.
"Oh!" Azula's eyes gleamed, sensing an opportunity. "Katara, we need to call Sokka and have him use some of the estate funds to put a bet on me."
"Why on you?" Katara frowned. "I'm the favorite, right?" she winked at her lover.
"Katara, the odds on you aren't all that attractive, only three to one," Yue explained. "It's much better to bet on Azula. Although I think we should bet on me," she added with a challenging look in her blue eyes.
"Oh, it seems as if we're all quite confident about our chances, are we?" Azula grinned. "That reminds me of the Fire Fountain City. Maybe we should make another bet among ourselves?"
"I don't know about that…" Katara said, feeling her face becoming warm from the mere memory of that time two years ago when she and Yue had been forced to dress up in those sexy maid outfits. It had been so awful and yet exciting. Despite being embarrassed - at least until liquid courage had removed all of her inhibitions - Katara had extremely fond memories of that night. From a certain point onwards she remembered only fragments, but she did recall waking up the next morning in that huge bed and freaking out about potentially having done things with both Azula and Yue. Then she had felt sad about not having any recollection of doing things with Azula and Yue, before realizing that they hadn't actually done things.
"Obviously, we're not doing the outfits again," Azula told her. "I won't be accused of being repetitive."
"Oh, if we're doing it, we need to up the ante," Yue nodded excitedly. "I just can't think of anything specific right now."
"Neither can I," Azula sighed. She looked at Katara. "Any ideas, love?" she asked. Katara shook her head. "Hmm, let's just say that the winner will get to make a currently unspecified request, within reason, of course."
"This could go so very wrong," Katara giggled, feeling excited despite her muted reservations. She did trust both Azula and Yue, and she loved them both, albeit in slightly different ways. She knew that they would never extract some sort of punishment that caused her genuine distress. "But alright, I'm game," Katara nodded. She then thought of something. "Oh, there's something that we didn't consider the last time. What happens if we're tied on points?"
"Hah, how likely is that?" Azula laughed. "Don't be silly, Kat."
"Yes, there is always a way to break the ties," Yue nodded. "They seem to change it from tournament to tournament, so I don't know for sure what they would use this year, but they'll think of something."
"I suppose so. I mean, I would love for both of you to win the tournament, since you didn't get to play last year," Katara said. Her smile then turned cheeky. "Of course, I'm still going to come out on top."
Azula whacked her in the face with a pillow. "We'll see about that," she glared. "You'll probably blow your first round match tomorrow."
"Not likely, since I'm playing Chan," Katara laughed.
"Alright, fair enough, you're not losing against that buffoon," Azula agreed. "I'm going to have a nice warm up for the tournament as I crush Kei Lo."
"And I'll have fun with Joo Dee," Yue nodded with a slightly predatory smile.
Azula leaned in and placed her hand on Yue's shoulder. "You'll destroy that bitch for me, yes?" she said.
Yue put her hand on Azula's, nodding with certainty. "She'll pay for tattling on you, babe, I promise you that," Yue replied earnestly. Katara observed the exchange, unable to stop grinning like a fool. Azula and Yue had both been through such traumatic experiences. To see them treat each other with such softness, well, it just made Katara's heart melt. She frowned when a sudden knock on the doors made Azula pull her hand away as she faced Katara with an uncertain stare.
"I've no idea, we didn't ask for anything," Katara shrugged. Then she realized something. "Oh, that might be Toph!" she jumped out of the bed and ran up to the doors to open them.
At first, Katara completely failed to identify the girl standing on the doorstep as Toph. Despite wearing simple black loafers, she was a good inch taller than the Toph Katara had last seen the previous summer, the girl in front of her now almost as tall as Katara herself. Also, the clothes she was wearing were not at all Toph's usual style. She was wearing a tight black turtleneck sweater together with a matching black pencil dress, as well as a cute little black beret. When the girl in front of Katara opened her mouth, however, there was no mistaking her for Toph. "Well, what are you gawking at?" Toph barked, jabbing Katara in the shoulder after she had been staring for a while in silence. "You're not going to invite me in?"
"What? Oh… of course, come right in, Toph. I simply didn't expect-" Katara tried, closing the doors while still feeling rather taken aback by the younger girl's appearance.
"Whoa, look at you, Toph!" Yue exclaimed upon seeing Toph, while Azula just looked confused. "What's with the beatnik style? I love it, but I didn't think it was you?"
"Why does everyone keep telling me that? Am I not free to wear what I want?" Toph scowled. She plopped down on the bed, in Katara's old spot, leaving Katara with no place to sit. She solved that problem by squeezing in between Azula and Yue, but her lover and her best friend seemed only happy to accommodate her. "Anyway, I like my new style, and it also pisses off my dad, so it's a win-win as far as I'm concerned," Toph added.
"Pissing off anyone associated with my father is a win in my book," Azula nodded. She clearly wasn't a fan of Lao Beifong, and neither were Katara and Yue, not after overhearing his conversation with Arnook Taqqiq and Long Feng in Agna Qel'a. Toph's father was perhaps the least malicious of the lot, but he was still in bed with all of these monsters and was as dirty and corrupt as they came.
"What doesn't he like about your new style, Toph?" Yue asked. "I think it's cute."
"It's too sexualized and unbecoming of a young lady," Toph rolled her eyes. "Anyway, that's enough about my father. What are you up to, bitches?"
"We just divided the tournament medals between the three of us," Azula smirked. "Sorry, Toph, but we left nothing for you."
"Hah, we'll see about that," Toph looked to be in a fighting mood. "Remember how I won in Ba Sing Se when I shouldn't have even been playing there because I was too young? Guess what, history is going to repeat itself in Omashu."
"Maybe in your dreams," Azula replied. "You have no idea at what level the three of us are playing right now. The rest of you have no chance."
"Big words, care to back them up?" Toph frowned, pointing at the Pai Sho board in the middle of the bed. Azula nodded. They quickly arranged the tiles and began playing. Despite it being just a friendly sparring match, the two players appeared to be treating it quite seriously. After trading punches early on, Azula seized control early in the middle game and cruised to a comfortable win, leaving Toph looking a little annoyed. "Right, so the Pai Sho experts writing in the papers about how you clearly have no chance of winning this year have no idea what they're talking about, I should have known that," Toph remarked. "I'm going to assume that the same goes for you, Moonmaiden," she turned to look at Yue. "I already counted on Katara being a danger."
"I think you will find all three of us very well prepared, Toph," Yue smiled gently. Toph scowled at that.
"How was your preparation, Toph?" Katara asked.
"Fine, I thought. Plenty of long distance games with Twinkletoes," Toph shrugged. "Also, my dad paid a couple of pros in Gaoling to come and play with me on the regular. I ended up beating them more often than not, so… I thought I was getting frighteningly good." She glanced at the board with Azula's winning tile structure. "Now I'm thinking maybe they were just awful washouts."
"I'm sure you'll get into the gear as soon as the tournament begins, Toph. We all know you're a fighter," Katara smiled at their younger friend. "Who were you playing in the first round?" she asked.
"I can't even remember, probably some poor schmuck," Toph shrugged.
Yue frowned, quickly browsing through the tournament schedule she had brought along together with the newspaper and her notation book. "Actually, you're up against Teo in the first round, Toph, so that's not going to be an easy start to the tournament. Teo's a tough nut to crack," Yue said. Toph didn't say anything to that. Katara thought that for some reason she looked a little flustered.
They spent the next half an hour in idle conversation, simply catching up after all the months since the summer Pai Sho camp, but eventually Toph let out a big yawn that appeared a little exaggerated to Katara. "Well, I think I'm going to go and have a nap," Toph said, climbing out of the bed despite the protests of the others.
"But you just got here, Toph!" Yue exclaimed.
"Yeah, well, I had to get up real early to catch the plane, and I'm tired, so…" Toph shrugged. "Besides, as you said, Teo's a dangerous opponent, so I should probably do some extra prep."
"But we always do prep together, don't we?" Azula pointed out.
"Yeah, and it's been fun, but I'm thinking of trying something new this year," Toph said to the shock of them all as she walked up to the doors and slipped her loafers back on. "We'll catch up tomorrow after we all have a game under our belts. Until then, bitches," Toph gave them a highly irreverent two-finger salute before leaving the room.
"Toph just stood us up, didn't she?" Yue asked with a confused look on her face.
"That's what it looked like to me," Azula nodded. "It was strange, though," she pointed at the Pai Sho board. "I was actually going quite easy on her. Have we become that good by pushing each other?"
"That is what I believe," Katara agreed. "I wonder if Toph is worried that we have outpaced her and it makes her feel embarrassed?"
"But in that case the best way for her to catch up would be to practice with us," Yue pointed out.
"True, but she's also very proud. If she felt that she was the weakest among the group, she'd feel really bad about it," Katara mused.
"Well, the truth is that she is the weakest," Azula shrugged. "I'm sorry, but that's just a fact. Aang and some sixth rate supposedly pro players can't push her the way we push one another."
"Probably," Katara admitted. "Still, let's not underestimate Toph. She'll probably be working on some nasty surprises for us. She'll be extra motivated to prove that we're still all on the same level."
"I suppose we'll see what happens," Yue nodded. "One thing is certain, though, Toph is behaving oddly. I suspect that she's up to something."
"Oh, whatever," Azula sighed. "I think we should just leave her be and she'll come crawling back to us sooner or later. Anyway, I think I'm over talking about Pai Sho. Let's do something that's more fun."
"Azula, we're not getting drunk the evening before the tournament opening," Yue laughed.
"You always assume I'm thinking about drinking, right?" Azula rolled her eyes, lightly elbowing Yue. "I was thinking about ordering some greasy and disgustingly delicious peasant food. And I noticed that there's a horror marathon this evening on Channel 6."
"Oh, that is perfect!" Yue giggled excitedly. "There's no better way to get ready for playing Pai Sho than getting scared out of your panties the evening before!"
"Ugh, but I hate horror, Azula," Katara whined. She was a sap for drama and romance, but getting Azula to watch any of the movies Katara liked was a rare and treasured occasion.
"Yeah, maybe, but you love all the hugs horror gets you," Azula smirked at her. Katara tried to glare at her girlfriend, annoyed at being so transparent.
"Don't worry, Kat, I get scared quite easily too," Yue smiled at her. "I don't know if I'm going to get any hugs, though."
"I think Yue is getting a lot of hugs too, right?" Azula looked at her girlfriend.
Katara smiled happily, completely forgetting that she was supposed to hate the idea of a horror marathon. "I think we're making it a hug free-for-all," she laughed.
Zuko sat at the living room table in the apartment he was still technically sharing with his mother, staring intently at the Pai Sho board in front of him. Uncle Iroh had telegraphed him notations of his most recent game, a narrow loss to Pakku Karetak, asking Zuko if he could find a way in which Iroh could have played the endgame better. So far, Zuko had found only a few minor improvements, but they didn't seem like anything that could have changed the outcome of the encounter, not with Pakku playing an almost flawless game.
He looked up from the Pai Sho board when someone stepped into the living room, Zuko smiling when he noticed Sokka trying to be stealthy and trying to avoid attracting his attention. When Sokka realized that he had still distracted Zuko, the Water Tribe boy looked guilty. "Sorry, I thought I was being silent as a mouse," Sokka apologized. "Was I being too loud on the phone, too?" he asked.
"No, and don't worry about it," Zuko said. Sokka had also felt a little guilty about spending so much time away at Zuko's place and leaving Ty Lee alone at the estate. He had wanted to make sure that Ty Lee was fine and had stepped out to make a phone call. "How is Ty Lee faring?" Zuko asked.
"I thought she'd feel a bit spooked alone in that big house, but she seems to be doing just fine," Sokka chuckled. "Ty Lee said that she's lounging on the sofa, cuddling with the cats and watching Jeopardy. That sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me."
"I suppose," Zuko nodded. "I just need a few more minutes and then we can do something more fun, too," he said.
"It's alright, don't rush it," Sokka replied. "I'm having fun just exploring this beautiful apartment. Uh, and by exploring I mean simply looking around and not in any creepy way, like going through your drawers."
Zuko had to laugh at that. "Relax, Sokka, that's the last thing I would suspect you of doing," he chuckled.
"Oh, good," Sokka also laughed. "Hey… can I ask you a question?" he said. Zuko nodded quickly. "Did you ever get any comments about… well, you know, staying with your mom for so long? Like, sharing the apartment, I mean."
Zuko shrugged. "I used to get a few slurs now and then, but when I went after those making the comments with my fists, all such talk stopped quickly," he said. "Besides, this is my mom's apartment only technically. You know that she's as good as moved in with Ikem by now. And before that, well… money was the issue. I couldn't really support myself when living separately and I didn't want to live on the handouts from my uncle." He frowned a little, suddenly wondering if Sokka was thinking less of him because he had stuck by his mentally vulnerable mother longer than some close-minded people deemed socially acceptable. He wouldn't have expected Sokka to be one of those people, and he really hoped that he was wrong to suspect Sokka of closemindedness. "Do you… have some problem with that?" he dared to ask.
"What? No, of course I don't have any problems with that!" Sokka exclaimed in surprise. "I totally understand your situation. It made sense to be patient, and now you have an awesome apartment all to yourself. Besides, if I didn't have the means to seek higher education and if I would have been forced to remain in Cape Kuruk, I would still be stuck living with dad and Gran-Gran. That would be considered normal. In fact, trying to move out at any cost would be considered weird."
"Interesting," Zuko remarked. He still didn't know so much about the customs of the Water Tribes, especially outside the capital where people hadn't completely abandoned their cultural roots. But at least he knew some things by now. Before starting to hang out with Sokka, Zuko had known practically nothing about the ways of the Water Tribes.
"Ugh, sorry, I said I wasn't going to distract you and then I got us talking again," Sokka sighed. "I'll just shut up for a few minutes, okay?"
"I'll try to make this quick, I promise," Zuko nodded with a smile, returning his attention to the Pai Sho board. He slightly shifted his position in the chair, and immediately grunted as a stab of sharp pain flashed through a spot in his left shoulder.
"What happened?" Sokka looked totally freaked out, staring at him wide-eyed.
"Nothing, I always end up doing this to myself," Zuko sighed, trying to rub his shoulder and get the muscles to slacken. "Too much time spent sitting in the same position without moving, and I don't realize it before it's too late."
"Oh, I know what that's like. I often do that to myself at the repair shop, frozen in the same position under the hood of a car," Sokka nodded knowingly, walking up to stand behind Zuko. "Why don't you let me?" he asked, placing his hand on Zuko's shoulder.
Zuko shuddered lightly at the touch of Sokka's hand. "Am I about to learn that you also possess the hidden talents of a masseur?" Zuko chuckled awkwardly. Suddenly, even breathing itself became a bit of a challenge.
"There might be things you don't know about me, yes," Sokka replied, starting to rub Zuko's shoulders. Zuko's eyes narrowed in delight and he had to fight really hard not to make any incriminating noises about how good Sokka's hands felt on his shoulders, working out all those knots filled with tension. "Is it helping?" Sokka asked, stopping a while later. His voice sounded uncertain.
Zuko wasn't sure what was going on, was it simply Sokka being a thoughtful friend or had it spiraled into something Zuko had barely dared to think about. All he knew was that he didn't want Sokka to stop. "It's helping, but I still feel kind of tense," Zuko managed, hoping that he didn't sound too needy.
"Well, I'm happy to continue, just tell me when to stop," Sokka sounded pleased, happy to continue working on Zuko's shoulders. A while later, Sokka spoke up, sounding a bit tense. "Umm, there's something I wanted to ask you, Zuko," he said. "But, uh… it's kind of embarrassing and I've no idea how to go about it."
Zuko froze at those words. Could it really be what he was thinking of right now? It couldn't be, surely. He knew that Sokka had dated some seriously hot girls in the past. He had been with Yue for a long while, and then he had dated that perky reporter, Suki Arya. Sokka had to be straight, right? Zuko was sure that with his rotten luck, he could never be so fortunate to have his one wish come true. "Sokka, I… I really value you a lot, okay?" Zuko croaked out. "There's no way I'll think less of you because of something you'll say to me."
"Alright, well… uh, I was just being curious," Sokka laughed, a little goofily. "I know you used to date that girl, Jin. I've met her at the Jasmine Dragon and she was really quite charming, so you definitely have good taste. But I just wanted to know… can you, uh, see yourself ever dating guys?"
Zuko felt a flash of strange heat emanating from his chest and hitting his face, almost like a buzz of getting drunk, only on feelings instead of alcohol. "I don't know about dating guys, but… I could definitely see myself dating one certain guy," he said.
Sokka's hands on his shoulders stopped moving. "Oh," he said. Zuko didn't have to look up to know that Sokka was grinning like an adorable idiot. "Sounds like… maybe we should talk about that?"
"Maybe we should, yes," Zuko agreed. "It could be a long conversation, though, and it's getting late. But you could stay and crash on the couch?"
"You read my mind," Sokka chuckled. "I'm just going to call Ty again to let her know that the cats will have to stand guard over her tonight. Hopefully she won't hate me for leaving her alone at the estate."
"I'm sure she'll be alright," Zuko said. He already knew that Sokka staying at the apartment would send the rumor mill into overdrive, but right now, he couldn't give a damn.
"Good game, Toph," Katara said at the conclusion of their match of the second round as she shook hands with the younger girl. She was being overly generous, however, perhaps even lying. Toph had barely squeaked past thirty moves before surrendering. Katara couldn't make any sense of it all. She couldn't believe that they had created such a big gap between the three of them and Toph in merely half a year. Katara was sure that for some reason Toph's heart didn't seem to be in the game, and she was playing well below her ability.
"Yeah, it really wasn't," Toph scowled at her, fully aware that she hadn't done well. It had been a bit of a massacre. "You don't have to placate me, Katara."
"I was just trying to be polite, Toph," Katara said apologetically.
"Well, don't," Toph only looked more annoyed at that.
"Okay, I won't then. I kicked your ass, is that better?" Katara tried again.
Toph was fuming. "No, but at least that's the truth," she was forced to admit.
"Please say that you're joining us for prep today," Katara said pleadingly. Toph had dodged them in the aftermath of the first round, and Katara was starting to really miss her old friend.
"I actually have something else scheduled, sorry," Toph shrugged. Katara made a sad face, hoping to move Toph, a desperate attempt that had never worked in the past. "Ugh, stop making that face, please? If I promise to join you tomorrow, will you stop?" Toph grumbled at her.
"Okay, it's a deal," Katara smiled at the younger girl. "We're all missing you so much, Toph. We want to spend more time with you."
"Well, you're not the only-… I mean, gotta run," Toph seemed to be blushing a little as she quickly made her escape before Katara could stop and question her any further.
Katara was still wondering about Toph's odd behavior when Azula and Yue caught up with her a while later, having easily won their second round games as well. All three of them had spotless records thus far. "Did she ditch us again?" Azula asked. Katara nodded, frowning. "That's so weird. What do you think is up with her?"
"She let it slip that someone else also wants to spend time with her," Katara said.
"Oh, I actually suspected that," Yue nodded, grinning. "Our baby Toph has all grown up and has a secret boyfriend!"
"I wish she'd feel comfortable telling us about it, though," Katara muttered. "Her behavior is frustrating, even if I have a good idea of who her boyfriend might be." Katara had suspected that Toph was attracted to Teo as far back as the summer Pai Sho camp, and the events of the first round in Omashu seemed to confirm her suspicions. Toph had played Teo in the first round, and she had been very close to clinching a victory. But then she had made a completely inexplicable mistake that had allowed Teo to get back into the game and secure a draw. They had all agreed that it had been a completely out of character mistake for Toph to make, and that she had let Teo off the hook for some reason.
"Let's keep in mind that Toph is in a similar situation to where Azula and I were two years ago," Yue reminded them. "She's also the sole heir of a wealthy multimillionaire, about to come of legal age, and we have no idea what sort of pressure she's under from her parents."
"True, but that's why I want to drag the truth out of her," Katara sighed. "I want to help, damn it! You know how important helping our friends is to me."
"I think Yue and I both know that better than anyone, love," Azula smiled, putting her hand on Katara's shoulder. "But consider that perhaps someone else is already helping Toph. It's sweet that you want to help, Kat, but it's not on you to help everyone."
"Exactly," Yue nodded in agreement. "I know you want Toph to open up about her hardships to you, Kat, but maybe for some reason it's hard for her. You might want a stronger emotional bond with Toph, but if she doesn't want the same then there's nothing you can do about it, and it's also not your fault. Maybe she finds it easier to talk about these things with Teo, if she is indeed seeing him. The important thing here is that she has someone, Kat. I think we should just let Toph be and when she's ready, she'll come back to us."
Katara let out a sigh. "See, I know you're right about all that, Yue," she said. "I just feel like our friend is slipping away from us."
"I think you're being overly dramatic there," Azula snorted. "Toph will be back, mark my words, but it can't be forced. That girl is as stubborn as a rock."
"Yes, she's even more stubborn than a certain stubborn Fire Nation girl we all know and love," Katara giggled, while Azula gave her a stare full of mild reproach. "Anyway, how about dinner followed by Pai Sho practice? Shall we be on our way?" she asked. Having received two enthusiastic nods, Katara squeezed in between the two other girls, putting her arms around their waists and then they were on their way, to savor yet another enjoyable day spent together.
Next chapter: Our girls have been crushing their opponents so far, but will this fluffy happiness continue when they start facing each other? Who's going to prevail this year?