"I'm standing on a beach in the distance, and even though you're far away, can you see my red light?
It's waiting to turn green. 'Cause I feel so isolated without you;
I can't play a happy tune on my own, so stay by my side, high or low tide." Aries, Gorillaz
Xx
"Stop taunting me!" Sokka fights with the fish he's trying to catch, splashing around and making a total fool of himself, but Katara's mind is too far away to join in with Aang's laughter.
She plays with the pendant of her necklace, hanging in its rightful palace at the hollow of her throat. Aang had told her and Sokka about Zuko breaking him out of Pohuai Stronghold once they were lucid (coming back to reality while sucking on a frozen wood frog had not been ideal, to say the least). The story itself had been shocking enough, but when Aang pulled her mother's necklace out of his pocket, she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Zuko had somehow found it on the beach at Kyoshi Island, the same beach that she had spent hours searching, feeling like she had turned over every grain of sand before giving up. Now it was back in her possession, but still she ruminated on the fact that Zuko had kept it safe with him for weeks. He had only ever seen her twice at that point— how had he even remembered that it was hers? More and more he occupies her thoughts, and with each passing day she wishes that she could actually spend more than five minutes with him so she could really get to know him. Even so, she feels like she already does know him in a way; his face is the sunrise, familiar and warm, bringing new wonders with it every day, reliable and consistent. But in reality, she hardly knows anything about him.
"Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!" Aang's sharp words shock her out of her thoughts, and the three of them run over to a man who is entirely too calm in the face of an angry platypus bear.
"Well, hello there!" The man side steps the attacking animal, stepping gracefully around it with a smile. The three of them shout directions at the man ("make noise!" "play dead!" "punch him in the bill!") but it seems that he cares much too little for someone who is literally dancing with a ferocious wild animal. Luckily for him, Appa appears behind the platypus bear, letting out a loud, low groan that scares the thing off.
"You're lucky we were here!" Sokka admonishes the man, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You would have been that thing's lunch!"
"Thanks, but everything was already under control. Aunt Wu predicted that I would have a safe journey," the man says with an easy smile.
"But you didn't!" Sokka's indignation is ignored by the strange man.
"Aunt who?" Aang asks, tilting his head in curiosity.
"No, Aunt Wu. She's a fortune teller from my village." The man brushes himself off, and begins to walk away. "Oh, Aunt Wu told me to give this to any travelers I saw!" He turns back to hand a long, thin package to Aang, then continues on his way.
"Oh, a fortune teller!" Katara has always been interested in divination, and the idea of a fortune teller is one she can't pass up. "We should go see her!"
Aang unwraps the package excitedly. "An umbrella!"
Xx
They get to the village a little while later; Sokka is soaking wet from the rain and in a very bad mood. He had declared on the walk that "fortune telling is bullshit!" only to get rained on for almost the whole trip. When he had declared his own fortune ("it's going to keep drizzling!"), the rain had abruptly stopped, gentle light escaping through the thinning clouds, causing his frustration to increase. Clearly he was hangry, and when they approach the village, food is probably the only thing on his mind. The village sits at the base of a volcano (dormant according to the villagers), and the people walk around cheerily in the market square.
"Aunt Wu has been expecting you." A man dressed in black bows to them, and opens up the round door behind him.
"Really?" Katara walks into the building excitedly, an aggravated Sokka reluctantly following her, and the group comes into a small waiting room. They sit down on three plush cushions as a girl around Aang's age sporting crazy pigtails walks in.
"Hello, I'm Meng," she says cheerily, and Katara sees her eyes light up as she looks at Aang. Aww, how cute. She has a crush on Aang! "I'm Aunt Wu's assistant."
She makes small talk with Aang, but Katara is too focused on her prospective fortune to listen to any of it, idly fingering her necklace. Meng leaves, returning a few minutes later with a tray of snacks. She trips on her way in, and Aang reaches out to catch the tray for her, accidentally covering her hands with his. They look up at each other, both blushing, before the girl pulls away leaving Aang holding the snacks.
"Enjoy your snack! Aunt Wu will be right with you," she says nervously, leaving a bored Sokka, a daydreaming Katara, and a blushing Aang in her wake.
"Welcome, young travelers." An older woman in heavy makeup enters the room a few minutes later. "Who wants to go first?"
Katara and Aang look at each other, Sokka seeming totally disinterested. "I guess I'll go first." Katara stands up, hiding her shaking hands behind her back.
Aunt Wu brings her into a room a little ways down the hall. A lit fire pit sits in the middle, comfortable cushions surrounding it on the floor. Aunt Wu sits down next to a large jug full of bones, motioning for Katara to sit directly across from her.
"The most reliable way to tell your fortune is to use the bones." She has Katara pick a bone from the jug and toss it into the fire. "The cracks in the bone will tell us your destiny."
The bone sizzles for a moment before a long, thin, jagged crack appears in its center. "Oh, my!" Katara looks up at the woman, unable to tell if that's a good or bad reaction. "The long but thin crack, jagged and sharp, signifies the presence of a twin flame relationship."
Katara feels her heart start to beat a little faster in excitement. "A twin flame relationship? What's that?"
"The twin flame is a divine bond orchestrated by the spirits themselves. A single soul inhabiting two people; the bodies are physically separate, but spiritually they are one. The masculine splits from the feminine, and the soul, wanting to be complete and balanced, pulls the two energies together. Once the union is made, it will usher in a new era; one of peace and love. The twin flame energy binds two people to each other, their destiny as undeniable as the stars in the sky." Katara's eyes are wide, hungry for more information. "The journey of the twin flame is one of hardship and sacrifice. The goal of these hardships is to teach each person to embrace love without fear, to heal your deepest wounds, and to bring the flames together again. Your flame can bring out the worst in you, forcing you to work through difficult personal issues and heal from them, and the best in you, clearing the path for you to achieve your higher purpose. The two souls will meet and repel continuously until each of them is ready to begin their divine intention, which can only happen when they have resolved their own deep seated issues. Each flame grows emotionally before they meet, and grow ever more to their highest potential once they are able to be together."
"Wow." Katara can feel her body shaking ever so slightly. A feeling of familiarity makes a home in her chest, nestled between her ribs. "How do I know when I've met my twin flame?"
Aunt Wu offers a kind smile. "It will feel like coming home. Like you've known them your whole life, even if you have just met. There is an overwhelming sense of belonging and openness with a twin flame, like you could bare your soul to them, all the good and bad, and they will love you all the same. A friendship or emotional bond develops quickly, as each person feels like they've known the other for their whole lives. There will most likely be shared experiences, most often painful ones, that have occurred around the same time in their lives that allow the two to form a deep understanding of one another. Twin flames, for the most part, meet in their physical form in a strange or unusual way. Most people think it is by chance, but in your case, I can see that the spirits have had a direct hand in delivering your twin flame to you." Katara looks up at her sharply, and Aunt Wu laughs. "Yes, my dear, you have already met them. But it is very important that you do not push the bond of your twin flame." She raises a finger in warning, her tone turning serious. "Each soul is required to grow to a certain point before any relationship could work between the two. Each person must battle their own demons, and find peace and balance in themselves before they can merge with their twin flame. I sense you still have some growing to do, and it is likely that your partner does as well." Katara sits in stunned silence, unsure of what to do or say. She unconsciously touches her mother's necklace, and it almost feels warmer than usual, as if Zuko had just been holding it.
"What do I do?" The question is vague, and Katara isn't even sure herself of what she is referring to.
"Continue on your journey, young one." Aunt Wu takes Katara's hands in her own; they are warm and soft, and she can feel the calmness emanating from the older woman. "You cannot force a twin flame. As you continue down your own path, your twin flame will find you at the right moment. Do not stray from your journey; it is essential to your destiny." Katara takes a deep breath in, bringing the old woman's calm into her lungs and dispersing it throughout her body before she exhales.
"Thank you, Aunt Wu." Her voice is soft, the weight of her destiny fresh and heavy upon her shoulders.
"You are welcome, my dear. Now, do you use moisturizer? Your hands are so soft!"
Xx
After Katara's fortune has been read, Aang goes in to learn of his future while she and Sokka sit out in the waiting room. Her brother is occupied with stuffing his face with bean curd puffs as Katara contemplates her fortune, and what it means for her life. Her head is practically spinning on her shoulders thinking of all the possibilities. All of the fleeting emotions and lingering feelings she's had about Zuko float through her mind, clouding her thoughts and making it hard for her to concentrate on anything else. Coming together and repelling, unusual first meeting, feeling like you've known them your whole life… those can't just be strange coincidences. Aang comes out of the fortune teller's room a while later, looking somber and contemplative.
"How'd it go, Aang?" Sokka asks, bean curd puff crumbs tumbling out his mouth.
"Just more Avatar stuff." He brushes off the question,and Katara thinks he is purposely being vague in his answer. Aunt Wu trails behind him into the waiting room, a tired look on her face.
"Okay, let's get this over with." Sokka stands, his finally empty mouth allowing him to enunciate clearly.
"Your future is full of struggle and anguish— most of it self-inflicted." Aunt Wu doesn't even wait for Sokka to take a step forward before she tells them his bleak fortune.
"But you didn't even read my palms or anything!" For someone who wanted nothing to do with the fortune teller, Sokka sounds disproportionally upset.
"I don't need to. It's written all over your face."
Katara works very hard to stifle her laughter, turning her giggle into a cough to try to cover it up. Sokka throws his hands up in the air in exasperation, not waiting for the others to follow as he storms out of the building.
"I told you fortune telling is bullshit! That lady doesn't know what she's talking about." Not twenty paces out of the building, Sokka steps into a large, muddy puddle. "Aw, I just cleaned these shoes yesterday!"
Aang laughs outright as Sokka continues to sulk. "You know Sokka," sarcasm oozes from Katara's words as a large smirk forms on her face. "It doesn't hurt to wash your shoes more than once a month." Aang laughs even louder at that, and a grumbling Sokka shoots a glare at his sister in annoyance.
Later in the day, they come upon a large crowd gathered in the village square, everyone's faces turned up towards the sky.
"What's going on?" Katara asks as the three of them look up at a completely normal looking sky.
"We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village." The unreasonably calm man from the platypus bear incident earlier speaks up from their left. "The clouds will reveal to Aunt Wu whether or not Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year, or erupt and destroy the village."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Sokka is starting to get a lump on his forehead from smacking it so much throught the day. "Why don't you just go up the mountain and check for yourselves instead of just trusting that crazy old lady?"
"Well, we used to have a tradition of going up the mountain once a year to see if it would erupt," the calm man continues, "but ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village, we have a new tradition of not doing that."
Aunt Wu stands upon a pagoda and announces the safety of the village proclaimed by the clouds, causing cheers to ripple through the crowd.
"I think we should just go up there and check it ourselves." Sokka's arms are crossed over his chest in a defensive position. "There's no way in hell that I'm just taking that lady's word for it."
Katara rolls her eyes as she begins to walk away. "You go ahead and do that Sokka."
It turns out, surprisingly, that Sokka was right to question Aunt Wu. He and Aang had journeyed to the top of the mountain to check the status of the volcano themselves, and had found a massive pool of flowing lava growing in the caldera. With the help of some manipulated clouds, they are able to evacuate the village before the volcano erupts. In a display of awe-inspiring airbending, Aang is able to protect the town from the lava flow.
"Great job, Aang!" Katara hugs the monk after he returns from saving the village.
"Hey, what about me!" Katara laughs as she hugs her brother as well. They leave the village that night, but Aunt Wu's prediction stays with Katara for days to come.