"Where is he?" Katara has been sitting in her modest kitchen for what feels like hours waiting for her brother. She alternates between tapping her foot, bouncing her leg, and pacing to try to burn off some of her anxiety, but the stubborn nervousness refuses to extricate itself from her mind.
Sokka was supposed to be at her doorstep earlier this morning with a large bag of wheat in tow, but he has yet to arrive even as the sun lowers hastily towards the horizon. The small house is too silent, and has been for hours now; she's tried to be patient, wanting to avoid going into town unless she absolutely has to, but it's looking more and more like she has no other options. Blue glowing eyes dart to the sinking sun slanting through the window, golden light bathing the simple furniture in a dewy sheen, and Katara lets a tired groan slip from her throat. It's dangerous for her to go into town, and Sokka knows this. Usually he's good about bringing her whatever supplies and food items she may need, knowing that her glowing eyes will assuredly give her away at the bustling open air market in the village square, but it's looking like she has no choice but to go into town herself.
The worn chair scrapes on the floor as she pushes it back, and her anxiety mounts as she fetches her coin purse and a navy shawl from her room. She glances at herself in the old mirror hanging on her wall, her distinct eyes staring back at her no matter how much she tries to hide them with her long unruly hair. It's not the color that makes them stand out; plenty of people in town have blue eyes, but the ever present glow in her irises is impossible to miss. Most of the time she doesn't mind being Othered, even if being shunned to the edge of her little village has been a thorn in her side since she was fourteen. She loves swirling her water around, the sparkling light from the sun bouncing off of it and throwing myriad colors around her when she has a moment to simply relax, but the dangers that come with her gift make it hard for Katara to truly appreciate it. It's incredibly useful around the house, making for her chores and daily work on the small farm she calls her own immensely easier than they would be otherwise, but there's always a whispering desire in her mind, an incessant wish to be normal buzzing around her like a persistent fly. Nobody but her family dares come near her, and loneliness has become a haunting staple in her days, the pervasive emptiness pricking like pins at every thought she has. The last eight years have been quiet and boring, her days blending together into a grey sameness, broken only by the occasional trip into town that either results in hostile glares and a wide berth from the townspeople, or angry shouts trailing her as she runs back to the safety of her home.
"You can't come with me, Speckle." Her cat brushes up against her leg as she makes her way towards the door. She runs her hand along his soft fur, always marveling at his beautiful orange and black coat. He trills softly at her before sitting down next to the door, taking his usual place as sentinel until she returns.
She plucks her wide brimmed straw hat off of it's hook, her disguise always resting in its permanent place next to the door, and steps out into the chill of early spring. The heavy shawl she wears flutters around her with the gentle breeze, a chill seeping into her bones before she pulls it closer to her chest and sets out into the village. Golden hour light drenches the small village, the last dredges of snow sparkling where they cling to the roofs of modest houses that grow more frequent the farther into town she gets. The market square is located in the center of the village, and is always bustling with people no matter the season. Katara loves the outdoor market, and laments the fact that she can't spend more than a few minutes there without getting heckled. The sweet smell of sticky buns, the sounds of villagers calling out their wares and haggling prices, and the children weaving through the throngs of people create a certain atmosphere, a liveliness and warmth that permeates even the coldest of winter days. She strides with purpose among the stalls, her straw hat pulled down to hide her eyes from everyone as much as possible. She knows that the stall owner will most likely see her eyes, and that the wary looks and the whispers that are just loud enough to carry will start as soon as she makes her purchase.
"One large bag of wheat, please." The shop owner thankfully doesn't look her in the eye as she speaks, her hand coming up to pull her hat down ever so slightly more.
"Four copper." The shop owner plops the large bag onto the stall counter with a resounding thunk as Katara pulls out her coins. "Do you want someone to carry this for you? It's quite heavy." The man tries to catch her eye under her hat, but she manages to tilt her head at just the right moment to avoid his gaze.
"Oh, no thank you, sir." She sets her coins on the counter and adjusts her shawl. "I'm stronger than I look." She bends slightly at the knees and lifts the large canvas bag, resting part of it over one shoulder. The bag catches on the brim of her hat, knocking it off kilter for just a moment before she can readjust it, but she knows she's been caught when the shop owner's face turns sour. Shit.
She quickly turns away, hoping to escape the market before the shop owner has time to make everyone else aware of her presence. People start to give her a wider birth as she makes her way through the square, and by the time she leaves the market area, people are staring after her, the weight of their collective gaze heavier than three bags of wheat piled atop her back. She quickens her steps on the walk back out to her home, the cool breeze riding in with the setting sun sending shivers through her body as it penetrates her shawl. She passes two older women on her way, who are luckily too absorbed in their own conversation to notice her.
"Did you hear about the traveler?" Katara slows her pace to eavesdrop on their conversation; they hardly ever get people travelling through the village.
"Oh, yes. He's Othered, isn't he?" The blood slows to a crawl in her veins, her stride stuttering at the woman's words.
"Yes, and what a shame." One of the women tsks. "He's so handsome. Or, he would be if it wasn't for that horrible scar. And the eyes, of course." Katara's heart is pounding, the blood now rushing through her veins so loud that she can hear it in her ears. He's Othered? She's never met anyone else like her, and her curiosity takes on an alarming intensity. She pauses for just a moment before deciding that she's going to find the traveler, and heads back towards the market.
The weight of the large bag across her chest is almost entirely forgotten, her feet moving quickly of their own accord carrying her back towards the market square. It's a dangerous move; the people there had seen her eyes, and will no doubt get angry if she tries to reenter. She knows from past experience that they aren't above resorting to violence to rid them of her presence. As she approaches, the sounds of the market have taken on a different quality than the usual lively hum, one of hushed caution and thinly veiled hostility, and she knows that the man must be here. She skirts around the edge of the square, doing her best to stay partially hidden as she tries to look through the crowd, taking notice of any areas that are strangely empty.
She's about to turn a corner when the crowd thins just enough for her to see him. He's tall, probably about the same height as her brother, and wearing a dark cloak with the hood drawn. If it weren't for the increasing volume of voices and large amount of empty space around him, she probably wouldn't have even known that he was Othered. She stands stock still, her eyes perilously wide, their glow on full display as she stares at the man. He turns sharply, and before she can even move, their eyes meet; glowing blue, and a beautiful gold that shines brighter than a sunset. Panic bursts under her skin, urging her to spin on her heel and start walking as fast as she can away from the crowd. At least if he follows me, we won't be trapped in the danger of the market.
"Wait!" It must be the man calling out from behind her, his voice low and raspy, the sounds mingling with that of his pounding footsteps as he runs towards her.
She doesn't look back, instead rounding a corner into an alley and dropping her hefty bag onto the ground so that she can rest her hand on the short sword she always keeps on her person. The man appears before her, his hood pushed back revealing shaggy black hair, and he stares at her openly as he catches his breath. She takes in his face; a reddish scar covers his left eye, reaching up towards his hairline and back across his temple, stopping just below his high cheekbone, but it does nothing to dull the glow in his eyes. They shine a bright gold, the unique color amplified by the unmistakable glow that marks them as Othered, and they're stunning in the greyness of the alley. His skin is pale, cheeks a rosy pink from running after her, and he really is very handsome, even with the scar. He has a straight nose, and dark lashes rim his right eye, the contrast with his skin making it look almost porcelain. She realizes she's been staring at him for quite some time, but it seems that he doesn't notice, as he's been staring at her too.
Words escape her; what do you say to the only other person like you that you've ever met? What do you say to the first new person in your life that doesn't look at you with fear or disgust? How do you bridge a gap between yourself and a stranger who possibly understands you better than anyone else?
"Hi." At some point the man had gotten closer; they're just a few feet apart, and his low voice shatters the silence they had been hiding in. She realizes again that he's tall, and she has to tilt her chin upwards to look into his bright eyes.
"Hi," she says, a little breathless, the reality of the situation seeping back into the moment as the sky turns darker with the setting sun. "Do you want to—" she points over her shoulder with her thumb, her mouth not able to form words correctly enough to enunciate.
"Yeah."
She isn't even sure if he knows what she means when he nods, but it's good enough for her. She hears Sokka's voice in her head, warning her about taking strange men back to her home, but she knows in her gut that this man isn't dangerous. Maybe it's the softness in his golden eyes, maybe it's the way his right is blown wide even still, the left just a little more pronounced. She can't put to words why she knows this man won't hurt her, but she knows that she's right. She bends down to pick up the bag of wheat, and the man takes a step towards her.
"I can get that for you." He sounds hesitant, like he isn't quite sure what he's doing here either.
"Sure." He hauls the bag up over his shoulder with ease. He must be strong. "Thank you."
"It's not a problem." He shrugs under the weight of the sack, and Katara pulls her hat back down over her eyes as they exit the alley. The man reaches for his hood and drapes it over his head, the front falling low on his face and almost completely hiding his eyes. Almost.
"What's your name?" she asks as they make their way towards her home on the outskirts of the village, the sky warm with hues of pink and orange as the sun slips lower under the horizon.
"Zuko." She likes the sounds of his name. People's names in her village all sound similar; she's never heard a name like Zuko before. "What's yours?"
"Katara." He nods, and they continue the trek in silence, twilight falling around them by the time they reach her house.
She opens the door, closing it quickly behind Zuko to keep the chill out. Instructing him to drop the hefty bag by the door, she goes to light the lantern, the slight traces of sunlight outside not enough to brighten the main room of her home.
"Here, let me—" Zuko steps up behind her and reaches his arm around towards the lantern. He uses his thumb and forefinger to pinch the wick, and with a small upwards tugging motion, it catches fire, casting a warm glow throughout the room.
"Oh." She's never seen anyone else use their gift, and it sends a strange shiver through her as she watches the tiny flame. "Can— can you light the fireplace too?"
"Sure." He walks over to the hearth and squats down on the balls of his feet. He brings his hand up to his face and blows past his open palm, almost like he's blowing a kiss, but when he breathes out, sparks materialize from the air and float into the fireplace, the logs inside quickly catching and flaring to life.
"Wow." Zuko stands up, turning to her with a small, lopsided grin. "I've never met anyone else like me before. That's incredible." She understands now the awe that her family had exhibited when she had first shown them her gift; it was beautiful and otherworldly, and she can see why people would fear it.
"Me neither," he agrees and walks back over to where she stands in the kitchen area. "What do you— I mean, what's your—"
"Oh!" She's glad that Zuko is just as flustered as she is, otherwise she'd feel extremely embarrassed for how she's bumbling through her sentences. "Would you like some tea?" She lifts the cap off of her beat up teapot, and, moving the fingers of one hand similar to how one would play a harp, she siphons water from the clean bucket in the corner into the pot. She looks up at Zuko, a flush creeping onto her cheeks as she sees his eyes widen as a smile pulls across his face.
"That's amazing..." Her blush deepens at the undiluted awe displayed on his face, and she shrugs as she adds the tea leaves and moves to put the kettle onto the stovetop.
"Would you?" She gestures to the stove, and Zuko moves closer before once again blowing sparks out from his palm to light up the stove. "That's very convenient."
"Yeah." A shadow pulls over his face, and Katara finds that she misses the bright smile that had resided there not moments before.
"Sit." She pulls out a chair at her kitchen table and gestures to the one across from her. "We don't usually get travellers in the village. Are you here for something specific?"
"No." He takes off his cloak and drapes it across the back of the chair before sitting down. His shirt is a simple dark red, and looks much too thin to actually be keeping him warm. "Well, I'm looking for something, but I didn't really think I would find it here."
"There's not much of interest here." Speckle jumps up into Katara's lap as she speaks, rubbing his face into her hand to coax her into petting him. "I'm not surprised you didn't find what you were looking for."
"I found you." Now her face is really hot, and she sees a matching hue making its home on Zuko's cheeks. "Not that I was looking for you! I mean, I'm glad that I found you, but I wasn't, like, stalking you or anything. I didn't even know you existed." She has a hard time holding back her smile; it's almost cute to see Zuko flounder with his words. "Sorry. I don't interact with people very often."
"It's okay. I don't either." She gives him a small smile, his mirroring gesture birthing a small tingling feeling in her stomach.
"We make quite a pair," he says, and she laughs softly at his accurate assessment, the awkwardness of before dissipating like the cold in the heat of the hearth with his words. She sees the tea boiling, and uses her fingers to draw it out of the kettle, swiveling her wrist to guide it into the two mugs she has set out on the table. Speckle jumps up to inspect Zuko's full mug, sniffing the tea and moving his little head back sharply when he realizes that it's hot. "What's your cat's name?"
"Speckle." Zuko reaches to scratch under the cat's chin, eliciting a purr as Speckle makes himself comfortable on the table next to Zuko. "He likes to play with the water while I move it around. He makes a total fool of himself." Speckle looks right at her, as if he understands her words and is upset at the barb.
"He's very cute." Zuko continues to pet the cat as he takes a sip of his tea.
"So, what were you actually looking for?" she asks around her mug, the warmth seeping into her hands as she cradles it close to her chest.
"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." Something changes in his face, but she doesn't quite know what it is.
"Try me."
He lets out a sigh. "I'm looking for The Source." Katara raises a brow, and he continues. "The Source is… well, it's the source of our gifts. Everyone who's Othered gets their gift from The Source."
"Huh." She takes another sip of her tea. "That doesn't sound too crazy. Why are you trying to find it?"
"Someone is trying to destroy it." A crease forms between her eyebrows as Zuko continues to speak. "The Source is responsible for the gifts of the Othered, but it's existence is important to the balance of the whole world. If it were to be destroyed, everything would fall into chaos."
"Why would someone want to destroy it? I mean, I understand that nobody likes us—" he nods in affirmation— "but if it's going to screw up the whole world, what's the point?"
"The man who wants to destroy it is the King of Ember."
"I don't know what that is."
"Ember is a big city way south of here. The King..." Zuko's warm eyes turn hard, the glow more pronounced now that night has descended upon the village, the hearth throwing flickering light onto his back and leaving his face in shadow. "He's a cruel man. And he wants to destroy The Source so that, in the ensuing calamity, he can take control of as much land as he can."
"What? So he wants to control the world?" Her incredulousness bleeds through her words as Zuko nods. "Do you think he could actually do it?"
"Do you want to find out?" he asks, voice cold and sharp, the threat of the King's quest tangible in the small space between the two Othered.
"Not really, no. But once you find The Source, how are you going to protect it? You're just one guy." The anger drains from his face, leaving a tiredness in its wake that looks like it goes bone deep.
"I have no idea. I just know that I have to try."
Silence falls upon them as they finish their tea, the cat still lying on the table next to Zuko, purring contentedly as if the world hasn't turned a shade darker since Katara had left to get the sack of wheat almost two hours ago.
The fire burns away in the hearth as Katara runs through everything that's happened in the last few hours in her head. Having to go into the village had been enough of a stressor, and even if Zuko had been a regular guy, a traveler coming through was the most exciting thing that had happened in the village in months. On top of that, the traveler is Othered, just like her, has an elemental gift just like her, and is on some sort of magnificent quest to save the world. This is too much for one day.
"I should probably find somewhere to stay the night." The two of them look out the window at Zuko's words, the darkness of night draped over the world like a shroud broken only by the flickering lanterns in the far away heart of the village.
"I don't know if you'll be able to." She knows by the look on his face that he's familiar with the circumstances. "Everyone saw your face earlier in the market, and word spreads fast here. You'd be hard pressed to find someone to rent you a room. People here are already wary of strangers, and since you're Othered…" She trails off, but the unspoken words are easily understood. You're shit out of luck.
"Fuck." He scrubs his face and pushes his hair back, letting his hand rest at the base of his neck after carding his fingers through the shiny black strands.
"I have a small barn out back," she says before she can think better of it. "You can stay there tonight if you want. I have blankets and stuff you can put down so that you don't have to sleep on the ground."
"Are you sure?" Something in her just can't let him wander off into the dark, can't let him spend the night out in the chill air alone and unsure of his path.
"Of course. Are you hungry? I still have to make dinner." He nods his head, and Katara gets up to start preparing the food.
"Can I help?" Zuko is standing awkwardly at the table, and Speckle, having jumped down onto the floor at his rising, is now making his way over to weave between Katara's legs.
"Sure." She waves him over to her counter and hands him a knife. "I'll wash the vegetables and you can chop them up. Sound good?" He nods, and she siphons some water into a large pot sitting on the stove. "Light that for me?" Zuko blows his gentle sparks onto the stove, the fire coming to life under the pot.
They work in relative silence, Katara manipulating the water to clean the various vegetables and handing them to Zuko who chops them up into bite sized pieces. The work is much quicker with two people, and in no time they have a pile of prepped food waiting to be thrown into the pot.
"It might take a while for the water to boil," she states as she stands over the large pot, throwing herbs and seasonings into the water. "Unless you can help with that?" She smirks at him over her shoulder, not expecting him to be so close, and has to look up to see his grin.
"Actually, I can." He moves next to her in front of the pot, and moves his hand like he's instructing someone to rise. The cookfire grows bigger, the very tips of the flames tickling the edges of the pot.
"Oh." Katara marvels at the control he has over his element; she's never tried to sustain her control over water like this, and she watches him closely, noticing his even breathing moving his broad chest beneath his shirt. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." His voice is low, and she can almost feel it vibrating through him as he stands next to her. She realizes that she should probably step away, but she's entranced as she watches the water come to a boil, the tiny bubbles sitting at the bottom growing bigger and floating to the top in no time at all. "Shouldn't you put the vegetables in now?"
"Oh!" She blushes as she fetches the vegetables, embarrassed that she had been so preoccupied with the boiling water (and definitely not Zuko's rising and falling chest) that she had forgotten why they were boiling it in the first place. "You can sit, we have to let the vegetables simmer so that they can cook right." The cookfire returns to its normal state as Katara drops the vegetables into the pot, adding a little bit of flour to thicken the broth and make it a little more hearty.
"You should come with me," he says, breaking the brief silence that had overcome them.
"Come with you where?" She sits back down at the table, adjusting her shawl and pulling it tighter around her.
"To The Source." Her brows rise up to her hairline as she crosses her legs and leans back in her seat.
"Seriously?" She can't help the incredulous tone that seeps into her voice. "I just met you."
"I know." Zuko rubs the back of his neck. "But what else are you doing? Just sitting around waiting for life to happen? It's not just gonna end up on your doorstep one day."
"Well, that's kind of how you showed up," she teases, and he rolls his eyes, the satisfaction of getting under his skin flowing through her as she smirks.
"Will you at least think about it?" She should say no; she just met Zuko literally a few hours ago, and she shouldn't be contemplating going on some sort of life changing adventure with a man she hardly knows.
"What would you do if I said no?" She swears she sees his eyes dull just the slightest bit before he answers.
"I don't know. Go it alone, I guess." He sighs and turns to look out of the small window. "I need to find a way to make some more money. I'll have to find a job or something before I can head out again. I need to buy some more food, at least."
"How about this—" she leans forward, bracing her elbows on the table. "I'll pay you to work the farm for me for a little while, that way I can focus on making things that I can sell to get myself some more money. And while you're here I'll think about your offer."
"Really? You'd do that?" Zuko sounds positively elated, the smile on his face warming Katara more than the fire from the hearth ever has.
"Sure." She shrugs, trying to hold her own smile back. "Why not? Can't hurt to make some more money, and you need money too, so I think it's a win-win."
"Thank you, Katara." He takes both of her hands in his, and she can feel the calluses against her soft skin, the blood rushing to her cheeks in a flush. "I won't let you down." The seriousness in his eyes has an undercurrent of warmth running through it, and the strange urge to hold his gaze hits her like a wave, the desire to know every color and speck of light in that golden glow gone just as fast as it came.
They finish dinner in relative silence, an alien excitement flooding Katara's brain the more she thinks about everything that's happened today. She gathers a number of blankets, handing most of them to Zuko for him to carry, and leads him out to the modest barn on the far side of her small plot of land.
"It's not much. You can lay out some of the blankets on some hay and it shouldn't be too bad." She feels bad sticking him in the barn, but she isn't about to let a total stranger sleep on her floor, no matter how pretty he may be.
"This is more than enough." He puts some of the blankets down and takes the others that Katara is holding, the exchange somehow gentle as he pulls the blankets from her grasp. "Thank you again for your hospitality."
"Don't mention it." She stands awkwardly in front of him, her hands clasped in front of her so that she won't fidget. "I'll come get you tomorrow for breakfast and then show you how to work the farm."
"Okay." Neither move as they stand facing each other, the chilled air hanging around them, the outside breeze stifled by the walls of the barn. "Goodnight, Katara."
"Goodnight Zuko." She turns around and walks out of the barn, trying to understand why her heart is hammering wildly in her chest.