They arrive at Full Moon bay dirty and tired; it's been months since they've stayed at an inn, and Katara would do almost anything for a real bed at this point. She's sick of the ground and her bedroll and never having any time alone. The best she gets is when she bathes, and even then she can't really relax; she constantly has her eyes peeled and her ears open in case of danger. After the group attacked them at the library, they've had a handful of similar encounters with groups looking to collect the four pairs of glowing eyes and turn them in for what Katara can imagine would be a massive bounty. But none of the thugs they run into expect the four Othered to be able to fight, and they've become sort of a seamless team when it comes to taking out their adversaries. Aang will sometimes use his air to boost Zuko's fire into an explosive plume, either scaring off or seriously injuring anyone close enough to the action. Aang works with Toph and her newly perfected manipulation of sand to send huge clouds of the stuff into their enemies eyes, effectively blinding them for a short time, and Katara has used her water to create a rushing slurry of mud that she and Toph can manipulate to drag their attackers away. But Katara's favorite fusion of gifts is when she and Zuko slam their elements together to create a burst of hot steam that never fails to catch their enemies unawares. She tells herself that her favoritism has nothing to do with Zuko, but she knows that it's a lie.
Every night she wants to ask him to finish what he had started to say in the library, but she doesn't dare ask him around the others. Even when they do end up alone for brief periods of time, she can't muster the courage to bring it up. The question had been born of a random stroke of bravery, and it isn't something she can manage to duplicate, not when the silence around them hides her from the reality that they'll have to acknowledge at some point. Things had finally been back to normal between them (whatever their strange version of normal was), but her question had planted a seed of doubt, the uncertainty between them growing like an errant weed. They hadn't even been this awkward the morning after they had been forced to share a bed in the Oasis, and that was when they had literally cuddled all night. She's dying to rest her head on his shoulder and breathe him in again, to curl up in the warmth of his embrace and listen to his drumming heartbeat under her ear. She doesn't know what compelled her to rest her head on his chest in the first place, what spirit had possessed her and allowed her to act on her desires, but she's glad she did, even if she's haunted by the feeling of his ghost wrapped around her when she tries to sleep. His heart was a wild thing that night, thundering in his ribs like the mightiest of storms, and she hasn't forgotten that fact even though it's been more than two months. She's starting to think that there might be an inkling of truth to Aang and Toph's near constant insisting that Zuko has feelings for her, but the fear of ruining what they have now has her bound and gagged and unable to ask him about it again.
"You good, Sugar Queen?" She shakes her head, Toph's words plucking her from her stupor.
"Yeah, just zoning out."
"Well, look alive. We're about to reach the ferry station."
"Speaking of the ferry, how are we going to get tickets?" Aang's concern is well founded, and something Katara hadn't thought of until now.
"Don't worry about that." Toph waves them off. "I'll take care of it."
Katara and Zuko look at each other, shrugging in tandem as they continue towards the ferry. The four of them pull their hats down over their eyes as they enter the building, which is packed with people. Long lines stem from official looking booths where she assumes the tickets are sold, and people in shabby clothes mill about the large open space at random. Families congregate in clumps against the walls, children running amok and disgruntled parents shouting or chasing after them. The whole scene is pretty chaotic, and Katara is glad that she's here with her three closest (only) friends. Being in large groups like this is strange for someone who grew up in a tiny village, especially when she had been ostracised and shunned to the outside of said village. The biggest crowd she's ever been in was at the fight where they first met Toph, and that was nothing compared to the size and scope of this huge waiting room. The whole space feels liminal, like the blank space at the end of a chapter in a book.
"You guys wait here, I'll get our tickets."
They watch Toph skip the line entirely, slapping something onto the booth and removing her hat when she gets to it's head. Katara jolts at the bold move, but remembers quickly that because of Toph's milky eyes, the glow isn't nearly as pronounced as it is for the rest of them. She also isn't looking directly at the fumbling woman working the booth, an action that won't be questioned due to Toph's blindness.
"How did you manage that?" Toph walks back with a wide smirk, waving four tickets at them and punching Zuko in the arm when she joins the group again. "Ow."
"I'm just that good." She starts leading them over to an open space against a wall. "But really, I'm a Beifong. I can essentially get whatever I want in most places. I just had to show my I.D. and they handed the tickets right over!"
"Must be nice," Zuko mumbles, and ignores Katara's questioning look as he slides down the wall and sits on the dusty floor.
The ferry they have tickets for isn't arriving until the next morning, and Katara watches three of them come and go before she starts feeling sleepy. So many people pack onto each boat, and Katara isn't looking forward to trying to find a place to sleep while squished together with a bunch of strangers. Bedrolls are pulled out and arranged in a square with all of their stuff in the middle; she hates the thought of people stealing their things, especially since most of the people here look like they're travelling with a family, but she understands the caution. Toph is snoring in a matter of minutes, and the sound of Aang's even breathing follows shortly after. Sleep evades her, and Zuko hasn't even laid down yet, sitting on his bedroll with a straight back, a sentinel for their little group.
"Zuko?" He jumps a little bit, turning around to look at her. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Probably eventually, yeah."
"Probably eventually?" Her brow raises. "What does that mean?"
His hand combs through his hair before he turns his body towards her. "Someone's been watching us." A disembodied chill runs down her spine. "I just want to make sure nothing happens."
"I can understand that, but I still think you should sleep." In a fit of daring, she reaches forward and takes his hand in hers. "We'll have to be more vigilant tomorrow on the ferry then we have to be now. Rest tonight and worry about whoever is watching us tomorrow."
"You're probably right." He scrubs his face and moves to lay down, their hands parting slowly, molasses in her veins as she tries to stretch the contact for as long as she can.
Zuko lays his head down on the bedroll, hers laying perpendicular just inches away. The scent of cinnamon is a soft comfort as her eyes drift closed, the uninvited watcher forgotten for the moment.
Xx
Toph retches over the side of the ferry, her face pale and clammy when she straightens back up. "I hate this."
"I found you some mint tea." Zuko sits down across from her and guides the steaming cup into small, shaking hands. "It may not taste very good, but my uncle always said that mint helps with nausea."
"Thanks Sparky." The younger girl takes as strong an inhale as she can muster, tilting her head back against the railing with a sigh.
Katara is lucky that she's been able to avoid the seasickness that plagues a fair amount of the ferry's passengers. It's been a few days since they left Full Moon Bay, and they are bound to dock in Ba Sing Se tomorrow afternoon, something Katara knows that Toph is anxious to do.
"So..." Aang wrings his hands in his lap on Toph's left side. "What are we going to do once we get there?"
"We're supposed to meet up with my brother and whoever he's roped in to help our cause." Six months is the longest she's ever been away from Sokka, and her heart aches whenever she thinks about him.
"Yeah, but how are we going to find them?" Katara's been trying to avoid thinking about it for as long as she can, the uncertainty a cloud just waiting to break overhead, made all the more tangible by Aang's question.
"I think I have an idea." Zuko is close to her right, the four Othered leaning together to not be overheard, and she does her best not to get flustered by his heat.
"I'm all ears, hot stuff." Toph definitely doesn't sound like she's all here, but there is a pinch more color in her face now.
"My uncle taught me how to play this game called pai sho, and—"
"I know pai sho!" Aang's innocent excitement never fails to drag a smile onto Katara's face.
"Please don't tell me that we're relying on an old person game to lead us to Katara's brother." Toph groans and squeezes her eyes shut.
"I wasn't finished. He always told me that pai sho isn't just a game. He taught me a specific technique, and if we can find the right place and the right person to play with, I think they might be able to help us."
"Are you sure it'll work?" She knows that Zuko has unwavering faith in his uncle, but… "It seems a little far-fetched."
"What other options do we have?" His shining golden eyes peek out from under the brim of his hat, their radiance amplified by the bright sun lowering towards the horizon in the distance.
"Good point."
Night comes quickly, deep blues and purples overtaking the bright oranges and pinks of the sun as the full moon takes her throne among the stars. They had managed to get their hands on a relaxing tea that allowed Toph to find respite in her sleep, and Aang dozes beside her, leaving Katara and Zuko to lean over the railing and stare out at the sparkling water. The sky is clear, the stars glittering on the dark surface below them, the moon gracing them with her soft light. Their glowing eyes are much more pronounced at night, their caution heightened by the added risk that comes with the number of people around them.
"Are we still being watched?" Zuko nods in affirmation. "Do you think they'll do anything?" She really isn't looking for a fight, especially one that will expose their identity so blatantly.
"I don't think so." She rests her head on his shoulder, hoping to blend in as just another loving couple. I wish we were actually a loving couple. This would be so romantic if our lives weren't in danger… "If they haven't done anything yet, I don't think they will now. At least, not on the ferry. I don't know what they'll do when we get into the city." His arm comes up and around to rest on her shoulder, and he gives her a comforting squeeze. "Are you excited to see Sokka?"
"Yeah, I am." she smiles against his shoulder. "But part of me is nervous, too."
"Why's that?"
"I don't know, it's just been a while. I know I've changed, and I guess I'm just worried that… I don't even know what I'm worried about, really."
"Katara," he takes her gently by the shoulders and guides her around to face him. "Sokka isn't going to judge you or shame you or think any differently of you because of what you've been through in the last few months. Take it from a big brother." He lifts her chin with his knuckle, the touch delicate and soft, so much so that she fears she might break it if she breathes too harshly. "There's nothing you could ever do that would make him love you any less." I'm so in love with you. The words are on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows them as he lowers his hand back down to her shoulder.
"Thank you, Zuko." She'd be embarrassed by her tears if he hadn't seen her cry a minimum of seven hundred times in the last month. A soft smile brightens his face, and his arms feel like home when he pulls her into his embrace. She tries not to imagine the words he said differently than what she had actually heard, but she has no luck. There's nothing you could ever do that would make me love you any less.
Xx
The walls of Ba Sing Se tower above them as the grand city comes closer. It's so tall that she can't even see past it, the city itself nestled within a cocoon of rock. I wonder if there are any Othered here. If there were, would they be pushed outside of the wall, left to fend for themselves? Would they even be considered citizens of the city if that was the case? The wall grows closer and closer, casting a dark shadow over the ferry as they approach the dock.
"Maybe they'll be waiting for us at the dock!" Aang, ever the optimist, may be hoping for an easy time in the city, but Katara has a distinct feeling that they won't be that lucky.
"I've never been as glad to be on solid ground than I am right now. Not even in the desert." Toph's face is already looking closer to its normal color as they exit the ferry.
The dock here in the city is leagues nicer than the one at Full Moon Bay. Tall columns extend to an ornately decorated ceiling, the walls boasting large paintings, beautiful tiles lining the floor and slapping under their feet. They walk through with their heads down, wary of the men in long, dark green robes and wide brimmed hats that line the walls, their stances official and commanding. There are cable cars that are designated as what transports people to the upper ring, although Katara isn't sure what the upper ring even is until they step outside.
The city is extensive, spanning in all directions as far as the eye can see. Omashu is a glorified ant hill compared to Ba Sing Se, hordes of people crowding the cramped streets, shouts and conversations ringing loud over the hustle and bustle of the citizen's daily lives. She can see from their vantage point that the city is tiered, walls blocking off the middle section from the lower, and the upper from the middle. Someone bumps into her and she remembers her feet, at least having the mind to concentrate on the steps as the group walks down to the streets of the lowest ring of the city. The upper rings had looked clean and fancy with paved roads and neat houses, whereas down here the roads are simply paths of packed dirt with litter pooling in little puddles along it. Zuko leads them through the throng of people, his hand in Katara's, hers in Toph's, and Toph's in Aang's so that they form a human chain to ensure that they don't get separated. Katara has no idea how Zuko knows where to go, and she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have an idea either.
After ambling through the dirty streets, they pile into a shabby noodle shop, the booth seat small and forcing them all to sit almost thigh-to-thigh. She tries to ignore the heat emanating from Zuko sitting next to her to no avail.
"This place is huge," Toph says around her noodles. "How are we ever going to find them in here?"
"I don't know." Zuko sighs and puts his bowl down on the wobbly table. Katara is feeling less and less confident about finding her brother by the second, hope draining from her face like the tea in her mug as she drinks it.
"We should have planned this out before we left." Katara shares a regretful look with Zuko, realizing their mistake far too late to do anything about it.
"We'll find him," he says directly to her, sympathy abundant in his sure gaze. She nods, unsure of how else to respond; she trusts Zuko, of course, but the task of finding her brother seems almost impossible at this point.
They wander around the lower ring until the sun has set, looking for something that she isn't sure they will find. Most of the rundown inns have signs hastily hung on the door, "no vacancy" glaring at them from both sides of every street. It's well into the night when they finally find somewhere that has a room, and she can't even be mad that there's only two beds available. The four get ready to sleep in a heavy silence, deciding that they'll start their search early tomorrow morning. There's no bickering about who shares what bed; she follows Zuko into the one he chooses and immediately curls into his side, craving his comfort and heat, counting on it to quell her nerves. A small pressure is relieved when he takes her into his arms, and a breath she hadn't realized that she'd been holding escapes through her lips. Zuko turns into her, his arm circling her waist to rub her back.
"We'll find him." His hushed voice rides on the breath he exhales, their faces close enough that she can feel its warmth, but still too far away for her liking. "I promise." She bites her lip to hide the tremble, blinking back tears as she nods, afraid to open her mouth lest the sob she's holding back escapes into the night. "Come here."
His warm hand moves up and down her back as she shuffles closer to fist her hands in his shirt, pressing her nose into his chest and breathing him in deep. The smell of his soap has become such a comfort, the scent grounding and soothing, clearing her head and helping her to fight back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. There's no doubt in her mind that her bottom arm will fall asleep, but she'd be hard pressed to care about it at all given the serenity she finds in Zuko's embrace. She wants to tell him how much she cares about him, how desperately she wants to kiss him at any given moment, how his laugh is her heartbeat and his smile is the rising sun, but she swallows it all, burying her love as deep as she can even though she knows that in the morning it will have sprouted again, bright and new and undying.
Xx
They spend days travelling in a group looking for some unspecified brand of pai sho player with no luck. Zuko has played at least four games a day since they got to the city, and none of them have panned out in a way that would help them find her brother. She sleeps in Zuko's arms every night, wishing for more but not daring to ask for it. The pressure between them builds, tension a tripwire pulled taught between them, just waiting for one of them to trip. Is six months long enough to fall in love? The answer must be yes, because there's no other way to describe how she feels when he's near, how he lights up her life like the fire he holds in his hands. Time moves too fast when they're together, no matter how hard she tries to stretch it out, the hours feeling like minutes and minutes feeling like seconds, and she just can't get enough of him. Sleeping next to him is the sweetest sin, the most desirable torture she could ever endure, and she never, ever wants to stop.
She snaps back to herself when Toph elbows her before she can trip over the threshold of yet another teashop. This one isn't as run down as the others, the spaced bathed in warm light and the seats lined with cushions, creating a welcoming feeling that they had yet to find in the lowest ring of Ba Sing Se. There's an old man sitting near the back at a pai sho table with his hands tucked into his sleeves, a pondering look on his face as his eyes flash to the group. Zuko heads right over to him while the other three sit down and order some tea, following along with their usual strategy. Katara watches their game over her cup as she sips her drink; a shrewd look stretchies over the old man's wrinkled face as he and Zuko move their pieces around the board. She's never seen pai sho played this quickly before, Zuko and the old man seeming to know the others' moves before they can even make them, anticipating and responding in what looks almost like a choreographed dance. After what is definitely the shortest game Zuko has played since they started their search, the two men tip their heads to each other in a stunted bow and dissolve into whispered conversation.
"It's going well." Toph's ears are better than even Zuko's, her lack of sight heightening her other senses. "I think this is what we've been looking for." Katara and Aang nod to each other, the three of them ready to follow Zuko as he stands up and signals for them to join him and the old man.
The man doesn't say anything when they get up to the table, but his smile is sincere and his steps sure as he leads them out of the tea shop and down the street. The dying light of the sun follows them as they walk, the last dredges of the day sliding beneath the horizon to make way for the darkness of night. They wind around the shabby buildings and merchants shouting in the streets, going off into an area that the four of them haven't explored yet, before the old man leads them down an alleyway. A door looms at the end, a light carving of a lotus flower etched above the peep hole, and the old man knocks with an even cadence.
The slot in the door slides open to reveal a set of calculating brown eyes. "Who knocks at the guarded gate?"
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." She doesn't have time to analyze the old man's strange words before the door opens and they are led inside.
They pass through a foyer into a room that is surprisingly well furnished, lush cushions and smooth stained tables dispersed throughout the space. The door closes behind them, the sound of deadbolts clicking and locks closing making her spin around to eye the man at the door. They've taken a massive gamble by trusting a total stranger, and it's a very real possibility that this man isn't who he says he is at all.
"Welcome, young travellers. We were told that you would be coming." The old man and Zuko bow to each other, and Katara sighs in relief. "We were surprised to hear from The Grand Lotus after so long. We assume that this means you are making progress on your journey?"
"Wait, what the hell is going on? How do these random old people know what we're doing?" Katara is glad that Toph voices her concerns so that she doesn't have to, even if she wishes the girl would be a little less crass.
"My uncle— and I guess, by extension, me— are part of a group called The Order of the White Lotus." Something niggles in the back of Katara's mind at the name.
"We are a secret society tasked with ensuring The Source's protection throughout the ages. Grand Lotus Iroh is one of our highest ranking members, and he sent out the call about six months ago that we should be expecting his nephew—" the old man looks right at Katara— "and some friends." There's an implication in his words that makes her blush.
"So you're going to help us find Katara's brother?" Aang is smiling bright next to her, his grey eyes shining in the warm light of the room.
"We know exactly where your brother is." Hope soars in Katara's chest. "He and the Kyoshi Warrior arrived in the city almost two weeks ago. We have housed them in a secure location while we awaited your arrival."
"Wait, so Sokka is in on this white lotus stuff too?" She's going to have to ask him about it when she sees him.
"Yes. That, or he at least knows enough to get in. We'll arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning."
"Told you we'd find him." Zuko nudges her with his elbow, a lopsided smirk sitting comfortably on his angular face. She can't stop herself from throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him close, and her stomach does an impressive display of gymnastics when he takes hold of her waist.
"Thank you, Zuko." She's thanking him for so much more than his reassurance, but the true depth of her gratitude goes unheard.
"Get a room," Toph mutters just loud enough for them to hear, stomping the affectionate moment into the ground like a bug under her bare heel. Katara glares at her as she releases Zuko, and although she knows that it goes unseen, Toph wears a smirk that makes her wonder if the girl actually can see it somehow.
Her spirits are high as they leave the White Lotus headquarters, her heart feeling lighter than it has in months, the desolation of before replaced by a warm optimism that rides along her veins. The streets are busy as they make their way back to the inn, and once they get back she curls up in Zuko's arms feeling hopeful and optimistic. She slips into a comfortable sleep, and dreams of warm reunions and lotus flowers bathed in soft golden light.