The Next Morning
Although Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord has already past, a formal banquet for the occasion is being held in one week's time to celebrate not only the end of the war, but the beginning of a new era. Zuko announced over breakfast that he was leaving earlier than anticipated, mumbling words about needing to travel to Capital City early to help organize the event. Nobody else noticed, but Katara couldn't get Zuko to look at her before departing with some of the Red Guards that had accompanied him.
Zuko was obviously still bothered about the night before, but Katara didn't want to push it. She knows that it was hard for Zuko to see her and Aang sitting together, Aang cooling off fork-fulls of food with his airbending before feeding it to her himself. It was a little excessive but good-natured, so Katara went along with it to appease Aang. She can handle some doting from her significant other; he was just showing that he cared. Although, if she's honest with herself, she feels a little suffocated by his enthusiasm for their new relationship.
The group spends their day perusing the shops of Ba Sing Se. Toph chose to stay behind, claiming she had nothing to "see" around the town. Sokka and Aang are fascinated by the wide variety of restaurants, wanting to stop at every food stand along their path. For some reason, a merchant with a portable cabbage cart seems to be avoiding them.
Suki and Katara eventually leave the boys behind after discovering a high-class spa near the town square. They go inside and asked the opinion of the masseuse on the best package, to which they recommend one called the "heat retreat." Curious, the girls accept. They are ushered into a room with large, empty stone bathtubs across from each other and told to change out of their clothes. When they announce that they are ready, two women in all green clothing come in with large barrels pooling steam from the lids. Suki and Katara make their way to their respective tub as the two women use their earthbending to move a large amount of freshly warmed sand into each tub, filling them to the girls' shoulders. The women leave, and Suki and Katara are left alone to brew in the warmth.
Suki lifts her arms to rest on the edges of the tub and gives Katara a sly expression, not saying anything.
"What?" Katara didn't like being stared at like that, like she was hiding a secret.
"Oh, you know exactly what, missy."
Crap. Does Suki know about what happened with Zuko? About why he really left early? Maybe she noticed that Zuko was avoiding me this morning. Oh god, did she hear him tell me about his feelings last night? I can't deal with this drama right now, or ever as a matter of fact.
"Suki, I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Aang! You know, your boyfriend? I need details!"
Katara breathes a sigh of relief. "Ah, yes, that's right, I do owe you those."
"Hell yeah you do! So how did it happen? All I know is that last you said you weren't sure about him, and then this morning you two are attached at the hip."
Katara flushes, not sure if it's from the heat or the embarrassment. "I don't know. It kind of just happened. We kissed last night and-"
"What?!" Suki practically jumps out of her tub. "You didn't tell me that!"
"Yeah, well, it happened, okay?" Katara says defensively.
"No, you can't get away with just that. I need to know."
"Need to know what?"
Suki smirks. "How was it?" She practically whispers.
"Oh God, Suki, can we not talk about this? Please?"
Suki wiggles herself a little deeper into the sand and furrows her brow, despite a chuckle still escaping her lips. "Fine, fine," she says, "I'll drop it. For now."
Katara and Suki spend the rest of their spa trip talking about other things going on around the city. Suki offers up information on her own relationship in exchange for information on the kiss but Katara politely declines, preferring not to hear about her brother's romantic endeavors. When they leave the spa, Katara makes a mental note of its location and wonders if there will be a similar one in Capital City for her to get her hair styled on the day of the banquet.
One Week Later
Appa lands at the main entrance of the Fire Nation Royal Palace and the group dismounts, greeted by members of the palace staff. They are escorted to their guest chambers and given instructions on when to congregate in the Great Hall for the start of the banquet.
Katara enters her own room and slinks onto the bed. It's made up with the finest red silk she's ever touched, with a similar black silk gracing the dark oak bed frame as a canopy. A sheer gold fabric is also draped along the bed, tickling Katara as she flattens herself diagonally on the bed. Even sprawled, none of her extremities reach the edge of the mattress. She lays there for a moment, staring at the ceiling and pretending her worries were far away when, in reality, they were in the same building as her.
Before she knows it, she is woken by a sharp knocking at her door.
"Miss Katara? May I come in?"
Katara doesn't recognize the voice on the other side of the door. Did I fall asleep? She checks the time on the clock adjacent to the bed; she has only an hour before the banquet starts.
"Miss Katara?" The voice repeats with uncertainty.
"Yes, come in!"
It's a servant of the palace. She's a young girl with raven hair and a red working outfit, carrying a wicker basket full of hair supplies. She bows to Katara after closing the door behind her.
"Sorry to intrude, Miss Katara. I'm here to do your hair for the banquet. Fire Lord's orders."
Katara is thrown off guard at the unexpected guest, but nods and proceeds to sit at the vanity. The servant begins styling Katara's hair into a waterfall braid with large, bouncy curls. Predictable, Katara thinks. The banquet's intent is to unify leaders of all nations, so it's no surprise that the servant was instructed to make her look even more like a waterbender than she already did. Small bobby pins with pear cut sapphires at the ends are sporadically placed amongst the braid. Announcing that she was finished, the servant packs up her supplies and leaves the room for Katara to change.
Katara admires her hair in the mirror. That was a sweet gesture of him, she thinks as she smiles to herself. It makes her feel special that Zuko had sent a servant to help her prepare for the banquet, knowing how bad she was with styling her own hair.
She moves across the room to her bag and pulls out her outfit. Nothing too excessive: a floor-length, long-sleeve blue velvet dress with a slit on the side that extends up to her lower thigh. Katara doesn't enjoy dresses much, but has to admit that this is beautiful gown.
When she finishes changing, she walks to the end of the hallway, waiting for the rest of the group to meet her there. It doesn't take long for them all to join. The boys arrive first, Aang wearing the same outfit as the one he wore at Zuko's coronation and Sokka a simple black suit. Suki struts down the hall in a floor-length forest green chiffon gown speckled with gold embroidery, and you can almost hear Sokka's jaw drop. Toph is the last one to arrive, despite the fact that she is wearing the same outfit as she does every day.
Katara notices that Suki's hair looks lovely, braided with a gold silk ribbon and twisted into a modest updo.
"Suki, your hair looks wonderful! How did you do that with the ribbon?"
"Oh, thank you! I didn't actually do it myself. A palace servant came and styled my hair. Wasn't that so thoughtful of Zuko?" Suki smiles as she grabs Sokka's arm and begins walking down the corridor.
Katara can't help but feel her stomach sink a little upon learning that she was not, in fact, the only person on Zuko's mind for this visit. Guilt washes over her. Why is she upset about that? She made her intentions with him very clear, that they were not to engage in any sort of romantic relations. He is respecting that. She has no right to be upset at Zuko's actions from here on out. And yet, she still was.
They all make their way into the Great Hall, filled to the brim with people of all different origins. It truly is a wonderful sight to see. Katara glances over at Aang, expecting him to be thrilled, only to see a look of slight disappointment. As she looks back into the crowd, she notices that there are no other guests wearing the same gold-toned robes as him. She thinks of how hard it must be for him to witness this peaceful unity without people of his own kind amongst the crowd. She reaches for his hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, prompting a soft smile from Aang.
Katara ends up socializing with quite a few leaders from the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, catching up on how things have changed since her last visit. The end of the war has been exceptional for both groups. Commerce has skyrocketed as the trade routes have increased exponentially in usage, and their respective fish supplies have been bountiful.
Katara smiles as she thinks of life back with her tribe, only to have her daydream interrupted by a two large hands being placed on her shoulders from behind. She twirls around to reveal her father, Chief Hakoda. A smile bursts across her face as she practically jumps on him in a hug. She quickly remembers where she is and settles down, but still has trouble containing her excitement to see him. They spend time catching up as they visit the buffet table for dinner, laughing over cups of Fire Nation spice tea.
Later in the evening, as the guests begin to dwindle, Aang approaches Katara sitting at a table with her father. He clears his throat.
"Pardon me, sir, but may I steal your daughter away for a moment?"
Aang looks abnormally nervous to speak to him considering that they have met in the past, but Hakoda simply smiles at Katara and then nods. Aang grabs Katara's hand and escorts her across the hall towards where Zuko is chatting with an Earth Kingdom noble. Katara's body stiffens slightly.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh, you'll see," Aang says looking back at her. "I have something I want to talk about with you and Zuko."
Katara gulps. What could this be about?
The two approach Zuko and Aang taps his arm for his attention. Zuko thanks and dismisses the guests with whom he was talking and turns toward Aang. Katara notices that he's avoiding her eye contact, similar to a week prior.
"Avatar Aang, how nice to see you." Zuko smiles. "What can I do for you?"
"Actually, Zuko, I have something I would like to informally propose to you. Do you have time?"
"Of course," Zuko says as they migrate to a nearby table. Aang and Katara sit next to each other, across from Zuko.
"Well, now that the war is over, I was wondering if we could start on some form of international peace organization," Aang says seriously.
"Wow, cutting straight to the chase," Zuko chuckles. Aang doesn't. "Alright, I'm listening."
"See, I was thinking of setting up a council of nation leaders to help keep us all up-to-date on each other's issues and help expedite the spread of peace between nations. One ambassador from each nation, with lower-tiered representatives underneath them reporting on pressing matters. All of the ambassadors would meet on a regular basis to discuss current events. We would call it-get this-the 'Avatar Assembly'," Aang says very dramatically. Katara almost has to stifle a laugh before she comments.
"Aang, I think that sounds wonderful!" Aang turns to her and grabs her hand enthusiastically. Zuko seems perturbed at the gesture, but resets his expression before Aang turns back towards him.
"Zuko, what do you think?"
"I'm in. You have the Fire Nation's full support."
"Great! Because I was thinking you would be the Fire Nation ambassador."
"Me? On top of being the Fire Lord? Do you know how much responsibility that is?"
"Well doesn't that make you the most fit for the role? You already know everything that's going on throughout the fire nation. Plus, I bet you know of some great options for your representatives." Aang's schmoozing voice has kicked in as he attempts to convince Zuko of his plan. "Come on, please? It'll be great!"
Zuko hesitates before letting out a long sigh. "Alright fine, you win. I'll be your ambassador."
"Great!" Aang seems more excited than ever. He then turns to Katara. "And sweetie, you'll agree to be the Water Nation ambassador, right?"
Katara and Zuko both pop their eyes open in shock. Aang didn't mention this at any point tonight, and he had to do it in front of Zuko? It seems like she doesn't have the option of saying no. What is she supposed to say? 'No, I don't want to help unify our world for the good of mankind because I'm feeling awkward around a guy who has a crush on me?'
Zuko interjects before Katara can speak. "Are you sure she's the best option? No offense, but she's not exactly a tribe leader. Who knows if she is up to date with the political and social climates of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes."
Katara glares at him for the demeaning comment. Aang seems to take no problem with it. "No, Zuko, she's perfect. Her father is the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and she has connections with the government of the Northern Water Tribe through Pakku, her former instructor. Anything she needs to know can be communicated through her chosen representatives. I think it works out great!"
Aang smiles at Katara and she instinctively smiles back at him. He seems so excited about this idea, and he has a point…
"Okay, I'll do it."
Aang hugs her out of excitement, then quickly kisses her. From the corner of her eye Katara can see Zuko scowling. Aang stands from the table.
"Thank you, guys, this is really great. Now I'm gonna go try to find an Earth Kingdom leader to be our last ambassador!"
Aang jets off without letting a word in edgewise. Katara and Zuko are left awkwardly sitting across from each other, frowns on both their faces.
"You know, you didn't have to be so condescending about my leadership abilities. You know I'd be the best Water Nation ambassador," Katara snaps at Zuko. "And quit reacting that way every time Aang and I touch."
Zuko's frown deepens. "Reacting what way?"
"That way! Flinching and glaring! Honestly, Zuko, you're being so immature about all of this."
"I'm being immature? Well at least I can admit my own feelings! You just don't want to leave your cozy little spot at the side of the most powerful person in the world. Can't even put your own feelings above your status."
Katara stands up violently. "How dare you say that about me! You know that's not true. Take it back!"
Zuko stands up just as violently. "No!"
Katara angrily huffs as she marches away from the table. Some peaceful Fire Lord he is! She rushes past the guests and back to her room. One by one, she grabs the sapphire bobby pins with her fists and yanks them out of her hair before throwing them to the ground.
She stands in the middle of the room, breathily heavily, as she feel tears begin to swell in her eyes. Using her sleeve she roughly wipes them away. She refuses to cry, not over some comments made by a boy out of jealousy. To calm down, she begins performing some waterbending breathing techniques. Once she's restored her normal heart rate, she takes a seat on the bed and lays her head on the down pillows. Being angry takes energy, of which she doesn't have a lot.
She passes out before she can change out of her gown.