A/N: Fluff galore. Read at your own risk.

Chapter 17: Tripping, Fumbling, Falling (in Love)

The North's inner ring boasted itself of being pristine and perfectly sculpted to accommodate high-ranking members of society, looming over the tribe with its intricate architecture and elegant bridges and arches. As sophisticated as it was, though, it was also quite static. There was some movement across the canals, where fancy officials alighted gondolas and swished by for sightseeing and moonlit rides, and a few servants lined the sidewalks every now and then, hastily heading to the outer ring after a long day's work, but for the most part, the inner ring lacked movement considering the important people were at the ball, the separately organized Fire Nation banquet, or were asleep by now. Since everything was basically handed to the wealthy guests on silver platters, the ring itself contained very few shops or diners— the few that were there being extremely fancy and obviously stylized for wealthy visitors. The ring was heavily guarded, too, which meant that the guards policed the sidewalks and made sure to direct servants and other commoners out of the prestigious ring. It also meant that Yue had to sport her scarves and veils again; after all, those who were known to society as members of the lower class were not meant to be seen or heard.

Sokka thought it was best to keep his face covered, too, knowing that the security guards would jump on the chance to escort him back to the estate, so he fumbled to take off his outer silk robe and turned it inside out, wrapping the now-plain-looking garb around his face like a cloak. He tried to make himself look as un-princely as possible, messing up his hair, pulling up his sleeves to hide their fancy patterns beneath his cloak, even rumpling the parts of his clothes that weren't covered by the cloak. He also opted to go by Wang Fire, claiming it was best if he is known to the guards as a servant, too. That way, the two of them would have the freedom to leave the suffocatingly formal inner ring.

They then approached middle ring territory, which Yue described as the focal point for "transition and transactions." Security was not as extensive here, and even the few guards that lingered were not as stiff and dutiful as the guards in the inner ring; they were relaxed and semi-formal. Servants moved about more freely as well, some still sporting veils, others having discarded their scarves. Yue and Sokka still kept their guard up, though, as they snuck their way in.

It wasn't until they got to the outer ring that they were most free. Extensive crowds lined the sidewalks, and the canals were filled with gondolas that weren't as fancy but were more lively with families and bustling tribefolk. No one had their faces covered, the only exceptions being tribefolk who wore mufflers to keep their faces warm and not necessarily to adhere to complex rules. There were no security guards here, either— well, save for one or two chilling somewhere in the corners, but they were caught in the throes of their own lives, some drinking heartily and laughing along with fellow tribefolk, others swapping spit with maids. Needless to say that the outer ring was lively and robust, perhaps the most normal sector out of all three. The most fun, too.

Yue and Sokka moved their face coverings out of the way, too, breathing in the chilly Northern air and smiling as they loosened up. The prince didn't notice at first, but his hand had developed a mind of its own, and he realized that somewhere along the way of their meandering and twisting and turning out of the first two sectors, his hand had grabbed onto hers. She didn't seem to notice it. Either that or she didn't take offense to it, but the warrior quickly let go anyway, chuckling nervously.

"We could take a gondola...if you want," he suggested, rubbing the back of his messy wolf tail. He noticed that she seemed quite comfortable with not wearing her face coverings beyond the claustrophobically proper inner sector, so it likely wouldn't be a risky move.

"A gondola?"

"Yeah," he said smilingly. "I know you must have had a long day. Running around the palace and everything, so it's better to take a gondola and rest those feet, right?"

"Oh, that's...that's okay, you don't have to—"

"It'll be fun!"

"Well... yes...and it's really very sweet of you, So— I mean, Mr. Wang," she corrected herself before they could attract any attention. "It's just…well…"

He noted her uncertainty. "You don't want to...?"

"You can take a gondola, if you'd like. I can follow along on the sidewalk. I'll be okay…"

"Well that wouldn't be very fair. How about I take the sidewalk and you take the gondola?"

"That doesn't sound very fair, either..."

"That's why we should go together, Baby Blue," he grinned. "Don't worry, we'll stay in the middle and outer rings. There's no way anyone 'important' will run into us."

He ended up catching the attention of a nearby gondolier, who was standing nearby on the sidewalk, docking his boat after a completed route. Even with Sokka's preparations to keep his face covered or at least unrecognizable, he saw to his misfortune that his pin— which indicated a very high rank— was sticking, glittering most prominently once the rays of moonlight touched upon it. This captured the attention of a guard, who probably wouldn't have cared who Sokka was had it not been for that fateful pin glowing so noticeably in the moonlight.

"Stop there," the guard made his way over, causing the meek gondolier to flinch. "You, sir," the guard approached Sokka, "You're coming from the inner ring. Are you of high ranking?"

Luckily, Sokka's brain cells proved to be faster than his spastic anxiety for once. "Yeah, I'm Wang Fire, friend of Prince Sokka. I know I can't leave the inner ring without security, so that's why I have her company," he gestured to the masked princess, "She's my bodyguard. Lady Sayen's ally."

How he managed to maintain such a smooth and confident tone fueled primarily by his fight-or-flight reflexes, Sokka would never know, but the guard said nothing more, apologized, and backed away without a word. He would've shot down Sokka's explanation for sure given the utter impossibility of women to legally learn waterbending up until the princess's orders a couple of weeks ago, but what worked wonders here was the simple revelation that she was "Lady Sayen's ally," which meant she was likely trained by the rebellious Revivalist members. Why, Sayen herself was a brilliant fighter being a Revivalist herself, and it would be no surprise she was the one who trained and appointed this lady.

Yue gawked at Sokka and then the guard, who had taken the gondolier aside and was now instructing him on giving the high-ranking riders "utmost care and attention."

"You certainly know the tricks of the trade," Yue whispered, "And you've been here for barely two days. I sense a smarticle in my presence."

He beamed, "Eh, I try."

"Really, I didn't think such a thing was even possible. A chivalrous tribesman like yourself willing to be protected by a lady..." she grinned. "I suppose there's hope for the Water Tribe after all."

"Well at least I allow myself to be protected," he teased. "Unlike Her Highness."

"Splashing water at our princess, aren't you?" she chuckled.

"I'm just saying, it would be really nice if she chose a bodyguard, too," traces of worry lined his voice.

"The princess would want you to have a good time, not worry about her life, you know. I'm sure she's not as reckless as people think she is."

"Oh, of course," he gave her a look. "People are more than what they seem. Some can even direct lightning out of the way with their bending."

She froze in place. "Uh...what…?"

"We don't need to talk about the details, if you don't want to," he shrugged, smiling sweetly.

"I...I don't understand what you're trying to get at."

"Don't worry, Baby Blue." Soft, holding a gleam in his sharp blue eyes, "Your secrets are safe with me."

Your secrets are safe with me. It was like a whole other, unspoken conversation had been exchanged between them in spite of her attempts at refuting his conclusions. It wasn't until the guard resumed his duty and the gondolier offered them top-notch service that she was able to come back to reality, even if for the purpose of paying for the right. The price seemed to beat her to it, though.

"Wait, wait, please, Mr. Wang, allow me—"

"No no no, no can do, sorry."

"But you're our guest—"

"Really? I thought we were friends."

"We are—"

"Then allow me, please." He handed the currency over to the gondolier. "Besides, this is Her Highness's money. I told you before that everything we have is from her."

Yue blinked at him, her face warming for a reason that eluded her once he held his hand out, waiting. She eventually took it, allowing him to help her into the gondola. Before long, they were aboard, sitting across from each other and gliding over the water, which glimmered from the reflected lights of the moon and the Arctic aurora.

A few weeks ago, Sokka would've never imagined going on a boat ride with a woman— and only with a woman (that, too, someone who wasn't related to him for once)— for the first time in the North, but it brought him much joy because it was Princess Yue (he knew deep down that she wasn't hiding the truth about her name) who was with him, and everything about this seemed so right. The moon was not full, but he noted that everything seemed so much brighter than usual tonight. The celestial lights danced and fell perfectly over them, making them— especially Yue— glow beneath more brightly than her complexion already guaranteed. Although the prince was not religious, he nevertheless grew up hearing his mother's stories of the beautiful Tui with long, luscious white hair and a compassionate smile that charmed La. Sokka would have even believed in those fairytales back when he was a young, naive toddler, envisioning a lady in white in and as the moon, watching over the worlds with her lover in a culture that insisted on the authenticity of such an image. The part of him that was conditioned to be fascinated with that image, which he felt was later refuted by science, had momentarily, just momentarily resurfaced, the possibility of spending time with the Tui from those fairytales making goosebumps trail across his skin in indecipherable excitement. His face hurt from smiling so much— he'd never smiled this much before and had simultaneously never been so nervous— but he didn't care.

She seemed to have noticed him being so smiley and raised her eyebrows. "So...you're not going to ask me anything?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe something like, 'Hey, is there a reason why you look so old with that creepy-looking white hair?'"

"You don't look old," he frowned. "And it's not creepy. I'd never think that."

"You wouldn't?"

"Never, I'd never think that."

"Then why do I keep hearing rumors about you fainting early this morning? Around the time you happened to see me?"

"Fainting?" he widened his eyes. "What? No, why would I…? I didn't faint…"

"Lots of people in the palace have been talking about some servant guy who saw you faint after I walked you back to the inner ring," she looked down at her clasped hands, her voice quiet, a degree of nervousness crossing her features in spite of her attempt at a laugh, "Did I scare you that bad, Mr. Wang?"

"No, no," his voice softened, "It's not like that at all—"

"You don't need to explain yourself, I can understand—"

He stopped her by grasping her hand as part of a reassuring gesture, but after realizing the move he made, he quickly let go. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean…I actually had no idea you were thinking that I thought that you were weird-looking or something. But I hope you understand that that's not true, not at all! I was caught off guard, yeah, but in a good way. It was a good kind of fainting, really! It doesn't mean I was creeped out. Maybe I actually thought you were Tui..."

"You thought I was Tui?"

"Of course! I mean, I know I don't believe in those things, but…when I first saw you…" He just couldn't explain it, but he hoped the fascination in his eyes was obvious. "Did you ever see something and go, 'Wow, that's so out of this world'? Imagine believing that Spirits don't exist just to have a Spirit look-alike right in front of you. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me for a moment there..."

She didn't seem so nervous to be sitting in front of him at that point. She might have been relieved. Maybe even entertained. "You really thought I was Tui and would 'punish your nonbelief' in the Underworld or something?"

"Well, not punish, exactly. No Underworlds and things. Conceptually, it wouldn't make sense since Tui's all sweet and stuff. You're too nice to do something like that, too…"

"You hardly know me, though. You're not even a little skeptical?" her lips curled into a grin. "What if I really am a powerful spirit looking to prey on non-believing humans? I could be deceiving you in the name of friendship."

"Well if you are, and I don't know it yet, I'm definitely a goner." He was a goner anyway with how unreasonably attached he'd gotten to her sweet laughter that chimed in response.

"Jokes aside, I really did shake up your world for a moment there, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but in a good way. A really good way," he said sincerely. "And I can only hope you don't still think I was weirded out. I was fascinated, actually. And in my defense, I kind of expected a lot of people would look at you like they look at Tui. I thought this is a reaction that you often get from the super religious tribefolk."

"You're right. I've gotten that reaction quite a lot. But I thought it was different with you because...well, you're not really a believer of the Spirits, and I thought it would be an absolutely weird experience for you. Although, you could've easily thought I was a fanatic that colored her hair to look like Tui or something. Maybe explain away my light skin by thinking I was descended from an airbender somehow."

"Maybe, but at that moment, I really thought you really were Tui," he admitted with a flush.

"Come on now, Mr. Wang, we can't fall into arbitrary constructions of reality when there's always science to keep us grounded," she teased.

"You did say that your Spirits and my universe are the same," he pointed out. "They have to overlap, right?"

She smiled. "Yes. Things are not always clear-cut to be black or white, if you look close enough. I like to think of everything to be a colorful nuance. Especially people."

A colorful nuance? "Is there a scientific reason behind why you're exactly like the Moon Spirit, then? A mystical mystery, maybe? Or would you say that's a colorful nuance, too?"

"You would expect me to know the science behind it since I'm a healer, but I really don't know why my hair's white or why my skin's really light," she confessed. "I had different theories. I once thought it was this one skin condition that people have been documenting more and more recently. Something to do with skin pigmentation, maybe a problem with the melanogenesis process."

He blinked, never having felt so dumb. "Uh, what was that last part?"

"Sorry," she chuckled at his confused expression. "I mean that our body has certain pigments. They give us our skin color, hair color, and eye color, too." She held her hand up next to his, allowing him to see the stark difference in their skin tones— his raw tribal infusion of darkness and bronze pitted against her glimmering milky skin.

And again, Sokka couldn't blink away the wonder in his gaze.

"See, for the skin condition I had in mind, all forms of color are affected, but in my case, my eyelashes are still dark, so that didn't add up. And my irises seem normal. Just a little light-colored for a tribesperson but not really affected in any other way."

"Do you have those tiny single freckle thingies?" he asked. "Like, I have a single freckle right here," he showed her his hand.

"Yes, I have those, too," she showed her wrist, where a tiny dark speck was nestled near her pulse. "So this basically rules out that condition."

"Well as long as it doesn't cause you any kind of discomfort, then it's not something to worry about. We find out new things every day."

"That's all anyone can say at this point. I've looked into it, and I've got nothing, so until science has my back in the future, I'll just be the weird tribeswoman with the mismatched color dynamics. Not blessed with darkness like the rest of our race."

"It's not weird, it's beautiful," his heart thumped wildly. "You're very beautiful."

She froze, flushing crimson and looking down at the water. She probably hadn't been expecting him to say something like that.

"Wow, you are swooning hard, my guy," the gondolier, who was chuckling at their awkwardness, eventually said to the prince. "Happens to the best of us, I suppose." And he turned back to his rowing, shaking his head knowingly.

Sokka cleared his throat and steered the conversation out of its awkward course with, "You know who's really gonna be swooning around here? My mom when she sees you, Baby Blue. In a good way, of course. She'll go on and on with her mantras and incense and stuff. I can see it now, my entire family's gonna think you're Tui who came down from your throne in the sky. They might even ask you to live permanently in our little shrine back at the South Pole."

"Oh wow," she shook her head, stepping out of her embarrassment. "I don't know if I can handle all the love."

"My mom's gonna start asking you to give your blessings for every little thing. I mean, she's already wanting to ask you for an amulet for the new baby, too."

"The new baby?"

"Yep," he grinned, "I found out today that I'm going to be a big brother."

"Oh my goodness, that's so exciting!" she clapped. "Congratulations! Do you know how far along your mother is?"

"Two weeks, according to the healer. They were able to find out early or something."

"Oh, okay," she nodded. "Wow, this is great news! You must not have expected it at all."

"It's not totally unexpected, I guess. Everyone's been in an especially good mood since Her Highness decided to help us out."

"You can just say 'the princess,' you know," she said, sounding amused.

"Her Highness," he insisted with a grin, "has brought so much joy to everyone in the South, and my parents were no exceptions to that. Things got so oogie between them."

"Oogie?"

"Touchy-feely, overly affectionate in public."

"Is that Southern slang or something?"

"You can say it's Sokka slang. I kind of made it up."

"Interesting," she chuckled. "Though I think you're giving the princess too much credit here. If something's bound to happen, it will happen. You were meant to have a sibling, and you will. It has nothing to do with what the princess did. Besides, I bet what she did for your tribe is not even close to the good your letter has done for her. She's able to actually do things as a princess now, and the tribe finally knows she exists."

He gave her a knowing look for a moment. Almost, almost as if there were no secrets, no barriers at all between them. But he feigned ignorance of the matter and smiled a genuine smile. "Maybe, but I know our tribe would never be in such a good place if it wasn't for Her Highness choosing to take inspiration from my letter." Heck, he probably wouldn't be in such a good place, either. Right here, right now, with her.

It wasn't much of a "tour" if the two of them were only interested in each other's company. Occasionally, they would notice the surroundings, but Sokka, especially, was removed from the reality of the North's existence. The universe seemed to zoom in only on Yue.

He noticed many things about her. The way her white hair glistened as if starry streams of the galaxies were woven into them. The way she didn't swat her hand at the sabertooth-mosquitos that sometimes harassed them but only kept her mask pulled up to ward them off. The way her eyes took the shape of crescent moons when she smiled, and the way she covered her mouth when she laughed (a move that was so very proper for someone who claimed to be a servant). And she loved to laugh. She would laugh at any poor attempt at a joke. In fact, she loved all of his bad jokes. And she loved science. Space science, life science. Especially life science. Similar to any healer who loved her job, her face would light up more than the moon when she talked about anything having to do with the wondrous things the human body could do to repair itself and sustain one's life-breath.

She seemed to enjoy their playful banters (he loved them, too, he couldn't hide that truth to save his life), but she also liked to have deep conversations. She wasn't at all like Chunta or the older folk down South who preached about the existence of the Spirits and expressed their pity that Sokka had "lost his way" in the fog of reason and disbelief; instead, she listened and even agreed with certain things he said regarding the stuck-up elites' enforcement of rules. She wasn't the type to entertain the orthodox dogmatics of hate or the false sutras that preached "pitying" the nonbelievers out of condescending "compassion;" rather, she spoke to him like she actually wanted to speak to him and learn from him. Her eyes shone at his disobedience, so much so that she might have enjoyed his company as much as he cherished hers, as much as he loved that in her gaze, there was a delightful fire of rebellion beneath a facade of compliance. He loved that she responded to him with thought, humility, and care— all things the extremists in the South never cared for. And he loved the poetry in her words; Lady was "walking poetry," as Ivaneq had once told him, and Sokka realized that a truer statement could never be made...

...Of course, he just happened to notice these things because it's not like he was interested or attentive or hopelessly smitten or anything...though the muscles in his face seem to think he was, having long given into the fact and no longer burning from the sensation of smiling too much. The many heads that kept turning in their direction seemed to think so, too, whispering amongst themselves as they passed the duo's gondola.

"Look at those lovebirds!"

"They're really cute together."

"You can totally see that he's in love!"

Thankfully, Yue was either distracted by showing him the sights or simply didn't hear them, but she might as well have taken him to be a bashful guy with how red his face had turned. Oh well, at least the awkwardness was somewhat avoided…

Or not, thanks to the universe. Just when he was able to shake the crimson off of his face, he felt himself being struck in the head with more crimson— a tomato from universe-knew-where.

"What on earth—?!"

"Sorry!" a group of boys called out, fumbling to hide the tomatoes in their hands.

Sokka would've grumbled, but he realized he didn't care and that his embarrassment didn't matter because Yue stifled a laugh, and anything that made her laugh even a little bit, he found that he greatly welcomed it. He turned nearly as red as the juices that trickled inside of his shirt when she reached forward to brush the squished tomato skin off of his hair. Even the most abrasive parts of him mellowed at her touch, and he became more flustered than was probably possible for a human being.

"Sorry, Mr. Wang," and she waterbended the sticky juices off of him, unable to help the soft giggles that left her.

"That's okay," a dopey grin, "It was worth it."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Oh my Spirits, Yue, look at you!"

They both jumped at the sudden shriek and turned to see a trio of women gawking at them.

"Look who's here, getting her hands all over a man," one of them said as they began walking along the sidewalk, turning their attention to their friend, "And on a gondola and everything!"

"I never thought I'd see the day!" laughed another. "Did our Tuiup paninga finally find her own La?"

"No no, ladies, it's not like that," Yue said quickly, drawing her hands away from him. "I was just trying to help him with something. This is actually a good friend of mine."

"Wang Fire," Sokka bowed his head in greeting. "Friend and guard of Prince Sokka."

"Ooh!"

"You bagged a rich boy who also happens to be a knight in shining armor?" one of the women raised her eyebrows. "Pretty smart move you made there, Yue."

"Mr. Wang is just a good friend," Yue reiterated. "He was looking forward to exploring the city—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."

"Who would've thought our aanaq would find herself a man at last?"

Aanaq? As in "grandmother"? Sokka frowned at them. "It's not very kind on your part to call someone names like that."

"We're her friends, cutie, we call her that all the time," the third one in the trio said to him. "He's defensive of you, too, Grandma, good choice!"

"He's not my—!"

"Enjoy your night, lovebirds!" And they chuckled to each other and waved at the flustered duo as they rounded the sidewalk and took off to another block.

"You shouldn't have to put up with them calling you aanaq," Sokka told Yue. "Tell them to shut up every once in a while, and they won't do it again."

"But that wouldn't be very kind on my part," she played on his words from before. "They mean no harm by it, it's just a joke."

"Well jokes aren't meant to be so hurtful. Insulting someone isn't a laughing matter."

"What are you trying to say? That I'm too sensitive to laugh at a joke about me?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "You think I can't take a joke? You think I'm too weak to handle one, don't you?"

Sokka gulped, "No, no, I didn't mean it that way! That's not what I had in mind, I'm so sorry—! I was just saying—!"

She cut him off with a laugh. "Relax, I'm just messing with you! Goodness, you should've seen your face."

He sagged like a balloon deflating from relief. "Thank the universe. For a second I thought you really were angry."

"Are you that afraid of offending me?"

"Why not? Since I started off with a really good impression of myself."

"Seems to me that you're just a really thoughtful person."

Thoughtful person, eh? Had Katara been here, she would've for sure rolled around on the ground laughing at his new title.

"To be honest, I thought you were the one who was offended," she said. "I want to apologize on behalf of those ladies. It must have been uncomfortable for you to hear them say those things. Please don't mind them."

"Ah, Baby Blue, I'm not offended. We live in a society that won't let a single guy and a single girl be just friends. It can't be helped." Though even if it could be helped, it's not like he had a problem with what those people were assuming… "So yeah, take it easy," he said. "No need to apologize for everything like Her Highness."

She raised her snowy eyebrows in interest. "What's with you poking fun at the princess so much?"

"I've got an issue with her, actually."

"Oh, no, what could she possibly have done now?"

Her voice was lighthearted, but it didn't change the look of concern that crossed his features again. "She apologized to the Fire Nation royal family on my behalf," he whispered so the gondolier wouldn't hear, "when it was clearly not her fault."

She blinked up at him. "It wasn't for you, necessarily. She really did make a mistake—"

"Oh, please, all of her servants know that she always has everything taken care of," he huffed, glancing at her. "I don't get why she apologized. For me."

"It's not for you," she said again. "Somebody just had to apologize, I suppose. To settle things."

"They should've done the apologizing for being so rude and insensitive."

After noticing that the gondolier was occupied in conversation with the gondolier of another boat passing by, Yue couldn't help asking the prince out of a degree of incredulity, "You know, people all over the palace are talking about how you defended the princess, Prince Sokka."

"Sokka," he reminded. "Just Sokka." But he didn't really answer to her observation, his silence indicating affirmation.

"You should've just focused on defending yourself instead of falling out of the royal family's favor."

"I didn't do anything wrong in defending Her Highness," he said, very sure of himself.

"And you don't suppose you went a bit too far?"

"A bit?"

"Yeah, just a bit."

He sighed. "Well...whatever the case...it's still my fault that she apologized, isn't it?"

She gave him a charmed little look before asking him, "You wanna know a secret?"

"A secret?" he blinked.

"Yeah," she looked up at him, "The truth is, all of this was actually planned. By the princess."

"Wait...planned?" Sokka squeaked, eyes wide. "As in…?"

"As in organized in detail and carried out with full intention."

A sudden pause. Was she admitting to him that she was the princess? How else would she "know" what the princess intended if she claimed she wasn't the princess?

"You're probably wondering how I know this, aren't you?"

This is it, this is it, he grasped the edge of the gondola, eyes wide and expectant.

"Well let's just say that the princess and I are really close."

It seemed as if time stood still. He blinked. "Close?"

"Close."

He gave a slow nod, repeating, "Close…how close?" Like same-person close or...?

"I have my connections," she said instead. "And the princess is one of them. No one else in the palace knows this, by the way. You're the only exception."

A short pause followed before the gondolier broke the silence with an apology and continued to row the gondola again.

"So you're comfortable with me knowing with this information?" Sokka whispered. "You know, that you and the princess are close?"

She was overcome by slight nervousness and a level of sincerity that shot through and kept confirming to him that there really must be more to the story than "closeness." There was just no way Sokka could envision her as being separate from the princess. Even if she claimed otherwise. And based on the look that she was giving him, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was her way of telling him the truth without telling him the whole truth. Claiming to be "close" to the princess was better than saying there was no communication between her and the princess, right?

"Maybe, she said, "But I'm also telling you this because I don't want you to blame yourself or feel like the princess was insulted because of you or something."

Turned out that the idea of stirring up Azula's anger was formulated by the Northern princess. The princess's aim had been to sever the possibility of marital alliance between the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation. She was aware of the fact that Fire Lord Iroh and Fire Lady Mayu were wanting their son, Lu Ten, to consider her as his bride, and she came up with a way to get rid of that possibility.

"The Fire Nation royals are very particular about marriages and alliances with people from foreign nations," Yue told him. "The princess knew that they were looking for a woman who was well-versed in proper etiquette and elitist ethics, even if those rules were catered to her own culture. She should in the very least be teachable. You know, be willing to learn the ways of the Fire Nation if she is to be accepted as a part of the royal family. So obviously, the royals had high expectations." That spark of rebellion lit up her eyes again, "All the princess needed to do was make a mistake. And even if it's a tiny mistake, it should leave behind a sour enough memory that would be unforgivable or unforgettable, in the least. What better way to earn the Fire Nation's disapproval other than making Princess Azula really angry? And then taking the blame in a way that didn't burn our princess's head off but was enough to make the royals reject her as a suitable bride?"

Sokka gawked at her, his jaw dropped. "So...so you're saying this was all deliberate?"

"Yes. Well, except for one part. The thing is, I said I would help the princess with this, and I was supposed to be the one to spill something on Princess Azula's royal pin, but a junior servant already beat me to it and ended up getting in trouble. I didn't expect that part to happen at all. So I had to divert the wrath towards me somehow."

"And that's when you stepped in with the self-defense," he felt a jump in his chest, "I'm guessing you knew that psycho would shoot the lightning, then…? That's a risky move, you know."

"I knew Princess Azula would do something," she said, "but I also knew that I'd be capable of protecting myself one way or another. That's why I was ready for whatever was going to happen. But then you stepped in and really made her mad. I hadn't been expecting that at all."

"Because I thought you were gonna get hurt! I didn't know this was the work of a mastermind."

She flushed, earning a grin in response.

"I have to hand it to you, though," he added. "That was a pretty smooth plan."

"It was the princess's plan."

"Is there a difference? I-I mean, since you both came up with it together…" he scooted closer to her, "But now this means that Lu Ten and the princess aren't getting hitched, right?"

Her smile returned, ten times wider than before. "Yep. The princess isn't getting married!"

"Well that's a relief!"

"I know, she was super excited," she said, looking down at her hands and smiling. "I mean, I was, too, obviously. In fact, that's why I was doing my little happy dance earlier until a certain someone we know happened to notice."

"Well would you look at that," he beamed. "You know something else? Lu Ten apparently has a thing for an Earth Kingdom girl."

"Yes, I'm aware of Prince Lu Ten's flashback with Lady Song," she said. "Last I saw them, they were at the ball. He was following her around."

"They're back together now. Currently making out in the ballroom closet as we speak…not that I was watching them or anything, I kind of ran into them earlier…But yeah, this alliance was doomed from the start!" Wow, you're a little too excited for this, aren't ya, Socks?

"It's too bad Her Highness couldn't celebrate with a dance after hearing such good news," he said.

"I'm sure she still enjoyed herself somehow."

"Still," he persisted. "I think she'd enjoy the ball. I bet she doesn't usually get the time to enjoy herself."

"There's no need to be that concerned about that."

"But it's not fair. For people to expect her to be closed off."

"And guess what else? It's not fair for you to nearly get struck in the face by lightning for someone you barely know."

He pouted. "The princess is a good person."

"She's human just like everyone else," Yue said. "She's not perfect."

"But she's a good person."

"You don't know her personally."

"Then that's something I'll look forward to."

She flushed, pulling her face covering up for a moment.

"Can I ask you something? If you don't mind?"

"Go for it."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Is the princess really not wanting to marry or...or…"

She raised her eyebrows.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I was just asking 'cause… you said you were close to her, so I was just...curious."

Yue shrugged. "It's just not something she wants to think about. She has so much to do. The North needs lots of attention and care at this point..."

"She can still do all the things she needs to do," he said, "but she doesn't have to do them alone, you know? I mean, I get why Lu Ten's out of the picture. Even if he hadn't been seeing someone, he's still Fire Nation, and I get the princess wouldn't want to leave the North..."

She gave him a look, and he immediately turned to look at the canals, "Just an observation," he treaded the conversation carefully. "I mean, what if there's some guy out there who'd be willing to stay in the North and support everything she does?"

"I don't know, isumataq. Those are all far-reaching qualities for such...conditioned men in a place like the North," she shrugged, "The princess doesn't need to think about all those things right now. I'm sure she's just glad that everything turned out for the better. Well...that is…except for the part where you got in trouble." She looked at him, "Lord Ozai was pretty mad, wasn't he? The leaders of the Fire Nation can be rather... fiery."

"Oh yeah, he was pretty incensed, if you ask me," he smirked, "Guess the water-fire combo wasn't a match made by Agni after all."

Her giggles chimed through the perfect night.

When they passed by the canal that led directly to the Moon Temple, Yue asked him, "Say, you didn't happen to come by the Moon Temple this morning, did you?"

"I did, yeah."

"So you were the one who was looking for me?"

"Yep."

"Oh my goodness," her eyebrows furrowed in an apologetic grimace, "I'm so sorry. I heard what happened from the angakkuit earlier."

"No worries," he reassured. "There are plenty of people like this in the South, too. They can't be openly hostile since I'm the prince and all, but every time something goes on, like a cultural event or a household celebration that involves blessings and stuff, they don't invite me."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Of course, they're not totally wrong," he said. "People naturally wouldn't want to invite someone who doesn't take their gods seriously. And I do tend to get carried away sometimes with my debating and arguing." He, too, glanced over the canal leading to the Moon Temple. "Not everyone's as open minded as you, Baby Blue. I think Osha should just make you the next priestess. What's the point of training people like those angakkuit? In a place like the Moon Temple?"

"Mother Osha scolds them quite a lot if they cross certain lines."

"Well if I was in Osha's position, I'd rather select the right person than scold a bunch of wrong people all day every day."

"Like I said before, I'm only a cleaner, and I'm content with that position." Her voice lowered with weight and though, "I should not aspire for anything more than that…Not when I have certain responsibilities."

He gently nudged her shoulder. "Hey, you never know. You could have it all if you want."

"Even if I did, it's not easily possible. The Sisters don't like how I'm not strict about certain things."

"Like hanging around nonbelievers, obviously," he said. "You're so bad, Yue."

She grinned. "You know, Sokka, I like to think we're pieces of the truth that our country is not ready for. Certain things will take longer to happen for us, but when they do...well, we'll be living in a better world by then, I think."

He could feel goosebumps raiding his skin, sending him into an inexplicable squee. I like to think we're pieces of the truth that our country is not ready for.

They opted to stop by a "gondola on the go" restaurant, a kind of restaurant in the North famous for serving people on their gondolas and bringing them their meals. These kinds of restaurants were constructed to accommodate gondolas so they could be docked, too, if need be. One such restaurant that caught the duo's attention was Ilannak's Igloo located at the corner of the outer ring. Turned out that Ilannak, the owner, and his wife, Mitena, were good friends of Yue. Ilannak was shocked out of his wits, needless to say, but he was nevertheless excited because one, this was apparently Yue's first time dining at their restaurant and two, she was with a man for once.

The owner's excitement was clearly visible; he fussed over them, having the gondolier dock their gondola at a privately arranged spot closest to the moonlight, ordering in more delicacies than they asked for.

"And don't either of you worry about paying for all of this," Ilannak said. "Free meals on me!"

"But Brother—"

"Not a word," he quickly cut Yue off, "It's your first time here, and you brought a date with you."

"Brother Ilannak, he's not—"

"No buts."

Yue gave Sokka an apologetic look to which he smiled in reassurance and shrugged. With a sigh, she turned back to Ilannak, "Fine, but may I at least go see Mitena?"

"She's out in the back. You better not be paying her, you hear me?"

"Alright, alright," she laughed and stepped out of the gondola, hurrying inside.

"So...Wang Fire, huh?" Ilannak noted, "That doesn't sound like a Water Tribe name."

"Uh...yeah, I…actually..."

"No need to get flustered, just saying it's unique." He sighed and turned to the prince once Yue had disappeared out back. "If she tells you anything crazy, don't believe her."

"Crazy?" Sokka blinked. "Like what?"

"So she didn't say anything yet, huh?"

"Uh...no…?"

"Nothing about those surgeries and stuff?"

"Surgeries?" Sokka had never looked so confused.

"Yue has a habit of spreading rumors about herself to scare away the men who are interested in her. My wife and I tried to find a few matches for her, but all the men we picked over the years took to their heels because of her crazy stories," Ilannak explained.

Oh. "What kinds of stories?"

"She often tells them that she's actually a beauty-obsessed hundred-and-three year-old. That she sold a few of her organs in Ba Sing Se and other big cities to pay for surgeries that make her look and feel several decades younger."

"What?" he winced.

"She cites the medical advancements of some cities in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. Crazy procedures that reshape your body and stuff. She tries to convince the men to try it out, too, and gives them gross details of how it all works until they start running away."

"And people believe all that?"

"She's a healer, isn't she?" Ilannak said. "She makes it believable, trust me. So if she tells you anything, don't listen to any of her nonsense. Although…" he smiled and pat the prince on the back, "If she had spent this much time with you and didn't say anything like that to you, then she must be interested in you, too."

She must be interested in you, too. He would've leapt in his seat if it wasn't for his rational side pinning him down, deflating him with, Only because you didn't approach her as a suitor. What makes you any special?

Sokka never knew it was possible for a human being to be so invested in a jewelry stall. Well, that's not completely true. He knew it was possible from the enthusiastic faces of the girls and aunties down South who crowded around late at night and fashioned meager bracelets for themselves, holding onto some form of hope and happiness even in the midst of a crisis. He knew it also from the desperate faces of the boys of marrying age, hastily immersing themselves in crafts at last-minute attempts at securing betrothal necklaces for their brides.

Even so, this was the first time Sokka himself came to latch so desperately to a jewelry stall. All because of a pair of feather earrings colored in a rich hue of baby blue. While Yue spoke with a vendor, the prince shoved his hand into his pockets to pull out some silver pieces, continuously feasting his eyes on the earrings. Not only did they perfectly match Yue's eyes, but they also went really well with the bangles that were currently tucked in his belongings at the estate and were waiting to slip onto her wrist. Sokka attempted to grab the attention of another vendor, wanting to pay for the earrings as quickly as he could without her noticing him.

"Is that for Princess Katara?"

"H-Huh?" he froze in place, swallowing down his disappointment when she caught sight of the earrings.

"Oh...yeah…" It is now.

"She'll love it for sure," Yue smiled, having already paid for the items in her bag.

"What did you buy—?"

"No no no," she held the bag away from him. "It's a secret."

"You saw my secret!"

"You'll see mine soon enough, Mr. Wang. Patience is necessary."

The duo decided to walk their way back. They spent a lot of time already scouring the middle and outer rings by gondola, and their feet were starting to get numb. It would take much longer to reach the inner ring by foot, but neither of them complained.

The bazaars of the North were truly sights to behold. Their markets were lush and exquisite with their stalls filled to the brim with goods. Food, articles of clothing, accessories crafted out of the best gemstones and pearls. The tribefolk, in spite of the harsh social realities lying underneath, walked around with exuberant faces, basking in the atmosphere which proved to be lighter, livelier, more welcoming for international visitors and their Southern sisters and brothers. This moment— minus the canals and the gondolas and, of course, the blinding inequalities— formed a vivid vision of what the South was likely going to become, especially since it was under the care of someone as magnanimous as the Northern princess.

Of course, the glory and grandiosity of the North, which were only recently introduced to the South, were not what truly kept up Sokka's interest; he found that he was making greater efforts to keep her entertained with as many jokes— terrible or genius— as he could come up with. He felt leaps and somersaults within his chest whenever she laughed or whenever her hand happened to accidentally brush against his. He felt lightheaded whenever she looked or smiled at him, turning giddy with every moment she expressed herself; her being this way with him was truly special, he knew, given her entire life being held a secret behind dark, lonely walls.

Like a star spirited away by Tui, he tumbled behind the clouds in her presence. Tripping, fumbling, falling. Far away from the rest of the world.

"Hey, look, it's Prettyboy!"

Sokka's ecstasy in conversation was harshly interrupted by the laughter of a group of teenage girls— the same ones he ran into earlier as he was inquiring about Yue's whereabouts.

"Did you find your Tui yet?" another one of the girls asked, and her friends all giggled and waved at him from afar.

"You're quite popular with the ladies, I see," Yue noted.

"Who, me?" he nearly choked on air.

"Why not?" she smiled, nudging him softly, "You're easy on the eyes."

He was sure the blood in his veins stopped flowing for a solid moment. "I am?"

"Many women seem to think so at the rate they're running behind you."

Oh. "Running behind me?" he gave an awkward laugh and shrugged his blush away. "Pssh."

"It's true," she said. "I've noticed this at the ball, too. I was a server there, remember?"

"I was only focused on babysitting my sister and Aang."

"And while you were doing that, two different ladies were focused on you. There was one lady...I don't know her name, but she seemed to be from the Fire Nation. Long brown braid. Her dance moves are unusually flexible…"

"Ty Lee," his face soured, "Yeah, she's a little too forward."

"And what about the lady with the short hair and green dress? She was wearing a Kyoshi pin."

"Oh, that's Suki, leader of Kyoshi Island. It's not like that with her, either; she's just a friend."

"So you're not interested in them?"

"No, not at all!"

She giggled at his anxious spasms, "You know that's how they describe the main guy in all the plays." She struck a dramatic pose to prove her point, chest up, voice slightly deepened, "'All the women in the land wanted him, but he shunned them all and didn't bat a single eye…'"

Laughing, "I'm not lying! Being in a relationship hasn't really been a concern for me since the South was starving. You don't really daydream about finding a wife when you're underfed. You daydream about meat! Or vegetarian food, if you're not, you know—"

"I get you."

"And besides, relationship shenanigans would be a limit to my freedom," he huffed, "So you can say I wasn't a big fan of that sort of thing."

"I still find this hard to believe, though," she said, her arms crossed. "Were you at least attracted to anyone?"

"No. Not before, anyway."

"Oh?" she raised her eyebrows, "Are you now?"

"H-Huh?"

"Are you open to being attracted to someone?"

"Maybe," he kept his gaze on her, his lightheadedness kicking back in. "Thought it seems like you're not."

"Hm?"

"I mean, you don't seem like you're open to being in a relationship," he said, trying not to give away too much of his interest and absolute concern, oh universe, what was wrong with him today? "At the rate you're scaring people away with your forever youth stories."

"I had a feeling Brother Ilannak would give it away," she sighed.

"Why spread those kinds of rumors? You can just tell people you're not interested. Or that you'd rather stay single."

"Who said I'm not taken?"

And that just about crushed him in a way that was so foreign but so sharp and gut-wrenching. He couldn't describe it.

Yue paused, noticing that he wasn't walking with her and had frozen several feet away. "What's wrong?"

He swallowed. "A-A-A-Are you in a relationship?"

She gave him an amused little look. "You don't know that famous corny saying that all believers say on a regular basis?"

With a disappointed mumble, "Which one?"

She giggled, "Oh, isumataq, don't you know that all believers are in a relationship with the Spirits?"

Ooohhhh. Phew. He rose up from his sagged state, flashing her a small grin as he caught up to her. "Well yeah...but seriously, no husband or boyfriend or anyone like that?"

"Nope."

He breathed a relieved sigh. "I thought you were currently dating someone."

"Shh, don't say that word too loudly. What will happen to all the aunties and uncles?"

"'Dating is of the demons! You whipper-snappers should be gettin' arranged!'"

They laughed their way out of the outer ring and approached the middle sector. They lowered their voices, trying not to draw too much attention as the sector slowly began to drift into slumber from so much inactivity.

"Then why not say no to those suitors if you're not looking for a relationship?" he asked her. "Instead of having people say a million things?"

"It's not easy saying no to a person who's sitting in front of you with so much hope of acceptance," she shrugged. "I just didn't want to hurt people that way. And if I tell them that I'm not looking for a relationship, they'll come back another time. But if I scare them off, they won't see it as them being at fault or lacking anything. They'll just consider themselves unlucky for running into a really strange weirdo that they'll always want to avoid at all times. They won't be coming after me at a later time or anything. You know how it is in these parts for us single people. We do what we must to survive the matchmakers."

"Tell me about it," he chuckled. "Seems like You and Her Highness are determined to keep away from the matchmakers."

"As if you're not."

"Well, true, I don't consider myself ready for those kinds of things..." But he did wonder if he was starting to all of a sudden. Right here, right now. "What about you?" he looked at her. "Is it because you don't want to be in a relationship or you don't feel ready or…? Do you have a list of qualities that you're looking for in a guy or something…?"

"For someone who claims he's not into relationships, you seem quite interested in these kinds of things."

"I was just curious!" he flushed.

"Well then, you tell me first. If you ever decide to fall into this claustrophobic, restrictive arrangement you call a marriage, what kind of woman would you want to be trapped with?"

He smiled at her, "To be quite honest, it's probably gonna be someone who takes my mind off of food."

She laughed. "Interesting…"

"Now you. If you ever decide to fall into the same arrangement, what kind of guy would you want to be trapped with?"

She thought for a moment, her expression still incredulous, but she eventually answered him with, "It needs to be someone who can feed me."

"Oh, you're looking for a provider, eh?" he puffed his chest up, grinning.

"I mean, it has to be someone who's not going to let me starve in any sense," she smiled. "Did you know that tribeswomen have so many pointless fasting rituals that they have to go through to ensure the safety of their husbands. The only way they get out of that is if they're pregnant or if they're sick."

His smile collapsed.

"Our culture has normalized the starvation of women. So they can maintain their physique, marriages, even their husbands' loyalties," Yue said, turning serious for a moment. "Of course, not everyone follows these traditions and customs. And yeah, there have been men who starved with their wives on such days, but these pointless customs are still written in all the rulebooks. It has become mandatory for women to make certain kinds of sacrifices. Much more than the men. We're held responsible for everyone in the family at our own expense." She looked up at the stars. "I don't want that kind of life. I don't want that kind of...unequal distribution of affection, you know? If a guy really cares for me, he wouldn't demand me to go through all these useless rules. And if I really care for him, I wouldn't want him to starve with me. Well, even if I didn't care for someone that way, I still wouldn't want them to starve, would I?"

The moon shone brightly, casting an abundance of light over her, making her glow even more beneath the night sky. "If I really have to accept a man into my life, I'd rather it be someone who doesn't starve me in the literal sense or in any other way. Someone who doesn't starve me of freedom, respect, dignity. Myself. He can't starve me of myself." A deep breath, and a lightening of her voice, "Woah, I said too much. Serious stuff, right?"

"You haven't said enough," he said, his eyes soft. "You know, Katara's really concerned about these things, too. Well, everyone should be concerned about these things, if you ask me, but Katara took a step further and actually sparred with my grandfather to get rid of these kinds of rules. She usually says that maybe our tribe has suffered this much because of these fasting laws. You know, the idea that La's a providing spirit and doesn't like it when other people starve, so he unleashes his wrath and stuff like that."

"It seems like Princess Katara has that rebellious spark to her, too. I'm glad for her. But I don't like to think that innocent children would face the burden of starvation just because La wants to prove a point." She shrugged. "Never mind that. All I'm concerned about is how your family handles yours and Katara's rebellion. It seems they're the conservative type. You mentioned it before, too."

"My grandfather's super conservative," he said. "My Gran Gran is more chill. My parents are somewhere in the middle. But I'm not gonna lie, I was still raised to think certain things that I at first thought were just...different ways guys and girls lived. And I'm not saying this as an excuse 'cause it's not, but... when you're young and naive...you're vulnerable. You look up to the people who've been raising you with such care that you fall for everything they say. But travelling the world really opened my eyes to what was actually happening." He shook his head, "I don't like what our country has turned into, either. So many heartless jerks. People without souls." He gave her a sincere look, "But I promise. Now that we have the economic crisis dealt with— thanks to Her Highness of course— I'm going to do everything in my power to make it better for the mothers and sisters in our country. Well, from the South side, that is." A gleam of fascination, "I know the princess will take care of the North."

The gleam in her eyes was brighter than anything he'd seen so far.

"So if you run into a guy who is sincere about making sure—"

"Not so fast," she said. "If you're trying to bring about change in our system, you can't expect to fish for the perfect person that easily. You're going to have to spend eons fashioning that change since patriarchy isn't going to change overnight. I'm not saying that all tribesmen are sexists, but a majority of them are expecting a woman who will comply and mold herself for the demands of his family. Even if he's not sexist himself but comes from a family that's conservative, that's going to complicate a lot of things."

And Sokka wasn't sure why he felt like he was punched in the face when she said that. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that he wasn't at least a little excited at the prospect of being the princess's potential suitor. Well, considering his family members had been excited and got him feeling excited, too. But with Gran-Pakku being a traditionalist dunce sometimes…

"I'm not a good girl like that," Yue told him. "That being said, I wouldn't say I'm bad, either. I'm just...different."

"But there are definitely guys out there who don't agree with all the yakshit that older folks say," he said. "I'm sure there are some good guys out there like that."

"Maybe, but not everyone can be as funny and sweet as La or you, my friend."

Again, he felt the urge to stop in place but found that his legs were too excited to pay attention to his brain. As me?! How he wanted to skip all over the tribe at the statement.

"But hypothetically speaking," he said persistently, "if a guy comes up to you and says he's deeply, passionately in love with you—"

"Woah," she widened her eyes. "Love? Passion? Those are some big words you're using there, Sokka."

"You don't believe it can happen?"

"I thought you wouldn't believe such a thing can happen."

"I might not look like it, but I can be an optimist sometimes," he defended. "Two free beings finding each other and making a commitment to be together for the rest of their lives. I think it can be possible."

"Well in my case, that would have to involve the guy swimming through all the rumors about my forever young stories to make it to shore. You really believe someone will go through that much effort," she gestured to her hair, "for someone who looks this different?"

"I don't just think so, Baby Blue. I know so." His chest leaped again, "In the name of the North's princess, the upholder of civilizations."

When they made it back to the palace ballroom, they saw that it was now empty save for a few officials of high rank and a few servants bustling about to clean up. The music was still playing, they noticed. The musicians, despite being tired, still kept up their efforts for the sake of the few officials lying around. Loud snoring could be heard from a distant corner, and the closet that Sokka remembered closing was still tightly shut, making him wonder in the farthest corner of his mind if it was still occupied by the lovers from earlier.

"You sure you're not gonna teach me your dance moves, Baby Blue?"

She flushed, "Prince Sokka, we are not going to mention my dance, alright?"

"But it was cute," he smiled.

"No, it wasn't, it was embarrassing."

"Well it's more talent than I have!" he said. "Come on, Yue, just a few steps?"

"But…"

"I didn't get to share a dance with Her Highness. I didn't even get to meet her. Can't I at least share a dance with her close friend?"

"But you will get to meet her. Tomorrow, most likely."

He froze. "I will?"

"I kind of told her about your extensive knowledge of the Warrior Code," Yue said. "She was wondering if you're willing to recite what you know from the unabridged version. Possibly explain the passages to her while she transcribes them?"

"Yes! Yes, that would be amaz—" he paused, noticing the servants and musicians gawking at him. He lowered his voice, "I mean...I am honored."

"Well in that case," she smiled, "I think you earned yourself a dance, my friend. But bear with me, now, I've never danced with another person before."

"Like I did. No worries, Baby Blue."

The aurora was back, lighting up the ballroom in specks of blues and pinks and greens, coloring the glow on his face when she told him how to move. The music played more vibrantly than before, even when it was only the two of them gliding across the room.

Time was no longer a factor in their tiny world by the time they walked towards the Crescent Moon Estate. They briefly pulled their face coverings aside, staying hidden within the shadows. Thankfully, there weren't as many security guards at the moment, which made it easier than expected for them to sneak in.

"I can walk you back to where you need to go," he offered, his face alight with his smitten afterglow. "Don't worry, I'll find my way back."

"That's not necessary. You need to relax. You must've had a long day."

And that was when he truly felt it. The reality that the night really was over. It was probably getting really late, too.

"So...uh…" What do I say, what do I say? "Uh...m-my mom...yeah, her...she, uh, wants me to perform some kind of service…" Since When will I see you again? seemed to be the more awkward option.

"Service?" she blinked.

"Yeah...like...like helping out with cleaning at the temple…Since I didn't keep my mouth shut and everything, and my mom was kind of…"

"I thought I told her not to worry about it."

"Yeah, but she still didn't feel too good about it."

"You don't need to perform service if you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine. I'd rather do that than circumambulate a billion times or something, you know?"

"I can just write a note or something saying you did the work—"

"No really, it's okay," he fumbled, "My mom really wanted me to do it, so…"

"You were a mama's boy growing up, weren't you?" Yue asked, earning a sheepish little smile in response. "Alright, then. My next shift is tomorrow night. Meet me at the Moon Temple around eight hours past midday."

"That's great!"

"But on one condition."

"Yeah?"

"You play a mad flute," she smirked, "Maybe you can teach me a few things?"

"You got it! I'll meet you at the Moon Temple with brand new flutes!"

She then handed him the bag she got at the jewelry stall earlier. "They were selling baby mittens and socks beside the stall we were visiting. Just a little something for Chieftess Kya."

"You didn't have to, you know."

"I know, but you know that other corny saying that all believers say. 'Babies are blessings from Tui and La.' I kind of really believe that."

Sokka wondered if he'd develop permanent wrinkles on his face with how smiley he'd been all day, but this particular moment, he knew that would likely be the case. Something was brewing, overflowing within his chest, and he found that he couldn't handle it. With all sincerity, he said to her, "You're a blessing yourself, Princess Yue."

And at that, she stiffened in place, going completely blank. Unsure if she should let her blush take over her or have all the color leave her face from the shock of what he knew. She attempted a dry laugh, "I-I'm not sure what you mean by—"

"I know you probably didn't want me to know, Your Highness, and I don't expect to be told everything or be given all the details and things," he told her, "But I want you to sleep peacefully tonight thinking of me as a good friend." Because from his time with her, he realized she probably never had a chance to be this way. This free to express, this connected with someone to call a friend. He had wanted to pretend as if he didn't know anything, but now, he felt as if he had to do something to help her initiatives. And he could only do that to the fullest if he told her that he knew who she was and still professed loyalty.

Panic flitted across her eyes for a moment, but then he stepped forward and spoke again, "I'm willing to help you in any way you'd want me to. Even if that means being quiet. You can trust me, Princess. Your secrets are safe with me."

And it was then that something was exchanged between them. Some kind of unspoken message that words couldn't convey. It was that "something," accompanied by the sincere look in his eyes, that prevented Yue from further refuting what he said or denying what he knew. It was also that "something" that made it difficult for her to respond in an adequate manner. So instead, she pulled her face covering back over herself and turned to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Your Highness."

Her only response was in the form of a nod, but that was enough for Sokka to consider himself the luckiest guy in the world.

"He's in here!" Katara said, and immediately, Ivaneq, Hakoda and Kya scrambled into Sokka's room, relieved to see him sleeping on his bed. They had panicked when he suddenly went missing from the ball for so long, but at least he was back, seemingly having avoided trouble.

Despite their relief, though, they were concerned again with the blissful grin that was sprawled over his face and the fact that he'd fallen asleep facing the giant painting they had gotten earlier.

"Not again," Kya sighed.

"We'll send for Yugoda first thing in the morning," Hakoda mumbled.

Katara, though, was curious about one thing and one thing only. The painting of Tui in dark robes now had a name, scribbled on the space next to it in Sokka's handwriting: Yue.