Chapter 10: Weight of a Soul.
I looked at myself in the mirror as best as I could and rolled my eyes. 'Why did Aura have to gel my hair down? Ugh.' I thought as I tried spiking it before the gel dried.
"Akira! Hurry up Luna's driver is here." Aura walked up behind me and pulled my chair away from the mirror.
"I feel stupid wearing this boar-monkey suit." I pulled at the collar on my suit and loosened the tie.
"Hey don't be picky I had to borrow one of my dad's old suits you know and I'm surprised it actually fits you." Aura stopped pushing me and fixed my tie. "We are going to pick up Sokka and then head to Kings for a Day. I didn't know the Kuei family owned that place."
We got into the elongated Sato mobile with Sky and Hope the latter of which had a permanent blush. She looked more girly than I'd seen her since the day we met. Her dress was a single strap deep red knee high with a split running up the right side to her hip. It shimmered every time light hit it. She pulled on her side ponytail and adjusted her necklace about a hundred times.
Sky wore a more reserved dark brown high collar dress that went down to her ankles, her single half sleeve faded to a tan color. She wore her long hair down over her left shoulder. Aura's dress was way more flamboyant; a bright pink low cut long sleeve dress that stopped mid-thigh. She wore her hair in a high braided ponytail. My suit was black with a red tie.
'Thankfully Roku had good style back in his youth. I hate this damn tie though.' I thought as I pulled the tie loose again. After a while we stopped at the docks just as Sokka landed with his air bison. He hurried over to the car and climbed in. He wore fancy looking Air Nomad robes and he held a small box in his hands.
"What's in the box man?" I asked trying to speed up the drive.
"Oh something for you actually my dad got it for you but never got the chance to give it to you." He opened the box and handed me a deep green bowtie. "Something about you mastering all the theories of air bending." Sokka shook his head and shrugged.
I pulled the tie off and threw it to Aura and began to put the bowtie on. After a few failed attempts Aura leaned over and tied it properly as we pulled up to the restaurant. We filled out and I bent up a cane, Aura propped me up from my left side. We walked in 2x1x2 with Hope being hidden in-between us.
"Do you have a reservation with us sir?" The door waiter asked in a flat tone.
"Yeah we should, maybe I should have asked our driver about it." I laughed. The man just stared at me with a blank face.
"I need the name of your reservation Sir." He blinked slowly and stared at me. I scratched my head and thought.
"Uh I got nothing man. Look Luna had her driver pick us up and she said she'd be waiting for us." I took all my weight off of my bad leg and pointed my cane towards the street.
"Excellent joke Sir but Miss Luna would have told us that she was going to be having guests for dinner now if you'll step aside so we can get to the other guests." He droned on in monotone. I turned to Aura and blinked a couple times.
"Uh what?" I blurted out and turned back to the man. "Look just call whoever you need to call and tell them we need to speak with Luna." He shook his head.
"I'm afraid I can't do that Sir I just work the door." I started to get irritated at his tone. Suddenly a phone rang and he reached under his podium and answered it.
"Front door how may I-" He gulped. "Yes ma'am I apologies but your father- I understand I'll show them in right away." He put the phone down and wiped sweat from his brow. "Ah yes I see your name now please follow me."
He led us through the dining area to an elevator. We climbed in and he pressed the top button. As the doors closed I could hear his sigh.
"I don't need to get fired because her father is pissed, I need a drink." He stumbled off.
After a short trip the doors opened to a large room that had one round table in the center and Luna seated at the head.
"Finally you guys got here I almost had to fire Toma for that. My stupid step-mother tried to convince my father to keep you guys out. I knew how to get him to let you in." She motioned for us to join her. "Hope please sit up here with me." She patted the chair next to her.
Luna wore a deep green low cut long dress and her she had her long blonde hair tied up in a bun. I could see just how much she had changed from our childhood. Her white skin was now a golden tan and her tone muscles fit well on her firm frame. Her emerald eyes lit up as we made our way to table. Hope made her way over and sat down still blushing.
"So Luna what's for dinner?" I asked as I sat two seats away from Hope allowing Sky and Sokka to sit down. The table was small enough that Aura ended up sitting right next to me and Luna.
"I had the chefs prepare many different dishes."
Dinner was fairly quiet with the exception of Hope jumping a little here and there and letting out a small squeak.
"Luna I just want to know a couple things if you don't mind." Aura said as she leaned over a bit. "Why did you name your badger mole Hina and why do you have your own badger mole?"
"Well my grandfather Wu started a trend of us owning them as pets and I got Hina once I turned 13 and as for why I named her Hina that's because back when I hung around Akira that's what I decided I would name our daughter if we ever had one of course." She sighed and looked over at the large badger mole that slept in the corner of the room.
"Your daughter?" Aura was shocked and everyone went silent. Hope put her head down and I tilted mine to the side.
"Yeah back when I was in love with him I decided on it and after I moved and stopped having feelings for him I still loved the name Hina." Luna rested her chin on her hands and looked at me. "You're a lucky girl Aura years ago I would have jumped at the chance to be with Akira but now I'm more focused on getting someone else." Just then Hope jumped and squeaked again.
I gave Luna a questioning look and she shrugged and then I looked at Hope who smiled and blushed.
"Don't worry she's just playing footsies with me and winning rather efficiently." Hope said looking back and forth between me and Luna. "I don't mind at all." That made Luna smile and move closer to Hope. Hope gasped and laughed.
"Hey uh Luna how is it being a famous actress on top of being royalty already?" I said while clearing my throat. Luna frowned and scooted away.
"Hard work I'll tell you that much. First of all the director is so pushy and stubborn and not to mention everyone treats me like I'm made of glass." She lifter her fork and bent it easily with two fingers. "Do you know how many times I threatened to quit filming because they wouldn't let me do my own stunts? I've been in self-defense classes for years but no I'm still Weng's precious little vulnerable normal girl."
"I know that sucks something fierce, treating you based solely on your looks." Sokka groaned. "Like with me everyone is scared of me because of my size and they think that just because I'm a massive man that I'll break anything that I touch."
"I'm just an accident prone cripple at this point." I said while laughing. "But before that I used to look depressed because no one paid any attention to me." Aura punched my shoulder and looked to Luna.
"So that's how I ended up flat on my back so quick." She feigned pain.
"Yeah and like I said after sorry it's just reflex at this point. Now changing the subject Akira just how in the hell did you get so messed up?" Luna pointed her fork at me.
"Ooohh! Story time!" Sky shouted at the top of her lungs. "Sorry I just like Akira's past it's so-"
"Tragic? Heartbreaking? Painful?" I deadpanned.
"Interesting and gripping, you depressing fool." Sky laughed while throwing a single pea at me.
"Oh well yeah I guess there's that too." I pulled at my collar again. "Anyways story time again."
A short story time later.
"Shit." Luna looked thoroughly depressed. "Life went south after I moved. I'm sorry Akira I wish I could have stayed in Zaofu longer now more than ever."
"Don't worry about it, I may have been thrown about but I've rebounded to an even better place than I was before. I used to be a depressed loner and now I'm just depressed." I motioned to everyone around me and Aura punched my shoulder again. "Kidding, Geeze you were my first friend, and the only one till I met them."
"Well you've made yourself some pretty great friends since me Akira." Luna said while staring at Hope all-the-while. "The good looks just run in your family don't they."
Hope blushed bright red then she leaned in and whispered something into Luna's ear that made her face turn bright red. Sky splashed some water on Hope's face with her bending and began scolding her sister.
"Hey no you don't say things like that at the dinner table. Save it for when the rest of us leave." Sky pushed herself back away from the table. "Well gang I'm going to call it a night. See you all tomorrow and don't wait up I'll be staying at Sokka's tonight." Sokka turned his head confused and Sky gave him a downward glance.
"Oh uh yeah guys we're gonna head out now. Luna nice to talk to you and thank you for dinner and your company." Sokka stumbled out of his chair and almost fell though he quickly recovered and pretended as if nothing happened. "Good day friends."
They didn't wait for anyone to speak before the ran off to the elevator and headed down.
"Why the hell are they off so quickly?" I twisted and pulled my bowtie loose.
"That's probably due to Hope and Luna's shameless flirting. It's no doubt got Sky all worked up and poor Sokka's too easy for Sky to control." Aura grimaced. "They have been like that ever since they started dating."
"Whoa they're dating?" I almost fell out of my chair.
"And then there is this dense guy right here. Yeah they're dating how have you not known." Hope was on the verge of tears because she was laughing so hard. Piece by piece I started to put it together.
"Well I don't know really anything about relationships, hell Aura asked me out remember and now that you mention it I can kinda see it." I said not fully sure of what I put together in my head. "I guess."