29. Steam
Katara's limbs feel as if she's run a gauntlet, where she's been beaten with clubs and had to run five miles, but she feels satisfied as she walks back into the house. Hana's been teaching her incredible things, like pulling water out of thin air and plants, and not just small bubbles, but such copious amounts that she could split a boulder into thin slices. Hama seemed to like her aggressive style of Waterbending—sharp, fast, and quick with lots of waves and ice—but taught her the more flowing, carefree Southern way anyway.
Hama tells her to take a bath, and she'll cook lunch, another Water Tribe lunch. They will go to the market soon for more ingredients, but Katara doesn't mind. She likes Hama—she feels connected to her past every time Hama mentions her past life or shares a tale, and whenever she brushes the whalebone comb, the one Hama insisted she have as a "legacy being passed down." Katara also wears her mother's necklace, which is feels safe, firmly pressed against her throat and collarbone. She has missed the feel of it. Hama compliments the craftsmanship.
Katara has to get going, though. She has to free her friends from that school. When she expressed this to Hama, the old woman insisted on teaching her just one more powerful method of Waterbending.
"What is it?"
"it can only be done under the full moon, Katara." That was all she would reveal, and Katara tried to guess. Was it similar to pulling water out of another substance? Was it another way to conjure ice? Perhaps heat water, like a Firebender?
Katara is eager. Perhaps this can help free her friends.
Suki slams a cast-iron frying pan into Ms. Kwan's head.
"Always wanted to do that." she says, while hauling the teacher into a closet. Jee carefully welds the door shut.
Zuko shoots her a look. "Was this just a revenge thing, or was she an obstacle to finding Bumi?"
Suki shrugs. "Both. Now, hurry." Jee and Zuko trail the girl through the kitchens and down into the pantry. It's a bit chilly, so Zuko uses his Firebending to heat it up. He notices a wheel of cheese, noodles, star fruit, peppers, and more things that didn't make it somehow to the students' bowls. Suki taps the earthen floor in a seemingly random pattern.
"A secret passageway?" Jee asks.
"No," Suki answers with a slight smirk. "You'll see." And she steps back, just in time for Bumi, slightly dirty to emerge from the ground
"You're an Earthbender?" Zuko gapes. He's never seen the boy Earthbend during the resistance movement.
"Among other things." Bumi looks cautiously at him. "Are you...did you make Suki come here? Are you going to—?"
"He's apparently going to help us overthrow the school, but we have to find Sokka and Katara first." Suki informs him.
"Katara? I didn't know Katara was missing." Bumi looks worried.
"Zuko set her free." Suki explains, then gestures towards the three of them. "Listen, Bumi, can you take us underground? I don't want anyone coming down here all of the sudden or overhearing us."
Bumi nods and opens his arms, then everyone falls into darkness.
"Chameleon Bay." Jee points to the map, set on a stolen can of soup. "Right here."
"What's there?" Sokka asks. He had been hiding out with Bumi underground after a few hours hiding in the stables. The Water Tribesman smells vaguely of manure.
"Some old friends, including the one who taught me that tunnel trick." Bumi grins wryly. "You'll like them."
"So, can we tunnel out of here?" Zuko asks. "Just like that?"
"Well, you have to give the pretense of a princely leaving ceremony before you go with Jee, since Zhao knows your message." Sokka points out, seeming far too glad to point out an error in Zuko's naive thinking. "You can disappear behind or in something and tap out Suki's code, and we will do the rest."
"Uh, the Earth Kingdom is across the ocean." Jee points out. "Can you tunnel under the sea?"
"Not yet," Bumi answers, and he and Suki exchange covetous smirks. "We can do it the old-fashioned way: take a ship."
"We'll disguise ourselves as colonials." Suki thoughtfully murmurs. "If only we had proper clothes."
Sokka shrugs. "We can pop into a village before we go on the boat and steal some."
"Where would you get money?" Bumi inquires.
"Zuko's the Prince. Princes are rich. Rich people have money. Duh." Sokka rolls his eyes. "But how would we look if colonials are conversing and spending time with Prince Zuko and his guard Jee? We need to stay together."
"You could disguise yourself as a normal Fire Nation citizen." Bumi suggests.
Zuko shakes his head. "Fire Nation transportation units separate into classes. My gold eyes label me as a Son of Fire, and yours aren't. We'd be put on different levels."
Sokka whistles. "Wow. Even the Fire Nation separates their own kind."
Zuko narrows his eyes, and Suki sighs. This relationship isn't boding well...
Katara loves the full moon. She always feels so powerful underneath it and feels a certain smugness when the teachers complain about the dampening effect on Firebending during this time. It lights the night like a second sun, much in a much prettier and subtle way—in silver, shining like a lantern. She's already feeling stronger, and with her newfound knowledge, feels the water stirring in the tall grasses and trees as she walks behind Hama into the forest. Hama seems to stand a little straighter and keeps flexing her fingers slowly.
She then turns, right in the middle of an open field, surrounded by tall, looking trees. A catowl calls in the distance, and Katara shivers as a night wind hits her skin.
"What do you have to show me?"
Hama raises her arms. "I've taught you how to bend water out of air and plants. But now, during when a Waterbender is at their most powerful, I can show you to bend...a different sort of water." She flexes her arm, and with a terrible squelching sound, her veins stand out and pulse. Katara recoils, mind racing, but she shakes her head.
"I...I do not understand."
Hama frowns. "Katara, you are an intelligent girl. Do you remember about the precautions that the guards took to keep us from water?"
Katara nods slowly. "Dry air. Chains."
"Yes. But, during the full moon, I could feel this incredible energy, something so wasteful that I couldn't touch...I could not bend anything. But—the rats—"
"...Rats?"
"Yes, dear. They were filthy. They scampered on our food, across our toes, nibbled on our rags. Ugh! But, they were my inspiration from providence—they were nothing more than skins of fur and claws and..." Hama's eyes gleam and narrow, her voice lowers. "blood."
Katara bites her lip, then stops. "B-blood. You..." She's running the process in her head, hands trembling under the full moon. Her stomach feels ill. "You...bent the blood...from the guards?"
Hama laughs, cold and cruel and loudly. "No, that would have been too messy. I took control of them, like so—" Katara's arm twists against her will, and she gasps in shock, then again in relief when the invisible grip releases. "and made them unlock my cage. I knocked them out, too. I walked free, then, for the first time in decades. I nearly fainted, my ankles were so weak, but I did."
"So—" Katara swallows. "You're going to teach me this..."
"Bloodbending, Katara. We are the last Waterbenders of the South. We are the same. The Fire Nation tried to wipe us out, our entire culture! Our families are in danger! You must carry on my work, Katara!"
Katara thinks. This is such an advantage! She could force the headmaster and staff to free her friends, maybe tie each other up later. If she had this power, she could have saved her mother, forced the man on his knees to yield, to stop. Or perhaps stop Zuko—
But...this doesn't feel right. Hama is staring at her with hunger in her eyes. She looks as if she'll kill her if she refuses. The forest is too dark, the catowl is silent, the inn is miles away.
What would her brother do? He would try to distract her or prolong the moment until he could escape. That's what she will do.
Katara swallows and steps forward. For escape. For my friends. For Sokka. "Okay. Teach me."
The old woman grins.
It's a poor disguise, Zuko thinks. But it might work.
Sokka is dressed in a pair of Zuko's causal clothing (a vest, pants, and shoes, but not trimmed with gold), hauling his suitcases, while Suki is in the most provocative clothes Jee could find. Bumi and Jee are in full armor, with face plates and helmets, and Zuko rides his Komodo Rhino to the docks. Naturally, everyone stares before kowtowing right on the muddy banks.
"Prince Zuko!" The captain gapes, adjusting his red cap. "Uh, do you require passage?"
"Yes," Zuko nods as regally as he can. "Five to as far as Ba Sing Se as possible."
"As...as you wish." The captain is still stunned. "Who...who are these people, my lord?"
Zuko frowns and hopes the man doesn't take a close look at Sokka's blue eyes and Bumi's thin stature. "If you must know, captain, that boy—" he thrusts a finger towards Sokka and jerks his head or waves his hand to each of the people on turn. "is my valet. The girl is my personal concubine. And these two soldiers are my escorts and personal guards. They must be with me at all times to serve my needs."
"The space, my lord—" the captain glances at the decks, which are already crowded with gaping guests.
"Refund their money, if you must," Zuko suggests haughtily, opening his pouch, which glimmers brightly under the sunlight. The man's mouth opens, and the Prince swears he could see a drop of drool escaping from it.
The captain bows deeply, his hat almost falling off. "Very well, my lord! Ah, do you mean to say, I may have the whole purse?"
Zuko nods. "And remember, these people all stay with me, on the same level on the ship, close by enough to attend to me. Understand?"
"Oh, yes. Of course!" The captain waves them forward, as a few of the ship's own guards press forward to remove some grumbling passengers. The captain cheerfully refunds them and clutches the Prince's bag to his chest as if it was his firstborn son.
Zuko breathes. He hopes Katara is having an easy passage—
"I think you have the basics down, Katara." Hama smirks. "You are more talented than I am, I dare say."
Katara gasps as she breaks free of Hama's grip faster than she had the last time. They've been practicing for hours; she can feel the moon changing, shifting—that's what she's been hoping for. She looks straight into Hama's eyes they are bitter and cold and devoid of warmth. They are not like hers, she realizes. They both have suffered. But Katara has had her brother and friends to help and love her, while Hama was broken, alone, and a shadow of her former self.
It's a tragedy. But it can never be helped. Katara knows the Fire Nation is evil, that they should be held accountable for this sin, that she should be willing to be—no. It's not how she was raised. It's not how she's going to be.
Katara breathes.
"One time," she whispers to herself, and yanks down her arms.
Hama gasps in shock when her body hits the ground, her head hitting a tree. Katara doesn't look back—she runs as fast she can, tearing across the grass—
Then she's knocked to the ground, mud splattering across her face and hair. She tries to get up, but finds out she can't. Her body does not obey; it is immobile.
Hama laughs crazily; Katara's body jerks its way forcibly to face her. Her white hair is blowing in the wind, her eyes are flashing, her mouth is hanging open—she looks like a witch.
"A sneaky tactic—worthy of a Firebender!" she cackles, and Katara screams when her arm bends outwards. "Treachery!"
"No!" Katara gasps and closes her eyes. "No!" She struggles, then raises her eyes towards the lightening sky. The moon is hidden.
She feels something on her face—light and warm.
Just as her arm is beginning to crack, she pulls free as if chains are dropping to the ground.
Hama gapes and angrily grasps at the air with her clawed fingers. "What? Why isn't it—"
"The sun rose." Katara coldly says and takes a stance. "You lose."
Hama gathers water from the grove of trees behind her. "I have not been out of practice for long, girl!"
Katara breathes, then pushes a strand of hair away from her face. "I am the second in command of the Resistance, daughter of Chief Hakoda, last Waterbender of the South! My mother died to save me, and I will not use my gift for corruption! I will not lose to you!"
It's the most challenging battle of her life—she's never fought against another Waterbending opponent, but she manages well. Hama is old, so that's a distinct advantage, and Katara uses her agility and energy to leap out of the way and get closer. She fights like a Firebender, though, so she's not too good at defense, so a wave knocks her into a tree before she can really move and knocks the wind out of her.
As Hama rotates her arms, a circle of icicles cycling above her head,'ready to launch themselves at her, Katara suddenly remembers something from her "sparring" lessons, a throwaway line from her teacher.
Break the root.
Standing from the roots of the tree, Katara aims for Hama's legs and sweeps water from the grasses to knock her off the ground with a thrust from both of her arms, sending the icicles straight downwards. She intervened before they do real damage, redirecting them to fall only on her clothes, pinning the old Waterbender to the ground.
Hama pants and glares at Katara, exhausted. "You—"
"I must go." Katara says and fingers through her hair before dropping the whale tooth comb at Hama's feet. "Thank you for the lessons you have taught me."
So, this is the climax, basically, so "steam." Yeah.