This chapter is dedicated to my hubby Jay, who always works hard and does the best he can. Congrats on ur new job! :D
Oh yeah, dont own avatar or B&B, R&R, hope u liked it, updating soon...blah blah blah blah blah.....lol :P
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Chapter 14: Something there
"Alright...is everything ready?" the Spirit asked the servants once again.
"Yes master." They all said in a tired tone.
It was the fourth day since Katara first came to the castle and everyone had been up since dawn, busily preparing for breakfast. Unlike previous meals, this one was to be Katara and the Spirits first meal together, not counting the lunch cart that was brought to them in the library.
After discovering their common interest in reading, Katara and the Spirit had spent countless hours together in the library, with the Spirits enthusiasm for reading so great that they managed to read through an entire shelf of new books in one day. Although Katara had to retire to bed earlier than usual to rest her eyes and her voice, she was genuinely happy to have met someone who loved reading as much as she did. And because they were getting along so well, Iroh managed to coax the Spirit into inviting Katara down to breakfast the next morning so they could spend time together outside the library. A descion that, while brilliant, had made the Spirit incredibly anxious and all the servants very weary as a result.
"Okay so we got the food, the plates, the silverware, glasses, candles...you sure you're not forgetting something?"
"No Zuko." Iroh repeated. "Sokka, Suki, Aang and I all set the table ourselves and Haru has been handling all the food preparations. Everything is in order."
"Okay, good....good...okay..." the Spirit rambled to himself anxiously as he continued to pace.
"I wonder if he'll make a hole in the floor before or after Katara comes down." Sokka wondered as he glanced at the floor beneath him.
"You're so immature." Suki scoffed before walking toward the Spirit, "Master, you shouldn't worry so much. I'm sure Katara will enjoy speading breakfast with you."
"Suki's right. You should calm down before you become ill." Iroh said as he watched the Spirit pace back and forth.
"Easy for you to say." the Spirit said as he put a hand on his forehead. "Ugh...my head's spinning so much I can hardly see straight."
"It's just breakfast." Iroh emphasized. "It's nothing to get worked up about."
"Nothing to get worked up about!?" the Spirit exclaimed stopping in his tracks. "Uncle, I haven't dined with another human being in years! What if I do or say something stupid to offend her? What if she doesn't like the food? What if she changes her mind and decides to leave??"
Iroh shook his head. "Now you know none of that is going to happen. All of us have been up since dawn and have carefully prepared everything for today. Besides, you've spent enough time with Katara to know what you should and should not say."
"He's right master." Aang added. "Besides, Katara wouldn't leave. She likes it here too much. And she really likes spending time with you."
"She does?" the Spirit asked in surprise.
Aang nodded excitedly and the Spirit felt himself grow hot behind his mask. While the thought that she enjoyed his company should've been comforting, it actually made him more anxious because now she had high expectations. Sitting in a chair, the Spirit tweaked the bridge of on the nose of his mask and let out a frustrated moan.
"Don't sweat it master." Sokka piped up as he jumped onto the table. "You'll be fine. Girls are easy to talk to once you figure them out. All you gotta do is flatter them a bit. Compliment the lady. And if she starts talking about something boring like dolls and curtains, just nod your head and keep saying yes. Never fails."
"Oh for Agni sake, are you really that thick?" Suki yelled. "Not all women talk about dolls and curtains you know! Some of us actually have other, more intelligent things to talk about then that."
"Yes." Sokka said as he nodded his head. Suki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she turned away.
Before the Spirit could respond, he heard the doorknob moving and watched as it slowly turned. Immediately all the servants jumped off the table and rushed toward their posts. Standing back up, the Spirit quickly smoothed down his shirt and waited with baited breath as Katara opened the door. At first she entered looking slightly nervous but upon seeing him standing there, her face relaxed and she smiled.
"Morning Spirit." she said nervously. "Sorry if I kept you. I had to redo my braid and it took longer than I thought it would."
The Spirit said nothing and as Katara walked up to him and she noticed that he was staring at her outfit. "Oh, Toph picked this out her drawers for me. Do you like it?"
Looking down at her lovely new dress and her newly done hairdo, the Spirit was at a loss for words and only snapped back to his senses when he heard Sokka roughly clear his throat from the side.
"Her dress!" Sokka whispered loudly to him. "Say something about her dress!"
The Spirit glanced down at her dress and then back at Katara who was still looking expectantly at him. "Um...your dress? It's, uh.........pink." From the side, Sokka and Suki smacked themselves in the forehead.
"Yeah I know..." Katara said looking down at it in disappointment. "Not really my color but I didn't want to insult Toph. Not like she can tell the difference anyway."
"Actually, I think you look good in pink." The Spirit blurted out to everyone's surprise. Realizing what he said, he again started getting hot behind his mask. "That is, uh, I noticed it matches the color in your cheeks really well..."
Katara blushed and smiled "Why thank you." She then walked toward the table as the Spirits let out a breath of relief. Suki then coughed and motioned for the Spirit to pull out her chair for her. Getting the hint, he immediately rushed over and pulled it out before she sat down. After pushing her in, the Spirit walked to the other side and sat down as Iroh hopped onto the table.
"Good morning everyone, hope you all slept well. Today's breakfast is quite special. Chef Haru's has prepared a special assortment fruits, cheeses and muffins along with strips of crispy bacon, eggs and his signature winter time porridge. Served piping hit with extra sugar." Iroh announced. "And by the looks of outside, you're both going to need it." He then hopped off the table and toward the door, motioning for the others to follow him.
As they left to get the food, Sokka and Suki kept watch at the door, eager to hear what the two would talk about. However, Katara and the Spirit were too nervous to make conversation and merely sat in silence as they waited for their food.
Finally the Spirit decided to break the ice. "So...did you have a goodnight rest?"
"Oh yes, very much so." Katara nodded. "And you?"
"Good. I slept pretty good." The Spirit nodded.
As the silence threatened to take over again, the Spirit blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Though I did have a rather strange dream last night."
"Really?" Katara asked. "About what?"
"It was from a chapter in that book we read yesterday. About the fire masters." The Spirit explained. "I was standing on top of a small bridge with the Avatar facing down these two giant dragons...and somehow we managed to fight them off by dancing."
Katara asked chuckling in amusement. "I don't remember that part in the book. How very strange."
"You know what's even stranger?" the Spirit added. "Instead of fire, the dragons blew rainbows at us. Also, the Avatar looked a lot like Aang."
The two then shared in a laugh as the servants re-entered the room, pushing carts full of food along with two hot bowls of porridge. Quickly they set the places and then rushed off to the side to watch again.
For a while, the two ate in silence with only the sounds of spoons clanking against the bowls. Katara then looked up and was surprised to see the Spirit pulling his mask up slightly and lean over his bowl as he shoveled spoons of porridge into his mouth. While she watched, her curiosity got the better of her.
"Why do you wear that?" Katara asked unexpectantly.
"What?" The Spirit asked, looking up briefly. Noticing that she was staring at him, he immediately turned away and pulled his mask back down.
"I was just wondering, why you wear that mask all the time." Katara said. "Did something happen to your face?"
The Spirit paused before turning the other way and wiping under his mouth with a napkin. "It's no big deal. Just an...injury...from long ago."
"Oh..." Katara said before pressing on. "Is it really bad?"
"Sort of." the Spirit said starting to get uncomfortable.
"If you wanted, I could maybe take a look at it and-"
"No!" the Spirit interrupted. "No, it's alright...I just...it's hard to talk about. Could we change the subject please?"
"Oh...sorry" Katara flushed in embarrassment and instantly shut her mouth.
Again, they sat in silence as they finished their porridge and moved onto the other dishes. After a bit, they started talking more about books and didn't change the subject till the servants took their empty bowls away.
"So...which book should we read today?" the Spirit asked.
As Katara starting thinking to herself, she looked outside and noticed that it was snowing. Most of the ground was already covered and thick icicles were starting to form on the trees and windows.
Getting an idea, she stood up and folded her napkin. "Actually, if it's alright with you, I was thinking of doing something a little different today."
"Like what?" the Spirit asked curiously.
"Like...maybe going for a walk around the grounds?" Katara asked.
"In the snow?" The Spirit asked, surprised by the request. Katara nodded and the Spirit glanced at the servants who were also nodding their heads in approval motioning him to go for it. Looking back at Katara, he too nodded his head in agreement. "Sure. We can do that."
Smiling, Katara grabbed his hand and the two headed for the back door.
--
After putting on their winter capes, Katara and the Spirit walked out onto the grounds amidst all the falling snow. It was a change for the Spirit who was used to the heat of the castle. Katara however, was in her glory and running about catching snowflakes on her tongue.
After coming near upon a large tree, Katara opened a bag of seeds the servants gave her and poured some into the Spirit's hands. She then watched as he knelt down to feed the birds and started thinking about how different he seemed since they first met.
There's something sweet
And almost kind
But he was mean and he was coarse
And unrefined
And now he's dear
And so unsure
I wonder why
I didn't see it there before
As she watched him, she couldn't help but smirk. Obviously the Spirit had never fed birds before cause he kept shoving seeds in their faces, causing them to fly away. Shaking her head, Katara knelt down next to him and put more seeds in his hands. She then laid his open hands on the ground and spread a trail of seeds towards them. A bird landed nearby and started eating the seed on the ground before leaping into the Spirits hands.
The Spirit looked at the bird and then at Katara in surprise, unable to believe that he was actually holding a bird in his hands. As the bird peck at the seeds, he felt a hand grab onto his arm as Katara hoisted herself up while holding another small bird on her finger. Although it was only for a brief second, the Spirit could feel his heart race like mas. He relished every time Katara and him made physical contact. He loved it even more when she would look upon him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers. How he could get lost in those eyes...
She glanced this way
I thought I saw
And when we touched
She didn't shudder at my claw
No it can't be
I'll just ignore
But then she's never looked at me
That way before
As the small bird flew away, Katara looked back at the Spirit who seemed to be watching her every move, despite all the birds that were flying around him. Instantly her heart starting to race and she began feeling self conscious. Quickly she moved behind the tree and peered into an icicle hanging off one of the branches, checking her reflection and smoothing out her hair. She wasn't sure why she cared about her looks all of a sudden, but she was sure it had something to do with the Spirit. Every time he stared at her, she would start to blush and a strange feeling would overcome her. Glancing at him briefly from around the tree, she could feel her cheeks grow warm and instantly pulled back, wondering where these new feelings were coming from.
New and a bit alarming
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?
True that he's no Prince Charming
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see
As she came out from behind the tree, Katara had to suppress the urge to laugh. The Spirits hands, arms, shoulders and head were all covered in birds who were trying to get at the feed in his hands. He tried standing up but instead dropped the feed causing all the birds to fly away. He then turned to look for Katara and instantly got smacked in the face by a snowball. Wiping it off his mask, he saw Katara standing behind the tree giggling and pointing at him.
"Oh you think that's funny huh?" the Spirit called out.
"Very" Katara retorted.
"Well laugh at this." The Spirit then knelt down and gathered up a huge amount of snow, forming a giant snowball. Katara let out a small scream and as he began running toward her with it and ran behind the tree. The Spirit lifted up the large snowball and was about to throw it behind the tree but saw no one there. He then felt something cold hit him in the back of the head, causing him to fall over and lose his grip on the snowball which fell on top of him.
"Gotcha!" Katara called out. She then saw that the snow covered Spirit wasn't moving and started to get concerned. "Hey. You alright?" she asked as she walked up to him. Then before she could blink twice, the Spirit turned over and threw a snowball at Katara, hitting her square in the chest.
Stumbling back a bit, Katara's eyes widened in shock as she looked down at her snow covered outfit and then at the Spirit who was laughing at her. "You're not the only one who can throw snowballs you know." he said in a mocking tone.
Narrowing her eyes, Katara tossed aside her cape and grinned. "That's it. You're gonna get it now!" She then raised her arm up high and slammed them down. Instantly all the snow on the tree's branches came crashing down on the Spirit, who managed to barely get out of the way.
"Hey no fair!" the Spirit called out. "We can't all bend water you know!"
"Then I suggest you improvise!" Katara called out as she summoned up a large mound of snow, forming a fort. She then started thrusting her arms back and forth, launching dozens of large snowballs in his direction. The Spirit tried dodging all of them but the snowballs were too big and coming way too fast.
Unable to withstand the barrage, the Spirit whipped out his swords and began slicing through each snowball, melting them instantly with the heat of his blades.
After slicing through the onslaught, the Spirit finally caught up with Katara who abandoned her snow fort and was running around the side of the castle. They chased each other all around the grounds till finally they caught up with each other at a large hill.
The Spirit then dropped his swords and lunged at Katara, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her down. The two instantly fell over and started rolling down the steep hill till they ended up at the bottom, with the Spirit on top of Katara and pinning her arms to the ground.
"Gotcha." the Spirit said as he smugly looked down upon her. "How's that for improvising?"
"Very crafty I must admit." Katara grinned, looking at her pinned arms and at the Spirit. "You are a worthy adversary."
"Darn right I am" the Spirit said as he let go of her arms and stood back up. He then offered her his hand which she grabbed and tried pulling herself up. She stumbled forward but the Spirit easily caught her in his arms. As she looked up at him with her large sapphire blue eyes, the Spirit felt an intense heat overcome him despite all the cold weather. He then noticed Katara's hair loopys had fallen out and were hanging limply in front of her face. Gently he brushed them out of her face, making extra sure not to scratch her with his claws. Not even flinching, Katara closed her eyes as the Spirit ran his fingers across her skin, enjoying his surprisingly gentle touch.
Opening her eyes again, she then reached up and touched the side his mask, pulling him slowly towards her. Just as the Spirit had gotten close enough to smell the scent from her hair, she instantly pelted him on the side of the head with a snowball, which she had hidden behind her back.
The Spirit stumbled to the side while Katara sprinted away, laughing out loud.
"Hey, that was dirty!" the Spirit called out as he wiped snow off his head.
"All's fair in love and war." Katara said pompously as she ran back up the hill. The Spirit grinned to himself and wiped the remaining snow off his outfit before running after her.
--
As the two continued their snowball fight, the servants watched from the top window in amusement.
"I'm telling ya, the master's gonna win." Sokka said. "Nobody can beat a firebender with ice and snow."
"Please Sokka," Suki said rolling her eyes. "Katara clearly has the advantage. She's been keeping him on his toes since the fight started. Don't you agree Iroh?"
Iroh smiled as he continued to watch Katara and the Spirit and chuckled in amusement "It doesn't matter to me who wins or loses. Seeing them having fun together is a victory in itself."
Sokka and Suki looked at each other then nodded in agreement. To see them fighting for fun instead of in anger was very uplifting. It also made them happy to know that all the interactions between Katara and the Spirit were through their own initiatives instead of the servants.
"Well, who'd have thought?" Sokka mused.
"Well, bless my soul" Iroh exclaimed.
"Well, who'd have known?" Suki added.
"Well, who indeed?" Iroh nodded.
"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?" Sokka asked.
It's so peculiar. We'll wait and see
A few days more
There may be something there
That wasn't there before.
As they continued to watch, Aang showed up and tried looking over their shoulders. "Hey whatcha all looking at?"
"You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before." Suki observed with interest.
"What?" Aang asked as he tried jumping up to get a better look. Seeing him there, Iroh moved aside and let Aang in. The teacup hopped toward the window and watched as Katara and the Spirit sat side by side under the tree, both wiping snow off their clothes.
"There may be something there that wasn't there before." Iroh repeated happily.
"Huh? What's there Iroh?" Aang asked in confusion.
"I'll tell you when you're older." Iroh said as the others chuckled to themselves.
"Well back to work." Suki said as she turned to leave. "I think Haru needs extra help cleaning in the kitchen."
"Can't we take a nap first?" Sokka asked, yawning loudly as he followed after her. "We have been up cleaning since dawn ya know..."
As the others began hopping away, Iroh noticed Aang was still staring out the window. "Come on Aang, that means you too."
"Hey Iroh..." Aang said in a worried tone. "Katara and the Spirit are going to get together right?"
"That's what we all hope." Iroh answered.
"But it will happen right?" Aang pressed on. "Like really soon?"
Iroh turned around and looked at Aang curiously. "Why the sudden sense of urgency?"
"It's just...watching them play in the snow when I can't, makes me wonder..." Aang said struggling to find the words. "If I'll ever get that chance...to be a boy and have fun again."
Iroh's looked at Aang with sympathy and hopped next to him. "You will. I have already promised you that."
"But when will I know?" Aang asked.
"Soon." Iroh replied as he looked out the window to the two down below. "If it's to be...it'll be very soon." Smiling to Aang, he then started hopping down the hall. "Now, come along son."
--
As Iroh and Aang left toward the kitchen, Katara and the Spirit were catching their breath beneath the tree and recovering from their respective snowball attacks.
"Well...that was exhausting." Katara said as she leaned against the trunk breathing heavily.
"You said it." the Spirit wheezed as he too leaned back against the tree.
"Hey is it me, or did it just get colder all of a sudden?" Katara asked as she started rubbing her arms.
"Possibly both." the Spirit answered as he lifted her wet cape out of a nearby snow pile. "We should probably go inside now before it gets colder and you catch the flu or something."
"Don't be silly, I never get si...sic-" Katara then paused and let out a loud sneeze, which echoed throughout the grounds.
"Excuse you." the Spirit said as he took off his own cape and put it around her shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you up."
"I'm alright." Katara said making small sniffling noises as she stood up. "Aren't you cold though?"
"I'm a firebender. What do you think?" the Spirit said as he also stood up.
"Oh right." Katara said sheepishly. "Well at any rate, thanks for coming outside with me. Hope you had fun, despite me beating you in a snowball fight."
"More then you can imagine." the Spirit replied. He then held out his arm to Katara, who held onto it as they walked back toward the castle. "By the way, you know I won that fight."
"Keep telling yourself that." Katara said as she playfully elbowed him in the ribs.
--
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Damn those waterbenders and their cheating ways :P
Just to give you all a heads up, I've decided to change the poll on my home page. I'm taking off Grease, The Hunchback of Notre Dome, and The Producers and instead adding The Lion King. I do this for the following reasons:
Grease: WAY TOO MANY DANCE NUMBERS! I mean dont get me wrong, I love a good musical and all, but its the dance numbers that drive me crazy writting wise. And that entire play is pretty much a giant dance number. Also, I'm a bit iffy on the whole modern setting type thing as I've yet to do a proper story with that element. I suppose if enough ppl request it and dont mind me trimming a few songs off it, I may reconsider.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: While I do love this movie a whole lot, I'm not sure itd be appropriate or even possible to mix Avatar with a movie/book that has such strong christan themes/overtones attached to it. As any Victor Hugo fan will tell u, the most central thing to HoND is the Notre Dame church. And as far as I know, religion is pretty much non-existant in the Avatar world thus making it implausible to combine the two. And b4 anyone says anything, no i have nothing against christans nor do i align myself with any paticular religion. I just like to keep God and Avatar on opposite sides of the fence where they belong.
The Producers: Pretty much the same reasons as Grease. modern settings and dance numbers included. not to mention that whole thing is a borderline sausage fest. (not nessarily a bad thing but i like to keep the genders on a sumwhat equal level cast wise)
The Lion King: This was a special request made by our own Dennis Fielder (*insert applause*) and after giving it much thought, I beleive I can do this story justice. True they wont be animals, but the references will be there from time to time and of course, itll be Zutara. also, itll have the usual movie/broadway combo.
So sorry to bother those who voted already but if u could take another look at my revised poll and recast ur votes, id really appriciate it. :)
Oh and lucky me. I get to see three plays this week within a span of 4 days. On thursday, 1776 (a really funny musical about the founding fathers). On saturday, Phantom of the Opera (bin dying to see this one since the movie) and on sunday, sum crappy college show i hafta see for acting class. As long as theyr all better then Chicago (which i hope to god they are ) this should be a fun weekend.