Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions for this song, and special thanks to Justcallmewolfy for providing me the central idea I used. It doesn't fit the lyrics perfectly, but it seemed to work. They lyrics take up a lot of space, but they're pretty repetitive.

Pick a Little

Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more.
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more.
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.
Professor, her kind of woman doesn't belong on any committee.
Of course, I shouldn't tell you this, but she advocates dirty books. (Dirty books?)
Chaucer. Rabelais. Balzac.

Women gossiped. It was just something they did, and the women of the South Pole were no different. In fact, it seemed to Katara that they did it even more since her father and the other men left, but that may just have been her increasing awareness as she got older.

Mostly, they talked about men. Their absent husbands, the single men, and even Sokka figured into their conversations. Naturally, they also talked about their children. All of these were topics in which Katara couldn't really participate, so she usually completed her chores efficiently and in silence.

It was another thing that differentiated her from the other women, besides her bending. When they thought she couldn't hear, they would sometimes talk about that, too. For example, they would comment on how odd it was that Katara would go off by herself when her chores were done to practice the things she could do with water, snow, and ice. If Sokka overheard this, he'd tell them to stop. It was perfectly all right for him to call her weird, but he wouldn't allow it from anyone else.

And the worst thing, of course, I shouldn't tell you this --
I'll tell! The man lived on my street; let me tell!
Stop! I'll tell. That woman made brazen overtures
To a man who never had a friend in this town until she came here.
Oh yes, the woman made brazen overtures,
With a gilt-edged guarantee.
She had a golden glint in her eye
And a silver voice with a counterfeit ring.
Just melt her down and you'll reveal a lump of lead as cold as steel
Here, where a woman's heart should be.

Of course, the most scandalous thing had undoubtedly come when Katara took off with the Avatar to travel around the world. Her brother was with her, but still, it was something none of the other women of her tribe would ever consider. Well, perhaps Kana, but hardly anyone remembered her history anymore. She rarely took part in gossip, either, but her age excused her from any idiosyncrasies. Some didn't think she should have allowed the kids to go, but it wasn't their decision.

None of the women could guess why Katara would want to leave behind her home and everything she had known. They were dumbfounded when Katara suggested going off with Aang even before finding out he was the Avatar. The men left because they felt they had to; by doing so, they hoped to take the fight to the enemy and keep it from returning to their home. Saving the world, though, wasn't woman's work. Such pursuits were…inappropriate, to say the least.

As time went on with little news of the exploits of Sokka and Katara, the stories and speculation became wilder. After all, what else did these ladies have for entertainment? One suggested that Katara might have the ambition of marrying the Avatar. After all, they were close in age, and the more practical of the women recognized that she had few prospects at home.

Katara didn't know what was being said about her during this time, and if she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was doing what she was meant to do, with the people she cared about the most, and that was enough.

When ships from the Northern Water Tribe appeared over the horizon, about six months after Katara and Sokka had left with the Avatar, there were new topics for conversation and new people to meet. Kana herself became a subject of rumors after the mysterious way she greeted an old man named Pakku. However, the women learned that Katara had managed to turn things upside-down on the other side of the world as well, becoming a waterbending master in defiance of northern traditions. This only confirmed the general opinion of her as rather an oddity. Kana only nodded and smiled upon hearing the news, saying that she always suspected her granddaughter would change the world.

He left River City the library building,
But he left all the books to her!
Chaucer. Rabelaise. Balzac.
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more.
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more,
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,
Pick a little, talk a little, cheep!

A couple of months later, Katara herself returned, along with her brother and Avatar Aang. All had visibly aged, but their bond seemed very strong. The warriors came home shortly thereafter, and a festival season followed.

Eventually, though, the Avatar decided he had to leave. His day of departure was a sad one for everyone, but none more than Sokka and Katara. They still keep themselves apart from the others now, exchanging glances and private moments that no one else understands.

The other women have little time for gossip anymore, what with their husbands home and a new crop of babies to care for, but they manage some nonetheless. Sokka went away for a while and returned with a wife, so talk begins to spring up about Katara's future. Of course, she is still only 15, so there's no hurry just yet.

Katara hears all this as she looks to the sky, but it doesn't bother her. She has traveled the world and seen more than the other women can even imagine. Besides, Aang will be back.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: It occurred to me that Sokka probably didn't come up with the idea of Katara being weird on his own; he must have heard it from someone, so I added that in. In the middle of writing this, it occurred to me that this could go along with Chapter 10, Sincere, so I geared it that way. There's still one more to come in that set, but I have another to do in between. Oh, and you will find out who Sokka married.

Review responses:

Kataang's-Loyal-Devoted-Slave: Somber, yet cute. Not a combination you see very often, but I'm glad I accomplished it.

SnakeEyes16: I don't really see Sokka as being uncomfortable with women, really. He flirted pretty confidently with Yue, spitting out lines like there was no tomorrow. However women are often attracted to shyness and insecurity, teenage girls in particular.

heartsyhawk: You and me both. I want to see Suki again!