Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. :)
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Chapter 15: A Fatal Error
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"Toph! Nnugh... Stop it! Would you quit squirming?"
"Fine. I'll stop squirming." Toph stood stock still for one second - one short, precious second - and slid her foot in a precise, almost gentle movement across the polished stone. The floor beneath Katara's feet made a swift movement, and she fell.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Hm, I wonder?"
"Ugh!" Katara stood up and approached Toph again, caution giving her fluid movements an edge. "Just put the stupid dress on. You have to wear it, and the sooner we get this over with, the better."
Toph gritted her teeth, then gave a quick, forced nod. Katara grinned - Toph couldn't see it, but she could feel the spring in the waterbender's step - and suddenly regretted her choice.
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It was no surprise that the three men were the first ones finished with readying themselves. Zuko had them dressed in one-of-a-kind, handmade robes, the best that the Fire Lord would have. Sokka had been concerned with the finery, but Zuko assured him that they wouldn't look out of place.
They were standing in the middle of the corridor, and Aang and Sokka felt horribly out-of-place. Zuko either didn't notice or didn't care, though, because he hadn't bothered to say anything to them to ease their discomfort.
Suddenly the door burst open and Katara stepped out. She radiated elegance and Aang was stunned, for perhaps the millionth time, at her beauty.
Toph followed. She wasn't smiling, but she oozed natural wealth and status, so she would fit right in. Both girls were adorned in satin and lace and dangling jewelry, in reds and blacks. Toph's hair was down. Katara's hair was up. Each looked stunning.
Sokka and Aang were dressed in expensive-looking robes. Sokka would have liked to have had a hood. The last time they'd raided a party, he had been a busboy, and the room had been filled with Earth Kingdom citizens. Now he was entering a place drenched in the Fire Nation, and he was playing the part as one of them. He couldn't help feeling less and less confident the longer he stayed in those clothes.
Zuko was very dressed down. His cloak was borderline mysterious, and Sokka had advised against it, but he wasn't taking any chances. He was trying to stay inconspicuous. It was black, so the shadows would welcome him with open arms, but Sokka felt trouble. The whole ordeal was a gamble, though, so he simply brushed the feelings aside after Zuko assured him that he knew what he was doing.
Zuko pulled out a small bottle of clear liquid. When the light hit it, the formula shone a gold color, and Katara stared at it. "What's that?"
Zuko gave it to Katara. "Put some in her eyes," he told her, gesturing toward Toph. "They'll turn gold temporarily. Don't put them in your own eyes, though. You'll just have to hope no one notices."
"Why can't we use it?"
The corners of Zuko's mouth twitched upward. "It's been known to cause blindness."
Katara looked fairly annoyed as she put a few drops in each of Toph's eyes. Sure as anything, almost immediately after application her irises lost their green tint and switched to a blazing gold. She felt nothing but an extra wetness in her eyes.
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They were dressed, the complaining and unkind words had ceased (for the most part), and transportation had been accounted for. Momo and Appa had wanted to join them, but Zuko had forbid it. He'd have them taken by carriage. After all, they were attending an uppity social gathering. They didn't want their clothes upset by bison sweat or lemur fur.
Several members of Zuko's court had attempted to dissuade him. He had only told a select few lest there be spies in his midst, but those that he had informed had been more discouraging than anything. They had all advised against it, but Zuko stood firm, and eventually they gave him support for his incredibly noble though seemingly stupid decision.
All of this had led them up to where they now happened to be. The five were crowded in some sort of vehicle that people not as wealthy as the Fire Lord (but still extremely wealthy) rode in. It was a short, silent ride, and before any of the adventurers knew it, they had arrived; just in time, too, by the looks of the setting sun.
"Wow. Azula's sure got some taste..." Katara murmured. They had stopped in front of a large building that, in one lifetime, had probably been a house, but it had evolved into a place where social gatherings and private meetings were often held, and no one actually lived there anymore. Sometimes people stayed there, for there were bedrooms and such, but not a soul had called this place home in a long, long time.
"It's big, I know that much," Toph conceded, trying to seem undaunted by the vast structure.
A man at the door was eyeing them suspiciously. "State the nature of your business," he growled.
Zuko stepped forward and said, "I believe these speak for themselves." He pulled out the five invitations from the folds of his cloak for the guard to see. The man snatched them from Zuko's outstretched hand. The Fire Lord flinched at the impertinence of the action, and the guard inspected the cards with eyes that were keener than they appeared, keeping half of his gaze on Zuko as he did so.
After a few moments, the guard nodded. "Go on in. Enjoy yourselves."
Toph glared at the man as she passed. She couldn't see him, of course, but that never mattered. She didn't - she couldn't - make sight-based judgments.
The man saw her golden eyes burning into him and nodded. He was on the lookout for a party of three or four, with a short, green-eyed girl, a blue-eyed girl, a bald, gray-eyed boy, and possibly a tall-ish blue-eyed boy. All young, mid- to late-teens. Possibly a lemur. He saw none of these (of course, Zuko had been pretty in-his-face most of the time he'd spent with them, and the others, save Toph, had avoided eye contact). All in all, he didn't find them any more suspicious than all of the other people he'd allowed in, so he didn't raise the alarm.
This was a fatal mistake on his part, and he would pay for it soon enough.
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