Katalina started to avoid everyone. She kept her distance from the Jasmine Dragon and went to places in the city she didn't typically go to. She went out of her way just to stay out of everyone else's way. Better yet, she spent her nights in the ruins of her and Jet's old apartment. That's how dedicated she was to evading all the others.
Her elusiveness couldn't last forever, though. And Iroh had managed to track her down.
"What do you want?" she greeted him.
"I want you to come back," he answered. "All of us do."
"I'm sure Mai's been perfectly content without me around."
"We're all worried about you, Katalina. No one has seen you or heard from you in over a week."
"Well, now you have. So let me be."
"I'm not going anywhere until I hear your side of the story."
"My side of the story?" she repeated.
"Zuko told me what happened."
She froze. "Oh."
"Yes. So now it's your turn to tell me what happened."
"Nothing happened," she denied.
"Katalina, he already told me—"
"Zuko and I decided to pretend it never happened," she cut him off. "So I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what happened because nothing did happen."
"Please," he said shortly.
She shook her head. "It doesn't even matter, Iroh."
"Of course it matters. So tell me the truth."
"There's nothing to tell!"
"Katalina, please, at least tell me the truth about how it made you feel."
"How it made me feel? You wanna know how the kiss made me feel? It made me feel everything I'm sure he didn't feel! And that makes me feel totally worthless." She shook her head, chuckling as she held back tears. "This whole endeavour has been completely pointless, Iroh."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because Zuko is with Mai! And even after everything that went down in the Fire Nation he's still gonna stay with her! It's like my feelings don't even matter to him!"
"He doesn't even know your true feelings," he pointed out.
"So what?"
"So he deserves to know."
"Why? Because he's all about honesty now?"
"Maybe you should sit down with Mai, then, and try talking things out with her and see where that goes."
"Talk with Mai? She hates me enough as it is! Besides, I will not be the one to tell her that Zuko kissed me."
"I'm not telling you to tell her that."
"Then I don't understand what you would have us talk about."
"You have to speak with one of them."
"I don't have to speak with anyone," she denied.
"What do you plan on doing, then?"
"About what?"
"You and Zuko."
"Oh, you mean our poisonous relationship?"
"It's not poisonous. It may be complicated, yes, but it is not poisonous. And you'll be able to figure it out."
"What makes you so sure?"
"The fact that you and Zuko have gotten through so much together already. You two remained good friends all throughout the process of his banishment. And I know you couldn't come with us when we left, but the fact that you two have come so far after three years of no contact makes me believe all the more that you will be able to go even further. I mean, if you were able to remain friends after those three long, harsh, and difficult years, then you'll be able to remain friends during these easier upcoming years."
"What makes you think they'll be any easier?"
"Because you and Zuko are together again. And trust me when I say that that will make all the difference."
"I wanna believe you, Iroh. I really do. But I just can't."
"And why not?"
"Much like Zuko is all about honesty now, he's also all about leaving the past in the past," she started. "Our friendship is in the past, Iroh. And as much as it kills me to admit that…it's the truth."
Iroh looked very saddened by this statement. "But Katalina, you two were doing so well."
She shrugged. "I thought we were, too. But I'm also wrong more often than I like to admit. And I was wrong about me and Zuko. And I'm really sorry Iroh, but I just don't want anything to do with him anymore."
"Don't you think you're being a bit rash?"
"No, I think I'm being reasonable and realistic."
"Well, you'll need to tell him all this yourself."
Now she shook her head. "I don't plan on seeing him again. So you'll have the pass the message along for me."
"Even if I tell him you don't want to see him anymore, he'll still come after you," he pointed out. "So you're better off just telling him yourself."
"This time is different, Iroh. This time he won't chase me."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I know how Zuko is."
"You don't know how he feels, though."
"I know that he chose Mai," she declared. "And I know that I refuse to compete with her."
"You don't have to compete with her."
"Yeah, I won't have to so long as I stay away. So that's exactly what I plan on doing."
"You're just gonna cut everyone off?"
"I'm done talking about this," she responded. And she began to walk away.
"Running away from your feelings isn't the same as letting them go and moving on!" Iroh called after her.
"I'm not running from anything!" Katalina called back. She then added, speaking to herself, "I'm starting anew."