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The Shame!
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If it was possible to die of embarrassment I would be dead! At least three times over! I can never face Subject again! I also cannot find my shoes, so I have abandoned all attempts to leave the bed. I have also abandoned my will to live. I will just hide here forever with my shame as my only companion…. and occasionally my Dad.
Subject has told everyone that me and Suki and Sokka have food poisoning from eating the seal jerky I've been hiding. Sokka is feigning illness just so he can spend the day abed with Suki. My Dad has come up to see me several times and has been very caring. I am lucky that I spent so much time in various fountains last night, because I no longer smell of sake. I just feel terribly ill. My Dad is bringing a ginger tea that is meant to help food poisoning. He has joked about how silly Subject is because Subject kept wanting to make me the hangover-curing tea, when my Dad knows that ginger tea is the best thing for food poisoning. Dad has taken over my care and will most likely drown me in ginger tea before the day is through.
Memories have been coming back all morning (and with them- so very many self recriminations.) I now have a fairly clear recollection of the shenanigans of last night and I wish I didn't. I wish there was an undo button for life so I could go back and erase this girl's night from ever happening. Well maybe not the entirety of it. The first bit when I was just chatting with Suki was lovely. But everything after the fourth Saki would never happen.
Suki is lovely. She is very sure of herself about everything. At first I couldn't imagine what she saw in my brother. I mean don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but he's Sokka and she's Suki. Suki said that my brother was actually a really great guy and I was so used to him that I didn't see it as clearly as she did. They have had a big all-night-talk the previous night about relationships and Yue and Kyoshi and what will happen in the future. She thinks Sokka is complicated and she said that she discovers something new about him everyday. I suggested she could keep track of these tidbits by writing them down so she doesn't forget.
Then she wanted to talk about what I've been writing down and she just wouldn't let it go. Sokka has told her that I wrote at length about Subject. I was cross all over again. Suki calmed me down and we had a chat about what a violation of privacy it was, etc. Suki promised she wouldn't make a big deal about it or tell the others. She just wanted to understand about the stalking.
I explained that my writing about Subject was because he was a devious firebender who could not be trusted and I needed to keep tabs on him because of his deviousness. As a result of my stalking, if he ever turned on us again, I would know all his weaknesses. Suki asked me if I've learnt anything else useful and then she truth-bended at me! Truth-bending is a dark art! It makes you fess up to things you never planned on talking about.
In truth, a lot of what I've discovered won't be useful in combat. I mean, I know a few of his weaknesses there(his left wrist had been fractured at least twice before, he's had at least one severe fall as a child that dislocated his right shoulder, he's susceptible to being knocked out, etc). Mostly I've written down just trivial stuff. He loves fireflakes and hates food that is too salty. He likes to mope with a view. He misses his Uncle a lot. This is just a guess, but from little he's said about his childhood -it was all kinds of messed up. I still mistrust him, but sometimes, even though I mistrust him, he can be so sweet and dorky that I kind of like him. And it is confusing and weird.
Suki gave a knowing smile. She was a little drunk at this point and she started making really bad puns about everything she knows about Subject and cracking herself up. He's got a fiery temper, he and Sokka get along like a house on fire etc …. hardy har har Suki. Suki also said that Subject was hot. I don't know if this was for the sake of a lame pun or if she really thinks this about him. I hope it is for the pun. Besides, she's with Sokka anyway.
She and Sokka seem so sure about each other. I'm not at all sure about Aang and I knew I was drunk because I really wanted to talk about it with her. Normally just thinking about it fills me with embarrassment. But Suki and I had a lovely deep and meaningful conversation about relationships and knowing when they are right for you. I asked her the same question I'd asked Subject a couple of weeks ago. How do you know its right? I told her some of my doubts and feelings about Aang. May I just say that Suki is a good listener.
She listened but said she never felt like that with Sokka. Sokka made her feel comfortable and safe and he made her laugh. Suki said that she didn't have many doubts because things felt right with him and she and Sokka just clicked. I asked her if you can make yourself click with some one, but Suki thinks you can't force a click-age. Apparently they just happen when you least expect it and often with the most inconvenient of people.
Sokka is inconvenient for Suki because he lives at the South Pole and she lives on Kyoshi and where will they live after the war. I'd pick Kyoshi over the South Pole, but that's just me. I mean I love my home, but I've seen and done so much over this past year that I think it won't be the same for me when I go back. I don't know if I could live there all year round again. I couldn't do another polar winter; think I'll miss sunshine now that I know you can have it all the time. We got a bit giggly about something. I can't remember what, but it was funny.
At some point Sokka came up to get us both, because it was really late at night(or really early in the morning I guess). And it was only then I realized that I was rather drunk.
Drunketty drunk drunk.
Well wankered.
Schnoozled.
Wasted.
Suki was in a similar state to myself, but she was tired and wanted to go to sleep and was sort of lolling on Sokka like a ragdoll.
I didn't want to go to sleep. I was awake.
It was a beautiful night and there was a moon and I wanted to do some bending. Sokka thought it was a good idea if I went to bed anyway and left bending till the morning. I got a bit bossy and unreasonable with him. Sokka thought I might need some help navigating the steps. My legs weren't working so good at this point. Sokka is right. Your feet really don't listen to you after too much Sake. He said something about getting Dad because Dad had carried him to bed when he was drunk. I was horrified at the prospect. I didn't want my Dad to see me drunk.
I consider that the only positive of last nights events. At least my Dad didn't see me drunk.
Sokka said he couldn't very well carry us both and we were both in too much of a state. Sokka told us to wait there and then returned with Subject some indeterminate amount time later. Subject was still blearily rubbing his eyes. Evidently my brother had woken him up. Suki climbed on Sokka's back and he started giving her a piggy back to her room.
Subject made a motion for me to do the same, but I was feeling cheeky and drunk and happy and I declared that Subject would have to catch me first and then I sake-bended at him and ran away. He swore a bit and chased after me. We were near the orchard and I just really felt like bending… the moon was nearly full and the orchard is so lovely and… you know how it is. So I hoped in the fountain and started bending.
So, oh gods…here it starts to get embarrassing.
Like really embarrassing.
I will never recover. That's how embarrassing.
I have in the following order:
-Frolicked about in the fountain.
-Declared myself Queen of said fountain and that Subject was my …err…loyal Subject.
-Forced Subject to join me in the fountain by Royal Fountain Queen decree. Also by waterbending.
-Licked Subject!
Oh the shame!
I don't know what came over me. Too much Sake probably.
It was such a beautiful night and I didn't want to go to bed and I wanted the water all around me. Subject encouraged me, most sternly, to get out of the fountain but I refused quiet crossly and declared myself the Fountain Queen. I then waterbended Subject into the fountain and he was most displeased. I said that I had passed a royal decree and he was my loyal Subject and as such he had to stay in the fountain with me and do what I said. Subject tried to argue but my logic as Fountain Queen was infallible. I was an absolute monarch. I was in my element. Eventually he acquiesced and just stayed in the fountain with me.
We hung out in the fountain for a while. We had a splashing battle, which I won. Subject said this was ridiculous and we should go back to bed, but he had heated the water with his firebending so we wouldn't get cold. It was nice. Like a big giant fountain-y bath. I was ranting at some point about Subject and the sweet chili fireflakes. If it wasn't for those bloody flakes, none of this would have happened!
Damn you fireflakes!
But really, he eats so many of them and I was just wondering if he would taste like one too.
So I ranted about those bloody flakes and about how I had got them for him when he was sick even though they taste nasty and he hadn't cared or said thank you properly. I then started going on about how he would taste like a sweet chilli fireflake and was wondering out loud if he would taste more sweet or more chilli. Subject was absolutely baffled by this question. I told him I thought that he would taste more sweet. I then tested this hypothesis by licking Subject's face, (the side without the scar) much to his alarm and surprise.
He tasted salty.
Subject got up and out of the fountain exceptionally quickly and then declared that I definitely had to get to bed. Right that very instant. I stayed down in the fountain, quite unhelpfully, because I was feeling a bit drunk and unhelpful at that stage. I told him he'd have to make me because I certainly wasn't leaving my Queendom of my own accord.
Subject seemed to pause for a few seconds like he was uncertain of what he should do. Then he bent down and lifted me up like I was a small child. He had one arm under my knees and the other against my back. He was saying "please don't hate me!" over and over. I got a bit cranky, but only for a little bit at the start. It was kind of nice being carried and not having to walk anymore. It is hard to walk when your feet do not listen to you. Subject smelled quite nice and was really warm, so I think I may have snuggled against him, but I am not sure.
It all gets a big foggy after that. At one point we were in the kitchen and Subject was trying to get me to drink some water. I think I was unreasonable here too. I bended the water in the glass at him, I remember doing that. He poured another one and the cycle began anew. I remember Subject repeatedly trying to get me to bend the water out of my clothes. I think by this stage in the evening/morning, that was quite a feat for me. I must have eventually done it properly though because I woke in my bed, wearing the same clothes as last night, and they were dry. There is a big glass of water on the bed side table. Someone, I presume Subject, has taken off my shoes and tucked me in.
I am never leaving!
Gah! I'm so embarrassed!
And it is all Subject's fault!
Oh the shame!
Things I have learned about Subject:
Subject does not like to be surprise-licked, judging from the speed with which he leapt from the fountain after I did that.
Subject is strong enough to carry me from the orchard to here.
Subject is actually quite gentlemanly when dealing with my drunken shenanigans. So it is a shame that I will never be able to look him in the face again. I will stay here with only ginger tea and my shame.
Farewell Subject, I will stalk ye no more.
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Author's note:
Lovely, wonderful readers! You have reached the end of "The Shame!" and I hope you enjoyed it! Katara has seen Zuko is various stages of drunkenness and delirium that I thought it would be nice if the shoe was on the other foot for a chapter. All you reviewers- you guys are just awesome! You know I love ya! Wow, the response to the last chapter was just overwhelming, so thanks so much! I really enjoy reading all your thoughts and comments! Two thumbs up from me! You're all amazing!
Hakoda: he's a good dad. He wants to take care of his kids when they are sick. Like Katara, he chases away other would-be-nurses. He also has another reason for really wanting to be around his kids today, which will become apparent next chapter.
Suki and Katara: I always thought they'd make great friends, they're quite similar in age and outlook about certain things and Suki is a big part of Sokka's life. It makes sense to me that she'd want to make good friends with Katara and I think as the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, she'd be the veteran of a few girl's nights and would be a good listener. I thought I would be nice for Katara to have another girl to confide in. Suki and Sokka had a chat about the stalking journal in their big all-night talk and Suki genuinely wants to know what the hell is going on there. She hoped that Katara would be more inclined to talk about it after a few beverages. She would have told Sokka to come get them if she wasn't back by 1ish.
Suki like Sokka, is a philosophical drunk. She's all about the deep and meaningful chats.
Katara is an energetic and unreasonable drunk. She's that girl who wants to stay for just one more dance!
When Sokka finds them and is faced with the dilemma of who will carry Katara-it's only natural that he'd get Zuko. He trusts Zuko, knows Zuko is strong enough to carry/deal with his drunken sister and he is also hoping that his drunken sister will let something slip about the Stalking Journal in her drunken state and then he won't have to keep it a secret anymore.
Zuko, when Katara's in the fountain, decides to take the high road and just go with it. He hopes that if he waits it out, she'll tire herself out and then she'll be more willing to go to bed. She will call him Subject several times to his face while they are in the fountain, because he is her loyal subject. But then she licked him and Zuko's brain would have released a sonic blast of panic and the high road would have been lost. I do think he would have been a gentleman about everything. He would have tried to take good care of her and gotten her to drink water before going to bed etc, but it would have been a difficult task, because Drunk Katara is quite playful and unreasonable and Zuko would have been waterbended at many times in the kitchen before the water drinking would have happened.
How will now hungover Katara react to last nights shenanigans?
You will have to wait and see lovely readers!
But I have tomorrow off work so with any luck you won't have to wait too long!