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Auspicious occasion of Katara's birthday.

Part three: hope.

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After a long afternoon of delicious pampering, we emerged from Angi's bounty day spa looking and feeling fabulous. We were given more tea and dumplings and fussed over at great length by the gracious lady until she pronounced herself satisfies with our appearance. She had overseen a trio of beauticians for each of us, who buffed and scrubbed and did our hair and applied a subtle but lovely layer of make-up. One of them wanted to apply some green to my eyelids but she had tutted dramatically and said that there would be no point in fighting my eye colour in such a barbarous manner. The gracious lady took colours quite seriously. My make-up had been applied in a less noticeable and obvious fashion to the way they had done it in Ba Sing Se. They favoured more subtle shades and softer colours in the fire nation, apparently. A lackey had woven some fresh flowers through my hair, which had been piled in a elaborate fashion. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the way out and nearly gasped. I mean I know I'm not ugly or anything, but I just looked ...well, quite pretty.

I looked like some sort of half dazed-mostly fabulous-floral wood nymph.

Toph's hair was as rebellious as the rest of Toph and had broken free, here and there, from its arrangement. Suki's hair had been brushed and heated and blown and combed until it wafted around her face in a gravity defying fashion. Toph said she thought we all looked fabulous and there was much hilarity. But I told her sincerely that she looked really pretty and she beamed at me in response.

We bid farewell to our gracious lady and started walking back home. I almost felt too relaxed to walk anywhere. If the boys had been present I would have demanded one of them carry me. Port Ember, the main town is about half an hour's walk from the house. It doesn't seem so far on the way into town, but the way back felt like it took forever.

When we came near the house we saw the boys having a three way stick-whacking battle on the beach, apparently for funsies. Why is whacking each other with sticks fun? I noted, with some annoyance, that Sokka was wielding the commonsense stick. Aang was flitting about like an agile sparrow and using his air bending to whack the other boys from above, which was something they both protested against.

Boys.

Always needing to whack at things with sticks.

Zuko noticed us first. He looked up and saw me and our eyes met and he gaped a little. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened and he blushed and was just staring at me in a dazed fashion. He was looking at me in a really strange way. Nice strange. I gave him a small wave and he waved back in a rather stunned fashion.

Then Sokka clobbered him over the back of the head with the commonsense stick.

Much ado! (and swearing and head-holding from Zuko)

Sokka, in all fairness, hadn't noticed he was so distracted and was fully expecting Zuko to block his commonsense stick assault. This has not saved him from my wrath and twenty birthday push ups! After his initial commonsense stick whack he started apologizing and said that he thought Zuko was paying attention and wanted to know what had distracted him etc. Zuko pointed at us with the hand that wasn't holding the back of his head. Then Sokka and Aang looked up and saw us coming down the beach. (I may have been stomping.)

Sokka was entranced by the sight of Suki in all her floral glory (she had also had flowers woven through her hair). It seemed like he forgot all the rest of us were there. He ran over and lifted her up and gave her a sweet twirl and said she looked beautiful. She giggled and whacked him affectionately with one of her flowers. Suki is not one of life's gigglers so this was a very unusual occurrence.

I demanded the commonsense stick back and that he do twenty push ups. Right now. Grumbling, he gave me the stick and started doing the push ups while I poked him with the stick a little.

I have also declared crossly that nobody, and I mean nobody gets to whack Zuko with the commonsense stick but me!

Zuko was perplexed by this and piped up that he would prefer it if nobody whacked him with the common sense stick at all.

Hush Zuko!

I told him the common sense stick was for his own good and went over to him. I fussed over him a little and demanded he show me his head, for healing purposes. He said he was fine and had been whacked in the head before. I put my hand on my hips and made a face at him. A very persuasive face it turns out, because he complied straight away. I ran my fingers through his hair where he'd been whacked and I could feel an egg coming up there. I tutted and I opened my water skin and healed it. He closed his eyes and sighed with my touch. And then we were just standing close and staring at each other and I was having these…thoughts. Zuko's eyes are a really nice colour.

Anyway, it was a nice moment.

A moment which was interrupted by Aang, who was bouncing up and down next to me in a rather enthusiastically, claiming that he had also been injured by the commonsense stick at some point during their ill advised-stick battle. This is why we shouldn't leave the boys alone. It's all fun and games until someone gets whack with the common sense stick. I crouched by Aang and scrutinized his arm (which he had proffered for my examination). I couldn't see or feel anything, but I ran some water up and down his arm anyway and this seemed to satisfy him. Sokka had finished with his push ups and had wandered over with Suki and Toph.

Sokka asked if I was ready for my surprise yet. I really was. And we started walking down the beach as a group. I asked if it was far away and Sokka replied that it wasn't very far. Even still, I wasn't walking anymore on my birthday. I demanded that Zuko carry me in a rather regal tone and he complied. Well, he bowed and said yes your majesty in a tone that could be interpreted as joyfully sarcastic. He didn't carry me piggy-back style, but lifted me up with one arm under my knees and the other at my back. I put my arms around his neck. Zuko carried me pretty smoothly, but that didn't stop me from making various demands and advising him in this regard. After this, I overheard Suki as if Sokka would carry her and from the sound of it he complied, but with much ado.

We set off as a group and walked to the other end of the beach and round the rocky outcrop and the headland that separated our beach from twenty mile beach (so named because it was twenty miles long). At the other end of twenty mile beach was the second biggest town on Ember island, Equinox bay, and I could very faintly see the glow of the town lighting up against the sunset. It looked beautiful. The beach and the sunset and the jungle and the distant town.

There was cave coming out of the other side of cliff face that had unlit candles strew around it. Zuko announced that we had arrived and tried to put me down. But in his attempts to set me down gently he accidentally grabbed my boob. He gasped! I gasped! He dropped me in surprise (thankfully on my feet). He then blushed red furiously and started stuttering an awkward apology and I was blushing and he was blushing and it was an awkward blushing festival of embarrassment. All I was thinking was: Zuko grabbed my boob. Oh la la!

I waved off his apology and told him it was fine before the others started noticing our festival of embarrassment. Aang came over and was bouncing happily and said that I was going to love my surprise. He took my hand and started leading me towards the cave. The other's followed and Zuko lit the candles with a pass of his hand.

Oh my.

Good surprise.

They'd laid out some of the blankets from the house and set up a lovely picnic of all my favourite foods. Or at least they had attempted making my favourite foods. The first thing I noticed was small pot of what I assume was a gallant attempt at making stewed sea prunes that had gone a little awry. Half the cutlery and the plates from the house were here in the cave too as well as an instrument for everybody. The instruments lay against the wall in a haphazard fashion, but I still noted the tsungi horn amongst them. There had been a candle stuck into every imaginable crevice, some of which had been artificially made by Toph. At the very back of the cave was a large steam pool that had steam rising softly from it.

We sat down to delightful picnic and much fun was had by all. Sokka regaled us with the tale of how he and Zuko tried (and failed) to make stewed seaprune this afternoon. Sokka had got us a small amount from the fresh food market they'd visited yesterday. It really is only me and Sokka who enjoy stewed seaprunes, so he only got enough for three (Sokka eats double what a normal person would).

Suki gamely tried some, because she had never had any before. She made the most comical face after her first spoonful and has begged off all other offers of water tribe cuisine since. She has also drunk a gallon of moon peach juice in her attempts to wash away the taste. Zuko got her the moon peach juice and said we warned about the seaprunes under his breath while he handed it to her. She made a face at him.

Sokka and Zuko have had an interesting afternoon 'experimenting' with water tribe cuisine. They tried to prepare stewed seaprunes again, they both got a little confused about the recipe, gave each other several sea prune noogies at some point, and more than a few stewed sea prunes had been dropped by Zuko in fright- look, I just find it really disconcerting when an animal keeps friggin wiggling after you chop off its head- Sokka had the wonderful idea of adding fireflakes to them and Zuko agreed wholeheartedly with this decision. Fireflakes and various other spices had been added to the sauce and the result is ….interesting. It doesn't taste anything like stewed seaprunes should, but it is edible. Sokka is eating his creation with gusto. I am eating his creation politely-because it really is the thought that counts.

Their attempt at five flavour soup went a little better. I had written out the recipe for Sokka EXACTLY but the recipe was lost at some point. For five flavor soup they had the assistance of Aang. (Aang hates the sight and smell of sea prunes so he'd slacked off a bit for the preparing stewed seaprune portion of the afternoon.) Aang is also fond of culinary experiments and by their three powers combined they have made something which I can only adequately describe as eight flavour soup. There are three more flavours than I was originally expecting. Thankfully none of the extra flavours are fireflakes.

Every tale of this afternoon's various culinary adventures only further reminds me why I do all the cooking for the group.

They have also got me a lovely cake. It is obviously from a bakery – there is no way on earth the boys could have baked something like that without accidentally setting it on fire…or whacking it with a stick…or adding fireflakes to it. The best part of the birthday picnic is the vast assortment of tasty firenation goodies, plump dumplings and zesty salads (I have a suspicion that these were also acquired from a shop).

Zuko is making everyone something called shish kebabs, which is really just meat and veggies on a stick (or just veggies if you are Aang) that he then sets on fire and cooks with his firebending. It is one of the only things he knows how to cook and he is quite proud of his meat and veggies on a stick creation. Sokka finds them delicious and has eaten at least twice the amount that everybody else has. They are not too bad, if I say so myself.

The one great advantage about bringing a firebender on a picnic is that you don't have to worry about anything getting cold. Zuko keeps all the hot dishes warm with his firebending so everything was still toasty and warming long into the night. It had gotten full dark by the time we had all finished eating. The boys piled all the empty plates and dishes in one corner and got my cake ready. Then Zuko and Aang put out all the candles with their firebending and the only light came from all the candles on my cake. Suki held it out in front of me and asked me to make a wish. I'd already made three wishes last night so I was at bit of a loss. I blew out my candles anyway and suddenly the most amazing thing happened.

As soon as the candles went out the whole ceiling lit up in a bright blue colour.

Crystals, just like the ones Aang and I had seen in the cave of two lovers, shone in the darkness. They had been wedged into the top of the cave and arranged to spell out Happy Birthday Katara. I gasped in surprise and delight. How did they even do this? How did they even know?

This was amazing!

I had loved the crystals in that cave. They had given me so much hope at the time. I find that blue light comforting for some reason. Those crystals only shine in the complete darkness. They filled the cave with a soft light and I looked around at everyone and smiled at them with what I think must be the biggest grin I've ever had on my face. They were all looking at me expectantly.

I told them it was the best surprise ever. They told me of the various roles in getting the crystals up there. It was quite a mission. Zuko had come up with the idea originally and everybody had hopped on the band wagon. Aang knew what sort of crystals they were in the cave of two lovers and said that they could probably find them in the fire nation. They used for non-bending families who go camping. Everybody, except Sokka, who's primary role was to distract me for the duration of the afternoon, and Zuko, who's worried about being recognized in the town, (he came here to draw a rough outline on the ceiling) had bought a vast quantity of crystals from the camping store. Aang and Zuko and Suki would hold the crystals in place while Toph earthbended them further into the ceiling. Aang had used his airbending to hold up the ones in the very centre. Suki and Zuko had climbed the walls and held the side ones in place, and stayed up there using only pure stealth and badassery, according to Suki.

And then I did something really embarrassing.

I had a small extremely happy cry.

Gah!

I mean it was just so sweet, but they are all so daft to go to such lengths for me. I mean a huge amount of effort went into this and I just...I mean, I know intellectually, on one level that everybody in this cave cares about me, but it's another thing entirely, for those same people to go ahead and do something that really shows me how much they care.

The others were a bit alarmed about my small cry and many soothing motions were made in my direction. I explained that it was happy cry because I was really happy and I hugged them all individually and told them they were crazy for going to so much effort-just to surprise me like this on my birthday.

Then cake and fun were had by all.

Later still I demanded four seasons on the tsungi horn and Zuko smiled at me and complied. He was joined by Suki and Sokka on the mandolin and the drums. Aang raced over and got a set of drums for Toph, his flute thing and my mandolin and we all played the song together.

After a few rounds of four seasons had finished I asked Zuko if he could play secret tunnel on the tsungi horn. If we have the crystals we may as well have the song too. I love that song! Sokka gave a groan at the mention of the secret tunnel song but still banged out a beat. Secret Tunnel sounds hilarious on the tsungi horn. Suki knew it as well and strummed away on the mandolin and sang the lyrics. She remembered much more of them than the singing nomads did. If we had heard Suki's version of secret tunnel, I don't think any of us would have been that keen on going in. The way she sang 'And DIIIIIIIEEE' was most solemn indeed.

Then Sokka passed round a small flask that he had procured from Chitsang back at the Western Air Temple and our music making increased in enthusiasm but not skill. we all bashed away merrily on our instruments to four seasons again because Four seasons is the only song we all know and can play together. I was full of cake and feeling content and surrounded by the best of friends.

I hope to pass all may birthdays in this manner.

In fact I have decided that will be my cake wish. I hope this time next year, the six of us will be here doing exactly the same thing.

I couldn't hope for anything more.

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frightfully long author's note:

Thank you my lovely wonderful readers who have made it this far. You have reached the end of Katara's birthday shenanigans and I hope you enjoyed it! Tomorrow she will revert back to her regular state and no longer we able to command her friends to do whatever she says! Alas!

But she will still boss them enthusiastically anyway. I wanted her night time celebrations to give her hope and voila, the Gaang got crystals like in the cave of two lovers. Because I said so and for no other reason than because I thought it would be a sweet gesture.

Huge thank you to my fabulous, wonderful and brilliant reviewers! I think my imagination would have gone splat ages ago, if it hadn't been for your constant encouragement- so thanks a million! Every review puts a smile on my face!

If I ever write this from Zuko's point of view, this section would be entitled kitchen adventures with Sokka. Much ridiculousness would have occurred in that kitchen as they attempted to cook without Katara to supervise them. The only thing they cook with aplomb is barbecued meat products because in my experience most menfolk will beg off cooking, claiming they can't do it, however if there is a barbeque (or firebending), meat and beer involved, they suddenly become jamie oliver. Bless. Most of the really edible and tasty food comes from a shop.

They also hold impromtu stick sword fights for no apparent reason (or at least my male friends do. I don't know if this is an across the board occurrence.) I think the boys would have been waiting for the girls, Sokka would have had the common sense stick and...these things just happen.

Zuko is having a moment where he realises how sexy-fine Katara is. I mean I think he's always found her pretty, but every now and then her fabulousness sneaks up and surprised him. It's not like he loves her all of a sudden- because now she's pretty and that's all you need. Bah! And fie on that trope! I think proper love is a gradual thing. But I do think that in this moment he finds her breathtakingly beautiful and is a little stunned by her hotness. Then Sokka whacks him.

The only person allowed to whack Zuko is Katara, and even then she whacks affectionately.

Aang is a little jealous that Zuko is getting all the attention. Look, Aang is not an idiot in my opinion. He was awfully quick to assume that everything that happened in the play (regarding Katara and Zuko) was going on. That suspicion has to come from somewhere. He keeps seeing these little moments between Katara and Zuko and he does not like it! His injury is his way of saying 'pay attention to me now.' and he keeps trying to get her attention through out this chapter, in his subtle Aang fashion.

Boob grope added for the lovely moonspirityang! Voila awkardness!

They have a lovely fun night together and play four seasons with great enthusiasm (and slight drunkeness later in the evening). The crystals are a great surprise for Katara. She would have waxed peotic about how much hope they gave her back when she and Zuko were talking about favourite places in the Western Air Temple. While Aang wants Katara to pay attention to him all the time, Zuko just pays attention to Katara because he is really exceptionally interested. He does remember everything she tells him. I think Zuko, who's a bit of a pessimist, loves how optimistic Katara is and wants to give her more hope if he can. So when he's thinking up stuff to do for her birthday he comes up with this idea. He can't do it on his own so the whole gaang get on the band wagon (and some of them try to steal the credit)

YMMV on everything my lovelies!

in the next chapter: we deal with love and other tragedies and what certain people really think about romance. Oh la la