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Don't get used to so many chapters in such as short period of time. I just want you guys as caught up as we can. (:
Also.
If anyone catches the Fairy Tail reference in here, I love you.
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I will stop talking now.
Healed and Hunted
First Date
Chapter Thirteen
Outside the Museum
Lee
He couldn't believe it. Somehow he'd talked her into an actual date. Dinner and everything. With him. No niece, or brothers or sisters. Or legal clause that said he couldn't pick the restaurant. She agreed to a date! He was still reeling. How had that worked out?
Maybe her niece was right, maybe he had just misread Kat's expressions. Maybe she did like him, and was only playing hard to get? Or, worse, she was a follower of his and had been pretending the entire time. But that was ridiculous, right? They'd sat together on the bus for a year and a half, and it was only now that she'd said something or acknowledged his existence. Surely he would have noticed- but, no, he wouldn't. He had ignored her the entire time, too.
Maybe that was why she had been so cross. A year and a half of his cold shoulder. Oh, how that time had been wasted.
Kyoshi hugged his leg and ran to catch up with her aunt. Things seemed so different now. No, this was still a game. The extra player of the niece was a good thing, it changed the game. That had to be it. Lee was not disappointed. This is what he wanted after all.
After enough time, the girl would surrender, as they always did. What then? he wondered. She was, of course different. That had been established early on. But what real difference did it make? He knew himself. He was going to toss her aside, like all the others.
It was who he was, who he had become. That, though, was a thought for the future. First things first, he had a date to plan.
There was a restaurant not too far from the museum he usually went to. It was a nice, comfortable place. She would feel fine, not pressured to dress up or dress down. It was a good first date place. Come to think of it, he'd never taken anyone there. Even better.
He looked to see Kat strapping her niece in the back seat. He wondered how she had became such a mother. He'd seen her fight, she was downright scary. How could someone so gentle turn into a monster?
She looked back to him and he smiled, thankful that she returned it with a roll of her eyes. He had to dig deeper. That girl had secrets. He wanted to know what made her tick. That was his goal for now. For the moment, she was a puzzle and he was missing a lot of the pieces.
The Backseat
Kyoshi
"You have a date," she teased. Her hands were on her cheeks, feeling the burning beneath her skin. The young girl was blushing for her aunt, who kept staring ahead to the road. Kyoshi wanted answers, and she wanted them now.
"That's a secret, Kyoshi. Don't tell Toph," her aunt said, sounding a little worried.
The girl giggled, "But... Aunt Tara... you llliiike him."
"Don't roll your tongue like that. And I do not." But her voice was wobbly.
Kyoshi blinked. "Then why did you say yes?"
"I... I don't know. I just...Shut up," Kat spluttered. So for all Kyoshi knew, her aunt was lying. The girl couldn't help it, she squealed. Her aunt laughed, "Kyoshi, please don't."
"But... he likes you." Kyoshi was so excited! This man was going to be her uncle. They were going to get married and then Kyoshi would get cousins. She wanted cousins. Someone to play with other than Appa and Momo. Not that she didn't love them. But she knew that other children- not the ones at school- would be more fun.
"You're a little too little for me to tell you the truth. Just keep it quiet, alright?" her aunt asked. The car turned, and Kyoshi fell to the right. She kept smiling to herself, so happy that her aunt was in love! She kept quiet until they got home.
Uncle Aang pulled her to the side. "Wanna know a secret?"
Her lips pursed. She already knew a secret. She knew a really big secret. But she nodded anyways, thinking that maybe another secret would help her keep Aunt Kat's.
"Your aunt Toph and I are going to get married. But you can't tell." He put a finger to his lips -shh-and Kyoshi opened her eyes wide.
"You what?" she squeaked. She covered her mouth when Mommy stuck her head out of the kitchen. The young girl didn't know what to do. So many secrets. Aunt Kat walked through the hallway and passed them, one eyebrow raised. Kyoshi shook her head and denied knowing anything.
They had made it just in time for lunch. The table was silent. Aang kept staring at Kyoshi, as did Kat. The young girl could feel everyone staring. It was really warm in the room.
"So, Kyoshi, did you have fun at the museum?" Daddy asked. The girl couldn't look at him.
She chose her words carefully, "We did. Aunt Kat showed me a lot of pictures. I saw the one of you and Aunt Yue."
An awkward cough from someone.
"Anything interesting?" Toph asked. Aunt Tara glowered at the blind woman, but Kyoshi knew the blind woman couldn't see it. Well, duh. But what was she supposed to say now?
"Toph," Aunt Kat growled.
Aang laughed, "What's the matter Kat? Got a secret?"
She couldn't take it anymore!
"She has a date."
Toph burst out laughing, a rough laugh that sounded kind of... mean. Mommy and Daddy were staring straight at her, and Kyoshi felt awful. Aunt Kat had her face in her hand, and Kyoshi wasn't hungry anymore.
"I called it," Aunt Toph said. She laughed some more.
Kyoshi pouted, "Well, Aunt Toph and Uncle Aang are getting married."
They were all very quiet.
It was Aunt Tara who broke the silence.
"About time."
And lunch resumed as normal. Kyoshi sometimes didn't understand her family.
Les Fritas
Kat
She drove herself, at her insistence. He met her outside the restaurant with a kiss on her cheek. She thought about getting on to him for it, but he quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry. It's a habit I haven't gotten rid of," he said, bowing his head.
Deciding to believe him, she sighed and said it wasn't much of a problem. He offered an arm, which she reluctantly took. He grinned and they walked in.
She knew why he picked the place immediately. It was a simple place. Comfortable, nowhere she needed to worry about. The staff was friendly and seated them immediately. They were placed at a small table, with just enough room for the both of them.
He sat across from her, staring at her in the slightly dim light. Their table already had chips and salsa. The dip smelled spicy, and she was excited to try it.
"So, Kat, why did you decide to bring your own vehicle? Don't trust my driving?" Lee popped a chip in his mouth with a wolfish grin.
Kat laughed, "No, but almost. If necessary, I'll escape through the bathroom window and ride away."
"I see. Well, I'll try my best to keep you entertained." He dipped another chip into the red salsa. Kat copied him and was pleased that sauce was indeed spicy.
She smiled to herself, happy.
"Why did you say yes?" he wondered. The waiter was here to take their drink orders. Lee ordered some soda, and she ordered tea.
Lee was content to stare at her for a few minutes. She watched him, too. She studied his facial features. There were so many piercings. So many. More than she had originally thought. There were still six on his right ear and two in his lips. There was one in his nose, and she could see the marks on his eyebrow where it had once been pierced. His tongue was pierced, too, and that was an interesting thing for her.
"I'm giving you a chance." She remembered he was waiting for her to speak.
Lee remembered, too. "I appreciate it."
Feeling the need to continue the conversation she questioned, "Why all of this interest? If this is some ploy to get to the Ava-"
"No, not at all. I'm solely interested in you, sunshine." He winked.
She snorted. She'd heard that one before.
Their drinks arrived, and Kat was grateful for the distraction. She sipped her tea slowly, letting it absorb all of her attention.
"You pay as much attention to your tea as your coffee. You have variable focus, you know," he said.
Kat looked up at him. "I just don't know what else to do. I, ah.. Well, it doesn't matter."
Lee lowered an eyebrow, a shark sensing blood in the water. "You don't date."
She covered her mouth with her hand and coughed. "Nope."
"And here is a root of the problem. Tell me why," he demanded. His hands came together and he rested his chin atop his knuckles, looking at her like... like she didn't even know what. That same look he always got when asking about her.
"Classified," she said.
And he sighed, "I thought we were past all of that."
She set her mouth into a solid line. "How did you get your scar?"
"My dad," he answered. Kat saw this as a challenge. He waited patiently.
Kat blinked. "Alright, fine. Fine. I don't date because I have better things to do. Keep my family safe."
"Full time occupation?"
"Not really. I just like to keep my eyes open. We're an odd group," Kat said, willing her mouth to stay shut. It felt awful to even begin spilling her secrets.
Lee smiled, "So, you only have one real sibling?"
"Unless you count my sister-in-law. We legally adopted Aang. Which was a little difficult."
It was time to order their meal. She had barely eyed the menu. The first thing seemed good enough. He let her go first, and she noticed the way the waitress- hadn't they had a male waiter?- was looking at Lee. Frankly, it disturbed her.
After the waitress left, Lee resumed, "Why was it difficult?"
"He's... four hundred plus years old. From England. No birth records to speak of. Try explaining that to the adoption agencies." She took another sip from her drink, feeling guilty. Family secrets, she reminded herself.
"What? Four hundred? Does the Ava get some sort of... longer life expectancy?" Lee nearly choked on his drink.
"Mm.. Lee, forgive me. I don't feel right sharing that. It isn't mine." She prayed he understood. She didn't want to mess things up. Not that she cared for a second date, but she would be next to him for at least another half year.
"No, I get it. I'm sorry. I'll try and not ask questions about the Ava. I'd much rather talk about you, but I don't know what to ask." Lee seemed genuine. But Kat wasn't entirely convinced. Still, she was glad.
"Well, think of it this way. Answer your own questions first. Then ask," she said diplomatically. This seemed like the best solution. She could judge his honesty and then reciprocate with her own answers.
"Alright. I am twenty six years old. It's impolite, of course, to ask a lady's age." He laughed at his own joke.
Kat answered anyway, "Twenty three. Almost four. I suppose it would be better to know than not know."
"I guess, but I knew you were at least legal."
She wasn't sure if this was a compliment or not. But the conversation was in her hands now, and she wasn't sure where to go. She prayed for guidance.
"I like sci-fi movies. You?" This was her genius question. She really needed a how- to book. How to not make an awkward situation more awkward. How to sound like you have more than eight brain cells. How to keep yourself calm and not ask stupid questions.
"Ah, I don't really go to movies. I hate chick-flicks." He made a gagging noise.
Kat laughed and agreed with him.
They spent the rest of the night asking unimportant questions and learning about the surface of one another. Kat laughed more than she thought she would, smiled even more. By the end, she felt like an idiot for grinning.
The Night's Sky
Toph
For her it was cool wind and and bad hair. Her lips were chapped and she was trying her best to stay balanced. It felt like the old days, when they were running. She laid back on the leather saddle and listened to her family. Suki cried out for Kyoshi to sit still and stop running around because you're going to fall off. Which, Kyoshi countered, would be a great adventure. Just like uncle Aang.
They brought a small picnic and some firewood with them, for whenever they landed. Aang was guiding them to some crops in Kansas, where Appa was going to make some interesting patterns. Crop circles, the natives called them. Toph had always thought they were ridiculous. When she met the group, she found her surprising answer.
"Alright, you can land now," Aang was saying. The wind carried his voice to her, and she let her head tilt in his direction. Soon enough, Toph could feel the descent. They were on the ground in no time, and Aang helped Toph and Kyoshi to the ground. Sokka and Suki climbed down the ladder.
When she could see on her own, Toph cleared of a spot of land and set up a place to sit. Her family moved about busily.
Aang sat next to her once he placed wood in the center of her little camp. Sokka struck a match and soon the air around her was warm. She could feel the earth beneath the fire, popping and jumping each time the wood cracked.
"I almost miss this," he said, nuzzling her neck with his nose. She laid her head on his, and they sat for a moment.
"I don't miss sleeping on the ground," Toph replied quietly. Kyoshi was jumping in front of Appa, trying to get the bison's attention for whatever reason. Aang was holding Toph's hand and she was grateful for the warmth.
"How do you think Kat's date is going?" her fiance asked. It was such a strange way to describe him. Fiance.
He laughed, "Maybe she's having a nice time. Who knows."
"She hasn't called from jail," Toph offered. This seemed like good enough cause.
Aang shivered, "At least she's a little warmer."
And, for now, that was good enough. Toph and Suki were going to grill the girl over. She would have to recount every detail, because that's what girls did. Kat would, just as naturally, tell them nothing important happened and try to play the night off as a bad decision or something.
Toph knew better. Just in case, Toph decided, they were going to be outside when she asked. Kat was a good liar to those who couldn't hear her honest heart. Toph was not one such person.
Oh, how she was going to endlessly tease her sister.