Welcome Benders and Non-Benders to the 10th chp of Love by Blood! Bit of a heads up here, but this chapter is a long one. Tbh, this chapter is nearly the length of two chp put together. So I do hope you will enjoy this one!
She scanned the area, looking to the right, then the left, eyes trained like a predator searching for prey. Every corner, every alley didn't go unchecked as they passed through the streets. With each step taken, her anticipation would increase ten fold. Heart racing at the thought of the inevitable, a single thought passed through her mind. 'Where in the spirit world is this place!?' Katara thought impatiently, wanting to see where Aang lived.
Aang said he lived in something called an 'apartment'. Though she wasn't sure what one looked like. Having been gone for three hundred years, she knew there would be things she had never seen or heard of before. Such as those weird metal wagons she saw when looking for Aang the other day. She wanted to ask him about them, but decided to leave it for another time. Since she was more interested in this apartment of his.
It felt like hours, but in reality; the two had been walking for only fifteen minutes. Katara still having her arms wrapped around his. Which Aang had gotten over after ten minutes in, sneaking a glance in her direction. He saw the anticipation in her eyes, which made him feel relieved. It seems he made a good choice by suggesting to go to his apartment. Since Katara was pretty upset about what happened last night, with him being attacked and nearly killed by humans. He couldn't blame her, Aang still felt like he could collapse. If it wasn't for Katara having her arms around his, he probably would have by now. Which is why Aang imagined that she had low expectations of the town being a nice place. So he thought of showing her where he lived, thinking it would be a good place to start reintroducing her to society.
Thinking about it, he wondered how she would react. After all, she does live in a massive castle and here he is, bringing her to his small apartment. You'd think Aang wouldn't feel insecure about it, but he'd be lying to say he didn't a little bit. Then again, it's not like he could help it, since it was all he could afford. Another thing he thought about is how Katara will react when she finds out other humans live there. He knows she doesn't like humans, besides himself. And considering her experiences with humans in the past few days, well… he didn't think she'll be happy about it.
Katara was still trying to figure out where Aang lived, looking at every building they passed by. She would try to rely on her senses, as she did when searching for Aang the other day. However, with there being daylight out, her abilities were dulled. Believing that she wouldn't be able to tell where he stayed until they were close. That's when she caught his scent, not coming from the man beside her, but away from them, getting closer. Turning her head to the source, she saw a three story building. The walls were tiles of black, with a white outline. Two sets of windows on each floor. Upon reaching it, she could almost feel Aang's presence coming from the structure.
"Well, this is where I live." He stated in a cheery tone, looking to see Katara's reaction.
She turned to him for a moment, before gazing back at the building. 'So this is an apartment?.' She thought, unsure of how to feel about it. It wasn't like a house, nor her castle. It was a block with each floor having the same design.
Katara turned to the young man. "Aang, why does each floor look the same? What is this place?" She asked, confused about the building.
He smiled as he turned to face the building. "Well, an apartment is like a miniature house, it has all the essentials that a person needs. A Kitchen, Bedroom and so on. Where we are now is what's called the apartment building. As it's name suggests, it's a building with multiple apartments inside." Aang began his explanation, looking to see Katara nod her head.
"That must be why each floor looks the same, they have apartments on each level, correct?" Katara concluded, smiling a cheerful smile.
Aang was impressed that she caught on so quickly. Smiling he nodded. "That's right, there's actually two apartments on each floor." He confirmed, allowing her own smile to widen.
However it came as quick as it disappeared, looking to the ground in thought. Katara remembered what Aang had said: "How about we go to my apartment?" He only spoke of one apartment that he lived in. What about the others? If a human only lived in a single apartment, then that would mean…! Lifting her head to look at him again, Katara spoke her thoughts."You said you live in an apartment, but there are multiple in this building. Which means other humans live here." She stated, a displeased look on her face, as she stared at the building. Using her senses, she could detect the scents of other humans around and within it. Seems that her anticipation and trying to focus strictly on Aang's scent prevented her from noticing them before.
With this, Katara was at a crossroads. On one hand, she wanted to see inside the building. To see his apartment, to experience his life. On the other hand, she wanted to get away and return to her castle where no humans would reach and do harm to them.
Seeing Katara like this, Aang wanted to get her mind off of humans. He looked down to see she was still holding his arm, so… with some hesitation, Aang placed his hand over hers.
Katara's face changed instantly, from upset to surprise at feeling warmth over her hands. Turning her head to see why, then looking up to the young man, who gave her a gentle smile. Though if you looked closely, Aang had a bit of color on his cheeks. Katara couldn't help but to smile back.
Seeing that his gesture seemed to calm her, Aang decided to bring Katara inside before anything happened that could upset her again. Walking to the entrance, he pushed one of the double doors open and looked towards Katara before asking. "Would you like to come in?" Being an absolute gentlemen.
This caused Katara's smile to widen, but was still wary. Though seeing Aang's gentle smile eased her mind, as she simply nodded, walking inside the building as Aang held the door.
The two made their way to the second floor, with Aang reaching into his pocket and grabbing a set of keys. Taking them out, he walked to his door and unlocked it, opening it up and gesturing for Katara to walk inside. Without hesitation, she did just that, with Aang closing the door behind them. After taking off their shoes, Katara took the chance to look at the apartment. From what she could see, the apartment was an open space. There was some furniture on the right side of the room in the corner, facing towards a weird black box on top of a wooden stand. A small wall separating the entrance from the kitchen on the right, that lead to the living area in the back. To her left, Katara saw a bed in the corner with a desk near it and a door leading to another room. She guessed that must be the bathroom.
Aang watched Katara look around, wondering what she thought of the place. He wanted to ask, but decided to leave it and instead focus on making breakfast, since that's the reason they came here. Before doing so, there was another question he was curious about.
"K-Katara?" Aang called, getting her attention.
"Yes?" She responded, turning to face him.
"I was wondering… if… you would like to have breakfast… with me? Or are vampire's unable to eat human food?" Aang questioned, wanting to make sure if it was alright for her to eat with him. After all, he didn't want to eat while Katara had nothing.
Seeing her arch a brow, Aang quickly added. "I-If that's the case, then I can figure something out, so you don't go hungry."
For a moment, Katara's expression hadn't changed, which caused Aang to think he may have offended her in some way. However, he went from worried to confused when she began to laugh.
Before he could question it, Katara managed to calm herself before speaking. "Is this another detail humans had thought of? Believing vampire's are only capable of consuming blood?" She questioned, seeming to be more amused than annoyed.
"Uh… Well… Not really, it's just something I thought of. All the books I've read concerning myth and legends have vampire's only taking blood and haven't mentioned them eating human food before." He explained, looking to the floor while rubbing the back of his head.
"I see, well there's no need for concern. Vampire's have no issue with having a human meal." She said smiling, though it saddened as she continued. "Truthfully, the last time I had such a meal was with my brother." She stated, becoming rather quite near the end of her sentence. Aang had just barely managed to hear it.
"Your brother?" he repeated questioningly, a little surprised that she had a sibling.
Katara only nodded, facing the floor. It was clear she was thinking about her family, seeing her like this caused Aang to feel a tightness around his chest. Like strings wrapped around his heart being pulled. Why was seeing Katara so sad affecting him so much? Granted he can understand her pain of loss, as he had with others. However, this was something else, it was like the strings compelled him to hold her. Tightening every time he thought of it, he hadn't felt like this for anyone before.
Aang ignored the feeling, with some effort, feeling that doing any of the sort, may make the situation worse. Instead, the young man thought of a solution to take her mind off the pain.
"I-If you'd like, you could look around while I make breakfast." He suggested, rubbing the back of his head. Hoping that seeing his apartment will keep her mind at ease.
Looking up to face him, Katara asked. "Are you sure? Maybe you should rest a little." Being a little concerned about his condition.
Giving her a reassuring smile, he responded. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll get some rest after."
Katara smiled and nodded. "Alright then, have you decided on what to make?" She questioned, wondering about what sort of meals he prefers.
"Yeah, I'll have it ready soon." Was his answer, making Katara raise a brow becoming curious.
"Will you tell me what it is?" She pushed on with the question giving him an innocent look, like a child would about a gift, her eyes a bit hopeful for an answer.
Seeing this Aang began to stutter at seeing her eyes almost pleading with him. "W-Well, I'd like t-to leave it as a surprise."
With a sigh, Katara dropped the innocent act. "Very well, I'll leave it to you." She said, as she began looking around the apartment. Which allowed Aang to sigh, relieved that Katara didn't push any further.
Making his way to the Kitchen, Aang opened up the fridge to grab a carton of eggs, Milk and Butter. He already knew what he wanted to make, having time to think about it on their way here.
Meanwhile, Katara was looking around, walking towards his bed. 'This is where he sleeps.' She thought, staring at the mattress. It wasn't very big, it couldn't even fit two people. Which caused her to think about the nights he spent at the castle and thought of spending a night here with Aang, smiling dreamily. Before she got too deep in thought, she lightly shook her head and turned to see a desk. There were some papers and pencils on it, so she figured he used that to work. However, that's not what caught her attention. There, on the left side was a lone picture. Walking over to the desk, she picked up the frame to see a couple sitting under a tree. The man was handsome and looked to be an older version of Aang, except with no hair on top. The woman was beautiful, with long black hair and a warm smile. And tucked between them was a little boy with familiar gray colored eyes.
Katara smiled at the picture, knowing who the little boy was. 'Aang looks so cute.' His eyes were so innocent, with a cheerful smile and little hands on a book that the couple held between them. She figured they must be his parents. It was clear that he was close with them and how much he missed them.
She turned her head slightly towards the kitchen, to see Aang out the corner of her eye. He was making himself busy, focusing on his task. Turning back to look at the boy in the picture to see that cheerful smile and eyes full of life. Katara thought about her time spent with him thus far. During their interactions, she had seen his determination, his shyness whenever they were close to each other, his sadness and pain, but also when he was happy. Yet, she hadn't seen such life in his eyes as she did in this picture. All she could see: was a storm.
Opening a cabinet, Aang grabbed a bowl and set it on the counter. He then pulled two eggs out of the carton, cracked the shells and broke them over the bowl to fall in. He then grabbed a measuring cup to put 7 cups of milk into the bowl. Once done, Aang wisked them together until it was thoroughly combined. Setting the bowl to the side, he went to grab some more ingredients, however…
"Aang" Katara called to him, the picture still in hand.
"Yes?" He responded, turning to face her.
She held the picture up for him to see. "These are your parents?" She stated more than questioned.
Taking a moment to see the picture, he smiled softly, walking over to her. He grabbed the picture from her and looked at it, reminiscing. "Yeah, this was taken a long time ago." He said, as the memory flashed through his mind.
"Where was this photo taken?" She asked, wanting to know more about the story within the picture.
"Far away from here, it's one of my most cherished memories." He said, his vision beginning to blur due to the tears threatening to fall. But he refused to allow it in front of Katara.
That's when he felt her hands cover his own that was holding the picture. A little surprised and causing him to blush slightly, as he looked in her eyes.
"Will you… tell me about it?" She hesitated to ask, seeing the emotions within his eyes cycle back and forth.
Aang was unsure, he never once spoke of it to anyone. Well, not that he could since he had no friends back then. Even so, he couldn't find it in himself to deny Katara's request. With that, he gave her a small smile and nodded, gesturing for them to take a seat on the couch in the living room, which caused Katara to smile as well.
Now sitting next to each other, Aang began his tale. "To start off, the story takes place ten years ago. Back when I was nine years old…"
It was a beautiful day, with only a few clouds in the sky. The sun shinning on a small house in the woods, just outside of town. Where we see a young lad carrying a few pieces of wood over to a chopping block. Placing most of them down next to it and standing one up on the block.
"Thank you Aang." A man said appreciatively, looking down at the boy with a smile, an axe in hand.
"How long until we're done?" The boy named Aang asked, feeling tired from having just woken up not twenty minutes ago.
"Until every piece of wood is chopped and put in the shed." The man replied with a cheerful smile.
"Really? But there's so much dad!" Aang stated, looking behind him to see a massive pile of wood.
"That's a good thing. Once it's done, we'll have enough fire wood to last us through winter. Meaning you won't have to worry about doing this until next year." The man said, chuckling at his son's displeased look.
"Gyatso! Aang! Time for breakfast!" A woman with long black hair and chocolate brown eyes, called from the house.
"Alright! We'll be there soon!" The man called Gyatso replied, while Aang was already heading to the house.
Once inside, Aang went to take a seat at the table, while Gyatso helped the women with bringing the food over.
"This looks good Hina." Gyatso praised, bringing a plate of toast over to the table.
"Thank you, I thought that Aang would like to have one of his favorite meals, since your putting him to work." The women known as Hina replied with a warm smile. Bringing over a plate of Pancakes.
The young boy smiled in anticipation as there were not only Pancakes and toast on the table, but also blue berries, whip cream, syrup, etc.
After getting his plate of food and a glass of milk, Aang spoke. "Thank you for the food mom."
"You're very welcome Aang. Now hurry up and enjoy." She said, that smile of hers still intact.
The three ate breakfast with a few topics being discussed between them every now and again. After finishing their breakfast, Aang and Gyatso headed out to chop more wood.
Looking to his son, Gyatso spoke. "You don't need to help Aang, I'll finish up here, you can go and play inside."
Aang shook his head. "No, I want to stay and help you!" He responded, even though he would prefer to go back in the house, he didn't want his dad to do this alone.
That's one thing about his son, no matter the challenge, Aang had a determination like no other child he had seen. No matter how tired he is or how long a task took, he would always push on if it meant to help others. The boy did indeed have a kind heart. "Alright then, let's get back to work." He said, grabbing his axe and chopping wood, while Aang brought the pieces to the chopping block.
An hour had passed, with the two being able to get through nearly half the pile of wood. Young Aang was almost out of breath, putting down a few more pieces beside his father.
Looking down at his son, Gyatso smiled. "Why don't we take a break Aang?" He suggested, setting his axe down on the block.
The young lad looked back at his dad with a tired expression. "O-Okay." He responded breathlessly, the two making their way back to the house. Though instead of going inside, they decided to rest in the back, on a wooden deck. Where they saw Hina waiting for them, holding two cold banana smoothies. With that warm smile of hers, she greeted the two. "Here you go, a small treat for working so hard." She said, handing the drinks to them.
"Ahh, a nice reward for hard work, don't you think Aang?" Gyatso said, grateful for the beverage.
"Y-Yeah, thank you mom!" Aang replied, snatching the drink, already taking gulps.
"You're very welcome honey. Now let's get you out of the sun before you get burned." She stated, as she bent down to his level, brushing her hand through his hair.
They sat underneath an umbrella that provided some shade, that was attached to the center of a table. The family would engage in conversation, laughing and enjoying the peace of living in the woods. After some time, Aang seemed like he wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how to go about it.
Seeing his son's shyness, Gyatso spoke up. "What's on your mind Aang?" He asked gently, trying to ease the young lad into speaking his thoughts.
Aang looked up to see his father and mother patiently waiting for him to speak, as they both smiled warmly at him.
"W-Well, could we… maybe… go to the park today?" He asked hopeful, clutching his now empty drink in his hands.
The parents were silent for moment, glancing at each other. Before Hina gave Gyatso a smile, which caused Gyatso to smile back.
Turning to face his son, Gyatso answered. "How about we make a deal Aang? If we manage to get the rest of the wood chopped and put in the shed before lunch, we'll head out to the park and stay until the sun sets. How's that sound?" He offered, waiting for his sons reply. Though, he already knew the answer.
The young lads eyes lit up, getting up quickly. "Deal!" He answered, as he ran back to the pile. Which in turn caused his parents to laugh at his excitement.
It was close, but Aang's 'second wind' allowed them to finish their task before lunch. Having set the last few pieces of wood neatly in their shed. Aang was so tired, he could sleep on the split pieces for the rest of the day. Even so, he was still excited to go to the park with his parents.
Feeling a hand on his head, Aang looked up to see his father smiling. "You did a good job Aang, I'm proud of you." He said, patting his head. Which caused Aang to smile cheerfully.
"So, you said that if we finish by lunch, we can go to the park?" He asked, wanting to be sure.
"Of course, a deal's a deal, right?" Gyatso asked, going down on one knee to be level with the small boy.
Aang's smile widened, as he nodded. With Gyatso chuckling to himself. "Now come on, let's go get ready." He said, gesturing to the house, in which Aang was already heading back to.
Once inside, they were greeted by Hina, who had already prepared a lunch and placed it in a basket. Seeing this, the boys got themselves ready. A half hour later, they were on the road, heading to the park.
After a bit of driving, the family had made it to the park. However, due to being exhausted from all the wood he carried. Aang had fallen asleep during the ride. Seeing her son out like a light, Hina felt bad about having to wake him. Then again, Aang did ask to come here.
So with that in mind, Hina opened the back seat door and placed a hand on Aang's arm, lightly shaking him awake. "Aang… Aang honey, wake up. We're here." She spoke softly to him with a gentle, but warm smile.
Opening his eyes, Aang let out a yawn. "Hm, huh?" Was his reply, which Hina had to stifle her giggling.
"We're here." She said again, gesturing to the park.
Realization came and Aang was more awake than before. Practically jumping out of the car, taking in the scenery. There was an open field, with forest in the distance. People from kids to teens and adults were active, from playing sports to being in small groups caught in conversation. He turned to see a lone tree, overlooking a lake and a small white sandy beach.
While he was looking around, Gyatso had taken out the basket of food and a blanket for them to sit on. Turning to his wife, he asked. "Where would you like to eat?"
Hina took a moment to think, glancing at her son who was staring at the lone tree, near the lake. "How about over there." She answered, smiling as she gestured to said tree.
Gyatso smiled and agreed, the adults making their way over, with Aang way ahead of them. With Gyatso setting the blanket down and Hina taking out the food, the family was able relax and enjoy a peaceful lunch.
They had spent the rest of the day at the park, from playing in the shallow water, to throwing Frisbee's. Sometimes relaxing at their tree, enjoying ice-cream. While other times stifling a giggle, when trying to bury Gyatso under a mountain of sand while he slept.
After some time, the day shifted from afternoon to evening. Gyatso and Hina were now huddled together, under the tree, with young Aang in between them. The scenery had changed before their eyes, from a bright blue sky to dark, the sun highlighting the clouds with it's red glow. You could see multiple colors in the sky, from yellow shifting to red and purple into the darkness above. In fact looking closely, you can see a few stars begin to light. A truly incredible sight.
Taking out a book from the basket beside them, Hina opened it and held it with one hand, while Gyatso held it with the other. This was nothing new, as it was sort of a tradition within the family, Aang always did enjoy a good story. So every night before bed, they would gather in his room and pull out a book from the shelf and huddle on the bed together to read and enjoy. The only difference here was the amazing view of the sun setting over the lake.
As Gyatso read the story, Hina watched the beautiful scene before her and couldn't help but sigh blissfully. Causing Gyatso to turn to his wife. "Are you alright my dear?" He asked with a soft smile, his other hand on her own.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just wishing to have something to hold the memories of today." Was her response, still watching the sunset.
"Oh, Oh! How about a picture?" Young Aang suggested, causing the parents to look between them, their eyes lighting up.
"Aw honey, that's a great idea!" Hina expressed with joy, squeezing the lad in her arms lovingly.
"Indeed!" Gyatso agreed, looking up to see a man walking by them. He called to him, asking if he could take a picture of them, handing him a camera.
The man agreed and waited for them to get ready. Gyatso and Hina were holding the book opened like before, with Aang putting both hands on it. They continued to read as the man took a few pictures, to be sure he got one as clear as possible.
After thanking the man, the family was able to finish the story and were now watching the sun set. As the sun reached the end of the lake, Aang began to fall asleep. Closing his eyes as the sun disappeared below the water.
"That's the last thing I remember, I woke up in bed the next morning." Aang finished with a fond smile, his arms laying on his knees.
Katara was silent throughout the story, smiling the whole way. Finally, she got to learn a part of Aang's past. He spoke a little of it before, but never a full story within his life. It meant so much to her that he shared such a beautiful story. His parents seemed like amazing people, with his mother and father being so caring and thoughtful, she wished to have met them.
"That was wonderful Aang, thank you for telling me." Katara appreciated, placing her hands on his arm.
"Thank you for listening Katara, I-I feel like… a-a weights been lifted off my shoulders." Aang responded, the two looking in each others eyes. Sadly, the moment didn't last long, as Aang stood up and stretched his arms before speaking. "W-Well, I better get back to making breakfast." He said, turning away from her in an attempt to hide his blush.
Katara silently giggled, as she watched Aang head back to the kitchen and grabbing ingredients. Getting up from the couch, she also made her way to the kitchen. Not wanting to leave Aang work alone, she spoke. "May I help you?" Katara asked, hands held behind her back, giving her an innocent look.
Looking behind him, Aang simply smiled. "You don't have to trouble yourself." He stated, causing Katara to only widen her smile.
"It's no trouble at all, I would love to help. Besides, if I am to familiarize myself with the village again, it would be best to learn everything there is to know. Which of course includes cooking." She told him, but for some reason, Aang felt like she had a different reason for wanting to help. Probably because of the devious glint in her eyes.
Even so, she did a have a point. If Katara was going to be involved with society, best that he show her everything he knew. "Alright then, let's get started." He invited, making her smile a toothy smile, showing her fangs. Seeing this, Aang thought of the last time he saw those fangs. It was when he let her take some of his blood. Which means that this was the first time he had seen her smile like that. Knowing this, made him happy too, glad that he could put such a beautiful smile on her face.
The two were now next to each other, with Katara watching Aang pick up some ingredients. Before he could say anything, she spoke first. "Now since I'm helping you, will you tell me what we'll be having for breakfast?" She questioned, with an all knowing smile. Seeing that Aang won't be able to keep it as a 'surprise' anymore.
Chuckling as realization dawned on him, Aang grabbed a bag of flour from the counter and placed it in front of them with the measuring cup. "Well, I thought to make something simple. So we'll be having Pancakes for breakfast, along with some toast and fruit." He stated smiling, though Katara seemed a little surprised.
"That's the same dish your mother made for you, isn't it?" She asked, thinking of the story from the picture with Aang's parents. He said it was one of his favorites, which Katara made a mental note of.
"That's right. Why do you ask?" He questioned, wondering what she was thinking.
"Is this a coincidence or did you plan to tell me that story before we came here?" She interrogated with curiosity.
"I didn't plan on anything besides having breakfast." He stated, going to grab a bowl and placing it by the bag of flour.
"Now, about making Pancakes. I've already prepared part of the recipe, so we can go from there." He said, as he grabbed the flour and poured it into the measuring cup.
"First off, since the recipe is meant for one person, we'll have to double it. So we'll pour about 4 cups of flour in the bowl." He began his little tutorial, making sure he had the exact amount of flour before pouring it. Katara watching his movements and listening intently. After he was done pouring the flour into the bowl, Aang looked up and pointed at a cabinet above her.
"Katara, could you open that cabinet and grab a white bag that says 'Sugar' on it please?" He requested, which caused said vampire to look around for a moment before looking up at the cabinet.
Opening it, she saw the bag immediately and grabbed it, setting it down by the measuring cup.
"Thank you." Aang said in appreciation, before placing the measuring cup in front of her, making Mrs. Vampire confused.
"You see the lines on the side of the cup?" He asked, gesturing to the measuring cup.
Looking at it, Katara saw red lines of different size and numbers. She nodded silently, waiting for him to continue.
"These are measurements, they make it easier for a person to make proper meals. As you can see, the line near the bottom here says: 1 cup. Then there's a thinner line below it that says: 1/2 cup. That's the amount we need for sugar." Aang explained, grabbing the bag and handing it to Katara.
Taking the bag out of his hands, Katara smiled. Slowly pouring it to the right measurement, while Aang grabbed the rest of the ingredients. The two taking turns putting in 2 Teaspoons of Seas Salt, 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda and 2 Tablespoons of Baking Powder.
After the bowl was filled, Aang grabbed a whisk and began to mix the ingredients. Quickly moving his wrist in a small circular motion, once they were whisked well, he grabbed the other bowl with eggs and milk. Adding the contents to the bowl he just finished whisking. Before mixing, he went into the fridge to grab some butter and put 4 Tablespoons in the bowl.
Now turning to Katara, who had been silently watching him with anticipation, he asked. "Would you like to mix the ingredients?" Smiling as he moved the bowl towards her.
Though he didn't get an answer, due to Katara's excitement. She quickly grabbed the whisk and began to mix. However she miscalculated, using a bit too much of her strength, causing the mixture of ingredients to fly out of the bowl. With an 'Eek!' and a 'Whoa!', the two found themselves covered in Pancake mix.
Whipping a little off her face, Katara looked over to the young man. Seeing his face covered with most of it, along with bits in his hair.
"I'm sorry Aang, I should've been more careful!" She tried to apologize, feeling ashamed of herself. All Aang did was try to let her make breakfast with him and now, because of her, he's a mess.
Believing Aang to be upset over this incident, she braced herself for his reaction. To her surprise though, Aang simply laughed it off.
"It's fine Katara, no harm done." He replied with a gentle smile. Seeing she had some mix on her face and in her hair, he reached over to the back of the counter and grabbed a paper towel.
"Here, let's clean you up." He said, folding the towel in half and lightly whipping the substance off her face.
And so, the tables have turned, as Aang was making Katara now sport a light blush. Silently thanking him, Katara stood still as he set about his task. Feeling her heart skip a beat at his proximity and his gentle touch.
Sadly, Aang had finished too soon for her liking. He went to grab another paper towel for himself, when Katara had a thought and beat him to it. Taking the towel and folding it in half, while Aang seemed a little confused at the action.
With an innocent smile, Katara spoke. "I believe it is my turn now." As she began to wipe his face, which now caused his cheeks to bare a crimson shade of red. This caused Katara to form a bit of a smirk, she rather liked seeing Aang be shy.
Taking advantage, Katara placed her free hand on his cheek, while cleaning the other. This caused Aang to look in her eyes, speechless, unsure of what to do or say. Having her so close to him, he couldn't help but to see how beautiful she is. Her eyes sparkling, hair framing her chocolate colored face, glancing down to her soft lips, imagining what it'd be like to press his own against them, i-it… it was… rather hard to breath, if I'm being honest.
Immediately, Aang snapped out of his daze and avoided her gaze. Wondering where these thoughts were coming from. As this wasn't the first time he's thought of Katara in this way. Being close to her, laying in HER bed, holding her, now he was thinking of actually kissing her! Shaking his head and taking deep breaths to relax himself, Aang tried to clear his head, before turning around to face Katara again. Who seemed to not take notice of his sudden action, or rather, she seemed to pay it no mind.
Of course, Ms. Vampire knew the reason behind Aang hiding himself from her by turning away. She could see him struggle with himself and sense his confusion. She knew what he wanted to do and the thought only made her smile inwardly. But… she knew now wasn't the time to explain it. With their relationship just starting, there was so much to learn of the other. And Katara wanted to know everything about him.
With that being said, she decided to get back to the task at hand. Not only for Aang's sake, but also due to not wanting the left over mix to dry up in their hair. So, motioning her hand to squeeze and pull back, caused the mix to respond to this action. With it actually coming out of Aang's hair and being tossed in the sink, along with the mixture in her own hair. Catching Aang by surprise, as he looked at her in awe.
"H-How did you do that? I thought you could only bend blood." He asked, which in turn caused Katara to smile.
"Well, I never said I could only bend blood. In truth, Blood Bending is another form of Water Bending, which is the primary element of my clan." She explained, causing Aang's mind to flood with thoughts on this new information. 'So Blood Bending is a form of Water Bending. Does that mean she can control water in any form? Even if it's frozen or contained in another substance? Even so, that doesn't explain how she was able to control the mix. Since there was no water inside to ben-! Wait a minute!'
Katara stood silent, smiling as she saw Aang's expression of realization. Knowing he had figured out the answer for his unspoken question.
"It was the egg. You controlled the water within the egg to bend the entire mix." He concluded, causing Katara's smile to widen.
"That's correct, no matter the substance, I can control it so long as there's water within it." She said, confirming Aang's questions. He was amazed, every minute he spent with her, Aang was learning so much. In terms of abilities alone, there seemed to be no end on how many she possessed.
With her smile intact, she turned her back and looked at him over her shoulder, which gave her an innocent yet elegant look. "Now then, shall we return to making breakfast?" Katara asked playfully, moving back to her spot at the counter.
This snapped Aang out of his thoughts, looking at Mrs. Vampire. He wanted to ask her about her abilities, but thought it wasn't a good time for that. Instead, he pushed those thoughts tot the back of his mind and returned to his place beside her, the bowl of mix in front of them, well what was left anyway.
Katara was hesitant, after what had happened earlier. She turned to the young man. "Why don't you mix it this time." She said with doubt, not wanting to take the risk of another 'accident' occurring.
Aang looked to Katara, he saw the sad look she gave him. Wanting to mend this, he found the whisk by the bowl, picking it up and holding it out for her. Katara stared at the object before looking at Aang unsure about taking it.
"Why don't we both try mixing it?" Aang asked with a genuine smile and a small hint of a blush forming on his cheeks. He gestured for her to take his hand, in which she complied. He placed the whisk in her palm, moving his hand over hers so he could close her fingers around it. "Here, just follow my movements." He instructed, motioning Katara to stand in front of him facing the bowl, his hand moving hers, moving it towards the mix.
A million thoughts passed through her mind. Aang was right behind her, his warm hand over her own. She could feel his hot breath on her shoulder, causing her to shiver slightly. But not in discomfort, as seen by the color of her cheeks. Having him so close, moving her hand with his own. Katara felt she was in a trance, one that she did not want to get out of. Allowing Aang to move her hand to the bowl, he started making circular motions. Katara watched as Aang moved her hand to whisk the mix. His touch was so gentle, she questioned if he was actually moving her hand or if she was moving it on her own. Though it didn't matter to her, as Aang continued to focus on the task at hand, her focus was on him. Her eyes half lidded, the sad look in her eyes began to sparkle, a small smile formed on her lips. Her heart was racing and she could feel his own heart beat speed up the longer they were in contact. She wanted this to last as long as possible, however it came to end too soon.
As Katara continued mix, she felt a chill on her hand. Fully opening her eyes, she saw Aang's hand no longer on hers. Though she was still whisking the bowl in a gentle motion.
"That should be fine now, we just have to let it sit for a few minutes." She heard, turning to see Aang now beside her. Katara looked back at the bowl to see he was right, the mixture from both bowls before, had now been mixed well together. She smiled to herself, happy to see she didn't make another mess. Turning back to Aang, smile intact, she nodded. With the young man smiling back at her, before turning to set the stove.
Curiosity taking hold, Katara walked over to see what he was doing. Aang bent down, opening a cabinet to grab a pan and placing it on top of the stove. Turning to see Katara look at him curiously.
"I guess it would be a good time to show you how the stove works." He stated, rubbing his hand behind his neck sheepishly.
"Well, you would need wood to light a fire to heat the stove, but where is the chimney for the smoke to escape?" She asked, making Aang surprised. He wasn't sure if Katara knew about stove's or not, since they were created back in the 1700s. As far as he knew, she could have 'died' before that time, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Regaining himself, he replied. "Actually, stoves today don't require wood. Instead we use an energy source called electricity." He explained, seeing Katara becoming confused, yet interested by this.
He proceeded to explain how the stove worked, showing her the dial's and button with different functions. Adding to his amazement, Katara seemed to catch on quickly. After his little tutorial was done, he set the stove to a medium temperature and waited for it to heat up. In the mean time, Aang decided to show Katara how to work the other appliances, such as: the microwave and toaster. Which again, she caught on fast. He proceeded to take out some bread for toast, fruit and juice.
Katara was wondering how she could help, when Aang opened a drawer, taking out a knife, than grabbing a cutting board from one of the cabinets and placing them on the counter.
Turning his attention to Katara, he asked. "Would you like to chop some of the fruit, while I prepare the table?" In which Katara happily nodded, as she set to slice up some strawberries and banana's.
Meanwhile, Aang grabbed some plates, knife's and forks. Placing them on both sides of the nearby table. He grabbed some Whip Cream from the Fridge and Maple Syrup, placing the two in the center, along with the fruit Katara had finished cutting into pieces. By the time the table was set, the stove was heated and the mix had settled.
Aang proceeded to grab the bowl of mix and pout some of it in the pan. He then grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers, which made Katara a little confused.
Aang turned towards her with a smile. "This was a trick my dad showed me." Answering her silent question, turning his attention back to the pan. He placed the spoon on top of the cooking Pancake, adding a small bit of pressure, spreading the Pancake all over the pan, being as gentle as possible so as not to break it. Katara watched the Pancake becoming thinner as he continued, until it was nearly reaching the edges of the pan. Again she grew confused, wondering why he would make it so thin.
Seeing her confused, Aang decided to try and get her mind off of it. "Katara? Could you handle the toast, while I finish up the rest of the mix."
Excited to help out, Katara complied, heading back to the counter where the toaster was, along with the loaf of bread beside it.
After the food was prepared, the table was packed with Toast, Sliced Banana and Strawberries, Milk, Juice, Maple Syrup, Butter, Whip Cream and in the center was almost a batch worth of flattened Pancakes.
Seeing this, Katara was quite pleased with herself, as was Aang, who smiled. Glad to see she was happy with how everything turned out.
Walking to one end of the table, Aang pulled out a chair and silently gestured for Katara to have a seat. Causing her smile to widen at seeing him be a gentlemen. She took her place on the seat offered, while he grabbed a fork and placed a pancake on her plate, before sitting at the other end, across from her.
Katara looked at her plate confused about how she should eat it. Since the Pancake was so thin, she felt it would be silly to cut it as is. Shifting her gaze to meet the young man's, she asked. "Aang, why would you make these so thin?"
Which in turn, only made him smile. "Here, I'll show you." He answered, reaching to grab the bottle of Whip Cream. With Katara watching him, Aang poured a line of it across one side of the Pancake. Once done, he grabbed the sliced fruit and placed them on top of the Whip Cream, then finished with spreading Maple Syrup over the fruit.
Katara was intrigued, seeing the different ingredients practically cover one side of the Pancake, leaving the other side bare. She watched as he flipped the side with the Whip Cream and fruit over, sealing the substances inside and begin to roll the Pancake over, until reaching the other end. Seeing the Pancake rolled around the fruit, it looked more like a type of desert rather than a breakfast.
"How about you try it out?" Aang suggested, getting Katara's attention. She looked down to her plate, than at the ingredients Aang had used. Grabbing the Cream and fruit, she copied his actions until her Pancake mirrored his own. With a fork and knife in hand, she cut a small piece and brought it to her lips. Taking a bite, Katara felt a wave of flavor burst in her mouth! She had never had something so sweet, yet fresh. The juices from the fruit, mixed with the soft but sugary cream and syrup, along with the Pancake itself made her tongue tingle. Sadly it was short lived, as the small piece did not last long. Nor did Katara, who immediately went to cut another piece.
Aang watched, slightly amused, but happy that Katara was enjoying breakfast. Not wanting to wait any longer, he decided to join her and began to dig into his plate as well. No words were said as the two enjoyed the breakfast they had made together, it was indeed a good morning.