Chapter 24
"When you said that you were going to take me to Cape Kuruk after the tournament, I had something very different in mind," Zuko sighed, sitting behind the wheel of the rental Oldsmobile as the car carefully lurched along the road north.
"Whatever do you mean, Zuzu?" Azula drawled teasingly, sitting in the passenger seat. Yue and Katara were strapped in the backseat, leaning against one another and struggling to stay awake.
"I thought that you would actually take me there, instead of making me drive all the way," Zuko groused.
"I told you already, all three of us are too intoxicated to be driving today," Azula argued.
"And whose fault is that?" Zuko snorted.
"Well, I can tell you whose fault it is that you're driving right now," Azula shot back. "It's your own fault for not winning the tournament and not having a good excuse to be drunk, so there."
"Ugh," Zuko grunted, falling silent for a brief while. "Well, I'm still happy with the way I played."
"Sure," Azula gladly agreed. "You did pretty well, yes. And you even improved your ranking slightly. Not that you really needed to. You know you've already qualified, right?"
"Well, if I hadn't qualified before this tournament, I've definitely done so now," Zuko nodded. "Which is good, I wasn't necessarily looking forward to going to Kyoshi Island."
"I thought you liked the place," Azula said.
"I do, but it's been a very long year and I've already spent too much time away from Sokka and Kya," Zuko sighed.
"Yes, I get that," Azula nodded. "I suppose it's easier for the three of us, always traveling together." She still remembered that one summer after Yue and Katara had ended their Pai Sho careers while Azula had decided to go on. That summer, Katara had stayed behind in Ba Sing Se, while Azula and Yue had hit one tournament after another, but it just hadn't felt the same without Katara there.
"I guess," Zuko shrugged. "By the way, do you think I should have lost to Aang? I mean, he said he wasn't angry-"
"If you had lost to Aang on purpose, Zuzu, I would have forced you to stop the car right now. Then I would have forcefully pulled you out of your seat and repeatedly slammed your head in the car doors," Azula spoke sternly.
"Ouch, what's with the threats of violence?" Zuko asked, looking a little disturbed. "Oh, right… if I'd done that, then Aang would have finished ahead of Yue. Okay, that makes sense," he added with a chuckle.
"Exactly," Azula nodded. "So, no, I don't think you made a mistake. Second place finish will probably be good enough for Aang. All he needs to do on Kyoshi Island is to finish ahead of Jeong-Jeong and he'll squeeze into the finals. I've done the math, it's that easy."
"Good," Zuko said, looking relieved. "I didn't want to be the reason why Aang failed to make it to the finals. And I have to admit, actually playing a proper competitive game against him felt really good."
"Wow, and it only took you a lifetime to figure out that your little pacifist agreement was complete bullshit," Azula spoke mockingly. "Well done, Zuzu."
"Whatever," Zuko snorted. "You don't have to be a bitch about it," he said, looking more tense as he gripped the wheel. Azula realized the reason for that as she stared at the road ahead. It had been snowing recently, but the road was neither cleaned nor salted, forcing Zuko to drive very carefully. "Ugh, this is why I hate driving on these roads," he grumbled, trying his best, but still ending up touching the curb and making the car bounce.
"Ow!" Yue exclaimed after her and Katara's heads were painfully smacked together. "What happened?"
"I'm going to guess that we hit a bump in the road," Katara winced. "Which means that we must be coming up to Cape Kuruk."
"Well guessed," Azula chuckled, noticing the Welcome to Cape Kuruk sign which also displayed the current population of the settlement, slightly over four thousand people.
"I would have expected the roads to become more civilized as we approach the town, but apparently not," Zuko sighed.
"Do not question our ancestral ways, for they are wise and mysterious," Katara said, barely managing to keep a straight face. "By which I mean that the man who operates the only snow plough in town probably had a bit too much to drink on Friday evening and can't be roused from his sleep the next day."
"Almost like the three of you," Zuko snorted, wincing when Azula punched his shoulder. Soon enough, they were driving down the main and pretty much the only real street of Cape Kuruk, looking around and taking in the sleepy afternoon in the little coastal town.
It didn't take them more than a few minutes to arrive at Hakoda's house. Zuko carefully pulled into the driveway, somehow managing to find enough room to park alongside Sokka's rental and Hakoda's ranger pickup truck with the logo of the national park on its side. Azula reluctantly got out of the car, expecting to be assaulted by horrible cold, but the afternoon sun actually made the weather feel pleasantly warm.
Seeing that Zuko, Katara and Yue were busy retrieving their belongings from the trunk, Azula decided not to add to the crowd already there. Instead, she looked around the Enuaraq yard, feeling puzzled when she saw that Naga's old doghouse stood empty. "Katara, why are we not being assaulted by the dogs?" Azula asked.
"Because they're indoor puppies for now," Katara replied, busy with their suitcases. "They haven't had their final round of vaccinations yet."
"So, they're staying indoors?" Azula asked, wanting to make sure. "What if they foul themselves? What if I go downstairs in the middle of the night for a snack and step into something?"
"That's actually very likely to happen," Katara grinned. "And if it does happen, well, you'll just have to get cleaned up, I guess. It's just dog poo, Azula. You make it sound like it's radioactive waste."
"It might as well be," Azula sighed.
"Stop being ridiculous, Zula," Yue said, taking Azula's suitcase and then dropping it off at Azula's feet, forcing her to pick it up with a heavy sigh.
"Let me guess, Azula is never the one who cleans up when one of your cats make a mess," Zuko laughed.
"Ran and Shaw are perfect angels who never make a mess," Azula shot back heatedly, eager to defend the honor of their pets. Of course, as the cats had by now reached a very respectable age, they experienced stomach upsets more and more often, and Azula had been forced to do plenty of cleaning up over the years. With Katara and Yue having steady day jobs and Azula mostly working from home, it wasn't like Azula would leave a stinky mess on the floor for hours until Yue or Katara got home. Asking her wives to clean up cat turds or vomit after a tough day at work would likely lead to serious consequences for Azula.
"Are you all coming or not?" Katara asked impatiently, already on her way towards the doors. Azula was actually making sure to intentionally stay a little behind because she wanted to give Katara some space with her father. It seemed like Yue and Zuko had the same idea as they all followed Katara, but made sure not to crowd her on the porch as Katara rang the doorbell before vigorously knocking on the door. Azula thought that she could hear something like puny attempts at barking somewhere inside the house.
In the end, it was Sokka who opened the doors, grinning at them. "Dad!" he shouted immediately. "They're here!"
"Coming!" Hakoda shouted, his voice sounding as strong as ever. He came all but running, picking Katara up by her waist and spinning her around before pulling his daughter into a warm embrace for the first time in two years. Azula felt an emotional tug in her chest as she watched father and daughter reconnecting, feeling nothing but happiness for Katara, but also a light pang of regret that Katara couldn't spend time with her father more often. At least it didn't look like Hakoda had aged much over the past few years. Certainly, his temples seemed a little whiter than before, but otherwise he seemed healthy and in good spirits.
Eventually, Hakoda released his daughter and Katara stepped a little aside with tears of happiness in her eyes. "Come on, don't be shy!" Hakoda smiled, beckoning them to approach. Zuko was the first to shake hands with his essentially father-in-law, before finding himself pulled into a very manly bear hug. Yue was next to embrace Hakoda, and then it was Azula's turn. She'd become more comfortable with accepting physical affection from a parental figure over the years, and that hadn't changed, not with someone as kind and understanding as Hakoda.
"It's so good to finally have you all here," Hakoda said, looking very pleased. "Come inside before we let all the cold in. And you will also want to meet the new members of the family."
"I'm guessing Kya is obsessing over the puppies and isn't leaving them alone for a moment?" Katara asked as they filed into the narrow hallway and began to remove their thick winter clothes, constantly bumping into one another in the tight space.
"Correct, but that couldn't have been hard to guess," Sokka laughed.
"And what have you been up to, Sokka?" Zuko asked. He had been the first to remove the outer layer of his clothes, eager to catch up with his boyfriend and pull Sokka in for a kiss on the lips. Azula for once didn't feel like teasing the pair, not when they had been apart for more than a week.
"Dad and I actually built a skating rink in the backyard," Sokka replied.
"Oh my gosh, you did?" Katara gasped. "Just like the old times?"
"Yep, just like the old times," Sokka nodded. "And we put up some signs around the town that the rink is there to be used by anyone who wants to skate. The news spread like wildfire. Neighborhood kids have been swarming the rink every day, coming to play hockey. It's been great."
"And Kya has made a small fortune selling cookies and hot chocolate to the hockey enthusiasts," Hakoda added with a laugh. "Everyone's a winner."
"Zuko, you have one savvy operator growing up there," Azula said proudly, feeling very impressed with Kya. Whenever she'd spent time babysitting Kya over the years, she'd done her best to introduce Kya to valuable lessons of how to get ahead in life, but so far, she hadn't seen any signs that the lessons had stuck. But now, hearing about Kya's hustle, Azula felt very validated.
"It's great to have the skating rink, I loved it back when I was visiting Sokka and Katara during our teen years," Yue sighed wistfully. "We should definitely do some skating. Perhaps late in the evening, it was so romantic when we did that."
"I'm not opposed to that," Azula said. Initially, she had been highly skeptical about ice skating, but Katara and Yue had quickly made her a fan during Katara's extended stay at the Crystal Castles Sanatorium. Back in Ba Sing Se, they made sure to visit one of the local skating rinks every other month, but of course, it did not quite compare to skating outdoors.
"You can make those plans later, now I need you all to step into the kitchen and say hello to the newest family members," Hakoda urged now that they had all removed their parkas and kicked off their boots.
Azula followed Yue and Katara into the kitchen, immediately noticing that some very obvious changes had been made to the room. It had been split into two parts by a makeshift enclosure leaving its inhabitants with plenty of space. Of course, Kya was sitting inside the enclosure together with the St. Bernard puppies, who were quite a lot larger than Azula had expected them to be. "Meet Eska and Desna," Hakoda made the introductions, pointing at the two charmingly clumsy looking puppies who were by now trying to climb over the edge of the enclosure, whining as they were desperate to investigate these fascinating strangers who had suddenly showed up.
"They're adorable," Katara gushed, dropping down on her knees and starting to pet one of the puppies. Yue followed Katara's example with the other puppy and Kya helped with the petting, still remaining in the enclosure with the puppies. "You're not keeping them locked in here all the time, are you?" Katara asked.
"No, of course not," Hakoda shook his head. "We let them run around often."
"Just make sure to close the doors to all the carpeted rooms before you do that," Sokka said knowingly. "Carpet accidents can be really nasty," he added, Azula wincing at the mental image. She noticed Katara looking up at her, urging her to sit down and join in petting the puppies, but Azula was feeling a little apprehensive. Katara would have none of it, though, grabbing Azula's hand and pulling her down to sit between her and Yue, almost forcing Azula to pet the puppies. The moment Azula's fingers touched the short but impossibly soft spotted fur of the puppy she was mesmerized, unable to take her hand away.
"They're adorable, aren't they?" Sokka chuckled.
"I'm guessing our daughter has been living in the enclosure this past week," Zuko sighed. "When she's not making money off the local hockey enthusiasts, that is."
"Yes, prying her away from the puppies might be difficult once it's finally time to go home," Sokka nodded. "I can think of only one way to do that while avoiding tearful drama." Zuko gave his boyfriend a questioning stare, leading to Sokka leaning in and whispering into Zuko's ear.
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Zuko groaned. "But it's not like I'm completely opposed, so… I guess we can discuss it."
"What are they talking about?" Azula asked quietly, not sure what to make of the exchange.
Katara grinned as she leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I think they might be getting a puppy for Kya back in Ba Sing Se," she spoke quietly.
"Oh," Azula realized. "That could be a good idea," she added, continuing to pet the puppies. Azula was always going to remain a cat person, now and forever, but she couldn't deny that Eska and Desna were already stealing their way into her heart.
Katara enjoyed every moment of being home after two years that now seemed impossibly long. Certainly, the house was definitely not built to accommodate this many guests at once, especially with two attention hogging puppies thrown into the mix, but since they all got along very well, it was possible to just about manage. After leaving his mother's room untouched for two years, Hakoda had finally succumbed to sheer practicality and ended up refurbishing the room. Most of Kanna's belongings had been moved to the attic, where they now lay boxed together with the possessions of Katara's mom, while some of the stuff had been given away to charity. Kya had now been given Gran-Gran's old room, with Zuko obviously staying with Sokka.
Katara, Azula and Yue had the least comfortable time sharing Katara's old room. It had been adequately sized for a teenage girl, but not so much for three grown women, even if said three women were in an intimate relationship. Someone always ended up squeezed out of the bed, finding themselves on the floor in the middle of the night. Oddly enough, it was mostly Yue or Katara who usually suffered this fate, because Azula somehow managed to end up on the inside, safely tucked against the wall.
Still, minor inconveniences aside, Katara was loving her time back in Cape Kuruk. People in the community still recognized her and appeared happy to have her back even for this short visit of a week and a half. Unless the weather was particularly miserable, Katara always made sure to spend as much time outside as possible. A few days into the holiday, they had thus far been blessed with perfect winter weather with temperatures remaining in sub-thirties. Katara was especially happy that Azula was not making a fuss about all the outdoor activities. Katara knew that it wasn't Azula's cup of tea, but since Azula knew how much it all meant to Katara, she went along with everything willingly and even seemed to take enjoyment from most of their activities. On her part, Katara made sure to reward Azula appropriately, such as earlier in the morning when she had managed to pleasantly surprise Azula in the shower.
The day before Winter Solstice was known as the day when the local community commemorated their faithful departed. Throughout the day, people showed up at the local cemetery to honor their dead and pay their respects. Hakoda and Sokka had taken Zuko and Kya with them soon after the breakfast, while Katara and her wives had remained behind to look after Eska and Desna. It was now late in the afternoon, the sun had disappeared behind the horizon a while ago, and Katara was desperate to get going, but both her and Yue were now being held up by Azula who had decided to get into one of her spirited arguments with Hakoda.
Somehow, her father and Azula had made these lively debates their thing, and they both seemed to enjoy them. Even if they could occasionally get a little heated, Katara never had to truly worry about the arguments escalating, because she knew just how much Azula respected her father, and that feeling was definitely mutual. Lately, their arguments centered around environmental issues that her father was particularly passionate about, while Azula obviously considered herself an expert on everything.
They had first argued about the oil drills on the continental shelf. Obviously, after the environmental disaster caused by Sozin's Comet ramming the Cape Kuruk oil rig, there had been increased pressure either to stop oil drilling in general, or to severely scale it back and away from any population centers. Hakoda was a supporter of a complete ban and wanted to stop all and any drilling of the continental shelf, while Azula had tried to argue that merely scaling it back would make the most sense. Katara could tell that her father had remained unconvinced by Azula's arguments.
Their next point of contention had been the government's plan for several coastal wind farms, one of whom would be located six miles west of Cape Kuruk. Hakoda had been supportive of the project, until Azula had brought up several important environmental concerns that the federal bureaucrats had failed to mention in their presentation, and on this occasion, Azula's arguments had definitely given Hakoda pause and he'd sworn to do further research on the topic.
Today, their latest argument concerned nuclear power. So far, the Water Tribes government had fiercely resisted developing this source of energy production while the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom had both freely embraced it. Apparently, there was now a faction within the government circles that were pushing for nuclear power, and it was giving environmentalists like Hakoda absolute fits. Katara's father apparently found arguing with Azula about it a good practice for his upcoming battles on this issue, because Azula was definitely a fierce and educated supporter of nuclear energy.
"So, did you make any headway convincing Hakoda?" Yue asked once they were finally on their way to the cemetery. It was close to six in the evening and they had at least a couple of miles to walk both ways, with the cemetery located on the very western edge of the town. The darkening path led through a picturesque wintery forest, however, making the walk very enjoyable.
"Ugh, don't remind me," Azula sighed, sounding frustrated. "He's so stuck in his ways about it. Just because everything hasn't been fully solved to his satisfaction, it's no reason to outright dismiss the technology as such."
"Yes, I'm sure the question of how to responsibly handle all that radioactive waste is the proverbial can that we want to kick down the road," Yue replied, chuckling.
"Ugh, don't you start as well," Azula sighed. "It's a minor detail that can be figured out later along the way before it becomes an actual problem." Yue merely rolled her eyes at that, deciding not to comment any further. Katara smiled at the brief antics between her wives, but her heart wasn't really in the argument about the merits of nuclear power. Her thoughts were all focused on visiting the graves of her mother and grandmother.
Katara and her wives were by far the only visitors at the cemetery this late in the afternoon. In fact, the place was bustling with activity and candles were being lit everywhere, making the cemetery appear strangely ethereal. It didn't take long for Katara to find the little family plot with headstones for both Kya and Kanna, as well as a large plaque to all the ancestors from previous generations who had been buried in this plot across the decades and even centuries. The roots of the Enuaraq family in Cape Kuruk stretched back to over two hundred years, which explained why her father was so unwilling to abandon the community and move elsewhere.
Katara took the candles she had brought with her and placed them around the headstones of Kya and Kanna's graves. Yue used the matches she had brought along to light a couple of candles before letting Azula finish the task as Katara looked on.
Yue took one of the candles and brought it up to read the poem inscribed on Kya's headstone. "How hopeless under ground, falls the remorseful day," she read the final stanza of the poem. "Very dark."
"It was a dark and remorseful day," Katara nodded stiffly.
"The accident, it… happened late in the evening, didn't it?" Yue asked. Katara nodded again. Of course, Yue would immediately pick up on the meaning of the poem and why Katara had chosen it. She assumed that Azula understood it as well, even if she wasn't saying anything.
"Kat?" after a few minutes standing in respectful silence, Azula was the first to speak up. "Did it help at all? You know, discovering the truth of what happened. Seeing him suffer the consequences… in a way."
"It helped, yes," Katara replied. "Even if I kept remembering what happened just as often. I still do," she said. Indeed, sometimes it took Katara just closing her eyes, and her mind immediately took her back to that evening, the flashing lights of the police cars and ambulances surrounding the pedestrian crossing, the onlookers trying to hold her back, the spatters of blood in the snowbank. The memory of it all still made her stomach churn. "It made it hurt a lot less, so yes, it helped."
"Still hurts, though, doesn't it?" Yue said quietly. "I get that whenever I think about my mother. It's all about the missed opportunities and regret. I think it's why that poem resonates so strongly, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's exactly it," Katara smiled serenely. Of course, her wives would understand her perfectly. They all came from broken homes, after all. "It's not something that can be healed, not really. At some point, we just get it down to a manageable level and that's as good as it's going to get." Katara let out a heavy sigh before reaching out and wrapping her arms around the waists of her wives. "I feel like I've been cursed in one way, but blessed in so many others, especially by having you two in my life. So, I really have no cause to complain."
"Needless to say, Yue and I feel the same way," Azula said.
"Of course," Yue agreed. They stood around for a little longer, all three of them lost in their own memories. Despite her heart having felt heavy just moments ago, the warm and hopeful light of the candles all around them felt uplifting, making the darkness dissipate. "Do you want to stay a while longer, Kat?" Yue asked.
"No, it's fine. It's time we were on our way back," Katara replied. If it was just her, she would have probably preferred to stay around for a few more minutes, but a quick glance at Azula revealed that she was freezing and her nose was running. Azula was handling the cold better than on her previous visits, but only on the condition that she kept herself active and moving. It was time to head back home and make some of her grandmother's patented cold medicine for Azula, hot tea fortified with a shot of whiskey, lemon juice and a spoonful of honey.
Yue was loving every minute of their stay in Cape Kuruk. Ever since being fully embraced by Katara's family and no longer being seen as a potential threat to her relationship with Azula, Yue had enjoyed their visits up North, regardless of the difficult travel. There was something about the peace and tranquility of this forest surrounded coastal town that resonated with Yue, even if she knew that permanently settling down somewhere so isolated was not for her. She would miss the hustle and bustle of a big city, and so would Azula. Even Katara, who had grown up in this small community, would most likely struggle to settle back permanently. Still, Cape Kuruk was a wonderful place to escape for mental recharge before diving back into her quest to become the world champion in Pai Sho.
With their visit slowly coming to an end, the throuple were making every effort to see and do as much as possible, which meant stepping up their outdoorsy activities. Yue and Katara were like fish in water in these winter conditions, the weather staying consistently just below freezing, but Azula was also making her best effort to stay involved with everything they were doing, and she seemed to be genuinely having a lot of fun. Still, Yue could see that Azula had been grateful for the rare overcast and snow-stormy day that had forced them all to stay inside, squeeze in tightly on the sofa to watch a Winter Solstice movie marathon while making themselves sick on gingerbread cookies and eggnog. The winter storm had knocked down several trees in the national park, and some had fallen across the ski tracks, forcing Hakoda to go out and work to clear the tracks. Sokka and Zuko had volunteered to help, leaving the house to Yue and her wives, although they still had to look after Kya and the puppies.
If the weather permitted, and they weren't too exhausted from the other activities of the day, Yue was always happy to follow Katara to the little skating rink behind the Enuaraq house, dragging Azula along with them. As far as Yue was concerned, it always made for a wonderful conclusion to their day, and this evening was no exception as she and Katara kneeled on the ice, helping Azula with the straps of her skating boots. Meanwhile, Sokka was busy working on lighting the nearby bonfire to provide them with more light. The skating rink was a fair distance off to the side, and the streetlights or the light coming from the house didn't quite reach it.
"There you go," Yue smiled as together with Katara they pulled Azula up to her feet and gave her a light push. Azula immediately forgot the frown on her face, starting to gracefully cut some of the simpler figures while warming up. Yue and Katara had both come to realize a long time ago that Azula's dislike for the winter sports had little to do with her not enjoying the activities, and more with the fact that she wasn't very good at them due to her lack of practice and experience. Over the years, Azula had become an above average skater and skier, which had led to her enjoying these activities way more. She was still struggling a little with downhill skiing, occasionally taking the odd embarrassing spill, but she was definitely getting better at that as well.
As Yue and Katara rushed to catch up with Azula, Sokka finally succeeded at getting the bonfire going, it's light reflecting on the clear surface of the rink and making them cast bizarrely long shadows as they skated past the fires. Sokka then walked around the rink, lighting up the torches that surrounded it at regular intervals, providing even more light and creating what felt like a truly magical atmosphere. "Well, have fun, and don't stay out here all night," Sokka said, turning around to make his way back to the house.
Sokka's words weren't just an empty reminder, because they had definitely lost the track of time before. It was easy to do so in this eerily magical light of torches and the crackling bonfire. Yue felt like she could skate on and on, gradually becoming bolder as she and Katara tried increasingly difficult figures and even some of the simpler spins, which Azula didn't dare to attempt just yet.
"I'm going to try a jump," Katara declared suddenly, feeling particularly bold after a successful spin.
"Are you quite sure?" Yue asked uncertainly, surprised about Katara's daring. Her injuries from the fall had healed very well, but she was never going to risk her ankle while attempting a jump, and she didn't want to see Katara suffering a similar injury.
"I think I can do it," Katara said, sounding very confident. Yue didn't doubt that Katara was a very good skater, but she questioned the wisdom of Katara attempting something more complicated than a simple spin.
"I don't know about this," Yue sighed. She knew that she stood no chance of dissuading Katara once her wife had set her mind on something, so Yue simply moved well aside as Katara prepared, psyching herself up for the jump.
The attempt went about as well as Yue had expected. The little spin in the air looked remarkably graceful, while the landing decidedly less so. The tips of Katara's skate blades dug into the ice and she lost her balance, falling forward as she was sent sliding across the ice. "Hey, what the-" the unsuspecting Azula yelped as Katara plowed into her and took Azula's legs out from underneath her. The impact had slightly changed their trajectory, and Yue now saw that the struggling pile of entangled bodies was heading straight for her. She scrambled to get out of the way, but Azula and Katara ended up collecting Yue as they slid by, sending the three of them crashing into the snowbank together.
"Are you completely mad?" Azula fumed, trapped somewhere underneath Yue. Yue quickly rushed to get up and free her irate wife.
"Sorry about that," Katara looked genuinely apologetic. "I guess I shouldn't have attempted that. I promise not to do it again."
"I should hope not, especially if you ever want to see me joining you again," Azula still looked upset, even if she clearly wasn't hurt by the fall.
"Okay, that seems like an overreaction, but I'll apologize again if that makes you feel any better," Katara sighed. "And I'll make us all hot chocolate once we get back."
"That sounds better," Azula finally relented. "Speaking of which, maybe we should make our way back. We've been out here for a good while."
"You may be right," Yue nodded, shaking the snow out of her parka. "Also, that offer of chocolate does sound really good."
"I thought it might," Katara smiled. They began to remove their skating boots. Katara was done first and moved to help Azula, while Yue went around the rink and doused the torches before extinguishing the bonfire. Soon, they were on their way back to the house.
"I've been thinking," Yue said as they made the short walk. Azula and Katara both waited patiently for her to continue. "This place is so quiet and tranquil. I feel like it would make for the perfect setting where we could prepare for the finals during the summer months."
"Hmm," Azula was the first to react, with Yue expecting a disagreement. "It's true that Ba Sing Se has a lot of distractions, so I think it might actually work. But I don't know if Hakoda would tolerate us for several weeks or even a full month."
"Are you kidding me?" Katara gasped. "Dad would be so thrilled to have us over for summer. He'd be so excited for that possibility, and I would love it as well. I haven't been back here during summer for I don't know how long. I think it's an amazing idea, Yue."
"Maybe we should run it by your dad first, though," Yue said carefully. "But I also think that Hakoda will like the idea. I wouldn't worry about it, Azula."
"That's good," Azula nodded. "I have no further objections, as long as you both remember that the point of our visit would be to get you into peak Pai Sho form."
"Of course, Azula," Katara sighed. "But we're also not practicing for ten hours straight anymore. Physical activities outdoors will complement Pai Sho practice perfectly."
"Well… I have heard that it can be beneficial," Azula eventually admitted as they reached the house. "Very well, I'm onboard."
"Fantastic," Yue grinned happily. "Cape Kuruk, we'll see you again next summer…"