The curtains parted and Zuko, stifling a sigh ,stepped through their heavy brocade. Below him, the crowd had gone completely still, the silence and their expectant gazes filled every corner of the room. Normally there would be nervousness churning in his stomach and a fine layer of sweat along his palms but he had other things than diplomats and ambassadors on his mind. He scanned the crowd, all eyes were on him but only a single pair interested him. Set in rich mocha skin, they were a vivid cerulean, but not always, sometimes they changed, from the bright turquoise of a calm lagoon to the dark midnight of tempest-driven seas.
His search proved fruitful, within a few passing moments he found them, staring back at him from the far side of the room, tucked away at one of Uncle's bars. Returning their gaze he found that he would have happily drowned in him for all of et-
"Ahem."
Zuko's focus snapped back to the crowd still staring silently back at him, Chale managed a concerned look from the corner of his eye.
Right, the speech.
Remembering lessons from the orator he took a deep breath and pulled his voice from low in his belly, "Esteemed guests, I take great pleasure in welcoming you to the peace summit's closing ball. Tonight marks the eigth year since my father was defeated by the Avatar", Zuko gestured to the throng of orange and yellow in the center of the room.
The Avatar towering over his acolytes placed his fist beneath the heel of his palm and bowed. Applause rose from the attendees around him and Aang - not one to pass up a chance to soak in the limelight - waved to the crowd his trademark boyish smile stretched across his face. Watching the younger man steep in the attention, Zuko feigned a smile of his own, it was expected after all. It may have been a poor attempt, but the crowd would hardly notice, as all eyes were on his friend. Though Iroh would probably scold him for it later, giving another lecture about personal feelings affecting public matters.
Letting the thought fade, Zuko cut the ovation short with raised a hand to quiet his guests, "I want to thank you all first, for your attendance, without your presence this peace summit would not be possible. Next, for your hard work in endless meetings, compromises, and communicating not only the needs of your nation but how your homelands were ready to assist others. Lastly, I thank you for your patience. It takes an open mind to accept the customs of your neighbors but it takes patience to truly learn about their cultures and understand their struggles. We have made great strides in the last few weeks and I look forward to seeing what grows from the seeds we have planted today. Once again, thank you all, now please, enjoy all that the Fire Nation has to offer."
He took a reverent bow and another bout of applause erupted from below him, a loud hoot cut across the crowd and Zuko smirked at the unmistakable sound of drunk Sokka. He wished for nothing more than to be in the presence of his friends but they would have to wait, he needed to perform a little longer. Being the face of the Fire Nation for every waking minute for the last month had worn on him, his only respite, nightly tea with a certain Southern Water Tribe ambassador.
One more night he reminded himself, one more night and she'd be gone.
Zuko looked back to the bar but those blue eyes that had held his were gone, he scanned the room looking for her but his search was interrupted.
"Fire Lord Zuko!" the familiar voice made the Fire Lord in question curse under his breath, "I wanted to bend your ear a bit about the trade agreement with Gaoling."
Counselor Shian had found him earlier than expected.
"I believe Miss Beifong would be most amicable to the idea." the counselor continued on.
Zuko stifled a laugh, burying an escaped snort in a cough. Miss Beifong had no interest in the counselor's trade proposal or his son-in-law's nephew. Zuko had done his best to keep the unsuspecting counselor clear from the metal bender's wrath but eventually he would have to step aside and let Toph metaphorically - and likely literally - bury him.
Her petite stature and lack of sight often eclipsed her reputation to those who had yet to experience the raw power contained within that small package firsthand. This seemed to be the case with Counselor Shian, maybe a meeting was due after all. He would just have to make sure it took place somewhere his mother intended to remodel.
Zuko let the counselor drone on as he descended into the crowd letting the current of social interactions move him from dignitary to ambassador to councilmen. The world had begrudgingly accepted the curt nature of the sitting Fire Lord and Zuko thanked Agni for that, it made short work of his obligatory greetings. Nearly all of which seemed to include a pitch of some deal or trade agreement that would deepen someone else's pockets or worse, the introduction of some niece, daughter, or sister who just happened to be nearby in time for the ball.
The weight of physical appearances was something Zuko learned at an early age but it was Ursa who taught him just how much weight it could hold for women. A woman's worth was not rooted in her beauty but it was often, and unfairly, used as her first measure. With that in mind, he gave the appropriate amount of admiration to each suitress, while remaining politely uninterested. Not difficult when the woman who had held his attention for the last four years was only a few meters away, just out of reach.
Zuko's attention was on the crowd, most of it anyways. His gaze shifted like the currents in a constant search for Katara. He would catch a glimpse of gold-embroidered cobalt or flash of stormy iridescent grey only for it to disappear again. Zuko had managed to get a half-decent look at her for a few fleeting moments but each time she would simply melt away.
Was she avoiding him? She had been the one to arrange the meeting with him, convenient as he had something to ask of her but she most likely just wanted to say goodbye. The sobering thought twisted painfully in his chest.
If only she would stay … maybe. Zuko didn't let himself hang hope on the thought, her home was at the South Pole, he knew that.
He worked through the crowd of political figures never getting any closer. It felt like he'd been chasing her all night, but like the desert sand, she slipped through his fingertips, and with each near miss he grew more parched for a taste of her presence.
Moving through the ballroom he caught a shimmer of pink out of the corner of his eye, Zuko quickly turned, cutting his way through the crowd towards it. If he couldn't find her maybe their friends would have better luck.
"Ty Lee!"
The Kyoshi warrior turned, her cascade of skirts following her movements with a soft swishing sound. It took a moment for her to catch sight of him and suddenly that mass of pink was hurtling towards him. Zuko stopped in his tracks dropping his weight and giving a slight bend to his knees. Experience had taught him it was better to let Ty Lee come to you, trying to catch her any other way always ended with her daintily on her feet and him on the ground, ass over tea kettle.
Ty Lee bounced into his arms for a hug, "Zu-zu!"
"Hi, Ty." Zuko greeted her with a smile he couldn't help, her energy was infectious.
"What am I? Chopped pig-goose liver?" a voice dressed in green satin and brown trousers followed in Ty Lee's steps.
"Toph!" Zuko opened his arms and the metalbender gave him one of her rib-cracking hugs that knocked the wind out of him. It was a marked improvement over her affectionate punches.
"Have either of you seen Katara?" he asked the pair.
"I got a drink with her earlier but I'm not sure where she is now." Toph answered.
"You guys were supposed to be looking after her." Zuko said worriedly.
"Cool it Sparky, there's five of us-"
"Six" he interjected.
Toph rolled her eyes, "-six of us, she's covered. Relax, we got this Worrywart."
Ty Lee put a reassuring hand on Zuko's shoulder, "Toph's right, Katara is with us, she's ok," she chanced a glance at Toph who flashed a thumbs up, "and … she's probably with Mai and Suki right now."
"Then I should probably go say hello." Zuko politely ducked away leaving Toph and Ty Lee behind.
"She's not with them is she?" Ty Lee asked Toph, watching their friend wade into the crowd.
"Nope." Toph answered wickedly.
Ty Lee turned to her, "This feels a little mean."
"Maybe, but it's for their own good. Mai is right, even if they feel the same about each other, figuring that out in front of a room full of people that includes Airhead and company will absolutely, not be a good thing."
"I guess." Ty Lee answered despondently.
Toph sighed, "Would getting some cherry blossom wine make you feel better?"
"With bubbles and strawberry-plums?" Ty asked hopefully.
Toph rolled her eyes, a pull at her lips betraying her annoyed tone, "Yes, with bubbles and strawberry plums."
Ty Lee let out a sound that could only be described as a happy squeak, taking Toph's outstretched hand she let her friend lead her across the room.
...
Zuko worked his way through the dense groupings of dignitaries, pretending not to hear or see the various calls for his attention. It didn't take much searching to find the two most well-armed women in the room.
"Mai, Suki!"
The two women turned and Suki waved him over.
"Lord Zuko." Suki gave a respectful bow that made him want to squirm.
Zuko had first-hand experience with the formidableness of Kyoshi warriors, so requesting them to be his personal guard made sense when he first took the throne. What he hadn't expected were the changes it brought to his and Suki's relationship.
Behind closed doors, they had grown up together and she was one of his closest friends, but Suki was the Taisho of the Kyoshi warriors and their relationship among the public had to appear as strictly business. Even years later, this part of the arrangement sat sourly with him.
"I know you're the head of my personal guard but I'm never going to get used to you doing that."
Suki tilted her head and gave a wordless shrug, everything she had to say about it was in the small gesture. Unless Zuko dismissed the Kyoshi warriors or one of them abdicated their position, it would be the way things were and nothing could be done about it until then.
"Is Katara with you?"
Mai shook her head, "Sokka dragged her off to see if they could get the servants to make something with ocean kumquats."
"We have ocean kumquats?" Zuko asked bewildered.
Suki smiled, "You know how Uncle has been with the ball. He spared no expense."
"Of course, he's not the one who has to explain it to the treasury." Zuko huffed.
"They went that way." Suki pointed to a bar across the room, "They should be back soon." her brow wrinkled, "I hope. Whatever Sokka was looking for sounded pretty complicated."
"Doubtful, loverboy isn't exactly known for staying on task while drunk." Mai said in her usual bored tone.
Zuko shook his head, and started heading for the bar Suki had pointed out, "I'll just look for them."
The two women waved and watched the Fire Lord make his way through the crowd.
"Does he know?" Suki asked Mai once he was out of earshot.
She shook her head, "No, not a clue."
"What about Katara?"
"Toph spilled the beans, she didn't want Katara to be more anxious than she already was."
"Our Blind Bandit is getting soft."
A note of laughter played in Mai's eyes, "That's ok, she's plenty tough in other ways. What about Aang?"
Suki did a quick scan of the crowd, eyes landing on the Avatar, "Hei-Won still has him wrapped up, if I didn't know better I'd say she was in on it."
"Are you upset with him?" Mai let her curiosity fill the boredom of yet another formal function.
"Aang?" Suki turned away from the crowd and thought for a moment, "I don't think so, not as much as the others. We're not as close, I didn't get to spend as much time with him like everyone else did."
"Sorry about that."
Suki nudged Mai gently "You know I already accepted that apology when you and TyLee agreed to train my warriors."
Mai leaned into her, letting the alabaster of her cheek rest on Suki's tanned shoulder, "I know, but I think I might need to keep apologizing for a while longer."
Suki slung an arm around Mai's waist in silent understanding. She may have forgiven her but - nearly ten years later - Mai, like Zuko, was still trying to make amends with others and herself for her part in the war. There was nothing she could do to speed the process but she could wait with her friend while she worked it out.
Suki sighed before continuing, "I'm upset that Katara got hurt but I guess I can understand how Aang got lost in trying to be a leader to his people."
"Really. That's not a perspective I've heard." Mai glanced up from Suki's shoulder.
"I'm the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, my fighters need to trust me and respect me. Zuko needs the same from the people of the Fire Nation and eventually, Sokka will need that from the Southern Water Tribe. The problem with Aang is that he wants to be liked, even at twenty he's still that twelve-year-old kid who's afraid of getting left out of Airball."
"And in the process of wanting to be liked, he let himself forget Katara."
"In a way yes, he didn't want to upset the people who liked him by defending her. He might have lost them that way. But in doing that he lost the person who's loved him in one way or another since he woke up."
"Is it that simple, huh."
Suki tilted her head left to right a few times, "Yes and no, I think Aang expected Katara to be able to take care of herself against his acolytes. She always has, in fact, she was the one who was always there for him, for all of us. She puts up a strong front so we don't worry, I think that's why none of us suspected anything and no one knew how bad it truly was until she got home."
"Do you think we failed her?"
"She was too stubborn to ask for help and we took her ability to look out for herself for granted."\
"She let Zuko help her." Mai pointed out.
"I think he's the only one she allows to take care of her, even when we were kids." Suki let her head rest on Mai's,
"Something about that field trip let her be vulnerable around him in a way she's never been with us. I think it's the same for Zuko."
"Well, it's a good thing they both have feelings for each other," Mai murmured, "now let's just hope they don't turtleduck it up."
Suki hugged her friend closer as a chortle burst from her throat. Mai was right, those two needed all the help they could get.
...
Somewhere across the ballroom the Fire Lord once again came up empty. He had gone from bar to bar chasing flashes of blue and grey but got no closer to finding her. Fed up, Zuko decided it was time to change tactics, he needed to stop looking for Katara and get her to come to him. He had an idea, a different strategy. If he was being honest, it was a bit mean, but it would work, he was just going to need a little assistance. Scanning the crowd, he spotted a beautiful young woman dressed in a flowered red hanfu.
Perfect.