A/N: And she feels like home. If the shoe fits, walk in it, everywhere you go. Love and be loved. Read… and review!

Comets

[Winter/Spring 126 AG]

Six months earlier, it seemed like the whole of Mama's empire would collapse on her head. The Bender Supremacist mob had grown to untenable heights and fervor. They were both brash and cohesive. The work of Shulun had led them to a powerful place among the politics of Ba Sing Se, not just the Lower Ring. If rumors were to be believed, it was Mama's own friends who had killed Jakeem, the fire bender murdered outside of the Lonlhai Fire workshop. Whether Mama had personally issued the kill order was up for debate, but nonetheless, in Jakeem's death, Shulun was handed the keys to a tidal wave of popular opinion and was poised to crush Mama beneath his heel.

Until, of course, a lightning blast from Agni themself stopped it all in its tracks.

Since that moment the Southside has not known this sort of peace in a long time. Shulun had seen enough of Akola to know he was no match for Mama's Secret Weapon. He moved on to other parts of Ba Sing Se in the hopes of finding a different footing. One, ideally, without apparent divine intervention on its side.

Much to her chagrin, rumors swirled about the incident, dubbed colloquially as the Sky's Calling. Akola herself could not explain what had happened or how it had been done. She tried initially to open up to Jin and On Ji on the matter, but it was beyond her own ability to articulate. Only Ty Lin received the full story. And now, six months later, Ty Lin is back in the Lower Ring, traveling through the streets with those wives, as they head to Akola's library.

"Alright, Wifey, what can we expect from Rich Girl's first poetry night?" On Ji asks.

The three women walk in lockstep. Although sunfall is approaching, it's so overcast that everyone just dreads the rain, or worse snow. On cue, a strong breeze blows through and pushes back on the women. Ty Lin pulls her coat in closer and thinks on how to reply.

"Well, I'll say this. If it's anything like her first one, I'll be in tears by the end."

"No," Mama scoffs. "You're joking?"

"Maybe you all won't enjoy it as much as me."

"I'm sure we will!" On Ji assures her.

"But I've been with her through everything. From the beginning. So it all means something different for me. Every word is chosen on purpose, everything meant to parlay a feeling."

"Aye," On Ji admits, a little pain in her voice. "And I suspect that some of those feelings may not all be smiles and joy?"

Ty Lin doesn't reply right away. It is true to say that the current living situation is not exactly ideal. It's been two-and-a-half years of Azula living in Ba Sing Se now, and Ty Lee has broached the topic of closing the gap between them. She wouldn't mind moving to Ba Sing Se, they could settle down and be happy. Finally adopt those children they talked about years ago. Ty Lee's small fortune of savings could be used to make life more comfortable in the Lower Ring. However, Azula is, rightfully, concerned about the Red Lotus.

It's been a year-and-a-half since they took Aiwei, two years since Azula had told Xai Bau that she would not be held hostage by him. Perhaps he would remain true to his word. Sky's Calling should've, by all accounts, drawn him and his cronies out to find her. Yet six months later, it has not come to pass.

While Azula has not outright said it, yet, it seems that she doesn't view Ba Sing Se as her permanent home. Perhaps it can be, though, or will be, but right now they simply agree that the distance between the Southside and Kyoshi Island is far too vast. The travel, executed solely by Ty Lee, is burdensome. There's no debating that fact.

Ty Lin looks sideways at the pair beside her. She puts on a brave face. She looks up to the overcast skies and thinks about how no one can see the sunfall behind them.

"Like I said. I've known her since we were children. Our lives have not been ones of perpetual peace. For every glittering sun, there are clouds that can block the view."

The Southside Lower Ring Public Library is a building and an institution that has stood for hundreds of years. Home to many of Ba Sing Se's most unheralded texts, it has in recent years become a bastion of security for the community. Tonight, it plays host to the first of what will hopefully be many poetry nights, smartly titled 'Poems for the Public Works.' All proceeds will go to bettering the library and the food inequality of Southside.

Rows and rows of shelves were moved out of the way to make room and ultimately the space was approved to host up to seventy-five people by fire safety regulators. However, given Mama, On Ji, and Akola's relative popularity amongst the people of the Southside, it's fair to say that the venue is 'beyond' capacity. While some may worry, the three heads of the Southside dragon are unconcerned. They know that if push comes to shove, and the building was to catch fire, they have an ace up their sleeve to subdue it.

The night had started with an 'open stage' portion for any aspiring artists or folks struck by inspiration. It followed with some local poets coming in for free verse, then another who told a narrative poem about a fire ferret, and then a slew of slam poems by various artists. After a rousing applause to the last one detailing the challenges of moving to the city after spending most of their life in the Si Wong Desert, it is finally time for the main event.

Akola of Ember Island steps out onto a makeshift stage to an instant applause. She is both appreciative and bashful. She welcomes the praise but knows it is unearned for the reason she stands before them. She wears a long green and yellow kimono, not usually her style, especially not in the winter, but one encouraged by her wife and friends as being 'hip' and popular with the 'youths.' Her hair tickles her shoulder blades and she reckons it needs to be cut relatively soon. She waves and asks for their silence. Her eyes scan, looking for a long awaited guest, who has still not arrived.

"Thank you everyone for coming out tonight for our event. It's been a pleasure. And with that, our night has ended."

"Booooo!" The crowd jeers.

"Oh? Oh, I'm sorry. Did you think I was going to recite poetry for you?"

The crowd yells back at her, "Yes!"

"Oh, no. No, no, no. That was, I'm so sorry you got confused! I can see why, but no -," she jokes with them.

"Get on with it, Rich Girl!" On Ji shouts above everyone. Although no one knows why she calls Akola 'Rich Girl,' they nonetheless chuckle and laugh.

"Fine! Fine. Twist my arm, why don't you?"

"Booooo!"

"Alright, so this is how this will work," she says, waving an arm to again quiet their rebellion. "I'm not very good at this, but I'll read you some of my personal stuff and then I'll give an explainer or some details. I'm going to start with some Haikus, because our local poetry club is very big on them for some reason, and then I'll end with something a little longer and a little more introspective."

Akola pulls out a small book and flips through the pages. She looks out at the audience. She still does not see Siq in the crowd, causing some concern but not stopping her. She finds her first poem. She takes a breath and then looks out at the crowd.

"This first one is called 'Deathless.'"

The crowd becomes silent and attentive. She takes another breath and begins.

"I have killed myself /

Far more times than I can count /

But my soul won't die."

There's a smattering of finger snaps when she is done. She shifts the weight of her feet on the stage.

"So "Deathless" is just, pretty straightforward, I think. We all, at some point or another, grow to resent things about ourselves. We want to reinvent ourselves and become different. And we often do. But I think no matter how much I change, I'm always me at the end of the day, ya know? For better and worse, I can't change who I am at my core."

Again there's a smatter of snaps.

"You don't have to humor me, they're bad I know," she jokes and they boo her. She sniffles. "Alright, this next one is "Dirt and Dust.""

The room grows quiet.

"So bury me now. /

My bones become dust. But my /

Name will grow bigger."

She adjusts her kimono a bit after and folds the page to the next. "So "Dirt and Dust" is about my belief in our legacies living on after we're gone. We all die at some point, but most people don't realize we really die two times. The first is when we're buried, and the other time is when people forget us, the last time anyone says our names."

There's a growing murmur after this comment. With a smug smile she says, "And so in "Dirt and Dust," in this hypothetical world where I'm dead or someone is burying me, I want it to be known that I know that I'll continue to live on."

The snap and applaud, the group agreeing with her assessment. As she goes to the next set of haikus she smiles. She looks up from the page and tells the audience, "These next two are about a certain special someone. They're fun and cute, and a real reprieve from the doom and gloom of the last two."

The door opens and Akola pauses a beat to look. It's not Siq, so she returns to her page. Meanwhile, in the audience, On Ji squeezes Ty Lin's shoulders and whispers to her, "Ready for the waterworks, Wifey?"

Ty Lin is already wiping away tears, the first two haikus having a deeper meaning than anyone knows beside her and her wife on stage. She whispers back, "Not at all."

"So I'll read these back to back since there's not a lot to say about either one. But, in any case, she knows what it's all about. The first is "Her Eyes" and the second is "How Do I Look?"

"When she looks at me?

The whole world fades away. All

The colors of Grey."

Ty Lin bursts into weepy, heartfelt tears. On Ji wraps her arms around her from behind. Jin puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Ba Sing Se sunset.

Ember Island ocean breeze.

None compare to her."

The crowd is buzzing after these two. Akola welcomes the praise, gesturing to them to get louder and applaud her more. On Ji wants to 'boo' her to bring her ego down, but with her arms still wrapped about Ty Lin, she can't do it. She just continues holding on to their dear friend.

"Alright, that's enough. Thank you. I've got one more haiku and then a longer one. They both are very, very personal. So I hope you'll stick with me through it. This last haiku is called "What makes a girl?""

She gulps and stares down at the page.

"Father, define girl? /

Pretty. Perfect. Cold. Killer. /

No. That's a machine."

There is a more subdued reaction to this poem as the audience digests it. There is some snapping and such, out of a sense of obligation, but mostly the patrons are trying to understand, or moreso coming to grips with the underlying message and what it may mean.

"Yeah, so. I don't talk about my family life or my upbringing at all. As some folks experience, I don't have much love for my parents. They weren't exactly stellar role models, and I'm probably at least a little fucked up myself because of that, as much as I try not to admit it."

There are some head nods as at least some of the audience find solace in her words.

"But my Father? Well, he was a special sort of terrible. Growing up on Ember Island in the thick of the 100 Years War was, uh, tough, to say the least. He was very militant and just a real bastard. And in reflecting on my youth and adolescents, I was struck by this idea of what it would be like if I, today, Akola in 125 AG could talk to him and ask him questions. And then the poem sort of wrote itself from there."

The crowd snaps and claps in acknowledgement of this very personal note. Mama and On Ji share a side glance as they take it in, knowing that they've never gotten such introspection from Akola. There is a message conveyed between them with just their eyes that they agree to discuss this later, in the safety of their home.

"Alright, so, before my last long-form poem, I just want to issue a few thank yous!" She says and the crowd applauds. "Thank Mama for helping to organize, for my former colleague and now boss, Sanae, for allowing me to host here tonight. I want to thank the love of my life, Ty, for coming to cry in front of all of you. All the volunteers who helped distribute flyers and spread the word of mouth. And finally, I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. None of this would be possible without you!"

The applause is the loudest it is all night. Some folks grab their winter coats and jackets and such. Akola turns the page to her last poem.

"Changing it up a bit, I'm going to talk a little bit about this one before I read it. We all hate people who talk when we think a thing is over, and everyone wants to leave and such. So yeah. This poem is called "Comets." It stems really from this moment where someone I used to know, a long time ago, in another life or two, she said something to me. And I know some folks may be concerned or whatever, but she told me that she hoped that I would burn. And every now and then I think about her and I wonder if she's alive herself, if she's out there. People told me she died, and so I wonder how. Did she burn? I don't know. But I just imagine what led me to that point in my life and how different things could've been if just, ya know? Certain parts of my life had been different. Anyway, I'm gonna read this now."

The crowd becomes quiet. Akola looks around once more. Siq never showed. She frowns and worries. She pushes onward.

"Shooting stars burning across the sky /

Give us all hope for our lives! /

Until we finally realize /

They're all just comets flying by. /

Now imagine that it's 95 /

Childhood friend who obsesses over knives /

Another with big, shining grey eyes /

Convinced herself that she'll never leave the island /

Hoping for anyone who would just understand /

Imagine she wasn't socially awkward and so strange as a kid /

She had a mother and her father wasn't crazy as shit /

She never dreamed she could be a leader, and just lazy as shit /

Fuck flying a dragon into battle, quit daydreaming kid /

Now let's imagine that she wasn't unfit /

And everyone cheered for her, said she was legitimate /

She didn't become a monster, unable to quit /

Imagine she could've gotten out, able to resist /

She could've gone home, not terrified to return /

And no one ever said that they hope that she burns /

Imagine if these had been lessons for her to learn /

Instead, she looks at the sky for shooting stars that are lit /

And she imagines that they're not actually just comets."

The four friends come to their crossroads and prepare to go separate directions. They hug and kiss each other on the cheek, wishing them well. It's cold and no one is trying to unnecessarily extend the pleasantries. On Ji and Jin step back from Akola and Ty Lin, and then wave goodbye.

"Thanks for everything again!" Ty Lin smiles widely at them.

"Thank you for coming out! See you tomorrow!"

The four depart. Once they're alone, Ty Lee throws an arm around her wife to bring her, and her body heat, closer. She whispers in her ear, "That was wonderful, Babe. How about we get warm under the sheets at home now?"

Azula would like very much to do those things. She would love to go back and plunder her tall, nimble, flexible wife. However, she has to put all of the horniness in her body aside as she brings up the cumbersome topic.

"I would love that."

"Mhm." Ty Lee hums again into her ear, sending vibrations down Azula's spine.

"But!"

"But?" Ty Lee huffs, surprised.

"I want us to do something else first. Something not fun or sexy."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. You're turning me down?! Me?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I hope we can still do that. But first, I just need us to do something?"

"Like what? What could be so important?"

"Siq no-showed tonight."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"I see now."

"So I'm just worried."

"You want to go check on him and his spooky house?" Ty Lee asks.

"I do. And I promise we don't have to stay longer than we have to in his 'haunted house.' I just want to be sure he's alive and shit. I worry about him, ya know? He's just a kid."

"Fine, fine! But if we get stuck there and I get haunted or sleepy, then that's on you for not getting any tonight."

Azula pulls her wife in and delivers a kiss to her cheek.

"Thank you."

Siq's home sits alone in the Southside, a burgeoning monster of a home compared to the rest of what exists on the Southside. The influx of massive amounts of coin to Siq had not changed him as a person, but it had certainly had a major impact on his living arrangement and home life. While outsiders would see it as a status symbol, Siq looks at it as a goal still to be accomplished. He may have the home, but the bank still owns it, and him, and his production of Lonlhai Fire is the path to eventually owning the place. As for this moment though, Akola and Ty Lin walk around to the back door to knock, a practice that Siq had taught and encouraged his close friends to do when coming to visit. He believed that those coming through the front door are visitors, while those coming in the back are family.

Akola bangs on the door a few times. As they wait to see if he is home, she tells her wife, "Just make sure he's OK. I promise, we'll get out of here in a hurry."

"And if he's not here?"

"Then he may be at his shop? I'm not sure."

Akola and Ty Lin hear a sudden clatter from inside the home. They look at each other and then back at the door. They are wary and defensive now, unsure of what to expect. There are noises that get louder and louder until they're on the other side of the door. Ty Lee digs her heels in, her muscles constraining. Azula does similar in case an assailant awaits them. The door swings open.

"Ty Lin! Sister!"

"Brother!" She greets him, holding the door open.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you just key in?"

"Checking on you." Ty Lin tells him.

"Key in? We don't have keys." Akola adds.

"Checking on me? What for? And there's a spare under that rock right there." He motions behind them. "In case I ever get locked out. I told you about this!"

"I don't recall us discussing a spare key under a rock."

"I told you, Sister."

"Well, regardless, you completely missed my poetry night, Brother!"

"Aye! Yue have mercy on me. I'm so sorry."

"It's no problem, I was just worried," she waves him off. She quickly tries to escape, "Well, that's-"

"Please! Come in! Let me make it up to you. I've got some cactus juice lying around." He cuts her off and turns around to walk back in.

"No, that's…," but he is gone.

Azula and Ty Lee share a look. Azula shrugs and walks in. Ty Lee follows suit mumbling quietly to Azula, "Not getting any."

When one walks in through the back door of Siq's home they are greeted with the grand foyer. A few steps forward and you turn the corner to find a winding staircase straight up to the second floor. Everything is carpeted and the decorations are ornate. The walls are barren as the workaholic has not taken the time to hang up paintings or pictures, which have become increasingly more accessible and popular. The walls are beige, but closer to white, which hurts the eyes. Up above the spiral staircase, twelve or so feet high, is a glittering chandelier shrouded in poor lighting and shadows that don't allow for it to shine, punctuating both the class of the space but also the sheer emptiness of it all.

The wives follow Siq through the grand foyer and into the spacious kitchen, a space so big that Akola routinely reminds her 'Brother' that her whole studio space could fit inside of it. As they enter Akola's eyes wander to the counter, with dozens of opened letters spread out. Siq goes right for the cupboard in search of cactus juice. Ty Lin makes herself comfortable at the bar style seating of his island in the center of the kitchen. Meanwhile, Akola wanders towards the letters and leans over to read them in the very dim light of the few candles Siq keeps around. She scans a few words from different letters.

"... as of this writing an overdue balance of…"

"Sincerely, Gaaler"

"... potential for foreclosure…"

"... This first time warning…"

"... will be forced to send to collections…"

"... reserve the right of eviction…"

"Ah! Here it is!" Siq's voice breaks through her reading.

She quickly departs the letters and moves towards the island. Siq puts three glasses down and pops open the bottle of cactus juice he's found. Akola furrows her brow as he opens it, scrutinizing the low light and wondering if she's seeing things. The bottle looks empty, and a moment later she's proven right. He goes to pour some into the glasses and only a tiny bit trickles out.

"Brother, there's-"

"Ah!" He complains. He puts the bottle down and turns back to look through the cupboard. "So sorry, I thought there was more in this bottle. Hold on, I've got more!"

Akola rolls her eyes and then turns to Ty Lin. Behind his back they share a look and then some. Ty Lin shrugs and mouths, 'He's drunk already' to her wife and Siq's best friend. Akola mouths back, 'No shit!' Annoyed that Akola chose to mouth-curse at her, Ty Lin motions with her hands towards Siq with an angry expression, effectively telling her dearly beloved to do something about it. Akola turns to him.

"So," she starts, drawing it out, "Siq, what were you up to all night?"

His head hidden inside the cupboard, he replies, "Ahhh, just, you know, working on, um, some ways to work through supply chain issues I'm having right now."

"Yeah?" Akola and Ty Lin share a disapproving and unbelieving look. "Did you find any answers at the bottom of those bottles?"

"Ah…" Siq sighs as he comes out from hiding. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes." Ty Lin and Akola answer in unison.

He hangs his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Akola. I didn't even realize it was tonight, I just. I'm sorry."

"We get it, Siq," Ty Lin empathizes with him. "You're going through a rough patch. We've been there. We've really been there."

"I know, I know."

"Just talk to us, Brother," Akola places a hand on his shoulder. "We can't help you if we don't know there's a problem. Is it coin? The bank?"

"No! No, no, no." He denies it, although Akola knows better. "I mean, a little. There's just so many things."

"How's about this?" Akola says, stepping away and sliding two chairs for each of them to sit at, across from Ty Lin. "Just tell us about it all. Go through the whole gamut."

"No, I don't want to burden you."

"You're not burdening us." Akola replies.

Ty Lin adds, "Right. Not an issue. We didn't have any real plans for tonight, so we're here with you for it all."

There's a drawn out silence. Siq hangs his head, drunk and overwhelmed. He has not wanted to bother his friends and now here he is, being a bother in the end anyway. He stews on it, eyes staring at the same space on his counter, while Akola and Ty Lin wait patiently for him to confess. He takes a deep breath in and he is ready.

"Ever since that night, nothing has been the same."

When he pauses again, Akola fills the silence. "Yeah? I know your arm didn't heal right, we've talked about that a lot."

"Yeah. The healer mistreated it and so then I had physical therapy, but I felt so rushed to get it back to 100% that I didn't really focus so it got worse. And as a result, everyday tasks are harder. Writing, bathing, cooking. It's just been horrible."

He pauses again so Ty Lin feeds the space this time. "What else? Was that all?"

"No, there's so much more. My workshop was raided and needed repairs, so I had to halt operations. Then there's like, fuck, this embargo against me it feels like. Like, I know the Shulun and his thugs left town, but it's like they went away and told everyone to stop trading with me, or to hike up my prices."

"It's a ruthless combination of shit all happening at once." Akola comments.

"You can say that again, Sister." He replies.

"You're going through it. But you can come through it still. You can bounce back and end up stronger." Ty Lin inspires.

"Yeah, that's right," Akola chirps up. "You didn't go through everything you've gone through just to come to this point and be stopped, right? So keep going."

This is a winning combination of inspirational barbs from the two wives, working diligently to repair the fractured self-confidence of the eighteen year old from the Southern Water Tribe. They feel tremendous and prepare for him to flash his famous smile that can light up the dark. As the seconds go by, and the smile never comes, they wonder what's going on in his head. He lifts his face up, tears in his eyes.

"I'm just so tired of having to go through everything."

"Oh, Siq!" Ty Lin gets up and circles the island to envelope him in her arms. "Oh, you poor boy. We know."

Through gasps for air, sobbing, and with a strained voice he tells them, "Haven't I been through enough?"

"You have, you have." Ty Lin comforts, running a hand through his hair. Akola watches on with sad eyes, unsure of what to say.

"I just," he whimpers, trying to corral the tears. "I miss my Dad so much."

Akola gets up and grabs some tissues on the other side of the kitchen. She comes back and gives them to him. He wipes his eyes and blows his nose. "I've already started to forget things that I used to do with him, and with my Mom. And I'm worried that some day I'll forget them entirely. What they looked like, what we did together. All of it."

Akola and Ty Lin share the briefest of looks but an entire conversation takes place. Akola knows it's up to her. She turns her attention to the young boy in pain.

"Siq, tell us something your parents used to do that you remember. Anything at all."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. Trust me."

"Um. I, uh, I'm not sure. I don't know."

"Just anything. First thing that comes to your mind."

"Uh, okay." He wipes his tears and thinks. "My Dad used to tell me he loved me every night before bed. My Mom wasn't the best with emotions, so he made sure that I heard it every day."

"Perfect. Exactly what I was looking for."

"Hmm?"

"Siq, I'll level with you. My Father never did any of those things. He didn't know how to express emotions besides disappointment and rage."

"Uh. I'm -"

"No. Don't say it. That's not why I'm saying all of this."

"Okay."

"Siq," she pauses. He and Ty Lee look right at her. "I love you."

He blinks a few times and then his mouth curls downward and the tears come harder. He shakes and Ty Lin hands him another tissue. He doesn't sob this time, but it's somehow more painful. She continues.

"I don't know that I've ever told a man, any man, that I love them. Maybe my actual brother, but that's not guaranteed. But I love you. You're just as much of a brother to me as my own family."

He bows his head now, the pain overwhelming him.

"And if I have to tell you that every night before you go to bed, to remind you of your Dad, and keep his memory alive? I'll do it. You are a special, special kid. And I hate to see you like this. So whatever it takes, just know that Ty Lin and I are here for you."

"Yes, absolutely." Ty Lin says, running his back as a mother would to their ailing child.

Siq abruptly stands up and wraps Akola in his arms, face buried in her shoulder, tears dying on her kimono. She is surprised at first, but then she wraps her arms around him tightly as well. She rarely allows herself to feel this deeply but in this moment she does. Through broken sobs he replies.

"I love you too, Sister."

Far from Siq's kitchen in Ba Sing Se, there is a similarly emotional meeting in a kitchen in Republic City. Suki of Kyoshi Island stares apprehensively and little cautiously at the tall, goofy, dumbass who has just barged into her apartment. And he's carrying flowers no less. From her kitchen table she questions him.

"What are you doing here, Sokka?"

"Suki, listen. I fucked up."

"You did?" She asks, beleaguered from a long day. "Do tell?"

"I'm a mess without you. I can't sleep, I can't function. I'm a walking disaster."

"Sokka, you've always been that way." She jokes.

He approaches and kneels in front of her.

"I need you in my life."

"You know I love it when you kneel." She half-jokes. "What is this all about? What's with the grand revelations?"

"We drifted apart, Suki." He replies.

"I'm aware." She replies matter of factly. "So what got you like this?"

"I just realized I'm worthless without you."

Laughing, she replies, "Keep talking like this and we'll be in bed in no time, if that's your goal."

"I'm serious!"

"And so am I!"

They share a laugh as she finally breaks him a little bit from his melodramatic moment.

"Sokka, I haven't heard from you in months. Haven't seen you in almost a year. Are you really just walking back in here? Like nothing happened?"

"I don't want to pretend like nothing happened. I want to help move us forward." He stresses, hands on her knees as he stays kneeling before her. "When you went undercover four months ago, I thought I was a free man. I could do whatever I wanted without fear of repercussions."

"That's so promising, I would veer away from saying more on that topic."

"But I missed you so much. I realized how much I rely on you, how much I need you."

"That's more like it." She says with a smirk.

"Then Toph told me you were coming up for air, and I knew I had to get myself over here while I still could."

"Toph told you that, huh? So much for my undercover secret. What else did she tell you?"

"I don't want to talk about Toph," he replies a little too quickly. "I want to talk about you. About us."

Suki sighs. She laughs a little, almost not believing that any of this is happening. She shrugs.

"Alright, listen. You've obviously gone through something here. And I really don't have time for it. I'm in the middle of trying to topple an empire from the inside. I'm not abandoning it just because you're having some kind of life crisis or whatever."

"Of course not. I would never ask you to!"

"But you already did, Sokka." She replies, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Maybe not with your words, but with your actions."

"I know, I know! I fucked up! I fucked up. Badly." He places the flowers on the table. "You won't quit on it, and I shouldn't make you feel like you have to. I understand and I respect that."

"Do you?" She asks, opening her eyes and staring into his ocean blues. "Do you really?"

"Yes." He replies with confidence. "I lost sight of it for a while, but your determination is something I've always loved and admired about you."

She gulps, surprised at how quickly she's let the emotional weight of the conversation come down on her.

"So please, let me make it up to you. Let me show you, with my words and with my actions now."

Suki had once thought she would be the mother of Sokka's children. Over the last year or so, she thought she would have to divorce him. Now he stands asking for a second chance completely out of the blue and giving her a unique opportunity to reflect.

Her four months living amongst the underbelly of Republic City in Yakone's Empire has been a harrowing journey. There were days when she was worried she might end up on the wrong side of a fire blast. There were times when she feared for her life; other times when she feared having to take someone else's life in her own hands. She stayed up late at night questioning if she had the strength to make the right decisions in exactly the right moments.

In the deepest, darkest moments, she remembered the words of her worst enemy and close friend.

"You are the most powerful being on Earth."

Now she is faced once more with a crossroads moment. Another opportunity to make the right decision at the exactly right time. Her head tells her one thing about Sokka: that he grew tired of her obsession and abandoned her. He may have even been unfaithful. Her heart tells her something else: This man, who she loves, has come crawling back apologizing and saying all of the right things. He wants to make amends. He seeks forgiveness for his misgivings.

Suki stares into those eyes as bright as the sky and as deep as the sea.

"Alright," she says, placing a hand on his. "Let's do this."

A/N: This chapter's OST is "Airplanes, Pt. II" by B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams and Eminem. The last poem "Comets" is heavily derived from that song, some of the lyrics ripped right from it bcz they very much felt like things that Azula would say.

Love always. Tyzula forever.

Notorious