AN: I finally came back from the grave! I wanted to give more insight on Sokka's new girl and why she is so...ruthless with everyone. Shippers might like or not like this chapter
"Is it true you are his superior based on your position in the relationship?" "Where are you going with him?" "Is that a baby bump?" "We thought you wanted to be an example to girls of a future without a man"
Electra walked past the paparazzi, who immediately tried to make her answer throwing baits and numerous false accusations. Months ago she would have been happy to answer them, using it as another way to make Sokka compromise for real.
But it turned around the way it was made public and it bit her hard.
"You are a deception to your tribe, according to numerous polls. What's your reaction?" "You slept your way to the position, there has been rumours…"
Those rumors. That accent from the northern tribe. Being the other one in the Northern tribe was the reason one of her dearest friends was killed, pulled under the rug for being the captains daughter. Her porcelain face was still firm, not a single muscle moving while she made her way towards the building.
She had baggage, she was a public figure and she was a mess. Trained since she was young, her own feelings of deception and panic weren't even a thought in many of the heads that continued throwing her more questions.
Sokka waited for her outside the building, it was a routine both had developed after the two years dating. It wasn't that rare for co-workers from the same area entered together, as a way to bonding. Now he had a circle of paparazzi taking photos and writing each of his answers.
As she got close her own crowd disappeared to merge in Sokka's, pulling him by the arm inside the building, were guards helped them safely walk. A lot of murmur could be heard and Electra immediately dropped his hand.
"Morning" Sokka said with his normal tone, a small smile flashing. Electra nodded but didn't talk, feeling since a long time, vulnerable. She moved the best in the shadows, without the pressure and the analyzing of thousands of habitants.
Why was her relationship with him so important to everybody? She hadn't thought through all the repercussions of being a public figure and a known bachelor. Sokka wasn't even that popular. He was a founder, sure, but side to side with the Avatar and the Firelord? He was in the shadows.
Apparently not to the city.
They entered the main room, were a court case would be held. Another small group of benders killing a family, without enough evidence. Now this benders were waterbenders, and if she believed right, there weren't enough in the Southern tribe, so they probably had to be from hers.
Is that why she was a disappointment to her tribe? She couldn't focus too much on that, as she had paperwork and a lot of planning to do after the major bomb that dropped. Sokka passed her a small paper, feigning ignorance.
She opened the small origami, heart shaped, and read the contents
Thank you for making me a better man, I know everything you do is with love.
Good luck (That you don't need) in today's case.
Sokka
Electra suppressed her smile, slowly folding it to its original size and putting it inside her bag. She glanced quickly at Sokka whose mouth was slightly upwards, a grin he couldn't still work to hide in public.
She drank the cold water as the camera got fuller, reading more and more about the verdicts from co workers. They all seemed to agree that they were guilty and pushed to a more strict punishment to their crimes. She had planned something for two of them, the third one was something…unusual.
"What's stricter than being in a jail cell?" Electra thought, her red lips drying a bit from the dehydration. She had to have an answer by now, but she decided to fight with Sokka and was too proud to ask for help.
It was her people after all. She needed to make the punishment.
"No bending is taken as an extreme painful measure, starvation, isolation?" Electra thought with a small frown.
"You are frowning" Sokka whispered as she readjusted her posture and face. Isolation was a method applied to more complicated cases. It wouldn't hurt putting them in a cell that inabilities their bending.
A fire cell.
She smiled and drank more water, her helper immediately bringing her a new fresh glass of water. Her braids were tightly secured around her head, forming a beautiful rose that fell in a low ponytail. Only once Sokka asked her, after their first night together, why would she braid her own hair everyday.
"It helps me feel in control" She remembered explaining, as Sokka slowly helped her unfasten it. "If everything goes wrong, my hair doesn't"
Right now she felt how a mess her world was.
"You didn't eat any breakfast?" Sokka whispered as she chugged her water while her poor helper ran with another glass of water.
"I did, I'm just thirsty" She lied.
It wasn't the first night they had fought that bad. It was the first time she had left her control slip away, and it seemed like a domino's effect. She feared it since the beginning, a broken promise Sokka tried to keep.
"I will love you with all I have" "You will have my control, if that makes you trust me"
In a way, she had controlled most of his decisions: Regarding clothes, attitudes in court, how to handle the relationship and be perceived. But she couldn't have a full control of him.
Not when she would find him drinking and crying by the window of his room, not loud enough for her to notice. The way the moon would show the dried up tears in his face made her heart turn, because as much as she had fought for him to love her…
They were too proud to admit they couldn't be a normal couple. Both had enough baggage to be afraid of ever wanting to love another person that isn't themselves, and yet, Sokka tried every night whispering to the moon spirit, asking for forgiveness and guidance.
Asking her for more love to share.
To forget his one martyr. Suki of Kyoshi Island.
She felt even stupid feeling angry by it. Since that day she cried in her bed, forbid herself to keep eating or drinking whenever he wasn't around. Before they even began dating she was seeing the end.
The same she saw when she broke the kiss she yearned the whole trip the first time they went on together, trying to fool herself.
The correct girl for him. The love of his life.
"Ambassador Electra from the Northern Tribe, please step to the front to say some words and the final verdict"
Her mind was gone until she heard the name, standing up as usual, ignoring the snickering when they saw she was sitting by Sokka. She looked at the crowd before starting her speech.
"When I was a younger girl, back a the cold tundra of the Northern Tribe, my father used to tell me stories about how they protected the tribe from all of the attacks: Either from any pirate brave enough to go north or a war fleet that tried to invade us. His stories all ended in how the moon and the ocean surrounded us to flow and be used to our own defense, giving life and just punishment to those who deserved it."
She glanced at the trio: Two younger blue eyed girls, dark haired and skinned. A even younger girl with dark grey eyes and a tan skin. The creepiest thing is that she didn't have arms. "She managed to kill people without her arms? That's…I hope this is the best decision" Electra thought moving around the place.
"Us, human beings, tend to forget why a society is made. Why we, as people, need to protect ourselves. To help and not keep hurting each other. War has already made us lost a lot of our own"
Toph looked nervously as Electra moved around a guard, whispering something. Sokka looked at Toph and noticed something wrong with them. Did they have a plan talked behind the court and wasn't included?
"So as my father used to say: If you can't use your hands to heal, you don't deserve to use them at all"
She had to remind them why she was powerful and why she was the ice queen. As the guards retrained the girls, Electra unsheathed a katana.
"No…" Sokka whispered, recognizing the way she yielded her weapon, dancing with it carefully as she walked towards the girls, terrified of the punishment they would receive.
"The court has spoken: Cupun, Asia and Ming Hua. You are all declared guilty against the murders of the Lee family"
A horrifying scream echoed the room, as the blood spilled from one of the girls limbs, crying and begging for mercy. Electra didn't stop and quickly slashed her other arm, stunning the court. The photos were stopped as the girl cried, roughly and breathlessly.
Sokka stood up but was firmly planted in the ground, he immediately looked at Toph who had her eyes closed.
Electra continued cutting the hands of the other girl, her white long dress splashing itself with red and tints of maroon. Electra and Ming Hua looked at each other with despise, the young girl showing even her teeth.
"You will be sent to a maximum isolated cell on a volcano back at the Northern Tribe. You are a disgrace to you people and should be punished as such" She said as metal cuffs surrounded her body.
Electra handed back the sword and walked towards her seat, where Sokka looked struck in surprise and anger. It was inhumane what happened but nobody dared to tell something to Electra.
"End of the session" She said drinking her water, her right hand grabbing the glass as if another day had happened, her left hand, shaking uncontrollably under her coat, as if she was injured from her own cutting.
The guards dragged the bleeding girls at the cells, where healers walked behind to close the injuries while Ming hua was taken outside the back door, where a car was already waiting for her. Sokka sat breathing uncomfortably as everyone left the room, Toph included, who already foresaw a couple's quarrel.
"What the hell was that? Those are your people!" Sokka screamed scared, seeing how unshaken she appeared.
"That's why I chose that punishment for them. They won't hurt anybody else" Electra continued drinking water, a larger glass brought to her by her shivering helper.
"Was this to prove something? Look what a mess! I.."
"You? what? Councilman Sokka. I said what I said and all of you agreed on leaving the appropriate punishment to me" Electra stood up walking to the back door, with Sokka hot on her heels. He breathed shakily, scared of the sadism.
"Electra…"
She glared, annoyed at how much resistance he was putting in her decision. "They killed people, I couldn't give them a death penalty. Being without limbs would help them think about what they did…"
Sokka stepped in front of Electra inspecting any kind of emotion in her: Either fear, disgust, deception, sadness…something that made him see she was human… What he saw was her smirk, the helper approaching her so she could put on a bigger coat.
"And it might set a trend so the benders stop doing this type of things. Think about the future Sokka, one day we might be killed for being "vulnerable" as no benders." Sokka stared perplexed.
Electra continued her walk to her car. "Are you coming to Tara's place with me or later?" She asked, stopping to hear his answer.
"I'll get there later" He barely said, walking towards his office to hide. He couldn't believe his eyes: It disgusted him, the use of force to place fear among the people. It reminded him a lot of his younger war days.
He hadn't killed someone on purpose. He never slashed his sword with the intention of revenge or punishment: They were all pawns, they were fighting for what they believed was right and he was defending a dangling Toph, who couldn't freeze them.
"Why did Electra took joy in that?" The fire nation ambassador Onika asked, seeing how startled Sokka looked.
"I don't think she took joy in that, she has perfected her nonchalant face" He revealed moving forwards, closing the door that let him think more about what had happened.
"Sokka, it's time to walk alone" He thought to himself, doing breathing exercises as he filled the report to be sent at the president. He couldn't send that, it might be taken as a scandal, but what else could he write? There were too many witnesses.
And this time he wouldn't put his hands on the fire for Electra.
"Sokka, let's talk about what happened" Toph barged in locking the door again, already walking to sit on the couch. He groaned annoyed at her intrusions, pulling out some beef jerky that didn't smell as good as the day before and chewing it, trying to control the words that would leave his mouth.
"Care to explain?" He asked something, anything that didn't made him talk so he wouldn't spit out everything and how lost he seemed to be.
"Electra…suggested bloodier punishments. I thought I was the one to perform that…until she took the matter into her own hands and did that" Toph explained, her face concerned with her friends opinion. She still cared a lot for Sokka and the only reason they had that relationship was with the trust they had built over the past years in the city.
In the wrong company the city would feel empty and vain.
"So you were going to torture them? Just because you had better experience than her at doing it?" He scolded, his age catching up again to his voice. Toph didn't have a comeback for that. "That's fucking wrong to do and you know it. How does that make us better than the war crimes other people committed?"
"It's her nation. You gave her total control on how to manage the citizens. I don't control the rules, you made them with her"
Sokka wanted to punch something. He continued eating instead, feeling anxious at the report he was filling. Everything around Electra seemed to scream control and power, was he the only one seeing through the façade?
She was insecure, and it showed in how she punished those three girls. More blood shouldn't have been spilled on the court room, they were even called snow savages, why, the more civilized sister tribe would use those measures?
He had to catch up to her, fast.
Electra lost her temper and control. Revenge and anger clouded her judgment and made her do things she wouldn't normally do. Including hurting people.
"Get over it, they deserved it. You are protecting yourself" She whispered without the security to step out of the car and face Katara. Her sister in law could be pretty scary when angered and that story about bloodbending…she was trying to play it safe.
It would appear in the news, she would still learn it. Would it be better if she was the one telling it? She could at least hide behind Aang. Not that he would help her get out of the situation, but he would stop Katara from acting on impulse too.
A tap on her window startled her, Sokka's blue eyes looking concerned. She unlocked the car and he took the passenger sit. They sat in silence, without looking at each other.
"How did you get so fast in here?" She asked the real question, the ride between the court and Katara's place was at least, 30 minutes. She glanced at the clock.
"I made the city, most of the places have secret tunnels were we connect fast. I actually came out of Katara's house. But you know I'm not here to talk about that" Sokka corrected the topic, Electra gripped the wheel harder.
"Go on"
"What are you afraid of?" He asked "You have scarred them for life. Your own friend…was scarred. It didn't help in anything"
"He is talking about Zuko" Electra thought of the scar he had on his eye, a punishment for disobeying his father.
"It's a different situation" She tried to excuse herself, the small rush in her words at the beginning giving the redemption Sokka was so yearning for. He kept pressing, trying to make her realize she was wrong and the girls deserved an apology.
"No. They are what…fourteen? The youngest seven or six? They aren't innocent but not just meat to be killed. Electra, you were wrong" Sokka admitted out loud, recovering some power in his voice.
He was standing up for himself, a sense of freedom in him as the words kept flowing out of his mouth. Not with anger, not with fear. That attention call had a double entrée, as the wrong made in the court mimicked the wrong in their relationship.
It felt natural
"You can be wrong and that's alright. What its not right is not owning up those mistakes and learning from them. I mean, look who is telling you that! You must have hit rock bottom for me to scold you babe" Sokka said calmer, almost as if mirroring all those times Electra wanted to get a point across.
"Sokka you don't understand what that means at this point" Electra deflected, not bothering to look at him. "I will go to jail or lose my job. I can't afford that, I can't go back to the North"
"Don't fear it. Just…own it. It's what I have been doing" Sokka admitted "And by the way, it has been weeks since I changed my doctor."
Electra now turned to face him, disappointed. Her mouth was shaped in a sad gesture, something that hurt Sokka's heart at how vulnerable it made her look. Sokka caressed her cheek gently, seeing the red in her nose.
Was she going to cry?
"Open up. Once you have the right people by your side is easier…Wish I had known that sooner. Anyway, it's okay to vent it. You hadn't kill anybody before-"
"They aren't dead, are they?" She asked worried, her eyes clouding with fear of having blood on her hands.
"No no no" Sokka calmed her more, hushing her and kissing her head. "I mean, this was the first time you have done something so harsh. It's normal to experience all of these, even if to our own morals, they deserved it"
Electra looked confused and anxious. She grabbed the calloused hands of Sokka and kissed them, crying into his right one. If that was the most Electra would open up to him, he would accept it.
"I'm tired of exploding like this. I want to love and feel all those emotions that people had talked about…that he has experienced with Suki" She thought crying harder, soft whimpers filling the silence as Sokka stroked her leg.
"I can't admit it to him…that I love her. That he was a pawn, Not a pawn anymore, a best friend. That I was envious that he had that love. I am too much of a coward to admit it to our friend" Electra cried harder at that, finally pushing the hand away and hugging herself.
"My acts weren't to punish those girls fairly… they were to vent how horrible these last months have been…what a disgrace" Electra kept crying, small hiccups filled the silence in the car.
Sokka would usually had left the room, not wanting to be seen as apprehensive. This time he decided against it, scooting closer on the seat and hugging her.
"It's alright, I won't leave you. I still love you" He whispered kissing her head. Electra's switch immediately turned off.
"I can't fall in love with you stupid. You need control and friends to secure your life. You still need him around" Electra thought as she started hiccupping.
"You-you are right. I will admit it tomorrow at the press conference and apologize to my people" She said giving in, as Sokka smiled.
"I think it's more than enough. The people will then decide what to do with you. Don't overthink it, I won't let them touch you. Never" He said kissing her cheek, almost too cautious of kissing her in the lips.
Similar to how they bonded being friends, because as she told Katara. "Excellent friend, awful boyfriend" However, she would play dumb as much as she could. She refused to be seen as another girl with her heart broken.
And even more if her heart wasn't broken from the girl she much yearned. She had invested so much time in trying to mold Sokka that she recognized the ideals and mind he had: He couldn't be influenced if it strayed too far from his own view.
He was really trying to be a better man. He just needed more direction now than ever, she had hoped sending him to a referred doctor was the best direction she could give to him, because two broken hearts can't help each other on the long way.
A knock on the window startled them, the backseat door opening with the girl sitting down to hear the chat.
"Toph! Can't you see we are having a moment?" Sokka said annoyed, not letting go of Electra.
"Sugar Queen was wondering if both of you were going to enter her home or not. Because she is turning nuts trying to figure out how to send letters, apparently."
Electra's heartbeat decreased its motion, as if she became relaxed at knowing Toph was there for her, that was a lie, one that she kept telling to herself so the little sanity she had in here was not lost.
"We will in a minute, thanks Toph" Electra replied smiling.
"You don't want to change your clothing? Katara is going to…have some personal thoughts about that" Toph warned, concerned at upsetting her more. Sokka glanced at the dried blood, sighing.
"It's okay, she will know about this either way, let me be the one telling her" Electra said as she unlatched herself from Sokka and opened her door, followed by the duo. She entered the building with some of the residents looking down scared.
It seems the news flew faster than she had thought. Three times she knocked on her sister in law door, waiting for someone to open it.
"Hey! We were…are you alright?" Aang asked immediately checking her for any sign of a wound, he looked fast at Sokka and Toph who were serious behind her.
"What happened?" Katara asked running as she heard Aang's worried voice, looking at the blood in the dress she immediately took Electra's hand and pulled her inside, wanting to search for any kind of injury she might have been hiding.
Electra grabbed her wrist and stopped it, her violet eyes stared into the soul of the sapphire in Katara, startling a bit at how calm her demeanor was. Katara was now concerned, looking behind her as the Northern girl let go of her hand.
"Explain this please" She asked Sokka, who walked behind Electra, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I will" She said, opposite of how odd she was in the car. Katara waited with her mouth a bit shocked "I punished two of the killers of the Lee family"
Aang walked with Toph, his face serious.
"I slashed two arms and two hands so they wouldn't do it again. They had used something so pure and accessible as water to kill" She excused herself, rising her chin slightly to stand behind her actions.
Sokka was nervous, they already had a tense relationship. Katara was not fond of Electra and her girlfriend wasn't that preoccupied.
"You… that was an extreme." Aang spoke first "Can they be healed?"
Katara just stared disappointed in Sokka, who had chosen her as his partner. She was holding back to explode how she did back at the fire palace, when Suki and her had a disagreement and grudge.
"No, their limbs were discarded" Electra continued "I know it was an extreme measure, I needed something to teach the Northern people that bending to attack and not protect or create would be severely punished"
"You took away their bending in a different way…You are no better than a monster" Katara said agitated, the water in her hand dropping in impotence.
"I might be the monster this city needs" Electra said standing firm, her tone nor voice showing any remorse "I am protecting people like Sokka and me, I am sure you wouldn't understand it"
Sokka wanted to face palm himself, picking up a fight with Katara wasn't the right thing to do after her sensitive fibers were already tickled. Katara immediately grabbed the water and formed a spike, pointing it towards Electra heart.
"You…Don't use my brother as an excuse to your horrible actions!"
"Katara!" Toph screamed taking her out, seeing how her reaction had proved Electra's point in violence against non benders. Katara took a step back and Aang ran towards her side, shaken of how easy she had lost control.
Toph got close to Electra, even if she was younger, Toph height had grown in the past years and towered the ice queen.
"I do not agree totally in what you did, but it amazes me how you hold your own, even if it's against your teachings. Good job" Toph whispered, punching her in the arm. Sokka's breathing resumed after seeing them calm down.
Electra's heart slowed down again, feeling sweet emotions in her stomach after Toph told her that.
"I am not hungry, but there is some food in the table if you want some" Katara said leaving the dinner room and walking fast towards her bedroom, while Aang let her vent alone.
"Well..I sure am. Drama makes me hungry!" Toph said chirpily, walking to take a seat at the table.
Suki was more nervous than she had thought before. Not telling Ty Lee anything about what she would do for the night was a big mistake on her part. She didn't even know were they were going to go out…
It could be a party, the beach (Not that it would be a big possibility, but still to be considered), to a restaurant, sparring match or even to the pond to talk. Those type of things people do when being in love and not having any kind of obligation.
Dating was hard, courting someone was even harder!
She chose a pair of black pants and a green sleeveless shirt. It wasn't super casual nor formal, it had to do well right?
"No" She immediately discarded her clothes, searching for a knee length purple dress with long sleeves. She paired it up with golden heels, crossing her fingers she wouldn't be seen "over the top" with it.
She decided to let her hair down to balance the formality of the dress, putting pink lipstick she bought the other day. She walked towards Zuko's room by their secret passage, knocking on first to not be seen as an intruder.
The door opened and Zuko looked stunned, helping her climb down. She reorganized the painting as Zuko lazily helped her.
"You look stunning" He whispered, as Suki blushed. "Not because you aren't everyday stunning! But. Today you outgrew…yourself?"
"Calm down, I get it. You look good too" She winked back, being overly confident in how easy she could play with him. "Were are we going today?"
Suki inspected his outfit: A semi-formal garments if she was up to date with the fashion week the fire nation had this month. He wore a dark blood red kimono and black pants with boots. It did look good on him, to be fair, everything looked good on him!
Zuko put a hand behind his neck, chuckling nervously. His hair was in a low ponytail with some hairs out of place. She observed more his face, noticing he did his own makeup to hide the scar. It looked well executed.
"I thought maybe we could fetch some dinner outside here, but taking you by that corridor might make your dress dirty" He said immediately taking off his kimono, his toned body visible with the dark shirt he had underneath. He placed it on Suki's body, covering most of the dress.
"Thanks" She said a bit speechless, being treated so…ladylike was something she wasn't used to. He grabbed her hand and walked towards that mysterious corridor. "How big is this place? Everywhere we go there is something hidden" she thought following his lead.
"So…how was work?" Zuko tried starting a small talk, making Suki smirk.
"It was horrible, boring, abusive, I hate my boss" She joked but it fell flat, like most of her jokes. She cringed inside at the silence.
Then Zuko laughed, a hearty one that moved feelings inside Suki.
"That man must be a jerk" He responded playing too her joke "I said we should punch him in the nose"
"That would get me fired" She laughed as he did too, even if that last joke wasn't that funny to him. But she made it, so it was fine for him to laugh.
They kept walking until they bumped a wall, Zuko let go of her hand to press some of the bricks by their left side. The door gave in and they were outside the palace.
Most precisely, in a lonely alley. He guided her again, this time towards the lights of the heart of the city. She gasped at the side of the city she never saw in her off days.
It seemed traditional and less busy then to the south, were most of the big restaurants and places were full of couples and families. They walked towards a small tea shop, smiling. Suki could tell he was influenced by his uncle on the choice of the date.
They entered and were immediately greeted by a hostess, a young girl with a small smile.
"Good evening and welcome to the Castle Cove, do you have a reservation?" She greeted, looking at both of them.
"Yes, is by the name of Lee" He winked, flustering the girl. Suki smirked, following the girl who walked towards the stairs.
"Ring this bell whenever you want to order some food. Can I get you something to drink while you wait?"
Suki looked at Zuko for some guidance.
"We would like some water, thank you" The girl retired and they were left alone at the second floor. Suki saw the decorations in the room, they weren't overly done, as the walls were covered in various paintings of animals and places around the world, some she haven't even had de chance to know.
Zuko looked so in love, as they were seated right behind a window, who had a view of downtown. She smiled at how much Zuko seemed to look at her, Suki wasn't even hungry at all!
"So…what are we supposed to do on a first date?" Suki asked blushing, placing both of her hands on the table, leaning on them with a mischievous smile on her face. She was ready to have fun.
Or whatever that means.
"Talk! Right" Zuko stumbled on his words awkwardly, looking around to find something to talk about. He was getting better on debating and chatting with politicians around the globe, but intentional flirting? Absolutely not.
Suki tapped her finger to play with his nervousness, it made her grin bigger at seeing how nervous he was getting with trying to chat.
"I like your choice for dinner…spicy noodles and water" Suki talked sultry, feeling confident enough to flirt. Zuko blushed at the tone she used on him. "How is she so natural at this?" Zuko thought
"Yeah…I know you do like trying new things. I know that you have been wanting to try some goof ones" Zuko chatted, trying to ignore how she was dangerously playing with the table, caressing with her finger in small circles.
"Goof? Do they tell jokes while we eat?" Suki questioned rearranging herself, searching for a stage that was empty.
"Good I meant, I guess the dragon bit my tongue!" Zuko tried to joke, making Suki open her eyes in amusement. They stared at each other in silence, before the warrior busted out laughing.
"And we haven't even started drinking! Oh Zuko, you are a natural" Suki continued the joke with narrow eyes, focusing on the snack she would definitely eat later that night. Zuko sensed that tension and it made him blush.
"I wished! Look at you, blinking furiously and lowering your tone? How peculiar" He imitated, lowering his octave and making Suki grin in triumph. Not that she would admit how hot Zuko was when speaking in a husky note, controlling her emotions was a part of the Kyoshi way.
Or was now, after all the incidents that had happened for not controlling herself.
"You caught me, my lord" She said seductively, making Zuko red faced. She laughed and moved the bell, ready to eat something before feeling more nervous and not eat anything at all. He hushed after what it felt like hours.
"Don't say that! Someone might notice" He said with a big smile, contradicting everything he was saying. "Then you will have some real competition"
"Oh? Is that so?" Suki continued her farse, scooting her chair closer and moving away some hair from Zuko's good ear. "I bet you have a kink with that, don't you?~"
"Suki!" He said pushing her away as both laughed. "The things that come out of your mouth, goodness" As much as Zuko wanted to be buried in the earth right below the place, he was enjoying how much they joked and mingled, not feeling the need to talk about something for the night to flow.
"I am so sorry! I was just being too good that for one night, I might be naughty~" She purred again, her hot breath on his ear sending chills all over his body.
"Agni, she is so hot" Zuko thought closing his eyes, not noticing when Suki moved again to the initial position.
"So what are you ordering? I will order the hottest ones of course! I want to see if it compares to my culinary skills" She said justifying her lack of talent in the kitchen, making Zuko snort.
"I will order two noodles actually, one not that spicy and the same as yours"
"Why? I thought fire nation citizens have more tolerance to an-"
"The not so spicy is for you. No matter how brave you feel, there is no way you can finish it" Zuko dared her with a small smile, as Suki narrowed her eyes with the competitive side of her feeling ready to take on the challenge.
"That's a bet for sure" She concluded, ringing the bell twice for the girl to come upstairs.
Two hours had passed and a three jars of water were ordered by the side.
Suki was crying trying to finish the noodles, as Zuko ate them without any incident, adding even more spice to his. Her watery angry eyes looked at how effortlessly Zuko ate his.
"How can you eat this? Oh Kyoshi.." Suki said chugging more water, Zuko rang the bell again, the girl immediately coming with another jar of water. Both nodded being thankful, Suki a lot faster than Zuko, before the warrior downed on it.
Her bloating and stomachache made it impossible to go on, rising both hands with a groan. Zuko smiled, ringing his bell again. The girl tiredly ran to them with a stressed smile, Zuko whispered something and the girl went off again.
"I give up, there is…a lot…" Suki said hurling over to her chest, feeling pain. "You win"
"I knew I was going to win" He said sipping his water, now he scooted closer and let her rest her head on his chest. She started to laugh and he did too, putting an arm around her as they enjoyed the moment.
The girl entered again the room and placed a dessert and two cups of mint tea. Suki immediately searched for the smell of the pastry and smiled, making Zuko feel warm.
"How did you know this was my favorite dessert?" Suki asked looking at the chocolate cookies, immediately picking one. She was feeling full, but there was no way she would waste the opportunity to take a cookie!
"Let's say my servants were utterly confused on your description of these" Zuko said grabbing one and munching it, smiling fondly at how happy Suki looked eating.
"I can't believe the fire nation doesn't serve any type of sweet dessert or candies, they are supposed to be sweet!" Suki explained grabbing another one, hiding her smile as she ate with her hand.
Zuko couldn't believe how much they were enjoying themselves in the date. The initial nervousness he felt had long worn off, the cookies and spicy food certainly helped them, but once they reached the comfort, their tongues kept moving.
"Not all desserts and candies need to be sugary, you are just whiny" Zuko said sipping his tea. Suki rolled her eyes smiling, moving the cookies out of reach from Zuko. "Hey! A part is mine"
"Look who is the whiny now!" Suki said sticking her tongue out. As she was on arms reach, he just extended his arm to grab another one, until Suki decided she wanted to play and stood up, making him raise both eyebrows in surprise.
"Is that how we are going to go out? Fighting for cookies?" Zuko said standing up with a grin, walking towards a frequently moving Suki. He tried to grab them and she changed her arm, a big smile plastered in her face.
"It's on then"
They walked in circles fighting for the cookies, as Suki and Zuko each grabbed one while trying to protect or grab the plate she secured. In between giggles and laughs they ran in circles until there was only one cookie.
They eyed the cookie and then each other, waiting for the other to make a movement. Zuko had two options: Stop Suki from moving around or grab the cookie. He decided to stop Suki instead.
Suki had also thought of a plan: Grab the cookie and quickly stuff it or throw away the plate without the cookie on it. What it was sure is that she wouldn't share it.
As soon as Suki reached for it Zuko closed the space to grab her by both arms, the result being half of the cookie inside Suki's mouth and Zuko hugging her. "Not bad for a first date" Zuko thought grinning.
He immediately reached to Suki's face, widening her eyes at the sudden affection…until he bit the other half and broke apart, a spark in his golden eyes at effectively playing with her own feels.
Suki continued munching slowly, gazing a bit too long at him.
"Is your stomach okay?" Zuko asked leaning close again, making her shudder at the reminder of her irritable stomach.
"It's better than before" She said grabbing his hand and guiding him towards the stairs. "We should get out of here! It has been hours"
Zuko followed her with a smile as they strutted down the stairs, walking as fast as they could to the counter where the girl and two boys waited for them to finish. Suki was about to look at her pocket when Zuko just grabbed her hand and ran away.
"What are you doing?!" Suki asked trying to resist, being impossible due to Zuko's strength and speed. "The check!"
"It's covered! That's how a first date goes" He said as they stopped running halfway the alley Zuko took her. Both panted and stared in silence before laughing again.
"You didn't have to, really" Suki said placing a hand on his arm, gently tugging it.
"I wanted to" He replied standing in front of her, putting both of his hands on her waist. In that dress he could see how fit she was from all of the training she has done all these years. The redness in her hair fitted her pale complexion and dark blue eyes, who tended to change to violet if the lighting was right.
Suki's hand moved from his arm to his shoulder, still tugging it as if her life depended on it. She wasn't sure why she felt scared to be that close to Zuko. It wasn't something new new. She had once kissed him.
Zuko leaned his head on hers, their faces almost touching. They closed their eyes, a shaky breath escaping her. He was sure he wanted this, he had yearned this for a long time. Suki was scared, that was why she felt nervous earlier and why she suddenly felt a bunch of spice down her throat.
Her hands went from his shoulder to his hair, laying it down for her to put her fingers through it. Zuko relaxed more, pushing her against the wall of the building nearby. The roles had been reversed: Now the anxious one was Suki, the uneven breathing and shaky hand had betrayed her.
"This is what I want" Suki thought, moving her nose against his. "This is what you want"
"Breathe" He whispered, taking her out.
"What?" She opened her eyes, breaking the spell she was under. The gold on him looked as gorgeous than ever, the dim light making it shine through.
"You are not breathing" He replied tucking some hair behind her ear, he bit his lip to stop himself from telling her that he noticed.
How her breathing had halted since they were in the restaurant.
How she flushed slightly every time they stared too long at each other.
How she would continuously flirt with him in an attempt to hide how nervous she was.
"I am breathing quietly, warriors secret" She said winking, easing herself some tension. He smiled and nodded, putting a hand behind her neck.
Suki tensed again, unsure of continuing. "Do you really want this? There is no going back"
She decided to cut the tension with a quick peck to his cheek, surprising him as she moved away and held his hand.
"The night is young as we are, isn't it?" She smiled, as he guided him again to the heart of the town, were some young people still walked and danced to some of the live music in the next street that could be heard.
He liked being held, specially if it was Suki who was holding him like that. They didn't have to share any more information or make small talk to fill the silence between them. The closeness made it easy to be comfortable with it.
Even with all the training in the world, Suki's feet started to feel tired from all of the walking they were doing on the town.
"Do you want me to take care of your shoes?" Zuko asked, stopping her. Suki tried to dismiss him with her hand, stepping forwards before stopping again. It had cut her ankle. He shook his head, carrying her to the nearest bench.
She let herself be pampered, he removed the shoes and let her use his. Suki expression quickly changed concerned before Zuko put a hand on his face.
"It's fine. We are close to an alley anyway" He winked. He tried to stand up but she hesitated, sitting staring at the sky above them. The stars were numbed in comparison to the moon who was present. It was almost symbolic to her: Many times she hated how a big star made the night harder for her.
In that moment it gave her clarity on the feelings towards Zuko, that's why it was hard to stop staring at her. She was leading him on, the feelings will not be reciprocated in the way he would love to.
"Does it bring you memories?" Zuko asked her, leaning his head on her shoulder. He was staring at her, looking vulnerable from her view. The glow the lights gave to his eyes made her feel guiltier to have accepted the date with him. She went to staring at the moon, gulping.
"It has been calming to watch the sky. My healer told me that" She said hugging herself as she laid back on the bench. Zuko didn't want to feel like an intruder to her space, so he pulled himself and mimicked her position.
"Do you want to go home?" He asked, simplifying the term home. "What is home to me right now?" Suki thought sighing.
"If you mean the palace, I would like to be more time like this. Just…enjoying the company" She smiled, unable to meet his gaze. His heartbeat showed how happy he was with her just sitting there, as they used to when they had less duties.
Now one would be married and the other would probably move away. Suki thought again about his proposal, and as tempting as it was, her fun would end in his misery. Was it worth all that trouble so she might fall in love with a men that is taken?
"Okay" Zuko said staring at the dying night, with more places closing and people walking towards their homes. He noticed how tensed she was since he started acting with romantic gestures, whenever they flirted or played she had an open heart, as soon as he tried to get close she would shut down.
Three years should have been enough for her to open up, and if it haven't happened yet, maybe he would need to be even more patient. If he did it right, waiting three to five years was nothing if she spent the rest of their lives together. He stretched his arms and placed them on his neck.
Suki was indecisive, but figured wanting love and comfort weren't that big of a deal, not when he was so persistent in adoring her. All the moments they had shared in the past had a big factor: The night always made her bolder and less shy on her needs.
She leaned on his shoulder, closing her eyes. It didn't feel natural, it didn't feel the same way it did with her favorite blue eyed warrior.
It didn't made her heart slow down in comfort or made her dizzy enough to faint from the sleepiness.
But it was enough to try something new, a taste of that -what if?- That had lingered too long in her thoughts nights after she was a free soul.
A free, caged soul. Shy and unsure of how the world would receive her broken heart. Thankfully to her, the road won't be walked alone. She stood up and stretched her hand towards him, a shy smile and pink hues written in her face.
Zuko smiled back taking her hand, awaiting to be directed to whatever she chose.
"Take me home" She said squeezing his hand, as he motioned with his head to follow him backwards, were another secret passage could be accessed.
On the walk back Suki didn't care a lot if her dress was dirty, shrugging off the need of Zuko to give her a coat. She had enough of feeling fragile and as the night continued, her loneliness might make her choose bad decisions.
"Careful" He said as they entered the new hall, where it took them to one of the empty rooms of the palace. It was still spacious and tidy, except for the paint they had moved. Suki walked towards the bed and threw herself, liking the luxury of the sheets. The window showed the changing sky, the black of the night slowly starting to disappear as hues of orange appeared faintly between the clouds.
Zuko giggled, already rearranging and opening a new passage, one that would take to each of them to their respective rooms. Suki stood up again and they walked in silence.
"This is my stop" Suki said recognizing the pattern, after all, she had to memorize most of the secret hallways to stop any type of intrusion. Zuko just nodded and waited for her to open the paint, until she didn't and just stared at him.
"What?" He asked a bit harsh, making her snort.
"You don't have to wait for me, I should be the one escorting you to your room" She said finally opening the door. He smiled and looked to his feet, giving her the heels he had carried. She tuck them under her arm and played with her fingers, unsure of her next move.
"Well it was a nic-"
Suki tip toed and kissed his cheek, pausing him.
"Thanks for the dinner and the company. I am sure this won't be the last one" She said winking.
The door closed and Zuko's mind was blown away by a sincere kiss on the cheek. He smiled dreamily, walking back to his room. All the walk he felt amazing and in love, almost flying instead of walking.
As soon as he was on his own bed, the feeling of love and dreams shattered. He started doubting his own ability to love as he had pinned down so much on Suki all these three years, the same she was with Sokka.
He sighed, her lips still lingering his cheek. He closed his eyes and prayed to be more wisely in the future. His contradicting feelings of loving her unconditionally and actually doing it would eat him alive after that date.
Mai would still be the new firelady, the one who would bare him a son or daughter to rule the Fire Nation and Suki would be just a fling, a side piece as the people would say referring to the lovers. That wasn't honorable at all, to none of them.
He need to choose: Suki or Mai. No in between. As the fire lord he had to have some immunity in marrying and doing whatever he wanted. He could still work on something with Mai for Tom Tom and help Suki.
Still help her. The way this date even occurred was because she found out their friend had another girl.
Was it the right start of a long lasting relationship?
"You need to sleep"
Mai said brushing her hair, already freshen up. Zuko sat on the bed with tired eyes, uncomfortable of how he was using her. She was still a gem to him and was eternally lucky that the deal was made with his childhood friend.
"I know, I am overthinking" Zuko said laying down, hugging his pillow to release some of his thoughts.
The press conference was one of the biggest crowds she ever had to assist. She hadn't eaten, drink or sleep since she made the call for the announcement. Electra had to make Sokka promise he wouldn't interfere. He said he didn't have the intention too.
That scared her.
She stood on the podium with the members of the council on his back, the crowd dying as the only sound was her breathing. Everyone expectantly waited.
"My name is Electra, Councilman and Ambassador of the Northern tribe. Yesterday I sentenced the Hua girls to isolation and dismemberment of their arms and hands." She said as all the reporter wrote what she was saying. "Their crime was the murder of the Lee family, a non bender family"
A can was thrown towards her, barely ducking it. "I am responsible to doing the act of unnecessary violence against a criminal to show how harder the punishments in the Northern tribe could be. I apologize for this"
As another rock flew towards her, Toph stopped it and held the responsible for it, moving towards the front view.
"I, Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender in the world, back up the punishment that Ambassador Electra inflicted on the benders. As extreme as it might sound, the crime rates have gone nuts since benders and no benders live in mixed colonies. No discrimination or abuse of power will be tolerated"
The thousand reporters started screaming questions that were ignored by Electra who looked shocked at Toph. She didn't know that the powerful bender would ever be cool with what she had done, not to the extent of defending her against the town.
It would jeopardize her position as the chief of the police.
"Toph.."
Toph raised a finger towards her, hushing it, before pointing towards a random reporter.
"Speak your question" She demanded. The reporter stood and directed the question towards Electra.
"Was it necessary for the Ice Queen to do the punishment? Why not let other policeman or woman do the job?"
"As they were part of my tribe, I deemed a necessity for me to be the one inflicting it" She responded with the same seriousness that dubbed her the ice queen: Cold and motionless.
"How did councilman Sokka react behind doors? There are photos of him shocked at the first slash, even trying to reach for you…"
"No comment" Electra dismissed it gesturing another reporter
"Did he know about the punishment? Or is this something to move the attention away from the public relationship?"
"No, he wasn't informed. No comment" Electra continued feeling a bit tired of most of the question being regarding Sokka and his opinions on her. "I am here, I am supposed to be the one interrogated" She thought annoyed, her emotions not being displayed.
"Are you going to apologize personally to the criminals?" A female reporter asked, waiting for her answer.
Electra thought a bit longer than she anticipated, her training always consisted in 3 seconds of silence before speaking, otherwise the answer that came out of your mouth would be second thoughted and not respected.
"No" 5 seconds after the question, making the roar in the crowd louder. "I apologize for showing it in public, a point had to be made across"
"We love you Electra!" A reporter from the back screamed
"Keep protecting the families of republic city!"
"Long live the Ice queen of the North!"
"May the spirits always bless you!"
Sokka was shocked at the reception of the punishment by the general public. Were they really celebrating the mutilation of two girls arms and hands? He wanted to speak but reminded himself what he had promised to Electra.
No interruptions, no comments.
For the first time, he had to let go of his feelings and put himself on the back.
"No more questions" Toph exclaimed as the reporters tried to reach them. Toph immediately secured them so they could walk inside the town hall and Sokka jogged towards Electra side. He grabbed her hand and squeezed, smiling at the courage she gathered to do it.
A thousand flashes could be heard as the doors closed. Electra breathed and Sokka hugged her, Toph punched the girl on the shoulder, making her squeak.
"You did great babe, I am so proud" He whispered to her "You handled them"
"Thanks" Electra said startled. Sokka thinking about her wants and not what he deemed as correct? Now that's different "Have you eaten?"
Sokka laughed "Yes, I had breakfast with Onika. Why? Are you hungry?" He questioned, his white pearls that weren't faked.
Electra turned around to Toph who just stared unamused at them. Electra walked and bowed in respect.
"Thanks for the support outside" She said coldly, Toph huffed.
"Don't do stupid things again for your sake. I can barely manage Sokka, I don't wish his stupidity rubbed off on you"
A loud -Hey!- from Sokka made the girls laugh, making Electra happier to have them by their side. Once again, the control she had on herself slipped.
"Uh…wow…" Toph said amused, smelling Electra's perfume.
She hugged Toph dearly, as if getting away would mean she would crumble and die in that vey moment. Toph weakly hugged her, her hand playing with the curls of her hair. Electra was sure that her heartbeat was crazy, even her ability to control her vitals began to decrease when being around Toph.
Electra pulled away, her violet eyes glistening in happiness. Sokka hugged Electra by the waist, not entirely happy about her superiority complex, but it was a start of her admitting she was wrong.
Toph was flustered, feeling uneasy on why Electra's heart was through the skies.
"We should wait in a few hours what will happen…how the public and news will write you on" Toph changed topic, walking towards her office. "Keep and eye and don't cry!"
"I don-"
"I was telling Sokka" Toph said laughing as Sokka huffed annoyed. They waited some minutes after the adrenaline lowered their bodies, Electra moving first towards their offices.
"Well, have you eaten something?" Sokka asked again, opening the door that led towards the stairs.
"No, I was a bit nervous. I have to admit" Electra said waiting for him to enter and continued walking.
"Then let's eat! Food is important and healthy for your body" Sokka exclaimed worried, jogging a bit faster. "I am sure in my drawer I left a bit of those Cherries"
"Sokka I'm good" Electra said with a confident smile "Lunch is in a few hours"
Sokka stopped and glanced at the clock in front of the door and frowned.
"The shift just started! A few hours mean like…4 hours" Sokka said more worried, Electra rolled her eyes. "Don't think I haven't noticed how…thin you are"
Electra raised an accusatory eyebrow "You are saying I was overweight?"
"No! But…your dresses look even bigger and you were thin…so…I know I don't spend every minute at home, I hope doesn't mean anything" He stated looking firm, their gazes fought for dominance until he gave up.
"You can speak your mind, you know I do not get offended that easily" Electra said pushing the door to enter. "Right now is not the moment for this, let's wait until we reach home"
He was excited, frenetically walking side to side ready for their second date. It had been some days since their first date, on the meeting room and meetings looking as firm as ever Zuko had been too shy to ask for a second date.
Until he literally blurt it out in a cookie bag. That meant something right?
"Agni why did I put that on the bag? Anybody could have seen it and I…Urrgh!"
He couldn't finish his sentence, sitting on the edge of the bed, his leg jumping up and down from the nervousness. He took a deep breath and stood up, looking at the sky, the twilight moment indicated him that he needed to go for Suki for their second date.
His formal not-the-fire-lord citizen clothes consisted in a green sleeveless shirt with dark brown pants. His earth citizen disguise clothes served him good when wandering the streets in Ba Sing Se.
Wearing his date color spectrum was also a nod to him loving her roots and upbringing. Even if he had burned at first her island. He just hoped that was in the very very past
He knocked twice on the hidden corridor that let to her room, noise from the other side letting him know she wasn't probably ready. His surprise was when she opened it, wearing a fire nation citizen clothing.
"Hi" He shyly said, lending her a hand. She moved her skirt so she could walk in the small hall, smiling. "Ready for today's date?"
"I am excited, you haven't even tell me where are we going" Suki replied bouncing slowly on her toes, waiting for his lead. He hooked his arm around hers and started walking, a sheepish smile on him.
"I hope you enjoy it as much as I do" Zuko said stifling a laugh, Suki looked curiously at him, not saying anything before getting out of the hall.
"I never though you'll get us tickets for a play" Suki whispered to him as they walked towards the lonely balcony with an amazing view. "Ember island was…"
"YEAH. That.." He coughed "This another type of art. These are some local theater group that needed some founding. So I helped them and… now they have taken off" Zuko said smiling, looking dreamily at the stage.
Suki read the acts of the little book they gave them on the entrance, "Love amongst the Dragons".
"He seems pretty happy with this" Suki said looking up and towards Zuko, who was excitedly waiting for the show to start. He glanced at her and gave her a small smile. Suki's heart fluttered.
"Let's see your pupils then" Suki said leaning on him, Zuko extended his arm around her, enjoying that moment. A play, his favorite girl and his favorite hobby.
If someone would have told that the final fight was actually intriguing, Suki would have run sooner to see that play. She was on the edge of her seat and excitedly pointing at the acts, shocked in the twist of the play and with a wide smile at the fighting.
They were that good.
As much as Zuko loved the play, he enjoyed more looking at Suki squirm and be so eager at every part of it. He couldn't believe the joy she had watching it with him, and that made him crush harder for her.
"Owwwwww!~" Suki said loudly invested, as the play ended and a round of applauses were heard in the theater, including hers. "This was so good!" She said looking at Zuko who also clapped, a bit slower.
"Told you they actually reenacted they play the way it should had been" He said as the stood up ready to leave. Suki followed as he heard him explaining some of the parts he missed in the other play and how he had a mask similar to the play.
As they were in the street on the way home, Suki couldn't help but notice how odd Zuko looked to her without his scar visibly. She knew it was something uncomfortable to him, getting out in public with make up must hurt him in some manner.
Which meant he was doing that other big leap to take her out.
"That's why the blue spirit came back to help Aang once, because that mask gave me courage to do some thing's I shouldn't without the fear of being caught" He explained pointing to his covered eye.
"I wonder how would you look with that mask right now" Suki teased picking his cheek, making him swat the hand away.
"Anyway, are you hungry?" He teased "Or are those noodles still lingering there?"
"My appetite is still great thank you" She said "I would love some cookies for dessert thought"
Zuko grinned, taking her hand and leading her to an alley, she followed excited for some cookies, because cookies can never go wrong in a date with Zuko.
"Are we going back this early?" She asked following him. No answer came from him and she shrugged, hoping for two or three cookies to eat with him.
As they arrived at the kitchen inside the palace who wasn't that empty, Zuko put on the hoodie and had to speak on his firelord voice for them to be left alone. The servants said nothing and just left the room, clearing it.
Suki's nostrils immediately filled with the mix of flavors: Rough dough and…cookies!
"You had this planned?" She asked amazed again at how detailed he had the date. He just nodded, walking towards a nearby gabinet where he had a small jar with cookies inside of it. Suki's eyes grew excited.
"Let's hope this amount is enough for today" He said lending it to her, she instead of grabbing it, went to grab a towel, putting some warm water on it. "Suki? You don't have to clean you know"
"I know" She said walking towards him with the wet towel. "I want to give back the favor"
Zuko blinked before realizing she meant his own makeup. He nodded again and sit on a chair so she wouldn't have a hard time removing it. He relaxed his face and let her clean it softly, as her touch was as relaxed and gentle as it could be.
It was almost tender, because he couldn't remember any time he did and removed his make up that didn't hurt. Her touch however, didn't hurt that much, not even a quarter.
"There, better" She said throwing the towel to the side. "You look…handsome" She said shying a bit, grabbing a cookie to bite it. She offered one and he grabbed it too, looking at how adorable she was.
"Thanks" Zuko said, his dreamy eyes moving everything in Suki.
She had to give him an honest chance. It might not feel the same, it might take her a while before accepting it fully, but Zuko was a dream to her. A new dream she never thought would arrive in her short life.
She got close and saw how Zuko just looked, letting her control the situation. Both of her hands were placed on his cheeks as she leaned on and softly kissed him in the lips, feeling the need to puke from the nervousness of her actions.
Zuko embraced her putting both hands on her waist, securing her without much force. They stayed like that before Suki pulled apart, blushing and timidly sheepishly smiling.
"Thanks to you"