there's always a way

Zuko said, “When I saw the Dai Li attack you, I didn't think. I just helped.”

And I heard, “When I saw Azula attack you, I didn't think. I just jumped.”

Manifesting the Final Agni Kai in NATLA.

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Sketches + full view of the lightning burn under the cut!

potatoes OR pasta (well I can't stop you from using both)

cucumber, approx. 1/2 or a full one if you like cucumber enough

cherry tomatoes, approx. 1 cup or however many you like in your salad

celery, approx. 1 stalk

kidney beans, 1 can (and you can add more types of beans if you want to get more protein or whatever)

corn, 1 can

sour cream, 2 cups? (like the normal sizes you get at the grocery store) (if you're in Germany use Schmand instead)

milk or Greek yogurt, a couple spoonfuls to add to the sour cream

chipotle in adobo, approx. 1 chipotle finely chopped with one spoon of adobo sauce (adjust to your spice tolerance) (I don't know where to get this in Germany sorry but you could probably find some chipotle powder and spicy bbq sauce which isn't the same but better than nothing)

salt, pepper and paprika to taste

cook your potatoes and/or pasta, finely chop your cucumbers, tomatoes, and celery and mix in the corn and beans, mix your sour cream with some milk and/or yogurt and you chipotle in adobo and spices until it's a creamy and slightly spicy but refreshing sauce. combine everything. enjoy

Like others have pointed out, the show makes it clear that Katara kept sneaking out repeatedly to be the painted lady, as did zuko at the same time to be the blue spirit, and this continued after they first encountered each other and zuko realised who she was. So they might well have had more interactions that we didn’t see, especially since zuko seemed to develop a minor fixation on Katara (watching her back at the villa, following her through the market). But possibly most telling… when the two of them are captured, the locals refer to him as her sidekick. Kind of a weird thing to say unless they’ve been repeatedly seen in action together. So, plenty of evidence that they’ve been working together in their vigilante disguises, and possibly even spoken a small amount.

When they get thrown into prison together without their disguises, zuko is tense and reluctant to turn around because he knows she won’t react well… but Katara seems excited to finally see who the mysterious blue spirit is, as though she’s been wondering about him and wanting to know more. And when it’s revealed that he’s none other than zuko, she is obviously angry and upset, but she also seems… embarrassed?? The ‘I’m such an idiot’ line and the turning away as though wanting to hide definitely caught my attention. It comes off like she’s not just shocked and disappointed that she was working with her enemy, but specifically horrified and frustrated with herself. For what? Perhaps for being so fascinated by the dashing blue spirit she felt such kinship with? Perhaps even for having daydreams of his identity reveal going very differently…?

Plus zuko’s reply and how he seems sad about her reaction, but very unsurprised. It would make sense if he KNEW they’d been vibing and maybe even flirting a little in their painted spirit disguises… but he always knew that would all change as soon as she knew who he was.