Randomly Random

He’s going to do her laundry. He’s going to jar her honey. He’s going to do school runs. He’s going to do food runs. He’s going to take her dancing. He’s going to haul her catch. He’s going to give her massages. He’s going to make that midnight run to the store to get whatever she wants. She’s five seconds away from being wined and dined and look at her, she’s feeling it.

WELP, IT’S BEEN A YEAR

Are you tired of trying to look on the bright side, and to keep faith?  Cause I sure am.  But also – the alternative is far less helpful in making the changes that we need.  So: to tiny steps in the right direction, to voting and all the million other things we do to bend the long arc of history.

8 previous years’ birthday comics on tumblr and AO3. 

Ask, receive, etc.

—

This was a bad idea.

Sure, Zuko was masked. Everyone was masked. His uncle was right; he should have been able to talk to strangers; it was the expectation. But no sooner had he arrived at the public masquerade ball at Ba Sing Se’s Inner Ring, crowded, loud and overwhelming, that Zuko knew he had to leave.

He turned around quickly, without sparing a second glance, when an impact sent him back. He’d run straight into someone. He’d barely seen the girl he’d inadvertently pushed before he was distracted by a sudden cold that seeped through his shirt. Great. She’d spilled her drink on him. As if things could get any worse.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…” The girl moved her hands, and the liquid was drawn away from his clothes. “There. Good as new.”

Zuko’s heart stopped. His blood ran cold. He didn’t suppose there were too many waterbenders traveling around the Earth Kingdom. In fact, there was only one person she could be. She wore silver, her moon-shaped eye mask sparkling. Her wavy hair was loose, coming down to her waist. But her voice and movements were familiar. And around her neck, there was the only thing in her attire that wasn’t silver - that blue necklace he knew too well. That was Katara. There was no doubt.

She was smiling kindly, though, as if he were a complete stranger. That smile was all her, too. Had the Avatar not told her…?

“You’re…” Zuko caught himself. If she didn’t know, he wasn’t going to be so stupid as to reveal himself. “You’re a waterbender.”

“Clearly,” Katara replied, amused. “And you are…?”

“The Blue Spirit.”

“The feared criminal wanted by the Fire Nation?” His shoulders relaxed. So she didn’t know who he was under the mask; she didn’t even suspect this went beyond a silly costume. “That’s a risky choice.”

“Don’t forget there is no war in Ba Sing Se, Waterbender." 

"If only that were true.” Katara shook her head. “Let’s not fool ourselves. You’re not from here, are you?”

“No, I… I came here as a refugee.”

“Oh, I’m really sorry.” Her voice was so full of compassion that Zuko could have melted on the spot. She’d never offer her sympathy if she knew who he was. “I hope all your loved ones are doing well.”

“Thank you,” he answered, unable to hide the emotion from his voice. “You’re not from here either… right?”

“Not really, but my circumstances are… well, a little bit different. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Zuko felt a pang on his chest at Katara’s obvious deflection, but he pushed it down. It wasn’t like he cared, or like he felt genuine curiosity. It wasn’t like he remembered the desolate Southern village that was on the brink of destruction and could glean the obvious lie. But before he could find an appropriate answer, Katara stepped closer to him.

“Blue, do you dance?”

“Blue?”

She laughed loudly, and Zuko was overcome by the impossible urge to stop time. He didn’t know why his confusion was so charming to Katara, but she was more joyful and at ease than he’d ever seen her. He didn’t even know she had it in her to be that giddy.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Blue Spirit, sir.” She gave him an exaggerated bow. “Does the life of a criminal allow for dancing? Or should I be afraid that you’re going to kidnap me?”

Against his own wishes, against the instincts that told him that even talking to her was a terrible idea, a smile crept up Zuko’s face and warmth settled in. He didn’t have Katara’s wit, or her spark, and it wasn’t meant for him, not really. Still, Zuko couldn’t help but enjoy it.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Waterbender,” he assured her, allowing softness to show in his voice. “Not seriously, at least. The only danger here would be to your feet.”

“I’ll take the risk.”

Before Zuko could say anything else, a loud voice interrupted them.

“Katara! There you are.” The person that was now next to her had to be Sokka. He was dressed in a hilariously bad approximation of the Kyoshi Warriors’ outfit, clearly put together at the last possible second. “Were you flirting with this guy?”

Something snapped. The Katara that Zuko knew suddenly reappeared in front of him. Had she really been flirting? Had that even been her?

“Not now that you’ve ruined it, genius,” she muttered to her brother between gritted teeth. “You’re also not supposed to use my name. Where’s everyone else, anyway?”

Her mention of others returned Zuko to his senses. If the Avatar saw him, there was a chance he wouldn’t think The Blue Spirit was a stranger in a disguise. This couldn’t be good.

“I should be going anyway,” Zuko said hastily. “It was a pleasure, uh, being flirted with.”

Once more, Katara laughed. And once more, the sound awakened something in him that he didn’t quite know how to handle and was forced to push down.

I wonder what will happen if Ozai and Iroh are exiled to catch the avatar.....

Guess what Avatar fans, we have some more good news for you!!

You've seen the trailer, you've read the first part of Chapter 1, and now, we're posting a podcast as well!! 🥳🎉 Courtesy of our very own and amazing @crusselltheauthor!! You can get some exclusive insights into how we made the comic 💖