Water Bender

“Maybe I would like it just so you can learn to be more conscious about what you’re doing! I wasn’t even sleeping, Katara. My door didn’t need to be locked yet. Who’s going to attack me while I’m in the damn shower?”

A Rival Arrival||  Azula & Katara

@water-bending-queen

  Azula wondered why she had to live in this ridiculous and boring world. Where were her servants? Where were her guards? Where were everyone that waited on her every need? She wasn’t use this life and she hated every second of it. At least back at home she could order people to make her food and do things for her. Doing things for herself? What was she? Poor? Unfortunately that was the case when she got here.  However, after much threatening she figured how to at least survive.

  Azula was heading towards her S.S.A towers to do much needed training when she couldn’t help but spot a familiar looking face. She couldn’t help but laugh. “If you’re here that must mean Zuko and the rest of your silly pathetic friends are here too? Am I right?”

    Katara had just returned from a mission with the S.S.A and was biding farewell to the members that had joined her when she had heard the all to familiar laughter and haughty voice of one fire nation princess. Instantly her head snapped in her direction, confused as to why and how the princess was there and most of all why she looked saner than when she had last fought her.

theavatarlives​:

   Aang looked between Katara and Zuko with pursed lips, he was thinking. Momo chittered and slid across his other shoulder, as if just as puzzled as the Avatar was. From what they had told him, they’d been here a fair amount of time before he showed up - that thought alone was enough to unsettle him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zuko, he just… well, he wasn’t sure why that bothered him, but he chalked it up to nerves and the green lemur protested in his ear. 

   It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was the mission in front of them. Stepping forward, Aang fell into line with Katara and held his breath. If they were lucky, they’d be dropped in the perfect position with the perfect amount of time to prepare. If they weren’t, they would arrive just before or in the midst of the comet, with zero prior communication to their allies. The airbender swallows thickly and follows her towards the mirror. 

   “This is it,” He repeats, grip tightening on the small bag of things he had packed. His knuckles were turning white. Ready or not, he didn’t have a choice. It was now or never. 

“The mirror probably knows of the importance of the journey; it’ll probably give us something good to work with,” Zuko said, taking a deep breath. Though there was no telling what side the mirror was. Maybe the clear-glassed entity was actually against them and this was all a ploy to send them home at the wrong time to watch their lives crumble to ash. 

It was difficult for Zuko to be optimistic and focus on the fact that something good could happen. Maybe it was because of his father’s and sister’s influence and their perspective that they must always be prepared for the worst and fear was the greatest weapon. With one growing up in that environment, and Zuko’s own shortcomings that pegged him down, there wasn’t room for optimism in his dictionary.

The firebender followed the two through the mirror, and once his eyes opened he found himself in a familiar world in an unfamiliar location. No longer were they surrounded by the high walls of Spade Castle. Now the trio were in an open space, and Zuko glanced around as he tried to understand their current predicament. There was nothing around them that could help them discover their location, the time, or the current standing of the world.

“This is not helpful,” he deadpanned as he rolled his eyes, but a small speck in the distance his attention. The size of the figure grew larger, their blue robes more visible, as a sudden wall of earth began to surround the trio. “This was definitely not helpful!”

    Katara had expected something flashy for the return home, not just simply closing her eyes and opening them again to be in the middle of nowhere but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She also wasn’t about to just sit around and wonder where the hell they were. They needed to get moving now, get to the closest city and figure out the date and ask about flying bison sightings. 

    She hadn’t even completely glanced at her surroundings like Zuko had and instead instantly starting rummaging through her bag, looking for a telescope she had brought with her and handed it to Aang. If he could get in the air and fly around a bit to find the best direction to go to they could get a move on. They needed to save as much time as they could, but the sudden wall of earth surrounding them surprised her and quickly got in a fighting position as her eyes had landed on the approaching figures.

    “Should have expected things to be hard the moment we came back....” Katara mumbled under her breath next to Zuko, she couldn’t believe their luck. Stupid mirror was definitely against them, of course it would be. But as the figures got closer she couldn’t help but recognize one of them and she slowly lowered her arms.

The girl’s embarrassment cause Zuko’s own cheeks to take on a reddish hue. It wasn’t like this was something that he overtly thought about. Before his banishment, it was customary for servants to help dress Zuko for the day; so the exiled prince accustomed to others seeing him without clothes. But with Katara 

“Well what did you want me to do?” he snapped. “Did you just want me to tell that bastard to leave me alone because I’m in the shower? Did you want me to warn you that I was lying naked in my tub?” Zuko grumbled incoherently to himself as he rushed by her, feeling the pain in his side from where the attack was. He could feel his blood boiling as he got riled up, more at Katara and this situation than the stupid attack.

“Forgive me, princess,” he mocked, turning his head over his shoulder. Zuko half-turned his body towards the waterbender as his eyes narrowed. In the heat of the moment, the heat of raised voices and flushed cheeks, he had already pushed aside that she had helped him and that it was her idea to put clothes on so they could try and do something about the situation.

“I’m sorry for ruing such an apparently precious thing for you. But if you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’m going to put on some clothes so we can sweep the area and look for The Killing Joke.”

    Katara looked at Zuko in disbelief at his words. Why was he now over reacting and taking this way out of proportion? She was only upset he hadn’t waited till she had left for him to get up, never had she said or made reference to the whole him being attacked thing, though this wouldn’t have happened if he had locked his door. 

    “Are you really throwing a fit right now over this? What are you? Ten? All I would have asked for was for you to at least have waited until I left! I understand you’re not used to having girls around since your banishment, a simple apology would have sufficed. But since you decided to bring up what you could have done, may I remind you.... LOCK YOUR DOOR!” 

    The tone in his voice and his words that followed angered her. She was tempted to pull some of the water from the bathroom and drop it right over him so he could cool down. It wouldn’t be a good idea....but she wasn’t going to take his attitude without a fight. So she did just that and brought the water around and dropped it on him as he walked away.

@doxavhonored

    Katara had been ranting to Zuko about one of the most cliche plot twists in one of the dramas she had been watching when he had suddenly spoken those words and kissed her. It had taken her by complete surprise and for a moment she didn’t want him to stop for some reason, but then she got back to her senses and quickly pushed Zuko away, a blush tinting her cheeks as she glared at him. 

    Katara froze in shock at the sudden action and quickly pulled away from the air bender, eyes wide in disbelief at what he had just done. She was unsure of how to respond, but he had gotten what he wanted and she was silenced for whatever purpose he wanted.

@theavatarlives

@etherhearted

@theavatarlives

    “Aang....” Katara mumbled softly before pulling the young Avatar into a tight hug. She knew that he was probably struggling more than she was, but at least she understood somewhat what exactly he was probably going through. 

“Those sort of things wouldn’t get us anywhere anyhow.” Marinette nodded slightly and kept her mug in her hand, eyes going unfocused.  as she thought of all the things that might be wrong in the other girls world she couldn’t help but feel.. something. Kinship? Empathy? perhaps a mix of the two. Regardless or not, Marinette focused back on the real world around her and gave a tiny smile.

“I’ve been here since November. Don’t get too settled into the peace. Once that mirror starts talking to you, it’s creepy enough. Maman once said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And that anything that seemed too good to be true has to have a bad side to it.”

It was simply nice to just sit and chat with another girl.

“Than again, Lucid implies we’d be in control if we went along with this little experiment. But how on earth would it work? A mish mosh of worlds? who would be..in control, for a lack of a better word?”

    “Well, I think its safe to enjoy the small moments of peace you can get. After all, it’s better to enjoy those moments than to be on the edge of your seat the whole time waiting for something to come get you.” She smiled softly at the girl as she put her cup down on the table and leaned back in her seat. 

    She should honestly be taking her own advice since she’d been so on edge since she had arrived due to the timing of everything. Maybe she was brought here to give her that time to relax and enjoy peace in a mental preparation for Sozins comet. Whatever it was, she probably shouldn’t think about it right now and instead focus on whatever she was supposed to do here. 

“Short cut it is then, oh I’m Ellie by the way.” she said as she walked towards an alley between two shops. The alley was large made to hold multiple dumpsters and even had a bike rack for employees for the two stores.

“So basically the short cut is a way passed most of the twists and turns and when we get out you only need to go left ,there will be some climbing involved but nothing serious.” She said as she made her way towards a short wall that dumpsters rested against.

“Okay we are going to be jumping over these, don’t worry they are stable you won’t be falling in or anything.” She added recognizing that her way around was not exactly normal but it would cut this girl easily ten minutes so plus the route was not that hard.She hopped on then over the wall into an identical alley and waited for her to follow suit.

    “I’m Katara.” She smiled brightly at her as she followed her closely. She had been so lucky to run into this girl who was kind enough to lead her there. She was a life saver and she’d have to treat her to something when she got a chance.

    She made sure to remember the directions Ellie gave her on where to go after the short cut and even made sure to memorize where exactly they were walking. She wasn’t sure how long she would be stuck in Wonderland and she need to find every little thing so she wouldn’t get stuck and suffer again like this. She was a bit surprised that it wasn’t actually an easy short cut, but she was used to things like this.

The sound that Katara made, while quiet, sounded like a tiny animal that had been handled in some way against its will. Momentarily it reminded him of one of the small stray felines that wandered the streets of Ba Sing Se, and the squeak whenever a child would poke or prod them. So Zuko had been surprised at Katara’s reaction and the speed in which she moved to retreat. 

And then it hit Zuko. He glanced down at his body, and breathed through his nose at the slight irritation. First there was the attack, and now Katara’s childish nature. “Will you grow up?” he asked, his own voice rising. He walked to the bathroom’s door before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist to keep the waterbender from reacting in any way again.

“How long have you been travelling with the Avatar and your brother? You should-” As he exited the bathroom, he paused as he stood there, his nose crinkling as a thought crossed his mind. “Did you just call me a dumb hot head?”

    Katara glared at the bathroom door as he replied. How could he not care or even consider being cautious with being nude! Yes she worked at a clinic and sometimes she had to see things she wouldn’t want to see, but she was prepared for that. She wasn’t prepared here at all! She had gone all her travels with Aang and her brother without having any instances like this, they had always made sure to give a heads up so there were no accidents. 

    When she realized he was coming out of the bathroom she quickly turned away, unsure of if he had covered up. She took a chance to take a glimpse back at him when he had paused, and was relieved to see that he had at least grabbed a towel this time. 

theavatarlives​:

   When his phone (which he was still attempting to navigate the use of) rang that morning, Aang was ecstatic to hear Katara’s voice clear on the line. However, what she said left him in a nervous, hesitant laughter. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to convey to her - determination, preparedness, a lack of fear? Whatever it was, he knew it hadn’t come across, and had instead opted to swiftly agree to a meeting place, ending the call there. 

   Their strategy meeting went off without a hitch, and for a moment Aang was able to throw himself into the intense focus of planning a war path. This went on for hours, and the Avatar even felt hope rising in his chest, a sureness settling deep in his stomach. After all, this was his destiny. This was the reason he was born - only the Avatar could restore peace to the four nations. And he would, no matter if that costed him his life. Avatar Roku had done it, Avatar Kyoshi, and every one of his past lives, too, had assumed their duty. The air bender would do the same. 

   A large part of him was excited, thrilled to be returning home, even if it was for such daunting circumstances. He missed Sokka’s terrible jokes and Toph’s steady presence, and it killed him to be away from Appa as long as he had been. He would see them again. He would get to talk and laugh with them again. The only family he’d ever really known - yes, Aang was holding his breath for their reunion. 

   When he arrived at Spade Castle, Zuko with him, his heart jumped in his chest. This was it. A now green Momo chirped on his shoulder as Katara’s smile tried to soothe his nerves, and he attempted to feign all the confidence he knew the Avatar should have. “Never been more ready! How about you, Zuko?”

It was Katara’s insistent knocking that forced Zuko awake, and within seconds he had found his own ticket preciously placed by his bedside. There were no coincidences when it involved the mirror; the all-knowing entities of this world knew that all three of them needed to return home for Sozin’s comet.

Every second of their trip back home needed to be calculated. Apart from the impending arrival of Sozin’s comet and the countdown of their own trip, there were too many factors that deemed time was of the essence. But they had their focuses for the trip: stop Ozai and stop Azula. Even if Ozai had been reprimanded, a feat that was of the utmost importance, there was no doubt that Azula already had her own plan in motion if things were to go haywire. The Fire Nation armies would still follow her, and the Avatar’s ragtag team of heroes needed to eliminate every threat.

We’re still missing some things, Zuko bitterly thought. They didn’t know anyone’s location. There was no telling what the rest of their gang was doing back home. Zuko, trapped in Wonderland for an amount of time that couldn’t compare to the time back home, still didn’t know his Uncle’s whereabouts. There were holes to their plan, but Zuko knew that they could swiftly fill them.

Zuko arrived to Spade Castle with Aang, quickly meeting up with Katara. “Wouldn’t really call it home, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” he dryly commented. His eyes flickered between the two and the wide-eyed lemur. He couldn’t blame them for their wanting to go home, but there was no reason for Zuko to be as eager. The firebender had renounced his home; he was just going back to finish his duty.

“Come on,” he said, jerking his head towards the castle’s entrance. He walked past Katara as he entered the building. “We need to remember our time limitation and stick to the plan, otherwise this could mean the end of world that we know.” Taking a deep breath, he squared his eyes on the path in front of him. It may have not exactly been home. But it was still his world. “Let’s go.”

    Katara could see how nervous Aang was, it was what she expected honestly, but with Zuko she had no idea what he was feeling. She had a feeling he could be hiding it behind a mask, but she wouldn’t question him about it right now. There was a lot they had to prepare for still, mentally more so than anything. She gave him a soft smile before walking next to Aang and following Zuko into  the castle. 

    “I hope this mirror at least places us the day before the comet. And somewhere close to Sokka and the others.” She spoke quietly as she glanced down to the floor. Even with all the preparations, all the planning, she was still scared and nervous. She prayed to the spirits that at least no matter what, they were dropped off near her family, at lest then no matter what, they’d have an easier time figuring out what they needed to do no matter the day the landed on. 

@doxavhonored​ & @theavatarlives​

    The day she had woken and found the ticket she had instantly jumped out of her bed and had called Aang as she made her way Zuko’s apartment, banging on the door to get his attention since he had finally learned to lock his door. There had been nothing on her mind except for using these tickets for what she had to assume was to go home and defeat the Fire Lord. 

    After forcefully waking up both Zuko and Aang, they had had a long talk about what they were going to do. They planned for a few hours and spent the rest of the day preparing for the trip. Now Katara waited for them outsides Spade Castle, she felt anxious but was also excited. She was going to see Sokka again, but now they were going back to fight a war that she dreaded but knew it was what had to be done. She wasn’t sure how any of it would go, they only had 48 hours after all, which hopefully meant they got a day to rest and plan with everyone and then the day of the comet. 

    No matter what happened, they had made plans for every possibility that could happen. She kept going through them in her mind until she looked up and caught sight of her companions finally arriving. 

@doxavhonored