#katara is only cooler by comparison

[the-badger-mole]

If...

Zuko was nervous. He ran his hands discreetly over his pants, hoping to rid them of the moisture that had collected in the creases of his palms.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted to eat," he explained. "So I made a couple of different options. I...I tried to make the sea prunes you like, but they came out...um...wrong? Kind of salty, and...I don't know...tough?"

"I'm sure it's fine," Katara assured him. She grinned at the ridiculous spread on the table. She knew Zuko's knowledge of cooking was purely utilitarian, and while she was sure most, if not all of the dishes he'd made would be at least edible, it wasn't going to be anything like the restaurants in the Upper Tier of Ba Sing Se. Still, it was an incredibly romantic first date with her boyfriend.

Boyfriend. It was still weird to think of him that way, but they had made it official two days earlier. Then Zuko had spent the previous day arranging to have all their friends away from the beach house tonight, so he could surprise her with a romantic dinner. It was overwhelmingly sweet, and Katara thought it was perfect for their first date as a couple....If only Zuko would calm down a little.

"I'm sorry it's so lame," Zuko said. "If I weren't so worried about being recognized, I'd have taken you to one of the restaurants on the water. But, if you don't like what I made, we can still go. I was here a few months ago and no one knew who I was, so maybe-"

"Zuko!" Katara huffed exasperatedly. She put her hands on his shoulders and made him look at her. "If I kiss you, will you shut up?" Zuko gaped at her for a moment. He felt heat rising to his cheeks as her words worked their way through the haze of panic he'd been floating through all day. He swallowed hard, and licked his lips.

"It's worth a shot," he said with a shaky smirk

[atla-confessions]

I know it’s popular and I know it’s a motif that zutarians love but realistically

Zuko and Katara are not tui and la there is nothing push and pull about them. They have the exact same personality zuko’s just a bit angrier and katara’s more sarcastic but that’s more socialization. Even their functions with the story doesn’t support the push and pull. And honestly if any character relationship embodies tui and la it’s Aang and Zuko.

The foundation of their relationship is that they are Yin and Yang. Zuko and Aang spend the entire seasons locked in a push and pull relationship both emotionally and literally. (Emotionally Aang pulls zuko pushes, physically zuko pulls (trying to capture, Zuko is more a close range fighter), Aang pushes (getting away most defensive air bending is literally pushing people away)

Life and Death - Air is literally life you cannot survive without breathing and you need air to breathe. It is literally called the breath of life. In the past 100 years fire has become so synonymous with destruction and death people hate you on principle for being a fire bender. Even Zuko believed that fire bending was a tool for destruction to be used in anger. Also air can either fan or snuff out the flame, balance has to be reached to

Good and Evil - Aang by virtue of being the avatar is the “ultimate good” he also embodies a more child like innocence and his whole arc is figuring out a way to strike a balance between that innocence and duty meanwhile the Fire nation are the big bars and Suko is the face of that for a long time. He represents the darker side of child hood abuse and his entire arc is trying to regain some of that innocence back.

And I don’t even need to go into the yin and Yang you see the poem you get the metaphors.

But yeah Aang and Zuko are as tui and la as it gets which honestly it’s very specifically a water bending thing so the comparisons aren’t complete so take everything with a pinch of salt. And honestly tui and la is actually a wonderful metaphor for the physical flow of water bending because even just watching them you can see the push and pull.

But yeah Aang and zuko’s relationship to each other doesn’t get enough credit in fandom and Zuko and Katara’s is often forced into boxes it doesn’t quite fit.

They aren’t quite opposites attract the only opposite thing about them is fire and ice they are actually pretty similar, like their colors they are just hotter or cooler versions of the same personality. On similar ends on the sliding scale of temperament. And honestly I think that’s what makes them so fun!

If anything Zuko and Katara are two sides of the same coin. Similar in disposition different in socialization. It’s why the water siblings and the fire siblings mirror each other so well. Personality wise zuko is katara Azula is sokka if the conditions they grew up with were more extreme. (Obviously they have their differences) but even their principle relationships with their parents are similar. Zuko and Katara with their moms and Azula and Sokka with their fathers. (Again obviously the two parental situations are nothing alike just how they function with each child’s story is similar)

X

[scrawnydutchman]

My Top 10 Favorite Cartoons

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Animation is the greatest art form in the world. It’s film making, painting, doodling, caricature, satire, illusion, literature and music all at the same time. Truly poetry in motion. It simply does not get enough credit for just how miraculous the form can really be. Being the innovation in our culture that it is, making this list was difficult; because every time I thought of a worthy candidate for the list another worthwhile one popped up in my memory. As such, expect an honorable mentions before we get to number one. Before we jump in though, some ground rules.

1. If it’s animation, it counts. It doesn’t matter if it’s western animation or Anime, 2d or 3d, traditional or motion tweened, for children or for adults, for television or on the web. If it involves the cycling of drawn pictures to create the illusion of life then it qualifies.

2. This is not in order of objective quality and is strictly opinion based. Overall quality is a factor, but this list is mostly about how much of an impact it’s had on me as an individual.

enough ado, let’s get into it.

10. Being Ian

It’s more then Likely those of you readers who are American or anywhere besides Canada for that matter don’t know about this show, so in order to make sense of this entry let me provide a bit of information about myself. I am Canadian, and thus grew up with an entire library of Canadian produced shows intended for Canadian audiences. While I think the U.S.’s animation game is undeniably stronger then what we’ve got up north, we had some pretty solid entertainment like 6teen, What’s With Andy?, Total Drama Island, stuff like that. While it’s all well and good, the only thing I regret about our history as animators is that we rarely aim for more fantastical premises and almost always make shows about hijinks in mundane Canadian smalltown life. It’s nice every once in a while but we do it a little too often. I’d kill for a Canadian Adventure Time or Gumball. So why is Being Ian here? Well, the simple answer is this is the show that made me want to get into film making. Seeing as the premise is all about a nerdy kid with his camera trying to make an inspiring career out of his mundane life and constantly imagining scenarios that are treated as homages to famous movies like King Kong, Clockwork Orange, Jurassic Park and so on (many references I didn’t get as a kid) it makes sense that this would make me want to take on the same kind of lifestyle. It put me on live action for a while but as I found my talents are more in line with animation I moved onto it shortly after. Quite honestly, that’s it’s only real reason for being here. The animation is passable but nothing to write home about, it’s comedy got a chuckle out of me at times but isn’t really the most clever show ever (in fact sometimes it relies a little too much on grossout humor, as do most Canadian shows in fact), but the show undeniably played a major role in my development as a person. Also, it’s theme song is by Parry Gripp (the “Do You Like Waffles?” guy) so that’s a plus.

9. Wander Over Yonder

Alright, now that some of the country-based sentimentality is out of the way, let’s get into the really high quality stuff. The stuff with the bright colours, the wacky characters, the emotionally driven storylines and just everything great about cartoons. Craig McCracken is among my favorite animated show producers of all time (as previously stated in another article I wrote: Why Craig McCracken is a genius). This show is the perfect example of his talent and skill. Effectively just Road Runner on an intergalactic level with a touch of The Muppets, Wander Over Yonder is the cartoonist cartoon you will ever watch in your cartoon-filled life. It’s got a great sense of humor, intoxicatingly likable characters like the optimistic too-nice-for-his-own-good Wander, the spunky and adventure loving Sylvia and of course the abundantly evil yet adorable Lord Hater and his number one henchmen Commander Peepers, and it’s animation is miles upon miles in quality in comparison to what you may find on the air most of the time. I think objectively it is one of the finer shows on this list. So why only number 9? Well, the truth is . . . I haven’t watched very much of it. I watched the first season and pieces of the second. I intend to watch the rest once I get a bit more spending money but for now I gotta settle with what I bought, and for a show as high quality as this I refuse to pirate it. But this show left a great impact on me and came into my life when I needed somethin this cheery most. I discovered it when I was coming off of a really hard breakup that was way more difficult then it really needed to be and it bent me out of shape real bad, so putting this on felt like turning the lights in my brain back on. For that I’m really grateful.

8. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Ho man. Who knew Nickelodeon of all networks would make a move as artistic, risk-taking, original and highbrow as Avatar: The Last Airbender?? Oozing with eastern culture influence (so much so that there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not it counts as an anime), hours and hours of some of the most fantastic animation and fight choreography ever to hit the waves of television all done in glorious hand drawn frame by frame no less AND being the premiere of some of the most unforgettable characters in pop culture like the lovable Aang, the witty Sokka, The badass Katara and Toph and the honorable (haha) Zuko, this show is something you absolutely can’t miss out on for any reason at all. I would know as much, because I actually binged watched the whole thing as an adult instead of catching it while it was still on the air even though I was totally aware of it’s existence at the time. I was a stupid, stupid kid. It’s too bad Nickelodeon developed a history of terrible decision making that screwed over the follow-up series The Legend of Korra SUPER hard. All well. This show is fantastic and you need to watch it right now.

7. Venture Brothers

Alright, so at this point I feel an obligation to point out a certain bias I have when picking favorite shows. That bias being my love for superheroes. I. LOVE. Superheroes. They are a bigger chunk of my life then they realistically should be. So fair warning; a lot of these entries are superhero themed, this being one of them. But Venture Bros isn’t just that: it’s one giant satirical love letter to every kind of adventure show you can imagine. It homages everything from James Bond to Indiana Jones to Scooby Doo to Johnny Quest to Superfriends to Marvel Comics. It’s got fast witty dialogue that seamlessly alternates between high and lowbrow in seconds and has an ever expanding cast of great celebrity voices like Stephen Colbert, Clancy Brown, Seth Green and of course the manliest man who ever manned in the history of mankind, Patrick Warburton as Brock Sampson. Testosterone incarnate. The show has great appealing character design and so many memorably hammy characters that all comes together for a great slick style that’s every bit as badass as it is hilarious. You can totally get enraptured in the gut wrenching dialogue while still being invested in the plot full of conspiracy and espionage.

favorite line from this show: “If that were a woman, I’d marry it!” “Yeah, and then I’d jeopardize our friendship by bangin’ yer hot wife!”

6. Cowboy Bebop

Anime fans rejoice; I put the most cliché basic answer for favorite anime on my list! In all seriousness though, Cowboy Bebop is often regarded as the gateway anime for an American audience and rightfully so. It’s heavily influenced by American culture, it’s got a soundtrack comprised almost entirely of Jazz, Blues and Bebop as is it’s namesake, every episode homages some sort of American genre of film like Noir, Sci-fi horror and even Blacksploitation flicks and it’s American dubbing is considered one of the few on par with the original if not better, with Steve Blum giving a cool as ice raspy take on Spike as the lead character as well as the rough but fatherly Jet, the seductive but sensitive Faye and the optimistic child prodigy Edward (who is a girl, in case you don’t know). But none of that would matter if the anime wasn’t good . . . . so it’s a relief that this show KICKS SO MUCH FUCKING ASS THAT IT DOES OH MY GOD!! If I could sum this show up in one word, it’s “cool”. You will never find a show cooler then this. That is a challenge. It’s got great Bruce Lee inspired martial arts action as well as Reservoir Dogs esque shootouts, and most importantly it’s got a lot of heart and dripping emotional tension enraptured in mystery that insists the viewer keep watching to peel back the layers of every character. Through nuance storytelling choices, heavy atmosphere and carefully chosen dialogue this show has a style and edge that will never be known again. Let’s just hope the live action adaptation doesn’t fuck it all up (it’s got Sunrise Pictures backing it though so that’s reassuring).

5. The Simpsons

This gif is just the tiniest taste of the timeless wit behind the golden age of this show. What can I say about the Simpsons that hasn’t already been said before? It’s one of the most culture revolutionizing pieces of all time, let alone the 20th century. It perfected the archetype of the family sitcom, is the longest running American television show in history, was once so ahead of it’s time to predicted the future eerily frequently and has even had some of it’s original dialect like “D’oh!” make it into the dictionary. This show is no doubt one of the largest reasons for our cultures current sensibilities and outlook. Most importantly though, it was just something me and my whole family could watch and bond over. Some of my fondest memories as a kid was getting so excited whenever this show would come on because it was a time where me and all the siblings and our folks would huddle around the couch and all laugh together at some great slapstick, clever one liners and just straight up bizarre jokes at times where the only way you can logically respond is to laugh. It’s too bad this delicious fruit has rotted quite a bit and Fox won’t just send it to compost already. I already wrote up an entire article about why the current Simpsons sucks now so if you’re interested, go check it out. For now, I’m just going to look fondly on it’s golden age through clips, old episodes and internet shitposts.

“Don’t cry for me. I’m already dead.” - Barney.

4. Homestar Runner

Oh, Homestar Runner. Ye ancient relic of the early days of the Internet before youtube. A simpler time when Flash cartoons were all the rage and you can tune into the surreal misadventures of a star spangled armless oblivious dolt and his more popular counterpart, the boxing glove wearing e-mail answering Luchador Strong Bad. When I was very little I was obsessed . . . OBSESSED . . . with Homestar. I think the great appeal of Homestar was that while it was clearly popular enough for references to pop up here and there purely by word of mouth and for the series to eventually get a videogame developed by Telltales and for the creators Matt and Mike Chapman to eventually move on to working for Disney, it was JUST obscure and surreal enough to make its fans feel like they were in a unique and secret club where they could really bond over references to the show and not have it ruined by having the brand just pop up everywhere and anywhere. As hipstery as that sounds, my point is that Homestar felt like a Niche where problems were simple, everything was up for ridicule and old Atari and computer games were always cool. They went on a hiatus for a few years and only recently came back with a little cartoon every once in a while (nothing regularly scheduled though) but if you want to dabble in a little bit of early 2000s lighthearted weirdness then I highly suggest checking out their website. I’ll link to it down below.

http://www.homestarrunner.com/

3. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

When I first came up with the idea to do this list this was the first show to immediately pop in my head. I just get into a good mood whenever I think about this show. It’s colour scheme, it’s wildly imaginative characters, it’s silly yet offbeat sense of humor, it’s great pacing. Mostly it’s premise is just so ingenious you have to wonder how nobody ever thought of it before. This show is the sole reason why Craig McCracken is among my absolute favorite Animation Directors. Everytime I heard the intro to this show come on as a kid I had to immediately stop whatever it is I was doing and catch a hilarious episode. This was a show my sister really liked too, so much so she learned how to play the theme on the piano. Whether it was letting awkward tension build or immediately escalating to a high speed chase, this show would always keep me giggling the entire way through. Not to mention some of it’s episodes were really heart wrenching and actually made me choke up a bit. I know leave you with one of it’s funnier bits.

2. Teen Titans

That superhero bias I was talking about is coming back with a vengeance. This show is great for a lot of the reasons I really like previous entries in this list actually. It’s got a great art style that’s heavily anime influenced, a cast of diverse and unforgettable characters (with my childhood favorite being the quirky and wise cracking Beast Boy and my adulthood favorite being the hilarious, innocent and lovable Starfire), a hell of a lot of heart that makes me tear up in some of it’s most emotional moments, FANTASTICALLY fluid and suspenseful action (once again done in glorious classical animation), a great soundtrack with a hype as hell opening number that’s so good I have it on Spotify, all sorts of homages to action show tropes as well as nods to the larger DC universe and takes itself the right amount of seriously to let some of it’s sillier aspects shine. I distinctly remember seeing the first episode when it came on for the first time and getting instantly hooked. Every main character in this show is cast spot on and give some of the most memorable performances I’ve ever heard. Plus it’s a show that only gets better with time . . . especially in comparison to . . . that other show.

Before we get into number one, here are some honorable mentions: Rick and Morty, Disney’s Recess, One Piece, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Clone High, Samurai Jack, The Legend of Korra, The Amazing World of Gumball, Steven Universe, Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man, 6teen.

1. Justice League Unlimited

Let’s take a moment to appreciate just how Amazing Bruce Timm’s take on the DC universe is, because . . . oh man . . . it is masterful. The stupendously likable characters, the intense action and suspense, the drama, the fast paced and impactful action and animation, the simple yet effective character design, the ever engrossing storylines. These are just some of the reasons why Bruce Timm is my favorite animated show developer of all time. There have been many great DC shows to come after this like Batman: Brave and the Bold or Young Justice, but none of them come close to the majesty of Justice League: Unlimited. When it comes to Bruce Timm shows most people would put Batman: The Animated Series higher up there, and while I without a doubt respect it’s legacy the fact that it’s Bruce Timm’s earliest show as director for the DC universe is pretty prominent in it’s pacing, action and to an extent it’s line delivery. The show moves rather sluggish and has more then a few issues in it’s animation, especially in it’s first season. I don’t hold that against the show in any way as it’s still very impressive for what it is, but you can tell Timm and his crew were just beginning to hone their style and would go through some growth pains further down the road. Justice League had some remnants of these problems here and there but they were beginning to shake these issues off. JLU is where Timm’s style got perfected. Perfect pacing, perfect line delivery, perfect animation, perfect action sequences where you can feel the impact of every punch and blow, perfect storytelling, and most impressively perfect juggling between the largest cast of characters Bruce Timm has tackled in his run. While Justice League would keep it between the original 7 in terms of juggling, JLU would take on characters like Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Huntress, Black Canary, The Atom, Vigilante and so many more and make them all just as likable as the main cast if not more at times. And of course, there is the number one reason to watch the show . . . The Question.

God, do I love the Question. This show is the sole reason he is my second favorite DC character (first being the Flash). But anyway, to wrap it up, Bruce Timm once said in an interview that JLU was his favorite work because it was the only show he could keep going back to and continue to enjoy. I wholeheartedly agree.

So that’s my list. I hope you saw some of your favorites on there, and if not just enjoy what you enjoy and keep this medium alive dammit!

[the-badger-mole]

Marriage AU Part 2

Here is the second in a series of vignettes centered around an arranged Zutara marriage.

Zuko was pleasantly surprised to find that Katara was able to keep up with him with little problem. She got onto the rooftop without his help. Once they reached the top, Katara took off the balaclava Zuko had given her. She must have felt Zuko’s consternation because she put her hands on her hips.

“No one can see us,” she said defensively. “And it’s stuffy in there!” Behind his mask, Zuko raised an eyebrow. But after a moment, he conceded she was right on both counts. He reached up and undid his own mask.

“Your mask is so much cooler than mine,” Katara sighed, taking the mask from Zuko. She held it up to her face and growled. Zuko let out a snort of laughter as he took down his hood.

“It was the best I could do on such short notice,” he told her with an apologetic shrug. “I’ll get you a different one for next time.” Katara lowered the mask and regarded Zuko archly.

“So, there’s going to be a next time?”  she asked. Zuko folded his arms, his eyes narrowed pointedly.

“I don’t know. Is there?” Katara’s cheeks flushed and she mumbled something as she handed Zuko back his mask,  ignoring his knowing smirk. She went to the edge of the roof, careful to stay in the shadows. She watched the activity in the street below with a longing sigh.

“I’m sorry we can’t go down.” Zuko stood in the space beside her, and Katara thought she recognized the same craving for the press and flow of the crowd in his eyes. It surprised her. She hadn’t taken him for a people person.

“This is nice, though,”  she said, suddenly needing to reassure him. Then she laughed nervously. “You know, it...it kind of feels like a date.”  Zuko turned to her sharply, eyes widened in shock.

“Wha…?”  Katara felt her cheeks bloom in what she was sure as a spectacular blush.

“I - I mean,  I’m not saying it actually is one,” she stammered. “It just...I don’t know… kind of feels like one.” Zuko was blushing now, too.

“I guess it does,” he admitted. They couldn’t meet each other’s eyes now, and Katara mentally kicked herself for making things awkward when they were getting along for once.

“I wouldn’t know anyway,” Katara continued, unable to catch a hold of her tongue. “I’ve never been on a date.” That caught Zuko off guard.

“Never?” he repeated incredulously. Katara pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“I didn’t really have the chance when we were...travelling. And after the- the betrothal,  there just didn’t seem to be much of a point, you know?” Zuko wasn’t expecting the tide of sympathy  that rose in him. Suddenly he understood what Katara had sacrificed in the name of peace. She had gone from war orphan, to child warrior, to political bride. Had she ever experienced any of the normal things a young woman was supposed to? Zuko felt unworthy  of everything she’d given up.  He wished that he could go back to the peace talks and assure the Water Tribes that he was done with his family’s war, and they were safe from the Fire Nation, marriage treaty or no.

“We...we could  call this a date,” he offered shyly. Surprise was evident in Katara’s wide eyes. Zuko lowered his gaze and mumbled, “ If you want to.” Katara looked back down at the street and fiddled with the edge of her shirt. Just as Zuko was contemplating finding an earthbender and asking them to bury him, Katara cleared her throat.

“It...it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” she said. “We are married, after all. We should at least try to...to be friends?” Zuko glanced up to find Katara watching him with wide, hopeful eyes. They  looked impossibly blue in the light of the crescent moon. Zuko’s mouth went dry, and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He swallowed hard and nodded. Katara smiled at Zuko then, wide and bright. She had never smiled at him like that. He had barely seen her smile at all since she arrived. Zuko felt overwhelmed.  To his relief, she looked away a moment later, and he could breathe again.

“So,” she chuckled, “my first date ever is with the man I’m already married to.”

“It’s kind of lame. I’m sorry.”  Iroh, Zuko thought, would be disappointed. He should have given Katara flowers, and they should have gone to a nice restaurant in nice clothes. Instead, he had her scrambling up on the roof of an abandoned, and probably condemned building in a mask.

“I’m having a good time.” Katara sounded as surprised as Zuko felt. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything to compare it to.”

“I- I’m having a good time, too,” Zuko admitted. Katara smiled at him again, and his heart sped up in the strangest way.

“What about you?” Katara asked.

“Huh?”  Zuko replied intelligently. Katara chuckled.

“Is this your first date?” she clarified.

“Oh!” Zuko blushed slightly. “Well...no.  I- I had a girlfriend before…”

“Oh!” Katara took a step backwards. “I didn’t know that. Wait...you didn’t  break up because of me, did you?’  Zuko’s mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to form a coherent answer. His hesitation spoke volumes, though. Katara took another step back, and Zuko panicked. He could see the warmth that had been building between him and his new wife was crumbling.

“It’s… complicated,” Zuko told Katara. “But I chose this with my eyes open. It’s not your fault we broke up.”  There was a suspicious shine in Katara’s eyes. She blinked hard, and it was gone. Zuko reached out hesitantly, taking Katara’s hand. “We both gave up a lot for this. For what it’s worth…” Zuko trailed off, uncertain of how to finish. Katara smiled weakly and turned her hand to hold his.

“Yeah,” she murmured, agreeing to neither of them really knew what.

“Besides, I think Mai and I-”

“Mai?” Katara snatched her hand back, sputtering. “Mai is your ex? No one told me I was having lunch with your ex!”  Zuko hit his face with his palm. Now he knew why his uncle always said not to discuss past relationships on the first date.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to spring that on you.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me that sooner?”Katara buried her face in her hands and groaned. Her face was once again blazing in her humiliation. No wonder Mai had seemed so cold towards her, and Ty Lee so awkward. And Azula so...eager to have them all share a meal together.

“I didn’t think it would matter,” Zuko said. “And we weren’t really talking before.  I just...I’m really, really sorry.” Katara laughed mirthlessly.

“She must hate me,” she muttered. “You both must.”

“I...I don’t hate you,” Zuko took Katara’s wrists and gently pulled her hands from her face. Katara didn’t fight him, but she was clearly distraught. Her bright smile was long gone.

“Did you...do you love her?” she asked. Zuko felt a prick of guilt. His last conversation with Mai before his betrothal was announced flashed in  his mind. He remembered the hurt in her eyes when he told her what he had decided.

“It’s...it’s complicated,” he said again. “It’s also the past. You’re my wife. We’re partners now.”

“But you loved her,” Katara gestured towards the palace where Mai was sleeping in Azula’s apartments. “And I came along and-”

“And gave up everything to make sure the world has a chance for lasting peace,” Zuko cut in earnestly. “And I made a vow to you. Maybe this isn’t the marriage either of us planned on having, but what you’ve done is incredibly brave.”  

“Well, you did it, too, “ Katara pointed out.

“You gave up your home,” Zuko said. “Your family. Your first date. I haven’t done much of anything by comparison.”

“Zuko-” Katara looked down at his hands still closed around her wrists.

“I’m going to do everything I can to be worthy of that,” Zuko promised. “You’re the most important woman in my life now. The only woman in my life.”

“But you were in love,” Katara’s eyes were so full of compassion. It fell on Zuko like a weight, and he had to turn away.

“I told you,” he murmured. “It’s complicated.” Katara’s brows knitted together in confusion. Zuko sighed.  “It’s for me to deal with, okay? It’s not your fault.”

“I-” Katara started.

“It’s not your fault,” Zuko pressed. “Say it.”

“I-it’s not my fault,” Katara repeated.

“Good.” The corner of Zuko’s mouth lifted in a half smile. Katara returned it hesitantly. Then she freed her hands from Zuko’s and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Do you mind  if we go home?” Katara asked after a moment.

“Huh?” They had only been gone about an hour and a half. Katara looked up at Zuko apologetically.

“It’s getting chilly,”  she explained. “I didn’t think to bring a sweater.”

“Oh…” Zuko couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“I’ll remember next time,” she promised.

“Of course,” Zuko said quickly. “Next time.”

They made their way back to the palace without being spotted. Zuko led Katara to a trellis near their rooms, and Katara was certain he had done this before.

“Should we be worried that security is this lax?” she questioned as Zuko helped her onto the balcony.

“I’ll talk to Uncle about it tomorrow,” Zuko promised. He looked over the balcony railing and frowned. Katara was right. With the assassination threats against them both, it should not have been quite so easy for them to sneak onto the palace grounds.

Katara opened the door into their sitting room. Zuko followed close behind and lit the sconces on the walls. Katara handed him back the mask he had loaned her.

“I had fun,” she told him. Then she hesitated a second before she stood on tip toe and gave Zuko a peck on the cheek. Zuko stared after her, too stunned to move, as she practically fled the sitting room, and shut the door to her bedroom behind her.  

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12 ,13 , 14, 15 , 16