#she wears the ember island outfit again <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[rei-is-hiding]

[hello-nichya-here]

You know I don't blame you for shipping Azula and Zuko

In the Merlin fandom I know that many people like Morgana x Arthur… even Uther x Morgana

As a detail, Katie Mcgrath once said that she would like to see Morgana make out with Uther

What are your Top 5 Azula and Zuko moments?

5) Helpful Brat

This one is probably their most “normal” sibling moment (despite Azula’s mean comment about Zuko’s scar). It has everything I could ask for: Zuko choosing to interact with Azula, genuinely asking her help, not letting her harsh words bother him, Azula actually helping him, AND they’re wearing matching clothes. It’s perfect.

4) The Beach

The entire episode is filled with great moments, but this one really takes the top spot. “Ember Island shows your real self” and Azula’s real self is an awkward 14-year-old that wants to look after her dumbass of an older brother, knows where to find him, and tries to make sure he won’t be sulking in his misery. I already loved this scene, but it got even better when my friend @tamerlan-pahlavi read the transcripts of the episode and confirmed to me that the flashbacks he was having of his childhood were of him playing with Azula. They were a happy family once, and they both clearly want it to be possible again.

3) Be Careful, Dum-Dum

Once again, Azula is going out of her way to show she cares about her brother, they’re wearing matching outfits, AND she just had to choose to have this conversation by interrupting his date with Mai - and Zuko just had to kiss her right in front of Azula, as if saying “PLEASE be mad! PLEASE be jealous!”

2) The Bedroom Scene

Here we have the two fire hazards being very antagonistic towards each other, Azula just stabbed him in the back to protect herself, and her tricks and plans are clearly making Zuko lose his (already drastically short) patience... but my God, they look so hot together, and they’re all alone, in her bedroom, at night, and Azula is very naked under that robe AND way too close to Zuko. You could cut the sexual tension in the room with a knife.

1) Ba Sing Se

Do I even have to say it? Zuko chose her. He chose Azula over their uncle. He chose to help her out when she was fighting, and losing to, Katara and Aang. Just a few episodes before this Zuko was forced to ask himself what he wanted - and boy, did he give us an answer.

[arsenic-posts-shit]

~+Petrichor+~

Petrichor (n): a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

Hi everyone! I’m back in business!! I won’t be posting frequently because I’m trying not to have another huge burnout like last time, and I haven’t had many ideas lately... I’m working on the 3rd part of Golden Hours right now! I have to rewrite it entirely. But until then, I’m going to post this, which was inspired by “Umbrella” by Ember Island. Also tell me if I made any mistakes with pronouns. Enjoy!

f/e: favorite tea, f/d: favorite donut, e/c: eye color, h/c: hair color

-+The rain poured down on the roof of the coffee shop that the two were in. The pair was outside, enjoying their respected drinks and snacks, but once it started to sprinkle they quickly retreated to the indoor seating. Y/N shook the water droplets out of their hair as the the two stepped inside.

“Christ that came fast!” Y/N sighed loudly. “I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain, I would’ve brought a coat!” Their body shuddered as they clutched their arms. Of course, Y/N had decided to pick a very light outfit that day. Mondo frowned, sighing as he rang out his hair the best he could without ruining it too much. Though it was already falling apart, so there was hardly a point anymore.

“I did tell you it was going to rain.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t believe you! You’re not a weatherman.” Y/N pouted. “You’re normally the wrong one. Plus it was super nice out, minus the clouds.” They usually liked it cloudier anyway, and a little rain, but this was a little excessive. If it wasn’t summer you’d think it was hail. Y/N sauntered up to the side of the counter where you’d return your tea cups. Dumping out the rest of the now ruined cup of f/t, they placed it next to all the other empty cups. Y/N somberly returned to Mondo’s side. “Did you save the donuts?” Mondo held out his empty hand. A defeated groan escaped Y/N’s lips.

“Hey, at least we got a couple in our system.” Mondo smiled half heartedly. Y/N nodded, somber about the lost donuts.

“Yeah, at least.” The two sat down at an empty booth, attempting to wait out the rain. Mondo had actually come prepared, wearing a brown jacket and jeans, so he was doing much better than Y/N. Y/N turned their head out to the window, watching the aggressive rain hit the ground and roofs. Mondo turned his head to watch as well.

“It’s not supposed to end for a couple hours.” Y/N stayed silent for a few minutes. The smell of coffee and sweet filled the pair’s nostrils, along with the very faint scent of the rain that remained absorbed into them. The male stood up and retreated. Y/N did not look where.

…

A couple minutes later, he returned with a second cup and 2 donuts wrapped in a napkin. One f/d and one with chocolate glaze on top. Y/N gave a soft smile and gently took the f/d one from Mondo, careful to not touch the donut itself. The two ate and watched the rain for a few minutes in silence. Y/N slowly began to zone out, wondering if this would be considered a date. Not like it mattered, they had thought. This is fun. But even so they felt a bit curious, and a part of them wished it was. Once they finished their donuts, Y/N slipped out of the booth.

“Race you back to the dorms?” Mondo looked up from his seat, his eyes widening.

“Are you serious? You’re gonna slip and die out there, or catch a cold.” Y/N shrugged, smiling. A small, mischievous glimmer was eminent in their eyes.

“At least I had fun before I died.” His eyebrows furrowed angrily, glaring daggers into them. Y/N laughed, mustering out a quiet ‘what??’. Mondo sighed. He slipped out of the deep brown seat and stood next to them at the glass doors. The streets were empty, not even any cars around. It was around 4pm, so people wouldn’t really be out until 5-6ish, making their ways home if they weren’t already there. The two began to count in unison.

3…

2…

1!

The two glass doors were shoved open, Y/N quickly getting ahead of Mondo, her boots slamming against the cold, wet ground. Water kicked up everywhere around them. Mondo, however, caught up quick and, carefully, shoved Y/N to the side. They laughed and shoved him back. They ducked under his next swing and slid down the sidewalk, picking up speed with the water. But their laughter died fast as they tripped on the drop of the sidewalk into the road, falling thankfully, palms first. Y/N released a loud curse, hands scraping across the ground as they flopped sadly onto their stomach, face landing in a puddle. Mondo slowed to a stop behind them.

“Hey, you okay?” He held out his palm, holding in laughter. Y/N looked up at him, and smirked.

“You jerk, this isn’t funny!”

“It totally is.” They both laughed, their boisterous sounds echoing through the empty, dim lit streets. Mondo helped them out of the soaked road, checking their palms.

“Christ, Dad-” Y/N exaggerated, rolling their eyes, “I’m fine, seriously.” Mondo snickered.

“Sorry, just thought I’d check. You do get hurt easy.” Y/N’s jaw dropped, clearly mocking offense. They smacked his chest, mumbling about how he was a jerk, which obviously made him crack up laughing. The two continued to walk across the street and back onto the sidewalk, where they slowly began to notice their gorgeous surroundings. It was gradually getting dark now, both from the fog and the time passing. Water droplets fell down the foggy store windows and there was dew on the flowers and plants they’d occasionally pass by. It also smelt amazing, since it hadn’t rained in a while. It was so fresh...calming, and beautiful. The petrichor made the moment that much better. Though, it was absolutely freezing. The two students were both absolutely drenched. The rain had slowed down by now, but it definitely wasn’t stopping anytime soon. They agreed that they could call the race a tie, after a few minutes of back and forth arguing about it, and decided to just admire their surroundings. Mondo’s eyes glanced over at his best friend. Their eyes shined in the rain, their hair a strewn and soaked mess. Thankfully they didn’t look injured from the fall, but...they were clearly shivering pretty bad. He rolled his eyes, internally groaning. If only Y/N had listened…

Even so, he removed his jacket and gently placed it over them. It was also soaked, but still gave a bit of warmth compared to their hardly covered form. Y/N looked over and gave him a small smile.

“Thank you.” Mondo grinned back, ruffling Y/N’s already destroyed hair. His pompadour had finally fallen out and blocked most of his sight. He slicked it back, blowing a stray strand out of his eyes.

“Fuckin’ hair. Sucks being this long.” Y/N shook their head.

“It sucks to take care of, but you look good,” Their arm rose to wipe their own face with his jacket sleeve. “Plus I don’t think you’d look very good with short hair. Maybe if you slicked it back.”

“Yeah, but then I’d be a carbon copy of Daiya.” Y/N laughed, nodding.

“Very true.”

The rain pitter pattering around them slowly absorbed their words. Y/N focused on their feet and the reflections in the puddles on the ground, but Mondo focused on them. God did she look like a mess. But a really, really good looking mess. Their e/c and hair blended nicely with the cool colors of their surroundings. His eyes twinkled as he took in their features. Even what they thought were flaws, like their small bit of acne or their rolls or their skin. They all were so… them. He couldn’t really explain it, but he really liked them for who they were. He was sure of that.

“Thank you.” Y/N looked up at him, confused.

“For what?” Their smile was awkward as Y/N slightly tilted their head, the clumped wet hair on their head falling to the right side of their face with a quiet splat. Mondo held in a laugh.

“For coming out here with me. Going on a date with me.” Y/N’s eyes widened, looking shocked. He quickly realized his mistake. “Shit, sorry, I never really asked you out, huh? I dunno this just really felt like a date to me and I-”

“It’s okay,” They interrupted. Mondo stopped, his mouth shutting. He probably looked like an idiot deer in the headlights. Y/N snickered, a small smile shining on their shadowed face, the rain rolling off her. “You can call this a date. I sort of thought the same thing.” Y/N paused.

“...I had a lot of fun too. I always have fun when I’m with you, Mondo.” Mondo huffed, smirking. Of course they do, he thought. I’m super cool.

…

He was really glad they had fun. And a thought crossed his mind… Did he finally get somewhere with them? He quickly snapped out of it when Y/N spoke.

“Sorry...say that again?” Y/N looked up at him, stopping walking. He did as well, anticipation sending more chills through his already cool body. Y/N smiled.

“Would you want to do something like this again?”

…

“That was supposed to be my line.”

“Should’ve said it sooner, dork.”

“.....” He sighed, but slowly smiled, the corner of his eyes creasing. He felt warmth in his chest. It helped him fight the cold, even for just a minute. “Yeah, obviously.”

They both discovered they had a cold by the time they had gotten home. But oh well, it was worth it. Since now, they’d be going out again soon. ...Right after they recovered. Gross.+-

[soopersara]

Do you have any headcanons for Toph?

I sure do! Once again, let’s not talk about how long this ask has been sitting around. 

Toph misses a few things about being a rich girl. The clothes, in particular. Not because she liked being dressed up and treated like an oversized doll—no, she hated that part, and she hated how her fancy dresses restricted her movement—but she misses the fabrics. Toph can’t see, so she relates to the world largely through touch, and while she doesn’t care what she looks like, the rich fabrics felt so nice on her skin. She sometimes wishes she could have the best of both worlds, the mobility that her bending outfits allow AND the rich, smooth fabrics she grew up wearing.

Katara figures this out and has a few outfits made for Toph in pretty much her normal style, but with different colors and patterns of fine silks. Toph pretends it’s not that great a gift, but she’s not fooling anyone.

At some point (late Book 3, or shortly after the war), the Gaang is travelling in disguise, and someone starts making a fuss about this little blind girl travelling “alone.” Toph is in too much of a hurry to knock some sense into the fussy meddler, so she grabs Zuko’s arm and just yells, “I’M NOT ALONE, I’M TRAVELLING WITH MY BROTHER, BACK OFF!!!!” Zuko is flustered but goes along with it. 

From that day on, Toph starts calling Zuko ‘Lee Beifong’ when she wants to tease him. And they really do have a nice, sibling-like relationship.

Toph is the queen of nicknames, and while most people only get one or two, she has a never-ending supply for Zuko. Among her favorites: Sunshine, Hotpants, and Princey-poo. 

After the war, Toph tries to rebuild her relationship with her mother, but mostly does so by having Poppy come to visit wherever Toph happens to be at the moment—it’s easier to remain independent if Toph doesn’t go back to her childhood home.

Toph becomes close friends with Haru, who is one of her first metalbending students after the war. I may also ship them a little bit, in a 10-years-later kind of way. 

In addition to experimenting with and expanding the uses of metalbending, Toph studies geology and explores the ways that other rocks and minerals can be used in specialized bending. For example: give Toph a chunk of flint or obsidian, and Mai had better look out, there’s a new blade-throwing master in town.

Speaking of bending specialties and studying geology, Toph develops an appreciation for jewels. For everyone else, they may just be pretty, shiny rocks, but for Toph, they’re cool new bendables (is that a word? Let’s pretend it’s a word). 

While she can’t read, Toph eventually insists on learning how to write her own name because she’s awesome and she’s got autographs to sign, dammit.

Oh, and backtracking to the show’s timeline because what even is chronological order: while they’re on Ember Island before the comet, Zuko and Katara teach Toph how to tread water and float on her back. Toph hates it, but they’re on an island, even if she can’t swim, she needs to know how to keep herself afloat if she ever falls in the water. There is much swearing, and Toph makes a lot of threats “I will bury you both if you let go before I say so!” but after a few lessons, Toph gets pretty good at it. She still hates the water, though. She always will. 

[bluejaywriter]

Anyway, here’s my How To Fix WW84 in 42 scenes (or less) list:

BTW, this is a very long post. It is a whole movie :P

1. Delete the first scene with the Amazons and have the opening credits be over the 80s montage. I KNOW, but trust me.

2. Mall robbery scene goes normally, but like... less clunky. And there’s a bop playing in the background because it’s the 80s.

3. When Diana comes back, she’s wearing her armor underneath her jacket; have a shot of her hanging it up in her closet, and pieces of the Golden Armor are displayed nearby. She has dinner by herself, and looks lonely. 

4. Diana meets Barbara, and it’s the same, but if she needs something “human”, how about she walks with a cane instead of being clumsy in heels because it may be 1984, but it’s also 2020 :P (also Rucka’s Rebirth run literally has her walking with a cane??) And a girlfriend

5. They bond over the FBI artifacts from the mall robbery, Barbara’s studying something that will be important on an expedition later (a map?), but it’s not like. Placement. It’s just buried in the list of things they’re looking at. Also Barbara is smart and also knows Latin and Diana is impressed.

6. They go to dinner (and there’s a bop playing in the background) and Barbara asks what made her get into archeology, and Diana is vague, and Diana asks what made her get into archeology, and Barbara is also vague, but says she’s always loved ancient civilizations and things. No one asks about anyone’s love life. :P

7. Diana walks Barbara home. Diana asks if she’s in pain (the cane), and she says no, and then it’s never mentioned again because it’s 2020. Also there are no drunk creeps, and no amiable homeless black guys, because… euuuurgh.

8. There’s a scene with another version of the map (or not a map), and a faceless somebody having a vague, Villainy conversation about it (and not Dr. Poison faceless, just... we don’t see their face, lol).

9. Barbara gets to work early and finds out she has to give a tour to Maxwell “The Oil Guy” Lord. This scene goes as normal, and he insists they both come tonight to the gala he’s hosting for the museum at his house. Diana thinks galas are stupid, but she plays along because she wants to keep Barbara away from Max she can tell Barbara wants to go she wants to protect Barbara.

10. Insert artistic shots of Diana’s office here. Basically ancient artifact porn. Show us the cool stuff, God.

11. Diana looks irritated/confused about something and is flipping through books (although computers did exist in 1984, right? Right?). Barbara comes in asking if Diana wants to go shopping for the gala, and Diana asks if she still has the FBI artifacts, and Barbara says yeah, why. Diana says she just wants to check something later, then they go shoe shoppingggggg

12. Diana does all the things the store attendant does. Dialogue, facial expressions, everything. Harold they’re lesbi—

13. Barbara asks if she wants to share a cab to the party, but Diana has to put out a wildfire or something, and says she’ll meet her there.

14. Action scene fire-putting out that somehow relates to a moment later in the movie. Diana can’t save a cat stuck in a tree

15. There’s a shot of Diana stepping out of the burning forest and looking out over the sea, and there are burning embers falling around her, and the sun is setting, and it’s beautiful dammit. And then she remembers she has a date, and she smells like a wildfire, and the music comes in because this was the best scene in the real movie.

15. Gala scene. Entrances and music are perfect, change nothing except man creeps are like… more subtle? And more insidious/Mr. Nice Guy, sure. Diana finds Barbara Ann, and she mentions that she hasn’t drunk/partied like this since college, because she’s a confident woman who can drink, dammit.

16. Pedro Pascal invites Barbara up for a drink, and Diana is prepared to come along uninvited, but there’s an invite for her, too.

17. The three main actors from this movie actually get to hang out together and bond like atoms because they have serious chemistry. Max is a bit of a douche at first, but he relaxes after a bit of goofing off. Diana asks him about the pictures on the wall of his son, and he says he’s the smartest boy in his school, and his goal every day is to make his son proud of him. Barbara Ann (who is slightly drunk) mentions that her father didn’t want her to become a scientist, and they swap horrible Dad stories for 45 seconds. 

18. Diana’s Horrible Dad Story: “My mother never told me his name.”

19. Pedro Pascal mentions that he’s putting together a team for a dig (Apparently they dug up some stuff while he was looking for oil) and he wants Barbara Ann to lead the expedition. 

20. Barbara Ann wants Diana in her team don’t we all. Pedro Pascal pretends to be surprised and delighted by this idea. There’s a shot of his happy face disappearing once the girls leave.

21. Diana goes to find the FBI artifact she’d been wondering about (it’s after the gala, so it’s dark in the museum), and it’s gone.

22. They fly to the dig, and everyone has their passports, and Kristen Wiig does not reprise her Bridesmaids airplane scene, but she can mention that it was nice of Max Lord to put them in first class. It’s also the 80s, so flying looks like whatever flying looked like in the 80s (more leg room? :P) Also, there’s a bop playing in the flying montage. 

23. They get to the dig (in a helicopter), and a bunch of diverse people introduce themselves, because we have to have diversity somewhere in here, it’s 2020.

24. Barbara Ann gets to work, and Diana goes exploring because she’s the main character and doesn’t need to work. She sees a temple/palace further up the island, and it looks like there’s smoke coming out of the courtyard, but she’s called back for dinner before she can go see. The other people tell her the building is abandoned.

25. Diana goes later that night to see, and it is abandoned and there’s lots of animal bones lying around and weird symbols on the walls and it’s creepy AF. But there are other things (pottery?) that remind her of Themyscira, and there’s a flash of a memory from an Amazon feast, and she sees Antiope laughing with a group of Amazons because we need a Robin Wright cameo, and then a hard cut to—

26. Barbara Ann comes to find Diana sitting on the edge of the cliff looking over the ocean, and she asks if she’s jetlagged too, and she says no, just homesick. She tells Barbara Ann that she grew up on an island, and after she left, she spent years trying to move on and assimilate into the new world, but she kept finding things that reminded her of her homeland, and she finally accepted that she should be proud of who she is and where she’s from. Barbara Ann says she should never be ashamed of her true self and then they kiss

27. In the morning, there’s a dig montage, and a bop playing in the background. Diana pretends that heavy things are heavy. They find Diana’s golden helmet and other scraps of the golden armor and a bunch of other stuff so then it’s not conspicuous, and then there’s a tsunami/hurricane, and the rest of the crew dies or evacuates or something. It’s dramatic, and Diana and Barbara almost drown, except Diana is Wonder Woman. 

28. The two of them end up heading up to the abandoned building for shelter, and it looks sturdy, and the animal bones are gone, which is weird, but it’s dry, so Diana tells Barbara Ann to sleep while she takes the first watch. Barbara Ann says this isn’t the worst night she’s spent on the job.

29. Diana falls asleep and has a dream of this building in its heyday, and there’s an Amazon feast, and Diana wanders through the dream looking sad, and Hippolyta stands up to give a toast and is shouting about their guest of honor, the Princess from—

30. And then Diana wakes up, Barbara Ann is gone, and it’s full daylight, and there’s no sign of the storm or their camp. Diana hears a sound and goes to investigate likes she’s in a horror movie or something, and it takes her to stairs that lead underground, and she realizes that the tunnels match the map from the FBI (this is too convenient, but whatever, this is the first draft okay :P).

31. Maxwell Lord is sitting on a folding chair (or a couch!) in the cave at the end of the tunnel, and he’s surrounded by animals in cages. Diana recognizes some of the animals from the bones she saw earlier, because why not. He says that he brought Diana and Barbara Ann here to settle some old scores. Diana thinks for a minute that he’s Ares or something, and he says not MY old scores. 

32. And then Diana is attacked by a Cheetah (why not), and she’s not wearing her armor, but she can fight in her indiana jones outfit, and it’s kind of a lame fight (dark, realistic, no slow-mo), and she re-cages the animal pretty easily, and THEN she’s surrounded by the blurriness like she’s dreaming (bad, but it’s the first draft, okay), and Eva Green’s voice says some villainy things about is this how she treats her friends and she’s just like her mother—

33. And then Diana realizes that Barbara Ann is the Cheetah, and there’s a montage of her falling into Circe’s trap and being turned into a Cheetah, and then a scene of Pedro Pascal’s son being kidnapped while they’re on rich people vacation and being turned into a gerbil, and transformations of a bunch of explorers and warriors from over the years getting turned into animals (including Asteria), and then a scene of Circe being banished from the Amazons and not being allowed to return to (old) Themyscira.

34. Circe isn’t actually in the tunnel, but in the fog sequence, she talks to Diana through a mirror and occasionally morphs into Diana’s reflection, because she’s magic, and that’s creepy.

35. After the fog is over, and Diana’s wearing the Golden Armor because we need to sell toys, and then there’s ACTUAL fight with Cheetah, and a bop (Sebastian Böhm’s “Sweet Dreams are Made of This”) is playing in the background, and this time there are actual stakes because Diana doesn’t want to hurt her. And it’s like, the Cheetah and Wonder Woman fight from Rucka’s run, okay. Cheetah says this is her true self and to leave her alone, and Diana says no, this isn’t you.

36. Diana breaks Circe’s curse with true love’s kiss. Diana breaks Circe’s the curse with the lasso and a speech about love, and it turns out the Cheetah form is held back by the lasso, so Diana lets her keep it. 

37. Pedro Pascal gets his son back and it actually makes sense for him to run out from the bushes. He apparently doesn’t remember anything about Circe.

38. A helicopter comes to get them, and Diana is uneasy, because there’s a third movie, but she leaves and there’s a bop playing, because this is the end of the second movie.

39. Diana adds the helmet and the rest of the armor to her collection in her closet. 

40. Barbara Ann now has to tell the truth all the time because she’s wearing the lasso all the time. This is terrible, but the movie plays it off as amusing. 

41. Diana promises to find help for Barbara Ann, and they kiss

42. I guess the mid credits scene with Asteria can still happen. She could clean up after herself though, lol. A possible end credits scene is Diana finding the lasso on her work desk and Barbara Ann’s desk cleared out, but that’s kind of a bitter ending, and the lesbian ending is nicer.

In the third movie, Diana tries to find Themyscira and Circe is the main villain and maybe Cheetah comes back. Boom.

[choices-and-more]

An Assassin’s Latent Desire to Love  - Memoirs from Estela’s Personal Journal (cont.)

Book 3, Chapter 7

The time rift which would have sent us back to Quarr’tel had been twisted by Rourke. We found ourselves falling astray as another rift opened up, and all of us fell through it.  We also learned that Jake and Mike had been separated from the rest of us, as we landed right in the middle of a festive gathering.   Taylor landed on top of Craig, thereby breaking his fall. Diego pointed to a man dressed in formal attire, who nervously approached our group, and Taylor replied that we were “time travelers”. That did not matter to the fellow, as he mistakenly believed that we were working for a certain Barnaby.  He ran away and hid himself within the entrance to a hedge maze.  Zahra suggested that we hide ourselves as well as we would be creating a paradox if we intervened in the time stream for too long.   Meeting at the said entrance, Diego noticed that Varyyn was feeling uneasy.  It turned out that his prized possessions had been slowly disappearing from him.  The bracelet given to him by Taari, the ceremonial blade given by Seraxa, and the tattoos stamped on him by his late mother - they have been giving off an aura of transparency.  It was just like the phase-shifting helicopter back at the MASADA Complex, as Jake didn’t turn himself in.  We needed to restore time and set history to its proper course.  According to Grace, we arrived in the 1920s.

Raj noticed a suitcase which he pulled out, and in it contained a white suit as well as some other fabrics..Taylor could use this as he put on the outfit, and boy, did he look handsome.  The rest of us appeared as servants, as we had to remain inconspicuous and avoid unwanted attention.  Grace also noticed that most of the guests were wearing masquerade masks, and one of them was a masked bride.  Somehow, Taylor saw this before...of course, it was in the Valley of Tombs.  There were two other guests of importance as well - one wore an elephant mask, and the other a wolf mask.

The bride had been crying, sniffling tears, as she broke off from the crowd to sulk alone.  Taylor went to check on her while I followed him, together with Aleister, Grace, and Zahra.  She introduced herself as Flora Sullivan, and she was supposed to marry someone she didn’t love.  She dropped a name, Eugene, who was her true love.  That reminds me, Taylor found a padlock when he went with Sean to look for the other half of the Island’s Heart.  Before rejoining the crowd, Flora implored Taylor to keep Eugene out of harm’s way as he would be killed by Arthur Barnaby and his henchman, Ralston.  Taylor had to investigate who was this man, and he came across the man in an elephant mask.  This was Mr. Barnaby, the same who wanted Eugene dead.  The one wearing the wolf mask was his right-hand man, Ralston.  In order not to blow our cover, we feigned congratulations and offered our well wishes to Mr. Barnaby. 

We then spotted the same man who was watching us from afar, and ran after him.  As he went to hide again, he was trapped by Diego and Varyyn, and Taylor came to learn that the man was in fact Eugene, the man Flora loved.  He was the true owner of the Rosencraft Manor, and his business had been taken from him by Arthur and Ralston.  Taylor showed to him the padlock, imploring him to reunite with Flora the next day.  Once we have made contact with Eugene, we would send the message back to Flora.  In return for helping her and Eugene, Flora gave Taylor a key to the servants’ quarters which we could use to rest.  She also told us that there was a private room which could also be opened by that key..  Since I was busy at that time, I could not leave my post, so Taylor had to ask Quinn instead.

The next day, everything was already in place.  Eugene was ready to confess his love for Flora, and I had to ensure that Ralston would be taken out first, as he holds Flora hostage, being held at gunpoint.  With Ralston out of the way, Flora and Eugene found themselves in each other’s arms, and the objects around Varyyn have reappeared permanently.  However, Flora was shot by Arthur, who picked up Ralston’s pistol.  It was at that time when another tremor opened up, as the wedding hall dissolved within space and time.  Another time rift was opened up, and the Clockmaker appeared just as we escaped back to the present time - when the Rosencraft Manor was already dilapidated and in a state of disrepair.  According to her, Jake and Mike were extracted from the prehistoric period, and they were accompanied by a familiar face - our foxy friend Furball.. Apparently Jake was not too thrilled about not being invited, so he went back to Mike, who was resting within the old manor.  Taylor split off from us as he went to comfort Jake, who was feeling broken.  It was until Vaanu appeared once more, and this time, it offered Jake his Ember - a salvaged helmet: a memento of his best days as a pilot.

We spent the rest of the evening having a picnic dinner with the Anachronists, when Taylor spotted a white sail from afar, across the sea.  it was the Dorado, and Yvonne had returned together with Malatesta.   She showed to us the horizon which was about to be eaten away by the burning lava.  We received some really troubling news - the time bubble surrounding La Huerta had started to weaken and would soon dissipate, unless we could unite the two halves of the Island’s Heart.  Malatesta regretted having fed the missing half to Cetus, so he sought to even the score by helping us kill the sea serpent once and for all.  

[aelin-and-feyre]

Circumstance (Part 4)

Sorry for the wait! I made it extra long though ;)

Tagging: @autumn03 @readinggiraffe @rhysandpurred @crazybookladythings (let me know if you want to be tagged in future parts!)

Rowaelin daughter x Feysand son

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5 Part 6

When Ember wakes up the next day, there is almost no one on the street outside the window. The sun is only just raising above the mountainous skyline and from what Feyre told her last night, she's sure that morning is probably the slowest time in the Night Court. Carefully, Ember folds the nice smelling blanket and sets it on the meticulous bed that she hasn't even sat on yet.

Pulling some fresh clothes out of her suitcase, Ember puts her hair up and glances in the mirror once. It was nearing winter in Terrasen when she left so her collection of clothes are mostly long-sleeved and warm. In Velaris however, it seems incredibly warm outside, and Ember knows that she will probably have to find something else to wear.

Only Feyre, Rhysand, and the Morrigan are downstairs, all chatting around the island in the kitchen. "Good morning, Ember," Rhys greets when he sees her hesitating in the doorway. His eyes meet hers and Ember has to take a step back in surprise. Having the dream so recently brought the violet color to the forefront of her mind and she is shocked to see such similar orbs in real life for the first time. Rhys' eyes however, are just off, the ones in her dream just a bit more blue than his.

The adults don't seem to notice her shock, however, and the Morrigan skitters over to her excitedly. "Time for a girls day out!" She exclaims, looping her arm through Ember's elbow. The girl stares at her, wide-eyed.

"Don't break her, Mor, her parents expect her home in one piece." Rhys reminds his cousin with a small smirk.

The Morrigan winks. "No promises." It does not help Ember's nervousness.

"Have fun!" Feyre calls as the woman pulls Ember out of the room.

The Morrigan is practically skipping as they make their way onto the sparse street. "We'll grab some food on the way to the tailor." She tells Ember.

"The tailor, Morrigan?" The princess wonders, barely able to keep up with the woman's fast pace.

The Morrigan groans. "Do not call me that. It's just Mor." Ember nods. "We gotta get you some Night Court attire or you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone already knows that a princess is visiting, we don't need them all staring at your clothes too."

Ember's face heats. She looks down at her clothes and compares it to the people around her, realizing that her tunic and thick pants really do contrast with the thin and baggy attire of others. "Well, um, okay..."

"Great! I know just the place."

"When do you think I'll start training?" Ember wonders as the short tailor measures her arm span. As her and Mor had walked through the streets of Velaris, Ember had noticed how many different kinds of Fae there were in this part of the world. The diversity truly astonished her.

Mor shrugged around her pearberry scone. "Probably in a couple days. Feyre and Rhys wanted to let you get settled before Cassian started tearing you apart." She explains.

Ember nods absently, not entirely nervous about Cassian after she had to train with her father and Uncle Lorcan. "I'm not sure Cadewyn was granted such a luxury. My uncles can be pretty harsh when it comes to training."

Mor waves a hand. "Cade can handle himself fine. He can beat Brex in hand to hand combat almost every time."

Ember raises an eyebrow, impressed after seeing how built Brexton is. "About Brexton..." She ponders, but the woman cuts her off as the tailor chuckles just a bit.

"Don't even think about it, sister. Brex found his mate three years ago and they are the sweetest couple ever. He would never betray her." Mor explains and Ember feels her cheeks heat. Obviously, she had looked too much into his kindness yesterday. "Cade on the other hand... that boy is yours for the taking, if you can get past his walls."

Ember shakes her head. "I've only been here a day and you're already trying to set me up with a guy? How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend back home?"

Mor shrugs, licking her fingers clean. "I'm just saying, you could do much worse. Cade is a looker, inherited a lot of Rhys' beauty in fact." That catches Ember's attention, and it's a good thing the tailor turned her around so Mor can't see her expression.

"Like the eyes?" She asks, feigning nonchalance, but her voice takes on a sort of squeaky quality. She winces inwardly.

Mor smiles knowingly. "Yeah, although his are a bit of a mix with Feyre's, some blue mixed in there."

Ember doesn't think she's breathing. She's not sure what it means that he has the exact color eyes as the ones she's been dreaming about since she was little. Repeatedly, her head it telling her it means nothing, but her heart is beating way to fast.

"Are you okay, Ember?" Mor asks worriedly, shaking Ember out of her inner turmoil.

The girl shakes her head. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." However, her interest has been peaked. So when the tailor is done with the measurements and grabs a cropped red top and matching puffy pants, Ember is thankful for the curtain between them when she asks, "So... tell me more about the boy that's staying in my room."

Mor giggles a bit. "Well he's just about your age, actually. He's an amazing artist, incredibly smart as well." Ember nods along, even though the woman can't see her. "He also adores flying."

Ember opens the curtain, a confused look on her face. "He can fly?" She wonders, once again trying to act as though she doesn't care too much.

Mor nods, circling Ember as she inspects the outfit. "He can magic wings, just like Rhys, who's half Illyrian. I love this color on you!"

"And Cassian, Azriel, and Brexton are Illyrians as well, correct?" She's trying to put a wing to the name. She remembers admiring Brex's wings last night and the memory of his comment brings a blush to her cheeks. Ember will have to remember not to stare at Cade's wings if she ever meets him. Mor nods again, finally turning to face the tailor and declare that she wants five more outfits just like the one Ember is wearing in various colors.

"We'll also take this one for the road." She declares, handing over a gold mark and then slipping her arm in Ember's once again. The princess barely has time to thank the female before they are once again out on the street. Traffic has picked up, forcing the ladies to weave between the dozens of people now milling about the square. Ember almost trips over her own feet in the new flimsy sandals she's now wearing.

"So, back to the flying thing," Ember says, unable to help herself. "Do many people fly in Velaris?"

Mor stops in front of a stand selling jewelry, picking up a few items and holding them up to Ember, a comtemplative face on. "Not many in Velaris, no, but there is a whole Illyrian society to the north of us who all have wings and fly."

Ember nods, still attempting to feel out the people here, like her father had instructed. "And are people in Velaris then scared of Rhysand and Cadewyn because they can fly?"

The woman finally looks away from the jewelry and meets Ember's eyes quizzically. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Ember replies, too quickly, and curses herself for loosing her cool once again.

Mor eyes her suspiciously. "Ok.... Well, what are your other interests that you want to explore today?"

"Oh, I love to read," Ember says, suddenly remembering what she had thought of last night. "Is there a library here?"

A brilliant smile lights up Mor's face. "Definitely, and something tells me you’re going to like it."

Turns out, the cadre live up to their legends. Cade has never been more sore than he was after their first training session this morning. Lorcan had kept him to his promise and retrieved him at dawn for the long run up the Staghorn Mountains. If given the choice, Cade would have flown up the expanse, but he figured that it would have been frowned upon. Little did he know, that as he was running, two of the cadre were in fact flying up above them.

He had glanced up once and seen the osprey and hawk, but had thought nothing of it. When they made it to the top, Cade panting heavily and so dehydrated he ended up shoving a handful of snow into his mouth, the two birds flapped down and in a quick burst of light, transformed into Rowan and Vaughn. Cade was so astonished he had fallen onto his backside, thoroughly soaking the back of his pants in the foot deep snow that lay on the mountain.

The males had laughed, making Cade's ears turn pink. The young future High Lord had worked the entire day to make up for the embarrassment and had paid for it dearly. It had been weeks since he had trained with Uncle Cassian, and it showed. Cade now iced a swollen knee, nursed a roaring headache, and limped on a twisted ankle.

Luckily, the ankle had given him a good excuse for not wanting to trek down the mountain again. So, with what little dignity he had left, Cadewyn smirked at Rowan and Vaughn, positioning himself at the end of the cliff. "Care for a race?" He had said, and then tipped over the edge.

The look on each of their faces as he fell was absolutely priceless. His wings easily sprouted from his back and he soared upwards again, circling above them as they stared up in disbelief. "I believe I have a bigger wingspan than you, gentlemen." He taunted, then saluted and dove back down the side of the mountain, towards the castle.

He had found Evangeline reading a book in the courtyard and had swooped down to meet her. She hesitated, gaping a bit when she saw his wings, and then had rushed forward to help him up from the ground where he had slumped, utterly exhausted. She had helped him to the healer, muttering about how the cadre should know better than to beat him to a pulp on his first day.

While the healer had patched him up, Eva had gone to get Elide, even after Cade's insisting that it was unnecessary. Elide had been fuming when she hobbled through the door - Cade realizing for the first time that she had a mangled leg - but stopped when she noticed his wings, outstretched and looming behind him. Cade quickly apologized and made them disappear.

"I will talk to them, dear, don't you worry." The human woman had promised, going against Cade's wishes to not look like a weakling. Now, however, with a sore ankle and and pulsing knee, Cade is glad that it will be Elide telling them to dial it back a bit, so that he won't have to.

When he opens the door to the room he's staying in, and the delectable smell from yesterday envelops him, Cade smiles for the first time that day. He flops onto the bed, begging to take a short nap before having to face everyone at dinner tonight, but he really does not want a repeat of what happened yesterday with Gusty. So, instead, Cadewyn sits up with a groan, and pulls out the blank journal he had written in last night along with the quill and ink.

He flips open to a blank page and begins the write.

"Well. That was a brutal experience. I knew that the cadre would work me hard, but I really should have insisted that Cassian and Azriel work with me leading up to this. On the bright side, no one seems too bent out of shape about my wings, which mom and dad were worried about. Seems like I'm not the only one here though who has them. I've never seen someone who could shape shift other than Tamlin, and I've only ever seen that one time. I wonder who else is able to do something like that. I have still haven’t been unable to figure out what the scent that covers this room reminds me of, but I hope to figure it out soon. I also hope I get the chance to ask Aelin about her family’s eyes at some point. They are so like the ones in my paintings, I can't help but wonder what they are connected to...."

When he is done, Cade sets down the quill and journal and picks up Ember's own. He had read back a couple of days last night, but hadn't found anything terribly interesting. Getting to know her family more today, Cade can't help but become more curious about who the Crown Princess is.

Opening to the middle of the book, he reads an entry from a couple months ago.

"I finished my latest piece. I had the same dream last night that inspired me. Mom was wondering why I was holed up in my room all day, playing my piano and I stupidly told her I was working on a new song. Of course, then, she wanted to hear it, but I refused. I kind of want to keep this composition to myself, at least for a little while. It seems so much more personal to me than any of the other things I've written, and I know why, though I'm not sure I want to admit it just yet."

Quickly, Cade digs out the leather bound pages that are covered in music notes and lines. He searches for a song under the same date as the entry and finds it after a couple minutes of looking. Cade scans the notes and the pieces of lyrics idly. Its the title though that makes his breath choke.

'Violet Eyes' is written at the top of the first page in elegant, slanting script, contrasting drastically with scratched writing along the rest of the page. The paper is worn, like she played it many times over, and crinkles as if it had been wet at one point. Cade drags his fingers over the composition, wishing that he knew how to play if only to know what violet eyes had inspired.

His own violet eyes glance towards the pianoforte in the corner of the room and he can't help himself. Limping over to the bench, Cade sets the pages of music on the stand and sits down. He opens the cover and runs his fingers over the keys.

Cadewyn almost falls off the bench when three loud raps are sounded at his door. He hurriedly rushes to the bed and shoves all the journals under the pillow, stumbling towards the door and straightening his tunic along the way. When he open it, Gusty is standing there with her hands behind her back and a mischievous smile dancing across her face.

"Hello, princess," Cade greets, inclining his head slightly in respect.

"Hey, cutie, whatcha up to?" She asks, pushing past him and into the quickly darkening room. Cade hadn't realized how late it was getting. Her turquoise and gold eyes, which Cade has found oddly fascinating, scan his quarters and fall on the open piano. Cade cringes. "Do you play?" Gusty wonders, gliding across the room to sit down on the bench. "'Violet Eyes'." She reads dreamily, then looks up at him. "Much like yours. Did you write this?"

Cade is about to respond negatively, but then remembers that none of Ember's family knows that this is her piece, and she hadn't wanted any of them to know that. Gusty, he knows, however, won't let this go until she has all the details. And so Cade does the first thing that comes to mind. "Yeah, I dabble. I don't think it's much good though." He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, hoping to get her off the scent.

Instead, the princess waves a hand. "Nonsense, would you allow me to play a few lines to see for myself?"

Cade's eyes widen. "You play too?"

Gusty laughs. "Of course I do! Mom has had Ember and me playing since we could sit up and reach the keys at the same time. Of course, Ember is a much better player and composer than I am, but that's because she can spend days in here with just her piano and books to keep her company. I actually like to do something with my life." Cade can tell she's joking but he can almost detect a sense of contempt behind it.

Before he can inquire more, the young girl places her hands on the keys and starts to play. Cadewyn barely has time to register what is happening before he is swept away with the music. It floats through his mind, the romantic and melodious rhythm resonating through his very bones. The power behind each note pierces his mind and heart straight through to his soul.

Cade doesn't realize his eyes are closed and the music has stopped until Gusty blurts, "Holy shit." His eyes snap open and he stares at the princess. "Oops, probably not meant to say that in front of males," She simpers, though not sincerely at all. "That was amazing, Cade, absolutely stunning. I'd almost say that you're better than Ember."

Cade shakes his head. "I wouldn't say that."

Gusty laughs, slinging an arm around his shoulders with some difficulty and guiding him towards the door. "I would, and everyone must know. You should tell them about it at dinner!"

Cade only has the chance to glance back at the pages sitting patiently on the stand, a longing filling his body to go over the lyrics that go along with the haunting melody, before he's being dragged away by the princess - the younger sister of a girl he has never met, but whom he starting to be extremely intrigued by.

Masterlist

[zutaraverse]

Chapter 5: Stoking the Embers of a Secret

Chapter 5 of Blood, Chi and Full Moons. Find previous chapters here or: Chapter 1 Part 1 | Chapter 1 Part 2 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 Part 1 | Chapter 3 Part 2 | Chapter 4

Guys disclaimer: From here on in this is for MATURE audiences only.. In both good and bad ways. Like R rated ok. Trigger warnings for torture, rape, murder, swearing, sex. 

Zuko and Katara settled into an easy routine. From their time on the run (ironically, from one another), they knew how to keep their heads low. Zuko had barrels of water placed in the covered arena and they would train every morning after meditation. The Palace thought they were simply sparring, but as nobody knew who was bending the water and who the fire, they were safe. They had taken to meditating just before dawn, when the moon was still in the sky, so that they could connect with both the moon and sun spirits. It felt exhilarating to be learning something new. He didn’t even begrudge all the stately duties he had to attend to because he always knew that he needed to last a few more hours before dinner with Katara, meditation with Katara and training with Katara.

However, peace was not something that had ever favoured either of the teenagers.

Katara became increasingly frustrated with the heat from fire bending and decided to take a leaf out of Zuko’s book and find some training clothes that kept her cool. She shopped in the capitol - trying hard to ignore the hostile glares - and found baggy training trousers made of a light material and a short top in a matching red. It reminded her of the outfit she wore when she was in the fire nation with Aang and Sokka. Boy, that was a long time ago!

The evident mistrust from the shop owner meant that she didn’t even try the outfit on before buying it and retreating quickly to the Palace. To be honest, she was bored when Zuko wasn’t around. She had spent so long being still and researching that she loved the fact that she was being active again. But she needed to exercise her mind too! She decided that the next morning at training she would ask Zuko if she could sit in on some of the meetings.

They met, as usual, in the pre-dawn darkness, the moon dipping towards the horizon. Sitting by the pond they submerged themselves in their meditation. It became easier and easier for both of them to access parts of both elements. And sometimes… sometimes they wouldn’t feel different at all. Perhaps it was the garden; the plants needed both water and heat to thrive and as their senses became more in tune with the world, they felt how one flowed into the other and how they worked together. Heat was behaving like water sometimes, seeping slowly into every nook and cranny the world had to offer; likewise, water sometimes behaved like fire, rising up and reaching for the sky within the trees, and cutting paths though the undergrowth until nothing stood in its way.

That day in training, they started trying to combine fire and water bending moves; using moves originally created for one with the other. Iroh had been the main inspiration with his redirecting lightening inspired by the Water Tribes. However, it was only an idle idea until their meditations pulled them closer to it. Katara remembered something that Aang had told her about his lessons with Guru Pathik; separation is an illusion. Fire and water were two sides of the same thing - although what that thing was confused her. Life force, maybe?

As Katara tried to master another fire bending move - both with fire and with water - her hair whipped around her in a flurry, blocking her sight and causing her to trip, rather unceremoniously. Zuko rushed over to see if she was alright. To his relief, she started laughing. He looked down at her and realised something was not right.

The bottom of the short top Katara was wearing (and that Zuko was finding far too distracting for his own good) had risen up slightly as she skidded across the floor, and now rested, bunched up, just below her breasts. But in doing so, they revealed some marks on her otherwise smooth skin. Zuko knew exactly what kind of marks they were; they were burns. Burns that had been untreated.

His head started spinning with possibilities. They looked to new to have been from the war, and she didn’t suffer any injuries during the year they had spent travelling together. It must have happened in these last two years, but Zuko would guess less than six months ago. Which meant that she was already a prolific bloodbender and healer - so why couldn’t she heal her own wounds?

“Katara? Who gave you those burns?” he asked, tearing his eyes away from her body to look into her eyes.

Her face sobered. Her laughing cut short as she looked down at herself. Quickly, she stood up, pulling down the top so that it covered the scars again.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice was even and that insufferable mask was back on her face. Zuko wondered if this was anything like what Iroh went through with him all those years ago. He decided that he had probably been worse.

However, he would figure out what was making her like this, and who had hurt her. As they continued, his bending was far more violent, while hers was subdued; he was angry and frustrated, she was suppressing her emotions. Neither ended the session well.

As the left the arena, Zuko made a split second decision.

“Hey Katara, could I ask you a favour?”

“Sure,” she replied, still in her deadpan voice.

“Well I have a bunch of people arriving tomorrow - they will be here only a couple of days to discuss trade options and military placement so as to not intervene with it. Since you have been travelling for so long I was wondering if you could come to the meetings and give your opinion? I feel like I’m only ever hearing half of how the people are faring. And… well… I value your judgement.”

Katara raised her eyebrows and her mask disintegrated into surprise. Hadn’t she wanted to ask him the very same thing? Could he read her mind?

“Yeah, I’d like that. But first I need to know what the trade agreements are…”

Zuko looked relieved to have captured her attention.

“I have to sort out some stuff but if you like I could go over it with you over dinner? I’ll be in the study.” She noticed he looked apprehensive while he waited for her response. She nodded and smiled, even though the smile did not reach her eyes. The set off in different directions, lost in their own thoughts.

Lin hadn’t even been surprised when Katara appeared once again at the kitchens to ask for her and Zuko’s dinner. This time she didn’t protest and handed Katara the laden tray, watching her walk away balancing everything with practiced ease. Lin shook her head to herself, unsure of what to make of the girl and of her proximity to the future Fire Lord.

Katara startled Zuko when she knocked and entered the study. He hadn’t realised how late it was already getting! But he was reading the same document for the third time and a break was more than needed.

They ate as he explained some of the background, and then Katara moved to sit next to him in order to read through some things.

“So… the military want to be present when all trade with the Water Tribes is done?” she asked, completely absorbed in the latest intelligence report.

“Pretty much. They don’t trust the Water Tribes at all. They think that they’ll try to import weapons and stow people away on the ships to then overthrow the Fire Nation.” He covered his face with his hands and sighed.

“Look, Zuko, I am not a huge fan of the Water Tribes,” she started and he looked at her in shock. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! Yes they are my people and I love them and care about them, but they are so stupidly set in their ways… I’m not in a good place with them right now. Actually, come to think about it, I dislike all the nations. The Water Tribes are holding on to their senseless traditions because they think that it is the traditions that makes them what they are. Which is bullshit by the way. Those traditions were created for different times, and their refusal to let them change, in order to ‘assert their tribe after the war’ is stifling the younger generations.

“As for the Earth Kingdom - there are so many people that it is difficult to keep track of who wants what and when! There are brutal mentalities like that of the Dai Li, and the old aristocratic families like the Bei Fongs are still in charge of everything. Since the Fire Nation pulled out, people have been grabbing power as much as they can. And King Kuei is a rubbish ruler who is almost inconsequential to the general population. Thank spirits Bumi knows what he is doing! Omashu and the areas around there are actually doing pretty well.

“The Air Nomads - even if they were still alive - do not involve themselves in politics, and trade with whoever offers it. The literally float on the currents the rest of the Nations are creating. What Aang is building is no different, but travelling is more of a challenge now than it used to be - people are less trustworthy and less inclined to help. So basically the air temples will be places of almost-seclusion soon.

“The Fire Nation is still ridden with power hungry monsters from families who believed in the war. They have not stopped believing, and are objectively making trade difficult for anybody external to the Fire Nation since they believe that all those resources should be theirs anyway.

“The only places that work - that really work - are the colonies. There, although there is some animosity between those who had been Fire Generals and locals, they have been living together for years. Things are levelling out in the places that have been allowed to elect their own representatives, and to be honest, you need one Fire and one Earth per colony. However, there have been mixes - and mixes of mixes - to the point that some people can neither identify with one nor the other. They call themselves Islanders.

“Having the military stationed wherever there is trade is only going to hark back to times of war. If you are truly worried about what is going in and out of the borders we need to find another way to keep control. It would be imprudent to trust any one group - and that includes the Fire Nation. You should post checks at the major docks - charge a small fee per cargo or something to pay the people who will be doing the work. They can check all items being shipped to and fro and for what price. If anything strange happens, you will be the first to know and take action preventing any harm done to any nation.

“They cannot be military though. I know that the military is marginally less inclined to bribery, but as I said, the reappearance of soldiers will only create idols for forces trying to reignite the war, or targets for those who hated it. I would suggest getting local people to do the checks - people who are trusted by their communities and who care about the place. They will be the ones who are least likely to accept bribery since it is consequential to them what happens to their home. Obviously you’d need to choose wisely, pick the peaceful ones or the ones that would be most grateful for the job.”

As Katara spoke, she was collecting various papers to back up her claims from around the desk, occasionally leaning over Zuko in a very distracting way.

“You’re right. I’ve been looking at this in completely the wrong way; I’ve still been considering ‘us’ and ‘them’. But the Fire Nation is setting an example for the rest of the world because of the chaos we have caused so far. We need to consider trust and danger from all directions, ready to give a chance but intervene when things go wrong.” Zuko sat back on his chair, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

Katara looked at him and smiled proudly. He knew that smile. Helping people had always made her happy - he remembered how she had stepped up to mother the group when there was nobody else. And now she was doing it again, although not in the same way. She was helping him again.

Their eyes met. He felt a tingle run down his spine. He hadn’t felt this before with Katara - it seemed almost too intense. Suddenly he noticed things about he that he had never dwelled on before; how plump her lips were, how her her long eyelashes framed her eyes, how, even though her skin was dark, she still had a light smattering of freckles on her cheeks. He wanted to reach out and touch her lips, caress her face and her neck and…

Katara started moving closer, drawn in by a strange electricity that was held in his amber eyes. They seemed to be smouldering and unconsciously glancing down at her lips. She shouldn’t be doing this, but maybe, just maybe, this time things would turn out alright. She saw the shock in his gaze ask she moved closer, and then his eyes softened and closed as their lips met.

It was as if his whole being had turned into warm water. This was not like the kiss she had hurriedly pressed to his lips before leaving last time; this was charged with some deep desire, and he felt like he was falling. His heart started racing and he instinctually deepened the kiss. He felt another thrill as she readily responded, opening her mouth against his.

Zuko reached up a hand and caressed her soft cheek before gently holding the back of her head, enjoying the feel of her hair through his fingers.

Katara froze against his lips. He blinked his eyes open in surprise as she disentangled his hand from her hair and moved away. She looked… frightened? Maybe? But the mask descended on her features once more.

“It is getting late. Good night,” she said, monotonously and left the room without another word.

Zuko was bewildered. Did he scare her? No, but she kissed him! He wasn’t even going to do anything, but she was the one who initiated things!

Zuko sat up for a long time trying to make sense of what had just happened, his brain fuzzy from lack of sleep. Perhaps she wanted to kiss somebody else and got carried away and remembered that she was kissing him. Could she have met somebody important on her travels? Possibly. But she hadn’t mentioned anybody so far…

Maybe she still felt bad about rejecting Aang and thought it would be betrayal if something happened between the two of them? But that was ridiculous! That was over two years ago! And besides, he hadn’t forgotten the kiss they shared before she left.

She could have actually been betrothed when she was at the Northern Water Tribe. No. She would never allow that - and besides she still wore her mother’s necklace, not her own.

He reasoned that it must be somebody else after all. The last thing he remembered was thinking how strange it was that the thought of her with somebody else hurt him.

The advisors arrived the next evening. They had decided not to train and instead prepare some more.

Conversation was awkward between Zuko and Katara. It was prim and professional, neither one mentioning the kiss. Katara did not let her indifference mask slide once. Zuko was torn between interrogating her about what was going on and trying to keep things calm. He decided that they would talk once these meetings were over.

First, though, they had to get through a welcome dinner held in their honour. Zuko was always amused when outsiders stayed at the Palace. Suddenly, servants that he could hold casual conversations with normally, became stiff and formal - instead of one course eaten in his study, he had to sit through countless dishes and make pointless small talk with people who he really cared nothing for. Occasionally somebody really interesting would turn up, but by the nature of these things you could never talk to one person too long.

Zuko descended to the reception chamber in all his royal finery, the crown Prince’s flame around his topknot. Again. He longed to be in his training gear, but, obviously, that was not polite. He wondered idly if when he became Fire Lord he could do away with all the pointlessness of these formalities.

Katara followed soon after, and it was all he could do not to gape at her. She wore a light blue dress made of silk that billowed out around her as she walked. But the sash around her waist was purple, and so were the trimmings around her neck and sleeves. As always, her mother’s necklace was present, but her hair was tied in a Fire Nation style with purple ribbon. The material flowed around her, falling from her waist and accentuating her curves.

Now how was he supposed to pay attention to some boring advisors?

He tore his eyes away from her, trying to hide a blush, as he nodded to the porters to open the doors and let the guests arrive to be greeted.

People started to filter in - a small party, only about ten, and since they were staying for so short a time none of them had brought their families. Zuko skimmed over their faces as they took in the grand reception hall around them in wonder. He knew it would be about minute before any of them noticed him.

He heard a gasp from behind him, where Katara was standing. He turned around to look at her and reached out in alarm when he saw how pale her face was.

“Katara?” he asked, tentatively, as she stepped away from him.

“I don’t feel well. I’m going to my room,” she whispered, retreating quickly into the shadows and running away. Zuko stood, shocked and bewildered by her disappearance, and had just decided to follow her when the first of the guests came up to him to introduce themselves.

As soon as Zuko could, he ordered a maid to go and see if Master Katara was alright and if she needed anything. By the end of dinner, Zuko realised that he did not know one name of the people who were constantly talking at him, he was too busy thinking about Katara. Instead of staying for after dinner drinks, he excused himself and half walked- half ran to Katara’s room.

“Katara?” he called when he received no answer to his frantic knocks. “Katara its me, Zuko! I’m worried about you… will you let me in?” Still there was no answer. He rested his forehead against the doors and said, more quietly “Please Katara. I know you’re hurting but I don’t know why and I want to help…” He was about to leave when he heard something heavy being moved on the other side of the doors and one pulled open just enough so he could slip through. She shut it immediately behind him and moved whatever was in front of the door back there, blocking anybody’s entry. As his eyes accustomed to the darkness, he realised that it was the dressing table!

He frowned and produced a flame in order to see her. Katara screamed, a horrible, high pitched squeak and he felt water pelting him from all sides, dousing the flame. Zuko froze.

“No. Fire.” She said, breathless.

“K-katara? You’re scaring me…” he stammered into the darkness. His eyes were adjusting again and he could make out her form sitting on the large bed. Her hair was dishevelled and her face was shining. No, wait, her face was wet! He moved closer to her, and in the dim moonlight that crept through the cracks in the curtains, he saw that she had been crying - her makeup smudged down her cheeks, and she was still trembling. He reached out to hug her or comfort her but his hand froze.

With a jolt he realised she was bloodbending him in place.

“Zuko, please, don’t touch me.” She said quietly, releasing her hold on his arm.

“Katara… I… I don’t know what to say! I don’t know what’s wrong and I don’t know how to comfort you… Please tell me what I can do?” There was a moment of silence, where he stood in front of the bed, not touching her.

“You can go back to bed and forget any of this happened,” she replied hanging her head and trying to smother a sob.

“That is not an option. I can’t leave you when you are in this state.” She looked up at him then, her big blue eyes filled with tears that she let fall as she stared.

“Thank you, Zuko. Thank you so,” she sobbed “so much. Please don’t leave. Please stay here… I’m so s-s-cared!” she cried.

Zuko felt helpless. For the first time in his life he felt completely helpless. He had always had a plan - whether it was capturing the Avatar or defeating his father, he was always doing something, there was always something he could do. But here he was, watching as his best friend in the entire world came apart before his eyes, and there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t hold her, he couldn’t solve the problem, he couldn’t tell her it was going to be alright. He was just there.

He took a deep breath.

“Katara, please tell me what happened? I’m the the Fire Prince. I must be able to do something,” he said through his gritted teeth and clenched jaw, tears of frustration welling in in his own eyes.

She observed him again and shook harder than she had been, but after about a minute, she groaned.

“I will tell you everything, as long as you promise two things,” she whispered.

“Anything! Katara anything, just name it!”

“Do not interrupt me while I’m telling the story and please stay here tonight. I don’t think I can be alone.”

“Deal.���