#zuko attempts defending him which means he's actually genuinely a traitor not that Azula knows that bc hes still in the blue spirit guise

[rubythecrimsonwriter]

I am back on my bullshit and I just know y'all missed me.

So they're in Ba Sing Se and they have Appa now so obviously they can get into bigger and better trouble once more, which obviously means King Kuei and Azula becoming involved a la canon and you would think that Katara and Zuko would you know. Fess up.

Of course not. What were you thinking?

Zuko is Not Involved In Shenanigans, Uncle, whatever do you mean? (He is, in fact, stalking Katara in the palace.) (Katara is well aware of this and makes unsubtle comments about how useful such and such thing would be. She acts surprised when it suddenly appears when her back is turned, as though she simply misplaced it.)

(Yes. Toph is aware. I dont know why you would think Toph would be the one to stop Shenanigans.)

(Aang is not aware that's unusual, much less that he should be paying attention. Sokka is too busy not punching advisors to care about magically appearing shit.)

So: the Gaang is in the Palace trying to explain the Hundred Year War. Iroh is blissfully making tea. Zuko is in the Palace acting as guard dog and gofer.

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are in the Palace acting as Kyoshi Warriors.

And then Katara gets a note pinned like dozens of others that says the Kyoshi Warriors are not.

Not what? Aang asks.

They're not Kyoshi Warriors, the Blue Spirit says, and every head in the room jerks upward and reels back at the grotesque mask grinning at them perched atop a sconce.

(The Dai Li quietly lose their minds. It'd be funny if anyone actually registered it beyond all the other chaos.)

(The sconce is wooden, lit with one of those eerie glowing crystals. Its high enough up that most people can't see it in their peripherals, and his dark clothing and the bright attraction of the crystal does the rest. As long as his pale skin is covered and his mask is only on when he attracts attention, he might as well be a ghost.)

(Toph gave him pointers on how to avoid attracting the attention of even the best earthbenders during their B&E of Lake Laogai. The three of them really had way too much fun doing that.)

(The Dai Li: it doesn't FEEL like a spirit, doesn't TALK like a spirit, doesn't ACT like a human, disguises like a spirit, what the fuck IS it)

The messenger enters the room at that point, announcing the presence of the three Kyoshi Warriors. The messenger does NOT like the fact that everyone in the room stared at him like he just announced the end of King Kuei's reign. He misses the Blue Spirit standing twelve feet almost directly above him entirely.

Katara, completely unbothered by The Drama™: don't let them in. We'll follow you out there.

Sokka: soooo we're just. Taking it's word?

Aang: *having vivid flashbacks to Pouhai Stronghold* *knows EXACTLY who's under that mask* *knows what happened last time he pushed* *Katara seems to know him and is chill with him and thats the LAST thing he expected really* *scrambling to get words out in the right order* YEAH SPIRITS LIKE ME RIGHT THIS IS TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY

Everyone else who has dealt with a spirit: uhm. Absolutely not.

Katara gets up and finally looks up at the Blue Spirit and starts arming herself with her water slings and walks over to the messenger and says lead the way.

The Dai Li will SWEAR they were watching. Up, down, and sideways, THEY WERE WATCHING. But the Blue Spirit inclines its head at Katara and turns and vanishes into the darkness behind the sconce.

(Zuko has spider crawled up the backside of the pillar and is clinging to the decorative plaster near the ceiling. The plaster forms better hand holds for him the longer he's up there, which means only Toph knows where he is and is doing what she can to help because only the greatest earthbender in the world could bend in the presence of the most elite taskforce of earth benders and have them not notice.)

Kuei gets evacuated to some bunker. Some of the Dai Li go with him. Some of the Dai Li follow Katara. Sokka is bound and determined to get this plan ironed out and Aang needs to stay because he's the Avatar. Toph goes with Katara. Everything is always fine with the Gaang splits up, I dont know what you're so concerned about.

Enemies to respected coworkers to friends to lovers Blue Spirit and Painted Lady and an I know that You know that I know about the Identity Shenanigans but wtf can we do about it slow burn Zuko and Katara while Azula and Sokka respectively hate literally everything about this and they don't even know the other's identity. A case of Let's Deal With This Later Bc We Have Other Issues and also Your Sibling Is The Worst. Ready, set, go!