☄23. [RL with Katara]

[honorregained]

[Zuko is sitting in his study, just about to give up on the paperwork he was reading. In fact, no, he was giving up. He made a loud noise of frustration and faceplanted into the open scroll, hands atop his head

Comments

[soupbender]

[ And it's not long before there's a series of quick, sharp knocks onto the door to Zuko's study. She was set to meet Sokka in about an hour to do some shopping in the city, but her conversation with Azula had made her bloodpressure skyrocket.

She didn't really give him time to answer, standing her tiptoes and executing another brisk series of knocks against the door. Surely that's where he'd be, right? ]

Zuko? Are you in there? It's Katara.

[honorregained]

Uh-- yeah, I'm here, [he answers, standing quickly and running a hand over his face to make sure the paper hadn't left funny marks. No, he seemed to be good.] Come on in.

[Maybe he could actually talk to her about it. Zuko both wanted to and wanted to avoid the subject entirely. Not that he'd probably have any choice in which one happened, as this was Katara...]

[soupbender]

[Nope. There's not really avoiding anything with Katara, so she's just going to slip into the room, shutting the door behind her. She folds her arms against it, leaning backwards in an incredibly forced attempt to make her stance look casual. The look on her face pretty much gives her away, though.]

So.

Your sister.

[honorregained]

[He sighs, his whole demeanor changing subtly. He's not even going to try to pretend that he doesn't know what she's talking about. Everyone on the community comes to him to talk about his sister eventually.] I figured you'd ask at some point.

Was there anything specific, or... I don't know, I can't make it public knowledge that she's on another world! [Which is Zuko's way of saying, I don't like to talk about her other 'family' and that's why you don't know.]

[soupbender]

[She'll notice the subtle stance change in a moment, try to read his demeanor a little better, but for now she's still just livid. Katara pushes herself away from the door, arms dropped loosely to her sides, but her hands are balled into uneasy fists.]

Another family adopted her? Why? She says she's going to come back, Zuko, we've got to be ready.

[And she's pretty sure that they are, but, give her a minute.]

[honorregained]

Because my mother said-- she... said at one point that she's not her daughter anymore. [Zuko's really tempted to look away, but he firms his resolve and makes himself sound like he almost doesn't care about what he's saying. He looks straight at Katara, ignoring how tense he is.] I know why she said it. I've-- I've talked to her about it, it's not like she wouldn't take her back!

But you know Azula. There's no taking anything back with her. She found someone from Earth on the community, named Dr. Cuddy, and she adopted her. That's who she lives with now. She refuses to admit we're even related anymore. [And that doesn't hurt him, not at all.

He's ignoring that second part, about Azula coming back, because that is a whole different canon of worms that he can't deal with at the same time he's dealing with Azula's adopted family.]

[soupbender]

She's living with a doctor.

[Katara repeats this because, well, she's honestly not sure how to take it. She lifts her hand to her brow, pressing the pad of her thumb into her temple as she attempts to digest all of this.]

Look, I just -

[She just what? Spirits, this is a lot to take in at once. She wants to go get her, find her, lock her up before she can do the damage to Earth that she did to their home, but she knows Zuko well enough to understand that he won't go for that, and knows herself well enough to realize that it's emotion fueling that idea instead of logic.

So, instead, she just ducks her head and exhales a low sigh.]

This is unbelievable. I just thought she was in hiding.

[honorregained]

I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's... [Unngh he doesn't want to admit that it's hard for him to deal with, but it is.] You deserve to know, all of you deserve to know - you helped me bring her down, you specifically!

But I just... I don't want to start anything with her. I don't want to pick a fight if I don't have to. And to be honest, for all she says she's going to come back, I'm not sure she wants to.

[soupbender]

I know. I know, I'm not mad at you for not telling me. You had your own reasons, Zuko, and it's not up to me to judge you for them.

[She's going to cross over to him now, stopping a few feet in front of him. Katara rarely knows how to handle Zuko; she can't treat him like she does Aang or Sokka or even Toph. He's undeniably part of the group, and she cares for him as strongly as she does the rest of the Gaang, but Zuko has always lived in a different world than the rest of them.]

We have a plan regardless, don't we? She talks about political unrest, about people siding with her.. it just makes me uncomfortable.

[honorregained]

[Oh. Not judging him. That's new. Or, if not new, unexpected every time it happens to him. He tries to calm down, forcing himself to relax in place. He's been getting better at this since becoming Fire Lord, since he can't afford to burst out shouting every time he gets aggravated anymore. Katara staying calm herself, even coming closer... it helps.]

She's not completely wrong. There are people in the Fire Nation that want the war to continue, [he admits after that moment of thought, serious and matter-of-fact.] We've been told it's the right thing to do for a hundred years. You know how long it took me to change the way I saw it - the nationalists are going to need time, too.

But that's a Fire Nation issue, and I'll make sure it happens. I won't let this war start again, Katara, I promise. I'm doing everything I can to find this faction and contain them.

[soupbender]

I know. Me, too. Working with Aang, and even traveling by myself.. there are a lot of unhappy people, Zuko. [Katara folds her arms at her stomach, hugging herself idly. Her chin tips up slightly, eyes ticking to the side as she remembers.]

There's a lot of political unrest. Everyone is happy that the war's over, but it's hard to get used to. The Fire Nation kind of.. tore everyone down. Now that the borders are opened and the rebuilding has started..

[But Zuko knows all of this already, doesn't he? None of this is going to be news to the Fire Lord, and she just shakes her head quickly, as if dismissing the idea. With age came seeing a lot of things she had never realized before.]

..but if anyone can do it, it's you. Just-- don't hesitate to ask for help. Having the Avatar on your side is powerful.

[honorregained]

...I'm not great at asking for help, [he admits awkwardly, shifting in place and losing his previous serious adult expression.] But I know that all of you are here if I need it. That's been pointed out to me a lot lately.

I couldn't do this without Aang, and I'm not just saying that. I get now why the Avatar is what keeps the world together.

[soupbender]

[And Katara relaxes a little bit, though she still seems visibly nervous. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting when she came charging into Zuko's room. What had she wanted to hear? That they'd mount up and go on a manhunt for Azula? Administer allegiance tests to all members of the Fire Nation military and give the boot to the ones who didn't score high enough?

She reaches up to rub the back of her neck, possibly a little deflated.. though never in her life did she think it would be Zuko calming her down.]

Alright, yeah, I know. But I'm going to keep an eye on her anyway, especially now that the scroll is working again. Try not to interfere, please?

[honorregained]

I can't promise anything, but I'll try. [He sounds frustrated as he says,] I know it's stupid that I still want her to... to, I don't even know! I want her to change. I want to protect her.

[Katara unfortunately hit the two buttons that make Zuko talk endlessly at once: family and his duty to the Fire Nation. He crosses his arms as he goes on, shifting his weight again like he wants to pace and is restraining himself.]

She's still my little sister even if she refuses to admit that. I hate that I'm always in this position, between my family and what the world needs. There's no point in me even talking about it again, I just-- I don't blame you for keeping an eye on her. I care about her, but she won't let me do anything, and the world needs me to keep the Fire Nation stable. So that's my first priority, and it's staying that way.

If she comes here again, I won't let it slide. And I've told her that. Claire knows a way to take away her bending, since Aang isn't sure he could do it again. And if it comes to it... I'll do it.

[soupbender]

[She's not going to stop him. She's learned by now that family and his nation are two of the most important things in his life, and he usually respects her enough to not interrupt in the middle of one of her admittedly preachy diatribes, so extending the same courtesy to him is only polite.

The part about Claire knowing a way to halt bending is surprising, and maybe a little concerning, but that's a bridge that she'll cross later.

For now, though? Katara just crosses her arms, arching a single eyebrow at Zuko.]

Sheesh. Why couldn't you have come to this realization three years ago?

[Goading him? Hell yes. She's still pissed at and about Azula, but there's nothing else to really talk about with this, no further ground to tread for now. Might as well drop the serious talk before she hits the town with Sokka.]

Would have made our lives a little easier, don't you think?

[honorregained]

[Zuko rolls his eyes. He can take any goading she throws at him.] That was different. That was my father. He never denied reality the way Azula does, he just didn't care about anyone but himself.

[It was so different, okay? You don't really want to open up the topic that is Zuko talking about his father, do you, Katara? You'll never get to leave. It's also worth mentioning that he's so used to pretending his father is dead, he automatically speaks about him in past tense, though Katara is one of the few people that knows he's still alive.]