Strangers
A small, tired sigh escapes her lips as she walks through the city. The day had been long and hassling, meetings with generals where she felt out of place and almost helpless. No friends to comfort her or make her laugh, just her and Momo. They were to return to the king soon, but surely he would understand that everyone needs a break every so often, right?
Her blue eyes strayed to the Jasmine Dragon Tea House, where people bustling in and out of the shop. It looked popular enough, and likely for good reason!
Katara turned to her lemur-friend, “What do you say, Momo? A cup of tea before we get back to the king?”
The lemur nodded enthusiastically and they walked into the tea house, motioning for a table for two, but not before hearing a familiar voice calling out for more tea. It was a voice she thought had disappeared long ago, a voice that had never before sounded so…content.
She felt herself taking a step back and breathlessly she whispered, “Zuko…”
Golden eyes collided with the wide, blue eyes of the Waterbender. She was just as surprised as he was, and for a moment, it was as if the world melted away. There was no tea shop, no war, no comet, nothing. It was just him and her, two strangers in a tea shop.
She hadn’t changed much. She still wore the same traveling garments and the same hair style, but he sensed that was only on the surface. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that there were other more important things on her mind than hunting a banished prince down. From the worn look on her face, he could see that she had just been through a lot. A new maturity seemed to float around her. She was the same and yet not the same Water Tribe girl he had first come upon. A stranger. A woman.
The scar was still there, but the harsh and bitter look had washed away in the time they had not seen each other. His hair was long now, almost like Jet’s. Somehow, the way it framed his face, he didn’t seem like an obsessive, Avatar-hunting enemy. He was different. A stranger. She felt, no, she knew, if she were to reach her hand out to him right now, he just might take it.
And that terrified her.
Her blue eyes strayed to the Jasmine Dragon Tea House, where people bustling in and out of the shop. It looked popular enough, and likely for good reason!
Katara turned to her lemur-friend, “What do you say, Momo? A cup of tea before we get back to the king?”
The lemur nodded enthusiastically and they walked into the tea house, motioning for a table for two, but not before hearing a familiar voice calling out for more tea. It was a voice she thought had disappeared long ago, a voice that had never before sounded so…content.
She felt herself taking a step back and breathlessly she whispered, “Zuko…”
Golden eyes collided with the wide, blue eyes of the Waterbender. She was just as surprised as he was, and for a moment, it was as if the world melted away. There was no tea shop, no war, no comet, nothing. It was just him and her, two strangers in a tea shop.
She hadn’t changed much. She still wore the same traveling garments and the same hair style, but he sensed that was only on the surface. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that there were other more important things on her mind than hunting a banished prince down. From the worn look on her face, he could see that she had just been through a lot. A new maturity seemed to float around her. She was the same and yet not the same Water Tribe girl he had first come upon. A stranger. A woman.
The scar was still there, but the harsh and bitter look had washed away in the time they had not seen each other. His hair was long now, almost like Jet’s. Somehow, the way it framed his face, he didn’t seem like an obsessive, Avatar-hunting enemy. He was different. A stranger. She felt, no, she knew, if she were to reach her hand out to him right now, he just might take it.
And that terrified her.