#Iroh: Exactly now we drink tea and talk this through and form a plan | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lordmomohismomoness · 3 years

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Oneshots - Smutty

Love Amongst the Embers by Delectate

Rated M 7K words Completed 2009

After the Ember Island Players' performance, and with the help of a little rice wine, Zuko and Katara decide to rewrite an alternate ending to their story. Oneshot, Zuko/Katara. Rated M.

The Date Clause by Like A Dove

Rated M 14K words Completed 2011

Zuko and Katara are forced to go on a date together. Epic confessions, drunkenness, sneaking around, and attempted dirty talk ensue. Who knew defying Uncle Iroh and his stupid matchmaker friend could be so much fun?

Coming of Age by Like A Dove

Rated M 3K words Completed 2012

Katara has decided that it is time for Zuko to become a man. This is about exactly what you think it's about

Come Quietly by Like A Dove

Rated M 2K words Completed 2012

Katara tries to be quiet. Really, she does.

Afterglow by Burning Ice

Rated M 8K words Completed 2009

It’s a proven fact that 'intimacy' the evening before a demanding physical activity such as a marathon or an epic final battle will improve a woman’s performance, but damage a man’s, the following day. Night before the comet Zutara, Lemon, One-shot, PWP

Capture The Spirit by Jennibare

Rated M 1K words Completed 2011

The Painted Lady has been captured by the Blue Spirit and must be punished for her wrongdoings in the Fire Nation. M for dubcon, language, and sexual situations. Written for the "half-a'd game" at capslock zutara. Full description inside

Trigger Warning: Dubcon

The Ocean Takes Me In by Babyfairy

Rated M 5K words Completed 2017

She swallows hard, releasing a shuddering breath, and nods. "Perfect," She whispers, and Zuko is sure that his heart is gone now, wrapped up in her hands.

Steam Bent by Lalunanocturnal

Rated E 5K words Completed 2020

Only the Avatar can master all four elements. But Katara can love all four.

When Katara realizes she can learn more about each nation through intimacy, she figures why not give it a try. But she is saving Fire for last... and Zuko may be the perfect candidate. If you can’t bend all the elements, may as well sleep with them, for enlightenment of course.

For Zutara Week 2020 - Prompts: Fuse, Celestial, Affirm

Clarity by Bluenebulae

Rated M 6K words Complete 2020

There’s something strangely familiar about Katara’s Tinder date.

Blowing Off Steam by Smediterranea

Rated E 3K words Completed 2020

This wasn’t like Katara. Karata was responsible. Katara was organized. Some people might call her a wet blanket, but Katara knew the value of putting work before fun. She had her priorities in order.

Katara had not considered herself to be someone who would have earth-shattering sex with a guy whose name she didn’t even know. But here she was, certain that she had never made a better decision in her life.

An AU one-shot of Katara getting familiar with a certain handsome guy who lives down the hall

Condensation by Smediterranea

Rated E 3K words Completed 2020

“Zuzu!” Azula says, barely containing a laugh. “Did you have a one night stand? I’m so proud I could cry.”

“Shut up,” he growls. “And that’s not what I meant. I know who she is I just… don’t really know how to contact her.”

“You didn’t get her number,” Mai says disapprovingly. “Rookie mistake.”

Zuko groans. Getting scolded by his ex-girlfriend on not being able to properly hook up with someone is more than his fragile ego can bear.

AU College, follow up to Katara and Zuko's one night stand in Blowing Off Steam

[tell me what happens next] by Ephemerall

Rated E 617 words Completed 2020

She hadn’t told him yet – hadn’t given voice to what she felt squeezing her heart every time she looked at him. He had told her ages ago, it seemed, that he loved her, and that it was ok that she didn’t love him back. She never corrected his erroneous assumption.

Drink It In by Boudica Muse

Rated E 11K words Completed 2020

Fire Lord Zuko gathers friends and acquaintances from all over the world for a masquerade to celebrate his birthday. Strangely, he's nowhere to be found at the party, but that won't stop Katara from having a good time.

Agni's Fever by Orphan_account

Rated E 7K words Completed 2013

She decides that she loves him for both the fire lilies and the brimstone on his breath. Oneshot. Zutara.

Zuko’s hands snag around her wrists. His body is a long line of tension, and now that he’s reared up on his knees to match her stance, she notices that his chest is as bare as it is soaked. “You can’t even begin to understand what’s happening to me."

“I’m trying to understand,” Katara grits. “Isn’t that what you wanted from me from the very beginning?”

Taken by a Faceless Stranger by Delectate

Rated M 11K words Completed 2011

Season 2 oneshot, between "Zuko Alone" and "The Chase". Katara thinks she knows all there is to know about a certain masked warrior. Bluetara. Written for Zutara Week 2011. Rated M for mature.

Here's To The Broken Ones by Airiustide

Rated M 3K words Completed 2020

Trouble seems to follow Katara wherever she goes. Maybe she likes trouble. *Maybe you are trouble*, Zuko once told her.

They tell themselves this isn't love, that nothing more can come from two souls bound for different paths. One thing we can be sure of in this story, Zuko and Katara have a hard time keeping promises.

Shimmering Scarlet Scales by Hippomatrix

Rated T 7K words Completed 2016

Katara never thought she'd see a dragon. They were thought to be extinct. Yet here she was, healing a dragon she'd found in the woods (of burn wounds no less) and letting him follow her home. She didn't mean to bond with him, but that's what happened, and he became her constant companion and protector. If only it had stayed that simple.

Lonely Hearts Club by iRockYourSocks

Rated M 1K words Completed 2013

Katara was ready, albeit unhappy, for her new life as the wife of a northern warrior. A fateful trip to Ember Island opens her eyes to an alternative path in life.

Moonlight by evergreentrees

Rated E 2K words Completed 2017

Zuko didn't think that his usual nightly walk would end up with him in the same pond as Katara. Naked.

(Set in that limbo time between "The Southern Raiders" and the finale)

Shut Up by Sood (mbwff)

Rated E 3K words Completed 2015

Zuko and Katara can't cooperate on anything. Up until a week ago, they couldn't even share the same air.

----

ITS A TENT SHARING THING

To drown in you is an honor by Sood (mbwff)

Rated E 1K words Completed 2016

He, surely, is dreaming. Katara is surely not currently making idle patterns in the drying come on his chest. He is definitely not still breathing heavily from an orgasm that she, a girl who recently hated him, has caused.

---

Zuko reciprocates.

Bonus day: Tea Shop by Cincilin

Rated E 11K words Completed 2017

"Hello and welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. Today's special is—" he cut himself of with a sharp intake of breath, at the same moment that Katara placed the voice and looked up.

'He has hair.' was her first thought. Then the rest of her brain caught up with her and she started to get up, sending Momo scrambling to hide under the table.

Season 2 AU, during "The Guru", messes around with the timeline a bit, and with Upper Ring architecture.

I'm not playing by Mila (zkalone)

Rated M 1K words Completed 2020

His golden eyes darken, and he wraps an arm around her slim shoulders, pulling her from the hallway. “That didn’t look too friendly to me, Katara.” The way he says her name causes shivers to run down her spine. Tugging her by the wrist to the back staircase, he drops his bag to the floor, and hers follows.

///

In which Zuko is jealous of Katara's interactions with Jet, and she decides to make it up to him.

Lay me down by Damapintada

Rated E 3K words Completed 2020

“Zuko?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, what is it?” He asks, curiosity piqued.

Her fingers continue their path along the toned planes of his chest, before she says, “Remember a few months ago, when we did that thing with the ties?”

Katara ties Zuko up and has her way with him.

I can feel it in my bones by Marked Mage

Rated E 5K words Completed 2020

Zuko's not planning to get drunk tonight. However, his demise comes in the form of tantalizing brown skin and deep blue eyes, and well, he's never been good at keeping promises.

Zutara week, day three: Fuse

Tumblr Smut Prompt: Hit the Showers by AWildJaxWrites

Rated E 3K words Completed 2020

Anon asked for trapped in a locker room and shower sex.

A locked door can make people bold.

Blue On Blue by Dyce

Rated M 7K words Completed 2013

After four years of traveling with Aang, Katara disappears. Not long after, word comes to the Fire Lord that a female Blue Spirit is performing healing miracles in his kingdom. It doesn't take Zuko long to put two Blue Spirits together.

Here's To The Broken Ones by Airiustide

Rated E 3K words Completed 2020

Trouble seems to follow Katara wherever she goes. Maybe she likes trouble. *Maybe you are trouble*, Zuko once told her.

Embrace by Alexb49

Rated M 3K words Completed 2010

Katara stumbles across a familiar boy out on a date in Ba Sing Se. Set during S2 episode "Tales of Ba Sing Se". Rated M for mature content of a sexual nature. Pairing: Katara/Zuko. Written for the Zutarotica 2010 Summer Challenge.

The Solace of Night by goldilocks23

Rated E 5K words Completed 2020

The Southern Water Tribe Ambassador's diplomatic visits coincidentally coincide with sightings of the Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit.

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vulcan-highblood · 4 years

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(Blue) Spirited Away

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Pairing(s): Gen Chapter: 4/? Words: 5k Summary: Prince Zuko wasn’t able to escape the Northern Water Tribe after the disastrous conclusion to the Siege of the North. However, Aang is more than happy to invite his old pal, the Blue Spirit, to join him and his friends on the first leg of their journey to the Earth Kingdom.

(An AU where Aang never learned the true identity of the Blue Spirit, Zuko is desperate, and Spirits enjoy interfering in the lives of mortals)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Read it on AO3

Taglist: @duh-dobrik

Chapter 4: Stalking and Talking

By the time Zuko felt safe moving again, he was so cold his limbs seemed to have locked up. He wasn’t dumb enough to go back to the same house he’d been in before, but that meant he was once again at a loss for what to do. He needed to find Uncle and get them out, but Uncle hadn’t been in the prison, so where could he be?

Zuko half-wished he’d had the presence of mind to ask the Avatar, but a question like that probably would have come across as suspicious.

Well, fine. Obviously he was going to need to do a little reconnaissance in a more populated part of town.

...once he got the circulation going in his limbs, anyway. Damp furs were the worst, and his breath of fire could only do so much. He was so glad Uncle had taught him the technique, or he’d likely be frozen solid by now. The only problem was all the deep breaths weren’t doing his injured ribs any favors, and using his firebending constantly was exhausting.

Zuko’s stomach growled, reminding him his meager meal of jerky and prunes had not been enough. He wasn’t going to be able to sneak around if his stomach was going to give him away, he was realizing. He’d need to take a few minutes to find another house, rummage through the stores, and find enough food for a meal, and hopefully something to snack on so his stomach would stop complaining. He’d never forgive himself if his grumbly stomach turned out to be the thing that landed him in Water Tribe custody.

Moving slowly so he wouldn’t make a dumb move and get caught (his arms and legs still weren’t working quite the way they should), Zuko began picking through the catapult-decimated area, keeping a sharp eye out for food. As usual, his luck was in full swing, because it took him far longer than he’d hoped just to find something to eat. Then he had to find somewhere hidden so he could lift his mask away from his face and actually eat the food. By the time he had found the food and started eating, he realized he was thirsty, too. Which was stupid, he was surrounded with ice, but somehow the air was dry. He considered the ice scattered around, but it was pretty dirty, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about sucking on someone’s wall. Finally, he found a pot. Then he found himself facing another dilemma - did he drink water straight from the canals? What kind of weird things might be floating in that water? Zuko had learned the hard way the kinds of nasty illness that could get you after drinking bad water - he understood after that why Uncle insisted on drinking so much tea - apparently boiling the water made it a lot less likely to give you horrible stomach cramps and force the contents of your stomach out both ends.

He’d been working on his heat production - after all, he’d used it to melt through ice a few times already, so he should be able to boil water without producing a flame, right? Before he could second-guess himself, Zuko grabbed the pot and marched in the direction of the nearest canal. Only one way to find out, and that was to try. He hadn’t gotten this far by wondering about stuff, he’d just done it. After looking both ways to make sure no one was watching, Zuko scooped some water into the pot and scuttled back for the nearest crumpled building, easing into a narrow corner and clutching the pot between his hands. He had to bend the heat away from his hands, so they didn’t burn, but still needed to heat the water, so it would boil and kill any nasty stomach-cramp diseases that might be in it.

He couldn’t tell at first if his heat-bending was really doing the job, but after a few seconds, a wisp of steam curled from the water in the pot. Then, more steam. Bubbles started to form, and Zuko held it at a rolling boil for a few minutes, until he could feel sweat running down his face from the effort of concentrating on bending the heat in the water but keeping it away from his hands. He was about to set the pot on the ground when he realized that boiling hot and ice didn’t mix. He was going to need to keep bending the heat away from his hands, unless - With a sharp exhale, Zuko pushed the heat out and away from the water entirely, causing a bloom of steam to escape the water. It should be right around Uncle’s tea temperature, now. He hoped. Otherwise he was about to scald his mouth, because Zuko needed to drink something, now. He’d been thirsty before, but now that he’d been sweating for the better part of a minute, after having eaten nothing but salted vegetables and salted meat for two meals? He felt like he might die if he didn’t have water now.

Predictably, the water burned his mouth. But only a little bit, and Zuko was too thirsty to care if his tongue felt weird for the next hour or so. He did try to bend a bit more heat off, though, because he didn’t want to keep burning his tongue every time he took a sip. Once he’d drank his fill, he stared at the pot, still half-full, wondering what to do with it. It seemed like a waste to discard the water after he’d gone to all the effort of sterilizing it, but it wasn’t like he could bring it with him, he’d have a hard enough time sneaking around the city without lugging around a large clunky water pot. With a longing look, Zuko stashed it in his hiding place, fairly certain he wouldn’t make it back here, but leaving it just in case. If nothing else, at least he now knew he could boil water without an open flame. That was something, anyway.

Hunger and thirst satisfied for the moment, Zuko slunk back in the direction of the populated areas of the city. Now all he needed to do was find Uncle.

~~*~~

It took Zuko longer than he would have liked to find an area where people were actively walking around, and even longer to find a place where he could hunker down to eavesdrop on the people going by on the streets or sailing along the canals.

It was just his luck that he’d only been there for about twenty minutes before the Avatar and his group walked by. Zuko couldn’t hear much, but what he did hear made him start rethinking his current strategy.

“I still don’t know what kind of guest would be more special than the Avatar,” the peasant girl was saying as they approached. “Who on Earth could be so special that Master Pakku was hosting them in his own home?”

“I think it’s less about how special they are and more about not wanting to host a bunch of kids,” the non-bender said, his tone obviously implying that he didn’t count himself as a kid when he made this point. “He’s not exactly good with… Actually, is he good with any kind of people?”

“Master Pakku is an excellent teacher!” the girl protested as they continued past Zuko’s hiding place.

“Yeah!” the Avatar chimed in, “he’s not very nice, but-”

“That’s what I’m saying! Honestly I feel bad for whoever’s staying with him, that can’t be an ideal situation…” And the group turned the corner, quickly fading from earshot.

But now Zuko was thinking. Master Pakku was in charge of the prisoners. He had a “Special Guest” despite an apparent record of misanthropy. Uncle Iroh was still missing.

Zuko didn’t want to believe it, but Uncle wasn’t exactly the General who led the Siege at Ba Sing Se anymore. Hadn’t been, ever since he came back, after Lu Ten…

The point was, it was entirely possible that a master waterbender like Pakku was holding Uncle Iroh captive! And his best chance of finding Master Pakku’s residence had just walked past him.

If it turned out Uncle wasn’t with the old waterbender, Zuko had no doubt he was going to get an earful about this plan. Even if Uncle was there, he’d probably get a few proverbs, a soft frown, and entirely too many cups of calming tea. Ugh, he never thought he’d miss the exasperating advice and hot leaf water, but he did.

Hopefully, the Avatar wouldn’t notice a shadow following him to the master waterbender’s home. If he did? Well, Zuko would deal with that when it happened, he didn’t have time to think about it now.

Slipping from his hiding place, he trailed the Avatar and his posse. It wasn’t hard, they weren’t exactly moving quietly. The harder part was keeping to the shadows when they kept crossing bridges over canals. Slipping from building to building was one thing - trying to stay surreptitious when you were crossing a bridge? Much harder.

A few times, Zuko thought he’d lost them, but again, they weren’t exactly secretive, and he was able to follow the sound of their voices without much trouble. He caught up with them just as they were gathering around a door, arguing over who should try to get the Master Waterbender’s attention.

“He likes you best, Katara,” the airbender was saying, “You should be the one to ask if we can go in.”

“I don’t know about that,” the girl (Katara?) was protesting.

“He doesn’t even know I exist, I think,” the boomerang guy sighed, “I think it should definitely be you.”

The girl was frowning at that. “I still think the Avatar would be more convincing-”

“Oh by all means, continue bickering about who should announce your presence,” the thick furs at the entrance of the house were flung aside to reveal the grumpy old waterbender. “It’s certainly not going to alert the entire neighborhood to your presence.”

“Master Pakku!” the waterbender girl exclaimed. “We came to ask you about Water Tribe legends.”

That managed to take the old man by surprise. “Why me?” he asked. “I am a warrior, not a story dancer.”

“But you’re an elder, aren’t you?” the Avatar pointed out, which was a nice way of saying the man was old. “I thought all elders know the important stories of the spirits.”

“Knowing them and being good at telling them are two very different things,” the waterbending master replied with a sharp look. “I have had no children of my own to instruct, and the students who come to me are often advanced learners. Most of the tales I tell are those of men, not spirits.”

“Well then who should we ask about the Dark Water Spirit?” the waterbender girl demanded, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the waterbending master with some measure of defiance.

Zuko was almost impressed. Sure, he was pretty infamous for standing up to authority figures, but he’d also learned the suffering that often followed such insolence. He really hadn’t learned, even in these three years, because he’d turned right around and challenged Zhao, and where had that landed him? Here, stranded in the Northern Water Tribe, with no ship and no crew because Zhao had blown it to smithereens. He’d lost his face (literally, as well as metaphorically, he supposed) to his father’s punishment, and then he’d lost his ship and his crew to Zhao’s retaliation. When was he going to learn?

Shaking his head sharply, Zuko dismissed the thought, returning his attention to the conversation.

“I have heard about a masked figure breaking into the prisoners’ holding area, yes,” the waterbending master was saying, a sour look on his face. Zuko noted with smugness that the man didn’t bother to say he’d been there at the time.

Of course, if the waterbending master had been close enough to actually see Zuko, then Zuko likely wouldn’t have been able to escape, so he pushed aside the urge to smirk and settled back to wait and see if the Avatar’s group was ever going to go inside so he could sneak around to the back of the ice house. If they could keep the master waterbender distracted, it would be all the easier for Zuko to find out if Uncle was here.

“Well we were trying to figure out what it might mean,” the Avatar was saying, “And we thought you would know best, because you’re an elder of the tribe, and a teacher.”

“I teach combat, not history,” Master Pakku grumbled, but it was becoming clear he’d nearly given up on discouraging the Avatar and his water tribe hang-ons. Now he just had to capitulate, let them in, and Zuko could start investigating. “Oh very well, you may come in,” he finally said, tugging the firs aside to allow them entry.

Zuko allowed a small sigh of relief to escape as he watched them bundle into the waterbending master’s house. Once he was certain they’d moved away from the door, he began to creep around it, looking for any other windows where he could listen, or maybe even peek inside.

~~*~~

Master Pakku seemed irritated to be interrupted by them and their questions. Katara had been so excited to come and ask him about the masked person, but now that they were here she began to wonder if they’d made a mistake.

“So what do you want to know?” Master Pakku demanded, settling down on one of his furs and gesturing for them to take one of the other furs scattered around his small house. For an important figure of the tribe, Master Pakku didn’t seem too interested in showing his wealth or influence - which was quite modest of him, Katara found herself thinking absently. She would have expected something more impressive, considering how proud the man was. But perhaps it was the sort of pride in what he could do, more than what he had. She could understand that, it was the same sort of pride she and her brother had. The Southern Water Tribe had very little, but they took great pride in their accomplishments. It was just another little thing that she was coming to appreciate about Master Pakku.

“So I went looking for the mask guy after I heard about him,” Aang began, settling down on the fur nearest Katara before picking up where he’d left off. “And I found him! He was hiding in a hut.”

Master Pakku’s eyes narrowed fractionally. “What was he doing there?”

“Uh, sleeping? I think?” Aang scratched awkwardly at his head as he wilted under the man’s critical eye. “He hadn’t even picked up his sword yet when I got there. But he didn’t try to attack me or anything, he just… left. As soon as I turned around.”

“Tell him about the Fire Nation stronghold!” Sokka urged.

“Right!” Aang turned his earnest gaze back to Pakku. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him!” he exclaimed. “I met him once before, in the Earth Kingdom. I was captured by the Fire Nation, and he broke me out of their cell.”

Master Pakku’s hard gaze grew even more sharp, like a shard of ice. “How do you know the same person who broke you out there is now here?” he demanded.

“Well, he moves the same,” Aang explained, faltering slightly. After all, she and Sokka had believed him right away. They hadn’t thought to really argue with him.

“He was wearing a mask both times, and if someone had similar training, would you be able to differentiate between one warrior and another?” Master Pakku asked.

“Uh… probably?” Aang answered, squirming uncomfortably on the fur. He obviously hadn’t expected the conversation to go like this.

“That’s not why we came, though,” Katara interrupted. “Aang recognized the mask as one of a water spirit. We were wondering if there might be some sort of spirit connection to this person’s actions.”

“A water spirit, yes,” Master Pakku said slowly, “but not a spirit of the Water Tribe.”

“Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” Sokka griped from his seat, but a sharp look from both herself and Master Pakku had him quickly backing down. “Fine, sorry, forget I said anything.”

“The Dark Water Spirit - more commonly known as the Blue Spirit - is, in fact, a lesser ocean spirit, but he is not typically found in polar waters,” Master Pakku explained. “He is a spirit of trickery and cunning, who finds pleasure in toying with human lives and has even, at times, taken those lives in the name of La, the Great Spirit of the Ocean.”

Katara turned to look at Sokka. “An ocean spirit that takes lives?” she repeated quietly. Of course, in the Southern Water Tribe, they all knew the ocean was not truly good or evil. Like the tides, sometimes it pushed good favor to them, and other times, it pulled that fortune away. You could depend on the ocean, yes, but it was never safe to trust it completely. The ocean was cold and unforgiving, yet brought forth life and abundance. But a dark water spirit… Katara shuddered to think of the horrors a dark ocean spirit might wreak.

“Yes, although these lives lost are often due to foolishness, absent-mindedness, or a lack of respect for the power of the ocean,” Master Pakku explained. “If you do not respect the ocean, it can very easily remind you of the consequences of such a poor decision.” He turned, then, to Aang. “Tell me, Avatar, have you ever played on the ocean’s shore?”

Aang nodded quickly. “Yeah! It’s a lot of fun, you get to splash in the waves and-” he shut his mouth quickly, seeing the pained look crossing Master Pakku’s features. Katara felt a little sorry for him; Aang was just excited to share, he loved to talk about his experiences. She was a little annoyed with Master Pakku for dimming that enthusiasm. Then again, they’d come here for information, so maybe Master Pakku wasn’t all wrong in his death glare, though Katara still thought he could have let Aang finish.

“And have you heard of a rip current?” Master Pakku continued, apparently choosing to ignore the dirty look Katara was sending his way.

Aang tilted his head quizzically. “No, I don’t think I have,” he answered honestly. “What’s a rip current?” Katara turned to Master Pakku with equal curiosity, noting that Sokka, too, looked more than a little interested.

“Sometimes called the Blue Spirit’s hand,” Master Pakku intoned, “A rip current is a small, surface current - similar to the ones used to navigate the seas,” he explained. “But much smaller, and much more dangerous.”

“How could it be small and dangerous?” Sokka piped up from his seat beside Katara. “If it’s small, it couldn’t really affect any of our vessels, right?”

“Quite right,” Master Pakku agreed, more amiably than Katara had expected, considering Sokka had interrupted him. “However, unlike the poles, in more temperate waters, people often swim on the beach.”

Katara nodded, thinking back to their own fun on Kiyoshi Island, before wincing at the memory of the Unagi. Ice dodging with Bato had been fun, too, but they hadn’t really had much time to play in the sea water.

“Wait a minute,” Sokka said, his voice sharp. “Are you telling me… the current takes people?”

“Sometimes it just knocks them down and rolls them around a bit, sometimes it drags them out into deep water. Sometimes, those people never make it back to shore,” Master Pakku answered, his eyes serious. “A rip current is a dangerous thing, but if you know what signs to watch for, you can avoid it. As is the case with most trickery, a keen eye for detail and a firm head on your shoulders will help you avoid most of the troubles headed your way.”

Katara nodded, frowning as she considered that. “So a trickster spirit who kills people…”

“Or just likes to play tricks on them!” Aang interrupted. “A trickster, you said. So they aren’t evil?”

“What is evil, to the ocean? What is good?” Master Pakku replied. “The Ocean is, and you must respect it. If you don’t, sometimes people get hurt. You don’t call a polar jaguar evil if it kills a man, for it is in a polar jaguar’s nature to kill and to eat. You blame the man for not approaching his hunt with the necessary caution and respect to subdue such a beast. The Ocean is like that, too. You must approach it with caution and respect, and should you lose your life to it, perhaps you have not respected it as much as you should.” Master Pakku nodded firmly to emphasize his point.

Sokka was nodding along with Katara - they’d both grown up knowing this, but it was still a difficult concept to think about, especially when there was a person out there taking the guise of a killer trickster spirit. Because while the Ocean may not be evil, people sure could be. Katara frowned, slowly bringing up that point. “So if the man in the mask is disguising himself as a trickster spirit of the ocean…”

“He must be against the Fire Nation! I mean, water and fire are opposites, right?” Aang looked hopeful. “He helped me once before, I’m sure he’d help us again if we needed it.”

Master Pakku looked about as convinced as Sokka, which wasn’t much. Katara wasn’t sure she agreed with their skepticism, though. Anyone who was helping Aang escape the Fire Nation couldn’t be all bad. Sure, whoever it was wore the mask of a trickster. They might be tricky, then. That was a lot better than the Fire Nation, which really was evil! As far as she was concerned, tricky beat evil any day.

“We don’t know what that man wants,” Master Pakku replied, “And I urge you to approach him as you would the ocean - with caution, and respect.”

“I can do that,” Aang promised, with a speed that made Katara wonder if he really meant it. “I just wish we could find him-”

At that moment, as if by providence, they heard a crashing sound and some yelling from just outside.

“Hey! You there!! Stop!”

“It’s the masked intruder! Get him!”

“Master Pakku! The masked man!”

By the time the third person had finished shouting, all four of them were piling out of Master Pakku’s house and into the street, where they saw - a man, not very big, bundled in pale furs, dual swords drawn, with a blue spirit-mask tied over his face.

And Aang, of course, couldn’t resist stepping in, breezing his way past the warriors to stand right in front of the sharp swords of a man wearing the mask of a trickster spirit. “Hey! Masky! You came back!”

~~*~~

If Aang looked surprised to see the Blue Spirit Mask Guy, the Blue Spirit Mask Guy (Sokka was going to have to figure out some better shorthand, that took way too long to say) looked way more surprised to be confronted with a bubbly airbender. Which was fair, as he’d obviously been gearing up for a fight with some guys who must have caught him sneaking around.

Actually, now that he considered that, why was the guy sneaking around? What was he after? Was he looking for someone or something in particular?

“Avatar Aang,” Master Pakku called exasperatedly, “Those are swords.”

“I know, cool, right?” Aang replied, gesturing to the gleaming steel with a wide grin, obviously having completely missed the point.

In fairness, the Blue Spirit Mask Guy (ugh) looked as exasperated as Master Pakku, which was impressive considering all he had to work with was his body language. Sokka considered getting a few pointers - he’d kill to be able to express sheer exasperation through a slouched shoulder or two.

Slowly, which was probably a good idea considering he was facing down some heavy hitters in the form of Master Pakku, Aang, and Katara, the Blue Spirit Mask Guy (Blue Guy? Mask Guy? Ugh) slowly sheathed his swords and lifted his hands in the air.

“Where did you go before?” Aang was asking the guy, apparently not having absorbed any part of Master Pakku’s suggestion that the mysterious Mask Guy (yeah no he wasn’t feeling it) be approached with caution and respect.

Oddly, the Blue Masked Guy (that's a negative) gestured briefly, waving his hands in a small circle before pointing to the street. Sokka had no idea what the guy was trying to say, and it seemed like Aang wasn’t too sure, either, because he tilted his head as if scrutinizing the Mask-Wearing Menace (nah) before brushing the matter aside. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here now,” he declared, grabbing the Blue Spirit’s arm (still not quite doing it) and dragging him towards Master Pakku, Sokka, and Katara. “Hey guys!” he called as he manhandled a man who seemed almost twice his size past the first of the three Water Tribesmen who had sounded the alarm, “This is the guy who saved me from that Fire Nation fortress!”

Sokka hadn’t realized it was possible for someone to look embarrassed while wearing a mask, but this guy’s cringe was on point. He looked like he was shrinking into himself more with every step closer that Aang took. Sokka was about to remind Aang to proceed with caution and respect when Katara stepped forward.

“Hi,” his darling, idiotic sister said, approaching Aang and his Masked Friend (not that one, either). “I’m Katara. Thank you for helping Aang, it means a lot to us.”

If Masky (it would do, for the time being) could have melted into the ground, at this point he probably would have. At least, it sure seemed that way. He nodded jerkily, before shuffling into an awkward Earth Kingdom style bow. Huh. Interesting. Sokka noted Katara filing that information away as well, and felt a small flush of pride. She was annoying, sure, but she was still his sister, and she was smart and capable. He’d never ever admit it to her face, but moments like these, he was glad to be her big brother. “And I’m Sokka,” he added, joining the group because it seemed like the situation was pretty well defused at this point (at least the swords had gone away) and he figured a bit of solidarity was in order. “And you are?”

Masky shrugged one shoulder, gestured briefly with his hands, then shrugged again.

“Can’t you talk?” Katara asked, sounding concerned. “Are you hurt?”

Masky shook his head in a negative response, pointed to his throat, gestured low to the ground (about toddler height), made a slashing motion at his throat, then shrugged again, as if to say it was something from when he was young. Pretty impressive gesture work, all things considered. “So what do we call you, then?” Sokka pressed, not willing to let this one drop. He was not going to keep calling him Masky.

Masky had the audacity to shrug, then point to his mask.

“I am not calling you Masky,” Sokka declared.

Masky recoiled a bit, as if he hadn’t expected that, then pointed at his pants, next.

“I’m also not calling you pants,” Sokka added. “Or any other clothing or accessory.”

Masky gestured exasperatedly for a second before pointing at the sky, his mask, and his pants in rapid succession, then pointed at Sokka, Katara, and Master Pakku. This confused all of them.

“I gotta admit, I am totally lost,” Sokka said. “I guess Masky it is.”

Masky made a sort of strangling gesture in the air, then sighed, nodding slowly.

“So… Masky,” Master Pakku said dryly, wincing slightly as though the word Masky left a bad taste in his mouth, “Why are you here?”

Masky made an exaggerated gesture of looking, lifting a hand up to his forehead and gazing dramatically to the left and the right.

“You’re looking for something?” Sokka guessed.

Masky nodded sharply, then lifted his left hand up over his eye and wiggled his fingers.

Aang and Katara exchanged confused glances with Sokka, but Master Pakku seemed to figure it out pretty fast.

“You’re looking for the Fire Nation Prince, Zuko?” he asked.

Masky nodded a few times, then gestured as if setting something aside, and stretched his arms out wider, as if he were more bulky, then pantomimed drinking tea.

Master Pakku’s eyes narrowed as he said, “And his … Uncle?”

Masky nodded again.

As surprising as it was to hear that there was someone apparently pursuing Aang’s pursuer, Sokka had a bigger question. As far as he knew, Pakku had been out fighting the invasion when Zuko and his Uncle had shown up.

So how did he know they were here? And if he knew that they were here, why wasn’t he looking for them?

#blue spirited away #blue spirit #zuko #atla #atla fanfic

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 4 years

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A Flame For A Cabbage (Part 3)

Azula returns to her loft feeling delighted and dismal in equal measure. On one hand, she has coin enough for roast duck and pan-fried noodles and then some. On the other, she is down another crop of cabbages. She has no idea how she is going to get the wall sludge off of her stall. She pushes her stall back to its place at the edge of her cabbage field and sighs.

It looks like she is due for a trip to the public bathhouse. She hates the bathhouse, too many wandering eyes and clothing thieves. And that doesn’t even cover the occasional piranha-ray attack. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to replace the koi with those to cut back on spending is a fool.

She makes her way to the springs regardless. She scans the water for the piranha-rays, upon deeming the coast clear, she strips and slips into the water. She is going to have to do some laundry when she gets home. She exhales with the steam of the spring, a feeling like she will never be fully clean again begins to settle in. But she doesn’t have time to dwell upon that.

“Hey.” Speaks a low and raspy voice. And there it is, the other reason she hates the public bathhouse.

Azula groans.

“You owe me three fiddy.”

Azula grumbles and pulls out a few counterfeit coins and slides it to the Loch Ness monster. “Now leave me alone.”

The creature sinks back beneath the surface and swims away. Azula doesn’t put much thought into how little sense it makes for such an enormous creature to soundly occupy such a small space. She quickly shampoos her hair and soaps her body. She is growing hungry and that roast duck is sounding very good right about now.

.oOo.

Sie scowls. “I think we lost” echos in his mind. “Not kidding.” He frowns to himself. Not only did they lose but they are covered in wall juice. It comforts him little that TyLee remains outside building mudmen.

“I made you a mud pie.” She declares.

Sie doesn’t have time for these games. He doesn’t know how, but this is the fault of that cabbage merchant. She must have enchanted the cabbage with performance enhancing drugs. Yes, that is it. That is the only explanation as to how he might have lost. It doesn’t have anything to do with his own actions.

He finds himself a seat and pulls it into the corner. The left corner. That is his plotting corner.

“Hey, you’re going to have to leave now.” General Sung says. “We defeated you three hours ago.”

TyLee sticks out her tongue and spits at him.

“Listen, we can’t have you out here. There’s this secret government agency that is trying to keep the public from knowing about the war and if they see you…”

“What?” Sie asks. “What are they gonna do.”

“They’re gonna be really mad.” Sung says in a sing-song voice, one that lets everyone know why he is named Sung.

“How mad?”

“Seven.”

“Seven?”

“Seven mad.” Sung replies. He stalks off leaving Sie to wonder what exactly that means. Is it a rating scale? Are they, whoever they are, going to be seven levels of mad? Are they going to be mad for seven reasons? “Mai, TyLee, what does ‘seven mad’ mean?”

.oOo.

Azula makes her way over to the Jasmine Dragon. On a normal day, she would offer the severs some cabbages. Ruefully this is not a normal day, they are going to be very disappointed. Azula finds her usual spot.

“What are you doing here!?” The waiter demands, furiously. He is always so angry, as though every ounce of teenage angst that has ever been put out into the world has come together and flowed into this boy.

“I am getting tea.” Azula replies. “And some roasted duck and pan-fried noodles.”

Through gritted teeth the scarred boy says, “really, what the hell are you doing here?”

What is she doing here? She ponders. What is anyone doing here. She was born, she supposes. By chance a cluster of cells had come together to form her instead of someone else. She wonders if it really is chance at all or if life has some sort of design. A design that intended for her, Azula, the cabbage merchant, to exist and exist as she does currently with the temperament that she currently has. By extension she wonders if any of her choices matter at all; would she still be sitting in the Jasmine Dragon no matter what decision she had chosen or was it already decided by the fates that she would end up here in this location. Perhaps in another life she would not be in the Jasmine Dragon. She might be dwelling in a drill. She might be something more than a cabbage merchant. But then, perhaps, even if she was the Fire Lord, she would still be waiting here, in the Jasmine Dragon, for some roast duck because that is life’s design.

Azula frowns, she hates it when people make her question her existence and the vast enigma of life and the delicate strings and laws of time and space that flow perpetually and primordially, keeping the universe together as it is now.

Having that train of thought so potent in her mind, she considers that maybe today should be the day that she finally asks the big question.

“Why are you here!?” The boy demands again. He hasn’t even asked her what drink she’d like to start with.

Yes, she decides. Today will be the day. “Can I speak to the manager?”

“My manager can’t change that your coupon expired ten years ago.” The boy growls.

“This didn’t even exist ten years ago.” Azula argues.

“It’s not my fault that your coupon exists on an entirely different timeplane!”

“Well you shouldn’t be handing out coupons that existed before your shop.” Azula replies. “I am a merchant myself and I would never give my customers time traveling coupons. I don’t give them coupons at all. Just cabbages. Only. Cabbages.” She pauses. “Anyways, that’s not what I want to speak with him about.”

“Sorry about my cranky nephew.”

“Uncle!” The boy says, “It’s--”

“He is going through a rough time. His father has sent him away, he’s trying to figure out who he is…”

“You’re only paying him minimum wage?” Azula puts in.

“...His date the other night didn’t go well…”

“And you’re horribly understaffed.” Azula notes.

“...And I made him clean out his sock drawer. Did you know that he only has one pair of matching socks and that those socks have pictures of Kpop idols on them?”

Azula tilts her head. “Pictures of what?” Before the man can answer she waves a hand. “I am not hear to discuss your nephew’s angst. I am here to discuss a business partnership.”

The old man blinks.

“I am cabbage merchant, Azula and I believe that we can help each other out. I know that you have just opened your shop about a month ago. I have been doing business here for years. As a well-established seller of cabbage, I know how to bring in clients.”

“Then why do I always see you with a full cart!?” The boy shouts from behind the counter.

Azula grits her teeth. “Because I work very fast. I replace a cabbage as soon as it is sold.”

“How does that work?”

“I simply tear a whole in the air around me, reach into the portal, and pull out a cabbage.” Azula shrugs. “That is how all cabbages are grown.”

“That was the worst lie I’ve ever heard.”

Azula narrows her eyes. She holds up a single pointer and cuts a small rip into the fabric of time and space. She leaves it there just long enough for the boy to see before sealing it up. “Why do you think I keep my nails so long and pointed?”

The boy only blinks at her. She understands his confusion, for he was right, she had been lying. She lifts her pointer again, this time she can’t seem to tear another rift. “Born lucky.” She mutters to herself. “What do you say…”

“Iroh.” The man fills in.

“What do you say Iroh, will you be my business partner? Together we will be the strongest small-town franchise in the world, we will dominate the earth!” Realizing that she might be coming on too strong she adds, more quietly, “or at least the food industry. We can try to weaponize our business in the distant future.”

Iroh strokes his beard as he considers her offer.

“Can we discuss it over pan-fried rice and roast duck?” She asks, realizing that she still hasn’t awarded herself for her hard work.

“Yes, let’s talk business over a fine meal!” Iroh declares. “Zuko, let’s prep a meal!”

Zuko groans. “You can’t partner with the Jasmine Dragon! Tea and cabbage don’t even go together, that’s like the toothpaste and orange juice of food service.”

Azula rolls her eyes. Zuko is such a child. A child and a pessimist. But she...she is a visionary. A conqueror. And she knows very well that the key to dominating the food sales industry is acquiring a formidable alley. Preferably one who has more than just a janky little stall.

.oOo.

“Are we there yet?” TyLee asks.

Sie pinches the bridge of his nose. The question bothers him for several reasons. The largest reason being that it implies that there is a ‘there’ to get to, even though Sie as given no indication whatsoever that they have any one destination in mind.

“Where are we going, anyways?” Mai questions.

He likes that question even less because it implies that he knows where to go from here. That drill was supposed to have worked. Now he has no plans and no leads. He has nothing but the knowledge that his father is going to light him aflame if he doesn’t figure out something fast.

“Are we there now?” TyLee speaks.

“Yes!” He throws his hands up in frustration. “We are! We’re exactly where we need to be! Right in the middle of an unfamiliar forest where we can hide from our shame and humiliation.”

Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal! Mai hits a button on her phone. “Sorry, forgot to put it on silent.” She pauses. “But in my defense, I didn’t think we would even get service out here.” Another pause. “Actually, to be honest, I didn’t think that I had one of these. What is this?” She holds up the phone before it fades out of existence and she forgets that she had it at all. To fill the void left by its disappearance, a kumquat is penciled into her hand.

Sie squints, he can’t shake the feeling that something has gone amiss. But what?

“I want to help you. You're hurt. We can help you feel better.” A voice in the distance keeps him from contemplating it for too long. “And we can help you find Aang.”

Sie creeps his way closer and pushes some brambles aside to have a better look. It would seem as if his aimless meandering has led him to a new opportunity. Surely it will end with just as much humiliation as his prior attempt but it is better than going to face his father without doing everything in his power to complete his mission first.

He takes a deep breath and turns to Mai and TyLee, “it’s disguise time ladies.”

.oOo.

Azula drums her fingers on the table. She is growing tired of staring at the graffiti on the table. An etching captioned, ‘my largge peengus by Toph’ had only been funny for a few minutes. She wonders if whoever wrote that had meant to spell the word wrong. She also wonders why the image itself is so squiggly. Moreso, she wonders why she is putting so much thought into such vulgar graffiti.

The more she sits there, the more she considers trying to cover up the vile artwork with something more tea-shop appropriate.

“You!” Booms a voice from the doorway.

Azula looks up. The boy seems to be pointing at her. Azula stands, he must know of her renowned cabbages and is trying to get one for himself. She sighs, “I am truly sorry, but I just recently lost…”

“No, not you.” The boy laughs awkwardly.

“Oh.” She also laughs awkwardly.

So does Ozai, for he has just been caught reading a hentai comic at his own war meeting.

“Yeah.” The boy rubs the back of his head. “I’m looking for a firebender.”

“Oh, yes, that is not me.” Azula replies. “I cannot bend fire.”

The boy nods. “That’s good because I’d have to…” he slashes his hook swords through the air “you too and I don’t want to have to…” another swoosh of his swords “you too.”

Azula nods, “I would not like to be…” she gives him time to make the gesture a third time.

“I think that the guys who run this place are firebenders so I have to get rid of them before they allow the war to get into Ba Sing Se.”

Azula perks up. “You know about the war!?” Finally, someone who isn’t a complete and utter moron. Definitely a moron, but not completely so. She can work with that. Especially since the moron is more charming than the soldier she had met on the wall.

“YOU!” Booms another voice, this one belonging to one of two uniformed men.

She is amazed by her own popularity tonight. “Sorry, my cabbages have been…”

“Not you.” The man clarifies. “Him.” He points to the boy next to her.

The man next to him nudges him and mutters something.

The first man clears his throat. “Actually, you as well.”

Azula grins but only for a moment before she recalls the bitter facts. “I’m sorry, but I can’t sell you any cabbages because…”

“Yup, that’s definitely the right one.” Mutters man two.

“Both of you are under arrest.”

“Arrest?” Azula furrows her brows. “Look, I know that I wasn’t supposed to be on the wall but those soldiers enjoyed their cabbages.” A strong set of arms attempt to pin her arms behind her back. She ducks under and sweeps her leg under the man’s. He topples and his companion is on her in seconds. She wishes with more fury that cabbagebending were a thing. The first man to attack her now wrestles with the other boy. They encase his arms in a prison of heavy rock.

“Are you sure that you don’t just want to buy a cabbage?” Azula asks as she ducks under a rock. She wonders why it is taking Iroh and Zuko so long to make her food. She gives the man a swift kick but he catches her foot in a cluster of rocks much like the ones around the boy’s wrists. It throws her balance enough to land her on the ground. “What do you want with me?” She scowls.

“To help you.” The man says.

Azula tilts her head, quizzically. “To help me? You know how to make a profit off of cabbages?”

“Enough with the cabbages!” The man shouts. “No. We’ve heard tell that you and that boy are trying to spark panic via vicious lies and rumors.” He elaborates, “there is no war in Ba Sing Se and the two of you will soon realize that.”

Two things happen at once; another man walks in. She recognizes him as the first man she had attempted to sell to before trying her luck with the soldiers. He looks truly and unapologetically smug. The weasley little snitch.

At the same time she sees Iroh and Zuko emerge from the kitchen. She can only watch longingly as the uniformed man drags her further and further from her hard-earned pan-fried noodles and roast duck.

“No!” The boy cries. “No! You’re arresting the wrong people! You need to go after them! They’re the firebenders!”

“There is no war in Ba Sing Se.” The two men repeat in unison.

Azula does not quite understand, all she wants to do is sell cabbagges. Why is it so hard to sell a few spiritdamned cabbages!? They pass by the man who ratted her out, “that’ll teach you not to question my spending choices.” He folds his arms over his chest with a humph.

Azula narrows her eyes. Next to her the boy is still thrashing and screaming. But not her. No, she is not a screamer. She is an opportunist. Perhaps she can sell a few cabbages to these men. Surly they will need nutritious sustenance if they are going to try to overthrow their current government.

#Avatar #Azula #Zuko #Jet #Cabbage Man #Fanfiction

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