Nightfall

Thirty Two

He smiled before turning around, following Sokka and Iroh out of the room. Katara's eyes lingered on the empty doorway for a second longer than what she wanted, so she faced Lu Ten again. He had a curious look on his face, but it quickly changed when he saw her looking at him.

"Are you going to finish that papaya?" he asked her.

"No."

"Do you not like it?"

"No."

"Are you going to say anything else to me, besides no?"

"No."

Katara didn't really know why she was acting like that with him. Maybe it was because he had chosen to team up with Zuko and Azula. She didn't really trust him because of that. Or maybe it was because his father was the leader of this operation. She also didn't trust his father much because he was treating this operation like it was something so easy to do, when it actually wasn't. 

"Look, I'm sorry that I teamed up with my cousins," Lu Ten said softly. "I didn't have a choice, though."

"Why?" Katara asked him. "No one else can make choices for you. Only you can do that."

"It's not that simple, Katara." Lu Ten shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Of course I would understand." She was starting to get angry now. He wasn't giving her the whole truth when he should have been. "I've had people making my choices forever. I'm tired of it now. Isn't that why we're revolting? To give the people the ability to choose where they work and who they love?"

Lu Ten sighed and hung his head. "I'm sorry." He remained silent for a little bit, like he was gathering his thoughts. "I had to do it so my uncle wouldn't be suspicious of me." He locked eyes with her. "As you know, there are cameras in the Games so the people could watch and be entertained. President Ozai also watches to make sure the ones he wants to win actually do win."

"He was going to rig the Games?"

"He has been since he became president about three years ago. You hadn't noticed that every person winning was from District One or Two?"

"Not really. I hate the Games, so I don't really pay attention to any of that."

"That makes sense. I hate them, too."

The two of them fell into silence. It was sort of uncomfortable, but also kind of nice. Now that she knew why he had to team up with Zuko and Azula, she felt better about him. She still didn't really trust him, but she knew that he had a good heart. 

"The next team to come get their weapons and armor are Katara and Lu Ten," Iroh said. 

Katara turned around and saw him standing in the doorway again. Aang and Sokka had come back in the room; they were standing near a training dummy in the far corner. It looked like Aang didn't have any weapons on him besides the staff they found in the Games. Sokka, however, had a sword on his hip and a club on his back. 

She followed Iroh and Lu Ten into the hallway. The two of them were chatting together, but she felt like she would be intruding if she listened to them. Lu Ten looked much happier standing next to his father than he ever did before. Katara missed that feeling. She wished she could experience it again, but she knew she couldn't. Her mother and grandmother were dead, and her father rarely ever came home enough to spend time with them. 

The next room they entered was filled to the brim with all sorts of weapons and armor. Whatever she wanted, it was right at her fingertips. Metal glinted in the sunlight that shone through the window, almost blinding her. The White Lotus knew their way around weapons, that was for sure.

Katara gravitated over to the knife section. She didn't really know how to use a sword or anything else like that, but she could probably learn how to use a knife. The knife she picked up was about the same weight as the knives she used back at home for work. 

She peered closely at the handle of the knife and noticed a small symbol carved into it. It looked like a lotus, but there was something wrong with it. Each bud of the lotus resembled something; she just didn't know what it was yet. 

"The symbol is a mix between a sundial and a lotus," Iroh said, startling her. She glanced up to find him standing right next to her. "That's the official White Lotus symbol."

She thought that the symbol was only a sundial. That was what her necklace was, right? Reaching into her shirt, Katara pulled the necklace that Sokka had given her out and gasped in surprise. Apparently, she hadn't paid that much attention to it because, sure enough, it was a mix of the lotus and sundial. 

"Don't worry, it's hard to notice unless you know it's there," Iroh said gently.

"Right."

Katara walked over to where Lu Ten was and saw him fawning over a sword. "Fun fact: the shape of the arena was going to be a sundial," Lu Ten said after he noticed her. "Since my father is a Gamemaster, he tried to make the shape of the arena a sundial, but he realized it would be too much and someone might notice so they went with the shape of a compass."

"That's not really a fun fact," Katara said crossly. 

She gripped the knife in her hands, holding it close to her chest. It brushed against the sundial necklace that she forget she was wearing during the Games. It hovered over her beating heart, telling her everything would be better soon. She hoped it was right.