"Tu Cho!" Malina called cheerfully as she came up on Kita and her mother building a little snowman outside of city hall. Malina was carrying a few scrolls of paper.
Tu Cho looked over the snowman at the sound of her name with a smile. "Good morning, Malina."
"Good morning," she smiled. "Good morning, Kita."
"Good morning, nice lady!" Kita said with a smile as she packed snow between the bottom and middle ball off the snowman, making it very lopsided.
Malina giggled. "I'm not sure she remembers my name. How are you this morning, Tu Cho?"
"I'm pretty good," Tu Cho said. "I think I'm going to have to get a thicker workout mat than I have." She flexed her scared fingers. "I just about froze my hands off doing my morning workout today."
Malina giggled again. "I suppose you're probably not used to the ice being fire nation and all."
"No, not really. We get some in the winter but it doesn't last long." Tu Cho chuckled. "So what's up?"
Malina set the scrolls on the snow before opening the first one. "Okay, first, I have the proposed sketches for your house." The unrolled scroll had a badly drawn palace with quickly scribbled numbers and notes in Sokka's handwriting. "Can you make sense of them for me?"
Tu Cho took the scroll. "Don't worry, Malina. No one can make sense of Sokka's work except me. And our home will not look like this. I've lived in too many palaces for one life."
"How many have you lived in?" Malina asked.
"Only one," Tu Cho said, "but still one too many."
"I'll let you take care of that then," Malina said. "If you could just get me a clean copy of the new plans within a week, we'll get started right away so it's finished before the baby is born."
"Sounds great." Tu Cho said with a smile. "What's next?"
"Next is I need your betrothal necklace for the ceremony tomorrow. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to a lot of people, about the southern wedding customs and I think I've managed to piece together a good strong version of the customs. That's what these scrolls are. Of course, given the people involved, I want to put a small spin on it."
"A small spin?" I asked.
"Yes. I want to include Kita in the ceremony, most girls in the tribe were married up to two years prior to having children, and I'd like to acknowledge your home country in the ceremony."
"My home county? How do you want to do that?"
"Well, I'd like to introduce you using your full title and I'd like you to wear the colors of your home."
"My home..." Tu Cho said thoughtfully. The Fire Nation was her home... but so was Kyoshi.
"I thought it would be a nice way to show this was an international marriage." Malina said. "Everything else will be done in the traditional way. Pakku even agreed to officiate."
"Master Pakku?" Tu Cho said, lifting the smallest ball onto the short snowman for Kita. "He actually said yes?"
"When I asked he said he felt it was his duty as the eldest tribe member. He also said something along the lines of 'a good woman should keep that boy in line.' He seems to only have good things to say about you so you certainly have an advocate in him."
"Advocate?" Tu Cho said. "That implies people are saying things against me. Are you sure putting me in fancy red silks rather than blue and white lace and furs is a good idea?"
"I want people to know that you're a powerful ally for the water tribes. We're playing on the world stage now and there's no one better to exemplify that than you since you're already a mixed nation family." She paused, her smile falling a tiny bit, "But, of course, if you're still not comfortable with that, we can find you a water tribe wedding dress..."
Tu Cho thought for a moment. She knew Malina was right. Plus when had she ever followed other people's expectations of her? "I'll wear my red robes," Tu Cho said.
"Great!" Malina said, her excitement renewed.
***
Tu Cho and Kita walked into Hadoka's office where Sokka and Hadoka were looking over a map of the old fire nation war ship. "Sokka? Are you busy?"
The two men looked up at her. Hadoka stood. "Someone is in trouble," he chuckled to himself.
"Not in trouble," Tu Cho said, lifting the scroll. "Just very, very forgetful. Sokka," she unrolled the scroll, not allowing Hadoka to leave before she took over his desk, "I don't want to live in another palace."
Hadoka slid out from behind his desk and picked up Kita. "Alright, Kita, why don't you show granddad the snowman you made?"
"Okay!" Kita said with a smile as the two left the office.
"I... uh... I thought you'd like it..."
"Sokka, I don't want to live in something quite this extravagant..." Tu Cho said. "The fire palace, the palace at Ba Sing Se, the palace being built for your father, they're all too much for me."
"Give me another shot at designing the house," Sokka said with a determined smile. "Something simpler this time."
"Alright," Tu Cho said. "This time, just show me before taking it to Malina."
"Of course!" Sokka said kissing his wife. "I love you."
"I love you too, Sokka." Tu Cho said, pulling away.