CHAPTER SIXTEEN
( FIGHTS AND PROBLEMS IN THE NORTH )
"SO WHAT ARE YOU doing today, Flo?" asked Katara.
Flo glanced up for a split second before looking back down as she tugged on one of the boots. They were all getting ready for the day despite the early hour. The sun had barely even risen above the horizon; she was kind of surprised they were all awake.
"What do you mean?" she asked, putting the other boot on. When Aang, who currently sat beside her, airbent some air to make her hair get in her face right when she was about to pull half of it in a topknot, she pursed her lips together in annoyance. Then, she reached over and tugged on the back of his robes until they were over his head, covering his eyes.
"Hey!"
"It's just that Aang and I are going to meet up with Master Pakku, Sokka is going to warrior training, but you haven't said what you're doing," Katara explained.
"Oh." Flo shrugged. "I dunno." She had an idea – look at the star charts and all from the library – but she hadn't decided whether or not she wanted to do something else, too.
"Oh, c'mon, there has to be something!" exclaimed Sokka, hands going in the air from where he stood on the other side of the room. His hair was down, not in the usual wolf tail just yet, and Flo adamantly refused to look at him for more than two seconds because of it. "Like, uh... Maybe you can come to training with me? Or go shopping, that's always fun."
Katara scoffed. "When have you ever seen Flo shop at any of the market places we've been at?"
"Katara has a point," Aang said.
"Always!" Sokka paused. "...I think."
"I used money on Kyoshi, but that's the only time. If I get anything from a marketplace it's usually stolen," Flo admits. The surprised stares she got in return made her brows knit together. "What? It's just stealing. It's not the worst thing I've done."
A weird noise left the back of Aang's throat, and Katara made an expression that Flo couldn't exactly read. Sokka shrugged.
"She has a point," he said to the other two, and immediately started fixing his hair.
An amused scoff came from Katara, followed by, "Of course you think that."
"Shut up, Katara!"
Before an argument could break out between the two, Flo spoke up, "Aren't you and Aang about to be late for your water bending lessons?" When the two younger members of their group looked at in slight confusion, Flo gestured to the light that was starting to become visible outside.
Katara gasped. "You're right! C'mon, Aang!" She grabbed Aang's arm and pulled him off of the ground. The two ran off immediately, shouting their goodbyes that quickly turned into an excited conversation about waterbending, their voices getting quieter the further they went.
Flo stood and stretched, rubbing at her eyes tiredly as she reached for her bow and arrows. "I'm leaving too," she said. "Gonna find something for breakfast."
"Aw, man, you're leaving me?" Sokka whined.
She shrugged and motioned to the giant lump of fur on her sleeping bag. "You've still got Sleemo and Momo." Then after a short beat, "But, I mean... I never said you couldn't come with." Flo minutely froze for a second, and wondered if that sounded weird in any way, the anxiety about it growing when Sokka just stared at her in poorly hidden surprise.
"Oh, uh-."
Flo panicked. She blurted out, "Bye," and left an instant later. She hurried along the icy walkway, hands messing with the strap of her quiver.
Friends were something Flo wasn't used to having, but she could begrudgingly admit that Aang, Katara, and Sokka were quickly becoming just that despite how much she didn't want that to happen. Although, she would continue to do her best to ignore the fact that she might be starting to feel something just a little bit more for Sokka.
All of that to say, Flo felt like she had no idea how to be friends with someone anymore.
How she acted with the Freedom Fighters in probably wouldn't be a good way to judge on how to be friends with someone. Once upon a time, she did call them friends, maybe even family – she, Smellerbee, and Longshot were a trio of best friends, Pipsqueak easily made her laugh, Sneers and her loved teaming up to prank the others, she saw The Duke as her little brother, and before her relationship with him ended, Jet was the person she was closest to. But they all left her, and how she acted with them back then was different than how she now acted with Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Or, rather, how she wanted to act.
Flo was a different person than she was back then. Yet, she felt the same somehow. They didn't deserve the angry Fire Hunter. They deserved someone better.
Sometimes she found herself wondering why they wanted to be her friend in the first place. Flo didn't feel like there was anything friendly about her, not after all these years; not after being the Fire Hunter. Despite that, Aang had been eager to get close to her form the beginning and the others were quick to do the same.
Everything about it confused her. And, if she wanted to be honest, it terrified her.
She was attached to these doofuses, and the risk of losing them was high.
Flo briefly shut her eyes as she walked. She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts, and opened her eyes again as she turned a corner.
"Flo! Flo, wait up!"
At her name, she halted her steps. With furrowed brows, she turned and back tracked, and only to have Sokka run into her as she rounded the corner. It caused them to almost fall, and she let out a short shout of surprise. She gripped the front of his parka to keep from going backwards and his hands automatically grabbed her waist. Once they were steady on their feet, both of them froze, extremely aware of how they were standing and how close they were.
Flo involuntarily held her breath, dark brown eyes stuck Sokka's blue ones. It was the first time she really noticed how nice of a color they were. That thought left quickly and was replaced by internal panicking.
It sure felt like they stayed that way for a long time, but also not at all.
Sokka yanked his hands up into a surrender position with a nervous laugh the same time Flo let go of his parka and jerked back to put space in between them. Her face felt warm. She self consciously rubbed her cheek and scratched at her jaw.
"Um." Sokka nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, and his cheeks were tinged pink but that had to be because of the freezing weather. "Sorry, I didn't– uh, I wasn't expecting you to walk back."
"It's fine," she said, ignoring the quick beating of her heart. "So... Did you need something?"
"No. I was just, y'know, wondering if I could join you for breakfast?" he asked. His voice rose a bit in pitch. He almost sounded nervous. "Or not, it's no big deal. I know you like alone time, so if that's the case we can do something later. Like, uh, an activity. Or something."
Flo blinked in surprise. "You actually want to?"
He looked at her in vague bewilderment. "Uh, yeah? Of course I do. You're my friend. Friends do stuff together, like, all the time."
At that, the topic of her thoughts from earlier came back into her head. She tried to shoo them away.
Still, there was a part of her brain telling, shouting, at herself to say no. Don't get attached any more than you already are. It won't end pretty. There was a reason you isolated yourself in the first place. The other part of her brain told her to let him tag along, because why not? Sokka was right. Friends did stuff together. And they were safe within the walls of the Northern Water Tribe.
"...Okay."
Sokka began to grin. "Okay?" he repeated. "As in, I can come with you?"
Flo nodded. She gave him a small, hesitant yet genuine smile. "You can tell me more about Water Tribe food or something."
"Great! Let's go search for something then, c'mon." Sokka grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
It didn't take too long for them to find a place to eat. Flo let Sokka order for them both – turtle-seal stew for her and smoked northern salmon for him, both with fresh tea; neither of them ended up paying, because once the waitress realized they were two of the people traveling with the Avatar, it was on the house. Flo definitely wasn't going to complain. Teo and his father spared them some money before they left, and the less they spent of it, the better.
As they sat and ate, Sokka did most of the talking. He eagerly spoke of warrior's training that he was going to after, and mentioned weapons and fighting techniques that Flo didn't recognize. Occasionally, she talked, but not much. Admittedly, it was nice to just listen.
It was nice merely hanging out without having to be on the look out for Prince Zuko or someone else from the Fire Nation, too.
When they were both close to being done, Sokka asked, "Do you really not know what you're doing today after this?"
Flo set the cup down from drinking the last bit of tea and shrugged. "I have an idea, but I might do something beforehand," she admitted.
"Why don't you come to warrior training with me?" he suggested.
She shook her head. "I don't want to be around a bunch of stinky boys."
"Hey, I don't stink!" She raised an eyebrow and he relented with, "...Most of the time."
She amusedly smiled. "I found the library last night," she said after a moment. "I'm thinking of spending time there."
He made a face at that. "Really? The library? But that's so boring! Why not archery practice or something?"
"Because I don't want to, doofus. I'd rather check out the library today." More like the star charts, because like hell was she miraculously going to be able to read.
Sokka laughed, but not unkindly. "Wow. I had no idea you were a nerd."
"Me?" She asked. "You're the one who was glued to Teo's dad's side at the Northern Air Temple and freaked out over machines. You are the nerd here."
"Uh, excuse me, I think you mean I'm a genius," he corrected.
She reached over and patted his arm. "Whatever makes you feel better, Sokka."
He let out a squawk of indignation, and she quietly giggled as she stacked up their dirty dishes to make it easier for whoever cleaned their table later. "Hey!"
"Is for ostrich-horses."
Sokka leaned back, and dramatically crossed his arms and pouted. "You are such a smartass. And mean."
"Glad you finally figured that out." Flo stood and he followed suit. They walked back out side by side, and eventually slowed to a stop at the top of one of the many bridges. No one was around this area, so they weren't in the way of anyone.
Standing by the icy railing and facing one another, Flo noticed when Sokka got visibly nervous. He placed his hands in the pockets of his backs and rocked lightly on his feet, shoulders a little tense. She didn't understand why he felt that way all of a sudden, but didn't bother asking.
"Hey, so... This was fun," he said.
She nodded to silently agree.
"Do you... Can we do it again tomorrow?" he asked the same way he had to get breakfast with her. "It can be, like, our thing."
"Our thing?" she repeated, slightly confused. Her brows furrowed together as he head tilted a little. "What do you mean?"
"Like Katara and Aang have waterbending lessons together, and me and you... I don't know, maybe we can have breakfast together? Make a routine out of it or something? I just think it's be nice, y'know, to spend time together without our annoying younger siblings."
Flo blinked a couple of times. "Aang isn't–" She cut herself off when Sokka pinned her with a deadpan stare. She scowled and insisted, "He isn't my little brother."
"It's not a crime to care for someone, Flo," he told her.
Her scowl shifted into a frown and she cut her eyes to the side; she crossed her arms and gripped at her elbows. That maybe true, but it sure felt like some sort of death sentence more often than not. "I didn't say I didn't," she quietly admitted. "I just said he's not my little brother. He can't be."
Those thoughts from before abruptly came rushing back. The ones about how it confused her how Aang and Sokka and Katara were all pretty quick to want to befriend her. About how she told herself not to get attached to them, yet here she was, certifiably attached and terrified. About how she wasn't the nicest person – not now, and certainly not when she had been the Fire Hunter.
New ones came up along with them this time. Such as, no one stayed. She was bound to be separated from them at some point – whether they die or leave her behind was the real question. It almost happened once, back when they ran into Bato.
...If she admitted she saw Aang as a brother, it would just hurt more when the inevitable happened.
"Of course he can be," Sokka argued.
She shook her head. "No, Sokka."
"Flo..." He reached a hand out to her but she shifted away from it. He immediately retreated it. "I get where you're coming from, and I understand, but it won't hurt to stop holding us at arm's length."
She scoffed and it turned into a breathy, harsh laugh halfway through. "You don't understand at all." She she stepped around him and began to walk away.
"Yes, I do!" He followed her and grabbed her elbow to turn her around so they were facing each other again. "I know what it's like to be left behind and have someone you love die. My dad left the village two years ago to fight against the Fire Nation, and Katara and I haven't seen him since. A Fire Nation soldier killed my mother during a raid when I was a kid. It hurts – all the time. But that doesn't mean I should stop forming relationships with people around me."
"That's exactly it!" Flo blew up at him. She pushed his hand off of her arm. "You have friends and family – always have! Everyone I have ever loved has either died or left me without even thinking about it. I don't have anyone, Sokka!"
"Yes you do! You have us," he urged. "You- You have me. I promise."
Flo blankly stared at him. She wanted to believe him, was the problem. And if he said this a few days ago she would hesitantly allow herself to do so, but right now?
Right now, she couldn't bring herself to.
"...You can't promise that."
"Yes I can, because we are friends and you said so yourself."
"Well, then maybe I shouldn't have!" she blurted without thinking. "I joined you guys to keep you from dying or losing each other, not to make friends. It should have stayed that way!"
An abrupt silence fell.
Flo immediately regretted her words but refused to show it right then. The expression on Sokka's face was a mix of hurt and disbelief.
"You don't mean that," Sokka said. He wildly motioned in the direction they walked from. "We were just hanging out and having fun!"
"...I'm going to the library," she muttered. "Have fun at warrior training."
With that, she turned and briskly walked away. When she turned a corner she heard a shout of frustration.
+++
The library was as beautiful as the rest of the Northern Water Tribe. She hadn't noticed the night before, what with it being dark and all, as well as too focused on breaking and entering. On the outside there were ice pillars and two large wooden doors were carved with intricate designs. Inside, there were rows and rows of shelves of scrolls. There were a few tables that had multiple papers woven together. There were three floors in total. People lingered around in various areas; some of them looked to be scholars.
Flo wandered around with curious eyes. She wanted to find something, anything, to occupy her mind even though she couldn't read. Maybe there were scrolls made for children she could look at? Then she might head to the upper floors in search of the star charts she saw.
Anything to get her mind off of the argument with Sokka and everything else.
She looked at a few scrolls here and there out of curiosity. Some were shockingly long while others were short. Others had images painted alongside the words, and she took more time looking at those than any of the others.
In one corner she eventually came across a group of young girls and boys sitting in a circle on some cushions in a half circle, with someone who Flo assumed was a school teacher sitting in front of the kids on her own cushion. A middle aged woman read a story with eye catching and attention grabbing theatrics of a childish story of a fox-hare and a seal-turtle going on an adventure together. She stayed and listened for a bit before heading to the upper floors.
The second floor was much the same of the first one. The third floor, though, was where things changed a bit. Two signs were on either side of the stairs leading up to the third floor; Flo didn't even bother with trying to read them. There were a few closed doors, and she recognized it as the same area she was in the night before. She quickly got to work on figuring out which door held the star charts, and then promptly ran to the large circular table when she did.
Scrolls with notes that were partly rolled up, cleaned off brushes, dried ink and other similar things littered the table over the large paper that covered the table. A telescope stood near a rather large window on the far right. On a separate table against the wall to the left held some sort of tools she didn't know the names of.
Thinking to check those out later, she went to the star chart and gently pushed away a few brushes and a scroll to look at it properly. There were quite a few constellations that were different, she noticed. Still, were familiar ones. She peered down at them, eyes raking over the hand drawn stars until she spotted an arrangement of stars that made an arrow.
It was one Hachi made up with her on a night during the summer of her seventh birthday. There were eight stars in total. On one end there were three in a flat triangle that made the arrow head, then the three immediately to the left of the middle star that made a straight line were the shaft; the final two were diagonal in opposite directions of the last star, forming the fletching of an arrow.
"What should we call it?" Hachi had asked her. "We can't make one and then leave it nameless."
Flo remembered thinking hard about it. "The Arrow of the Ito." When had caught Hachi staring at her with an indescribable look, she explained, "There are eight of them. There are eight members of our family, the Ito family, and... Mom loved archery."
The Arrow of the Ito.
Flo traced it with a finger.
It was just a lone arrow in the sky right where it's supposed to be, surrounded by other stars and constellations.
+++
Flo didn't keep track of how long she stayed in the library, but the sun was beginning to set by the time she did leave.
But she didn't leave because she wanted to.
A librarian caught her still in the room with the star charts and immediately became furious. The aged woman stomped in and grabbed Flo's elbow before the teen could properly react, too caught off guard.
"What in Tui and La's names are you doing in here?" the old lady snapped. "This is an restricted area. Did you not read the signs by the stairs? These rooms are for scholars only!"
Flo tried to get out of her grip as she was dragged along, but the old lady was strong. "I- I was just curious," she explained. "I wanted to look at the charts, that's all."
"And risk tarnishing someone's hard work? Curiosity does not mean you can go wherever you please, young lady!"
"I didn't mean to–"
"And don't think I didn't see you earlier! Loitering around, not even getting a scroll to read." The old woman got to the entrance of the library and pulled Flo out. She didn't let go until they were a few steps away from it. "Those rooms are for scholars and astronomers only! You do not have the education to be in there. Unless you have a valid reason to be here and not dilly dally around uselessly, do not come back."
Flo floundered, taken back. She didn't get a chance to properly respond.
The old woman hurried back inside. When the wooden door shut, Flo flinched slightly and gaped at it.
It all happened so quick that she was a bit shocked that it did. She wasn't hurting anything, or even loitering, really. What the hell was that woman's problem? Even though she was right that Flo didn't have the education to be there, it still shouldn't be that big of a problem.
With a frustrated sigh, she glared and walked off. What was she supposed to do now? Finally think about what happened with Sokka? No fucking thanks. Maybe she could go see Appa, instead. Or find Katara and Aang to ask how their training went–
A muffled and panicked, "Oh shit," immediately caught her attention before she could decide on what to do.
Flo slowed her pace, and looked around to see who might have said that. She soon found a teen girl either her age or older on a secluded corner of the sidewalk. Two long, dark brunette braids, pale blue and white clothing and brown boots, light brown skin.
And her hand was on fire, pale yellow flames glowing brightly.
Flo took a sharp intake of breath. It was loud enough for the other girl to hear, and her head whipped to the side to look at her. The girl's dark blue eyes widened even more than they already were. The flames grew in size, too.
"Wait, I'm not–"
Without too much thought, Flo knocked an arrow to her bow. She didn't aim it; not yet. "You're a firebender," she accused.
The other girl grimaced. "Okay. Yes, but- but I'm not Fire Nation," she explained. "I swear! You have to believe me."
"And why should I?"
"Because I have lived here since I was three years old," she promised. "I have never willingly stepped foot in the Fire Nation. My mom took me and left to be with my father when she got the chance, and we have been here since."
Flo eyed the other girl warily.
She's a firebender, a voice sneered in her head that sounded a lot like Jet, they can't be trusted. You know that.
Against her instincts to keep her bow knocked with an arrow, she placed the arrow back in her quiver and held the bow at her side. "If that's so, then why are you hiding in a secluded area?"
The girl became conflicted and hesitant. "...Because I'm not supposed to be a firebender. I don't look like one. They usually have amber eyes; I have blue. My mom promised Chief Arnook I would become a waterbender or stay a nonbender when we moved here." She looked at her hand that was still covered in the yellow flames. "I've had to hide this so my mother wouldn't get caught in a lie."
Flo looked at the flames as well. She then looked back at the teen's face and saw poorly hidden panic. That expression intensified when they heard voices coming closer in their direction. Without a second thought, Flo dashed forward and gripped the girl's forearm, before yanking her down and shoving her hand into the water canal. There was the familiar hiss of fire dying out and few lines of smoke that weren't noticeable if someone stood far away.
The two girls stood back up as a trio of men turned the corner. Everyone paused and stared at one another. The teen's shoulders loosened a little.
"Akiko?" questioned the man in the middle. He was middle aged, and had the same eyes as the girl. He and the other two men held fishing tools but no actual fish. "What are you doing? I thought you said you were going to speak with Princess Yue."
Akiko's shoulders loosened even more, only to form into a small slump before she straightened just as fast. "Oh, yeah, hi Dad. I did. But the Chief needed her for something, so I decided to go for a walk. Um, she and I just ran into each other. Almost fell in the water." She chuckled, so did the men.
Flo nodded to back up her story.
The man hummed. "I'm sorry your time with her got cut short. And forgive me for not introducing myself sooner," he said to Flo, "I'm Bardo – one of the training instructors for the nonbending men, and Akiko's father." He bowed in greeting, and Flo returned the action. "These are my friends, Ujaraak and Yutu." The other two men bowed, too.
"I'm Flo," she introduced herself. "I came here with the Avatar."
The man to the right of straightened. "You're Flo?"
She eyed him suspiciously. "Um... Yes?"
"I met Sokka today during training. He mentioned you."
Flo didn't know how to respond to that. "Oh. Cool."
"Well, the guys and I are going night fishing," Bardo told his daughter. "I won't be home until possibly dawn. Behave for your mother and grandmother while I'm gone."
Akiko nodded. "I will, promise."
The father and daughter said their goodbyes, and the other two men did the same with Akiko.
"It was nice meeting you, Flo," Bardo said as they left.
She merely nodded. Once they were gone, Flo stepped away from Akiko and sent her an unimpressed look.
Akiko sighed with relief. "Thank you."
"No one knows?"
"My parents, Granny, and Yue do, but no one else." She stepped towards Flo with her hands clasped together. "You can't tell anyone," she begged. "Please, you can't."
Flo frowned. "The Princess knows, so why can't the Chief?"
"Because she's more understanding than her father, and she is my best friend. I tell her everything."
For a long moment, Flo didn't respond. Every other thought conflicted with the next that followed. A firebender in the Northern Water Tribe was dangerous, so she should take her to Chief Arnook, right? Then again, Akiko had lived here nearly her entire life and seemed more harmless than a sabertooth moose-lion cub.
But she's a firebender.
...An innocent one.
She sighed. "Okay. I won't tell anyone."
The relief from Akiko was palpable. "Oh, Spirits. Thank you so much – I owe you one."
+++
"I can't believe him!" Katara shrieked, and Flo froze right as she stepped through the curtained doorway.
After the situation with Akiko, Flo wandered around a bit more before heading back to the hut she and the others were staying in. But now she thought she should have waited a little longer.
Her brows shot up at the sight of Katara angrily pacing back and forth, while Aang sat crisscross on the ground with his fists against his cheeks and his own sour expression on. Sokka sat on the bottom step and had forearms leaned on the top one, so she couldn't see his expression.
"He's such a- an ugly, sexist old man!" Katara went on. "Why does it matter that I want to learn how to fight with waterbending?! Or that I asked you to teach me? It's so- argh!"
"It's so stupid," Aang grumbled. "I can't believe he said he's not teaching me anymore."
"Um." Flo took a cautious step. "What happened?"
"Master Poophead won't teach Katara waterbending lessons," Aang explained.
"He sent me to the healing hut!"
"And so I was going to teach her what he showed me, but then he came out of nowhere and said he won't teach me, either, because we disrespected his culture and stuff!"
"If I knew he would do that I wouldn't have suggested it," Sokka said. "Sorry, guys."
"Don't be. It's not your fault he thinks girls can't fight," Katara grumbled.
Flo made a face at that. "He sounds terrible."
"Yeah... Did you at least have a better day than us? Even Sokka had trouble. He and Princess Yue made plans to hang out, and then she immediately ditched him when he got there."
Flo hesitated. Sokka's face must have done something when she asked the question, because both Katara and Aang looked at him before their eyes went back to Flo. Katara's went back and forth curiously two more times. Flo made sure not to make any sort of expression.
She shrugged. "Not really," she admitted. "Got kicked out of the library for going into a restricted area and 'loitering'." And then I ran into a firebender who's not supposed to be a firebender. It was more weird than anything, though. Never did Flo believe she would help hide a firebender from someone else.
"Well, if you went into a restricted area..." Aang began hesitantly.
Flo bristled unintentionally. "Well, I couldn't- I didn't see the signs. How was I supposed to know? The crabby old lady wouldn't even listen to me when I explained that."
"Oh," Aang said. "I guess that makes sense. I'm sorry she didn't listen to you."
She shrugged with crossed arms and looked to the side. She could feel Sokka staring at her now. "It's whatever."
"What is it with old people and not liking you guys today?" questioned Sokka. Flo looked down at him and saw he wasn't staring at her anymore.
"Maybe they're all like that here," Katara said.
"Nah, that Meriwa lady was nice," he said. "Right, Flo?"
She nodded. "Yeah, she was."
"Who?" Aang asked.
"The person Flo and I found to get her some Water Tribe boots."
"Oooh, okay." He sighed and stood. His shoulders were slumped and his arms hung limp at his sides. That sour expression was back. "Well, I guess we better get some sleep. We have to speak to Chief Arnook and Master Poophead in the morning."
Katara grumbled to herself as she walked to her sleep roll.
+++
The following morning, just as Aang said, they were standing in front of the Chief and the master waterbending teacher, as well as a some other men and Princess Yue. Flo stood beside Aang and on his other side was Katara, then finally Sokka. Katara stepped forward to talk to Chief Arnook.
Flo honestly didn't think she needed to be here, but she did want to know first hand how this was going to play out.
"What do you want me to do?" Chief Arnook inquired once Katara explained the situation. "Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"
"Yes." She added as an after thought, "Please."
"I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him."
Katara turned to look at Aang, then forward again. "Fine."
"I'm waiting, little girl," Master Pakku said.
Flo hated the condescending tone. Now she got why Aang called him Master Poophead. He was one.
Katara's fists clenched together. "No!" she snapped. "No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!" The ice cracked beneath her as she yelled, and the large vases off to the sides of the dais fractured and broke, water soaking into the snow and ice.
Aang looked at broken vases. "Uh, Katara..."
"I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me."
As Katara walked off, Flo was quick to follow as the boys hesitated behind them.
"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Aang tried to assure them.
"No, I'm pretty sure she did," Sokka said.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Flo asked as they began down the steps.
"Yes," Katara snapped. "Don't try and talk me out of it, Flo."
"I wasn't. I was just going to say be careful."
"I will be."
Sokka and Aang soon came running over, all them partly trailing behind a fast walking Katara.
"Are you crazy, Katara?" Sokka asked. "You're not gonna win this fight."
She pulled off the parka and threw it in her brother's face. "I know. I don't care."
"You don't have to do this for me. I can find another teacher," said Aang.
"I'm not doing it for you. Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy." They all slowed to a stop at the bottom of the steps. Katara turned around as someone else came down them. Master Pakku. "So, you decided to show up?"
The man ignored her and continued walking.
"Aren't you gonna fight?!"
"Go back to the healing huts with the other women, where you belong."
Flo glared at the man. She was tempted to shoot an arrow at him so then he would be the one to belong in the healing hut. But this was Katara's fight, and she kept her cool and watched with glee as the other girl made a water whip and hit the back of Master Pakku's head.
He stopped.
"Fine." He began to turn around. "You want to learn to fight so bad, study closely." He moved to bend the water out of two circular pools, and Katara took off in a run. Flo, Sokka, and Aang backed up onto the steps again to stay out of the way.
The water hit Katara head on and she went flying back. She landed on her knees with one hand on the ground, and Master Pakku surrounded them both with water. He made the circle smaller, forcing her to stumble closer.
"Don't worry," he told her. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Katara stumbled again. She quickly regained her footing, then the control of the water, and shot it out – towards the forming crowd. The blast of water ended up hitting Sokka as everyone else stepped out of the way, and he went flying back. Flo was too busy watching the fight to move to help him.
Everyone backed up the stairs even more, though.
Master Pakku created a curved wall of ice as Katara ran at him again. She slid up it, and landed on the bottom of the railing on the stairs. Water was once again rushed at her by the master waterbender and she shifted her feet, pushing the water away from her in a circle and dissipating it.
"You can't knock me down!"
Flo clapped as the crowd cheered. Aang shouted, "Go Katara!"
The fight went on. Katara ran at him again. She got close enough to attempt throwing punches, but each time got blocked. Master Pakku threw her into one of the pools of water with a wave. She came up after a second and formed a circular block of ice. The crowd began to cheer again.
As Katara began to throw discs of ice at the man, Flo cupped her mouth and yelled, "Cut off his mustache!"
"You are way too into this," Sokka told her.
Flo absentmindedly waved a hand at him. "Shut up."
One disc of ice did end up coming close to his face. Katara went and rushed at him again. Master Pakku sent a large wave, and that time Katara fell backwards and tumbled onto her stomach. The crowd paused with concern; Sokka and Aang leaned forward, but Flo silently encouraged the girl to get back up as if that would help in any way.
Much to the relief of everyone, Katara jumped back onto her feet. She knocked down two pillars behind Master Pakku, only for him to make a cloud of snow. Snowflakes gently fell down around the old man and teenager.
"Well, I'm impressed. You are an excellent waterbender," Master Pakku said.
"But you still won't teach me, will you?"
"No."
The fight started in nice again as Katara sent a roll of snow Master Pakku's way. He jumped and formed a large, rectangular block of ice. When she tried to attack with yet another wave of water, he took control of it and formed a slope that he clod across and used the momentum to hit her her hard enough to fall down. The action caused something of Katara's to fall to the ground and her braid to come undone.
A bunch of sharp shards of ice then rained down on her when she stood back up. None hit her, but they did pin her in place. The crowd stared in silence.
"This fight is over," Master Pakku announced. He made his way to leave.
The crowd started to disperse. Flo, Sokka, and Aang made their way back down the stairs.
"Come back here!" Katara yelled at him. "I'm not finished yet!"
"Yes. You are..." He trailed off as he saw whatever fell earlier. He stopped to pick it up. "This is my necklace."
"No, it's not! It's mine. Give it back!"
"I made this sixty years ago... For the love of my life – for Kanna."
The icicles melted. Katara stared at Master Pakku. "My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?"
Chief Arnook and Princess Yue joined them. Flo took a quick glance around and saw Akiko and Meriwa close by, too.
Master Pakku began to explain, "I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged. I thought we would have a long happy life together. I loved her."
"But she didn't love you, did she? It was an arranged marriage." Katara walked over to the man. "Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customs run her life. That's why she left. It must have taken a lot of courage."
Someone broke down sobbing. Flo looked over in concern just as Princess Yue ran off.
Aang looked up at Sokka. "Go get her."
"Wait," Akiko called out. She held out her hand and walked over. "Let me. Please."
"They're best friends," Flo explained for the boys.
Sokka nodded in understanding. "Oh. Yeah, it might better if you go, then."
Akiko pressed her lips into a thin line. She only nodded in thanks before running off, too.
Katara and Master Pakku were still talking, but that didn't seem as much of importance anymore to the rest of them who still lingered around. Aang looked over to Flo.
"So, does this mean we have to go speak to that old librarian now?"
Flo shook her head. "No. It's fine."
"She kicked you out," Sokka said, almost sounding mad on her behalf.
She just shrugged. "It's not like I can use anything there, anyway," she admitted without thinking. "I only went to look at the star charts, and they're apparently only for scholars and other people like that."
Aang's brows scrunched together. "What? The only way you wouldn't be able to use anything there is if you couldn't read." Right as the words left his mouth, realization came over him. "Oh."
Flo stilled. She had silently hoped the boys were stupid enough to not put the pieces together immediately, even though she knew that the two were smart in their own ways. "I... I'm gonna go find Sleemo."
She quickly turned and began to leave. The sound of feet following her had her grimacing.
"Wait, Flo–"
She let out an annoyed groan through gritted teeth. She sharply turned back around with a harsh glare to cover up the embarrassment. "Just drop it, Sokka!" she yelled. "You already pissed me off once, do you want to make it twice?"
He stood frozen, taken back. "I'm sorry. I just want to talk."
"Well I don't. Now, leave me the hell alone."
Flo left before anyone could say anything else.
***
A/N— Okay I am sosososososo SO sorry for not updating for over two years 😭 I got burnt out, I think, and then life became A Lot and I decided to focus on other things and I'm just so sorry lmao. I did not intend for this to take so long, but it unfortunately did. Hopefully you guys are still interested in Flo and her story after so long
Speaking of, this was not supposed to have Sokka & Flo fighting. This was supposed to be cute and fluffy. As you can tell, things went sideways lol. She's torn between wanting to be friends with the Gaang & stopping herself from getting any closer :(
By the way, I have made a few changes because I revamped Molten Ice once again. The end of chapter 6 is different, so a few details in the beginning of chapter 7 have been changed as well, and I mentioned a guy named Hoshi in the last chapter but I changed his name to Takashi. I think that's all? But yeah – check out the new MI if you want! No chapters are up yet, unfortunately, because I'm focusing on finishing the last few chapters of this story's part one, but I'll get the prologue & chapter 1 up as soon as I can :)
Thank you guys for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this (super duper late) chapter!! xx