TEN | PEARL'S SEEING STARS.
( the warriors of kyoshi, part two )

this is how it is now,
getting lost in

the boom, boom, boom
can't take my eyes off you.

THE NEXT HOUR or so was spent between Crystal and her fan, learning how to use and maneuver it to her advantage. She found herself growing fond of it. It was an item easily used for mundane reasons, but with the right flick it could grow sharp and sturdy. The lightness of the fan took some getting used to compared to her usual clubs. She flung hers too aggressively a couple times and she could tell it was very hard for the girls to keep their laughs in. She didn't mind.

Suki took them through a plethora of exercises—some that made Crystal feel dynamic, and others that made her legs want to rip away from her body. With each one there was a giggly feeling rising in her, something light and inspiring and almost hopeful. It was strange to feel her cheeks stinging from a constant smile instead of blankness. She wondered if she'd ever felt this way before. She wondered if she'd ever felt this strong.

Unfortunately, the training didn't push away all her squirming about Sokka. As the minutes ticked on she kept wondering if he was okay. If she should step out for a moment to go look for him. Then the thoughts were fanned away in whirls of jade as Suki laughed while trying to teach Crystal proper kicks. He's fine, she told herself. He probably just wants me to feel sorry for him anyways.

Her internal nagging didn't seem to keep him away, though, because soon she swore she saw him pacing nervously outside the dojo, muttering things to himself. She stopped in her tracks. Before she could do anything, she saw him take a breath and head inside.

"Uh . . . hey, Suki," he swallowed awkwardly, catching the attrition of the rest of the warriors. He was aptly avoiding Crystal's stare.

What was he doing back? Was he here to show off again? Try to reclaim is pride? Would he yell at her?

"Hoping for another dance lesson?" Suki snarked, the same devious look spreading on her face.

Sokka looked flustered—ashamed, even. "No, I—well, let me explain," he stammered.

Suki glared at him. "Spit it out! What do you want?"

Crystal watched intently as Sokka froze for a moment. His big blue eyes were wide, tense, and he glanced at her. She said nothing. Something in his face shifted.

Then Sokka did something Sokka would never do in a million years.

He sunk to his knees in front of Suki, defeated, remorseful, and bowed his head to say, "I would be honoured if you would teach me."

Crystal's jaw went slack. This was new.

"Even if I'm a girl?" Suki sneered.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier. I was . . . wrong," Sokka admitted, bowing his head lower. Crystal felt in his voice that he was telling the truth. Her heart began to burn for a reason she didn't know.

"We normally don't teach outsiders, let alone boys," Suki said. Crystal was barely focusing on the words as she stared at her friend, sitting in shame on the hard wooden floor. This was not normal.

"Please make an exception. I won't let you down."

Suki examined him carefully. Crystal couldn't help the swell of surprise and affection bubbling in her throat, because in the entirety of ten years, this was the only time she'd seen Sokka fully own up to his own mistakes. She felt like she was meeting him for the first time all over again. It was so . . . refreshing.

"All right," Suki hummed after looking back at Crystal. Sokka's face brightened. "But you have to follow all of our traditions."

He nodded. "Of course."

"And I mean all of them."

Sokka ended up in a green dress with a painted face. He didn't look too comfortable. "Welcome to the club," Crystal laughed.

"Do I really have to wear this?" He grimaced, inspecting his new costume. "It feels a little . . . girly."

Crystal and Suki shared bemused smiles. It was nice to see him so out of his comfort zone. "It's a warrior's uniform. You should be proud! The silk thread symbolizes the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honour of the warrior's heart!"

Suki's words seemed to lift something in him. He looked at his uniform in a different way this time, chest puffing out in pride and what could almost be classified as admiration. "Bravery and honour," he repeated, putting his hands on his hips.

He deflated again when Aang passed by the dojo and said, "Hey, Sokka! Nice dress!"

Crystal stifled a giggle. Sokka groaned before hanging his head low, picking at the length of his skirt. "Hey, I think it looks good on you!" She added.

"Well, I appreciate that," Sokka said back, turning his nose in the air and folding his arms. They weren't quite the way they usually were, but the middle was enough. After painting his face in complete silence, she couldn't help but feel like they were coming to some sort of understanding. He was looking at her differently than he had been these past few days.

"So, how do you use this uh . . . fan-thingy?" Sokka asked after a lapse of awkward silence. He clumsily fiddled with the weapon and Suki had to put her hands over his to stop him from moving it the wrong way.

"Patience, Sokka," Suki said.

After another half hour of practicing, it was clear patience was not Sokka's strong suit. "You're not going to master it in one day. Even I'm not that good," Suki remarked as Sokka and Crystal ran through their motions. Crystal was still unsure of herself when it came to rotating through positions, but Suki's encouraging smiles and guidance was a great push of confidence. Sokka was studying surprisingly hard. He had been focused on every detail since they began, and was a much faster learner than Crystal was. Sometimes she couldn't help but watch him as he practiced, brows knit together as he worked through the details. Suki had to flick her a couple times to get back on track.

"I think I'm starting to get it," Sokka replied, wobbling on his feet a bit. He went through the rest of the motions in time with Crystal until it was time to draw their fans out. Sokka flung his so hard that it ripped from his hand and crashed into the tree in front of the dojo.

"It's not about strength," Suki chuckled to them. "Our technique is about using your opponent's force against them. Loosen up, guys."

Crystal did a feeble leg shake.

Sokka side-eyed her, and let out a breath. They hadn't talked much since they started training, but the tension between them wasn't all bad anymore. She was teasing him again, making sly comments and rolling her eyes, and he was biting back—with more caution than he usually did. Crystal felt really bad for how flaky she'd been with him at the air temple. Especially now that he was owning up to himself and trying to treat her and Suki with care. Maybe he was learning after all. Maybe he'd become more bearable for her.

"Think of the fan as an extension of your arm," Suki coaxed, pointing her fan out towards Sokka. He matched her fighting stance, blue eyes probing her in concentration. "Wait for an opening and then—"

Sokka's eyes darted down in the last second. He lurched forward to swiftly catch Suki's shoulder off-guard and she fell to the floor. Crystal let out a laugh of surprise. "Ooh!" She chortled, watching Suki's cheeks burn red through her makeup. The leader of the Kyoshi warriors had been beaten with her own advice!

"I fell on purpose to make you feel better!" She burst, wrestling to get back up on her feet. Her hair had loosened from her headband and was now covering her blush; Crystal guessed she'd done it on purpose.

Sokka started laughing, sticking his finger in Suki's face. "I got you! Admit I got you!"

Suki huffed, looking to Crystal. "He's right, he did," she shrugged.

It was clear Suki was both flabbergasted and impressed. She looked cute and scary as she twisted Sokka's hand, treating it as payback for his snarky comments as he yelped in pain. "Okay, it was a lucky shot," she admitted. A smile had risen on her lips. "Let's see if you can do it again—on her."

Suki nodded towards Crystal. She drew her fan before Sokka even turned to face her. Something told her she should've expected this. Maybe it was the sneaky looks Suki kept giving her whenever Sokka did something better than her.

"Ready for a beat-down, Criss?" Sokka stretched, readying himself so they were face to face. He looked assured, comfortable, even, in his thick dress and opaque face paint. For once, Crystal knew this confidence came from a place he'd earned. And that meant she didn't stand a chance.

"I don't know, are you?"

They studied each other intently for a moment. Fans bared, the circling began, every shuffle of their feet matched. Crystal was almost a little intimidated. Sokka was smarter and stronger than her. There was no way she could catch him off-guard, and she really wanted to impress Suki.

There was a split second where Sokka licked his lips and his eyes moved. Acting on impulse alone, Crystal extended her fan and headed straight for the juncture of his shoulder.

Something jabbed at her front foot and she toppled forward. In a tangle of limbs and fabric, she found herself tumbled to the floor, Sokka as a casualty underneath her.

"Nice trip, Sokka, but you're not supposed to bring yourself down with your enemy," Suki snorted.

Crystal felt the back of her neck prickle with warmth as she noticed how close she was to him. Her hands were bunching the fabric of his uniform, heart seizing from the dizziness of the fall and his eyes frozen on her. The lines of his makeup had faded a bit. So much so that she swore she could see a trickle of pink peeking through his cheeks. For some reason, she couldn't quite move. They hadn't been this close and this familiar since before they set off on their journey.

"I'm . . . gonna go get some water," Suki coughed.

Her fuzzy head cleared. Crystal tensed away, as did he, and soon she was untangling herself from him on the floor with an embarrassing amount of haste. "Yeah, yep, water's nice," she fumbled, while Sokka nodded and said, "Mhm! Love me some water!"

Suki had a strange look on her face as she exited the dojo, leaving the two amateur warriors alone.

Crystal was still winded from the fall. She turned away from Sokka to breathe, and the air was uncannily quiet. She didn't get off the floor, and neither did he.

". . . Can I say something?"

She glanced back at him. His face was scrunched tight. "Sure," she replied, chest still heaving.

Sokka took a deep breath himself and let his eyes wander to the scraped wooden floors. "I get why you were mad at me. I'm really sorry."

Guilt tugged at her. "Sokka, you already apologized, you don't—"

"Well yeah, I know, but you're still mad at me so I figured I should do it better. I . . . shouldn't have treated Aang like that. You were right about me being too harsh on him. It was way out of line. And . . ." he paused, "I'm sorry for treating you like that, too. I—I don't know why I said all those things, and I feel horrible about it.

"And you don't have to forgive me and you can be mad all you want but I just want you to know that thing I said about you and your mom—when I . . . when I said I didn't know any better . . . I didn't mean it. I wanted to be mad at someone so I took it out on you. I should've used it on our actual problems instead." After deliberation he added softly, "You know I never want to hurt you."

She didn't look at him as she listened; her hands were far easier to study. It was hard to see him so remorseful for something he did to her. It was hard to imagine him doing something to her at all. "I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day," she said quietly. "You were just trying to talk. Sorry for confusing you."

"That's okay," Sokka waved off, chuckling awkwardly. "I just need to know if you're still mad at me or not—and if you want to . . . hang out, and stuff again." He shuffled closer to her, sliding something near her legs. "I just want to know where we stand."

Crystal looked down and saw her fan that she'd dropped in her fall pushed closer to her. Her hands closed around it. "It's too early to be mad at you, Sokka," she admitted, a half-smile sprouting on her face. "We've still got a long way to go, and I'm saving some of my anger for later."

He cocked his head. "Is that a good thing?"

"Depends on how stupid you get."

"That's fair," he laughed a bit. "So . . . does that mean I'm forgiven?" He asked hopefully.

Crystal sidled closer to him, poking his side with her closed fan. "Yes, goon. For now."

He beamed. "So I can make fun of you again? And steal your food? And nap on you?"

She patted him on the cheek before hoisting them to their feet. The fuzziness in her head bloomed through her chest.

She barely knew what she said next, but whatever it was, it made Sokka smile.

—☯︎︎—

THEY WERE NOT in a field.

The dry road laid ahead looked none too forgiving—exactly what Pearl feared. She shifted uncomfortably on her rhino. The sun beat down on her, swaddled in armour and padding far too heavy for someone her size. Her arms felt like they could fall off any second. She'd never had metal weights resting on her shoulders combined with the perpetual fear of being flung off a ten-foot beast. Her fingers were numb with how hard she was gripping her reins.

She took a rattling breath, trying to quell the churning in her belly. Kasumi and Zuko were a few strides ahead of her, speaking in whispers. They seemed much more comfortable than she did. Kasumi's hair was a thick cloud behind her. Zuko looked agitated. Was it wrong that she wished to hear what they were saying?

"You should've left her, Kasumi!" Zuko hissed.

"Why? She could be helpful?" She pulled back on her reins to steady her rhino, sending him a pointed look. He'd been scowling at her ever since they departed the ship, and saw Kasumi helping Pearl onto a saddle.

Zuko snorted, glancing back. "Her? Are you serious?"

Kasumi followed his gaze, and she hated to admit it—but at first glance he seemed very right. Pearl looked sickly. The armour seemed to weigh her immensely, even though it was the closest thing to her size Kasumi could find. The poor girl was drowning in sweat and fabric. It was hard to imagine her holding a paintbrush, let alone a weapon.

Kasumi swallowed, pushing back her hair. "So she needs a little . . . work. I couldn't leave her alone on the ship by herself! And who knows, she might surprise you!"

Pearl yelped behind them, a clear indication she had gotten her foot twisted in the stirrup for the fourth time.

"You are infuriating," Zuko growled, looking ahead. The peaks of straw homes were coming into the distance. "Learn how to mind your business. She's about as useful as you are."

Kasumi frowned as Zuko's rhino trotted away from her. What did he know, anyway? He'd been looking down on Pearl ever since she joined the ship. Sure, she didn't look like a fighter, but that didn't mean she wasn't one! She was from the Fire Nation. You were either born a fighter or a . . . tyrant.

Kasumi was sure Pearl had something in her.

They rounded in on the village. Dust kicked up underneath their rhinos, trudging along the ground that only dirtied further as they went along. Spidery trees crowded them from both sides, and huts made of wood and straw were pressed together without a care in the world. This place seemed small. Peaceful. It was a shame they had to ruin it. A true, true shame.

But once the Avatar was caught, Zuko would go home and she'd never have to see him again. And she would go home too . . . which was definitely great. No more adventure or surprises. Just her. And Mai. And her parents. Alone.

Her hands squeezed her rhino's reins in preparation. There was always a rush of adrenaline before a confrontation. Usually she didn't get this hyper—since most of Zuko's leads were dead ends—but now that the Avatar actually was alive, things were much more real now. Her days of lazing off were over.

"Come out, Avatar! You can't hide from me forever!"

Zuko's harshness stirred the quiet village. People poked heads out of their houses, looking terrified and deathly squeamish. When there was no response, Zuko growled, "Find him."

The rhinos advanced.

Kasumi was about to go on when something green and gold whizzed behind a house. She furrowed her brows. It was strange that the village was so still. Pearl's shaky swallow behind her only steeled the suspicion.

Then, out of nowhere, figures cloaked in thick clothing and armed with fans jumped down and attacked the approaching men.

Kasumi gasped. Pearl squealed and nearly fell of her rhino. "No, no, I am not ready for this!" She whispered in a shriek. The fingers wrapped around her reins were shaking furiously.

"I knew it was too quiet!" Kasumi snapped, flexing her fists.

Zuko knocked an approaching warrior to the side with his rhino's tail, kicking up a cloud of dirt. His fireball would have struck them squarely if not for another warrior deflecting it with a fan of their own. "Guess training's over," they grunted.

Kasumi's eyes narrowed. This warrior seemed . . . familiar.

A streak of blonde sailed right past her face. Too fast to process, someone had tackled Zuko off his rhino from above and was now holding him in the dirt. The bright hair was a dead giveaway.

"Are you kidding me?" Kasumi fumed.

Crystal had Zuko pinned to the ground. A mixture of sweat and paint was melting down her cheeks. She and Sokka had run all the way here after the Chief told them there were intruders (and mistook Sokka for a girl).

"Get—off—me!" The prince grunted, thrashing against her as she used all her might to pin him down. He was pretty strong.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Who's in the hot seat now, mister—ow!"

Something singed her left boot. Zuko took the opportunity to launch her off him and throw her against the wall.

Head throbbing, Crystal managed to look back up. That pompous, raven-haired girl was sneering at her, a flame dancing on her fingers. "You really should talk less during a fight," she grinned. "Maybe it'll make you less annoying."

Sokka was at her side in an instant. Warriors had crowded around Zuko, but with a whirl of fire to all their legs, they thumped to the ground.

Kasumi fired rapidly at incoming warriors. Tufts of smoke and dust and calamity clouded the air. It was so dense that it covered a girl in pink sliding out of her armour, toppling off her rhino and running out of the street.

It was too much for her. Kasumi was wrong. Pearl struggled for breath as the smell of char clogged her, the noise of the battle pressing down on her ears. Her sweaty, ginormous armour had fallen off in pieces as she ran, barely noticed as fans and flames clashed.

This wasn't even a big fight. There was no general or admiral or . . . commander. Her father would spit in her face if he saw her panicked from something this trivial. This is why I have to do this to you, Pearl. You need to be tough.

Yet still, the reminder of the guilt she was supposed to bear rooted her feet in place. She had to lean against the back of a house just to sit with the heaviness and let it pass over her; although a part of her always feared that it would—no, not would, should—stay there forever.

A couple of families were sheltering behind houses. Their whines reached Pearl's ears. She watched, still unable to move, as they frantically ushered each other further away, little kids clutching the hands of their mothers and burying into their arms. They huddled close as the crackling of burning homes that could very well be theirs wafted over them.

There was a bang on the other side of the house she laid against. She squeaked, stumbling away and oh, she could move again! Her feet were unsure as she wobbled away from the house, closer to the cluster of families, and in a twisted sense she wished she could go join them in their franticness so hers would actually be warranted.

"Hey! Stop right there! Yeah, you!"

Pearl froze again. Uh-oh.

"Uh, me?" She winced timidly, but knew her time of hiding was over. The person approaching her was probably a citizen of this poor town ready to tear her apart. She might as well miserably accept her fate—she was no impostor and she certainly didn't belong here. Coward, Father hissed in her ear.

A knot cemented in her chest. Her legs still hadn't regained themselves when she turned to face whoever had caught her.

When she saw the face of the girl standing before her, they almost gave out again.

It was a strangeness Pearl had never felt before. The commotion of smoke and war was blurring all the tiny details, and in the first second it infuriated Pearl for no reason at all. Because this girl looked . . . well . . .

Was there even a word?

Her skin was tanned, flushed with sweat and freckles of brown. The blue of her eyes made Pearl's head swim. She had a small nose, slender hands, thin lips. Long, thick brown hair fell down her back, disheveled and dirty and enthralling in every way imaginable. There was not enough silence to look at her. The details of this girl were lost to calamity and Pearl had never been so confused and angry in her life because she needed to look at this girl, and she needed to understand her every nook and cranny. She needed to throttle out the colour and the noise of the world so she could see even a little clearer. See the irises in her eyes or the necklace on her collarbone or the whatever it was that made Pearl feel dizzy and sick and alive and fluttery—

She landed on her back in a pool of water. Now she felt wet.

Her bangs dripped down her eyes, and she did nothing to move them for a second. Because . . . what just happened? The strangeness mixed with guilt and Pearl didn't know why.

Slowly, she flung her damp hair out of her face.

The girl—that beautiful girl, oh Sprits—was in a fighting stance, one hand hovering over the flask at her side and the other in front of her. Her eyes narrowed at Pearl, thick brows and lovely lashes making it hard to remember that this girl actually looked very mad and hostile at the moment.

When Pearl didn't move, the girl's eyes scrutinized further. "Aren't you going to . . . fight me?" She asked, examining.

Pearl felt her cheeks spill with colour and her fingertips got all warm and tingly. "Who—me? Uh, n-no! Not at all! Why would you think that?" She stammered, struggling to her feet and nearly slipping on her own puddle. Her face felt like it was on fire.

"Because I saw you coming from the ship," the girl snapped at her. Her blue eyes were even more entrancing now. "You're Fire Nation!"

Oh. Right.

Pearl swallowed thickly. Her mind was white, numb, scrubbed clean of any sensible thought. Her tongue was twisting itself just by staying still. Without knowing what else to do, she fumbled, "I—please, go!" She stepped to the side, knocking her shoulder against the side of a house to clear the girl's path to the villagers.

Her pretty—stop it, Pearl—her regular face was puzzled. She glanced at Pearl, and back at the villagers. "Um . . ." she hesitated. Her stance had dropped slightly, but her hand was still curled close to the flask of water. Pearl assumed she was a waterbender. Wow. "You're really not going to, like, fight me or anything? You're just going to . . . let me pass?"

Pearl was nodding so hard her head was going to fall off. "Yep! Don't mind me! O-off you go!" She gestured, still tripping over her feet and mopping away her wet bangs.

The girl was not eased by this, but she started to take steps past Pearl's body. Her eyes were trained carefully on every bit of her, and Pearl wanted to disappear into the floor. "O . . . kay?" She murmured with caution.

She kept her eyes on Pearl until she was a safe distance away, making her way towards the villagers. Her hand still lay on her flask.

"Have a nice day!" Pearl blurted out.

She was going to throw herself off the boat.

There was one more look to the girl in blue. She was huddling the children together and ushering them into one specific house. It seemed Pearl had been deemed too embarrassing to pose any real threat. Sighing, she begrudgingly peeled back into the battlefield to not look like a total failure.

Her head was still cloudy.

Meanwhile, behind a different house, Suki pulled Sokka and Crystal out of the street. They were singed and sweaty, panting hard. Katara had just swept past them telling them they had to go—Kyoshi Island was burning, and staying here was only furthering the flames. Sokka's fan had split in half and Crystal was pretty sure she'd twisted her ankle; Suki was the only one who looked remotely unscathed.

"There's no time to say goodbye," she told them breathlessly as they crouched down.

Before Crystal could process the thought of leaving the coolest girl she'd ever met, Sokka said, "What about 'I'm sorry'?"

"For what?"

Sokka sighed. "I treated you like a girl when I should've treated you like a warrior."

Oh, Spirits. He was apologizing to Suki too! Her heart was embarrassing itself by doing backflips in her chest.

A soft smile spread on Suki's pretty face. "I am a warrior, but I'm a girl, too," she replied. She and Sokka shared a grin of mutual understanding; and it just now settled that Crystal was leaving Suki and this wonderful island with no way of knowing when she would see her again.

The thought of leaving Suki made Crystal's heart heavy. There was something about her that was so enamouring, and empowering, and made Crystal feel warm and free. She had never seen girls so fiercely independent before. Girls with pretty dresses and lovely makeup and bones of steel. She wanted to grasp this feeling by fistfuls and hold onto it as long as she could.

Sokka had gotten up in their urgency to leave the island. She couldn't leave quite yet. "Thank you, Suki," she beamed, marvelling at her new friend one more time. "I wish I could stay longer—I feel like there's so much more you could teach me."

Suki mirrored Crystal's sad smile as they stood. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."

With a sweet, cunning smile, she pressed a kiss to Crystal's cheek and ran back into battle, a blur of gold and green just like always.

It was hard for Crystal not to smile ear-to-ear. Sokka took her hand and dragged her back to Appa, giving her a very funny look as he helped her aboard.

"What's up with you?" He asked his sister once they were in the air. Crystal saw Katara had a strange expression on her face, too. She was staring intently at the remaining Fire Nation soldiers as if she was searching for something.

"I just had the weirdest conversation," she muttered to herself.

Kasumi was still on land. She groaned violently, flakes of charcoal drifting from her lips. "They're getting away! We can't lose them!"

Zuko barked orders at his men as Kasumi found Pearl on the outskirts of battle and tugged her close. "Where'd your armour go?" She asked, raising a brow. "And why are you . . . dripping?"

Pearl's face flushed with more splotches of red. She looked very dizzy. "Water," she managed to murmur back in response.

"Oh, well we better dry you off. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold—"

A wave of water soaked Kasumi to the bone. The entire village had been doused. She growled again, and Zuko was "ARGH"-ing behind her.

Now Pearl was double-wet. And the onslaught of blue kept reminding her of that pretty girl's eyes.

—☯︎︎—

AANG HAD BEEN a very reckless twelve-year old today. Brilliant, yes, but reckless.

The outskirts of a drenched Kyoshi Island faded away after Aang re-boarded Appa after jumping ship. He'd taken control of the devilish Unagi and used it to cleanse Kyoshi Island of its flames. It was a brave, selfless act, and Crystal tackled him into a big hug while Katara berated him.

Now Sokka was holding her face in his hands. The sun was warm on her face as were his thumbs, tracing her cheeks in a familiar pattern she knew well. He had teased her about how she looked like a clown with her runny makeup, but then kindly offered to help her take it off. (By "kindly offered" it meant "only agreed to help after she threatened to throw him into the ocean.")

"Good?" She asked him, but he simply shook his head and kept working. Their faces were close again, and there was no discomfort or foreignness to it. It felt normal. Crystal had loosened tremendously because of it.

The feeling of his hands rubbing her forehead and his parka sleeve tickling her nose was a familiar one. They got snow and war paint smeared over each other all the time so the grown-ups often spent hours convincing them to clean themselves up. She took her time to study his face as he studied hers. He still looked eleven sometimes. Still looked so much like the boy he used to be. Although something in him was shifting now.

"Alrighty, done!" He proclaimed, pulling back. "Still a little clownish, but not by much—ow! I said not by much!"

He rubbed his arm with a pout, and Crystal leaned closer to him to yank the hood of his parka. Before she could wrestle him to the ground, he reflexively pulled her to his chest. He snickered at her as she deflated in his arms, swatting feebly at his face like it would make any difference. "Warrior training makes me sleepy," she muttered, tracing the threads on his coat.

"Wow, never would've guessed," he teased.

"You're the worst."

Comfortable silence followed; although Crystal could tell by the tenseness of his embrace that there was something on his mind.

"I have a . . . weird question. Like, really weird. Like really really weird."

She peeked up at him. He looked conflicted, blue eyes flitting away from her gaze. "Go for it," she shrugged.

He took a long breath. Strands of hair stuck to his creasing forehead. "I don't even know how to ask this—it's like—I don't know—"

"Spit it out, Sokka."

Another breath, this one even longer than the first. His cheeks ballooned out and he looked a little afraid. "Okay, you don't have to answer this, or like, acknowledge this—I don't even know if I should be asking this, but . . ." He struggled to place his words for a moment, but Crystal waited patiently. She snuggled a little closer to him as he found his footing. "Do you like Suki?"

Crystal blinked at him. This was the question? "Of course I do!"

He turned red. "Well, yeah, I know—but do you, um—how do I say this . . . Spirits, is this even a thing? Do you . . . like her? Like, like her?" He stammered, looking anywhere but at her. It was a little cute.

Still, she had no idea what he was asking. She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Another exasperated sigh. This looked like the most painful experience of his life. "I mean—do you, I don't know, like Suki as a . . . a, a not-friend? Like a, um, something else?"

Crystal couldn't quite wrap her head around what Sokka was implying. She listened to his ramble carefully, thinking back to her time on the Island so far, right down to when Suki kissed her on the—

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh," she realized. Sokka puffed with relief when she caught on. "Like . . . like her like that?"

His face looked sunburnt at this point. "Is—is that even a thing?" He asked bashfully. This was by far and beyond the strangest conversation she'd ever had with him. He looked like he was going to get scared sick.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Why, you jealous?"

"Wh—no, no! Just, uh, curious!" He fumbled.

"Curious about me liking girls?"

"Well, yeah!"

She hummed to herself. This was a very weird moment for her. "I think I've always liked them," she admitted carefully. "I mean, I think. It's weird but I think I like them like I like boys, which is just . . . I mean, is that a thing?"

"That's what I've been asking myself!" Sokka burst. "What is . . . what does that . . . how?"

Even in the midst of a breakthrough, she couldn't help but take an opportunity to tease him. She poked his red cheeks. "What, you like girls the way you like boys, too?" She grinned.

Surprisingly, Sokka looked mortified and vulnerable. "Maybe," he mumbled.

All Crystal could say was, "Oh."

He heaved out, finally meeting her eyes again. She found herself brushing some hair out of his face. "I . . . don't know if it's a thing, Sokka. I've always been this way. It's just the way things are for me. Maybe it's the way things are for you. And maybe that's fine."

He nodded to himself a bit. "Maybe."

They smiled at each other, and Crystal felt fuzzy again. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck and stifled a yawn. "I'm going to conk out for a bit," she murmured. "Don't kiss any boys while I'm out."

"Wha—Criss!"

She snorted into him, and could feel him blushing from there. "I kid, I kid," she murmured. "Save the good ones for me."

His hands carded gently through the crown of her hair. "No promises."

She smiled wide, cheeks glowing for the second time in ten minutes. Bundling herself into her best friend, her mind drifted back into the clouds like always.

"Criss, just for the record . . . you don't actually like Suki, right?"

"No!"

____________________________
A/N. . .

i would like to make one thing clear. i am NOT a suki stan. i am a suki supremacist. if suki has 10 fans, i am one of them. if suki has 1 fan, i am one of them. if suki has 0 fans, i am dead.

anyways after 10 chapters pearltara finally meets <3 my babies <33 i found the gif at the top and almost cried it was just so perfect that's exactly what pearl looked like when she saw her gf for the first time!! also the lyrics i used at the top are from the song cherry bomb by julianna joy and it's a pearltara ANTHEM

now for a little explanation for where i've been and why this book has been so quiet for the last few months (tw for death)

my cousin passed away not so long ago so i've been spending a lot of time with my family. it was a death influenced by the pandemic, but it wasn't because of the sickness. unfortunately, it was the,,, other way people have been passing away during this time so it was very hard on us. we've been sticking together and doing a bunch to raise money for mental health and stuff so that's made me feel tons better!! and with the announcement of avatar studios (which BY THE WAY MEANS I CAN FULL SEND MY UNIVERSE I HAVE PLANNED) and lorde's new album i got inspired to start writing again so here i am!! it's only been a little while but i've grown a lot so i'm back and better than ever besties

on that note feel free to tell me how you guys are :) i'm so excited for avatar studios and i've been thinking of writing for each project that comes out so i can take full advantage of the universe i've made and i hope you guys want that haha

lots more i want to say but for now tell me your favourite part of this episode!! crystal and suki will have plenty more interactions in the future bc i'm obsessed w them and pearl, kasumi, and zuko have the best dynamic ever, i'm so excited to flesh them out together!! i'll talk about anything if u guys have any questions/comments, but until then i'll see you next time :))

perrie <3