Katara missed Toph. She missed Aiga. She missed Zuko, and he was here in Makapu with her, though you would never be able to guess that they had some wild romance from the way he was treating her.

As soon as they had set their items down in their rooms, General Iroh was asking about this mysterious Aunt Wu, and Zuko was finding a reason to avoid going to see her.

"Oh, she sounds fascinating, she really does...but I think that I need to meet with your Mayor...yes, well, maybe tonight...but everyone else should absolutely go! We don't want to offend our hosts!"

Sokka had tried to jump ship with Zuko, with little success.

"Prince Sokka, you're my assistant. You go where I go," Iroh announced jovially, dragging Sokka back to the convoy that would be going to Aunt Wu's shop in the middle of town.

Prince Zuko had said good-bye to each of the four girls, kissing their knuckles and wishing them a good trip. When he came to Katara, however, she saw him redden and kiss her knuckle like he was licking General Iroh's shoe.

The motion was not missed by anyone.

"What in the world did you do to get him to act like that?" Besu said, snorting.

"Did you two get into a fight?" Ty Lee asked, eyes liquid with worry and sympathy.

"No! We're just..." Katara struggled, "You know how it is sometimes." She flailed helplessly for an explanation. Only Uncle Iroh gave a knowing hum, patting Katara's shoulder comfortingly.

"Do you think this might stay between us?" Katara thought to ask. "If his displeasure is so overwhelming, I'll be gone soon anyway. If not, there's no reason to send certain girls into a tizzy," she said, wincing.

"Certain girls," Alcina hmphed. "You can say Nadhari. We're all friends here," she said, winking. Ty Lee quirked a smile and Besu cackled, nodding. She seemed to be doing much better after the whole ostrich-horse incident. Now that she was on solid land, of course.

"Right?" Alcina prompted, uncertainty coloring her tone.

Katara gave her a smile. She might be on the outs with Zuko and his ultimate bull-headedness right now, but there was no reason to hold a grudge against Alcina. It's not as though Zuko was off limits to her. She was only doing what she was supposed to be doing.

"Of course," Katara said, clasping her fingers. She cared about her friendship with the fire bender far too much to let Zuko come between them.

General Iroh enthusiastically led the way to Aunt Wu's. Katara hung back, having a feeling that Sokka was going to try to slide away from the group, as he was walking slowly near the edge, eyes flashing all around.

"Oh, come on. It might be fun!"

"I just think it's all mumbo-jumbo," Sokka said, "and a waste of time. We could be eating, Katara. Eating." He nearly tripped as his nose followed a scent wafting from the food carts near the square.

"So," Katara started dryly, "Your sister can manipulate water, and your other two best friends can manipulate earth and fire, and you've seen signs of spirits, but you draw the line at fortune telling?"

"Exactly. A guy's gotta make his stand somewhere, or else he'll believe anything," Sokka said, puffing out his chest.

"Or are you afraid to have your future told?" Katara teased.

"What? No. No! I'm not afraid," Sokka waved her off, "I doubt I'll believe anything she says to begin with."

"Then what's the harm of just going in there?"

"Because it's against my morals!" Sokka objected. "The ones that, albeit, I just discovered, but I'm strongly against it."

By this point, they had reached the entrance of the fortune house. The girls at the front were talking amongst themselves. Katara turned to go back to them, but caught Sokka trying to scoot into a side alley.

"No you don't!" she said.

Iroh, at the front, was looking around. "Prince Sokka? Prince Sokka! Oh, there you are! Come up here, right in the front by me," he said, grinning. Katara almost wondered if he was doing this intentionally, bothering Sokka, but General Iroh was more refined than that...right? Sokka cussed, holding up his hands in a defeated motion.

Katara made sure he went to the front. He was as slippery as a whale-eel when he was skiving off doing something he didn't want to do.

Ty Lee spun to the girls, tapping her chin.

"What do you all want to know? Is it silly for me to want to know about love?" Ty Lee asked, sighing.

"Not at all," Katara said, although Katara knew that Ty Lee would not be asking about Zuko, as the rest may assume she was. To the point, Alcina was looking at her warily, sure she was trying to get a leg up in the competition. Besu...Katara couldn't tell if she cared one way or the other. She seemed aloof concerning most things. No, driven. Focused. On winning Zuko's heart? Katara was unsure.

"I'm torn. I'd like to know about that, but there are other things I'm worried about," Ty Lee admitted. "What about you, Besu?"

"Nothing specific," she said, but it absolutely sounded like she had something specific she wanted to find out. "Alcina?"

"Oh, spritis...just about everything." She gave a creaking laugh. "I guess that my sister is..." She trailed off. "Just that she'll find happiness."

"Oh, right," Besu said, looking sympathetic, "How's she doing since she was kicked out?"

"Sent home," Alcina corrected sharply. "Fine," she added, but her confidence was only surface-level.

"What about you, Katara?" Ty Lee switched swiftly.

"I'd be happy with anything," Katara said. "The world is unpredictable. Even knowing one thing may be helpful, whatever category it falls into." She wasn't sure if she could hear a truthful fortune about her love life right now, Tui and La!

"Ah! Aunt Wu has been expecting you all," a tall, thin man said, greeting them at the doors with a bow. Alcina's breath increased, her eyes sparkling. Sokka saw and rolled his eyes.

"Well, duh! Everyone in town, once again, knows we were arriving. Plus, someone could have ridden ahead..."

"Or she saw it in the future!" Alcina argued.

"Fine! Look, I can make a prediction." Sokka coughed dramatically. "In the next minute, the six of us will walk through that doorway. Oooh, spooky, I can tell the fuuuutuuureee toooo," he said, wiggling his fingers dramatically as the six started through the door. When Alcina moved toward the door, though, she suddenly squeaked right outside.

"Ouch!" she moaned, holding up her foot to show a large thorn stuck into her heel. She sniffled, carefully extracting it as Ty Lee twittered next to her.

"Can you walk on it, Lady Shen?" Iroh asked.

"Yeah, darn, that just really hurt," Alcina said, limping through the doorway.

"Hey genius," Besu said, grinning at Sokka. "It was over a minute. You were wrong. Only five of us went through the doorway in a minute."

While Sokka was sputtering incoherent arguments, Ty Lee just kindly patted his shoulder. "Some people just don't have the gift, Sokka. Don't take it personally."

Katara did wonder what Ty Lee thought about all of this. She could see auras, or so she claimed. Was seeing the future on the same line of deeper thinking?

There were six cushions inside. Sokka sat on one immediately, drawing into himself and crossing his arms. Iroh started talking to Sokka about something, drawing his attention away from the gilded room.

There was a yelp of joy from the door to their left. A woman in green came out. "Oh, thank you! I just found out the love of my life is going to give me a rare panda lily!"

Ty Lee gave an 'aww'. Sokka either was trying to ignore this entirely or didn't hear.

"I'm happy for you! I hope we'll be getting an invitation to the wedding," a second voice said.

Sokka whipped around so fast that Katara was almost sure that he almost snapped his neck.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Alcina giggled.

"I just..." Sokka said faintly, eyes scanning. Something about that voice had sounded familiar to Katara, too.

The lady in green waved to the sitting six, a grin as wide as her face stretched out. Following her was a petite girl with unruly hair, likely sixteen or seventeen. She wore a traditional kimono, a deep purple shade that glimmered in the light.

"Welcome, Royal Palace Friends!" she crooned, and Katara blinked in surprise. If she closed her eyes, it sounded like Toph. A much nicer, less swear-prone Toph, but Toph nonetheless. Sokka was scrutinizing this girl too, probably wondering what Katara was, if this might be a long-lost cousin or something. Or, logically, there had to be people that sounded similar to one another out there, right? "Would anyone like some tea or food while we wait for Aunt Wu?"

"Tea!" Iroh said enthusiastically at the same time that Sokka asked for food as though he'd been starving for a week.

The Toph-not-Toph girl vanished and reappeared a couple minutes later with a tray of puffs and a large teapot.

"What's your name, child?" General Iroh asked as she handed him a steaming cup. Sokka attacked the bowl of food.

"Meng. I've been Aunt Wu's assistant for years now. You're in for a real treat."

"So she tells your future?" Ty Lee asked, looking thoughtful.

"Bits and pieces. To know too much is to obsess over it. She tells me what she thinks I can manage to know," Meng said sagely, "and it's always been enough for me."

"So, she's not a fraud?" Sokka asked, mouth full of food. General Iroh sent him a disapproving look and Katara elbowed him.

"You're hardly the first to question it," Meng said. "But nothing we say will convince you. You'll just have to go in there yourself," she said with a casual shrug and a wide, welcoming smile.

Iroh distracted Meng with questions about the tea in the area while the girls nibbled on the food. It seemed like in no time at all, an aged woman was parting the curtains at the doors, coming out.

"Ah, so good to see your faces all in person finally," she said. "Who would like to go first? I can only have one at a time, or else I begin to get mixed signals from your spirits."

No one rushed to offer. Katara wasn't sure if it was because no one wanted to seem too eager, or because they were suddenly caught with a little fear of the future.

"Well, I will. I didn't want to let these lovely ladies feel unimportant, but since no one else is offering..." Iroh said.

"General Iroh, please follow me."

They were gone for maybe ten minutes. In that time, the girls broke out into nervous laughter, unable to contain themselves. Sokka rolled his eyes, continuing to stuff puffs into his mouth.

"These are great, Meng," he said. "So, uh, you've lived here your whole life?"

"Far as I know," Meng said.

"Right, right, cool..." Sokka swallowed. "You...a bender at all?"

While Sokka tried to engage Meng in conversation, Katara curled her legs underneath herself. What did she want to know about her future? Well, perhaps right off, knowing that she wasn't going to die some tragic death would be a fantastic start.

She could ask if she was going to marry Zuko, but she feared the answer. She feared a yes as much as she feared a no.

She still hadn't figured much out by the time Iroh returned.

"I hope that this settles you, General Iroh," Aunt Wu said brightly. "It was a pleasure to look into your future!" She scanned the group. "You next, dear," she decided, pointing to Besu. Besu scurried up, nearly tripping over her pillow.

Katara could tell the other girls were dying to know what Iroh found out, but they stayed quiet. Meng continued to serve them while Katara sighed. If Zuko was here, what would he ask the fortune teller? Would it even be about her?

When Besu exited, she looked exactly the same.

"What happened?" Alcina asked as Ty Lee was led away.

"She was a little vague, but I think I got the answer that I was searching for."

"Of course she's vague! She's just throwing things at the wall and hoping one will stick!" Sokka said, waving his hands around. "That's not magic, that's guessing."

Ty Lee looked brighter when she returned. She gave a thumbs up the group.

"She probably hasn't ever told anyone a bad fortune," Sokka hissed under his breath. "Then she wouldn't have any customers."

"Visiting Aunt Wu is completely free," Meng said. "She always uses her vision for the good of the community!"

"Me next?" Alcina said, starting to stand.

"Dear girl, your question is overwhelming my senses," Aunt Wu laughed. "And I have an answer; it will be a noble year for twins."

This seemed to ease Alcina, who let out a long breath. "Thank you so much!" she said.

"That's all you need? Don't you want a full reading?" Sokka asked, shaking his head, as though someone disappointed in her.

"I guess I really only had one overwhelming question and she just answered it." Alcina said, "Nothing else matters as much."

"If there was more to say, the spirits would have told me to bring her back, but as it is, they were resounding about that," Aunt Wu agreed.

"Katara, you next," Sokka said.

"Actually, boy, I'll take you." Aunt Wu said.

"Uh, no. I don't need my fortune read," Sokka shrugged.

"I think you might want to hear what I have to say."

Sokka exchanged a weird look with Katara but followed her nonetheless. Katara sat back down, already having been ready to follow her.

"Princess Katara, that's your name, right?" Meng questioned, "More tea?" Katara hadn't even realized that she'd had all of hers until she was staring at the bottom of her cup.

"Sure."

"Look," Meng started uneasily, "You can tell your brother I'm flattered but-"

"What?" Katara blinked.

"He's been flirting with me this whole time. Asking me questions and stuff," Meng said. Katara frowned. He had been making a big effort to talk to her. "Aunt Wu told me I was gunna marry a guy with big ears, and no offense, your brother's ears are average."

"Erm, thanks? I'll let him know," Katara said, blinking at the interaction that had just occurred.

Sokka was in with Aunt Wu the longest, nearly fifteen minutes. When he reappeared, he looked sallow.

"So?" Katara prompted.

"It's not true. She's just...she's not..." Sokka spat out. "I stand by it. Fortune tellers are all phonies," he said firmly, but seemed unwilling to share what he'd heard or explain his sudden caginess.

"Princess?" Aunt Wu waited for her at the door.

Katara gathered herself, still unsure what she wanted to know, if anything at all.

The room was cozy. There was a scent of burning incense lingering and a warm fire. It made her outfit feel a little too heavy and she wished she could strip her layers. As it was, it was unlikely she'd be in here for a long time. She fanned herself with her fingers the best she could, wishing she was an airbender so she could do something as stupid as cool herself off.

Katara sat on a bigger, softer cousin that was in the middle of the room. Katara mused upon the methods that she'd seen in their short time.

"You're wondering how I see the future, dear," Aunt Wu said.

"A little, but well, everyone must...don't they?" Katara asked, craning her head up to the cloth-covered ceiling.

"You'd be surprised. Many are simply complacent with their place in the world, wondering no more or no less than what's outside their doors each day. They are pleased with simple predictions; if it will rain tomorrow or if they'll have a safe journey in three days. Very few question things and seek deeper truths."

"So I'm different?" Katara raised an eyebrow. "So...I ask a question and you...magic the answer somehow? Bring it forth?"

"No. There are many ways to divine the future or deeper truths. Ty Lee sees people, I see time. We are not dissimilar. Rather, the truths to the future exist around everyone. They are not something I am pulling from the bottom of a lake, but we are swimming in, at any moment. I have just learned how to best interpret the answers and sharpen what you seek," Aunt Wu said. "It's like a swarm of bees above your head. I just find the exact bee you have a question about, but all the other bees do not fail to exist."

"Ah," Katara said absently. "What if I have no question that I wish to ask?" she asked in a soft voice.

"That is fine, Princess. You are open to any sort of response from the spirits, that is good." Aunt Wu held out a basket of animal bones. "These will help me seek through your spirit aura. Choose one and throw it on the fire," she instructed.

Katara felt her fingers draw her to a long, curved one. She looked at Aunt Wu, who only gave her an encouraging smile. Katara threw it onto the fire. It crackled and sizzled, until Aunt Wu fished it out with a pair of tongs.

"Mhh, so, I see you're a native-born Fire Nationer. Water is important to you," she began, looking over the bone's crackled edge at Katara.

"One out of two." Katara couldn't help but wince. It was pretty obvious she was Water Nation, wasn't she?

Aunt Wu looked deeply distressed. She looked at the bone again, then back at Katara. Katara half expected her to fake some reason why she'd flubbed her original reading, but she instead just ignored it and moved on. Her face was set into a frown, like she couldn't make sense of something.

"Okay, well, you made a great sacrifice for your town, did you not?"

Katara felt uneasiness settled over her, "Tribe, but erm, well, yes I suppose I did."

Aunt Wu looked more relieved that she'd been able to see that, though Katara wasn't sure it made her feel okay.

"And would you say that you are a voice for those who did not have a voice? That you performed a selfless act for your people?"

"In a way, perhaps," Katara said, gnawing on her lip.

"Also, did you-" Aunt Wu broke off, face pale.

"What?" Katara asked, breath increasing. "Tell me, what do you see?" she asked, leaning forward nearly over the fire, desperate to know what caused such a paleness to the woman's face.

"It says here you died."

"I'm going to die?" Katara echoed, her voice cracked in terror and anguish.

"No, that you did. Have you ever had a near death experience?"

Katara thought back. "Well, I mean...another contestant tried to poison me. Unsuccessfully, but I suppose..." Katara swallowed hard. "Would that count?"

Aunt Wu did not look convinced. "Yes, yes. That must be it."

"Oh, well, that's a relief...I guess..." Katara tried to ignore the urge to get up and leave now. "Does it say something about my future?"

"It seems to be intertwined with your future, your past that is." Aunt Wu turned the bone every which way. "It's hard to untangle the two from each other. This, Princess, is not something I've come across before. It's most peculiar..." she said, "But...yes, I think this is part of the future, your future," she added, which Katara found a weird thing to specify.

"Yes?"

"You will be in a fight. It will have a great sacrifice, but your rewards will end up being exactly what you seek. You will find your companion where you least expect it. It will be a child of a dark dragon and humble girl. "

Katara thought back to what Sokka had said about Aunt Wu just throwing out phrases with the hope one hit home. She couldn't help but feel a little let down.

"It's not more clear?"

"I'm sorry, Princess, but this is a very strange bone reading," she said. "I wish I could be of more