Drabbles: Steps Toward Becoming (PG; AtLA)

[jedibuttercup]

PG; Avatar: the Last Airbender. Reaction drabbles #11. Through 3.5 "The Beach".

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Pursuing Justice

Katara strokes red powder in swift lines across her skin, assembling her disguise with careful brushes of fingertips.

Tonight, she isn't acting as the Avatar's teacher, the Chief's daughter, Sokka's sister, or any other role derived from someone else's importance. She's chosen this course on her own-- a thought that floods her with both nervousness and anticipation.

This is something that needs doing, despite the others' refusal to help. How can they hope to save the whole world if they ignore the sufferings of its people?

She certainly can't. So the 'Painted Lady' will just have to act without them.

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Pursuing Power

Azula narrows her eyes at the embers of her family's portrait.

She'd hoped, when Zuko turned to her under Ba Sing Se, that he had finally learned the lesson their father tried to teach him three years before. That he was ready to embrace reality, instead of sabotaging himself with their uncle's soft-headed ideals. But alas, it seems he's just as foolish as ever.

No matter. He still has his uses. And she has the resolve to do what must be done.

She is the perfect heir to their father's throne. Let Zuko whine. He'll acknowledge the truth, soon enough.

Comments

[anotherdreamer5.livejournal.com]

I like the idea that only by becoming the Painted Lady did Katara finally stop defining herself in terms of what her friends needed, but by what she needed to do--help people on a larger scale.

And then Azula, staring at the family that was broken. I love the idea that she saw Zuko's fight for the army (his version of Katara standing up for the people) as self-sabotage and foolishness.

[jedibuttercup]

Katara is capable of learning new perspectives despite ingrained prejudice. But one of the tragedies of Azula is that despite all her potential, she was broken early in such a way that she can't.

[anotherdreamer5.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes about Azula. Her quote: "My own mother thought I was a monster... She was right of course, but it still hurt. " Just a broken girl who gave up having her mother's approval and decided she would have her dad's. That she would be great alone. So, so broken.