Wolf Moon 9

"Psst."

Yué startled. Aunna put a hand around her arm.

"Over here," the voice hissed.

"Sokka…?" She glanced around uncertainly, but she followed the voice to a side street. The Southern Tribesman was waiting with a grin on his face.

"Good morning, Sokka," Aunna said primly. She stood slightly in front of Yué.

"Good morning, ladies," he said cheerfully, still keeping his voice quiet. "I just thought you might like to know that Hahn is taking the Avatar on a very efficient tour of the borders." He pulled a mischievous face. "Aang is going to be totally cooperative and make sure things wrap up on schedule."

"...And what's the schedule?" Yué ventured, curious. 

"Oh…" Sokka sucked air in through his teeth. "It's a big border, you know, they predict the boys will be gone for a week and a half. But who knows." 

Aunna made a quiet sound of comprehension.

Sokka tamped down on a silly grin and tapped his nose. "It could take longer. Maybe even twice that long if they see penguin seals." He shrugged. "It's also a training trip for Aang, of course. Maybe they'll find that he learns better out in nature." 

Yué took that information in. She felt a small smile warm her own face. "Thank you, Sokka. That's good to know."

He blinked a little dizzily at her. Sokka reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "It was nothing, really." He cleared his throat. "I was wondering - would you like to - what's the best place to view the sunset around here?" His face flushed pink but he stubbornly didn't look away. 

"Oh." Yué blinked. She twisted her fingers together. "I…"

"Forget it," Sokka said desperately. She waved a hand in front of his face. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Ah…" Yué eyed him uncertainly. Was he…? Out of his view, Aunna made a conspiratorial face and waggled her eyebrows. 

…Yes, he was.

Yué felt a little brave. "Sokka, I'm going to watch the morning healing lessons. If you'd walk us there, I'll tell you about the places that have a good view."

He snapped to attention. Despite asking her a question, Sokka kept up a running patter of nervous and funny chatter. Yué found herself laughing a little too loudly for polite company but she couldn't bring herself to care. She regretted seeing him go when he bowed her off at the Healers' tent. She pushed aside the flap and stepped inside.

She made direct eye contact with Healer Yugoda and froze.

The older woman raised an eyebrow. Her normally stern expression held a hint of amusement.

Yué's heart thumped in her chest. She felt oddly guilty.

"Good morning, Princess Yué," Healer Yugoda said.

Yué echoed the greeting and took a seat.

With Hahn gone, the next two weeks were a dream. She and Aunna finished making a multi-weather wardrobe and hiding pearls and jewels in it. Sokka sat with them at breakfast every morning.

She couldn't help but notice the small injuries on his hands and fingers. Yué pretended not to notice. But she did wonder, with a little thrill in her stomach. What was he making? He had to be making something, right?

'He's like a prince, in his own way.' Yué stole a glance at Sokka under her eyelashes. He was currently losing a three way argument with Katara and Aunna about whether or not he needed to fix the embroidery on his own best coat. Yué accidentally made eye contact and suppressed a smile at the silent plea for help in his eyes.

Maybe that was her way out after all. She wasn't engaged yet. If Sokka got to it first…

People would be annoyed with her for accepting. But they couldn't fault her for it. She was single and she had the right to accept or reject proposals, in theory.

Aunna agreed when they got to her private rooms. "He should pretend that he wants to court me," she said bluntly.

Yué blinked.

"If people think he wants to court you, someone might warn him off," she explained. Aunna wrinkled her nose and leaned on her hand. "He has plausible deniability right now. Whereas if they thought he was interested in me, no one would wonder why he was hanging around." Her smile turned wan. "I'm safe from proposals until you're engaged, and then I'm the next best thing on the market."

Yué winced. "It doesn't feel right…"

Aunna looked at her for a long moment and then shrugged. "It's just an idea. He doesn't have to lie, anyway," she justified. "People can think what they want."

There was a knock.

They both looked up. "It's Katara," came the muffled call.

Oh. "Come in," Yué said. Aunna stood in one elegant motion and opened the door.

"Thanks," Katara said, through a busted lip.

Yué stared.

There was blood coming down the other girl's chin. Her dress was soaked from the knees down. And there was a tear in her sleeve.

"You had a good practice," Aunna said. Her tone was level. But Yué knew her friend well enough to hear the envy in the voice.

Katara beamed. "I sure did!" She flopped down onto a seat.  "We had rounds today." Her grin turned a little feral. "The losers of one round faced the winner of the next."

"...So, three versus one?" Yué wondered.

"I won," Katara said primly. She tossed her simple braid over her shoulder.

No wonder Katara had no time for decorating her wardrobe or styling her hair, Yué realized. She was busy becoming the most frightening person that Yué knew. She pressed her lips close together instead of commenting on any of that and nodded. "I see. Congratulations."

Aunna echoed it a moment later. "What was your winning move?" She asked casually. "Can you show us?"

"After Aunna heals your lip," Yué interrupted. If they got started, Katara was going to bleed all over the furniture.

"My… oh." Katara touched her face thoughtfully. "That explains why Master Pakku told me to come here, then. I thought he just wanted me to be social."

Yué felt a reluctant smile tug at her lips despite the queasy feeling in her stomach at the sight of blood. "Perhaps it was both." She hung back and watched as Aunna cleaned off Katara and fixed her injuries. Katara fidgeted a little. Aunna didn't tolerate that, using one hand in the back of Katara's head to hold her in place.

"You know, your bedside manner isn't like Healer Yugoda's," Katara complained. Her voice came out nasal because Aunna was mercilessly squishing her nose.

"Isn't it?" Aunna said airily. Yué didn't see what she did, but Katara yelped. "I'm so sorry, princess. How is that?"

Katara leaned away and patted at her face. "It's good." She shot Aunna with a suspicious glance. "Thank you."

"Of course you're welcome." Aunna drifted back to her seat and folded down into it. "Now, what were you saying about how you won?"