"Meeting the Future In-Laws"

"Talking" 'Thinking' :Telepathic Communication:

Mariposa licked her forepaw, keeping one eye on the sleeping kit. Aang had asked her to keep an eye on him, and she had. The only times she had left his side for the last two days were to use the dirt-box and eat, and she had had Aang bring a dirt-box, food, and water into the room so she didn't have to stray far. The kit seemed to be waking, so she slipped off the bed and padded off the find Aang. She found him downstairs and pawed at his leg to get his attention.

"Aang?" she mewed. "He's starting to wake up."

"All right. I'll be up the first chance I get." His sister, Ty Lee, and her master, Arthur would be arriving soon. Since Roku's Wizard duty was taking longer than expected, it was up to Aang to make sure everything was ready and to greet their guests. Unfortunately, this didn't leave him much time to spare, just enough to feed Zuko-and Mariposa, of course- and to have placed a Protection Ward onto Zuko. Mariposa nodded at his words and bounded back upstairs.

Zuko woke slowly to the sound of loud purring. He sat up and stretched lazily. It was dim, but he could see the vague outline of a cat on the pillow. When had his uncle gotten a cat? The last tendril of sleep-fog cleared and he remembered he wasn't at his uncle's house; he was at Aang's. He blushed, remembering how he had sat on Aang's lap and cried. The cat padded close, still purring, and began nuzzling his arm, rubbing her head against him. Zuko hesitantly picked her up and placed her on his lap. When she settled, tucking her paws under her, he reached for the bed curtain and pulled it open, flooding the area with light. How long had he been asleep?

He slid out of bed, careful not to drop the cat onto the floor, and looked around. He noticed his bag on one of the chairs, with the clothes he'd been wearing neatly folded beneath it. He'd left the bag in the garden when he came into the house. Aang or one of the women must have brought it up. He crossed the room and opened it, noticing that most of his granola bars had been replaced with individually sealed bags of sandwiches, baked goods, fruits, and vegetables. There was also a note. Zuko, these will stay fresh and safe to eat as long as the bags and seals are intact. What were you going to do, survive on granola bars? Next time you decide to run away, (hopefully not from here!) make sure you take these with you. Clematis baked them just for you. She says the granola bars have too much sugar and preservatives to be fit for human consumption. I wouldn't let her throw them ALL away, though. -Aang. Zuko smiled at the note, and then looked down at the cat at his feet.

"Isn't that sweet of them? Giving me food for if I decide to run away again." Mariposa stopped purring and stared at the kit worriedly. He wasn't planning on running away from Aang, was he? "I doubt I'll need it though, unless my dad finds a way to force me back to his house again." She relaxed and started purring again. Zuko bent and rubbed behind her ears briefly. She was a beautiful cat, with bright blue eyes, sleek cream with orange and brown blotched fur, and a long, smooth tail. He loved cats. Unlike dogs, cats wouldn't love you forever just because you fed them. Cats were independent, aloof. If a cat loved you, it meant you'd earned that love. Zuko liked that. He pulled on a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans from the bag and headed downstairs, Mariposa following him.

Ty Lee arrived a few minutes before her master and guardian, Arthur Vaudeville. Her older brother was waiting in the lobby, and she threw herself into Aang's arms and gave him a huge hug. With Aang nearing the end of his Apprenticeship, the siblings didn't get to see each other as much as they'd like.

Zuko stopped dead on the stairs, jealousy squeezing his stomach as he watched a girl in pink fling herself into Aang's welcoming arms. When she pulled back, Zuko recognized her as Ty Lee, one of his sister's friends. He'd had a crush on her when he was younger, finding her exotic with her Italian accent and her knowledge of foreign language. Then she and Azula had had a falling out a few years ago, and he'd briefly had a crush on his sister's other friend, Mai. He hadn't seen Ty Lee since her fight with Azula, though. Aang knew her, apparently. Mariposa looked up at the kit, recognizing from the way his scent changed slightly that he was jealous. Silly kit. Ty Lee was Aang's littermate. He certainly wasn't interested in her. She mewed loudly to draw Aang's attention.

Aang and Ty Lee both looked up at Mariposa's mew and saw Zuko standing on the stairs. She didn't recognize him. Aang felt a slight tinge of guilt that he hadn't managed to find time to go see Zuko again before he woke up. :Ooh, he's jealous, Aangy. He must really like you.: Ty Lee could see auras without even trying. Unlike most magic users, she had to try not to see them. There were few better at reading auras than her, either. If she said Zuko was jealous, then Zuko was jealous. Aang wasn't convinced that Zuko was jealous because he liked him, though.

"Zuko, this is my little sister, Ty Lee. Ty Lee, this is Zuko Ohasi." Zuko slowly came down the rest of the stairs, a little embarrassed at his reaction now. Aang wasn't certain how much to tell Ty Lee about Zuko and why he was there. Zuko's problems were private. "He ran away from home, and he's staying here for a few days." There. That didn't give too much away. Ty Lee tipped her head to one side.

"You live near New York City, right? Azula's older brother?" :His sister's a Dark Witch, Aang. Are you sure it's a good idea for him to be here?:

:He's not Dark, Ty Lee. And he doesn't have anywhere else to go, not until his uncle gets out of the hospital.: At least Aang knew where Zuko lived now. He didn't know any therapists there, but he did know a sorcerer who lived there, Hakoda. He should be able to recommend someone.

:His sister's Dark. His father, while mortal, is Dark. Do you really think Zuko is the only person in that family to not be Dark? Look at his aura, Aang! It's full of rage, jealousy, and hatred.:

:I'm not really surprised, considering what's his father's done to him. Besides, haven't you ever heard of Light Weres? They're born into Dark, surrounded by it, but they still choose Light. We'll talk about this later, Ty Lee. Right now, we're being rude, and Clematis and Sage have been harping on me enough about manners as it is.:

"Yeah, Azula's my little sister." Zuko had that feeling again, like there was a conversation going on he couldn't hear. He'd gotten the same impression during breakfast. Zuko stood awkwardly until Aang held out his hand, smiling at him.

"It's almost lunch time. After we eat, I'll take you to town and you can call your uncle. I'm sure he's worried about you."

"How long have I been asleep?" Zuko took Aang's offered hand, ignoring Ty Lee's slight frown. He liked holding Aang's hand.

"A little over two days." Two days? How could he have been asleep that long? Aang led him and Ty Lee into the kitchen. "You remember Sage and Clematis, right?" Zuko nodded and Aang indicated a small man, about Clematis's height. "This is Thorn, Sage's husband. Thorn, this is Zuko Ohasi." Thorn smiled at him, brown eyes crinkling.

"It's nice to meet you, Zuko." They shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you, too, sir."

Ty Lee studied her brother closely. She could tell he was obviously smitten with Zuko Ohasi, and she was worried about him. Aang had mentioned in passing that Ozai had done something to Zuko to make him the way he was. Cold. Full of hatred. Angry. Uncaring. The Old Ways were trying to draw them together, to bind them. She couldn't see someone as open, loving, and compassionate as her brother with Zuko. Even when they were kids, Zuko had been cold and distant.

:You were fine with him until you found out who he was. You're being unfair, little sister.: Aang's voice was gentle. :You see the shell Zuko's built around himself, not the injured, lonely, traumatized boy underneath.: Aang didn't break off his conversation with Zuko once as he chided her.

:What happened to him?: Aang's sigh echoed inside her head.

:He confided a little of that in me, sis. I won't break his confidence. But the little I saw in his mind, and what he told me adds up to one of the most horrifying cases of abuse I've ever seen.: He glanced at her briefly, his eyes barely flickering from Zuko. :What I saw probably only scratched the surface, if the scars are anything to go by.: Aang covered Zuko's hand with his, making Zuko blush slightly. Zuko was certain that Aang was just being nice; that there was no way this gorgeous boy was actually interested in him. He'd seen most of Zuko's scars. He knew what his own father had done to him. The only scar Aang hadn't seen was the huge one on the left side of his face. Even if Aang was interested, Zuko was in no mental state for a romantic relationship at the moment.

Aang gave him a tour of the house after lunch. Zuko was especially enamored with the gardens and the library. It was threatening rain, so Zuko decided to spend his afternoon in the library, reading while Aang tended to Wizard stuff. Maybe he'd get some ideas for his art. Aang had asked him not to read the books on a specific shelf, so Zuko avoided those ones. He was engrossed in a book about different types of Fae when Ty Lee came in and sat down in the chair across from him.

"Hey, Zuko!" she chirped. Zuko looked at her, suspicious. He'd gotten the impression that she didn't like him very much, and that she certainly didn't approve of him being friendly with her brother.

"Hi." Zuko stared at her for a moment. "Was there something in particular you wanted?"

"Your sister's a Dark witch. Your father has one of the Darkest souls I've ever seen in a mortal. You've lived in that house for sixteen years and you expect me to believe you're not Dark, too?" She glared at him. "Aang might be fooled by your pretty face and whatever sob story you-" Zuko's temper snapped.

"My father raping me repeatedly for three fucking hours is not some fucking sob story I made up, you pampered little-" Aang interrupted his words.

"Ty Lee! I said we'd talk about this later." She started guiltily at Aang's sharp words. Aang quickly crossed the room to Zuko. "Zuko? She didn't upset you too much, did she?" The concern in Aang's voice made Zuko flush bright red.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. Aang was treating him like some delicate little flower. Ty Lee glared at both of them before storming out. Aang watched her go, and then sat down heavily in the chair she had just deserted.

"Gods, I handed that one badly, didn't I?" He studied Zuko for a long moment. "What history do you two have together anyway? She was perfectly fine with you until she found out who you were."

"She was one of my sister's friends. They had a falling out years ago, but I'm not sure over what." Aang nodded. He knew what- Azula had chosen Dark. "She said my sister was a 'Dark Witch' and you and the women keep referring to me as 'mortal.' What does that mean? Witches aren't real, right? I mean, there are Wiccans, but that's a religion." Aang smiled. Most-almost all, really, mortals who came into contact with The Old Ways forgot everything within days, so there was no harm in telling Zuko. He'd just forget, anyway. Of course, he'd also forget Aang. His heart sank slightly at the thought.

"Witches are real, Zuko. Lots of things mortals think are just myths, legends, fairy tales, or fantasy are real. Take Lunaria, for example. Before you saw her, would you ever have believed me if I told you unicorns were real?" Zuko shook his head. "Of course not. You'd better get comfortable, Zuko. This is going to take a while." Zuko leaned back in the chair, tucking his legs under him. A fluffy gray cat came over and hopped onto his lap. "That's Tomas. He lives in here, and helps us whenever we need to find a specific book. If you're looking for something in particular while you're here, just ask Tomas.

"There are three classes of magic user, based on how powerful they are. Wizards, Sorcerers or Sorceresses, and Witches. I'm a Wizard, as are Ty Lee and Arthur. Wizards only serve Light, and we're the most powerful of magic users. We have power given to us by The Old Ways, like all magic users. Unlike other magic users, though, we can supplement it by drawing away power from mortals who are being forced by The Old Ways down a path they don't want. There are some paths we'll interfere in automatically, like a Rapunzel or a Fair Rosamund. Most of the time, though, we don't interfere unless something's going wrong, or we're asked to interfere. We also get rid of Dark creatures like Boggarts, Water Witches, Night Mares, some Fae, trolls, ogres, vampires, Weres, that kind of thing. Dark creatures cause mayhem and bloodshed whenever they can. It's their nature. So we kill the ones we can, and Bind those we can't. Some, like malevolent ghosts, we Banish. Most ghosts, though, we either help pass on, or leave them in peace. Those ones know their ghosts, and they know how to pass on, they just have something they want to do first.

"Sorcerers and Sorceresses are the second most powerful magic users. They can't interfere with The Old Ways, although they can supplement their power. Sorcerers can get rid of Dark creatures, and aid in protecting creatures like unicorns. Well, Light and some Neutral ones do. Sorcerers have more free will than Wizards, as they can choose between Light, Neutral, and Dark. A lot of that decision is based on their personality and their upbringing. Wizards can't choose, they can only serve Light. Unless, of course, they choose to become a Katschei. Then they're Dark, and no longer human." Aang's face darkened when he talked about Katschei.

"What's a Katschei?"

"A Katschei is a type of Demon. There's a spell that will remove their heart without killing them, and encases it in diamond to protect it. They're darn near immortal as a result, and their power level increases dramatically since they're now a Demon. Usually they're born human, although some Fae have turned." Aang shoved thoughts of Katschei away. He hated Katschei. One had killed his parents in order to try and get its hands on him and his sister. "Now, what I was I talking about? Sorcerers. Sorcerers age slowly, like all magic users. Take Arthur. Arthur looks what, fifty? He's actually nine hundred and four. They're also the only magic users with gender-specific titles.

"Witches are the least powerful magic users. They can't supplement their power, or influence The Old Ways. They're by far the most common magic users, and they usually have more powerful children, especially if they're with another Witch, or a more powerful magic user. They can choose Light, Neutral, or Dark, like your sister did. Most of them do things like get ghosts to move on, banish weak poltergeists, or make charms, talismans, and potions."

"Like love potions?"

"Yeah. Or protection, luck, vengeance, stuff like that." He paused suddenly. "Good Gods, I sound like Roku when he's lecturing. I'm sorry."

"I don't mind. It's fascinating." Aang blushed.

"In that case, how about you ask me about stuff you're curious about?"

"Why does Clematis call me 'mortal'?"

"A mortal is a human with no magic, and no affinity. Magic is quite distinctive in an aura, so we would have noticed if you had any. Affinities are harder to recognize."

"So I could have an affinity without knowing it? What are affinities, anyway?"

"Yeah." 'It's not likely, although it would be nice,' he thought. "Affinities are natural connections with something. The most common ones are weapons and elements. I have an Air affinity. A Wizard Apprentice in Ireland, Toph Bei Fong, has an Earth affinity. Roku has a Fire affinity. Someone with a Weapons affinity is called a Knight Errant, until they swear to a magic user, and then they're a Warrior. Another common affinity is Foresight. Those manifest in different forms. Some forms enable people to tell when and how someone is going to die, or meet their true love, or come into money, or have their heart broken. Others are vaguer. It varies widely. There's a woman in town, Aunt Wu-" Aang broke off. "Crap muffins. I was going to take you into town so you can use Aunt Wu's phone to call your uncle. It's too late now, though. We have to walk, and it's almost dark." He looked at Zuko sheepishly. "I'll take you first thing in the morning. We can have breakfast at Sunshine's Diner."

"OK." To be honest, Zuko had completely forgotten about calling his uncle. He'd been enjoying himself listening to Aang's deep, rich voice as he talked. Tomas purring away on his lap wasn't helping matters any. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Aang called. Clematis poked her head in.

"Dinner's ready, boys. Wash up and come downstairs."

"We'll be right there, Clematis." Everyone was waiting for them when they arrived. "Sorry if we kept you waiting. We were talking and we lost track of time." Aang slid into the seat beside Zuko.

"That's all right, Aang. What were you and Zuko discussing that was so engrossing?"

"The Old Ways." Arthur frowned slightly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Aang? Zuko's a mortal, and The Old Ways are supposed to be kept secret from them." Ty Lee piped up.

"It doesn't really matter, does it, sir? Zuko's going to forget everything about his time here anyway. Mortals always do." Zuko went very still. Had there been other mortals here, in spite of what Sage had said about him being special? Other mortals that Aang had fussed over and made feel special and cared for? Aang covered Zuko's hand with his, sensing his distress.

"Most mortals. Not all. Most mortals don't want to believe in fairy tales, or magic, or unicorns, or Fae, or anything else they see here. They don't want to accept anything unless science can prove it. They try to rationalize what they saw, what they experienced. The Old Ways just take it a step farther, and erase their memories completely." Aang's words were addressed to Ty Lee, but meant for Zuko. She pouted at the correction.

:Ty Lee Watanabe. Your specialty is Love Magic. If you can't recognize it at work at this stage in your Apprenticeship, then perhaps you aren't as far along as I thought. Maybe we need to go back a few levels in your instruction. Stop trying to drive a wedge between them. I understand your concerns, but The Old Ways wouldn't send him a Dark mortal for his Consort.:

:Sorry, sir.:

"Aang's absolutely correct, Zuko. I'm sure you'll remember your time here. Just remember that it's secret, and you can't go around telling everyone you meet." Zuko smiled slightly.

"I wasn't planning on it. People would think I was insane, or trying to get attention."

Zuko lay on his back beside Aang, staring up at the stars. "I've never so many stars." Aang smiled.

"That's because there's not that many lights out here, especially compared to the New York City area. The stars aren't overwhelmed."

"Uncle tried to teach me to identify constellations when I was younger, but I could never see enough stars." Aang pointed at the sky.

"You see those ones that look a bit like an 'M'?" Zuko nodded. "That's Cassiopeia." Aang pointed out several more constellations. "Do you see that reddish spot just above the trees? That's Mars. Other planets might rise later."

"Is that the Milky Way over there?"

"Yeah. If I had brought out the telescope I could show you some other galaxies, and maybe a nebula or two." He sat up. "Do you see those lights down there, through the trees?" Zuko sat up to see what he was pointing at. "That's Red Lodge, where we're going tomorrow." It looked a long way away.

"We're going to walk there?" Aang nodded. "It's looks pretty far."

"You walked from New York to Montana a few days ago," he teased. Sobering, he said, "It's actually not as far as it looks. Really. It looks farther away than it is because it's not that big of a town, so there aren't that many lights. Plus, it's getting late, so some of the older population might already be asleep." It was still a hike of a few miles, but the trip there was mostly downhill. Aang knew a spell that would shorten the trip dramatically; the same one The Old Ways had used to bring Zuko to Montana. Of course, the woods were filled with unicorns. It wouldn't be that hard to find one or two female ones to give them a ride back home.