Chapter Text
The family which resided at the estate of Southwinter had once been quite wealthy, but now was only barely well to do. Though it was still a grand house with spreading gardens, the upkeep had faltered and entire wings had been closed off and left dark to save on costs. Southwinter only kept a cook, a housekeeper whose duties also included the parsonage, two maids, and a groomsman with no carriage to speak of.
Like the house, the family had once been more that it currently was. Over the years, branches of the family had withered off to nothing and now there were only four members: Colonel Hakoda, who was not even in residence, having purchased his commission as a much younger man and maintaining it despite any objections; his elderly mother who was in poor health; and his two children, both old enough to marry but not yet wed. The elder child, Mr. Sokka, was charged with the upkeep of the estate in his father's absence and carried out his duties tolerably well, despite his somewhat sensible nature, and was respected by his neighbors in spite of the family's troubles.
But it is the younger child who is of the most interest to our narrative.
Miss Katara was twenty-years-old, beautiful, and headstrong. Her childhood had been marked by the tragedy of her mother's untimely death, and by her father's long absence, leaving her to grow up with a strong and unwavering moral compass, which was perhaps too strict at times, and the idea that if she didn't care for Southwinter and its residents, no one would. She had expressed no intention of marrying while her grandmother and brother still needed looking after, and was somehow virtually oblivious to the intentions of certain young men about village and county.
Despite both Miss Katara's virtues and failings, she was very well liked. It had been noted that she spent more time away from the house than within it, and was often found in the village, walking with her neighbors and frequenting the small shops. This particular bright spring morning found her riding home from down with a new ribbon and the sun on her hair, which made her eyes shine very bright and her cheeks turn pink with the wind of her passage.
Miss Katara riding onto the lawn in the late morning was a normal enough occurrence that the groomsman took no notice of her passage except for to raise one hand in a hello. She waved back and rode on, along the road towards the house.
The only thing that swayed her from her course was her brother, walking across the lawn towards her from the far side of the house. Katara pulled up her horse and slowed. "Sokka," she said, forgoing the formality that should have been required of her station and of her brother's. "Where have you been?"
"I've been out," Sokka said, putting his nose in the air and placing one hand on his hat to stop the wind from striking it from his head. "Some of us are forced to pay calls rather than galavant about the countryside like some kind of wayward spirit."
Katara had spent enough time with her brother that his moods had no effect on her, and she slid from the mare's saddle without responding. "On foot?" she asked, noting the dust on Sokka's boots. "You could easily have taken one of the horses on whatever call you intended to pay. Who in the neighborhood so required your company that you walked there?"
"You may well ask," Sokka said with an extravagant wave of one gloved hand, and thus nearly allowing the wind to pluck his hat away in the process. He caught it, and his countenance was such that Katara thought he was blaming her for the mishap. "I have been to see our newest neighbor," Sokka said, screwing the hat more firmly to his head. "You shall be interested to know that Caldera Court is newly occupied."
That was news that interested Katara. She took the mare’s reins in one hand, guiding the beast behind her as she and Sokka walked back towards the house. "Caldera Court has been empty for many years," Katara said. "Who has decided to come rent it now, after so much time?"
"A gentleman of some means and opportunity," Sokka said. "His name is Mr. Zuko, and he comes with only his household and an uncle to keep him company. I have not gotten the full story from him yet, since I only saw him to introduce myself and offer an invitation for a later visit, but it seems that he has moved from town at the behest of his father, a nobleman of some rank. For what exact reason, I have not yet determined, but he does look in need of ..." and here Sokka paused, his face coloring as he searched for the right word, and finally settled on, "convalescence."
"Convalescence?" Katara repeated in surprise. "Is he ill?"
"Not exactly," Sokka said, and did not answer further.
The two siblings walked toward the house in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Sokka ran over the only interaction he'd had with Mr. Zuko, which had been somewhat strained, though the gentleman was quite polite, and wondered how he would maintain conversation for an entire visit. Perhaps bringing Katara would be the best idea. She would have to meet Mr. Zuko at some point, of course, and besides, he could admit that Katara had more sense than he did, and in a case like this, perhaps that would come in handy. And besides, bringing a lady along — even one as headstrong as his sister — was the best sort of social lubricant.
For her part, Katara was also thinking about Mr. Zuko, but in the abstract, given that she had not yet had the pleasure of his company. She had always enjoyed meeting new people, and was looking forward to this acquaintance as well, but yet, there was something in Sokka's manner that made her wary. Sokka was often less suspicious than she was of the intentions of others, and if even he found himself carefully picking his words, she wondered what sort of person she might find in Mr. Zuko. But, she resolved not to be cold to him, and not prejudice herself unjustly towards the gentleman without first meeting him. Yes, it was important not to make snap judgements, she told herself, unaware of the irony of it, given her proclivity towards doing exactly that.
They reached the house together and Katara handed the horse off to the groomsman, who hurried away. The two siblings entered the main hall of Southwinter, Sokka knocking the dust from his boots and Katara trying to smooth the wrinkles from her skirts. It was not, of course, that there was anyone of consequence to assess their appearance. Their father was far away and would remain there for a while yet. And their grandmother was, at this hour, likely still in her chambers. The house was, as it always was, theirs and theirs alone, a thought that set Katara's head to spinning with the strangeness of it.
"And when have you arranged to call on Mr. Zuko again?" she asked, forcing conversation.
"Within the week," Sokka said. "I also promised to take him around the neighborhood, if he so wishes, and meet anyone else he has a pleasure to. I will admit though, I am unsure if that offer was taken up. He is a somewhat taciturn man. His uncle, however, is a true joy and provided all the excitement and good humor his nephew did not."
"Ah, so the younger is ill humored?" Katara asked.
"I wouldn't say that," Sokka said, taking off his hat as he walked to the second best sitting room. "In fact, I don't think I said that at all, and it is quite uncharitable of you to say I did."
"I didn't say you did," Katara said. "But I know myself to be clever enough to find the implication in the unsaid."
Sokka, who despite his words and manner and dress had something of Katara's stubborness as well, said, "Maybe you're too clever by half."
"It has been mentioned before," Katara said, tapping a finger against her chin. When she saw Sokka's expression though, she laughed. "Don't look so upset, Sokka. You can be clever too, if you gave it some thought."
"Sit down," Sokka said in a huff, "or go away. Is this any way to treat your older brother?"
"I believe it's the only way to treat him," Katara said.
They went on in this vein for some time — the easy wit of two young people with too much time and not enough propriety. Katara and Sokka, thought possessed of enough wealth and standing to have received a formal education, had also found it imperative that they raise themselves to a certain extent. Unlike the majority of their peers, they did not have the benefit of tutors, governesses, and extensive schooling, nor had they had a mother to guide their development in a very long time. Or, if one was perfectly frank, a father either. Colonel Hakoda was a good man, a proud man, and an honorable one, as either of his children would have been quick to say. He was not, however, a present man in his children's lives, and for a long time, all knowledge they had of him, and he of them, came through his letters. The siblings were resigned to this, and had grown past the resentment younger children developed in a situation of this sort. However, it did make them somewhat strange, and had given them a reputation in the county for certain oddities and manners that, in the eyes of their peers, belied a lack of refinement.
Throughout the whole discussion, though, Katara found herself interested in the newest addition to the neighborhood. She did not ask Sokka outright about Mr. Zuko, for that would have told him of her interest and opened her up to a great deal of mockery. For it was not the kind of interest that a young woman should have in a wealthy new neighbor. It was something far more like suspicion, though why, she was unsure. Perhaps it was simply the way in which Sokka spoke of Mr. Zuko that made her nervous.
But no, she reminded herself. Do not judge the poor man before you have met him, based only on an implication in Sokka's tone. One must be charitable in one's opinions.
At that very moment, as Katara was scolding herself, they received a call. Without waiting for any kind of introduction, the visitor let himself into the second best sitting room where the siblings sat, and revealed himself to be the Vicar of the village, a Mr. Aang and a dear friend of the family at Southwinter.
"Hello!" Sokka said, not rising from his seat on the sofa as he should have — yet another breach in protocol that would have had the village in a tizzy if they knew about it. "I had wondered when you'd come by."
Mr. Aang was a bright and cheerful gentleman who lived in the parsonage on the Southwinter estate. While the house had fallen in grandeur, it had once been the best in the village and therefore had been the one the parsonage was attached to, many years ago. This had all been for the best, as Mr. Aang had been a ward of Colonel Hakoda before he had joined the clergy. He still kept up the best of relations with the family and was, in Sokka's estimation, something of a third sibling.
"Hello, Sokka, Katara," Aang said, offering a slight bow, far too formal for the setting but very much in keeping with his way. "It's a lovely day and I have heard we have a new neighbor."
"I had heard that as well," said Katara with a laugh. "Sokka has been to see him and has brought back a very mixed report on the gentleman and his uncle."
"Mixed!" With his usual excitement, Aang sat himself in a nearby chair. "Well, explain more of this mixture to us, Sokka, if you would be so good."
Once again, Sokka explained his meeting with Mr. Zuko, much to Aang's interest. New people were always interesting to Aang, who took his work very seriously. Anyone who had recently arrived in the county could count on a visit from the overeager vicar within a week of their move, regardless of his having been invited.
"We must help Mr. Zuko introduce himself to society!" Aang said once Sokka finished, clapping his hands together.
"I'm sure society knows him better than it knows us," Katara said gently, careful not to dim Aang's excitement while also issuing a soft rebuke. "He comes from town to our small county and likely has far more connections to true society than we could ever dream."
"Oh, no, not that society," replied Aang as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. " Our society. The important type of society."
Sokka laughed. "Only you would say this county contained the only people worth knowing," he said. "But Aang is right. Mr. Zuko will need someone to introduce him to all the important people."
"Why must it be us?" asked Katara, unwilling to play nursemaid to a man who Sokka had already implied to be "ill-tempered".
"Who better?" Aang said, leaning forward in his chair. "As the oldest family in the county, should it not fall to you?"
"The oldest does not mean the best," Katara said. "If he is looking for the best of society, I'm sure the Bei Fongs would be a much better choice for him, don't you think?"
The men looked at one another, their nervousness palpable, and Katara knew their concern but ignored it.
"Don't you think that might be a little too much?" said Aang carefully. "We certainly don't wish to scare the gentleman off that quickly."
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Katara said. "I can assure you that there is nothing at all wrong with the Bei Fongs."
"Katara —” Sokka said.
She smiled at him.
Sokka, who would never have declared himself clever, knew he was out of his depth and stopped speaking. Mr. Zuko would, of course, have to meet the Bei Fongs at some point. They were the most influential family in the county and their estate was by far the finest, for all that it was relatively new. And Mrs. Bei Fong would have no qualms at all about inserting herself into Mr. Zuko's presence, whether he wanted her to or not. Katara was being pert, and Sokka had no wish to argue with her about something they both understood. Allowing the Bei Fongs to monopolize Mr. Zuko's time would not be good for anyone, least of all Mr. Zuko himself.
What he did not understand was his sister's unwillingness to interact with their new neighbor without having met him at all.
However, he knew Katara's mind nearly as well as he knew his own, and if she had decided on a thing, it would take an army's effort for her to change it. It would be easier, he thought, to go alone and introduce Mr. Zuko to the rest of the neighborhood without asking Katara's permission. It wasn't as though he needed it, despite what she might think.
"Well, that's neither here nor there," Sokka said finally. "I have made my introductions and secured a visit and the Bei Fongs may do what they please. They will simply have to know that they have come late and that in itself is unforgivable."
"As you say," Katara said slyly without meaning it at all.
Sokka looked down his nose at his sister, sniffed once, and decided to ignore her for the rest of the afternoon.