[Saaga] Life Does Surprise

[Tahrro Gao Zhai]

The customs of her little community sounded unpleasant from a feminine perspective. He had to remember a bit of history then, recalling how even in the Northern Water Tribe there had been a time when women weren’t allowed to learn to fight and most people that pertained to the higher status tire of society worked almost exclusively on prearranged marriages. Families stubbornly rooted in their traditions still carried that on today and there was the occasional waterbending master who refused female students.

Tahrro considered Saaga for a long moment, quietly wondering if she had lost a match to the plague, but finding it too much to ask. He could think of very few duller experiences than being brought up with the sole purpose of being the best housewife you could possibly be. It was no wonder she relished escaping that fate.

She added her hope to his and he minimally raised his glass, looking forward to the day his hard work would pay off. Naturally active, with a large reserve of energy he needed to spend, Tahrro liked keeping himself busy. It was just that he wanted to redirect the nature of his activity to something other than stacking cabbages. Although he wouldn’t say it out loud, the position displeased him, he felt above it. He thought people who got trapped doing menial tasks like that either suffered from really unfortunate circumstances or had no ambition and Tahrro didn’t especially enjoy sloths.

Saaga’s eyes shined of piqued interest and he gave her a little cryptic smile. The waitress, prompt to please, came over and placed the bill on the table with her ever cringing smile. The waterbender’s eyes quickly breezed over the price and from his pocket he brought forth an appropriate sum of yuans. Adding in a moderately considerate tip, he stuffed the bills within the notebook tab and set it aside without a second thought.

Eyeing Saaga with returned cool mischief he got up, paced to her side and grabbed her normal hand, with a slight tug urging her to rush up. The temperature of his hand was noticeably lower than average. “We’ll see about that,” he replied late, referring to her rating her adventurous drive above average. “Come on, I have something to show you.” If she wouldn’t protest he would make a point of rushing out of the restaurant, as if they had just run without paying, hand firmly holding hers and dragging her along. He had just eaten, so regardless of the weariness of the day, he felt energetic. He would have been mindful to wait for her to grab her jacket.

Once outside, he would continue the jog. “Don’t ask why we’re running, just go with it.” The moderately cool air of evening rushed through his hair and there was freedom in his eyes. It was in moments like these that he forgot all about who he was and what his duties and commitments were. Free to be blown like a leaf at the wind’s whim, he savored not thinking, his feet carrying him to place that called to the deeper fibers of his being. Should she follow, he would drag Saaga along, too late to compromise on pace or destination, too filled with the passion of his thought to consider the potential consequences.

[Saaga Sun]

Since she was an only child, conceived after much difficulty, Saaga had always enjoyed special privileges during her early childhood. Her parents had been very protective of her because of her little handicap and for some years rarely denied her anything unless she had behaved badly. She had often played with boys because of this, causing uproar in the village. A girl thinking she was on the same level as the precious sons who would receive places in the village council when they came of age? That was just unthinkable.

Maybe because of the many freedoms she had received as a child, it had become as an even bigger shock when her parents started restraining her. Of course she apprenticed as a glassmith; most girls could not boast about having a profession, but suddenly she was not allowed to speak to men outside her family without the explicit permission and attendance of her father. She could not speak in male company. She had a curfew and could not play with the boys anymore. At the time she had felt like her parents were punishing her, like she had done something wrong. But no, it was all part of tradition. And no matter how much she loved the island life, being rendered completely useless by traditions was something she despised.

Her father was more lenient, and would have allowed her more freedom still, but her mother? She had been adamant in turning Saaga into a proper lady and often she would argue with Saaga’s father as to when he would start looking for a suitable man for her.

At some point Saaga started looking at boys, not seeing them as playmates and childhood friends anymore, but dully wondering if someone of them would end up marrying her. Her personality and disability were well known throughout their community, so no suitors came. There was always a chance her brand of crazy was hereditary; there had been that crazy grandfather of hers and everything.

Saaga mused at her memories and smiled. Even if the conversation had started out as rather depressing, she was actually happy that she’d had it. It had made her appreciate her current situation more and for that she was grateful.

Suddenly Tahrro was up and grabbing her by the hand. Saaga was surprised by the lack of warmth in his hand, but did not flinch even if the sudden intimacy made her feel a little uncomfortable. She quickly grabbed her jacket from the chair and Lula from the table, sticking the latter on inside her trouser pocket. She did not want to lose her just yet.

Then she followed him out of the restaurant glancing behind her and seeing the other customers look confused, some of them even looked outright shocked. Narook was sitting at the counter and stood up abruptly when they swept past and Saaga would have liked to at least wave at him for goodbyes but there was no time. A waiter and then another ran after them, but stopped at the entrance; she figured maybe the waitress who’d served them had said something.

She nearly tripped on her own feet and decided looking forward was the smarter thing to do, gripping Tahrro’s hand a little more tightly as they ran. The breeze tousled her hair, strands of it sweeping across her face and ending up in her mouth. The sudden spontaneity of the whole situation felt exhilarating and she felt her cheeks go flush with color because of adrenaline rush. She had no idea where he was taking her and what he proposed to show her, but that was what made it fun and a touch scary too. She let out a tinkle of laughter and watched as the people they ran past, turned to watch them shaking their heads in a manner of “youngsters these days...”

[Tahrro Gao Zhai]

Even Tahrro was smiling, quite widely, as he revisited memories of being a kid. The careful waterbender had lost much of his spontaneity over the years, but being at relative peace within a new city was slowly returning some of it to him. He pulled Saaga along, his hand warming somewhat from the touch and blood rush, paying little notice to the world they passed.

They crossed a street, rushed through an alley, scaring a cat, and at the end, came to an oasis of verdure in the forest of concrete. Nested in the bosom of two distinct buildings that housed various restaurants and entertainment facilities was a tiny green space, in the middle of which a fountain could be seen. Illuminated all around by a circle of street lamps, surrounded by a tight circle walkway framed by benches and the occasional tree, it sprinkled water into the sky. The drops, like shining crystal in the night, fell into its depths.

The surface was spotted with water lilies but you could see through where they lacked. The crystal clear water was a window to the treasure of coins gathered at the bottom. Letting go of Saaga’s hand, he came to sit by its edge, a slight breeze blowing a few drops into his face. “This is called the Fountain of Challenges,” he informed, noting there was a pair of old ladies on a bench right across from where they sat, whispering quietly to one another, a man of around thirty a bench to their left and a young lady reading a newspaper by lamp light somewhere farther away from the rest and closer to Saaga and him.

Tahrro turned to Saaga. “In turns, people either challenge the other with an action or a question. The one under challenge must do what they are told or answer truthfully to the question asked. Whenever they wish to pass they must throw a yuan into the fountain. Each person is allowed three passes.”

The waterbender brought three yuans out of his pocket, stacking the coins on the fountain’s edge then looked to Saaga, one of his eyebrows raised. “I dare you to play.”

[Saaga Sun]

When they finally stopped running, Saaga had to close her eyes and swallow hard to keep herself from reeling over to one side and throwing up. As fun as the running had been now that they had come to a halt, she was painfully reminded of the lavish dinner she had enjoyed only moments earlier. Frowning in slight discomfort she forced herself to keep the food down where it belonged. Having regained some of her composure (though a little pale from the effort), Saaga opened her eyes and took in the scenery, a look of surprise forming on her face.

She had no idea that such a place had been hidden away in Republic City. Well, not exactly hidden, she just did not often come to this part of town and had never come across this secret oasis.

She seated herself next to Tahrro reaching her hand to touch the water, pushing lily flowers to float into different directions and watching them bump into each other. Somehow they managed to look graceful even when doing that. She chuckled in amusement, wondering what she’d look like bumping from one object to the next. Most likely, completely ridiculous. She straightened herself and wiped her hand on her trousers, leaving wet splotches on the fabric.

Listening to Tahrro tell her the name of the fountain, Saaga wondered if that really was what it was called, or if Tahrro was just pulling her leg. She did not think he was the type of person to lie (but then again, this was only the second time they met), but he did seem like a kind of trickster. And sure enough the game he proposed sounded like something that would end up embarrassing one of them, preferably not her.

She was not overly concerned about the whole answering questions aspect of the game. Instead she felt nervous about the possible dares she might have to perform and at this point she glanced around the oasis and took note of the people sitting on the benches. Well, someone was going to get entertained tonight. Saaga was not one to back down from a challenge and she did not want to seem like a coward after she had so brazenly declared she was adventurous.

She held her chin up, smiled and fished out a few yuans from her jacket pockets, stacking them the same way Tahrro had done. She then crossed her arms and said: “Do your worst.”