The Warrior's Gambit (Zutara)

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Katara was scribbling away in the gardens when Zuko found her. She was consolidating the knowledge from the morning lesson with Piandao, having found that manually scribing it helped to secure it in her mind. It was hard to write what Sokka was learning in his classes, since a lot of it was doing instead of 'knowing,' but she managed. She had gone up against Sokka once, and he won.

She was happy for him. He needed a good weapon, something other than a boomerang.

Her mind continued to wonder to Zuko. She was contemplating how to get back at him for that stunt at lunch.

Sitting on his lap in the meeting was her original idea, but upon consideration, that had been among friends. It wasn't the same was Katara spitting up her soup in front of the whole Royal Family and her competitors. Plus, she got the feeling that Zuko enjoyed her action. He probably wasn't even all that upset about it.

Katara needed to up her game.

It needed to be something public, but not something she was obviously trying to do. Part of the reason why the dinner thing had worked so well was because no one knew that Zuko was doing it.

It needed to be something that would cause him mild embarrassment, but nothing that would get him in trouble with his father.

It needed to be simple, or else it would just be obvious how much effort she'd put into this.

Why was thinking of anything within these parameters so difficult?

"Princess Katara!"

Zuko's voice was light, despite the formal title. It was tinged with a humor that made Katara's cheeks blush and her heart race at how glad he was to see her, how the smile on his face seemed to brighten the nearer he got to her.

"Prince Zuko, hello." Katara set her quills to the side, standing up to greet him. He lifted her fingers and gave her a soft kiss on the back of her hand. It was hardly the most scandalous thing they had done. They'd been together in ways far more intimate than something as silly as his lips pressing to her warm tanned skin, but the zing of electricity it sent up Katara's back reminded her of their first kiss. There was something very quiet in the motion, something far more personal than one may think. Katara liked it. She liked kissing him more, but it would hardly be proper in a garden so public, so this would have to do.

She wasn't complaining.

He looked around, and she could see his shoulders relax when he realizes they are more or less alone.

"Katara, I," Zuko was still holding her fingers. "I was looking for you."

"And you've found me," Katara purred. "Should I maybe reward you for that?" she asked, blinking up at him innocently, but her lips curling tell a different story.

She had stepped up close to him, enough so she could see his adam's apple bob as his brain worked through her words.

"Kat." His breath hitched, and he seemed ready to pull her against him, into a small alcove or a forgotten meeting room, but he placeed an inch of space between them. "I wanted to talk to you. I have managed to carve out some space in my schedule, so I will be continuing on with dates with the ladies in an effort to...well, to do as you wish me to do."

"Oh." Katara frowned. Her brow knit. She wasn't sure why this seemed to catch her off guard. It was what she told him to do. "I mean, okay? You didn't have to tell me," she assures, because it would be crazy of her to expect him to inform her before every moment with another girl, not when she knows he's still supposed to be choosing one of them.

"I know, I well." He bit his lip. "I thought I should be the one to tell you, unlike the last time. The first girl I'm taking out on another date is Mai."