balance → atla, reader insert [HIATUS]

01 | the boy in the iceberg

CHAPTER ONE!
THE BOY IN THE ICEBERG

LIVING IN THE ARCTIC HAD ITS PERKS. At least, that was [Y/N] believed. Being born and raised in the South Pole led her to appreciate the snow-covered oasis for what it was and to cherish it as it was the only home she had. Although, that did not stop her from occasionally wondering what it was like beyond the icy waters.

           Filled with boredom, she leaned over the side of the wooden boat, staring at her reflection in the ocean. Curiously dipping her bare hand into the water created ripples alongside the moving vessel. In the palm of her other hand—which was still gloved—rested her chin. She let out a heavy sigh, forming a cloud that quickly dissipated. A soft breeze blew, making it impossibly colder. She hugged her parka closer.

           "It's not getting away from me this time." Sokka spoke aloud to himself from the front of the boat. Turning around, he announced confidently, "Watch and learn, ladies. This is how you catch a fish."

           Unfazed by his antics, [Y/N]'s attention was caught by the girl next to her instead. Katara paid no attention to her brother as she pulled off her gloves; her eyes were trained on the water on her side of the boat. Taking a deep breath, she began to move her hands in a circular motion. A globe of water bursted out of the water, small droplets falling back into the sea. On the inside was a singular fish still alive and swimming despite the enclosed space.

           Katara, eyes wide in amazement, exclaimed, "Sokka, look!" The motion slightly grew less controlled as she struggled to sustain the globe. Her eyes caught [Y/N]'s—she was watching the whole thing—to which she sent her an encouraging thumbs up.

           Oblivious to the events on the butt of the boat and without a glance back, he shushed his sister in response. "Katara, you're going to scare it away!" Placing a hand on his stomach, a dreamy look adorned his face. "Mmmm . . . I can already smell it cookin'!"

           "But Sokka—" The water globe shook and morphed into less of a sphere and more like a blob. The amazement faded from Katara's face as she then focused on gaining control of it once again. "I caught one!"

          Shakily, she managed to guide it from over the water to the middle of the boat. Sokka—still unaware—raised his spear to strike a fish but the butt of the weapon popped the orb. The fish from the globe dove back into the sea and the water, unfortunately, fell on top of Sokka.

           Katara frowned at her brother. "Hey!"

           Sokka, now drenched and with a matching expression, whirled around. "Ugh!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "Why is it every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?"

           "It's not magic. It's waterbending, and it's—" Katara started.

           "Yeah yeah. An ancient art unique to our culture, blah blah blah." He waved her off with a roll of his eyes. "Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

           "You're calling us weird?" [Y/N] questioned.

            "At least we don't make muscles at ourselves every time we see our reflection in the water." Katara shot.

           Sokka happened to be doing just that as she said it. Caught in the action, he immediately rolled his sleeve back down and sent his sister a look. Suddenly, the boat jerked, catching everyone off guard. No one had paid attention in the direction they were heading and so they hadn't noticed that they had entered icy waters.