Nightfall

Nine

After being poked and prodded for hours, Katara was finally ready for the ball. It had taken the seamstresses and tailors hours just to create the dress, and then they had to fit it to her because they had somehow gotten their measurements wrong in their excitement of their first job. She hadn't eaten all day, and her feet were killing her. Katara was not in a good mood at all.

The door to her room opened wide, revealing a very handsome Sokka. He had on a blue suit that matched Katara's blue dress. A small pin on his collar shone under the light, but she couldn't really tell what it was. 

"We're going to be the best dressed at this ball," Sokka said, grinning. He strode forward, a necklace dangling from his fingers. "I want you to wear this tonight."

Katara reached up to touch her mother's necklace that was around her neck. "I want to wear Mom's," she said, shaking her head. 

"I know," Sokka said gently. He glanced over at the seamstresses and tailors, a weird look in his eyes. "But this necklace will match your dress better. Trust me."

Katara hesitantly untied her mother's necklace, handing it to Sokka. She grabbed the other necklace and wondered where Sokka got it. A small pendant hung from the golden chain, and it was very gorgeous. The pendant was a sundial, but it was positioned to where the dial was pointing to nightfall. There was something about it that reminded her of something that Bato said when she was getting the tesserae. He said something about nightfall, but she couldn't remember what else he said. 

The necklace was cool against her skin. It felt weird. She was used to wearing her mother's necklace because she had worn it for years on end. She glanced at herself in the mirror and was surprised to see that the dress actually did look good on her. Even though it was simple, it was gorgeous. The straps were off her shoulder, and she was afraid that the dress would slip off. It was secured tight around her waist, where the silk suddenly jutted out. The bottom half of the dress was bigger, and it gently fell like water to the floor. A gold sash wrapped around her waist.

"You look so much like Mom," Sokka whispered, appearing at her shoulder. He stood proudly next to her. "She would be so proud of you."

Katara sighed softly. "I hope she would be."

"Do you think she'd be proud of me?" Behind his proud stance, Katara could see the doubt in his eyes. "I know I've let you and Gran-Gran down -"

"Sokka," Katara said, turning toward her brother. She waved at her tailors and they all filed out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind them. "Mom would be so proud of you, no matter what. It doesn't matter if I get angry at you or if you disappoint Gran-Gran. Mom would still be proud of you."

"I just . . ." Sokka sighed, dropping his head. "I need you to know that everything I'm doing is for us."

"Can you tell me what you're doing?" Katara really wanted to know what Sokka was talking about. He had been alluding to this thing for a while now, but he never gave her straight answers. 

Sokka glanced around her room, saying, "I can't say here. Too many listening ears."

"Okay." Katara pushed her angry feelings down, not wanting to fight before the ball. "Do you know when we're supposed to leave?"

Right when Sokka opened his mouth, the door was flung open and Malina strode in, a huge smile on her face. "My, my, you two look amazing!" She walked around them to get a better view of their outfits. "The ball is about to start, so we need to get going!"

"Looks like she answered your question," Sokka said, chuckling softly. 

Malina grinned at the siblings and then walked out of Katara's room. Sokka stuck his arm out so Katara slid her arm through his, feeling a little unsteady in her heels. They followed Malina out into the living area and Katara saw Hama perched on the edge of the couch. Hama was dressed in traditional District 4 garb, and her hair was styled in waves. Her bird like eyes focused on Katara, and zeroed in on her necklace. A small smile worked its way onto the old woman's face.