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Katara watched as the walls of Agna Qel'a rose above the horizon line with each crest of the boat, gleaming and pristine like an iceberg despite the warmth of late spring. It had been far too long since she'd seen them last. The waterbenders on wall duty let them through, and they docked without even a gentle bump, thanks to the waterbenders steering the boat in.
Calls of greeting rang out to her across the busy central square, as she made her way up towards the palace, and she stopped to chat briefly to those she knew best, and waved back to the rest. The high spirits of the people here were a welcome change from how things had been during the war, but Katara's feet itched nonetheless to be moving on already.
Finally, though, she made it to her destination: a receiving room where she was informed the leader of the Northern Tribe was currently in discussion with her advisers. And indeed she was, white hair hanging foward as she leaned in to inspect a scroll being presented to her for consideration. One of them, Katara was pleased to see, was a woman. She let them talk for a moment more and then rapped at the open door. Yue's head whipped up, a bright smile spreading on her face.
"Katara! We weren't expecting you until this evening."
"We made good time, the winds have been kind. Shall I come back later?"
"No, that's alright, we were just about done here anyway." And indeed, the advisers were packing up and shuffling out with nods of respect not just to Yue but to Katara as well. A marked change from the reception she'd received in the North the first time round.
Once the door was shut, Yue came forward to wrap her in a hug, the long sleeves of her lighter summer parka draping down Katara's shoulderblades, before pulling back. "Come, have tea with me and tell me how everyone else is doing."
Yue led her through to a sitting room with tea-making facilities, where she took down a tin of something hand-labelled to scoop out into the waiting teapot. She and Iroh had struck up an odd friendship, since the war, which seemed to consist largely of Iroh sending Yue hand-blended tea to try, and Yue letting him know her opinion of each. Katara obligingly heated up the water, making sure to keep it at the optimal temperature which Iroh insisted was crucial to the correct development of the flavor.
"How is Sokka?" Yue asked, as they both cradled the earthenware cups in their hands and took their first sips.
"He's good. Suki is staying in the South Pole with a few of her warriors for a while, training them together with his newest batch of recruits. It helps to knock the edges off the macho attitudes. He sends his regards, though." And it was a relief for everyone, she thought, that Sokka had outgrown his crush on Yue as soon as he'd reconnected with Suki. It would have made things tremendously awkward otherwise when his own sister had fallen for her later. When their work trying to steer both of their tribes to peacetime prosperity had brought them closer.
Yue smiled into her tea cup. "And Aang?"
"In the Fire Nation at the moment, helping Zuko to develop a curriculum on Air Bender history and culture." She almost launched into the same discussion she'd had on the topic with Aang about it, but the late afternoon light coming in through the window hit Yue's face at just the right angle to brush a streak of gold across her cheekbone, and it ground her words to a halt for a moment. Yue tilted her head quizzically, a silent question, and Katara shook off the stunned captivation. She placed her now-empty teacup carefully on the side table, Yue mirroring her, and crossed the few steps across to sit next to her girlfriend instead.
"I'll tell you all about it later," she promised. "But I missed you."
Yue turned into her easily, meeting her halfway, one hand sliding up to cup the side of her face gently. Katara pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, a tactile repetition of her words, and Yue melted into it, a contented sigh escaping her. She adjusted slightly, deepening the kiss, saying welcome home with the gentle motions of her mouth.
"Later, then," she agreed as they pulled apart, still smiling warmly, and Katara sent a tendril of water to ice over the door handle before leaning in again, pushing her gently back into the cushions and following her down.