Chapter Text
Cathy had never considered that she might end up a famous ProBender. In fact, she'd never considered ProBending at all, really. She'd never really liked playing nor spectating, and truth be told, she'd always thought it to be a waste of time. There was so much that could be learned and taught from and with bending, that using it for sport just seemed terribly unimpressive, all things considered.
That said, when her cousin and best friend came to her after their third team member dropped out, of course Cathy agreed to fill in. At least until another team member could be found to take up the spot permanently.
That was two years ago.
Not that she was complaining, per say. The last two years had been full of adventure and travel - a life not so different from some of the books she'd read when she was younger. The Golden Lion Turtles were based out of Republic City - and a favorite to win this year's tournament - but they competed all over the world, and Cathy was thankful to be given such a rare and special opportunity.
Even more so to experience what she'd had with the two most important people in her life.
But sometimes she felt like there had to be more to life than just bending for entertainment. When she'd joined the team, she'd left behind a future in engineering - a self taught metalbender with dreams of changing the world. She'd finished her course work with flying colors. A promising young earthbender, they'd called her, with a brilliant mind full of complex ideas and creations just waiting to be realized.
Nowadays, the most complex bending she did was breaking boulders and sending the shards flying towards her opponents.
Lina and Anna were happy, though. They'd been on an amazing winning streak and were on the fast track to the Republic City Finals. Just a few more wins and they'd be competing for the most coveted title in ProBending.
She knew Catalina was getting “old” by the standards of the sport - at the ripe old age of twenty seven - and she was determined to make this year count.
So when Lina arranged for extra training sessions and carefully monitored diet and sleep schedules, Cathy didn't mind. It was important to her cousin, and as the youngest of the team, just barely over twenty two herself, Cathy was willing to do what she needed to in order for Lina to finally achieve her dream.
And both of her teammates were always sure to schedule her a bit of free time, even if they insisted on continuing to train.
It was tiring, the travel and the training, but on days like this - when she could sit in a quiet tea shop with a pen and a scroll and scribble out all of the ideas in her head - she knew she wouldn't turn from the path she was on. After all, Catalina and Anna were determined that this would be their year, that they would finally take their place as the champions of the Republic City Pro Bending tournament.
And anyway, ProBending had taught Cathy a level of strength and control over both her bending and herself, which was something she would always be grateful to Lina instilling within her. When they finally did retire, she knew she would take those same skills with her through whatever opportunities next presented themselves.
Setting her pen to the side, she took a moment to stare out the window, watching the passers by go about their days. It was beautiful out, a perfect day for enjoying the fresh air - just another reason this shop in particular was her favorite to frequent when they were home. With open windows, comfortable chairs, and a proprietor who didn't mind their customers taking their time with their tea, it was the perfect place to relax and unwind.
Cathy's musings were interrupted by the sounds of crashing across the road, and she blinked in surprise as three women ran by - laughing and shoving each other as a shop keeper chased after them half halfheartedly.
The three were easily recognizable as the other favorites to win the ProBending tournament this year. The Pink Hog Monkeys consisted of three cousins who had appeared from seemingly nowhere on the ProBending circuit this season. Not much was known about them, besides the fact that they were amazing benders, but also incredibly troublesome.
They never seemed to cross the line, though, never taking anything without paying for it - even if they made the shop keepers work for it, every now and again - and anything they broke was always returned in better condition than it'd been in to start.
Cathy knew for sure that Lina held a grudge against Anne, the Hog Monkey’s fire bender. Especially after she sent Lina sprawling during their last match. But even more, the smaller woman seemed to have a gift for getting under her skin.
Anna would tease their captain constantly about her fixation with Anne and Lina would sputter and flush, insisting she felt nothing but distributed for the other woman. Even Cathy couldn't help but chuckle at the traction that suggestion always pulled from her.
But where Lina seemed to be constantly irritated by the others, Anna always seemed to be egging them on. And few things seemed to thrill the other woman as much as competing, one on one, with Anne.
And apparently Anna had also met their earthbender before - when they were still in school and Anna had just arrived in Republic City. She explained that Jane had been pulled out of classes shortly after, but the blonde had left quite the impression on her teammate.
Cathy, for her part, didn't have much of an opinion on any of them, if she was being honest. They were both talented and skilled - a distinction that she felt needed to be made, since they were so often used interchangeably. From what she'd seen and heard, both teams were fairly evenly matched, and she knew they'd be the ones to beat this season.
But as the Hog Monkey’s wate bender suddenly dived into the seat beside her, holding the abandoned menu up to cover her face, Cathy couldn't help but smile.
“Hi, sorry, I just need to hi-”
Before she could finish, she was up and running once more as Anne and Jane called for her.
“Kat, run! Run!”
"Come on, come on!"
"He's going to catch you!"
"I'm not paying your bail!!"
Dropping the menu, she was out the door and running after her cousins once more. But not before pausing just long enough to look over her shoulder at Cathy with a wide smile and a wave.
Cathy shook her head, turning back to her scroll as the sounds of shouting faded - a sure sign that the man had given up chase. The earthbender was sure that once he arrived back at his shop, he would find the right amount of money to cover the items taken, most likely with a little extra, from what Anna had told her.
There was no doubt in Cathy’s mind that this tournament would be one for the books. For all the complications that might come from their role as competitors, she knew that there was so much more potential for the two teams - natural chemistry notwithstanding - and quite frankly, she was more than a little excited to see how things would play out over the next few weeks.