Katara was surprised, and her anger started to lose some of its momentum. "Sometimes things do need to be mentioned. If my friend has a certain point of view, I'd still like to know why. You'll have to forgive me if its pushy, but I prefer the truth to beating around the bush."

Here though, she met Jamie's gaze. "Just because there is bending in my world doesn't mean its any more open about letting men and women mixing. My tribe was only a little less sexist, I mentioned that with Sokka. To get where I am now, I had to fight for it, challenge the person that would be my teacher. If I didn't, the only skill I'd have now would be healing. I wanted to fight, pure and simple, because that is what my people raised us to be, all of us."

She sighed. "But I also know when to back off too. You're my friend, and you've never treated me with disrespect, so I shouldn't react as hostile now. I did ask. For that, I'm sorry. It's just a sensitive subject for me. If people want to fight for this they care about, I think they should, male or female."