A/N: I've had this sitting on my ipod for awhile. I was tampering with doing a more serious Avatar story but I didn't know if I would really do it justice. So this is part of my...sampling? My beta seemed to like it enough. Although this isn't exactly a very serious story, compared to what the possible conflicts could be. Its more of a scene or two of what might have been
But to set this up: Quinn has already learned 3 out of 4 elements and is working on air. From what I know air bending Avatars have the most trouble learning Earth bending and vice versa, so I rolled with that.
Disclamer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or Glee
Earth and Wind
Quinn could say she absolutely hated air benders. The ones she's met in the past that live in the small town she grew up in, had all been very spacey, like that Sugar girl that went to her school. They were always so light on their feet and their heads were in the clouds. Quinn could never be like that, as a person and an earth bender.
It just simply wasn't in her.
She was supposed to be studying at an Air Temple that was still standing and repopulated with specifically those of the air bending variety. It had taken time and progress and Quinn held a bit of pride for her ancestors for getting things done.
"Q, I can hear your thoughts from here." Quinn could feel herself begin to heat. Whenever Santana was around she tended to being warmth with her—not the friendly kind. The fire bending girl sat next to her on a bench as they waited. "Its exhausting."
Quinn shrugged with a lazy smile, knowing exactly what would shut her up. "Well then why don't you go play with your girlfriend?"
"She's not my—" Santana's face reddened and Quinn snorted at the fire that seeped through the girl's clenched fists. Brittany was a subject that never failed to arouse her friend. She had been obviously (desperately) crushing on the water bender since they first met—and that was a (whole other story entirely) few years ago. "At least I can acknowledge the fact that I like someone."
"Whats that supposed to mean?" Quinn's brow raised in question, althoughshe wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you and the little wind fairy —"
"Santana Lopez," Said girl rolled her eyes while Quinn only huffed. Her teacher certainly knew how to make an entrance. "I do not appreciate your hateful remarks about my people!"
Santana eyed Rachel briefly before sighing, "Whatever, hobbit, just cut to the part where Q falls on her face."
"That was one time, and it was because of you!"
"Can we try to make peace please?" Rachel asked softly. Quinn rolled her eyes at how noble the girl had to be. "Santana, I think Brittany's gesturing towards you."
Santana lookes in her direction so fast Quinn snorted. The fire bending girl only stood up and left. But not without a, "Have fun, you two." Which was mostly in spite of Quinn.
Once Santana left, Rachel's personality did a a complete one eighty.
"Lets get down to business." Rachel smiled, at the blonde. Quinn felt her stomach flutter—the girl was always so...happy. The air bender made her feel out of her element. "First we shall meditate to loosen you up, then maybe we could try gliding again?"
Quinn groaned at that. She had been unsuccessful the past few times she had tried to glide through the air by use of her staff. "I still say the wind wasn't blowing enough." She grabbed the long wooden stick roughly, ignoring Rachel's giggle.
"You're training to be an air bender, Quinn. You make the wind." Rachel explained, going all air-bending-buddha on her. The girl was a surprisingly level headed air bender, yet Quinn caught the girl floating (literally and figuratively) more than less. She looked down at the tiny girl with a frown, almost scoffing at how chipper she always was. All of them were like that—so damn light and free. "Come, we must start now while the day is young. Your body is awakening and the wind is blowing, Quinn!"
/
"Silence is golden, Quinn." Rachel always reminded her. She sat Indian style in a grassy area near the temple. There were rooms for meditation of course, but Rachel didn't want her to 'have knowledge hindered by walls.' Everything had to be quiet and still—Quinn hated it. The Earth (she was the Earth, all Earth benders were) was constantly moving and she absolutely hated being told what to do.
She hated being so far away from home. She hated New York—they weren't even in the city—it was too different. She hated having to wear these weird, old clothes that the air benders wore thousands of years ago. And she was more than sure she hated Rachel Berry.
"This doesn't really help me, you know?" Quinn was becoming agitated. She hadn't really learned much and she's been here for almost a month. Her fire bending teacher Bernardo Lopez had been teaching her the basics of reflecting lightening by then. She glared at the girl who began to open her mouth, "Sure, Brittany made me stretch and Santana's dad would call me names to encourage me—"
"Encouragement? Doesn't that make you want to give up?"
"No, it made me angry—it made me feel. And it made me actually do something other than fall on my god damn face trying to fly!" Even the bumbling idiot Finn Hudson could glide with ease. It absolutely burned her up not being able to do something.
Rachel remained calm, but albeit a bit concerned. "Meditation, now Quinn. You're very tense."
"Yeah, Q, or maybe a nice massage?" Quinn glared at the latina that appeared from nowhere. Brittany was right behind her of course, a lemur on her shoulder. The blonde would usually reign the girl in, but the animal perched on her was too cute for her eyes to stray. So, Santana was free to look suggestively between them both, "I bet Berry gives good ones. The spa back in my city was filled with air benders."
Quinn felt her eyebrow twitch, "Santana, I don't think thats very...appropriate to ask my teacher—"
"Aren't you guys supposed to be all 'Free Love' and shit?"
"To comment, Santana, as an air bender I find myself connected to all living things, by the oxygen we all breathe. So, I love all creatures, genders, entities—we're all connected." Rachel finished with a smile, seemingly at peace with herself. Quinn wondered how this was part of the lesson. She was already over this whole needing to know all four elements thing.
Santana snorted, "I knew she wasn't straight."
"Pansexual is the term, I believe. We are very non judgmental people—the monks who raised me were both males, who cared deeply for each other." Rachel amended, which only seemed to spur Santana on.
"So, you wouldn't mind giving Avatar Q-ball here a nice massage?"
Quinn's face was definitely akin to a tomato, "Santana!" Any positive temperament flowing through Quinn's body was replaced with something aching to choke the brunette in front of her—both of them.
"Quinn, meditation." Rachel held out her hand to quell her anger.
"I can't concentrate with you two chatting about something that has nothing to do with anything!" Quinn snapped, her hands trembling and covered in the dirt she'd been unconsciously clensing.
"Sexuality is always relevant, Quinn. As sexual beings—"
"You know what, I'm done." Quinn stood with finality, letting the Earth shake as she stood. She was sure she saw Santana trip. Good.
"Quinn Fabray, you are not aloud to leave this area!" Rachel called after her, hoping the blonde could calm her temper enough to listen to her. The girl brushed her off, stomping her way towards the air temple. "Quinn!" Rachel finally managed to grab the angry girl's shoulder.
Quinn shrugged her off with a sneer, "Get off of me!"
"Only air benders can get to an air temple Quinn Fabray!"
"Who said I was going there?" She shot back, before angrily plopping herself back to the ground, arms crossed. With a simple flick of her wrist solid rock surrounded her in her in an Earth tent. She could manage here, with only muffled reprimands from Rachel.
Rachel eventually sighed, "Santana, I think its best if you go back to the temple and get Blaine to bring you back up."
"Should've taken the massage Fabray. These air heads are freaky." Santana laughed at her own joke, cackling harder when she glanced at Rachel's indignant face.
"Water benders too! We give the best massages—hey, San you want one?" Brittany asked the now silent and red faced girl.
Rachel smiled sagely, "It is karma, Santana."
/
"There's a cry in the distance
It's a voice that comes from deep within..."
Quinn's ears perked up at the voice. It was Rachel—no doubt about it, but instead of making her ears ring, it made them beg for more. She frowned at the butterflies that entered her stomach at nothing but a single line from a verse of an unknown song. Quinn wasn't one for analyzing things, so with a deep breath she let herself listen.
"There's a cry asking why
I pray the answer's up ahead 'cause I know where I've been
There's a road, we've been travelin'
Lost so many on the way
But the riches will be plenty
Worth the price we had to pay,"
By now, Quinn had lowered her rock tent to notice the dimming sun setting around the air bender who had her eyes closed as she sang.
"What is that?" Quinn's eyes went wide as the words left her lips. She hadn't intended to stop the girl's singing.
Rachel beamed at her, "A song from one of my favorite plays. I enjoy traveling to see them performed." Quinn hummed, amused at how excited the air bender was.
"You...You sing really good." Quinn internally scorned herself. Was that all she could say? Why was Rachel's presence suddenly making her feel more?
"Its all air, Quinn." And then she had to go all air bending buddha. Quinn almost rolled her eyes, but took the time to look over the bubbly girl. Big doe eyes and huge smile that never seemed to leave her face. The same air bending clothing that the tribe had been wearing for years, and then the blue arrows that peaked from under sleeves and under her bangs.
"Did those hurt?" Quinn nodded towards the tattoos that covered her skin.
Rachel didn't miss a beat, "Not really...I got them fairly young, as do a lot of us, but it gave me pride more than anything." Quinn bobbed her head, picturing an ever bouncing, even smaller Rachel Berry smiling and proud of the arrows on her skin.
Quinn quickly stopped herself from smiling, settling on something else that racked her brain, "I don't have to, right?"
"Oh, of course not!" Rachel placed a hand on her thigh. Quinn simply let herself feel. "Air bending tattoos are something very sacred to my people, and unless you're truly committed, then I wouldn't be able to give them to you." Rachel explained.
Quinn nodded her head, "I don't think I could pull those off, anyway."
"Oh, Quinn, you're a very pretty girl, I'm sure you could pull them off perfectly. Besides..." Rachel patted her knee, "You need to actually master air bending first."
Quinn may or may not have been responsible for the tiny pebble that hit Rachel's head.
A/N: I hope this was alright considering this is just me touching up an idea that I gave up on. If you liked it review, if you didn't then tell me why. It helps me get better. And stops my ego from growing.
