Lin was the first person she laid eyes on the day she arrived at Air Temple Island. It was just past dawn when the boat arrived at the dock, carrying the latest Air Nomad devotees. Pema, a shy young girl, had long fantasized about this place and when the fog lifted as she approached from Yue Bay the haze of wonder remained. The only occupied Air Temple in the world was about to be her home.
She was with three other women, one her age and another looking to be in her forties. There was a man as well, quiet and subdued, barely out of his teens that arrived with her that day. They each stepped from the ferry and followed the Acolyte that had been assigned to greet them up the sloping path to where it forked on the right, leading to the dormitories.
It was silent at this hour, the slightest rustling of leaves whispering in her ear as she walked. Along the path they were passed by a woman, wearing a dull grey tunic and shorts, legs exposed in spite of the chill in the air. Her cheeks were reddened; maybe by the stinging air, maybe by the force of her run, Pema wasn't sure. She jogged by without so much as a glance at the new arrivals, puffing out tiny clouds of breath as she went.
Something about this woman caught Pema's attention and after dwelling on it, she would come to realize that it was how out of place she looked. At first, she considered it was her determined green eyes, or the prominence of her cheekbones- exaggerated by the way in which her dark curls were pulled high in a messy bun, but upon further reflection she came to understand it was none of those things. It was that she didn't belong.
The new Acolytes were led to their dormitories and told that they would meet with some senior members for an orientation and tour of the island. Pema tapped her foot anxiously awaiting any mention of when they would be able to meet the Airbenders. A dreaded thought crossed her mind that perhaps, she would never meet them and she felt her heart race at the notion. She looked to the side at her cohorts and knew they were not going to ask, so she cleared her throat.
"Yes? A question!" the elder Acolyte smiled as she addressed Pema.
"Um... I was just wondering if we were going to be introduced to Avatar Aang or Master Tenzin at any point..." she explained awkwardly. The other two women exhaled in relief and she knew they'd been as anxious as her.
"You will be led in mediation tomorrow by Master Tenzin," the elder Acolyte provided, "tomorrow evening you will work with Avatar Aang if all goes according to plan."
The group smiled unabashedly. Yes, they believed in the lifestyle. Yes, they were interested in the history and culture of the Air Nomads. But, to be honest they were most looking forward to meeting real life Airbenders face to face.
Pema, more than most perhaps. She didn't mention to the others as they settled into their rooms that she'd read volumes and volumes of books about Avatar Aang and the Hundred Year War. She'd been a little in love with him even, until she saw a photograph of his son, looking stoic in her town's newspaper. She clipped the picture out of the broadsheet and stowed it away. It became her most treasured bookmark.
She could barely sleep that night in the anticipation of it all, but when dawn broke and they were guided to the pavilion she didn't feel the least bit tired. The Acolytes filed in, old and new, and milled about making small talk. That is when she first saw Tenzin, walking toward them in the middle of conversing with the same Acolyte that greeted her. She saw the Acolyte point her out, and then watched her finger identify the others to the tall man, who was even more handsome in person. Tenzin nodded and as he approached, her heartbeat filled her ears.
"Hello," he greeted with a small bow, "I'm Master Tenzin."
Pema swallowed hard, "Pema," she offered, grateful that she could remember her name, "Nice to meet you."
"You as well," Tenzin smiled, "I hope that you like it here. If there is anything we can do to make your move more comfortable, please don't hesitate to ask."
She nodded stupidly as she tried to unstick her eyes from his face. That is when she heard the soft footfalls of the jogging woman approach. Tenzin's head turned in her direction and he smiled briefly before quirking an eyebrow at her.
"No water?" he called as she ran past.
The woman turned around to jog backward as spoke, "Forgot," she explained, matching his grin.
"You'll get dehydrated," he said, with the faintest laugh that Pema imagined she could curl up and sleep inside of.
"I'll live," the woman replied with a playful wink before turning back to her run full force. Tenzin watched her go with nothing short of adoration, a smile lingering on his face for a beat longer than necessary before his attention returned to Pema.
"Sorry about that," he recovered, "but yes...what was I saying? Oh, please don't hesitate. We want to make sure you enjoy your time here."
Pema nodded without a word, mostly because her tongue had apparently swollen in her mouth and tied itself in a knot. Without anything to go on, Tenzin moved on to the next new recruit to offer a similar greeting.
Meditation was a bust that day, because Pema's focus was shot straight through the heart by cupid's arrow. It wasn't only Tenzin her mind went to time and time again, but the jogging woman. Something inside Pema burned when she recalled the look on his face as they spoke. It was a jealous heat and she tried to put it out of her mind as best she could.
However, even after meeting the Avatar himself that very night, Pema's thoughts drifted back to the mystery woman. Who was she and how in the world did she come to have that effect on Master Tenzin?
At dinner that evening she decided to get an answer.
In the middle of discussing their arrival, Pema mentioned the jogging woman to the girl her own age, whom she discovered was called Nara.
"She's not an Acolyte," Nara surmised with a slight shrug.
"Who?" asked a lovely woman with dark hair, called Laxmi.
"The woman we see jogging in the morning," Pema explained.
Laxmi nodded slowly, "That's Lin Beifong," she provided.
"As in Toph Beifong?" Pema inquired, unaware of any other person associated with that famous moniker.
"Yeah, its her daughter."
"Does she live here?" Nara asked, and Pema was thankful that she wasn't the one looking too suspiciously interested.
Laxmi nodded again, "She's engaged to Master Tenzin," Laxmi explained and as she spoke, Pema felt the room close in around her. "They live together in one of the cottages near the main house."
"I didn't realize he was engaged," Nara returned, dumbfounded. It was assumed news of that proportion would have made it into the mainstream media by now.
"Are they newly engaged?" Pema followed.
"No," Laxmi answered, chewing her cucumber salad, "you probably haven't heard about it because they've actually been engaged for forever. I mean, years."
"So what's the hold up?" Nara wondered and Laxmi shrugged just as an elder, Xin Shao wandered over and gave them a significant look.
"Gossip isn't one of the pillars of the Air Nomad teachings," she reminded them and all three of them had the good sense to look embarrassed.
The following day the Acolytes made their way to meditation just after dawn and again Tenzin approached with a smile. He also carried a small sealskin container, that had a worn bit of rope attached. As he mixed in and spoke with the Acolytes the sound of jogging feet against the stone walkway approached and he turned, ready for her.
He held out the container as Lin approached and smiled, lovingly, "I knew you'd forget again," he joked, tossing it out to her.
She caught it deftly without slowing her pace and returned his smile, "Thanks, babe."
He blushed a bit at her comment and turned back to the group, prepared to settle in for meditation.
Pema couldn't help but notice how thoughtful it was of him to go out of his way and prepare the water, or how bashful he looked. She basked in the blush of his cheeks and daydreamed for hours on end about a scenario in which she might cause his cheeks to color in that way.
The following day, it happened again. She jogged by, catching the water as she went. And then again the next day, he held it out and she plucked it from his hands. It went on like this for over a year. Each day of meditation began with Lin running by and Tenzin providing her sustenance.
After a year though, there was a period of time in which Lin didn't appear at all. Even before she had mysteriously disappeared, Pema noticed a change in her teacher, who was quickly becoming her friend. Tenzin was pensive, withdrawn. Smiles were given less frequently and his brow seemed to furrow with worry endlessly. After a week of her absence, Pema ventured to ask after her whereabouts.
"I noticed Ms. Beifong hasn't been by in the mornings lately," she told him as the Acolytes dispersed after meditation. A look of concern flashed in his eyes and he turned to her with hesitation and reluctance.
"Lin is... she hasn't been feeling well...she's... ill," he explained hollowly. It didn't take a detective to realize there was something he wasn't saying.
"Oh," Pema replied, "Well I hope she is feeling better soon," she told him kindly.
He smiled and gave her a lasting look, "Thank you," he said with honesty in his eyes, "I will be sure to tell her you said so."
Pema nodded and took her leave of him, making her way to the female dorms with a heavy heart. She hated to see him this way and wondered what on earth kind of ailment his fiancee could be suffering from.
In less than two weeks she appeared again. She jogged by, plucking the water from Tenzin's outstretched hands with a weak smile. She didn't meet his eyes and this time as he watched her go, his gaze was pained. Over the next few months it continued this way. She took the contain with greater indifference each day, and each day his eyes lingered on her for a shorter time.
Until finally one day, Master Tenzin arrived at meditation without a container at all. He greeted the Acolytes as usual, and as usual Lin's footsteps closed in on them. As she passed, she glanced at him and he looked up at her, mildly embarrassed.
"I forgot," he told her as she passed and she didn't pause or question. She simply moved on without a word. The next day she didn't appear at all.
Pema eventually discovered that Lin had begun taking a different path altogether, careful to avoid running by their pavilion. The wheels in Pema's head began to turn.
It was that realization that led to Pema twisting her robes in her hands nervously one morning. Again, meditation was a bust. She breathed in and out slowly- not to connect with a higher plane of existence, but to stave off the panic attack rising within her. She was going to finally do it.
As the Acolytes filtered out of meditation that day, Pema waited for Tenzin at the entryway.
"Is there something I can do for you Pema?" he asked.
And with that, she stuck her chin out and confessed, "There is something I need to tell you..."