Cloud Conversation

Sokka groaned at the waves rolling below the air bison. His stomach concurred. "Remind me again why we can't go home yet?"

Katara was curt: "you know Zuko needs our help, Sokka".

"I'm just saying. Isn't having the Avatar run a family errand overkill? Shouldn't Aang be out there doing… Avatar stuff?"

"I think this actually counts as Avatar stuff. Zuko may be Fire Lord, but the Fire Nation has been told for a hundred years its destiny was to rule the world. Pulling back will seem like treason. He can't afford to leave the capital any time soon. A counter-coup now could…"

"Sorry, I dozed off. You want to stage another coup?"

Suki and Toph grinned. Katara growled and faced forward.

"If you're worried about a coup, Aang could do his glow thing and unbend Azula, or the generals, or the whole Fire Nation, for that matter. We'd never have to worry about an invasion again."

"Only to have the Earth Kingdom invade a generation from now?" Katara asked without turning.

"I've given it a lot of thought, Sokka," Aang called from the reins, "and it's not something I want to do ever again if I can help it. Can you imagine what it's like to lose your bending? How would you feel if you lost your, your..."

"Eyesight?" offered Toph.

"Yes! I mean, no! I didn't mean it like that, Toph."

"That's ok. Seeing is overrated, maybe bending is too. I guess you shouldn't define yourself too much by your abilities, even if you're the Avatar. Non-benders seem to lead bearable lives."

"Thanks, Toph," Sokka and Suki muttered.

"Anyway," Aang went on, "it's also the process itself. I talked to Roku. The older avatars remember a time of war when spirit-benders destroyed the land. This was much worse than blood-bending. It makes you feel… wrong."

Katara stared at her feet. "Bending can't solve all your problems. Fire Lord Ozai was a powerful bender, but he was also a powerful leader, and that's why he's still dangerous."

"I still wonder whether you should have killed him," ventured Toph.

Aang frowned: "I don't kill, Toph".

"And that's commendable, twinkle-toes. Violence only begets more violence. But suppose a semi-mythical island-sized turtle hadn't showed up with an alternative, how many would suffer so you could stick to your principles? Heck, they wiped out an entire people – your people."

"That's enough, Toph," said Katara.

"I'm not saying you should go on a rampage and wack anyone who disagrees with you. I'm just saying it's a tough world out there, and you should think really hard about how your principles match your responsibilities."

"Toph…"

"That's okay, Katara. I do think about it, Toph. I think about it every day. The Air Nomads lived and died by their principles, but I know I can't impose our choices on others."

"But with them gone," asked Suki, "can the world even find balance with only three peoples?"

"Why, Suki," replied Sokka, "the world will soon be filled with the pitter patter of little air-bender feet, with judgmental eyes saying 'I told you so'! Won't they, Momo?" As he said this, Sokka made Momo take a few steps before he flew away. Toph laughed too. Katara and Aang looked embarrassed.

"I really don't know, Suki," Aang replied. "I thought I might start an academy, bring in students from the three peoples. It would help build trust."

Toph looked skeptical: "you're going to teach Fire kids to air-bend?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but the more bending I learn, the more I'm convinced that the kind of bending you do has more to do with how you look at the world than with the world itself. Mastering the four elements is all about tearing down those walls. Also, it's the only way to ensure the next Avatar can learn air-bending."

"That's another thing that worries me," said Suki. "You woke up in the middle of a war a hundred years in the future, but at least you had a normal childhood. The next Avatar will grow up in a world scarred by war. Can he ever look impartially at the Fire Nation?"

"Should he?" added Toph.

"To put it another way," Suki continued, "what if Fire Lord Sozin had been the Avatar instead of Roku? Do we rely on cosmic serendipity alone to keep us from a megalomaniac Avatar?"

"I wouldn't say cosmic serendipity alone, Suki." Aang smiled. "I count on friends to keep me mostly sane most of the time." The others smiled back. "When the time comes, I hope to help the next Avatar as much as Roku helped me. Until then, I guess we just have to heal the world as best we can."

"Zuko is dismantling the Fire Nation war machine," said Katara, "and may even send aid to the other peoples – if they accept. Peace can be difficult. He needs all the support he can get, which is why this mission is so important."

"I heard you the first time," said Sokka, "are we there yet?"

"Actually, yes," replied Aang.

"Really?"

"Really. Guys, I give you the island of Roku - and his descendants."