Change
Written for Probending Circuit (Round 4).
Team/Position: Red Sands Rabaroos/Firebender
Prompts:(emotion) contempt
Word Count: 1030
Character-Lin Fear- Change
"Change brings new opportunities." Uncle Aang would always say when any of them complained about it, usually, Lin would find comfort in her uncle's words but that phrase, she never liked it, change doesn't bring opportunities, as far as Lin's concerned, change brings hurt and pain and regrets. Change brings death she decides when Hadoka, Tenzin's cousin, her friend, dies in a shipwreck when they're 14.
When she's 33, looking over Avatar Aang's dead body in the simple coffin the words keep ringing in her mind, if this is 'change' then why accept it. She thinks leaning into Tenzin's chest lending what comfort she can in public. She swears she saw her sister and mother here, she's decidedly avoiding them, she's here for Katara, and herself, and Kya, and Tenzin, not to show off her family drama. "Can we talk?" A soft voice asks, she looks away from Tenzin to see Kya looking at her.
"Yeah, Kya." She nods, "You okay for a bit, 'Zin?" She asks her boyfriend of almost 14 years.
"Yeah." He nods rubbing his arrow before removing his arm from her shoulder as she and Izumi walk out of the room to the courtyard, she can see the press camped out on the doc, the island is closed to the public for a few days, a headache for the council and police but she was the new chief of police and Tenzin was on the council so there wasn't much they could do but gripe.
"Mom wants to move back to the South Pole." The waterbender mumbles after several minutes of silence, running her hand through her hair before sighing, "I'm thinking of going down with her, now that dad…" Kya coughs, wiping at her eyes to stop the tears from falling, "Someone has to take care of mom."
"Oh…" Lin nods slowly, Kya hadn't lived in Republic City in years, but the idea that she was settling down is an unusual thought, it just took Aang's death to do it, "When?" Katara not being a short boat ride away is another change, just like everything else.
"Mom was thinking in a few months." Kya shrugs, "I think I'll hang around the city until then."
Lin nods, "Are you sure?"
"Don't know." Kya responds, "but I have to." Kya shakes her head, "I already told the others, thought I should probably tell you."
It's a couple months later when Tenzin proposes to her for the fifth time. Just like the four times before that she shakes her head, "Why does anything have to change?"
And just like clockwork, the argument starts again, but this time it ends on, "I think we may be over, Lin."
Two weeks later she's on air temple island and Tenzin's kissing one of the air acolytes.
The island just so happens to gain a new waterfall and the air acolyte, Pema's name just so happens to come across her desk a few days later. She's 18, two years younger than how long she and Tenzin had been dating.
Three years later and she gets word they've found the new avatar, twelve years earlier than expected.
A few months later, he and Uncle Sokka ask her down South to protect the Avatar from the Red Lotus
She refuses, Suki dies and Sokka is hurt badly, but they caught them, or so Kya tells her later. The Red Lotus died that night.
The year after Tenzin and his wife welcome a baby girl, she throws the announcement in the fire, the invitation to the baby shower is soon to follow allowing her eyes to go hard before leaving the room, she has work to do.
Izumi tells her later that her father plans to abdicate soon, after over sixty years on the throne, he plans to hand the reigns over to his eldest daughter within the decade. He decided to take a page out of Kya's book and travel the world, spreading peace.
Then Sokka gets sick, Katara sends word that he's not getting better. Lin takes some vacation time and heads South. As amazing as Aang, Katara, and Zuko were, Sokka was the closest thing she and Suyin had as a father, spirits, with Toph as her mother, he was the best parent they had.
"Hey, Kiddo, long way from home, huh?" The aging Water Tribe chief rasps out as she ducks into the healing hut.
"Took a left in Omashu instead of a right." Lin shrugs, "How are you doing, Sokka?"
"Katara says it's my lungs, all that ranting she's had about eating healthier, finally got me. Kinda took my breath away when she told me." He offers a goofy smile
"And she can't heal it?"
"'Tara's a great healer, but even she can't heal what she can't see." He responds before going totally serious, "You gonna be okay when I'm gone, Kiddo?"
"You're gonna be fine," Lin responds quickly.
"Su, she has that city of her's and her husband and kids. Sita, she loves it at Kyoshi island. Bumi and Kya are content at least, Tenzin has his growing family. Honora has that boy in Ba Sing Se and Izumi's gonna make a fine fire lord. You're the only one of you kids that I'm not sure is going to be okay."
"I'll be fine, I'm the chief of police, just like mom."
"You certainly remind me of your mother, kiddo." He nods, before coughing, "Can you send Katara in real quick."
"Of course," she nods, stepping back out of the hut, motioning Katara in to join her brother. Before walking past the others, outside and lets a couple tears fall.
She can't help but think back to ten years ago, to a conversation with Tenzin.
"Nothing lasts forever." She mumbled into his chest, that damned betrothal necklace in his limp hand for the third time.
"We will, I love you, Lin, that won't change."
Bullshit she thought then and thinks now. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes everything has changed and she doesn't know what to do next, except what she told Sokka, she starts walking towards the harbor, she has a job to do.