Mid-Year Linzin Week: June 9th: Seasons
In medieval Europe, each season was associated with an element and two primary characteristics. I used this for inspiration and some personal headcanons (listed at the very bottom). Also - the scenes are not chronological.
I don't own any of the ATLA verse. It's on my wish list, but as I have never received Hogwarts or Narnia...I'm not holding out hope.
Not beta-ed. Likely to have some goofs.
Winter - Water - Cold & Wet
Tenzin and Lin in early 20s
Tenzin raised his head from his book, looking towards the front door, when the lock's tumblers thunked into place. The door opened.
"Welcome - " He paused and then continued hesitantly, " - home?"
Lin grunted and dripped puddles onto the doormat. From the couch, on the opposite side of the living room, Tenzin could see how she shivered, clothes clinging to her body as she unbuttoned her sodden coat. The all-day storm mandated the lack of armor, leaving her in a padded tunic with dark pants and shirt, now soaked through. The rain thundered on outside.
"Shower," she stated. Squelching with every step, she strode into the bedroom. Tenzin waited until he heard the water flowing before standing and using Airbending to dry the wet footprints she had left behind.
Task completed, he proceeded to the kitchen. A pot of vegetable stew simmered on the stove. He turned the heat off and removed the pot to the dining table. A pair of bowls and soup spoons joined the pot. Filling the kettle, he partitioned out tea leaves into a green-glazed teapot with matching cups decorated with mountain scenery. Once the kettle had whistled, he filled the teapot and placed it, along with two cups, beside the soup pot. He retrieved his book and sat down at the table to wait.
Shortly thereafter, Lin emerged from the bedroom dressed in a faded blue sweater, brown flannel pants, and woolen socks. A towel wrapped around her head like a turban.
"Better?" Tenzin asked.
Lin nodded.
"Should I ask?"
"Probably not until after I've eaten," she replied, a bit curtly. His eyes widened.
"Noted. I can dry your hair before we eat?" he offered, making a come-hither gesture and scooting back from the table. That earned him a mild glare, but compliance as she came to stand directly in front of him. He stood; Lin removed the towel from her head. She draped the towel over the back of a chair.
Calling up small bursts of air, he threaded his fingers through her locks. He worked slowly, patiently, teasing apart tangles and whisking away the moisture, starting at the roots. Lin sighed and bowed her head, her crown brushing his shoulder.
"I'm done," he eventually announced. He gave her hair a final stroke before lowering his hands. Lin straightened and ran a hand over her hair to check.
"Thanks."
They sat down, taking seats across from one another. Tenzin dished out the soup while Lin poured and prepared tea for both of them - half a spoon of sugar for her and two for Tenzin. She exchanged Tenzin's teacup for her soup bowl.
Listening to the rain pounding, they ate quietly. Underneath the table, Lin's outstretched legs rested against Tenzin's, her ankles against his.
After devouring nearly two full bowls, Lin dropped her spoon into the bowl with a clink. She pushed it aside and leaned back.
Tenzin, already finished with his meal, refilled their teacups. He added sugar to their preferences and slid Lin's cup to where her right hand rested on the table.
"Why were you soaked?" he asked.
"I got stuck directing traffic. Some idiot caused a three-carriage accident in the middle of the intersection of 6th Street and Dragon Avenue. Which subsequently caused two other accidents because people have to stop and stare. I tried wearing an oilskin cloak, but the wind was blowing the rain diagonally and I was soaked anyways and the temperature never rose above forty degrees.." Lin cradled her teacup and sipped. "By the end, I could barely feel my fingers. I hate winter."
"It's almost over; March will be here soon."
"Not soon enough."
"It will come. At least it's not below freezing during the day anymore."
Lin eyed him balefully and mumbled under her breath about people with cold-resistant Airbender/Water Tribe body systems being unfairly lucky and not in a position to judge the awfulness of the weather. She also got in a few words about how people who worked inside all day weren't either.
Tenzin's lips quirked upwards at these mutterings. Otherwise ignoring them, he collected the empty bowls and used utensils, walking into the kitchen to deposit them in the sink. The soup pot followed, scraped bare.
When he returned to the table, Lin had drawn her legs up to her chest with her teacup clutched in both hands. When she turned to look at him, she moved a bit sluggishly.
"Why don't we go to bed early?" he suggested. "You go on into the bedroom. I'll brew a fresh pot and bring it in when it's ready?"
Lin nodded and uncurled herself. Tenzin held out his hand for her cup. She placed in his hand, rose, and padded into the bedroom.
When Tenzin joined her, he carried a tray with the tea set and his book. Lin had the pillows upright against headboard, cushioning her back, and was half under the covers. She was reading from her own book. Tenzin set the tray on the nearest bedside table before slipping under the covers as well. He slid over until only an inch of space separated them.
Immediately, Lin closed the gap, taking his arm and placing it around her shoulders so she could press up against him. The entirety of her right side, from head to toe, touched him. They shifted about for a few seconds, figuring out elbows and exact body canting, until they were both comfortable. Tenzin reached for and passed Lin her tea which she placed on her side's bedside table. Reading resumed, interspersed with sips of tea. Rain continued to pummel Republic City as they laid safe and warm and close inside.
Spring - Air - Hot & Wet
Tenzin and Lin in late 20s
He must have buckled his boots one notch too tight. Tenzin rotated first his left, then his right foot beneath the Council table. That must be it.
And his clothes had shrunk a tiny bit - enough to make him feel the stretch across his shoulders and at his elbows when he moved his arms. It felt confining, but it was probably just a smidgen of shrinkage.
Given that Councilman Cai showed no signs of halting his oration on why the city needed more public transportation, Tenzin risked dropping his gaze to his shoes, leaning back in his seat to do so.
He had buckled them correctly. The tongue went through the proper hole, identifiable by the opening worn wider by constant use. Yet, they still felt too tight.
He returned his focus to Cai. Less than a minute later, his toes started fidgeting. His feet followed suit and Tenzin had to press down on his knees to stop it from spreading. Consulting the clock, he realized the meeting had begun a mere forty minutes ago. He had two hours before they would break for lunch.
Tenzin hurried out of the Council chambers. He brushed off, politely of course, an offer to have lunch with the others and swept from City Hall. Darting among the bustling lunch crowd, he headed for Republic Park, three blocks west.
Lin meet him outside the Blue Orchid Cafe on the perimeter of the park. Her armor gleamed in the sun.
"Do you mind if we eat in the park?" he asked as they stepped into the cafe.
"No."
"Good." As they waited to give their order, Tenzin kept transferring his weight from foot to foot and glancing around. Lin grasped one of his hands.
"Settle down," she demanded. Tenzin squeezed her hand and stilled. She didn't let go until they had ordered and received their order, sandwiches packed in a white paper bag.
Walking into the park, they navigated to a shady bench beside a turtleduck pond. Fresh green leaves bedecked the trees; pale pink and white blossoms spotted the foliage with color.
Using the bag as a mat on the bench between them, they unwrapped the sandwiches. Tenzin ate rapidly and his right leg jiggled from time to time. When he finished, he stood and returned to fidgeting and looking about.
"Are you that anxious to get back to the Council?" asked Lin.
He shook his head. "No. I simply have more energy than usual today."
Lin popped the last bite into her mouth before crunching the bag and wrappings into a ball. She rose, tossing the ball into a nearby trash can.
"Do you have time to walk me back to the station?"
"Yes, I do."
As they walked, Lin consciously lengthened her strides in order to keep up with the quick pace Tenzin set. His hands never paused, fluttering and gesturing as he chattered about the proposals before the Council. Occasionally, he directed a question towards Lin: What did she think about an elevated trolley system akin to Ba Sing Se's but powered by steam? Which borough needed a new school the most? Should they authorize building permits for Sato industries within the limits of the city itself given the noise and possible pollution?
Lin answered to the best of her knowledge, but realized he barely heard the response before jumping to another topic.
As evidence of his flightiness, brief unnatural flurries of wind intermittently tugged at the few free strands of her hair and brought the scent of flowers to her nose. Tenzin didn't appear to notice these minor lapses in his control.
A block from the 3rd borough substation, Lin grabbed Tenzin's elbow to halt him.
"- if we begin now, we can lay the foundations - What?"
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You're acting like a flying lemur who has eaten far too much sugar."
"I am?"
"Yes. Far too much."
"Sorry."
"I don't need an apology. I want to know why. You weren't like this when I left for work this morning."
He shrugged and his brows furrowed. "No...I think it started later, after I reached City Hall."
"Coffee?" she guessed. Caffeine and Airbenders generally did not mix, but Tenzin might have accepted a cup if offered so as to be polite. If it was coffee, she vowed not to accept a glider ride for the next twenty-four hours. One-handed cartwheels a hundred feet above the city pushed her beyond her limits. She suppressed a shudder at the memory.
"Not this time." Tenzin grinned, remembering the same event. Catching sight of her glare, he rearranged his features into a more serious expression. "I didn't have any coffee. I'm sure whatever this is will wear off."
Dong, dong reverberated through the city; the harbor tower ringing the hour.
"I have to go," Lin announced. "Try not to blow down City Hall by accident."
"Yes, Captain," he replied cheekily. Lin rolled her eyes and turned her back on him, walking towards her station. "Goodbye, dear."
Lin didn't pause or even glance back over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Tenzin."
Midway through the afternoon Council session, Councilwoman Xiulan yanked his pencil right out of his hand.
Tenzin's head jerked around to stare at her.
"I'm sorry. I need you to stop tapping."
He realized he had been absently drumming the pencil on the tabletop. His cheeks reddened.
"I apologize, Xiulan. It won't happen again."
Xiulan proffered the pencil; Tenzin accepted it.
He refrained from drumming for the rest of the meeting. His eyes tracked whoever was speaking and his responses were appropriate to the current discussion topic.
His legs twitched the entire time.
After supper, Tenzin spread the budget reports across the dining table. He attempted to delve into them. It was slow progress; his gaze kept wandering, forcing him to reread lines and paragraphs. He shuffled from paper to paper. His fingers worried at the edges, folding and unfolding corners or crinkling the sides. His feet vibrated on the floor.
"Tenzin, stop."
He raised his head.
Lin shoved his glider in front of his face.
His eyes followed the line of the glider to Lin's hand, then up her arm to her face.
"Go. Get out."
"Lin?"
"You heard me."
"I have to review these - "
"No, you don't. You looked them over this past weekend and you'll have tomorrow morning as well. You said the budget meeting was after lunch tomorrow. Now get out." She waggled the glider. Fearing for his nose, Tenzin drew his head farther back. She continued, "If you don't, you'll toss and turn and not sleep tonight which means I won't sleep - take the glider and go."
He looked from Lin to the paperwork to the glider.
He seized it, standing as he did. Tension melted away at the weight of it in his hands.
Lin rewarded him with a smile. She said, "I'll leave the balcony door unlocked."
"Thank you. I may gone for awhile." He started towards the balcony and unlocked the wood and glass doors. Lin followed.
"I don't plan to wait up."
"Please don't. I'll be as quiet as I can when I come back," Tenzin said. Opening the doors, he stepped onto the rectangle platform. It was large enough to allow him to take off and land, and Lin had removed the metal railing for easier maneuvering.
Five stories above the ground Tenzin flared his glider's wings. The twilight air sang in his senses, inviting him to come out and play.
Lin leaned against the doorframe. "Shoo."
Grinning, he mounted the glider and soared up with a whoosh of Airbending. Lin watched as he swooped and skimmed over the rooftops until he diminished to a speck.
She retreated inside and closed the doors, but didn't turn the knob to lock it.
Lin repeated the action of sticking Tenzin's glider in his face whenever he became too fidgety during the remainder of spring. Flying worked off the jitters and twitching, but failed to dampen his energy.
She didn't mind the energy so much. An energetic, spirited, and downright playful Tenzin did have certain benefits for her.
Summer - Fire - Hot & Dry
Tenzin - nearly 18; Lin - 17
"Come on, Toph, I'm hungry!" shouted Sokka, standing in the Beifongs' living room. "And where's Lin?"
Yanking a clean tunic over her shirt, Toph hollered from the master bedroom, "Lin's not coming."
"Why not?" he yelled.
"Sick."
"Then she should come and Katara can check her."
"Says she's not that sick."
Sokka cocked his head. Curious, he ventured into the hallway and stopped at Lin's bedroom door. He knocked. "Lin? Can I come in?"
A few seconds later she responded, "Okay."
Sokka opened the door just enough to stick his head inside. Lin lay face-down on the bed, head propped on an elbow and turned to the door.
"Ouch! That looks painful."
Lin winced.
"Do you have something to put on it? If not, Katara could - "
She pointed at a squat jar on her desk. "I have balm. I'll be fine, Uncle."
"Just don't want to sit through a boat ride and dinner?"
Lin nodded. "Would you tell them I'm sorry I couldn't come?"
"No problem, kid."
"Let's go. I'm ready. Bye Lin." Toph called. Her footsteps sounded on the hallway floor. Sokka withdrew his head from Lin's room, mouthing 'goodbye' to her.
"Goodbye Mom, Uncle Sokka," returned Lin as her door clicked shut.
Dinner on Air Temple Island passed as it usually did - with good food, laughter, a dab of bickering, and nickname-usage and invention from Toph. Tenzin, the only child remaining at home, faded into the background for the most part. Sokka, however, sporadically stared at him.
Over dessert, a fruit tart, Sokka asked him, "How did you get that sunburn?"
Every inch of exposed skin on Tenzin's arms, head, and neck was deep pink.
Tenzin flushed, albeit with a barely noticeable change in color. "I took Oogi out yesterday for too long."
Sokka nodded and dropped the subject.
After dinner, Aang and Katara decided to escort Sokka and Toph to the ferry. Tenzin declined and wished his uncle and aunt goodnight.
Along the way, Sokka remarked, "It's odd how Tenzin and Lin both ended up with bad cases of sunburn." To Toph, he directed, "Do you know how Lin got hers?"
"Stayed out in the sun too long, Meathead, obviously. Even I can see that," retorted Toph.
"I mean exactly where and how?"
Toph shrugged. "Lin's instructor likes to make them work outside, no matter the weather."
"But the dojo was closed yesterday and today," interjected Katara. Sokka grinned as the final piece slid into place. They all whirled to face her. "I know because Koko, that's her instructor right, two other teachers, and several students are sick with a stomach flu. I treated one of them at the clinic and she told me Koko didn't want to risk it spreading so she closed the dojo."
"That little rabbitweasel- she didn't tell me - " began Toph.
"SO!" interrupted Sokka. He raised his hand and ticked points off as he continued. "Fact number one, Tenzin disappeared on Oogi all day. Fact number two, Lin didn't have to be at the dojo, but she wasn't at home or on the Island or at Headquarters - right Toph?"
"Yeah and she's - "
"FACT number three, Lin and Tenzin have been involved for months. Fact number four, both of them have, from what it appears, fairly extensive sunburns...any conclusions we can make from these facts, ladies and gentlemen?" He smirked and waited.
Befuddlement reigned for a long moment before comprehension broke through as sunbeams through clouds on the parents' faces. Although sunbeams were more welcome than the conclusions the trio drew.
"They wouldn't - " Katara started. "They know they're -"
"Too young, way way too young," finished Aang, shaking his head vigorously. Despite the late evening's darkness, Sokka could see his ears burning.
Toph stomped her foot. "No way."
"A whole day without any sort of supervision - someplace far enough outside the city where they wouldn't be found and disturbed - a beach somewhere?" drawled Sokka, smirk widening.
Aang and Katara looked at each other.
In a strangled sort of voice, Katara announced, "We'll just leave you here. We have some questions we need to ask Tenzin." They whipped around and quick-stepped back up the path.
Clamping onto Sokka's wrist, Toph said, "Come on. I've got questions for my daughter." She marched them to the ferry, Sokka trailing behind and holding in his laughter.
Tenzin and Lin had no clue what was heading their way.
Being an uncle was great fun.
Autumn - Earth - Dry & Cold
Tenzin - 20; Lin - 19 (or thereabouts)
Liquid warmth flowed down his throat, down his chest, and into his belly before radiating outwards all the way to his fingertips and toes. It chased away the chill of the autumn evening.
"More?" asked the matron with a smile and extended ladle.
"Please. Thank you." The woman, about forty years in age, scooped more cider into his mug from the steaming cauldron on her table. She wore a spotless dress of dark tan dressed in ribbons of emerald and gold. Earth kingdom medallions dangled from her headband and necklace.
Tenzin made her a little bow and moved aside, making room for the next person seeking cider. As he savored the drink, he surveyed his surroundings. He smiled.
Firelight illuminated the town square. Freestanding torches blazed every few feet; lanterns hung from the shops bordering the square. In front of the town hall, a massive bonfire blazed, heat and light reflecting off the white stones containing it in its pit. Tables freely offered baked squash, buttered corn, roasted picken, and candied nuts. Clad in their finest, people thronged the square, their voices a constant hum broken by fits of laughter and calls of welcome to latecomers. Children dashed between legs and ducked behind tables as they played tag or hide-and-seek.
Tenzin estimated almost the entire population of this small farming community had gathered in the square, about three hundred people. For the past couple of days, he and Lin had been part of that community, experiencing a thoroughly rural lifestyle and pitching in with the harvesting. His muscles had ached, but it had felt good to use them for something other than bending.
Although, he reflected, Oogi had been the most useful, capable of carrying loads usually requiring several carts and horse-oxen to manage. His bison now rested in a nearby field. Tenzin suspected he would be fed a steady supply of treats by the town's children throughout the celebrations. They had never seen a sky bison in person and Oogi had charmed them shamelessly.
"There you are." Lin's words drew him from his contemplations. She glided to his side. "I've been looking for you."
"Here I am," he replied. "You look beautiful, Lin."
Her emerald dress hugged her upper body before skimming her hips and falling to the tops of her dark leather boots. A belt of braided gold accentuated her narrow waist. Plaited, her hair draped over one shoulder. She tossed it onto her back.
With only a "hmm" as a response to his compliment, she swept an assessing gaze over him. Judging by a second, slower examination, she liked his appearance in the smart red and gold robes.
"Would you like some cider?" he offered, holding out his cup. Lin accepted it and drank the remaining inch of liquid.
On the porch of the general store, musicians assembled. As they tuned their instruments, the crowd cleared a circular space in the center of the square.
"Come on, I'm hungry," Lin declared and gestured at the food tables.
"Lead the way."
Settling on the steps of the post office, Lin and Tenzin munched on skewers of vegetables, with meat for Lin, and watched the dancing. A caller stood beside the musicians, shouting directions to the dancers. Stomping and clapping accompanied the fiddles and drums. In one dance, couples stayed together; in the next, the company formed into whirling squares and circles, the figures weaving in and out of each other.
Lin licked her fingers clean when she finished her meal. Tenzin debated with himself before following suit. It was better than wiping them on his clothes. After a few minutes, at a break for the musicians, a booming voice sounded from behind them.
"Well, Master Airbender, aren't you going to ask your pretty lady to dance?"
They rotated to stare up at a burly black-bearded farmer whose green eyes shone with the merriment of his broad grin. He sketched a bow to Lin. "If you don't, you run the risk of someone else begging for the favor."
"I'm not a Master quite yet, master Chao, and I'm afraid I don't know these dances," Tenzin replied.
"You have been taught to dance, some kind of dance? Or is that something Airbenders aren't supposed to do?" Chao asked.
"My father taught us both the dances he knows, but not these," said Tenzin.
"Then you'll be fine. Ours are made to be simple," Chao assured him. "Now ask the lovely lady for the privilege."
Tenzin turned to Lin. "Would you like to dance?" Standing, he offered his hand.
"I would," she answered, placing her hand in his. Tenzin tugged her to her feet. Chao beamed at them.
"Have fun," he said. They smiled back before skipping down the steps for the dance area.
True to Chao's word, Tenzin and Lin grasped the basics of the dances almost immediately. Lin's skirts twirled about her when Tenzin spun her. They clapped and stomped on cue, moving left and right and forwards as the caller demanded. Whenever the music paused, they gasped for breath. Occasionally, they partnered other people, but always found each other for the following dance.
As the festivities wound down, Tenzin and Lin shuffled from the square to the field where Oogi resided. From their supplies, which had been protected from the weather by an Earthbent shelter, they rolled out their bedrolls on a space cleared and softened by Lin. Combining the bedrolls into one, they took turns using it to change into sleepwear before curling up inside it together.
They fell asleep underneath the starry sky to the sound of Oogi's steady breathing.
Headcanons:
Winter - Lin and Tenzin were rather cuddly when alone. Tenzin radiates a lot of heat; Lin dislikes the cold.
Spring - Benders gain energy/strength in particular seasons. Air in spring, fire in summer, earth in autumn, and water in winter. Not Sozin's comet strength, but a small boost.
Summer - Sokka liked trolling Lin and Tenzin? Also, their parents watched them like hawks. Holding hands was cute...but they were still their babies.
Autumn - Lin and Tenzin traveled the world for a year before Tenzin got his tattoos or Lin joined the police academy. They both enjoy dancing.