A longer one shot that combines a few different ideas I had floating in my head. It's pretty fluffy but it also can be treated as a prequel to my other story, "The Nomad".
Tenzin rarely had a day off, after the long and eventful family vacation he'd returned to a heap of unexpected responsibilities. Apparently, without him the city was only at partial functioning capacity, or at least he thought so.
Today was different, today was a day off, declared by Pema specifically. She'd looked at his weary face the night before and forbid him from going to work on a saturday, she even forced him to stay in bed for part of the morning.
He appreciated the attention and the resulting family time was quite agreeable, even if a nagging anxiety was floating around in the back of his mind.
Their slow morning had blossomed into Meelo energetically bursting into their room and air vaulting his way towards their bed.
Tenzin was quick to react and slowed his son to a near stand still, then released his hold. Meelo thunked onto the bed while Pema laughed.
" Meelo, what rule did we set just yesterday?" He was doing his best to scold but couldn't help but grin at Pema's mirth.
Their bald little son sat up straight and crossed his arms across his chest, "No airbending inside the house..." He began to pout indignantly," but you just did it too." He said accusingly.
Tenzin was about to justify himself when Pema spoke up, " Meelo, yesterday you tried to help me in the kitchen, which was sweet, but you ended up breaking things because you wanted to toss plates all about with your air bending rather than carry them."
Meelo looked down at the covers, " I'm sorry Mommy..."
Pema picked him up and placed a kiss on his forehead, thinking briefly that someday there'd be an arrow there, then tucked him into her side to look at his father.
" Did you know your father used to do the very same thing?" She asked, Meelo lit up with curiosity while Tenzin bristled beside her.
"Pema.." He complained but she waved her hand at him.
" before we were married and I was just an acolyte, one of your father's students. He would sometimes accompany me on my chores, because we always wanted to see each other, any excuse to be near except one problem." She said with a smile, Meelo looked like he was about to burst.
" He always seemed to think that he could get my work done for me and impress me at the same time with his air bending. Imagine flying hay bales and plate tornadoes and that pretty much sums it up." She said with a giggle as Meelo laughed and Tenzin couldn't help himself but chuckle despite his earlier objection.
" but no plate tornadoes for you." Tenzin said with a sudden stern finality, which had become necessary with Meelo's enthusiasm.
"Will we be practicing today Daddy?" Jinora asked from the open doorway, Ikki beside her.
Pema stood and began to dress for the day," I was thinking instead, that we might go to the harbor and feed the koalaotters." The children cheered simultaneously.
" Alright, but morning meditation first." Tenzin said as he rose and fell in line with his family to the meditation room.
Ikki volunteered to lead the family through the morning breathing exercise, bringing a proud smile to her father's face, " Of course Ikki." He said, changing spots with her so he and the rest of the family may follow her.
She took a simple standing prayer pose, shoulders high, feet shoulder width apart and her eyes closed with a serene expression.
This gave Tenzin a moment to glance at Pema and exchange proud expressions before following along.
She lead them through the first few sweeping breathing exercises, inhaling deeply as she reached up above her then exhaling through until she touched her toes. After a few rounds of that she put a foot back in a deep lunge then swept up her arms and torso, executing a perfect virabhadrasana warrior one.
Pema wobbled beside him and Tenzin gave her a reassuring smile, her balance had been off as she was adjusting to no longer carrying a child.
Ikki exhaled and moved fluidly to a triangle pose and swept her raised arm around to flow right into virabhadrasna warrior two.
She opened her eyes with uncertainty, then found courage and launched her back foot up and balanced herself on hands and her leading foot before lifting her hands to enter a wobbly virabhadrasna warrior three.
She brought them back down and moved through downward dog, sliding flawlessly into upward dog and then back up to cycle through three more times.
Meditation followed quickly after and two minutes in Meelo began to squirm. Tenzin opened his right eye and looked down at his son who still had his eyes closed but looked quite upset.
" Meelo? " he asked in a quiet concerned voice, the boy continued to squirm and did not respond. The rest of the family now also had their attention focused on him.
" Meelo sweetie." Pema said sitting down behind him. When she touched him he seemed to snap out of it and burst into tears, throwing himself at his mother so hard they toppled over.
" I saw a storm, a big mean storm!" The child sobbed.
Pema looked to Tenzin for guidance but he was uncertain as well. He'd heard before that air benders, having a particular sense for wind, could have visions of the weather, but not even his father had done it. What was happening to Meelo?
"Maybe you fell asleep, you had a bad dream." Pema suggested soothingly, though no one seemed to truly believe it.
After Meelo had calmed down Tenzin found Jinora standing outside with her eyes closed.
" Trying to sense the storm?" He asked as he approached, in truth it had been his intentions as well.
Jinora turned and shrugged, " It's a pretty nice day."
Tenzin looked up at the sky, the sun was shining, the sky was clear and a coastal wind was blowing and he shrugged back at his eldest.
The mishap was quickly put aside and they all piled onto Oogie to head towards the harbor of Republic City. Usually Tenzin would land him on the capital building and go about his business from there, but Pema might not appreciate a visit to his work place.
Instead they landed on a building not far from the harbor, the children hopping down to the street two stories below with ease. Pema looked over the edge at her children, except for the small one attached to her, they were too much to keep up with let out a sigh and looked to her husband for help. He smiled warmly at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, taking the liberty of stealing a kiss from her before beginning their decent.
They walked the harbor for much of the day, fed the koalaotters that gathered under the piers while cheering in delight, Meelo even attempted to go swimming with them.
At a market stand Jinora had stopped to admire the beautifully polished nacre of shells. The iridescent mother of pearl and the gleaming cream and pink of the conch shells. The market keeper smiled and held out an ugly oyster.
Jinora wrinkled her nose and went to recoil but her father's strong hands held her in place.
" Make you a deal kid, I'll open this oyster and if there is a pearl you can have it, but only if you eat the oyster." The shopkeep said.
Jinora was all at once excited and horrified," I'm a vegetarian." She declared proudly, the hands around her shoulders gave her a squeeze.
" Not when someone offers us something." Tenzin corrected then tilted his head down to his daughter, " don't be rude."
Jinora gulped down her fear and nodded to the man behind the table who smiled and expertly shucked the small creature and opened it up, inside was a lustering grey pearl.
Jinora clapped in excitement and held out her hand as the man plucked out the tiny jewel, only to have the oyster set in her palm. He held out a lemon wedge to her, " goes down better with some lemon."
Jinora starred down at the slimy thing in her palm then to her father who was obviously amused, he wouldn't be any help. Accepting her fate she took the lemon and the instructions on consuming the oyster.
With dignity she squeezed the lemon over it, put the shell to her lips and tilted her head back and swallowed. In its wake was an odd taste in her mouth that left her opening and closing her mouth the way a dog with a mouthful of peanut butter might.
The man held out the pearl and she snatched it up gladly. She got a glimpse of her father's scold and quickly remembered her manners, bowing deeply.
" thank you so much." Then turned and ran off to gloat to Ikki, she'd never eat an icky oyster.
As they returned to the family Meelo was running over to a row of sailing dinghies, " Momma, what're those?" He said pointing and leaning far back on his heels.
Pema looked up from Rohan and smiled, " Sail boats my dear, they use the air to move around just like you."
Meelo and Ikki beamed at her answer and ran down the dock to have a better look.
"What's this?" Tenzin asked as he and Jinora rejoined them.
" Somehow, despite the fact that we live in a bay and our home has beyond the most beautiful view our children have no idea what sailing is." She said with a sarcastic shrug.
An older woman stood up from her chair and hobbled over to Ikki and Meelo, begging them to not blow her boats around. Tenzin mentally berated himself for not further emphasizing the appropriate times to use one's bending.
" I apologize." He said as he reached for Meelo's arm and gave Ikki a scolding look.
" I'm honored by your presence," the woman said and the air bender straightened to look at her, " a sailor all my life I aspire to know the winds but you know them best of all." She said and bowed deeply.
" Thank you," he said, returning the gesture.
" Show us how they work!" Meelo demanded excitedly.
The woman turned a deep shade of red, " An old woman like me, show a bunch of air benders how to move a sail? Forgive me but I'd be so nervous I'd forget the difference between a jib and a keel. "
Pema laughed and handed the baby off to a confused Tenzin, " I'll show you."
" You know how to sail?" Tenzin asked in surprise, in all their years together she'd never mentioned it.
She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, "What kind of air acolyte would I be if I didn't do something to understand the wind? I was really into sailing as a kid, I even did races."
" Races?" Tenzin asked in a monotone, still awkwardly holding the baby.
" Baby's about to fuss." She warned off handedly and stepped lightly onto the bow of a little boat leaving him to deal with Rohan's crying.
She moved with an easy grace, checking and retying lines, teaching the children a bowline knot. She turned her attention to the mast untying the line to the main sail.
" this is the main sheet, this line goes all the way up and over and holds whatever tension you tie it at." She said while demonstration the movement in the sail as she took up and released slack.
" This is how you tie the sailing hitch, across like this," Tenzin watched her with curiosity, the three kids had settled to sitting on the port side of the boat quietly.
She nodded to the old woman who untied the boat and pushed them off. As they floated backwards Tenzin felt an odd anxiety. Watching his family drift off on a vessel without him to protect them, him standing helplessly on the shore with the baby. He sighed and took a deep breath, Pema seemed confident, it did her no respect not to trust her.
Pema squatted down at the aft of the boat and took the rudder in hand, adjusting slightly as she pulled on the line attached to the front sail.
" This is the jib, see it fluttering? That's a good sign were about to catch the wind." He could hear her from the dock, the jib fluttered until she gave it a sharp tug and it suddenly snapped then filled with air.
" Watch out for the boom!" She called as the main sail swung hard to starboard and arched as if filled.
" Woo! Mommy you're an air bender!" Meelo cried, bring a smile to Tenzin's face. He'd known the spiritual side of Pema well, but after today he knew there was much more she knew and felt about his practice than he'd dreamed. His heart swelled with joy as she expertly navigated the winds, maneuvering the path of least resistance to guide the boat where she wanted rather than just the path of the wind.
" Mom, why doesn't it just get pushed over?" Ikki asked.
" There's a big board on the bottom of the boat, under the water. It's called a keel, it helps redirect the sideways pressure and guide it forward." Pema asked as she mimed the effect with her hands, soon her children were copying her with their air bending to see the effect themselves.
" Can I try?" Ikki asked excitedly and Pema allowed her to take the rudder. She instructed the other two children to take the left and right line for the jib and help their sister.
Ikki tentatively moved them around in the general path of the wind and got a bit more ambitious, drifting farther leeward until she unknowingly began a turn directly toward the wind.
Tenzin watched the mistake from afar, saw the telltale flutter at the top of the sail then looked down to see that if they didn't complete the turn they'd hit another dock end.
He stepped forward then remembered the baby in his arms, he couldn't help. He saw Ikki reach up to air bend her way of the situation but Pema snatched her hand down and used her other hand to push the rudder far to port, the boom swung wildly to the other side as the boat did a near 360 turn about.
Pema took over sailed turning about to display tacking into the wind. " A worthwhile lesson Ikki. What did you do wrong?" Pema asked as she maneuvered.
Ikki looked at her feet, embarrassed of her mistake. " I forgot the wind, I tried to force the boat instead of letting the air take us there." She finally said, holding up her hands in defeat.
" Yes, but you also let yourself lose momentum, you could make that turn, you just have to be quicker about it. Don't hesitate."
" Daddy says that." Jinora said and Pema smiled back at her children.
" Alright, one last thing. What happens if I..." She began to steer the boat straight into the wind, all three children clamored in protest and moaned when the sails let out and they stood still in the water.
" How do I fix this? " she said and sat down across from the children. " Go on."
Tenzin smiled from the shore as the children discussed and used their hands to understand the sails. Once they seemed agreed Jinora went to work letting out the line for the main sheet, and it began to flutter.
Ikki and Meelo jumped up and gave the boom a heaving push, shouting with excitement as it swung back overhead, Jinora took the rudder and pulled the line in just in time to catch some wind and drift starboard. They all cheered in excitement, including Tenzin and the woman watching at the docks.
Jinora turned them about, brought them back in and with some coaching from her mother, she docked the boat quite smoothly. The air bender children all hopped off the boat and chattered excitedly about their accomplishment while Pema tied the dinghy back in place.
She felt the presence of her husband and turned around to see a very strange look on his face. " Ten, are you alright?" She asked in concern.
He furrowed his brow more and she stood, " You look like you're going to cry."
" I might.." He admitted, pulling her into a tight embrace. Pema smiled against him and patted his arm.
" That was so beautiful to see." He mumbled into her hair and pulled away to look at her.
She cupped his face, " Oh Tenzin." He looked down at his feet," What?"
His grey eyes seemed so full of emotion, she hadn't seen him act this way since she was pregnant with Jinora.
" I didn't think I could love you more." He said and pulled her to him, kissing her in a way he'd never done in public before. It made her blush and the children complained farther down the dock.
She finally managed to pull away and straightened her robes, " Tenzin!" She exclaimed in surprise, " If I knew sailing had this effect on you I would have done it everyday." They both laughed and she took his arm, it was time to go home.
The night grew cold and the sweet coastal winds that they rode that day had turned to strong gales that screamed along the edges of their island home. Acolytes clutched their robes to themselves as they rushed about to take down charms and panels that would be destroyed in this violent wind.
The family had gone to bed with the whistling of the wind at their windows. Late in the night the storm began to announce it's arrival.
Tenzin tossed in his sleep, dreaming of a training session in which his father had sent him reeling through the air. He remembered, like a child caught under a wave, for a fleeting second he'd worried that he'd be trapped spinning head over heel forever.
He'd woke with a start, Sitting up in bed and breathing heavily. Pema stirred behind him and he realized it was a crashing sound that had woke him, not the dream. He stood and donned his robes, wondering how long he would have been suspended in that terrifying moment had he not been woken. He shuddered and headed downstairs to investigate.
When he stepped out into the winds he'd nearly been knocked off his feet, the dream came back to him again in that half second before he used his bending to maintain his balance.
The rain was coming down in heavy brutal drops and the sky was a sickly dark green, this was a storm to fear.
He looked back to his home, his family there inside the suddenly very fragile structure. Pema was in the doorway, she made no attempt to go further, he could see fear in her eyes.
He went to her and shut the door behind him, she wiped the rain off of his face and head silently. He opened his eyes and looked at her, she'd been waiting for him to say something.
" Is there anything..." She began to suggest, but she knew the answer.
" No, that's avatar level air bending..." Tenzin sighed and took her into his arms, " My father built this place, but the temple is the strongest place."
They woke the children and before long Tenzin, Jenora and Ikki were combining efforts to safeguard the passage of acolytes to the temple while Pema waited inside with Rohan and a shaking Meelo.
Once the air family and their acolytes were all safe under the temple roof Meelo approached his tired father and declared, " I told you so."
The prediction came back to him and he was both proud and worried for his son, that may be a skill and a burden. " Yes, you did."