"You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell, they're all gonna be doing that." -Negan; The Walking Dead

Sorin's home was typical for a Fire Nation home. At least in a colonial sense. When Sorin used to live in the Fire Nation, before volunteering to live in the colony, he'd come from a prestigious family; one that gained wealth out of the war. Sorin's father and brother were weapons manufacturers. Workers — or, more commonly, people who were intimidated or threatened under the Fire Nation's power and control — would be given the necessary materials to work on the weapons, and being told to finish it before a specific date.

So, when news of an Earth Kingdom village with a supposedly unlimited supply of coal had reached the ears of Sorin's family, he had volunteered to settle down once the colony had finished its construction. After a while, Sorin's views on the Earth Kingdom people — at least the ones he lived in the village with — changed. His changing view on them didn't at all alter the way the villagers saw him. Sorin was still a Fire Nation native, someone who invaded foreign land and forced the inhabitants to hard labor. In Sorin's eyes, not a day would go by where he wouldn't feel some kind of guilt for what was going on. The guilt didn't officially make itself known until the day of Loa's death. That had been when Sorin knew there had to be some kind of change; he just wasn't sure how to do it.

"Father?" Imani's voice snapped Sorin out of his thoughts, his memories. "Father, are you here?"

"In here, Imani." Sorin took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself down before his daughter came in. When Imani came into Sorin's library, he put on a somewhat forced smile. Seeing his only daughter standing before him was something that filled him with pride — being able to see the kind of person she was becoming — and heartbreak — knowing that in so many ways, she resembled her mother. Especially Imani's eyes. Sorin's daughter had pale green eyes, something Imani had inherited from her maternal grandmother. Imani's eyes made her other features seem to stand out in a way. It added on to her black hair, making it seem darker. It also seemed to go well with her lightly tanned skin.

"Are you OK?" she asked. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Sorin responded, folding his hands in front of him. "Work has been...stressful, to say the least."

Imani's mouth pursed. "I can only imagine," she responded.

"Listen, Imani," Sorin sighed, his shoulders falling forward, "I know you don't like the mine, but..."

"It's beneficial for the war, I get it." There was obvious venom in Imani's voice as she said that.

Sighing, Sorin walked over to his daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't easy for anyone," he sighed. "I know you understand that. You're smart, Imani; you're observant. But what's happening here...it's nothing compared to what others are experiencing."

"How?" Imani snapped, yanking herself out of her father's grip. "How is this any different? The Fire Nation invaded this place! Just like they're doing all around the Earth Kingdom!"

"Lower your tone," Sorin said, his voice sharp. "Keep in mind that even though you were born in the Earth Kingdom, you're still a Firebender. People will look at you the same way they look at me, or the soldiers, or anyone else from the Fire Nation."

"You think I asked to be a Firebender?" Imani hissed. "I'd have better luck being a non-bender. At least I wouldn't have to deal with all the looks everyone gives me."

"That's enough." Sorin's voice boomed in the small room, echoing off the walls. In most cases, arguments seemed to be how Imani and Sorin started off their visits. It wasn't in any way how they wanted to start things off, but it seemed to go in that direction. Not always, but in most cases. "I understand your unhappiness in being a Firebender," Sorin sighed, "but that is part of your heritage. Your grandfather is a Firebending Master. Your cousin, Lyric, is an expertly trained Firebender."

"Is that supposed to inspire me?" Imani muttered.

"It's supposed to give you an understanding on how strong you can be," Sorin said. "All you need is proper training."

"It's not like anyone here wants to train me." It was true. Due to Imani's mixed heritage, she was seen as valueless. The only good thing about Imani was her Firebending. That was it. Being a Firebender in the colony was seen with respect among the soldiers and colonists.

"Train yourself," Sorin suggested. "Find your own technique. Do what makes you comfortable. Don't look at Firebending as a burden; you can very easily make it something good."

. . . .

For the past one hundred years, Firebending, for a majority of those who possessed the ability, was used to destroy. If something wasn't of value in the eyes of a Firebender, it was burned, killed. That was how it was for a lot of Firebenders, they used their abilities to instill fear into others. But, at least in Imani's mind, there had to be at least some Firebenders who saw that the way things were weren't OK. That was what Imani hoped.

That wasn't too bad, right?

It was probably naïve.

Either way, Imani had hopes that not all Firebenders were awful people. That there were some who had compassion and wanted what was best for the world. Maybe her father had been onto something in the advice he gave her. If Imani practiced enough, she'd be able to use her Firebending for something good.

(A/N):

Sorry for the wait, I had homework that needed completing. If you've got any thoughts on this chapter, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? I'd like to know what you guys think of the story so far. It may only be two chapters in, but I would like to think if I get constructive criticism early enough, I may be able to improve the story as it goes along.

ATLA doesn't belong to me.

Compared to the first chapter, this one is significantly shorter. I would've made it longer, but I'm tired from school and work; so I am kind of low on creative juices right now. I will try and make future chapters longer if I can help it. If I'm not too busy with school and work, that is.

Anywho, if you've got ideas for subplots or OCs you'd like to see written into the story, leave a review or PM me. I know it's a little early, but if there's any general ideas you could have on a subplot or OC, don't hesitate to let me know. This will probably be more effective the more I write the story, but the idea still stands.

That's all I've got for that.

Is there anything that's confusing that needs to be cleared up?

Thank you.

Judith W