I have decided that the monkey in the spirit world reads a lot of fanfiction. Why? It amuses me to think that he's the only being in the universe who knows what every possible retelling of the story of Aang looks like. Also, more background on characters, namely Piandao. Why did he think he should make Ty Lee into a modern age Air Nomad? Read and find out.
Also, Azula is fundamentally unwell. Yeah, she's still cunning and brilliant, and the most powerful firebender in the entire series, but mentally, she's cracked, and she's been cracked for years. And take a wild guess who made her that way. Yeah, she starts getting crazy earlier than in canon. Kind of the point. Also, cockblocking seems to run in her very blood, I say with a smirk on my face.
Finally, the next few episodes might as well be renamed "Sokka is unexpectedly awesome, parts 1, 2, and 3" for all their subject matter. The hilarious thing was, when I started writing this internal arc, it wasn't going to be like this, but then, I finished the chapter after this one, and I knew I had to run with it.
Azula looked up from her dolls, smiling as Mother approached. She held out her arms, and she was picked up quickly, a loving smile returned down on her. Father just gave a glance at her, then looked away. She didn't know why Father was angry all the time. This was a happy place. Everybody was nice to them. And they had everything they ever wanted. This Azula, this child Azula, she didn't know. He walked into her room, then turned, raising an eyebrow at her. It scared Azula a little.
"What happened in here?" Father asked. Mommy held Azula tightly.
"Leave her alone, Ozai. She's just a little girl," Mommy said. The room beyond was blackened and scorched. Azula hadn't meant to. It just sort of... happened. She looked up at her father, at those golden eyes which passed down the line to her.
"I'm sorry, Father," she said, her voice quivering.
"What happened in here?" Father asked again. This time, it was louder. More demanding.
"Ozai..."
"Not now! This is none of your concern!" Ozai snapped at Mommy. She looked stung. Father turned back to Azula. "Did you do this?" he asked. She turned away. He pulled her chin and pointed at the room. "Did you burn your room? Or was it Zuko?"
Azula glanced over to Zuzu, who was staring gobsmacked at his father. Azula shook her head. "It was me, Father. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she said. But Ozai wasn't angry, not like she expected. A smile came to his face. It was the first time he'd ever smiled around her. Father turned to Mommy.
"You see? I knew at least one of my children had to be a worthwhile firebender," he said. "And to think, it would be my five year old daughter," Ozai gave a glance to Zuko. Zuko blanched. "We are going to speak to the Firemaster about this. Jeong Jeong will no doubt have much to say about this. An unbroken line of firebenders is vital to the Royal procession. You know that, Ursa."
"Mommy," Azula said, afraid. Mommy shushed her.
"It's going to be alright, Azula," Mommy said, warmly. "You're special. You have a gift. You're a firebender."
Azula jerked awake, trying to shake the dream away. She stood, walking to her basin and hurling a splash of water into her face. She breathed deep, trying to calm herself. To control herself. The dreams were back. Ever since Ba Sing Se, she'd been assaulted by them. Not on a nightly basis, but frequently enough that it gave her concern. She paused, pondering as she looked into the sloshing water. Not since Ba Sing Se. Since she returned home.
She mastered her hammering heart. The nightmares always left her like this. Feeling like she was suffocating, drenched in sweat. She moved back to her bed, sitting on the edge of it. She was seventeen years old. She shouldn't have been giving in to such figments, but they tormented her still. "Mother never loved me," she said, angrily. Bitterly? She looked out at the chambers. They used to belong to Ursa. Now, they belonged to Azula. Good. Let that woman rot, wherever it was that she'd vanished. "Mother never cared about me. It was always about Zuko," she said. She knew it was the truth. But still, in the back of her mind, some tiny part of her asked... Is it?
Azula moved to the other side of the bed, unmussed by sweat and fear, and lay atop the covers, contemplating the fire, her truth, and the mother that hated her.
The storm overhead raged, pouring buckets of water down. It was so much that Katara couldn't have hoped to control it. It smashed down on them, and it was driving Sokka crazy. "We can't keep flying through this," he called out. It was almost lost in the deluge. "It's like we're back in the Earth Kingdom's monsoons. I'm landing!"
The storm had been a mixed blessing. While the clouds were overhead, it made traveling on Appa relatively safe; the sky bison was well known as Aang's steed, and it was hard to miss a ten tonne magical flying bison. On the other hand, the storm itself battered the travelers and the mount equally, and brutally. Aang was going to need to come up with a method of moving between islands during clearer weather. Appa just wasn't up to this kind of flying. They touched down on a hillside near a volcanic mountain, its sides sharp and steep. They all bounded off, landing on soggy ground.
Toph was the last one off, which was unfortunate, because she was probably going to be providing shelter. When she landed, instead of quickly stomping up an earth tent, she held her hand to the ground. "Twinkletoes, something ain't right here," she shouted against the storm. "The ground feels like mud. Like the whole thing's going to give way any minute!"
They all looked around. There was a stream running nearby. Well, it was supposed to be a stream, but right now, it raged like a river, moving down towards... a town. And above, Sokka could see a pond. "Flash flood!" Aang shouted. "We have to protect the village!"
"You don't need to tell me twice," Katara said. She stooped low, and began to bend upward, pulling the water out of the ground before the entire hillside gave way, dumping a torrent of water downward. Aang and Toph worked another element, pulling up the earth into a series of levies, which steered the water away. Sokka had his club out, and looked around.
"What do I do?" Sokka asked.
"Take care of Momo!" Katara shouted. Sokka wilted, then pet the lemur which hopped from Ty Lee's shoulder to his.
"There there," he said wanly.
Aang and Toph worked faster. Katara had given up trying to desiccate the ground, and instead opted to freeze the soil in place. It wouldn't last long. The rain falling was a hot rain, but it would hold briefly, at least. Aang surged upward, looking as the land began to slide up near the pond. A great torrent flowed. Katara moved first and fastest, skating over the saturated soil, and heaving, even as the last of Aang and Toph's levies rose into existence, dumping the water down another hill, following another path toward the sea, well away from the town below.
"Those'll hold until tomorrow," Toph said. She pounded the ground and heaved. A block of stone jutted up, covering the entire party, Appa included. A nice, secure little cave. The din went from deafening to merely distracting. Toph shook some of the water out of her clothes, then sat in the mud. "We'll have to remember to tear those down in the morning. I don't think many earthbenders live in these parts."
"Yeah," Sokka said, setting Momo on the floor of this new cave. "At least you got to do something to save those people. All I got to do was be a lemur-sitter."
"Ty Lee wasn't complaining," Katara pointed out, looking at Ty Lee. The acrobat was soaked, but still looked very content with herself.
"So this is how it's going to be?" Sokka said, walking to the back end of the cave. "From here until the Eclipse, us hiding out in cave, after cave, after cave..."
"No, silly," Ty Lee said. "That's why I brought along the other clothes!"
"What?" Sokka asked, gobsmacked again. She was good at gobsmacking him. That was one of the reasons he enjoyed her company so much. She pulled out a bunch of clothes, all in Fire Nation reds and blacks. Sokka eyed them suspiciously. Katara, though, grasped what the acrobat was on to.
"Of course. If we dress the part, we won't need to live in caves. It's better to blend in than hide out," she said, taking a red dress, and immediately beginning to disrobe. Aang let out a strangled yelp and turned away, and even Ty Lee looked a bit embarrassed. Sokka just rolled his eyes. Seeing family members naked was just part of South Water Tribe life. By the time Sokka and Katara left with Aang, they'd become totally inured to it, amongst other things. Toph of course was blind, and already wearing her Fire Nation garb, so she just picked at her toes with a stick. Sokka looked at what Ty Lee had picked out for him, dreading some sort of male doxie wear. Instead, he found a quite serviceable shirt and vest. And new pants. Glory be, he had new pants! He even had a new doodad for his hair.
"Do you all have to do this right here?" Aang asked, a bit skittish. Toph snorted a laugh.
"I don't see any changing rooms, Twinkletoes," she said. "Of course, this is why I changed before we left."
"We were in kind of a hurry, Toph," Katara said. Sokka paused for a moment, glancing to Ty Lee. She was peeking! He smirked. Let her look. Once everybody had gotten into their new clothes, and assured the young monk that they were 'decent', he turned. Aang looked at Sokka with an approving nod.
"That looks a lot like the clothing I used to see when I came to the Fire Nation a century ago," he said. He frowned briefly. "Not a lot of pockets, though."
"They're on the inside," Sokka said, showing the pockets lining the inside of the vest. Then, Aang turned to Katara, and his jaw hit the floor, his face turning bright red. He didn't even look that flabbergasted when she was getting naked. He stared at Sokka's sister, in her fairly revealing red silk outfit. Much like Ty Lee, her midriff was exposed, and much of her legs as well. She was combing out her Water Tribe hairdo, and would likely have to take a local style. The whole affair had a profound effect on the airbender.
"Stop staring at my sister," Sokka said, annoyed. He gave Aang a light shove, which broke the hypnotic stare and got him shaking his head.
"Sorry, Sokka," Aang said. He looked around, laughing nervously. Then, he pounded out his hands, and a shell of stone leapt up to surround him. Katara and Sokka shook their heads.
"Prude," Sokka chuckled. He then leaned forward. "Katara... Mom's necklace."
"Oh," Katara removed the jewel sadly. "Definitely screams Water Tribe, doesn't it?"
"Guys, do we know where we are?" Ty Lee asked. She tried looking out, but the deluge made long sight almost impossible. "I know we've got to be in the Ember archipelago, but..."
"I can't say," Sokka said. "We landed here by dead reckoning," he shrugged, laying out his bedding on the mud, too tired and soaked to bother with the tent. "We can figure it out when the storm breaks."
Sokka flopped onto his bedding. A few moments later, the stone walls fell, and Aang stepped out of his 'changing room'. He now looked every inch of him a Fire Nation youth. Or at least, what Sokka imagined a Fire Nation youth would look like. He smirked with confidence. Katara moved closer. "Aang, your arrow," she said. He reached up, feeling the blue tattoo which was still visible on his brow. Katara handed him a headband. "You should wear this."
"I won't go out unless I can wear my arrow proudly!" Aang said. Toph scowled.
"Don't be a dumbass, Twinkletoes," she said. "You heard the lady say it was better to blend in than hide out."
Aang wilted a bit and accepted the headband, cinching it just under his hairline. It had a picture of some sort of white flower dyed into it. Aang would probably have to find something more appropriate at some point. The storm raged, and the last hopes for the world settled down, to wait out the weather. Sokka didn't need to wait long before he could feel Ty Lee snuggling up next to him. He dreamed, but they brought him little comfort.
Ty Lee looked around the village as she ate her breakfast. She still didn't have a clue where she was, which was annoying, because she grew up only a few islands away. For some reason, when she came back home, she thought she'd be happier. Instead, she was always looking over her shoulder, as though somebody was going to attack her. It was like she was walking around in enemy territory. Which was absurd. Sokka prodded at his fried sea-slug, but stared morosely at the town. He had waken up in that state.
"You know what I miss about all of this thrilling derring-do?" Toph asked. "The hero worship. People standing up and cheering your name. I miss the love."
"Right now, the love would get us all killed," Katara pointed out.
"Come on! You haven't touched your disgusting food thing," Ty Lee said. "And who's going to tell us where we are if you just stare out at the town like that?"
"I'm sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind," Sokka said. He shook his head. "Every time we go somewhere, it's always the same thing. Crisis, then some quick thinking, and then you all bend your bending and the problem goes away. But what do I do? I... I look after the lemur! I read maps! I can't do anything."
"Sokka, don't talk like that," Ty Lee said, moving to his side, her bowl of breakfast in hand. "It's not like I can bend, either," she pointed out.
"Yeah, but you're still ten times the warrior I'll ever be," Sokka bemoaned. "I mean, when you were on Azula's side, Katara was scared spitless of you."
"I was not!" Katara countered.
"I know you're lyyyying," Toph laughed.
"Look," Katara powered through, "you might not be some powerful bender, but you give us the direction we need," she pointed out at the town. "None of us have any idea where we are, but I know you do. And you come up with ideas and schemes that save the day all the time. Remember the drill?"
"I get it," Sokka said. "I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but the fact is, you guys are all special and I'm... not. I'm just the tiny mortal standing amongst gods."
"You better believe it, Loverboy," Toph laughed.
"We don't think of you that way," Ty Lee said, giving him a hug. A tiny smile came to his face. It was nice. Katara went to Sokka's other side.
"I think I know something that'll cheer you up," Katara said. She broke into a grin. "Shopping!"
"Shopping?" both Sokka and Ty Lee asked at the same moment. Then both let out almost identical squeals of delight, leaping to their feet. The two embraced each other. "SHOPPING!"
"If it wasn't so sweet, it'd be creepy," Toph commented.
Ty Lee thought she was going to have to drag Sokka through the streets, looking at the various markets, but oddly, she found it was she being dragged. Sokka was a very enthusiastic shopper. She knew there was a reason they got along so well together. Finally, they came to a weapons shop nestled into a small building. Sokka immediately brightened another peg. "Yes! A new weapon! That might reinvigorate my battling!" he declared.
Ty Lee watched as he flit around the store. He picked up a pair of nunchucks, and she leaned over to Aang. "Silver says he smacks himself in the head," she said. Aang nodded. Not ten seconds later, Sokka's twirling of the flails went just wrong and he brained himself. Aang sighed and handed over a silver piece. Rubbing his head, Sokka moved on to other weapons, while the proprietor slept in a chair near the back.
Sokka tried out a number of weapons. A naginata, he twirled around before accidentally embedding it into a wooden beam. When he couldn't extricate it, he left it there, walking away whistling. Experimenting with a Meteor Hammer bound Sokka head to foot in cord. Twin dao just looked ridiculous. But not half as ridiculous as when Ty Lee turned, and saw Aang in an immensely oversized suit of armor which probably harken back to the days of Avatar Kuruk. It was all flashy metal and spikes, and surrounded the Avatar such that he looked barely able to move.
"And what are you doing in that?" Katara asked, trying to hold in laughter.
"Pretty slick, huh?" he said, a grin on his face. "Let's see somebody fire lightning at me now!" Katara shook her head, then lightly pushed on Aang. The Avatar tipped backward, unable to balance himself, and crashed to the floor. "Alright," Aang admitted. "Maybe I need something a bit more minimalistic."
Sokka had given up on most of the weapons, and instead, had fixated on a fine sword on the desk in front of the somehow still sleeping store owner. Ty Lee joined him. Her eyes widened when she recognized who made it. "Wow!" she said. "That's one of Piandao's swords!"
"You can recognize it just by looking at it?" Katara asked.
"It's got his mark on it," she pointed out the white flower on the handle. Aang walked over, still wearing that silly helmet, even if the rest of the armor was abandoned.
"I think that's what you need, Sokka," Aang said.
"A sword?"
"No, a master," Aang said. "This guy has skills which you could use. He taught both Ty Lee and, regrettably, Zuko... and we already know that he's willing to help us."
"I think Aang's right. I wouldn't have come anywhere close to where I am if it wasn't for Master Pakku," Katara said.
"I learned from badgermoles," Toph said with a shrug. "They don't talk much, but they were still great teachers."
"Much?" Katara asked.
"It would be nice to be a master swordsman," Sokka said, pondering. He suddenly smirked. "I guess it's a good thing we landed on Chuo Yan."
"We're on Chuo Yan?" Ty Lee asked. "Piandao has a summer house here! How long did you know?"
"When we woke up," Sokka said idly. A grin went back onto his face. "Care to join me while I train with the master?"
Ty Lee beamed. She was going to see Piandao again. Then, a suspicious look came back to her. "Wait a minute. Why did you come to Chuo Yan first? There's plenty of other islands..."
"We were always going to go to Piandao first," Katara said. She looked at Sokka. "What, you didn't tell her?"
"I thought she knew!" Sokka answered. Ty Lee just scowled at him, leaving him rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. But then, she brightened again. She didn't really care why. She was going to see an old friend again! That was always reason to be happy.
Aang watched as Ty Lee fidgeted uncomfortably in front of the door. She'd already knocked, but she was impatient. In a way, she reminded Aang of himself, albeit himself three years ago. When her patience, short though it was, was exhausted, she began to bang both knockers in rhythm, trying to make up for in volume what she lacked in restraint. Finally, one of the doors swung inward, showing a balding, rotund man with liverspots on his head staring apathetically at them.
"Yes?" he asked blandly. Ty Lee launched herself at him.
"FAT!" she screamed, hugging him. She hugged everybody, it seemed, even the people she appeared to be insulting. "Is Piandao in? Did he come back early? What about his house in Grand Ember? How's your son? Did you lose weight?"
Fat just stared at her through her deluge of questions. "I'll inform the master that you are here," he said flatly, before turning and walking into the building. Sokka turned, giving everybody else a shrug, and entered the building. The mansion was quite open, with very few symbols of wealth or influence. Aang liked it. It was calm and serene, quite unlike some of the other, cluttered mansions he'd been in before. The Beifong household jumped to mind immediately. The butler showed the group to a room which overlooked the ocean, its wide windows open to the salty breeze.
Piandao knelt a calligraphy desk before him, and calmly worked his art. Without looking back, nor waiting for the butler to announce them, he spoke. "You are all well behind schedule." Ty Lee's eyes shined, and she looked about to surge forward for another of her signature greeting hugs, but the butler caught her shoulder and shook his head. She wilted a bit. Piandao cast a glance over his shoulder. "But the Avatar is on his feet. That is an encouraging sign."
"What? Who's the Avatar? Not me, I mean... The Avatar's dead!" Aang said, weakly. The butler's eyes rolled.
"Fat is a trusted and discrete servant," Piandao said. He finally set his brush down and rose, pulling his sword around him, reaching his impressive height. "I was told by a mutual friend to await your appearance, to give you shelter and council. It is my honor, Avatar," he bowed lightly.
Sokka stepped forward, lowering himself to his knees before Piandao. "Master Piandao, I wish to ask if you would train me in the ways of the sword," he said, bowing low. Piandao's eyebrow rose.
"I almost never accept students," Piandao said. "If you believe yourself capable of learning the lessons I have to teach, you must consider yourself quite worthy."
Sokka shook his head. "To be honest, I don't think I am. But I still need to learn, and when I do, I would prefer it be from the best."
Piandao leaned on his sword. "I don't even understand why you feel that need. A waterbender needs no weapons but those that the world provides him, and I am ill equipped to train one in the elemental martial arts."
Everybody leaned back as one, even Sokka. "Um," Sokka said, confused. "I'm not a waterbender."
Piandao looked a bit confused. "He's really not," Katara said.
"Couldn't bend a puddle," Aang chimed in.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sokka muttered. Piandao ran a thumb along his short beard, pondering. He turned, facing the water briefly, before moving to stand before Sokka. He held his sword down, hilt toward the Tribesman.
"Then you should begin training immediately," Piandao said. "A guardian of the Avatar must have nothing less then utter mastery of his chosen abilities," the master turned to the butler. "Fat, take my desk outside. The day will be hot, and a breeze will do us well."
"Writing desk?" Sokka asked.
"The sword is taught through many lessons. Some less obvious than others. Come. If you would master the sword, first, you must master... the brush."
Fat set to work packing the desk and moving it outside. Aang glanced around, then raised his hand. "Um, what are we supposed to do?" Aang asked.
"Rest," Piandao said. "Your most difficult tasks are ahead of you. You may use my study at your leisure."
"Oh, great. Books to read," Katara said. She still couldn't read Huojian.
"Don't feel bad, Sweetness, I can't read at all," Toph remarked as they walked away. Aang considered staying with Sokka, but he knew that he'd slept in the mud, and this was a good chance to catch up on some well deserved, and dry, rest.
Piandao watched as Fat set up the desk on the patio that overlooked the sea. He much preferred his hillside manor, but this one was far closer to the edges of the Nation, and much less attention would be garnered here. He could see young Ty Lee trying desperately to stay composed, but he knew it was just a matter of time before she needed to do something drastic. "Come here," he said, opening one arm. She took that as her permission to launch into his side, a crushing hug that she showed to almost all people she came across. She was a loving soul.
"It is good to see that you have finally joined the correct side," Piandao said. Ty Lee looked confused, then a bit angry.
"Azula needs my help, too. It's just that they need it more right now," she turned away from him, as though surly. She was not a surly woman. "Somewhere out there is the happy ending where everybody gets what they need and everybody lives. Azula too. She just needs someone to show her the way."
"You could take her by the hand, but she would not necessarily learn," Piandao pointed out. "Sometimes, people must be guided to the path, but that does not teach them to walk it. Your faith in your friend is laudable, but do not let it blind you. There are some doors that we walk through in life that cannot be recrossed."
"You always say the wisest stuff," Ty Lee said. Piandao stood before the desk, and motioned at the Tribesman to pick up the brush. Sokka did, but he held it like he was going to stab somebody with it. Piandao shook his head.
"I don't understand what this has to do with swordsmanship," Sokka complained.
"The art of calligraphy is about stamping your identity onto the paper, much the way that the sword stamps your identity onto the battlefield. Now, show the world who you are," Piandao explained. Sokka reached forward with the brush, almost hastily. "But be very careful. Much the same as you cannot take back a cut of the sword, you cannot take back a line on the page."
Sokka paused, sitting back and rolling the brush along his fingers. Ty Lee leaned close. "Um, Sokka? You're getting ink on your fingers," she pointed out. Sokka scowled at his now inky hands, but his gaze popped back up. A smirk came to his face, and he set the brush aside, flattening his hand into the ink well and then pressing it hard onto the paper, fingers flared. He stood, holding the page up, with its black handprint upon it.
"You said it was about stamping my identity onto the page, right? Well, find somebody else with a hand print like this!" Sokka said proudly. Piandao considered. A novel solution. Not one that he would have considered. Interesting.
"I see," Piandao said. "Perhaps calligraphy is not your strong suit. Another art might be more to your aptitude," he turned. "Fat, please prepare the table. We are going into the hills."
"Yes, master," Fat said flatly. He was a stoic one, Fat. And a valued retainer.
Sokka looked a little bit uncertain, but Piandao dismissed him, and he wandered away, washing the ink off of his hand. Ty Lee remained behind. "I didn't know when I should ask," she said. Piandao gave a small smile.
"Of course, I have finished it," he said, walking around the curve of the house to where the evening winds hit the west wall. He'd had his forges installed here so that in the evenings, when he did his work, it would be somewhat cooler. He slid aside a panel and pulled out a staff, wrought all in shining steel. It was extremely light for its size, and bore little in the way of decoration. He had built it to her specifications. "It was not an easy project. There were intricacies to the design which a Mechanist might have been better able to incorporate, but I think you'll find them suitable."
Ty Lee took the staff with the singularly most thankful look Piandao had ever seen in his life. She was an expressive girl. She began to spin and whirl with it. She paused, then twisted near the center of the staff. The staff parted into two shorter lengths, which she began to twirl and swing with as well. And as fast as it came apart, she snapped it back together. She grinned up at him. "It's exactly what I wanted!" she said. She suddenly looked concerned. "But... I don't know if I can afford it. I know how much your work is worth, and..."
"I realize your current financial situation," Piandao said, laying a hand on her shoulder and smiling. "Consider this a part of your training."
"I thought you were done with me?" she asked.
"It is never too late to learn something important. You haven't tested all of your staff's capabilities," Piandao pointed out.
"You made them. I trust they'll work," she said. And she bounced away, quite happy with herself. If only everybody could be as satisfied as that young woman. A world of Ty Lees would never go to war with anybody. Fat's footsteps pulled Piandao's attention away.
"We are prepared, master," he said.
"Good. Tell Sokka to follow us up into the hills."
Zuko walked down the hallways of Mai's house. They were spartan and drab. She'd had them repainted to suit her tastes, rather than her parents'. He had to say, he preferred it less garish. She was walking next to him, holding his arm lightly, as they went to her chambers. There were servants who moved around, but they were few, and petitioners, even fewer. Mai called it one of the perks of being part of a minor house. "So, what do you have planned for this evening?" Zuko asked. "Dinner at the overlook, maybe?"
"I've been to the overlook," Mai said, her tones very even. It took a lot of attention to tell when she was bored, amused, or angry. And it was very important to tell those states apart with perfect accuracy. "I was thinking of staying in."
Zuko smiled a bit, sliding the door open for her. A servant was waiting, sitting in a low chair in the corner. Zuko frowned. It must be some Azuli thing. She moved inside, sitting on a couch, staring out at the noon-time sky. "Well, I am the Fire Nation's Prince," Zuko said. "Anything you want, and I can get it for you."
Mai turned, looking at the servant a moment. "You know what I'd like?" she asked, her tones becoming bored. Maybe. It wasn't easy to judge. "A fruit tart. With rose petals on it."
Zuko turned to her servant. "You heard your mistress. Make haste, young woman," he said. The woman bowed, and left. He turned, and he saw that Mai had rolled up her sleeves. Her knives and flechette launchers were nowhere to be seen. His eyes grew wide. "Tell me, my lady," he said, moving to the couch. "You wouldn't happen to be unarmed in the presence of the Prince, would you?"
"If I was, wouldn't it be scandalous?" Mai answered, just the barest hint of a smile on her face. Zuko knew where this was going. When an Azuli woman went unarmed, it was the equivalent of a woman walking around naked under a robe. She had something on her mind. And Zuko couldn't be more pleased about it. He leaned in, drinking that kiss and feeling her push him down against the arm of the chair. She was just settling atop him when a loud rapping came at the door. Silver eyes and gold turned, and Zuko had to use every ounce of self control in his body not to shout out in annoyance. Azula was here, watching them with a smirk.
"You two are utterly incorrigible," Azula said. "How scandalous, in the middle of the day, even. What would Mother say?" she invested that word with a great deal of venom.
"What do you want, Azula?" Zuko asked, standing erect, and a bit uncomfortable being interrupted. She walked past him, out onto the balcony which overlooked the plaza. He looked back at Mai, who just gave a shrug and a dismissing gesture. He followed his sister. "I know you didn't just do this to be annoying. You value Mai's friendship that much, at least."
"I've heard that you've been talking to your doddering old Uncle," Azula said quietly. "You should be more careful, dum-dum, or somebody might begin to suspect that you're conspiring with him. And considering the precarious state of your own existence in the Capital City, you can't afford to have any scandals following you around. Beyond the more... mundane... ones."
"And why are you even telling me this? What do you have to gain?" Zuko asked.
"What? Can I not simply have my brother's best interests at heart?" she asked, innocently.
"Historically, no. Theoretically... I'm going to have to stick with no," Zuko said. Azula shook her head, and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Just be careful. Father may trust you now, but his attentions carry a heavy price. Maybe... for once, I'm just looking out for you," she said. For just an instant, she sounded nothing like the Azula Zuko had come to know. In fact, she almost sounded like a caring, teenage sister. But as quickly as that moment came, it was gone. "And besides, If you persist, I'll be the one sent to bring you down, and that would impinge upon my social calendar."
Azula walked away, leaving Zuko to mutter: "You have a social calendar?" to her back. When she left, closing the door, Zuko moved back into the room. Mai moved close again. He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "Something else is on my mind."
Mai stared at him. "You know, you're very lucky that I'm not armed right now, because if I was, I'd probably stab you," she said, definitely annoyed.
Zuko couldn't help but smile at that.
Aang watched as Piandao returned from the hills with Sokka. Sokka looked a bit perturbed, while Piandao remained unflappable. He hopped over to Sokka's side, bringing a glance from Piandao, if nothing else. "So, how was the landscape painting?" Aang asked. Sokka silently handed over the picture he'd drawn. It was was a shining example of Sokka's artistic talent, which was to say, it was utterly terrible. "I...uh... like the rainbow," Aang offered. Sokka just hung his head.
"Next, I think some botany is in order," Piandao said, reaching into a small shed on the path and pulling out a pair of pruning shears. "Botany, the cultivation of living plants, teaches us that in order have the environment serve our purposes, we must sometimes serve its. So, Sokka, your next task will be to find what advantage there is to be had in this copse."
Sokka sighed, nodding and taking the shears. He wandered off into the woods. Aang looked at Piandao. "Aren't you going to watch him?"
"I am beginning to suspect that for Sokka, the methods are never so important as the results," Piandao said. He moved to a rock and sat, resting his sword across his knees. "You are a different person than last we met, young Avatar."
"Yeah," Aang admitted, running his hand through his hair. It was a habit which replaced his previous one of rubbing the back of his head. Hair tended to get in the way. "A lot has happened in the last year."
"You have doubts that you can succeed," Piandao said, cutting to the heart of the matter. Was he a mind-reader as well as a master of... a lot of things? "I know that look. It is the look of a weary soldier, too long on the battlefield. A man who knows he's surrounded and outnumbered, yet cannot afford to lay down his arms. They say there is nothing more dangerous than a cornered badgermole. Is that the case?"
Aang shook his head. "I was in the Avatar State and she still beat me," he said quietly. "I was as powerful as I could possibly be, and she put me down like I was nothing."
"You speak of the Princess? She is a dangerous young woman, and not for her firebending alone. A firebender is a person, usually with a connection to the primordial flame that burns in this world. But Azula... she is a weapon. A weapon utilized by a hand not her own, and without her even realizing it. In a way, I pity her."
"You've given a lot of thought to that," Aang said. It was the truth. The last time he heard somebody talking about an enemy that way was... "You sound almost exactly like Monk Gyatso," Aang tilted his head. "Did you know any airbenders?"
"The Purge happened long before my time," Piandao said. "I might be old, but I'm not that old," the master shook his head. "I didn't know any. The last died not long after I was born. I never really knew my grandfather."
"What does your grandfather have to do with this?" Aang asked.
"The Purge didn't wipe out all airbenders, nor all Air Nomads. Many, who were away from the temples, survived, went into hiding. My grandfather was young when the Purge happened. He was barely an Air Nomad, let alone an airbender, hiding after his home in the Western Air Temple was burned out. He took a new name, and lived a normal life, but passed on his teachings in secret. I don't doubt that there are a number of families that still carry the teachings of the Air Nomads, if fragmented to the point where they are almost meaningless. No airbenders could come from such an upbringing, I think, or I would have heard of it," Piandao paused, pulling his blade just a bit and staring at its shining white metal. "I still would have liked to have known the man Kuzon was."
Aang's eyes went wide. He knew the way destiny played fast and loose with Avatars. He didn't doubt for a second which Kuzon Piandao was talking about. Kuzon, Aang's once best friend in the West Continent, was Piandao's grandfather. No wonder he felt tried to make Ty Lee into an airbender. It was in Piandao's blood. Before Aang could say anything, though, Piandao rose, and began to walk through the forest, following a trail that only he could see. Aang followed Piandao.
When they came out of the forest, they were in Piandao's garden, which Sokka had thoroughly diced up and made himself a comfortable mattress of palm fronds, using a melon as a pillow. "I think I understand what you were talking about!" Sokka said, lazing about, his head on a melon. Fat opened the door, and his apathetic visage turned into one of abject horror. "Do you think I could get a cold drink?"
"Master, he...!" Fat said.
"I'll have one with a slice of lemon," Piandao said. Fat stoically went back into the building. "I see a pattern emerging," he added, pitched low enough that only Aang could hear it. He moved to Sokka and gave him a significant glance until the boy stood. "I think it is time to begin with more... conventional methods of training."
The morning was very young, and Zuko was at the docks, far away from the palatial estates which rest in the caldera of Sozin City, a long dead volcano. He had his hood up, and he waited. He couldn't afford to put this off any longer. He knew what it was to take a life. Unpleasant. It wasn't something he liked to think about, but what choice did he have? His acceptance here was hanging by a thread, a thread named Aang. He couldn't just let that sword dangle above his head. He pondered a moment. He really wasn't very good with metaphors.
A pounding of metal sounded, bringing Zuko's attention to its source. For some reason, it was a familiar sound, but he couldn't place it. Two men came into view. One was enormous, clad in a flaxen shirt, with a metal arm and leg, and bearing a flaming eye tattooed onto his forehead. The other was not quite as tall, which was to say, still overtopping Zuko by a fair margin, but much more slender. He wore a broad hat, and his skin was as black as Hui chocolate.
"Are you the ones I was told about?" Zuko asked. The giant just stared, a burning intensity in his eyes. Zuko heard whispers about that one's brutally effective firebending discipline, one that cost him that arm and leg. The other, though, was a complete unknown to Zuko, but his bare feet raised the possibility that he was an earthbender.
"We are," the dark man answered. "If the price is right."
"I hear you're very good at what you do," Zuko said quietly. "And even better at keeping secrets," he pulled out a bag of money. "The Avatar is alive. I want you to find him, and end him."
"The Avatar? That demands a high price," the dark man pointed out. Zuko tied a knot in his rage, lest it get away from him.
"Name it," Zuko said. "Anything."
"Five thousand, and one other thing," the dark man said. He pulled out a long scroll from his pack, and swiped a piece of charcoal along the surface of it. He then handed it over. It was a wanted poster for some sightless earthbender girl. With a heavy bounty, wanted dead or alive. The stranger had crossed out the 'dead' part. Zuko looked at him. "I'm the only one who gets to kill her. Gahj Muul, and nobody else."
Zuko looked at the poster, then set it ablaze in his hand. "Done," Zuko said. The price was almost too reasonable, but when people were motivated by revenge, they didn't tend to be rational. The two men left, and Zuko went back toward his home. The things he did for destiny.
"Blagh. I'm so hot," Toph said, laying on her back in the middle of the front courtyard, wearing only the slimmest vestiges of her usual costume.
"You think your hot?" Katara muttered, laying on her back next to her. If she'd been wearing much less, she'd be naked. "I grew up in a place where you could freeze to death in front of a fire. Are you sure this isn't summer?"
"It gets hotter," Aang said, laying on his back, without having the luxury of taking off his shirt or pants. His tattoos were too obvious.
"I like it!" Ty Lee said, also laying on her back, but she wasn't sweating nearly as much.
"That's because you're in the breeze," Toph said. "Which sucks, because I'm closer to the water. How come you get the breeze?"
"Maybe I'm just lucky," Ty Lee said happily.
"It's sooooo hot," Katara said. Aang felt a smile pull at his face.
"How hot is it, Katara?"
"Really hot," Toph muttered. Katara seemed to grasp what he was getting at.
"It's so hot that... um... Momo is shedding like Appa!" she said, pulling some hair off of the lemur, who was also lying on its back in the middle of them. Momo did not look pleased, but was too hot to protest.
"Yeah, the jokes really don't run in your family, do they?" Toph muttered.
"Appa sheds?" Ty Lee asked.
Sokka faced off against Fat again. Despite the man's advanced age and corpulent build, he was a surprisingly good swordsman, and had no few tricks up his sleeve. It was probably because he was the sparring partner of Piandao, and in order to keep up, he had to be very, very good. Sokka watched Fat as he went through his stances, waiting for that moment to strike. There, he saw it. He leapt forward, his wooden training sword cracking hard against Fat's, but Fat twisted and stepped, and with a heave, threw Sokka off balance and into his back. Sokka groaned, then picked himself up.
"You need to be wary of larger opponents," Piandao said, drinking chilled tea with a lemon slice. It was a lovely drink. Sokka would have to export it when he left this entirely-too-hot place. "They can use their mass to maneuver in ways that faster, but lighter, opponents could not."
"Right. Like that's going to come up often," Sokka muttered.
"You may not believe so, but to be a true master of your armament, you must be prepared for all eventualities, have contingencies in place for any assault."
"Or I could just improvise," Sokka pointed out. Piandao sighed.
"Perhaps that is enough for today. Fat, see to preparing dinner," Fat bowed and walked away. Piandao descended and stood next to Sokka, staring up into the hills. Sokka shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I know I'm not doing very well at this."
"Quite the contrary," Piandao said. "You're doing better than I would have ever expected."
"Then your expectations must have been very low," Sokka said. "I've screwed up just about every task you had for me... except for blacksmithing, but I already knew how to do that!"
"You 'screwed things up' in a very particular way," Piandao said. "You tackled every scenario I devised in a manner which I would have never considered possible, let alone plausible. You have an unpredictable nature and a flair for making the absurd not just possible, but successful, which mark you as a master in the making. I believe it is time for you to have your own sword. Come with me."
Sokka followed Piandao to the west side of his house. He waved his hand, showcasing a wall of finely crafted swords and spears of every description. Sokka ran his fingers over them, feeling the weight of them in his hands. "You're really going to let me have one?" Sokka asked.
"Yes," Piandao said. "I could entrust the life of the Avatar to nothing less than that."
"I think I'm going to need some time," Sokka said. The array of weapons was dizzying. Piandao nodded.
"I will await your decision in the morning," Piandao said, before walking away. Sokka hefted swords in turn, but his eyes went back to one in particular, resting on a rack in the back of the forge. He picked it up. It was light. It felt perfect in his hand. Beyond perfection, it felt like it was an extension of his hand. A very sharp extension, of course. Its blade was black as night. He did a few experimental swings, and accidentally struck the anvil. The blade cleaved straight through it. Sokka's eyes went wide.
"Oh, I've got to have this one," he said.
Toph frowned, staring at the odd depression in the earth. Well, staring as much as she could, anyway. "Does that look weird to you?" she asked. Katara, walking next to her, shook her head.
"It just looks like every other dip between hills," Katara mumbled. In the wee hours, the heat gave way, but Sweetness wasn't one who dealt well with lack of sleep. Toph shook her head.
"It's not a valley. It's a crater," Toph said. Her earth sounding never steered her wrong before. She could feel the unique shape bouncing surging back to her. "Something landed here a few years ago. Must have been one hell of a boom," Toph moved to the center of that crater, and then laid one scarred hand to the ground. "There's a chunk of metal down there," she said. She focused for a moment, and it came rumbling to the surface. It was a block not much larger than her fist. "It's not like any metal I've ever felt before. Hey, do you figure this was some meteor or something?"
"It's just a dirty rock to me," Katara said. Jeez, couldn't she be supportive for just one hour? Toph tried earthbending on it, but that didn't work of course, so she transitioned to metalbending. The thing came alive in her hands, flaring between the shapes she wanted it to take with almost no effort at all.
"Sweeeet." Toph said, turning it into a chain necklace and pulling it over her head.
Iroh ate like an animal, snarfing the food from the floor where Warden Poon had cast it down. "Look at you," Poon said, the disdain dripping from every syllable. "You used to be the Dragon of the West, the pride of the Fire Nation. Now you're just a broken, crazy old idiot. You're barely even human."
Poon spat, and Iroh felt it landing on his head, but he kept eating. Poon turned and walked away, slamming the door behind him. Once he was well away, Iroh stopped. He wiped the spittle from his head with a tattered sleeve, and finished his meal with more proper dignity. He still couldn't believe what his nephew had done in Ba Sing Se. Even though he had had plenty of time to mull it over. In fact, he realized he was partly to blame for it. He asked what Zuko wanted above all else, and Zuko had told him. To go home. This was his way to go home.
Iroh sighed. Zuko had made his choice. If he came to regret it, Iroh had nowhere else to be. Not for a while, anyway. His gaze lifted to the narrow, fortified window. But he had duties he needed to perform. People depended on him, even if they didn't realize it yet. And he would have to be strong, for them as well as Zuko. He finished his dinner, then raised himself up, grabbing the bars overhead. And he began to haul himself upward, fighting his own weight, over and over again. His pool of chi was wide, but shallow. He needed deeper breath, a stronger core. He needed strength, for what he was going to do. And he had just enough time to earn it back.
Sokka walked up to Piandao, who was meditating in the back porch. The rest had been still asleep, but Sokka hadn't been able to sleep at all. He was still filled with that nervous energy, that expectation. He knelt behind Piandao, and waited. He knew Piandao had seen him, and wasn't about to embarrass himself needlessly repeating a lesson he'd already learned.
"You have made your choice?" Piandao asked. He turned, facing Sokka.
"I have," Sokka held up the blade. Piandao's expression curdled to one of outrage.
"That sword is my finest work," Piandao said, rising to snatch it away. Sokka backpeddled. "It was forged from metal which fell from the heavens themselves, a blade the likes of which the world has never seen. You wish me to part with the most unique and irreplaceable specimen that I have ever produced?"
"You said I could have any blade I chose," Sokka said, backing away from Piandao. "I choose this one."
"It is not available to you," Piandao stressed. Sokka's outrage began to surge, warring against the master's.
"What, so this was all some sort of trick? Your greatest sword isn't allowed to protect the Avatar, but something from your reject barrel is?" Sokka asked. Piandao's eye twitched at that.
"Any soldier in the world would beg to wield one of my rejects," Piandao said. His eyes narrowed. "Very well, Sokka of the South Water Tribe, guardian of the Avatar. If you wish to have the Blade of the Heavens, then prove you are worthy of it!"
Then, Piandao charged, his white blade out before him. Sokka had to block with the blade still in its scabbard, and twist away. Piandao followed, his blade always inches from Sokka, a hair from splitting him open. It wasn't until Sokka dived off the deck and rolled in the sand that he got a chance to get his weapon clear of its sheath. Piandao landed in the sand nearby. "Reacting to your enemies attacks can put you into a hazardous position, especially when they have more experience with it," Piandao said, as he moved through the sands toward Sokka. Sokka understood what Piandao was saying, as his own footwork wasn't at its best in the shifting grit. He parried a few of the blows away, then dove past Piandao, trying to get away from the beach, back to more solid footing. As Sokka leapt, he felt a line of pain along his side. Piandao had actually cut him!
"I thought this was," Sokka began, but had to break off when Piandao continued to press the attack. The old man was going to kill him! Sokka continued to retreat, and entered the lower door, which lead into the pantry. He turned, hurling detritus onto the floor as he retreated. Piandao came into his pantry, and found it trapped.
"Very good. Creating hazards to keep your opponent in disadvantageous positions," Piandao said. He lunged forward, through the mess, and Sokka parried the sword aside, slamming the door behind him. He turned, and saw everybody eating breakfast around the table. Food had halted half way into mouths, and everybody stared at him. He let out a nervous laugh.
"What are you..." Katara began, but Sokka had to dive away as the slender white blade slammed through the door. Sokka leapt up onto the table, holding his black blade before him. Piandao pulled out his own long, double edged sword and stepped into the room. Everybody except Ty Lee leapt up into a fighting stance, but Sokka waved them back.
"No!" he said. "This is my fight."
Ty Lee looked between them, then realization dawned on her face. "Ooooh," she said. She smiled at Sokka. "Good luck!"
"Utilizing the high ground, a sound strategy," Piandao said, then he moved forward, slashing at Sokka's legs with his wickedly sharp sword. Sokka continued to fall back, until he was at the edge of the table. He swiped just ahead of his own toes, then leapt backward. He kicked the table up and at Piandao, hurling not just the food but Aang's breakfast at him as well. He had to cut it out of the air, but it gave Sokka a moment.
Sokka dodged through a door, slamming it behind him and tipping a chest of drawers in front of it. He turned, then slammed shut another door, before ducking through a third, leaving it open a crack. The white blade slashed through the door, cutting the drawers away. Piandao then burst into the room, a wide, arcing swing as he landed. He glanced around, and spotted the closed door. He kicked it open, his blade well away from Sokka. Sokka slipped out and swung his blade at Piandao's shoulder, trying to hamper without really harming the sword master. But by some miracle, Piandao twisted his sword back, parrying Sokka's attack. "A false ambush played falsely, a cunning strategy."
"Is this really the time to be giving a lesson?" Sokka asked. He dodged low, then rolled between Piandao's long legs, vaulting into the room beyond.
"Using superior agility against an older opponent," Piandao continued, turning to face Sokka. "Smart move."
Sokka backed away, glancing to his side. When he saw his pack, he quickly kicked it up to his left hand. It was damned lucky that he was ambidextrous. He grasped what he needed quickly, then hurled the sack aside before Piandao cut it in half. That would be bad: he still hadn't paid for it from when he stole it in Burning Rock. Sokka feinted forward, then dodged out a window, landing amongst the bamboo that ran along the east side of the house. As he ran, he began to slice the stalks, making them slowly fall behind him. He watched as Piandao advanced, an implacable man, slashing the falling bamboo away from himself as he moved.
Sokka then burst into a sprint, grabbing a stand of bamboo as he ran, and letting it twist back into Piandao's face. Piandao of course slashed it away before it struck. "Using the environment against me. You grasped my lessons well."
Sokka kept moving, but he had to stop suddenly, or else fall off a steep drop back to the beach. He looked back. Not any good options. Piandao was advancing, so he hopped down the steep incline and slid back to the sand. This time, he was ready. Piandao leapt down, nimbly navigating the incline, and slashing forward at Sokka. Sokka deflected the blade low, then brought his other hand up. In his hand, the mechanical pen he and the Mechanist invented. A pen which held its own internal reservoir of ink, fed by a pump. A pump he released. The jet of ink squirted out and splashed into Piandao's eyes. Piandao made a blind splash, but quickly pulled himself back into a stance. "Very resourceful," Piandao said, even through the pain that must come with having ink in his eyes.
Sokka waited, calming his breath. Piandao hinked his ear to the side, listening for him. Sokka glanced, knowing he couldn't get back to the grass without alerting him. But the sand was muffling his steps, and Sokka, despite what others thought, was very good at hunting things. Sokka crept to one side, his eyes scanning the sand. There. A shell. He silently pulled it up, then chucked it to one side. The paff of the shell hitting the sand drew Piandao's attention, and he struck at that spot, well away from Sokka. Sokka moved quickly, and when Piandao's blade was in its most tenuous state, Sokka smashed at it, causing it to spring from the master's grasp. Sokka laid the Space Sword on Piandao's shoulder. Piandao turned his head, as though glancing over his shoulder. There was a small smile on his face.
"I am impressed," Piandao said. He began to wipe the ink from his eyes. "You have certainly earned that sword." When Piandao had his eyes back, he turned, and retrieved his own blade. Fat, standing above, tossed his sheath down to him, and Piandao scabbarded his blade without even looking toward the falling sheath. "When you came here, you were in doubt. I dare say you were even down on yourself. But I had already seen something in you, something as strong as a lion turtle and twice as big, a heart which cried out for justice and peace. What you lacked in skills... and it was a lot," Sokka scowled, "you more than made up for in creativity, versatility, and intelligence. I believe that one day, you will be a swordsman even greater than I. And you have earned the right to my finest blade. Use it well, Sokka. If in your travels you encounter the gods, then strike at them, and they will be cut."
"Thank you, Master Piandao," Sokka said, bowing. He looked up. Everybody was staring down at him. Ty Lee looked especially proud.
"Fat will provide you with the maps of the Ember prefectures as I promised," Piandao said. "You will need to train on your own now, Sokka. Be the master that I know you are capable of."
"I will, Master," Sokka said. Piandao extended a hand, and Sokka grasped it. When Piandao turned, there was still something in Sokka's palm. A Pai Sho tile. The white lotus. What did that mean? The others navigated down to him, beaming proudly.
"I didn't think you had it in ya, Loverboy," Toph said. She reached up and grasped her strange, black necklace. Sokka was surprised. It was of the same stuff as his sword. "Check it out! I found some space metal to play around with."
"I've got more," Sokka said. Ty Lee laughed with him. Toph shook her head with a smirk.
"It's not what ya got, it's what ya do with it," Toph said, slugging Sokka's arm.
By all means, leave a review. If I don't know what I'm screwing up, I can't fix it.