Pema seemed to sense the strangely unsettled atmosphere in the house – tensions were already running high since they started the wedding preparations, but they suddenly spiked when Tenzin disappeared. Even before leaving, Pema noticed how unusually moody and pensive Tenzin has become. Sometimes she would try to ask him why, but she failed to coax out an answer from him.
Maybe it's an airbender thing, she thought, busying herself with the dress she was embroidering. The dress was her pride and joy – she had been spending months making it so she could wear it in time for her wedding. It was made of heavy white silk which Pema embroidered with cranes, pine needles and mandarin ducks – considered auspicious motifs in many traditions all over the world.
Up until now, she can't believe her luck. She came to Republic City years ago, when she was sixteen. She remembered being astonished by all the tall buildings, the vehicles, and seemingly glitzy lifestyle of the citizens. She fondly recalled the first time she set foot on Air Temple Island, together with a few young and equally starry-eyed would-be acolytes.
Most of all, she remembered the first time she laid eyes on Tenzin.
She followed, wide-eyed, as Xing Ying led them on a tour of Air Temple Island. They soon arrived at a rocky outcrop overlooking the bay, where a pavilion was built. She saw a young man in air nomad robes, talking and holding hands with a young woman dressed in the latest fashion.
"That must be the Avatar's son," the boy behind Pema whispered.
The young man in air nomad robes seemed to have noticed them approaching, as he started walking towards Pema's group. He still held the young woman's hand in his, and they seemed to be giggling about something.
"Hello, Master Tenzin," Xing Ying greeted with a bow. She turned to the young woman with Tenzin and smiled. "Detective Beifong! It's been a while!"
"Are these the new acolytes?" Master Tenzin asked. The moment Pema heard the rich baritone of his voice, she couldn't take her eyes off him. Like his father, the Avatar, Master Tenzin's head was neatly shaven, showing off his blue arrow tattoo. He had a strong jaw, a beautifully-chiseled nose, and soft grey eyes that seemed to radiate warmth and serenity.
"I'm Tenzin, Avatar Aang's son. I'll be helping around with your training, so – er – yeah, I guess you'll be seeing a lot of me from now on," he smiled, addressing all of them. He put his arm around the woman beside him. "This is Detective Lin Beifong, of the Republic City Police- Toph Beifong's daughter."
"Toph Beifong, as in the Toph Beifong?" one of them asked. Detective Beifong just giggled.
Pema found herself staring at Detective Beifong more than can be considered proper. She was tall, almost as tall as Master Tenzin, and she was beautiful. Her eyes were of a bright emerald green, and they seemed to sparkle every which way she looked; her nose was slender; her mouth, a delicate rosebud; her face, which was blessed with high cheekbones, was framed by delicate black waves that were swept to one side, cascading along her shoulder. She was wearing a simple, figure hugging dress that showed off her amazing figure and her smooth, milk white skin.
"I guess we better get going then," Xing Ying said. "You guys look like you're going out for tonight."
Pema smiled at the memory of their first meeting. Who would've thought that she would end up engaged to Tenzin? Back then, everyone thought – or rather, expected Tenzin to end up with Lin Beifong; it was just so obvious, so inevitable, since the two were the best of friends and had been a couple since Tenzin was seventeen. Nobody expected that Tenzin would soon be tying the knot with Pema – the complete opposite of Lin Beifong - and so soon after their widely-publicized breakup.
When Tenzin's family made the engagement known, the public was thrown into a tizzy – each had an opinion of his own. Some thought it was rather insensitive of Tenzin to go marry someone else right after the breakup; some thought it was good for Tenzin – Captain Beifong, after all, was taking too long – and it was only natural for a man to find someone to settle down and have children with.
Tenzin and Lin were celebrities in their own right – Tenzin, after all, was the first airbender to be born in more than a hundred years, and Lin was, as proudly declared by her mother, the greatest earthbender in the world (after herself, of course) – so when Tenzin announced his intention to marry Pema, she suddenly found herself under the limelight, attending social events hand in hand with Tenzin.
Tenzin was everything she had dreamed of: tall, handsome, intelligent and much more. So when he finally returned her affections, Pema was overjoyed. He was a perfect gentleman, if somewhat brooding at times. Like the damsel who waited patiently for her true love to come, Pema welcomed Tenzin with open arms. Finally, her prince has come.
But it was different lately.
Some nights she would hear muffled voices that sounded like Aang and Tenzin arguing; sometimes she would walk in on Tenzin and his mother huddled together in one corner, heads close together in serious conversation. Katara might dismiss her with a simple wave or a smile, but Pema knew by the look on Tenzin's face that something was wrong. He might not tell her, but she felt it – and it hit her hard. She had a feeling Tenzin was in such a funk because of his visit to Gaoling last summer.
Ever since coming home from that visit, she noticed that Tenzin became more and more of a loner; that he has been overly moody and jumpy at times. Pema noticed his frequent absences from group meditations as well as the extended hours he pulled in doing council work which could otherwise be done by his father.
When it was just the two of them (which now happens less often, as Tenzin was always away), he would space out for a goof number of minutes, wearing a troubled look on his face. Usually, when she asks him what the trouble was, Tenzin would open up immediately. Lately though, he dismiss her by saying things like "just some council stuff" or "I don't wanna talk about it".
Although Pema grew up with the firm belief that communication is the key to successful relationships, she gave Tenzin as much consideration as she could; for even though she believed in free flowing communication, she knew there are some things that aren't "okay" for couples to talk about – that even though they could be considered as "one heart and one soul", they are still individuals and are of course entitled to their own thoughts, free to do whatever they choose with them – including keeping some things private.
Just this morning, she overheard Katara and Bumi talking to each other about Lin Beifong and some babies – Katara's voice was full of worry, while Bumi sounded really angry at Tenzin, muttering something about sharpest knives and what not. Pema wasn't one to pry (or be suspicious, for that matter), so she tried to shrug it off as Bumi being Bumi.
A thread caught on the fabric, tangling upon itself in the process.
"Oh no," she muttered, trying to salvage as much of the finished work and realizing she would have to embroider the same part all over again. She got a pair of shears and cut the tangles loose.
She wondered how everything felt like for Lin Beifong – after the breakup and the announcement of the engagement, she disappeared together with her mother. How did Lin, Tenzin's childhood love, cope with the loss? Did she go to Gaoling to turn over a new leaf – to start over again?
Pema always thought of Lin as a strong woman, someone who doesn't put up with wishy-washy nonsense like many women her age do. Just the thought of Lin scared her, and yet sometimes – well, most of the times, really – Pema felt a pang of guilt whenever she thought of how, in Lin's eyes, she stole Tenzin away. It wounded her whenever Aang and Katara fondly reminisced about Tenzin's youth – because Lin would inevitably be mentioned; Pema's future in-laws would talk about Tenzin and Lin's childhood antics, their academic milestones and all the other things they used to do together, which was just about everything. Although the avatar and his wife were warm and loving to Pema, they absolutely doted on Lin as if she was one of their own. During those moments, Pema felt like an intruder to the family.
These days, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the wedding preparations, Pema couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that somehow, Tenzin and Lin are still involved with each other. Not necessarily in a romantic way (she hoped), but something else. Their families were in it too, somehow, and Pema felt that this involvement, whatever it was, had something to do with Aand and Tenzin's arguments and Bumi's rough treatment of his brother. Even Katara, who immediately took a liking for Pema, seemed to be hiding something from her.
Tenzin's dark moods and Lin's continued silence scared her.
"Shut up, you," she muttered berating herself for thinking of such things. "He's just feeling nervous about the wedding."
She picked up her needle and resumed sewing, letting out a little gasp when she felt the needle pierce though her skin. Pema watched in dismay as little drops of the deepest red dripped onto the pair of mandarin ducks she embroidered, bleeding into the threads and making nasty crimson splotches all over them.
A/N: An update, as promised! This is one of my favorites. :) You guys could actually google the significance of cranes, pine needles and mandarin ducks in both Chinese and Japanese culture to help you understand the symbolism of sorts in this chapter. Next update on Tuesday!