Now we're seeing what Katara gets up to in the month that her Dad is away trading.
15.3.07
Katara followed the middle-aged monk to the dining hall, still feeling slightly self-conscious in her new orange robes. She missed her blue ones. And it felt really weird to have her hair down and free, the loose tendrils whipping around her face in the wind. But she understood the need; she was their guest, so she followed their rules.
She took her place at the table next to Aang, folding her hands in her lap and sitting quietly as the other monks filed in. Breakfast was the only time in the day where you would see any routine; a simple meal of porridge oats, and then a time of prayer to the spirits.
All the rest of the day was your own, to spend in the company of others, or in solitude as you wished. Tasks were assigned each morning, but were to be completed in your own time. Lessons were structured, out of necessity, but students could request to learn a particular move or piece of text, and the whole flow of the lesson could change completely.
And the bending. Oh, the bending. Gusts of air would whip around her as she walked, blowing through her hair and sending it trailing behind her. Young monks would leap off the side of the mountain without fear, seeing who could fall furthest before snapping open their gliders and swooping through the air with shouts of delight. Sometimes she would be lifted by the air currents, rising gently to another level of the temple, and she would know an elder monk wished her to explore this room, this place, this garden and see what she could see.
There was only one word to describe such ordered chaos.
Freedom.
And she loved it.
Well, looks like Hakoda's in for a shock, ain't he?
Yes, we're still in the Changes arc.
