It was a busy week. Lai had hurled herself back into training again. It was hard, but she realised how much in control of fire she was. It was finally clear that Akmei was finding it difficult to fight her now. She was winning more and more, and since the comet her flames were hotter.
Finally, on one day, Tiku brought sat down with them one morning. 'It is time to learn your final technique, Lai. You need to learn how to redirect lightening.'
Lai breathed in. She was excited. They said it was the most advanced technique a firebender would be taught before mastery.
Akmei started to demonstrate the technique, with Lai practising along. She felt the chi move around her body, slowing around her stomach, and then being moved out of her finger tips. They practised for hours, trying to master the technique.
Eventually, Tiku nodded, and said 'Stop. It's time to try it out.' He picked up something from underneath his feet. Lai looked at it. It was a weird mesh of metal wires and sockets around a metal box. 'What's that?'
'It's an electric harpoon. These are used by the military, but the larger ones are too inaccurate and out ranged by normal firebending. So mostly they're used by to test a user's skill at lightening redirection.'
Lai gulped. 'You're going to fire that at me?'
'The physical shock is minimal – the dart and wire are small, and the current does not last long. However, the charge is substantial – but you will be able to direct the lightening! Simply raise the voltage to the sky, and it will dissipate.'
'OK.' Akmei went to the side. 'Good luck!' she called.
Lai took up a stance. The harpoon looked menacing in front of her. It seemed to have a laughing face on it now she looked at it again. Let's get this over with.
Tiku set up the machine. 'Are you ready?' Tiku asked.
'Yes.' Lai said, with determination.
Tiku fired. The bolt came out, and hit her leg. Lai was nearly over come by the shock, but it wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be. Moving her arms in circles, she brought them together, and then released them at the sky. A lightning bolt came out of her finger tips, cracking the air around them with the tiny thunderbolt. Lai grinned with satisfaction. Akmei clapped and ran back over.
'I've seen enough.' Tiku said, sitting down. 'Lai, you have progressed much in these months. You have learned what I have to teach. I declare you a firebender master.'
'Really? I've completed it?'
'There is always more to learn. But the Avatar learns quickly – you remember you skills from your past lives a new again. Now, I believe that only experience will be a good teacher for you. Practise can only get you so far.'
Lai was conflicted. She was happy to have mastered, but wasn't there much more to learn? What about all the techniques Akmei was talking about?
'Princess Akmei,' Tiku continued. 'You have learned much as well in your time here. You mastered firebending a long time ago. I thank you for assisting to train the Avatar.'
Akmei bowed. 'Thank you, Master. You were a truly great teacher.'
Lai bowed afterwards. Nearly forgot about this. 'Thank you for training me, Master Tiku.'
Tiku waved the thanks away. 'It was nothing. It was an honour teaching you Avatar. But get out of my house soon.'
'Of course master.' Tiku started to slink off. Lai turned to Akmei. 'So, two out of two. Not bad.'
Akmei grinned. 'So, what will you do now? Learn airbending I suppose, but where?'
'No idea.' Lai a thought rushed through her. Conduit said he would send a crisis to Air next. Will he follow me wherever I go?
'I'd better go speak to Talara. See you later.' Lai went up to her room to phone her.
It took two tries – the second, the signal was dodgy and it kept breaking up, but they were able to speak. 'So you've finished then. That's excellent.'
'Uh huh. So what have you planned.'
'Well to be honest, nothing specific. But there was an invitation from the United Republic to learn airbending at Air Temple Island,'
'No.' Lai said firmly.
'No? And why, pray tell?' Talara asked.
'Because of what Conduit had said.' She'd told Talara about what had happened, but asked her tell no one else. She wanted to tell them face to face. So only her and Lee and Ki knew, though she hadn't spoken to them much at all. 'I won't have him follow me to somewhere where he can get people killed. I won't do it.'
'I see.' Talara paused. 'Then I have a suggestion. Why don't you take a week's vacation, and then I'll see what I can do. But can I make a suggestion?'
'What?' Lai asked.'
'There was also an invitation, early on, to learn at the Southern Air Temple. They removed it under pressure from other Air Temples, but it is the Temple with the greatest connection to the Avatar. And it is not a place of helpless civilians – almost the entire population now can air bend, or have flying bison. The Temple itself is a fortress, with no routes in but the sky. If you are worried about an attack, it would be the best place to learn. And since you don't know what he'll do, you would be in the loop still and have help should something happen.'
'Hmm.' Lai thought for a second. It made sense what Talara said. 'OK, I'd be happy to learn to airbending there.'
'Good to here. I'll speak to the Air Nation now. I hope you enjoy yourself over the next few days.'
'Umm, Talara, I don't have any money. I'm not sure I could afford a vacation.'
'Surely you have some money?' Talara responded.
'Some. But not enough. I can't get home on it, that's for sure.'
Talara sighed. 'I was hoping to delay this, but there's a bank account left in your name. I'll send you the details.'
'Really? My name? Who left it?'
'Well, your name as in Korra's reincarnation, and it was left by your past life. She married a very wealthy person, after all.'
'Really? Well that's very interesting.'
'I advise you act with some restraint in your spending. The Avatar having to borrow money is not advisable. But I suppose a weeks vacation shouldn't make much difference after the best part of two decades interest on it.'
Lai grinned. 'Sounds great. Total restraint.'
Lai walked out of her room feeling refreshed. Akmei came out as she did. 'So you sorted then?'
'Yep. I'm going to the Southern Air Temple in about a week.'
'That's fast. So what you planning for that week?'
'Haven't thought really. I checked the flights home though – the next one to Ansi's not till three days time. So I might look around the Fire Nation for a bit – really see it, you know?'
'Well, I was speaking to my mother, and she was saying if you wanted to visit, that would be great. She said she'd love to meet you.'
Lai sighed. 'Look, since my last visit I blew up a mountain and completely failed to stop a madman destroying your father's fleet. I doubt I'd be well liked there.'
Akmei looked down heartened. 'Lai, you didn't cause those things, and my father knows that!'
'Still. I'm not sure I want to face the Fire Lord about that.' Also he wasn't happy with my answers to his politics questioning. Don't want to deal with that again.' Besides, I want to feel the Fire Nation – see it , it breath, you know. So I think I'll just go to the Capital and explore it. There should be enough to do there for more than a few days.'
Akmei nodded. 'It's very big.' She paused, then continued nervously. 'By the way, my father was asking for a favour? Where you go next on your training, would you be willing to take me with you?'
Lai looked at Akmei. She looked like she was about to offer an apology and back down. 'Sure, why not?' Lai said.
'Great! I'm sure it'll be amazing in the Southern Air Temple!' Akmei was grinning, nerves gone.
'I'm going to get a train this evening. Oh, and why not come with to my home as well? I'll be back to help out on the farm, and it's always useful to have an extra hand.'
'Sure! I'd love too!' Akmei went to her room. 'I'll just go pack!'
They ended up leaving early. Lai made arrangements for getting home, and for staying in the Capital. Liko helped Akmei with her things – there was a lot of stuff. Lai went to pay respect to Tiku, and finally went out to find Nokka. Lai was glad she left a lot of time for that – she had to wander around a lot of mountain side, with her shoes off, to find him. Eventually she found him at a small tarn, camped out in a cave. 'Ah, Grandma! Good to see you!'
'Yeah, whatever. I'm leaving today. I'm going to the Southern Air Temple.'
'Not Republic City? Well, bad call. You can't get good seaweed noodles there.' Nokka picked up his pack, put it on his back, and started to pick things up around the camp site. 'Well I'd better get going, It'll take me longer to get to the Southern Air Temple, and I need to recharge my pack.'
'You coming too?' Lai had excepted to see no more of him after the encounter with Conduit.
'Of course! I need to help my family! Besides, you need to learn about the spirit world even more now. I need to continue your training. So I'll head over the sea, and see you at the temple.'
'Er, won't it be hard to cross the sea. Because of the huge body of water it's made of?'
'Oh don't worry. I'm going to pop in at my brethren at the Western Water Tribe – I'll hop between the islands and settlements. It'll take a while, but worth it, I assure you.'
'Umm, wouldn't it be easier to just take a plane?' Lai asked.
Nokka paused, then said. 'I have studied Air Nation philosophy. You should understand it too. They use what they need to remain free. To use a plane takes away from your freedom – surrendered to an engineer, a pilot, a company. A glider is better - it uses your own power, made often with your own craft. Same with a wing suit. A bison is better – they are bound to you as you are to it, by bonds of love, and you remain free. A airship is better, though not as good – a community can maintain them together as a group, and remain free. And off course a flight pack is best.'
'Seems a lot to say, a plane ride taking away your freedom.'
'You have never truly flown, either with a machine or your own power. But it makes sense up there. And understand it is not one thing that matters, but many. The food you grow, the clothes you make, the possessions you know exist and choose to not have – all preserve freedom. Freedom is hard, and sometimes not worth the price, but to those with it it is the most important thing. That is the philosophy of Air – to through off all that binds you to the earth, and to laugh at the world's imperfections.'
'Huh.' That was surprisingly deep.
Nokka finished packing up his camp. 'I'll be off, then. Let me know if my step-Great Grandma as anything to say.'
'Oh come on, you're doing this to annoy me now!' Lai shouted as Nokka flew into the air.
Finished my first arc – yay! Yeah there are going to be three more (why did I decide to write something so long?). I'm going to go through my use of words and add the ones I missed/miss used – sorry about that! Thanks for reading and let me know how I'm doing. Cheers J
