Disclaimer: I own nothing you might recognise from the series.

Notes: I'm honestly not sure who asked for this, I seem to have misplaced the name of the requester, but what was asked for was the reactions of the Earth Kingdom elders on the Air Nomads rejoining the other three nations. I'm not sure if this is what they wanted (oh mysterious person, speak up and take credit or complain I got it all wrong), but this is what came out when I tried. I'm afraid the elders will continue to be something of comic relief.


Intira had managed to get away from all the planning and talk of war just for a minute. She wanted to take in this moment, because if they failed it might well be the last, but if they won it was a first she wanted to remember properly.

She was an airbender, and it was hardly difficult to make her way to the top of a tree on a nearby hillock and look out over the gathering of all four nations. If she ignored the weapons laid aside and all the talk she had heard of war, it almost looked like a fair. A beautiful, gaudy fair with people of Earth, Air Water and Fire all in a beautiful harmony of colours.

"So this is where you went," Hayato said from the branch behind her. "So much for the dignity of our position."

Smiling, Intira held out a hand, letting her fingers lace with his. "You're the one of us with dignity. And Fung and his cronies are the ones obsessed with it. The rest of us have more sense than that."

A third voice joined them. "Besides," said Elder Xiuying of the Ba Sing Se enclave, "Once you're old like us you can be crotchety and eccentric as you like." She took a deep breath and looked out over everyone spread before them. "This is a moment I didn't think I'd ever see." Some of the elders of both Ba Sing Se and the Si Wong enclaves had come out with their benders in order to truly see what was happening. Instead of denuding the two enclaves of all their gliders and bisons, they'd sent word to other enclaves in the Earth Kingdom and many had come, creating a brightly coloured troupe of airbenders of all differing races by appearance, bound by the unity of their bending heritage.

Hayato smiled as he balanced easily on another branch of that tree. "I didn't either. I'm even hopeful that we can see such a sight again when the Fire Lord is defeated."

"You really think the Avatar can succeed?" Xiuying asked. She sounded very tired suddenly as she spoke. "I know we have no choice. Young Sokka was quite clear that there would be nowhere to escape from the Fire Nation, but we're relying so heavily on the one boy and he's . . . well, he's more air than the rest of us, even."

"Flighty, you mean," Intira said. "He is, but he was chosen to be the Avatar for a reason, and we must trust that he retains the strength of Kyoshi along with the cleverness of Yangchen." She added, "I'm as concerned, frankly, regarding the young Prince Zuko."

That made Hayato shift beside her, and Intira glanced at him. He looked sombre as he said, "I don't doubt that they prince is good at heart and well-intentioned, but he will need to hold the whole of the Fire Nation at bay as they demand a price for armies we never raised against them a century ago."

That made Xiuying start in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"The Fire Lady, Ursa, was in our enclave, and it's fairly clear from her that the Fire Lord engaged in a campaign of misinformation towards his people. Zuko will have his work cut out for him convincing everyone that stopping the war is the right thing to do," Hayato explained.

They all turned as the whoosh of airbending brought elder Vien of those who had been hidden near the Foggy Swamp into the tree. "Well, this here's a sure purty sight," he said, jerking his head at the riotous colours and tents below. "What're ya'll jawin' 'bout?"

Xiaoying seemed to search for patience at the behaviour of the man, but Intira found his openness rather refreshing. "We're just contemplating whether this is the first or last time anyone will see all four nations together like this. It's not a certain battle that will be fought."

"Mmm," Vien said, his mouth twisting in contemplation. "It's true a lot's ridin' on this one, but the Swamp was tellin' me through my grandpappy that we're at that point where there ain't no point worryin'. Plenty of time to worry when things go wrong."

There was another whoosh as two elders of the northern mountain ranges joined them. "A wise stance to take," said one whose name Intira did not remember.

That was when Fung chose to join them. Well, he chose to stomp up in high dudgeon and shout, "Don't you all have any dignity or pride in your position?"

"No," Intira chorused with Vien.

Xiaoying said with tremendous aplomb, "We are of the people of the air. I believe being at great heights is most natural to us."

"Hayato! You're not going to let them speak to me this way!" Fung exclaimed.

With studied nonchalance, Hayato plopped down on Intira's branch. "I don't believe I will argue with this lovely lady about something of relative unimportance."

"Oh!" Fung sulked off while the others settled into their tree and discussed the trials of being the elders of the flightiest of the four nations. Only Hayato had any real military experience, and the others would have been of no use in the discussions of strategy. Instead, they marvelled at the sight of their people as real and equal to the other nations.

It was, in spite of all the anxiety, all the worry, all the terror about to rain down, a beautiful moment.

Leave the worry and rushing about to the youthful and warlike. They would stand in the open air, look down at the pageantry of the the moment and savour it.