Rohan was told that he came into this world during a storm. Both literally and figuratively, his mother had got into labor with him not long after the literal storm had passed, only to have him in the storm of an equalist attack. He knew he met his mother, Pema, once she had held him in her arms and introduced him to his older siblings just before she passed. He had been told about her, that she was kind and sweet and gentle and that she had loved him very much. His older brother Meelo would talk about how she was the best cook. His older sister Ikki says she told the best stories and his oldest sister Jinora spoke about how she had doted on them. His father didn't talk about his mother much anymore, never without promoting, but he told him about how she had loved and taken care of them. In truth the older he got the less anyone had ever talked about his mother. Meelo had once admitted that he had trouble remembering her now, Ikki could recall more but Jinora was the only one who had been old enough to really remember. He didn't blame them in truth it had been a long time since he had thought about his mother until today. Today his grandparents were visiting, moving to Republic city in fact to live with their son, his mother's younger brother. This would be the first time he would meet his grandparents, technically he had met gram gram, his father's mother, when he was young but she had passed when he was five and he couldn't recall.
"Relax, kid." A gruff voice came from behind him.
"I am." Rohan protested tuning around to see Lin Biefong coming up behind him, hands in her pockets. She was dressed in a simple light green tunic with metal strapped to her arms and a cable at the small of her back. When he was 12, Lin had retired from the police force at 60 after 48 years of service, her nephew Wei had taken over for her as chief. Now, she mostly hung around air temple island with his father or taking missions on behalf of the air nation if it suited her, occasionally visiting her sister in Zaufo. Lin was now standing next to him, an eyebrow raised in question.
"What if they don't like me?" He asked in a small voice, looking down.
Lin laughed at that. "Don't worry kid, they aren't going to be like my mother." Rohan had met Toph a few times before she too passed on. When he was a boy maybe 5, he had thought Toph was the best thing ever. She liked playing in the mud with him and she made fun of people. The last time he met her when he was 7 he was old enough to know why Toph had rankled so many people. She was loud, rude, grumpy, and acted like a kid half the time. He quickly learned that not everyone on air temple island appreciated her visits.
"But I don't know them or their daughter, even Meelo and Jinora haven't seen them since her funeral." Rohan fretted.
"Kid, you're still their grandchild, they'll love you." Lin said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"But-" Rohan started again.
"No buts," Lin cut him off. "You are a great kid, even the blind could see that." Making a reference to her mother.
"Thanks mom." He said smiling at her. He had always called Lin mom. As his father told it, when he was three he had been in the kitchen with Lin, Ikki and dad. His father had been trying to convince him to eat peas and he wasn't having it. Lin had been lecturing Ikki on the fact that she had caught her sneaking into the city when she should have been studying.
Ikki had finally relented on the subject and huffed out a sarcastic "yes mom" at Lin.
Rohan had according to his father clapped his hands and pointed at Lin and said "mom, momma" and had refused to call her anything else for days. Lin had come accustomed to that sarcastic mom's Jinora and Ikki throw at her once in a while, but she was alway Lin or aunt Lin to his siblings. Lin had tried to fight the point with Rohan, as a kid, but gave up as the toddler was stubborn. He had never questioned Lin was his mother until he was five and he had asked why his sibling didn't call Lin mom. After finding out about Pema, he still carried on calling Lin mom and never looked back on it. Lin had been the one to play with him and read him bedtime stories. Lin had been the one protection and taking care of him since he'd been born. She was his mother in every way that counts.
Jinora came up to them. "They're almost here." she said, sounding tense.
"I hope one of you can at least pretend to be happy to see them." Lin told them. "Ikki had nothing but good things to say when she visited them." Ikki had basically run into them on an air nation mission to deliver aid to an earth kingdom village a few years back. Their grandparents had asked if any of Tenzin's kids were there and Ikki had been reunited with them.
"Yeah, we'll see." Jinora dismissively studies the waves.
"I suggest losing the attitude if you want it to go well." Lin said in her mother tone as Rohan calls it.
Even at 28 Jinora shifted uncomfortably at the gentle scolding. "I know I just…" She trailed off.
"Hey enough with the nerves everything is going to go fine, quit worrying the both of you." Lin said, rolling her eyes. "Air bender to damn flighty." she muttered.
Jinora laughed good naturedly at it. "Okay, fine are you coming?"
"No, I'm going to see Opal and her daughter for a bit." Lin told them.
"Yeah and we're the flighty ones." Rohan teased and Jinora laughed. Both were rewarded with a pebble coming up and hitting them in the ribs. They walked down to the docks where Ikki, Meelo and their father awaited.
"Nice of you to finally show up." Meelo said under his breath as they watched the ferry cut its engines and glide into port.
"Shut up. They're nice people, act like you're adults." Ikki hissed at them.
Rohan saw two elderly looking people disembark along with a younger middle aged man with graying hair. Ikki stepped forward greeting the woman, his grandmother he supposed.
"Grandma it's good to see you again." She said giving the woman a gentle hug before doing the same with the man. "You too Grandpa."
"It's good to see you again as well, dear." The man said. "This is our son, you uncle Moshi." Gesturing at the gray hair man maybe in his early 50s.
He offered her a hand shake. "Moshi, nice to meet you." he said his voice was soft and gentle.
"I'm Ikki this is," gesturing behind her. "My family. Jinora, Meelo and Rohan." She pointed to each of them as she spoke, giving time for each to step up and greet the three long lost members of their family. "And I believe you've met my father, Tenzin."
Tenzin stepped forward. "It is good to see you all after such a long time. Shall we head up to the house." The next few hours was spent being peppered with questions and stories of his mother. He was the main interest as none of them had ever met him and he was the least famous of the siblings. Jinora was now the leader of the air nation and Ikki handled most of the training of new airbenders. Meelo was off around the world on humanitarian missions, but Rohan had chosen to stay in Republic city for the most part.
"So what do you want to do with your life Rohan?" His grandfather asked.
Rohan shrugged. "I'm not sure yet." He said it was the truth, he wasn't spiritual like Jinora or even Ikki and he was too much of a homebody to spend his days traveling the world like Meelo.
"Surely you must have ideas. What are your interests?" His grandmother asked leaning forward.
"Uh My eldest cousin told me I could study under him in engineering." Rohan told them. Asami, Bataar sr. and jr had all told him that they always had a place for him if he ever decided he wanted to pursue engineering.
"Why not engineering is a great field." Moshi asked he had been mostly quiet during the conversation. "My oldest son just started an internship for engineering."
"It's kind of boring." Rohan shrugged. "I think I want to do something more active."
"Well, you are only 16, you still have some time yet." Tenzin said steering the conversation in another direction. In truth it was the job his other cousin had offered him that currently interested him the most. They were showing Pema's family around the island when they ran into Lin, Wei, Opal and her daughter Jade. Lin and Wei were trying to teach Jade how to earthbend but the four year old wasn't much good at.
"I blame her father for how bad she is." Lin gumbled crossing her arms at the four year old.
"She's little aunt Lin," Opal said in protest. "She'll learn."
"No aunt Lin's right, she's a Beifong" Wei protested.
"When me and your mother were five, Mom left us blindfolded in a cave and sat outside until we found our way out." Lin told them with a signature wave of the hand.
"You are not teaching her like grandma Toph did." Opal said dryly.
"Hey guys what's up?" Wei said, turning to see the group approaching them.
"We're showing my grandparents and uncle around the island." Jinora told them
"That's nice," Opal said, smiling as her brother's and aunt's guards went up both standing with their arms crossed. "I'm Opal, one of the airbenders here, this is my brother Wei and my aunt Lin." she introduced them all knowing neither aunt nor brother would likely volunteer that information.
"Jin, up," Jade said, pulling at Jinora's leg. Who picked her up and poked her nose.
"And that is my daughter Jade."
"She's an earthbender. I take it" His grandmother said, smiling at the toddler.
"Yep, like her dad and the rest of my family." Opal said, smiling both Wei and Lin rolled their eyes at being included with Bolin. Even Rohan could admit while Bolin may be talented he had lacked the discipline to really be a master. "How do you like the island so far?"
"It's a lot bigger than I thought. I've lived here for the last 10 years and always thought it was smaller." Moshi said.
"We'll let you get back to your tour, I should be heading out soon anyway." Wei said, offering a smile.
"You sure you don't want to stay." Opal said as Rohan and his family began to walk away.
"Yes I got work tomorrow, little sister." Wei said just before Rohan was out of ear shot. It wasn't until dinner when Lin joined them. It was no secret she'd been the one that raised Rohan; everyone in the city knew her and Tenzin had been together for years. Still it was awkward for her to interact with Pema's family. Noemi who still cooked for the family most of the time declined to eat with them when Rohan offered, saying she couldn't intruder. Rohan caught the envious look Mom shot her as if to say that how I feel. But she put up with answering the pleasurenty questions that were sent her way and even aske two in return. Rohan had liked his grandparent and new uncle much more than he feared, but he still breathed a sigh of relief when they left later that night.
"See not that bad." Mom said leaning against the door frame of the kitchen as He and Jinora washed the dishes Meelo and Ikki were bringing in.
"No I guess not." Meelo said on his way out to the dining room.
"They were pretty nice," Jinora admitted. "I only remember them from one time before the funeral."
"I want to meet Moshi's kids." Ikki added. "I can't believe we have two more cousins."
"Be glad Kya and Bumi didn't have kids." Mom snorted.
"For a number of reasons." Dad said walking up and putting his hands on mom's shoulders. "I think tonight went great."
"Yeah if they liked Meelo as a kid they can like anyone." Jinora smirked at her brother.
"Hey!" the 24 year old protested, bending some air at the soapy water in the sink and splashing both Rohan and Jinora. Rohan in retaliation flung water at Meelo but hitting Ikki as Meelo jumped out of the way. Rohan ducked and dodged the next few volleys of water as his parents chuckled at their 16, 24, 26, and 28 year old children throwing water at each other in the kitchen like they were little kids.
"Not what you pictured?" he heard his father asked his mother from behind them.
"Nope not for a second."