Author's notes: The first prompt for ATLA OC Week! Today is "Hobby or Spirits."

A problem with integrating these prompts into the fic: I sort of have to focus on Yun more than my OCs, but I tried to split the POV between them, rather than my usual third-person limited. Hopefully it didn't turn out too awkward.

"Trishna?" Norbu paused. "Trishna?"

Yun didn't answer. Norbu scowled and waved his hand at him, ruffling his hair and clothes with a blast of air.

"Trishna? "

"Huh? Oh, sorry," he said, flashing Norbu a toothy smile. "I was just…lost in thought."

In fact, Yun had been in a daze since the night before, when he had returned from Gaoling with no real explanation for his delay. And this morning, when the family had gone into town again, he had asked if he could stay in camp with Mipung. He had claimed to feel sick, but Norbu thought he was lying. He seemed more nervous than ill.

Part of Norbu had worried that they would come back to find him, and at least some of their possessions, gone. He didn't want to think things like that. He liked "Trishna." But he didn't know anything about him, and everything about him seemed awfully suspicious.

He coughed nervously. "Well, Mom says that dinner won't be ready for a while. Want to do something until then?"

Yun shrugged. "Like what?"

"I dunno. Bending practice? Maybe some Pai Sho?"

Yun looked interested. "You have a Pai Sho set?"

"Yeah. Do you play?"

"I mean, I have before," he said, a note of hesitancy carefully worked into his tone. "I guess it'd be something to pass the time."

"Great! I'll go get it," Norbu said, and ran off toward the sacks where the family kept their less-used items.

Truth be told, Norbu had some ulterior motives for this game. On the one hand, he wanted to cheer his new friend up a little. But more than that, he hoped that the experience would give him a chance to find out what, exactly, had "Trishna" acting so weird. So far he had dodged all questions about himself or his past, but Norbu figured that a meandering conversation over the Pai Sho board might slip out a detail or two.

Besides, he thought with a little smirk, it had been a long time since he'd played Pai Sho. He always destroyed Dechen, and even his parents couldn't beat him anymore. Maybe "Trishna" could offer a little bit of a challenge.

"What? No! "

Norbu watched in horror as Yun casually skipped his tile over three of his, then wiped them off the side of the board.

"You—a diamond piece can't move that way!"

"We agreed to Chenbao rules. Yes it can." His tone was even, but the corners of his mouth were curled up in a grin.

Norbu slumped over the board, then cast a dark look up at his opponent. "I'm starting to think that you've played this game more than you let on."

Yun laughed.

"You can make a lot of money betting on a Pai Sho game." He eyed Norbu slyly. "And I hate to tell you, but you're an easy mark."

Norbu flushed. He moved a red diamond and asked, "Is that what you did before you met us? Scam people by pretending to be bad at Pai Sho?"

"Among other things."

Norbu hesitated. Then he said, "At least you're in a good mood again. You've seemed cranky all day."

Yun's mouth snapped close. "I haven't been cranky," he said, though he sounded that way now.

"Well, why didn't you come into town today?"

"I told you, I was sick."

Yun definitely sounded cranky now. He slid a piece across the board, hesitated, then sighed.

"Yesterday, when I stayed in town for a few extra minutes? I...found out somebody was in Gaoling recently."

"A friend of yours?"

"No," Yun said, and Norbu was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. "Not a friend. Someone who—I don't want to talk about it. Your move."

Norbu looked down at the board, thought for a minute, and then moved a tile. Strategizing for the game and the conversation were hard to do at once.

"So, what's the problem? Are you afraid of running into this guy?"

"I'm not afraid." Yun frowned in a way that seemed strangely uncertain. "I don't think he's even in town anymore. He's not supposed to be here. Why would he..."

He trailed off. He was thinking about Kyoshi again, up in the Taihua Mountains. Was she with Kelsang? Was the whole "Air Nomad journey" that Shun had mentioned true, just attributed to the wrong Avatar? But it just seemed so odd. Sure, Kyoshi was probably way behind on spiritual training, but she was behind on basic earthbending, too. Even if she was doing Air Nomad stuff, why wouldn't she and Kelsang just fly to the Temples? The Taihua Mountains were way off-course.

And more to the point: Yun had never been on an Avatar trip without Jianzhu. No matter where he had gone, in all four nations, his sifu had accompanied him. Why was he changing his pattern now?

Maybe he couldn't go on this trip—he was needed here in Gaoling, attending functions. Maybe he didn't want to introduce Kyoshi yet, and reveal his mistake with Yun. But if that was the case, why wasn't Kyoshi waiting for him in Yokoya?

And then, as he thought of all that, Yun began to wonder other things. How was Kyoshi feeling as the new Avatar? Was she as excited as Yun had been? Was she as scared as Yun had been? Did she miss him? Did Rangi miss him? Did sifu—did anybody miss him? Or were they happy to see him gone?

Was Jianzhu looking for him? Maybe he hadn't meant for him to be taken by Father Glowworm. Maybe he was trying to bring him home.

Yun wanted to believe that, but he knew it wasn't true. First of all, how would Jianzhu even know where he was? And secondly...

He had left him. Grabbed his new Avatar and run. He didn't care about Yun.

Did anybody?

"Trishna?"

Yun snapped out of his daze. Norbu was looking at him nervously. Yun forced himself to relax, realizing how anxious he probably looked.

"Sorry. See?" He chuckled. "There I am, getting distracted again."

He made a move. Norbu hesitated, then took the piece that Yun had just played.

Huh. Yun hadn't seen that coming. He frowned, studying the board.

Norbu, meanwhile, was studying him just as carefully. He wanted to ask more, but "Trishna" already seemed so agitated. He was beginning to realize that his two goals—cheering him up and getting information—might be mutually exclusive.

"Well..." Norbu said finally, "if he's not in Gaoling, you don't need to worry about him. And even if he is—you know. We won't let anyone hurt you."

Yun looked up, his brow furrowed.

"Thanks. That's good to know."

Though I'm not sure I can believe it. Not long ago, he would have believed those same words coming out of Jianzhu's mouth. And even if Norbu meant them, could five Air Nomads, none of them masters and three of whom were children, protect Yun from one of the greatest earthbenders in the world?

But Jianzhu wasn't looking for Yun, either to save him or to hurt him. Yun was almost sure about that. He was more worried about Kyoshi. His fears for himself were more about purpose than safety.

He moved his white rose piece, and, trying to sound lighthearted, asked, "Do you want to keep going? My win in twelve moves."

Norbu glared, set his jaw, and moved to take Yun's white rose.

He lost eleven moves later.