Here we go again!
Reviews;
Not-Gonna-Update: You're very welcome! Things will finally start picking up speed.
SNicole25: Yeah, but at the same time he's from Ba Sing Se. There is no war there, there would be no reason for him to care about something like that. Katara, also possible but I don't remember seeing much glass in avatar at all, the water tribes especially seemed pretty unlikely to have it.
Darth Nefurious: I'm glad you feel that way! I've actually managed to find four more, some better than others in terms of depth and thought.
CarlaAether: Nope, fraid not! You are, however, right about the lightning and her age, like you were right about Zhao, smarty pants. Thanks so much for your kind words, I really appreciate them!
: I'll take that as quite the accomplishement!
"You're going to die if you do that."
It was the first thing Lien had said during the trip. She had sat herself down at the head of the bison so she could listen to Appa bleat up at Zei's questionnaire, and keep her eyes on the other's. She had been watching them watch the world around them, searching for the Library that she loved so much.
Sokka had stopped removing his shirt, darkened with sweat, when her voice cut through the dry air around them. Blue caught gold and he frowned, shifting up higher on his knees.
"What do you mean?" he demanded. Katara was looking at her too, apparently no less fond of the idea of Sokka dying than Sokka was of Sokka dying.
Lien sighed. Pointed to the sky.
"If you don't cover your skin, it's going to roast off. Simple as that. Do you think my people were all these layers because the shade keeps us cool? There's nowhere in the world where the sun is hotter. Keep as much of your skin covered as you can," she advised.
"Roast off?" the poor boy looked sick. Lien almost felt bad for him. She nodded sharply, and shifted to look over her shoulder.
"That's the way this desert works. You should be covering everything you have," Lien informed him. The water tribe boy frowned.
"I was going to cover my head." Lien didn't know if he was defensive or upset. Pouting. The boy was dramatic but he was confusing her right then. With a hum the girl shifted and pushed her lower coverings down so she could un-wind the top half of her protective clothes from her head from around her jaw. She heard sputtering from the other part of the oval.
"You're a girl!" Sokka blurted, prompting the desert dweller to stare at him, bewildered for a long minute.
"Well, yes," she said it so simply. There was no other way she could say it, she was surprised. It rarely occurred to her, who spent all of her time with her own people and magic animals, that to outsiders it was hard to tell what gender the people of the Si Wong were. Their clothing was loose and it covered everything that it was possible to cover, from the tip of the head to the soles of the feet, though those were sometimes left bare for earth bending.
Beyond that one was, to outsiders, indistinguishable from the other.
She let her hair loose with the removal of her top layer, which she separated into four of the five twisted clothes it began as, and passed those to her unprotected companions. She herself manager to make due by pulling the part that normally covered her mouth and nose up over her head, and replaced it with the fifth piece. It was thinner than she would have liked, but it was better than nothing.
The rest of her party accepted the gifts, some with more bewilderment than others.
If nothing else, Sokka's antics had managed to get a laugh out of Toph. The sadistic little girl.
Once she settled down, silence reigned once more. Or, as much silence as was possible. The air whipping around them provided quite a bit of background noise. Not that Lien was complaining. She'd always wanted to fly, but she never had the money for a plane ticket before, and there was no flying in her new life.
Unless you were the Avatar.
Lien closed her eyes, leaned back on the saddle. It was so nice. Much cooler up here than it was on a ground. A bit harder to breath if she was being honest.
The quiet was starting to grow uncomfortable.
"So," Lien drawled, "What are you kids doing after the Library anyways? The Avatar, shouldn't you be focusing on more, ah, elemental things? Or going off to fight the Fire Lord or, whatever it is Avatar's do?" She needed an opening. This would work. Hopefully.
Sokka looked to his sister, to Aang, and received shrugs from both of them.
"We've been trying to find a map of the fire nation. We were hoping to get on in the library," the water tribe boy explained. She didn't know why that required such unspoked debate. She was an Earth Kingdom citizen, through and through. She didn't even look Fire Nation, aside from her eyes.
"The Library might have one but if you're taking a trip you'd want to buy rather that borrow," she advised, "Spirits don't take kindly to theft. " She tried not to sound accusing. She of all people shouldn't be saying that.
"Well if we knew where to find one, we wouldn't be in the middle of the desert," Sokka snapped.
Lien narrowed her eyes at him. She did not appreciate his tone. Not one bit.
"I would be willing to bet that the Beetle Headed Merchants would have one," she snipped right back.
Toph sat a little straighter. "Beetle Headed Merchants?" she repeated, quizzically.
"Mmhmm," Lien nodded before remembering that the girl couldn't see her. "They live here in the desert, alongside my people. Unlike we of the Sand, the Merchants use hard helmets shaped like poisonous beetles to protect themselves, and get around on Giant Rhinoceros Beetles instead of Sand Sailers. There are legends that suggest that their headpieces were first created in ancient times, when their ancestors lived underground and survived the attacks of giant gilacorns by disguising themselves sour beetles. Gilacorns are scavengers that eat everything else," she tacked on.
"If you do go to them just know that they're opportunistic as well as flexible. As long as you're fair they should be willing to cut a deal with you. They have settlements all over the Si Wong Desert, you'll know it's them by their red and black flag.
Actually," she went on, babbling now, "They go to the Misty Palms Oasis quite a bit, and consider that cantina you stopped in to be their base. Once we're done here, it should be pretty easy to get a map from them, as long as you don't mind trading and bargaining. "
That had been much more information than she intended to give up. Who could blame her, the girl was nervous, though she was able to hide it well enough. Toph might have an idea of it but the little earth bender didn't look particularly inclined to call her on her emotions.
"That would be great," Katara smiled at her, a nice look. The girl was pretty, in a sort of soft, foreign way. Her eyes were what stood out the most. Lien had never imagined she would miss blue eyes until she was in a land without them. Her people had brown, or green. She alone possessed shining gold.
Blue was a nice change.
"So," this was it, "If you're going to fire nation, are you waiting for the Day of Black Sun?"
There was beat of silence. Something in her voice rang out, catching the attention of all besides the professor. Blue eyes narrowed at her.
"What's 'the Day of Black Sun'?" Sokka asked. Lien was aware that she had all of their attention now, including Momo, who had crept a few steps closer. Lien produced a small bag of Hanza fruit and offered a few to the little lemur. He took one, sniffed it, and started nibbling once it passes inspection.
Lien thought carefully how to explain it.
"Obviously the Avatar is a water bender, but are either of you…" Katara raised her hand in admittance and Lien nodded towards her, "Cool, cool. Were you water bending a few months ago, when the moon turned red?"
Katara nodded, her eyes darkening. Sokka lowered his eyes to his knees. Lien had almost forgotten that he had been in love with Yue. The poor boy. Her heart squeezed in sympathy.
"Then you know that a lunar eclipse shuts off water bending. A solar eclipse does the same thing for fire bending, but only a full one."
Lien pointed to the sky.
"There are actually solar eclipses happening all the time, but most of them are so small they can't be seen, and only weaken fire benders a little. This year, on the," shit, shit, what was the day? "First day, I believe, of the eighth month, there's going to be the first full solar eclipse in I think a couple hundred years."
They were staring at her again. Staring hard.
Son of a bitch, what was she getting herself into?
"How do you know so much about fire benders?" Sokka demanded. Lien wasn't surprised that he was so suspicious. There wasn't much else she could think to so so, as casually as she could, the girl lifted a hand, palm upwards, and lit a small fireball just above it.
"It takes one to know one."
All in all, they had taken it well. Or at least, they hadn't thrown her off of the Bison. That was a good sign, wasn't it?
"Are you coming in with us Toph?" Lien heard herself ask amongst the arrangements for Appa to stay above ground.
The little blind girl snorted and waved a hand in front of her face. "Books don't really do it for me."
The fire bender cocked her head, eyes measuring the younger girl. Her mind swept into the library, and their far reaching corners. If she wasn't wrong, there were a few in the third story, left wing shelves that would be right up her alley…
"You can't read braille?"
Now they all looked confused. She really should stop before she got too mixed up in all this. It was a bad idea to be there in the first place but hopefully her earlier words would save her Library.
"What's 'braille'?" her nose scrunched up with the word. Strange to think that this little girl was the greatest earth bender in history.
"It's reading designed for the blind. Raised bumps on pages of thick parchment, or slabs of stone. You read it with your fingers instead of your eyes."
"That doesn't exist."
Sokka's outburst earned a befuddled frown from the desert dweller. There must have been something about it that prompted him to go on for his mouth didn't stay shut for longer than a few seconds, in his own defense.
"I've never seen anything like that," he proclaimed, earning a snort from Lien. She gazed at the young warrior, unimpressed.
"I suppose you've seen everything then," she drawled. "It's like there are people in the world who know things different than you. Sokka the Wise, the One Who Knows All," she couldn't help mocking him. On top of it the sight of his face turning bright red was wonderful.
"I didn't say that! Stop twisting my words you- you- Word Twister!" he fumbled to come up with an accurate insult. Lien didn't laugh with him along with the others, though she did smile, an easy thing. Sokka, whether he was trying to be or not, was a funny person.
"We'll find you a dictionary while we're in there," she promised the flustered boy before turning and leaping up.
She had figure out a while ago that she could boost herself pretty high up with a fire powered leap. Like air bending, but more likely to roast your ass. She and Aang landed at about the same time, while Katara and Sokka climbed in by rope, a technique that Lien had given up on ages ago. She tipped in, using the same technique to soften her landing.
Her clothes were so covered in dust and sand they were practically inflammable, so she didn't worry about catching. Melting was a more likely occurrence.
She looked around, taking in the familiar sights while Zei raved about the architecture, the only person besides Lien who seemed to care about it. Toph would probably appreciate the feeling of them, if she hadn't decided in the end to stay outside.
Children.
The sound of footsteps echoed around and while Lien and the professor looked perfectly at ease, unconcerned, the other three grabbed the pair and forcibly ripped them into the shadows.
Lien fought against the grip that Sokka gotten on her, much more viciously than the professor struggled against Aang's dragging hold. This was both useless and stupid. The owl would notice them. She could feel him standing at the intersection of elevated pathways. He was going to find them.
"I know you're back there," the old owl intoned. Zei, grinning like a kid in a candy store, went sprinting out to gush over the owl. For her part Lien smashed her foot into Sokka's shin, earning a shout of offense while she ripped herself out of her arms.
She came walking around the corner, right into the narrowed gaze of Wan Shi Tong. The owl looked disappointed, at least to someone who had known him for five years.
"Lien," he greeted, "I see you've brought more humans to my library."
Guilt curled in her stomach at the look on the faces of the humans and the spirit. She shifted uncomfortably where she was.
"You knew where the Library was located? And you never told me?" Zei asked, hurt coloring his voice.
"It's not like that," she rushed to defend, lifting her hands up, "Wan Shi Tong made me promise not to tell anyone where it was after Tui was killed. I couldn't tell you, I made a promise."
"One that it appears you broke," the spirits voice was sharp. As pointed as his deadly beak.
The girl turned to him, her face twisting in a sort of desperation. "I didn't! They invited me to come along while they looked, I never gave directions at all. It was him that found it," she pointed right at Sokka. "I would never betray your trust, Wise One. Please believe me."
Wan Shi Tong levelled her with a Look. Long, soul penetrating, until he seemed satisfied.
"Very well. There is still one problem. You are humans," he said, eyes sweeping over the Gaang. "And humans are no longer permitted in my Library."
"What about her?" Sokka demanded, pointing at Lien accusingly. The girl took a step away from his outward swinging arm, before she was struck. By accident or on purpose the girl couldn't be sure.
The owl lowered his eyes again to the young fire bender. Who pursed her lips in a sort of annoyance. She didn't like this. Not at all.
"Lien has been a patron of my Library for many years. She is an exception."
Warmth heated inside the girl's heart, spreading out into her limbs and drawing her mouth into a small, soft smile. It was wonderful to know that she was welcome in the Library, and that its owner would stick up for her.
"Well what about the rest of us?" Aang queried, "What do you have against human?" It was a fair question, but Lien was pretty sure she had already answered it when she was explaining why she couldn't just bring them all there.
The spirit scoffed. "Most humans only bother learning to gain an edge on other humans. Like that other fire bender who came here some decades ago, seeking to destroy his enemy." Wan Shi Tong shot forwards, forcing Sokka to bend back or have his eyes pecked out. "So, who are you trying to destroy?"
"What?" his voice actually cracked. The water tribe boy thrust his hands forwards, waving them frantically in front of himself. "No, no, no, no destroy. Ing. We're not into that."
Lien could feel the owl's attention move to her and the girl pointedly rolled her eyes. Sokka was the worst liar she had ever met. It was truly terrible, especially in front of someone like Wan Shi Tong. Not to mention totally useless.
"Then why have you come here?" Wan Shi Tong went on. His voice had softened almost imperceptibly.
Sokka struggled to come up with an answer, sweat breaking visibly across his brow. He finally settled on, "Knowledge for knowledges sake?" he even went so far as to shrug, as if he were helpless to the words coming out of his mouth.
"If you're going to lie to an all knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it," Wan Shi Tong droned. Lien felt bad for the owl. It wasn't fair to him that his Library was being abused so forcibly by humans who only wanted to gain power. The girl was glad her father was lost in the spirit world or she would have tracked him down and burnt his face off for the pain he put her spirit friend through.
Lien was well aware that, whether he admitted to it or not, Wan Shi Tong felt at least partially responsible for the pain that Tui and La had gone through at the hands of Zhao. He could only imagine how it must feel for him. He loved knowledge above all else and he had brought his Library to this world to help humans better themselves and grow.
Instead, they chose to abuse the power that they learned, to hurt and destroy. To kill.
"I'm not lying!" Sokka lied. He reached behind him and grabbed Aang. Somehow. His arms had to have been made of elastic. "I'm here with the Avatar and he's the bridge between out worlds, he'll vouch for me! And uh, Lien too!" he proclaimed, moving to grab her as well.
The fire bender pushed his hand away with a sharp bark of disbelief. "Like hell I will. Sorry dude, but I'm not helping you pull the feathers over an owls eyes. I like having my own too much."
Sokka gaped at her, and drew himself up to shout before Aang's voice cut through.
"That's fine, I'll still vouch. We will not abuse the knowledge you have in your library good spirit, you have my word."
Behind them, Lien was steadily shaking her head in mourning. Son of a bitch. They knew what they needed to know, couldn't they leave already?
Owls were more forgiving that humans it seemed, for Wan Shi Tong agreed to let them inspect his vast collection of books and scrolls.
"On one condition."
The spirit lifted himself a smidge higher, showing a flash of glass that vanished back into his feathers just as quickly as it had appeared. Lien smiled. She had made him a small pendant of himself, and Wan Shi Tong had taken to wearing it on a wing. How it stayed there, the girl hadn't the faintest idea.
"To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute some worthwhile knowledge," he declared. Unsurprisingly, Zei was the first one to step up, proffering up a book. Then Katara, with her water bending scroll, and Aang, with his wanted poster. Wan Shi Tong barely accepted that, and Sokka butterfly knot was just a joke.
He looked to Lien when they were all through and it took her a minute to realize he was talking about her as well. The girl hummed softly in thought, closing her eyes to think back to her days in a more scientifically advanced world.
"The formula for finding the measurement of a single side of a triangle with a right angle is a2 plus b2 equals c2," she declared. Pythagorean Theorem, the easiest thing she had ever learned in her life. "Do you want that written down?"
Wan Shi Tong was staring down at her. "I was hoping for something more substantial," he confessed.
The girl hummed before she reached into one of the pouches on her middle. She was almost out of pages and she had transferred most of her findings to a secondary book already so…
She held out her journal to the great creature before her.
"These are all the things that I've learned about fire and energy bending, as well as notes on glass and desert flora and fauna," she declared, "Hand written, first edition copy, signed."
This must have been more what he was after for the book was swept right out of her fingers. If owls could smile this one certainly would not be.
"Enjoy the library," he said, and with all the grandeur Lien had come to expect from him Wan Shi Tong's wings snapped open and he left, diving over the side of the railing. The humans dispersed, some looking after the spirit before moving on. Lien herself followed behind Sokka.
She was not losing her Library to his dishonesty.