You're the Wind in my Sail

Aang stood in The White Dragon's main engine room, surrounded by metal and stifling heat, and wished for a clean breeze. Even the current level of fever in the air, though, was only a fraction of what the vast machine was capable of. During the battle with the New World Order, the ship had sustained enough damage to knock it out of the air, and although a series of hasty repairs had been made since, one major mechanical problem still remained.

The engines were running too hot. Pushing them to produce a reasonable speed risked melting the metal they were made of.

Sokka had reviewed the onboard schematics for the engines, but he was stuck in his sick bed with broken bones, and his long-distance theories could only yield so much without all the necessary parts for real repairs. Whatever the original method was for handling all the heat, the Dragon's current crew was simply unable to duplicate it.

But they had their own talents and ideas.

Aang stepped up to the communication pipe that connected directly to the bridge. "We're ready down here for the first test."

"Wonderful. I'll make the announcement," Iroh's tinny voice came back. A second later, the whole ship echoed with the same voice, much louder but equally metallic. "Attention: We regret to announce a short suspension in the wonderful music we've all been enjoying, while we run a short test on our engines. we hope the results will have us moving at much greater speeds. When we return, soon, we'll be treated to Hako of the Yu Yan Archers, and his flute rendition of 'You're the Wind in my Sail.' Thank you! Aang, you are free to commence."

The Avatar turned to the engine room's other occupant. "All right, you ready?"

Ty Lee, clad in a utilitarian, soot-stained red tunic that she borrowed from the engine room's supply cabinet, nodded eagerly. Despite the clothes being designed for a much bigger, more muscular frame, the girl had managed to tie and tuck it so that it somehow clung to her like her old acrobat outfit. It was typical of her, really. So was the hug she suddenly gave Aang. "Let's make this airship zoom!"

Aang couldn't help but laugh, because she was right. This was going to be fun!

Once he had extricated himself, Aang spread his arms out wide, and let a gust of Airbending carry him into a massive jump. He reached the engine room's high roof, and grabbed a hold of the grating panel right above him. The holes were big enough for him to squeeze through, and led to a large venting pipe that he could stand up in with only a slight hunch. Following it would eventually lead outside, but Aang didn't need to go that far. Although this, and other similar pipes, had originally been designed to carry excess smoke outside the airship, Sokka had figured out an alternate use that might solve their heat problems.

Aang only went as far as the first junction, where all the venting paths converged into one main path to the outside sky. Aang could taste the presence of clean air struggling in vain against the choking heat.

Time to give it a hand! He wouldn't even need the Avatar State for this.

The last Airbender swung both his arms in unison like a pendulum, opening his hands like he was beckoning back the way he came. The Air stirred in response, and a massive wind coalesced all around him, tugging his robes like a friendly pet. The stifling heat was pushed back by a cool breeze with all the power of a tidal wave.

Down in the engine room, Ty Lee gasped and giggled as fresh air blasted over her. Compared to the hot air that had been radiating out from the engines, this breeze felt almost frigid, but Ty Lee knew that the ship was too far yet from the Southern Waters for the sky outside to be anything other than pleasant. She ran to the nearest temperature gauge, read the dial, and shouted in a voice that somehow swam against the current of the breeze and carried upward. "Engine Block 2 is out of the danger range!" She ran to the next engine, cart-wheeling as she went out of sheer excitement, and came to a halt right in front of the glass-covered gauge. "Engine Block 3 is still hot!"

Aang frowned up in his loft and shouted a reply. "Which vent should I aim for?"

Ty Lee looked up and gave a frown that she couldn't know was a mirror of Aang's. They probably should have numbered these vent things. Then her eyes lit up with a burst of inspiration. She threw herself into a leap, kicked off the nearest support beam, and continued an upward course with a series of movements that Momo might have recognized. When she was just below the grating aimed at Engine 3, she grabbed a hold of the beam, swung to a stop, and began singing.

Aang, alone in the machine, heard a voice that could have passed for a spirit, crooning, "You're the Wind in my Sail!" The last Airbender smiled, and, while maintaining his stance, swung his left arm at the specific pipe that had resonated with Ty Lee's call.

On the other end, a new wind rushed out and nearly spun Ty Lee in a circle around her perch. Although she maintained her safety, she couldn't stop her hair from beginning to escape from its braid. That prompted a minor huff of annoyance, but then she remembered the purpose behind the tragedy and let herself drop to the floor for a look at the gauge. "Engine block 3 is looking good, Aangy! I'll serenade you from the next vent!"

"Aangy?" the ventilation pipes echoed.

The exercise repeated, with Ty Lee purring a song-line into each of the desired vents to guide Aang's bending to the best path to the engines. "You're the wind in my sail! The strength of a storm gale! Your love driiiiiiiives me to new heights! You're a breeze on my heart! You make my choices look smart! You make me beeeeeeeeetter in every way! 'Cause we flyyyyyyyy, fly together, and we'll be together foreeeeeeeeeeeever! Sailing intoooooo the skyyyyyyyyyy!"

The final result didn't bring all the machines to their optimal temperatures, and once Aang stopped bending, the strength of the breeze would lessen, but Air had its own patterns and habits, and the path Aang created would last and draw wind until heavier weather disrupted the flow. Also, the engines would be increasingly cooled as the atmosphere outside chilled during their Southern Journey.

The White Dragon had to do the best with what it had.

As did Aang and Ty Lee.

The last Airbender dropped from the ceiling grating, and landed lightly beside the Kyoshi Acrobat. She hugged him, of course, for a job well done, her loosened hair spilling all over his head and shoulders from the force of her tackle. He hugged her back. "So, is that really how the song goes? The one the Yu Yan guy is going to play on his flute?"

Ty Lee pulled back and giggled. "Nope! It's an old Fire Nation dancing tune, but it doesn't have any formal lyrics. People just make up whatever they want."

"You made those up?"

"Yup!"

Aang looked into her gray eyes. "I liked them."

"I figured you would."

To Be Continued...