EXT KYOSHI'S MEMORIES OF THE SPIRIT TREE - THE PAST
Atop the platform of the Spirit Tree, Avatar Kyoshi has dropped into a battle stance with Makami stumbling to her feet. In the background are far fewer trees with more animals, all moving in a low framerate.
MAKAMI
(nervously)
Whoa, whoa, you don't want to do this. You don't know how powerful I am right now.
KYOSHI
Let's find out.
She slashes her arms straight up, bursting a field of earthen columns up from near the horizon. The rocks fly forward at lightning speed with Makami only barely able to dodge.
With a jump and a jut of her fist, her face goes cold.
MAKAMI
(darkly)
Oh, I can't bend still...WHOA!
She dives beneath a line of boulders. Kyoshi raises her arms as though she is holding a great weight, and the columns arise into the air and combine into a dragon of pure earth. The claws of the beast slash at Makami, pressing her against the bark.
Makami grunts, trying to free herself.
MAKAMI
(loudly)
This isn't fair and you know it!
KYOSHI
What are you talking about?
MAKAMI
(angrily)
You can bend - I can't! It would be a different story if we were in the other world right now!
KYOSHI
Is that so?
Her eyes flick up only for a moment.
KYOSHI
(to Kuruk)
And are you enjoying the show?
Makami looks up to see Avatar Kuruk resting on a branch with crossed arms and a confident smile on his strong face.
KURUK
I heard the sounds of fighting and I couldn't believe my ears.
He hops down from the branch, cracking his neck and stretching his shoulder as he strides towards the stone arm.
KURUK
Life, in the Apoth? Be still my warrior heart!
As he walks, his flat hand pushes the rocks away from Makami to free her.
KURUK
But a fair fight is the only kind we should ever have, Kyoshi.
KYOSHI
And you want to try to beat me again, Kuruk? You've been failing for centuries.
KURUK
I think you're already in a fight, Key.
He juts a finger to Makami, who stands determined in the background.
KURUK
(chuckling)
Unless you're scared of the newbie?
Kyoshi's face is completely unfazed. Finally, with a fling, she discards the entire, massive earthen dragon back to the ground below.
KYOSHI
Move, Kuruk.
He backs up, scratching his nose and turning to Makami.
KURUK
You better bring your best, kid.
Makami nods but doesn't drop into a battle stance. Kyoshi has no such hesitation, bringing her fans out to focus her great energy.
She bursts forward swiftly.
MAKAMI
(quickly)
You never fight without your gloves!
Kyoshi slides to a stop, her eyes wide.
MAKAMI
(quickly)
You received the scars during a great battle, and the love of your life comforted you. Is her spirit here?
KYOSHI
(darkly)
You should tread carefully.
MAKAMI
(gulping)
I know what happened to her - and I'm sorry that it did. I know you are too, but there has to be a way to find her again. Right?
KYOSHI
(loudly)
You would dare to blackmail me - the Incorruptible Mountain?
MAKAMI
That...wasn't your nickname, and it's not blackmail. If I find her for you and bring her here, will you help teach me - for real teaching, not just three lines from the back of a cookie jar?
Kuruk, sitting on the tree floor, bursts out in laughter between them.
KURUK
(laughing)
An enemy with insight, huh Kyoshi?!
Kyoshi snaps a finger to Kuruk.
KYOSHI
(angrily)
Is this funny to you, Kuruk!? Would you laugh at a hunt for Koh and Ummi?
KURUK
(snorting)
Of course I would!
(turning to Makami)
Do you know how great it is to be alone in my own little realm? That's a comfort neither of you will ever know.
MAKAMI
Then, why do you come out looking for fights and challenges?
Kyoshi smirks at Kuruk's grumpy shrug.
KYOSHI
(to Makami)
You offer me this great kindness for training, and for me to not implant you into this tree's very roots?
MAKAMI
I know you both grew up with war around every province, but this one is different. I need to be ready to stop this from happening, or to stop it forcefully if I have to. Please? I'm really late to the party and I need a boost.
KURUK
Well, you'll need my level-headed teachings to counter-act her fist-first approach.
KYOSHI
Stop trying to bait the girl into promising two impossible acts.
KURUK
Then we'll make it a two-for-one deal.
(to Makami)
Vendors have those still, right? I invented that sales tactic.
KYOSHI
By stealing two for every one you bought.
Makami chuckles while Kuruk bellows. Kyoshi puts her fans back into her belt as all three Avatars stand in identical ways.
MAKAMI
Thank you both.
KYOSHI
Save it. If you really know where Rangi is, then you know this won't be a simple task. Rest and regain your strength. Tomorrow, come back and we will begin our journey.
MAKAMI
Without my bending, I don't know how useful I'll be.
KURUK
Well, that mind of yours already helped you avoid a pounding. Maybe it'll work again, right?
Makami chuckles nervously with her eyes widening more and more until she begins to hyperventilate.
CUT TO:
EXT SPIRIT CROSSING VILLAGE SHACK - NIGHT
Abe achingly comes up the wooden stairs with the sounds of a swampy night all around. The moon can barely break the dense canopy, the majority of light coming from an open window next to the door he's moving towards.
He knocks lightly before entering.
ABE
(tiredly)
Please be decent.
INT SPIRIT CROSSING VILLAGE SHACK - CONTINUOUS
As Abe enters with his hand blocking his eyes, Makami is in the corner surrounded by lanterns and books. Several pencils protrude from her hair, teeth, and behind her ears. The shack itself has two beds and a few windows.
Abe drops his hand, looking confused.
ABE
Is this you as "decent"?
MAKAMI
(mumbling)
Hm? Oh, how's the train?
ABE
Not going anywhere tonight. The tree keeps rebuilding the barrier thicker, and I swear it was laughing at me once.
He flops to the bed, leaning over to ladle some water into his mouth. Makami watches him take a soaked rag and wipe across the back of his neck.
MAKAMI
Did the fact that you're not a water bender come up at all?
ABE
(chortling)
What're you talking about? I'm the celebrated blah-blah of blah. What makes you think I'm not a bender?
MAKAMI
I didn't say you weren't a bender. I've seen you bend, but I've never seen you bend regular water. Are you a bender?
He lets the rag slap down to the water.
ABE
(harsh whispering)
Yes, I'm a bender - just not one that fits into your little cardinal directions.
MAKAMI
(smiling)
I'm glad that's the case.
ABE
(whispering)
Well you can - wait, what?
MAKAMI
New skills sound perfect for a new generation.
ABE
Yeah...I guess so.
He rotates his body towards her with a smile.
ABE
I don't know about anyone else being happy about it, though. Most people drum me up like Toyo did - water bender elite and handsome hero to all.
MAKAMI
Well, you can still be the second one. You need more pie recipes, right?
They share a short laugh.
MAKAMI
What, exactly, can you bend?
ABE
Well, let's see...
He locks onto one of the lanterns.
ABE
Shoot me some of that fire.
Makami uses a finger to slide the flame over. Abe uses two fingers to rotate it around his body in orbit, transferring it perfectly from one arm to another.
ABE
My bending shares the same core as water bending. I use my own energy through my arms and legs like a counter-weight to cycle the energy outside of my body.
He slaps the ember into the water for a light sizzle.
ABE
But the element has to be in motion for me to move it.
MAKAMI
(excitedly)
You can bend any element with kinetic energy!? You're like a mini-Avatar!
ABE
Heh, yeah, no thanks. You've got a terrible job.
MAKAMI
Can you teach me? Before tomorrow?
ABE
Uh, what happens tomorrow?
MAKAMI
I...may have told some ancient Avatar that I would help rescue the spirit of her loved one from a very dangerous part of the Spirit World. And I won't have access to my bending.
ABE
Aren't you a super-genius or something? Why in the world would you insert foot into mouth like that?
MAKAMI
Because my mentor and my best friend are missing, and I didn't know what else to do. I'm not going to panic - I know they know where we're going, but I can't arrive there unprepared.
ABE
This is where I think I should say something like 'I think you need to head back to the drawing board on this plan'.
MAKAMI
We're a day away from Ba-Sing-Se, and I've already learned everything I can from books. This is how I stop the war, Abe.
He nods slowly and hops to his feet, opening the door before turning back.
ABE
You comin'?
Makami leaps over her study aids and through the window, popping back up quickly with a salute.
ABE
I'm tired just watching you.
He closes the door.
EXT SPIRIT CROSSING VILLAGE SHACK - CONTINUOUS
He pops his back with a deep back bend as Makami ignites the small bug totems on the banister.
MAKAMI
So, how much force does there need to be?
ABE
(stretching)
Enough for it to move.
MAKAMI
What about dancing fire?
ABE
(sighing)
No, move like...point A to B. Has to have momentum.
MAKAMI
Momentum bending? No, that's too wordy.
ABE
Here comes the breeze.
Sure enough, the wind whistles through the leaves for Abe to snatch and swing around his body like a martial arts expert. Makami watches intently.
ABE
Ready?
MAKAMI
Yeah.
He flings the blast to her with her hands moving slower but with the same constant movement.
ABE
Don't use your energy to move it. Think of your body as a counter-weight. Do you feel the energy in the wind outside of you?
MAKAMI
Yeah, I-
The gust peters out all at once to Makami's disappointment.
MAKAMI
(sadly)
-don't.
She spins back towards the direction of the wind with both hands out.
MAKAMI
I'll catch some more on the next breeze.
ABE
No, not like that.
He comes over, slapping one of her hands down.
MAKAMI
Ow!
ABE
Two rules - one, never let foreign energy into your body. Two, don't ever catch energy with two hands. If you do, you leave no outlet for any excess and your body will break the first rule.
MAKAMI
Yeah, but I can handle a lot of energy...I think. Avatar, remember?
ABE
Not tomorrow, when you won't have access to your bending. Plus, you'll be a spirit; you'll never be more vulnerable.
MAKAMI
(sighing)
You're right.
She moves sideways, pointing two fingers up into the oncoming wind and her other hand pointed behind her. Abe smiles and steps back.
As the wind comes in, she catches a small ball of it, dancing around with its moving energy before shooting it at one of the flames. It doesn't go out, but it's darn close.
ABE
Good. Now, blow out the candles.
She takes the same pose, but the breeze dies down. As they wait, Abe looks up, taking in the insectoid symphony around them.
ABE
(quietly)
Life, am I right?
MAKAMI
What?
ABE
Just what you were talking about - friends are missing, war's knocking on doors. Life's just different at this level, huh?
MAKAMI
For now, yeah.
ABE
For now?
The wind picks up with Makami trying and failing to snap out the flame. She immediately moves back to her pose.
ABE
What's waiting for you back in the big CC that's better than these sweet Avatar perks?
MAKAMI
My family. My friends being safe.
Another round of wind kicks up with her missing again, then resetting. Abe slinks closer to her behind her back.
ABE
(smoothly)
A boyfriend?
MAKAMI
He is my best friend.
Abe jumps back, looking awkardly casual as she turns with her hand over her mouth.
MAKAMI
(quickly)
Do not ever tell Kota I said that.
ABE
Sealed lips keep friendships.
A nod later, she's back in her pose while Abe taps his chin in thought.
ABE
You remember what I said about you being all focused and impressive when Shii went down?
MAKAMI
Sure.
ABE
Well, maybe that's your, uh, your...um...
MAKAMI
My Dio's Crossing?
ABE
Huh?
MAKAMI
It's a forty-mile sandbar that rests just a few feet beneath the ocean surface, connecting Ju-Jix City to Pri-Pri Station. It's been around for hundreds of years.
ABE
Right, sure, my point is, use that to help you focus.
She stands straight, turning to Abe.
ABE
You're a big ol' brain that is used to acing tests only after several days of prep and text-diving.
MAKAMI
So pretend my loved ones are in danger at all times?
ABE
Not necessarily.
He walks forward with his back to the flame.
ABE
Make it so that you don't have time...
Just as the breeze picks up, he snaps it from hand to hand, pointing the gust to the candle hard enough to take a chunk out of the wax.
ABE
To think.
Makami nods and closes her eyes, keeping her nervous hands at her sides. Following Abe's example, she lets the hair on her arms rise before she snaps the wind from the air, unleashing a typhoon that both extinguishes the candle and blocks the wooden railing away.
MAKAMI
(quietly)
I can fix that.
ABE
Yeah, but you're the Avatar. You have people for that sort of...wait.
Makami crosses her arms and holds back a smile as Abe realizes what he said.
ABE
(sighing)
I'm your only people right now, huh?
She nods several times.
CUT TO:
EXT FIRE NATION AMBASSADORS QUARTERS - NIGHT
Voso leans back on the roof with his spiritual friends. The roof itself is shingled expertly while the skies above are peppered with clouds and intermittent stars. Through the largest opening is the moon.
VOSO
(quietly)
Are you there?
The silence of the night meets him. Even his spirit friends don't rouse from their slumber.
VOSO
(quietly)
I need to know what you want from me.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
And why is that exactly?
VOSO
(quietly)
What's your name?
FUU-KI (O.S.)
What's yours?
VOSO
(quietly)
You're in my head and you don't even know my name?
FUU-KI (O.S.)
As I look out upon this world of ours, I am drawn to those with vast reserves of power. All I know is that you hold such reserves in secret. While we can speak, I cannot penetrate your mind without your permission.
VOSO
You don't have my permission. I don't have this vast reserve of power - I'm just a kid with a talent.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
A talent to control anyone you touch is no mere toy.
VOSO
(quietly)
It's not a part of me anymore. I don't want to use it.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
And your water bending skills are far more refined than you let on, boy. I sense fear on the edge of your strength. What scares you away from being who you truly are?
VOSO
(meekly)
You don't know anything about me.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
I know about strength and the temptation to use it. You must have gone through a great deal to convince yourself that hiding was better than living.
Voso sighs and rolls away from the moon.
VOSO
(quietly)
My mom...and dad were both great benders. Fire and ice combined. They won tournaments and fought for the Fire Nation in a handful of battles. During a skirmish with rebels on Chi-Gao Island, the leader challenged them to a fight. They were ambushed - tricked - and never came back.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
Strength brings attention and blinds the mind, then?
VOSO
(sadly)
It's just easier this way. I help in small ways, avoid the big fights, and keep people I care about safe.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
An admirable sentiment. I just hope it's enough-
GUARD 1 (O.S.)
(yelling)
You, up there!
Voso sits up and looks over the edge of the roof. On the walkway are softly, silently marching Air Nation delegates with their heads down and eyes forward. The guard yelling to Voso is an Earth Nation lacky.
VOSO
Sorry, just looking at the moon.
GUARD 1
Who are you with?
VOSO
Fire Nation. My grandpa's inside.
ADACHI (O.S.)
(yelling)
Trying to get some sleep!
The guard seeps back to his post, shushing Voso, who smiles back.
He hops down from the roof as the suited air masters walk by. In the center of them are Master Paya and an older, larger man that chuckles joyously.
Once they pass, Voso puts his hands in his pockets and watches after them.
VOSO
(sighing)
The Air Nation has arrived.
He kicks at the ground.
VOSO
(quietly)
Voso is my name, by the way.
FUU-KI (O.S.)
It is a true honor to meet you, Voso. My name is Fuu-Ki. You should get some rest. We will speak more later.
VOSO
(quietly)
Yeah, alright.
He and his spirit friends go into the residence, closing the door on the quiet Earth Kingdom night.