At the Avatar Mansion, Kyoshi and her family were preparing for an extraordinary and breathtaking journey! They're invited to attend the Blue Moon Ball in the Southern Water Tribe. Earlier in the year, Kyoshi and the rest of their small village had helped a small Water Tribe family who'd been caught in a hurricane. The couple consisted of a merchant father, Kaveri, and his Water Sage wife, Zarya. The couple had an adopted eight-year-old daughter named Turquesa.
Turquesa had become Kyoshi's adopted daughter, Obsidiana's first human companion. Naturally, the two girls were anxious to see each other again. So, of course, Obsidiana was over the moon about shortly seeing her best friend again. However, Kyoshi, her lover Rangi, and Rangi's mother were apprehensive about heading south. Soon before Kyoshi had been identified as the true Avatar, Yun, whom everyone had thought at the point was the Avatar, had to voyage south.
They'd been dealing with a group of pirates who called themselves the "Fifth Nation." After Yun's diplomacy failed, a bitter battle broke out—one whose repercussions still gave all three women hellish nightmares. They'd never divulged this to Obsidiana. She had already been through enough trauma, having witnessed her entire village massacred and almost dying in a concentration camp after being whipped several times.
So, for now? The three women agreed to keep any darker memories of the past behind them. Instead, they wanted to focus on having a good time. Kyoshi was trying to find a small but warm enough coat for her daughter when her daughter raced into the room.
"Mommy! Mommy! I just got a letter from Turquesa! Look! Look!" as she waved a piece of parchment around excitedly.
"Calm down, sweetheart. Let me see," as the six-year-old shoved the letter into her mother's face. The letter was more of a picture of the two girls. Kyoshi did read. "Please hurry! I can't wait to see you again! Love, Turquesa!"
"How much longer till we leave, Mommy?!" the adorable little girl asked. Since meeting Turquesa, Kyoshi's precious daughter had started speaking more frequently. During her time in the concentration camp, she'd been rendered speechless. But now she was talking much more often.
"We'll be leaving in the morning. I need to locate a warm coat for you," Kyoshi informed her daughter. Suddenly, Kyoshi couldn't help but burst into tears. Kyoshi had worked so hard to be as tough as nails. Even her daughter was shaken that her mother was crying.
"Mommy! Mommy! What's wrong? Mama! Mama! Granny! Come quick! Mommy's crying!" Obsidiana cried out, and her other mother and grandmother quickly arrived.
Rangi quickly took Kyoshi out of the room while Hei Ran stayed with her granddaughter. She hugged her close while whispering Mommy was alright. Hei Ran thought she knew what had caused Kyoshi to burst into tears.
About a month ago, someone had tried to take Obsidiana away from them under false pretense. Both Fire Nation women knew this had triggered some of Kyoshi's PTSD from her own parents abandoning her as a child. So, combined with that and heading south, where more bad memories happened, they all were emotionally overwhelmed.
Hope, the spirit animal guardian of Obsidiana, quickly came running out of the girl's bedroom. She'd been taking her afternoon catnap and had awoken to the sound of crying. Even though she'd be sent to protect Obsidiana, the feline spirit animal quickly comforted the Avatar.
An hour later, Kyoshi managed to pull herself together. The towering but beautiful woman assured her daughter everything was fine. That everyone's emotions get the better of them sometimes. Her daughter accepted this but remained worried.
Before dawn had graced the sky, the small family climbed aboard Kyoshi's secretary's flying bison and started heading south. The Avatar spent most of the trip asleep, as did her soulmate. So Hei Ran kept an eye on her granddaughter. Three days later, they'd finally reached the South Pole. The current Chief of the Southern Tribe greeted the family: a handsome young man named Kijika and his pregnant wife, Kirima.
"Welcome, Avatar Kyoshi. It's an honor to have you here with us to celebrate such a unique phenomenon that blesses the Water Tribe," Chief Kijika spoke in a deep, reassuring voice.
Despite the Kijika being tall, Kyoshi still towered over him by two feet. "My family and I are honored by invitation. If you don't mind, we'd like to get settled. It's been a long journey."
"My wife Kirima will escort you to the guest house. We'll see you in the roundhouse for tonight's feast," as he nodded to his beautiful wife. She smiled as the family followed her to their guest house. Along the way, the young mother-to-be pointed out various locations and their significance to the Tribe. Obsidiana was particularly enthralled by the beautiful ice temple.
Kirima noticed the child's interest, "I see you love the Water Sages temple. Countless waterbenders throughout the ages have worked to craft the masterpiece it is. We built it there because that is the most spiritual location in the Tribe."
"Why? What makes it special?" the six-year-old asked curiously. She was still holding Kyoshi's hand, but even her mother looked intrigued by it.
"Many generations ago, during a supermoon, Tui and La themselves emerged from that spot to bless our Tribe. So we built the temple there for that reason."
"What's a supermoon?" Obsidiana asked curiously again.
"A supermoon is when a blue moon and a lunar eclipse simultaneously exist. It's extremely rare. Its believed in our Tribe that children born during the full moon or significant moons are doubled blessed by Tui and La. The same goes for those born on our holy day of the Winter Solstice. You could also join us for that. My niece would love to see you all for that."
Kyoshi raised an eyebrow, "Your niece?"
Kirima blushed, "Yes, Turquesa is my niece. Her mother, Zarya, is my older sister. She was born on a blue moon, which blessed her with heightened spiritual abilities. Which is why she's Head Sage of our temple."
"Cool!" Obsidiana exclaimed, "Where is my best friend?!"
Kirima laughed, "She's waiting for you at the guest house with her father. So we should hurry!" The family quickened their pace and soon arrived at a stunning cabin. The inside was more beautiful then the outside!
As Kirima said, Turquesa and her father were awaiting them. "Obsidiana/Turquesa!" the pretty little girls exclaimed before they ran to each other and hugged each other tightly. They were soon lost in their own world as they chatted animatedly.
Kyoshi also got caught up with Kaveri. She wanted to know how he and his family were doing since they'd last seen them. He revealed to them that, like with Kyoshi, someone had tried to kidnap his child under false pretenses. They'd a similar story that confirmed Turquesa was, as they also guessed, biracial: Water Tribe mother and Fire Nation father. Kyoshi couldn't hide her disgust that so many greedy people were out for someone's inheritance and would use children as pawns to get it.
Suddenly, she felt a tugging on her dress, "Mommy, can I go penguin sledding with Turquesa? She said, " It's lots of fun."
"Please don't fret, Avatar Kyoshi. It's perfectly safe, and the penguins enjoy it. The Tribe has rules that they can't go any farther then the hills a mile outside the village's perimeter," Kaveri assured her.
"I'd still feel its safer if they had an adult with them."
"Did you forget about us, Kyoshi?" her girlfriend asked. "I'll go with them to make sure they stay safe. You relax. We'll be back in time for the feast," Rangi assured her soulmate.
"Okay, I feel better knowing you are there with them," the lovers kissed. Turquesa's father and aunt looked a bit uneasy at the kissing. But every nation had a different reaction to the LGBTQ. Still, the girls had a good time sledding and building snowmen. They even managed to get Rangi to join them in a snowball fight. Eventually, they returned to the village to warm up before the feast.
The Blue Moon Ball itself was breathtaking. The Tribe went all out with the food and entertainment as waterbenders danced and bent the water around them. They also showed off their artistic talents with their ice sculptures. There was a massive altar with offerings to Tui and La. Everyone took turns lighting blue candles before they burned pieces of parchment. When Turquesa saw this confused her best friend, she explained.
This time of year was about second chances, seeking love, and communicating with the spirits. The Tribe would write down what they sought for those three things and burn them. They believed that by burning their past sins, they could start fresh. That their patron spirits would bless them and grant their desires. They even got Kyoshi's family to do this ritual as well. By the end of the celebration, everyone in the Tribe and their guests felt rejuvenated and hopeful. It was indeed a wonderful time of year, without a doubt.
Rangi: Kelly Marie Tran: Raya from Raya and the Last Dragon.
Obsidiana: Brenna O' Brain: Rin Inuyasha.
Turquesa: Jona Xiao: Child Namaari
Kaveri: Jason Raize: Denahi: Brother Bear.
Chief Kijika: Daniel Dae Kim: Chief Benja, Raya's father, the chief of Heart.
Kirima: Sandra Oh: Virana, Namaari's mother and the chieftess of Fang.