Everyone was preparing for the small coastal village of Donsuta's annual sunfire celebration, which marked the anniversary of the first firebender's birth. Like most celebrations, there would be mountains of zesty edibles and games for the children. Plus, everyone wore various masks for extra enjoyment. The occasion concluded with everyone sending paper lanterns into the skies to carry their hopes and wishes to Agni and his daughter so they might come true.
Eight-year-old Hiro was incredibly enthusiastic, for he loved the parties his homeland threw primarily because they were the few times of the year that broke up his dull village's mundane routine. Even his best friend Tao, who was of Earth Kingdom ancestry, didn't mind partaking in the celebrations. The best friends' families always observed the other's cultural holidays, so no one was left out.
The lads were in Hiro's living room, putting the finishing touches on their homemade masks. "What do you think of my mask, Tao?" Hiro questioned as he held up a brilliant red mask similar to the Blue Spirit mask.
"Not bad. I'm not much into the theater myself. Though is my mask alright?" as he held up a badger mole mask.
"To be honest, I think it looks dandy. I hope Mom loves the masks we've made when she gets home."
"My mom would throw a fit if she knew we were left alone," Tao replied, and Hiro frowned.
"We're not alone, Tao! We do have a babysitter! Lady Tanuki!" he pointed out.
Tao shivered at the mention of their babysitter's name. "I don't know about you, but something weird about that lady!" he continued, shivering in fear.
"Excuse me? If you have something to say about me, please say it to my face," a sharp but playful voice said to two youngsters. They both looked up in fear at their babysitter.
Lady Tanuki was on the shorter side and slightly chubby. Her almond-shaped eyes were a stunning shade of copper that matched her hair, which she wore in two side buns. She did have a rather large nose but a mischievous smile.
"Umm, nothing, Lady Tanuki! We weren't saying anything about you!" Tao hastily replied.
"Lies aren't funny, Tao. I might be a little mischievous at times and like to play a few tricks here and there. Nevertheless, I know when and where there is a time to be comical and other times when to be serious."
She then turned to Hiro and said, "Hiro, I just put your sister down for her afternoon nap. So please keep it down. I'm going to go make some veggie noodles. I'll be back to check on you in half an hour," as the young woman headed towards the kitchen.
Hiro started his orange eyes into his friend's copper ones. "You know she's right, Tao. She has a good sense of humor, and her pranks are harmless. It's not like anyone got hurt when she put salt in the dessert instead of sugar or when she used quills to write everything in invisible ink. I appreciate her sense of humor. Again, a few harmless pranks aren't something to get overly excited about."
"Maybe they've been harmless so far. Regardless, I still get weird vibes from her." The boys let the conversation drop and returned to finishing their masks.
Lady Tanuki peeked through the door, focusing on young Hiro. It wasn't every day that the higher-ranked spirits assigned her to watch over the future Avatar. Why did they even ask the trickster spirit to do it? She didn't know. Lady Tanuki wondered if this was a test to see if she could restrain herself from playing more meddlesome stunts on humans. Still, that wasn't here or there. She had the veggie pasta to finish.
The disguised spirit did an excellent job of babysitting the young Avatar and the rest of the children. She again taught them to have a sense of humor and remember that people needed to have fun occasionally. That one should never be too serious.
The festival went off without a hitch, and she even had a good time. She gave Hiro a big hug before returning to the Spirit World. Before she left, she whispered in his ear that even when things got challenging or dire, it was necessary to laugh and have fun. He thanked her and watched her leave the village, wondering if he would ever see her again. He also wondered why she'd given him that bit of particular advice. Regardless, he'd take her advice to heart.