My People

This chapter contains depictions of PTSD and anxiety. Reader discretion advised.

Chapter 3- Threadbare

threadbare (adjective): overused to the point of being worn out; hackneyed.

They had been flying for hours over the open ocean when Tao opens his eyes, having been sitting against the horn of Appa's saddle, quietly meditating. Glancing around, he slowly lets out the breath he had taken in and been holding, settling his inner fire and taking in his companions. Aang was behind him on Appa's head, clearly having a destination in mind that he was steering them to, Katara had a pair of Sokka's pants in her hands and was busy sewing the groin of them, which had ripped open on their last stop when Sokka had been chasing a hare through some woods for their dinner. He had lost the hare, and almost his pants in the process. Tao raises an eyebrow when his eyes land on Sokka, who seemed to only be wearing his heavy coat, leaning against the back of the saddle.

"You don't have any other pants to put on?" the firebender drawls, to which Sokka shrugs casually.

"Why would I bother putting on new pants when Katara can just fix these?"

"Right... and why don't you fix them yourself?"

"Because I'm a man. Men hunt and fight and protect the tribe. Women do more womanly stuff like knit, sew, and cook." Sokka replies casually, seeming to miss the irritation that comes over Katara's face. Tao lets out a bark of laughter at this statement though, crossing his arms. "Its just the natural order of things."

"If any of the women in the village I grew up in heard you say something like that, you'd be eating fireballs instead of komodo chicken for dinner." he states, wry amusement in his voice. "You won't always have your sister around to repair your kit for you. It would do you good to learn how to fix it yourself."

"Thank you, Tao. I've been trying to tell my stubborn brother this for years." Katara says, though her smile at Tao and then at her brother was anything but warm. Clearly, she fought this battle a lot with Sokka. "Maybe he should start learning how to fix them now. Here you go, Sokka." she continues, taking the half repaired pants and tossing them at Sokka, who barely catches them before they go flying off the back of Appa and down to the ocean below.

"Wait- I can't wear these! Katara please-" he starts to yelp, eyes wide.

"Don't worry, Sokka. Where we're going, you won't need any pants!" Aang chirps from Appa's head, much of his usual level of energy and joy restored with the distance and time separating them from the graveyard of the Southern Air Temple. It was taking Tao a little longer to recover from the things he had seen and come to realize, but at least he had gotten a decent night's sleep the night previous, and his appetite had returned. It was just... so much to think about.

oOo

After a couple more hours of flying, they come up on a tiny, mountainous island, washed white with snow. Aang brings Appa down to land in a circular bay, and everyone dismounts, stretching and looking around. Apparently, Aang wanted to ride the elephant koi that used this bay as a sanctuary. He also apparently really wanted Katara to watch him, having formed quite the little crush on her. Or at the very least, that's how it appeared to Tao, who was quite amused by it. The koi riding expedition quickly takes a turn, however, as a massive fin breaches the surface, and one of the koi is yanked beneath the water, Aang's koi quickly following it. Aang makes a sprint for shore, tackling Sokka and nearly taking out Tao in the process.

They don't have much time to recover and leave though, as a heavy weight lands on Tao's back, driving him to the ground. His hands are wrenched behind his back as he struggles, and a blindfold is tied around his eyes. He can hear similar scuffles happening all around him, and then he's being lifted in gloved hands and frog marched through the snow drifts and up onto a dirt path. All his senses were going haywire to try and compensate for his lack of sight, hearing the crunch of footsteps all around him, and he only dares to struggle a couple times, breath coming in quick, short pants while he tries not to panic.

They must have covered at least a mile before Tao's back is being shoved up against a post and he's being tied to it along with his companions, and things go quiet for a few seconds, giving Tao the chance to take in a deep, bracing breath. "You four have some explaining to do." an older man's voice growls, somewhere to his left, and he can feel Aang's skinny arm fidget against his own.

"And if you don't answer our questions, we're going to throw you back into the water with the Unagi." a woman's voice states sharply, prompting an overconfident and loud challenge from Sokka, and then their blindfolds are all removed. Tao blinks in the bright light of the mid-morning sun, blinded for a moment by the reflection off the snow. Looking around, his breath catches and his heart crawls into his throat when he sees they were half surrounded by a group of formidable female warriors in full armor and battle makeup, and behind them it seemed the rest of the small island's village was gathered.

"Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?" Sokka barks, to which the lead warrior frowns.

"There were no men. We ambushed you." she states as though it should be obvious. Which to everyone but Sokka, apparently, it was.

"Wait a minute, there's no way a bunch of girls took us out." the Water Tribe teen drawls, almost mockingly, and Tao groans, banging his head back against the post they were tied to. Sokka was going to get them all killed. Luckily though, Katara is able to step in and cover for her older brother, and the warrior backs off as Aang tries to explain the reason they were here.

"And how do we know you're not Fire Nation spies? Kyoshi has stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way." the older man, likely the village leader, states, eyes narrowed and suspicious, and Tao feels a coil of panic wind itself up in his stomach. Clearly, this island was hostile to anyone Fire Nation, which didn't bode well for Tao. He was still in Fire Nation style clothing, even though the style was old, and golden eyes were pretty characteristic of Fire Nation citizens. If they hadn't figured him out already, and they decided to not just outright kill them and save themselves the trouble, he was going to have to do everything in his power to not expose himself.

He's drawn from his internal panic when the ropes beside him tug sharply and then snap, and he looks up, seeing Aang doing a flip over the statue at the top of the post, using his airbending to slowly descend towards the ground. This display seems to settle the village leader and the warriors, and moments later, the rest of them are released from the ropes. Tao does his best to not look anyone in the eye for too long, feeling tense and like all eyes were on him, even when they weren't. He didn't want to put anyone at risk just for being what he was, so keeping as low a profile as possible was the best thing he could do. It was harder than it seemed though, because they all had the attention of the whole village on them, Aang becoming an instant celebrity just for being the Avatar, and by proxy, the rest of them were constantly being looked at or talked to. Tao felt like everything he said, no matter how innocent, could potentially give him away, which did nothing for his nerves as they're shown to the upper room of the village leader's house, and the next monring, a spread of different pastries and treats was put out in front of them. Its only once they're all alone together that he feels some of the anxiety in his gut relax.

"I need new clothes." he eventually rasps, picking at a cream filled pastry a little. When Katara gives him a confused look, he sighs. "I'm still in Fire Nation red, as faded and old style as it is. It stands out, and its pure luck these people haven't realized that I'm from the Fire Nation yet. We're going to be spending a lot of time in the Earth Kingdom as we travel right? I can't stand out like this. Its too risky."

She considers this for a moment and then nods, understanding his point quickly. "Alright. I think we have enough money from Gran Gran to buy you at least one set of clothes. Why don't you come to the market with me later, and we'll get you measured for some?"

"That'll do until we get to the mainland. I can pick up an odd job or two there and buy some more then. But the sooner I can ditch the red, the better." he states, nodding and giving Katara a grateful, if small, smile for her support and understanding. She had a kind heart, Tao was quickly realizing. And while him being a firebender still seemed to put her off a little, she was at least cordial towards him, and didn't seem worried about being alone with him either. He wouldn't call her a friend yet, but they were getting there. Sokka on the other hand had warmed up a little more than his sister had to Tao, seeming glad to have a teenage boy his age in the group. Tao knew how to fish and hunt as well, though he was about as good at it as Sokka was, so on one of their stops over the last several days, they had actually gone off together and come back with a deer, and Tao had been able to set up a quick smoker to preserve what of the meat they hadn't eaten over dinner and breakfast. Meat, it seemed, was the way to Sokka's heart.

Speaking of Sokka, Tao glances over and notices that he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, clearly sulking about being taken out by a bunch of girls. It was clearly a humbling experience for him, having never realized before that women were capable of fighting like that. And especially not of taking out boys. Katara needling at him with an amused smirk on her face seems to do nothing for his sour mood as well, though even Tao can't help but chuckle as he snatches food off the table while trying to preserve his pride before stomping off. To where, they didn't know. Hopefully to not do anything stupid.

Once they finish eating, Tao and Katara head down to the market to find a tailor while Aang goes off to entertain and play with a group of girls who had decided he was just the best thing in the world. The village was tiny, just a single wide street lined with houses, which had fronts that doubled as shops, and they only have to ask one person if there was a tailor in the village that could make Tao a set of fresh clothes, using the excuse that his were getting worn out. The older woman that they're shown to gives Tao a suspicious look through narrowed eyes, and he feels like she sees through him like glass, which does nothing for his nerves. He bites his tongue so he didn't ramble off something foolish, just holding still and lifting one arm and then the other as she measures him, and he chooses some neutral gray-green fabric that would help him blend in just about anywhere. His hands were shaking by the time they exit the tailor's shop with the promise that the shirt and pants would be done by that evening, and he has to take in and then let out a deep breath to release some of the tension that had built up in his body.

"Are you ok?" Katara asks, to which he just nods. "Do you think you could go find Sokka and let him know lunch will be ready soon? I'm going to go to the market and buy some food for now and our trip."

"Sure. We should probably leave as soon as possible. Who knows if that Prince Zuko guy is going to show up again. Or any other people who want to scoop Aang up for their own glory." Tao hums with a nod. He and Katara go their separate ways, and the firebender doesn't feel any more relaxed being alone. If anything, it felt like more eyes were on him now than before. His footsteps speed up and he makes his way up the hill to what appeared to be a dojo, having not seen Sokka anywhere in the village.

What he stumbles upon when he comes up to the open door takes him by surprise, and not in a good way. He comes to an abrupt stop in the doorway, watching as Sokka got swung around by the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, screaming in what sounded like real fear. Logically, Tao knew that Sokka wasn't being hurt, even as his hand and foot are tried together and he topples to the ground. Logically, he knew that this was just training, even if loosely. But he already felt brittle and wound too tight trying to appear as harmless and innocent as possible, and he hadn't had a chance to fully relax at all over the last few days since he and Aang had come out of the iceberg, and the logical side of his brain wasn't working anymore, and he sees something that was far more violent than it really was. He stumbles backwards, breath catching, and his heel misses the step off the deck, making him tumble backwards and land on his back on the ground below. He wasn't seeing Sokka or Suki as they hurry out the door to see what the noise was about. He sees a dark shadow with hateful gold eyes, looming over him, glaring down at him, waiting for its next opportunity to hurt him.

Scrambling backwards, he clumsily gets to his feet, running in whatever direction his feet decided to carry him, eventually falling to his knees in the middle of the snowy woods, the cold air making his lungs ache as he clutched his chest. Burying his hands in the snow, the frozen crystals hissing from the heat of his palms, he scoops up palmfuls of slush and presses it to his neck and face, wheezing into it, shoulders tense, eyes opened wide and unblinking, desperate to stave off the panic attack that was crushing his pounding heart.

He hears his name being called somewhere off in the trees, slowly drawing closer, soon joined by the crunch of feet in snow as he presses snow down the front of his shirt, clinging to the icy pain as a way to ground himself. He flinches when Sokka's hand rests on his shoulder, jerking away and swinging his arm, weak yellow flames sputtering from his fingertips, fizzling out before they can touch anyone or anything. "Don't touch me!" he snarls, scrambling away several paces, gripping a tree trunk and dragging himself up it to stand, fingernails digging painfully into the bark, pressing splinters into the pads of his fingers. "Don't touch me... I'm fine. I just-... I just need a minute." he rasps, trying to calm down. He had to calm down. Sokka didn't know his past. He couldn't. Even Aang only knew some of the details, enough to be sympathetic and to understand why he was the way he was sometimes a little better. He hears metal on metal a moment later though, looking over his shoulder and seeing Suki there with her fans drawn, eyes focused coldly right on him, having seen the weak firebending. And it had been weak, Tao not having enough steady breath control to produce anything hotter or more dangerous than a candle flame.

What surprises him though, as he turns and presses his back against the tree to fully face her but also still support himself, was that Sokka steps between him and Suki, holding his hands up in a placating manner, not unlike what Aang had done just a few days before, also in Tao's defense. "Wait! Its ok." Sokka says, and Suki lowers her fans only marginally, frowning hard at him.

"Ok? He's a firebender." she states bluntly, suspicious and ready to attack, but also seeming willing to listen.

"He is, but he isn't dangerous, I promise. He hasn't done anything more dramatic than light a campfire since we've been traveling with him. He's a friend."

"He just firebent at you!" Suki replies sharply, cutting an accusing look at Tao, who averts his eyes, having no defense for that.

"Are you kidding? That was hardly more dangerous than a sneeze. And clearly an accident. Look- I'll take care of it. He isn't going to burn the village down or anything like that, I promise." Sokka defends, a big, cheesy grin on his face. It seems to work though, because Suki puts her fans away, and with one last, hard glare at Tao, she stalks away back towards the dojo. Tao groans, sliding down the trunk of the tree, raking his hands through his dark, messy hair as Sokka turns towards him. "What in the spirits' name was all that about?" he asks, voice accusing as well as curious.

Tao is quiet for a while, not sure how to respond. He never was when something like this happened. How did he explain his entire childhood simply? "I... I don't know. Stuff like that just... happens sometimes..." he says quietly. It was clear that that explanation wasn't good enough for Sokka, and he frowns, hoping his weak glare would be a diversion instead. It wasn't. Head dropping, he stares at the snow and leaf litter at his feet, clothes wet and cold from pressing snow to himself. "My father would beat me. Sometimes daily... it was how he trained me. If I wanted the beatings to stop, I would improve. So... when I saw what was happening in the dojo, it caught me off guard and I just... its been a long few days. A stressful long few days. I haven't had any real downtime to destress. If I had, I wouldn't have reacted like... that." he half mutters, hoping Sokka wouldn't hear most of it. But from the horrified look on the other teen's face when Tao dares to look up, he had heard every word.

"Your father would..." he can't even finish the question, taking a step back. The air was tense and quiet for several long minutes before what looked like true anger comes over Sokka's face. "How can a father do that to his son? A father is supposed to protect and teach his kids, not beat them." he growls out, fists clenching, and Tao instinctually flinches at the combination of the tone and motion. The flinch gets Sokka's attention, and when it clicks why, he makes himself relax and take a step back. "Sorry. I just... my dad was never anything but kind and gentle with Katara and I. He could be strict sometimes, and he expected us to be the best we could be, but he never laid a hand on us, or even acted like he wanted to."

"Yeah well, that wasn't my life at all... especially after my mother left. He was always harsh but... after she was gone, there was nothing shielding me from him. It was... so bad. Meeting Aang was the best thing that ever happened to me." Tao says, feeling his body trembling a little as memories swim to the surface and he pulls his knees to his chest. "I don't want to talk about it anymore... I'll be fine, I just need a few minutes to calm down." he murmurs, doing everything he could to not look Sokka in the eye. "Katara said lunch will be ready soon by the way..."

He expects Sokka to immediately walk away, being very driven by his stomach. But instead, he moves forward and sits down against the tree by Tao, looking out into the forest. "I'm sure you don't want my pity, so I'm not going to say I'm sorry for what happened to you." he says, to which Tao frowns, wanting to say that he had just said that exact thing, but Sokka continues talking before he can. "I guess the up side of being stuck in that iceberg for so long is that your father is gone. He can't hurt you anymore. And like Katara told Aang at the temple. You've got a new family now. One that cares about you. So, if you like, we can help you heal from what happened to you."

Eyes wide, Tao looks over at Sokka, seeing a light flush to his tanned face, not used to being this vulnerable. Especially with another guy. Usually these sorts of softer emotions were reserved for women in his mind. That he was saying them though, told Tao that he meant them, and wasn't just saying them to make him feel better. And he can't help but smile a little. "Thanks. I appreciate that Sokka, really." he says, getting a cheesy grin from Sokka in return.

"No problem buddy. Now let's go before Katara comes looking for us herself. I'm starving." he nearly chirps, popping to his feet, Tao getting to his feet a little more slowly and following him out of the forest and back to the main lodge of the village for lunch. Tao elects to spend the rest of the day in the upper room, lighting a couple candles and meditating, needing the alone time to calm down and center his mind. He's there for hours, feeling rather refreshed for what it was worth. Come evening, he heads down to the tailor's shop to pick up his new clothes and pay for them with the money Katara had left with them. He had just finished changing back in the upper room, disposing of his old clothing in a quick burst of fire, when he hears panicked shouting and the distinct sound of firebending explosions. Looking out the window, he grits his teeth when he sees Prince Zuko's ship docked at the shore, and the Prince and his soldiers had made their way up to the main street of the village on several komodo rhinos.

Cursing under his breath, Tao hurries down the stairs, not caring that only Suki knew he was a firebender. Half of the village was on fire, and he could do something about it. He's in the fray before he knows it, reaching out with his chi and pulling at the fire that was blazing on the thatch roofs, taking control of it and directing it at the soldiers swarming the street. It gets their attention on him quickly, and soon he's got three firebenders in front of him, sending fire blast after fire blast at him, which he's quick to redirect back at them, and quickly follow up the redirected attacks with harsh punches of his own bright blue fire. The color makes them step back quickly, intimidated, but they were here for a reason and couldn't just turn tail and run. However, they're quickly outmatched, and then downed, and Tao finds himself faced with Prince Zuko himself, while sounds of the pikemen battling the Kyoshi warriors ring out around him.

Zuko grits his teeth, swinging his leg, sending a wave of fire at Tao, that he grabs and sends flying back at the scarred prince, adding his own chi to it, increasing the temperature and changing its color. Zuko's eyes go wide and its all he can do to block the attack, glaring at Tao with true anger in his eyes as they square off again. "Where is he?" the prince grits out, being answered as Tao punches his fist forward, sending a fireball at him that he blocks, following it up quickly, and this time Tao redirects it directly up into the sky like a flare. Moments later, a gust of wind buffets their clothing, and Aang swoops down on his glider. With Zuko occupied, Tao looks around for Sokka and Katara, spotting the young waterbender ushering some children into one of the buildings not burning and hurrying over to her to help her out. Aang joins them a few moments later, looking around with wide, sorrowful eyes.

"Look what I brought to this place." he says, guilt making his voice heavy.

"Then let's get out of here. Zuko will leave to chase us." Katara says, and Aang hangs his head before running off to go find Appa. Tao and Katara continue to help with damage control until Aang swoops down with Appa, Sokka soon following them, taking Tao off guard with the Kyoshi warrior uniform and makeup he was wearing. He'd ask later. Right now, they had to leave.

As they get altitude, they can see clearly the damage wrought by Zuko's assault on the village. All but three of the buildings had some kind of fire damage, and the fires still burning, despite Tao's efforts to extinguish them. Before he can say anything, Aang gets to his feet quickly, and then leaps over the side of Appa's saddle, not seeming to notice the shouts of his friends as he plummets into the bay. Everything is too quiet for too long before the water erupts and Aang reemerges riding the head of the Unagi, holding onto its whiskers to wrangle it under control, directing it towards the village and pulling, making it spray its high pressure water over the town, extinguishing the flames and dousing Zuko and his remaining men.

"I know, I know, that was stupid and dangerous." Aang says as he clambers back into the saddle, a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Yes, it was." Katara says, before wrapping him up in a grateful hug. The village was saved, and as the island slowly disappears into the distance, they can see Zuko's ship starting to move, backing away from the shore to follow them. They had plenty of distance though, so they loose him easily. Katara moves up onto Appa's head to sit with Aang as they discuss where they were going to go next, and Sokka sets to work cleaning his face and getting changed out of the Kyoshi warrior uniform, folding it carefully and tucking it away. Then he looks over at Tao, who blinks, looks over his shoulder, and then back at Sokka. "How're you doing?" the Water Tribe teen says simply, trying to remain casual.

Tao blinks a couple times, squirming uncomfortably. "I'm ok. I was able to sit and meditate alone so... I'm better than I was this morning." he says, confused and thrown off. Sokka though seems satisfied by this, pulling his coat shut around him and nodding.

"Good. I won't tell Aang and Katara what happened if you don't want me to."

"I... I don't. Not right now anyway. Aang knows some of my past but... its hard to talk about on my best days."

"Katara wouldn't hold it against you y'know."

"I know. But she'd probably swing the other way, which I also don't want. I just want everyone to be... normal." Tao says, shaking his head.

"I can respect that. A man's business should be his own. I'll keep it to myself, you have my word." the young warrior says seriously, to which Tao smiles gratefully.

"I appreciate that. Really. And... thank you, for earlier. I think that you helped me a lot more than you realize. I'm just sorry you had to see that embarrassing display. And... sorry for firebending at you."

Sokka just shakes his head with an understanding grin. It had been clear in the moment and thinking about it after the fact that Tao had been in a panicked state, and Sokka knew he shouldn't have touched him now. So, he lets bygones be bygones this time. With that understanding between them, the two teen boys fall into silence, and the atmosphere was comfortable as they fly, the sun slowly dipping beneath the surface, washing them in a gentle orange glow.