Chapter 9- Glacial
glacial (adjective): of or relating to glaciers or ice sheets; icily unsympathetic or immovable.
Their stop at the Northern Air Temple had gone about as was typical of any of their stops. What had begun as an innocent stay at one of Aang's people's homes, taken over now by refugees, turned into an all out battle to save the temple from being leveled by a regiment of Fire Nation soldiers in newly engineered tanks. It was only through Sokka and the Mechanist's ingenuity and inventiveness that they were able to save the temple in the end and chase away the Fire Nation. They had remained for a couple days to make sure the Fire Nation wasn't going to just turn right back around and return for a second round of fighting. Once they determine that the temple was safe, they head north. They don't see land at all as they fly, but they do start to see ice floes and icebergs as the air got colder and colder. Tao was grateful that he had been given a coat at the temple, otherwise all he would have were the clothes he had gotten on Kyoshi Island, and a single spare pair of pants, which were the pants he had come out of the ice wearing. As good as he was at keeping himself warm with his firebending, he was about to be in what was, to him, enemy territory. Even if the Northern Water Tribe had stayed out of the war thus far, that didn't mean they would be friendly to a strange firebender coming into their city, so the more he could conserve his chi and not firebend, the better off he was.
Tao felt sorry for Appa as the second day stretches past noon. They hadn't been able to stop anywhere, even over night. It was just frigid water and ice too thin and small to support Appa's weight as far as they could see, so the bison had to continue pressing on. He gradually dropped in altitude as they go along though, exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, his six paws skimming the water now and then. Temperaments within the saddle were flaring as well, and Tao does his best to stay out of the crossfire as Sokka and Aang bicker.
He's nearly flung clean out of the saddle, however, when ice suddenly springs up out of the water, forcing Appa to jerk to one side. Aang holds onto the reigns for dear life, as Tao, Katara, and Sokka hold onto the saddle as they're flung this way and that, Appa doing his best to avoid the ice. He's eventually knocked hard enough to land in the water, skidding across the surface and being trapped in a layer of ice as several boats manned by men wearing blue and white come out from behind several icebergs. They had found the Northern Water Tribe. Once the waterbenders determine that the Avatar wasn't a threat, they decide to escort them back to the city and through a series of locks.
Tao was absolutely in awe of the city, constructed fully out of ice and packed snow. Every house shimmered white, blue shadows being cast by the sun, though very little warmth reached them from it. It was nothing like the pitiful remains of the Southern Water Tribe, and Tao can't help but feel a lump of emotion form in his throat, wondering what his life would have been like if he had been a waterbender, wondering if he would have gotten to experience more Tribe culture than Fire Nation culture. As much as there were many, many things he loved about the Fire Nation, at least the one he had grown up in, the Water Tribe just seemed like it was a much more cohesive, close knit community. That was clear here as well. All the houses had at least one wall touching the other, people smiled at each other, stopping to greet one another as they passed on the snowy walkways as Appa paddled up the canal.
His attention is drawn elsewhere too as Sokka gets up abruptly, and he looks over at where the other teen's attention had been diverted. A very pretty young lady was heading the other way in a boat manned by a single person. Her clothing was a more lavender color, and her hair was a beautiful snow white, the features of her face fine and beautiful. Tao can understand easily the immediately smitten expression on Sokka's face as he moves down Appa's tail to keep his eyes on her as long as he could.
When they reach the end of the canal, they climb off of Appa and move forward to be greeted by Chief Arnook, and a couple of the waterbending masters of the city, including one Master Pakku. As they go through introductions, Pakku's eyes never once leave Tao, and it felt like his very soul was being examined. He can't look away, golden-amber eyes locked to Paku's cool blue ones. Once Aang gets to Tao in the introductions, Pakku moves so quickly that Tao almost doesn't have time to react. And once he does react, he wishes he hadn't.
Pakku darts one arm out, fingers towards Tao, a shard of ice flying from somewhere behind him, directly at Tao. Instinct kicks in before reason, and Tao brings his arm up to block, blue fire flaring to life along the limb, melting the ice before it can reach him. Lowering his arm quickly, eyes wide and panicked, he doesn't even hear Chief Arnook's initial order for him to be seized, blood rushing loudly in his ears as his heart crawls into his throat. Its only once the cold grip of ice closes tightly around his entire body up to his neck that he can hear clearly again, breath fogging more than anyone else's as his body heats up in his distress. "You've brought a firebender into our city?" the Chief was roughly asking of Aang. He, Katara, and Sokka had all moved between Tao and the waterbenders, ready to defend their encased friend if they had to.
"He's my friend! He isn't a threat to your city, Chief Arnook, I promise you. On my honor as the Avatar, he will cause no harm to anyone." Aang says, with a surprising amount of tense formality, hands tight on his staff.
"And how are we to trust the word of strangers? Even if you are the Avatar, and your companions are from our sister tribe, that does not mean your intentions are pure."
"Why would we come in here with someone who is so blatantly Fire Nation and put him at risk if he couldn't be trusted?" Sokka fires back, knuckles white as he gripped his club. They were sorely out numbered and out matched here. Tao could easily melt the ice holding him a hundred times over and escape before they could freeze him again, but past the panic rushing in his mind, he knew that wouldn't be good. He had to look harmless. He had already messed up once, and it was a wonder that he hadn't just been speared.
The Chief though, at least, looked contemplative, looking Tao up and down carefully, as well as the rest of his companions. "Until we can determine how trustworthy he is, he will be held under guard beneath this palace. He will not be welcome at the banquet tonight, but he will be fed. And if there's so much as a spark out of him during the duration of his stay, he will be cast into the icy waters outside this city. I cannot risk the safety of my people on the word of strangers." he states, nodding to Pakku, who lowers the ice holding Tao. Immediately after, he feels cold steel shackles clamp around his wrists and a couple armed guards pull him back roughly.
"That's not fair!" Aang shouts, taking a step forward. "How can you treat him like a threat when it was you who struck first?"
"This is my ruling, Avatar. It would be best if you take it. Your... friend will not be harmed, I give you my word. But I need to determine his threat level for myself." is all Arnook says in response. All Tao's friends can do is watch as he's escorted away by guards, being led down ice and snow halls to a lower level, where he's put into a stone lined cell with metal bars for its door. The shackles are removed, and he jumps despite himself as the door is slammed shut behind him. Turning, he grimaces at the hostile stares the guards were giving him. Stumbling back a few steps, he slowly sinks down against the cold back wall, trying to breathe deeply. He should have expected this. They were at war, as easy as it was to forget that when they spent much of their time out in the wilds. But people would not be so willing to accept a firebender among them, regardless of his allies. Tao knew he looked strikingly Fire Nation, but so far, since he had his more Earth Kingdom styled clothing and weaponry, no one who hadn't seen him firebend had been able to point out his origins. He wondered how Pakku had, though as soon as that curiosity comes in, it goes out. Pakku was an elder, and a great master. He had world experiences that Tao could only guess at. It made sense that he would be more familiar with how to identify firebenders. As much as he didn't enjoy being a prisoner again, he couldn't bring himself to hold this situation against the Chief. His priority was his people, not some stranger. He had been right as well, he couldn't just take the word of strangers, even if one of those strangers was the Avatar. Every firebender the Water Tribe had come into contact with over the last hundred years had very likely been antagonistic if not outright hostile. Why should they believe Tao would be different?
He's left alone for a period of time that felt like an eternity, but it was probably more like an hour, feeling cramped and confined in the small cell, which was about half the size of the one he had been in on Zuko's ship. Footsteps bring him out of the anxious spin of his thoughts, and he swallows hard when Pakku and then Arnook step up to the bars, a couple guards posting up just behind them. As the cell door was unlocked, ice closes around Tao's limbs, immobilizing him as he grimaces, trying to settle his shaking, telling himself it was just from the bitter cold. "What is your name?" the Chief asks as he and Pakku stop in front of him.
"Tao, sir." the young firebender manages after a few seconds, keeping his head bowed. That was always the best way to avoid someone's wrath, or so he had learned. If he kept his head bowed, submissive and respectful, they would have mercy on him.
"What are your plans for your stay here in the city?"
Tao is quiet at this. What were his plans? He really didn't have any. He couldn't go to bending practice with Katara and Aang, and he didn't know what Sokka planned to do, so he couldn't guarantee sticking to him would be a productive thing. Eventually, he shrugs, deciding to just be honest. That was hopefully his best bet for not getting skewered. "I don't really have plans, sir. Our goal was to find a waterbending master here in the Northern Tribe. That's about as far as I ever planned."
"Where are your loyalties? I never expected to have to deal with a rogue firebender traveling with the Avatar. How can we be sure you're not a spy?" Arnook asks, curiosity battling it out with suspicion.
"Aang and I were trapped together in ice for a hundred years. My loyalties are to the Fire Nation from that time, before the war, and to my friend." daring to look up, he can't get a good read on the two men's expressions to know whether or not he was making a good impression.
"You produce blue fire. From what I know, only the most skilled firebenders can do that. And yet you are allowing yourself to continue to be restrained by ice." Master Pakku says cooly, arms crossed as he stares Tao down.
"Bending to free myself wouldn't exactly leave a good impression on either of you that I'm not a threat." Tao replies, feeling about two inches tall under the master's stare. "You're right, though. I could easily free myself from these restraints. I could have in the throne room as well. But that wouldn't have helped build trust."
"Smart. At least you know how to use your brain." Pakku drawls with no small measure of sarcasm, and Tao barely doesn't frown at it, keeping his expression carefully schooled and as neutral as he can manage. Pakku and Arnook exchange a long look before the Chief directs his attention at Tao, blue eyes intense and decisive.
"To be on the safe side, you will remain here for the night. Come morning, you will be escorted to the place where the Avatar and company will be staying during your stay. Whenever you are not in those lodgings, you will be under guard. My ruling from earlier will remain in place. If you firebend while within the walls of this city, you will be cast out."
Tao bows his head again, nodding. "I understand, sir. I'm not a threat to you or your people, and I would never betray your trust and put my friends in jeopardy." he says. His priority was Aang. He had to master waterbending if he wanted a snowball's chance of being able to stand up against the Fire Lord. If Tao got in the way of that, he put the entire world at risk. He knew Aang well enough to know that if anything happened to Tao, Aang would immediately leave the North Pole and figure out waterbending on his own, which didn't have a high chance of going very well, even with Katara at his side too.
The ice releases his limbs, and Tao holds perfectly still until Arnook and Pakku leave, once again leaving him alone with cold and silence. Shivering, he pulls his knees up and tucks his head into them, wrapping his arms around to create a cocoon of body heat, closing his eyes and focusing his chi so he could at least warm up a little bit, though he's careful to maintain his heat generation at a low level, not needing his body or his surroundings to start steaming and give away that he was technically firebending, even if he wasn't producing a flame. He remains like this for hours, and its only through the weakening of Agni's influence on his bending that he knew the sun was going down. No one had come to visit him. He could guess that perhaps the Chief had forbidden it for his friends, maybe concerned about them conspiring or something equally as foolish. His stomach growls with hunger and he sighs, wondering if he really was going to be fed.
He remains still and curled up for several hours more, half falling into somewhat of a trance, resting his cheek on his folded arms and staring at the ice covered stone wall to his right, now and then shivering with cold. He blinks out of it, exhausted but not able to sleep, when he hears the door of the cell opening, slowly picking his head up, blinking in pure shock when he sees the pretty girl that he and Sokka had spotted on their way into the city stepping into the cell, a plate of food and some utensils in her hand. Considering he was a strange firebender, she approaches him boldly, not seeming afraid at all, kneeling before him and offering him the plate. Tao hesitates for a moment before reaching out and carefully taking it and then the fork he's also offered, nodding his thanks. He expects her to leave, but instead she sits back on her heels and looks at him quietly, examining him with the most brilliant blue eyes he had ever seen.
"I am Princess Yue, Chief Arnook's daughter. I heard your name is Tao?" she finally says, her voice calm and clear. Tao swallows and nods, nervous about the Chief's daughter being here. Was this a test? Did Arnook even know she was in here, that she was the one who brought him food. His golden eyes flick around a little, though he could see little beyond the door of the cell. She offers him a small smile, shaking her head. "Its ok. Its just us here. I asked my guard to wait at the top of the stairs. It was supposed to be a servant who brought you food, but I decided to take over that duty. I apologize it took so long. The banquet ran longer than I anticipated."
Swallowing, Tao takes a moment to find his voice, and he hates how it trembles when he speaks. "Is this a test?" he asks.
Yue's face scrunches a little in confusion for a moment before she shakes her head. "No. My father does not know I am down here. I wanted to get a look at this 'rogue firebender' that he and Master Pakku were talking about for myself. I'll be honest... I was expecting some feral monster. Not a scared boy." if it weren't so true, Tao would be offended by her words. But, they were incredibly true, and all he can do is look down at his plate, pushing some of the food around on it with the fork, but not eating just yet. "Is it true you are friends with the Avatar?"
"Yes. We knew each other before the war." he replies quietly, nodding. "He's a good friend. He gave me an out when my situation seemed hopeless. A choice to make things better for myself. I owe him my life for that."
"That must have been nice." Yue says, and Tao notices the weight to her words. Looking up, he notices how sad she looked, eyes downcast, small hands clenched on her lap against her lavender coat. Whatever she was thinking about though, she seems to push it away, looking back up at Tao, giving him a small, pretty smile. "You seem nothing like the firebenders that get described to me when my father or the warriors and waterbenders of the tribe are talking about them. You seem kind."
"Well, I'm an exception to the rule these days. Every firebender we've encountered in our journeys aside from a couple have all tried to attack or hurt us in some way. Its war. That's just... how it is."
"You are right. Though I wish it were not the case." Yue replies quietly, nodding. They lapse into silence for a while, neither knowing what to say to the other. "What is Sokka like?" she eventually asks, seemingly unbidden, because Tao can see a red flush come on her cheeks as she presses one hand over her mouth.
"Sokka? Well, he's funny and intelligent. Protective. Intuitive. He's open to change and different opinions. Very driven, by his morals and his stomach. A competent warrior and strategist. He's gotten us out of a pinch on a few occasions with his quick thinking." Tao hums honestly, thinking about his friend, a rather fond feeling curling in his chest, making him smile despite his situation. "He's a good man. Why do you ask?" turning his eyes back to Yue, he blinks when he sees the utterly smitten expression on her face, seeing what was happening here. It seemed that Sokka's attraction from that morning was returned by the princess.
Yue catches herself quickly, schooling her expression, though her face was still flushed. "Oh, um. No reason. I was simply... curious. Yes, curious. That is all." standing, she brushes some frost off her knees and bows politely to him. "It has been nice speaking with you Tao. Please, enjoy your meal." with that she turns and quickly scurries away, leaving Tao alone with his plate. Exhaling, the air in front of him fogging thickly, Tao shakes his head and snorts, crossing his legs and tucking into his food, his stomach refusing to be ignored anymore.
oOo
Just as Tao is feeling Agni's influence strengthening within his chi, a pair of guards stop in front of his cell. They looked unhappy that he was being released, but they follow their orders and unlock the cell, motioning him out. They escort him up and out of the palace and down a path made of packed snow, stopping at a fairly fancy building made of ice and snow and knocking on the door once. It takes a few seconds, but when the door opens, Katara was behind it, and Tao can tell it takes all she has to not throw herself at him in a relieved hug. He was sure he looked exhausted and frazzled, having not gotten any sleep. Being in such a confined cell had done a number on his mental state as well. He does manage a smile for her though as one of the guards speak. "By order of Chief Arnook, this firebender is not to go anywhere unaccompanied within the city. He is to at all times be with a member of your group or otherwise under guard. If he is caught firebending in any capacity within the walls of the city, he will be cast out."
"I understand. You can leave now." Katara states testily, motioning Tao inside, who is only too happy to get away from the hostile guards. Once the door is shut, she looks him over closely. "Are you alright?" she asks. Letting out a breath that fogs around him, still using his chi to keep warm, even if only a little, Tao nods.
"I will be. The cell they put me in was very small." he says quietly. Katara frowns at this, unhappy with the reception he had gotten, especially when Tao hadn't in any way been threatening. Shaking his head, he folds his arms across his chest, glancing around the large room, much of the ice floors covered in thick furs or treated wood planks. "They put you all in a nice place. Must almost feel like home to you." he says, giving her a shaky smile.
"It would if you getting arrested for no good reason hadn't left such a bad taste in my mouth." she huffs, moving further into the room towards a central fire pit, where she already had breakfast bubbling a way in a cast iron pot. Tao follows her, crouching very close to the fire, holding his hands out towards it and letting his chi settle, needing to conserve energy after using so much to keep from freezing all night.
"I seem to recall a certain boomerang wielding, meat obsessed person we both know being rather hostile to me upon first meeting me too. He didn't even have to test me to know I was a firebender. He just had to look at me." Tao remarks with a somewhat nostalgic smirk. So much had happened in the last couple months, it was hard to wrap his mind around it.
Katara huffs a little, but then she giggles a little. "Fair enough. It just seems so unfair to throw you in a cell when you didn't do anything but defend yourself against an unprovoked attack."
"Well, Master Pakku saw something in me he didn't like and decided to test me for himself. I can't blame him, after everything the Fire Nation has done over the last hundred years. I should have expected it, like I did in Omashu when I just stayed behind. Not that there was anywhere for me to stay behind at here but... you get my meaning."
"I guess. I'm sorry you had a bad night, though."
"Most of my nights are bad. This one was no different, just colder." shaking his head, Tao rubs his warming hands together a little, the numb tips of his fingers slowly getting feeling back in them. "So are you and Aang going to be starting training today?" he asks, wanting the subject changed.
"We are. With Master Pakku. I don't know how I feel about training with him now though" Katara states, kneeling beside him, giving the bubbling breakfast a stir. Sokka and Aang must have still been asleep.
"He's the best waterbender in the Tribe. He seemed to be the Chief's right hand as well. You wouldn't be able to find a better teacher."
"I bet we could."
"Maybe. But we don't have that kind of time."
Katara sighs at the reminder of their time crunch, nodding her understanding. Their choices were limited here. Tao feels that same knot of emotion well up in hims again as he looks at her. If he was born a waterbender, he could be training alongside her and Aang today. But instead he was more or less under house arrest. An enemy without throwing a single punch. Jealousy towards Katara and Aang slowly turns into hatred towards his father, and his fists clench. If his father hadn't hated him, hadn't treated him so terribly, maybe he wouldn't hate being a firebender now. Maybe he wouldn't hate who he was, down to the way he looked. Even his voice was starting to resemble his father's. "Tao?" Katara's voice breaks through his angry thoughts, and he blinks, hands unclenching, and he blinks in surprise as the fire in front of him shifts from blue back to the gentle red and orange it had been. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine. Sorry."
"What were you thinking about? You looked... angry." she asks gently, blue eyes concerned.
Tao almost doesn't want to answer, but he hadn't been very forthcoming with Katara at all about his past. Aang knew some, he had told Sokka an amount that surprised him. Katara knew only what he showed. Sighing, he folds his arms between his chest and knees, brow furrowing. "I was thinking about my father." he murmurs. "I don't have but a few memories of him actually seeming like he loved me and wanted me around. Most of my memories are of him hitting me, kicking me, throwing fire at me. Or burning me." motioning at the burn on his face, he takes in a shaking breath. "I don't have any memories of him and my mother ever really getting along. They mostly seemed like they just... hated each other. She was the only one standing between him and me, and once she was gone, there was no buffer."
Katara seems like she was fully realizing a few things, eyes wide and wet as she pictured Tao being abused by a man who was supposed to protect him. "That's why you don't like being touched all the time. And... why you react like you do when you're snuck up on." she says as a statement of fact. Tao just nods. He was traumatized, and he had a lot of healing to do that he was, frankly, avoiding doing. There wasn't time for him to work through his problems right now. Not with the world at stake. If it was him against the safety of the world, he was the less important one.
"Aang and Sokka both know a little. I don't like talking about it, so even Aang doesn't know all the details. I've told Sokka very little. He looked like he wanted to go to war against my father. I take it yours isn't anything like mine."
"No! Our father is kind and gentle and loving. He'd never hurt us. Yours shouldn't have hurt you either." Katara gasps, and Tao can't tell if she was more sad or angry. She looked both, and he half expects the ice around them to begin cracking.
"He shouldn't have but, he did. That fact can't be changed." Tao says, looking back into the fire. "Its because of him I don't enjoy being a firebender. I would rather be a waterbender. I asked my mother once if I trained really hard, if the spirits would change me to a waterbender. The hopes of a small child... naive hopes." letting out a bitter laugh, eyes unfocused, the flicker of the fire blurred. "I wish I could just forget it all. Sleep peacefully at night, not be so anxious all the time, not react to anger or violence or loud noises the way I do. I wish I could be normal."
Katara is quiet for a long stretch, trying to hold back tears, and Tao could only guess at what she was thinking about. Eventually she moves over towards him and wraps her arms around him from the side, forehead pressed to his jaw. "I know you don't like hugs, but I think you need one. Even if you don't, I need one." she whispers, holding onto him tight. He had stiffened when she had first embraced him, but slowly he relaxes, reaching up and holding her arm with one hand, bowing his head. "We're here for you, I hope you know that. We're a family, and you're part of that family. Families, real families, look out for each other." letting out a shaky breath, Katara gives Tao a squeeze before relaxing her hold, but she doesn't let go. Her petite body was warm against his, and he was sure he was like a furnace, running warmer just by nature of his bending element. "You deserve healing, Tao, even if you don't think you do. You always stand apart from the group, you don't engage much. I've noticed it, even if the others haven't. I can see how sad and tired you are all the time. It doesn't have to be this way for you. You can live a normal life, free of anxiety and fear. I think you just need to give yourself permission to heal."
It was incredible how wise Katara could be sometimes, much like Aang and Sokka. It always caught him off guard when one of them would pull out some incredibly sage advice. But right now all he could do was close his eyes as hot tears leaked from his eyes, body shaking with every breath that he tried and failed to keep steady and even, hand tightening a little on Katara's arm as she continued to hold onto him. For a moment, it was like being in his mother's arms again, the very idea of which pulls a sob from somewhere deep inside him, the sound wretched and broken. But nothing like it could be. He had built a dam to hold back his emotions, and while it had sprung a leak with Katara's gentle, loving words, it hadn't burst. Not yet.
They sit together before the fire for a while in silent tears, Tao slowly getting himself back under control. Luckily his face dries up, as does Katara's, by the time Sokka and Aang come out of their rooms, drawn by the smell of food. "Aw, I didn't know there was going to be a hug fest." Sokka whines as the two on the floor let go of each other and scoot apart, and for Tao's part, his face was a little warm at being caught in such a vulnerable moment. "Katara hit you with the motherly love, buddy? She's good at that." the other teen continues with a grin, to which Tao snorts, rubbing a hand through his messy black hair.
"Something like that." he says, pausing in contemplation before managing a small smirk. "By the way, Princess Yue visited me last night. She asked me about you. Apparently something you did at the banquet piqued her interest." he says, watching Sokka's expression absolutely light up before settling into a dreamy smile.
"Really? She's... she's great." he hums before blinking and looking at Tao. "You hyped me up right? You didn't say anything embarrassing that would keep her away from me?" he asks, seeming truly anxious that Tao had bad mouthed him.
Laughing, he shakes his head. "No no, I didn't. I was honest with her, and she seemed interested by the end of it. So... good luck with that." he says, to which Sokka squirms triumphantly, digging into the bowl of food Katara hands him eagerly.
Aang sits down next to Tao, gray eyes openly concerned. When he determines that his friend wasn't any worse for wear, despite his bloodshot eyes and the dark bags under them, which were fairly normal for him, he lightly nudges Tao with his elbow. "How about you come with Katara and me to training today. I want to see the look on Master Pakku's face when you turn up with us after what he did." he says, grinning a little. Tao manages a chuckle but shakes his head, hating to bust Aang's bubble, but he was exhausted and just wanted to try and relax.
"As amusing as that would be, I think I'll just stay here for the day Aang. It was a long night, and I need to try and get some sleep otherwise I'll be impossible to be around this evening."
"Aww. No fun." he complains, trying to give Tao a begging look to change his mind. When he sees that it wasn't going to work this time, he huffs and pouts. "Fine. Tomorrow then?"
"Sure. Tomorrow."
oOo
Tao was only too happy to lay down on some of the furs by the central fire once the other three go off to either train or try and woo a princess. Momo had stayed behind too, liking apparently that Tao was so warm, because if he wasn't on Aang's shoulder, he was curled up in Tao's lap or on his stomach, which was where he was now. It was strangely therapeutic, laying in the quiet room with just the crackling of the fire, gently petting Momo's soft, thick fur. The repeated motion and the soft texture helped him calm his mind, and eventually he falls asleep. He didn't know if it was because he was just so tired, his talk with Katara, or maybe it was as simple as Momo being curled up on his chest, but he actually sleeps rather peacefully. He wakes around lunchtime feeling more rested than he had in weeks, fixing himself and Momo both something to eat, though the lemur was mostly just happy with the scraps of vegetables and fruits as he cuts them. There was something about the simple companionship of an animal that was comforting to Tao. Momo didn't expect conversation or much interaction, and there was no judgment from him.
Come that evening, everyone trickles back into the lodgings, and they all seemed some level of annoyed or angry. It seemed Princess Yue was being wishy washy with Sokka, and Master Pakku, or Master 'Poophead' as Aang so eloquently dubbed him, was not only a jerk but also refused to train Katara because she's a girl. Evidently that was forbidden in the Northern Water Tribe, and women who could waterbend were only allowed to be healers. It was a confusing division to Tao. In the Fire Nation, anyone who had the skill to fight could. Men and women were in the military. The only discriminating factor was ability. Aang and Katara brighten when Sokka suggest Aang teach her, and while Tao was skeptical about whether that would go well or not, he agreed it was a good idea for the moment. It would at least get Katara on the right track alongside Aang, and they could expand on it once they were done with the Tribe and moving back on to the Earth Kingdom to find an earthbending teacher.
Once night comes, Tao is feeling up to getting out, so he volunteers to go with Aang and Katara to a secluded place, wanting to see some of the waterbending forms too to see how he could incorporate it into his own style. It goes well for about an hour before something takes control of Katara's stream of water and pulls it away, drawing all of their attention upwards. On the bridge above them stood Master Pakku, looking none too happy. He has no sympathy towards Aang's excuses, glaring coldly down at the three of them.
"You have disrespected me, my teachings, and my entire culture. You are no longer welcome as my student."