Wait, I haven't updated this story in 8 months?

Patience is a virtue, but laziness is a sin. I need to get my butt into gear.

On a side note, I just finished summer classes and I have a 1 week break before fall classes start. Summer classes are great for efficiency towards my degree, but I haven't had more than a week off all summer and it's been eating my energy and writing time. I need some tea time with my favorite fire-breathing uncle.

A machine sits on an impromptu workbench. It's an unusual invention, crafted with pistons, pipes, and wheels arranged in a way that gives no hint to its purpose at first glance.

Its creator lights a flame over a small tin of oil which sits at the bottom of the device. The liquid catches fire. Above it, water in a glass vial rises to a simmer. As bubbles begin to form on the surface of the water, the wheel of the machine creaks into a gentle rotation. Pistons sound their "pffs" as they slowly start to chug.

The flame is intensified with a burst of magic. The water rises to energetic boil. The wheel whirs as it spins even faster. The pistons are huffing and chugging enthusiastically. Even though the flame is no longer being fueled by magic, the wheel and pistons continue turning and churning, maintaining the power they gained from the startup.

The creator is elated. It worked. His invention worked! He had proven that it was not only possible to use fire in a way that productive, but also in a way that even commoners could benefit from!

Colbert visibly slumped as his mind fell back into reality. No one cared for an invention like this. Why build a device that uses fire to spin a wheel, when any other branch of magic could achieve the same effect? Why create something that commoners could use, when all the power belonged to the nobility? Why use fire for something productive, when its greatest value came from war?

Why bother changing the world, when the world wished to maintain the status quo?

A knock sounded from the door.

Colbert's head snapped up as he emerged from muddled mind of melancholic musings. He didn't remember having any meetings scheduled for the day, and it wasn't often someone dropped by unannounced. Unless it was Miss Longueville requesting something for Old Osmond, but he doubted that was the case since she would have announced herself.

"Coming!" the mage called out. He took a moment to straighten his clothes in an effort to look presentable before opening the door. The person on the other side was truly unexpected. "Mister Iroh?"

"In the flesh," Iroh said with a smile, internally laughing at his personal joke. "I hope you don't mind my dropping in, but I was wondering if you had a moment to spare? I brought tea." He lifted up a tray that he held, which carried a steaming tea pot and two empty cups.

"Certainly," Colbert replied, opening the door and motioning Iroh inside. "Come on in. Please excuse the mess, I was working on a project and haven't had much time to clean up."

"That is fine," said Iroh. "I'm hardly one to judge a man based on his living quar…" Iroh's voice trailed off as he saw the peculiar device sitting on Colbert's central table. While it was unusual to see a dining table being used as a workbench, that wasn't what was on Iroh's mind. "Is that what I think it is?"

"That? It's just an invention of mine," Colbert said modestly. "I was trying to find a way to use fire magic productively. It works as a model, but sadly, there's no use for it in society."

"No use?" Iroh asked incredulously. He set the tea tray down so he could examine the contraption more closely. "Mister Colbert, this invention of yours is uncannily similar to the one that sparked a technology revolution in my country. A steam engine, the proverbial backbone of our greatest ships. The uses are almost endless! And you thought of this on your own?"

"Why, yes. Are you saying that this already exists in your country?"

"Invented even before my time," Iroh affirmed. "I will admit, I never expected to see anything like this during my time here. To invent this on your own, you must be a brilliant man."

"I appreciate the praise," said Colbert graciously. "But it appears no one else agrees. Windstones are used for airships, and wind and water magic can be used for sea ships. Even for ground vehicles earth magic can be used." He sighed wearily. "All I wanted to do was prove that fire magic could do more than burn and destroy."

"You are correct," said Iroh. "Fire is volatile, dangerous, but it is the source of power. Power can be used for good or evil, to create or destroy. What matters is how it utilized." Iroh blinked. "That reminds me, Fire is exactly why I've come today. But first, tea?"

"Yes, thank you." Colbert took the cup Iroh served and squinted in puzzlement. "But if I remember correctly, you are a fire mage yourself, are you not?"

"Fire is my element, but I am no mage," Iroh corrected. "I am a firebender, and while they are similar, there are some differences. The books you provide to the students here answered some of my questions, but I find them lacking in scope. The authors clearly didn't have imaginative minds." He tapped his temple and tilted his head toward the steam engine. "I was hoping that you, as an expert of fire yourself, would be able to help me unravel some of these mysteries."

"I can certainly try," said Colbert. "What would you like to know?"

Iroh grinned.

That evening, Iroh invited three guests to his room.

Louise sat stiff in her chair. She kept Guiche in the corner of her eye, not appreciating that he had been invited to this meeting as well. Siesta went ignored, because Louise expected Iroh would invite the maid he viewed as family, even if Louise found the other girl to be beneath her notice.

Guiche had put his chair off to the side, trying to appear casually cool without attracting the attention of the two ladies in the room. Louise was completely immune to his charm—not that he actively tried to charm her, of course—and Siesta was a mere commoner. His charismatic nature would do him no favors here, which left him out of his depth.

Siesta kept her hands in her lap and tried to make herself disappear into her seat. Being the only commoner in a room of nobility made her feel very out of place. Iroh was being extraordinary kind to her, but she knew she did not belong. Every other person had status and elemental powers, but she was just… herself.

Iroh sighed as he regarded his three pupils. They clearly were uncomfortable with each other's presence. Still, they had to start somewhere. He clapped his hands and greeted them, "Thank you all for gathering here this evening. I'm sure you're all curious why I brought you together."

The three nodded, but said nothing.

"I will explain shortly, but first, I have a test prepared," Iroh announced. "All of you will need to close your eyes. Miss Louise and Mister Guiche, when I come to each of you, you will focus on your magic, but you will not use your wands. Siesta, since you are not a mage, I want you to focus on your breathing."

There were questions on each of their minds, but no one was willing to be the first to ask.

"I understand," said Louise.

"Yes, Mister Iroh," said Guiche.

Siesta nodded mutely.

"Let us begin," said Iroh.

The three teenagers immediately closed their eyes. Iroh picked up a tray that he had prepared earlier from his table and held it in front of Louise. On the tray was a candle, a cup of water, a pebble, and a wind dragon feather. "Miss Louise, if you would?" Iroh requested,

Even without a wand in her hand, Louise had no trouble drawing on her willpower. The fuel of her magical power swirled throughout her body so turbulently that Iroh could feel the hairs on his hands and arms raising as he stood by her. Clearly, whoever said that she lacked magic was a fool and a half.

Iroh looked down at the tray, but saw that the four items were still. He had tested the candle trick on Colbert earlier, and the mage had gotten the candle to move subconsciously without the use of a wand. So the test should still be somewhat accurate.

Then, the feather twitched. It looked like Louise had a slight talent towards wind…

No, that was just him leaning too close and breathing on it.

Refusing to be discouraged, Iroh placed the tray on the floor by Louise's feet. "Let me take your hands for a moment," he said. "Don't stop focusing your willpower."

As Iroh took Louise's hands in his, he felt the chi flowing through her body. While there was no reaction from the elements, there was definitely a lot of power coursing through her chakra. As he suspected, magic and bending both utilized a person's chi, but bending took a more direct route. A bender's chi would flow to critical points in their body, allowing them to bend on movements alone. A mage's chi had far less structure. It flowed not along narrow roads, but in turbulent waves. It was moving, searching for something, trying to achieve its purpose, but had no clear way to reach its goal. Iroh correctly assumed that wands were designed for that purpose: a funnel to focus that power.

With the strength of Louise's chi, Iroh thought that energybending would be a good starting point for her to learn. It was a difficult technique for most people, but energybending was more innate than any of the four elements, and she definitely had the potential. If she could master energybending, then the other elements should become easier to learn. In theory, at least.

"Very good," Iroh finally said, releasing Louise's hands.

Louise nodded breathlessly as she placed her hands primly on her lap. For some reason, the girl felt like she had just finished a jog despite doing nothing but charging for a spell she never cast.

"Mister Guiche, your turn."

Guiche's result was as expected. The pebble on the tray shook as the boy's face became scrunched in concentration. Iroh also gripped his hands. The flow of the boy's chi resembled Louise and Colbert more than it did any bender—which supported Iroh's earlier theory—but the volume paled in comparison. This made Iroh even more curious about Louise. What did it say when her chi pressure more closely resembled a skilled teacher over twice her age than her fellow student?

"And now Siesta."

The candle flickered roughly in pace with Siesta's breathing. Her chi flowed oddly. It wasn't quite like a normal bender, but it also wasn't like the mages. She had chi points, but her chi didn't flow directly from one point to the next. Iroh figured this was the result of her mixed bloodline. He also suspected she might be able to learn magic, but that was only a guess. The only thing he could confirm was that her affinity for fire was uncannily intense for someone without any training. Her passion burned bright despite her soft disposition.

Iroh put the tray aside and clapped his hands. "Very good," he said. "I have high expectations from all of you."

"What do you mean by that?" Louise asked as she and the others opened their eyes.

"I'll expect to see you bright an early tomorrow morning," Iroh continued as if she hadn't said anything. "Make sure to wear clothing you can move in that you don't mind getting dirty."

"You will?" Guiche queried. He immediately corrected himself. "I mean, yes, of course."

"Why?" Louise asked.

Once again, Iroh pretend to not hear her question. "It's getting late, this old man must be ready for bed," Iroh said, faking a yawn. "I want everyone at the Vestri courtyard at the break of dawn. Siesta, can I count on you to wake them up on time?"

"Yes, Mister Iroh!"

"Why won't you say what we're doing?"

"Have a good night, children," Iroh said as he none-too-subtly shooed them out of the room and shut the door behind them.

The three teens stared at Iroh's door, and then exchanged glances.

"Um… I will see you tomorrow then?" Siesta said hesitantly. "Have a good night Mister Guiche and Miss Louise." She scurried off as fast as possible.

In unison, Guiche and Louise rotated their heads towards each other.

"Do you understand what just happened?" Louise asked.

In a rare lack of bravado, Guiche confessed, "Not in the slightest."

A knock came from Louise's door. "Miss Valliere? Are you ready?"

Louise rolled over in her bed, blinking and yawning. She stretched her arms and looked outside, noticing it was considerably earlier than when she normally awoke for classes. The sun was barely over the horizon, and the moons were still visible in the sky. Then she remembered the events of the previous day.

Another knock came from the door. "Miss Valliere? Are you awake?"

"Yes!" Louise called back, trying her best to not sound half asleep as she untangled herself from her sheets. "I am awake. I just need…" Louise tried to remember what Iroh had asked them to wear. Something they could move in, and also that they wouldn't mind getting dirty. Surely, she had something in wardrobe that met those requirements. Louise reached forward and yelped as she tumbled to the floor.

"Miss Valliere?!"

"It's nothing!" Louise declared immediately. The fall knocked the sleepiness out of her, at least. Now she just had to figure out what to wear. Louise threw open her wardrobe and stared at her pristine, freshly washed clothes. "Hmm…"

"Do you need any help?"

"…yes," Louise admitted, sounding more unsure of herself than she would have liked.

"Okay. I'm coming in." Siesta swung open the door and cautiously stepped inside. Instead of her usual maid attire, she wore a loose-fitting beige shirt and dark brown trousers. Spying Louise standing in front of her wardrobe with a blank stare on her face, Siesta asked, "How can I help?"

"Clothes," Louise replied vaguely.

"May I take a look?" Siesta asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure how territorial Louise was about her wardrobe. Some nobles would throw a fit if a commoner so much as looked in their closets.

Thankfully, Louise was rather too distracted or didn't care. "You may."

Surprisingly, Louise's closet wasn't as ornate as Siesta expected. Sure, there were a few fancy dresses that Siesta would have loved to try on—if they were tailored to her larger dimensions, of course—but otherwise, it was mostly semi-formal clothing and spare uniforms. Aside from what a noble would consider the bare necessities, Louise did not have any noticeable collection of additional outfits. Still, it was more than Siesta could ever imagine owning.

Siesta dug into the back of Louise's wardrobe to find the oldest and least ornate set of clothes she could find. "I think you'll have to make do with these for now," she said.

"…These are sleepwear. I can't wear them outside," Louise protested.

"Winter sleepwear covers enough of your body to be decent," Siesta pointed out. Louise's current nightgown was thin enough for Siesta to make out the outline of the pinkette's underwear when she stood in the sunlight. Siesta's pick was far more conservative, being thick enough to protect Siesta's modesty even in sunlight or while damp.

"…Fine," Louise grumbled. "Fix my hair in the meantime."

Siesta considered telling Louise that her hair would probably be a mess all over again if she correctly guessed what Iroh would have them do. However, based on the grumpy look on Louise's face, she figured the noble girl's patience was wearing thiner that her clothes. "As you wish," the maid conceded.

It took several minutes to make Louise look presentable enough to show her face outside, but eventually, the two made it to the courtyard. By the time they arrived, Guiche and Iroh were already doing some upper body stretches.

"You two took your time," Guiche remarked as the girls approached.

"We had pressing matters to deal with," said Louise tartly.

"Louise, you need not be concerned by your appearance this fine morning," said Guiche, flashing his dazzling smile. "A girl's beauty shines both day and night."

"I'm sure you'd know a lot about that, pervert," Louise muttered.

Guiche's sputtering made a ripe impression of a choking frog.

"Now, now, Miss Louise," said Iroh placatingly. "Guiche was paying you a compliment, ill-timed as it was."

"Ill-timed?" Guiche echoed in shock. "I soothed her with a compliment to soften her mood. My words were a gentle caress to her worry-lined face. The timing couldn't have been better!"

Iroh buried his face in his hands.

Siesta turned her head away.

Louise had a vocally scathing response. "I don't want to hear your empty compliments first thing in the morning," she snapped.

"Breathe," Iroh advised Louise. "We're all friends here."

Louise breathed in and then out, her nostrils flaring. "Fine," she said flatly.

"Excellent," said Iroh. "Take this as a lesson, Mister Guiche, sometimes less is more."

"Understood, Mister Iroh!"

'No, you don't,' was the thought that ran through everyone else's minds.

Iroh clasped his hands together with a loud clap to get everyone's attention. "Now, I'm pretty sure you all have a good idea of why I had you dress like this and meet me this early in the morning."

"Exercise."

"Exercise?"

Guiche and Siesta exchanged a glance. While Guiche had spoken with more confidence than Siesta, they were both on the same page. Then the two turned to Louise.

"Exercise?" Louise echoed, following their lead skeptically. "Why would we be exercising?"

"The body, mind, and spirit are all connected," said Iroh. "Training one without the other is inefficient and leads to unbalance."

"Does this relate to dealing with women?"

"Or learning magic?"

"Um, is this another tradition from your homeland?

"Yes, to all three," Iroh replied cheerfully. "Everything in life is connected, some more directly than others."

Louise didn't look convinced by the explanation, but she slowly nodded with the other two.

The old firebender led them through some simple exercises. Meditation to control their breathing. Stretches to improve their flexibility. Simple exercises to train their muscles. In the back of Louise's mind, she felt the entire thing was silly. Nothing they were doing related to magic as she had studied. However, Iroh's unique control of fire was evidence that he had something different. If this was what it took to achieve that power, then she would put every effort into succeeding!

"Relax, Miss Louise. Let your breath flow naturally; don't force it."

Louise caught herself grunting in exertion. "Yes, Mister Iroh," she sighed.

Every effort. Naturally.

Part of the reason this took so long was because I was wondering whether to expand the final scene into a training montage. Then I realized I don't know how to write a full firebender-inspired training montage accurately and interestingly. So I cut it out. Colbert and Iroh's discussion wasn't important/interesting enough, so I cut that short as well. Yeah... these choices made the chapter short than I'd like, but it is what it is.

The students are set. Next chapter we'll see some action. I promise, I'll try to get this out without waiting half a year.

I'm glad so many people are enjoying this ride! Please review! Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!