Fight18: The Perils of Predictions
Sokka, Aang, Katara, Chenlian and Momo were sitting around a camp on a lakeshore. They had installed their large blue tent amongst huge rocks. Suddenly, a big green sort of catfish jumped into view and fell back into the lake. Katara stood up and pointed at it. Her brother bolted upright and assumed a gunslinger stance. And the fish jumped and dropped again...
"He is taunting us. You are so gonna be dinner!" Sokka, clearly annoyed, grabbed his fishing pole and cast it a few times without effect. "Hey! Where's the fishing line?"
"Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka." Aang held up a very pretty necklace with a peach colored flower in a braid made of woven fishing line...
"Aahh, it's all tangled!"
"Not tangled... woven." He airbended himself up and turned to Katara. "I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one..." He looked from side to side, obviously embarrassed, showing the pendant with a silly grin spread across his face. She smiled and gratefully accepted. She loved it. Chenlian smiled too. It was lovely indeed. Sokka sarcastically congratulated him and suggested that instead of saving the world he should switch to a jewelry making business. But Aang didn't see why he couldn't do both. While the firebender was fastening the necklace around the waterbender's neck, the fish leaped again from the lake. The great fisherman threw his pole like a spear and it disappeared into the water.
"Stop taunting me!" He yelled angrily. The idea that it could be his paranoia that made him feel that way had not occurred to him for a single second. He drew his knife from behind his back and lunged into the water with it, trying to catch the mean and evil little fish while his friends coolly watched his usual antics.
"So, how does she look?" Chenlian asked like she was presenting a masterpiece. Aang turned to face them and his eyes almost popped out of his skull. Katara's beauty had literally stunned him and made him speechless.
"So, how do I look?" Katara asked again with a light smile and a little pose and a slight blush coloring her cheeks. The boy used his left forefinger to loosen his collar while staring at her.
"You mean all of you or just your neck? I mean, uh, both look great." He praised, very flustered.
"Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love." Sokka, who had just emerged from the lake, looked about to kiss the fish he was holding. The firebender kept quiet but was nonetheless quite amused by the childish yet most certainly truthful taunt. The fish flipped in the fisher's hands, knocking his head with its tail, and jumped back into the lake. Aang rubbed his bald head in an embarrassed gesture and was going to say something when Katara, sounding very annoyed, told her brother to stop teasing him. Momo hopped up onto the airbender's shoulder.
"Aang's just a good friend." Katara said again, rubbing the boy's head. "A sweet little guy... just like Momo." She petted Momo's head just as she had Aang's a moment before, completely clueless about the Avatar's feelings.
"Thanks." The monk replied, visibly put down. Chenlian's smile had also faltered and turned sad. Having feelings for someone was something truly wonderful. But no guarantee existed that they could ever be returned. And it could lead to tragic results and consequences. Just how difficult it could be to turn someone's feelings toward oneself... Sokka approached them, soaking wet, empty handed, and with a dark look on his face. Chenlian was going to offer her contribution for the next meal when they suddenly heard an ominous noise.
Everyone hurried toward its source and saw an old man being attacked by a platypus bear. It was huge bear like creature with red eyes and the bill and tail of a platypus. It bared its teeth, reared itself up on its hind legs and attacked the old man in blue who smiled calmly and casually and skilfully evaded every blow.
"Well, hello there. Nice day, isn't it?" He politely greeted them... still dodging the swings like it was nothing. Aang, Katara, and Sokka started yelling contrary pieces of advice. However, he replied it was not needed, as he was going to be fine. The bear swung again, swiping a large chunk of wood out of a nearby tree as the calm man ducked just in time. Aang shot into the air, landed between the animal and the elderly, and airbended up a wall of air that momentarily pushed the beast backwards. It reared again and roared, only to have Appa roaring right behind it. A shiver of sheer fear ran up the bear's spine, all its muscles contracted, and an egg dropped out its behind. The animal ran into the river and swam away. Sokka picked up the large egg.
"Mmm! Lunch!" He sniffed the egg, and then haughtily looked at the old man. "Lucky for you we came along." He conveniently forgot that it was Aang and Appa who had done everything. The composed senior expressed his thanks but everything was already under control. There was no need to worry as Aunt Wu had predicted he would have a safe journey. He bowed slightly.
"Aunt who?" Aang misunderstood.
"No, Aunt Wu. She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future." The old man explained. Katara appeared immediately interested. She understood that feeling, and why that man had been so calm. At this, Chenlian became slightly suspicious... unlike Sokka who became downright offensive.
"But the fortuneteller was wrong! You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost killed!"
"But I wasn't. All right, have a good one!" He gestured in farewell and began to walk away, but turned back again. "Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this." He handed Aang a long, thin wrapped object and walked away.
"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes. It could be fun." Katara suggested, sounding quite excited.
"Oh come on, fortunetelling is nonsense." Her brother dismissed her. "Chenlian, you're not one to believe in such nonsense, are you?" While Sokka was speaking, Aang shredded the wrapping, revealing an umbrella he opened.
"What do ya know, an umbrella!" Aang exclaimed. The sky darkened instantly and thunder was heard and rain poured down on them.
"I don't really know or care. I'll do what I must and walk the path I've chosen whatever happens. Whether it exists or not, whether I believe or not, it doesn't really change anything to me. So if you want to go to that fortuneteller, why not?" Chenlian went to Appa to fetch something that looked like a hooded rain poncho. Katara smiled and waterbended the rain in a sparkling arc away from her head before joining Aang under his umbrella, happy that Aunt Wu's prediction had proven true. Sokka held the egg above his head to try and deflect the rain saying it didn't mean the future could really be foretold.
"I guess you're not really getting wet then." His sister smartly noted. The egg slipped out of Sokka's hands and in his attempts to grab it again it flew up into the air and crashed back on his head.
The four were walking down a path under the still pouring rain, and Sokka was still trying to discredit Aunt Wu's supposed ability...
"Of course she predicted it was gonna rain. The sky's been gray all day."
"Just admit you might be wrong and you can come under the umbrella." His sister suggested again but was turned down – again. And it was not like Chenlian could do anything to help here. Well, even if she could, Sokka would certainly turn her down too because of his pride.
"Look, I'm going to predict the future now... It's going to keep drizzling." He predicted with an exaggerated voice while making funny motions. He then folded his arms across his chest and assumed an expression of defiance. "See!"
The rain instantly stopped.
"Not everyone has the gift, Sokka." Aang laughed. He and the girls kept on walking, leaving the ponytailed warrior standing where he was. Appa, who was bringing up the rear, shook off his wet fur, drenching Sokka once again as he passed him by.
They walked through the gate and into to the village square. It was built on a slope and in the background they could see a single snow capped mountain, its peak partially obscured in clouds. The firebender looked at it apprehensively, having easily recognized that mountain for what it was. Not only that, she felt something weird about it. They arrived in front of the circular door of one of the buildings where some sort of herald dressed in black greeted them and told them Aunt Wu was expecting them.
"Really?" Katara was elated. The four walked forward as her brother made a sound of disgust. They passed through a circular door into a room with three sitting pillows and a young girl in a pink kimono and huge hair braids that stuck straight out from the sides of her head entered and introduced herself as Meng, Aunt Wu's assistant. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Aang, and her polite expression turned into a lovestruck one... contrary to the boy who could not look more unenthusiastic. She greeted him in a flirty way that went unnoticed for the air and water people. The child greeted her back dully, rubbing his nose. Meng offered to get them some tea, or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs as the four sat down on the cushions.
"I'll try a curd puff." Sokka answered without a second's hesitation.
"Then I'd like some cinnamon tea." Chenlian added. Meng raised her palm to them and asked Aang his name. He told him, as there was no reason not to.
"That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you?" She put her face close to his.
"I guess..." The monk replied, confused.
"Oh, don't be modest. They're huge!" Sokka opened his arms wide. Aang looked at him angrily and put his hands over his ears as if to smash them down to an acceptable size.
"Well Aang, it is very nice to meet you. Very nice." Meng insisted.
"Likewise." The Avatar replied curtly. Meng left, looking back slyly out of the corner of her eye at the airbender.
Sokka complained that he still couldn't believe they were here in the house of nonsense. His sister advised him to try to keep an open mind. There were things in this world that just couldn't be explained. Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into their future? To what Sokka pragmatically replied it would be nice to have some bean curd puffs... Katara looked annoyed at this. Not long later, Meng appeared with a tray of refreshments. And a moment later, the inner door opened to reveal a young woman in a green kimono who rushed over to her.
"Oh Meng! Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love! He's going to give me a rare panda lilly." The young woman was ecstatic. These panda lilies were a symbol of unconditional love.
"That's so romantic." She looked dreamily over at Aang. "I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower..."
"Good luck with that!" Aang told her earnestly, and cluelessly.
"Is that the big eared guy who Aunt Wu predicted you'd marry?" The woman in green inquired, amused. Meng shoved her away and brought the tray over to the three, but her eyes were fixed on Aang. She tripped and almost dumped the food on him, but he helped steady her grip on the tray, his hands on hers as they held the tray together. They shared a moment looking into each other's eyes.
"Enjoy your snack." She withdrew, looking quite flustered. Sokka took the tray from him and was going to stuff himself when they were interrupted by a woman.
"Welcome young travelers. Now, who's next? Don't be shy." It was an old and serene woman in a yellow or gold kimono – Aunt Wu – who greeted them. Since both boys and Chenlian looked uninterested, Katara went first. She stood up and followed Aunt Wu while her brother started chomping on curd puffs. He offered some to his friends but both refused. More importantly, Aang was curious about what those two women could be talking about.
"Boring stuff, I'm sure... Love... Who she's going to marry... How many babies she's gonna have..." Sokka replied unconcernedly, not noticing how the boy would grow more alarmed at each of his pronouncements.
"Yeah... dumb stuff like that..." The airbender bit his fingernails, eyes wide. "Well, I've gotta find a bathroom!" He ran away, the firebender smiling as he did so, while the two enjoyed their snacks... until Momo grabbed the bowl of puffs and ran off with it.
Aang walked down the hall near the inner door, obviously trying to be quiet so he could eavesdrop. He heard them talking about smooth palms and special seaweed lotions used as moisturizer and he stuck his tongue out in disdain for such girly topics. And then he heard what he wanted... interesting things in Katara's love line... His eyes popped out instantly and he leant in close to hear.
"I feel great romance for you. The man you're going to marry-"
"Tell me more!"
"I can see that he is a very powerful bender."
Aang's expression flipped from wide eyed to extremely smug in an instant as he launched himself into the air in the hallway, elated over this news. Clearly there was no doubt in his mind as to what this prediction meant. He returned to Sokka who was picking his teeth, and Chenlian sitting neutrally. They noticed he seemed to have had a pretty good bathroom break.
"Yeah, when I was in there-"
"I don't even wanna know!"
Aunt Wu and Katara entered and the old woman asked who was next. Sokka wanted to get this over with. The fortuneteller looked at him sternly and predicted that
his future would be full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted. He angrily retorted that she hadn't read his palms or anything, but she didn't need to as it was written all over his face. The Water Tribesman looked very displeased at this. Once more, Aunt Wu asked who was next.
"HER!" Katara immediately pulled Chenlian up by the arm.
"What?! But I don't-"
"I absolutely want to hear your love fortune!"
"But why?"
"Why?! It's a female friend's duty to hear all about her female friend's love life!"
Is it really? Chenlian wondered. She had never had any real female friend to begin with nor was it her style either to indulge in gossip as she didn't care about it or blabber about personal matters so how could she know about such things?! At first she had only planned to accompany them. She had never been interested in fortunetelling and still was not. It was certain that back then, she would have never done something she was not interested in, not for other people... but seeing Katara so ecstatic and expectant...
"Alright..." The mahogany haired girl sighed and followed a smiling Aunt Wu. Just how soft had she become?!
They went into a room when Chenlian sat on her shins on a cushion while the forecaster lit two candles and closed the shutters before sitting down the same way opposite the young girl, the candles in between them at their sides. They stared at each other for a time before Aunt Wu smiled kindly and broke the silence.
"You don't need my fortunetelling, because you already know that people make their own destiny." She gently took the teen's hands in hers. "That's what you've been doing with those scarred and toughened hands for many years. So I will just ask that you listen to that old woman's rambling and advice. As you've always been, keep walking your path with pride and dignity. Do not let any disappointment cloud and close your heart, because to many people, your smile is like the blazing dawn after a long and cold night. Since you're a decisive person, other people may seem slow to you and irritate you, but not many people possess such insight as you do, and you must not forget that many things take time, and often, mistakes are necessary for people to understand... Now concerning the young man who troubles you so much... oh dear, no need to look so surprised, of course I'd know... half of you may be with them, but half of you is somewhere far away, and only a man could make a girl have such an expression on her face... and your hands... they're so warm, and I'm sure they're much smoother than they were a few months ago, right? They also smell sweet, sensual, and fresh, just like a rosebud... you must definitely get me the balm you're using... But I digress... you're worried about him and about your friends... but just like you must never cease to believe in your own heart, you must never cease to believe in him, and in them. It might be easier said than done, but you are strong. And will become stronger still. So trust yourself, trust him, trust them, and that someday, everything will be alright. You must keep believing... no matter what, because if you give up, then nothing will be left."
"I don't know if you read the future... but you certainly read people well." Chenlian spoke at last with a small smile on her lips. "Actually I make my own moisturizer, hair masks and face masks depending on the available products. If you want I can write down all the recipes."
Chenlian and Aunt Wu returned to the reception room. Katara bolted on her feets and asked her her opinion. But the firebender merely smiled and put her index on her own lips in a shushing gesture.
"Later..." She mouthed softly. The brown haired girl looked at her curiously. Since they had left Taku, Chenlian had always looked a bit down, as if there was something weighing on her mind and that she was worried about something. It was still there but certainly she now appeared to display a more positive, optimistic attitude and outlook on things. Actually, if Katara had been so intent on coming it was not only for herself, but also in the hope of cheering Chenlian up. And since it seemed to have worked even a little, she couldn't help but smile lightly.
While Sokka was still down and pouting, Aang and Aunt Wu left and entered her inner chamber. It was a simple room with four red pillars rising to the roof. The square made by the pillars was depressed into the floor by a small amount so that you had to step down into the area. In the center of the square was a small fire. Four pillows lay at the four corners of the square. On the left is a small urn was filled to the brim with bones. They approached the urn.
"This is the most reliable method of telling your fortune. The bones never lie. Go on, pick one." She motioned to the urn. Aang obeyed and they sat down. "Now throw it on the fire." He did as told again. "The heat makes cracks in the bones and I read the bone cracks to tell your destiny." A huge crack appeared.
"Wow, that's a big crack." The bone cracked again.
"I've never seen this before. Oh my!" She exclaimed, surprised, and she and Aang both protected themselves as the bone exploded into splinters and the fire flared up to the ceiling. "This is incredible! You will be involved in a great battle; an awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil, a battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the whole world!" She told him dramatically. Aang was disappointed; he knew all of that already. He wanted to hear about a girl... about love! Aunt Wu was confused at first and then apologised for not having seen anything about that. At this the boy looked so downcast that she took pity on him and decided to go along with him. "Oh look!" She slapped the side of her face with her hand, in a gesture of mea culpa. "I must have missed something." She picked up a sliver of bone, held it over her head and examined it. "Right here it says, trust your heart and you will be with the one you love."
"Really!?" He stood and clasped his hands in a gesture of thanks. "Thank you, Aunt Wu!" And the child ran out, happy and excited, not noticing Aunt Wu shook her head at him. He joined his friends outside and they walked away.
"Well, now you got to see for yourselves that fortunetelling is just a big, stupid hoax." Sokka voiced his opinion. His sister retorted that he was just saying that because he was going to make himself unhappy his whole life. "That woman is crazy! My life will be calm, and happy and joyful!" The boy exploded again, so upset he kicked a small stone off the ground which ricocheted off a nearby sign and hit his head, knocking him on his behind. "Ow!" Then he quickly added "That doesn't prove anything!" in case the others got the wrong impression that predictions could actually come true.
"Well, I liked my predictions. Certain things are going to turn out very well." Katara commented, holding her hands together in a gesture of hope.
"They sure are." Aang leant toward her with a knowing smile.
"Why, what did she tell you?" The waterbender asked, cluelessly.
"Some stuff. You'll find out." The Avatar was still smiling but less meaningfully as he didn't want Katara to know that he had eavesdropped on her conversation.
"And you, Chenlian, what did she tell you?" Katara questioned.
"Hmm... What I wanted and needed to hear... I guess."
"And your love fortune?"
"Maybe later..." The firebender smiled mysteriously.
They arrived at the village square where a large crowd had gathered. Most of the people were standing around and looking up in silence. The man from before (who had been attacked by the platypus bear) told them they were waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village. Aang pointed at a fluffy bunny like cloud, to what the man retorted that he better hope that it wasn't one as the fluffy bunny cloud forecast doom and destruction.
"Do you even hear yourself?" Sokka cracked, earning himself a dark look from the elder. A woman explained that the cloud reading would tell us if Mount Makapu was going to erupt or remain dormant for another year. They used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano themselves, but ever since Aunt Wu had moved to the village twenty years ago, they had a tradition of not doing that. "I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman's superstition." Sokka yelled, incensed, before his sister shushed him. The fortuneteller was coming.
The crowd reverently parted to allow Aunt Wu to pass, climbed three little steps onto a square, covered little stage. Everyone clapped and cheered. Meng suddenly showed up next to Aang and pointed at the sky.
"Hey Aang, doesn't that cloud look like a flower?"
"Sure, I guess." He replied hesitantly and unenthusiastically before pushing her away and very enthusiastically saying "Hey Katara, don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?" But his spirit dampened when she shushed him too, as engrossed as she was in the old woman. And helping herself with a book, Aunt Wu began her fortunetelling. She predicted a nice big harvest (a farmer and his wife hugged each other), a great year for twins (two identical boys gave each other a high five), and dramatically announced that the village would not be destroyed by the volcano this year! The crowd went wild.
"Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you. I like you, but more than normal." The airbender said, embarrassed yet hopeful, but her rapt attention focused on Aunt Wu, Katara had not heard him at all, and she ran towards the stage leaving Aang alone, obviously crushed. Momo, perched on his head, compassionately dropped his ears. "Never mind."
Chenlian had heard it all but he surely had not wanted his confession overheard so she did the only thing she could. "Why's the long face?" The firebender slapped his back.
"Chenlian..."
"Are you doubting Aunt Wu's words?"
"That's..."
"Believe in yourself, and do what you can to the best of your abilities. And even if it's no good yet, keep at it, hope, and leave the rest to time. That's all people can ever do when things come down to it. If you think the future is written down, then it is. If you don't, then it won't be. The future is made by your own decisions. And I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't let anyone but myself dictate mine. Well, there's something I'm worried about too so I guess I'll go have a look at it." The mahogany haired girl frowned at the fire mountain. Then she turned, smiled and waved at Aang and left with a 'See ya.'
Not far she saw Meng who was – it seemed – stalking Aang. Because she had recently learned that girls in love were fussy about appearance, she thought she could do something for the little assistant. Of course it was impossible for her to date Aang, but maybe if she thought herself and actually became prettier, she would have more self confidence and so Chenlian advised her to ask Aunt Wu to share with her the recipes for hair masks and face masks she had given her. Her hair was like this because it was too dry. If she regularly applied some treatment, it should get better with time. While at Aunt Wu' 'shop' Katara had come to beg for another reading. She wanted to know about this man she was supposed to marry, if he was gonna be tall and handsome... and the old woman accepted to read her palm again.
Sokka and Aang were walking together in the village. The Water Tribe teen was still grumblings about all these "saps" and that someone needed to scream some sense at them. Aang argued they seemed happy, but not for long according to his friend who wanted to (and was going to – still according to him) prove that Aunt Wu's predictions were nonsense. He grabbed nearby man.
"Hey, you. I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those red shoes, didn't she?"
"Yeah, she said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met my true love." The man answered dreamily.
"Uh-huh. And how many times have you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?" Sokka asked back like a law keeper interrogating a suspect.
"Everyday."
"THEN OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO COME TRUE!" The boy (who in another world might have proved a fervent follower of the Cartesian doubt) yelled in anger and frustration, abashed at just how brainwashed these people seemed to be, doing anything and everything to make those predictions come true. Even if something had VERY little chance to happen, when repeated enough times, of course the probability would rise to nearly 100%!
"Really? You think so? I'm so excited!" And the man left. Those people did not even notice the absurdity of their own behaviour! Like they had completely lost their ability to think and decide for themselves! Sokka kicked a stone on the ground that hit a duck, which soon flew up onto him and vengefully started pecking him and quack in his ears. Aang watched him crawl away, still under the bird's attack.
Aunt Wu had had just finished telling Katara that she'd die peacefully in her sleep after having seen the birth of her third great grandchild. The girl was going to leave when she asked how warmly she should dress tomorrow. The old woman was flaggerbasted.
"I don't care what Aunt Wu told you, you have to take a bath sometime!" Sokka yelled at a filthy old man, who smiled, grunted, and walked away, impervious to the boy who had clearly lost all patience and restraint. Aang asked him whether he knew some stuff about ladies. "Some stuff? You've come to the right place." The Water Tribe warrior smugly put his arm around his friend's shoulders and pointed at his chest in conspiratorially. "What can I do you for?"
"Well, there's this girl..." The little monk began. Sokka saw Meng hiding behind a barrel and giggling, obviously stalking Aang.
"I think I know who you mean." He misinterpreted.
"You do? And you're ok with it?" The Avatar asked, unsure, as usually brothers were very protective of their sisters.
"Of course I am." He was definitely thinking of Meng instead of Katara, as the fortuneteller's assistant had come closer and was fractically waving her arms, desperate to attract Aang's attention. "And, to tell you the truth, I've been picking up the subtle vibe that she likes you too."
"She does!?"
"Oh yeah! She's crazy about ya. All ya have to do now is not mess it up."
"Well, how do I do that?"
"The number one mistake nice guys like you make: being too nice."
"You can be too nice?"
"Yup. If you want to keep her interested you have to act aloof, like you don't really care one way or the other." Sokka crossed his arms, trying to act all important and knowledgeable. The airbender said okay, just as Meng showed up. She tried to strike a conversation but the boy walked away after five words, carelessly throwing an uninterested 'See ya later.'... leaving a very disappointed Meng.
"Wow, that kid is good." The warrior rubbed his chin, impressed by his comrade's aloofness.
Aunt Wu was pushing Katara out into the square, telling her she'd be fine as long as she had a scarf, but the girl wanted to know one more thing. The old woman gave in, exasperated. The waterbender wanted to know whether she should eat a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow.
"Papaya!" The woman snapped before slamming the door shut. Obviously, that girl asked too many questions about too many trivial matters...
"Ohhh, I hate papaya." Katara kicked the dirt in disappointement. Aang was leaning against the wall of Aunt Wu's house, trying to look nonchalant.
"Oh, hey Katara. I didn't see you there."
"Hey Aang." The waterbender walked away without as much as a back look. He shouted after her that it was okay since he was busy with his own stuff. It was obviously a lie since a few minutes later he was there again when Katara was reluctantly bying her papaya. She offered him some (out of kindness but also hoping to reduce her own share).
"You know me." He said, casually picking a fruit and taking a bite. "I don't really care what I eat."
"Ok then. See you later." She walked away unconcernedly. Aang choked and spat.
"Maybe aloof isn't my style." He too was disappointed, until he heard a woman's exclamation of delight concerning the panda lilly a young man had just given her. They embraced. It was the woman in green who had consulted Aunt Wu just before they had come in. If that woman had loved it then Katara would surely too! Aang rudely interrupted their moment by litteraly appearing in between the happy couple, physically forcing them apart and surprising them. He leant over them to point at the flower the woman's hand and asked where a guy could find one of those things...
"I can't believe you're dragging me all the way up here for a stupid flower." Sokka grumbled, surely because he disliked having to climb the steep and uneven slope leading to the top of a volcano. But Aang disagreed. It was not just any flower but a panda lilly! He had seen it in action and it worked really well! The airbender was lightly hopping from boulder to boulder. "Flowers are fine once you're married, but at this early stage it's critical that you maintain maximum aloofness." The warrior argued back.
"But my heart is telling me to get this flower, and Aunt Wu said if I trusted my heart I would be with the one I love."
"What? Don't tell me you believe in that stuff too!"
"Well, Aunt Wu hasn't been wrong yet. Why should she be wrong about love? There, on the rim! Huh? What is Chenlian doing here?" Aang wondered, pointing at the rim where indeed the girl was sitting. "Chenlian, what are you doing? Do you also want to offer a panda lilly to someone?" He asked, taking one of those rare flowers and sniffing it.
"Aang... as if I had that kind of luxury..." She sneered showing the crater full of lava that was slowly but surely rising to the top.
"Oh no! Aunt Wu was wrong." Aang said softly, his expression full of dread and horror. He dropped his flower that fell into the lava where it burnt instantly.
"I've been there ever since I've left you, trying to do something about that. But lava is basically molten rock, and I can't earthbend. I tried to cool it down by redirecting its heat but as you can see with a constant new output of lava, my success was quite limited. It's like trying to drink up a magic self-refilling barrel. Well, you had a perfect timing. I was just thinking of going down to warn you after a two minutes' rest." When she finished, the Avatar looked at her. She had talked as if it was nothing but she was pale, sweating, her eyes were irritated and she was having breathing difficulties. Here, exposed to the poisonous gases, with a heat that should be difficult to bear for even a firebender, she had been fighting alone all this time. She should have asked for their help sooner instead of trying to do everything on her own. But it seemed she still hadn't really gotten used to having comrades with her that she could rely on.
"Those people all think they're safe. We've got to warn'em." Sokka remarked.
"There's no time to walk." Aang opened up his glider. "Grab on." He grabbed Sokka. "You too, Chenlian. You need to get away from here."
"I will stay." The firebender dissented.
"But Chenlian!"
"I will stay and do my best to delay the eruption so you can convince the villagers and arrange for their safety." The girl repeated firmly.
"Are you sure?"
"Don't worry. I won't be too reckless and I will be careful and join you before I get caught up in the eruption. Now go!"
"Alright!" And with that Aang and Sokka launched into the air. When she was like this, she wouldn't listen to anyone, and they didn't have the time to be arguing.
The pair glided quickly down to the village and landed in the square. They walked up to Katara, who was waiting outside of Aunt Wu's door, obviously disgruntled by the fact that she wouldn't let her in after all the business she had given her... even though she didn't charge as Aang pointed out. But as Sokka reminded him, they had other things to worry about! Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano.
"Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It's going to take an awful lot to change my min-" The waterbender was cut off by the sound of the mountain shaking and rumbling awake. A full plume of ash and smoke was stretching to the skies. "Oh, no!" She then asked about Chenlian. They told her she had stayed up there, where she was now exposed to the abrasive volcanic ash. Katara wanted to go and get her but Aang stopped her. He was worried too but he trusted Chenlian and that she would be fine. More than that, they had to make sure not to waste her efforts.
They addressed the villagers on the square. Sokka tried to warn them about Aunt Wu being wrong and that the volcano could blow any second but without success as they dismissed it as another attempt to discredit her. After all, he was 'Mr. Science and Reason Lover' who couldn't believe in something like fortunetelling. Then it was Katara's turn. She wanted to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as they did, but her brother and Aang saw the lava with their own eyes. The calm man from earlier wisely retorted that he had heard Aunt Wu's prediction with his own ears. The Avatar airbended himself onto the roof of Aunt Wu's house.
"Please listen to us! You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here. You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction. You have to take fate into your own hands."
"Look!" Sokka pointed at the mountain as the earth shook again. "Can your fortunetelling explain that?"
"Can your science explain why it rains?" The red shoes man laughed mockinggly.
"Yes! Yes, it can!" The Water Tribesman replied, annoyed, and completely lacking convincing power, judging how the crowd started dispersing and returning to their homes. Katara remarked at last that they wouldn't listen to reason. The monk flew back to them. They won't listen to reason, but they will listen to Aunt Wu. It was the problem, but also the solution. They were going to take fate in their own hands... and for that they would need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book.
Katara and Sokka were standing guard with guilty expressions at Aunt Wu's door while Aang and Momo went in the house via the topmost balcony. The boy was searching for the book Aang when the polished metal gong in front of him showed Meng's reflection. He saw it and jumped, startled. He turned and faced her, saying he hadn't seen her.
"You don't like me. Do you?" The girl went straight to the point. She was sad.
"Of course I like you." Aang replied. But Meng knew he didn't like her the way she liked him. "Oh. I guess not."
"It's ok. It's just really hard when you like someone, but they don't think of you that way." She reassured him. The boy hung his head. He knew what she meant. "She's beautiful, by the way."
"Huh?" The airbender blushed.
"That water tribe girl. I can see why you like her so much. She's sweet, she's a bender, and her hair seems so... manageable." She tried to mash her braids down and failed miserably. She looked crushed.
"Don't worry. You're gonna meet a great guy who's gonna completely fall for you. I know it." He put his hands on her shoulders. She thanked him. He turned to leave but then she showed him the cloud reading book she had been hiding in her robe. When he asked how she knew, she nervously admitted him she had kind of been stalking him. The girl smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, thanks. I guess." Aang blushed again.
Appa was flying through the clouds with Aang and Katara on his back. Since clouds were made of water and air, the two of them ought to be able to bend them into any shape they wanted. Katara found the symbol for volcanic doom in the fortuneteller's book, and they started bending the clouds with their graceful, dance-like movements. Below, the villagers looked up at the shifting clouds. Sokka brought Aunt Wu over to her stage and pointed at the sky, showing her what was happening.
"That's very strange. It shouldn't- Oh my!" She exclaimed, as, like all the villagers, an expression of horror appeared on her face at the sight of the skull-shaped cloud (that Aang and Katara had created). Once they were back down again, the Avatar addressed the crowd. They could still save the village if they acted fast. Fortunately, Sokka had a plan. If they dug a deep enough trench where the lava was going to flow downhill, they could channel it away from the village and to the river. All of their earthbenders were to accompany Aang. At this, one of the twins said he was an earthbender, and his brother said he was not. Just because they were twins didn't mean they were entirely identical... The rest was to use shovels. There was an explosion and they all dispersed and hurried to comply.
For hours, everyone did everything they could. The trench was several yards deep and wide, encircling the village in a crescent shape. It was night when they heard a much bigger explosion and saw rivers of lava belching forth from the crater, the most consequent one racing to them. The Avatar and his friends told everyone to hurry up and dig faster. They thought of Chenlian, like they had done all this time. But now they were REALLY worried... until they saw a flame flying in an unnatural, too controlled way. It was her!
The earthbender twins finally connected the trench to the river. They all evacuated. Chenlian soon joined her friends who alone had stayed to protect the houses. Ash was snowing down heavily.
Lava engulfed the gate on the path leading up the mountain and it burnt and crumbled away. The world had taken on the eerie red tinge of the lava, swept through a glade, consuming headstones on its way. It reached the trench and began to fill it rapidly. But the molten rock kept pouring forth from the volcano and threatened to overflow. Another explosion rocked the village. Burning ejecta was now raining down in addition to the ash. Katara and Sokka began to run, but turned to see that neither Aang nor Chenlian had moved. A huge boulder fell from the sky and into the trench, exploding. The airbender rushed forward with a furious warcry. He launched himself into the air and as the molten rock began to overflow, Aang blew the lava straight up, rather than allowing it to advance on the village. Without a single exchange, trusting in each other, the firebender started bending the heat away from the huge wave of lava while the Avatar finished cooling and solidifying it with a blast of freezing air. It was always easier to freeze a pool than a constantly bubbling source. They relaxed and assumed a meditation pose, calming themselves after the massive exertion. The Water Tribe siblings watched in awe. The mountain was still erupting, but no longer threatening the village.
"Man, sometimes I forget what powerful benders those two are. Especially Aang." Sokka commented. Katara's expression instantly changed at this, remembering Aunt Wu's words. Leaving Chenlian aside, it was true that Aang WAS a man.
"Wait, what did you just say?"
"Nothing, just that Aang – and Chenlian – are some really powerful benders." He repeated, watching the airbender and the firebender side by side, wreathed in red glow of the lava still seething behind the stone shield they had created.
"...I suppose he is..."
The next afternoon, the volcano was still smoking, but no longer erupting. Every one had gathered on the square again. Aang was standing in front of Aunt Wu and sheepishly offering her back the cloud reading book he had borrowed.
"So you messed with the clouds, did you!" She snatched the book in apparent anger and Aang cringed. Behind him, Katara looked equally guilty and sorry, while Sokka smiled and pointed at her, indicating that she was in on the cloud manipulation too. Chenlian was standing the way she always did, tall and proud. She had done nothing here that would deserve scolding. Then again, even if she had done something to make others chide her, she most likely would not have any regrets because she would have judged it to be the right choice to make.
"Very clever!" Aunt Wu suddenly laughed, reassuring everyone, and notably Aang and Katara.
"No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortunetelling." Sokka declared again. But he had underestimated the flexibility (or lack thereof) of the townspeople's minds.
"But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed, and it wasn't. She was right, after all." The calm man said with a satisfied smile.
"I hate you." The boy asserted through clenched teeth, getting right against his face.
"It's ok, Sokka. Everything's gonna be all right." His sister and other female friend said in the exact same time, taking him away by the shoulders to avoid another argument. Aang turned to the fortuneteller again. He had something to ask.
"You didn't really see love in my fortune, did you? You just told me what I wanted to hear."
"I'll tell you a little secret, young airbender. Just as you reshaped those clouds, you have the power to reshape your own destiny." Aang smiled, remembering words a certain mahogany haired girl said not long ago that sounded very similar.
"She had already seen through it all, hadn't she?" The monk looked at the firebender who was messing with Sokka, saying that technically, Aunt Wu hadn't said a thing about whether the volcano would erupt or not. She had only talked about the safety of the village.
"Right she did..." The fortuneteller smiled back. Katara was at Appa's reigns and Meng was standing in front of the bison. The Avatar leapt on the saddle.
"Goodbye everyone! It was so nice to meet you! Take care, Meng." The waterbender said her goodbyes.
"Take care!" Meng waved. Appa turned and flew away. The smile on Meng's face disappeared and was replaced by a disgusted frown. "Floozy." Just because she had given up on Aang didn't mean she had forgiven Katara for 'stealing' him from her...