"do you know how to waterbend?" a man in his late 30s asked.
"no sir, I've only ever airbended and even then I'm terrible at it" Kelly replied. she was wearing a light blue shirt with white trim around her neck while the sleeves covered her hands like fingerless gloves, a light blue skort with white trim on the skirt part with a small slit on either side to increase mobility, black boots and a very light blue leaf crown.
"well then you need to start waterbending if you're going to master it. my names Hakoda, but you'll be calling me sifu Hakoda until you've officially mastered waterbending" the man replied.
"yes sifu Hakoda" Kelly spoke with a bow.
"don't bow" Hakoda stated.
"yes sifu Hakoda" Kelly replied as she stood up.
"on second thought, just sifu H will do" he sighed.
"yes sifu H" she responded with a sly smile.
"what kind of bending can you do?" he asked.
"well I'm an annoyance bender" she replied with a loud snort as she held back laughter.
"now you're just messing with me" Hakoda spoke.
"yes I am sifu H" Kelly replied with a nod and a small laugh.
"I can't believe the avatar is this annoying" he grumbled as he massaged his forehead.
"all annoyance benders are annoying sifu H" she spoke before she burst out laughing.
"stop laughing!" Hakoda almost growled.
"I-I'm sorry, it-its just too funny!" she replied between laughs.
she then used her bending to push air into her lungs with a loud gasp.
"I-I think I'm okay now" Kelly panted with one more laugh.
"now tell me, what are your bending skills? your actual ones" he asked with a tap of his staff.
"I've never waterbended before and I'm awful at airbending. I could only do the very basics of airbending like a simple small blow. I've been stuck in tier three since I was six. although I think my airbending has actually improved to like, tier six! which is really impressive for me. watch!" Kelly explained, scratching her head before snapping the same hand at a nearby table, bending the air to blow it a foots length out of place.
"very impressive. can you try waterbending?" Hakoda questioned.
"I've tried to waterbend in the past few days but I just can't seem to do it" she replied.
"strange, you're a water avatar so waterbending should be easy for you" he commented.
"I know! its so weird!" she replied with a scratch of her head.
"I need to go talk to someone really quick. for now, why don't you practice your airbending?" Hakoda told her as he began leaving the room.
"yes sifu H, but may I perhaps know who you're talking to?" Kelly asked.
"my daughter Pema the II, she's the girl who hit you in the head with an icicle" Hakoda replied before disappearing from her sight.
a girl in her early teens sat at a traditional dinner table fiddling around with a cup of water using her bending.
"Pema, are you sure Kelly is the avatar?" Hakoda asked as he entered the room.
"well I don't know! I'm fourteen! I've never known what the avatars 'spiritual energy' is supposed to be like! I just know that girl has the extra spirity bending grandma told me they're supposed to have. that girl has avatar airbending. probably" the girl, Pema replied.
"wait, just airbending?" Hakoda questioned with suspicion.
"I don't sense any other type of bending in her, I didn't mention it since I thought that it would come in later. the last avatar did die in the avatar state after all so there might be some differences between her and previous ones" Pema responded with a shrug.
"that's really weird" Hakoda told himself.
"unless Raava is taken out of them then the avatar is supposed to have all types of bending. it doesn't make sense. how can someone with only one type of bending be able to access the avatar state?" Hakoda thought aloud.
"unless...she's not full avatar!" Pema replied as she dropped the water she was bending back into the cup.
"what?" Hakoda questioned.
"there's four types of bending. but Kelly only has one. what if the avatar has been divided into one avatar for each type of bending? water, earth, fire, air. just look at Kelly's birthmarks! air on her cheek and the other three on her arms. maybe we just need to find everyone with those birthmarks?" Pema explained as she stood up.
"that's crazy, there's another totally reasonable explanation for this" Hakoda replied.
"what is it then?" Pema asked with full seriousness.
"uh..." he trailed off as he tried to come up with another explanation.
Sara sat on a bench in a park, watching as people passed by.
"you want one?" Katana asked, one foot on the ground and the other on the bench while holding a taped over box partially open to reveal a bunch of small sticks that looked like cigarettes.
"uh, no?" Sara nervously replied.
"your loss" Katana shrugged as she sat down and pulled one of the sticks out and bit into it.
"wha-" Sara stuttered, realizing it was just white chocolate.
"oh my Raava. you could've said it was chocolate!" Sara sighed, getting a shrug in response as Katana took another bit.
she held out the box and Sara took a white chocolate stick out.
"so what's your name?" she asked.
"Katana. you?" Katana replied.
"I'm Sara, nice to meet you. what's in the bag?" Sara questioned.
"matches, some rocks, a bag of helium, school books, a plastic-" Katana began listing off everything in her bag, counting on her hand.
"a bag of helium?" Sara repeated.
"yeah, it bursts all the time" Katana sighed.
"I'm gonna go and guess you're a non-bender?" Sara spoke, brushing her hair out of her face with one hand.
"you a fire bender?" Katana replied.
"yeah, how'd you know?" Sara responded with a question.
"just guessing. you look like you could be from the fire nation" Katana shrugged.
"bet I could beat you in a fight though" she smiled as she stood up, offering the box still in her hand to Sara.
"we'll see" Sara replied as she stood up, taking a chocolate stick from the box.
"Chidori, can we talk?" Chidori's father asked as he entered her room.
"yeah, what is it?" Chidori replied, dropping the metal coin in her hand.
"I just got a call from the earthbending representative on the republic council asking if you'd want a full scholarship to the sandbending university?" he explained.
"oh yeah, I beat up a bloodbender. I threw half a beach at her and probably broke her nose" Chidori shrugged.
"so, you did the police's job but way more violent and skilled and now the earthbending representative in republic city wants to give you a scholarship?" he recalled.
"the lady stabbed him in the legs and I saved him. also stopped him from suffocating in the beach sand" she replied.
"geez, I think I get why he's offering you a full scholarship to the sandbending university" he whispered.
"I told him I'd stick with grandpa's lessons. he's a master sandbender!" Chidori responded with a flick of her wrist, launching the metal coin into the air.
"yes, but he's getting old. if you went to the university you'd learn stuff your grandfather can no longer teach" her father explained, pressing his hands against the edge of the desk.
"tell him I'll...consider it" Chidori spoke, looking away as she picked the metal coin again.
"hey Katana, I'm here" Emily stopped when she saw the empty bench.
"where'd she go?" she asked herself.
she looked around, seeing two girls fighting in the nearby bending ring of the park.
Emily ran over to the tall fence, stopping when she saw the two girls were Katana and Sara.
"hey Katana!" Emily called out, causing both girls to stop.
"Emily! hi! come in, I wanna introduce you to Sara" Katana called back, a few burns on her skin and clothing.
Katana walked over and unlocked the gate, allowing Emily to step inside.
"Emily, meet Sara. she's a firebender. Sara, meet Emily. she's a waterbender and the bestest, greatest friend!" Katana told the two benders.
"heh, hi. what were you two doing?" Emily asked.
"oh, she bet she could beat me in a fight. so I took the bet" Sara awkwardly explained, scratching the back of her neck.
"we should probably get to a healer" she continued, kicking a small pebble away from her foot while gesturing to her stomach area.
"my names Emily, and I'll be your healer today" Emily joked.
"she's a healing prodigy!" Katana told the fire bender.
"oh cool! you wouldn't mind healing my wrist right? I think Katana sprained it" Sara asked.
"sorry" Katana squeaked as Emily nodded.
"where's your bag?" Emily asked the non-bender.
"over there" Katana replied, pointing at the bag sitting next to the gate.
"why do you need her bag again?" Sara asked as Emily walked over to the bag.
"she has a water bottle in it" Emily explained, pulling out said water bottle out of the bag.
"why?" Sara questioned.
Katana gave an awkward shrug in reply.
"bored, bored, bored, boreeed" Kelly groaned, sitting upside down on a bench in the training arena.
"Kelly" someone said as they entered the arena.
she quickly sat up properly, seeing Pema standing in the large doorway.
"oh hi! do I know you?" Kelly asked.
"remember? I'm the one who threw an icicle at you" Pema replied, pointing finger guns in a joking manner.
"ah, right. nice to properly meet you" Kelly smiled as she stood up.
"same here" Pema laughed.
"so I'm guessing you're a waterbender?" Kelly queried.
Pema nodded with a smile.
"neat!" Kelly squeaked.