I walked home at normal pace, just in case. Don't let Agni let me get caught by someone. It's airbending. The very one that supposedly only the Avatar has left, mother his. Why do I have it? Who the fuck knows.
No, of course having airbending is cool. Now my behavior quirks make sense too. After all, bending somehow affects the mind. Firebenders are all emotional, hot-tempered… And airbenders are chill? Sounds like bullshit.
Gotta carefully watch myself and collect some statistics on growing firebenders. Maybe understand something. Because I really don't like my episodes, even though they're gone.
Which, by the way, is unexpected, but the entire time on the Ember Islands they didn't hit me. And there's a feeling the reason is one—Mei. Talking to whom is interesting, and I look forward to meetings with her. Those are emotions, and they're clearly not going away. Which is very good because my emotional attachment to previous life isn't good. I'm no psychologist but there's something abnormal about it.
On the other hand my attachment to Mei is also completely unclear. I have, well almost, a friend at school—Yoshi—and somehow there's no such emotional response to him. Of course he'll never notice in life because I try not to show my chill outside, and for him I'm a welcoming simple friend. But fact is fact.
In front of Yoshi I have to act emotions, in front of Mei—no.
Really sorry there's almost no literature on airbenders. Well, almost none at all. It either burned or is in air temples where you can't get being non-airbender.
Wait a minute. And I am an airbender.
All that's left is a trifle—learn to control the element. Without a teacher. Without manuals or guides, purely on my own sensations.
Great, give me fifty years and everything will be fine. How damn sorry I have maximum ten, which I need to spend not only on bending that I can't even use in front of others, but also on some combat art.
Essentially I just found a chest of gold without handles in the middle of the forest. What to do with it—unclear. Can't leave it, can't carry it.
Same here: can't show anyone or they'll brand me Avatar and do something, but can't ignore it either—bending isn't a sword you can put on a far shelf—it'll come out sooner or later, like just now. I didn't even notice transitioning to decent kilometers per hour. And what if I decided to race with Mei? Of course I trust her, but Will of Fire is too strong in her, and even putting before choice: me or country—I don't want. And she'd probably choose the latter anyway.
And getting to those temples is no easy task—they're on the Earth Kingdom continent, often near the front line.
Eternal question—what to actually do? Even the answer "solve problems as they come" doesn't work—here's the problem, gotta solve it somehow.
Hm, well probably gotta try secretly developing this bending away from everyone. Don't see other options.
With that thought I stopped about halfway home. And where's the best place to develop away from prying eyes? Right, in the forest.
So sharply turning perpendicular from the shore I went looking for a decent clearing. Or any clearing. One where I could at least try waving arms and legs without hitting a tree.
Found one in literally a couple minutes—the forest wasn't that dense. And when I stepped into the center of the clearing, mentally preparing for uber-mega-training, I asked a reasonable question.
What the hell do I do?
I have no stretching, no techniques in reserve to immediately demonstrate something. What now?
Gotta ask Mei for advice. Bending is different but probably some general principles I can glean.
With those thoughts I left the clearing without even starting anything. Heading toward the beach and home. All tasks done, will wait for evening meeting with Mei, and now read something.
Good plan. Too bad it didn't work. Parents went off the chain and father again drove me to his "great trainings." Maybe he's not an idiot, just doesn't know how to train normal people?
*
"Hi, little one!" I waved, flopping next to Mei. "Why the long face again?"
"I'm not little!" the girl reacted immediately. "Found out why parents are in such a mood. Prince Lu Ten died—Prince Iroh's son, and though Ba Sing Se is almost fallen, Prince Iroh will apparently retreat soon—he's lost a lot of ground."
"Oh, you…"
"Mm-hmm," the girl nodded gloomily. "I think we'll go home soon, back to the capital."
Didn't ask why and for what. Neither of us wanted to reveal incognito, and she already said too much—her family is probably close to the palace and returning for all sorts of intrigues. At least that's how I imagine it.
"That's sad. We'll probably return closer to end of summer. Gotta think how to meet there," I suggested.
"Oh, actually we can!" Mei perked up immediately.
Eh, how little she needs to go from gloom to joy. Wish I had that.
"We can set a meeting day for now… let's say seventh day of the week. And where?"
"Hm, let's meet first time behind the weapon shop on the main street? Know it?"
"I'll find it," I nodded—no problem finding a shop on the main street, matter of minutes. "We'll meet there first time. Only I don't know exactly when we return home, so you'll have to watch for me there almost every seventh day at the end of summer."
"Mm-hmm," the girl nodded, then admitted. "I was afraid our meetings would end until next summer."
"Rejoice, little one, that you have such a smart136 friend," I hmph'd.
"Yes, you can be proud of yourself—at least you said one smart thing the whole time I've known you."
"Hm, maybe change 'little one' to 'venom'? 'Little venom,' exactly!" I threatened. Look at her, already setting traps.
"Hey!" the girl indigned.
"Fine-fine, don't pout, just joking… Little one is a good name anyway."
"It's not my name!"
"No one's without flaws," I shrugged. "Alright, wanted to discuss one more thing. Tell me how they taught you bending? Of course nothing secret, just the most basic. You must somehow get acquainted with fire before starting to throw it?"
"Ha, think even if the test failed there's still some chance?" Mei said weightily, raising one eyebrow, but seeing my slightly saddened face added. "Though in history sometimes someone did something wrong. Maybe your case too. Actually they sat me in the center and lit a lot of fire around, and I sat trying not to get burned. Protecting from fire is a natural ability of any firebender, but the point of this training is to grope that ability so later it can be controlled. Thanks to that you can then use fire without burning at least your clothes. Then on the contrary they sat me in front of a single candle and I had to take control of it, make the flame almost die or flare strongly. As soon as I passed those two tests I was allowed normal firebending training. They only sound hard—in reality it takes mere days."
Mm-hmm, mere days for a genius like her. For ordinary benders I'm sure it's weeks if not months. Still, how to transfer this to airbending? Asked a question—now more questions than answers. And what is the "natural" ability of airbenders to develop?
"Does the first test hurt many?" I asked just to ask, not to drift into thoughts.
"Usually accidents happened to almost every bender. Though mentors controlled the process and didn't allow serious damage, the subject must feel danger—if not for life, at least for health," Mei told casually.
Damn, harsh rules here. And before starting sword training do you have to swallow it accidentally? Or balance on it? Or fight a teacher who definitely won't hold back?
Mdaaa, wild people.
And the little one remembered herself.
"Just don't think to start that yourself! Better try with a candle right away—firebenders should at least somehow control it instinctively!" she said almost in a tongue-twister, apparently thinking I'd go set myself on fire right now.
"Don't worry, I won't go suicide by fire," I calmed her but not myself. Bad thoughts appeared how to initiate myself as an airbender—very bad, and apparently she read something like that on my face. "I'll be careful, slowly."
"That's good," Mei said, still looking at me suspiciously.
"Wanna walk in the forest or something?" I suddenly suggested. "Always ocean and ocean. I still have all summer to stare at this ocean, and alone."
"Well… let's go," the little one said uncertainly. "Only wild animals live there, mom told me."
Mda? Not good. Could've guessed the area here isn't friendly at all. So I was insanely lucky not meeting anyone on my way? Or initially scared everyone off with my bending. Those thoughts except bending of course I voiced to Mei. Got an almost characteristic look for our relationship. Something between "Are you an idiot?" and "Damn, cool!"
"Let's hope because of their small population," Mei said importantly.
Sometimes it's so funny hearing such serious complex words from her. Said it many times—lucky she's a smart girl. Though I think otherwise we wouldn't even talk because it'd just be uninteresting.
Continuing to exchange meaningless phrases we trudged into the forest massif. This time I think we won't go too deep, but at least a couple beautiful places I noticed on the way here I'll show Mei.
Let her remember more pleasant things from this vacation, because if Lu Ten is dead then as far as I remember canon will soon start spinning, slowly gaining momentum.
If only I remembered more precisely how. Unfortunately only after Mei's words did a slightly sad chubby old man trying to look harmless and funny come to mind. It so doesn't match the image of the Dragon of the West that people have of Prince Iroh now—mind-blowing.
Alright, we'll see how it goes—forest hike ahead. Too bad we didn't take food.