The next day, I'm assigned to Yue's guard duty. Which always sucks when she's had a rough time of it. But today, it sucks especially. I really am the wrong person for all this subtle touchy-feely-stuff. Always was.
In any case, she tells me that Pakku has officially made both Aang and Katara his students. The other ones he had will train with them, and are, apparently relieved that he has others to focus on for a time.
I listen and nod at appropriate times.
She notices something's off. Which reminds me not to let my guard down around her. Through my friendship with her father, we've inevitably gotten to know one another quite well, and while I find her a bit too abusive of her status as princess over me at the moment, she's also Yue and in a way, my friend.
As Hahn's feelings for her gained depth, I thought she might feel the same way for him. But that was all speculation, since I don't think she has many people to honestly confide in.
"What?" she snaps when I eye her a little shrewdly.
I shrug and don't answer. What can I say? This is a bad time, and she probably doesn't know what to do with herself any more than I could tell her.
It riles her up more. "You are so annoying! Why can't you ever behave like a normal person?"
I sigh. "Princess…"
She whirls, turns on me. "Spit it out!"
"I met Sokka last night."
She freezes, the corners of her mouth pulling down. "So?"
"Just, princess, if you're gonna break Hahn's heart, be honest about it."
She tries to slap me. Slap me! Like I've done something wrong. Like I'm the one who won't break off my engagement.
I duck away. "Coward!"
"That makes no sense at all, you hypocrite," I tell her.
Tears begin to form in her eyes. Wonderful. She throws herself into my arms. Which is. So stupid. Why am I her tissue again?
I sigh and let her cry on me. Things were much better when the Avatar wasn't here. We were all so caught up in ourselves that these new and interesting people symbolising freedom are throwing everyone's game off. While I can do as I please, Yue was always caught and caged in her role as the chief's daughter. She has responsibilities, and there are expectations for her. Now she wants to exceed them. With my help.
Part of me yearns for a soft, fluffy bed to climb into, and never back out.
When she's done and backs off, still sniffling and red-cheeked, I decide to lighten the mood and take a bit of revenge for my poor shirt.
I bend her snot out of her nose.
For a moment, neither of us moves.
Then she screeches bloody murder and I take off towards where I know Pakku and his students are. There are plenty warriors and benders to guard her there and I can make a clean exit.
It doesn't happen quite that way. When the Avatar sees me coming, he waves enthusiastically. I understand the need to escape Pakku's lectures. "Hey, Kaito! What are you doing?"
"Saving my hide!" I barely slow to give him my answer, Yue is hot on my heels, doesn't even care how undignified she's behaving. Good for her, I suppose. Pakku's struggle to remain stern with her later will be hilarious to watch.
Aang decides that I am more interesting than Pakku and tags along on his airbending ball of awesomeness. I always thought it was cool, but seeing it with my own eyes is double that. "What did you do?"
"Eh, nothing special." I cross a bridge. Yue is not yet ready to give up.
"Nothing special! I'm going to get you for this, Kaito!" She shouts and people are starting to look alarmed. Okay, so maybe not my brightest moment, but at least she's not crying anymore. I risk a look over my shoulder to check on her progress. There's about twenty feet separating us.
The Avatar laughs and we lead her on a merry chase until I have the bright idea to crash in on Hahn and his warriors. That means she can use her ire to power through breaking things off, and Hahn can come find me later.
"Kaito! Aren't you on guard duty for Yue today?" So protective. So suspicious.
She appears in the doorway. "Kaito! Don't think you can hide behind Hahn!"
"What did you do?" Hahn rounds in on me and I shrug as I hide behind him ineffectively. Damn my height! Well, nothing more for me to do here.
"Hey Aang, help me out here?" I ask and he laughs loudly, happily, yanks on my collar, and off we are. This is turning out better than expected. The clean escape is nice.
We stop somewhere closer to Pakku's training grounds than I'd like, but we're not in his sight, so we should be fine. I lay back, laughing and Aang joins in.
"Seriously, what did you do?" he asks after a while.
I chuckle. "I bended the snot from her nose."
Aang laughs loudly. It was pretty funny. That look of outrage…
Maybe she'll reconsider involving me in her campaign.
We stay like that for a while, and I take the opportunity to practise guiding underwater currents without disturbing the surface. The trick is to spread your awareness of the body of water in front and beneath you so far, that where you bend is only connected to you through mind and feeling. That's usually what we speak of when we say 'mastery'.
Aang is silent, but thoughtful until he has an idea. "Kaito, do you think you could help me with something?"
"I'm not bending your bogers, Aang."
He laughs. "No! Katara and I found this scroll with a waterbending sequence, but neither of us have managed it. Maybe we were missing something."
"Sure, show me," I say, hoping it's the one he used to get rid of the Fire Nation fleet in canon. I have this idea that if enough benders work together, we can produce the same effects, only far earlier, so that no Fire Nation soldier even sets a foot into the city. It's only a vague concept so far. Hardly worth agonising over until I know.
Aang begins the sequence and I think it's the one. His results are far from stellar. It really is just a thick tendril of water that splashes back down as soon as he's done.
"You know you can just do it like this, right?" I ask, raise one bent wrist and open my fingers as if dropping something once the tendril is at the same height Aang's was. It looks exactly the same.
His face is a hilarious mixture of astonishment and frustration. "That's not it!"
I laugh. "I know." I get on my feet. "Sometimes things work better when you're doing them with another bender. Run me through it once, then we try, yeah?"
Aang nods. It's good, it flows, we fit.
"Wow, you got that down pretty fast," he says, impressed.
"I've been bending since I was two," I reply by way of explanation. "It'll be a wall at first, and there will be power in it, to destroy or subside. We're going to want to let it down gently. Let's try it then. Remember to just feel what you're doing."
The first stance feels very much like the beginning of something grand. With the slight crunch of snow beneath our heels we shift into the second. This one guides its shape and our intentions. The third moulds our power, and from there, it builds.
With every shift, and gesture, it rises. I can feel Aang's astonished glee, and he will experience my elation for how it is working, thought I doubt that he could detect that it is mine.
The wall of water builds nicely, evenly and looks magnificent. It feels magnificent. Bending is always like this, to some degree, but if it's something you need to be in perfect synchronisation with another bender with, it's just so much more. We click well.
Aang obviously feels the same way, because he whoops and breaks form. But it's his first time, and he's twelve, so he can be forgiven.
Which is, of course, partner-bending 101: never break form.
I manage to avoid getting wet by way of directing the water towards Aang.
He looks like a wet puppy and splutters appropriately. He draws himself up, but before he can retaliate, Katara and Pakku show up.
Aang is suitably distracted by this. I'm getting away with so much today. Must be all the comforting I did. Has to be good for something.
"Katara! Kaito and I managed it together! It's really cool!"
She seems to know what he's talking about without a proper explanation. "Show me!" she demands and Pakku nods along. He's curious. At the core of his cold, shrivelled heart, he's just a ball of wonder for the world.
So Aang bends his clothes dry and we do it again. This time, we bring the wave back down gently.
Katara looks stupefied, Pakku is grudgingly impressed. "Want to join in?" I suggest and both of them nod.
We have two dry runs until we're in harmony, then we bend. This is much quicker than usual. In parts because Pakku and I know each other so well, in a parts because the phenomenon of inexperienced benders meshing with experienced ones always allows the latter to set the pace. There is no struggle for dominance of will and control, because it's already so clearly established. I doubt wither Aang or Katara would know here to tug to wrench control from us, much less succeed.
The build-up is even more impressive than it was with just Aang and myself. We've got the wave about halfway when Katara moves on a little faster than us and the water destabilises.
Aang stops altogether, which Pakku will need to talk to him about. It's fine to just stop with something small, but if it's a sequence like this, and together with others, it's safer to keep going and salvage what you can.
Thankfully, Pakku and I know each other's style by heart and we synchronise our movements to bring the wave back down gently. His control always feels like a prompt greeting, and I mentally pat his shoulder in turn as we move simultaneously.
The other two watch with open mouths.
...
Don't forget to throw some power stones :)
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