Sorry it took so long. And boring chapter. O_O Though necessary lol.
Aang smiled, the wind giving a nice breeze on his head. It had been so long since he flew like this, so long since he could fly freely in the air without even thinking of being shot out of the sky by a fireball. He swirled in the air, closing his eyes as the wind softly moved on his face. He hadn't realized how much he missed this freedom, this freedom that he hadn't had for over one hundred years. He opened his eyes and looked over to see Teo doing the same, apparently equally as satisfied with the newly found freedom.
The three, Aang, Teo, and the Mechanist, arrived at the northern air temple, descending slowly. Aang found himself, this time, more accepting of the changes they made, and it seemed as though they slowed these changes, nothing more than the construction they had been working on before, which was still underway, was new.
Teo landed only slightly in front of Aang, but still at his side, ?So what made you want to come here??
Aang shrugged, ?Just seemed like I should come back home. This was the only temple with anyone still living in it.?
Teo nodded, ?I guess, but there won?t be much to do besides watch them make some new inventions. And I?ll warn you now, totally boring.?
Aang chuckled slightly, ?I?m going into the shrine,? he said.
Aang descended down the stairs of the sacred shrine of the Air nomads, slightly afraid to open it. The last time he had went in, it was filled with Fire Nation supplies; the Mechanist was inventing new war machines for them, and so he was frightened at the thought of finding something even more revolting this time around. He built the courage to blast a gust of wind into the door?s opening device, and as it opened, he gave a sigh of relief to find that all of the Fire Nation items had been removed and it was just as he had remembered it one hundred and one years ago. He laughed at how it was even more familiar considering that when he had stood inside of this shrine way back then, he was only a year younger than he is now.
Suddenly, something willed him to sit down, and call upon the spirits of his past lives. Something felt right about doing that, and for some reason, he simply could not be at ease.
He sat and concentrated hard as the large nomadically decorated door slammed shut behind him, and concentrated. Literally coming out of him, extending from his body though as to sit opposite of him and to grow about a head taller than him, a spirit came out?the spirit of Avatar Roku.
Roku regarded Aang curiously for a moment, and then smiled, almos sympathetically, ?Aang, it is good to see you. But even better to see what you have done. You have fixed my mistake, and for that I thank you,? as Aang expected from past experiences in the spirit world, Roku?s voice sounded almost distant, yet at the same time near. It sounded as though his voice was coming from everywhere at once.
Aang smiled and gave a strained laugh, ?It wasn?t a big deal.?
?Bigger a deal than anything I could have hoped to accomplish in my years as Avatar,? he said, ?However, I sense a much larger reason why you have called upon me besides simply receiving my congratulations.?
?Yeah...? Aang said, his broad smile dropping into a partial frown, ?There?s still so much that we have to do. Ozai?s still alive, so is Azula. Ozai doesn?t have his fire bending of course... but...?
Roku nodded, ?I see why this worries you. Ozai is a dangerous and wise man, and even without his fire bending, he will remain a threat to all as long as he remains amongst the living. However, if anyone, and that includes you, were to kill him on order from some type of official, then much would go wrong. The Avatar, the Fire Lord, or even someone directed to do so by the Fire Lord simply out of fear, rightful fear or not, would do great harm to your newly earned reputation. On the other hand, if someone of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe were to do the deed, it would be taken as a premonition of war. As much as you may hate it, because you did not finish the job back during the war, doing it now would cause trouble, and not salvation. As for Azula, where exactly is she??
?The Boiling Rock,? Aang replied immediately.
?Ah, yes, I remember that old place. I know not much about Azula, I only know of Ozai what I would expect from a Fire Lord, but you know much more Azula than I would. I have only uncovered what you yourself have about her, and from the way you speak, that isn?t much at all. However, the Boiling Rock is a secure place, I doubt any could escape from there.?
?Zuko and Sokka did, with Suki, Sokka?s dad, and some other guys.?
?Which took the effort of over 4 people, as you tell me. The Fire Lord cannot bend elements, and Azula has no means of escape due to her lack of allies. She ruled by fear and by fear only, now that that fear is gone, so are her allies. I believe that your fears come not from logic, but from the simple fact that you are not accustomed to this lack of danger, to this lack of events in general. Am I right??
Aang looked down for a moment, deeply considering the question. Finally, he nodded and give a strained smile of thanks. The smile was short-lived though. There was something about Azula that set him off, that set everyone off. There was an extreme cleverness there, that if she should bounce back from the apparent mental break down back into a sane state, would put them all in peril, no matter where she was. And Ozai...
~
?Master... Piano?? Hakoda questioned as much as stated, honestly trying to pronounce the name correctly.
Sokka gave a prolonged sigh and looked up to his master, looking for any hints of annoyance on his face. Sokka surprised, though relieved, to see that Master Piandao was not offended in the slightest, but was holding his arm over his mouth to hide a chuckle that was escaping him.
?Piandao,? Master Piandao said simply, ?It is an honor to meet you,? he continued, dipping into a slight bow, ?I have heard much about the honorable Hakoda of the Water Tribe.?
Hakoda gladly returned the gesture, ?Sokka has told me much about you, save your name,? he said, offering a friendly laugh, ?The great swordsman who, along with a team of merely five, recaptured Ba Sing Se. A notable feat indeed.?
?I will watch over your son as best as I can,? he said, guessing that to be the greatest concern on Hakoda?s conscience, ?However, our training could very well take some time.?
Hakoda nodded, ?Thank you, but I?m used to being away from this one. You can keep him if you like,? he added with a wink.
Piandao turned to Sokka, ?Well, I suppose we should start with a spar, I?ll give you a training sword for now,? he said, beginning to walk into the gate after Sokka waved to his father, who was beginning to walk away.
?But I need to unpack first,? Sokka said, gesturing back to Appa who had several bags atop his back.
?Oh, I already arranged that with Hakoda when I first sent my messenger hawk to him,? Piandao said.
Sokka turned around, already knowing what was going on. Just as he suspected, Appa was gone, along with all of his stuff. With yet another sigh, he backed into Piandao's palace, already questioning his choice to come.
Paranoia
Aang smiled, the wind giving a nice breeze on his head. It had been so long since he flew like this, so long since he could fly freely in the air without even thinking of being shot out of the sky by a fireball. He swirled in the air, closing his eyes as the wind softly moved on his face. He hadn't realized how much he missed this freedom, this freedom that he hadn't had for over one hundred years. He opened his eyes and looked over to see Teo doing the same, apparently equally as satisfied with the newly found freedom.
The three, Aang, Teo, and the Mechanist, arrived at the northern air temple, descending slowly. Aang found himself, this time, more accepting of the changes they made, and it seemed as though they slowed these changes, nothing more than the construction they had been working on before, which was still underway, was new.
Teo landed only slightly in front of Aang, but still at his side, ?So what made you want to come here??
Aang shrugged, ?Just seemed like I should come back home. This was the only temple with anyone still living in it.?
Teo nodded, ?I guess, but there won?t be much to do besides watch them make some new inventions. And I?ll warn you now, totally boring.?
Aang chuckled slightly, ?I?m going into the shrine,? he said.
Aang descended down the stairs of the sacred shrine of the Air nomads, slightly afraid to open it. The last time he had went in, it was filled with Fire Nation supplies; the Mechanist was inventing new war machines for them, and so he was frightened at the thought of finding something even more revolting this time around. He built the courage to blast a gust of wind into the door?s opening device, and as it opened, he gave a sigh of relief to find that all of the Fire Nation items had been removed and it was just as he had remembered it one hundred and one years ago. He laughed at how it was even more familiar considering that when he had stood inside of this shrine way back then, he was only a year younger than he is now.
Suddenly, something willed him to sit down, and call upon the spirits of his past lives. Something felt right about doing that, and for some reason, he simply could not be at ease.
He sat and concentrated hard as the large nomadically decorated door slammed shut behind him, and concentrated. Literally coming out of him, extending from his body though as to sit opposite of him and to grow about a head taller than him, a spirit came out?the spirit of Avatar Roku.
Roku regarded Aang curiously for a moment, and then smiled, almos sympathetically, ?Aang, it is good to see you. But even better to see what you have done. You have fixed my mistake, and for that I thank you,? as Aang expected from past experiences in the spirit world, Roku?s voice sounded almost distant, yet at the same time near. It sounded as though his voice was coming from everywhere at once.
Aang smiled and gave a strained laugh, ?It wasn?t a big deal.?
?Bigger a deal than anything I could have hoped to accomplish in my years as Avatar,? he said, ?However, I sense a much larger reason why you have called upon me besides simply receiving my congratulations.?
?Yeah...? Aang said, his broad smile dropping into a partial frown, ?There?s still so much that we have to do. Ozai?s still alive, so is Azula. Ozai doesn?t have his fire bending of course... but...?
Roku nodded, ?I see why this worries you. Ozai is a dangerous and wise man, and even without his fire bending, he will remain a threat to all as long as he remains amongst the living. However, if anyone, and that includes you, were to kill him on order from some type of official, then much would go wrong. The Avatar, the Fire Lord, or even someone directed to do so by the Fire Lord simply out of fear, rightful fear or not, would do great harm to your newly earned reputation. On the other hand, if someone of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe were to do the deed, it would be taken as a premonition of war. As much as you may hate it, because you did not finish the job back during the war, doing it now would cause trouble, and not salvation. As for Azula, where exactly is she??
?The Boiling Rock,? Aang replied immediately.
?Ah, yes, I remember that old place. I know not much about Azula, I only know of Ozai what I would expect from a Fire Lord, but you know much more Azula than I would. I have only uncovered what you yourself have about her, and from the way you speak, that isn?t much at all. However, the Boiling Rock is a secure place, I doubt any could escape from there.?
?Zuko and Sokka did, with Suki, Sokka?s dad, and some other guys.?
?Which took the effort of over 4 people, as you tell me. The Fire Lord cannot bend elements, and Azula has no means of escape due to her lack of allies. She ruled by fear and by fear only, now that that fear is gone, so are her allies. I believe that your fears come not from logic, but from the simple fact that you are not accustomed to this lack of danger, to this lack of events in general. Am I right??
Aang looked down for a moment, deeply considering the question. Finally, he nodded and give a strained smile of thanks. The smile was short-lived though. There was something about Azula that set him off, that set everyone off. There was an extreme cleverness there, that if she should bounce back from the apparent mental break down back into a sane state, would put them all in peril, no matter where she was. And Ozai...
~
?Master... Piano?? Hakoda questioned as much as stated, honestly trying to pronounce the name correctly.
Sokka gave a prolonged sigh and looked up to his master, looking for any hints of annoyance on his face. Sokka surprised, though relieved, to see that Master Piandao was not offended in the slightest, but was holding his arm over his mouth to hide a chuckle that was escaping him.
?Piandao,? Master Piandao said simply, ?It is an honor to meet you,? he continued, dipping into a slight bow, ?I have heard much about the honorable Hakoda of the Water Tribe.?
Hakoda gladly returned the gesture, ?Sokka has told me much about you, save your name,? he said, offering a friendly laugh, ?The great swordsman who, along with a team of merely five, recaptured Ba Sing Se. A notable feat indeed.?
?I will watch over your son as best as I can,? he said, guessing that to be the greatest concern on Hakoda?s conscience, ?However, our training could very well take some time.?
Hakoda nodded, ?Thank you, but I?m used to being away from this one. You can keep him if you like,? he added with a wink.
Piandao turned to Sokka, ?Well, I suppose we should start with a spar, I?ll give you a training sword for now,? he said, beginning to walk into the gate after Sokka waved to his father, who was beginning to walk away.
?But I need to unpack first,? Sokka said, gesturing back to Appa who had several bags atop his back.
?Oh, I already arranged that with Hakoda when I first sent my messenger hawk to him,? Piandao said.
Sokka turned around, already knowing what was going on. Just as he suspected, Appa was gone, along with all of his stuff. With yet another sigh, he backed into Piandao's palace, already questioning his choice to come.
