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Literature Text
Going Home Again
As the last light of the sun drained from the lands, Appa finally glided down over Gale Isle. Aang steered him to a spiraling landing on the southernmost beach, and no sooner did the bison's feet touch the rocky sands than Aang was sliding off his head to stand on the land he once knew. Gale Isle had never boasted much animal life, not counting the Air Temple where the lemurs and sky bison made their homes, and the beach looked forlornly empty in the twilight. It was the opposite of Aang's visits as a child, when he and his cacophonous friends visited to play in the water and hunt for sharks to ride. (They never found any.) Now, as he looked around, he had trouble recognizing anything. Even the quiet lapping of the ocean on the shore was unfamiliar.
Either the beach had changed in a hundred and one years, or Aang had forgotten it.
He heard a soft grunt behind him, and turned to find Sokka disembarked and stretching his arms. "Woo, I am glad to be on solid ground again. Flying is... interesting, but sitting in that saddle all day is harder than a day of work."
"Boo hoo, your butt is exhausted from sitting down all day." Mai jumped from the saddle to land easily beside Sokka, and stood with her shoulders squared. "Trust me, that's the most comfortable saddle you'll ever ride in. Other animals bounce as they move. Ridiculous flying aside, at least the bison is a smooth ride." Mai looked around the beach, and turned to Aang with a questioning eyebrow raised. "So where are we supposed to take shelter around here?"
Aang smiled and threw his arms out. "Right here! The sky is clear and it's going to be a beautiful night."
Mai looked at Aang.
Mai looked up.
Mai looked back at Aang. "I don't get it."
"He means, milady, that we're sleeping outside tonight." Sokka crossed his arms and grinned. "The peasants call it 'camping.' Perhaps you've heard of it?"
"You're joking." Mai looked back at Aang. "He's joking?"
Aang could only shrug in apology. "The only shelter on the whole island is the Southern Air Temple, and we'd have to fly half the night to get there. We can camp here, watch the sun rise over those cliffs tomorrow morning, and then fly over to the temple."
"I hope you brought a tent," Sokka said as he strolled past Mai.
The way her eyes went wide was funny, but Aang felt too sorry for her to let the joke go on. "Sokka's teasing. We have three tents we took from the cargo ship, and I don't even need one. I just sleep on Appa's tail." And because he wanted to be nice, he added, "Appa's tail is nice and warm. You can sleep there with me if you'd prefer," before realizing that it might not come across as innocently as he intended.
Mai, though, just glanced back at Appa, who gave her a welcoming groan. "I'll take the tent, thanks."
Aang caught Sokka giving him a look that said the older boy caught all the possible implications of the offer. It occurred to Aang to hope that Sokka's teasing of Mai was just friendly, and not boy-girl teasing. After all, she was really pretty, and Sokka was a teenager just like her, maybe the same age. Sokka was even posing now, with his arms on his hips, as he said, "Very well, fellow campers. As the resident Survivalist Expert, I'll oversee the setup of our Camp. Since none of you have the necessary expertise, I'll put up the tents. Mai, you get us some firewood. Dry, dead wood only, please. Don't cut any living wood unless you like your campsites covered in smoke. Aang, are there fish in these waters?"
"Um, I don't think so. I never saw any."
"Huh. Well, I guess it's Fire Navy rations for dinner, then. It'll be dark soon, anyway. Aang, you're in charge of digging them out and opening those tin cans. Any questions?"
Mai raised a hand. "Where are the bathroom facilities?"
Sokka pointed at a collection of bushes in the distance to his right. "Girls over there." Then he pointed to another set of bushes in the distance to his left. "Boys over here."
Mai's eyes went wide again. "I want to accuse you of kidding me again, but this isn't a joking matter."
Aang sidled up to her and gave his nicest smile. "Welcome to the life of a Nomad. Don't worry, it's a lot better than it seems. The sky is clear and it's going to be a beautiful night."
"...you said that already."
"Oh."
Sokka had just finished setting up the second tent when Mai stomped into the makeshift campground and dumped a bundle of branches on the rocky sand. He took a quick look to make sure she had followed his instructions about bringing only dry wood, and then motioned at the tent. "Just in time! Your humble abode awaits, my lady."
The look she gave him was frostier than a polar bear-dog's tail.
He grinned. He probably shouldn't mess with her like that, but he couldn't help but enjoy the reversal of the usual Fire/Water dynamic. The Fire Nation liked to lord their supposed superiority over the rest of the world, and it was fun to see one of their warriors so completely out of her depth. Not to mention the way she had tossed him around back in the research center at their first meeting. "Hey, Mai, did you find the bathroom okay? Not too breezy?"
She paused in the middle of unloading her travel case from Appa to hold up a gesture.
Sokka held back some laughter and went over to get the campfire started. While he worked the wood, stacking it in a conical shape and setting up some smaller branches to act as tinder, Aang ambled over and spoke in a soft voice. "Um, I don't think you should say things like that to her."
"Yeah, okay. I've had my fun. It's just weird to get so freaked out about sleeping in a tent."
"But Mai's our friend, and we're going to be together for a while. We should try to be sensitive to each other."
"Yeah, okay."
"So you'll stop teasing her?"
Sokka struck his spark-rocks together over the tinder. It started catching, and he leaned down to blow gently, giving it the air it needed to burst into flame. Once he was satisfied that it was really starting to catch, he leaned back again and slapped a friendly hand down on Aang's shoulder. "Fine, kid, I'll be nice."
"Great." Aang looked down at the fire for a moment before speaking again. "So, what do you think of Mai?"
"Isn't that what we're talking about?"
"She's pretty, right? I mean, pretty neat, right?"
Sokka realized exactly where this was going, and it took him a moment to put the pieces of his mind back together after the realization. Aang, the last Airbender, really did have the shivers for a Fire Nation girl? Granted, Mai was neat, being a traitor to her evil masters and all, but she was still kind of messed up. Aside from being raised in the Land of Evil, she was also a woman who was a warrior, and that had to be doing bad things to her mind. Probably the reason she was so cranky; if she focused more on cooking and sewing, she'd be more easygoing.
Remembering that Aang was still hanging, Sokka shrugged. "Yeah, pretty neat, but not the type of person I'd spend time with for fun."
"Oh. That's good. Or, um, not good good since we should all be friends, but- well, I- I got the ration cans open."
"All right, dinner time! I wonder if we can heat them over the fire."
Zuko would have thought he was dreaming, if the luxuries around him had any resemblance to his usual fevered nightmares.
The warm bathwater warmed him and eased the pain of muscles that had been cramped from days on end of sleeping on the ground. His body was being massaged by massive brushes directed by silent but enthusiastic servants, against which Zuko struggled to remain upright even as they scoured the oil and dirt that had accumulated from months on the road. As they worked, he meditated on the scent of the perfume that had been added to the bathwater and let the sensations wash over him, until the brushes withdrew, and he was left feeling like a new being freshly emerged from a chrysalis. It was almost like being home, swathed in the luxury of the Fire Palace. He hadn't been back there since he had gone with Father to fight in the war. How long had it been? He was sure it had been years since he was- since Father-
There was one major difference from home. With just one eye, Zuko now had to turn his head to see the whole width of the room.
He forced strength into his voice, and looked over to the screen that had been set up on the far side of the room, next to the door. "The Avatar is really back?"
Azula's reply rang out from behind the screen: "You keep asking that. It's almost as if you don't trust me." She gave a chuckle that, even after their long separation, Zuko recognized as completely artificial. "Well, if you won't believe me, then surely you can trust Mai. She's doing this all for you."
One of the servants dumped a bucket of water on Zuko's head to wash away the shampoo in his hair, but he scarcely noticed. So much was happening, for the first time in so long. After arriving out of the night in the decrepit town where Zuko had been kicking around, Azula had whisked him away to a more civilized colony, throwing gold coins around (pure gold, shined so that each one lit up the space around it) to rent the services of an entire luxury inn. Servants had torn Zuko's clothes off and taken them away to be burned. He had glimpsed crimson silks being prepared for him as he was led into a bath bigger than most peasants’ houses. Azula had promised him weapons, and armor, and access to all the information that passed through the Fire Nation's full telegraph network.
All in service to finding the Avatar.
Zuko had seen the Wanted posters, on his way into the hotel. Mai was pretending to be a traitor, bringing the Avatar to him.
After being alone for so long, he hardest thing to believe was that people actually wanted to help him.
He looked back over at Azula's screen. "Does Mai know about... about what I became?"
"Everyone knows about your banishment, of course. Or are you referring to the... state... in which I found you? Even I didn't know what to expect, so no, she's probably still picturing the eager young man prancing about in his armor, so excited to be going to the front." Zuko's felt his face twist at the memory, and it was almost as though Azula could see his discomfort, since her next words were, "Did you do it to impress her?"
"What?"
"Begging to join Father. Did you do it to impress Mai?"
Zuko sunk deeper into the water, letting it come up to his chin. "Why would I do it to impress her?"
"Well, Lu Ten went off with Uncle just after his betrothal to her had just been finalized. I thought it might have inspired you to seek a military adventure yourself as soon as you were old enough, given the... regard you two always had for each other."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"If you say so." Azula's voice went lower, slower, as she added, "Uncle sent word back breaking off the engagement not long after your banishment was declared, and Mai remains unpromised. She never needs to know the state in which I found you. Things can go back to the way they were, and we can both pretend you were always the shining prince, if only you can catch the Avatar."
Zuko reached a hand up to brush his scar. If- when he returned home, he could have a glass eye made, to replace the one he lost, but for now, he supposed a patch would have to do. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm giving you incentive. One of the nice things about you, Zuzu, is that you're more than capable of dedication. If you want something, you won't stop trying to get it, even if it's completely futile. But you've never been one to take direction, and look where it's gotten you. Do as I say, and you'll be catching the Avatar in no time at all. Then everything you want- home, a reconciliation with Father, perhaps a competent and loyal young lady friend who sighs like a bellow- will be yours. Do we understand each other?"
Zuko said nothing for a long time, and then dashed his hand against his bath water, sending it spraying all over the delicate painted walls. Let Azula pay to have them redone, if they were damaged. "Get out of here. I'm going to get dressed, and then I'm going to bed."
Azula matched the length of his own silence. "Since you asked so nicely. Sleep well, Zuzu. Your exercise regime begins tomorrow."
"And stop calling me that!"
The shutting of the door was her only reply.
Aang stretched into wakefulness, and smiled at the light of the rising sun. He snuggled into the fur of Appa's tail, thinking about snoozing for a little longer, but then he remembered that today was the day he was going home. He bolted upright, and gave a windy leap that took him over to the bushes designated as the boys' bathroom facilities. In the cool light of the morning, he decided that the whole idea of there being no Airbenders left was completely ridiculous. Sure, maybe the Fire Nation had attacked after all, and Aang was willing to allow that some of his fellow Nomads had died tragically, but they couldn't all have been killed, right?
Some wouldn't have been at one of the temples, and even for those who were caught there when this Comet came, there was no way the Fire Nation could cut off every single escape route for people who could fly. Aang was more and more confident that many had survived, and continued the Nomad traditions in secret, and a hundred years later, there wouldn't be any danger in returning to the temples. In fact, if everyone believed that the Airbenders were gone, the temples would be the best place to hide, since no one would think to look there! And the Southern Temple's Sanctuary had that secret that Monk Gyatso had talked about, the person who would teach Aang how to be the Avatar. That had to make the Southern Temple the one most worth returning to for any survivors or descendants.
Even more excited now, Aang finished his business and ran back over to the campsite. "Sokka! Sokka, time to wake up!"
Sokka's tent said nothing.
"Mai! It's a beautiful morning! Want to watch the sun rise with me?"
Mai's tent said nothing.
Aang looked over at Appa, who shook himself fully awake and gave a friendly roar. See, Appa knew how to greet the morning with a smile. Now Aang just had to wake up these lazy teenagers. Grinning, he untied the entrance to Sokka's tent, and blew a blast of air into it that inflated the whole thing like a giant balloon. The noise and sudden rush of pressure jolted Sokka awake, and before he could try to get grumpy, Aang said, "Good morning it's time to get up I'll have some rations ready for breakfast before you get your pants on so hurry up!"
Then he ducked out of Sokka's tent and turned to Mai's. Aang didn't want be as rough with her, so once he untied the tent's entrance, he peeked his head. "Mai, it's time to wake up. The sun is rising, and you can be the first outsider in a hundred years to see an Air Temple! Doesn't that sound great?" It was dark in the tent, but just enough light was streaming in behind Aang for him to make out her shining hair curled at the head of her sleeping bag like a sharp calligraphy stroke.
Then there was a motion, and Aang got a glimpse of a pale and delicate hand just before a blur eclipsed his vision and something really hard smacked into his forehead hard enough to send him somersaulting backwards away from the tent.
Behind him, Sokka laughed.
Aang rubbed his head, and looked down to find a hairbrush lying in the sand at his feet. Apparently, she didn't need to open her eyes to hit a target.
Neat!
And painful.
Mai wasn't in anything even approaching a good mood.
The day started with a hyperactive, hyper-hormonal Airbender waking her up from a nice dream about fruit tarts, immediately followed by once again having to use a bush as bathroom facilities. That was followed by a less-than-lovely breakfast consisting of cold canned rations of a nutritional nature that Mai couldn't (and wouldn't) guess. Aang wanted to get going right after that, but Mai absolutely refused to spend another day wearing the same outfit.
"Is there anywhere around here I can get a bath?" she had asked Sokka, dreading the answer. His response had been to grin that grin again and point over at the ocean lapping quietly against the beach. Of course. Bad enough that she was forced to use wild water that a whole ocean's worth of fish pooped in, but she couldn't even get it heated. For the first time in her life, she wished she was a Firebender. Without any other options, though, she ordered the boys away, did a quick washing that left her sputtering and shivering from the cool water, and then broke a new outfit out of her luggage.
Of course, if she had thought things through, she would have known to expect her next problem: she had no way to dry her hair. Once again, she endured Sokka's superior barbarian attitude (like knowing how to live a completely uncivilized life was something to proud of!), and had a hard time trying to figure out a reason not to jam stilettos in his ears. After all, she was going to have to ditch him before meeting up with Zuko, anyway. She might have got on with it, just then, if Aang hadn't thrown a gale-force wind at her that instantly dried her off. She was all set to actually thank the kid for it, but then her hair started puffing out wildly from the rough treatment, and she had to make herself remember that Zuko needed the Avatar alive in order to return to the Fire Nation. At least Aang gave her back her hairbrush without having to be asked, but the whole experience was enough to convince her to forgo putting on her usual makeup.
Finally, they all climbed on Appa and got going.
The trip quickly took them up over the cloud cover, as Aang guided his big dumb pet to a range of mountains that stretched across the middle of Gale Isle. Sokka curled up at the rear of Appa's saddle and was soon snoring lightly. That wasn't a bad idea, but just because she was on an arduous mission to help destroy the Fire Nation's most dangerous foe, Mai saw no reason to let her hair lose its shine. As she meticulously brushed it through, ignoring Aang's intrigued glances, she leaned against the side of the saddle and looked down at the swirling clouds. It was almost disappointing to learn that they were nothing more than soggy vapor. Looking at clouds down from the ground, they had almost seemed like they would be interesting to touch, but the truth was so much less.
That was probably a metaphor for life, or something. Mai indulged in a sigh.
She longed to be done with this job, to guide Aang and Sokka somewhere under Fire Nation control, send a telegraph, and let Zuko take care of them. Then she would be done with camping, done with hyperactive twelve-year-olds who had never seen girls before, done with arrogant barbarians, done with doing her business in a bush, done with rebels who thought she was helping them, done with all of this.
Once her hair was returned to its proper straightness and done up her preferred odango style, Mai proceeded to sharpen and polish her knives. Many people assumed that it was a boring task, but it never failed to hold her interest. One had to be careful of the cutting edges, of course, but it also took knowledge and a good eye to get the blades to their maximum sharpness, and kept her fully engaged.
Sokka woke up while she was still working, and gave a wistful sigh at the sight of all the weaponry lying around her. "Wow, what I wouldn't give for some nice weapons like those. That's some quality metal."
Mai snorted. "What do you know about metal?"
"Hey, you met me in the Research Center for the mines, remember? I probably know more about metallurgy than you do." He nodded at the knife in her hand. "That's Liu Shui steel, I can tell by the texture. Nothing stronger."
Mai stopped mid-polish. He was right. "This set came from a metalsmith who works for an old friend's father. Azula- my friend- she commissioned it for me as a going away present when my family was dispatched to the South Pole." She left out all the implications such a royal gift carried, and instead quieted as she reached for the next weapon in the pile.
She didn't recognize this blade at first, but then Sokka said, "Hey, that's my knife! I mean the one I made. The platinum knife." Sure enough, it was the blade Zhao gave her upon her arrival. So Sokka had made it, huh? As Mai looked it over, admiring the grip, he continued to say, "So what's the big deal with platinum, anyway? All of the sudden the Fire Nation wanted to dig as much of the stuff up as they could, and they're trying everything they can to harden it enough to make weapons out of it. Seems pretty pointless to me. That stuff will never work that way."
Mai shrugged. "No one tells me much of anything. I just know that there are some problems on the Colonial Continent that they're trying to keep hushed up, something spreading that our troops are having real trouble with, and the people up high think platinum is the way to solve it. Maybe our tanks and weapons corrode in swamp gas or something, so they want a different metal. I just know there's a hurry, so my dad was sent to keep things on track despite that freaky snowstorm." She held the platinum knife up in the sun, decided it was too shiny, and added, "You want this back?"
"I don't really have a use for it." He blushed, and added, "I mean, yeah, I don't have any weapons, but a bad weapon is more dangerous than no weapon at all, or at least that's what my dad said, and anyway I guess it’s a symbol of my people being oppressed and all so as a sentimental thing it wouldn't really-"
Mai interrupted, "You don't have a weapon?!"
"Um, no, not if we don't count my little razor. The Fire Nation didn't let us keep anything bigger than a kitchen knife, and even though Bato's friends made some stuff out of their mining equipment, I didn't want to take any. They'll probably need those things, when they find somewhere to settle."
Mai hardly listened to his rambling. He didn't have a weapon? At all? In the Fire Nation, everyone owned a weapon, even the lowliest peasant. And Sokka, just like her, wasn't a Bender. In her whole life, Mai knew only one person who was neither a Bender nor fought with weapons, and Ty Lee was probably dead now, showing the wisdom of that philosophy. It was unthinkable that Sokka was embarking on a globe-trotting adventure with nothing but his dim wits to protect him. Didn't he understand what kind of world it was? She was ready to give him one of her Flowing Water blades right then and there, before she remembered that that she might actually have to fight (kill?) him before this whole thing was over and she was back in the Fire Nation.
But still, if Sokka were lying in front of her starving, she'd at least throw a crust of bread at his stupid face, right?
Finding one of her lesser knives, she tossed it over. "Here. Keep it." Then, on impulse, she tossed a second.
"Hey, thanks!" Sokka pulled each blade out of the sheath for a moment, admiring the edges (of course, Mai had just sharpened them), and then tucked them into his belt. His grin looked out of place on a face that usually looked depressed, or scared, or smug. It was a Tom-Tom grin, young and uncaring.
"Please don't mention it. Literally."
Sokka was looking like he was actually going to try hugging her, when Aang sat up in his position on Appa's head, and pointed into the distance. "Hey, guys, there it is! I'm home!"
Mai dutifully looked, and had to admit that the Southern Air Temple was better than she expected.
She had imagined something rugged, something unfinished that was just as much cave as temple. Even if such a thing might have looked halfway decent to non-Fire Nation folk a century ago, surely the passage of time would have rendered it ruins by now, reclaimed by all the wild nature that could be found outdoors.
Instead, she found herself looking at massive towers that rose majestically from a mountain peak. The surfaces seemed to swirl like clouds, but then her sharp eyes picked out the stairs spiraling around the outside of each tower, creating the impression of rising motion as Appa approached. The towers were topped by bright blue spires that reached to the sky. Amazingly, none of the colors had faded over the last century. The blues practically glowed in the light of the sun, and the white buildings stood out brightly against the mountain rock, reminding Mai of snow in the moonlight. They were nestled into the crags of the mountaintop as if they had grown out from within it, reaching to the sky with the eagerness of one of Crawling Trees of Yukuefumei Island.
Too bad it all looked so empty. Shrugging, Mai turned away from the temple and began putting her knives back.
Sokka climbed up to the front of the saddle and pointed at platform connected to the temple complex, a bit lower on the mountain. "Make for there!"
Aang looked back with a quizzical expression on his face. "Why? Appa can just take us right to the temple, and then you won't have to walk."
"Aang..." Sokka glanced at Mai, but she had no idea what he was getting at. Seeing that she'd be no help, her turned back to Aang and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I don't see any activity over there. No movement, no... things... flying around, not even a single line of smoke. Let's land outside the temple, and then I'll go scout it out for you."
"Why don't we all just go? We've already waited long enough-"
"Aang, I watched my parents bleed to death on the floor of my home."
Aang's jaw dropped. Mai's head snapped up; she wasn't sure what to make of the sudden declaration. Why would he say such an awful thing? Was it even true?
Sokka reached up to tug his ponytail while his eyes drifted to his knees. "Some things... they're not good things to see, no matter how old you are. It's one thing to know about it, but seeing it- you don't want to see it. Take my word for it, okay? I'll go check things out for you, and if it's all good, you can tease me for making a snowstorm out of a flake. If not, I can come let you know, and- if you don't want to see, then fine, but if you still want to, I can at least... prepare you. You get me?"
Aang nodded slowly. "Okay. I think it will be fine, but- It's not a bad idea. Thanks, Sokka. I'll stay on the platform with Mai."
Oh, goody.
Though, she had to admit, for a barbarian who liked playing the manly macho wilderness survivor, it was surprisingly thoughtful of him. Maybe she'd only stab him in one ear when the time came.
The platform Sokka had picked out rose apart from the main mountain on which the temple was situated, but a bridge connected the two. Sokka could walk over, and then take a series of winding paths up to the temple area proper. Mai wondered if this was some kind of diplomatic receiving area; certainly, the Air Nomads themselves wouldn't have had to park a bison this far away, would they?
Appa landed, and Sokka immediately hopped off and got on his way without so much as a backwards glance. Figuring that he would be a while, Mai decided to remind her muscles of their purpose. She climbed down the platform, and ran through stretches to work some life back into her limbs. Straightening up from touching the toes of her boots, she caught Aang- still up on Appa's head- looking at her with obvious interest. As soon as their eyes met, he quickly looked away and pretended that he had been working on a knot in Appa's reins.
Well, that was worth a sigh.
Finishing with his knot, Aang hopped down and casually ambled over. "I think you'll really like the temple. It's peaceful and rich in spirit, and you can feel it just by breathing in the air! The fruit trees should have some early crop by now, and I'll make you one of Monk Gyatso's famous fruit cakes. The secret is the gooey center that you have to make light and fluffy with Airbending!"
Mai figured that there was no avoiding conversation, at this point. "Fruit cake sounds nice. Who was Monk Gyatso?"
"He's-" Aang looked down. "He was- he taught me everything I know." Aang looked up, a smile growing once again on his face. "He's the most fun monk you could ever meet. He threw some of his cakes at the Temple Elders!"
Mai smiled back. She liked the sound of this guy already. Too bad he was dead for a hundred years. "Did he know that you were the Avatar?"
"Yeah. Everyone knew. Things got weird after that." Aang looked down again, kicking his boots against the stone of the platform. He took a deep breath, and then looked back at Mai with an expression that reminded her of Tom-Tom being caught in the act of licking her hairbrush. "That's why I ran away. The Elders wanted to take me away from Gyatso, so that I could train harder to protect our people. They said a war was coming, and I had to be ready. I guess I messed that up, huh?"
This? This was why Mai hated talking with people. She wanted to say yes, he had messed that up as badly as messes could be up, but obviously that wouldn't do in this situation. She needed Aang to trust her, to like her, so that he would listen to her when she brought him to Zuko. She needed to be his friend. Azula enjoyed blunt criticism, especially since she never actually earned any, while Ty Lee had always bounced back from it fairly quickly. Mai had no practice at this.
So she shrugged and turned away from Aang. "Why come back here? Sokka was right: whatever's up there probably isn't something you want to see."
"I have to really know for myself. And this temple has some secrets that I need to investigate. Gyatso said that the Sanctuary had someone in it who could guide me in being the Avatar."
"A hundred and one years ago, right?"
"Well, who knows what's in there? Legends are full of people who live for centuries."
Mai was going to give her opinion of the academic validity of legends, but she was cut off by the sound of boots on the stone, and she and Aang turned to find Sokka returning.
His face was grim.
Mai could practically feel Aang's mood deflate. He stepped forward and said, "What did you find?"
Sokka took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. "The whole place is empty, except for this one courtyard. Beyond it is a tunnel that leads to a big room with a fancy pair of doors on the far side. I couldn't get that open, it seems like it's locked pretty tight. But all in that courtyard, and through the tunnel, and clustered in that room-"
Sokka swallowed, and then continued, "There are bodies."
Aang's legs went wobbly, and Mai instinctively reached out to catch him and lower him to the ground.
Sokka couched beside Aang, and put a hand on his shoulder. "They're just bones now, and dusty robes. I don't know why they're all clustered like that, but it's not a burial or anything. There's no pattern. It's like they all just collapsed in the middle of a parade.
Aang's eyes squeezed shut, and Mai put her hand on his back and began rubbing. She really didn't care if some crazy Airbender felt bad that his people got on the wrong side of the Fire Nation's glory or whatever, but something about his expression reminded her of Tom-Tom in one of his sobbing moments, and Mai just had an aversion to memories of her brother wailing, is all.
That's all.
Aang's breathing took on a shuddering quality, and it was a long time before he spoke. "I-" His voice hitched, and he took a moment to swallow. "I need to see it. Those doors lead to the Sanctuary I was telling you about."
Sokka looked at Mai, and she said, "Avatar business."
Sokka nodded. "Okay, I'll show you."
It was everything Sokka said, and more than anything, Aang wanted to retreat into the storm like he had at the South Pole. He couldn't hear the Everstorm here, but there was still that doorway within him, the doorway into which he had fallen when his despair had become overwhelming. He could feel it pulling on his thoughts, and he very well might have surrendered to its gravity now, but there was something fighting against it, something that pushed back against the storm.
Mai and Sokka stood close to Aang, close enough that he could feel the heat of them through their clothes. It was a help, knowing that they were there for him.
The whole Temple also stank of something that made Aang's very being feel watery and weak. It wasn't an actual smell, but a wrongness that Aang could feel on some level beyond his senses. The temples were supposed to promote peace, right down to their very shapes, but as he followed the paths onto the temple grounds, he could feel the wrongness blanketing everything. It smothered the familiarity of the statues and towers he passed, made Aang doubt his steps as he passed through plazas and dead gardens on his search for the Temple Sanctuary. He was starting to think he had actually gotten lost in his own home when he turned down one path and found himself stepping into the plaza outside the vestibule. Piles of bones and dusty saffron robes littered the space, trailing off into the tunnel that would lead to the vestibule.
The statue at the center of the plaza, at least, was some comfort. It was a new statue, one Aang had never seen before, but he nevertheless instantly recognized the figure depicted in tranquil meditation. Whatever had gone on here, however many had died, Gyatso probably hadn't been among them. After all, why make a statue of someone who was still around to throw cakes over the quality of the carving?
The thought threatened to make Aang smile, but then he looked again at the bones all around him. Time to get this over with, then. He had to see what was left in the Sanctuary, if anything.
Mai and Sokka followed him into the temple, to the Sanctuary Vestibule, but when Aang saw the locked doors waiting for him, he gently pushed his friends away and extended his arms into a basic Airbending form. He summoned the wind, and directed it to flow at the doors, to the pipe mechanism set between them. The doors were indeed locked shut as Sokka had described, but all Airbenders had the key. Aang's Airbending sent the wind right into the mechanism's receiving pipes, and it sounded with a horn's call that was not unlike the contented sigh of a sky bison. One carved spiral panel flipped, then a second, then a third, and then the doors parted to reveal the Sanctuary.
Aang saw nothing within but darkness.
He moved forward, Mai and Sokka in step behind him. A little light streamed in from the tunnel behind him, but before Aang's eyes could adjust to the dim illumination, his ears figured out that the Sanctuary was massive. The echoes of his footsteps bounced and expanded in an unmistakably large cavern, the sounds crisp in a way that Aang knew meant there was nothing soft or absorbent in the whole space.
He was right.
As his eyes adjusted, Aang found himself looking at statues beyond count.
He didn't know any of them, but they were all familiar in some way. He was entranced by them, finding strange interest in the features of the faces and the symbolism of their clothing. All the nations were represented, alternating in an unmistakable pattern, the placement of the statues tracing a spiral across the floor. Aang followed their path, for some reason finding it more intuitive than the Air Temple he had just passed through to come to this place, his physical senses fading with every step.
By the time he found Roku, he was lost to the void.
Finally, Sokka couldn't stand it anymore. "What's he doing? He's been standing there for half an hour now!"
Mai turned to look at him with dull eyes. "You realize that you answered your own question?"
Aang said to be nice, and she had given him knives, so Sokka was going to be nice. He didn't growl back at her as he said, "I was hoping for some extra detail, if you have any."
"Oh." Mai turned to look back over at Aang, and Sokka followed her gaze. The kid was standing in front of the statue of the old man at the very center of the sanctuary, looking up at the face with half-lidded eyes. Sokka had half a mind to go over and poke him, but Mai had told some wild stories about the kid glowing and summoning the Everstorm to his Zhao's base, so it was probably not a good idea to go making physical contact while Weird Things were happening. Finally, Mai said, "I guess he's meditating?"
Well, that was as good an answer as any. Sokka didn't really know about meditation, but he was pretty sure it was something that monks did.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot else to do in the chamber. There were the statues to look at, but once you saw a dozen carvings of dead Avatars- that was the only thing they could be, with all four nations represented- you had seen them all. Sokka looked over at one that was standing near Aang, a big guy wearing a polar bear-dog pelt on his head, and was thinking that he would love to make himself a boomerang like his Tribe's ancestral warriors, when he caught a flash of motion in the shadows behind the statue.
Sokka pulled out one of his new knives, but before the blade even cleared the sheath, the air in front of Sokka sparkled, and three of Mai's blades lodged into the ground around the moving shadow.
The shadow came to a sudden halt, and resolved in the waning light into a little flying bat thing with big, glistening eyes.
Behind Sokka, Mai hissed and said, "Is that a lemur?"
"Well, it's a flying rodent of some kind. Looks kind of small to be good eating, but it's probably better than Fire Navy rations for dinner again." He glanced back at Mai, and she was staring at him like she was waiting for a punchline. In case she was confused, he added, "Meat comes from living animals. You have to kill them and cook their bodies to make them edible."
It was tough to tell what she was thinking, the way her face was so blank, but she certainly did not look impressed.
The lemur thing moved again, and Sokka was ready to give chase, but it simply bounded over to where Aang was still standing in his trance and laid itself down around his neck like it belonged there. Sokka wasn't about to attack it while it was on top of the Avatar, so he put his knife back and gave the Sanctuary another look. "It's starting to get darker in here. The sun must be setting outside."
"Should we leave? We could probably carry Aang between the two of us."
"Nah, I have some flares in my pack that will give us light. I'm not wild about messing with whatever Avatar stuff is going on. Hey, if it weren't for all the dead people outside, I'd just go hang out there."
Mai nodded. "Crypts never really bothered me before, but something about that display out there is gross."
Sokka was about to ask what kind of crypts she had been visiting when the lemur suddenly leaped off of Aang and began flying in circles in the air above them all, screeching like someone had just ripped its tail off.
The last of the light disappeared.
The sun must have set.
Something wasn't right.
Sokka grabbed his sack, and began searching through it by feel. The rodent was screeching the whole time, making every hair on his body stand on end, but Sokka focused on the feel of every item his hand encountered and eventually got ahold of both a flare and his spark-rocks. Then it was a simple matter to get some light going, the flare's harsh red illumination revealing the Sanctuary around him once again.
Mai gasped hard and loud, and Sokka turned to find her staring out the sanctuary's entrance. The flare's glow extended out to dimly show the vestibule chamber, and in the severe mix of light and shadow, Sokka saw movement around the piles of bones.
No, not around-
-on the bones.
A substance like rotting blubber was flowing up from the center of each pile like a spring, oozing over every bone. As each one was covered, the bones themselves started moving against gravity to climb the disgusting spring. They flowed upward like some unnatural inversion of water, filling out the dusty robes and forming the shapes of human bodies. Limbs sprung out, muscles were revealed, toes and fingers made themselves evident, and then faces came forth. The bodies were stiff and awkward in posture, but it was the faces that were the worst part. They were human enough, but the features were exaggerated to the point of being monstrous. Sokka found himself unwillingly captivated by the whole sight until one of the creatures turned a head to stare at him with empty eye sockets and opened a mouth full of glowing green teeth.
Sokka started screaming exactly like the flying bat thing.
TO BE CONTINUED
As the last light of the sun drained from the lands, Appa finally glided down over Gale Isle. Aang steered him to a spiraling landing on the southernmost beach, and no sooner did the bison's feet touch the rocky sands than Aang was sliding off his head to stand on the land he once knew. Gale Isle had never boasted much animal life, not counting the Air Temple where the lemurs and sky bison made their homes, and the beach looked forlornly empty in the twilight. It was the opposite of Aang's visits as a child, when he and his cacophonous friends visited to play in the water and hunt for sharks to ride. (They never found any.) Now, as he looked around, he had trouble recognizing anything. Even the quiet lapping of the ocean on the shore was unfamiliar.
Either the beach had changed in a hundred and one years, or Aang had forgotten it.
He heard a soft grunt behind him, and turned to find Sokka disembarked and stretching his arms. "Woo, I am glad to be on solid ground again. Flying is... interesting, but sitting in that saddle all day is harder than a day of work."
"Boo hoo, your butt is exhausted from sitting down all day." Mai jumped from the saddle to land easily beside Sokka, and stood with her shoulders squared. "Trust me, that's the most comfortable saddle you'll ever ride in. Other animals bounce as they move. Ridiculous flying aside, at least the bison is a smooth ride." Mai looked around the beach, and turned to Aang with a questioning eyebrow raised. "So where are we supposed to take shelter around here?"
Aang smiled and threw his arms out. "Right here! The sky is clear and it's going to be a beautiful night."
Mai looked at Aang.
Mai looked up.
Mai looked back at Aang. "I don't get it."
"He means, milady, that we're sleeping outside tonight." Sokka crossed his arms and grinned. "The peasants call it 'camping.' Perhaps you've heard of it?"
"You're joking." Mai looked back at Aang. "He's joking?"
Aang could only shrug in apology. "The only shelter on the whole island is the Southern Air Temple, and we'd have to fly half the night to get there. We can camp here, watch the sun rise over those cliffs tomorrow morning, and then fly over to the temple."
"I hope you brought a tent," Sokka said as he strolled past Mai.
The way her eyes went wide was funny, but Aang felt too sorry for her to let the joke go on. "Sokka's teasing. We have three tents we took from the cargo ship, and I don't even need one. I just sleep on Appa's tail." And because he wanted to be nice, he added, "Appa's tail is nice and warm. You can sleep there with me if you'd prefer," before realizing that it might not come across as innocently as he intended.
Mai, though, just glanced back at Appa, who gave her a welcoming groan. "I'll take the tent, thanks."
Aang caught Sokka giving him a look that said the older boy caught all the possible implications of the offer. It occurred to Aang to hope that Sokka's teasing of Mai was just friendly, and not boy-girl teasing. After all, she was really pretty, and Sokka was a teenager just like her, maybe the same age. Sokka was even posing now, with his arms on his hips, as he said, "Very well, fellow campers. As the resident Survivalist Expert, I'll oversee the setup of our Camp. Since none of you have the necessary expertise, I'll put up the tents. Mai, you get us some firewood. Dry, dead wood only, please. Don't cut any living wood unless you like your campsites covered in smoke. Aang, are there fish in these waters?"
"Um, I don't think so. I never saw any."
"Huh. Well, I guess it's Fire Navy rations for dinner, then. It'll be dark soon, anyway. Aang, you're in charge of digging them out and opening those tin cans. Any questions?"
Mai raised a hand. "Where are the bathroom facilities?"
Sokka pointed at a collection of bushes in the distance to his right. "Girls over there." Then he pointed to another set of bushes in the distance to his left. "Boys over here."
Mai's eyes went wide again. "I want to accuse you of kidding me again, but this isn't a joking matter."
Aang sidled up to her and gave his nicest smile. "Welcome to the life of a Nomad. Don't worry, it's a lot better than it seems. The sky is clear and it's going to be a beautiful night."
"...you said that already."
"Oh."
Sokka had just finished setting up the second tent when Mai stomped into the makeshift campground and dumped a bundle of branches on the rocky sand. He took a quick look to make sure she had followed his instructions about bringing only dry wood, and then motioned at the tent. "Just in time! Your humble abode awaits, my lady."
The look she gave him was frostier than a polar bear-dog's tail.
He grinned. He probably shouldn't mess with her like that, but he couldn't help but enjoy the reversal of the usual Fire/Water dynamic. The Fire Nation liked to lord their supposed superiority over the rest of the world, and it was fun to see one of their warriors so completely out of her depth. Not to mention the way she had tossed him around back in the research center at their first meeting. "Hey, Mai, did you find the bathroom okay? Not too breezy?"
She paused in the middle of unloading her travel case from Appa to hold up a gesture.
Sokka held back some laughter and went over to get the campfire started. While he worked the wood, stacking it in a conical shape and setting up some smaller branches to act as tinder, Aang ambled over and spoke in a soft voice. "Um, I don't think you should say things like that to her."
"Yeah, okay. I've had my fun. It's just weird to get so freaked out about sleeping in a tent."
"But Mai's our friend, and we're going to be together for a while. We should try to be sensitive to each other."
"Yeah, okay."
"So you'll stop teasing her?"
Sokka struck his spark-rocks together over the tinder. It started catching, and he leaned down to blow gently, giving it the air it needed to burst into flame. Once he was satisfied that it was really starting to catch, he leaned back again and slapped a friendly hand down on Aang's shoulder. "Fine, kid, I'll be nice."
"Great." Aang looked down at the fire for a moment before speaking again. "So, what do you think of Mai?"
"Isn't that what we're talking about?"
"She's pretty, right? I mean, pretty neat, right?"
Sokka realized exactly where this was going, and it took him a moment to put the pieces of his mind back together after the realization. Aang, the last Airbender, really did have the shivers for a Fire Nation girl? Granted, Mai was neat, being a traitor to her evil masters and all, but she was still kind of messed up. Aside from being raised in the Land of Evil, she was also a woman who was a warrior, and that had to be doing bad things to her mind. Probably the reason she was so cranky; if she focused more on cooking and sewing, she'd be more easygoing.
Remembering that Aang was still hanging, Sokka shrugged. "Yeah, pretty neat, but not the type of person I'd spend time with for fun."
"Oh. That's good. Or, um, not good good since we should all be friends, but- well, I- I got the ration cans open."
"All right, dinner time! I wonder if we can heat them over the fire."
Zuko would have thought he was dreaming, if the luxuries around him had any resemblance to his usual fevered nightmares.
The warm bathwater warmed him and eased the pain of muscles that had been cramped from days on end of sleeping on the ground. His body was being massaged by massive brushes directed by silent but enthusiastic servants, against which Zuko struggled to remain upright even as they scoured the oil and dirt that had accumulated from months on the road. As they worked, he meditated on the scent of the perfume that had been added to the bathwater and let the sensations wash over him, until the brushes withdrew, and he was left feeling like a new being freshly emerged from a chrysalis. It was almost like being home, swathed in the luxury of the Fire Palace. He hadn't been back there since he had gone with Father to fight in the war. How long had it been? He was sure it had been years since he was- since Father-
There was one major difference from home. With just one eye, Zuko now had to turn his head to see the whole width of the room.
He forced strength into his voice, and looked over to the screen that had been set up on the far side of the room, next to the door. "The Avatar is really back?"
Azula's reply rang out from behind the screen: "You keep asking that. It's almost as if you don't trust me." She gave a chuckle that, even after their long separation, Zuko recognized as completely artificial. "Well, if you won't believe me, then surely you can trust Mai. She's doing this all for you."
One of the servants dumped a bucket of water on Zuko's head to wash away the shampoo in his hair, but he scarcely noticed. So much was happening, for the first time in so long. After arriving out of the night in the decrepit town where Zuko had been kicking around, Azula had whisked him away to a more civilized colony, throwing gold coins around (pure gold, shined so that each one lit up the space around it) to rent the services of an entire luxury inn. Servants had torn Zuko's clothes off and taken them away to be burned. He had glimpsed crimson silks being prepared for him as he was led into a bath bigger than most peasants’ houses. Azula had promised him weapons, and armor, and access to all the information that passed through the Fire Nation's full telegraph network.
All in service to finding the Avatar.
Zuko had seen the Wanted posters, on his way into the hotel. Mai was pretending to be a traitor, bringing the Avatar to him.
After being alone for so long, he hardest thing to believe was that people actually wanted to help him.
He looked back over at Azula's screen. "Does Mai know about... about what I became?"
"Everyone knows about your banishment, of course. Or are you referring to the... state... in which I found you? Even I didn't know what to expect, so no, she's probably still picturing the eager young man prancing about in his armor, so excited to be going to the front." Zuko's felt his face twist at the memory, and it was almost as though Azula could see his discomfort, since her next words were, "Did you do it to impress her?"
"What?"
"Begging to join Father. Did you do it to impress Mai?"
Zuko sunk deeper into the water, letting it come up to his chin. "Why would I do it to impress her?"
"Well, Lu Ten went off with Uncle just after his betrothal to her had just been finalized. I thought it might have inspired you to seek a military adventure yourself as soon as you were old enough, given the... regard you two always had for each other."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"If you say so." Azula's voice went lower, slower, as she added, "Uncle sent word back breaking off the engagement not long after your banishment was declared, and Mai remains unpromised. She never needs to know the state in which I found you. Things can go back to the way they were, and we can both pretend you were always the shining prince, if only you can catch the Avatar."
Zuko reached a hand up to brush his scar. If- when he returned home, he could have a glass eye made, to replace the one he lost, but for now, he supposed a patch would have to do. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm giving you incentive. One of the nice things about you, Zuzu, is that you're more than capable of dedication. If you want something, you won't stop trying to get it, even if it's completely futile. But you've never been one to take direction, and look where it's gotten you. Do as I say, and you'll be catching the Avatar in no time at all. Then everything you want- home, a reconciliation with Father, perhaps a competent and loyal young lady friend who sighs like a bellow- will be yours. Do we understand each other?"
Zuko said nothing for a long time, and then dashed his hand against his bath water, sending it spraying all over the delicate painted walls. Let Azula pay to have them redone, if they were damaged. "Get out of here. I'm going to get dressed, and then I'm going to bed."
Azula matched the length of his own silence. "Since you asked so nicely. Sleep well, Zuzu. Your exercise regime begins tomorrow."
"And stop calling me that!"
The shutting of the door was her only reply.
Aang stretched into wakefulness, and smiled at the light of the rising sun. He snuggled into the fur of Appa's tail, thinking about snoozing for a little longer, but then he remembered that today was the day he was going home. He bolted upright, and gave a windy leap that took him over to the bushes designated as the boys' bathroom facilities. In the cool light of the morning, he decided that the whole idea of there being no Airbenders left was completely ridiculous. Sure, maybe the Fire Nation had attacked after all, and Aang was willing to allow that some of his fellow Nomads had died tragically, but they couldn't all have been killed, right?
Some wouldn't have been at one of the temples, and even for those who were caught there when this Comet came, there was no way the Fire Nation could cut off every single escape route for people who could fly. Aang was more and more confident that many had survived, and continued the Nomad traditions in secret, and a hundred years later, there wouldn't be any danger in returning to the temples. In fact, if everyone believed that the Airbenders were gone, the temples would be the best place to hide, since no one would think to look there! And the Southern Temple's Sanctuary had that secret that Monk Gyatso had talked about, the person who would teach Aang how to be the Avatar. That had to make the Southern Temple the one most worth returning to for any survivors or descendants.
Even more excited now, Aang finished his business and ran back over to the campsite. "Sokka! Sokka, time to wake up!"
Sokka's tent said nothing.
"Mai! It's a beautiful morning! Want to watch the sun rise with me?"
Mai's tent said nothing.
Aang looked over at Appa, who shook himself fully awake and gave a friendly roar. See, Appa knew how to greet the morning with a smile. Now Aang just had to wake up these lazy teenagers. Grinning, he untied the entrance to Sokka's tent, and blew a blast of air into it that inflated the whole thing like a giant balloon. The noise and sudden rush of pressure jolted Sokka awake, and before he could try to get grumpy, Aang said, "Good morning it's time to get up I'll have some rations ready for breakfast before you get your pants on so hurry up!"
Then he ducked out of Sokka's tent and turned to Mai's. Aang didn't want be as rough with her, so once he untied the tent's entrance, he peeked his head. "Mai, it's time to wake up. The sun is rising, and you can be the first outsider in a hundred years to see an Air Temple! Doesn't that sound great?" It was dark in the tent, but just enough light was streaming in behind Aang for him to make out her shining hair curled at the head of her sleeping bag like a sharp calligraphy stroke.
Then there was a motion, and Aang got a glimpse of a pale and delicate hand just before a blur eclipsed his vision and something really hard smacked into his forehead hard enough to send him somersaulting backwards away from the tent.
Behind him, Sokka laughed.
Aang rubbed his head, and looked down to find a hairbrush lying in the sand at his feet. Apparently, she didn't need to open her eyes to hit a target.
Neat!
And painful.
Mai wasn't in anything even approaching a good mood.
The day started with a hyperactive, hyper-hormonal Airbender waking her up from a nice dream about fruit tarts, immediately followed by once again having to use a bush as bathroom facilities. That was followed by a less-than-lovely breakfast consisting of cold canned rations of a nutritional nature that Mai couldn't (and wouldn't) guess. Aang wanted to get going right after that, but Mai absolutely refused to spend another day wearing the same outfit.
"Is there anywhere around here I can get a bath?" she had asked Sokka, dreading the answer. His response had been to grin that grin again and point over at the ocean lapping quietly against the beach. Of course. Bad enough that she was forced to use wild water that a whole ocean's worth of fish pooped in, but she couldn't even get it heated. For the first time in her life, she wished she was a Firebender. Without any other options, though, she ordered the boys away, did a quick washing that left her sputtering and shivering from the cool water, and then broke a new outfit out of her luggage.
Of course, if she had thought things through, she would have known to expect her next problem: she had no way to dry her hair. Once again, she endured Sokka's superior barbarian attitude (like knowing how to live a completely uncivilized life was something to proud of!), and had a hard time trying to figure out a reason not to jam stilettos in his ears. After all, she was going to have to ditch him before meeting up with Zuko, anyway. She might have got on with it, just then, if Aang hadn't thrown a gale-force wind at her that instantly dried her off. She was all set to actually thank the kid for it, but then her hair started puffing out wildly from the rough treatment, and she had to make herself remember that Zuko needed the Avatar alive in order to return to the Fire Nation. At least Aang gave her back her hairbrush without having to be asked, but the whole experience was enough to convince her to forgo putting on her usual makeup.
Finally, they all climbed on Appa and got going.
The trip quickly took them up over the cloud cover, as Aang guided his big dumb pet to a range of mountains that stretched across the middle of Gale Isle. Sokka curled up at the rear of Appa's saddle and was soon snoring lightly. That wasn't a bad idea, but just because she was on an arduous mission to help destroy the Fire Nation's most dangerous foe, Mai saw no reason to let her hair lose its shine. As she meticulously brushed it through, ignoring Aang's intrigued glances, she leaned against the side of the saddle and looked down at the swirling clouds. It was almost disappointing to learn that they were nothing more than soggy vapor. Looking at clouds down from the ground, they had almost seemed like they would be interesting to touch, but the truth was so much less.
That was probably a metaphor for life, or something. Mai indulged in a sigh.
She longed to be done with this job, to guide Aang and Sokka somewhere under Fire Nation control, send a telegraph, and let Zuko take care of them. Then she would be done with camping, done with hyperactive twelve-year-olds who had never seen girls before, done with arrogant barbarians, done with doing her business in a bush, done with rebels who thought she was helping them, done with all of this.
Once her hair was returned to its proper straightness and done up her preferred odango style, Mai proceeded to sharpen and polish her knives. Many people assumed that it was a boring task, but it never failed to hold her interest. One had to be careful of the cutting edges, of course, but it also took knowledge and a good eye to get the blades to their maximum sharpness, and kept her fully engaged.
Sokka woke up while she was still working, and gave a wistful sigh at the sight of all the weaponry lying around her. "Wow, what I wouldn't give for some nice weapons like those. That's some quality metal."
Mai snorted. "What do you know about metal?"
"Hey, you met me in the Research Center for the mines, remember? I probably know more about metallurgy than you do." He nodded at the knife in her hand. "That's Liu Shui steel, I can tell by the texture. Nothing stronger."
Mai stopped mid-polish. He was right. "This set came from a metalsmith who works for an old friend's father. Azula- my friend- she commissioned it for me as a going away present when my family was dispatched to the South Pole." She left out all the implications such a royal gift carried, and instead quieted as she reached for the next weapon in the pile.
She didn't recognize this blade at first, but then Sokka said, "Hey, that's my knife! I mean the one I made. The platinum knife." Sure enough, it was the blade Zhao gave her upon her arrival. So Sokka had made it, huh? As Mai looked it over, admiring the grip, he continued to say, "So what's the big deal with platinum, anyway? All of the sudden the Fire Nation wanted to dig as much of the stuff up as they could, and they're trying everything they can to harden it enough to make weapons out of it. Seems pretty pointless to me. That stuff will never work that way."
Mai shrugged. "No one tells me much of anything. I just know that there are some problems on the Colonial Continent that they're trying to keep hushed up, something spreading that our troops are having real trouble with, and the people up high think platinum is the way to solve it. Maybe our tanks and weapons corrode in swamp gas or something, so they want a different metal. I just know there's a hurry, so my dad was sent to keep things on track despite that freaky snowstorm." She held the platinum knife up in the sun, decided it was too shiny, and added, "You want this back?"
"I don't really have a use for it." He blushed, and added, "I mean, yeah, I don't have any weapons, but a bad weapon is more dangerous than no weapon at all, or at least that's what my dad said, and anyway I guess it’s a symbol of my people being oppressed and all so as a sentimental thing it wouldn't really-"
Mai interrupted, "You don't have a weapon?!"
"Um, no, not if we don't count my little razor. The Fire Nation didn't let us keep anything bigger than a kitchen knife, and even though Bato's friends made some stuff out of their mining equipment, I didn't want to take any. They'll probably need those things, when they find somewhere to settle."
Mai hardly listened to his rambling. He didn't have a weapon? At all? In the Fire Nation, everyone owned a weapon, even the lowliest peasant. And Sokka, just like her, wasn't a Bender. In her whole life, Mai knew only one person who was neither a Bender nor fought with weapons, and Ty Lee was probably dead now, showing the wisdom of that philosophy. It was unthinkable that Sokka was embarking on a globe-trotting adventure with nothing but his dim wits to protect him. Didn't he understand what kind of world it was? She was ready to give him one of her Flowing Water blades right then and there, before she remembered that that she might actually have to fight (kill?) him before this whole thing was over and she was back in the Fire Nation.
But still, if Sokka were lying in front of her starving, she'd at least throw a crust of bread at his stupid face, right?
Finding one of her lesser knives, she tossed it over. "Here. Keep it." Then, on impulse, she tossed a second.
"Hey, thanks!" Sokka pulled each blade out of the sheath for a moment, admiring the edges (of course, Mai had just sharpened them), and then tucked them into his belt. His grin looked out of place on a face that usually looked depressed, or scared, or smug. It was a Tom-Tom grin, young and uncaring.
"Please don't mention it. Literally."
Sokka was looking like he was actually going to try hugging her, when Aang sat up in his position on Appa's head, and pointed into the distance. "Hey, guys, there it is! I'm home!"
Mai dutifully looked, and had to admit that the Southern Air Temple was better than she expected.
She had imagined something rugged, something unfinished that was just as much cave as temple. Even if such a thing might have looked halfway decent to non-Fire Nation folk a century ago, surely the passage of time would have rendered it ruins by now, reclaimed by all the wild nature that could be found outdoors.
Instead, she found herself looking at massive towers that rose majestically from a mountain peak. The surfaces seemed to swirl like clouds, but then her sharp eyes picked out the stairs spiraling around the outside of each tower, creating the impression of rising motion as Appa approached. The towers were topped by bright blue spires that reached to the sky. Amazingly, none of the colors had faded over the last century. The blues practically glowed in the light of the sun, and the white buildings stood out brightly against the mountain rock, reminding Mai of snow in the moonlight. They were nestled into the crags of the mountaintop as if they had grown out from within it, reaching to the sky with the eagerness of one of Crawling Trees of Yukuefumei Island.
Too bad it all looked so empty. Shrugging, Mai turned away from the temple and began putting her knives back.
Sokka climbed up to the front of the saddle and pointed at platform connected to the temple complex, a bit lower on the mountain. "Make for there!"
Aang looked back with a quizzical expression on his face. "Why? Appa can just take us right to the temple, and then you won't have to walk."
"Aang..." Sokka glanced at Mai, but she had no idea what he was getting at. Seeing that she'd be no help, her turned back to Aang and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I don't see any activity over there. No movement, no... things... flying around, not even a single line of smoke. Let's land outside the temple, and then I'll go scout it out for you."
"Why don't we all just go? We've already waited long enough-"
"Aang, I watched my parents bleed to death on the floor of my home."
Aang's jaw dropped. Mai's head snapped up; she wasn't sure what to make of the sudden declaration. Why would he say such an awful thing? Was it even true?
Sokka reached up to tug his ponytail while his eyes drifted to his knees. "Some things... they're not good things to see, no matter how old you are. It's one thing to know about it, but seeing it- you don't want to see it. Take my word for it, okay? I'll go check things out for you, and if it's all good, you can tease me for making a snowstorm out of a flake. If not, I can come let you know, and- if you don't want to see, then fine, but if you still want to, I can at least... prepare you. You get me?"
Aang nodded slowly. "Okay. I think it will be fine, but- It's not a bad idea. Thanks, Sokka. I'll stay on the platform with Mai."
Oh, goody.
Though, she had to admit, for a barbarian who liked playing the manly macho wilderness survivor, it was surprisingly thoughtful of him. Maybe she'd only stab him in one ear when the time came.
The platform Sokka had picked out rose apart from the main mountain on which the temple was situated, but a bridge connected the two. Sokka could walk over, and then take a series of winding paths up to the temple area proper. Mai wondered if this was some kind of diplomatic receiving area; certainly, the Air Nomads themselves wouldn't have had to park a bison this far away, would they?
Appa landed, and Sokka immediately hopped off and got on his way without so much as a backwards glance. Figuring that he would be a while, Mai decided to remind her muscles of their purpose. She climbed down the platform, and ran through stretches to work some life back into her limbs. Straightening up from touching the toes of her boots, she caught Aang- still up on Appa's head- looking at her with obvious interest. As soon as their eyes met, he quickly looked away and pretended that he had been working on a knot in Appa's reins.
Well, that was worth a sigh.
Finishing with his knot, Aang hopped down and casually ambled over. "I think you'll really like the temple. It's peaceful and rich in spirit, and you can feel it just by breathing in the air! The fruit trees should have some early crop by now, and I'll make you one of Monk Gyatso's famous fruit cakes. The secret is the gooey center that you have to make light and fluffy with Airbending!"
Mai figured that there was no avoiding conversation, at this point. "Fruit cake sounds nice. Who was Monk Gyatso?"
"He's-" Aang looked down. "He was- he taught me everything I know." Aang looked up, a smile growing once again on his face. "He's the most fun monk you could ever meet. He threw some of his cakes at the Temple Elders!"
Mai smiled back. She liked the sound of this guy already. Too bad he was dead for a hundred years. "Did he know that you were the Avatar?"
"Yeah. Everyone knew. Things got weird after that." Aang looked down again, kicking his boots against the stone of the platform. He took a deep breath, and then looked back at Mai with an expression that reminded her of Tom-Tom being caught in the act of licking her hairbrush. "That's why I ran away. The Elders wanted to take me away from Gyatso, so that I could train harder to protect our people. They said a war was coming, and I had to be ready. I guess I messed that up, huh?"
This? This was why Mai hated talking with people. She wanted to say yes, he had messed that up as badly as messes could be up, but obviously that wouldn't do in this situation. She needed Aang to trust her, to like her, so that he would listen to her when she brought him to Zuko. She needed to be his friend. Azula enjoyed blunt criticism, especially since she never actually earned any, while Ty Lee had always bounced back from it fairly quickly. Mai had no practice at this.
So she shrugged and turned away from Aang. "Why come back here? Sokka was right: whatever's up there probably isn't something you want to see."
"I have to really know for myself. And this temple has some secrets that I need to investigate. Gyatso said that the Sanctuary had someone in it who could guide me in being the Avatar."
"A hundred and one years ago, right?"
"Well, who knows what's in there? Legends are full of people who live for centuries."
Mai was going to give her opinion of the academic validity of legends, but she was cut off by the sound of boots on the stone, and she and Aang turned to find Sokka returning.
His face was grim.
Mai could practically feel Aang's mood deflate. He stepped forward and said, "What did you find?"
Sokka took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. "The whole place is empty, except for this one courtyard. Beyond it is a tunnel that leads to a big room with a fancy pair of doors on the far side. I couldn't get that open, it seems like it's locked pretty tight. But all in that courtyard, and through the tunnel, and clustered in that room-"
Sokka swallowed, and then continued, "There are bodies."
Aang's legs went wobbly, and Mai instinctively reached out to catch him and lower him to the ground.
Sokka couched beside Aang, and put a hand on his shoulder. "They're just bones now, and dusty robes. I don't know why they're all clustered like that, but it's not a burial or anything. There's no pattern. It's like they all just collapsed in the middle of a parade.
Aang's eyes squeezed shut, and Mai put her hand on his back and began rubbing. She really didn't care if some crazy Airbender felt bad that his people got on the wrong side of the Fire Nation's glory or whatever, but something about his expression reminded her of Tom-Tom in one of his sobbing moments, and Mai just had an aversion to memories of her brother wailing, is all.
That's all.
Aang's breathing took on a shuddering quality, and it was a long time before he spoke. "I-" His voice hitched, and he took a moment to swallow. "I need to see it. Those doors lead to the Sanctuary I was telling you about."
Sokka looked at Mai, and she said, "Avatar business."
Sokka nodded. "Okay, I'll show you."
It was everything Sokka said, and more than anything, Aang wanted to retreat into the storm like he had at the South Pole. He couldn't hear the Everstorm here, but there was still that doorway within him, the doorway into which he had fallen when his despair had become overwhelming. He could feel it pulling on his thoughts, and he very well might have surrendered to its gravity now, but there was something fighting against it, something that pushed back against the storm.
Mai and Sokka stood close to Aang, close enough that he could feel the heat of them through their clothes. It was a help, knowing that they were there for him.
The whole Temple also stank of something that made Aang's very being feel watery and weak. It wasn't an actual smell, but a wrongness that Aang could feel on some level beyond his senses. The temples were supposed to promote peace, right down to their very shapes, but as he followed the paths onto the temple grounds, he could feel the wrongness blanketing everything. It smothered the familiarity of the statues and towers he passed, made Aang doubt his steps as he passed through plazas and dead gardens on his search for the Temple Sanctuary. He was starting to think he had actually gotten lost in his own home when he turned down one path and found himself stepping into the plaza outside the vestibule. Piles of bones and dusty saffron robes littered the space, trailing off into the tunnel that would lead to the vestibule.
The statue at the center of the plaza, at least, was some comfort. It was a new statue, one Aang had never seen before, but he nevertheless instantly recognized the figure depicted in tranquil meditation. Whatever had gone on here, however many had died, Gyatso probably hadn't been among them. After all, why make a statue of someone who was still around to throw cakes over the quality of the carving?
The thought threatened to make Aang smile, but then he looked again at the bones all around him. Time to get this over with, then. He had to see what was left in the Sanctuary, if anything.
Mai and Sokka followed him into the temple, to the Sanctuary Vestibule, but when Aang saw the locked doors waiting for him, he gently pushed his friends away and extended his arms into a basic Airbending form. He summoned the wind, and directed it to flow at the doors, to the pipe mechanism set between them. The doors were indeed locked shut as Sokka had described, but all Airbenders had the key. Aang's Airbending sent the wind right into the mechanism's receiving pipes, and it sounded with a horn's call that was not unlike the contented sigh of a sky bison. One carved spiral panel flipped, then a second, then a third, and then the doors parted to reveal the Sanctuary.
Aang saw nothing within but darkness.
He moved forward, Mai and Sokka in step behind him. A little light streamed in from the tunnel behind him, but before Aang's eyes could adjust to the dim illumination, his ears figured out that the Sanctuary was massive. The echoes of his footsteps bounced and expanded in an unmistakably large cavern, the sounds crisp in a way that Aang knew meant there was nothing soft or absorbent in the whole space.
He was right.
As his eyes adjusted, Aang found himself looking at statues beyond count.
He didn't know any of them, but they were all familiar in some way. He was entranced by them, finding strange interest in the features of the faces and the symbolism of their clothing. All the nations were represented, alternating in an unmistakable pattern, the placement of the statues tracing a spiral across the floor. Aang followed their path, for some reason finding it more intuitive than the Air Temple he had just passed through to come to this place, his physical senses fading with every step.
By the time he found Roku, he was lost to the void.
Finally, Sokka couldn't stand it anymore. "What's he doing? He's been standing there for half an hour now!"
Mai turned to look at him with dull eyes. "You realize that you answered your own question?"
Aang said to be nice, and she had given him knives, so Sokka was going to be nice. He didn't growl back at her as he said, "I was hoping for some extra detail, if you have any."
"Oh." Mai turned to look back over at Aang, and Sokka followed her gaze. The kid was standing in front of the statue of the old man at the very center of the sanctuary, looking up at the face with half-lidded eyes. Sokka had half a mind to go over and poke him, but Mai had told some wild stories about the kid glowing and summoning the Everstorm to his Zhao's base, so it was probably not a good idea to go making physical contact while Weird Things were happening. Finally, Mai said, "I guess he's meditating?"
Well, that was as good an answer as any. Sokka didn't really know about meditation, but he was pretty sure it was something that monks did.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot else to do in the chamber. There were the statues to look at, but once you saw a dozen carvings of dead Avatars- that was the only thing they could be, with all four nations represented- you had seen them all. Sokka looked over at one that was standing near Aang, a big guy wearing a polar bear-dog pelt on his head, and was thinking that he would love to make himself a boomerang like his Tribe's ancestral warriors, when he caught a flash of motion in the shadows behind the statue.
Sokka pulled out one of his new knives, but before the blade even cleared the sheath, the air in front of Sokka sparkled, and three of Mai's blades lodged into the ground around the moving shadow.
The shadow came to a sudden halt, and resolved in the waning light into a little flying bat thing with big, glistening eyes.
Behind Sokka, Mai hissed and said, "Is that a lemur?"
"Well, it's a flying rodent of some kind. Looks kind of small to be good eating, but it's probably better than Fire Navy rations for dinner again." He glanced back at Mai, and she was staring at him like she was waiting for a punchline. In case she was confused, he added, "Meat comes from living animals. You have to kill them and cook their bodies to make them edible."
It was tough to tell what she was thinking, the way her face was so blank, but she certainly did not look impressed.
The lemur thing moved again, and Sokka was ready to give chase, but it simply bounded over to where Aang was still standing in his trance and laid itself down around his neck like it belonged there. Sokka wasn't about to attack it while it was on top of the Avatar, so he put his knife back and gave the Sanctuary another look. "It's starting to get darker in here. The sun must be setting outside."
"Should we leave? We could probably carry Aang between the two of us."
"Nah, I have some flares in my pack that will give us light. I'm not wild about messing with whatever Avatar stuff is going on. Hey, if it weren't for all the dead people outside, I'd just go hang out there."
Mai nodded. "Crypts never really bothered me before, but something about that display out there is gross."
Sokka was about to ask what kind of crypts she had been visiting when the lemur suddenly leaped off of Aang and began flying in circles in the air above them all, screeching like someone had just ripped its tail off.
The last of the light disappeared.
The sun must have set.
Something wasn't right.
Sokka grabbed his sack, and began searching through it by feel. The rodent was screeching the whole time, making every hair on his body stand on end, but Sokka focused on the feel of every item his hand encountered and eventually got ahold of both a flare and his spark-rocks. Then it was a simple matter to get some light going, the flare's harsh red illumination revealing the Sanctuary around him once again.
Mai gasped hard and loud, and Sokka turned to find her staring out the sanctuary's entrance. The flare's glow extended out to dimly show the vestibule chamber, and in the severe mix of light and shadow, Sokka saw movement around the piles of bones.
No, not around-
-on the bones.
A substance like rotting blubber was flowing up from the center of each pile like a spring, oozing over every bone. As each one was covered, the bones themselves started moving against gravity to climb the disgusting spring. They flowed upward like some unnatural inversion of water, filling out the dusty robes and forming the shapes of human bodies. Limbs sprung out, muscles were revealed, toes and fingers made themselves evident, and then faces came forth. The bodies were stiff and awkward in posture, but it was the faces that were the worst part. They were human enough, but the features were exaggerated to the point of being monstrous. Sokka found himself unwillingly captivated by the whole sight until one of the creatures turned a head to stare at him with empty eye sockets and opened a mouth full of glowing green teeth.
Sokka started screaming exactly like the flying bat thing.
TO BE CONTINUED
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This is probably the most rehash-y part of the entire story, which I consider to be quite the victory. My AU's are as Alternate as they come without being set in a high school. 
Previous: The Everstorm
Next: Night of the Di Fu Ling
Soundtrack:
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace- Jar Jar's Introduction/The Swim to Otoh Gunga
Avatar: The Last Airbender- Azula's Theme
Fellowship of the Ring- The Doors of Durin
Previous: The Everstorm
Next: Night of the Di Fu Ling
Soundtrack:
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace- Jar Jar's Introduction/The Swim to Otoh Gunga
Avatar: The Last Airbender- Azula's Theme
Fellowship of the Ring- The Doors of Durin
© 2015 - 2024 Loopy777
Comments7
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Mai raises a good point about saddles. 
I have gotta say, we have a rich, mostly untapped, mine here of “Mai roughing it” jokes. And they are spectacular.
Oh man, this is going to be brutal. I am rooting for my little Maiaang, but I am also trying to break my own heart of it ahead of time. I definitely don't want to convey any shipping gamesmanship. I am eager to follow the story wherever it goes. It's just, I want my precious Aang to receive the desires of his heart, but romance is such a complicated subject, involving as it does the desires of multiple hearts, two at least.
In an objective way, I like the onesidedness (so far, I haven't given up completely! ) of the Maiaang. Aang is definitely imprinting on Mai, and maybe that isn't the best choice for him either. (It's so hard to deal with that kinda stuff. I have no idea how things like this are supposed to work. Why do we always want what we can't have?) And Mai is, well, consistent. I actually like her weaker moments regarding Aang. It comes from a heartfelt place, and for Mai, that means a lot. I don't know why Mai liked Zuko, and I don't have a feel for her romantic inclinations, but I can appreciate her friendship. It doesn't come easy, and is hard earned/hard lost.
Wow, Mai is easier to get to do her chores than Toph! (Not saying much, but I am surprised.) I really REALLY like all of the arctic puns for Sokka. That's gold.
Ah, the Han Solo, Luke, and Leia triangle. I just...I don't know. Maybe it's a law of the Universe. I just feel like, people like Aang/Luke are more suited to be martyrs, and people like Sokka/Han are more suited to learn how to be good, but still get what they want.
That said, I like the dynamic you have going here, but I'm just in a sad mood about it. It doesn't help that I have no idea about romance irl. 
(btw, evidence that Luke and Leia had a thing. 
goodmenproject.com/arts/luke-a…)
I have no idea what is going on in Azula's head. How sincere she is, how good she is, where does she lie on the scale? Who knows? Not Zuko!
It is interesting to see Azula's speculation about Zuko's intentions. Apparently Zuko doesn't feel she got it right, but what does it say about her, or her opinion of Zuko that she thought it? Hmmm...
Another interesting point. Azula, apparently trying to be helpful, offers to hide his improprieties. (What does it say about me that I squee anytime she shows a heart? Am I so easy? I like to see the slightest hint of good from a black heart. It shows a thawing.) To Azula, a kind thing is to maintain the flawless image. Of course, it is not so strange for Zuko to want to do so for Mai, but it is interesting in light of Azula's perfectionism.
“perhaps a competent and loyal young lady friend who sighs like a bellow-” So good.
'Azula matched the length of his own silence. "Since you asked so nicely. Sleep well, Zuzu. Your exercise regime begins tomorrow."' Is it any wonder that some (read: myself) ship this? The powerplay between royal siblings is so provacative.
Aang has a good point about the survivors, but that doesn't get to be the way it goes.
I love that Aang is a morning person and the others are most definitely not. "Mai's tent said nothing."
Aang gets to wake Sokka in a fun way. (As much as I love Aang, I would kill the little brat for that!) As for Mai, “just enough light was streaming in behind Aang for him to make out her shining hair curled at the head of her sleeping bag like a sharp calligraphy stroke.” Great line. Aaaaaand Aang gets it in the face. Can't say I'm not surprised, although I am slightly surprised it was not a knife. At least Aang is a good sport.
So Mai is aware of Aang's “feelings” for her, whatever their source. We still don't know the full extent of her feelings, but if we have to wonder, signs aren't good. Basically, if someone isn't obvious with their feelings, then you can assume that none exist.
I like the image of Mai sputtering in the ocean (and not for perverted reasons! ). I imagine a cat after a bath.
Even when Aang does something nice, it backfires. Now, Mai with poofy hair? THAT I wish I could see.
Aww, Mai, cloud philosopher. I wish I could make her dreams of clouds come true, but alas. And now we have Mai's true feelings. It's as I thought, and yet, for Mai, and her situation, par for the course.
Awww, once again, Azula does something nice! I think the reason I like to praise her for the little good she does is that I have always loved the idea of giving positive reinforcement, rather than negative. I would always rather reward someone for doing something good or nice, than punish anyone. People make mistakes, but if you punish them, they may get resentful, or take on the label. But everyone loves to be praised, and will try to get more of it if they can. So why not? It is so much more fun and happy. (You sometimes have to be sneaky so they don't know you're trying to re-wire their brains. It's for a good cause, though, so...no harm done! )
I like the hints about the importance of platinum. (Toph is busy you say? )
I love Mai's conniption about Sokka not having a weapon. Something tells me this is partly philosophical for her, as well as pragmatic. Aww, she was gonna give him one of her good knives. ...That's how I know she's a noblewoman. As magnanimous as I try to be, I would never give away one of my prized possessions, or at least, it would be hard given. I would definitely give a knife, but one of the crappier ones. Well, Mai came around in the end. But she is pretty giving in the right moments. I like her equation of being unarmed as being starving. Mai, you so quirky!
Wow, Sokka is actually a good guy. I mean, he's right, and he looked out for Aangy. (I'm sorry, he's my bb. ) Wow again, I guess this Sokka has had to grow up a little more.
Meanwhile, Sokka's depth in Mai's eyes begins to grow. :-| Tale as old as time.
Aang, you saucy dog! Watching Mai as she stretches! Well, I guess there is little to hold the imagination in the surrounding area anyway. But it is worth a sigh.
I MISS TY LEE!!!
Mai has no intellectual idea how to help people with their emotions. I think she could if she would listen to her own emotions. Oh well.
Awww, Mai's love for her brother is one of her best qualities. And if that is the gateway drug for her to feel compassion for more people, well, that's always a good thing.
I'm glad that his traveling companions helped Aang avoid the avatar state. I just want him to be happy. (Of course, first I want him to be a lot more sad!!! >:-D)
Aang, just because Gyatso didn't die in the massacre (nice branching path there), doesn't let you off the hook. What if he had a heart attack when he found out you ran away?
I like the way you used sound to show the size of the chamber. It is an interesting change of pace. And also how Aang was affected by seeing the statues.
Geez, Mai and Sokka being the peanut gallery over there. Very nice. Gotta have something to lighten the tension, even if only to ratchet it back up again.
Oh wow, what a grotesque image. Evil spirit shenanigan zombies and our heroes armed with knives. That can't be good.
Loopy, I just want to say, that I always look forward to these new chapters. They are always entertaining and interesting. This one was no exception. Great job and keep up the good work!