Chapter Text
Chapter 6
Shopping, Psychology, and A Quick Update
Maeve and the Gaang
Sokka sat at the front of Appa, reigns gripped loosely as he stared back at Aang in concern. Katara sat closest to Sokka in the saddle, the siblings exchanging worried glances. Maeve sat at the far end of the saddle. Aang was pacing back and forth between Katara and Maeve, hands thrown up.
"Would you sit down? If we hit a bump you'll go flying off! What's bugging you, anyway?" Sokka demanded.
"It's what Avatar Roku said. I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives," Aang explained. Maeve shrugged.
"If it makes you feel any better, Wan had about that amount of time to master all four elements, and the only help he had was his spirit friends," she tried.
"I haven't even started waterbending and we're still two weeks away from the north pole! What am I gonna do?!" Aang continued, panicked. Katara sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling him down to sit on the saddle.
"Calm down. It's going to be okay. If you want, I can try and teach you some of the stuff I know," she comforted. Aang looked at her hopefully.
"You'd do that?" he asked. Katara smiled and nodded.
"We'll need to find a good source of water first," she added.
"Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in," Sokka piped up.
"And Aang, I know it's not very traditional, but if you want me to start teaching you firebending now I can. You don't have to wait until you know waterbending," Maeve added. Aang smiled and turned to her.
"That would be good. Thanks, you guys," he replied. Maeve and Katara nodded.
They landed by a river and got off of Appa. Appa grumbled happily and began to make his way into the water slowly. Maeve turned to Appa and began chasing after him.
"Nice puddle," Sokka deadpanned, staring at the scenic river. Maeve grabbed Appa's reins before he could get in the water, and he grumbled unhappily.
"Hey boy, you're gonna get all our stuff soaked if you get in now. Plus, you'll be more comfortable if it's off. Let me get the saddle off real quick, come on, Appa," Maeve coaxed. Appa grumbled but stayed still as Maeve took off his saddle, leaving all of their stuff in it. Appa grumbled happily and flopped into the water.
"Yeehhh! Don't start without me boy!" Aang called, beginning to strip. Katara watched him in amusement.
"Remember the reason we're here," she chastised gently. Aang looked down, embarrassed, and pulled his clothes back on.
"Oh right, time to practice waterbending," he agreed.
"Great. So what am I supposed to do?" Sokka asked. Maeve, who had been studying her map, looked up.
"There's a town near here. I have a stash of money there. I was going to meet with my contact and get it. We're a little low since I split what I had left with Mika before we separated. You could come with," she offered. Sokka smiled.
"Sure, sounds fun to me. Money is always good," he agreed.
"What about firebending?" Aang asked with puppy eyes. Maeve chuckled.
"Don't worry, this shouldn't take too long. Just work with Katara for a while and we'll start when I get back," she answered. Aang smiled.
"Okay! Have fun!" he called. Sokka grabbed his bag as well and the pair set off towards the small earthbending town.
Maeve and Sokka arrived at the town without incident and Maeve led Sokka to a nondescript house right inside town. She knocked on the door and it creaked open a moment later.
"Maeve!" the owner said, excitedly, as soon as he saw her, pulling her into a hug. She smiled and hugged him back.
"Drew! I haven't seen you in ages!" Maeve returned as they pulled away. The man she called Drew was middle aged with brown hair and brown eyes. He looked from Maeve to Sokka and back again, a confused expression crossing his features.
"Where's Mika?" he asked. Maeve looked down sadly and sighed.
"He stayed in a town we passed through to train a young earthbender. We're meeting back up later," she explained. Drew looked concerned as he ushered her and Sokka inside.
"I see. Why didn't you stay with him? And who is your friend?" Drew asked as they sat in a well appointed living room.
"Oh, this is Sokka. He's from the southern water tribe. I'm travelling with him, his sister Katara, and Aang, the Avatar," Maeve explained. Understanding crossed Drew's face.
"I see now. It's nice to meet you, Sokka. I'm Drew," Drew introduced himself to Sokka with an easygoing smile. Sokka nodded.
"Nice to meet you, too," he replied. Drew turned back to Maeve.
"I'm guessing you came for your money?" he asked casually. Maeve grinned.
"Bingo. That and your tea," she teased. Drew chuckled and stood.
"I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder. He returned a few minutes later with a large bag of coins, which he handed to Maeve.
"There's the money, and the tea kettle is on," he said. Maeve smiled and set the money beside her on the couch.
"Thanks, Drew. It really is good to see you," she said. Drew raised an eyebrow knowingly.
"You're probably having a hard time without Mika. This is the first time I've ever seen you without him. You two were practically connected at the hip. You ok? You need a hug?" Drew asked gently, opening his arms. Maeve swallowed thickly and stood, walking across the room and letting Drew pull her into his arms. He held her tightly, and didn't let her go until she pulled away.
"Thanks," she whispered. Drew smiled.
"Any time. Water is hot," he replied. The shrill whistle of a tea kettle sounded a second later. Drew rushed out of the room and Maeve went back to her seat beside Sokka.
It was, as Maeve had promised, not that much later when she and Sokka returned to Aang and Katara. Maeve's bag thumped reassuringly against her side, filled with gold and silver coins. She had, she thought, around a thousand gold coins worth of money at the moment. Not that they really needed that much, strictly speaking, but it made Maeve feel better to have it.
"Maeve! Great! We just finished with waterbending!" Aang called enthusiastically. Maeve chuckled.
"Great! Let me put my bag down and we'll start on firebending," Maeve promised. She put her bag away and walked over to Aang.
"Sit with me. There's some stuff we need to talk about before we get into actually firebending," she said, sinking to the ground with her legs crossed. Aang sighed, disappointed, but sat nonetheless.
"Good. First of all, fire is very dangerous. On its own, without the direction of a bender, it will grow and consume everything in its path until it burns out. This is a fact. But while you should remember that fire is destruction, you shouldn't let that scare you. Because fire is also life. It moves, it breathes, it grows. It's life, in its own way. And when it comes to firebending, it's important to remember that fire and heat can be used for more than destruction."
"Like what?" Aang asked, curious. Maeve chuckled and stood. She walked over to the river the group had been splashing in but that was now empty and stuck her hands into it up to her wrists. She took a deep breath.
"Like this. Feel the water," she instructed, pulling her hands out. Aang stuck his hand into the water and his eyes widened.
"It's so warm," he said, awed. Maeve chuckled.
"Yeah, that's one of Mika's favorite tricks. Usually he uses his earthbending to section off part of the water and I heat it so we can each have a hot bath, even on the go," Maeve's voice faded into melancholy.
"I can see where that would come in handy," Aang agreed. Maeve broke out of her daze and smiled down at him. Then she walked back to where they had been and sat down. Aang sat with her.
"Yeah. The other thing about firebending is that it's going to be boring to learn at first. I remember I hated when my master made me sit in the sun and focus on my breathing and try to keep the flame from touching the edges of the leaf, but I'm grateful for it now. Control is key in firebending, and it's really important that you learn control before you learn fire blasts. So I need you to be patient and trust me, ok? This is a process you can't rush, ok?" Maeve stressed, anxious eyes boring deep into Aang's. Aang nodded sagely.
"I understand," he promised. Maeve relaxed.
"Good. Now come stand over here in the sun," she instructed, standing. Aang hopped up and followed her to the large sunshiney patch she had indicated.
"Now, this is a firebending stance in its most basic form. Copy me," she instructed, planting her feet wide and squatting, hands resting on her knees. Aang looked at her and then carefully copied the stance. She stood straight again and examined him.
"Not bad. Plant your feet wider. Good. Straighten your back, don't slouch. I know it's not the most comfortable," Maeve's voice was apologetic. Aang did as she said, then shrugged.
"Now feel the sun. Become aware of the heat from it. It is the greatest source of fire in the universe. Feel its rays on you, and focus on the heat of it. The energy. Now keep doing that, and don't move until I tell you to," Maeve instructed. Aang nodded and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Maeve nodded in approval and then stepped back, sitting on the ground a little ways away.
It was nearly two hours later that Maeve stretched and stood, walking over to Aang. She walked around him a few times, examining his form. After another few moments, she spoke.
"Aang, you can relax now," she said, nonchalantly. Aang's body relaxed and he sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him and sighing heavily.
"You ok?" Katara asked, concerned. Aang smiled wanly.
"Yeah, just a little sore," he answered honestly. Maeve chuckled.
"Yeah, I remember the first time I did that. I was sore, too. As counterintuitive as it seems, usually a quick soak in really cold water helps later. I'm not very helpful when it comes to getting water cold, sorry, but the river is probably pretty cool by now," Maeve offered.
"I can cool it down if you want," Katara chimed in. Aang sighed, resigned.
"Yes, please," he answered. Katara walked over to the water and did some bending that turned parts of the river into ice, effectively cooling the parts that were still liquid. Aang stripped and hissed when he submerged himself in the water. After maybe twenty minutes, Maeve chimed in.
"That's probably long enough, Aang," she called. Aang nodded and climbed gratefully out of the water. Maeve dug around in her pack and emerged with a towel, throwing it over his shoulders. He thanked her, stutteringly, and she rubbed the towel over his body to warm him.
"You know what we should do today?" Maeve asked late the next morning. Aang had taken a soak in hot water to further soothe his sore muscles, courtesy of Maeve, and now everyone was just lounging around.
"What?" Sokka asked.
"Go shopping!" Maeve exclaimed. Katara gave her a critical look, then understanding dawned on her.
"You're rich, aren't you?" she asked, though the question was rhetorical. Maeve chuckled.
"I need to replenish my herbs. I'm running low. Plus, shopping is fun when you can buy whatever you want," she answered. Katara shrugged.
"I'm happy to go shopping. We should probably get more food, too," she said. Aang and Sokka both shrugged, and they headed out. Maeve reached into her bag and gave each kid ten gold pieces. She wanted them to relax and hang out, for today.
It was a while later they split up and Maeve went to get herbs while the other three wandered around. Aang used one of the copper pieces they still had, that seemed so little now, to buy a bison whistle, much to Katara's amusement. Katara got a new pair of shoes to replace her old worn ones, and Sokka still hadn't bought anything. They got back together with Maeve and were walking down along the pier when they were approached by a merchant.
"Oh! You there! I can see by your clothing that you're world traveling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?" the man asked. Aang stopped and turned towards him.
"Sure! What are curios?" he asked. The man shrugged, putting an arm around Aang's shoulder.
"I'm not entirely sure, but we got'em!" He exclaimed. Aang smiled and let the man lead him into a ship. Katara, Sokka, and Maeve exchanged a glance and followed him. Once inside they looked around the ship, examining all the items curiously. Suddenly, a man emerged from the other side of the ship with a parrot on his shoulder.
"I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur. That beast would fetch me a hefty sum, if you'd be interested in bartering," the man said, pointing at Momo. Momo scrambled around Aang's shoulders.
"Momo's not for sale," Aang declared, suspiciously.
"Look at this, Aang! It's a waterbending scroll. Check out these crazy moves!" Katara called. Aang walked over to her and examined it over her shoulder. Maeve made her way over as well.
"Where did you get a waterbending scroll?" Aang asked the pirate captain.
"Let's just say I got it up north at a most reasonable price. Free!" the man exclaimed, taking it from Katara and rolling it back up carefully, depositing it back in its place.
"Waaait a minute...sea-loving traders...with suspiciously acquired merchandise...and pet reptile birds...You guys are pirates!" Sokka accused. The pirate captain laughed. The one who had brought them in put an arm around Sokka's shoulders.
"We prefer to think of ourselves as high risk traders," he drawled.
"So how much for the, uh, 'traded' scroll?" Katara asked. The pirate captain chuckled.
"I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth Kingdom. Unless, of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on ya right now?" the pirate captain answered. Maeve looked up from her examination of something else.
"Katara, do you want it? I'll buy it for you if you do," Maeve offered, casually. The Pirate Captain looked at her skeptically.
"Um, yes please," Katara answered, guiltily. Maeve smiled at her.
"I'll give you two hundred and fifty gold pieces for it, right now. What do you say?" she offered. The Pirate Captain's jaw dropped.
"If you actually had that kind of money, I would be happy to accept," he answered. Maeve chuckled and reached into her bag, withdrawing five bags of coins from it and setting them on the counter.
"I keep it in fifty gold piece increments. For convenience. Feel free to count. I'll wait," Maeve offered, a challenge in her eyes. The Captain opened the bag and stared at the gold hungrily, biting one piece of it. Quickly, a crew materialized from the woodworks and in just a few minutes the gold was counted and the Water Tribe scroll was handed over.
"Thank you for your business," the Pirate Captain said sincerely, looking at the gold laid out on the counter hungrily. Maeve chuckled and reached into her bag, retrieving one more bag of coins.
"Thank you for your efficiency," she returned, setting the bag on the counter. The Pirate Captain's eyes widened and he inclined his head slightly. Maeve nodded and turned, water tribe scroll in hand, and ushered the rest of her group off the ship. As soon as they were off the ship, she handed the scroll to Katara.
"Thanks, Maeve, you didn't have to do that," Katara said, sincerely. Maeve smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder once.
"I wanted to," she answered. They continued shopping for a bit before they returned to camp. As soon as they were back at camp, Katara was studying the waterbending scroll.
"I just want to try this one move first and then it's all yours," Katara promised. Aang nodded and held the scroll open for her.
"'The single water whip'... looks doable," Katara decided, studying the scroll for a moment before stepping back. She tried the move, only to water whip herself in the forehead, leaving a red mark. Sokka started laughing at her expense.
"Sokka!" Maeve admonished. Sokka looked down.
"Sorry," he mumbled. She tried it again, but this time only zapped poor Momo, who screamed in protest.
"Why can't I get this stupid move!" she yelled, frustrated. Aang put the scroll down and approached the water.
"You'll get it," he promised. He began to bend the water himself, moving through the stances gracefully and getting it almost perfect his first try.
"You just gotta shift your weight through the stances. There. See, the key to bending is-"
"Will you PLEASE shut your air hole! Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes. Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted!" Katara exploded. Maeve and Sokka looked at her, horrified.
"What?!" She snapped. Then she looked to Aang, who seemed on the verge of tears.
"Oh my gosh, Aang, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. But you know what, it won't happen again. Here, this is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore," she apologized, handing the scroll over.
"It's okay, Katara," Aang answered kindly.
"Hey Katara, can we talk for a minute?" Maeve asked, gently. Katara flushed, ashamed, but followed the older woman into the forest, out of earshot of Aang and Sokka. Expecting a sound scolding, Katara was surprised when Maeve spoke.
"You wanna talk about it?" she asked, mildly, as she sat against a tree. Katara froze for a moment, confused, then relaxed and sat opposite Maeve.
"I don't know why I did that," Katara confided. Maeve nodded.
"I think I might," she said gently.
"Really? Why do you think I did?" Katara asked, eagerly.
"You've always been the only bender in your tribe, right?" Katara nodded.
"That probably played a part in it. You've never had a teacher, you've always had to struggle on your own, and Aang's seemingly natural ability to do things you've spent your whole life trying to perfect is upsetting," Maeve stated mildly. Katara's eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh, you're right. I never thought of it that way. But it still wasn't right of me to take it out on Aang," Katara lamented. Maeve nodded, sagely.
"No, it wasn't right, but it was understandable. What you need to realize, though, is that while Aang hasn't had a waterbending teacher he had a lot of airbending teachers. He already knows how to airbend, and the fundamentals of bending in general. It's only natural that it comes more easily to him when he's been taught something similar," Maeve said. Katara tilted her head.
"I honestly never thought of that, either. Air and water really aren't that different, are they?" she asked. Maeve smiled.
"No, they really aren't. I've studied both and they are pretty similar. That said, I know I'm a firebender, but I do know about waterbending and bending in general. I can try and help you if you'd like."
"Really? I'd appreciate that, a lot," Katara said eagerly.
"Yeah, I'd be happy to help you. And Katara, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. You don't have to be the responsible one anymore if you don't want to," Maeve promised gently. Katara beamed. Both stood, and Maeve pulled Katara into a gentle hug. Katara squeezed her tightly, having missed the feeling of being held. Maeve held her until Katara pulled away on her own, and together they headed back to camp.
When they got back, Katara was in a much better mood, and let Maeve and Aang help her work through her waterbending until with their help she mastered the water whip. Aang, of course, didn't begrudge Katara the scroll, and they shared it as they worked through different forms. When the sun set they relaxed and ate, planning to move on the next morning.
Mika and Haru
It had been almost a week since Mika and Haru had liberated the Fire Nation Prison. They had trained hard each day in Haru's town, Mika taking him through his forms in the morning and working on adaptability in the afternoons. Haru's father had left a few days after he'd gotten home, going with other earthbenders to liberate their towns. Haru and Mika were supposed to join him when Mika declared Haru a master in his own right. Haru had argued, saying he was ready now and he had been separated from his dad for too long, but his father gently told him he just didn't want him hurt and to train with a master like Mika was a great honor. Haru had agreed after a bit, making his father promise to visit as often as he could. His father agreed and told Mika to keep taking care of his son.
"Today we're doing something different, actually, Haru," Mika said as he walked outside and saw Haru already preparing to go through forms. Haru looked up, excitement in his eyes.
"What is it?" he asked eagerly. Mika smiled.
"Anticipation. We did a little bit of it early on, but it's important and it's something that will give you a good advantage in a fight," Mika explained. Haru tilted his head.
"What's anticipation?" he asked.
"Using your earthbending as a sight, being able to anticipate from an opponent's movements what they're going to do next. It's not usually taught, really, but my Master was a stickler for it, and it's saved my life more times than I can count," Mika said. Understanding dawned in Haru's eyes.
"Okay, let's do it," he agreed. Mika blindfolded him and the training began, Mika moving and feigning and throwing rocks while Haru struggled and slowly learned what Mika was trying to teach him.
It was a few days later, after Haru had mastered anticipation and gone through duel after duel with Mika that the master declared his apprentice ready. Mika reached out to the White Lotus and through the organization bought a messenger hawk, which he sent to Haru's father. The same day he received a message back, telling him and Haru where to meet Tyro. They packed up their stuff and began the long walk. However, finding Haru's father was not the primary motivation he had for buying the messenger hawk. He missed Maeve. Badly. So he wrote her a letter, stuck it in the messenger hawk's carrier, let the hawk smell something of Maeve's, and sent it off, hoping it would come back with a message from his girlfriend.
They had been with Tyro for a few days now, moving from one Earth Nation town to another and liberating them, driving the Fire Nation back, slowly but surely. Mika was beginning to think the hawk had never made it to Maeve when it came back. She had written him a long letter, a lot of which was lamenting about how much she missed him and telling him she loved him, and some of which was about where she was. Apparently, at the time she had written this, they had just gotten to the North Pole and Aang and Katara were supposed to start their training the next day. Mika read it through a few times, then wrote an equally long-winded reply before sending it off.