Archive of Our Own ^beta

In the small coastal village of Donsuta, everyone was preparing for the annual Sunfire Celebration. This vibrant festival marked the anniversary of the birth of the first firebender, and it was an event the whole village looked forward to each year.

As with most celebrations, there would be mountains of zesty foods and games for the children, with everyone donning various masks for added fun. The occasion would conclude with the entire village sending paper lanterns into the sky to carry their hopes and wishes to Agni and his daughter, hoping that their dreams would come true.

Eight-year-old Hiro was incredibly enthusiastic; he loved the parties his homeland threw, primarily because they were among the few times of the year that broke the monotony of village life. Even his best friend Tao, who was of Earth Kingdom descent and lived in the Fire Nation, was excited to partake in the festivities. Their families made it a point to celebrate each other’s cultural holidays so that no one felt left out.

The boys were in Hiro’s living room, putting the finishing touches on their homemade masks. “What do you think of my mask, Tao?” Hiro asked, holding up a brilliant red mask reminiscent of the Blue Spirit mask.

“Not bad! I’m not really into theater myself, but how does my badger mole mask look?” Tao replied, showing off his creation.

“I think it looks dandy, to be honest. I hope my mom loves the masks we made when she gets home,” Hiro said, a grin spreading across his face.

“My mom would throw a fit if she knew we were left alone,” Tao said, a hint of worry creeping into his voice.

“We’re not alone, Tao! We have a babysitter—Lady Tanuki!” Hiro pointed out confidently.

Tao shivered at the mention of their babysitter’s name. “I don’t know about you, but there’s something weird about that lady!” he whispered, glancing around as if expecting her to appear.

“Excuse me? If you have something to say about me, please say it to my face,” came a sharp but playful voice, startling both boys. They looked up in surprise to see Lady Tanuki standing in the doorway.

Lady Tanuki was on the shorter side and slightly plump. Her almond-shaped eyes were a stunning shade of copper that matched her hair, which she wore in two playful side buns. Despite her rather large nose, she had a mischievous smile that could put anyone at ease.

“Umm, nothing, Lady Tanuki! We weren’t saying anything about you!” Tao hastily replied, his cheeks turning red.

“Lies aren’t funny, Tao. I might be a little mischievous at times and enjoy playing tricks, but I know when it’s time to be comical and when it’s time to be serious,” she said, wagging a finger at them playfully.

Turning her attention to Hiro, she added, “Hiro, I just put your sister down for her afternoon nap. So please keep the noise down. I’m going to go make some veggie noodles and will check on you in half an hour.” With that, she headed toward the kitchen, leaving the boys in a mix of relief and unease.

Hiro turned to Tao, his orange eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “You know she’s right, Tao. She has a good sense of humor, and her pranks are harmless. It’s not like anyone got hurt when she put salt in the dessert instead of sugar or when she used quills that wrote in invisible ink. I appreciate her sense of humor. A few harmless pranks aren’t something to get overly excited about.”

“Maybe they’ve been harmless so far, but I still get weird vibes from her,” Tao insisted, though he seemed to relax a little.

The boys let the conversation drop and returned to finishing their masks. Lady Tanuki peeked through the door again, her gaze settling on Hiro. It wasn’t every day she’d been assigned to watch over the future Avatar by the higher-ranked spirits. Why they even asked the trickster spirit to do it, she didn’t know.

She wondered if this was a test to see if she could refrain from playing more meddlesome tricks on humans. Still, that wasn’t her primary concern right now—she had veggie noodles to prepare.

The disguised spirit did an excellent job of babysitting the young Avatar and the other children, teaching them that having a sense of humor was important and that people needed to have fun occasionally. One should never be too serious.

The festival went off without a hitch, and even Lady Tanuki enjoyed herself. Before she returned to the Spirit World, she gave Hiro a big hug and whispered in his ear, “Even when things get challenging or dire, it’s necessary to laugh and have fun.”

Hiro thanked her and watched her leave the village, wondering if he would ever see her again. He pondered why she’d given him such specific advice, but regardless, he promised himself he would take her words to heart.