"Young. And he really does have airbender tattoos." She sounds like she thought those were entirely fabrications of whomever passed the rumours along.
"How is that possible?" It is surprising, I suppose. All the air nomads, to our knowledge, were murdered.
...
Yue elects not to answer. If she feels she could only speculate, she leaves the conversation to others.
"I imagine he either escaped the air temples before the siege – genocide," I grimace at the last word, and look out at the ice, "And somehow lived until now. Or a small group of airbenders evaded the Fire Nation entirely and survived for long enough that the cycle of rebirth went through all the elements until it arrived back at air… With the war going on for a hundred years, it's possible."
"But… wouldn't the tribe have known? There aren't really any other settlements where waterbenders live in numbers like ours," Yue says quietly, eyeing my crossed arms. I didn't realise I moved them.
"You never know," I say, "And with the raids on the South Pole over the last decades I wouldn't be surprised if the new Avatar was killed before he could save anyone."
We're all silent for a moment, then Kesuk shifts in his seat. "That'd be… then we should've-"
He cuts himself off with a glance at Yue. Chances are she'll be our leader in a few years. Criticising the decisions of her ancestors could end badly for him, if Yue was the type.
She catches the look, of course, and immediately loses all openness to her expression and posture. Before she can tell him something oddly clinical, as she is wont to do, when her position on a matter is precluded, I sigh loudly.
"We might not be here to discuss ifs and whens if the tribe had involved itself in the war. Now that the Avatar is here, we're able to teach him what he needs to know about waterbending. Chances are, we'll have no choice about our involvement in any case."
Yue's expression is unreadable, and Kesuk looks confused. "Why? I thought the Fire Nation would concentrate on the Earthkingdom first."
"That won't matter when the Comet returns," I say and add the tea leaves to the boiled water.
"The Comet?" Kesuk seems to not have listened to Pakku's explanation that I'm sure he was there for.
"You know, Sozin's Comet. The one that returns every hundred years," I prompt, and there is no recognition on either of their faces. "It's proximity grants firebenders unimaginable power – ah, that's not quite right, is it? They murdered every airbender they could find that day with that power. It's due to return in… a bit less than a year. That's why the Avatar needs to master all four elements and the Avatar State before then, so that we won't all die when the Comet arrives. It's why we're training more and more benders so young."
To Kesuk, this is clearly all news to him. His mouth is open, his eyes wide and his fists are clenched.
Yue has gone bone-white, which looks decidedly unhealthy on her skin-tone.
What do they teach kids these days? How to professionally ignore everything your teachers try to relay to you? Then again, their teacher for everything might not have been Pakku. And there is a certain amount of responsibility connected to this knowledge. And much of this I only know because I questioned the way our society is structured. Pakku and I argue a lot.
"Why don't I know this? No one told me!" Yue busts out, openly angry for the first time in a long while.
"What?" I can barely believe that. Arnook and I have spoken about this a few times. One of the reasons for my early promotion – alongside my capabilities – was to encourage young benders to try their hardest. To learn what they could for when we would hall have to go to war to fight for our continued existence. Classicistic as we may be, we don't deserve to be annihilated for it. In any case, the Fire Nation's policies and teachings are far worse than ours – even if it's no excuse.
"No one. Ever. Told me this! Not my teachers, not my father, not you-" She stands, agitated, pointing her finger at my chest.
"I, ah… I'm telling you now? I thought you knew. It's common knowledge among benders and council members," I say, and with a glance at Kesuk I add, "Usually. It's just that no one talks about it openly so the children will be spared their childhoods and the civilians don't go mad."
"You-" She turns away abruptly, breathing hard, trying to get herself under control. "I will have to speak to my father about this. Take me to the palace, now!"
I nod, and with a pat to Kesuk's shoulder, I lead Yue outside, and lower us down the wall faster than ever before with her as my passenger. She stumbles upon our halt, and I catch her wrist before she falls into the water. While I'm usually all for letting people embarrass themselves, even I can tell that this isn't the time.
I can feel the tremors in her arm and don't let her go until she's safely seated in the boat with a white-knuckled grip on the sides. Even as I speed us along the canals I am careful not to spray the pedestrians with ice cold water. All it takes is a bit of a flourish of my wrist at the end of my bending motion, and I do like flourishes. That's Pakku's influence. This time, our passage is marked by confused shouts that I ignore.
The palace is teeming with activity, full of people preparing the celebration. Arnook is in the Great Hall, directing workers and their tasks.
He greets us with a smile that fades into confusion the moment he comprehends Yue's mood. His eyes seek out mine for clarification, and I jerk my head to indicate that they should speak privately. He leads the way to his chambers.
I'm about to close the doors behind them, when Yue calls me inside. "Kaito, come."
I don't enjoy being part of this… discussion. This is a family matter, really, and it's not my place, nor do I want it to be. I'm both their friend, I suppose, and I have no desire to pick sides. So I won't.
"What's going on?" Arnook asks.
My view as I enter the room is Yue having crossed her arms, a stormy look on her face, and Arnook standing before her, apprehensive.
"Why haven't you told me about the Comet?" She bites out.
Arnook's shoulders drop. "I had… hoped that I wouldn't have to burden you with the knowledge."
"Burden! And what, leave me to be ignorant like a child, knowing less than my- my babysitter!"
Her father looks to me for help. "That's not-"
"It isn't? Ha! Any time I ask to sit in on a council meeting, you deny me because of this, am I right? I am not a child, father! I'll be- I'll be married soon, you can't- keep me from- from learning how to lead our tribe, how to keep us all alive!" He voice rises and becomes shriller with every time she cuts herself off to force the words out. She's never been all that good with confrontations, but she pushes on.
"Yue," he says, softly, and it's entirely the wrong tone to take, at the moment.
"He told me before you did!" She points at me, but the accusation is for her father alone. "Why does he know more than I?" It would sound petulant, if it weren't so obvious that she is honestly confused on the matter, and devastated because of its implications. That he trusts me more. That he believes that I can handle this sort of knowledge and she can't.
I wince. And continue right on when he speaks, "He's a capable bender, and he's proven himself-"
"I never even had the chance to! I'm- I'm coddled and protected, and the only reason I know how to hold a dagger is because Kaito got bored one afternoon and taught me!"
Now it's my turn to look guilty as Arnook levels a look at me, but at this point I won't pretend to be sorry. I thought she'd need to know how to defend herself one day, and a dagger is something she can carry beneath her clothes.
He doesn't stop staring, so I shrug at him. I'm not a diplomat.
"And now somehow he's- he's the only one who tells me what goes on? When all he ever does is play pranks, and drink, and-" She colours, and isn't that charming?
I'm tempted to prompt her 'And…?' But this still isn't the time.
"I didn't want… after your mother died… and I'd already almost lost you once, I-" He cuts himself off. These two…
I should go. I take a step back to give them space, and maybe even make a break for it, but Yue's hand snatches me wrist before I can get far. Her grip is almost painful.
She doesn't look at me, but her shoulders tremble. "And your answer was to keep me in the dark about… everything?"
"I was going to tell you. Once you were married, I-"
"What."
"Well, once you were married, I could-"
"You never intended for me to become chief. That's what you're telling me. That, that mother's wishes are nothing to you?" He voice wavers with the force of her disbelief.
...
Don't forget to throw some power stones :)
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