Book 4: Winds from Tomorrow [Action: May 30th-June 1]

[savedtheworld]

[Action: Days 5-7]

[It's odd for Aang, waking up in House 56. What is this, some sort of bunked bed? He can't remember whatever led him to sleep there. Doesn't this violate his decision to maintain some distance from his younger friends? He slips out of the house early in the morning, or tries to. It's possible that anyone else in the household could have caught him before he was able to leave.

Aang spends the rest of the day and the next two days going back to his daily routine. He meditates in the forest near Avatar House. He goes through town, either casually strolling or zipping through on his Air Scooter, to stay social. On Day 5, he also has to set up his tent near his meditation spot again. Where could his old tent have gone?]

[ooc: Aang is aged up (kinda)-canonically to around his 40s. He also remembers Luceti in an alternate way where he was brought here at this age. The shift has also caused some memory fluctuations (who's that Yakone fellow again?), although the possibility always remains that he's actually from a somewhat alternate version of canon (aka my handwave if my few assumptions get jossed)

Replies come from beardofbalance.]

Comments

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

No? Well, she seemed to think I'd have done a better job than the boy. But who could tell.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

A better job doing what? [Seducing San?]

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

Oh, of protecting the forest. She didn't know what would happen to the forest, but she thought that the boy was too selfish to save the forest because of his attachment to San. [A meek chuckle.] I'm not so perfect myself, but I like to think I could have pulled it off.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[Heh. Of course you could.]

It's nice to hear you believing in yourself like that.

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

Thanks. It's not so hard when the best people have already believed in you for such a long time.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

So things are all working out all right?

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

[There's a slight pause, as he considers the gap in his memories.]

The last few decades have been kind to us. All of us. We've still had our shares of hardships and new responsibilities, but... we've also all experienced such happiness.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[She smiles a little bit.]

Tell me about it.

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

[He grins back at her].

Children. [How does he continue? How much does he tell? He grips his beard tightly and nervously looks around a few times.] Some of us... amongst our group... have had kids. Beautiful, wonderful kids. In fact... [He calms himself, releases his beard and gives an even brighter smile. There's that one bit he can't help but share] Katara, I'm not the last Airbender anymore.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[...wow, she. Really doesn't know what she feels about that, or what to say.

And neither did I, for the longest time.]

That's great, Aang.

[She forces herself through the strange feelings to connect to the part of herself that would always remember taking a twelve-year-old boy home only for him to find it a skeleton of itself.

For that feeling of aloneness

I'm so happy for you.

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

[Her reaction feeds his joy, but it almost makes him laugh at the same time. Since her reaction is only a shadow of how the older her would react to the news firsthand.]

Thanks, Katara. It's my youngest boy who's an Airbender. And I have two older troublemakers who I love just as much. [Pause.] I'd love to tell you details, Katara, but... I'm not sure what would be wise. You're still so young, after all, and some things might sound weird coming from Old Man Aang. [He smiles and absentmindedly spins some pebbles around his raised pointer finger with Airbending.] But hey, if there's anything you think you're ready to know, I'll tell you.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[That's right, Aang. Tell Katara that she "shouldn't know" something - naturally, she'll follow that advice.]

Sixteen is two years older than when we won the war. [It seems like it's always been Aang's job to remind Katara of her youth. She never feels like a child anymore.]

And you might be older, but you're still Aang. I want to know how you're doing, and I want to know how Sokka, Toph, and Zuko are. Do they have kids too?

[There, reasserting her rights while she... figures out... what she does or doesn't want to know, because his hesitance is telling enough as it is.]

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

Of course. You always were wise beyond your years, Katara, while being a kid at the same time. We have all been happy for the most part. And all of us, we have a bond that can only get stronger through time. Even that grumpy old Fire Lord.

[But he sees her question as a good excuse to focus on the others.]

There have been families starting all around. Zuko and Toph each have a beautiful daughter... not with each other of course. Toph's daughter is really precious. I can't wait until you can meet her, I know you're gonna love that scamp. [Pause] I mean, I actually know that you're gonna lover her to as if she we were one of your own.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[She wants to ask who Toph and Zuko ended up having their children with... and if Sokka had any kids, but... that would make her not asking him about herself even more obvious.]

Really? What's she like?

[...as if she were one of my own.

one of my own.

one of my own.]

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

She's a real sweetheart. Almost like a little version of her mom. Except, you know, for the seeing thing. And she's an Earthbender too. Toph's already started teaching her some trickers. She gets along well with, uh, [our] my youngest, too. They're around the same age.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

["Sweetheart" and "Toph" were not words that Katara automatically associated with each other.

Oh man, oh man, he was talking about his kids again.

She swallowed.]

And about how old is that?

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

He turned nine recently. And Toph's daughter is eight. They're such adorable playmates.

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

Wow...

[THIS IS THE WEIRDEST CONVERSATION EVER.]

How old is your oldest?

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

[Kya.]

She'll be turning fifteen soon. [INSERT ACTUAL AGE IF JOSSED.]

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[Blink.]

Wow, that's...

[...strange.

No wonder he was treating me as though...

Fifteen.]

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

[He quickly gives the back of his head a nervous rub.]

Great? Wonderful? Awesome? It's definitely a blessed life.

[Except when he remembers that gap in his memories, those flashes of pain. He tries to blink them away as he always does with pain. Focus on all this happy news.]

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

...really weird.

[Sorry. It is.]

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

[Aang chuckles.]

I blame Luceti for that. It'd be a lot different if you were my age. But it's still pretty fun to be kinda like a prophet. [Assuming his future's the real one. But Aang doesn't want to consider otherwise.]

Day 6

[markofthebrave]

[She smiled a little at that, despite the implication. At least Aang was having fun, and that was always a good thing, but...

She looped her arms around her knees casually enough, but her mind was racing.]

Do you remember when we went to see Aunt Wu?

Day 6

[beardofbalance]

Definitely. ["Trust your heart and you will be with the one you love." "Just as you reshaped those clouds, you also have the power to reshape your destinty."] I guess I could compete with her in the fortune telling business, too.