Tanza
Dawn broke over the Eastern Harbor, signaling their departure. They had spent the night in the teahouse's detached guest lodgings, a welcome luxury that saved them a long search for a village inn.
True to his boisterous nature, Faor Gutuo adamantly refused their money. However, Kelsang insisted on paying a fair wage for the hospitality, holding to the monk standard of never taking advantage of a host.
The real surprise came when Tanza reached into her robes to contribute her own coin. Kelsang looked down at her, a single eyebrow raised in silent, amused questioning. Air Nomads rarely carried wealth, let alone seven-year-old children.
Tanza offered a quick, practical excuse, explaining she had saved the pocket change from busywork and chores during her time in the South Pole. A faint, proud smirk tugged at Kelsang's lips at his apprentice's resourcefulness.
Faor finally took the coins with a grateful nod. After a final round of farewells to the chaotic Gutuo clan, they climbed onto Juun with Tanza onto his large leather saddle and Kelsang behind his head to steer him. With Juun and Hachi strong and rested after a night on solid ground, they soared into the morning sky.
Before long, after two and a half days of travel, a small dot of land finally rose over the ocean's horizon. Kelsang guided Juun just a few meters above the water's surface, keeping a steady pace. Flying right beside them was Tanza's own bison calf, Hachi, whose flight endurance had visibly improved over the long trek.
As the dot grew larger, Kyoshi Island came into view. The land rose steadily from the sea, its borders defined by several small mountains. Nestled between the peaks were a few open plains dotted with sparse rice paddy farms, and a large cape stretched out to the south, hosting a prominent village right on the coast.
The closer they got, the more Tanza was able to see the interior of the island, which revealed a landscape of vibrant green hills and dense forests. Tucked safely away from the crashing waves of the surrounding coastline, small coastal villages began to appear. Their architecture featured distinct Earth Kingdom styles, but with dark thatched roofs and wooden walls that blended smoothly into the surrounding nature.
From their vantage point in the sky, Tanza could see the small shapes of fishing boats bobbing in the deeper blue bays and thin plumes of smoke rising from village hearths.
As they descended, allowing Tanza to get a closer look at the coastal cape town, she spotted a massive statue of a woman standing proudly atop a great stone block. All throughout the village, the locals appeared to be busy decorating and setting up tables, clearly preparing for a major celebration.
"Well now—" Kelsang mused from the front, her voice carrying over the wind. Tanza continued to peer over the lip of Juun's large saddle, watching fishermen tending to their nets further out at sea, while others sat closer to the beach in small boats, calmly casting their lines. "—I did not think we'd arrive right in time to experience the Kyoshi festival." She remarked.
As they dropped lower, several villagers finally noticed the massive shadows blocking the sun, pointing up at the sky in surprise.
Tanza blinked, turning her gaze back to the bustling village center just before they touched down. She hadn't studied deeply enough into global history to know every cultural intricacy yet. The extent of her academic knowledge regarding this island was basic: Kyoshi had faced Chin the Conqueror, shattered the peninsula to separate herself from his tyrannical army, and left the warlord to fall to his death as she swept her new island out into the ocean.
It was a feat so surreal that Tanza almost forgot that, on top of being the Avatar, Kyoshi was a born earthbender. The fact that a human at the absolute peak of their bending could move an entire landmass made Tanza critically re-evaluate her own airbending progression. Was Kyoshi able to shift a continent solely because of the Avatar State, or was it a testament to the raw limits of mastered earthbending?
Tanza put her money on the former, but who was to say it wasn't possible for a seasoned, legendary master who had trained their entire life?
They touched down on the soft, sandy beach, which was lined with a few wooden docks for shoring fishing boats. In the distance, a group of village children paused what they were doing to point at the massive beasts. They chatted excitedly to their friends and parents for a moment before returning to their daily tasks.
Meanwhile, on the nearest dock, one of the fishermen who was in the middle of casting turned around to look their way. Tanza eyed him back while Kelsang hopped down from Juun's head. Beside them, Hachi let out a tired yawn and immediately collapsed onto his belly on the warm sand.
"Well, greetings!" the fisherman called out, lifting his woven straw hat to reveal a toothy grin with a few missing teeth. He wore the light blue robes typical of local fishermen, and a wicker basket packed with the day's catch was strapped to his back, its lid firmly clasped shut. "I'd welcome ya, but—oh, hold on!"
He was abruptly cut off as his fishing line snagged violently. The man quickly shifted his weight, focusing entirely on reeling the fighting catch in.
While the fisherman was occupied, Tanza hopped down from the large saddle, cushioning her landing with a soft, practiced gust of air. Kelsang joined her side on the sand to idly watch the struggle, seeing if the man would be successful.
Kelsang patted her apprentice's shoulder with a faint chuckle. "It looks like he'll be busy for a bit," she mused.
Tanza nodded in agreement, taking one last look at the fisherman as he stood up fully, pulling and tugging against the tension of his line.
Mifei
Being too young to wear the heavy metal armor of formal combat, Mifei was still afforded the privilege to train. She wore a miniature green training tunic and practiced with light, unweighted wooden fans. It was the same for her two close friends, Nihlo and Kyiki. The three young girls sat quietly on their knees along the side of the wooden Kyoshi Dojo, watching intently.
At the center of the floor, Mifei's mother, Mufei, was busy instructing two older Kyoshi Warrior students. She moved with fluid precision, guiding them through the exact stances of their katas.
Mifei watched diligently, tracking every subtle shift in posture. In front of her, the older girls—clad in heavy plates of metal armor—swung their weighted steel war fans with sharp, resounding snaps. They perfectly mirrored Mufei's movements, executing advanced self-defense steps and swift, sweeping counter-attacks that echoed across the training hall.
From Mifei's perspective on the sidelines, her mother's eyes suddenly narrowed. Mufei had spotted a flaw in the older girls' stances. "Stop!" she barked, her voice cutting through the dojo like a snapping whip.
The two older students froze instantly, their steel fans locked in mid-air. Mifei, Nihlo, and Kyiki instinctively straightened their backs, barely daring to breathe.
Mufei strode forward, her heavy steps echoing on the hardwood. As she approached, the two girls quickly stood ramrod straight with their arms held tight to their sides. "Your footwork is sloppy, Sheyen," Mufei snapped, poking a firm finger directly into the girl's shoulder. "A pirate wouldn't hesitate to sweep your legs out from under you if you leave your center of gravity that high!"
She stepped back to the center of the ring, her face a mask of strict discipline. "Forms alone won't keep you alive on the open sea. Fans down. Armguards up!" she yelled firmly, turning to face the two older girls. "Let's see if you can actually apply what you've been mimicking."
With a swift, practiced motion, Mufei snapped open her own metal fan, the crack of the metal echoing through the room. "Begin your first duel. First to draw blood or yield cleans the latrines tonight," she ordered with an even glare.
The two older girls didn't hesitate. They snapped their fans shut, tucked them into their belts, and raised their armored forearms into defensive guards. They circled each other warily, eyes locked, waiting for the first mistake.
The duel was fast and unforgiving. Sheyen lunged forward, throwing a straight punch aimed directly at her classmate Migebi's jaw.
Her opponent didn't flinch. She pivoted on her heel, using her armored forearm to deflect the blow outward before stepping deep into Sheyen's personal space. With a sudden, explosive twist of her hips, she hooked her leg behind Sheyen's ankle and shoved her backward. She went flying, landing hard on the polished hardwood floor with a resounding, breath-knocking thud.
"Yield!" Sheyen gasped out, clutching her ribs as her opponent loomed over her with a raised guard. Mufei merely gave a single, curt nod of approval, signaling the end of the match.
By the time the training session finally ended for the morning, the noon sun was high in the sky. Mifei stepped out of the dojo's sliding wooden doors and into the cool coastal air, sliding her unweighted wooden fans into her sash.
Behind her, she could hear the groans of the two older girls. They were both recovering on the porch, nursing fresh bruises, passing around a jar of soothing salve, and grumbling about the latrine duty awaiting Sheyen.
Mifei, on the other hand, stretched her back and rolled her arms before heading out for the day. As she peered down at the village below, she blinked in surprise. Down on the beach, a fully grown sky bison and a younger calf were lounging on the sand. An adult Air Nomad and a young girl stood beside them, currently being approached by someone from the village.
"Airbenders!" Mifei remarked with a chipper tone and a smile.
Her exclamation caught the attention of Nihlo, who left the building soon after. Now free of her training gear, Nihlo was dressed in her normal blue Earth Kingdom garb.
"What was that?" Nihlo drawled in a bored, dry tone. Her personality naturally clashed with Mifei's high energy, but what she lacked in enthusiasm, she more than made up for in her dedicated martial arts practice under Mufei. Her eyes traced where Mifei was looking, and a small smile graced her lips. "Oh…" She shifted her weight and crossed her arms. "Huh. They arrived in the nick of time, just before the festival…" she mused.
They both watched as the person from the village began guiding the Air Nomads and their bison toward a nearby open stable, a space reserved for the rare visits of nomadic travelers.
"Ooh, ooh, let me see!" The sound of rushing footsteps echoed from behind them before Kyiki slid to a halt beside Mifei. Shielding her eyes with a hand against the noon sun, she too was back in her normal daily clothes. "Hey! Let's go meet them!" she suggested, bouncing on her feet.
Though their excitement was cut short soon after, "If you three have enough spare energy to bounce around, you have enough energy to be useful," a stern, commanding voice cut through their excitement.
The girls froze. Kyiki stopped bouncing mid-hop, her hands dropping to her sides as Mufei stepped out of the dojo's sliding doors.
Mufei carried a sturdy wooden crate tucked firmly under one arm, holding it effortlessly despite its weight. A light, disapproval-filled frown sat on her face, paired with an unyielding, strict gaze that locked onto the three young students.
"The festival organizers down at the village square are still waiting on the performance props," Mufei lectured, her tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. "The older girls are recovering from their sparring, and the other girls are busy setting up the stage down at the village center, which leaves the rest of the transport to us." she informed the three of them, "I will not have our dojo looking lazy in front of the village." She declared.
She set the crate down on the porch with a solid thud, revealing it was packed to the brim with oversized, brightly colored silk and bamboo fans meant for the festival's traditional stage dances.
"Mifei, grab the sashes. Nihlo, Kyiki, take a side on the prop crate," Mufei ordered briskly, already reaching inside the dojo to lift an even heavier trunk of stage gear for herself. "We are heading down to the square now. You can look at the sky bison while you work."
Tanza
After petting Hachi and offering the growing calf an apple treat before leaving him, Tanza watched as Kelsang encouraged her to tour the village. Her master wanted to speak with the island's govenor to see if the woman she once knew upon visiting the island years ago—back when she was a child much like Tanza—was still alive and well.
"He certainly wasn't old back then, but I'd like to see if he remembers the face of every airbender that visits." were her humorous master's words before they parted ways for the day.
Left to her own devices, Tanza walked out from the stables and stepped onto the packed dirt streets of the village.
Practically everyone was dressed in various shades of deep indigo and ocean blue, even the young children running around the streets wore miniature blue tunics and wrapped sashes.
Turning her gaze upward and around, she viewed her surroundings once again since they arrived. The buildings were sturdy and built into the ground, constructed from heavy timber and thick stone foundations designed to withstand the harsh coastal winds.
As she ventured deeper toward the village center, the main dirt street widened out, bustling with activity. Dozens of workers were busy assembling wooden stands and vendor stalls right on the road. The rhythmic thud of mallets driving pegs into wood echoed through the air as the structures for the upcoming festival began taking physical shape.
As she walked past the constructing vendor stalls, a sudden wave of rich, savory aromas hit her. The enticing scent cut completely through the smell of fresh timber and salty sea air, instantly grabbing her attention.
Tanza tracked the appetizing smell down a side street. Its origin was a bustling communal kitchen, complete with a small outdoor seating area. A few local workers on break sat at the long wooden tables, happily digging into a colorful range of fresh food local to the island.
Having skipped a proper breakfast and lunch—relying entirely on the bland, dry rations that could survive a multi-day flight without spoiling—Tanza's stomach let out a sharp, demanding rumble. She caught herself just in time, quickly swallowing and wiping her mouth before she actually started to drool right there in the street.
Tanza carefully approached the communal kitchen, keeping her eyes up to ensure she didn't collide with any of the busy locals navigating the crowded street. Within moments, she reached the stone building, which was topped with a thick, traditional thatched roof.
Peering inside through one of the windows, she observed an assembly line. On one side of the room, several men and women were chopping fresh fish with heavy iron cleavers, while two others used specialized knives to fillet the skin away with practiced skill. On the opposite side, a row of workers focused on rolling neat portions of sushi, packing rice and fresh fish meat tightly into dark seaweed wraps.
Meanwhile, at the back center of the kitchen, a man and a woman were managing a row of four large woks—two for each of them. They moved in perfect rhythm, tossing ingredients together inside the deep pans as they fried breaded foods and mixed rice over the roaring heat.
To her right, the idle chatter of the men and women on their lunch break drifted over. One young man was doing his absolute best to smoothly ask a local girl out for the upcoming festival. Tuning that bit out—as it was entirely none of her business—Tanza's musings were soon cut short by footsteps approaching from behind.
The sound prompted her to step away from the window. Turning, she saw a young delivery boy carrying a small wooden crate packed with bags of what looked like various spices.
"Excuse me," he said politely, passing to her right to head through the building's main entrance. Tanza quickly shifted out of his path.
Meanwhile, inside the kitchen, a woman who looked to be in her twenties stormed out from the back room, aggressively wiping her hands through the air. "Any more fish bones?!" she hollered over the noise.
"Over here!" one of the workers chopping the fish called back, gesturing for her to come over.
With so much happening at once, Tanza was completely engrossed in the chaotic symphony of culinary activity. Her guard was entirely down—so much so that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a sudden hand pressed firmly onto her shoulder.
"Hyeh?!" she squeaked, whirling around instantly.
Standing behind her was an adult woman dressed in the standard local blue garb, looking down at her with an amused smile. Tanza inwardly chided herself, thoroughly embarrassed that she had allowed her absolute distraction over a kitchen's sights and smells to completely compromise her spatial awareness.
The adult woman smiled warmly and knelt down to bring herself to eye level with Tanza. "Well now, and who might you be, little hungry-looking monk?" she asked with a humorous, gentle grin.
Tanza finally caught her bearings, quickly calming her rattled nerves before speaking. "Ah, apologies, ma'am," she sighed out, letting a small grimace slip onto her face. She realized she probably looked a lot more starved than she cared to admit.
The woman chortled softly, covering her mouth with her hand for a moment. Lowering it, she palmed her knees as she prepared to stand. "Oh, don't worry, little one. This kitchen has a habit of trapping anyone's nose."
She rose to her full height and gestured toward the nearby wooden benches. "Would you perhaps like a dish to eat?"
Tanza looked between the bustling kitchen and back at the kind woman, giving a firm nod. "That would be much appreciated, ma'am."
Right on cue, another loud rumble erupted from her stomach, practically begging for actual substance. Tanza winced, immediately palming her gut to try and stifle the noise. "Excuse me..." she mumbled, letting out a quiet, internal sigh.
Tanza looked back up at the woman. "But pleased to meet you ma'am, I am Tanza. And... do I perhaps need to pay, or...?" She trailed off, genuinely unsure of how this specific establishment operated. A meal this good couldn't possibly be free.
The woman smiled kindly back down at her. "Well, I'm Bao," she said, patting her own chest. "And I'm the head chef here, though I should be in—"
She was quickly cut off by a man's voice echoing from deep inside the building. "Chef Bao! Need a hand with this big eel in here! This bone is extra tricky!" he hollered.
Bao looked over her shoulder back toward the kitchen. "I'll be right in!" she hollered back.
Turning her gaze back down to Tanza, she offered a warm smile. "I'll get a dish fixed up for you. Consider it free, as a welcome gift to the island," she said, playfully winking at her.
Bao pulled a clean cloth from her pocket, wrapping it over her head to tightly tie her hair back, and headed straight into the bustling kitchen a moment later.
Tanza wordlessly navigated her way to an empty wooden bench, sitting near a few local children who quickly noticed her arrival.
"Oh hey! Are you an airbender?!" a boy on the opposite end of the table blurted out. He looked up from his bowl of steamed rice and cooked fish meat with wide, surprised eyes.
The girl sitting right beside him lightly elbowed his ribs just as she finished a bite of her own food. "Of course she's an airbender. Just look at the way she dresses," she said, rolling her eyes at him before resuming her lunch.
Mung shrugged, rubbing his sore side while offering the girl a light glare. "How do you know that? For all we know, she's probably just a monk girl who arrived on a boat with a few other monks. I mean, they can't all be airbenders, right?"
In response, the girl shook her head and swallowed another bite. "I saw her and an older airbender woman hop off their bison before I came here. They used airbending. I saw it," she insisted. She then turned her gaze back to Tanza, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry about my friend, Mung."
Tanza shook her head, keeping her tone calm and practical. "No, it's fine," she assured them. "He's not entirely wrong. There are a few monks who are not airbenders, but they are a minority, if anything." That is, as far as she saw of the rare monks at her home temple and the southern temple that had adopted the lifestyle.
Mung smirked, clearly pleased with himself for being even a little bit right, which only caused the girl to roll her eyes at him playfully.
Tanza looked between the two of them before the girl spoke up to introduce them. "Well, this is Mung, as I said before," she noted, pointing her chopsticks toward the boy.
"And that's Meimei," Mung interjected, gesturing back with a thumb toward the girl. She wore simple green garbs, which made her stick out a bit against the deep blue clothing worn by most of the villagers.
Tanza nodded. Both of them looked to be just a bit older than her. "Then you can know me as Tanza," she introduced herself.
"Well, then, pleasure to meet you, Tanza!" Meimei greeted her with a soft smile.
A few quiet moments passed as they ate. Soon, Tanza's natural curiosity took over, and she decided to ask a question that had been lingering in her mind. "By the way, Meimei, is there any specific reason your outfit is green?" The rest of the people here had mostly blue garbs, but hers was different, and she might as well be asking a curious question that a girl her age would ask.
Meimei paused, halting her chopsticks mid-air. She looked back at Tanza and smiled proudly. "Oh, this stuff?" she asked. Tanza gave a small nod. "This is my undergarb for my Kyoshi Warrior outfit!" she answered. "I'm just on a quick lunch break before I have to get back to setting up the stage with my other Kyoshi sisters!" she finished with a chipper attitude.
Soon though, right on cue, Chef Bao emerged from the stone building's entrance, carrying a steaming clay plate in her hands. The incredibly appetizing aroma of fresh, hot food immediately drifted over the table.
"Here you go, little monk! Fresh out of the wok," Bao announced proudly, setting the dish down directly in front of Tanza.
The plate was piled high with savory fried rice, mixed with local herbs and vegetables, and topped with thick, golden-brown strips of breaded, deep-fried eel meat. It looked crisp, hot, and vastly superior to any dry travel ration Tanza had eaten over the last two days.
"Thank you very much, Chef Bao," Tanza said politely, her stomach giving one final, eager flutter at the sight of the food.
Bao gave her another playful wink, resting her hands on her hips for a brief second to ensure her young guest was satisfied, before turning on her heel to dive right back into the frantic chaos of her kitchen.
While the steaming dish made Tanza quickly snap her lips shut to stop herself from salivating, Mung blinked and tilted his head in deep thought. "Wait, I thought I remembered something about you monk people being what... non-meat-eating people?" he asked.
Meimei shook her head at him in slight exasperation, while Tanza looked up from her hot meal. "It's called vegetarian, Mung," Meimei corrected him with a slightly bemused smile.
Mung rolled his eyes in response. "Yeah, duh, still the same thing!" he argued, shrugging his shoulders.
Tanza, on the other hand, took her wooden chopsticks into her hand and looked back at the slightly older boy. "Well, Meimei is not wrong, but we are not strictly limited depending on where we travel," she reasoned practically. "Plus, we don't only eat what grows from the ground. We consume milk products from our bison and unfertilized eggs, so our culture is not entirely vegan at all."
She pulled her clay plate a bit closer, expertly gathering a small piece of fried eel and a portion of rice into her chopsticks. After placing the savory bite into her mouth, the rich flavors of the freshly cooked food completely delighted her taste buds. Once she chewed and swallowed, she spoke once more.
"And besides, as per our culture's traditions, we gracefully accept any food given to us so as to never be rude to our hosts, as well as to fully enjoy and appreciate cultures outside of our own."
Meimei and Mung both nodded at the young monk's word, but before anyone could say another word, a loud, collective groan echoed from the edge of the dirt street.
Tanza looked up from her plate to see three young girls roughly her own age staggering into the village square from afar. Three girls were sweating under the high noon sun, heavily carrying a massive wooden crate of performance props between them, with a formidable-looking adult woman marching right behind them carrying an even heavier trunk.
One of the girls let out a tired huff, dropping her side of the crate onto the dirt with a thud, only to freeze when her eyes locked onto Tanza's bright orange robes. A wide, excited grin instantly replaced her exhaustion. Tanza quietly paused her chopsticks mid-air, locking eyes with the newcomers.