The Origin of Roh-Shan

Cave

After spending a lot of time on Haider and a little time on Kota, the healer wanted them off her island, telling them the beach nearby was full of shallow caves they could find refuge in. Even though Haider still wasn't awake yet, she didn't want them spending the night. She seemed concerned about their feet but didn't have any shoes in their size. At least, none that she was willing to loan. But she was sympathetic enough to drop them a few silver pieces to buy some when they got to town.

Feeling better now, but still not 100%, Kota helped Roh load Haider back into the boat, and the woman said a prolonged goodbye to Ennis.

They reached the shore of Havenoe by around midnight, and sure enough, found a cave relatively quickly, although it was tough to access over the large boulders making up the shoreline. Ennis carried all three of them up the rocks on his back, and showered them in water droplets once they were inside the cave and he could shake his fur out.

"Great," Roh muttered, flicking droplets off herself. "My clothes were finally getting dry." She dragged Haider to one side of the cave and Kota brought over some pine branches from a nearby patch of trees. They stripped the pine needles off and used the wood as tinder, then spread the needles out for each of them to lay on. They also tied Haider's wrist to his ankle with some rope. The girls hadn't forgotten that he technically switched sides on the boat.

Once they had Haider settled in, Ennis curled himself around the boy's unconscious form and laid down, letting his fur dry off by the fire.

Both girls finally settled back against the cave wall.

Roh looked over at her friend. Her sinuses and eardrum had been taken care of as best as the healer could, but Kota still looked like she was fighting a headache. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, absolutely. My ear hurts a little, but other than that I'm good."

"I don't mean that."

"Oh." Kota left it at that.

After another minute, Roh said. "It's been a crazy few days, huh?"

She just nodded.

Roh mistook Kota's silence for anger. "I really didn't mean to drag you into all this. You can leave any time you want, you know."

That meant they didn't need her. "I should." Kota said, sounding tired.

"Wait... are you serious?"

Kota pressed her hand to her forehead. "I don't know. I want to stay, but..."

"But what? If you wanna stay that's perfect! I don't want you to feel obligated but I also want you here. Kota... you know I want you here, right?"

Kota didn't answer. She looked uncomfortable.

"I can't do this alone."

"You won't have to. There's plenty of other people who'd love to help the Avatar."

Roh took a minute to rephrase. "I can't do this without you."

Kota kept her eyes cast down into her lap. Her lips barely moved, but Roh was pretty sure she said "yes you can"

Roh lifted her friend's chin and turned her head gently, until Kota's gaze met hers. "No, I can't. I can't, and I don't want to." After another few breathless seconds, Roh broke her eyes away from Kota's and looked down at her lips, closing the divide between them before her courage wore off.

Kota didn't react at first, still somehow sad, and Roh had hoped she would take over since Roh didn't know how to kiss someone. But as soon as Kota reciprocated, she realized she didn't need anyone to lead, it all just came naturally. The electric sparks she'd felt the first time returned, more complete and fulfilling this time, and she really wondered why they hadn't done this sooner.

But this felt like the right time. She was afraid any variations in the past might not have led her to this exact moment. Granted, she hadn't foreseen the sewage waterfall or the kidnapping and drowning, but if those events were necessary to put her exactly where she was right now, well, she had no problem with that.

When they pulled apart, she looked up at Kota's eyes again. She was still looking down at Roh's lips, but instead of sadness, her eyes held hesitant relief. She was concerned that Kota still wasn't looking up, though.

"Hey. Are you-- was that okay?" Roh panicked for a second.

Kota pulled back further, eyes still cast toward the ground. "Do you mean it, though?"

"What?"

"Do you actually feel that way or are you just doing this to make me feel better somehow?"

Roh was genuinely confused. "...Can you really not tell?"

Kota finally looked up at her.

Roh let out a little laugh. "The healer said it herself, I'm a bad liar. And you know it too. Did that feel like I was faking right now? When I say that I do have feelings for you too, that it may have taken some time to figure things out about myself and that's why I didn't say anything, that I'm sorry my silence led to you feeling rejected, and that I really really wanna kiss you again, do I sound like I'm lying?"

Roh could see the smallest smile on her face. "I don't think so."

"Good." Roh sat back against the cave wall again. She shook her head, "That first kiss is the only good thing that happened that night. Of course I haven't forgot it."

"I know. I'm sorry. I truly thought I wasn't going to see you for a long time."

Roh was about to answer, but Kota's eyes widened and she looked past her.

"Wait. Do you see that too?" She pointed outside the cave.

Roh turned around and looked out into the blue sky. "I don't see anything."

"Hold on, it just flew out of view."

Both girls slid to the mouth of the cave and looked up. Sure enough, a dark figure with wings was gliding through the air, dipping and rising in the currents. Too big to be a bird, at least any bird they've seen before. And it never flapped its wings. And it was wearing shoes.

"Holy shit, that's a person." Kota mumbled.

"An airbender!"

Kota admired the flying figure with an innocent curiosity. "What's an airbender doing in the Earth Kingdom?"

"What's a waterbender doing in a lighthouse in the Earth Kingdom?"

"Okay, point taken."

"Well, I guess each city has a healer, but I thought all Air Nomads lived in the Air Temples."

"Apparently not."

The figure dipped one last time over the open water, and flew back up towards land, out of sight. Roh got up and started climbing the rocks.

"Where are you going?"

"Gonna try and see where he lands!" Roh called back.

Kota followed. Roh had covered a surprising distance in just a few seconds. She caught up to her, and tried to find the figure again in the sky.

"There." Roh pointed. Just a speck in the starry sky now, it dipped down and disappeared on a hill. They could make out the shape of an ornate building with several pointed peaks at the top of the hill.

"What do you think that is?" Kota asked.

"I don't know, but I need an airbending teacher. I'm gonna find out tomorrow."

~//~