THE AIR MASTER {LOK/ATLA} [Book Two]

(I)

Republic City had had an eventful year. After a devastating attack from the now extinct Earth Empire, the creation of a new Spirit Portal in the middle of the city and the reappearance of Avatar Korra after years of being out of sight, the people had been through a lot of emotions in a very short amount of time.

A lot can change in a year. As the seasons came and went and the city slowly but surely returned to its former peace, some things had also changed significantly in my life now. After Korra and Asami left for their world-discovering trip, I had kept very busy helping Uncle Tenzin run things here on Air Temple Island. My dad and the other airbenders had advanced a lot in their training, and new recruits were arriving pretty much every other day. I was in charge of teaching the little kids.

"Good job, Mei!" I said, as I congratulated a little girl on her stance. "Remember, you need to be the leaf."

"This is stupid! When are we going to get to fight?" One of my pupils, who reminded me of Meelo, complained.

I sighed heavily. "Be patient. First, you need to understand your connection to the element."

"But I don't want to be like a leaf! I want to be like you and Avatar Korra! Fighting the bad guys and defending Republic City!"

"Yeah!"

"That's so cool!"

It took them only a couple of seconds to start rattling themselves, so I had to clear my throat loudly to regain their attention. "Hey, that's enough of that. We need to continue your lesson."

"But the panels are so boring!"

"Yeah! Tell us about your adventures with Korra!"

The children cheered excitedly. I sighed, knowing well that whatever lesson I wanted to teach today would have to wait. "Alright, alright. Settle down. I'll make a deal with you guys. Keep practicing being like the leaf, and if you all pass, then I'll tell you everything you want to know."

They seemed content with that. However, before I could continue supervising their training, I was startled by Meelo, who was running towards me in a hurry. "ZAYAAAAA!"

"Uh... Ryu, would you mind watching them for a minute?" I asked my supposed assistant. He never really did much, but it was at times like this that I truly felt grateful to have him there.

"Ugh, fine."

I ignored his bad attitude and walked to my little cousin, who seemed just as excited as the other children were a few moments ago. "What's going on, Meelo?"

"Gran Gran is here!"

I couldn't help but smile widely. "Really? I thought she wasn't coming today!"

"Come on! She wants to see you!" Meelo said, taking my hand and dragging me behind him back into the house.

The place was really crowded. Aside from Uncle Tenzin's kids and Aunt Pema, I could see my dad, Aunt Kya and Uncle Tenzin were already here. The dinning room and main patio were fully decorated, with lots of symbols from each of the Nations splattered around.

Gran Gran stepped towards me slowly and cupped my face gently with a smile. "Oh, Zaya. I am so proud of you. Your mother would be beyond happy."

"Thank you, Gran Gran. I'm glad to have you here, too," I told her with a grin.

Aunt Pema put her hands on her hips in a scolding manner. "Zaya, it's nearly time, and you're not dressed yet!"

"Oh... I thought I could just wear my regular clothes. After all, it's just going to be family and friends, right?"