The days on the ship passed in the same way and soon enough, Tapeesa had lost track of time. On that ship, hours or months could have passed but it wouldn't have made any difference to her. She wasn't required to help and the couple of times she had attempted to help the crew, sooner or later, they would politely ask her to leave. It wasn't that she was completing their instructions wrongly—she knew better than that—but it seemed as if the fact she had come to the ship as a visitor had made them not want her help. As a result, her days were uneventful.
She spent quite some time on the deck, looking in the horizon for any sign of land. Whenever Aang, Zuko or Katara trained she would watch them, noting the way they fought with interest, especially when it came to Katara. It had been years since she had last gotten in contact with a waterbender and she eagerly watched her movements in an effort to learn something she didn't already know.
Katara was talented and in tune with her element, all the months she had fought in the war obvious in the way she bent. She knew what she was doing and she was confident in her power. Part of Tapeesa wished she could spend a few moments with her alone so she could pick up any skills of hers she lacked. Although, ever since the day they had met in Zuko's meeting room, Katara hadn't talked to her much.
That morning wasn't much different. Tapeesa stood on the deck, resting her arms against the railing as she leaned forward, watching the horizon. She could sense a tension in the water as the ship moved similar to that day on the last ship she had been on before the storm had struck and she knew in a few hours, they would meet a storm. She was calm as she looked ahead of her, preparing for what was to happen. Until she heard footsteps coming closer. She tilted her head to the side just slightly as she caught sight of Sokka. He came to a stop beside her on the railing and leaned against it, mirrored her stance. He spoke a while later.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking ahead for any sign of land," she muttered, her tone hardly disturbing the quiet that had settled over the deck. "A storm is coming."
Sokka briefly turned to face her. "How do you know?"
"I can feel it in the water," she replied simply as she turned to face him. There was an unusual intensity in her eyes that was effortless and Sokka couldn't bring himself to look at her for a long time without feeling intimidated, as if she was judging him. For a brief moment he considered whether he had done something wrong before he reminded himself he was actually innocent and stopped feeling guilty. Instead he forced himself to offer her a small smile in an effort to put himself at ease.
"It sounds cool."
"It's a nice warning," she agreed as she looked ahead in the distance once more. "Why did you leave Kyoshi island? Your wife and child need you more, don't they?"
Sokka swallowed and nodded slowly. "They probably do. Suki is capable of taking care of herself, though, and she has lots of help in Kyoshi island. We both wanted to make sure Aang was alright. I know it's not the best reason and Aang is the Avatar, he can obviously take care of himself. But I'm his friend. I worry."
"You don't need to explain yourself to me," she assured him with a faint twitch of her lips for a moment he thought he had imagined. "I was just curious. Most people wouldn't have left their family that way."
"Aang is family, you know," he shrugged, a smile forming on his lips as he thought. "We've gotten through so much together. I couldn't abandon him and not come when Zuko told me of the danger he had been through."
"You're a good friend, Sokka," she muttered as she turned to face him once more. "Aang surely appreciates you being here."
"I'd say he's smiling all the time because of me being here but he smiles most of the time anyway," he chuckled to himself and Tapeesa smiled slightly as she nodded in agreement.
"He does. He did miss you, though."
He hummed in agreement as he turned to face her as well, his smile extinguishing as he got serious. "What do you know?"
"He wants to spend more time with all of you," she admitted, her eyes falling on the deck as she caught sight of movement only to see Katara and Aang get outside, Zuko following a few ways behind them. "He misses you."
"I guessed so," he sighed, bringing her to look over at him at his reaction. "I mean, I have a family now. Zuko has his girlfriend, Mai. You know Mai, don't you?"
"I've only heard of her," she admitted, "I don't know how she looks or how she is."
"She's a lot like you," he smiled, "doesn't talk much, doesn't really smile, can be intimidating if she wants to – that's a compliment, by the way." She couldn't help but smile at his comment and Sokka beamed over at her before he continued. "She's rather collected and observant. Of course you're nothing alike when it comes to appearance, but I do believe you have things in common."
"It would appear so," she agreed as she looked over in the direction of Zuko. "She will make a good Fire Lady and a nice match for the Fire Lord."
"Probably," he agreed as he looked over at her. "So, you don't really like the Nothern Water Tribe, do you?"
"I don't think I belong there," she admitted. "I never liked their mindset even though I was a skilled healer despite how young I was. I never managed to fit in."
"Do you think you belong in the Fire Nation more then?"
"Not at all," she looked over at him. "They always look whenever I get in a room because I'm visibly so different. I am a skilled fighter without using my bending but they still look at me in a slightly peculiar manner from time to time."
"Then why have you stayed in the fleet?"
"Because I'm a skilled fighter and I have the same opportunities as men there," she replied at once, "I have their respect. I prefer being part of the Fire Nation fleet than go back to the Northern Water Tribe or head to the Earth Kingdom."
"How about the Southern Water Tribe?"
She looked over at him, her eyes widening in mild surprise. "What about it?"
"My tribe has yet to become like the North but Katara is in charge and she's managed to accomplish a lot in the last decade. Everyone has the same opportunities as the other and you won't have to hide your bending. Maybe you could belong there."
"You would offer me a place in the Southern Water Tribe?" she couldn't help but ask, not quite able to hide her surprise after his suggestion. "You hardly know me. How could you suggest anything like that?"
"You saved Aang and that's made me trust you. Besides, I've seen you on the ship these last couple of days. Sure, you don't really talk but you haven't done anything to change my mind."
The way he spoke, one would think what he was offering her wasn't of much importance. Tapeesa truly was surprised, for once, her emotions clear on her face as she watched him with wide eyes and Sokka couldn't help but smile before he shrugged.
"It's not a big deal, really. Think about it. After all, you could end up staying in the Fire Nation fleet."
"Thank you," she breathed as she struggled to reign her emotions. Sokka only smiled in response before someone called her name and she turned to the sound only to see Aang beaming up at her.
"Come train with us!"
She nodded at him, still rather surprised as she took a few steps back, glanced at Sokka one more time and then got down the stairs to join the rest. She wasn't really focused during their training but then again, nobody seemed to notice.
-
The storm reached them in the early afternoon. The waves got bigger and bigger, more dangerous by the second, slamming against the ship and bringing it to move on the waves, hardly able to be controlled. Tapeesa was gathered with everyone else in the meeting room, her shoulders rigid as she looked around, waiting for the next wave to approach the ship. The tension was high as they waited for the next wave to hit. When it did, it slammed so hard against the side Sokka and Katara fell forward.
Tapeesa gasped, her arms rose at once as if she were a puppeteer and she felt her chair sliding back with the force of the wave before Aang reached for her chair, grasping it firmly and keeping it still. Her hands seemed to spasm and she tensed up, not paying any heed to Aang's worried look. A wave against the current hit, one Tapeesa had commanded, stabilising the ship but it kept on moving, oscillating dangerously still. Her hands stopped trembling. She looked over at Aang, her eyes wide.
"It's going to sink."
His eyes widened and he didn't waste a moment to rush out of the room. Tapeesa was quick to follow after him with the rest rushing after them, any questions Sokka asked remaining unanswered. It was a struggle to navigate their way out in the open. The members of the crew called out directions and orders to one another as they passed by them until they got out in the open. Aang opened the door wide as Tapeesa rushed after him, with a slash of her hand and a grunt, urging a wave that was about to hit the ship to retreat, crash a few ways away.
The ocean was enraged, giant waves morphing in the distance and moving towards the ship, threatening to engulf it completely. Tapeesa looked around, her eyes wide in fear as she caught sight of more waves approaching. One prepared to hit the deck right at the place she stood at. She raised her arms in an effort to stop it, directed a portion of it on the other side of the ship but she couldn't hold all of it off. The wave crashed on her, mixing with the rain and drenching her whole. She looked behind her in an effort to ensure the rest were fine before she turned to Aang.
He was standing on the edge of the ship just as the greatest wave of them all appeared, seconds before it were to hit the ship. She yelled his name in the storm, automatically took a few steps forward before the wave hit and the ship was pushed under the surface.
All sound was muffled beneath the waves as she looked around frantically for anyone she could save. Before she could make a decision a bright light caught her attention. Tapeesa whirled around in the water, a sound of surprise leaving her lips.
Aang was glowing whole. His arrows and eyes were bright, so much she could hardly look at him. Around the ship, a sphere was formed and she felt it rushing forward. She held her breath as she fell back against the ship a few ways away from Sokka and held on a pipe tightly as the ship got to the surface. It resurfaced quickly, the clouds around them dark but no rain falling on them.
They were in the eye of the storm.
Sokka beside her was splattering for breath but she hardly even glanced at him. Her eyes were on Aang who had now stopped glowing and had turned around to inspect the damage. Around her, Zuko, Katara and Sokka were standing up and slowly, Tapeesa mirrored their moves although her eyes didn't leave Aang. He walked over to them, calm, as if he hadn't just saved them, and Zuko, realising he was alright, nodded to himself before he got back in the ship and she heard him command the crew to check for any malfunctions.
"Impressive," Sokka told Aang as he clapped a hand on his back. At once, Aang grinned, his eyes falling on Sokka, then at Katara and finally at Tapeesa. She blinked, wiped her surprised expression off of her face and raised an arm, drying herself off.
"I'm going to help the crew," she told them simply as she got back in the ship in an effort to avoid them and stay alone with her thoughts.
She hadn't quite realised how powerful of a bender Aang was until now. Part of her wondered whether she still needed to join him on his mission in the Earth Kingdom.