The entire rest of the summer and stay on the Ember Islands I spent training myself to quickly accept the breeze in my head. I don't know why, but it seemed important so that in case of need my emotions could be swept away fast. It used to happen in a second anyway, but involuntarily.
I didn't know how to make it work like a proper "switch," so I sat down for "meditations" again. I'd sit at our spot with Mei and stare at the water for hours, constantly trying to make the wind first appear in my head, then in my whole body, then exit into the surrounding world—just like when I was falling.
It went poorly and took a decent amount of time. Several days to understand the process and a couple more to train. And that for each of the three points.
Of course I didn't forget about running—admit, not because I forced myself to train; afraid if it were proper training I'd bail under some important pretext—but simply because I liked running. Maybe because I'm an airbender, but running came easy and I barely felt tired, and the sweet sensations from, though not huge, but speed—delivered. I switched to "windy" speed only a couple more times while running in the forest. I rarely went there anyway, mostly to try something that came to mind and couldn't be shown to everyone. At least because they'd laugh—I myself couldn't wave arms or legs with a straight face. Looked funny even from my point of view, let alone from the side.
Though I must say some incomprehensible movements came out on their own, as if instinctively, and I couldn't have learned them from anywhere: all firebending is rough, sharp, and aggressive, while my weird hand-and-foot waving was smooth and more sweeping, though also sharp, yes. Considering bending isn't such a scary thing that it suggests movements itself, most likely it's surfacing something from my previous life.
By the end of summer I could quite quickly reach the feeling of "breeze" around my body and learned exactly one technique! During one of my attempts something finally worked, and I finished a hand movement with an air wave. Yes, it was weak, unformed, and at best would slightly push an adult, but how happy I was! The euphoria from success didn't let go for a good two hours, which I spent… well let's say honing motor skills, yeah. I wasn't dancing a jig from joy! That's how we'll write it.
In the end I left the Ember Islands very pleased and proud of myself. Even started calling myself a Bender in my head! Though in reality I hadn't even earned the title of benderling yet. No, it's not some Fire Nation system—I made up the terms in my head. Well, calling me or my brothers benders seriously? Maybe associations from previous life fantasy, but to me—they haven't earned it.
And here I sit at the desk in my room in the capital and diligently write down everything new I remembered over these months. Descriptions of Iroh as a chubby old man—still can't believe it—slightly supplemented my note about the Avatar, also started recording everything I remembered from my hand-and-foot waving because it's clearly from previous life, where else.
Literally the nearest Sunday—as I habitually call this day; here it's simple numbering, good thing seven days—I'm supposed to be near some weapon shop where Mei will wait for me.
And then straight Monday school awaits me. Summer homework I did long ago and I was more worried that after such eventful last few months these lessons will be incredibly boring.
Well, whatever—main thing is to live to adulthood, then it'll be so interesting you'll hang yourself.
*
"Li!"
It was the little one who straight jumped into my arms, painfully hitting her head somewhere in the chest area. She's still too… little.
"Me-e-ei, hi-i-i," I exhaled from the air being knocked out of my chest. "I promised I'd be here like clockwork. How are things?"
"Not great," she grumbled, clearly not wanting to tell.
"Same here. School is so boring!" I shared my worries. "And also seems we didn't kill that wolf-beast. I went to the place where it should've fallen when I recovered—no trace."
Well, how I went. More like fell, but details. In response to my remark I got the little one's signature look from the series: "You idiot!"
"Well, what? As soon as I got home they took me to the hospital, looked at the bite marks and no one believed that I, sorry I didn't mention you, took down that beast. And it hurt my feelings! So I decided to take a couple fangs. Both as proof and for memory. Unfortunately didn't work."
"And if it was waiting for you there?" Mei asked, still not removing her look.
"What would it be doing there? It probably returned to its hunting grounds. Probably."
Seems little but acts like a wife with a careless husband. Is it hardcoded? Or upbringing? Or she unconsciously projects it onto me from parents? Whatever, I don't mind anyway.
"Hmm. Fine. Good that everything turned out okay," the little one decided, then after thinking added. "Though of course sorry you didn't get the fangs. Would've been cool."
"Mm-hmm, no kidding. Well now tell me at least something? Anything on an unrelated topic."
"Let's maybe first find a better place? Or we'll keep standing here like some marginals?"
Oh my god I missed the sarcastic venom of this little one so much that I involuntarily smiled. At the look thrown my way I deciphered my facial expression, getting slightly blushing cheeks in response and a sharp turn with confident steps somewhere. Obviously I'm supposed to follow. Well let's go, see this better place.
We wandered not long—literally a couple minutes. Turned out Mei herself barely oriented in the area, and together we found a secluded corner. More precisely an unremarkable turn between houses with no windows, and building features created like a room without a roof. Perfect place—no one bothers, even has a bench.
Which we sat on. Not a rotten log in front of the ocean but it'll do.
"I continue mastering firebending. Grandpa praises me, says I'm great," the girl boasted. "Unlike brother."
"Ha, from what I saw you're a genius of bending because my brother seems to have very good innate qualities—though considering me maybe not, but I'm probably the exception—and takes it very seriously, but still after what you showed sometimes it's even pity to watch him," I shared.
Genetics are unclear. Do they affect bending at all? Then where did I come from? Some recessive genes aligned? Or a gift from whoever shoved me here? If there is one of course. Are my family's genes considered strong for firebending? Or how?
"What innate qualities?" Mei got slightly puzzled, cutely frowning.
"Well like—Fire Nation aristocracy, almost everyone in the family firebenders…" I got slightly stumped.
"Ha, that affects nothing. Firebending is the same for everyone—main thing is to study diligently!" Mei explained like I was the little one here.
"You're saying Prince Zuko for example and some boy from a colony have the same starting conditions? At least magically?"
"Well…" now Mei got puzzled. I deliberately took a royal family member to hurt her Fire Nation feelings. "No, probably not after all."
Somehow too sadly the little one finished. Apparently she thought her firebending success was fully her merit. Though it is, but my words could make her compare herself to some lower-class girl.
"That's what I think too. Not counting teachers and so on. Though undoubtedly most depends on Zuko himself. Talent is only one tenth of the goal, nine tenths is effort. Or even more," I calmed her.
"The calligraphy master told me roughly the same when nothing worked for me," the already cheered little one hmph'd.
"And where do you think I took those words from," I smiled, lightly nudging her shoulder to indicate "joking."
"Hm," was all Mei hmph'd in response.
"By the way as far as I heard the princess is more talented than Zuko in firebending," I remembered something from the cartoon. "Don't know how true but it commands respect. Maybe in talent she could even compete with you."
"Ha, more like I with her. After all she's the princess," the little one said in an incomprehensible tone.
"Don't exalt her so much," I smiled. "For now nominally she's a princess but essentially just a little girl like you."
"Not like me," Mei corrected. "In the future she'll at least help rule the entire Fire Nation!"
"So what?" I raised an eyebrow in Mei's own style. "She'll become a real ruler after what you call this coming out. When she sees how common people live and hears their opinions and behavior. And for now she's just locked in her huge beautiful golden cage," I waved somewhere toward the palace.
"Hm," the little one chewed her lip staring at one point. Not bad—I loaded her good, she really thought about it and that's good. "Maybe you're right," she finished quietly.
"Of course I'm right! You're talking to the Great Li, Tamer of Wolves!" I said exaggeratedly emotionally, turning everything into a joke.
"You killed it more like, not tamed," the little one smiled, getting rid of her thoughts.
"Victor over Wolves," I corrected as if nothing happened.
"And there was one I think," Mei kept pressing.
"Details," I waved off.
"Fine-fine, at least for me you're definitely the Wolf Victor," Mei graciously relented.
"Yeah I remember," I smiled rubbing my cheek, making the girl immediately blush and I understood the tease fully succeeded. Sorry she'll soon close this gap in her composure but for now—gotta use it to the fullest!
"Scars remained?" the little one remembered returning her serious look to my face.
"Ye-es look how cool," I grinned rolling up the sleeve to the elbow and showing clear tooth marks.
"And what's cool about it?" the girl raised an eyebrow slightly paling at the sight of two specific fang scars. They really didn't look great.
"What do you mean?" I unnaturally surprised. "Scars adorn a man!"
"Where did you see a man here?" Mei asked raising both eyebrows and slightly smirking. "I only see you so far and you're still a boy."
"That passes with age," I grumbled in response.
What does she know?
"Don't pout," Mei hmph'd. "Just joking. Man-man, anyone else in your place would've run."
Chest involuntarily puffed up and nose rose to the sky. Also apparently hardcoded software of all fatal girls—seemingly said nothing special but feelings like I want to take down three more such wolves right now.
And doesn't matter that last time was pure luck.