The Gaang had stopped in a nearby forest. Sokka was off finding food as Katara was practicing her waterbending with Aang. Aya was exploring the forest, taking in the beautiful atmosphere of the trees around her. Aya always loved nature, she always found it calming and peaceful. Aya came upon a patch of flowers and knelt down, sniffing them and she smiled at the lovely scent.

Ay picked a few of the flowers and sat down, tying them together to form a circle pattern. She placed it down on her lap and undid her braid, allowing her long beautiful curls to fall free. She used her free hair tie to pull her hair half up half down, before she placed the flower crown on her head. The flower crown consisted of purple petunias, which are Aya's favorite flower.

Aya couldn't tell how it looked on her head, so she went off to find Aang for his opinion.

Aya eventually found Aang and Katara by a river. Katara was practicing a water whip, but wasn't successful. Aya smiled as she watched sister attempt the water whip, even if Katara wasn't able to do the move to its full extent, Aya still admired her.

"Wow. Uh.. that's okay." Aang assured her. "I get it was my fault. I should never be a teacher. The Monks always said I never listened. Hmm? I think that's what they said. I never listened."

Aya giggled as she got closer to them. Aang blushed at the sight of the water tribe girl, getting flustered by her new appearance.

"Once we get to the Northern Water Tribe, it will help you." Aya smiled at her sister, who nodded.

"Right. They've got the best waterbending masters in the world." Katara remarked.

"I might even listen to them." Aang grinned.

"I like the flowers, Aya." Katara complimented her sister, who smiled softly. "Purple suits you."

"Thank you." Aya bowed her head and looked at Aang, who was smiling lovingly. "What do you think?"

"Uh.." he stammered nervously. "You mean all of you, or just your hair? I mean, you both look incredible."

Aya blushed bashfully, fiddling with her fingers as Aang continued to blush, staring at her. Katara grinned at the two, chuckling to herself.

"Okay, it's time to go!" Aya and Aang's gazes broke from one another when they heard Sokka. The two and Katara saw him standing on the other side of the river holding an armful of assorted fruits. "We shouldn't stay in the same place for too long."

The three chuckled at Sokka, who looked down to see Momo also carrying fruits in his arms.

——

The four took off to the skies again, heading toward the Northern Water Tribe. Katara and Sokka sat in the saddle as Aya sat in Appa's head with Aang. Aya preferred being next to Aang when she could, she just feels a big connection with him.

"I never realized how freeing flying felt," Aya mentioned to Aang, closing her eyes and allowing the gentle breeze to hit her face. "You get to do it without Appa."

Aang chuckled. "You can do it too, ya know?"

Aya frowned. "I can't. I'm not an airbender."

"With a handy glider, you can fly anywhere you want." Aang reasoned and Aya shrugged.

"I'd probably fall." Aya remarked chuckling.

"I'd catch you." Aang assured her, taking her hand in his. Aya blushed softly as Aang smiled at her for a moment, before turning his gaze ahead of him. He spotted something and gasped pointing ahead.

"Look!"

Sokka and Katara crawled forward as Aya sat up with interest.

"What is it? Fire Nation?!" Sokka asked.

"No." Aang denied and squinted his eyes, getting a better look. "I think...I think that's another Airbender."

"But... that's impossible?" Aya frowned to herself.

"He's headed toward that mountain." Sokka said.

Aang's eyes grew. "That's no mountain! That's Omashu!" Aang got excited and whipped the reigns. "Appa! Yip yip!"

Appa picked up the pace and flew faster

——

The group made it to the ground near the entrance of Omashu. They started walking along the path to Omashu, following other groups. Aya noticed everyone else going toward Omashu seemed to be native to the Earth Kingdom in some way. The four of them were outcasts and she was worried they won't be able to get in.

"Omashu was carved out of a living mountain. It's one of the wonders of the Earth Kingdom, of the world, actually." Aang explained to the sibling trio. "And they have an incredible delivery system that winds through the whole city. And the people there, they're artists, scientists, builders. Plus, the food there is amazing."

The trio stopped for a moment when they stood at the giant bridge leading to Omaha. Aya's mouth fell open at the sight of the giant city that is Omashu. Aang went forward first and the sibling trio followed him down the bridge.

They got closer to the entrance and had to wait in line. There were guards at the front who opened the gate and the group watched as a guard was denying entrance to a man.

"What did I tell you before?!" Aya heard a guard's voice echo. The guard pushed the man down and Aya flinched. She gasped lightly as a guard earthending the cart into the sky and it fell into the void below them.

"That doesn't look friendly." Aya told Aang nervously.

"She's right." The four turned find a young man with shaggy black hair that was pulled back. "They don't take kindly to outsiders in Omashu."

"What makes you think we're outsiders?" Aang asked.

Aya looked at her attire and then at Aang's. It was obvious to anyway they are not from here.

The man with shaggy hair smiled. "No reason." He gave Katara a head nod, before continuing forward on his cart, but Katara stopped him.

"Wait." Katara called and he stopped. "We're new here, but we have a friend to see. We just could use a little help getting inside."

——

The young man allowed the group to ride along in his cart. Katara sat at the front wearing Earthbender attire as Aya, Sokka, and Aang sat in the back, wearing blown cloaks. Aang's head was covered and he wasn't speaking, because he couldn't be seen.

"Sorry." The young man told Katara. "It's either that or the turnip sack. I'm sure you can make that look good too."

Aya's eyebrows raised and she grinned, chuckling as Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Omashu is one of the last Earth kingdom strongholds." The young man told Katara. "Try as they might, Firebenders haven't been able to take it yet. That's why they're so careful here."

"So, how do you know we're not a threat?" Katara asked.

The young man shrugged, "just a feeling."

"Oh, wow." Sokka scoffed. They got the front of the line and the guard stopped them.

"Hold there." The guard put his hand up. "State your business."

"Headed to market. As usual." Jet told him and the guard noticed three people in the back. "Oh, it wasn't a great crop this month." He gestured to Katara. "She told me I wasn't watering the turnips enough. Knew there was a reason I married her."

Aya smirked at this and Katara chuckled. "Irrigation, am I right?"

Sokka grunted as he sat up, leaning over the headboard. The young man smiled at him. "My brother-in-law would agreed if he could speak. Struck mute at birth."

Aya let out a giggle as she sat up, leaning next to Sokka.

"As his sister, it was tragic." Aya grinned and Sokka's annoyed expression deepened as he sat down. Aya turned away, sitting down next to him.

"You'd be amazed at how much he can say without words. Just the other day, he made us laugh so hard-"

"Alright, that's enough! Move along!" The guard interrupted, impatiently. Aya looked at Sokka, who was peeved off with annoyance as they rode into Omashu.

"At least he called you funny." Aya shrugged and Sokka rolled his eyes.

——

Omashu. It was a city that was bustling with hundreds of people exploring different types of market. Aya was amazed at how alive it was and she was so intrigued by it. The market was filled with different foods, furniture, accessories, and she really wanted to explore it.

Once they how got far enough inside the city, the group hoped off in their normal attire. The young man stayed put on his cart.

"Good luck finding your friend," the young man told Katara. "And be careful. Omashu can be a dangerous place."

The young man rode off and Aang spotted the Airbender they saw outside, who is now back in the city.

"There he is!" Aang pointed above them. Aang sprinted off without hesitation.

"Aang!" Sokka and Aya called as they chased him through the market with Katara.

Aang bumped into a man with a cabbage cart. The cabbage guy called to him. "Hey, watch out for my-"

Sokka bumped into the cabbage guy as he was chasing Aang. Aya and Katara managed to dodge him.

Aya didn't realize she had caught a cabbage and she felt guilty about potentially stealing a cabbage from the guy.

"Oops," she mumbled and shrugged, taking a bite of it.

Aang turned a corner to find the suspected Airbender. Aang's smiled faded when it was revealed to not be an Airbender, but a disabled boy in a wheelchair and a glider.

"You're not an Airbender," Aang told the boy with disappointment. The boy looked up at him with goggles as the sibling trio ran in, standing with Aang.

"An Airbender?" The boy chuckled. "Of course I'm not."

"But, how-"

Before Aya could finish, a giant explosion hit the ground behind them. An entire building got struck with the explosion and everyone was clouded with smoke, unable to see anything. Aya began to cough, looking around for anyone.

"Help!" An old man called out and Sokka rushed over to help.

"Aang?" Aya called, waving the smoke out of her face. "Katara! I can't see!"

Aang took his glider and used his airbenderinh to blow all the smoke out of the way. Coming out of the smoke, Sokka was helping an old man and the little boy in the wheelchair was shocked at Aang.

"He's an Airbender!"

Katara bended some water out of fountain and used it to extinguish the fire nearby.

"And you're a waterbender!" The young boy said to Katara, before he started to violently cough. Aya approached Teo, putting her arm around him.

"Teo!" A man ran out over to them. "Teo! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Dad, I'm-" Teo started to cough more. "I'm fine!" He continued to cough and Aya stood behind the wheelchair, grabbing the handles.

"We need to get him out of the smoke." Aya told the man, who is Teo's father.

"Our house is right there," the man pointed ahead of them and Aya began to push in they direction as the man walked next to them. "Thank you."

The man gave Aya and Katara a sincere smile as they heard that direction.

"Thank you..."

"Aya. And this is Katara, my sister." Aya introduced and Katara smiled, bowing her head.

"My name is Sai." The man introduced.

——

"What were you doing out there?"

Aya, Aang, and Katara had man it to Sai and Teo's house. Sai placed Teo on a table.

"I just landed. How was I suppose to know there'd be an another bombing?" Teo asked.

"Bombing?" Aya asked. "You mean that wasn't an accident?"

"Nothing the Fire Nation does is an accident," Teo told her.

"The Fire Nation?" Aang frowned.

"Yeah." Teo nodded as Sai handed him a mug. "Their spies are everywhere in the city."

Sai sighed. "It's not safe anywhere these days."

"Omashu can be a dangerous place." Katara muttered to herself.

"More water." Sai said as he rushed over to the side of the room with a bucket.

"You're an Airbender. Do you realize what this means?" Teo asked Aang. "We finally have a way to take the fight to the enemy. You could drop bombs on them. Rain down destruction. Air power is their weakness and you... you are air power."

Aya saw the conflicted look at Aang's face as Sokka walked in. Sokka was mesmerized by all the inventions in the room.

"Woah." Sokka gasped.

"Pretty great, huh? Dad's the mechanist to the King of Omashu," Teo informed.

"Mechanist?" Sokka asked.

"Ah, just a fancy word for someone who wasted a lot of time tinkering." Sai dismissed, patting his sons back.

"Don't listen to him. He's responsible for maintaining the best parts of the city." Teo explained as Sokka started to look around at the cool inventions. "Like our delivery system. You've seen it, right? It's amazing."

Sai smiled flattered and shrugged. "I play but a small role."

"I wouldn't say it's small." Aya grinned.

"Hey, if everyone in Omashu were as dedicated as you, this war would be over." Teo remarked. "The Fire Nation would be on their knees by now."

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes." Sai raised his eyebrows at his son's praises as he moved away.

"Well, we have our own part to play in this war. Right, Aang?" Katara asked Aang as she grabbed her bag.

"Yes." Aang nodded. "Yes, uh, which is why we have to go."

"Oh, right, of course." Teo nodded. Aya giggled as she saw Sokka looking through a magnifying glass, making his face enlarged. "Just promise me you'll really stick it to the Firebenders. Make 'em pay."

Aang didn't respond. He was hesitant and Aya noticed he was uncomfortable, so she changed the subject.

"Sokka."

"This stuff incredible." Sokka said with amazement, holding an invention that was comprised of small tools and clips. "I mean, look at this."

"That is for cleaning your toenails." Sai mentioned and Sokka dropped the invention, his face dropping with disgust.

Aya frowned with disgust. "Ew..."

"It can get bloody." Sai added and Aya shook her head, closing her eyes.

——

The Gaang had left the house and was walking through the city.

"Did you see the mechanism in that sorting machine?" Sokka asked. "It's spring-powered. Ingenious. Should've down that with our kayak racks."

Aya wasn't listening, because she was too busy looking at all the injured people around her. The part of the city they were in had be bombed and it was tragic. It broke Aya's heart to see all these innocent people get attacked for no reason. All this harm because the Fire Nation is ruthless and cold.

"These poor people." Aya sadly sighed, holding her hands to her chest. "Their home is being destroyed."

Aang was feeling the same as Aya. The two were slowing down as Katara and Sokka were further ahead, but they stopped when they noticed Aya and Aang were behind.

"Aya? Aang?" Katara asked. She saw what they were looking at and noticed the debris around them, ruined market stands, injured people, and damaged houses.

"Look at all these people. Their home is ruined." Aya mentioned with sorrow and Katara put an arm around her.

"This place used to be incredible. A place I couldn't wait to see," Aang explained. "A place where amazing things were created, not destroyed. It's my responsibility to help these people."

"How are you gonna do that?" Sokka asked.

"Being the Avatar isn't just about fighting. It's about helping people, like Teo and his father." Aang told him. "And everyone in this city."

"What about getting to the North?" Katara reasoned. "Didn't Kyoshi tell you had to get there to prevent a tragedy?"

"This is also a tragedy." Aya gestured around her. "Preventing this tragedy will help stop the war."

"Aya's right." Aang agreed. "I have to do this too. If I'm gonna save the world, I have to do it one person at a time."

——

The Gaang went back to Sai's house.

"That's why I'm staying in Omashu." Aang declared to Teo and Sai. "Because I wanna help, and I think I can. Because I'm the Avatar." Teo and Sai looked at Aang in shock. "Now tell me about these bombings."

——

Up Next: Jet

We sort of met Jet. I wasn't sure what to call the next chapter, but since Jet is involved and an actual episode of the original series is called Jet, I thought naming it that would fit. He is mentioned a few times in this next chapter, but Aya won't really interact with him much.