The books and drawings in the South Pole's libraries will never bring justice to Republic City, Leia thinks as she sees the outline of buildings pop up from the horizon.

The sun was approximately 45 degrees at the east side from the center of the sky, so Leia gathers it's probably maybe 9 or 10 in the morning. She'd been awake since maybe 3 or 4 in the morning and was giving meditation a try inside her temporary sleeping quarters. It wasn't really doing much for her since questions of what were to happen when she arrived at the city bounced around in her mind. Thoughts that ranged from school bullies and unkind instructors, to giant machines, and rogue navy fleet bandits attack the city.

She shook her head and simply proceeded to lay back on her hammock for a while. Then, she looked at the waterskin strapped to her side and thought hard. A few seconds passed before she stood up and walked to her metal door to lock it. She opened up her waterskin and let a small sliver of water flow out before closing it again. She directed the water to spot on her shoulder that was exposed due to the style of her tunic and with a quick motion of her hand, the water came in contact with her skin and sliced it, producing a clean cut. She let the now bloody water drop and seep through the wooden floor boards.

Concentrating, she let herself feel the flow of her blood for a short while and quickly motioned both of her arms to draw the blood from the wound. The setting moon assisted her by giving her the power boost she needed and the red liquid was quick to follow her command. It formed a sword, quite similar to a dao sword, and it solidified on her command. It was not quite frozen, but it wasn't quite liquid either. She mastered this trick behind Katara's knowing eyes in the compound throughout the year she spent in there. It was a risky move, but she couldn't simply ignore the potential it held, no matter how morbid the premise of the weapon was. Her rationality sided with her, seeing as though it was an loophole in the statements of the law. Her morality was just scared that she would get caught bloodbending in the very room of the person who illegalized it. She took it slowly, of course, careful not to lose too much blood that it would cause Master Katara to be suspicious of her. She did it nearly once a month, and every time, she seemed to adjust and get used to the feeling of losing blood each time. It seemed as though her repeated action of drawing out blood caused her bone marrow to increase the rate of production of red blood cells. With that observation, she maintained a regular schedule of drawing out blood to wield as a simple blade and nothing fancy like she did the first time. (She really was confused why her younger self had thought it was a good idea to make a scythe that took out nearly a sixth of the total amount of blood in her body.)

She then took a breath and practiced wielding it, swinging it around and imitating the images of books about sword-fighting that she had ingrained in her mind.
Treat it as an extension of yourself, simply like a longer version of your limbs. That piece of advice came from a copy of the biography about the legendary swordsman Master Piandao.

Visions of his various stances echoed in her brain and before long, her imaginary sword sparring session was interrupted by a series of knocks at her door, a voice informing her that breakfast was being served. She responded with a shout that she'd be right there. She quickly opened the circular wooden window on the wall next to her hammock and bent out the blood that was formerly a blade into the ocean. She quickly closed it and opened her waterskin to retrieve clean water and heal the wound that was at her left shoulder. She did so sloppily and the glowing water was only able to mend the skin thinly. She mentally shrugged at it, muttering something in her mind along the lines of "Oh, well, we can't all be winners" and drew the water back into the waterskin. She walked to the wall where her purse for general use was at and pulled out a roll of wrappings and proceeded to wrap around it.

Once she was satisfied with her work, she changed into another tunic with long sleeves to hide her wrapped arm. She gave herself a once-over. Yep, that's it.

She left to get her share of food and settled at the front deck of the ship where she ate and watched as Republic City materialized before her eyes. Seeing as she had figuared out the time, Leia expected there to be some kind of city-noise that you'd typically expect from a place meant to the the capital of the melting pot of cultures.

Her eyes immediately glue themselves to the giant statue of the famed Avatar Aang. Well, muffins. I'm actually here.

The blue of color of the bay glimmered and twinkled in the light of the sun. Birds Leia had only seen in books flew ahead, sqwaking in all their morning glory. Leia continued to scan through the scenery and was taken aback slightly by the sight of Kyoshi Bridge. It was towering and mighty, much like the avatar it was named after. She's my favorite Avatar. I mean Aang's great too, but imagine what it felt like living in an era when the Avatar basically took continental drift into her own hands.

Soon, the boat Leia had stayed on for the past 3 days had docked and she had all her belongings ready to go in a giant duffel bag that towered nearly a foot over her head. She stepped onto the wooden port and relished in the feeling of being somewhere new... and considerably hotter. The sun-kissed breeze finally became a little more noticeable for the teen.

Scrunching her face at the feeling of warm humid sea-air sticking to her face, she complains out loud, "Gosh, it's sweltering here, how do people even live getting cooked under the sun?"

"It'll take some getting used to, but Katara and Sokka didn't seem to mind much," a deep voice reverberated from behind her. Leia produced a small "eep!" and let her eyes grow wide in response to the sound and turned around in surprise. The sight before her made her eyes widen more. Holy mother of eel hounds! May Tui and La guide my soul out safely, it's the Avatar himself!

Leia immediately gathered herself, straightened up, putting her left opened fist to meet with her right one that was closed, and bowed, "Avatar Aang, sir! What an honor to meet you!" It was quite a big mistake since the duffel bag that was very much heavier than it looked weighed on her head as she did so and almost stumbled forward if not for her quick reaction time. "Eek!" Her face was about to hit the ground so her arms immediately outstretched themselves and made contact with the ground, bending them slightly to reduce the strain, and then pushing with all her might to stand up once more.

The balded man before her simply smiles a cheeky grin. "That was quite a move you got there."

Leia's eyes widened even more. He was complimenting her. "I trained under Mastar Katara, sir! She helped me bulk up quite a bit and improved my reaction time greatly!" She then cringed, realizing she was shouting like a maniac, and quickly shrank, bowing her head in embarrassment. "Sorry for yelling, sir. I'm just really excited to be in Republic City. Most of the things I've been seeing so far are things I've only seen in books. I'm Telepyleia of the Southern Watertribe, sir."

The man towering over her only laughed once more. "It's fine, Miss Telepyleia. Katara has told me so much about you. You're welcome to stay on Air Temple Island for as long as you need to."

Leia immediately shakes her head, putting her thumbs under the straps of her backpack out of habit. "Thank you, sir, but really, I'll make sure to only stay a few months at most. My parents have given me enough money to at least jumpstart my education so all I need to do is look for a job."

Avatar Aang then ushered her to follow him as he started to walk off the port. Leia followed closely, stared at the cloak the air nomad wore and blinked several times. This is all real. I can't believe I'm really here in Republic City, walking just a few feet after one of its founders, the Avatar no less!

A groan that reverberated through Leia's very being then shook her from her thoughts. She looked upwards and was greeted by the sun's rays being blocked by a huge figure that flew right above her. A grin settled on her face and her eyes twinkled with wondrous delight as she realizes what it was. She should know by now due to her repeatedly stating that books and pictures never do the real thing any justice, but she still cannot get over the magnificence of sky bison. The bison she knew very well to be named Appa landed in front of them, producing a gust of wind that relieved Leia momentarily of the hot summer air.

Avatar Aang spoke up and motioned to his bison, "This is Appa. I figured that you'd be carrying quite a lot of stuff and you'd rather not carry them all the way to the ferry just to get to the island, so I brought him here instead."

The fluffy giant had its eyes on Leia and walked towards her, its footsteps causing the wooden flooring below you to shake with each step. Normally, people's reaction to the current situation would be of fear due to two things:

a.) You are in an environment you are not familiar with. Sure books help but navigating through something is different from memorizing a map.

b.) There is a creature that roams this environment freely and is most likely more aware of this environment than you are.

Leia was in this animal's domain and she was clearly at a disadvantage if she were to put up a fight with it. So, it begs the question, why in the world is Leia oggling at the beast with twinkling eyes and the urge to simply touch it?

She could only smile despite the nerves she was feeling as Appa proceeded to sniff her face. Then, a giant tongue comes in contact with the majority of her face and licks it up. Another groan comes from the animal and she looks at it with utter shock before cringing and attempting to wipe her face. Since it was quite viscous, Leia took the liberty to draw water from the bay and cleaned her face with it before letting the water return.

The bison's owner chuckles, "Well what do you know? Appa likes you."

Appa nuzzles his face to Leia's side and her expression of wonder comes back, ignoring the utter disgust she felt at having its saliva all over her face the moment prior. She wastes no time to touch the beast's fur and pet him endearingly.

"Say, Telepyleia-"

"Leia."

Avatar Aang stops for a while, surprised at her interruption.

"I mean, call me Leia, sir. Telepyleia's a mouthful," she explains, trying to raise a bit of humor to cover up the fact that she was upset with herself for interrupting the Avatar.

"Oh, well then, call me Aang. I can imagine how saying 'Avatar Aang' all the time is just as much of a mouthful. Also, "Sir" is too formal since we're going to live under the same roof."

Leia smiled and nodded, glad she didn't upset the Avatar.

"Say, Leia, have you ever flown a sky bison?"

"I'm from the South Pole, sir, I mean-, Aang. There aren't many sky bison to ride down there."

Aang smiled at her humor. "Ah, right. Well, I hope you aren't afraid of heights."

Leia isn't one bit afraid of heights, but she's terrified at the prospect of falling. However, riding a saddled sky bison wasn't too bad. She just didn't factor in potential motion sickness seeing as flying wasn't the same as sailing.

"Spirits," she whispered under her breath as remnants of her breakfast rose to her throat, "Aang?"

The grown man looked at Leia with a questioning face.

"I think I'm gonna vomit."

"Oh no, okay, hold on."

Aang commands Appa to go faster and dive down which makes the feeling much worse for Leia. She grips her mouth with one hand while the other hangs onto the edge of the saddle to keep herself from falling. Leia barely registers them flying past Aang's statue before they've landed and she's quick to jump off the saddle despite her wobbly legs. Aang goes down after her and she approaches him and whines through her mouth.

"HmmmmMMM!!?" Leia sounded and Aang somehow understood it as "where can I puke?" He points in the general direction of the water and Leia doesn't hesitate to run and relieve herself.

Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, Leia bent the vomit-tainted portion of the bay water down below and drew the newly risen water to clean at her mouth, using it to calm her upset stomach. She focused on letting her insides settle, the water glowing a bioluminescent blue, and then moved forward to letting the water climb up her arm and onto her shoulder to further heal the wound she drew blood from.

After a few minutes, her healing was successful and she splashed some water onto her face to refresh herself. She bent it off her skin just as easily and took a look at her reflection in the water to render herself presentable.

She stood up, shook her shoulders a bit before returning to the spot where Appa had landed. Leia was surprised to see that the bison along with her duffel bag was nowhere to be seen. She looked around and only now noticed the presence of other people on the island.

They were all very much focused on going about their tasks for a day. One of them walked by and smiled at Leia, a gesture which she returned.

She looked around her and saw Aang walking through a roofed hallway. He was looking at her with a kind smile and gestured for Leia to follow him. Once she was underneath the sheltered path and beside Aang, he spoke as they walked towards a room that looked like it could be the mess hall, "The Air Acolytes brought your things to the room we've prepared for you."

Leia's embarrassment just got worse and she frantically replied, "They didn't need to do that. That was really heavy, Aang. I could've carried the duffel bag on my own."

Aang shook his head and laid a hand on her shoulder. She would've screamed at the interaction if it weren't for her rationality reeling her composure in. He replied in an earnest tone, "Nonsense, Leia. You're our guest." Leia felt her heart swell at his gesture. If there was one more thing the books didn't pay justice to, it's the depiction of Aang's kindness. Katara and Aang were giving her parents a run for their money with the way they're treating her. She smiled at him in gratitude, "Thank you so much for this."

He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. "Come on, I'll give you a quick tour. And before I lead you to your room, I'll introduce you to someone."

Seeing as Air Temple Island was a relatively small patch of earth in the midst of the city bay, Leia didn't have much trouble getting familiar with the placement of everything. As she's shown everything, she thought her favorite spot would have to be the garden with the different plants and flowers she'd seen. Leia knew from that moment that it was going to be a place she'd frequently visit and stay at.

Then, she was lead to a place where there was a man that was easily almost a spitting image of the man who she was currently striding beside her, arrows and all. He was wearing pants similar to that of Aang's but was currently naked from the waist up. Leia immediately gathered that he was training, or that he was doing some routine or exercise. Aang and Leia walked nearer to the man whom Leia could now see was air bending. The younger version of Aang was in front of a contraption she'd never seen before. The man was doing several stances in front of it, looking like he was sparring with the air itself. Aang had stopped walking and watched the boy from a distance, Leia following suit.

After a few more stances and cuts through the air, the young man then sent a gust of wind towards the contraption Leia had noticed. It was only now that she saw it clearly: it was a set of wooden panels mounted on sticks that could easily be used for doors. Each of the panels had intricate designs on both sides and had the symbol of the element air etched dead center. The wind the young man sent towards the panels caused them to spin on the axes of the sticks they were mounted on. The tattooed boy took a deep breath and Leia watched in full interest as he went straight for the doors.

Leia was mesmerized by his movements the moment he was in the midst of spinning doors one would expect to bash into the body of the younger monk. He weaved through each panel, spiraling and spinning through the aggressively rotating pieces of wood as if he was dancing.

Aang spoke up from beside Leia, having noticed her interest at the scene before her, "This is an ancient air bending training contraption. It teaches one to become one with the wind. The concept behind it is to be like a leaf that passes through the spinning gates, flowing in between the gates, turning when you meet resistance, and spiraling through them until you reach the end."

As Aang finished speaking, the young man comes out the other side unscathed and breaths out.

"Tenzin," Aang calls out and the younger man responded by turning his head and smiling at the Avatar.

"Dad," he responds, pleased to see his father. The man called Tenzin walks towards them and now that he's nearer, Leia notices the build of the younger monk. His state of undress lets her see the lean muscles that cover his arms and chest, and Leia could only think of one thing as a bead of sweat runs down her temple. It's so unbelievably warm here! Tenzin's in his right mind to train without any upper garments. It's unfair how men can simply remove anything that would cover their body from the waist up without being labeled as indecent! Her tunic seems suffocating to feel suffocating in the heat she wasn't yet used to.

"Tenzin, I want you to meet Telepyleia. She's going to be staying with us for a while," Aang started. Leia smiles and waves at the younger airbender. The young man then turns to meet Leia's eyes and attempts to smile, only getting to produce a small one, not returning the hand gesture. Leia decides not to point out the small blush that paints itself on Tenzin's cheeks. Wow, what a shy fellow.

"Leia, this is Tenzin, my son, and the second airbender in the family," Aang introduces, and Leia is quick enough to not miss the momentary frown that forms on Tenzin once his father mentioned the last part of his sentence.

Leia's smile doesn't waver as she held out a hand for the younger monk to shake, "Nice to meet you, Tenzin."

Tenzin stares at her hand for a while and Leia almost retracts it, fearing she'd overstepped a boundary of some sort. However, he meets her hand and grips onto it. "You too, Tele, uhm, pee-lay, uh, Lee-uh?"

Leia chuckles lightly at his struggle. This wasn't the first time someone struggled with her name. It was quite a unique one, even at home. Tenzin looks to the side, embarrassed and the pink in his cheeks grows in intensity.

"It's fine," Leia reassured the older man as she retracted her hand, "you're not the first one to mess up my name. It happens more than I'd like to admit. Teh-leh-pai-lay-yuh. You can just call me Leia, Mr. Tenzin." Leia adds the honorific in the realization that this guy was probably so much older than she was. He looked like someone in their 20's or 30's. His posture during training made him seem very mature, but his face and mannerisms when talking to his father were similar to that of a young adult.

Tenzin seems surprised at the honorific, "Oh, no need to address me with 'Mister'. It's weird. I'll call you Leia if you'll simply call me Tenzin."

Aang smiled at their interaction, glad to see they were getting along. He wasn't sure what he'd do if there was some tension between the two young souls in his household. "Well, it seems you two are getting along nicely. Come, Leia, I'll show you to your room."

Leia nodded and gave Tenzin a wave before going after Aang. Tenzin was left alone in the training grounds with thoughts of the young lady but was quickly interrupted by a voice in his head scolding himself. He inhaled deeply and started another series of stances.

-

Leia was halfway through unpacking everything from her trusty duffel bag when an acolyte comes by her room and calls her for lunch. She thanked the acolyte and proceeded to the dining area.

She ended up sharing a table with both Tenzin and Aang. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Aang spoke up.

"So, Leia," he started, catching the attention of the watertribe teen, "why exactly did you want to come here to Republic City? I know from Katara that you were here to study, but how come? Isn't the education offered in the south enough for you?"

Leia looked at Aang as if he asked a rhetorical question before she gathered herself to answer. "I see Katara hasn't mentioned everything about me yet." She says with a cheeky grin.

"What do you mean?"

"Did she ever mention just how curious I am all the time?"

Aang seems to think for a moment before shaking his head.

Leia sighed and bit into a small dumpling before she spoke. "I've exhausted all of the south pole's knowledge by the time I was 12. The next four years of my life was spent sort of 'on the field', if you get my drift?"

Aang looked at Tenzin who simply looked back at his father with the same clueless look. Leia pouted but started tk explain either way, "I was discovering things on my own. I tried characterizing animals at home. I even did a lot of penguin and seal watching! Did you know that male penguins are the ones to take care of the egg after females lay them? I know, it's kind of opposite to what we know birds do in every other part of the world. I think I made a bunch of dichotomous keys before I finally decided it was time to learn waterbending since I had nothing else to do."

Leia then realized she was partially rambling and went straight to answering Aang's question, "I wanted to come to Republic City because I felt that there was nothing else to do in the South. I wanted to learn more about anything, everything! Where else to start than a place meant to be a melting pot of cultures?"

Aang had his eyebrows raised and was partially questioning why his wife didn't tell him he was housing someone so... inquisitive and curious.

Tenzin on the other hand was looking at Leia with awe and was quite amazed at how someone so young seemed to know so much at such a young age.

"Wow, that's quite amazing, Leia. How old did you say you were again?" Tenzin spoke up for the first time since lunch began and this surprised both Leia and his father.

Leia smiled at him, glad she wasn't annoying him this early on into her stay at Republic City. "I didn't. I'm 16!" She was also glad he didn't seem as shy as he was an hour ago.

Tenzin and Aang's eyes widened and it was only then that Leia truly noticed the differences between their faces. While one would naturally like to declare that Tenzin is the spitting image of his father just as how Leia did an hour ago, it seemingly isn't the case as Tenzin had a fair share of his mother's attributes. She smiled at this realization along with the priceless looks of surprise etched on the father and son's faces.

"You're only 16? You speak like you're a professor!" Tenzin exclaimed.

"I'm flattered, Tenzin. But I fear that this is the result of having nearly nothing to do after every bit of my chores have been finished. I mean, I sleep sometimes but I mostly try learning new things. It's a big world out there and we only have an average life expectancy of 60 years, so what better time to get to know all its secrets if not now?" Leia's eyes were bright expressed excitement when she finished her little ultimatum. Then, she looked sheepish. "I'd cite the source for the life expectancy statistic, but I honestly can't remember where I got it. The newspaper, maybe?"

Aang cleared his throat to gain Leia's attention and she was quick to gather herself to focus on him. "Well, I guess that settles our itinerary for the afternoon. We're taking a trip to Republic City University."

Leia looked like she was about to cry.

-

Turns out, Aang had things to attend to, so Tenzin ends up accompanying the water tribe native to the university. It was a brief affair. Since it was summer, only the administrating staff was there to facilitate enrollment and answer any queries regarding courses and fields of specialty. Of course, Leia was still quite new to this and asked if there was a general course she could take before taking any specialized classes. The lady entertaining them quickly replied that there was, but that the course were meant for an age range much lower than hers. Leia was quick to think of a compromise and suggested letting her summer classes before the schoolyear started to at least give her a foundation of knowledge. It seemed the desk lady was more than happy to entertain someone who expressed interest in summer classes, stating that the only problem is that there would be additional pay, and that the teachers she would have would be students who wanted extra credit through community service in school. Leia expressed that she had no problems with that and the transaction was settled. They agreed that they would have a slot saved for her in each specialized course and that once her summer sessions were done, she would have to choose her specific field of dtudy.

While Leia was negotiating with the desk lady, Tenzin was there at her side, needing only to talk once to sign papers as Leia's guardian in proxy of his father's absence. He was yet again amazed at how the girl seemed to be natural in getting around and talking to people despite her lack of experience.

Leia was given a concise tour of the place and was given complementary school merchandise. She then profusely thanked the person who entertained them who she now knew was named Ms. Park Jihyo.

"Well, I guess we could say mission success?" Leia prompted, a smile on her face as she walked towards a Satomobile with a small, portable mechanical fan in her hand, courtesy of the university. It was also Leia's first time to ride on a Satomobile on the trip going to the campus when she insisted that she couldn't quite handle flying as her mode of transportation. To her convenience, the drive didn't cause any more of her gastric juices to spew out, barely feeling anything except for a headache.

Tenzin smiled back at the teen and responded, "Definitely. The way you negotiated your terms with the lady was so well-done, you barely needed my help."

Leia shrugged. "Well, it's not that hard to ask for clarifications and details. It's her job to inform incoming applicants and enrollees all about where they want to study. I'm simply a client that complied with the job assigned to her. It's not like they can throw me out for wanting to know all that there is for an agreement before I go for it. It never hurts to ask questions."

Leia's cheerful mood seemed to infect Tenzin, and before he knew it, he had a smile plastered on his face that usually was there because of something else.

Once they were at the Satomobile, Leia climbed in, followed by Tenzin. They sat side-by-side at the backseat. The driver was one of the air acolytes who volunteered to learn to drive since neither Tenzin nor Aang knew, preferring to travel on their own bison.

The car ride home started relatively silent. Leia's mind wondered for quite a while, brain still buzzing with excitement on thoughts about her summer classes. Then, she decided to look at the man beside her. Leia contemplated for a moment whether or not to speak but still went it, remembering her own words. It never hurts to ask. "You know, speaking of questions, can I ask some about you?"

Tenzin looked at her in surprise, and considered her question. Thoughts of a stunning woman in a police uniform with a scowl on her face graced his thoughts and he furrowed his eyebrows. What was he thinking? Leia was 10 years younger than him and he's thinking what his girlfriend - Tenzin's calling her that but really he hasn't formally asked her - would think if he entertained her innocent questions? This was ridiculous! If anything, Leia would simply end up being a sister in his eyes and that was the end of it. So, why would he be worried about what his significant other would think if that was the case?

Leia sensed the conflict in Tenzin's thoughts and felt guilty for causing his mind to be troubled. "Hey, I mean if you don't wanna answer them, it's fine. Just wanted to get to know you, that's all. You're basically going to be my brother, and we're gonna live in the same compound, so I guess I wanted to know some of your most basic information."

Tenzin relaxed, at the mention of her intentions. I'm her brother, yeah. No need to worry about a jealous girlfriend. (She ISN'T your girlfriend yet). Most of his thoughts sound like he was trying to convince himself rather than state facts.

Leia's mind drifts towards another topic, shifting the focus on her in order to not make the man more uncomfortable. "Speaking of siblings, I have a sister! Well, two, actually. My older sister's 10 years older than me. Quite the gap, I know. I think she's your age! She's currently with the United Forces."

Tenzin's conflicted face seems to deepen for a second before softening. "I have a sibling working with the United Forces as well, And, by the way, you estimated my age quite spot on. I'm 27."

Leia was happy once she realized the conflict written on Tenzin's face didn't transmit through his tone. It seemed his hesitance to answer was gone as well. She really didn't like how she ended up making Tenzin uncomfortable just a few moments ago. She gathered that it must be some type of aversion to social interaction. A grown man with the tendency to be timid and uptight - Leia wondered if he had friends.

The rest of the ride was filled with stories of siblings and experiences in their respective hometowns from both participants of the conversation. Tenzin talked about his brother as well as his sister, both of whom were older than him. He talked of them as if they were vermin, but Leia knew very well that he cared for them. He was just looking out for them and he sounded very much like parent worrying for his own children. While his brother worked under the United Forces, his sister was a waterbending healer who was currently travelling around the world. Leia found it interesting that his older brother Bumi (a name familiar to Leia, Katara mentioned him once or twice) was not a bender. One would typically expect that a spawn of one of the most powerful waterbenders and the Avatar to be a bender at the very least, but Bumi wasn't. It got the gears in Leia's head churning, and she knew that they wouldn't simply stop at the end of their car conversation.

Then, Tenzin mentioned some of the trips his father took him on. Aang had taken Tenzin to all air temples. Leia was astounded to find out that he had visited Kyoshi Island. She beamed at him and told him all about her fanatic obsession with Kyoshi and her adventures.

Following up on Tenzin's subject, Leia also talked about her siblings, revealing that she hadn't heard from her older sister ever since she left for the United Forces, and that she was very caring of both of her sisters, especially her younger one whom she had left behind in the south. She then continued the conversations by telling him all about some of the discoveries she had in the south and some of the conspiracy theories she had up her sleeve about shady things that happened in the past, some that were absolute nonsense while some were based on actual things Leia had strongly believed in.

The air acolyte soon informed them that they arrived at the docks where the ferry specifically used to transport people to and from Air Temple Island so their conversation was cut short. Once on the boat, Tenzin smiled at Leia who was looking at the water.

Despite having a father who accomplished taking down the tyrannical monarch of the Fire Nation when he was 12, Tenzin still couldn't believe a girl as young as Leia could attain much knowledge.

He was amazed by her. His amazement of her reminded him of someone else who he looked at with the same kind of admiration.

"I want you to meet someone," he told Leia and she looked away from the water to turn to him.

"Do you know of Toph Beifong?"

"Have I been living under a rock? Okay, sort of, but it's more ice than rock. Anyway's back to the point, of course I know who Toph is. I've also heard that her eldest daughter's currently the Chief of Police," Leia answered, her face showing an incredulous facial expression.

Tenzin slightly blushed out of embarassment, noting that he should have learned to never question the knowledge of this girl from the second she mentioned that she memorized the name of each bone in the human body because she was bored.

Leia took notice of his discomfort and quickly apologized. "Yikes, I'm sorry I said that, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Tenzin immediately assured her that it was fine and that he never should have doubted her in the first place, to which Leia quickly shook her head and disagreed with. "My knowledge is not perfect. I make mistakes, too! Plus, misinformation is kind of rampant right now, given the state of our current tech. Never hesitate to ask."

Tenzin gave her a small smile which she returned. "Now, what about Miss Toph?" Leia asked, urging him to continue his previous subject.

"Oh, right. You said you knew of her daughter as well, right?" Tenzin asked and his companion nodded. "Well, that's who I want you to meet, actually. She's amazing. Her name is-"

"You're going to make me meet Lin Beifong? Oh my stars!" Leia cut Tenzin off excitedly, pulling at his robes and bringing her face close to his. "Please tell me you aren't joking!?"

Tenzin quickly shook his head, and Leia let go of his robes. She paced around the spot on the deck where they were situated on and stopped, biting her her lip to keep herself from squealing.

Leia takes a deep breath, giving her limbs a good shake. "Alright, keep it together, Telly."

"Telly?" Tenzin snickered and Leia sent him a playful glare

"You don't get to judge the names I use to address myself, arrowhead," she pointed at him threateningly.

Tenzin rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"So when am I gonna get to meet her?" Leia asked, putting her arms akimbo.

"She's joining us for dinner," Tenzin said, his face softening upon thoughts of the woman he currently was seeing.

"Dinner!?? Spirits! Woah, wait," Leia stopped her excited rambling upon seeing Tenzin's face.

"Dinner? With a woman? At the house of one of your parents?" Leia started to enumerate, a playful grin making itself known on her lips, and eyes twinkling widely much like how she did when she found out that Tenzin had gone to Kyoshi Island. Tenzin blushed madly and swore that if Lin doesn't end up killing him first, this young girl will be the death of him.

"You're dating Lin Beifong!" She concluded loudly, pointing at his chest teasingly, and Tenzin is thankful that they're the only passengers. Leia then immediately switched moods, contemplating on the truth of her words, deciding to alter them, "Or, at the vey least, interested in her."

Tenzin groaned in annoyance and defeat, and instead of worrying that she said something wrong, Leia giggles at his reaction before speaking up again.

"So this is the part where you try to deny it, but don't even start. Your face says it all, Mr. Loverboy. And face it, I know you've heard me talk about finding stuff out, could you ever keep the truth from me?"

Tenzin sighed and let his side lean onto the railings of the ferry. He knew very well that Leia was right. With the way he'd interacted with her throughout the day so far, there was no way he would convince her otherwise.

Leia smiled, feeling victorious.