the wind in my sails | aang x oc

nine

taking a breath after stretching outside her tent, liara enjoyed the air for a moment. it was a nice day, with clouds dotting the sky, and the air felt like it might rain in a few days.

"morning, li," she heard from behind her. she turned to see a chipper aang walking towards appa with his arms full of hay. "morning, are you heading to feed appa?" she said, a small smile gracing her pouty lips.

"yup. wanna join me?"

"of course,"

the two of them began feeding appa and a few minutes later, zuko and katara approached them.

"I need to borrow appa." katara said.

Liara and aang simultaneously looked up at her. "why? is it your turn to take a little field trip with zuko?"

liara snickered at aang's comment, but when she saw katara's face her joy instantly evaporated. "yes."

"oh.. what's going on?"

"were going to find the man who took my mother from me."

Liara's back muscles tensed as she gave katara a look. it went ignored. sokka also joined the conversation.

"sokka told me the story. I know who did it, and I know how to find him." zuko stated

"and what exactly will this accomplish?" aang said calmly.

"I knew you wouldn't understand." katara huffed and aang sighed. "I do understand. your feel incredible pain and rage, I get it. how do you think I felt when appa was stolen... or when I found out about what happened to my people?"

"she needs this. it's about getting closure and justice." zuko stated.

"no. it's about revenge." liara piped up, her eyes not waivering from the waterbender.

"so what if it is," katara whipped around, a scowl evident on her face. "maybe that's what I need. maybe that's what he deserves."

"you sound like jet." aang spoke. "no, this is different! jet attacked the innocent. this man is everything but. he doesn't deserve to live."

Liara's eyes darkened.

"katara, she was my mom too. I think aang is right." sokka butt in, earning a glare from katara. "you clearly didn't love her the way I did!"

within a millisecond, liara was inches away from the angry waterbender, her tattooed hand gripping tightly onto katara's collar.

"don't go down this road." she told the angry girl. "you can't tell me anything." katara seethed. liara almost got a jolf of anxiety, fearing that katara would tell the others of what she did at the genocide.

"to take someone's life? that's something you can't shake. katara, your mother wouldn't want this."

katara shoved the airbender away from her. "stay out of my way."

she and zuko then mounted appa, flying off into the distance.

Liara took a few deep breaths to calm her emotions. she just hoped that katara would make the right choice on this journey and not let her pain and anger get the best of her.

she wouldn't wish it upon the girl to carry the burden of someone's blood on her conscience for the rest of her living days.

~

after liara's altercation with katara, she sat down on a rock and meditated, needing to speak to yao.
after a few minutes, she was in the familiar forest.

walking into the hut to find yao with a cup of tea, liara grinned. "hey yao." she greeted kindly. "master liara, it has been a while."

Liara looked to the other side of the room to see iroh seated on a yellow and orange patterned pillow. "oh, hello, iroh." she bowed respectfully and sat down on another pillow in the hut.

yao gave liara and iroh each a cup of peppermint tea. the monkey man then st down on his own pillow, looking at liara expectingly.

"I sense that something is troubling you." the spirit stated, and liara deflated.

"well, it's katara. I'm afraid that she'll tell the others about.... what happened at the western temple a hundred hears ago." the airbender confessed. picking at her nailbeds.

yao scratched his hairy chin, thinking of a few words of wisdom for the young girl.

"maybe you should just tell them the truth?" the spirit shrugged, causing the girl to huff, "but if I tell them, they won't trust me, and how do I even bring up that I have killed a person? someone with a family waiting for him at home. someone who had friends and colleagues and comrades."

Liara took a breath, "I'm just scared of bringing it up,"

iroh smiled at the girl, "it is best to tell them the truth when the time is right. it may hurt, and it may upset someone, but if your friends really care about you, they will be willing to look past your past and strive for the future."

Liara sighed, an unsure smile decorating her face. "thank you, iroh."

~

Liara had finally removed herself from the spirit world after an hour of light conversation with yao and iroh.

Liara looked at the grass, her brows knitted together into a frown. there was no way that she was telling the group, especially aang.

knowing his morals, he'd probably ban her from being a monk or something. or he'd just be really really mad at her.

but she deserved it. she killed another living being. another person. it was unforgivable, taboo.

"hey, are you okay?" she saw sokka near her, sharpening his space sword. plastering on a fake smile, liara nodded. "yep, I'm just worried about katara."

sokka hummed, "yeah she's been troubling lately."

Liara stared at the ocean waves, "I just don't want her to do anything she'll regret, it's hard to have someones blood on your conscience."

sokka looked at her expectantly, as if she were going to explain her words, but she just stared off into the distance, as though she were lost in thought or memory.