The Legend of Arin

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DON'T THINK SO

BATO OF THE WATER TRIBE. A dear family friend to Katara and Sokka and part of their dad's fleet. After searching a forest, they found evidence of a Water Tribe battle which led them to Bato. Well, actually, Bato found them.

They were currently sitting in Bato's hut inside an abbey. It was decorated with Water Tribe weapons and animal pelts. Katara and Sokka found it amazing, and Aang and Arin found it kind of creepy.

Aang and Arin stared at their stewed sea prune bowls and sniffed them. It didn't smell appetizing, to say the least.

"Bato, is it true you and Dad Lassoed an arctic hippo?" Katara asked him.

"It was your father's idea. He just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did the dragging."

"Hey, I ride animals, too!" Aang tried to contribute to the conversation. "One time, there was this giant eel, and I-" Sokka cut him off.

"So, who was it that came up with the great blubber fiasco?" Bato laughed.

"You knew about that?"

"Everyone does," Katara replied.

"What's the great blubber fiasco?" Arin questioned as she carefully tasted the sea prunes.

"It's a long one, Arin. Some other time." Sokka brushed her off and the girl raised an annoyed eyebrow.

"You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures." Katara smiled at the older man.

"Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny with hindsight." Bato laughed once more. "Aang-" They looked at him. "Please put that down. It's ceremonial and very fragile." Arin glared at her brother and took the hat off him and placed it where it belonged.

"So sorry, Bato." She apologized to her brother whom she guided to sit back down.

"It's alright." He smiled.

"Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?" Sokka jumped into another story and Arin drowned them out as she looked at her sad and dejected brother.

"Hey, you okay?" She said quietly at her little brother who was hugging his knees.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said half-minded.

"Find someone else to lie to." She looked at him with an unimpressed expression before sitting next to him. "What's up?"

"They won't even talk to me. They act like I'm not even here!" He whispered shouted to his sister who pursed her lips.

"They're reuniting with someone they haven't seen in years, Aang. They're just really excited." She tried defending her friends from her upset brother.

"I mean, I guess you're right... but they won't even tell me the stories or anything. I can't say anything without them ignoring me." He pouted. The two siblings looked back at Bato who was saying something about receiving a message from the Water Tribe sibling's father and going to meet him at a rendezvous point. Aang bit his lip.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Aang ignored her and got up to leave. Arin sighed as she watched him close the door behind his slumped-over figure. This wasn't good. As much as she tried to cheer him up, he didn't want Katara and Sokka to leave. She didn't either, but it was to see their father.

If she had the opportunity to see Monk Gyatso and her friends from a hundred years ago, she'd take it in a heartbeat, so she couldn't blame them. No matter how upset Aang was, he had to understand them.

"It would be great, but we can't. We have to take Aang to the North Pole first." Sokka said and Arin's head shot up quickly.

"Even if we had time to wait for the message, who knows how far we'd have to travel? We don't have time for a long detour." A sad smile grew on Arin's face as she watched her friends deny the opportunity to see their dad. This must have been a hard choice, but they chose Aang.