Heimat | Aang

NINE

The days on the ship passed in the same way and soon enough, Tapeesa had lost track of time. On that ship, hours or months could have passed but it wouldn't have made any difference to her. She wasn't required to help and the couple of times she had attempted to help the crew, sooner or later, they would politely ask her to leave. It wasn't that she was completing their instructions wrongly—she knew better than that—but it seemed as if the fact she had come to the ship as a visitor had made them not want her help. As a result, her days were uneventful.

She spent quite some time on the deck, looking in the horizon for any sign of land. Whenever Aang, Zuko or Katara trained she would watch them, noting the way they fought with interest, especially when it came to Katara. It had been years since she had last gotten in contact with a waterbender and she eagerly watched her movements in an effort to learn something she didn't already know.

Katara was talented and in tune with her element, all the months she had fought in the war obvious in the way she bent. She knew what she was doing and she was confident in her power. Part of Tapeesa wished she could spend a few moments with her alone so she could pick up any skills of hers she lacked. Although, ever since the day they had met in Zuko's meeting room, Katara hadn't talked to her much.

That morning wasn't much different. Tapeesa stood on the deck, resting her arms against the railing as she leaned forward, watching the horizon. She could sense a tension in the water as the ship moved similar to that day on the last ship she had been on before the storm had struck and she knew in a few hours, they would meet a storm. She was calm as she looked ahead of her, preparing for what was to happen. Until she heard footsteps coming closer. She tilted her head to the side just slightly as she caught sight of Sokka. He came to a stop beside her on the railing and leaned against it, mirrored her stance. He spoke a while later.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking ahead for any sign of land," she muttered, her tone hardly disturbing the quiet that had settled over the deck. "A storm is coming."

Sokka briefly turned to face her. "How do you know?"

"I can feel it in the water," she replied simply as she turned to face him. There was an unusual intensity in her eyes that was effortless and Sokka couldn't bring himself to look at her for a long time without feeling intimidated, as if she was judging him. For a brief moment he considered whether he had done something wrong before he reminded himself he was actually innocent and stopped feeling guilty. Instead he forced himself to offer her a small smile in an effort to put himself at ease.

"It sounds cool."

"It's a nice warning," she agreed as she looked ahead in the distance once more. "Why did you leave Kyoshi island? Your wife and child need you more, don't they?"

Sokka swallowed and nodded slowly. "They probably do. Suki is capable of taking care of herself, though, and she has lots of help in Kyoshi island. We both wanted to make sure Aang was alright. I know it's not the best reason and Aang is the Avatar, he can obviously take care of himself. But I'm his friend. I worry."

"You don't need to explain yourself to me," she assured him with a faint twitch of her lips for a moment he thought he had imagined. "I was just curious. Most people wouldn't have left their family that way."

"Aang is family, you know," he shrugged, a smile forming on his lips as he thought. "We've gotten through so much together. I couldn't abandon him and not come when Zuko told me of the danger he had been through."

"You're a good friend, Sokka," she muttered as she turned to face him once more. "Aang surely appreciates you being here."

"I'd say he's smiling all the time because of me being here but he smiles most of the time anyway," he chuckled to himself and Tapeesa smiled slightly as she nodded in agreement.