Heimat | Aang

EIGHTEEN

The morning was quiet, peaceful, the gentle breeze of the wind swaying the leaves of the trees in the edge of the forest, a couple of birds chirping nearby. Aang had just woken up, the sounds of nature a familiar wake-up call. He could hear Appa let out a soft moan from not too far away and so he opened his eyes, his gaze a stunning grey shade one wouldn't be able to find anywhere else in the world, eradicated as it had been along with the rest of his people. He blinked in an attempt to chase the sleep away and pushed his upper body up, resting on his elbows as he looked around in an effort to locate Appa. It didn't take him long to notice him.

Appa was next to a small lake a few ways away from the camp, his small moans completely covering the sound of running water. He was looking ahead in the pond, his moaning more of an attempt at communication than anything else, and confused, Aang looked around for the only person his sky bison could have been talking to. Tapeesa, however, was nowhere to be seen.

She wasn't laying opposite him as she had been hours ago when he had first woken up, and a quick look around let him know she wasn't next to Appa either. He frowned slightly and stood up, all the while looking around for her. He was tempted to call her name but he didn't, instead walked over to Appa while he stiffled a yawn and rested a hand on the side of his head.

"Hello there, buddy," he murmured, voice deeper than usual as he petted him. Appa finally stopped moaning as Aang looked ahead, and it was then he finally realised the reason for all the noise.

Tapeesa was in the water. Her clothes were drenched, the grey of her shirt almost the same shade as the darkest cloud of a rainy sky. Her back was turned on both him and Appa as she attempted to clean her hair from all the dust and dirt it had gathered over the days. She dipped in the water and resurfaced quickly enough, her hands rising to her hair to push it out of the way as she turned around. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Aang, caught off guard at the audience, and he could feel his cheeks gaining colour as he realised he had been caught. In his defence, she looked extremely good like this, surrounded by her element, eyes the same shade as the pond. He considered it a success that he managed to speak up.

"Good morning."

She blinked before her lips streched into a soft smile. "It took you some time to wake up." His blush deepened while her smile widened. "The water is nice. You might want to get in."

He didn't need any more encouragement to step away from Appa and get in the water. It was cool, colder than he would have prefered since he had just woken up, although he didn't say a word as he dived inside and submerged a few ways away with a sigh. When he opened his eyes, Tapeesa was looking away, her attention back on washing her hair. He followed her lead and focused on cleaning himself. She left the water before he did and he forced himself to not look and only leave the water minutes later, when he was certain she would be decent. He found her braiding her hair at the shore, sitting on a rock a few ways away from Appa. She wasn't looking at him but he walked over regardless and without a word, he made a seat of rock for himself to sit down opposite her. She looked up with a quirked eyebrow. He beamed over at her.

"Are you impressed?"

"By your ability to make a seat of soil?" she asked for clarrification. At the sight of his widening smile, she couldn't help but send him a smile of her own as he sat down. "Not really."

"You're hurting my feelings," he replied cheekily before his expression seemed to soften. "I'm very impressed by what you can do."

Her expression fell slightly, and if it weren't for the hours Aang had spent with her as his only form of entertainment, he was certain he wouldn't have managed to pick up on it. But he had come to know her in the span of these weeks, and the subtle change of her expression was noticed almost at once. He spoke moments before she did. "Thank you."