𝑯𝑰𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑵 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑵, 𝒂: 𝒕𝒍𝒂

➳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥

THE SUMMER DRAGS ON FROM THERE. After an encounter with Azula at the Western Air Temple, everyone is forced to split up. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Koa, Zuko, and Kida fly away on Appa; the others escape through the tunnels. The team camps out somewhere random for one night, before Zuko guides them to an old family home of his, located on Ember Island.

Kida is definitely skeptical at first. She argues it would be a bit (actually, a lot) uncomfortable staying in the Fire Lord's vacation home for the time leading up to Sozin's comet, but Zuko swears that it's secluded and abandoned enough to be their hideout. Sokka manages to convince Kida that it's a good idea, but she's still wary—at least, at first.

As everyone falls into a routine, working and living together like clockwork, Kida's doubts start to melt away. Aang spends the afternoon practicing bending: first water with Katara, then earth with Toph, and somewhere in between he practices firebending with Zuko, when the sun is at its peak mid-day. Sometimes, Kida joins them; other times, she trains sword fighting with Sokka, warrior techniques with Suki, hand to hand combat with Koa, or a mix of all three. Most days, Kida makes sure to practice archery, something she very quickly realized she missed doing because of how natural it felt. Every other day, two of them would go into town to gather food and supplies. In the evenings, the team regroups, eating and chattering and laughing over whatever food was prepared.

In a way, the eight of them camping out at a house on Ember Island feels right. Being so disconnected from the conflict and reality of war, Kida is tempted to pretend that any training is for the sake of fun and exercise, that Aang is practicing bending only because he's the Avatar and not because he's the Avatar who has to restore balance to the world. She knows it's not true, but it does help her sleep at night, this image of a normal life she's started to construct. It isn't just Kida, either. She notices that everyone seems a bit less stressed than normal. The more time Kida spends on the island, living with the team, the more she's able to convince herself to forget the horrors of her past and her fear of the future, and instead pretend that everything is okay, that they're just a group of friends spending their summer on vacation. There's something so intimate and domestic about it, and Kida likes to imagine that if the war wasn't raging on, this would be their life.

Like, when they aren't training or doing chores, Aang and Kida would go down to the beach and look out at the clouds. At night, Kida would take Aang to the beach, teach him how to light a bonfire, and they would stay up imagining stories from the stars.

If there was anything either Katara or Kida had to get off their chest, like Zuko being annoying or Aang goofing off too much in training, they would be there for one another, to vent and then sort out a solution together.

Toph would sometimes get on Kida's nerves, mostly because she reminds her of her younger self. Toph is brutally honest and a bit confrontational, but more fun and carefree, which Kida is happy to welcome at this point.

It was a bit awkward with Koa at first, considering his history with Sokka, but he and Kida would slowly grow on each other. As warriors who were trained in different techniques, they would be both teachers and learners, while gossiping about Sokka or whatever guy Koa was crushing on.

If there's anything this time helps reinforce, it's that Suki is and always will be Kida's best friend. Out of everyone, maybe even Sokka, Kida feels the most herself around Suki. They were equals in training, but Kida definitely needed a refresher on Kyoshi Warrior techniques, and being by the beach and training with Suki is calming, comforting, and nostalgic.

With so many people around now living in a confined space, there wouldn't be much time for just Kida and Sokka to spend time together, but simple things like a wink during training, or a kiss on the cheek after breakfast, or a squeeze of the hand still warm Kida's heart.