Heimat | Aang

TWENTY-EIGHT

The days at Republic City seemed to overlap as more and more time passed. The sun rose at the same time, it set at the same hour, Tapeesa woke on the same bed, with the same companion a few doors down. Appa would always be there to take her and Aang to Republic City and then he would be there to pick them up so they could head back to Air Temple Island. Despite the repetitive nature of her stay there, though, she quite liked this place.

Katara's letter had arrived just on the previous day and she had been quick to send one back to assure her she was doing well. Katara's reassurance that everything in the Southern Water Tribe was the way she left it was a relief as she would have never wanted the fragile balance of the Tribe to have been broken in her absense. Perhaps, in the next letter, she would let her know how the Southern Water Tribe, even though all of them had been hospitable and she was eternally grateful for the years she spent by their side, didn't feel like home.

But for some reason, this yard she had seen for the first time in her life barely a week ago, seemed like home.

"Core strength, that's one of the keys, you need to be solid and balanced but also elusive," Tapeesa called out as she walked all around the dozen aspiring police officers she had paired off for this non-bender fight she had been asked to supervise. A few ways away, Aang, Suki and Toph watched as she kept on with her lesson. Tapeesa had only had the chance to train all of the officers today and to all of them, it appeared clear her military training was shining through.

"Earthbenders, waterbenders, no need to be discouraged," she called out as she noticed Yua's frown a few ways away, when the firebender she was asked to fight kept on attacking without pause. "The only reason the firebenders are better at this than you are is because of their element. You can be like them, better than them. Now, I can't promise anything about being better than non-benders," she commented with a small smirk.

Non-benders were always ferocious when fighting. It seemed as if their lack of bending made them more passionate fighters – and it was true. In a world where benders existed and one was born defenceless, they would use any means they had to protect themselves. They left no loose ends because always, in the back of their mind they knew should they fail, they had no plan to save themselves.

Tapeesa had felt how that was countless of times when in the Fire Nation navy, forced as she was to hide her bending. The elusive tricks with ice were helpful but they couldn't always be done without base, unless she wanted people to become suspicious.

"Maneuver, Lee, you can," she called out to an earthbender who had just received a hit from the non-bender he was fighting against. "If you pretend to be a rock the only thing you will achieve here is get injured."

A few ways away, she heard Toph grumble, "You are ruining my good work."

Tapeesa's lips curled into a smile, although she didn't say a word. "Li, fight back!"

By the time the training was over, most of the officers were heaving for breath, sweaty and tired, the sun having just turned to hit them in the yard. Tapeesa appraised them for a moment before she nodded to herself.

"Good work, today. I am confident that next time will be even better."

"Do you want to show them how they could be if they tried enough?" Toph called out, her bait enough to catch her prey. Tapeesa turned to face her briefly.

"What kind of demonstration would you suggest?"

The police officers were evidently intrigued as Suki stepped forward. "They should see what the results of their hard work could be like."

Tapeesa didn't hesitate for a moment. "It's been a while."

She gestured to her students to move aside to watch as she headed to the centre. Briefly, she raised her hands to her hair in an effort to be certain her braids were still in place and wouldn't bother her during the fight, and then she turned back to Suki who had taken her place opposite her.