41.Hope

It was about five hours before arrival to the Western Temple of Air, when local meteorologists foreshadowed an unprecedented storm. Birds act here in the form of weather prediction specialists themselves. There is already a negative experience, you can fly in bad weather, but there is very little pleasant. It is worth just occasionally watching the flight of birds, they will not advise anything bad.

It was a little late, so we decided to spend the night on some nameless island, and in the morning we could safely fly to the right place. The dry and spacious cave became our shelter for the night. No one was against it, I was already used to this kind of inconvenience, others didn't care, everything was too new for them, after all, this was the first time outside the territories of eternal winter.

 – I wish I could learn the same technique as soon as possible, then I could look at the whole world, – Katara said dreamily. Gatherings around the campfire are the most sincere, there is something mystical in the fire.

 – You'll have to go to this level for another hundred years, - Sokka couldn't help but insert two cents. He thoughtfully twisted ordinary stones, trying to understand why he couldn't create a spark with them, when I did everything with the same ones. The magic of fire – that's what success lies in!

- Hm-m, - Katara turned up her nose. - You're just jealous of my bendering.

- Children, there is no need to quarrel, everyone has their strengths, - Kaya intervened in the nascent dispute.

- Mom is telling the truth, but the real power is here, – Sokka put his fingers to his temples, - brains, intelligence, wit – choose what you want, the essence will remain unchanged, – in comparison, Katara really likes to solve everything with water magic, but she did not want to recognize him as right... that is why they played silent all evening.

 – At least we'll take a few hours off from their arguments, – Yue whispered to me. Yes, the flight has never been boring, Katara and Sokka are masters of sports in bickering, they made our trip more hm-m, I would say... active.

- That's nothing, look at Kaya. She has to maneuver between the interests of both her children, - Kaya really looked a little tired, just mentally. But, never mind, I know how to end her day on a pleasant note, we just need to be quiet.

Two hours later…

Well, a good and sound sleep is also a good end to the day. Having spread out the beds, they began to get ready for sleep. No, not like that, they finally began to get ready to sleep, because a serious battle broke out for a place next to me. The south pole against the north, expression, threats, facts, arguments, but in the end friendship won, and I really wanted to lie against the wall, there is my favorite place... Now I'm trying to sleep while Katara and Yue are lying on top of me, although... they're not lying anymore, but they're squeezing me tightly in their arms. Where does so much strength come from in such small bodies?! As a result, Kaya did not wait for my release from the captivity of small but tenacious hands. She fell asleep like a baby, giving me up to our cute girls.

Morning. The mountain range north of the Fire Nation. The Western Temple of Air.

 – Looking at these overturned buildings makes my head spin, – Sokka muttered.

 – How was this built?! – Katara asked enthusiastically, eagerly examining all the local architecture.

 – It's really great, – agreed the little sister, who was just as fascinated by everything.

Kaya expressed her joy more calmly, but the gleam in her eyes spoke better than any words. The view was indeed unusual. The whole temple is built under a cliff, the buildings in this place look like upside down, although you can live there in the same way as in other Temples of the Air.

Inside, everything looked lonely, but well preserved. It was the rooms themselves and some household items that created a more cozy impression, compared to the Northern Temple of the Air. A woman's hand is felt here, although not so pronounced, yet completely different values were welcomed within these walls.

The nomads of the air were the only country, if at all, such a definition as a country is appropriate to use here, where each person is more spiritually developed. Meditation for them is a part of everyday life, it was not the power of magic that was important, but control over it. You can blame them as much as you like for their naivety, kindness and compassion, but this does not stop respecting them. Not a single war started by them, not even a single local conflict, they just lived and developed without interfering with anyone.

The whole day was spent exploring the entire Temple, which only at first glance did not seem very big. But most of the rooms were just inside the mountain. A huge table for Pai-sho, a beautiful fountain, a hall of statues of Avatars and past most outstanding masters of air magic. In the evening, the usual campfire gatherings followed.

 – The nomads knew how to choose places for their temples, – Sokka drawled respectfully. – Only these cliffs ... – he did not finish his sentence because of a strong gust of wind that pushed him a little closer to the cliff, – are stupid, – he finished only when he moved away from a dangerous place.

 – Sokka, be careful there's a cliff! – Katara said, showing concern for her brother, just a little late.… Sometimes Katara's words just freeze me out, but it's worth admitting that such bickering amuses them, especially when you see, well, or in my case, you feel more deeply. Katara was already ready to use water magic in case of Sokka's fall, but she didn't tell anyone. Cute.

The hours passed in such an atmosphere. Yue began to enjoy the "exchanges of pleasantries" between two relatives, often deliberately provoking one of the parties, that is why I sometimes had to pull her back.

The third and last day of our stay at the Temple was somewhat sad, to be more specific, Katara, Yue and Sokka did not really want to return home. But there was an agreement with the parents to return everyone in integrity and safety as soon as possible. And the weather did not have complacency, a light rain began to drizzle in the morning, the sky looked gloomy, predicting a full-fledged downpour later, so it's worth getting out of here as soon as possible. Just let me finish to read the latest sayings of the masters of air magic and I can return to the rest.

 – Boundaries exist only in your head, well, it's banal, every coach used to say that in his trainings, - I involuntarily blurted out. Only I was in no hurry to leave, it was this table of the air master Ayla that was somehow different from the others, as if magnetized attracted by its unsolved mystery.

Rereading the single line for the umpteenth time, I began to sink deeper into myself. Memories began to come to mind related to the development of one extremely difficult technique in water magic – drainage, the part where it becomes possible to collect water from the air. I've never been able to get close to this, the plants are easy, but this…

With each new failure, I unconsciously lost my faith, no longer practicing this technique, preferring more successful areas of water bendering. All this time, I have been building a wall myself that has hindered my progress. Believing in the impossibility, I began to turn away from the right path.

 – Sometimes, just Faith is enough, – I said with a wry smile.

Raising my arms to the sides, I began to concentrate on the water particles present in the air. So, calm down, now just do it, don't think!

 – Ha-ha-ha! – my happy laughter rang out. – I've been struggling with a solution for two years, and it was right in front of my nose.

Here it has taken the form of water – the quintessence of happiness... I was looking at a floating ball of water, which is only enough to fill a small cup. But what are our years? Everything will be in time!

- How did you do it, brother?!/Teach me! – Katara and Yue shouted. I was so wrapped up in myself that I didn't notice the arrival of the others.

Oh, how good it is to be the object of admiration, yes, Kaya, look with all your eyes at your super gifted man! Okay, a little bit of self-praise is always in favor.

- Get the status of a master, I will immediately begin your training, - now I should expect increased learning and productivity. - We will arrange a mini-lecture. Water is everywhere, whether it's a person, plants, an animal, or even air. Benders are used to manipulating only the water that is in front of their eyes. But if water is everywhere, why don't we use it? – I asked the girls a question.

- It's harder! It is necessary to approach the matter in stages, from simple to complex! – Yueshouted from the spot, she wanted to say, "If we want to say something, we raise our hand." Oh, it's school time, sometimes I want to go back…

- The answer is correct, - the prize sector on the reel, - Katara looks extremely determined, ready to complement?

- It's too hard to imagine what you can't see, so you should improve your skills first! – Katara added, waiting for approval.

- Both said it right, - I stroked their smart heads, yet they can not only plow water over the area. I can try to start teaching them the technique in a couple of years, on a full moon, when the connection with the energy of water is especially strong.

- Hm-m, it seems that I forgot my bag in the most extreme hall, Katara, Yue, Sokka has an important assignment for you! Run after her, – I asked them, clasping my hands together.

- No problem!/What a forgetful brother you are!/You could have gone yourself, pf-f, - guess who said the last sentence...

- We'll look elsewhere for now! I'll meet you here in half an hour! – I shouted after them.

 – Your bag is in the general pile, – said Kaya.

- It was necessary to occupy them with something, - I explained my actions. - Now we have a whole half hour just for the two of us, - I said, taking her elastic butt in my palms. - We need to share a good mood, that's what we will do, - I remember there was a beautiful clearing. - We haven't had "that" in nature yet, have we? Objections are not accepted, – I sealed her mouth with a kiss, lifting us out of the water platform.

***

- It's just a mushroom, well, a little bit glowing and very tasteless, just a piece, - I tried to persuade myself to eat at least a piece of this mildly toxic mushroom, that growing in our greenhouses, yes, and there are flaws. Now I want to check the acquired resistance to poisons.

The second chakra is open! It happened the next day after arriving home. I realized that it would not work to run away from problems forever, the water chakra had been ready to open for a long time, but I did not want to experience the most unpleasant moments, that is why I postponed the case every time. Well, success in the field of water magic gave me an additional incentive to move forward.

This time everything went somehow casually, the voices were not so strong, my mind was not clouded, I just walked steadily towards my goal. I think this will never happen, it all depends on the feeling that blocks the chakra. The first chakra was blocked by a feeling of fear – I had a strong one, so it was more difficult to pass it. The same chakra was blocked by guilt, and there was nothing to feed it with... Yes, I have some sins, but they don't eat me up, okay, okay, I admit, I'm just an unscrupulous person.

Due to the fact that everything happened so easily and casually, I can't really believe in that fact…

The best way to check is to experience it for myself! Mistakes have taught people not to stick their hand in the fire! How am I worse off if I eat this miserable and ugly mushroom?!

- The right attitude is there! And now, oops, – I took a tiny bite, I may be a master of speech, but I'm not eager to register in the toilet. And there is only side effect of these mushrooms – it cleanses the body, so to speak.

- Why are you stuck there, Yuki? - my father's voice was heard. – I will need to meet soon, are you coming out or not? Other restrooms are a bit far away.

- I'm on my way out! – I shouted back. I ran here as soon as I bit off the mushroom, just in case. Thirty minutes and no consequences, which means that the second chakra is in my pocket.

Yes, I'm not scared of poisons anymore!