Taking Off (2)

Nik didn't need any special skills to gain information about his surroundings. Once trusted, travelers are a great source to vent. The Southern Tribe is composed of many smaller villages. The conditions of the other settlements weren't any better than the one Nik was in. Men volunteered in the war as the remaining members consisted of grown-up children and middle-aged women already considered widows.

But in the tradition of the Southern Tribe, it is considered a grave fortune for anyone establishing intimate relationships with 'widows.' The spirits of the husband will haunt the particular lover. Nik didn't read deeply into this. To him, superstitions such as these were the work of overzealous men who would worry about their image even after their death to prevent their wives from looking for someone to replace them. But he also wasn't willing to just spit on the said traditions and earn the ire of the only decision-maker of the tribe as a whole.

He learned the merchants traded the wooden shelves and pots inside the settlement for fur and pearls.

Nik saw Aang moving around at a quick speed, with children chasing after him, laughing and cheering. Meanwhile, Aang seemingly 'sat' on a ball of air. Nik saw it this time, Airbending, that is. Akin a top, Aang balanced his body on the sphere of wind, more like a cool mist surrounding the village from the beginning. It's the real deal!

Aang could really control air, and the feat simply felt... as Sokka so eloquently quotes: Freakish and magical.

Ok! There might be some truth to the spirits of angry husbands chasing after their widow's new lovers.

"Isn't he cold at all?" Nik grumbled slightly. Next to him, acting her age, unlike their chieftain, Katara smiled, "He does not feel the cold because he knows how to regulate his breathing to keep his body warm, or at least, that's what he said."

Nik glanced sideways. Katara and Sokka were the two individuals in this village his age.

"Is it also traditional for a single woman to wear a necklace in a village?"

With the hoody pulled down, Katara revealed a blue choker around her neck with a hand-carved light-blue jewel strung along.

"Ah, this?" Katara stuttered for a second, "This is just an heirloom."

Nik nodded with a smile. It was clear to see that Katara was reluctant to speak on this matter as Nik continued, "Do you know how to identify a bender?"

"Nope, not a clue," Katara giggled, pointing at Jerkzu, who chased Aang, "Jerkzu accidentally quenched the fire for dinner with the soup. Of course, her mother spanked him after. Firewood's a rarity here, you know. But now we don't need it for boiling stuff."

"Could you show a few waterbending techniques, too?"

Nik's request made Katara smile, but mostly out of embarrassment. She avoided his gaze, "I seriously would. But... I'm not an expert. I can do basic things. I can freeze water in a pot, boil it, or pull water out of clothes. It helps in the chores, but to actively control water from a larger source can be too draining, and whenever I try it... I feel my body is rejecting how I move."

"That's why I always wanted a waterbending master to teach me."

"A master?" Nik inclined his head.

"Yes, my father used to say that mastering an element requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and especially: Guidance!"

"Ah, I think I know about this kind of philosophy. My mother used to say the same thing," Nik smiled. Though betrayed, eventually, he had his memories still intact, and aside from 'punishments' from Esta and a few thoroughly depraved requests of a few customers, Nik also had a collection of 'happy' memories.

"Nature is the best teacher."

Nik smiled.

'Thrust like rabbits and dogs. Show the force of a bull!—as Esta would use to say.'

"Well, my side of nature includes Otter Penguins, and that hardly teaches me a thing," Katara replied with a shake of her head.

Nik shrugged. In the end, this was just a polite conversation, and more often than not, Nature doesn't teach too good of a skill set either.

"Can you tell me where you're really from?" Katara inquired as Nik pursed his lips. Last time he was lucky to have pulled an insomniac character arc because later, he realized that the people of that world had access to the 'web' that helped them find anything of their desire. He doubted that would be the case in this village, too.

"I'm from a city named Red Delight."

"Red... Delight?" Katara mused before shrugging, "I only know a little of the main continent. Is it in the Earth Kingdom?"

"Sure," Nik nodded, equally unaware of this world's demographical divisions.

"Are these Sokka's clothes I'm wearing right now?" Nik looked down at his outfit. Katara blushed slightly, "Ehm... no. Sokka said that you're too thin for his clothes..."

Nik looked at her for a moment and then looked down. Finally, he gazed at the markings on his coat and observed Katara, making her fidget slightly as he turned his attention to other females and children. Only Sokka's coat was different, and he inquired again, "Still, whose are these?"

"Well, technically... these are my clothes now..." Katara mumbled before clearing her throat, "But it's not so bad. Other villagers also share clothes, and wearing this doesn't mean you're not a man or anything. I just think that Sokka worries about this kind of stuff too much."

"Oh, yeah, of course."

Nik nodded as Katara groaned the moment he began drinking his soup.

'Great... just great. You had to listen to Sokka whining about sharing his clothes,' she admonished herself while Nik found the clothes comfortable either way.

"Thank you for the clothes," Nik smiled as Katara nodded silently, not looking up this time.

"Are you eager to return to your home?" Katara inquired to not feel too self-conscious at the moment. Hearing her made Nik sigh slightly.

"Not really. I lived there for too long."

"I understand. This village is so small, even I feel cooped in a little despite the ocean being right outside," Katara chuckled, "But I'd still want to return to this place in the end. The cold and the ice make me feel quite happy."

Nik nodded.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that you can sleep in with Aang. We set up one of the spare tents for the two of you."

"Alright," Nik nodded.

---

"Hehe! Others told me that you wore girl clothes!" Aang snickered. A small lamp illuminated their tent. The night grew darker as everyone returned to their residence.

Not minding the provocation the slightest bit, fully knowing that it came from a child and about masculinity tempered through the abyss, Nik shrugged. Seeing the kid looking around curiously, Nik finally tried to find what this world was all about without sounding too otherworldly on the matter. Given how he had heard Katara and Sokka mentioning the Avatar, Nik began similarly, "Hey, Aang, how does it feel to airbend? That's what it is called, right? Airbending."

Aang's gaze brightened as the air around him moved in a short gust, making his body levitate as he quickly sat down, easily changing his position from lying to sitting up—once again demonstrating how convenient this ability felt.

"Airbending? It's pretty awesome! I get to control the air currents around me, and because air is often in a state of flow, I don't even have to pull it apart forcefully. I can just go with the flow!"

Aang smiled. The villagers of the tribe were more curious about the application of airbending, so seeing someone else asking a deeper question made him want to talk.

"Okay. Now your turn! What's that bending ability that you used? It looks so cool to just appear out of nowhere! Although... Katara did seem more flustered than hurt when you fell on her. But you were only naked, not like you had horns or anything," Aang wondered as Nik thought for a moment.

With the world being magical and three witnesses of him arriving into this world without raising too much ruckus and just accepting he 'could' appear out of nowhere... Nik found that lying about certain abilities would only narrow his scope of action. After all, his homeworld had not revealed such a mystical nature yet, and even if it did, Nik was clear on the matter that the certain amount of trust he could gain from villagers would not be possible back there simply because of what he will be facing for the second time now: Cultural Difference.

"It... is hard to explain," Nik finally traced his chin and thought of something, "Say, Aang, do you remember the way to that shipwreck?"

"Yeah?" Aang looked hesitant as Nik smiled.

"I can show you what little I can do there," Nik stood up as he cautiously opened the tent's entrance to peek out.

Looking back, Nik raised his index finger over his lips and beckoned Aang to follow him.

Picking his staff, Aang followed hesitatingly. Seeing nobody, he followed Nik but quite a lot more stealthily than Nik himself. After all, Nik would still leave the soft sound of ice and snow getting crushed under his foot, but Aang left no such noise as if he was gliding over the snow.

As they walked out, Aang found Appa sleeping within a hollowed structure of ice in the shape of a circle that cradled Appa's large body.

"Hey, I think we shouldn't go there," Aang spoke softly while Nik shrugged, "We'll return within a few minutes."

"Have you ever tried it?" As they walked, Nik continued to dig for more information, "Other forms of bending. You're supposed to control all the four elements, right? Even Katara can do stuff without being guided by someone else."

Aang shook his head.

"I'm taught that bending is a mix of physical and spiritual aspects of life. Walking the spiritual path without proper guidance might tarnish and taint us. So, the best and the safest way to bend an element is under someone's, or something's, guidance."

Nik looked at him for a moment, only understanding the general concept. But Aang seemed particularly emphasizing the 'spiritual' part.

They continued walking as Aang described the world, something Katara or Sokka couldn't do completely.

A world divided by elements and philosophies, namely into the: Water Tribe, Air Nomads, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation.

Unlike Sokka, who had nothing but bitter recollections of the Fire Nation, Aang had a more balanced perspective.

"You have friends everywhere?" Nik inquired, slightly amused as Aang nodded.

"Yep! I was planning to meet with my friend in the Earth Kingdom, but... I ended up here."

"And you're expected to help people?" Nik continued.

"I know," Aang spread his arms in dismay, "Why can't anyone see that I didn't ask for any of it? I like playing games. That's what I'm good at... not saving the world. How does anyone even do it? It's a world. It wouldn't just... crumble apart."

Nik blinked. It would seem that he touched a sore spot.

"We're here!" Aang jumped with a gust of air following him as Nik followed on foot.

Under the clear sky but misty surroundings, the duo finally approached the large metal vessel with thick plates of ice digging it up from the bow and surrounding it.

"Now what?" Aang inquired, but a bit cautious. He had decided to follow Nik, but the situation seemed dubious at best as Nik silently gazed at the vessel.

"Um... if the ship suddenly disappears, would the ice around us break apart?" Nik inquired as Aang tilted his head in confusion.

"Aren't glaciers completely made of ice? There should be ice beneath the ship, too."

'Maybe a waterbender should also have been present...' Nik pursed his lips, once again questioning his decision. It was unnerving making decisions for himself without any guidance. Even in his homeworld, Genta had helped him a lot, and so did Mitsuko.

'Well... to a new life of decisions and mistakes,' Nik couldn't help but let a smile creep upto his lips as he walked towards the ship, finding a discreet corner within the icy locks that held the ship exposed with rusted metal.

Taking off his right glove, Nik went on to touch the metal.

"Hey! Metal bending? That's so cool! I didn't know we can bend metal," Aang misunderstood Nik's actions, and even Nik grew confused. How the heck could someone easily bend metal? But maybe there's someone out there who could do it.

"Ah... my hand is stuck," Nik mumbled as Aang's lips twitched.

The cold metal simply didn't allow Nik to move his palm at all.

But he didn't have to move his hand, right?

With a thought, the ship disappeared instantly alongside the slight rust stuck to his palm. Nik instantly ran back. He didn't know the consequence of such a large entity devoured for AP, and the trembling shards of ice that supported the ship in its position approved of Nik's caution since a few sharper edges of shaving fell into the surrounding area, but that was the extent of it.

Aang still stood a distance away, stunned. His grip around the staff was quite loose, lips parted in amazement.

"Now... that's what I should learn..." he mumbled.

"What's it called? Invisible bending?" Aang instantly shook his head, breaking out of his daze, and inquired in excitement, "Can I learn it? Will you teach me?"

Nik was similarly dazed. The only reason he simply devoured the ship completely and didn't go through with what was inside was one of the booby traps activated today. And now, he gazed at his status screen with slight incredulity.

[Name: Nik Faran

Age: 20 (80)

Code: GC—EHG—98034

Authority Rank: 0 (12.3277/100)

Paradise: Transmigration

Bloodline: Adonis' Ember (Common)]

He gained a little over 12 AP!

He turned to look back at the empty spot where the ship had been and inquired, "Hey... Aang. Do you think the Fire Nation has more of these ships?"

"Huh? They would, probably. Anyway! Please, please, please! Teach me what you just did. I'm the Avatar. I think I can learn any form of bending."

Nik turned to face Aang and inquired curiously, "Didn't you say you never asked to be the Avatar?"

"But I am one, right?" Aang coughed, controlling his excitement as he revealed a calm exterior.

"Anyway... it's not called Invisible Bending. That ship doesn't exist anymore... this is how my family used to clean trash. That's all."

"I am the keeper of nature. I would very much like to learn how to keep it clean," Aang bowed as Nik could barely hold a chuckle.

Feeling the reward in the form of AP for taking initiative made Nik feel good, not physically, but mentally. At this moment, he felt satisfied. The numbers had a way to satisfy even the most primal of blokes who have never played a video game in their life!

Nik had no intention of teaching something he didn't know about deeply himself. His only objective was to try and devour the ship. After all, he had only ever devoured smaller things in his homeworld out of the consequences he may incur otherwise. But now, he knew that ranking up his authority was quite plausible in this world.

Unable to persuade Nik in the end, not knowing that this was something Nik got to learn only after his head separated from his shoulder once, Aang returned as the duo slumped in the tent, finally succumbing to sleep.

Despite the chill, Nik slept peacefully this time without any nightmares haunting him.

***

Alternate Title: Nik Bagging Katara…'s Clothes!; Angry Husband Spirit is a Real Thing!; Airbending is More than Farts!; Aang, the Top; Learning About the World; The Four Nations; Need for Masters; Rewards for Initiations; The Ship Devourer; Trash Cleaner; Aang IS The Avatar; Aang's Sore Spot; Valuable AP!; A Path to Rank Up!