Avatar Niva - Journey
Niva stumbled out of Master Fala’s compound, unbalanced and upset. It had been another disaster of a lesson. Another day spent trying to make earth move on her own while being sneered at by Fala’s other students until everything exploded. This time she’d cracked some poor kid’s sternum and the question of if he’d recover without lasting damage hung over her like the shadow of a mountain.
Shame twisted in Niva’s stomach. She should just quit. It was clear after this long that earthbending just wasn’t her style. All it did was humiliate her or get other people hurt. Besides, she could just look after the shop like Ma and Pa. That would be fine. There was never a shortage of work to do there. She could easily give up earth bending for that.
‘But Lavi would be disappointed,’ she thought, dousing those plans like a flame.
Her sister had such confidence in her that she’d be a great earthbender. She’d insisted as such since they discovered Niva was a bender at all. Lavi had been right behind her, celebrating her every accomplishment. If she did something as small as threw a pebble, Lavi would be congratulating her.
That was enough to keep Niva going, from giving up entirely. She couldn’t stand the thought of disappointing Lavi. As bad as she felt after every lesson, making Lavi even frown would feel worse.
So, she took a breath, did her damndest to hold her chin up, and walked the rest of the way home. Maybe she sulked the rest of the way instead, but whatever.
She arrived just in time to hear raised voices from inside the house. Her parents and sister were arguing, and she could hear… two other voices. She slowed down and crept up to the window. If there was a fight going on she didn’t want to go in there while it was happening. She peered around the edge and spotted her family with their backs to her. Lavi’s head turned slightly toward her.
Drat. Spotted. At least she knew Lavi wouldn’t rat her out.
Lavi made a motion with her hands behind her back. Their own little code word for ‘Shhh.’ Satisfied when Niva remained quiet, she turned her attention back to the argument.
“We’re just saying that Niva should have a say in this,” Lavi said firmly. “You’re talking like all of this has been decided for her, which isn’t cool.”
“Of course it’s been decided for her. It was decided from the moment she was born,” came the other voice. “She must come with us to train.”
“If you’re so insistent on taking her away, then I’m going too,” Lavi said firmly.
Niva’s blood ran cold. Take her away? Where? And why? What was going on?
“That would be most unwise,” said one of the men garbed in white and blue robes. “The Avatar must be free of all distractions when she is training.”
It was as if time froze around Niva.
Avatar? No, that was impossible. There was no way she was the Avatar. She could barely earthbend, she couldn’t be the Avatar. All that responsibility. All those people looking up to her. She wanted to burrow into the dirt and never come out.
Lavi shook her head. “You don’t know Niva. And forcing your protocol on her without really knowing her is only going to make things harder for everyone. If I can’t go with her, then she’s not going either.”
“Your… devotion to your sister is commendable,” the robed man said thinly. “But the Avatar’s duty is to the world. No one person can claim ownership of them.”
“It’s not ownership! Niva needs someone in her corner who understands her!” Lavi said firmly.
“And you believe that person is you?” the robed man asked.
“Of course it’s me! I’ve been looking out for her since she was born!” Lavi said. “Ask her when she gets home who she’d want coming with her, and she’ll tell you she wants me!”
“Perhaps we should all calm down then?” Ma asked, giving a pointed look at Lavi. “We don’t want the first thing Niva hears when she gets home to be yelling.”
Niva, who had been quietly having a panic attack under the window, looked up at her mother’s voice. She could hear the exhaustion in the way she spoke. Ever since she was born, her parents had tried to give her the patience and attention she needed, but she could tell they were growing weary with her neediness as the years dragged on. It was only Lavi who showed her infinite patience, to positive effect.
Everything was easier when Lavi was nearby.
“Well she’s going to freak out when she’s told everything,” Lavi said. “Avatar? And she’s leaving? She’s going to explode again, Mom.”
Niva quivered, her throat tightening and her eyes burning. She might explode again already.
“Then we have to break the news to her very carefully,” Ma said. “You’re good at that. You can help.”
“I know, that’s what I’ve been trying to say to these two,” Lavi sighed, grabbing her boots. “I’m going to go look for her.”
“Lavi,” Pa said in a warning tone. “Let us just wait until she comes home. We can explain-”
“Already out the door,” Lavi said defiantly, closing it harshly behind her. Releasing an exasperated breath, she turned to look at Niva. Poor girl was quivering in her hiding spot, looking ready to snap at any moment. Silently, she motioned for Niva to come over.
Niva shakily got to her feet and rushed into her sister’s outstretched arms, squeezing her tightly as she tried to hide in her chest. “Don’t let them take me away…”
“I’m not going to,” Lavi said softly, rubbing small circles over Niva’s back.
Niva trembled in Lavi’s embrace, feeling less like she was going to fall apart at the seams. “...Is what they said true? Am I the…”
“Avatar?” Lavi asked. “They certain think so. And in truth it does make a bit of sense.”
Niva looked up, brow furrowed in confusion at Lavi’s words.
Lave smiled. “You always were the coolest person I know. So of course you’d be the Avatar.”
Niva’s face scrunched up and she hid in Lavi’s chest again. “Lavi!”
“What? It’s true,” Lavi said with a wide grin. “You’re already on your way to being a killer earthbender. Now you get to master the other three? Rad!”
A grumble escaped Niva who murmured. “...I sent another guy to the doctor today.”
“Well there we go! As the Avatar, that’s half your job!” Lavi beamed.
Niva lifted her head to pout at Lavi. “It was an accident!” she said, her indignance deflating as Lavi’s smile didn’t disappear. “...But thank you.”
Lavi ruffled Niva’s hair and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “No matter what happens, I’m always going to be in your corner.”
“But… I’m the Avatar,” Niva said quietly, her lip quivering. “And… and you’re getting ready to join the army soon.”
“If I have to, I’ll back out of the Army and go with you,” Lavi said, cupping Niva’s face. “You’re more important. You always have been.”
A painful sob escaped Niva as she clung to Lavi. “But I don’t want to go anywhere!”
“I know you don’t,” Lavi said softly. She hated it when her sister was so upset. And she resented the White Lotus for being the cause of it. Since Niva was born, Lavi had always been looking out for her. Even when she was a toddler whose only concern was ‘more juice.’ When she cried, Lavi would beat her mother to the crib. When Niva had gotten older and proved to be timid, skittish, and wracked with anxiety, Lavi had always been there to catch her when she fell.
And now, the White Lotus was threatening to tear all of that apart.
“...We’ll think of something,” Lavi said, running her hands up and down Niva’s arms. “No matter what, they aren’t going to split us up. Okay?”
Niva looked up at her. “You promise?”
“I promise,” Lavi said, brushing Niva’s hair out of her eyes.
Niva exhaled, a sliver of her tension releasing. “Okay,” she said before looking back at their house. “I guess we… gotta face the music, huh?”
Lavi nodded. “You ready, Pebble?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Niva said, her voice bereft of enthusiasm as she clutched tight;y to Lavi. “Stay close?”
“Always,” Lavi smiled.
And that was enough for Niva. Clinging to Lavi for dear life, they walked back inside.
“Which is why it is imperative that you are trained in an optimal environment,” the member of the White Lotus said to Niva. “The compound at the North Pole is the most secure, but we do have facilities all over the world, if need be.”
“Doesn’t the Avatar traditionally travel on her own and find her own teachers?” Lavi asked while Niva clung to her arm.
“In the old era, yes,” the robed man said, brow furrowing. “But times change and the Avatar must change along with them. An optimally trained avatar is necessary for the world.”
“But being isolated in a small compound does nothing to make the Avatar care about the rest of the world,” Lavi said. “Traveling and training and meeting people does that.”
“I assure you that we know more about training the Avatar than you do, child,” the White Lotus said with a frown. “Regardless of your opinion, she will have to come with us.”
Niva flinched, hiding behind Lavi.
“She won’t go anywhere she doesn’t want to,” Lavi said firmly. “And if she goes anywhere, I’m going with her.”
“Lavi,” Pa interjected. “Let’s… try and be realistic here. Niva has a destiny in store for her. And besides, you’re just a few months away from joining the army.”
“Dad, if we let them sequester Niva in some compound on the other side of the world, she’ll be even worse off than she is here,” Lavi said. “You’ve seen what happens when she gets scared. Her earthbending goes haywire!”
“Well obviously, coddling her hasn’t helped matters, either,” Ma said with a frown. “Maybe a little tough love will do her some good.”
Niva paled, trembling.
“There’s no such thing as tough love, Mom!” Lavi said.
“Whether there is or not, this goes beyond such notions anyway,” the White Lotus said, looking straight at Niva. He frowned when she flinched from his gaze. “Avatar Niva, the fact remains that you must begin your training. At once.”
Niva cowered behind Lavi. “I… I don’t want to…”
“It’s not a matter of want. It’s a matter of necessity,” he said sternly. “You were literally born for this. An avatar cannot refuse the call.”
“Why not!?” Niva demanded.
“Because they cannot! When Avatar Aang disappeared for a hundred years, the world was thrown into chaos and disharmony! And Avatar Korra vanished for only three, one of the Earth Kingdom’s worst dictators was allowed to rise to power!”
“Don’t put that kind of pressure on her!” Lavi exclaimed. “The world let those things happen!”
“Lavi don’t get political with our guests,” Pa chided.
“I’m not going!” Niva exclaimed, clinging to Lavi’s arm like it was a life raft.
“Avatar Niva, you do not understa-”
“I said no!” Niva yelled, stomping a foot to the ground. In tandem with her strike, stone and dust burst from beneath the floorboards, striking everyone. The White Lotus, her parents and Lavi were all knocked back. The White Lotus were hurled straight into the far wall before hitting the floor with a crumple. Her parents were knocked off their feet and onto the couch. Lavi was struck with the same force, but because Niva still had a death-grip on her arm she wasn’t hurled far until there was a nausea-inducing ‘snap’ as her humerus broke like a twig.
Niva was shaking as she looked around at the destruction she’d caused, and then her eyes fell on Lavi. Seeing the awkward way her arm was bent made her gasp and she stumbled back before turning and sprinting out the door.
“Ngh! N-Niva!” Lavi called out, scrambling to rise to her feet until a sharp bolt of pain sent her entire world spinning. “Ohh, that’s not good,” she gurgled out, her lunch threatening to come back up as she fell to her knees. With a clenched jaw and a snarl of effort, she worked to push past it. ‘Suck it up. Niva needs you!’
The White Lotus were getting to their feet, along with her parents. Lavi’s mother got up and rushed to her daughter’s side. “What happened?!”
“Niva broke my arm,” Lavi grimaced.
Ma cringed as she rolled up Lavi’s sleeve. “Oh no, there’s bone…”
“Ah, just pop it back in. I’ll be fine,” Lavi said with a weak smile and a cold sweat.
“Lavi, this is serious. We need to get you to a doctor,” Ma argued, frowning.
Lavi reached her good hand into her belt pouch and pulled out a piece of driftwood and some twine. “Here. Splint me.”
Ma frowned. “Lavi.”
“Ma, please just make it quick,” Lavi said through clenched teeth. “I gotta go find Niva.”
“That,” the White Lotus member grunted as he finally righted himself, “you should just leave to me.”
The glare Lavi gave him could have peeled the skin off a platypus-bear. “You’re the reason she exploded in the first place!”
The robed man scowled at Lavi. “It’s my understanding that without your instigating, this-”
“Actually, sir,” Pa said, cutting across. “It would be for the best if Lavi finds her. She always could find Niva when no one else could. And she still won’t tell us how.”
His scowl deepened, but Lavi took her father’s capitulation as the green light to leave. Once her splint was ready, she took off after her sister.
Lavi found Niva an hour later in the forest, at the side of a cliff. She’d earthbent a very small hole for her to fit in and was curled up in a ball inside. Hiding. Her eyes were glowing and there were rocks orbiting the entrance, but when Lavi drew closer they didn’t fire at her skull.
Good, she thought. That’s progress.
“Hey,” Lavi said, kneeling down by the entrance.
Niva prickled at the sudden noise, but soon realized how familiar it sounded. “Lavi?”
“That’s me,” Lavi confirmed with a smile. “Mind if I join you?”
There was a tense pause before Niva gave a small nod. She looked at the splint on her sister's arm once she got close enough, guilt churning sickeningly in her stomach. “...I hurt you.”
“I’ll be okay,” Lavi said, sitting down beside her in the cramped cave.
She meant that. Niva’s explosive outbursts of earthbending had been breaking her bones since they were little kids. Any time Niva had an episode, Lavi would end up being rushed to the doctor. It got to the point that her father would preemptively call for the medics when they heard about Niva getting out of control. Over the years Lavi had developed the pain tolerance to pick herself back up most of the time.
That hadn't meant Niva didn't hate herself for it, however.
“I keep doing it,” Niva whimpered, hiding her face behind her knees. “No matter how much I practice I just lose control and hurt you.”
Lavi laid her good hand on Niva’s shoulder. “I”m not angry with you, Pebble.”
“You're never angry with me,” Niva murmured. "Doesn't mean I didn't mess up."
Lavi slid closer and gently pulled Niva in so her head was resting on her shoulder. “It happens, Pebble. And now we know why.”
Niva whimpered, clinging to Lavi as she always did. “...What are we going to do?” she asked, her voice thick with a sob she was barely holding back. “They want to take me away.”
“They won’t,” Lavi whispered, wrapping her arm around her sister. “They’re not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
“So what?” Niva asked, bunching a fistful of Lavi’s tunic. “Do we just stay in hiding for the rest of our lives? Fight them off until they take me by force? What are we going to do?”
Lavi grew quiet, gently consoling her sister with her good arm. What could they do? They certainly couldn’t take Niva by force, Niva would become unstable and level the entire village. They’d risk serious harm to her if they escalated things to force. And they couldn’t hide.
Her eyes widened as a thought came to her.
They could leave. The Avatar used to always train by travelling the world, meeting people and becoming immersed in the culture of the bending art she was training in. It used to be important for the Avatar to understand why the world needed to be kept in balance. And it would be really good for Niva to meet people and have to find her own teachers. She’d have to come out of her shell and quell her nerves to do it, but she’d have control over how much she would have to do it at once.
“...Let’s leave,” she said. “Leave, travel the world and train you the old fashioned way.”
Niva looked up at her, eyes wide and jaw slack with bewilderment. “W-Wait, you… Are you serious?”
“I am,” Lavi nodded, smiling down at Niva. “We’ll grab what supplies we need, travel off the roads from town to town, pick up some earthbending scrolls for you along the way and figure things out from there. We’ll go on your avatar journey your way. The proper way.”
For awhile, Niva was at a loss for words. Lavi couldn’t be serious. There was so much wrong with that idea, it wasn’t even funny. Niva just wasn’t cut out to be the Avatar. At all. She could barely get a skipping stone across a pond, much less move mountains the way she wanted too. All this would accomplish was have the two of them living always on the move.
Together. Always together. Never apart. No matter what happened or where they went, Lavi would always be by her side.
…Huh.
“W-What about the army?” Niva asked.
“You’re more important,” Lavi said without a second’s hesitation.
“Are you sure?” Niva asked, gripping Lavi’s tunic tightly.
“More sure than I’ve been about anything,” Lavi said calmly. Confidently.
Niva let those words sink in as she kept her gaze on Lavi’s. “...Okay.”
Lavi smiled and pressed a kiss to Niva’s forehead. “C’mon. Let’s get out of this hole.”
“Okay,” Niva said, smiling softly as she let Lavi lift her to her feet. “So… where to first?”
“Home, obviously,” Lavi smiled. “We’ll pack our things and get ready.”
Niva’s eyes cast down to Lavi’s arm, still splinted with a piece of driftwood. “Your arm.”
“Huh?” Lavi looked down as well. “Oh right. And see a doctor.”
“Please,” Niva beseeched, carefully running her fingers along the makeshift splint. “I can’t stand to see you injured like this.”
Lavi’s entire body tensed as pain shot up her arm. “Don’t touch it, Ni!”
Niva ripped her arm away, her eyes wide and apologies already spilling out of her mouth. “Sorry, sorry, sorry!” she squeaked. “Okay! Doctor first!”
Lavi smiled and pulled Niva into a one-armed hug. “Thanks.”
Lavi and Niva returned home, Lavi’s arm in a sling. The White Lotus still hadn’t left, and their parents were serving them tea. Niva flinched when she saw they were still there, but Lavi’s hand on her arm kept her from breaking down again.
“I found her,” Lavi said, putting herself between them as Niva headed for the stairs.
“Ah, Niva, there you are!” Ma exclaimed, exasperation steeped in her voice. “Land’s sake, you’re gonna give us a heart attack one of these days, child.”
Niva winced at the bottom of the stairs. “Sorry Ma. I’m… just gonna go to bed…”
“Avatar Niva,” the White Lotus huffed. “We still haven’t finished our conversation.”
“Yes we have,” Niva said bluntly before rushing up the stairs.
The White Lotus stood up, but Lavi positioned herself at the bottom of the stairs. “The Avatar said you and her were done.”
The old man narrowed his eyes at Lavi, the wrinkles on his face deepening with a scowl. He held Lavi’s gaze for a time longer, as if daring the younger girl to blink first.
She didn’t.
“...It seems that today’s attempts at a dialogue were not fruitful,” he said gruffly before adjusting the fastener on his robes. He turned his attention to Ma and Pa, a tight frown on his lips. “My fellow representatives and I will return to approach this matter again in the morning. Hopefully the Avatar is more receptive to her responsibilities then.”
The two of them left, leaving Lavi alone with her parents. Both of them looked at her with frowns.
“Lavi,” her mother said in a disappointed tone.
“The decision’s already been made, Mom,” Lavi said. “I’m going to take Niva traveling to find teachers at her own pace.”
Both parents blinked owlishly, unsure if they even heard Lavi correctly.
“Wait, you and Niva are going to be traveling the world?” Pa asked incredulously. “By yourselves?”
Lavi nodded. “We’ll travel, find Niva teachers she’s comfortable with, and she’ll learn to be the Avatar the old fashioned way.”
“That… Lavi, you understand that there is a lot that can go wrong with this plan, right?” Ma asked. “I mean, where are you two going to stay? What are you going to do for money?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Lavi said dismissively.
“Lavi, if you just let Niva leave with-”
“Whoa whoa whoa, let her leave? I’m not stopping her from doing anything,” Lavi said. “If Niva actually wanted to go with the White Lotus, I would have helped her pack.”
“Lavi, that’s-”
“You heard her say that she doesn’t want to go with them, right?” Lavi asked. “Moments before she made the ground explode and ran off? Those old farts aren’t good for her. This will be. She wants to travel and become the Avatar on her terms. You guys have to trust us on this.”
“Trust us? Or trust you,” Ma said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Lavi, you and your sister have always been very… what’s the polite way to-”
“You’re a crutch,” Pa said. “She knows you’ll coddle her so she doesn’t ever have to do anything uncomfortable.”
Lavi scowled at Pa, red creeping in from the edge of her vision. “And you think travelling the world to learn all the different schools of bending is going to be comfortable for her? You think this plan will result in her never coming out of her comfort zone? Are you two even hearing yourselves right now?”
“So long as you’re with her, she’ll always be clinging to you,” Pa said. “What would the world think if they saw their Avatar couldn’t do anything without her sister?”
“What the world thinks is not my problem,” Lavi said, folding her arms. “If Niva wants me by her side, that’s where I’ll be. Full stop.”
Both of her parents glanced at each other.
“Lavi, what about your own life? What about the army?” Ma asked.
“Forget the army,” Lavi shrugged. “Helping the Avatar on her journey is way more important.”
Her mother deflated. She wasn't wrong, but she could tell that being the Avatar had nothing to do with it. Niva had a tight grip on Lavi’s heart from the moment she was born. Even when they were little Lavi would drop everything if Niva cried, and the two never fought and bickered like she was always told siblings would. Niva had broken nearly every bone in Lavi’s body with her outbursts, and Lavi never once held it against her. Lavi would lie down on a sword for her sister without hesitation.
She'd always been concerned if that was healthy or not.
“...I guess I can’t talk you out of this, can I?”
“Nope. Sorry, Ma,” Lavi said, shaking her head. “If there was another way, we would have considered it.”
Her mother sighed and her entire body sagged. “...Lavi, when I asked you to look out for your sister, I didn’t mean devote your entire life to her.”
“Maybe not, but I’m already committed,” Lavi said matter of factly. “Besides, this will be good for both of us, I think. I mainly wanted to join the military to see more of the world. Now I can do even more of that by helping Niva.”
Her mother was quiet for a moment before giving another sigh. “Then… I wish you the best. Take care of her. Make sure she comes home in one piece.”
At that, Lavi smiled. Taking three steps to clear the distance between them, she pulled her Ma into a tight hug. “I will, Ma. Don’t worry.”
Ma deflated and returned the hug, resting her head against Lavi’s shoulder.
When did her little rascal get so tall?
Niva and Lavi set off on the road early the next morning after a tearful goodbye with their parents. Lavi had laden herself down with supplies as well as a set of earthbending scrolls from Niva’s teacher. She hadn’t told anyone why they were leaving, just that they were. The decision was made to keep Niva’s status as the Avatar on a need to know basis.
Niva looked up at Lavi with a guilty smile. “Thanks,” she said. “For doing this.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Lavi said with a smile, pulling Niva into a one arm hug. “Getting to hit the open road with my favorite person in the world is hardly asking me for a favor.”
Niva’s smile strained slightly. “I’m your favorite person?”
“Who else would it be?”
“I dunno… all those girls you were charming?”
“And are any of them here?”
“...No?"
“Exactly,” Lavi said, kissing the top of Niva’s head. “Nobody’s ever taking that spot from you, and nobody’s allowed in my life if they don’t also have room for you.”
Niva stared at Lavi for a moment, her eyes glistening with tears once again. “Lavi,” she said with a whimper.
Lavi stopped and pulled Niva into another hug. “Hey, no tears, Pebble.”
Niva squeezed her sister and buried her face into her chest. “...I’m glad you’re here. I don’t think I could do this alone.”
“You’ll never have to do anything alone,” Lavi said, kissing the top of her head. “I promise.”
Niva lifted her head to give Lavi a watery smile. “Thanks. And I promise I won’t let you down. I’ll make you proud.”
“I’m already proud of you, Niva,” Lavi said warmly.
“...I’ll make you proud-er.”
Lavi pulled away from her and patted her arm. “C’mon, Avatar Niva. Let’s go and make the world as proud of you as I am.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Niva chirped, her eyes sparkling. For the first time since she heard she was the Avatar, she felt optimistic. Sure, this was far from ideal, and she had no idea what the future had in store for her, but that was okay. Lavi would stay by her side. And with Lavi by her side, she could do anything.
For Lavi, she would do anything.
This is the funniest shit I've seen all day!
