Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 24

After giving Jinora a bit of time to rest and change out of her training attire, Kahn allowed her to lead the way to the cove she had discovered on the Northern side of the island. He knew where it was located, but, as Jinora's Mentor, Kahn had a duty to allow her to take charge and express herself when the situation permitted.

"This is the place. I know it's small, but there are some pretty interesting tide pools nearby. I once found a baby Eel Shark inside of one."

Pretending that he wasn't intimately familiar with virtually every square centimeter of the island, Kahn offered a faint smile as he asked, "Really? I've only ever read about them. Maybe we'll be lucky and find a few?"

Smiling excitedly, Jinora was eager to head over, but she first needed to change into her swimsuit. She could have changed back at her house, but she didn't want anyone but Kahn to see her. Flying tended to draw a lot of attention.

"I'm going to go change behind that rock over there. No peeking!"

Though she knew Kahn would never peek, Jinora felt compelled to say it. There was something about saying such words aloud that made her feel excited.

Nodding his head in understanding, Kahn said, "I'll head over to the other side to set up the parasol and towels. When you're finished, let's go check out the tide pools."

Adopting an even wider smile, Jinora nodded before hurrying over to the rocky outcrop to get changed. When she returned, nearly twenty minutes later, her ears and face were beet red as she emerged wearing a swimsuit she had stitched together from worn-out Airbender garments. It covered all the essential bits, but as Air Nomads were a very conservative people, much of the time Jinora spent changing was mustering up the courage to come out. After all, she wasn't used to having her legs or midriff showing, much less her collarbone.

Recalling the advice Ethuza had given him, Kahn remarked, "You managed to overcome your fear. Good job."

Having anticipated Kahn saying something about her swimsuit, Jinora was equal parts relieved and annoyed by his reaction. It was really weird. Part of her wanted him to look, but another felt reassured by his very Kahn-like response.

Shaking her head, Jinora meekly inquired, "You really don't view me as a woman, do you...?"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Kahn answered, "No. You're a seven-year-old girl. Though you are remarkably brilliant, you have a ways to go in terms of mental and physical growth. If you were genuinely mature, you wouldn't be behaving this way. You would consider things from both sides and weigh your actions against societal norms. While I have absolutely no intention of censuring you, I also have no intention of reacting in the way you are hoping. I could never betray you, your parents, and everyone else who had placed their trust in me."

"..."

Feeling ashamed of herself, Jinora instinctually covered her body as tears began to build in the corners of her eyes. However, before she could run away or apologize, Kahn rose to his feet, his voice firm as he said, "Do not cry. It is perfectly natural and healthy to have such thoughts. You've done nothing wrong, so keep your head raised and your back straight. Even if I have no intention of reciprocating in the manner you hoped, you shouldn't feel ashamed. It took a lot of courage for you to step out from behind that rock. If anything, you should feel proud. As your Mentor, I certainly do."

Though she was fighting back sniffles, Jinora managed to raise her head as Kahn approached less than thirty centimeters away from her. She kind of wished he had hugged her, but she understood why he might not want to when he was currently wearing nothing but swimming trunks.

Extending his hand, Kahn surprised Jinora by grasping her chin with his thumb and index finger, smiling as he added, "You're going to make some fortunate fool the luckiest man in the world someday. It probably won't be me, but you never know. Even with knowledge of the future, I can't even predict what tomorrow's weather will be like, much less how things might turn out seven to ten years down the line. Either way, I'm looking forward to your growth."

Removing his hand from Jinora's jaw, Kahn seized the opportunity to ruffle her hair. Her face habitually formed into a rather adorable pout, but Kahn didn't mind. He would much rather girls be angry or upset at him than see them shedding tears. Fortunately, Jinora wasn't actually upset. Soon after he started caressing her head, a radiant smile developed across her face before she spontaneously broke out into a fit of audibly relieved laughter.

...

..

.

Though the beach trip started rather shakily, it was fated to become one of Jinora's most precious memories. Kahn might not have seen it that way, but there was nothing he could do to stop her from viewing it as their first date. Once she had settled down, she became a lot more self-assured as she practically dragged him around. She even managed to convince Kahn to carry her back after thoroughly tiring herself out. The best part about that was that it was the perfect opportunity to plant a surprise kiss on his cheek the moment he was preparing to set her down...

...

..

.

Waiting until Jinora was fast asleep, Kahn exited the Airbending residence before spelling out Ethuza's name using dim flames. Shortly after that, the person in question showed up, a wry smile on her face as she asked, "Did the two of you have fun at the beach?"

While spending time at the beach wasn't exactly his idea of leisure or fun, Kahn nodded his head in response to Ethuza's words, answering, "It was a learning experience. The last time I went swimming was more than five years ago at the South Pole. If I had to compare the two, I would say the waters of Yue Bay are much more pleasant..."

Raising her brows, Ethuza remarked, "Oh my, was that your attempt at humor? You really are in a good mood."

Rolling his eyes, Kahn decided to cut to the chase, saying, "You really shouldn't be skulking around here in the middle of the night. I didn't say anything yesterday, but it will become a problem if you're caught."

Adopting a slight pout, Ethuza retorted, "If you knew I was out here last night, you should have said something or called me over. I may be in the wrong here, but it's impolite to leave a woman waiting if you're aware of it."

"..."

Understanding there was little point in trying to argue, Kahn reached into his pocket to retrieve a marble-sized pearl, explaining, "Jinora and I found a large colony of clams. I grilled a few and managed to stumble across a handful of pearls. Here. Consider it my apology."

Though pearls were common in the Fire Nation, Ethuza's pale green eyes practically lit up when she saw the pearl in Kahn's hand. She would have been happy with a burnt twig if it came from the boy she liked. Receiving a pearl was far beyond anything she had anticipated.

Forcing herself to calm down, Ethuza hesitated for a brief moment before reluctantly closing Kahn's hand around the pearl and saying, "It doesn't have to mean anything, but I would be a lot happier if you made it into a piece of jewelry. Even a simple necklace made from twine would do...so long as it came from you..."

"Right..."

Unsurprised by Ethuza's response, Kahn returned the pearl to his jacket pocket before giving her a once over and asking, "Isn't there something you wanted to show me?"

Blushing slightly, Ethuza reached up to cup her cheeks as she averted her eyes and remarked, "How brazen..." despite the smile on her face.

Rolling his eyes, Kahn reached forward to grasp the tail of Ethuza's sash before giving it a firm tug. Her eyes immediately became as round, and though she had every intention of letting him see what was underneath, Ethuza instinctually held her robes shut as the blush on her face became far more prominent.

While breathing a little heavily, Ethuza stared up at Kahn, her voice a little shaky as she said, "Okay...I...I understand you might not really get things like this, but that was a little much. Even if you know they're wearing their swimsuit underneath, it's never okay to strip a woman...not unless you are willing to take responsibility for what comes after..."

Realizing he may have overstepped, Kahn's expression became genuinely apologetic as he lowered his head and said, "Sorry...I felt guilty about the fact you were waiting all day for a chance to speak with me. I thought...I mistakenly believed this was the type of thing you would enjoy..."

Releasing the hold she had on her robes, Ethuza waved her hands from side to side as she asserted, "Oh, make no mistake, tough guy. I'm more than into it. It's just, now isn't exactly the time or the place. I would also be pretty upset if you just left me hanging, so the next time you tear my clothes open, you had better mean it."

"..."

Expecting Ethuza to be a little more upset, Kahn scratched the back of his head. He was supposed to be able to ascertain a person's true intentions, but he could never quite get a read on the petite Fire Nation Princess. She was just so...weird.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Kahn took the opportunity to look Ethuza over for a second time. Her swimsuit was considerably less tame than Jinora's self-made swimwear. It was a bright, Fire Nation Red bikini, and it suited Ethuza's petite yet shapely body to a tee.

"Like what you see?"

Though her cheeks were still red, Ethuza made no effort to conceal her body from Kahn's view. Instead, she placed her hands behind her back and went out of her way to push out her chest. She used to despise her large breasts, but now that she had a boy she liked, Ethuza was hoping they would be the proverbial straw that broke the Arctic Camel's back. If Kahn came to prefer large breasts, she had a rather 'sizeable' advantage over most girls her age.

Unfortunately for Ethuza, Kahn didn't have any notable preferences at the present moment. All he really knew how to do was objectively evaluate a person's physique, so, after 'admiring' Ethuza's assets for the better part of a full minute, he asked, "Have you had trouble adapting to the food on the island? I can tell you have a naturally slender and lean physique, but your muscles show signs of degeneration. You're either slacking on your training, starving yourself, or both..."

Drawing her robes shut as fast as she could manage, Ethuza's usual smile was nowhere to be seen as she averted her eyes and remarked, "It's...It's not like I'm...I..."

Shaking his head, Kahn extended his hands to grab Ethuza's shoulders as he said, "Calm down. I'm not judging or condemning you. If anything, I'm worried about you. After these past five months, I'd like to think we're at least friends..."

Hearing the sincerity in Kahn's tone, or at very least imagining it, Ethuza exhaled a sigh before looking up at him and stating, "Being a vegetarian sucks. I honestly don't know how the Air Acolytes can live like this. If not for you, I would have returned home before the end of the second week."

As if to agree with her statement, Ethuza's stomach released an audible grumble. Months of consuming nothing but vegetables, grains, and fruits had caused her weight to decrease from 52kgs to 44kgs. Her energy was also at an all-time low, so she had neither the strength nor the motivation to train.

Transitioning from the pampered life of a Princess to the ascetic ways of an Air Nomad wasn't easy...