Tanza
The travel from Wolf Cove took out about almost northeast from the South Pole, not exactly in the cardinal direction of the center of the two corners of the world, but the travel did consist of using the stars at night to make sure they were heading in the right direction, just as ship captains and their crew aboard a ship would do.
Halfway through the trip, on the second day of crossing the open ocean from up high, the silence between Tanza and Kelsang finally broke. When they were alone like this, her master spoke with a completely different tone than she used in public—addressing her as someone who knew that beneath her childhood exterior, Tanza was far older. Yet, Tanza still fundamentally respected Kelsang as her teacher.
As midday approached, Kelsang steered Juun lower beneath the cloud line to let him and Hachi skim along the soft wake of the ocean for a rest. While keeping her attention fixed forward, she spoke out of the blue. Tanza, who was in the middle of studying an archival scroll for her 16th tier, paused.
"So, what was the world like during your past lifetime?" Kelsang asked.
Prompting Tanza to look up from her studies, she carefully packed the scroll back into a leather sack among several others. Shifting her weight, she crawled forward to lean over the front edge of Juun's large saddle, peering down at her master's back. She was certain she had previously asked her master to leave her past lives in the past.
However, her master's natural curiosity was clearly stronger than that request. Tanza realized that if she pushed too hard to shut down the topic entirely, it might only make fabrications harder to maintain later. It was better to rely on half-truths.
"Which time period, exactly?" Tanza questioned back.
Kelsang turned her head to glance over her shoulder, a small grin tracing her face. "Well, I know you asked me to leave your history alone, but you can't fault a scholar for being curious." She turned to face forward once more, letting out a soft sigh. "But you don't have to answer your master. I am just…" She shook her head. "Nothing. Never mind."
Tanza narrowed her eyes slightly. "...Well… I suppose it is only human nature to be curious about a past life," she huffed, pointing out the obvious. Her master was, after all, the only living person in this world besides Being X who knew the truth of her past.
After a minute or so of comfortable quiet, her master finally spoke again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude any further, really. But curiosity does get the better of everyone eventually," she remarked with a humorous undertone. Her back remained turned toward Tanza as she steered Juun. "I tried my best to act like nothing was different after the winter solstice. I suppose I did pretty well…" She turned to glance back at her apprentice one more time. "—all things considered."
Tanza offered a slow nod of approval. Kelsang returned her gaze forward, leaving them both to sit in the peaceful stillness of the open ocean.
The lull was broken again, though this time by Tanza. "You did quite well, yes…" she murmured, before letting the quiet reclaim the saddle once more.
For a good half hour of silence, Tanza weighed whether she wanted to share what her past lives were like, all while omitting full descriptions of those alien worlds. There was a level of finesse required to explain her previous existences while making it sound as though they had occurred right here in this very world.
After all, it was far too much of a hassle to explain the countless intricacies of two completely different worlds and how they operated. She would have to write several volumes for each one if she did...
Though, that wouldn't be a bad idea for a book to publish later in her life. She could make herself a fine mint on the sales alone.
Pulling herself back to the topic at hand, Tanza let out a quiet sigh as she continued to ponder her words. Ten minutes after that initial half hour had ticked away, she finally spoke up.
"The first life was peaceful compared to the second, if I had to contrast the two," she began. She saw her master's head move slightly—a tilt of curiosity—confirming that Kelsang was hanging on every word. "Though, calling that first life peaceful in its own right is probably not the correct phrasing either. I was a... rather busy man who lived entirely on my own."
"Hmm, I can see that, judging by who you are now," her master remarked. It was a little jab, by the sounds of it. Kelsang turned her head to glance back at her again with a rueful smirk. "You are a rather busy person when it comes to your training, after all."
She faced forward once more, letting the rhythmic wake of the ocean fill the brief pause.
Tanza let out a quiet huff but continued regardless. "The world for Tenya was... acceptable. The world had its problems, of course, but I did my absolute best to fit into the system to succeed in life. The furthest I climbed was into the management of a business, before I met my end at the hands of a worker I had let go."
Tanza frowned distastefully at the memory. Below her, Kelsang abruptly snapped her head around to look at her in sheer, wide-eyed astonishment.
"Details aside," Tanza moved on, ignoring her master's shock, "that first death of mine occurred during my late thirties, I think..." She creased her brow. "It is getting difficult to remember the exact numbers these days, to be honest."
Kelsang
When she had first heard her apprentice vaguely explain that she once worked as a businessman, Kelsang immediately pictured a monk who had left his temple life behind early on to experience the wider world. She imagined him settling down in a bustling Earth Kingdom city to build a career, especially after Tanza detailed how 'Tenya' had climbed into high management.
In her mind's eye, she visualized a man living in ancient Ba Sing Se, early Omashu, or any other great city with thriving commerce. It was not entirely rare for young acolytes to leave behind the monastic lifestyle, abandoning their training to become part of the ordinary world.
Still, knowing her own apprentice had previously been a grown man was quite a revelation when she first met her male self. Kelsang wondered if Tanza had felt incredibly awkward adjusting to a female body when her soul first transitioned. From the looks of it, though, the girl was doing just fine. That meant her male lifetime had been her first, making Tanya her second, and ensuring this third incarnation as a female was far less jarring than the last.
But when her apprentice calmly mentioned that she had been killed in her late thirties by a disgruntled worker, Kelsang could not help but snap her head around. She stared in sheer surprise, doing her absolute best to mask the wave of darker emotions swirling inside her. A profound sorrow washed over her; she felt deeply sorry that her young apprentice had met such a grim and premature end in that first lifetime.
Quickly quelling her surprise, Kelsang shook her head and spoke. "To have your life stolen by someone you trusted to employ... I am deeply sorry you had to experience that, Tanza."
To her master's display of sympathy, her apprentice merely shook her head. She leaned her elbows over the ridge of the saddle, her brow furrowing as she offered a half-hearted shrug.
"'Trusted' is not the word I would use. I gave the man multiple warnings," Tanza corrected flatly. "As part of my position, I was required to terminate his employment. He chose to take his anger out on me, rather than examining his own failures or the company's policies. I was simply the easy target for his loss of a career."
She let out a sharp 'tsk' of annoyance. "It is a constant theme across my lives. The irrationality of individuals will always drive them to perform completely illogical actions," she groused.
In her mind, Kelsang pictured Tenya walking down a quiet alley on his way home, or perhaps navigating a busy time of day in the bustling Earth Kingdom city as he made his commute. She could vividly paint the picture of the disgruntled employee slipping up behind Tenya with a concealed dagger, driving it through his back before fleeing the scene of the crime—leaving Tenya to bleed out on the cold stone ground, never to make it home.
She nodded slowly at that realization. She could understand how human emotions could become incredibly overwhelming when someone was faced with their worst moments, occasionally driving them to do desperate things. But there were other, gentler emotions that could guide a person through the worst of times. From what her student had explained, however, that particular employee had chosen the absolute worst possible option to vent his rage.
After a few more minutes passed, her student—most likely calculating how much more to share about her second life—finally spoke up, her tone decidedly disgruntled.
"I already mentioned being an war orphan as Tanya," Tanza began. "And as Tanya... I grew up in a monastic orphanage. A terribly poor one at that. It was an environment I knew I could not remain in for long—not when I could clearly see war brewing on the horizon."
Kelsang nodded slowly at the description. In her head, she pictured Tanza as a young girl living in a remote valley, perhaps one of the isolated satellite villages beneath the Eastern or Western Air Temples. However, when her student mentioned a desperately poor orphanage, Kelsang's assumptions immediately shifted toward the territory of the Earth Kingdom. Tanza's mention of a war on the horizon solidified the theory; Kelsang instantly connected it to the historical era of Avatar Kyoshi and the devastating war against Chin the Conqueror.
"And you said you made it out of that war, if I remember correctly..." Kelsang remarked, keeping her gaze fixed forward. At least her student had survived such a terrible ordeal.
Tanza, however, let out a thoroughly annoyed grunt. "Made it out, yes. But only after fighting on the front lines for several years. It was a choice I believed would keep me safely stationed in the rear if I performed well enough... but fate clearly had other plans," she groused.
Kelsang blinked in surprise, her mind instantly flashing back to the young woman she had witnessed in the spirit world—now picturing her as a mere girl swept up in the brutal war against Chin the Conqueror.
"So you faced all sorts of bloodshed then..." Kelsang remarked solemnly, her knuckles whitening slightly against Juun's reins.
From a businessman whose life was stolen early by his own employee, to a young girl dropped directly into a violent war—it felt as though fate were playing a horrific joke on her student. Or perhaps there was something else entirely, some hidden malice, that kept forcing her into such terrible circumstances.
Her student let out an affirmative hum before continuing. "So, details of that life aside... I like to think I made it out of it with the people I fought together with," she remarked.
The comment made Kelsang picture a young girl—likely of mixed Earthbender and Airbender heritage to have ended up in the Earth Kingdom—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other men and women, fighting desperately across the vast plains of the Earth Nation.
After that discussion ended, Kelsang let the topic drop for now. She did not want to press her student for the finer, grimmer details of what her past existences had been like. If anything, it was probably for the best for her student to move on and let go of those kinds of earthly attachments.
Though, Kelsang admitted to herself that it was asking a lot. Memories of past lives were a rare gift; they guided her student away from the mistakes of her past and taught her to appreciate the better things in life that she previously could not enjoy.
After another day and a half of steady flying, a sudden break in the thick cloud line cut through their thoughts, letting a beam of warm spring sunlight wash over the saddle.
Kelsang squinted against the glare, looking out across the endless blue water. On the distant horizon, the jagged, green-topped sea cliffs of the easternmost Southern Air Temple island finally came into view. Nestled along the calm, flat coastline of the tip was a bustling network of stone docks and white-washed pagodas.
"There it is," Kelsang murmured, her voice carrying a hint of relief as she gently nudged Juun's reins. "The Southern Temple's eastern harbor."
She soon guided Juun down, with Hachi matching their descent right behind them. "Let's get the bison down to the stables so they can rest, and we can get a hot meal."
Gazing down from behind Juun's head, Kelsang felt a deep wave of familiarity wash over her as she looked at the harbor she had helped defend a decade or more ago.
The massive stone sea walls were still maintained, with sturdy pagoda watchtowers lining the defensive wall. Stretching out beyond the barriers, a network of wooden wharves jutted into the ocean to accommodate incoming vessels.
Safe behind the protective walls, the entire harbor area was bustling with a vibrant mix of Air Nomads and Earth Kingdom merchants. Several large wooden trade ships belonging to Earth Kingdom captains were already securely moored within the stone slips, unloading their wares into the coastal market below.
"I was not aware our people would be willing to construct fortifications like that..." her student mused aloud from behind her.
Kelsang nodded in agreement. "You would think that, but due to the constant threat of rogue Southern Water Tribe pirates, these walls had to be built as a necessary precaution. We even man the towers with a few willing airbenders to defend the harbor."
She glanced over her shoulder, watching Tanza lean eagerly over the front ridge of the saddle to study the layout of the coastal town. "Being peaceful is one thing, Tanza, but our people still possess a fundamental right to defend their own lives and the lives of others, after all," she remarked.
Tanza offered a nod, understanding what she meant.
Before long, Kelsang guided Juun overhead, steering him and Hachi toward a massive clearing on the edge of the harbor. They touched down smoothly inside the sprawling stable grounds, where several other sky bison were already resting and feeding.
Shortly after, they headed straight into a local teahouse that served a wide variety of teas alongside a diverse selection of Earth Kingdom dishes. The restaurant was owned by an Earth Kingdom couple, a heritage beautifully reflected in the distinct architecture of the building itself.
As Kelsang led her young apprentice inside, a brief wave of nostalgia washed over her as she recalled her very first visit to the shop. However, her thoughts were quickly cut short by a boisterous, familiar voice belonging to the shop owner, Faor Gutuo.
Faor was in the middle of serving tea and bowls of steaming soup to an adult Air Nomad and a few other patrons his own age. The moment he caught sight of Kelsang, his face lit up and he grinned broadly.
"Kelsang! Is that really you?!" he chuckled warmly. He quickly wiped his hands on his apron and spread his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Finally came back to taste the best tea on this entire island?!" he boastfully announced, before letting out a hearty chuckle.
Tanza
Tanza glanced between the shop owner and her master, her eyes settling back on the boisterous man. By the looks of it, judging by the graying strands in his beard and hair, the man was likely in his late fifties or early sixties. However, given the lack of deep wrinkles on his face, he might very well be in his early fifties at the very least.
Faor grinned heartily as he waltzed over. "I'd recognize that face anywhere! Come, come, get yourself a table!" He gestured warmly toward an empty spot near the window. "It's been well over a decade, and only now do you finally visit me..."
He noticed Tanza next, and his grin broadened even further. "And a student under your wing as well?! My, how times have changed! HAHAHA!" He laughed boisterously, holding his bulging gut.
Tanza saw Kelsang offer a rueful smirk. "I wish I could say the same for you. You still have that massive gut of yours, Faor. You really should tell your wife to stop feeding you so much," she shot back playfully.
As they were led to their table, the man merely chuckled again. "Heheh!" He patted his stomach proudly. "What can I say? I love my wife's cooking! Bahaha!" He laughed again as they pulled out their chairs and sat down.
Settling in, Faor looked curiously between Tanza and Kelsang. "So, who's this little runt?!" he asked with a wide, friendly grin.
Kelsang placed a palm on Tanza's shoulder as she sat beside her. "This is Tanza, my student for a year now." She then gestured toward the boisterous man. "Tanza, this is Faor Gutuo."
Tanza offered a formal nod. "Pleasure to meet you, sir," she greeted him respectfully.
Faor nodded in return. "Hmm, well met, little one!"
But before Faor could open his mouth to speak once more, a loud cacophony of children's laughter and giggles filled the air. Charging through the front entrance came four children who looked to be anywhere between five and ten years old.
"Na-na, can't catch me!" the youngest, a five-year-old girl, shouted as the oldest boy chased frantically after her.
As the four siblings sprinted around a nearby table, Faor's face flushed a deep red. "Feng! Palang! Rang! Oyon! Not during business hours!" he spoke sternly. He didn't exactly yell, but his voice carried a sharp, authoritative tone that caused all four children to skid to a sudden stop.
Instantly, they all pointed a finger at one another. "He started the game!" "She started it!" they chimed in unison, standing in a messy clump near the doorway.
From the back of the house, a woman's voice cut through the chaos, drawing Tanza's attention. Peering through the pass-through window that offered a clear view into the kitchen, she saw a woman wearing an apron, her long hair framing her face and falling past her shoulders.
The woman was smiling warmly, but there was an unmistakable sharpness underlying it—the kind of look that spelled absolute danger for any misbehaving children.
"Is that the sound of someone volunteering to help out in the kitchen I hear?" she hollered out with a deceptively sweet, closed-eye smile.
Tanza looked back at the four siblings, who were now frantically shaking their heads in unison.
"Kitchen duty! Now!" Faor barked playfully, pointing a thumb toward the back. The four children didn't dare hesitate, scurrying behind the counter and into the kitchen like a flock of startled messenger-hawks.
As the kitchen door swung shut, Faor let out a long, exhausted sigh, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead before turning back to Kelsang and Tanza with a sheepish grin. "Ah, my apologies. Raising a family while running a restaurant... it's like trying to navigate a volcanic squall."
Kelsang laughed softly. "No need to apologize, Faor. It's good to see the family thriving. Though, I assume your wife is the real commander of this establishment?"
"Without a doubt," Faor chuckled, leaning against their table as his smile faded back into a more serious expression.
Kelsang nodded curiously. "That reminds me—I suppose your older ones are working in the back as well?"
Tanza looked back at Faor as he nodded. He let out a slightly annoyed grunt, his brow furrowing into a scowl. "Hmph. Shuo just hit his eighteenth birthday a month ago. I'm sure you remember what a little firecracker he was when he was eight or so. Well, now he's gone off to open a business of his own in Ba Sing Se."
He let out an irritated growl, casting a quick glance back toward the kitchen window to watch his language. "I told that little idiot that the Upper Ring is nothing but a place filled with swine and nobles whose heads are stuck up you-know-where!"
Shaking his head, he held up two fingers to continue his count. "Then there's my little girl, Mina. She turned sixteen last week and she's currently out and about in the town somewhere." He then thumbed back toward the kitchen door. "And my third oldest, Fen, is in the back helping my wife..."
His scowl suddenly vanished, replaced by a proud grin. "So yeah, she commands quite the troop of kids in the back," he chuckled.
Inwardly, Tanza noted that she would have to ask her master about exactly what kind of city this 'Ba Sing Se' truly was. She had read the name on a few maps during her logistics studies, but that was the extent of her knowledge.
Meanwhile, the oldest of the four children Faor had just banished emerged from the kitchen. The boy walked out carrying a wooden tray holding two clay cups with steaming tea inside.
"Ah, right on time, m'boy!" Faor praised, patting his son's shoulder.
The boy nodded, tucking the empty tray under his arm. He threw a passing glance at Tanza before looking back at his father. "How much longer do I gotta help Ma?" he asked.
While they spoke, Tanza cupped her hands around the warm clay, breathing in the rich aroma of the tea inside. Judging by the scent alone, the brew was exceptionally strong.
Faor gave his son another reassuring pat. "Give it an hour, boy. After that, I'll help you construct that kite you brought home earlier today," he answered.
A bright, excited look instantly crossed the boy's face. He nodded eagerly and zoomed straight back toward the kitchen.
Faor lightly glared at his son's retreating back. "And don't run... ugh, never mind," he muttered, shaking his head at the boy's endless energy.
Kelsang took a slow, appreciative sip of the strong brew before looking up. "So, how has the harbor been faring lately?"
Faor glanced back toward the kitchen, then over at the other Air Nomads sitting nearby. The other patrons had clearly overheard the question.
One of the adult monks turned around to face their table. Faor gave the male nomad a knowing nod before turning back to Kelsang. "We've had quite a few daring pirates look our way. About one or two encounters this year so far, right?" he asked, looking to the other monk for confirmation.
The nomad who had joined the conversation nodded grimly. "Three, actually, if you include the attempted attack on the coastal village further down the south side of the island," he remarked quietly, before turning back to finish his tea.
Faor sighed, scratching at the graying hair on his head. He looked back at Kelsang. "Seems about right. We've been faring well enough, I suppose, thanks to the help of the airbenders and a few brave men from the Earth Kingdom who port here to help defend the town." He idly tugged at his beard, his expression turning thoughtful.
After that brief update on the local waters, Faor shifted the topic back to business, asking them what they would like to dine on. He was quick to offer a custom menu, promising to cater perfectly to the strict vegetarian requirements of Air Nomad cuisine.
Kelsang offered a warm smile and gestured with her clay cup. "Surprise us, Faor. It has been a long time since I last ate here, and I trust your kitchen completely."
As Faor gave them a respectful nod and turned back toward the kitchen to help his wife prepare the meal, the table fell into a quiet, comfortable lull. Tanza took the opportunity to lean forward slightly, cradling her warm clay cup as she looked up at her master.
"Master Kelsang," Tanza spoke quietly, keeping her voice low so it wouldn't carry to the other tables. "Faor mentioned his son going to Ba Sing Se. What exactly is that city like?" The world was after all big, and she never mentioned having been there after all.
Kelsang paused mid-sip, lowering her cup as a look of deep reflection crossed her face. The monk let out a soft breath, her gaze drifting toward the entrance for a moment before settling back on her apprentice. She must be reflecting that none of her past lives have ever been there in the first place, afterall, from the maps she's seen, the nation of the Earth Kingdom is vast.
"Ba Sing Se is less of a city, Tanza, and more of an entire nation trapped behind massive stone walls," Kelsang explained seriously. "It is the capital of the Earth Kingdom, and it is monstrously large. It is divided into rigid rings based on social class and wealth. The Outer Ring holds the workers and refugees, the Lower and Middle Rings hold the commerce and citizens, and the Upper Ring..." She grimaced slightly, recalling Faor's exact words. "...Well, the Upper Ring is where the nobles and the Earth King live, completely isolated from the realities of the rest of the world."
Tanza narrowed her eyes, processing the logistical nightmare of a city built on such strict division. "A city built entirely on walls and isolation," she murmured dryly.
Kelsang nodded, her tense expression softening at her student. "Those walls have stood for thousands of years, surviving every siege and conflict history has thrown at them. To the people who live there, the name literally means 'The Impenetrable City.' They truly believe nothing from the outside world can ever touch them."
A short while later, the kitchen doors swung open, and Faor returned carrying a large, steaming clay platter. The aroma that filled the air was incredible—a rich, savory blend of roasted Earth Kingdom spices layered over standard Air Nomad ingredients.
"Here we are! A special creation just for a returning monk," Faor proudly announced, setting the heavy platter down at the center of their table.
Tanza looked down to inspect the surprise meal. It was a beautiful, smoking hot pile of crisp mung bean and tofu curry, served alongside a mountain of fluffy white rice and roasted seaweed. To perfectly bridge the two cultures, Faor's wife had mixed in sweet lychee nuts from the Earth Kingdom and seasoned the entire dish with grated fresh ginger, garlic, and a splash of dark soy sauce.
"Eat up! You'll need your strength for your travels!" Faor grinned, handing them each a pair of polished wooden chopsticks.
Tanza shortly after split her wooden chopsticks and picked up a careful portion of the mung bean and tofu curry, making sure to capture a bit of the roasted seaweed and fluffy rice. She brought it to her mouth, chewing slowly as her mind immediately began breaking down the flavor.
It was an impressive sensory experience. The sharp, warming kick of the fresh ginger and garlic was perfectly balanced by the sudden burst of sweetness from the roasted lychee nuts, while the dark soy sauce provided a deep, savory foundation that made the simple tofu taste incredibly rich. She found herself thoroughly enjoying the complexity of the cuisine.