A Halfway House (Open)

Nyima had never been to sea before, having lived her whole life up to now on the ice of the Southern Water Tribe. But after a few days of traveling, she could now say that she was not a big fan - the swells had tilted the boat back and forth, causing her to empty her stomach on more than one occasion. When the ship arrived at the Southern Air Temple, she figured she might as well get off and put her feet on solid ground again - at least until another boat came that she could take. Of course, she didn't really know quite where she was going, and she had no timeline. She was just banished from the only home she ever knew because she found out that she was a fire bender. She had never known another fire bender in her life and wasn't sure where to start learning how to control her power. Certainly it hadn't been a big deal for most of her life, since she had only recently discovered it, so hopefully it would not give her much of a problem and she could continue life as if she didn't have the ability.

These were the kinds of thoughts that spun around her mind as she made her way up from the docks below to the heights of the Southern Air Temple. She had heard stories of air benders and their unique temples, and merely hoped that they lived up to their hospitality. Who knows, maybe there was something for her to learn here...

It felt like an eternity climbing the steps from the docks below to the heights of the Southern Air Temple. But Nyima was just grateful that they were there and she could have her feet on solid ground for awhile. Someone had offered her a ride on a sky bison, but she had declined. The last thing she wanted was to be parted from the ground beneath her feet right now. Maybe some other time. Still, that meant she was taking the long way around, as it were, and she wore out quickly with the climbing. Nyima wasn't used to the high altitude of a mountainous island like those of the Southern Air Temple, and it showed in how difficult the climb was on her legs and how she seemed unable to take in enough air for her lungs to function. Funny, she thought, that the Air Nomads would live in a place where the air feels so thin and scarce.

The morning eked by. When it seemed like lunchtime was well upon her, Nyima finally stopped for a significant rest. She sat against a rock, pulled some seal jerky out of her bag and began to munch on it thoughtfully, taking in drafts of water when she could. But she knew that if she didn't keep moving, she might not make it up to the top before nightfall. She shuddered to think of sleeping on the edge of the rocky incline. With a sigh, Nyima pushed herself up from her rock and faced the stone stairs once more. Certainly she was at least halfway there.