After the dinner, desert was served: the airbended pies in a multitude of flavors. Koto had five different types before he stopped counting, and thought to himself as he walked back to his room. He fell asleep as soon as he landed in his bed.

---

A week later, after all the APPA students had been given the traditional clothes of the monk students, and some of the boys (and even one girl) had shaved their heads (Koto hadn't; he'd decided, after watching the Prince shave his head and then almost cry as he ran his hands over his bumpy noggin, to keep his hair.), and they'd been learning about the history of the air nomads, pieced together from history books and Avatar Aang's personal knowledge. Koto found this interesting, but not as much as their philosophies. He'd asked Sifu Kezzi when they were going to learn about that, but that wasn't until closer to the end of their year here.

When they didn't have classes, they had free time. Or bending lessons where they mostly taught each other rather than being taught by the Master, which Koto found he excelled at, having taught so many children back home. But there was enough free time to let Koto wander around the Temple. Some places, in small ways, still bore the scars of the original attack by the Fire Nation so many years ago. It was sad to think there had been such conflict. On his way back from one of these discoveries, he ran straight into Zhi in the middle of a courtyard. The day was lovely and hot, and he was nearly blinded by the yellow and orange of her monk's clothing.

"Sorry!" he said, quietly but firmly. He noticed his voice had gotten quieter in the week they'd been there. He didn't want his naturally loud and booming voice to disturb anyone or anything. "I should have been looking."