The moon hung low in the sky, soon it would disappear below the horizon, but despite the late hour a girl stood in a field the earth rent all around her. She practiced her bending alone in the dark night, despite the important events of tomorrow. She would finally be meeting the other new members of the Lotus. But right now that did not matter; all that mattered was that she train. She had never really shaken off the need to train at night, like she did when things were good.

It kept her mind off the past, her father’s angry face in the night as he burnt Tigal and then went after her. That night was scarier than all the beatings she had received from her father, even after all this time she had never really shaken the memory. Any time she lashed out at the imaginary attackers it was her father’s face she aimed at. She practiced with her bracers too sending small projectiles at trees the small rocks embedded in the bark. 

Breathing heavily Pema sat down on a rock she had moulded into a comfortable seat. She wasn’t ready to meet these new people; she knew one of them would be a firebender, one she had to work with. Maybe if she hid out her Master Shan would not find her in time for the meeting and she could sneak in to the dining hall. In the comfortable chair as the moon went down and the first light of dawn crossed the horizon she drifted to sleep as the songs of the birds started. 

What seemed like a few minutes later she was awoken by an angry voice and her chair disappearing into the earth, she fell to the ground forced awake. “Pema, you’re late!” Master Shan said hand on her hip. 

Pema stood up and brushed herself off as much as possible, her clothes still smelling of sweat from the night’s training. “Yes Master Shan, I am so sorry, I was training and I just took a seat for a moment and-”

“I don’t care get to the meeting hall now!” Shan ordered Pema pushing her ahead forcing her to all but run . They arrived at the meeting hall last and Master Shan said a few words about her, both of them a little red faced from the jog. 

“I am Master Shan and this is my apprentice, Pema she is an accomplished and dedicated earthbender, so dedicated she spent the entire night training instead of preparing today.” Shan said to the group. She nodded at Pema as the group headed for the dining hall she had not told the others Pema had actually fallen asleep. 

In the dining hall she arrived last yet again, so much for punctual Pema. She grabbed a plate of food and a cup of coffee then took a seat next to the waterbender sitting at the table opposite Gaizen, to keep an eye on him. As she sat down, the swordsman Jun was challenging Kasumi to a sparring match. “If you need a referee I’m available,” she said to the pair. “I’m a pretty good earthbender too if you need another partner some time.”