"I feel useless." Sokka started bluntly, and Y/N choked on her food, barely managing to not spit it out. She swallowed with some difficulty, looking over at him incredulously.

          They had recently put out a fire caused by a meteorite, and come into town to eat. She had sensed that Sokka was feeling down, but she didn't expect that in the middle of chewing some noodles. She quickly smacked his shoulder.

          "What are you talking about?" She hissed. "You keep this group together, on task, and going in the right direction. I'd hardly call that useless." 

          Y/N was already attracting stares as it was, so she didn't want to be loud. The very few people in the small restaurant kept looking at her funny, and she couldn't figure out why. She was in normal clothes, not posing as F/N for the time being, as that would make their group very easily recognizable. Maybe it was her eyes? Did she need a coverup for her coverup?

          Maybe Toph could teach her ways to walk around blind, and put a bandage over her eyes like she's had injured them, and couldn't see. The piercing white was a little suspicious overall, and she didn't want word getting out about possible other clues to F/N L/N's appearance.

          "I just have no like bending abilities or anything." Sokka sighed, leaning on the table. "I can't fly around like you guys can. That fire back there? I could put out less than Momo could." Y/N finished her food, frowning at him.

          "I mean, you weren't real cut out for that situation, Toph too. Yeah, she helped, but it was more of a waterbender job, you know? Just like the planning, jokes, and boomerang are more of a Sokka job, cheer up. We all have our different moments." She tried for a smile, which he got, but he didn't really perk up much.

          Thinking it would raise Sokka's spirits a little, the group walked the town shops, despite Y/N still getting stares. She kept her head low, entering several shops and marketplaces, until they came to a certain store with a variety of weapons. 

          Y/N quickly found new throwing knives, and a strange weapon she'd never seen before. It was like a shuriken, but was completely round, and bigger, with three spikes evenly spaced apart with a handle. There was a long, ribbon-like string tied to the handle, it was several feet long.

          She picked it up off the rack, and had to rebalance it in her palm. It was much heavier than it looked. 

          "Careful, a weapon like that isn't for pretty little ladies like you." Y/N turned around to see the shopkeeper approaching. He was elderly, with a kind smile and wrinkles starting to etch his face. He took the weapon from her, backing up to demonstrate.

          "It's meant to be used with one in each hand, and spun, like this-" the shopkeeper grabbed the ribbon connected to the handle, fairly close to it so the sharp weapon spun in a small circle, to not hit anything. "The ribbon material is a little stretchy, so the user has to be careful, as it it thrown, and quickly bounces back." 

          He carefully wrapped the string around his hand, and handed the weapon back to Y/N, who studied it with more interest. It was like a large circular knife that could be easily retrieved. 

          "Hey! Guys! Get over here!" Sokka called, and Y/N set the weapon down, walking over with the shopkeeper to see Sokka jumping up and down, pointing at a beautifully crafted sword.

                              —| § ථ § |—

          "This could be a great opportunity for you, Sokka." Aang urged, watching Sokka pace back and forth. They had headed back to their makeshift camp, and had plenty of time Tom spare before the invasion, so they didn't have to move just yet.

          "Yeah, everyone here had a master, it's time for you to learn something from this Piandao guy." Toph smiled. "Me with the badger moles, Katara and Pakku, Aang and Monk Gyatso, Y/N..." Everyone looked at Y/N for a moment. "Y/N- or F/N I guess, is just weird, and- geez, I gotta get used to that name already." 

          "Hey!" Y/N said defensively. "I am... self taught." 

          Sokka ended up interviewing to train under the renowned Master Piandao, and actually managed to impress him enough to let him train.

          That left the group with no Sokka for a long time.

          Katara and Aang went back into the town a few more times, but Y/N didn't join, being too uncomfortable with the people. Toph stayed too, not interested in getting supplies or shopping. 

          Upon the return from their last trip, Aang came running up to her, grinning.

          "F/N! Look!" Y/N turned from her sparring with Toph to see him holding something shiny. He ran closer, and she realized it was the same weapon she had been looking at before, but the ribbon rope was a beautiful F/C.

          "We noticed you looking at it when we went into the weapons shop." Katara explained. "Figured you'd want to give it a try." 

          "Uh oh, she's going to injure herself." Toph laughed as Y/N snatched the shuriken from Aang's hands, carefully spinning it.

                              —| § ථ § |—

          And Toph was 100% correct. The absence of Sokka's humor was almost made up for from how many times she nearly sliced herself open. She would throw the weapon, and not dodge fast enough when it came flying back, nearly knocking herself out with the heavy metal. 

          Toph denied everything, but Y/N was pretty sure she had been watching just to make sure she didn't hurt herself too bad. Whenever she saw the shuriken coming straight at her face, it somehow veered to one side, barely missing her head. 

           It took hours, but still, she was determined, and eventually began to find the tactics to fight without being a danger to herself as well. She could throw, spin it around, and accurately hit and slice targets from over 15 feet away. It started with a dead tree, then she went on to spar with Toph again, hitting rocks from the air and bringing it back.

          It felt better, having a more substantial weapon on her that didn't have to be retrieved or replaced. She could hook it to her belt, with or without her disguise, and she had grown rather fond of it in only one day, beginning to carry it around with her. 

          Y/N was just figuring out how to use it with only one hand when Sokka returned, yelling excitedly.

          "I've picked my metal for my custom sword!" He announced. "But I need you guys to help me." 

          Turns out he wanted the strange metal inside the meteorite that fell the other day, and it was certainly a project getting it up the hill to where he could smelt it to craft his new weapon.

          "He said it will be ready by tomorrow!" Sokka exclaimed, running out the front door. It was relieving to see the pep back in his step, and everyone congratulated him, before going to bed.

                              —| § ථ § |—

          Things didn't go as planned.

          The moment Sokka refused his new 'space sword', she knew it wasn't going to go well. 

          "The truth is, I'm not Fire Nation. None of us are. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." He admitted, and Piandao drew his sword. Moments later, though, it was swept from his grip.

          Master Piandao stared at her with mild surprise for a moment, watching the shuriken wrap around his sword and get yanked 10 feet into Y/N's hands. 

          "Stop, give it back." Sokka ordered, picking up his sword. "This is my fight." Y/N hesitated, but gave it back, Piandao facing off with her brother. 

          He put up quite the fight, the pair moving outside and along the bamboo gardens, but in the end, Piandao triumphed. Y/N was totally ready to slice his throat open, but he sheathed his sword before delivering the final blow to Sokka, helping him up, and handing his sword back. 

          "I knew you were from the Water Tribe from the start." He informed, smiling down at his confused pupil. "It's obvious from your name. And I knew he was the Avatar." Piandao gestured at Aang, whose eyes widened. 

          "Katara, obviously your sister. Then you must be F/N, who, strangely, also appears to be related to you. Twins?" Y/N froze, reaching to her side for the shuriken. Would she have to kill him? After all he had done for Sokka? What if he told someone?

          "Calm yourself, your identity is safe with me. And you won't be needing that, I will take it." Piandao walked up to her, holding out a palm for her to hand the weapon over. She took a step back, holding it away from him.

          "I was told by someone that a young lady with ice white eyes took a certain interest in this particular weapon, so I had these made as well." He held out two identical shurikens, same ribbon and shape as the one she had now, but slightly bigger- and...

          "YES! We get to match! Twin weapon match!" Sokka whooped, holding up his sword. They were made from the strange space metal, a gleaming black in the sunlight.

          Y/N handed her old shuriken over slowly, taking the two new ones in her hands. They were well made, sharp, and beautiful, the metal slightly lighter.

          "Thank you, Master." She smiled up at him.