Johar resisted the temptation to step back as the calf dropped something at his feet. Just by looking at the thing, he could see it covered in a fine sheen of bison saliva. He was glad Ren reached for it, so he didn't have to. She explained that it was a toy, and Johar looked from the sodden toy to the calf, who sat on its haunches looking eagerly up at him. "Um…thanks," he told it, reaching down to pat its head. The calf let out a noise Johar assumed was meant to be a happy one before waddling back over to its mother.

He looked up at Ren as she patted his shoulder. "I have to say, this has been the most memorable start to a year I think I've ever had," he told her, smiling. He watched the bison. The mother had resumed licking her calf. Johar chuckled. "Don't think I could ever learn to enjoy that."

He looked back toward the temple courtyard, still packed with visitors. "Should we go make our lanterns now?"

She nodded, setting the drooly toy back down in the grass. "I... I have to wash my hands first." Ren looked at her sticky, dripping hands and sighed good-naturedly. The bison were sweet and kind, but she was very glad that she wasn't one of their caretakers.

The walk back to the temple commons was brief; upon arrival, she excused herself and disappeared down a corridor. When she returned, her hands were noticeably cleaner.

"Shall we?"

The common area had table upon table of lantern-making supplies. Couples and families, and some solo visitors were busily making their lanterns under the direction of a few acolytes Ren pointed out a fairly empty table and led Johar to it.

"It's been forever since I've made a lantern," she murmured. Okay, maybe 'forever' was a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly felt a lifetime ago. She closed her eyes and ignored the constricting pang of sorrow in her chest as Hangetsu's smiling face materialised in her mind's eye, unbidden. When she opened them again, she was smiling. Perhaps not as widely as before, but smiling nonetheless.

Carefully, she described the tools and proper procedure to Johar, demonstrating just how much glue to use on the delicate wire frames and paper. Too much, and the paper would get soggy and slip off the wire. Not enough, and it would flap off in the wind.

For her own lantern, she chose a box frame and gold paper with red designs. She cut some other sheets of paper into strips and gently tied them together at one end to make tassels. Glancing briefly over to Johar, she peered at his lantern. "How's it going?"

"That's probably a good idea," Johar replied, eyeing Ren's hands with no small amount of disgust. He could appreciate the young bison's interest in him, and understood the toy for the gift it was supposed to be, but the sight of Ren's hands covered in bison spit was not pleasant. Healing had taught him the importance of keeping himself clean, especially his hands. He was immensely grateful that his friend had spared him from having to touch the toy himself.

They walked back to the temple commons, and Johar waited as Ren went to clean her hands. When she returned, he followed her to a table with lantern-making supplies. "I've never made one before," Johar told Ren. "My parents never do much decorating for the New Year, and there wasn't really any need for lanterns on the road. We'll see how this goes."

He watched carefully as Ren explained the lantern-making process, then took a look at the provided supplies to figure out what he wanted to make. After a minute, he settled on a cylindrical frame and green paper with gold designs. It seemed like easy enough tasks to overlap strips of paper over the frame and affix some tassels. But, Johar got to work, and soon found himself holding a small wad of sticky green paper. Some small shreds clung to the lantern frame where he'd tried to peel the paper off and reposition it unsuccessfully. He blushed when Ren asked how he was doing, offering a halfhearted shrug. "Could be better," he admitted. "It looked so simple when you were explaining it. Guess it's harder than it looks."

She handed Johar a new frame and new sheets of paper. "Too much glue," she deemed, demonstrating again the thinness required. She then held up a toothpick. "If you're having trouble, use this to spread out any overly thick spots of glue. If you stick a sheet of paper on and it isn't right, use a new sheet. Re-using paper that's already wet will lead to tearing."

With a glance around she also pulled out something from one of her inner robe pockets. "If you absolutely cannot get it right," she murmured, "I brought some adhesive tape from my room. But the head acolyte doesn't like us using shortcuts." Ren sighed. "You know, I do understand sticking to traditions where it matters, but sometimes I feel that modern technology could be good for us. I mean, if the head acolyte really wanted to be authentic we'd have candles all the time, and a sundial, and certainly no radio or metal stoves in the kitchen."

It really was a sticking point with her. Not being materialistic was one thing, but eschewing any sort of modernity for the sake of tradition seemed ridiculous. What was next, going back to no plumbing and digging a hole in the dirt?

Ren was kind enough to explain his mistake, and this time Johar paid even closer attention, determined that this would be his only restart. If he could stitch together wounds, he could make a simple paper lantern. He just needed to focus a bit more.

Johar couldn't help smiling as Ren brought out tape, stealthily, as though revealing a deep, dark secret. "It does seem strange," he agreed. "That the temple holds to tradition on some things, but not on others. But like you said, the head acolyte does make some allowances. Surely if you went to them and made a strong case for the usefulness of certain technology, they'd have to at least try it out to see for themself, right? That's only fair."

Truthfully, he could see both sides of the issue. Advances in healing were being made every day, and he made sure to keep track. Just the other day, he'd heard about a new type of bandage that came with its own adhesive. You could just stick it on a wound, and you didn't even need to secure it with tape or anything. Something like that seemed incredibly useful. But then, as more and more inventions popped up that could perform tasks quicker than humans, the usefulness of his more old-fashioned healing methods would diminish. That was distressing.

That issue was far too complicated, and dwelling on it just made Johar's head hurt. So, he returned to his lantern, starting on the new frame with renewed zeal. This time he moved slower, using the toothpick Ren had given him to regulate the amount of glue he used. Slowly, he found some success. It wasn't perfect by any means, but soon he had about half of the lantern done, and it did look more or less like a lantern. He showed Ren, allowing himself a smile of pride. "I think it's coming along," he said. "Your advice has definitely been helpful."

Ren rolled her eyes, unable to help the reaction. "There's a lot of talk about what the Air Nomads would want. Their lives in their temples, high above and away from the cities, are often used as evidence of disdain for modern advances. But I don't think that's fair. There's no evidence from their writings or teachings that they were against any of it at all! Take their air gliders, for instance. Theoretically, there's no reason why an airbender wouldn't just be able to constantly bend the air around them to enable them to glide or fly without the aid of a glider. But the glider makes it easier to maneuver and direct the flow of their chi. It's innovation, pure and simple, and designed as a convenience."

The was a touch of irritation to her voice. She had gotten into spirited discussions with the head acolyte about this topic many times. She huffed a stray strand of hair out of the way in her frustration. "The modern conveniences we adopt are excused with being more frugal. Take, for example, the stoves in the kitchens. It's more cost effective to run a handful of stoves than it is to constantly either employ firebenders or chop down trees for firewood. Adhesive — " here, she waved the little dispenser, " — is a shortcut. Except, you know, wasting glue and paper would also be a less frugal option."

Ren trailed off as the head acolyte sauntered past, slipping the adhesive up her sleeve. He glanced over their lanterns briefly before giving an approving nod and making his way to the other tables. Once he was out of earshot, Ren sighed. "He's a good man, please don't get me wrong. He's very kind, and has been nothing but accommodating to anyone and everyone interested in following our ways. But he's as stubborn as they come, at times."

Johar then showed her his revised lantern. "Good job!" It was earnest praise. Lantern-making was difficult, especially with how delicate the materials were. Ren then reached over and grabbed more wooden rods and showed Johar how to tie them together with twine so that a small tealight candle could be affixed in the centre.

"I think there are a few more hours until the sun begins to set." Luckily, in the winter months, the sun set fairly early. She averted her eyes and asked, a mischievous tone in her voice, "Do you think you'd like to ride one of the bison?"

It was clear how much the Head Acolyte's resistance to technology bothered Ren. He got the feeling this was not the first time she'd voiced this complaint. "I don't know all that much about the Air Nomads," he said. "But can anyone really say what they would want, when there aren't any around to ask? " Ren made the point that nothing in their collected knowledge of the Nomads called for resistance to technology, and Johar. "I can see that the Head Acolyte might be wary of new technology replacing traditional ways of doing things, but surely if the Acolytes evaluated each new piece of technology as it came to light, and you all made decisions as a community on what to embrace and what to reject, you'd find a good balance."

Truthfully, Johar was well aware that it wasn't his place to tell anyone on Air Temple Island how to live their life. He was sure the Head Acolyte did his best to make decisions that kept the Acolytes' best interests in mind while keeping Air Nomad tradition alive. He could certainly see Ren's frustration, though, and imagined that he would feel similarly were he in her shoes.

Johar beamed when Ren praised his lantern. After his less than stellar first attempt, he was proud of himself for getting it right this time. It was a small thing, but that didn't make it any less meaningful to him. He'd always been fond of craft projects, though he was more familiar with failure than success. Currently he was attempting to knit a scarf, but had made little progress.

He followed Ren's instructions to create a sort of nest inside the lantern for the candle, and just like that, he'd successfully assembled a lantern. "Thanks for the help, Ren," Johar said as he peeled half-dried glue off of his fingers. "This was fun."

Johar looked up, confused, as Ren looked away from him. When she spoke, he felt a chill run through his veins. "Ride…ride one?" he sputtered. "You can do that?" He gulped. His earlier meeting with the bison had gone better than expected, but he wasn't sure he wanted to push his luck. And the thought of sitting on a bison's back, in the air, where he could fall off and hurt himself…

He took a deep breath. He could feel panic creeping around the edges of his mind, and did his best to clamp down on it. Ren wouldn't have suggested this if it wasn't safe. He could give it a try, and if he hated it, he could put an end to it. And maybe, just maybe, he'd actually enjoy himself, Spirits willing. "I…sure," he finally said, trying to put some strength into his voice. "I'll try it."

"Of course. The air bison were also used as transportation by the Air Nomads. Have you not seen the photos of Master Tenzin and his family riding their bison?"

Of course, that bison was deceased now, thanks to Amon. Ren powered through the pang of grief that constricted her chest, determined not to let the mention of the family colour Johar's experience with the bison. She smiled brightly, perhaps a little too much so.

"We don't go very high, if that's what you're thinking. A lot of children want to ride an air bison when they visit, so we put them on the calves who zoom around the paddock a bit. Nothing over water, or rocky terrain. Of course, you're a bit too big for the calves, so we'd be riding an adult one."

She motioned that they should pick up their lanterns and write their New Years wishes on a slip of paper and tie them to the their lanterns, unsigned, then leave them at a table by the entrance to the hall where other lanterns had been placed. As they walked, Ren continued explaining the bison rides.

"They're not ridden like ostrich horses. In terms of animal transport, they're much closer to a satomobile or a train, in that they're well suited to carrying multiple passengers. There's a large saddle with plenty of space to stretch out, bring supplies, and so on. You wouldn't be clutching onto it for dear life of your on physical strength."

She led the way back to the paddock and spoke to one of the bison handlers, who motioned that the bison assigned for adult rides would be returning soon from a trip around the Temple grounds. Sure enough, a few minutes later it came into view, carrying two couples who clearly had a great time. Ren stepped aside as they disembarked, laughing and joking amongst each other. She hitched her robes up and climbed up the steps and into the saddle.

"If we were airbenders there'd be no need for steps," she said, extending her hand for Johar to come join her.

"Now that you mention it, I think I have seen those pictures," Johar replied, trying to recall. It took him a moment. Knowing himself, he was sure he hadn't ever paid the pictures much heed, since he'd never thought he would ever do anything so daring. But here he was, agreeing to fly up into the air on the back of an air bison. He must be crazy.

The distraction of the lanterns helped calm him a bit. It took him some time to figure out what to wish for; truth be told, there wasn't much he wanted out of life right now that he didn't already have. Eventually, however, he figured something out, wrote it down, and tied it to his lantern. Then he followed Ren to deposit their lanterns on the table.

They headed back toward the bison paddock, Ren continuing her explanation along the way. The more she told him about the bison, the less scary the idea of riding them became. He wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the thought, but it didn't make him want to throw up anymore, so that was... something.

They had to wait for their turn to ride, and Johar watched, wide-eyed, as the bison came in to land in front of them and let off several happy passengers. Then it was their turn. Steeling himself, he took Ren's hand and climbed up onto the saddle beside her. He looked over at her. "Now what?"

He didn't have to wait long for an answer. The bison's handler made a signal, and suddenly they were moving, and then the bison was airborne.

Johar couldn't help letting out a small cry of alarm as they left the ground. As the flight began in earnest, though, he realized that he really didn't feel it all that much. It was as Ren had said--there was enough space on the bison's back that he didn't feel every movement the creature made. The flight was actually pretty smooth. He slowly let tension flow out of his body, his muscles unclenching.

"This is...not what I expected. It's much better." He smiled.

The lurch as the bison lifted off was the worst thing about riding one of the bison. Her stomach always seemed to be a split second behind her rising body, creating the oddest sensation that perhaps she was about to be sick. The moment was always short-lived, however, and soon she turned to Johar with a smile on her face. He had cried out a little as they lifted off, but soon seemed to relax.

"We don't often ride the bison," she explained, "but if they don't fly about they get restless. Usually it's the acolytes who are in charge of going to the other Air Nomad temples that get to ride them. It's much more efficient than trying to take a train over land, then a ship — a lot faster, too, since they can just go straight as the bison flies, as it were."

The bison flew lazily around the temple grounds, taking its time and occasionally letting out a grumbling yawn. Ren presumed it was bored, making the same loop countless times today. The bison were incredibly intelligent creatures, and just like all intelligent creatures frequently needed stimulation. She wondered what the bison handlers did to challenge them. Surely it wasn't all about flying and ferrying people to and fro.

From their vantage point, they had a clear view of the city. Ren pointed Harmony Tower. "It's so beautiful at night, it's like watching a perpetual holiday display."

The trip around the island was much quicker than had they gone on foot, and all too soon Ren saw that they had looped around and were approaching the paddock once more. Once the bison had landed, she quickly disembarked and reached out to help Johar out of the saddle.

"So what did you think?" she asked once their feet were on terra firma once more. "Honestly, the higher rides aren't any different, save the scenery occasionally being repetitive."

He was flying. He was on the back of an air bison, and he was flying. Of all the ways Johar might have spent his New Year, this had never entered his mind as a possibility. He wasn't one hundred percent relaxed—a trickle of fear still ran through the back of his mind—but the more time passed, the better he felt.

He enjoyed the feel of the wind flowing over his face as the bison flew. His smile grew as Ren spoke of the efficiency of travel by bison. "That makes sense," he replied. "I'd imagine that those trips would be pretty quick—after all, it's not like there would be traffic." He chuckled at the mental image of a sky crowded with air bison, Air Acolytes with signs directing traffic.

"I've never seen the city like this," Johar gasped, peering over the side of the saddle to look at the buildings below. As the sun began to set, lights began to flick on all over the city, filling the streets with a warm yellow glow. His eye was drawn to the shoreline, where the Probending Arena sat, shooting spotlights up into the sky. From up above, it looked like a shining jewel. "Wonder what's going on down there," Johar remarked. "I don't think the season's started up yet…" It was not uncommon for the Arena to host other events when Probending was in the off season. They were probably finishing the New Year's celebrations in style.

Soon—sooner than he would've liked, to be honest—the flight came to an end. The bison came in for a graceful landing, and Johar climbed down from the bison with Ren's help. "That was fun!" he responded to her question, smiling wide. "I was surprised by how smooth it was. And the city is so beautiful from above."

"Once Han-- I went to the top of Harmony Tower." Ren swiftly avoided saying Hangetsu's full name. She didn't think she would be able to deal with the thoughts as the sun began to dip below the horizon; night was always when she felt Hangetsu's absence most keenly. "The city was sprawled out beneath me, looking like twinkling lights during the winter solstice celebrations, or to be cliché like the glow of hundreds of thousands of fireflies."

She sighed, remembering the view. "It's breathtaking, truly. I've never seen anything that would compare. Not that I'm well travelled, mind you, but I find it hard to imagine something in the Earth Kingdom or either of the Poles matching this."

They stood there for a few moments, watching the sun sink lower and lower. Nightfall was so rapid during the winter months, rather than the languid, barely perceptible changes in light during the summer. Soon, it had disappeared entirely and the first stars began to wink their existence.

"We should head back to the temple," she said at last.

The table with all the lanterns had been carried out and a queue had formed to retrieve it. As they stood in line, Ren whispered to Johar. "Master Tenzin used to send all the lanterns skyward with airbending. I wonder how they'll do it this year."

Ren retrieved her lantern and noticed that a puzzle had been affixed to the end of it. She'd forgotten that each lantern received a puzzle for the owner to solve. She plucked it off and stuck it in the pocket of her robe, then went to stand where all the other festival goers stood in rows of seven waiting for... what? Johar soon joined her and she shrugged to indicate she had no idea what would happen next.

After the last lantern had been claimed, she saw the head acolyte make his way to the top of the temple steps.

Good evening everyone! he said in a booming voice, a wide smile on his face. Thank you for joining us on this magnificent night. Republic City has gone through many hardships this last year, and we at the temple have felt it keenly. Master Tenzin would have closed tonights festivities, along with his family and Avatar Korra. Please join me in a moment of silence to honour their sacrifice — and the sacrifices of many other citizens-- in protection of our city, and to hope that their spirits find peace in the Spirit World.

He paused and bowed his head, and everyone followed suit. As Ren stared at her toes, peeking out slightly from under her robe, she found it hard to recall Master Tenzin's face, or little Meelo's wide grin. Instead, she remembered Hangetsu, and her eyes filled with tears. A sniffle went up somewhere in the crowd, echoed by another, and Ren realised she wasn't the only one crying.

The head acolyte's voice was gentle as he resumed his speech. Thank you. I will not say do not be sad, for your tears are simply proof that our loved ones walked this world, and that their memories will live on. Your tears are a testament to their beings, and someday the pain will fade, and we will remember more good than hurt.

He paused again to allow people to compose themselves. When he spoke again, his tone was more cheerful. Now, as you all know we acolytes aren't capable of releasing your lanterns to the sky, so we enlisted the help of a very dear friend.

A collective gasp when up as a very large, very old bison came into view. Ren recognised him as the blind bison the other acolytes had rescued in one of the caves they found in their excursions.

Now on the count of three, each row will step forward and throw their lanterns up as high as they go. Mr. Boogie — this drew titters from the crowd — will then use his airbending to let them reach the heavens. Ready? Row one, step forward!

It was a bit unconventional, but still a beautiful sight. Wave after wave of lantern floated gently in the air with Mr. Boogie's help. As she and Johar stepped up for their turn, Ren couldn't help but wonder where all the lanterns went after they disappeared from sight. The practical part in her told her they just came down again to float in the ocean, but the romantic part of her wanted to believe they crossed that invisible barrier that lead to the Spirit World.

With a sidelong smile at Johar, Ren lifted her lanter and tossed it gently into the air at the head acolyte's count. As Mr. Boogie blew it gently into the air, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulder. The tag on her lantern fluttered a goodbye at her, and her wish seemed to already be coming true.

Let us all find peace.