Sepa had just returned to his home at the Southern Air Temple from a spirit-mission on Ember Island where a dark spirit had caused some uproars. He never seized to surprise him how petty humans could be, and how easily the spirits would be affected by it. He had been happy to catch a glimpse of the ancient Firelord Zuko's childhood home, a place of great spiritual turmoil, but had only visited briefly.
He was met by his airbending master Pilaf at the landing platform where Sepa dismounted his Sky-bison Yeepa.
"Greetings young Sepa, I take it that everything went well?" the master asked him.
Sepa sighed, the trip had been long and he had hoped to rest before being debriefed.
"Yes master Pilaf, everything went well. The spirit left for a more calm environment and the villagers have come to an agreement. And to think, all of this for a bunch of cabbages" , Sepa bowed to his master in the typical airbender greeting before being pulled into a fatherly hug.
Master Pilaf smiled at Sepa and said: "That's good Sepa. I'm afraid that you have two missions ahead of you though, after you get some rest ofcourse"
Sepa sighed heavily, ofcourse there'd be no rest for him. There weren't many airbending monks left, even though the airbending community has grown: The spiritual ways had, despite the existence of spirits in their world, withdrawn themselves from spiritual activities. He just hoped that he'd get to go to Ba Sing Se. He had heard much about the great Iroh, member of the White Lotus order, and hoped to see the tea shop where he settled down.
"You are going to Ba Sing Se, to convert with a monk there who will tell you more about your second mission and last destination. Get some rest, you will leave in the morning and... Take good care of yourself, we will look out for your mother while you are gone". Master Pilaf looked concerned, but Sepa had already lost focus: He was going to Ba Sing Se. " I will make you proud master Pilaf and thank you for your concern".
Sepa hurried home to tell his mother about his new missions and that he wouldn't get to see her in a while. She was so proud when she saw him off the following morning, provisioned, well fed and well prepared.
He touched down in Ba Sing Se early in order to catch a cup of tea at the famous Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop. The tea, while splendid, had a taste of mass-fabrication about it which made Sepa disappointed, but the spiritual experience of meditating there made it worth his while. He felt Iroh's strong spirit present and also had a taste of disappointment that did not quite seem to belong to him. He took that as Iroh's distaste for how his shop had turned out and couldn't help but laugh as he walked away, touching the washed-down facade of the tea shop once more before going.
He was grabbed by the arm by a monk with an arrow-tattoo similar to his own, although his clothes were modern and his hair grown to a point where you could barely see the tip of the blue arrow on his forehead. "You must be Sepa. Follow me please" the modern-looking monk took him on a walk down to the outer ring of the city. "We have reasons to believe that the Avatar has returned. Have you discussed the disappearance of the Avatar with your mentor?". Sepa nodded solemnly and replied: "Yes I have, we both agreed that a mixture of Avatar Korra's experiences as well as her many uses of the Avatar-state before becoming attuned to her spiritual side plus the eroding connection between humans and the spiritual world have caused the Avatar to become invisible and undiscovered. Perhaps even by the Avatar itself". The stranger nodded while giving Sepa a Pai Sho tile with a white lotus, a map, and a coinpurse. "Go to Republic City, there's a small apartment waiting for you there. Find out what you can about the Avatar and the spiritual disturbance in the city as well as the fabricated benders. Send word to Master Pilaf when you find something. Good luck", and without further explanation he vanished.
So Sepa left, riding Yeepa close to the ground (he disliked the turbulence airplanes caused), while staring at the Pai Sho tile: What did all this mean? Did they entrust him with finding the Avatar? Or was he just a part of a larger searchteam? And were the rumors true? Were ordinary people able to obtain bending-abilities in unnatural ways?
Sepa landed outside the city and unlatched Yeepa's harnesses. "You better get out of here, find some hills close by where you can stay. I'll miss you buddy", he padded Yeepa one last time before the giant air-bison flew off. Then, with his cloak covering his monk-clothes and the hood covering his airbending-tattoo, Sepa proceeded into the city carrying both Yeepa's harness and his modest belonings. Sepa walked through the streets almost visibly shuddering at the aggressive nature of the city: Strikes and demonstrations everywhere, no sign of spirits (as was the case in most cities) and a clear sign of the overwhelming lack of benders. His first trip to Republic City would obviously be one that would shake him to his core.
He found his apartment, two buildings away from a hospital, on top of an abandoned pro-bending gym. The apartment was one big room with large windows facing the street. "So. This is my home for Avatar knows how long. I better make the best of it" Sepa proceeded to air out the apartment using his bending to rush out the dirt through the window. The least he could do was make his new home a clean one; Both physically and spiritually.
