The Four Elemental Nations

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Shan Li: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea House

Sometimes Shan Li wondered if this was really a tea house. Days like this it felt more like one of those sleazy pubs he passed, while in the red light district of the Fire nation. Today was sweltering hot, even for the Fire nation, and most of its denizens had holed themselves in some dark corner; the richer folks had the luxury of the relative cool in their large houses. Small fish like these counted themselves lucky to find the shade of a tree in the high noon. Most of them flocked to establishments like these, where the owner could serve them piss, for all they cared, as long as it was cold.

Looking around at all the patrons with their faces pressed down to the cool wood of the table, Shan would have thought they were passed out drunk if he didn't know any better. He did though, and the tea house owner, Fong, would have drop kicked anyone who dared to get drunk in his tea house, old age and bad back notwithstanding. Shan was perched on one of the high wooden stools, nursing his own small cup of chilled tea. He never really understood the appeals of the drink; it was far too subtle for his tastes. Sake on the other hand...

He sighed. Father would kill him if he was caught in yet another drunken brawl, which was how most of his experiences with sake went. Shan looked mournfully at the dainty little cup in his hands.

"I bet you're wishin' you had something stronger there." Came Fong's grizzled and rough voice. Shan's eyes darted up to him and cocked a brow, as if to say Is it really that obvious?

"Well, I'm going to need it, aren't it? Father's been threatening to send me to the Fire nation palace to stay with my cousins. He says I need to learn 'diplomacy'," Shan said with obvious distaste, his expression souring at the word. "And we all know that's not going to help things much, with the rate of stuck up, snobby noses I'm going to be breaking there."

Fong snorted, cleaning one of the glasses with an old rag. "I believe that's your cue to stop doing stupid things, boy. Remember what he did last week when one of the other general's boys was so swollen they couldn't even tell he was their son?"

Shan winced. "I didn't like the way he looked at me," he protested defensively.

The tea house owner rolled his eyes. "You never do."

Just then the door creaked open noisily, and the grating sound of two voices were heard clearly over the din. "You can sure pick 'em, Chang. This place is a sty." Raucous laughter chortled in response to the dig, and Shan watched dimly as Fong's gnarled hands stilled in cleaning the glass. Thunder darkened the old man's face. Shan's sentiments were similar. While Shan was quick to defend his honor, he was no slower to leaping to the defense of a friend, and he gritted his teeth, shoulders tense. Fong flashed him a warning look that spoke volumes. With some effort, the new arrivals went ignored.

They'd suddenly gone quiet behind him, as if just noticing something. In the reflection of the glasses lined up behind Fong he could see their gleeful faces, anticipatory and predatory, all aimed at his back. He could feel their gazes burned there and it made him want to hit something. Preferably them. Their expressions were hideously warped in the reflections, and Shan Li supposed that it suited them better that way. Truthful, somehow.

Fong noticed their looks, and the rigid hold Shan had on his tea cup. He cleared his throat. "Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked coolly.

Enlai looked down his nose at the old man. "I don't suppose you have moon peach tea? Can't expect too much from this place after all," he looked around at the tea shop. It was admittedly dinghy, Shan Li had to say, but in a cozy, lived in sort of way. Shan focused on breathing, not turning around.

"As a matter of fact, we do," Fong replied, his eyes flinty and with rigid movements, he forcefully put the tea cups on their table and returned. He looked a little alarmed to see steam emitted from Shan's nostrils. "Easy there, boy. Never mind what your father will do to you, but I can't have you burning down my place," he said in hushed tones.

Shan Li nodded curtly, desperately reining in his temper.

Chang spoke, loudly, deliberately. "Though I guess it makes sense, huh Enzai? What with the trash that comes here," and as if in slow motion, Shan saw Chang nod his head towards him.

He saw red.

"Steady there lad! Remember what your father told you--"

"--Well, with a disgrace of a father and a whore of a mother--"

Fong winced. "-- about diplomacy and judgment. There are always other ways to fix things."

With an almost eerie calm, Shan nodded serenely, draining his tea cup in one gulp. He set it down on the table with relish and stood up from his stool, smiling as if without a care in the world. "Oh, I know Fong. I'll show you the quickest way to fix things."

Pushing back from his seat, he promptly walked to the pair without another word and punched the one who spoke out the window.

Well, that made it sound more glorified than it really had been. They were already sitting beside the window, and it had been an easy matter. Honestly, Shan Li wouldn't have broken the window at all, but Fong did say he didn't want the tea shop to get burnt down.

Chang got to his feet, nursing a growing bruise there. "You disgraceful half breed, don't you know who I am?" he snarled.

But Shan didn't care. He couldn't have cared if Chang was the Fire lord himself, the only thing that mattered then were the words ringing in his head, over and over, fueling his anger and burning his vision red. A whore of a mother, a whore of a mother, a whore... He could feel her necklace burning on his chest.

Chang leapt for his throat, and while Shan managed to dodge that, he'd forgotten about Enzai, who'd snuck up from behind him, chair upraised above his head. It crashed down on his head that made his eyes hurt and his world spin as he toppled to the ground, but it only seemed to egg on the murderous rage.

They jeered at his prone form on the ground, and kicked his ribs. "You're really pathetic, aren't you half blood? Did you really think you could beat us? We've got lines and lines of war heroes in our blood, and who have you got? Your dirty, peasant mother."

Something in him snapped.

With startling and unexpected speed, Shan Li darted back from them and to his feet, some distance away. His breathing was ragged, he was sure they'd broken a few ribs while he was on the ground, and the world was still spinning from the blow to the back of his head, but in the heat of the high noon, and the hot rush of his fury, all he could feel was power searing his insides, licking down his arms and there, into his palm. He moved into a bending form, and with a spin, a sharp jab and an ear splitting roar, an enormous line of fire shot towards the two. In its sheer size it was nearly a wall, blazing hot and merciless. From where Shan Li stood, he could feel its heat, and knew that anything caught in it would be burnt to ashes in no time at all.

Chang and Enzai watched, frozen as the firestorm came down upon them, rushing faster and faster, sure to kill them... and it had stopped just in front of their faces. They cowered motionlessly, afraid to move an inch. Shan Li stared at them with hard eyes, panting and suddenly tired. From the fight, but mostly from the effort it took to hold back, to not kill them where they stood.

"Never talk about my mother like that again." he warned, fury still burning just underneath his skin, but it was cooling. He looked at their faces and didn't doubt their fear.

He moved away from them gingerly, and heard them scampering away. He looked at the charred black roads, and just then he met the gaze of a strange looking man. With shoulder length hair that looked like bronze, and strange, almost orange eyes that were immeasurably calm, Shan Li felt perturbed. He stood a little ways away from where the fight had been, sheltered in an alleyway by brick and rice stacks, but when Shan Li looked at his feet, he could see the black charring had been too close to the citizen for comfort. Shan cursed.

"Watch out next time, old man. You don't want to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time," he warned the man, and retreated back into the tea shop, where Fong would congratulate and scold him in equal measure.

Taking one last look at the streets, charred black, Shan Li sighed.

Father would not be happy.

Kuzon Jeong: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea House

Kuzon watched the encounter with a small smile on his face, ready to intervene if necessary. But the young firebender restrained himself, and cut his fire short, and Kuzon's smile widened. The boy had potential. Bending prowess, obvious nature skill, and, most importantly, a good head on his shoulders, even if he did have a bit of a temper. Kuzon chuckled to himself inwardly, it wasn't as if he hadn't once been filled with a similar burning rage. Yet his time with the White Lotus had tempered his flame, forging him into a new man, of peace, and tranquility. It seemed to him that the firebending lad could use the same sort of inner peace, and Kuzon saw much of himself in the youngster. All the fire and passion of youth. Perhaps he had found his apprentice.

"Watch out next time, old man. You don't want to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Kuzon couldn't contain his laughter this time, and his face split into a wide grin as he let out a loud, and hearty chuckle. Following the young man into the tea shop, he mused, "Oh the impudence of youth!" He dropped an arm around the bold young bender's shoulder as he caught up to him, right at the threshold of the shop. "Your passions burn so bright, your rage explodes in an instant! But worry not lad, you'll learn temperance with age, and peace will quiet the blaze within you. I can help you with that if you're interested. I was once like you, you know. Young, unrestrained, full of myself, my power, letting the fire control me, instead of controlling the flames myself. But I've found peace, and my flame has never been brighter. You remind me of myself at your age, and as I was offered a better way, I now offer the same to you, a better path to follow. What do you say lad? Are you ready to grow up a bit?"

Shan Li: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea House

Shan Li was in the process of limping back into the tea house when the weight of a heavy arm dropped abruptly over his shoulders. He bit back a curse; this certainly wouldn't do any good for the bruising around his shoulders, that was for sure. He made a fist, ready to give someone a good thumping when he jerked to a stop, his face colored with surprise. There was that strange man again, from across the street. Shan Li eyed him suspiciously, and was the slightest bit... confused.

Shan had never seen such a carefree looking man, and certainly not from the Fire nation, if the stranger's clothes were anything to go by. Even in peace times, there was something of a trademark about Firebenders, always heated in some way, intense and driven to something. It was difficult to explain to someone who wasn't a Fire nation citizen, it was one of those strange nuances, and the pride of being a Firebender.

It wasn't to say that this man had the lack of drive at all, but to Shan Li, who had never been eloquent, it seemed that this man's flame was more of a hearth fire: temperate, reined, and just a bit of some warm twinkle, though Shan Li had seen and heard enough back handed barbs to know that appearances were deceiving. For a moment, Shan wondered who this man was, the life he'd led and why he seemed so different from all the angry, stircrazy people he'd grown up to be used to.

His ambling thoughts immediately died when the man started talking though. Now he seemed more like one of those old men who had lived their days and had seen all of the world many times over. Shan Li rolled his eyes, stepped out from under the stranger's arm, only half listening as he stepped into the tea shop. "Hey, Fong, sorry about your window, I swear I'll pay you back for that. In the meanwhile though, could I get two iced jasmine teas?" He nodded to the copper haired man who still stood in the threshold of the shop. "There's this whack job here, and I've got my poker face on, but what he's saying is hell of a lot more interesting than being cooped up in the Fire nation palace for so long," he muttered. Fong still looked vaguely scandalized at his broken window, but passed up the teas without further complaint.

Shan Li stepped back to the stranger, pressing a cold tea into the man's hand. "I don't know if you're one of those prophetic, wandering hermits, but don't you think you've got it backwards? Ask me my name and then induct me into your secret hermit's society later?" Shan said sceptically. "Unless of course," he said in a mock whisper "you already know my name."

He looked at the man disbelievingly. "Hell, I don't even know yours. Or what you can do. I could care less about the inner peace and spiritual journeys, but I'm someone who needs training. I've got all this power at my hands, and I don't know how to harness it otherwise."

A reckless smile tugged at his lips. "Hey, if you're so cool then show me something. Show me what you can do," he egged.

Kuzon Jeong: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea House:

Kuzon couldn't help but smile and chuckle again. This youth truly was so much like he had been at that age. Wild, impulsive, brash, with not a second thought before action. Always leaping, never looking, like a wildfire burning down the forest. Beautiful in its own way, but so full of pain and rage. Kuzon's smile died, giving way to a more solemn expression as he took the tea from the young man and sipped slowly.

"Mmmm. Delicious." Kuzon remarked, seemingly ignoring the young man's mocking words. Looking up from the drink, he stared directly into Shan Li's eyes, reading his very energies. "Your name is of less importance than your essence, and I can read that like an open book... Shan Li. Similar souls will often take notice of their kindred, and I see this in you."

Smiling enigmatically, Kuzon turned and started to walk away, calling back over his shoulder, "However, each man's destiny is his own, and while I can offer you a better path, I can not make you walk it. That is a decision only you can make Shan Li." Stopping briefly, he glanced back over his shoulder with yet another grin. "If you'd like a demonstration though... I suppose I can always oblige."

Snapping his fingers as he continued to walk away, a small flame appeared, hovering above his thumb, and, opening his palm, it grew into an orb, bobbing and flickering gently in his hand. Carelessly, he tossed the flame into the air like a ball, and did not stop to look back as it exploded into a massive orange and gold ball of fire, hanging there in the air like a miniature sun. After a few more paces, Kuzon snapped his fingers once more, and the massive ball of flame simply vanished, like a candle snuffed in the wind.

Muten Roshi; Fire Nation; Rek-Ka Town, 10 miles north of Muten Estate

Just outside of the small town, a figure on an ostrich-horse wiped sweat from his brow. It was a blazing hot day, and the normally uncomfortable ride was made even more so by the heat. Still, the family needed supplies and Roshi was the one they sent to get them. With his brothers off fighting for the Fire Navy, Roshi was the only one still around to do chores. Sure, his father's students were sometimes employed to help, but their training usually took precedence over farm duties. That was something that never sat well with Roshi. His family assured him it was his imagination, but Roshi was sometimes sure that his father was treating him different due to what the Firebenders called his "handicap". Of course, Roshi never took that jeering seriously, but it did make his blood boil. Especially considering he knew he could outfight most of those Firebending students without much difficulty even without bending.

Roshi tugged the reigns, stopping the ostrich-horse near the food carts. He was to buy some flour, animal feed, and whet stones for sharpening tools. He'd purchased the flour and feed with some of the money he was sent with, and then tied the bags to the saddle so they could be carried back home. He then headed toward the local blacksmith, who sold spare whet stones. Roshi wasn't told exactly how many to buy, so he'd just spend the rest of the money on however many stones it would buy.

Roshi removed his sun hat to wipe more sweat from his brow when he noticed a commotion at the pawnbroker stall. Two teenagers about Roshi's age, lead by a slightly older man, were harassing the pawnbroker over a trade.

"C'mon, ya old cheapskate! I KNOW that knife is worth more than these lousy silver pieces! It's a ceremonial dagger from the Fire Temple, so it's gotta be worth somethin'!" said the lead man, beginning to raise his voice.

"Sorry, sonny, but unless you can prove this piece really came from the Fire Temple, that's all I can pay. Besides, my small business couldn't even afford to pay the price yer askin' fer, even if it was." replied the old pawnbroker. He was known for his appraisal skills around these parts, and if he didn't think an item was genuine, then chances were, it's not.

The guy scowled, his fists clenching. Roshi recognized that as a sign that the man was about to lose his temper. Usually, Roshi tried not to get involved with these sorts of people. When the guy's fists suddenly lit on fire, Roshi decided to change his mind. A short-tempered firebender was a dangerous thing, especially on a hot and dry day like this, when things would more easily burn. If Roshi didn't do something, this loose-cannon nutcase was likely to burn the whole village down.

Just as the Firebender raised his fist to attack, a small rock suddenly pegged the back of his head. He quickly turned around, "Who's the dead man that did that?" he demanded before noticing Roshi standing there, the sword kept at his waist was in his hand, held in a classic iado stance. With his sun hat, and his hair tied back into a ponytail (to prevent sweat from getting his eyes), Roshi looked like a true samurai at this moment.

"If the man don't wanna pay your price for some cheap knife, then burning him to a crisp ain't gonna change his mind. I suggest you take your item and just go somewhere to cool down, friend." Roshi said, trying not to sound antsy. He didn't get into real fights very often, so he wasn't quite used to the prospect of killing a man. But, if this guy threatened the whole town, then Roshi would gladly do what he could to stop him.

"You must got some pair o' balls, kid!" said the Firebender, steam blowing out of his nostrils, "But no matter how ballsy you are, you ain't gonna stop me with just a sword! On a day like this, I could burn this town to ashes!" as he said this, he eyed Roshi's money pouch, "Give me that purse of yours, unless you want this town's destruction on yer conscience!" he grinned, as if daring Roshi to provoke him further.

"You would destroy an entire town for a few gold coins?" asked Roshi, sounding disgusted, "How pathetic. If it will calm your temper and keep you from damaging this town, then very well..." he tossed the purse to the Firebender's feet, "...take the money. It's not worth all this trouble, anyway."

The Firebender chuckled as he picked up the purse and tossed up and down, as if trying to count the money without opening it, "Smart kid, you are. But..." he pocketed the money and grinned again, "...not smart enough. Get him!" with that, his two followers darted toward Roshi. Neither of them were benders, but one wore gauntlets mounted with bladed claws, while the other wielded a pair of blades designed to be held like tonfa.

The first to attack was the clawed fighter. He made a short leap meant to make him look like a predator pouncing his prey. When the claws swept at Roshi's face, he quickly crouched to avoid them. It was a simple matter of stepping forward, using the attacker's forward momentum to generate a strong impact. Rather than draw the sword, Roshi simply trusted it forward, sending the hilt deep into the thug's gut. Roshi sidestepped to avoid the attacker's limp form from falling on him. He fell in a heap behind Roshi, winded so badly from the attack that he was knocked unconscious. Roshi quickly went back into stance as the second attacker came forth.

This attacker was somewhat smarter than the first. Instead directly attacking with moves that had more flash than substance, he instead halted his attack and assumed a defensive stance. He wasn't about to let himself repeat his friend's mistake. Roshi stood firm, calculating possible moves he could make. When he finally decided on one, he quickly lunged forward, drawing his sword into a slash aimed to cleanly behead the thug. It wasn't hard to see coming, and so the thug leaned back to avoid the blade. But he hadn't expected an attack so soon after the first. Almost as soon as the blade missed, Roshi brought his other hand forward, slapping his sheath into the side of the thug's head. While the attack was not aimed to knock the attacker out, it did hit his ear. This would result in a painful ringing in the thug's right ear. While the thug was still reeling from that hit, Roshi lunged forward again. He sheathed his sword and then brought the weapon over his head and down onto the thug's forehead, sheathe and all. Such force was easily enough to knock him out cold.

With both attackers down in what would be measured to be roughly 15 to 20 seconds, Roshi put the sword back at his waist before returning his attention to the Firebender, who was now fuming, literally, with steam shooting from his nostrils and even his ears.

Roshi had time to draw his first sword and then his second one as the fireball came shooting at him. In a fit of anger, the Firebender had thrust his fist forward to throw an angry fireball at Roshi. Roshi's blades were swung in a criss-cross form as he lunged right to the oncoming fire. Roshi's blades cut through the fire and were able to disperse it enough for Roshi to go through with minimal damage. He continued his lung at the Firebender, who could only stave off Roshi by sending him a fiery whiplash. This was enough to force Roshi to halt his assault. What was he going to do? He'd fought against Firebenders before, but none of them had ever been out to kill him! Plus, this Firebender was a bit more experienced, and also very angry.

"I gotta admit, Kid, you impress me! You took out Yang and Jin without even drawing so much as a drop of blood." said the Firebender as he advanced toward Roshi, "But all that swordsmanship don't mean a pig's ass against a Firebender like me!"

Roshi took a quick breath. This guy seemed to be right. Roshi may have been able to outfight Firebenders his own age, but this guy was older and more experienced, and he also had a size advantage. If there was a way to beat this guy, then Roshi wasn't seeing it at the moment.

Xin Bei: Fire Nation, Rek-Ka Town, 10 Miles North of the Muten Estate

Xin Bei was riding her Eel Hound through the Fire Nation town of Rek-Ka when she saw the firebender threatening the weapon merchant. Shaking her head, she sighed, and dismounted, tying the Eel Hound's reigns to a wooden post, preparing to get involved. Yet, before she could intervene, a young man stepped in, quickly taking out the firebender's two lackies. When it came to the firebender though, he seemed to be a little outmatched, the bender's attacks bringing him to a stand still. Xin Bei considered letting it play out for a moment, to truly test the man's mettle as a warrior. Yet, she could already tell he was the right person, he would be her apprentice. He had the skill to outfight fellow warriors with apparent ease, yet he lacked the training to hold his own against a skilled bender. She could remedy that, but not if he died here. With that sentiment in mind, she entered into combat.

Pulling a few needles from her sleeve, she tossed them at the firebender with lethal precision. Each needle buried itself roughly an inch into the man's body, hitting three seperate pressure points, and immediately knocking him unconscious. As his body slumbed to the floor, Xin Bei stepped over him, holding a hand out to the young warrior. "I'm Xin Bei." She said with a smile. "And I'm looking for an apprentice."

Shan Li: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea House

Shan Li was an incredibly fast paced person, always darting this way and that, wanting to see and know everything, and wanting it done quickly. It was as if to satisfy his own curiosity almost, and also because he was nothing if not an impatient youth. As a result, it frustrated him when the man opposite didn't rise to the comments at all. Just sipping at his tea, as if Shan Li were inconsequential. He regretted getting that man the tea. 'Nut job,' he thought.

But when the man answered his questions, he almost wished that he hadn't. It was unnerving, being read like that, and his jaw nearly dropped when the man uttered his name, though he was still rather skeptical about that. It wasn't like he was any kind of famous, but in these parts he was well known enough as gossip fodder, and anyone who saw his eyes... well, they would know wouldn't they? He didn't trust this man for a minute -- hell, the guy hadn't even given his name yet and he knew Shan Li's -- but that didn't make his offer any less enticing. A chance to learn? A chance to be a better bender, and shed who everyone thought he had been: half-blood, incapable, out of control, weaker.

He knew in that moment it couldn't have mattered if the stranger had two heads; with the power he had shown, Shan Li would follow him anywhere for a chance to learn what that man had just done.

"Look," he began reluctantly. "I don't know who you are. I mean, why don't you start by telling me your name and what it entails if I did agree to have you teach me."

Kuzon Jeong: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea House

Kuzon continued walking, but still at a slow pace, one that the boy could easily catch up to, and wouldn't make it difficult to hear him just yet. "My name is Kuzon." He called back to Shan Li. "Kuzon Jeong. And agreeing to be my student entails nothing more than that you walk with me for as long as you choose. If at any point you wish to leave, I will not stop you. I do not wish to sway you from your own path, merely offer you another. I see great potential in you, the fire you carry could forge a new world, or burn this one to the ashes. I offer you the path that lead me to peace, but the decision is yours. You must make your own choices, you must walk your own path, and if you choose to walk with me for a time, I would be glad to have you as a friend. And to teach you what I know."

Stopping, Kuzon turned back and smiled. "In any case, thank you for the tea. You are a good man I believe, and I am greatful for the kindness you show a stranger."

Muten Roshi; Fire Nation; Rek-Ka Town

Roshi had thought he imagined things when the firebender suddenly dropped in front of him. Had those needles always been there? No, someone had thrown them. Roshi sheathed his swords as a woman randomly stuck her hand out to him, introducing herself as Xin Bei.

"I'm Roshi." he said, retrieving his money purse from the Firebender's pocket, "I..." what could he say to a random offer of apprenticeship? If this woman was indeed the thrower of those needles, then she would definitely be able to teach Roshi many things. How would he convince his father to let him up leave like this? His father!

"Ah, damn it! I gotta get home! It's late, I'm in for it as it is!" he said, hurriedly making his way to the smith to purchase those whet stones. As he saddled up the supplies and prepared to mount the ostrich-horse, he took one more look at the strange woman, "I can't make such a decision without my father's consent. If you want to train me, you'll have to take it up with him. My home is Muten Estate, it's a few miles south of this town." he said before clicking the ostrich-horse forward and trying to get home as quickly as possible.

Roshi knew, as his father did, that he couldn't truly train at the Estate without firebending, but Roshi also knew that he was needed to help run the farm. His father may not be so keen on letting one his last farmhands go so easily, especially with Yoshi and Satoshi (Roshi's elder brothers) gone to serve the Fire Navy. Although, that didn't stop Roshi from hoping that the woman, Xin Bei, would follow him home and convince his father to let him train with her.

The sun was already beginning to set by the time Roshi made it back to the Estate.

Satya Katat - The Earth Kingdom, The Village of Huxi Yu, Northern Docks

Satya had never been one for mysticism. As far as she was concerned, magicians and psychics were for weak-minded people who longed for something to blame their misfortune on and to give them a sense on control. Despite this, as she contemplated the setting sun with half a dozen street urchins at her back, she was struck by a strong certainty that someone was going to bleed before the moon fully rose. And it wasn't going to be her.

"All right, Beautiful, I'm sure you know the drill. We'll have the purse or we'll have your company tonight. Your choice." The oily voice was followed by a wave of stupid guffaws. Satya rolled her eyes, not even bothering to move from her position perched on the edge of the pier. Men, even at their most barbaric, only wanted two things: to push someone around, and a group of their buddies to watch them do it. She could practically feel the leader's ego inflating. With a sigh, she swished her bare toes through the water, liking the coolness of it. She made a wide circle with her arm lazily, and a large wave sprang out of the water, soaking the band of thieves and leaving them spluttering.

"Hmm," she murmured, still watching the deepening colors in the west. "I have no patience for dirty street children, but even after your bath I find myself uninterested." She tossed her hair and finally turned over her shoulder to sneer at them. Just as she had thought they were thin and dirty with shabby clothes and murderous glares, all except the one out front. He shoved his dripping hair away from his face and smiled cooly at her.

"I had heard that there was a Water Tribe bitch in town," he said in that same oily voice. "Sleeping in the Chou's stable, aren't you? Who taught you waterbending? I'd heard that they liked to keep their cats clawless up north." He leaned forward as if to whisper a secret, leering all the way. "I hear it makes the bedtime hours more exciting, if you catch my drift," he said in a stage whisper. Of course, his buddies immediately started up with their own commentary, laughing and jeering. Satya clenched her hands into fists. She shouldn't fight him. The man who owned the docks and gave her work in the bar nearby was extremely green and prone to fire her if he thought she was "violent". Still, it was hard to remember right now how miserable it was to have to sleep outside or how hungry she was bound to be in the morning. How to kick a disrespectful little street brat across the face, that was pretty simple.

"Do yourself a favor, boy, and walk away," she spat, her hand wrapped so tightly around the coiled rope of her meteor hammer that her knuckles turned white. "You don't have a clue who you're messing with." That was all she had in terms of an attempt at a peaceful resolution. She hadn't had a decent fight in months and the only reason this one was trying was because he was new in town. All of the locals had learned a while back not to mess with her.

"The purse," the leader ground out, pulling out a rusty dagger. Satya felt the corners of her mouth pull upward slightly. She got to her feet, brushing the dirt from her neatly maintained soft blue pants and dropping her coat to the dock beside her. She looped her meteor hammer back over her shoulder and quickly tied her shoulder-length hair up into a bun. The gang started laughing again, move of them pulling of daggers and knives, one of them with an actual sword they must have stolen off of a soldier. Satya sighed again. If they couldn't challenge her in skill, maybe she could get a workout from the sheer numbers. Maybe.

With a shout, the leader charged, swinging his dagger clumsily. Satya ducked easily under his slash for her face, skipped around the thug with a bit of pipe and side-stepped one, two, three swipes with the sword. And already the boredom was setting in. If she didn't act quickly, half of them would knock each other out with all of this flailing before she could have any fun. What a waste of metal, she thought. She looped her meteor hammer over her head so that it rested crosswise around her body. She wouldn't need it tonight. Let's see, I'll give it... seventeen seconds.

Satya took a deep breath and then struck. A thin stream of water shot into the air and wrapped itself around the rusty blade, hardening into ice while Satya took her heel across the oily boy's face, hearing the satisfying crunch of a broken nose. The ice around his weapon shifted sharply and the blade cracked. Satya chuckled. She'd known the thing was cheap. She had no personal grudge against the rest of the horde. Sure they were stupid enough to be led into a match against a waterbender on a rickety wooden platform suspended over a pool of water, but hopefully this would be a chance for them to learn. Satya swept her arms sharply and another, more powerful wave washed over the pier, swirling around the thugs and freezing into personal prisons. Huh. Fourteen and a half.

She shook her hair down amidst the profanities of her captives. "Oh, quit bitching," she told them mildly. "I gave you the chance to walk away." She contempplated the small purse of obviously stolen coins at the feet of one of the thieves, but quickly decided against it. It was bad enough she was sleeping in a stable. Her father would have a fit if he saw her reduced to stealing from a few stupid thugs. "You'll melt in a few hours. I suggest you use this time to reevaluate your strategies as criminals." She picked up her purse and strolled sedately away from the scene, hoping absently that she would have a job in the morning.

Shen Baojia: The Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, Long Peace Street Market

"Duck carcasses, halfway to spoiling, unsmoked, half price!"
"Preserved eggs, Fish Sauce, Salted Sea Urchin!"
"5-Spice, Star Anise, Cinnamon!"
"Spiced Jellied Llamasquirrel!"

Such was the eternal melody of Shen's personal hell. Salesmen slimier than the eels hung up last month slithered through the streets with their overloaded carts, hawking their goods for the cheapest prices, fighting with other vendors in the cramped, smelly alleyways, kicking the fowls that roamed at their feet, eying for street rats and out of place women that might try and distract and swipe.

Only humans could live so close together in such filth. Buzzard-wasps might have been a close second for "close-knit communities" but at least they kept their hives orderly, and Shen was relatively certain that any fluid to be found in this alley was not honey.

To think, Shen used to write poetry in his spare time, that was his favorite distraction, seeing how the calligraphy could really move, breathe with the words, and how he could construct a smooth rhythm, say more than just the words.

Shen used to think language was the greatest construction of man. Now he realized all it was good for was a distraction.

"This is your five-spice?" He would say, picking up the clear jar, opening it, taking a great whiff, taking a handful and dumping it out on the small exchange board.

"Put that back, put that back, don't go messing up my place of business!" He would yell, and Shen would grudgingly pick up the glass container, sweep the spice back into the container, show the suspicious vendor the refilled jar, and walk off as nonchalantly as possible.

Relaxing at one of the more putrid looking fountains, Shen pulled his small bag up onto his lap, perusing the spices he'd successfully swindled that day.

In seven different containers were seven different spice blends from four different vendors, he figured that by now they had all realized their spice jars were diluted with grit and sand, and could only brood over their losses.

Shen could bring this up to a more respectable market, make a quick profit and be off to the other side of the city without a hitch. He'd done it all too often, and had acquired enough money to afford a halfway decent home closer to the Middle Ring, which meant a bit higher society than he'd been used to. He would miss the Tea Eggs though, grimy as Long Peace Street was, its Tea Eggs were the best he'd ever had, probably because they'd never been bought before, and had been marinating most of the merchants' lives.

Estimating the weight of his most recent "sales" and figuring he could do another half as well at a finer market, Shen casually dumped the sand from his sleeves, the secret to his trick, and threw the sack over his shoulder, ready to take another step closer to the life he'd left behind.

"There he is! That's the guy!"

Words which never seemed to indicate random acts of generosity or promiscuous women. It always meant violence, and for Shen, that meant finding a nice big crowd and hiding as quickly as possible, a luxury he never had in the desert.

"Shit."

Drop to the ground, kick out foot, catch a tile, make airborn, spin to a standing position, punch the tile, make one leftward sweep to disorient enemy with the sand and run like hell.

Each part fell into place perfectly, Shen had seen the slightly raised tile, just out of reach, his foot caught it long enough to Earthbend it up, getting up was probably the hardest part, and the plan fell into place perfectly, as his fist bent and disintegrated the tile, sweeping up the sand into a storm sudden enough to catch the men off guard.

Earthbending was all about knowing your surroundings, and Shen couldn't help but feel a bit of pride after finally pulling the stun trick off. Kicking down another alley, Shen ran up against a brick wall, and swiftly pulled out a few of the bricks for handholds with two sharp movements, climbing up and over the wall, Shen landed on the other side with firm footing.

"Land like a Crane, that's what they always say, land like a crane."

Of course "they" never added don't get hit by a brick from the wall directly behind you. Falling flat, Shen felt disoriented, but with a great snort like an angered bullmoose, he kicked one leg back, throwing a sudden rush of dust up around him, and sinking the three men who had followed him thigh deep into the street.

Getting up, Shen shook his mop of hair, brushed off his torso and casually walked down the aisle, bag of stolen spices hanging casually over his shoulder, Long Peace Street forever behind him, as he walked into the crowded street before him, quaintly out of reach of his trackers, amidst the noise and haste.

Chel, Southern Air Temple, Air Ball Arena

Depending on who asked, Chel might give different answers as to why she sat with a sketchbook by the Air Ball Arena. To the Elder Monks of the Southern Temple, she had been hired to make a new windmill and aqueduct system to assist with bringing necessary water up the mountain, and indeed she was sitting the right direction, with a perfect view of the cliff side and site she had picked to build. Though in reality, her plans were made, the materials had been ordered, and it was only a matter of waiting for the earthbending mason workers' team to arrive. She was still sketching quietly, though, using her rulers and compass as she muttered excitedly to herself.

The glasses hid where her gaze was resting, but the sketchpad revealed her real interests. The architect was instead drawing the young monks, as they moved about in a flurry of excitement and control, trying to score. She loved sitting here, with so many airbenders in action and thinking quickly like in battle without the fear and hate to cloud their judgment. Her favorite was the small one; the boy had a natural sense of form, and moved the air around him with a subtle, careful style. Unfortunately, he was young enough that the sheer speed and strength of the boys over-powered him too quickly. She was sketching out the stance he had made to jump over a boy while taking the air ball when a sharp whistling sound caught her notice.

Concentrating, she felt the breeze that whispered from the mountain range, and strengthened it. The breeze, becoming a wind, was just enough to stop the air ball from crashing into her and her sketching supplies and instead whiz just past her side; feigning surprise, she slammed her sketchbook shut in pretend fright to hide her airbending studies. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the group of players huddle together in the speed of terror to elect a representative to retrieve the ball. As Chel walked to pick it up, she found it was the very same youngest player who had 'volunteered.' "We're so sorry, Lady Mechanist!" he said quickly, though she was pleased to see more respect than fear in his eyes.

Kneeling down, she handed him the ball, and said quietly, "Your form is excellent, but the older boys beat you too easily with their stronger gusts. Stop trying to fight against their movements; instead, try to get behind players and aid or disrupt their bending to get the ball where you want to go." Standing up, she smiled at him and went to gather her things into a bag; she wanted to practice a few new stances in private. Walking away, she couldn't help but grin to herself as she saw the results of her advice turn the tides of the game, though while watching the players she hadn't been watching her path. Tripping on a rock, she stumbled down toward the cliff side. Monks of all ages saw and ran to help her, though a sudden "fortuitous" gust of wind allowed her to regain her balance before falling off the edge.

Chel's bag was not so lucky, however, and she scowled as it began its long plummet to the bottom, glider and all. She desperately wanted to save her bag, as it held all her work and plans--her whole life was in that bag--but she didn't want to betray that she was an airbender... In a split-second decision, she pretended to lose her balance again and dove off the edge. The rush of wind around her face was thrilling and terrifying--even more so because she had to use airbending to speed her fall to catch up to the bag--though she tried to concentrate instead on the task before her. She was already coercing a wind from the bottom of the cliff to pick up, and just as she reached the bag, she caught it with her legs and unfurled a piece of canvas from her waist. The wind from below caught it like a parachute, though it slowed her only slightly. That was supposed to be more effective, she cursed to herself, as the wind began to die down some around her. Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead, and she laughed in shock and relief to see a glider moving quickly to help her.

Xin Bei, Fire Nation, Rek-Ka Town

"Look Roshi." Xin Bei said, hopping onto her eel hound, and following him. "You can't let your father choose your destiny, you can't let him tell you your path your whole life. If you don't want to come with me, then don't. But make your own decision, don't let your father decide. I've been down that road, and at the end of the day, you have to live your own life. Go home, talk to your father, and if you want to come with me, and train to join the Order of the White Lotus, meet me at the inn tomorrow morning. I'll leave at high noon, with or without you. I hope you'll consider joining me, you're a remarkably skilled warrior."


=====================


Kuruk Pakkun, The Earth Kingdom, The Village of Huxi Yu, Northern Docks

Kuruk sat at the prow of his boat, as it bobbed up and down next to the dock. He watched in interest as the thugs confronted the girl, and was about to step in when the girl showed herself to be a water bender. Stopping, he crouched on the edge of his boat, and watched as the conflict unfolded. The girl's prowess was pretty impressive, and her honor and restraint even more so. "Hmm." Kuruk mused softly, "I'll have to talk to this one, she could be the apprentice I've been looking for."

As the girl strolled off down the dock, Kuruk leapt off of the boat, lifting a patch of water, and freezing it into a board, landing on the water on the floating chunk of ice with grace. With a spin his wrists, a wave lifted up, and carried him smoothly to the shore, and onto the beach, where he let the board revert to water. Catching up to the girl quickly he called after her, "Hello! Fellow water tribesmen and water bender! My name is Kuruk, Kuruk Pakkun. Nice job with those thugs by the way, quiet an impressive little display, and a very honorable show of restraint. How would you like to come train with me? I'm a monk for the Order of the White Lotus, and I'm looking for an apprentice."


=====================


Shu Fon, The Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, Long Peace Street Market

Shu Fon was enjoying the afternoon sun, laying down on a roof top. He was disturbed by a small ruckus from below, and sitting up, he watched in interest as a young sand bender ran from a small mob. Mildly amused, he watched to see how it would play out, and was impressed by the bender's skills, and cleverness with his bending. As the sand bender left the alley, walking back out into the street, Shu Fon dropped down off the roof to land sotly behind him. Straightening upright, he called out, "Hey, sand bender! Nice tricks kid, how'd you like to learn some more? I just so happen to be looking for an apprentice, and you seem like a man who could use some redemption, a better path to follow."


=====================


Gyang Pasun, Southern Air Temple, Air Ball Arena

Gyang had just landed his Sky Bison, Torro, and was making his way over to the temple when he saw the woman fall of the path, right herself miraculously, then 'fall' off again. Gyang leapt off after her, she didn't have a glider or the tattoos of a master, and was likely falling to her death. Yet she fell with impressive speed, darting through the air like a knife, before attempting to slow her decent with a cloth parachute. It worked somewhat, but Gyang was more intrigued by her swift decent, and her miraculous recovery. It was almost as if this woman was an airbender after all, she surely moved like one, and that gust of wind that had initially saved her was just too lucky. Spreading his fans wide open, Gyang beat his arms heavily like wings, stopping his momentum above he. Spinning his body with his arms extended, he summoned up a small twister, catching both himself and the woman in the air funnel, and carrying them back up to the ledge above.

"Careful there." Gyang said with a wink, "You shouldn't be jumping off cliffs without a glider, even an airbender can't fly unaided. You don't look like a typical airbender, what's your name? I'm Gyang Pasun." He said, sticking his hand out, accompanied by a smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

Satya Katat - The Earth Kingdom, Village of Huxi Yu, Northern Docks

Satya heard the footsteps behind her and spun into a crouch, a length of water arching gracefully over her head, impressed that one of them had fought their way free so quietly, but when she caught sight of her pursuer she quickly straightened from her crouch and let the water fall into the sand. The young man across from her did not look as if he intended to harm her and his familiar blue eyes were comforting in an irrational sort of way. Too bad he was clearly either crazy or posibly perverted.

"'Training from a monk of the White Lotus'?" she repeated drily. "What is that, some kind of new pick up line?" She rubbed her face tiredly. "You'll excuse me if I don't take your word for it and ride off into the sunset with a strange man. And anyway, what's--" Satya froze that thought mid-sentence, her eyebrows drawing together. What's in it for me? There was nothing in it for the Chous to let some stranger stay in their stable. There was nothing in it for the Dock Master to make up a position for a lost girl. She pressed her lips into a thin line and rubbed her face again. This man, Kuruk, certainly had the look of a Water Tribesmen about him, though she couldn't say from which Tribe. Her frown deepened. "Look, if you're hungry or something, I've got some extra bread," she said stiffly. Generosity felt strange on her tongue.

Shen Baojia: The Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, Two Blocks from Long Peace Street Market

Damn, he'd been seen, the clerks must have stationed someone on the roof. So suddenly now they were starting to show some competence, and Shen thought today was going well.

He didn't stop pressing through the crowd. He couldn't ignore the guy, but he wouldn't go Earthbending in the middle of a crowd, obviously the guy had a keen eye, and a minute of crowd ducking and shifting didn't lose him. The guy might have actually been able to sense his footsteps, which would make any escape futile.

Turning, he held out the bag, he knew that if the man did anything he could toss it, and hopefully enough spice would get in his eyes to blind him, it was a nice little bargaining chip.

"New tricks, that's rich, really. Earthbenders don't go sulking around Long Peace, they can actually get out of this dump, no reason to come here but the eggs."

Admittedly, the man looked handsome, professional, and had a certain air that rang with superiority. It was intimidating but more so intriguing.

"And my name is Shen, not Sandbender, what's yours?" He didn't lower the bag, it wasn't the most intimidating weapon, but it was all he had, this little corner of the street didn't have much in the way of space or bendable Earth, he had of course stumbled on the one "quaint" wood house on this street. Obviously fate was against him if a fight broke out.

Chel, Southern Air Temple, Bottom of the Cliff

"A-air bender... You're mistak..." Chel sputtered, before blushing deeply. Of course he could tell, she chided to herself. He managed to take this fall without a trace of effort, lifted us both all the way back up in a matter of seconds, and has the arrow marks of a master... Her coincidental winds wouldn't be enough to fool a studied eye. Chel sighed, and started again, with a bow. "Thank you so much for your help. I've only been training for a few months, I'm really not sure what I was thinking..." She held the bag up with an embarrassed chuckle, "but this bag has more or less been my life's work as a mechanist, I don't know what I'd do without..."

With that, her voice trailed off as her gaze rose upward; all around, pages of sketches and notes began to drift down from the sky like leaves in the fall. Cursing under her breath, she muttered a quiet, painful "I'm sorry, one moment" and took a few steps back. "No reason for hiding it now, I suppose," she said in a whisper laced in regret. Squinting upwards, she pulled up her goggles to block the sun, took a deep breath, and with a few movements of her hands began to bring the papers in a slow circling wind around her. In a few seconds, the entire sketchbook orbited around her; inside the paper tunnel, a silent, rapid *flick* *flick* could be heard. As the wall of sketches thinned, one could see she was deftly grabbing each page in order as they came around. The book was back together after a few seconds' work, and she hurried back to Gyang Pasun with another bow in apology for her rude interruption. Her flustered blush from almost dying had been replaced by a lighter blush of embarrassment from the stares of an unavoidable audience.

"What's you're name?" He said with a smile. "I'm Gyang Pasun." She shook his hand, returned the smile, and replied respectfully, "I'm Chel, though the pleasure is certainly mine."

Shan Li: Fire Nation, Fire Nation Capital, Phoenix Tea house

Shan Li trailed after the man slowly, straining to hear over the ringing in his head. Was it just him or were there small yellow birds circling the man's -- who was now apparently called Kuzon -- head. It really was hard to focus on what Kuzon was saying, though innately he knew he was at least interested. Though there was the matter of his father. And if he was entirely honest with himself -- which he hadn't been for a long time -- he admitted that while the rush that the complete loss of temper afforded him was thrilling, and made him burn, it also scared him at times. The feeling of going to far and not being able to pull back. He'd seen the scars that a Firebender could give someone, and that reckless abandon, while fun, was also dangerous.

A slight niggle of guilt wormed around in his chest at Kuzon's earnest smile, and his equally earnest gratitude. Shan Li regretted his less than scrupulous thoughts toward the man, and sighed wearily. "Look, it's a tempting offer, but since I am supposed to be using my judgment, how about you come back to my father's estate? So I can patch up my freakin' head and talk to my dad before I go gallivanting around with a stranger." He paused for a moment. "A pretty badass stranger," he amended "but a stranger all the same."

Shan ducked back into the tea shop to talk about borrowing the two ostrich horses from Fong and to have his father reimburse him for the window. When he returned, he handed the reins of one of the ostrich horses to Kuzon. "I uh," he looked discomfited. "I understand what you're saying though, about my own choices. I mean, there are some things in life, no one can decide for you." his voice gained confidence. "There are times when a man needs to grab his own life by the horns right? We can't leave that decision up to other people. Father, or otherwise." Shan Li smiled at that man for the first time, a bit uncertainly, but brash in his own way.

"So, old man. Guess what I'm trying to say is, when I've sorted everything out, I'd be grateful to be your student and friend." he bowed curtly.

Muten Roshi; Fire Nation; Outside the Muten Estate the next morning

Roshi could hardly believe what he was about to do. He sat upon Zuza, his father's Mongoose Dragon, and was about leave to catch up with Xin Bei in Rek-Ka Town. After she departed for the Inn, Roshi was almost convinced there was no way he'd convince his father to give his blessing to Roshi's departure. In fact, in the end it took mother's support in convincing him that this was the right thing for Roshi to do.

~

"Satoshi and Yoshi are gone, so who will help me on the farm?" Toshi had said as his main argument.

"Yes, they left, and that it exactly why you must let Roshi go as well. It isn't fair to allow them to follow their dreams but to deny Roshi his." mother had countered. This debate went on through out supper that evening and even afterward.

All that while, Roshi just sat in silence. After supper, he simply waited in the family room for the discussion to be over. When his parents entered the room, and Toshi gave his blessing, Roshi was speechless. How mother was always able to change father's mind was a mystery, but at that moment Roshi was too excited to think about it. He embraced both his parents before rushing to his room to gather his important belongings to take with him.

~

The next morning, Father had waited for Roshi at the stable, "Don't worry about taking the Ostrich Horse. You'll need something with a little more fight in it." said Toshi as he handed Roshi the reigns for Zuza, his Mongoose Dragon he rode upon when serving the Fire Nation Army as a Colonel.

"But, I thought Satoshi was going to inherit Zuza?" asked Roshi, surprised.

"You're brother's about to be made an Admiral." responded Toshi, "So he'll have no need for Zuza, since he'll be commanding his own ship and crew."

After one last embrace, Roshi mounted Zuza and prepared to leave his home.

Roshi spurred Zuza onward, and the Mongoose Dragon darted toward Rek-Ka town with greater speed than the Ostrich Horse could have mustered. Roshi and his brothers had all had their turns in learning how to ride Zuza, so Roshi was not affect much at all by how strangely the creature darted forward with speed rivaled only by an Eel Hound.

"Alright!" said Roshi, clearly enjoying the high-speed running of Zuza more than the bumpy riding of an Ostrich Horse, "Hurry, Zuza! We got until noon to meet with Xin Bei!" at this, Zuza picked up speed (she's faster than the average Mongoose Dragon) and Roshi was at Rek-Ka Town within the hour, with about thirty minutes remaining until noon. Upon reaching town, Roshi made for the inn, looking for the eel hound Xin Bei had rode on.