Wake Up <Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom>

[baoli]

It had been over a week since Bao Li had gotten involved in that mess at the Ba Sing Se market and the two benders, Ikeru and Jochi, had been dragged off by the Dai Li for a combination of disturbing the peace and 'spreading lies and rumors inside the city walls, attempting to incite a riot among the people for no reason' - or something like that. Bao Li really wasn't big on the specifics of the charges, and most of the adults in the market refused to talk about it for fear of Dai Li reprisals.

Life had been quiet for Bao Li since; he'd spent his (in his own opinion anyway) well earned one gold coin from the incident entirely within two days. He could happily do with more sugary tarts and confections from the market vendors, but he hadn't touched a single coin from the somewhat ratty coinpurse he had rescued from the ground as the benders were carted off. He had been watching and listening for traces of the skinny woman since the whole incident took place, intent on returning that bag of glittering prizes to her as soon as he could. He didn't like the idea of keeping it much. It didn't seem a fair win to him. He had hidden it from Grandma Mao as best he could, tucking it under his mattress at night and carrying it with him every day inside his vest. So far, he hadn't see hide nor hair of either of the adults. As his Grandma Mao patiently ladeled out his and his grandfather's breakfast, Bao Li considered what he knew.

He thought about it all, and he was starting to worry.

As mean as the pair of benders were, and as cruel as they would certainly be to him if - no, when, he mentally corrected himself - he did find them again, Bao Li's personal opinion of the Dai Li was much worse than his opinion of the dangerous duo. He had seen, over the twelve short years of his life, a number of adults just disappear with the men in pointed hats, never to return again. He wasn't sure what they did with the adults as no one would ever speak of them around him again, and being young and imaginative made things seem horrific. He was convinced, in his own way, that the Dai Li weren't humans at all, but rather some kind of robe-wearing monsters who ate people. It was a stupid notion, he knew, but when people just vanish like that, and everyone's so afraid...

He shook his head, his lone ponytail braid bobbing on his back. There was no point in thinking about the monsters. He had breakfast to eat and a mission to continue. He wolfed down his porridge and dashed for the door. Grandma Mao kissed him on the forehead and sent him off before his grandfather could even comment on how nice it was to see some enthusiasm for schooling in the boy. He dashed for the market, ignoring everyone on his way there.

He was more than sure that if the two angry benders were going to show up again, it would be at the market. He took up the same vantage he had on the fateful day the three had met, and he did what he had done for days on end: Bao Li Shang waited, like a statue, for a sign of Ikeru or Jochi.

He had a feeling today would be the day one or both of them turned up.

Of course, he'd had that feeling for a week solid now, every single day. But he wasn't about to let that get to him.

[ikeru]

So far, all had been relatively quiet. She had finished giving the city tour to a group of new arrivals earlier that morning, a group of what looked to be about three or four politicians hemming and hawing in the rickshaw about how early they had arrived at Ba Sing Se, how boring the city had seemed so far, why couldn't they go any faster? Of course, she had tuned out the complaining the moment it began and had instead drifted off in her head...thinking about what else, exactly, she wasn't sure. She didn't remember. When she had finally dropped the politicians off somewhere in the Middle Ring, she realized the rest of her day was free to spend exploring the city she had known and loved her entire life.

Joo Dee was a faithful and loving native of Ba Sing Se, after all.

Her thin hands stuffed in the opposite sleeves of her tasteful yet simple pale goldenrod yukata, Joo Dee wandered through the crowded marketplace, a bland smile plastered over her otherwise blank face. It was uncommon for her to be in the Lower Ring, especially on a day off, but Joo Dee had had this nagging urge to buy a little trinket or maybe even a sweet rice ball from the melting pot of cultures that made Ba Sing Se's poorest section. She stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the filthy and poorly-dressed residents, but that didn't bother her; nor did the idea of possibly getting mugged, raped and/or killed in one of the many, many twisting and winding back-alleys. Nothing had ever bothered her, actually, which was pretty weird in itself...but Joo Dee likened herself to a guard dog: stoic, unafraid, and not easily frightened.

Along her travels, she came to an area in the marketplace that was almost completely devoid of people. It was obvious there had been some kind of fight there despite how the hard stone ground was smooth (or as smooth as it could get) and the vending carts were lined up perfectly--most people avoided the area like the plague, but a few stragglers lurked along the perimeter and whispered quietly to each other with tense faces. As Joo Dee neared the middle of the clearing, her bright emerald gaze drifted over to the whispering people, who eyed her with what looked liked disbelief and anger. Her dreamy smile faltered just slightly as she sped up, ignoring the harsh whispers and prying eyes that followed her.

Pretty soon, Joo Dee found herself in a particularly crowded section. She deftly picked her way through the clusters of shoving people with that eerie flat smile, scanning the colorful carts for anything of interest, although, considering Joo Dee, nothing was of more interest to her than her beloved city. Nothing.

[jochi]

A model citizen. That's what he was, a model citizen. Jochi was a model citizen. A charming, law-abiding man with a friendly grin and his own humble abode. His garb, while brand spankin' new, was a distinct sand nomad style, almost identical to the tattered and sweat-stained attire he wore when he arrived at the city. His bald head was wrapped in a head cloth that resembled a turban, while the widest, cheesiest grin spanned his face.

And of course Jochi - a law-abiding model citizen - was perfectly fine with settling down in Ba Sing Sei as soon as he arrived. That was how much he loved the place.

It was the best city in the peaceful world, especially due to those charming Dai Li agents. Such a fine job they did upholding peace and culture in the city. They even earned a friendly wave from the sandbender as he so happily walked by a pair. Such nice folks, they were. Every one in Ba Sing Sei was nice, even that nice lady Joo Dee who seemed to be everywhere. In fact, she was right there in the marketplace! What a charming coincidence! Walking by the woman, the diminutive man gave the most friendly and humble wave, while lust was nowhere to be found in his eyes. "Good day, miss!"

Jochi then went on his jolly and docile way.

[baoli]

He had been watching the crowd in the market as usual when he spotted her - the confident woman in the goldenrod yukata. She looked for all the world like the city was her oyster, and she could be anywhere without fear. Something was wrong about the whole thing - anyone with any sense knew better in this city; hitting the wrong alleyway blind could mean your death. It didn't seem to occur to the woman though, and she breezed past him like a leaf on the wind. Bao Li sat up and watched her carefully.

He was sure he'd seen the woman who walked by him before. Maybe it was just that she was kind of omnipresent, as style goes - the dress was really familiar, it was probably from one of the tailors or dressmakers who produced their designs in bulk. He knew he'd seen that before. And the hairstyle she wore was one he'd seen before, he was certain. Thinking on it, he wrote it off too - it must be all the rage or something with the women of the city. A simple creation from a popular hairdresser. He'd probably seen it hundreds of times recently, never thinking twice. But there was something about her face...something...behind that smile. He patted his vest, making sure the bag and his lockpicks were still there, then he took off after her. He needed to get a better look to make sure.

He scrambled through the crowd, picking his way closer to the woman. He noticed the adults around her as she walked. The reaction wasn't something he saw every day - they reacted as if they knew her, and hated her. Or feared her. Several pointed and scurried away when she approached them. Something was definitely up, and Bao Li was more determined than ever to find out.

Just as he got close enough to catch a good look at the woman's face, a really happy man in very white clothing and a turban passed him by. That one, he was sure he knew. Jochi, the angry desert-clothed man. Happy. Something was wrong with him for sure - not only was he actually smiling, he was clean. Bao Li stopped in his tracks and looked between the two people before deciding he needed to make sure the woman was who he thought she was before he lost her in the crowd.

Jochi would be easy to find again. His particular mix of sand colours and the turban made him stand out like a sore thumb in the market of Ba Sing Se, after all. He ducked behind the stall next to the woman, angling around to the front, and looked up. He almost cheered. It was her, he was sure. He'd know those eyes anywhere. After all, she had almost beaten the tar out of him - it's hard to forget the eyes of the person who almost killed you. Grinning like an idiot, he walked out right in front of her and waved a grimy hand as he looked up at her.

"Hey lady, I have your money!"

[ikeru]

Had it been happening to other people, other normal people, it probably would have dawned on them that flocks and flocks of people were scuttling away from them, grimy hands cupped over their grimy mouths to shield accusing whispers that spilled from their lips like a leaky faucet, but Joo Dee was not just any other normal person. No, she was a proud, if a bit clueless, cultural guide for the grandest, greatest and most esteemed city of Ba Sing Se. She didn’t have time to seek out gossip and dish dirt about whom was pregnant with whose child or who robbed what store or did she see so-and-so flirting with such-and-such at that party last week, how shameful, so-and-so is married and has three children! She had neither time nor interest for that that.

However, she did have time to browse the little carts and vendors, which she did while smiling pleasantly at anybody who happened to make eye-contact with her. One spidery finger poised on the swell of her lip, Joo Dee took her time studying the Authentic Art Portraits of the Earth Kingdom’s History of the Geisha, or so the chipped and battered little sign tacked up on the canvas tarp proclaimed. It all looked so interesting! She decided to ignore the obvious trace lines and sloppy paint work in favor for the quaintness the vending cart offered.

“How much is this scroll, sir?” Joo Dee asked, fingering the flimsy material of one of the less cheaper-looking paintings. A messily drawn geisha, her candy-pink kimono standing out against the taupe-colored paper, gazed with sultry bedroom eyes over her shoulder. The merchant, a short and heavy man dressed in rags that outshone the poorer citizens of Ba Sing Se but still betrayed his association to the Lower Ring, frowned and began to nervously shift his weight from one foot to the other.

"Err..." he mumbled, apparently anxious to be dealing with the always-pleasant Joo Dee. Oblivious, she continued to smile and, on occasion, blink. The merchant looked about ready to sprint away like a fool when, miracle of miracles, the awkward situation was rescued by a cheerful greeting from a terminally short man dressed in Sand Nomad garb. Distracted for just a few moments, she looked away to return the greeting with a wide smile. "Good morning!"

Turning back to the merchant, she discovered both he and the majority of the scrolls were gone. How unfortunate! Frowning a little, Joo Dee slid her hands back into the opposing sleeves and started on her merry way...but found her path was being blocked by what could have quite possibly been the city's most filthiest resident.

"Hey lady, I have your money!"

She blinked, perplexed. Her money? She removed her hands from their cover to gingerly pat the leather pouch filled with colds coins concealed in her robe. No, her money was right there. What was he talking about? She blinked again. "Little boy, I have all of my money. I do not know what you are talking about." Maybe he had mistaken her for someone else? It was possible. Joo Dee dipped into a quick and shallow bow and started walking forward again, detouring around Bao Li and tucking her hands into her sleeves for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. Children were silly!

[jochi]

Heading in the exact opposite direction as Joo Dee, Jochi stomped away like the happy-go-lucky gentleman everyone fancied him to be. Bowing politely to each stranger in his presence for more than a mere second, and extending an affable greeting to each vendor whose wares he perused, he was in an exceedingly good mood. Of course, that magnanimous smile on his face was a dead giveaway.

That was a good word to describe him that day. Magnanimous. Whether he stopped for a cup of tea at that charming little dingy tea house or used his earthbending might to rescue that elderly woman's cat from a well, Jochi beamed with happiness and joy. Exactly what Ba Sing Sei was supposed to represent. Yet inside, whether he knew it or not, he was a hollow man. A mere petty detail, though. Surely everyone in his presence would be as joyful and outgoing as Jochi himself.

Yes, indeed...

[baoli]

Bao Li's large smile faded quickly as Ikeru spoke. How could she not remember him? It had only been a week or so, surely she couldn't have forgotten the huge fight that tore up the market, or her gold being stolen by the Jochi, or the Dai Li taking her away. Why was she so pleasant? What was with the hair and the dress? He considered his options for a minute. If she didn't remember him or the gold, that meant he could keep it for himself and be on his merry way, because she really didn't need it back.

Bao Li shook the idea off as fast as he came upon it. The whole point of this was to give the woman back what was rightfully hers, and he wasn't about to walk away on it now. He was too close to being able to wash his hands - metaphorically, of course - of the whole affair and just forget about it. He just had to get her to accept the gold, and he'd be off. He thought back to the fight again, and his eyes lit up.

That was what he needed. The short guy. He'd snap her back to reality. "Wait here one second, wouldya? I gotta get someone for you to talk to," he managed, hoping she was listening as he ducked through the adult-sized crowd and tugged on the clean sandbender's sleeve before he could get any farther. "Hey mister, can I get your help for a second?"

[ikeru]

A few steps away from Bao Li, the noise of the market failed to drown out his request of her staying right there. Why? She had all of her money and wasn't especially keen on doling out gold to scrappy little peasants like that young boy. A tiny crease formed along her forehead as she shook her head and banished those mean thoughts from her mind. Everyone was an adored citizen of Ba Sing Se, from the wealthiest politician to the lowliest gutter-rat! Deciding to humor the boy, as she had almost nothing else to do that day besides browse the marketplace (and the distinct feeling of not being wanted there was finally starting to penetrate her thick skull...), Joo Dee stopped in her tracks and turned, her heavy cloth shoes dragging up small mounds of dry dirt, back to face him.

She stood in silence, stationary, smiling, and shining like the beacon of friendliness that she was. Her smooth pastels practically screamed her presence in the crowd of dark greens and browns. Joo Dee would totally suck at a game of hide-and-seek.

[jochi]

Jochi's merry gallavanting down the street was soon interrupted by a tug on his sleeve. Glowing with pride for his city, his people, and his nation, the sandbender gave way to nary a second thought as the little boy behind him asked for a favor. The kindly sand nomad almost jumped at the very thought of helping another person, giving the young man every right to lead him every which way he so desired. Smiling as wide as possible, Jochi nodded. "Of course, young man! I would be honored to help!"

Almost taut on the muscular arm it covered was the sleeve that the young preteen tugged upon, and both were soon extended outward, gesturing down the marketplace in the opposing direction where Jochi was heading beforehand. Silently, he showed the boy he could lead the way. Murky eyes perusing the area, he saw nothing that required immediate attention, but no citizen of Ba Sing Sei wouled ever lie to another or lead him astray. Never, no, never. Ba Sing Sei was too peaceful and amiable a city for that, much like Jochi himself. Jochi loved his city.

[baoli]

Initially pleased with the response he recieved from the now cleaned sandbender, Bao Li lost the spring in his step as he closed the gap between the two benders by all but dragging Jochi with him. He slowed and turned around, drinking in the man's full appearance for the first time.

The cleanliness he had already noted. He looked from Jochi to Ikeru and back again - both of them were impeccably free of dirt. Bao Li could accept that; sometimes adults were fond of that whole bathing thing. And that whole laundry thing. But looking at the two of them, there was clearly something wrong with the whole situation.

Not only did Ikeru not remember him at all - which was more than weird, given her want to kill him as recently as last week - but she didn't seem to be the same person at all. She was calm, collected, and almost seemed kind of dangerous under it, almost like she ran the city and knew nothing here would hurt her. Not at all the angry, jumpy woman he had seen before. She was still dangerous, he was certain, but there was a whole new level to it that wasn't there before. And Jochi - where there was a vicious, angry man with a boiling rage and hate for this city, there was now a smiling, placated and pleasant man who actually wanted to help someone aside from himself. Bao Li looked at the male bender and blinked. He had to know what was going on.

"Wait a sec. Do you know me, mister? And more important, do you know this lady here?" He pointed at Ikeru, who was obviously all but ready to start ignoring him now. Sighing, Bao Li felt it might be time to get a bit more drastic. "Do either of you see the way the adults in the market are lookin' at you today? Do you know WHY they're being like crabturtles and hiding from you? Because they are, you know. I watched a bunch of vendors all but close up shop and run their carts outta here when you two first crossed paths today. Do you remember why they'd do that?"

[ikeru]

Joo Dee eyed the pristine fellow Bao Li had brought before her with a flat expressionless gaze as Bao Li, looking like a hot mess of confusion and worry, yammered on about the merchants and shopkeepers and, apparently, herself and the short man and whatever it was that they had in common. To be honest, Joo Dee had no idea what he was talking about. She had never seen the older man in all her life! She was starting to get a little agitated, what with all of her precious free time being devoured by this little kid.

Sparing a glance at the stubby shadows cast by the buildings and crawling across the dirt road, Joo Dee lit an easy smile and jabbed a bony finger into the air. "Why, little boy," she began, falling on the age-old excuse that came as naturally to her as breathing did, "it is morning, as you can see. Perhaps these so-called 'crabturtle-like merchants' are hungry and wish for their breakfast." She cast her arm, swaddled in drooping fabric, through the air. "Do you understand? There is nothing wrong here, nothing at all."

Finished speaking, she slid her gaze from Bao Li to Jochi. "As for you, sir..." Joo Dee offered a quick bow. "Good day." Satisfied, she turned and began to walk away, albeit a little bit quicker than usual. Time to get out of here!

[jochi]

Jochi, the clean and spotless man of Ba Sing Sei, was getting very confused. That little boy didn't wear on his nerves at all, as Jochi fancied himself the most patient man to walk the Earth Kingdom, but his yammering nonsense made him a bit worried. Joo Dee, however, seemed to handle the boy just fine. In agreement with the woman was he, though he politely allowed her to carry on her proclamations. With his hands on his hips and a smile on his face, he listened and waited until she drew to a close. "Good day to you too, ma'am!" he said, waving as she walked away. Like Joo Dee, he would let the boy down gently.

Putting his hand on the boy's shoulder and looking him in the eye, his innocuous gaze seemed to stare straight through the boy and fade to nothing at all. One who paid attention would notice Jochi's expression wasn't fatherly at all, despite what he was about to say. "My son," he said, grinning so widely that his eyes were forced to narrow, "She was right. I have never met you in my life. Now if you will excuse me, I must go."

Like Joo Dee, there was haste in his footsteps, but at least he did the polite thing and waved at the boy. "Good day!"

[baoli]

Bao Li was shocked into silence, his mouth wide enough to catch passing flies as both Ikeru and Jochi politely - if curtly - denied knowing one another or anything about their fight less than a few days ago. First Ikeru turned and fled, albiet in a civilized manor, then Jochi. He was so confused by the whole thing.

Watching the adults turn and leave as if they had not a care in the world nor a single bit of knowledge as to their previous lives, Bao Li finally lost what little cool he had left. Planting his feet with his knees wide and looking for all the world like an irate earthbender despite his complete lack of ability, he reached into the inside pocket of his linen vest and withdrew the one thing he hadn't bothered to try yet - the coin purse that caused the whole mess in the first place.

"You can tell me you dunno the truth all you want, and go on livin' like you are now - but I couldn't live with myself if you just walked away now! Take your money back, lady! " Winding his arm over his head and swinging his hand back in an exaggerated motion, Bao Li braced himself and let the bag fly - right at the back of Ikeru's head - with as much force as he could muster. As it flew at the brainwashed woman, the loose knot in the coin purse string came loose. Gold showered the market square like it had a week ago, coins rattling across the flagstones like a tinkling rainstorm. It was almost empty before it even made it as far as Ikeru.

Bao Li shot looks left and right, challenging any of the nearby adults to step in, his face a mask of rage. Not a single other body in the market made a grab for the coins, despite his diminutive size and obvious inability to defend the fallen money. He waited for the reaction he was sure winging the coin purse would get him, coins spinning to a halt and finally collapsing, filling the space between the retreating benders.

[ikeru]

Arms already sliding back into her loose sleeves, Joo Dee practically glided down the quickly-thinning streets and flashing an exuberant smile at every happy citizen she saw. Visions of sweetly fried rice balls danced in her head as her hips, padded by the thick fabric of her robe, swayed just slightly with each step. She was too far away for Bao Li's verbal outburst to affect her, but the sharp pain of one lucky gold coin striking her in the back of her head forced her to spin on her heels and watch in unconscious dismay as more gold coins, what looked to be at least twenty of them, fall through the air in a lazy arc and plop down in a swerving line starting from Bao Li and ending at her feet.

Almost at once, she dropped to her knees and greedily snatched the money off the ground, examining the smudged gold with an untrained but almost professional eye and deeming them to be legitimate. Who would throw away perfectly good money like that? More importantly, who would literally throw money like that, especially at her? For the Spirit's sake, she was Ba Sing Se's most trusted tour guide! She deserved a little respect! Climbing back to her feet and wincing, she gingerly kneaded the blooming bruise on the back of her head and fixed Bao Li with a nasty glare. All formalities and politeness had just been tossed out the window. She advanced slowly on him, like a proud and fierce lioness against a weak and injured turtle-duck.

"Listen to me, little boy," she spat, the last two words positively dripping with a malice she never knew she had, "I've tried being nice to you and I've tried being polite to you, and now you're gonna act a damn fool and frigging throw money at me? What do I look like, some kinda cheap whore? Huh!" The grunt had been torn out of her as she suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth, shocked at herself for talking in such a manner to the poor, defenseless citizen that she loved as equally as she loved the richer citizens. It was rude and completely out of line! What was her problem? Slowly shaking her head, Joo Dee dug her fingers into her cheek, sealing off her mouth even further and started to back away in embarrassment...but the glint of warm sunlight, magnified to a harsh shine on a coin she didn't pick up, caught her attention.

Joo Dee could hear a low murmuring start up somewhere in the back of her head, chattering on and on like a noisy squirrel-monkey; it was saying something she couldn't make out, but she was sure it was something she didn't want to hear. Shielding her eyes from the light with the back of her hand, she stumbled blindly to her left and crashed right into a fruit vendor's cart. Ripe berries spilled over the sides and splattered on the dirt ground, squirting juice and bits of rind over her shoes. Joo Dee nervously glanced up at Bao Li, then to the coins, her hands which trembled fiercely, and back to Bao Li as the murmuring in her head climbed into a deafening roar. Now she could hear quite clearly what the voice was saying in her head, and she was right for the most part: she didn't want to hear it...but she did, too. She wanted to hear it.

YOU ARE NOT JOO DEE YOU ARE NOT JOO DEE YOU ARE NOT JOO DEE YOU ARE NOT JOO DEE.

Clapping her shaking hands over her ears, Joo Dee collapsed to her knees and uttered a piercing shriek that sent flocks of pigeon-hawks flying into the air and hordes of people scuttling away, leaving, as far as she knew, only herself and Bao Li in the area. "I am Joo Dee!" she cried, frightened out of her mind yet unable to silence that blasted voice in her mind. Of course she was Joo Dee! Her mother was named Joo Dee, her grandmother was named Joo Dee, every woman in her family as far as she could learn back was named Joo Dee! She came from a long line of city tour guides! There was nothing to worry about!

So then why was she acting so crazy?

A succession of images zipped through her mind, memories she never knew she had: the Dai Li; an underground lake; a solemn-faced hair stylist; the short bald man wearing a livid sneer; surging shadows; rock fists pummeling her. It was all happening so fast. What stuck out most for her, though, was a picture that stood out the longest in her mind, a picture that boiled her blood and seemingly wiped the effects of the extensive brainwashing clean in one fell swoop: the filthy little BAD! Bao Li swiping her money off the ground and lying to her face about stealing it. He did it! He was the one who stole it! So did that chrome-dome fool Jochi! They stole her money and made her like this and she would make them pay.

Breathing heavily she shakily got back to her feet, hunched over while her knees and elbows quivered. Grinding her teeth and looking like the craziest little tour guide who ever did live, she easily dropped into a stance, mindful of the heavy cloth shoes around her feet (and yes, that only fueled her anger), and slammed her fist into the ground. Two twisting lines of warped earth sprang from the dent in the ground, one aimed right for Bao Li and, if she was lucky, the other branching away easily from the first and coming straight for Jochi.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she was Ikeru again...and she was furious.

[jochi]

Something was wrong, but Jochi kept on walking undeterred. It was very strange that Joo Dee started to rant and swear like he had never heard before, but even stranger were the crashes he heard afterward. Ah, surely one of the fine citizens of Ba Sing Sei would offer their assistance to the woman and he could escape that odd boy quickly. Jochi was polite, but his patience still had limits around people who failed to uphold the city's sparkling standards.

Before he knew it, he was knocked off his feet and slammed into the ground with a great deal of force. He wrote off the aproaching tremors as mere temper tantrums from the suddenly out-of-character Joo Dee, but he never expected his feet to be twisted and to be thrown several yards away violently. The poor sandbender who suffered head injury more than a few times was thrown head-first into a jewelry cart. Making this worse was the fact that his turban partially unraveled in flight, eliminating any protection to his rock-like head as it crashed through the cart's wooden body.

Jochi was out like a light. As much seeing a pale, sun-drenched desert that went on forever would have been nice, his head was crowded by far too many other images. Some disturbing, some far from it.

Throwing a tantrum came to mind, as did forcing some kid's face intp the sand for some reason. Crushing an enemy sand nomad's trachea with his bare hands, or the night where first he tasted the sweet nectar of lust. A left hook almost breaking his jaw at good ol' Misty Palms, and the cruel laughter of a girl his age lording her superior sandbending skills over a certain bald child.

What.
The.
Hell.

Was he a citizen of that spirit-forsaken city? No, he was a sandbender, born and bred! What did they do to him? Damned pointy-hat guys stealing his mind! After rubbing his head, his eyes swimming around for a second, the first thing Jochi felt inclined to do was vomit rather violently. Unfortunately, he did, but that didn't stop the harsh outcry that boomed from his mouth and the following stomp that sent street tiles flying everywhere. Even at that skinny witch and the grubby little boy who somehow failed his notice.