One of Those Days <Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom>

[ikeru]

There was no time for Ikeru to react, not even enough time to utter what was sure to be her last swear word. As the stone glove fastened itself over her mouth, the hard fingers digging into her cheeks, she winced half out of pain and half out of her own stupidity as it slowly dawned on her that maybe she had finally messed with the wrong guys. Maybe. She could do nothing as another stone glove secured itself to the back of her shirt and brought her closer to Jochi than she would ever want to be.

Really, Ikki was quite helpless. Not unlike Jochi, she felt more angry than afraid at all of the possibilities of just how her life was going to end. If she had known things would've ended like this, well...she was more pissed at not blowing that pouch of gold on sake like she had wanted to. Stupid responsibilities!

What else could she do? The only evidence of her anger being the crease between her eyebrows, since the rest of face was being smothered by a rock hand, she quietly plotted her revenge on Jochi, Bao Li, the Dai Li, and pretty much the whole world as she was dragged down the deserted street of Ba Sing Se.

It really did turn out to be One of Those Days. Curse her luck.

[Ikeru has been dragged out of the thread and possibly her freedom.]

[baoli]

Bao Li poked his head out of the alleyway as the two benders were carted off by the Dai Li. He made his way over to his stashed tools, retrieving them as he thought about the morning's happenings and tucking them, along with the single coin, back into his vest. The whole incident would be the talk of the market for a few days; he'd have to lay low or risk being forced into some uncomfortable conversations with adults. Somewhere inside his mind, there was a tiny pang of guilt nagging at him for not speaking up, and not doing something to help. It was squished like a bug by his rational mind, which weighed the facts thus:

1) There were two benders involved, and both were gunning for him. Or at least didn't care if he got hurt in their fight.
2) They were both really, really mean people.
3) He was 12. And no bender. There wasn't anything he could do to help them even if he wanted to - the Dai Li would have utterly destroyed him.

Nodding to himself, Bao Li turned to leave the market square proper - it was then that he noticed it. Ikeru had dropped the very thing that had started this whole fight. Her coin purse. He darted over to it, making sure it was still closed, and tucked it in with his tool kit. His first instinct was to spend it, gorging himself on good food for as long as it lasted, but a nagging voice inside his head wouldn't let him. It just didn't feel right, stealing from someone that down and out. Especially not after the Dai Li had dragged them off.

Instead, he took only the one coin he had won fair and square - the rest, he would keep until that woman turned up again. He was sure she would. Anyone who fought that hard couldn't be beaten that easily, even if the Dai Li were involved.

[BAO LI HAS LEFT THE BUILDING THREAD]