Returning to Station <Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom>

[taren]

Taren's teeth felt like they might well shatter, he had then gripped together so hard. Despite the anger swelling in his guts his face was emotionless and the strain in his jaw all the outward sign of his inner feelings. He didn't like being criticized for doing what he felt was the right thing.

"While our nation is at war, you go wandering through the wilderness, looking for a pair of children? That is all the excuse that you can muster, Captain?" The ranking officer wasn't trying to hide his anger with Taren as he continued the lecturing. Taren had been standing here for half an hour, having to remain perfectly at attention and listen to this man berate him.

Yes, he had left his post, but he'd done so because he felt he had a duty to detain and question the strangers. Unfortunately, when he sent his soldiers back to their station while he searched, they'd been attacked by the Fire Nation, probably the very same ones that they hid from when he first met the children. And now Taren was on the hook for their deaths. As well he should be. They were his men, he had failed to protect them.

Taren remained silent, his commander continued his speech. Finally, after another half hour, the commander fell silent. Taren's legs were beginning to ache. He was strong, but standing at attention for an hour was a difficult task.

"You've been reassigned, Sergent Dun," said the commander, after a minute of silence. Taren felt his heart drop at the words. They'd demoted him then. He'd worked hard to get to where he'd been... his family would be shamed for this.

"Yes sir..." Replied Taren without his usual enthusiasm.

"Dismissed. Pick up your new orders at the desk..."

***********

Taren stood outside the army's headquarters, a scroll in hand. His new orders, new station. He was supposed to leave in two days... he might as well leave now, there was nothing in the city for him. He couldn't bear to have his family see him after this disgrace.

Perhaps... perhaps he should just try and enjoy some free time? He'd never really had any time off before. Maybe it would prove to be... fun.

[suoh]

Suoh was walking down the street. He didn't really know why he had entered this city, except that it hadn't been for food. Suoh hadn't had any money for several days and had been surviving off of the land. He hadn't slept properly, either.

Suoh turned onto a busy street. Surely he would be able to find some odds-and-ends jobs here that he could do for a little extra money. There were always jobs in places like this.

Suoh walked down the crowded street. He smelled the familiar merchant-stench. Sweat mixed with animal feces mixed with...sweat. Suoh asked around for a while for jobs, but everyone seemed to have children who they made do their tasks for free. Great, Suoh thought, They've discovered slave-labor. I'll never get a job again when word gets out.

Suoh left the market street, feeling very dejected. He didn't even really watch where he was walking and so he was very startled when he walked right into someone. He dropped his staff in surprise and hurriedly picked it up. "I am so sorry!" He called out automatically, only then looking up at the person into whom he'd bumped.

[taren]

Taren turned slowly at the feeling of someone bumping into him. The impact had barely shaken him, but he was fairly sure that whoever hit him would have been a little more disturbed. What he saw was a little suprising.

"Are you alright?" Taren would have offer the boy a hand if he'd fallen over but he seemed to be on his feet well enough. He didn't look so healthy though, a little thinner than he should.

[suoh]

Suoh looked at the man. He was monstrous. Sure, Suoh was 5'7", but this man was huge. Suoh looked away after a moment. He was very intimidated. If this man should turn out to be a Firebender, then Suoh had no idea what he would do to avoid capture.

Suoh reiterated, "Sorry. I'm fine, really." He turned around, keeping his head low, and began to walk away from the man. He looked once, furtively, over his shoulder to make sure the man wasn't following. Just as a precaution he bended on his stone staff, making it slightly longer and thinner so that he could fight the man while keeping his distance, should the man turn out to be a Fire Nation soldier.

[taren]

Taren watched the boy slowly walk away. Strange how fast the boy turned and left. He looked like he'd been afraid. Taren slowly turned around completely, watching the boy slip back into the crowd. Why would someone be afraid of a soldier? Of course he was a big guy, but anyone from the Earth Kingdom should know what he was... which meant that kid couldn't be from the Earth Kingdom.

In fact... if he was afraid of an Earth Soldier, then chances were he was trying to avoid them. And the only people he knew who would try to avoid soldiers in the Earth Kingdom where Fire Nation soldiers, and spies. Well, the kid wasn't a Fire Soldier... so he must be a spy.

Taren's mouth set in a hard line. Well, looked like his day had just gotten more interesting. He started walking, parting the crowd of people easily, following quickly after the boy. Maybe he was just a nervous homeless kid, but this was not a time to be taking chances. Better to find out for sure just who and what he was.

[suoh]

Suoh glanced around him in the crowd. He saw the large man. Suoh didn't take any chances. He bended his staff to bring it to a large knot at the head, whortening it some. He looked around for a place to hide. Then he heard the merchant call out:

"Fried cabbage! Come get the best fried cabban in Bai Seng Sei!" Bai Seng Sei?

Suoh stopped and almost laughed aloud. He bended his staff back to normalcy and stopped running. Bai Seng Sei! he thought, laughing at himself, There are no Fire Nation soldiers in Bai Seng Sei!

Suoh went over to the man and thanked him. The man gave him an odd look, and as Suoh walked away he heard someone exclaim, "Ooh! Look! Fried cabbage!" A second later he heard the crunch of someone biting into it and then, "Ohh! Gross! That is the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten!

[taren]

It was a little difficult to keep the boy in sight through the crowds, even if Taren did have a higher vantage point to watch from. Luckily, after only a short ways, the boy stopped and... and started laughing. Well, that wasn't what Taren had expected at all. Maybe the kid wasn't a spy, he was just crazy? Only one way to find out.

Taren worked the rest of the way through the crowd until he was next to the boy again. The kid had started moving away again, but just walking, not looking concerned at all. "Boy," said Taren, reaching down to catch Suoh's shoulder, "Where are you from?"

The boy wasn't much to look at. A little thin, average height. Really he looked just like anybody else in the city except for looking slightly underfed. And really there were plenty of unfed people around since the war had begun. The Fire Nation had destoryed alot of farms so there wasn't as much food, and what there was wasn't always the best.

[suoh]

Suoh felt himself being spun around. He looked up into the eyes of the assailant and, on instinct, bended his staff to be more broad. He saw it was the man and immediately unbended the staff. "I am Suoh. I am from a small Earth Kingdom village. My mother and father are both deceased, I am a traveler. I am an enemy of the Fire Nation and you are an Earth Kingdom Soldier. We are on the same side."

He looked up at the face and felt a resolve gather in his stomach. He felt a warmth spread through his body as his courage spread through his entire self.

He looked down at the hand still on his shoulder and, using his free hand, showed a surprising strength by brushing it off easily. He then examined his shirt and saw a small wrinkle. He smoothed it out, trying to keep this last tie to his home in good condition. After the wrinkle had been smoothed, he looked back up at the man.

"Do you know anywhere around here that needs a little hand for some money? I am broke and I want to earn some money."

[atalanta]

Mesheiko felt incredibly weary as Banshee approached the gates with trudging steps. Had it been a few hours or a few days since they had set out from Kei Lan? Where had they intended to go? Somehow Mesheiko felt that Midori wouldn't want to come to capital city on a day like this, but he felt compelled to enter.

He dismounted from Banshee, and gave a quick tug on the reins to tell the emu this was no rest stop. Then, his mind began to spin worries. How would he explain Banshee?

The guards only let certain people in, often times demanding a notice. But, with so many Fire Nation riff-raff around, cautious was better. Mesheiko was anxious, here was the great city that had held its own all these hundred years of war. As he approached forward, Mesheiko saw how. Walls of pure rock and other substances made up the walls surrounding the city, seeming to reach for the sky. Twenty guards stood outside the gates, fully clad in armor, while archers and Earthbenders sat perched in niches of the walls at the very tip-top. One of the twenty walked up to him, sword drawn, and a rock hovered over Mesheiko's head. "You there, boy! What be your business in Bai Seng Sai?" the guard shouted toward Mesheiko, a fierce look in the guard's eye.

"Here we are, Midori. The great city of Bai Seng Sei." he whispered behind him. Turning to the guard, Mesheiko raised his voice.

"My sister and I are simply travelers, coming to see our grandparents."

The guard raised his eyebrow and gave Mesheiko a funny look, but called something up. The gates of solid stone split into halves and then each half retreated to the side, then the guard gestured for them to enter.

Banshee immediately strode in, holding his neck high. Mesheiko, of course, wanted to look inconspicious and blend in with the crowds, but no such luck. He briefly glanced around at the various shops and markets, and noticed soldiers out and about in the street.

Perfect place to enlist, Mesheiko thought.

[midori]

Midori slowly followed behind Banshee, her bright eyes absorbing everything. She had never been to Ba Seng Sei before, and her heart pumped with pride as she saw its tall, elegant walls and the many people who walked quickly around the great capital city. Being in this place was a great privilage. It, like its people, had survived this long war and was continuing to thrive.

Just being in Ba Seng Sei made a wide grin fill Midori's rosey cheeks and her posture straightened, her strides long and confident. This was her nation, her home. Although, a small pit did form in her stomach, for she still knew naught of the fate of her friends. Midori wiped sweat off of her bang-covered brow as she evened her stride with Mesheiko's.

"This.. is so amazing..." Midori commented as she turned her gaze away from the buzy streets to Mesheiko, her green eyes glistening in the sun. She would have mentioned something about Xia Feng and the others, but she didn't want to ruin this priceless moment.

[suoh]

Suoh looked away from Taren after a few silent seconds. He glanced around the crowd, hoping that he would notice a place that looked understaffed. As he glanced around he saw an odd creature near the gates, at the end of the semi-crowded street. It was a very odd-looking creature, shaggy fur and a long neck. Suoh had never seen anything like it before.

He turned his gaze from the creature after a moment and continued gazing over the area. He saw a booth maybe forty yards away, fairly near to the creature and the people leading it. It looks understaffed, and I'll get a chance to get a better look at that odd....thing. he thought, and began to walk away from Taren.

His head looked at the ground, his shoulders slumped as he tried to blend in with the crowd and be inconspicuous. He reached the stall, his stomach making a gurgling noise from hunger just as he did so. The man running the stand had no children around him, but that didn't mean they weren't off doing errands. Still, though, Suoh had to try for a job.

"Excuse me, sir. Could you use some assistance running errands and such? I am willing to do them for you in exchange for a little money."

The man eyed him for a second. "Yeah, alright. I suppose you might do. Here, stand next to the stall and sell things to people while I go to see a bathroom. The price guide is just to your left. If anyone tries to steal anything, take 'em out." With that the man left, ambling into the crowd, looking for a latrine.

[taren]

Taren was silent for a while, mulling over everything in his head. He liked to be very sure of his words before he said anything, and there was alot to be considered here. The child seemed to be a member of his own people but very confused, as if he hadn't known where he was. And how could someone from the Earth Nation not know they where Bai Seng Sai? He hadn't he come in past the guards? He'd have had to know... unless he come in another way. One where there were no guards. An unprotected entrance? That would not be a good thing. He had to find out if that was the case.

Following the boy towards the stools Taren stopped besides the booth Suoh had taken up work in. He didn't say anything for a moment, then he slowly took a few coins from his pocket, laid them down on the table, and picked up a pair of the apples the booth was selling. He handed one out to Suoh. "You look hungry."

[suoh]

Suoh took the apple gratefully. It was firm and sweet. He knew this before he even bit into it, and his mouth began to water slightly. He looked up at his unannounced benefactor. "Thanks," he said, and then, after a moment, asked a question that had newly formed in his mind, "Say, why are you being nice?" He was curious. People often were not nice to vagrants that they met on the street. Suoh had learned that because he was often mistaken for a vagrant.

Just the same he bit into the apple, hearing a resounding crunch as his teeth sinked into the firm skin of the fruit, tasting the juice. The juice of the fruit was more sweet than he had imagined. He looked back up at the man, still greedily chomping away at the apple. He liked this man because he seemed genuinely kind, but that didn't mean that he trusted the man. Suoh was no fool.

[atalanta]

He felt as if the eyes of the entire population of Bai Seng Sei were on him. Banshee strolled about merrily, poking his beak into baskets, nudging people, and causing a general uproar in the streets.

"Who's letting that beast run loose?"

"I thought the soldiers kept their emus in check.", were a few comments Mesheiko heard running and pushing through the crowds as he tried to catch up to Banshee.

"Excuse me, pardon me, sorry!" he shouted, shoving a few people aside. He stumbled for a moment, then hurriedly jumped to his feet and took up running again.

Mesheiko looked over his shoulder to see if Midori was following, but when he looked forward, he had lost all sight of Banshee.

"Oh no.." he muttered, and looked around frantically.

Mesheiko finally spotted him a good distance, standing right behind a very intimidating man, who stood near a teenage boy that earlier Mesheiko caught glancing at he, Banshee, and Midori. The emu nudged the man in the arm, and simultaneously, Mesheiko grabbed hold of the emu's tether.

"I'm sorry, sir. My emu here has a mind all his own."

[midori]

Once Mesheiko had begun his frantic chase of Banshee, Midori made swift strides to keep up close behind him. Running in these busy streets was not an easy task, however. Midori was used to running along in the woods alone; here, people crowded around the young woman from all sides, breaking her off from Mesheiko and causing her to lose sight of him on more than one occasion. Many times she ran into the backs of men and women, as well as the occasional soldier. She mumbled her apologies each time, but she was growing rather tired and worried that she would get lost in the crowd.

Face flushed from the heat and mild frustration, Midori slowed her pace a bit, now participating in more looking than running. She didn't spot Mesheiko or Banshee for a few moments, but finally her gaze fell over the two of them near a stand.

Not wanting to get seperated from the two again, Midori ran quickly over to them, wrapping her arms around Banshee's neck when she caught up to them. She hung limply off of the emu, smiling shyly at Mesheiko and the two other men at the stand.

"Hello." She panted, not having much breath from her sprint for anything else.