The Fire Nation Capital

He's done it now. He really messed up! A handsome, dark haired boy rushed through the streets of the fire nation capital, the sun beating down relentlessly on the red tiled roofs and the people passing by. Of course the natives didn't mind the heat, Mallo did. Especially with all of his water tribe gear on. He didn't have any time to change that though, because he had a few people chasing after him, a nice selection of men from the Fire Nation Army. Mallo couldn't really blame them, though. The whole mess was his fault. The young boy got word about an Order meeting about some water nation prisoners. He did his best sneaking up on the roof to eavesdrop on their conversation, and was almost successful until the old roof tiles broke and his waist fell through the roof. He managed to get out, freeze a few guys with some glasses of water, and run out of the building.

"Okay... Okay, you got this, Mallo. You're just running from a group of deadly soldiers in the heart of their nation." The man muttered, a bit out of breath as he looked behind him, seeing the soldiers following him relentlessly. He turned his head back forward just in time to see some black cloaked figures coming out of the alleyways, weapons drawn. Mallo yelped and then instinctively slid down onto his knees, bending backwards as he slid across the ground, barely missing the weapon's blades. As he got up, his moved his hands and legs in a methodical fashion, and with the movements, a stream of water came out of two windows next to the cloaked figures, sending them flying into the wall.

Mallo knew who the cloaked figures were, the golden circle, divided by four wave-like lines, with each nation's symbol within it gave it all away. They were members of The Order. The people Mallo believed took his parents away from him... But he had no real proof, or evidence, or much of a lead... but the images of Master Lao flashed back to him, and the fear he felt. He had to keep going, to find a place to hide! The young water bender managed to jump onto a window sill, jumping up to the next one until he was on the roof, and then he once again took of. He could feel fire blasts shooting after him, knowing that since he attacked them, they could do the same thing.

It didn't take long for Mallo to reach the end of the roofs. He was now facing the cliff that lead to a lake down below. He could see the capital building from here, with its giant wall protecting the Fire Lord... He would have liked the view, if he wasn't joined by Order members, and Fire soldiers. He backed up to the edge where he couldn't go any farther, and held up his arms. "Uh... I'm sorry?" Mallo said with an apologetic smile, not really knowing what else to say. An order member stepped forward, in a stance that looked like a fire bending technique. "By the laws of the Fire Nation, and the Order, you're coming with us. Don't do anything stupid, boy." The man said, a dark tone in his voice.

Mallo rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Don't worry... I always do something stupid!" Mallo bent down, and went into his stance, waving his hands out as water emerged from the pouch on his back, stopping a barrage of fire and rock as the water froze over. The impact though made him lose balance, and with another yell he tried to balance himself one last time before falling off the building, down the cliff.

The crowd of soldiers rushed towards the end of the building, looking down to see the fate of the boy, but what they saw left them in absolute and utter awe.

The boy known as Mallo, the orphaned water bender was floating in the air, his arms and legs crossed, and his eyes glowing a pale blue. He slowly rose, a bubble of air surrounding him as he looked down at the soldiers. Although the Fire Nation Soldiers stood still in awe, The Order took action. They attacked the boy, rocks and fire blasting at him, but with no effect. Mallo couldn't really think he felt as if his mind was detached from his body, looking on at the scene... But he could feel the hate and anger that he hid for The Order bubble up after so long. The Order kept attacking, but a giant wave of fire erupted from a single wave of the boy's hand, pushing the attack back. Mallo's body stretched out, still levitating in air, and a giant wall of water from the lake below erupted up to them. The water flew towards them at blinding speeds, and it flushed them away, flying in the air. As they hit the ground, they saw the boy followed after them, still floating and glaring.

Before they could get up, the ground around them rose, slowly until they reached their necks, and stopping. They watched in horror as the boy got closer and closer. A crowd had formed, all in awe at the sight, a little scared and curious on what the boy would do next... But he didn't do a thing. He simply fell to the ground, and then collapsed, the wind, water, and earth stopping instantly as the boy fell unconscious.





It had been weeks after the incident happened. Weeks after the Avatar had made himself known, and almost killed Order Members. Word spread almost immediately, all excited for the fact that the Avatar had not left them, but had been in hiding for years. Why had he done it? Who kept him a secret? Was it a plan devised by him, or by the Order? They didn't know for sure, but to be honest, Mallo from the Norther Water Tribe had no idea that he would one day be the Avatar.

He woke up hours after what had happened, scared and confused. But a poor family managed to take him in the commotion and hide him away. The whole city attempted to find the Avatar, but Mallo had already left the capital, on his way back to a place he knew he could get some help.

It took him a little bit but he had finally made it to Ba Sing Se, where he immediately made contact with his friend Ty, and they hid out in silence. Of course his friend was surprised to hear that Mallo was the Avatar, and a part of him felt like Ty didn't believe him... But to be fair, Mallo couldn't believe it either. He grew up learning how to bend water in a small fishing tribe! He never knew how to spout fire, or make earth erupt from the ground, or fly! He just felt like he was an unlucky water bender who couldn't catch a break. Now he was the most wanted man in the world.

The realization shocked him a bit. He was a mischievous boy, who didn't really take in mind what was best for the world. He was a single man army, someone powerful enough to destroy a nation in a heartbeat... but, he wasn't technically. He was still only a water bender. He would have to master the other elements. For now, though, he stayed quiet, not making a public appearance as "The Avatar." He did attack fire soldiers, and Order members. He probably had to answer to that, but a part of him said that going to The Order was a bad idea... So for now, he will stay as Mallo.

He finally had enough nerve to walk the streets of Ba Sing Se, through the market district. People shopping for clothes, weapons, tea, food, people performing for money, or playing instruments. Mallo missed the crowded streets, and seeing people so happy... or at least most of them.

He noticed a group of smaller kids walking through the crowds, getting dangerously close to food stalls, and then getting shoo'ed away. They were homeless, tired, and looked beyond hungry. It hurt Mallo's heart a bit and a thought came to his mind. He was the Avatar now. He had to make sure people lived in happiness, even thieving kids. Mallo knew what it was like to live on the streets for so long, not knowing when he'd get to eat next. He had to take initiative.

Mallo had no money, he hadn't been able to get out in days due to his previous incident, but that didn't stop him from going up to the group of kids. "Hey, guys... Uh, I'm gonna try and get you some food, I'll be right back." Mallo did his best to sound heroic and casual, but he felt a little nervous, their tiny little eyes staring at him, judging... Mallo gave a weak smile and nod before he exited the alley they were in, and back into the crowds.

It didn't take him long to gather a few things very slyly. His Water tribe attire had a lot of room to hide things. It hadn't been the first time he had stolen food, and although he felt a bit guilty about doing it once more, it was for a good cause. He had almost made it successfully back to the alleyway until he heard a man screaming behind him. He tried his best to not turn around, but the man screamed of someone stealing, and the crowd backed away from him.

Mallo slowly turned around, his attention turning to a stranger next to him, pointing. "yeah, thief!!! Get them, officers!" Mallo tried to yell convincingly, a finger pointed at the stranger, but as he did so, a piece of food fell onto the ground, followed by a couple other things. The boy gave a weak laugh and quickly tried to pick it up, but it was no use. Earth Kingdom warriors appeared from the crowd.

Mallo had a strange sense of deja vu as he ran a hand through his messy hair, giving one more grin before bolting towards the alleyway. He could feel the rock hands being thrown at him, to try and get him to stop. He tried to zig zag so that they couldn't take the ground from under him, and he successfully made it to the alley where he tossed the food towards the kids, and kept going without stopping. He rushed past a stall, and with a quick twirl and swing of his hand, the pot of water next to it erupted into a wall of ice, making some of the soldiers. hit it hard.

Mallo started to panic. He didn't want this to end like his trip to the Fire Nation, but a thought went through his mind... could it be this simple? Mallo stopped in the middle of the road, turning to the four men and holding up his hands. "Guys, guys... Look, I took that food for a very important reason. It was my duty as... the Avatar... I was saving those kids from starving!" Mallo did his best to say "The Avatar" as quietly as he could and yet still be a distance from the men. Their expressions were either confused, or amused at the thought.

"Mallo, most of us have known you ever since you first came to this city. You've been in and out of trouble for years, the last thing you are is the Avatar!" One of them laughed, causing the others to join in. Mallo's expression turned sour, rolling his eyes as the men continued to laugh. "It's true! said in an almost whiney manner.

That didn't stop the laughter, instead, one of them shot a rocky hand towards him, where it managed to get one of his foot. Malo panicked and tried to unlatch it, but it was no use. He saw the others getting ready for more hands, but Mallo wasn't going to let that happen. He still had the control of three of his limbs. He got into formation, and then swung his arms to unleash water from his pouch, trying to see if any other source of water was around to help him in this fight.

He managed to swipe away a few of the hands, but he knew he couldn't do this much longer... He either had to learn earth bending immediately as the Avatar... or some other miracle.

---

Rikuo noticed the commotion in the market of Ba Sing Se. As he squeezed through the crowd, he saw it. He was there just in time to see it. It was him. There was no mistaking that jet black hair, that face and that outfit. He'd be damned if he didn't know who it was. Though he wanted to think that it wasn't, but he only let out an exasperated sigh. He watched the boy disappear into the alleyway and he shook his head.

"I can't believe it. That kid's in trouble again..."

He began rethinking what had happened in the past few days that led to this moment of his life. Around a week ago, he was simply travelling between kingdoms still in search for more benders. He had cataloged a lot of them in his journals - having to buy one every so often because it keeps running out of pages. He had just exited the kingdom of Omashu. He always enjoyed the sight of Omashu and their intricate mail system.

In his stay there, he had managed to finally convince someone to explain to him how they thought up the idea. It needed a lot of Earth benders, sure, but it was quick and efficient. After all, these packages can't be carried by a falcon like his. At least you wouldn't need to lug something around to take to your friend at the opposite side of the district right?

After that, he decided that maybe he should head over to the Fire Nation. Sure, that place was a little bit too hot but he had heard of the fire performers that were on the rise and decided to see what he can learn from them. However, Jinyu had arrived carrying a letter. It was the response his parents had given to him. They detailed how a young man, a Water bender, had returned to the Northern Water Tribe in search for his parents. They then decided that maybe Rikuo wanted to meet this person.

He did. He was then informed that he was most likely headed for Ba Sing Se. And so he decided to change course and head for the Impenetrable City. He wondered what kind of young man this was. They never gave him a name so he was certainly in for a surprise. Only after a short while, he found himself at the present time.

Mallo was once again in trouble with the Earth Kingdom. From what he was hearing, apparently the guy had stolen some food. He groaned once more as he squeezed through the crowd and walked behind the soldiers who were chasing after him. Now what should he do? Should he offer to pay? No, he might not have enough money for that. He certainly couldn't leave that kid alone. Fight then? Gah, this was difficult.

Rikuo arrived just in time to hear Mallo claim that he was the Avatar. He narrowed his eyes at the male. The Avatar? Him? No, impossible. Could it be? Whatever, that didn't matter right now.

Taking the hilt, he inserted it into his pouch and took it out, a stream of water following. He then raised the whip and sent it to destroy the rock hand that immobilized Mallo. "Come now, can't we be a bit more civilized? Let's talk this out. Have Mallo pay in labor perhaps?" He said but kept his water whip active just in case it goes ugly. He didn't prefer it, but if it had to happen, then he had no choice.

He should really stop involving himself with this idiot of a kid.

The commotion caused by the rogue Water bender a few weeks ago over at Capital City certainly caught the attention of more than just The Order and the Fire Nation army. Third-parties interested in the various bounties offered by the authorities were also looking for the newly resurfaced Avatar but one particular man wanted something grander. Though he lacked bending and martial prowess, he had at his disposal the most powerful tool when searching for a missing person: money.

It didn't take long for a lead to pop up, as rumors of a Water tribe boy being taken in by a family in the slums were quick to reach Koji's ears, though not before said boy had left the city. It took quite the effort for him to coax an answer from this unfortunate family but the offer of employment under Merchant Juuzuo's company with a considerable signing bonus and the assurance of this Water bender's safety had given him his next clue: Ba Sing Se. With this in mind, Koji was off on the next available ship to this renowned Earth Kingdom city.

However, this proved to be quite a waste of time. Days passed, bleeding into weeks, and yet nothing came up. Outside of the Fire Nation capital, Koji was just a nobody with some coins that most Earth Kingdom shopkeepers were hesitant to accept. The few shopkeepers that certainly would did not deal in rumors and manhunting leads but they did sell some delicious Jennamite over at a food stall in the the market district. During his latest visit though, Koji's patronage could not be accommodated on account of a thief stealing his precious Jennamite! Or more specifically, the shopkeeper was too busy giving a statement to the Ba Sing Se authorities to accommodate anyone.

Soon after though, a commotion in the market crowd had singled out a lone individual as the troublemaker. As Koji decided to trail this thief as he had denied him the only solace he had on this hopeless journey, his luck was soon to change. The thief was wearing Water Tribe garb. It was a slim lead but the few Water tribesmen that Koji had seen in the city did not match the descriptions he had learned of except for this one.

The authorities soon cornered the thief in an alleyway but an ally of his emerged from the crowd to assist him. Deciding to not get involved just yet, Koji stayed within the mob to patiently see if this was the man he had searched for: The Avatar.

After a couple of weeks of wandering from village to village, Mozu had finally reached Ba Sing Se. It had been on the top of her list of places to visit since it was where the traveler was from and had spoke most vividly of. She spent a minute to admire the great walls. She did not know man was capable of building such things. She was a bit tired and hungry from her long journey, but was too excited to stop and rest. So she walked along the marketplace, in search of anything pretty to bring back to her tribe and to hear what the people were gossiping about.

That was when she heard a cry.

She rushed over to where the cry originated and saw a man wearing clothing from the Water Tribe running. Then the Earth Kingdom warriors ran after him. It was obvious what was going to happen but she decided to follow them anyways. As she followed them, she noticed the thief throwing food at hungry street children. "How could such a grand city with so much food have starving children?" she thought to herself as she ran past them.

When she caught up to them, the thief was already surrounded. But now, he also had an ally who was apparently a water bender. The water bender tried to negotiate with the Earth Kingdom warriors, but Mozu was not convinced that it would work. "He really was just trying to feed the hungry children," she said, walking toward the scene. "But I'll be willing to pick up the tab if you tell me how much he owes." She offers both parties a smile.

However, when she was told how much was owed, her face instantly paled. There was no way food could be that expensive! No wonder those children were starving! And she definitely did not have that money. "Hm... So... what were you saying about manual labor,
again?"

(open for interaction)

Fire Nation Capital Order Embassy

It has been 2 weeks after the incident with the avatar being revealed. The world was in a panic as to what would happen next. The thought of her goal never left her mind when it occurred and since there was no word from the higher ups yet, she put all of her focus on training. The young woman vigorously sparred with a couple of Order grunts. Successfully taking down 4 of them with ease. The years spent under harsh training paid off, as Nora became a superb bender. She was going to be turning 19 in just a month, yet she was better than a good half of the older benders that are still stuck doing grunt work. Of course, there was always room to grow, she wasn't nearly as good as the top benders in the Order. One of them being her father, who she hasn't even seen in a week since the avatar revealed himself.

Nora finished up training and headed back to her room within the embassy to change out of her sparring outfit. There wasn't much in her room, a bed, a closet, a few scholar scrolls. She devoted her life to the Order, and never stepped anywhere outside the Fire Nation Capital.

Suppertime was almost upon them and Nora was ready to head to the dining hall when a knock on the door took her by surprise. Then entered her father followed by 2 bodyguards, one of them holding a small red box embellished with gold.
"Father, what brings you by?" Eliza bowed at his presence.
When she leaned back up, the man placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My beautiful strong Nora. As you know the news of the avatar has been spreading around and by now everyone is on the hunt for him." He spoke in a solemn tone. He continued,
"There are now rumors that the avatar escaped to the Earth Kingdom. Some of our own agents are already out there on the hunt for him, I have spoken to the council and they've agreed to let you do the same." Nora couldn't believe the words coming out of her father's mouth.
She bowed once more, "Thank you for this opportunity father I won't let you or the Order down." Her heart pounded with excitement as the day that she dreamed of finally arrived.

"Because it will be your birthday soon, I have a gift for you." One guard steps forward with the box and lifts up the lid. Her father reaches his hand in and pulls out a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a lily with a small symbol of the order in the middle. He links it around her neck and steps back.
"You will leave by tomorrow morning and travel to the Order Embassy in Ba Sing Se." Her father leaves without another word leaving Nora to her thoughts. She was too busy in her thoughts to eat dinner and immediately began packing. The world outside the Fire Nation Capital awaited for her, she could finally go and achieve her dream of taking down the Avatar.

Ba Sing Se
It's been almost 2 weeks since she left home. She was accompanied by 2 grunts as they finally reached Ba Sing Se. On the way to the embassy, a commotion catches her eye as she stops to spectate. She joins the crowd in the middle of laughter. She wondered what was funny and eyed the boy dressed up in water tribe gear trying to fend off guards and someone of his aquantaince stepping in. Curious to see how the boy will get away, Nora stands within the crowd watching on.

We'll call it ennui.

The Man In the Wooden Mask decided to himself, giving an explanation as to why he had strayed from his path. The Avatar was in Ba Sing Se, not a good location for assassination, and waiting meant boredom. He and his companion had entered the Earth Kingdom's wilderness. There had been a surprising amount of wildlife there, but all fled due to the roar of an angry Moose Lion.

Is ennui the right word?

He continued wondering to himself as he closed with the edge of a cliff. Without missing a beat, he stepped right off and plummeted downwards. With a wave of his hands, his descent was slowed and he lightly floated to the ground. His companion growled from above, displeased with her inability to reach the ground as he had. Jenu continued, the beast would be fine, she knew his scent. She also knew that of the Avatar, they'd been in close enough proximity to her enough times for the moose lion to get a whiff, if not then it would make things far harder than they needed to be.

I assume so, at least that's what I was taught, though they did hide more things from me than I know.

He looked up and noticed a small grey creature leap from tree to tree, using skin to glide from place to place. Kind of like a tiny airbender. He approached it cautiously, being light on his feet to avoid startling it. It sat on a small branch, chewing vigorously on some small fruit. A sugar glider, he thought it was called. He thought it cute, big bug eyes and a very small stature. He held out a finger, allowing it to examine and smell. He liked animals, they seemed to like him well enough too, considering the moose lion just a few meters back.

Suddenly the glider bit down on his finger. It hurt more than he could have expected.

The glider leapt away into the trees and Jenu sighed. There wasn't anything to be done, it would have been nice to have a little airbender with him. Suddenly, the glider's head peaked over the branch once more, large bug eyes scanning him intently, Jenu didn't move a muscle, offering a calming ticking from his mouth to draw the small creature closer. In one fluid motion, the thing climbed onto his hand and sniffed up and down his arm. Seemingly pleased by what it smelled, it climbed up his arm and rested itself upon his shoulder. Jenu offered the creature a small pat and it accepted it without biting or running or anything. Jenu found himself smiling behind his mask. The creature scampered into the folds of his clothing and rested itself atop his head.

He wondered what he would name this creature, something soft and poetic, hopefully that came to him before he found the Avatar next. He gave the creature one last pat and decided to head back towards Ba Sing Se, hopefully he'd catch the Avatar leaving.

Nah, not ennui, more loneliness.

---

He arrived in Ba Sing Se less than a minute later, leaving his moose lion companion outside but smuggling the glider in his hood. Obviously he hadn't gone as far as he had thought, he'd forgotten how big the city was, almost the size of a small island. Unfortunately the Avatar was not yet leaving, hopefully they weren't too long from doing so. He entered the city and noticed a fruit vendor. He noticed that they were selling cherry tomatoes, small as a thumbtip. Perfect for the little glider. He approached the vendor, who seemed taken aback by his appearance.

"Uh, hello, what would... you like to purcha-"

"I'd like three of the smallest tomatoes you have."

The vendor looked quite confused, but nodded and grabbed an amount of tiny tomatoes. Jenu nodded thankfully, paid and walked into a nearby alley, where he sat and pulled the creature from his hood, holding it in the palm of his hand.

He offered one of the tomatoes gently, and the glider devoured it greedily. Jenu smiled behind his mask once more and decided to wait here a few moments. He noticed a commotion down the street ahead of him, he decided against getting involved, rather collecting the tomatoes in a pocket and holding the glider in a hand.

Akane had been traveling for a few days now after having landed on the shore of the Earth Kingdom. While she had been I. The Fire Nation she heard rumors of the Avatar being in the capitol city, though she doubted they would stick around in the Fire Nation if they had any brains at all. So Akane had made her way to Ba Sing Se, a hub of information about absolutely anything. As she drew near the city on the back of an ostrich horse she had purchased, Akane and her tigermonkey Ryuu both looked up in awe at the wall of the city. "Well Ryuu," she spoke in a soft tone, "looks like we're finally here. Let's hope that it isn't for nothing. Though with how word gets around here I wouldn't be surprised if everyone knew where the guy was by now..."

Akane made her way up the path to one of the entrances, where she was stopped by a guard. "Excuse me miss, but we're going to need to search your belongings for any contraband before we can allow you to enter." Without a word Akane handed the man her travelling sack, not having anything she needed to hide. After looking through it thoroughly, the guard handed the bag back to Akane. "Alright, everything checks out. Welcome to Ba Sing Se. Try not to get yourself in trouble."

She smirked at this and stifled a laugh. "Don't get in trouble? That's asking a bit much isn't it?" Before the man could respond Akane was already ridin into the city, waving back at him. Ryuu crawled up onto her right shoulder, his orange and black fur shimmering as they left the darkness of the tunnel through the wall. His ears perked up at the sounds of commotion as they wandered down the street, but Akane simply rubbed his head. "Don't worry about it Ryuu. Probably just someone caught stealing. I heard it happens a lot here." She glanced over quickly, spotting a couple water tribe men and a woman who appeared to be a local by her clothing, as well as some guards or soldiers. She didn't give them a second thought as she continued.

The ostrich horse trotted along the street, the sounds of it's talons clacking and the bustle of city life filling the air. Something Akane had quickly noticed here was the quality of the air. There was a big difference between the fresh, clean air outside and this city air. To her it felt stale and stagnant. This wasn't a major concern however, as she was used to air such as this in the industrious cities of the fire nation. It was only worse here due to the giant walls keeping the air in. Despite this though, Akane was enjoying herself so far. She had been keeping her eyes open for signs along the street, and as she spotted one for a tavern she had her ostrich horse slow down. Vaulting off of the beast's back, she hitched its reigns to a pole outside the business before entering.

As she looked around the interior Akane was hardly impressed. It looked rather old and dirty on the inside, not a place she would usually frequent. However, she was not here solely to partake in their goods. As she arrived at the counter Akane took a seat upon a stool which had clearly been sculpted by an earth bender and flagged down the bartender. "Gimme something hard, would you hun? Doesn't matter what." She gave the man a wink as she finished her words, watching as he became flustered. She knew fully how her words might be misconstrued, though enjoyed the reactions she received from such wording. After the man turned to get her drink Akane inspected the bar further. It seemed like the kind of place where people shared what they knew, and Akane knew that bartenders usually ended up overhearing most conversations. Upon his return Akane slid a gold coin across the counter to him, and with a hushed voice she spoke. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the Avatar, would you?"

His eyes darted from side to side before the man answered. Leaning in toward her he spoke under his breath. "Between you and me, I heard a young man from the water tribe had been smuggled out of the Fire Nation, and that he's now somewhere in the city. If what I heard about the so called Avatar incident is true, he might be the same water tribe kid." The man cupped his hand over the coin on the counter and slid it toward himself. "Just remember, you didn't hear it from me."

"Of course not. Thanks for the drink though." A grin crossed her face as she picked the glass up and put her lips to it, taking a swig of the alcoholic beverage. Even now however, she still hadn't put together that the water tribe kid the man had spoken of might be the one she had seen stopped by the police force. Instead, Akane was just glad than she wouldn't need to do any serious travelling to find the Avatar.

Dang the owner is an idiot. Ajala looked down from a hole in the wood flooring of the attic at the man exiting his home. She has been up here for, what, three months now, and he hasn’t noticed a thing. All the better for her though. The man leaves in the early morning and comes back at midnight, too tired to check for any unwanted visitors. But Ajala’s sure that even if she was discovered she wouldn’t be unwanted per say.

It was early, far too early for her to be awake. The only reason why Ajala woke up was because the idiot downstairs accidently knocked over a few books on the counter. She was up now however, might as well make the most of it. She got dressed and folded up her pajamas onto her sleeping mat (a courteous gesture of the man’s dead wife) and packed her precious chain whip and sand (she never leaves without it).
Even though she has been renting for the past few months she still doesn’t know much about the guy besides that his wife is dead and he works too much. His name is irrelevant, and Ajala prefers to refer to him as Idiot.

She got a ride on a merchants wagon to the outermost ring, where all the fun happens. True the middle has its perks, but she is someone who needs entertainment. That pesky waterbender should be at it again, he is pretty fun to watch from the rooftops.

The day went on. Ajala did the usual: basically nothing. She wasn’t the person to steal, she has her needs met by the man who lived under her, but a sneaky hand to a new ring or a good looking fish wasn’t completely rare.

"yeah, thief!!! Get them, officers!"

Oh here we go. There’s the waterbender! A pretty big crowd started to form around him as she hopped up on a roof to the right of the commotion to get a good view. "Guys, guys... Look, I took that food for a very important reason. It was my duty as... the Avatar... I was saving those kids from starving!"

She nearly spit our an invisible drink as she started to laugh her butt off. “And I’m the Firelord!”

Bu had been in the middle of enjoying his late morning snack when the commotion started. While he normal didn't trouble himself with such trivial things as thieves, there was an unusually large crowd this time around. Perhaps it was worth a look. After grabbing a drumstick to eat on the way, Bu was off.

Moving through the crowd wasn't exceptionally difficult for someone of Bu's size. People tended to step aside simply to avoid having their toes crushed. Soon he was close enough to hear what was going on. He was just in time to hear the thief claim to be the avatar. That was a bold claim considering how the Order seemed entirely devoted to tracking the avatar down. This could also be just some crazy stunt or a dare, but he was definitely a water bender, which the rumors had said the avatar was. If this guy was serious, this was a huge deal indeed.

Bu decided he had to do something. Some others had spoken up in the water bender's defense, but Bu knew better. You weren't going to just 'talk it out' with earth benders. This required a more active approach.

Bu made his way up to the roof of one of the adjacent buildings to execute his extraction plan. There was still no guarantee that this was the avatar, but he most definitely wasn't going to find out if he landed himself in prison. Bu erected an earthen wall between Mallo and the guards, granting him a temporary moment of privacy. A pillar of earth then erupted violently below his feet and sent him skyward. Bu then plucked him out of the air as he flew by and pulled him over onto the roof with him. The other earth benders probably had removed the wall by then, but Mallo was out of sight now.

"You're doing a fine job so far, Mr. Avatar," Bu said as he took a bite from his drumstick. "If you really are what you say, then I recommend laying very low. There are a lot of people looking for you."

-The Fire Nation Order Embassy-

"How did you let him get away!?" A man exclaimed violently and loudly, his booming voice echoing throughout the large corridor, startling the timid soldiers that abruptly interrupted on the meeting. An unexpected slam of his hand against the long table followed -- a long table that hosted the Councilmen of The Order as well as a few officers and captains. They all sat in shock, not from the familiar outburst of anger from Grand Master Jiao, but from the unforeseen intrusion of the Avatar.

"He, uh, he," one of the soldiers that stood before the meeting spoke embarrassingly,"he entered the Avatar state and we couldn't stop him, then he managed to get away somehow. It was a huge blur for us all, nobody knows how he escaped, we're assuming he left through airbending. We can --".

"Stop," Grand Master Jiao commanded,"Leave us."

"Some have spotted him heading towards the earth kingdom," a soldier quickly replied in response, hoping the information would ease the Grand Master.

"Leave us!" Grand Master Jiao repeated himself in a loud, annoyed tone.

With that, the soldiers bowed as they exited, the huge doors closing behind them. The large room of the fire nation embassy was silent for quite some time as the councilmen waited for Grand Master Jiao to express any suppressed frustration or confusion. All that could be heard was the crackling of the fire at the hearth echoing against the decorated walls and cathedral ceilings of the room, but also the vigorous fanning coming from Councilwoman Valera's expensive folding fan.

Maya sat comfortably and silently in one of the several, charming, well-crafted chairs that surrounded the table full of papers and maps of strategies. Her long, brown hair laid over her shoulder as she observed the councilmen concentrate on the situation. Maya was half as concentrated as the councilmen, being that she has little to no influence on the decisions of The Order, she sat calmly and hoped for a just plan to present itself.

Before any councilman could speak up, Grand Master Jiao finally expressed in a more calm, yet stern, manner,"I need ideas. I need new plans. Strategies."

Councilwoman Valera didn't hesitate to speak up, folding her fan back in and setting it down, her voice being serious, womanly, and alluring,"We need to be more harsh on our soldiers. We need to get them to understand the seriousness of all of this. We must have our strongest efforts now rather than later, while the Avatar is still naive and reckless."

"We will track him down, follow his every move, find out where he's going," A brassy, deep voice coming from Councilman Bao was heard from another end of the table.

Councilwoman Valera shook her head,"It's not that easy, we need to find a secure way of extracting information from him on his whereabouts and his intentions." There was another moment of the apparent fire-crackling before Councilwoman Valera spoke again,"It's only a matter of time before the Avatar gets stronger and gets a following of his own."

"Why do you think he decided to come all this way today," Grand Master Jiao questioned, turning his back to the table to stare into the flames of the fireplace that created an eery lighting for the meeting room.

"We held a meeting about the water tribe prisoners, in which was made known by the people, perhaps he has relations to some of them," Councilman Nero suggested.

Grand Master Jiao began to rub the temples of his head in disappointment before he let out a grunt of irritation, the flames before him bursting taller and creating a very lit room as he spoke,"We need to think of something now! While we sit here and dilly dally, he's getting away." The flames began to die down as he sighed, apologizing under his breath, but not loud enough for anybody to really hear it.

"I have a proposition," Councilwoman Valera explained. Grand Master Jiao turned to look at Councilwoman Valera, giving her his undivided attention. She continued,"We need to get to him in a way that he will not recognize us. We need a spy. We are all too recognizable to make any appearances, and a single one of the Order's soldiers won't have what it takes."

"So we will train them harder and get a spy to befriend him," Grand Master Jiao declared in an attempt to predict the strategy Councilwoman Valera was proposing.

She shook her head,"No." Councilwoman Valera turned to Councilman Nero,"We will use Nora. I've seen her fight, I've seen her practice. She's not only strong and determined, but she's beautiful and will have a chance at possibly attracting the Avatar to make him more inclined to befriend her and trust her."

Grand Master Jiao smirked at the idea, believing that Valera had a very successful plan that will rule out well. Councilman Nero seemed to be happy with the proposition, believing that his daughter will prove to the Order that his bloodline is capable of greatness and performing such requests. They all talked more, strategizing a plan for Nora to get to Ba Sing Se and began to try to predict the Avatar's reaction to her based on the little information they were given about him. Councilman Nero was soon dismissed by Grand Master Jiao to quickly inform Nora about her new journey that she will embark on.

Amidst all this Maya sat still, listening carefully to the plans and ideas, but not giving any opinion or input during the conversation. It wasn't long before Grand Master Jiao added to the list of strategies, turning to Maya as everyone began to gather their things and return to their respective rooms.

"Maya," Grand Master Jiao looked to her with a soft smile.

"Yes," Maya replied, returning the smile, seeming to have a heart-warming effect on Grand Master Jiao from her tranquil presence.

"I want you to do something for me," he paused,"I want you to speak to the prisoners. Each and everyone of them. Get to know them, where they came from, and what their intentions were when we arrested them. I don't want torture to be my first approach on a situation like this." He ended with a sigh.

"Alright, I will," Maya said in response, only agreeing because she knew it would please Grand Master Jiao and save him from excess frustration,"When shall I go?"

"Now," Grand Master Jiao replied quickly and sternly before resting a gentle hand on Maya's shoulder," -- please go now." He turned and exited the room with the rest of the councilman, his flowing cape adding to his masculinity.

Maya sighed, her bright blue eyes gleaming as she stared at the dimming fire. Maya raised a hand and gathered the water from the cups that were left on the table and used it to extinguish the fire before leaving the room and proceeding to the prison.

---

Maya took a deep breath, combing her hair with her fingers to let it fall more attractively, adjusting the beautiful hair clip decorated with pearls, diamonds, flowers, and blue accents that pulled back the top half of her hair, leaving a small portion of hair to fall and frame her face. She adjusted her dress to let it fall neatly and proceeded down the steps to the prison as two soldiers followed. It was the first time that Maya ever stepped into a prison, and didn't know what to expect. The moonlight was the only thing that shined within the prison, her silhouette being seen by the prisoners as they all made begging groans for freedom. Maya couldn't see much before being offered a torch from one of the soldiers that accompanied heard, only to be appalled by how many prisoners the fire nation and the Order kept. The prisoners rushed to the bars, extending their arms out as they pleaded for freedom, but Maya continued down the hallway as the soldiers assumed a slightly more defensive pose.

Maya couldn't help but maintain a pitiful expression from the many prisoners that teared up from the sight of her. She couldn't find any words to tell them nor did she wish to engage in any conversations with them, but she definitely felt an undesirable need to apologize -- instead she ignored the pleading and focused on what she came down here to do. It wasn't long before she turned a corner and saw a long line of empty cells and heard the groaning of the prisoners become more hushed before being welcomed to silent prisoners that were obviously from the water tribe.

Maya hesitated before speaking up,"Hello?" There was no response, not even a glance from any of the individuals. She repeated herself, more assertively,"Hello? My name is Maya --."

One prisoner looked up and interrupted as soon as he recognized her appearance,"I know who you are."

Maya paused unsure of how to begin this sort of interrogation that Grand Master Jiao requested of her,"Well if you know me, it would only be proper for me to know your name." She ended with a smile. There was no response again and, instead, a short moment of silence before Maya commanded the two soldiers that followed her inside to leave them. Maya looked at all of the prisoners in hopes to recognize a face, but none were familiar nor were any of them interested in her presence,"Are any of you wounded?"

"Even if we were, why would you heal your enemies," a man questioned from another direction, catching her off guard.

"I heal all those who are injured or ill, enemy or not," Maya answered confidently,"Given the circumstances."

"I'd rather bleed out than accept the pity from my enemy," the man expressed as a few of the others chuckled.

Maya turned the torch to shine the light on him to get a better look at his appearance and condition, seeing him clench some sort of wound on his side that created a small puddle of blood on the ground beneath him. Maya sighed, looking into his eyes as she formed a gentle smile, opening the pouch on her hip,"If you will not accept the healing from me, then at least do it yourself." She lifted her hand and flowed the water from her hip and placed it loosely on the ground in front of him,"I hate to see people suffer."

The man hesitated before bending the water up to his wound, a white light forming from the water as the wound slowly began to mend. The man seemed to be more expressive of his thoughts after her act of generosity,"We know who you are. We all know who you are -- you're the 'Healing Maiden'." The name was very familiar to Maya, though she never really called herself that or introduced herself as such. The man continued,"Some believe that the purity in your heart will end the suffering that The Order is causing, but me," he laughs to himself,"I believe you're too weak-willed for that. It's been so long and you know what we go through, yet you do nothing."

Maya then felt her strong feeling of reoccurring guilt from not properly influencing The Order to her liking for the sake of potentially adding more fire to the flame. She knew where the man was coming from, and she knew she couldn't deny his accusation and assumption of her being. Maya felt insecure of her lack of bravery and courage to stand up to Jiao in situations that she didn't feel right. Instead of justifying herself, she simply apologized,"I'm sorry."

The man gave a short cackle,"Don't bother apologizing, it means nothing. Now, if you did something, then maybe that would mean something." The man finished healing his wound, splashing the water back at Maya's feet,"There you go. I'm done."

Maya lifted her hand and returned the water to her hip pouch,"I'm surprised you didn't attempt to use it to get yourself out or attack me. I heard you're a pretty strong bender."

"Oh, so you've heard about me? It seems as though we both do know an equal amount of information about each other," the man sighs,"Despite all I've said about you, I believe there's still something in ya that'll turn and help you see what is right."

Relieved by the man's added thoughts of her, she chuckles and smiles at him, closing her hip pouch,"Well, the only difference now is that you know my name, but I do not know yours."

The man smirked, replying snappily,"The name's Lao."

She was so excited.

The Air Nomad girl stood at the gates of Ba Sing Se, practically jumping up and down with excitement at the prospect of just going inside of the walls. She had never been in a real city before, unless you counted the Eastern Air Temple. Which didn't count, since it didn't contain many people. This would actually be her first time outside of the temple, well, ever, really. Life below the clouds seemed strange to Chinmayi, since she had never journeyed below those clouds.

As she got closer and closer to the entrance, she got a bit more antsy. She tugged at her pigtails that her best friend had tied her hair into just that morning, making sure that they were still there and presentable. She was fine, though. Chinmayi looked the same as she had every day of her life, her light brown hair tied into pigtails, dressed in yellow Air Nomad garb, and tattooed with the arrows that marked her as a master airbender. Although, to any outsider, they most likely just looked like ornamentation.

She reached the front of the line, handing over her bag to be checked for any dangerous things, which she was pretty sure were not inside of her bag. The guard handed her bag back to her after checking it wordlessly, and she passed through the earthen gates of Ba Sing Se, her face lit up.

The city wasn't much at first glance- it was smelly and dirty and loud and big- but Chinmayi was sure that it wouldn't be bad. The gates closed in a very final slam, and she turned her head, showing a bit of doubt. Would Nam-Kha be okay in the forest, on her own? Would she even find the Avatar? Doubts intruded into her mind, but she kept walking, a saccharine smile on her face.

The teenager caught sight of a large crowd, and, originally intending to ignore it, couldn't quite push her curiosity down. So despite her originally tentative nature, Chinmayi pushed her way through the crowd, using her stick to push through the crowd, sparking a couple of "Hey's!" in response. Once she got to the front of the crowd, she was even more perplexed. Why were they fighting? The boy dressed in blue hadn't done anything wrong, as far as she was aware.

"Wait- what's going on?" she voiced her question, confused by the series of events that was happening in front of her. Her question wasn't directed to one specific person, it was just something meant to float around until answered.

Damn life down here was confusing, and she hadn't spent a whole 15 minutes in the city yet!

^{A collab with @Treue}

---

Akane stumbled out of the bar, back into the brightly lit streets of Ba Sing Se. She squinted her eyes while they adjusted to the new light, having become accustomed to the darkness while she was busy consuming her drink. "What do y-HIC-you think, Ryuu? Where could the Avatar be..." The alcohol had worked its way into her bloodstream by now, and Akane was feeling the results. Her balance was off, and her vision had become somewhat disoriented. Without waiting for a response from her pet tigermonkey however, Akane took a right from the door and began walking down the street.

Due to her innebriation, Akane failed to realize the small group of men that had formed behind her, and that was now following her. Instead she happily and drunkenly made her way down the street, coins jingling in their small purse. It wasn't long after this group formed however that one of them ran up from behind and gave her a shove into an alleyway, nearly toppling her. Akane bounced off the wall of a building and remained on her feet, looking to see where the push had come from. Entering the alley was the group of men, around four by what she could tell. "C'mon guys," she spoke as she walked backwards away from them, "we can work this out, can't we?"

Jenu had been watching this scene intently, seated right at the alley's opening, allowing him to look down the street and spot the obviously intoxicated girl stumble her way down the street. With a tap on his shoulder, he collected the sugar glider in his hood and stood quickly, utilizing the aid of his bending to avoid wasting time. He stretched his shoulders and approached a corner, peeking around it and continuing to watch.

The girl had seemingly attracted a small crew of gangsters, obviously looking for some easy money from someone who couldn't defend themselves. Jenu knew he wasn't supposed to be so easily distracted, but he managed to keep doing so, and to be fair, helping her could earn him a little extra coin himself. Light on his feet, he crossed the distance quickly and followed the men closely. A few moments later and they shoved the girl into an alleyway. Jenu gripped onto his dagger, hoping that it wouldn't have to come to that. With a sigh, he finally spoke, seemingly appearing right behind them. "How cowardly, mugging someone who can't defend themselves," he spoke in a quiet monotone."You will stop this nonsense, immediately."

As she backpedaled, Akane noticed another man come around the corner into the alley. Oh come on, not more of them... she thought. That was until he started speaking. It seemed to her that, for the time being at least, this new person was on her side. A smile crossed her lips, andshe closed her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was because of her intoxication or not, but laughter bubbled up from inside her, causing a deep chuckle. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm defenseless there mister, but thank you for stepping in anyway. As for you all, I guess what happens now is up to you." The thugs looked at each other for a brief moment, before the front two ran at Akane.

"Your choice..." The words fell heavily from her mouth. After speaking them Akane took a deep breath. She followed this by bracing her legs outward and bringing her arms behind her, then lurched her head forward as she exhaled, a gout of fire erupting from her maw which hurtled toward the men rushing towards her. At this point Akane couldn't see past her own fire, but she could smell the alcohol from her drink. This pleased her.

Jenu sighed as the four men split up to target both him and the girl. He took a deep breath and shifted his feet onto their toes, bending his knees slightly and placing his hands behind his back, held together. One of the men chuckled at his appearence. "Look at this guy, thinks he's an Air Nomad or something!" he and his partner guffawed as they approached, drawing weapons and taking what Jenu assumed could be considered fighting stances, he wasn't exactly certain, they looked off balance and unsure of their footing.

They stared at each other for quite some time, the men's smiles slowly dimming as Jenu stared silently behind his mask. Finally one of them charged him, swinging a short blade wildly. Jenu shifted rightwards, easily dodging the first blow, then ducked his way under the second, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, he vaulted himself over and landed on the ground behind him, following by kicking him in the back. Jenu again retook his neutral position and prepared himself. The man grimaced and rubbed his back, approaching angrier than ever. Jenu looked over at the girl, who had seemingly produced a jet of flame from her mouth. A fire bender? he asked himelf. What is she doing in Ba Sing Se?

As she ran out of air in her lungs, Akane's flames came to an end. As they burned away and her visibility returned, Akane noticed the two men on the ground, their clothes burning apart. They were still alive, as she hadn't been trying to kill them. They most likely hit the ground and stayed under her flames after the initial burst, though that was sufficient for Akane. The way she figured things, they'd be too frightened after nearly being burned alive to get back up and fight. This only left the other two, though by the look of things they were occupied with the man in some kind of mask who had stepped in to help her out.

Akane began walking towards the man despite him still dealing with the thugs. She gave the two on the ground a swift kick each to their ribs, spitting on the ground next to them. "Maybe if you didn't mess around with fire you wouldn't get burned." Her tone was snarky as she uttered the words, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips after about her little pun. She debated on whether or not to unfurl her urumi, but decided not to given the level of skill and concentration required, mixed with her drunkenness. Instead she readied herself for a bit more bending, though she doubted she would need it seeing as the man seemed able to deal with the thugs.

Jenu, now surrounded by the two men, continued moving in wide, deliberate motions, breathing deeply all the while. The one who he had attacked before seemed far more hesitant to charge now, simply standing in his "fighting pose". The one who he hadn't attacked, now in front of him, noticed the fact that the girl had managed to dispose of their comrades, shooting his eyes between her and Jenu, he decided to turn and charge her. Jenu shot forth, slightly adding to his speed with his bending. With a quick motion, he grabbed the man's head in his left hand. "You're fighting me, not her," he said, almost like a parent lecturing a child. Through vibrations in the air, he was able to notice the thug behind him approaching, and with a swift kick he knocked the man's weapon aside.

Placing his leg down with a stomp, he pulled the man towards his right hand side with surprising strength, and smashed the man's head against the wall of the closest building. He let go, and kicked the man in the spine for good measure. As he tumbled to the ground, Jenu lifted his foot and stomped the back of the man's head, driving him face-first into the ground. That should have been more than enough to knock him out cold, he was probably going to be feeling that when he awoke. The last remaining thug stared wide-eyed, his body slightly shaking as he did. Jenu turned his gaze upon the man, foot still firmly placed on his comrade's head.

The man gave a yelp and turned to run, to which Jenu turned down his head, clicking his tongue off the top of his mouth in disapproval. Drawing a knife from his belt, he tossed it over the man's head, sending it sailing in front of him. Suddenly it halted in mid air right in front of the man, and with a pull of his arm, Jenu drove the blade's hilt directly into the man's nose, sending him sliding back towards him. Jenu caught the blade in his hand as it sailed by, and with a final spin, he kicked the man across the face, leaving him unconscious as well. Finally finished, he turned his gaze upon the girl, staring at her behind his mask, waiting to see what she did.

Akane was about to deal with the man that turned toward her as well, when the man in the mask dashed forward and grabbed him. She watched, fairly amused, as he handled them. It was almost like a play put on for her amusement. "My first day here, and so eventful already. I wonder if it's always like this here in Ba Sing Se..." She contemplated this aloud as she stared, the thugs clearly getting their asses handed to them. It wasn't long before one was downed, and shortly after the other ran to try getting away, only to be thwarted by something the man threw at him. In her stupor Akane barely had enough concentration to perform the bending she had, nevermind keep up with projectiles. Instead she was happy that her attackers had been dealt with.

After it was all said and done, Akane began walking up to the man in the wooden mask. She extended her right arm and opened her hand in preparation to shake his hand in thanks for his help. "I don't know where you came from," she spoke as she approached him, "but I'm glad you showed up. Definitely made things easier than they would have been. I'd like to know how I can make it up to you, if that's alright." By this time she was right in front of him, guard down, smiling as if he was a friend she had known for life.

Jenu stared oddly at Akane's extended arm, seemingly confused, before awkwardly taking it in his own and shaking it softly and robotically. He pushed his mask into his face and lowered his arm once more. "If you could provide me with some money in exchange it would be much appreciated," he stated simply. He looked back upon the sprawled muggers. "If you wanted me to kill them I could do so for a little extra."

His blunt statement was punctuated by his knife dancing from its hilt and hanging in the air in front of him, allowing him to grab it and spin it in his hand. "Your choice," he offered while continuing to play with his weapon.

She released his hand, still smiling, and brought her back down to her side. "That's fine, if I wanted them dead I could finish them off myself. In any case, I've got a good bit of coin on me." She reached into the coinpurse and felt around, gathering a few silver pieces. Once she had retrieved them she tossed the three coins toward the man. "Hopefully that'll suffice. In any case, I gotta go. Got someone important I'm trying to meet. See you around, mask-y." Akane laughed as she moved past the man, back out into the street, where she took off in a slightly unstable jog.

Jenu easily caught the coins in his right hand, pocketing them soon after in a swift motion. He nodded as the girl finished up, calling him "masky", to which Jenu had to tilt his head slightly. As she jog-stumbled away, Jenu freed his new pet from under his hood and ran a finger along its back. The money was nice, but he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, almost like he had enjoyed doing that. That clearly wasn't the answer though, it had to be something else. With a final exhale, he placed the small creature back in his hood and walked back into the street.

---

Rikuo looked at the woman who had stepped in to talk to the Earth Kingdom guards as well. She offered to pay for the stolen food but only ended up shocked with the amount of money it all costed. Yeah, he expected that. This was probably the first time this girl actually step foot inside Ba Sing Se. A traveler as well, he guessed.

Though she was abnormally nice. Offering to help out in manual labor to pay off some stranger's debt and all. If he were in her position and doesn't know who this kid was, then he would just leave him be. He sighed and then returned the water to his water bag and hung the hilt on his belt. He crossed his arms and said, "If she's paying for expenses, then I should help out as well." It was the least he can do.

He heard another voice who mocked Mallo's claim as Avatar. Ah, yes, of course no one would believe that. Heck, even he didn't believe it and he knew the kid. But if he was the Avatar, then it was mighty stupid of him to say it. The Avatar was a wanted man and the Order was hell bent on catching him. Might be for the best that no one believed him.

Before the guards could do anything else, a wall suddenly appeared - probably another Earth bender - and it separated Mallo and the rest of the people. While the guards were preoccupied with taking the wall down, he saw a glimpse of Mallo shooting out into the sky. Okay, well he was gone. They should probably disappear too, before the guards peg them down for something he didn't do or question them if they knew where Mallo went.

He turned to the woman and said, "And we're leaving before they make us do anything when there's no real point." Rikuo grabbed her wrist before hurrying into the crowd. Rikuo had no fear when it came to the law, to be honest, considering he has a bending license despite not being part of the Order - he was a researcher after all. But he'd rather not do anything he doesn't need to do. He would've blended in with them and no one really bothered to block them so that was good. He caught a glimpse of a girl with two people wearing what seemed to be Order clothes. Ah, they were probably dispatched to find said Avatar. Another interesting face was that of an Air Nomad... well, well, he'd have to talk to her later. Once the guards had bended the wall away, he would be halfway down the road again and away from those guys and released his grip on her.

"Sorry 'bout that. Uh, thanks for the help I guess?" Rikuo didn't really have anything else to say. He only felt the need to get her away because she might get questioned by those guards when she wasn't even the least bit involved with Mallo. "I'm Rikuo, by the way. And the kid from earlier is Mallo." He figured introductions were in order. He felt rather indebted to her act of kindness so he wasn't just about to leave her without even waiting for anything she might want to say. Maybe she was lost? He could certainly help with that. He knew Ba Sing Se well enough.

@karamonnom

Mozu's eyes widened as a wall emerged out of nowhere, separating everyone from the thief. She had seen earth bending before, but the bender who made this wall seemed to be a powerful one. But before she could express her awe or ask any questions about what was going on, the water bender grabbed her by the wrist and began to run. She was rather confused, but her instincts told her to go with him, so she let him lead her and ran as well.

By the time he had let go of her and stopped, they were a safe distance away from the guards. When the water bender began to apologize, she shook her head. "You did nothing wrong and I... did nothing to help," she sighed. If she had been more accustomed to the outside world, she would have known not to interfere. Her weak attempt to pay for the thief's sake felt embarrassing in retrospect. She had simply added herself to the chaos.

"Rikuo and Mallo," she repeated as if it would help her remember it. At least, she no longer had to call them 'the waterbender' and 'the thief' in her head. Then, realizing she should also introduce herself, she said, "I am Mozu of the Foggy Swamp Tribe."

Running her fingers through her bangs, she sighed once more. "This world is so different than my home. I am not used to such strange politics. If we are hungry, we simply eat. We don't have..." She takes out a purse and opens it to reveal some copper and silver coins. "These things to pay for what we need. We live and work together. We have trust. Why is that not the case here? Why must a person become a thief to help feed children?" She could not help but think that her parents were right. While the outside world has so many amazing things, there are plenty of less pleasant ones as well. And above all, too many things that she did not understand. Maybe she did not belong here.

"Excuse my ramblings," she said softly, hoping that her rant did not bore Rikuo and ruin any chances she had at making a friend. "I am hungry, tired and feeling a bit homesick. It has been a long journey and a long time since I have had an audience."

@Polaris North

So, this was the fate of the new Avatar... He just found out he was the Avatar a few weeks ago, and is now being convicted of being a criminal trying to do a heroic duty. Well, at least he fed some kids for a good cause. He thought that it would be the end of him with the last slash of water at a graveled hand, but he soon felt the release of the hand grabbing his foot. Freedom! Mallo managed to bend down and spin in a fluid motion, dodging a rocky hand, and immediately shooting up to send a rush of water back at them... But he was stopped by a familiar voice, and the view of a man wearing clothing similar to his. Rikuo from the Water Tribe! Mallo would have been smiling and greeting the guy... if it weren't for the suggestion that he would do labor to pay off his debt. "Or we could all just walk away..." Mallo called out, his stance still up.

Another voice emerged from the forming crowd, a softer, kinder voice that he didn't recognize, and quite honestly didn't know what in the world she was wearing. Mallo wasn't going to let this mystery woman pay for his mistake, even if she had the money. yeah, he was in trouble, and yeah, he technically broke a law in Ba Sing Se... But it was for the kids! He could feel the tension rise, the crowd was rather large now, and it occurred to Mallo that he now had an audience after he yelled he was the Avatar... Which wasn't smart. He was being hunted by the Fire Nation, and the Order. They could be within the dozens of faces. Black cloaks, hooded figures, they could all have some agenda to get him, rumor or not.

Before he could really say or do anything, a giant wall erupted in between the water benders and the earth benders, and suddenly, Mallo was airborne. The young water bender screamed in surprise, feeling that the Order had made an ambush to kill him! He felt a hand grab him, and put him on a roof, and Mallo fell on his back. He staggered to get up to see... a guy. Just a plain looking earth bender.

The guy spoke rather casually about a topic that shouldn't have been. Did this guy actually believe him? Mallo stood and brushed himself off, taking a look at the man who rescued him. "I was... Until I tried to pull a charity." Mallo muttered, but then gave a nod. "Thanks, for uh... the advice. And the exit. I'm Mallo." Mallo looked down at the commotion, earth kingdom soldiers running around, the Rikuo running off with the girl, and the crowd going in a bit of a little frenzy.

"And as much as I should take that advice... I can't just leave things like this." Mallo sighed. He would have felt beyond lucky to get a perfect escape from the guards if he were just normal Mallo. But now as the Avatar, he was supposed to be the bringer of peace. So far he has attacked fire nation soldiers, stole, and attacked earth kingdom guards. This was the exact opposite of what his new duties entitled. As he prepared to do something stupid, he heard a new voice come from behind him and the earth bender.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen!" The voice was strong, yet easing, like water. Mallo turned to see who had joined them. It was an older gentleman, with graying black hair, and a matching beard that was neatly trimmed. His hair was in a warrior styled ponytail, and he adorned black and blue robes with two symbols upon them: The Order, and the northern water tribe. "You wouldn't happen to know where the young water bender who stole food went? Rambling on about doing the Avatar's duty?"

Mallo was obviously cautious with the man. He was much older than he, and yet he got up on the roof without a sound, and with no assistance... But it was also obvious that he was a dangerous man; the Order robes gave that away. "It was kind of you to give food to the homeless, but you might want to use money, Avatar or not." The man gave a smile, but his dark blue eyes eyed Mallo intensely. "I'm curious, are you just a foolish boy that claimed to be what you are not in hopes of getting out of trouble... Or are you actually the one? I guess there's only one way to find out."

And with that, the man moved faster than Mallo had ever seen. It reminded him so much of Master Lao, but he pushed that thought aside as he bent backwards to avoid a wave of frozen water going for his arms. The young water bender grabbed the earth bender's leg as he kicked off and slid both of them off the roof, falling onto the awning of a store clerk, ripping through it, and landing into a cart of vegetables.

"MY CABBAGES!"

Mallo's head popped out, and looked around before jumping out, and looking up to see the older man looking down upon him, jumping down, and throwing another blade of water towards Mallo. This time, Mallo was ready. He managed to catch the high intensity jet of water, pushing Mallo back a bit. He twisted, and turned, and with a push of his hands, sent the current back to it's sender. Mallo wasn't in the best spot for this. It was too crowded, and too close to his last illegal activity! The last thing he needed was to get the earth benders in on this. Now it was time to run! It was clear that this mysterious man was extremely powerful, and creepy. It brought back memories of his last run in with the Order years ago... The words of Master Loa echoed through his ears again, and as much as he hated to do so, he listened: Run!

Mallo rushed through the streets once more, ducking through a stall, and jumping over a fence. He didn't know if the man could follow him at this speed, but better safe than sorry. He ducked into an alleyway, panting a bit as he did his best to stay quiet. After a minute or two, he saw the black cloaks of the Order very swiftly walking through the crowd. They were on the hunt. Mallo waited until the cloaks were out of sight until he emerged again, and walking very swiftly through the streets. He grabbed a rug being hung out to dry, and wrapped it around his shoulders, trying to hide his water tribe outfit.

He looked behind him once more, paranoid out of his mind. He had failed in so many ways today. He didn't know if Rikuo was safe with that one girl, he didn't know where the old creepy man was, and the marketplace was still a little unnerved. As he looked behind him, he couldn't see what was in front of him. He ran into a lighter frame, which caused him to stumble and fall backwards. "Oh, uh, sorry! I wasn't really--"

Mallo looked up to see something he thought he never would. It was a cute looking girl, but her clothes and tattoos made Mallo's eyes widen. "Are you an air nomad?" He asked, amazed at the sight. Of course, he was being hunted right now, But ever since he was a kid he always wanted to see the airbenders of the world. He remembered seeing Sky Bison flying through the air while sailing across the sea. The thought of moving air and flying fascinated him. He guessed that was one of his past lives speaking through him... Maybe Ii herself. Mallo looked around once again before giving a weak smile. "Sorry, I, er, just always wanted to meet one! Except I was expecting some bald old dude-- Not that I'm complaining!" Great first impression, Mallo! Meet your first air bender and insult her immediately...

"Hey! You!" A voice called, which made Mallo tense up. With the collision that had happened, and the excitement Mallo dropped the rug hiding his water nation clothes. He saw an earth kingdom guard from before pushing through the crowd towards Mallo, and a sick feeling in his stomach formed when he saw the older water bender following right after him.

---

"You shouldn't beat yourself over that." Rikuo stated as he crossed his arms. She was definitely new around here - new in the world at least. He then heaved a sigh. "The mere fact that you decided to help is enough to earn my gratitude. Few would step up for a thief, even if his cause was a noble one." He, himself, would not step up to such a ruckus if he hadn't known who Mallo was. It was brought upon by the fear of being prosecuted heavily for something that was so innocent. It was very rare to find a good soul like this one in the cities. She probably wasn't from here, or from any other kingdom.

As she introduced herself, he found himself right. But more importantly, he found himself a rather rare person. "Foggy... Swamp Tribe?" He breathed out curiously, tilting his head before rummaging through his bag and ruffling through a journal. He stopped at one page featuring a glaringly blank page other than the name of the tribe Mozu was from and that they were also fellow waterbenders. He then looked back at her, eyes full of amazement. He hadn't been this excited since the time he left the Northern Water Tribe - and that was years ago. "This... This is the first time I've actually met one of your people."

He was struck into silence as she rambled on about this 'world'. Right, the reason why he hasn't met a single Foggy Swamp Tribe member was because they were living by themselves, without a real connection to the other people. Rikuo only found out about them thanks to one of the masters in the Northern Water Tribe. "I... cannot answer that. For one, the only thing I know to say in situations like this is, it's just the way the world works." There was no way he could sum up the reason of why the world was like this in just a few sentences. At best, discussing this would take him half an hour, and that's if the person he was talking to knew the history behind everything.

He shook his head, "No, it's fine. It's understandable that you're confused. This is, uh, culture shock isn't it? A place very different from yours." After a few moments, Rikuo would continue. "As thanks for earlier, I can treat you somewhere. I can afford that much." Of course, it's not just that. He also wanted to know more about her and her tribe. A whole tribe of waterbenders that only few people know about, now that's something he wanted to write on his journal.

His eyes caught people in black robes running. The Order? They were probably after Mallo, considering he just proclaimed that he was the Avatar. A flash of worry appeared in his eyes. Then the letter came to mind - a waterbender that visited the Water Tribe. He's been here for a full day with no other waterbender in sight other than Mozu and Mallo, and he was pretty sure that Mozu wasn't the person he was looking for. His shoulders dropped and let out a sigh, "I need to find Mallo..." He said regrettably. He looked at Mozu to see what her reaction would be - if she would be willing to go with him or if she had other businesses to attend to. "He might be in trouble."

@karamonnom