kwxsuki

She pocketed her money again, but felt uneasy while doing so. Already, she was thinking of ways she could repay Suki for this favor if she wouldn’t take her money. And did the Kyoshi Warriors even get paid for what their work? She almost asked Suki, but decided to save her question for when she saw Ty Lee later. “Right. Thanks,” she repeated. 

Mai, in fact, did have other errands to run. Despite its proximity to her home, her visits to Harbor City were relatively infrequent. It simply wasn’t worth sitting through her mother’s unnecessary fretting when she ventured out past the clean-cut streets immediately surrounding the palace and their home. “No, this was my last stop actually,” she lied smoothly. Nothing she needed to get was worth walking around with Suki on an impromptu shopping trip. And although the idea of other residents of Harbor City mistreating her due to her infamous family did not bother her, what did bother her was the idea of Suki swooping in every time that happened. 

“Are you here by yourself?” Mai asked, suddenly thinking that it would be likely for Suki to be here by her friends–either the companions of the Avatar or other Kyoshi warriors. She wasn’t sure which she would prefer. She realized that Suki’s involvement in her disagreement with the pastry shop owner could’ve been much, much worse. At least no one had been there to witness her embarrassment. “Don’t let me keep you from your friends,” she added, partially to be polite, but also so that she could make her escape before she had to interact with her other friends, whoever they may be.

“I am, actually.” Suki admitted sheepishly. “Everyone is either sleeping in or enjoying breakfast provided by the palace. I just needed a change of pace.” She rubbed the back of her head with a small chuckle. Now that she’d said it outloud, maybe she came off as ungrateful for not fully embracing the hospitality offered. What’s worse is that she hadn’t even asked for anyone’s company, nor if they needed anything from town. The more she thought about everyone back in the palace, the more guilty Suki began to feel.

smellerbee narrowed her eyes, twisting her hand under the stranger’s and breaking the grip. she glowered and raised her voice, “hey! did you just call me sir? i’m a girl.”

she knew that the warrior wasn’t talking to her when she used the word sir, she was talking to the shopkeeper. but so long as the attention was on her having two skewers of meat and peppers in his hands, then the attention was theft. if the attention were to shift, however, to a fight between the two girls on the streets, it’d be written off as just a scuffle between some loud earth kingdom freaks instead of theft. she was’t some fresh faced green crook. smellerbee stomped forward, shoving at the woman’s side, trying to leave the scene.

“maybe you should mind your own business instead of going around and saying whatever you want about people, huh?” the crowd seemed to be confused now, looking around, expecting perhaps a fight, but also not exactly calling over the royal fire benders.

Caught off guard by the response, Suki gave the stranger a firm shake of her head. “I apologize about the confusion. I was speaking to the owner.” She gestured to the man with her freehand. In addressing this, she hoped that there would be no further reason for the scene to escalate. But this was merely wishful thinking, and things only managed to get worse. 

Suki grunted at the shove, resulting in the release of her grip. Rather than continuing to approach the girl, she stood her ground, offering her hands upwards to show that she meant no harm. Of course she didn’t want anyone to get hurt over a petty crime. But she also didn’t want the shop owner to be unfairly deprived of any earnings. She was stubborn and refused to drop the matter so easily.

     Qin smirked at Suki’s lighthearted joke, shrugging. He wasn’t sure why this warrior-like woman wasted his time on him, but at least she hadn’t seen his speech. Maybe she would be regarding him otherwise if she knew that little fact. “You can say that. Anyone who survived the front line of this war must be tough.” He paused, looking the young woman in the eyes. “Both sides included.” Qin offered her a genuine and reassuring smile. Up until she mentioned she was Suki of Kyoshi Island. Now that explained everything.

     “I wondered why you’re so perfectly poised. That explains it.” Qin also realized that the notable girl before him was part of the infamous Avatar Team. She wondered what her political views were, though the Kyoshi Warriors weren’t usually interested to interfere in the scene of Lords and Royalties. At least that’s what people said. “So that surely means we’ve seen the worst part of this war. Soldier to a member of the Kyoshi Warriors.“ Qin approached the girl, his body language suggesting friendliness instead of ill intent. “I’ve heard about Avatar Kyoshi and her warriors. Meeting one is a true honor.“ Despite the fact that he was directly involved in any destruction upon the Earth Kingdom that the Warriors probably tried to fix.

      “I’m Qin Lee.“ he took a deep breath before revealing the worst part about him. The one that still tainted him to this day. “Former soldier of the Fire Nation. I’m not very proud of that fact. I’d rather stay known by my name, not my title.“

“That they are indeed.” She offered a smile in agreement with the other. Although they may have been playing for opposite teams not too long ago, the fact that he was standing here, fighting for the change he wished to see, was enough to let Suki know that he wasn’t someone she needed to be weary of. Despite only just meeting, she felt overwhelmed with the hope that whatever goal he had set his mind on, would surely be met with time.

At his words, Suki couldn’t help the swell of pride within her. Before arriving in the Fire Nation following the war, she had no idea of the reputation preceding the Kyoshi Warriors. Hearing of how highly regarded they were, she couldn’t stop her smile from growing. “The pleasure is mine, Qin Lee.” She gave him a humble bow out of respect. 

Once resuming her upright posture, Suki caught a glimpse of a Kyoshi Warrior through her peripheral view. They seemed to be gesturing for her, needing her assistance with something. “I’m afraid I must be on my way now, but I hope we can meet again someday.” She began to jog off in the direction of her peer before halting midway, turning back to the former soldier. “Even if you’re not proud of your past, I hope that you can shape a future that you can be proud of.” Suki offered the words of advice with a small wave before proceeding on with her duties.

Like a sponge in water, Hahn took everything in, nodding along as he sealed every bit of information in his memory. He may have been trying to gather intel, but he couldn’t help but let a little of the child-like curiosity of his bask in the warmth of knowledge. “The Fire Lord must trust you a lot then.”

“Well, lead the way, madame.” he said, and with an extravagant flourish of his hand and a deep bow, he gestured in the completely wrong direction.

Her excitement was palpable, even with the flurry of tastes and smells that were attacking his senses as they walked down the street full of shops stocking teas, confectionery and other delicacies. It would probably have been nice to listen to her (almost like taking a warm bath after a long day out in the cold, he thought), had she not been talking about Katara and Sokka. Especially Sokka. He tried his best to keep his smile from turning into a frown, but his muscles were straining against his conscious effort. He settled for pressing his lips into a thin line instead— hopefully she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice.

He was about to give his name, when he choked on the expletives that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat, hacking and coughing as he tried to regain his grip on the astral plane. At least it wasn’t a dumpling, he muttered inwardly, a surly expression beginning to spread across his face. Have a meal… together? His head tilted skywards, throat still raw, curses now befalling the spirits instead. Were they really that cruel? Was there somehow no other Southern Water Tribe people in this universe that people knew?

He looked back towards Suki, probably stricken with concern at his rather strange reaction, and gave her a weak smile. “Sorry… must have been the uh… excitement?” Rubbing soothing circles over his chest, he added, “It’s alright— don’t trouble yourself. I’m sure they’re too busy to dine with a… commoner like me.” He spat the word ‘commoner’ with particular disdain and a frown. The heavenly smell of dumplings wafted through the bustling streets, weaving between merchants and patrons, and Hahn figured they had probably reached their destination. Wasting no time, Hahn hurried forward to hold the door open for Suki. “Anyway, I’m from the Northern Water Tribe. You can call me Hahn.”

Suki pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that.” She and Zuko were exactly close. Sure, she’d managed to push her minor personal grudge against him to the side sort of, but to think that they’d ever confide in each other for anything would be a bit of a stretch. “I guess you could consider us co-workers, to an extent.” It seemed to be the closest word to come to mind, in regards to their relationship, resulting in a small chuckle.

She was lost in her thoughts, humming softly against her lips without notice. It wasn’t until she’d heard an abrupt sound come from the other. Suki stopped in place as she turned towards him, eyes wide with worry. Was it something she said? Studying his face, it appeared as if he’d suddenly fallen ill. As to what it was, Suki had no clue. Instead, she was only able to offer an awkward chuckle at the excuse of excitement. 

In no time, he had rushed ahead of her towards the restaurant. Offering a polite smile, she thanked him with a small nod of her head before walking in towards an open table. As she did so, Suki couldn’t help but feel a bit off put by his comment referring to himself as a commoner. Once sat, she began to respond once more. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Hahn. Perhaps you can all meet another time, then.” Seeing as they’d already come this far. They were quickly greeted by a server who promptly took their order. Suki had gone with the recommended house dumplings and tea.

Rolling her eyes at Suki’s accusation, Ming felt a snarky comment slip past her lips. “Resorting to petty name calling? I guess we are siblings after all.” She felt bad for being so insensitive to Suki, but she didn’t know how to deal with her own emotions on the subject, let alone comfort the other. It was uncomfortable to think about her father’s misdeeds, he had been her moral compass for so long, and now she felt violated knowing he had been telling the truth about the other daughter. She could deny the fact, keep blissfully unaware of Suki’s presence, only the fact of the matter was that she was real and that meant that Ming couldn’t hide from the truth. But if Suki wanted to hide, deny, and sulk, then that was her problem. Ming had done enough just by telling Suki the truth, there was nothing else she could do.

With that thought firmly in her mind, she rose from her seat on the stone stairs and dusted herself off. “You have my address from the Coronation. When you come to your senses, you’ll find me there.” With that, she walked off, onto the streets that lead her home. It was getting late, anyway. There was no reason to stay. She hoped, secretly, that Suki would consider trusting her just this once. But only in her heart of hearts did that hope live, because the rest of Ming felt like the last thing she needed was political and personal drama.

Every time they spoke to each other, Ming seemed to shake up Suki more than she ever thought possible. A few years ago, if one were to tell her that she’d leave Kyoshi Island to help the Avatar, she would have laughed with a puff of her chest. Yet, here she was, in the Fire Nation. Just a few days ago, Suki would optimistically tell you that anything can happen...but this? She had a sister from a far off nation? Her father was alive but not with her mother?

After being kept in the dark for so long, Suki began to find comfort in the unanswered mysteries of her past (ignorance is bliss, as they say). But now the answers were being thrust into the light, too blinding for Suki to even comprehend. Did she even want to? 

She watched the other as they walked away, shrinking in size until she was out of sight. The timing of the reveal could not have been worse. With a huff of frustration, Suki gave her cheeks a firm slap to snap her out of her daze. This was no time for wandering thoughts. She had to deal with the matter at hand first. Discovering whether or not Ming was just baiting her for some bigger plan could be settled later.

for as long as ty lee could remember, she hadn’t ever wanted to be a part of group. in fact, being a nameless face in a crowd was her biggest fear after her childhood. how could she be special when there were six other copies of her who never seemed to get on people’s nerves the way that she did? then, later, when she was sucked into azula’s ‘elite squad,’ she knew that she would always be seen for her relationship with azula first and who she really was second. it seemed that being a solo act was the only career for her. 

and then she met suki.

the kyoshi warriors should have been ty lee’s worst nightmare, with their matching robes and face paint––but during their chi blocking lessons in prison, she listened to their stories about the people they had protected and the work that they had done, and realized that maybe the reason she hadn’t ever wanted to belong to group before was because she hadn’t ever been a part of something worthwhile. she was proud to be a kyoshi warrior; it was an honor to wear their uniform because now, when people looked at her, they knew that she stood for something good. 

“they don’t seem to be keen on anything,” ty lee sighed, her shoulders sinking for a moment. she glanced at suki and blew her bangs out of her face, “how do you help people who don’t want it? i’m trying…i’m really trying to balance my karma, but it feels like everything i do just makes things worse.” on days like today, the only reason she didn’t like her face paint and armor was because she felt unworthy of it. she bit down on her bottom lip and dug her toes into the ground, “maybe i make a better weapon than i do a warrior.”

Despite their short time together in comparison to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki quickly understood how Ty Lee was able to win them over so easily. She was a skilled fighter, but also bubbly and kind. Not smiling in her presence was more difficult a battle than one would think. And while she did commit a few questionable acts alongside Azula, Suki just didn’t believe that Ty Lee was driven by the same tyrannical ambition as her friend. In hindsight, what she could believe was that there was a loyalty within her, ultimately being triumphed by the need to do the right thing. That was the kind of person Suki had befriended. 

Suki rested a comforting hand on the other’s shoulder, giving her a stern, but gentle, look. “We can’t help everyone, even if we desperately want to. But what matters is that we do the best we can for those that we can help.” It was a sad truth to acknowledge that there were people in the crowd who probably found the Kyoshi Warriors to be just as much a hindrance as palace guards. But if their being there could mean the difference between someone being hurt or the vast majority staying safe, then it was a bet Suki was willing to take. “You are trying.” She reassured the other. ”And that will always be better than not trying at all.”

Hahn had half-expected her smile to look jarring against her rather intimidating makeup. Except, when she flashed him a wide grin, expectations melted into a reality of a different plane, and he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that it was kind of charming. He felt himself return the smile without any effort of his own, muscles crinkling the outer corners of his eyes. The thought sent a momentary pulse of what he could only describe as guilt coursing through him for his deceit, and his smile fell, but he easily threw up a bulwark around his heart before that pulse could reach the beating organ. A necessary evil, he chanted quietly, and it was simply a small lie. He was sure he’d done worse things. Or he’d be doing worse things… to her. Hahn pushed the sullying thoughts away, his attention returning to the present.

“Oh, so the palace guards are different?” Hahn probed, “Do you usually not work for the Fire Lord, then?” He knew little of the Kyoshi Warriors beyond what he’d read in history books, so it was little wonder that he was already working to mine information out of her. “Well, I’ve heard about the giant lake, but not much beyond that,” he hummed in thought, tapping his finger against his chin, “Hungry? What about one of your favourite places to eat?”

Not wanting the atmosphere to stale, Hahn turned to make conversation. “You mentioned friends from the Southern Water Tribe?” he asked. Wait… she wasn’t friends with Katara and her meathead brother… was she? He could sense his eyes narrowing just at the thought, but before his expression could turn into a full-fledged sneer, he relaxed his muscles, giving the guard before him a small smile. “What are their names?” He paused. “I never got yours, either.”

Suki nodded at the question. “In the Fire Nation, citizens usually don red attire, much like you wear blue in the Water Tribes— though I’m sure that much you probably already know. The same goes for palace guards.” She was certain that she was oversharing, but it was a quality she’d happened to pick up from her grandmother overtime. Rather than scare the man (something she believed to have already done moments prior), Suki wanted to make him feel at ease while showing him around. “I don’t work for the Fire Lord, no. But I happened to fight alongside him once or twice.” 

Hearing what little the other new about Kyoshi Island, Suki was actually a bit surprised. All this time she believed that they were a small island that no one really spoke much of. But perhaps the creatures which resided in their shores was enough to attract attention from water tribes of both poles. Just the thought cause her to smile to herself with pride in her home. Just thinking back to her hometown, she dearly missed the taste of freshly caught seafood, prepared to perfection by her grandparents. But as she still hadn’t tasted anything similar, she opted to offer the next best thing in the Fire Nation. “I’m still familiarizing myself with the restaurants here, but there’s a pretty good dumpling place nearby if you’d like to try it out.”

     Qin scoffed at her helping offer. It was kind, but there was no need for medics involved. “Thank you for your offer. It’s kind of you but I fear I don’t have the time for a healer. I can-” he bit his tongue. Could he mend his own wounds? He lived with years of war trauma behind his back, yet he claimed he can outgrow his wounds. “I can deal with it myself.”

     “I don’t have peers.“ he bit, shrugging his shoulders. “I frankly don’t know anybody around here. My best bet is that eventually a soldier up there might have been in my year of basic military training.“ Qin pointed to the Palace of the Fire Lord and looked the stranger straight int he eyes. He wondered how this well-poised woman would react to his revealment. Maybe she wasn’t the one to like Fire Nation soldiers who helped bid Ozai’s will. “I don’t even have friends who I’m sure are alive right now. For all I know they might either be imprisoned or killed during the events of Ozai’s reign.“

     Qin was hesitant to ask the other for her name for he wasn’t sure if he needed to know, yet why not make a new friend while around here? He could use more friends, maybe that would easen him up a bit. “What’s your name, if it’s not rude?“

"Tough guy, huh?” Suki smirked. She saw a bit of herself in his response, always wanting to do take on burdens herself. It wasn’t until a few years into her training that she had learned, first hand, that it was impossible to do everything herself— no matter how hard she tried. Ever since, Suki has leaned on her fellow Kyoshi Warriors for support, working as a team.

She listened to the other’s words thoughtfully, her eyesight following his gesture towards the palace before returning her attention back to him. “I see...I’m so sorry for your loss.” Her voice was solemn as she expressed her condolences. Ozai’s cruelty was a stranger to no one— not even those who served under him. She couldn’t imagine how he felt, nor the bitter taste in his mouth after having spoken of his grievances out loud. 

Suki knew that as a stranger, there was no real way of comforting this man. Regardless, Suki rested a firm hand on his shoulder, offering a small nod of her head in silent affirmation that things were going to get better. 

Mai watched as Suki swooped in out of nowhere to come to her rescue. The shop owner glanced over Suki from head to toe, and apparently deemed her aggressive stance and pointed look threatening enough to take her money, albeit with a reluctant huff. Mai scowled at the prospect of someone finding Suki to be more intimidating than her. 

“Thanks,” she told the other girl, remembering her manners a second too late. Already hating the fact that she owed Suki for stepping in to stop what could have been a public spectacle, Mai held out the money she had been holding in her own hands. The same money the shop owner had refused to take. “Here. For the bread.” She refused to owe any favors to Suki of all people. Their tally of who owed each other what for causing each other’s imprisonment and/or freedom for imprisonment was already murky. She didn’t want to add any more debts to the mess. 

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone,” Mai said stiffly. She was, of course, talking about Ty Lee. Who else did they have in common with each other? Mai wasn’t even sure if Suki knew why the shop owner had tried to refuse to serve her. But the last thing she needed was Suki running off to tell Ty Lee how she across poor little Mai getting bullied by a big bad pastry shop owner. She didn’t her friend fretting over such senseless things. Or worse, telling her that the shop owner would definitely like her if he just got to know her. 

Feeling triumphant that she’d succeeded, Suki couldn’t help but lift up her chin and puff out her chest a bit. Of course she hadn’t expected any praise or reward from doing what she did, but she was happy at the mere fact that she was able to help. In the past few days she’d been there, Suki noticed a trend in children atoning for the sins of their parents. Knowing of what Mai had done and how she’d spent some time in jail due to those actions, it felt wrong to see her mistreated over her name alone. 

“It was no problem.” Just as she’d done on coronation day, Suki offered Mai a genuine smile in response. But when offered her money, she was quick to go on the defensive, waving her hands to reject the bundle gently. “It’s fine, really. If you just enjoy the bread, that’d be payment enough for me. Besides, any friend of Ty Lee’s is a friend of mine.” She let out a small laugh. 

“And don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.” Suki closed her lips tightly against themselves, moving her hand across her face to pantomime zipping them closed. She understood where Mai was coming from. Had she been the one in her shoes, Suki wouldn’t have wanted anyone close to her to know of what happened. She was too prideful for that. Part of her felt guilty for stepping in, knowing that if it had been her, she would’ve wanted to fight the battle herself. Just the thought of it made Suki feel a bit sheepish.

the idea that someone saw her caused her to freeze, but kai was made for moments like these: ones where everything was on the line, ones where she had to be more careful and more clever than everyone else around her. she turned to face the other girl entirely with a wide smile. she took another bite of her apple. “ i didn’t forget anything at all. ” she shook her head in emphasis.

“ actually — ” a loud bite “ — the stand’s owner, lee, has an arrangement with my father. he pays him a stipend at the beginning of the month for pick of best produce. my siblings and i are also allowed to come and go as we please and take what we’d like, so long as it isn’t excessive. ” kai gave a careful shrug of her shoulders. “ an apple ? it’s really no skin off of his back. ”

the smile on her face wasn’t too wide as to be suspicious, but not too small as to be insincere.

by all means, kai was a good liar.

she had learned to be one as a child. lie to others, lie to yourself, lie to everyone. when she was younger, she felt guilty about it, a nagging voice in the back of her conscious. wrong wrong this is wrong. but she grew older, and she drowned it out. she had to do what she needed to to survive, so lying ? a necessary evil. she had stopped feeling wrong about it a long time ago.

“ we could go ask him, if you’d like ? ” she gestured back over her shoulder towards the stand before looking back. “ but it might take a while. it looks pretty busy. ” her lips pursed together. “ i’d hate to lose him a sale. ”

Her response was quick, but especially calm. Unlike Toph, Suki was no Earth Bender. She couldn’t feel the change in someone’s heartbeat to determine whether or not they were lying, she just had to know based on evidence and intuition. At the moment, she only had her gut feeling that something about the conversation was off, but obviously that wasn’t enough. Even as the other continued to digest the apple, Suki’s eyes never wavered.

“That’s a likely story.” She hummed. While she did offer the girl a smile, it didn’t stop Suki from narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Her fingers drummed against her crossed arm in mild frustration. In that moment, this girl was right in there definitely being bigger things to worry over, rather than being caught up on a petty apple thief. 

He beamed up at Suki, blushing at her compliment before ducking his head back down in embarrassment. It was a nice thing for her to say, but he didn’t know how true it was. “I don’t know about that, but I’m going to do my best! It’s the most I can do to make up for destruction of private property.” Teo let his eyes follow her gaze back to the damaged wall. “The palace is full of passageways like that one, that end in walls like this.” He rolled up and placed a hand against the stone. “I think it’s because they just kept building and building on top of the original palace. So the hallways that weren’t useful they just blocked off.” He sighed, turning to look at Suki again. “I’m almost positive there’s a library somewhere in there, and I bet it has answers to a lot of the stuff that’s going on in there.” He gestured up at the palace. “And in the city as well.”

Teo watched Suki’s smile fall slightly as he spoke about what him and his father would do after they’d overstayed their welcome. He supposed she of all people would know what it was like to be separated from home so long that it became less of a place and more of a distant concept. He reached out and gave her arm a comforting squeeze. 

“I think you’re right, people finally feel safe enough to express their anger about their situations.” His face fell as he considered that thought. “I guess it wasn’t possible to do that under Ozai without life threatening consequences.” Teo’s mood reversed quickly and he “ laughed out loud as she rapidly changed the subject, and began running in place. “I never really doubted you! And I think you and I are tough in very different ways.” He grinned up at her. “I can rig a bomb but I can’t take out like seven guys in ten seconds. You’ve got a monopoly on that particular skill.” He giggled again. “Consider your warrior pride untarnished.

His eyes lit up at her offer to escort him somewhere. “I didn’t really have a plan, I was just going to try and poke around the city a bit. I haven’t had a chance to really explore since I got here.” Teo licked his lips. “I also really want to try fire flakes.” Raising his arms to grip the wheels of his chair, he tilted his head up at Suki. “You definitely don’t have to come if you’ve got work to do! I’d appreciate the company though, if you want to.”

Suki hung on to each word of the other’s, nodding her head every now and then to show that she was actively listening to what was being said. Clearly, Teo had seen his fair share of the palace’s secret passageways in the short time that they’d all been staying there. When attempting to imagine how he’d even managed to stumble upon them, Suki wondered how many others had done the same. Furthermore, she was impressed that he’d seen several of them without getting lost. “And you’ve been keeping this all to yourself up until now, huh?” She raised a brow and crossed her arms with a playful huff. “How unfair.” Although she was certain that she should be more concerned about the safety of it all, Suki had to admit that her curiosity had overpowered all other feelings.

When he spoke of the protests and of Ozai’s affect on his people prior to his defeat, Suki continued to nod in agreement. Despite being three years younger than herself, she always felt that his wisdom overshadowed her own in many ways. If she raised this point, she was certain that he’d shrug it off. Whether it be plans for tinkering on new inventions to wordly events, Suki was always privileged to hear his insight on the matter.

“As always, Teo, you are too kind to me.” She smiled sweetly at his words, very much appreciative of the compliment. At his excited mention of fire flakes, Suki peeked back towards the crowd of protestors before looking back at Teo. “It would be an honor to keep you company. I’ve just got to make sure that everything’s okay out there first— can’t keep the girls hanging, my reputation as the Kyoshi Warrior leader depends on it.” She smirked jokingly. “But I’ll meet you later, so don’t sneak off to try some without me.” With her final promise to accompany the other, Suki ran off to join the others, waving at Teo one last time before finding herself out of view.