𖤐₊ ˚ .༄ 𖤐₊ ˚ .༄
↯ chapter five―act one !
( tea & boyfriends )
AS SHE PARTED AWAY FROM THE BOY THAT RECENTLY— stole her heart, a playful smile crossed Aiyanna's lips as she made her trek to Ba Sing Se solo. The wind billowed, tousling her dark locks of hair up with the breeze as it did so. And yet, she pressed forward amidst every thought that told her she should have stayed with Sokka and his friends. Stupid, stupid.
Shaking the idea out of her head, the young woman bit her lip as she tried not to think about the boy that had captivated every ounce of her heart. It was one thing to be thankful for the help that Sokka had given her during their time in Serpent's Pass and yet, her heart couldn't help but feel like it was swarmed with butterflies the more her mind crawled back to recall his crooked —but heartwarming— smile.
The rest of the trip to Ba Sing Se wasn't at all compared to the trip across the Serpent's Pass, if anything, Aiyanna wished some sort of chaos would come crashing in front of her. Instead, she was engulfed in the embrace of the wind, her locks of hair continue to fly with the breeze as she pressed forward on the path that would lead her to a new life.
Her hands tingled with a jolt of warmth as Aiyanna found herself joining a crowd of refugees who had recently come off of the ferry. Fearing that her hands were going to produce a flame, the young woman anxiously held her bag as she tried to soothe her thoughts. Using her firebending had already drained most of her energy (because she sucked at it for one thing) but now it seemed that she unlocked more of her chi. Which in turn, unlocked more of the fire that was inside of her.
And yet, she didn't let it get the best of her.
"Last call for Ba Sing Se!"
Aiyanna found her legs taking larger strides as she hastily made her way to the train. Taking a seat on the train, the young woman let out a small sigh of relief. Her eyes glistened with a beam of happiness as she could sense the start of a new life that would begin only mere moments from now. Soon, she would be able to put the past behind her, forget that she was ever a firebender and live a normal life.
After all, all she ever wanted was to be normal.
𖤐₊ ˚ .༄𖤐
HER STOMACH YEARNED FOR SOME SORT— of food. As it turns out, the Lower Ring had not done just to a minor like herself. Without adult supervision, she was dumped on the streets of the poorest part of Ba Sing Se. No food, no money. All she had was her bag and a hungry stomach that growled with every step she took.
At this point, it can be concluded that Aiyanna regretted not taking Sokka's invitation. Surely the Avatar would have been in the Upper Ring, with a nice home, money and—food. Her stomach growled at the very thought of food. The last time she ate was when Aiyanna had departed from Sokka and his friends. Now here she was, roaming unfamiliar streets with a lust for her stomach to be filled with food.
Her amber eyes flickered around the streets of the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. People of all ages dressed in brown or different shades of green clothing. None of them look too thrilled to be in the poorest part of Ba Sing Se. And those who were happy had someone to be with. Aiyanna gritted her teeth as she eyed happy couples who laughed with one another and held hands. Here she was starving and there they were having the time of their lives.
And yet, in front of her, Aiyanna found the means of finding her happiness right before her eyes. Pouches of money hung from strangers, pouches that could only hold one thing. Money. A devilish smile crossed her lips as Aiyanna found her hands tingling, not from her chi, rather, from the fact that she had found the very thing that would relinquish her from her hunger.
Pickpocketing should have been hard for anyone new to the task. For someone like Aiyanna, she had mastered such a skill as soon as she was left finding a new home. The very thought of when she first learned how to pickpocket had brought her chills and yet, maybe she would have never learnt such a skill if she was never banished from home. Nevermind. Biting her lip at the memory, Aiyanna shook her head. The wounds were still fresh.
Her hands moved like a dance, graceful and quick, Aiyanna had managed to pickpocket a couple of people. Was it enough for a full meal? Not yet. So she persisted. And maybe it was her persistence that would be her demise.
A warm hand suddenly grasped Aiyanna by the wrist.
The teenage girl yelped and looked up to see a boy —possibly a young adult— with long locks of choppy black hair that fell past his shoulders which also covered a bit of his eyes which were strikingly the same amber colour as Aiyanna herself. That was where the similarities started to fade, he had pale skin that contrasted against her own with strikingly sharp features (for instance, his cheekbones and chin) and not to mention he was quite tall (then again, Aiyanna was also quite short).
A smirk danced on his face as the boy looked down at Aiyanna, his eyes flickering over towards her hand that had tried to grasp a hold of the pouch of money that was hanging at his waist. The clothes gave it away that this girl was from the Water Tribe and yet, he couldn't help but take a closer look at the colour of his eyes. His heart sank as a theory crossed his mind. And the yearning for truth flooded inside.
"What do you think you're doing, kid?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to steal your money," Aiyanna gruffed as she shot him a withering look while pulling her hand back away from his grasp. So much for getting money for food.
"If you wanted money you could have just asked," he replied as the smug smirk rested on his face as the stranger placed a hand on his hip as he continued to eye the young girl that was in front of him.
"If I asked you wouldn't have given me money," Aiyanna grumbled as she continued to give him an icy stare.
"Tell you what, you give me the money just stole and—"
"—now why the hell would I do that?"
"Because you're a minor. And also because I'm in a good mood right now,"
"And how is that supposed to help me?"
"I also have a place where you can stay. Now give me the money,"
𖤐₊ ˚ .༄𖤐
RELUCTANT TO GIVE HER STOLEN MONEY TO A COMPLETE STRANGER— Aiyanna did need a place to stay. And it seemed like this type of guy was the one who would keep his promise. But first, he mentioned something about having tea. Which by all means wasn't exactly food, but who didn't like a good cup of tea?
"So, do you mind telling what a Water Tribe girl like you is doing in Ba Sing Se?" The dark-haired boy asked he plopped down in a random chair, to which Aiyanna nonchalantly sat across from him, already hating the question he asked.
"How did you know I was from the Water Tribe?" Aiyanna scoffed as she hung her bag on the chair while she crossed her arms over her chest.
As much as the young woman knew that many things gave away where she was from, his puffed-up attitude was getting on her last nerve.
"Let's see, the clothes, the beads in your hair —do I need to say more?" He teased as he casually tucked a lock of his ebony black hair behind his ear while he rolled his eyes.
"Besides, you're not the only person from the Water Tribe that's in Ba Sing Se, my boyfriend was from the Northern Water Tribe," he added on.
Two cups of tea were placed down in front of the two. Aiyanna hesitantly took a sip of the tea, only to find a smile on her face as soon as the liquid went down her throat.
It wasn't like Aiyanna hadn't drunk tea before, but compared to every tea that had crossed her lips, this one had to be the best by far.
"This is the best tea I've ever tasted!" The young woman exclaimed as she examined the simple teacup that held such a delicious flavour.
"Can you give my compliments to the worker that made this tea?" Aiyanna asked the server who was shocked to see her sudden outburst of happiness.
He was a boy about her age, with locks of raven black hair that stuck up at the front. One bright hazel eye looked over at her, while his other eye was from some sort of burn.
And yet, he mustered a smile on his face and nodded at Aiyanna's request. "My uncle is passionate about tea," the server started with a gruffy voice. "I'll be sure to pass on the compliment,"
Aiyanna gave him a warm smile before having her lips turn back into a scowl as she narrowed her eyes once more at the stranger.
"Don't give me that look,"
"What look?"
"That look. It looks like you ate something sour —c'mon kid, we were just starting to get alone," the stranger added on while biting his lip in a teasing manner.
"It's Aiyanna, you bastard. And for the record it would be nice to know your name too. You can't expect me to tell you my life story without knowing your name," the teenage girl hissed.
"Jiang. And you should be so lucky that I'm even talking to you. I'm not usually much of a talker,"
"Wow, I feel so honoured," Aiyanna said in a sarcastic tone while rolling her eyes. If she had known that going solo into Ba Sing Se would mean being heavily bothered by Jiang she would have went with Sokka and his friends in a heartbeat. Yet here she was suffering the consequences for her actions.
"C'mon kid, what are you doing here?"
"Trust me, it's not a story I like telling," Aiyanna explained with a sigh as her fingers traced the teacup that was still in front of her.
"Kid, I'm your best bet if you want to survive the horrors of Ba Sing Se,"
Those words threw Aiyanna off guard.
Looking up, her eyes fixed upon Jiang who had no playful glint in his eyes. He was telling the truth. And as horrifying as the idea was that there was more to Ba Sing Se than a safe sanctuary for refugees, she needed to be safe. Aiyanna had come so far to start a new life. If what Jiang was saying was true, she needed to confide in him. Even if it meant telling the truth.
"Alright, I'll tell you," the teenage girl reluctantly agreed.
"Good choice, kid. Now c'mon—"
"—where are we going?"
"You're not planning on telling your life story to me in a teashop where everyone can hear? We'll go to my house. Besides, I'm sure my boyfriend will be thrilled to meet someone who needs a new wardrobe," Jiang said as he got up from his seat while taking a quick glance at Aiyanna's clothes.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aiyanna asked as her cheeks pinked while she eyed her clothes.
Sure this was the only pair of clothes that she had ever since she left the Water Tribe, but it wasn't like they were planning on letting her take a whole bunch of clothes after being banished from her home. Then again, her clothes were a dead giveaway as to where Aiyanna was from.
"It means you're getting new clothes,"
( ―I'VE GOTTEN TIRED, )
❛ conan gray ❜
( ― OF THE GAMES YOU PLAY )