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Fire and Earth

Whispers echoed from the top of the boulder, a man and a woman could be heard chuckling on it. Trevor shifted a small bit as Jack leaned a little further forward and kept the rock raised. Muffled laughter came again. Suddenly a high-pitched siren wailed into the darkness.

"Crap." Trevor sent the rock flying across the garden surrounding the manor and he and Jack gave the woman in the window a gentleman's farewell as they hopped over the perimeter wall. They ran about a mile before Trevor put up a wall in an alley to shield them from view. After they caught their breath Trevor Jack smacked him in the back of the head.

"There are some many other girls. SO MANY. You had to pick the governor's little girl?" Jack returned his friend's smack.

"We both know you were looking at her too. I can say that I wasn't the only one she was expecting. I think she was hoping you'd show up just as much as me."

Trevor checked around the wall, "Right, pretty boy, Right."

Approaching footsteps forced them to silence again. The patrols under governor Seong were no joke. Fully armed men and a bender walked not a few feet away from their alley.

"Think we better leave tomorrow. I don't think they saw our faces but I don't want to chance it." Jack nodded,

"Plus I think she's going to be looking for us." Trevor raised an eyebrow. "Yeah she actually did want to see you. So I may have told her you'd find her tomorrow." Another parol passed, preventing Trevor from shouting at his friend.

"You what!?" He whispered. Jack only smiled in answer. Trevor shook his head. It was going to be twice as hard to get out of the city now that she was looking for him. The two made their way back to the small inn they had holed up in. It wasn't on the pretty side of town, but no one really looked twice at them. They had been there for a few days now, looking for half decent work. On one of these searches, Jack spotted Lady Nevalia in the market. They thought their luck had changed. They approached her as friendly as they could manage, and asked if they were short handed. Instead of a simple answer, they ended up saving her from a small pack of bandits, and earning her rather unexpected affections. Had they known who she was at the time, they would have been on the next train out of town that day. But they followed her around the city at her request, and discussed about a potential job as her personal bodyguards. Blinded by thoughts of a proper, high paying job and non rat infested rooms, it didn't register where she was taking them until they met the big man himself. They'd had a run in with Governor Seong before, and it was ugly. Whether it was chance or the time between their last meeting and this one, he didn't seem to recognize them. One look at him and his daughter was enough for the pair, though. They played it out and did their best to sneak off, but the governor insisted they stick around for dinner as reward for saving his daughter. A few hours later they were caught by Nevalia sneaking out. Which led to their quick escape. Trevor was shook out of his reverie by Jack.

"Snap out of it, dude. We need to bail." Trevor nodded and threw the rest of his belongings into his bag. They paid their last stay at the inn counter and begin the long and slow task of sneaking through the city to the shipyard. Moving through back alleys, the two make their way to the yard where a cargo ship ready to leave sounded its horn. Trevor sighed with relief,

"OK, so the inn keep wasn't lying about the boat." Jack grinned

"maybe we sound trust shady people with face tattoos more often." moving up to the loading dock and approach one of the crew. Trevor waved him over,

"Hey buddy! I got some coin with your name on it if you can get us a spot on that boat." the sailor looked them over.

"How much you got?" he asked. Jack tossed him a small sack that chinked as it landed in the sailor's hand. He weighed it in his palm. "There some space on the cargo bay if you can deal with vegetables." They nodded, and followed him up the dock and onto the ship.

An hour or so later, they felt the ship move away from the dock and into open waters. Unfortunately, though it would get them out of town, the only comfortable place to wait out the trip was among the cabbages. Trevor and Jack looked at each other as the crates shifted, "I hate cabbage." They said in unison. It was going to be a long ride.

Chapter 2

"We there yet?" Jack asked for the hundredth time that day. They'd been at sea for three days now, and the two were getting more impatient by the hour. Trevor shrugged as he looked out a window. Land had appeared an hour ago, but the ship had shown no signs of slowing down. Trevor answered without looking at his friend. "I was hoping we would stop by a village or something small. I saw one or two as we came in. We can always find work in those places." Jack suddenly leapt from his seat,

"lets spar?" Trevor turned and gave him a look,

"Last time we sparred, you burnt half the crates of carrots." Jack nodded, and took a stance anyway. Trevor sighed again, but a smile spread across his face regardless. Taking a stance of his own across from Jack, they began their training with enthusiasm. This was ritual for them. They'd been kicking the hell out of each other since they met. That didn't stop them from doing it though. The two were extremely competent fighters despite their young age. Years of competition between the two, along with the occasional mercenary job, honed their mediocre skills into something to be reckoned with. This showed in everything they did. Though the two couldn't be more different.

Jack was on the lanky side, not small, but not large either. This hid a surprising strength that came with years of training and fighting, along with his own natural agility. Trevor was stocky, naturally like most earth benders. What made him stick out was the grace and politeness with which he carried himself with. With his imposing appearance, his mannerisms and gentle nature surprise just about everyone they meet. They cancel each other out in a way. Trevor keeping Jack in check while Jack brought out Trevor's more reckless side. The ship's horn sounded as Jack sat back down and Trevor resumed his position at the window.

"We're stopping. Looks like a port town. Want to see if we can get another fishing job?" Jack shook his head.

"Nah, I don't feel like going to sea for 3 days and getting paid a day's salary." Trevor nodded his agreement. Jack came to stand next to his friend.

"You saw a village on the way over right? Think they need any protection?"

"Don't know, looked pretty small. We could get some work as farm hands for a week or two and see what happens."

"You want to watch to see if it gets raided?"

"Yeah."

"Classic case the town, save the people, get paid, and split the next day scenario?" Trevor grinned,

"Yup." He slung his pack over his shoulder and they made their way onto the deck. Trevor shielded his eyes from the noon sun as he and Jack surveyed the port town. It was at least big enough to accommodate a few ships coming in every week. They mingled with the crew until the gangplank was lowered, and they slipped into the throng on the dock.