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"Hey! Those are my nuts!" Gommu was arguing with the rabbit squirrels in the park again. I sat at the bank opposite of him watching as he swung his hands at the creatures trying to get his dinner back. It was a beautiful sunny late afternoon in Republic City and I always enjoyed spending days like this in the City Park. I had long forgotten what day it was anymore, I just knew I had been in the city for 27 days now and hadn't had a real meal or place to sleep since I had gotten here. My stomach growled as I watched Gommu fight the animals for his dinner. They hopped away with half of his nuts, but he managed to salvage a good bit and scrambled back to his bush to enjoy his meal. I sighed and turned back to the water hungrily. I would have had no problem asking Gommu to share his dinner normally, as I did many other evenings here in the city, but I always felt so guilty eating half of his dinner that always seemed so small to begin with. He never seemed to mind though.
I twirled my fingers through the air, making the water jump in pretty little spirals as my mind thought about what I could be eating back home in the Northern Water Tribe. I shook my head trying to rid myself of the thought. I couldn't go back there. I couldn't give in. If I went back, I'd be forced into that stupid arranged marriage. And besides that I couldn't face my father. I can only imagine how much I hurt him when he found out I had stowed away on one of the trade ships to Republic City. I lay back in the grass and tried to enjoy the rest of the sunlight as best as I could. But the task seemed to be impossible as my stomach would not stop aching. Frustrated, I got up and grabbed my bag, deciding that I would just go find some place to sleep for tonight before the sun went down. Since I was getting such an early start on searching, I'd probably find a great place to settle down for the night.
I made my way down the busy streets of down town, looking at all the food stalls on the side of the road. Many a day I had been tempted to steal from the stalls, it would be all too easy to do it. The streets were always so busy, no one would ever notice if I just walked by and nonchalantly stole one or two apples. I just wished that one day the fruit would just jump out of its baskets and walk to my feet. Today, it seemed like my wish was coming true. As I was walking past an orange stand, a huge crowd shoved by, knocking an orange out of its basket. It rolled past my feet, unnoticed by anyone but me. It seemed like my lucky day! Before anyone could notice, I scooped up the orange and walked away quickly. I didn't even think of the fact that I could have just put the fruit back; being in the city for so long with no place to live kind of softened my conscience a bit. The people were all so rude, so I felt I deserved this free orange.
I turned off the main street and continued walking down the quieter back streets, peeling my orange along the way. As I bit into the orange, my mouth filled with its sweet juices, making my taste buds sigh. The city was riddled with vagabonds and orphans and it wasn't at all like I dreamed it would be when I read about it in my school books back home. It seemed like more of a sad and desperate place. A couple of thugs watched me as I walked past the alleyway they were standing in. I wasn't worried about being attacked anymore though. I looked so dirty and unpleasant in my old fashioned water tribe outfit that hadn't been cleaned in weeks, and I didn't smell much better, either. No one dared touch the dirty looking homeless girl walking down the street. The thugs eventually turned away and I continued walking on.
When I finished off my orange, I noticed I had made it to a part of the city I had never seen before. I was close to the water though, and I could hear it splashing against the shores of the city. Oh, how I loved the sounds of the water. I wished I could just run to the shore and play in it, making wonderful shapes and bending the water this way and that. I hadn't been able to reallywaterbend since I had gotten here. The main reason I had come here was to improve my waterbending. I had been one of the best healers in training when I lived in the tribe, and even the masters thought I was great. I was hoping to come to the city and apprentice under one of the healers here but no one seemed interested. After being turned away so many times, I didn't know what to do, and now here I was, living on the streets.
Up ahead was a big extravagant looking building, but all the lights were out inside except for a large room in the top corner. I heard people talking about this place around town; this must be the pro-bending arena. I heard security there was pretty lax. This would probably be a great place to camp tonight, and it's a good thing I found it when I did because the sun was nearly set. I smirked and made my way to the building. I walked around the back of the arena and found a huge pile of trash bags sitting outside of a back door. When I got closer, I noticed they were mainly full of old rags and towels, and I was grateful I wouldn't have to sleep in a pile of old food tonight. I plopped down on the trash and made myself comfy. I gazed up at the twilight sky and sighed. It was such a beautiful sky tonight. The sounds of the water lapping at the shore started to ease me into light slumber, but not before someone swung open the back door. I jumped up out of the pile of trash as the young man let out a startled yelp. He certainly didn't expect a girl to be sleeping in his trash.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I thought it'd be okay to sleep here tonight! Please don't call the cops. I'll leave if you want." I just went on rambling and expecting him to throw the trash bag in his hand at me, but he didn't. He just stared at me. I stopped talking and stared back. I mean, I know the city people were rude, but no one has stared at me quite like this before. "What?"
"Oh, oh, uh, it's nothing. I'm sorry." I saw him smile in the darkness and he tossed the trash into the rest of the pile. An apology? That's strange. No one has ever apologized for staring before. Not that they needed to, I'd stare too if I saw someone as disgusting looking as I look now. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"
I hoped he wasn't offering me into his home. Last time I was naïve enough to enter a man's home, some unmentionable things had occurred and I had just barely escaped before he had done anything to extreme. I took a step back and spoke sternly. "Well, I was hoping to stay out here if you'd let me."
"Nonsense, you can come inside if you like. We have plenty of room." He noticed my hesitancy. "I promise I won't do anything to you. You can even use our bath if you like." Oh a warm bath. That sounded so nice. I bit my lip trying to decide if I should take him up on the offer. "I can't just leave a pretty girl out to sleep on the street. Come on, you can trust me." I blushed a little and was thankful it was dark. This man was the first one to treat me like a human since I came to the city, besides Gommu of course. But I'm sure he thought the rabbit squirrels were also human. He was a bit strange. I stared at the outline of the man wondering if I could trust him. I might as well. I could always casually disappear if I needed to. I was pretty good at sneaking around.
"Oh, okay." He took my hand and pulled me towards the door. I was just noticing how big he was. He wasn't incredibly tall, but he had big arms and a huge chest. His hands were surprisingly soft and rather large compared to mine. I felt so tiny next to him. He pulled me through a bunch of rooms and up a few stairs I'm pretty sure we passed through an old gym at one point before arriving at a rickety spiral staircase. He motioned for me to climb up and followed up after me, opening an old wooden door at the top. Once we were in the light, I noticed how handsome he really was. He had a thick mess of black hair atop his head and big, beautiful green eyes. He was quite muscular, although he couldn't be more than 16 years old.
I realized we were in the top corner of the building that I noticed was lit earlier. The whole room was like one big glass box. All of the walls were covered with multiple tall windows and the rest of the room was lit with two large hanging lights. There was a frumpy looking red couch in one corner with another boy sitting on it reading a newspaper. He looked much like the boy that had brought me inside, except he was taller and lankier with much better kempt hair. He looked up from his article and frowned when he took in the sight before him. I couldn't blame him for having that reaction, but all the same, I backed up and hid behind the muscular boy that had been so nice to me.
"Bolin, are you taking in homeless people now? Toza is gonna be upset when he finds out."
"Which is why he won't find out, right Mako? Just like he doesn't know about Pabu? Oh come on, she was sleeping out on the trash bags? You remember what that's like, don't you? It's just one night, it won't be forever. Just look at her." He grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me in front of him. My eyes widened nervously as the boy called Bolin presented me to Mako. "Look Mako, have a heart. We could at least feed her, right?" Mako rolled his eyes and went back to his newspaper. "Fine. Do what you want. Just don't bother me with it."
Bolin smiled and went to take my bag from me. I clutched it tightly, not sure if I should let him. It sure seemed like I could trust him. "Don't worry, you'll get your bag back." He chuckled as I handed it to him.
While I had the chance to think I took in the rest of the small apartment. Outside the windows you could see the harbor and Aang Memorial Island in the distance. It was such a beautiful view. Next to the couch, they had to beds shoved up in the corner with a little bed side table squeezed between them. The opposite side of the room had a stove and a tiny table and across from their makeshift kitchen was a plain looking sink with an old mirror sitting above it. On either side of the room there were two ladders they led up to what seemed to be a loft, but I couldn't be quite sure what was up there. There were weights and boxes scattered about and a few books here and there, but otherwise the apartment was fairly empty. The apartment was rather plain and I could tell whatever it was wasn't always a place to live. Perhaps it was an old storage room or attic. Whatever it was, though, it was very quaint and rather cozy and I quite liked it. Bolin threw my bag on the bed against the wall and turned back to me, smiling.
"I'm Bolin, by the way, as I'm sure you heard. And that sour puss on the couch is my older brother, Mako. Would you care to tell me your name miss?"
"Er…"
"Don't tell me you're shy?"
"No. My name is… Kisara. Most people just call me Kisa though." I said that last part a little more quietly than I wanted. I huffed a little. I don't know why I was being so coy. No, I did know why. He was really quite handsome. Not like the boys in the water tribe back home. I had never seen anyone built quite like him.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you Miss Kisa. Would you like to clean up a bit? You seemed to perk up a bit outside when I told you we had a bath."
"Yes, of course. Please." I didn't know what else to say. I felt so stupid. I haven't had any hospitality like this in a long time. It felt so foreign to me now. To be treated normally. I followed him up one of the ladders and emerged in what seemed to be their bathroom. If the apartment was quaint, I couldn't begin to describe this. All they had was a small brass tub with a upturned bucket sitting next to it and another mirror sitting next to the tub. They had a brush and some soap sitting on top of the bucket and a few more things I had never seen scattered around the side of the tub.
"I know it's not much, but we seem to get by with it."
"Oh no. I think this whole place is brilliant. It's much more extravagant than the places I've been sleeping. And the view…" I smiled and looked out the window. "Although I'm not sure anyone can compete with Gommu's bush. Sometimes I can just see it sparkling in the sunlight."
Bolin laughed lightly. "Ah, Gommu. He's probably the nicest person you'll meet in this city." I turned and looked at him, surprised. "Yeah everyone knows about Gommu and his bush. This town isn't all that big. By the way, that water isn't that hot. I usually get Mako to heat it up for me a bit before I get in. I'll get him real quick."
"No that's okay," I said, walking over to the tub. I dipped my fingers into the cool water, closing my eyes for a second to enjoy the fresh water touching my fingers. "This is fine. We really don't need to bother him." I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn't kick me out before the night was over.
"Alright then." He handed me a towel and backed away. "I'll just leave you alone so you can bathe and, uh, stuff. Yeah. You can throw your clothes down the ladder and I'll get them cleaned for you if you like." He smiled and climbed back down the ladder left me alone then. I waited a few moments before I could hear the two brothers talking quietly on the couch before I undressed. I glanced down the ladder and dropped them to the floor like he asked before getting into the tub. The water was cool, but not too much so. Much like the cool showers we would take back home. I looked at myself in the mirror next to the tub, finally taking in what a month of the streets made me look like.
I wasn't as terrible as I thought. My skin looked darker under all the grime and my hair was a total mess, but I still looked like me under all of that, which wasn't much. Back at the water tribe, most people considered me beautiful, but once I got to Republic City, that all changed. The women here were on a totally different level. They caked their faces with makeup and wore tight corsets under all their clothes. Their hair was always so perfect and never out of place. I on the other hand, just always braided my hair down my back. Water tribe women were known for having bigger hips and small waists and a bigger bust, and, although living on the streets for a while made me a bit thinner than normal, I also had all of the qualities of a water tribe woman. All the women here just seemed so tiny. I had never felt so self conscious about myself until I came to the city.
I reached over the edge of the tub and grabbed the brush before relaxing against the side of the tub. But that relaxing feeling went away as I started to brush my hair. It was incredibly knotted and trying to get the brush through it was a difficult task. It took me nearly 10 minutes and I had nearly ripped out what seemed like all of my hair before all the knots were gone and my hair was back to its natural smooth self. I dropped the brush next to the tub and submerged myself under the water. It felt so good to be under water again. I concentrated my mind and directed my healing abilities out through my hands and spreading through the whole tub. My body instantly felt so much better. I came up for air and immediately started scrubbing the grime from my hair and body. It didn't take long before I was back to my natural skin color.
Finally, I had time to just relax. I leaned back in the tub and closed my eyes. I could still hear the sounds of the ocean through the walls. I smiled and started bending the tub water, making it ripple this way and that. I focused harder and managed to get a decent sized sphere of water floating above the tub. I lifted it up towards the ceiling before releasing it and letting it splash over my head.
"Is everything alright up there?" I heard Bolin yell from down the ladder. I held back a laugh as I realized it must look weird to see a ball of water floating around the ceiling. It just felt so good to play in the water; I forgot where I even was.
"Yes, sorry, I'm nearly done."
"Oh it's fine. Er, just don't make a mess."
I laughed quietly as I got out of the tub and dried off. When I looked back into the mirror I looked like myself again. I smiled and brushed my hair out a second time, which was much easier than the first time. After bending the water out of my hair, I braided it back down my back like I used to. Finally, I wrapped the towel around me and drained the tub. And then I realized I didn't have anything to wear. My normal outfit was dirty and worn out to the point that I might as well just throw it away. I remembered that I had a spare day tunic in my bag, but it wasn't all that clean. I guess it would have to do. I peeked down and saw Bolin sitting cross legged on the floor playing with a fire ferret. I whispered his name and he looked up smiling. "Finally done?"
"Er, kinda. I need my clothes. Could you bring me my bag?"
"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry I didn't think about that." He blushed a little and retrieved my bag from the loft. He climbed up the ladder to the bath and handed me my back while keeping his other hand over his eyes. I laughed lightly as I took my bag from him. He was acting quite adorable and I knew I was going to like this guy. After he climbed back down, I got out my tunic and undergarments and quickly dressed. The tunic stopped right above my knee and had a slit that stopped just below my hips on either side, but it would have to do. I didn't really have anything else to wear.
I hung my towel on the ladder after I climbed down and joined Bolin on the floor. I watched as he did tricks with the little fire ferret. "Aw, he's so cute. Who's this little guy?"
"His name's Pabu. I found him on the streets a few years ago and we've been inseparable since." He smiled and scratched Pabu's head. "I've been teaching him circus tricks so we can perform on the weekends. Watch!" He twirled his finger in a circle and the fire ferret did a little back flip. I laughed and reached out to scratch his back. He rolled over and pawed at my hand. He didn't act much like a ferret, but I really liked him. "Oh, I think he likes you." Bolin smiled up at me and I blushed. "I didn't know you were a water bender. I guess I should've known from the get up you were wearing, which I already got washed, by the way. Your clothes are hanging out back, drying." He propped his arm up on his knee and rested his chin in his hand. "Hmmm, you're absolutely adorable, you know." I smiled more and looked down trying to hide the red in my face. Mako set down his newspaper on the table in front of him and got up, stretching his arms. He was so quiet I almost forgot he was there.
"You really shouldn't be so forward, Bolin. You're just making things awkward for the poor girl. I'm going to bed now, you guys keep it down." Pabu rolled over and ran after him, climbing into his bed before Mako could even get there. Watching Mako go to bed made me realize how tired I was. I yawned and leaned back on my hands. I didn't know where I was even going to sleep tonight; their apartment really wasn't all that big. "You can sleep in my bed if you like."
"Oh no, I couldn't do that. I'll just sleep on the couch, it's no big deal."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't want to sleep that close to your brother anyways. He doesn't seem to like me that much."
"Of course he likes you! He's not always this mean. He just doesn't like meeting new people." Bolin stuck his tongue out at Mako while he wasn't looking, which made me giggle a little. "He's much nicer once you get to know him." He got up and grabbed a blanket out of one of the boxes just sitting around and threw it onto the couch along with a lumpy looking pillow. I sat down on the couch and thanked him.
"You're the first person here to actually help me out like this. I can't thank you enough."
"Really it's not a big deal. I know what it's like to live out on the streets here. Me and my brother were homeless for a good while before Toza let us stay here." He paused for second, like he wasn't sure if he should have said that, then quickly changed the subject. "Well, goodnight. See you in the morning." He winked and turned out all the lights and climbed into his tiny bed against the wall. I curled up under the blanket on the couch. It was so soft and comfy, I missed being able to sleep somewhere clean and comfortable for once. The blanket smelled a bit earthy, but I didn't mind. It was actually a nice smell. I looked over to where Bolin was was falling asleep in his bed and smiled. Things were starting to look up. Maybe there was hope for Republic City after all. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the harbor for the third time tonight, finally able to drift off into a deep, relaxing slumber.
