" . . . but, look, all I know is Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the centre of peace and balance in the world, and I believe we can make his dream a reality. I look forward to serving you! Thank you, Republic City!"
"Hmm, the Avatar seems awfully eager," Daiyu muttered, sliding two trays of green tea cookies into the large bakery oven as she listened to the Avatar's speech on the radio. "You'd think she'd want to finish her training before dedicating herself to the city."
Her coworker heard her. "But isn't that her job though? I mean, she's the Avatar." Said Khan, his hands buried in the giant ball of dough he was kneading at the workbench behind her.
"She just said she doesn't have a plan," Daiyu reasoned, wiping her hands off on her apron. "It's all well and good to have good intentions, but sorry if I don't want to put my complete faith into someone who thinks they can fix problems because they're "destined" to do so, but doesn't actually know where to start."
"But, with everything that's going on with the gangs and the rise of these Equalist folks I've been hearing about, maybe it's, I dunno, fate or something?" Khan tried to explain, hope evident in his dark brown eyes. "Maybe she came at just the right time, maybe she's here because we need her."
"Yeah, maybe." Daiyu dismissed, though many questions were running through the back of her mind. Were people really losing faith in the city's police? So much so that they thought they needed the Avatar? Was it just the presence of such a mystical figure that was getting people excited? Either way, it was an issue for a later time.
Brushing away some of the dark hair that had fallen out of her bun and into her face, the young woman checked the clock. "It's almost noon."
"It is?" Khan whipped his head around to the wall clock, his brown curls bouncing around with the quick movement. "Your shift is over in five minutes, where the hell is Taya?"
"Knowing her, she's probably out somewhere with her new girlfriend."
"Oh, uh, Chen?"
"Nope, that was the last one." Daiyu tapped her chin in thought. "I think her name is Kim-something or other."
"Another girl already? Geez, Taya goes through partners faster than I can go through a tray of moon cakes, and that's saying something!" Khan laughed, rubbing his large belly proudly. "You'd think a person would want to put all the effort Taya puts into several people into one relationship."
Daiyu grinned and batted her eyelashes. "But where's the fun in that?"
Khan shrugged. "I'm just saying . . ."
Daiyu stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh yeah, keep talking, Mr Happily Married."
Untying her apron, the teen began packing away her workstation. She could feel her weariness settling into her muscles. She had been at the bakery since six that morning, baking bread and creating the sweets to be sold that day and the next. She couldn't be more thankful that she had the day off tomorrow.
However . . .
"Are you gonna be ok here? What if Taya doesn't come in?" Daiyu asked, her bag hanging from her shoulder and a box of leftover treats between her arms.
"Don't even worry about it, it's not like she'd do much if she was here."
"Good point."
"Hey! How about a bet." The older man had let go of the dough to rub his flour-covered hands together with excitement. "I bet you two hundred yuans that Yoma fires Taya in a week's time."
The teen pouted. "Only two hundred?"
"Not everyone is made of money like you are." Khan groaned.
"I'm not made of money, my family is, we've been over this," Daiyu said and thought over her half of the bet. "You know what? I say she gets fired in the next three days."
"No!"
"Yes! And how about this, we'll keep it two hundred yuan, but if I win you throw in a plate of rice balls, and if you win I'll make you a tray of spice cakes."
"Deal!"
Daiyu smiled and ran out the back door. She called back to Khan on her way out. "Don't let those green tea cookies burn!"
"Like I would ever commit such a heinous crime!"
who cares, divine intervention
(I wanna be praised from a new perspective)
Daiyu sat at her vanity, drying her long black hair, donning her favourite lilac nightgown. It was the best thing to wear on warm nights like the one Republic City was currently experiencing.
The sun had almost set, dark blue and indigos eating away at the remaining oranges and pinks. The fading light deepened the shadows around her and mixed with the warm light of the two lamps she kept inside her bedroom. The view from her window made it all the more wondrous.
Daiyu and her mother lived in a two-story home right by Yue Bay but was also close to both her and her mother's workplace. There was nothing blocking her view of the horizon, and she loved being able to see the great Avatar Aang memorial statue as it watched over the city, as well as serene Air Temple Island in the middle of the bay.
She went to sit by her window with her journal to record the events of that day, and every now and then she caught a glimpse of herself in the vanity mirror. Particularly her arm and the edge of her sleepwear. Her nightgown was thin, loose, reached right down to her ankles, and accentuated her willowy figure. She had always been a lanky kid, but she experienced her biggest growth spurt yet the year before when she turned fifteen.
At sixteen years of age, she was six feet tall, and she hoped she would not grow any taller than that. Not that being tall was a bad thing, she actually liked it. She liked how most people had to look up to her when they spoke, and being tall meant it was easier to intimidate people if the situation called for it. She just had a lot of back tattoos that had slightly stretched during her last spurt, and she prayed to the spirits they would not be ruined if she were to get any taller.
Despite her eye-catching height, there was so much more to Daiyu's appearance. Tall and slim, she held herself like a dancer, graceful and precise. Pin straight black hair fell down to her hips and shone like black jade, the stone she was named after. Her skin was pale and smooth, the perfect canvas for coloured tattoos, and her eyes . . . her eyes were round, and a grey-blue colour that really popped when she added eyeliner.
"She's beautiful," she had heard people say.
"She looks nothing like her mother," was something she heard even more.
Daiyu hated hearing that.
The rattling of the front door interrupted her thoughts. Dropping her journal, Daiyu jumped off the seat, raced out of her room and down the stairs.
"Ma! You're home early." The teen greeted as her mother hung her coat up by the front door.
"I honestly didn't think I would be after this morning's meeting." Her mother replied as they walked into the kitchen and Daiyu darted over to prepare some tea for her.
"How did today happen anyway? I thought you said the Avatar was headed back to the South Pole?" Daiyu said as she retrieved the tea leaves from the pantry. "How did you end up being head of security on top of standing by her side at her welcoming ceremony?
"Well you know Tenzin, that spineless nomad," Lin muttered darkly. "She must've given him a couple of sad looks and he melted, what else could've happened?"
"Well, not much else you can do if she's here to stay." The teen shrugged. "I listened to her speech on the radio. As nice as she sounds, I'm not convinced she's ready for the responsibility she's put herself up for. I mean, you said she was arrested yesterday for destroying property."
"I glad at least someone has some sense." The Chief of Police sighed. It had been a stressful day. As soon as Lin walked into the station she had been bombarded with plans of a ceremony to be held at the city hall to celebrate the Avatar's arrival as well as present her to the public. Lin had not been impressed, but she did her duty.
The event drew such a large crowd, with folks from all over the city showing up to catch a glimpse of the new Avatar. After the ceremony, she returned to the station to find only three accounts of theft that had taken place during the ceremony, which was far less than she expected. The rest of the day went smoothly, and Lin allowed herself to return home, saving any paperwork she had for the next day.
"You've raised me well." Daiyu complimented and slid a steaming mug of tea across the kitchen island to her Ma. "But, maybe I can straighten her out."
Lin raised a brow at her daughter as she drank.
The teen continued. "She's new to the city, she might want to make some friends. I could tell her the ins and outs, you know? Show her the ropes to help keep her out of trouble."
Lin scoffed. "And you want to go out of your way to do this? Out of the kindness of your heart?"
Daiyu's face scrunched up, an indignant look flashing in her eyes. "I can be friendly and welcoming! . . . When I want to be."
Lin rolled her green eyes. "Sure."
"Ma!—"
"—Don't whine—"
"—I'm not whining. I know being a Beifong means I can be abrasive as fuck—"
"—Don't swear—"
"—But I guess I just want to meet her," Daiyu admitted. "Everyone's really excited she's here, and I want to see what she's like for myself before judging her too harshly, you know?"
Her Ma eyed her suspiciously. "There's more to this."
"Of course there is." The teen confirmed. "I want to visit Air Temple Island."
There was a long pause, and Lin put down her mug. The sound of porcelain hitting granite was unusually loud due to the prolonged silence.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Lin looked to her daughter. "When was the last time you went?"
"Ah, it's almost been two and a half months."
"Two and a half months?" Not many things surprised Lin Beifong, but that sure did. "That long?"
"Yeah, I guess I've just been throwing myself into work, and my classes, and training," The teen listed and dampened her own mood as she went on. "Time flies when you're busy, but since I have a day off tomorrow I thought it was about time I paid a visit. I . . . I really miss the kids."
Lin walked around the bench and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. A comforting gesture. "When you get there tomorrow, tell the Avatar if she wants to stay out of trouble to stay on the island. The less she's in the city, the better."
"Well that's just no fun then, but ok," Daiyu said and bent down to press a kiss to the crown of her mother's head, quickly moving away before she could be pushed off and called a sap. "'Night Ma!" She called before she flitted out of the kitchen.
Lin's eyes trailed after her once again exuberant daughter. "'Night Girlie."
Daiyu returned to her room and threw herself onto her bed, determined to get some sleep so she could rise early.
'See you soon Korra.' Was one of the last thoughts that drifted through the girl's mind before her eyelids shut.
'Tomorrow is going to be interesting.'
Song: New Perspective | Panic! At The Disco
