Orphan Life
Written for Pro Bending Circuit season 3 round 1
Team: Future Industries Fire Ferrets
Position: Earthbender
Prompt: Write a story including three characters (no more, no less).
Other promts: (smell) peppermint, (restriction) Third person PoV, (AU) Triplets/Three siblings.
Word count: 1 457
Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Korra or any of the characters mentioned or not mentioned in this story.
Republic City. A busstling, modern metropole, where everyone can live in peace. A city full of rich, happy people. Where no one has to be poor and everyone lives in great houses and has the perfect life. At least, this is what Republic City looked for outsiders, for tourists, who never even set foot in the poorer districts of the town. Tourists, who never saw the starving street children, never saw any of the poor people clothed in rags and begging for food or a few Yuans. It was rare, that any tourist got lost in these rundown parts of the city and if they did, they were mostly never seen or heard of again. However, the city council was making shure that this didn't happen and tried showing only the good sides of Republic City. The tourists didn't know it was fake, however the many people living on the streets could say otherwise and the ones who knew the most about it were three young siblings.
"Hey Mako...Mako...did you even listen to what I just said?" asked a young, black haired boy with emerald green eyes. He wore worn out tattered clothes, way too big for his small, frail body. He must heve been no older than twelve, which would make anyone wonder what a young boy like that was doing on the streets. Didn't kids like him belong into school?
"Huh? Oh yes.. I did listen." replied said boy. He had quite similar features to the first one, only he looked older and his eyes were of a golden amber coloour instead of a rich emerald green. Clearly the two boys were brothers.
"No, you didn't. I can see it in your eyes. You were thinking of something else again, weren't you?" spoke the young emerald eyed boy again, looking at his older sibling with a reproachful look.
"That's not true. I was listening..." he said.
"Bolin's right Mako. You had your head in the clouds again instead of listening. How are we supposed to make a good plan, when one of us isn't even listening?" spoke now a girl. Her eyes were of a similar green than to that of the first boy only hers were darker. She was clothed in the same old rags as the two boys and her hair was of the same black colour as theirs. From her appearance you could say she was around the same age as Mako, probably his tein sister.
"A plan for what?" Mako asked. He really didn't pay any attention to what his siblings were talking about. His unawarness earned him a groan from both of them.
"A plan..."
"...on how to spent the money..."
"...that we stole, from this rich Lady not too long ago?" they told him taking turns.
"Did you forgot already? We wanted to discuss what to do with the money. After the disaster that happened last time."
Now, Mako remembered, what they were talking about. It just happened a few minutes ago...
Mako and his sibling were just sitting in their usual valley, leaning against the wall of a building outside their little selfmade shelter.
"I'm soo hungry. When can we go eat something?" complained Bolin.
"Bo, we all are hungry, but what should we do? We can't go searching for people to steal from. No one's up yet, it's far too early." explained Mako from right next to him.
"But I'm hungry now... I can't wait until those stupid shop keepers decide to open up their shops and food carts or until anyone decides to get lost in this part of the city..." groaned Bolin.
"You need to have patience Bo..." tried Mako to say but his brother interupted him by saying: " But I'm soo hungry!"
"I know. Would you stop saying it. Repeating it over and over again won't help." growled Mako now slightly angered.
"Hey, no reason to get angry. I was just saying that I was hungry.." said Bolin sheepishly.
"Hey you two, stop fighting...and sniff the air." interupted Asami.
"Sniff the air?!" shouted both brothers in disbelief.
Asami rolled her eyes: "Just do it, okay?"
They both did as told and soon they could smell what their sister was talking about.
"Is that..." began Bolin
"...the smell of peppermint?" finished Mako.
Peppermint. It reminded the three siblings of their past. Of the past, in which their parents still lived. A past when their mother used to have this special perfum, that she would just wear for special occasions. It was the exact same smell. A smell of peppermint and something else. She had worn it the day she died. This, was what all three of them were reminded of when they crept to the end of the valley in the direction of the scent, to check out the origin of it.
And there was she. A middle aged woman. Probably a rich tourist, who was in the city for the first time. She looked lost and was without any company. One of the typical victims in this part of town.
With quick nods and silent whispers, they decided what to do and crept into action.
Bolin and Mako started a fight in the valley, while Asami ran to get help from the lady.
"Ma'am, please help me please you got to help me!" she exclaimed, faking to panic and acting like she was near tears.
"What is wrong child? Did something happen to you? Is someone after you? Should I call the police?" the lady asked, real concern showing on her face. It made Asami almost regret what she was going to do, but she and herbrothers had to survive! And if this was what they were going to have to do in order to stay alive, then she would do it, no matter her bad feelings.
"No, Ma'am..those boys over there...m..my friends. I don't know what got into them, but they suddenly started arguing, and then after a few moments they... they began to fight...like real crazy. Can you see them? Please you have to help me stop this fight, I'm too afraid they might hurt me. And you're an adult, so I they might listen too you. Please.. help. " sobbed Asami, now nearly crying to add to the effect, while pointing over to her brothers. Bolin was just throwing a dangerous looking piece of rock at Mako, which the latter retorted with a ball of bright flames. Of course it only looked dangerous, years of doing this trick over and over again has tought them how to use earth and fire carefully without hurting each other.
"Okay, calm down, I will help you." replied the lady walking over to the alley with Asami trailing behind her.
Just as she was near enogh, Asami signalled her brothers that it was time for action. Both, Mako and Bolin dashed forward, Mako aiming for the womans purse and Bolin trying to swipe her off her feet with earthbending. It worked, the surprised woman fell hard on her butt, while the three siblings dashed away with what they just stole. The only thing the could her where the woman's crys for the police or any one who could help her. And a few other words, that were probably better if they stayed unheard.
The three, ran for a few minutes and took many turns into different alleys. Not that they would've been in danger, it was rare that a police officer got to the scene of a robbing here, but safe was safe. And so they ran and ran until they reached the small alley they were sitting in now...
"So, Mako, what should we do with the money now?" asked Asami.
Said boy thought for a while, before his eyes lit up with a spark of an idea: "How about we go buy some dumplings at Narooks?" he said, smirking, knowing that this would definitely cheer his younger siblings up. And so the three of them wandered off to Narooks, and then who knows where. But one thing was for certain: they would always survive in this city, no matter where as long as they had each other.