THE THIEF OF BA SING SE
Prologue: The Lower Ring is Full of Thieves
She hadn't planned on getting caught. It happened so little that she'd forgotten what it felt like, maybe it was her own fault for getting too cocky. Arrogance can undo the best thieves, she'd learned that the hard way.
The day had started like it always had; the quiet streets became alive as each vendor in the bazaar set up shop in one place or another, and in no time the silent dawn burst into the familiar hustle and bustle of the Middle Ring. It was perfect. Everyone would be crowding the streets buying their goods and all the while she would be slithering through them all, gathering her own food and clothing while the vendors were none the wiser. It was a solid plan that had worked well for her for years, not once had she gotten caught thanks to this fool-proof plan.
Then again, something about this day was different.
The sun was high in the air, her dark mess of curls soaking up the heat as she crouched on the rooftop above the fruit vendor. Her stomach pressed against the clay shingles, protesting in hunger while she stalked the vendor, waiting for him to turn his head so she could grab the bag of apples that was calling her name.
A tug on her pants broke her focus. She brushed her hair behind her ear, the little boy besides her looking up at her with big hungry eyes. "When can we eat?" he asked.
Another young child bumped his shoulder against her hip, "Yeah Moro, we're starving!"
She smiled as a third child hoisted herself onto Moro's back, locking her scrawny arms around the older girl's shoulders. "You promised to show us how to steal today!"
She pressed her finger to her lips, harshly shushing them. "Shhhhhh! You don't wanna get caught right off the bat, do you?" the small trio fell silent, the youngest boy squeezing his hands over his mouth while the older boy and girl snickered silently. "Stealing is a quiet game, like hide and seek, but way more lucrative…"
The bandana that kept her hair uptight was pulled loose, she wrapped it around her fist while the children watched closely. Moro turned to the little girl, untying one of her painted hair clips and fixing it to the end of the cloth. She booped her nose and the girl giggled. "Now, Yuu, Ashi, Mink?" the eldest boy with soot across his nose saluted, the girl clapped her hands together like she was praying, and the youngest boy clutched a stuffed toy tighter to his chest. "Remember what we talked about, it's all in the wrist."
She peeked over the roof, watching the vendor turn away from the fruit to grab something from his backroom stock. No witnesses, and the fruit man was out of commission. Moro sent the trio a wink before lowering her makeshift line, she flicked her wrist and the weight of the clip gave the momentum for the bandana to wrap itself tightly around the tie on the bag of apples. Yuu pumped his fist as he watched and Ashi made a sound of awe, Mink clinging to Moro's pants as she hoisted the bag towards them.
She handed the bag to Yuu before casting her line again, and one by one their bounty grew until the vendor was scratching his head in frustration. They'd gathered plenty of fruit, a loaf of bread, and even a bag of dried meat scraps. Moro lowered her trap once more, a riskier endeavor, but the reward was better. It was a satchel's worth of Omashu crystal rock candy, the quartet salivating at the thought of the sweet treat becoming theirs.
The clip latched onto the satchel, and she began her upward pull when a harsh tug interrupted their daydreaming.
"I knew it! Thieves!"
The fruit vendor yanked her bandana hard enough to nearly pull her off the roof, but there was no way she was letting go of the piece of cloth. She pulled back and managed to get him to let go, quickly tying back her hair and shoving her winnings into a ratty old bag. The small trio laughed at the vendor's distress, and Moro gave them a hard look. "Scatter!"
They diligently obeyed, Ashi taking Mink's hand and darting in and out of the crowd while Yuu climbed to a higher point in the Middle Ring using the rooftops while she stayed behind to diffuse the situation. By that, she meant she was going to run.
"Thieves! Thieves! Someone get them!" the vendor screeched as Moro ducked down off the roof of his booth, her bag tied securely around her waist. The stomping of military grade boots made her take a peek from around the corner, seeing two Middle Ring officers listening to the fruit vendor wildly accuse and gesture in the direction she ran.
Not sticking around to see if they'd ever catch up to her, she took off down a back way into the labyrinth-like alleys of Ba Sing Se. It never took more than five minutes to lose them or purposefully lead them off her trail, one inconspicuous duck into Mrs. Linh's discount pots shop and she was free as a cat in the sun. The shrunken old woman always had a soft spot for Moro and her mother since her husband died, managing to squander some extra clothes for them both when she could. Watching her expertly con her way out of paying full price with the clothing broker using the frail old lady routine was always a show worth watching. Moro wished she could age as gracefully as her.
"Not even ten in the morning and you're already elbow deep into trouble."
Mrs. Linh was sixty-five years old, had strait grey hair that was always up on her head, and walked with a cane. She was very intimate with that cane considering it whacked her in the head at least once a day. Moro winced as the wooden rod smacked the back of her head, the old woman reaching into her bag of goodies and nabbing one of the apples for herself. "All that for some measly apples, thought I taught you better Moro."
"Day is still young Mrs. Linh," she added, catching the apple when the woman tossed it back over her shoulder. She may have grown into her shop like a fish in water, but Linh loved to tell tales about her youth, when she was the greatest pick-pocket of the streets, not even nobles in the Upper Ring were safe from her sticky fingers. She taught Moro the basics but not much more, considering all the teen was after was enough food and clothing to get by.
The old woman ducked behind her sales counter, handing Moro a wicker basket filled to the brim with fruit and bread much more fresh than the scraps she had in her bag. Her mouth watered at the sight of cheese and sake tucked in tight as well. "If the day is so young, why don't you take the rest of it easy and bring this to Esra for me?"
She gave a thankful nod before passing Mrs. Linh to duck out the back door, the woman giving her an extra smack on the behind with her cane for good measure before the teen disappeared around the corner.
Despite the shop being located in the Middle Ring, it wasn't that far a trek from Moro's place in the Lower Ring. The slums needed some serious elbow grease and often stunk of trash and other signs of obvious poverty, but it was home. She fixed the handle of the basket between her teeth, balancing it carefully as she began her slow climb to her apartment. It was at the top level of a makeshift shantytown in the middle of the Lower Ring, the best she could squander considering the filth people threw from their windows due to lack of proper disposal.
Skipping the stairs and climbing gave her a better chance of avoiding the landlord; that creep was always trying to squeeze more money out of Moro and her mom. It often took a lot out of her just to not take a swing at him. One day.
The shutters moaned with age when she opened them, stepping into the apartment and setting the basket on the table beside Esra's bed. "Hey mom, I'm back." She greeted, parting the moth-bitten curtain that kept the sun from waking her while she rested.
Mrs. Linh, even higher-ups in the Middle Ring like Yuu, Ashi, and Mink's parents gossiped about how beautiful Esra was. Even after she gave birth to her daughter and was wracked by constant illness, her long dark hair and shimmering cat-like green eyes were the talk of Ba Sing Se. Recently however, her exhaustion was staring to become obvious. Tired shadows had formed under her eyes and her once lithe body had become soft and weak the longer she remained in bed.
Esra smiled at her daughter's voice, "Did you go to the market today? Sorry I couldn't go with you," she slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, pushing her arms against it as she struggled to stand.
Moro had turned away to cut a chunk of bread and half an apple, boiling some water for tea and pouring a dash of sake into a cup set aside for her mom. "It's okay, it was pretty dead today, Mrs. Linh gave us some good food though."
"Such a kind woman," finding her footing and managing to hobble over to sit at the meal table, she smiled when the smell of the fresh bread hit her nose. While her mother began nibbling at the food, Moro kept trying and failing to spark a light to boil the tea. Their spark rocks were old and worn down, and when she set them aside Esra gave her daughter concerned look. "Moro…"
"It's not like anyone's around to see,"
Glancing over her shoulder anyway, she took in a breath before pressing three fingers to the metal teapot. Her fingertips began to glow like fresh embers as steam rose from the spout, signaling that the water within was beginning to boil. Esra's brow furrowed once the tea was done and Moro pulled her hand away. "You know how dangerous it is, we can always get new spark rocks."
"I know mom," she picked at a fabric clot that had formed on the bandages bound tightly around her hands and most of her lower arms. "I'm being careful."
Her mother took her hands in hers, looking into her eyes, tired. "Please Moro, you can't ever be too careful and you can never use your bending outside. If the Dai Li find out you're a firebender they'll come here and take you away from me… promise me you'll be more careful." The words alone sounded like they'd exhausted her, and Moro found it difficult to meet her mother's eyes.
"Mom…"
"Promise me!"
The demand in her voice made her wince, her head rose and she met her mother's wet green eyes. "I promise."
She gave a single nod before smiling gently and tugging lightly on one of Moro's many dark curls. "You should eat too, you've had a big day." Not hesitation any longer, she ripped into a piece of bread and dinner began.
After eating, Esra had gotten back into bed with her daughter's help, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Moro slipped the curtains closed and left a still steaming cup of tea on the table for when she woke. Her mom was fading more and more every day, dissolving into coughing fits and being too weak to even leave the house. It took all her energy to eat a single meal, and the medicine they managed to afford didn't do much.
She hated thinking about how sick her mom was, even more so the fear Esra displayed whenever Moro bended. Something as small as boiling tea terrified her, not because she was afraid of her daughter's ability, but because if anyone found out then her mother wouldn't be able to protect her.
Brushing her mother's hair from her peaceful face, she climbed back out the window, closing the shutters behind her and wandering back into the city.
Again, getting caught was not a concept she knew very well, but to be fair, those three could sniff out anything. Moro promptly kicked away a pebble before three small bodies clung to the back of her legs, her arm, and her back respectively.
"Moro! We thought you got caught!" Yuu yowled as he shook her legs.
Ashi burrowed her face into her long hair, "Yeah, we thought the Dai Li go you!"
Mink shyly tugged on her hand, his stuffed cat-deer clutched in his other arm. "You're not going to jail, are you?" his big eyes could hypnotize armies, she swore.
She scoffed, waving her hand as Mink held her arm tighter and she lifted him up, the youngest boy giggling as his feet dangled above the dirt. "Me? Not a chance!" she set him down and reached for her satchel still at her hip, digging around until she found her prize.
The trio's eyes all bulged, mouths watering at the sight of the rock candy in Moro's hand.
Her grin broadened when they reached for it, "I don't know if you guys deserve any of this, after all, I did all the heavy lifting…"
"No fair, you used Ashi's barrette, and since I'm the oldest that means I get some too!"
"Nuh uh! My barrette, my candy!"
Mink clung to her more as his siblings bickered, and to put a stop to it, Moro poked Yuu on the bridge between his eyes, effectively silencing him. She felt Ashi let go of her shoulders and drop back down onto the ground, the small trio looking up at her expectantly.
She pulled the little girl's barrette from her bandana, fixing it into her telltale twin buns once more. "Not to worry young castaways, tonight you eat like kings!" she held open her bag, revealing the treasure-trove they'd acquired. The kids quite literally dove into the winnings, feeding like a pack of hungry wolf-bats on dried meats, fruit, and of course rock candy.
"Don't you want any Moro?" Yuu asked through his mouthful of food.
She shrugged and let the oldest boy take the bag. "Nah, you guys need this stuff to grow and big and strong as me." Mink smiled as the teen ruffled his mess of hair. He was a shy kid but had a good heart, they all did. Since they're parents were always working in one of the Lower Ring's factories, the trio was often left to wander. Moro took it upon herself to keep them out of trouble, teaching them to scatter and disappear when they needed to and to let her do the dirty work. "Besides, I took this stuff for you guys, my personal winnings are way bigger…"
"Are they now?"
Before she could even react, a hand with enough callouses to be made of solid stone clamped down on the scruff of her shirt, yanking her back off of her feet as she stumbled for stable footing. The meat-head that muscled over the fruit vendor had her by the neck; she'd officially been caught.
"I knew I'd sniff you out eventually, you little rat!" he gloated as he dragged her out of the alley into the open street, the trio of children having scattered every which way with a single look from Moro.
A smirk pulled at her teeth as she looked up at him and hissed, "Took you long enough you Dumb-face!" she swiped at him with her nails, landing a good scratch on his rough and dirty face.
Growling angrily, he tossed her to the ground like she weighed nothing, reaching for his belt and unsheathing a dagger. The blade catching the light and making her blink away the light. "You've been scurrying around without consequence for too long, but I will say, you're pretty handy."
"You come up with that yourself?"
He didn't reply, only lunging for her and grasping her wrist hard enough to turn the skin white. Moro winced and struggled against him, yelling and kicking at him, but it didn't faze him at all. "Laugh all you want girly, but I'm still taking your hand."
She swung at him again but all it did was make him angrier, he kicked her hard in the stomach before pinning her other wrist down with his foot, squeezing her hand harder until she yelped from the pressure.
He pressed his blade against her skin and she opened her mouth to scream when an interruption came just in time.
"There you are!" for some reason, the meat-head stopped, the edge of his knife still pressed into her wrist when they both looked up. An old man about a head sorter than Moro was standing before the pair looking unusually casual about what he was about to witness. "I've been looking all over for you dear!"
She rose an eyebrow, obviously confused, but the old man only smiled, undeterred by the intensity of the situation.
"You know this stray?" the meat-head questioned, gesturing between them using his knife.
Her eyes widened when the old man placed a gentle hand on the giant's chest, softly but firmly pushing him back so Moro could move. She wiggled her wrists and took the old man's hand when he offered it to help her to her feet. "Terribly sorry, my granddaughter has a horrible tendency to wander off when I'm not looking."
"Well she stole half a stand of fruit, so she has to pay up!" he barked, still waving his knife around. Moro rolled her eyes and leaned away, not wanting to catch the tail end of that blade.
The old man pretending to be her grandfather sighed, "Oh dear, this is a pickle isn't it, I'm afraid I only have this much." He held out a handful of gold coins. She blinked; was this geezer really coughing up gold to cover her hide? They were literal strangers! Who was this guy? "I hope it's enough, you'll have to forgive her, she's been wide-minded since she was a child, always getting into trouble."
His kind smile and warm eyes were impossible to resist apparently, the meat-head eventually letting out a groan and taking the coins. "Keep her on a leash old man, next time the hand comes off!" he sheathed his knife and pocketed the gold before stomping away.
She hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath until a deep relieved sigh left her body. "That was quite the close one, hm?"
Moro met the old man's eyes, tilting her head slightly at their warm amber color, faded with age but seemingly still blazing behind his eyelids.
Well might as well start another one of these bastards. If I could stick to one fandom for more than a month it would be a miracle. My apologies to those who're following Inaudible Echo, Seven Deadly Sins, Snow White and the Stable Boy, and my other stories, i'm not going to abandon them and I have every intent to finish them all. However, I am very easily distracted, and I just finished Last Airbender AND Korra, so you can imagine the situation i'm in. I'm still working on Inaudible Echo as well as this new fic, so look forward to my next chapter for that story soon. Again, sorry, and I hope you enjoy this new piece! Ciao! -D&B