A/N: Entries found here are of a more detailed and graphic nature, though not necessarily explicit, and do not appear in "Fire Nation: Perspectives" for the aforementioned reasons. This is not a companion, nor a stand-alone piece. It is more like what made the cutting room floor in order to keep the T-rating of the main story, and what would have weighed the main story down as these pieces strayed from the original focus. It was created to satisfy the need to write the ideas that grabbed me and would not let go.
Excerpts/Expanded Scenes from "Fire Nation: Perspectives"
Kei
"Madam Yee. Your attention is needed in the front room."
"Thank you, Qwon," replies Madam Yee and then makes her way to the front.
Her establishment was one of the few well-kept and sturdy buildings left in the little forgotten Earth Kingdom town comprised mostly of slums. It wasn't always that way. Once upon a time it was a decent place to live with decent people populating it. Then the Fire Nation came and the little town was transformed forever. Sure, it had always been a whore house. Back then it was avoided like the plague and its residents were despised. That was until night fell. Oh, it was to laugh. Haughty citizens by day turned into hungry wolves by night, with a need to slake their lust. Now, it was one of the few structures in the town in good condition, considering they were in the middle of a war zone. Madam Yee loved the hypocrisy of it.
She entered the foyer as the servant boy called to her, "Madam Yee, there is a girl to see you."
"Yes?" she asked as she approached the girl.
"Please," said the girl as she looked at the floor. "I'm looking for work. I'll do anything. I'll sweep, cook, clean . . . . Do the wash?"
The girl before her was dressed in tattered rags, but Madam Yee could tell that the rags were made of a once rich material. And that particular shade of red, most uncommon in the Earth Kingdom, screamed Fire Nation. A quick assessment of the girl before her, told her that what she had here was an orphaned Fire Nation colonist. Most likely from the neighboring colony which had fallen a couple of weeks back.
"I cannot understand you, child. You are talking to the floor. Pick your head up and say your piece again."
Kei was reluctant to lift her head. She knew what would happen next. It would be the same as it was at all the other places she had sought employment. She picked up her head up and laid eyes on the most beautifully dressed Earth Kingdom woman she ever saw. She was dressed in rich fabrics in a most elaborate style. Though green was an alien color to Kei, she found it was beautiful. Green was Earth Kingdom though, and the Earth Kingdom held nothing positive for her. They took her father from her. Her mother was next and it seemed that her younger brother and sister would follow. Not to mention they made her life a living hell. Perhaps she was taken in by the gown and its color only because it was a sharp contrast to the misery around her.
'The girl stands tall and proud now; her face no longer shying away from me.' Madam Yee thought to herself, 'I was right. Fire Nation is written all over this chit of a girl. And the eyes! Oh, but the eyes are a sight of wonder.' She had a few Fire Nation callers herself. She knew the allure of those gold eyes. She knew it meant money.
"You are looking for work?"
"I am." Gone was the supplicant child who came begging for work.
'This would do nicely, if I can get the girl to agree,' she thought. 'The eyes and the attitude alone will draw large sums of money. Add to this her youth and beauty - well if you were to scrub her clean and dress her properly - yes beauty, the girl was a gold mine.'
"Unfortunately, I have him to help out with the odds and ends," said Madam Yee motioning to the boy who had called her out front. "I don't need another servant."
That seemed to take the wind out of the girl. She looked more like the dejected girl who she first met.
"Are you in trouble? Ha," she laughed at her own question. "What am I saying? We're all in trouble in one sense or another. I do have some spare change though. Take it. See if you can buy yourself something to eat. "
"Thank you." Kei forgot herself and bowed in appreciation. Then she ran out the door. She went to buy food.
She took it home, if it could be called home. They were living in squalor, but it was all that they had now. What little she bought would not be enough. Tomorrow she would have to try again to find work.
.
Madam Yee took a gamble and she gambled right. It was mid-afternoon when the girl returned. She was in a worse state than the day before. When their eyes met, the girl began to cry. Madam Yee felt for the girl, but she was a business woman and she was not about to let this girl go to waste. She would not let her die as so many of the Fire Nation refugees do when in such failing health.
"What is your name, girl?"
"It is Kei."
"Well, Kei. Do you know who I am; what I do for a living?" Madam Yee watched Kei closely.
"Yes. I know."
"Good. I think you can clearly see that here in this household, we do not go hungry. We are in good health. There is a roof over our heads and plenty of beds." She laughed and did not add "to sleep in" as sleeping was not their main function.
She continued, "I have a proposition for you. It will require that you grow up fast. But it will yield you rewards like you have never imagined."
Kei's eyes widened. She was not so naïve as to not know what Madam Yee had in mind.
"Please?" she begged. "Could you spare some more money? My mother is sick and the little ones are malnourished. They will start to get sick too. Please? I beg you."
"Here." Madam Yee gave Kei even more than she did yesterday. "There is enough there for food. Think about my offer. Sleep on it. Return tomorrow and give me your answer."
Kei ran off to the store again. When she got home, the sight that greeted her pushed her into hysterics. Her mother was coughing up blood now. Her younger brother and sister were huddled together, frightened at the sight of their mother. To make matters worse, they were beginning to cough as well. She was able to feed them, but what they really needed was medicine.
She cried herself to sleep and then did little of that. Tomorrow she would go back and get the money to buy medicine at any cost.
.
Kei was thoroughly washed and cleaned. Her hair was scented and she was clothed in beautiful red silks. Her hair was done in an extravagant style. Makeup was applied sparingly. 'Yes. Indeed she is a beauty," thought Madam Yee.
Now all she had to do was wait for the right customer. 'Kei's first experience is the key to keeping her here. If it is too rough, too violent, she might do something drastic like try to take her own life. No, there is a proper way to go about things,' thought Madam Yee. She had learned this throughout the years, and this girl could prove the most successful of her lot, given the current climate. 'The Earth kingdom forces are still celebrating their victory. They are steady callers. But, no. They would inspire the girl to rebel. She might even attack them if provoked. No, there has to be someone else.' She would wait until the right customer called upon them. Till then, she would care for the girl and pay her. She mused out loud, "Have to keep the fish on the hook until you can reel it in." These things took finesse.
.
What luck! A man, an apparently well off man, came in with his son.
"How may I help you today?" cooed Madam Yee. "General? Is it?"
"Ah. Yes. Yes it is," the man played along. "Uh, my son has come of age and well, I was hoping to broaden his horizons." He said with a smile and a wink.
'They're all the same,' she thought. 'Oh well, that is what keeps me in business and out of the gutters.'
"What a good father you are to bring him here; a most generous gift, indeed." Madam Yee oozed seduction. Two customers are better than one.
"I want a girl that is clean." The father was all business now.
"But of course, General. All our girls are "clean" as you put it. But I do have someone in mind that will set your mind at ease. She is quite, shall we say, exotic?"
"Exotic?" His curiosity was peeked.
"Yes. A war child. Gold eyes. A wonderful gift for your son." She then turned to the lad, "What is your name dear?"
He started to give his name, "Ch-,"when his father cut him off. "It's Lee."
"Lee? Oh my!" She turned to the father, "I don't suppose you are . . . . Hmm. Let me guess, you are General Lee?" She didn't even try to disguise the amusement in her voice.
"Ahem." Embarrassed, he cleared his throat.
"No matter. I just find it funny how all our gentlemen callers are named Lee. Even the Fire Nation ones. No originality." She laughed at this.
"I won't let my son be with anyone touched by someone who has been handled by the likes of them."
"Not to worry. As I said, all my girls are clean, but this one is special. She is, ah, how shall I put it? Eh, her horizons will be broadened too."
"That doesn't sound . . ." started the father. He had a girl of his own at home.
Madam Yee could read his mind and quickly cut him off. "Sounds like a rare find," she interjected, voice lilting. "I assure you, you will not come across it anywhere else or any time else. Now, about the price?"
"We can talk price when Lee is, ah, occupied."
"Price now. I run a business after all. Lee, won't you be a dear and sit over there while your father and I come to an agreement?"
Business concluded. It was time to introduce "Lee" to Kei.
.
Kei was lost in her thoughts. She stared at the image before her in the mirror. She was dressed in her nation's color. She wondered at that. She was smart enough to figure it out and probably would have done so, had it not been for her state of mind. She had pushed the confusion and doubt to the back of her mind. All that was left to her was numbness. It was all surreal to her. Her father was dead; left on a battlefield while everyone ran for their lives. The Earth Kingdom thugs were known not to take prisoners. If there had been an officer among then, maybe they would have stood a chance, but as it was the grunts were savages. Some of them were mercenaries. The gears in her mind started to turn. She was working herself up again. 'No. Stop it!' she thought to herself. 'Concentrate! Survival. You must survive! You must help mother, Takeo and Yumi. You need money. No one will hire you. This is only a solution to the predicament you find yourself in. This will get you money. Money that is needed for medicine. Precious medicine which is so far out of reach.' She did not have enough for teas, herbs or roots, much less the knowledge on how to use them. She set her resolve. This had to be done.
Madam Yee looked on from the doorway at Kei. She could see things as few people could. She would bet anything that she knew what was going on in Kei's mind. She watched as Kei took a deep breath and straightened herself. 'Yes,' thought Madam Yee. 'She has strength.' Only time will tell, but she had a feeling that this girl could be the one she was looking for. Someone she could teach. Someone she could confide in. Someone who could one day take her place. She was getting old and her own callers were dwindling in numbers. She also had to think of her girls. If something happened to her, who would take care of them? How would they be able to take care of themselves? They might go off on their own to sell their "wares," but that was no good. It was dangerous out there. As long as they were in her house, the girls were protected. She ran a fine establishment for what is was. The girls were "clean" as "General Lee" phrased it, and there were guards to keep order. Perhaps Kei . . . . Oh, well. That remained to be seen. 'First thing is first,' she thought. 'Let's how she does with the younger "Lee."'
She cleared her throat to make her presence known. Then she addressed Kei.
"My dear, you're about to earn enough money to buy the medicine you need for your mother and your siblings. Be strong. The boy who is to call upon you knows just about as much as you of what is to come. You'll have to guide the boy. He may have a few years on you, but the spirits only know what kind of education his father has been given in these matters. Now, go with Lan and she will tell you what to expect."
.
Nervously, Chen entered the room. It was a sight to behold. It was small, covered in rich fabrics, with hardwood furniture and marble flooring. Not something you would expect to find judging from the exterior of the building. It also had a ridiculous number of pillows. Over by the bed, in a sea of green, lay a girl in red. Chen was stunned. His mouth went dry. He forgot to breath. There among the pillows was the most beautiful girl he had ever lay eyes on. 'So this is the enemy?' he thought to himself. He approached the bed as if in a trance.
Kei had her eyes upon the boy as soon as he entered the room. While his attention was on his surroundings, she sized him up. 'Handsome? Yes. In an Earth Kingdom sort of way.' He caught sight of her. He seemed transfixed, but then started to move towards her. His look was predatory. She grew scared, but hid it. His knee was upon the bed, and he made his way up towards her.
"Uh, you are my birthday present. Did you know that?" He was on top of her now. His proximity made her heart race.
Were they supposed to talk? She thought they'd get to it, she'd get paid and then leave. "No," she whispered. She had meant for it to come out strong. That she failed surprised her.
Her whispered reply sent a shiver of desire through him. "Are you . . . experienced?"
"No," she answered and again it came out softly.
"Father thinks that this is my first time. I wasn't going to tell him otherwise." He paused to look her over. "So this is your first time."
It wasn't a question, still she answered, "Yes."
The single-word breathy answers were getting him hot and bothered. He was eager to start.
"I'll be gentle with you. Lie back and relax. It will hurt a bit, but that will pass soon enough." He cupped her face in one hand and leaned in to kiss her.
Her eyes never left his. This was not what she had expected. She thought it would be easy. That it would be straightforward, dirty even, but the tenderness he was showing her was killing her. If he had been Fire Nation and they had been back home, safe at the colony with the Fire Nation banner flying high and proud, she may have even allowed herself to feel something for the boy. But like this, she felt exposed and ashamed. When he kissed her, she started to cry.
Her tears did not dissuade him. He made quick work of their clothes and then mounted her.
'It hurts,' she thinks to herself. It hurt just like she was warned by Lan and just as the boy had said it would. 'When will it feel better? Why do people do this?" Her crying continued.
Chen whispered words of love and tenderness to her. He could feel her crying, but he was in no state to stop. He didn't want to. She was tight and so different from the other girls he had been with. 'Is this what all Fire Nation girls are like? Were they all like this? Ahhhh - the sheer pleasure!'
He came moments later. Kei lay beneath him crying. 'Had she cried all this time?' He pulled her close to him and made promises he would never keep, all in a hopeless effort to calm her; to stop her crying. He held her for a long time.
Later he would obsess over her and call again and again. Afterwards, he'd do something he would curse himself for, well into the future. He'd fall in love with her.
.
Kei ran home, her bags and arms full of food, clothing, and medicine.
A/N: Kei is a character I created, as part of Mai's maternal extended family, in order to establish a reason as to why Mai's mother would have treated Mai so, as well as to give dimension to parent/child interactions.
For context of how Kei fits into the picture, please read my story Fire Nation: Perspectives.
Please review and let me know you are out there.
Thank you.