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Mikado was a tall young man; short dark brown hair topped his somewhat rounder face. His long legs supported a thin yet well-built torso. Full lips that often pulled into a crooked grin were dripping with water.

He was new to Kyoshi, but as he stood up from taking a long pull from a community water barrel, he thought that he could fit in quite nicely. The people eyed him with suspicion, but that was well known as a common thing for the people of the small island. They stared at him out of the corners of their eyes, and many attempted to peer underneath his straw and bamboo hat to get a look at his eyes. Most of them gave up quickly though, seeing that the depths of the shadows created by the wide brim were impenetrable.

He stretched and slung his modest knapsack onto his shoulders. Acting just like any other traveler from his home town, he started up one of the few streets in the small town.

"Some funny looking clothes ya got there, son." An old man commented as Mikado walked past.

Mikado assessed the old man, probably in his seventies or so, missing most of his teeth and wearing the brown drab of a commoner. He then glanced down at his attire, nothing out of the ordinary, just his loose green robes covering his more tight-fitting tanned leather that marked him a commoner of the Earth Kingdom. Maybe the old one was speaking about his wide-brimmed farmer's hat, though he assumed it was quite common in the Earth Kingdom. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Well it's just we don't get many visitors to Kyoshi who dress like girls." He peered closer at the younger man. "How old are ya anyway?"

Mikado rolled his eyes at the clothing comment and looked around. It was true, he could see nobody else that was wearing robes. It seems that his town's sense of style was not widely recognized. He sighed but kept his tone in check when he replied. Respect of elders was one of the first things he was taught. "I am seventeen old one. I would ask you the same but instead let me offer you my name, which is Mikado." He flourished his loose sleeves in a deep bow before the older man.

The senior slapped his knees. "Eeehee! Finally a young man with manners! Boy you don't see too many guys like that around anymore these days." He grabbed the younger but much taller man's hand in a vigorous handshake that left the boy's arm sore. "Well I guess I can overlook your misguided fashion sense for your polite tongue! I'm called geezer by most, but my true name is Kareem. Ohh, I'm also seventy three!"

Mikado was forced to pry his hand out of the old man's deceptively strong grip. "It is a pleasure Kareem. Maybe you can assist me? Where would you suggest a weary traveler get some dinner and a bed around here?" he glanced around as if hoping to find an inn on the main street.

Fortunately Kareem was quick to answer him, and his toothless grin widened as he explained it to the youngster. "Why there aint any inns or such on Kyoshi. Luckily for you I happen to have a spare bedroom!" With that he grabbed Mikado's wrist with his strong vice-like hands and pulled him along as he walked down the street, all the while prattling on about his life, home, and anything else he could think of. "Why it's been years since I've had company! Ever since my dear ol' Misty passed a few years back, bless her kind soul. Well, at least I've done a decent job keeping it clean just in case!"

Mikado was about to protest, saying he couldn't possibly impose on the elder, when the chap stopped abruptly and turned to grin up at him. Mikado was forced to dig his heels into the ground to stop from plowing into the short man

"I can imagine you'd want to be stayin' somewhere nicer; but I assure you, you won't find any better company on Kyoshi!" With that he flung open the door to the house they had stopped beside. He grinned once more at the young man and sauntered proudly inside, as if he was the king of Ba Sing Se.

Mikado shrugged and followed him inside, and as soon as his eyes adjusted to the darker room he studied it carefully.

It was not necessarily shabby, but it wasn't luxurious either. It did have a homely feel to it, Mikado had to give it that, even if most of the surfaces we a bit dusty. Overstuffed chairs and a table occupied the main room but, glancing down a hall he could see that a few rooms with beds were much more barren.

"Thank you sir, I would be very grateful to stay with you, and I can imagine the talk would be much more interesting than any tavern or inn." Mikado bowed once more to Kareem.

With that, the old man's face lit up and his grin widened even more, looking as if it might split his face in twain. "It's no problem son, as I said I've been missing company for a long time." He bustled down the hallway and pointed to the room at the far end, "If ya wanna throw your stuff in there, I'll get some food cooking." He squeezed past the young man and his thin pack on his way to the kitchen.

"Thank you sir!" Mikado called over the rattle of pots and pans in the next room. He laid his bag on the bed and quickly unpacked the two extra pairs of clothes and his dual katanas. The latter he wrapped in his shirts and slid under the bed. The fewer surprises the kind old man had, the better. He also hoped to keep the pretenses of a traveling farmer boy up. Finely crafted swords would not compliment his desired image.