Chapter Fourteen: Ba Sing Se
Kisses aren't important to men than it is to women. A man's first kiss may be the only one he may ever hold dear, and although women find that important as well...we seem to be the only ones who wish to guard it. Men cannot fathom the importance of a kiss. - Guide to Males, pg 99
"Welcome! Welcome all to Ba Sing Se!"
"Fresh cabbages! Fresh cabbages! Come here for your fresh cabbages!"
"Fresh photos of the disasters of Republic City! Get your own copy today!"
"Fresh eggs! Buy your fresh eggs!"
"Hairpins! Only the most beautiful women in the world can wear such delicate beauties! Come and get your hairpins for your wife! Your daughter! The woman who's out of your league!"
"Get that ruffian! He stole from me!"
A scrawny little boy pushed past the crowd, fists used to nudge people out of the way. Jinora was walking along with her group, one hand intertwined with one of her friend Setki's when the thief brushed by her, muttering an 'excuse me' before darting in the direction of a dark alley. She frowned, flicking her free hand lightly and pushed the boy forward so he tripped. Her eyes widened in shock when he glared back at her, spitting on the ground and continuing to run. The look in his eyes made her feel hollow. They looked afraid and shocked that she would help the other man catch him. Like she was the bad guy.
An overly sized man dressed in noble's clothing stopped near her, huffing noisily and resting his hands on his knees.
"Have you seen a small boy running around here?" he wheezed.
She scratched her head in fake contemplation, brown eyes averting his gaze as she pretend to ponder. "Most likely. There are many children running around-"
"Don't get sassy with me, girl," he spat, straightening his posture to stand at his full height. She inwardly cringed at the drool hanging over his lower lip.
"Did he steal something from you?"
He brightened up considerably and struggled with something in his satchel. He pulled out a large leather back and delicately took out a gold coin. The coin was fresh and extremely shiny. Jinora noticed the others around them staring at the coin in slight envy. "Yes. A coin exactly like this one. You see, my grandfather passed away and left me with a considerable amount of money and-"
Jinora was offended. The man was grinning as he spoke of his late grandfather. Her friend nervously tugged her along. The airbender pointed down the street. The noble nodded his thanks furiously and scampered away, his evil chuckle making her shudder. As the two girls followed their group to the inn they were going to stay in, she absent-mindedly reminded herself that she didn't lie. She simply pointed at some street. That wasn't a lie at all.
After a full day of sightseeing the grand historical monuments of Ba Sing Se, the entire group had to admit they were exhausted. Jinora didn't end up getting Setki as her roommate but was amiable enough with the three girls that were. Apparently they were already a close-knit group and found it difficult to communicate with her despite their efforts. She felt as though she were burdening them, so after a well-crafted reason, she dismissed herself to the balcony to write a letter.
The view of the city was beautiful. The moon was full and filled the city with a milky-white glow. Fortunately, not many Satomobiles were running around, giving way to a clear starry sky. She absent-mindedly traced her pen over stars, imagining the constellations she had learned years before. Star-gazing was a favorite family pastime.
Dear Daddy and Mommy,
We arrived in Ba Sing Se today. It took us three days on a boat to get here, and we barely ever docked. I'm really glad that it's nearly impossible to get sea sick thanks to riding a flying bison, but you all know that it's easier to breathe on a bison than in a boat.
You were right, Mom, Ba Sing Se is beautiful. Let's all go together sometime. And let's be careful with our stuff, I bumped into a thief today. He didn't steal from me, and I'm glad he didn't. But it looked like he needed it. You wouldn't get mad if I used some of my money to help him, right? Well, it's not like I will never see him again.
-Love, Jinora
She slid the note safely in the book she was currently reading. She would mail it the next day before she wandered around with Setki. It was a hot night in the city, so she decided to wear her more airy clothes and leave the door leading to the balcony open. Hopefully the other girls wouldn't mind. After a few minutes of wanton thinking, she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.
A soft rustle. A hushed whisper. A girlish giggle. Those three things woke the airbender up. She groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up. She needed to tell the girls about the schedule the next day. The teacher told her to remind her roommates before they went to sleep so they could prepare properly, but Jinora didn't have enough of a solid presence to tell them during their gossip session. So she might as well tell them now.
"Girls, I-"
A hand rushed and clamped over her mouth, suppressing the shrilled scream she let out. Brown eyes widened at the intruder before kicking the back of his head with her foot. Air ruffled tensely around the room as the intruder groaned in pain, clutching the back of his head with gloved hands. He knocked over a lamp, sliding down the wall. "For Spirits' sake, woman!"
Jinora prepared herself for a solid stance that would shoot the intruder away, but something caught her eye. "That's my book! Give it back!"
He stood up to his full height, making his way towards the door he entered in. Although she could still tell he was in pain, he was still cunning enough to take advantage of her. "I'll...drop the book, okay? Just...wait until I'm out."
She frowned. "No."
She twirled once and gracefully threw out her arms, sending a strong gust of wind and knocking the intruder out cold. She let out a sigh of relief and gingerly reached over and took her book, opening it to make sure her prized possession was still in it. She lifted up the perfectly pressed flower and inspected the wilted edges. Bolin, her best friend, had given it to her before she left. He unfortunately took her shocked face as a bad sign and tried to take it back, but she hid it safely in her book. No matter who he was, it was a touching gesture. She rubbed her cheek against it softly and placed it back, fixing the lamp and tidying up the room before going to report the intruder to the police. When she went into the common room, however, all thoughts of the police were gone. None of her roommates were around but a girl with short black hair and a tan face looked up with a guilty smile, setting a few trinkets back on the table. The smile disappeared from her face in recognition. The same clicked for Jinora as well.
"You're that gal from before!"
"You're a girl?"
The two blurted the obvious statements from before, too stunned to move. When Jinora would look back on the incident, she would cringe at her dumbfoundedness. How could she not notice the thief was a girl?
"Well...this is nice. Er...not the situation..."
"I know," Jinora cut off curtly. "Let me guess. The guy in the room. You know him?"
"Did he hurt you?"
"No."
The girl smiled cheekily. "Then yes. He's my brother Koto."
"Do you happen to know where my roommates went?"
"I'll tell you if you promise not to report me and my brother."
"Fine."
"And feed us."
"Okay."
"And give us a place to stay."
"No."
"I know I know. It's too good to be true. How about if I get your roommates for you?"
Jinora froze, her heart literally slowing down. "Where. Are. They."
"Snuck out the door you left open. We saw 'em, used their exit as an entrance. Nice, right?"
She sank down into the couch and buried her face in her hands. Although she wasn't technically their guardian, she would get punished for her roommates' careless behaviour. Which means her father would hear about it. Then she wouldn't be allowed to go explore anymore. Her mother would know too. And Korra and the rest. Which meant Bolin would know. Oh sweet Spirits above not Bolin!
With not enough sleep, the poor twelve-year-old was experiencing a mental breakdown as her mind played various scenes in her head concerning her roommates and her punishment when the teacher found out.
She looked up desperately to the young girl examining the pillow cushions. "Find them and I'll do whatever I can to help you."
After about three hours of searching, the two thieves turned up with Jinora's missing roommates. Unfortunately, they found them too late. Koto pinched his nose and made an irritated grunt. "They drank cactus juice."
Jinora took one of them from him and led her into the room, crooning soft words to her and tucking her in. "Thanks, Koto."
"How do you-Ranji!"
Once she settled her drunk roommates into their respective beds with medicinal herbs the two thieves gathered for her, she plopped down on the couch with a dazed expression on her face. This wasn't how she expected her trip to be. The sun would be rising soon, and her teacher would come in and tell the girls to prepare. Her eyes bulged. "How am I going to explain this to my teacher?"
Koto shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Your roommates snuck out. Just say that."
"And whose responsibility will it be on then?" she hissed, not caring for a moment that she was having a proper conversation with a boy.
"Theirs, obviously," he bit back. He sauntered over to the dining table and stuck some bread in his pockets, tossing a few to his younger sister. She grinned excitedly and caught on in her mouth, stuffing the rest in her shirt sleeves. "But just say they came down with a fever. Besides, you have to take me and Ranji out to breakfast."
The next tour the group would take together would be three days after to visit the palace. Jinora bought all the souvenirs she needed, making sure to use the rest carefully and hopefully return home with some left over. Unfortunately, Koto and Ranji had other plans. She had to give them credit for their cunning blackmail, although technically it wasn't their master plan. The other girls found out about the thieves' "act of kindness" and willingly gave money to them after hearing their life story. And apparently because Koto was a hottie. Jinora gagged.
Luckily, the thieves knew the ins and outs of Ba Sing Se and showed them everything there had to offer all in three days' time. They had to do a lot of 'thieving tactics', as Jinora called it, of course, such as jumping from rooftop to rooftop, scaling down ladders only to climb back along a brick wall. Nevertheless, they all found the experience enjoyable. And the free time they received was spent strolling along the scenic areas of the city.
Throughout the entire time, Jinora stayed with Ranji while her roommates and Setki fawned over Koto. He was a nonbender, but his acrobatic skill and handiness with a staff just added to his 'prettyboy charm'. Both he and Ranji had tan skin and green eyes, their hair dark brown and coarse. They were smart, and despite herself she began to get attached to them. Ranji was a lithe little body filled with infinite energy, questions, and answers. Koto, on the other hand, was still lanky but much more inclined to starting intellectual debates. She noticed all her nervousness around him disappeared when they talked about things no one else cared to know, like the type of paper certain eras used for different types of text. Or the wildlife living in the city. Her favorite conversations were teaching him about the stars.
When he found out she could airbend, she inwardly shrank away from him now that he knew. He would treat her like everyone else would. Either worshipping her or criticizing her for being different. Koto didn't change at all. Unknown to the nonbender, he was actually helping her get used to who she was. When she told him about her lifestyle and that someday she would bear the tattoos her ancestors did, he listened intently and eased her tension by telling her he would do the same if he had an excellent heritage such as hers.
"You've got to be proud of who you are," he told her one night on the rooftop of the hotel. The group started a small bonfire with the help of one of her firebending roommates, and Ranji was currently teaching them the proper way of roasting gilacorns. Since Jinora was vegetarian, she sat off to the side to look up at the stars when Koto joined her. "If you aren't proud of who you are, how can the rest of the world be?"
Every time she would try to write a letter to her parents and friends back in Republic City, Ranji and Koto would appear at her door and whisk all of them away into the night for another fun time of sightseeing. Everything seemed so much more...exciting when they did this, and although Jinora felt a pang of guilt every time she snuck out, all the sights and new knowledge she gained covered it up. As long as I don't make a habit of this, it'll be okay.
She couldn't bring herself to write back to the lengthy letters everyone sent her, but she read them with whole-hearted attention every night after dinner. It made them seem as though she were closer to home. None of the others seemed to miss their family back home, so she kept her yearning a secret.
Three weeks passed to quickly for the newly assembled ring of friends, and when it was time for them to go, they presented their new companions with gifts that would help them out. Jinora gave them the rest of the money she didn't spend, giving Ranji a tight hug and a letter for her to read when she left. When it was time for her to say goodbye to Koto, he handed her a leash with a shaggy white animal tied at the end. He was blushing slightly and avoided looking at her directly, scratching the back of his neck. "Since you don't eat animals...I figured you might as well keep one as a friend."
Jinora bent down and giggled, scratched the goat dog behind the ears. It made an awkward noise-something between a 'baa' and a 'bark' (understandable, since it is a goat dog)-and licked her wrist. "What's his name?"
"Uh...Gyatso."
She smiled up at him, picking the small animal in her arms. The name wasn't by chance, she simply knew that, and it meant a lot to her. "If you and Ranji ever come to Republic City, I'll make sure you guys will have a place to stay while you're there, okay?"
"Jinora..."
She was already walking away from them, her steps light and bouncy as she made her way to the ship.
"Jinora!"
She turned around slowly, only to be met by a pair of lips crashing down on her own. Her eyes popped open in surprise, but he pulled away before she could push him away on her own. His face was bright red, but he looked into her brown eyes with determination. "I-I'm going to find you again one day, Jinora. And-And we'll learn everything about the world together. I know we've only known each other for three weeks, but-"
"Okay."
"Wait...what?"
She glared at him. "If you want to learn more about the world, come find me."
"No, Jinora, I don't think you understand. I li-"
"All aboard!"
Jinora's ship blared out a deafening honk, signaling the ships' soon departure. She bowed her head slightly to dismiss herself and bounded in long strides toward the ship. Koto grabbed his sister and watched it pull out of the dock, a forlorn look on his face as he caught his last glimpse of the airbender on the bow. She waved with an elegant hand and disappeared below deck.
Koto didn't know that Jinora understood what he meant. But pretending to not understand seemed the safest way out. He was fourteen. What could he know about such things like this? She hugged Gyatso and brushed her fingers against her lips. So that thief stole my first kiss. Ironic.
When her father came to pick her up, he quickly took her bag and didn't seem to particularly care that she had a new pet. She finished writing back replies to everyone while on the ship. They didn't have to know that she spent most of her trip learning the city from thieves.
When they returned home, she handed the bag of presents to Ikki and went towards the meditation mount. It would be much too stuffy for her to think in her room. She grabbed her glider from the barn and clicked it open, gliding away before Bolin could even call out to her. When she heard his voice ring against her ears as he yelled her name, she continued up the mountain. Koto...this is all your fault.
Whoa you guys this is a whopping 2,886 words! ...I think. I added a few more while editing. Anyway, yes. Jinora got her first kiss stolen by a thief. Fanceh, eh? I know that this new 'hanging out with the poor kids' seems like a Skoochy kind of thing, but I've got something in mind for this, trust me.