A/N: The second chapter of my new story. This story is much different to my Game of Thrones stories. It's a slowburn romance and a lot of character development in the beginning chapters and beyond for the characters and the Earth Kingdom related problems and the nuances.
Chapter Two – The Night in Fair Tuji:
Two days later, Jen LuXian enjoying the hospitality in his guestroom, as the innkeeper was generous to have his kitchens make this much food, but the sweeter treats were on the house, as a way of pleasing their new guest and making his experience at the inn favourable. He was full from his last meal, but he heard the sounds of music playing outside of his window. The generous amount of food was because there was a local festival going on, and it was normal for people to make a lot of food to celebrate whatever the people of Tuji were celebrating. The guestroom was not inhabited by the master alone, as Kumi sat opposite him and enjoyed the fruits of serving someone like the young master. Kumi was impressed with the benefits given, considering she was concerned for Jen LuXian's safety, most of the time and had to be alert because of what happened in Gaoling.
The music turned into heavy drums playing outside the walls of the Tuji Inn, but it was the townspeople playing into the night and the flute was within the treads of the drums. It was different to the guqin and string instruments Jen LuXian was surrounded with growing up, as it was traditional Earth Kingdom fare for people like him and none of that strange music that was gaining traction in places like Omashu and Zaofu, ruled by people who were moving away from tradition and moving towards the modern. Jen LuXian never heard such music; he has always been taught that the United Republic was a cultural backwater, where people have forgotten their nation of origin and their cultures to fit into such a country, which suffered insurgents with electric gloves and it had to take the United Forces and the Avatar to stabilise things two years ago.
The same cultural backwater nation, Jen LuXian was visiting as a order from his Uncle Han to re-establish ties between the Qian and the Jen families. He had not left the Earth Kingdom, since the death of his old bodyguard, Su Yong and his brief occupation as the Avatar's earthbending master, which didn't end well, due to interference from the White Lotus and he went home in dishonour. The man wasn't looking forward to going to the same city, where his former pupil resided in and he never forgot how the White Lotus shamed him. Jen LuXian took a sip from a jade green teacup, as it tasted like home, as tea in the world should taste. He was never alone, as long as he had Kumi at his side and he was thankful for her sword and fans. The kyoshi warrior was eight years younger than Jen LuXian, but she had the maturity of a woman older than herself. She still had that display of unaltered charm most adolescence girls lose before becoming women of the world.
Jen LuXian gazed at the windows of his guestroom, they were slightly open, as it was easy for the room to be humid because of the way ventilation worked in this town, so close to the port and the western plains. The man was not the Earth Kingdom darling he used to be and he was okay with that, because a life of peace and plenty, was better than being idealised and never escaping the shadow of other people's expectations. The man choose to be a teacher over using his gift for the military or become a bending wrestler, as wrestlers were favourites of the Earth Kingdom, because of their skills and martial talent. He didn't want to use his bending mastery to hurt or harm others, but instead use it to teach and cultivate the next generation of earthbenders in the kingdom. The dregs of the Earth Kingdom army patrolling Tuji were nothing to Jen LuXian, but he needed to keep a low profile, because of his situation from Gaoling and wanting to keep his head down.
"By Earth Kingdom standard, I was talented enough to be a soldier. I refused after that earthbending duel made me the Champion of Gaoling and famous. After Cousin Chou's experience in the army, I never wanted that for my life, to be a tool for a monarchy that has been failing, since the 46th Earth King ruined the work Tian the Great had done. In Tian the Great's decades of ruling the Earth Kingdom and being the last great earth monarch, before she passed away of advanced age. It's never a secret for my love for Tian the Great, she is everything a monarch or a leader is supposed to be and is known for being the greatest queen the kingdom will ever see. It reassures me, Her Majesty Hou-Ting will go down in history as the worst queen in history and the legacy of Shen LingTian will live on through the next generations, if I have anything to do with it."
The earthbending master was known to be strange, for his appreciation for an dead queen that made an impact on the Earth Kingdom and its social and cultural norms. At a young age, Jen LuXian was taught by his clan elders to appreciate culture and everything that came before, as a lesson to his generation and the generation after. Kumi thought his respect for Tian the Great was dull because she hated history, it was a shame she only learned the history of her homeland and Avatar Kyoshi, the founder of the sisterhood Kumi had seen as a family. Jen LuXian knew to not underestimate Kumi's willingness to learn, especially as his bodyguard and learning about the Earth Kingdom culture she never got to see. Kumi was studying at the main Republic City Dojo, before she got the oppotunity to travel to Bao Yun, with a group of her fellow kyoshi graduates to be selected, as the primary bodyguard for the Second Young Master of the Jen Clan.
"I'm happy to not kill anyone today, Young Master. Too much time to clean the blood from my blades." Kumi said, in a cheerful tone.
"Do you wish to leave my service?" Jen LuXian asked.
"Never... I enjoy serving as your sword and shield." The warrior exclaimed, "Today is a new record, no severed fingers nor did someone die at my hands."
"I hope to keep it that way."
"Is there anything you want to know about, Young Master?"
The spring lord gave it a thought, and then he knew what to ask the faithful warrior maid. "I want to know about your life in Kyoshi Island and why you choose my service over others, who would have paid more for your skills and loyalty."
"Your family are old blood, Shifu Jen. It means families like yours are richer than the merchant lords, and live like little kings and queens, which means you pay more, and the benefits are better for me. Families like yours respect the position of the Kyoshi Warriors and our skills than the new blood in Republic City."
"I'm glad to hear you hold my family in such honour."
"If it had not been for your uncle's offer and the first payment coming, I would have worked for the Daojings. The good Governess said, the Daojings were a family, who showed off their wealth too much and mistreated their servants to the point of always having to replace them. Your uncle's offer and the bad reputation of the Daojings made my choice easier. I was one of the best of my class and the Governess choose my placement with great care and Matron Suki was sad to see me go."
"What about your earlier life? All I know of you is that you are an orphan, like me but raised by the adult Kyoshi Warriors and you consider the girls, your age your sisters in arms and in blood."
"It's true, Young Master Jen. We are a family, no matter what and it's what Matron Suki has always worked towards. The retired warriors, who raised me and other girls like me, are not usually around the island because they are hired for specialist bodyguard jobs, especially in the Fire Nation. A few of the best warriors are serving as an honour guard for the Fire Lord and the Crown Princess. It's fortunate Matron Suki and Lord Zuko have been friends for decades to have that level of trust, to have Kyoshi Warriors guarding members of the royal family."
"Is it only the Crown Princess, who has the kyoshi honour guard?"
"Yes, my lord. The Crown Princess's brother in the United Forces, finding no taste for the imperial court and the princess's younger sister is too much of a free-spirit to behave proper as a princess should, some of my fellow sisters tell me."
"Little Kumi, who told you to gossip about the Fire Nation royal family?" The young master said sarcastically, with his forefinger circled his chin.
"Our island has become a trading stop for merchants sailing to the Southern Water Tribe or the Fire Nation. Even our small island gets noble and extinguished guests, like the Fire Nation Crown Princess, the Airbending Master and his siblings. The warrior sisters and local village girls are excited, when the soldiers of the First Division of the United Forces come to visit, as the best-looking men and women are in that group, including the Governess's nephew and the Crown Princess's brother." The warrior said, in a dull tone, due to her lack of interest in men in general.
"And you left that life behind to follow me through death and torment."
"It's not as bad as you think, my lord. The trouble you attract gives me the chance to polish my skills and I see much of the Earth Kingdom, beyond what I could see as a girl."
"I'm glad, the constant alert has not put you off me."
The wink from the kyoshi warrior's eye reassured Jen LuXian, she was happy where she was. Jen LuXian knew the trouble he attracted, because of his former status as a teenage prodigy and people wanting to test their luck against him, to be declared the supreme earthbender, knowing what happened to the last earthbender Jen LuXian fought in public. That earthbender Jen LuXian fought had a name and status in the Earth Kingdom, his name was The Strowman or his given name was Long Shu Po. The Strowman was a famous earthbending wrestler, someone who fought in all competitions through the kingdom and became champion in several different cities, beating the local talent and shaming them in public wrestling rings.
The wrestler was been rich and famous, but he was also dishonourable in the way he treated people, as he ran the wrestling circuit as if it was his own kingdom and he was the king. The old man had been champion multiple times, and was undefeated in his career. Until an open challenge came out of the blue, and a young seventeen-year old earthbender wanted a shot in breaking The Strowman's undefeated streak. Jen LuXian remembered Long Shu Po not taking him seriously, because he was young and fair-looking, which was easy for men like The Strowman to pick on him for, but Jen LuXian didn't care, as he wanted a chance, just like everyone else at the open challenge.
The duel between them had been set in Gaoling's underground wrestling ring, the same ring Toph Beifong cultivated her bending skills and became the blind bandit, in defiance to the rules her old blood family set upon her and wanted to be an earthbender. Jen LuXian shook his head, and thought back to the duel with The Strowman, which was thirteen years ago and how his family was against it, especially his Uncle Han, who didn't want him to get hurt or be disgraced in public by a egomaniac at the end of his career. Jen LuXian was determined, with the ferocity of a seventeen-year-old boy, who was talented enough to master earthbending, but had two more disciplines left before he could be a fully realised master of earthbending.
The duel was overly glorified, by people who were never there, but the people who were there, did not because of the macabre nature of the duel, between a teenage prodigy and an earthbender past his prime. Jen LuXian never forgot the blood that stained the ring of Gaoling, especially coming from him and The Strowman, as the duel had gone on for an hour and the last round had just begun. He had been over-confident at seventeen, after losing two teeth and the blood that stained his white clothes, as Jen LuXian threw the last rock at the Strowman and won the duel by pure luck and bending skill alone, against an opponent old enough to be his father.
Jen LuXian knew the price he paid; he could have died in the middle of the ring, due to the blood loss, but it was The Strowman, who eventually died a week later after the duel was over. For years, Jen LuXian was accused of killing The Strowman, but the real reason why the older earthbender died was because of poison, by a powerful pleasure house owner in Omashu, because of the unpaid debts Long Shu Po owed her, after losing the duel and whatever remained of his riches to the teenager, who defeated him. Jen LuXian distributed the gold earned from the Gaoling duel to the poorest in the southern region of the Earth Kingdom, he didn't need the gold as he came from a wealthy family. That day, it was what started Jen LuXian's change of heart, from being the arrogant seventeen year old boy, who was only concerned for glory into the current thirty man, who was empathetic to the common people and tries to use his bending and status for the common good.
The young master smiled at Kumi, as she did the same back to him. Her stories of Kyoshi Island and her fellow warriors made Jen LuXian miss Bao Yun and his family. He wondered how Cousin Chou was doing, settling into his marriage and how Jen Meiling was in mastering earthbending without him to help her. His cheeks were flustered, when Kumi mentioned the First Division of the United Forces, and the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation's brother, not wanting to dredge up anything to do with that man, as long as he was in Earth Kingdom territory and not in the United Republic. He may act the dignified gentleman, but he could not deny he had some affection towards the prince of the Fire Nation, as it has been five years, since they last saw each other in Omashu.
The kyoshi warrior yawned, knowing she was eager to get out of the inn to stretch her legs, as a warrior needed her exercise. Jen LuXian was used to Kumi disappearing, to train solo and to prepare herself, it was a similar habit his old bodyguard Su Yong had and he always kept his blades sharp. The master didn't want to think of Gaoling, as it was not his concern now. Only making sure Jen LuXian's retinue were safe and were not followed by any unsavoury characters, they might have picked up on the journey from Yi or the western plains. He couldn't afford to make any more enemies, since he will be banned from Gaoling for what happened, during his stay there. Jen LuXian always had a habit of making himself unwelcome in noble circles, but at least he wasn't banned from Omashu, one of his favourite places to visit because that city transformed his life.
Omashu was also where Jen LuXian's uncle Jen Xizuan lived, as the result of his banishment from the Jen Clan, due to his bad reputation and taking a male lover. Jen LuXian missed his uncle, when the wheelhouse passed Omashu, but Jen LuXian knew he would see his uncle again in the future and even have a flight of fancy of running away from Bao Yun to live with him, if Jen LuXian's own secret had been found out by the elders of his family, but at least he would have a safeplace to go to, in case he was in a situation, where he was banished by his clan and from his beloved homeland.
The town square of Tuji was glowing beneath the light of the pink lanterns hanging outside different houses. Jen LuXian and Kumi stuck together, as it was easy for two outsiders to get lost in a town that had a festival going on at the moment. The young master was mesmerised by the little flames on sticks twirled around between the fingers of the local jugglers, but he never had an aversion to fire, like others in the Earth Kingdom had, it was a sign of being afraid of firebenders and what they had done in the past. He was not afraid of the flames, but was attracted by fire and wondered, how something so beautiful can be turned into a weapon and cause harm to many people through a hundred years. The square was the best place for the main festivities, as local wine sinks were full of people drinking their worries away and celebrate the founding of their town. He was fortunate none of the townspeople knew who he really was, because of the reputation his Uncle Xizuan got from being banished disgraced the house of the jade lotus.
Little Kumi's eyes were all over the place, not professional for a bodyguard. Jen LuXian allowed her to have her joy, before they left town. As an earthbender, Jen LuXian had an aversion to shoes in general, but he had on black boots that were comfortable for him, even though he didn't need to fight. The man was glad to see people with joy on their faces and not turning their eyes towards him and gossiping behind his back. It made Jen LuXian ashamed, to inherit his mother's earthly beauty and none of his father's average looks, because of the way people reacted to him. He shook his head, knowing his parents, Master Kuen and Duchess Jiao-Wen were dead and would skin him alive, if they heard the thoughts in the head of their only son. His obsidian brown eyes, the earthbending and his stubborn temperament were all from his father, but the rest of him was all his duchess mother.
There were happy couples in the main square of all kinds, in the company of one another. A fair little town had more happy people than the capital of the Earth Kingdom. Jen LuXian enjoyed the food, but was not used to the sweet fried dumplings and the other treats given to him. He was used to earning his food and never taking his privilege as a young master for granted. The reason why the warrior maid was called Little Kumi because there were was a Big Kumi, an adult kyoshi warrior who shared the same name as the bodyguard, who protected him. It was in the best interests of the people in Tuji, that Kumi was in a good mood and had her weapons away, unless they wanted to end up like two of the Daojing household guards in Gaoling. The lights of the green lanterns were hosted on top of the end of the stalls, either food or selling objects that interested the youth in town. The sight of pinwheels being sold caught Jen LuXian's eye; he played with pinwheels as a child and his heart ached, seeing local children play with them in the same way, he and his cousin Chou did, when they were small and no idea about what their lives were going to be like in the future.
"I like this place, Young Master. The people are nice and give you free stuff." Little Kumi exclaimed, with a smile on her face.
"Don't get too comfortable, we must leave on ship in the morning." Jen LuXian replied.
"Won't you get seasick, my lord. You are an earthbender, and you rarely do well off land?"
"I will be fine, it's not too long of a journey."
"I hope, I'm not the one pulling your hair back, if you get sick on board."
"Anywhere is better on the road. What happened in Gaoling will attract unwanted attention from soldiers or local domestic forces looking for us. I don't need you getting arrested for me." Jen LuXian said, attempting to control the tone in his voice, knowing the consequences of what happened in Gaoling for the both of them.
"…I'm sorry, I should have acted quicker..."
"No... I blame myself. I put you in an impossible situation and fooled myself into thinking Master Daojing would be an honourable host for one night."
"The watermelon guy said the cooking girls were checking you out."
"….Not interested."
"With an appearance like yours, I was sure you had a companion, Young Master Jen."
"Do you miss anyone from home?"
"Many of my sisters are either in bodyguard jobs or still in Kyoshi Island working the land. The one I miss the most is Matron Suki. She was a war prisoner in the Fire Nation and helped the Avatar and his friends cross the Serpent's Pass, even though she had to help refugees cross the boats to Ba Sing Se. She was like the grandmother, most Kyoshi orphans, like me never had and was responsible for our training, when Governess Kirima would leave Kyoshi Island to visit relatives in the Southern Water Tribe."
"I was lucky to meet Lord Zuko. He is persistent, even for an elderly firebender."
"I write to my sisters, whenever I can. Most of them can't believe I am guarding the Avatar's old earthbending master. You never told me, until months later."
"It's something I don't speak on first terms."
"Why...you were deemed good enough to teach the Avatar earthbending. What happened then."
"I failed her and shamed my honour."
Jen LuXian turned away from the kyoshi warrior. There was a lot of things in his life, Jen LuXian didn't disclose to his bodyguard, knowing some of the things he experienced caused him shame and dishonour in high society. The master swallowed, knowing it was not polite to spit on the streets, for a man of his status and his reputable name. He and Kumi were stood somewhere in the town's square, seeing everything come alive in Tuji. Jen LuXian was not the kind to enjoy parties, as the last one he went to was when Su Yong was still alive and a bloodbender's death gripe didn't kill him, and he was not completely alone in the world. He would allow Kumi to have her fun; she was young and needed to spread her wings once in a while. When she is not risking her life for Jen LuXian, the aloof Second Young Master of the Jen Clan.
At the corner of his eye, Jen LuXian glanced at two men sharing a kiss and his heart sank. He was happy for the local men, but was sullen because of himself. Kumi left his side to throw herself into the town party and even chase local children around, as if she was the bad tigerdillo coming to eat them, with all the expressions and sounds. The man brushed off the dust from his robes, as they looked better than when he first came to town and had gotten them dirty, walking around the centre of town. The sight of the local men sharing their passion, made Jen LuXian sigh a deep breath from his lips. It usually happened to teenagers, who experience such an awakening, not a thrity year old young master, trying to silence away his long-suffering feelings for a prince, who he believed only became his friend because he felt sorry for him. Tuji was a town, where people did as they liked and were enjoying the twirling flames on sticks or the local dances that were brash, compared to the stiff northern dances Jen LuXian had to learn as a child in Bao Yun.
A part of the earthbending master's hair was tied off with a jade green ribbon, but the sides of his hair were in loops over his ears and the rest of his hair cascaded downwards. The lord was rubbing his arms with both hands, as it got chilly at night, as it was closer to the Fire Nation's cool climate, being on the western side of the Earth Kingdom. Kumi had the confidence to socialise with anyone, since she was an orphan raised by the kyoshi warriors. She never was brought up with the same strict doctrine of rules Jen LuXian had to grow up with. He envied the free spirit Kumi was and aspired to emulate her in some form. He was odd in noble society, but seemed a cold, aloof and strait-laced man to outsiders and the common people, which earned him a reputation that made it hard for Jen LuXian to interact with people, without them thinking he was so stiff to the point of not being able to make a friend of his own.
There was a stall on the corner of the town's square, selling sweetened dumplings, the same ones Kumi suffered her face with at the evening meal. In his younger years, Jen LuXian would have seen Cousin Chou fancying the cooking girls of Tuji, being a strong warrior and the heir to the Jen Clan, but Chou-brother was married and had a child on the way. The girls in this town would not have a hard time finding a husband, since most Earth Kingdom wives, knew how to cook and be the mistress of their own households, the similar way noble women were the madams of their own homes, unless their firstborn heirs got married and would rule the household in the future.
A young woman from a side corner stall let out a joyful laugh, whilst serving a line of people sweetened dumplings. She looked to be of Southern Water Tribe descent, by her brown skin tone and the mole on the right side of her cheek. The woman was very pretty, which was the reason for the long line of people, when there were two stalls selling the same thing. She was in her element, laughing and smiling at the people she served in the town, but her gaze turned to Jen LuXian, whilst the line shortened for the woman's dumplings. The lord couldn't help the looks he was given, but never took them for granted and used girls in the way men of his rank did at society parties or in pleasure houses. It had been a long time, since Jen LuXian caught the attention of anyone, but he wasn't interested in the thought of a monotonous relationship with someone, who would try to force what they want on him or try to restrain his freedom.
Jen LuXian was about to turn around, then Kumi ran towards him, no longer being chased by children. He expected Kumi to have gotten some form of exercise, as she is to be in her best form, when they got to a city of unknown intentions and a nation so foreign to Jen LuXian, that he could get kidnapped or lost anywhere. Sometimes, Jen LuXian wished he got rid of the overly excited kyoshi warrior at times, but it was wrong, because Kumi was her own person and he shouldn't treat her as a duplicate of Su Yong. Kumi was a nice girl, but she was annoying at times, knowing how immature she could be, due to the sheltered life of a kyoshi warrior and how she was raised differently to how Jen LuXian was raised. He saw the joy and innocent he used to have, as a young person, but bit by bit, all of Jen LuXian's joy and ability to feel disappeared through his hardships, post him leaving the South Pole and watching his old bodyguard be killed in front of him and being forced to imagine Su Yong still alive and in Kumi's place sometimes.
"Ask her out." Little Kumi said loudly, knowing the girl at the popular dumpling stall was looking at him.
The earthbender rolled his eyes, at the sometimes unprofessional attitude Kumi had, but it was a personality trait, not something that could be trained out of her. "Is she interested?" Jen LuXian said, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"I know, it's my job to protect you from terrible suitors, but that girl seems nice enough."
"We shouldn't be attached to this place; we are just guests and nothing more."
The kyoshi warrior folded her arms and made a face at him. "You are no fun to be around. Are you celibate because of your clan's rules or because you don't like women at all."
"You shouldn't speak of such things. I am technically not a virgin and I can socialise, when the situation demands it."
"If I didn't feelings for someone else, I would have asked her out and gotten free dumplings."
"The free food is kind of the people, but we shouldn't get used to such kindness, since we are technically fugitives of Gaoling."
"It's my fault, for putting us into that situation. Forgive me for I have failed." Kumi said, bowing before the young master, but her fingers were shaking, due to her anxiety and tendencies to blame herself for minor mistakes and feared punishment above all.
"It's not your fault, it happened, and we must be alert."
What happened next was the young master was dragged by Kumi, by the sleeve of his carefully crafted robes. Jen LuXian didn't mind, because Kumi had been with him for a few years and he knew most of her odd quirks and antics. The kyoshi warrior was eager to have more sweet dumplings, knowing she won't taste the crispy sweetness of such a treat on their boat journey to Republic City, since Jen LuXian's retinue of servants only knew how to cook traditional Earth Kingdom food, not the new age foods that were making their way through the Earth Kingdom's food culture. The line for the dumpling stall decreased, since Jen LuXian first saw the long line for himself, maybe the stall owner was able to serve the other customers. He hoped he and Kumi were not the last ones to get a taste, as sweet dumplings were made differently by each cook with their own flavor and technique, just like any combinations of a komodo chicken meal with rice and cooked vegatables.
The man tasted the bitterness on his tongue, when the warrior made light of his clan's doctrine of rules all members of his family must follow. Jen LuXian tried to fit in with the spiritualism his family practiced and become more apart of his paternal family. Jen LuXian looked like his mother and the Jen Clan were known for training and cultivating the best earthbenders in the northern Earth Kingdom and his was a martial family, which meant fighting and perfecting one's skills was a duty to the region of Bao Yun. By looking like his mother, Jen LuXian faced discrimination from every corner of the kingdom, those thinking he wasn't good enough to be an earthbender or to even have the last name Jen because of how pretty he looked, compared to the average looks of members of his paternal family. He carried himself as a man of honour, but Jen LuXian was no such man, and he was envious of those with iron clad honour and never had to do anything dirty to survive or even soil their hands in blood to avenge their own torment and stay alive in a dangerous situation.
The dumpling stall was lucky not to be closed, seeing the owner of the stall give Jen LuXian a smile and not Kumi, knowing she had no interest in a kyoshi warrior, who had the habit of irritating her employer. The woman was definitely of water tribe descent, but her eyes were brown, like any other average person in the western Earth Kingdom. It was not uncommon to see descendants of Southern Water Tribe immigrants, who fled to the Earth Kingdom, after Fire Lord Azulon systematically purged the south pole of it's waterbenders and strongest warriors. Jen LuXian was aware most of the legacies of immigrants ended up in the western side of the Earth Kingdom, in mostly populated towns and villages. He usually did the talking, when Kumi could not in front of high society people and people of high learning, but he seemed familiar to the woman on the stall from a short glance at her.
"Ten of your finest sweet dumplings, my lady." Little Kumi said, with her arms folded to her chest. She stood still, as it was unlike her to do so.
"Of course, unless you want to slice me in half with those blades of yours." The stall owner replied, with a smile on her face.
"I noticed you staring at my unfortunate bore of an employer, my lady."
The pretty stall owner gave Kumi the sweet dumplings, freshly out of the hot oil pan and gave another smile back to her. "It's not often, men like him come to town. The head seamstress in town said, he was too fine for any of us girls, as he is too rich for any of us to be messing around with in honesty."
"It's good we showed up."
The earthbending master glared at Kumi, knowing she over spoke for her position, as his bodyguard. "We are just guests in town, not to bother anyone and get in the way." Jen LuXian said, in a tone that was dull and was of disinterest towards the woman.
"Is the young master always a pessimist?" The woman asked, looking around to see the line for her sweet dumplings disappear as the other food stalls were gaining more customers.
"No…he is not keen on staying in one place, unless it's home."
"I find the Young Master to be a fine-looking man, even my fellow cooking girls think so. Not many men of his appearance come to this part of the kingdom, unless they are the sons of merchant lords or the Prince of Omashu. If it wasn't for him and the United Forces, I wouldn't have gotten my father and brother back from the Crimson Matron years ago."
"I'm thankful for your gratitude...it's good to see families reunited after a terrible experience." The man said, in conjunction. He didn't realise the girl who ran the stall, was one of the many loved ones, who were thankful in getting their relatives back from the Crimson Matron. Jen LuXian was used to being thanked by people in all corners of the Earth Kingdom, whom had family members, significant others and friends kidnapped and sent north to be twisted and manipulated into joining a bloodbending cult, led by a mad woman in disguise as a helpful grandmother in the north.
Jen LuXian's eyes widened at the thought of Kumi trying to arrange something with him and the woman. He didn't know the dumpling stall woman, but he was familiar with seeing a father and son organising an internal rebellion within the ranks of the Crimson Matron's cult, whilst Jen LuXian was undercover and disguised himself as a cult member's wife, whom Prince Iroh was dressed as the husband. The master chuckled at the thought of that father and son being the dumpling stall woman's father and brother, which explains why the woman was nice to him. The woman wanted to thank Jen LuXian for all he had done to get her father and brother back, and not end up like the waterbenders, whom didn't make it home to their families because it had been too late for them.
The woman's water tribe appearance and brown eyes reminded Jen LuXian of Nenna, who was also of Southern Water Tribe descent and from the village of Rong, not too far from Tuji, where other southern descendants settled for generations. It was no coincidence, Jen LuXian would bump into another woman, whom her loved ones were back home because of Jen LuXian's decision in listening to Nenna, who wanted someone to believe her, when her brother was taken by the Crimson Matron's disciples and no one in the Earth Kingdom listened to a village girl other than himself.
The lord and the kyoshi warrior left the dumpling stall, and enjoyed the sweetness of the fried dough. Jen LuXian realised Kumi wasn't going anywhere, even though he was irritated by her unrefined ways. It was not her fault, as Kumi came into his service a year after Su Yong died. Jen LuXian never looked at the warrior maid, as more than a protector, as their relationship was professional and he never called her a friend, as it would be overstepping his boundaries, as man of his status. The night life in Tuji was too vibrant for Jen LuXian's tastes, but it was good for someone like Kumi to enjoy and he allowed her that, because she needed a break, from saving his life over and over again. She would never be the sworn brother Su Yong was to him in the years, after Jen LuXian turned fifteen. People cheered as small fireworks littered the skies of pink and blue, as Jen LuXian looked into the sky, with his hands together, wishing his future was brighter and kinder than his past.
PS: Governess Kirima, who Kumi mentions through the chapter is the adult daughter of Sokka and Suki. She is the current leader of Kyoshi Island and Matron Suki is who Suki comes later in life as an elder woman, supervising the training of the homebound Kyoshi Warriors and living her life in her older years, after returning home to Kyoshi Island, in her seperation from Sokka after years of marriage.
-Kumi addresses LuXian Jen as Young Master, because it's a title commonly given to sons of noble families and the gentry in xianxia fantasy, in which the Earth Kingdom is based on Imperial and Ancient Chinese culture and I wanted to explore those nuances through that.
-Gaoling is the town Toph lived in, during The Blind Bandit. After Toph's parents passed away, the Daojing family became the richest family in town.
-The Crown Princess, Kumi and Jen LuXian refer to is my other OC Princess Mizuki, the older sister of Iroh and Izumi's unnamed daughter. In this story, Iroh II is the middle child of Fire Lord Izumi, which gives him the freedom to join the United Forces and to pursue a relationship with Jen LuXian in the future.