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The next few days Mikado helped Kareem in his shop, assisting customers to the well-carved wood pieces that the old man put out at a pretty constant rate. Even in the small, hot shop he did not remove his hat. Customers were put off at this, and the rumors flew wild through town. It did not bother Mikado much, people would always have their rumors, and gossip will always remain the best place for news, whether it is true or not.

It was only when the old man tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a foot-long box did he look up from his work.

"Yes sir?" he inquired as he took the box.

"There's gonna be a girl comin' by for this later. Lotsa makeup, you can't miss her. Make sure she gets this. I'm gonna go take a bath in the stream before lunch. My old bones need a rest from this work." He let Mikado take the box from him.

"And how much does she need to pay sir?" He stored the box underneath the counter and watched Kareem put on his overcoat and grab a towel from under his seat.

The old man turned back on his way out the door and, with his usual bare grin, replied, "Ohh naw, it's a gift."

Mikado only pondered the thought for a moment before shrugging it off and returned to his work.

An hour or so later, as the sun reached it's zenith, Mikado saw someone who could only be the girl Kareem was talking about walking down the road towards the shop.

She was tall, yes, unusually so; but what drew the boy's eye was the ornate headband that ringed her walnut-hued hair. That, coupled with the pale blush that turned her face white and the blood-red lipstick and eye shadow, made her the oddest person he had ever seen. When he finally drew his eyes away from her makeup he studied her face. It was sharp, angled, perfectly proportioned though. A deadly type of beauty, Mikado thought, like a viper ready to strike.

She walked into the shop and straight up to the counter. Her eyes attempted to meet Mikado's tall gaze with a cold stare, perfectly level to him. He was stunned by this, being a good six foot two he was unusually tall for a boy his age, but for a girl it was almost extraordinary. She quickly sized him up, something Mikado was quite used to and, unable to peer beneath the shadow of his wide hat, just as rapidly dismissed him.

"Where's Kareem?" she ask impatiently.

Mikado attempted to speak, but he couldn't. Her voice had constricted his throat, it was edged and razor sharp, but there was a sweet ring to it that made his heart skip a beat. "I… I…"

She cocked her eyebrow and crossed her arms clearly not impressed. "Well? Spit it out!"

"I, uhh… He left early."

She let out an impatient huff and asked, "well when will he get back? I have an important package I need to pick up today."

Mikado's brain started functioning again, and he remembered the box under the counter. "Ohh! Yeah, I have that." He mentally slapped himself, what happened to the glib young man he was used to?

She glared at him even harder, "I cannot believe that geezer Kareem left it with…" she looked him up and down again clearly unimpressed, "you."

He produced the box and set it atop the counter, so that she may study it, but it was quickly snatched out of his smooth yet worked hands by her gloved ones. "He gave me orders to give it to you."

"I would imagine so," she rolled her eyes. "At least you have a mind to understand orders." She snapped at him as she opened the box.

Mikado let out a low whistle as he was amazed to see her pull out two beautiful weapons. The craftsmanship was awe-inspiring in itself. But weapons? For a girl? Well, this explains her sharp personality, he thought.

She clearly wasn't amused at his remark, and glibly toyed with him. "What, you haven't seen fighting fans before?" She opened them and inspected them as a jeweler would a gem. Snapping them shut and opening them again she gave a few quick passes to test their weight. "Have you ever seen any weapon before?"

"No… I mean, yes! It's just that I have never seen such wonderfully crafted fans before!" He stared at the weapons in her hands, noting her well-shaped and long fingers as well, "and I've been around weapons for a quite awhile, but these are stunning!" He sighed, he knew he just set himself up for an insult from this interesting woman. Well, he thought smugly, he would prove himself to her then.

"You! Around weapons?" She let out a hearty laugh. "What would a farmer's boy like you know about weapons?" Still chuckling she set the fans back in the box and regarded him amusingly.

"Well, for one, I am not a farmer. Well, my father was, but I'm not."

She snorted; obviously his argument wasn't strong enough. "And?"

"I've been traveling since I was very young. When you're on the road you tend to learn a lot of things. Like, for instance that fans as good as those aren't common, especially for free."

She smiled and slipped the fan case into a bag she had slung around her. "Well if that's it…" she turned to start out the door.

"Actually, miss," the word miss said with as much demeaning tone on it as possible, "I am a master with weapons, trained in many forms, including an array of unarmed combat. Not to mention I am one of Ba Sing Se's youngest Ground-Masters."

"Ahh, and earthbender eh? You know," she turned to him and put her face right in his, close enough that he could feel her warm breath on his cheek, "Every earthbender I've met is a very poor fighter without it. Seems to me all of you rely too much on your bending in a battle."

Sensing the challenge in her voice Mikado recovered his senses after the sensuous torment of her lips being so close to his, "well then, it seems that I will have to be the one to end such a rumor. Do you accept?" He studied her bluish-gray eyes with as much challenge in his voice as he could muster.

"Hmm, a fight? Alright, meet me tonight in the last building up the mountain on the main street." She glanced under his hat, attempting once more to see his face. "But, I would like to see the face of my challenger before hand…" she slyly coaxed.

Mikado shrugged and pulled off his hat. "Mikado, at your service milady." He bowed but his head stayed level and his eyes never left hers.

She seemed unable to breathe, but what she saw has shaken her badly.

His eyes, his ice-gray eyes. They were so deep, as if fathomless, yet they gave nothing away, she could not detect any emotion in them. But she felt as if she were pulled in, she imagined herself caught in those eyes, trapped as an animal frozen a glacier for centuries. She would be caught for centuries… The thought snapped her back to her remaining senses.

Wrenching her gaze away from his captivating stare, she hurried out the door, wanting to put as much distance between herself and those eyes as quickly as possible.

"Wait! I haven't heard your name!" Mikado called out as she exited.

She turned back, her eyes on the floor, "It's Suki…" She paused, about to say more, but her mouth hardened into a fine line and her resolve set in.

She hurried out the door and up the street.