Wandering Firebender
Thirty Nine: The Kyoshi Warrior
It was late afternoon in the Earth Kingdom now. Sitting outside during his work break, Elio looked up at the sky and saw overcast clouds were beginning to roll in. It definitely was going to rain soon; possibly even a storm.
"Hey, Elio. I've got a really important delivery for you today. It's in the Upper Ring again." Mr. Fo said as Elio came back in from his break. Elio's eyes widened a bit in surprise.
"Oh really, again? I wasn't expecting that!"
"Me neither. Wait until you hear who the client is...the Earth King himself." Mr. Fo revealed. Elio's eyes widened when he realized what his boss was saying.
"You serious? You're kidding, right?"
"Usually I would be, but this time I'm serious. So from what I hear, it seems the story is that the Earth King has had some kind of a change of heart. He wants to experience what his kingdom has to offer. So he's placed an order from that really good barbecue place on 83rd."
"Ohh yeah, I've been there! Sri and I were there just a few days ago." Elio recalled with a chuckle.
"Yes. So you will take the food to the train station and ride it all the way to the Upper Ring. One of his escorts will meet you at the station. Just follow his instructions when you get there, okay?" Mr. Fo instructed carefully.
"Yeah, understood. Mr. Fo, are you sure you want me to handle this delivery? This is really big and important." Elio pointed out, hesitant to take on such responsibility on behalf of his boss' company. However, Mr. Fo insisted that he do it.
"Elio, you're the most reliable guy I've got. Don't let me down, kid, alright?"
"Y-Yes, sir! You can count on me! I'm heading to 83rd right now!" Elio nodded, heading outside to La.
"Take the saddle with the basket attached! And a hood for the rain!" Mr. Fo called back to him.
"Right! Yeah!" Elio spun around and went back in to grab both items. He put on the thick gray hood garment as he came back out to La and attached the saddle to her, "Let's go, baby. We got a big delivery."
Elio rode over to 83rd and promptly picked up the special order for the Earth King as well as the attached pass to access the Upper Ring. He took them both to the train station and sat in the very back of the train. He nervously stared out the window.
It already made him nervous to be returning to the Upper Ring after his last incident with the Dai Li, how he'd nearly gotten into trouble. But this time, he was indirectly dealing with the Earth King. He needed to make sure that he didn't screw things up with the king's escort.
He could only hope that someone nice was waiting for him at the station.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the train arrived in the Upper Ring just as the afternoon was beginning to bleed into the evening. Elio got up and led La by the reins. He kept his other hand on the basket attached to the saddle so the food would remain steady.
When he stepped out, he realized he was the only one left on the train.
It was a little off-putting, stepping out into an empty train station. However, it wasn't completely empty. One person was indeed waiting for him: a girl with a black umbrella. He saw her and his eyes widened with recognition as he approached her.
"I didn't realize that the Earth King had Kyoshi Warriors for escorts now." He commented. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she tilted her head as she stared at him. Her shocked expression lasted only a few moments before she smiled sideways at him.
"I didn't realize that our reputation would precede us." She said in response. She spoke with a smooth, crisp voice that seemed somehow familiar to Elio. He couldn't quite place it though because it had been a long time since he'd seen any Kyoshi Warriors.
"Haha, well, I've met a few Kyoshi Warriors before. But I haven't met you, I don't think. I'm Elio." He introduced himself, extending his hand out. She looked at him keenly as she took his hand and shook it.
"I'm...Su. It's a real pleasure to see you, Elio. I take it you've brought the meal that the Earth King requested?" She presumed.
"Yeah, I have it right here. Do I give it to you or...?" Elio trailed off. He'd never done this before, so he had no idea what the proper protocol was.
"I have a carriage waiting downstairs. How would you like to ride to the Earth King's palace?" She offered. Elio turned his head in surprise.
"Is that allowed?"
"Sure it is, long as you stay close to me. Come on, any friend of the Kyoshi Warriors is welcome anyways." She gestured for him to follow. Elio glanced at La and shrugged. He led his ostrich horse behind him and fell in step next to her.
"Thank you, Su. I appreciate it. Seeing the palace so close is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"It sure is. You have no idea how difficult it was to get in there," Su laughed. Elio chuckled too. As they reached the bottom of the platform, rain began to fall and soon became a heavy downpour. Standing just underneath the shelter of the train station, Su opened up her black umbrella and gestured to the carriage waiting for them.
"Leave your delivery animal behind. We'll take the carriage up to the palace." She decided.
"Sure," Elio nodded. He took the food from La's saddle and soothed the ostrich horse. "Stay here, La, and don't get into any trouble. I'll be back soon." He said before nodding to Su.
Su walked out with her umbrella to protect her from the rain. Elio put on his hood and walked near her. Despite the hood, Su still stepped in closer to him, holding her umbrella just a little higher. This prompted Elio to get underneath the umbrella with her until they reached the carriage. He opened the door for her and she got in first.
"Thank you, Elio. This clothing is already thick enough as it is," Su said humorously as she sat down inside. "I can imagine how much worse it would be when wet."
"Yeah, that would be terrible. And then your makeup would run off and stain the clothes." Elio continued. They both rolled their eyes and smiled.
"You wouldn't want to see all that now, would you?" She said in a funny way. Elio looked at her for a moment. He couldn't quite tell, but it seemed to him that she was flirting with him.
Were Kyoshi Warriors allowed to do that?
"Well, it'd give me a chance to see your true face behind the makeup." Elio responded.
"True. I guess you'll just have to wait." She glanced at him sideways with a smirk. Elio chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I guess so."
"So tell me about yourself, Elio. Where do you come from?" Su asked curiously.
"Uh, what do you wanna know? I live in the Middle Ring if that's what you're asking." Elio answered cautiously. He was pretty certain that wasn't what she wanted to know, but he was playing it safe just in case.
"That's not what I'm asking. I want to know about you, Elio. How did you end up in Ba Sing Se?" She asked more specifically, crossing one leg over the other and leaning her chin on her fist.
"I was...something of a traveler. I ran away from a Fire Nation colony and just sort of drifted around the Earth Kingdom until I heard about Ba Sing Se. I needed a safe place to settle down, so here I am." He summarized quickly. Su nodded with intrigue.
"That's quite a story. I can only imagine how hard that trip must've been." She said with a tilt of her head.
"It was. I'm sure you know as well as I do how hot it gets in the open plains of the Earth Kingdom." He said with a humorous chuckle. Su rolled her eyes.
"Oh tell me about it. All that sun? I can only imagine what it would do to my hair if I didn't take care of it." She chuckled too. Elio shook his head a little bit.
"Well I wouldn't know anything about that. Hey, I know this is kind of a weird thing to ask, but is Suki with you?" He asked curiously.
"Oh you know her? She's quite a gal, isn't she?" Su laughed strangely.
"Heheh, uh, yeah she is. Is she here in the city too?" He asked.
"No. I'm afraid not. She's on a different assignment heading towards the edge of the Earth Kingdom. Something to do with the Avatar's bison, I think?" She answered.
"Oh, I see. I'd heard that the Avatar was looking for it here in the city. I wanted to try and help, but the Upper Ring's restricted, of course." Elio expressed his annoyance.
"Oh I know. The Dai Li are so very strict, aren't they? Don't worry. From now on, just tell them that you want to see me. I'm sure they won't give you any trouble." She said with a smirk, narrowing her eyes on him.
"Heheh, uh, that's very kind of you, Su. Thank you." He replied bashfully.
The carriage came to a stop. The driver opened the door for them. Elio cleared his throat and exited first with the food. He turned around and extended a hand out to Su. She took a step out of the carriage and looked at him before taking his hand.
"Oh," She rolled her eyes after looking up at the huge flight of stairs leading up to the Earth King's palace. "I forgot how long of a climb up it is."
"Yeah, that is a long way up." Elio agreed, looking up towards the top of the stairs too. It was a daunting sight to say the least; it looked a lot higher up now that he was this close.
"Change of plans," Su decided, squeezing his hand to get his attention. "You will climb to the top and make your delivery. One of my friends is waiting at the top to receive your food and bring it to the Earth King. After you give it to her, why don't we go and get some food of our own?" She offered.
"Yeah? I guess it is about that time, isn't it?" Elio realized. "Sure. Sounds good." He agreed.
"Don't keep me waiting too long." She said, smiling sideways at him before letting go of his hand and getting back in the carriage.
"Right." Elio nodded.
He turned towards the palace again and sighed to himself as he started the climb. He tried to pace himself going up, but it was such a long way. The long climb was made even more insufferable when the rain started to come down hard again halfway up.
Eventually, after what felt like a short eternity, he finally reached the top. There, another Kyoshi Warrior, one who was taller than Su, was waiting for him with a stoic expression.
"You the delivery guy or something?" She asked.
"Uh, yeah. I have the Earth King's order right here." Elio answered, presenting the food to her. She took it carelessly with one hand, grabbing it by the twine that was keeping the package together.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." Elio replied, holding his hands behind his back. They both stood there for a few moments, saying nothing to each other. Elio tapped his foot against the ground awkwardly.
"You can go now." She said, gesturing quickly for him to go.
"Yep. Going now. Bye." Elio quickly turned and started going back down the stairs.
Fortunately for him, going down the stairs was much easier than going up. Soon he was at the bottom where Su was still waiting for him in the carriage. He climbed back inside and shut the door behind him. He removed his hood and sat down across from her, groaning in relief now that he was able to rest a little.
"Aww now your clothes are all wet," Su noticed and pouted at him a little. "Perhaps I should've given you my umbrella. Oh well." She shrugged it off.
"It's okay. I came prepared anyways. So, dinner. Where are we going?" Elio asked curiously.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." She answered, knocking on the wall of the carriage. This signaled the driver to go. Elio got comfortable again.
"Alright. Hey, Su, I have a question for you actually."
"Oh? Well don't keep me in suspense." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.
"What exactly are you doing here? The Kyoshi Warriors, I mean. Are you helping out the Earth King?" He asked.
"Of course. Two of the most important figures in the fight against the Fire Nation, the Avatar and the Earth King, are here right now. This is where we are needed the most." Su answered logically.
"Understood. And how are Aang and the others doing?" He wondered.
"I don't know. I haven't had the opportunity to speak with them personally yet. But when I do see them, I'll be sure to give them a warm welcome." Su chuckled.
Soon the carriage arrived outside of a nice restaurant. When the carriage stopped, Su was the first to get out, popping open her umbrella again as she stepped down. Elio put his hood on and followed her. Su was ready this time to hold her umbrella up a little higher so he could duck underneath.
"This is a really nice place! I... Both of us are a little under-dressed for this, don't you think?" He asked, peering up at the restaurant from underneath the umbrella.
"I didn't realize that you were one for keeping up appearances, Elio." She teased him with a smile. Elio chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I do when it comes to places like this." He said in response. She shook her head and smiled at him again.
"It hardly matters anyway. No need to coward out a good time." She said, urging for him to follow her. He swallowed and continued keeping in step next to her.
This girl had a really interesting way of keeping him engaged.
"Hello there. Welcome to the Emerald Palace! Do you have a reservation?" The host asked.
"Uhh..." Elio paused.
"There's no need. My name is Su and I serve as an official servant to the king. It is by his authority that I demand you give us a table for two somewhere private in this establishment." She spoke authoritatively. The host hesitated.
"I've heard of you. You're one of those distant warriors, right? Your presence is an honor, ma'am, but I do regret to inform you that we are quite full right now, and-"
"Perhaps you didn't hear me correctly," She interrupted. "I'm an official servant to the Earth King and this here is a diplomat from the colonies. Are you telling me that you intend to stand in the way of good relations? Interesting. I'm sure the Earth King would love to hear about this, don't you, Elio?" Su asked, turning towards him.
"No no! That won't be necessary! Right this way. We have a reserved table for two on the second level!" The host quickly offered. Su nodded, satisfied with this.
"That's much better. We'll take it." She agreed, taking Elio's hand. Elio was surprised by this, but held her hand as they were led by the host to their table.
"They teach you to lie that convincingly in the Kyoshi Warrior handbook?" Elio asked aside to her, both joking about her deception and expressing his surprise that she did that. She did it so easily; it was jarring.
"Perhaps not," She shrugged it off. "But there's nothing wrong with using leverage to get a little leeway." She said, looking up at him with a mischievous smirk. This made Elio laugh in astonishment, and she giggled a little too.
"Here is your table. The waiter will be by shortly to take care of you. Please enjoy...please." The host said, gesturing to their table.
"Great. Thank you," Elio said before coming around and pulling Su's chair out for her. "Here you are." He said to her.
"Well, nice to see that they taught you manners in the colonies." Su teased as she took her seat. Elio chuckled awkwardly, not sure how to respond. He took his own seat across from her and started to look over the menu.
"Have you ever been here before?" Elio asked.
"Not in person, but the Earth King loves his dinners here, so I know what I'm getting. Choose what you like, Elio. I'll worry about the expenses." She invited him.
"Are you sure?"
"Well, if you want to pay for these overpriced meals yourself, be my guest." Su chuckled. Elio glanced over some of the prices listed in the menu and cringed. Sri would definitely have something to say if she found out he'd spent so much money on one meal.
"Point taken, thank you. I'll accept the free meal." Elio quickly decided. Su snickered at him.
"So, Elio...you mentioned the Avatar by a certain name earlier. Do you know him?" She asked curiously.
"Yes, I do actually," Elio answered with a nod. "I met him once months ago. He saved my life."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yeah. I was...attacked by some crazy fanatics in a small town. He and his friends stepped in and saved me." Elio recounted the story to her, keeping his descriptions vague.
"Interesting. What made him decide to save you, do you think? Ever wonder about that?" She asked, tilting her head.
Elio thought about this for a bit and came up with the best answer he could give by the time they had finished placing their orders.
"I hope the food's good and not weird. You know rich people can sometimes be very pretentious." Elio commented.
"Especially here." Su added.
"Yeah. Anyways, you asked about why the Avatar saved me... The best answer I can give you is that I ran into his friend Katara beforehand. I helped her buy supplies for their journey and spent a little time with them...but other than that, I really don't know why they went back for me." He admitted honestly.
"Well, do you believe in destiny, Elio?" She asked curiously. Elio turned his head a little and gave her a look.
"Do you?"
"I do, in fact. I believe we all have something we were meant to do, some sort of role to carry out; a purpose. Who you will become is all dependent on who your family is and where you're from, things like that." She expressed. Elio nodded and shrugged.
"I get what you mean. I can't say I fully agree... I do believe we all have a purpose, but who we will become is a decision we make for ourselves. My time traveling through the Earth Kingdom has taught me nothing if not that." He said in response.
"Fascinating. Perhaps we're both right in some way." Su chuckled. Elio smiled and shrugged in response.
"Maybe. Why do you ask though? What does that have to do with the Avatar saving me?" Elio asked.
"Oh!" Su remembered. She took a sip of her drink before answering, "Mm I ask because it's quite possible that you have a weighty destiny ahead of you, Elio. Being saved by the Avatar is no small thing after all." She pointed out.
"Ah...I guess so." Elio said. He wasn't really sure what to think of that...
The two of them got their food then. To Elio's relief, the food was very good! He found him thanking Su several times for being so hospitable and letting him have an incredible meal. Su just seemed to find the whole thing amusing.
After eating, the two of them exited the restaurant and made their way back to the palace on foot.
"I'll need to have that driver fired later for not coming back to pick us up." Su commented with an irritated shake of her head.
"Yeah, that was a little uncool of him," Elio chuckled. "But it's not a big deal. It's a nice night out." Elio said, looking around.
"Yes, I suppose," Su glanced up at the stars for a moment, trying to see the bright side too. "Well, at least I get a chance to stretch my legs. I can't wait to get home and take this makeup off." She chuckled.
"Oh yeah! You have to have that on all day! Does it ever get annoying?" He asked curiously.
"The face paint is very light, but it does become noticeable after a long day inevitably. It's not the worse thing in the world, I guess." She answered.
"Yeah, I gotcha. I don't do makeup so I can't imagine."
"Well, I'd be happy to let you try it out." She joked. Elio laughed and shook his head.
"Haha! Oh no thanks! It won't look as good on me as it does on you," He complimented her.
She didn't say anything in response to him. She simply raised an eyebrow at him and smirked again. Elio chuckled awkwardly and brushed past it, continuing the conversation.
"I remember the first time I saw Suki without the makeup. I didn't even recognize her... What do you look like without the makeup?" He asked curiously.
"Very pretty, I assure you." Su answered humorously again. Elio scoffed and shook his head with a smile.
"I'm sure."
"You'll get your chance to see very soon." She promised with another smirk.
"Oh really? Does that mean I'll be seeing you again?" Elio glanced at her with a sideways smile.
"I guarantee it." She replied as they reached the base of the stairs leading up to the palace. Elio glanced up at the long climb that Su had ahead of her.
"If you ever make it up those stairs, I look forward to it," He said with a chuckle before looking at her again. "Take care of yourself, Su. I hope things go smoothly with your mission." He said.
"I believe it should. We have our work cut out for us, that's for sure." Su said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh yeah?" Elio asked, wanting to know more.
"Yes. You see, the Earth King is...horrendously, hilariously inexperienced and unaware of what is happening in his kingdom. He needs to be brought up to speed; frankly, he needs a rude awakening." Su spoke freely. Elio's eyes widened.
"Oh wow...that's...terrifying."
"Yes. But don't worry. We're here to make sure everything's happening as it needs to." Su said reassuringly, running a hand on his arm and smiling.
"Good. With the Avatar and the Kyoshi Warriors here, I'm sure you'll have everything under control."
"That's the spirit," Su chuckled. "Well goodnight, Elio. Get home safe." She said, stepping in closer and patting a hand on his arm again.
"Thanks," Elio said in reply, allowing her to come closer. However, the moment was interrupted by him remembering something. "Oh shoot! Mr. Fo is still waiting for me! I completely forgot! I gotta go!" Elio realized.
"Haha! I made you late! You better hurry!" She laughed.
"Yeah, sorry! See ya later!" Elio waved to her and sprinted back towards the train station. Unfortunately, he had left La at the station, so he was gonna have to make the sprint back on foot.
"Haha. See you soon, Elio." Su smirked...
