A night off was just the thing you needed. You swirl the remaining tea in your cup and breathe in the aromatic jasmine scent. A light chatter now fills the Pao Family Tea Shop. Disregarding the argument from moments ago, the atmosphere is warm, cozy, and peaceful. You look up from your tea and glance over the counter.

Maybe you'll see Mr. Pao, your landlord? No, that's not who you want to look at.

You're thinking about the boy with the golden eyes. Your gaze turns back to your teacup, but don't want to take that last sip. You should probably start heading to your room…. but what if that boy from the argument comes back? You could double check his eye colour! Were his eyes really golden?

Of course they were. There's no mistaking it. You wouldn't be so keen if the eyes were some other, vaguely similar color. Golden eyes are uncommon to the people of the Earth Kingdom, but not unusual to you. Your own golden eyes weren't playing tricks on you, his irises are the same colour as your own. You glance at a nearby window and see yourself staring back.

Shit, it's that dark out already? How long were you in the teashop? Definitely time to head home, as you have a busy day planned for tomorrow.

—

The new silk futon allowed for a decent night's rest. It's a drastic upgrade from your previous sleeping arrangement. Your eyelids crack open, and you make your way out of bed. The lack of light filtering through the window reveals that it's not quite dawn yet. Perfect. You pick up your twin daggers and slip one into each leather boot. Then, you fill a large brown shoulder bag with your red mask and a small coin purse. The bag is practically empty, ready to be filled with the items you will soon acquire. You have to travel light since your trips back tend to be a lot heavier.

The walk from your home to the monorail station is a peaceful one. The usually bustling market is silent, save for the few birds chirping here and there. You breathe in the crisp morning air, and it tastes cleaner and more fresh than the usual lower ring atmosphere.

The monorail station has only a handful of people. A monorail car arrives, and you spot a few refugees coming into the city. Once they step out of the vehicle, you board the train car. After a few minutes, the Earth benders get to work powering the monorail. The trip into the middle ring is the easy part. Within an hour or so, you pass the wall that separates lower and middle ring. There's a drastic change in scenery. Unpaved streets become smooth stone roads. Old and rickety shops and homes are now pristine boutiques and traditional Earth Kingdom houses. The richest citizens lived in huge mansions. Those usually had the pricey trinkets you were after. Everywhere you look there seems to be a splash of green, whether it be the green-tiled roofs or the abundance of plant life.

The monorail makes frequent stops at stations, picking up and dropping off all sorts of civilians. You survey the locale and decide to get off at the next stop. This particular area had some aesthetically pleasing landscaping and gardens, or as you saw it, plenty of pleasant hiding places.

You thank the earth benders as you step out of the monorail. The ability to bend always fascinated you. Continuing out of the station, you reminisce about your rough childhood in the slums, remembering when you tried your hand at earth bending. To your immense disappointment, you just weren't born with the bending ability. The benders start to move the monorail again, and you watch them disappear with silent envy.

You have a whole day to scope out the area. Aimlessly walking the streets, you feign interest in the various wares displayed by merchants. In reality, you're looking past the merchandise, inspecting the buildings and taking note of entrances and exits. You're also careful to avoid certain stores, such as ones that you've hit recently. Striking the same spot twice is risky, and the last thing you want to do is draw even more attention to the thieving 'Red Spirit.'

After thoroughly scouting the market district, you casually make your way to the residential area. You move deliberately down the streets, looking for easy targets. One house per street will do. It's best to leave the impression of a common street thief; maybe a homeless person trying to get by. Well, actually, that first description isn't far off. You wouldn't describe yourself as common, but you really are just a street thief trying to make a decent living. Not everyone is born into such a lavish lifestyle, after all.

Going over your mental 'hit list' one more time, you make your way to a produce stand. All this surveying has left you peckish, so get a quick snack. A green apple costs you eight copper pieces. What a rip off. You make small talk and pocket a second green apple with ease. With a wave farewell, you turn around and bite into the first apple. You'll need your energy for tonight.

Night starts to fall, and you watch over a select area from a rooftop. Waiting for the time to strike, you and begin to finish your second apple. Your first target is a specialty teapot shop. Something about the teapots seemed to demand your attention. Watching over the building, you find your mind drifting around and replaying yesterday's events. You met the bearded tea connoisseur (you made good money off the teapot you sold him). You kinda met the golden-eyed tea shop employee? Oh, and that jasmine tea you ordered was, surprisingly, delicious. You have tea on the mind, it's no wonder you ended up choosing this tea shop.

The sun is setting, meaning it's almost time to start. Beautiful colours begin to shade in the sky as the sun hangs low on the horizon, casting shadows over the grand city. You lean over the edge of the roof and peer down the alley behind the tea shop. It's a very long stretch of narrow street, a decent getaway path. Five buildings down, a dumpster blocks most of the alley. Bored, you pick up one of your apple cores and take aim. With a swift toss, it soars through the twilight and a barely audible thump is heard as it lands in the metal container. Pleased with yourself, you raise the second core and launch it in the same fashion. Your follow its flight path and— at the last moment, a person steps into the alley and in front of the dumpster.

Instead of another quiet thump, you hear:

"Ow! What the fu—"

Who did you just hit? You'd be in tears laughing if he wasn't currently staring directly at you.

You couldn't make out his face, he was five buildings down. The setting sunlight wasn't helping your cause either. The stranger, however, must have very keen eyes AND spatial sense, even in the dim light of the evening. How else would he know EXACTLY where the apple core came from?

"HEY!" he yells at you. Crap. Whoever this is better keep quiet, a low profile is one of your top priorities. Instead of engaging with the stranger, you shimmy to the other side of the roof and duck out of view. Let him think you're just some kid playing a prank. You peak your head up to make sure the stranger is gon—

SMACK

You just got pegged in the left eye by your own apple core.