The wind blows passed your ears as you run. You're watching Jet leap from one building onto the next, and you follow with ease. He performs another silent leap in the moonlight. You're impressed with his parkour, and you recall the time he told you vaguely about his life before moving to Ba Sing Se. Apparently his home was in the treetops, near some town called Gaipan. Alas, treetops are not the same as roof tops. His jumps are decent, but not accustomed to this different terrain. You on the other hand, well, you've been jumping from roof to roof for as long as you can remember.
It doesn't take long for you to catch up to Jet, he takes notice of you and slips down into an alley. You follow suit.
As he follows the path of the dark alley, he abruptly darts around an upcoming corner, still keen on losing you. Before turning the corner yourself, a voice comes from that direction.
"Jet! There you are!" announces a girl's voice. Perplexed, you skid around the corner. Two people block Jet's path, and now you stand behind him.
"Where did you go? Longshot and I have been looking everywhere!" the girl demands, stepping closer to Jet. You can see her clearly now. She has very short, shaggy brown hair with a blunt cut fringe. Two red stripes streak each of her cheeks. She's not very tall, and she dons light armor. Jet doesn't respond to her question; he's busy catching his breath from the chase, so she continues.
"The three of us are all that's left of the Freedom Fighters! As our leader, you shouldn't be disappearing without saying anything! What if you got into trouble?" Her voice is raspy and boyish, but still distinguishable as a girl's voice. Towering next to her is a boy with a straw hat, dressed in a blue one with a quiver slung over one shoulder; he doesn't say a word. However, he does elbow the girl next to him followed by a gesture in your direction, drawing her attention onto you.
"Who are you?" She asks, unamused. Jet seems to have caught his breath, and he attempts to introduce you.
"Guys, this is [Y/N]." You give the strangers one stiff wave and slightly soften your angry expression, then resume to stare daggers at Jet for ditching you on the roof. He smiles awkwardly, sensing your fury, before introducing the two teens behind him.
"[Y/N], meet the Freedom Fighters. My group of rebel refugees."
"Huh, I thought your 'organization' was something you made up to impress me." You look back at the two 'Freedom Fighters'. Are three people enough to classify as an 'orgainizarion'?
"I'm Smellerbee, and he's Longshot." The girl introduces herself, then points to the tall boy beside her.
"Jet, you shouldn't run off with your girlfriend without telling us anything! We were worried."
"Girlfriend?!" You and Jet exclaim in unison.
"No no, not dating. We're-" You start.
"She's... It's not like-" Jet stumbles.
"I don't like Jet that way!" You state, and everything goes silent. You look around with an awkward laugh, then turn to Jet, who stares back with wide eyes. He looks surprised. "Aha… wait you didn't think-"
"No one cares, let's go home Jet," Smellerbee says. Her and Longshot start forward, pushing past you. Jet takes a step forward, lingering only a moment. He gives you one final look before following the others. In his eyes, you see frustration, but also sorrow.
"Jet, wait! You never explained your theory about the… firebenders…" You call out, ending your sentence with a soft whisper. Longshot snaps his head around to stare angrily at you, and Smellerbee yells into the night.
"For the love of the Avatar, don't encourage him!"
"You guys, we can expose the firebenders together!" Jet says, with a sudden realization. "You and me, [Y/N], together, with the Freedom Fighters, we can-"
"Jet, if you don't shut up right now we'll just drag you out of this alley. Let's go." Smellerbee threatens, giving him a harsh look. Jet turns to you one last time; you expect him to apologize for abruptly ditching you without an explanation. Instead, he leaves wordlessly with the 'Freedom Fighters', disappearing into the night.
Alone, annoyed, and answerless, you decide to make your way home and call it a night.
—
Surprisingly, you've just had one of the best sleeps of your life. Lately, you've been so exhausted. Tonight was the night you finally crashed, sleeping as if you were in a coma. You sleep until noon, and are finally awakened by the bright sunlight. You lay still and feel the warmth of the light on your body.
As you slowly become more and more awake, you're increasingly aware of a warmth on your torso. You open one eye and see a fluffy black mound resting on your stomach. It's moving up and down as you breathe, or... does it have a breath of its own? Your sudden movements awaken the dark fuzzball, and it unrolls, growing limbs and a head. You recognize it as the cat from earlier! You've got to stop cracking the window at night for fresh air.
The black cat stretches and lets out a yawning meow before walking over to the windowsill. To your surprise, it jumps up and lets itself out onto the roof. Maybe it's not so bad having this little visitor. (The cat is pretty cute, but you would never admit to anyone you like 'cute things').
It's time to face the new day. You stand up and stretch, the first thing you see is the tea tray, and upon it is the shattered teacup pieces from yesterday. It's a shame the teacup broke (and for the record, that was 100% Lee's fault), but the tray remains intact. Why did he freak out when you said that other name? What was it again…
Zuko.
It's an interesting name, definitely not from around here. You shake your head and continue to prepare for the day ahead.
Tonight you're donning the "Red Spirit" mask and replenishing your item stocks. Until then, you're going to take it easy. No Jet, and no Lee. Instead, you're paying a short visit to an old friend before traveling to the middle ring. You grab your massive shoulder bag, stow your mask inside, and also a handful of your red kunai. You conceal your twin daggers in your boots and grab the tea tray before heading out. You exit and follow your stairs down. You consider leaving the tray by the tea shop's back entrance, but resolve not to take the easy way out. Instead, you make your way to the front door of the tea shop and let yourself in.
The shop is bustling; you hadn't seen it this busy since your very first visit when Lee was about to fight a customer. You walk past the tables, passing the spot where you first 'met' Lee and head for the kitchen. Hopefully, Mushi is working today, so you can give him your personal thanks for making you tea, though you didn't get the chance to drink any...
While walking, you catch sight of a pair of golden eyes watching you from afar. Lee is standing across the restaurant, and it appears he's taking someone's order. However, he's not doing a very good job, considering his attention is on you. You've caught him staring, and after a brief moment of awkward eye contact, you both look away. You sneak another glance in Lee's direction and see that his attention is back to the customer he was speaking to. A brown haired girl with twin braids, each delicately resting over a shoulder. She's wearing a basic, green Earth Kingdom robe. Although she looks like any generic Earth Kingdom citizen, you definitely recognize her. She's been in the shop almost every time you've come in. She must really like the tea here. You take one last peek over your shoulder and observe her twirling a braid in her hand as she looks at Lee. Or maybe she really likes... a certain employee.
As you approach the back counter of the shop, you remember the last time you saw Lee and uncle Mushi. It was last night. When you were spying on them. In their own home. Well, at least you know where they live, in case you ever need to know that.
On second thought, maybe you don't want to face Mushi at the moment. After your invasive spying, you feel… guilty. You slip the tray on the counter and make haste for the door. You don't see, but instead feel Lee's eyes focus on your every step as you exit the tea shop.
You're glad that's over and done with. Now you're due for a short visit with your old martial arts teacher, before making the full trip to middle ring. Gopan lives near the industrial district, in the same area as the Thursday market. The upper level to a semi-abandoned warehouse serves as both his home and his dojo. Though it feels weirdly corny to admit, the kind-hearted Gopan has been like a father figure to you. He trained you to fight, as well has taught you a handful of other tips and tricks that have helped you live in the streets.
As you reminisce, you almost miss the sound of footsteps behind you. Is someone tailing you? You continue down the empty street, listening carefully. A shadow quickly passed overhead, and you hear slight shuffling. Someone is following you, but you don't panic. Instead, you remember Gopan's advice: "Wait for them to come to you".
Without showing any sign of worry, you stroll as usuala. The path to Gopan's turns you down an alley. Perfect. Continuing down the space between two large buildings, you hear the spy approaching from behind. You take in air through your nose and time your move. The second you sense a body less than a meter behind you, you spin. Pivoting on one leg and sweeping the other behind you. Instinctively, you grab a knife from your back boot and prepare to attack. However, as you now face your 'attacker', your eyes widen, and you relax your stance.
"SmellyBee?" You question, as you recognize the short brown hair and red face paint.
"It's 'Smellerbee'." And Longshot is here too." As she responds, someone wordlessly drops onto the ground behind you.
"Is Jet with you guys? Am I getting a visit from the whole 'Freedom Fighters' gang?" You joke playfully, looking around for Jet just in case.
"Actually," Smellerbee starts "That's who we need to talk to you about."