You watch in dismay as Jet barges through the doors of the teashop with unnecessary force. What's his plan exactly? Is he going to arrest them himself? You follow the angry teen and watch from the entrance of the shop, knowing you're about to witness something as bad as, if not worse than, the first time you meet Lee.
All eyes are on Jet.
"I'm tired of waiting!" he shouts before pointing his finger at Uncle Mushi and Lee. "These two men are firebenders!"
Shiiiiing! You hear the very recognizable sound of metal sliding against metal as Jet unsheathes his hook swords, readying to attack. You see Lee and Mushi glance at each other apprehensively, and you wonder what they're going to do.
Jet's eyes roam around the room, studying the reactions of the surprised customers. Two off-duty members of the Earth Kingdom guard are turned in their seats, looking at Jet.
"I know they're firebenders; I saw the old man heating his tea!" He continues, focusing his shouts at the guards.
One of them scoffs at his claim. "He works at a tea shop," Says the man bleakly.
"He's a firebender!" Jet rages on, obvious desperation in his voice, "I'm telling you!"
The guard stands up, his fellow guardsman rising with him, "Drop your swords, boy. Nice and easy."
Jet ignores the man this time. He turns to Lee, a crazy expression on his face.
"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do." He snarls at the apron-clad server.
Jet begins to approach the supposed firebenders. You're horrified at the person you've watched Jet become; one consumed by his own fury. You see one of the standing customers reach for his swords, and you're about to take action as well. However, Lee beats you to it.
Teaboy lunges at the customer, borrowing his dual swords. He raises the weapons in a defensive stance, his eyes burning in Jet's direction. "You want a show? I'll give you a show!"
Lee pulls one of the tables in front of him with his foot before kicking it towards Jet. Jet is too fast though, as he slices down on the launched table with his blades and jumps over the splintered wood. He lands, swinging his hook swords at Lee. Teaboy deflects them with his own swords, jumping backward onto another tabletop. Jet lunges forward, splitting the tabletop into two separate pieces. Lee moves onto one half of the broken furniture, balancing on the teetering surface.
As most of the customers flee the chaos, you fully enter the shop but keep a safe distance from the fight. Your attention is on the brawl; Jet whirls one weapon at the table legs. Lee jumps in time, and using his momentum, brings both broadswords flying down with him at his attacker. Jet tumbles out of the way just in time, landing in a crouching position. The two make eye contact, and you can't tell who is more enraged. The stare down is broken as Jet charges at Lee.
Lee catches the blow on his own swords, the weapons ringing together with a loud clang. The boys push against each other in the clash, but Lee gains the upper hand as he somehow manages to trip Jet in the skirmish.
Lee uses the moment to take the battle out of the shop, dashing out the front doors and into the street outside. Jet is up in a flash, sprinting after him with a frustrated battle cry.
You quickly follow the boys outside, and at that moment, you notice that Smellerbee and Longshot are nowhere to be seen. They abandoned their leader when things got dangerous? Even you couldn't abandon Jet like that.
Though you and Lee have a very rocky relationship, you don't want him to get hurt. And Jet, oh boy, you don't want Jet to get hurt either. No matter the outcome of the situation, it isn't looking good for either one of them.
Jet, the faster of the two, quickly catches Lee and readies to strike him with his hooked blades. Lee somehow manages to parry, and they once again lock swords,
Jet lets out a small, devious laugh, "You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?" Jet wears a sinister grin as if everything is all going according to his plan. Lee, clearly annoyed by Jet's taunting, looks resolved to win.
Uncle Mushi appears next to you from the doorway; his expression shows distress. "Please, son, you're confused! You don't know what you're doing!" He yells to Jet, hoping the teen will come to his senses. Alas, Jet is too far gone to pay the old man any attention.
Lee swings a sword at Jet, to no avail. You're dumbstruck as you watch the two combatants. Both boys seem to be gifted and experienced fighters, leaving you to wonder how Lee learned to fight so well. His movements are mesmerizing; his entire fighting style is one you haven't seen before. Jet's accusation repeats in your head. While the thought of the tea server being a firebender seems pretty far-fetched, it's not impossible that he could be... from the Fire Nation. However, the suspicion that they might be from the enemy nation isn't enough reason to go attacking people harmlessly working at a tea shop.
When your attention returns to the encounter, you see Lee retreating back a few steps, Jet swinging his swords in a circular motion. Lee looks slightly weary, sweating from the physical exertion.
"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now." Jet hums as he refers to uncle Mushi, who is still silently watching the chaos from right beside you. You look over at him. His eyes are locked Lee; he seems terribly concerned for the well-being of his nephew.
Jet swipes a hook towards Lee's feet, but Lee uses one of his own weapons to stab the hook sword through the hilt, pinning it to the ground. Jet grunts and narrows his eyes at Lee, who mirrors his glare.
"You're the one who needs help," Lee replies to his previous taunt.
Both boys down a sword, they continue with one each. They swipe back and forth, dodging and countering each other's attacks in a flurry of wooshes and clangs. You watch nervously, too entranced to do anything else but stare as they perform their deadly dance.
You see Jet just barely avoid a blow to the head as he ducks under the broadsword.
"You see that?! The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. It'll never happen." Jet shouts to the small crowd that has formed around the fight.
They're back at it again, attacking and defending. This could go on forever, you think to yourself. As if on cue, you spot two shadows approaching in the distance. Smellerbee and Longshot? No, it's not them… when the strangers step into the street light, you immediately recognize the two men in uniform as Dai Li agents. They advanced towards the quarrel.
"Drop your weapons." Commands one of the agents with an intimidating tone.
Jet and Lee gradually step away from each other, lowering their swords as they realize the severity of the situation. Jet then points to Lee and Mushi.
"Arrest them, they're firebenders!" he shouts to the Dai Li officers.
Mushi takes a step towards the scene, "This poor boy is confused, we're just simple refugees." He states.
That's when Pao, your landlord and owner of the teashop, runs out from the building. "This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!"
One of the Earth Nation guards steps forward and confirms the claim. "It's true sir; we saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."
You see Jet's expression sinking with each person who testifies against him.
The agents approach Jet; he glowers at them. "Come with us, Son."
Jet tries to resist, swinging at one of the men, but the agent catches it with his rock gloves. Disarming him, both guards pull Jet's arms behind his back and effectively binding his wrists with rock bending. They begin to drag him away, towards a wagon designed for holding captured criminals.
"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" He pleads hopelessly to the officers. They ignore his cries.
You make eye contact with Jet before they force him inside, looking straight into his sad, dejected eyes. The door on the wagon slams loudly, bringing you out of your trance. You look to your side to see Longshot and Smellerbee have appeared next to you. They watch wordlessly as their friend is taken away in the cart.
Aren't they going to go after him? When the Dai Li lock someone away, they are never seen again! Jet is being taken away right in front of them, and they are doing nothing! You can't just stand there and watch ass the Dai Li take Jet away! He's… your friend too!
Look's like you'll have to take matters into your own hands.