Exhaustion allows you sleep for the first half of the night, but you toss and turn as morning approaches. At some point, you're no longer asleep, and you're too stressed to successfully coax yourself back to bed. Instead, you slowly sit up and look around your room. Judging by the minimal light entering through the window, sunrise is due any second now.
Yesterday's events are currently a blur in your mind, so you try to recall what happened.
You were supposed to visit Gopan during the day, then 'work' at night in the middle ring. Oh yeah, but S-Bee and Longshot meet up with you before you could make it to Gopan's dojo. Then they convinced you to join their intervention for JetTh. en Jet got really mad at you guys… And he lost his mind and attacked Lee in the tea shop.
Idiot! What was he thinking? But… The more you think about it, the less crazy Jet's theory seems. Maybe he was onto something, but that doesn't mean his final plan was foolproof. Lee is definitely Fire Nation material. He's hot-headed, mean, aggressive, and he's got an all-around 'fiery' personality. But attacking the tea shop out of nowhere? That's asking for trouble.
Getting up off the floor, you nimbly cross over to your windowsill, careful not to wake up the black cat sleeping at the foot of your futon. As you crack the window open, cool air spills in. With a deep inhale through the nose, and a long, soft breath out, you taste the fresh morning atmosphere. Your breath is just barely visible in front of you.
Feeling much more awake, you fully recollect what had happened yesterday. Jet, your only friend your age, was taken away by the Dai Li. From your window, you peer above the rooftops and into the horizon of Ba Sing Se. Jet is out there someone, and you hope he's safe.
You hate feeling powerless. You desperately want to go out and search for him, but with no help and no plan, it's impossible. To put your mind at ease, you remind yourself that former Freedom Fighters, Longshot and Smellerbee, said that they are figuring out how to save their leader. You know you shouldn't be worrying so much about this, but you hate the feeling of vulnerability.
Back at the orphanage, all those years ago, feeling powerless was what motivated you to change your life forever. Ms. Haneu Gin's Children's Home was a miserable and disturbing place. Running away was the best decision you ever made; life in the street was infinitely better than living in that dreadful place. You were better fed living homeless than under the care of the horrendous Ms. Gin. You shudder at the very thought of her name. Escaping the orphanage was the first step to shaking that powerless feeling. This then led you to learn how to defend yourself, finding ways to make money, and developing your all-around tough exterior.
Back to the present. Alright, 'tough' girl, time to put those skills to use. No more distractions. Today. you're going to bring back the biggest item haul yet. You'll use the day to travel to middle ring, spend the first half of the night there, then catch the last monorail back to outer ring. With your remaining energy, you'll take on the richer areas of the poorer ring as you make your way back home.
With a plan in your head, you can't wait to get started. 'Working' was the best way to clear your head, and that's what you really need right now; a calm, quiet night alone, doing something you enjoy: stealthily robbing the wealthy.
As you daydream about the potential goods you'll find on today's treasure hunt, you prepare the things you'll need. After a quick outfit change, you grab your large shoulder bag with the 'Red Spirit' mask already inside. Your twin daggers are tucked away in your classic brown, lace-up leather boots that you love so dearly. You reach for your kunai collection, storing them in an easily accessible outer pocket on your bag. The same old ritual you've been doing for so long that you've found an odd sense of comfort in it.
One of the thirteen miniature knives is left behind: the blue handled kunai you acquired after your encounter with the Blue Spirit. Though you loathe the thought of leaving behind a perfectly usable weapon, you would rather keep your souvenir stashed safely in its wooden box.
That's when you recall one last thing from last night: as you were returning home, you spotted the Blue Spirit. Maybe he's more active than you once thought. You've previously pondered the identity behind that blue mask, and now you can cross Jet off the list, since he obviously can't be arrested and roof-hopping at the same time.
Now that you're prepared, you choose to get a head start on today's activities. Before setting out, you gently pet the sleeping feline, accidentally waking it up despite your best efforts. It stretches with a yawn, nudges you with its head in a loveable manner, and scratches at the front door. It seems even the cat is ready to seize the day. You turn the handle and pull the door open, watching the cat as it trots merrily down the stairs. You chuckle to yourself, then follow in its footsteps. The sun is just barely starting to rise, and the street is silent apart from the morning bird's songs.
The walk to the monorail station is very therapeutic. You find yourself going through the motions of your old routine. The earliest monorail arrives in the near-empty station, and you take your usual seat in the back of the cart. You find yourself entranced by the scenery outside, watching the sun gradually illuminate the building of Ba Sing Se. Before you know it, the monorail is slowing down to stop in middle ring. With a crack of your knuckles and a slight smirk, you exit the cart.
—
After several hours of exploring homes and shops in middle ring, you become aware of the greater-than-usual heft in your shoulder bag. You're not even halfway through the night, and you're almost at max carrying capacity. With any more weight on your back, your movement will be greatly handicapped.
You decide now's a better time than ever to head back to your home ring to do some work there. You cautiously make your way back to the station and take a late night monorail home.
At this rather late hour of the night, the stations are as empty as they are in the early mornings. This makes life easier for you as your trip is less risky. There are no complications on the ride home, and you're back at the outer ring station in no time.
After making a quick pitstop at home to empty your heavy bag, you're ready for round two. You re-tie the knot that holds your mask in place and set out into the night.
Compared to the middle ring, the items you snag in this area are lesser in comparison. The expensive goods are trickier to find. Middle ring citizens foolishly display their valuables in a china cabinet or display case. The people of outermost ring are smarter than that; their trinkets are cleverly hidden in secret spots, making the hunt that much more interesting.
A few hours more pass, and your haul is doing impressively well. At this point, you decide to call it a night and head home earlier than usual. You have fun sprinting over the rooftops, making your way back to the tea shop. If it wasn't for the bag on your back, you'd probably be doing flips as you bound over the alleys. This unique take on 'retail therapy' was just what you needed to clear your head.
You're almost home when you're hit hard with déjà vu. You spot something… someone, just a few roofs down. What a strange coincidence, that for the second night in a row, you've spotted the Blue Spirit. Unlike last night, however, he doesn't notice you whatsoever. You stop in your tracks and go completely silent, letting some distance grow between you and the stranger.
Where is he going? What's he doing? Is the Blue Spirit a thief like yourself? Or perhaps he's a vigilante? Whatever the case, your curiosity gets the best of you. Next thing you know, you're slowly following the path of the masked stranger.
This would be a lot easier without a bag of trinkets on your back, but you press on, careful not to make a noise. You're very close to the tea shop now, and you debate going home to drop off your goods. However, while you pause to think, the Blue Spirit almost disappears into the darkness. You'll lose him if you don't keep up! Looks like you'll just have to carry on, with your inventory still upon your back.
After some time, the Blue Spirit finally stops, so you take cover behind a raised portion of building. As you peer around a corner, you watch him lower into the streets. He begins to circle a certain building, approaching each of its windows.
You move to a closer hiding place and get a clear view. It appears he's trying to break into a bakery? A quiet click carries through the night air, and you see him enter through an unlocked window. So he's robbing a bakery? Is he hungry for a loaf of bread? The only thing you'd think to gain from robbing a bakery, is emptying the coin box.
Just as quick as he entered, he's out again. He closes the window behind him, then runs out of view. You'll have to be just as fast if you want to keep up with him. Standing up, you begin to cross over to the other side of this rooftop.
You're so focused on following the blue masked thief, that you don't notice the misplaced roof tile in your path, jutting up ever so slightly. Your head is turned in the direction of the blue mask, until your foot catches, and you're suddenly staring wide-eyed at the rooftop as it rushes towards you. Your foot is stuck in place, snagged by the roof tile, making the fall even less graceful. To lessen the impact, you turn your body to let your shoulder and arm hit the ground first, as opposed to falling face first.
Crash!
Shit shit shit. Your bag of items hit the roof hard. Metal, ceramics, and other hard materials clatter together. The sound carries in the night air, probably waking up half of the outer ring.
You'd be even more worried about the attention you just drew, if it wasn't for the stinging pain in your left ankle. It was badly twisted in the fall, and it's still caught by the roof tile. You hiss in pain as you wedge it out of the crevice.
After carefully standing up, you realize that after a commotion like that, you need to move. Forget the Blue Spirit. Alas, you take one step with your bad foot, and it sends a sharp pain spiking up through your ankle. Getting away will be easier said than done. Great, just your luck! You should've went straight home instead of trying to follow the blue masked bakery burglar.
Speaking of blue boy, he probably hightailed it out of here the second you caused that attention-grabbing crash. You need to do the same; every second you remain risks you getting caught by citizens, the Earth Kingdom guard, or even the Dai Li.
Alright, a measly twisted ankle won't stop the infamous Red Spirit. You take one step with your good foot to the edge of the building, preparing to jump. You push off, swinging your arms to make up for some lost momentum. Mid-air, you realise the mistake you made.
You try your hardest to land with your weight on your right foot, but the second your bad foot touches down, the pain strikes again. You're ankle gives out, and you unceremoniously fall once again. This time you ensure your bag doesn't cause another scene. You manage to get your body to hit the roof full force instead, your forearms bearing the brunt of the collision. Although much quieter than your previous collapse, you're in more pain than ever.
You can't convince yourself to get up again. Instead you lay still on the roof, listening to the nighttime ambience. You hear doors opening and conversation in the streets below. Maybe if you just lay here, they won't find you.
Although probably true, you can't stay here all night! You gingerly sit up, and try to brainstorm a solution. First things first, you can't escape with all this weight on your back! You'll have to leave some things here. Avoiding any unnecessary sounds, you slowly open your pack and start to remove the heaviest items you have.
Out comes a cast iron teapot. Ugh, you just had to snag one of those. Next, you remove some shattered ceramic chunks that used to make up a... vase? You frown as you carefully remove the jagged pieces and leave them on the rooftop. You continue to selectively eliminate weight from your bag, feeling a little less remorse as you remember you still have that huge pile of goods sitting at home, thanks to the first half of the night.
You lift your bag up gently to test the weight, and you're satisfied. Still, you feel terrible about leaving all these random, potentially valuable items up on this roof. Whoever ends up finding this treasure trove is in for a nice surprise.
Very carefully, you get back on your feet and look around. Which way to home? You approach an edge of the building while you weigh your options.
As you're busy thinking hard, you hear a muffled thud from over your shoulder. Someone is on the roof with you. You turn suddenly in surprise, ready to react, but your bad foot causes you to mess up your footing. You teeter backwards, the weight of your bag, though lighter than before, begins pulling you down… off the edge of the building.
You're looking up at the night sky, about to fall to your doom, when something snags your hand, preventing you from falling any farther. You're abruptly yanked back onto the rooftop, your heart still pumping with adrenaline. Taking a moment to steady your breathing, you realize you're being held in someone's arm. You panic, pushing the stranger in the chest to get away. He seems to sense your panic and lets go. You can see your saviour clearly now; you're mask-to-mask with the Blue Spirit.