2: "Without a Plan, but with a Strategy; Part 2"
"You look puzzled, sweetie. Maybe I could help?"
The guttural voice came back. This time the owner stood beside Suzu, looking down at her. Suzu was hoping to never see the escort again, and yet there she was, the uninvited courtesan hovering over her.
"No, you cannot," said Suzu. "I'm not looking for any recreational fun, so it's best for you to go find a paying customer."
Suzu stood up and went to walk away. She had had enough of that woman. She knew that the woman was just looking for a customer, and Suzu probably looked like an easy target, but she needed to learn when to give up. Suzu had already shown she had no interest and still the woman talked to her. The only thing Suzu had left to try was to quite literally hit the woman upside the head. The guards might not particularly like that, but Suzu was thinking about it. As Suzu went to step away, her arm was grabbed and she was forced to stop. She didn't react quickly enough before the woman brought her lips up to Suzu's ears.
"Think about it, Suzu. You need help, don't you?"
The voice truly changed. While it had a hint of masculinity before, it now sounded fully manly. It was harsh and raspy and familiar; and now Suzu could put a face to the voice.
"Youta!" Suzu shouted, though covered her mouth quickly after saying it.
She hoped that none of the guards around her heard her shout out. It was times like this that didn't need wandering eyes, or ears.
"I think you mistake me for someone else," he said, back in his "female" voice. "My name is Youka. Now how about we go back to my place for a little fun."
He leaned back in and added the last part in a whisper of his normal voice, "Just keep holding my hand and follow me."
Suzu nodded her head and slid her hand into "Youka's". She followed close behind as Youta lead the way through the crowd. Suzu allowed her eyes to wander a bit, glancing around. It looked like a few guards were ready to act when Youta had grabbed her, but they appeared to have fallen back now that Suzu was willingly going with her. Suzu didn't know whether to be thankful or concerned with this. Either way, their attention was off of her and she could breathe a bit. She turned her attention back to Youta and stared at the back head.
Youta was a good friend of Suzu; someone she had known for most of her life. He used to run around and play with Suzu and Keiichi – her older brother – when they were all younger. He was a bit older than her, but that never really mattered. They got along really well, as they shared a lot in common. When they were younger, they liked the same plays, played the same games, and had the same morals. Now they were older, none of that had really changed. They still had the same morals, which was probably why they were both rebellious. Actually it was Youta that introduced Suzu in to this "destructive lifestyle" – as the Fire Nation commonly referred to it as. Still, no matter how long Suzu had known him, she had never expected to see him dressed like this.
When Suzu was younger, she had a small crush on Youta. She quickly grew out of that, but continued to see him in a rather "masculine" light. Never in a hundred years would she imagine him wearing a dress or taking a female persona. Now that Suzu knew it was him, she could still make out some of his masculine features, but still he looked different, to a point. It was just too strange for her.
She dropped her stare to her feet, trying not to think about Youta. She felt uncomfortable. And besides, this was her friend after all. She shouldn't feel so strange around him.
He led her down a couple of narrow streets until finally reaching a small, shack-like building. It wasn't even big enough to be considered a cheap brothel. Thankfully no one was around to see the couple enter the building, or someone could possibly question why an escort was taking a customer into such a building. Once inside, Youta dropped Suzu's hand and ripped off the wig he had been wearing. He still had the makeup on, which was quite strange with his now shorter hair.
Suzu couldn't help but stare at him for a couple more seconds in silence before shaking her head and realizing what was going on.
"What are you doing dressing as a harlot? I thought we were supposed to be getting outside the wall and yet you're here playing dress up?!" she snapped.
She didn't know how to take the situation. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the boy. To any spectator, it would defiantly be a strange sight; an older teenager scolding a twenty-some year old in drag. Thankfully there were no spectators there.
"How do you think I get out?" he said, and then gestured to his get up. "Like my mom would let me come anywhere close to the red-light district. I have to sneak around."
"So you dress in drag?" Suzu asked.
"Easiest way for me to walk around," he explained as he began to strip.
Suzu quickly took in the situation and flipped around, turning her back to the half-naked boy as her cheeks turned a bright crimson. As Youta began to change, Suzu took in the room they were in. The shack had indeed been small. In fact, shack might have been a compliment. It was a one-room building built with decaying wood. It was a wonder how it even stood with as much wood rot and termites that were.
"I'm surprised your mother allowed you to walk this way," Youta said. "I would have thought the threat of ruining your family's name with the simple appearance in the red-light district would make her have you on a leash."
"She doesn't know I'm down here obviously," Suzu said. "Because unlike you, I don't draw attention."
"I don't draw attention," Youta contested. "I'm done by the way."
Suzu turned around to see a fully transformed Youta. He was back to his male-form; the way Suzu recognized him. In this form, it was easy to see why he drew attention. He was attractive with a long, round face with sharp features. He dark brown eyes and tanned skin did not fit the typical Fire Nation traits – which were the usual golden eyes and pale skin. While on anyone else, these traits would be considered muddy by the Nation, on Youta they worked. They just made him… Exotic, with lack of a better word to explain it.
"So dressing up as a girl? Is this a common thing?" asked Suzu, poking fun at him.
Youta looked off a bit, refusing to look Suzu in the eyes.
"Hey, it would be kind of strange to see a guy like me walking around the red-light district like a weirdo, wouldn't it?" he asked. "It's not strange to see an escort."
Suzu shrugged.
"I guess, but why do you need to even go to the red-light district?" asked Suzu.
Youta didn't answer Suzu right away. Instead he walked over to the far right corner of the room. Suzu hadn't noticed a crate sitting there at first; not until Youta brings her attention to it. He pulls the crate out of the way, revealing a dark hole leading down.
"Because it's my way out," he answered.
"You have an escape route and yet you were just going to let me figure it out on my own," she snapped.
"I figured you had your own plan, seeing how smart you are," Youta said.
"Compliments will get you nowhere," she said, before pushing him out of the way.
She didn't even wait for him before jumping down into the hole. The place was dark, minus the little light coming down from the poorly lit room above. Suzu moved out of the way as Youta jumped down, managing to pull the box back over as he did so. As he sealed the entrance all light disappeared.
"Suzu, if you mind," he said.
"Right," she said, flicking her fingers.
As the click sounded from her fingers, a flame appeared. It wasn't big, but it was surely bright; bright enough to light the area around her and Youta.
"Thanks," he said. "Right, let's get moving."
He pulled ahead of Suzu and began to lead the way. Suzu kept close behind him. She wasn't sure if this tunnel split and if she could get lost. She did definitely not want to get lost underground. Being buried alive was not high on her to-do list.
After a couple of minutes of silence, Suzu broke the silence.
"I didn't know there were these tunnels down here," she said.
"Yeah, a couple of earthbenders have been working on these for a while now; the last few months," Youta explained. "I don't know if they'll be at the meeting."
"There are going to be other people at these meeting?" Suzu asked.
"Of course," Youta said.
"Well, you didn't necessarily explain to me what was going on. You just mentioned a meeting outside the walls," Suzu said.
"That's why the meeting is outside the walls," he explained. "It involves other rebels outside the Capital City."
"Oh," Suzu simply said.
Silence ensued. She wasn't entirely sure how she should react to this. She was now more nervous knowing there was going to be other people there, people she did not know. How was she supposed to act? How would they react to a firebender? Her type of bender was not normally welcomed warmly by others. She could feel anxiety overwhelming her.
"I'm sure they will be happy to meet you," Youta said.
"Right," she said. "Oh, I'm wondering…"
"What?" asked Youta.
"How did you get your brown eyes to turn golden?" she asked.
She remembered looking into the "escort's" eyes and them being the same golden colour as everyone else. However Youta's eyes were a murky dark brown that resembled swamp mud more than the crystalized tree sap. Youta laughed at the question before answering.
"Of all questions, that's what you got on your mind?" he asked.
"Well, I figured you lightened your skin with makeup to give a pastier look. But how did you change your eye colour?" Suzu asked.
"I'm a master of disguise," he answered.
"No, seriously," Suzu pushed.
"You seriously won't let me have anything, will you?" asked Youta. And after a couple of seconds of tough silence, he continued, "Contacts. I got them from a trader at the market. They irritate my eyes a bit, but for sneaking around, they work."
End of part 2. Part three should be next week. The escort turned out to be Youta. What do you think about this turn out? Drop a review and let me know.
About the reviewing. If I accepted your character as a main character, there is a requirement to review. You don't have to review every chapter (though it is appreciated), but you do have to review every other chapter. Unless you message me and tell me you cannot (giving me a valid reason), I expect reviews. I am not trying to be rude, but I appreciate active readers as they help me out more as a writer. If you do not leave a review every other chapter (without prior message), I will drop your character. This will be updated every week, so you have an entire week to read and leave a review.
On a lighter note, I hope everyone had a nice holiday season and a good New Year. Let's make 2016 the best year yet, not to be cliché.