Chapter 9: The Blur

Any farm operating within the Agrarian Zone must contribute at least half of their total crop harvest to the Earth King's Military. Failure to comply will result in the immediate seizure of your farm.

-Dai Li Ordinance #712

Lee fidgeted on the wooden bench once more. His backside had fallen asleep since arriving at the marketplace over two hours ago. If he didn't get up now, then he was beginning to feel like his legs may forget how to walk.

The crowd parted and his breath caught in his throat. The fruit vendor, rather the papaya vendor, had still not done given any indication that he noticed Lee. He was a perfectly innocuous man, smiling at customers and waving at fellow vendors, one would never guess that this was all a façade.

"You gonna spend another whole day just staring at him?"

Lee gave no reaction as Jin flopped down on the bench next to him. She nudged him with her shoulder to pull him out of his reverie.

"Huh? Oh… hey Jin." He cleared his throat in slight embarrassment. "I was just-"

"This is the third straight day you've come out here." Jin cut him off, tired of hearing the same excuses. "People are going to start thinking you have a weird thing going on with this bench if you don't move."

Lee cocked his head. "What weird thing?"

Jin groaned as she rubbed her temples. "Lee, I don't get it. You willingly travel to the shadiest district around to meet with two gangsters and now some old guy selling fruits has you terrified?"

"I am not terrified." He replied in a little too defiant tone that turned some heads. With his cheeks slightly tinged, he continued in a softer tone. "Besides, weren't you the one trying to convince not to take the job?"

"Yes, but you're too thick headed to listen so I might as well help you achieve your lifelong dream of being an idiot."

"Gee thanks."

Jin gave a quick smile. "Don't mention it. Now, are you going to walk over and talk to the guy or do I have to explain to everyone you have an unhealthy relationship with papayas?"

Lee sighed before standing up far too quickly; his still asleep lower half nearly crumbled if not for him bracing against the bench. He ignored Jin's giggling and walked to the stall at an eternally slow pace. That was until a swift shove in his back, courtesy of Jin no doubt, had him close the distance in no time.

"Oh." The man said in surprise after noticing the young boy. "How may I help you?"

Lee opened his mouth to talk, but his tongue was suddenly unable to coordinate with his brain. Only hurting the situation, he mimed some signal to his mouth which just caused the vendor to raise one eyebrow.

"You want a papaya, kid?" The man continued to give him a strange look as he picked up one of the fruits to offer it to him.

Lee shook his head in an attempt to gather himself. "No…uh-I… umm."

The man rolled his eyes and turned his back to Lee. "Come back when you learn to talk."

"Diahu sent us." Jin had strode up next to Lee without his notice.

This got the vendor's attention who immediately turned back to examine Jin. "Thought there was only going to be one of you."

She shrugged. "You could take it up with Diahu himself, tell him Jin insisted on coming."

The vendor looked like he may argue the point, but instead sighed and began rooting around a compartment beneath his stall. He emerged with a small pouch and a wooden box that somewhat resembled a jewelry box. After placing both in Lee's hands he explained. "Take this to the to the bell tower overlooking the train station. Place it on the steps leading to the front door. Pouch contains your payment. Come back here when you're done for your next assignment."

Lee glanced back and forth between the parcel and the man. Expecting more information but not having a clue how to ask for it, Lee settled on gaping like a fish until Jin began dragging him away.

"Hey, I wasn't done talking with him." Lee grumbled as they began walking towards the bell tower.

Jin rolled her eyes. "Well he was done talking with you. Seriously, what is up with you? You looked like you were going to pass out."

"Sorry we can't all be hardened criminals like you, Jin." He said with a sneer.

She looked to the sky and muttered something under her breath. "I just know better than to waste these guys' time. They don't want to chat with you, just get the information you need and leave."

Lee's shoulders drooped as he realized she was right. "It seems really easy right? Just deliver this to some building a mile away."

Jin gave a nervous look at the wooden box. "Yeah it does, do you think all the jobs are going to be this easy?"

He considered the question for a minute as he first examined the plain looking box and then opened the pouch. It contained ten silver pieces, well more than he thought he deserved for such a simple job. Lee scratched at his chin before all the pieces clicked into place.

"I get it." He snapped his fingers as he smiled brightly. "They're testing me. That's why they gave me the money beforehand, they want to see if I'll still do the job even after getting paid. And the box has a super easy wax seal to break so they'd be expecting me to check what's inside. It's all one big test."

Jin gave a small frown at the idea. "I don't like this, Lee. If they are testing you with this small stuff it seems like they are just trying to warm you up to doing worse and worse things."

It was too late though; Lee had found his nerve. "Jin, they paid me ten silver pieces just to walk a few blocks away. This is the easiest job in the world and I will make enough money to help my dad in no time."

She stayed quiet, not wanting to argue against Lee providing for his father. Instead, she kept her worries to herself, the only sign of her discomfort was her chewing away at her bottom lip.

They arrived at the bell tower and Lee placed the package on the steps without incident. Both of them waited for a minute to see if anyone was coming, but left after Jin said they weren't told to wait.

Back at the stall, Lee was told where to pick up his next delivery and they both went home for the day.

Lee made more and more deliveries as the next few weeks passed by without incident. His guess about them testing him was appearing to be true, with each subsequent job the distances increased or the locations more difficult to reach without drawing attention.

Jin accompanied him on days she wasn't working at the bakery or practicing with his dad, but it was mostly him on his own. It wasn't so much the loneliness that got to him, more so the sheer boredom of the job. One could only walk the same Lower Ring streets back and forth before they began to lose it.

He kept those thoughts to himself though, the money was far too good and he was not about to look a gift ostrich horse in the beak. Lee hadn't given his father any money yet, it was too much to have been made at a blacksmith, so he kept it hidden under his bed while he thought of a plan.

After meeting with his contact at the marker square, Lee realized that today's delivery was the biggest test yet. The vendor had not paid him before the delivery like usual. The package was not out of the ordinary, but the man told him to take it all the way to the Western Agrarian Zone train station, the last stop on the line.

Lee didn't argue with the man, already hearing Jin's chiding words in his mind, and just took the package before setting off to go find Jin immediately. He was lucky they didn't have school today; such a trip would take hours.

Jin was just walking out her front door when he found her. She gave him a grin and jogged up to him. "Hey Lee, I was just coming to see you." Her eyes looked downward and her cheeks turned the slightest bit red at her words, although Lee had no idea why.

"You free today?" He asked, gritting his teeth over the hint of desperation behind his words.

She nodded. "Sure, got a crazy adventure in mind?"

Lee looked beyond her at the house. "Is your brother home?"

"No." Jin drawled the word out slowly as she furrowed her brow. "Why?"

He produced a small box from an inner pocket of his coat. "I have to take this to the Outer Wall and I know his base is around there, I was hoping he'd know the quickest route there."

Lee thought he saw the slightest flash of anger in Jin's eyes before she closed them and blew out a breath. "How do you plan on explaining this to him? 'Hey Gun-Su, my criminal friends need me to carry this mystery box to the Agrarian Zone, you wanna help break the law?"

Lee glared at her. "I can be more secretive than that."

Jin let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, you're the King of Lying. Now come on, he isn't even home. I know the train route."

He stayed in his place as she brushed by him. "You sure you can be gone that long? It's going to take all day."

"Only if you keep standing there."

He could hear the smile in her voice.

The trip out to the expansive farmlands that laid beyond the Lower Ring took the rest of the morning. They were the only ones on the train that weren't farmers or soldiers, but nobody gave them a second glance.

Neither of them had ever been out of the city proper, so the sights beyond that final inner wall were entirely foreign. They couldn't resist pointing out the massive fields of crops and ranches packed to the brim with animals. The sights certainly helped passed the time as they pulled up to the train station in what felt like no time.

The pair had just stepped outside the train station when a familiar smoking man approached them. "Hey kiddos, have a nice trip?" He stamped out the nub of a tobacco roll beneath his boot before promptly lighting a new one.

Lee didn't bother answering, choosing instead to present the package to the man who just gave him an odd look. "Aren't you the one I'm supposed to give this to?"

The smoking man shook his head. "Nah, I'm just here to point you to your next stop. You've done good work so far, Lee. Diahu has been impressed so far."

Lee rubbed at the back of his neck. "Thanks… I guess."

"Where are we supposed to go?" Jin cut in with that same biting tone she always used to address the smoking man.

The man gave a small chuckle, smoke billowing out of his nose with his breath. "Jin, you are always a delight." She crossed her arms in response before he continued. "At the top bit of the Outer Wall there is a lookout post. Find Sergeant Yin-Len there and give him the package."

Both of them turned to look at the imposing wall just over a mile away, at the top was a small building with the Earth Kingdom flag waving above it. Lee looked back at the smoking man. "How are we supposed to get up there?"

The man gave a cough, his breathing sounding so labored it seemed he could keel over on the spot. "That's why we hired you Lee. You have to figure it out on your own." With that he walked back into the station and disappeared into a crowd.

"Great." Jin clicked her teeth together. "How do they expect two kids to scale that wall?"

Lee paced back and forth in thought while Jin slumped against the wall. After a few moments he began to formulate a plan. "Are you allowed to visit you brother on base?"

Jin squinted her eyes through the harsh sun to look up at him. "I mean technically, yeah, but it's such a long trip I have never done it."

"That's what we'll do then. Go to the base and say we're visiting your brother, I'm sure they have some way of getting to the top of the wall inside."

Jin rose to her feet to look at the military encampment at the bottom of the wall. "I don't know, what do we do to convince them to take us up there? The plan seems a little half baked."

"Better than standing around all day." He threw her words back at her with a small grin. "Plus, they aren't gonna deny such a cute girl from seeing her brother."

Jin looked down at her feet and shuffled in place. When she looked back at Lee, she had a crooked smile, earning a gulp from him. "Did you just admit that I'm cute?"

Lee grew a ghastly pale, which was quite impressive given his already light complexion. His voice betrayed him with a crack when he spoke. "I-I think you're missing the point."

Clearly enjoying Lee's discomfort, Jin leaned in close enough that he felt her breath on his cheeks when she next spoke. "Admit it."

With every step he took backward she took one forward to match. His palms grew clammy and his collar felt impossibly tight. "Jin, I really think we should get moving."

"Not until you admit it."

Lee balled his fists at his side and closed his eyes before steadying his breathing. "Fine. Jin, I think you're cute. Happy now?"

With his eyes closed he missed the moment long look of excitement on her face before the smug smile returned. "Very, now let's go."

The walk to the military base was filled with Jin teasing Lee further who in turn insisted that they stay on topic and focus on the plan. By the time they reached the two guards on the outskirts of the base, Lee's entire face was burning red.

"How may I help you?" The guard on the left asked. His voice was friendly, but he still gripped the spear at his side ever so tighter when they arrived.

Lee opened his mouth to speak but Jin beat him to the punch. "My brother is at the lookout up on the wall. Do you think we could go up there and see him?"

Her voice was a few octaves higher than normal, no doubt an attempt to further play up her innocent sounding request. The guards shared a look before the same one from before responded. "Guests really aren't allowed up there."

"Please, I haven't been able to see him for over a year." Jin sniffled and Lee would have honestly thought the mistiness in her eyes was real if he didn't know better. She was a very gifted liar for certain.

The guards shared another look before the left one spoke again. "Well… ok. But we can only let you inside, you'll have to talk to the General about heading up the wall. I'll go talk to him with you."

They followed the guard inside the base. It was just a small collection of tents set up with soldiers milling about lazily. Those that did notice them didn't seem the least bit concerned with children being on the premises.

"Is that how you get to the top of the wall?" Jin pointed to a complicated looking pulley system that surrounded a large wooden shaft built against the wall.

The guard nodded as he continued walking towards the tent at the back of the base. "Sure is, looks like some supplies are about to head up soon." He gestured to the wooden crates being stacked on the platform at the base of the shaft.

"Why don't benders just make a platform and use their bending to get up there?" Lee asked curiously.

The guard turned around to give him a slight smile before explaining. "Earthbenders aren't always stationed at each base and even if they are, the trip up there is really exhausting for them. This system really helps save their energy for training."

"How does it work?" Lee pressed, his thirst for knowledge never being quenched.

The man didn't seem bothered at all. If anything, he was happy to see the boy take an interest in it. "Well I'm no expert, but I got the basic idea down. The platform at the base is connected to another platform that we call the counterweight. That counterweight is loaded with stones we can easily load or unload as needed depending on the weight of the platform. Then we release the counterweight and it'll go up or down."

"How soon before it goes up?" Jin asked a little too eagerly so she smiled brightly. "I just want to see it action is all."

The guard stopped just outside what must've been the General's tent and looked back at where the supplies were being loaded. "Should be any minute now, they just finished packing the supplies. You two can watch it go up from here while I talk to the General. Wait here."

As soon as the guard disappeared behind the tent flap Jin was dragging Lee away. "What are you doing?" He questioned after wrestling his arm free.

She gripped him by the hand and began dragging him again. "We gotta hurry. My brother complains about these stuffy generals all the time. There is no way he is letting us go up the wall."

Lee stared at her ponytail in confusion as he let her lead him. "So… what are we doing?"

Jin stopped briefly to smack her palm on her forehead before answering. "You heard the guy talking, they are about to send some supplies up right now. We can sneak up with those."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

Jin pulled him behind a tent about ten feet from the platform. She gave him a confident grin. "Only if we get caught."

As soon as the men milling about the platform turned their back, the pair sprinted to it and tucked behind some of the wooden crates. A few moments later and they began defying gravity as the wooden platform began its ascent.

Since it was just a supply run, they hadn't sent any soldiers up with it which allowed Lee to leave their hiding spot and take a look around. The view was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Even though the train came in on a raised track, they had already surpassed it in height and could see for miles. If he squinted, he could see clear division between all three rings from within the city.

"Jin, you have to come see this." He was so breath taken his voice was barely above a whisper.

"No thanks." She squeaked out as she gripped the sides of the crate tightly.

Lee frowned at the sight. "Everything alright?"

She gave a very unconvincing pained nod. "Yup… everything is juuust super."

As the wind whipped around them her pain suddenly made sense. "Are you afraid of heights?" He asked in a concerned tone.

Her nails dug into the crate even more. "Heights? No. Dangling off a rope on a tiny platform hundred of feet in the air? Sure."

Lee could hear her shallow breaths even over the wind and sat down next to her. "It's ok, I'm right here. It'll be ok." Completely out of his element, Lee tried reaching for her hand which she snatched immediately.

Her breathing improved slightly as she squeezed his hand so tight it began to hurt. "I-I… I want to see it. Can you help me?"

He nodded and they both slowly rose to their feet. Jin kept her eyes shut as they took small steps towards the edge, her entire body was leaning into Lee at this point.

"You can open your eyes now." He said cautiously.

Jin somehow squeezed his hand even tighter as she forced herself to look. "Wow." That was all she could managed through her shaky breathing.

They stayed there for few moments until it became clear they were almost to the top of the wall. Lee led Jin back to the crate to discuss the next part of their plan.

"Should we lie to the soldiers again?" Lee suggested.

Jin shook her head, her legs still felt like they could give out at any moment so she stayed crouched. "No, we'll stay hidden once we get up there. Then once they have their backs turned, we'll make a break for it like before."

"Won't we have to lie to get into the lookout building anyway?"

"Maybe, but that's not where we are going first." Lee looked at her curiously, so she explained. "I want to see what's beyond the wall. Haven't you ever wondered?"

Lee nodded in agreement immediately. "Definitely. Let's do it."

They were lucky that once at the top, a crew of only two soldiers were there to unload the supplies. Sneaking past them proved trivial and the pair sprinted a few hundred feet along the wall away from the outpost. After they were sure nobody saw them, they peered out beyond the wall for the first times in their lives.

"Wow." Jin repeated breathlessly. "It just looks so endless."

For the miles that they could see there was nothing more beyond the rocky landscape. Just at the edge of the horizon looked to a large body of water but neither of them could be sure.

"What's that?" Lee pointed to a blur of blackness to the north.

Jin squinted towards where he was pointing. "I'm not sure. Is it… Is it growing?"

Lee nodded his head once as they both stared at it. "I think they might be-"

"Oh Spirits!" Jin's hands shot to her mouth.

Their fears were confirmed as the shout from an Earth Kingdom soldier cut through the air. "The Fire Nation is here!"