A. N. : The Runaway timeline is super vague and it pisses me off so much. I've reached a point in this story where I actually need some solid references in time - for reasons you'll find out in a few chapters. The Big Bad arc is upon us, my friends, and soon all preparations will be complete. But for now, it's city time !

This city is disgusting.

Jet is trying, really, to not fall back on old habits – ashmakers ruining their own town, of course there's corruption everywhere that's just how they work – and reminds himself that Ba Sing Se wasn't any better. Maybe it's a city thing.

Spirits, he misses the forest.

Maybe it's a city thing, the shady people all around, maybe it's a port city thing, the weird goods and the word pirates floating in the air. He saw two men smoking and looking completely out of it, with no one else paying them any attention.

Or, no, Sokka paid attention, asked what was wrong with them, and Toph told him to stay away. Jet is betting on poppy, but in plain daylight ? This place is rotten.

The fucking fire fountain is the worst part though. Makes Jet want to kill something.

He clenches and unclenches his hands, careful to keep them away from his swords. Don't think of the statue – fucking son of a dirty baboon-pig, no wonder this place is the worst if they chose to have Fire Douchelord Ozai in the middle of it – and focus on the positives.

The city being this shady means they won't stand out. It also makes it the absolute best playground Jet could possibly hope for. So much potential havoc to wreak. Or, if Sokka is feeling like a coward, there's still the carnival. If they had any money, that is – always that same problem, why was this thing even invented ? But in this kind of place, with so many people around… well, let's just say it doesn't have to remain an issue for long. It's been years since Jet last tried his hand at petty theft, but he could probably still do it.

Or maybe he could ask Toph to bend coins directly out of people's wallets. If it's even possible.

Sokka interrupts Jet's silent planning with an exclamation about messenger hawks and how cool they are – if he had one, he wouldn't need to speak to anyone ever again, he says. Toph snickers.

Jet smirks, then whistles a long, high-pitched note followed by three undulations – immediately, Sokka looks alert and nearly draws his sword, but is stopped by Toph, who slaps his shoulder while laughing.

See, that's the problem with sparrow-hawks ! Even without mentioning the messages some people can't read, their cry would just cause too much trouble ! Now come on Sokka, relax, there's no need to get this angry, Jet was just proving a point and checking your memory at the same time – good job, by the way.

I'll show you an imminent enemy attack, Sokka says, still holding Jet by the collar and shaking him, in a distinctly non-threatening way. Or maybe he is trying to be threatening, but his angry face is just too funny to take seriously. Either way, Jet can't even keep up the fake praise of Sokka's learning abilities and bursts out laughing.

He's been called much worse than a piece of shit before anyway.

Toph stops Sokka's tantrum by asking how much money they've got left. Jet winces. Sokka deflates and pulls out a single silver coin.

Theft is seriously starting to be a tempting solution. But Toph snatches the coin, says they can make more, and points to a shell game in a nearby street, which, uh – she knows it's a scam, right ?

She grins.

Somehow, Jet thinks today is about to get really interesting.