Wandering Firebender
Four: Labor
Elio looked over the building, resting his hands on his hips. He'd never been in this sort of position before; needing to work a job in order to pay for his things. Any jobs he'd worked had been superficial at best, only for spending money.
Perhaps this would be a nice learning opportunity for him; a chance to see what it's like to live a normal life and work for his own bread. His Fire Nation money was beginning to run out, and he didn't want to allow it to clue anyone in to his origins again.
With that mentality, he entered into the facility.
"Hello there, young man. What can I do for you today?" The man behind the information counter greeted Elio with a smile as he approached.
"Hi there, sir. Uh, I was told this was the place to go if I needed to find work?"
"That's right! We offer pay to anyone willing to do the work; gotta warn you though, the work isn't glamorous, and the pay depends on the job you're given." The man explained.
"That's alright. I'll take whatever I can get. Where is it that I need to sign up?"
After signing up to work, he sat down in the general seating area and waited for his assignment to be given to him. He watched more people, various men and women, enter in after him and sign up for the same thing.
"Hey there," A lady greeted him. She had her brown hair tied back in a messy bun. Her face had freckles, and her eyes were a bright shade of green. "You here to work today too?"
"Yeah. It's my first time here." Elio answered with a nod.
"Haha, yeah, I figured when I didn't recognize ya. Most of us here are regulars; we come here every day." She said with a chuckle.
"Really? Why?" Elio asked curiously.
"Guaranteed work," A larger man answered his question, walking over to join them. "Plus, you never know what the next day will bring."
"I see. My name is Elio." He introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, Elio! I'm Autumn." The girl introduced herself.
"The name's Tay, kid," The larger man introduced himself. "And this here is Sen, my lil bro." He gestured to a skinnier young man with wild hair.
"Who's the new guy?" Sen asked.
"The name's Elio. I guess I'll be working with you guys today." Elio assumed, standing up respectfully. Sen looked him up and down with an odd sideways smile and scoffed.
"Tch, yeah? Alright then." He shrugged and waved it off.
A few more men and two more women came in and joined the work force of the day, but none of them seemed as interested in conversation as these three. Once everyone had settled in, the man behind the counter stepped out.
"Alright everyone, the assignments are in. Firstly, does anyone have any experience with gardening and landscaping?" The man asked.
Elio glanced at the card the man was holding; the material of the card itself was nice. That likely meant a better pay for a nicer job. So he raised his hand up and stepped forward. Autumn, Tay, Sen, and the other women stepped forward too.
"Excellent. The rest of you I know are good at woodwork and construction. You're being assigned to building a bridge on the south side of town. Report there and your overseer will join you." He instructed. The remaining men left.
"What's our task today, boss?" Tay asked with a smile.
"The rest of you are to report to the Beifong residence. It seems Mr. Beifong would like a team to overhaul and spruce up his courtyard. He will explain to you everything that he wants and provide you with all the tools and materials you need.
"Head on over there right now, please. And no trouble this time, Sen." The man instructed, pointing a warning finger at Sen. Sen simply chuckled and everyone began to make their way there.
"So, any of you know who the Beifongs are?" Elio asked curiously.
"Haha, have you been living under a rock? Everyone knows who the Beifongs are! They're the richest family this side of the Earth Kingdom!" Tay answered with a laugh.
"Don't tease him too much, bro. He's clearly not from around here." Sen commented, glaring at Elio for a few moments before turning his eyes forward again.
"Where are you from, Elio?" Autumn asked curiously.
"I'm just passing through; travelling. I'm just in need of money." Elio answered simply, avoiding the question. It was obvious to the others that he didn't want to get specific, but no one pushed him on it.
"Well, we're happy to have you on board today!" Autumn smiled anyways, doing her best to be the most open and hospitable of the group. However, she could feel that something had the guys on edge: especially Sen.
"Thank you." Elio smiled politely at her.
Finally, the workers reached the Beifong residence. Elio's eyes widened in surprise at how huge the residence really was. Just one side of the outer wall already made him feel like a dwarf in comparison. As nice as his own house on the hill was, in no way did it compare to this mansion.
They knocked on the gate, and a servant opened the door.
"Ah, you must be the help. Follow me inside." He opened the door to them and they entered. As they all walked in, their eyes widened in astonishment at just how big and vast the courtyard really was. It would be impossible to finish this work in a week, let alone a day.
"This place is huge! I've always wondered what it looked like on the inside." Autumn said, looking around at the serene, well-kept sections of grass and ponds. It was like its own little ecosystem within the Beifong walls.
"Sir, here are the workers." The servant spoke to Mr. Beifong. All eyes went to this man; the owner of this small palace. He looked over the workers and cleared his throat, speaking kindly and respectfully.
"Thank you all for agreeing to be involved in this project. What I ask is simple: the paved walkways need to be redone so they are smooth and flat. I wish for there to be a small row of stones around the ponds: not too big that they entrap the turtle-ducks, but big enough that you can't step over them unknowingly.
"Lastly, all plants will need to be trimmed and watered and all weeds will need to be pulled. I have all the tools you will need, including the stones and rock. Are there any questions?"
"Yeah. What's all this for?" Sen asked with a raised eyebrow. Mr. Beifong's eyes narrowed on him, and he quickly became suspicious.
"It isn't your job to know why; it's your job to know how, sir."
"I meant no disrespect, sir," Sen smiled a little. "I'm only asking so that way we can make sure our work is exactly how you want." He explained. This put Mr. Beifong at ease slightly, but he still didn't answer as he turned away.
"I will leave you to your work. I ask that you start from this end and slowly work your way across. More workers will be joining you as the day progresses."
"Sen, what are you doing, man? Are you trying to get us kicked out?" Tay growled. Sen chuckled and shook his head.
"Just asking a question."
And so they all set to work on the tasks they were given. They started out by handling all of the weeds and bushes in their area. Then while Tay and Sen handled the work around the ponds, Elio and Autumn got started on redoing the walkways.
"So, where'd you learn how to do this kind of work?" Autumn asked Elio curiously.
"My mother used to love coming up with family projects like this. She was always into the Do-It-Yourself stuff. We did the walkway in front of our house." Elio answered.
"Oh, nice! My dad used to do this kind of work too, and he taught me how to do it." She said. Elio nodded and glanced up.
"Why do you say 'used to'?" He asked. She swallowed and shrugged, her eyes dropping down to her hands.
"Uh, he died a few years ago. A Fire Nation squad came riding through town, and my dad got trampled by one of them because the guy wasn't paying attention."
"I'm sorry to hear that…" Elio said somberly. Autumn, however, smiled softly and reassuringly.
"It's okay. I mean, yeah, it sucks that it happened, but I still carry on the work. Between this and my mother's bakery, we get by."
"Well, that's good." Elio smiled a bit and wiped his brow. Autumn did the same, tugging at her shirt repeatedly to fan herself.
"I hope we get a break soon." She chuckled.
"Yeah, me too." Elio sighed and chuckled as well.
"Yeah… So you're travelling through, right? Where are you headed?" She asked.
"Uh…nowhere in particular. I'm just travelling." He answered.
"Oh, like a nomad? That's neat."
"Heh, yeah, I guess it is kinda like a nomad." Elio realized.
"How long are you going to be staying in town?"
"I don't know. I guess until I've saved up enough money." He answered with a shrug. Autumn was quiet for a bit before bringing up what she was thinking.
"The guys and I are heading to an underground earthbending tournament tonight. You should come with us." She suggested.
"Earthbending tournament? Uh… I don't know." Elio said timidly.
"You should come, kid," Tay encouraged, walking over to them. "It's pretty exciting!"
"I really should save up my money for food and supplies." Elio shook his head.
"They have food and drink there. Think of it like dinner and a show!" Tay explained with a grin.
Elio considered this; maybe it could be fun to go. After his near demise in the previous town, he was hesitant to do anything other than hide in his tent once he'd finished his work. However, on the other hand, when would he get another chance to see something like this?
Finally, he came to the conclusion that having a little fun would do him some good.
"Alright. Sure, count me in." Elio finally agreed.
"Great! Now come on, the boss man is providing drinks and snacks for everyone." Tay gestured for them to follow. Elio and Autumn quickly stopped what they were doing, getting up and going with him.
After the day had come to an end, the four of them went straight to the underground earthbending arena. Tay, who had been there more than the others, led the way there. After paying to get in, they all sat down in a row with Elio on one end and Sen on the other.
"Did you really have to invite the new guy, Tay? I get a weird feeling about him." Sen brought up. Tay raised an eyebrow at him.
"What're you talking about, Sen? Of course I invited him. He's with us now."
"He is not with us. He's only here until he's got what he needs to move on. He's hiding where he's from, that much is obvious. And he doesn't really strike me as the hard labor type, does he?" Sen pointed out his observations.
"Well, no…but it doesn't matter. Just leave it alone. He seems fine to me." Tay shrugged it off before beginning to snack…
"Have you ever been to a tournament before?" Autumn asked Elio. He shook his head and took a bite of his meal.
"No. Never." He answered honestly.
"Oh, well it's simple. Two earthbenders will enter from either side of the ring. You win either by knockout or if you can knock the other man out of the ring. It's that simple." Autumn explained with a smile. Elio nodded.
"Alright. Let's see how it goes then."
What followed next was unlike anything Elio had ever seen. From the moment the ring announcer came out, the place became electric with excitement and energy. Each fight brought on unique battles and unorthodox fighting styles.
Elio found himself taking mental notes of what he was seeing. After all, he might end up facing earthbenders that fight like this in the future.
"Alright! Is everyone ready for the main event of the night?!" The ring announcer shouted, to which the audience roared in response.
"We haven't even gotten to the main event yet?! The whole thing has been epic!" Elio exclaimed. Autumn giggled, joining in with the chanting crowd.
"To the ring, give a warm welcome to today's challenger for the title: The Purple Comet!" The announcer introduced the challenger, to which the audience cheered,
"And now, please welcome back to the ring your champion: The Blind Bandit!" The announcer shouted. The audience cheered and chanted.
Elio's eyes widened in shock as he watched what appeared to be a young girl walk up onto the ring. Was this small kid really the champion? How? Tay looked over and saw Elio's concern, and began to chuckle.
"Heheh, don't worry bud. The Blind Bandit never loses. I'd be more worried about that Comet guy if I were you." Tay said. Elio tilted his head at Tay but turned his attention back to the ring as the battle began.
The Purple Comet didn't hesitate to go on the offensive, summoning large boulders out of the ring and throwing them towards the Bandit. She hardly seemed concerned as she sidestepped each one easily. Elio's eyes widened in surprise yet again.
This girl was far more capable than she appeared.
The Purple Comet continued sending boulders her way. The Bandit began blocking them by creating walls out of the floor. She then created two large pillars of stone and began to rotate them in opposite directions, one in front of the other. She sent them both towards the Comet.
The Comet confidently stepped forward and threw a punch to break through both pillars. The momentum of the pillars pushed the Comet back, nearly making him slip over the edge. Once he was on the edge, the Bandit threw boulders back at him.
As the battle appeared to be reaching its climax, Elio's foot began to tap nervously. His body tensed more and more, accidentally creating a flame out of his heel. He heard Autumn giggle at him, and he turned towards her, nervous that she had felt the heat.
"Don't look at me, dummy, the fight's not over." She teased him. He turned his attention back to the fight and sighed in relief.
The Comet managed to recover from being off-balance. He dodged one boulder and caught another, throwing it back at the Bandit. To everyone's surprise, the boulder actually hit her and caused her to slide back.
However, as quickly as it happened, she recovered, creating a slanted pillar out of the floor and knocking the Comet sideways out of the ring. The audience cheered at her victory. She raised both arms victoriously over her head.
"Nice!" Elio clapped and cheered too.
"That was a lot of fun! Thanks for inviting me, everyone." Elio said with an appreciative smile as the four of them left the arena.
"No problem, kid! Thanks for coming by!" Tay replied with a grin.
"Will we be seeing you back at work tomorrow, Elio?" Autumn asked. Elio nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be there. I guess I'll see you all then?"
"Yeah. We'll see you then." Sen nodded.
"Great. Well, you all have a good evening." Elio smiled and nodded before turning and breaking off from the group. He stepped cautiously so they wouldn't see the hole that he had accidentally burnt in the bottom of his shoe.
"You too, Elio," Autumn waved. "He's a nice guy. I hope he sticks around awhile."
Elio continued making his way through town, looking for the nearest exit so he could set up camp outside the city. The streets were relatively empty and quiet now that night had come. Elio's arms swung comfortably at his side as he walked.
"I'm gonna need a new pair of shoes now." He thought to himself. That would be his first purchase with the money he'd earn from working at the Beifong residence.
Suddenly, he went on alert as he heard a familiar sound in his ear: the sound of crunching rock. He quickly turned just in time to dodge a boulder being sent his way. However, a second one slammed right into him, knocking him back and causing him to slide in the dirt.
"What do you think you're doing here, firebender?" A girl's voice demanded. Elio groaned in pain.
"Ow…what?"
"The Fire Nation's not welcome here! Get out!" She shouted again. Elio quickly got up just in time to dodge an earthquake attack, jumping up onto the nearby roof of a low building.
Elio was able to get a good look at his attacker: it was the Blind Bandit!
"What do you want with me?" Elio demanded.
"For you to get out and stay out!" She shouted, throwing another boulder up at him. Elio slid back down the other side of the roof to dodge it.
"What's going on out there?" The voice of an older man called out, stepping out into the street. The Blind Bandit quickly disappeared into the ground, giving Elio time to get out of town.
He waited nervously for her to come back, but she didn't, so he set up his camp outside the perimeter of the city.
But how had the Blind Bandit found him? How did she know that he was a firebender?