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Nirou closed his shop on Friday and Saturday to visit the inn he bought out last season behind the 2nd gates. This meant I had to work another job, which was currently tending to some older couple’s farm outside the wall. Nobody enjoyed venturing out since A. the wall was being drilled into, and B. Fire Nation warriors littered the outside waiting to catch some unfortunate traveller or an unsuspecting kid playing hookie. I can take pretty good care of myself, so it doesn’t bother me too much- at least not enough for me to pass up the money.

That is the reason I had slipped out the far side of the front gate, bending myself a tunnel through the long expanse of rock to the right of the main entrance. It was completely dark until I pushed through to the last of it, revealing rocky desert-like plains. I closed the entrance behind me, careful to make it just as rough and rocky as the rest of the mountain’s surface. Ever since I had started practicing precision in my bending, I found it was hard for me to control said precision. After a few frustrated minutes of trying to perfect the rock face, I gave up and headed for the farmland, avoiding the sight of the drill. The farm was only a few minutes away, surrounded by a high wall. I bended through it and headed straight for the shed at the far wall, grabbing the plough. The sun beat down heavily on my back as I removed my shoes and pulled my pants legs up, revealing the scarred flesh underneath. My eyes had learned since long ago not to rest on the disfigured red skin for longer than necessary.

After taking my shirt off and sticking it into my loose pocket, I hefted the plough and began to work at one end of the contained area, making sure to get all of the previously ploughed land. All grain from the last reaping had been stored somewhere nearby- a place secret to the owners so that it couldn’t be stolen, which is understandable considering the number of thieves in the area. I suspect it’s somewhere beneath the shed, but it’s none of my business.

This kind of work is one of my favourite. Mind-numbing and repetitive. The owners were not benders of any kind, so they were happy to have an earth bender to speed it up. They even offered to pay me more when they found out I could do it twice as fast. Unfortunately for me, the money per hour raised because of my bending, but I performed the task in half the time. So I’m getting the same amount of money anyways- six pieces per hour for about six hours. The day was half over by the time I had finished, wiping the sweat from my brow. I put the supplies away, clothed, and left through the wall, closing it behind me again. As I travelled through the rock face back into the city, I passed the spot I had met the sky bison. Never in my life did I think there was any chance that I would see a live one. But here he was, thin and malnourished and dehydrated and in need of a good bath. He had some sort of crash landing into the rock face, at first completely unaware that I was standing tense and still a few yards away. When I inched closer to him, his eyes opened but he seemed too weak to do anything but blink angrily at me. I let him sniff my hand, reaching a cautious arm out in front of his nose. After he sniffed half-heartedly, I created a cave in the rock and shifted the earth beneath him to guide him into its shade. If I knew anything about the air benders, it was that they were vegetarians. So I bought some apples from the market with my emergency savings and carried them back to the cave with a large jug of water balanced on my head from one of the public wells. He munched all twenty apples down in minutes, and the water in seconds. While he ate, I bended all the dirt from his fur and did my best to comb the rougher parts out with my fingers. The sun had gone down, but I didn’t want to light a fire for fear of being seen: this was three days ago, two days after the fire nation drill was spotted. He didn’t seem to mind though, and after a while of silent combing, he yawned, stretched, and pulled my body into his tight embrace like we were lifelong friends. I wasn’t complaining. It’s warm and soft- better than the bed in that basement I call home.

However, in the middle of the night he jumped up, like he could hear something. He scratched at the wall, roaring to be let out. I bended the rock and he flew out into the night, leaving me to wonder where the heck he could have been summoned to at this early hour.

Once inside the first wall again, I headed to the tea shop to help Rin carry some crates of tea pouches to the updated restaurant. They had apparently been doing very well since the new employees were hired. They must have liked what Rin’s parents presented them, because they ordered quite a large supply of their products. I’d be paid a nice three pieces for it, too, which is always a bonus. People were out and about, filling the streets to the brim as I tried to push through them. Finally I was only yards away from the stand, winded from pushing against the crowd. Rin’s eyes lit up when he spotted me, and he reached out a hand that I desperately grabbed for to yank me into the store. “Thanks,” I managed through short pants.

“No problem.” He pointed to a stack of crates and picked up another, placing them on his head. “We can get there in about thirty minutes, if we push real hard. The old man’s basically taken over that shop, even though it’s still owned by Taku. I met him yesterday. He seems like a pretty chill guy, although his son looks like he might have had a bad run-in with the fire nation.”

I followed in suit, balancing the crates on my head to keep them above the crowd. The sun was just as brilliantly blinding inside the wall as outside, I noticed while we walked. Accidental shoves caused me to nearly drop the boxes, but years of experience helped me steady my feet. I followed Rin’s crates above the mass of people until he slowed down in a side street off the southern square, turning to search for me. Soon I caught up and he took me into an alleyway past the tea shop I assumed we were going to. “He said to come through the back,” he explained. He struggled to find a free appendage to knock with but sent me a grateful glance when I bended a rock to do it for him. The door opened moments later, but Rin blocked my view of the inside.

However, I had only to hear his voice to know who he was.

“Ah, thank you! I am happy to finally have some good tea leaves. The previous ones were old and dry- not at all the recipe for perfection! I have been dying to get my hands on some fresh leaves!”

I froze for about a moment. Rin had moved from the doorway so that inside I could see a boy about my age leaning against a counter of rock. A large burn stretched across an eye, puckered and flaming red. I would know that face anywhere. One pale, as the skin of royalty should be, and hardened into a look of constant suspicion. The little servant earth kingdom boy in me almost backed away with my eyes downcast, but I caught myself just in time.

My feet continued in through the doorway, my heart thumped rapidly against my chest. The hesitation lasted only a split second, but I could tell by the way his shoulders tensed and his neck stiffened that he saw it. I felt suddenly so claustrophobic. The banished prince of the Fire Nation and the retired General Iroh in a 3rd rate, tiny, half-assed tea shop like normal freaking people. It took everything in me not to have a heart attack, and I tried not to look up at the general. If I did, I knew I would give everything away, though I looked quite different from when I last saw him.

Ignoring the glare from the prince, I stared at the floor and followed after Rin, setting the crates down by his own. From this angle, I could see the general’s feet through his sandals. My hands shook and I felt very lightheaded. Memories threatened to resurface and break my calm façade.

I remembered to breathe. Rin had been making small talk with the general- THE GENERAL, for Ko’s sake! Small talk with General Iroh! I was too afraid to speak, too afraid to look up at the man I ran from years ago.

“May I ask your names?”

I tensed again. Rin took no notice of my panic and chattered on politely. “I’m Rin of the Earth Kingdom, and this is Iwa of the Southern Earth Kingdom colonies.” Rin and his stupid big mouth and his polite manners and his ignorance, and I knew I shouldn’t be blaming him for something he didn’t know about, but I couldn’t help it.

There are probably a million Iwas in the Earth Kingdom alone. There’s no way for him to tell that it’s me, if I just act calm. My brain quieted, shutting down temporarily to remain collected. I could look up into the general’s eyes now. They were older, wiser, their amber tone a little darker than I last remembered. Still short and stout as ever. However I kept all recognition imperceptible.

He, on the other hand, didn’t bother to hide his curiosity. The eyes lit up a moment as his gaze fixed on me. I’m sure I looked quite different with my shaved temples and my now much darker complexion. His eyes darted down, widening considerably before looking back up. I was very confused as to what he was searching for, but then I realized: the pants legs cut off slightly above my ankles, where my burns would be showing.

I felt the blood drain from my face. Quickly I placed a light hand on Rin, who turned to look at me questioningly. “I have another job,” I lied, and he knew it. But he must have sensed my unease, because he smiled and waved me off, promising to see me later.

And I rushed out of that back room like it held the plague, as fast as my twisted, knotted, fused leg muscles would allow me.