Fire and Wind: A Cause

A chilling breeze swept through a seedy tavern in the lower part of Omashu, brought about by the large, swinging doors being opened for the twentieth time in just an hour. The patrons of the bar paid it no mind, not even glancing at the cloaked figure who swept across the floor to take a seat at the bar, plopping themselves between two other patrons. 

The curfew was in full effect, but nobody made any move to leave until they were finished and the owner made no move to kick them out. This place was one of the many that didn’t care in the slightest about the rules imposed by the conquerors of the city, and it catered almost entirely to those who felt the same way. The food was bad and the drinks were somehow worse, but if you were a real Earth Kingdom patriot, you could always find a home here.

Seng wasn’t a patriot of any kind, but that didn’t stop her from lifting her hand to order a drink, tipping the bartender generously as was custom in places like this. He gave her a thin smile underneath his mustache as he placed her drink on the counter, sweeping the coins into an empty cup and whisking away to serve another patron.

Seng watched him go, taking a sip of the drink she had been provided only to immediately grimace at the disgusting taste. It was pretty much all water, with only the barest amount of actual alcohol to warm her. If she was actually looking to drink, she’d be pretty mad if this was what she was offered. Right now though, it actually worked in her favor to keep a clear head, even if it was swill she wouldn’t clean her wounds with.

Taking another sip of her poorly-spiced water, she surreptitiously glanced around the room, eying the other patrons with an analyzing gaze. Everyone in sight was rugged and hardened. She’d call them drifters if she didn’t personally know how hard it was to get into Omashu in the first place. They were dirty and not a single one of them looked like they had experienced a proper shave in their life. Weapons were held proudly on display, as were the bare feet of the earthbenders among them, a casual faux pa in polite society.

Unfortunately, apart from that, none of them really stuck out to her. Sighing, Seng turned her eyes back to her drink, mentally lamenting the fact that she had been the one to propose this kind of plan in the first place. 

The biggest problem the Fire Nation was facing when it came to rooting out the resistance was the fact that they had no idea where they were actually holed up and as Seng had suggested to Azula before the governor, the best way to fix that would be to have someone go under cover and infiltrate the group until they could root out where they were hiding. Unfortunately, when she made that plan, she didn't account for the fact that she was the only one in that building who looked remotely like she belonged among a group of Earth Kingdom rebels. With her brown hair and rugged appearance as opposed to the easy aristocracy that practically oozed out of Azula’s group, Seng was pretty much the only one who could perform such a task.

So here she was, sitting on a wobbly bar stool for the third night in a row as she looked for some sort of recruiter for the rebels that she might be able to convince to let her join up. Nobody had approached her so far, recruiter or otherwise, and she was quickly becoming a regular here. The bartender even knew her name! Or at least the fake one she gave him.

Sighing again, Seng drained the rest of her cup and held it up, shaking it to indicate that she was empty. She didn’t have to wait long before the bartender was in front of her again, topping her off with an unlabeled bottle of the cheapest and crappiest gin that she’d ever tasted in her life. Seng’s thankful smile was more of a grimace as she took another sip, not even bothering to pretend as if she enjoyed it.

“You look a bit down, Jin.” The bartender noted, using the fake name she had given on the first day. There were a million Jin’s in the Earth Kingdom, male and female, though Seng had a specific one in mind when she uttered it to him. 

Playing into her character, Seng gave him a grunt, staring down at her drink as if it was the only thing keeping her attached to this world, “Who wouldn’t be with all those ash-huffers wandering the streets? Omashu used to be safe for everyone. Now it’s not safe for anyone.”

As she tossed her cup back, the bartender stared at her intently, his brown eyes glinting in the light, “Maybe not."

He leaned close, looking around as if he didn’t want to be overheard. Seng raised an eyebrow but followed his lead, leaning in to hear what he had to say.

“You’re not alone. There’s a few people around here just like you. Not too happy with the way things are rolling.” He said, pretending to clean the stained countertop with a dry rag, “The way I hear it, they might actually be willing to do something about it. I don’t suppose something like that interests you?”

Realizing that this might be just what she came for, Seng kept her voice low, staring down into her half-empty cup as she spoke, “And if it does?”

The bartender’s lips twitched under his mustache and he reached under the counter, retrieving a bottle that actually had a label on it. Spiced fire mead. He put another cup on the counter, filling it to the brim and sliding it her way as he took back the other one. Raising a brow, Seng lifted the cup to her lips, only to pause as she saw the small slip of paper that had been hiding underneath it.

“If you do, then go to that place at that time.” The bartender said as he poured the cup of crappy alcohol back into the bottle it came from, “They’ll check you out and see if you’ve got what it takes. Good luck, kid.”

He walked away to help another patron, leaving Seng holding a note with a time and location. She read it and stuffed it into her clothes with a satisfied smile.

‘Maybe this won’t take forever like I thought it would.’ She thought as she brought her drink up to her lips and took a sip. The flavor of spices and fermented berries washed the bitter taste off of her tongue like a salve.

~~~

Wind whistled through the empty streets of Lower Omashu as Seng leaned against the wall of a dilapidated woodworking shop that had long since been abandoned, waiting for her contact. Patrols were sparse in this area of the city, and even though she had been waiting for well over two hours at this point, she’d only seen the glow of a guard’s lantern perhaps three times, and always well in the distance.

“There’s probably a reason for that.” Seng said to herself as she rubbed her hands together, breathing into her fingers to push some heat back into them. The nights were getting colder, and the stone around her wasn’t helping as it sapped the heat from her body. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself to stave off the cold, wondering where in the world the rebels could be.

‘This better not be a trap.’ Seng glanced around, staring into the looming pools of darkness in the alleyways around her. After so many civilians up and left the city, there were a lot of places that had been completely abandoned. The area she was in looked to be a once-thriving market, with various businesses and outlets all around her, but now it was a ghost town. The only activity around here were the rats wandering around in the darkness and the buildings creaking as the wind shifted them on their foundations. 

It was a pitiful sight, and Seng was reminded of a few of the villages she had passed through on her travels. Ones that had been completely abandoned after a visit by the Fire Nation or wandering bands of Earth Kingdom ‘mercenaries’. Dozens of little villages all across the country had been abandoned simply because it was too dangerous to live there with the war raging just outside their walls, and Omashu was supposed to be a safe haven for the people who left. Seng knew how it felt to show up at the impenetrable walls, expecting safety, only to be turned away at the gate, and now that the Fire Nation was in charge, nobody wanted to even be here at all.

Would Azula be able to change that? Doubtful. But as crazy as it was, Seng trusted her to look over a city of this size more than a bunch of bloodthirsty rebels. Speaking of which…

Seng shifted the feeling of air moving behind her. She turned just in time to catch sight of a hooded face before a bag was thrown over her head and a pair of impossibly strong arms pulled her own behind her back before a pair of stone shackles were wrapped around her wrists, keeping them there.

“Don’t move!” Someone hissed in her ear as she struggled to break free. The sound of a harsh stomp and then shifting stone cut through the night before the airbender’s entire world tilted so harshly that she didn’t even notice that she had fallen to her knees until she was forced to her feet once more. 

She shook her head, trying to shake off the dizziness, but a harsh shove to her back caused her to stumble forward. The same voice from before spoke, deep and rumbling with a silent threat, “Start walking. Straight line. Don’t stray from the path or else.”

Figuring that it was probably a good idea to listen, Seng did as they commanded, slowly putting one foot in front of the other as she began to walk in complete blackness, led only by the hand on her back and the sounds of footsteps ahead.

As she was led, Send did her best to tune into her surroundings so she could ascertain where exactly she was. Had they taken her into the shop or somewhere else? The airbender focused, using the skills she had acquired through years of surviving in the wild to take in the clues provided from the world around her.

It was dark, but she could still see some light leaking through the burlap sack that had been put over her head. She could hear the sounds of distant rumbles as earthbenders shifted stone around them, but she couldn’t feel the rumbles so they must have been a good distance away. For the sound to have carried all the way to her, so sharp and clear, must've meant…

Tunnels, she realized with a start. That explained how the rebels hadn’t been found yet. They had created tunnels under the city itself, probably spanning literal miles who-knows how many hidden chambers and traps. Even if someone happened to stumble upon them, there was no chance that they’d get out and tell anyone before they were noticed.

‘That’s going to be an issue.’ Seng thought to herself as she listened to people work in the far distance. There weren’t many Fire Nation sympathizers who were also earth benders. Finding these tunnels was going to be an exercise in and of itself, assuming that the rebels did the smart thing and collapsed them at random. Actually assaulting them was another impossible task altogether.

“Hey, keep moving!” Another shove to her back made her realize that she was lagging behind. She picked up the pace, mentally memorizing that guy’s voice in case they met again.

After decades of walking, Seng’s ears perked up as the sounds around her changed, becoming echoey and distant, as if they were bouncing off the walls of a large cavern. She looked around, trying to discern her surroundings underneath the bag as she continued to walk. The area around her was lit a faint green, much brighter than the tunnels before but still quite dim. She couldn’t make anything out.

A strong hand on her shoulder forced her to stop walking, and the man behind her once again spoke, “We’re here. On your knees.”

Seng followed his instructions, carefully kneeling down on the stone floor. The bag on her head was suddenly jerked away, making her blink rapidly as her eyes were forced to adjust to the room. The shackles constricting her hands also fell away, allowing her to move freely. She rubbed her chafed wrists, glancing back at the man who had been leading her before moving her gaze around the room.

She was in a large cavern, just as she expected. The only light in the room emanated from dozens of glowing green rocks lining the walls of the cave, casting a dim light  that didn’t even reach all corners of the room. The walls were lined with earthbenders, at least two dozen of them to the eight people – including Seng – that were kneeling in the center of the room.

‘Guess they really needed the advantage.’ Seng thought to herself as she turned her eyes to the front of the cavern. A large, stage-like structure had been erected out of solid stone. Upon it stood a man, staring down at those who had been assembled with a harsh expression and crossed arms. He was a textbook earthbender, with tan skin, bare feet, and arms that spoke of an incredible amount of raw power. Along his chest, reaching from the waistband of his pants to the side of his neck, was a massive burn that Seng could scarcely imagine anyone surviving, and two iron hammers hung on the sides of his belt, glinting in the light.

As his eyes scanned the room, they caught hers, and Seng’s breath hitched. There was a danger in that gaze that reminded her of Azula, but somehow even more sharp. This man was no common soldier. 

As the man who had escorted Seng went to stand with the rest of the earthbenders along the edge of the room, the one on the stage stepped forward, speaking loudly to address them all, “Brothers and sisters! I am sorry for your rough treatment, but the eyes of the Fire Nation extend to all corners of Omashu so we had to be careful. Now that you are here, you can expect the fair treatment that they have taken from all of you as we work to take the city back!”

His words lifted the spirits of those present as they realized, like Seng, that they were not in danger. Their scared expressions lifted in hope. They were probably here to actually join the rebels, unlike Seng.

The man on stage continued, his voice growing impassioned, “I’m glad that so many of you were willing to answer the call. The Fire Nation fights its battles through brutality and fear, but you brave few were able to fight through that fear to stand up for what is right.”

‘This is a lot to them?’ Seng wondered as the man motioned for them to rise. Pulling her hood down to further obscure her face, she stood alongside the rest of the applicants, getting to her feet in one smooth motion that left her standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the man next to her.

Only he wasn't really a man, as Sent realized when they spoke in a voice far too high to resemble anything manly.

“I can't believe I'm really here!” She said, her voice a hushed shout of excitement and disbelief. She turned to Seng, and the airbender nearly choked at the sight of her blue eyes and brown hair and that face that was oh-so similar to her own, “I never thought I'd actually get in, you know? These guys are so hard to find.”

Seng didn’t say anything, too stunned to speak as she stared at the younger girl. For a brief, heart-stopping moment, the image of the teen before her shifted backwards in time, losing some of the age and weariness that it had gained over time until Seng was left staring at a chubby face still laden with baby fat looking up at her with excitement, desperate for her attention.

The girl who Seng knew intrinsically was far too young to be anywhere near here, grinned widely, and the airbender’s heart ached with nostalgia as she spoke in the whispering tone of a child trying not to be noticed, “I’m Kaya. What’s your name?”