OOC: It is now the next day....

As the first morning rays crept into his room, Jin opened his eyes. As he awoke, he walked up to his window and gazed upon the morning sun. 'Another beautiful day is upon our land.' Jin thought to himself as he walked towards the small cupboard in the corner of the room that housed his clothing. He pulled out a black and white tai chi uniform from the cupboard and put it on, the silk felt good upon his skin. It had been a long time since Jin had practised his tai chi.

Jin opened the door to his dojo and exited the dojo. He walked down the cobble stone pathway that led to the beach on the outskirts of town. As he stepped onto the beach, he could feel the sand between his toes. The morning rays of the sun made the water glisten. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun upon his face. He took a stance and released the breath from his mouth. As he brought his hands up in front of him, he moved through the stances of tai chi. After two hours of tai chi, Jin decided it was time to head back to the dojo to meet his students.

As he walked back up the cobble stone passage towards the dojo, the neighbourhood kids ran past him almost knocking him over. 'You should slow down young one's. Do not be in such a hurry.' He chuckled as the children apologised to him. Jin then continued up the path towards the dojo. As he reached the dojo, he saw that the door was open slightly. 'Ah, my students must be here.' Jin thought to himself as he opened the door and entered the dojo. Sure enough all of his students were present inside the dojo awaiting his arrival.

'I am sorry my friends, I got lost on the path of life.' Jin said with a comforting smile. 'Before we begin, I could use some tea. Please join me in a cup.' Jin told the students as he proceeded to pour four cups of jasmine tea.

OOC: Okay. I'll say she went to bed.

Kia heard some say something and her eyes sprang open, as she lay on her side. The words Jin had sai were her wake up call. Kia stood up and stretched her arms and legs. A soft cloth ran over her legs and she looked down. 'Oh no... I didn't.' She thought. But she had. What she had done was fell asleep in her dress. Going to sleep and getting back she didn't remeber but the rest of the night was clear and perfect.

Kia stumbled over to her bag, her legs flimsy from just waking up. She bent down and then pulled out her original clothes, then sunk into the bathroom to change.

After a few mintutes she came back out dressed normally once more. Kia set her dress into her pack, then walked over to meet Jin. "Good morning, Sensi." She smoothed her hair down, then smiled poiletly. Kia extended her arm to pick up a cup of tea, as she did so the pain in her shoulder rang to life and sot throughout her body. Kia gritted her teeth together in her now closed mouth. 'Don't show pain... Don't show pain....' She desepratly thought.

Now that Kia knew Jin was her godfather she was even more determined. Plus with Daiko there, the guy she loved. And then Ju Li had been nothing but nice, everything for once, was going perfectly. All but one thing, 'I still might be in trouble for shooting blue fire at that one guy. But he totally deserved it! Trying to kill me, calling Sensi a coward. The nerve of that guy!.... Worst part, I'm a freak.' I'm a freak, those words rang through her mind over and over like a verse to a song that couldn't escape her head. Kia smiled and shook the thoughts into the darkest corner of her mind and reached out for the tea once more, ignoring her pain. She decided she'd go get it checked later today, but for now to enjoy the day. "How did you sleep?" Kia asked him in a hushed voice so the others wouldn't be disturbed in their dreams.

(Seeing as I can see the RPG Areas I will post now...)

Li came from his back room still tired yet he smiled to everyone that was there. He bowed to Jin then patted him on the back. "How goes everything?" Next he turned to Kia, a girl who was like a sister to him. Punching her cheek softly he grinned, "Ya doing ok?" Looking around he didn't see Daiko. (Seeing as he didn't post yet) He sat and helped himself to some tea yawning boredly.

OOC: Okay people haven't replied in a while. Please excuse my double post admins and mods.

IC: The pain in her shoulder kept growing and growing. Kia shifted her shoulder and then felt a rush of heat come upon her. At an instant she knew it was bleeding again. 'I'll get it checked now...' her mind muttered slightly disappointed that she had to leave. Kia held her chin up high nd stood up. "I'm going to go out." she said with a brightness upon her bright blue eyes. Kia set the tea on the table and then gave a small wave to her friends then dashed to the door with a grin and a drop of blood falling from the bandage then falling upon her leg. 'I don't want them to see me like this! If they worry, it'll just be horrible!' The young firebender opened the door and then said, "Later, boys!" then dashed outside and ran down the street. She swerved through people with a recharged feeling.

While she searched for a doctors she saw a group of three girls talking and playing with dolls under a shady umbrella at a Tea Shop. They all looked Kia's age. The firebender slowed her pace and looked them over. One of them turned and glanced over to her then nudged her other friends and they looked at Kia too. Kia glanced over they're dolls and one of the girls, one with a face full of freckles and bright red hair gesture Kia over. She wanted to go over there, she really did. Another drop of blood fell as she walked even slower. But couldn't she had to go get her shoulder fixed then train. Kia gave a small wave and a smile then proceeded around the corner. 'Why can't I be like them....? Of course! I have to train and help the war!' Which she thought, 'That means I can't be like other girls... Well, I do hang around a lot of boys... Oh.' The blonde firebender moved on staring forward and thinking about how she couldn't be like the other girls.

Finally Kia ran into a large door and fell back into the dirt. Her nose turned a light pink as she looked at the sign above the door. 'Medical Treatment' was there in bright red letters. She'd found it. With a bright smile Kia got up from the ground and then opened a big brown door and walked into a bright white room with another door on the right side. And a desk with a thinned woman sitting down and writing files.

Slowly Kia walked over to her feeling more blood drop. The desk was just above her eyes, so Kia had to stand on her toes to see her. "Excuse me, ma'am." the young girl asked politely. The woman looked down at Kia with a large grin. "Yes?" she asked in a high pitched voice. 'Yes, I need to have a brief checkup. Is there a doctor open?" The woman looked back at the files and then nodded. "Yes there is. She's right through that door." She pointed to the large wooden door Kia saw earlier on the other side of the room and then added. "Have a nice day!"

Kia nodded her thanks then walked over to the door and opened it lightly. Quietly she walked into a small room with abed type thing in the middle. She hoped upon the soft bed and the moment she did a tall woman walked into the room. Kia perked up as another drop of blood ran down her back. The woman smile and introduced herself, "Hello. I am Doctor Lee." Kia gave a small smile and told the woman, "I'm Kia." the doctor gave a nod then bent a little on her knees to become eye level with Kia. Something she hated to do. "Hello, Kia. Now tell me.... Where are your parents?" The young girl sighed and then muttered, "They're gone." But just gave a small shrug. She didn't want to go into the conversation. The doctor gave a nod and then a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry... Now tell me, what's wrong?"
"My shoulder."
"Could I see it?"
Kia turned on the fluffy bed so she wasn't facing the wall and not Doctor Lee. She unwrapped the bandaged she had put on and then heard the doctor gasp. "How did you do this?" she asked. Kia gave a long blink and lied, "I fell out of a tree when my doll got stuck up there by some stupid boy." 'Yeah right! I've never had a doll in my LIFE!' But it'd do, apparently she believed her. For she walked over to a drawer and then pulled out a bottle of pink liquid. Kia turned to face her and she said, "This'll help it heal. It normally takes just an hour. But it'll sting a tad."

Kia didn't care and turned back around bracing herself. When the dye dropped upon Kia's skin it instantly reminded her of what happened when Jin used firebending to help her. But this seemed much much worse. Pain thrashed against her shoulder and then all of her body. Yet she held tightly upon the bed until the pain died away. She didn't feel any blood drop. "There! All done. You'll see results in about an hour or until tomorrow. But I'll have to wrap up your whole arm just in case." Doctor Lee wrapped Kia's shoulder and then made the bandage go down to her wrist. 'Oh well....' she thought thinking about what her ("adopted") family would say about this.

Kia stood p from the bed then thanked the Doctor and gave her two gold coins. Then ran out of the office, out of the Medical place and out into the alley. She felt happy again she she dashed out into the streets running around. As she passed the girls again she didn't pay attention and kept running around the Fire Nation Capital, moving to wards the woods for some solo training.

How different this place was from her own home! Li Mei had never been outside the Earth Kingdom before and it was amazing how beautifully crafted the buildings of the Fire Nation capital was.

Despite the heat of the day, Li Mei wore a heavy cloak that shielded her eyes from the citizens. Since she was not Fire Nation, she was pretty sure she would get arrested if she didn't hide her features. There was so many things to see. The people all seemed so excited. Perhaps because they were winning this war she had only recently heard about?

Either way, Li Mei was happy to be away from the Earth Kingdom. Not only was she able to relax a bit more, she could start a letter to her mother. It had been such a long time since she had time to write to her mother, and she had so much to tell her.

The market was crowded and loud. This was not the spot to start writing, that was for sure. She needed a place that was quiet so she could concentrate. Spying a little tea shop on the corner, Li Mei went inside and choose a table.

She reached around her chair and fished out a small finely crafted box. Inside, it contain a packet of parchments and a bottle of ink with a feather pen. Her father had purchased it for her. And she hated the fact that it reminded her of him, but this was the only precious possession she owned. She carefully dipped the tip of the pen into the ink and began writing her letter.

"Dear Mom..."

Dear Yi,

I’m sorry to do this to you on such short notice, but I have been called away to New Ozai for family matters. I know you need work and money... but I worked a deal out with Mr. Zhe. He will for forgo your rent this month, as payment for a favor I have done for him…
Again I’m sorry Yi, if you need any money, you know where it is... just don’t take it all...

Signed
Pon Zhung[/i]

Yi stared, motionless, at the letter tacked to the door or the black smith shop he worked at. A disappointed frown crept across his face. He could feel his body shake slightly in response the cold wind that blew ever so subtly down the street. “Well what the hell am I supposed to do now?..., asked Zian quietly to himself as he ripped the note from the door and crumbled it in his hands. “Come one Yi! This is your chance to take a break, we deserve a break from all of the hard labor that uncaring prick forces us to do![/i], sneered his small little voice in his head. Yi strained his face in response, slightly biting his lip. “You’re wrong, Mr. Zhung is a nice man, he gave me work!”, retorted Yi as he started to walk back to his small single room dwelling.

Yi kept his head low and slightly covered with is shoulders; his hands shoved into the pockets of his black cotton based pants. The sun was beating down on the top of his head as he continued his death march back home. ” But how does he repay us for the work we do?! Shifts lasting into the early hours of the morning! Pitiful wages that barely feed our belly! You work and work Yi, and every night I hear your cries of hunger! I hear you cry of pain from the burnt hands you receive from cleaning red hot boiling pots!”[/i], roared the voice in his head, completely drowning out the sounds of the busy daily life of other Fire Nation citizens. Yi closed his eyes, and fought back the feeling of despair he was filling, the feeling of being dipped into a black empty void.

“You’re right, you are always right… im sorry to have doubted you…”, replied Yi softly and submissively. He knew all too well what would happen If he angered him… A loud echoing laugh rang through Yi’s head. “Good… now... I say we should enjoy ourselves… what do you say for some tea?”, replied the voice arrogantly. Yi nodded slightly in agreement and saw a small tea shop. With a shrug, Yi opened the door and walked in, the smell of countless teas filling his nose.

The sound of the creaking door caught Li Mei's attention. She looked up and spotted the reason for the noise. There was a boy standing there. Li Mei instinctively lowered her head and her eyes scanned the letters she had written. There were only a few other people in there so perhaps he would pick a table far away from her, because for all she knew, he just another person sent by her father to take her back.

She wasn't going back. Her head remained bent over her parchment and she would keep an eye out for any sign of danger.

Yi glanced around the tea house… It seemed humble enough. Like most other Fire Nation restaurants and buildings, there was a lot of red… The rich smell of tea filled his nose; from the mellow smell of many green teas to the more fragrant smell of exotic jasmine and tiger flower teas, they all seemed to combine into on one pungent smell… It would have been better if the teas could be smelled individually…
“Where to sit… where to sit…”, mumbled Yi to himself. Much to his surprise... there was no sarcastic or witty retort from the voice. Yi mentally shrugged it off and glanced around the room. There weren’t that many people in the tea house, leaving many open seats. One person that caught his attention was a girl... or someone he thought was a girl… crouching over the table; a heavy cloaked concealed the figure. With an unintentional rolling of his eyes, Yi snagged a seat towards the back of the restaurant, but within viewing range of the girl. It was after all his duty as a Fire Nation citizen to report suspicious people.

Yi tired his best not to look at the cloaked figure… She did kind of stick out though… but whatever... to eacht his own… He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold piece... just enough for a cup of tea...

Li Mei couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. And she had a sneaking feeling that it was the same boy she had spotted at the restaurant's entrance. Li Mei squirmed nervously in her seat. She had hoped he hadn't noticed her. But this stupid cloak gave her away. Perhaps she should at least remove her hood. Maybe no one would notice how she looked.

She grasped the fabric of her hood and slowly pulled it away from her head. It revealed the beginnings of a dark brown braid that was hidden beneath the rest of the cloak. No one could see her eyes, because she kept them lowered. Maybe now that boy would be less interested in her since she revealed that she was a simple girl. Carefully folding her letter, Li Mei glanced behind her at the boy. Was he still watching her? She wasn't sure, but the moment her tea arrived, she was going to drink it as quickly as possible so she could high tail it out of there.

Soon after Yi sat the gold piece on the table, a waiter immediately came by; his starched maroon uniform caused Yi to shutter slightly. Even though he was proud of being a Fire Nation citizen, he hated all the red.. Before the waiter opened his obviously fake smile to speak, Yi quickly looked up at him and stared into his eyes. “Green tea please…”, spoke Yi firmly, his eyes dead an empty. The waiter wiped the smile off his face and bowed before he quickly left. Deep down, Yi knew he shouldn’t have been so cold... but what could he do? It feels terrible not being whole, forever to carry the feeling that you are not all there… a constant reminder that you are no longer yourself; the feeling of sheer helplessness and never ending despair…

Zian was ashamed that he was think terrible things about people. He glanced over at the figure that now had the hood removed… It was nothing more than a girl about his age. Yi felt ashamed that he judged her so quickly.. More guilt built up in his mind as he lightly tapped his right fingers on his left forearm; the tips of his finger making contact with the hard metallic guards beneath his ironically red long sleeve shirt. He kept his head lowered in shame as he waited for his tea; his mind drifting amongst the collection of scattered thought that coursed its way through his already cramp mind.

Li Mei gathered enough courage to turn and steal a look at the boy sitting behind her. He had lowered his head and was tapping his fingers against his arm. At least he had stopped watching her. Li Mei sighed with relief before the waiter appeared with the jasmine tea she had ordered before starting her letter. She sipped it quietly before turning around and stealing another glance. Still no change. Li Mei silently sighed with relief and sat down her empty tea cup.

The waiter had returned and she carefully counted out the amount he demanded. Then she stood quickly and nearly knocked the table in the process. Her blue eyes traveled to the stranger once more. Hopefully, this little commotion she had caused wouldn't catch his attention. Li Mei walked briskly toward the door. She was heading out into the public. She needed to recover her head. So before she opened the door, she pulled the hood back over her eyes and once again, her face became shrouded in a shadow.

With a gentle push on the door, she disappeared into the sunlight. With a little luck, that boy wouldn't follow. Because if he did, Li Mei was sure she would get into something she wasn't prepared for.

Yi’s lifeless trance was broken by the abrupt sound of a large heavy table forcibly being moved across the hard wooden floor. Yi looked up out of the top of his eyes; his head still lowered in hidden guilt. The blurred figure of the girl was seen felling quickly from the restaurant, appearing to be in a state of sheer horror. Yi lowered his eyes and stared at the top of the table, his mind loss in the intricate pattern of the solid oak that made the table. The pattern was beautiful, weaving in and out and around and around.

It wasn’t long before that waiter returned with Yi’s small cup of tea… a single gold piece... for a measly cup of tea… Yi knew he was a slave to the free market economy... but he didn’t know it was this bad. He thanked the waiter in a meek voice, almost inaudible. When the waiter left with the single gold piece Yi had placed the table, an all too familiar voice chimed into his head, continuing his assault on Yi with his all too expected condescension. Amazing, it only took a single glance at the girl to scare her away in sheer horror!![/i], laughed the voice, making Yi feel lower then he already was. Yi didn’t think that the black abyss he was drowning in couldn’t get any darker than it already was... but such things are always darkest, before they go pitch black… You are worthless Yi!, Doomed to live forever.. ALONE!!!! There is no one out there for you, only me; your one true companion. I am the only one you can trust![/i], added the voice, before it returned to its silence, retreating into the black regions of Yi’s brain, waiting to pounce again.

Yi could feel his heart drop lower and lower as his sadness became stronger and stronger. The voice was right, it was always right, and Yi had no reason to doubt it... With a low, almost silent sigh, Yi downed the small glass of tea and stood up, stretching his fatigued muscles. He hadn’t done a thing... and he was already tired… Keeping his head low and submissive, Yi walked out the door, the sounds of the busy capital rang through his ears, but all that registered was white noise. The voice didn’t like the chit chat of the vulgar weak licentious crowd.

Li Mei gently wiped her brow with her sleeve. It sure was hot under this thing. But her stupid heritage wouldn't allow her to go without it. But could she risk the chance of going without the hood? She hadn't moved far from the tea shop when she noticed the familiar stranger emerging from it as well. Was he following her? Li Mei felt a knot gather in her stomach. Was he working for her father, hired to track her down and drag her back to Ba Sing Se? Li Mei shook her head. She had to stop being such a coward...after all, he was only a man.

Yeah...only a man. But she had to remember that this man looked very strong. And he could very well lash out at her. Gathering what little courage she had left, she marched up to this boy and spoke with a confidence she certainly didn't feel. "Why are you following me?"

Li Mei thought it funny that she couldn' t look him in the eye. Her gaze remained firmly fixed on the ground beneath her boots. But she braced herself, if he was going to lash out at her. Her jaw clenched and she hoped that would lessen the pain.