Chapter Text
Before leaving my apartment, I change out of my robes. The air nomad robes I’ve grown accustomed to wearing ever since our first raid on an abandoned air temple, where we salvaged what was left from the ruins. The air robes may be comfortable for me, but I know I cannot afford to wear them. It would be entirely too conspicuous Ia Jan, someone who is pretending to be an Earthbender, to use Earthbending while in an Air Nomad’s clothing. There are those sorts of people, the type that think the lost cultures are so interesting, who usually wind up caring uncomfortably much about blending in with the culture of a different nation. It would be unfortunate to be placed in the same category.
For that reason, I carefully remove my Air Nomad robes, folding them on top of my bed and sticking them in a drawer. I pull out from my satchel some wrinkled, but vaguely presentable, Earth Nomad outfit. It draws a lot of inspiration from the Air Nomads, where the Air Nomads were dressed in bright yellows the Earth Robe instead has a dark green and a tan in place of the red. Some Nomads wear an additional undershirt during the colder winter months, and the robe is tied together with a golden red sash.
Now changed, I look around my minimally furnished apartment. It is lacking all of the comforts of the modern world which have been described to me, but more importantly, it had no food in it! I can’t live off of spirituality and spirit world food alone, Dad! And so, I went out in search for some food to eat… and maybe bring a bit back to store for later, but no more than I know I will eat. So, I wonder around Republic City, seeing its glory and witnessing its horrors for the first time. In the Central Park I see well-dressed families playing together, laughing gayly, unconcerned with the state of the homeless and less fortunate around them. And in the more prosperous regions of the city proper, filled with the hustle and the rush of a metropolitan lifestyle, bandits appeared.
They arrived in an exquisite, ornamented car clearly meant to boat their wealth and fortune in life to all around them. The hood had a jade ornament on it, and the outside of the Satomobile was not the plain cheaper frame, but one of a dancing pattern of reds and golds, working together to create an artwork of a dragon’s head surrounded by fire. Absolutely disgusting. For what reason could anyone ever have to spend money on something such as this. Coming out of the car were three men, each well-dressed and of a different color. The man dressed in red and black, stepped out and approached the owner of what looked like an antiques shop?
I can’t hear his words, but he gestures to the shop with a frown on his face and flames spark up from his fingertips. The shopkeeper’s face fills with fear, and relieves my confusion. We shan’t depend on others for our food and our water, but yet shall we not turn to theft and crimes against other either. Only through restraint and reformation of those who wish each other harm, and a dependence on the values of the community shall we create an ethical society. I run up to him and enter a lunge to throw a stair of earth at the man just as a trickle of flame leaves his hands towards the innocent.
“You ok sir!?” I shout out at the shopkeeper. He nods hesitantly. The Firebender scowls at me,
“You best get going little girl. I’ll take it under advisement to let you off the hook this time, but you’re in Triple Threat territory right now, so you ought to think about your position in the world.” His grin turns perverse and menacing at my inaction, and the man in blue gestures to his comrades.
“Ping, Mushi, lets put her in the hospital.” The Waterbender mutters at his comrades.
“So. Overconfident!” I stomp the ground to push up a floating wall the side with the Water and Earthbender, shielding myself from any aerial attacks for a few seconds. The Firebender punches flames at me, running up to me, lighting his legs on fire. He switches into a cartwheel and then lowers his center of mass towards the ground to sweep at my legs. “Heh, dirty.”
I dodge out of the way, jumping back, and pull the wall I had pulled up onto him. The incoming blast of water from the Waterbender softens the earth and turns it to mud. Before he can escape from the softer, less restraining material, I Bend the Earth around him to firm up and encase him, bringing in some extra from the ground he laid on to supplement. “One down, two to go” I taunt at them.
The Earthbender steps into a horse stance and rises several rows of stone barriers from the ground, flinging them at me. Instead of dodging, I create a bump under the path of the first barrier, and push back on it, using the counter force to topple the oncoming attack. Leaping onto the pile of rubble between us to charge at the duo, the Waterbender takes a shot at me with a water whip. Refusing to block it, I run through it and get buffeted back badly, but am able to launch him into his Earthbender friend, knowing them both over and sealing it with another cascade of earth.
I freeze at the sound of sirens coming closer. Yeah so much for not being conspicuous, Korra. You just took out a gang in plain sight. Their bending was pretty subpar but the average citizen can’t do that! … Probably? As I struggle with my internal worries, the police of Republic City arrive on the scene. Looking at the mess, I think it was pretty clear I was the responsible for much of the damage.
“Hello! We’re going to need to ask you some questions.”
“Uhhhhhhhh….” Shit I don’t have any documentation. Legally speaking, I didn’t even enter this city. What am I supposed to say? One half of my mind rages while I calm myself No. It will be ok. Corrupt though law enforcement may be, by virtue of their responsibility to uphold laws regardless of morality, I’ve studied the various legal codes of the four empires. I know how to protect myself, and with witnesses around they can’t afford to blatantly violate the rights they give me. “What can I do for you officer?”
“Were you involved in this brawl?” He asks,
“They attacked first.” I reply.
“I.. see…” He says. Theres a scowl on his face, but without any evidence that I wasn’t performing self-defense, he could not force me to come with him.
He lets me leave, but I can still feel his gaze boring into me as a walk away, headed to the next destination: the Pro-Bending Arena.