The merchant's son (open)

" Damn it!" Init thought, as she heard a voice calling for someone. She realized that if she didn't shut the person up soon, she would get caught and arrested. Her eyes quickly scanned the room as she sat, crouched behind the counter of the shop. In the soft moonlight streaming in from outside, she noticed it was a young lad.

" I would stop that if I was you." She whispered. " If you keep yelling like that, they will catch us both."
She figured out at the look on his face, and the fact that he sure could use a clean-up, that he wasn't supposed to be around here too. she raised her voice just a little bit more, loud enough for her to make authority sounds through, but soft enough not to be heard.
" You don't want them to think you're a thief, would you. Looking like that?" She smirked in a rather mean way. " Sneaking around in the dark isn't such a good idea."

Toran froze where he stood. Unfortunatelly, he had already stepped a bit inside the shop, and if that other person was armed with a rifle or a bow - or, even worse, was a bender - he had no chance to get out of here. Fleeing might be a bad idea.
Also the woman - he could hear that she was female - had a point. He looked like a thief.
But then he remembered that most guards already knew him, and those that did not, would also find out who he was soon if he told them. He had nothing to fear from the guards! He was but a lawful citizen who had tried to fulfill his duty!

A fact that he would rather not share with the strange, dark figure, if he did not want to risk being killed. Thieves who dared break into a shop in the upper town were extremely bold. The streets were safe here, there were a lot of guard patrols, and even more citizens who cared if a door stood wide open. Just like the one of this shop. He had pushed it open, but never closed it behind him.

Toran realized that he had done the thief a favour by thinking so long. Shutting up was probably not the best idea in his situation.
Loud enough to be heard outside the shop, if someone stepped by, he asked back: "Why do you even care? You were foolish enough to break into a shop in the upper town. You're asking for trouble big time. If I don't stop you, there's a hundred guards out there that will."

Slowly, he stepped forward, moving his body between the thief and the door. He sounded bold, hiding the small tremble in his voice nicely. He had always been good at playing a smartass. The reason? He was a smartass. But if he was honest, he felt not even half as bold as he sounded. He had had his fair share of beating up today. Every quick move hurt, and frankly, he did not have much of a fight left in him. Also there were not as many guards as he had told her. There were guards, of course, and people, but were they really as caring as he hoped they were?

Breathe, he told himself, breathe deeply. Breath is the key to firebending. If she attacks you, that might be your only hope - your basics. Breathe.

" You can relax." she sighed, as she watched the boy gaining his breath " That firebending isn't going to do you any good. I didn't blast that lock using magic silent bombs." She sighed again " Listen, I was just trying to get some food, and I wouldn't advice you to start a fight. I'm used to sneaking around, and I'll be gone before you can call the guards, after I blasted this place to pieces and then you, young friend, since I assume by the stance and breathing are a firebender, will look like a very, very naughty boy." She smiled widely. She assumed that she had him trapped now.
What made her more sure however, was that the boy looked pretty beat up, now that she had a closer look, and she thought, that with some quick moves, she could easily win a fight and flee, leaving him to sort out the mess she had made.
" So, if you let me go, we both walk out here, free. Or you can try to blast me right now." She looked at the tips of her fingernails. She had no idea how strong the boy could be, but she was a good bluffer. She was a reasonably good firebender, but you couldn't exactly call her extra-ordinary. The problem was that she was in the upper ring, and some of the kids had had some serious firebending training. She assumed a slight stance, waiting for the next move.

He felt trapped. She obviously knew the one trick or the other... but firebending a lock open was not that hard. He could do it, too. Maybe she was just bluffing?

Well, if she was, she was good at it, because he had no idea if she was lying or telling the truth. And if she was not, he would have a real hard time explaining how he had blown up the entire shop. She was right there... he hadn't behaved like the perfect little boy lately. Absolutely not.

He was in trouble anyway... but letting her steal from the Alryks? They were hard-working, simple people who had worked their way up into this ring only slowly. They came from the lower town, he knew that, everyone knew that, and they were only here because they made some of the best bread in the whole Fire Nation Capitol. Even the palace ktichens bought here from time to time.

Also, that woman was lying to him. She'd never just take food, she had probably taken all the money she could find, too. He could not let this happen, this was not right...

His thoughts were rattling in his head, he was unable to decide for a moment, having his conscience screaming in his one ear, with the will to live another day howling in the other one. What was he supposed to do? What would any of the heroes in his stories do?

They would fight. They would risk it all, and fight, but on their own terms.

"Sorry," he heard himself say, "I don't believe you're just taking food and I can't let you get away with this." He thought about shouting at the top of his lungs, but realized that he'd then waste the great breath he had just taken in.
"Leave with empty pockets and I'll forget I ever saw you. Take anything, and I'll have no choice but to fight you."

He, too, tried to bluff and sound as if he was seriously warning her, but this time his voice shook audibly. He tried to get in a defense stance, but he could feel a muscle twitch painfully while he did. If she fought him, this was going to be short, but painful.

She laughed quietly, " You think you could beat me with that pathetic stance." she whispered soft, and it sounded like a true threat. " You couldn't even blast a baby like that" She rolled her eyes. She had lost her patience, and staying here any longer was a serious risk. She figured out that she could just grab some bread and walk out of here. He was a bad bluffer, unlike her.
The boy was clearly trying to be heroic, she however, was not a hero at all. She grabbed a bread, shoved it in one of the large pockets of her coat and started moving towards the door " Go on and blast me than" she whispered meanly " Let's see how much of a hero you really are," she was getting closer and closer. " Hero's don't win fights in real life." She smiled and waited.

She towered up over him, and although he tried to surpress it, Toran gulped. But then it was back, that anger. It flashed through his mind, blinding red, and he tried to shove her back with both hands. She treated him like a child.

They all treated him like a child.

He was NOT a child!

This time, his stance was good, and the fire in his eyes was a real, dangerous one. "Put it back," he, too, now whispered, "last chance:"

All his worries, all his pain, and all his tireness had been washed away. Suddenly he felt strong, fearless, and his heart raced like hell. She wanted a battle? That one she could get!
Toran was still in very bad shape. He was a skinny, exhausted 15-year-old, and if he had not been so furious, he might have run instead of making a stand. If he had been wise, and not so furious, he might have shouted for the guards. But he was not wise. He was not calm.

His blood boiled, cooking in his veins, and the rage burnt in his eyes like actual fire. All his hate towards the kids at school, towards his parents, all his frustration, angst and pain, it all had turned flashing red. He was blindfolded and could hear the drum of his heart in his ears. The thief had just been the last straw to break the camel's back.

"No" She said.
She wasn't going to budge, and she was too stubborn too admit that fighting a 15 year old was absolute madness. But she had decided, she would not back off. She saw the rage in the eyes of the boy. Rage did not feed firebending well she knew. It made your flames bigger, not your technique better.
She looked at him with cold eyes.
" All my life, " she whispered soft and low " I have been pushed around by little brats like you"
She breathed, and smoke circled out of her nose.
" So you better move, right now, or I'll make sure you have a permanent reminder of me."
She was angry, but calm, she knew this anger, she had enough scars to prove it.
She didn't really care if the people would hear her anymore, they would make a terrible mistake by coming down now.
" Move." She simply said, and she tried to push the boy aside.

Laurent had been boredly walking down the street. He decided to take a vacation to the fire nation. Big mistake. It was summertime, and hotter than ever.

"I should have just took a trip to the water tribes, at least they won't melt me."

Then he heard somebody in the house he was walking say "Move."

There was a certain tone to her voice that the Dark Prince didn't like. It sounded angry. Demanding.

So he decided to do some investigation.

Noticing the burnt, broken lock, he felt free to stroll in. Silly fire benders.

When he walked in, only one thing popped in his head.

TALL.

Being 5'3", the young prince was used to looking up at people. But not this much. She was at least a foot taller than him.

He walked up to the girl, who was clearly stealing from this bakery "Well, I didn't know giraffes even ate bread, little alone steal it. I guess you learn something new every day!"

The arrogant dark bender smirked, and crossed his arms, letting his presence known as he let his insult sink in.

She chuckled. " You must be the funniest guy around, but next time you try to insult someone, make sure they can hear you. 'cause at first, I thought there was a mouse trying to talk to me."
The boy was short, she was tall. And he also was the ideal chance for escape. If she started a fight and fled, the short boy would look like a thief and the other boy would look like he destroyed the shop. That seemed like a pretty good solution to her.
The boy was cocky, too cocky for someone of his length, but he didn't seem like a typical firebender too.
She figured out that maybe he was just some high ranked brat from a noble family trying to impress her.
" Well, since you guys aren't going to let me go, I can just as easily burn things up here, can I not? " She smiled and a small flame flickered on the top of her finger as she held her hand up. " Yes, that would make things a lot more fun, wouldn't it?. " And she grinned while flames surrounded her right fist, as she held it close above the counter, close enough too let it look like a threat, far enough so that it didn't catch fire yet.

This was bad. She could not just burn down this shop... or, could she?

Toran knew alot about making fire. But controlling it? That was possible, but more difficult, and while he controlled her flames, she would get away. The boy next to him, that had not even cared to give Toran a second look, might act cocky, but he did not look like a firebender. They were doomed.

"Alright, alright!" he heard himself say. "Listen, don't do this... there are people in this house... on the first floor. You can't just... this is dangerous, stop fooling around like this! This is their home, it's all they own..."
He realized how whiny he sounded, and also that someone who did not respect the property of a loaf of bread would probably also neglect the property of a house.

Not once did it cross his mind now that she might be setting him up, his sole concern were the people up there he had to warn, the people who were just that, people, and who would die if that thief was really so reckless to burn down the shop, and the house with it...