Inner Peace - LOK fanfic

Republic City Hustle

It was a bright early morning, and El was in the gardens training with Opal again while Pichi was snoozing not far from them. 

"Stay light on your feet", El instructed as the girls circled each other, streams of air following their movements. "Flow, like the wind...That's it."

The girls continued circling each other for a few more minutes before coming to a stop, bowing to each other. 

"You're good for someone who just started a few days ago." El complimented as the two sat down beside where Pichi was still happily sleeping. 

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you" Opal smiled before reaching down to scratch Pichi behind her chipped ear. The lemur purred contently in her sleep. "Say, can I ask you something? How did Pichi get that chip on her ear? Was she born with it?" 

Elira smiled slightly, looking down at her pet."No, she got into a fight with another animal. Kind of a long story." 

Opal looked intrigued, which made El chuckle a little. 

"I was 14, and a few days after I'd first found Pichi", She began to explain, "I'd returned home to the city and was eager to introduce her to the boys..."

*

It was a beautiful but relatively normal day in Republic City. An old woman exited a store, her arms filled with grocery bags which she was struggling to carry, unaware that she was being watched. From around the corner, Mako, looking to be about 15 years old, began following behind her, eyeing the blue purse hanging from her arm.

Glancing over into a side alley, Mako nodded to his younger brother, hidden in the shadows. Bolin winked back at him, getting ready to spring into action. Neither was aware of a certain little airbender watching them from atop one of the buildings with an amused smile.

The old woman kept walking when Mako suddenly charged past her, grabbing her purse as he did so.

"Hey, come back here!" She yelled as she dropped all her groceries.

Bolin quickly ran up to her. "Don't worry. I'll catch him."

Bolin chased after Mako, following him into another side alley and out of sight of the old woman.

"Give it back, you dirty thief", He demanded before earthbending the ground so a decent-sized rock shot up.

"Hey! I stole that fair and square," Mako shot back, tossing Bolin the purse while the younger brother tried not to laugh.

Bolin then earthbent a boulder from the wall and threw it towards Mako, who sent it flying out the alley with a flaming kick.

"Ow! Stop it!" Mako cried, pretending to be hit.

Bolin grinned and kicked a box out of the alley as Mako pretended to groan in pain again.

"Okay, you win!"

With the purse in hand, Bolin "limped" out of the alley panting and back to the old woman who smiled at him.

"Your purse, ma'am", He gasped, pretending to be hurt

"Aren't you a little hero? Here..." The old woman took her purse back and dropped a couple of coins into Bolin's hands. "Let me give you a reward."

Bolin stared at the money in disbelief.

"Two Yuan's, seriously! I risked my life for you!" He huffed before quickly backtracking. "As far as you know."