Defiance ❯ Atla

ɪɪɪ. ᴛʜɪᴇᴠᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀɪsᴏɴᴇʀs

༻࿇༺

"You kids get back here this instant!" Those are the first words twins Li Kun and Lin hear when they wake up in the morning and the last before they go to sleep at night. 

In all the Earth Kingdom, no one pair causes more trouble than Lin and Li Kun. The sun has only just risen, and already they've knocked off one lowly cabbage cart, a few fruit stands, evaded confrontation with the authorities on six occurrences, and it's a pretty good day for panhandling suckers too. They make it through three little villages by mid day (their motto is travel fast and travel often), setting up shop in a quaint little town just outside of Omashu -- the city is a day's walk or so away, Li Kun thinks. 

Lin wants to test out their new and improved wheeled shoes (it's the fifth remodel they've done since last winter). Li Kun's distracting the owner of one small stand among many in this quiet little market -- the boy could really talk up a storm if he gets the chance, it's why he's always the diversion. "-- and did you know badger-moles can see by feeling around in the dirt?" he tells the owner of the stand. "Something about being the first Earth benders. I'm not a bender myself, but I still think that's pretty cool, don't you?" 

The shopkeep (Li Kun calls him Goat in his head, because he's got a long, white beard that reminds him of the goat-pig he kept as a pet when he was three) is less than enthused with his antics, his eyes lifeless and dull; but the old man still doesn't see Lin when she sneaks up behind him. He doesn't notice her, at first, when she reaches up to snatch a few things off his cart, his full attention on Li Kun in front of him. "Look, son, if you're not going to buy anything --"  

"Oh, I don't have any money to buy anything," Li Kun confesses with a shake of his head. He flashes Goat a wide grin -- it's meant to portray innocence, but Lin says he can't pull it off. His smile's too crooked, and his eyes are too devous -- there's a certain spark in those small, russet irises that can only mean trouble. It gives it all away, makes it obvious he's up to something. And if that doesn't do it, it's the way his tawny hair is so disheveled. It sticks out in all sorts of directions -- left, right, straight up. Lin's tried to tame it before, but like Li Kun himself his hair is much too stubborn. What's more, he just looks like he's up to no good. His poor posture, the way his fingers never stopped moving, how his legs were so twitchy, itching to move, ready to run at a moment's notice. The boy is mischievous straight to his core. 

Goat narrows his dull brown eyes in a silent demand: turn out your pockets. Li Kun obeys, but he can't stop the grin that's begun forming. "I'm not stealing anything." He leans on the cart, in part to look cool but also to peak around the thing and see if Lin's got her wheeled shoes ready. She's busy strapping them on, the bag of stolen goods already slung over her shoulders. "It's my sister you have to watch out for. She's the one with sticky fingers." 

There's a brief moment of confusion that flickers over the old man's face; then Lin is slipping out from under him, zipping by at unbelievable speed. She propels herself with the edges of the cart, shoots downhill. Li Kun jumps, pumping his fists in the air, crying out in excitement. It actually works this time! He can't believe how fast Lin's going. His pride is short lived, however, as Goat starts rounding the cart. Li Kun bolts, sprinting after his sister. Both twins are cackling madly as the shopkeep shouts at them to come back with his stolen property; they laugh hard as Lin nearly runs over a group of women trying to walk through the street. The women scatter in all directions, like a group of deer-cats. Perhaps, it's unkind, and perhaps stealing is wrong, especially when the victim of the theft is an honest, hard working man… But that's life on the streets. They have to steal what they eat or else they would starve. Nothing personal. That's what Li Kun always tells himself anyway, that they have no choice.