Koete ↠ Sokka

Chapter 2: Omashu - Part 1

The walk to the gate of Omashu was peaceful after she'd been transported just before the winding trail. Charlie wracked her brain for the aliases the gaang used as she travelled towards the city.

"I know it starts with a 'p'," she muttered to herself, tapping her finger on her chin. Pippen—something, she recalled. "They couldn't have chosen something more memorable?" Her palms were sweaty by the time she reached the guards, worried she'd come this far just to be turned away. Charlie took a deep breath as she approached guards and faked an expression of innocence.

"State your business," one of the guards ordered, shadowing her with his height.

"Um, my name is—" By some luck, the name had slipped out naturally. "Ja Li Pippenpaddleopsicopolis!" The guards shared a glance, recognizing the strange family name. "I believe my grandad and cousins passed by not too long ago?" She smiled at them, her eyes wide.

"You're awfully far behind them," the other claimed, narrowing his eyes under his wide-brimmed hat.

"Oh, you know how forgetful the elderly can be. I stopped for a breather and when I looked up, they were gone." Charlie threw her hands up for dramatic effect. There was a moment of silence before she dropped her arms awkwardly.

"Hm," the guards shared another look. "Well, it's not as if that's a common family name. Just make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble, he seems like the rowdy type."

Charlie chuckled out, "You have no idea," in response, thanking them as she walked through the gate. She was in awe by the beauty of earth bending as the guards barely broke a sweat to open and close what looked like a few yards of solid rock. The whole city was alive with people who used sheer will-power—alongside the ability to earthbend—to move the heavy material. For a moment, Charlie paused, thinking about how she could possibly manage to find the three in the city. It wasn't long before Charlie was able to zero in on her target—the cabbage man.

"Hello there! Would you like to buy a cabbage?" the cabbage man announced, proudly holding up one of his cabbages with both hands as she walked past casually, feigning interest. "They're the best in the city." He smiled at her in a way that was supposed to make him seem trustworthy. Charlie couldn't help the smirk that began to form on her lips. She strolled over to him and immediately got to work.

"Best in the city? My master wanted the best cabbages money could buy, so I'll have to make sure they'll pass his inspection first," she prattled off, circling the somewhat flimsy wooden cart and humming obnoxiously. At first, the cabbage man let her be and allowed her to peruse his collection. Charlie fell into a sort of pattern, where she'd pick up a cabbage, hold it close to her eyes and stare at it for at least a minute before muttering a perfunctory sound of distaste and inspecting another cabbage the exact same way. She threw in the occasional sniff, being sure to make a less-than-appealing face in response. At one point, she even tested his patience by ripping off a cabbage leaf and crushing it in her hand, to, "Hear the crunch and check if it's fresh." After that one, seeing the cabbage man's expression was a reward of its own. But when five minutes turned into twenty-five, he'd very quickly lost what remained of his patience.

"Hey, are you just going to look, or are you buying? I don't have time for your games," he complained, crossing his arms and giving her a look that wasn't appreciated. Charlie had to think quickly of a name that was powerful enough to shut the man up and let her annoy him in peace.

"Hm," she hummed, lifting her chin to stare down at him. "I'll be sure to let Master Beifong know how kind you were to allow me to shop at your stand." Charlie smirked at his expression of genuine shock. She knew that, yes—she was technically threatening his business, even if it was an empty threat. She didn't care though.