Sleeper Fire-bender

Rain awoke groggily to the sound of someone knocking on the door to his small bedroom. His eyes still not adjusted completely to the light, squinted intensely at the bright sun drifting in through his window. It was higher in the sky than he'd expected. "How can it be this late already?" His window faced another identical house a few feet away. Crowds of citizens walked in front of his house. Dingy merchants stalls littering the streets as possible customers sauntered by, looking at their wares.

He yawned loudly, "No way it's time to get up yet..." Rain let his hands course along the silk sheets and wool blanket that covered him. He regretfully pushed the the blanket and sheets off of him and into a crumpled mess at the end of his simple bed. He rotated his body so that his feet were planted on the wooden floor. He sat up looking around at his room, "Mmm...another few hours of sleep would be great..." His room contained his simple wooden bed with an elegant silk covered mattress. His crumpled sheets lie on top, he would have to make his bed later. The door to the living room stood directly in front of where he was. His wall had one Earth Kingdom flag hanging, something his Father had insisted be put on his wall. Rain didn't really care, as far as he was concerned; this room was just for sleeping and changing clothes. He had almost nothing else in here save for an ornate mahogany dresser with an Earth Kingdom Green cloth draped over. Inside were his various outfits, most of which were casual Earth Kingdom attire. On top of his dresser were his two daggers, gifts from his father on his 16th birthday. Rain stood up slowly, hearing his legs crack with the sudden movement. He walked over, still a little wobbly to his dresser a few feet away.

He looked over his daggers with a slight gleam in his eyes. They were simple and average in quality, but they were a truly pleasant gift. The blade of the daggers curved giving it a more exotic look. The hilt cross patterned with black and yellow diamonds. Rain finally looked at his door and began walking towards it. He slid it open slowly, listening to the sound of the wooden frame sliding across the groove. He walked through, closing it behind him so his parents wouldn't see his messy bed. He lazily walked to the bathroom, preparing the bath water. Once hot enough he stripped of his simple night-time attire of a white shirt and silk pants. He climbed into the hot bath and relaxed. Placing his hands behind his head and leaning against the bath he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. A voice within his head, his conscious, forced him to open his eyes and finish up the bathing.

He quickly washed his shaggy, medium length light brown hair. His smooth, pale, white skin seemed radiant. Upon finishing his bath, he grabbed a towel that hung on a bar nearby. He climbed out the bath and began drying himself. Water droplets fell to the floor, creating small puddles. Upon completely drying he looked at the mirror that hung from the wall nearby. His hair lie flat, still a little wet from the bath. It lay low covering his left eye the other stared back with a vacant look. The green iris shimmered from the lanterns hung along the wall. Rain left the bathroom and walked back to his bedroom. He opened his dresser drawers staring at the various shirts and pants that awaited him inside. He picked out a silk shirt with a large Earth Kingdom green stripe that cut straight down the middle. The rest of the shirt was a creamy white, light and a bit loose. He admired his handiwork at cutting off the annoying sleeves and leaving behind a small enough amount that covered his shoulders. His father probably wouldn't be too pleased about it, but it was so much more comfortable this way. He changed into the shirt and grabbed a pair of baggy, cream, silk pants. He strapped on his sandals as well.

Upon leaving the room he glanced at a small mirror he'd hung up in his room. His hair had almost completely dried, naturally parting slightly to the left and bangs still hanging low. His ears and back of his neck were almost completely obscured by his thick hair. He could see the very tip of his upper chest and shoulders. He noted his thin appearance, his metabolism always seemed to be on the rise. At least he was a normal height for his age.

He tore away his gaze from his reflection and began walking out the door when he felt a familiar feeling buzz through his brain. The feeling like he'd forgotten something. A sudden realization came to him and he rushed back into this room and strapped his twin daggers to his pants. He'd had them for over a year and a half and he still had trouble remembering to bring them when working. It was important to always have something to defend yourself with when in the merchants business. Lest you be robbed and unable to defend yourself. Rain ran through his doorway back to the living room. Gazing briefly at the green pillows in a small circle around the room. Six pillows altogether, one for himself, his mother and father, two sisters and one brother. In the middle of the assortment of pillows was a small table with an ornate decorated pot in which tea was brewed quite often.
He yearned to drink some now, but it would have to wait until he helped set up shop with his father. His mother was probably running around the rest of the house, getting his two younger sisters and baby brother ready for their schooling.

Rain opened the door that led outside and walked out, sliding the door closed behind him. The sun could immediately be felt bearing down hard, despite it being late September. "I thought it was supposed to become colder come Fall and Winter." He brought his right hand up to shield his eyes from the bright sun. He glanced around, noticing the hustle and bustle of life in Ba Sing Se. People always walked around the streets, doing various errands or shopping. And he so happened to the live right next to the merchant district. "Coincidence that we are a merchant family and live so close, I think not." He passed through a crowd of middle class, blending in and looking around at the various merchants stalls. The smells of delectable meat hung in the air, Rain's stomach growled.

He kept walking a for a few minutes, passing by the crowded residential area. He came to his Father's stand, looking at the various trinkets and curios. Rain nodded when he saw his Father, he rubbed some sleep away from his eyes. His Dad was in his early forties, almost completely bald, with a large grey beard, kind brown eyes, and a round belly. He was wearing his typical Earth Kingdom attire as well. His Father, Xiang Alistair greeted him from across the stall.

"I knocked on your door close to 45 minutes ago. What took you so long to get here, I could really use your help."
Rain shrugged and gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I guess I was just tired; I got up as soon as I heard the knocking though."
Xiang brought his hand to his beard stroking it and wrapping it around his fingers. "Well no matter, you're here now. Now, how about managing the shop for a bit while I look at our competitors." Xiang didn't give his son time to react as he began walking off.
Rain sighed but didn't complain, I hate watching the store...nothing fun ever happens. And I hate when people want to chat and I have to pretend to be friendly...

Rain sat behind the stall, slouching in the wooden stool his father had been sitting in. Surrounding him were strange objects, bison whistles, golden statues, strange artifacts that Rain didn't have a name for; you name it. Rain sat and waited patiently on his Father, I grow weary of this life. How can I be expected to one day take over this shop if I hate working here? Rain didn't have the heart to tell his Dad no though. After all his Father had built the stall from the ground up.

An hour passed by in the surprisingly hot day. The sun stretched further along the sky, the shadows shrunk as the sun dwelled straight overhead. Rain was starting to get drowsy, his eyes began to grow heavy. He had his cheek resting on his fist. Rain noticed from a few feet away that a man was approaching all the stalls and talking with the owners. Oh great, he's probably going to come here. The man was dressed in bright yellow robes and a traditional straw hat that hid a lot of the man's facial features. On his back was a black backpack, from which he pulled scroll after scroll as he conversed with the various shopkeepers. Rain saw them pull a few silver pieces to buy the items. Could they be bending scrolls, if so they'll sell extremely quickly. I might have to buy them in order to help Dad make a profit. Even if I don't want to... Rain stood up from his stool and waited for the man to eventually approach.

The man gave a kind smile beneath his straw hat. He spoke up in a foreign accent. It was a provincial tune, yet he spoke it eloquently and with a friendly pitch. "Hello there, would you happen to know where the owner of this stall is?"
Rain replied, "My father is the owner, I'm watching the store for him. How can I help you?"
The stranger bowed, "Ah, very nice to meet you. Anyway I'm here to sell you something that could be extremely valuable to you."
Rain brought his hands to his chin, feeling the small stubble that was growing in. "Oh, well I suppose I can take a look." Rain knew the tricks to bartering after years of experience and watching his Father work. The trick was to act like you didn't care. Pretending to be busy with other work and speaking in a dull monotone usually did the trick. Luckily, despite his anti-social persona; Rain was skilled at bartering. He began rearranging the products displayed in the stall. He shined a golden statue while the stranger talked.
The stranger smiled politely and reached into his backpack. The young shopkeeper made sure to keep an eye on the stranger in-case he tried anything. The stranger pulled out a scroll, "I have here a large collection of scrolls that depict your family tree. Knowing your roots can mean knowing yourself. How would you like to learn the secrets of your roots?"
Rain listened, his interest piqued by his offer. Rain actually didn't know much about his family, other than they'd lived in Ba Sing Se for generations. Other than that he assumed his family was just another boring bunch of shopkeepers. He'd never looked into his family's history before. "Well now, our family name is Alistair. I suppose I could take a look if you wouldn't mind showing me."

The scroll salesman undid the shoulder straps for his pack and began searching through while mumbling, "Alistair, Alistair" After a few minutes he seemed to find it and gave an "Aha. He pulled out the scroll and handed it to Rain. The young teenager took it in his hands and unrolled it. The parchment felt coarse on his hands, it was probably as old as he was. The first thing he noticed about it was at the bottom was his name. His brothers and sisters weren't on the list though. Perhaps they haven't done a census since they were born. That would make the scroll at least 10 years old. "Sorry I have to ask, but how did you obtain these?"

"Our royalty is sponsoring me to sell these to the entire world. Half of my earnings go straight to taxes." Rain nodded in understanding, he took his gaze back down to the scroll. Unfamiliar names were at the top in a different color than the majority of the other names. Rain laid the scroll down on the stall and pointed. "Why are these names in red while mine is green?"
The salesman replied with a chirp, "The color of the ink the names are written in corresponds to what nation that person is from. Green being Earth Kingdom, Red being Fire Nation, etc."
Rain gave the man a quizzical look, "And how far back does this date?"
"A majority of these date back up to 20 years before Fire Lord Zuko was crowned.
"That would indicate a strong possibility that my family may have been firebenders. But no stories of that kind have ever been passed down. I've never heard before that my family can bend any of the elements."
"I guarantee you these scrolls are 100% genuine and accurate. So how about it will you purchase the scroll?"
Rain thought long and hard, It may be worth my while to do a little digging into this. Rain smiled back, "Sure, will 3 silver pieces do?"
"Make it 5 and we have a deal" the salesman was smart.
"5 it is then" Rain dug into his personal money pouch and counted out the coins. He was lucky, he had just the right amount to pay.

The two exchanged coin and scroll. The salesman smiled, "I do hope you enjoy your purchase. If you don't mind me saying, I recommend you speak with your family about the scroll and see if they can help piece together any questions you may have." The man smiled and began walking to another stall nearby. Rain continued gazing at the scroll, waiting for his Father to return. After another 10 minutes or so his Father walked up, he seemed to be in his usual default mood.
Xiang: "Hey how did things go, did you sell anything?"
Rain looked up from the scroll, "We didn't get any customers, but I did get ahold of this." Rain turned the scroll around so his Father could read it. "Did you know we have generations of Fire Nation in our blood?"
His father sighed, "I'd heard little stories like that from your great grandparents but I never thought it to be true. Is this a family history tree of some sort?"
"It is, the salesman promised me it was 100% genuine and that he was being sponsored by royalty."
Xiang nodded in thought, "Hmm well if our family does indeed have Fire Nation blood that would explain your Mother's passion!"
Rain rolled his eyes, "You would say something like that just to mess with me wouldn't you?"
His father laughed, "Come on let's close up early today since the fish aren't biting."
Rain happily agreed and they began boxing up the products on display. Once completely packed they carried boxes on a small wooden cart back. Being the younger of the two, Rain had to pull it back himself while his father followed next to him.
The sun was still high in the sky when they arrived back, the streets still spurring with life. Rain's father looked around before going inside the house. "You should go find your friends and have some fun. Maybe try to find that salesman again so you all can learn about your ancestors."
"I think I will Dad, thanks, I'll see you later then."

The two departed with smiles on their faces. Rain looked down at his palms, wondering about his possible Fire-bending blood that flowed inside him. He went to find the rest of his friends, who were probably with their families working like he had been. He'd be lucky if any of them would be able to get away from family to hang out. Oh well, if they can't I'll find something to do. Rain realized he'd been holding onto the family tree scroll the entire time while walking. He tucked it into a pocket in one of his robes.

Rain ran happily past the rows of houses. He looked left and right for signs of his friends. The place he was going was a tea shop called the Jasmine Dragon. A catchy name, it had apparently been invented long ago by a famous tea enthusiast. It started off as one small restaurant and grew and grew. Eventually becoming a very famous place to enjoy many different teas. Rain rather liked their tea, it was on an occasion he'd spent relaxing and drinking tea in that very restaurant that he'd met one of his closest friends.

Zhaolin was son of the current owner of the Jasmine Dragon. He enjoyed his work thoroughly and always gave Rain a good deal on whatever he drank. Rain walked into the elegant restaurant. Looking around at the many booths, filled with joyous customers. He could hear the murmur of many people talking excitedly, the caffeine was obviously working. Rain scoured the crowd for the Zhaolin. The boy was of average height and build, but his bright blonde hair stuck out easily. Rain spotted him carrying tea, he walked over once he was finished serving the customers. "Excuse me, I'd like 400 cases of your Jasmine Tea, please make it fast." Zhaolin turned around, apparently shocked by the sudden order. His eyes wide at first relaxed and he put on a little smirk. "I should have known it's you, what's up?"

Rain smiled, his eyes relaxed and his voice with its usual calm composure. "You should get off work, right now, so we can hang out." Zhaolin pursed his lips, "Sorry I won't be able to, Dad needs my help today." "You sure, come one the Jasmine Dragon will be ok for one night without you." "He really does need me today, he's not feeling well and I'm managing shop today."

Rain sighed, "Well...alright then, good luck and hopefully see you later." Rain bid farewell and walked out the tea shop. He visited his other friends, all of them engrossed in their work. "Bah, is today Let Your Kid Manage The Shop Day, or something?" Rain shuffled back home, bored with nothing to do. I suppose I could do some home research on my ancestors. I'd be more interested in these Fire Nation relations as well. Rain walked back home, it was still quite early in the day. Only about 2pm, Rain didn't greet his parents. Instead he walked past into their small study. He called it a study but it was more like a small room with one bookcase and a desk. It was always dark save for a candle he kept lit on the desk.

Rain opened his family scroll, glancing over the many names. The ones in red stood out, who had they been? Sadly, he had no way of pursuing the information further. If only there existed a place where I could gather the information on them. A sudden knock on the door made him jump. He called out, "Come in." His Mother leaned halfway in, "What are you doing in such a dark and gloomy room?" She was in her forties, she stood taller than most girls at about 5'8. Her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a large sage green dress, a typical one she usually wore.

Rain held up the scroll he'd bought. "It lists are family up to around 700 years ago. According to it, we were related to the Fire Nation, quite possibly even Firebenders." "Well that's interesting I suppose, will you be eating a late lunch?" "Yeah Mom" his Mother left him to his thoughts. Seems like neither of them really care for our history.

Rain's thoughts drifted to firebending, had it been a genetic trait he shared with them? His eyes wandered to the dancing candle that burned on the desk. Rain focused his thoughts and energy on the white candle. He waved his right hand and flicked his wrist. His thoughts focused on making the flame larger. He could feel some sort of energy flowing through him. It felt intoxicating, could he truly be a firebender? He couldn't see any visible results with the firebending. He tried and tried hoping that he just needed practice. His body was pouring energy yet he couldn't see any results of his efforts? Was it possible he actually wasn't a firebender? Sadness began to run through his mind. I...just wanted to find something about myself that I didn't know. And yet...I'm stuck to forever be a merchant. But I don't want this life, I want to DO something. I want to BE somebody! Rain's sadness began turning to anger. Why couldn't I have been blessed with a body that could bend?! Why?! I'm stuck forever haggling with traders and selling junk! The flame of the candle began to move wildly. Rain was too engrossed with his anger to notice.

The flame grew higher and higher, the intensity of the heat also rose. Rain eventually noticed and began to panic. The flames were only fueled further by his emotions. It was starting to go out of control. "No stop, you have to stop!" Rain tried to control the fire with bending but this only caused the flames to fan out. Rain abandoned the idea and ran out the room. He sprinted to a nearby room, grabbed a load of blankets and ran back to the study. He threw the blankets on the flames, quickly extinguishing their air supply. He patted the flames down to ensure they didn't burn through the blankets. Eventually the task was done and he was left with waxy and charred blankets. He sighed, he should have experimented with firebending outside. He looked down at his hands, Was that truly me?