Wandering Firebender

Thirty Nine: The Kyoshi Warrior

It was late afternoon in the Earth Kingdom now. Sitting outside during his work break, Elio looked up at the sky and saw overcast clouds were beginning to roll in. It definitely was going to rain soon; possibly even a storm.

"Hey, Elio. I've got a really important delivery for you today. It's in the Upper Ring again." Mr. Fo said as Elio came back in from his break. Elio's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"Oh really, again? I wasn't expecting that!"

"Me neither. Wait until you hear who the client is...the Earth King himself." Mr. Fo revealed. Elio's eyes widened when he realized what his boss was saying.

"You serious? You're kidding, right?"

"Usually I would be, but this time I'm serious. So from what I hear, it seems the story is that the Earth King has had some kind of a change of heart. He wants to experience what his kingdom has to offer. So he's placed an order from that really good barbecue place on 83rd."

"Ohh yeah, I've been there! Sri and I were there just a few days ago." Elio recalled with a chuckle.

"Yes. So you will take the food to the train station and ride it all the way to the Upper Ring. One of his escorts will meet you at the station. Just follow his instructions when you get there, okay?" Mr. Fo instructed carefully.

"Yeah, understood. Mr. Fo, are you sure you want me to handle this delivery? This is really big and important." Elio pointed out, hesitant to take on such responsibility on behalf of his boss' company. However, Mr. Fo insisted that he do it.

"Elio, you're the most reliable guy I've got. Don't let me down, kid, alright?"

"Y-Yes, sir! You can count on me! I'm heading to 83rd right now!" Elio nodded, heading outside to La.

"Take the saddle with the basket attached! And a hood for the rain!" Mr. Fo called back to him.

"Right! Yeah!" Elio spun around and went back in to grab both items. He put on the thick gray hood garment as he came back out to La and attached the saddle to her, "Let's go, baby. We got a big delivery."

Elio rode over to 83rd and promptly picked up the special order for the Earth King as well as the attached pass to access the Upper Ring. He took them both to the train station and sat in the very back of the train. He nervously stared out the window.

It already made him nervous to be returning to the Upper Ring after his last incident with the Dai Li, how he'd nearly gotten into trouble. But this time, he was indirectly dealing with the Earth King. He needed to make sure that he didn't screw things up with the king's escort.

He could only hope that someone nice was waiting for him at the station.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the train arrived in the Upper Ring just as the afternoon was beginning to bleed into the evening. Elio got up and led La by the reins. He kept his other hand on the basket attached to the saddle so the food would remain steady.

When he stepped out, he realized he was the only one left on the train.

It was a little off-putting, stepping out into an empty train station. However, it wasn't completely empty. One person was indeed waiting for him: a girl with a black umbrella. He saw her and his eyes widened with recognition as he approached her.

"I didn't realize that the Earth King had Kyoshi Warriors for escorts now." He commented. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she tilted her head as she stared at him. Her shocked expression lasted only a few moments before she smiled sideways at him.

"I didn't realize that our reputation would precede us." She said in response. She spoke with a smooth, crisp voice that seemed somehow familiar to Elio. He couldn't quite place it though because it had been a long time since he'd seen any Kyoshi Warriors.