The Lost Spirit

The Lost Spirit, Book One: Raava

   Book One: Raava

Episode one/two: The Jet Heist

Rei, East side of the Republic Branch, about eight hours outside of Republic City.

"Are you kidding me? This one looks like a stickman with no arms!" Aya declared, glaring at the recent paint job.

Tai, whose artwork it was, shot her an irritated glance while quickly shaking his can of spray paint. Rei stood beside them with her arms crossed, wondering how these two always had the energy to annoy each other. Bato, being the ethical type, stood nervously behind her, making no comments as usual.

The four of them gawked at it together, clumped in the shade of a cobblestone alleyway that backed a run-down general store. It was an unusually sunny day for Spring, at least in the Republic Dominion. The afternoon air was brisk, yet the sunlight gave them a steady blanket of soft warmth that was unknown to them during the winter. Rei was pleased with the subtle shift. She knew that things were going to start changing, and the weather had to be a sign.

Tai finished spray painting the characters that read "Stand up to the Man", then rapidly stashed the paint cans and stencils away in his camo bag.

He admired the symbol. "That should be the last one for the day," He sighed."These people need to wake up, and this should definitely get the message across."

"Or, it will alert the Dominion and they will track us here." Aya stated, exaggerating the movement of putting her hand on her hip. "Has that thought ever come across your thick skull?"

Tai gave her a sideways smirk. "I told you, they'll have a hard time tracking us after tonight." He looked at Rei and gave her a wink. She felt her cheeks heat up in retaliation. 

It was easy to tell how long Tai had been on the streets for. Definitely longer than the rest of them. His hair was less kept than before, the short spikes at the top slightly drooped downward and it took on this unusual dusty colour that she wasn't sure was always there. He had numerous old scars on the sides of his cheek and jaw, not to mention that the precious bandana he kept around his neck was no longer the silky white colour that it would have started in. Regardless, he was still the same cocky rebel she had fallen for.

Tai was the only person, aside from her mother, that was willing to stand up to the Dominion. He was powerful, and he had connections, so meeting Tai was easily the best thing to happen to Rei in a long time. With him, they finally decided that they weren't going to take this lying down. They were going to fight. Together.

Aya leaned back against the stone. "I'm just concerned with Rei's safety at this point. Aren't we being a little reckless by putting her on display?"

Tai tiscked. "The mission is completely full proof. Trust me. Plus, you think I would put Rei's life at risk? What kind of man would I be?" He put his arms around Rei and gently squeezed her against him.

Aya didn't answer back, looking to Bato who offered no help. After a long pause, Rei spoke up. "Guys remember what we're here for. This is bigger than all of us. A chance to really change things" Tai and Bato nodded in agreement. Aya just slouched and glanced toward the ground.

"Well, we can't start on an awkward note, can we?" Tai shouted. "Let's all forget our differences and focus on the plan ahead. On three. Ready?" He and the others put their hands on top of each other. "One, two...TEAM VAATTU!!!"

"Shut up!" yelled a groggy voice from the dumpster behind them. Tai looked back at the dumpster, then turned to faced the group. He shrugged.

***