Kyoshi

From an Earthbender to The Avatar

As Kyoshi grew older, she learnt to be more controlled. She never ran anymore, yet her height meant there was no time lost in getting anywhere. Jaya watched her daughter grow and noticed she seemed to have always lacked an aspect of femininity with her tall frame and increasingly stern face. It was the month after her 11th birthday when Kyoshi first realised that that made her stand out.

“But Miss, the skirts are all too big! They reach the floor and then you can’t walk. Do you have any that fit?” Kyoshi pleaded with her teacher. The green dress reached the floor and had sleeves that Kyoshi thought were squeezing her arms thinner.

“Actually, Miss Kyoshi, you will find that dress is too small,” Kyoshi’s eyes flared open, “and I have sent the seamstress to find a dress from the older girls. It is traditional to wear a full dress on the day of the King’s birthday. It isn’t my fault that you have been away every time the occasion occurred. Now stop complaining; grab a fan and get into line.” Kyoshi muttered curses under her breath as she shuffled over to the tray of fans and grabbed a pair.
“Now, assume the Kakusareta position.” Kyoshi frowned as she pulled a fan over her face, the other facing down from the base of the other. She felt the seam straining. “Kyoshi, neutral face- I can still see your eyes remember.” The Choo sisters giggled.
“Choo, you two too.” Kyoshi snickered. The teacher sighed- this was going to take all day.

“Kyoshi, go to the seamstress to see if she has found a dress yet. Now, Jūji position.” The rest of the girls placed a fan by each shoulder as Kyoshi shuffled out of the room. She shuffled past the boys in the courtyard, performing a ceremonial warrior dance. Daruka was too far away for Kyoshi to catch his eye, so she continued shuffling past. She finally found her way to the seamstress to find her cursing.

“How on earth am I supposed to find a dress for a child when I can’t even have her to try on dresses? It’s not as if I have an entire village worth of girls to dress today! That Mrs Chang will work me to explosion. Come in!” the seamstress shouted.

“Um, I am here to try on a dress as this one is apparently too small.” The seamstress sighed.

“Are you Kyoshi, the child the size of an armadillo-bear cub, as your teacher so eloquently put it?” The older woman rubbed her temples in anticipation of a headache.

“Yes. I was sent here to try on dresses though I suspect it is more likely to my ‘insufferable grumbling and insolent laughing’ as Mrs Chang so eloquently put it the other week.” The seam stress smiled and Kyoshi smiled back.

“Sorry if I was rude- I’m having a bad day. Now, of you go behind that screen and try on one of these.” A bundle of dresses were dumped in Kyoshi’s arms.

“Ok.”

***

It took 3 dresses to find one that fit to both Kyoshi’s and the seamstresses standards. The skirt had to be pinned to stop Kyoshi falling over.

“Ok, I’m guessing you haven’t had much time to practice the positions today have you?” Kyoshi shook her head.
“Kakusareta?” Kyoshi instantly formed the position. “Jūji?” again, Kyoshi jumped into the position. “Kamakiri?” Kyoshi snapped the fans shut, assumed the arms of horse stance and opened her fans facing down. “To fan?” Kyoshi flipped the fans and fanned her face slightly.

“I know them all, Mrs Chang just doesn’t know that. I’m going to show them all up when she thinks I’ll be behind everyone else!” Kyoshi grinned. “I have to go now, thank you so much.” Kyoshi turned and strode out of the seamstresses makeshift office. Kyoshi walked to the courtyard where the rest of the girls stood lined up to have their makeup done. A white face with a calm blue over the eyes, outlined in black. On the other side of the courtyard, the boys applied their own war paint- red stripes with black slashes. Kyoshi waited patiently for her turn and was stone-faced as she was painted. The girls lined up for the parade, backs straight, fans tucked into their belts. While her face remained perfectly controlled, Kyoshi smirked on the inside as she marched in sync with the others. She was going to show them that she was just as good as any of them.

***

After the parade Kyoshi walked home alone. While she enjoyed out performing everyone else, she did not expect the outburst from Mrs Chang. Two lines of tears wiped away her makeup. How was Kyoshi supposed to know that doing exactly as she was told to the best of her ability was wrong? How was she supposed to know it was wrong to hide her talent and somehow look out of place in a line of identical girls with identical movements? Kyoshi sniffed and looked up. Her mother stood in the doorway, Daruka behind her. For what seems like the first time in years, Jaya saw her daughter run to her crying. Jaya crouched low and hugged her daughter.

“You looked beautiful, Kyoshi. Mrs Chang is silly if she thought that you didn’t fit in. You couldn’t- you shone.” Jaya cooed. Kyoshi continued crying.

Daruka took a slurp of his water awkwardly. He was never good when people cried, seeing the last time Kyoshi cried in front of him was the day they became friends. He noticed that the girls had stopped hugging and Kyoshi was getting up to go wash her face. He’ll never know if Jaya head it or just ignored it but he smiled when Kyoshi muttered “Screw Mrs Chang and being a lady. I’m going to be a warrior.”

***

By her twelfth birthday, everyone had accepted that Kyoshi was always going to wear the makeup she wore. The same as any traditional lady but with red streaks around her eyes instead of blue. She was a warrior. With Daruka she developed a style of fighting that only used her fans. Her uncle, the blacksmith was kind enough to provide her metal fans for her birthday after he caught the two practicing. Jaya knew that everyone thought it was a phase but she knew her Kyoshi- this was a stand. She was proving that she was a lady but a warrior too. Because of her dedication to fighting, she didn’t discover she could fire bend until she was 14.

Kyoshi strode through the market, looking for the merchants from abroad. Her mother’s birthday was soon and a present was required. Marching past the usual stalls she nearly walked past too men arguing over the price of bread.

“And I’m telling you that 5 bronze pieces is too much.”
“Sir, the price is 5 bronze pieces. Either buy the bread or leave.” Kyoshi stopped and wandered over the bakers. A merchant was arguing over a loaf that could feed her and her mum for 5 days.

“2 bronze pieces it the highest I’m paying for a stinking loaf of bread!”

“Is there a problem, sir?” Kyoshi interrupted.

“Shove off, this is none-” The man stopped when he saw Kyoshi- 5’ 11’’, painted face and stern expression. He shook his head and continued. “This is none of your concern, madam. Now if you excuse me, I must handle this crook here.” Kyoshi frowned.

“Are you suggesting it is a crime to claim a fair price for your wares and feed your family?” Kyoshi asked. Locals stepped back from her as she reached for her fans.

“What? You’re actually standing up for this criminal? I’ll have you know that this price exceeds Earth Kingdom regulation! So stick to what you know, little girl.” Kyoshi snapped her fans out and stepped towards the man.

“I’ll have you know that Earth Kingdom regulation states that bread may be priced according to the price of the flour. The flour used in that particular loaf is distinctively Earth Kingdom, therefore cheaper than the grain used in most bread you may have come across, which uses Air nomad grains, which they receive for very little money. I must reiterate the baker’s point- buy the bread or leave.”

“No. I’m not listening to a bratty little girl is overdone, out of date make up pretending to know sh-”

“ENOUGH!” and flames licked Kyoshi’s fans from her clenched hands. The merchant looked down in fear. Kyoshi’s gaze flicked down to see the fire. She pursed her lips before raising one arm. The man’s eyes reflected the flickering. “Are you going to pay or are you going to leave the man alone?” The man merely nodded and scampered off. Kyoshi frowned and snorted in the hope of extinguishing the flames. They disappeared and she tucked her fans in her belt.

“Well that’s new. Are you ok, sir?” She turned to the baker. He shook his head and whispered something. A word she had only heard in legends, in hope and in excitement- never fear.

Avatar.