The Origin of Roh-Shan

Act II: New Mayor's Palace

"Ara!"

A tiny but strong voice woke him from his light nap. He instinctively twisted to move away from the voice, before remembering he was on a hammock. He caught himself just in time to avoid flipping over the edge. But his little sister yanked the blanket he was twisted in, and he flopped three feet to the marble floor. "Unghhhh..."

"Get up, you lazy shit. Did you think I wouldn't catch you? You must be even stupider than I thought."

Just beyond the door, the hallway was bustling with people, all transporting various items from around the mayor's mansion towards the front door. Ara thought he'd found a nice quiet spot on the patio room overlooking the garden and pool where he wouldn't be disturbed. He was wrong about this.

He sat up and rubbed his shoulder where it had connected with the ground. "I was helping earlier."

"Well, the work's not done yet, let's go. Let's go!" She nudged him with her foot.

He struggled to his feet, still fighting lethargy, and flopped right back into the hammock. "Technically, Suley didn't give us direct orders. Therefore, I'm not technically disobeying them."

"I'm giving you direct orders. Get up."

"You're not the boss of me. I'm older than you."

She flipped the hammock with her foot again, and Ara hit the floor. She may be just a tiny 14-year-old, but growing up in the Fire Navy had given her the skills equal to most full-grown sailors, and a surprising amount of strength. Not to mention the discipline.

"IDEN! You're a fucking pain in the ass!" Ara got to his feet and dusted off. He glanced around the room, ornately decorated with hand-carved chairs, hand-sewn tapestries, exotic plants, and a couch that had clearly never been sat on. "What's the point of having all this fancy furniture anyway if I can't use it?"

"It's not ours. Now don't make me tell you again." Iden put her hands on her hips.

"What're you gonna do, firebend at me?" He teased the non-bender before flinching, waiting for her retaliation strike.

They both well know that despite being seven years younger and a non-bender, she could've easily bested him in any sort of fight he put up, but she turned toward the doorway instead, where a familiar voice traveled down the hall.

A group of police officials walked by, all surrounding one person, each trying to get his individual attention on matters he couldn't possibly handle all at once.

Once they passed, Iden shouted, "SULEY!"

Four seconds later, a head popped into the doorway. The man everyone had been fighting to talk to, summoned in an instant by a teenager.

She gestured for him to step all the way in.

General Suley let out a short sigh and stepped into the room, shooting her a firm look. "What?" He demanded, keeping his professional composure, but it was paired with an annoyed tone.

"Tell your brother to get off his ass and help out."

"Tell him yourself!" Suley shot back, even though he correctly assumed she already had.

"Can't we keep just one of these?" Ara stretched out on the couch.

Suley straightened his back and folded his hands, assuming the professional tone again. "The material riches that Mayor Odei hoarded in this mansion for all these years belongs to the people of Ren Haru. Nobody, not king nor pauper deserves to live in this kind of obscene wealth. No one person needs an empty guest bedroom while someone else goes homeless. This wealth did not belong to Mayor Odei, nor does it belong to us just because I assumed the position of Mayor."