[h3][b]Siyu Wuzhou[/b][/h3]

[i]Get up.[/i]




[i]Get. Up.[/i]

[i]RISE AND SHINE, LITTLE BOY![/i]

A slimy voice roared in Siyu's mind, jolting him awake to promptly bump his head on the bed frame above, "Ow, damn it, Avante," muttered the young man as the occupant in the higher bunk growled back, "My name isn't Avante, ass hole, don't wake me again." Siyu grimaced and quickly slid out from his bunk, packing his things together as quietly as possible.

A peculiar little bushy tail whose colors kept shifting fell down in front of Siyu's face, to which the young man glared upwards at an obnoxious mongoose-shaped vision, Avante, who was sitting with its ass end on the growler's face. The ghostly form smiled as an ethereal voice of a jester appeared from every direction within Siyu's mind, [i]Good morning, sunshiiiiiine.[/i]

Siyu ignored his visions, grabbed his pack and personal sandsailer, and quickly left the building, saying only the usual pleasantries on his way out. He didn't like to admit it, but Siyu was currently staying with a small gang of thieves who provided a place to sleep and training on theivery in exchange for a cut of everyone's take. They were an alright bunch, though a bunch Siyu didn't really trust. Anxiety would often find its way into his heart when surrounded by cutthroats as well.

Anxiety that began to rise as Siyu stepped out into the sandy world of Si Wong City. And what a world it was, especially to Siyu. While most people in this part of the city would recognize the trash and squalor, to Siyu there was not just trash and squalor, but also maddeningly twisted beasts floating through the air, people whose faces looked completely blank or turned into pitch black masks with blindingly white grins.

[i]Breath. Breath. Just breath,[/i] the urging in Siyu's mind was clear as he clamped his eyes shut, drew in a slow, deep breath, and then exhaled.

Upon opening his eyes, the visions had become somewhat less intense, but it was still overwhelming. As the air around him seemingly began popping with lightning-like flashes visible only to him, Siyu carefully pulled out his wooden pipe and Si Wong Kong bag. The local herb was known to calm the nerves, and that was just what the man needed.

[i]Ah, shit, almost out already...[/i] exasperation filled the young man as he took half his remaining herb, stuffing it in the pipe before pulling out his flint and iron. It took a few strikes to produce enough sparks to take hold of the herb, but it was enough as Siyu took a long drag. Within seconds, he began to feel relief as most of the visions fell away, realigning Siyu's reality with those around him.

[i]Better watch out there, little man. Almost empty. Be a shame to see what happens to you without the Kong these days...[/i] Avante's ethereal voice once more appeared, pestering him. The mongoose wasn't wrong though. Siyu did not want to run out of Si Wong Kong, and that meant earning money. And earning money in Si Wong Kong as a Sandbender often meant stealing, unfortunately. Siyu adjusted his headwrap, dark brown eyes of both tranquility and terror staring out from beneath it. Into the crowd, he went.

Just before entering a nearby market filled with hustling merchants and consumers, Siyu quickly stepped into a quiet spot and buried his sand sailer before heading in. Inside the market, there was little personal space, but that was perfect for what Siyu had in mind. As the shoppers moved along, the young man peered with eyes that had been taught the basics of to look for pockets, bags, and fabrics that looked like something heavy was in them. He noticed a series of lumps in the pocket of a burly man speaking to a vegetable merchant.

Siyu moved his hands very carefully from the ground towards the man, calling up a stream of sand from the ground that flowed like a tendril. It shot out to the man, slipping into his pocket in an instant, flowing over the coins, then solidifying before being whipped back out of the pocket. Within a second, a ball of coins had transitioned from one pocket to another as Siyu rapidly made his escape.

"Huh? Hey! HEY! I've been robbed!" the man noticed faster than Siyu expected, [i]Shit, got to go.[/i]

A hand fell upon his shoulder, [i]Impossible, how could he find me so fast?[/i] flashed through Siyu's mind as he looked back at the owner. A tan fist impacted his face.

Lights rushed passed, roars of infinity filled Siyu's ears. The world was torn asunder, upside down, and around. His mother's face drifted into view, then father's. An evil grin. Ever shifting voices of nonsense erupted, [i]The albatross dies as the spirit lies. Echoes of freedom. Nine by seven I fly.[/i]

Siyu came to lying in the dust with the man standing above him, "You fuck'en Sandbenders are all the same, lying, stealing, cheatin' little fucks all of you!" The man brought his fists together and down towards Siyu, who whipped his limbs clockwise, summoning a concentrated sandstorm that threw the man off his feet while lifting Siyu to his. Siyu followed this up by turning tail and running away as he kicked up a much less dense but larger sandstorm that enveloped the area.

Slipping away while retrieving his sandsailer, Siyu put as much distance between himself and his victim as possible. [i]Snazzy escape there. You're lucky he wasn't a bender.[/i] Once more, Avante's ethereal voice permeated Siyu as the world seemed to shudder for a moment. The mongoose appeared around Siyu's shoulders, [i]So what's the haul?[/i]

The young man brought out the coins, counting them by sight, [i]Enough for maybe today and tomorrow. Poor guy...[/i] Avante looked at the coins, then at Siyu, smiling an unnaturally toothy grin as he asked, [i]Want some tea?[/i]