Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nuiko sat in her apartment, dutifully patching young Yugo's torn robe for what felt like the third time that month. Her ebony hair fell into her face, despite the hair tie, and once or twice she had accidentally woven strands into the garment.

The candle on her bedside table pulsed with her breath, growing and shrinking with her irritation. WHen she noticed it, she immediately closed her eyes and forced herself to relax.

Easy, girl, she warned herself. You don't want to set half the orphanage on fire, do you?

The candle returned to a normal flicker as Nuiko returned to her work, calm as a waterbender, or so the saying went.

SHe needed a holiday desperately.

Maolin glanced up from her scroll to survey the wanderer. A little scruffy, perhaps an orphan himself, fresh off the road. She was old, but not so old that she didn't recognize a potential threat.

"And what is your business with the orphanage?" she asked severely. Sure she might rankle him, but if worse came to worse, she could call Nuiko out and have the girl torch him. Nuiko hated having to do it, but it was so fun to watch.

Maolin narrowed her eyes, rolling up her scroll.

"What do you mean by browse?" she asked dangerously. The joke was swiftly ebbing away.

"You must be foreign," Maolin replied curtly. "For it is well known that it is more polite to give your own name when asking for it. As for our facilities, we do not hand out tours to every vagabond off the street. This is not a public building, sir, it is a school and a home, and therefore private unless specified otherwise.

Carefully, she reached under her desk, a movement that could easily go unnoticed, and tugged on one of the many strings that connected to the rest of the apartments, casually alerting their resident fire bender.

---

Nuiko glanced up, her candle flaring at the disturbance of the bell. What did the old biddy want now?

Sighing, Nuiko jumped out of bed, releasing her long hair from its band, and stormed down the hall to the front room.

"What's this?" Nuiko asked irritably, her ire directed at the old woman Maolin.

"He was wanting to come in and inspect the place like he owned it," Maolin argued. "As though this wasn't an actual home. I'd have liked to have said how would he like it if I went around inspecting his home for no good reason at all!"

"Then you ought to have," Nuiko reprimanded gently, before turning to the newcomer and bowing deeply.

"I'm terribly sorry for any sort of inconvenience," she said. "Maolin can be a little rough around the edges, but she has only the best intentions. I am a senior resident and guardian here at Agni's Home. Perhaps I could be of some assistance in clearing up this misunderstanding."

"It is understandable," Nuiko said uncertainly, perturbed by his response. After all, who had ever heard of touring an orphanage like a museum? "However, the home is not open to people unless they have specific business with one or more of the children here. We fear that, if visitors come and go frequently, it may agitate those who wish to be adopted, and for those who don't, it may disturb them to have strangers entering their home.

"If you like, I could escort you for a tour, but I feel it is necessary to warn you now that Agni's Home, despite its regal title, is not terribly grand in any way you may be looking for."

"Follow me then, and please keep close." Nuiko turned into the building, sidestepping a wicked glare from Maolin as she led the boy through the recreation room.

"Agni is the great spirit of fire. There was a legend once that all benders were blessed before birth as the spirits saw fit, and it took only time for then to learn of their gifts. Agni was said to have blessed the fire benders, and the extent of those he blessed made up the Fire Nation. This is the recreational room, by the way. Sorry it's a mess. The children just had their playtime."