It had been two weeks since the incident with the whole party...
And we were officially broke.
While the kids—yes, I'm including Sokka in the "kids" category—had been sulking and begrudgingly obeying the rules enforced by the Dai Li, I noticed that there were now three Dai Li agents watching our every move at all times while we were in our temporary home.
One of them was even perched on a neighboring rooftop, staring directly at me as I'm writing this entry.
Fortunately, I write my journals in English and a little Russian specifically to throw off anyone trying to read them.
Now that I finally had some free time that didn't involve training, reading through Kain's journal, or cooking, I could catch up on writing down everything that had happened in greater detail during our one month of travel.
But enough of that.
Getting back to the topic at hand...
We're broke.
I've been going to the Lower Ring to replace the supplies we lost after Appa's kidnapping. While I had most of the essentials ready to go—this time, I bought and sorted personal bags that could be carried at all times so we wouldn't have another episode like the one in the desert—there were still plenty of things left to get.
Like tents. Sleeping bags. More cooking equipment. Spare rope. Fishing gear. Extra blankets. A proper first-aid kit. More preserved food.
All important, but none of them are particularly important right now.
So.
How exactly am I supposed to make money with the Dai Li agents breathing down our necks? It's not like I can exactly go around "borrowing" from the generous people anymore.
That got me thinking for a moment.
Then, I had a rad idea.
Plus, it's a pretty niche yet useful skill I picked up from Zero. Perfect for a situation like this.
It took a full week and the remaining funds that I "procured" to get it started using word of mouth, but I'm confident that it will make us a lot richer.
Tomorrow is the day the event is going to be held, so I'll just spend my time practicing alone against myself.
Not like I could exactly take them gambling, after all.
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Styling my hair with a little product borrowed from Katara, I gave myself a quick glance in the mirror.
Standing at 5'7" for a teenager my age, I filled out the hanfu I'd bought for the party quite well. The outfit made me look like a wealthy young scholar.
Perfect. Exactly the image I was going for.
With my styling done, I quickly went to wake Toph up for the day.
As I combed through her wild hair while preparing her clothes with my other hand, Katara, who had been watching from the side, suddenly knocked the side of her fist against her palm.
"Toph, how about we go out for a girls' day?"
"...Do I have to?" She glanced over at me.
"Well, it'd kill some time. Besides, go have fun."
I handed them enough money for the day before waving them goodbye and turning toward the other two guys in the house.
"And what are you two doing?"
"I'm going to look for Appa." Aang, who had just finished shaving his head, wiped the remaining foam from his scalp before rinsing it off. "I heard there are a lot of animals at the zoo. Maybe he'll be there."
Meanwhile, Sokka, who had just shaved his growing mustache with his sword, shrugged.
"I think I'll go sightseeing in the Middle Ring."
"What about you, Renji?" Aang asked as he got dressed in his Air Nomad robes.
"I'm going to take care of a few things," I said, trying to steer the conversation away. "Good luck with Appa. If anything happens, just give me a loud sign."
Looking at the clock, I slowly gathered my belongings before waving the group goodbye.
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THE TALE OF
RENJI
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Inside a spacious alleyway...
A large crowd had gathered around a makeshift arena, their excited chatter filling the narrow streets. At the center stood a raised wooden platform, with two tables positioned across from each other.
The sudden popularity of the game had drawn people from all corners of Ba Sing Se.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!"
The booming voice of the emcee immediately silenced the crowd.
Dressed in a flashy green-and-yellow robe, the middle-aged man stepped onto the platform and spread his arms wide.
"Welcome to the newest sensation sweeping through the Lower Ring! The newest card game originating from our Ba Sing Se... TEXAS HOLD'EM!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"I won't repeat the rules; this is the finals, after all!" he joked, clapping his hands together. "But I will introduce the four players competing in this grand final bout!"
He pointed toward the first seat.
"Starting from our first table position, we have Han Wei, the carpenter from the Lower Ring! He's fought his way through dozens of opponents to earn his seat at this table!"
The crowd cheered as Han Wei gave an awkward wave.
The emcee immediately pointed toward the second seat.
"Next, we have Mei Lin, a merchant's daughter from the Middle Ring! Don't let her elegant appearance fool you—she's sent more than a few experienced gamblers home crying!"
Mei Lin smiled sweetly and waved toward the crowd.
"And in our third seat, we have Bao! Our resident gambling champion, who's been playing cards since he was old enough to hold them! He's also one of the few gamblers who helped introduce this variant of the game to the people of Ba Sing Se!"
Bao proudly raised both hands as the crowd cheered.
The emcee slowly turned toward the final seat.
"And finally, a wandering gambler who appeared in the Lower Ring only a week ago... Kain!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as I calmly took my seat, my straw hat and shades low covering my face.
The emcee raised both hands.
"With all four players seated..."
He grinned.
"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"
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A/N: I'm thinking of changing the usual update schedule to:
Monday - BONUS CHAPTER
Wednesday - ATLA: Butler + RWBY: Deep Breath CHAPTER
Friday - ATLA: Butler + RWBY: Deep Breath CHAPTER
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