The Stonecaster (Yeojin)

Based on "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and LOONA

Story and Characters by Loo Loo, SMZ, and purplemic96

Written by Loo Loo

A girl named Yeojin lived alone.

As time passed in front of her eyes, her parents one day left her sight. There was a wool of youth draped over her; she didn't understand. She could never understand why. She couldn't peek behind the wool, the creeping fear of the unknown gripping her arms.

It wasn't long before a woman brought Yeojin into her home and raised her as their own. Her name was Sera.

A girl named Yeojin lived by a forest.

She grew used to the serenity, the calm sounds of nature, the way the orange sun pierced through the space between the rustling leaves... setting silently every evening. And every morning, her step mother would walk her to school. It was a small school on the edge of a nearby city called Gaoling...

Yeojin sat outside by herself, munching on her lunch and looking on enviously at the other students dressed in green and gold, laughing and sharing their food with their friends. 

She contemplated how she could approach one of them, looking carefully for to see which one looked the friendliest. It wasn't long before she found her.

"Hello." Yeojin plopped down on the grass next to another girl, who was looking at her with some confusion.

"Um, hi?" She gave Yeojin a half smile. Even sitting down, this other girl appeared much taller than Yeojin. Her black hair was wavy and ran down to her torso. 

"Are you alone?" Yeojin took a bite of her food.

"Oh no, I'm just waiting for my friends umm..." she looked around for a bit, but no one was coming. She turned back to Yeojin. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you before."

"Mhm!" Yeojin's eyes widened as she nodded her puffed up cheeks and chewed. "Mynmyujn."

"What?"

Yeojin laughed and swallowed her food before speaking again. "My name's Yeojin! What's yours?"

"Lena." She bowed politely as Yeojin just stared at her.

"Oh, I like that name! It's so... you."

"But... you don't even know me."

"That's where you're wrong, sister." Yeojin giggled. "I can tell everything about you just by looking at you."

"Really? Like, like a fortune teller or something?"

Yeojin nodded. "I can tell who you're going to be." She stuck out her hands, welcoming Lena to put hers on top.

"You are going to be... my friend!" Yeojin busted out laughing by herself, the two of them still holding hands.

Lena's mouth just hung open at first. Then she smiled. Then she laughed as well.

Lena was now Yeojin's friend. Because Yeojin said so.

After that, Yeojin was allowed to move her seat in class next to Lena's and the two of them spent most of their time in school together.

It was true that Lena had other friends, and Yeojin got to meet them. Miya, Minju, Soso, Seoyoung, Seokyoung, and Seoryoung. Yeojin always got the last three's names mixed up.

No matter how much Yeojin grew to like her newfound friends, it was always Lena who she clinged to. Whenever she would struggle to understand something in class or another kid would pick on her for being short, Lena would be by her side. It was around this time, when she was six, that Yeojin began to earthbend. Lots of kids in her class were benders and most shared her element. Earthbending was the toughest and most rigid of all four. Yeojin struggled.

For the longest time, it felt like she was cursed. She looked on in envy at the water and firebenders.

Yeojin told Sera, "Earthbending is so boring! I wanna burn things like a firebender, I wanna fly like an airbender!"

Sera hugged her little Yeojin. "You are so lucky to be able to bend at all. Look at me... I'm just a simple maid, but you... you have a gift and you should cherish it."

Still, it was hard for Yeojin to get a grip on her element. Some days after school, Lena would go over to Yeojin's house and they would spend hours running around in the forest, practicing their earthebending. Afterwards, Sera would make them something to eat and thank Lena for being so kind to Yeojin. As she grew older, Yeojin started to get a better feel for her bending, but she was still very raw. The kids were put into an earthbending class, but Yeojin couldn't connect with her teacher. So, Lena would absorb every lesson and help Yeojin through it every day.

When Yeojin was ten, she met someone she would never forget.

She and Lena were walking home from school when they heard a scream. A thief ran past them and up the street with a bag draped over his shoulder. Yeojin chased after him.

"Yeojin no!" Lena yelled. "You're gonna get hurt!"

Yeojin ignored her friend's plea and turned a corner where she spotted him. Without thinking, she stomped her feet on the ground firmly and took a chunk of earth from the street, launching it at the thief. The loud sounds of cracking wood and broken vases gave way to commotion. A crowd of people gathered around the scene.

Yeojin ran over the broken wood that once made up part of the wall to the shop and stood over the thief who was writhing in pain. "Ha! You thought you could get away from me did you? Well think ag—"

"Yeojin!" Lena stood next to her, shocked at what she was seeing. "What did you do?!"

"What do you mean? I stopped the thief!" There was nothing but confidence in Yeojin's voice.

A muffled voice came from another pile of wooden boards and a hand pierced through it. Lena and Yeojin immediately helped the person out of the wreckage with others from the crowd.

Yeojin bowed to the pretty girl and helped dust her off. "I'm so sorry for what happened to your shop. I stopped a bad guy who was running away. I can um..." Yeojin looked around at the mess she had made. Flowers and herbs on the floor, water everywhere, shards of vases... it finally clicked. "Sera is going to kill me." 

As it turned out, Sera didn't exactly kill her, but according to Yeojin, she might as well have. As soon as she heard about what happened, she rushed over to the shop and apologized a trillion times on behalf of her daughter. The girl who Yeojin had pulled out of the mess was a twenty year-old named Jieun. She had bobbed hair and a face as soft as a cloud.

Jieun and her parents could easily afford to have the wall rebuilt and they were admired Yeojin for having the courage to stop the thief so they weren't as angry as she expected them to be. Still, Sera insisted on Yeojin staying in the shop after school and helping them with whatever they need until everything was fixed. It was lucky that Jieun didn't get seriously hurt. All she got were some cuts and bruises that healed pretty quickly.

Jieun was a waterbender. More specifically, she was a plantbender, something else that Yeojin found more interesting than earthbending. Jieun's parents were the owners of the shop, but she spent the majority of the time there. Yeojin was upset that she wouldn't get to practice earthbending with Lena after school anymore, but it didn't take long for Jieun to change her attitude.

The first day was the toughest.

Yeojin swept the floor, watered the plants, and helped carry new vases over while the wall and counter were being rebuilt. They could easily have just replaced the wall with earth, but they said it was about the aesthetic of it. Jieun's family used to live in the swamps and it helped remind them of home, plus it also helped them stand out.

Yeojin couldn't believe how sweet Jieun was. She knew all of her customers by name, not just the adults, but their children too. Whenever they asked what happened, Yeojin dipped her head down and pretended not to hear. But instead of blaming Yeojin, Jieun just kept calling it an, "Accident," and assuring them that she would be fine.

Not only did Jieun sell flowers, but herbal remedies as well. People would come in and tell her their symptoms, then Jieun would recommend them something from the shop. Sometimes she didn't even need to ask, she would simply hand them the herbs and tell them to let her know how they were feeling in a day or two. It was getting late in the day when Yeojin finished cleaning. Jieun was sitting down reading a book of some kind when Yeojin went up to her, broom still in hand. "Are you a student?"

Jieun looked up and smiled. "Oh, no. Why do you ask?"

"The book." Yeojin shot her hand out and pointed at the book. "You're reading it."

Jieun giggled and showed Yeojin the cover. "It's called, 'Ancient Tales of the Air Nomads.' It's a collection of little stories you might like. Want me to read it to you?"

"Mmm.. you could... but I'm really tired so I might fall asleep or something."

"Then I'll make sure to read the most exciting ones! What do you say?"

"Hm." Yeojin looked around, trying to find some reason not to take Jieun up on her offer. "Well okay... but I'm blaming you if I fall asleep!"

So, Jieun brought Yeojin a pillow for her to sit on and flipped through the pages of her book, trying to find a good story. "Ah!" She pointed at a spot on the page. "You'll love this one. It's about—"

Yeojin covered her ears and shut her eyes. "Lalalalala! No spoilers, no spoilers, just read it!"

"As you wish my little mischievous friend."

"Did she behave?" Sera asked.

"Like a little flower," Jieun smiled.

Yeojin jumped up. "I'm not a flower. Flowers are weak! I want to be like a big ol' tree... or a boulder."

Sera took her daughter's hand. "Well you should think less about being a boulder and more about not smashing people's property with them." She turned to Jieun and bowed. "Thank you for letting her help, I'll bring her back at the same time tomorrow."

"Wait." Jieun rushed to the back and came back with a little rose in a pot. "I want you to have this, Yeojin."

"But I just said—"

Sera squeezed Yeojin's hand. "Oh what a beautiful gift. Right honey?"

Jieun knelt down and put the flower into Yeojin's hand. "Every flower has its own little story..."

Yeojin went back to the shop every day after school. After about a week, it wasn't even a chore for her. She would be twisting in her chair just waiting to be allowed to leave so she could spend more time with Jieun.

Eventually, Jieun taught Yeojin the ins and outs of the shop. First, she learned about the different herbs and how each one helped people, then she learned how to give change back to the customer after they purchased something. She was so impatient for customers to come in that she would stand on the sidewalk and call out to random people, telling them to go in and, "buy something." Jieun managed to calm her down... somewhat.

After each day, Jieun would give Yeojin a small cut of their profits and Yeojin would juggle the coins in front of Sera's face saying, "Look, look how much money I made today!" Then, they would go to the corner store and Yeojin would buy herself a snack. School with Lena, herbal shop with Jieun, then back home with Sera. This little cycle was the happiest period in Yeojin's life... then she met the person who would help change it forever.

He was a frail little boy who approached her as she was standing out on the sidewalk one day.

"Hello." The little boy's hair was very messy and his clothes were ragged.

"Hi!" Yeojin noticed his condition but didn't want to be rude. "Did you want to buy something?"

The little boy shook his head. "I was wondering if you could.. spare some money?" It was as if his voice had been of all of its life.

"Some... what? Um, no I don't... have any to give."

"Oh, okay." The little boy bowed as his stomach roared. He went about his business as if nothing happened. "Thank you."

Yeojin watched as he gingerly made his way down the street, going inside other shops where he probably asked the same question to them. Each time he came out, the sadness seemed to weigh him down more and more. Yeojin couldn't get that image out of her head.

"So, what's it gonna be this time?" Sera asked as she walked alongside Yeojin towards the store where she usually bought her snacks.

"I'm not hungry today."

"Okay I think that's— wait what?" Sera leaned down and raised an eyebrow at Yeojin. "Uh, you're not hungry?"

"Yeah. I wanna save my money." Yeojin puffed out her chest, trying not to show that there was something else on her mind. "I'm a responsible adult with a job now, Sera. I think it's time I start saving money to buy my own house, don't you agree?"

Sera gave her a suspicious smile. "Sweetie, you're twelve."

"Twelve is the new twenty."

"Really? Who said that?"

"The only people who's opinions matter. Me, myself, and Yeojin."

The next day, Yeojin carried the small bit of money she made with her to school and then to the herbal shop. She stood outside again, welcoming customers in and looking out for the little boy. Then she stood there again the next day.

Then again.

And again.

After a week of saving up money, Lena questioned her about the sound that was coming from her pockets during their lunch.

"I don't want to spend any of it."

"What? Why not?"

"Just because."

"Well if you're not gonna spend any of it..." Lena stretched out her hand and smiled. "Why don't you give some to me?"

"Oh! Me too!" Soso said.

"What about me?" Minju also stretched out her hand.

Miya could only shake her head. "Will you guys stop? Let her do whatever she wants, it's her money."

"Yeah..." Yeojin followed Miya's lead. "It's my money and I can do what I want. Shoo!" She playfully smacked their hands away. "Away, you little begging hands! Away!" The irony was not lost on her.

Ever since the day she saw the little boy, Yeojin had been noticing more and more people like him on the streets of Gaoling. Lena and the rest of her friends also noticed them. People wandering the streets without a home, asking others for spare change or food.

It was later that day when Yeojin finally got to empty her pockets. With the sun sizzling above them, a bored Yeojin was inside the shop poking Jieun and asking her to, "make the plants dance."

"Plantbending isn't for entertainment, Yeojin. My parents passed it down to me and—"

Yeojin pretended to fall asleep on the counter and made a snoring noise.

"You— ugh! You're such a baby."

Yeojin could practically hear her shaking her head.

Jieun stepped to the back. "Just watch the counter."

"I can't! I'm a sleeping baby!"

"Hello."

Yeojin snapped her head around and looked down at the little boy who was standing in front of the counter.

"Could you spare some money?"

Yeojin ran around the counter and pulled out a handful of copper pieces before taking his hand and smacking them onto it. "There you go!" She gave him a big smile as her guilt was soothed.

The boy bowed. "Thank you very much."

As he turned to leave, Yeojin grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. "Hey wait, what's you name?"

"Fang."

"Hi Fang! Nice to meet you! I'm Yeojin!" She bowed, whipping her hair wildly from the force of it.

Fang bowed again, his face still colored in dull weakness."Pretty name."

"Thank you! I like your name too!" Yeojin stared at him with a big smile for a few seconds, but he didn't respond. "Can I ask you a question, Fang?"

Fang nodded.

"Do you live by yourself?" Where are your parents?"

"Oh." Fang looked down and kicked his feet, obviously a bit uncomfortable with the question. "Me and my parents live in the center of Gaoling."

"And are you doing okay? Why are you here asking for money?" Yeojin heard Jieun's feet approach and stop behind her.

"Yeojin." Jieun put a hand on Yeojin's shoulder. "I think it's best if we don't ask him all of these personal questions."

Yeojin looked back at Jieun. "But I just want to know." Then she shined her smile back at Fang. "I want to help."

"It's okay." Fang bowed once again. "You've done enough. Thank you again." With that, he made his way out of the shop, stuffing the money into his pockets.

"Did you give him all of your money?" Jieun asked.

Yeojin nodded her head viciously.

"Well that was sweet... and I'm sure it had nothing to do with him being cute, right?"

Yeojin pulled her head back. "What? Eww no!" She couldn't help but blush and tried to change the subject. "Do you know why there's so many beggars going around like him? I see them every day when I'm walking home from school."

Jieun sat back down on her chair and sighed. "Yeah. Well, it's a bit complicated but the Earth Kingdom is going through a rough time right now. People can't afford food and lots had to sell their homes. It's getting really bad. People haven't been coming in here as much either lately."

"Well there has to be something we can do to help!" Yeojin stomped her foot. She accidentally cracked the ground outside, causing a man to trip over it.

"Sorry!" Jieun yelled outside before looking back at Yeojin. "Well any help is good help. Have any ideas?"

Yeojin spent the rest of the day brainstorming ideas for how to help the people in need. She didn't like any of them until she arrived at the last one. Once Sera came by to pick her up, she told her all of the details.

All Sera could do was gasp and say, "That's the best idea I've ever heard in my entire life!"

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard in my entire life." Miya chewed on her food as Yeojin's bright facial expression refused to budge.

Minju playfully smacked Miya on the shoulder. "That hair is the worst idea I've ever heard in my entire life."

"This isn't an idea. "Miya passed a hand through her bowl cut. "This is a gorgeous reality and you're seeing it."

Lena glared at Miya before smiling at Yeojin. "I think it's amazing! And all of us are going to help right?"

Everyone nodded, even Miya. Though she still had her doubts. "Okay but... clowns?! We're not clowns. We don't know the first thing about clowning."

"It's easy!" Yeojin exclaimed, "This is all you need to do..."

"Step right up folks and see the Incredible Clowns in the Park!" Yeojin stood on top of a box, yelling out to the rich people walking by in the park. It was a beautiful morning and all of the girls were in white clown makeup. Yeojin was in charge of getting the people's attention while the rest of them danced, juggled, or told jokes to whoever was willing to hear them. It was one big, unorganized mess.

Sera was there with them as well, mimicking their dance moves with the biggest smile on her face. There was a good amount of money in the bucket beside her, but she knew it wasn't enough. They needed more.

An elderly lady with a can walked up to Seokyoung. "They told me there were jokes here."

"Oh, yay!" Seokyoung leaped up in the air before putting a finger to her chin. "Um, okay! What did the boy volcano say to the girl volcano?"

"What?!" The lady leaned in closer, trying to hear.

Seokyoung repeated, "What did the boy volcano—"

"Oh!"

Seokyoung stood there smiling awkwardly, expecting the lady to say something else, but she didn't. "What— what did the boy volcano say to the girl volcano?"

The lady just stood there, waiting for an answer.

Seokyoung threw her hands up and waved them in the air. "I lava you!"

Yeojin scampered over to the lady. "Haha haha. That was a funny joke— that was a funny joke, right mam?"

The lady still stood there, not saying a word. Then, she simply walked over to the bucket and dropped a couple of silver pieces into it before walking away. Yeojin reached in and showed them to Seokyoung. "Okay, you're up to silver jokes. Think you can hit gold?"

They spent the whole day at the park collecting money from amused rich people. After their clowning, they bought a bunch of ingredients and spent the next day cooking, then the went down to the center of Gaoling and set up a food stand. It was first come, first serve. Everyone was amazed at how quickly the food just... vanished. There were many thank you's and bows from the people that came up to take some food, and everyone lined up in an orderly fashion. At the end of it, there were so many people that didn't get to eat anything, and Yeojin promised them she would do everything she could to bring them food as well. Unfortunately, their efforts that turned out to be a tiny bandage lost in a sea of wounds.

Yeojin continued her daily routine while trying to put a smile on the faces of everyone she could. She and her friends entered earthbending tournaments in the Earth Rumble stadium. Yeojin did alright for someone who hadn't been focusing on her training. Lena and Miya did a bit better and made them a little bit of money, though not all of it went to helping the beggars.

But the tournaments too rare to rely on them, so Yeojin decided to begin working with Sera. She was a housekeeper for the same rich people that Yeojin had practically begged to give her money not too long ago. She got to listen to their conversations and get a peek into how they lived. Through this new perspective, it didn't take long for Yeojin to realize something was wrong... very wrong. While Fang and everyone like him were worried about where their next meal was going to come from, the elite of the society had leftover food that they fed to their pets.

The royal family of the Earth kingdom didn't control anything outside of the capital of Ba Sing Se. Not only did the rich have the money, but they had their own armies too. The armies fed on the growing desperation and grew quickly. People would join the army of any clan they could, they would put their lives on the line just to give their families some money and have a basic meal. Not only were the struggles of the people not a concern for the rich, they were an opportunity.

To add onto this, Princess Kahei had been kidnaped by pirates. It was even said that she willingly went with them, abandoning her family and her people. Everywhere, whispers of the failures of the royal family grew into loud roars.

"It's so bad that their own daughter doesn't want to be around them anymore. If they can't even take care of her, how are they going to fix this mess?"

The dwindling faith and respect the people had for the crown plummeted. An intense rage bubbled beneath their feet. Yeojin could see it in the faces of everyone she crossed paths with. People were hurting and there was nothing she could do about it. She stayed up at night staring at the ceiling, sometimes thinking back to the day she stopped that thief and how proud she had been. It turned out the thief was carrying food in his bag... maybe she would have been better off just letting him run away.

Different clans rose throughout the Earth Kingdom, all claiming ownership of the crown, all promising a better life for anyone who supported them. Yeojin heard of many battles that took place and all she could do was grow more angry. Instead of banding together and finding a way to dig everyone out of the hole they were in, people were fighting each other just so they could be the ones who sit on the throne. Everything came to head.

A girl named Yeojin turned seventeen.

It was a hotter day than usual. Yeojin and Lena were in the Gaoling market handing out food when they heard the sound of thousands of feet shaking the earth beneath them. Everyone froze, a thick scent of fear passing by with the warm wind. It didn't take long for everyone to realize what was going on. People ran through the streets, yelling that a red army was approaching. It wasn't the Fire Nation.

Many people fled the area, but many more stayed. It was not a difficult decision for Yeojin. She and Lena stayed there and continued handing out food as the footsteps grew louder and louder. Then... they made their way in.

The words of a red army were true. The soldiers wore the usual Earth Kingdom uniforms but their allegiance was to someone else entirely. There was a carriage covered by red curtains sticking out in the middle of the sea of soldiers. Some carried weapons, others were obviously benders and didn't have the need for any. The carriage came to a halt and out stepped what Yeojin thought was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She looked like power personified.

Her voice sent shockwaves through the crowd. "People of Gaoling! My name is Queen Jihyo! I'm sure you've heard of me! Well, there is no need to be afraid! I know how much you have been suffering! I am here to help! You are looking at the strongest army in the Earth Kingdom! We will make sure that all crime in the city stops! We are on a mission to take the throne and give it to the ones who deserve it! The people! I've brought food and drinks with me as a thank you to anyone who pledges their allegiance to my clan!"

There was a short moment of silence before a civilian spoke up. "We don't want any more queens!"

The rest of the crowd nodded their heads and spoke amongst themselves in agreement. Yeojin looked back at Queen Jihyo who didn't seemed phased by it in the slightest.

"The problem with the Earth Kingdom isn't that there are kings and queens!" Jihyo yelled again. "The problem is the kings and queens we have right now! I promise to be a benevolent queen who will always have you in my heart! I will always listen to your concerns and never abandon you like they have! Will you join me?!"

Another moment of silence. Some civilians raised their hands. Yeojin could only shake her head at them.

This woman was full of it. Even from where Yeojin stood, she was sure this was an act. Where was she all of those years when Yeojin was there helping the people? The first time she comes into the city is with an army? It was like holding someone hostage with a knife while massaging their back and telling them you're their friend. Yeojin had had enough of this. All of these people going hungry and some goddess shows up promising to make everything better? If anyone was going to make things better, they would have to take it into their own hands.

Yeojin thought about chucking a rock at her head, but one of the soldiers would stop it before it got anywhere near her. Instead, Yeojin looked down at her food and smiled. She grabbed a cabbage and threw it at her. "No more queens!"

The cabbage hit Queen Jihyo square on the temple, sending her tumbling onto the floor. There were some gasps and laughs in the crowd... then, chaos. Rocks and other objects flew towards Queen Jihyo, but her soldiers stopped them all this time. Then, the civilians rushed the army, earthbenders launched boulders at them from rooftops. It was a full-on riot.

Before Yeojin could join in, she noticed a couple of soldiers point directly at her. She took Lena's hand and they bolted out of there.

"Yeojin!" Lena tried hard to keep up with her friend. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean? I started a riot!"

They twisted their way through the streets as Yeojin heard the voices of a few  soldiers getting closer behind them. "Stop in the name of Queen Jihyo!"

Panting, Yeojin looked back at them. There were six, but miraculously, none of them had bent any earth toward them. She looked at Lena. "They're not earthbenders. Let's split up. We can take em down."

"Okay!" Lena gave Yeojin a tight squeeze on her hand. "I'll meet you at your house."

Yeojin nodded and the two parted ways. Just as she expected, the group broke off into two groups of three with one of them after her. She was near the edge of the city as she e last corner. Then, she lifted a chunk of earth from the ground and chucked it at her pursuers as she spotted them. It managed to catch two of them, but the other was missing. Yeojin looked around, then up in the air... she dodged the oncoming sword just in time and sprinted off into the woods.

Her feet were the only ones doing any thinking. She just continued to zig zag deep into the trees, occasionally looking back and seeing the man with the sword getting smaller and smaller. But still, she didn't stop running and after one more look back... all she could remember was falling and rolling down a hill. Everything happened so fast.

Then she woke up.

Yeojin blinked her eyes over and over, not believing where she was and who was standing over her. It was Sera, and she was in a hospital. She could feel the bandages wrapped around her head. Her arm was in a cast. As soon as she opened her eyes, Sera rushed to her side and took her hand, kneeling down to her level. "Oh my sweet baby, you're awake!" Tears fell down her smiling face as she kissed Yeojin's hand.

"What— what happened?"

Sera let out a big sigh. "Jieun found you in a creek. She was in the forest and she— she said she heard something hit the ground hard. So she ran over and she fought some soldier or something." It sounded like this was the last thing Sera wanted to talk about. She went up to Yeojin's cheek and gave it the biggest kiss Yeojin could ever remember. "I'm so glad you're okay. Please never scare me like that again."

"Sera..."

"Yes dear?"

Yeojin barely had energy to speak. "Where's Lena?"

"I..." Sera stood up and put her hands together. "I haven't seen her."

"Sera... don't tell me that. Please tell me she's okay."

All Sera could do was shake her head and throw her hands up. "I don't know sweetie, I haven't seen her."

"Don't call me sweetie... please, Sera."

"Oh... okay. Is— is there— um, are you thirsty?" She was obviously rattled by the anger in Yeojin's voice.

Yeojin was doing a good job of bottling it up but she could feel her grip on it starting to slip. She felt like such and idiot. "No. I'm not."

Sera tapped her finger on the back of her palm, looked up at the ceiling as her lips shook. Then, she turned around and grabbed a little flower in a pot that was sitting on the window sill. "Jieun left this for you." She set in on a small table by Yeojin's bed with a smile, but it didn't last long.

Yeojin slapped it off of the table and sent it crashing onto the floor. "Please just leave me alone, Sera." Yeojin's voice shook and tears fell down her face. Sera covered and hesitated before nodding. She left Yeojin there in peace as the sun set outside her window. She looked down at the flower on the floor and felt no regret. She wished she could get up so she could stomp on it.

"This is all my fault," she told herself. If Lena wasn't here, then she must've gotten arrested by the soldiers... or even worse— No, Yeojin refused to think about that. It was her fault for dragging her into all of this and for splitting up. Yeojin thought back to the first day they met.. how long ago it was.

Lena never showed up.

Yeojin only spent one night in the hospital before going back home. She was careful not to show her face out in public. Queen Jihyo's army had control over the city now and there was no telling how many of them had heard about her. Who knows, maybe the queen had put a bounty out for her. The girl who humiliated her in front of everyone. They had probably asked around for her, offering little rewards for any information that they could get. It didn't help that Yeojin had shown her face to almost everyone in the city over the years.

To be safe, Yeojin spent most of her time in the forest. Sera brought her food and water when it was time for her to eat, telling her each time that it was okay to go back inside. Jieun visited her and told her the story of how she fought off the soldier who had been chasing after her. Yeojin didn't take her for a fighter, but from the sound of it, she didn't have much of a problem with him. It reminded her of the days when she would sit on that chair in her shop and tell her all kinds of stories about airbenders and waterbenders and firebenders... 

Jieun also told her that some soldiers had come to her shop earlier and asked around for her. She said that they didn't want to hurt her and Queen Jihyo just wanted to talk to her.

Yeojin just shook her head. "Why would she want to talk to me? She's probably still mad that I ruined her grand entrance and just wants me to show myself so she can humiliate me."

There was nothing Jieun could say to that, except, "That's just what they told me. It's your choice if you want to go."

Before Jieun could leave, Yeojin yanked her arm and gave her a big hug. "Thank you for putting up with me. You're such a good friend."

Jieun pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "Yeojin, why are you saying this?"

Yeojin shrugged. "No reason. I've just always wanted to tell you that. No matter what happens to me, I'll never forget you, okay?"

Jieun stared at her, her face filling with worry. "Yeojin, please don't do anything stupid. I might not be around to save you next time." She turned to leave but then smiled at her again. "I'll never forget you either."

That night, Yeojin went back inside her home while Sera was asleep. She grabbed a piece of paper and a quill before sitting down at the dinner table and writing a letter. Then, she went into Sera's room and sat on the floor next to her bed. She looked down at the letter she had written and read it back to herself in a low whisper as tears fell down her face.

By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I wanted to say it to your face, but I guess Jieun was right. I'm just a scared little flower. I didn't want to see you cry again. Thank you for putting up with me and being the best person I've ever met. You took me in as a baby and always treated me like your own. I wish I had done the same. You don't deserve to be wrapped up in a mess I made for myself, I want to deal with it on my own. I promise you I will come back one day. You can hug me and kiss me and call me sweetie as much times as you want and I'll call you what I should've always called you.

Goodbye mom."

A/N: Thank you all for reading! Updates will happen on a weekly schedule now, every Saturday at 6 ET/9 PT. Kim Lip will be next week! I've also gone back and edited some things in previous chapters (mainly Yves' conversation with the elders in the Air Temple) to have them match up with some new ideas I'll be putting in later. A BIG thank you to SMZ (for helping me brainstorm ideas) and purplemic96 (for coming up with the character for IU/Jieun) for their help.

Loo Loo Twitter: https://twitter.com/LLooxix

SMZ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sanasorbit

purplemic96 Twitter: https://twitter.com/purplemic96

Elements Under a Moon Soundtrack:

As some of you know, music is a big part of my writing. As a special treat, I made a mix of the twelve theme songs I gave to each of the main characters. Since this is a crossover between Avatar and LOONA, my goal was not only to capture the spirit of the characters, but also have it be a mix between a "classical" style of music and a more modern style. I included timestamps in the description so you can skip around if you want. I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olQEa-tyumA