The blacksmith toiled with measured precision, his hammer ringing against the anvil in a cadence older than the city itself. Sparks leapt like fireflies into the dim haze of the forge, before vanishing into the sooty rafters. The steel, newly drawn from the furnace, hissed in protest as he plunged it into the quenching trough, steam rising in pale veils around the old man's lined face. Here in a humble workshop in the Lower Ring and far from the palaces and pomp above, labored a smith of discreet renown. It is one trusted by the White Scholar himself to fashion a blade for his new bodyguard.
Mayumi kept her composure, though inwardly her heart stirred. To Ba Sing Se, a sword is but another commodity of iron and fire. But to her people, it is a badge of triumph. On Kyoshi Island, the acquisition of such a weapon is costly in coin and harder still in craft. A sword symbolically marked a Kyoshi Warrior who had achieved a certain mastery that warrants a weapon more demanding than spear or metal fans.
To possess a second blade, however, is a privilege rarer still. It signified not merely skill but prosperity, for her people associated dual armament with wealth and auspice. Seizing the moment, Mayumi requested a sword unlike her first. It is lighter, shorter, and fashioned for one hand, different to her treasured weapon still languishing in Dai Li custody.
When at last the smith unveiled his work, the result was elegant and purposeful. A single-handed curved sword, supple for combat in narrow halls. Upon its guard gleamed the motif of a koi, the blade seeming to flow from the fish's mouth in gleaming stream. The flourish recalled the Fire Nation's dragon-headed hilts, yet bore an unmistakably local artistry.
Shan paid the blacksmith with quiet generosity, and they departed to continue their preparations for the gathering hosted by the Gan Jin patriarch.
"Thank you, Shan," Mayumi said, striving to mask the spark of joy in her voice.
The White Scholar betrayed little on his face. "Our next errand remains in the Lower Ring," he replied. Despite its crowded alleys and frugal facade, the district abounded with treasures for those who knew where to look, goods rivaling those of the Middle and even the Upper Ring.
"As the guardian of a scholar, your appearance reflects upon the reputation of yours truly," Shan emphasized. "Though I disdain the idle pomp of the Upper Ring's scions, it would ill-behoove you to appear in their halls with garments in tatters."
Mayumi yielded to his point. Her green silk robe, though once fine, had grown threadbare without her village's seamstress. Furthermore, a Kyoshi Warrior like herself prefer to place her uniform into the hands of a trusted figure who is responsible for repairing their village's fabrics.
They came to another modest shop, its racks laden with robes and tunics of varied cut. There, Mayumi chose with careful restraint. A fitted robe with leather-lined shoulders, simple yet firm, its outline recalling armor. She avoided extravagance but found satisfaction in its balance of modesty and strength.
"Hold on," she murmured to herself, struck by a sudden realization. The garb she has chosen mirrored the attire of the famed wandering swordsmen of Earth Kingdom tales, itinerant figures who haunted fictions of crime and hidden duels. The thought amused her considering the current predicament with the Dai Li's threat of blackmail. "How ironic," she muttered.
Turning, she displayed it for Shan's approval.
"The choice is adequate," he intoned, as impassive as ever.
The shopkeeper bundled the robe into a parcel, and with that their preparations for the banquet are nearly complete.
"Shan, will you not purchase something for yourself?" Mayumi asked as they stepped into the street, bound for the scholar's siheyuan.
The White Scholar's pale changshan is fine enough quality to impress commoners in the Lower Ring, yet modest beside the silken brilliance of the Upper Ring elite.
"Yours truly's presence is worth more than the collective nepotists who wish to judge my outfit through superficial lens," Shan said, his voice cutting like ink upon parchment and never waste a single chance to belittle whatever patrimonialism that still infests this city. "Let them mock the simplicity of this white robe. What they call dignity is but ornament, while true worth lies in ambition and service to the state. I will not indulge in frivolity for the sake of those who fatten themselves on heritage, languishing in their lesser worth to the city."
To Shan, nobles and ancient clans are relics of vanity. Ministers and generals who served loyally are the true pillars of the Earth Kingdom. Attendance at the banquet, however, demanded a veneer of courtesy. Respect must be shown, if only nominally to the patriarch of the Gan Jin.