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There was something about the new bartender that Oluwande couldn't quite ignore.
"That's Bonifacia," Jackie had told him, puffing the smoke of her cigar. She pointed at the bar with her wooden hand where Bonifacia was cleaning a few glasses. "She's from around town. A non-bender, as far as I can tell."
Oluwande raised his eyebrows in surprise. This Bonifacia had to be something special if Jackie took a non-bender under her wings. He pondered as he stared at her, when from under her chopped bangs of black hair, Bonifacia stared back.
Her eyes pinned him down.
Oluwande quickly turned his gaze back to his table, back to Jackie. He hoped he wasn't blushing too hard.
"A non-bender?" He managed to ask.
Jackie nodded. "I know." She puffed more smoke. "I've never seen anyone more agile with a knife before, though. Almost a bending on its own."
Impressive. Oluwande dared to look at Bonifacia again, with the corner of his eyes. She had her back turned to them, but he could tell her attention was still sharp. Bonifacia's shoulders were tense beneath her old overcoat, ready to snap. Her hands were always hovering her sides as if at any moment now she'd need to use her daggers.
Ready for action.
Oluwande kept his distance from Bonifacia as the weeks went by. The two of them never spoke, barely even exchanged any glances. Truth be told, the farther from her he could get, the better. He didn’t want any trouble, he prefered being alive and under Jackie’s protection than being a target.
And Bonifacia had an air of trouble.
That didn’t mean Oluwande didn’t wonder. And how he did.
There were so many things he wanted to ask this mysterious non-bender that managed to impress Jackie. Things that all seemed a bit too personal and would probably get him stabbed. But he couldn’t help but imagine what happened to her to get to this place. How did she become the fighter she was?
It seemed Bonifacia could stand her ground, but one needed to be brave to go against a bender. Or extremely insane.
Whatever it was, Oluwande saw her in action, fighting; saw what Jackie had told him. Bonifacia was swift like a water bender, tough like earth. Her weapon was as deadly as fire itself.
Oluwande wanted nothing to do with that.
The following months were quiet. Perfect, in Oluwande’s opinion. Jackie kept her business on the downlow, yet it grew until everyone in the Republic of Pirates knew her name. Oluwande did his job, bending rocks and stones wherever Jackie wanted them; kept doors closed for secret meetings, never asking for more information than he needed.
The less he knew the better.
That went on until the day his life was turned upside down.
Jackie was out in business for the weekend, leaving three of her twenty husbands in charge of the house: Geraldo on the bar, Alfeo in charge of the side hustle, and a newer husband –Oluwande couldn’t remember the name– took her office.
By the end of the night, the only conclusion Oluwande managed to come to was that they were useless, all of them.
The bar had closed for the night already, having sold the last drink at around 4am. Jackie would arrive in a couple of hours, and she always came home in a bad mood when she had to leave her bar unattended. So Oluwande slipped out of the bar the moment it closed, not really in the mood to deal with Jackie that night.
Honestly, he just wanted to catch a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep before starting it all again tomorrow.
So he was walking past Jackie’s shady back office when he heard a muffled groan coming from inside. He hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of opening the door and checking what was going on before sighing and accepting his fate.
He opened the door.
“Is everyth– Oh my God!” He exclaimed at the sight in front of him. “Fuck, shit, fuck, fuck!”
He shouldn’t have opened the door.
Alfeo de la Vaca was sprawled on Jackie’s chair, dead, with a knife carved in his chest. He was still twitching slightly, and Oluwande held back his urge to throw up. Bonifacia stood right in front of him, hands bloodied as her chest heaved.
She turned to Oluwande the moment the door clicked shut. Some leftover adrenaline still rushed through her because a moment later she was pushing Oluwande against the closed door with a knife to his neck.
“Tell me one reason I shouldn’t kill you here and now, hombrecito.”
This is how I die. Oluwande whimpered. He tried forming words, but they all got stuck in his throat where a knife was currently pressing into his skin.
They both froze when they heard the front door slamming shut.
His eyes widened.
Jackie was home.
“Mierda,” Bonifacia cursed.
Oluwande acted on instinct. He grabbed Bonifacia’s hand from his neck and ran towards the other side of the room to the walls.
“What are you doing?” Bonifacia whispered a shout, trying to break free from his hold. “Let go of me.”
Oluwande shook his head. “No way. We’re getting the fuck out of here right now.” And he opened them an exit, bending a portion of the walls down. For a flick of a moment he wondered how and why he decided to get involved, but there wasn’t time to ponder about it, not when Jackie was only just a couple of rooms away from the crime scene.
So he left, pulling Bonifacia with him before he closed the wall behind them again.
They ran together for what felt like ages, until Oluwande’s legs ached and trembled under himself. Bonifacia seemed to be in the same shape, breathing hard behind him.
“Puta madre, my dagger,” Bonifacia stopped in her tracks, groaning and shutting her eyes. “I left my dagger behind.”
“You’re holding it.”
“No, my family dagger. It’s still in Alfeo.”
“Fuck.” They were doomed.
“Yeah.”
Oluwande didn’t want to lose hope, though, especially now that he just gave up his comfortable life for this. So he got his gears moving.
“Jackie said you were from around. Any chance you know a good hiding spot?”
Bonifacia took a sharp intake of breath. “Yeah, I lied about that. I know shit about this place.”
“Oh, good. Nice.” Oluwande nodded, feeling his nerves getting the best of him. “Nice, great. This is fine.”
He took a deep breath. Focus, you got this.
“There’s a farm on the other side of the island. We can hide there for a bit before choosing our next move,” he suggested.
“Jackie is going to kill us, dude.” Bonifacia looked behind them, back on the way they came from. The first rays of sunshine were already illuminating the Republic, meaning they had only a few moments before the place became an easy target. And no doubt Jackie had already sent her best men behind them.
“Not if she doesn’t find us, she won't.” He shook his head and looked down at their feet. An idea formed in his mind. “Right. I hope you’re not too afraid of dark and closed spaces.”
"¿Qué?”
But instead of answering, Oluwande opened a hole in the ground beneath their feet. Bonifacia gasped as they slowly descended into the ground.
“Gimme a warning next time!” She complained, her voice echoed around them as the hole closed over their heads.
"No time. Let's go."
So he built them a way out. Step after step, Oluwande moulded the ground around them, opening enough space for them to walk as the ground closed up behind them, leaving no trace they were even there at all. Bonifacia grew quiet behind him, and Oluwande only knew she was following him for the heavy sound of their breathing and their footsteps out of sync.
They took breaks from time to time, just to regain their strength and stretch their legs. He couldn't tell how long they were underground for, but the vibrations on the stones he could feel while under the most hectic part of town were long past them.
At last, after a couple of breaks and some uninterrupted walking, they reemerged. Oluwande finally let out the metaphorical breath he was holding because he managed to bring them to the other side of the island.
He did it.
Oluwande took a deep breath, giggling slightly at the sight of green fields and a tiny farmer's lodgings in the horizon. They were free. They survived.
His relief was brought down short because a moment later, Bonifacia surprised him by tripping him over the grass. In a moment she was on top of him, straddling his hips, her knees pressing against his soft belly and pinching his ribcage.
He gasped, both in pain and confusion, but when he looked at her eyes, all he saw was that same mistrust he saw back at Jackie's.
She pressed her knife against his neck again. And it was like they never left the office.
"Why are you doing this, bender?"
"What? Help you?" He wheezed out, careful at the knife on his neck. "I don't know."
The dagger pressed down, Bonifacia narrowed her eyes. "I think you do."
"Literally, I don't! I acted on instinct," he said, with a pleading edge to his voice. He sobbed, "and look where that got me."
Maybe something in his voice sounded true to Bonifacia, because the pressure of the dagger subsided until there was nothing there. Oluwande relaxed.
She was still holding him down, though.
"I don't trust you," she said.
"Great. I don't trust you either," he answered honestly. "But if we're to survive, we better stick together, at least for a bit. I can find us a place to keep us safe."
She scoffed, face souring. "I don't need a bender to protect me."
"Oh, trust me, I know." He nodded at the knife. "I'm not protecting you, I'm protecting us both from Jackie."
"I doubt she'll care this much. She has other nineteen husbands to keep her company."
Oluwande shook his head, fear rose in his chest again. "Oh no. You weren't there long enough to know."
"Know what?" She snapped, squeezing his sides harder. He winced.
"Alfeo was her favourite," he said. "And you just killed him. I've been with her long enough to get to know her, and let me tell you. She's ruthless."
"She's just a bender."
"Never seen a fire bender as merciless as her," he argued. "And between you and I, I really don't want to become barbeque."
Bonifacia contemplated him for a beat, and Oluwande hoped he gave her enough reasons to keep him alive for now. Who knew what would happen if he didn’t.
She cursed something in Spanish under her breath and rose from over him. “C’mon, maestro, show us the way.”
It took them another couple of hours to find an adequate hideout. The sun was starting to set when Oluwande found this humble rocky cluster somewhere in the depths of the forest that surrounds the farms. He gently placed his hand on the stone, feeling its cold, humid under his touch.
He focused on the feeling. "Right. There's a cave inside. That should be enough for a couple of days."
He opened them a way in, catching how Bonifacia flinched at his bending. He was surprised to find the place was bigger than he imagined. And brighter too. Oluwande looked up, right in the middle of the cave, and up over their heads, there were a few cracks on the structure, letting some light in.
Sleep came hard that night. He tossed from one side to the other, trying to find a comfortable position, until he gave up because it wasn't really the position that was keeping him awake, and more the person sleeping just on the other side of the cave.
And, of course, thoughts of what would happen when—if Jackie found them. Oluwande really, truly hoped he managed to get them away from under everyone's radar. Hopefully Jackie would think they tried to escape by the ocean instead of cornering themselves on the island.
Which, of course, would be the dumber choice.
Oluwande grimaced. They were doomed.
Next morning Oluwande woke up with the uneasy feeling of someone staring at him.
"Buenos días," Bonifacia muttered. Oluwande flinched, sitting up and leaning back against the walls of the cave so fast his head swirled.
"You're still here," he said.
She scoffed, frowning. "Yeah, no way out. You locked us in, remember?"
Ah. "Of course. Right."
Bonifacia considered him for a moment, tilting her head to the side.
"Name?" She asked.
"Oluwande. Olu is fine, though," he answered absentmindedly, wondering what they might find in the forest to eat. He yawned.
"You've been working for Jackie for how long?"
Oluwande shrugged. "Eh, a couple of years. Thought that was all there was to life… now look where life took me." He chuckled dryly, with a slight panic to it.
Bonifacia hummed. She picked her dagger and started playing with it. Oluwande hated how that got him on edge.
"Earth bender."
He raised his eyebrows. "Kinda obvious that one by now, don't you think?"
She shrugged. "Self taught?"
"Yeah–look, what's up with all these personal questions?" He brought his knees to his chest. It was too damn early.
Bonifacia stilled, looking affronted. "What, so now you can know stuff about me, but I can't know anything about you?" She shook her head. "How's that fair?"
Was this for real? "I literally know two things about you. That your name is Bonifacia and that you speak spanish."
She grew silent after that, and Oluwande thought it was the end of their conversation. He wondered a bit about their weird interaction before his thoughts fell on snakes and other snacks again, when Bonifacia spoke again.
"It's Jim."
"What is?" Oluwande asked.
"My name," came the surprisingly soft answer.
Oh.
"Sorry," Oluwande meant it. "I thought it was Bonifacia."
"I mean," Jim started, picking at the dagger again. "It was my name. I fell back on it to get the job at Jackie's. But my real name is Jim."
They eyed Oluwande without adding anything else.
"Yeah, alright," Oluwande answered. The name Jim seemed to match them better, anyways.
Jim's jaw fell open.
"What?" Oluwande asked.
"'What' what? That's it? You're not going to get mad or, or ask questions or something?"
"Uh." Oluwande frowned. "Why would I get mad? It's your life, your name."
Jim hesitated for a moment, but accepted Oluwande's answer.
"Just one thing, though," Oluwande said. "This means you're a man?"
"No, I mean, kind of? But no." Jim's answer came out confused.
"So a woman?"
"No. Definitely not."
Oluwande hummed.
"Neither, then?" Oluwande asked.
Jim nodded slowly, pondering. "Yeah. I guess so." They rose from the ground. "Should we get some food?" They asked.
"God yes, I'm starving."
The next week was much the same. Hiding under the rocks and going out only when necessary. Slowly, Oluwande began noting Jim was getting less defensive near him, which he counted as a victory. It was on the small things, like keeping their dagger on its sheath, or helping Oluwande out on the hunt for food. They even flinched less to his bending after a while.
They never shared anything personal, though, and the longer they stayed together, the more Oluwande itched to learn. Who were they? How did they learn to fight? Why did they kill Alfeo?
He never asked any of these questions, though. The less he knew, the best it probably was.
Probably.
After a week and a half since Jim killed Alfeo, Oluwande ventured back to the Republic of Pirates. It had been tough to convince Jim to stay behind, but for once, logic seemed to win over and they begrudgingly stayed on the bench on this one.
He only needed supplies, and maybe check if any sailor would be kind enough to take two complete strangers on their boat. Their safe time on the island was becoming slimmer with each passing day. Jackie would find them sooner or later if they stuck any longer, and that worried him sick.
The town was bustling with pirates, most partially drunk, even early in the morning. The smell was just as putrid as he remembered, and he almost held his breath as he walked around the worst of it.
He kept on high alert. Every footstep behind him got him paranoid; every loud voice or sheathing of a sword made him flinch and fall into a bending position.
It was not the most relaxing trip he'd ever been on, if he was being honest.
He got back to their hideout before dawn.
"We're all set!" He said as he entered the cave.
Jim cheered, and for the first time ever, they hugged. Oluwande squeezed tight, smiling.
"Hang on, I got you something." And from a brown bag, he offered Jim a wax nose and a fake beard.
Jim eyed the props.
"¿Qué es esto?"
"Your new disguise." He placed a leather hat on their head, tapping it playfully. "Less recognizable that way."
Jim snorted, caressing the fake beard. "I've always wanted one of these."
"Honestly? Beards are overrated."
"No they aren't, shut up." Jim shoved Oluwande with their shoulder. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
They put the beard on, and Oluwande had to blink a few times to adjust. It was like looking at a completely different person. "Great."
The fishing boat Oluwande managed to hitch a ride in was small. It also smelled a lot like fish, which he hadn't really thought about before getting on board.
He looked at Jim, now with the full disguise on, and received a nod in return. They were playing mute for the time being, easier that way.
Oluwande sighed as he sat back on the wooden floor, leaning against the rails as he closed his eyes. The boat was already rocking uneasily beneath him, and even though they haven't left the docks yet and their journey could take days, he already hated it.
There was no solid ground beneath his feet. No stones, no rocks to keep him, well, anchored.
The fisherman got in position, moving his arms on his sides as he began bending the water. The boat moved forward with a jerk, and Oluwande held on to the ropes.
Both real and metaphorical.
He flinched as someone touched his shoulders, and only relaxed when he realised it was Jim.
"Hey, man." He offered a weak smile. Jim squeezed his shoulder, looking worried. "I'm fine, just not used to this."
The boat surged faster. Oluwande shuddered and closed his eyes.
When he opened it again, Jim gave him a look that could only be described as 'stop bullshiting me'. Oluwande huffed.
"Alright. This sucks," he admitted. "This is Hell on Earth for an earthbender."
Jim rolled their eyes and shook their head fondly. They sat down next to Oluwande, sides touching, and fished something from their pocket.
They offered it to Oluwande, who accepted with open palms. Sharp and cold pebbles fell in his hands.
He gasped, snapping his head to Jim and back to the pebbles on his hands. Something fluttered alive in his chest.
"Jim… you didn't have to," he said, voice coming out more soft than he expected.
Jim only shrugged before turning to face the other way. Oluwande couldn't tell for certain because of the fake beard, but he thought he caught their cheeks reddening.
Jim and the pebbles kept Oluwande's company through the journey, and after a few days, the ocean stopped bothering him as much. He took to playing with his pebbles or searching for Jim whenever he got overwhelmed, and luckily that was all it took for him to calm down.
They grew closer on the journey, which warmed something inside Oluwande's heart. He didn't want to create any false expectations but it almost seemed like they trusted Oluwande.
Jim taught Oluwande how to hold a knife the moment Oluwande admitted to never having done it before.
"What do you mean you never needed it?" Jim sputtered, looking surprised. They were on the main deck alone, all the crew had retrieved inside for the evening.
"I've never been anywhere where I couldn't use my bending," he said with a shrug before eyeing the ocean. "But I get where you're coming from, in the open seas I'm defenceless, aren't I?"
Jim didn't even give him the courtesy of answering. They instead rose from where they sat.
"On your feet, Olu."
Oluwande followed suit, if a bit confused. "What are you doing?"
They fished a dagger from their sides and offered it to Oluwande. He picked it up, noticing the strange unbalanced weight in his hand. The handle was wood, the resin gone from being worn for so long.
All thoughts about the dagger left his mind when suddenly Jim was surging forward, a dagger in their own hands. Oluwande squeaked and dodged away from the blow.
"What the fuck?" He asked, watching as Jim got ready for a new attack.
"I'm trying to teach you, tonto." They said, smiling sharp but fondly. "Fight me back."
Jim was out of their mind. Oluwande ran a bit more before he was cornered, so he had no choice but to attack. It was weird, fighting with no bending. He found himself getting in his common stances only to realise a bit too late they wouldn't help him in any way in a knife fight.
Jim used that to their advance.
Well.
Jim used everything to their advance.
Later, when Oluwande threw himself on the floor, breathing heavily as he caught his breath, Jim congratulated him, standing over him and hovering above his tired body.
"Muy bien, maestro." They patted Oluwande's knee. "You can almost stand a chance on your own against a child now."
He snorted. "Shut up. You're just being nice."
Jim helped him on to his feet. They stood close, faces almost touching. Oluwande could feel Jim's warmth emanating from them. His heart skipped a beat as his insides fluttered with something–
Something.
Something good.
Jim took a step back, he followed suit. He gathered all the feelings that were spilling out of his chest like molten rocks close to himself again. Cool down, he begged, be solid and cold again, please.
Solid and cold.
“You’re not a big fan of benders, are you?” He asked the first thing that came to his mind. The regret came right the moment Jim closed off, shoulders tensing as they pocketed their daggers. He mentally slapped himself.
“No, not really.” They shrugged before leaning back against the rails. Their eyes fell on the ocean, on the other side of the boat, distant, hurt. Oluwande didn’t ask, part of him didn’t want to know. Jim surprised him by gently slapping his arm. “You’re fine, though.”
His traitorous heart leaped again.
“Thanks, mate.” He smiled.
It took them another week before they were back in solid ground. They departed from the fishing boat on a harbour town called Bridgetown, somewhere to the north. Oluwande sighed and felt the ground shaking underneath his feet the moment he stepped on it.
“Finally.”
Jim just snorted and shoved Oluwande on the shoulder to keep walking. The streets weren't as narrow or as awful smelly as the Republic, which was a nice change.
His stomach grumbled at one point, as they walked past a few restaurants.
"I'm gonna grab us something to eat that's not fish. I'll meet you later."
Jim hesitated, taking in a sharp breath, but still they said nothing. Instead, they nodded, slowly and firmly before squeezing Oluwande's upper arm once.
They let go and turned away towards a more busy side of the road. Oluwande watched them go, snorting at their weird behaviour.
It wasn't until he was halfway through buying their food that a wild realisation popped into his mind.
Jim was going to leave him behind.
Oluwande's stomach dropped at the thought. It made sense, so much sense. It was all Jim had wanted since the moment they ran away.
They despised benders, they could barely stand their time back in the cave. Jim had made it clear their friendship (or whatever one would call sticking together to hide from a murder) was only temporarily.
Oluwande was the one who got attached.
It stung, but he brought it on himself.
Oluwande walked aimlessly for what couldn't have possibly been more than thirty minutes, but when he looked up, the sunset was red and pink and orange. He felt a sense of finality dawning on him. He needed to think now what to do with the rest of his life, he couldn't mop around, otherwise sooner or later Jackie's men would find him.
Alone or otherwise.
He sniffed jokelessly. Funny how your entire life could change a hundred and eighty degrees in a blink of an eye, and then change some more just when you're getting used to standing on your own.
He sat on a barrel by the docks, looking at the ships as they left one by one into the open seas, a shadow against the sunset. Oluwande wished he could appreciate it, but his mind couldn't let go of the uncertain future that lay ahead of him.
He fished his pebbles from his pocket, the ones Jim gave him weeks ago. They were rough around the edges, cold in his hands. He wondered why the world made him into an earth bender when he never achieved being either of those things.
In an act of grand, symbolic gesture, Oluwande merged the pebbles into one bigger stone, fitting the palm of his hand. He kissed it, the surface now soft and warm, before throwing it in the ocean.
So long.
"What did you do that for?" Jim's confused voice caught him off guard. He jumped.
"Jim?" Oluwande turned around, sliding off from the barrel in an instant.
"Yeah, that's… my name." Jim gave him a nonsense look. "¿Que pasó? I've been looking everywhere for you, dude."
“I…this might sound stupid.” He groaned, feeling his cheeks burn. “I thought you’d left me.”
"¿...Qué?" Jim's face was expressionless.
"I know, I know, it's a dumb fear."
"No, it's not," Jim said. They looked down, almost guiltily. "I thought about it."
Oluwande reeled, blinking. "Of leaving me?"
Jim's face contorted as they admitted, "Yes."
Silence fell between them for a beat as Oluwande took this information in. So he hadn't been wrong, not entirely, at least. And it really did sting but…
"You came looking for me."
Jim nodded. "I did." They took a step forward resolutely. "We're in this together, ¿Sí? You said that."
Oluwande frowned. "Yeah, but we're far away from the Republic of Pirates now, we don't have to keep this up if you don't want to."
Jim let out a deep breath and narrowed their eyes, looking away from Oluwande to the sea. They were beautiful under the orange hues of the sky.
Oluwande blushed harder, shoving that intrusive thought back where it belongs. No need for that now.
"I've realised that I don't want to do this on my own. I don't want to leave you."
His heart did a somersault, jumping right to his throat.
"I don't want to leave you either," he spoke over the soft muscles of his heart.
Jim smiled so bright Oluwande realised there was no coming back. Even with the fake beard, the red nose, Jim had managed to capture Oluwande by his heart strings.
They slapped him twice on the arm, the touch jolting Oluwande back to reality.
"Great, because I might have found us a good paying job." They winked.
"That's wonderful!" Oluwande shook Jim, celebrating. "What's the job?"
Jim hesitated. They bit their lip and looked away. Oluwande's stomach dropped.
Oh no.
"Please don't tell me it's in a boat," he said.
"Yeaah, can't do that."
He sighed. "Jim—"
"But they pay nicely! And they all seem like bad pirates anyway, it'll be the perfect disguise."
"Pirates?"
Jum giggled. "I knew you'd freak out."
Oluwande pressed his fingers to his temple as he sighed. Jim was right, it was the best course of action.
He could do this.
Nay, they could do this.
"So tell me about the ship."
Jim vibrated with excitement.
"The captain is weird. A nobleman, apparently."
"What the fuck," Oluwande said.
"I know. But he's the one with the money, so I didn't ask any questions," they said, "I mean, I didn't even speak, they're just so desperate for more crew that they gave me a run down of everything without me having to give away my disguise."
Oluwande was amazed. This sounded like a trap, but damn if it wasn't the best job description they would probably find out there.
Resigned, Oluwande used his bending to get a new set of pebbles, pocketed them, and smiled.
"It's worth a shot."
At least Jim was going to be with him.