Lelia Matxalen

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Upbringing

''Born to mixed heritage parents, Lelia lived in poverty and lack of agency. Her family eked a living out in the city that had brought them together. Her parents worked at a local bar in the Lower Ring in Ba Sing Se, her father the bartender, her mother a waitress. Plagued by protection fees from gangs, they were unable to pool and save their money to better themselves. Lelia's early life was spent playing in the streets and being homeschooled by mother in evenings, especially in the history of her ancestors on both sides. Her mother and father had both come to the city to find work, only to find little of that, and each other instead. Both were fairly happy despite this, and worked hard to try and raise Lelia well.''

''Despite their efforts, the bar fell on hard times. Lelia’s father had trouble paying the protection money and eventually was unable to. The gangs broke the windows in their small apartment that night as a warning- pay up or else. The stress on the family was difficult, but even then her family presented a united front. Unable to pay, her father put his faith in the police force- surely they would help him and his family. This resulted in him being made an example of. His wife tried to fight back with him when the gang members came to their flat one night, and what was intended to be a severe beating and a warning ended up with both of them dead and Lelia orphaned. She herself hid, terrified as she watched her parents die. The gang members saw no point in hurting her, and left without a care in the world.''

''Lelia was raised by her uncle from then on and the resulting mood of the neighborhood cause her to hate benders, ALL of them, for what had happened to her family. Sympathetic benders had parents who wanted their children away from her and her friends because of their economic status, and the risk of being near to her if further reprisals continued. However, Lelia just saw this as a betrayal. Other bending children began to learn about their abilities and exerted their newfound powers over their nonbending brethren. Those in the poor neighborhood needed any way out from poverty they could find and were used as enforcers on the cheap (like Mako and Bolin.) Lelia was forced to face the inequality of the circumstances surrounding his life, forced to abandon her childhood quickly. It was a sobering time for her.''

''Her uncle found her a job at a small eatery, which was run by a nonbender who was sympathetic to his history, and taught her how to cook properly (among other things), which gave her a trade. Her uncle took on his (in)formal education, which was rudimentary, but useful. He also taught her the basics of fighting, seeing that the young girl needed something to give her strength. After her uncle died, Lelia would later cement what she taught her into her fighting style that she learned from her uncle.''

She ended up traveling to Kyoshi Island and became a rather successful and fierce warrior under a short period of time, and she had learned the arts of Air Bending in order to back up her fighting techniques.

{| style="" border="1" !Equipment !!Description !Fans !! The Kyoshi Warriors used a set of two metal fans in imitation of Avatar Kyoshi. They wielded these fans in conjunction with a specialized fighting style that was based on the concept of turning an opponent's energy against them and exploiting openings. These implements were used for defense, but they could also be thrown elliptically as boomerangs or propelled as projectiles. !Shield !! The Kyoshi Warriors each carried a round retractable shield that could be combined to protect the entire unit. The combined shields were capable of withstanding a powerful fire blast from a firebender. !Katana !! Each of the Kyoshi Warriors also carried a katana, which is a long, thin sword. The blade is moderately curved and single edged. Although rarely used in combat, Lelia uses this if she were to have her fans destroyed or seperated from her.