United and Equal: One Loose End

by **Renori Fa** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 6:11 am

He saw Amaya examining the taser. If what the men below said was true, then she was a bender and would have experience recognizing tasers, the main weapon of the equalists. Renori's insides jumped. A taser! he wanted to shout, but not in front of the nameless whore ~~#69~~. He saw a flicker of recognition flash in her eyes, and then she turned to him. She knelt down to level her face with his, and he heard he voice whisper, I'll get you out of this. Renori smiled triumphantly. He was safe, for now. His green eyes met her green gray ones, and he wondered if she remembered who he really was, or if she was just acting out of pure kindness.

"By the way, can I keep this?" she said, and struck out his whip. The taser met its target and the other whore fell to the ground in a shriek of surprise and pain. Yes! he thought, my chance is now!

He could feel the drug wearing off, and his fingers were beginning to move. He managed to reach into his coat pocket and slowly pulled out a clear liquid sealed inside a small glass vial. He unnotched the cap with his teeth then swallowed the contents. He returned his gaze to Amaya. "An antidote to most poisons. And judging by this whore's appearance, I doubt she'd have anything out of the ordinary." He could feel the liquid running its course through his body, burning in his stomach and veins as it went along. The feeling slowly returned to his limbs, and he let out a grunt of satisfaction. No common whore could subdue the greatest thief in Republic City.

He stood up, still shaky, though mobile. He walked past Amaya and smiled at the whore on the ground. Her body was numb from the shock, but her eyes still looked at him with the same cold stare they had before Amaya bursted in. Something else was there too; a glimmer of fear flashed across his face, and Renori's face broke out in a wicked grin. "I told you I'd kill you," he said quietly.

He took his dagger from inside his cloak and grabbed the woman's hair. He tilted her head back, exposing her neck, then ran his dagger through her soft flesh. A wave of blood, warm and crimson, cascaded from her neck and shot out around the room. Amaya was covered in the woman's blood, as was Renori. A dark red pool began to form underneath the whore as she spit out nasty sounds of choking and gagging. Renori let her go, and he body fell limply to the floor. He resheathed his dagger.

"I suppose I ought to thank you," he said to Amaya, and he walked over to where she was standing. Their faces were an inch away now, and Renori could feel her breath on his face. He was growing hard, and he wanted nothing in the world that moment more than to take her right there in the spreading pool of blood. He took hold of her face with one hand, and with his other he held her arm. He leaned in to kiss her.

[EDIT: OoC- dun kill meh pleh]

by **Misaki** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:01 am

Misaki had never known… she had never known that her closest friend, and now main father figure, had once been a member of the syndicate. However, if he was a member, what made him leave, or was he kicked out? Her mind ran rampant with dozens of questions, many of which she had no answers to yet. How much did she not know about Guang… and how much of his past was he keeping hidden from her.

She then glanced at Inochi and caught her gaze as the woman looked up, her face covered with makeup. Misaki’s ears the perked up as she began to speak.

“So Misaki...” she started. “Uh...how long have you been in the city?” she then let out a slight nervous giggle. Misaki lightly smiled, and she felt that Inochi was trying to get to know her better.

“Well… it’s a long story, but I’ll just skip my early childhood years,” she replied, finishing her tea with a final sip. “It was around when I was 13, and about a year after my mother died, me and my father got all the money we could, and moved here, leaving behind mostly everything that reminded ourselves,” she then let out a sigh and continued.

“My father and I had moved here, hoping to start a new life, and forget the past… but things didn’t turn out the way we had planned. Although my father did find a source of income, it was barely enough to rent an apartment and buy food, and when he lost his job… we fell into poverty, and were thrown out onto the street.”

She quickly cleared her throat, and picked up the half finished cigarette, twirling it between her fingers.

“Not too long afterwards, my dad had become a drunk, and had disappeared one night… leaving everything behind with me and leaving me to fend for myself. I’m not really sure as to what happened to him, though… all I know is that my life became even more of a shit hole. Fending for myself wasn’t particularly hard, but it was still hell… wondering whether you’d find enough food from the garbage, hoping your fire stayed lit all night, having what little money you found, stolen from you, and getting beat up in the process,” she then sighed again, hoping she wasn’t boring everyone with how crappy her life had been.

She continued, still twirling the cooling cigarette in her hand. “It had nearly been two months, and although I said that fending for myself wasn’t particularly hard, I was close to dying on the street one day. It was one of the hardest rains I had ever seen in my life, and to make it worse, I had just been assaulted and my deep cuts where infected. A severe fever had quickly set in and I was shivering like hell, and although I knew that closing my eyes meant death… my body was exhausted and just as I blacked out, I saw a figure in a dark coat standing over me. I don’t remember much after that point… only next that I was waking up in a warm bed, inside some building, with the man who had saved me, sitting in a chair beside me… a wet towel on my head, and my wounds covered with bandages and wraps…” She glanced down at the table, searching her mind on what and what not to say next.

Misaki then suddenly gasped quietly has a wave of nostalgia hit her, throwing her into a flashback…

“Where… w-where am I? How am I alive… and w-who are y-you?” she stuttered to the man next to her, her voice quaking with fear. The man slowly turned his head, his face obstructed by the shadow caused by his fedora.

“You’re safe now, and I’m a friend,” the man replied, his voice deep, yet friendly. The white of his teeth in a grin shown from the shadow, and he stood over her, his form darkened by the light behind him. Misaki found herself shaking as the man bent down, his hand coming toward her face, and she closed her weak eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next. However, what she thought would happen, didn’t and she felt his soft hand touch her chin, and she opened her eyes, his face level with her’s.

“Come now child, there’s no need to be afraid… you’re safe now,” he stated as his hand left her chin, and began untying the bandages around her right arm. Her arm shown a pale tone, and she then noticed the large cut the bandage had been covering. The man rubbed his hand over the cut, and Misaki winced in pain, at which, she noticed grasped in his hand was a cloth, tripping with rubbing alcohol.

“You’re cuts were infected, this will help clean them,” the man stated, recovering the cut with a fresh bandage. He then moved near her head, lifted the wet towel, and placed his soft hand on her forehead.

“Your fever also seems to be beginning to clear up. Stuck out in a hard rain with infected cuts and a high fever… even despite the fact that I found ya, you’re still lucky to be alive kid,” he continued, his voice calm and soothing. He then placed the towel back on her head and retook his seat beside her.

“W-why did you save me,” Misaki stammered, she then coughed.

The man glanced over yet again. “I may be a killer and a criminal… but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a soft spot in my heart,” he replied as he removed his fedora, placing it on her hand, at which she weakly grasped the hat, and she finally caught sight of his face, which was old and beginning to wrinkle. He smiled at her and Misaki did her best to return it, a small, weak smile appearing on her face.

She emerged from her flashback, slowly glancing back up, noticing only a few seconds had passed. She still twirled the cigarette in her fingers, and she cleared her throat again.

“Anyways… where was I? Oh, right… well, as either fate or destiny may have it, my savior was a member of the Agni Kais, and although the gang was reluctant to take me in, they finally decided to… for their reasoning, I’m still unsure about it. Then, a few days before my 15th birthday, I learned that I would finally be officially instated in the gang as a true member. My birthday came, I was instated, and I never heard from the man who saved me again… I never even got to know his name. However, if it weren’t for his kind heart… I probably wouldn’t be here telling you this today.”

Misaki slowly glanced down… she then glanced back up again with a smile as she removed her fedora. “This was his hat. As to why he gave it to me, I have no idea… nor did he give any reason,” she stated, rubbing the rough felt hat with her hand.

She placed the old, faded fedora off to the side and continued. “As you probably already know, around three years ago, the Equalist Movement had gained much strength, and all the gangs in the city were nearly wiped out… I myself barely managed to escape the clutches of the Equalists, and I went into hiding as the city began to tear itself apart. The Avatar was defeated, she disappeared, and really… the rest is history,” she then tossed the cigarette up into the air and caught it when it returned from its short flight.

Misaki glanced around the room yet again, and noticed Meifeng give a tired yawn, her head drooping. She smiled at the girl, got up from her chair, returned her glance at Inochi as she approached the little girl. “And that’s how I came to be here in the city… now if you two don’t mind, I have a friend to put to bed.”

She lightly tapped Meifeng on the shoulder and she nodded tiredly as she got up from her seat. The little girl lightly grabbed Misaki’s hand… her other one still grasped around the small doll, and they slowly walked out of the room towards Meifeng’s bedroom. It was a small room, but sizable in its own standards. Green curtains hung in front the darkened windows, and the whole room had a greenish glow to it caused by a small desk lamp sitting on a dresser.

Misaki put the girl to bed, turning out the light, and returned to the kitchen. The room still smelt of tea, and she enjoyed it, while the radio continued to pulse out quieted music. She then retook her seat, and glanced at Inochi and Arakana.

“So… what’s your stories, girls,” she inquired with a grin, placing her hand near her fedora which still lay on the table.

by **The Lion Turtle** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:55 pm

The doors open again as three guests that were not invited show up. Though they are not invited, both Kensei and Shu would recognize them instantly.

The first one was smaller petite man always with a ceremonial sword dressed in Earth Kingdom attire for the party. He like the other two were head instructors at the Equalist Youth. This man was Onten Hiyu, the instructor of acrobatics and the field instructor. He was the least excited looking of the three as he clearly would have preferred to go out on the clean sweep that just happened than go to a party.

The second of the two was an average sized man with short black hair wearing a red headband. He was dressed in proper, but not noble Firenation attire. He is the head instructor to martial arts and disciplinary focus in the Equalist youth. Koryu was a man who spoke little unless spoken to. Unlike the first, he rarely went out on field missions and acts mostly if not solely as an instructor.

The last of the three was a very very large tall man with a thick mustache and light brown hair. He dressed in a Earth Kingdom noble attire, which did little, but show is muscular physique busting through the clothing. He seemed easily the most cheerful of the three of them. He was the dean of the Equalist Youth group and the primary chi-blocking instructor. He also doubled as a philosophy instructor. This man was known as Zenchen Godfri. Despite his cheerful demeanor, he was truly a zealot at heart who is considered perhaps the most dangerous man in battle of the Equalists aside from Amon himself. His reputation proceeds him as being a near unstoppable force in combat and accepting fights to the death from opposing benders.

Godfri speaks in his low pitch sounding voice. "Greetings, Kensei, old boy. Sorry to bust in uninvited, but I thought I would drag these fuddy duddies here to enjoy a party from some of our star pupils. After all, this is a time to rejoice for us. The pinnacle of bending tyranny itself is in our grasp, and soon we will take everything from genocidal warmongerers that they took from us... well, slightly less, probably." Godfri pauses for a while. "I will spare the preaching and say hello to my star pupil if you don't mind."

Before he leaves off, he moves to Hiyu and whispers something to him. Hiyu moves over to Kensei. "Pleasure to be here. Sorry for showing up un-invited. Zenchen believes he can more or less do whatever he wants if she thinks its in good nature. However, I have come by recent news that is relevant to this party. I have distressing news that tonight, your place is likely slated for an attack by the Agni Kais. I know there is already a tight security, but we have doubled it. That Triad's movements a little off to me. I have taken my jurisdiction to learn anything I can from those that work under the Equalist regime to understand these events... even the use of your own personal men. Through them, I found a connection. There is a group called the Sons of Flame that has arisen within the Firenation as of late. It is an offshoot of one of the political parties in the House of Lords. Their presence seems relatively new, but their roots stem back from the ending of the war. I am not sure if you are particularly familiar with that name, but I am sure you are all too familiar with those who probably would be in such a group being an ex Firenation Noble. Intel suggests that their influence from our very ranks has taken over the Agni Kais. Be weary. Since your invite list was so small, they could not sneak in, but they are still planning an attack. I came for the sole purpose of giving you this information."

Zenchen Godfri walks over to Shu. "Greetings young master." He pats Shu far too hard on the back which would nearly knock him over. "Sorry for the lack of invitation or late arrival, but I wanted to say hello to one of my star pupils. I am surprised not to see Pao-Quon. A shame, really.

Greetings Kasai, it is always good to have some rest after working so hard. Your improvement is always most noteworthy.

“Sometimes…” He groaned out “I wish didn’t… It would make… Things so much simpler.” He pushed himself to his knees, his lower half still very much in pain and it felt like his stomach was spinning. He started to stand up slowly, difficult to do with your knees buckling. He only made it half way when the room started to spin again. He fell on all fours, but it didn’t stop there. “Oh gods.” That was all he got out before everything still in his stomach came hurtling back up; and out onto Sam’s floors.

You need or want any help, Raoul? I don't want to leave you limping around as injured goods in all." Sam kind of got closer, but still kept his distance as Raoul appeared to struggle in front of him.

“Sorry about that Sam” He said as he tried getting to his feet once more, this time succeeding. “I think I’ve lost my appetite. Why don’t you give my order to, well anyone one but me, my treat.” As he said this he pulled out his wallet and handed Sam the money for the order, plus most of the cash he still had on him. He kept enough for the next part of his cunning plan which didn’t seem so cunning right now, plus a little extra. “I need to get some air. When Jinei wakes up tell him I disappeared into the night like some sort of man…bat…thing… That sounded a lot more mysterious in my head.”

"You can keep your money, champ." He says this, but does nothing to really stop Raoul. "I'll tell your buddy what happened. Take it easy. We really don't know what we'd do with you." Sam goes to where Jinei is and yells at someone in the kitchen to go get something to break him out. "Hey, do you want to stay for the police or anything?"

With that he limped off into the night.

"I guess he's fine. He's a lot tougher than I would have guessed." Sam said quietly as Raoul left the building.

Geoffrey wakes up in pajamas to get the phone at the Raoul residence with his eyes only half open.

“Listen Geoffrey, I need you to do something for me

"Master Raoul, do you know what time it is?

…No as a matter of fact I don’t know what time it is, I’m just standing here half way across town wondering when you’re going to get me brunch.”

"Oh good, Master Raoul. For a second, I thought I needed to change your linens again." Geoffrey said as he lightly rolled his eyes

“Geoffrey would you just listen to me for a moment? I need you to get the blue Sato

"Do you mean the sporty one or..

…No not that one the other one

"You can't mean the old ragity..

…Yes the grungy looking one

"Now why on this planet would you want to..

Because it would all make sense if you let me finish. I need you to take the grungy one down to South Galway Street and pick two people up for me.” He quickly gave him Mika and her friend’s descriptions.

"So you are going to need me to change your linens and sheets after all. I would have preferred brunch."

“No they’re not hookers

"... I will get to work changing them..

Yes I’m sure, if they were hookers I wouldn’t need to call you. Just pick them up and take them somewhere safe, and make sure you’re not followed"

"I can remember exactly twenty seven times I wish I didn't remember when you called me anyway." He paused again... "Followed. Why the Koh would we be followed, Master Raoul?"

Because I’m a thrice damned idiot and because I said so, anymore questions?

"Ah yes, I do have a few questions, when will I have my next week's vacation? Now is sounding awfully pleasant."

That was rhetorical damn it.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he killed the connection, he didn’t quite slam the phone down but he didn’t exactly gingerly place back in its receiver either.

Geoffrey rubbed his eyes for a moment and stepped into his room and got into his proper attire and grabbed some goggles for the road. "So the fooool wants me to take this one. Well, I can do it. I just hope I don't get my butlering taken away before the end of the night... let me rephrase that. I hope my butlering gets taken away before the end of the night." He says that as he manages through Raoul's cars and finds the grungy blue one that matches the set of keys he just picked up.

Before long, he drives over to the location that Raoul mentioned. The activity is slim as he spots both of them running. Geoffrey drives ahead of them and stops. He speaks in a loud, but not yelling butlery tone of voice.

"Excuse me. Raoul, my employer has urged me to find a safe location for the two of you... and make him brunch. I would appreciate it if you got in his grungy S'automobile and allowed me to take you to a "safe place" as he so said it."

by **Mika Hayami** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:47 am

They made it to South Galway Street after a few painfully long minutes of frantic sprinting. The heels were really starting to wear on Mika, but she couldn't let up now that they had so narrowly escaped capture.

Soon a dingy Satomobile pulled up beside her and Zair, and Mika lost all regard for the dingy street corner as the window rolled down.

"Excuse me. Raoul, my employer has urged me to find a safe location for the two of you... and make him brunch. I would appreciate it if you got in his grungy S'automobile and allowed me to take you to a "safe place" as he so said it."

Well, this was it. Another point of no return. Maybe it was weird for her to be trusting this random celebrity. She still didn't know why he was betraying his allies and helping them in the first place. But they needed to get out of this part of town before the reinforcement chi blockers showed up. Raoul had saved their lives.

She turned to her friend. "I think we should go. It's our best chance."

Mika squeezed Zair's arm in anticipation, opened the car door, and climbed inside. When the door was safely shut, Mika said, "Thank you, Sir, for doing this." She chose her words carefully. "Where is this 'safe place' that you're taking us?"

by **Tera253** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:27 am

Zair still felt a little dizzy and felt some pain in her shoulder from where it had slammed against the ground, but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with in some form or another. the running was something she was used to--not necessarily running, but it was not taxing on her powerful feet or her body, since she had that sort of stamina--any good brawler did.

she followed Mika till an old Satomobile pulled up and a man spoke out to them.
well... it wasn't exactly the safest story she had heard, especially since she was a woman about to go to the "Safe Place" of a man. The thought of getting laid in some form passed through her mind. or would it be rape?
was it even rape if she was willing? actually, it was not so much that she was willing as much as her simply not giving a fuck. unless getting slammed could strip her of her bending or her fighting abilities, it didn't matter. she needed those if she was to have a chance against... him.
a 3-second evaluation of the words which had been spoken, during which time Mika suggested it was safe and squeezed her arm, Zair had decided. if things turned bad, she'd pick a fight. if she ended up beaten and bruised on the side of the road without any clothes on... well, this wouldn't be the first time.

she hopped in the car next to Mika. "aye," She added to Mika's expression of gratitude, "thanks... and where *is* this 'safe-place'?"
this time she was just curious. if he didn't tell them... well, she wouldn't push it. she wasn't really afraid of it all unless Equalists were involved. If she learned that this was the case, she'd immediately start attacking and trying to hijack the car. hopefully it wouldn't come to that, since Zair couldn't drive.

~Asami~

by **Snake of the South** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:45 pm

“So… what’s your stories, girls,” she inquired with a grin, placing her hand near her fedora which still lay on the table.

He couldn't help but widen his eyes a little bit. This was the first time someone had ever asked him about his past. Though he felt somewhat bad for not wanting to share his 'story', Inochi was sure it was the best for now. He had only just met Misaki after all. Trying to avoid eye contact with Misaki, he looked at Arakana hoping she would answer the question instead.

"There's not much to know about me." the waterbender spoke up. "Like I told Inochi, I come from the Southern Water Tribe. I'm only here to bring my older sister back home since we haven't received even a telegram from her for a couple years." she looked out the kitchen window at the brightly lit skyscrapers as if she was still searching for something even at that moment.

Letting out a yawn that was half fake and half real, Inochi got up out of his seat yet again. "Oh excuse me. I guess I'm more tired than I thought." the man in the skirt stated with a smile. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night..."

by **Pleh** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:07 pm

[OoC]Killing NPCs? Happens all the time. Killing them without giving the GM having the chance to determine how difficult the challenge ought to be and make the NPC resist accordingly? There will be hell to pay for this mutiny.[/OoC]

"Though, if I may, I find it interesting that you drugged him so quickly. Sometimes it's not such a bad idea to give in to them just a little bit."

"I don't think you're reading this guy very well," She replied, "Something's just wrong about him. I like playing the game just as much as the next player, but this guy's psycho and probably Equalist. Couldn't shake the feeling during our whole dance something was wrong with him and that he was out for blood, both mine and the Triple Threat's. Didn't want to take the chance he might make the first move."

Hiking the coiled whip up her arm, she sat down on the bed next to him. Though his hair was short, she reached forward and brushed it away from his slightly damp forehead.

He managed to say, "Help me," in a soft whispering tone.

Trying to remain as innocent as she could, Amaya leaned down towards the man's face and whispered into his ear. She was unsure if he could hear her, but it was worth a shot.

"I'll get you out of this."

Renori smiled triumphantly. He was safe, for now. His green eyes met her green gray ones, and he wondered if she remembered who he really was, or if she was just acting out of pure kindness.

Missing the whispered promise, but alarmed at the victim's smile, the lady in red suddenly felt betrayed. She ever-so slightly brushed a small button on her bedside table directly under her ashtray to trip the silent alarm. Amaya had not turned to face her and Renori wasn't capable of focusing his vision well enough to notice her precaution.

Louder this time, she blatantly added, "So you better answer her questions."

Standing up once more, she slyly took the whip in her hand once more, casually uncoiling it in inspection and flicking it against the floor.

Unsure about trusting this woman, she reached for the knife hidden in the seat of the chair.

"By the way, can I-"

She quickly whipped the weapon at the woman, and watched with slight horror as electricity shot out at the woman upon impact.

The light of the electrical arcs flashed and a shrill scream pierced the air for several seconds, leaving the only other audible noise in the room to be the snarling and hissing of the electricity, rapidly burning the lady alive. The taser was designed to snap off again after an allotted time to avoid killing someone.

As soon as the bright light of the electricity waned, she finished, "-keep this?"

He could feel the drug wearing off, and his fingers were beginning to move... which was odd, because surely if he had sat there and answered her questions he would never had recovered that quickly. He supposed he had Koh to thank for that. He managed to reach into his coat pocket and slowly pulled out a clear liquid sealed inside a small glass vial. He unnotched the cap with his teeth then swallowed the contents. He returned his gaze to Amaya. "An antidote to most poisons. And judging by this whore's appearance, I doubt she'd have anything out of the ordinary." He could feel the liquid running its course through his body, burning in his stomach and veins as it went along.

[OoC]Official GM warning: If you think Renori Fa has any more magic items hidden in his coat, you should tell me or Count about them and get them approved or else consider Renori's pockets to be empty, with all the Old Crone's secrets left back in the Old Crone's shop just like your character sheet seems to imply. I'm letting it slide this time, but next time I will GM-Retcon stuff like this out. The reason "belongings" is a category on your character sheet is so that the GM knows what your character has on hand at the time. It's really very much cheating to pull out exactly what you need without telling any of us that you had something like that.[/OoC]

He stood up, still shaky, though mobile. He walked past Amaya and smiled at the whore on the ground. Her body was numb from the shock, but her eyes still looked at him with the same cold stare they had before Amaya bursted in. Something else was there too; a glimmer of fear flashed across his face, and Renori's face broke out in a wicked grin. "I told you I'd kill you," he said quietly.

He took his dagger from inside his cloak and grabbed the woman's hair. He tilted her head back, exposing her neck, then ran his dagger through her soft flesh. A wave of blood, warm and crimson, cascaded from her neck and shot out around the room. Amaya was covered in the woman's blood, as was Renori. A dark red pool began to form underneath the whore as she spit out nasty sounds of choking and gagging. Renori let her go, and he body fell limply to the floor. He resheathed his dagger.

"I suppose I ought to thank you," he said to Amaya, and he walked over to where she was standing. Their faces were an inch away now, and Renori could feel her breath on his face. He was growing hard, and he wanted nothing in the world that moment more than to take her right there in the spreading pool of blood. He took hold of her face with one hand, and with his other he held her arm. He leaned in to kiss her. With her hands already bound, there wasn't much she could do to resist whether she wanted to or not. Lips slick with blood slipped into her mouth with a metallic bite as Renori pressed himself hard against her in the short moment before she had the opportunity to fight back.

[OoC]Batt, you're grabbed, but you can free yourself. Traditionally in D&D, in this situation, you can either break free or attack him, but you can't do both in the same "round" of combat, which means you can do either before Poi gets to react, but not both. If you think Amaya will choose not to resist, that is an option as well.[/OoC]

by **Zutarafan101** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:21 am

There is a second reason Amon didn't use this thing." He flicks it. "Made of metal, and same with its ammunition." the Lieutenant says as he opens the gun and removes the bullets.

"These things can be bent by metalbenders, and Amon wanted a direct counter to the metalbenders for when he the probending stadium two years ago. Sato mentioned making the guns out of platinum, but before that was ever done, we had the gloves which did a more than efficient job.

'So the guns won't be used,' Daiyu thought to herself. 'If they can be bent by metalbenders, well...Amon wouldn't use them if they had such a weakness.'

"Cabbage Corp. Factories is holding the police model. They are being re-adapted for adaptation in the S'airplanes as air to air fighting force. Soldiers will be equipped with a long range version called the "Rifle". They will be shipped to the Aircraft Carrier with enough ammunition to take out five times the population of Firenation. They need to be stopped."

'Aaaand I was wrong.' Rubbing her forehead, Daiyu tried to process everything she'd just heard. 'Cabbage Corp...air fighting force...enough ammo to take out FIVE TIMES the Fire Nation's population.' This was not good. Although, she now knew almost everything she needed to know. She still had one more question. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and asked, "Do you know when the planes are leaving?"

(Please excuse the crappiness of this, I'm tired @_@)

by **Battery** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:56 am

Amaya watched in shock as the man she had saved simply jumped up from behind her, as if he had never been drugged, and cut down the woman. She had no chance to possibly defend herself. Sure, with what Amaya had done to her she would have been wounded and possibly scarred, but not dead. She ended up splattered with blood, and she silently fumed to herself. Blood was incredibly difficult to wash out, and this was the only real thing she had to wear.

"I suppose I ought to thank you," he said to Amaya, and he walked over to where she was standing. Their faces were an inch away now, and Renori could feel her breath on his face. He was growing hard, and he wanted nothing in the world that moment more than to take her right there in the spreading pool of blood. He took hold of her face with one hand, and with his other he held her arm. He leaned in to kiss her. With her hands already bound, there wasn't much she could do to resist whether she wanted to or not. Lips slick with blood slipped into her mouth with a metallic bite as Renori pressed himself hard against her in the short moment before she had the opportunity to fight back.

Amaya couldn't stand the taste of blood. She had gone through too many experiences where blood was all she could smell, and the taste of it was no better. The second he pulled away slightly, she jerked her arm to release it from his grasp and quickly pulled away from him, stepping back a few feet.

"What are you doing?!?" she hissed at him. "Do you realize what you've done? You're in the middle of a Triple Threats' party, and you've killed someone! What is wrong with you?!?"

by **Misaki** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:21 am

Misaki waited for one of them to speak, and the room fell silent once again. She glanced at Inochi, and the woman glanced away, trying to avoid eye contact.

Naturally, this caused Misaki to raise her eyebrow slightly, and she thought to herself, ‘What are you hiding Ino…’ Arakana quickly spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts.

“There's not much to know about me. Like I told Inochi, I come from the Southern Water Tribe. I'm only here to bring my older sister back home since we haven't received even a telegram from her for a couple years,” the girl stated, she then looked out the kitchen window, as if still searching for something.

Inochi then let out a yawn as she got up from her seat. “Oh excuse me. I guess I'm more tired than I thought. I think I'm going to turn in for the night,” she said with a smile.

Misaki pushed her suspensions of Ino aside, and got up from her chair as well, stretching out her tired arms, replying, “Aye… I think I’m gonna do the same, we may have an early morning tomorrow.”

It was then Guang turned from the sink with a smile, his hands wet and soapy. “We only have one room left open girls… I hope you three don’t mind in sharing a room.”

Misaki returned his smile. “Of course, it’s not like I haven’t had to share a room before. By the way, which room is it?” Guang grinned, and her eyes widened slightly.

“You don’t mean…” she stated, excitement bubbling up inside her. He just simply nodded. “Hehehe, yes! This shall be fun girls…” she continued, grabbing her fedora from the table.

Guang dug into his pocket, pulled out a pair of keys, and tossed them to her, which she caught one handed. Inochi and Arakana glanced at each other, confused by Misaki’s excitement.

“What’s so special about this room,” Inochi asked, her voice filled with confusion.

Misaki glanced back at her, a grin fixed on her face. Guang smiled at her, replying, “You’ll see soon enough. Just be careful in not waking the other patrons.”

“Right,” Misaki stated, her grin still on her face. She quickly gave Guang a hug, and the three of them left the kitchen, heading up the steps to the second floor.

The hall was once again, dark, and the sound of muffled snoring came from behind some of the doors. They came to the end of the hall, and another pair of small steps stretched out in front of them, leading to what seemed like an attic. Misaki stuck the keys in the lock, the door unlocked itself, and she pushed the door open. The room was dark, and she felt the wall for the light switch, at which, her hand hit it, and the room slowly brightened.

They stepped in, closing the door, and they room before them was impressive. It was a sizable medium sized room with a glass ceiling, much like a green house. On one end of the room was a large bed up on an elevated platform, while the other end had a writing desk with a lamp built into the wall, and a radio. A base heater was put into the wall across from the door, and it quietly hummed, pumping out warmth. A small clock was placed on the wall, and various plants were put around the room.

It seemed there was only enough room for one person to stay in the room, but Misaki knew the secrets the walls held. She walked over to a strange hook that seemed to be just hanging on the wall, and she pulled it, at which, a small couch flipped down out of the wall. Doing the same with another hook directly across from the first revealed another hidden flip couch, and there was now enough beds for the three of them.

Misaki turned and grinned at Arakana and Inochi, stating, “Well? Impressive isn’t it girls.” All her companions could do to reply was give a nod.

She flopped down onto one of the flip couches, and she then launched into the air, the springs reacting to her sudden flop down. She bounced back down on the couch, laughing as she sat up, a large grin on her face.

“We should be good for the night… though we may have an early start tomorrow so, best we get to sleep soon,” she said, as she unbuttoned and removed her suit jacket and kicked off her shoes.

by **Pleh** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:54 am

"What are you doing?!?" she hissed at him. "Do you realize what you've done? You're in the middle of a Triple Threats' party, and you've killed someone! What is wrong with you?!?"

That was right about the moment the door crashed inward as a pair of tendrils of water shot across the room, embedding themselves in the walls as shards of sharply pointed ice. Amaya flinched in pain as one of the smaller ones buried itself in her arm, though thankfully the cold helped numb the pain it was causing. Renori wasn't as lucky. He was hit in the left leg with one of the larger spikes while another one punched its way deep into his gut, thankfully missing any vital organs.

"Spirits..." The waterbender cursed under his breath at the sight which met his eyes before screaming in rage, "To KOH with you Equalists!"

In his anger, the blood on their clothes chilled and began to freeze, restricting their ability to move freely and biting at their skin with bitter frost.

"Stand down!" An authoritative voice bellowed. The owner of the voice stepped past the waterbender with a cool calm, his right arm raised in a ready striking position above his head, and his left palm held out in front of him to maintain a small orb of fire from which a devastating cone could be delivered in a single strike. In a small room like this one, there would be very few places from which one could hide from such an attack, but this was obviously a set-up. The security forces had trained and practiced this route and knew the advantages of their home turf.

"Now, both of you, come quietly and explain yourselves downstairs and maybe you'll live to see tomorrow...."

Looking through the dimness barely illuminated by his flame, the firebender peered at the woman covered in blood before saying, "Amaya?"

Spoiler: show

---

"Where is this 'safe place' that you're taking us?"

"aye," She added to Mika's expression of gratitude, "thanks... and where *is* this 'safe-place'?"

"Forgive me, ladies," he pleaded with a mock courtesy so sincerely spoken it could have been mistaken for genuine rather than sarcastic, "But I'm afraid the purpose of taking one to a safe house would be defeated at the juncture of disclosing said location's address. All you need know is that wherever it is Raoul has you tonight, the linens will be fresh and clean."

He took a careful route, doubling back a couple of times and darting the wrong way down short, empty one-way streets to lose any possible tails. At one point, he switched on the police scanner to be extra sure no one was following him.

"-zzzzzaster, as usual. Can we get some sweeps on these streets before oh-one-hundred? zzz Ten four, Unit Four. Over and out.zzz Station, this is Unit Twelve. Come in, Station. zzz Unit Twelve, this is Station. Reading you five by five.zzzz Station, the perimeter is secure, but the Nightlight has gone Dark. What's going on in there?zzzzzzzzz Unit Twelve, sit tight and keep sharp. Station has received no smoke-signal. Repeat, Station has received no smoke-signal.zzzzz Unit Three, this is Unit Five. Come in Unit Five. zzzzz Copy that, Station. Unit Twelve out. zzzzzzzzzz Unit Three, this is Unit Five. Please respond. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Station, this is Unit Five, please come in.zzz Unit Five, this is Station. Go ahead.zzz Unit Three is not responding to radio contact. Be advised, we're going in to get them. Requesting Radio Silence.zzzzz Unit Five, do NOT enter the cloud. Repeat: DO NOT ENTER THE CLOUD. Heavy Thunderstorms imminent. Do you copy?zzzzzz Unit Five, do you copy?zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Unit Five, this is Station. Respond.zzzzzz..."

Eventually, the car rolled back into Raoul's garage, pulling the grungy blue car gracefully back into line with the rest of Raoul's rather impressive collection. Geoffrey promptly stepped out of the car, lifting his goggles off his eyes to rest on his forehead and walked briskly around to the passenger door to hold it open for Mika and Zair.

"This way, if you please."

Following him through the garage door into the mansion, Geoffrey showed them to a small, comfortable waiting room with rather flowery wallpaper and plush, expensive looking seating arrangements. There was a rather fancy looking mini-bar as well.

"Can I get you ladies anything? Fire Nation whiskey? Air Disciple wines? We've recently acquired some authentic Southern Water Tribe Vodka, as they call it. Packs quite a punch."

by **Renori Fa** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:54 am

Renori felt ashamed suddenly. She was yelling at him and he began to realize how impulsive he had been. He looked back at the dead body, when suddenly the door crashed open and the next thing Renori knew, a sharp pain pierced his leg before and even worse pain shot through his gut. He let out a groan of agony and crumbled to the floor, a hand gripping his gut where he was hit. He opened his eyes, now watering from the pain, and saw a waterbender howling in anger.

"Spirits..." The waterbender cursed under his breath at the sight which met his eyes before screaming in rage, "To KOH with you Equalists!"

He felt the blood on him freeze and chill his body. He grew afraid of the waterbender's anger, until a man stepped in front of him and ordered his men to stand down. Renori eyed his fire orb angrily. Perhaps Amon did have some sense. . . .

"Now, both of you, come quietly and explain yourselves downstairs and maybe you'll live to see tomorrow...."

Renori bit his lip. He tried to make a word but the pain in his gut stopped him midway. He then remained silent and glowered at the firebender. His eyes quickly flashed toward Amaya. He doubted she could help him out of this. Perhaps she wouldn't even want to.

by **Battery** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:39 am

Amaya jumped a bit when the door slammed open, and she mentally cursed to herself as she realized the woman lying on the floor must have set off some sort of alarm. A waterbender jumped through the door and shot whips of water and ice into the room, and Amaya flinched in pain as one of the smaller ones buried itself in her arm, though thankfully the cold helped numb the pain it was causing.

"Spirits..." The waterbender cursed under his breath at the sight which met his eyes before screaming in rage, "To KOH with you Equalists!"

Hissing to herself in pain, Amaya tried to call out to the bender, but she was cut off by another voice shouting, "Stand down!"

A firebender walked into the room in a defensive stance, ready to strike and burn the room if necessary. "Now, both of you, come quietly and explain yourselves downstairs and maybe you'll live to see tomorrow...."

Amaya stared at him as he eyed the woman on the floor, and she was unable to get a good look at him until he looked up and noticed her. "Amaya?"

She winced. It was none other than Hu Bosu, a fellow ex-officer. However, his voice sounded strange compared to what she was used to, and she noticed a burn scar across his throat. It must have happened after the last time she had seen him, and she instantly felt guilty for not being around. Eyeing his flames cautiously, she slowly set the whip on the floor, which had still been in her hand, and she put her hands up to show her willingness to cooperate.

"Hello, Hu Bosu. Long time, no see. Though I must say this wasn't the situation I had envisioned our meeting."

Holding up her arms were causing the new wound in her arm to twinge in pain, and with a slight hiss, she reached over and clutched her bicep. "I certainly didn't think it'd hurt this much," she commented, a slight hint of humor in her voice. Looking directly at him now, her face grew serious. "But I can explain. Though I would appreciate -ow- moving somewhere more comfortable. For old -ow- time's sake?"

by **Pleh** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:51 am

"Hello, Hu Bosu. Long time, no see. Though I must say this wasn't the situation I had envisioned our meeting."

"Aye," He nodded, "Not that I had particularly imagined we ever would. This wouldn't have been my first choice."

Holding up her arms were causing the new wound in her arm to twinge in pain, and with a slight hiss, she reached over and clutched her bicep. "I certainly didn't think it'd hurt this much," she commented, a slight hint of humor in her voice. Looking directly at him now, her face grew serious. "But I can explain. Though I would appreciate -ow- moving somewhere more comfortable. For old -ow- time's sake?"

The fire didn't stop burning. He wasn't letting down his guard, but she knew him well enough to see his eyes soften ever so slightly.

"Aye," He nodded, "More comfortable." The words echoed in his mind with a sad, hauntingly nostalgic melody. It was what they used to tell people they were taking to jail and they both knew that a similar fate now awaited Amaya.

"For old time's sake."

Then he nodded to his waterbender who stepped out of his readied stance to arrest the blood sodden pair, but he was stopped by a look from his superior.

"Clean them up a bit. Don't want to start a riot downstairs."

The waterbender picked up the whip, wrapping it up to hang it on his belt when he felt an odd string attached to it. Looking closer, he shot a dirty look at Amaya and said, "Taser modification, Bosu."

It was a pretty bad sign. Everyone knew taser tech was signature Equalist.

"Just get them washed up and ready to go," was Hu's only reply.

They were roughly splashed with some rather frigid water. When Renori's wounds were found, the waterbender simply froze the wounds closed so that they wouldn't bleed. He brought their hands behind their backs and froze them together. It was immensely uncomfortable, but he grunted to them that they were only going downstairs so it wasn't going to be holding their wrists for long. When they were safely secured, they were escorted to the staircase, where the waterbender basically carried Renori most of the way down. Then they were brought to a door which revealed a smaller staircase leading to a dark hall with some cells on the right side. The were both given individual cells with a cot and a commode. Renori was left to rest and recover from his injuries while Amaya was brought in first for questioning. Hu Bosu himself decided to conduct the interrogation.

Lighting a cigarette, Hu took the time to smoke about half of it before speaking, "I suppose it's time for that reasonable explanation you were telling me about."

by **Snake of the South** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:31 am

It was unexpected how things had turned out. That morning, Inochi had woken up thinking that all he would have to deal with for the day was his shift at work. Now he found himself having to share a room with two women after having murdered several Equalists earlier that evening. This was the most vulnerable his secret had been in some time. In his moment of nervousness, he looked up at the stars that barely pervaded the ceiling. They were always more easier to see back in the Fire Nation.

He hoped that the girls would just go to sleep and not get anymore nosy. It was already straining Inochi's throat very roughly to keep doing his 'voice'. A legitimate yawn escaped his mouth as he sat his sword next to the other flip couch he had decided he would sleep in. As he sat down and took off his boots and jacket, he saw Arakana eying him with her icy blue eyes. Thinking nothing of it, Inochi got under the covers and turned his gaze back at the stars above him.

"Well good night everyone." he blurted out in a somewhat late response to Misaki.

The black abyss stared at him from above as he tried to go to sleep. Sometimes he wondered if the Spirit World was actually up there. Would the spirits have mercy on him when he finally met his end? It was times like these Inochi wished he had been more mindful of the spirits and his own spirituality. Between the comforting warmth of the blankets and his own fatigue, he began to slip further and further out of consciousness. Occasionally his stockings would itch against the hairs growing back on his legs preventing him from reaching slumber. Eventually though, the gentle humming of the heater went away and everything turned to black.

----------
Rolling green hills sprawled out in front of him underneath a beautiful cloudless sky. While not in his own body, Inochi could see and control himself. He was surprised to see that he was not in women's clothing for once, but actually in his old school uniform. Instead of a black luscious wig on the top of his head, short black somewhat-curly hair took it's place. Not knowing where exactly he was, he began to walk aimlessly. There was nothing to be found but hills. A weird sensation ran through his body as he suddenly found himself sitting on the edge of a cliff next to a girl in an identical school uniform. She had a pale complexion complimented by vivid yellow eyes and long, wavy brown hair. She opened her mouth and began to talk, but no sounds came out. After what seemed like an eternity, Inochi began to finally hear her.

"Reko....do you think I'd make a good wife?" she asked with uncertainty. The sounds of the waterfall that sat on the opposite side of the cliff also began to make actual sound.

"Why do you ask that?" he laughed. Yet, the words had come out of his mouth automatically with no conscious effort from Inochi himself.

"Because silly...you're the one that killed me." She smiled in the tense moment of silence before asking "So do you?"

"Yes." he answered with immense sadness. This time, he had control of his words. "I'm.....I'm so sorry. I-I wish I could take it all back."

The girl said nothing in return though. She only smiled and leaned her head on Inochi's shoulder. He wanted to cry, but his body remained peaceful with a smile on his face. Soon enough, he found himself in a different place with the brown-haired girl nowhere to be seen. Everything seemed blurry and Inochi had no idea where he was. A few minutes later, things started to become more clear and familiar even. He was back in his old house he grew up in. Fire Nation decor was littered everywhere from the walls to the floor. A towering figure stood over him encased in shadow even though sunlight warmly lit up the room.

"Son...what am I going to do with you." it said with apparent disappointment in its voice.

Inochi couldn't even see his body anymore. It felt like everything was frozen. Darkness once again encompassed his sight before he woke up on a beach. The sun was setting which made the water orange. A very tall man with hair tied in a topknot stood several feet away from him with Inochi's own sword in his hand.

"You keep running, but you know one day it will all catch up with you." the man stated blankly as he looked out at the sea. "So why do you run?"

Before he could answer, the man seemingly teleported behind Inochi and stabbed him right in the heart. He felt no pain however as he realized he was back in his own perspective. The warm red liquid was all over his bare arms, hands, and the steel that still protruded from his chest. As the man yanked the sword out of Inochi, everything seemed to slow down.

--------
He sat up instantly in his bed in a cold sweat. Though sure he had just had a nightmare, he couldn't recall anything. Inochi was still too tired to see if Misaki and Arakana were still awake. His exhaustion got the better of him again and he fell on his belly back into slumber. He could feel some of his makeup rubbing against the pillow, but Inochi was too tired to care before he finally passed out.

by **Tera253** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:58 am

Zair simply snorted and raised an eyebrow at the man's sarcastic remark. if he wasn't driving, much less, saving her hide, she would have decked him in the back of the head. but.. this wasn't the best of ideas here and now. besides, Mika was here, and if she leaned forward to slug him, she knew that Mika would say something against it, and that she'd be right. so... not this time.

Zair was aware that he wasn't going straight to the place, and so stopped paying much attention after a while, other than taking a few mental notes of what was going on on the police radio thingy. she figured that some of his motions were for extra security, which meant either they were being kidnapped at an epic level, or that Raoul really wanted them safe. she wasn't sure which to believe honestly.
oh well. there was no turning back at this point.

soong enough the car parked in a garage which boasted a rather impressive collection of Satomobiles, and Zair had to admit that she was secretly impressed. complimenting the butler would do no good, and she wasn't sure that she was ready to compliment Raoul just yet, even if he were here. whatever the case, they were soon safely inside and seated.

"a bit of fire whiskey wouldn't hurt." She replied to the butler's offer. for the moment of silence, she turned to Mika.
"so..." she said out of Geoffery's earshot, "uh... sorry again about earlier... ruining your job or whatever it was. I was kinda still mulling it. I feel bad, I guess."
such terrible presentation, but it was the best Zair knew. hopefully Mika understood that, given how well she knew her earthbending friend.

~Asami~

by **Conzu** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:05 pm

"Master Kensei Huo has arrived!"

Shu quickly pushed the plate with the komodo-chicken leg in Lord Bang-Strom's hands and turned towards Kasai with a broad grin.

It was then when Kensei stepped in and was immediately surrounded by people.

"Friends, Brothers and Sisters. Welcome to our home" Kensei spoke. "Thank you so much for coming to celebrate our first step to global Equality."

Only those who were really close to Kensei could see that something was off with him. But even then it was hard to tell. Though Shu strongly suspected their father's phonecall had everything to do with it.

"Today, Amon sent out a stern warning to the Fire Nation tyrants. If they won't comply, which I - knowing them well - doubt they would. We will rid the Fire Islands of its bending oppressors! Our loved ones will be free once again. Today, we have set the first step towards this ultimate dream."

As if having rehearsed everything, Dorei solemnly approached his master and handed him a wineglass and poured in some wine. "To a free world without bending tyrants. To our loved ones trapped in the Fire Nation. To Equality!"

The guests followed his example and raised their glasses as well, chanting "To Equality." After this the guests went back to their own little subgroups and cliques as Kensei spoke to several people.

Not long after, the doors opened once again and three uninvited guests stepped in. Both of the Huo brothers recognized them right away and wondered what these three head-instructors of their Youth Movement were doing here.

The men were Onten Hiyu, who obviously didn't like parties like these. The silent Koryu of the Fire Nation, and the big Zenchen Godfri.

The three men immediately made their way towards Kensei. "Godfri... welcome.." the host said clearly surprised.

"Greetings, Kensei, old boy. Sorry to bust in uninvited, but I thought I would drag these fuddy duddies here to enjoy a party from some of our star pupils. After all, this is a time to rejoice for us. The pinnacle of bending tyranny itself is in our grasp, and soon we will take everything from genocidal warmongerers that they took from us... well, slightly less, probably." Godfri pauses for a while. "I will spare the preaching and say hello to my star pupil if you don't mind."

"Sure. Please do so. Be welcome. Take a drink and eat something. Feel at home."
As the man moved towards Hiyu, Kensei added almost inaudible "Bending tyranny will be destroyed."

"Hiyu moves over to Kensei. "Pleasure to be here. Sorry for showing up un-invited. Zenchen believes he can more or less do whatever he wants if she thinks its in good nature. However, I have come by recent news that is relevant to this party. I have distressing news that tonight, your place is likely slated for an attack by the Agni Kais." Kensei's eyes narrowed. "I know there is already a tight security, but we have doubled it. That Triad's movements a little off to me. I have taken my jurisdiction to learn anything I can from those that work under the Equalist regime to understand these events... even the use of your own personal men. Through them, I found a connection. Hearing this, Kensei took Hiyu gently by the shoulder and guided him towards a corner where they could speak without anyone else hearing them. "There is a group called the Sons of Flame that has arisen within the Firenation as of late" Hiyu continued. "It is an offshoot of one of the political parties in the House of Lords"

Kensei didn't say anything but the Equalist Youth instructor would surely notice his eyes turning as cold and hateful as they could ever possibly be.

"Their presence seems relatively new, but their roots stem back from the ending of the war. I am not sure if you are particularly familiar with that name, but I am sure you are all too familiar with those who probably would be in such a group being an ex Firenation Noble. Intel suggests that their influence from our very ranks has taken over the Agni Kais. Be weary. Since your invite list was so small, they could not sneak in, but they are still planning an attack. I came for the sole purpose of giving you this information."

"The house of Lords" Kensei repeated bitterly. "Sons of flames." Shooting a brief glance at his brother and at his family portrait, he turned back towards Hiyu. "Yes," he sighed. "I am familiar with them. What do you want to know? My father's family has been among its leadership ever since the end of the war. They are ruthless and wouldn't hesitate to even assassinate the Fire Nation's royal family in order to return to the old days. If Amon hadn't shown his power of taking away bending." He paused for a second. "My father would've been Firelord by now." Just for the sake of convenience he left out the part where Amon and he had planned to outsmart his father.

"There are definitely, potential or full blown, fifth columns among our ranking military personnel and politicians. Not everyone is to be trusted. We need to find a way to smoke them out."

"I wonder what they're doing here" Shu said turning to Kasai, who was just as surprised as he was.

"Oh there comes Godfri" Kasai whispered as he brought the glass to his mouth.

"Greetings young master." Shu almost fell with his nose in Lord Bang-Strom's plate, but managed to keep his balance anyway. His foodloving lordship carefully moved away from the 'danger zone' and continued with what he was doing.

"Sorry for the lack of invitation or late arrival, but I wanted to say hello to one of my star pupils. I am surprised not to see Pao-Quon. A shame, really."

"That's okay, Godfri. I'm always honored by your visit." The boy paused for a second. "Pao..." for some reason Shu always left out the 'Quon' "I don't know why he isn't here. I expected him to come."

"Greetings Kasai, it is always good to have some rest after working so hard. Your improvement is always most noteworthy."

"Thank you, sir" Kasai smiled. In contrast to Shu, Kasai felt - or knew - he didn't have the luxury of calling his superiors by their names like his friend just did.

by **Mika Hayami** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 2:15 am

Mika wondered at the man's drawn-out way of speech when he answered her question, but decided it didn't need to be paid much mind. It was late and they were strangers begging a ride extended supposedly completely out of the kindness of Raoul's heart...it was a sticky situation and not one in which she had much reason to take offense. It slid off her back, as other troubles managed to occupy her thoughts during the very complicated ride to the mystery "safe place."

Passing over countless streets and turning about at several junctions, Mika didn't bother to follow their divergent path. Instead, she searched for the occasional landmark around the city that might betray to her where they were headed. The radio was another matter entirely. Something was giving the police trouble...was it back at the nightclub? Mika never thought bar brawls caused such a ruckus. Finally they did arrive in one of the fanciest neighborhoods in the city, home to the fabulously wealthy and those fairly influential among the Equalists. Straight to Raoul's home? Why on earth would he have wanted two bending fugitives there? Her thoughts flashed back to something the driver had said..."The linens will be fresh and clean." She felt the blush rise in her cheeks. Was he expecting that kind of payment?

When they arrived in the garage, she tried her best not to stare. There were so many Satomobiles! So many sporty, expensive machines, any of which was perfectly capable, if sold, of bringing the circus back into business for another generation at least! This was the glory Mika had dreamed of obtaining only a few years ago--how easily such dreams evaporated when met with the harsh face of reality! Raoul had succeeded...and now had everything he'd ever wanted. He even had connections with the winning side in the battle for Republic City.

"This way, if you please."

Following him through the garage door into the mansion, Geoffrey showed them to a small, comfortable waiting room with rather flowery wallpaper and plush, expensive looking seating arrangements. There was a rather fancy looking mini-bar as well.

"Can I get you ladies anything? Fire Nation whiskey? Air Disciple wines? We've recently acquired some authentic Southern Water Tribe Vodka, as they call it. Packs quite a punch."

Expensive tastes, Raoul...

She glanced at Zair when she made her order, then replied in succession, "Just water, please, sir." I think I've seen enough booze for awhile, she added in her mind.

"so...uh... sorry again about earlier... ruining your job or whatever it was. I was kinda still mulling it. I feel bad, I guess."

Mika shook her head. That had been one of the many things running through her mind on the ride here. She now had no job. Nowhere to go. No way to provide for her family. Everything had blown up in her face, just like that. The little girl in her wanted to cry, but that wouldn't help anything. Zair didn't mean it. Zair couldn't have known.

"Don't worry about it, Zair. I didn't like it that much anyway. I'm sure I'll find something to do." And somewhere to go... Her tone was not of one who had brushed the misfortune off, but one who accepted its existence and knew it was necessary to keep moving. That was the only way, after all.

by **Tera253** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 6:10 am

While Mika's words seemed intended to console Zair, they didn't. frankly, she still didn't understand why she was worrying so much about this. sure Mika was one of the few people that Zair didn't hate (she could count them on her hand), but even then, since when in hell did she start caring about the well-being of others?
well, as strange as it was, it was bugging Zair, and she wasn't fine with the fact that it was bugging her.

"but what will that be?" she asked, it's not exactly easy being a bender anymore..."
Mika hadn't been updated on the fate of Zair's family--well, her father anyways. her sisters and mother were not benders, so they were eithe safe, assimilated, or... well something. she was also not sure how well her friend knew of the Equalist ranks, or if she knew of Zangchen Godfri, the man who had killed Zair's father, and more importantly, the one that Zuzere Zenzi Zair would one day face off against in a fight to the death.

"you're really the only friend I've got anymore." she muttered. she might have sounded upset, but that was mostly at what was going on in her own mind.

~Asami~

by **OutLaw** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:27 pm

There, those two were out of his hair now. His conscience was satisfied and now he could he forget about them, go home, get himself a drink, and sleep the rest of this wretched night off. But no sooner had he turned to head back to that club and retrieve his bike when a thought hit him. Something was going on there and whatever it was it had probably every chi-blocker in the city heading toward it. To make matters worse Jinei had known that Raoul was there and had tracked him down, which meant there could be others there who knew; and if he showed up without Jinei questions would be asked. Questions he did not want to answer.

So instead Raoul turned back to the phone booth and grabbed the phone book that was in everyone. He found the number for a taxi service and told them where he needed to be picked up. When the cab arrived he gave the man his address and off they went, as he made his way home Raoul finally started to relax. Eventually they arrived at his home; Raoul paid the cabby, added a tip and made his way inside.

Standing in the foyer of his own home he finally took off the eye patch that covered his left eye, he didn’t need it and to be truthful in all the excitement he’d forgotten that he had it on. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on trivial things though, now was the time for a drink. So stuffing the patch in his pocket he made his way toward the sitting room; that was the closest place with a mini-bar after all. However as soon as he entered the sitting room he saw the two girls sitting on his furniture. He visibly winced at the sight of Mika as pain shot through his lower half, but he hesitated for only a moment before locking his eyes on the mini-bar and made his way toward it. He didn’t glance at either of the girls as he pulled out some brandy, poured about an inch into a glass, took a mouthful, and then another mouthful. He turned to where they had been and they were still there, so he closed his eyes, took another mouthful, and looked again; no change. “Damn, still there. That means you are either an extremely persistent hallucination, in which case I really shouldn’t be drinking this, or you’re both really there, in which case I’m going to need a whole lot more.”

by **Mika Hayami** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:01 am

"but what will that be? it's not exactly easy being a bender anymore..."

No, it certainly wasn't. Mika shrugged, taking a gulp of water rather than replying. A part of her did want to drink hard tonight, wash all the troubles away, and then either barf them back up or sweat them out in a killer hangover the next morning. Sometimes she did that when anxiety got really bad, when there was a man who hung around backstage willing to foot the tab that night. Or when she could beg a favor from the bartender, who had been a good friend of hers. She felt the coolness surge down her throat. It didn't burn at all, but it made her spirit flare when she acknowledged the presence of her element inside of her.

She finished. Downed the entire glass without noticing. Well, she had been tired, sprinting and dancing for most of the night. Funnily enough, the thought of how bad she'd need to pee soon crossed her mind. Among everything else. She laughed bitterly despite herself. She was silly enough without booze to help.

"But there's gotta be something out there! I didn't want to get political, but maybe I could put in more work for the revolution. Or find another seedy nightclub to dance in. 'Course, with today's events, any sane person would know to skip town..." She fingered her empty glass, eyes drifting out of focus. She couldn't go back home, not now that she was a bending fugitive. Her family's safety was precarious as it was, and every day her worry for them grew stronger. She didn't have anywhere to go that would not involve exposing someone she cared about to the danger of helping a criminal.

"you're really the only friend I've got anymore."

"Zair..." Mika faced her. How could she let herself despair this way when her friend was caught in many similar ways? Zair surely felt just as hunted as she did. But, to look at her, Mika saw something more...a drive burning inside of her that she did not remember from before the Equalist Revolution. What had happened to Zair since then? Come to think of it, she still had yet to know why Zair remained in the city in the first place. What tied a body down to the nest of terror that existed for every bender in the world? What had caused her so much suffering?

"...You are very precious to me. If there is anything I can do for you...Well, just ask." She wanted to be there for Zair. She had a responsibility to her family, but she had one to her friends too. And from the looks of it, Zair needed a friend now. Being there meant the world. That's what friends did.

Mika jumped at the sound of steps down the hall. She turned and froze as the man Raoul entered his sitting room. Part of her felt like she and Zair were being intruded upon, but that thought evaporated as she remembered whose house this was. The man winced at her. Seemed his memory was still pretty fresh. She tried not to look him in the eyes--she couldn't take the feeling of remorse for hurting him that way. She watched him curiously, following his motions as he made his way to the minibar and tried to drink the sight of them away.

“Damn, still there. That means you are either an extremely persistent hallucination, in which case I really shouldn’t be drinking this, or you’re both really there, in which case I’m going to need a whole lot more.”

"Drink up," she muttered without thinking. If this had been his plan, why was he so surprised by their presence? She explained cautiously, "You told your butler to bring us here."

by **The Lion Turtle** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:29 am

Kensei took Hiyu gently by the shoulder and guided him towards a corner where they could speak without anyone else hearing them.

"The house of Lords" Kensei repeated bitterly. "Sons of flames." Shooting a brief glance at his brother and at his family portrait, he turned back towards Hiyu. "Yes," he sighed. "I am familiar with them. What do you want to know? My father's family has been among its leadership ever since the end of the war. They are ruthless and wouldn't hesitate to even assassinate the Fire Nation's royal family in order to return to the old days. If Amon hadn't shown his power of taking away bending." He paused for a second. "My father would've been Firelord by now." Just for the sake of convenience he left out the part where Amon and he had planned to outsmart his father.

"There are definitely, potential or full blown, fifth columns among our ranking military personnel and politicians. Not everyone is to be trusted. We need to find a way to smoke them out."

Hiyu does a small bow. "Thanks for the small information tidbit, but I will admit that I am not here now to gather information from you. I do not want to burden you more than what is necessary right now. This is strictly a warning of the impending attack. The attackers are to be intercepted. The Chi-Blocker clean sweep has however removed much of our enforcement in the current area. This is a warning that they might actually reach your property at this rate. If those that report to me are correct, if they make it, expect them in an hour. I say this for the safety of everyone in the party, especially you and your brother. I suggest moving yourselves and your guests to a different location effective immediately to avoid civilian casualties."

Godfri's face peaks around toward the corner he saw Hiyu and Kensei walk towards before looking back to Shu. "My time in the party will be short, but before I go, I wanted to congratulate you and your brother when I get around to seeing him on your performances during the Rally. I cannot possibly state the amount of strength you and those like you have given to Equality." Godfri takes a deep breath. "Keep up the good work.

He turns towards Kasai. "Good posture, my chap. You will make a fine officer." Godfri nods. "Don't let Shu take all the fame." Godfri says with a bit of a chortle.

It is at that time that Koryu walks in Godfri's direction. "Attention, students... have a ... good time." Koryu says with an awkward smile as he still stands at attention. He turns to Godfri and whispers. "Why are we still here? Hiyu is the one who truly needed to give a message and he gave it. We should monitor the perimeter." Koryu says in his natural stern voice with his furrowed thick eyebrows.

Godfri's face remains cheerful as he speaks regular volume. "No need to concern yourself. Trust me, that situation is under control. I am more concerned with the poor choices made by Hiyu's several subordinates, including Captain Jinei as of the clean sweep. Chasing that vigilante in his turf grounds is like fighting a waterbender under water. He is wasting our manpower. Hiyu is hasn't told him... he is still telling him."

Eyes are drawn to him, but the conversation seemed to be run of the mill chi-blocker talk, so many of those that would have been interested at first sooner or later lose interest and continue what they were doing.

Godfri takes hold of Koryu's shoulder. "Sorry to leave the conversation so soon, young masters. Enjoy yourselves. You might be hosting the party, but I still believe the party is for you."

Godfri nods and walks off a different direction and speaks a lot quieter in a lower pitch voice. "If Xian shows up, things will work perfectly. He is the one who the rumors stated in the intelligence knows the man from the Sons of Flame. If me suspicion is confirmed, we will have him walk into our hands at tomorrow's meeting. We must stay ahead of the chi-blockers. Do not compromise anymore, Koryu. Amon didn't get this far simply with rigid ideals and tenacity. We must think like our enemy to see their next moves. Do not call for a change in the security. They are falling into my plan. Hiyu just needs to be able to make sure these fine people don't get hurt by those barbarians."

The talk continues. It appears that some of the leaders and the most important people from the Triple Threats, the Red Monsoons and collective other revolutionary sects not tied to crime syndicates have gathered around the Lieutenant as he hopped off the arena.

It is at this time the party resumed after the moons mostly stood in silence. The musicians started playing again and the bartenders started serving drinks again. Before long, people were dancing, others were fighting in the arena and people were throwing money betting on who would win. It went back in full swing and moreso now.

It was at that time that someone starts slamming on the door as the big guy guarding in front of it speaks. "What's the password?"

A higher pitch voice screams out "LBZ sent me! LBZ sent me! LBZ SENT ME!! RANDY!! Open the door damn it!!"

The larger man says as he laughs to himself. "Oh... Timmi Tin Grin, come right in."

He opens the door as a smaller man in Earth Kingdom attire and a light goatee runs in and slams the door behind him.

"OH MY AVATAR!!!!! You guys won't even believe all the shit I just saw now! Hey Daiyo... Daiyu... Daii... umm. Kid. Di the Kid... that's a good nickname... better than Timmi Tin Grin." he sneers at the man at the door. "I am the dignified and ferocious Timmio the Buzzsaw.

The big man yells back. "Aint my fault you have braces after boxing that metalbending cop back in the good old days."

"Enough of me", Timmio says to cut the guy off "get the attentions of Turtle, Vince, Parko, Kuko, Many Hands, Yinsen, Yami the Salami, Xian the piss flame, and anyone else you thinks wants to hear something biiiig that was going on outside!'

He takes a deep breath. He says to you. "You ever wonder what cops wielding metal crossbows fighting a vigilante Pick Man with Chi-Blockers and toasters look like? I don't gotta wonder anymore.

You ever wonder what it looks like to see now known sucky chi-blocking famous singin sensation Raoul get kicked right in the jimmy? I don't anymore.

I'ms apposed to get Zair, the pig pen, and Mika... I didn't have a nick name for her yet. I got scared when I saw them take on a chi-blocking captain. They kicked his ass good and I started bookin it when Raoul started chi-blocking, but he messed up and lost the five children he could have had. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!!!"

He looks around for a second and yells out. "Where are the Kais? I can only see like maybe three guys from the Agni Kais. Aint they supposed to be here, also?"

by **Misaki** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:32 am

It had been a long day, and despite the fact that she had slept the entire afternoon, Misaki found herself extremely tired. She glanced over at Arakana, wondering if starting a conversion was really a good idea… she quickly shook the idea from her head, and proceeded to turn the lights off when Inochi spoke up.

“Well good night everyone.” she blurted out.

Misaki nodded, replying, “Aye. Sleep well,” as she turned out the lights. She made her way back to her couch bed, and plopped down on it once more. She stared out at the stars above, sighed quietly, and closed her eyes, the rhythmic humming of the heater slowly putting her to sleep. With time, the sound of the heater faded, and she fell into a deep sleep. Around an hour passed…

She tossed and turned on the small couch, a cold sweat ran down her forehead, and she clenched her teeth, her body reacting to a dream.

~~

It was approaching evening, and the skies had begun to darken, a few buildings began lighting up as the night grew ever closer. Misaki breathed hard, her was heart pounding, and she glanced back over her shoulder, seeing as to whether her allies were keeping up. The sound of falling crates redirected her vision forward, and she jumped, barely avoiding a hard smack to the pavement.

She got sight of a dark figure darting left down another alley way, and she followed.

“Hurry the hell up you guys! Just went this way!” she yelled back, her voice echoing throughout the alley network.

The alley ahead of her was dark, but a light shown in the distance, the end of the alley. Her adversary was silhouetted against the bright white exit, who glanced back at her with eyes that momentarily shone a reddish glow. Misaki clenched her teeth, she wasn’t about to let herself be intimidated by something that had an obvious answer. Her adversary disappeared into the light, and she closely followed behind, the light momentarily blinding her.

She emerged out onto the street, many people staring at her and her adversary who now stood in front of her. She huffed, catching her breath as she stared them down.

“Where you plan on running now,” she growled, baring her teeth with annoyance and anger.
Her adversary just made a sound that resembled a ‘hpmt’, their eyes flashed a bright red again, and they flipped backwards, out onto the road. Oncoming traffic screeched to a halt; however a truck was slow on the brakes, and took aim right at her adversary. With the slightest ease, they jumped above the truck as it passed below, doing a another back-flip in the process. Misaki looked on awestruck; her opponent was performing maneuvers that were seemingly beyond human ability. She quickly pushed what she had just seen aside, and darted out into the street, following her opponent who had landed on the other side, and had taken off down another alley.

She reached the other alley, and followed it, noticing her adversary taking a right. See darted around the corner, finding her opponent trapped by a dead end.

“Heh. Well now, looks like the end of the line,” Misaki chuckled, pulled her dagger from her pocket. The coated figure slowly turned, its hands raised.

She chuckled again, starting a full sprint towards her adversary, her dagger gleaming in the light. However, just as she was about to strike, the figure disappeared, and she skidded to a stop. She quickly looked about, trying to spot anything, and she felt a hard punch to the gut as her opponent reappeared in front of her. The punch sent her flying back into the brick wall behind her, and the wind was knocked out of her as she hit. Her body crumpled to the ground, and she coughed up blood. As she glanced up, her breathing had become heavy and wheezy.

The figure slowly approached her, drawing what seemed to be a blade from its body, and little particles of what had to be energy wisped off the end. Misaki was now on the receiving end of something she had never seen or even knew was possible before, and fear quickly overtook the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body.

“S-Stay back,” she stammered, blood dripping from her lips. She curled herself up, grabbing her knees with what little strength she had regained. Her body began shaking with fear as the figure came closer and closer with each step. Its eyes flashed red yet again; however, most of its body lay hidden beneath the old coat.

‘It has to be a spirit, it has to be… no human could do what it has done,’ she thought quickly, her eyes beginning to widen. Whoever… or whatever her opponent was, they seemed intent on one thing, and that’s when her tears started streaming from her eyes.

“P-P-Please…” she stuttered, the figure nearly on top of her. She shuffled her way backwards until her body met the wall once again. Blood still dripped from her lips, and although she regained her breathing, it was still heavy. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she knew nothing could change her fate now. She had been wrong… about everything; she had gotten herself in way over her head, like usual.

As her adversary drew ever closer, she noticed the figure had gained a more feminine shape that she had not noticed before. It then stopped a few feet ahead of her, and moved slowly, its head jerking up. She saw it remove what appeared to be a fedora, and that’s when she heart stopped.

Standing before her was an identical version of herself, expect ‘her’ eyes still flashed a bright red. Her… or its lips curled into a sinister grin, and moved towards Misaki once again. She moved her body again, and that’s when her hand hit something… her damaged dagger. She quickly picked up the small bladed weapon, pointed at her opponent, who stopped once more, rose an eyebrow, and then let out a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the alley. A sinister grin reappeared on her adversary’s face once more, and ‘she’ began moving closer again.

Her hand then suddenly went numb, and she dropped the dagger, it clattered on the hard pavement. She shut her eyes as ‘herself’ bent down toward her, and she reopened her eyes when she felt a hand touch her chin. She stared back at the emotionless red eyes, her own still widened and tear filled. Her ‘other half’ smirked evilly at her, and then spoke up.

“What’s the matter? Scared? Good,” it stated, its voice wicked and demonic, and it then finished with another maniacal laugh.

Misaki looked on helpless… she couldn’t defend herself, and she had no idea where her allies had disappeared to. Her adversary backed slightly, slowly raising the darkened blade from it body, as its lips curled into another sinister grin. Misaki had no options left, and she spoke up, wishing to hear her own voice which would likely be the last time.

“P-P-Please… Don’t do t-this… p-please,” she stammered once again, tears beginning to stream down her face. Her eyes widened further with fear, and her heart pounded extremely fast. She then began to scream as ‘she’ swung the blade, and then everything faded out.

~~

Misaki shot up from her bed, screaming lightly, and she swung her head widely, glancing quickly around the darkened room. She glanced over at Inochi, who just stirred in her bed, turning over. She quickly let out a heavy sigh, and wiping her eyes, noticing tears on her hand afterwards.

A creaking sound then came from over shoulder and she froze, fear quickly overtaking her body. She then slowly glanced back over her shoulder, and saw movement near where Arakana was sleeping, and she calmed herself, knowing it was just her friend. A familiar, yet tired face soon came out of the darkness of the room, baring a look of concern and a small smile.

“Misaki, what’s wrong? You alright?” Arakana stated quietly, placing her hand on Misaki’s shoulder.
She slowly glanced at her Water Tribe friend, flipping around in her bed so that her legs now hung off the side. This was the first time actually seeing Arakana calm and smiling. Her hand still rested on her shoulder as she awaited a reply from Misaki.

“I-I’m fine… it’s n-nothing,” she replied, sighing deeply again. However, Arakana didn’t seem convinced… her expression holding a seed of doubt. The young Water Tribe girl then took a seat next to her on the bed, which bounced and squeaked at the addition of the new weight.

“Misaki… it isn’t nothing. You woke up screaming and you have tears in your eyes,” Arakana murmured, her expression changing to a caring look. “Want to talk about it?” she questioned.

“Just a nightmare I suppose. Yet… it felt so real,” she commented, shuttering at the last bit.

Arakana nodded shyly, stating, “Well, it’s ok now… whatever happened, it didn’t really. Remind yourself that,” stretching her arm out over Misaki’s shoulders in a half-hug.

“Right… Didn’t really happen,” she repeated, wiping her eyes again. She then smiled at her ‘friend’. “Thanks Arakana. Ummm… can I ask you something?”

Arakana smiled back sheepishly, replying, “Of course. And sure.”

“Do you think Ino is hiding something?” Misaki whispered, glancing over at the sleeping woman.

Arakana blinked, murmuring, “Yeah… I think she is. She's been acting suspicious and secretive since I met her. But let’s just stay quiet about it for now… between us two girls. Alright?”

Misaki nodded. “Aye. Between us.” Arakana then got up from the bed, causing Misaki to be bounced around widely. They both started giggling quietly, and Arakana returned to her bed.

“Night, ‘Sparky’,” Arakana stated, her lips in a smile.

Misaki grinned at her ‘friend’ in the dark, replying, “Aye… Night.”

Arakana simply nodded and the room fell silent once more, the only sound being the quiet hum of the heater. Misaki closed her eyes, and wondered what new challenges tomorrow would bring. They had information to get about her friend’s sister… and the syndicate was the only place to find any info on a bender. She mentally sighed again… hoping it wasn’t already too late for Arakana’s sister.

by **Tera253** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:17 am

"But there's gotta be something out there! I didn't want to get political, but maybe I could put in more work for the revolution. Or find another seedy nightclub to dance in. 'Course, with today's events, any sane person would know to skip town..."

Zair let out a light chuckle. "'Haps sanity is overrated?" she quipped, "frankly, I think the fact that folks like you and I are willing to still try to carve out a living is a symbol of revolution itself. that's one of the reasons I'm still here."
She didn't feel a need to spill her whole sob story on Mika this early. it was a long story, but it was the reason she was still here. It was the reason she knew nothing of the rest of her family anymore. originally, she had left them to keep them safe from harboring a bender, but she knew that the Equalists were relentless, and that they probably hadn't just left her family well enough alone... but how could she check when she didn't know where they were, and feared being seen with them.
Family was the reason she was still here. She knew that either she would meet him to avenge her father's death, or he would find her to finish the job he started 2 years ago. either way, she would be there.

"Zair... ...You are very precious to me. If there is anything I can do for you...Well, just ask."
Zair closed her eyes. she put her arm around her friend's shoulder, almost leaning against her. "just..." she sighed, "please don't leave."
she meant it in reference to Republic City, not just because Zair saw it as a symbol of defiance against the Equalists, but because as much as she didn't want to admit it... Zair needed a little piece of humanity that she could love . Perhaps this was Mika for Zair.
"I really don't know what's gotten into me though," she remarked, "I haven't felt like this before... and it's confusing and slightly frustrating."
she paused for a moment. before she could try to explain it, however, Raoul returned. Zair felt like a moment just got dashed, but... this was his place, so he had all rights to be here and everything else. still... well eh.

[color=brown]“Damn, still there. That means you are either an extremely persistent hallucination, in which case I really shouldn’t be drinking this, or you’re both really there, in which case I’m going to need a whole lot more.”

she simply raised her eyebrows, as Mika has said what she would have said, albeit probably slightly ruder. maybe it was a good thing she had kept her mouth shut after all. heh. [/color]

~Asami~

by **Conzu** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:48 pm

Upon hearing of the Agni Kai's Kensei feared this night would only become worse than it already was after his father's phonecall.

"The attackers are to be intercepted. The Chi-Blocker clean sweep has however removed much of our enforcement in the current area. This is a warning that they might actually reach your property at this rate. If those that report to me are correct, if they make it, expect them in an hour. I say this for the safety of everyone in the party, especially you and your brother. I suggest moving yourselves and your guests to a different location effective immediately to avoid civilian casualties."

And he was right.

"To be intercepted, you say? How would you like to do that with the current lack of security forces? I understand your concern for our safety." He paused. Never in his life had he run away from any threat. That is, until he found out he was declared a State Enemy by the Fire Nation. Instead of returning to the Fire Nation, he remained within the safe boundaries of the United Republic, leaving his family behind. Leaving his family at the hands of those ruthless tyrants.

It was his fault that his children were taken away from him, and that his beloved wife was sent to the terrible prisoncamp she is now in. All... because he 'ran' away.

"I' he continued slowly. "Am not a big fan of fleeing. Especially not from people like the Kai's. However, I do realize my guests' safety is above all. Tell me... how many criminals are supposed to be taking part in this attack?"

Godfri's face peaks around toward the corner he saw Hiyu and Kensei walk towards before looking back to Shu. "My time in the party will be short, but before I go, I wanted to congratulate you and your brother when I get around to seeing him on your performances during the Rally. I cannot possibly state the amount of strength you and those like you have given to Equality." Godfri takes a deep breath. "Keep up the good work."

Shu smiles and bows respectfully. "Thanks."

He turns towards Kasai. "Good posture, my chap. You will make a fine officer." Godfri nods. "Don't let Shu take all the fame." Godfri says with a bit of a chortle.

"Thank you, sir." Poking Shu, he added. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Attention, students... have a ... good time." Koryu suddenly says as he walks in their direction and whispers something to Godfri.

Both Shu and Kasai desperately tried to hear what he was saying, but the loud laughing of the guests around them, in particular his lordship Bang-Strom, made it quite impossible to do so. Until Godfri spoke in his regular tone.

"No need to concern yourself. Trust me, that situation is under control. I am more concerned with the poor choices made by Hiyu's several subordinates, including Captain Jinei as of the clean sweep. Chasing that vigilante in his turf grounds is like fighting a waterbender under water. He is wasting our manpower. Hiyu is hasn't told him... he is still telling him."

"What?" Both of the boys simultaneously said and turned towards the two headinstructors like metalbending cops to a Mechatank. But the conversation quickly turned into the usual chi-blocker talk. Something were both Shu and Kasai were oh-so familiar with.

While Shu was still interested and wanted to see if he could get more out of the conversation between Godfri and Koryu, Kasai on the other hand seemed to be distracted. He left his friend for a second and came back right after, offering Shu a drink.

"Thanks" the boy smiled at his friend.

Godfri takes hold of Koryu's shoulder. "Sorry to leave the conversation so soon, young masters. Enjoy yourselves. You might be hosting the party, but I still believe the party is for you."

"I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves, sir" Kasai said smiling. Both boys bowed traditionally and watched the two men walk away as Shu took a big gulp of his drink. Only to spit parts of it back in his glass upon tasting the salt Kasai put in it. Coughing terribly he turned towards his friend who was laughing hysterically. "Touche, Shu! Hahaha."

By now Kasai was holding his belly in laughter. "Now we're even."

United and Equal: One Loose End

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