[center][b]Return to the Swamp[/b]
[i]a collab between Prince and AkiBlue[/i][/center]

[hider=Summary]Krane explains that Tanvi missed Uquo, but was accepted to go on a sort of mission to pick up another recruit. Krane also leads Tanvi through the Underground City, briefly probing her with a discussion of right and wrong while acquiring her new equipment for their travels.[/hider]

[hider=Click Here]Fei had yawned and rolled on her back to stretch as Tanvi reached her arm down. When she did, the ferret climbed up and rested on her shoulder. It took her only a second to realize what the airbender across from her said. Tanvi blinked and crossed her arms. [I]She missed Uquo...[/I] The one person she was supposed to meet that would determine if she was acceptable...and she missed him. She mentally sighed for getting too comfortable. That was not only a dangerous thing to do considering she was amongst a band of rebels and potential threats to her life, but now because of the setbacks as of late. "So...does that mean I have to wait even longer?" Fei even frowned up at the idea and slumped on Tanvi's shoulder. She had the idea to pass the time walking through the underground city, but Krane did tell her she had to be official before she could go off alone. 

Krane had thought his unconventional declaration would illicit more of a response, but the one he received wasn't a surprise. Of all things, she was worried if she'd have to wait even longer. Now, that level of impatience could just be the fact she was a fiery youth that had been stuck in a dull rec center for a couple hours, after two days of traveling.On the other hand, she could be impatient because such a delay would lengthen a mission if she was in fact some type of spy or infiltrator. Those were thoughts that had to travel through Krane now. Uquo had boldly, albeit silently, put him in charge of Tanvi and their soon-to-be recruit, Lien, as their assessor. In the past, Uquo had always assessed the new recruits. Granted, the Rising was expanding at an expotential rate it seemed and Uquo was only one man. Krane had to take on more responsibilities. 

"Heh," Krane replied after a brief pause. "You wear impatience like Bison flies," he told her. He then stood up stretching, his lank body extending from its sockets. After a small yawn, he explained, "No, no more waiting, but you don't get to just go, either. We have another recruit to pick up, and you'll be helping. You and I, miss Tanvi, are headed back to the swamp." Krane wasn't about to tell her he was her new assessor, but he was obligated to keep her with him until he made a formal judgement. That's what Krane was. Krane's mission was to be her judge, her guardian and her ally until she either proved she was trustworthy... or he had to kill her to preserve the secrets of The Rising. 

Tanvi didn't respond to his comment. She felt she had all right to know, especially after such a big deal was put into Uquo. She only gave a small shrug before he continued to speak. "Well would you look at that. Heh, hear that Fei? We get to accompany Krane. How delightful." She smirked a little and crossed her arms. It would be an interesting experience with how their relationship had already started. Tanvi didn't think it was too bad... But hey, there could've been some 'improvememt' if she had a say in it. A trip back to the swamp wasn't what Tanvi had in mind, but if it meant helping the cause, she didn't mind too much. In a slightly teasing manner, she spoke, turning to the door in the process, "Don't worry, I won't complain too much this time." 

Krane chuckled at her notion that she wouldn't complain too much. She had complained for nearly the entire trip to the city. Compared to the grueling deserts just west of them, the trek between Omashu and the Foggy Swamp was simple. "We'll be missing the lightning ceremony," Krane said as he hung around the doorway between their room and the more open hall of the rec center. "Uquo said our next objective was of a high priority," Krane explained. Krane then put his hand on the back of his neck, then rolled it to pop it. "But, we'll be getting you some equipment. You'll end up half nude traveling the world in clothes like those," Krane told her, waiting for her and Fei to follow. 

"What's this ceremony for?" Tanvi followed Krane out the door and into the hall. She looked down at her clothes, tugging the bottom of her shirt. "I guess a set of new clothes would help." She had started travelling light. All she wore was a simple pair of loose red pants for easy movement and gray shirt. They didn't pertain to any nation like most styles and she liked it better that way. Tanvi saw no point in claiming a nation when she planned to travel around frequently. "Recruits are high priority? Or is there something else that we have to do?" 

Krane listened to her as they left the rec building, traveling through the dim streets. The Underground City always made Krane feel like he was within a giant alley. It was dim, although far from dark, and had the ever-present atmosphere of a man made landscape. Krane never did like it, despite the interesting nature of the place to begin with, Maybe it was his airbender nature, disliking the enclosed area or the lack of natural integration. "The color of the fire changes every season to a different color. The old fire is doused and a new fire on new materials is lit. It celebrates the change and the new illumination represents the season," Krane answered her first question while they were strolling down the streets. "Some are. This one in particular isn't as much as a recruit as she is a volunteer. Uquo wants me to escort her as an act of good faith. Alone, she might get into some trouble," Krane answered her second question as vaguely yet informatively as possible. 

The ceremony sounded like a nice sight to see, but there were other priorities to be dealt with. "I suppose I'll see it the next season. If I get to stay that long." Tanvi was speaking more to herself as her eyes wandered over the Underground City. Who knew how long they'd decide to keep her. Tanvi only knew limited details about this band of rebels. Sure they wanted to stop the Pheonix King, but at what cost where they willing to do something like that? It would be a tough battle, but the ones that were already stationed in the city had already come to terms with the dangers. It made her think... Was she really willing to die for the cause? [I]'What am I worried for? I'm not going to die. Everything will be fine.'[/I] 

Her mind wandered to what would make this new recruit- or volunteer so special, but maybe that was just it. She volunteered to be in the group. Tanvi wasn't given much to go off of, so she simply nodded. "Alright then." The girl assumed Krane knew little about the new recruit just as he had known little about her, so she saved her questions for when they met the newcomer. 

As Tanvi didn't exactly ask a question or spark a conversation, Krane didn't continue one. He was more interested to see what she might like from the clothing distributor he was taking her to. Her clothes simply wouldn't do for their line of work, and she was going to need more adequate equipment anyway. As long as she was with Krane, it was all going to be free on the grounds of the Rising as well, so she would essentially get free reign to almost anything they could provide as well.

The Underground City wasn't large, so it was only a few minutes and a few blocks away from the building that Krane was taking her to. The leather and clothing, at least, were on this side of the city. If she wanted a weapon, the forges were a good distance away - for safety purposes. In any case, Krane said, "pick what you like, and make sure its sturdy. Heavy leather, or maybe ostrich hide if you can't handle the weight. Boots, gloves, embroidery. Any cloth should be thick and dense... but I guess you need some mobility," he told her, remembering her agile nature as an afterthought. Meanwhile, he pointed at the displays through the glass of the building, which had impressively high quality, verdant leather tunics. Doubtful that was meant for someone like Tanvi, but it was still above expectations for an underground city. 

Minutes later, Tanvi was in a building filled with various styles of clothing. She stood at the entrance, looking around, mainly to catch all of what Krane had to say. "Sturdy and protective. Got it." Fei jumped off the girl's shoulder and on to Krane's as she began her trek to find a new outfit. She had been so used to wearing the light clothing for circus acts and simply easier wear, so it was a little difficult to actually pick something. Tanvi picked up multiple pieces of clothing, some heavier than others. Occasionally, she would glance over at Krane, but it would only last for a short moment before she was once again rummaging through clothing. 

"This...I guess this can work." One of the women working the store showed her where she could try on the outfit to make sure it fit. When Tanvi returned, she was now in a mid length burgundy robe that stopped at her knees. Despite the style, the fabric was sturdy and protective as he advised her to choose. Underneath, for her mobility, she wore wide pants of the same color that allowed her to move freely. "Not bad. I can work with this." She shrugged and then removed her hair from the loose ponytail it was in, planning to fix it later. 

"I would suggest asking the seamstress to add leather guards," he told her. He was leaning against a wall, mostly just waiting for her. He hadn't sustained any important damage, but he did swap out his boots, which were made of a lighter leather, but mostly due to the wear on them. He was hoping Tanvi would do the same, preferably without him instructing her to. Of all things, durability and water resistance in their footware was probably the most important part of this visit. He did explain his logic, however, "We need to go to the smiths to get your napsack, and some knives and a weapon if you want. She should be done by the time we're back, and the additions will lengthen the life of your clothes by months." 

Tanvi rubbed her wrists and looked back when he mentioned the guards. That would have probably been a good idea if she was succumbed to close combat. At least she knives and sharp objects wouldn't cut into her on impact. She walked off to find the seamstress and asked for the leather guards, adding on that some for her legs would be useful too. Her shoes scuffed the floor, and almost instantly she remembered that the swamp and her flimsy slip ons would not work. While the seamstress went to find a set of guards that would fit Tanvi's small frame, the girl found a pair of boots. It wasn't much her style, but the tougher leather would help with all the walking they had to do. The weight of them weren't too heavy either so she was fine. 

"And now, I'm done." Tanvi adjusted the leather on her legs and then looked at the leather guards on her arms. Different, but it would do. She went back and changed into her previous clothing, but left boots on. If they were going through the swamp she would need them. As for weapons, Tanvi preferred knives. It was easier to hide the weapons on her when she was in close combat. "Alright, let's go." She gestured them on after Krane did whatever he had to do, like pay for the items, and followed him to their next destination. Tanvi would be able to have her new full attire later on. 

Krane stayed behind, just a moment, as he gave further instructions to the seamstress. Soon after, less than a minute really, he followed Tanvi, or one should say caught up to her, then led her through the entire under city. This walk would be significantly longer, about twenty minutes, as the forges were located by one of the water sources, which were fed from the same nearby springs that created the oasis that actually fed Omashu its water supply. As they strolled through the city, Krane actually explained this to Tanvi, "There's a lot of mining that goes on here, too. A lot of real rich metal, so we forge it. They made special ventilation shafts and isolated the forges and cooking areas around water, so that in case of a fire, not too much would be damaged. You'll see soon." 

During this much longer walk, she noticed more people here and there. The ones that did notice her gave nods or friendly waves in which Tanvi would reply with a nod. "Everything has been carefully thought out...How long has the Rising been together? Well, how long has this place stood?" It was really a sight to behold knowing that such a large place was hidden right under the noses of many who were trying to get rid of the rebels. 

Krane sighed as they ventured through the streets of the city. He really did have a distaste for the darkness and lack of real illumination, although he did quite like the night normally. It was an odd sensation being underground for him. Despite all the marvels and ingenuity, he just never felt at home. "The Rising has been around over a decade. This place started out as tunnels from smugglers, but was expanded to all of this in just a few years. Uquo has made leaps and bounds. He's trying to make a dream a reality, y'know," Krane exlpanied, although the discomfort might be heard in his voice as they continued their stroll. 

Tanvi looked up at what normally would be the sky. Instead, it was like a ceiling. Of course, because they were underground. She realized she never went underground before, but she was sure it was nothing like the city they were in. She always believed her first time being underground would give her a feeling of clastrophobia. This wasn't all that bad...Though she did prefer the sky, mainly the moonlit sky. "He's doing a fine job so far..." Tanvi spoke softly and looked over at Krane. She raised an eyebrow, but decided to let it be. She could've just been over analyzing the moment. "I'm curious..." There was a hesitation before she continued on. "If you were...still with the fire nation royals, you'd probably have went against the Rising, no? I mean, after all you must've had your life set." She didn't know why it came to mind, but she decided to ask nonetheless. 

Krane snapped out of his deluge of discomfort as she asked him about his old life. Although yes, the idea of leaving it behind was painful, he had found that talking about it avoided him becoming as bitter as some of the other members of the Rising. So, he answered her, "I'd imagine you're right. I was being trained to be an apprentice to the Fire Lord and oversee their more monotonous internal affairs. It turns out, the Fire Nation does pretty terrible things through the Phoenix Kingdom. As a sheltered kid then, I had no idea. It ate me up inside, so I eventually asked some questions, and was forced to leave - and leave quick. Chances are, if I waited just a few years later, I probably wouldn't even be a fugitive now." Krane sighed, this time from recollection. "A few wrong words at the wrong time can change your life," Krane told her. 

It must have been tough to go from having everything to be left with nothing. It must've also been tough when he realized how awful things really were. Tanvi decided not to press on about his past. She didn't want to bring up too many painful memories for him. She patted Fei's head when she leaned downward. "At least those words changed you for the better." Tanvi looked around, expecting the building they were supposed to be at to be somewhere near by. She fell silent again and continued looking around. 

"You don't know that," Krane told her as they marched through the dimly lit streets. "You didn't know me before, you barely know me now, and none of us know if what we're doing is truly for the better," Krane explained. Krane hated it when people said things like that. He hated hearing 'I'm better because of it' or 'I'm better off' because chances were, that's just how people coped. It was ignorance and he hated ignorance. The best he could do was meet ignorance head on. "When I first left, not a day went by that I didn't miss my parents, my friends or Azula. Not a day. Every night, I wished I had kept my mouth shut so I could have stayed with them. Even when I met Uquo and realized there was hope, I still wished I could be at home in bed, waiting for my next lesson on the new steel industries in the Fire Nation or my next sparring match with Azula. Am I better now? Am I a better person because I'm an exile and a fugitive?" Krane told her, working himself up a bit. He did it on purpose, tho, because just a second later, he had calmed. 

"No, I'm not. Uquo isn't better because he's leading a resistance, Ozai isn't better because he's the Phoenix King. You're not better because you've never killed a man - assuming. Things can't be better until you determine what is good and what isn't," Krane told her, now talking more like a teacher than anything. "If I learned anything from my airbending instructors, it's that good and bad only exist within us. We can either accept things as they are, or resist the flow. Attach ourselves to an earthly world, trying to change it because we think our inner good needs to be the outer good, or we can detach ourselves from those ideas." 

 She set herself up for the riled up speech she got after her comment. Tanvi was still calm, even as he went on. Krane had a point about what he said, and really, Tanvi had only said such a thing because she didn't know what else to say. It was basically a 'default' response to what he said. In a perfectly normal state of mind, she would assume that anyone would want to go back to his high and royal life. And he had a girlfriend, or whatever he wanted to call her, that he passed up. The kid could have been broken up inside, keeping the calm facade just to ease everyone else. Her eyes wandered over to him as he calmed down. He spoke as if he was wise with age, and Tanvi crossed her arms. She pushed her hair behind her ears and then looked ahead. "Well, I guess we'll find out when this is all over. Or somewhere in that time." What would they determine to be good or bad? "And no. I haven't killed a person. The closest I've gotten was paralyzing them for...maybe a couple of hours, maybe a day or two." She gave a shrug and continued walking. Fei climbed down Tanvi and walked on ahead, curiously peeking around the city, but not going too far ahead. 
 
 "Being trained as I was," Krane explained, "rewarded me with the ability to read body language. I don't even need to look at you; the air down here is so stagnant I can read you as long as I watch close. You're avoiding the harsher topics on purpose. You probe, then you block yourself off. Your body language changed from open, gazing at everything here, to closed, as you focused more on the conversation between us than this place - which you were fascinated with earlier." Krane turned to look back at her with a smirk. Of all things, a smirk. He was just riled up before, but only with his words. She didn't even see his face; the assumption was that he was worked up. Just as she was probing him, he was probing her.
 
 "Don't hold back on account of upsetting me. I've killed for plenty of reasons, but never because a recruit mouthed off," he told her. His smirk was ever present. As if he was bragging about how he killed. Or that he had killed 'plenty.' He was intentionally facading pride, just to irk her. Nevertheless he set his gaze in front of him, avoiding eye contact again. "We each choose our own good and bad, Tanvi," he told her. 'Each and every person here chose to come here, chose to be part of us, because we are doing what they think is good. Even if good and bad come from within us, together we can do a good we all agree on. That, Tanvi, is making things better," Krane said to her as he ended his speech. At the same time, he wanted to illicit a response. He'd never learn anything if she was always so... dull.

She was called out on her actions. And she couldn't deny that he was right...unfortunately. Her arms stayed crossed and she looked off to the side for a brief moment. So what if she did seek to avoid topics of harsher degree. It saved her from many painstaking lectures or 'sad' moments. It wasn't like she was avoiding information that would help her in the long run. Tanvi caught the smirk Krane put on and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Holding back on account of upsetting you? Don't flatter yourself. Upsetting anyone else? Maybe." She huffed and looked ahead. "Besides, it was just a question. Nothing more." She found no reason for him to prod on about the topic but he did nonetheless... "I get it alright? The whole, everyone chooses their own path whether it is good or bad. In the end you are the one decides. And all that." 

Her arms remained crossed, but she avoided eye contact and let her eyes follow the ferret going back and forth. She wasn't upset about his analysis or words of wisdom. Tanvi just wasn't used to having others call her out. Then again, Tanvi had been on her own most of the time. Even during her days at the circus, she never compared to Ty Lee's bubbly personality and she preferred to not be surrounded by dozens of people. Being with others, even a small group was going to a...relatively new experience for her. 

"You really don't," Krane told her as they continued walking. "You have been told, sure maybe you understand the idea, but what you don't seem to fathom is how it really works." Krane walked closer to the side of a building now, running his fingertips across it daintily. "In your voice, I can hear it; you talk about paths and use the phrase 'in the end', but really, you have no clue what you mean. Air Nomads spend their entire lives searching for enlightenment, seeking out truth in the darkness, removing themselves from such notions of good and bad," he explained, "to believe you understand it is sheer ignorance."

Krane took a corner, changing directions through the streets, but only out of necessity. "The question you should be asking is why did I bring it up? I've never delved into the teachings of air nomads. My teachers weren't even fundamentalists. All you see is this topic at face value, and that is what you understand least. I am no air nomad. I don't look into the world without seeing good and bad, Tanvi. I am no enlightened nomad, but don't treat me like some kid taken from his home. This world is full of bad people and bad things, and its my job to make sure you... that you fit in. It's my job to make sure that the good in you is the good we need in the Rising. The kind of good that can make the world a better place." 

For once, Tanvi felt rather annoyed. The fact that Krane seemed to have an answer for every little detail was effecting that. She had no reason to think he was wrong though. In fact, he was probably right about everything he said. He sure did hold the air that he was. Tanvi ran fingers through her hair and huffed. She shook the loose strands away from her face and calmed rather quickly. There was no need to get upset over little things. "Well, I guess I have a lot of learning to do. And you'll have a lot of teaching to do." Tanvi didn't have any comeback to his speech. She simply accepted it. Did she disagree? To her, it didn't really matter if she agreed or disagreed. It wouldn't do her any good arguing a point that he was well aware of, and she had only clouded judgement on. 

She recalled what an old woman had told her, mumbling the quote. [I]"Living isn't always easy with your eyes closed..."[/I] That was something dealing with the ignorance he was talking about. Well, now she started to understand what the woman had said a little more..Thanks to Krane's endless speech. It did make her think that the easy life she had was about to change. And Tanvi wasn't sure if it would be for the better. That was for her to find out. And so far, her 'ignorance', as Krane pointed out, would not help her. Meaning, she'd probably have to put more effort into knowing. Tanvi continued following the male and glanced over at him when he spoke of being treated like a child. Her eyes went forward again and she spoke. "As much as I can reassure you that my intentions are overall good- to standards, I suppose I have to prove myself." 

Krane listened to her. He had little choice not to. She replied in the over-so defensive tone she held as soon as he brought the topic up. She seemed incapable of going into depth or taking the conversation as anything other than distrust. In a sense, this somewhat proved that she had a goal or at the very least had a strong desire to stay n the Rising. If she had stronger morals or a more influential mindset, she would have simply replied with her beliefs, which in retrospect would have been far more annoying to Krane. Krane sighed lightly, somewhat losing the spark he had for the topic and made bored by the conversatiom. Luckily, there was no need to force the conversation further.

Right around the corner was the final paved pathway to the large bridge that was surrounded by a moat of flowing water that poured from spouts carved via Earthbending. A relatively wide, stone bridge connected what looked like a giant, smoke-breathing hut of cobbled stone, and some surrounding areas. In fact, the largest and most foremost part fo this little island was the forge, made big enough to be shared and used simultaneously by a dozen or so craftsmen. The air chambers above the forge sucked the smoke passively and there was little room for it to escape, making this underground forge possible. The firebenders and blacksmithes help didn't hurt, either. 

The conversation finally ceased and she made no move to continue it. Tanvi appreciated the silence much better anyhow. The two continued their trek until they were met with a little island. There was no doubt they were at their destination. Before she moved further, she snapped her fingers, calling Fei over. "This shouldn't be too difficult." She looked over at Krane, half expecting him to respond either with a retort, or piece of advice for their future travels. "Regarding weapons, I don't use many besides daggers." She followed him, planning to get just that. She had her moments with swords, but she preferred something more close to home. 

Krane didn't expect her to take much interest in weapons. With her abilities, she likely rarely needed them. Despite that, it would be entirely unsafe and impractical to go competely without something, so Krane was somewhat eased by her desire for daggers. "Smaller blades, easier to conceal. That's the name of our game. I wouldn't carry around this sword if not for the things I can't do without it, and even then its small and goes easily unnoticed. I'd suggest getting a toolkit, too. Has a set of knives, serated blades, flint, scizors, some stiches and if you can pick locks, it has a set. Uquo designed them to be a utility for all of us, and they've proven reliable," Krane told her. He notioned over to small, bifold pouches of coarse leather. When untied and opened, they revealed a myriad of useful little tools. Things most people wouldn't even consider until they needed them. 

"Sounds like my kind of game." She planned to get at least two trusty blades to hide. One against her left leg and the other in her sleeve. The toolkit would obviouslybe bonus. Especially if there were tools for things like lockpicking. That was another skill she knew. So, just as he advised she asked the workers there for the appropriate weapons. Instead of two hidden blades,she decided on four, for just in case purposes. 

It was simple enough. The supplies she needed were minimal, but she was given the same options all new recruits were. Any weapons or armor that was needed, as well as the toolkits, were provided. Distribution was almost always abundant. There were plenty former royals with a lot of wealth willing to fund the Omashu headquarters. At a time, it was a city full of rich royalty that were denounced during the installment of the Pheonix King. In any case, Krane escorted Tanvi back to the tailor, this time the atosmphere far more quiet while Tanvi toyed with her new playthings.

Krane walked in first, sure Tanvi would follow. He was silent, but mostly due to his own contemplation. As he walked in, the seamstress from before greeted him and showed him what she had done, which prompted him to wave Tanvi over. "I asked her to add a few extras," he explained, "now there are compartments to hide bolts and throwing knives." Krane took the robe from before and stretched it out in places, revealing not only the dark, leather stitching that accented the naturally dark burgundy color, but also the new compartments just big enough to slip in and cover small weapons. There were 11 small compartments scattered all across the robe, ranging from behind its arms to its waist, the sides fo the breasts where the leather made a sort of brazier and even down near the robe where the folds easily hid the added thickness. Krane then pulled out a roll of bolts and small knives - significantly smaller than the weapons Tanvi picked out - and added, "I believe these will be useful. They're silent and will give you distance - both can save your life." 

It didn't take long for the two to get appropriate supplies that were needed for their journey together. Once Krane added his two cents about what else Tanvi might have needed, she complied getting such as well. After the equipment was gathered, Krane led the way back to retrieve her clothes. It had been plenty of time since they left, giving the seamstresses ample time to add the leather guards to the clothes. And just as Krane had said, they were done. 

"Here you go missy. All done and sized up." Tanvi gave a polite smile and went to change into the new outfit. It fit perfectly- the weapons were even snug under her clothing thanks to a few new pockets hidden on her. Tanvi walked out, even managing to braid her hair into a single braid instead of leaving it all messy. It was a completely new look to her, but she liked it, so she didn't complain. Fei had climbed onto Krane's shoulder in order to wait for Tanvi, but after waiting so long she decided to just stay on his shoulder when the girl walked out. 

"And our next task is to go back to the swamps." It wasn't a question. It was more of a reminder that she would have to trudge through the muck again- or at least try to avoid it.

"Indeed it is," he added, more or less answering the rhetorical statement. Just as swiftly as they had entered - which in retrospect, is actually a drawn-out, tedious process - they had left. This time, with more equipment and a far different drobe. The cool, damp cave innards were likely far different with the different clothing and new boots. Krane, however, felt no difference as he used an air nomad breathing technique to insulate himself. Even after the three-hour trek through the cave, they still had a two-day journey South through the coastal forrest roads as they made their way back to the Foggy Swamp, all to follow-through with a promise made by Uquolaan himself.[/hider]