[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/180319/e73e196b396445c1e9e4e0f1441e26cc.png[/img]


[h3]Lower Ring Ba Sing Se, Northeast[/h3]

[@Rokoran]
[/center]

[hr]
[hr]



	Twilit shadows spread like the plague, enveloping Huo Ling in their gloomy embrace. Fortune seemed to be in a foul mood to match the darkening sky. Consequently, perhaps predictably, Huo’s attempt to locate one airbender in Ba Sing Se was proving to be a formidable task, misfortune or no. Not that Huo’s tactics were foolproof either. The Fire Islands teen ambled down the dirty alleys and near abandoned streets asking random pedestrians if they’d seen a man selling lychees or an airbender. The former resulted in success far more often than the latter, but the name Gonshu didn’t often ring any bells. There were numerous fruit sellers’ folk knew of, but hardly anyone could recall the name of their local cart merchants, and even if by some chance they did, they were never the right person. Numerous Li’s, Gu’s, Tai’s, and Benhei’s sold lychees, but so far no Gonshu’s. Nonplused Huo continued her dogged journey combing downtown Ba Sing Se, footsore and weary from the long day’s efforts.

	At least the streets were clearing out. The people of the lower ring didn’t share the resolute denial of the middle-ringers, and as soon as night began to fall the poor folk took to their homes, fearful of thugs taking advantage of the dark hours and general unrest. Huo herself began to take notice of a few undesirables, hooded ruffians leering out at her from the alleyways. Like sharks sniffing for blood in the water. Flexing her fingers Huo mostly ignored them, but stayed towards the center of the road just in case. A single accurately launched rock from the darkness could lay a person out cold, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now.

	A commotion drew Huo attention at that moment, accompanied the sound of a nearby bell. A small detachment of city watchmen and An’s soldiers sprinted past, a half dozen or so of them, seemingly in a rush to get wherever they needed to be. The one in the front held a lit lantern, and the firelight shone bright on Huo’s face as they ran by. “Get to your home girl, there’s about to be trouble.” The growled order had a note of seriousness to it, and Huo didn’t doubt for a second that there would be trouble afoot, soon enough.

	[color=f7941d]“I’ll get right on that sir.”[/color] She muttered, shielding her eyes from the glare. The force moved away, clearly not intent on enforcing a curfew, merely suggesting it. At least, that’s how Huo saw it. The night was still young, and despite her worn feet Huo felt an irresistible curiosity to know what this ‘trouble’ might be. She was about to take off after the soldiers when a lone figure jogged past, seemingly matching her intentions to follow them. He was a young man, well built with a complexion that was hard to make out in the twilight, but Huo could’ve sworn he hailed originally from the Fire Islands, the same as her. Trotting to keep pace she reached up and tapped this stranger on the shoulder, who’s name, unbeknownst to her, was Zhen. [color=f7941d]“Hey there tall guy. You don’t happen to know what’s going down do you? One of ‘em said there was going to be trouble, and he looked serious about it too. Like pentapox epidemic serious.”[/color] Huo tilted her head, angling her ears to get a better read on the mysterious bell’s reverberations. [color=f7941d]“They’re headed straight for that chime too. Reckon it’s an alarm of some kind?”[/color]