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[center][color=bfbfbf][color=white]Book One: Control.[/color]
[sub]347 AG. Ba Sing Se. Midday.[/sub][/color]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGeAQZwoOSw]···[/url][/center]

[h1][/h1]
[color=bfbfbf][sub][table][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/2PiKylT.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/T8O3qVj.png[/img][/sup]
[color=2e2c2c]___________________________________[sub].......[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][center][hr]Lower Ring
[@KillamriX88][hr][/center]
[color=bfbfbf][quote]The day's light struggled to reach the narrow paths cut between towering structures. Every building cast a shadow impossibly wide that seldom left the streets and for many districts, entire lives were left in perpetual dark just out of reach of the sun. Warmth was not freely given, especially in the lower levels and with a haze in the air suffocating the oxygen that lingered too long in the city's depth, every unfiltered breath was an ice knife that tasted of sewage. It was bearable for some but unpleasant for most and a constant reminder that the maze of steel and concrete surrounding them all was the only home they had left. This was as good as it was going to get.

Celebrations of the anniversary had begun mostly muted, isolated to the privacy of homes or the dive bars on every street corner, but eventually, the festivities, if one could call it that, spilled out into the streets. Some took advantage of the added commotion, pilfering what they could off unsuspecting or drunk individuals. Others kept to themselves, content with continuing on their way to a destination known only to them, sinking into the background noise of the city and refusing to partake in a day they took no pleasure from. Some didn't move at all and instead chose to remain huddled or wedged into the black space they could find. Folding themselves into an edifice where they could suffer in silence. A pile of trash or needles or waste marked the small patch of dirt or concrete they couldn't even call their own.

Still some looked beyond their cage. A group of those more in tune to the happenings of the wider City had found themselves gathered around the cracked and stained glass that marked the front of a Zen den. Neon lights illuminated their faces, each one expressing a delight as they studied the monitor on the other side. Shinobi News was broadcasting a game from the Middle Ring. Their Airship was currently hovering above the stadium and their cameras trained on the crowds gathered just outside. A familiar name to some was being shouted in unison while those in the picture had hoisted a portrait of a star high enough for all to see.

Those who weren't watching were whispering. The soup kitchen was open and there had been talk in some circles that a very practiced doctor of some renown frequented the place. But if a party or a bowl of soup or a high was not worth chasing in the now, there was also talk of something else brewing in the Underground.[/quote][/color][/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/rgopK5m.png[/img][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][color=bfbfbf][sub][table][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/mJoahFz.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/d51CZ2h.png[/img][/sup]
[color=2e2c2c]___________________________________[sub].......[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][center][hr]Synergy Storage Facility
[@Theyra] & [@vietmyke][hr][/center]
[color=bfbfbf][quote][color=white]"Miss Moon!"[/color]

An excitable voice called out to the pair from across the control room. Turning around, a golden haired woman and her shadow eyed the smaller figure approaching them both. Her white locks danced gleefully around her bobbing frame as she cleared the distance between herself and the visitors.

[color=white]"Welcome! Welcome! I do hope the flight over was pleasant and the air here isn't too much of a nuisance."[/color] She said with a smile.

[color=white]"It's not at all..."[/color] The woman began, looking over the rest of the room and panorama beyond. [color=white]"This is not my first time in the Lower Ring and truth be told, I've become quite accustomed to the smell."[/color] There beside the trio was a 180 degree lookout with an uninterrupted view of the dry landscape just beyond the walls of the city. Large pipes jutted out from the walls below them and stretched into the distance, disappearing as they curved around mountains in the far distance. On the glass panel was a digital readout with squares hovering over seemingly insignificant sections of the vista. Although slightly lined up, one was painting the side of the mountain and another seemed to be riding the horizon. Each one had a name attached, a status and a distance from the storage facility and every now and again, each of them would move slightly, tracking whatever it was that no one else could see. However, One of these highlighted areas was significantly closer than the rest and judging by how quickly its position on the panorama changed, it was closing in fast. [color=white]"It's Sumire, correct?"[/color]

[color=white]"Yes ma'am, it is!"[/color] The girl replied, saluting. [color=white]"Pleasure!"[/color]

[color=white]"Pleasure."[/color] The woman smiled and then nodded toward the approaching dot. A miniscule thing in a sea of sand kicking up an angry cloud of dust behind it. [color=white]"Is that our ride?"[/color]

[color=white]"That is correct! Jin Wei is his name."[/color] Sumire began tapping the pad in her hand and then swiped across the screen toward the glass of the window. An image of a man with ashen air appeared alongside a plethora of information that began populating the space next to his face: Time of service, infractions against him of which there were none, a tally of survivors apprehended and threats subdued and a much larger number of patches to the pipe's infrastructure logged. [color=white]"One of your most senior Pipe Runners and the absolute best at what he does, ma'am. That's a Sumire guarantee!"[/color]

There was another smile from the woman as she checked the time readout that seemed printed on the skin of her wrist. [color=white]"I'm looking forward to meeting him then. As I'm sure our business partner is as well. He should be arriving shortly."[/color][/quote][/color][/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/rgopK5m.png[/img][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][color=bfbfbf][sub][table][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/j7yX32c.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/tfvOp5b.png[/img][/sup]
[color=2e2c2c]___________________________________[sub].......[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][center][hr]Soup Kitchen
[@Abstract Proxy][hr][/center]
[color=bfbfbf][quote]The more she visited, the more difficult it was for her to pretend she didn't want to be here. It was even harder considering she was no longer on the other side, and the difference that simple distinction made was not an insignificant one, especially to her. Back when the roles were reversed, the simple gesture of giving meant the world to her. So much so that to this day, she could still vividly remember the details of her first bowl of soup, especially considering she wasn't there to receive any. An act of kindness so small and yet so heavy a thing she felt it in her chest. And the warmth, pouring off the woman like a calm breeze off desert sand. Then there was that twisting feeling in her gut eating away at her subconscious. A warning or a reminder that things like this weren't meant to last. Not anymore at least.

But she could still remember, and that had to mean something.

She handed a bowl to another pair of outstretched hands and her efforts were rewarded with a smile and a look of gratitude from a tired set of eyes.

[color=white]"Thank you."[/color] The old woman managed to say. Sonam flashed a return smile. [color=white]"Let me know if you need another."[/color] She replied before straightening up and turning around. She could feel that warm pressure building in her chest again and a sensation that was becoming less and less unfamiliar but pleasant all the same.

[color=white][i]Maybe she's not so dumb after all..[/i][/color]

The kitchen was rather busy today. Most of the tables had been filled fairly early and she had to assume it had something to do with the celebration. Luckily for the volunteers, preparations had been made for the extra mouths. Bowls of hot soup were being handed out at a steady pace while empty stomachs were being filled just as quickly. As people left the hall, more entered and for a while it remained at capacity. Despite this, the atmosphere remained jovial. Hunger turned to laughter and desperate faces became a genuine smile. Stories were shared of lives lived and pieces of themselves were passed to one another as if an invitation to share in the weight of their burdens. It was always a wonder to Sonam how a place like this continued to exist under the muck of the city. Just outside those doors, all the rules changed. You could never be sure of anything. Every person you passed became a question and every building a place to hide. Around every corner was a threat or an opportunity and if you weren't watching where you stepped, the City itself could swallow you up. But in the tiniest corner of the Lower Ring, a bubble existed where everyone lived for one another. A taste of a time long past, she was sure.

Yet, even when inside that bubble, old habits died hard. Amongst the sea of familiar faces were a myriad of new ones. Although hardly a cause for alarm for most, especially here, for the overly cautious it was a change that was impossible to ignore. Rumors had begun to spread of a kind heart in the Lower Ring who was particularly skilled at healing, and if things kept up, it wouldn't take long for those rumors to reach the wrong people.

Sonam checked the time on her watch. [color=white]"She should be here soon."[/color] She said to herself, looking around. A little pouch around her waist hidden under the folds of her outerwear began to feel a little heavier.[/quote][/color][/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/rgopK5m.png[/img][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][color=bfbfbf][sub][table][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/5TUlpsl.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/zxMY7mS.png[/img][/sup]
[color=2e2c2c]___________________________________[sub].......[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][center][hr]Badgermole Stadium
[@canaryrose][hr][/center]
[color=bfbfbf][quote]Although celebration of the anniversary end of the Great War was taking place in all rings, the events of the Middle were without a doubt the most anticipated. A large scale parade had been planned that was to encircle the entire ring, followed by a concert and afterparty that was to last long into the night. The excitement could be felt by all and was dwarfed only by the excitement of the Pro Stickball match that was to precede everything else. 

Crowds had gathered outside Badgermole stadium, all of them eager to spectate a most anticipated match between the Middle Ring's finest and that of the undefeated Wolfbats of the Upper Ring. The rivalry between the two had been heated for years, but while the two always went head to head in the Nationals, the Wolfbats always seemed to take the trophy, beating out their competition handily. It wasn't until Chu Hua Yuan had joined the underdogs that things began to change. The gap between the two teams had begun to close until at long last, the Badgermoles lost to the Wolfbats by only a single point in last year's game. Although a loss, to the runner-ups, it felt like a win.

Everyone expected them to overtake the champions and finally bring the trophy to the Middle Ring, and everyone expected that Chu Hua Yuan was going to be the one to do it. Throngs were outside cheering her name, wearing her face and hoisting posters of the star into the air. Everyone else was already headed inside and finding their seats.[/quote][/color][/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/rgopK5m.png[/img][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup]