[IC] ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus. (Page 3)

_______________________________........The Core   ·   Inner ChamberThe Core   ·   Inner Chamber
____________________________________________________________________________.
Jin’s return didn’t register with Nelu until he felt something pressing against his face. Something soft and pleasant smelling closed around his nose and mouth and for a brief moment, quiet panic set in when he thought something very specific was happening to him. When he finally realized that it was only a mask being fixed to his face, he immediately buried the embarrassing thought, forgetting it along with the mountains of other useless thoughts that had been piling up since his mind had been deprived of oxygen.

Clean air finally found his lungs and as a clarity set in, he realized a little too late that everyone else in the room had already cleared out. The only people left were himself, a very concerned looking Jin, Hunang… and Katakuri. When the Firebender arrived, Nelu could not remember, but he knew the man was definitely standing there and not a figment of his imagination.

”Kata?”

”Hello, Nelu.”

”Wh- what is going on? What are you doing down here?”

”I’m sorry, but I was forced to choose between my duty to the LSF and my duty to my family.” Katakuri began peeling off his dinner jacket. ”I hope that when it comes time for you to decide, the choice is made easier.”

”What the hell are you talking about? What happ-” Nelu was interrupted by the sound of gunfire erupting somewhere down the hall. Though slightly muffled, Nelu knew almost immediately that it was coming from the dance floor Jin and Nelu had been in earlier. Judging by the way the bodies in the other room were moving erratically and then suddenly stopping, he also knew whoever was in there now was a serious problem for Hunang’s men. Neither Hunang nor Katakuri reacted, but a third man did enter shortly after the shooting began. Nelu recognized him as the man who had been guarding the entrance to the very chamber they were in. A large individual with short hair that had grayed with age and a face etched with his many years of life lived under Ba Sing Se. Despite the appearance of his age, his body had been well maintained and it was no wonder he was still in charge of guarding one of the more important rooms in the Core. The details of the man’s arm were also more clear in the lighting of the room. It was slightly larger than his right and although it seemed the pieces used to create the entire prosthetic were not cheap, the work done to connect them was subpar. Wires protruded from junctions that should have been tucked away and in some sections, the servos under the metal frame was visible. Visible under this tank top, it was clear that his entire left arm had been replaced and some of the metal paneling reached across his upper left chest and shoulder.

”Shao?” Hunang said without looking at the man as he approached.

”We’ve sealed the tunnel. Sonam is leading them away right now but the two Lotus agents are cutting through our men. I suggest you-...”

Hunang held up a hand and simply nodded. ”We’ve done what we can. Now we prepare to meet our guests.”
b1.ch03.r03.p01  · v5.2  _
...▇▇▇_The L S F__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇A @Exit, @Fiber & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration---------------------------------------------‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎       
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Exit   
Grinding rock and shifting stone met Zhen and 141 as they stepped off the main floor of the club. Behind them, the screaming and shouting and the barking gunfire from before had been replaced by a deathly silence. Ahead of them, the hallway that had been there suddenly rolled away, replaced with another that was made entirely of rock and led straight to a warmly light chamber ahead. At the other end stood three figures: Katakuri, a woman with white hair and striking green eyes, and Shao.
Mistress Dizzy   
Deeper into the chamber, Zhen and 141 could make out Jin, who was sat beside Nelu with their hip pressed against his. They were fidgeting, restless, false-blue eyes fixed on what was ahead. Nelu on the other hand had beads of sweat on his head. He seemed slightly taxed, obvious even with the mask covering his face.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This had gone so wrong. They were all going to die tonight, weren't they? They - No... NO... Jin breathed in slowly and carefully, savoring the deliciously clean air provided by the mask. I'm alive. Nelu is alive. There's less people… and they think I'm a Bender. I can use this. We're not out of options... The worst thing that they could do in this moment was roll over and beg in advance.
Exit   
”Please. Join us.” Hunang beckoned the two in the hall and 141 began moving toward her. 
Fiber   
There was a basic rule from training running through Zhen’s mind, one so basic no one could ever forget it: Never willingly fight an earthbender in a building structure made from bendable material. While the movement of the corridor did not confirm it entirely, her that one of the adversaries was an earthbender sky high. Immediately, she focused on the air supply ducts, those were tempting, but it was important to not let the enemy know their plan.

Zhen walked slowly, carefully, letting 141 lead the way and not entering the doorway just yet, having measured how fast the room moved before. She waited until she was close and said “Where’s Chosah? I was looking forward to welcoming her into the LSF. Maybe I’ll find her to be a better student than her father.” Was she serious about what she said? It didn’t matter, so long as it served its purpose of agitating Kata.

As she spoke, a small burst of data transmitted silently from Zhen to 141, the bandwith was pitiful enough to only allow a few bytes, but it could hold a simple command.

“MUNITIONS” .* QUERY “YIELD” GET_PROPERTY SUM
Exit   
SURVEY “MUNITIONS” YIELD
   GREN_DISTORT IS:2
   GREN_SMOKE IS:1
   DISP_ADRENAL IS:1

QUERY “EQUIPMENT” GET_STATUS?

Katakuri deposited a necktie on the ground on top of his dinner jacket and began pulling on the first button of his shirt. By now, his sleeves had already been rolled up past the elbows. His dress pants and dress shoes, however, were still on.

”Now that she is safe, she will be,” Katakuri replied smoothly. ”I’m only sorry I will not live to see it.”

”Kata, listen to me. Whatever happened we can fix this.” The reality of the danger Nelu was in was further clouded by his confusion. Hunang was dangerous enough on her own having the heavy advantage of her homefield. Katakuri however tipped the scales even further in her favor. But the ‘why’ he was down here and siding with Hunang was not something he could resolve. It didn’t make any sense. Then there was 141 and Zhen who had arrived right on his heels. Some small amount of relief found him when he realized that help had arrived despite everything and yet, he knew he was still missing something.

”What the hell happened? Is Chosah…?”

Hunang spoke next, the tone of her voice now less than patient. ”I said, ‘join us’.”

Her upturned fist was thrust into the air in front of her and then pulled under her ribs, coaxing a slab of dirt underneath Zhen an inch out of the ground before it began sliding down the corridor and taking Zhen with it. Behind Zhen, a large block of dirt was also torn out of the ground. It pulled up the concrete and metal slabs of the club floor as it tilted vertically to become a wall. It too began to slide forward as Hunang intended to seal the corridor into the chamber and everyone inside it.
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin froze in their fidgeting at the sight of Hunang effortlessly bending the solid dirt and concrete beneath them. Yep, this was going to be a problem. "Damn." That single word was clearly full of wonder and respect, and no small amount of fear.
Fiber   
The corridor was no place to be, and Zhen didn’t waste time staying in it. She ran, with airbending assisted speed, and hurtled into the chamber. Barely in the door, she leapt to the platform above, keeping an eye on Kata and the earthbender. In the middle of her jump, she twisted and flicked her arms to fire off two air blasts. Both were aimed at the earthbender, but one was angled with the aid of her remote bending to come from the side, the other came straight on, but the air wasn’t the only thing it carried. As part of the motion, she triggered the shot from the bolo launcher on her forearm, carrying the projectile forward alongside the airblast. She would need to reload before firing again, but it was worth it if it could disable an enemy early on. Hopefully, she could worry about that when she had a better view of the situation.
Exit   
Hunang dropped the block of dirt and leaned over to avoid the air blast hurtling toward her, but the speed with which Zhen moved caught her by surprise. Hunang’s reaction, though quick, wasn't quite fast enough to move her entirely out of the way. However, Shao next to her moved as well, reaching across Hunang with his forearm and into the path of the projectile. It caught some of the dense air but also blocked the bolas. The ball and wire wrapped itself tightly around his arm on contact.

Hunang had no time to appreciate being saved, for just as she registered the bolas around Shao's arm did the second blast of air connect with her face. It felt like being punched, the force of which threw her head further to the left and her upper body sharply toward the ground. She immediately threw her left foot out to catch herself, slamming her heel into the ground with enough force to crack it. Her eyes fixed on the airbender, standing now on one of the higher raised platforms. Once upon a time, a most prized possession of hers had been displayed in that very spot. A visage of a man she had once very much admired and yet now that sacred space had become desecrated by an intruder’s very presence. Her wide eyed expression, which had always danced around the edges of unhinged, was seething.
Mistress Dizzy   
"This is so not my fight. Cap, how're you feeling? Any better?" They nudged him in a deliberate way.
Exit   
”This is everyone’s fight now, Jin. I have to be,” Nelu replied, watching the fight unfolding quickly. He observed Hunang; both her arms were tucked under her ribs and both hands were clenched. Despite the anger clear in her eyes, she seemed to be focusing on something rather than reacting. Shao however, moved to react for her, raising the arm not ensnared and pointing a closed metal fist at Zhen. From his elbow, a small barrel appeared, but before he could do anything, his body tensed and he froze. His eyes snapped to Jin and Nelu where Nelu was now on his feet with an outstretched hand pointed in his direction.

Katakuri, who was standing a few feet away from Hunang and Shao, turned his attention to who he deemed the more pressing threat. 141 had by now left the corridor and was moving swiftly toward all three in the center of the room. Katakuri knew full well that if 141 wasn’t handled now, not only was there little distance between them and it, it alone could possibly finish the fight faster than it had begun. By the time the Zhen had perched herself up on her platform, Katakuri had finished preparing his attack.

”Now!”

Nelu heard Katakuri's familiar voice before he saw what was happening. Whatever confidence he had found was quickly drained from his body as he watched in dazed confusion Shao’s left arm begin to move. As if it were not attached to the frozen body it belonged to, the metal fist and the barrel connected to it turned toward Nelu. Shao struggled to smile and then closed his eyes as behind him, light streaked from Katakuri to 141 and the chamber they were all in flashed a deafening white.

Katakuri had detonated the two distortion grenades and one smoke grenade on 141's chest. When the smoke finally cleared and the bright white glare faded from the eyes of those less prepared, Jin would find Nelu unconscious on the ground, a blood covered and barbed tipped wire sliding back into the arm of Shao. Zhen would see 141 buried with its arms up to its chest and Katakuri walking up to it, a thin beam of plasma or a highly concentrated blade of fire not unlike that of a blowtorch.

Location. The Core in The Underground, Ba Sing Se.
Time. Late Night, SE+3
____________________________..........
Fiber as Zhen
Mistress Dizzy as Jin
Exit as Tarnelu, Katakuri, Hunang and Shao

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_______________________________........|@Fiber] & |@Exit] Collaboration@Fiber & @Exit Collaboration
____________________________________________________________________________.
Fiber   
Zhen was disoriented by the blast, like everyone else. The smoke filled the room but she remembered where Hunang had stood, and then she decided to try something bold. With her head still ringing, she jumped off the platform, and started spinning in midair. She focused her mind only on the motion, and calling up the wind around her, enveloping herself in a vortex and guided herself through the air, seeking her target. When the smoke cleared, when the disorientation went away, she had one goal and one plan: Grab Hunang by the neck and then, with the aid of vortex and gravity, send her feet off the ground and her head straight into the hard floor below.
Exit   
Hunang had been too focused on burying 141 that when the smoke cleared and she turned back to find Zhen, the airbender was already nearly on top of them. Hunang instinctively threw an arm up, drawing a spire of dirt out of the ground and into Zhen’s path, but the reaction was too slow. Zhen flew right over Hunang’s defense and wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck. Suddenly, Hunang’s world was spun upside down. Her feet left the ground and her head was forced down into the dirt.

Contact with the ground was anything but gentle. As Hunang's head met with rock, the sound of her forehead’s impact made a sickening crack. However, her hands made contact with the floor too. The ground fragmented violently, breaking apart as both women landed in the center of what appeared to be a small crater. Hunangs body coiled into itself, her legs tucking into her chest as she rolled out of Zhen’s maneuver and into a knelt position facing away from Zhen. Again her arms were immediately tucked into her ribs, but this time there was a visible reaction in the room. Cracks in the newly formed crater, those positioned directly under Zhen, began to glow red. Then, Hunang thrust her hands up into the air, coaxing out of the ground a pillar of lava.

♬




_______________________________........|@Exit] & |@MistressDizzy] Collaboration@Exit & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration
____________________________________________________________________________.
Mistress Dizzy   
The flashbangs had been a surprise. Jin had enough time to turn their head against the closest cover - Nelu himself. It wasn't quite enough to fully prevent their vision from getting distorted. Hell, their ears were still ringing. A glance told them that the Captain was still breathing. That would have to be enough for now; Jin didn't know the first thing about medical aid aside from making people need it.

"Ooh, big scary cy-man." Their eyes locked onto the bruiser who had hit Nelu, cold and focused. "Thanks for showing your hand. How about I show you mine?" Hunang's crew weren't the only ones who knew how to use chaos. It had taken a bit of work to loosen it without moving their arms to actually retrieve the emergency weapon hidden under their disguise. A folding knife, with an off-white blade that gleamed in the light. The hilt was tucked neatly into Jin's palm.

This was going to be difficult, but the Roach in them refused to show fear. "I coulda been home by now." They crouched low, ready to use their petite size to their advantage. And then, without hesitation, they darted forward into the fray.
Exit   
”How about I send you home now, little frog,” Shao said, his smile widening as Jin began to close the distance. ”That’s right… Sonam told me who you ARE!” The last word was screamed as he swung his metal arm downward at an approaching Jin intending to crush her like a bug.


_______________________________........
____________________________________________________________________________.
Opposite the chamber, Katakuri approached a half buried 141 and pointed his palm at the struggling beast. The small blade of fire in his hand grew rapidly, turning into a searing torch of heat perfectly shaped like a blade nearly five feet in length. Katakuri yelled in exertion, his voice drowned amidst the roar of the fire and the sound of metal splitting. Then 141 began to scream too. For the first time since any of the LSF agents had begun working together, 141’s pain could be heard as clear as anyone else's, echoing endlessly against the walls of the chamber and loud enough to be nearly as disruptive as the grenades.
...▇▇▇_C H A E - W O N  _▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇An @Exit & @KillamriX88 Collaboration----- ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎        ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
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Exit   
”So I told ‘em I do! I wanna help! Help mah frends! I mustuh dun a real gud job cus thur all bettah now and naht here anymore. Iiit’s just you! Yur mah frend, right? Caaus mah frend from before isn’t here eithur. He was mah best frend. His name wus…. Huuuuu… Huuuuooong! Hu. Ong. I think. What was yur name agen?”
KillamriX88   
“Chae-Won,” she told him. It was the most she’d gotten out of him since meeting him. Not that she’d been interrogating him or anything, but… still. This was her best chance yet to learn about him and this place.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
’The uh… the hotel… the Duster Hotel... it’s not a place.’ That was what that bastard waterbender had told her. There were too many things that could mean, and all of them were beyond her to try and figure out without a better hint. It left her wondering, though. If this wasn’t a place, then was Peng not really a person? She could imagine a dozen theories, most of which made her shudder with dread or disgust. She needed to know, though. Apparently it was the only way out.

Would getting out matter, though? How much could she really accomplish even if she did?

“But what about you? If you helped all your friends, isn’t your job done? When do you get to leave? Do you… want to leave?” she asked him.
Exit   
Peng seemed to think really hard about the question before giving Chae-Won an answer. He turned to look at her and simply shook his head. ”Naaaope! I think I like et here. Et's mah home! Et takes care of me.” He then walked over to the island counter. ”Apple!” He yelled.

The depression in the center was empty one moment and the next, there was a plate with an apple. Nothing had moved. Nothing had shifted. No one had walked in and placed the food where it was now. It was simply there when only a moment ago it wasn’t. Peng walked up and confidently plucked the fruit from the plate as if the whole exchange was normal and then held the apple up for Chae to take. ”Yuh hungry yet?”

Before Chae could refuse or accept, the apple suddenly slipped from his fingers. Whatever focused excitement he had before was replaced by a concerned look. His eyes, still on Chae, began to focus on something past her as if he were looking through the woman instead of at. He pressed a hand to his chest. ”...Uh... So-... sometheng's happuhning...et hurts.”

Location.The Duster Hotel, ???
Time. ???, SE+3
____________________________..........

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________________________________........	_{The Core · Inner ChamberThe Core · Inner Chamber} ____________________________________________________________________________. Jin’s return didn’t register with Nelu until he felt something pressing against his face. Something soft and pleasant smelling closed around his nose and mouth and for a brief moment, quiet panic set in when he thought something very specific was happening to him. When he finally realized that it was only a mask being fixed to his face, he immediately buried the embarrassing thought, forgetting it along with the mountains of other useless thoughts that had been piling up since his mind had been deprived of oxygen. Clean air finally found his lungs and as a clarity set in, he realized a little too late that everyone else in the room had already cleared out. The only people left were himself, a very concerned looking Jin, Hunang… and Katakuri. When the Firebender arrived, Nelu could not remember, but he knew the man was definitely standing there and not a figment of his imagination. ”Kata?” ”Hello, Nelu.” ”Wh- what is going on? What are you doing down here?” ”I’m sorry, but I was forced to choose between my duty to the LSF and my duty to my family.” Katakuri began peeling off his dinner jacket. ”I hope that when it comes time for you to decide, the choice is made easier.” ”What the hell are you talking about? What happ-” Nelu was interrupted by the sound of gunfire erupting somewhere down the hall. Though slightly muffled, Nelu knew almost immediately that it was coming from the dance floor Jin and Nelu had been in earlier. Judging by the way the bodies in the other room were moving erratically and then suddenly stopping, he also knew whoever was in there now was a serious problem for Hunang’s men. Neither Hunang nor Katakuri reacted, but a third man did enter shortly after the shooting began. Nelu recognized him as the man who had been guarding the entrance to the very chamber they were in. A large individual with short hair that had grayed with age and a face etched with his many years of life lived under Ba Sing Se. Despite the appearance of his age, his body had been well maintained and it was no wonder he was still in charge of guarding one of the more important rooms in the Core. The details of the man’s arm were also more clear in the lighting of the room. It was slightly larger than his right and although it seemed the pieces used to create the entire prosthetic were not cheap, the work done to connect them was subpar. Wires protruded from junctions that should have been tucked away and in some sections, the servos under the metal frame was visible. Visible under this tank top, it was clear that his entire left arm had been replaced and some of the metal paneling reached across his upper left chest and shoulder. ”Shao?” Hunang said without looking at the man as he approached. ”We’ve sealed the tunnel. Sonam is leading them away right now but the two Lotus agents are cutting through our men. I suggest you-...” Hunang held up a hand and simply nodded. ”We’ve done what we can. Now we prepare to meet our guests.”


________________________________........	_{\|@Fiber] & \|@Exit] Collaboration@Fiber & @Exit Collaboration} ____________________________________________________________________________. _{_Fiber} Zhen was disoriented by the blast, like everyone else. The smoke filled the room but she remembered where Hunang had stood, and then she decided to try something bold. With her head still ringing, she jumped off the platform, and started spinning in midair. She focused her mind only on the motion, and calling up the wind around her, enveloping herself in a vortex and guided herself through the air, seeking her target. When the smoke cleared, when the disorientation went away, she had one goal and one plan: Grab Hunang by the neck and then, with the aid of vortex and gravity, send her feet off the ground and her head straight into the hard floor below. _{_Exit} Hunang had been too focused on burying 141 that when the smoke cleared and she turned back to find Zhen, the airbender was already nearly on top of them. Hunang instinctively threw an arm up, drawing a spire of dirt out of the ground and into Zhen’s path, but the reaction was too slow. Zhen flew right over Hunang’s defense and wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck. Suddenly, Hunang’s world was spun upside down. Her feet left the ground and her head was forced down into the dirt. Contact with the ground was anything but gentle. As Hunang's head met with rock, the sound of her forehead’s impact made a sickening crack. However, her hands made contact with the floor too. The ground fragmented violently, breaking apart as both women landed in the center of what appeared to be a small crater. Hunangs body coiled into itself, her legs tucking into her chest as she rolled out of Zhen’s maneuver and into a knelt position facing away from Zhen. Again her arms were immediately tucked into her ribs, but this time there was a visible reaction in the room. Cracks in the newly formed crater, those positioned directly under Zhen, began to glow red. Then, Hunang thrust her hands up into the air, coaxing out of the ground a pillar of lava.


________________________________........	_{\|@Exit] & \|@MistressDizzy] Collaboration@Exit & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration} ____________________________________________________________________________. _{_{Mistress Dizzy}} The flashbangs had been a surprise. Jin had enough time to turn their head against the closest cover - Nelu himself. It wasn't quite enough to fully prevent their vision from getting distorted. Hell, their ears were still ringing. A glance told them that the Captain was still breathing. That would have to be enough for now; Jin didn't know the first thing about medical aid aside from making people need it. "Ooh, big scary cy-man." Their eyes locked onto the bruiser who had hit Nelu, cold and focused. "Thanks for showing your hand. How about I show you mine?" Hunang's crew weren't the only ones who knew how to use chaos. It had taken a bit of work to loosen it without moving their arms to actually retrieve the emergency weapon hidden under their disguise. A folding knife, with an off-white blade that gleamed in the light. The hilt was tucked neatly into Jin's palm. This was going to be difficult, but the Roach in them refused to show fear. "I coulda been home by now." They crouched low, ready to use their petite size to their advantage. And then, without hesitation, they darted forward into the fray. _{_Exit} ”How about I send you home now, little frog,” Shao said, his smile widening as Jin began to close the distance. ”That’s right… Sonam told me who you ARE!” The last word was screamed as he swung his metal arm downward at an approaching Jin intending to crush her like a bug.


________________________________........	____________________________________________________________________________. Opposite the chamber, Katakuri approached a half buried 141 and pointed his palm at the struggling beast. The small blade of fire in his hand grew rapidly, turning into a searing torch of heat perfectly shaped like a blade nearly five feet in length. Katakuri yelled in exertion, his voice drowned amidst the roar of the fire and the sound of metal splitting. Then 141 began to scream too. For the first time since any of the LSF agents had begun working together, 141’s pain could be heard as clear as anyone else's, echoing endlessly against the walls of the chamber and loud enough to be nearly as disruptive as the grenades.

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_______________________________........|@Exit] & |@MistressDizzy] Collaboration@Exit & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration
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Mistress Dizzy   
"Spirits, you're a slow bastard!" Jin taunted as they nimbly dodged yet another heavy swing from Shao's heavy metal fist. "Is that how you lost your arm? Got your stupid fingers caught in the door?" They were doing everything to keep Shao pissed off and on the offensive. Jin let him burn off energy with every swing, dodging at the last possible moment. But they'd long since done the math. Jin was exhausted. The knife in their hands had done little more than scratch Shao. The adrenaline and spite keeping them upright would run out, a lot faster than Shao's strength would. Despite the continued taunting and the smile on their face, Jin knew they were going to lose at this rate. They had to attack, but how? One bad move and Shao would crush them flat.

"C'mon, fucker. What are you, tired?"

Before they could put any particular plan into action, an anguished scream startled them. Their gaze flicked to track it, but they could hardly believe the source. 141... was in pain. "Holy shit, there's a person in - OOF!"
Exit   
An upward swing from Shao took advantage of the momentary distraction and struck Jin on the side of their head, disrupting their dance around him. Although it wasn’t quite enough to knock them out or knock them off their feet, it was no small hit.
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin staggered with pain and nearly fell, the copper tang of blood filling their mouth. The world tilted. One of the contacts had gone flying into the dirt, leaving their gaze lopsided. Their ear rung where they'd been hit, and they could swear one of their teeth was loose.

Was this really it? To survive the endless grind of the Lower Ring and the Underground beneath. To live through LSF "recruitment" and training…

To survive when Lady Cho and so many of their sisters hadn't…

To taste the sun on Nelu's lips tonight…

All of that, for a death in the dark?

No. 

They'd promised Nelu things would be fine. They'd promised him. And that promise would be kept.

Jin adjusted the grip on the knife. Silently they leaned forward, and gestured to Shao with their free hand - come at me.
Exit   
Shao grunted in frustration, clearly annoyed that so small a person was as resilient as they were. It was also becoming increasingly apparent that the seemingly one sided dance was not one sided at all. All across his body were small, shallow cuts. Most were not nearly deep enough to draw blood, but the fact they were there at all was proof of Jin’s skill and speed. They weren’t simply dancing around his every strike, they were striking back too, slowly poking at his defense and searching for something they could exploit. Plus, all the wild swinging was doing little else than wearing him out and he was getting very little in return for all his effort.

”You know, the rest of us used to look up to you.” Shao said to Jin when the echoes from 141’s screams finally subsided. He raised his arms and began walking toward them, his palms up in an inquisitive gesture although his metal arm was very obviously pointed directly at Jin. ”What happened, huh? How much they pay you?”

Halfway to Jin, Shao’s open left hand was launched at Jin’s throat.


_______________________________........|@Fiber] & |@Exit] Collaboration@Fiber & @Exit Collaboration
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Fiber   
Zhen’s head was pounding from the noise of 141, and her skin felt the heat of the lava even through the layers of armor she wore. While Hunang had been conjuring the lava, Zhen had summoned an air scooter, and ran far away from it, zig-zagging across the floor in an intentionally erratic dodging pattern. Lava-bending was quite rare, total number of live observations ranking in the single digits from what Zhen recalled of the LSF database. Difficult to fight, extremely destructive, but at least the lava itself was often slow moving.
Exit   
Hunang spun around, revealing to a retreating Zhen just how effective her earlier move had been. Blood poured from an open gash in Hunang’s forehead and drenched half her face, pooling beneath her feet as they began to shift into a more light and fluid stance. Despite the severity of her injury, she was keen to ignore it and remained fixed on the airbender as they continued to zigzag across the chamber. It was obvious to her now that her slower, more powerful attacks would do her no good against someone so well versed in their use of air, and if she wanted to accomplish anything, her attacks would have to be quick and precise. Instead of planting her feet into the ground like before, she began bouncing on the balls of her feet. Periodically, a light step would  become a heavy stomp. Each time her heel made contact with the ground, a cube of dirt would pop out of the floor and a quick arm thrust would catapult it toward Zhen. Frustratingly however, Zhen remained as slippery as ever. Each block of earth would narrowly miss the airbender and smash instead into the wall behind Zhen or bounced erratically off the corners and edges of raised platforms. The airbender was impossible to hit.
Fiber   
As Zhen continued to dodge, she surveyed the battlefield and gathered her strength for a powerful airblast, one aimed at sending someone off their feet. She had it, and she motioned towards Hunang; but Hunang was not where the blast was actually aimed. Thanks to her remote bending, Kata was the one in the crosshairs. Hopefully, if it landed, he’d end up getting tossed right into the middle of the rest of the fray.
Exit   
Hunang reacted, swinging her arms up in front of herself and yanking a dirt wall out of the ground to block what she thought was an attack aimed at her.


_______________________________........& Object-141& Object-141
____________________________________________________________________________.
The dense ball air slammed into the side of Katakuri’s face, throwing him back and into the ground a few yards away from 141. The screaming finally stopped. When Katakuri came to rest, he found himself on his back, staring at the earthen ceiling and metal industrial fans far above him. How he ended up here when only a moment a ago he was watching a hole open up inside 141 he did not know. All he knew for sure was that something solid not unlike a fist had struck him with enough force to knock him on his ass and daze the hell out of him. He also knew he had no time to figure out the who or what. From somewhere else in the chamber, amidst a cacophony of crumbling rock and angry wind biting at the air, he could make out the unmistakable angry roar of 141.

With Katakuri momentarily stunned and Hunang fully distracted thanks to Zhen, 141 took the opportunity to break free from its makeshift prison. It flexed against rock and stone, growling angrily as the packed earth holding him in place began to shatter. Within a matter of seconds, 141 managed to thrust its arm free, flinging a large slab of earth away from it and tossing more dust and debris into the air. Not a moment later and its other arm was freed too, as was the dirt pinched around its waist loosened just enough for it to escape. 141 wasted no time, locating a prone Katakuri on his back not far away and immediately leaping out of the hole it'd been half buried in. It cleared the distance between himself and Katakuri in a single leap.

”Shit!” Katakuri panicked. Flame jets erupted from his hands and feet and he jettisoned himself away from 141 just as the creature landed over him and swung, slamming a fist into the ground and burying its hand down to the wrist. It again immediately tried to pursue, but when it attempted to pull its hand free, the packed dirt around its wrist refused to budge. It clung to 141 unnaturally, holding him in place despite the way 141 tried to pry itself free. Blood poured from the charred wound in its chest and splatter on the floor with every desperate yank and grunt until finally it realized what was wrong. It turned in time to see Hunang, back in her more rigid stance with both hands in the air, bring her hands down with deliberate force in front of her. From above, a large section of the earthen dome fell away from the ceiling. A cube the size of a very small room fell through the chamber and landed directly on top of 141. The sound of the impact was like that of a thunderclap trapped in a bowl and once again, more dust was tossed into the already saturated air. Where it had landed, the jagged seam between the ground and shaped earth began to glow red orange.

Katakuri left 141 to its fate and refocused his effort on the airbender whose path Katakuri’s escape had put him in front of. Gaining some small amount of air until he was angled in such a way that he would eventually pass over Zhen, Katakuri repositioned the jets of fire pouring from his hands down toward the ground and turned those jets into a large curtain of flame engulfing the entirety of the immediate area ahead of Zhen. 

Battle Map


________________________________........	_{\|@Exit] & \|@MistressDizzy] Collaboration@Exit & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration} ____________________________________________________________________________. _{_{Mistress Dizzy}} "Spirits, you're a slow bastard!" Jin taunted as they nimbly dodged yet another heavy swing from Shao's heavy metal fist. "Is that how you lost your arm? Got your stupid fingers caught in the door?" They were doing everything to keep Shao pissed off and on the offensive. Jin let him burn off energy with every swing, dodging at the last possible moment. But they'd long since done the math. Jin was exhausted. The knife in their hands had done little more than scratch Shao. The adrenaline and spite keeping them upright would run out, a lot faster than Shao's strength would. Despite the continued taunting and the smile on their face, Jin knew they were going to lose at this rate. They had to attack, but how? One bad move and Shao would crush them flat. "C'mon, fucker. What are you, tired?" Before they could put any particular plan into action, an anguished scream startled them. Their gaze flicked to track it, but they could hardly believe the source. 141... was in pain. "Holy shit, there's a person in - OOF!" _{_Exit} An upward swing from Shao took advantage of the momentary distraction and struck Jin on the side of their head, disrupting their dance around him. Although it wasn’t quite enough to knock them out or knock them off their feet, it was no small hit. _{_{Mistress Dizzy}} Jin staggered with pain and nearly fell, the copper tang of blood filling their mouth. The world tilted. One of the contacts had gone flying into the dirt, leaving their gaze lopsided. Their ear rung where they'd been hit, and they could swear one of their teeth was loose. Was this really it? To survive the endless grind of the Lower Ring and the Underground beneath. To live through LSF "recruitment" and training… To survive when Lady Cho and so many of their sisters hadn't… To taste the sun on Nelu's lips tonight… All of that, for a death in the dark? No. They'd promised Nelu things would be fine. They'd promised him. And that promise would be kept. Jin adjusted the grip on the knife. Silently they leaned forward, and gestured to Shao with their free hand - come at me. _{_Exit} Shao grunted in frustration, clearly annoyed that so small a person was as resilient as they were. It was also becoming increasingly apparent that the seemingly one sided dance was not one sided at all. All across his body were small, shallow cuts. Most were not nearly deep enough to draw blood, but the fact they were there at all was proof of Jin’s skill and speed. They weren’t simply dancing around his every strike, they were striking back too, slowly poking at his defense and searching for something they could exploit. Plus, all the wild swinging was doing little else than wearing him out and he was getting very little in return for all his effort. ”You know, the rest of us used to look up to you.” Shao said to Jin when the echoes from 141’s screams finally subsided. He raised his arms and began walking toward them, his palms up in an inquisitive gesture although his metal arm was very obviously pointed directly at Jin. ”What happened, huh? How much they pay you?” Halfway to Jin, Shao’s open left hand was launched at Jin’s throat.


________________________________........	_{\|@Fiber] & \|@Exit] Collaboration@Fiber & @Exit Collaboration} ____________________________________________________________________________. _{_Fiber} Zhen’s head was pounding from the noise of 141, and her skin felt the heat of the lava even through the layers of armor she wore. While Hunang had been conjuring the lava, Zhen had summoned an air scooter, and ran far away from it, zig-zagging across the floor in an intentionally erratic dodging pattern. Lava-bending was quite rare, total number of live observations ranking in the single digits from what Zhen recalled of the LSF database. Difficult to fight, extremely destructive, but at least the lava itself was often slow moving. _{_Exit} Hunang spun around, revealing to a retreating Zhen just how effective her earlier move had been. Blood poured from an open gash in Hunang’s forehead and drenched half her face, pooling beneath her feet as they began to shift into a more light and fluid stance. Despite the severity of her injury, she was keen to ignore it and remained fixed on the airbender as they continued to zigzag across the chamber. It was obvious to her now that her slower, more powerful attacks would do her no good against someone so well versed in their use of air, and if she wanted to accomplish anything, her attacks would have to be quick and precise. Instead of planting her feet into the ground like before, she began bouncing on the balls of her feet. Periodically, a light step would become a heavy stomp. Each time her heel made contact with the ground, a cube of dirt would pop out of the floor and a quick arm thrust would catapult it toward Zhen. Frustratingly however, Zhen remained as slippery as ever. Each block of earth would narrowly miss the airbender and smash instead into the wall behind Zhen or bounced erratically off the corners and edges of raised platforms. The airbender was impossible to hit. _{_Fiber} As Zhen continued to dodge, she surveyed the battlefield and gathered her strength for a powerful airblast, one aimed at sending someone off their feet. She had it, and she motioned towards Hunang; but Hunang was not where the blast was actually aimed. Thanks to her remote bending, Kata was the one in the crosshairs. Hopefully, if it landed, he’d end up getting tossed right into the middle of the rest of the fray. _{_Exit} Hunang reacted, swinging her arms up in front of herself and yanking a dirt wall out of the ground to block what she thought was an attack aimed at her.


________________________________........	_{& Object-141& Object-141} ____________________________________________________________________________. The dense ball air slammed into the side of Katakuri’s face, throwing him back and into the ground a few yards away from 141. The screaming finally stopped. When Katakuri came to rest, he found himself on his back, staring at the earthen ceiling and metal industrial fans far above him. How he ended up here when only a moment a ago he was watching a hole open up inside 141 he did not know. All he knew for sure was that something solid not unlike a fist had struck him with enough force to knock him on his ass and daze the hell out of him. He also knew he had no time to figure out the who or what. From somewhere else in the chamber, amidst a cacophony of crumbling rock and angry wind biting at the air, he could make out the unmistakable angry roar of 141. With Katakuri momentarily stunned and Hunang fully distracted thanks to Zhen, 141 took the opportunity to break free from its makeshift prison. It flexed against rock and stone, growling angrily as the packed earth holding him in place began to shatter. Within a matter of seconds, 141 managed to thrust its arm free, flinging a large slab of earth away from it and tossing more dust and debris into the air. Not a moment later and its other arm was freed too, as was the dirt pinched around its waist loosened just enough for it to escape. 141 wasted no time, locating a prone Katakuri on his back not far away and immediately leaping out of the hole it'd been half buried in. It cleared the distance between himself and Katakuri in a single leap. ”Shit!” Katakuri panicked. Flame jets erupted from his hands and feet and he jettisoned himself away from 141 just as the creature landed over him and swung, slamming a fist into the ground and burying its hand down to the wrist. It again immediately tried to pursue, but when it attempted to pull its hand free, the packed dirt around its wrist refused to budge. It clung to 141 unnaturally, holding him in place despite the way 141 tried to pry itself free. Blood poured from the charred wound in its chest and splatter on the floor with every desperate yank and grunt until finally it realized what was wrong. It turned in time to see Hunang, back in her more rigid stance with both hands in the air, bring her hands down with deliberate force in front of her. From above, a large section of the earthen dome fell away from the ceiling. A cube the size of a very small room fell through the chamber and landed directly on top of 141. The sound of the impact was like that of a thunderclap trapped in a bowl and once again, more dust was tossed into the already saturated air. Where it had landed, the jagged seam between the ground and shaped earth began to glow red orange. Katakuri left 141 to its fate and refocused his effort on the airbender whose path Katakuri’s escape had put him in front of. Gaining some small amount of air until he was angled in such a way that he would eventually pass over Zhen, Katakuri repositioned the jets of fire pouring from his hands down toward the ground and turned those jets into a large curtain of flame engulfing the entirety of the immediate area ahead of Zhen.

Hidden 5 mos ago → 5 mos ago Post by Exit

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_
.............▇▇▇_Jin T A K A S H I__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
__________a @Mistress Dizzy & @Exit collaboration.
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Mistress Dizzy   
Shao’s words tore something loose in Jin. As his metal fist closed around their neck and drew them in, a nauseating wave bubbled up in their throat. And as he yanked Jin up to meet face to face, grinning in triumph, Jin let it it loose. They reeled back and spit a stored mouthful of blood, saliva and rage - 

straight into Shao’s eyes.
Exit   
Shao flinched, shutting his eyes and reeling back half a step as he reflectively released his grip around Jin’s neck allowing them to slip free.
Mistress Dizzy   
“What happened?”  The white knife found purchase in the notch of Shao’s arm, the small gap where the wired weapon hid. Little cracks like that were great – a weakness to exploit for those who knew how to use them. Jin let gravity do the work, drawing them down.

“I flew, yeah. It was beautiful. For a while, I really thought I’d hop the moon.” Jin drove the sharp blade down, feeling the hiss and pop of a severed cable. “Then the LSF boot came down and stomped me back to the real world. Reminded me of what I am.” With his arm out of commission, Shao tilted, off balance. Suddenly without the ability to counter his weight, he hit a knee.

There. That was the opening. Jin hit the ground, squared their feet and aimed the knife with both hands. “I am nothing but a roach. One bug in a million fighting for scraps.” They raised the blade up and then stabbed Shao straight in the neck. Blood soaked through their gloves quickly, but they pulled it out. Another strike, a second hole. “I lived through every year thinking about who I’d left behind, how much I missed them. How much they missed me.” Jin wasn’t sure Shao could even hear them over his desperate gargling gasps. They yanked the bone knife free, and drove it hilt deep again. The confession hit the ears of a dying man.

“No one missed me. Not a damn soul cared, or remembered, or- or waited. So you wanna know what happened? The Flying Frog was just a stupid kid who the world taught better. Fuck the heroics and fuck the handouts. And fuck you.” Jin shoved Shao’s body away, realizing their front was coated in his cooling blood.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.............▇▇▇_Zhen M I E  L U N__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
__________a @Fiber & @Exit collaboration.
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Exit   
Katakuri could have guessed anything less than a surprise lightning strike wouldn’t have any effect on a vigilant Zhen. The curtain of fire did little to the airbender and so, instead of continuing to fight them from a distance, Katauri chose to move in.

As Zhen passed harmlessly underneath him, he rotated himself out of the air and tumbled down to the ground in a graceful spin, landing only a few feet away from the airbender. Behind her, he could see lava bursting out of the ground from under the large stone cube that had been dropped on 141.
Fiber   
Zhen spoke to Kata first.

“They killed fifty stray dogs today, you know. They were looking for Archer and Duchess, so any that matched the visual description had to go. Did we get them? I guess we’ll find out eventually.”

Kata jumped, flipping forward to release an enormous blast of fire from both feet.* Zhen had seen that one before, it was the one he brought out when destruction was his only goal, one that she had seen punch through solid concrete. She ducked under it, gilding forward with a thin cushion of air between her and the ground, sliding without friction. He landed and she pivoted to get behind him, then lifted him up by the waist and bent back to throw him into the air.* He went flying, soaring over her head, but he rotated fast enough to land on his feet and had drawn both knives by the time she was able to face him again.*

They were close enough to talk again. Zhen said “You know Kata, the LSF keeps records on all of us, records on everything we’ve done, from our sleep cycles to training performance. Does it bother you that I was able to look up how many children you’ve killed? Let’s take a few random cases and see if you remember them all.“

Zhen had her shock glove charged and they both swung at each other, parrying blows knowing that one slash or one shock could be enough to end the fight. Zhen had killed firebenders, Kata had killed airbenders, but neither knew how this fight would end. Each had played out in their heads dozens upon dozens of times, built from their experience sparring together, and now it was becoming real. With her non-shocking hand Zhen buffeted Kata with short but weak air blasts, creating space and disrupting his balance. Kata responded by dropping one of his knives and the crackle of electricity began to build at his fingertips. He let loose at point blank range, too close to dodge even for one as fast as Zhen. 

He was surprised when he felt something grabbing his lightning hand, then saw Zhen right in his face. His fingers were caught in the grip of Zhen’s shock glove, which no longer glowed, no longer functioned, but had absorbed the entire bolt of lightning and fried its own circuits in the process. Zhen did not give him the time to contemplate, as she grabbed his other arm and twisted it, using the circular motion to summon a light airblast to push him away and break his grip on the knife.*

She had his knife in her hands now and launched it at him along with an airblast to send it even faster. A crash rang out as it grazed the side of Kata’s mask and shattered it, but Kata himself was not harmed as it hurtled into the back wall of the chamber. 

Zhen caught her breath and continued her speech. She said “Fei Yuan, 12 years old, earthbending prodigy who tried to demolish a police precinct in the lower ring after her parents were arrested. Deemed too dangerous to be given a chance to surrender, you executed her on the spot. Im Kyung-chul, nine years old, died from exhaustion during LSF training, during an exercise you assigned. Bo Han…”
Exit   
Kata’s eye twitched. The subtlest shift from his usual self that disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.
Fiber   
“Also nine, your classmate in training. You killed him when the old man was disappointed in both of you and said that one of you could live, if they earned that right. I believe that was your first kill.“
Exit   
Kata moved quickly, switching the grip on his remaining knife and reversing his stance before diving in low, closing the gap between himself and Zhen in the blink of an eye. Zhen reacted just as quickly and again, the two began exchanging blows.
Fiber   
Like the old training drills, each was fighting for grips, setting up throws, and maneuvering in and out of danger. One moment Zhen had a wrist lock and tumbled to throw Kata, the next he matched her motion and remained standing.* After many exchanges, finally came one where Zhen proved herself a little faster, a little more aware of the situation and caught Kata’s feet out of position; a result of his lesser used stance. She swept out his support with the subtlest of pushes. 

His hand was still reaching out when he fell, and Zhen caught it at the wrist. She cartwheeled with it still grasped tight, and then she rolled onto her back to drag Kata into the path of an airblast she sent forth to launch him high into the sky.* As he flew, she jumped up to meet him, catching both his arms and then using one more airblast to drive them down to the ground even faster. She spiked him onto his head, no hands to cushion the fall, no time to redirect.*

Kata was groggy after the impact, still moving, still conscious, watching Zhen pace. She said “Twenty eight children under the age of thirteen died from collateral damage of Operation Changdao. You successfully terminated the bending gang that the RSF couldn’t, shame about all those fires you set in the lower ring in the process. They caused so much damage that the information warfare and the justice departments had to collaborate to come up with a story about mass arson, did you know that?”
Exit   
Memories, recorded in some file back at HQ, were being force fed to Kata and began fighting for space inside his rattled brain, heavily confusing his past and present. Memories of the faces he’d seen in another life, every one of which had been left behind, and the myriad of faces whose eyes he’d closed himself. Memories of every place he’d been to. Beautiful places. Important places. Turned to ash and fire in his shadow.
Fiber   
Zhen said “Operation Hwacha, now that was a big one, had every branch from us to the Strategic Bomber Force involved. It wasn’t easy to raze an entire town outside the walls, but as our commanding officer said, we had to show that hunting on his majesty’s royal gamelands has consequences. This didn’t bother attributing each kill, but surely you know how many you killed, right? After all, you were going house to house, room by room, seeing them face to face as they died, you can’t be so callous as to have forgotten them, can you?“
Exit   
These were tactics that Kata recognized only Zhen would use; a wealth of knowledge at her fingertips wielded like the sharpened edge of a blade. A blade she continued to prod under his skin with, carving out any minute advantage she could. Kata’s response was quick. He attacked from where he was on the ground on his knees, throwing a pair of fireballs at Zhen that was fueled partly by adrenaline and partly by a half-dazed, building rage.
Fiber   
Zhen dodged, amused, but they were a prelude to his actual attack. He lit a jet of fire with his hands and feet and launched himself at her, delivering a knee straight to the front of her face. He smirked when he heard her forehead smack the inside of the helmet, and though he could not see it, blood began to pour from her nose after the impact.

Noticeably wobbly, Zhen kept moving to evade, but Kata followed up with a series of body blows, quick hits to soften her up, each one sapping her stamina. He launched a spin kick which she dodged only to get hit with the opposite leg as he came down*, then Kata unloaded with another series of punches and kicks. She covered and parried them as best she could, but he got a big one through when he unleashed another leaping kick*, adjusting his rotation in mid-air thanks to a small burst of fire propulsion. Perhaps it was the daze of the blows landing, but Zhen never remembered seeing that trick in training. Kata was always capable of surprises.

He popped back up to standing with a handspring*, then gave Zhen a series of punches to the body and head, still impressed that she had managed to remain standing. Inside her helmet the blood was flowing freely, merging with the beads of sweat and running through the thick, damp strands of her hair. Everything was foggy, her head was throbbing with pain, and it appeared one of her teeth was coming loose, but Zhen was still in this. Kata readied one more aerial kick, smashing his shin across Zhen’s chest and sending her to the ground.*
Exit   
There was no need for long speeches, no need for goodbye. No more need to live in his haunted past any longer, forced to face his sins or the road he had paved in blood for himself and his daughter. He could end it all here. Silence the woman for good. Destroy that damnable mask she wore, reflecting an image of himself he no longer recognized. It would be quick, he resolved. Faster than the others.
Fiber   
He had a bolt of lighting ready in an instant and drove his hand towards Zhen’s downed body, but then he found he missed the mark. He had felt a gentle gust of wind at his side, not enough to move him, but Zhen’s little trick had slid her out of the way and let her grab his other hand, the one he hadn’t used to gather the lightning.
Before Kata had realized it, Zhen had twisted his hand and tangled it up with her legs, turning at blinding speed and pinning him to the ground.* She had her full strength to use his own arm as a lever against him, trapped in an intricate grip that it could not escape. As he struggled his whole shoulder ached with pain, push too hard and his whole arm might snap.

Many training matches had ended exactly this way, as someone who had taught him so much, Zhen had learned his weaknesses and his strengths, and reflected on them as he sat there with one arm trapped and the other flailing, hand and feet in no position to shoot a fire blast that could threaten Zhen.

Again, Zhen lectured him, saying “Two more, a boy and a girl, aged five and six, names unknown. Their parents were nomadic benders who lived outside the walls, had a habit of stealing supplies from piperunners. The children burnt to death in the car. I was only observing from a distance, but I still remember how long the screams lasted. “

In training, this would end with Kata tapping out and everything returning to normal, but now was different. Now, Zhen gathered her chi and began the hand motions to end it all with a burst of nitrogen into Kata’s lungs. The last courtesy she could offer him was a painless death. 
She said “You might be wondering why I’m bringing all of these up.”
Exit   
“I’m wondering if you’ve ever shut up in your life.” Kata tried to retort through grit teeth, straining just enough against Zhen’s hold to delay an inevitable break.
Fiber   
“Do you think I’m trying to find out if you feel guilt for all of that? Hardly. What I find more curious is that I know you felt more sadness about those stray dogs I mentioned at the start than you do now for any of the children that you killed. Chosah will never get to see what kind of man her father really was, but I suppose none of that matters in the end.”

This wasn’t training, and there was no tapping out. With his arm trapped, Kata had one choice and one choice only. He pushed, he pushed further and further as pain shot up it, but it didn’t deter him. He kept going until he heard the sound of his own bones cracking, and felt it go limp, but his now broken arm was not rigid enough to hold him down. He slipped out of Zhen’s grip and rose to his feet, feeling a fire and rage like he had never felt before in his life.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.............▇▇▇_Tarnelu D E R M O K__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
___________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tarnelu woke up to a significantly changed battlefield.

What had once been a simple domed room with raised platforms had quickly become the nightmare scenario for any bending engagement. Earthen shapes littered the room, seemingly pulled from the ground or dislodged from the walls. In between the debris were pools of molten rock, both a telling detail of Hunang’s true prowess and also the reason why the temperature in the room had risen to an uncomfortable degree. It was near unbearably hot and Tarnelu found himself drenched in sweat with dust clinging to his wet skin. The dust itself was everywhere. It saturated the oxygen-starved air and painted the room in a muddy brown haze. It was getting in his equipment and under the layers of his gear and would have begun to collect in his lungs were it not for the mask Jin gave him, he was sure.

The people too were not where they had been. 141 was missing. The man with the prosthetic arm was laying motionless on the ground with Jin crouched over him, already working on taking a prize. Hunang was standing a ways away, blood covering half her face and staining her clothes and was focused on something other than what would have been easy targets. From under the blood dripping from the gash above her brow, Nelu could see her eyes, a green made more intense by the surrounding red, fixed on the block of rock sitting in the center of a puddle of lava.

Across the room and in the middle of all that dust, Nelu found both Zhen and Kata. Although it was hard to tell, Nelu could guess that Zhen was having it rough. She looked as though she had rolled around in the dirt, when under normal circumstances she took great care to keep her gear pristine, even during a fight. She was covered in brown and black smudged stains, sported a few burn marks and there was even a small dent in her helmet. Kata on the other hand was visibly red in the face and his arm seemed twisted in the wrong direction and dangled unnaturally to his side. What caught Nelu’s attention however wasn’t either of their physical states. Kata was facing Zhen and holding something in his hand, that something being a dancing flame that was rapidly changing colors.
_
...▇▇▇_The L S F__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@Fiber & @Mistress Dizzy---------------------------------------------‎                               ‎                   ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎       
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.
Each member of the LSF excelled at a particular skill. Usually this involved the mastery of a specific study of their element. For Zhen, it was her ability to move pockets of air in unpredictable, nearly impossible to read ways, thanks to her ability to ‘remote bend’ as she called it. For Tarnelu, he was a bloodbender, able to manipulate at will the water trapped in an individual's body. For Jin, among a myriad of other skills honed in the absence of the ability to bend, they were a particularly gifted marksman. Jin was able to quickly, mentally, calculate the trajectory of a shot and place a bullet on target at extraordinarily long ranges. Something others could only do with mechanical assistance if at all.

Katakuri could shoot lightning, but it was not this skill that the LSF recognized as his specialty. His real talent was a seldom used technique, avoided nearly at all costs due to its inherent danger. White flame burned hot. Hot enough to melt rock. Hot enough to burn even the source of the flame itself and combust anything flammable surrounding it, and it didn’t need to be nearby. The heat alone could reach across the room they were all in and burn skin, and while pockets of lava had formed in the enclosed space resulting in a rise in temperature, the fire that grew in the palm of Katakuri’s hand was distinctly felt by everyone.

Hunang was first to react, dropping her concentration on the rock she had been trying to further submerge in the lava and turning to find the source of the sudden spike in heat. In that brief lapse, 141, who had been struggling against her, flung the rock off its back and raised itself out of the molten lava it was sinking into. What emerged was the warped visage of a man who was burning alive. By now, nearly all of the armor on his chest and limbs had turned semi-liquid and was fusing itself to 141’s body. Flames licked across exposed skin, fat bubbled and burst, and what had once been overwhelming screams of pain had turned to hollow, agonizing gasps that crackled like the fire that consumed it.

On its back, where the cooler earthen rock had been pressed, were the last of its munitions, still attached to the remainder of its armor.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Location. The Core in The Underground, Ba Sing Se.
____________________________..........
Time. Late Night, SE+3

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...▇▇▇_The L S F__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇a @Fiber, @Mistress Dizzy & @Exit collaboration----------------‎                               ‎                   ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎       
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Fiber   
A solemn red message blinks on the hud inside Zhen’s helmet. 氧氣含量低! It says, warning about the dwindling oxygen as Kata’s flame burn it away. He’s limping, in a blind rage, clutching the broken arm as fire spews out of it and out of his mouth, burning so bright that it hurts to look at. She walked slow, conserved her breath, paced outside of his range, doing all this knowing time was limited. Her mind is awake, running calculations. The information packets coming in from 141’s datalink are now fragmented, glitcy, only readable through the magic of error correcting codes and the raw simplicity in each one. It was just transmitting a simple sequence in an endless loop

SURVEY “MUNITIONS” YIELD
 GREN_DISTORT IS:2
 GREN_SMOKE IS:1
 DISP_ADRENAL IS:1
TERMINATION, Y/N?
Exit   
Hunang had begun to move, switching her stance and raising her arms as she shifted her focus away from 141 and Katakuri to Zhen, but no sooner had she begun did she suddenly find herself frozen in place. Her eyes snapped to Nelu who was holding his open hand to her but was looking at Katakuri.

”You lit-”

“Kata!” Nelu yelled out, ignoring her completely. ”If you do this, they’ll kill her! We can protect her! Put her in the program! Teach her how to-”

”I WILL NOT let her live my life!” Katakuri yelled back. Each word was a gout of fire that spilled from his lips and collected at his feet. He ignored the flames and continued limping toward Zhen.
Fiber   
The rock dust is thick in the air, and the particles are fine, speck like. They pool on her glove as she holds out a hand to point, gesturing towards Nelu. Her head is foggy from the impact and light from the lack of oxygen, and the implant her brain is draining the energy, the oxygen, and the chi inside her to run yet more calculations. Talking is taxing on her, but she musters enough to say
“Jin…I have numbers.. can you..can you help?”
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin didn't look much better. Coated in blood and panting heavily now that the adrenaline of battle had waned. "Y - yeah. Whatcha got?"
Fiber   
“Square root of 1500 times X, over square root of Y. Y is somewhere between 1000 and 3000, X is between 30 and 1000. Keep trying, and as you find combos that get a number over 500, tell me.”
Mistress Dizzy   
After listening to Zhen’s request, Jin raised their eyebrows. Why, at a time like this? But the equation was already spinning in their mind. Numbers locked into place, and answers soon after. Jin plopped gracelessly on the ground, using the bloodied knife to scratch notation into the dirt, reading off solutions as they came. There were a lot. Too many. 

"Variable range is.. too wide y'know." God, their whole body hurt. "Make it smaller. Or tell me what's the plan…?"
Fiber   
“It’s close to triggering a thermoba-thermo-big explosion. Don’t want to die from it…need to know the right time, brain having trouble with all the numbers now. Nelu, you know the plan, just keep us safe when it’s time.”
Exit   
By now, the flame in Katakuri’s hand had lost nearly all of its color as the temperature continued to rise. So hot was this flame that his clothes began to burn away without even coming in contact, but Katakuri ignored this too. He did nothing to stop the fire licking at his skin. Nelu knew as well as the others what Katuri was planning to do.

”Make it quick!”
Mistress Dizzy   
Their ears were ringing. "Oh. We're still all gonna die. After all this, huh…?" Digging shamelessly in the front of the dress, Jin pulled out a little packet of something tiny and shining. "I snagged it from the market. S'made of plastic bits." It was multicolored glitter, beautiful fine particles of plastic. Flammable plastic. 

"Thought Nelu needed a bit of glitz for the club. Ha." Slowly, Jin crawled to Zhen on their stomach, and plopped the bag down. "This'll burn too. Make it easier…" And then they sat, starting to read off numbers again.
Exit   
”The… Ffflying… Fffrog…” Hunang struggled to say, her eyes now fixed on Jin drawing in the dirt. Nelu immediately turned to give her his full attention. He moved his hand, twisting his open palm so his fingers were pointing down toward the ground and driving the blade of his hand in a quick downward motion. Hunang’s body responded immediately, buckling at the knees as the top half of her folded into itself and she collapsed on the ground. She grunted when her forehead slammed into the dirt. Despite the way her mouth was barely clear of the dirt her face was pressing into, she continued to speak.

”We….nnnneveer….fffforgot.”
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin didn't speak, continuing to read numbers. But their gaze swept up from their work, to lock firmly on Hunang. Sharp… and very curious.
Exit   
141 was clawing himself the rest of the way out of the pool of lava. Despite the massive amount of damage he had sustained, by some miracle he was still able to move and think. Boiling flesh was peeling off of exposed bone and muscle and pooling beneath him in a bubbling mass of goop. He dragged himself through it and ever closer to Hunang whose eyes snapped to him.

She watched the once imposing, now withering man as he approached. Watched him struggle to claim every inch of dirt he pulled himself across. But there was no fear in her eyes, just a calm knowing.

Suddenly, 141 stopped moving and slumped defeated to the ground, only a few feet short of the earthbender. Fire continued to lick across his back and char his exposed flesh and although he was down, he was not dead. His glowing silhouette swelled with every strained breath and the sound that escaped his lips was that of tumbling gravel. Like a sob drowning in cackling flames.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time. Late Night, SE+3
Location. The Core in The Underground, Ba Sing Se.
____________________________..........
Mistress Dizzy as Jin Takashi
Fiber as Zhen Mie Lun
Exit as Tarnelu Dermok, Katakuri Soran, Object-141 and Hunang.


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...▇▇▇_The L S F__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇a @Fiber, @Mistress Dizzy & @Exit collaboration----------------‎                               ‎                   ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎       
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Mistress Dizzy   
Jin stared at the most powerful boss in the Underground, on her knees. Still defiant, still fighting, to the last.

"...we can't keep her? If she's this strong, wouldn't she be an asset?" It was a minor shock to hear their own voice. All the while, they kept scratching numbers into the dirt. 
Exit   
”She’s too powerful and knows too much. This one has to die.” Nelu said, still holding the woman in place.
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin paused and looked down. Ran the equation again. 

"I have it. 2107."
Fiber   
Zhen walked with a limp, tired from the low oxygen, exhausted from the fight and still straining her brain with the last part of the calculation. She never would’ve been able to finish it without Jin. As she got close to Jin and Nelu, close enough that Nelu maybe, just maybe might be able to shield them, she thought that all of this was a risk, a calculated one, but a bet all the same. A bet that the rock dust in the air was small enough. A bet that the structure was neither too strong nor too weak. A bet that Jin did the math right, a bet that Nelu would know what to do next, a bet that she had enough resolve to remain conscious and see this through, to live to tell the tale. It was exciting in a perverse way, actually getting to do this theoretical exercise for real. No LSF member in living memory had seen this, and if it failed, it would remain that way.

“Nelu, we’re about to go thermobaric. We need every drop of moisture, here, now.”
Zhen took the breath that might be her last, and gathered her arms in front of her. Then she made one sweeping motion and threw a gust so large it caught all the dust and turned the other side of the room into a cloud of silhouettes.
Exit   
At the exact same time, Nelu dropped his concentration on Hunang and began focusing on the very small. Like running his fingers carefully through grains of sand did he peer at the finer world that lay beneath all things. It was a technique he’d been forced to hone for nearly as long as he could remember and the basis for his minute manipulation of water. Of bloodbending.

There was moisture in the room. Not much, but it was there if one knew where to look, or in Nelu’s case, wherever it was he could feel it. It was this water that began to draw itself toward him from everywhere in the room, coaxed by the circular motion he was drawing in the air with his arms. Water as sweat that peeled off Hunang’s forehead or water pulled from the air that had burned off of Katakuri as his own sweat evaporated from the heat of his flame. Water from a water bottle left behind by a refugee. Blood from 141.

It twisted through the air like a ribbon stretched across the chamber and spun itself into a red hued orb in front of Nelu about the size of a stickball.
Fiber   
Zhen followed by doing something she almost never did, she screamed at the top of her lungs, screamed til she could breathe no more.

“EVERYONE, BREATHE OUT, NOW!“
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin wasn't sure what they expected of their last moments. They were too tired for fear, too wound up for relief. Still so much left to do, but at least… at least the kids would make it out. They could still feel Hunang’s defiance, through the smoke and stone. Still feel that iron gaze.

"... I'm sorry."

Jin exhaled. Nelu did as well.
Fiber   
Zhen had no more words, no more air left in her lungs as she staggered to be next to Nelu. She just stared at the figures in the dust, at Hunang who still clearly held to her determination despite her situation, at Object 141, a crumpled mass on the ground, and at Kata’s fire engulfed form, who she knew was staring right back at her wordlessly through the cloud. She felt bad about the way it would end for them, wondering if it would be their lungs rupturing from the inside, or their bodies pulverized by the pressure wave, or the blinding heat of the blast that did them in. In this moment, she wished she could have given them a painless death, but there was much about the world that stubbornly insisted on learning lessons in a much more gruesome fashion.

The last thing she said was not a word, but a stream of data:

MAX YIELD OVERRIDE SAFETY Y TERMINATION NOW EXEC
Exit   
It was a last ditch effort from both Hunang and Katakuri that saw them make their final moves in their last moments. Spurned by the actions of the trio opposite them, or as Zhen would later confirm, drawn out by them. The water, the dust and her careful maneuvering toward Jin and Nelu hadn’t been lost on Katakuri. Nor was it lost on Hunang, who from the ground and on her knees, threw her arms up and brought them down swiftly to her chest. It was much the same as her previous move when she dropped a block of dirt on top of 141, only this time, she intended to bring down the entire ceiling. Jagged lines formed cracks that carved themselves into the earthen dome above them until these lines began to intersect and large sections of earth began to fall away. They tore the lights from the walls and pulled apart the industrial fans embedded in the ceiling, filling the enclosed space with the deafening sound of metal ripping itself apart.

Katakuri had reacted too, having catapulted himself toward the trio in an attempt to stop a conceptual plan he vaguely recognized. But it was too late.

The metal capsules attached to Nelu’s belt exploded, releasing an enormous amount of water that he immediately shaped around Jin, Zhen and himself. It would harden into ice long before Katakuri could reach them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time. Late Night, SE+3
Location. The Core in The Underground, Ba Sing Se.
____________________________..........
Mistress Dizzy as Jin Takashi
Fiber as Zhen Mie Lun
Exit as Tarnelu Dermok, Katakuri Soran, Object-141 and Hunang.


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_______.
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.
There was a brief moment of clarity found beneath all the pain and fire and noise. A moment when 141’s mind found his body once more and for the first time in a long time, he could think for himself. In that moment of clarity, he realized that he’d done it. Done exactly what he’d been told to do as a boy if ever he wanted to be accepted. As a friend. By the world. Into a good family. He’d helped them. Helped all of them.

MAX YIELD OVERRIDE SAFETY Y TERMINATION NOW EXEC

This next thing he did was meant to keep it, and once they were safe, he could rest.

141’s mix of synapses and wires got enough of Zhen’s command to burn bright for one final time, pushing the system to accept that critical value that Jin had so helpfully calculated. But while it was the machine 141 that received and ran it, it was something else that replied back.

2107. I dun really get et, but if et helps mah friends, I'd be happy tuh.

141 near lifeless body seemed to swell and then glow for a half second before detonating. All at once, all of the dust and oxygen became one great fireball. The heat and the blast spread so fast and engulfed so much that it didn’t matter where the explosion came from, everything was caught in it all the same.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prompt:
Jin. Right before the ball of water and ice closes around you, you notice Hunang is smiling at you.

End Chapter Three.

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Bio

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...▇▇▇_RSF Commander  T A O  X U__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇A @FunnyGuy & @Exit Collaboration                               ‎                   ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ 
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FunnyGuy   
Not a word escaped Tao Xu the moment he set his eyes on the scene inside. Observing the aftermath of the successful raid firsthand was not the same as having the battle damage assessment briefed to you in transit or within his office. It’s how he preferred it. To be so close to the action on the ground… To manipulate a scene with your own actions…

“Heh…” He scoffed beneath his mask as he stared down the closed-off chamber used as a desperate escape. He yearned for an outcome that saw the low-life rats who slipped away caught beneath his boot, but he couldn’t help but be overcome with pride. The perfectionist in him would have to settle for this clear victory over those who threatened the status quo. Patience was a virtue, but he would not simply remain passive after a victory like this. A success like this one would be replicated… again and again until there was no place or direction to flee toward.

“You there!” Tao called to the man in the hard hat. “What is this, exactly?” He motioned a hand toward the red glow of the blocked-off path.
Exit   
”Inner chamber, Commander Xu. Sealed off by a cave-in, and considering the clear signs of earthbending here–” He pointed to where the concrete pathway had been torn up. ”We can assume the cave-in was intentional. The heat and the red you’re seeing inside corroborate reports of active lava flow in the area. It seems whoever was down here was quite formidable, if the multiple pathways carved into the ground below us are any indication.”
FunnyGuy   
“Formidable, yes, but I’d surmise they were as resourceful as they were desperate,” Tao commented before peering down at what the man was holding.
Exit   
In his hand was a small device. His fingers danced across its flat surface, and a three-dimensional render of a scan of the immediate area appeared above it. Thin, bright red lines described the shallow survey taken of the ground immediately beneath them, but even if the sample was shallow, the network of tunnels visible to them was immense. Numerous paths with open ends that could lead to anywhere and with no rhyme or reason to their position or direction. Trying to map that would be futile.

”No LSF were present when we arrived.”
FunnyGuy   
“Tch!”
Exit   
”We got a body!”

From beyond the cleared path, there was a flurry of motion and dust through which beams of light could be seen dancing in the dark and along the walls of collapsed rock.
FunnyGuy   
“You heard him! Focus!” Tao commanded as a brief jolt of exhilaration pulsed through his nerves. There was something to be had, and his troops would not let it go to waste.
Exit   
After only a few minutes, a crew of RSF exited from the rubble, carrying between them a deceased male. The individual was heavily burned and was practically naked, the small pieces of torn and destroyed fabric still clinging to his body a clear sign that the rest had burned off. What was left of was enough black hair on his head and striking facial features to identify the body of Katakuri Soren.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time. Late Night, SE+3
Location. The Core in the Underground, Ba Sing Se
____________________________..........
FunnyGuy as Tao Xu
Exit as various NPCs






“Good morning and welcome to seven o’clocks on Shinobi News. Our top stories this morning…”

"Criminal elements in the Underground have been left in ruins after the successful raid by the RSF a few days ago. Led by Commander Tao Xu, the raid saw the apprehending and the execution of Katakuri Soran, a dangerous bender from the Upper Ring who was responsible for the murder of his entire family, and the enigmatic leader of the Dìjī, Hunang. Hunang is widely believed to have been the Kingpin of the Underground and has been responsible for numerous killings, kidnappings and attacks on the City itself over the past few decades. With them removed, the powerful Dìjī have splintered and the Underground as a whole has been left leaderless, leading to a steep decline in organized crime across all of Ba Sing Se."

"However, there is concern that with the RSF pulling out of the Underground completely, the opportunity for another radicalized group of criminals to fill the vacuum of power has been left open. Many are led to believe the validity of these concerns due in part to similar circumstances some years ago when the RSF discovered and dismantled a small bending militia that had been growing beneath the City. Despite this loss, Hunang remained in power for many years after."

"In other news, the King has not yet recovered from what is now being reported as a severe illness. King Wu, who has not been seen or heard from since his controversial announcement during the Gala, originally fell ill that night to what was thought to have been a mild flu. Although his symptoms have seemingly progressed, there is as of yet, no word on the specifics of his illness. We here at Shinobi news are hoping for his swift recovery and hopefully soon, he can shed some light on his recent decisions.”




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...▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇A @Canaryrose & @Exit Collaboration
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Exit   
”That’s all of it.” Jack said, stepping away from An’s desk. He turned to look out the window and check on the woman outside. Below them, pacing back and forth in the driveway was Vyska. She seemed focused on the conversation she was having. ”You wouldn’t happen to recognize any of those names, would you?”
canaryrose   
An leaned back in her chair and sighed, ever so slightly. This was around the fourth time they’d watched the video, trying to catch every small detail they could, but she wasn’t bored. It was just all so much. She tried to keep an eye on Vyska as she paced the driveway below, but instead, her gaze remained caught on the notes in front of her- on the list of names, enumerated, separate.

T.Jin.F.157

X.Hui.W.138

L.Wu.F.201

C.Bai.A.195

H.Xinyue.E.149

Q.Yong.E.210

Each one laid out, stark, in front of her. Deformed. Violated. An could surmise what the letters, what the numbers meant. Benders, each of them. It was unlike her, but she held her right knuckle to her mouth, gnawing on it. She didn’t know what to do with this. She wasn’t sure anyone did. Quietly, she zoomed back, frame by frame, going back to one particular shot. Her eyes didn’t leave the screen.

The woman in the selected frame was middle-aged- not old, not young, maybe early 50s, late 40s. Her hair was white, though An knew it was natural, not from age. She was sleeping. She looked healthy, well, even, if not for the thin antlers sprouting from her left brow. An pointed at the screen, getting Jack’s attention. “That’s Lisa Wu,” she said, her voice betraying her shock but retaining its confident tenor. “Kanna Wu’s mother.” 

She let her words hang, the both of them staring at the screen in shock. Absently, An stroked the dark wood grain of her new desk. The office was an extravagance, one not lost on her. It overlooked the front of the Moon estate, the long driveway, the gate, and the street beyond. In the morning, sunlight would stream through the window, warming her workspace, but, now, in the afternoon, she had her desk lamp lit to illuminate her laptop. The office, with the exception of her desk, was nearly empty. Her desk was set in a corner of the room, her computer not visible from the window, and there was a green armchair in one corner, a large plant in the other. There were a few paintings hung on the wall. It was nice. She liked it… but it made her uncomfortable all the same. How long was Vyska expecting her to remain here? She understood the practicality of it all, but it didn’t change the fact that An wanted to go home.

An opened another tab on her computer, but left the search bar empty. She glanced at Jack.  “Kanna Wu told me,” she said, slow,  “that her mother died two weeks ago. Was killed. Because she was a firebender.” An clicked back on the video, and gestured again to Lisa Wu. Her voice dropped.  “Jack, they did this to her in two weeks.”
Exit   
”Yeah.” Jack turned back to the monitor and looked again at the still image of a woman trapped in blissful sleep. It was impossible to ignore the unnatural growth sprouting from the edges of her face, but when he tried to look past it at just her features, he did indeed recognize the woman An identified. The story she gave too checked out as he remembered briefly hearing about Lisa going missing a few weeks ago. The thing was, he already knew that disappearances could mean the Republic removing a Bender. It happened all the time. He never in a million years thought they were keeping them for… this. And Lisa Wu wasn’t just anyone. She had connections. She was known. She had championed her path forward in life to the top of the Stickball world on her own and even she was not spared such treatment. 

”I liked it better when I thought they were killing them.” His mind began to wander to thoughts of Vyska and what might happen to her should her secret be discovered. There had been a peace in knowing that the worse case scenario was a quick death. Experimentation was something else entirely and it was clear that status was no guarantee of anything. It also begged the question: Who were the others?

”The big guy. H Xinyue I believe it was. The only other… thing I’ve seen with that physique was the agent from yesterday. No one is naturally that large.”
canaryrose   
“Same,” An said, and left it there. She had her own person to worry about. Chu. Was it possible that she was down there? That she’d never made it out of the city, and they’d just never told her? An knew the thought was ridiculous, so she didn’t voice it, but it stayed in the back of her mind, a worry poking out at her like a stubborn splinter. She drummed her fingers against the desk, another nervous habit of hers, and rewound the footage to where it said H. Xinyue.

He was indeed large. The man was bulging out of his own skin, half of his body out of the frame. Scars lined his skin- surgical scars.  “The agent from yesterday,” she said. “Maybe they’re making them. The agents.” It was a dark musing, but not impossible. “Maybe that’s how they made it. It was alive. I heard it breathing. It could’ve been a person… at some point.” By the spirits, An felt like a conspiracy theorist. She had never been one to question, but this, now, was making her do it.

Turning her attention back to the computer, An opened her browser again and tapped a few keys, opening up another program. She typed a password, some keywords, and… well, it didn’t look any different, but she hoped that it would conceal her searches from anyone monitoring her. She had no doubt they were.  “There’s got to be some record of these people,” she told Jack. “There’s records of Lisa Wu, at least. Maybe this H. Xinyue still has people looking for him.”
Exit   
”We can start with known missing persons. The RSF keeps an updated list, but considering the amount of people that went missing after the synergy accident, we might be dealing with a needle in a haystack situation. Although…” There was a small pause as Jack turned his thoughts over in his head. ”...There’s no way to know for sure, but the numbers could be chronological if we’re lucky, meaning most of the people we’re seeing here were taken before the accident.” Jack shrugged. ”Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

He turned to the window again in time to catch Vyska returning to the house.
canaryrose   
“Maybe,” An said. Taking a breath, she searched for that list, and typed the first name into the search bar. T. Jin. She took note of Vyska’s return to the house, but didn’t wait for her. She just pressed Enter.
Exit   
No Results.

There was half muffled huff from somewhere over An’s shoulder. “Or incredibly unlucky. Try the next one…”
canaryrose   
 “That tracks,” An mumbled, under her breath. But really, what had she been hoping for? Of course some of them would be lost causes. She crossed out Jin from her list. Onto the next one- Hui. The keyboard tapped it out in a staccato rhythm before An pressed enter again.
Exit   
The screen filled with several names:

Xiang Hui 79yo
Missing for 8 years. Disappeared from her hospice located in the Middle Ring. Preliminary investigation into the disappearances noted a canal system situated just outside the facility beyond a chain-link fence. No body was recovered or person found. Investigation ongoing.

Xiong Hui 14yo
Missing for 22 years. High school student who was last seen leaving her school campus on foot. No witnesses and no deviation from normal route to and from school according to interviews done with parents and friends. The case was never solved. Investigation has been closed.

Xu Hui 36yo
Missing for 10 years. Delivery driver for Republic Restaurant Supply Co. Business located in the Lower Ring. Remains of the vandalized truck was found in an alleyway, gutted and set on fire. The driver was never found and the passenger had been shot twice in the chest. Xu was never found and the details of his disappearance are still under investigation.

Xun Hui 27yo.
Missing for 5 years. Servant for a prominent family in the Upper Ring. A missing persons report was filed by the woman’s family who reside in the Lower Ring. Employers of Xun adamant they have no idea what happened to her. Investigation ongoing.
canaryrose   
Goddamn. There sure were a lot of X. Huis. An, facing an overload of information, clicked back to the video. She was female, which immediately got rid of at least one option. Certainly not 88 years old… which eliminated another. She swapped over to the database again, looking over her options. Xiong Hui, 36 years old now, missing for 22 years. Xun Hui, 32 now, missing for 5. She wrote down both names. She wasn’t sure. 22 years... it seemed unlikely, that they’d have someone for so long, while Lisa Wu had only been there two weeks and was in her condition. Still. “Jack,” she said. “Does she look more like the servant? I think it seems more likely.” An tapped her pencil against the desk, briefly switching between the video and the database- again- to let him see the photos. “22 years seems like a stretch,” she admitted.
Exit   
”No I agree. It’s the servant.” He studied the girl closely. This one had gone under his radar and most likely the radars of everyone besides her own family. And it wasn’t uncommon for the hired help for the more powerful families to be subject to abuse or strange situations and the news rarely covered the controversy unless it was attached to a particularly wealthy family in the public eye. This woman had no such luck. She’d been discovered a Bender and was turned in and Jack was sure there had never been closure for the family.

”Who's next?” He asked. As the two of them continued, the dread he’d been holding in was spilling into his gut. He didn’t like any of this.
canaryrose   
An sighed, and crossed out the name of the schoolgirl. Xun Hui it was. How long had she been there? Had she suffered? An was sure she had. In the video, her skin had been tinged a blue-green- an unnatural color, even for someone as unnatural as a bender.

She had to stop thinking like that, An thought to herself, shortly after the thought entered her head. Benders… well, she had been taught that it was wrong, but everything in front of her now was telling her that she was the one who was misled. Still, 28 years of propaganda was hard to shake. An moved a lock of her long black hair out of her eyes, and looked to Jack behind her, and then the door, waiting for Vyska.  “We know about Lisa. Let’s try and find this C Bai person.” Again, she turned her attention to the computer and typed in the name.
Exit   
C. Bai fielded no results and so the pair moved on to the next, H Xinyue. Again, a number of names began to populate the screen:

Hao Xinyue 35yo
Missing for 4 years. Miner at the Northwest Extraction Zones. Reported missing when Hao did not return with his crew from their assigned shaft. Preliminary investigations reported tunnel collapses a common occurrence due to a lack of adherence to safety regulation. No body was recovered and the investigation is ongoing.

Huo Xinyue 24yo
Missing for 2 years. SynEn Piperunner. SynEn lost communication with their runner and sent one of their own to investigate. Vehicle was recovered. Nothing was stolen from the vehicle and there were no signs of a struggle. Investigation is ongoing.

Hu Xinyue 29yo
Missing for 15 years. Escort. Last seen leaving a bar with an unidentified man. A missing persons report was filed by the victim’s roommate the next day. No body was ever recovered nor has the man she was last seen with been found or identified. Investigation has been closed.

Huang Xinyue 7yo
Missing for 40 years. A Huang was registered as an orphan at Lana’s Little Home, located in the Lower Ring. The orphanage was shut down and no further records can be found regarding his or the other children’s relocation after their removal. It is recommended to consult with Lana Cheng for more information. Case has been closed.

Han Xinyue 8yo
Missing for 5 months. Resident of slums outside of the Lower Ring wall, according to a report filed by the father. Investigation closed. 
canaryrose   
An stared at the computer screen for a longer time than she had before. This one was harder. “Not the escort,” she mused, “and not the eight-year-old.” She almost ruled out the boy who had been missing for 40 years, but something about that gave her pause. Lana Cheng? Didn’t she know that name? Lana Cheng… the woman at the gala, who had been carting around that little boy? The profession and the name fit, but the Lana Cheng that An had met had certainly not been 50 years old. That was strange.

And the other two weren’t promising, either. A piperunner and a miner, both operating out of the city- it wasn’t like the RSF paid attention to those sorts. Piperunners went into the wilds all the time, and the miner had probably just died in some sort of collapse.  “This one doesn’t make any sense,” she said, out loud. “Jack, look. The pipe runner and the miner, the kid from 40 years ago… piperunners and miners don’t seem likely, but that kid disappeared so long ago. What do you think?” She flipped back to the video, scrutinizing what little she could see of the man. 
Exit   
It was at this time that Vyska stepped into the room, her face fixed although there was clear exhaustion behind her eyes. The lingering conversation in the room didn’t help either. ”I’m already hearing something about a child…”

Jack glanced up at Vyska, noting the way she was still trying to project someone in control. Someone who still had a grasp despite everything falling apart around them. ”A child that went missing some forty years ago.” He nodded toward the screen as Vyska stepped around the desk. ”None of the others really stand out but this one. Not only is he similar to the man we saw yesterday, the potential information we dug up doesn’t make any sense.”

Vyska studied the monitor and then looked down at An’s notes. There were some crossed out names, lines about a girl in the Upper Ring and then a name with a circle around it that was very recognizable. ”Mrs Cheng? Why is she in your notes?” 
canaryrose   
An turned to face Vyska when she opened the door, trying to assess the woman’s body language. She looked… tired. Scared? Without speaking, An gestured for Jack to drag the armchair over to the desk so she could sit.
Exit   
He complied without skipping a beat, fetching the chair and moving it near An’s and facing the monitor. Vyska gave him a thankful nod and took a seat.
canaryrose   
 “Lana Cheng…” An shook her head, and pulled up the file for the boy again. “We found this missing boy while looking for one of the people in the video,” An explained, showing Vyska the file.  “We think he is one of the people in the video, actually. But the missing persons database says this kid disappeared forty years ago… from Lana Cheng’s orphanage in the Lower Ring. It even says to contact her. But Lana Cheng- well, I don’t know how old she is, really- certainly wasn’t running any orphanages forty years ago. And for this kid to have disappeared, seemingly with no searching, forty years ago and to show up again now as a bender experiment… I don’t know. Maybe Lana Cheng has something to do with it. We should look into Lana’s Little Home and see what we find, look into any other missing kids from her care.”

An then shook her head, yet again, and put it in her hands. “Gods,” she groaned. “I sound like some kind of nut job. It’s just all so weird, no? This whole thing is weird. Lisa Wu, all these poor people…” She trailed off, unable to articulate how awful this whole mess was. Children. 7 was the age the bending test became accurate…  
Exit   
The breath that left Vyska’s body was heavy, as if the weight of the past few days had built up in her lungs. Lana Cheng had been a bright spot in a dreary world. One of the few bright spots in a position of power and with the means to do real good. If she too was involved in whatever nightmare was unfolding beneath the city, if a woman like her was involved in the kidnapping and experimentation of children, what real hope was there in trying to wake everyone up. The people behind this were still hidden. The why was still unknown. They could feel some of the pieces but it was starting to feel like putting a puzzle together in the dark.

But she knew they had to try. If not them, she knew no one else would and she knew that although it would likely never come to light, her family’s name would be marred by its involvement in human atrocities.

Vyska pressed a finger to her temple and turned the information over and over in her head. They had names. They had faces. There had to be a way forward. ”How stupid of an idea would it be to set a meeting with Lana and ask her directly?” She asked, not really believing in her own idea. The absurdity was not lost on her, but a part of her didn’t want to believe what they were all thinking.
canaryrose   
An jerked her head up to look at Vyska. “Awful,” she intoned, blunt as a hammer to the head… and a bit incredulous too. Sometimes she forgot Vyska was only 20 years old, so grown-up and authoritative she seemed. “If she really is involved,” An said, trying to ease her tone, “she wouldn’t be alone in this. I guarantee you she’s no mastermind. And I doubt she’d want to be found out. They’d wonder why you’re investigating, and…” An didn’t need to say the rest. She knew that Vyska knew the risks, felt them in her bones. An and Jack could anticipate quick deaths- well, torture first, but quick- but Vyska couldn’t.

 “If you’re interested in Lana specifically, I can try and see what I can dig up… or, if you’re feeling really interested, you could have her tailed, or have someone go to the site of her orphanage. Maybe you could even talk to her yourself… without mentioning it. You and I could befriend her.”

An sighed, and drummed her hands on the table. It was all too much, but she wasn’t really convinced that Lana Cheng was a central piece in it all. Maybe she was a piece, but not the central one. She returned to her notes, frowning.  “Is there anyone else we know has a hand in all this?” she asked. “We saw the monsters, we saw the strange agents… but Lana Cheng can’t be the first actual name we have.”
Exit   
”Mynwa.” Vyska slumped back in her chair, defeated. ”Which is what I wanted to talk to you both about.” She glanced first at An to her left and then turned to Jack who was standing to her right. ”It’s been confirmed. Communication with the power plant is down. My father is in the dark.”

Jack shook his head. ”Shit.”
canaryrose   
 “Mynwa,” An repeated, slow. Vyska’s father. It was strange that she was referring to him only by his first name- An’s father would have hit her for the same offense. She had only met Mynwa Moon once, and had very little feeling about him. But the way Jack and Vyska had been talking about him the last few days… An leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. An ominous feeling formed in her chest. “I think it’s time you two filled me in on this. Are you saying… Vyska, are you saying your father is involved? In all this? What’s been confirmed?”
Exit   
Vyska turned back to An. Where there had once been a weariness in her eyes, that weariness had turned to uncertainty. She struggled to find the exact words she wanted to say, still not entirely sure where the piece most dear to her fit into the puzzle. More than anything else, she was afraid that saying her thoughts on the matter out loud would make them a reality, but she couldn’t deny the evidence. After what she’d been through that morning, there was only more of it being piled up in front of her. She clasped her hands together in her lap as if she were trying to grab the truth out of the air and took a deep breath. Straightening out, she assumed the role she had been for the past few days. There were things that needed to be done and it wouldn’t help for her to sit and ruminate on something she knew so little about. 

”...The news of my father going missing has officially put me in a position I wasn’t yet supposed to be in. And it’s not a temporary position like it was while we thought he was ‘away’. I have all of his responsibilities now.” She shook her head and took another deep breath. Every conversation she had that morning was repeating itself in her head. Words and voices collided with each other until it was little more than a net of white noise. ”I’ve been in calls all day. Most of it I was expecting but…” She turned to Jack. ”Whoever these people are that have been contacting me, the people those ‘agents’ work for, they’ve scheduled a face to face with me to work out the details of their ‘ongoing relationship’ with SynEn. With my father.” She then turned to An. ”I can’t deny what that means, An.”

An sat with that for a moment, turning it over in her mind. Her father had been involved with these people. An didn’t feel it necessary to repeat it out loud. It seemed obvious. That was the word they were using, that involved, but it implied so much more… so much worse than simply being involved. “I’m sorry,” she said, finally, looking at Vyska. There was no comforting touch- An could tell, somehow, that she didn’t want that- but there was real empathy in her eyes. How did it feel, to know that your own father had helped murder people who were just like you?

 “A relationship,” she repeated. “Did the person on the phone give you a name? The people who have been contacting you, who are they?” An turned back to her computer and her notes, turning something over in her head.

”A representative of the LSF, although I still don’t know what that stands for. It’s the same acronym every time though. LSF.”

“Something Security Forces, maybe? Like the RSF… but what does the L stand for?” An thought for a moment before she continued.

“We could use this,” she said. Her dark eyes filled with determination.  “We need information, and if you have this relationship with them- well, we certainly won’t be able to ask them too many questions, and you’d need to play it safe, but we could use it to find out what we can. This,” she gestured to the computer screen, “is something, but it’s not enough. We’re in the dark. Maybe working with them, for now, could get us enough information to achieve our goal. To help people. Try to undo it all.”

”It’s dangerous, but I was thinking the same thing. It’s our only play, at least until we can get more information and, more importantly, more friends on our side. There’s no way we can solve this and survive it with just the two of us. Oh, and speaking of…” Vyska got up from her chair and began walking back around to the other side of the desk. “Kaye Xuoshi will be here shortly. She has something she’d like to talk to us about.”

“The three of us,” An corrected, gentle, eyes flicking to Jack. “I agree. Unfortunately… friends are in short supply, and I might not be around to help much longer. It’s dangerous, and it won’t make us any friends, but if it doesn’t get you killed it’ll work to our advantage.”

 “Do you think Ms. Xuoshi could be a friend?” She looked pointedly at Vyska.  “She seemed upset about her brother’s disappearance- do you think he could have turned into a bender?”

”No he uh… He didn’t turn into a Bender when he was here.” Vyska answered, realizing she’d never discussed this with An. ”I was meeting with him at the time of the accident, discussing purchasing some of their drones for patrolling the wall. I can imagine there are a few things she wants to talk about, not least of which would be her brother.” Her eyes froze on An as recent events caught up to her. There was actually a lot she hadn’t discussed, most of it having been buried by everything else that came after. ”Did I tell you I was at the storage facility when it exploded?”

An straightened at this new information.  “No, you did not,” she said, curious. “I mean, I knew you were at the storage station, Jack told me that’s where those people came to ask about Chu. You were with Reman Xuoshi? Did you…” She glanced at Jack, and then his holster, meaningfully. There was no way they had killed him, right?

Vyska caught An eyeing Jack and the holster hanging from under his shoulder and smiled. ”He didn’t.”

”I tried.”

Vyska nodded. ”Yeah, he did try. As soon as I started randomly firebending he tried to kill everyone in that room but we learned pretty quickly that anything ‘synergy’ was dead. Guns didn’t work. And then we learned that one of my Piperunners was an Airbender and also my operator plays favorites with the runners under her watch. Given the situation and everything that was coming to light, we agreed it was better for everyone if they left the city and Jack and I forgot anything we saw. Reman was the one that…” Suddenly there was a light in her eyes. ”Wait… I know you were hesitant before to tell me how you got Chu out but who came up with your plan? Where was Chu supposed to go?” 

An’s eyes lit up with something resembling hope. Out of the city? Could it be? Could Chu be with… Reman Xuoshi? She smiled at the thought. It was unlikely, sure, but was it possible? “The place they were going was called Tu Zin,” An said, hesitant to believe it. But her heart was pumping all the same. “Kanna came up with the whole thing. She found out about it when she was trying to get her mother out, somehow. I have no idea how she found out, or how she was even planning to get there. We just went, it was the only option. I… do you think Reman and this piperunner were going there, too? Do you think you might be able to get in contact with them?”

”Tu Zin.” Vyska repeated. ”Tu Zin was where Reman said they could go to be safe.”

”There’s a car entering the driveway.” Jack said, a finger to his ear as he turned to face the window. Outside, an Aerosato was pulling up the driveway heading toward the front door. One of the staff of the house was already out there to greet them.

Vyska nodded toward Jack and began fixing her appearance. ”My Piperunners are probably the only thing from the city that can survive the desert, and if what my operator says about this particular Piperunner is true, then he made it to this Tu Zin. If somehow Chu crossed paths with him, it’s a pretty safe bet she made it too.”

“I hope she did,” An said, able to feel her heart beating in her chest. She felt her cheeks get warm with hope, a smile spread on her lips. It was so little, but it was something. Kanna and Chu might- might, she had to remind herself- be with Reman Xuoshi and this Piperunner.  “I know it’s a long shot, but if you get in contact with him… ask. Please.”

An glanced to the window as Jack spoke… and looked down at herself. “Shit,” she said. She was not dressed for a meeting at all, in her University of Ba Sing Se sweatshirt and her gray sweatpants. “You couldn’t tell me about the meetings you schedule, Vys? I’ve gotta go change, I’ll be quick. Keep her busy for me?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time. Noon, SE+5
Location. Moon Residence in the Upper Ring, Ba Sing Se.
____________________________..........
Canaryrose as An Tamura
Exit as Jack and Vyska Moon

Summary. An, Jack and Vyska review the footage captured from the facility under the palace. Using visual clues and recent events, they make some very disturbing discoveries.

Vyska learns that SynEn has lost all contact with her father. His sudden absence forces her into his role prematurely.

Prompt.
Taken from the drone footage: The facility beneath the palace was large and despite the appearance of the exterior, the interior was actually much more clean and modernized. The drone managed to get access to a single large room. There were multiple doors to other areas that remained locked when not in use and none of them had windows, viewports or any way to see what was on the other side. Most of the doors remained unmarked as well. The inhabitants wore lab coats with no markings. The specific area the drone gained access to looked to be where they held their subjects, though for how long it was impossible to tell. All subjects being held were alive and at least from first glance seemed fine. Upon closer inspection however, the drone picked up some interesting details. First off, there were displays next to each person being held. There was a plethora of information regarding their vitals. Numbers, percentages and levels all indicating the variations in their health. Above this data were letters and numbers that seemed somehow important.

H.Xinyue.E.149
Seemingly male. Long auburn hair. Light bronze skin. Is so large that only the edge of his chin is visible in the window. Although it’s obvious the man has been through a vigorous physical regimen, it’s also very apparent his body has been cut open many times. Scar tissue, although well healed, is seemingly scrawled across the visible parts of his chest.
T.Jin.F.157
Seemingly male. Bald. Pale skin. Scar across his nose.
X.Hui.W.183
Seemingly female. Long black hair. Beige skin that bleeds into an odd blue-green.
C.Bai.A.195
Seemingly male. Short black hair. Umber skin that seems too rough. Jagged even as if it were made of actual rock.
L.Wu.F.201
Seemingly female. Long white hair though not from age. Light skin with a hint of peach. Sprouting from the corners of her eyes and the edge of her brow, and only on the left side of her face, is what looks like thin antlers.
Q.Yong.E.210
Seemingly female. Long blonde hair. Pale skin that’s tinged purple and seems slightly translucent.

For the duration that the drone was in that room, it observed scientists exiting and entering through the various other doors and using only one of the elevators. At the back of the room was what looked to be a second elevator that was very different from the first. There were no buttons. Only a camera or similar device above it. None of the personnel approached it during the entire video.

Hidden 2 mos ago → 2 mos ago Post by Exit

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Bio

...▇▇▇_Jin T A K A S H I__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
__________@ a small apartment in the Middle Ring. SE+4
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jin didn't fully remember leaving the Underground. Nelu, Zhen and themself staggering through one dust caked, stuffy tunnel after another. One foot after the other. A distant wheezing voice stating that they lost their shoes. The grinding drag of metal on dirt as they carried the grim trophy of a prosthetic arm.

What they did remember was the three of them hitting the slightly fresher air of the Lower Ring and damn near collapsing from relief. From the few glances and wry smirks cast in their direction, they probably looked the Upper Ring weekend walk of shame to the average person. Visible and yet anonymous. No one would recall their faces by dawn.

Jin used to point and laugh at people like this, before.

Zhen peeled off as the houses got bigger and farther apart, and things were a vague mash of memory before they reached Nelu’s apartment. He waved Jin inside hurriedly. The next clear recollection was Nelu gently but firmly lifting them from the floor by the elbow.

“-in? Jin! Up. Don’t sleep here.” He deposited them on a chair, and started asking questions. The day, the month, the name of the current emperor. After a few of these, Jin recalled that he was making sure they hadn’t been concussed in the blast. His touch, shifting their head left to right, checking the imprint of a metal hand starting to bloom against their throat, was impersonal. When they shut their eyes, it was a stranger’s hand.

“Hey.”

Jin opened their eyes and sought the source of his voice, looking up to be dismissed by the captain at the end of a very long mission.

Instead, they met Nelu’s eyes. Exhausted staring brown flickering gold spilling over with want – Jin felt the press of bass and bodies, a dance in the dark and the shades of an alley and his taste and the ghost of his hands and vanilla and jasmine and his mouth all but begging for -

Jin blinked and scrubbed a grimy hand over their face. It came back smeared dirty with blue makeup, icy as a cold bath.

Tarnelu Dermok wanted a woman, one who did not exist. Stupid of Jin to forget. They may have gotten back to clean air but clearly that hadn’t helped their delusion.

They rose and staggered, mumbling. “-gotta crash.” Thank the spirits, a couch. Their body gave out the second they lay down - darkness followed.

The next thing they remembered was choking. They couldn't breathe, they were going to die, this metal armed no balls prick killed Nelu and was going to kill them and there was so much they hadn’t learned or done they weren’t ready yet no no NO-

“NO!” They startled awake as they fell on the floor, tangled in a blanket that hadn't been there before. Jin threw it off with panicked relief as they coughed and gulped air. It tasted like stale perfume and grave dirt failng to bury BO. Slowly, they raised an arm and sniffed themselves. “Oof! Shower.”

Nelu's apartment was small enough that getting lost was impossible. They heard snoring coming from one closed door, so decided to open the other. A sparse, but tidy bathroom greeted them. Immediately, they abandoned the blue dress, brown wig, and the rest of the kit, kicking the whole mess vengefully into the corner. The remaining blue contact was happily flushed down the toilet after a quick pee. Then they stepped into the shower, and turned the water to full heat.

The first few seconds were spent basking in the hot water. His shower was steaming in seconds rather than minutes. Having money to spare on good plumbing must be nice. They found a rag shortly after, soaped up and started scrubbing, watching makeup, dirt, sweat and blood vanish down the drain. The water was tepid by the time they came out, but Jin was blissfully clean. 

Jin stared at their nude body in the mirror. No more makeup, no more scent of perfume. Their damp black hair was starting to curl in the humidity, their eyes were puffy and bloodshot. There was a knot on the side of their face where Shao had hit them. Their body was worse. Bruises and cuts and an ugly ring of broken blood vessels collaring their neck. A line of irritation under their breasts where the bra had wrestled them into an appealing shape. More irritation rounding their narrow, bony hips where the unfamiliar silk had chafed them. Jin had actually refused a first iteration of the blue dress, demanding to cover cleavage that they hated showing almost as much as they hated having it. The doc had adjusted the neckline and added a detachable interior padding. She said it'd help if they got punched, but Jin knew a binder when they saw one. They'd keep it and burn the rest in a trash can.

Nelu's voice soft in their ear, the rough warmth of his hand brushing away their tears…

"...You are beautiful... I'm the idiot."

Just thinking about it stirred up an ache, pleasant in comparison to their tired muscles.

”...You are beautiful...”

He hadn't been in his right mind by that time. But hours had passed since then. Predawn light was starting to paint the bathroom walls. They could ask. Even when he answered no, or didn't remember... well, at least that door could be closed.

After wrapping up in a clean towel from the shelf, Jin went to the other door and knocked lightly. The snoring stopped short with a mumbled answer, so they turned the knob and entered. Nelu sat up slow, clearly groggy.
Exit   
“Jin?” His eyes tracked and found their voice through squeezed eye lids and although slow at first, his body quickly caught up with his brain. Evidently he was remembering he had a guest. He shook his head, both in an attempt to clear the fog from his head and in disappointment at himself. “Jin… hey, sorry. I uh-... Are you alright?” It hadn’t yet registered that they were standing in his room in little more than a bath towel.
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin tried to remember lessons given in poise and seduction. What to say, how to say it, posture and bearing. None of it came to mind. "Last night, you made me feel something I've never felt before. Like you chose me on purpose, like you wanted me."

They approached the bed slow, steps uncertain. The words were just as unsure, hoarse and unpractied, but real.
Exit   
By now, whatever fluster Nelu had been feeling had dissolved to a slow caution. It was only then that he noticed them. Noticed what they were wearing, where they were and more importantly that there was nothing standing in between the both of them now. No poisoned air, no mission, no doubt.
Mistress Dizzy   
"You called me beautiful. And then you told me to ask how you feel when we got out." They inhaled in a shudder and breathed out. "This is me asking. This… is me." While Jin would never call themselves ugly, their body was just a place to live in. Sturdy, but plain. Nothing fancy that anyone would pay to see.
 
Their fingers clumsily worked the knot from the towel and then let it drop on Nelu's bedroom floor.

"Am I still what you want?"█
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“Your heart flutters briefly, right before the moment. When you pull the trigger. It’s so subtle you probably don’t even notice it’s happening. But it also happens when your mind is running. When it’s thinking faster than any man or woman possibly can. I’ve listened to you parse the displacement of a bullet against the wind and the rain and the rotation of the planet in real time. And every time, your heart whispers.”

...▇▇▇_Tarnelu D E R M O K__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
___________@ the Dermok residence. SE+6
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It had been years of this. Years of questions and assumptions and their inability to accept that the man in their home was both a part of the problem and their only solution. They pressured him to deliver. Threatened him to do better. Placed the weight of their fears and their judgement on his shoulders and expected something lesser than themselves to perform perfectly. On any normal day, this wouldn’t be a problem. Their words would roll off his back. Enter in one ear and out the other. Today, however, was different. Years had been condensed to the span of half an hour and now their words were sticking to him like barbs. They dug themselves into this skin and repeated themselves in his head over and over and over again. And their voices were loud. They always were.

And yet, somewhere deep down inside him, Nelu recognized this as ‘home’. The two people in front of him, both somehow smaller in stature and yet taking up all the space in the room, were his family. His blood.

The Dermok household was not dressed in luxury like those of the Upper Ring. Though they were better off than most in Ba Sing Se, their home was more a form of function than an indication of their wealth. A part of that was because they were not from it, as Nelu understood it. It was sheer luck that his mother and father had brought a bender into the world, and it was only because he was a Bender that a unique opportunity was placed in their hands. Finding favor with the LSF went a long way, they realized. Giving up that which they did not want pulled them from the depths of the city where so many drowned, and gave them something to stand on. Then Vasra entered the picture and excelled in ways Nelu was never allowed to, further elevating their family name to the position they were now. They had standing. They were known. They had a comfortable home and food and water and clean air. The nook, carved for them by their children, was theirs alone and far enough away from the walls that they never had to concern themselves with the outside world or even the Lower Ring for that matter.

It was a privilege that few tasted, especially those who came from lesser and it was one they were not keen to lose. So when their only child was in danger of going missing leaving behind the sole stain on their name, their entire world was under threat of collapse, and they expressed it the only way they knew how.

”And now she's what? Dead?! That's what you're trying to tell us?!”

”Why did you let this happen?”

”That was your only job, Tarnelu. We let you live so you could protect us. We let you live and you let her die?! And now you have NO ONE!”
...▇▇▇_ 0 6 : 0 0__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
_______@ a small apartment in the Middle Ring. SE+5
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tarenlu pressed two fingers against his chest, gingerly tracing the fading outline of the bruise stamped on his skin. In its center was a scar like a singular eye that leered at him; a semi-permanent gift from his time in the Underground and a burning reminder of his failure. And he had failed. Failed to do little more than lie unconscious on the floor of that cavern. Failed to stop a man who could not bend. Failed Jin, who once again had to step in to cover for his inexperience. A recurring theme it seemed in the Underground. He’d failed Zhen and not least of all, failed Kata. So much had gone wrong in so little time and Nelu hadn’t done what he could to stop it. Maybe if he had, if he’d paid more attention, been more strict, maybe he would have been able to prevent one of their own from leaving. But he hadn’t and now his team was all the lesser for it. This scar on his chest was one he deserved. Same as the others.

Across his body, splitting tattoos or covered by them, were the stories of his life that had been carved into skin. Long healed lacerations across his back. A thin line that had been drawn across his chest by the point of a knife. There was the smooth, pin-point crater near his shoulder where a gunman had found their mark and a second just above his hip. On his left arm just below the elbow was a now obscured burn mark, covered by the body of a snake coiling across his forearm, outlined in black ink. Long forgotten cuts and bruises and broken bones healed and broken and healed again. Pieces of himself, both physical and mental, taken by others that he could never recover again.

And then there was the scar under his rib. A long gash, well hidden which at the time seemed like it’d been a stroke of luck, at least until the blood began to soak through his shirt. Nelu was sure he was dead. Not from the wound itself but from him having to explain the ‘how’ he’d gotten it to people whose trust with him was already running thin. He knew why. He knew what he was. It was a miracle that his mother and father allowed him to live, let alone visit home and spend any amount of time with his sister. A part of that was pragmatic, he was sure. Despite their distaste for him, having favor with the RSF was far more preferable than nothing gained from a child lost. The other part of it was Vasra herself who longed to spend time with him, regardless of whatever it was about her older brother they kept feeding her. But she was young and neither a child’s wants nor rationality was enough to protect him forever. Nelu knew there would be no way to convince them that he was still safe to be around, especially when it was his idea to allow Vasra to ride on handlebars while going down hill. There was no good way to slice it. It had been irresponsible of him and could have led to her being seriously injured if he hadn’t been able to grab her during their bail.

At the time, he had thoughts of clotting the wound himself and tossing the shirt. Or burning the shirt and tossing the bike. Anything just to be sure there was no evidence of an accident. Maybe he could buy a new one, he posited. There was a bike store not far from where they lived and they were sure to still carry the same model as it was fairly new. But as his mind began to race, parsing through every possible way he could avoid the inevitable, a worried little sister would interrupt. He could still remember exactly where she placed her hand and the warmth that spread from there. Even now as he traced the scar with the edge of his finger could he feel it.
Mistress Dizzy   
"Hey Nelu?" A soft knock broke the silence. "Is my binder in there?" Jin's voice echoed through the barrier of the bathroom door. 
Exit   
Nelu tore himself away from the well of thoughts opening beneath him and allowed himself a brief moment of shame for having forgotten he had company. So lost in his thoughts was he that he’d practically left the apartment altogether. He did a passing scan of the bathroom, which was rather quick considering its small size, and noticed on the ground the binder in question. ”Yeah. You can come in,” he said, bending down to pick it out of the pile of clothing it was tangled among.
Mistress Dizzy   
"Thanks." Jin slipped in the bathroom behind him with a half smile, wearing a loose shirt and shorts that served as pajamas. They took the binder and tucked it under their arm before peering up at him. "...I left you some tea. Still hot, probably." A soft but distinct worried gaze met his. 

"You look wiped." Jin subtracted what little space the bathroom had left, pressing their body against his side. Their hand found his, and squeezed. "Are you still hurting?" Jin's own scars were not as obvious, but the borrowed shirt half sliding down their shoulder showed the dun plum of half healed bruises and covered cuts. Most alarming was the distinct mark of a smooth metal hand, around Jin's throat. The mark of survival was still an irritated red against their brown skin, bothering them when they spoke or ate.

It was ugly and it hurt. But they were still alive. 

"Oh! I could get you some CCC - the cans with whatsername's face on it are 50% off. They're trying to clear out all her merch, after all the firebending shit. The caffeine still works though."
Exit   
“I don’t need it,” he replied with a small smile, his eyes holding onto Jin but very gradually gliding to the parts of them that were exposed. ”And definitely not from her. I’ll take the tea.”
Mistress Dizzy   
"Eh, doesn't matter to me who's face is on it. A sale's a sale." They shrugged indifferently, but a flinch and hiss of pain marred the gesture.
Exit   
Under white fluorescent lights, he could clearly see the parts of them that had been marked. The bruises left by the hurt they had endured. Again, his mind lingered on what could have been had he done more. How much pain could he have saved them from? Why were they so quick to forgive? To stand in that small space with him and press their bruised and broken body against his?

He let go of their hand and brought his up to the edge of their chin, pressing gently against it to tilt their head slightly up and to the side. Their closeness was making the angle awkward, but he refused to create space even if it meant getting a better look. ”What about you?” he asked, very carefully tracing the edge of the handprint that had been left behind. ”This still looks pretty bad…”
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin leaned their face into Nelu's palm, clearly savoring the warmth of his touch. "It's not the worst injury I've ever had." The statement was true, but not the answer that they knew Nelu wanted. The story came out anyway. "When I was 10, I broke my ankle trying to climb the ring wall. Missed a handhold and fell three stories into a trash cart. Surgeon said I shoulda broken my neck falling that far." A weary smile crossed their face at the memory. "Once I was upright, Lady Cho beat my scrawny ass raw in front of all the spirits and whores with her iron fan. Said her night hours were way too expensive to sit up worrying about an idiot kid. My ankle still hurts in the winter. That was the worst injury I've ever had."
Exit   
”And this one?”
Mistress Dizzy   
"This is the second. Feels like his hand is still there - but I'm here and he ain't. I'll heal." Their green eyes strayed, lingering on Nelu's chest. Then they leaned forward and pressed a kiss just shy of the wound that Shao had left him. "M'sorry. If I was half as smart as you tell people I am, I would have realized we were walkin' into that. That we should have been terrified of Hunang." Softly, Jin pressed their forehead against his chest. Whether it was to feel his solid warmth, or to hide the shame on their face, Jin couldn't say. 

"The Lower Ring, the Underground. That's supposed to be my turf, but I nearly got us both killed." Their voice shook as they swallowed painfully. "I… If I had…" The weight of confession hung in the space between them.

"I know you wanted me to leave and call for backup. But I didn't think it'd work so I ignored your plan. Thought I could make my own. And I was wrong, and we almost died, I failed, I failed you-" The sudden onset of tears made speaking impossible. Jin's confession had been reduced to a wheezing whisper.
Exit   
Nelu’s hand moved from the bruise around their neck to their cheek where he scraped away a tear. ”Jin…” he began, carefully cupping their head in his hands and tilting their head back just enough so they could meet his eyes. ”We are only alive because you did what you did. If you had listened to me… odds are…” Nelu leaned in slowly, his eyes dropping from theirs and lingering on their slightly parted lips. ”I wouldn’t be able to do this…” he whispered, pressing his lips against theirs.
Mistress Dizzy   
Jin raised up on their toes to receive his kiss, guilt and desire twisting together in their belly.
Exit   
It was a gentle exchange, not hungry but earnest in his desire to appreciate them, especially now that he had the chance. He wanted them to understand that they were only given that chance because events unfolded the way they did. He’d nearly been robbed of this, and knowing what he knew now, of the experience given to him for simply allowing himself to want, he knew he wouldn’t have changed anything.

Nelu was loath to allow Jin to feel any amount of guilt, but when they’d finally allowed each other a moment to breathe, Nelu expressed his own. ”I’m sorry I let him hurt you. I should have been better. I will be better.”
Mistress Dizzy   
He was right. In the end, how they survived didn't matter so much as that they had. 

"I will be too. I promise." They let their fingers trace the lines of his tattoos, as if reminding themselves that he was here, and real. "I've got a lot to do today. Business with Doctor Li, got to see a man about a horse, some other stuff. But once I'm done," The question was uncertain. "Can… can I come back?"
______________________________________”Come back?”

Exit   
”A horse?”_________”When are you coming back?”

Mistress Dizzy   
Jin winked at him. "You'll find out."█
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”Why are you doing this? To what? Hurt us? After everything we’ve given you?”

Even from a young age, Nelu could hear the difference. It was slight, but while his father was ever the aggressive one, his mother had always been very intentional with her words. Shaping them into something that sounded true even when every word was a lie. Drawing connections based off the absence of information and spinning for herself a narrative all her own. It was easier to recognize it now as an adult. Vasra going missing wasn't an accident. The chaos unfolding in the city. The numerous people falling through the cracks as the Lower Ring fell into turmoil. None of it mattered. Vasra going missing was deliberate. An disparate attack meant to harm in a way that only a Bender knew how.

Somewhere in their words Nelu could still recognize genuine worry. Beneath the screams and anger and tears was a mother and a father who were desperately searching for answers or anything to latch on to. Nelu just happened to be the closest and easiest target for them to lash out at, or at least that’s what he kept telling himself. In a way he understood. Theirs were fears more nuanced than most could ever know, layered in dangerous secrets that they were forced to keep. The most obvious fear of course was that Vasra was missing, the only silver lining being that at least for now, missing meant there was a slim chance Vasra could still turn up. Their lesser known fear was the more concerning of the two and was almost entirely dependent on where she turned up if she did. It was also the fear that weighed most heavily on Nelu’s shoulders. Like a shadow he could not shake or a lingering thought in the back of his mind that was ever present.

"Why are you here wasting your time? Are you even trying to find her?!"
...▇▇▇_ 1 1 : 0 0__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
_______@ the LSF interrogation room. SE+5
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was a small room that Nelu found himself in. Plain gray walls surrounded him on all sides save for one with a long rectangular mirror built into it. There were no tables in the room. Not a couch or a chair. There was a single door with no latch and embedded into the wall across from him were chains. These were attached to the wall itself and were not currently being used, even as there were two prisoners in the room with him.

One was in his late twenties. Dirty and matted dark hair. Dirt smudged into his skin and collected under his nails. Chapped lips and pale skin that looked as though it had been starved of the sun. When he smiled,  Some were missing. The rest were piss yellow and jagged and chipped and pointing at odd angles like the teeth of a shirshu. Nelu recognized the look. He’d spent the better half of an entire day surviving beneath the city only a few days ago. The tunnel systems were filled with people who looked just like him. Desperate. Scared. Benders.

But the look in man’s eyes said differently. Above ground was unfamiliar, sure, but trapped as he was now was not so different than it was back home. He was not so easily shaken, it seemed. He was merely unlucky having been plucked from the life he’d led in the dark. But like any roach, he was no stranger to loss. To finding an exit where there wasn’t one. To surviving long past when his time was up. Nelu was sure that he thought this moment would be no different.

”You’re doing me a favor,” he said, pointing at the room around him. ”This is better than what I have back home. I’ve got lights. Real food.” He lifted an empty paper cup in his hand. ”Clean water.”

”Can I get you anymore?”

The man seemed surprised but didn’t turn down the offer. ”Sure.”

Nelu took the cup from him and walked to the back corner of the room where there was a simple water dispenser. It was of an older design from many decades ago. The kind with a water filled jug poured into the top and a spigot on the side. Simple. Reliable. Easy to see what it was you were getting. There was no lie here. He refilled the cup and returned it to the man who drank it down greedily.

”Your name is Lohu, correct?”

”Yes.”

”Earthbender.” Nelu stated rather than asked, to which Lohu paused. There was uncertainty in his eyes that Nelu directly addressed. ”It’s rhetorical. We already know.”

”Then tell me what it is you people want. Why am I still alive? …And who is that?” Tamin nodded toward the second person in the room, an elderly looking individual who was all skin and bones and looked as if they had been beaten and burned, though the signs of which seemed long healed over. They were doubled over with their face in their knees and an arm wrapped tightly around themselves. The only sign of life was the subtle rising and falling of their silhouette with every shallow breath they took. ”What happened to them?”

Nelu ignored the question. ”I need to ask you about events in the Underground that happened a few days ago... You were picked up near The Core?”

”Yes.”

”On your way to see Hunang?”

Another small pause before the man committed to answering. ”Yes.”

”We understand they were organizing an exodus from the city. Do you know where they were going?”

”No,” the man stated quickly.

”No?”

”They never said.”

”You never asked?”

”I just needed to get out. I didn’t care where to.”

Nelu turned Lohu’s answers and mannerisms over in his head and searched his eyes for anything else he could use before resorting to what he knew to be more effective. But there was nothing there. There never was when it came to roaches protecting one another. He shook his head as he crouched in front of the man, meeting him at eye level. The fingers in his right hand spiraled slowly into themselves as they wrapped into a fist, as if he were cracking his knuckles. ”I’m going to be honest with you, Lohu. You are going to die today, but the method of your death is determined by you. Now I can make your death instant. Painless. You wouldn’t feel a thing or even know it’s coming. It’ll be over just like that.” Nelu snapped the fingers in his left hand. ”Or…” With the same hand, Nelu pointed toward the doubled over individual. ”That is what happens when you’re dishonest and when I say I know you’re being dishonest, that is not a lie.”

Lohu turned to the other person in the room again.

”Where was Hunang going to take you?”

There was no answer at first. Just silence as Lohu considered his options. It didn’t take him long to understand the futility of his situation but there was also a spark of recognition in his eyes as he continued to observe the other individual.

”Is that-?”

”Where, Lohu?” Nelu interrupted. Lohu turned to him.

”I-I told you. I don’t kno-...” he had begun to say. Mid sentence, he stopped suddenly and fell silent, the look on his face turning from mild surprise to a deep confusion. His eyes dropped to the ground as he began rubbing his lips together, licking them and pulling them into his mouth as if he were trying to taste something. He pressed a hand to his throat and coughed.

”Lohu?”

”I uh....” Lohu looked at the crumpled paper cup in his hand and then to the water dispenser in the corner of the room and gulped hard. While he didn’t have the healthiest appearance, in the short time that he had been in the room with Nelu, his eyes had taken on a more sunken appearance and his skin seemed slightly more dry. ”C-can I… more water?” Lohu croaked.

”Where. Were. They. Going?”

Lohu was opening and closing his jaw now, licking the inside of his mouth and his lips as he eyed the jug of water nearby. Eventually, some hidden need took over and he began to crawl over to it. It was slow at first, weak and clumsy and almost unsure until some desperation took hold and he quickened his pace. Nelu followed silently after him, watching as he tripped over himself as he shuffled across the floor on his hands and knees. He stopped in his shadow as he reached the base of the water dispenser and began to clamor up to the spigot. Shaking hands held a cup to it and tried the tap but nothing came out. Desperate, he dropped the cup and held his mouth to it instead and tried again.

”Answer the question, Lohu,” Nelu said, watching him give up and collapse on the ground, exhausted and very clearly dehydrated. He took a few careful breaths and then turned to Nelu. This time, his confused and tired eyes were pleading.

”I… don’t… know....”

Nelu wasn’t looking at his eyes, however. He was staring through his chest and the look of disappointment on his face as Lohu gave his answer was clear as day.

Lohu rolled on to his hands and knees once more, intent on trying to sit up, but as he lifted himself off the ground, he suddenly froze. He was hunched over with his mouth held open as if he were about to say something, but the only thing to leave his lips was a shallow wheeze, barely audible, and then tiny droplets of water. They floated from his open mouth, fell from his nostrils and leaked from the corner of his eyes, collecting into a miniscule ball of liquid in front of him. His skin began to shrivel.

”Are. You. Sure?”█
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”You shut the fuck up. You don't know shit. If you had leads, you’d be out there searching for her. You would have found her. But you haven't because you can't even do your job! You don't give a damn about her!”

"I thought you loved her but I guess that was a lie too."

"I ha-"

"I swear on the King's name if you open your lying mouth again I'll fucking kill you. You keep your mouth shut, Understand?! Nothing good EVER comes out of it!...'Leads' Tarnelu?!... WHERE IS SHE?!"
...▇▇▇_ 1 5 : 0 0__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
_______@ Xuoshi Enterprises. SE+5
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kaye moved slowly around a central display situated in the middle of a large empty room. Over her shoulder, a miniature drone-like device was hovering with a single dot of light at its center. It was focused curiously on Nelu.

”What am I looking at?”

”Images taken of the area in question.” Kaye’s voice carried easily in that dark quiet space. “The last study of the planet’s topography was done about ten years after the war. This image is dated 257 AG.”

Nelu stood near the edge of a three dimensional render of the image in question. Miniscule dots of light described the edge of buildings and the rolling surrounding landscape in the immediate area, painting for him a vague picture of Tu Zin nearly a century ago. In it, there were a number of solid, rectangular shapes that stood out at the edge of the desert. Some of them were in disrepair while others seemed structurally sound enough to house squatters or anyone looking for shelter from the elements.

”And there is no further data for this area?”

Kaye shook her head. ”In compliance with executive orders, which ultimately aligned with the interests of our company at the time, we retired all satellites and shuttered any projects in regards to extensive study of the effects of the war.”

”No operational satellites?”

”Not currently, but we are in the process of rebooting our older systems and we’ll be looking to see if any are still communicating. Most of our reconnaissance satellites’ will have dropped out of orbit long ago, but there were a few launched before the war to establish what would have been a global positioning system. These are more likely to have survived till today.”

”How long before you know?”

Kaye turned to the drone hovering over her shoulder. ”Mova?”

The single point of light blinked twice. ”Approximately eleven hours.”

”Tomorrow then.”

”I can have MOVA forward to your office any information we find as soon as we find it.”

Nelu nodded. ”There is one other thing I’d like to talk to you about before I go.” From inside his jacket he produced a small notebook and began thumbing through the pages. ”We've been trying to catch up on our missing persons list since the accident and I believe…” He stopped somewhere in the middle. ”I believe your brother’s name came up. Reman?” He asked, looking up from the notebook. ”Last name listed here is Xuoshi.”

It was like Kaye had been holding her breath, what with the way she’d suddenly sighed. It was subtle, but there was worry in her eyes. ”Yes, um. I reported it a couple days after the explosion. None in the family have heard from him since then and it’s been nearly a week now.”

”I know. I do apologize, Miss Xuoshi. We’re buried under a pile of similar reports, but I want you to know that I’m taking this very seriously. Do you know where he was during the time of the accident?”

Kaye nodded. ”Scheduled for a meeting at the SynEn Storage Facility. The Moons were in the beginning stages of phasing out their Piperunners and hoped that our drones would make viable replacements. I sent my brother there to that end.”

”And no word since then?”

Kaye shook her head. ”According to Vyska, he had not yet arrived by the time the accident happened.” Nelu, who had been jotting something down in his notebook suddenly stopped and his eyes snapped to Kaye’s. He remained focused on her as she continued. ”She speculated that if he had been in the area, the blast would have shut down his aerosato. He would have crash landed in the streets and the ensuing chaos would have swallowed him up.”

A silence followed that hung heavy in the air between the two. In that silence, Nelu seemed as if he were concentrating on something that wasn’t obviously in the room. There was a strange look in his eyes, one that was hard to place.

”Officer Dermok?”

He blinked and then shook his head. ”Sorry. Did she tell you anything else?”

”No.”

There was another short pause before Nelu spoke again. ”Okay.”█
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Nelu watched them pace around the room for the hundredth time. Like ants trapped in a death march walking the same circle over and over again. It was the same circle they walked with Nelu, forever stuck in a loop of hate and necessity. They were never going anywhere, he knew. And he knew that there was nothing he could do to help or change their minds. The only thing he could do was exactly what they wanted: Protect their family. But was the worth of the family before him if Vasra were not in it? How much was his life worth if there was nothing left to protect?

”What is going to become of us if she's...”

”Stop. Please.”

”Who were those people, that Upper Ring family that just lost everything?”

”...The Sorens.”
...▇▇▇_ 2 0 : 0 0__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
_______@ RSF HQ. SE+5
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nelu had been, stalling, staring at a monitor cluttered in images and notes covering the team’s most recent assignments. On one half was the Gala, sectioned off with every important attendee’s identification, information and a picture, all of it laid out somewhat neatly for him to see. There were some small additional notes attached to each person attributed to observations made by Zhen during her time attending. Some of those notes were supplemented by Katakuri’s contributions as well. Opposite them were surveillance images and a record of activity in the Underground corroborating reports of suspicious movement that had drastically increased following the synergy explosion. There weren’t any images attached, just names. Names, labels and predictions based on relatively recent historical patterns. Beneath both columns were the LSF agents attached to each: Tarnelu and Jin for the Underground and Zhen and Katakuri for the Gala.

Nelu was meant to clean most of the board off. He’d already spent ample time crosschecking the information given to him from debriefs on both assignments. Much of the names and faces and information they had were no longer pertinent and the broader investigation had become much more focused, honing in on only a dozen or so individuals. But he was stuck.

Katakuri’s portrait was a ghost that returned his gaze, paralyzing him. Holding him as it wedged itself into his subconscious next to growing fears and dangerous thoughts. Collecting onto a pile of buried memories and discarded dreams, all of which sat at the bottom of a well in his chest. When Nelu stared at Katakuri, he could see it. See the dark emptiness opening up below him. See himself standing on the edge and peering down at everything he’d ever known beyond his false life. Every last fleeting memory. Every last genuine emotion. Every face he’d glimpsed of the people who meant more to him than he was ever willing to admit. It was all there, just out of reach. But he also knew that if he really wanted to, he could reach it. All he had to do was bend down and touch it. To step off that edge and drown himself in every experience he’d ever had. If he wanted it, if he allowed it to happen, he could let it all in.

”I hope that when it comes time for you to decide, the choice is made easier.”____________________________

______________________________________”Where are you going?”

With a wave of his hand, Katakuri disappeared from the monitor, and soon after, half the board had been cleared. Of the many names and faces at the Gala, only a few remained, including Vyska Moon, An Tamura and Kaye Xuoshi. New faces were added as well, most notably Vyska’s father Mynwa and Jack, the latter of which was at the moment simply an image of an enigmatic individual standing off-center and in Vyska’s shadow. There was no name or further information on the man attached. Additionally, a few members of the council were added as well. All of this was moved under a new assignment group with a new label: ‘Internal’. Two more groups were created next to the first, one labeled ‘Tu Zin’ and the other ‘SynEn Power Plant’.

Nelu spent the next half hour again pouring through the information that had been collected over the past few days, compiling it and further crosschecking it against what they already had. Whatever was useful or important was added to the board while the rest was shelved. He left space between notes in anticipation of it being filled at a later time. He still had meetings and calls he had to make that were meant to connect more dots or work toward that end. The LSF had dealings with the Moons and the situation with them was only becoming more complicated given recent details that were coming to light. Regardless, he was meant to contact them and inquire about one of their Piperunners in the hopes they could make use of him. There was also the energy plant that was still shut down. With communication between the city and it now seemingly completely cut off, investigation into why had become a top priority for the LSF. There were follow-ups necessary for every new person of interest from the Gala and finally, there were the numerous clues and confessions pointing to a place far beyond the walls of the city where Benders were gathering. All of this needed the attention of him and his team and none of the problems they were meant to fix had quick and easy solutions. Nelu figured it’d be a long time before things returned to any sense of normalcy, and judging by how drastically the last few missions had an effect on himself and those around him, he wasn’t sure he’d be the same Nelu when it was all said and done.

A notification popped up in the corner of the monitor and Nelu tapped it, pulling up a short message:

Per your request, here are the last batch of photos taken by the Firefly from the outpost. Apologies for the quality. -Yi

Below it were the photos in question, 8 in total. All of them had been taken from a similar angle and were focused on the same object of interest. Nelu recognized it as an SGA Kyoshi RS, a vehicle model belonging nearly exclusively to SynEn’s Piperunners. In each photo, a different person had been singled out. At the driver side door was a young looking male with greyish-white hair. Near him was a woman who was wearing what looked to be some kind of single-horned helmet although Nelu couldn’t place what animal or ‘thing’ it was meant to emulate. Near the rear of the vehicle were the slightly out of focus images of two very recognizable pro-Stickball players, confirming Nelu’s suspicion days ago. Standing near them had been the already apprehended Chae-won and a boy with frazzled hair. The last two images were what caught Nelu off guard. The first was a man holding a briefcase in his hands. The still image showed him frozen in a moment of time where he’d bashed it against another man’s head, yet another show of extreme violence from that day. Nelu recognized him as Reman Xuoshi, Kaye’s misplaced brother. The very last image was taken some time later from an entirely different angle when the Firefly had completed a loop and was coming down to drop off Nelu and Katakuri at the time. The doors of the Kyoshi had been pulled open and many of the photographed individuals were clamoring inside. However, already inside, barely visible below the frame of the car door and the door itself was a woman Nelu immediately recognized.

______________________________________”I miss you...”

”FUCK!”█
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Hidden 25 days ago → 25 days ago Post by Mistress Dizzy

Raw —

Mistress Dizzy Fandom Auntie Dizzy

Member Seen 2 days ago

Mistress Dizzy

Fandom Auntie Dizzy

6214 posts

in 4521 days

Seen 2 days ago

...▇▇▇_Jin T A K A S H I__▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
__________Lower Ring, Late Afternoon @The Zen Stallion Massage Parlor 
.
Jin didn’t waste their time getting back to the RSF headquarters after leaving Nelu’s apartment. They’d had to borrow a spare bag to carry things on the train. Between the dirtied remains of yesterday’s costume, and a detached prosthetic arm, it wasn’t worth getting stared at by afternoon traffic. Once back in their small private barracks, they carefully folded away Nelu’s borrowed clothes and changed. The dress and camera were dutifully shipped off to Doc Li, and with that, the greater mission was done. Jin wasn’t sure what footage had survived the danger last night, if any. A small part of them wanted it to be useless. A final middle finger from the Underground that had chewed them up and spit them back out. There was nothing to do but wait, so they moved onto the next task.

Another train ride took them back out to the Lower Ring. Just stepping onto the grungy, graffiti marked platform made them relax just a bit. They walked the busy streets toward their destination, idly absorbing the atmosphere of home. Scents of food, the pulse of neon marking the overcast sky, snippets of street hawkers and fellow roaches conversation.

 “Auchi says was there, last night, he says they rolled up on the club with a whole army! He snuck out just in time before the fire broke out!”

“Yeah sure, he was there. You, me and everybody’s cousin Li was at the damn Core last night. Bullshit!”

“Cabbage Corp Caff, Stickball Special, 75% off! Everything must go! Get your CCC-”

“Aww baby, you look exhausted. You look like you need a massa- Jin?”

“Hey, Yisha.”  Jin grinned wearily up at the buxom courtesan caller. “How’s tricks?” They were immediately engulfed in a warm, perfume scented hug. One they accepted with silent gratitude. While life was very slowly returning to normal, many of the girls still were unaccounted for. Too many. No one knew if they’d been injured or killed in the chaos. Or worse, become benders and added to the wanton destruction.  It was good to see a familiar face.

“I’m glad you’re okay! Spirits, things have been so crazy around here.”  Yisha pulled a worn vape out of her top and took a drag before offering it to Jin. Jin waved it off, but held up some money in response.

“I’ll buy an hour. Catch me up on the way?”

-

Staggeringly handsome male masseuses in sheer silk robes, displaying well oiled muscles, greeted the pair as they walked up. The Zen Stallion Massage Parlor was the distaff counterpart of the Honeybees, a few blocks down from the former Honeybee hive. A few girls they knew also greeted them as well, and Jin exchanged greetings and hugs, subtly palming a few spare bills to those they knew.

The two groups of pleasure professionals had come together under one roof after the disaster. It was busy and a bit crowded, but manageable. With some areas of the Lower Ring still without power, business was a little shaky. But there were many ways to make a yuan. Skills that had been picked up on the side were starting to turn unexpected profits. Teas to ease muscle aches, pills to prevent pregnancy, perfumes and colognes and makeup to try and add a little beauty to a gray life. Even patching robes and yes, actual massages had come back into play. Some of the less popular bedmates still knew how to serve snacks and listen, and found themselves comforting worn-out workers who were still dealing with the aftermath of disaster.

Everything was now run by Lady Cho’s brother, Lord Phun. No one working the beds knew if they were actually siblings or if they just called themselves that. They did look very much alike, though. Raven black hair, sharp amber eyes, effortlessly elegant posture – looking at “Uncle” Phun caused a little ache to well up in Jin’s heart.

“Jin-Jin! Welcome home, honey! It’s been far too long.” Phun nearly dropped his silk fan, before depositing a familial kiss on top of Jin’s head. He nodded his thanks to Yisha before giving orders. “Tell Han to mark off Jin’s name. One more accounted for.”

“Sure, Lord Phun. Take care, Jin.” Yisha exited to do his bidding. Jin settled on Uncle Phun’s couch, glad to be off their feet a moment. Phun sat with practiced grace on a puffed cushion beside them.

“It really is good to see you, honey. We all figured you had made it out somehow. What have you been up to?” Phun fanned himself idly, attention soft but present in a way that made it impossible for Jin not to talk.

“I picked up a lotta work in the aftermath. There’s a lot of stuff that needs fixing, you know? I’m making decent bank these days, so I figure I’d come spread it around some. I need some lemon aloe tea, and milk sop salve. Do you got any to spare?”

“Of course, we have plenty, see Padma in the back hall later. But…” Phun’s fan snapped to the side of a teasing, lacquered smirk. “Why do you need UTI prevention tea and chafe cream specifically, Jin-Jin? Something to tell me, hm?”

Jin felt their face lighting red under Phun’s knowing gaze. “Well… there’s a guy…”

“Oooh! I knew it! I told them yours would be a man first. Dish! Who is he?”

“He’s someone I… know from work. Handsome, charming, and so smart, in ways I can’t even explain. We had an incredible time together last night and this morning, and I’d like to have more of them. Being with him is...” A blissful memory bubbled up. Nelu’s warm fingers on Jin’s bare skin, tracing the multicolored wings of the flying frog tattoo that graced their back and shoulders. His other hand looped lazily around their hip. The two of them simply basked in the morning light and delayed getting out of bed. 5 more minutes. Just a moment longer. “He makes me feel… safe.”

Phun looked at Jin with soft fondness. “Aww, Jin-Jin. I wish you could see the smile on your face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy. That’s good, honey, I’m gla-” He stopped and frowned suddenly. The fan snapped shut with a snap that made Jin startle, and Phun pushed down the collar of Jin’s shirt. “Jin.” All the warmth had fled his voice. His eyes had gone serious and sharp, and Jin knew he was examining the damage from the fight at the Core. “Your new boyfriend didn’t do this to you, did he?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Jin met Phun’s eyes, waving hastily. “The guy who did this is rat food now. Trust me. Nelu would never hurt me like this.”

Phun examined them a moment more before relaxing somewhat. “Alright. I was about to call some favors and have his neck broken. No one hurts anyone of mine.” Jin was honestly touched at the protectiveness in his expression. It reminded them too much of Lady Cho. “If you ever need anything, you come to us. Don’t forget about your family, honey. We haven’t forgotten about you.”

“Thanks, Uncle Phun.” Jin had to take a moment to fight the sudden lump in their throat. “You know anyone who’s got a room to spare? Nothing big, I just need somewhere to sleep and work.”

“I’ll make some calls. Now let’s have some tea, and you tell me more about this Nelu...”

-

Hours later, Jin stifled a yawn while adding another line to the diagram of Shao’s arm. The plating lay categorized and stacked on the table. A masterwork of wire was on display in the middle, and Jin had spent the afternoon slowly working out its secrets. Unfortunately, it was a complex tool. Too bad that Jin couldn’t ask him where it came from. 

An odd, trickling sense of guilt flared up in their gut at the thought. Not guilt over having killed Shao. That was just how things went. When it was you versus someone else for the last scraps of life, you did what had to be done. Shao knew that. If Jin had to put words to it, it was the fact their effort not to end up killing hadn’t panned out. They really had tried, and that made the failure worse. But maybe things would have gone to hell anyway.

[Yesterday, at the Core]

”No doubt you’ve already noticed that the air down here is thicker than up top.” Sonam began, stopping to kneel in front of Jin and Nelu. ”It can be a little hard to breathe and the toxins, if you’re not used to it, can have an effect. We have a stockpile of these.” She held up a small gray cylindrical device that looked like an oversized pill with a button on the side and a hole on one of the ends. ”Not tampered with. Clean. Direct from the surface.” She placed two on the ground in front of them. ”How is she doing?”

”Better but… it’s been a long day.”

Jin picked up the oxygen mask, hands working automatically to check the canister seal, adjust the strap and then slide it on. The press of a button and deliciously clean air soothed their senses. "It has been the longest day I've ever had. And I just realized that I need-" They looked at Nelu as if embarrassed. Then they lowered their voice to a conspiratorial whisper."I need to... ah... use the powder room, if you wouldn't mind."

Sonam regarded them with a searching, sharp look before a half smile lightened the expression.  "Oh. You need to pee."

"Yes, please." Another, more mortified look, as if a lady shouldn't mention such nasty things in the presence of male company. "Where do I go?" 

Sonam nodded. "I'll take you. If you take the wrong tunnel down here, you'll never come back." 

Was it concern? Or a buried threat? Jin didn't know, but there was no way to turn back now. They rose and followed Sonam, eyeing the groups of tired adults and scared kids as the two left. Two tunnels later and Jin had almost lost count of the turns. With Sonam close behind them, there was no way to stray off the path. The clear air was waking their senses and pushing their mind to overclock.

"This is such an expansive place. How could something so grand be hidden beneath our city's walls?"  Maybe they could come back with some intel. "How big is this place?"

Sonam's response was swift and unhelpful. "Bigger than you and I will ever know." It was also an answer that effectively cut off more detailed questions. "Bathroom is up there. Don't take too long."  She gestured Jin toward a door. 

Jin's gaze flicked toward the approaching door. Time was up. 

Once inside, they fidgeted with the tiny camera at their neck. A flick of a fingernail, and the camera was off. After doing their business, Jin washed their hands. They breathed, slow and deep, lost in a moment of thought. Let the fresh air work and get their thoughts in order. 

They stepped out. 

"Can you truly get all of those people out safely? Is there really hope?" That second line had been a bit more raw than they'd expected. But they had to know for sure, that this wasn't just another stupid dream, that escape could be made real.

Sonam walked to stand in front of them, eyeing them with a sympathy that Jin hadn't seem directed at them in years. "We have everything we need, miss. Supplies, a route out of the city, plenty of hands along the way. Don't worry." She leaned over and gently patted Jin's shoulder.

"Out of the city. Sounds like a long walk, and I left my favorite running shoes at home." The two locked eyes.

There were so many things that people didn't understand about life in the Lower Ring. It wasn't just being poor, though it was plenty of that. They had their own way of being. Clothing, music, food… and language. "Jasmine" had just said something no Upper Ring girl could know. Words from one roach hissing to another, calling in the night. Leaving their running shoes meant it was time to go. But no call came without an answer.

Sonam's hand on their shoulder went completely still. She stepped back and stared at Jin, looking, really digging into their appearance. Her eyes widened as everything that'd been bothering her since "Jasmine" appeared slid into place. "Jin! I knew no Upper Girl could work an oxygen mask that fast. How are you alive?"

"Hey Sonam." A weak smile staggered across their cheeks."Wish we had time to catch up."

"...you gonna go get your shoes?" How much time left to run?

There, the answer. Another call. "I needed 'em earlier, but the rats dug a hole in the nest already."  No time left to retreat - RSF was already here. "One's wearing a roach shell."  Someone had ratted them out.

Sonam's face held disbelief, as what Jin said took hold. Jin answered the silent question of who'd been the betrayer, with a nod. But Sonam shook her head.  "They bought you out. You? Our Flying Frog? I don't buy it. What did they do to you, Jin?" 

This was taking too long. "They let me live." Jin's voice lit with cutting anger. "These people don't deserve what's about to happen. Especially the kids. They'll stay to fight, and they'll probably kill us, but they'll die too. But… if they run…" If they ran, maybe they and Nelu could get out in one piece. 

Sonam had clearly made up their mind. "...you remember the way back?"

"Yeah." They nodded. "Don't wait for luck." See you on the other side of trouble.

"Make your own." Sonam took off down the hall at a jog, pressing a hand to her ear as she rounded the corner out of sight. Jin walked back to the main room, startled to find Nelu sitting without his mask, with a glassy expression. At least a fourth of the platforms were empty. Quickly, they secured the mask around his face and started to pat his cheek. 

"Wake up. Time to go." Jin smiled as Nelu started to rouse. They could do this. They could get him out. This plan was going to work. A spark of hope lit in their chest.

And then, Hunang walked back into the room with Katakuri Soran.

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Hidden 25 days ago Post by Fiber

Raw —

coGM

Fiber

Member Seen 1 day ago

Fiber

136 posts

in 2498 days

Seen 1 day ago

_______________________________......_______________________________________ University of Ba Sing Se. @canaryrose@Fiber.____________________________________________________________________________.

“You know, An, you really didn’t need to do this.”

The semester was fully underway at the University of Ba Sing Se, but one wouldn’t have known by the look of campus. Banners were hung all around campus with phrases like ‘Welcome Back!” and “We’ve Missed You!” Students were laughing and embracing in the commons, shouting and smiling. To An, it all seemed rather jarring. Classes had been cancelled for nearly two weeks after the explosion, and to her, everyone looked… fine. As though nothing had happened. But An didn’t feel that way, and the girl next to her certainly didn’t.

An turned her head to the girl beside her: Jie Yuan, Chu’s little sister. She looked anxious, in the way that people resigned to their 
fates did. Jie was taller than An, not a difficult feat, but shorter than her elder sister, and a bit darker. After much cajoling, she had decided to go and finish out the semester and see what could be done about her attending the next. An had considered paying for it out of her own account, but she would see first if it came to that. For now, here they were. The sun was shining, the grass was green and the campus sprouted around them, shiny and modern.

“It’s really not a big deal,” An said, walking alongside her. “It’s nice to be back here. I know I’ve bored you with all my stories of my college days, but…” It brought a smile to her face to think of it. “Don’t worry about it. I can’t say no to your mom anyways.” 

Jie half-smiled. “I know. She’s… well. Persuasive.” She rolled her shoulders, coming to a stop in front of a shiny glass building with a throng of students streaming in. “This is my stop. I’ll see you… well, some time.” 

Jie gave An a hug, and that was it- she went inside, and An was left alone. She checked her phone for the time, a habitual gesture. She had plans to grab tea, maybe, and then walk around in a building where she’d had class once, and then go home and do more work… an internal sigh. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Chu’s mom had told her, at dinner two days ago. Firebending. Since she was six years old. No wonder… But her sisters didn’t know, or her father. How could they keep that secret for so long? From An too? But her work wouldn’t stop for her musings. Not her work work, nor her… other, more clandestine work.

An turned, resolving to go to the tea shop she had once frequented and then go straight back to the Moon residence. She had little time to waste.

Zhen saw An in the hallway from distance and adjusted her path through the building so they would just happen to brush by one another. It was important to look natural, but even the most innocent encounter might still be brushed off; that party would surely leave a sting for a long time. With careful spatial awareness, Zhen made it look like she wasn’t paying attention as she walked, a head fake one way, then another, and then she came close to running into An before stopping herself mere inches away. Faking a startle, she said

“Oh, Mrs. Tamura, I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I meant what I said in the note that came with the flower arrangement, I hope it was well received. I don’t want to trouble you further because I know these past weeks have been a trying time for you.”

The arrangement arrived to the Moon household, the courier had the signature at least. That was all Zhen knew, it could’ve been tossed out by Vyska’s security for all she knew. That would have been a shame. She had picked the flowers in it carefully, Aster, Chrystanthemum, Plum, and Lotus, to those who had spent countless hours in classes meant to acculturate them to the upper class, they had a meaning over their own. The note attached had been simple. “I’m sorry. I sent this because I knew my husband wouldn’t.” 

An looked briefly startled at the sighting- it’s the university, of course she’d be here, idiot- her mouth parted, her eyes hidden underneath dark sunglasses. She recovered fast, pulling the glasses up her nose and into her hair. “Dr… Mie Lun, yes? It’s, erm, Ms.” It didn’t really offend her, but the reminder stung a bit all the same. “Yes, yes, I got the note. It was well-appreciated. The arrangement too. Very nice.” 

She had liked the arrangement, and the note. She had thought it sweet, even if she knew to be wary of the prosecutor’s wife. An had put the arrangement up on her desk. The flowers had started to wilt already, but they were bright. 

“The apology was kind, but unnecessary. You can’t control your husband if he chooses to be a certain way, can you? Men will be men. That's why I don’t particularly care for them.” 
She flashed a wry smile, a clear joke. 

Zhen said 
“I understand that sentiment. When I was in these very halls many years ago I had the great luck meet the esteemed physicist and mathematician Vo Nui Man before he died. There’s a saying of his that is one of my favorites, ‘All stable processes we shall control, all unstable processes we shall monitor.’ I thought it unwise to ask him what category male impulses fell into, even though they have baffled me so often. “

Zhen let out a large sigh and shifted a little bit, then said

“In my life I have many causes that I care about that, causes that I am willing to sacrifice for because I know it will benefit the world at large, things like life extension research, ending food insecurity, public health initiatives, free access to education. There are also many things I do not like but I find I have to tolerate because they are expected of me if I am to remain in a position where I have the power to do the maximum good for the causes I do care about. Faculty meetings, reporters asking for comment, donor appeals, tax paperwork, strategic planning meetings, public ceremonies, lazy students.  I believe you can infer which category my husband is in. “
Zhen talked a lot. Just like her husband… was she trying to get something out of her? Or, maybe, it was just a trait of professors, An mused. Someone who lectured so much might just like to lecture. Her professors had liked to drone on and on, but it had just been about math, and An had been at the very least mildly interested. The philosophy… well, she hated the one course she had taken. So had most students, though. 

“There’s something sad, under all that philosophizing, if you don’t mind me saying,” An said. “No offense. I just couldn’t imagine being with someone I considered a chore. Or someone who I didn’t like, though I guess those come hand in hand. Can’t be for the greater good, if you ask me.” 

“Not to get in your business, Dr. Lun. I’m hardly a person anyone should take advice from. Or a person who has much experience with men. Still, though. He’s hardly worth much.”

Zhen said.

“I am one person and my happiness or unhappiness is worth no more than that of anyone else’s. My current position allows me to affect the welfare of millions of equally valuable lives in the present, countless more in the future. If it takes my unhappiness to assure that the status quo remains and I can continue to do maximum good, I will choose that option over risking some mess of a divorce and the distractions and reputational damage that may come with it.”

Zhen had some resignation in her voice. She said

“That is one of the challenges of being a public figure, it gives  me the ability to do good in the world, but only if I behave in certain ways. My private life has less restrictions, but the times when I can enjoy it are rare due to my demanding schedule.”

 “I’m not so sure that’s relevant,” An said, cocking her head. “I’m no public figure, but I can’t imagine being married is a requirement. Well, actually…” Her mouth quirked, in an ironic, almost-angry smile. “I suppose I was on my way to it. Or that I was married to one, or almost-married. Sports stars are very different from… philosopher activists. Still. It’s a modern world. If they can accept women being married to women, they can accept a single one.” She shrugged. “Again. I don’t mean to be rude. I hardly know you. I’m just tired of excuses. We live in an unfair world, why not just do what you’d like if it doesn’t hurt anyone or truly compromise the greater good?”

Zhen looked down the hallway, into the distance and said

“In another world, in another timeline, it may have been possible. I suppose I could gotten where I am without being married to a man; I’m not a modal realist so I don’t spend much time thinking about those flights of fancy. Standing where I am now my ‘idyllic marriage’ is part of my image, or so the marketing consultants that the charity board insists I hire have told me. If our next fundraising drive delivers 20% less revenue, because of distractions or reputational damage; statistically, that could be as many as ten thousand children who were unable to get live-saving medical care because of a decision that was in my control. Everything we do effects everyone else, it is what we are cursed with. It’s not unfair, it’s just a brute fact of existence”
Now Zhen decided it was time to take a riskier line of questioning.

“Forgive me what I am about to ask, I am somewhat addicted to questions and I know this might be sensitive, so if you don’t want to discuss I apologize and we can end it here. I cannot help but be curious about what Chu was like, and how it was to find out that she was bender. I may have written about Benders, but I have never known one well, there have been a few occasions where the authorities have asked me to speak with a bender in custody, but those were limited and hardly organic interactions. I am always eager to reexamine my own conclusions. And before you ask, I will keep anything you say private, especially from my husband. ”

She also made a gesture towards an empty classroom, in case An wanted to say these words in a place where there were less people to overhear.
“Hm. I…” An struggled for a moment. It was a personal question… but people might as well know. There was no reason to lie. “I was overly familiar, too, so I suppose it’s only right… No, no. It’s okay. I was actually about to go get tea.”

“No one knows if she’s dead or alive, you know, so I prefer the present tense. There are all these fucking people on the TV trying to say this and that, profit off of knowing her. Most of it isn’t true. If she was a firebender before, which isn’t likely-” - she was- “then I don’t think there’s some sort of bender psyche like they say. She’s a good person. Kind and sweet. Passionate and ambitious. I’m not sure I’ll find someone better, so I really do hope she’s alive.”

“Finding out was a nightmare. I won’t elaborate too much more. That day is a bit fresh.”

Zhen said

“Difficult times are when character matters the most, and I have nothing but praise and sympathy for the way you’ve been dealing with it. We don’t have to talk any further. I could use some tea myself, I don’t know if you had a place in mind, but if you don’t, there’s a spot close to here that I really like. Much better than the campus dining hall.”
Zhen learnt a lot from that conversation. Was any of it about the Moons and where the sympathies of Vyska may lie? No, but there was no need to rush into any of that. If there was any intelligence benefit to talking to An, it would come later, and if there wasn’t, then at least it helped give Zhen a rare refuge from her duties that weighed on her every day.

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________..
Whoami   
Shun Zhi laid in bed, his wife pressed to his side as he cradled her in one arm. She had her head nestled into his neck while her hand laid on her chest and drew lazy circles. He breathed deep, his eyes staring up at the ceiling as he reflected on things with a stoicism that made him difficult to read. His wife, Mei, had tried many times to pick at his brain, but she had given up a long time ago. She knew that the things that occupied Shun Zhi's thoughts were the things few men could freely talk about. A golden light shone through their bedroom window, casting a ray that stretched across their bed and the tangle of blankets and sheets. The chirping of a bird just out their window was all Shun needed to snap out of his reverie, reminding him of the hour. He brought a hand up to his face and took in a slow breath through his nose as he pinched the bridge and rubbed his eyelids. Shun felt Mei shift and press herself harder against him, wordlessly demanding he stay longer and enjoy the moment. Shun took another breath and relaxed, his hand drifting down her back gently to caress her. This was nice. Peaceful. If he could, Shun would rather spend the whole day like this. But then the alarm clock went off, filling the room with chirps and beeps as the window blinds automatically began to furl up and fill the room with more light.

The couple groaned and lazily started to pull themselves apart. All so Shun could reach over to the alarm clock and set it to snooze for just, "Five more minutes..."

But Mei had already begun to sit up. "If only~ Give it five seconds." she responded, counting with her fingers in the air. On the fifth second, their bedroom door swung open and a small child stormed into the room, bringing all of the day's chaos with him.

The child jumped onto the bed and began to shake Shun to full wakefulness. "Grandpa! Wake up! It's time to wake up!"

Shun shook in place as he stared at his wife. She was chuckling. "How did you know?"

"This day comes only once a year. It amazes me how you always remember one half of it and totally forget the other." she said with a smile.

"Grandpa! We made you breakfast! Hurry up and get dressed!" the child said, continuing to vigorously shake Shun awake.

He looked to his grandson and smirked at him before snapping his hands up to his sides and beginning to tickle his ribs. The child's laughter filled his ears and invigorated Shun. "Very well, Qiang Zhi! But you should know, waking a man and tearing him from his wife's embrace risks overwhelming amounts of ticklish wrath!"

He could smell the fresh food wafting into his room from the kitchen. Mei was roused enough by it to climb out of bed and throw her house robe on. She made her way to the door and looked back at Shun and their grandson. "I had the staff take the day off."

Shun looked past Qiang and grinned, "Ever the merciful wife."

Mei smiled and looked to Qiang, "Come along, Qiang Zhi. Let's let your grandfather get ready for breakfast, hm?"

Qiang looked back to Mei and smiled bright before scrambling off of the bed almost as quickly as he had sprung into it. Mei took the small child by the hand and led him out of the room. Shun remained in bed for just a moment longer before finally pulling himself from the comfort of the sheets. As he stood, he stretched his arms out wide, his spine cracking in some places. He stepped into the room's bathroom and splashed some water into his hand before looking into the mirror for just a moment. He stared himself in the eyes, then his ears began to ring. He clenched his jaw and closed her eyes, trying to grit the ringing back. He could feel his muscles twitching then, and a pressure building behind his chest. Shun gasped quietly and reached for the mirror, pulling it aside to open the medicine cabinet behind it. He swiped a prescription bottle from it and flipped the cap open. Two pills fell out into his palm, the last two in the bottle. He wasted no time in downing them dry. It took a few seconds, but the ringing and discomfort would subside. Shun grimaced as he looked back to himself in the mirror. Everything looked in order. His eyes turned down to the bottle flipped on its side. He had a clear view into the container. It was empty. That made his brows furrow some. He set the bottle back upright before splashing his face with more water and cleaning himself for the day's activities. He was dressed in a suit and tie at the end of it all, but before he left the room, Shun took the empty medicine container and pocketed it.

When he emerged in the kitchen, Shun found himself staring at his family which was gathered around a large table. His wife was sitting in her seat, sipping some morning tea. His grandson sat in the lap of Susu, his daughter-in-law. She was too busy doting on Qiang to see Shun as he arrived. Next to her was his son, Tien. His hair was slicked back, and he wore his sharp police uniform. He was sipping a cup of coffee and reading the morning's news. He had gotten far in the police for his age, just like Shun had when he was his age. Tien made Shun as proud as any father could be. The one to greet him however was his daughter, Yumei. "Happy forty-seventh birthday, father." she said sweetly.

Shun smiled softly at his daughter and bowed his head before replying, "And happy nineteenth birthday to you, Little Petal."

Yumei beamed at his response. Shun loved that he got to share his birthday with his daughter. It truly was a stroke of luck that made it all the more special. Yumei set down a cake on the table, "I figured we could start with the sweets early today."

That made Qiang cheer excitedly in Susu's lap. Mei had to raise a finger and temper the child's expectations, "After a proper breakfast, young man."

The child huffed and looked down to the plate that was set in front of him and puffed his cheeks. Tien glanced over to his son, "Eat up, son. You cannot grow strong on sugar alone."

Shun smirked and looked back to his daughter, "I have a present for you."

Yumei blinked at her father and tilted her head, "You don't have to, father. Please."

Shun shook her head and rounded the table, pulling a small rolled up scroll from his pocket. It was sealed with a wax emblem of Ba Sing Se. "Oh I think I do, Little Petal." he held the scroll out to her, "You wouldn't want to keep the king waiting would you? I hear he is eager to hear your singing."

Yumei's eyes went wide as she snatched the scroll and hurriedly opened it for a read. "I- I need to rehearse! I need a new gown and- and perfume!"

Mei spoke up, "And my gift to you. A new gown. And perfume."

Yumei looked from her mother to her father before throwing herself into Shun's arms. He embraced her gently before gently directing her to her seat. "Breakfast first, yes?"

He rounded the table and sat down at the end of it. He could feel the empty pill bottle in his pocket press against his leg. It reminded him to look to Mei, "Has this month's medication package arrived?"

Mei pursed her lips and shook her head. Qiang heard the question and looked up from his plate, "Grandpa? Why do you need medication?"

Mei turned to look across the table at her grandson, "Your grandfather saved the city. But he got hurt in the process. Do not worry yourself, young Qiang. He is okay." She then looked back to Shun, concerned by the oddity of the late package. Shun saw the look on her face.

"I am sure it will arrive soon. But I will ask about it today." he reassured her. Mei nodded quietly.

The sound of a phone ringing snapped the married couple back to the moment. They looked over to Tien who was promptly standing up from the table and answering. He had barely touched his food by the time the phone rang. Tien came back and collected his coat before kissing Susu on the cheek and ruffling Qiang's hair. "Duty calls... Of all days."

"The C.R.T is better with you there, Tien. Do not jeopardize them on my behalf. Go. And be safe." Shun said.

Tien nodded and placed a hand on Shun's shoulder as he passed to make his leave. "Happy birthday, father."

Shun waited for him to leave before resuming his breakfast. The food was hovering in front of his mouth when yet another phone call chimed up. This time, it was his.
canaryrose   
The phone rang a few times before the line connected and the voice of Shun Zhi became audible on the other end. His voice was deep, husky. Intimidating… which made sense, given his reputation and his profession. Or maybe that was just generally true for Piperunners. “Mr. Shun Zhi. Good morning, and…” An flipped a page in her folder over, audibly. “... happy forty-seventh birthday. Do you have a moment to talk?”
Whoami   
Shun stared at Mei and his daughter as he took the phone call. He didn't recognize the voice immediately, but the ID on his phone was unmistakable. SynEn. Shun took a slow breath. Work was the last thing he wanted to hear about on this day of all days. But he kept it cordial when the woman wished him a happy birthday. "Thank you. And that remains to be determined. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"
canaryrose   
“Apologies for the interruption,” An said, smooth. “My name is Ms. An Tamura. I’m the Director of Operations. I oversee the majority of our out-of-office staff, including our Piperunners. It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Zhi.”
Whoami   
Shun stood up from his seat and nodded to Mei before pivoting and leaving the kitchen. He let out a quiet sigh and listened to An introduce herself. He raised a brow curiously, "Sumire usually handles my operations." he said matter of factly.
canaryrose   
“Ms. Sumire?” There was a pause as An flipped the page again. “Oh, yes she does. Hm. This is different, Mr. Zhi, I’m not an operator. I’m calling because we have a new assignment for you. You’re being recalled to the storage facility, effective immediately, and we’ll speak personally about the assignment there. We’ll meet at twelve o’clock, unless you have any other pressing obligations.” 
Whoami   
"Is that so?" Shun Zhi said as he stroked his goatee thoughtfully. He glanced back toward the kitchen where his family gathered and enjoyed one another’s company. Unfortunately, he was rather obligated to answer SynEn’s call to action. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as he rubbed them, "Very well…" he said with a pause afterward, "This better be worth my time, Ms. Tamura. I will not sugar-coat it. The timing of your call is very much not appreciated."
canaryrose   
“... I understand your frustration, Mr. Zhi.” The response came delayed but smooth, not betraying the discomfort An felt at his voice. Shun heard the response and snorted through his nose. But he didn’t comment on it further. “Rest assured that this is urgent.We wouldn’t be recalling you without prior notice otherwise. Would you like me to send a car to your home, or do you project that you’ll be able to arrive at the storage facility on time?”
Whoami   
"Send a car, and give me the details on the way. The sooner your errand is taken care of, the happier we all will be." Shun hung the phone up before An could get another comment in. He heard movement behind him and glanced back over his shoulder, seeing Mei in the doorway.

”Work?”

"... Yes."

”Today? Of all days? What about Yumei’s performance for the king?” Mei asked with a frown.

Shun frowned at that as well. "She will understand…"

”Well I do not. I know SynEn saved you and brought you back to us, Shun. But surely with your status you can have this wait another day?” Mei crossed her arms.

Shun turned to face her, "It isn’t so simple." He said as he nodded over her shoulder to the empty pill bottle on the table. Mei followed his gaze to the bottle and  let out a sigh.

”I see…”

"I will make sure whatever they ask of me is done as quickly as possible. I promise you, Mei."_
Time. Noon, SE+7
___________________________..............
Summary. A veteran Piperunner is called in to undertake a special task, interrupting his life.

Featuring. @canaryrose & @Whoami

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