Exit

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

_{Two Days Ago...}

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Chu & An's Apartment · |@Exit] & |@canaryrose] CollaborationChu & An's Apartment · @Exit & @canaryrose Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. canaryrose    Knock knock knock. An’s body tensed as she heard the sound at her door. She looked up from her laptop screen, hand gripping her pistol before she went to the apartment entrance. It had been about thirty minutes since she had left Chu Hua in the tunnels, and though she logically knew that Syn-En security wasn’t going to abduct her, she was still nervous. Any delays in their plan could mean she wouldn’t be able to join her fiancee and her fiancee’s ex-girlfriend outside of the city in relative safety. The city was one little mishap from the brink of collapse. She needed to get out while she could, and this was an unfortunate convenience. As she stood at the door, debating whether or not to open it, she ground her teeth. Fucking Vyska. She liked her younger boss, true, but could she be more useless at a time like this? An should have been with Chu Hua right now, not staying at the apartment to ensure that no one realized she had left. And Chu Hua… that still pulled at her heartstrings. How had she never known or even suspected the woman she loved was a firebender? And why, oh why, had she lost her shit at the worst moment possible? An would’ve been lying if she said she didn’t resent that. They had to leave their lives- their very good lives- behind all because Chu burst into flames on live television. But she could shout at Chu about that later. Right now she had to ensure she wasn’t arrested. Cautiously, An opened the door a sliver, sticking her head through the small crack but not much else. She kept one hand extended with the synergy pistol behind the door, finger on the trigger. “Hello? Can I help you?” Exit    Jack stared back at her through the sliver of space between the door and the frame. ”Is she here?” He asked, simply. His silver eyes regarded her with a blank stare that was ever hard to read. canaryrose    An knit her brows, her stance relaxing a bit once she realized who it was. She knew Jack, of course. Vyska was rarely seen without her bodyguard. Which meant her bodyguard was rarely seen without her. She hadn’t expected him to show up here, without his charge. “Who?” she said in an innocent voice. Exit    "Your fiance. They're coming." As he spoke, his eyes swept what little of the interior of the apartment he could see. ”RSF”. canaryrose    Goddamnit. An scowled deeply, partially for Jack’s sake. She had thought she had more time. But in a few minutes, RSF would come storming in through their doors, and she didn’t want to be here when that happened. The desert would be better than the inside of a prison cell, after all.. “Well, she’s not here,” An told him, almost snippily. “I… haven’t seen her, since… well. You’ve obviously seen the news. I got away from there as fast as possible.” She opened the door fully, stepping aside to allow him full vision inside. She was clearly holding the synergy pistol, although it was now neatly held at her side, no indication that she was even thinking of raising it. “You can check if she really wants to know, but if the police are coming, I doubt you want to be caught here. I’ll be okay.” The apartment looked extremely out of array. If one knew An well, they’d know she was neat and organized to an almost obsessive degree. Every report she had ever turned in had been immaculate, every meeting planned out to the minute. This didn’t look like that. There were clothes strewn across the floor, items out of place, frames without their pictures. Her laptop was open on the counter with a notepad set next to it. There was a very full backpack sitting on the barstool next to it. An cringed when she saw it from Jack’s perspective, but she had no need to clean. If all went as it should, she’d never see this apartment again. Exit    ”...Shit…” Jack whispered under his breath. He checked the time on his watch and then gave the room another scan. ”Was the girl here?” canaryrose    “Not sure,” An lied. It rolled off her tongue easily. “I said I haven’t seen her.” Exit    ”Well you have a minute to make it look like you were the only one making a mess in here. When they get here, they’re going to want to question you and they may not do it here. But you’re not a Bender so you’ll be fine.” He nodded toward the gun. ”Don’t answer the door holding that.” canaryrose    “Got it. I won’t.” She moved towards her backpack, zipping it away. “Exactly one minute until they’re here?” She busied herself with looking like she was cleaning, looking at Jack quizzically. Her hands shook minutely, her gaze drawn to her bag. She needed to go. Exit    Jack reached for the door and began to close it. ”It’s going to look suspicious if you run.” He called out before it shut. canaryrose    “Well, of fucking course it will,” she muttered as soon as the door closed. She launched herself at the bag, pulling out the gun again and throwing on a mustard yellow cotton jacket. She put her laptop in the bag, reluctant to part with it. She slung the bag over her shoulder, moving towards the window. She left her phone on the counter, left, and then doubled back. With a quick pull and a grim look, she snapped it in half. Hesitating, she did the same to her work laptop, violently throwing it on the floor and stomping on it. She then poured a glass of water over the computer. Of course it would look suspicious if she ran. But she had no other choice. An knew she had committed the kind of crime that could never be forgiven, and being caught would mean that at best she’d live her life in a prison cell. If she didn’t run, she’d never see Chu again. She had wasted precious time destroying her tech, but she didn’t want anyone to see her messages or her work. They were too… private. An smoothly opened the window and stepped through, squeezing her small body onto the fire escape and then descending rapidly. She had to get to the tunnels quickly and quietly. No one was on the streets right now, so any movement would be suspicious. She’d have to use the back alleys and, even then, keep an eye out for any rogue benders or, worse, police. After her apartment was found empty they’d search for her. She needed to be gone by then. She took off speed-walking down the street, keeping one eye cast over her shoulder. As soon as An left, she heard sirens. They were faint at first, but she knew they were for her, and she kept walking, albeit faster. Then they were loud- unbearably loud- and a black SUV with darkly tinted windows came barreling down the street. Fuck. Think fast, think fast… There was only one place to hide, and only seconds to do it. Her heart beating like mad in her chest, An threw herself and her bag behind the dumpster, making a racket as she tried to wedge as much of herself back there as she could. Oh God, please don’t look back here. Jack was right- it would be very suspicious if she was caught running. Her eyes darted around the alleyway, settling on the truck. She couldn’t breathe. Exit    The SUV skidded to a halt not far from the fire escape An had just used. Two men jumped out of the vehicle, one of them holding a rifle in their hands and the other a pistol. Unlike those found in the Lower Ring, the RSF of the Middle Ring were much better equipped. Besides their tactical gear looking better maintained, it was also clearly upgraded versions of their lesser counterparts. One of the major differences between the officers of the two divisions of the city were the helmets they wore. It encompassed their entire head, encasing them in a protective metal shell that made them seem all the more intimidating. From within the SUV, a voice came over the radio. ”The room is empty.” ”I have a fire escape in the back that’s been used.” The officer on An’s side of the street called out. He began looking up and down the alleyway, glancing past An’s direction. Unluckily for him, the trash bins were keeping her obscured. ”No visual on the suspect.” He then waved a hand at his partner who took off toward the opposite end of the alley, away from An. The one with the rifle began moving toward her. The radio from within the vehicle answered again. ”Two block perimeter being set.” canaryrose    An wedged herself farther behind the trash bin, trying her hardest to make as little noise as possible. Two officers… possibly more in the front? In the house? Around the block? She wasn’t sure. They weren’t searching for her, but she had screwed herself over by running. A woman hiding behind a trash can would be incredibly suspicious, but she also couldn’t just come out and surrender. Despite knowing it was an awful idea and she didn’t even know how to use it, she gripped her pistol even harder. She wouldn’t come out. She could wait them out, right? But Chu would be gone by the time they left, and the city would be shut down… she needed to get out of here as soon as possible, but she couldn’t. Barely breathing, An glanced around, desperate for any way out of her situation. There was none. She made a barely audible grunt of frustration. She’d just have to try booking it, then. Not now. When they weren’t looking. Exit    ”There’s no one down here!” The other officer called out from further down the alleyway. The one closer to An turned around and began walking around the dumpster to see if there was anything on the other side. ”I’m not seeing anyone either…” canaryrose    With a gasp, An scrambled around the dumpster to the other side, facing the alleyway. She flattened herself against the dumpster, waiting to dart right back to the other side. Exit    Once again, a voice could be heard from within the SUV coming from the radio. ”Everyone hold your positions. We’re sweeping the building. No one enters or leaves. Vanguard are on site.” ”Ten four.” The officer closest to An moved between the building and the adjacent dumpsters but didn’t see anyone. However, the second officer had turned around and hadn’t made it more than a few steps back to the SUV when he noticed that just beyond it, something was crouched next to the same dumpsters his partner was standing next to. ”H-hey… Hey!” He called out to her. ”Don’t move!” The first officer, confused, begins to circle back around the way he came, still unable to see An. canaryrose    He saw me. FUCK! An’s eyes darted around, wide with panic, and she made a split second decision. She stood, hurling her backpack at the officer who yelled out at her, and ran the opposite way down the alley and towards the street as fast as she could. She still clutched the gun in her hands, unsure what to do with it, but she knew she couldn’t be caught. Exit    ”Runner in the alley! She’s got a gun!” As both men took off after her, a shadow appeared on the ground ahead of An, drifting in from the side as if something from above was coming in over the rooftops. The silhouette against a blue sky moved into position above the upcoming intersection. ”Stop running!” The officers called out from behind her. canaryrose    An did not stop running. Rather, she sped up as she rounded the corner onto the main street, pumping her legs even harder as the cops started to chase her down the thoroughfare. At this point, she was panting, too terrified to notice the ominous shadow laid out in front of her. She, unlike her fiancee, was no athlete, and could not run for very long. It was clear in her panicked movements that she had no clue what she was doing. If she could just lose them… Exit    Ahead of An, a humanoid metal figure dropped out of the sky, cracking the pavement beneath its feet. It shouldered a rifle and pointed it at her and began taking steps in her direction. ”Halt, citizen.” Just beyond it was the entrance to the subway system. canaryrose    An stopped in her tracks, staggering back, heaving. Wild eyes flicked between the robot, its rifle, and the subway entrance. She was so close. Only a few more yards, and she’d be able to escape. But this thing… well, it would stop her by any means necessary, even if that meant killing her. But An had a gun that could stop anything in its path. But destroying it would be unthinkable. An act of violence larger than any she had already committed. She’d not only be a suspect, but a wanted woman. She didn’t care. All she needed was to get to Chu Hua. An raised her pistol and shot the robot in the face. Exit    The bolt of plasma melted halfway into its head, destroying circuitry and spraying bits of red hot metal and sparks into the air around it. Its arms immediately went limp and it dropped its rifle as it took one more step forward before collapsing on the ground. It wasn’t completely dead. The metal frame continued to twitch and move as whatever corrupted processes tried to resolve itself despite being unable to do so. However, although the android had been taken care of, the two cops behind her had caught up in the time it had taken her to find her resolve. One of them tackled her from behind, although he hadn’t maintained control of An’s firearm on the way down. His arms were simply wrapped around her waist as he threw her to the ground. The second was only a few steps behind. ”Synergy gun!” He started screaming as he ran up. canaryrose    An went down, not physically strong enough to resist, but maintained control of her pistol on the way down. She kept it close to her chest, pressed between the asphalt and her as she gasped for breath. The shock of firing the gun for the first time combined with being tackled to the ground by a much heavier, armor-clad man meant she was dazed, not thinking straight. She hadn’t even seen them coming, how focused she’d been on what she had to do. The usually smart, strategic woman was reduced to flailing limbs and screams. “Get… OFF!” Holding onto her gun, her only sense of control, and keeping it close, she tried to twist onto her back, to where she felt she had a better vantage point. Her usually calculating, sometimes mirthful eyes were wild and panicked, her movements shaky. “Leave me alone!” Exit    With a final push against the pavement, An managed to twist herself around and free her pistol. Without thinking, she raised it up at the man and prepared to pull the trigger, but as the gun came up, the officer on top of her released his hold around her waist, brought his arm up to palm the side of the gun and push it away, and then struck her arm just above her elbow. Immediately An’s grip on the weapon relaxed and the gun fell harmlessly to the side. She turned her head in a panic as she watched her only chance of escape tumble away from her. The next strike from the man was felt just behind her ear and above her neck and suddenly, An’s entire world became darkness.

_{Present Day...}

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Ba Sing Se · MorningBa Sing Se · Morning ____________________________________________________________________________. "Good morning and welcome to seven o'clocks on Shinobi News. Our top stories today... Ripples in the aftermath of the accident at SynEn's energy facility two days ago, continue to be felt today. The massive explosion that rocked the entire Lower Ring destroyed several blocks of the industrial sector killing many and injuring hundreds more. Factories in the area have been put offline for an indeterminate amount of time which has further hampered life in the Lower Ring. Tensions continue to rise in the wake of heavy loss of life and with many out of a job, some speculate that the sudden outburst of violence following the explosion will soon return. The RSF continue to struggle to maintain order while emergency crews continue to work 'round the clock, digging through the wreckage for any more survivors. Meanwhile, tensions across the city are equally strained after many bore witness to the sudden appearance of Benders, everywhere and in all rings. In the minutes following the SynEn accident, these... people made themselves known, attacking anyone and anything around them in an attempt to create as much chaos, death and destruction as possible. I'm sure everyone remembers the scene that unfolded during the championship game. Seen here again... Chu Hua, once beloved Stickball star, exposed as the monster she truly is when she went on a rampage on the field, and, the heroic moment when Li attempted to stop her." ... "I tried to warn them. She has been suspicious from the day I met her. She was always sweating and hot to the touch and angry all the time and during the morning training sessions in the winter, she never complained about the cold! But I'm telling, they willfully ignored my warnings because she's their 'star stickball player'. She's only that good because she's a f***ing Bender! But with her and that traitor Kanna gone, we all know who's actually the best... ...M-me. It's me. I'm the best." ... "Li stated only minutes after putting her life on the line for her teammates. Thankfully, quick responses from RSF patrols in the area limited the destruction caused by similar Bender appearances saw to the arrest of many of these individuals. Of course, we'd like to warn everyone and remind you all to remain vigilant. Any Benders that have escaped have likely gone into hiding. Please stay safe and report any suspicious Bender activity to the hotline below. As of now, the investigation into the accident continues. Unfortunately, the Moon family could not be reached for comment at this time. In other news, King Wu is preparing a gathering in the Upper Ring where he intends to address the nation. Many of the most powerful families and some of the most important people in Ba Sing Se are expected to meet at the palace later today in what is speculated to be the rescheduled gala in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the end of the Great War. Afterwards, it has been confirmed that a meeting of the King's cabinet of advisors will convene for what is to be an emergency session. More on this later, but first, here's Bob with the weather." "Thanks Bill. Weather forecast today is sponsored by Cactus Juice... 'Cactus Juice! It's the quenchiest.'"

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Holding · |@Exit] & |@canaryrose] CollaborationHolding · @Exit & @canaryrose Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    ”I apologize for the wait.” Nelu began as he entered the room. He shut the door behind him eliciting an audible mechanical ‘click’. ”I know they aren’t very good at keeping the people they hold fed. Can I get you anything? Water? We got a cafeteria too although I’ll admit the food is not the best.” He placed the folder down on the table. It was a few pages thick and the label read ‘An Tamura’. canaryrose    An looked tired. She glanced away from the man entering the room, trying to keep a composed expression. “Just water, please.” Her voice cracked, and she let out a little cough. Her head was still pounding from the knock out blow earlier, and while she did feel marginally better, being in a crowded cell for at least a day didn’t help matters. She couldn’t believe she had ended up here. An from two days ago would have simply laughed if she had even been accused of being a criminal, but now… She had given up on leaving the city as soon as she had woken up in handcuffs and simply started to focus on staying as alive and as free as possible. She met Nelu’s eyes with an untrusting, unflinching gaze. She was sitting up straight in her seat, hands folded in front of each other as if she was not wearing cuffs. She of course was- they were very uncomfortable- but it was good to project as much confidence as she could. She didn’t say anything else. Exit    Nelu nodded at the glass before turning back to An. Despite her situation, she was holding her head high, preserving her dignity in opposition of the cage she’d been thrown into. It was admirable, and the strength she conveyed despite her situation was clear not just to him… but to the rest of the RSF. There were few who were capable and willing to attack Vanguards. Typically they were Benders or criminals without much to lose. An was neither. She was no Bender and if her records were accurate, she had plenty. He sat down. ”Let’s start with the obvious. You uh… shot at an officer. In the face.” canaryrose    “That’s a lie.” An maintained her poker face. “Next?” Exit    Nelu smiled as if amused though not condescending. It was as if he almost respected the lie. ”The Vanguard unit you-...” He waved his hand. ”You know what… We can just skip the surveillance and eye witness reports and the repair bill on that and skip to why you’re really here.” Nelu opened the folder, thumbing past the first few pages and flipping to the center of the stack. A picture of Chu Hua was paper clipped as if bookmarked. A knock at the door interrupted Nelu before he could continue. It opened and an officer stepped inside and placed a water bottle in front of An before he left the room and sealed it. ”Did you see the game?” canaryrose    An was quiet for a few moments as she struggled to open the water bottle, twisting the cap futilely. It was difficult to get a grip on the water bottle with her hands cuffed so close to the table and, finally, she grunted in frustration and brought her mouth to the bottle to bite off the cap. It was vaguely humiliating, and she took a moment to compose herself, finally drinking greedily from the bottle. She hadn’t eaten or drank anything in the last 24 hours, so it was a welcome relief. It was, however, awkward to drink with her hands as close to the table as they were. She put down the bottle and crossed her arms, staring at the picture of her fiancée on the table. It was very clearly a press release photo, but it made An’s heart leap all the same. “As far as I know, I was arrested for destroying a Vanguard unit, resisting arrest, and evading arrest,” she said, a cautious tone in her voice. She didn’t think they’d be this blatant so soon. Did they have the footage yet? As far as she knew, most of the databases were private. It couldn’t’ve taken them this little time… No. They just really wanted to know about Chu. “Not because of who I’m engaged to.” “I saw the game, yes. All twenty minutes of it. But you’re not asking me that to get my opinion on the plays.” Exit    Nelu shook his head and then rotated the folder so that Chu was now right side up in front of An. ”Did you help her escape?” canaryrose    An’s heart slammed against her ribs. “No.” Exit    ”Okay.” Nelu flipped the page. Another picture was clipped, this one of Kanna. ”Kanna Wu. Looked like she was taking care of your fiancée for you despite being on the opposite team. Did you run into her?” canaryrose    “No, not after what happened on the field.” Exit    ”What were you doing in the tunnels?” Nelu asked, firing again. canaryrose    “I…” This she hesitated at. She’d have to craft a convincing answer and stick to it. “Going back to my apartment,” she answered, truthful but rather simplistic. Exit    Nelu paused as well when he picked up on the slight hesitation, but he didn’t press. He sympathized. The past day had been tough, not just on her but on everyone including himself. Everyone was tired. Confused. Betrayed and hurt. Truth and lies and their recollection was blurred too easily, especially when someone hadn’t been allowed time to recover from trauma. Between that and the show of strength An continued to put on despite the hole she was in, he knew that no matter how hard he pressed her in that room, he wouldn’t get any of the answers he really wanted, if she even had them. He couldn’t continue his line of questioning. It’d get both of them nowhere so he relaxed. ”Look... Before you shot an officer, you weren’t in any trouble. The truth is, Chu is arguably the most well known Firebender we’ve seen in the world in years. And this Firebender has a lot of fans. I would know being one of them. I mean I really thought they were going to take the championship this year. We all did.” He shook his head and waved his hand dismissing the tangential thoughts. ”But now that she’s a Bender, it’s important that we bring her in and do this right. There’s people in the Upper Ring who are trying to set a new precedent with our proceedings, seeing as how whatever happened to our city is… turning people into Benders. People who weren’t before. These people don’t deserve the same judgment as those who have been hiding. They’re victims of something they had no control of. With your fiance, we want to make sure she’s protected. That the people know there is another option so we can get those people help. That’s what we’re trying to do here. Why you’re here. So we can start that process.” ”If you didn’t help her escape, then you don’t know where she is and we can help find her. And maybe you’re terrified of her now, but I promise you, your fiance is still in there and we can help if you help us.” canaryrose    An noticed him relax, and allowed herself to relax from a constant stream of denial, too. She folded her arms, allowing herself to droop a little. Her eyes were still wary, though. She let the silence extend for a moment. This man sounded genuine, but what he was saying made no sense. She turned it over. Chu Hua did not fall into that category for one, but, more importantly, it was difficult to believe him. This “soft” thing was completely at odds with everything she had ever heard about their policies. Narrowing her eyes, she scrutinized his expression. There was so much she knew that he either didn’t or was blatantly lying to her about. It made her uneasy. “I can’t help you. I told you I don’t know where she is, and even if I did, I think… what- what process?” She rubbed her arm, staring at her cuffed hands in total confusion. “You know what? I haven’t made my phone call yet. Could I do that now?” Exit    Nelu paused again, tapping his finger on the picture as he regarded An with curious eyes. Neither of them were being a hundred percent truthful and neither of them would divulge what the other really wanted to know. Unfortunately for Nelu, that meant for now, his hands were tied. An wasn’t a Bender and as far as he was concerned, her involvement with Chu’s escape was minimal. Too small to be worth wasting hours for. There were other fish he had to fry and one was already waiting for him. One that didn’t have someone else watching their back. An had friends in high places. Nelu shook his head and sighed. “You can take that phone call outside actually. The uh… Moon family posted your bail already and are agreeing to handle your court proceedings. Apparently you’re needed back at work.” He scratched his forehead, his frustration and exhaustion showing through the cracks in the wall of his professionalism. ”I would suggest not adding anything else to your felony charge, Miss Tamura.” He closed the folder and stood up. He reached into his pocket and fished for a key before reaching across the table and unlocking the cuffs around An’s hands. They were folded up and put away and the folder was tucked under his arm. ”That means don’t shoot anymore cops until your court date.” He moved toward the door. ”And we’re keeping an eye on you now so try not to look like you’re about to run.” canaryrose    “I-” An looked vaguely stunned. She hadn’t been expecting anyone, least of all the Moons, to post her bail. She hadn’t expected to have bail available to her. Did they really not know she had helped Chu escape? A wall of relief hit her all at once as she massaged her now free wrists, glancing toward the door. “... Okay.” Exit    Nelu knocked on the door, waited for the bolt to be released and then stepped out, leaving the door open. Jack was standing outside. canaryrose    An stood and walked cautiously out the door, trying not to sprint out of the interrogation room. She stared at Jack in stunned relief. He stared back. She glanced at the cop standing behind them. Slowly, determining this wasn’t some awful trick, she let herself exhale. So she wasn’t that fucked. Still, she couldn’t believe that they were just letting her go. “Good morning. Afternoon? I’m not sure how long it’s been.” She folded her arms around her body, gripping herself hard. “Can I just… go? Or is there something else?” She addressed Nelu. Exit    Nelu shook his head. ”None at all.” He then turned to Jack and gave him a nod. ”Please thank Miss Moon for her time yesterday. If we have any further questions we’ll be in touch. Can you find your way?” Jack nodded to which Nelu dismissed himself and took off down the hall without saying anything further. He was staring at his watch as he left. ”Please follow me, Miss Tamura. Miss Moon is waiting for you.” ... An was led out of the station and to a waiting car parked on the side of the road. Once they were both inside, all pretense was dropped and as Jack spoke, there was a bit of disappointment obvious in the tone of his voice. ”I told you running was a bad idea.” He commented from the front. He pulled slightly on the steering wheel in front of him and the vehicle began to ascend, lifting off the ground gently and rotating away from the curb they had been parked at. ”They had nothing on you. Just documented use of your card in the tunnel which had already been logged in the system. Cameras were scrubbed and despite the mess, there wasn’t much in way of evidence left in your apartment. Not more than what I could get rid of. But a felony is going to be a little harder to take care of.” He looked at An through the rearview mirror. Despite the way she had been holding herself together, it was clear the past 24 hours were having an effect. ”You must feel like shit.” canaryrose    An held her head in her hands, glad to finally be out of a jail cell. Her head was hammering, her thoughts spinning. Why had they bailed her out? What the hell was going on? “I do,” she agreed, scowling. “I’m… any chance you have anything to eat in here? I’m fucking starving. Bastards forgot to feed me.” Exit    Jack hit a button on the center console and the middle seat in the back slid open to reveal a cooler underneath. There were a number of glass bottles of ‘Cactus Juice’ and next to that, crackers, meats and cheeses presented An with her own personal charcuterie board. The set was completed with a small bowl of black truffle honey that could be drizzled onto whatever combination of snacks was put together. ”The juice is her guilty pleasure. They bottle them like that just for her.” canaryrose    “Holy shit. Um. Thank you?” An almost wanted to ask if it was okay with Vyska that she was touching her things, but she was so hungry that she didn’t care. She hadn’t realized this was her boss’s personal car. An reached out and started piling things into her hand and eating them practically whole. This whole situation struck her as strange. She wasn’t nearly important enough for all this and she couldn’t quite figure out why she was being treated so well. She didn’t touch the Cactus Juice, giving it one sniff and deciding that, although she desperately needed one, a stiff drink would be for later. How much did Jack know? She detected some chagrin in his tone, and a blush deepened in her cheeks. She had been an idiot. Shooting a cop wasn’t one of her proudest moments. “I…” She gulped. “I ran because it’s worse than what I told you. Much, much worse than a felony. And if they find out… well. I didn’t think anyone would help.” She raised her head, staring out the windows at the cityscape. Her entire body felt like one massive bruise, her throat still dry, her stomach practically a bottomless hole. She was exhausted. Her life had been turned upside down and her future had been stolen from her. She drummed her fingers on the window, thinking. If she hadn’t still been desperately trying to keep herself together, she would have burst into tears by now. She wanted Chu. She felt it in her heart, an awful ache that she knew would only worsen with time. “How much do you know?” Exit    “Enough… but I’m sure you’re more interested in what Miss Moon knows and why she’s taken such an interest in you.” Jack looked at An through the mirror again. ”It’s about thirty minutes before we get there so feel free to take a nap. You might need it.” ”There’s also water behind the juice.”

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Meeting with Sato Hitoshi · |@Exit] & |@Mistress Dizzy] CollaborationMeeting with Sato Hitoshi · @Exit & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Mistress Dizzy    The rest of yesterday had been rough for Jin. Between returning to the city and assisting with getting the escapees sorted, visiting Yi and Kata in the infirmary, and fighting a wicked migraine on top of it, they honestly could have waited a day to meet the big boss. Jin’s head still hurt a bit, and their back and shoulders were sore from the unfamiliar bed in the barracks they'd slept in last night. But- orders were orders. Exit    Elevator doors opened to a simple gray room basked in soft light. A single desk sat at the other end where a woman waited behind a monitor that obscured her from the neck down. Two chairs were situated to the right, both of them of simple make and design: A darker gray fabric wrapped around an armless, angled frame with legs that folded into the seat and backrest. They didn’t seem terribly comfortable. Lighting crawled up the walls from a crevice in the floor and a single sky light filled the rest of the space with white ambience and drew a soft white square on the ground. As the both of them walked toward the desk and under this light, their shadows danced beneath them. ”Take a seat Dermok.” The woman began. ”Takashi, he will see you now.” To the left, an outline of a door appeared in the previously blank gray wall. This rectangular shape depressed fully and would slide open once Jin had stepped in front of it. The woman motioned for her to do so. ”Sato is not as intimidating as he may seem. You’ll be fine.” Nelu smiled at Jin and gave them a reassuring nod. Mistress Dizzy    Jin looked back at Tarnelu, with a panicked glance that absolutely screamed 'Help!'. But they didn't say a word. They simply strode to the door and stood in front of it. As the door appeared and opened, they took a deep breath before stepping through. Exit    The next room was very different from the last. The mundane gray interior was broken by a display of lush green at the center of the room. A circular platform was raised a foot off the ground and within it, a tree stood tall and burst at the apex, throwing branches and leaves in a near perfect arc out and away from the trunk. It cast a shadow, inside of which lay a few rocks, small bushes, flowers and a creek that seemed to spill from a crack in the exposed roots of the tree. It babbled gently, cutting the silence in the room with an ambience that was soothing. Despite being buried deep within the earth and being trapped within a cage of concrete and metal, the space was peaceful. A slice of another world brought to life in a place where nothing else was meant to live. ”Can I get you some tea?” A rather rough and strained voice called out to Jin. To the right and standing in light drifting from the center of the room was an elderly gentleman. He wore a black changsam over white pants and sandals. As he turned to face Jin, the features of his face slid out of the shadows of the room, revealing a complexion that was… different. One eye was shut. The other glowed an eerie orange. The right side of his face from the cheek bone down to below the jawline was of metal make, covered in black that was cut at sharp angles and connected to complete the symmetry of his features. This synthetic skin crawled along the edge of his face, over an ear that was not there and over part of his scalp where it drew a hard edge along his hairline. Some of the surface was exposed, allowing some of the wiring and moving parts under the ‘skin’ to be visible. It was hard to tell if this was by design. These pieces moved as he spoke again. ”It’s freshly brewed.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin pulled their attention from the tree in the miniature oasis, head whipping at the sound of the voice. They didn’t startle physically, but their eyes flickered at rapid speed from the shut eye to the glowing one, the two halves of the face, the metal and circuits within, even the clothes. Questions, dozens of them, flooded their mind, each fighting for attention. Who was this man? How had he lost his face? Who had done the masterwork of metal that replaced it? Could Jin meet that person, too? On and on. Realizing a full second too late that they were staring, they stood at attention so firmly that they felt a pop in their spine. "Yes, sir. Tea sounds good, sir." Exit    ”Please. There’s no need to be so formal.” The mysterious man moved toward a table as a ring of warm light appeared from a crease in the room's walls. On the table was a pot that he promptly picked up and began filling a small cup with. Warm liquid poured from the spout pushing steam into the air, tinging it with a faint taste of roasted rice. When it was filled, he replaced the pot and carefully picked up the cup, turning around and walking it over to Jin. He handed it over to them. ”Just ‘Sato’.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin was seriously wondering how this room worked. They haven’t seen tech like this before. It was beautiful. What other people saw in fine art and plays, Jin saw in high level technology. “Um. Thank you, sir.” They took the cup and blew the steam away, taking a careful sip. It tasted rich. Even Jin could tell it was probably incredibly expensive. It still needed sugar, but Jin wasn’t about to say that. “Ah, Mr. Sato? Why am I here? N-not that I’m not honored! I mean, I’m just- I’m not- in trouble or anythin, am I?” Jin’s mouth was running faster than their brain, and their hands were currently occupied. They didn’t know how to stop the flow. Exit    ”Not at all. Just the contrary.” Sato smiled as warmly as he could, the parts of his mouth that were still flesh curling as he nodded reassuringly to Jin. ”We’d yet to meet and after hearing how well you did during your first joint mission, I decided it was time to speak face to face. Dermok… he continues to sing your praises, as he’s done since you’ve joined. His faith in his decision to choose you over the other candidates was not misplaced.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin relaxed somewhat, exhaling slowly. While they hoped they’d have some kind of warning if they were ever in that level of trouble, it was good to have it confirmed. From the moment they’d stepped into the room, there had been a careful, and unconsciously calculated distance between Jin and the nearest door. Now it seemed that some measure of trust had been earned. The sniper stepped in a little closer, taking another sip of the tea. “Does Cap- er, the Captain really say all that? That’s… nice.” They bent their head to sip the drink, eyes shut briefly to block the steam. Exit    Sato nodded and then turned his gaze toward the tree. As he did, the sharp contours of metal plates marking the outline of his cheek was put under the light from the center of the room. The word ‘Varricks’ was etched into the corner of one of the metallic surfaces. ”Do you recognize it? He asked regarding the tree. Mistress Dizzy    Jin's green eyes roamed the tree. They had always found a sort of beauty in nature. Where some saw wildness, they saw precision. Doctor Sylara Li, the engineer that had fostered their mind in LSF special training had said something quite profound once: “Numbers are all over, Jin. Nature is anything but chaotic. Look at the ripples in a pond, or a snowflake, or a shell. Spirals, hexagons, perfect ratios. Over and over and over. Whatever spirits put this planet together were mathematicians.” Jin had always thought the last bit smacked a little too close of spiritualism for a scientist. The rest of it, though, had opened their eyes. “It’s a beautiful tree, Mr. Sato. But I don’t know too much about nature. So I don’t recognize it.” Their glance darted to the old man. “Should I?” Exit    Sato shook his head. ”No, and very few would. Spiritus mortis. The last of its kind I’m afraid. First discovered nearly two hundred years ago in the dirt around the Republic City portal. It was originally mistaken as nothing more than the roots of weeds and cast aside; turned into mulch for what little nutrients could be squeezed from it and for years, that was its legacy. Feed for other flora. Forgotten and tread upon by those without curiosity. Without eyes that seek.” Sato began walking slowly around the platform in the center of the room, inviting Jin to follow and allowing them to see the tree from all angles. ”It wasn’t until some years later that a closer look revealed that the roots were not roots at all. This tree begins life as a sapling sprouting from a seed buried in the dirt and remains that way. Buried. It must be dug up and moved. When given light, the sapling grows into what you see before you.” Sato raised his hand at the tree. ”A trunk of white gilded by a crown of the brightest pink… A most elegant display of beauty that begins life in the darkest of places. It is seldom given a chance to taste sunlight but given a sliver, it will grow. It will grow despite what little it is given.” His hand fell to his side and he suddenly stopped, his eyes focusing on something in the dirt. ”What’s more, once it has taken root, the seeds change. They give birth to something else entirely.” Sato reached across the platform and in between a number of long blades of grass, plucking out a miniscule black bead. This bead sat pinched between two fingers as he carried it over to a bowl at the edge of the room. Inside were similarly shaped and colored seeds. It was deposited with the rest ”Of course, if no one bothered to look… if no one bothered to give it a chance, it would have never become what it is now.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin paced behind Sato at a polite distance, examining the tree. The more Sato talked about it, the more sense the topic made. Jin wasn’t a fool; they understood the metaphor. Something overlooked, chewed up and not seen for what it truly was. An elegant description of an awful situation. Exit    Sato turned to Jin again, the light in his eye regarded them more heavily than it did before. ”You know… in another life I was once a child in the Lower Ring myself. It is… a difficult life.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin stopped in their tracks and stared at Sato, absolutely stunned. "Waitwaitwait- you? Holy shi- uhhh, I mean," Jin took a hurried gulp of tea and started over. "Mr. Sato, sir. That's huge." Exit    Sato smiled, amused at their surprise but continued. ”I didn’t have the Honeybee, but I did have… people and when you’re born to so little, you find what light you can. Family, allies, steal and kill if you must. Anything to survive. It is never easy… especially when you are not touched in the way the others in your team are.” ”Are you getting along with them?” Mistress Dizzy    Jin gazed up at the brilliant pink petals, picking out the fractals in the placement with distant eye. It was difficult, tracing back the memories. There was no one to reminisce with, after all. Some of it was only remembered in a haze of pitch-dark, sweaty nightmares. Some of it was burned into their brain, so deep down that every layer showed the scar. Jin wasn't sure which was worse. "In Basic, everyone thought I'd burn out. Even I did, for a while." A faint, wry smile tweaked Jin’s lips. "Turns out, spite makes me work harder. No one saw me graduating top ten 4 years later. Then, the LSF… I don’t know what the Captain saw in me, but I’m glad he saw it." A flash of pride lit their eyes. “Us Low Ring Roaches don’t die easy, do we?” Exit    Sato chuckled lightly. ”’Roach’. That is a name I have not heard in ages. But yes… The things that we are capable of, if only others were not so quick to condemn us to crueler fates by virtue of our birth.” His smile held as his eyes drifted off to some far off memory. ”And to think of all we’ve had to rise above just to be something else. To be born new.” He looked again at Jin. ”You and I are very much alike, Takashi. We… our strength is not found the same way as it is for the others. We do not command the elements. We have but our hands and our minds to do our bidding. But you… you have an ingenuity they do not possess and I suspect you may see the world differently. The way the world truly is. How it should be. Which is why I believe I can entrust to you a task that may be too difficult for the others.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin grinned, the smile fading slowly as they reigned in their mind. While this visit was going to be something they’d remember for a long time, having a mission always made focusing much easier. They drained the teacup and nodded. “What do you need me to do, sir?” Exit    ”Nothing.” He said simply, offering to take the empty cup. ”For now. But when the time comes, I will send for you and that is when I will make my request known. Today, however, I simply wanted to meet. Thank you for the honor, Takashi.” Sato bowed his head slightly. Mistress Dizzy    “Okay.” The usual RSF operating procedure, a lot of hurry up and wait. Jin handed over the cup, and saluted smartly. “The honor’s mine, Mr. Sato. And I mean that.” They turned, heading toward the door. Almost there, they paused, tipping their head slightly. Jin went very still for a few moments, before approaching the tree in the center. There, they stuck a hand in the grass and dug out a black bead. “Is this what you were looking for?” They held it up to the light, curious. Exit    Sato watched Jin carefully, the lens around his glowing eye twisting and the light dimming as he focused on the hand holding the seed. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, but the moment passed and half a smile found his lips. ”Ah. I must have missed that one.” He nodded toward it. ”Keep it. You may find it useful one day.” He turned and began walking toward the tea set to replace the cup Jin had used. ”Just not as tea.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin grinned. It gave their face a surprisingly childish look. “Thanks, sir.” Momentarily fishing in their shirt, they pulled up a little cloth pouch on a leather strand. Opening it, they gently dropped the seed inside. Then they dropped the pouch back into hiding beneath their clothes. They went for the door without another word, and saluted once more before leaving for good. Exit    Outside, Nelu was patiently waiting in one of the seats, and in the middle of shifting around uncomfortably. When he saw Jin enter the room, he smiled and immediately got to his feet. ”How’d it go? Not so bad?” Mistress Dizzy    “Nah. You were right.” Jin smiled back, saluting Nelu before relaxing. “He wasn’t scary at all.” Their eyes flicked to the woman behind the desk. Their voice dropped to a low murmur. “Apparently there’s a task for me. But I don’t know what it is yet.” They shrugged. “Typical.” They started walking for the door, shooting back a question at Nelu without turning around. “Do you really… talk about me to other people like that?” Exit    ”Do I wha-” ”Dermok.” The lady behind the desk called after him calmly. When Nelu turned around, she gestured for the door, signaling that it was his turn. Nelu nodded. ”Right. My turn.” Nelu said, mostly to himself. He took a deep breath, steadying himself and forcing whatever blood was rushing to his cheeks to settle before he turned again to Jin. ”Sylara finished your tadpole so go check in with her. I’ll see you later.” Mistress Dizzy    “Oh, ok. I’ll check in with her. Bye, Cap.” Jin only looked back after the door shut behind Nelu. Then they, too, left. ... Exit    "Sato." "You were right." The elderly man had by now moved to the side of the room where the bowl of peculiar seeds was resting. Behind him, Nelu beamed. "But... that does not excuse what you are attempting to do with the Earthbender. They will not turn easy. Not now." And just as suddenly as his spirits were lifted, Nelu was returned to the subject at hand. "It's already being done." "Incompletely. She has spent too long with her powers and those powers will be seen as a gift. It is difficult to change a narrative that is already written and believed." "It won't matter if she's completely under control." "Heh." Sato plucked a bead out of the bowl and held it up in front of him, peering at it as if for the first time. "'What is control if not truth.'" "'And what is truth without a lie.'" Nelu recited. "The Earthbender is not why you wanted to see me. Neither is Jin." "The King. The king has forgotten his place and grown soft. Conflict from the accident in the Lower Ring has made him nervous. These... Benders 'aren't the same from before the war. They're people.'" Sato placed the bead in a mortar as he spoke. "Well the man has only known peace and a life inside a palace. Everyone in his circle looks like a friend." Nelu paused for a moment as he recalled what he'd shared with the Tamura woman. "So he's actually going to go through with it?" "That seems to be the case, and because we lost one of ours during the incident, we no longer hold a majority of the seats at his table. We no longer have control." "What will you do?" Sato picked up a pestle and placed it within the mortar and against the bead. With some pressure, the seed burst into white grains. "What will you do with the Earthbender?"

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??? · |@KillamriX88]??? · @KillamriX88 ____________________________________________________________________________. Prompt    Chae-Won awakens, lying on her back on a rather soft, comfortable mattress. Above her, a plain gray, cement like ceiling stares back. On all sides, plain gray walls. To the right is a stained wooden door that is slightly ajar and past it, white bathroom tiles are visible with a white fuzzy floor mat lying on top. To the left is a window with white sheen curtains drawn and outside, clear blue skies. The sounds of birds chirping can be heard. Past the foot of the bed and against the wall is a stained wood dresser about five feet tall and mounted to the wall is a large monitor. On top of the dresser is a remote with no buttons or markings and next to that, a small plant in a white pot. The room continues around the corner although what is down there is not currently visible. There is a nightstand next to the bed, and on it is a tall asymmetrical cuboidal shaped lamp, a free floating digital time display, and a pen and notepad. 'Duster Hotel' is written at the top of the notepad and on the side of the pen. The bed itself is neatly made, beneath Chae, with two white pillows at the top and gray sheets tucked nearly perfectly underneath her. On the floor next to the bed is a pair of fuzzy gray slippers.

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LSF HQ · @TheLSFLSF HQ · @TheLSF ____________________________________________________________________________. Nelu was exhausted. It had been less than a couple days after the raid on the abandoned rest stop and already the team had new orders. Despite having been given time to rest, that day had seen to him buried in what he believed was the worst part of his job. Everything, even the things they did in secret, had to be documented and that meant paperwork. Logging the Benders they had captured, recording their names and occupations and where they lived. Tracking where they were being transported too based on their level of threat and deciding how best to handle their incarceration. Then there was the paperwork covering the injuries they sustained and the damages and losses to equipment. When that was done and filed, Nelu finally carved out some time to pay both Yi and Kata a visit. Yi had been discharged fairly quickly what with how minor his injuries were. Kata, however, remained under for some time. His injuries had been more severe and combined with the fact that he'd passed out from the exertion alone, it was no surprise he'd need the time to recover. Thankfully, despite Kata's condition when he had arrived, Nelu had been informed that he was stable and would be cleared for their next mission. Their next mission would be a little different from their last with the team this time split into two. He and Jin would be traveling into the Underground to investigate reports of a gathering of the remaining surviving Benders, a gathering headed by one of the more powerful gang leaders of the city. Word was, the individual, whoever they were, sought to protect and train them to create for themselves an army with which they could take complete control of the Lower Ring and possibly push back against the Middle and Upper. The Underground was dangerous, especially for those who were unfamiliar with the criminal underworld, but given Jin's extensive knowledge from their youth and Nelu's experience in the area as an RSF officer, they were the two most ideal candidates for the operation. Zhen and Katakuri would be tasked with attending the Gala in the King's palace. With vacant seats of power and a King whose direction could no longer be easily determined, LSF control over the city had become threatened. Friend and foe had to be re-established, threats identified and appropriate courses of action decided upon. Both Zhen and Katakuri were men and women of renown in their other lives and would blend easily into a crowd of well-known faces. All of this information along with helpful bits of insight on known individuals who could be involved were displayed over the center table. Nelu would explain the situation and various assignments as the team filed in.

_Prompt:

After the raid on the abandoned rest stop, the team was given a day to rest before being called in again. Opening posts for chapter two may include a flashback post of your character's exploits any time before or directly after the raid and may also include what was done during the day of rest.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

CS updates and post from me by tomorrow at the latest. o7

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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Si Wong Desert · AfternoonSi Wong Desert · Afternoon ____________________________________________________________________________. "I. Am. So sorry." Sumire had removed her helmet and was carefully replacing the 'not-sumire' bobblehead that she had removed earlier, concealing once again the button that was underneath as quietly as she could. Tension from the back had filled the rest of the cabin and she refused to be the one to break it. Outside and under the hood, smoke was coming from the engine, both from the beating it had taken from the elements and the speed boost Sumire had forced through it. It could still run, but judging from the noise it was making before they stopped, it was any wonder how much longer it would last. Thankfully, the gas levels were still somewhat good at a little over half a tank. If they were careful and didn't run into any more sandstorms or killer Benders, they could cross a significant stretch of the remaining desert before they ran out of steam. Possibly the whole stretch if they were lucky. By now the storm had passed, presenting the group with clear skies and nothing but miles of sand in all directions. The tower they had run from was nowhere to be seen and neither were their pursuers. However, in the distance on the horizon was what looked to be a shape jutting out of the sand like a massive rock. Other than that, there was little else to see. Sand rolled across the desert sea in light waves, glinting sunlight as it glided away. The sun stood at its highest point in the sky, beating the ground in heat. Clouds were sparse and their shadows chased after the wind, too few and too fleeting to find any solace from the sun's fire. In the back of the Kyoshi, a layer of blood had pooled under the cold body of Kanna.

_Prompt:

A little less than an hour has passed since the Kyoshi escaped from the abandoned outpost. The sandstorm has just cleared and the engine needs to rest.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Prisk

I'm good with whatever. Whatever you think would service the story.

Code Vein (Closed)

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__Howling Pit · [&.FunnyGuy] [&.PigeonOfAstora] [&.Daxam]Howling Pit · @FunnyGuy @PigeonOfAstora @Daxam ______________________________________________________________________________..... . . . . . . . . . . Before the other thrall could recover, a hole suddenly opened up in its chest. Its rot smeared all over the flat of a blade as it dug into its flesh, rendering it visible. After a moment or two of struggling against its invisible aggressor, what remained of its life gave out and the thrall eventually stopped thrashing about. The blade was removed smoothly from the cavity it had left in its chest just as the body began to decompose. The knife too began disappear into the ether, slipping into transparent swirls of dust until it was no longer visible. Dirt on the ground depressed into a footprint and then another and another with each step connecting a path that lead up to and stopped next to one of the remaining thralls on the ground. The one at her foot was missing its leg. Within a few seconds, it had been pierced through the back and had begun turning to dust.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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Outside the tower · |@Exit], |@Fiber] & |@Mistress Dizzy] CollaborationOutside the tower · @Exit, @Fiber & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    "Carefully..." Nelu clasped his hand around Yi's wrist and slowly pulled the pilot out of the cockpit. Despite the damage sustained to the Firefly, Yi remained mostly unharmed. True to his skill, he'd managed to land the craft without seriously injuring himself and would be walking away from the landing with only minor cuts and bruises. The bird however was inoperable and could not be salvaged, which if Yi was being honest, hurt him more than any physical injury could. By now, any surviving Benders had been cuffed and were lined up against the toppled tower and on their knees. The restraints around their wrist restricted their use of chi, removing the threat of bending for the time being. The Vanguard patrolling nearby made sure that none of them entertained the notion of trying to flee although the explosive collars around their neck was deterrent enough. All in all, about fifteen people had been captured. They would need a whole other transportation vehicle to take them all back. The group didn't have to wait for long. A second aircraft similar to the Firefly arrived to take Katakuri and Yi back to HQ to be seen for their injuries. 141 joined them as well, obediently collected in yet another cage without fuss. Although not injured, he'd need a good wash to get the blood and sinew cleaned off his armor. Jin, Zhen and Nelu stayed behind with their prisoners to ensure no more were lost and more importantly, to keep an eye on a certain, still unconscious Earthbender. "Did they give you a hard time?" Nelu asked Zhen after joining her from the line of prisoners. Fiber    Zhen paced back and forth in front of the line of prisoners, ignoring her minor injuries. Her tattered cloaked blew in the wind, and she said “One subject was notable, the rest were not. The earthbender in question displayed abilities indicative of some level of self-study, competent but not overtly familiar to any of the classical earthbending tradition, along with an as-of-yet novel ability to manipulate glass. If he was still with us I would love to see what the Old Man would have to say. Remember when he used to break our bones as fast as the medics could fix them?” ”Made us learn fast.” Nelu replied. ”Although I think I just learned that I don’t like my bones being broken. Which one was the Earthbender?” Zhen silently pointed at Chae-Won in the line up, the only one of the prisoners had the marks of having been in a prolonged fight. Mistress Dizzy    Jin had Mifeng dismantled and slung around their back, and was beside Captain Nelu, simply waiting. They had their sidearm, a modified standard synergy pistol, within easy reach. Just in case one of the benders decided to get cute. Though they hadn’t said anything, their head was starting to throb. The speed calculus on the second airborne shot from earlier had set a pain going just above their left eye. All that for a whiff. Things were dying down, and with them, Jin’s focus was starting to drain. Even though they had practiced and trained and practically beaten their brain into submission, there was a limit to how long they could narrow the scope. “Hey, ma’am?” Jin gestured to Zhen, not wanting to use her name in front of the prisoners. Even if it was a fake one, info was info. “I’ve been thinkin about that thing you said earlier.” Fiber    Zhen saw Jin and was glad that they were mostly unharmed. Exhausted, sure, but there would be time to rest. More importantly she was excited that Jin had showed interest in their earlier conversation “You have? Would you like to talk about it more?” “Yeah. I think I get it. Sorta? Maybe there isn’t a measurable center of momentum between knowing, and not knowing. Like. Maybe it’s just binary. You know, or don’t.” Jin shrugged. “What I really wanna know is: who’s writin the definitions, and why?” Their thoughts tumbled out, a bit disjointed, like a kinked hose. “Every time I run into people who wanna box stuff up like that, it’s not ‘cause they wanna know what’s in the box. They wanna leave stuff outta it. And that stuff is usually people they don’t think measure up.” Fiber    Zhen said “So, the concept of knowledge is irreducible, that is to say that it cannot be decomposed into individual component concepts? I don’t know if I would take the same stance but I must commend your approach. There are so many problems in philosophy that just dissolve when you think rationally and refuse to give in to nonsense and imprecise definitions. Those snares can destroy the greatest minds and condemn whole civilizations to ignorance. New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old.” Mistress Dizzy    After listening to Zhen, Jin piped up again. Their hand dove into a pocket, pulling out the metal ball from earlier. “I know that line. Guru somebody or other, forever ago.” They began to roll the ball over their fingers without dropping it, a quick handed trick. Their other hand dangled loosely around their pistol. “Hey, you know what I don’t get?” It seemed Jin was on a new topic. “When the people who write these phil-o-sophy books are writin, who’s doin the real shit? Like. The cookin, the cleanin, the laundry. Fancy thought is great and all, but what about the people who actually make the world work?” Fiber    Zhen paused before answering “I think everyone can benefit from the knowledge of philosophy, even if they cannot create new works themselves. It is very important to see the world without lies, no matter who you are. We are better than we were in the past, our meritocratic system ensures that even intellectuals must show aptitude and produce work that benefits society, otherwise they will have to find another profession quite shortly. Modernity has eliminated much toil, we have far more excess resources to support these endeavors than our ancestors did, and further progress will see machines capable of even more of those laborious tasks. We’re far removed from the days of Guru Laghima and his cohort of air nomads living a life of pure intellectual speculation from birth while the serfs in the foothills spend their lives laboring in the fields.” She was a flustered by Jin’s question, wishing she could talk about her own works or her foundation without revealing too much about her identity. Mistress Dizzy    The ball picked up speed over Jin’s gloved knuckles. “Huh. I don’t know what a surf is, but I can guess it’s a fancy word for a poor bastard who has to work for a living.” Jin’s green eyes narrowed, squinting at Zhen. For several moments, there was an intense focus behind the gaze. “We ain’t as ‘removed’ as you think. Plenty of people work for other people. Y’ever think about food?” They gave Zhen a slow, up and down searching look. “No, you probably don’t. Someone has to grow that shit. It ain’t easy. It comes from a seed smaller than a BB,” Jin’s fingers pinched together “-and if anythin fucks with it - bugs, too wet, too hot, too- you get the fuckin picture, it’s dead. You don’t eat. Multiply that times about 10000, no one eats.” Jin scowled, the ball finally stalling in their palm. “What if one of those surfs is breakin their backs out there, but they have the right answer to your question?” It would be clear to anyone who knew Jin’s background where that argument had come from. Fiber    Zhen had a long answer, the kind she loved to give at the start of a lecture. “I think a lot about food. I think about how one acre of those seeds used to produce about four hundred and fifty pounds of food, and how modern techniques allow us to produce twenty times that. I think about how they had to save almost a third of their seeds merely to have enough to replant for the next year, now it is below ten percent. I think about how many in the Lower Ring subsist on inadequate diets, how lack of protein cripples the brain, how vitamin A deficiency blinds children. I think about how the agricultural sector covers less than a tenth of the city and is expected to feed the rest, and to keep pace with the ever growing population. I think about how over seventy percent of the Earth Kingdom’s population used to be farmers, barely managing to sustain themselves and the rest of the Kingdom; today the majority is free to pursue other endeavors. I think about how all plants must ingest Nitrogen, and how our pitifully inadequate natural sources Nitrogen have been replaced by massive plants running on the Yang-Li process, how eighty percent of the nitrogen inside us comes from that, and how that technology was unknown until less than two hundred years ago and not feasible until the advent of synergy. I think about how all plant life must feed on the sun, but our traditional staple crops can only manage to capture one or two percent of it’s energy, and even under laboratory conditions have never been able to get above five percent, while some Algae species have a photosynthetic efficiency of twenty percent. I think about how prototypes show that a single tank of algae the size of a water heater could feed thirty seven people a nutritionally complete meal every day, and how we could fill towers full of them, blanketing whole blocks, feeding them Synergy powered lights instead of the fickle sun. I spend a lot of time and resources to try and make that one happen, but isn’t even my only cause. I’ll have to discuss some of the other initiatives further some time, but make no mistake, just because I can’t plant or harvest doesn’t mean I don’t think about where food comes from. I want to liberate us from what has held down a thousand generations before us, not to perpetuate old notions of higher and lower statons.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin silenced as Zhen spoke, eyes half closed. The metal ball went back into motion as they gently tossed it up and down. Once the woman's soliloquy wound down, there was a silence from the smaller soldier. Then their eyes flew open, the green irises bright with emotion. "Ma'am. I actually believe you wanna do somethin good. And I'm willin to give you a pass cause we're on the same squad." Then they paused, a distinct look of disappointment flashing across their face. "If you took a quarter of the time you spend thinkin about a problem, and put that into doin something real about it, we might actually be somewhere." With that said, Jin walked off. It seemed the conversation was over.

_Prompt:

The second transport arrives soon after to pick up the prisoners and the remaining LSF. Chae-Won is taken to The Duster Hotel. End Chapter One.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

Maybe we meet halfway and have a shouting match.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Prisk Updated my sheet with the new info.

I just wanted to know: Is it okay to keep to one element or would you like me to pick two more?

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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In the Sandstorm · A TLA collaborationIn the Sandstorm · A TLA collaboration ______________________________________________________________________________. vietmyke    "Hooly fuck." was all Jin managed to get out as the Kyoshi threw itself headlong into the sandstorm. His hand gripped the wheel as he slowly eased off the gas pedal and reached over for the injector dial. He didn't want to slow down too much, but barreling through the storm would just end up with them wrecking and then they'd be in all sorts of trouble. Already, a warning light had begun blinking on his dashboard, and too much more would likely wreck their engine- or at least render it requiring maintenance at a dedicated shop, which they didn't exactly have the luxury of accessing at the moment. To make things worse, the sandstorm was one of the biggest Jin had ever seen, much less drive through. The Kyoshi's haze filter was meant for the general sand whipping around them, but it wouldn't let them see through such a large storm, his visibility was barely a few yards past the nose of the car. "I don't think they're gonna follow us. " Jin said, his chest heaving as he continued driving them forward, "Everyone okay?" canaryrose    Just then, Chu Hua started to scream. There were no words to it- just a high, keening wail of horror as she saw Kanna slump to the ground, a fist-sized hole punched through her neck. Instinctively, she leaned forward to catch her head in her hands, keeping her off the ground, but there wasn’t much she could do. Her hands were slick with blood, her eyes wet with tears that she didn’t realize she was making, and all she heard was her own awful screams and the gurgling of a person drowning in their own blood. It had been so fast. One moment they had been afraid of the monster ahead but together and alive, and then… where had that come from? Why? WHY?! Chu Hua gripped Kanna’s skull in her hands, trying to staunch the bleeding with her thumbs, but all she got from that was sticking her hands right into the viscera of Kanna’s throat. She gagged, just barely keeping from vomitingNononononono- She couldn’t lose Kanna, the woman who had just saved her life. It wasn’t right. “HELP! SOMEONE FUCKING HELP, PLEASE!” KillamriX88    Weiyuan had the misfortune of having to witness the fortune of their escape be further soured as the hot bolt of energy cut through the armor of the vehicle, and then Kanna. Screaming was not an option for him, just stunned silence, as his exhausted mind refused to accept the horrific reality before him. Chu Hua’s scream snapped him out of that. He couldn’t think of what to do, though. He frantically turned his head, scanning the interior of the vehicle to see if anyone else had noticed, but of course not. Chu Hua’s scream had been eaten up by the roar of the engine and the whistling of the wind coming through the hole in the armor. However, the moment his eyes passed over Vasra, a glimmer of hope was born. They had a doctor on board. Not worried about manners, he almost violently grabbed Vasra’s shoulder and shook her while pointing into the back of the vehicle at Kanna as Chu Hua began to explicitly call for help. No. No, everyone was not OK. Abstract Proxy    Vasra didn't think. She didn't hesitate. Patting the hand that shook her shoulder, she nodded at Weiyuan and moved towards the trunk of the car, stumbling, tumbling, and then rolling as the Kyoshi bumped across the sand dunes. Crashing into the side of the trunk, almost slipping on the blood as she rose to her knees, Vasra grabbed hold of the young woman, Kanna, with one hand. The sight that greeted her was horrible. Worse than she had expected. The wound was obvious. Kanna's throat had been savaged by whatever strange round round had torn through the Kyoshi. There was too much blood. She couldn’t see. Steading herself, she opened up her medical bag with one hand, retrieving a loop of dressing as she shifted closer. “Move your fingers, please, just for a second,” Vasra said, gently moving Chu Hau’s fingers away from the wound, as she tried to mop the blood out of the way and then applied pressure. She had a second before the blood returned, streaming out faster than she got. Carotid artery, Vasra noted clinically, fighting off the surge of adrenaline that raced through her. A mortal wound. A hopeless wound. They couldn’t burn it. They couldn’t tie it off. They didn’t have surgical tools. They were in a bumpy buggy racing through a storm. She didn’t have time to go digging through ravaged flesh. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds at most. “Driver! We’ve got a casualty,” Vasra shouted, her voice full of urgency, “I need a moment, I need you to keep the car stable, as stable as you can.” “You!” She said, pointing at Weiyuan, “Grab hold of her legs!” “And you!” Vasra continued, grabbing Chu Hau’s hand, “Hold her head! Please, take a deep breath, I need your help!”

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Si Wong DesertSi Wong Desert ______________________________________________________________________________. Weiyuan clambered into the trunk of the vehicle, not exactly happy about the situation they were in, but more than happy to have someone directing him. Thinking for himself right now was too hard. Looking at Kanna was even harder. He wedged himself into position, using his bodyweight to hold her legs in place. He could still hear the awful whistling from the accursed hole and feel the sting of the sand flying through it. It would make a great distraction, and jt would be no good if the sand got into the doctor's eyes as she worked. He held a hand up to the hole and did his best to push the sand away before it could fly through. He couldn't do that forever. He then tried to bunch the sand up in the hole, but the wind was making it hard. Why did everything have to be so hard? He was exhausted, lonely, and one of the few halfway familiar faces he did have was bleeding out right next to him She'd lied to him. She'd said she'd be right behind him. He always told himself he existed to take care of his more fragile half, but that was bullshit. Chae-Won had taken care of both of them. The whistling had stopped, allowing him to hear the sudden creaking and groaning of metal. He realized he'd effectively compacted the sand into solid stone, plugging the hole. Still, he didn't want to look away. He was afraid of what might be behind him.

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In the Sandstorm · |@Fiber] & |@Theyra]In the Sandstorm · @Fiber & @Theyra ______________________________________________________________________________. vietmyke    The Kyoshi slowed to a gradual crawl, the storm was moving against them, so he doubted the RSF would keep chasing them when they had aircraft. Keeping the car steady as Vasra suggested wasn't exactly a thing the Kyoshi was capable of at the moment- what with the sand and wind buffeting the car, but at least at a slower speed there wouldn't be any sudden jostles. A quick peak in the rearview mirror told him that there was an injury they were taking care of. It seemed bad, but there wasn't much Jin could do besides keeping them moving forward. "Mire, you hurt? " Jin murmured quietly, so as not to disturb the doctor and the others. Sumire merely shook her head no. With a small sigh of relief, Jin placed a sandy glove on her head. "Good. Reman, how're you holding up?" Theyra    “How am I?” Reman made a nervous chuckle and looked back at the truck. At the crowded trunk. ”I feel like we should be concerned about the group on the trunk but, me?” Looking down at his case that was on his lap. Looking at the two bullet holes in it and wondering if anything in there is broken. Then taking a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. “I think I am fine Jin, do not worry about me.” Now looking out of the window and only seeing flying sand and not much else. “I will be better once this storm ends or we get out of it. So I can gauge how far we are from the Tu Zin and get us to true safety.” Or at least Reman hopes that for their sake and that there will not be any other surprises or near death encounters. But, it will be a long trip to Tu Zin and hopefully the worst is over but, that is something that Reman hopes for very very much.

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Si Wong DesertSi Wong Desert ___________________________________________________________________________. Vasra let go of the dressing she had been pressing against Kanna’s throat and dove her blood soaked hands into her medical bag, rummaging with maddening haste until she found a carefully wrapped vial. Tearing the thick paper away, Vasra pulled the cork out with her teeth, spitting blood away, as she carefully shoved the vial into Kanna’s throat, placing the edge as close to the carotid artery as she could manage with the woman’s predictable flailing. Pouring the precious liquid out, she slowly moved her hand further from the most critical areas of Kanna’s throat, trying to ensure spirit water spread out as much as possible. There would be only one chance. Waterbending. Healing. Healing using water as a catalyst. She didn’t believe it. She didn’t think it was possible. But in a world of nightmares, surely there had to be dreams. There had to be hope. She had to try. “We have to try,” she said, turning towards the other, “We can’t stop the bleeding in time. We can’t cauterize the wound. The spirit water…probably won’t work. But it will ease her pain. It’s something, at least.” Closing her eyes, Vasra took a deep breath, placing both her hands over Kanna’s throat. She could almost feel it, the life flowing out of the woman lying beneath her. She tried to remember the anatomical drawings. She tried to remember the exposed throat of the cadavers they had used for practice. No, not like that, she thought with a shudder. She thought of the water. She thought of the spirit water shining bright with ethereal energy. She thought of energy. She thought of the energy flowing through Kanna. She thought of the energy flowing through herself. She thought of the energy flowing between them. All of them. From Weiyuan, to the dying Kanna, and to the panicked Chu Yuan. Her hands felt warm and then cold. Numb, as she imagined how Kanna’s throat should have been. She imagined the pain fading. She imagined her wounds healing. She felt a strange sensation, a rolling wave of energy as the spirit water reacted, and then evaporated in a burst of steam. She didn’t dare to open her eyes.

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Two Weeks AgoTwo Weeks Ago ____________________________________________________________________________. "Mom! Would you just listen to me?" Kanna jumped around the couch as she chased after the woman into the kitchen. "We can go. We have the money. We can get supplies. They said-" "And do what, Kanna? Run? Forever?" "We wouldn't have to. There's a place where it's safe." "We are safe." "What are you talking about? We are anything but! She saw you, mom! And at the worst possible time! Maybe if we were some random fucks in the Lower Ring it would be different but you're not just anyone! You think she's not going to talk? Do you know how much that information would be worth to the right people right now? Like say, I don't know, your opponent?" "It's been weeks, we're fin-" "I don't care how long it's been! We're never going to be safe!" "Kanna..." "You don't get it!" Kanna nearly screamed. Her frustration had boiled to a point where she could barely contain it. The fact that her mother continued to be so nonchalant about the ordeal only made things worse. She watched as she began pouring herself a glass of wine as if it were any other evening. "People don't just let this shit go, and even if... even if she doesn't report it... how long before you slip up again huh? Or maybe years from now she has a change of heart and then what? I can't... we can't live looking over our shoulders for the rest of our liv-" "When you were born..." Kanna's mother interrupted. She was looking into her wine glass. "I was... afraid." She looked at Kanna. "I was afraid because I knew what my life had been like the twenty years before you arrived. I knew what it was like to live with this secret and I was afraid I was bringing you into that. And every year, as you got older, my fears only got worse. But... then we found out you weren't a Bender and you have no idea how relieved we were." She smiled and looked down at her glass again, watching the red liquid inside spin in slow circles. "And yet... it felt wrong. Bender or not, I would have loved you more than anything and I would have wanted you to live any life you wanted." She motioned with her glass at the house they were standing in. A place in the Upper Ring that they could call home. Her mother had taken the time to design the interior and too discovered a part of herself that she learned to love. Walls were an off white with furnishings made of a pale wood finish, accented sparingly with small foliage that seemed to grow out of the framework itself. A stone fireplace built into the wall stood vigil in the main living space that was adjacent to the kitchen, and where the two women stood, large windows provided a clear view of the horizon sitting upon the outline of a wall. "This. Everything we have is built on a lie because they say it is. And why? Why is that? Why do we need to run from this? I've been a Firebender all my life and yet, I am doing what I've always done and every night, I come home to this. I come home to you. Who said that's wrong?" "They did." "And who said that they're right?" Kanna's mother replied, taking another sip from her glass. "It doesn't matter who's right. They'll kill you." "But it should matter... and maybe.. maybe bending is bad, but there's a big difference between what I think is wrong and what I know feels wrong. Being afraid for the life of my child when she's barely taken her first breath... before I can even celebrate her life... that is wrong. Somebody has to change that." "That's not going to be you! Not when you're a-" "My daughter is the best stickball player in the world. She fought tooth and nail for that crown. Where do you think she got all that fight from huh? You think I can't?" She raised an eyebrow at her daughter. Kanna shook her head. "Mom, that's not... I just don't-" But before Kanna could say anything else, her mother had put down her glass, walked around the counter and put both hands on the side of her face. "I will not run and leave my child to live a life in fear for the people she loves. I'll fight, the same way you're fighting right now."

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In the SandstormIn the Sandstorm ______________________________________________________________________________. Kanna continued to struggle against every pair of hands holding her down, her body moving involuntarily as it tried to cover the hole in her neck where her life was spilling out. But as the seconds ticked away and her consciousness began to slip, her mind devolved from desperate attempts at preserving her life to a numb acceptance of her pain. Fire had spread from her neck that began eclipsing all her other senses until it was all that she knew. She couldn't hear anything anymore. Couldn't feel anything else. She could only smell iron in the air and in that moment, all she could see was the fear in Chu's eyes. There it was again. That fear. Kanna was so tired of seeing it. The brief flash when her mother had been caught. The way it stared back at her in the mirror every day after. Even now, out here in the middle of nowhere it had found her. Someone. Fearing for her life. She wondered if it had been the same way for her mother on the day she was born. What sin had she committed bringing her daughter into a world only for both of their lives to be plucked like the petals of a flower. What sin had she committed saving Chu? Was it really wrong for her to have done this? It looked wrong. She seemed upset. Maybe running was wrong, but then who decided that? Kanna didn't know anymore, but she did know that this... felt right. Maybe in the end, that was all that mattered. Her neck began to warm slightly. The pain faded away. Her fingers tightened around Chu's wrist as she looked up at her and smiled. ...I'm still the best Stickba-...

_Prompt:

Kanna eventually stops moving and her hand over Chu's wrist slips free. Although her eyes are still open, it's clear to all that she has passed away. Over the next hour or so, the sandstorm will settle. There will be no tower in sight and no obvious pursuers. Everyone within the Kyoshi is safe. End Chapter One.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

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_{DAY 1 《》 STEELWATER [RD-PRS] 《》 After Noon 《》 @Prisk}

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This had been a mistake from the start. Since the drop, nothing had gone to plan and now here she was standing in a building where she did not belong, crossing paths with the weary faces of other Aeons. She recognized all of them although there was one who stood out more than the others. BlackRock had always been a force of strength backed by its wealth. A corporation waging a war against invaders with numbers and logistics rather than its much smaller by comparison private military. To this end did they take from those around them and in many ways, indirectly affect the lives of those they did not. Everything was done for the 'greater good' of course, but it didn't always feel that way and because BlackRock never bothered to explain or apologize if they felt it a waste of their time, offended parties held grudges they seldom forgave. The other faces she'd recognized included Aaron Nyles, Errikos Rigas, Eun-Ji Park and Robert Hernandez. All of them were Aeons, but none of them bore the presence of Scylla Fleurane or her history. There was a nation out there who had tried to shutter themselves away from the rest of the world, sitting on a throne made of rock and warriors. BlackRock had moved in with the rest of an impatient world, encroaching upon a land that was not their own and in the name of defense. The actual truth of their move mattered little and in the end, all BlackRock walked away with was a piece of a mountain. Dragoons were worth more than any amount of carved stone and an Aeon of Fleurane blood arguably more than any other weapon conceived. There was history in the room and again, Christina was reminded that she was not meant to be here. So when Emilia found her in her contemplation some time later, she'd already asked herself the questions she was about to be given. "So, what happened? Why are you here?" "Emilia Clark pointed a gun at me with no ammo." Christina began, but then immediately shook her head. She shifted around in her chair to better face the other woman. The acknowledgment of just that statement alone hurt her pride to some degree but it was shadowed by the real shit she was in. She knew she'd answered the wrong question and that her response was not what Emilia wanted. She also knew that saying the real answer out loud meant putting truth to the images she'd been sorting through in her head for the past hour and she hated knowing that. Christina took a deep breath as she tried again. "I'm here because I was sent with my team to find and secure an HVT. However, what we found wasn't what we were expecting. At all. Our HVT ended up being an archon. He... killed my entire team and being the only survivor, I did the only rational thing which was to run... into your gun." She sucked her lip as she looked down at her wrist, noting the time on the digital display. Her lip slipped from between her teeth making an audible pop. She seemed half annoyed, a little impatient, but very eager to make conversation if only to get to the bottom of the situation. "It's obvious to me now this entire situation is UDF involved and to make matters worse, there is a new strain of Stigma." Christina turned briefly to where they had taken the child and then looked to Emilia. Her eyes shifted from an inquisitive concern to a curiosity that was directed. "So that's what happened. But, I guess the better question now is 'What happened to Benjamin?'"

Summary

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Emilia approaches Christina and begins to interrogate her. Christina asks a question of her own.