The Kraken

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai followed behind Avani, making their way down the streets to her apartment. Once she parked her car, she got out and shut the door behind her at Avani's request. Well, if she was supposed to be her body guard then she might as well accompany her inside. Wouldn't want any bad guys popping out from around a corner after all, though Kasai was more than certain that Avani could take care of herself in such a situation.

She followed in step behind Avani as they made their way into the apartment. "Bit paranoid, are we?" Kasai said, taking note of how Avani locked the door behind them. The apartment was a bit disorganized and disheveled, but Avani didn't really scream "clean freak" either so it was fitting. Some people were able to make more sense of a mess than a perfectly clean home. Kasai took a seat in the chair that was offered to her and waited for Avani to gather her things so that they could head out.

"Oh, go ahead." Kasai answered, figuring the change would be no big deal and take just a few moments. She wasn't so surprised that Avani chose to undress in front of her, but what did shock her was how the simple action took a seductive tone. She should have known better than to think that her little stunt outside the station would go by without any consequences. Of course she would have to pay for it later, not that it was such a bad thing.

It did render her speechless momentarily, however, when she had nowhere else to look than at her current lover barely dressed in front of her. Words could be heard coming from Avani's mouth, but after she had stradled across Kasai's lap, she had tuned out. It seemed like so long since she'd seen Avani, and for once in the past week she was able to focus on something other than the stresses of work. Which was actually the trick, because this was her job for now.

"Uh... w-what?" She blinked a few times and shook her head. "Oh, uh, something to drink maybe? Yeah, something to drink." She said before swallowing hard, feeling the desert that her mouth had become. It didn't take long for her to realize a couple things. One: she sounded like a babbling idiot, and Two: she wasn't going to be getting that drink anytime soon.

Shifting in her seat, she bit her lip and looked Avani up and down as she regained her composure.

"On second thought, I think I'll take the house special." She said after finally managing a smile through her nervous fit. "So about our little agreement..." Kasai said after relaxing in her seat and placing a hand on Avani's side. "I am supposed to be your body guard. And that means I can't let you out of my sight." Her other hand found Avani's other side and she pulled her further into her lap.

"Are those terms you can agree to?" Kasai asked before leaning forward to gently kiss Avani's collarbone. "Or is there some negotiating you want to do?" She said between nibbling on Avani's neck.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai was twiddling her thumbs waiting for Avani to sign the papers so that they could leave when she looked up to see Avani donning a mischievous expression. Immediately she knew something was up, especially when Avani suddenly acquired manners and began using pleasantries. Arching her eyebrow in suspicion, she waited and listened to what Avani was beginning to say. It didn't take long before she was reaching across her desk to swipe at the papers that were just out of her reach.

Quickly, she backed her chair up and attempted to run around her desk to silence Avani. Unfortunately, her desk had other plans for her. Kasai's foot caught the leg of the wooden frame and down she went, tumbling to the floor. If there was a pair of eyes in the room that wasn't already aimed her direction, they were now.

In a fraction of a second, the laser-beam glare that she had given Avani what seemed so long ago now in the spirit world was back. She clumsily and embarrassingly fumbled around on the floor before finally finding her feet beneath her to stand up. By the time she made it back to an upright position, she could see Avani high-tailing it out of the squad room and downstairs.

Kasai looked at the papers on her desk, seeing they were signed. Everyone in the vicinity was still staring at her, some laughing and others with their mouths agape. Kasai laughed nervously and quickly filed the papers away on her desk.

"Heh... criminals. Who can trust em, right?" The nervous laughter continued as she slowly backed towards the exit. "Nope, can't trust a one. Nuh-uh. Always making stuff up and whatnot." She was almost to the door now, just a few more feet to sweet freedom. "Oh, hey Jai, is that a new badge? Very nice." She reached for the door and flew out as quickly as humanly possible.

Outside, she found Avani busting up, as she had predicted. She imagined her face was still as red as the fire nation's crest, but she at least was away from the staring beady eyes now.

"You think you're soooooo funny." She said between bursts of laughter from Avani. "Well, I'll have you know that it doesn't affect me in any way. Nope. And I meant to trip..." Kasai bit her bottom lip and urged the knot in her gut to go away. Usually she wasn't easily embarrassed, but being bombarded in front of all of her coworkers... yep, that'll do it.

She thought about how to turn it around on Avani, but found no such plan. In the end, she turned quickly towards Avani, making sure there was no one else coming out of the station first, and pushed her up against the wall of the building. Her body pressed against the other woman's and she narrowed her eyes to her.

"It might have been all in good fun, but secretly you wish your words were actually a part of this little contract we have. Don't you? Wouldn't that be fun?" Kasai grinned this time and hovered closer to Avani to whisper. "Well, we don't need it in writing to make it happen." Kasai lingered for a few seconds more, her lips brushing Avani's cheek before she pulled completely away and retrieved her keys from her pocket, acting like nothing had happened.

"Well, come on then. We need to go get your bike." She said, heading towards her car and not looking back to see if Avani was following or not. She waited in her car and then pulled away, driving towards the area where they had left the motorcycle. "I can follow you to your place if you want to grab some stuff and bring it over to my apartment. You're under my watch, after all."

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai managed to ignore Avani's sudden laughing and finish her spiel. She already knew that what she was proposing sounded preposterous to Avani, so there was no need to address her outburst. Kasai finished with her offer and waited for Avani to laugh in her face and walk out of the station, but she was pleasantly surprised when her reaction was a little more tame than expected.

"You're more than welcome to leave here and skip town, I'm just offering you another way out." Kasai hoped that Avani would think on it a little more before shutting it down completely. It would provide her with the money she apparently needed and she wouldn't have to pack up and move her life from Republic City. "But I hope you'll consider it."

When Avani asked about the pay, Kasai perked up a little. "Well, it's not enough to buy a big shiny mansion. But, it is a healthy sum. The department understands the risks associated with what you're doing. It'll come out to about twice what you would get from the gang if you hold up your end of the deal." She hoped that would be enough to convince her, but if not then at least she could say she tried. "I'll even share my bed if you feel more safe at my place."

Now it was Kasai's turn to have a laughing fit, unable to contain it as she saw Avani tip over and land on the ground. She shut up real quick though when Avani made her way over. "Well, I'd expect nothing less." Kasai returned the grin with a smirk of her own. "If nothing else, you could get a thrill from it, no? It's sure to keep the adrenaline pumping." Maybe the danger of it all was enough to attract Avani to it, who knew?

Kasai held the short distance between them a moment more before turning to open the door for Avani. "If you'd like your chance to do this dumb and reckless thing then we have some paperwork to fill out before we leave." Kasai led Avani over to her desk where she already had the papers laid out. "Alright, feel free to read it all. But long story short, these papers serve as the agreement between you and the department. Your protection details as well as payment details are laid out. You can agree to these terms and sign the papers, then we can be on our way out of here."

Kasai waited to see if Avani would follow through completely and sign the papers or not. She knew it was a lot to ask and expect, but she hoped that this option sounded more compelling than the others she had at her disposal. If Avani agreed, it meant that Kasai's job would be taking on a different nature than it normally did. Instead of surveillance, she would move to security and protection detail. Essentially, she would still be surveilling the gang house, but now it would be to keep an eye on Avani. On paper, that made her job easier. But she had a feeling that it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai stood outside of the interrogation room with her arms crossed as she listened to the interview. One of her bosses walked up and stood beside her, watching as well.

"So, what brings this one in today?" The silver-haired man asked as he peered through the one way glass to watch the detective and Avani.

Kasai shifted on her feet before replying, not bothering to look at him when she did. "Been monitoring the Shozin hangout for weeks now, first new face to show up in all that time. Thought she might have some useful information for us from the inside, since we can't get any of the undercovers to get in with them."

The older man nodded and said nothing else, walking off before the end of the interview. Kasai stayed where she stood, shaking her head as she listened to Avani's remarks to the detective. Spite is an interesting thing. Still, Kasai figured Avani would get over it eventually.

Despite her attitude, Avani seemed to be telling the detective the truth when she finally got down to answering the questions presented to her. So far, so good. The interview ended and the detective walked out of the room holding her notepad. Kasai fell into stride next to her, pointing back towards the room Avani was in.

"So? What do we have?"

The woman scoffed, "Other than a pervert? Nothing. There is no evidence to hold her with anything, even though its obvious she is an associate of the gang. We'll have to wait until we bring the gang down to actually charge her with anything." And with that, the woman turned and walked down the hallway.

Kasai stood there for a moment to process the information. Okay... so Avani wasn't being charged with anything. That's good. But now she's been interviewed and identified as part of the gang, so when they go down, she'll unfortunately be hunted down with them. Damn. Well, shit. Think, Kasai, think...

She promptly turned on her heel and headed for her Captain's office. After several minutes of explaining and convincing, she left with a smirk on her face and headed for the interrogation room. Walking in, she closed the door behind her.

"The RCPD has no evidence to charge with, let alone hold you with, anything. Therefore, you are free to go. However, we do have an offer for you. Your first option is to leave here and continue about your life as you have. Or, you can report to us an an informant. If you bring us inside information from the Shozin gang, we will pay you for the intel and also waive any charges that may come in association with the gang."

Kasai shrugged her shoulders and held her hands out, moving them like a balance to see which choice Avani would make. In the end, Kasai would respect whichever decision she made, especially considering she pretty much forced her to come in to the station.

"Oh, and we can also provide protection for you during the trial if and when we bring the gang down. You'll have me as a body guard."

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai rolled her eyes and smirked at Avani's whining. Well, she didn't expect anything less than the usual from her. At least now it wasn't the hard-headed part that she was experiencing. She put the car in drive and headed down the street.

"Don't tempt me, you know I'm capable of using these well." Kasai patted the cuffs on her hip and grinned before grabbing the radio on her car dash. "Dispatch, this is Sergeant Inoshi, coming in now with a 10-15 en route." Kasai put the radio down and returned her attention to driving.

"Oh, I'm not worried about you running away." Kasai teased, but didn't comment further on the offer until she felt Avani breathing on her neck. She had to clench her jaw as a wave of goosebumps tingled down her spine. She swallowed the lump in her throat and played it cool, even though the small gesture was unnerving.

No, she couldn't just pull off into some alley. Afterall, she had already called in to the PD and they'd expect her soon. Although... the definition of a "quickie" was in and of itself a brief excursion. It had been a rough week, with the long days spent working and after hours occupied with hunting down a reporter to talk to. Kasai was stressed out, and to be honest she had missed Avani, regardless of the scuffle earlier.

Kasai kept her eyes on the road ahead, even as Avani hummed into her shoulder. It didn't take long before she groaned in frustration. Kasai pulled the car over at the next alley and put it in park before turning to the woman next to her.

"Okay, so maybe I have had a stressful week... and maybe I've kinda missed you." She paused to plant her lips onto Avani's for a moment before pulling back. "But... we have more important things to attend to. I don't have a 'get out of jail free' card just sitting in my pocket." She frowned before sighing and putting the car in reverse to get back on the street.

"I promise I will do what I can to help though." They continued on and soon reached the police station, where Kasai escorted Avani inside.

"They usually don't let the detaining officer do the questioning... to make sure both sides of the story are heard. But I'll be right outside of the questioning room. Trust me when I say that the truth is better than lying."

She waited for the interviewing detective to arrive and left to write up her detention report. Hopefully when Kasai left work at the end of the day, Avani would be leaving with her.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai had full intentions of getting in her car and driving off to leave Avani to whatever fate she chose for herself. She could only try up to a point, and she knew when it was time to give up and let the other person fend for themselves. It would probably be a bit hard to explain where her suspect is when she shows up empty handed at the PD. Kasai would have to think of something to cover her ass, probably tell them the suspect got away on a motorcycle, which was part of the truth.

Truth was, Kasai didn't feel like being continually griped at all the way to booking, even if she really should take Avani in. If she did, she would just be a traitor and the bad guy yet again, so instead she found that it was not worth her time. Kasai was worried for Avani, though. Either way she could be in jeopardy, and Kasai didn't want that to be her fault too.

When she didn't hear the sound of Avani's motorcycle starting up immediately after she walked away, she considered turning around. Kasai had thought that after that little scuffle she would not hesitate to take off and get as far away as possible. But then again, Avani seemed to do the opposite of what would be thought when least expected.

Kasai put a hand up to wave off Avani's mumbling, taking it for mockery before she reached to get in her car. However, when she looked up, she saw Avani standing between her and her car. She was surprised to hear Avani apologizing, but she kept her face expressionless.

Kasai sighed and looked down, staring at her feet for a moment before she looked back up at Avani.

"I'm sorry too," she frowned. "I didn't mean to be pushy, I just don't want you to come out on the wrong end of this. And of course, I think my way is better. But that doesn't mean I should force it on you." She did raise an eyebrow at the suggestion that Avani made about arresting her.

"You... want me to detain you?" She stared at her for a few more confused seconds, and then shrugged her shoulders after she thought about it. "I mean, only if you're sure." Kasai felt bad about it now, even though she still thought it was the safest bet. "Let's find somewhere safer to park your bike first."

Kasai followed behind until the motorcycle was parked safely and then got out of the car.

"Well, let's do this the easiest way possible. I'm detaining you for questioning, not arresting you. So no cuffs necessary, so long as you play nice." She smiled lightly and then got back in her car. After Avani got in with her, she pulled off and headed for the department, hoping everything would work out as smoothly as possible.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai clenched her jaw and grit her teeth behind her stony expression. Was it so hard to believe that she wanted to help? After all, that's what police officers are supposed to do. Protect and serve? The whole Oath of Honor thing? Apparently all Kasai was good for was looking out for herself, or at least that's what Avani seemed to think.

And furthermore, how was Kasai the bad guy here for doing her job? It wasn't her fault that Avani was working for a gang of criminals. All she was trying to do was keep the situation from escalating. It wasn't uncommon for gang's to clean house when things start to go awry, that's why gang busts were usually so large and tedious. Kasai was trying to cover the bases just to stay safe.

One thing was for sure though, she wasn't going to be bullied for trying to help.

"Do you really think threatening me is going to do anything? Go for it." Kasai tried to keep her voice even and calm, even though she was getting frustrated underneath it all. She couldn't keep her voice from raising an octave in volume, though. "If all you can do is find ways to threaten me then you need to get your priorities straight."

It was getting under her skin, but not because she was actually scared of the consequences of an accusation. She was mostly tired of Avani's bipolar attitude, and how easily she seemed to want to attack Kasai over something that wasn't even her fault. But, if she didn't want to take the help that was being offered to her, then so be it.

"For fuck's sake, if I'm that terrible to you then by all means go see what your 'friends' have to offer you." She threw her hands up in the air in a gesture. "But remember who tried to help you first, you were just too stubborn to listen to someone who actually cares."

Kasai wasn't going to stick around for any more verbal abuse, it wasn't her head that was on the chopping block after all. Maybe Avani needed some tough love to get her emotions in order. Or that could make it worse, who knew.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai crossed her arms in front of her and made no effort to entertain Avani's playful demeanor. She wasn't in a particularly playful mood at the moment, considering the circumstances. However, she remained silent while Avani tried to dance around the subject and switch topics to distract her. Kasai bit the inside of her lip to keep from blabbering off something she would most likely regret.

"Now is not the time for smooth talk, Avani." Kasai said, not blinking as she looked up to return the gaze.

"If you think you miss me now, wait until they've had you locked up for a few years."

And finally, the flood gates of truth opened up. Kasai wasn't really too surprised with what she heard, which was maybe the part that concerned her the most. Morally, it went against everything she stood for and believed in. But there was just something about this damn girl that made Kasai tolerate it. She did remember the teasing Avani did about how she got her money, and again with her hatred of law enforcement it did all add up correctly.

The tidbit that did draw some attention was the fact that they wanted her to stick around. That was definitely a bad thing... or a potentially good one, if they were going to use her as an inside scout. It might be the only way to guarantee she doesn't go down with them.

"I would've found out eventually, better now than when you're behind bars wondering if I can sweet talk my boss again."

Before she could remark another smartass comment, she was cutoff by Avani's lips on her own. It took her a moment to register the action before she unfolded her arms and put a hand on Avani's shoulder. Kasai pulled away and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just stuck in cop mode. This isn't a good situation, Avani. Even if you never go near those people again, they could still rat you out and take you down with them. Once the castle starts to crumble, they tend to pull everyone down with them." Kasai shrugged her shoulders.

"I have an idea, but it'll require you to play nice with some people at the PD..." Kasai half-grinned, knowing that the idea was sure to raise a few hairs on the other woman. "But on the bright side, it keeps you from being arrested. All you have to do is agree to work as an inside-man and report the activity back to the department. Then you won't be charged with anything when the sting goes down."

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Avani was all jokes as usual, but Kasai's expression did not change from the cold stare and crossed arms that she had approached the car with. It wasn't a joking matter, this was something serious. Something Kasai couldn't even get her out of if she got too wrapped up in it. Hell, Avani was lucky that Kasai was the officer on post and not someone else who would report her as a gang member.

"I should kick your ass right now." Kasai said, unfolding an arm to point a finger at Avani. She didn't know whether to be more mad or concerned about her.

But what if Avani really was a gang member? Kasai did remember a few comments she had made about how she came about her money, but she had assumed those were also all jokes to pick at the fact that Kasai was a cop. If she really was in with the wrong crowd then Kasai couldn't ignore it... she might have to use those handcuffs for less pleasurable things this time.

"What the hell was that? Waltzing in to one of the city's most powerful gangs like you belong there?" She was getting angry now, but she realized she needed to calm down before the situation got too heated. Kasai took a step back and sighed.

"Avani, there are cops all over that place. We've been watching that gang's activity." Kasai hoped that Avani wasn't a part of whatever big scheme the group was conjuring up. But if she was... a light bulb went off in Kasai's head. If Avani was in pretty deep within the veins of the gang then the police department may offer to make her a deal if she reported as an inside man...

"I need you to be honest with me and tell me exactly what's going on."

Kasai didn't know if Avani would tell her the truth or not, especially considering her feelings towards law enforcement. However, if Kasai was going to keep her out of prison again then she needed to know what role Avani was playing with these people.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai had remained at her post on the bench, looking around for the millionth time to try and occupy her time. She almost hoped that something sparked up across the street so that she had an excuse to get up and in on some action finally. The joint had seen increased activity since she arrived, which wasn't a good sign if they truly were pulling in resources for a bigger job. All remained calm, though.

That is, until a motorcycle rumbled up and interrupted the subtle calmness of the area. Kasai looked over and cocked her head to the side. That motorcycle sure did look a lot like Avani's, if her memory served her well. Well, maybe it was a popular model... Kasai had to squint whenever the driver got off of the bike. Huh, that kinda looked like Avani... but with a... tattoo?

Kasai blinked a few times as she watched Avani walk into the gang's hideout, gliding through the doors as if she had done it many times before. She was left sitting there in shock, different excuses and scenarios playing through her mind. Well, it's not like she thought Avani was the most law-abiding citizen in Republic City. But getting wrapped up with people like this? It was a serious issue.

Now came the part of what to do. Kasai couldn't ignore the fact that Avani was in with a gang just because they were kind of dating. She had plenty of time to think about what to do, as Avani went in and it didn't seem like she would be coming out. Finally, Kasai reached for the radio on her hip and stood up, walking around the corner of an alley before calling in to the station.

"This is officer Inoshi... I'm going to need a backup officer to cover my post. I have a suspect that I am going to pursue."

She waited for confirmation of her backup before rushing back to her car. She pulled it around to the street just in time to see Avani walk out of the building to get on her bike. Kasai still didn't know exactly what she was going to do, but she waited for Avani to drive off before following behind her.

Kasai made sure that they were several blocks away from where the backup officer would be before she pulled up closer behind Avani. Flipping on the little light on her car and the siren, hoping that Avani would see her and pull over instead of the more 'adventurous' choice.