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Fandom Avatar: The Exiled Chronicles

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The crease on the captain's forehead evidently softened once Maizen and Yara finished their explanation. While he wasn't exactly the closest person to Xiurong, Guiren knew enough about her personality for their sentences to make sense. He had been tasked to assist the Avatar during many missions in the city, and he knew for a fact the operation three months ago wouldn't be the last one.

"I'm not actually here to see Mr. Zhao." Guiren rectified with shake of his head. "I know the two of you are tired so you can go ahead and rest. We'll just contact you if the department has more questions." He then gave a nod of acknowledgement to the fair-spoken duo.

The fiery professor who had returned Maizen's smile, on the other hand, picked herself up and dusted her clothing. Such a shame she couldn't do anything about the red mark on her forehead, but oh well. "I'll go prepare tea for everyone then." She piped up and headed for the kitchen which was still visible from the group's position.

"Why are you here then?" Xiurong finally popped her silence. She barely suppressed herself from denying her supposed-friendship with the Tosuda heir. Thankfully, she has remembered and caught on his poorly made excuse back at the docks. Although this didn't mean she wasn't drilling a hole through his skull with her eyes while he explained their forged relationship. Regardless, the question was directed at the local cop so she pried her attention from the pale man.

"Xiurong, you know I am genuinely concerned over-"

"You need something from me." It wasn't a question but a fact. She scoffed at the captain's speechlessness before moving her arms in fluid motions. A gentle gale then picked up the ceramic fragments and wooden splinters before it stored the sharp particles into the nearby trash bin. She then moved to sit on the relatively untouched single-seated couch, leaning onto its softness before closing her eyes. "Stop pretending, it's disgusting."

"It's not pretend, you know that." He countered.

"Oh, is that so?" She shrewdly replied, eyes still closed. "I must've gotten the wrong impression two months ago. My bad." Sarcasm dripped in her every word. This was a tone she'd often use when speaking with her brother, and Xiurong knew for a fact she always won whenever she used it.

"Xiurong. The Republic can't just get involved with other nation's affairs."

"Oh of course, how could I forget? The Republic's only interested in receiving help, not the other way around."

"Can we please argue about this some other time? It's irrelevant to the current-"

"Irrelevant?" Xiurong's fluttered open with anger. "My father's gone- been gone for months now. Some bastards took him. I asked the Republic for help, but you guys drove me away. And because of what? Petty politics? Meanwhile, when the Republic needs help I come running and risking my life every single time!"

"And we're once again asking you to." Captian Beifong sternly replied. "You're the Avatar. It's your job... whether you like it or not."

Silence overcame the Avatar, the anger in her face shifting into resignation. "What do you need me to do?"

Likewise, the captain paused for a moment before responding, "I'm sure you're already aware. There were reports about your recent encounter in the strips before the incident in the docks exploded. One of the most notorious gangs in Republic City, the Bone Crushers, are back in business."

"How? Didn't I put them in jail three months ago?"

"While most of the members are still in jail, their leader and a few who are suspected to be in his inner circle managed to bail out for a hefty sum." Guiren explained, glad that the Avatar was finally acting in a civilized manner.

Xiurong rolled her eyes. Of course money just had to run the world. "Then they're surprisingly back in business and you need me to put them back in their cells, is that it?" The Bone Crusher gang has always been known for their wide-scale illegal gun production and success in the blackmarket. Three months ago, they even found robotic prototypes in their factory.

"Correct. But moreover, we suspect there's a bigwig helping them in the shadows. If you can find any clue about their identity then that will help the city greatly." He added, "The Chief herself sent for your assistance after she found out about your recent... engagements. The people in the strips are asking for compensation over the damage you've caused along with a number of repairs for the docks. The state's well aware of your recent banishment and financial status, and thusly decided to nullify your debt in exchange for your cooperation." The department was well aware of how they sounded right now, and they knew for a fact that such words would aggravate the Avatar. It was why they sent him, a relative, to discuss the negotiation with her.

Strangely enough though, Xiurong remained calm in her seat. "Very well. I'll do it." She said, catching the cop off-guard. Working with their current Avatar was never this easy, but deep inside he already has an inkling of her next few words: "But in one condition."

"What is it?" The captain prodded with a raised brow.

"Igoo will be released and returned to Xian afterwards. No ifs and no buts." She kept her eyes on the captain, gauging his reaction for any signs of deceit.

"I... think that will work. Fine, you have yourself a deal." He nodded, knowing full well that the Chief would agree. "We'll discuss the plan tomorrow. Feel free to include your team in the operation." He said before turning to Maizen and Yara then shooting them a smile each. "Well then. Thanks for your cooperation, everyone. See you tomorrow." With that, the officer exited the apartment.

It was only then did Professor Jade finally waltzed out of the kitchen with a tray of cups in hand. "Oh dang it. I made tea for five." She murmured with a pout before offering a drink to each of the remaining occupants. "Jasmine tea? Good for the heart."

"I hate this city..." Xiurong said with a sigh before sinking back into the couch, eyes closed.

Flutterby Flutterby The Prophet The Prophet
 
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Bao Rongye
Seventeenth Night of The Seventh Month
Si Wong Rock​

The Prince's response had caused him to pause for a bit, as Bao had been expecting him to just follow along. He didn't like the idea of separating near of the most dangerous areas on the land mass , however, after giving Xu and his retainer another look and seeing the outline of the Prince's bow, he reasoned that Xu would be most competent in the open.

Bao's eyes moved from the Prince and scanned the moonlit sands as he spoke, "Are you sure, Your Highness? Because if anything goes wrong, it is most likely to happen out here," His gaze saw that nothing disturbed the surrounding dunes, and knowing reinforcements were on the way, he waved his worry away. "Never mind it, Your Highness. At least you'll be out here to greet Admiral Jing when she gets here. You can debrief her on what's transpired if you so choose, " Bao said, smirking a bit before turning to the those that were already loaded up and said, "Alright, you heard the Prince, His Highness is staying on the sailer. So swap your gear, Ling. You're coming with the infiltration group."

To give the soldier to properly gear up, he turned to the Prince's retainer that had hardly spoke a word since their short interaction on the airship, "Should I assume you are capable of operating one of these, Agent Xiaodan?" He said, gesturing to the large sand sailer, "Normally I wouldn't have to guess, as the dossiers that your father gave me are quite thorough. Yours being the exception."

"Ready, sir!" The guardsmen yelled, signaling that it was time to go.


AI10100 AI10100 [Prince Xu]
Colorless Spectrum Colorless Spectrum [Daddy's Little Girl]
 
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B E I F O N G , X U
Interacting with: Fletchawk Fletchawk Colorless Spectrum Colorless Spectrum
Location: Sand Sailer, Si Wong Rock​

Jia had a fair point, not that he was willing to admit it. "Suggesting to openly act against my order, quite a bold move there, no?" The prince shot back but seriousness was the last thing that can be detected from his statement. Jia's job has been and will always be to protect the heir to the throne from whatever danger - even if it were themselves. Had the circumstances been different, Xu imagined he would have been able to charge headfirst into the hive while Jia and Xiurong waited outside. Oh, how amusing it would have been had things been a little different.

"Oh, Admiral Jing is coming." He repeated. She had been such a good friend to his mother before but it all fell apart when she had passed away. They've interacted quite a fair bit even after his mother's death but it was never quite the same. But they were all here as professionals - personal relationships had no place in the current setting. He did find comfort in the knowledge that she would be present to aid with this issue - her skills in the air were something to be envious of. Xu had admittedly looked up to her back when he was just designing his airship and he still holds her in high regard. It would have been nice to have been able to study under her, but alas, her writings were enough for now.

"I will be sure to give her the details she needs for the operation." There should be no need for them to know why they were doing this. After all, rumors and hearsay of what had happened had already spread across the continent. If she were to question it, he was willing to explain, but he'd rather not have to continuously tell the tale of their own failures. They were correcting it now, and he'd rather move on from it. As Bao questioned Jia, Xu grabbed his notebook and his pen to prepare for his notes and sketches.
 


Jia Xiaodan

"Only doing my job, Prince Xu." Jia retorted plainly, not like there was any lie to what she said. Her gaze wandered over the serene sand, they'd be sailing over it soon and noted its formation. She listened to Bao's thought on the Prince's decision, taking note of Admiral Jing's coming later.

The Dai Li gave Bao an uninterested stare. Why her father would black out her dossier is beyond her, and she doesn't want to think about it. "I am capable, Lord Regent." She said to him flatly, avoiding to comment on his last statement and glad that soon after a guardsmen called out to the man and she wouldn't have to talk about it further if he so pursued.

When her feet found themselves above the sand sailer, Jia turned to Xu. "Prince Xu, we should go too." Waiting for the Prince to hop on the sailer.

Once Xu had joined her, she was quick to bend the sand beneath them. Creating a small sand spout came easy to her, controlling the grains of sand required extreme precision and that was something she was good at. She waited for the other group to get ready, letting the sand spout flow slowly and loosely for the meantime.

mention: || interaction: Xu Beifong AI10100 AI10100 Bao Rongye Fletchawk Fletchawk

 
Just like that, Captian Beifong was ready to leave the house.
Yara had kept her eyes on the ground for most of their exchange- it wasn't lost on her that the last time they had been here, there had been some desperate pleas, unanswered, for assistance in looking for Xiurong's father. Or at least as desperate as Xiurong could be.
At least now we can get Igoo back.
Not that she was looking forward to a second excursion involving the Bone Crushers, but beggars can't be choosers. And apparently, she had already thrown away her last remaining choice.

After looking at Xiurong, sunk into the couch with her eyes closed, Yara turned and looked and the tea-making woman.
"We really don't know when Xian will be back. He stole my patient and drove off without saying anything to anyone."
She gratefully took a cup, and a long sip after making sure it was the proper temperature. It warmed her through, which felt nice, but she didn't waste too much time in surveying the damage of the short brawl.

She set the cup of tea down and began collecting the fragments of ceramics that had been scattered about, since that was about the only thing she could do right then.
"So if you need to see him urgently, you might need to go look for him." Yara glanced up again as she said it, and in her inattention, jabbed her finger on a sharper piece of china. Her hand snapped back quickly with a sharp intake of air through her nose. Examining it, she gave a disappointed hum at the little hole it left, welling-up with red already. She frowned at it, and thought of Taka again. As she continued to pick up the remaining pieces, she let that finger float above, unused, as it closed itself off.
Yara decided she would place the pieces on the kitchen counter.. since the table she would've originally thought to put them on was broken in half.
Interactions: . D O V E . D O V E The Prophet The Prophet // Mentions: Xanto Xanto Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse
 
Maizen Tosuda
Location: Xian's house
interactions: Professor, Yara, Xiurong​

Maizen's smile died the instant the captain passed by him, watching him leave out of the corner of his eye intently. Once he was truly gone he turned back to the party and nodded as he flatly said, "That went well. You're much better than I thought you'd be at lying, Yara." He complained, and took the tea offered from the professor with a faint smile. Small acts such as a fake smile here and there were much easier than lying to cops like that. "Thank you, it smells lovely."

Taking sips as he surveyed the damage, Maizen was grateful for the hot tea that made its way through his system. As hot as it was, it calmed him and naturally melded with his high body temperature. "So it would seem that the method to getting the bison back has been found. Just need to deal with an oddly named gang and their supplier." Maizen mused, setting down his empty cup before aiding the waterbender in cleaning up. There didn't seem to be a broom in the airbenders home for obvious reasons, so he delegated to following Yara's example in picking up the mess by hand. He'd call a cleaner if he knew any here, but Maizen doubted the exasperated looking Avatar or the absent Airbender would take kindly to even more people in the abode. Picking up a large piece of ceramic he idly wondered what time it was. Plans of going out after seeing to his hotel were quite obviously dashed; he'd stepped into some real trouble the moment he'd arrived and now just felt like clearing his head overnight. He'd almost forgotten the entire reason for his arrival in the city in the first place. Taking a moment to look at his nails before continuing to clean, he spoke up.

"You three live in Republic City, correct? Out of curiosity, could you tell me about life here? I wanted to know more of what its like outside of the Fire Nation." He could at least learn a bit from these three, and find out more later.
 
Bao Rongye
Seventeenth Night of The Seventh Month
Si Wong Rock​

Bao could only shrug as the two passed by him to board. He'd been hoping to get more of a reaction out of them, but then again, it was also in the middle of the night he reasoned. After taking another look at the desert surrounding their landing area, Bao joined them on the rather full sailer.

The question that he'd asked the young Dai Li had been merely a question of interest, as he wanted to know what those around him were capable of. So Bao was slightly amused when he saw that she'd taken it upon herself to power the large sailer forward, leaving the two Royal Guardsmen originally assigned to do it silently pointing fingers at each other, debating on who'd fill the other position of the two person job. Lightly grabbing the two guards' shoulders to get their attention, Bao gestured towards the two remaining empty seats before reattaching the faceplate of his helmet. Taking the position opposite of Jia, Bao rose his hand and made a circular motion, signalling the rest of the assigned crew members to hoist the sail.

Taking his time, he joined the motion of energy meant to propel the sailer. The slow moving sand was easy to find and it didn't take long to pace his rhythm opposite of hers to balance the sand twister, making it easier to maintain and control. Once the sail was hoisted and billowed overhead, they gradually increased the rhythm, and the sailer made its way towards the dark outline of Si Wong Rock.

Several years of practice had made the movements almost instinctual, allowing Bao's mind have a rare wander as he stared into the taunt sail in front of him. He thought back on to the supposed comment from his mother that Queen Rasha had dangled like bait, along with implying that his family has sins worth selling. "She left," was the simple truth provided from his father. Not that training gave him much time to dwell on it. So her being mentioned had not been what he was expecting from the Queen, nor her audacity to besmirch his family name in front of him. Then they gave him what seemed to be a useless rock when he asked for a compass.

By the time the sailer was making its approach and veered off to the starboard side, Bao started to compartmentalize his personal thoughts again, and turn his attention to the cliff faces of the massive mesa they had started to orbit. Sheer rock walls in most places that towered several hundred feet, the moonlight contrasting the shadows that occupied the numerous crevices that painted the crags. Bao noted that it was about the same height as the outer walls of Ba Sing Se and would likely take him at least a few minutes to climb it at full speed.

However, as they circled the massive landmark, it was becoming very clear that there were no ground level entrances. The closest they'd seen was nearly ten stories up. Just as they were about pass around to the dark side of the mesa, a circular entrance was seen a couple dozen feet off the ground. Doubting that they'd they come across one lower, Bao signalled for the rudderman to direct the sailer towards it. As they slid closer, the sail was lowered, freeing Jia and Bao.

"Alright, Infil, unload the supplies beneath that entrance, and we'll raise it up. Patrol, don't wait around if we're not here at dawn. We can hole up if the nest gets kicked, but try to keep the Admiral from kicking it when she gets here regardless. We'll set off a flare when we're done, so try and hold her off until then, yes?" Bao said with a chuckle, knowing full well that Jing would be the one to chewing him out when they met, "And you're welcome to continue along with your mission once the Admiral secures the area, but if you want to stick around for the boring part, that's your prerogative."

Grabbing the sack of equipment that he'd loaded onto the sailer earlier, Bao gave those staying outside a quick salute before making his way to the wall his group was going to scale. Quite frankly, thinking back on the meeting with the Queen had put him into the mood to squash some bugs, and he was already warmed up from the ride over.


AI10100 AI10100 [Prince Xu and his Bow]
Colorless Spectrum Colorless Spectrum [Super Secret Special Agent Jia]
 
Professor Jade warmly smiled when the two began helping in cleaning the mess. She felt a touch embarrassed knowing that she was part of the party which caused this mayhem, and even sucked a breath after Yara accidentally injured herself. "Yikes," was all she could offer, fairly aware of Yara's talent, before moving to the worn-out Avatar. "Brewing tea is a skill you'd come to master with my kind of profession. Words can't describe how stressful teaching can be." She said with a shrug, a passing response to Maizen's compliment. "Of course, life in general can be stressful. Tea for the Avatar?" She amicably implored before lowering a cup in front of the said individual.

A small sigh escaped Xiurong's lips as she raised her eyes to meet Jade's. The older woman was squarely similar to her cousin. They both carry themselves with this congenial aura. Xiurong figured it must be a blood thing. Shaking the thought aside, the Avatar reached out for the offered drink and brought the cup to her lips. The solid surface felt cold against her lips, but the sensation was quickly overwashed by the tea's warmth as it slid down her throat. The cozy flavor seeped all over here system, causing her to relax even a tiny bit.

"So... Igoo was taken by the government and my cousin stole a patient." Professor Jade rubbed her chin with one hand, the other one still busy balancing the tray of remaining teas. The woman's brow furrowed deeper with each passing second until, "Just another Tuesday," she ended with a nonchalant shrug. Of course she was bothered by the fact that her cousin and his best friend were separated, but Jade knew the airbender rather well and she has nothing but utmost confidence in him. Xian wouldn't stop for anything to get Igoo back.

She then waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, I can wait. Besides," she eyed Xiurong who was still sipping her tea, "I'm sure he'll be back soon." A short, surprised squeak sounded from her mouth when she felt an abrupt and slightly rough force against the tray.

"Thanks for the tea." Xiurong scoffed after she placed her empty cup back.

"Stop picking sharp things with your bare hands. You'll be hurting yourselves" The Avatar navigated her way to the center of the group's radius before moving her arms gracefully. The remaining fragments and chunks, along with the ones Yara placed on the counter, were then carried by gentle breezes to the kitchen's trashcan. Just a few more and the container would overflow. Xiurong then faced them, "Idiots." Prickly as always.

It was Maizen who received the Avatar's attention afterwards. The usual glint of scorn were in her eyes as she regarded him with a slightly tilted chin. "I don't know which Fire hidey-hole you came from, but I don't live in this trashpit of a city." And here she thought everyone was aware of her perfect little background. It always looked so good in papers. "I'm the crown princess of the Earth Empire- or well, was. Double was." Plain bitterness dripped from the end of her sentence. "I lost the 'crown' eight years ago and the 'princess' yesterday." Although the better term would be deprived. She was deprived of them. "So now I'm just the World's Worst Avatar. Charmed, I'm sure." The statement alone had an ocean-worth of sarcasm.

"But yeah, let me tell you about Republic City. Imagine a pile of garbage then throw in a handful of frogs, rats, and snakes then outfit them with fancy lights. Voila, you get Republic City. If you do live here but you're neither of the aforementioned things then chances are your life- hm, what's the polite word for it-" she tapped her chin, feigning a thoughtful expression before it leveled back to its benumbed one, "sucks."

Professor Jade stared at Xiurong incredulously before awkwardly moving her gaze to Yara then Maizen. "So... what Xiurong meant is that life in Republic city varies. The city's basically the melting pot of all nations since everyone's welcome. It has people from different walks of life, doing their best to survive just like all of us. Sadly, there are a few who have resorted to... awful means to do so." She thoughtfully hummed to herself. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are people who spend their nights playing roulette or watching Pro-bending matches while there are also people who spend their nights cutting throats or stealing money."

"Republic City's not perfect but hey, nothing ever is. There'll always be a few bad apples loitering around. If you can accept that then you get a bustling metropolis full of entertainment and opportunities." She laughed. "It's one of those questions better answered by experiencing it yourself. Hopefully you get some time to walk around after this whole ordeal is over. I recommend taking a leisure trip to Avatar Korra's park or visiting the Air Temple Island."

"Whatever." Xiurong rolled her eyes while crossing her arms. "Who are you anyways? And what were you doing with Yara at the docks?" She demanded to the white-haired man. She then turned to eye Yara, "and what were you doing in the docks?"

The Prophet The Prophet Flutterby Flutterby
 
Just like that, Captian Beifong was ready to leave the house. The exchange between he and Xiurong was.. uncomfortable to watch, but at least they now had a solid path to getting Igoo back. Not that she was looking forward to a second excursion involving the Bone Crushers, but beggars can't be choosers. And apparently, she had already thrown away her last remaining choice.

Yara placed the collected pieces onto the counter and turned to go pick up some more, when Xiurong got up and scolded them, bending the debris away with ease. She stared at Xiurong, shoving donw the urge to remind her she could have done that before they started doing it by hand. Instead, she forced her expression neutral, even as Xiurong called her an idiot, and said, "Thank you for finishing that."

She picked up her tea and sank to the floor, not wanting to invade the very large personal bubble of the Avatar near the couch. Her back ached. There was a headache starting in her left temple, a familiar sign of over-exertion. Suddenly, she was grateful Xian had taken Taka away- she had pushed too hard, too fast to get him ready to move, and she probably wouldn't have had the energy to heal him fully that night.
As she took a drink of her tea, she was doubly thankful the professor hadn't left. For the tea, which she normally didn't prefer, and for the extra person to balance the conversation. The explanation Jade offered of Republic City was accurate, not naive but not pessimistic. Not that Xiurong appreciated its fairness.

Yara looked up over the brim of her cup at the Avatar and considered her answer for just a heartbeat before speaking. She took a breezy tone, not unlike what Maizen had already heard. Xiurong wasn't royalty now, and they weren't on the airship that belonged to her royal brother, with the royal guard that hardly spoke, with royal uniforms and royal customs and royal titles everywhere. Yara decided, in that very moment, that they were now closer to peers than ever before, and since she was going to stick around, she would be treating Xiurong accordingly. It's not like I'm being paid extra for becoming a criminal and without Xu, there's no reason to choke on protocol every time I open my mouth.

"He is Maizen Tosuda, of the famous Tosudas. He got off a boat and we struck up a conversation. He, Taka- the guy Igoo nearly killed- and I were talking about you, actually. The two of them had never heard stories of your less popular personality traits and were confused about the talk on the docks. I thought I would try to clarify things."
She took a sip, and gave Xiurong a sarcastic smile.
"Of course, you've now given them both a classic first impression."
After another sip, she reached up and untangled a few strands of hair.
"I was on the docks because I thought I might head home. Honestly, I assumed you'd lay low for a month or two and you wouldn't my services." Yara went as far as to mimic Xiurong's tone there, the tone she always used when demanded a quick healing. She raised an eyebrow, and then gave a small smirk. It was not unlike the smirk she had given Maizen before they left the docks.
"I was hoping to catch a ride on something sort of fast and only be gone a few weeks. My sister- the one I write letters to- has been begging me to visit for a while. But now we have this Bone Crusher thing. They annoy me. And Igoo, too. Besides, I want to see how Taka heals. I didn't get to last time, and I don't intend on letting that happen again. I'm sure we'll end up down there eventually."
Yara shooed away the idea of going back to the South Pole with a small hand wave and another sip of tea, as if she would never think of it again.
Interactions: . D O V E . D O V E The Prophet The Prophet // Mentions: Xanto Xanto Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse
 
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Raiko Xiao and Taka "of the Fire Nation"​


"HA!" Raiko laughed, nearly busting a gut at the spectacle resulting from a simple misunderstanding. Boy, did he wish he was there. Also, it'd be nice to come across another healer along Republic City's docks sometime. People would be surprised at how few their kind was out in these streets.

Raiko yanked a towel into his hands, wiping off the slight wetness that remained. In the meantime, Taka delved deeper into the situation. Igoo was captured as a result from his hilarious attack. A sadder consequence, hauling off Igoo with nearly monstrous claims. Oh? Raiko raised a brow in silence. The conversation slowly dwindled into sensitive territory till his visitor finally mentioned it was apparently where the "pain stemmed from."

So that's why he was saying all this. Raiko leaned forward against the chair he sat backwards in. The waterbender meant ‘pain’ as in the story behind Taka's wound. He didn't know he'd get a whole volume of his cousin's inner pain . . the story was entertaining nonetheless.

It was relieving when Taka showed signs of negativity against Igoo being captured. Yet it seemed that the group was cornered into an ultimatum, a larger detail that completed the piece. "A pound, huh?" Raiko slightly twisted in his seat, placing the bowl down on a shelf behind him, "Well you've given me more information than I had asked for."

He turned back toward Taka before dipping his head a bit, “Here’s my two cents. Animal control here is a bit . . ,” He paused at a lack for better words, “Corrupt.” Yes, what better way than to blurt out a word no one wanted to hear. It was the honest truth regardless.

While Taka had been listening intently to what Raiko was saying, he couldn’t help but get caught on that final word, ‘Corrupt’. Almost instinctively his eyes began widening as he sat up, discomfort being drowned out by worry. He mulled over the word for a moment before opening his mouth in response, “That makes this whole situation so much worse… he’s in a corrupt facility with the pretense of being feral.”

He didn’t want to believe that they had just forced a dear companion into what was essentially their worst nightmare, but nothing else came to mind. “When you say that they’re corrupt, What do they do to come off that way?” His statement held a great deal of concern, but the priority was given to understanding the situation at hand. If he didn’t know what he was going into, then any attempts to right this wrong would be folly.

Raiko smirked, amused by his visitor's curiosity. However, when did news about corruption ever come so easily? "I state facts Taka," The waterbender mentioned, leaning back into his seat as he grabbed an empty glass from a nearby shelf. It took a blink of an eye for him to firmly plunk the glass down onto the wooden table between them, "Not rumors." The guy's values though vague, had substantial meaning to him.

Raiko stood up from his seat seemingly busying himself with other important tasks at hand. His eyes merely glazing over his collection of labels till he smoothly knocked a bottle down from a shelf into his grip. A casual bartender at best as he popped its top and started pouring a beverage into his glass, "What I do know is the rarest captives end up in the dark market." Igoo without a doubt might as well had been on the way there. Flying bison even in this era were still unique.

On that concise note, Raiko's hand masterfully tilted the bottle upward at an angle so the substance no longer poured into his glass. The container glinted against the beaming sunlight, allowing its golden brown drink to glow. That's when Raiko brought his gaze back to Taka. "Part of the healing process," He insisted, tipping his head toward the bottle to offer up a drink.

“I don’t see you as the type to throw around baseless rumors.” Realistically the claim was something that he lacked proper backing for, but Taka had been healed in haste- so he had no reason to doubt Raiko. He watched as Raiko poured himself a drink, seeming to move like water through each additional motion. The fluidity was at least a little impressive, though it clearly wasn’t the waterbenders defining feature.

His brow rose slightly as he the waterbender offered the bottle towards him, “Part of the healing process, huh?” A small smirk broke his semi-inquisitive expression, before the rest cracked off and a smile replaced it. He leaned forward a bit more, his figure relaxing a bit as he did so. “If a little liquid courage will help the healing, and it wouldn’t be a bother to you, then i’d be appreciative.”

Raiko nodded at Taka’s acceptance before filling the short glass halfway.

At that Taka’s eyes began to scan the shelf, a hint of admiration taking hold in his eyes. The volume of such a collection was rather astonishing in all honesty, so much that his eyes made a folly attempt to read through the remainder of the labels before returning to Raiko once again. “Quite the impressive collection, which did you choose?” Curiosity once again bubbled up into his tone.

“Gan-Lan Blue Label,” Raiko gruffly stated, placing the bottle onto the table and twisting it so the label was in Taka’s line of sight. A whiskey. Though typically hard to swallow for beginners, this particular drink held a rich, mildly smokey flavor. It was one even Jade could down in one go. No coughing required. Raiko sat down, and took a swig from his glass with ease, “The smoothest kind you’ll ever find.”

Taka reached his hand forward and carefully lifted the glass from the table, merely watching the still alcohol. “Well I'm only accustomed to fire nation drinks myself, so this should be a rather pleasant change of pace.” He would say before taking a swig and allowing the ‘healing’ to begin working. It wasn’t a harsh flavor by any means, if anything it was almost a welcoming smoothness. He lowered the glass back, holding it a short ways above the table before giving a nod. “That’s definitely smoother than anything I've had before.”

“I’d be wary of pursuing Igoo if I were you,” Raiko finally mentioned, pausing as he let his gaze meet Taka’s for a bit. There was a noticeable glint in his visitor’s eye. Taka seemed to have an intention of doing so. “If given the chance . . ,” The waterbender stopped, ceasing his words for a few moments. He had to take into account that the Igoo situation happened a few hours ago. Plus, the time it’d take to find where the flying bison even was. “Igoo may be locked in dark market territory by the time you come around,” His head turned for the window upon spotting a pair of new headlights headed for their direction, “Or, locked up ready for delivery to said territory.”

“I’d like to imagine that he’s not… but I know that you’re probably right,” Taka’s tone took on a flatness for a moment as he sat there, allowing his gaze to drop down towards the glass. His eyes were held there for a moment, allowing his reflection to show through on the golden-brown liquid before lifting his gaze to look out the window as well.

That’s when the faint hum of a car pulled up onto Raiko’s driveway. A clear signal that Xian had returned.

A look of determination expressed itself on Taka’s face as he turned to look back at Raiko, “If he’s already in the hands of those black market dealers… I would say that it’s just more incentive to get him back.” His tone remained resolute as he lifted the glass to his mouth once more and downed the remainder of his drink. To the end the whiskey remained smooth, though the smokiness made itself well-known towards the end, then he placed the glass back down on the table.

“Ha-HA!” Raiko loudly raised his glass at the sudden change of pace. Who knew if the surge of energy came from their shared beverage. “My kinda fellah!” He howled, knocking the rest of his whiskey down in one go as well.

“Thank you for the drink- The healing…” He grinned towards Raiko before reaching into his pocket, and fishing out his wallet. The material was in surprisingly pristine condition considering the rest of his attire’s rather disheveled appearances. “I don’t know how much i’d owe you for this in an actual hospital… but I hope this will do.” He stated before placing down a handful of paper bills and coins (roughly equating to one-hundred USD), before stepping back towards the door and beginning to make his way outside.

“Eh?” Raiko raised a brow, with a face clearly expressing much confusion at the load of currency before him, “You don’t need-.”

“If you require more for your services, just find me or send someone after me for it!” He called back inside as he allowed the door to close behind him and began moving towards the car. He didn’t bother to contest Xian for permission to drive, instead opening the passengers-side door and climbing aboard.

“Good guy,” Raiko mumbled, glancing at Taka as he slid into the passenger seat. Then, he briefly saluted his new acquaintance from behind the window as the duo drove away.

Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse
 
Maizen Tosuda
Location: The Murder Scene
interactions: Xiurong, Yara, and the Professor​

Maizen was much too glad to stop cleaning at the sudden airbending of the disgruntled Avatar, taking his hand back leisurely from the scattered mess as it flew up and into a trashcan. "It was just ceramic. Thank you though, you've saved a fair bit of time." He found his teacup once more, shipping calmly on the still steaming hot liquid. "This really is good tea." He mused quietly, observing the precarious mental state of the avatar as she regarded his question and answered.

Listening to both the Avatar and the professor Maizen nodded, tapping his jaw as he processed the information. It was certainly Informative and thought-provoking; he'd have to write both sides down later. An exiled princess who lost her title yesterday? He wondered if this event was somehow tied to the Sand Kingdom incident he'd heard snippets of. Just as he was about to introduce himself and ask another question Yara spoke up, filling him in on their relationship with a little thinking. Provoking speech towards the Avatar aside, it seemed that Yara was the woman's personal healer, and from her tired tone, not a very well appreciated one either. One had to wonder as to what her salary was to keep working in such conditions. Finishing off the tea Maizen observed more of that confidence he'd seen at the docks, glancing at its recipient for any sign of retort. After seeing her fight the airbender's cousin she was probably still in the mood, especially with her personality. In hopes of dissipating some heat he offered a slight bow to both the professor and the avatar, and gave his own introduction.

"Like Yara already said, my name is Maizen Tosuda, heir of Tosuda Internationals, the most successful company in the Fire Nation. A pleasure to meet you, Avatar and Professor. I've just arrived via boat for somewhat of a…..vacation. Also like how Yara said, I asked Yara about the avatar since I've been hearing negative talk ever since I arrived. It was quite the buzz among the populace, so I was particularly curious." offering a guarded smile as he regarded the avatar's state once more. He'd hate to have to defend himself if she decided to blow. The place was just cleaned, and he'd hate to be branded something nefarious if he started going off.
 
Taka
Mentions/Interactions: Xanto Xanto ​
As they began to move, Taka couldn't help but to lean back in the seat and release a slow breath. Glancing out the window, he looked through the side-mirror just in time to see Raiko's salute. For but a moment a small smile came to his face, but once Raiko had been out of sight all signs of that joy were wiped as well. "After you left, Raiko told me a bit more about the way animals are handled here..." Taka began with a bit of hesitance, knowing that he was about to even further cement what Xian may have already known. Then again any time he hesitated would result in them wasting more time than was necessary.

"From what he told me... it's very likely that Igoo is being held in some sort of black market transit." He turned to look at Xian for a moment, studying his expression before turning his eyes back out to look towards the expanse of road. He wouldn't bother talking about the fact they'd shared drinks... that was in poor taste at it's best. "Given that we've been gone for a decent portion of time, I can only assume that our window to rescue him is coming closer and closer." One hand slowly moved forward, his fingers creeping around the small handle of the glovebox. His index curled around as the remainder sat motionless at it's front, his shoulders tensed up a bit as his fingers held it.

"If I had to assume he'd be going off to some exotic zoo, sold to whoever bid the highest." His middle finger joined the index, it too wrapping itself around the glovebox handle. "Given what Raiko said... he'll probably be under some heavy surveillance, especially since he's likely the only one of his kind in the city." He glanced back out to the road once again, black asphalt spotted with metal shells. Each and everyone carried passengers throughout its lifetime, each-and-every-one would eventually serve its purpose and run out of use. They could be traded, scrapped for parts, or even reused by another person. But pets and mounts were different than these shells, they served their purpose sure... but they had depth beyond that. "If I had to assume... someone from the fire nation may attempt to purchase him. Since he's unlike anything I know from home."

Taka's other hand was placed upon the dash of the car, his expression was difficult to read given the fact that some of his hair had begun to cover his face. The value of a pet was that it was a partner... it wasn't some convenient tool to just ignore, nor was it something that you would just forget to write into your life. No, the value of a pet was much more than that of a car. A pet was a companion, a friend, someone who you loved and cared for deeply. The desire to hold adoration for one another, for no other reason than to increase the happiness of both individuals.

"I don't have any big connections in the city, excluding you. Sure I'm acquainted with some of the Avatar's posse now, granted it wasn't through ideal circumstances, but other than that I don't know people here." His fingers gripped the glovebox tighter as he felt the container begin to go lax in his hand, a sign that he had begun to pop it open. Or perhaps it was a sign of his frustration, wrongly directed and being taken out on a completely harmless object. "That's why I want you to know that whatever scheme you may have planned, whatever fall needs to be taken... I'm here for you, no matter the risk." His voice held nothing short of honesty, his eyes still remaining hidden beneath the tendrils of brown hair that danged forwards. As if to punctuate his statement, the hand holding the glovebox slowly lowered down and allowed for the light to pierce what was past it.

A folded outfit, made of a material that bordered somewhere between pitch black and a midnight blue rested within the compartment. A cord, or perhaps a ribbon was tied around it, though the way it sat alluded to something sitting beneath it. His hand from the dash grabbed it and pulled the bundle into his lap, a few other items threatened to spill out but were quickly halted as Taka closed the glovebox once again. His form slowly pulled back, finding rest in the seat behind him. A clearly fabricated expression upon his face, a smile. A shaking, and falsified smile. As his hand rose and pressed down against the bundle the expression dropped, a look of conviction, seriousness without bounds, took over his face.

He was a weakling, just like the avatar had said. The word, her statement, ran like ice in his veins as his eyes drifted down to the bundle once again. "Even if you don't want to sully your hand in this, I ask that you allow me to sully mine."
 
XIURONG BEIFONG
07 / 17 / 264 AG ​

Xiurong wasn't taken aback when Yara revealed the three of them were talking about her before the incident exploded. No, what took her aback was the waterbender's delivery. While Xiurong has always found it difficult to read other people's emotions, she knew for a fact that Yara was ridiculing her. Sarcasm. She had familiarized herself with its tone since it was one of the many things her dearest brother liked to use against her. See, weaklings often resort to words when they couldn't take her head on.

So, when Yara was done with her subtle mockery, Xiurong approached. Her shadow loomed over the healer as she stood before her, arms crossed while her contemptuous gaze bore into the healer's. "I like you, Yara...," she reached down, twirling a few strands of Yara's black hair around her index finger. Her voice was but a whisper, on a level that only the two of them would comprehend unless the other occupants were fully intent on eavesdropping. "It pains me to think that you didn't even bother to say goodbye." Dejection seemingly dulled her eyes as her forehead creased with sorrow, the gentle and circular motion of her finger ongoing.

"You know how much I need your service, especially now... With my father gone and me in exile, you know I can't spare any time to lay low..." She continued, never prying her gaze on the other woman. It was then the pugnant smell of burning permeated the small bubble between them, and smoke began emanating through the dark locks around the Avatar's finger. She was burning her hair. In a heartbeat, Xiurong pressed her thumb against the strands and the fire died just as quick as it lit. While Yara remained completely unharmed, the same couldn't be said for the few hairs severed from its original shafts.

Xiurong smirked as the thin locks around her finger fell. "Never do that again." She warned.

Satisfied, the Avatar turned to face Maizen and the professor. The latter looked downright confused about the brief engagement and shot a worried look to Yara.

"Ah, the Tosudas," she echoed, "Big corporation. Fancy bikes. Money." She listed out as though their correlation would make sense to anyone but her. "Makes sense. Only people drowning in Yuans thinks of Republic City as a vacation spot."

"I'm shocked you have little to no clue about my identity. The Fire Nation probably doesn't speak of me as much as they should- considering all the things I've done for them." She could name a good number, but her favorite would be the poaching empire she handled several years back. It was then when she met Nightwing. He was just a recently-hatched chick back then. Now he was a large griffin probably terrorizing a poor bunny someplace. "But I suppose that's better than all these ungrateful pigs in Republic City. They'd rather believe that opportunistic wench of a Queen in Sand Kingdom than me, the person who always save their collective asses at least once a month."

Flutterby Flutterby The Prophet The Prophet
 
Yara watched the Avatar approach her. There was something familiar about they way she was looking at her. It was the same way Xiurong looked at a lot of people. But right then.. well, it reminded Yara of her mother.
And so when Xiurong reached out to touch her hair, there wasn't fear in Yara's eyes. It was a threat, sure, but what could the Avatar really do to her, right then, with two others standing in the room, and the police already keeping a close eye? If she wants to be free to find her father, nothing. And I don't think the Grand Lotus has other healers lined up out the door for this.

There was hardly a reaction from Yara, until the smell of burning hair tickled her nostrils. And then she felt it. Actual anger. Not the intense frustration that Xiurong's behavior or attitude usually brought on. But bright, white-hot rage about who the Avatar thought she was.

As Xiurong stood and turned, there was a flash of pure disgust across Yara's face. But she brought it in to check, and carefully placed her cup of tea on the nearest surface that wasn't the floor. She even brushed a few of the singed hair-ends off of her clothing, as Xiurong spoke to Maizen again. Yara was doing her best to shove the feelings back down, cork them up again, because she had only just convinced herself that Xurong was just in pain and needed to have people who would help her..
But she touched my hair.

After a deep inhale, Yara interjected into the conversation, as her steps carried her back towards the door.
"You know, Xiurong, it's been a long few months, and I think we've spent just a smidgen too much time in each other's hair." The pun was not lost on Yara, but she didn't find it humorous.
"Don't worry, I won't leave the yard, but I think I just need some time to cool down. Maybe we both do." She was at the door. With one hand, she pulled it open. The other gave a decisive flick. The tea from Yara's seemingly forgotten cup flew toward Xiurong's face, suitably cold of course, as she stepped over the threshold and allowed the door to swing shut behind her.
Interaction: . D O V E . D O V E The Prophet The Prophet
 
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Maizen Tosuda
Location: The Murder Scene
interactions: Yara, Professor, And Xiurong​

After giving his introduction Maizen expected a response reasonably soon after, what color is surprised when instead the Avatar turned to Yara. Watching the exchange closely, Maizen watched Yara's face for signs of pain as she was obviously threatened in front of him and the professor's eyes. No such expressions came, so he figured it would be fine…. Up until he recognized a smell he was all too familiar with as a firebender. Something was burning. Hair, more specifically, as his eyes zeroed in on where the heat was coming from. And as soon as it had started it stopped, and the Avatar stood to finally address him. In his peripheral vision he watched Yara's face mold into disgust then rein in, a response he honestly couldn't blame her for having. Her salary must have tremendous hazard pay.

".....That is an apt simplification, yes. And the Fire Nation does talk of the Ava-" Maizen stopped suddenly as Yara spoke up, and yet again he was subtly surprised by her bold voice, and even bolder action as he watched her leave just past him, as well as track the tea heading straight for the face of Xiurong. He watched the instinctive dodge of the avatar, but it was too late. He both watched -and felt- the steam roll off her damp clothes in droves. He had just watched a healer throw tea and walk out on the avatar, wielder of all four elements. Surprise wasn't even a sufficient term at this point, shocked was more like suitable to how Maizened felt at the moment. As it connected with her left arm and lower face his pale eyes widened in uncharacteristic shock, unprepared for the turn of events. He was beginning to think the republic city was just like this normally, given the horrendous amount of drama he's been in from the moment he left the boat.


Maizen could only look on for a moment, and then over to the Professor for her reaction, and then back forward as he lifted his tea cup to his lips and knocked it back. Well at least he tried to, for in the uncharacteristic shock he felt prior he had forgotten the teacup was long empty. Lowering the cup he set it down calmly, taking a step away from the door towards the window. He definitely didn't want to be in the danger zone of that. But he could at least make sure this didn't turn into a serious fight from the window.
 
Xian Zhao​

The young man had cooled down over the past hour. Xian was more silent than usual though despite his attempt to brush the situation off as best as he could. After all, his friend was back in town. He didn't want Taka to experience the surprising darkness still lingering within him. Ready to move on for the time being, Xian parted his lips until- "After you left, Raiko told me a bit more about the way animals are handled here...," Taka unknowingly interjected. Meanwhile, Xian glanced out his left window, clenching his jaw at the reminder.

All in good faith, Taka continued on about material Xian vaguely knew about for the most part. Though it seemed Raiko had disclosed more details than a typical citizen could imagine. Nearly everyone knew about the corrupt animal control. Yet, Xian wasn't aware the dark market played a part. He assumed an under the table transaction, not a full underground operation. How mistreated Igoo must have been. Could he even imagine the bison being handled in the dark market?

Xian kept his eyes on the road, and brows slightly furrowed. His body stiffened almost in its own effort to not lash out as thoughts flooded his mind. Then, Taka spoke up again. This time mentioning he had Xian's back regardless of the risk. Though a bit reassuring, Xian's body still remained tensed. His knuckles now white from gripping the wheel with both hands. Taka was a visitor. His friend shouldn't have to endanger himself further to help find Igoo, but he was right about one thing. Xian did have a scheme. Though for now, it simply consisted of charging head first to find signs of Igoo's whereabouts. A tiring task, yet a start to the rescue nonetheless.

Soon enough, Xian pulled up his own driveway. Of course leave it to Taka to mention anything sullying something. All he got in response though was a confused Xian.

In return, the airbender randomly grabbed his friend's shoulder with a reassuring hand, " . . don't worry about it." Xian looked calm, cool, collected somehow as if he had never gone through it all in the first place. One could argue his eyes were more convincing of his outer mood than before. However, he still felt numb on the inside.

Xian exited Taka's car, his hand routinely shutting the door just as another door shut a short distance away. What was it now. His gaze shifted up from the car to find Yara standing outside his front door. Features of distress seemed to adorn her face. From the looks of it, another misunderstanding with Xiurong.

"Taka's okay now," Xian updated, approaching to enter his house. He knew the information would relieve Yara in some aspect . . though slight. The least he could do for understanding her patience with Xiurong. "He'd probably feel better if you were too," Xian added from a respectable distance away from Yara, moving his eyes to meet her's. On that note, the homeowner tilted his body past her's and entered his house.

That's when everything hit him all over again. The young man stepped into his property, greeted by the naturally unexpected. But he overlooked the broken glass, the split table, or the gosh darn ceiling. Instead, his gaze picked out Maizen.

Wild animal. Rabid. Animal control. In his house.

Xian could feel it. His heart beat fast, pumping the steam that burst through his mind. Yet, he was numb. Uncharacteristically inexpressive. His brows slightly furrowing on his straight face, while stepping up to Maizen until he stopped. The volume dropped in silence. Everything was still.

. . .

Xian aggressively stomped, his piercing gaze burning holes through Maizen with lingering indifference as winds of more than 100 miles per hour pushed the stranger against his wall. Maizen's feeble cheeks wagged in the wind. A strong rough hurricane of Xian's own technique, pulling from a different area most airbending never took place in.

Anger.

What lasted for merely 15 seconds seemed like the longest minute in a while till Xian abruptly halted himself. Then, he made his way to his room. Seemingly emotionless. Xian sat on his bed to meditate. His anger though slowly expressed as his brows furrowed in even more disturbance. Why couldn't he hold it in? Why couldn't the dark thoughts stop? Xian sat still, jaws clenched, fists pressed roughly against the one another, brows furrowed. He was sloppily trying to meditate. Sloppily trying to calm himself down.

Sloppily trying to hide his emotions.

Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse Flutterby Flutterby . D O V E . D O V E The Prophet The Prophet
 
Maizen Tosuda
interactions: Jade, Xian, Yara, Taka, and Xiu​

Shortly after steam came smoke and fire, as Xiurong's arms ignited in flame as she looked positively flushed with anger. Looks like a fight it was becoming more and more unavoidable, and for that Maizen almost wanted to go out the window and make for his bike. They already got caught up in one accident, they didn't need the heat of another. His ears picked up a car halting, and footsteps towards the front door. Looks like the owner was home, a fact that the Avatar picked up on as well as the flames donning her arms instantly went out. Xiurong turned towards the door as it opened, and Maizen was glad things were calm. But Maizen's eyes fell on the Airbender as he turned towards him, and all that stared back was the homeowner's rage.

Surely after so long one would have calmed down, right? Wrong. The moment the airbender -who's name he now knew as Xian from Xiurong's short outburst- entered the room, he turned and blasted him with heavy winds enough to push him back and press him forcefully against the wall. Wind weathered his body and he had to work to raise an arm over his face to protect it from the harsh airbending of the angry pet owner. His eyes worked through the adversity and trained on the head of his assailant, rapidly losing his composure. He attacked first, it was entirely okay to fight back right? It would be so easy; breathe in some of this plentiful air and blow him up. Then it wouldn't hurt anymore.

But Maizen didn't do it. Of course the bender was angry; he couldn't fight back in their own home with their family and friend watching. Besides, it would make far too much of a mess. Eventually Xian stopped and walked into another room. He heard other footsteps too, but he tuned them out as he slid his back down the wall and slumped against it. Resting his head back against the wall, Maizen closed his eyes, tuning out all noise save for one. The snapping of his fingers.

Snap.

This Xian individual was perfectly justified in attacking him.

Snap.

His breathing slowed, Maizen taking deep and deliberate breaths as his hand trembled slightly. He wasn't even hurt; it was just the pressure.

Snap.

His hand stopped, his true emotions back under its tight chains. It was okay. Maizen opened his eyes slowly, to the form of what he slowly recognized as the professor. For a second he regarded her with an utterly blank face, before as one would put on a mask he smiled faintly and on came the false persona. "Hello Professor."

"....Are you okay?"

"....Well considering what we both just watched, and the fact I was just slammed into a wall via extremely high winds from an angry Airbender, I'd say I'm not in the most optimal of conditions. I didn't fight back because I don't want to make a mess of his home, and if I'm honest I believe his actions are warranted. I'm just glad I didn't go through the wall, and that he stopped. I didn't even know airbenders got angry. Moving on, are you alright? It's only fair I ask the condition of a fellow bystander to....that... With Yara and Xiurong." He answered, standing up and dusting himself off as he checked himself over. The professor apologized for her cousin's actions, to which Maizen waved a hand as if to dismiss the notion that it slighted him. "It's quite alright, I don't mind. I'm sure I'd be just as angry if I were in his position. Someone should fill him in on our deal with the captain. It should aid in improving his mood." He definitely wasn't going to. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to catch some air that isn't slamming me into a wall. I'll be just outside." Excusing himself with a bow he slipped past her, placing his business card with his number on a stand next to the door. Should he decide to leave and come back later, this could keep them in touch. Stepping out the door Maizen noticed two things. First was his windswept hair, which he quickly fixed before waving to the second thing, Taka and Yara.

"It was quite windy in there. You look much better, Taka. And how are you feeling, Yara? Certainly not something I expected you to do, but it wasn't unwarranted."
 
"Hm?" Yara had paused, on the steps of the house, as the car pulled up. In the haze of feeling, she didn't recognize the occupants until they were stopped and one spoke to her. Xian was home.
Xian was home, Xiurong was about to kill her, and Maizen was still inside the house. Yara didn't bother warning him. He'd find out soon enough, and maybe his surprise at finding Maizen inside would keep Xiurong in there too.
"That's great, thanks," She said flatly as he moved past her.

She continued down the steps and gave Taka a quick nod, acknowledging his presence without inviting interaction.
"Might want to wait out here for a few." She called, as she stepped down into the yard, a few steps away from the walk to the door. She uncorked her waterskin, and drew out the water.

Breathe in. Yara drew the water into an orb between her hands.
Breathe out. She lifted her right leg and stretched into a lunge, her right arm following the motion, palm up, and the water responded instantly to extend out as well.
Breathe in. Yara shifted her weight, straightening her left knee as the water continued upward in an arch, and then lifting her left foot from the ground. Her knee drew toward her chest, and she held the tension in her muscles for just a fraction of a second.
Breathe out. Her left leg moved out, mimicking the lunge on the opposite side, a quarter-turn happening naturally. Her arm, and then the water, followed again.
Breathe in. Yara drew herself up, poised on one foot, left arm raised to the sky and right tucked behind her back, and paused to answer Maizen.

"I feel like I don't belong in this job," Her tone hadn't softened much. There was a twitch at the corner of her nose, and the water wavered, but when she refocused her attention, the water stilled.

The water drew a figure-eight in the air, as Yara moved in a tight circle, nearly on the same spot, repeating the same motion over again. With each iteration, it became a little smoother; the water foamed less on the turns, her weight shifted with less of a jerk. Her breath became a wave.
After a few iterations, she spoke again.
"The White Lotus have invested money and faith in me." The statement came on her exhale, and then she took her next inhale. The waterbending never stopped. Every sentence came as its own statement, punctuated by a controlled inhale.
"I was ready to quit this morning.. I thought they exaggerated about her.. But she really burned my hair.. And I love my hair.. She's got a brother.. And I want to help them find their father.. And the work she does is important.. But I also can't throw tea all the time.. So I need something.. Something to keep me sane.. It's been two days alone.. And I'm throwing tea.. I promise I'm very professional.. When I'm treated like a person, anyway.."
There were a couple iterations where she didn't speak, and then she added.
"Just need to get my temper in check.. then I'll go back to work.. Check Taka over, to start. "
Interaction: The Prophet The Prophet Xanto Xanto Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse // Mentions: . D O V E . D O V E
 
Taka
Interactions: Flutterby Flutterby The Prophet The Prophet
Mentions: Xanto Xanto . D O V E . D O V E ​
As they came towards the driveway, Taka was already unwrapping the bundle, pulling the material to present its true form. That's when he felt Xian's hand clasp his shoulder, causing him to turn and look at the airbender as he spoke. " . . don't worry about it." Though Xian seemed like he was holding a level-head, Taka could assume that he wasn't being entirely honest with him. But none-the-less he trusted his friend and wouldn't call him out on it until the 'wound' had received treatment. So instead he gave a simple nod, "I'll try" he stated before watching him exit the car. Wasting no time he began to change his clothing, stripping away his shirt and tossing it to the windshield. It didn't serve as the greatest buffer between him and the outside world, but it would work for now.

Slowly he began to wrap his torso in a black cloth, it held tightly by the time he was done binding it to himself- acting almost as a brace or support for his body. In past use, he had used it to brace his body for his endurance training. But in this case, he was using it to ensure that whatever healing had been done to his torso wouldn't be too messed up. He grit his teeth for a moment as he felt the pressure, but it gradually faded away again and droned on into nothingness. Looking back out the window, he was met with the image of Yara, granted she seemed to be a little stressed at the moment. A swift move of his head returned the nod she had given to him before he went back to change the remainder of his tattered garb in trade for that of his previously bundled ones.

Afterward, he removed his shirt from the window and bundled it with his previous attire before placing it in the back seat. Looking to his side, he noticed that Xian had taken the keys in the car. Perhaps he was planning on bringing them elsewhere once they had grouped up with the group here? Taka sighed as he exited the car, shutting the door behind him with a surprising amount of gentleness.

As he made his exit he heard Maizen mention his name, but as he turned to respond he noticed that Yara appeared to be getting something off her chest at the moment. Instead of interrupting, he chose to give a nod towards Maizen and look to the scene around him. It seemed as though chunks of broken china and wood splinters had found their way out of the doorway and into the yard. "Looks like someone got restless..." He muttered under his breath before allowing his eyes to roam further towards the door, but his attention was pulled back to the two in the yard as Yara's statement met his ears.

Upon hearing her fall quiet he opened his mouth to contribute, "If you didn't feel angry about that then something would be wrong, wouldn't it?" His expression was one of understanding, a calm expression that didn't seem to dwell on any emotion. He moved around the front of the car before sitting on the hood of it, leaning back until his eyes were cast skyward. "It's natural to feel anger towards those who have done us wrong, so you're justified to be upset." He leaned back further until he was laid out against the hood of his car, the windshield serving as a headrest as he continued staring up towards the clouds. A small smile came to his face as he looked up to them, then turned his gaze down to Yara and Maizen.

"The two of you managed to band-aid the incident by the docks, a misunderstanding from everyone's favorite princess. I can already see the result of how thankful she is to you for that." His gaze turned back to the house once more, looking towards the door for a sign that someone else might be making an exit but it seemed to be rather unoccupied for the moment being. "That being said... you followed her back here. Even now you're speaking of returning to work whilst you considered quitting earlier. I have to wonder why, more than anything. Then again... I may just be overstepping my bounds. He paused once more and reached into his pocket, pulling out two small objects.

"Ms. Yara- catch please." He stated before tossing an object through the air, it didn't move fast and instead flew high before beginning to slowly arc towards the ground. Its form began to revolve and revealed that of a triangular-prism of wood, it's exterior sanded down with the words 'Conviction, and Hope' each burned into one of its faces with one remaining blank. "For saving my life, twice, I owe you a great deal and I fully intend to repay that. I pray that with the mark of an oath that you'll be reminded of your value to this world, not only that but of my gratitude to you." With that his gaze moved over to Maizen, "Mr. Tosuda, catch please," In the same manner as before he tossed another wooden prism into the air. This one bearing the words 'Forgiven, and Potential' with the other being blank.

As the second began to soar through the air his lips pulled into a smirk, as he began to speak in perfect unison with the arc of the piece. "For you, I wish to extend my gratitude as well, had it not been for your statement earlier things may have gotten worse. For helping Xi- For helping my friend... I thank you." This statement came as Taka slowly leaned his head back again and stared up at the sky, a cloud moving overhead casting shade down upon him.

"I apologize for the interruption."
 
Maizen Tosuda
interactions: Taka and Yara​

Listening to Yara and Taka talk, Maizen took the time to fully take stock of the events that have transpired since his arrival. On his very first venture away from the dogs, he and Qanother man were wrongfully labeled as criminals by the avatar, and in a short scuffle he himself was hit and Taka was badly injured by the flying bison. The bison was actually someone's pet, and it was hauled off by animal control after he tricked the crowd. After giving the avatars heeler a ride after she was abandoned by her 'employer', they were questioned by police. They walked in on Xiurong fighting the airbender's cousin, and after a slip up they had a deal to get the animal back. Yara and Xiurong got into an altercation that nearly ended in a full on fight, but Taka and the pet owner came along. But then the pet owner attacked him. Now he was outside, arguably the safest place from the fury mere paces behind him. Letting out a sigh, Maizen rolled his shoulder In a stretch.

"Today has certainly been very…. Eventful. I would have never imagined this would all happen during my time here, much less within minutes of my arrival. But from what I've seen so far, it looks completely warranted to retaliate when someone treats you like a convenient sub-human servant. You're certainly stronger than me in that regard for putting up with it for as long as you did." Maizen mused, looking over his shoulder before continuing. "I'm sure that you're professional in a more common employment setting, I wouldn't recommend going in just yet. The Airbender was furious enough to wind me into a wall for a bit, and before Taka's friend came in, Xiurong's arms were blazing with fire."

Catching the odd object with his left hand, Maizen peered at the gift curiously. "I hardly think I've deserved a gift, after all my lies are what caused the bison to be put away in the first place. Though, I'll thank you regardless. Are there any leftover injuries?" He asked, pocketing the prism in his coat pocket.
 
Yara glanced at Taka as he addressed her, but didn't feel like relating what had just happened in the house. What had happened over the last two days. Didn't want to break her concentration, or the spell of calm that was settling over her shoulders. The anger was dissipating with each step, each turn, each swish as the water under her control passed closest her her ear on its way down toward the center again.

Yara didn't stop her bending until Taka tossed something to her. She caught it in her right hand on the downward arch of her movement, and stilled the water into an orb with her left as she came to stand still. She turned the little prism about in her hand. Conviction. Hope. And a blank side.
Does he have a bunch of these that he just carries around, or did he make this after nearly dying? Was he such an odd duck when we first met?
The question vanished quickly as Taka spoke to her, and she gave him a small, mute nod at the end as she put the water away. Now that she had stopped moving, she felt tired again. And small. She missed her father.

As Taka settled back onto the hood of his car, Yara spoke again, but her voice was almost husky now.
"My father used to tell me that water is the element adaptability and persistence. That to find the best path, even if it takes time, even if it is not the path you planned, was to embody the spirit of waterbending. To have conviction in one's destination, rather than the journey. He isn't a waterbender, but he is decently wise." Yara turned the little trinket over in her palm again, and then said, "Thank you for a very timely reminder, Taka."

She hesitated for a moment, considering continuing her moving meditation, but the pain in her left temple nagged at her. So instead, she plopped down, lacking all of the grace she had a few moments before, and sat on the ground to fiddle with the wooden prism like it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.
"I don't think I'll be going in any time soon." Yara muttered, reassuring Maizen they were all safe from her provoking Xiurong again unless the Avatar came to her. "I can do a session tomorrow, if there are." She added.
She glanced up at the two men. "If you're still around, that is. I don't imagine the two of you are too keen on maintaining a friendship with this lot after today. I definitely wouldn't still be here if I had somewhere else to go." There was a sad smile as she said it, and then she returned her eyes to the tiny gift in her hands.
Interaction: The Prophet The Prophet Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse
 
Taka
Mentions/Interactions: The Prophet The Prophet Flutterby Flutterby ​
Taka listened for a moment, allowing the two of them to continue their conversation, but soon found himself brought into the conversation. His head angled slightly, looking towards the two who remained there, though Yara had now found a seat on the ground. Each had, as expected, managed to catch the pieces without much difficulty and it seemed that the meaning of the trinket was understood differently by each. At the mention of Xian's bending Taka's form rose up from the windshield and instead, he found himself sitting on the hood of the car. It took him only until both parties had finished speaking for him to process the situation a bit more.

'Given Xian's reaction earlier... I guess he was trying to mask that from me' The thought had been pushed back into his mind almost as soon as it had come through, and instead, he focussed on what was before him. That was, of course, his two new acquaintances who had each made effort in speaking towards him. First, his head turned to Yara, the mention of a parent had immediately thrown up a red flag but he was thankful that it turned out to be something pleasant. "More than happy to help, regardless of how small the contribution." He gave a short nod towards Yara before turning to look at Maizen.

"I'm more than happy to gift you with the Firefly prism. Its meaning is quite different from the Dragon prism Yara holds, but I hope you accept it all the same." He smiled once more before sliding from the hood of the car and standing to his feet, which were planted quite firmly for a man who was nearly bludgeoned to death hours earlier. "On the note of lingering injuries... I'm sure it's nothing I can't sleep off," While he was well aware that may not be true, he didn't want to cause Yara any more stress than she had already been dealing with. With that out in the air, he began to look over both of the others for some signs of injuries. From what he could tell neither was injured, though he didn't invade their space to investigate further.

"I wouldn't say I'm necessarily against kindling a friendship with those here. I mean, the two of you have a considerable amount of charm. Granted, I don't feel too keen on sticking around knowing that Xian and the Avatar are fuming." He pondered on the idea for a moment. While he was rather interested in getting better acquainted with Yara and Maizen, this was hardly the place to do so. Suddenly a realization hit him, he hadn't planned to stay anywhere while he was here in Republic City. Another dull aching pain suddenly came from his stomach, it wasn't that of the typical pain he had been dealing with throughout the day. He recognized it almost immediately as hunger pains, given the fact that he hadn't eaten it made sense.

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted something he missed in the driver-side seat. The keys to the Izumobile, laying pressed into the fold of the seat. His gaze turned back to the other two now, "Well... I still need to set up a place to stay for a bit while I'm here, I was planning to ask Xian for recommendations... but considering his current condition I think I'll pass on that." He paused, bringing a hand up to his neck before making his next suggestion.

"But I would like to go grab something to eat before having to deal with any more carnage. Perhaps the two of you would like to join me? It would be my treat of course, as a way to try and take off some of the stress from today." He walked to the driver's side of the car and pulled open the door, making no attempt to draw attention as he grabbed ahold of the keys, plucking them from their resting place in the seat. From here he turned back to the others to await their response.
 
Maizen Tosuda
interactions: Taka and Yara​

Maizen patted his coat pocket once he learned of the prism's name, offering a slight bow in thanks. If he was honest he had no idea what this firefly prism meant, but he didn't have to voice that. He let them talk for a moment as he watched for any sort of ruckus in the house. "Of course I'd still like to be friends, but I don't see them calming down until they've gotten their pet and time to calm themselves. This seems to be a large series of accidents and mistakes, unless I read something wrong." Upon hearing both of them comment on accommodations he looked back over and raised his hand slightly, pointing back at the house with his thumb he began to speak. "I couldn't blame either of you, not wanting to go back in there. I feel bad for professor Jade for being stuck with two positively furious benders. I wouldn't even go in for that great tea." He started, and reached into his coach to pull out the card he received shortly after he reserved his lodging. He was just given a gift; it was only fair he gave one back. Helping out Taka and Yara in exchange for their forgiveness over the Igoo event seemed fair. As badly as today turned out, it was still a fairly interesting start to his time here.

"Seeing as we're in the giving mood, allow me to repay your 'forgiveness'. I'm renting out an apartment in the city that's big enough for the two of you if you'd like to stay somewhere that isn't here; I was forced to get a much larger place than I would have liked, so there's spare rooms and plenty of space. I could also get an entirely different apartment for each of you if you value ultimate privacy. I can't exactly see the tension and that home lowering soon, after the events of today." He offered, looking about the city skyline for the skyscraper in question. It was unsurprisingly quite easy to lose a single skyscraper in a city of skyscrapers, but there was no doubt that he would find it again after a little bit of looking.

"Though I'll agree with you that something to eat first would be ideal. I'll come along, if that's alright? I don't know anything here."
 
The Dragon prism.
Yara committed that bit to memory, and tucked it away into a pocket on her tunic. She had a feeling she would keep it close for quite a while.

They both seemed to readily offer their friendship, but she felt a little doubt. Or maybe guilt- for even mentioning it, for putting them on the spot to reassure her. Not that she didn't appreciate the reassurance, because she certainly needed it. Accompanying the Avatar meant nearly always being surrounded by others, and somehow feeling all the more lonely for it.

"I think Professor Jade is a little more equipped to deal with Xiurong than any of us. Xian certainly is- he'll have her calmed down in a few hours, I'd bet," Yara mused, as she pulled herself up off the ground.
"Food sounds like a great idea. Everything looks better after a good meal."

She was standing and about to start towards the car when Maizen offered the lodging. Yara was aware of the irony, of being invited but with the extra company of Taka. But really, she didn't care. Not with the damaged strand of hair hanging in front of her face.

"I don't think either of us would want to impose.. or have Xiurong come after me again." She tried, and failed, to say it with good humor. It was a real concern- given what had just happened- but on the other hand.. she wanted to be in the same house as Xiurong about as much as she wanted to be hit by a flying bison's tail.

And then Yara realized she needed to head that off even to go eat dinner, and started toward the door of the house. She'd just look in, shout that she was going, and go. That counted as saying goodbye, right? And she only said leave without saying goodbye.
Interaction: The Prophet The Prophet Entity.Eclypse Entity.Eclypse // Mentions: . D O V E . D O V E Xanto Xanto
 
Taka
Interactions: Flutterby Flutterby The Prophet The Prophet Mentions: . D O V E . D O V E Xanto Xanto ​
Taka listened carefully to what the others said, though the name 'Professor Jade' had caused his attention to wander for a moment. He had heard that name before... back when he was at Raiko's place there had been mention of a girl named Jade. If she was inside the building and stuck between the other two occupants... it would undoubtedly be a bad time for her. Then again, Taka couldn't imagine that Xian would harm her... since it had sounded like she had been looking for him to begin with. Yara's comment further concerned him, this professor had managed to deal with the avatar? Given the whirlwind of rage he had seen earlier... it was hard to believe that someone could just walk up and tame the savage beast. A question began to bubble up in his mind, as he began to wonder just who this woman was.

"Xian's calmed her down before? Interesting..." He pondered on the idea for a moment as a small smirk began to grow. 'And yet another suitor joins the battle.' While the thought was initially sarcastic, a hint of realization set in afterward. It was entirely possible that the two could grow closer, feelings did have a tendency to just punch you in the gut when you least expect them.

Once more he was torn from that sphere of thought as he heard Maizen offer Yara and himself a place to stay for the evening, in order to avoid the dangers of returning to Xian's home. Before he could open his mouth Yara had spoken nearly identical sentiment, "That is amazingly generous of you. But, as Yara had stated, I would hate to be a bother," His gaze turned to Yara once more before returning to Maizen again, "From what I can tell though, she probably needs some breathing room from you-know-who. If Xian does manage to get through... she might stay calm for at least tonight." To be honest, Taka didn't know if that was even slightly true. He'd never seen Xian and Xiurong talk much before, for all he knew the whole house was going to remain a ticking time-bomb until someone fell onto the detonation switch.

His hand trailed along the exterior of the car door, the heat from the metal acting to comfort him a little as the tips of his fingers accepted it's warmth. "As I said, I'd like to treat both of you to a meal. Besides, food always tastes better when shared in good company." He smiled a little before rolling the bird charm in his hand, his gaze turned out towards the rest of the city for a moment as he looked between the skyscrapers. This was nothing like his home village... and yet he didn't feel out of place here. "I'm not the most familiar with the city myself, since today marks my first time stepping foot here. But, I have some second-hand knowledge of restaurants around here. Either of you in the mood for something specific? Or is there anything you want to avoid?"
 
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