Fandom Avatar the Last Airbender: The Black Lotus Blooms (Closed)

[MrThe]

Earth Kingdom Erupts!
Today is a black day in the history of the earth kingdom when a previously peaceful protest has become a massive uprising after the protesters were ordered to disperse, and upon their refusal were attacked by the Earth Kingdom Security Forces. This was the straw that broke the CamelSpider's back so to say. Resentment toward the government in Ba Sing Se which had been simmering for some time now has become a full-blown peasant uprising, the largest in the history of Ba Sing Se, it lasted for several hours until it was brutally crushed by the Earth Queen and her forces. Law and Order have been restored but there is a distinct possibility that further destabilization will continue to occur unless serious governmental reforms can be passed.

The Southern provinces especially are under threat of breaking away as the Earth Kingdom has always held on to them tenuously at best. Historically divided from the capital at Ba Sing Se by the Si Wong Desert and large mountain ranges, communication and travel between the two halves have always been difficult and have only recently become more thoroughly integrated with the rest of the nation. But it's not only the South that is chafing at the yoke, all of the provinces are reluctant to relinquish their autonomy to what they see as a distant ruler that is now attempting to take away their freedom. However, some say a strong central government is necessary to strengthen the Earth Kingdom, blaming lack of a central government for losses in the hundred year war. Continued A2

Southern Water Under the Bridge?
Tensions have been high between the North and the South recently. The South accuses the North of trying to dominate them under the guise of helping them rebuild from the Hundred Year War. While the North accuses the South of being ungrateful for the considerable amount of generous donations of time and resources given to the South both from private volunteers and state-sponsored endeavours. Both sides may have a point, the North has been very involved with getting its sister nation up on its feet after being devastated by the Hundred Year War. But some in the South are concerned about the rapid changes the South has gone through or worry that their much larger Cousin will dominate the South. Hopefully, they can reconcile their differences. Continued E4

Changyu lazily glanced over the paper while drinking his morning tea with a fellow officer. The weather forecast said partly cloudy with no chance of rain. "Seems like there's a lot of unrest in the Earth Kingdom, do you think that we'll send another peacekeeping force?" "Ah, don't worry about it, they'll sort that stuff out eventually. Hey, while you're at it do you mind if you check the scores for last nights pro-bending match? "Yeah, sure thing." he flipped to the sports section "Oh, looks like it was the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps that won against the Ember Island Eel Hounds in a knockout"

 

[Svisttt]

"OI, KEN'ICHI!"

The doors to the little cafe tucked away on a lonely street corner burst open, letting in the cool morning air as a tall, messy haired girl ran inside. She skidded to a halt in front of a rather old man who was standing by the counter, the owner of the cafe that always seemed to smell like coffee. There weren't any customers here yet- it was still a little early, but they'd come soon enough. Lucky for Sehon, she had the day off. Some other poor sod could take care of things. She still enjoyed coming here even when she didn't have to work, though. It was like a second home to her, and had been for a good chunk of her life.

Ken'ichi, the owner, raised an eyebrow at her, as if to ask without words 'what kind of entrance was that?' Of course, he should've been used to this kind of thing by now. Sehon had never been the most subtle person in the world. She gave the old man a wide grin as she sat down on one of the old, but comfy stools set up by the counter.

"Gooood morning Gramps!" Sehon chirped as she lazily propped her feet up on one of the other stools. "Good morning, Sehon. Getcha' legs off from there." With a small smile, Ken'ichi swiped the morning paper off from the counter, before rolling it up and swatting at her legs. Sehon yelped a bit and swung her legs off the chair, snatching the newspaper out of Ken'ichi's hands as she did so. "Cranky old bastard..." she mumbled, hiding the smile appearing on her face. "Are you planning on actually paying for your coffee today?" Ken'ichi asked as Sehon aimlessly flipped through the newspaper, scowling ever so slightly as she tried to pick out words she knew. "Maybe- but can we first take a minute to talk about how stupid newspapers are?" "Are you sure it is the newspaper that is stupid?" Sehon glared at the man she'd come to see as a father figure of some sorts. She opened her mouth to argue, before looking away with a little hmph. "Sh-shut up!"

Sehon bit her lip, humming slightly as she continued to squint at the swirly letters filling the paper's pages. She eventually tossed the damn thing back on the counter in frustration, sticking her tongue out at it. "Mmm... you sure showed it who's boss." Laughing, she jokingly repeated, "Shut up!" She stood up from her seat and wandered behind the counter- she knew Ken'ichi wouldn't care- and stood on her toes to reach the little radio they kept on the back shelf. Ken'ichi wasn't very fond of the worn down hunk of metal, and she'd seen on more than one occasion him trying to scold it into working correctly. And he says I yell at things too much. Sehon flicked one of the little switches that were on the front of the radio, but didn't dare change the station. Ken'ichi said he'd finally tuned it just to his liking- and besides, with how old it was she was a little worried it'd break if she messed with it too much. She jumped over the counter and plopped back down into her seat, leaning forwards as she listened to staticy sounds coming from the radio. The man was reading off the news- Sehon couldn't believe her timing- and things weren't exactly looking good. Then again, most things nowadays weren't looking the best, and she wasn't referring to Ken'ichi. Frowning, she turned the little radio off after one or two news stories and sighed. "What a world, yeah?"

Ken'ichi took a seat next to her and drummed his fingers against the counter, smiling a little as though he were remembering something, "A beautiful, twisted little world."

 

[VeiledPariah]

Nightfall Streets of Republic City
Rain lightly pattered the paved streets and cobbled sidewalks as it pooled forming a puddle that reflected the waxing moons shimmering light until disturbed suddenly by the feet of a man as he ran for his life.
His breathing ragged and harsh as his lungs screamed for air and reprieve his muscles called for from running wanting nothing more than to stop and rest but he knew if he slowed down he would be dead in an instant.
The man was known as Huang Sao a known peddler of weapons and human trafficking into the cities decrepit and ruthless underground trade.
He was living large by selling others lives away and weapons that ended them until his last shipment of course did not match his promises.
Now the Triad's most lethal asset was hunting him...and he was no more than a rabbit caught in a wolves sight.
The soft foot falls resounded behind him as he rounded a tight turn in an alleyway only to be cut off by a wooden partisan his gaze widening and his heart falling as he turned around his eyes showing true fear as his hunter walked briskly toward him stopping a few meters away as he took up a fighting stance although it was lacking in form and knowledge of the craft.
"I...I can pay them back!, I just need more time!... Please i will give you anything want!! I don't wanna die!"
The cloaked figure cocked her head slightly to the side her face hidden from his visage as it was veiled with a face mask her hand moving slowly grasping the hilt of the sword at her waist.
"Anything.....Then i want your life Huang Sao...That is all that will be needed"
The man shuddered at her words and the intense chill they held knowing he was not going to talk his way out of this.
Huang thrusted forward slamming his foot down knocking a cobble stone free as it levitated and with a punch sent it careening toward the assassin however it split before reaching her and each piece halved sent free of her body on either side of her frame.
Her hand was raised now and from the hilt that resided within it a sharp stream of azure water flowed forth like a spring fountain.
The target tried to move to make another strike but she swiped downward and his body was struck with pain as blood covered his chest as he fell back against the partisan and she stepped forward.
He had lost what fight he had left in him as she closed the distance her sword sheathed and the water formed in a sphere spiraling gently in her right hand as she suddenly appeared mere inches from him her palm colliding with his chest and the water bending outward like a pressure jet exploding out from his back at immense speed and force splattering crimson over the soft brown wood behind him.
The eyes that held so much fear dulled becoming lifeless as he slid down and collapsed before the huntress.
She however was not done.
Stepping back she began to bring her hands upward after kicking open a large barrel used for washing water the blood that flowed freely from his wounds sweeping together like a current in a stream as it flowed from him into the barrel before she closed it.
His corpse left practically a drained husk completely drained of blood.
The police knew that this was her calling card and the work of one of he cities most notorious contract killers.
The Sapphire Blade.

Morning The Next Day Ito's Tea Shop
Inuii sat with her legs crossed at her favorite seat near the entrance to the shop as she read the paper in one hand and sipping her ginger root and honey tea with the other.
The murder had not appeared in the paper but that would not last long. Of that she was certain, still she had to work at the Wild Flower Gentlemen's Club later today and wanted to focus on doing her daily routine which hardly varied.
Wake up, Bathe, Get Dressed and enjoy morning tea, head to work, browse the markets for dinner that night, and as night fell accept the next contract if needed.
It had been about a month or so since her last and she enjoyed the reprieve but being called in for such a lowly target...
Inuii sighed and sipped the hot brew from her porcelain glass before setting the paper down her gaze falling upon Changyu a Chief Inspector of one of the Republic City's police forces units.
The Special Triad Investigation Force or STIF for short. She refered to them as stiffs and they were anything but being highly trained and specialized to break up and hunt down the Triad with whom she worked for.
He frequented the establishment
almost as much as she but she cares little as everyone here knew her as Jade and neither had ever spoken nor had reason to.
Noticing her cup was empty she looked around for anyone present to help her get another as she still has time to enjoy the morning bustle of the cities passers by.

Mentions
MrThe
WhispFlick

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[Karcen]

Life for Palle had changed int he years since she had left her isolated island, though sometimes things don't and her love of machines had remained if not grown over her time here. She had come from a small island remote island where bending was part of survival and here she saw it used int he most mundane ways when all around them these people had conveniences in their technology that her people could h ave only dreamed of. It had annoyed her for awhile that instead of using their great machines to remove the need for bending they had instead made it a job instead of a way of life like it had apparently always been and like it had been ion her home. Still despite this oddity the city had allowed her to learn and build things she could never have dreamed of, like her lightning hands. They were her greatest invention yet made by her hands and improved with help from others there were two gloves that ended with metal tips on the fingers with a metal plate on the palm of each hand all these could be used to discharge the energy stored in the backpack unit which fed this power through cables that were clipped to her arms. With this she could create lightning like the greatest of fire benders and even in way they could not the power of her people's patron was now hers. While the backpack would run out of power eventually, it had been improved and could be reacharged by simply cranking a crank that could be popped out or hidden.

Still that was not the important thing as today she was being allowed into republic city, without an escort instead of a tour she would finally get to see the city not just the key points. The lightning hands she took with her did make her look odd, but otherwise people seemed to think she was from one of the two well known tribes of water benders. She had heard of their plight and in truth she preferred the southern tribe for her own people were not exactly happy with those of the north, in fact there had been one of that tribe killed for grave insults to her people via his attempts to "civilize" and " properly educate" them in their " true" ways. It was only natural she would feel for those undergoing similar "help" from those to the north. Well that was happening far away and in truth Palle doubted her opinion as an outsider to all the political issues would be taken seriously, as most in the city likely thought her people savages and barbarians. The question for right now was where to go as Palle had no real goal in mind she simply wandered the streets taking in what she could and looking every bit the mystified tourist that she was.

 

[capMARVELOUS]

The quiet sounds of a sitar being plucked rose above the lofts of the small corner of Republic City that housed Nana Cheng's Porcelain Shop. On one of the metal grille fire escape ledges, a young, short-haired girl ran her fingers across the instrument's neck, fingers pressing on the strings in just the right places to create a melody. Her head bobbed and swayed in time with the music, her eyes closed. She plucked the strings of her sitar faster and harder; the song crescendoed into the beginnings of a frenzy-

"Tao! How many times have I told you, you need to do your chores before you go on playing that thing of yours!"

Tao stopped mid-pluck, the stern voice of her Nana Cheng disrupting her concentration. Darn it, foiled again. She stood, dusting the dirt off the seat of her trousers, and returned to the inside of the shop, which also doubled as her and Nana Cheng's house, dropping her sitar gently onto her bed and grabbing the broom that leaned against her wall. With a spring in her step, she set to sweeping the floors of the shop proper. Her hips swayed and sashayed to the beat of a song playing quietly over the radio near the checkout counter; her hands maneuvered the broom into corners and carefully around the shop's displays. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Nana Cheng leaning on her elbows on the checkout counter, newspaper in hand, brow furrowed.

Playfully, Tao stopped sweeping and put her free hand on her hip, assuming a chiding position. "Nana Cheng, how many times have I told you, you need to do your chores before you go on reading the newspaper!" she teased, echoing her aunt's words delivered not five minutes ago.

In reply, Nana Cheng grunted. "I'm old. I can't do chores. That's why I have you."

Tao giggled, then resumed her sweeping of the floors, pausing only once or twice near the checkout counter to scratch the ears of her fat pet pug, Chicken. (When she had first come to live with Nana Cheng, she had stated loudly and often that she wanted a pet chicken. Nana Cheng had finally caved in and bought her a pet... a pug, whose name was Chicken.) After several minutes and three songs on the radio, the floors were clear of dust. Tao bounced on the balls of her feet. "OK, I'm done! Can I go out now?"

"No, you are not done," Nana Cheng scolded. You still need to flip the open sign. And feed Chicken. And deliver those Ito Tea Shop fellows their fresh order of teapots and saucers. When you've done that, then you can go out. But until then, no."

Seconds later, the sign on the door of the shop was turned to the "open" side, and Chicken had a scoop of dog kibble sitting in front of him. In the supply closet, which was next to her room, Tao hefted a small crate labelled "Ito Tea Shop," being careful not to swing it around too much and pausing only to swing the strap of her sitar over her shoulder, and lumbered it out the front door to the small lift that they used to raise and lower crates of porcelain onto and off of the official "delivery bike." Which was just Tao's bicycle with a carrying grille and bungee cord on the back. "OK, Nana Cheng, I'm making that delivery now!" she called into the shop to announce her departure. Nana Cheng merely grunted in reply again, her nose still buried in the newspaper.

Within the minute, Tao was out on the streets of Republic City, pedaling her bicycle down the sidewalks towards her delivery destination. The Ito Tea Shop...

 

[Svisttt]

"A beautiful, twisted little world."

"...eh? ...Don't get all philosophical on me!"'

Sehon brushed a lock of her messy blonde hair out of her eyes, and had opened her mouth to tease Ken'ichi again when the doors to the cafe suddenly opened. Her gaze flickered over to the person walking in- a rather tall looking man with his hair tied back in a tight pony tail. She didn't recognize him as one of their usual regulars, which she found a little peculiar. They didn't usually get new visitors- not very often, at least. Of course, whenever they did get new customers, they tended to become regulars, so she supposed that made up for their lack of new people. Ken'ichi stood up and offered the man a warm smile and a handshake, before gesturing for him to take a seat somewhere.

Sehon stood up from her chair and stretched with a little yawn. "Oii, Ken'ichi, as much as I'm going to be mourning the current lack of bacon in my stomach all day, I'm gonna run." She paused, leaning back on the balls of her feet, "Please don't drag this lovely gentleman into your silly Pai Sho obsession while I'm gone." With that, she darted out the door, all the while wondering what it was with old folks and Pai Sho. Ken'ichi was always trying to convince her to play a few rounds with him, and he was no different with their customers.

She ran throughout the city, taking pleasure in the morning sun that warmed her face and the cool breeze that played with her hair. She'd nearly run into a few people, narrowly dodging out of their way with a little laugh and a slight stumble. Sehon was feeling a little spicy today, and occasionally jumped over obstacles instead of just going around them. Things go faster this way! Of course, very few people in the market area liked some random, wild looking girl jumping over their fruit, and offered no sympathy when she caught her foot on something mid-jump and crashed into the ground face first. Groaning, she rolled onto her back, squinting against the sun's light and uttering more than a few unpleasant sayings.

Her knees ached and stung along with her elbows, and she could only imagine how bad her face was. Sehon forced herself into a sitting position and almost immediately regretted the action. "Ow ow ow ow ow... Jeez..." She gingerly touched her face and winced, glancing down at her fingers in search of blood. Spots of red speckled her finger tips, which she just wiped away on her loose green shirt with a little sigh. Whatever. Sehon dragged herself to her feet and trudged through the streets, fuming as she limped around a bit unsteadily. As she walked, her eyes caught sight of a little tea shop full of people. Sehon walked over as quick as she could without causing herself too much pain, mentally apologizing to Ken'ichi as she pushed the door open and called, "Oii, can I possibly get a washrag or something? Oh, a cup'a ginseng would be great, too." She imagined she must've looked like a nut, with blood splattered all over herself and scrapes everywhere, but that was alright. Or, she hoped it was alright.

 

[MrThe]

Changyu was extremely surprised when a very rude young woman barged into the tea shop and asked for a washrag and a cup of tea. He looked at the man across from him and to the owner of the shop Mr Ito getting a nod of approval from both. He stood up and pulled out a handkerchief and held it out to the dishevelled girl. "Here, take this. Why don't you join me at my table while Mr Ito makes your tea? I've never seen you before and I always like to meet new people, you could even say that it is my job to meet new people." He took a step back and looked at her again, she had short pure White hair and very pale skin with green eyes, complemented by her green shirt now dirty and stained with blood. She was bleeding from several scrapes on her head. From her style of dress and short hair she could almost be confused for a boy were it not for her obviously feminine features, not that she was well endowed, in fact, her chest was barely noticeable but the shape of her face and body was clearly that of a woman.
Svisttt

 

[Svisttt]

Sehon peered at the man that had walked up to her, noticing him looking at her awfully closely. Her head tilted slightly to the side as she stared back at him, in wonder of what he found so interesting about her. Then, she remembered how dirty and banged up she must've looked and laughed a bit at herself, before smiling at him the way she'd seen Ken'ichi do when greeting new people. She'd always had a hard time starting conversations with people in a decent and polite manner, and carrying one on was even harder, but Ken'ichi told her she was getting better. There was once a time she would only yell during conversations with people that weren't her brothers, because she felt that was the only way she could be heard. Sehon broke out of that quickly thanks to the old cafe owner, and now she's able to take a bit of mercy on people's eardrums.

She plucked the little handkerchief out of his hand when he was done talking and murmured a thank you as she began to walk to the table she'd seen him come from. Her movements were quick, despite the slight limp she currently had going on. She sat down in a vacant seat and began drumming her fingers quietly against the table, struggling to figure out where to start conversation-wise. Your name, dummy. She glanced the man over before giving him a lopsided smile and saying, "I'm Sehon. Uh, Kisaragi. Who are you?" Sehon asked the question a little bluntly, swiftly realizing after the fact it would've been better to ask "what's your name?" Too late now, it's fine. She did her best to clean herself up a bit with the handkerchief- at the very least her face, although she knew she'd have to better take care of things whenever she got home. Sehon suddenly wasn't looking too forward to going back to the cafe, knowing she was in for a scolding from Ken'ichi for making such a silly and dumb mistake.

MrThe

 

[MrThe]

"It's nice to make your acquaintance Ms Kisaragi. My name is Changyu Chen and this is my associate Tikko Sikkik" He gestured to the man sitting across from him. "So how did you get scratched up like that? And if you don't mind I could take a look and see if there is anything I can do for your injuries besides a bit of a scrub."

Svisttt

 

[VeiledPariah]

Inuii Ao'Shen
The female although still awaiting service for her drink was managing to keep an eye on the member of the task force as well as his entourage including a clumsy new addition who seemed to crash on scene with the grace of a lame jackalfoal after it had just been born.
Particularly she noted his mannerisms and gestures to helping the woman who introduced herself as Kisaragi.
She wondered if this was some meeting of pure chance and coincidence or if an ulterior motive had yet to present itself.
Regardless she inhaled sharply before looking back to her paper and empty tea cup. Right about now she wished rice wine replaced it, with the group of distasteful men she had entertain this afternoon at the WildFlower.
They too were in the Triad but were simply low rung members. They were practically glorified street thugs. Mugging bystanders, getting drunk, and of course harassing women and those they thought weaker than them.
If she was not trying to keep her decent life hidden from her dark persona she would have crushed them by now...but the thought brought her back to this moment.
Why was the Triad sending lowly members to the club in the first place? It had to be for a reason other than public displays of idiocy... Maybe to chase out a snake in the grass?
It mattered little compared to the tiger that sat across from her and his associate.
Inuii stood tired of waiting and assumed the staff was more preoccupied setting down the paper and her cup and leaving the appropriate change as payment on the table top.
She walked past the scene unfolding beside her as Changyu handed Kisaragi a handkerchief before disappearing into the swaths of wading people making her way to work.

The WildFlower

Spoiler: Scarf Dance ((Inuii's Dance))

"Jade your on in five!!"
"Alright i will be ready!"
Jade...the name she went by when living this double life as a dancer.
The female sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror her makeup on and bringing out whatever hidden beauty had yet to present itself.
She stood and moved towards the curtain shadowed stage as she was introduced by the manager a series of cheers and whistles followed by catcalls and drunken promises of good times that would never be fulfilled.
The curtain drew up as the music began and she allowed her body to move in unison with the music sliding on the balls of her feet and expressing movements with her arms and the cloth of her dancers garments as she twirled and kept with the beat kicking a leg high before twisting around mid air to land on her feet and collapse to the floor as her body turned over itself bringing her back to a standing position causing a jeer to echo.
Jade offered a glance and smile to the crowd who happily accepted with more cheers as she continued her dance around the stage even moving to its edge and allowing the audience to almost...touch her.. But they never would.
As the song finished she smiled while catching her breath and then bowed and exited the stage making her way onto the floor of the club for a drink and to mingle.


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[WhispFlick]

- Probending Captain - Itsuki Ito - Tea Heater -

~MUSIC PLAYING IN THE TEA SHOP~
Nothing had been more eventful than the previous night. Itsuki Ito couldn't have expressed more pride than he had when he led his team, the Buzzard Wasps, to victory. They'd trained hard for weeks upon weeks for that win. Something well-deserved. Though it only meant that Itsuki was more eager to train. Perhaps they would have a long run of victories. Being undefeated for an entire season was something that he aspired for.

Itsuki himself was a hard worker. He strived to be perfect and the best. Whether that meant selling the most cups of tea at his family's tea shop or winning the most probending matches. He was gonna be number one. Nobody could stop him.

Now, admittedly, Itsuki wasn't sure what happened post-match the night prior. He simply remembered waking up in his bed feeling weak and exhausted. With a note on his window saying he had practice with the rest of his team that afternoon, particularly around two. He'd be ready. The one thing he wasn't ready for was to serve tea. It was right downstairs, he could hear the conversations through the thin walls. Even more so, Itsuki could hear his father's voice. This all meant that his mother was gone for work, he'd have to get ready to serve some tea, and he'd be leaving the shop in a few hours to actually practice for his next probending match. Not that he minded. Today he'd likely spend his shift at the tea shop heating up the tea and getting any refills. Preferably not serving or communicating quite too much but Itsuki wouldn't let the thought ruin his mood.

He was a winner. A champion. Of course, with the help of his team, but either way. They'd won. He was proud.
Likely, so was his father.

Even more likely: the customers downstairs could hear the young man running around upstairs, shuffling in and out of articles of clothing and placing an apron around his waist. He wore a simply button-down pink shirt and some brown trousers and boots. With his signature gloves and necklace, of course. His dark hair was as messy as usual. This was Itsuki Ito. A messy but charming young man.

"Itsuki, you're awake. I thought you were hibernating." Haruki Ito. Or more known as Mr. Ito. Owner of the shop and Itsuki's father. Haruki was an older gentleman, he didn't look too old for his age but he did look aged. His skin wasn't free of wrinkles but it wasn't sagging. His hair was cut short, showing his dark brown eyes and gentle expression, with a few grey streaks running through it in different areas. Similar to Itsuki, Mr. Ito dressed in a brown apron around his waist and a short-sleeved shirt with some trousers. That was the first comment he spoke as Itsuki jumped his way down the stairs, the two exchanging smiles and Itsuki walked over. He could see familiar faces in the small shop.

"Morning, dad." He greeted simply, clapping his father on the shoulder in acknowledgement before making his way around the tables to gather any lingering, empty tea cups that had been left behind. "You're quite busy this morning, don't you think?" He questioned curiously, returning to his father who stood behind the counter to pass him the dirty cups.

"Some things out of the usual, Itsuki, but nothing you should bother with." The older man said softly, gesturing towards Officer Chen and Officer Sikkikk. "Serve the young lady this tea, will you? Oh, and you may like to heat it up, it's sat for a while." Haruki ordered his son as he passed him a rather chilled cup of tea.

With a shake of his head, Itsuki took the cup with a nod of his head, heating it up with a small flame at the tip of his pointer finger whilst walking to the table of three. Despite being told otherwise, Itsuki couldn't help but try listening in on their conversation a bit, eyes narrowed as he held the cup out to the strange young woman. "For you, I believe?"

Interactions: MrThe Svisttt Darth Tangent​

 

[Svisttt]

Sehon chewed on her bottom lip, something she often did if she was trying to remember something or didn't know what to say. In this case, she was desperately trying to hammer these new names into her memory whilst coming up with an excuse for her scrapes. She didn't want to admit they were from a rather clumsy mistake- she barely wanted to tell Ken'ichi about it, her pride would ache more than her actual injuries. Eventually, Sehon simply cleared her throat and looked a bit off to the side, mumbling, "Ah... just a... just a little accident."

It pained her to even admit it in such vague terms, but... ah well. She was saved from answering that last question when a man came over with some rather lovely smelling tea, something she happily accepted with a warm little smile. "Thank you very much~!" she chirped, taking a deep sip from the little cup. While she could never tire of sweet things, Sehon still enjoyed the slight bitterness that came with a good ginseng tea. She liked to think she got her taste for it from her brother Takeshi, who could never seem to get enough of the bitter and the tart. Sehon remembered teasing him about it, saying his favorite flavors matched his personality perfectly.

She set the teacup down and started to pick at the hem of her now rather messy looking shirt. Sehon didn't think she was making... the world's greatest first impression so far, but then, what did it matter? She'd probably never see most of these people again, and she supposed even if she did Sehon couldn't imagine any one of them actually wanting to see her. Which was fine! She could always bug Ken'ichi.

"What's your favorite tea?" Sehon suddenly blurted, unsure of what else to say.

MrThe WhispFlick

 

[MrThe]

"Well, interestingly enough. I like White Jade tea." Gesturing to the Bacui Berries in a bowl next to him. "There is a certain sort of risk to drinking White Jade. It's quite poisonous if prepared incorrectly. And while I trust Mr Ito's tea making skills entirely, Bacui Berries in addition to being a well-known cure for the rash White Jade causes is a delicious snack." He picked one up and tossed it into his mouth, carefully looking at Sehon's expression, gauging her to see if she was worried in any way. "Is ginseng your favorite tea or are you simply trying something different?" Changyu was starting to get a feel for this clumsy, socially awkward young woman.

 

[Karcen]

Palle had been walking around the city for awhile, she really needed a watch as there were no sundials in this city, and she was completely lost. That was a good thing for her as she wanted to get lost in the city and it's people. This likely wasn't what the saying meant but really she could easily find her way to the university it could not be to hard she had wandered in deep and heavy forests and through the twisted wreckage of an old ship a city was nothing. Palle didn't really worry about many things and even if she did right now she was to caught up in the wonders of the city, yes she had read about them but this was different she was seeing them. Cars, lights, monorails megaphones all the now modern conveniences that made life much easier than on her remote home. Still this wonder marked her out as much as her invention did and she would not go unnoticed.

Palle would be walking by some building where people stood outside, she had not bothered to brush up on what store sold what so a gentlemen's club and its function she didn't know of. Thus she didn't know that it light be a bit dangerous to walk around it with her somewhat revealing clothes and rather shapely figure, though the danger was in truth minimal as there were of course bouncers, but still. This danger came in the men outside not exactly wanting to wait or having had a bit to much to drink seeing her and getting it in their minds they would go for the closer person over the girls inside. The first Palle knew of this was the feeling of a hand on her shoulder and turning she saw three men behind her.

" umm hello... do you need something?" She asked having a powerful but unplacable accent it was clear to the men she was not a local though they could not realize just how far this girl was from home.

" Yeah we wanted to see if perhaps you might want to have some fun" The man with his hand on her shoulder said as his hand moved towards the front of her body towards her chest. Palle might be a bit naive but even she could understand from his motions what he meant his actions betraying his motivation as the men moved to flank her.

"You words are like moonlight it seems" Palle said which confused the men as waterbenders tended to revere or respect the moon, but her tone of disgust was obvious. In her culture the moon was not held up it was a trickster a deceiver, for ones words to be moonlight meant they were lies or illusions just like if one was said to be like the moon they were a liar. As she said this Palle pulled away taking a few steps back, and while reasonable people might get the hint and back off these men were either to drunk or to stupid or more likely didn't care.

" Whatever stuck up bitch" The leader said " Get her" he commanded

Palle had half expected this so as the two on her sides tried to grab her she moved down and rolled back as she did her lightning hands started up. " Well time for a field test" She said to herself as the men moved after her only needing a few steps and expecting her to retreat, but she didn't. Palle instead sprung back up and raised her hands and from her fingers shot forth lighting or rather arcs of electricity constant but small. The man that was closest was struck and cried out in pain, the other two stepping back in shock. The first man soon fell to his knees as Palle kept up the shocks the others to stunned to act it was only after he was on the ground did they regain composure. The two had only seconds to bend the earth as bolts shot out from Palle's hands at them, the rocks disappointing the bolts and the men shooting small bits out at Palle. Palle was not used to fighting other benders, or well earth benders, but to her credit she was good at adapting and quickly moved back and away using an odd stance that the men if experienced with water benders wouldn't recognize. Palle used this confusion to move to their side and again try the bolts, managing to get one, but he didn't go down.

" What is she" The guy that got hit said " She isn't a fire bender but she is bending lightning" he said unable to realize it was her device the leader said nothing as he launched more rocks at Palle who was dodging them always a split second form getting hit as she sought an opening. Palle for her part was thinking on a plan the earth benders had a good defense against her lightning but not her style they likely didn't realize in full she was a water bender, thus she circled around and they in turn did the same as she drew them towards a standing puddle of some from of liquid, maybe water, maybe beer, maybe piss, but it was a liquid. Then when it was behind them she bent the puddle and splashed it up onto them, or well one of them. The man cursed but only had a few seconds before he found himself being shocked and falling to the ground. This left Palle with one man.

Now it was one on one and the leader was both angry and scared, he was reckless, but also even more dangerous a cornered animal fought all the harder to live. He started bending more earth up and started shooting it at Palle, who had started moving it closer. The two would in seconds be inches from each other where they actually stopped really bending and instead were fighting more mundanely as with little distance it was hard to fight, or at least it was for someone not thinking clearly like the man. The fight would last until Palle managed to get a hand on the man's head the metal plate pressing to his head and unloading a blot point blank. The man of course screamed and electricity surged though him and he went limp in her hand.

"Well that went well" Palle said looking at the three men she had dispatched, while the fight might have looked one sided Palle knew she had done so because the men hadn't known what to expect she had surprise and they were therefore on the defensive from the start. Surprise always gave one an advantage that could not be under estimated, in hunting, in fighting, and in life in general. One last man would come over from the club and would be far more skilled at handling people, bringing Palle in under the idea of talking with her and apologizing for his customers behavior, Palle bought it hook line and sinker.

VeiledPariah

 

[Svisttt]

She watched as Changyu popped one of the reddish berries in his mouth, although she didn't seem very effected by the action. She didn't look worried per say, although maybe a bit intrigued. Her gaze flickered around the room, to look at the other people around and other little details that caught her eye. Sehon's attention snapped back to the little table when Changyu bounced the question back at her.

This man really liked asking questions, huh?

Alright, fine, he wasn't asking that many, but Sehon wasn't used to people attempting to hold a conversation with her. She usually didn't let them, at least not for very long. Maybe that should change. Immediately, she scolded herself, hints of anger flashing across her face for a brief moment as her gaze became a bit more guarded. Changing oneself over one dumb thing was idiotic and a good way to get hurt, physically or otherwise. She knew that, or rather, believed that, and had for awhile now.

Sehon quickly took another sip of tea to recompose herself, before biting her lip and mumbling an answer to the question, "I wouldn't say ginseng's my favorite. I prefer jasmine." Her voice had suddenly taken on a bit of an irritated tone, though she wasn't upset with the man talking to her. She wasn't really upset with anything or anyone besides herself, and Sehon knew she rarely was, although that never really stopped her from taking it out on the things around her.

MrThe

 

[VeiledPariah]

Inuii Ao'Shen
The dancer was amidst a throng of men as they reveled at her beauty and attempted desperately to court her even if only for the night. Their attempts would end in failure as the female would deflect their requests and perverted comments by changing subjects or replying in a noncommittal way. A ruckus could be heard faintly outside and almost on queue the owner a man known as Tao Han exited to handle it along with the security entourage.
Inuii excused herself from the group of men she was entertaining which upset them but they dared not try to force themselves any farther upon her or else they would be handled harshly by staff and forcibly vacated from the premises never to return .
The young woman followed towards the entrance in time to see Han to be escorting a woman who was dressed almost as risque as herself at the moment. She raised a brow but did not hesitate as she approached them.
"Oh Mr.Han thank you so much for finding her, I was really beginning to worry!, Oh sweetie are you okay? The roads must have been horrible to travel on and you must be hungry...Thank you Mr.Han"
Inuii expressed gratefully with a gesture of brushing up beside him which along with her explanation caused the man to falter enough for Inuii to grab ahold of Palle's hand and take her away.
Luckily she had done so quickly so the man who was surely trying to spoil whatever innocence this young woman had and make her a employee at the establishment.
The female guided the other to the bar area finding her a stool near the dancers entrance way for easy escape should they need it.
"Sorry about that...but you need to be more careful about who you stay around. Especially here, now order yourself something to eat and if anyone asks you are my cousin names Jade by the way"
She explained as she let go of her hand held up two fingers, the bartender nodded preparing her two thin saucers of rice wine and upon sliding it to her she drank quickly before exhaling in gratification.
It was now as she started sipping her second drink that she noticed the womans odd gloves and her apparel more closely.
The cogs of her mind were turning and unlike the other patrons of the club who only saw two beautiful women Inuii could sense her ability or rather her potential.
The assassin sighed and sat beside her as she leaned her back against the bar crossing her legs and facing her gaze onto Palle's features.
"So...what brings you to a place like this?"
She mused and while the other woman may not know it she was skimming for information.
A bouncer exchanged the details with another about what had just occured outside and it did not go unheard by the contract killers ears. This place although incredulous held a wealth of information if you kept your eyes and ears open.
This girl had single handedly taken on three triad members who had gotten to big for the britches and unable to keep it in their pants...their mistake it seemed.
Yet this would not go without retaliation though, and those thugs were nothing compared to what could be sent after her next in order to teach her a lesson.
"Its normally polite to tell someone your name. Especially if they just saved you from a sex trafficker you know?"
Inuii added further inquiring her name after already wanting to know of her origins and purpose for being here.
Karcen
​

 

[Karcen]

Palle was confused, very confused as she had been going in to talk and have a drink from the owner and she really did think that. She didn't realize what kind of place this was both on the surface or below for no such establishment had existed on the island. That that was mostly because nudity was just part of life when your clothing was so limited and thus the idea of women taking their clothes off as a job was not something that crossed their minds. Thus she had not understood the danger of this place or the owner the scholars she had lived with had not informed her of the darker side of things or the dangers of the city.

Palle soon was dragged off to a chair by some girl, and while she didn't mind it was a woman over a man she was still confused by what she said. She didn't know why she would need to tell a lie about who she was or why this jade had decided to take her away from the owner who to her seemed nice. Palle was even confused about the idea of what a sex trafficker was or why they were dangerous. For Palle this whole situation was far to confusing to be understood.

"Umm first tell me what is a sex trafficker why is it bad?" Palle asked when she spoke again her ascent would be from no known nation and her question revealed just how innocent or rather how ignorant she was " I don't even know what this building is i just was looking around and then guys decided to to ... come on to me" She said having to search for the right phrase at the end. " But you helped me i guess so I am Palle"

VeiledPariah

 

[MrThe]

Changyu noticed that she didn't seem fazed by his choice of drink. That was good. But after he asked if Ginseng was her favorite tea she suddenly became very irritated. It was possible that she was tiring of these games, Changyu got the feeling that she was one who liked to get to the point of things. Probably a side effect of her somewhat "lacking" conversational skills. "Jasmine is a good tea, very soothing." He put that in the back of his mind. Seems like she is prone to a bit of Anger. Chen took a drink of his tea then closed his eyes and listened to the radio for a bit.

Spoiler

Music was always good for the soul. When he opened his eyes Officer Sikkikk was tapping his wristwatch. It seems that this little amusement took longer than expected. It was a Shame that he had to go, but duty called and he could always meet this intriguing young woman at a different time. "Well Sehon, it appears that I must go, this meeting has been quite the diversion. If you ever want to speak with me again just use this, it has all my contact information. What should I do if I ever need to meet with you again?" He handed her a small piece of paper that contained several ways to contact him.
Svisttt​

 

[VeiledPariah]

Inuii Ao'Shen
Inuii raised a brow at her following question her mouth almost dropping to the floor as she let out a resounding.
"Huh?"
This girl didn't even know what a sex trafficker....never mind that was not the point to think this woman was just apparently that ignorant in the ways of the world to be as innocently confused as she was at the moment.
Jade sighed her forefinger and thumb pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration at the possible situation Palle had almost dove straight into.
"Basically...its a trader of people mainly women like a person who sells slaves, does that make sense?. Regardless you need to be careful around here."
The dancer reminded and chastised the newcomer before calling the bartender over and recommending a dish for Palle to eat.
The assassin's eyes scanned the crowd to ensure no one was indeed coming toward them but everyone had their attentions on the newest dancer gracing the stage.
Inuii had time for now to converse but knew her appointment needed to be kept and soon.
"Baomung will get you something to eat...So you are obviously not from around here, your fist time in Republic City?"
The female asked her company the tensed look fading and being replaced with a warm smile of sincerity.
The woman known to her as Jade awaited her meal to arrive and placed it on her own tab not believing the woman carried anything of monetary significance besides the contraption on her body.
Her voice trailing as she added to her own inquiries.
"Do you have a place to stay?"
Her focus however was no longer completely on Palle as the doors opened and three rather roughed up men entered the club accompanied by a man she knew well his monicker being the drake of Ling Wu...A firebender of great skill. The group looked around presumably for Palle and for some reason Inuii felt she needed to do something to help the woman who was unaware of how this city worked.
The problem lay there in of course for if she helped Palle now, she too would become involved and possibly break her cover and lose what semblance of a normal life she had managed to attain.
Inuii stood once more waving toward the bar keep who handed her the woman's coat which she gripped firmly as she kept her eyes on the intruders.
"Palle..how about a tour of the city?, would you like that?"
Karcen ​

 

[Karcen]

Palle was only getting more and more confused, wasn't slavery not allowed here like it was on the island, or well they hadn't gotten to a population point to have such things. It wasn't like they were all happy and peaceful they fought and killed, but well they just didn't have the numbers or in truth need for slaves. There were thoughts that if there was a bit more land or maybe better land for farming there might be slaves but for now it was not a thing. Either way Palle was sure that was not legal and well the cops should come and punish them then, of course she didn't mean jail she meant maim and or get vengeance and eye for an eye such was the idea of justice to one who came from a land without real jails where a thief was more likely to lose a finger for their crime than anything else. To h er their punishment would be some kind of slow public death to get others to not commit the crime over actually rehabilitating those that committed the crimes. Jade was oddly interested in her that much Palle noticed asking where she lived, if this was her first time, and if she wanted tour, something Palle did not want. She was sick of tours always the places that were the biggest and the most well polished not the city itself but just what you showed to impress people.

" i am from oklanu " Palle said and there was a good chance jade would not know of the island and if she did she might think Palle a savage for that was how her people were depicted as stupid benders trapped for no reason on some island who had been to dumb to leave. The scholars knew better but the papers were not so kind and simply wrote what sold even if it was all lies. " i live with those in the university and i have been on tour after tour of the city, always the same sites never the city" She said " Never the people, never here" She explained she got shown only the good and apparently she had almost walked into something bad. " I was told cops give out punishments and slavery is not allowed yet that man practices, will the cops not punish him?" She asked curious as to why he had not been torn apart in the city square his head put on a pike as a warning.

VeiledPariah

 

[Elekta Kount]

明 马 炸
Ming Ma Zha
*Phwomp*
The sound of somthing falling onto the ground could be heard from a dark alleyway, yet hardly anyone in the bustling streets even spared a head turn.
A young man, with a knapsack and pipa on his back, emerged from the alleyway looking really dirty; it had been a while since the young man had a proper bath.
It was another typical for Ma Zha, well, as typical as you could get for a street.
Ma Zha had spent the night on top of one of the apartment buildings, it had a taller building next to it that was able block out most of the wind.
Most of it
Still, Ma Zha was grateful for the sun, it was warm, and after a night of cold, Ma Zha could use a lot of warm.
That was part of the reason he liked choosing the top of buildings to spend the night, scaling down from the buildings would always get his blood pumping. After getting down from the building with out killing himself, Ma Zha would normally go down to the market and get somthing to eat.
But today? Ma Zha had other plans.
Putting his hands into his pockets, Ma Zha quietly inserted himself into the flow of the crowed, and it didn't take him long to reach his destination.
Ito's Tea Shop, wasn't somewhere he came often, after all he didn't have much money to spare on a daily bases, but...when he wanted to spend the day somewhere calm and, well, more or less tranquil. This was usually where he came when he wanted that, as he stepped into the tea shop, it was pretty obvious he wasn't from around these parts. Besides being very dirty, his clothing looked like somthing rift raft would dress like, or at least, people from the slumy parts of the city dressed.
Still, he was recognized, and offered a table in the corner, to which he quickly and quietly took a seat at, not wanting to attract any attention.
After ordering his usual, Orange Blossom with Almond cookies, a rare treat for himself, Ma Zha then proceeded to reach for his knapsack, pulling out of it today's newspaper, a green notebook of sorts, and a pencil.
Now, Ma Zha never really much had an education, being out in the remote country side. The young man knew enough to read the basics and he could sign his name, but that was about it...and well, he wanted to learn, being out here in the city and all...
Ma Zha had been saving up to buy said notebook and pencil, or rather, he saved up his money for writing supplies. It was where he was most of this morning, visiting the book story again to pick up some more supplies.
The newspaper was his homework for today, as some of his more literate friends in his gang had been tutoring him. Ma Zha was to try to read the newspaper over once and write out any characters he didn't understand and copy them over around a dozen times or so; later, his friends would teach him the meaning of the word and how to use it. Ma Zha also had to copy an article from said newspaper.
Newspapers were a fascinating thing for Ma Zha when he first came to Republic City. He knew that they existed, as occasionally a newspaper or two showed up in his hometown, but he hadn't taken much of interest in any of it until he came to the big city.
Same with his desire to read and write, really, as he found more use for it out here in the big city.
So he got to work, copying the characters on the newspaper, not really paying much attention to what was going on around him...​

 

[Svisttt]

Sehon nodded in agreement- jasmine was soothing. She remembered her brothers always trying to get her to drink a cup when she was younger and in a foul mood. Even Michio, the younger one, offered her the tea, although Sehon often thought he could've used a cup as well.

"Well Sehon, it appears that I must go, this meeting has been quite the diversion. If you ever want to speak with me again just use this, it has all my contact information. What should I do if I ever need to meet with you again?"

The young woman took the piece of paper, peering at it with a little frown. She understood the numbers scrawled on the little scrap. Numbers were a little easy- at least when they were by themselves. Although, sixes and nines were a bit weird, but Sehon didn't confuse those too much. She proceeded to fold the paper and tuck it behind her ear, as she didn't have any pockets or anything of the sort, and then began to rattle off an address. It was to the cafe, Sehon wouldn't dare give out her actual home address to some random person. Besides, some days she was at that little place more than her actual house. "Have a lovely day." Sehon mumbled softly, before chugging down the rest of her tea.

MrThe

 

[MrThe]

"I see, well I hope you give me a call soon enough." He laid down 1 Yuan, enough to pay for everyone's tea and got up to leave. Making sure to take note of Sehon's address. He had a long day of work ahead of him.
Svisttt​

 

[capMARVELOUS]

After several minutes of bicycle riding, a few instances of almost hitting cars and pedestrians, and a second to buy a newspaper for 1 jiao from a friendly paper boy (The Morningstar Independent), Tao finally arrived at the Ito Tea Shop. She always liked this spot; the owners certainly didn't lie when they said they steeped the best tea in Republic City. She parked her bicycle near the side of the building, removed the crate of porcelain from her bicycle (after making sure that everything was undamaged- it was), and took it over to the back door, that was used for deliveries.

Tao delivered three knocks on the door. "Porcelain delivery!" she called.

 

[VeiledPariah]

Inuii Ao'Shen
Donning her coat to cover the care portions of her body she listened intently to the foreigners words.
So she was with the university. That was good thing not only did they have rooms, but funds and security were part of the package although Palle looked like she could hold her own.
Against the Drake though she was unsure.
He was on par with most contractors the triad utilized for their devious plans.
"I have never heard of such a place, but what matters is you are here now and if you don't leave immediately will be in danger"
She warned more forwardly this time as the other females awareness of this situation was horribly misplaced.
Inuii began her exit as her eyes locked with the Drakes and his smile read that he knew she was involved.
Now it left the woman with a choice...either drag Palle out of here or leave her and act as a distraction.
Inuii clicked her tongue to her teeth as she kept walking having decided her course of action.
"Sorry to leave you so shortly Palle...hopefully we will see one another again soon."
She slid through the exit way and out into the back alley of the club looking around and starting her way through but was met by a group of men each brandishing blades and the Drake standing front and center.
Inuii closed her eyes and sighed before her facade broke and an ice cold visage replaced her once warm hearted features.
"I am very busy and dont have all day...So come at me already"
Karcen
​