Introduction
A Private Roleplay for Nephilim and Dynamite
Republic City—a place founded on an ideal, that people from any nation should be allowed to live together in harmony and equality. Established by the leadership of Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, Republic City is the capital of the United Republic of Nations, a civil government apart from any of the four nations of the past. The city is vast, industrial, cosmopolitan, and advanced in technology. From the outside, it’s the ideal place to live, where anyone might find their own way, a niche and a place to belong.
Unfortunately, not all is as it seems. What by day is a bustling urban population, peaceful under the watchful eyes of the metalbending police force, is by night the home to a brewing pot of conflict: from the raucous crowds drawn to the probending matches in the world-famous arena, to the gang wars between the bending triads, fighting an open but subtle conflict over the ownership of city turf. Recently, however, matters have grown even more dire. As conflict spreads and simmers between benders, those who can harness the power of the elements to their will, and nonbenders, born without these talents, one more movement has risen in the shadows, and they are more fearsome than the triads have ever been: The Equalists.
The Equalist movement started as a simple thing: the demand for equal representation and rights for non-benders. It has evolved, however, into a revolution—a small-scale war. Under the banner of their mysterious and charismatic leader, the Equalists kidnap benders, using some secret process to deprive them of their abilities, that all might be truly equal. Opposed by the Council, they nevertheless continue to grow in power and influence, and the streets of Republic City are no longer safe at night—not for anyone.
Our story follows a rookie probending team as they come together in these dangerous times, all compelled for one reason or another to seek the thrill and fame of the sport. But as their victories increase and their fame makes them household names in Republic City, they will find themselves the unwitting targets of Equalist leaders, and the unwilling faces of a generation—one marked by civil conflict, stewing tension, and calls for real equality that none are quite sure how to answer.
They do not know it yet, but that call will be theirs to take up, and the fate of Republic City and the United Republic of Nations will rest squarely on their youthful shoulders. What they will do with that burden, whether they carry it through to a good end or fall beneath its weight, shall determine not only the way that they live, but how history remembers them, and the place they all call home.
Unfortunately, not all is as it seems. What by day is a bustling urban population, peaceful under the watchful eyes of the metalbending police force, is by night the home to a brewing pot of conflict: from the raucous crowds drawn to the probending matches in the world-famous arena, to the gang wars between the bending triads, fighting an open but subtle conflict over the ownership of city turf. Recently, however, matters have grown even more dire. As conflict spreads and simmers between benders, those who can harness the power of the elements to their will, and nonbenders, born without these talents, one more movement has risen in the shadows, and they are more fearsome than the triads have ever been: The Equalists.
The Equalist movement started as a simple thing: the demand for equal representation and rights for non-benders. It has evolved, however, into a revolution—a small-scale war. Under the banner of their mysterious and charismatic leader, the Equalists kidnap benders, using some secret process to deprive them of their abilities, that all might be truly equal. Opposed by the Council, they nevertheless continue to grow in power and influence, and the streets of Republic City are no longer safe at night—not for anyone.
Our story follows a rookie probending team as they come together in these dangerous times, all compelled for one reason or another to seek the thrill and fame of the sport. But as their victories increase and their fame makes them household names in Republic City, they will find themselves the unwitting targets of Equalist leaders, and the unwilling faces of a generation—one marked by civil conflict, stewing tension, and calls for real equality that none are quite sure how to answer.
They do not know it yet, but that call will be theirs to take up, and the fate of Republic City and the United Republic of Nations will rest squarely on their youthful shoulders. What they will do with that burden, whether they carry it through to a good end or fall beneath its weight, shall determine not only the way that they live, but how history remembers them, and the place they all call home.
| | | Kiara Kita | | | | | Haki Soen | | | | | Fang Xun | | | | | Rika Hakujou | | |
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The Story
“Here I am, at the start of something new. Only time will tell if this is all for the best.”
The sun was insistent in its way, peeking though the drawn curtains of her small abode without any particular inclination to mercy. Kiara supposed that was all right—if the sun had been merciful, she’d probably be apt to sleep for half the day. This was partially just her affinity for the hours after dark; she was a waterbender and the moon was her mother and sister. But that wasn’t the way that things worked in Republic City, and if she was ever going to find a place to belong here, she had to adapt as well as she could to her surroundings.
Kicking her thin sheet off herself, Kiara rolled out of bed, hitting the wooden floor on the balls of her feet with a muffled thud. Her rolling gait took her in quiet pads to the kitchen, where she cracked a few eggs into a skillet, cooking them over a gasoline fire. Such devices were rare in the north—it was an amazing convenience to have one, even if the people who’d grown up here didn’t think so. Digging around in her refrigerator (how strange that people had to invent something like this—where she came from, it was as simple as burying your foodstuffs under the ice!), she produced a few vegetables maybe a day or so from wilting and chopped them into the omelette, her mouth watering a little bit at the sizzling and the smell. Of course, she spiced her food liberally, then killed the heat, scraping the result onto a plate and putting it down on her small kitchen table.
Her home was not very spacious, and the fact that there was only one chair at her table perhaps spoke to the depth of her solitude, but she was not troubled by it. Making friends was nice, but it was something that took time, and lots of it. She tended to be picky about her friends, though certainly not about her acquaintances, of which she had many, even only three weeks into her residence in Republic City as she was. The state of her vegetables this morning, however, had reminded her why she was buying them just before they went bad, and the answer was simple: she was running out of funds. It was a little stupid of her, but she’d rather forgotten that living in the city would cost money, and that she had no way of earning it, cut off from her family as she was.
She’d have to go looking for a job today, she decided. Come to think of it, the landlord had mentioned yesterday that he was tired of going all the way to the probending arena to place his daily bets. Perhaps she could get a small discount if she offered to do it for him every day? Honestly, she probably would even if he didn’t pay her—his was a bit frail, the old man, and she’d feel bad if she let him make that walk on a daily basis. Speaking of betting… maybe if she could figure out how the probending system worked, she could make a little bit of money on the side by betting herself. Not too much, though—she was smart enough to know that such things didn’t always end well, not if you relied on them too much. She didn’t want to become like those drunken old men in her tribe, dependent on the good grace of relatives and addicted to betting on the sport of younger men.
Had it really been three months? With a deft bit of bending, Kiara washed her dishes and replaced them in the cupboards, wrenching open the dresser drawer that stuck in place and locating a few clothes, which she threw on in more or less random order. Thankfully, pretty much everything matched with everything, so she didn’t look like a hopeless case when she slung her satchel over her back and walked out her front door, locking it behind her. Not that there was much to be had in her tiny little place—and not that a lock would stop a truly determined thief. Still, it gave her a measure of comfort to know that she’d done what she could. She was almost getting used to the city, now, though honestly some things about it still mystified her. Directions, for one—if she’d been to a place before, she could get there again, but beyond that, she had trouble keeping track of her location with so many winding streets and alleyways.
Still, there were a few things you couldn’t miss… like the probending arena. Her landlord’s bets in hand and his clear instructions about how to place the money memorized, she oriented herself towards the massive building just by picking it out on the skyline and walking. Kiara flowed through the crowd like a fish through water, already picking up a sense of how to move with the people rather than against them. She didn’t want to be flattened, after all. Waterbending was definitely good for learning to go with the flow, as the saying went. She couldn’t help but wonder if she might stumble across any potential work on the way, and resolved to keep her eyes peeled for just such an opportunity.
Kicking her thin sheet off herself, Kiara rolled out of bed, hitting the wooden floor on the balls of her feet with a muffled thud. Her rolling gait took her in quiet pads to the kitchen, where she cracked a few eggs into a skillet, cooking them over a gasoline fire. Such devices were rare in the north—it was an amazing convenience to have one, even if the people who’d grown up here didn’t think so. Digging around in her refrigerator (how strange that people had to invent something like this—where she came from, it was as simple as burying your foodstuffs under the ice!), she produced a few vegetables maybe a day or so from wilting and chopped them into the omelette, her mouth watering a little bit at the sizzling and the smell. Of course, she spiced her food liberally, then killed the heat, scraping the result onto a plate and putting it down on her small kitchen table.
Her home was not very spacious, and the fact that there was only one chair at her table perhaps spoke to the depth of her solitude, but she was not troubled by it. Making friends was nice, but it was something that took time, and lots of it. She tended to be picky about her friends, though certainly not about her acquaintances, of which she had many, even only three weeks into her residence in Republic City as she was. The state of her vegetables this morning, however, had reminded her why she was buying them just before they went bad, and the answer was simple: she was running out of funds. It was a little stupid of her, but she’d rather forgotten that living in the city would cost money, and that she had no way of earning it, cut off from her family as she was.
She’d have to go looking for a job today, she decided. Come to think of it, the landlord had mentioned yesterday that he was tired of going all the way to the probending arena to place his daily bets. Perhaps she could get a small discount if she offered to do it for him every day? Honestly, she probably would even if he didn’t pay her—his was a bit frail, the old man, and she’d feel bad if she let him make that walk on a daily basis. Speaking of betting… maybe if she could figure out how the probending system worked, she could make a little bit of money on the side by betting herself. Not too much, though—she was smart enough to know that such things didn’t always end well, not if you relied on them too much. She didn’t want to become like those drunken old men in her tribe, dependent on the good grace of relatives and addicted to betting on the sport of younger men.
Had it really been three months? With a deft bit of bending, Kiara washed her dishes and replaced them in the cupboards, wrenching open the dresser drawer that stuck in place and locating a few clothes, which she threw on in more or less random order. Thankfully, pretty much everything matched with everything, so she didn’t look like a hopeless case when she slung her satchel over her back and walked out her front door, locking it behind her. Not that there was much to be had in her tiny little place—and not that a lock would stop a truly determined thief. Still, it gave her a measure of comfort to know that she’d done what she could. She was almost getting used to the city, now, though honestly some things about it still mystified her. Directions, for one—if she’d been to a place before, she could get there again, but beyond that, she had trouble keeping track of her location with so many winding streets and alleyways.
Still, there were a few things you couldn’t miss… like the probending arena. Her landlord’s bets in hand and his clear instructions about how to place the money memorized, she oriented herself towards the massive building just by picking it out on the skyline and walking. Kiara flowed through the crowd like a fish through water, already picking up a sense of how to move with the people rather than against them. She didn’t want to be flattened, after all. Waterbending was definitely good for learning to go with the flow, as the saying went. She couldn’t help but wonder if she might stumble across any potential work on the way, and resolved to keep her eyes peeled for just such an opportunity.
"Today is the day! I am going to do this."
Rika rolled off of her bed, an extra spring to her step in the process. Today was the day she had decided that she was going to follow through with her dream. With that in mind, she proceeded to dress herself accordingly, putting on an outfit to accommodate the rather warm weather. Once she was finished, she made her way into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the table and hooking it under her arm. She then went into the fridge and raided the contents, finding it lacking a bit in the food department. She'd have to go grocery shopping later, if she found the time. Right now, she'll have to do with just the apple. With that in mind, she exited her home, allowing the warm air to assault her as she locked the door behind her.
She walked through the bustling city, greeting people here and there, stopping occasionally to speak with some. Her destination was the Pro-bending arena. She knew that there were a lot of interested people who wanted to join the sport, however; no one really had the means or funds to do it themselves. They had to find sponsors or something of the sort. Rika needed none of the sort. She had saved up enough money from her shop to at least get a team off the ground with everything they would need. Uniforms, publicity, their first entry match, everything. Whether or not the team would be a success though, would rely solely on the people who joined. And as the one putting it together, she had every right to be picky.
That plan, of course, backfired on her. Here she was, siting in an empty stall, trying to gain attention for a team, however; it seems there was a lack of interest today. She had one person, only one, come up and inquire about it, and then left. They never came back. She groaned into her hands. Was she doing something wrong? She had to have been doing something wrong. She glanced around, noticing another person doing the same thing, however; it appeared that all they were missing was a Firebender for their team. And that person just got there. She had to be doing something wrong. She sighed, placing her forehead on the table as her shoulders shook, indicating that she was laughing to herself.
"People might think you are crying if you keep that up," a familiar voice echoed near her ear, causing Rika to jump slightly in her chair and turned to face the one responsible. Her eyes narrowed deep at him as he held his hands up in defeat. It was Haki, the one man she did not want to see nor be around. In some ways, he reminded her of her eldest brother, Lian. He had a penchant for getting on her nerves, and so did Haki. Nevertheless, her eyes remained fixed upon the man as he continued to smirk.
"My, Lotus seems to be up to something. I wonder what that is."
The morning sun always felt nice upon his skin. It was the reason why he always woke right as the sun did and spent most of the morning just sun bathing. A cup of tea in hand, he sipped on it as the City began to come to life. People were already shouting at one another, car's honking, benders battling against each other in friendly terms. It was something he had grown accustomed to, living in Republic City for a majority of his life. It, in it's own way, had a nice charming approach, if one were inclined to tilt their head in multiple angles to see them. Haki, was not one of those people, however; he enjoyed his time here. Standing from his seat, Haki set the cup on the counter, grabbing his coat as he stepped outside.
He wanted to enjoy the day, and he had the feeling that it was going to be rather interesting. And he always went with that feeling. Which is why he found himself stalking through the City. He had passed by his favorite tea shop, only to stop for a time to converse with the old couple who ran it. Though he knew they were not the original proprietors of the store, they still managed to keep it from falling. She chose good replacements for her. He bid his goodbye's to the couple and continued on his way. He passed by a window, stopping only for a second to glance at the paper that lingered within it. It was a picture of his favorite; the Pygmy Puma's. It appears that they won, again.
He smirked at the news. So far, they reigned undefeated, and were probably the most balanced team out of the lot. Their firebender was someone whom Haki could appreciate. She was graceful, fluid, and like he, precise in her attacks. Their waterbender, however; was just as fluid and graceful. He was more attuned with his element than the others, however; he was extremely sturdy and resilient, much like the Earthbender who was part of the team as well. Now that is what Haki would consider an Earthbender. The man was built like he could take on an army single handed, however; Haki was just being over-confident of his team.
So engrossed with his thoughts, he had failed to notice he had approached the arena. He chuckled to himself as he spotted something rather peculiar. He rose an eyebrow and his smirk stretched into a mischievous smile. He approached the table, placing himself behind the woman who attended it and spoke into her ear, trying to contain the laughter that bubbled within him as Rika jumped in her seat. He met her glare with an amused one of his own as she rubbed her head. It was at this time that Haki noticed her stand, and the paper that lay in front of her. He rose a curious brow at this as he took it, reading the contents before a sly smile appeared on his lips.
"Are you putting together a team, my dear Lotus? How cruel of you not to ask me to join," he stated, setting the paper down in the process. Rika crunched her nose up, giving the impression that he was the last person on earth that she would ask to join her group. "It is settled then, I will join your group," he stated, grabbing the pen, however; Rika grabbed it quickly from his grasp, causing him to blink in confusion.
"If I wanted you to join my group, I would have asked," she stated as she placed the pen down. Haki merely continued to smile as he leaned on the table, a hand underneath his chin in the process. "You are scaring potential teammates, can you not do this here!?" she stated, causing Haki to stay in his spot, an amused gleam to his blue orbs. He still remained silent, not saying anything. Oh she knew what he was doing. He was trying to get her to change her mind, and that wasn't going to happen. Two could play that game, however; if he continued to loiter around, it might actually scare away people who would be interested. She let out an aggravated sigh, a triumphant smirk returning to Haki's lips as he signed his name on the paper.
"Just go over there," she stated, placing her elbow on the table and her face in her hand. Well, on the bright side, she only needed a waterbender now.
“They look like very good friends, don’t they?”
The betting lines were long at the probending arena, perhaps because the Pygmy Pumas had a match tonight. Admittedly, Kiara didn’t know a lot about probending, but what she did know suggested that that particular team was the best one in the business at the moment. Her landlord was betting on them, of course, but also on several smaller, lesser-billed matches, in some of which he’d gone for the dark horse team. He seemed to know a lot about the sport—other than betting and renting out his space cheaply to tenants who’d keep it clean and quiet, he didn't seem to have an occupation anymore. Perhaps it was how he supported himself in his retirement.
Cautiously, she laid some of her own money down on the Pumas as well, though not much. Even if she won, she’d only make a few more than she’d spent, but a few more was better than nothing, she supposed, and she had to start somewhere. It wouldn’t be nearly enough to support her though, and looking around at all the intent faces and frantic scribbling of those crunching numbers, she didn’t think she could ever turn this into a career. She wouldn’t really want to, anyway. She was too active, and liked to feel more useful than that. More than anything, she was hoping for an occupation that would let her move around a lot, and hopefully meet people along the way.
For now, it was still a work in progress. Making her way back through the arena, however, she became quite lost, presumably having taken a wrong turn somewhere, and emerged into a large, open courtyard. There were two booths open, one occupied by a lot of people, and the other by only two. Those two seemed to be having a very lively discussion about something, and while she was loath to interrupt, she did need to know where she was and how to get back out of the building. Why was it so big, anyway?
Sighing and resigning herself to looking a bit like the fool, Kiara put a smile on her face and approached the booth in question. She was almost within polite speaking distance when she heard a great crash from behind her. Whirling around, she was confronted by a tide of soapy water—a janitor had been moving a vat of cleaning supplies for waterbenders to wash out the arena itself in preparation for the Pumas’ match that evening. Of course, all Kiara knew was that there was a lot of water on its way over towards the booths, and it was at the very least going to soak her up to the knees on the way. She wouldn’t have minded, exactly, but something told her the people in the booths wouldn’t want wet paperwork.
Falling into a familiar stance as if by instinct alone, she leaned forward slightly, rising up onto the balls of her feet from the natural half-crouch of waterbending rest and moved her extended arm in a graceful sweep. The water stopped its forward progress toward the booths, rising up at first like a wave but then freezing to the spot, unmoving and glimmering. The janitor was struggling to right the barrel that had spilled all the water, and she moved to help him. The container was almost as tall as she was, and four times as wide. It was hard to tell how he’d been moving it, until she noted the cart that it was resting on. He looked a bit apprehensive, but she only smiled and bent the water back into its container. Apparently late, the man hastily thanked her and rushed off with his cart before she could get her directions.
Without much more choice, she trekked her way back over to the booths, stopping at the one the two friends—well, they seemed like friends, though she supposed there was no way to know—occupied. “Sorry to bother you,” she said sheepishly, one hand going to the back of her neck to rest there with a bit of embarrassment. “But I seem to be somewhat lost. Could you tell me how to find the exit, please?” Her eyes flickered back and forth between the girl (pretty, friendly-looking, but with a certain kind of stubborn determination in her eyes that Kiara instinctively liked) and the male (tall, Fire Nation in everything but the eyes, which what looked to be mischief. He was also very handsome, she thought, but that was neither here nor there, perhaps). She presumed at least one of them had to know where it was.
Cautiously, she laid some of her own money down on the Pumas as well, though not much. Even if she won, she’d only make a few more than she’d spent, but a few more was better than nothing, she supposed, and she had to start somewhere. It wouldn’t be nearly enough to support her though, and looking around at all the intent faces and frantic scribbling of those crunching numbers, she didn’t think she could ever turn this into a career. She wouldn’t really want to, anyway. She was too active, and liked to feel more useful than that. More than anything, she was hoping for an occupation that would let her move around a lot, and hopefully meet people along the way.
For now, it was still a work in progress. Making her way back through the arena, however, she became quite lost, presumably having taken a wrong turn somewhere, and emerged into a large, open courtyard. There were two booths open, one occupied by a lot of people, and the other by only two. Those two seemed to be having a very lively discussion about something, and while she was loath to interrupt, she did need to know where she was and how to get back out of the building. Why was it so big, anyway?
Sighing and resigning herself to looking a bit like the fool, Kiara put a smile on her face and approached the booth in question. She was almost within polite speaking distance when she heard a great crash from behind her. Whirling around, she was confronted by a tide of soapy water—a janitor had been moving a vat of cleaning supplies for waterbenders to wash out the arena itself in preparation for the Pumas’ match that evening. Of course, all Kiara knew was that there was a lot of water on its way over towards the booths, and it was at the very least going to soak her up to the knees on the way. She wouldn’t have minded, exactly, but something told her the people in the booths wouldn’t want wet paperwork.
Falling into a familiar stance as if by instinct alone, she leaned forward slightly, rising up onto the balls of her feet from the natural half-crouch of waterbending rest and moved her extended arm in a graceful sweep. The water stopped its forward progress toward the booths, rising up at first like a wave but then freezing to the spot, unmoving and glimmering. The janitor was struggling to right the barrel that had spilled all the water, and she moved to help him. The container was almost as tall as she was, and four times as wide. It was hard to tell how he’d been moving it, until she noted the cart that it was resting on. He looked a bit apprehensive, but she only smiled and bent the water back into its container. Apparently late, the man hastily thanked her and rushed off with his cart before she could get her directions.
Without much more choice, she trekked her way back over to the booths, stopping at the one the two friends—well, they seemed like friends, though she supposed there was no way to know—occupied. “Sorry to bother you,” she said sheepishly, one hand going to the back of her neck to rest there with a bit of embarrassment. “But I seem to be somewhat lost. Could you tell me how to find the exit, please?” Her eyes flickered back and forth between the girl (pretty, friendly-looking, but with a certain kind of stubborn determination in her eyes that Kiara instinctively liked) and the male (tall, Fire Nation in everything but the eyes, which what looked to be mischief. He was also very handsome, she thought, but that was neither here nor there, perhaps). She presumed at least one of them had to know where it was.
"I don't know what I am getting myself into. but it'll be fun if you just accept what is."
Rika sighed into her hand as she could feel Haki's eyes upon her back. She knew she should have stopped serving him the moment he became a problem for her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He might have annoyed her, and she knew he was having the time of his life doing it, she just couldn't. He was so much like Lian that it was unbearable. She sighed into her hand as Haki continued talking, discussing plans and strategies of what they could do, however; there was still one problem: they lacked a waterbender. There were not many waterbenders in Republic City, that much she knew. And most of the ones that were in Republic were already employed in the fire department or were against joining something so frivolous as Pro-bending.
"If you really want to help, go find us a waterbender," she stated, causing Haki to stop in the middle of his rant and blinked at her. She rubbed her temples as Haki merely smiled. His attention was garnered by a sudden accident and a rather large amount of water was headed their way. He could have kept himself dry, and if Rika were to have acted quick enough, saved her paper from being too soaked, however; they were saved by the arrival of a rather, stout-looking, waterbender. She pushed the water back, fluidly and with ease, placing it back in the container in the process. A smirk appeared on Haki's face as Rika glanced up from the table, only vaguely aware of what had just happened. Haki glanced at her, smirk still playing at his features as the girl approached.
"I believe we already have," was the only thing Haki stated as the girl came to their booth, clearly lost and looking for directions towards the exit. Haki knew this city in and out, aware of practically all who lived in the beautiful place, so it did not come as a surprise to never have seen this woman before. Her lovely dark-skin contrasted beautifully against her bright blue eyes, and Haki found himself staring a bit longer than what was considered acceptable, at the woman. "I will tell you if you tell me something," he began, Rika furrowing her brows in the process, though she would let him speak. Haki always had a way with words than she did, and if he could persuade this young woman to join their team, then they would be all set.
"I've never seen you in the city before, and I can only take it that you are new. If that is the case, are you currently employed? And if you are not, would you like to be?" he stated, folding his hands underneath his chin as he leaned on the chair next to Rika. She blinked a bit, wondering briefly where he had received the chair from and how fast he actually moved to get it. He gave Rika a side glance, a certain gleam in his eye that sent a shiver down her back. She would have to talk to him about that. In the meantime, she should probably clarify what he meant by that. She cleared her throat, sending Haki a glare as he shrugged his shoulders.
"What my friend means to say is, if you are currently searching for employment, I am putting together a group. There isn't much to it really. It's more for competitions and things like that. If we win, we get paid rather well," She stated, leaning back in her chair a bit as she sighed softly. "Of course, the better we are, the more we compete and the more challenging it gets, however; it's really fun and it'll help get things paid of course," she continued, closing one eye and smiling in the process. She was going to leave out the little detail that it was a pro-bending team. From the way the both of them stated it, she was certain this young woman would be able to piece the information together and figure it out for herself.
But then again, she might not. If that were the case, Rika would have to explain. Haki was having a bit more fun than he should have, if the smile playing underneath his folded hands was anything to go by. This woman would be a valuable asset to the team. If her control over her waterbending was anything to go by, Haki wouldn't have minded the woman joining. Plus, there was something lovely about her appearance. Surrounded by two beautiful women, Haki could die a happy man. Of course, he would never tell that to Rika unless he wanted to meet his death a bit prematurely. Plus, it would help garner attention that they would sorely need. Not everything was always about skill, though it was a plus. That much, Haki was vaguely aware of. It was why some of the pro-bending teams would often conceal their appearances with masks and other such items. Perhaps he should suggest that to his team, that way they could remain incognito should they need to be? It certainly was an interesting thought.
“And then, in that uncertain moment when I knew not where to turn, you appeared, as if by fate, and guided me forward.”
She hadn’t expected the answer to come with conditions, but it wasn’t like she minded. Kiara didn’t even notice the slight breach of etiquette when he perhaps spent a bit too long looking at her. Those things were different up North; she simply assumed that everyone in the city was a bit bolder about eye contact and so on than she’d been taught to be. She was always too straightforward to follow those rules herself. For lack of something better to do with her hands, she slid them into her pockets, giving the question a shrug and the second one a tentative smile. She wasn’t exactly sure where this was going, but she wasn’t one to turn her nose up at an opportunity she hadn’t even considered yet.
“I mean… it’d be nice to have a job, yes,” she said, tilting her head to the side and considering him for a moment, before her attention was drawn by the woman. It was rather obvious from the fact that they were sitting in the middle of the probending arena that the group she was putting together would have to be a probending team, and Kiara chewed her lip while she considered. If she had her guess, the lady was an earthbender—she just had that look about her, like, nice as she might be, there was no getting her to budge on the important things. It helped that her friend so obviously was not an earthbender. What little she knew about probending allowed her to deduce that he bent fire if anything at all. Interesting… she’d never knowingly met a firebender before, and maybe only one or two earthbenders.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing back and forth between them. “It sounds like a nice idea, but… I don’t really know anything about probending. I was just here to drop off my landlord’s betting sheet. I guess if that’s okay with you, then I’d be happy to, but I’d understand if you want someone with more experience or knowledge about these things.” Still, she couldn’t help but feel that this was somehow the right thing to be doing. That this was written somewhere in her stars. These people—she knew not the first thing about them, but she could tell already that, with time, she could grow to like them. She wondered if they might grow to like her as well.
Remembering something abruptly, she blinked almost as if surprised. “Oh! I forgot to say: My name is Kiara. Kiara Kita, of the Northern Water Tribe. Or, well… I was once. S’pose it’s just Kiara now.” She smiled, and there wasn’t any great sadness underlying it. The comment had been offhand, but true—she had given up her claims to her family’s position when she left. She did not regret it, though she did occasionally miss them even so.
“I mean… it’d be nice to have a job, yes,” she said, tilting her head to the side and considering him for a moment, before her attention was drawn by the woman. It was rather obvious from the fact that they were sitting in the middle of the probending arena that the group she was putting together would have to be a probending team, and Kiara chewed her lip while she considered. If she had her guess, the lady was an earthbender—she just had that look about her, like, nice as she might be, there was no getting her to budge on the important things. It helped that her friend so obviously was not an earthbender. What little she knew about probending allowed her to deduce that he bent fire if anything at all. Interesting… she’d never knowingly met a firebender before, and maybe only one or two earthbenders.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing back and forth between them. “It sounds like a nice idea, but… I don’t really know anything about probending. I was just here to drop off my landlord’s betting sheet. I guess if that’s okay with you, then I’d be happy to, but I’d understand if you want someone with more experience or knowledge about these things.” Still, she couldn’t help but feel that this was somehow the right thing to be doing. That this was written somewhere in her stars. These people—she knew not the first thing about them, but she could tell already that, with time, she could grow to like them. She wondered if they might grow to like her as well.
Remembering something abruptly, she blinked almost as if surprised. “Oh! I forgot to say: My name is Kiara. Kiara Kita, of the Northern Water Tribe. Or, well… I was once. S’pose it’s just Kiara now.” She smiled, and there wasn’t any great sadness underlying it. The comment had been offhand, but true—she had given up her claims to her family’s position when she left. She did not regret it, though she did occasionally miss them even so.
“A boat without an anchor will but drift out to sea.”
Elsewhere in the city, a youth with mournful golden eyes sat across a table from a middle-aged man, a pot of tea between them. The man, a middle-class merchant who dealt mostly in mechanical parts, was known to the youth not because of his job, but for the fact that in his off-hours, he was a high-level lieutenant in the Equalist movement. To anyone looking in from outside, it would look like two friends having tea and a conversation, or perhaps an uncle and his nephew. But it was neither of those things, and there was little warmth in anything but the tea itself.
“I take it this is to be taken care of tonight?” The youth asked, his voice low and rich. There was a faint whisper to the edges of it, like his words were part of the air itself. The man nodded simply, procuring an envelope from the inside of his jacket, and handed it over to the younger one. A faint chime sounded as he moved forward to accept the document, perhaps from the clinking of one of the golden hoops in either ear. His hands were callused, bespeaking hard work, but the pattern to the roughened skin was not indicative of farm tools or manual labor. They were the work of a sword-hilt, and there was no mistaking that for anyone who knew of such matters.
Producing a small blade from somewhere in his loose sleeve, the youth flicked it over the top of the envelope, slitting the wax seal that held it closed. Quickly scanning the contents, he nodded succinctly, leveling his gaze for the first time on the older man. “The usual fee, and it shall be done.” The older fellow’s thin lips turned down in an unhidden frown, but the youth did not care. Not many of the Equalists were paid for their work, but Ghost was not an ordinary Equalist. He seemed able to go where other men could not, achieve what they thought impossible. He stained his hands, sometimes with blood, sometimes only with other dark things, and in return, much of the secret support the Equalists received from their wealthier supporters went to him. It was impossible to appeal to Amon to end this arrangement, because Amon was the one who’d set it up. Ghost had little loyalty to the cause, and so his attention was bought, and his discretion with it.
Few knew the real story, but Ghost was not going to tell.
Standing, the masked man took his leave, walking out the front door. By the time the lieutenant had followed him out, interested in where he went, he was already vanished.
“I take it this is to be taken care of tonight?” The youth asked, his voice low and rich. There was a faint whisper to the edges of it, like his words were part of the air itself. The man nodded simply, procuring an envelope from the inside of his jacket, and handed it over to the younger one. A faint chime sounded as he moved forward to accept the document, perhaps from the clinking of one of the golden hoops in either ear. His hands were callused, bespeaking hard work, but the pattern to the roughened skin was not indicative of farm tools or manual labor. They were the work of a sword-hilt, and there was no mistaking that for anyone who knew of such matters.
Producing a small blade from somewhere in his loose sleeve, the youth flicked it over the top of the envelope, slitting the wax seal that held it closed. Quickly scanning the contents, he nodded succinctly, leveling his gaze for the first time on the older man. “The usual fee, and it shall be done.” The older fellow’s thin lips turned down in an unhidden frown, but the youth did not care. Not many of the Equalists were paid for their work, but Ghost was not an ordinary Equalist. He seemed able to go where other men could not, achieve what they thought impossible. He stained his hands, sometimes with blood, sometimes only with other dark things, and in return, much of the secret support the Equalists received from their wealthier supporters went to him. It was impossible to appeal to Amon to end this arrangement, because Amon was the one who’d set it up. Ghost had little loyalty to the cause, and so his attention was bought, and his discretion with it.
Few knew the real story, but Ghost was not going to tell.
Standing, the masked man took his leave, walking out the front door. By the time the lieutenant had followed him out, interested in where he went, he was already vanished.
"The thing about inexperience. is that you learn."
Haki allowed a grin to cross his features as the girl spoke. She would like a job, it would be nice, and then there it was, the hesitance. His grin only widened as Rika shook her head at him. His grins never meant anything pleasant, that was from experience, however; they needed a waterbender for their team. Though she didn't have experience in the ring, neither of them really did. Haki, as much as he loved the sport, had never been inside the ring himself, however; he knew the rules almost as well as he knew the back of his hand. He was aware of certain things, certain strategies, and he could put those to good use. Rika had always loved the sport herself, and understood simple things, but it wouldn't be hard to pick up on the things they needed to.
"To be honest, we have no experience in it either. It is a sport I love and always wanted to be apart of," Rika replied, leaning back in her chair, allowing her hands to dangle on the sides. "The exit is actually to your left. Just follow that sign right there," she stated, pointing towards a pole situated in the middle of the area, pointing left towards the exit. "We don't have much experience, but I think we could be a great team if we practiced," Rika added as an after thought. It was then that the waterbender introduced herself, speaking her name and where she was from. Haki merely remained quiet, allowing Rika her words before he introduced himself.
"Haki Soen, at your service," he stated, reaching out for her hand before Rika slapped him behind his head. He chuckled slightly, as he feigned a hurt appearance. "And this here is the lovely Earthbender Lotus. She used to own The White Dragon tea shop but left it to this nice couple. Isn't she so sweet?" Haki teased as Rika rolled her eyes. She sighed through her nose, softly, before shaking her head. Why did he always insist on introducing her as such? Her name was Rika, not Lotus. Haki, however, seemed unfazed and kept the grin on his face. He leaned back in his chair as well, crossing his hands over the back of his head.
"Haki tends to call people absurd nicknames. My name is actually Rika, Rika Hakujou," she corrected, shooting Haki a glare as he opened his mouth to speak once more. "Well then Kiara, if you are willing, we would still love to have you on board. I am sure we can all learn from one another, even if we end up losing a few times. In the end, all that matters is that we at least had fun right? And getting paid to have said fun," she continued, folding her hands behind her head as well and leaning back into her chair. She wasn't going to force someone into doing something if they didn't want to, but Kiara did mention that she would like to be a part of it.
She just wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting herself into though. "If you don't mind me saying, you would be a great addition to the team. I haven't seen many waterbenders who have as much control as you do, except for maybe Zian," he replied, referring to one of the Pygmy Puma benders. Which, in a way was true. Not many waterbenders in Republic had much control, or the level at least, as Kiara had just displayed. With enough practice, assuming she joined, they could perhaps even one day be as good as the Pygmy Puma's themselves, if not better. Now that was an interesting thought. What if they did defeat Pygmy Puma's? Oh the fame they would recieve. Defeating the undefeated, Haki was beginning to like the sound of that.
But of course, they would need her to join the group. No one else would suffice. He knew that much already. Rika merely nodded in agreement to Haki's words. She may not have known many waterbenders, but from what she saw here, Kiara would be a key in their team. It would only be a matter of training and putting together matches. That wouldn't be an easy thing to do since they would be a new team, however; she was certain that they could still get them regardless.
Kiara straightened, smiling her satisfaction at the broken targets strewn all over the practice room floor. The three of them had been practicing almost every day for two weeks in preparation for their first match. It was just a small one, against another newbie team, but all three of them were serious about winning it. Her landlord had even told her that he was going to bet on them, which had touched her a little bit, if she was being honest. It meant he really thought they were going to win, because that man was smart with his money. She was hoping that his tendency to pick the right teams would carry through this time, because rent was coming due and she really needed the money.
That wasn’t the only reason she did this though, she thought, watching Rika reform the broken clay disks into their usual shape and bend them into neat stacks. Kiara took care of the sweat and blood, which did occasionally spill when someone hit something wrong, bending it all off their bodies and the floor and into the drain in one corner. She was also doing this for her teammates. She wasn’t sure she’d call them her friends, yet—Kiara as a rule took quite a while to feel comfortable calling someone her friend—but they were definitely the closest thing she had in the city, and if things continued as they were, they would be in time. They had given her this opportunity, and it was clear to her that both of them were good, interesting people. She didn’t plan to let them down.
Doing a few stretches to prevent soreness from lingering in her muscles, she smiled over at the other two. “Three days left,” she said with a nod, loosing her hair from its pony tail and shaking it out briefly before she retied the whole thing. “All this practice is definitely helping, I think.” More than just perfecting their own skills, they were learning to work together as a single unit. It was a bit tough still, because though they’d worked hard, two weeks wasn’t enough time to really know other people inside and out, but overall, she didn’t think it was going badly at all. This could be seriously promising if they kept at it.
To say she was ecstatic when Kiara joined, would have been an understatement. She was thrilled beyond compare because it meant that she no longer had to search for a waterbender to complete her team. She had nearly, literally, jumped for joy, when Kiara had signed up. Of course, Haki wouldn't let her live that down, but she couldn't care less about his opinion on the matter. And so, two weeks of training began. They were long, tedious, and rightfully so. They were all inexperienced at the game and it showed, however; over the course of days, they had improved. Probably not as great as it could have been, but nonetheless, they were better than before.
Rika sighed, wiping the last of the dirt off of her hands as she fixed the clay disks back into their proper spots, after fixing them of course. Satisfied, she watched as Haki stretched, rolling his left shoulder in the process. He could feel his muscles tightening and then expanding as he did so. He had to say, they were doing rather well for a beginner team. Their first match, which wasn't that hard to secure in the first place, was going to be against another new team: the Tiger Seals. An odd name really, however; it suddenly dawned on him that they had entered their team without a name of their own. That couldn't do, they needed something that would fit them.
"Rhinoceros Beetles," he stated without much thought, causing Rika to raise an eyebrow at the sudden statement. "The name of our team," he clarified as Rika's face paled a bit. She shook her head violently at the notion. There was no way she was going to be named after something that she disliked, heavily. Haki rose an amused eyebrow as he leaned against one of the racks that housed the clay disks. "Oh? Why not, they are large, strong, durable," he began to list the things one by one. Rika only continued to shake her head.
"There is no way we are going to be named after those things. Surely there is something better we could go by," she retorted. She placed a thoughtful hand underneath her chin, trying to think of a name that they could perhaps use that wouldn't be so...bland. "What about Tiger Seals?" she suggested. It had a nice ring to it, but Haki seemed to disagree, shaking his head this time around. Rika frowned, placing a hand on her hip in the process. "I'd like to see you come up with something better," she retorted as she turned to face Kiara. "What about you, what would you suggest Kiara?"
A name! She hadn’t even thought about it, simply having assumed that Rika or Haki would have chosen one a long time ago. But apparently this was not the case. She actually kind of liked the Rhinoceros Beetle suggestion—they sounded tough and mean, which was probably what you were supposed to go for? She wasn’t really sure. Rika was not in favor of the suggestion, though, and it seemed that the one she’d picked instead was already taken, if Kiara remembered their opposing team’s name right. Of course, the two of them hardly ever agreed on anything, but she still wasn’t expecting them to ask her.
“Umm…” She tried to think of something that wasn’t totally awful, but, being from the North Pole and never having traveled much in her life, she only knew a few animal species, and she was pretty sure that the Polar Bear Dogs were a team of really muscular men somewhere in the middle rankings right now. That ruled out that option. “How about… the Otter Penguins? They’re really cute, but tougher than you think. Nobody will expect to get beaten by a team called the Otter Penguins!” She smiled winningly, as if to convey her suggestion extra strength that way. Not that she thought it would work on its own, but… every little bit helped, right?
Haki blinked, not really expecting Kiara to have answered, but she did. And the name she suggested caused a wide grin to pull at his lips. He walked over towards her, clasping her hands in his own and pulling them up. A hint of mischievous play crossed his eyes as he stared at her. "I believe you may be right. Otter Penguins are rather durable creatures, and they are rather cute," he stated, Rika rolling her eyes in the process, however; she had to agree for once, the name did sound rather fitting. Actually, she liked it, a lot, and it was way better than being called the Rhinoceros Beetles or the Tiger Seals.
"Otter Penguins it is! I am glad the color scheme of our uniforms will actually match the name," she stated. The uniforms had been ordered the same day Kiara had signed up, and to commemorate the waterbender, Rika had chosen a rather pale, almost slate colored blue for the uniforms. Smiling, she turned towards the exit and grinned behind her. "I say we've earned a rest for a bit, how 'bout some tea? My treat of course," she stated, Haki merely shaking his head with a light smile but agreeing nonetheless.
“Ehe…” Kiara would be the first person to admit that she was not entirely accustomed to being looked at like that, and it was doing weird little flippy things to her stomach. But this was Haki, and if she'd learned anything at all about him over the last few weeks, it was that you couldn’t always take him seriously. So while she inevitably turned a little pink, it was mostly hidden by the darkness of her complexion, and she just smiled, nodding enthusiastically to Rika’s suggestion. “Tea sounds wonderful! I’ve heard so much about this shop; I think it would be great to be able to try it, with the owner, no less. Do you have jasmine and rose? I could hardly ever get it at the North Pole…” And honestly, it was a little expensive for her to go buying herself, at least on a daily basis.
So it was that the three of them set out for the tea shop, winding their way through the sunset streets of Republic City, as the summer air cooled a little and the light began to disappear. The night life of the city was just starting to awaken, and it was a change that Kiara had always found fascinating. The city took on a different character at night, as though fundamentally becoming a different place. She’d walked around during those times, fascinated with some of the things she encountered, but not always mindful of the danger.
"Previous owner," Rika corrected. "I still help out though and the people who run it now are rather nice. Ah, yes we do have that. I'll make it for you once we get there," she replied to her statement. They actually, if she remembered correctly, just received a fresh shipment of tea leaves, and she was itching to get her fingers on them. They were rumored to be extremely valuable, and of course, not one to pass up something such as that, Rika had ordered a whole shipment of the leaves. Haki, however, smirked at Kiara's reaction. Though she might have though he didn't notice it, he had noticed the light pink tinge on her cheeks.
"Jasmine and rose, an interesting choice," he stated in a thoughtful manner. He'd tease her about it later, but right now, tea was calling their names. With the two weeks they had been training, Haki had taken it upon himself to tease the new member as he had with Rika the first time they met. Of course, there was nothing too harmful about it, he was after all, a gentleman. But sometimes the temptations were just to much to resist. Rika rolled her eyes before shaking her head. They truly were an odd group, but a team nonetheless. And with that, the three of them set out towards the shop. The night life soon came about when they reached the shop.
Rika and Haki greeted the owners, discussing their business before they allowed Rika in the back. Previous owner or not, she was still their employee and boundaries were to be respected. She couldn't just barge in and take over. That's not how it worked now. She quickly set to work, grabbing the leaves she needed to prepare the teas and began boiling the water, making sure to keep the fire at the proper temperature. Haki, however, went to find a table for the three of them, and ushered Kiara after him. Once everything had been finished, Rika reappeared with three different cups of tea, setting each one down, one for Kiara and one for Haki.
"So, Kiara, tell me what you think!?" Rika stated almost enthusiastically. Haki opened his mouth to say something, but she shot him a glare, effectively keeping him from saying anything more and sipped quietly at his tea.
The inside of the shop was a lovely, quaint thing, with elegant decorations and a homey atmosphere. It was warm and balmy inside, and smelled of the various herbs used for preparing tea. The tables were round, made out of a polished, reddish wood, and the chairs were carved to match. She and Haki settled into one in a cozy corner of the place, and it wasn’t long before Rika reappeared, tea tray in hand. Kiara took hold of the earthen vessel delicately and sipped at hers, her face lighting up with a bright smile as the warm liquid slid over her tongue. “It’s wonderful,” she said sincerely, nodding as if to emphasize the point. Kiara was no slouch at tea-brewing, either, but she wasn’t as good as Rika, that much was clear to be seen. Or rather, tasted.
Just then, the front door to the tea shop opened, and a somewhat-familiar figure entered, moving in that strange, light-footed way she recognized as distinctively his. Something in the air shifted, just a little, but it didn’t bother Kiara any. The man glanced over to their table almost automatically upon entering, and if she had to guess, she’d suppose that he usually sat here. What was more, the rest of the tables seemed to be either already taken or reserved for later guests. Well, there was an easy solution to that. “Fang,” she called quietly enough for manners, waving a hand to gain his attention. She had it, and his golden eyes locked with hers, a brow tilted in slight question. “There’s another chair here…” she trailed off when she realized that she’d essentially just offered him a spot at their table without consulting the other two. Oops.
“Sorry,” she murmured to them, her smile dimming, “I probably should have asked before I did that…” but he was within earshot now, and she didn’t want to be rude to all three of them. He stood with a hand resting on the back of the empty chair, glancing between the three seated people with an unreadable expression. “Haki, Rika, this is my neighbor, Fang. Fang, this is Haki and Rika—my probending partners.” He inclined his head to both, speaking quietly, but with a polite tone.
“It is nice to meet you both. I do not wish to impose, as I suspect that Kiara was somewhat impulsive in her decision to call me over. But if it is not inconvenient for you, I would not mind the company.”
Rika's eyes brightened at Kiara's statement. It always made her feel warm when someone enjoyed her brews, almost as if she had a tiny firebender living inside of her to spread the feeling. Her smile brightened as she sipped quietly at her tea, enjoying the warm liquid as it passed through her throat and down to her stomach where it remained in a warm heap. She let out a satisfied sigh as she smiled against her cup. This was the first time she'd actually enjoyed being in Haki's company, though she was sharing in it with Kiara now. Maybe, in due time they could become really good friends. Rika was counting on it.
Haki shook his head at Rika's expression, a light one crossing his features at the same time. His head, however, turned towards the door when the subtle bell signaled another customer. He was unsure why he turned, but he soon found himself staring at the flute player. He shifted his gaze to Kiara, who seemed to light up a bit when she spotted him and waved towards the man, causing a slight frown to form on his face. Shaking his head, Haki did not speak when Kiara addressed the group, instead, taking a drink from his cooling cup of tea.
"It's an open shop, you don't have to be sorry for anything," Rika replied, waving the girl off. She turned to meet Fang and offered him a soft smile. "It would not inconvenience us at all. We are more than happy to offer our table to another," she stated, shoving Haki a bit to the side to make extra room for Fang. Haki merely sipped on his cup as he was shifted a bit closer towards Kiara, his eyes closed as if he were in thought. "Kiara is part of our team, and we welcome any friends she has," she added.
"Since Lotus forgets proper mannerisms," Haki stated, earning a light confused look from Rika. "Haki Soen," he continued, causing Rika to turn a light shade of pink. She forgot to introduce herself, but then again there really wasn't much reason to. "And the lovely Earthbender is Rika Hakujou, but I am sure you are aware of each other if only faintly," he stated, referring to Fang's visits to the cafe and Chan chewing Rika's ear off about the regular customers.
That wasn’t the only reason she did this though, she thought, watching Rika reform the broken clay disks into their usual shape and bend them into neat stacks. Kiara took care of the sweat and blood, which did occasionally spill when someone hit something wrong, bending it all off their bodies and the floor and into the drain in one corner. She was also doing this for her teammates. She wasn’t sure she’d call them her friends, yet—Kiara as a rule took quite a while to feel comfortable calling someone her friend—but they were definitely the closest thing she had in the city, and if things continued as they were, they would be in time. They had given her this opportunity, and it was clear to her that both of them were good, interesting people. She didn’t plan to let them down.
Doing a few stretches to prevent soreness from lingering in her muscles, she smiled over at the other two. “Three days left,” she said with a nod, loosing her hair from its pony tail and shaking it out briefly before she retied the whole thing. “All this practice is definitely helping, I think.” More than just perfecting their own skills, they were learning to work together as a single unit. It was a bit tough still, because though they’d worked hard, two weeks wasn’t enough time to really know other people inside and out, but overall, she didn’t think it was going badly at all. This could be seriously promising if they kept at it.
To say she was ecstatic when Kiara joined, would have been an understatement. She was thrilled beyond compare because it meant that she no longer had to search for a waterbender to complete her team. She had nearly, literally, jumped for joy, when Kiara had signed up. Of course, Haki wouldn't let her live that down, but she couldn't care less about his opinion on the matter. And so, two weeks of training began. They were long, tedious, and rightfully so. They were all inexperienced at the game and it showed, however; over the course of days, they had improved. Probably not as great as it could have been, but nonetheless, they were better than before.
Rika sighed, wiping the last of the dirt off of her hands as she fixed the clay disks back into their proper spots, after fixing them of course. Satisfied, she watched as Haki stretched, rolling his left shoulder in the process. He could feel his muscles tightening and then expanding as he did so. He had to say, they were doing rather well for a beginner team. Their first match, which wasn't that hard to secure in the first place, was going to be against another new team: the Tiger Seals. An odd name really, however; it suddenly dawned on him that they had entered their team without a name of their own. That couldn't do, they needed something that would fit them.
"Rhinoceros Beetles," he stated without much thought, causing Rika to raise an eyebrow at the sudden statement. "The name of our team," he clarified as Rika's face paled a bit. She shook her head violently at the notion. There was no way she was going to be named after something that she disliked, heavily. Haki rose an amused eyebrow as he leaned against one of the racks that housed the clay disks. "Oh? Why not, they are large, strong, durable," he began to list the things one by one. Rika only continued to shake her head.
"There is no way we are going to be named after those things. Surely there is something better we could go by," she retorted. She placed a thoughtful hand underneath her chin, trying to think of a name that they could perhaps use that wouldn't be so...bland. "What about Tiger Seals?" she suggested. It had a nice ring to it, but Haki seemed to disagree, shaking his head this time around. Rika frowned, placing a hand on her hip in the process. "I'd like to see you come up with something better," she retorted as she turned to face Kiara. "What about you, what would you suggest Kiara?"
A name! She hadn’t even thought about it, simply having assumed that Rika or Haki would have chosen one a long time ago. But apparently this was not the case. She actually kind of liked the Rhinoceros Beetle suggestion—they sounded tough and mean, which was probably what you were supposed to go for? She wasn’t really sure. Rika was not in favor of the suggestion, though, and it seemed that the one she’d picked instead was already taken, if Kiara remembered their opposing team’s name right. Of course, the two of them hardly ever agreed on anything, but she still wasn’t expecting them to ask her.
“Umm…” She tried to think of something that wasn’t totally awful, but, being from the North Pole and never having traveled much in her life, she only knew a few animal species, and she was pretty sure that the Polar Bear Dogs were a team of really muscular men somewhere in the middle rankings right now. That ruled out that option. “How about… the Otter Penguins? They’re really cute, but tougher than you think. Nobody will expect to get beaten by a team called the Otter Penguins!” She smiled winningly, as if to convey her suggestion extra strength that way. Not that she thought it would work on its own, but… every little bit helped, right?
Haki blinked, not really expecting Kiara to have answered, but she did. And the name she suggested caused a wide grin to pull at his lips. He walked over towards her, clasping her hands in his own and pulling them up. A hint of mischievous play crossed his eyes as he stared at her. "I believe you may be right. Otter Penguins are rather durable creatures, and they are rather cute," he stated, Rika rolling her eyes in the process, however; she had to agree for once, the name did sound rather fitting. Actually, she liked it, a lot, and it was way better than being called the Rhinoceros Beetles or the Tiger Seals.
"Otter Penguins it is! I am glad the color scheme of our uniforms will actually match the name," she stated. The uniforms had been ordered the same day Kiara had signed up, and to commemorate the waterbender, Rika had chosen a rather pale, almost slate colored blue for the uniforms. Smiling, she turned towards the exit and grinned behind her. "I say we've earned a rest for a bit, how 'bout some tea? My treat of course," she stated, Haki merely shaking his head with a light smile but agreeing nonetheless.
“Ehe…” Kiara would be the first person to admit that she was not entirely accustomed to being looked at like that, and it was doing weird little flippy things to her stomach. But this was Haki, and if she'd learned anything at all about him over the last few weeks, it was that you couldn’t always take him seriously. So while she inevitably turned a little pink, it was mostly hidden by the darkness of her complexion, and she just smiled, nodding enthusiastically to Rika’s suggestion. “Tea sounds wonderful! I’ve heard so much about this shop; I think it would be great to be able to try it, with the owner, no less. Do you have jasmine and rose? I could hardly ever get it at the North Pole…” And honestly, it was a little expensive for her to go buying herself, at least on a daily basis.
So it was that the three of them set out for the tea shop, winding their way through the sunset streets of Republic City, as the summer air cooled a little and the light began to disappear. The night life of the city was just starting to awaken, and it was a change that Kiara had always found fascinating. The city took on a different character at night, as though fundamentally becoming a different place. She’d walked around during those times, fascinated with some of the things she encountered, but not always mindful of the danger.
"Previous owner," Rika corrected. "I still help out though and the people who run it now are rather nice. Ah, yes we do have that. I'll make it for you once we get there," she replied to her statement. They actually, if she remembered correctly, just received a fresh shipment of tea leaves, and she was itching to get her fingers on them. They were rumored to be extremely valuable, and of course, not one to pass up something such as that, Rika had ordered a whole shipment of the leaves. Haki, however, smirked at Kiara's reaction. Though she might have though he didn't notice it, he had noticed the light pink tinge on her cheeks.
"Jasmine and rose, an interesting choice," he stated in a thoughtful manner. He'd tease her about it later, but right now, tea was calling their names. With the two weeks they had been training, Haki had taken it upon himself to tease the new member as he had with Rika the first time they met. Of course, there was nothing too harmful about it, he was after all, a gentleman. But sometimes the temptations were just to much to resist. Rika rolled her eyes before shaking her head. They truly were an odd group, but a team nonetheless. And with that, the three of them set out towards the shop. The night life soon came about when they reached the shop.
Rika and Haki greeted the owners, discussing their business before they allowed Rika in the back. Previous owner or not, she was still their employee and boundaries were to be respected. She couldn't just barge in and take over. That's not how it worked now. She quickly set to work, grabbing the leaves she needed to prepare the teas and began boiling the water, making sure to keep the fire at the proper temperature. Haki, however, went to find a table for the three of them, and ushered Kiara after him. Once everything had been finished, Rika reappeared with three different cups of tea, setting each one down, one for Kiara and one for Haki.
"So, Kiara, tell me what you think!?" Rika stated almost enthusiastically. Haki opened his mouth to say something, but she shot him a glare, effectively keeping him from saying anything more and sipped quietly at his tea.
The inside of the shop was a lovely, quaint thing, with elegant decorations and a homey atmosphere. It was warm and balmy inside, and smelled of the various herbs used for preparing tea. The tables were round, made out of a polished, reddish wood, and the chairs were carved to match. She and Haki settled into one in a cozy corner of the place, and it wasn’t long before Rika reappeared, tea tray in hand. Kiara took hold of the earthen vessel delicately and sipped at hers, her face lighting up with a bright smile as the warm liquid slid over her tongue. “It’s wonderful,” she said sincerely, nodding as if to emphasize the point. Kiara was no slouch at tea-brewing, either, but she wasn’t as good as Rika, that much was clear to be seen. Or rather, tasted.
Just then, the front door to the tea shop opened, and a somewhat-familiar figure entered, moving in that strange, light-footed way she recognized as distinctively his. Something in the air shifted, just a little, but it didn’t bother Kiara any. The man glanced over to their table almost automatically upon entering, and if she had to guess, she’d suppose that he usually sat here. What was more, the rest of the tables seemed to be either already taken or reserved for later guests. Well, there was an easy solution to that. “Fang,” she called quietly enough for manners, waving a hand to gain his attention. She had it, and his golden eyes locked with hers, a brow tilted in slight question. “There’s another chair here…” she trailed off when she realized that she’d essentially just offered him a spot at their table without consulting the other two. Oops.
“Sorry,” she murmured to them, her smile dimming, “I probably should have asked before I did that…” but he was within earshot now, and she didn’t want to be rude to all three of them. He stood with a hand resting on the back of the empty chair, glancing between the three seated people with an unreadable expression. “Haki, Rika, this is my neighbor, Fang. Fang, this is Haki and Rika—my probending partners.” He inclined his head to both, speaking quietly, but with a polite tone.
“It is nice to meet you both. I do not wish to impose, as I suspect that Kiara was somewhat impulsive in her decision to call me over. But if it is not inconvenient for you, I would not mind the company.”
Rika's eyes brightened at Kiara's statement. It always made her feel warm when someone enjoyed her brews, almost as if she had a tiny firebender living inside of her to spread the feeling. Her smile brightened as she sipped quietly at her tea, enjoying the warm liquid as it passed through her throat and down to her stomach where it remained in a warm heap. She let out a satisfied sigh as she smiled against her cup. This was the first time she'd actually enjoyed being in Haki's company, though she was sharing in it with Kiara now. Maybe, in due time they could become really good friends. Rika was counting on it.
Haki shook his head at Rika's expression, a light one crossing his features at the same time. His head, however, turned towards the door when the subtle bell signaled another customer. He was unsure why he turned, but he soon found himself staring at the flute player. He shifted his gaze to Kiara, who seemed to light up a bit when she spotted him and waved towards the man, causing a slight frown to form on his face. Shaking his head, Haki did not speak when Kiara addressed the group, instead, taking a drink from his cooling cup of tea.
"It's an open shop, you don't have to be sorry for anything," Rika replied, waving the girl off. She turned to meet Fang and offered him a soft smile. "It would not inconvenience us at all. We are more than happy to offer our table to another," she stated, shoving Haki a bit to the side to make extra room for Fang. Haki merely sipped on his cup as he was shifted a bit closer towards Kiara, his eyes closed as if he were in thought. "Kiara is part of our team, and we welcome any friends she has," she added.
"Since Lotus forgets proper mannerisms," Haki stated, earning a light confused look from Rika. "Haki Soen," he continued, causing Rika to turn a light shade of pink. She forgot to introduce herself, but then again there really wasn't much reason to. "And the lovely Earthbender is Rika Hakujou, but I am sure you are aware of each other if only faintly," he stated, referring to Fang's visits to the cafe and Chan chewing Rika's ear off about the regular customers.
Fang wasn’t the most adept in social situations, but he knew how to talk about things he understood well, and tea was one of those things. He was more or less hopeless making it himself, but he could identify most leaves by scent, and several members of his extended family had something of a preoccupation with it, perhaps inherited from a certain famously-fond ancestor of his. As such, if he was going to strike up a conversation with anyone (and he felt he should, given that he was the one intruding here, he turned to speak to the former owner of the establishment.
“It is not an easy thing, to start and maintain a successful business in this city,” he said, and it was true enough. In many places, one was extorted by the Triads, and even if not, Republic city was a competitive place. “It is hard to imagine someone doing so, and then leaving it, all within a relatively short span of time. What caused you to do it?” His tone was rather flat, but it was honestly just the way he talked. He seemed to at least be paying attention, and not asking for no reason. Though his posture was relaxed, there was something about him that seemed very alert in general, and his eyes tended to flicker to the door each time it was opened, though only for the briefest of moments.
Rika blinked slowly when a question was directed at her. Haki snorted slightly in his cup, however; she kicked him from underneath the table before laughing nervously. He was right, it wasn't an easy thing. Owning a business, it was rather hard, especially when she had first started out. She sighed softly. She remembered being threatened by the triads once, however; she managed to keep them out of her business. How, she couldn't recall exactly, but it did involve one of the members finding himself almost buried alive. Of course, that had only landed her in some deep water. They had tried to burn down her shop, however; Haki had managed to keep it from going into flames, and Rika was able to rebuild the parts that were destroyed, with a bit of earthbending.
"Well," she began, playing with the cup in her hand. "It wasn't easy. Competition, threats from the Triads, it was hard to maintain the business for so long, but somehow it's endured this long," she stated, a smile crossing her features in the process. "Nothing really caused me to leave the shop, but I wanted to do something a little more, exciting, I guess you could say," she finally answered. She wouldn't call pro-bending exciting, but it was rather fun to watch, and she had always dreamed of being in a tournament. Not only that, Gran-Gran and Gramps had looked so...down and she wanted to help them out somehow she could.
"I don't know if you'd call pro-bending exciting enough, but I've always wanted to join, so I gave the shop to Gran-Gran and Gramps. I trust them to take care of things, and so far, they've managed. The shop has been in their care for almost two years now," she finally answered, leaning a bit back into her chair.
He’d been looking for excitement, once. He’d even found it, and honestly, some part of him now wished he hadn’t. Excitement was the reason he’d fallen in with the Equalist crowd. Excitement was the reason he’d followed the violet-eyed woman into the back room, unaware of just how badly it would tangle up his life in the aftermath. Excitement was the reason he was now more or less an indentured servant, bound by a contract that nothing could break. A dying wish, and a promise that would shackle him for the rest of his life. His chains were bitter, but they were strong.
“Well, life is seldom predictable. Perhaps you will find what you are looking for somewhere unexpected.” He shrugged, an unexpectedly catlike gesture, for it had that same easy languid flexibility and nonchalance about it. The way he canted his head to the side was reminiscent of a bird more than anything, however; perhaps a crane-flamingo or an osprey-hawk. It produced a slight clinking from the ornaments in his ears, like a wind chime, but he ignored it. “Does your team yet have sponsors?”
"That is true. Perhaps I wasn't meant for a life of excitement, but nonetheless, pro-bending is somewhat of a dream of mine so I am going to pursue that dream!" Rika almost stated enthusiastically, a certain flame burning bright in her eyes. Ever since she first saw a match, she was drawn to it. The way the benders moved, how they used tactic to defeat their opponents and endured, it was all so fascinating, and Rika had wanted to be part of that world. Sure, she might get hurt here and there, but what was the point if you didn't get hurt every once in a while? Bodies could be calloused and hardened for that purpose.
"Ah, well," Rika laughed nervously, scratching the side of her cheek in the process. "No, we don't really have any sponsors. Everything that is going on, including the purchase of the uniforms, has all been out of pocket so far. I managed to save up enough for the basic small things that our team would need, but," she paused. She had forgotten about that little detail. While she might have had enough money to purchase the necessary things, without sponsors, they might as well quit while they were ahead. Sponsors helped out tremendously, especially when it came to organizing matches.
He almost smiled at her enthusiasm. It was so obvious it was almost comical, complimented in typical absurd fashion by her following sheepishness. Unfortunately, however, Fang had lost his smile a few years ago, and didn’t quite know how to find it again, so he simply blinked owlishly at her for a moment, a small glimmer of amusement passing through his eyes before it dulled to their usual honey color. “I understand that sponsors will often choose teams based on those with popular support. If there are friends or family that you could persuade to be in the audience for your matches, I think perhaps your chances would be greater.” There was certainly no cause to give up yet, after all.
“Your endeavors may be more similar than you think. Conceptualize it as a business. People want to support things that are already well-established. Patrons are drawn to this shop not only for the quality of the tea, but also for its reputation. And so, patrons will be drawn to your team not only for your skill, but for the support you already have, and your image.” He sipped his tea, laying the empty cup back down on the table with a faint clink. With an index finger, he traced a pattern in the grain of the wood the table was made from. “What are your team colors?”
Rika sighed softly. "All of my family is back in the Earth Kingdom. I don't have any family here," she replied to his earlier statement. She could, perhaps, ask some of the patrons to attend, but most of her patrons were either the elderly or people who sought something other than the violence of what Pro-bending incurred. And she couldn't ask them to do so in the first place. She had wanted to do this on her own but...she glanced over towards Haki and Kiara who seemed lost in their own conversation. She owed them so much. If it wasn't for them, she wouldn't have been able to chase her dream in the first place. She took a deep breath before turning her attention back to Fang.
"Well that is one way of looking at it I suppose. But most of these people usually come here to get away from pro-bending. It's something of a past time for them while everyone else is out at the matches, I couldn't ask them," she almost stated in a soft tone, however; it picked up again at the end. She blinked a bit, watching as he drew in the grain of the table. "A very pale blue. I chose it because of Kiara. If she hadn't joined, I wouldn't have been able to complete my team so I made the colors in honor of her," she replied sheepishly.
Fang nodded tranquilly, looking up from what he was doing. “Then I shall wear pale blue when I attend the match,” he replied, as mildly as ever. “I trust that my support will not be given to the losing team.” He wasn’t actually a habitual attendant of pro-bending matches, but he suspected Amon would ask him to do it eventually, to gather information on some of the most talented benders in the city. This match, though, he would attend with no such intention. It was, perhaps, a form of repayment, for what he saw as a debt. They had, after all, allowed him to be seated here, when it would have been well within social norm for them to refuse. Besides that, this tea shop that she had started had been the only peace of mind he received, on some days. That merited some consideration.
Rika's eyes lit up when he mentioned he would wear a pale blue shirt. He didn't have to do anything for her team, and yet here he was doing so. She would be forever grateful to this man, and she shook her head when he spoke of not putting his support in the wrong team. She would make sure of it that she wouldn't let him down. She stood from her spot, grabbing her cup and the tea kettle in the process. They were out of tea and she needed to brew some more. As she stood, she paused and glanced at Fang.
"If we lose, I will see to it that your tea is free of charge for as long as you come. A life time supply of free tea, whatever you choose!" she stated as she walked around him, pausing to briefly touch his cheek with her lips and grinning. "Thank you so much!" she stated, a little extra skip to her step. She was excited about this tournament now. She had a friend, a supporter for her team. She would have to make sure she didn't fail him. Not only because she wouldn't want to crush her dream before even starting it, but also to not let down their new friend.
Fang’s eyebrow ascended his forehead, and he reflexively raised a hand to his cheek, touching the spot with a strange, perplexed kind of curiosity. It faintly tingled, the spot, and he looked down at the hand he’d removed, brushing his fingers against his thumb and shaking his head. Strange girl.
“It is not an easy thing, to start and maintain a successful business in this city,” he said, and it was true enough. In many places, one was extorted by the Triads, and even if not, Republic city was a competitive place. “It is hard to imagine someone doing so, and then leaving it, all within a relatively short span of time. What caused you to do it?” His tone was rather flat, but it was honestly just the way he talked. He seemed to at least be paying attention, and not asking for no reason. Though his posture was relaxed, there was something about him that seemed very alert in general, and his eyes tended to flicker to the door each time it was opened, though only for the briefest of moments.
Rika blinked slowly when a question was directed at her. Haki snorted slightly in his cup, however; she kicked him from underneath the table before laughing nervously. He was right, it wasn't an easy thing. Owning a business, it was rather hard, especially when she had first started out. She sighed softly. She remembered being threatened by the triads once, however; she managed to keep them out of her business. How, she couldn't recall exactly, but it did involve one of the members finding himself almost buried alive. Of course, that had only landed her in some deep water. They had tried to burn down her shop, however; Haki had managed to keep it from going into flames, and Rika was able to rebuild the parts that were destroyed, with a bit of earthbending.
"Well," she began, playing with the cup in her hand. "It wasn't easy. Competition, threats from the Triads, it was hard to maintain the business for so long, but somehow it's endured this long," she stated, a smile crossing her features in the process. "Nothing really caused me to leave the shop, but I wanted to do something a little more, exciting, I guess you could say," she finally answered. She wouldn't call pro-bending exciting, but it was rather fun to watch, and she had always dreamed of being in a tournament. Not only that, Gran-Gran and Gramps had looked so...down and she wanted to help them out somehow she could.
"I don't know if you'd call pro-bending exciting enough, but I've always wanted to join, so I gave the shop to Gran-Gran and Gramps. I trust them to take care of things, and so far, they've managed. The shop has been in their care for almost two years now," she finally answered, leaning a bit back into her chair.
He’d been looking for excitement, once. He’d even found it, and honestly, some part of him now wished he hadn’t. Excitement was the reason he’d fallen in with the Equalist crowd. Excitement was the reason he’d followed the violet-eyed woman into the back room, unaware of just how badly it would tangle up his life in the aftermath. Excitement was the reason he was now more or less an indentured servant, bound by a contract that nothing could break. A dying wish, and a promise that would shackle him for the rest of his life. His chains were bitter, but they were strong.
“Well, life is seldom predictable. Perhaps you will find what you are looking for somewhere unexpected.” He shrugged, an unexpectedly catlike gesture, for it had that same easy languid flexibility and nonchalance about it. The way he canted his head to the side was reminiscent of a bird more than anything, however; perhaps a crane-flamingo or an osprey-hawk. It produced a slight clinking from the ornaments in his ears, like a wind chime, but he ignored it. “Does your team yet have sponsors?”
"That is true. Perhaps I wasn't meant for a life of excitement, but nonetheless, pro-bending is somewhat of a dream of mine so I am going to pursue that dream!" Rika almost stated enthusiastically, a certain flame burning bright in her eyes. Ever since she first saw a match, she was drawn to it. The way the benders moved, how they used tactic to defeat their opponents and endured, it was all so fascinating, and Rika had wanted to be part of that world. Sure, she might get hurt here and there, but what was the point if you didn't get hurt every once in a while? Bodies could be calloused and hardened for that purpose.
"Ah, well," Rika laughed nervously, scratching the side of her cheek in the process. "No, we don't really have any sponsors. Everything that is going on, including the purchase of the uniforms, has all been out of pocket so far. I managed to save up enough for the basic small things that our team would need, but," she paused. She had forgotten about that little detail. While she might have had enough money to purchase the necessary things, without sponsors, they might as well quit while they were ahead. Sponsors helped out tremendously, especially when it came to organizing matches.
He almost smiled at her enthusiasm. It was so obvious it was almost comical, complimented in typical absurd fashion by her following sheepishness. Unfortunately, however, Fang had lost his smile a few years ago, and didn’t quite know how to find it again, so he simply blinked owlishly at her for a moment, a small glimmer of amusement passing through his eyes before it dulled to their usual honey color. “I understand that sponsors will often choose teams based on those with popular support. If there are friends or family that you could persuade to be in the audience for your matches, I think perhaps your chances would be greater.” There was certainly no cause to give up yet, after all.
“Your endeavors may be more similar than you think. Conceptualize it as a business. People want to support things that are already well-established. Patrons are drawn to this shop not only for the quality of the tea, but also for its reputation. And so, patrons will be drawn to your team not only for your skill, but for the support you already have, and your image.” He sipped his tea, laying the empty cup back down on the table with a faint clink. With an index finger, he traced a pattern in the grain of the wood the table was made from. “What are your team colors?”
Rika sighed softly. "All of my family is back in the Earth Kingdom. I don't have any family here," she replied to his earlier statement. She could, perhaps, ask some of the patrons to attend, but most of her patrons were either the elderly or people who sought something other than the violence of what Pro-bending incurred. And she couldn't ask them to do so in the first place. She had wanted to do this on her own but...she glanced over towards Haki and Kiara who seemed lost in their own conversation. She owed them so much. If it wasn't for them, she wouldn't have been able to chase her dream in the first place. She took a deep breath before turning her attention back to Fang.
"Well that is one way of looking at it I suppose. But most of these people usually come here to get away from pro-bending. It's something of a past time for them while everyone else is out at the matches, I couldn't ask them," she almost stated in a soft tone, however; it picked up again at the end. She blinked a bit, watching as he drew in the grain of the table. "A very pale blue. I chose it because of Kiara. If she hadn't joined, I wouldn't have been able to complete my team so I made the colors in honor of her," she replied sheepishly.
Fang nodded tranquilly, looking up from what he was doing. “Then I shall wear pale blue when I attend the match,” he replied, as mildly as ever. “I trust that my support will not be given to the losing team.” He wasn’t actually a habitual attendant of pro-bending matches, but he suspected Amon would ask him to do it eventually, to gather information on some of the most talented benders in the city. This match, though, he would attend with no such intention. It was, perhaps, a form of repayment, for what he saw as a debt. They had, after all, allowed him to be seated here, when it would have been well within social norm for them to refuse. Besides that, this tea shop that she had started had been the only peace of mind he received, on some days. That merited some consideration.
Rika's eyes lit up when he mentioned he would wear a pale blue shirt. He didn't have to do anything for her team, and yet here he was doing so. She would be forever grateful to this man, and she shook her head when he spoke of not putting his support in the wrong team. She would make sure of it that she wouldn't let him down. She stood from her spot, grabbing her cup and the tea kettle in the process. They were out of tea and she needed to brew some more. As she stood, she paused and glanced at Fang.
"If we lose, I will see to it that your tea is free of charge for as long as you come. A life time supply of free tea, whatever you choose!" she stated as she walked around him, pausing to briefly touch his cheek with her lips and grinning. "Thank you so much!" she stated, a little extra skip to her step. She was excited about this tournament now. She had a friend, a supporter for her team. She would have to make sure she didn't fail him. Not only because she wouldn't want to crush her dream before even starting it, but also to not let down their new friend.
Fang’s eyebrow ascended his forehead, and he reflexively raised a hand to his cheek, touching the spot with a strange, perplexed kind of curiosity. It faintly tingled, the spot, and he looked down at the hand he’d removed, brushing his fingers against his thumb and shaking his head. Strange girl.
"I do believe we are being ignored," Haki stated, laughing lightly when Rika kicked him. The question had been directed at her after all, but he did find it a bit amusing. Regardless, he turned to face the waterbender and sipped his tea casually. "So, Kiara, tell me, why did you leave the Northern Water Tribe? Are they still a tight bunch?" he asked. He knew about the Northern Water Tribe's culture and their traditions. His mother had been a waterbender, after all, from the Southern Water Tribe, however; she was born and raised a majority of her life in the North. She had passed on the knowledge of how things were different there than they were in the south.
"If it is personal, do feel free to indulge me," he added, a faint smirk tilting up the corners of his lips.
Kiara thought about it a bit, idly bending her tea in and out of her cup in intricate patterns using nothing more than the dexterous movements of her fingers. She wasn’t sure how much she should say, but at the same time, she didn’t really see any reason to keep it from him. Returning the tea to the cup, she sipped at it gently, crossing one leg over the other and smiling slightly. “Definitely,” she said, sighing lightly. “Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but… there are things I can take from them and things I can’t.” Her brows furrowed a bit, and she frowned slightly.
“I guess it’s actually kind of a cliché story,” she said, shaking her head. “The so-called important families in the north still arrange marriages, you see.” She pulled a face, scrunching her nose with distaste. “Mine was set in place before I was even born. I just… there was nothing wrong with Kohaku, and he would have made a good husband, I guess… but I would have been a pretty awful Water Tribe wife.” She rolled her eyes, mostly at herself. “I was… kind of a monster, as a child, and really pretty bad at doing what I was told.”
She paused for a moment, then regarded him thoughtfully. “What about you? What’s your family like? I’ve never heard of a firebender with blue eyes before.”
Haki listened as Kiara spoke, nodding here and there. So, the Northern Tribes were still as quaint as ever. Their marriages were always something he found quite, unnecessary. A marriage arranged by two individuals was one thing, however; to have your fate determined before you are even born? That was something he had personally never understood. His parents had been perfectly content with each other, and their marriage was one formed by true affection. He sighed, placing his cup down and folded his hands in front of him.
"I don't think you would have made a terrible wife. You just have a problem with authority. I'm the same way," he stated with a casual shrug. "Then you, my dear, have not met many firebenders. Actually, my mother was a waterbender. I was lucky enough to inherit her eyes," he spoke fondly. He had loved his mother dearly and even though she was still around, he hadn't seen her in awhile. Perhaps he should go visit her? "My father was a General in the Fire Nation army, and, as hard as it may be to believe, I am an only child," he added.
It was true, he was an only child. His parents never sought to have more after he was born, or they couldn't. He couldn't recall and he didn't really mind. With a slow shrug of his shoulders, he returned to drinking his tea, frowning when there was no more. "It's not often that a child born to two different benders inherits both qualities," he spoke, referring to his eyes once more. There was a time when people did mistake him for a waterbender, however; he was too light complected, and some even thought he a descendant of an airbender. Airbenders had light blue to gray eyes so it wouldn't have been unbelievable.
She actually didn’t have any trouble believing that he was an only child at all. He just had that sort of confidence about him, like he was used to people paying attention to him when he spoke. Not that it was a bad thing, but one thing that having siblings taught a person was how to be unnoticed sometimes. She should know—her brother was the only reason she got away with half the things she did. If her parents had spent that much time with her, she’d probably never have been able to nurture her rebellious side.
It was interesting, to hear about the way things worked elsewhere in the world. In the north, it still would have been considered very strange to mix with a citizen from another nation, especially the Fire Nation. But of course, Republic City was another matter entirely, and she found that she liked that about it. “I’m sure it’s perfectly normal to people here, but to me, your parents seem like awfully brave people. Tradition is not taken lightly, where I’m from.” She actually wasn’t sure what her family would even think of someone like Haki. Her brother wouldn’t care—he was like that. Her father definitely wouldn’t say anything, though she honestly wasn’t sure what he’d think. Her mother, though… her mother would probably disapprove. Then again, her mother seemed to disapprove of everything, including Kiara. She frowned momentarily, then sighed at the thought.
“Shame that they’re rare,” she said matter-of-factly, sipping her tea. “Your eyes are very beautiful—it’s what my grandmother would call a harmonious balance.” There wasn’t even a hint of flirtation in the statement; she was simply stating the facts as she saw them. There was something very aesthetically appealing about the coloration of his eyes, which retained the narrower shape characteristic of the Fire Nation facial structure, and the darkness of his hair.
Haki snorted softly at Kiara's response. Perhaps now it was perfectly normal, especially here in Republic City, but when his parents were first together, it wasn't. His mother had wanted nothing to do with his father at first, and it took a while before she actually fell in love with him. He smiled fondly at that. They were still in love, even to this day with all of their arguments and fights. He twirled his cup a bit, stirring the tea within as he took the final sip, setting it down and folding his hands on his lap. Leaning back in his chair a bit, he allowed a smirk to cross his features.
"Thank you, but they are not mine. They are my mother's. I was lucky enough to have inherited them from her," he stated fondly. He truly did love his mother, his father, though, was another story. "And it is a shame. Mixing of the nations is a progress step that we must make not with haste, but with subtle tenderness. After all, everyone is still recovering from the Fire Nation and the wrongs they have done. We cannot be forgiven so easily," he replied. Which was true. His nation, or part of it anyways, should still be kept at arms' length.
Though the previous Avatar and Fire Lord managed to create peace, it was only a matter of time before something else appeared. The Fire Nation was an ambitious place, and it wouldn't take much for the power to regain its hold in their heads. He should know, he felt that power from time to time. If it wasn't for his mother's influence, the influence of waterbenders, he would have fallen to it a long time ago. He sighed softly, swinging his left leg over his right in a careless manner, mindful of the table though, and closed his eyes.
"Your eyes are beautiful as well. They remind me of a deep sapphire, burning with such intensity that it's almost hard not to be lost in them," he stated, quirking one eye open in the process, a hint of mischief playing behind it.
She supposed he had a point, in a way. But at the same time, one couldn’t spend too long deciding whether or not to forgive. Nobody could move on that way. Watching the swirl of his tea in its cup, Kiara smiled playfully, and twirled one of her index fingers in the opposite direction, causing the liquid to rotate the wrong way and create a small vortex in the cup. “Not even a waterbender can fight the tide forever,” she said simply. “If people do not forgive and accept, they will be left behind, and the war will still be in their hearts. That’s no way to live.”
His next words caused her to blink, the connotations of his prosaic phrasings passing right over her oblivious head. She wasn’t exactly sure what kinds of sapphires burned, as they were stones and stones were not usually flammable, but she chose to take it as a compliment of the kind she’d given him, if perhaps a bit more confusing. “Uh… thank you, I think,” she replied with a smile and a shrug. “Mine are my father’s. Mom’s are a bit more grey, and Soshi shares them. My brother,” she clarified.
Haki chuckled beneath his breath at Kiara's confusion. Shaking his head, he waved his hand in front of his face to dismiss the thought. She truly did not get his implication, and he wasn't going to push any further, for the time being. Instead he took in the information she spoke, absorbing it as much as he could. Perhaps she was right, though the tide usually gives way to the waterbender, fighting against a memory may be a little cynical of most people. But then again, it's not exactly easy to forget either. What the Fire Nation did, it was something that would still take years for people to truly forgive them for.
"Sometimes, war is all one really knows. It's hard to find peace in a time of it and they allow the war to rage deeply inside. We were fortunate enough to not have been born during that time, otherwise I don't think I would have been born at all," he mused in a humorous tone. Though he was fairly serious about it. "Accepting something such as that is still pretty hard to do. Would you forgive me so easily if I destroyed something precious to you?" he stated, but pulled back a bit. Now he was starting to delve too deeply into that matter, and they were not here to talk of such things.
"My mouth runs away with me I'm afraid." he spoke as he leaned further back into his chair.
Kiara was still confused, but this time for a different reason. She wasn’t really sure where this line of thinking was coming from, but she tilted her head to the side and tried to answer it all the same. “But the Fire Nation isn’t just one person,” she replied, her perplexity written over her face. “That would be like… hating all benders because Ozai was one, or something.” Beside her, Fang shifted slightly in his seat, but continued his conversation with Rika, and Kiara didn’t notice. “And… yes, really. I’d try. It might not be easy, but hate is poison, and it hurts the one who keeps it more than the one who is hated. If forgiveness was easy, everyone would do it.” She shrugged, then shook her head.
“You don’t have to worry about saying something you think or want to know. I could have chosen not to answer if I was really uncomfortable.” It wasn’t something she minded overmuch. Talking to people was always interesting, precisely because not everyone said the same kinds of things in the same way. She wasn’t going to be offended at a question, however strange she found it.
Haki was mildly amused at her response. She would forgive him if he destroyed something precious to her? That, was an entertaining idea. Perhaps he should do so, but not yet. He had to play his cards right, otherwise it would no be so wise of him to show his hand a head of time. He sighed softly as he glanced towards Rika, a smirk tugging at his lips as he spotted the way her eyes lit up. Shaking his head softly, he turned back to Kiara.
"Perhaps, one day the world will be able to learn to forgive easier. Until then, all we can do is let wounds heal at their own pace," he replied. "And my dear, everything I say should make you uncomfortable," he replied with a slight tilt of his lips. He was partially joking, but the glint in his eyes might have said otherwise. There was a reason he chose to say the things he did, however; he was never one to pass up an opportunity either.
"So, do you think we are ready for this tournament?
“You’re really weird,” Kiara told him by way of response. He was supposed to be making her uncomfortable? That was strange, because she hadn’t really managed to feel uncomfortable yet, and she wasn’t sure why he would want her to. Maybe something was going on that she didn’t understand, but if so, he was doing kind of a bad job of explaining it to her.
She gave the question about the match a little more thought, because it was a question she properly understood, then nodded slowly. “We’ve worked hard,” she said. “If we win, that’ll be great. If not… we just work harder and win next time. I watched a couple other matches last week. The people I saw were good, but the firebender overreached himself and the earthbender was reckless. The waterbender was too conservative… I know there’s a difference between noticing that and being able to do it, but that I noticed at all is a sign that you guys must be doing something right, in teaching me this stuff. I promise I’ll do my best not to hold you back.”
"If it is personal, do feel free to indulge me," he added, a faint smirk tilting up the corners of his lips.
Kiara thought about it a bit, idly bending her tea in and out of her cup in intricate patterns using nothing more than the dexterous movements of her fingers. She wasn’t sure how much she should say, but at the same time, she didn’t really see any reason to keep it from him. Returning the tea to the cup, she sipped at it gently, crossing one leg over the other and smiling slightly. “Definitely,” she said, sighing lightly. “Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but… there are things I can take from them and things I can’t.” Her brows furrowed a bit, and she frowned slightly.
“I guess it’s actually kind of a cliché story,” she said, shaking her head. “The so-called important families in the north still arrange marriages, you see.” She pulled a face, scrunching her nose with distaste. “Mine was set in place before I was even born. I just… there was nothing wrong with Kohaku, and he would have made a good husband, I guess… but I would have been a pretty awful Water Tribe wife.” She rolled her eyes, mostly at herself. “I was… kind of a monster, as a child, and really pretty bad at doing what I was told.”
She paused for a moment, then regarded him thoughtfully. “What about you? What’s your family like? I’ve never heard of a firebender with blue eyes before.”
Haki listened as Kiara spoke, nodding here and there. So, the Northern Tribes were still as quaint as ever. Their marriages were always something he found quite, unnecessary. A marriage arranged by two individuals was one thing, however; to have your fate determined before you are even born? That was something he had personally never understood. His parents had been perfectly content with each other, and their marriage was one formed by true affection. He sighed, placing his cup down and folded his hands in front of him.
"I don't think you would have made a terrible wife. You just have a problem with authority. I'm the same way," he stated with a casual shrug. "Then you, my dear, have not met many firebenders. Actually, my mother was a waterbender. I was lucky enough to inherit her eyes," he spoke fondly. He had loved his mother dearly and even though she was still around, he hadn't seen her in awhile. Perhaps he should go visit her? "My father was a General in the Fire Nation army, and, as hard as it may be to believe, I am an only child," he added.
It was true, he was an only child. His parents never sought to have more after he was born, or they couldn't. He couldn't recall and he didn't really mind. With a slow shrug of his shoulders, he returned to drinking his tea, frowning when there was no more. "It's not often that a child born to two different benders inherits both qualities," he spoke, referring to his eyes once more. There was a time when people did mistake him for a waterbender, however; he was too light complected, and some even thought he a descendant of an airbender. Airbenders had light blue to gray eyes so it wouldn't have been unbelievable.
She actually didn’t have any trouble believing that he was an only child at all. He just had that sort of confidence about him, like he was used to people paying attention to him when he spoke. Not that it was a bad thing, but one thing that having siblings taught a person was how to be unnoticed sometimes. She should know—her brother was the only reason she got away with half the things she did. If her parents had spent that much time with her, she’d probably never have been able to nurture her rebellious side.
It was interesting, to hear about the way things worked elsewhere in the world. In the north, it still would have been considered very strange to mix with a citizen from another nation, especially the Fire Nation. But of course, Republic City was another matter entirely, and she found that she liked that about it. “I’m sure it’s perfectly normal to people here, but to me, your parents seem like awfully brave people. Tradition is not taken lightly, where I’m from.” She actually wasn’t sure what her family would even think of someone like Haki. Her brother wouldn’t care—he was like that. Her father definitely wouldn’t say anything, though she honestly wasn’t sure what he’d think. Her mother, though… her mother would probably disapprove. Then again, her mother seemed to disapprove of everything, including Kiara. She frowned momentarily, then sighed at the thought.
“Shame that they’re rare,” she said matter-of-factly, sipping her tea. “Your eyes are very beautiful—it’s what my grandmother would call a harmonious balance.” There wasn’t even a hint of flirtation in the statement; she was simply stating the facts as she saw them. There was something very aesthetically appealing about the coloration of his eyes, which retained the narrower shape characteristic of the Fire Nation facial structure, and the darkness of his hair.
Haki snorted softly at Kiara's response. Perhaps now it was perfectly normal, especially here in Republic City, but when his parents were first together, it wasn't. His mother had wanted nothing to do with his father at first, and it took a while before she actually fell in love with him. He smiled fondly at that. They were still in love, even to this day with all of their arguments and fights. He twirled his cup a bit, stirring the tea within as he took the final sip, setting it down and folding his hands on his lap. Leaning back in his chair a bit, he allowed a smirk to cross his features.
"Thank you, but they are not mine. They are my mother's. I was lucky enough to have inherited them from her," he stated fondly. He truly did love his mother, his father, though, was another story. "And it is a shame. Mixing of the nations is a progress step that we must make not with haste, but with subtle tenderness. After all, everyone is still recovering from the Fire Nation and the wrongs they have done. We cannot be forgiven so easily," he replied. Which was true. His nation, or part of it anyways, should still be kept at arms' length.
Though the previous Avatar and Fire Lord managed to create peace, it was only a matter of time before something else appeared. The Fire Nation was an ambitious place, and it wouldn't take much for the power to regain its hold in their heads. He should know, he felt that power from time to time. If it wasn't for his mother's influence, the influence of waterbenders, he would have fallen to it a long time ago. He sighed softly, swinging his left leg over his right in a careless manner, mindful of the table though, and closed his eyes.
"Your eyes are beautiful as well. They remind me of a deep sapphire, burning with such intensity that it's almost hard not to be lost in them," he stated, quirking one eye open in the process, a hint of mischief playing behind it.
She supposed he had a point, in a way. But at the same time, one couldn’t spend too long deciding whether or not to forgive. Nobody could move on that way. Watching the swirl of his tea in its cup, Kiara smiled playfully, and twirled one of her index fingers in the opposite direction, causing the liquid to rotate the wrong way and create a small vortex in the cup. “Not even a waterbender can fight the tide forever,” she said simply. “If people do not forgive and accept, they will be left behind, and the war will still be in their hearts. That’s no way to live.”
His next words caused her to blink, the connotations of his prosaic phrasings passing right over her oblivious head. She wasn’t exactly sure what kinds of sapphires burned, as they were stones and stones were not usually flammable, but she chose to take it as a compliment of the kind she’d given him, if perhaps a bit more confusing. “Uh… thank you, I think,” she replied with a smile and a shrug. “Mine are my father’s. Mom’s are a bit more grey, and Soshi shares them. My brother,” she clarified.
Haki chuckled beneath his breath at Kiara's confusion. Shaking his head, he waved his hand in front of his face to dismiss the thought. She truly did not get his implication, and he wasn't going to push any further, for the time being. Instead he took in the information she spoke, absorbing it as much as he could. Perhaps she was right, though the tide usually gives way to the waterbender, fighting against a memory may be a little cynical of most people. But then again, it's not exactly easy to forget either. What the Fire Nation did, it was something that would still take years for people to truly forgive them for.
"Sometimes, war is all one really knows. It's hard to find peace in a time of it and they allow the war to rage deeply inside. We were fortunate enough to not have been born during that time, otherwise I don't think I would have been born at all," he mused in a humorous tone. Though he was fairly serious about it. "Accepting something such as that is still pretty hard to do. Would you forgive me so easily if I destroyed something precious to you?" he stated, but pulled back a bit. Now he was starting to delve too deeply into that matter, and they were not here to talk of such things.
"My mouth runs away with me I'm afraid." he spoke as he leaned further back into his chair.
Kiara was still confused, but this time for a different reason. She wasn’t really sure where this line of thinking was coming from, but she tilted her head to the side and tried to answer it all the same. “But the Fire Nation isn’t just one person,” she replied, her perplexity written over her face. “That would be like… hating all benders because Ozai was one, or something.” Beside her, Fang shifted slightly in his seat, but continued his conversation with Rika, and Kiara didn’t notice. “And… yes, really. I’d try. It might not be easy, but hate is poison, and it hurts the one who keeps it more than the one who is hated. If forgiveness was easy, everyone would do it.” She shrugged, then shook her head.
“You don’t have to worry about saying something you think or want to know. I could have chosen not to answer if I was really uncomfortable.” It wasn’t something she minded overmuch. Talking to people was always interesting, precisely because not everyone said the same kinds of things in the same way. She wasn’t going to be offended at a question, however strange she found it.
Haki was mildly amused at her response. She would forgive him if he destroyed something precious to her? That, was an entertaining idea. Perhaps he should do so, but not yet. He had to play his cards right, otherwise it would no be so wise of him to show his hand a head of time. He sighed softly as he glanced towards Rika, a smirk tugging at his lips as he spotted the way her eyes lit up. Shaking his head softly, he turned back to Kiara.
"Perhaps, one day the world will be able to learn to forgive easier. Until then, all we can do is let wounds heal at their own pace," he replied. "And my dear, everything I say should make you uncomfortable," he replied with a slight tilt of his lips. He was partially joking, but the glint in his eyes might have said otherwise. There was a reason he chose to say the things he did, however; he was never one to pass up an opportunity either.
"So, do you think we are ready for this tournament?
“You’re really weird,” Kiara told him by way of response. He was supposed to be making her uncomfortable? That was strange, because she hadn’t really managed to feel uncomfortable yet, and she wasn’t sure why he would want her to. Maybe something was going on that she didn’t understand, but if so, he was doing kind of a bad job of explaining it to her.
She gave the question about the match a little more thought, because it was a question she properly understood, then nodded slowly. “We’ve worked hard,” she said. “If we win, that’ll be great. If not… we just work harder and win next time. I watched a couple other matches last week. The people I saw were good, but the firebender overreached himself and the earthbender was reckless. The waterbender was too conservative… I know there’s a difference between noticing that and being able to do it, but that I noticed at all is a sign that you guys must be doing something right, in teaching me this stuff. I promise I’ll do my best not to hold you back.”
She’d been at least three hours early to the arena, completely unable to think about anything else all day anyway. Her landlord had wished her luck on the way out, and even given her his lucky coin, which she now wore around her neck, under her uniform. It was a sweet gesture on the old gambler’s part, even if he did have a vested interest in her team winning. She found that the longer she stayed in this city, the more she found to like about it, even if some things still didn’t always make sense to her.
Kiara straightened the light blue uniform gloves. She presumed that Rika had ordered the uniforms, because they were in the appropriate color, and had an otter-penguin mascot figure on the front. As many mascots were, it was fiercer than it was cute, but she found it adorable anyway, and was proud to wear it besides. Double-checking to make sure her knee-high boots were in place and strapped firmly to her legs, she dusted off the white fabric that encased her thighs even though there was no dirt on it. She hadn’t realized the uniforms were this fitted, but then it made sense—they needed to be able to move around without excess fabric in the way.
Her headgear, she left on the bench for a while, running a brush through her dark copper hair before tying it up for what had to be the fifth time in as many minutes. She was nervous, and she knew it. Catching a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror to one side of the locker room, she smiled at the ‘03’ emblazoned on the back of her uniform. She might be really, really nervous, but she was also excited. She believed in her team—they’d worked hard for this, practicing ways to work together and cover each others’ weaknesses, and she was confident they would succeed. Because not only were they teammates… they were also well on their way to being friends. She found that she was really looking forward to the day when she could call them such with as much assurance as she had for their skills as her teammates.
One thing at a time though—and the first thing was to win this match.
Rika rolled over in her bed, one arm dangling from the bed while the other was laced with the sheets. The soft snoring noise of San echoed lightly through the empty home, however; the sound of something sharp, and hard fell upon the floor. Rika immediately loosened the covers that had entangled themselves around her as she reached for the clock, momentarily ignoring the sharp pain in her back as she read the digits. Horror painted her face pale as she immediately thrashed about, trying to get out of the covers and ran into the bathroom, quickly throwing on her clothes before flying out the door.
Two hours prior, Haki found himself in the locker room of the Pro-bending arena. He leaned against his locker, staring at the uniform in his hands before glancing towards Kiara. Her uniform had the number three embroidered in it, whilst his had number one. A smirk crossed his features at that thought before he quickly dressed into his uniform, completely aware that Kiara was still in the locker room. It wasn't like he was ashamed of anything, really. Once he was finished, he glanced towards the clock, noticing that the time read a good thirty minutes before they were to begin their match. And Rika was missing.
"I do believe we are being stood up by our Lotus," he spoke, something like disappointment laced in his tone. "You don't think she is going to abandon us? Because I have abandonment issues," he spoke, though this time laced with a sense of sarcasm. It was about this moment that Rika chose to show, bee-lining it for her own locker and ripped it open as quickly as she could. She pulled out her uniform, throwing her shirt off in the process and flung it so it wrapped around Haki's face, temporarily blinding him from any view.
"I'm sorry I'm late! My alarm, it didn't go off!" she stated through even breaths as she pulled on her uniform. Once it was situated properly, she pulled the helmet on, unaware that it was on backwards. "Ten minutes to spare," she stated, her face lightly flustered in the process.
Kiara was smiling happily, about to turn and greet her teammate, when he reached for the lower hem of his shirt and started to pull upwards. With a very peculiar noise that sounded a little like someone being choked, she abruptly about-faced, so fast her hair fanned and whipped around to smack her other cheek. Her eyes were squeezed tight shut, and she covered them with her hands for good measure. “Warn me next time?” she squeaked, relieved that she hadn’t seen anything. Oh dear, if her mother ever found out about this… well, it was a good thing her mother wasn’t going to find out about this, to put it mildly.
She’d been raised in what was perhaps the world’s most conservative culture, and that included the Fire Nation, so really it was hardly a surprise that she’d reacted thus. The sound of footsteps alerted her to the fact that Rika had entered, and the other woman’s hurried explanation sufficed to explain why. From the way she was talking, Kiara surmised that Haki was in his uniform now, but she only cracked one eyelid very tentatively at first, ready to squeeze it shut again at the first sign of bare skin. Fortunately, everyone was clothed by this point, and she breathed out a sigh of relief, before smiling gently and reaching over to Rika, taking hold of her headgear and turning it around in her hands, replacing it the right way around.
“That’s probably more comfortable, right?” she asked with a bright grin, then grabbed her own and set it down over her head, shaking her ponytail loose to run freely down her back. Rebelling from her determined roles in life or not, she couldn’t quite bring herself to cut her hair, even if it would be more convenient. “Okay, guys. …Are we ready?”
Rika laughed nervously when Kiara fixed her helmet. "Did not know that was on backwards" she stated with a light laugh. "Thanks," she added as she glanced into the mirror, making sure everything else was in order. Haki merely shrugged his shoulders at the first comment Kiara made before Rika had entered, peeling the white shirt from his face as he tossed it aside, into one of the hampers. Rika could feel the surge of adrenaline already working its way through her system. Not only because she had almost been late, but because she was excited about this match. It was their first match.
"Whether we are ready has nothing to do with the outcome of this match, but to answer your question," Haki paused, tilting his head towards Kiara. "I believe we are ready for the most part. Shall we?" he stated, leaning out of the door from their locker room with only his head being visible. Rika shook her head, sighing softly with a soft slump of her shoulders. That man could be so infuriating and confusing all at the same time. Honestly, she doesn't even know how she puts up with him.
"What about you Kiara? Are you ready for this? I know its not something you've watched, but I hope practice at least made you excited about it," Rika stated, stumbling a bit over her words as she tried to formulate them properly, though she was sure they were just a jumbled mess to Kiara when she spoke. Though she was excited about the match, it didn't make her any less nervous than the rest of the newcomers. She followed slightly behind Haki as they made their way towards the arena.
Kiara shook her head at Haki’s response. She hadn’t been asking about the outcome, only if they were feeling all right about it. She personally had about a million butterflies in her stomach, and it seemed like they were all intent on her murder. Maybe he wasn’t that concerned, but… at least Rika seemed to understand where she was coming from, and she smiled at the other girl. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be for this,” she said with a slightly-nervous laugh. “Let’s do it!” She trailed behind her teammates on their way out into the arena, focusing on keeping her breathing steady despite the thundering beat of her heart. She could do this… they could do this.
She could hear the other team being announced, to the applause of the crowd. Their opponents were also a newer team, but definitely had a few matches under their belt, and were considered to be up-and-comers, so this match was being watched pretty closely. Kiara didn’t have much time to think about that, though, because it was time. She stepped onto the platform that would raise her into the ring and saw her teammates do the same with their own. The water already tugged at her, a comforting sensation that she used to soothe herself as much as possible.
“And the challengers, a first-time team new to the arena, the Otter Penguins! The announcer boomed, and the platform beneath her lurched, sending her stumbling half a step forward. She was still recovering when it locked into place, and it left her feeling a bit silly, but the crowd was applauding again, and she looked over at the small sea of faces. Most rookie matches weren’t this well-attended, but she could tell that a lot of the crowd contained other probending teams—she even recognized faces from a few matches she’d seen.
But her anxiety fell away and revealed a smile instead when she saw the funniest thing: one of the members of the crowd was holding a banner—light blue, with a crudely-drawn… well, she thought it was supposed to be an otter penguin on the face. It looked a bit like a child had drawn it with a marker from memory, but the most hilarious part was that it was straight-faced, coolly-observant Fang that was holding it, wearing a light blue shirt, as he’d promised Rika. Kiara elbowed the other girl and nodded towards him, just to make sure she’d seen it. Somehow, she felt a little more at ease now.
Rika nodded at Kiara's enthusiasm, feeling the nervous dread washing away and being replaced by something more akin to ecstasy. She could feel her heart starting to pick up its pace as they stepped out into the platform, glancing at the stands with a bit of awe. She wasn't expecting this kind of turn out, however; to say she was surprised would have been an understatement. The team they were facing was fairly new to the matches as well, but this would be their first match. Suddenly, all the confidence drained from Rika's face in the process. Haki glanced at the two girls from the corners of his eyes.
"Now is not the time to be losing confidence, Lotus. This is your dream, it'd be a shame if you didn't reach it before it even began," he teased lightly, causing Rika's face to turn a light pink with anger, but she sighed in defeat. He was right, it wouldn't do her any good if she lost the confidence in her team, after all; they were training diligently for the last two weeks. They could pull this off. Haki smiled lightly at the new fire that burned behind Rika's eyes before spotting Kiara nudging Rika and pointing to the stands.
"I'd say your friend is a man of his word," he stated as Rika finally followed their gazes, spotting Fang sitting in the stands. True enough, he was wearing a light blue shirt, and oddly, holding a sign that appeared to have some type of drawing on it. Rika covered her mouth in an attempt to not laugh at the drawing, but allowed a few laughs to escape her. "That is not nice, Lotus," Haki stated, though he too had a bit of a lid on his laughter. The man either couldn't draw, or had a child attempt a drawing of an Otter Penguin. It was endearing though.
"I know, I'm sorry but that drawing," she stated, still trying to contain her laughter. Instead, she waved towards Fang, a little too enthusiastically before placing the hand back over her mouth. She was only brought out of it when something caught her attention, and noticed the other team making their way onto the platform. The smile twisted into something resembling a smirk as she glanced at her teammates. "It's now or never guys. Wish us luck!" she stated, taking a defensive stance in the process.
Kiara straightened the light blue uniform gloves. She presumed that Rika had ordered the uniforms, because they were in the appropriate color, and had an otter-penguin mascot figure on the front. As many mascots were, it was fiercer than it was cute, but she found it adorable anyway, and was proud to wear it besides. Double-checking to make sure her knee-high boots were in place and strapped firmly to her legs, she dusted off the white fabric that encased her thighs even though there was no dirt on it. She hadn’t realized the uniforms were this fitted, but then it made sense—they needed to be able to move around without excess fabric in the way.
Her headgear, she left on the bench for a while, running a brush through her dark copper hair before tying it up for what had to be the fifth time in as many minutes. She was nervous, and she knew it. Catching a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror to one side of the locker room, she smiled at the ‘03’ emblazoned on the back of her uniform. She might be really, really nervous, but she was also excited. She believed in her team—they’d worked hard for this, practicing ways to work together and cover each others’ weaknesses, and she was confident they would succeed. Because not only were they teammates… they were also well on their way to being friends. She found that she was really looking forward to the day when she could call them such with as much assurance as she had for their skills as her teammates.
One thing at a time though—and the first thing was to win this match.
Rika rolled over in her bed, one arm dangling from the bed while the other was laced with the sheets. The soft snoring noise of San echoed lightly through the empty home, however; the sound of something sharp, and hard fell upon the floor. Rika immediately loosened the covers that had entangled themselves around her as she reached for the clock, momentarily ignoring the sharp pain in her back as she read the digits. Horror painted her face pale as she immediately thrashed about, trying to get out of the covers and ran into the bathroom, quickly throwing on her clothes before flying out the door.
Two hours prior, Haki found himself in the locker room of the Pro-bending arena. He leaned against his locker, staring at the uniform in his hands before glancing towards Kiara. Her uniform had the number three embroidered in it, whilst his had number one. A smirk crossed his features at that thought before he quickly dressed into his uniform, completely aware that Kiara was still in the locker room. It wasn't like he was ashamed of anything, really. Once he was finished, he glanced towards the clock, noticing that the time read a good thirty minutes before they were to begin their match. And Rika was missing.
"I do believe we are being stood up by our Lotus," he spoke, something like disappointment laced in his tone. "You don't think she is going to abandon us? Because I have abandonment issues," he spoke, though this time laced with a sense of sarcasm. It was about this moment that Rika chose to show, bee-lining it for her own locker and ripped it open as quickly as she could. She pulled out her uniform, throwing her shirt off in the process and flung it so it wrapped around Haki's face, temporarily blinding him from any view.
"I'm sorry I'm late! My alarm, it didn't go off!" she stated through even breaths as she pulled on her uniform. Once it was situated properly, she pulled the helmet on, unaware that it was on backwards. "Ten minutes to spare," she stated, her face lightly flustered in the process.
Kiara was smiling happily, about to turn and greet her teammate, when he reached for the lower hem of his shirt and started to pull upwards. With a very peculiar noise that sounded a little like someone being choked, she abruptly about-faced, so fast her hair fanned and whipped around to smack her other cheek. Her eyes were squeezed tight shut, and she covered them with her hands for good measure. “Warn me next time?” she squeaked, relieved that she hadn’t seen anything. Oh dear, if her mother ever found out about this… well, it was a good thing her mother wasn’t going to find out about this, to put it mildly.
She’d been raised in what was perhaps the world’s most conservative culture, and that included the Fire Nation, so really it was hardly a surprise that she’d reacted thus. The sound of footsteps alerted her to the fact that Rika had entered, and the other woman’s hurried explanation sufficed to explain why. From the way she was talking, Kiara surmised that Haki was in his uniform now, but she only cracked one eyelid very tentatively at first, ready to squeeze it shut again at the first sign of bare skin. Fortunately, everyone was clothed by this point, and she breathed out a sigh of relief, before smiling gently and reaching over to Rika, taking hold of her headgear and turning it around in her hands, replacing it the right way around.
“That’s probably more comfortable, right?” she asked with a bright grin, then grabbed her own and set it down over her head, shaking her ponytail loose to run freely down her back. Rebelling from her determined roles in life or not, she couldn’t quite bring herself to cut her hair, even if it would be more convenient. “Okay, guys. …Are we ready?”
Rika laughed nervously when Kiara fixed her helmet. "Did not know that was on backwards" she stated with a light laugh. "Thanks," she added as she glanced into the mirror, making sure everything else was in order. Haki merely shrugged his shoulders at the first comment Kiara made before Rika had entered, peeling the white shirt from his face as he tossed it aside, into one of the hampers. Rika could feel the surge of adrenaline already working its way through her system. Not only because she had almost been late, but because she was excited about this match. It was their first match.
"Whether we are ready has nothing to do with the outcome of this match, but to answer your question," Haki paused, tilting his head towards Kiara. "I believe we are ready for the most part. Shall we?" he stated, leaning out of the door from their locker room with only his head being visible. Rika shook her head, sighing softly with a soft slump of her shoulders. That man could be so infuriating and confusing all at the same time. Honestly, she doesn't even know how she puts up with him.
"What about you Kiara? Are you ready for this? I know its not something you've watched, but I hope practice at least made you excited about it," Rika stated, stumbling a bit over her words as she tried to formulate them properly, though she was sure they were just a jumbled mess to Kiara when she spoke. Though she was excited about the match, it didn't make her any less nervous than the rest of the newcomers. She followed slightly behind Haki as they made their way towards the arena.
Kiara shook her head at Haki’s response. She hadn’t been asking about the outcome, only if they were feeling all right about it. She personally had about a million butterflies in her stomach, and it seemed like they were all intent on her murder. Maybe he wasn’t that concerned, but… at least Rika seemed to understand where she was coming from, and she smiled at the other girl. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be for this,” she said with a slightly-nervous laugh. “Let’s do it!” She trailed behind her teammates on their way out into the arena, focusing on keeping her breathing steady despite the thundering beat of her heart. She could do this… they could do this.
She could hear the other team being announced, to the applause of the crowd. Their opponents were also a newer team, but definitely had a few matches under their belt, and were considered to be up-and-comers, so this match was being watched pretty closely. Kiara didn’t have much time to think about that, though, because it was time. She stepped onto the platform that would raise her into the ring and saw her teammates do the same with their own. The water already tugged at her, a comforting sensation that she used to soothe herself as much as possible.
“And the challengers, a first-time team new to the arena, the Otter Penguins! The announcer boomed, and the platform beneath her lurched, sending her stumbling half a step forward. She was still recovering when it locked into place, and it left her feeling a bit silly, but the crowd was applauding again, and she looked over at the small sea of faces. Most rookie matches weren’t this well-attended, but she could tell that a lot of the crowd contained other probending teams—she even recognized faces from a few matches she’d seen.
But her anxiety fell away and revealed a smile instead when she saw the funniest thing: one of the members of the crowd was holding a banner—light blue, with a crudely-drawn… well, she thought it was supposed to be an otter penguin on the face. It looked a bit like a child had drawn it with a marker from memory, but the most hilarious part was that it was straight-faced, coolly-observant Fang that was holding it, wearing a light blue shirt, as he’d promised Rika. Kiara elbowed the other girl and nodded towards him, just to make sure she’d seen it. Somehow, she felt a little more at ease now.
Rika nodded at Kiara's enthusiasm, feeling the nervous dread washing away and being replaced by something more akin to ecstasy. She could feel her heart starting to pick up its pace as they stepped out into the platform, glancing at the stands with a bit of awe. She wasn't expecting this kind of turn out, however; to say she was surprised would have been an understatement. The team they were facing was fairly new to the matches as well, but this would be their first match. Suddenly, all the confidence drained from Rika's face in the process. Haki glanced at the two girls from the corners of his eyes.
"Now is not the time to be losing confidence, Lotus. This is your dream, it'd be a shame if you didn't reach it before it even began," he teased lightly, causing Rika's face to turn a light pink with anger, but she sighed in defeat. He was right, it wouldn't do her any good if she lost the confidence in her team, after all; they were training diligently for the last two weeks. They could pull this off. Haki smiled lightly at the new fire that burned behind Rika's eyes before spotting Kiara nudging Rika and pointing to the stands.
"I'd say your friend is a man of his word," he stated as Rika finally followed their gazes, spotting Fang sitting in the stands. True enough, he was wearing a light blue shirt, and oddly, holding a sign that appeared to have some type of drawing on it. Rika covered her mouth in an attempt to not laugh at the drawing, but allowed a few laughs to escape her. "That is not nice, Lotus," Haki stated, though he too had a bit of a lid on his laughter. The man either couldn't draw, or had a child attempt a drawing of an Otter Penguin. It was endearing though.
"I know, I'm sorry but that drawing," she stated, still trying to contain her laughter. Instead, she waved towards Fang, a little too enthusiastically before placing the hand back over her mouth. She was only brought out of it when something caught her attention, and noticed the other team making their way onto the platform. The smile twisted into something resembling a smirk as she glanced at her teammates. "It's now or never guys. Wish us luck!" she stated, taking a defensive stance in the process.
The three of them lined up within the innermost ring of the arena, herself on Haki’s left, Rika on his right. The other team mirrored the arrangement, and she found herself looking dead into the blue-grey eyes of the only female on the team. Kiara swallowed, but kept her face as neutral as possible, which honestly wasn’t that much, so it probably showed that she was worried. Nevertheless, time stopped for nobody’s anxiety, and the buzzer signaling the start of the match caught her almost by surprise. Nevertheless, her reaction was immediate, drilled into her by her teammates. Unlike Haki, who could generate his element at will, or Rika, whose clay discs were close, she had to pull water all the way up from the pool beneath them, and she did, whipping it around to block the incoming shot of the other team’s firebender, who had aimed for Haki.
That should give him a clear shot at his foe. She took a hit for it, though, from the waterbender, and staggered backwards, but not enough to pass the line, and she recovered immediately, drawing up more water and splitting it into two spheres. One, she had to use to fend off a disc headed her way courtesy of the earthbender, because she was now the furthest back and they were trying to hammer her over the line. She hoped her teammates could lift the pressure, or she wouldn’t be able to do much…
Haki glanced at his opponents, judging them by their stances already and trying to formulate the quickest plan that would allow them to win. They didn't appear that formidable, however; Haki was not a foolish man. Appearances were everything, and yet at the same time, they were nothing. An appearance was only a glimpse to see if they were wearing masks, or if they were wearing everything out in the open for all to see, and from what Haki could tell, the team before them was over-confident. Perhaps they had reason to be, after all; their opponents were not only experiencing the game for the first time, but also had never truly worked together besides the last two weeks they spent training.
Rika, on the other hand, was excited, clearly expressed through her eyes. Her fingers twitched slightly as she stared at the group, her hands flying immediately in front of her when the buzzer signaled the beginning of the match. She pulled the clay disks from their designated spot, hurling them towards the Waterbender who seemed adamant at trying to take out Kiara, watching as she deflected with her own water source. Haki went to work on the Earthbender, aiming his flames for him, only taking his eyes off the male momentarily when Kiara blocked an attack from the other Firebender.
"Thanks Ki," he stated, aiming his flames back towards the Earthbender who had managed to send Kiara back a bit. Rika tried her best to keep the Firebender's attention away from the other two since they seemed to focus in on Kiara, who stood barely a few inches away from the line. If they managed to push her back, not only would they have more leverage, but the distance would mean that Kiara would have to work just that much harder to make sure her water reached her opponents. And for the most part, their team was doing fairly well.
"Now is not the time to be celebrating yet, Haki," she stated, bringing a clay disk in front of her to block another clay disk from colliding with her head. She then hurled her own back at the Waterbender, catching his arm as the disk broke into pieces. She allowed a small smile to grimace her features as Haki merely smirked.
Kiara dug in as well as she could, calling up a truly massive quantity of water and flinging it all at the firebender, drenching him with a wall of the stuff and sending him sprawling backwards over the first line. It was unfortunately not enough to save her, however, because a timely team attack from the other two sent her backwards and onto her rear, and over the line at that. Grimacing, she stood and gathered up more water, glad at least that she had drenched the guy, who now had both extra distance and dampness working against him. Actually, come to think of it… she doused herself in water too, just in case she needed to bend it out again in an emergency and couldn’t get to the stuff in the pool in enough time.
Resetting her footing, she noted that they seemed to have moved to targeting Rika now, apparently trying methodically to work all of them back. Well, she wouldn’t have that. Sending her own water flying for the earthbender, she redirected the waterbeder’s own stream back in her face, which was not something just anyone could do. In fact, it surprised her foe enough that she almost tripped, regaining her balance at the last second. But she was dangerously close to the line, now, too, and if someone could just hit her quickly, they’d probably be able to force her over.
Rika flinched slightly when Kiara was sent back a line, and had now switched to a more defensive strategy. The other team had began to target her, trying to draw them all towards the back line, and she was still closest to the front. She brought a stack of discs in front of her, moving them so that they were acting as a shield to protect her from the double attack of the other Earthbender and Waterbender. Haki had taken to focusing on their Firebender and the two of them seemed to be at an advantage over each other. While Haki had precision on his side, the other bender seemed to have a deeper focus, something that was working for and against him.
He managed to push the Firebender back, knocking him back close to the line, however; he saw what Kiara had done, taking that opportunity to send a large ball of flames towards the Waterbender, watching as she was pushed back behind the line. "As they say, an eye for an eye," he stated, missing the disk aimed for his abdomen. It met its mark, sending him flying a bit further than Kiara and landed him in the third line. "Makes the whole world blind," was Rika's response to his carelessness. Now, it was her against the Firebender and the Earthbender, while their Waterbender was behind one line. Kiara was in the same position, and Haki was in the last lines.
This did not bode well for either of them. Rika remained in her defensive stance, blocking attacks and keeping her feet rooted to the ground so that she wasn't pushed too far back, however; she tried to deflect a ball of flames headed towards Haki. He had managed to evade a string of water, however; he wasn't quick enough to avoid the flames, and did the only thing he could. He blocked, being pushed over the edge and plummeting down to the water below. Before he was hit though, he managed to send a rather large ball of flames towards their Waterbender, Rika adding a disc into the flames that sent a rather large force towards the woman, sending her down as well.
"Idiot," she mumbled as she went on the offensive this time. Haki swam to the platform and climbed ontop of it, wrenching his uniform of water before sighing. Well, at least he managed to knock one opponent out. They were tied at the moment, though the other team had the advantage with the distance.
Kiara drew in a deep breath. This wasn’t going well, but now wasn’t the time to think about that. Now was the time to bend. She thought it might be for the best of they took one each for a while, and it made the most sense if she focused her attacks on the firebender, who was already wet and pushed back just as far as she was. She moved sideways, lining herself up with him, and shot a water jet at him, just barely managing to pull it back when he twisted away, slamming it into his side instead. He was off-balance now, though, and she used her second to pummel him full in the stomach, sending him back past the third line.
She moved one of the tendrils back for defense, adding the offensive one to one of Rika’s clay disks, but the help she would be able to give her teammate was limited. The firebender was intense, and he had to hit the floor to miss a particularly large burst of his element. She was glad these suits were flame retardant, but she could still end up with serious burns if she wasn’t careful. She needed to get rid of him, and now. Pulling both of her tendrils back to her person, she combined them with a fluid movement, setting herself in a stance that curiously looked too… light for her bending style. With a leap, she twisted in midair, using her feet to bend the water in a wide arc that sliced towards the firebender with a speed one usually expected of airbenders.
Not surprising, if one knew that this was exactly what the maneuver was based on. Kiara had always loved learning about other bending styles, and airbending was the easiest to incorporate into her own movements, because of the similar fluidity of air and water. The water scythe impacted the firebender in the chest, and sent him flying off the edge and into the pool below. Her landing was far from perfect, however, and a stray disk from the earthbending showdown happening to her left struck her in the hip, sending her spinning and ultimately taking her into the last ring. It was hard for her to see what was going on between Rika and the other earthbender, but she did what she could to help, blocking or slowing disks with walls of water whenever she could and hoping it was enough to help her teammate.
"Come on, you can do it!" Haki shouted from his place on the platform, trying to see what was going on, however; it was evident that there was now a single battle going on in a two-versus-one order. Both the Firebender and the Waterbender from the other team had been knocked over, and Haki felt a sweltering pride bubble up in him. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his approval. Rika winced slightly at the impact of the disc landing on her side as it sent her a few feet back, her own feet barely grazing against the line of the second ring. She brought a stack of discs to her, shoving them off towards their last opponent.
Kiara had managed to knock the Firebender over, and now it was just the two of them facing off against the Earthbender. She glanced behind her, trying to see how Kiara was faring, however; she had to redirect her attention back towards the Earthbender as she narrowly missed being hit in the head by a clay disk. She frowned, building up her wall again of disks and using most of them to defend. Perhaps it was a good thing she learned how to be defensive, to endure attacks as they came to her, because it was apparent that the other Earthbender had relied heavily on offensive attacks. He was beginning to show signs of fatigue, something Rika would take advantage of.
She switched her foot hold, grasping at the disks with her bending and began hurling them at the other Earthbender with speed and precision. The Earthbender was forced to take a defensive stand, but wasn't helping him much. She could see he was being pushed back, and she moved forward a bit, pushing him with her disks until he was behind the last line. She summoned another column of disks to her side, however; instead of sending one at a time, she pushed with as much force as she could, sending them all at once in a singular line towards the Earthbender. He was able to take the full force of the impact, however; Rika had counted on him defending against it and had sent a mirrored column that appeared as a shadow tail behind the first set.
It took a few moments for her to register that there was cheering, that Haki was now back on the platform and pulling her into an embrace while twirling her around. They'd won. They'd won their first match, and it still didn't fully sink it until Haki placed her back down and went towards Kiara, grabbing the girl in a similar manner and twirling her as well. They'd actually won their first match, and Rika couldn't contain the excitement any longer and jumped in her spot, laughing all the same.
That should give him a clear shot at his foe. She took a hit for it, though, from the waterbender, and staggered backwards, but not enough to pass the line, and she recovered immediately, drawing up more water and splitting it into two spheres. One, she had to use to fend off a disc headed her way courtesy of the earthbender, because she was now the furthest back and they were trying to hammer her over the line. She hoped her teammates could lift the pressure, or she wouldn’t be able to do much…
Haki glanced at his opponents, judging them by their stances already and trying to formulate the quickest plan that would allow them to win. They didn't appear that formidable, however; Haki was not a foolish man. Appearances were everything, and yet at the same time, they were nothing. An appearance was only a glimpse to see if they were wearing masks, or if they were wearing everything out in the open for all to see, and from what Haki could tell, the team before them was over-confident. Perhaps they had reason to be, after all; their opponents were not only experiencing the game for the first time, but also had never truly worked together besides the last two weeks they spent training.
Rika, on the other hand, was excited, clearly expressed through her eyes. Her fingers twitched slightly as she stared at the group, her hands flying immediately in front of her when the buzzer signaled the beginning of the match. She pulled the clay disks from their designated spot, hurling them towards the Waterbender who seemed adamant at trying to take out Kiara, watching as she deflected with her own water source. Haki went to work on the Earthbender, aiming his flames for him, only taking his eyes off the male momentarily when Kiara blocked an attack from the other Firebender.
"Thanks Ki," he stated, aiming his flames back towards the Earthbender who had managed to send Kiara back a bit. Rika tried her best to keep the Firebender's attention away from the other two since they seemed to focus in on Kiara, who stood barely a few inches away from the line. If they managed to push her back, not only would they have more leverage, but the distance would mean that Kiara would have to work just that much harder to make sure her water reached her opponents. And for the most part, their team was doing fairly well.
"Now is not the time to be celebrating yet, Haki," she stated, bringing a clay disk in front of her to block another clay disk from colliding with her head. She then hurled her own back at the Waterbender, catching his arm as the disk broke into pieces. She allowed a small smile to grimace her features as Haki merely smirked.
Kiara dug in as well as she could, calling up a truly massive quantity of water and flinging it all at the firebender, drenching him with a wall of the stuff and sending him sprawling backwards over the first line. It was unfortunately not enough to save her, however, because a timely team attack from the other two sent her backwards and onto her rear, and over the line at that. Grimacing, she stood and gathered up more water, glad at least that she had drenched the guy, who now had both extra distance and dampness working against him. Actually, come to think of it… she doused herself in water too, just in case she needed to bend it out again in an emergency and couldn’t get to the stuff in the pool in enough time.
Resetting her footing, she noted that they seemed to have moved to targeting Rika now, apparently trying methodically to work all of them back. Well, she wouldn’t have that. Sending her own water flying for the earthbender, she redirected the waterbeder’s own stream back in her face, which was not something just anyone could do. In fact, it surprised her foe enough that she almost tripped, regaining her balance at the last second. But she was dangerously close to the line, now, too, and if someone could just hit her quickly, they’d probably be able to force her over.
Rika flinched slightly when Kiara was sent back a line, and had now switched to a more defensive strategy. The other team had began to target her, trying to draw them all towards the back line, and she was still closest to the front. She brought a stack of discs in front of her, moving them so that they were acting as a shield to protect her from the double attack of the other Earthbender and Waterbender. Haki had taken to focusing on their Firebender and the two of them seemed to be at an advantage over each other. While Haki had precision on his side, the other bender seemed to have a deeper focus, something that was working for and against him.
He managed to push the Firebender back, knocking him back close to the line, however; he saw what Kiara had done, taking that opportunity to send a large ball of flames towards the Waterbender, watching as she was pushed back behind the line. "As they say, an eye for an eye," he stated, missing the disk aimed for his abdomen. It met its mark, sending him flying a bit further than Kiara and landed him in the third line. "Makes the whole world blind," was Rika's response to his carelessness. Now, it was her against the Firebender and the Earthbender, while their Waterbender was behind one line. Kiara was in the same position, and Haki was in the last lines.
This did not bode well for either of them. Rika remained in her defensive stance, blocking attacks and keeping her feet rooted to the ground so that she wasn't pushed too far back, however; she tried to deflect a ball of flames headed towards Haki. He had managed to evade a string of water, however; he wasn't quick enough to avoid the flames, and did the only thing he could. He blocked, being pushed over the edge and plummeting down to the water below. Before he was hit though, he managed to send a rather large ball of flames towards their Waterbender, Rika adding a disc into the flames that sent a rather large force towards the woman, sending her down as well.
"Idiot," she mumbled as she went on the offensive this time. Haki swam to the platform and climbed ontop of it, wrenching his uniform of water before sighing. Well, at least he managed to knock one opponent out. They were tied at the moment, though the other team had the advantage with the distance.
Kiara drew in a deep breath. This wasn’t going well, but now wasn’t the time to think about that. Now was the time to bend. She thought it might be for the best of they took one each for a while, and it made the most sense if she focused her attacks on the firebender, who was already wet and pushed back just as far as she was. She moved sideways, lining herself up with him, and shot a water jet at him, just barely managing to pull it back when he twisted away, slamming it into his side instead. He was off-balance now, though, and she used her second to pummel him full in the stomach, sending him back past the third line.
She moved one of the tendrils back for defense, adding the offensive one to one of Rika’s clay disks, but the help she would be able to give her teammate was limited. The firebender was intense, and he had to hit the floor to miss a particularly large burst of his element. She was glad these suits were flame retardant, but she could still end up with serious burns if she wasn’t careful. She needed to get rid of him, and now. Pulling both of her tendrils back to her person, she combined them with a fluid movement, setting herself in a stance that curiously looked too… light for her bending style. With a leap, she twisted in midair, using her feet to bend the water in a wide arc that sliced towards the firebender with a speed one usually expected of airbenders.
Not surprising, if one knew that this was exactly what the maneuver was based on. Kiara had always loved learning about other bending styles, and airbending was the easiest to incorporate into her own movements, because of the similar fluidity of air and water. The water scythe impacted the firebender in the chest, and sent him flying off the edge and into the pool below. Her landing was far from perfect, however, and a stray disk from the earthbending showdown happening to her left struck her in the hip, sending her spinning and ultimately taking her into the last ring. It was hard for her to see what was going on between Rika and the other earthbender, but she did what she could to help, blocking or slowing disks with walls of water whenever she could and hoping it was enough to help her teammate.
"Come on, you can do it!" Haki shouted from his place on the platform, trying to see what was going on, however; it was evident that there was now a single battle going on in a two-versus-one order. Both the Firebender and the Waterbender from the other team had been knocked over, and Haki felt a sweltering pride bubble up in him. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his approval. Rika winced slightly at the impact of the disc landing on her side as it sent her a few feet back, her own feet barely grazing against the line of the second ring. She brought a stack of discs to her, shoving them off towards their last opponent.
Kiara had managed to knock the Firebender over, and now it was just the two of them facing off against the Earthbender. She glanced behind her, trying to see how Kiara was faring, however; she had to redirect her attention back towards the Earthbender as she narrowly missed being hit in the head by a clay disk. She frowned, building up her wall again of disks and using most of them to defend. Perhaps it was a good thing she learned how to be defensive, to endure attacks as they came to her, because it was apparent that the other Earthbender had relied heavily on offensive attacks. He was beginning to show signs of fatigue, something Rika would take advantage of.
She switched her foot hold, grasping at the disks with her bending and began hurling them at the other Earthbender with speed and precision. The Earthbender was forced to take a defensive stand, but wasn't helping him much. She could see he was being pushed back, and she moved forward a bit, pushing him with her disks until he was behind the last line. She summoned another column of disks to her side, however; instead of sending one at a time, she pushed with as much force as she could, sending them all at once in a singular line towards the Earthbender. He was able to take the full force of the impact, however; Rika had counted on him defending against it and had sent a mirrored column that appeared as a shadow tail behind the first set.
It took a few moments for her to register that there was cheering, that Haki was now back on the platform and pulling her into an embrace while twirling her around. They'd won. They'd won their first match, and it still didn't fully sink it until Haki placed her back down and went towards Kiara, grabbing the girl in a similar manner and twirling her as well. They'd actually won their first match, and Rika couldn't contain the excitement any longer and jumped in her spot, laughing all the same.
The first match they had won garnered them little attention. After all, a match between two new teams wasn't something worth getting too excited about. The second match they won caught the eyes of a few, gaining them new fans in the process, and in the course of a few months, they were being watched by five times as many people as they had started off with. The Otter Penguins were beginning to make a small name for themselves, something that Rika had come to enjoy, and loathe somewhat. She enjoyed it because it was something she had always wanted to do, and loathed it because of the media attention her team was getting. Sometimes, they could get a little over bearing.
Haki, had taken everything in stride as he always did. He was the one who usually handled the media when they came to his team, and he did so with little to no hesitance. He was used to having attention on him, though he wasn't arrogant about it. He was just better equipped than Rika or Kiara to handle the press. And for the last few months, that is exactly what he did. His blue eyes fluttered across the city, shining with a bit of mirth as he walked the streets, greeting people as he passed them. It was close to the end of October now, and as per tradition, they were having a Spirit Festival. People were dressed as different spirits, some supposed to be scary, while others were more docile.
Of course, some of the citizens were more inclined to try and spook the younger generation, and as such, most of them were donned in "evil" spirit costumes. Haki, however, was not so inclined, and instead was wearing something rather...odd. He was dressed as the Blue Spirit, something he had learned from his father that Fire Lord Zuko had once dressed up as. Though he can't really explain why he chose to wear the costume today, he felt the desire to. He absently shrugged his shoulders, his lips tilting with a slight curve when he spotted who he was looking for. He pushed up the mask and allowed his hand to settle upon Kiara's shoulder.
"Enjoying the festival?" he questioned, his lips still curved in a half-smirk. Rika, however, had found herself inside of the tea shop for the beginning of the day. Chan and her husband needed help with the sudden inflow of customers, and she had agreed to help them for a few hours. And thus it was now where she was exiting, bidding them a goodbye as she sighed softly. She would have to go home and dress properly, however; she wasn't in a particular mood to dress up as a spirit, though she did have one in mind. She shook the thought from her head. She didn't quite have long enough hair for such a disguise, so for now, she would just dress in something simple. She didn't need to dress up anyhow, Haki was more flamboyant for the both of them. She'd let him take care of it.
Well, finding the red stuff had been a bit tricky, and honestly, putting the costume together may have taken all of her ‘future housewife’ skills, but it was a use to which they were comparatively well put. Kiara had heard about this festival from her teammates, and then she’d asked Fang for a fuller explanation of it, and she’d gathered that the point was to dress like a spirit of some kind. Given how famous her chosen spirit was in some parts of the world, she suspected she would be far from the only one present, but that was part of the fun, surely. She was also more comfortable in it than she had been for most of the summer, since she was able to wear more clothing now.
While her shoulders were bare, she had a hood, and a garment with sleeves that started about halfway down her biceps, and the gown of it, in white and red, trailed all the way to her ankles, nearly brushing the ground as she walked. It had taken a visit or two to the library to research the exact patterning for her face, but she was pretty sure she was now a very accurate rendition of the Painted Lady, down to the wide hat with the gossamer veil over it. It felt kind of fun, to be a spirit, and she thought the mood of the festival must have rather caught her.
It was approaching sunset, now, and the city employees that kept the celebration running were starting to light all the torches and candles. The air smelled pleasantly of incense and cooking food, and children ran about, basically always underfoot. Fang had mentioned that they, and their parents, would probably leave by the time full dark had been around for an hour or so, because the last part of the night was designated for the young adults, and things often became a bit more… rowdy. Well, the word he’d used was sensual, but he said it with such a straight, expressionless face she had difficulty being entirely sure he was using it the right way.
She shook her head faintly, in time to feel a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she only just kept herself from jumping, though her hat did start to fall. She caught it with one hand and a smile, pulling it free of her hair for the moment. “Hello, Haki,” she greeted amicably. She still thought he was a bit odd sometimes, with some of the things he said, but by this point, she considered he, Rika, and Fang all her friends, after a fashion. It wasn’t something that came easily to her, but the fact that she spent so much time with them was definitely helping, and though the friendship was still new, she allowed herself to hope that it would be enduring as well. “Yes, actually. I’ve never been to something like this before. There isn’t much of a harvest in the North Pole, obviously.” She smiled again, the motion altering the slant of the various curled red lines on her face.
“Have you seen Rika yet today? I think she was unsure if she was going to dress up. I hope she does—then we’ll be a set.” She knew that Fang planned to attend, as well, though she had no idea what he was coming as or when he would show up.
"The last I heard from her, she was helping out at the tea shop," he spoke, chuckling at her reaction when he approached her. He then removed the hat in her hand, placing it back on her head and fixed it so that it sat properly this time. "Well, you just might be a set if she decides to dress the same as you," he added. She had spoken her interest in dressing as the Painted Lady for today, however; knowing her she probably wouldn't. He shifted slightly so that he provided a small distance between him and her, so that he wasn't standing directly in front of her, but beside her.
"Oh? I thought they had some type of festival regarding the moon spirits? I guess it's not the same," he replied with a light shrug of his shoulders. "Speak of the woman and she shall appear," Haki stated as he turned to greet Rika. She pursed her lips together slightly at that as he shook his head, a frown marring his face for a moment. "And it appears that you did not dress up...at all," he stated before shifting slightly so that they walked, Kiara on his right and Rika on his left.
"Hi Kiara," Rika greeted, choosing to ignore Haki at the moment, causing said male to chuckle beneath his breath. "It's a good thing I didn't dress either. You make a wonderful Painted Lady, more so than I could ever pull off," she stated, giving her friend a bright smile before stopping and moving so that she was the one in the middle. She laced her arms through both of theirs and smiled brightly still. "I couldn't find a decent costume anyways," she murmured a bit silently, though she was sure the both of them heard.
"So, what do we do first? Games, or food?" she questioned, glancing between the both of them. Haki merely glanced towards Kiara, waiting for her input before he gave his. Technically, it didn't matter to him, it was more so what they wanted to do. He was just along for the ride, until he needed to jump in of course.
“Oh, there is,” Kiara said with a sage nod, “And there’s a feast and everything, but it’s not quite like this.” She was prevented from explaining further, however, by the arrival of Rika, who had apparently decided to forgo the costume altogether. Kiara was a little bit disappointed—it would have been fun to match her friend, but that was all right. She shook her head a bit at the compliment, but smiled all the same. She thought the other girl had it a bit wrong there, but nevertheless, she was just glad she was here.
She chuckled when Rika linked arms with them, tilting her head to the side in faux contemplation for a moment. The hat slid a bit, and she had to right it with her free hand again. She was going to lose it by the end of the night she just knew it. “How about… games first, then food?” she had a rather large appetite for a woman her size, but she wasn’t feeling incredibly hungry at the moment, and besides, there was still plenty more to see.
“A wise enough choice,” a voice put in from behind, and this time, Kiara really did jump. She might have imagined the flicker of amusement that passed through Fang’s golden eyes, because it came and went so quickly that it was hard to tell if she’d seen it at all. He was dressed, curiously, as an airbending monk of some kind. “Many of the games close after dark, as the area is cleared, largely for dancing and eating.” He folded his hands into his burnt orange sleeves.
“That costume looks really accurate,” she remarked. It wasn’t a dead ringer for the sort of thing the Avatar wore, but the fabrics didn’t look like the kind of thing you could find in any tailor’s across the city, either.
He blinked, catlike, and inclined his head. “It is. This is the garb once worn by the Whispering Monks. They were supposed to have a greater connection to the spirit world than their counterparts, enough that legend sometimes portrays them as actual ghosts.” He didn’t mention where he’d come across such garments, and she didn’t ask, instead smiling, shrugging, and looping her arm though his, tugging the whole line of them a few steps toward him to do it. Now sandwiched in between two of her friends, she smiled a little brighter.
“To the games, then,” she declared.
Haki felt Rika's arm tense around his at the sound of Fang's voice, and a smudge of amusement crossed his eyes when Kiara jumped. He needed to remember that the girl was easily startled. He could use it to his advantage later. Though he would agree with Fang, games would be the wisest choice for the reasons the male had listed. Rika was trying not to let the shivers roll down her back at the sound of Fang's voice when he spoke, addressing Kiara's statement. She should have known really that there were people around, however; she wasn't really prepared for the sudden arrival of someone else. She recovered easily enough though and released Haki's arm, keeping her other arm still linked with Kiara's.
"I agree, games it is then!" she stated a bit enthusiastically, but paused momentarily and glanced at Fang. "I never thanked you," she spoke, referring to the first day they had their first match. "And I couldn't think of a more proper way to say it than by arranging it so that whenever you go to the tea shop, Chan has agreed to serve you tea free of charge," she stated with a bright smile. Haki merely rose an eyebrow at this, but chose to say nothing of it. It was perhaps a wise decision as Rika shot him a glance, which he returned with a smirk.
"And you couldn't extend the same courtesy to your teammates? You wound us both, Lotus," he spoke, feigning a hurt look. Rika rolled her eyes as he chuckled somewhat. "Well then, since the ladies are so inclined to the games first, which game shall we play first?" he spoke, shaking his head with the faint smile.
Haki, had taken everything in stride as he always did. He was the one who usually handled the media when they came to his team, and he did so with little to no hesitance. He was used to having attention on him, though he wasn't arrogant about it. He was just better equipped than Rika or Kiara to handle the press. And for the last few months, that is exactly what he did. His blue eyes fluttered across the city, shining with a bit of mirth as he walked the streets, greeting people as he passed them. It was close to the end of October now, and as per tradition, they were having a Spirit Festival. People were dressed as different spirits, some supposed to be scary, while others were more docile.
Of course, some of the citizens were more inclined to try and spook the younger generation, and as such, most of them were donned in "evil" spirit costumes. Haki, however, was not so inclined, and instead was wearing something rather...odd. He was dressed as the Blue Spirit, something he had learned from his father that Fire Lord Zuko had once dressed up as. Though he can't really explain why he chose to wear the costume today, he felt the desire to. He absently shrugged his shoulders, his lips tilting with a slight curve when he spotted who he was looking for. He pushed up the mask and allowed his hand to settle upon Kiara's shoulder.
"Enjoying the festival?" he questioned, his lips still curved in a half-smirk. Rika, however, had found herself inside of the tea shop for the beginning of the day. Chan and her husband needed help with the sudden inflow of customers, and she had agreed to help them for a few hours. And thus it was now where she was exiting, bidding them a goodbye as she sighed softly. She would have to go home and dress properly, however; she wasn't in a particular mood to dress up as a spirit, though she did have one in mind. She shook the thought from her head. She didn't quite have long enough hair for such a disguise, so for now, she would just dress in something simple. She didn't need to dress up anyhow, Haki was more flamboyant for the both of them. She'd let him take care of it.
Well, finding the red stuff had been a bit tricky, and honestly, putting the costume together may have taken all of her ‘future housewife’ skills, but it was a use to which they were comparatively well put. Kiara had heard about this festival from her teammates, and then she’d asked Fang for a fuller explanation of it, and she’d gathered that the point was to dress like a spirit of some kind. Given how famous her chosen spirit was in some parts of the world, she suspected she would be far from the only one present, but that was part of the fun, surely. She was also more comfortable in it than she had been for most of the summer, since she was able to wear more clothing now.
While her shoulders were bare, she had a hood, and a garment with sleeves that started about halfway down her biceps, and the gown of it, in white and red, trailed all the way to her ankles, nearly brushing the ground as she walked. It had taken a visit or two to the library to research the exact patterning for her face, but she was pretty sure she was now a very accurate rendition of the Painted Lady, down to the wide hat with the gossamer veil over it. It felt kind of fun, to be a spirit, and she thought the mood of the festival must have rather caught her.
It was approaching sunset, now, and the city employees that kept the celebration running were starting to light all the torches and candles. The air smelled pleasantly of incense and cooking food, and children ran about, basically always underfoot. Fang had mentioned that they, and their parents, would probably leave by the time full dark had been around for an hour or so, because the last part of the night was designated for the young adults, and things often became a bit more… rowdy. Well, the word he’d used was sensual, but he said it with such a straight, expressionless face she had difficulty being entirely sure he was using it the right way.
She shook her head faintly, in time to feel a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she only just kept herself from jumping, though her hat did start to fall. She caught it with one hand and a smile, pulling it free of her hair for the moment. “Hello, Haki,” she greeted amicably. She still thought he was a bit odd sometimes, with some of the things he said, but by this point, she considered he, Rika, and Fang all her friends, after a fashion. It wasn’t something that came easily to her, but the fact that she spent so much time with them was definitely helping, and though the friendship was still new, she allowed herself to hope that it would be enduring as well. “Yes, actually. I’ve never been to something like this before. There isn’t much of a harvest in the North Pole, obviously.” She smiled again, the motion altering the slant of the various curled red lines on her face.
“Have you seen Rika yet today? I think she was unsure if she was going to dress up. I hope she does—then we’ll be a set.” She knew that Fang planned to attend, as well, though she had no idea what he was coming as or when he would show up.
"The last I heard from her, she was helping out at the tea shop," he spoke, chuckling at her reaction when he approached her. He then removed the hat in her hand, placing it back on her head and fixed it so that it sat properly this time. "Well, you just might be a set if she decides to dress the same as you," he added. She had spoken her interest in dressing as the Painted Lady for today, however; knowing her she probably wouldn't. He shifted slightly so that he provided a small distance between him and her, so that he wasn't standing directly in front of her, but beside her.
"Oh? I thought they had some type of festival regarding the moon spirits? I guess it's not the same," he replied with a light shrug of his shoulders. "Speak of the woman and she shall appear," Haki stated as he turned to greet Rika. She pursed her lips together slightly at that as he shook his head, a frown marring his face for a moment. "And it appears that you did not dress up...at all," he stated before shifting slightly so that they walked, Kiara on his right and Rika on his left.
"Hi Kiara," Rika greeted, choosing to ignore Haki at the moment, causing said male to chuckle beneath his breath. "It's a good thing I didn't dress either. You make a wonderful Painted Lady, more so than I could ever pull off," she stated, giving her friend a bright smile before stopping and moving so that she was the one in the middle. She laced her arms through both of theirs and smiled brightly still. "I couldn't find a decent costume anyways," she murmured a bit silently, though she was sure the both of them heard.
"So, what do we do first? Games, or food?" she questioned, glancing between the both of them. Haki merely glanced towards Kiara, waiting for her input before he gave his. Technically, it didn't matter to him, it was more so what they wanted to do. He was just along for the ride, until he needed to jump in of course.
“Oh, there is,” Kiara said with a sage nod, “And there’s a feast and everything, but it’s not quite like this.” She was prevented from explaining further, however, by the arrival of Rika, who had apparently decided to forgo the costume altogether. Kiara was a little bit disappointed—it would have been fun to match her friend, but that was all right. She shook her head a bit at the compliment, but smiled all the same. She thought the other girl had it a bit wrong there, but nevertheless, she was just glad she was here.
She chuckled when Rika linked arms with them, tilting her head to the side in faux contemplation for a moment. The hat slid a bit, and she had to right it with her free hand again. She was going to lose it by the end of the night she just knew it. “How about… games first, then food?” she had a rather large appetite for a woman her size, but she wasn’t feeling incredibly hungry at the moment, and besides, there was still plenty more to see.
“A wise enough choice,” a voice put in from behind, and this time, Kiara really did jump. She might have imagined the flicker of amusement that passed through Fang’s golden eyes, because it came and went so quickly that it was hard to tell if she’d seen it at all. He was dressed, curiously, as an airbending monk of some kind. “Many of the games close after dark, as the area is cleared, largely for dancing and eating.” He folded his hands into his burnt orange sleeves.
“That costume looks really accurate,” she remarked. It wasn’t a dead ringer for the sort of thing the Avatar wore, but the fabrics didn’t look like the kind of thing you could find in any tailor’s across the city, either.
He blinked, catlike, and inclined his head. “It is. This is the garb once worn by the Whispering Monks. They were supposed to have a greater connection to the spirit world than their counterparts, enough that legend sometimes portrays them as actual ghosts.” He didn’t mention where he’d come across such garments, and she didn’t ask, instead smiling, shrugging, and looping her arm though his, tugging the whole line of them a few steps toward him to do it. Now sandwiched in between two of her friends, she smiled a little brighter.
“To the games, then,” she declared.
Haki felt Rika's arm tense around his at the sound of Fang's voice, and a smudge of amusement crossed his eyes when Kiara jumped. He needed to remember that the girl was easily startled. He could use it to his advantage later. Though he would agree with Fang, games would be the wisest choice for the reasons the male had listed. Rika was trying not to let the shivers roll down her back at the sound of Fang's voice when he spoke, addressing Kiara's statement. She should have known really that there were people around, however; she wasn't really prepared for the sudden arrival of someone else. She recovered easily enough though and released Haki's arm, keeping her other arm still linked with Kiara's.
"I agree, games it is then!" she stated a bit enthusiastically, but paused momentarily and glanced at Fang. "I never thanked you," she spoke, referring to the first day they had their first match. "And I couldn't think of a more proper way to say it than by arranging it so that whenever you go to the tea shop, Chan has agreed to serve you tea free of charge," she stated with a bright smile. Haki merely rose an eyebrow at this, but chose to say nothing of it. It was perhaps a wise decision as Rika shot him a glance, which he returned with a smirk.
"And you couldn't extend the same courtesy to your teammates? You wound us both, Lotus," he spoke, feigning a hurt look. Rika rolled her eyes as he chuckled somewhat. "Well then, since the ladies are so inclined to the games first, which game shall we play first?" he spoke, shaking his head with the faint smile.
Rika frowned as she watched Haki at one of the game booths. She had tried to win a stuffed Otter Penguin, not because it was what her team was, but simply because of the fact that they were adorable. She wanted one, however; it seemed that she wasn't going to be able to get one because the game they were playing sucked. It had to be rigged, however; when Haki approached, paid for his turn, and managed what she couldn't, she frowned at him. The smug look on his face was causing her own face to twist into one of discomfort before she punched his arm, causing him to feign a hurtful look.
"Why am I the target of your frustration? It is not my fault you cannot simply make the ring," he stated, twisting to avoid the fist that was aimed at his face, the smug smirk still plastered on his face. "If Lotus would have just asked, I would have given this to you," he stated, referring to the stuffed Otter Penguin in his hand as he waved it in front of her. She only frowned deeper as his smirk pulled wider. She sighed, rolling her eyes in the process. Haki merely chuckled in a low tone.
"And now you see why you don't get free things at the tea shop," she replied, causing him to pull his smirk into a frown. "Whatever I don't need you winning things for me, I can win them on my own!" she nearly stated enthusiastically. Once again, she was back at the booth, trying so hard to fit the ring over the bottles, however; for some odd reason, they just wouldn't fit. She groaned in frustration as she slid her hand across her face. Maybe she wasn't throwing the ring right? Haki seemed to be having the time of his life as he laughed at her. She was going to get that Otter Penguin one way or another.
Kiara laughed at her friends’ banter, shaking her head with amusement as Haki dangled the stuffed otter penguin (which really was cute), in front of Rika, and she replied with something about denying him tea. She spared a glance over to Fang, and there it was again, that faint flicker of amusement. It was just barely there, but it did manage to crack his impassivity, and did something truly beautiful to his eyes. She honestly had a hard time believing he wasn’t a noble of some sort; maybe one of his parents worked with the Council? She’d never asked, but…
He noted her observation and raised one of his eyebrows, to which she smiled and waved a hand in front of her face. “Not going to try one?” she asked, pointing towards the ring-toss game. He shook his head, then tilted it to one side.
“It would be a little unfair,” he replied, though he didn’t elaborate any further. She wondered if maybe he was trained in some kind of related skill? The more she thought about it, the less she realized she knew about him. All of them, really, but him especially. She’d picked up little things about Haki and Rika, just from probending practice and drinking tea with them, though this was their first official outing as friends. But though Fang was often present at least for tea, he never talked about himself. Odd, that she hadn’t noted that until now. She was about to ask something, just to see if she could get him to open up a little, but he tilted his chin towards where Rika appeared to be making her last toss, and Kiara watched, crossing her fingers for her friend’s luck.
Unseen to any of the rest, as soon as the girl loosed, the ring about to fall short of the bottles, he made a small flicking motion with his fingers, bending the air around the ring to give it a little extra distance. It sailed smoothly, hooking around the highest-point bottle, and the stall vendor blinked, apparently surprised, but then shrugged, taking a very large stuffed otter-penguin from the back of his stall and handing it over to Rika. “The grand prize,” He said with a grin, and Kiara laughed at how big it was.
“Not sure how you did it, but congratulations!” she said with a smile. From behind, Fang lifted a single shoulder.
“Perhaps the spirits were with you.”
She had closed her eyes the moment she released the ring, letting her ears do all the seeing for her. And that's when she heard it. She cracked one eye open before opening the other and stared dumbfoundedly at the ring and where it had landed. She was sure she didn't throw it that hard to land on the bottle, and she was certain that the spirits were not with her at the moment. She blinked again as the vendor went to retrieve the rather large Otter Penguin and handed it to her. She held it at arms length, glancing at it before her eyes lit up.
"Ha! Mine's bigger than yours Haki!" she stated, literally rubbing the large creature upon Haki who merely stood there, still in a slight shock of what had just occured. In doing so, he was nearly bowled over by the large stuffed creature before Rika pulled away, grinning like a child does when they've been lost in the candy shop for hours. She then turned to Kiara and Fang, the smile still plastered on her face before it disappeared. The cause, Haki's statement.
"Size is not a competition my dear, just because mine is smaller does not mean I do not know how to use it to my advantage," he stated. If it were possible, Rika's face would have turned red, however; the innuendo to that statement caused most color to drain from her face, the smirk on his face never leaving. "Though..." he began, however; he was stopped from saying anything further when a small rock found it's way to his forehead. He blinked somewhat, not entirely expecting her to have thrown a rock at his forehead, and he reached up to rub the spot where she'd hit him.
"You shouldn't say things like that! There are kids around!" she stated, grasping her Otter Penguin a little tighter as her face finally regained color, although it was perhaps a bit too much color. "I think we should just leave him behind," she stated, walking so that she stood between Kiara and Fang, hooking a free arm beneath Kiara's arm once more and using the other to keep her stuffed animal in place. Though, internally, she was squealing like a mad woman. No matter what Haki had said, she was ecstatic to have won the stuffed animal.
Kiara wasn’t exactly sure she got the joke, or whatever it was that had made Rika react in such a way, still trying to figure out exactly what advantage one put a stuffed animal to, and why the size of said stuffed animal would even come up. Were they planning on throwing them at each other or something? Poor stuffed otter penguins. Fang, on the other hand, was completely aware of the innuendo, though he made no visible reaction to it. There were many things he could have said, but none he really felt the need or the desire to.
“Should we?” Kiara asked, smiling mischievously over at her team’s firebender. “I don’t know, it might be a little mean of us.” She nevertheless linked arms with Rika, and the two practically skipped their way over to the next game, which was one of those where you were supposed to catch goldfish with little paper paddles. Kiara brightened further, taking her hat off and handing it to Fang, who held it for her without protest. Passing over the few spare coins necessary for the game, she took up one of the tiny paddles, cooing over the brightly-colored fish.
“Oh, you’re tropical, aren’t you little guys? Not like the fish at the pole…” Those were, as a rule, large, ugly, and nutritious. These were adorable. She was tempted to take them all, but that would be silly, and she didn’t want to use her bending to win either. She was against cheating, after all, even in so simple an instance. But she did know how to fish. With a little bit of maneuvering and perhaps too intense a level of concentration for such a simple exercise, she chewed her lower lip, moving the little paddle around until she’d secured a blue-green one, iridescent and a species she’d never seen before, bringing it up on her paddle and transferring it into the plastic bag of water the vendor held for her.
She accepted his congratulations and turned back to the others, beaming. “I caught a fish!” She held up the bag, as though offering it as proof.
"Yes we should," Rika replied in all seriousness. And with that, she let Kiara drag her away to the next game. Well, they more like, skipped to the next game. She blinked, glancing down at the fish and blinked at them. She didn't need fish, however; she was certain they would make a nice gift for Chan and Wei to put into the empty aquarium at the shop. She smiled brightly, glancing around for a spot to place her large animal down. She set it up against the pole of the stand and paid for her turn at fish. She wasn't as fluid as Kiara was, and she perhaps wore a face of frustration rather than concentration as she tried to court the fish into going where she wanted it to.
"It appears that you have someone interested in your otter penguin," Haki spoke, perhaps a little too close for Rika's comfort as she jumped lightly, losing her fish in the process. She turned to glare at Haki for that, however; her eyes followed his gaze as she saw a rather small child, who couldn't have been more than six years old, ogling her Otter Penguin. She pursed her lips together as she approached the child, glancing around for his mother and saw no one. She poked the little boy's cheek, the question being conveyed without speaking it until she did.
"Do you like this?" she asked, smiling softly when the little boy nodded his head vigorously. She took a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. She wanted to keep it, she truly did, however; she couldn't say no to the little blue-eyed boy. "Alright, but first," she stated, the smile returning to her face in the process. "We need to find your parents," with that said, she reached her hand out, opening it so that the little boy would take it and grasped the Otter Penguin in the other.
"I'm going to go see if I can find his parents. You can continue without me, I'll catch up," she stated.
Fang watched the exchange with impassivity, but in the end, he broke off to follow, fixing Haki with a look that perhaps only the other male would understand. One that said simply that it was better for young women not to wander on their own, now that darkness drew near. The city was not a safe place at night, not for anyone, but for attractive young women less than most. This was simply a fact. It was one he knew that his neighbor did not know, and apparently, one that the former owner of the tea shop did not quite think about, either. “I will go as well,” he said simply, folding his arms back into his sleeves.
Kiara shrugged, handing her paper paddle to Haki. “How about it? Feel like a new pet or three?”
"Why am I the target of your frustration? It is not my fault you cannot simply make the ring," he stated, twisting to avoid the fist that was aimed at his face, the smug smirk still plastered on his face. "If Lotus would have just asked, I would have given this to you," he stated, referring to the stuffed Otter Penguin in his hand as he waved it in front of her. She only frowned deeper as his smirk pulled wider. She sighed, rolling her eyes in the process. Haki merely chuckled in a low tone.
"And now you see why you don't get free things at the tea shop," she replied, causing him to pull his smirk into a frown. "Whatever I don't need you winning things for me, I can win them on my own!" she nearly stated enthusiastically. Once again, she was back at the booth, trying so hard to fit the ring over the bottles, however; for some odd reason, they just wouldn't fit. She groaned in frustration as she slid her hand across her face. Maybe she wasn't throwing the ring right? Haki seemed to be having the time of his life as he laughed at her. She was going to get that Otter Penguin one way or another.
Kiara laughed at her friends’ banter, shaking her head with amusement as Haki dangled the stuffed otter penguin (which really was cute), in front of Rika, and she replied with something about denying him tea. She spared a glance over to Fang, and there it was again, that faint flicker of amusement. It was just barely there, but it did manage to crack his impassivity, and did something truly beautiful to his eyes. She honestly had a hard time believing he wasn’t a noble of some sort; maybe one of his parents worked with the Council? She’d never asked, but…
He noted her observation and raised one of his eyebrows, to which she smiled and waved a hand in front of her face. “Not going to try one?” she asked, pointing towards the ring-toss game. He shook his head, then tilted it to one side.
“It would be a little unfair,” he replied, though he didn’t elaborate any further. She wondered if maybe he was trained in some kind of related skill? The more she thought about it, the less she realized she knew about him. All of them, really, but him especially. She’d picked up little things about Haki and Rika, just from probending practice and drinking tea with them, though this was their first official outing as friends. But though Fang was often present at least for tea, he never talked about himself. Odd, that she hadn’t noted that until now. She was about to ask something, just to see if she could get him to open up a little, but he tilted his chin towards where Rika appeared to be making her last toss, and Kiara watched, crossing her fingers for her friend’s luck.
Unseen to any of the rest, as soon as the girl loosed, the ring about to fall short of the bottles, he made a small flicking motion with his fingers, bending the air around the ring to give it a little extra distance. It sailed smoothly, hooking around the highest-point bottle, and the stall vendor blinked, apparently surprised, but then shrugged, taking a very large stuffed otter-penguin from the back of his stall and handing it over to Rika. “The grand prize,” He said with a grin, and Kiara laughed at how big it was.
“Not sure how you did it, but congratulations!” she said with a smile. From behind, Fang lifted a single shoulder.
“Perhaps the spirits were with you.”
She had closed her eyes the moment she released the ring, letting her ears do all the seeing for her. And that's when she heard it. She cracked one eye open before opening the other and stared dumbfoundedly at the ring and where it had landed. She was sure she didn't throw it that hard to land on the bottle, and she was certain that the spirits were not with her at the moment. She blinked again as the vendor went to retrieve the rather large Otter Penguin and handed it to her. She held it at arms length, glancing at it before her eyes lit up.
"Ha! Mine's bigger than yours Haki!" she stated, literally rubbing the large creature upon Haki who merely stood there, still in a slight shock of what had just occured. In doing so, he was nearly bowled over by the large stuffed creature before Rika pulled away, grinning like a child does when they've been lost in the candy shop for hours. She then turned to Kiara and Fang, the smile still plastered on her face before it disappeared. The cause, Haki's statement.
"Size is not a competition my dear, just because mine is smaller does not mean I do not know how to use it to my advantage," he stated. If it were possible, Rika's face would have turned red, however; the innuendo to that statement caused most color to drain from her face, the smirk on his face never leaving. "Though..." he began, however; he was stopped from saying anything further when a small rock found it's way to his forehead. He blinked somewhat, not entirely expecting her to have thrown a rock at his forehead, and he reached up to rub the spot where she'd hit him.
"You shouldn't say things like that! There are kids around!" she stated, grasping her Otter Penguin a little tighter as her face finally regained color, although it was perhaps a bit too much color. "I think we should just leave him behind," she stated, walking so that she stood between Kiara and Fang, hooking a free arm beneath Kiara's arm once more and using the other to keep her stuffed animal in place. Though, internally, she was squealing like a mad woman. No matter what Haki had said, she was ecstatic to have won the stuffed animal.
Kiara wasn’t exactly sure she got the joke, or whatever it was that had made Rika react in such a way, still trying to figure out exactly what advantage one put a stuffed animal to, and why the size of said stuffed animal would even come up. Were they planning on throwing them at each other or something? Poor stuffed otter penguins. Fang, on the other hand, was completely aware of the innuendo, though he made no visible reaction to it. There were many things he could have said, but none he really felt the need or the desire to.
“Should we?” Kiara asked, smiling mischievously over at her team’s firebender. “I don’t know, it might be a little mean of us.” She nevertheless linked arms with Rika, and the two practically skipped their way over to the next game, which was one of those where you were supposed to catch goldfish with little paper paddles. Kiara brightened further, taking her hat off and handing it to Fang, who held it for her without protest. Passing over the few spare coins necessary for the game, she took up one of the tiny paddles, cooing over the brightly-colored fish.
“Oh, you’re tropical, aren’t you little guys? Not like the fish at the pole…” Those were, as a rule, large, ugly, and nutritious. These were adorable. She was tempted to take them all, but that would be silly, and she didn’t want to use her bending to win either. She was against cheating, after all, even in so simple an instance. But she did know how to fish. With a little bit of maneuvering and perhaps too intense a level of concentration for such a simple exercise, she chewed her lower lip, moving the little paddle around until she’d secured a blue-green one, iridescent and a species she’d never seen before, bringing it up on her paddle and transferring it into the plastic bag of water the vendor held for her.
She accepted his congratulations and turned back to the others, beaming. “I caught a fish!” She held up the bag, as though offering it as proof.
"Yes we should," Rika replied in all seriousness. And with that, she let Kiara drag her away to the next game. Well, they more like, skipped to the next game. She blinked, glancing down at the fish and blinked at them. She didn't need fish, however; she was certain they would make a nice gift for Chan and Wei to put into the empty aquarium at the shop. She smiled brightly, glancing around for a spot to place her large animal down. She set it up against the pole of the stand and paid for her turn at fish. She wasn't as fluid as Kiara was, and she perhaps wore a face of frustration rather than concentration as she tried to court the fish into going where she wanted it to.
"It appears that you have someone interested in your otter penguin," Haki spoke, perhaps a little too close for Rika's comfort as she jumped lightly, losing her fish in the process. She turned to glare at Haki for that, however; her eyes followed his gaze as she saw a rather small child, who couldn't have been more than six years old, ogling her Otter Penguin. She pursed her lips together as she approached the child, glancing around for his mother and saw no one. She poked the little boy's cheek, the question being conveyed without speaking it until she did.
"Do you like this?" she asked, smiling softly when the little boy nodded his head vigorously. She took a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. She wanted to keep it, she truly did, however; she couldn't say no to the little blue-eyed boy. "Alright, but first," she stated, the smile returning to her face in the process. "We need to find your parents," with that said, she reached her hand out, opening it so that the little boy would take it and grasped the Otter Penguin in the other.
"I'm going to go see if I can find his parents. You can continue without me, I'll catch up," she stated.
Fang watched the exchange with impassivity, but in the end, he broke off to follow, fixing Haki with a look that perhaps only the other male would understand. One that said simply that it was better for young women not to wander on their own, now that darkness drew near. The city was not a safe place at night, not for anyone, but for attractive young women less than most. This was simply a fact. It was one he knew that his neighbor did not know, and apparently, one that the former owner of the tea shop did not quite think about, either. “I will go as well,” he said simply, folding his arms back into his sleeves.
Kiara shrugged, handing her paper paddle to Haki. “How about it? Feel like a new pet or three?”
Rika had frowned slightly when Fang accompanied her. She hadn't meant for either of her friends to accompany her as she searched for the young boy's parents. She had simply thought that they would continue without her, and it was something she did not mind at all. Besides, she was with the little boy, and she could take care of herself if it came down to it. She wasn't easily scared, if her first couple of run-in's with the Triad had proven that. They had tried to intimidate her into paying homage to them so that they could keep her shop safe. Though it wasn't easy, she managed to keep them away and left her shop alone for the most part. Even when they burnt it down and she had to rebuild it.
"You know, you didn't have to come along. I appreciate it, I really do, but I feel bad for taking you away from the festivities. And leaving Haki unsupervised with Kiara is a little worrisome," she spoke as she glanced at Fang from the corner of her eyes. Her attention returned to the little boy, whose name she learned was Kei. It was a bit fitting really as the boy had opened up a bit. Though she only held his hand for a few minutes at max, he was already comfortable and smiling as he gazed around, his eyes filled with wonder and awe. Rika shifted so that she was comfortable, holding the Otter Penguin in one arm and keeping a firm hold on Kei's hand so she wouldn't lose him.
"Mama," the little boy stated, pulling at Rika's arm as she blinked owlishly at him. Did he just call her mom? Or did he see his mother? He turned still to stare at Rika, his eyes holding a sense of wonder still as he pointed towards a random stall. "Can I go play!?" he asked, eyes sparkling with hope. Rika pursed her lips together, trying to think of a polite way of declining the child. He was lost, and he needed to find his parents first, not play games. But those eyes. Those bright, big, blue eyes. How could she say no to that? She sighed in defeat, giving Fang an apologetic look before following after the little boy.
Fang, trailing a smidge behind Rika and the child, only blinked and shrugged at her initial statement. He was aware that he hadn’t been obligated to go, but he had felt inclined to do it all the same, and Fang rarely had inclinations anymore. They were worth following when he did, whatever the reasons may be. He did not, as a rule, spend too much time on introspection, and with good reason—he did not like what he saw when he did. So he didn’t really ask himself why he was following, he just did. “He is far from the worst possible danger, and she quite capable of handling it, I’m sure,” he said simply. As for the festivities… he wasn’t really a crowds kind of person, when he bothered to prefer things one way or another. It didn’t bother him to leave the celebrations behind, just as it had not bothered him to participate.
He lifted an elegant brow when Rika found herself dragged along by the child, this time to a game that involved the use of a slingshot to break glass vessels. He simply changed directions to follow, coming to stand at her right shoulder and about a foot away as she watched the boy try his hand at the games. It would appear that the child was a skilled manipulator—he had experience with this, being a sibling himself, but his relatives had always been a bit more inured to such mind games. Rika appeared to have little, if any resistance. At least if they stayed in one place, someone might walk by and recognize the boy.
Fang’s eyes flickered over the teeming crowd, as though to pick out the most likely prospects. The hour grew late, and many other parents were taking their young ones away from the grounds now, as the Red Festival, the later half of this one and known for its slightly more specific participants (namely, youth between twenty and thirty), drew closer. He wondered if they planned to stay for it. He’d participated, once, and while it was certainly interesting, it could get rowdy, as well.
The little boy seemed to be enjoying himself, causing a smile to peer on Rika's lips as she watched him attempt to break the glass jars. When he failed, a pout forming on his lips, Rika frowned in mirrored succession. Well, at least he tried. She glanced around, trying to see if perhaps someone saw him and would come up to claim the child. It was getting late, and a part of Rika was a bit agitated. By now surely someone had to be searching for Kei. Unless his parents were the neglectful type and just didn't care. That thought caused Rika's frown to deepen, however, a few people passed by, making subtle whispers to each other as they did so. One in particular statement caused Rika's face to turn a light pink hue as she glanced at the small child and then towards Fang.
"I think it's best we find your parents now Kei," she stated, pulling the boy from the stand in the process. He went reluctantly, but still somewhat pleased as he held a Fire Ferret doll in his hands. It was his booty, what he won. As she made to leave the stand, a woman, perhaps in her late thirties, approached, doe-eyed and red. It appeared as if she'd been crying for hours, but the relief that washed behind her eyes as they landed upon Kei conveyed all that Rika needed to know. "Um, you must be Kei's mother. He..." she stated, but was cut off by the loud sobs of the woman as she flung her arms around the little boy who squirmed beneath the woman. He looked none-too-happy, however, Rika took this opportunity to quickly leave.
She bid Kei goodbye and left the Otter Penguin with his mother, who seemed to thank the two of them profusely. "I will never understand people," she stated, a light smile plaguing her lips. "But then again I don't think we were meant to ever really understand," she spoke more to herself than anything. She glanced back at Fang and gave a sheepish smile. "It's almost time for the Red Festival, are you going to stay for it?" she questioned, though a part of her felt silly for even asking the question in the first place. "I've never stayed for the second half of the festival. I've always left, but I think I am going to stay for this year's. It might be fun," she added as an after thought, tapping her chin in a thoughtful manner.
Did he really look of an age to be a father? He supposed he was, but it was simply a thought that had never occurred to Fang. He didn’t understand children, and besides that… there would be the matter of needing someone to have them with. She had never been even remotely interested, and he’d not thought to care one way or another, as long as he’d had her. And now, he did not. He shook his head faintly, a troubled expression crossing his face for just a moment, but it smoothed out with the appearance of a woman who appeared to be the child’s mother, and she thanked the both of them through her sobs. He inclined his head politely, but said nothing. The amount of emotion displayed made him vaguely uneasy.
They departed then, and he thought for a moment on what Rika said, afterwards. “Not some things, no,” he replied gravely, but then the topic shifted, and he blinked slightly. “It could be,” he replied neutrally, “But many of its activities are designed primarily for the enjoyment of couples. The ‘Red’ in Red Festival was originally supposed to indicate the color of a maiden’s cheeks upon participation.” Not everything was designed for such ends, of course, but… the majority of the participants would be in pairs… or whatever number suited their fancies the most.
“Though I have found the food worth partaking in, and the dancing is what one makes of it.” He made no indication of in what capacity he had last been a participant in the Red Festival, and this was quite intentional. For all that his description was somewhat vague, he was also quite blunt about it, in every respect but that particular one.
Rika allowed a small frown to cover her face. It was a couple's thing? Well, if that were the case, then it was perhaps best that she had left before it started. Rika wasn't with anyone, and she never really had the desire to be. Most of her attention was focused on her job and her shop. There wasn't time for a social life like that. And she was happy with that. Now, there still wasn't time for that kind of social life, but it wasn't completely empty either. She had her friends, Haki, Kiara, and Fang. Though he wasn't around as much as Haki and Kiara were, Rika still considered him a friend.
"Well, that's a bit disappointing," she replied, a smile returning to her face. "But I don't think it'll mind if friends partake in it, right? Besides, if the food is as good as you make it out to be, who am I to say no?" she added, a slight quirk of her lips in the process. She loved food, and though one couldn't really tell, she consumed more of it than what was considered acceptable to most people. Not that she cared, if something was delectable, then she would indulge herself in it. Dancing, however, would be a different story. She wasn't a dancer.
"I think I can skip the dancing though. I...don't know how to dance," she stated, laughing a bit nervously while rubbing the back of her neck. "My entire family knows how to dance, including my older brothers, but I just couldn't pick up on it. I think I actually broke my brother's toe once," she continued, the nervous chuckle still leaving her. Yaozu had not been exceptionally happy about that, and had made Rika's life miserable the entire week he couldn't walk. Well really, she insisted that she take care of his things and his work until he recovered, so really it was her fault.
"You know, you didn't have to come along. I appreciate it, I really do, but I feel bad for taking you away from the festivities. And leaving Haki unsupervised with Kiara is a little worrisome," she spoke as she glanced at Fang from the corner of her eyes. Her attention returned to the little boy, whose name she learned was Kei. It was a bit fitting really as the boy had opened up a bit. Though she only held his hand for a few minutes at max, he was already comfortable and smiling as he gazed around, his eyes filled with wonder and awe. Rika shifted so that she was comfortable, holding the Otter Penguin in one arm and keeping a firm hold on Kei's hand so she wouldn't lose him.
"Mama," the little boy stated, pulling at Rika's arm as she blinked owlishly at him. Did he just call her mom? Or did he see his mother? He turned still to stare at Rika, his eyes holding a sense of wonder still as he pointed towards a random stall. "Can I go play!?" he asked, eyes sparkling with hope. Rika pursed her lips together, trying to think of a polite way of declining the child. He was lost, and he needed to find his parents first, not play games. But those eyes. Those bright, big, blue eyes. How could she say no to that? She sighed in defeat, giving Fang an apologetic look before following after the little boy.
Fang, trailing a smidge behind Rika and the child, only blinked and shrugged at her initial statement. He was aware that he hadn’t been obligated to go, but he had felt inclined to do it all the same, and Fang rarely had inclinations anymore. They were worth following when he did, whatever the reasons may be. He did not, as a rule, spend too much time on introspection, and with good reason—he did not like what he saw when he did. So he didn’t really ask himself why he was following, he just did. “He is far from the worst possible danger, and she quite capable of handling it, I’m sure,” he said simply. As for the festivities… he wasn’t really a crowds kind of person, when he bothered to prefer things one way or another. It didn’t bother him to leave the celebrations behind, just as it had not bothered him to participate.
He lifted an elegant brow when Rika found herself dragged along by the child, this time to a game that involved the use of a slingshot to break glass vessels. He simply changed directions to follow, coming to stand at her right shoulder and about a foot away as she watched the boy try his hand at the games. It would appear that the child was a skilled manipulator—he had experience with this, being a sibling himself, but his relatives had always been a bit more inured to such mind games. Rika appeared to have little, if any resistance. At least if they stayed in one place, someone might walk by and recognize the boy.
Fang’s eyes flickered over the teeming crowd, as though to pick out the most likely prospects. The hour grew late, and many other parents were taking their young ones away from the grounds now, as the Red Festival, the later half of this one and known for its slightly more specific participants (namely, youth between twenty and thirty), drew closer. He wondered if they planned to stay for it. He’d participated, once, and while it was certainly interesting, it could get rowdy, as well.
The little boy seemed to be enjoying himself, causing a smile to peer on Rika's lips as she watched him attempt to break the glass jars. When he failed, a pout forming on his lips, Rika frowned in mirrored succession. Well, at least he tried. She glanced around, trying to see if perhaps someone saw him and would come up to claim the child. It was getting late, and a part of Rika was a bit agitated. By now surely someone had to be searching for Kei. Unless his parents were the neglectful type and just didn't care. That thought caused Rika's frown to deepen, however, a few people passed by, making subtle whispers to each other as they did so. One in particular statement caused Rika's face to turn a light pink hue as she glanced at the small child and then towards Fang.
"I think it's best we find your parents now Kei," she stated, pulling the boy from the stand in the process. He went reluctantly, but still somewhat pleased as he held a Fire Ferret doll in his hands. It was his booty, what he won. As she made to leave the stand, a woman, perhaps in her late thirties, approached, doe-eyed and red. It appeared as if she'd been crying for hours, but the relief that washed behind her eyes as they landed upon Kei conveyed all that Rika needed to know. "Um, you must be Kei's mother. He..." she stated, but was cut off by the loud sobs of the woman as she flung her arms around the little boy who squirmed beneath the woman. He looked none-too-happy, however, Rika took this opportunity to quickly leave.
She bid Kei goodbye and left the Otter Penguin with his mother, who seemed to thank the two of them profusely. "I will never understand people," she stated, a light smile plaguing her lips. "But then again I don't think we were meant to ever really understand," she spoke more to herself than anything. She glanced back at Fang and gave a sheepish smile. "It's almost time for the Red Festival, are you going to stay for it?" she questioned, though a part of her felt silly for even asking the question in the first place. "I've never stayed for the second half of the festival. I've always left, but I think I am going to stay for this year's. It might be fun," she added as an after thought, tapping her chin in a thoughtful manner.
Did he really look of an age to be a father? He supposed he was, but it was simply a thought that had never occurred to Fang. He didn’t understand children, and besides that… there would be the matter of needing someone to have them with. She had never been even remotely interested, and he’d not thought to care one way or another, as long as he’d had her. And now, he did not. He shook his head faintly, a troubled expression crossing his face for just a moment, but it smoothed out with the appearance of a woman who appeared to be the child’s mother, and she thanked the both of them through her sobs. He inclined his head politely, but said nothing. The amount of emotion displayed made him vaguely uneasy.
They departed then, and he thought for a moment on what Rika said, afterwards. “Not some things, no,” he replied gravely, but then the topic shifted, and he blinked slightly. “It could be,” he replied neutrally, “But many of its activities are designed primarily for the enjoyment of couples. The ‘Red’ in Red Festival was originally supposed to indicate the color of a maiden’s cheeks upon participation.” Not everything was designed for such ends, of course, but… the majority of the participants would be in pairs… or whatever number suited their fancies the most.
“Though I have found the food worth partaking in, and the dancing is what one makes of it.” He made no indication of in what capacity he had last been a participant in the Red Festival, and this was quite intentional. For all that his description was somewhat vague, he was also quite blunt about it, in every respect but that particular one.
Rika allowed a small frown to cover her face. It was a couple's thing? Well, if that were the case, then it was perhaps best that she had left before it started. Rika wasn't with anyone, and she never really had the desire to be. Most of her attention was focused on her job and her shop. There wasn't time for a social life like that. And she was happy with that. Now, there still wasn't time for that kind of social life, but it wasn't completely empty either. She had her friends, Haki, Kiara, and Fang. Though he wasn't around as much as Haki and Kiara were, Rika still considered him a friend.
"Well, that's a bit disappointing," she replied, a smile returning to her face. "But I don't think it'll mind if friends partake in it, right? Besides, if the food is as good as you make it out to be, who am I to say no?" she added, a slight quirk of her lips in the process. She loved food, and though one couldn't really tell, she consumed more of it than what was considered acceptable to most people. Not that she cared, if something was delectable, then she would indulge herself in it. Dancing, however, would be a different story. She wasn't a dancer.
"I think I can skip the dancing though. I...don't know how to dance," she stated, laughing a bit nervously while rubbing the back of her neck. "My entire family knows how to dance, including my older brothers, but I just couldn't pick up on it. I think I actually broke my brother's toe once," she continued, the nervous chuckle still leaving her. Yaozu had not been exceptionally happy about that, and had made Rika's life miserable the entire week he couldn't walk. Well really, she insisted that she take care of his things and his work until he recovered, so really it was her fault.
Haki smirked at the gesture and simply took the paddle from Kiara. He may not have been a fisherman, but he knew manipulation, and he was good at it. As such, he was able to bag a handful of fish, each one a variant color than the next, and as he held the bag, the smirk morphed into something more of an actual smile. He glanced towards Kiara and held the bag towards her. He didn't have a need for the fish, and she seemed more inclined to keeping them alive than he did. The last fish he had only lasted about three days. He was partially to blame for the creature's early demise, though he wouldn't say that outloud.
"I don't have a need for these things, and they will only die in my care," he stated as he simply shrugged. Not that he cared either way, he'd give them to Lotus if Kiara didn't want them. Or probably Chan and Wei. Either way, these fish would find a home. "So, are you enjoying yourself..." he paused momentarily, staring at Kiara and trying to study her. A small smirk formed on his lips as the word finally phased into his mouth. He had always called Rika, Lotus because it annoyed her, however; his intent wasn't to annoy Kiara, and he had no desire to call her by her name quite yet.
"Turtle-duck," he stated. Though, if the way she reacted before to his little inclinations, her reaction to this was bound to draw some type of amusement from him. And he did love entertainment in any form he could get it.
Kiara accepted the fish with a look of mild alarm at his offhanded mention about what would happen to them in his care. Poor fish—well, at least he knew and was attempting to find an alternative, she supposed. She was more than happy to take care of all of them—she knew just where in her apartment they would do well. She paused for a moment upon address, a bit of a frown crossing her face. “Turtle-duck?” she repeated, a bit incredulously. She’d noticed, of course, that he had the habit of calling Rika Lotus, but she’d sort of been able to see the connection. It was a flower, and used in some teas, and Rika was an earthbender who made very good tea. It was also similarly pretty, now that she thought about it.
But… her eyes widened slightly, and something like a pout took up residence on her face. “Are you saying I waddle?” she asked, acting a bit more offended than she actually was, though the falsity of it was obvious. “Or that I’m slow?” Her lips pursed, her brows knitting together. “Well fine then. My new friends and I will go waddle off elsewhere.” With the flash of a smile to indicate that she was not serious, she did head off in another direction, though this was more because she was interested in seeing what the festival had to offer than for any other reason.
Haki rose an amused eyebrow. This was precisely what he thought of as amusing and watched as she left. "That is not how a Turtle-Duck waddles," he spoke, the smirk crossing his features as he trailed behind her. Shaking his head lightly, he watched as she walked towards another part of the festival. "And you mis-judge a Turtle-Duck. They are fairly intelligent creatures, and are cute in that weird sort of way," he spoke, leaning so that he whispered the last word into her ear before pulling away just as quickly.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he stared at one of the booths. There were plenty of games to choose, from, all of which he could probably win at, however; he wasn't here to enjoy himself; he was here to enjoy it with his friends. And though he was down two of those said friends, he could at least enjoy it with Kiara. "Well then, my Turtle-Duck, what is it that you wish to play next?" he spoke, the words flowing almost naturally now as he spoke them.
Kiara rolled her eyes at him. She was not going to actually try to waddle like a turtle-duck; she’d look ridiculous. Not that this usually stopped her from doing things, but it would rather take the dignity out of the costume she was wearing, and she respected the spirit she was portraying a little more than that. This was her rationale, and she was sticking to it. Fairly intelligent and cute in a weird way? Now he was definitely mocking her, and she sighed, though she wasn’t entirely certain it was from her mock frustration. Part of it might have just had something to do with the fact that he’d been so close she could feel his breath on her ear… it was a very peculiar sensation, and did strange things to her skin, like there were little pinpricks running along it. Now that was weird.
She shook it off, though, placing her hands on her hips, surveying the games to be had. Many of them involved water in some capacity, and she wasn’t really inclined to cheat, so she was about to head for something that involved throwing darts at balloons when a most delectable scent hit her nose. It smelled like pure sugary goodness, basically, and she grinned, gabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to the source.
Her eyes widened upon sight of the stand, selling something she’d never seen before. “Pink clouds…?” she murmured, then decided that whatever it was, she had to have some, so she bought two, one in pink and the other being blue. Well, since she was the waterbender here, she took the blue and proffered the pink one to her friend. “What is this, anyway?” She asked, taking a small blue glob and resting it on her tongue. A surprised look crossed her face when it melted, and she blinked, laughing delightedly at the sensation. It left her fingers kind of sticky, too. “Sticky, melty, pink-and-blue cloud stuff?”
He released a sigh, folded his hands across his chest, and trailed behind Kiara as she left. He followed her to a stand, one that he knew all too well. As she handed him the pink one, he allowed his lips to tilt into a subtle smirk, watching her reaction as she asked a question pertaining to what it was she was eating. He stayed silent for a few moments, taking the cotton candy into his mouth and allowed it to dissolve almost instantly upon his tongue. He then tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner, as if her were trying to recollect what the word was.
"It's called cotton candy," he finally spoke, taking another piece of the sugary delight and popped it into his mouth. "You've never had cotton candy before?" he questioned, but somehow, he knew the answer to that already. The Northern Water Tribe wasn't exactly the most pleasant tribe to accept new things. He sighed softly at that. The Northern Tribe was still actually a bit behind than most of the other nations, sticking to their ways and such. He couldn't blame them really, change was a scary thing.
"It's something still relatively new here, and it's branched off to a few colonies, so I shouldn't be so surprised," he spoke in a nonchalant fashion. Which was partially true. It had branched off to other colonies within the nations, and he wasn't all that surprised that she'd never had it before. "You should have left a long time ago, you are missing out on a lot," he spoke, taking another bite out of his cotton candy.
Cotton candy… she supposed that name fit it a little better than the overly complicated thing she’d been calling it. Reaching over, she plucked a tuft off of his cloud of the stuff and popped it in her mouth. There was a subtle difference between the two kinds, and she offered hers for him to take from if he wanted to. She hadn’t realized they’d be different, of she’d have asked him which he wanted instead of simply giving him the one closer to a firebender’s color. Then again… they were about equally delicious and equally sticky, as far as she could tell, and she had to pop her fingers into her mouth periodically as well to keep this problem managed.
“Oh?” she asked, raising a brow at his statement. Honestly, she could have taken that to be offensive about her tribe, but she didn’t. She kind of wished she’d left sooner too. “Well, I still haven’t found anyone around here that can cook a good sea prune, so I think we’re probably even on the food point.” Which wasn’t quite true—she actually preferred Fire Nation food, with all the spices and such. Though… there was something to be said for a properly fried sea prune, even so.
“Besides, if I’d come earlier, I might have fallen in with another probending team. Are you sure you’d want that?” She flashed a grin, entirely unaware that the cotton candy had turned her tongue a most alarming shade of blue.
"Perhaps it is a good thing that I have inherited the best of both worlds. Mother was always fond of sea prunes. If you ask nicely, I might make one for you. She is the best at preparing them, and she taught me when I was growing up how to do the same," he replied to her statement. Which was partially true. He might not be able to brew his own tea like Lotus could, but he could whip up a delicious meal when he wanted to. It was a bit of an odd trait really, learning how to cook. But then again, he'd always been fascinated by the things his mother could do as a waterbender. There were times where he almost wished he'd been born one.
"And I don't know. I wouldn't have met you if that were the case so I couldn't say if I would have wanted that or not," he replied, the teasing smirk returning to his face in the process. He glanced at the offered candy, and for a moment, he contemplated taking it from another source, however; he wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable that way quite yet. Instead, he plucked a piece of the candy from hers and popped it into his mouth, allowing it to dissolve as it did before, and smiled at her. "Your tongue is blue."
Kiara smiled. She hadn’t meant to suggest that she could not cook her own, merely that they were never served properly at market stalls or in restaurants. At least, not the ones she could afford to visit. Still, it did give her an idea. “We’ll have to have a cook-off sometime,” she declared, still grinning. “Born and raised to be a housewife, remember? I do still have some of the skills, even if my personality’s all wrong.” She chuckled, though, shaking her head. “I can even make Fire Nation food. Believe it or not, I actually like it best.”
He was being intentionally obtuse, but she didn’t mind. It was all part of the fun. She hadn’t been asking if he’d have minded then. Well, whatever. It was only fair that he got to twist her words around like she had taken to twisting his for her own amusement. She was smiling so much her face was starting to hurt, at least until he made an offhand comment about the color of her tongue. “What?” she said, confused, and then she ducked to the side to peer into a pane of glass, sticking her tongue out and observing that yes, it was definitely blue. For some reason she found this hilarious, and tried mostly unsuccessfully to contain her laughter behind a hand. “Well, yours is bright red, so there!” she exclaimed, her eyes glittering with mirth.
"Oh? Is it now? Perhaps we should make a purple color then," he spoke as he allowed a smile to cross his features. "And I do believe we shall have a cook-off. Lotus and your neighbor can be the judges," he stated, for once, actually contemplating the thought. It would be fun in a way, and it would give them more reason to interact, because he was truly enjoying this little Turtle-Duck's company. He glanced away momentarily, noting the time and the fact that Lotus and Fang had yet to return. Perhaps they were waiting for them?
"I believe we should go find that neighbor of yours and Lotus, it's almost time for the Red Festival."
"I don't have a need for these things, and they will only die in my care," he stated as he simply shrugged. Not that he cared either way, he'd give them to Lotus if Kiara didn't want them. Or probably Chan and Wei. Either way, these fish would find a home. "So, are you enjoying yourself..." he paused momentarily, staring at Kiara and trying to study her. A small smirk formed on his lips as the word finally phased into his mouth. He had always called Rika, Lotus because it annoyed her, however; his intent wasn't to annoy Kiara, and he had no desire to call her by her name quite yet.
"Turtle-duck," he stated. Though, if the way she reacted before to his little inclinations, her reaction to this was bound to draw some type of amusement from him. And he did love entertainment in any form he could get it.
Kiara accepted the fish with a look of mild alarm at his offhanded mention about what would happen to them in his care. Poor fish—well, at least he knew and was attempting to find an alternative, she supposed. She was more than happy to take care of all of them—she knew just where in her apartment they would do well. She paused for a moment upon address, a bit of a frown crossing her face. “Turtle-duck?” she repeated, a bit incredulously. She’d noticed, of course, that he had the habit of calling Rika Lotus, but she’d sort of been able to see the connection. It was a flower, and used in some teas, and Rika was an earthbender who made very good tea. It was also similarly pretty, now that she thought about it.
But… her eyes widened slightly, and something like a pout took up residence on her face. “Are you saying I waddle?” she asked, acting a bit more offended than she actually was, though the falsity of it was obvious. “Or that I’m slow?” Her lips pursed, her brows knitting together. “Well fine then. My new friends and I will go waddle off elsewhere.” With the flash of a smile to indicate that she was not serious, she did head off in another direction, though this was more because she was interested in seeing what the festival had to offer than for any other reason.
Haki rose an amused eyebrow. This was precisely what he thought of as amusing and watched as she left. "That is not how a Turtle-Duck waddles," he spoke, the smirk crossing his features as he trailed behind her. Shaking his head lightly, he watched as she walked towards another part of the festival. "And you mis-judge a Turtle-Duck. They are fairly intelligent creatures, and are cute in that weird sort of way," he spoke, leaning so that he whispered the last word into her ear before pulling away just as quickly.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he stared at one of the booths. There were plenty of games to choose, from, all of which he could probably win at, however; he wasn't here to enjoy himself; he was here to enjoy it with his friends. And though he was down two of those said friends, he could at least enjoy it with Kiara. "Well then, my Turtle-Duck, what is it that you wish to play next?" he spoke, the words flowing almost naturally now as he spoke them.
Kiara rolled her eyes at him. She was not going to actually try to waddle like a turtle-duck; she’d look ridiculous. Not that this usually stopped her from doing things, but it would rather take the dignity out of the costume she was wearing, and she respected the spirit she was portraying a little more than that. This was her rationale, and she was sticking to it. Fairly intelligent and cute in a weird way? Now he was definitely mocking her, and she sighed, though she wasn’t entirely certain it was from her mock frustration. Part of it might have just had something to do with the fact that he’d been so close she could feel his breath on her ear… it was a very peculiar sensation, and did strange things to her skin, like there were little pinpricks running along it. Now that was weird.
She shook it off, though, placing her hands on her hips, surveying the games to be had. Many of them involved water in some capacity, and she wasn’t really inclined to cheat, so she was about to head for something that involved throwing darts at balloons when a most delectable scent hit her nose. It smelled like pure sugary goodness, basically, and she grinned, gabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to the source.
Her eyes widened upon sight of the stand, selling something she’d never seen before. “Pink clouds…?” she murmured, then decided that whatever it was, she had to have some, so she bought two, one in pink and the other being blue. Well, since she was the waterbender here, she took the blue and proffered the pink one to her friend. “What is this, anyway?” She asked, taking a small blue glob and resting it on her tongue. A surprised look crossed her face when it melted, and she blinked, laughing delightedly at the sensation. It left her fingers kind of sticky, too. “Sticky, melty, pink-and-blue cloud stuff?”
He released a sigh, folded his hands across his chest, and trailed behind Kiara as she left. He followed her to a stand, one that he knew all too well. As she handed him the pink one, he allowed his lips to tilt into a subtle smirk, watching her reaction as she asked a question pertaining to what it was she was eating. He stayed silent for a few moments, taking the cotton candy into his mouth and allowed it to dissolve almost instantly upon his tongue. He then tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner, as if her were trying to recollect what the word was.
"It's called cotton candy," he finally spoke, taking another piece of the sugary delight and popped it into his mouth. "You've never had cotton candy before?" he questioned, but somehow, he knew the answer to that already. The Northern Water Tribe wasn't exactly the most pleasant tribe to accept new things. He sighed softly at that. The Northern Tribe was still actually a bit behind than most of the other nations, sticking to their ways and such. He couldn't blame them really, change was a scary thing.
"It's something still relatively new here, and it's branched off to a few colonies, so I shouldn't be so surprised," he spoke in a nonchalant fashion. Which was partially true. It had branched off to other colonies within the nations, and he wasn't all that surprised that she'd never had it before. "You should have left a long time ago, you are missing out on a lot," he spoke, taking another bite out of his cotton candy.
Cotton candy… she supposed that name fit it a little better than the overly complicated thing she’d been calling it. Reaching over, she plucked a tuft off of his cloud of the stuff and popped it in her mouth. There was a subtle difference between the two kinds, and she offered hers for him to take from if he wanted to. She hadn’t realized they’d be different, of she’d have asked him which he wanted instead of simply giving him the one closer to a firebender’s color. Then again… they were about equally delicious and equally sticky, as far as she could tell, and she had to pop her fingers into her mouth periodically as well to keep this problem managed.
“Oh?” she asked, raising a brow at his statement. Honestly, she could have taken that to be offensive about her tribe, but she didn’t. She kind of wished she’d left sooner too. “Well, I still haven’t found anyone around here that can cook a good sea prune, so I think we’re probably even on the food point.” Which wasn’t quite true—she actually preferred Fire Nation food, with all the spices and such. Though… there was something to be said for a properly fried sea prune, even so.
“Besides, if I’d come earlier, I might have fallen in with another probending team. Are you sure you’d want that?” She flashed a grin, entirely unaware that the cotton candy had turned her tongue a most alarming shade of blue.
"Perhaps it is a good thing that I have inherited the best of both worlds. Mother was always fond of sea prunes. If you ask nicely, I might make one for you. She is the best at preparing them, and she taught me when I was growing up how to do the same," he replied to her statement. Which was partially true. He might not be able to brew his own tea like Lotus could, but he could whip up a delicious meal when he wanted to. It was a bit of an odd trait really, learning how to cook. But then again, he'd always been fascinated by the things his mother could do as a waterbender. There were times where he almost wished he'd been born one.
"And I don't know. I wouldn't have met you if that were the case so I couldn't say if I would have wanted that or not," he replied, the teasing smirk returning to his face in the process. He glanced at the offered candy, and for a moment, he contemplated taking it from another source, however; he wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable that way quite yet. Instead, he plucked a piece of the candy from hers and popped it into his mouth, allowing it to dissolve as it did before, and smiled at her. "Your tongue is blue."
Kiara smiled. She hadn’t meant to suggest that she could not cook her own, merely that they were never served properly at market stalls or in restaurants. At least, not the ones she could afford to visit. Still, it did give her an idea. “We’ll have to have a cook-off sometime,” she declared, still grinning. “Born and raised to be a housewife, remember? I do still have some of the skills, even if my personality’s all wrong.” She chuckled, though, shaking her head. “I can even make Fire Nation food. Believe it or not, I actually like it best.”
He was being intentionally obtuse, but she didn’t mind. It was all part of the fun. She hadn’t been asking if he’d have minded then. Well, whatever. It was only fair that he got to twist her words around like she had taken to twisting his for her own amusement. She was smiling so much her face was starting to hurt, at least until he made an offhand comment about the color of her tongue. “What?” she said, confused, and then she ducked to the side to peer into a pane of glass, sticking her tongue out and observing that yes, it was definitely blue. For some reason she found this hilarious, and tried mostly unsuccessfully to contain her laughter behind a hand. “Well, yours is bright red, so there!” she exclaimed, her eyes glittering with mirth.
"Oh? Is it now? Perhaps we should make a purple color then," he spoke as he allowed a smile to cross his features. "And I do believe we shall have a cook-off. Lotus and your neighbor can be the judges," he stated, for once, actually contemplating the thought. It would be fun in a way, and it would give them more reason to interact, because he was truly enjoying this little Turtle-Duck's company. He glanced away momentarily, noting the time and the fact that Lotus and Fang had yet to return. Perhaps they were waiting for them?
"I believe we should go find that neighbor of yours and Lotus, it's almost time for the Red Festival."
Rika stared at Haki, raising a brow at the firebender. He had suggested something, a game if you will, and Rika was inclined to tilt her head. For a second, she had wondered if he was being serious, but the grin on his face stated it was truth. Pursing her lips together, she let the idea roll through her mind. She wasn't a drinker, that much she was certain of. In fact, she couldn't even recall the last time she even drank anything. The first time was for the opening of her tea shop, and even then it was only celebratory wine. And it was only one cup. But this, this was requiring more than one cup, and she wasn't sure she could do it.
But there it was, that stubborn side of her that just refused to be beaten, at least by him. Haki's grin merely grew as he studied Rika's face. He knew she wouldn't be able to say no, especially since it was he who suggested it. Now if it had been Kiara or Fang (though that was highly unlikely), she might have declined. But there was an understanding between he and Rika. Whatever he suggested, she would always agree just to prove him wrong or just to beat him. This game was no different, however; he knew his capacity, how much he could take before the alcohol would get the better of him. He knew she did not.
"So, what do you say? A little friendly game of drinks."
"You're on," and somehow, she knew she would regret those words later.
Kiara’s eyes darted back and forth between her teammates as the challenge hung in the air between them. She had a feeling she knew how this was going to go—Rika seemed unable to back down from a challenge when it was issued by Haki specifically. It was almost like a sibling rivalry, only they weren’t actually related. Sure enough, the challenge was accepted, and suddenly it looked like it was her turn to decide. She’d had exactly no alcohol in her life, except for the one time she’d tried a sip from her father’s cup. It had tasted horrible and put her right off the stuff, but maybe that was just Water Tribe alcohol? They were known for very strong, clear spirits, made from potatoes and suchlike imported from the northern edge of the Earth Kingdom. Perhaps this kind would taste better?
It seemed like it was worth a try, anyway. “I’m in, too!” she declared, taking one of the little cups arranged at the center of the table. Apparently one of the biggest perks of this so-called Red Festival was very inexpensive drinks. The others were the dancing and the fireworks at the end, if she’d heard the explanation properly. Seemed like she might as well get the full benefit of participating, even if it was only once.
Three pairs of eyes swung to Fang, who was sitting reclined, his arms crossed over his chest. At first, he was inclined to decline, but then he realized that his alcohol tolerance probably exceeded the combined limits of all three of them… twice, unless he was misjudging Haki a bit, so in the end, he nodded his consent, unconcerned with the remote possibility of becoming intoxicated tonight. They’d probably forget the contest halfway through, anyway, because he was willing to bet neither of the females had done much drinking before. This ought to be… interesting.
The taste of the drinks had burned the back of Rika's throat as she consumed one after the other. Perhaps it was the speed at which she drank them, or perhaps the quantity (she couldn't tell by this point), but the area in which they sat was beginning to spin. Her eyes focused in and out, and she had to lay both of her hands flat against the table. There was a light buzzing feeling through her system, and she felt almost dizzy, however; she could feel the warmth of her face, and the warmth of the liquid still coursing through her throat.
Haki, however, had taken his time consuming his drinks, watching on as Rika downed her fifth one in a matter of minutes. She was going to be sick tomorrow, he knew that for sure. She drank them too fast, and wasn't paying any mind to it either. His lips only pulled tightly into a smirk at that. He had a tolerance to the drinks, however; glancing over towards Fang, there was something that spoke to him, something that said that he too would lose this game to the longer haired man. Not that he really minded, he just wanted to see how long it took before Rika and Kiara succumbed to the woes of being...intoxicated.
"You are going to hurt yourself if you don't slow down, Lotus," he spoke, raising a brow when she slammed the small cup down on the table. "Or one of us," he murmured lightly, amusement laced in his voice as he began his fourth cup. Rika beckoned for another one, and he merely shook his head. Perhaps it wasn't the best of challenges to issue for her. As she reached for her cup, Rika's eyes widened slightly as she felt her chair give way. She hadn't realized she was leaning on it with her knees, and as she fell with her chair, a sharp gasp followed by laughter pierced the air."I think that Lotus may have had enough for the night?" he questioned.
"And let you win? I d...don..n't think so!" she stuttered out, trying to find her feet in the process. She tilted her head slightly as the sound of music entered her senses, and a large grin pulled at her face. A light hue of pink tainted her face as she grabbed Kiara's arm "Let's dance!" she stated, suddenly feeling very bold in the process. It wasn't more than a few hours ago that she told Fang that she couldn't dance, and here she was trying to dance with Kiara. And failing miserably so. There was a person (perhaps two) that had at least been smacked in the face by a careless throw of her arm, or their toes squished by a misstep of her foot. Haki merely shook his head, the smile still plaguing his lips.
Kiara was taking things a little more moderately, more or less keeping pace with Haki and Fang, who seemed to be the more experienced drinkers. Still, slower or not, her world was beginning to fuzz a bit at the edges, and she had the funniest light sensation in her head, like she was floating or something. With a giggle, she bent the reddish liquid out of her cup and twined it into fluid streams in a complex pattern over the table. This was even funnier, of course. “Look!” she exclaimed, eyes alight with excitement, “I’m a winebender!”
Fang sighed, just a little, through his nose. He’d spent so many nights of his misspent youth doing precisely this kind of thing that he wasn’t even phased by the truly absurd things they were doing. Of course, it helped that more or less the rest of the crowd was just as drunk as Rika and the winebender, or rapidly getting there. The world had yet to look any different to him, but then, he’d won many such contests before, and against much more formidable opponents than two first-timers and someone who clearly only really desired to amuse himself with their antics. He wouldn’t call the entirety of the experience unpleasant, but it was certainly peculiar.
Kiara burst into another round of giggles when Rika fell over in her chair, and Fang leaned down and peered under the table to be sure she hadn’t injured herself, and, shaking his head faintly, returned upright when he’d ascertained that she was fine. Really, they were something else. The other girl seemed to have no protests when she was dragged out onto the dancefloor, and they might have been unfortunately bad at dancing, were everyone else not in similar states. He’d be surprised if they were both uninjured in the morning, even excluding the hangovers they were going to get. At least Kiara’s natural fluidity kept her from the worst of the ungainliness; an earthbender had no such natural advantage, and the pair of them together were as bad as any other.
“They will regret this, tomorrow,” he said to Haki, apparently offhandedly. “And I suspect that at least one of them will seek her retribution on you.”
"And that is where you are correct. She will, and I know she will," Haki replied casually, taking another drink from his glass before setting the empty container down. "But she needs it. She doesn't get out often to enjoy herself, and she needs to see that there is more out there for her. A majority of her life here in the city was always the shop, and now it's her team," he spoke, lacing his hands together before leaning on the table with them. He had known Rika ever since she moved to Republic City, and it was something he had noted over time. She hardly went out, hardly did anything other than care for her shop. Now with her team, with them, she followed pretty much the same routine.
"So it'll be worth it. At least Turtle-Duck doesn't have much to worry about," he spoke, a light smile playing his lips as he watched the two girls dancing. They were making fools of themselves, but they didn't seem to mind. Rika had smacked her fourth victim by the time the music was finished, and all four victims sported red hand marks on their faces. Of course, if they had all not been drunk, it might have caused problems for them, however; they were all having a good time. Or at least Rika was. She waddled back over towards the table, Kiara laced in her arms as she sat down.
"Alright...wha...at...what is...next," she tried to state, laughing through the fits of hiccups she was currently assaulted with. Whether the pink of her face was from how much she had to drink, or from the short embarrassment she was experiencing due to the hiccups, it was hard to tell.
Between the two of them, there was an awful lot of laughter, and Fang arched a well-formed brow as they both more or less careened back into their seats. Or rather—a seat, as Rika’s grip on Kiara ensured that the other girl wound up on her lap rather than in her own chair. “Somehow, I am unsurprised,” he replied to Haki. It was indeed quite clear that Rika didn’t get out much, just as it was painfully obvious that Kiara was not a city girl.
“Fireworks,” he replied to their inquiry, throwing back three drinks in quick succession to officially put himself well over the total any of the rest of them had consumed. He stood thereafter, gesturing with a tilt of his head for them to follow him. Assisting the inebriated ones as needed, he managed to get everyone to a small, grassy slope with a mostly unobstructed view of the harbor, over which the fireworks show was just beginning. This had always been his favorite part of the whole thing, when he’d bothered to think about such things. Settling himself in the grass, he laid back, and indicated with a languid gesture that they should all do the same.
The grass was soft, and the angle of the slope was perfectly suited for watching the show. As the bursts of color and light illuminated the sky, he recalled that the last time he had seen these had been with her. For the first time, the thought of her was not enough to cause him agony he found unbearable. Though the pain was still present, he found himself able to see what was before him, and dull the ache inside his chest. He did not smile—he believed himself to be incapable of that any longer. But he did not frown, either, and for something that reminded him of her, that was really something.
"It really isn't all that surprising," Haki replied, his eyes traveling to the two girls who were still laughing. Rika's eyes brightened immediately at the word 'fireworks'. Immediately, she was back up, taking Kiara with her as they all made their way outside. She had taken to leaning on Kiara, occasionally being helped by Fang and Haki as the four of them made their way towards a rather soft slope, and Rika somehow found herself between Fang and Kiara with Haki on the other side of Kiara. The fireworks began shortly after, and Rika ooed and awed over them. It was then that she felt her eyes drifting heavily, and fighting to keep them open was proving to be difficult.
She turned to her side, eyes closed, and reached for the closest arm to her, pulling herself closer as she fell into a light slumber. Haki, on the other hand, rose a brow and tried his best to not laugh. He glanced towards Kiara, watching with light amusement before turning his eyes back towards the show. This was proving to be a really interesting night. A part of him almost couldn't wait till the next festival that was to come about. Though the next one wasn't until two months from now, he was going to enjoy this moment with his friends.
Kiara was already half-asleep by the time her arm was seized, and honestly, she wouldn’t have minded even if she wasn’t. It was custom for families to sleep in the same room and very close together, especially in winters at the North Pole, so that they didn’t freeze to death. While that tended to abate a bit when children came of age, she was still quite used to it, and as a result, instinctively threw an arm around Rika’s waist, curling in close to the other girl as the fireworks died off. She, too, fell asleep, and so when Fang sat up and glanced over them towards the other male, he sighed.
“Care to assist with the extraction? We should probably make sure they make it to their own homes.” As little as he liked to think about it, he knew that there was always a danger, especially on nights like this one, that someone would take advantage of the women’s states of inebriation. Unpleasant, but true—he would know, having seen many of the seedier parts of the city himself. It had always left him with a bad taste in his mouth, and the effort it would take to ensure that they remained safe was well worth it.
Haki contemplated the situation as he watched the two girls curl into each other. For a moment, he would have advised staying the night outside, however; that could prove to be a little dangerous. Even he knew that. "I don't know if we'll be able to. Rika's grip is like iron," he stated with a light chuckle, however; he stood nonetheless and bent down, grasping Kiara's arm gently and tugged at it, waiting for her to release Rika. To his amusement, the moment Kiara's arm released Rika's, Lotus clamped onto the nearest object for the lack of warmth and tried to find it again.
"Well, isn't that a predicament," he stated, laughter laced in his tone as he stared at Fang. "She doesn't live much further from the tea shop," he spoke, giving Fang the directions to Rika's home as the girl decided to clamp onto the other male. He knew where Kiara lived, as she knew where they lived. Being part of the same team often called for moments to get together for little things such as strategy, practice, or just to be in each other's company, something he was beginning to enjoy more often. "I'll see to Turtle-Duck here," he spoke, gently lifting Kiara so that she was cradled in his arms.
But there it was, that stubborn side of her that just refused to be beaten, at least by him. Haki's grin merely grew as he studied Rika's face. He knew she wouldn't be able to say no, especially since it was he who suggested it. Now if it had been Kiara or Fang (though that was highly unlikely), she might have declined. But there was an understanding between he and Rika. Whatever he suggested, she would always agree just to prove him wrong or just to beat him. This game was no different, however; he knew his capacity, how much he could take before the alcohol would get the better of him. He knew she did not.
"So, what do you say? A little friendly game of drinks."
"You're on," and somehow, she knew she would regret those words later.
Kiara’s eyes darted back and forth between her teammates as the challenge hung in the air between them. She had a feeling she knew how this was going to go—Rika seemed unable to back down from a challenge when it was issued by Haki specifically. It was almost like a sibling rivalry, only they weren’t actually related. Sure enough, the challenge was accepted, and suddenly it looked like it was her turn to decide. She’d had exactly no alcohol in her life, except for the one time she’d tried a sip from her father’s cup. It had tasted horrible and put her right off the stuff, but maybe that was just Water Tribe alcohol? They were known for very strong, clear spirits, made from potatoes and suchlike imported from the northern edge of the Earth Kingdom. Perhaps this kind would taste better?
It seemed like it was worth a try, anyway. “I’m in, too!” she declared, taking one of the little cups arranged at the center of the table. Apparently one of the biggest perks of this so-called Red Festival was very inexpensive drinks. The others were the dancing and the fireworks at the end, if she’d heard the explanation properly. Seemed like she might as well get the full benefit of participating, even if it was only once.
Three pairs of eyes swung to Fang, who was sitting reclined, his arms crossed over his chest. At first, he was inclined to decline, but then he realized that his alcohol tolerance probably exceeded the combined limits of all three of them… twice, unless he was misjudging Haki a bit, so in the end, he nodded his consent, unconcerned with the remote possibility of becoming intoxicated tonight. They’d probably forget the contest halfway through, anyway, because he was willing to bet neither of the females had done much drinking before. This ought to be… interesting.
The taste of the drinks had burned the back of Rika's throat as she consumed one after the other. Perhaps it was the speed at which she drank them, or perhaps the quantity (she couldn't tell by this point), but the area in which they sat was beginning to spin. Her eyes focused in and out, and she had to lay both of her hands flat against the table. There was a light buzzing feeling through her system, and she felt almost dizzy, however; she could feel the warmth of her face, and the warmth of the liquid still coursing through her throat.
Haki, however, had taken his time consuming his drinks, watching on as Rika downed her fifth one in a matter of minutes. She was going to be sick tomorrow, he knew that for sure. She drank them too fast, and wasn't paying any mind to it either. His lips only pulled tightly into a smirk at that. He had a tolerance to the drinks, however; glancing over towards Fang, there was something that spoke to him, something that said that he too would lose this game to the longer haired man. Not that he really minded, he just wanted to see how long it took before Rika and Kiara succumbed to the woes of being...intoxicated.
"You are going to hurt yourself if you don't slow down, Lotus," he spoke, raising a brow when she slammed the small cup down on the table. "Or one of us," he murmured lightly, amusement laced in his voice as he began his fourth cup. Rika beckoned for another one, and he merely shook his head. Perhaps it wasn't the best of challenges to issue for her. As she reached for her cup, Rika's eyes widened slightly as she felt her chair give way. She hadn't realized she was leaning on it with her knees, and as she fell with her chair, a sharp gasp followed by laughter pierced the air."I think that Lotus may have had enough for the night?" he questioned.
"And let you win? I d...don..n't think so!" she stuttered out, trying to find her feet in the process. She tilted her head slightly as the sound of music entered her senses, and a large grin pulled at her face. A light hue of pink tainted her face as she grabbed Kiara's arm "Let's dance!" she stated, suddenly feeling very bold in the process. It wasn't more than a few hours ago that she told Fang that she couldn't dance, and here she was trying to dance with Kiara. And failing miserably so. There was a person (perhaps two) that had at least been smacked in the face by a careless throw of her arm, or their toes squished by a misstep of her foot. Haki merely shook his head, the smile still plaguing his lips.
Kiara was taking things a little more moderately, more or less keeping pace with Haki and Fang, who seemed to be the more experienced drinkers. Still, slower or not, her world was beginning to fuzz a bit at the edges, and she had the funniest light sensation in her head, like she was floating or something. With a giggle, she bent the reddish liquid out of her cup and twined it into fluid streams in a complex pattern over the table. This was even funnier, of course. “Look!” she exclaimed, eyes alight with excitement, “I’m a winebender!”
Fang sighed, just a little, through his nose. He’d spent so many nights of his misspent youth doing precisely this kind of thing that he wasn’t even phased by the truly absurd things they were doing. Of course, it helped that more or less the rest of the crowd was just as drunk as Rika and the winebender, or rapidly getting there. The world had yet to look any different to him, but then, he’d won many such contests before, and against much more formidable opponents than two first-timers and someone who clearly only really desired to amuse himself with their antics. He wouldn’t call the entirety of the experience unpleasant, but it was certainly peculiar.
Kiara burst into another round of giggles when Rika fell over in her chair, and Fang leaned down and peered under the table to be sure she hadn’t injured herself, and, shaking his head faintly, returned upright when he’d ascertained that she was fine. Really, they were something else. The other girl seemed to have no protests when she was dragged out onto the dancefloor, and they might have been unfortunately bad at dancing, were everyone else not in similar states. He’d be surprised if they were both uninjured in the morning, even excluding the hangovers they were going to get. At least Kiara’s natural fluidity kept her from the worst of the ungainliness; an earthbender had no such natural advantage, and the pair of them together were as bad as any other.
“They will regret this, tomorrow,” he said to Haki, apparently offhandedly. “And I suspect that at least one of them will seek her retribution on you.”
"And that is where you are correct. She will, and I know she will," Haki replied casually, taking another drink from his glass before setting the empty container down. "But she needs it. She doesn't get out often to enjoy herself, and she needs to see that there is more out there for her. A majority of her life here in the city was always the shop, and now it's her team," he spoke, lacing his hands together before leaning on the table with them. He had known Rika ever since she moved to Republic City, and it was something he had noted over time. She hardly went out, hardly did anything other than care for her shop. Now with her team, with them, she followed pretty much the same routine.
"So it'll be worth it. At least Turtle-Duck doesn't have much to worry about," he spoke, a light smile playing his lips as he watched the two girls dancing. They were making fools of themselves, but they didn't seem to mind. Rika had smacked her fourth victim by the time the music was finished, and all four victims sported red hand marks on their faces. Of course, if they had all not been drunk, it might have caused problems for them, however; they were all having a good time. Or at least Rika was. She waddled back over towards the table, Kiara laced in her arms as she sat down.
"Alright...wha...at...what is...next," she tried to state, laughing through the fits of hiccups she was currently assaulted with. Whether the pink of her face was from how much she had to drink, or from the short embarrassment she was experiencing due to the hiccups, it was hard to tell.
Between the two of them, there was an awful lot of laughter, and Fang arched a well-formed brow as they both more or less careened back into their seats. Or rather—a seat, as Rika’s grip on Kiara ensured that the other girl wound up on her lap rather than in her own chair. “Somehow, I am unsurprised,” he replied to Haki. It was indeed quite clear that Rika didn’t get out much, just as it was painfully obvious that Kiara was not a city girl.
“Fireworks,” he replied to their inquiry, throwing back three drinks in quick succession to officially put himself well over the total any of the rest of them had consumed. He stood thereafter, gesturing with a tilt of his head for them to follow him. Assisting the inebriated ones as needed, he managed to get everyone to a small, grassy slope with a mostly unobstructed view of the harbor, over which the fireworks show was just beginning. This had always been his favorite part of the whole thing, when he’d bothered to think about such things. Settling himself in the grass, he laid back, and indicated with a languid gesture that they should all do the same.
The grass was soft, and the angle of the slope was perfectly suited for watching the show. As the bursts of color and light illuminated the sky, he recalled that the last time he had seen these had been with her. For the first time, the thought of her was not enough to cause him agony he found unbearable. Though the pain was still present, he found himself able to see what was before him, and dull the ache inside his chest. He did not smile—he believed himself to be incapable of that any longer. But he did not frown, either, and for something that reminded him of her, that was really something.
"It really isn't all that surprising," Haki replied, his eyes traveling to the two girls who were still laughing. Rika's eyes brightened immediately at the word 'fireworks'. Immediately, she was back up, taking Kiara with her as they all made their way outside. She had taken to leaning on Kiara, occasionally being helped by Fang and Haki as the four of them made their way towards a rather soft slope, and Rika somehow found herself between Fang and Kiara with Haki on the other side of Kiara. The fireworks began shortly after, and Rika ooed and awed over them. It was then that she felt her eyes drifting heavily, and fighting to keep them open was proving to be difficult.
She turned to her side, eyes closed, and reached for the closest arm to her, pulling herself closer as she fell into a light slumber. Haki, on the other hand, rose a brow and tried his best to not laugh. He glanced towards Kiara, watching with light amusement before turning his eyes back towards the show. This was proving to be a really interesting night. A part of him almost couldn't wait till the next festival that was to come about. Though the next one wasn't until two months from now, he was going to enjoy this moment with his friends.
Kiara was already half-asleep by the time her arm was seized, and honestly, she wouldn’t have minded even if she wasn’t. It was custom for families to sleep in the same room and very close together, especially in winters at the North Pole, so that they didn’t freeze to death. While that tended to abate a bit when children came of age, she was still quite used to it, and as a result, instinctively threw an arm around Rika’s waist, curling in close to the other girl as the fireworks died off. She, too, fell asleep, and so when Fang sat up and glanced over them towards the other male, he sighed.
“Care to assist with the extraction? We should probably make sure they make it to their own homes.” As little as he liked to think about it, he knew that there was always a danger, especially on nights like this one, that someone would take advantage of the women’s states of inebriation. Unpleasant, but true—he would know, having seen many of the seedier parts of the city himself. It had always left him with a bad taste in his mouth, and the effort it would take to ensure that they remained safe was well worth it.
Haki contemplated the situation as he watched the two girls curl into each other. For a moment, he would have advised staying the night outside, however; that could prove to be a little dangerous. Even he knew that. "I don't know if we'll be able to. Rika's grip is like iron," he stated with a light chuckle, however; he stood nonetheless and bent down, grasping Kiara's arm gently and tugged at it, waiting for her to release Rika. To his amusement, the moment Kiara's arm released Rika's, Lotus clamped onto the nearest object for the lack of warmth and tried to find it again.
"Well, isn't that a predicament," he stated, laughter laced in his tone as he stared at Fang. "She doesn't live much further from the tea shop," he spoke, giving Fang the directions to Rika's home as the girl decided to clamp onto the other male. He knew where Kiara lived, as she knew where they lived. Being part of the same team often called for moments to get together for little things such as strategy, practice, or just to be in each other's company, something he was beginning to enjoy more often. "I'll see to Turtle-Duck here," he spoke, gently lifting Kiara so that she was cradled in his arms.
Winter was full upon Republic City now, and though it was nowhere near as cold as Kiara was used to at the North Pole, it was nevertheless pleasant to her, and she’d reverted to the long-sleeved garments with which she was more familiar, though she stayed away from blue, and these days tended towards red, green, or purple instead. The Otter-Penguins were having a great season, and had so far won two more probending matches. The first had been against another completely rookie team, and the ease with which they’d won had made them almost overconfident for the next one, which in the end had been a skin-of their teeth victory over probending veterans. The last moments had been quite thrilling actually—Haki had been the only one left, pushed to the outermost part of the arena, and had successfully managed to knock their waterbender from his own outer ring, but also the opposing earthbender from her second.
Her heart had been in her throat the entire time, but thanks to their efforts, they were now getting somewhat noticed. Nobody but the most diehard probending fan recognized them in the street or anything, but she had been stopped by a young girl the other day and asked to sign something. It was a pretty surreal feeling, honestly.
The season was on a break for a few weeks, though, so while they still practiced as hard as ever, they had weekends to spend as they liked. This particular morning, Kiara and Fang were both in need of new groceries, which put them in the markets, bargaining with merchants. It was something new to her, and Fang had had to teach her not to accept the initial price on anything, because it was always far more than the item was worth. Trying to get the haggling thing down was hard, but she found that if she smiled more yet remained firm in her insistence, she usually got her way. She had no idea how Fang managed with his completely placid expression, but his initial asking prices were always lower than hers. Maybe they were a little intimidated by him?
Whatever the case, she’d done her best to make it up to him by teaching him about different varieties of coldwater fish, and what they were typically used for. She also tried to cook him a meal once a week, because he really was making it easier for her to adjust to life here. She wouldn’t have minded pooling their food resources and money and cooking for him every day, but he kept such odd hours that he could only guarantee his presence at a regular mealtime once a week. She’d realized during the course of this conversation that she had no idea what Fang did, but his response to her inquiry had only been to shrug and say that he worked security for a private business of some kind. She supposed that made him a bodyguard, which was something she could see him doing, really. Who else would carry a pair of swords around everywhere? Well, actually… quite a few people did that sort of thing around here.
At her request, the two were taking a short break, sitting on a large bench in a small park area off the road from the markets. She was inclined to enjoy the winter air, and he didn’t seem to mind it, either, though he was wearing considerably many more layers than she was. “You think it’ll snow soon?” she asked, a thread of excitement lacing her voice. She loved the snow. His reply was a noncommittal hum, but she was all right with that.
It was only then that the first sounds of a disturbance reached them, and Kiara stood, trying to discern what was going on. “Is that… it’s coming from the markets.” Matters were made more urgent when a small explosion went off, sending the debris of a vegetable cart raining down on the nearby area.
“Firebending Triad,” Fang said shortly, reaching back to draw one of his blades. Kiara wasn’t so sure they should fight, but… there were innocent people and merchants in there—they had to do something. So, leaving her groceries behind, she followed her friend into the fray.
Rika hummed a busy tune to herself. She smiled, greeted people as they came into the shop, and offered suggestions when asked. Haki had appeared not more than ten minutes into her shift, and now three hours later, was still sitting in the same chair sipping the same tea. He was lucky, he could just keep the tea the same temperature without ever having to reheat it and prepare a new batch. She had resisted to roll her eyes at him as he raised the cup to her, catching her gaze with his as a faint smirk tugged at his lips. Their team was becoming recognized, something that had caused Rika's heart to literally feel like it would leap from her chest at all the excitement.
Though they were far from being known, their team was still being recognized during the matches. Currently, they were in an off-season, however; they still trained when they could. Haki had taken his old position back at the bank, worming his way so that he basically made his own schedule and times he wanted to work, while Rika returned to helping Chan and Wei with the shop. It was a different sort of pace, one that she almost missed. She sighed softly, pushing back a brown lock before blinking at Chan. The old woman pursed her lips together, shaking a wrinkled finger in Rika's face in the process. Blinking slowly, the information finally settled in, and she shot Haki a glance.
"Alright, I'll go get those things now," she replied, taking the list from Chan as Haki stood from his chair, downing the last of his tea in a rather, elegant manner before falling into step with her. He took the list from her hands, causing her to frown as he assessed the merchandise. "If you wanted to see it, you could have asked. It's rude taking things without asking first," she stated, snatching the list back from his hands, causing a deep chuckle to escape him. He merely tilted his head, feigning a mocked hurt look and shook his head.
"And pray tell why I would ask if I could just take? You can find most of those things down at the market if you want to make just one stop," he spoke, rubbing his shoulder softly as Rika punched him. "You know, if you keep abusing me like this, people will start to think we have something," he spoke, a hint of amusement laced in his tone. Rika pursed her lips together, furrowing her brows as she stared at him. "We can't have that now can we?" he continued, watching as her face turned a bright pink color. He laughed, twisting so that he missed her on-coming fist, however; the smile disappeared from his face when he followed the solemn look upon Rika's.
There was a small explosion, and Haki's usually carefree expression, hardened. It was none of their business, but...he glanced down at Rika and noted the worried expression on her face. "Haki," was the only word Rika formed before he nodded, running behind her as they headed towards the fire. Once they reached their, Rika's eyes zoomed in on two familiar faces: Kiara and Fang. What were they doing there? She shook the question from her head, now was not the time for such petty things. Immediately, Haki set work to trying to control the flames, bending them and managing some down to lower levels. Rika began smothering more of the ones that escaped Haki, keeping them from spreading further. What was going on?
There was a lot of fire, and not really enough water around to put them all out. Kiara frowned, bending everything she could out of a nearby park fountain, coiling it into a thick whip that circled around her as a snake would while she tried to figure out what to do with it. Fang had disappeared, though she was certain he was still somewhere nearby. It wasn’t until she gathered her bearings enough to look down the street that she spotted Haki and Rika racing towards the scene, and a small smile flickered over her face before disappearing again. This was good news, but if Fang was right and this was a Triad attack, then… surely it wasn’t over already?
She’d never known of such a thing to happen in broad daylight before, and she’d certainly never encountered anything of the sort, even in the dark. In fact, her night walks through the city had always been uneventful and entirely without incident. She was beginning to realize that she might be extraordinarily lucky for that, if something like this could happen in the middle of the morning. Whatever the case, they had to focus on minimizing the damage and getting the civilians out of there. “You!” she shouted to a merchant, currently bailing a bucket of water over his flaming cart, “Go find the police, I’ll take care of that!” The massive tendril of water spinning around her must have convinced him, because he was running as fast as his legs could carry him afterwards.
“All the rest of you, clear out! Get to safety! This way!” She pointed down the route that led to the park, which she knew was clear because she’d just come down it the other way. Whether it was because they saw the wisdom in the idea or just because they reacted to the certainty and touch of authority in her voice, she didn’t know, but they obeyed, a few grabbing hold of slower arms or scooping up children or the elderly in their arms and making a break for it. Kiara ran further in, seeking her friends again, but the first person she ran into was unfortunately not a friend, wearing the black-and-red of the Firebending Triad, and, perhaps because of the fact that she was obviously a waterbender, the man asked no questions before he simply attacked, slinging a fistful of flames in her direction.
On reflex, beaten into her by countless hours of probending training, Kiara bent backwards without losing her footing, snapping back upright and lashing the water whip she carried into his face, freezing the top of it and effectively smashing an ice hammer into his temple. It was not a typical waterbending approach maybe, but it was inspired by Rika, and it produced the desired effect, rendering him unconscious. Hopping over his prone form, she spotted Haki trying to put out some fires and figured she could assist. “Hey,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “If you can make the flames as small as possible, I can put them out. Careful—there’s at least one Triad around.”
The fire was raging, something that caused Haki to frown. He could only contain so many of the flames, and Rika was trying her hardest to flip the earth to smother out the ones that escaped. There was only so much earth she could flip without destroying something else, however; he was very tempted to tell her to do it anyways. They could rebuild, but the lives that would be lost if the fire wasn't contained, could not be. He frowned, his eyes focusing back onto the flames as they began to flicker and grow. The air was only feeding them, causing them to grow bigger in size. They didn't need that to happen, they needed to contain it. Where was the fire department when they needed it?
His attention was garnered by Kiara, a small smile tilting the corners of his lips as she spoke. "Triad? They were behind this?" Haki stated, giving Kiara a quizzical look before he situated himself to contain more of the flames. He did as Kiara stated, moving the flames so that they were reduced significantly. Rika, however, had moved to the other side, trying to contain her own flames as they were quickly spreading. She pursed her lips together, molding the earth so that it flattened out another bout of flames that appeared. She turned her attention towards Haki, spotting Kiara in the process as she stated something.
She couldn't hear exactly what Kiara stated, however; she had to react quickly. "Haki!" she nearly shouted, moving and twisting her body so that she managed to push a large column of earth between him and a fireball aimed straight for his head. He turned in time to spot the earth separating him and a fireball, his eyes narrowing slightly as he dispersed more of the flames. "What are they doing here?" Rika stated, rolling another mound of dirt over the last of the small flames. It made no sense why they attacked, however; their attacks always made no sense.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling we are about to find out soon enough," he stated, his eyes glancing around them, as if anticipating his opponents next move. And it came just as swiftly as the first. "Move!" he stated, dragging Kiara and Rika down with him as a large wall of flame came towards them. It passed over head, barely grazing them as he pushed them to either side. There was another ball of flames coming towards them when they had ducked, and had he not pushed them to the side, they would have been caught by the second wave of flames.
Rika rolled to the side, her anger being subsided temporarily when the wave of fire came towards them and barely missed. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to find the ones responsible. She could do that, but there was too much going about, and she wouldn't be able to pinpoint their location. Instead, she shifted lightly and continued to gaze through the flames. When another ball of fire came towards her, she managed to twist out of the way, tracing the trajectory back towards its firebender, and immediately she set to work with her earth. She couldn't tell how many there were, but she knew there was more than two. There had to be.
"Not exactly how I would advise we keep up practice, but a little help never hurt," he spoke, referring to the current fight. "Though I will admit, it's like fighting amateurs," he spoke, tilting his head so that he barely missed being hit by a rock, aimed for the center of the forehead of a Triad member. He was knocked back a bit as Haki nodded towards Rika. She was having at it with her own Triad member. What could they have possibly gained by trying to blow up the market?
Her heart had been in her throat the entire time, but thanks to their efforts, they were now getting somewhat noticed. Nobody but the most diehard probending fan recognized them in the street or anything, but she had been stopped by a young girl the other day and asked to sign something. It was a pretty surreal feeling, honestly.
The season was on a break for a few weeks, though, so while they still practiced as hard as ever, they had weekends to spend as they liked. This particular morning, Kiara and Fang were both in need of new groceries, which put them in the markets, bargaining with merchants. It was something new to her, and Fang had had to teach her not to accept the initial price on anything, because it was always far more than the item was worth. Trying to get the haggling thing down was hard, but she found that if she smiled more yet remained firm in her insistence, she usually got her way. She had no idea how Fang managed with his completely placid expression, but his initial asking prices were always lower than hers. Maybe they were a little intimidated by him?
Whatever the case, she’d done her best to make it up to him by teaching him about different varieties of coldwater fish, and what they were typically used for. She also tried to cook him a meal once a week, because he really was making it easier for her to adjust to life here. She wouldn’t have minded pooling their food resources and money and cooking for him every day, but he kept such odd hours that he could only guarantee his presence at a regular mealtime once a week. She’d realized during the course of this conversation that she had no idea what Fang did, but his response to her inquiry had only been to shrug and say that he worked security for a private business of some kind. She supposed that made him a bodyguard, which was something she could see him doing, really. Who else would carry a pair of swords around everywhere? Well, actually… quite a few people did that sort of thing around here.
At her request, the two were taking a short break, sitting on a large bench in a small park area off the road from the markets. She was inclined to enjoy the winter air, and he didn’t seem to mind it, either, though he was wearing considerably many more layers than she was. “You think it’ll snow soon?” she asked, a thread of excitement lacing her voice. She loved the snow. His reply was a noncommittal hum, but she was all right with that.
It was only then that the first sounds of a disturbance reached them, and Kiara stood, trying to discern what was going on. “Is that… it’s coming from the markets.” Matters were made more urgent when a small explosion went off, sending the debris of a vegetable cart raining down on the nearby area.
“Firebending Triad,” Fang said shortly, reaching back to draw one of his blades. Kiara wasn’t so sure they should fight, but… there were innocent people and merchants in there—they had to do something. So, leaving her groceries behind, she followed her friend into the fray.
Rika hummed a busy tune to herself. She smiled, greeted people as they came into the shop, and offered suggestions when asked. Haki had appeared not more than ten minutes into her shift, and now three hours later, was still sitting in the same chair sipping the same tea. He was lucky, he could just keep the tea the same temperature without ever having to reheat it and prepare a new batch. She had resisted to roll her eyes at him as he raised the cup to her, catching her gaze with his as a faint smirk tugged at his lips. Their team was becoming recognized, something that had caused Rika's heart to literally feel like it would leap from her chest at all the excitement.
Though they were far from being known, their team was still being recognized during the matches. Currently, they were in an off-season, however; they still trained when they could. Haki had taken his old position back at the bank, worming his way so that he basically made his own schedule and times he wanted to work, while Rika returned to helping Chan and Wei with the shop. It was a different sort of pace, one that she almost missed. She sighed softly, pushing back a brown lock before blinking at Chan. The old woman pursed her lips together, shaking a wrinkled finger in Rika's face in the process. Blinking slowly, the information finally settled in, and she shot Haki a glance.
"Alright, I'll go get those things now," she replied, taking the list from Chan as Haki stood from his chair, downing the last of his tea in a rather, elegant manner before falling into step with her. He took the list from her hands, causing her to frown as he assessed the merchandise. "If you wanted to see it, you could have asked. It's rude taking things without asking first," she stated, snatching the list back from his hands, causing a deep chuckle to escape him. He merely tilted his head, feigning a mocked hurt look and shook his head.
"And pray tell why I would ask if I could just take? You can find most of those things down at the market if you want to make just one stop," he spoke, rubbing his shoulder softly as Rika punched him. "You know, if you keep abusing me like this, people will start to think we have something," he spoke, a hint of amusement laced in his tone. Rika pursed her lips together, furrowing her brows as she stared at him. "We can't have that now can we?" he continued, watching as her face turned a bright pink color. He laughed, twisting so that he missed her on-coming fist, however; the smile disappeared from his face when he followed the solemn look upon Rika's.
There was a small explosion, and Haki's usually carefree expression, hardened. It was none of their business, but...he glanced down at Rika and noted the worried expression on her face. "Haki," was the only word Rika formed before he nodded, running behind her as they headed towards the fire. Once they reached their, Rika's eyes zoomed in on two familiar faces: Kiara and Fang. What were they doing there? She shook the question from her head, now was not the time for such petty things. Immediately, Haki set work to trying to control the flames, bending them and managing some down to lower levels. Rika began smothering more of the ones that escaped Haki, keeping them from spreading further. What was going on?
There was a lot of fire, and not really enough water around to put them all out. Kiara frowned, bending everything she could out of a nearby park fountain, coiling it into a thick whip that circled around her as a snake would while she tried to figure out what to do with it. Fang had disappeared, though she was certain he was still somewhere nearby. It wasn’t until she gathered her bearings enough to look down the street that she spotted Haki and Rika racing towards the scene, and a small smile flickered over her face before disappearing again. This was good news, but if Fang was right and this was a Triad attack, then… surely it wasn’t over already?
She’d never known of such a thing to happen in broad daylight before, and she’d certainly never encountered anything of the sort, even in the dark. In fact, her night walks through the city had always been uneventful and entirely without incident. She was beginning to realize that she might be extraordinarily lucky for that, if something like this could happen in the middle of the morning. Whatever the case, they had to focus on minimizing the damage and getting the civilians out of there. “You!” she shouted to a merchant, currently bailing a bucket of water over his flaming cart, “Go find the police, I’ll take care of that!” The massive tendril of water spinning around her must have convinced him, because he was running as fast as his legs could carry him afterwards.
“All the rest of you, clear out! Get to safety! This way!” She pointed down the route that led to the park, which she knew was clear because she’d just come down it the other way. Whether it was because they saw the wisdom in the idea or just because they reacted to the certainty and touch of authority in her voice, she didn’t know, but they obeyed, a few grabbing hold of slower arms or scooping up children or the elderly in their arms and making a break for it. Kiara ran further in, seeking her friends again, but the first person she ran into was unfortunately not a friend, wearing the black-and-red of the Firebending Triad, and, perhaps because of the fact that she was obviously a waterbender, the man asked no questions before he simply attacked, slinging a fistful of flames in her direction.
On reflex, beaten into her by countless hours of probending training, Kiara bent backwards without losing her footing, snapping back upright and lashing the water whip she carried into his face, freezing the top of it and effectively smashing an ice hammer into his temple. It was not a typical waterbending approach maybe, but it was inspired by Rika, and it produced the desired effect, rendering him unconscious. Hopping over his prone form, she spotted Haki trying to put out some fires and figured she could assist. “Hey,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “If you can make the flames as small as possible, I can put them out. Careful—there’s at least one Triad around.”
The fire was raging, something that caused Haki to frown. He could only contain so many of the flames, and Rika was trying her hardest to flip the earth to smother out the ones that escaped. There was only so much earth she could flip without destroying something else, however; he was very tempted to tell her to do it anyways. They could rebuild, but the lives that would be lost if the fire wasn't contained, could not be. He frowned, his eyes focusing back onto the flames as they began to flicker and grow. The air was only feeding them, causing them to grow bigger in size. They didn't need that to happen, they needed to contain it. Where was the fire department when they needed it?
His attention was garnered by Kiara, a small smile tilting the corners of his lips as she spoke. "Triad? They were behind this?" Haki stated, giving Kiara a quizzical look before he situated himself to contain more of the flames. He did as Kiara stated, moving the flames so that they were reduced significantly. Rika, however, had moved to the other side, trying to contain her own flames as they were quickly spreading. She pursed her lips together, molding the earth so that it flattened out another bout of flames that appeared. She turned her attention towards Haki, spotting Kiara in the process as she stated something.
She couldn't hear exactly what Kiara stated, however; she had to react quickly. "Haki!" she nearly shouted, moving and twisting her body so that she managed to push a large column of earth between him and a fireball aimed straight for his head. He turned in time to spot the earth separating him and a fireball, his eyes narrowing slightly as he dispersed more of the flames. "What are they doing here?" Rika stated, rolling another mound of dirt over the last of the small flames. It made no sense why they attacked, however; their attacks always made no sense.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling we are about to find out soon enough," he stated, his eyes glancing around them, as if anticipating his opponents next move. And it came just as swiftly as the first. "Move!" he stated, dragging Kiara and Rika down with him as a large wall of flame came towards them. It passed over head, barely grazing them as he pushed them to either side. There was another ball of flames coming towards them when they had ducked, and had he not pushed them to the side, they would have been caught by the second wave of flames.
Rika rolled to the side, her anger being subsided temporarily when the wave of fire came towards them and barely missed. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to find the ones responsible. She could do that, but there was too much going about, and she wouldn't be able to pinpoint their location. Instead, she shifted lightly and continued to gaze through the flames. When another ball of fire came towards her, she managed to twist out of the way, tracing the trajectory back towards its firebender, and immediately she set to work with her earth. She couldn't tell how many there were, but she knew there was more than two. There had to be.
"Not exactly how I would advise we keep up practice, but a little help never hurt," he spoke, referring to the current fight. "Though I will admit, it's like fighting amateurs," he spoke, tilting his head so that he barely missed being hit by a rock, aimed for the center of the forehead of a Triad member. He was knocked back a bit as Haki nodded towards Rika. She was having at it with her own Triad member. What could they have possibly gained by trying to blow up the market?
As soon as she was dragged down, Kiara rolled sideways, coming back up in a combatant’s instinct that was more reflex than thought. She was pretty sure that last wall of flame had singed the ends of her ponytail, but had it not been for Haki, matters could have been much worse. She found herself juggling no fewer than three firebenders thereafter, and it was seriously taking a toll on her. She had accumulated at least four serious burns and was about to take a wall of flame in the face when it suddenly redirected, blasted ninety degrees to the right for no discernible reason that she could tell.
It perhaps made things less clear rather than more when Fang simply appeared thereafter, sporting one angry red burn mark on his cheek and several singes in his loose clothes but otherwise apparently fine. His twin dao swords had thin red lines of what could only be blood running down the blades, but it didn’t look like enough to have killed anyone. Indeed, she watched in something like amazement as he ducked under a blast from a firebender and came up inside the man’s guard, severing one of the muscles in his left arm, causing it to go slack, but then smacking him in the back of the head with the pommel of one of the swords, rendering him unconscious. The other two were dealt with in similar fashions, the flash of his swords precise and just barely the right side of lethal.
Suddenly, his professed occupation made complete sense to her.
The eeriest thing was that his expression seemed to change not at all, and all the noise came from his opponents. Fang himself was so quiet he could almost have been a ghost. His intervention freed her up to help her other friends, and she used the ice-hammer trick again on a triad member trying to sneak up on Rika. The criminal organization must have sent a ten-man squad, because before long, there were ten unconscious firebenders in black and red, and though her team looked a little worse for wear, they were still all right. It was then that the police and fire department showed up, taming the rest of the flames and clearing out all the remaining civilians, as well as dragging off the unconscious triad members. Kiara struggled to maintain her feet, nearly falling backwards into a cart, but righting herself at the last moment.
With the water left to her, she healed her own burns, then turned to the other three. “Any injuries I can take care of?” She inquired with a weary smile. She still had the energy in her for healing, but this had not been how she’d expected her morning to go. Not by a long shot.
Haki managed to contain most of the flames, before beginning his own battle with the Fire Triads. He directed and redirected most of the flames coming for him, however; he managed to block a fireball that had side-swiped him, burning his arms for the most part. He cursed beneath his breath as he rolled to the side, missing another bout of flames heading for him. This was becoming a distraction, an annoyance, and it was seriously pissing him off. These people were hurting innocents, and as much as that infuriated him, what only fueled the fire more was the fact that these people were hurting his friends. He did not wish to kill anyone, however; if he intended to protect, he needed to act quicker.
With that in mind, he managed to summon a bolt of lightning to his hand, grasping hold of one of the Firebenders and watched as he crumbled to the floor, falling unconscious in the process. He managed another bolt, directing it towards a member who thought to sneak up on Kiara, and watched as he too fell. Rika, however, was dealing with her own members, keeping her feet planted firmly as she summoned columns of earth between her and the firebenders. She silently thanked Kiara when a member tried to sneak up on her, quickly summoning a shield of earth and used it to brace herself behind.
She pushed forward with it, trying to keep the flames from burning her. She managed to gain enough ground that she dismissed the earth shield, ducking in time to barely avoid being burnt in the face, and brought her leg from underneath her, tripping the Fire Triad in the process. She had not, however, anticipated the man to summon a bout of flames as he fell, burning the side of her leg in the process. She cringed, gritting her teeth slightly before bringing up a small mound of earth to connect with the Triad's head, rendering him unconscious. She bit the bottom of her lip as she stumbled a bit.
The pain in her leg was almost unbearable, however; they had managed to render ten of the members unconscious. She glanced around as the fire department finally arrived along with the police. She sighed, finally allowing herself to fall on her backside as she stared up at Haki, concern flashing before his eyes as he turned to Kiara. They all seemed unharmed for the most part, except for the few burn marks they all seemed to sport. He sighed softly as Kiara posed a question. He turned to stare at his arms, noticing the burn marks, however; they were nothing too serious.
He could manage on his own with a few ointments, however; he glanced at the wound on Rika's leg. "I'm fine," she stated, pushing herself back to her feet as if to prove the point. Haki frowned slightly when she winced, wobbling a bit on her leg as she smiled at them. Before he could protest, the police managed to round up the members, and one in particular that came up to the group. Rika tilted her head slightly as she tried to put his face somewhere, and the moment she did, she turned back to Haki.
"Are you all alright? Did anyone see what happened?" he spoke, his voice oddly calm compared to how it usually is. Haki shook his head to the question as Daichi nodded his head. The answer was not needed between the two males. "You should take care of that wound, Rika," he spoke, sparing her a glance as she frowned slightly. Haki gave her a questioning eyebrow as her frowned deepened. Daichi shook his head softly. "Still stubborn as always," he stated before leaving towards his squad.
"Shut up Haki. Don't say a word," she stated as his brow ascended even further up his forehead. "It is nothing like that," she continued, sighing deeply before leaning against him for support. Daichi was the earthbender for the Pygmy Puma's, but he also happened to be a friend of Rika's. The two had met much like she met Haki, at her tea shop. He had helped her a few times carrying shipments in and she would serve him tea. Their relationship was strictly platonic, but Haki seemed to think otherwise, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.
Kiara sighed and shook her head. There was really no need to manage with anything less when she was standing right here. Still she went for Fang first—he appeared to be the least injured, sporting a slightly shiny red mark just beneath one eye but otherwise nothing significant. She gloved her hands in what water remained to her, touching the spot gently and smiling as the mark receded. He dipped his head in acknowledgement, flicking his swords to clear them of the blood that had accumulated and resheathing them. The police were here, though, and he had no desire to stick around if that was the case, so as soon as she turned away, he’d disappeared.
She took care of Rika next, catching the fragments of conversation between her friend and the police officer. She was certain she knew his face from somewhere… nevertheless, she shook her head and crouched beside the earthbender, dealing with the wound on her leg much as she had the one on the swordsman’s face. Haki was last, and she gestured for him to hold out his arms so she could deal with those as well. Her fingers, cool to the touch and covered in a thin layer of water, glided from his elbows to his wrists, but it was to Rika she turned her head and spoke. “I’ve seen that man somewhere before, haven’t I? Is he a friend of yours, Rika?”
Haki thanked Kiara as she healed him, watching as she went towards Rika and did the same. A smirk adorned his features as he opened his mouth to reply to Kiara's question. "That, dear Turtle-Duck, was Daichi, the earthbender for the Pygmy Pumas," he spoke, his voice full of teasing as he spared Rika a glance. She furrowed her brows at him as he continued. "From the looks of it, they seem to be very good friends," he continued, barely dodging a small rock aimed for the center of his forehead. He chuckled lightly as Rika shook her head.
"Haki is right about one thing, that was Daichi. And yes he is just a friend. He used to come by the shop before his team became so successful. Between his job and his team, he rarely has time to visit any more," Rika corrected, the last sentence coming out with a hint of melancholy. She actually did miss their conversations, but she understood that sacrifices had to be made. She was just his friend, and that was it. There was nothing more between them. Not that she would want more than that, he was actually like her older brother.
She just missed the time they would spend together. "Lotus is just in denial," Haki spoke, effectively earning him a slap on the back of the head. Rika shook her head. One of these days Haki was going to end up missing, and she wasn't going to be at fault.
It perhaps made things less clear rather than more when Fang simply appeared thereafter, sporting one angry red burn mark on his cheek and several singes in his loose clothes but otherwise apparently fine. His twin dao swords had thin red lines of what could only be blood running down the blades, but it didn’t look like enough to have killed anyone. Indeed, she watched in something like amazement as he ducked under a blast from a firebender and came up inside the man’s guard, severing one of the muscles in his left arm, causing it to go slack, but then smacking him in the back of the head with the pommel of one of the swords, rendering him unconscious. The other two were dealt with in similar fashions, the flash of his swords precise and just barely the right side of lethal.
Suddenly, his professed occupation made complete sense to her.
The eeriest thing was that his expression seemed to change not at all, and all the noise came from his opponents. Fang himself was so quiet he could almost have been a ghost. His intervention freed her up to help her other friends, and she used the ice-hammer trick again on a triad member trying to sneak up on Rika. The criminal organization must have sent a ten-man squad, because before long, there were ten unconscious firebenders in black and red, and though her team looked a little worse for wear, they were still all right. It was then that the police and fire department showed up, taming the rest of the flames and clearing out all the remaining civilians, as well as dragging off the unconscious triad members. Kiara struggled to maintain her feet, nearly falling backwards into a cart, but righting herself at the last moment.
With the water left to her, she healed her own burns, then turned to the other three. “Any injuries I can take care of?” She inquired with a weary smile. She still had the energy in her for healing, but this had not been how she’d expected her morning to go. Not by a long shot.
Haki managed to contain most of the flames, before beginning his own battle with the Fire Triads. He directed and redirected most of the flames coming for him, however; he managed to block a fireball that had side-swiped him, burning his arms for the most part. He cursed beneath his breath as he rolled to the side, missing another bout of flames heading for him. This was becoming a distraction, an annoyance, and it was seriously pissing him off. These people were hurting innocents, and as much as that infuriated him, what only fueled the fire more was the fact that these people were hurting his friends. He did not wish to kill anyone, however; if he intended to protect, he needed to act quicker.
With that in mind, he managed to summon a bolt of lightning to his hand, grasping hold of one of the Firebenders and watched as he crumbled to the floor, falling unconscious in the process. He managed another bolt, directing it towards a member who thought to sneak up on Kiara, and watched as he too fell. Rika, however, was dealing with her own members, keeping her feet planted firmly as she summoned columns of earth between her and the firebenders. She silently thanked Kiara when a member tried to sneak up on her, quickly summoning a shield of earth and used it to brace herself behind.
She pushed forward with it, trying to keep the flames from burning her. She managed to gain enough ground that she dismissed the earth shield, ducking in time to barely avoid being burnt in the face, and brought her leg from underneath her, tripping the Fire Triad in the process. She had not, however, anticipated the man to summon a bout of flames as he fell, burning the side of her leg in the process. She cringed, gritting her teeth slightly before bringing up a small mound of earth to connect with the Triad's head, rendering him unconscious. She bit the bottom of her lip as she stumbled a bit.
The pain in her leg was almost unbearable, however; they had managed to render ten of the members unconscious. She glanced around as the fire department finally arrived along with the police. She sighed, finally allowing herself to fall on her backside as she stared up at Haki, concern flashing before his eyes as he turned to Kiara. They all seemed unharmed for the most part, except for the few burn marks they all seemed to sport. He sighed softly as Kiara posed a question. He turned to stare at his arms, noticing the burn marks, however; they were nothing too serious.
He could manage on his own with a few ointments, however; he glanced at the wound on Rika's leg. "I'm fine," she stated, pushing herself back to her feet as if to prove the point. Haki frowned slightly when she winced, wobbling a bit on her leg as she smiled at them. Before he could protest, the police managed to round up the members, and one in particular that came up to the group. Rika tilted her head slightly as she tried to put his face somewhere, and the moment she did, she turned back to Haki.
"Are you all alright? Did anyone see what happened?" he spoke, his voice oddly calm compared to how it usually is. Haki shook his head to the question as Daichi nodded his head. The answer was not needed between the two males. "You should take care of that wound, Rika," he spoke, sparing her a glance as she frowned slightly. Haki gave her a questioning eyebrow as her frowned deepened. Daichi shook his head softly. "Still stubborn as always," he stated before leaving towards his squad.
"Shut up Haki. Don't say a word," she stated as his brow ascended even further up his forehead. "It is nothing like that," she continued, sighing deeply before leaning against him for support. Daichi was the earthbender for the Pygmy Puma's, but he also happened to be a friend of Rika's. The two had met much like she met Haki, at her tea shop. He had helped her a few times carrying shipments in and she would serve him tea. Their relationship was strictly platonic, but Haki seemed to think otherwise, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.
Kiara sighed and shook her head. There was really no need to manage with anything less when she was standing right here. Still she went for Fang first—he appeared to be the least injured, sporting a slightly shiny red mark just beneath one eye but otherwise nothing significant. She gloved her hands in what water remained to her, touching the spot gently and smiling as the mark receded. He dipped his head in acknowledgement, flicking his swords to clear them of the blood that had accumulated and resheathing them. The police were here, though, and he had no desire to stick around if that was the case, so as soon as she turned away, he’d disappeared.
She took care of Rika next, catching the fragments of conversation between her friend and the police officer. She was certain she knew his face from somewhere… nevertheless, she shook her head and crouched beside the earthbender, dealing with the wound on her leg much as she had the one on the swordsman’s face. Haki was last, and she gestured for him to hold out his arms so she could deal with those as well. Her fingers, cool to the touch and covered in a thin layer of water, glided from his elbows to his wrists, but it was to Rika she turned her head and spoke. “I’ve seen that man somewhere before, haven’t I? Is he a friend of yours, Rika?”
Haki thanked Kiara as she healed him, watching as she went towards Rika and did the same. A smirk adorned his features as he opened his mouth to reply to Kiara's question. "That, dear Turtle-Duck, was Daichi, the earthbender for the Pygmy Pumas," he spoke, his voice full of teasing as he spared Rika a glance. She furrowed her brows at him as he continued. "From the looks of it, they seem to be very good friends," he continued, barely dodging a small rock aimed for the center of his forehead. He chuckled lightly as Rika shook her head.
"Haki is right about one thing, that was Daichi. And yes he is just a friend. He used to come by the shop before his team became so successful. Between his job and his team, he rarely has time to visit any more," Rika corrected, the last sentence coming out with a hint of melancholy. She actually did miss their conversations, but she understood that sacrifices had to be made. She was just his friend, and that was it. There was nothing more between them. Not that she would want more than that, he was actually like her older brother.
She just missed the time they would spend together. "Lotus is just in denial," Haki spoke, effectively earning him a slap on the back of the head. Rika shook her head. One of these days Haki was going to end up missing, and she wasn't going to be at fault.
Haki raised an amused brow as Rika tried to smooth out her outfit. She gave him a look, one that spoke of pain if he did not keep his words to himself, and he merely chuckled. "You know, it's just a gathering, you do not need to dress...formally," he spoke, trying to hide the amusement behind his voice but failed. Rika furrowed her brows at him, chucking whatever she could at his head. He tilted his head to the side, missing the cup in the process, and laughing. She huffed, puffing her cheeks out in irritation. What did he know? They were meeting other pro-benders, and it was supposed to be a party of some sort. She wasn't entirely sure.
"What do you kno-- shut it Haki!" she spoke, snapping at the fire-bender. Haki continued to laugh as she frowned at him, sighing heavily in defeat. "We're only staying for a few hours, right?" she finally questioned. She really didn't want to stay too long. She wasn't comfortable surrounded by so many of the more famous pro-benders, and she had a feeling that something was bound to go wrong. Her first thought immediately went to Haki, whom rose a brow at her in a questioning method. She rolled her eyes at him as he chuckled lightly.
"Whatever you say, Lotus. Now, do hurry up, we have kept Turtle-duck waiting long enough," he spoke, amusement laced in his voice as another cup was chucked his way.
The aforementioned Turtle-Duck had, in fact, decided to make her way over to Rika’s place, in lieu of waiting for the other two to come to her. She hadn’t chosen to dress overly formally, but she thought the ensemble at least looked decent. In keeping with probending form, she had featured blue, so as to identify herself as a waterbender… if her dark complexion didn’t make it obvious enough. Still, with all the mixing nationalities these days, nothing was guaranteed, which was actually kind of nice, if she thought about it. The outfit was nothing more complicated than tan pants, tucked into furred boots in consideration of wintertime, and a light blue tunic with long sleeves, tied close to her waist with a sash in darker blue. Her hair, as ever, was in a russet-colored ponytail, which swished behind her when she came upon the door to Rika’s apartment and knocked.
Or rather, she was about to knock, when the sound of ceramic hitting the door reached her, several small clinks of shattered pottery hitting the ground following. Haki had obviously said something to make her angry again. Wary of further flying objects, Kiara elected to forego knocking and simply step inside, careful not to step on the shards of teacup on the ground. “Uh… hi, guys?” she offered, the greeting coming out halfway like a question. What she was asking with it, she wasn’t entirely sure, but oh well. “Are you both ready to go?”
"Kiara! Make him go away!" Rika pleaded as soon as the waterbender stepped inside, flinging her arms around the girl's neck and hanging off of Kiara's shoulders. Her eyes watered slightly, almost in a comical way, earning a snort from said firebender in the process. "He's making it worse than it needs to be," she murmured, removing herself from Kiara and smoothed out her attire. She was wearing a pale green mandarin-styled shirt, embroidered with golden lines and patterns of lotus flowers along it. Haki had laughed when he saw the shirt, however; he was dressed in a similar manner.
His shirt was a deep crimson color, outlined in white with a pair of black slacks to go along with it. It could be considered casual-formal if anything. "I do not know what she speaks of, Turtle-Duck, but as always," he spoke, walking so that he stood in front of Kiara, Rika backing away to grab a comb for her hair. "You look lovely," he spoke, grabbing one of her hands and brushing his lips over her knuckles. A smirk covered his face as he pulled back, keeping his hand laced with hers. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at Rika. "Shall we?"
"You should make him drown."
Kiara had smiled at Rika, her arms automatically coming up to wrap loosely around her friend’s back, but before she had a chance to say anything, Rika was ducking away for a comb, and she wound up with a hand in Haki’s blinking owlishly as he raised her knuckles to his lips. It wasn’t a common form of greeting where she was from, considering that everyone was wearing gloves all the time. That said, she’d received it a few times since moving here half a year ago, mostly from older gentlemen who did it with a bit of amusement in their eyes, and some kind of offhand comment about being a few years younger. She didn’t really get it, and usually just smiled and reassured them that they didn’t look a day over thirty. That usually made them laugh, and that was rather the point. This… didn’t seem like quite the same situation, so she inwardly shrugged and assumed it was just another one of those weird things about Haki.
“Thank you,” she told him, shaking her head somewhat ruefully. Personally, she thought she looked as ordinary as she always did, but then, he was a complimentary person, so there was no need to argue the point, after all. “You look quite sharp yourself. And I don’t know what he’s making worse, Rika, but you’re lovely too.” The smile inched wider when her friend suggested drowning her perpetual annoyance, but Kiara just shook her head again and grabbed Rika’s hand in her free one.
“We shall!” She declared, and the three of them wended their way from Rika’s apartment to the arena, where one of the large rooms had been converted into a social space for the gathering. There were many round tables, a clear space for dancing, quite a few food and drink items, and of course, most of the Probending teams the city and outlying regions had to offer. The was a bit noisy and boisterous, as no few people had found their way to the intoxicants rather quickly, but the atmosphere overall was one of friendliness and a certain kind of energy. The teams were somewhat relaxed, of course, but it was easy to see that occasionally, they’d be sizing one another up as competitors, too, and perhaps that was why the back half of the gym bore evidence of informal bending matches.
Rika shook her head as Kiara took hold of her arm, Haki's lips pursing into a fine line as he too shook his head. One of these days he'd have to open up that girl's eyes, but for now, he'd take his time. The three soon found themselves at the party, Haki having wandered off to mingle with the other pro-benders. Rika decided to stay close to Kiara, feeling a bit out-of-place. Everyone seemed to have dressed to the occasion, and for some odd reason, she still felt under dressed. Haki seemed more in his environment, talking with the others as if he was just another fan or investor. Kiara had been whisked away somewhere else, and was currently engaged in a conversation with some person she recognized as another waterbender from another team.
"Finding the fesitivies as droll as I do?" a voice cut in, startling Rika as she jumped slightly in her skin. She turned her head as if she were stuck, meeting gray eyes. She released a soft breath of relief when she noticed who it was. "My apologies, Rika, I did not mean to startle you," Daichi stated, a hint of amusement laced in his voice. Rika shook her head violently as she laughed nervously. Daichi smiled softly as he pat her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before releasing it. She took in a slow breath, trying to slow her heartbeat as she glanced everywhere but at him.
"Ah, no worries, Dai. I was just lost in thought," she responded, rubbing the back of her neck. "So, how are things at the station?" she started, drawing up a conversation as to not feel awkward about being previously startled. The two fell into a light conversation as the waterbender of the Pygmy Puma's set his sights on something a little more...entertaining. Downing the cup in his hands, he wiped away the excess liquid and strode over towards Kiara, leaning one arm against the post that stood by her and the person she was currently conversing with. He flashed her a pearly grin as he grabbed hold of her hand, bringing it up in a fashion much like Haki had not long ago.
"And what brings a lovely woman such as yourself to such an arrangement?" he questioned, brushing his lips over her knuckles.
Wei Long was the waterbender for a rather veteran team, and himself perhaps around her father’s age. He made for interesting conversation, though, because he had this way of imitating the mannerisms and voices of other people that never failed to draw a smile from Kiara. She didn’t run across him often, but when she did, he was usually full of helpful tips and information, plus of course all the latest gossip about pretty much every other probender in the league. She’d decided to stay away from the alcoholic beverages this time, given that she still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened after the fireworks last time she’d had any.
Her conversation with Wei, however, was interrupted by the arrival of a third party, one she recognized from all the match footage she’d been watching. This was the Zian, waterbender for the Pygmy Pumas, and for some reasons Kiara really didn’t get, he was talking to her of all people. A smidge rudely at that, considering he was ignoring Wei when he did. She blinked when her hand was kissed for the second time that night, and wondered for a moment if that meant he’d just indirectly kissed Haki. People worried about that when they shared glasses and such, right? Well, she didn’t, but other people did. She looked around his person for a moment, meeting Wei’s eyes, but the older man just shook his head, blue-green eyes glimmering with mirth, and mouthed see you later. Perplexed, she nevertheless gave him a smile and a wave with her free hand before turning back to Zian.
“Well,” she said, supposing that perhaps he had no reason to recognize her, “I’m a probender, sort of, so I was invited to the arrangement. Seemed like a good enough reason to come, and I know my teammates would want to anyway.” She smiled again, this one softer with her fondness for them. Rika might not be the kind to enjoy such gatherings, but it was good for her to be here—it had been her dream to be a probender, and to be able to really be one had to be exciting, even if social events weren’t exactly in the job description. Haki… Haki was just gregarious. She’d never met anyone who didn’t immediately like him, though Rika often made a show of her frustration with him.
Across the room, the Pygmy Pumas’ firebender, Ying, was sipping from a glass of wine and scanning the room with apparent disinterest, at least at first. Really, she was doing what she always did, sizing up her competitors, watching practice matches, observing body language. For the last few minutes, though, she’d been watching one person in particular work his way through the room like a professional con artist, he was that smooth. Most took him for a fan or a sponsor despite his obvious showing of the color red, but she knew differently. There were a lot of probending teams in Republic City, and all but the most famous were almost unrecognizable without all the gear they had to wear, but she’d been paying special attention to the Otter Penguins, partially because she and her teammates alike recognized the talent on that team. Oh, they were still rookies, to be sure, but given a little time, they would be competition.
Ying wasn’t the biggest fan of competition; she liked it better when her team’s dominance was obvious. This extended into a lot of aspects of her life, actually, but for right now she was primarily concerned with two things: her probending prospects, and the Otter Penguins’ firebender. She had to admire the way he’d so thoroughly slipped into that genial persona, but she was willing to bet there was something else underneath there, the same kind of intensity he had when bending. One didn’t master an element like fire unless one knew how to burn. Zian might derive his strength from being smooth and adaptable inside the arena and out, and Daichi from his stern steadiness, but Ying, like she suspected of Haki Soen, only wore smoothness and steadiness like masks for what was underneath.
Tossing back the rest of her wine, Ying set the glass down on the tray of a passing waiter, flipping her ink-black hair back over her shoulder and sauntering over to the group he was currently engaged in. Her timing was excellent, as the parties he was talking to had just ended their conversation with him, and she was easily able to naturally insinuate herself into his company. “You do a good job of pretending to know less than they do,” she said directly, her red-painted lips quirking into a smile. “But I can’t say I know why you bother.”
Haki rose a brow, tilting his head to the side when the one known as Ying, appeared beside him, sliding in coolly into conversation. He recognized her, immediately, as the Pygmy Puma's firebender, and he smiled at her, placing one arm behind his back and offered her a bow. As he did previously with Kiara, he grabbed her hand, brushing his lips, quite quickly, over the base of her knuckles before releasing her hand, and smiling up at her. He straightened up his posture before he chuckled at her words. She was perceptive, which wasn't all that surprising, really. A firebender had to be if he or she were to be in control of their element. Otherwise they would be burned.
"Hello to you too, Ying. As for your statement, you don't want to make potential sponsors feel stupid when first meeting them. I play my part, they play theirs," he responded with a light shrug of his shoulders. "And I bother because it benefits not only myself, but my team as well," he continued, turning his lips into a light smirk. "So tell me, why is the firebender of the Pygmy Puma's in my company? I assure you we are of no threat to you or your team...yet," he spoke, a hint of amusement flashing through his eyes, raising a brow in the process.
Zian, however, stood amused by Kiara's statement, his smirk widening into a full grin. "Sweetheart, I know how who you are. You are the new up-coming team's waterbender, Kiara, am I correct?" he stated more-so than questioned. He pulled back, straightening out his posture, his eyes never leaving hers. "I must say though, I've never seen much talent before as I have seen with you and your team. Tell me something, are you happy with your teammates?" because if she wasn't, and he knew she was, then he'd have to set her up with a more prominent team. She had most of the talent in the team anyways, though he wouldn't ignore the firebender. The earthbender, pretty as she was, wasn't as controlled as Daichi was, and most of the other earthbenders. She had potential, but it appeared as if she were not fully focused on reaching it.
Rika laughed softly at something Daichi had stated, tucking a piece of brown behind her ear as she shook her head. "So, what does a pro-bender who is also part of the police force, do? I am sure both take up a majority of your free time," she asked, smiling curiously in his direction. It was easier being around the large group with at least one other person she knew, and she knew Daichi to a small extent. Other than the occasional conversation and he helping with a delivery or two, she spoke with him perhaps once in a blue moon now. She really did miss his conversations, he reminded her of her older brother. And she missed her family sometimes.
"Well, you are right in that assumption. Between practices and working, there is little time to do anything else. Which reminds me," he spoke, reaching behind his back pocket and pulling out four tickets. "If you and your team want to come watch, we have our next pro-bending match in a few days. There is an extra ticket in case you wish to invite someone else," he spoke, smiling as he handed her the tickets. Rika merely stared incredulously at him, shaking her head violently in refusal, however; she was stopped when he laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, the tickets were free. We get them, sometimes, to pass them out to our fans if we want. Zian and Ying gave me theirs, and I had two extra ones. I want you and your team to come out and see us."
Ying smiled, the contrast of white teeth with red lips very prominent in the gesture, which could be described as distinctly predatory. “The key word in that sentence, Haki Soen, is yet. That does not mean you never will be. And I like to remain… assessed of all threats, however potential they may be.” She stood a little closer than was strictly polite, amber-colored eyes looking up at him through thick, dark lashes, one brow quirked in a manner that might have been playful on someone else. Given the way Ying presented herself, however, it was hard to mistake it for anything but flirtation, unless, perhaps, one were denser than concrete.
Kiara was honestly surprised that Zian knew who she was. She blinked up at him when he rose, and again when he offered the question. Was she happy with her teammates? Did she look like she wasn’t? Did they think she wasn’t? She certainly hoped not. Maybe it was because she didn’t make friends easily. But they were her friends, and they were important to her. Seeking to dispel any notion to the contrary, she nodded emphatically and smiled a little wider. “Of course I am! My team is wonderful—they’ve taught me so much, really. I’d probably still be lost in this place without them.” She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to thank them enough for that kindness, really, but she was trying to do so by training as hard as she could at probending.
She seemed to consider him for a moment, her expression turning pensive before she smiled again. “Tell me, Zian… did you ever learn to bend the way the Water Tribes do? Proper combat bending? I haven’t had a match in anything but probending style for a while now…” The challenge was implicit in her tone, and she gestured the water out of a nearby ice bucket, emptied of the beverages it had once been holding, and formed it into a perfect sphere over one open palm. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to ask, but she found that she was now very interested in the answer. What she’d said was true, after all. She hadn’t properly sparred since that last match she’d had with Kohaku, the day before she left her tribe for good.
And Haki was anything but dense. His smile twisted into a smirk, his eyes shimmering with a hint of mischief, however; if he wasn't careful, things could get a bit out of hand. And he had no intentions of being burned, at least not quite yet. He chuckled deeply, shaking his head softly, and dislodging a few pieces of dark locks. "My dear, that is why I said it. It hardly qualifies as a key word when I intentionally put it there. And I assure you, we are still no threat to your team," he spoke, his brow ascending his forehead. He took a step back, providing a more acceptable distance between he and her. Not that he wasn't uncomfortable, the woman just exerted a sense of confidence that Haki found a little off-putting. There was nothing wrong with a confident woman, however; something about her was causing his cautious side to rise. And Haki Soen was hardly cautious.
"I imagined as much. Your team is quite lucky. It is quite a shame that you did not run into us. I would have shown you the city," he spoke, a slight quirk to his lips before he rose a brow. "It has been awhile since I've bended that way," he spoke, taking the water from her hand and molded it into his. "If it is a challenge you seek, I believe we should wager something. Should I win, you shall come and have dinner with me, and should you win," he started, his eye twitching up in an amused style before continuing, "whatever you wish." It has been awhile since he last fought with his bending, however; he wasn't going to turn down a challenge just because the challenger happened to be pretty. And that was an understatement coming from him.
Kiara’s smile dropped into a smirk. She wasn’t overly concerned with the wager. If she lost, someone else was going to make her food—what could go wrong? “You’re on,” she said, leading the way over to the section of the gym that had been designated for this kind of thing. There were two large buckets of water waiting, and she stood by one of them, rising onto her toes and bouncing slightly to stretch her legs, raising one arm over her head and grabbing the elbow with her other hand, repeating the process on the other side, and then rolling out her shoulders.
Word had spread through the crowd quickly that Zian of the Pygmy Pumas had accepted some kind of challenge, and it wasn’t long before pretty much everyone in the room was ringing the area to watch, a few of them asking who the other participant was, but in the end, that didn’t really matter. Everyone was interested to see a showcase of skill from such a prominent waterbender, Ying sighed when she was interrupted, but nevertheless took advantage, grabbing Haki’s arm and dragging him over and to the front. She was Zian’s teammate, after all—she got to watch from wherever she wanted. She noted with surprise and a flicker of disdain that the challenger was the waterbender from the Otter Penguins.
Someone had taken over the duty of officiating, and when it was announced that the match was not restricted to probending rules, but rather to combat forms from the Water Tribes, Ying’s eyebrows ascended her forehead. She’d never seen Zian use those, though of course he presumably knew them. She herself wasn’t much of a combat bender, preferring the regulation of arena matches, but he was a little different in that respect, she knew. Daichi was, too, being a member of the police force.
The signal was given to begin, and both immediately bent the water out of their buckets, coiling it around themselves with sinuous movements. As one, they stepped forward, Zian lashing out with a water whip that Kiara bent away, using a foot since her hands were both occupied with her own formations. The match itself lasted for close to fifteen minutes, both of the combatants clearly skilled. By the time it was done, most of the gym floor was covered in ice, which they both taken to skating around on for extra speed, whirling around in dizzying patterns, hurling orbs, whips, and waves which were alternately bent away, frozen, or absorbed into the other bender’s water collections. Several audience members were more than a little damp from attacks gone awry, and both benders were grinning madly.
There was something exhilarating about being so thoroughly in one’s own element, and there was no mistaking that for any of the benders present. The result, however, shocked just about everyone. After a particularly protracted pass, the female waterbender leapt into the air in a move more reminiscent of firebending than anything, bringing a stinging whip of water down with her foot upon her foe, who was forced to his knees by the impact. He held up a hand to indicate his yield, and Kiara flopped down into a sitting position thereafter, exhausted but happy, not even aware of the way the crowd was looking at her in a new light, particularly some of the sponsors and senior benders.
Haki flinched somewhat at the brief contact. There had been a challenge issued from Zian, the waterbender of the Pygmy Puma's, and curious as to who the challenger was, Haki allowed himself to be dragged away by Ying. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. There, stood Kiara, their waterbender, facing off with Zian. For a moment, he thought they were going to have a practice match, however; their stances shifted to one that he recognized. It was more of a combat style, one he recognized very well. A smirk pulled at his lips, however; he was frowning inwardly. Kiara, admittedly, wasn't that bright when it came to advances, and Haki knew what kind of person Zian was. It only caused his lips to purse into a fine line.
He watched, his eyes following their movements as they fought. He winced a few times, watching as the water collided with the both of them. When the final moments came, Haki found himself removing his arm from Ying's hold and weaving through the crowd. He exited it just in time to see Kiara come out the victor, and he smiled, clapping along with the others. He walked over towards her, offering her a hand to help her stand. "Congratulations, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, lifting her up as his smile lingered. "You have put us on the radar for more potential support," he whispered low enough before bowing with her in hand. Zian, watching every movement the firebender made, scowled. He didn't take too kindly to the firebender touching things that would eventually belong to him.
"You are truly talented, and it is a shame that talent is being wasted," he spoke before melding back into the crowds, a scowl still present on his face. Rika, however, had stayed with Daichi who had informed her that there was a match between Zian, his waterbender, and someone else. Had she known it was Kiara, she would have left to watch the girl's match, however; she had stayed by Daichi's side, conversing with him until the sound of clapping reached her ears. She blinked before excusing herself, weaving through the crowd and stared dumbfoundedly at Haki and Kiara. She pursed her lips together, thinking that it was Haki who had issued the challenge, however; it was evident that the battle taking place had been between two waterbenders.
"What did I miss?" she questioned as she stood in front of her friends. Haki merely shook his head.
"What do you kno-- shut it Haki!" she spoke, snapping at the fire-bender. Haki continued to laugh as she frowned at him, sighing heavily in defeat. "We're only staying for a few hours, right?" she finally questioned. She really didn't want to stay too long. She wasn't comfortable surrounded by so many of the more famous pro-benders, and she had a feeling that something was bound to go wrong. Her first thought immediately went to Haki, whom rose a brow at her in a questioning method. She rolled her eyes at him as he chuckled lightly.
"Whatever you say, Lotus. Now, do hurry up, we have kept Turtle-duck waiting long enough," he spoke, amusement laced in his voice as another cup was chucked his way.
The aforementioned Turtle-Duck had, in fact, decided to make her way over to Rika’s place, in lieu of waiting for the other two to come to her. She hadn’t chosen to dress overly formally, but she thought the ensemble at least looked decent. In keeping with probending form, she had featured blue, so as to identify herself as a waterbender… if her dark complexion didn’t make it obvious enough. Still, with all the mixing nationalities these days, nothing was guaranteed, which was actually kind of nice, if she thought about it. The outfit was nothing more complicated than tan pants, tucked into furred boots in consideration of wintertime, and a light blue tunic with long sleeves, tied close to her waist with a sash in darker blue. Her hair, as ever, was in a russet-colored ponytail, which swished behind her when she came upon the door to Rika’s apartment and knocked.
Or rather, she was about to knock, when the sound of ceramic hitting the door reached her, several small clinks of shattered pottery hitting the ground following. Haki had obviously said something to make her angry again. Wary of further flying objects, Kiara elected to forego knocking and simply step inside, careful not to step on the shards of teacup on the ground. “Uh… hi, guys?” she offered, the greeting coming out halfway like a question. What she was asking with it, she wasn’t entirely sure, but oh well. “Are you both ready to go?”
"Kiara! Make him go away!" Rika pleaded as soon as the waterbender stepped inside, flinging her arms around the girl's neck and hanging off of Kiara's shoulders. Her eyes watered slightly, almost in a comical way, earning a snort from said firebender in the process. "He's making it worse than it needs to be," she murmured, removing herself from Kiara and smoothed out her attire. She was wearing a pale green mandarin-styled shirt, embroidered with golden lines and patterns of lotus flowers along it. Haki had laughed when he saw the shirt, however; he was dressed in a similar manner.
His shirt was a deep crimson color, outlined in white with a pair of black slacks to go along with it. It could be considered casual-formal if anything. "I do not know what she speaks of, Turtle-Duck, but as always," he spoke, walking so that he stood in front of Kiara, Rika backing away to grab a comb for her hair. "You look lovely," he spoke, grabbing one of her hands and brushing his lips over her knuckles. A smirk covered his face as he pulled back, keeping his hand laced with hers. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at Rika. "Shall we?"
"You should make him drown."
Kiara had smiled at Rika, her arms automatically coming up to wrap loosely around her friend’s back, but before she had a chance to say anything, Rika was ducking away for a comb, and she wound up with a hand in Haki’s blinking owlishly as he raised her knuckles to his lips. It wasn’t a common form of greeting where she was from, considering that everyone was wearing gloves all the time. That said, she’d received it a few times since moving here half a year ago, mostly from older gentlemen who did it with a bit of amusement in their eyes, and some kind of offhand comment about being a few years younger. She didn’t really get it, and usually just smiled and reassured them that they didn’t look a day over thirty. That usually made them laugh, and that was rather the point. This… didn’t seem like quite the same situation, so she inwardly shrugged and assumed it was just another one of those weird things about Haki.
“Thank you,” she told him, shaking her head somewhat ruefully. Personally, she thought she looked as ordinary as she always did, but then, he was a complimentary person, so there was no need to argue the point, after all. “You look quite sharp yourself. And I don’t know what he’s making worse, Rika, but you’re lovely too.” The smile inched wider when her friend suggested drowning her perpetual annoyance, but Kiara just shook her head again and grabbed Rika’s hand in her free one.
“We shall!” She declared, and the three of them wended their way from Rika’s apartment to the arena, where one of the large rooms had been converted into a social space for the gathering. There were many round tables, a clear space for dancing, quite a few food and drink items, and of course, most of the Probending teams the city and outlying regions had to offer. The was a bit noisy and boisterous, as no few people had found their way to the intoxicants rather quickly, but the atmosphere overall was one of friendliness and a certain kind of energy. The teams were somewhat relaxed, of course, but it was easy to see that occasionally, they’d be sizing one another up as competitors, too, and perhaps that was why the back half of the gym bore evidence of informal bending matches.
Rika shook her head as Kiara took hold of her arm, Haki's lips pursing into a fine line as he too shook his head. One of these days he'd have to open up that girl's eyes, but for now, he'd take his time. The three soon found themselves at the party, Haki having wandered off to mingle with the other pro-benders. Rika decided to stay close to Kiara, feeling a bit out-of-place. Everyone seemed to have dressed to the occasion, and for some odd reason, she still felt under dressed. Haki seemed more in his environment, talking with the others as if he was just another fan or investor. Kiara had been whisked away somewhere else, and was currently engaged in a conversation with some person she recognized as another waterbender from another team.
"Finding the fesitivies as droll as I do?" a voice cut in, startling Rika as she jumped slightly in her skin. She turned her head as if she were stuck, meeting gray eyes. She released a soft breath of relief when she noticed who it was. "My apologies, Rika, I did not mean to startle you," Daichi stated, a hint of amusement laced in his voice. Rika shook her head violently as she laughed nervously. Daichi smiled softly as he pat her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before releasing it. She took in a slow breath, trying to slow her heartbeat as she glanced everywhere but at him.
"Ah, no worries, Dai. I was just lost in thought," she responded, rubbing the back of her neck. "So, how are things at the station?" she started, drawing up a conversation as to not feel awkward about being previously startled. The two fell into a light conversation as the waterbender of the Pygmy Puma's set his sights on something a little more...entertaining. Downing the cup in his hands, he wiped away the excess liquid and strode over towards Kiara, leaning one arm against the post that stood by her and the person she was currently conversing with. He flashed her a pearly grin as he grabbed hold of her hand, bringing it up in a fashion much like Haki had not long ago.
"And what brings a lovely woman such as yourself to such an arrangement?" he questioned, brushing his lips over her knuckles.
Wei Long was the waterbender for a rather veteran team, and himself perhaps around her father’s age. He made for interesting conversation, though, because he had this way of imitating the mannerisms and voices of other people that never failed to draw a smile from Kiara. She didn’t run across him often, but when she did, he was usually full of helpful tips and information, plus of course all the latest gossip about pretty much every other probender in the league. She’d decided to stay away from the alcoholic beverages this time, given that she still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened after the fireworks last time she’d had any.
Her conversation with Wei, however, was interrupted by the arrival of a third party, one she recognized from all the match footage she’d been watching. This was the Zian, waterbender for the Pygmy Pumas, and for some reasons Kiara really didn’t get, he was talking to her of all people. A smidge rudely at that, considering he was ignoring Wei when he did. She blinked when her hand was kissed for the second time that night, and wondered for a moment if that meant he’d just indirectly kissed Haki. People worried about that when they shared glasses and such, right? Well, she didn’t, but other people did. She looked around his person for a moment, meeting Wei’s eyes, but the older man just shook his head, blue-green eyes glimmering with mirth, and mouthed see you later. Perplexed, she nevertheless gave him a smile and a wave with her free hand before turning back to Zian.
“Well,” she said, supposing that perhaps he had no reason to recognize her, “I’m a probender, sort of, so I was invited to the arrangement. Seemed like a good enough reason to come, and I know my teammates would want to anyway.” She smiled again, this one softer with her fondness for them. Rika might not be the kind to enjoy such gatherings, but it was good for her to be here—it had been her dream to be a probender, and to be able to really be one had to be exciting, even if social events weren’t exactly in the job description. Haki… Haki was just gregarious. She’d never met anyone who didn’t immediately like him, though Rika often made a show of her frustration with him.
Across the room, the Pygmy Pumas’ firebender, Ying, was sipping from a glass of wine and scanning the room with apparent disinterest, at least at first. Really, she was doing what she always did, sizing up her competitors, watching practice matches, observing body language. For the last few minutes, though, she’d been watching one person in particular work his way through the room like a professional con artist, he was that smooth. Most took him for a fan or a sponsor despite his obvious showing of the color red, but she knew differently. There were a lot of probending teams in Republic City, and all but the most famous were almost unrecognizable without all the gear they had to wear, but she’d been paying special attention to the Otter Penguins, partially because she and her teammates alike recognized the talent on that team. Oh, they were still rookies, to be sure, but given a little time, they would be competition.
Ying wasn’t the biggest fan of competition; she liked it better when her team’s dominance was obvious. This extended into a lot of aspects of her life, actually, but for right now she was primarily concerned with two things: her probending prospects, and the Otter Penguins’ firebender. She had to admire the way he’d so thoroughly slipped into that genial persona, but she was willing to bet there was something else underneath there, the same kind of intensity he had when bending. One didn’t master an element like fire unless one knew how to burn. Zian might derive his strength from being smooth and adaptable inside the arena and out, and Daichi from his stern steadiness, but Ying, like she suspected of Haki Soen, only wore smoothness and steadiness like masks for what was underneath.
Tossing back the rest of her wine, Ying set the glass down on the tray of a passing waiter, flipping her ink-black hair back over her shoulder and sauntering over to the group he was currently engaged in. Her timing was excellent, as the parties he was talking to had just ended their conversation with him, and she was easily able to naturally insinuate herself into his company. “You do a good job of pretending to know less than they do,” she said directly, her red-painted lips quirking into a smile. “But I can’t say I know why you bother.”
Haki rose a brow, tilting his head to the side when the one known as Ying, appeared beside him, sliding in coolly into conversation. He recognized her, immediately, as the Pygmy Puma's firebender, and he smiled at her, placing one arm behind his back and offered her a bow. As he did previously with Kiara, he grabbed her hand, brushing his lips, quite quickly, over the base of her knuckles before releasing her hand, and smiling up at her. He straightened up his posture before he chuckled at her words. She was perceptive, which wasn't all that surprising, really. A firebender had to be if he or she were to be in control of their element. Otherwise they would be burned.
"Hello to you too, Ying. As for your statement, you don't want to make potential sponsors feel stupid when first meeting them. I play my part, they play theirs," he responded with a light shrug of his shoulders. "And I bother because it benefits not only myself, but my team as well," he continued, turning his lips into a light smirk. "So tell me, why is the firebender of the Pygmy Puma's in my company? I assure you we are of no threat to you or your team...yet," he spoke, a hint of amusement flashing through his eyes, raising a brow in the process.
Zian, however, stood amused by Kiara's statement, his smirk widening into a full grin. "Sweetheart, I know how who you are. You are the new up-coming team's waterbender, Kiara, am I correct?" he stated more-so than questioned. He pulled back, straightening out his posture, his eyes never leaving hers. "I must say though, I've never seen much talent before as I have seen with you and your team. Tell me something, are you happy with your teammates?" because if she wasn't, and he knew she was, then he'd have to set her up with a more prominent team. She had most of the talent in the team anyways, though he wouldn't ignore the firebender. The earthbender, pretty as she was, wasn't as controlled as Daichi was, and most of the other earthbenders. She had potential, but it appeared as if she were not fully focused on reaching it.
Rika laughed softly at something Daichi had stated, tucking a piece of brown behind her ear as she shook her head. "So, what does a pro-bender who is also part of the police force, do? I am sure both take up a majority of your free time," she asked, smiling curiously in his direction. It was easier being around the large group with at least one other person she knew, and she knew Daichi to a small extent. Other than the occasional conversation and he helping with a delivery or two, she spoke with him perhaps once in a blue moon now. She really did miss his conversations, he reminded her of her older brother. And she missed her family sometimes.
"Well, you are right in that assumption. Between practices and working, there is little time to do anything else. Which reminds me," he spoke, reaching behind his back pocket and pulling out four tickets. "If you and your team want to come watch, we have our next pro-bending match in a few days. There is an extra ticket in case you wish to invite someone else," he spoke, smiling as he handed her the tickets. Rika merely stared incredulously at him, shaking her head violently in refusal, however; she was stopped when he laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, the tickets were free. We get them, sometimes, to pass them out to our fans if we want. Zian and Ying gave me theirs, and I had two extra ones. I want you and your team to come out and see us."
Ying smiled, the contrast of white teeth with red lips very prominent in the gesture, which could be described as distinctly predatory. “The key word in that sentence, Haki Soen, is yet. That does not mean you never will be. And I like to remain… assessed of all threats, however potential they may be.” She stood a little closer than was strictly polite, amber-colored eyes looking up at him through thick, dark lashes, one brow quirked in a manner that might have been playful on someone else. Given the way Ying presented herself, however, it was hard to mistake it for anything but flirtation, unless, perhaps, one were denser than concrete.
Kiara was honestly surprised that Zian knew who she was. She blinked up at him when he rose, and again when he offered the question. Was she happy with her teammates? Did she look like she wasn’t? Did they think she wasn’t? She certainly hoped not. Maybe it was because she didn’t make friends easily. But they were her friends, and they were important to her. Seeking to dispel any notion to the contrary, she nodded emphatically and smiled a little wider. “Of course I am! My team is wonderful—they’ve taught me so much, really. I’d probably still be lost in this place without them.” She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to thank them enough for that kindness, really, but she was trying to do so by training as hard as she could at probending.
She seemed to consider him for a moment, her expression turning pensive before she smiled again. “Tell me, Zian… did you ever learn to bend the way the Water Tribes do? Proper combat bending? I haven’t had a match in anything but probending style for a while now…” The challenge was implicit in her tone, and she gestured the water out of a nearby ice bucket, emptied of the beverages it had once been holding, and formed it into a perfect sphere over one open palm. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to ask, but she found that she was now very interested in the answer. What she’d said was true, after all. She hadn’t properly sparred since that last match she’d had with Kohaku, the day before she left her tribe for good.
And Haki was anything but dense. His smile twisted into a smirk, his eyes shimmering with a hint of mischief, however; if he wasn't careful, things could get a bit out of hand. And he had no intentions of being burned, at least not quite yet. He chuckled deeply, shaking his head softly, and dislodging a few pieces of dark locks. "My dear, that is why I said it. It hardly qualifies as a key word when I intentionally put it there. And I assure you, we are still no threat to your team," he spoke, his brow ascending his forehead. He took a step back, providing a more acceptable distance between he and her. Not that he wasn't uncomfortable, the woman just exerted a sense of confidence that Haki found a little off-putting. There was nothing wrong with a confident woman, however; something about her was causing his cautious side to rise. And Haki Soen was hardly cautious.
"I imagined as much. Your team is quite lucky. It is quite a shame that you did not run into us. I would have shown you the city," he spoke, a slight quirk to his lips before he rose a brow. "It has been awhile since I've bended that way," he spoke, taking the water from her hand and molded it into his. "If it is a challenge you seek, I believe we should wager something. Should I win, you shall come and have dinner with me, and should you win," he started, his eye twitching up in an amused style before continuing, "whatever you wish." It has been awhile since he last fought with his bending, however; he wasn't going to turn down a challenge just because the challenger happened to be pretty. And that was an understatement coming from him.
Kiara’s smile dropped into a smirk. She wasn’t overly concerned with the wager. If she lost, someone else was going to make her food—what could go wrong? “You’re on,” she said, leading the way over to the section of the gym that had been designated for this kind of thing. There were two large buckets of water waiting, and she stood by one of them, rising onto her toes and bouncing slightly to stretch her legs, raising one arm over her head and grabbing the elbow with her other hand, repeating the process on the other side, and then rolling out her shoulders.
Word had spread through the crowd quickly that Zian of the Pygmy Pumas had accepted some kind of challenge, and it wasn’t long before pretty much everyone in the room was ringing the area to watch, a few of them asking who the other participant was, but in the end, that didn’t really matter. Everyone was interested to see a showcase of skill from such a prominent waterbender, Ying sighed when she was interrupted, but nevertheless took advantage, grabbing Haki’s arm and dragging him over and to the front. She was Zian’s teammate, after all—she got to watch from wherever she wanted. She noted with surprise and a flicker of disdain that the challenger was the waterbender from the Otter Penguins.
Someone had taken over the duty of officiating, and when it was announced that the match was not restricted to probending rules, but rather to combat forms from the Water Tribes, Ying’s eyebrows ascended her forehead. She’d never seen Zian use those, though of course he presumably knew them. She herself wasn’t much of a combat bender, preferring the regulation of arena matches, but he was a little different in that respect, she knew. Daichi was, too, being a member of the police force.
The signal was given to begin, and both immediately bent the water out of their buckets, coiling it around themselves with sinuous movements. As one, they stepped forward, Zian lashing out with a water whip that Kiara bent away, using a foot since her hands were both occupied with her own formations. The match itself lasted for close to fifteen minutes, both of the combatants clearly skilled. By the time it was done, most of the gym floor was covered in ice, which they both taken to skating around on for extra speed, whirling around in dizzying patterns, hurling orbs, whips, and waves which were alternately bent away, frozen, or absorbed into the other bender’s water collections. Several audience members were more than a little damp from attacks gone awry, and both benders were grinning madly.
There was something exhilarating about being so thoroughly in one’s own element, and there was no mistaking that for any of the benders present. The result, however, shocked just about everyone. After a particularly protracted pass, the female waterbender leapt into the air in a move more reminiscent of firebending than anything, bringing a stinging whip of water down with her foot upon her foe, who was forced to his knees by the impact. He held up a hand to indicate his yield, and Kiara flopped down into a sitting position thereafter, exhausted but happy, not even aware of the way the crowd was looking at her in a new light, particularly some of the sponsors and senior benders.
Haki flinched somewhat at the brief contact. There had been a challenge issued from Zian, the waterbender of the Pygmy Puma's, and curious as to who the challenger was, Haki allowed himself to be dragged away by Ying. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. There, stood Kiara, their waterbender, facing off with Zian. For a moment, he thought they were going to have a practice match, however; their stances shifted to one that he recognized. It was more of a combat style, one he recognized very well. A smirk pulled at his lips, however; he was frowning inwardly. Kiara, admittedly, wasn't that bright when it came to advances, and Haki knew what kind of person Zian was. It only caused his lips to purse into a fine line.
He watched, his eyes following their movements as they fought. He winced a few times, watching as the water collided with the both of them. When the final moments came, Haki found himself removing his arm from Ying's hold and weaving through the crowd. He exited it just in time to see Kiara come out the victor, and he smiled, clapping along with the others. He walked over towards her, offering her a hand to help her stand. "Congratulations, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, lifting her up as his smile lingered. "You have put us on the radar for more potential support," he whispered low enough before bowing with her in hand. Zian, watching every movement the firebender made, scowled. He didn't take too kindly to the firebender touching things that would eventually belong to him.
"You are truly talented, and it is a shame that talent is being wasted," he spoke before melding back into the crowds, a scowl still present on his face. Rika, however, had stayed with Daichi who had informed her that there was a match between Zian, his waterbender, and someone else. Had she known it was Kiara, she would have left to watch the girl's match, however; she had stayed by Daichi's side, conversing with him until the sound of clapping reached her ears. She blinked before excusing herself, weaving through the crowd and stared dumbfoundedly at Haki and Kiara. She pursed her lips together, thinking that it was Haki who had issued the challenge, however; it was evident that the battle taking place had been between two waterbenders.
"What did I miss?" she questioned as she stood in front of her friends. Haki merely shook his head.
Winter had come quickly for the Otter Penguins. Due to the show Kiara and Zian put on, the Otter Penguins had received a little more recognition, which was fine by Rika. The group could use more eyes on them. They were still without a sponsor, and they would more than likely need one soon. Rika had hoped that the match between Kiara and Zian would cause a potential sponsor to show up, however; it didn't. They were fine for now, but eventually, they would need to do more, and Rika wasn't sure if all the resources she had saved for her team would make it through. Haki had tried playing a part in finding a sponsor, talking with as many people as he could, finding resources and using them as much as he could.
Rika sighed softly to herself, balancing two plates on one arm and another plate on the other. Kiara had invited them all over for a night, and Rika couldn't say no to her friend. She had arrived a bit earlier than the others, helping Kiara cook the meal for four people. Today was also a rather special day, and Rika had brought along three small gifts. She couldn't afford much, at least not now, but she had still wanted to be able to give her friends something. She didn't exactly know what to get them, and had gone with what she thought they might like. Haki, on the other hand, had not yet arrived. He stood outside a small shop, staring in at the contents and held a contemplative look across his face. He had yet to get a gift for anyone, and he was having a hard time figuring out what to get them.
He had purchased something small for Lotus, but Turtle-Duck and Fang were a little more difficult. He was sure that the two girls didn't have any trouble choosing gifts. He should have dragged Lotus with him. Releasing a defeated sigh, Haki entered the shop and purchased what he thought would be good gifts for the other two. He made his way towards Kiara's apartment, the three gifts tucked neatly beneath his arm. He hoped he got something they would at least enjoy.
Kiara’s gifts were already in a small stack on her table, but she moved them to the sofa when they started laying out dishes of food. Her table was somewhat small, but it should fit four people comfortably enough, and the extra food could be left on the kitchen counter. She was putting large dishes in the center of the table when the first knock came upon the door. “It’s open!” she called, figuring that nobody who didn’t want to be at her apartment would be dropping by on Midwinter’s Day. She’d insisted on this little gathering with her friends because it was something of a tradition at the North Pole—usually, the whole city got together for a huge festival with food and waterbending displays and lights… and oftentimes, weddings. Actually, if she’d stayed there, she might have been getting married today.
The thought was very strange, and she almost shuddered to think about it. Regardless of those implications, she really missed her family sometimes, much as they had tended to bother her. She found that she couldn’t stand the idea of spending Midwinter all by herself, so she’d decided that she’d do her best to spend it with her friends. Somehow, the four of them had become a very tightly-knit group over the months she’d been in Republic City, and she wouldn’t trade that for anything. Almost nine months since she’d moved, and she finally felt at home here. There were still some things she was getting used to, and some things she didn’t understand, but she’d settled into her life as a professional bender and a friend to three very different, very interesting people.
She’d learned a lot about them, too—just the little things. She knew Rika had had a lot of siblings, for instance, and that her father had died. She knew Haki was an only child, and that his parents lived somewhere in Republic City, and that he’d once worked at the Republic City Bank, of all places. She still had no idea what Fang did for a living, but she did know that he was originally from the Fire Nation, and she had the feeling that his parents were important people somehow. She wondered if he could bend, but she’d never asked, and he’d never divulged. Maybe it was a sore spot—sometimes, those born into bending families who didn’t have the ability themselves were shunned. She thought it was silly, herself—waterbending was no doubt a big part of who she was, but it didn’t make her better than someone who couldn’t do it.
The door opened at her call, to admit Fang, who smoothly ducked around the incoming Rika and stood off to one side out of the way. He blinked golden eyes at the food on offer, making only one comment: “I believe this much would feed eight.”
"Oh, sorry Fang," Rika called out as she apologized for almost hitting Fang with the plates. She set them on the table, dusted her hands in satisfaction and grinned at the plates. He was probably right, they did make a lot of food. But, then again, she knew Haki could probably put away a quarter of it, so there was nothing too much to worry about. She could put away perhaps a little less than he could, and she wasn't too sure on how much Fang and Kiara could eat. These kind of things always worked themselves out in the end, anyways, so she wasn't overly concerned with it. She pursed her lips together as she took in Fang's words.
"Well, there are four of us so it'll be okay if someone wants seconds," she stated, shrugging her shoulders before retreating back to the kitchen to grab the cups for the tea she and Kiara prepared as well. She wondered, just for a moment, where Haki could be. Knowing him, he probably got sidetracked by something or someone. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It would be just like him for that to happen. Haki, however, stood outside of Kiara's apartment, glancing at the gifts one last time before sighing. Unlike most people, because Haki wasn't like most people, he opened the door to Kiara's apartment without knocking, and blinked at the scene.
"Are we expecting to feed an army today?" he stated, raising a brow as he set his gifts down on the table where the others sat. He meant it mildly since there wasn't that many options to choose from, and allowed his lips to tilt slightly upwards. He could almost hear the glare Rika sent him. "What? My dear Lotus, I am merely making an observation," he stated, shrugging his shoulders. Rika frowned and shook her head, opting to ignore him for the moment. He merely chuckled lightly before turning towards the two women. "Can I be of assistance in one way?" he stated. It seemed that they had everything under control, but if they needed help...he supposed he could render his aid.
Kiara shrugged, raising a reddish eyebrow and tilting her head slightly to the side. “You could help us by eating. We do seem to have enough food for an army, after all.” Her mouth ticking up into a half-smile, she gestured at all of them to be seated, then ducked back into the kitchen, rummaging around in her icebox until she came away with a bottle. Returning to the main room, she got Rika to earthbend the cork out before setting it on the table. “I, uh… promise no more winebending, but I thought a little bit might be nice?” She smiled sheepishly. Kiara still didn’t remember the winebending incident, but Haki had retold it enough times that she was certain it had happened.
Well, something to keep in mind: neither she nor Rika could hold liquor, so they shouldn’t drink much. With an elegant flourish of her fingers, she bent some of the liquid into each glass in front of them, then took her seat next to Rika on the left side of the table. “Dig in, everyone, and Happy Midwinter!”
Fang had to admit, the food was much better than anything he was capable of making himself, and both the tea and the wine were quite tasty as well. He had no issues eating a second helping of the food, which looked to be a Four Nations tour in cuisine. He knew Kiara to be capable of making basically anything, but he suspected at least some of the fare to be Rika’s work as well. “This is excellent,” he observed honestly, earning himself a grin from the waterbender.
Haki raised a brow, but thought nothing more of the statement. If she wanted him to eat, then he wasn't exactly going to say no. It looked too good to pass up, and he wasn't about to either. Instead, he situated himself on the table and held back a chuckle at Kiara's statement. Though the incident had been entertaining, a repeat of it wasn't exactly on his list of things he wanted to see happen today. Perhaps another day, but not this particular day. He was well aware of the Midwinter Day traditions, though they might have differed slightly between the Northern and Southern tribe. He wasn't exactly sure of what those differences were, but nonetheless it seemed that there really wasn't a difference.
"Happy Midwinter Day," Haki repeated as he began chewing his food. Fang was right, it was excellent. He did not know the two could produce such things, but then again, he was aware Lotus could cook certain foods. But he did not know Kiara was capable. She probably told him, but he couldn't really recall at the moment. He was enjoying his meal. Rika shared the grin Kiara sported, however; she glanced warily at her cup of wine. She laughed nervously and kept it to the side, instead partaking in her tea. She really didn't like the taste of wine, and the incident had left a rather deep impression. She didn't wish to repeat it even if she wasn't being challenged like she had been.
"Ah, I didn't know exactly what to get you or Fang, so I just...um," Rika started as they had finished their food. She hadn't exactly known what to get her friends, though she knew Fang liked tea, or seemed to enjoy it at least. Kiara was a little more difficult. She hadn't known exactly what to get the waterbender, but she hoped it would do. "I hope you like it though," she continued as she handed Fang and Kiara their gifts. Fang, she had actually made his gift. Haki had told her not too long ago that he was particularly skilled in playing the flute. She didn't know what kind of flute he played, seeing as there were different styles and different ones made out of different materials.
So, instead of buying him one, she only bought the metal so she could bend him one. She had managed to get a skilled blacksmith to carve a dragon along the side of it and placed two citrine gems for the eyes. For Kiara, she had bought the waterbender a spice rack and a few spices to put in it. Kiara liked spicy things, if she recalled correctly, and Rika hadn't known what else to get the waterbender. For Haki, she just got him a few coupons for her shop seeing as he made a big deal about Fang getting free tea when he didn't. Haki, on the other hand, had bought Fang a whetstone. He had seen Fang's swords and thought he could use them to keep the blades sharp. Sure, he probably had some of his own, but you could never have too many whetstones.
For Kiara, he had bought her a rather peculiar set of pins. One was a Yin pin, the other a Yang pin. When put together, it made the yin and yang symbol, something he thought fitting for the waterbender. For Lotus, however, he merely smiled. She'd find out as soon as she opened the present. But for now, he would wait for the others to open hers before he gave them his.
Kiara was the first to open hers, grinning broadly when she sorted through the array of spices. There were some really good ones here; she’d have to try them out with some new dishes soon. “Oh, thank you, Rika!” she said, leaning sideways to pull the other girl into a one-armed sideways hug. She hopped up from her seat on the couch immediately thereafter and went to put the spices away in her kitchen, taking a moment to alphabetize them. She kept her apartment rather neat as a rule, after all.
Fang, on the other hand, was silent for a moment, turning the flute over in his hands and examining the carvings on the side. It was… quite an apt gift, actually, and he was surprised by it. Adjusting his posture slightly, he raised it to just beneath his lips and decided to test the sound of the instrument. The song was on the short side for such pieces, but when he drew the instrument away at the end of it, he nodded slightly. “Thank you,” he said quietly, a touch of warmth creeping into his tone as he met eyes with Rika. “It is well-crafted.” A flicker of something passed over his face, but then his attention was drawn to Kiara reentering, a smile on her face and three parcels in hand. She distributed them to each of the others, figuring that it might as well be her turn now.
Haki’s parcel contained a red silk scarf that she’d made herself, embroidering it with golden thread in a dragon motif. Fang’s contained a kit for the maintenance of metal items, which she’d intended for the swords but would clearly do just as well for the new flute, including polish and several materials for removing scratches and the like. She almost didn’t like giving practical gifts, but then again, he was a practical person, so it seemed to fit. For Rika, she had something fairly interesting: a few jars of homemade mango jam. She knew the flavor to be her friend’s favorite, and so had made preserves out of it so that she could have a little of the flavor with tea and snacks whenever she wanted.
Rika smiled and returned the hug Kiara had given her. She was glad she seemed to like it, otherwise she would have been mortified and would have probably ran out to find her a different gift. She blinked, however, when Fang spoke, taking the flute to his lips and playing a song. She stood, listening to it as it fluttered through the small apartment, Haki closing his eyes to enjoy the sound. Once the song was finished, Rika clapped softly. She had never heard the flute played so well, and honestly, she quite enjoyed it. She laughed nervously at his statement, though, and felt her face flush in embarrassment. The flute wasn't anything too special, but she was glad he liked it nonetheless. Haki shook his head lightly at the gift Rika had given him, and had to refrain from laughing at it.
He, however, turned towards Kiara when she returned with her own gifts, giving them to Rika, Fang, and himself. He watched as Rika opened hers, her jade eyes shining brightly at the jam. He knew she loved mango flavored items, and he could only guess that Kiara knew that as well and made the jam for her. It wasn't a secret to begin with, actually, so perhaps it was expected. He opened his present next as Rika almost squeezed Kiara a bit hard. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she squeezed the air out of her, but Rika was excitable to that point. Instead, he allowed his fingers to glide across the silken scarf in his box, pulling it out and examining it. The stitching on it was almost superb, and it was exceptionally soft.
Her own work, no doubt, and he offered a soft smile towards Kiara. An unusual sight as he usually either grinned or smirked at her. "Thank you, Kiara," he spoke, pulling the scarf around his neck and fixing it. "I suppose it is my turn then," he spoke, passing out his gifts and sat back down. Rika stared at her gift, shaking the box as if it would reveal what it was without opening. She peeled the paper back slowly. She didn't trust Haki enough to tear open the gift, however; when she opened the lid to the box, her eyes widened slightly before readjusting. She laughed softly as she pulled out the Otter Penguin doll he had won at the festival.
"Really, Haki?" she stated, shaking her head lightly, but still smiling. He merely shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "Thank you," she stated, punching his shoulder lightly before wrapping her arms around the Otter Penguin and hugged it closely towards her, the smile slowly morphing into a grin. Haki shook his head. She could be such a child sometimes, but he was glad she at least enjoyed her gift, even if it wasn't much.
There was an odd little stutter in Kiara’s chest at the expression on his face, but she covered it with a bright grin, raising a hand to the back of her head. She soon found herself with another present in-hand, however, and though she glanced over to see Fang snort softly at his new whetstones and nod his thanks at the other man, she was distracted by Rika, who seemed amused. Glancing at the gift, she could see why. If her ribs didn’t hurt from that crushing hug, she might have laughed to see the stuffed otter penguin. Still adorable, and a pleasant reminder of something else they’d all done as friends, back when the status was new.
When she opened her own gift, it was to find a beautiful pair of hairpins, worked in a mix of wood and mother-of-pearl. She wasn’t sure she’d ever owned anything so pretty before, and she made a small noise that was a bit like a squeak of surprise, lifting them reverently from the case they came in and fixing the pair of them in her hair before beaming across the room, then launching herself at Haki, too. There were a lot of hugs going around this evening, but this one was particularly warm, probably because he was a firebender. “Thank you,” she said quietly, setting her forehead against his shoulder before she released him. She’d sort of crawled into his lap to hug him, so she extricated herself with care and then turned to Fang.
Two of his gifts were wrapped—the ornamental earrings in hers earning him her third hug of the day. They appeared to be teardrop-shaped sapphires, wrapped in delicate silver wiring. They would dangle from her ear and about halfway down her neck. That made two pretty things she now owned, where once she’d had none. It was a little odd really—she’d never imagine spending money on such things for herself, but she really did like them. Haki’s gift turned out to be an up-to-date copy of the official Probending Guide to Republic City, which she knew from listening to her landlord was hard to find in print. Usually, smaller pamphlets circulated with statistics and such things, but the book had information on all the teams, a history of the sport, schematics of the arena, and all kinds of information that only really dedicated fans of the sport would care about.
He produced no package for Rika, however, and Kiara glanced curiously between them for a moment, before he seemed to realize what they were waiting for. “Ah,” he said, and then reached into a pocket. When he withdrew his hand again, there was a tiny baby fire ferret sleeping in it, apparently having been content to nap in his shirt the whole time. It could not have been more than a few weeks old, judging from the size, and it might well be the most adorable thing Kiara had ever seen. “I found her two weeks ago, while I was out walking. She is ready for solid food now, but I do not really have the sort of schedule that makes keeping her very practical. I thought she might do better with you, should you not mind.” He’d spent the two weeks basically bringing her back from the edge of death, but saw no real need to tell that part of the story. He wasn’t trying to guilt her into taking the ferret, after all.
Haki was mildly surprised when Kiara launched herself at him, and was thankful that he was sitting down. If the force of which she hit him with was anything, he might have toppled over with her had he been standing. "You are welcome, Turtle-Duck," he replied, returning the hug once his surprise wore off and watched her crawl out of his lap. He frowned lightly, fighting off the urge to pull her back into his lap, and instead, folded his hands across his lap. He occupied them with Fang's gift next, though, when the man produced his. He raised a brow at his gift, before his lips pulled into a light smirk. It was a probending guide, one that was in print. "These are hard to come by. Thank you, Fang." he stated, placing the guide down in a safe spot. He'd read it later.
Rika smiled at everyone's gift, and made no notion to change her facial expression when she did not receive a gift from Fang. It didn't matter, she didn't need one from everyone really, though she did have to fight off a frown from covering her lips. That, however, was soon replaced by a curious gaze when Fang reached into his pocket and produced something. For a moment, Rika blinked at the small creature in Fang's hand, trying to figure out what it was even though it was obvious. Her eyes remained the same until they began to grow, shining a bit brighter than normal. She reached hesitantly out for it, taking the small ferret from Fang's hand and cradled it closer to her. She loved Fire Ferrets. Her family had raised them, were raising them, and she had brought one along with her. San would finally have a play mate.
Though San was already two years old, and this one barely a few weeks, she was sure the two would get along. Instead, she stared at Fang, her eyes watering slightly as a smile covered her face. Haki had to resist the urge to not laugh at her, but she ignored him. Instead, she bowed lowly, her hair falling over as she tried not to cry. She had the best friends, she really did. "Thank you, Fang," she stated softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Jiao, I'll name her Jiao," for the creature was delicate. The name suited.
Rika sighed softly to herself, balancing two plates on one arm and another plate on the other. Kiara had invited them all over for a night, and Rika couldn't say no to her friend. She had arrived a bit earlier than the others, helping Kiara cook the meal for four people. Today was also a rather special day, and Rika had brought along three small gifts. She couldn't afford much, at least not now, but she had still wanted to be able to give her friends something. She didn't exactly know what to get them, and had gone with what she thought they might like. Haki, on the other hand, had not yet arrived. He stood outside a small shop, staring in at the contents and held a contemplative look across his face. He had yet to get a gift for anyone, and he was having a hard time figuring out what to get them.
He had purchased something small for Lotus, but Turtle-Duck and Fang were a little more difficult. He was sure that the two girls didn't have any trouble choosing gifts. He should have dragged Lotus with him. Releasing a defeated sigh, Haki entered the shop and purchased what he thought would be good gifts for the other two. He made his way towards Kiara's apartment, the three gifts tucked neatly beneath his arm. He hoped he got something they would at least enjoy.
Kiara’s gifts were already in a small stack on her table, but she moved them to the sofa when they started laying out dishes of food. Her table was somewhat small, but it should fit four people comfortably enough, and the extra food could be left on the kitchen counter. She was putting large dishes in the center of the table when the first knock came upon the door. “It’s open!” she called, figuring that nobody who didn’t want to be at her apartment would be dropping by on Midwinter’s Day. She’d insisted on this little gathering with her friends because it was something of a tradition at the North Pole—usually, the whole city got together for a huge festival with food and waterbending displays and lights… and oftentimes, weddings. Actually, if she’d stayed there, she might have been getting married today.
The thought was very strange, and she almost shuddered to think about it. Regardless of those implications, she really missed her family sometimes, much as they had tended to bother her. She found that she couldn’t stand the idea of spending Midwinter all by herself, so she’d decided that she’d do her best to spend it with her friends. Somehow, the four of them had become a very tightly-knit group over the months she’d been in Republic City, and she wouldn’t trade that for anything. Almost nine months since she’d moved, and she finally felt at home here. There were still some things she was getting used to, and some things she didn’t understand, but she’d settled into her life as a professional bender and a friend to three very different, very interesting people.
She’d learned a lot about them, too—just the little things. She knew Rika had had a lot of siblings, for instance, and that her father had died. She knew Haki was an only child, and that his parents lived somewhere in Republic City, and that he’d once worked at the Republic City Bank, of all places. She still had no idea what Fang did for a living, but she did know that he was originally from the Fire Nation, and she had the feeling that his parents were important people somehow. She wondered if he could bend, but she’d never asked, and he’d never divulged. Maybe it was a sore spot—sometimes, those born into bending families who didn’t have the ability themselves were shunned. She thought it was silly, herself—waterbending was no doubt a big part of who she was, but it didn’t make her better than someone who couldn’t do it.
The door opened at her call, to admit Fang, who smoothly ducked around the incoming Rika and stood off to one side out of the way. He blinked golden eyes at the food on offer, making only one comment: “I believe this much would feed eight.”
"Oh, sorry Fang," Rika called out as she apologized for almost hitting Fang with the plates. She set them on the table, dusted her hands in satisfaction and grinned at the plates. He was probably right, they did make a lot of food. But, then again, she knew Haki could probably put away a quarter of it, so there was nothing too much to worry about. She could put away perhaps a little less than he could, and she wasn't too sure on how much Fang and Kiara could eat. These kind of things always worked themselves out in the end, anyways, so she wasn't overly concerned with it. She pursed her lips together as she took in Fang's words.
"Well, there are four of us so it'll be okay if someone wants seconds," she stated, shrugging her shoulders before retreating back to the kitchen to grab the cups for the tea she and Kiara prepared as well. She wondered, just for a moment, where Haki could be. Knowing him, he probably got sidetracked by something or someone. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It would be just like him for that to happen. Haki, however, stood outside of Kiara's apartment, glancing at the gifts one last time before sighing. Unlike most people, because Haki wasn't like most people, he opened the door to Kiara's apartment without knocking, and blinked at the scene.
"Are we expecting to feed an army today?" he stated, raising a brow as he set his gifts down on the table where the others sat. He meant it mildly since there wasn't that many options to choose from, and allowed his lips to tilt slightly upwards. He could almost hear the glare Rika sent him. "What? My dear Lotus, I am merely making an observation," he stated, shrugging his shoulders. Rika frowned and shook her head, opting to ignore him for the moment. He merely chuckled lightly before turning towards the two women. "Can I be of assistance in one way?" he stated. It seemed that they had everything under control, but if they needed help...he supposed he could render his aid.
Kiara shrugged, raising a reddish eyebrow and tilting her head slightly to the side. “You could help us by eating. We do seem to have enough food for an army, after all.” Her mouth ticking up into a half-smile, she gestured at all of them to be seated, then ducked back into the kitchen, rummaging around in her icebox until she came away with a bottle. Returning to the main room, she got Rika to earthbend the cork out before setting it on the table. “I, uh… promise no more winebending, but I thought a little bit might be nice?” She smiled sheepishly. Kiara still didn’t remember the winebending incident, but Haki had retold it enough times that she was certain it had happened.
Well, something to keep in mind: neither she nor Rika could hold liquor, so they shouldn’t drink much. With an elegant flourish of her fingers, she bent some of the liquid into each glass in front of them, then took her seat next to Rika on the left side of the table. “Dig in, everyone, and Happy Midwinter!”
Fang had to admit, the food was much better than anything he was capable of making himself, and both the tea and the wine were quite tasty as well. He had no issues eating a second helping of the food, which looked to be a Four Nations tour in cuisine. He knew Kiara to be capable of making basically anything, but he suspected at least some of the fare to be Rika’s work as well. “This is excellent,” he observed honestly, earning himself a grin from the waterbender.
Haki raised a brow, but thought nothing more of the statement. If she wanted him to eat, then he wasn't exactly going to say no. It looked too good to pass up, and he wasn't about to either. Instead, he situated himself on the table and held back a chuckle at Kiara's statement. Though the incident had been entertaining, a repeat of it wasn't exactly on his list of things he wanted to see happen today. Perhaps another day, but not this particular day. He was well aware of the Midwinter Day traditions, though they might have differed slightly between the Northern and Southern tribe. He wasn't exactly sure of what those differences were, but nonetheless it seemed that there really wasn't a difference.
"Happy Midwinter Day," Haki repeated as he began chewing his food. Fang was right, it was excellent. He did not know the two could produce such things, but then again, he was aware Lotus could cook certain foods. But he did not know Kiara was capable. She probably told him, but he couldn't really recall at the moment. He was enjoying his meal. Rika shared the grin Kiara sported, however; she glanced warily at her cup of wine. She laughed nervously and kept it to the side, instead partaking in her tea. She really didn't like the taste of wine, and the incident had left a rather deep impression. She didn't wish to repeat it even if she wasn't being challenged like she had been.
"Ah, I didn't know exactly what to get you or Fang, so I just...um," Rika started as they had finished their food. She hadn't exactly known what to get her friends, though she knew Fang liked tea, or seemed to enjoy it at least. Kiara was a little more difficult. She hadn't known exactly what to get the waterbender, but she hoped it would do. "I hope you like it though," she continued as she handed Fang and Kiara their gifts. Fang, she had actually made his gift. Haki had told her not too long ago that he was particularly skilled in playing the flute. She didn't know what kind of flute he played, seeing as there were different styles and different ones made out of different materials.
So, instead of buying him one, she only bought the metal so she could bend him one. She had managed to get a skilled blacksmith to carve a dragon along the side of it and placed two citrine gems for the eyes. For Kiara, she had bought the waterbender a spice rack and a few spices to put in it. Kiara liked spicy things, if she recalled correctly, and Rika hadn't known what else to get the waterbender. For Haki, she just got him a few coupons for her shop seeing as he made a big deal about Fang getting free tea when he didn't. Haki, on the other hand, had bought Fang a whetstone. He had seen Fang's swords and thought he could use them to keep the blades sharp. Sure, he probably had some of his own, but you could never have too many whetstones.
For Kiara, he had bought her a rather peculiar set of pins. One was a Yin pin, the other a Yang pin. When put together, it made the yin and yang symbol, something he thought fitting for the waterbender. For Lotus, however, he merely smiled. She'd find out as soon as she opened the present. But for now, he would wait for the others to open hers before he gave them his.
Kiara was the first to open hers, grinning broadly when she sorted through the array of spices. There were some really good ones here; she’d have to try them out with some new dishes soon. “Oh, thank you, Rika!” she said, leaning sideways to pull the other girl into a one-armed sideways hug. She hopped up from her seat on the couch immediately thereafter and went to put the spices away in her kitchen, taking a moment to alphabetize them. She kept her apartment rather neat as a rule, after all.
Fang, on the other hand, was silent for a moment, turning the flute over in his hands and examining the carvings on the side. It was… quite an apt gift, actually, and he was surprised by it. Adjusting his posture slightly, he raised it to just beneath his lips and decided to test the sound of the instrument. The song was on the short side for such pieces, but when he drew the instrument away at the end of it, he nodded slightly. “Thank you,” he said quietly, a touch of warmth creeping into his tone as he met eyes with Rika. “It is well-crafted.” A flicker of something passed over his face, but then his attention was drawn to Kiara reentering, a smile on her face and three parcels in hand. She distributed them to each of the others, figuring that it might as well be her turn now.
Haki’s parcel contained a red silk scarf that she’d made herself, embroidering it with golden thread in a dragon motif. Fang’s contained a kit for the maintenance of metal items, which she’d intended for the swords but would clearly do just as well for the new flute, including polish and several materials for removing scratches and the like. She almost didn’t like giving practical gifts, but then again, he was a practical person, so it seemed to fit. For Rika, she had something fairly interesting: a few jars of homemade mango jam. She knew the flavor to be her friend’s favorite, and so had made preserves out of it so that she could have a little of the flavor with tea and snacks whenever she wanted.
Rika smiled and returned the hug Kiara had given her. She was glad she seemed to like it, otherwise she would have been mortified and would have probably ran out to find her a different gift. She blinked, however, when Fang spoke, taking the flute to his lips and playing a song. She stood, listening to it as it fluttered through the small apartment, Haki closing his eyes to enjoy the sound. Once the song was finished, Rika clapped softly. She had never heard the flute played so well, and honestly, she quite enjoyed it. She laughed nervously at his statement, though, and felt her face flush in embarrassment. The flute wasn't anything too special, but she was glad he liked it nonetheless. Haki shook his head lightly at the gift Rika had given him, and had to refrain from laughing at it.
He, however, turned towards Kiara when she returned with her own gifts, giving them to Rika, Fang, and himself. He watched as Rika opened hers, her jade eyes shining brightly at the jam. He knew she loved mango flavored items, and he could only guess that Kiara knew that as well and made the jam for her. It wasn't a secret to begin with, actually, so perhaps it was expected. He opened his present next as Rika almost squeezed Kiara a bit hard. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she squeezed the air out of her, but Rika was excitable to that point. Instead, he allowed his fingers to glide across the silken scarf in his box, pulling it out and examining it. The stitching on it was almost superb, and it was exceptionally soft.
Her own work, no doubt, and he offered a soft smile towards Kiara. An unusual sight as he usually either grinned or smirked at her. "Thank you, Kiara," he spoke, pulling the scarf around his neck and fixing it. "I suppose it is my turn then," he spoke, passing out his gifts and sat back down. Rika stared at her gift, shaking the box as if it would reveal what it was without opening. She peeled the paper back slowly. She didn't trust Haki enough to tear open the gift, however; when she opened the lid to the box, her eyes widened slightly before readjusting. She laughed softly as she pulled out the Otter Penguin doll he had won at the festival.
"Really, Haki?" she stated, shaking her head lightly, but still smiling. He merely shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "Thank you," she stated, punching his shoulder lightly before wrapping her arms around the Otter Penguin and hugged it closely towards her, the smile slowly morphing into a grin. Haki shook his head. She could be such a child sometimes, but he was glad she at least enjoyed her gift, even if it wasn't much.
There was an odd little stutter in Kiara’s chest at the expression on his face, but she covered it with a bright grin, raising a hand to the back of her head. She soon found herself with another present in-hand, however, and though she glanced over to see Fang snort softly at his new whetstones and nod his thanks at the other man, she was distracted by Rika, who seemed amused. Glancing at the gift, she could see why. If her ribs didn’t hurt from that crushing hug, she might have laughed to see the stuffed otter penguin. Still adorable, and a pleasant reminder of something else they’d all done as friends, back when the status was new.
When she opened her own gift, it was to find a beautiful pair of hairpins, worked in a mix of wood and mother-of-pearl. She wasn’t sure she’d ever owned anything so pretty before, and she made a small noise that was a bit like a squeak of surprise, lifting them reverently from the case they came in and fixing the pair of them in her hair before beaming across the room, then launching herself at Haki, too. There were a lot of hugs going around this evening, but this one was particularly warm, probably because he was a firebender. “Thank you,” she said quietly, setting her forehead against his shoulder before she released him. She’d sort of crawled into his lap to hug him, so she extricated herself with care and then turned to Fang.
Two of his gifts were wrapped—the ornamental earrings in hers earning him her third hug of the day. They appeared to be teardrop-shaped sapphires, wrapped in delicate silver wiring. They would dangle from her ear and about halfway down her neck. That made two pretty things she now owned, where once she’d had none. It was a little odd really—she’d never imagine spending money on such things for herself, but she really did like them. Haki’s gift turned out to be an up-to-date copy of the official Probending Guide to Republic City, which she knew from listening to her landlord was hard to find in print. Usually, smaller pamphlets circulated with statistics and such things, but the book had information on all the teams, a history of the sport, schematics of the arena, and all kinds of information that only really dedicated fans of the sport would care about.
He produced no package for Rika, however, and Kiara glanced curiously between them for a moment, before he seemed to realize what they were waiting for. “Ah,” he said, and then reached into a pocket. When he withdrew his hand again, there was a tiny baby fire ferret sleeping in it, apparently having been content to nap in his shirt the whole time. It could not have been more than a few weeks old, judging from the size, and it might well be the most adorable thing Kiara had ever seen. “I found her two weeks ago, while I was out walking. She is ready for solid food now, but I do not really have the sort of schedule that makes keeping her very practical. I thought she might do better with you, should you not mind.” He’d spent the two weeks basically bringing her back from the edge of death, but saw no real need to tell that part of the story. He wasn’t trying to guilt her into taking the ferret, after all.
Haki was mildly surprised when Kiara launched herself at him, and was thankful that he was sitting down. If the force of which she hit him with was anything, he might have toppled over with her had he been standing. "You are welcome, Turtle-Duck," he replied, returning the hug once his surprise wore off and watched her crawl out of his lap. He frowned lightly, fighting off the urge to pull her back into his lap, and instead, folded his hands across his lap. He occupied them with Fang's gift next, though, when the man produced his. He raised a brow at his gift, before his lips pulled into a light smirk. It was a probending guide, one that was in print. "These are hard to come by. Thank you, Fang." he stated, placing the guide down in a safe spot. He'd read it later.
Rika smiled at everyone's gift, and made no notion to change her facial expression when she did not receive a gift from Fang. It didn't matter, she didn't need one from everyone really, though she did have to fight off a frown from covering her lips. That, however, was soon replaced by a curious gaze when Fang reached into his pocket and produced something. For a moment, Rika blinked at the small creature in Fang's hand, trying to figure out what it was even though it was obvious. Her eyes remained the same until they began to grow, shining a bit brighter than normal. She reached hesitantly out for it, taking the small ferret from Fang's hand and cradled it closer to her. She loved Fire Ferrets. Her family had raised them, were raising them, and she had brought one along with her. San would finally have a play mate.
Though San was already two years old, and this one barely a few weeks, she was sure the two would get along. Instead, she stared at Fang, her eyes watering slightly as a smile covered her face. Haki had to resist the urge to not laugh at her, but she ignored him. Instead, she bowed lowly, her hair falling over as she tried not to cry. She had the best friends, she really did. "Thank you, Fang," she stated softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Jiao, I'll name her Jiao," for the creature was delicate. The name suited.
After the four had given and received their gifts to and from one another, they spent a few more hours inside Kiara’s home, mostly just enjoying one another’s company. In her usual tactile fashion, Kiara herself wound up snuggled into Rika’s side, a thick woolen blanket draped over the both of them on the couch. Haki had obligingly started a fire in the hearth, and she was laughing at something he’d said when Fang, who sat crosslegged in a chair facing the window, made an interesting observation.
“It appears to be snowing.”
At this, Kiara was immediately on her feet, bolting upright and running to the window. She pulled aside the light blue curtains and pressed her nose up against the glass, the smile on her face bright and wide, her eyes lit with childish glee. “It is!” she confirmed, giving a little hop of delight. It was snowing quite thickly, too, already coating the ground in fluffy, pristine flakes. Her smile dimmed for just a moment, as she thought for once of home, and how she’d left it. But with a shake of her head, the smile was back as though it had never left, and perhaps only the observant would have even noticed it disappear in the first place.
Turning around, she leaned back against the window and beamed at her friends. “Can we go outside? I want to feel it.” She already could feel it a little, tugging at the part of her that was a bender of the element it was made of, but she wanted to feel it melt on her skin, like she’d used to. It hadn’t snowed really at all since she’d come here—it was apparently a very rare thing in Republic City. That just meant she needed to savor it.
Rika moved in closer to Kiara, enjoying the bit of warmth the other girl was providing. It wasn't cold, but it was cold enough that Rika frowned the moment Kiara left her side. She snuggled deeper into the blanket, wrapping herself and Jiao as much as possible to preserve what little warmth remained. Haki merely raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as Kiara pressed her nose against the glass window. Snow? He walked over and peered over her shoulder to see the snow falling outside. A small smile crossed his lips before it disappeared. He glanced down at Kiara and raised his brow further.
"Must you ask for permission to go outside?" he questioned, a hint of teasing laced in his voice as he allowed his smirk to appear. "I thought Turtle-duck was old enough to do what she wanted without asking for permission?" he continued, leaning close to her, however; he could feel his collar being tugged at as he was pulled back. A light chuckle escaped his lips as Rika dragged him away, still curled up in the wool blanket with a frown on her face. She shook her head as she released him.
"Leave her alone, Haki. She wants to go outside with us, so go put on your scarf," she spoke, grabbing her own coat and scarf and slipped into it. She placed Jiao in the center of her coat, allowing the baby fire ferret's head to peek out barely. "Ready?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer, because she didn't need one. She was already out the door and walking out into the snow, watching as it fell in small flurries around them.
Kiara hadn’t noticed Haki get that close, and weirdly, she felt her heart flutter a little in her chest. Putting the reaction down to surprise, she grinned when Rika yanked him backwards, nodding at the other girl’s explanation. She might not need to ask permission, but she didn’t just want to up and leave her guests alone in her house; that would be very rude. She’d much rather enjoy the snow with them; and she was tickled that they all seemed to be willing enough to indulge her. Fang disappeared back into his own apartment for a moment, presumably to stow his gifts and fetch his coat.
He reappeared wearing a long, black wool jacket, and, hilariously, a grey hat with what appeared to be bells dangling from it. Kiara covered a hand with a mouth to conceal her smile, but he caught it anyway, and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw amusement flicker over his eyes. But it was gone again the moment after. “A gift,” he explained, “from a relative.” It had actually been his “uncle” Tenzin’s daughter, but he chose not to mention this. There was a lot Fang chose not to mention, even to them, but they were unique in that their warmth sometimes make him question this decision of his. But it was not something to dwell upon now, and so he followed the rest out onto the snowy streets, illuminated by the artificial light but otherwise dark in the night. It gave the snow a sparkling luminescence as it fell, and a sense of quiet pervaded.
Most, he supposed, would be inside at this point, unused to dealing with the weather. He was not overly accustomed himself, actually, being originally from the Fire Nation. He’d only ever seen snow on the mountains until he came to Republic City, and the appeal was not as obvious to him as it clearly was to Kiara, who’d donned what appeared to be a blueish-purple parka, trimmed with fur from what he guessed might be a polar bear dog. She gave a delighted laugh and immediately dropped into the snow, moving her arms and legs in a regular fashion until she’d produced a distorted shape.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never made snow-spirits?” she said, catching the blank look he was wearing. Fang shook his head. Kiara sighed. “Well, now you have to. Come on, we’ll all make them!” Grabbing Fang’s hand in one of her own and Rika’s in the other, she dragged them all over to a fresh patch of snow and let herself fall backwards, taking both of them with her. Feeling a bit ridiculous, Fang nevertheless mimicked the motions he’d seen her making earlier. “Come on, Haki, you too,” he heard her say, the smile in her tone doubtless matching the one on her face.
When he stood up again, Fang surveyed his handiwork, noting that the shape of his was slightly irregular, but otherwise resembled the others on the ground. There was snow in his long ponytail, and on his coat, but other than that, he wasn’t even cold. He wondered if it was the atmosphere… or the company.
Haki blinked in slight surprise when Kiara had fallen into the snow and began swimming in it. Or at least to him it looked like she was swimming. He shook his head faintly, but laughed the moment Rika and Fang were in Kiara's hands, being dragged down with her into the snow. Rika had made an attempt not to laugh at Fang's hat when he had it on, however; she blinked when Kiara took her hand and released a startled yelp. She wasn't expecting to be taken down with the waterbender, and she frowned when she heard Haki laughing.
"Shut it Haki," she grumbled, sitting up momentarily to hurl a snow ball in his direction. He allowed it to clip his arm, but his laughter did not subside. Rika grumbled to herself before falling back into the snow, a smile replacing her face as she mimicked Kiara's motions. She had never done this sort of thing before. It was...unusual. It hardly snowed in the Earth Kingdom, at all, and she'd never been able to do something like this before. It was a pleasant feeling, especially since she was with friends now. Haki shook his head in an amused fashion before walking over to his own spot of snow. He stretched out his arms and fell backwards, landing with a thud.
He blinked before moving his arms slowly, allowing a bit of heat to escape his hands and legs to provide a larger angle. Once he was finished, he stood, inspecting his work and nodded in satisfaction. "Cheater," Rika stated as she elbowed Haki's arm. He raised a brow, the same smirk still covering his face as he shrugged his shoulders. His snow-spirit was a little...different than the others, but it was nevertheless, the same. It was, undoubtedly, better than Rika's though, and she didn't want to admit that. Least of all to him, he didn't need an ego boost.
"Not everything is a competition, Lotus," he stated, placing a hand on her head before ruffling her hair. She pushed his arm away quickly and tousled her hair back into place, pursing her lips together at him as she frowned. "And really, if you are going to call anyone a cheater, it'd be Turtle-Duck. She's a waterbender remember? She could just bend the snow to her liking," he stated, shooting Kiara a simple glance while Rika's frown deepened.
Kiara mirrored the frown, placing her hands on her hips. “I did no such thing,” she informed him primly, shaking her head. “It’s bad form to cheat at making snow-spirits. I would never.” Her pursed lips flickered into a smile, though, and Fang wisely ducked behind a nearby bench as she slid one of her feet forward and arced it to the side, bending herself a volley of snowballs and launching them in all directions.
“But I’d definitely cheat at snowball fights!” She immediately erected a wall of snow to fend of a counterattack from Fang, the trio of snowballs he’d sent in retaliation smacking into the wall and bursting apart, the fragments of ice sparking in the electric light as they floated to the ground. Lowering that wall, she bent another with her other hand and brought them both together, loosening the snow and sending the whole lot flying for Haki.
Fang, meanwhile, had found his way over to Rika, crouching beside her behind what was usually a food stall. It was, of course, empty right now. “I almost fear for my life,” he said quietly, and though it was impossible to tell for sure, he might have even been joking. “Shall we coordinate our assault while our injudicious friend acts the bait?” Chances were, Haki would inevitably say or do something to make himself the primary target of Kiara’s assault, which would enable the two of them to strategize a little more.
"I never said you were a cheater, Turtle-Duck. I just simply stated the obvious," he stated, raising a small wheel of flames to protect him from the on-coming barrage of snowballs. He laughed in amusement as he dodged a few more snowballs, allowing one to hit him in the arm, however; he winced a bit. Though it was all in good fun, snowball fights were just that: fights. Sometimes, people could not restrain themselves, and there was no harm behind it anyhow. Instead, he gathered up a ball of snow into his hands and tossed it at Kiara, aiming for her shoulder and arm area.
Rika, on the other hand, had found her way behind a food stall, sitting crosslegged with her eyes closed. There was no way she would be able to aim at Kiara without the waterbender bending the snow away, but perhaps that was what made this fun. It was a challenge and Kiara seemed to be enjoying herself. She was startled out of her thoughts when Fang appeared, tipping over slightly but caught herself from falling. She cleared her throat before tilting her head to the side. He had a point, Haki would say something, or do something, that would make him the target.
"It's his specialty apparently," she murmured, taking a peek over the stall to inspect the battlefield. "Well then, what did you have planned? I give it five more minutes before the idiot says something. That should be plenty of time," she stated, starting the countdown. They wouldn't need much time, perhaps, and Haki was good at distracting people. He was obnoxious that way. Even now he was distracting her when she could be focusing on the plan with Fang. And that was all it took for her attention to be re-directed back towards the other male.
Kiara grinned as she stopped the snowball in midair, shooting it back at the firebender it had come from. Fang shook his head at the antics of the two, then turned to Rika. “Well, it might work best if we could approach from behind…”
Perhaps an hour later, the four of them were all sprawled on the snow, and Kiara was laughing breathlessly, her cheeks and nose red from exertion, even against her darker complexion. Their breaths puffed into the air, but for now at least, it was mostly quiet. Her laughter died down, and she breathed out a sigh, turning to the nearest person, which just so happened to be the one she’d dealt the most damage to over the course of the fight. “Thanks, guys,” she said, her smile something gentler than the grin she’d been wearing earlier. “I wish I could teach you otter-penguin sledding, but since we’re the only Otter-Penguins here, I guess it’ll have to wait.” Her eyes shone with her mirth, and she turned them back up to the night sky, letting the flakes fall on her face and melt there. They stuck on her eyelashes and in her hair—her hood had long since fallen off.
For a few minutes, she just relished in the feel of it, but then she sat up slowly, glancing around at the others. “Well, I guess we’d better get inside. I’ll make you all hot chocolate—dad used to do that for me in winter.” Her mother always got mad, too, because chocolate was kind of hard to come by at the North Pole, and she saw it as a waste. But it had always been a secret just between the two of them that he bought some of the stuff especially for the occasions. Not even her brother knew about it. She thought it might be nice to share with her friends, though—she even had a recipe that called for the spicier Fire Nation chocolate, if anyone wanted that kind.
“It appears to be snowing.”
At this, Kiara was immediately on her feet, bolting upright and running to the window. She pulled aside the light blue curtains and pressed her nose up against the glass, the smile on her face bright and wide, her eyes lit with childish glee. “It is!” she confirmed, giving a little hop of delight. It was snowing quite thickly, too, already coating the ground in fluffy, pristine flakes. Her smile dimmed for just a moment, as she thought for once of home, and how she’d left it. But with a shake of her head, the smile was back as though it had never left, and perhaps only the observant would have even noticed it disappear in the first place.
Turning around, she leaned back against the window and beamed at her friends. “Can we go outside? I want to feel it.” She already could feel it a little, tugging at the part of her that was a bender of the element it was made of, but she wanted to feel it melt on her skin, like she’d used to. It hadn’t snowed really at all since she’d come here—it was apparently a very rare thing in Republic City. That just meant she needed to savor it.
Rika moved in closer to Kiara, enjoying the bit of warmth the other girl was providing. It wasn't cold, but it was cold enough that Rika frowned the moment Kiara left her side. She snuggled deeper into the blanket, wrapping herself and Jiao as much as possible to preserve what little warmth remained. Haki merely raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as Kiara pressed her nose against the glass window. Snow? He walked over and peered over her shoulder to see the snow falling outside. A small smile crossed his lips before it disappeared. He glanced down at Kiara and raised his brow further.
"Must you ask for permission to go outside?" he questioned, a hint of teasing laced in his voice as he allowed his smirk to appear. "I thought Turtle-duck was old enough to do what she wanted without asking for permission?" he continued, leaning close to her, however; he could feel his collar being tugged at as he was pulled back. A light chuckle escaped his lips as Rika dragged him away, still curled up in the wool blanket with a frown on her face. She shook her head as she released him.
"Leave her alone, Haki. She wants to go outside with us, so go put on your scarf," she spoke, grabbing her own coat and scarf and slipped into it. She placed Jiao in the center of her coat, allowing the baby fire ferret's head to peek out barely. "Ready?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer, because she didn't need one. She was already out the door and walking out into the snow, watching as it fell in small flurries around them.
Kiara hadn’t noticed Haki get that close, and weirdly, she felt her heart flutter a little in her chest. Putting the reaction down to surprise, she grinned when Rika yanked him backwards, nodding at the other girl’s explanation. She might not need to ask permission, but she didn’t just want to up and leave her guests alone in her house; that would be very rude. She’d much rather enjoy the snow with them; and she was tickled that they all seemed to be willing enough to indulge her. Fang disappeared back into his own apartment for a moment, presumably to stow his gifts and fetch his coat.
He reappeared wearing a long, black wool jacket, and, hilariously, a grey hat with what appeared to be bells dangling from it. Kiara covered a hand with a mouth to conceal her smile, but he caught it anyway, and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw amusement flicker over his eyes. But it was gone again the moment after. “A gift,” he explained, “from a relative.” It had actually been his “uncle” Tenzin’s daughter, but he chose not to mention this. There was a lot Fang chose not to mention, even to them, but they were unique in that their warmth sometimes make him question this decision of his. But it was not something to dwell upon now, and so he followed the rest out onto the snowy streets, illuminated by the artificial light but otherwise dark in the night. It gave the snow a sparkling luminescence as it fell, and a sense of quiet pervaded.
Most, he supposed, would be inside at this point, unused to dealing with the weather. He was not overly accustomed himself, actually, being originally from the Fire Nation. He’d only ever seen snow on the mountains until he came to Republic City, and the appeal was not as obvious to him as it clearly was to Kiara, who’d donned what appeared to be a blueish-purple parka, trimmed with fur from what he guessed might be a polar bear dog. She gave a delighted laugh and immediately dropped into the snow, moving her arms and legs in a regular fashion until she’d produced a distorted shape.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never made snow-spirits?” she said, catching the blank look he was wearing. Fang shook his head. Kiara sighed. “Well, now you have to. Come on, we’ll all make them!” Grabbing Fang’s hand in one of her own and Rika’s in the other, she dragged them all over to a fresh patch of snow and let herself fall backwards, taking both of them with her. Feeling a bit ridiculous, Fang nevertheless mimicked the motions he’d seen her making earlier. “Come on, Haki, you too,” he heard her say, the smile in her tone doubtless matching the one on her face.
When he stood up again, Fang surveyed his handiwork, noting that the shape of his was slightly irregular, but otherwise resembled the others on the ground. There was snow in his long ponytail, and on his coat, but other than that, he wasn’t even cold. He wondered if it was the atmosphere… or the company.
Haki blinked in slight surprise when Kiara had fallen into the snow and began swimming in it. Or at least to him it looked like she was swimming. He shook his head faintly, but laughed the moment Rika and Fang were in Kiara's hands, being dragged down with her into the snow. Rika had made an attempt not to laugh at Fang's hat when he had it on, however; she blinked when Kiara took her hand and released a startled yelp. She wasn't expecting to be taken down with the waterbender, and she frowned when she heard Haki laughing.
"Shut it Haki," she grumbled, sitting up momentarily to hurl a snow ball in his direction. He allowed it to clip his arm, but his laughter did not subside. Rika grumbled to herself before falling back into the snow, a smile replacing her face as she mimicked Kiara's motions. She had never done this sort of thing before. It was...unusual. It hardly snowed in the Earth Kingdom, at all, and she'd never been able to do something like this before. It was a pleasant feeling, especially since she was with friends now. Haki shook his head in an amused fashion before walking over to his own spot of snow. He stretched out his arms and fell backwards, landing with a thud.
He blinked before moving his arms slowly, allowing a bit of heat to escape his hands and legs to provide a larger angle. Once he was finished, he stood, inspecting his work and nodded in satisfaction. "Cheater," Rika stated as she elbowed Haki's arm. He raised a brow, the same smirk still covering his face as he shrugged his shoulders. His snow-spirit was a little...different than the others, but it was nevertheless, the same. It was, undoubtedly, better than Rika's though, and she didn't want to admit that. Least of all to him, he didn't need an ego boost.
"Not everything is a competition, Lotus," he stated, placing a hand on her head before ruffling her hair. She pushed his arm away quickly and tousled her hair back into place, pursing her lips together at him as she frowned. "And really, if you are going to call anyone a cheater, it'd be Turtle-Duck. She's a waterbender remember? She could just bend the snow to her liking," he stated, shooting Kiara a simple glance while Rika's frown deepened.
Kiara mirrored the frown, placing her hands on her hips. “I did no such thing,” she informed him primly, shaking her head. “It’s bad form to cheat at making snow-spirits. I would never.” Her pursed lips flickered into a smile, though, and Fang wisely ducked behind a nearby bench as she slid one of her feet forward and arced it to the side, bending herself a volley of snowballs and launching them in all directions.
“But I’d definitely cheat at snowball fights!” She immediately erected a wall of snow to fend of a counterattack from Fang, the trio of snowballs he’d sent in retaliation smacking into the wall and bursting apart, the fragments of ice sparking in the electric light as they floated to the ground. Lowering that wall, she bent another with her other hand and brought them both together, loosening the snow and sending the whole lot flying for Haki.
Fang, meanwhile, had found his way over to Rika, crouching beside her behind what was usually a food stall. It was, of course, empty right now. “I almost fear for my life,” he said quietly, and though it was impossible to tell for sure, he might have even been joking. “Shall we coordinate our assault while our injudicious friend acts the bait?” Chances were, Haki would inevitably say or do something to make himself the primary target of Kiara’s assault, which would enable the two of them to strategize a little more.
"I never said you were a cheater, Turtle-Duck. I just simply stated the obvious," he stated, raising a small wheel of flames to protect him from the on-coming barrage of snowballs. He laughed in amusement as he dodged a few more snowballs, allowing one to hit him in the arm, however; he winced a bit. Though it was all in good fun, snowball fights were just that: fights. Sometimes, people could not restrain themselves, and there was no harm behind it anyhow. Instead, he gathered up a ball of snow into his hands and tossed it at Kiara, aiming for her shoulder and arm area.
Rika, on the other hand, had found her way behind a food stall, sitting crosslegged with her eyes closed. There was no way she would be able to aim at Kiara without the waterbender bending the snow away, but perhaps that was what made this fun. It was a challenge and Kiara seemed to be enjoying herself. She was startled out of her thoughts when Fang appeared, tipping over slightly but caught herself from falling. She cleared her throat before tilting her head to the side. He had a point, Haki would say something, or do something, that would make him the target.
"It's his specialty apparently," she murmured, taking a peek over the stall to inspect the battlefield. "Well then, what did you have planned? I give it five more minutes before the idiot says something. That should be plenty of time," she stated, starting the countdown. They wouldn't need much time, perhaps, and Haki was good at distracting people. He was obnoxious that way. Even now he was distracting her when she could be focusing on the plan with Fang. And that was all it took for her attention to be re-directed back towards the other male.
Kiara grinned as she stopped the snowball in midair, shooting it back at the firebender it had come from. Fang shook his head at the antics of the two, then turned to Rika. “Well, it might work best if we could approach from behind…”
Perhaps an hour later, the four of them were all sprawled on the snow, and Kiara was laughing breathlessly, her cheeks and nose red from exertion, even against her darker complexion. Their breaths puffed into the air, but for now at least, it was mostly quiet. Her laughter died down, and she breathed out a sigh, turning to the nearest person, which just so happened to be the one she’d dealt the most damage to over the course of the fight. “Thanks, guys,” she said, her smile something gentler than the grin she’d been wearing earlier. “I wish I could teach you otter-penguin sledding, but since we’re the only Otter-Penguins here, I guess it’ll have to wait.” Her eyes shone with her mirth, and she turned them back up to the night sky, letting the flakes fall on her face and melt there. They stuck on her eyelashes and in her hair—her hood had long since fallen off.
For a few minutes, she just relished in the feel of it, but then she sat up slowly, glancing around at the others. “Well, I guess we’d better get inside. I’ll make you all hot chocolate—dad used to do that for me in winter.” Her mother always got mad, too, because chocolate was kind of hard to come by at the North Pole, and she saw it as a waste. But it had always been a secret just between the two of them that he bought some of the stuff especially for the occasions. Not even her brother knew about it. She thought it might be nice to share with her friends, though—she even had a recipe that called for the spicier Fire Nation chocolate, if anyone wanted that kind.
Kiara stared disbelievingly at the bulletin in her hand. This was bad. This was so bad she had no idea how they were going to deal with it. Though they’d been in the league for about six months now, there was just no way they were prepared to move up a division like this. They were still amateurs, for La’s sake! They weren’t ready to take on not only a professional team, but the professional team. According to the memo, it was an entrance test. If they passed, they’d be moved up into the professional leagues of probending. They’d be among the big names and the stars, and they’d be the first team to ever manage that without a sponsorship. It would be incredible…
But it was really unlikely when this was the test. It was with a stirring feeling of dread in her stomach that she made her way to the practice gym, where the other two were warming up for the day’s routines. Fang was there, too, reading something in a corner. He helped them with their non-bending exercises sometimes, and knew a surprising amount about things like footwork, and the small differences a gesture could make. Kiara had improved with his advice, even despite the fact that he wasn’t a bender. Maybe he knew a lot of benders? Or perhaps some of his family members had the abilities, it was hard to say. Either way, she was grateful. Maybe he or one of the others would be able to explain this to her.
“Uh, you guys? I think we have a problem.” she said, folding the bulletin back into its envelope and handing it to Rika. “A Pygmy Puma-sized problem.” They were slated for a match with the best team in all of Probending—in a week. Sure, they’d be let into the upper division of the sport if they won, but if they lost? They might not have another chance in a long time.
Rika frowned as she dodged an on-coming fireball, squeaking when it barely missed the tip of her nose. She twisted her body, turning so that one hand lay on the floor, the other catching herself against the wall, and her legs spread out behind her. She frowned, glaring at Haki who merely returned the glare with a smirk. She puffed out her cheeks and charged at him, stopping only momentarily when something crossed her mind. Haki stood still, trying to read Rika when she just stood there, seemingly lost in her own little world, however; Haki knew better. He could almost hear what she was thinking, and it only caused the smirk on his face to widen. Before he could say anything, though, Kiara entered the practice Gym, and immediately, both Rika and Haki's eyes were on the waterbender. Rika pursed her lips together when Kiara handed her the envelope.
Haki made his way towards the two girls, watching as Rika pulled the bulletin out of the paper. For a long minute, Rika merely stared at it, re-reading it and gaping like a fish out of water. She furrowed her brows in confusion until Haki took the paper from her and skimmed through it, an uncharacteristic frown etching upon his face. This was not good. They were not that good of a team. He knew it, they knew it, almost everyone knew it. To be put up against the Pygmy Pumas as an entrance test was not something Haki had planned on having to do. Usually, new teams, even if they were good, were not pitted against such experienced teams before. This could only be for one of two reasons. Someone out there wanted to see what else the team was capable of, if Kiara was able to defeat Zian, or someone somewhere really hated them.
He was going to go with the latter. "It appears opportunity is knocking at our door," he stated, handing the paper back to Rika as she placed it back into the envelope, releasing a soft sigh in the process. "In a week's time, we will be going against one of the most respected, and undefeated, teams of probending," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest as Rika raised a brow. "Can you imagine the recognition we would get if we won? I don't count on it though. The Pygmys are undefeated, and to think a rag-tag group like ours stands a chance," he paused, glancing at his teammates before releasing a soft sigh.
"Then that just means we train for the whole week. Everyone can be defeated. It's just a matter of exposing their weaknesses and utilizing them against them. We...just need to learn their weaknesses," Rika stated. She frowned still. The Pygmy Pumas worked well together, and their coordination was almost superb. It was as if they really didn't have any flaws, however; everyone had them. She knew that, but exposing them would be a different story. If they could win this thing, everything would be so much easier for them. Having gone so long without a sponsor, it was hard keeping the resources together that they needed to keep the team running. They needed a sponsor. Or they needed to win this test.
Kiara groaned, running a hand down her face and shaking her head, her reddish ponytail swishing back and forth. Beating Zian had been one thing: that was combat bending, and she’d had the best instructors in the world because of her status. Probending, as she’d learned, was a completely different beast, and she had no doubt that he could outdo her there—plus, so much of it involved coordination and teamwork. She really liked her teammates—they were definitely her friends, and she had a lot of affection for them by this point. But that alone did not make them the efficient, synchronized machine that the Pumas were. Those three had been a team for years, and knew each others’ moves as well as they knew their own. There was just no substitute for so much time as a team, not when you only had six months of the same to go on.
Well… “There’s no use giving up before we’ve even tried, right?” she tried, offering a smile. “We might not have been a team for that long, but we’re doing well. We’re undefeated too! I mean, it’s not the same, and I know that, but… everybody has to start somewhere. We just have to do our best, and if that’s not good enough, we train harder and try again later.” It was the attitude she’d always taken towards bending, and she figured it applied more or less to this kind of thing as well.
“As for weaknesses, I have watched several of the Pumas’ matches,” Fang put in mutedly from his spot in the corner. Kiara turned to look over her shoulder at him, to see him marking his place in his book and setting it down beside him. “I am not a professional analyst by any means, but I am trained to watch how people move. They are good, but their coordination is not flawless. With work, yours could be better.” He didn’t say how much work that would require, but it was generally understood that he meant more than a weeks’ worth. Even so, she reasoned, it wouldn’t hurt them to start now.
“Well… if we don’t start, we’ll never finish, right?”
"Who said we were giving up?" Haki replied, a slight raise of his brow in amusement as a smirk tugged at his lips. It was true, they were undefeated as well, however; it was completely different. Most of the teams they played against were good, but they were not that good. Well, there had been that one team they almost lost to. They were really something, and if given enough time, that team could beat them and leave the Otter Penguins in the dust. He sighed, though, when Fang spoke. "With work, anything could be better, but it's a matter of time. A week will not be enough to be better," he chimed in, earning a smack to the back of the head. He blinked owlishly as Rika stared up at him, frown tugging at her lips.
"You make it sound like it's the end of the world, Haki. If we don't win, we don't win. If we do win, well that's just a plus. But don't go around saying things like that, it's depressing," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest in the process. They didn't need to be thinking in those kind of terms, and if Fang could at least tell them something about the flaws in the Puma's footwork, it would be their advantage. Even if they still lost in the end, they would know enough to keep practicing until they could beat the Pumas. She sighed, shaking her head as she lowered her shoulders a bit, her posture going a bit rigid.
"See, Kiara's got the right mindset. If we don't start, we'll never finish. And if we don't try, we'll never know what we are capable of. I didn't think we would make it this far when I put this team together, but," she started, glancing between her friends before smiling. "I'm glad to know that I was able to get this far with the both of you, and no Haki that doesn't mean anything," she stated as Haki opened his mouth to state something. He chuckled softly before shaking his head. He didn't mean for it to come out as it had, but he supposed Lotus and Turtle-Duck had a point.
"Shall we start then?" he stated. If they were going to take a week's worth of training to be better than the Puma's, they might as well start now. "And you could have fooled me, Fang," he continued. Fang might not have been a professional analyst, but Haki did not believe that for a moment. He wasn't going to say anything more on it, and figured it would be best to linger on the subject no further. They had a match to win in a weeks time.
Fang tilted his head to the side, and for a moment, it looked almost like he was tempted to smile. In the end, however, he simply shrugged. “In that case, I’m going to ask you all to line up on that side of the room… and then hit me with everything you have. Well, everything you have by probending rules, anyway.” He knew enough about how the Pumas moved to mimic each of them in turn, and he knew that this would be the fastest way to accustom the Otter Penguins to seeing the kinds of style they used. He wouldn’t be able to shoot any of those three elements at them, but he could at least give them an indication of what to look out for.
And he would not be so easy to hit as one might think. This could be interesting.
But it was really unlikely when this was the test. It was with a stirring feeling of dread in her stomach that she made her way to the practice gym, where the other two were warming up for the day’s routines. Fang was there, too, reading something in a corner. He helped them with their non-bending exercises sometimes, and knew a surprising amount about things like footwork, and the small differences a gesture could make. Kiara had improved with his advice, even despite the fact that he wasn’t a bender. Maybe he knew a lot of benders? Or perhaps some of his family members had the abilities, it was hard to say. Either way, she was grateful. Maybe he or one of the others would be able to explain this to her.
“Uh, you guys? I think we have a problem.” she said, folding the bulletin back into its envelope and handing it to Rika. “A Pygmy Puma-sized problem.” They were slated for a match with the best team in all of Probending—in a week. Sure, they’d be let into the upper division of the sport if they won, but if they lost? They might not have another chance in a long time.
Rika frowned as she dodged an on-coming fireball, squeaking when it barely missed the tip of her nose. She twisted her body, turning so that one hand lay on the floor, the other catching herself against the wall, and her legs spread out behind her. She frowned, glaring at Haki who merely returned the glare with a smirk. She puffed out her cheeks and charged at him, stopping only momentarily when something crossed her mind. Haki stood still, trying to read Rika when she just stood there, seemingly lost in her own little world, however; Haki knew better. He could almost hear what she was thinking, and it only caused the smirk on his face to widen. Before he could say anything, though, Kiara entered the practice Gym, and immediately, both Rika and Haki's eyes were on the waterbender. Rika pursed her lips together when Kiara handed her the envelope.
Haki made his way towards the two girls, watching as Rika pulled the bulletin out of the paper. For a long minute, Rika merely stared at it, re-reading it and gaping like a fish out of water. She furrowed her brows in confusion until Haki took the paper from her and skimmed through it, an uncharacteristic frown etching upon his face. This was not good. They were not that good of a team. He knew it, they knew it, almost everyone knew it. To be put up against the Pygmy Pumas as an entrance test was not something Haki had planned on having to do. Usually, new teams, even if they were good, were not pitted against such experienced teams before. This could only be for one of two reasons. Someone out there wanted to see what else the team was capable of, if Kiara was able to defeat Zian, or someone somewhere really hated them.
He was going to go with the latter. "It appears opportunity is knocking at our door," he stated, handing the paper back to Rika as she placed it back into the envelope, releasing a soft sigh in the process. "In a week's time, we will be going against one of the most respected, and undefeated, teams of probending," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest as Rika raised a brow. "Can you imagine the recognition we would get if we won? I don't count on it though. The Pygmys are undefeated, and to think a rag-tag group like ours stands a chance," he paused, glancing at his teammates before releasing a soft sigh.
"Then that just means we train for the whole week. Everyone can be defeated. It's just a matter of exposing their weaknesses and utilizing them against them. We...just need to learn their weaknesses," Rika stated. She frowned still. The Pygmy Pumas worked well together, and their coordination was almost superb. It was as if they really didn't have any flaws, however; everyone had them. She knew that, but exposing them would be a different story. If they could win this thing, everything would be so much easier for them. Having gone so long without a sponsor, it was hard keeping the resources together that they needed to keep the team running. They needed a sponsor. Or they needed to win this test.
Kiara groaned, running a hand down her face and shaking her head, her reddish ponytail swishing back and forth. Beating Zian had been one thing: that was combat bending, and she’d had the best instructors in the world because of her status. Probending, as she’d learned, was a completely different beast, and she had no doubt that he could outdo her there—plus, so much of it involved coordination and teamwork. She really liked her teammates—they were definitely her friends, and she had a lot of affection for them by this point. But that alone did not make them the efficient, synchronized machine that the Pumas were. Those three had been a team for years, and knew each others’ moves as well as they knew their own. There was just no substitute for so much time as a team, not when you only had six months of the same to go on.
Well… “There’s no use giving up before we’ve even tried, right?” she tried, offering a smile. “We might not have been a team for that long, but we’re doing well. We’re undefeated too! I mean, it’s not the same, and I know that, but… everybody has to start somewhere. We just have to do our best, and if that’s not good enough, we train harder and try again later.” It was the attitude she’d always taken towards bending, and she figured it applied more or less to this kind of thing as well.
“As for weaknesses, I have watched several of the Pumas’ matches,” Fang put in mutedly from his spot in the corner. Kiara turned to look over her shoulder at him, to see him marking his place in his book and setting it down beside him. “I am not a professional analyst by any means, but I am trained to watch how people move. They are good, but their coordination is not flawless. With work, yours could be better.” He didn’t say how much work that would require, but it was generally understood that he meant more than a weeks’ worth. Even so, she reasoned, it wouldn’t hurt them to start now.
“Well… if we don’t start, we’ll never finish, right?”
"Who said we were giving up?" Haki replied, a slight raise of his brow in amusement as a smirk tugged at his lips. It was true, they were undefeated as well, however; it was completely different. Most of the teams they played against were good, but they were not that good. Well, there had been that one team they almost lost to. They were really something, and if given enough time, that team could beat them and leave the Otter Penguins in the dust. He sighed, though, when Fang spoke. "With work, anything could be better, but it's a matter of time. A week will not be enough to be better," he chimed in, earning a smack to the back of the head. He blinked owlishly as Rika stared up at him, frown tugging at her lips.
"You make it sound like it's the end of the world, Haki. If we don't win, we don't win. If we do win, well that's just a plus. But don't go around saying things like that, it's depressing," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest in the process. They didn't need to be thinking in those kind of terms, and if Fang could at least tell them something about the flaws in the Puma's footwork, it would be their advantage. Even if they still lost in the end, they would know enough to keep practicing until they could beat the Pumas. She sighed, shaking her head as she lowered her shoulders a bit, her posture going a bit rigid.
"See, Kiara's got the right mindset. If we don't start, we'll never finish. And if we don't try, we'll never know what we are capable of. I didn't think we would make it this far when I put this team together, but," she started, glancing between her friends before smiling. "I'm glad to know that I was able to get this far with the both of you, and no Haki that doesn't mean anything," she stated as Haki opened his mouth to state something. He chuckled softly before shaking his head. He didn't mean for it to come out as it had, but he supposed Lotus and Turtle-Duck had a point.
"Shall we start then?" he stated. If they were going to take a week's worth of training to be better than the Puma's, they might as well start now. "And you could have fooled me, Fang," he continued. Fang might not have been a professional analyst, but Haki did not believe that for a moment. He wasn't going to say anything more on it, and figured it would be best to linger on the subject no further. They had a match to win in a weeks time.
Fang tilted his head to the side, and for a moment, it looked almost like he was tempted to smile. In the end, however, he simply shrugged. “In that case, I’m going to ask you all to line up on that side of the room… and then hit me with everything you have. Well, everything you have by probending rules, anyway.” He knew enough about how the Pumas moved to mimic each of them in turn, and he knew that this would be the fastest way to accustom the Otter Penguins to seeing the kinds of style they used. He wouldn’t be able to shoot any of those three elements at them, but he could at least give them an indication of what to look out for.
And he would not be so easy to hit as one might think. This could be interesting.
Rika took a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. She took another one, repeating the process a few more times. The day had arrived, and she could feel her body shaking. She was nervous, and she had every right to be. Haki had tried reassuring her that everything would be okay, however; it only caused the anxiety she felt to crawl further down her spine. They were facing the Pygmy Puma's today. The Pygmy Puma's, and she could feel a tight knot forming in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like the feeling, but there was little she could do about it. Instead, she continued taking steady breaths to try and calm her nerves.
Haki, on the other hand, stood off to the side, arms folded across his chest, already dressed in his uniform. They were the next team to go, and he could already hear the shouts and screams calling out for the other team on stage. He held his eyes closed, opening them slowly and glanced towards Rika, shaking his head when he noted the edge to her posture. He shook his head, smiling lightly in the process. He knew they were not going to win this. Though the week they spent training with Fang was helpful, it wouldn't be enough to win this match. That, however, did not mean they were going to go down without a fight.
He smiled at that thought. They would be giving their all to this, and maybe, they could pull off the impossible. Shaking his thoughts away, he laid a hand on Rika's shoulder. She turned to face Haki, a frown marring her face while he continued to smile. "You worry too much, Rika," he stated, causing her frown to deepen. He knew she was worried, but she shouldn't be over stressing herself. He glanced over towards Kiara and then back to Rika. "You should be more like Turtle-Duck. She's handling this quite well," he continued, patting Rika's shoulder.
Truth be told, Kiara was only handling it well because she was deluding herself, at least a little. Specifically, she had refused to adopt the defeatist attitude that had at first tempted her. She wasn’t stupid; she knew that her teammates didn’t think they were going to win. But that was exactly the kind of thinking that would ensure their loss, and she refused to think that way. She had to believe in them, and herself, and she did. She wasn’t going into this thinking they were going to lose. She was going into it believing that they were going to win. They were going to surprise everyone. They were going to make history.
Less-likely things had happened before. Even to her.
In truth, it was a little upsetting to her that the other two refused to think it was possible, but she hadn’t told them as much. She didn’t want to offend them, after all, and she still didn’t feel confident enough in her ability to keep friends that she was fine just blurting whatever came to mind first, at least not when it might be hurtful. So she’d kept her mouth shut, even though she sensed it might be a mistake to do so. Fang had been giving the three of them peculiar looks during their last training session, perhaps sensing that something was off. Or maybe she was just imagining the look—most people thought he had only the one facial expression, and she still didn’t know for sure that they were wrong.
Whatever the case, they were here, now, and she refused to roll over before things had even started. At the comment directed half her way, she paused in the act of putting on her helmet and flashed a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. It would be hard to notice, anyway, because it disappeared a moment later, her expression gaining solemnity as they were summoned to the arena itself. The crowd, she could see, was overwhelmingly comprised of Pygmy Puma fans, wearing the team’s signature black-and-white. There was a small knot of people in defiant blue, however, and she grinned more honestly at the sight of Fang, her landlord, the old couple from Rika’s tea shop, and a few other people.
Most of them weren’t even all that interested in Probending, but they’d come out to support her team, and she wasn’t going to let them down. The teams aligned themselves, and she found herself facing down Zian’s trademark cocky grin. Ying in the center wore a coy smirk, and she could only assume that Daichi on the other side had the same solemn neutrality that he always did. Her heart started to pick up speed in her chest, the adrenaline slowly seeping into her system as the announcer’s voice called the team names overhead. She barely heard it. Her eyes were fixed forward, her stance centered, her breathing even. She refused to let this unnerve her. They could do this. They could.
Then the gong signaled the start of the match, and she lost perception of the crowd entirely. Zian was quick, and she barely had time to bend his water-whip to the side and away at Ying, who shot fire at it with enough force to generate a massive cloud of steam. The whistle was the only warning she had before she was hit—hard—with several clay projectiles. Daichi was relentless, and she staggered backwards, toeing the very edge of the line before a shot of fire and water in unison foced her backwards and onto her rear. All three of them had focused fire on her, and it had clearly worked. But why her? It probably didn’t matter. Kiara regained her feet, smacking away the next round of clay discs with a water whip she stole from Zian’s attack. She just had to trust her team to help her… assuming they could even see far enough through all this mist to know she was in trouble.
Rika smiled softly in response to Kiara's, however; it did not make it fully to her face. It stayed in a lopsided sort of grin, as if she were smirking instead. Haki managed a smile in return for the both of them as they were lead out onto the arena. He glanced at the stands, noting the large crowd that had gathered for the Pygmy Pumas. He smiled at the small group of supporters they had, noting the familiar faces and resisted the urge to wave at them. Instead, he turned towards his opponents, giving them his trademark smirk before taking a stance. His breathing evened out, his heart beat regulating into soft, steady thrums.
Rika, however, could feel her heart trying to leap from her chest. It was so loud that she could almost hear it in her ears and it felt as if it were trying to escape through her throat. She tried to even it out, to get it under control, but each second that passed only made it worse. She had not even noticed the ones that came out to support her team, sitting in the stands with their colors. It wasn't until the gong rang that she was brought out of her stupor. Everything, and everyone moved quickly. The Pygmys seemed to coordinate their attacks towards one, but the steam created from Ying and Kiara's explosion made it difficult to see who it was they were attacking.
Haki managed to bend a stream of fire through the steam, aiming at no one in particular just to get a line of sight. He could hear the flames of Ying, Zian's water, and Daichi's earth discs being bombarded towards someone, and he could only hope that his teammates were able to block it. He managed to catch a glimpse through the stream, long enough to see the three Puma's focusing in one general area. He couldn't see who they were attacking, however; it didn't matter. Three-on-one was not a favorable odd, and it would mean a quick elimination. Instead, he aimed his fists through the steam, throwing a ball of flames towards Daichi.
Rika did not move for a few seconds, trying to see through the steam and gain some sort of advantage. She couldn't though, and her focus seemed to be off, however; she did see a ball of fire going towards the opposite end. She could only assume it was Haki's ball, and summoned a clay disk to her side, throwing it across the room in hopes of it landing on someone. Through the little stream, she could make out the three Pumas attacking in one specific area, and Rika frowned. They were attacking someone, and it wasn't on equal grounds. From the looks of it, and the direction Haki's fireball came from, it had to be Kiara.
"Haki," she called out, throwing another clay disk only to have it collide with Daichi's. She frowned, smacking the clay disks away from her when they were sent her way. Haki frowned when he heard Rika's voice. From the sound of it, she was fine for the most part, which meant the one they were attacking was Kiara. But why were they attacking her first? Was it because of her match with Zian? That would make a bit of sense, but it didn't make much sense. Regardless, he needed to even out the load being thrown at his friend. Kiara wouldn't last long if all three of them were ganging up on her, and it would be relatively easy pickings once they dealt with her.
His gaze hardened just a bit. They were here to win, not lose. They needed to win. They had to. All their training, all of their hard work needed to pay off here and now. If they lost this match, who knows how long it would be before they got another one. They didn't have a sponsor, and their funds were running low. He focused back on the task at hand, aiming a ball to where he presumed Ying would be. At least if he could divert her attention away from Kiara, it would provide enough time for the steam and smoke to disappear. Too bad there were no airbenders in probending.
Kiara may have been pushed back one ring already, but she wasn’t going to just let herself be bullied all the way out. She had determined that it probably didn’t matter much which of them the Pumas had chosen to go after—it was just easier to focus their attention like this. If they could eliminate her fast, it would be much easier to manage a two-on-three. Sound strategy, save for one thing—she wasn’t going to go quietly. Perhaps they perceived her as the weak link. Perhaps they simply chose her at random or because they had the most information about her, from her match with Zian. The reasons were unimportant.
The waterbender dug in with a determination that would have impressed an earthbending instructor, allowing her feet to root to the arena floor as well as she could. Until her teammates could take the heat off, she would just have to stay on the extreme defensive, and weather the hits she was given. To this end, she summoned a water whip to each hand, using them to knock another round of clay discs out of the air—and towards Ying, who looked surprised for just a moment before she managed to incinerate them. It gave Rika and Haki an opening, though, and allowed Kiara herself the chance to take a quick breath and steel her nerves. The steam was dissipating by this point, allowing everyone to see each other again.
She could feel the bruises forming where the clay discs had hit her, and one of them had nicked her cheek and drawn a bit of blood. She wasn’t upset about it—that was just an occupational hazard of a rough sport. But there was no mistaking that she'd taken a bit of a beating from the concentrated attacks. The Otter Penguins started to fight back, though, and Kiara joined her attacks to those of her teammates, allowing the both of them to fight the offensive game while she ran defense from behind. The one advantage to being a row behind was that she could see more of what was going on, which allowed her to anticipate attacks perhaps better than they might be able to. So she fended a blast of fire off Rika with one water whip, using the other to lash at Zian’s feet, forcing him to waste a moment adjusting positioning rather than leveling a shot at Haki. They had to stick this out—it wasn’t going to be a quick or easy victory on either side, and that was becoming rather obvious.
Rika had honestly been surprised. She had not thought they would make it as far as they had. They were struggling, that much was obvious, however; they were also doing rather well despite the obvious drawbacks. She and Haki had managed to stay in the first ring, but as the steam cleared, she was able to see Kiara back one. She frowned lightly, keeping her concentration on the Pumas as they continued to attack them. She would be sporting a new bruise around her rib-cage, her right thigh, and her shoulder tomorrow, and now if the sharp pain in her shoulder said anything.
Haki was not left unscathed either. One of Daichi's disks hit his hand, and he could feel one of his fingers being dislocated. He had winced, popping the digit back into place before continuing his attacks. He managed to get a few fire balls aimed towards Daichi, trying to gain the earthbender's attention. It worked, only momentarily as Daichi aimed a few disks towards Haki. He winced when one landed against his ribs, and almost grunted when he heard something crack. That...did not sound pleasant and Haki had to slow down a moment.
Rika spotted the slower movement Haki was making and tried to render him aid, blocking a clay disk with one of her own, while focusing on keeping Kiara safe as well. They were all trying to do their part in keeping each other safe, however; it wasn't doing her much good when one of Daichi's disks hit her in the abdomen, causing her to lose her breath momentarily as she was pushed back. Rika stood in the second line, her brows furrowing in frustration. Haki glanced back for a mere second before he redirected a fireball away from him.
They were already two people behind one line, and the match seemed to be lasting longer than he had anticipated. This, in a way, was good. The longer they lasted, the more likely they were to get noticed by someone, however; it wasn't entirely good. The longer they fought, the quicker they were to tire. Though their stamina was good, the Pumas had more stamina to spare, and thus more energy to burn. He could already feel the light air of fatigue coating his body as he raised a wall of fire, blocking a clay disk aimed at him before releasing the flame towards Zian. The waterbender merely deflected it with a whip, the cocky grin plaguing his dark features. It only caused Haki to purse his lips together. Rika, however, continued her barrage of disks at Ying and Daichi.
This was dragging on longer than any of them anticipated, and she could tell that the Pumas were also along the same train of thought. Given the looks on their faces, neither team suspected they would be going this long. But, nothing lasts and one of them would fold soon. It was Rika who was knocked out of the ring first, having deflected a clay disk away from herself while throwing her own disk to keep a fireball from reaching Kiara. She had not seen the clay disks from Daichi approaching her, and she took all four of the disks full force. As she made it to the other side, she pulled herself out and watched from the side. It was up to Haki and Kiara now.
Kiara didn’t miss it when Rika was knocked off, her own rescue attempt from the discs that did it just a moment too late. That was the difference in precision between the two teams—nothing more than a moment. But in a sport like this, people trained for years to get better by seconds, and there was no mistaking that the Pumas were a cut above. Still, she grit her teeth together and refused to give in. Haki was still in the front row, and she was back in the second. Ying had been pushed back to the second, as had Daichi, but Zian was still in front, and he was using his excellent mobility to harass her teammate to such a degree that he was having a hard time getting anything far enough back to even threaten the others. All the fire he was shooting was being drenched before it made it past the waterbender, and her own water was often just bent aside. He was managing both of them with an enviable deftness, leaving his teammates free to be on the attack.
That, she supposed was the difference between her and him. He was just a superior probender. Well… even superior benders got beaten sometimes. She knew that much quite well. Whatever the case, it was obvious that she needed to do something about him. Finesse wasn’t cutting it very well, so she went for brute strength instead, using her considerable talent and training to her advantage. With a deep, strong breath and an almost-slow motion gesture with both arms, she raised the biggest wall of water she could from the pool beneath them, letting it fly with a shout. It swept over the other half of the arena, though the entire thing bent harmlessly past Haki, it managed to catch Zian by surprise. He’d been busy batting away fireballs, and was unable to bend it away in time—it knocked him off his feet entirely. Daichi braced himself a little more easily, though even he was pushed back one more ring, to the third. Ying, with the most warning of all, held steady, though she looked displeased to be wet.
Zian struggled to regain his footing, and grabbed the edge of the arena, dangling from it by one arm, but Kiara, relinquishing control of the wave, wrapped a tendril around his ankle and yanked, breaking his grip and sending him to the pool below. She didn’t notice it, but for a moment, the crowd went completely silent. It had been a long time since anyone had knocked one of the Pumas from the ring, and Zian at that. The last one to fall had been Ying, who was generally lighter and less stable than her teammates. Suddenly, the match had become very interesting. The Otter Penguins actually had the superior positioning at the moment, with one in the first row and one in the second, whereas both of the Pumas were in the back row. For the first time, some of those in the audience began to wonder if the upstarts might not have a chance at winning this after all.
The maneuver had left Kiara’s guard open, though, and Ying was able to recover first, shooting several gouts of fire with a vengeance at the fatigued waterbender while Daichi kept Haki distracted. Kiara was forced backwards, and the final hit disguised a pair of clay disks that swept her feet out from underneath her, knocking her backwards into the water.
There was only one Otter Penguin left now.
Haki diverted his attention towards Rika the moment she fell before placing it back on the Pumas. It was him and Kiara now, and from the way things were going, they wouldn't last much longer. He pursed his lips together, forming a thin line as he continued attacking. He cursed beneath his breath each time his fire was extinguished by Zian, and took the full force of clay disks and balls of fire. He glanced at Kiara from the side of his eyes, and raised both brows in a questiong glance. She had raised a wall of water, aiming it towards the Pumas, and watched as the waved consumed the other team. Haki blinked in surprise when he saw the result.
Zian had fallen from the platform, and Daichi had been pushed back to the last ring. Ying was still in the second ring, however; there was no time to recover from the shock when she pushed Kiara out of the ring. Haki was the last one standing, and for a moment, both teams stood still. It was silent, the crowd focusing all of their attention on the teams, waiting in anticipation for one to make a move. Ying and Daichi seemed to communicate without words, and Haki merely continued staring them down. It was up to him to win this one. He had to knock the last two Pumas off of the stage in order to win this one for his team.
It was a mere second that had passed, and Haki found himself dodging and redirecting fire away from him. He kept his breathing steady, keeping it from escalating due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His eyes went blank, focusing on the last two Pumas as he shot everything he had towards them. He managed to force Ying back to the third line with Daichi, however; he stood behind the second line. His shoulder met a pair of clay disks, a fireball catching his other. He stumbled, trying to regain his footing only to have another disk catch his left leg. He stood now, third line, staring at his opponents.
This was it. Both teams were at the end of the arena. The only difference was, the Pumas only had one team member down, the Otters had two. He could feel the fatigue finally setting in his system, and watched as the Pumas remained composed. He knew he was defeated, that their team was defeated the moment he saw it. He could redirect the flames that headed his way, but he wouldn't be fast enough to block the disks that were following closely behind them. He could try and dodge, but the way the disks were flying towards him would not leave much room to dodge.
But they were counting on him, and he had to try something. Even as the flames were banished away, even as he could see the edge of the arena as he fell towards the water, he had to have tried something. His back hit the water first, and he allowed himself to sink. They lost. They were so close, but they lost. Rika frowned when she saw Haki hit the water, and listened as the arena remained quiet. Haki made it over towards his team and waited for the lifts to bring them back up. Rika glanced at her team mates, and offered them a small smile that didn't quite reach her face. They lost the most important match, however; they managed to do something they wouldn't have been able to. At least, not so soon.
"Hey, we lost," Rika started, pausing momentarily to glance at her team mates. "But at least we gave them one hell of a fight, right?" she continued, trying to sound optimistic about it. And she did, for the most part. Haki merely smiled softly. He could feel himself being a little sore, and he was sure he might have broken something, but that didn't matter. He shook his head softly, chuckling as they finally made it to the top.
"Perhaps."
Haki, on the other hand, stood off to the side, arms folded across his chest, already dressed in his uniform. They were the next team to go, and he could already hear the shouts and screams calling out for the other team on stage. He held his eyes closed, opening them slowly and glanced towards Rika, shaking his head when he noted the edge to her posture. He shook his head, smiling lightly in the process. He knew they were not going to win this. Though the week they spent training with Fang was helpful, it wouldn't be enough to win this match. That, however, did not mean they were going to go down without a fight.
He smiled at that thought. They would be giving their all to this, and maybe, they could pull off the impossible. Shaking his thoughts away, he laid a hand on Rika's shoulder. She turned to face Haki, a frown marring her face while he continued to smile. "You worry too much, Rika," he stated, causing her frown to deepen. He knew she was worried, but she shouldn't be over stressing herself. He glanced over towards Kiara and then back to Rika. "You should be more like Turtle-Duck. She's handling this quite well," he continued, patting Rika's shoulder.
Truth be told, Kiara was only handling it well because she was deluding herself, at least a little. Specifically, she had refused to adopt the defeatist attitude that had at first tempted her. She wasn’t stupid; she knew that her teammates didn’t think they were going to win. But that was exactly the kind of thinking that would ensure their loss, and she refused to think that way. She had to believe in them, and herself, and she did. She wasn’t going into this thinking they were going to lose. She was going into it believing that they were going to win. They were going to surprise everyone. They were going to make history.
Less-likely things had happened before. Even to her.
In truth, it was a little upsetting to her that the other two refused to think it was possible, but she hadn’t told them as much. She didn’t want to offend them, after all, and she still didn’t feel confident enough in her ability to keep friends that she was fine just blurting whatever came to mind first, at least not when it might be hurtful. So she’d kept her mouth shut, even though she sensed it might be a mistake to do so. Fang had been giving the three of them peculiar looks during their last training session, perhaps sensing that something was off. Or maybe she was just imagining the look—most people thought he had only the one facial expression, and she still didn’t know for sure that they were wrong.
Whatever the case, they were here, now, and she refused to roll over before things had even started. At the comment directed half her way, she paused in the act of putting on her helmet and flashed a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. It would be hard to notice, anyway, because it disappeared a moment later, her expression gaining solemnity as they were summoned to the arena itself. The crowd, she could see, was overwhelmingly comprised of Pygmy Puma fans, wearing the team’s signature black-and-white. There was a small knot of people in defiant blue, however, and she grinned more honestly at the sight of Fang, her landlord, the old couple from Rika’s tea shop, and a few other people.
Most of them weren’t even all that interested in Probending, but they’d come out to support her team, and she wasn’t going to let them down. The teams aligned themselves, and she found herself facing down Zian’s trademark cocky grin. Ying in the center wore a coy smirk, and she could only assume that Daichi on the other side had the same solemn neutrality that he always did. Her heart started to pick up speed in her chest, the adrenaline slowly seeping into her system as the announcer’s voice called the team names overhead. She barely heard it. Her eyes were fixed forward, her stance centered, her breathing even. She refused to let this unnerve her. They could do this. They could.
Then the gong signaled the start of the match, and she lost perception of the crowd entirely. Zian was quick, and she barely had time to bend his water-whip to the side and away at Ying, who shot fire at it with enough force to generate a massive cloud of steam. The whistle was the only warning she had before she was hit—hard—with several clay projectiles. Daichi was relentless, and she staggered backwards, toeing the very edge of the line before a shot of fire and water in unison foced her backwards and onto her rear. All three of them had focused fire on her, and it had clearly worked. But why her? It probably didn’t matter. Kiara regained her feet, smacking away the next round of clay discs with a water whip she stole from Zian’s attack. She just had to trust her team to help her… assuming they could even see far enough through all this mist to know she was in trouble.
Rika smiled softly in response to Kiara's, however; it did not make it fully to her face. It stayed in a lopsided sort of grin, as if she were smirking instead. Haki managed a smile in return for the both of them as they were lead out onto the arena. He glanced at the stands, noting the large crowd that had gathered for the Pygmy Pumas. He smiled at the small group of supporters they had, noting the familiar faces and resisted the urge to wave at them. Instead, he turned towards his opponents, giving them his trademark smirk before taking a stance. His breathing evened out, his heart beat regulating into soft, steady thrums.
Rika, however, could feel her heart trying to leap from her chest. It was so loud that she could almost hear it in her ears and it felt as if it were trying to escape through her throat. She tried to even it out, to get it under control, but each second that passed only made it worse. She had not even noticed the ones that came out to support her team, sitting in the stands with their colors. It wasn't until the gong rang that she was brought out of her stupor. Everything, and everyone moved quickly. The Pygmys seemed to coordinate their attacks towards one, but the steam created from Ying and Kiara's explosion made it difficult to see who it was they were attacking.
Haki managed to bend a stream of fire through the steam, aiming at no one in particular just to get a line of sight. He could hear the flames of Ying, Zian's water, and Daichi's earth discs being bombarded towards someone, and he could only hope that his teammates were able to block it. He managed to catch a glimpse through the stream, long enough to see the three Puma's focusing in one general area. He couldn't see who they were attacking, however; it didn't matter. Three-on-one was not a favorable odd, and it would mean a quick elimination. Instead, he aimed his fists through the steam, throwing a ball of flames towards Daichi.
Rika did not move for a few seconds, trying to see through the steam and gain some sort of advantage. She couldn't though, and her focus seemed to be off, however; she did see a ball of fire going towards the opposite end. She could only assume it was Haki's ball, and summoned a clay disk to her side, throwing it across the room in hopes of it landing on someone. Through the little stream, she could make out the three Pumas attacking in one specific area, and Rika frowned. They were attacking someone, and it wasn't on equal grounds. From the looks of it, and the direction Haki's fireball came from, it had to be Kiara.
"Haki," she called out, throwing another clay disk only to have it collide with Daichi's. She frowned, smacking the clay disks away from her when they were sent her way. Haki frowned when he heard Rika's voice. From the sound of it, she was fine for the most part, which meant the one they were attacking was Kiara. But why were they attacking her first? Was it because of her match with Zian? That would make a bit of sense, but it didn't make much sense. Regardless, he needed to even out the load being thrown at his friend. Kiara wouldn't last long if all three of them were ganging up on her, and it would be relatively easy pickings once they dealt with her.
His gaze hardened just a bit. They were here to win, not lose. They needed to win. They had to. All their training, all of their hard work needed to pay off here and now. If they lost this match, who knows how long it would be before they got another one. They didn't have a sponsor, and their funds were running low. He focused back on the task at hand, aiming a ball to where he presumed Ying would be. At least if he could divert her attention away from Kiara, it would provide enough time for the steam and smoke to disappear. Too bad there were no airbenders in probending.
Kiara may have been pushed back one ring already, but she wasn’t going to just let herself be bullied all the way out. She had determined that it probably didn’t matter much which of them the Pumas had chosen to go after—it was just easier to focus their attention like this. If they could eliminate her fast, it would be much easier to manage a two-on-three. Sound strategy, save for one thing—she wasn’t going to go quietly. Perhaps they perceived her as the weak link. Perhaps they simply chose her at random or because they had the most information about her, from her match with Zian. The reasons were unimportant.
The waterbender dug in with a determination that would have impressed an earthbending instructor, allowing her feet to root to the arena floor as well as she could. Until her teammates could take the heat off, she would just have to stay on the extreme defensive, and weather the hits she was given. To this end, she summoned a water whip to each hand, using them to knock another round of clay discs out of the air—and towards Ying, who looked surprised for just a moment before she managed to incinerate them. It gave Rika and Haki an opening, though, and allowed Kiara herself the chance to take a quick breath and steel her nerves. The steam was dissipating by this point, allowing everyone to see each other again.
She could feel the bruises forming where the clay discs had hit her, and one of them had nicked her cheek and drawn a bit of blood. She wasn’t upset about it—that was just an occupational hazard of a rough sport. But there was no mistaking that she'd taken a bit of a beating from the concentrated attacks. The Otter Penguins started to fight back, though, and Kiara joined her attacks to those of her teammates, allowing the both of them to fight the offensive game while she ran defense from behind. The one advantage to being a row behind was that she could see more of what was going on, which allowed her to anticipate attacks perhaps better than they might be able to. So she fended a blast of fire off Rika with one water whip, using the other to lash at Zian’s feet, forcing him to waste a moment adjusting positioning rather than leveling a shot at Haki. They had to stick this out—it wasn’t going to be a quick or easy victory on either side, and that was becoming rather obvious.
Rika had honestly been surprised. She had not thought they would make it as far as they had. They were struggling, that much was obvious, however; they were also doing rather well despite the obvious drawbacks. She and Haki had managed to stay in the first ring, but as the steam cleared, she was able to see Kiara back one. She frowned lightly, keeping her concentration on the Pumas as they continued to attack them. She would be sporting a new bruise around her rib-cage, her right thigh, and her shoulder tomorrow, and now if the sharp pain in her shoulder said anything.
Haki was not left unscathed either. One of Daichi's disks hit his hand, and he could feel one of his fingers being dislocated. He had winced, popping the digit back into place before continuing his attacks. He managed to get a few fire balls aimed towards Daichi, trying to gain the earthbender's attention. It worked, only momentarily as Daichi aimed a few disks towards Haki. He winced when one landed against his ribs, and almost grunted when he heard something crack. That...did not sound pleasant and Haki had to slow down a moment.
Rika spotted the slower movement Haki was making and tried to render him aid, blocking a clay disk with one of her own, while focusing on keeping Kiara safe as well. They were all trying to do their part in keeping each other safe, however; it wasn't doing her much good when one of Daichi's disks hit her in the abdomen, causing her to lose her breath momentarily as she was pushed back. Rika stood in the second line, her brows furrowing in frustration. Haki glanced back for a mere second before he redirected a fireball away from him.
They were already two people behind one line, and the match seemed to be lasting longer than he had anticipated. This, in a way, was good. The longer they lasted, the more likely they were to get noticed by someone, however; it wasn't entirely good. The longer they fought, the quicker they were to tire. Though their stamina was good, the Pumas had more stamina to spare, and thus more energy to burn. He could already feel the light air of fatigue coating his body as he raised a wall of fire, blocking a clay disk aimed at him before releasing the flame towards Zian. The waterbender merely deflected it with a whip, the cocky grin plaguing his dark features. It only caused Haki to purse his lips together. Rika, however, continued her barrage of disks at Ying and Daichi.
This was dragging on longer than any of them anticipated, and she could tell that the Pumas were also along the same train of thought. Given the looks on their faces, neither team suspected they would be going this long. But, nothing lasts and one of them would fold soon. It was Rika who was knocked out of the ring first, having deflected a clay disk away from herself while throwing her own disk to keep a fireball from reaching Kiara. She had not seen the clay disks from Daichi approaching her, and she took all four of the disks full force. As she made it to the other side, she pulled herself out and watched from the side. It was up to Haki and Kiara now.
Kiara didn’t miss it when Rika was knocked off, her own rescue attempt from the discs that did it just a moment too late. That was the difference in precision between the two teams—nothing more than a moment. But in a sport like this, people trained for years to get better by seconds, and there was no mistaking that the Pumas were a cut above. Still, she grit her teeth together and refused to give in. Haki was still in the front row, and she was back in the second. Ying had been pushed back to the second, as had Daichi, but Zian was still in front, and he was using his excellent mobility to harass her teammate to such a degree that he was having a hard time getting anything far enough back to even threaten the others. All the fire he was shooting was being drenched before it made it past the waterbender, and her own water was often just bent aside. He was managing both of them with an enviable deftness, leaving his teammates free to be on the attack.
That, she supposed was the difference between her and him. He was just a superior probender. Well… even superior benders got beaten sometimes. She knew that much quite well. Whatever the case, it was obvious that she needed to do something about him. Finesse wasn’t cutting it very well, so she went for brute strength instead, using her considerable talent and training to her advantage. With a deep, strong breath and an almost-slow motion gesture with both arms, she raised the biggest wall of water she could from the pool beneath them, letting it fly with a shout. It swept over the other half of the arena, though the entire thing bent harmlessly past Haki, it managed to catch Zian by surprise. He’d been busy batting away fireballs, and was unable to bend it away in time—it knocked him off his feet entirely. Daichi braced himself a little more easily, though even he was pushed back one more ring, to the third. Ying, with the most warning of all, held steady, though she looked displeased to be wet.
Zian struggled to regain his footing, and grabbed the edge of the arena, dangling from it by one arm, but Kiara, relinquishing control of the wave, wrapped a tendril around his ankle and yanked, breaking his grip and sending him to the pool below. She didn’t notice it, but for a moment, the crowd went completely silent. It had been a long time since anyone had knocked one of the Pumas from the ring, and Zian at that. The last one to fall had been Ying, who was generally lighter and less stable than her teammates. Suddenly, the match had become very interesting. The Otter Penguins actually had the superior positioning at the moment, with one in the first row and one in the second, whereas both of the Pumas were in the back row. For the first time, some of those in the audience began to wonder if the upstarts might not have a chance at winning this after all.
The maneuver had left Kiara’s guard open, though, and Ying was able to recover first, shooting several gouts of fire with a vengeance at the fatigued waterbender while Daichi kept Haki distracted. Kiara was forced backwards, and the final hit disguised a pair of clay disks that swept her feet out from underneath her, knocking her backwards into the water.
There was only one Otter Penguin left now.
Haki diverted his attention towards Rika the moment she fell before placing it back on the Pumas. It was him and Kiara now, and from the way things were going, they wouldn't last much longer. He pursed his lips together, forming a thin line as he continued attacking. He cursed beneath his breath each time his fire was extinguished by Zian, and took the full force of clay disks and balls of fire. He glanced at Kiara from the side of his eyes, and raised both brows in a questiong glance. She had raised a wall of water, aiming it towards the Pumas, and watched as the waved consumed the other team. Haki blinked in surprise when he saw the result.
Zian had fallen from the platform, and Daichi had been pushed back to the last ring. Ying was still in the second ring, however; there was no time to recover from the shock when she pushed Kiara out of the ring. Haki was the last one standing, and for a moment, both teams stood still. It was silent, the crowd focusing all of their attention on the teams, waiting in anticipation for one to make a move. Ying and Daichi seemed to communicate without words, and Haki merely continued staring them down. It was up to him to win this one. He had to knock the last two Pumas off of the stage in order to win this one for his team.
It was a mere second that had passed, and Haki found himself dodging and redirecting fire away from him. He kept his breathing steady, keeping it from escalating due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His eyes went blank, focusing on the last two Pumas as he shot everything he had towards them. He managed to force Ying back to the third line with Daichi, however; he stood behind the second line. His shoulder met a pair of clay disks, a fireball catching his other. He stumbled, trying to regain his footing only to have another disk catch his left leg. He stood now, third line, staring at his opponents.
This was it. Both teams were at the end of the arena. The only difference was, the Pumas only had one team member down, the Otters had two. He could feel the fatigue finally setting in his system, and watched as the Pumas remained composed. He knew he was defeated, that their team was defeated the moment he saw it. He could redirect the flames that headed his way, but he wouldn't be fast enough to block the disks that were following closely behind them. He could try and dodge, but the way the disks were flying towards him would not leave much room to dodge.
But they were counting on him, and he had to try something. Even as the flames were banished away, even as he could see the edge of the arena as he fell towards the water, he had to have tried something. His back hit the water first, and he allowed himself to sink. They lost. They were so close, but they lost. Rika frowned when she saw Haki hit the water, and listened as the arena remained quiet. Haki made it over towards his team and waited for the lifts to bring them back up. Rika glanced at her team mates, and offered them a small smile that didn't quite reach her face. They lost the most important match, however; they managed to do something they wouldn't have been able to. At least, not so soon.
"Hey, we lost," Rika started, pausing momentarily to glance at her team mates. "But at least we gave them one hell of a fight, right?" she continued, trying to sound optimistic about it. And she did, for the most part. Haki merely smiled softly. He could feel himself being a little sore, and he was sure he might have broken something, but that didn't matter. He shook his head softly, chuckling as they finally made it to the top.
"Perhaps."
The walk to the locker room after the match seemed a particularly long one, and Kiara did not speak a word during the entire thing, ducking behind the row of lockers that she and Rika occupied separate from their male teammate and stripping off her gear as quickly as she could, bending the excess water out of the spare garments underneath and replacing the rest of her clothes as normal. Her hands shook faintly, perhaps still weakened from the adrenaline wearing off, or from the displaced anxiety.
Or perhaps it was the crushing feeling of failure that was doing it. She hadn’t expected this, really—the way she was reacting. It would have been only logical to assume that they were going to lose, but she’d refused to allow herself to do that. She’d gone into that match mentally prepared to win, and this… this disappointment was not something she was really familiar with. Swallowing thickly, she sat down with a thud on the bench in the locker room, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, tucking her chin neatly into the valley between her bent limbs. It seemed pathetic to even think of it, but she hadn’t really ever failed at anything before. At least, not anything she’d ever chosen for herself. Arguably, she’d failed as the kind of daughter her mother wanted, but she’d done that more or less on purpose.
This had been anything but that. She’d gone into this with everything she had, and it simply wasn’t enough. Part of her was upset that the others had seemed to accept their defeat from the very beginning. Part of her was mad at herself for even thinking about it that way. This wasn’t their fault—or at least, it was everyone’s fault equally. Everyone failed or lost sometimes. Abstractly, she knew that. But Kiara had been a prodigy in her waterbending from her birth, admired and respected for her skill, and trained by the very best of teachers. She’d never cared much for her family’s status, but they were well-regarded, and she’d always known that, no matter what she did, they’d be there for her to rely on if she needed. But she didn’t have that anymore.
She’d failed, and that was just… it. There was nothing else. No excuse, no reason, no justification. No safety net. The waterbender took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. It was just one match, right? So why did it seem to matter so much to her?
The air that surrounded the Otter Penguins was somber, one that seemed to consume all three Otters. They walked slowly back to their lockers, defeat evident upon their faces. Haki walked to the other side of the room where his locker was, changing out of his wet clothes and putting on his spare. They were going to lose, it was an inevitable fact. A fact that he and Rika both knew, however; it didn't mean that it hurt any less. For a brief moment, there had been a spark of hope, a spark that all of them had felt, and not just them. The crowd, the fans, they all felt it. There had been a chance that they could have won. But they didn't.
He took a slow breath in, counting to five before releasing it again. His body, he could feel the ache sinking in, and he smiled to himself. He really was going to be sore for the next few days. Closing his locker, he peered around the other side, spotting Rika in the corner, staring at her locker. She had already changed back into her clothes, and was just staring into her locker. He could see the faint shiver rolling down her back, and he knew that her nerves were likely shot. He didn't blame her, the match had been intense. His gaze, however, shifted to the waterbender.
He frowned, pursing his lips together and made his way over towards her. Draping a hand on her shoulder, he peered down at her and offered her a small smile. "Kiara, are you alright?" he questioned. It's been awhile since he used her first name, however; the current situation warranted no jests from him today. Had it been any other day, any other situation, he might have tried to lighten the mood with a bit of humor. But the somber reality was that it was not any other situation, and it was not any other day. Today, they were defeated by the Pygmy Pumas.
She felt a new wave of guilt, not for the loss itself, but for being upset with either of them for knowing and acknowledging that it was inevitable. Slightly watery blue eyes looked up into Haki’s, and she sighed slightly, the breath expelled in a shaky gust. Swiping quickly at her cheeks, she shook her head as if to clear it of all the cobwebby thoughts, and leaned slightly into the hand on her shoulder. “I just…” she tried first, and when that didn’t work, she tried again. “This is an awful feeling, isn’t it?” She wasn’t even sure which one she was naming. Losing felt bad enough on its own, especially when they’d put everything they had into winning. But the rest of it… “I guess thinking about one bad thing is making me think about them all.” she sighed again and closed her eyes.
“I’ll be all right. This is just… new, for me. For us, as a team.” They’d never lost before, and even though they hadn’t been the kind of team to let that go to their heads and make them arrogant, she still felt a little crushed by it. In a way, it was bringing her out of the dreamlike state her life had been for almost a year now. Ever since she’d left home, she’d felt… better. Invincible, even. But this was serving to remind her that she never had been, that even this life she’d chosen was going to be hard sometimes.
Dropping her legs to the floor, she blinked up at him for a second, then acted without really considering it overmuch. Standing, she wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her cheek to his chest. Whenever something bad happened back home, she’d often hugged her dad or her brother or even Kohaku this way. Since none of them were around… something about this didn’t seem like such a bad alternative. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled quietly, though she did not specify what for.
Haki's eyes softened a fraction before he released a small sigh. He squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner as she spoke. It was apparent to him that she had never lost quite like this before. It was bothering her, much more than it was bothering Rika. It was an awful feeling, he wasn't going to lie, but he had never been one to allow that feeling to get to him. He was Haki, but that name did not entail a sort of invincibility. He was capable of losing just as anyone else was, and it was with that thought that made him believe that in due time, the Pygmy Pumas would also suffer from that. But for now, he could at least tend to his team mates.
"It is an awful feeling, but if you never feel it, how do you expect to ever learn from it? We lose so that when we try again, we know what to do differently so that we never have to feel that way again. We gave it everything we had, Kiara, and that was enough. Look at the bright side, you managed to defeat Zian again. Though admittedly, I think you were cheating when you yanked him off," he stated, registering his trademark smirk upon his face. He was, however, taken aback when she stood up abruptly and hugged him. His body stiffened at first, the surprise evident on his face, however; it smoothed out to a gentle smile. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, laying his cheek upon the crown of her head and closed his eyes. It wasn't until another pair of arms encircled them that he opened them up to spot another head from behind Kiara. He blinked, the amusement glittering behind his eyes as he let out a soft chuckle. Rika came in from behind, having seen the two hugging, and wanted that comfort as well.
"I want in on this hug."
“I know,” Kiara replied quietly, and she did. She knew that sometimes, one had to get knocked down so that they could learn to stand back up again. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Still… maybe it was better that this happened now instead of later. Their first big loss behind them, they could look forward to the future with a little less fear. They didn’t have a perfect record to defend, so they could stop worrying about that and start focusing on each match for its own sake… if they could ever find a sponsor, that was.
Were all firebenders this warm? It was definitely a different kind of feeling from when she hugged her dad, but somehow, it was almost exactly what she needed right now. When she felt another set of arms wrap around her, the feeling was complete, and she smiled to herself, moving one of her arms to draw Rika fully into the strange three-part embrace. “You’ve got it,” she said, a bright smile somehow escaping her.
With the weight lifted at least a little from her mind, she abruptly remembered something and broke away from the hug to glance back and forth between her teammates. “Are you guys hurt? I know I took some pretty bad hits—I could heal them now so they don’t hurt so much.” The last thing she wanted was for them to walk out of her literally bruised. Their egos were damaged enough already, even if they hadn’t been that large to begin with. Well… hers and Rika’s hadn’t. Haki was debatable sometimes. “Just show me where the breaks and bruises are; I’ll have you patched up in no time.” It would make her feel better to do something useful for them, too.
Rika smiled into Kiara's back before shifting so that one arm was wrapped around Haki, and the other around Kiara. Haki merely shook his head, the soft chuckle escaping him as Kiara broke the hug. He blinked, forgetting about his ribs and the cracked sound he had heard during the fight. He reached up and pressed gently against his ribs and winced when he pressed into the juncture between two of them. He tilted his head to the side and laughed nervously. They had all taken some pretty good hits, and most of the damage, really, came from Zian's whip and Daichi's disks. Fire burned, sure, but it wasn't as physical as the clay disks were and the whip.
"Well, as long as we are all okay then," he began, Rika shooting him a glance as she tried remembering what she damaged. "Really, I didn't know you cared so much, Turtle-Duck," he continued, earning a smack against the back of his head from Rika, who winced from the contact. There it was, her wrist had been sprained from one of Daichi's disks. "Are you trying to hurt me, or yourself, Lotus" he stated, grabbing Rika's wrist gently and offered it to Kiara.
"Just you, Haki," Rika replied as he took her wrist, smiling in the process. "And it's just a sprained wrist. It'll be fine in a few days," she continued, though she was sure she had a hairline fracture in it somewhere. She could go to the doctor, later, for it. But why when Kiara was a healer? She offered the waterbender a lopsided smile with an apologetic look. "If you don't mind, though," she stated sheepishly as Haki laughed.
Kiara rolled her eyes and set to work. Really, why bother waiting a few days or weeks for things to heal when she was right here and completely willing to fix things? She didn’t miss the way Haki applied pressure to his ribs, but turned to tend to Rika’s wrist first, since she’d actually volunteered. Gesturing some water over from a nearby basin, she gloved her hands in it and gently took hold of her friend’s joint, letting the healing chi sink into the wound and repair the fracture in the bone before easing the bruising on the tendons and the sprain itself. There was something curiously personal about the healing process—it mixed the chi of the two people involved in a way that normal bending contact didn’t. It was like two spirits coming into contact, for just a little moment.
Professional healers, she understood, were trained to resist that, because it could apparently feel a little unnerving for a stranger’s chi to interfere with one’s own chakras, but these were her friends, and so even though Kiara didn't have that training, she didn’t think it mattered overmuch. Rika’s chi was warm in the way the ground was warm in summer, the sun having baked it for a day and given it a fresh sort of feel, like the grass was embracing you. Kiara wouldn’t have known to make that comparison but for the fact that she’d spent a summer here in Republic City—there wasn’t exactly a lot of warm earth where she was from. “There you go,” she said, giving the wrist a pat before she released it. “Good as new.”
Turning to Haki, she raised an eyebrow, hoping that he wouldn’t fight her on this. “All right, you.” Kiara put her hands on her hips, smiling slightly. “Where did they get you? Because you’re not walking out of here until I’ve fixed something for you.”
"Thanks, Kiara," Rika stated, rolling her wrist around as the pain subsided. She turned and raised a brow at Haki, watching Kiara from the corner of her eyes. A slow smile spread across her lips as she slowly slipped away, leaving the two on their own. She was healed, she was good, and they didn't need her. Not to mention, she knew that smirk on Haki's face and she had to remove herself unless he wanted to have more than a few sprained ribs. Haki, however, raised a brow in a challenging manner. He could have made this easy, and told her where he was hurt, but where was the fun in that?
"Is that so?" he stated, placing a hand on his side. "Well, there are a lot of things that I need fixing, Turtle-Duck, but I am not so sure you can fix them all," he spoke, his lips forming into a slow smirk. He walked slowly until he was a few feet in front of her, reaching out to twirl a strand of her cinnamon brown locks around his index finger. He released the strand, watching as the curl fell back into place. A look flashed across his face, however; it passed so quickly it was hard to tell it was ever there. He faintly shook his head before releasing a gust of air through his nose.
"But if you really want to fix something, you can fix these," he stated, grabbing her hand and placing it against the side of his ribs. She would be able to feel the cracked bones and fix them easier that way. He kept his gaze forward.
Kiara, perplexed by Rika’s sudden insistence on leaving, raised both brows before turning back to Haki—only to discover that he was suddenly much closer than he had been a second ago. She half-jumped in surprise, unable to do much by way of reacting when he touched her hair. Did he have a concussion or something? He was acting really weird. She blinked slowly up at him when she found her hand at his ribcage, and she could tell there was already some inflammation there. Likely broken bones, then. “O-kaaay,” she said, drawing out the second syllable for a while. There was a lot that needed fixing? She really had no idea what he was trying to get at by saying that. Maybe he was making fun of himself? She wouldn’t put it past him, but her best theory was still that he’d taken a head injury recently. She’d have to remember to check for that.
“Well… sit down then,” she instructed, removing her hand from his side so as to sheath it in more water. With the other hand, she picked up the hem of his shirt and tugged it just far enough up that she could see the injury in question. Healing actually required the water to touch skin, after all. She might not do this for a living, but she was trained enough that she thought nothing of it, really, placing her water-coated hand against his side and letting the healing chakra sink in.
If Rika’s chi was warm, Haki’s was blistering. It was almost uncomfortable for her, actually, to brush up against it like that, but after a second to adjust, it actually wasn’t bad at all. It reminded her a little of standing close to the bonfires on midwinter’s night—a little too close for most nights, but just what she needed when it was really, truly bone-deep cold out. She could almost smell the ash if she just thought about it. Her eyes slid half-closed in concentration as she coaxed the bones into healing, dulling the pain of the injury and taking down the slight swelling. It was a little heady, that chi, and she understood that expression about moths and flames, now—she felt an awful lot like the moth at present.
Shaking herself slightly, she exhaled and removed her hand, letting his shirt fall back into place. Did her face feel a little warm right now? She thanked La for the fact that her complexion was dark enough that any form of blush was usually almost invisible. She had no reason to be blushing, anyway. Forcing a slightly-disingenuous smile, Kiara lifted a brow. “Are you sure Daichi didn’t catch you in the head with one of those disks? You’re being a little weird.”
Haki did as he was told, his eyes glazing over for a moment when she began working on his ribs. "Hm, I am not sure. I was wearing my head gear, after all," he replied to her question, ignoring the slight tingle her fingers were sending down his side. He smiled softly, focusing his attention on Kiara when his smirk reappeared. "But if you want to take a peek, I won't mind," he stated, tapping his temple in the process. Daichi had hit him with one of his disks, but it had clipped his helmet so there wasn't any real damage. She was right, though. He was being a little weird, and as far as he knew, it was because of their previous engagement with the Pygmy Pumas.
But he wasn't exactly a fool either. He knew, but he would not acknowledge something like that, not right now. Besides, he was having way too much fun being their team mate and friend. He didn't need to make things awkward and uncomfortable. But that was who he was, and will continue to be. He stood, shaking his head faintly and tilted it. "I'm fine, Kiara. I promise. It'll take more than Daichi's clay disks to give me a concussion. You should feel how hard Rika hits without those disks," he stated, rubbing his head out of reaction in the process. His head did hurt a bit where she hit him. He was being completely serious about that one.
"Now, how about we go convince Rika to make us a celebratory tea?" he stated, offering his arm out for her to take if she wanted to. Today had taken a lot out of them, and a little bit of warm tea always made everyone feel better. Or at least it made him feel better, and he wanted to be a little selfish right now.
Or perhaps it was the crushing feeling of failure that was doing it. She hadn’t expected this, really—the way she was reacting. It would have been only logical to assume that they were going to lose, but she’d refused to allow herself to do that. She’d gone into that match mentally prepared to win, and this… this disappointment was not something she was really familiar with. Swallowing thickly, she sat down with a thud on the bench in the locker room, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, tucking her chin neatly into the valley between her bent limbs. It seemed pathetic to even think of it, but she hadn’t really ever failed at anything before. At least, not anything she’d ever chosen for herself. Arguably, she’d failed as the kind of daughter her mother wanted, but she’d done that more or less on purpose.
This had been anything but that. She’d gone into this with everything she had, and it simply wasn’t enough. Part of her was upset that the others had seemed to accept their defeat from the very beginning. Part of her was mad at herself for even thinking about it that way. This wasn’t their fault—or at least, it was everyone’s fault equally. Everyone failed or lost sometimes. Abstractly, she knew that. But Kiara had been a prodigy in her waterbending from her birth, admired and respected for her skill, and trained by the very best of teachers. She’d never cared much for her family’s status, but they were well-regarded, and she’d always known that, no matter what she did, they’d be there for her to rely on if she needed. But she didn’t have that anymore.
She’d failed, and that was just… it. There was nothing else. No excuse, no reason, no justification. No safety net. The waterbender took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. It was just one match, right? So why did it seem to matter so much to her?
The air that surrounded the Otter Penguins was somber, one that seemed to consume all three Otters. They walked slowly back to their lockers, defeat evident upon their faces. Haki walked to the other side of the room where his locker was, changing out of his wet clothes and putting on his spare. They were going to lose, it was an inevitable fact. A fact that he and Rika both knew, however; it didn't mean that it hurt any less. For a brief moment, there had been a spark of hope, a spark that all of them had felt, and not just them. The crowd, the fans, they all felt it. There had been a chance that they could have won. But they didn't.
He took a slow breath in, counting to five before releasing it again. His body, he could feel the ache sinking in, and he smiled to himself. He really was going to be sore for the next few days. Closing his locker, he peered around the other side, spotting Rika in the corner, staring at her locker. She had already changed back into her clothes, and was just staring into her locker. He could see the faint shiver rolling down her back, and he knew that her nerves were likely shot. He didn't blame her, the match had been intense. His gaze, however, shifted to the waterbender.
He frowned, pursing his lips together and made his way over towards her. Draping a hand on her shoulder, he peered down at her and offered her a small smile. "Kiara, are you alright?" he questioned. It's been awhile since he used her first name, however; the current situation warranted no jests from him today. Had it been any other day, any other situation, he might have tried to lighten the mood with a bit of humor. But the somber reality was that it was not any other situation, and it was not any other day. Today, they were defeated by the Pygmy Pumas.
She felt a new wave of guilt, not for the loss itself, but for being upset with either of them for knowing and acknowledging that it was inevitable. Slightly watery blue eyes looked up into Haki’s, and she sighed slightly, the breath expelled in a shaky gust. Swiping quickly at her cheeks, she shook her head as if to clear it of all the cobwebby thoughts, and leaned slightly into the hand on her shoulder. “I just…” she tried first, and when that didn’t work, she tried again. “This is an awful feeling, isn’t it?” She wasn’t even sure which one she was naming. Losing felt bad enough on its own, especially when they’d put everything they had into winning. But the rest of it… “I guess thinking about one bad thing is making me think about them all.” she sighed again and closed her eyes.
“I’ll be all right. This is just… new, for me. For us, as a team.” They’d never lost before, and even though they hadn’t been the kind of team to let that go to their heads and make them arrogant, she still felt a little crushed by it. In a way, it was bringing her out of the dreamlike state her life had been for almost a year now. Ever since she’d left home, she’d felt… better. Invincible, even. But this was serving to remind her that she never had been, that even this life she’d chosen was going to be hard sometimes.
Dropping her legs to the floor, she blinked up at him for a second, then acted without really considering it overmuch. Standing, she wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her cheek to his chest. Whenever something bad happened back home, she’d often hugged her dad or her brother or even Kohaku this way. Since none of them were around… something about this didn’t seem like such a bad alternative. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled quietly, though she did not specify what for.
Haki's eyes softened a fraction before he released a small sigh. He squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner as she spoke. It was apparent to him that she had never lost quite like this before. It was bothering her, much more than it was bothering Rika. It was an awful feeling, he wasn't going to lie, but he had never been one to allow that feeling to get to him. He was Haki, but that name did not entail a sort of invincibility. He was capable of losing just as anyone else was, and it was with that thought that made him believe that in due time, the Pygmy Pumas would also suffer from that. But for now, he could at least tend to his team mates.
"It is an awful feeling, but if you never feel it, how do you expect to ever learn from it? We lose so that when we try again, we know what to do differently so that we never have to feel that way again. We gave it everything we had, Kiara, and that was enough. Look at the bright side, you managed to defeat Zian again. Though admittedly, I think you were cheating when you yanked him off," he stated, registering his trademark smirk upon his face. He was, however, taken aback when she stood up abruptly and hugged him. His body stiffened at first, the surprise evident on his face, however; it smoothed out to a gentle smile. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, laying his cheek upon the crown of her head and closed his eyes. It wasn't until another pair of arms encircled them that he opened them up to spot another head from behind Kiara. He blinked, the amusement glittering behind his eyes as he let out a soft chuckle. Rika came in from behind, having seen the two hugging, and wanted that comfort as well.
"I want in on this hug."
“I know,” Kiara replied quietly, and she did. She knew that sometimes, one had to get knocked down so that they could learn to stand back up again. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Still… maybe it was better that this happened now instead of later. Their first big loss behind them, they could look forward to the future with a little less fear. They didn’t have a perfect record to defend, so they could stop worrying about that and start focusing on each match for its own sake… if they could ever find a sponsor, that was.
Were all firebenders this warm? It was definitely a different kind of feeling from when she hugged her dad, but somehow, it was almost exactly what she needed right now. When she felt another set of arms wrap around her, the feeling was complete, and she smiled to herself, moving one of her arms to draw Rika fully into the strange three-part embrace. “You’ve got it,” she said, a bright smile somehow escaping her.
With the weight lifted at least a little from her mind, she abruptly remembered something and broke away from the hug to glance back and forth between her teammates. “Are you guys hurt? I know I took some pretty bad hits—I could heal them now so they don’t hurt so much.” The last thing she wanted was for them to walk out of her literally bruised. Their egos were damaged enough already, even if they hadn’t been that large to begin with. Well… hers and Rika’s hadn’t. Haki was debatable sometimes. “Just show me where the breaks and bruises are; I’ll have you patched up in no time.” It would make her feel better to do something useful for them, too.
Rika smiled into Kiara's back before shifting so that one arm was wrapped around Haki, and the other around Kiara. Haki merely shook his head, the soft chuckle escaping him as Kiara broke the hug. He blinked, forgetting about his ribs and the cracked sound he had heard during the fight. He reached up and pressed gently against his ribs and winced when he pressed into the juncture between two of them. He tilted his head to the side and laughed nervously. They had all taken some pretty good hits, and most of the damage, really, came from Zian's whip and Daichi's disks. Fire burned, sure, but it wasn't as physical as the clay disks were and the whip.
"Well, as long as we are all okay then," he began, Rika shooting him a glance as she tried remembering what she damaged. "Really, I didn't know you cared so much, Turtle-Duck," he continued, earning a smack against the back of his head from Rika, who winced from the contact. There it was, her wrist had been sprained from one of Daichi's disks. "Are you trying to hurt me, or yourself, Lotus" he stated, grabbing Rika's wrist gently and offered it to Kiara.
"Just you, Haki," Rika replied as he took her wrist, smiling in the process. "And it's just a sprained wrist. It'll be fine in a few days," she continued, though she was sure she had a hairline fracture in it somewhere. She could go to the doctor, later, for it. But why when Kiara was a healer? She offered the waterbender a lopsided smile with an apologetic look. "If you don't mind, though," she stated sheepishly as Haki laughed.
Kiara rolled her eyes and set to work. Really, why bother waiting a few days or weeks for things to heal when she was right here and completely willing to fix things? She didn’t miss the way Haki applied pressure to his ribs, but turned to tend to Rika’s wrist first, since she’d actually volunteered. Gesturing some water over from a nearby basin, she gloved her hands in it and gently took hold of her friend’s joint, letting the healing chi sink into the wound and repair the fracture in the bone before easing the bruising on the tendons and the sprain itself. There was something curiously personal about the healing process—it mixed the chi of the two people involved in a way that normal bending contact didn’t. It was like two spirits coming into contact, for just a little moment.
Professional healers, she understood, were trained to resist that, because it could apparently feel a little unnerving for a stranger’s chi to interfere with one’s own chakras, but these were her friends, and so even though Kiara didn't have that training, she didn’t think it mattered overmuch. Rika’s chi was warm in the way the ground was warm in summer, the sun having baked it for a day and given it a fresh sort of feel, like the grass was embracing you. Kiara wouldn’t have known to make that comparison but for the fact that she’d spent a summer here in Republic City—there wasn’t exactly a lot of warm earth where she was from. “There you go,” she said, giving the wrist a pat before she released it. “Good as new.”
Turning to Haki, she raised an eyebrow, hoping that he wouldn’t fight her on this. “All right, you.” Kiara put her hands on her hips, smiling slightly. “Where did they get you? Because you’re not walking out of here until I’ve fixed something for you.”
"Thanks, Kiara," Rika stated, rolling her wrist around as the pain subsided. She turned and raised a brow at Haki, watching Kiara from the corner of her eyes. A slow smile spread across her lips as she slowly slipped away, leaving the two on their own. She was healed, she was good, and they didn't need her. Not to mention, she knew that smirk on Haki's face and she had to remove herself unless he wanted to have more than a few sprained ribs. Haki, however, raised a brow in a challenging manner. He could have made this easy, and told her where he was hurt, but where was the fun in that?
"Is that so?" he stated, placing a hand on his side. "Well, there are a lot of things that I need fixing, Turtle-Duck, but I am not so sure you can fix them all," he spoke, his lips forming into a slow smirk. He walked slowly until he was a few feet in front of her, reaching out to twirl a strand of her cinnamon brown locks around his index finger. He released the strand, watching as the curl fell back into place. A look flashed across his face, however; it passed so quickly it was hard to tell it was ever there. He faintly shook his head before releasing a gust of air through his nose.
"But if you really want to fix something, you can fix these," he stated, grabbing her hand and placing it against the side of his ribs. She would be able to feel the cracked bones and fix them easier that way. He kept his gaze forward.
Kiara, perplexed by Rika’s sudden insistence on leaving, raised both brows before turning back to Haki—only to discover that he was suddenly much closer than he had been a second ago. She half-jumped in surprise, unable to do much by way of reacting when he touched her hair. Did he have a concussion or something? He was acting really weird. She blinked slowly up at him when she found her hand at his ribcage, and she could tell there was already some inflammation there. Likely broken bones, then. “O-kaaay,” she said, drawing out the second syllable for a while. There was a lot that needed fixing? She really had no idea what he was trying to get at by saying that. Maybe he was making fun of himself? She wouldn’t put it past him, but her best theory was still that he’d taken a head injury recently. She’d have to remember to check for that.
“Well… sit down then,” she instructed, removing her hand from his side so as to sheath it in more water. With the other hand, she picked up the hem of his shirt and tugged it just far enough up that she could see the injury in question. Healing actually required the water to touch skin, after all. She might not do this for a living, but she was trained enough that she thought nothing of it, really, placing her water-coated hand against his side and letting the healing chakra sink in.
If Rika’s chi was warm, Haki’s was blistering. It was almost uncomfortable for her, actually, to brush up against it like that, but after a second to adjust, it actually wasn’t bad at all. It reminded her a little of standing close to the bonfires on midwinter’s night—a little too close for most nights, but just what she needed when it was really, truly bone-deep cold out. She could almost smell the ash if she just thought about it. Her eyes slid half-closed in concentration as she coaxed the bones into healing, dulling the pain of the injury and taking down the slight swelling. It was a little heady, that chi, and she understood that expression about moths and flames, now—she felt an awful lot like the moth at present.
Shaking herself slightly, she exhaled and removed her hand, letting his shirt fall back into place. Did her face feel a little warm right now? She thanked La for the fact that her complexion was dark enough that any form of blush was usually almost invisible. She had no reason to be blushing, anyway. Forcing a slightly-disingenuous smile, Kiara lifted a brow. “Are you sure Daichi didn’t catch you in the head with one of those disks? You’re being a little weird.”
Haki did as he was told, his eyes glazing over for a moment when she began working on his ribs. "Hm, I am not sure. I was wearing my head gear, after all," he replied to her question, ignoring the slight tingle her fingers were sending down his side. He smiled softly, focusing his attention on Kiara when his smirk reappeared. "But if you want to take a peek, I won't mind," he stated, tapping his temple in the process. Daichi had hit him with one of his disks, but it had clipped his helmet so there wasn't any real damage. She was right, though. He was being a little weird, and as far as he knew, it was because of their previous engagement with the Pygmy Pumas.
But he wasn't exactly a fool either. He knew, but he would not acknowledge something like that, not right now. Besides, he was having way too much fun being their team mate and friend. He didn't need to make things awkward and uncomfortable. But that was who he was, and will continue to be. He stood, shaking his head faintly and tilted it. "I'm fine, Kiara. I promise. It'll take more than Daichi's clay disks to give me a concussion. You should feel how hard Rika hits without those disks," he stated, rubbing his head out of reaction in the process. His head did hurt a bit where she hit him. He was being completely serious about that one.
"Now, how about we go convince Rika to make us a celebratory tea?" he stated, offering his arm out for her to take if she wanted to. Today had taken a lot out of them, and a little bit of warm tea always made everyone feel better. Or at least it made him feel better, and he wanted to be a little selfish right now.
Rika sighed, heavily. She was unsure of how it happened, or when exactly it did happen, however; Haki managed to drag her out of her home to accompany him to the market. He, at first, told her it was to gather groceries for himself. But as the day lingered on, and the amount of groceries he had was something to question, Rika was beginning to think that he was just dragging her around. She sighed again. Perhaps he was, but it wasn't like she was doing anything important to begin with. She had just been sitting on her couch, staring at the papers of last week's events. The headline was catching, however; it was just a constant reminder that they had lost.
Not only had they lost to the Pygmy Pumas, but they also lost any chance of finding a sponsor. They had not been given a match since that day, but she was hoping it was due to pity. Though she didn't want pity. They had done their best, and it had taken her the week to realize that, even though they lost, they still won. She blinked slowly when something was shoved in her face, and frowned. Why was Haki shoving a cabbage in her face? She lifted her hand and placed it gently upon the vegetable, lowering it so that she could stare at him. The frown was still etched on her face, while his appeared to be set in an innocent smile.
"Haki," she began slowly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why are you shoving vegetables in my face? Why can't you just be normal for once!?" she continued, letting out an exasperated breath. Haki merely rose a curious brow, feigning stupid as he placed the cabbage back on the cart. "And don't tell me this is you being normal," she cut in as he opened his mouth to say something, eliciting a chuckle from the firebender. He rose his hands in defense, the chuckle still spilling from his lips.
"You seemed lost in your thoughts, and that was the only way to break you from them," he answered truthfully. He couldn't read minds, he wasn't a mind reader, but he was good at noticing the subtle tendencies people had. "It's just cabbage, Rika, it's not going to bite you," he continued, a smirk pulling at his lips as her frown deepened. She could feel her eyebrow twitching in annoyance, however; she allowed a small, very small, smile to crack through. "Now there's that smile. Let's go find Turtle-Duck and see what we can do today." Rika just shook her head, hoping, for Kiara's sake, that she was far, far away.
It was just then that a building not far from the market exploded, sending a shockwave through the ground that reached all the way out to where Rika and Haki were standing, spilling a plume of dark smoke into the sky overhead, which wound its way back down to a familiar edifice indeed, should they be paying attention. The structure in question was in fact that apartment building that housed both Kiara and Fang, and both were inside at the time. Kiara herself was thrown to the ground during the explosion, crashing into her low living room table and breaking the wooden structure in half, slivers of wood digging into her back through the light shirt she was wearing. It was still only early spring, but she was in her own home, and besides… she was used to the cold.
Staggering to her feet, the waterbender was hit by the pungent odor of smoke, and her eyes went wide as she realized what must have happened. Her building was trembling on its foundations, and she knew what structural stability it maintained would not last long. She had almost no time, and dashed around her space, grabbing the absolute essentials—which really meant a small satchel filled with a few basic supplies like clothes and soap, and not much else. Pausing for a moment, she scooped up her Midwinter gifts and stuffed them in as well, and then bent her fish and their water from the bowl they were in, slinging the satchel over her back and reforming the water into a sphere over one hand. There wasn’t nearly enough water around to bend for putting out the flames, she suspected, but all the same, she bent some from her faucet and kept it in her other hand, looking around to make sure she wasn’t missing anything important.
It was at this moment that her front door burst open, followed by Fang, his swords crossed over his back and his flute held in a loop at his waist, carrying a small back of his own, but otherwise bereft of anything. “Are you all right?” he asked over the sound of people screaming and flames eating away at the wooden building, and for an absurd moment, she marveled that he could sound so toneless even in a situation like this. But then her brain caught up with the rest of her.
“Y-yeah,” she replied shakily. “I’m fine. But Fang… what about Mr. Landlord? And everyone else?” Her first instinct was to go in search of them, but perhaps he knew something she did not. The swordsman shook his head, taking her by the elbow and starting to guide her out of her apartment.
“We need to get out before we do anything else.” She was about to protest, but his hand on her arm allowed for no argument, and so in the end, she was left to trust him to guide her out of the building. He seemed to have found a path, because the flames seemed to shift away from them a little as they went. If she were paying closer attention, she would have thought it strange, but the smoke was starting to go to her head, and she found herself getting rapidly dizzy. Her vision clouded over, and she swayed dangerously, quite close to falling over. “Wet this,” Fang’s voice cut through the haze like a knife, as assured as always, and she felt something made of fabric placed into the hand without her fish. Obediently, she soaked it in her water, and then it was removed from her. She wondered where it had gone, but the cool sensation around the lower half of her face soon answered that. Breathing a little easier because of the damp cloth, she noted that it was the sleeve of his shirt. The rest was still on his person, and she noted dimly that she hadn’t expected him to be tattooed, but his bicep did bear half a sleeve of ink.
It took several more minutes for them to successfully make it out, and when they did, she gulped in fresh air like she’d never tasted it before in her life. She noted that much of her hair had singed in the process, but other than that, she was fine. Fang bore no marks at all. Breathing a sigh of relief, she tugged down her makeshift scarf. “We made it…” But how many more had not?
The smile on Haki's face disappeared almost instantaneously. His eyes focused on the black smoke that headed towards them as he noted the direction it was coming from. Rika's eyes widened in fear as she took off with a speed she did not know she possessed, Haki right behind her. They maneuvered through the crowd, careful to avoid the people on their way so as to not bowl them over. Haki's pace quickened, passing Rika as they came to the scene. The fire was licking the building, reaching up to the sky burning a melody to it. His eyes searched the people that came from the building, intent on finding one person, and a dread settled in when he did not spot the one he was looking for. He made to go into the building, however; something caused him to stop.
"Haki! Over here," Rika called out to him, causing him to snap his attention towards her. He glanced back at the apartment complex before finding his way towards Rika. He released a breath he had not realized he was holding when he spotted Kiara and Fang, just barely making it out of the building as Kiara spoke. "Kiara, Fang, are you two alright? What happened?" Rika questioned, a light tremor rolling through her. She was glad that her friends were okay, but there had been a fear gripping her tightly when she realized that it was their apartment complex that exploded.
Haki ignored the statement, and walked up to Kiara, grabbing her in a tight embrace, careful and mindful of the fish she still held. He didn't hug too tightly, but he felt that if he let her go, she would disappear. It was an odd feeling, and one he wasn't accustomed to, however; he was frightened. The explosion and the direction it had come from, had frightened him because he didn't know if she was okay or not. "I thought you were gone," he whispered softly, burying his head in her hair, breathing slowly to ensure himself that she was alright. Rika released a soft sigh, but couldn't stop the soft smile from lingering on her lips.
"She won't be okay much longer if you don't let her go so she can breathe, Haki," Rika replied, gently peeling the firebender away. If he continued like that, he was more than likely going to smother her, and that would not be good. Her lungs were already filled with smoke, they didn't need to be deprived of the oxygen they needed right now.
For the first few moments, Kiara was still numb enough that she hardly registered what was happening. She knew that Haki and Rika were there, and that somehow, that made things so much better she almost didn’t know how to deal with it. But then it hit her in full why they needed to be better, and she started to shake, one hand banishing her fish into the lake across the street in the park and then both of them clutching at the fabric of Haki’s shirt. She hadn’t been expecting the hug, but she found that she desperately needed it. Kiara did her best to bury her face against his chest, still shaking quietly, a little half-sob escaping her at the sound of his voice. It was so familiar by this point, and more or less exactly what she needed.
Honestly, she was finding it hard to maintain her footing, as there was still a lot of smoke in her lungs, so at this point, she was mostly leaning on him to stand. She could distantly hear the sound of approaching fire engines, loaded with firefighters, generally a mix of water and firebenders trained at tackling blazes like this one, and they started to work on the fire, but there was little mistaking that it would be a long process, and anyone who was still inside would probably not receive help in time. “There are so many people…” she murmured, stepping in closer to his embrace. There was no way everyone in the building had gotten out—she could tell just from the number milling around outside, not that she spent long looking.
Fang was thinking the same thing, and he actually did a more detailed assessment of the situation. It was troubling for several reasons, in no small part because this had all the marks of an Equalist attack, and he hadn’t known about it. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to be. Blowing up entire buildings just because some benders lived in them—killing people in general was generally left to individuals like him, and the targets always made more sense. Even he’d only really had to kill a very small number. Usually, intimidation or theft sufficed. Glancing over at Kiara, he knew he would never be able to tell her that it was likely because she lived there that the building had been targeted. He was going to have a discussion with Amon about this, though—never mind the fact that he himself might have died, but all these people…
Making up his mind, Fang stopped a nearby firefighter, speaking to the bender in low tones. The man looked hesitant for a moment, but finally nodded and doused the swordsman in water. Tearing off his other sleeve, he wrapped it around his nose and mouth as he’d done to Kiara with the other one. Though his bending could keep the air he breathed clean, he didn’t want to take chances if he had to use it for something else instead. Glancing over at the other three, he tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes landing last on Rika. It was to she that he spoke, though the words were directed at all of them.
“I’ll be back soon.” And then he turned and ran back into the building.
Rika's eyes softened when she assessed the situation. There was so much damage around, and the sirens of the firefighters approaching fast, was not the soothing lullaby she was hoping for. She watched as they set to work, trying to control the fire, and glared at the flames. There was no doubt in the back of her mind that this was not an accident. Though she didn't know exactly what the cause of it was either. It could have been a number of things ranging from something small as a leak and a careless Firebender, or something else. She didn't know, and a part of her didn't want to know. Her friends had been put in harm's way, and she didn't like that.
She was brought back from her stupor when Fang spoke, and she found her voice escaping her. She tried to reach out for him, to keep him from going, because she didn't know where he was going. When she realized what was going on, she released a soft sigh and shook her head. "Be careful, Fang," she called out after him. There wasn't much she could do; she was only an earthbender, and earthbending wouldn't help the firefighters any. If she knew how to sandbend, she could probably help douse the flames that way, but then again, she wasn't exactly trained to do something like that. She was better off trying to help direct people away from the fire, since some seemed lost.
Haki, however, sighed softly at Kiara's statement. There were a lot of people, but by the looks of it now, there were only a few people now. As cruel and selfish a thought as it may be, he was just glad that she was okay. No one else mattered, and his arms tightened a little more around her, keeping her as steady as he could. She was exhausted from the fumes, that much he could tell. If she didn't get looked after soon, she might suffer from the inhalation of the smoke. He glanced towards Rika, scooping Kiara up in his arms by placing one arm around her shoulders, and the other behind her knees.
"We are going to take care of you first while you're out. Fang and Rika can stay behind to help the others. You are no no position to help, and I know you want to, but," he began speaking. He knew she would want to stay and help, because that was the type of person she was. But doing so would only hinder herself and she would be no help to anyone then. "You need to be looked after first. They can handle it," he continued, offering her a reassuring smile, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her, or himself.
Kiara’s only answer was a small noise of protest before the toll of her nearly fifteen minutes in the smoke-filled building took a hold of her, and her eyes fell half-lidded and drowsy, her mind fuzzing over at the edges. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, and she leaned the side of her head against his shoulder. “Want to help…” she murmured, but she gave him a sleepy smile. “Not going… anywhere. Wouldn’t want to… leave you.” It was, in a way, an answer to his worry, as expressed earlier, but from the way her words were slurring, she probably wouldn’t remember saying it, later, and as things were, she slipped into unconsciousness thereafter, her body working to repair the damage that had been inflicted upon it.
Perhaps ten minutes later, Fang emerged a second time from the wreckage, covered in soot but otherwise seemingly fine, a small child over either shoulder and several older people following behind. He’d found everyone he could reach without risking collapsing sections of the building—the rest really would have to be the work of the experts. Airbending or not, he was starting to feel a bit lightheaded himself, and as soon as he’d passed the kids off to their frantic parents, he half-sat, half fell over in a crosslegged position, leaning his back up against a nearby market cart. Blinking over at Rika, he allowed a faint hint of his fatigue to enter his eyes only, before it disappeared entirely, ceding way to his usual impassivity.
“This was not what I expected when I woke up this morning,” he conceded with a touch of wryness. Perhaps it was a bit inappropriate for the situation, but he was not the type for lamentation. Not anymore, anyway.
"Don't worry, I won't let you go anywhere," Haki replied, the faint smile returning to his lips as he shook his head. She would be fine, for the most part. He would make sure of it. He glanced over towards Rika and gave her a nod of his head before taking Kiara away from the burning building. He would need to get her to the nearest healer just to take a look at her to make sure she would be. Rika and Fang would be able to find him when they came looking for their waterbender friend. Rika responded with a nod of her own as she continued to make sure people were going the right way. A few moments later, Fang resurfaced with a few people, and Rika breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was okay too. She, however, frowned at his statement, making her way so that she stood a few feet in front of him.
"Well, it's not everyday your apartment complex blows up," she replied, though the humor in the statement was dry. She sighed heavily, glancing towards the building, now being brought under control by the firefighters. She didn't believe anyone expected it, however; perhaps they did, in their own subtle ways. It could be the reason why they were still alive, though the others might not have been so fortunate. She shook the morbid thoughts from her head and glanced back at Fang. "I think we should go check on Kiara, and perhaps discuss a temporary living situation for you two," she stated. Their home was gone, and they would need a place to stay until they could accommodate themselves in a new home.
Not only had they lost to the Pygmy Pumas, but they also lost any chance of finding a sponsor. They had not been given a match since that day, but she was hoping it was due to pity. Though she didn't want pity. They had done their best, and it had taken her the week to realize that, even though they lost, they still won. She blinked slowly when something was shoved in her face, and frowned. Why was Haki shoving a cabbage in her face? She lifted her hand and placed it gently upon the vegetable, lowering it so that she could stare at him. The frown was still etched on her face, while his appeared to be set in an innocent smile.
"Haki," she began slowly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why are you shoving vegetables in my face? Why can't you just be normal for once!?" she continued, letting out an exasperated breath. Haki merely rose a curious brow, feigning stupid as he placed the cabbage back on the cart. "And don't tell me this is you being normal," she cut in as he opened his mouth to say something, eliciting a chuckle from the firebender. He rose his hands in defense, the chuckle still spilling from his lips.
"You seemed lost in your thoughts, and that was the only way to break you from them," he answered truthfully. He couldn't read minds, he wasn't a mind reader, but he was good at noticing the subtle tendencies people had. "It's just cabbage, Rika, it's not going to bite you," he continued, a smirk pulling at his lips as her frown deepened. She could feel her eyebrow twitching in annoyance, however; she allowed a small, very small, smile to crack through. "Now there's that smile. Let's go find Turtle-Duck and see what we can do today." Rika just shook her head, hoping, for Kiara's sake, that she was far, far away.
It was just then that a building not far from the market exploded, sending a shockwave through the ground that reached all the way out to where Rika and Haki were standing, spilling a plume of dark smoke into the sky overhead, which wound its way back down to a familiar edifice indeed, should they be paying attention. The structure in question was in fact that apartment building that housed both Kiara and Fang, and both were inside at the time. Kiara herself was thrown to the ground during the explosion, crashing into her low living room table and breaking the wooden structure in half, slivers of wood digging into her back through the light shirt she was wearing. It was still only early spring, but she was in her own home, and besides… she was used to the cold.
Staggering to her feet, the waterbender was hit by the pungent odor of smoke, and her eyes went wide as she realized what must have happened. Her building was trembling on its foundations, and she knew what structural stability it maintained would not last long. She had almost no time, and dashed around her space, grabbing the absolute essentials—which really meant a small satchel filled with a few basic supplies like clothes and soap, and not much else. Pausing for a moment, she scooped up her Midwinter gifts and stuffed them in as well, and then bent her fish and their water from the bowl they were in, slinging the satchel over her back and reforming the water into a sphere over one hand. There wasn’t nearly enough water around to bend for putting out the flames, she suspected, but all the same, she bent some from her faucet and kept it in her other hand, looking around to make sure she wasn’t missing anything important.
It was at this moment that her front door burst open, followed by Fang, his swords crossed over his back and his flute held in a loop at his waist, carrying a small back of his own, but otherwise bereft of anything. “Are you all right?” he asked over the sound of people screaming and flames eating away at the wooden building, and for an absurd moment, she marveled that he could sound so toneless even in a situation like this. But then her brain caught up with the rest of her.
“Y-yeah,” she replied shakily. “I’m fine. But Fang… what about Mr. Landlord? And everyone else?” Her first instinct was to go in search of them, but perhaps he knew something she did not. The swordsman shook his head, taking her by the elbow and starting to guide her out of her apartment.
“We need to get out before we do anything else.” She was about to protest, but his hand on her arm allowed for no argument, and so in the end, she was left to trust him to guide her out of the building. He seemed to have found a path, because the flames seemed to shift away from them a little as they went. If she were paying closer attention, she would have thought it strange, but the smoke was starting to go to her head, and she found herself getting rapidly dizzy. Her vision clouded over, and she swayed dangerously, quite close to falling over. “Wet this,” Fang’s voice cut through the haze like a knife, as assured as always, and she felt something made of fabric placed into the hand without her fish. Obediently, she soaked it in her water, and then it was removed from her. She wondered where it had gone, but the cool sensation around the lower half of her face soon answered that. Breathing a little easier because of the damp cloth, she noted that it was the sleeve of his shirt. The rest was still on his person, and she noted dimly that she hadn’t expected him to be tattooed, but his bicep did bear half a sleeve of ink.
It took several more minutes for them to successfully make it out, and when they did, she gulped in fresh air like she’d never tasted it before in her life. She noted that much of her hair had singed in the process, but other than that, she was fine. Fang bore no marks at all. Breathing a sigh of relief, she tugged down her makeshift scarf. “We made it…” But how many more had not?
The smile on Haki's face disappeared almost instantaneously. His eyes focused on the black smoke that headed towards them as he noted the direction it was coming from. Rika's eyes widened in fear as she took off with a speed she did not know she possessed, Haki right behind her. They maneuvered through the crowd, careful to avoid the people on their way so as to not bowl them over. Haki's pace quickened, passing Rika as they came to the scene. The fire was licking the building, reaching up to the sky burning a melody to it. His eyes searched the people that came from the building, intent on finding one person, and a dread settled in when he did not spot the one he was looking for. He made to go into the building, however; something caused him to stop.
"Haki! Over here," Rika called out to him, causing him to snap his attention towards her. He glanced back at the apartment complex before finding his way towards Rika. He released a breath he had not realized he was holding when he spotted Kiara and Fang, just barely making it out of the building as Kiara spoke. "Kiara, Fang, are you two alright? What happened?" Rika questioned, a light tremor rolling through her. She was glad that her friends were okay, but there had been a fear gripping her tightly when she realized that it was their apartment complex that exploded.
Haki ignored the statement, and walked up to Kiara, grabbing her in a tight embrace, careful and mindful of the fish she still held. He didn't hug too tightly, but he felt that if he let her go, she would disappear. It was an odd feeling, and one he wasn't accustomed to, however; he was frightened. The explosion and the direction it had come from, had frightened him because he didn't know if she was okay or not. "I thought you were gone," he whispered softly, burying his head in her hair, breathing slowly to ensure himself that she was alright. Rika released a soft sigh, but couldn't stop the soft smile from lingering on her lips.
"She won't be okay much longer if you don't let her go so she can breathe, Haki," Rika replied, gently peeling the firebender away. If he continued like that, he was more than likely going to smother her, and that would not be good. Her lungs were already filled with smoke, they didn't need to be deprived of the oxygen they needed right now.
For the first few moments, Kiara was still numb enough that she hardly registered what was happening. She knew that Haki and Rika were there, and that somehow, that made things so much better she almost didn’t know how to deal with it. But then it hit her in full why they needed to be better, and she started to shake, one hand banishing her fish into the lake across the street in the park and then both of them clutching at the fabric of Haki’s shirt. She hadn’t been expecting the hug, but she found that she desperately needed it. Kiara did her best to bury her face against his chest, still shaking quietly, a little half-sob escaping her at the sound of his voice. It was so familiar by this point, and more or less exactly what she needed.
Honestly, she was finding it hard to maintain her footing, as there was still a lot of smoke in her lungs, so at this point, she was mostly leaning on him to stand. She could distantly hear the sound of approaching fire engines, loaded with firefighters, generally a mix of water and firebenders trained at tackling blazes like this one, and they started to work on the fire, but there was little mistaking that it would be a long process, and anyone who was still inside would probably not receive help in time. “There are so many people…” she murmured, stepping in closer to his embrace. There was no way everyone in the building had gotten out—she could tell just from the number milling around outside, not that she spent long looking.
Fang was thinking the same thing, and he actually did a more detailed assessment of the situation. It was troubling for several reasons, in no small part because this had all the marks of an Equalist attack, and he hadn’t known about it. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to be. Blowing up entire buildings just because some benders lived in them—killing people in general was generally left to individuals like him, and the targets always made more sense. Even he’d only really had to kill a very small number. Usually, intimidation or theft sufficed. Glancing over at Kiara, he knew he would never be able to tell her that it was likely because she lived there that the building had been targeted. He was going to have a discussion with Amon about this, though—never mind the fact that he himself might have died, but all these people…
Making up his mind, Fang stopped a nearby firefighter, speaking to the bender in low tones. The man looked hesitant for a moment, but finally nodded and doused the swordsman in water. Tearing off his other sleeve, he wrapped it around his nose and mouth as he’d done to Kiara with the other one. Though his bending could keep the air he breathed clean, he didn’t want to take chances if he had to use it for something else instead. Glancing over at the other three, he tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes landing last on Rika. It was to she that he spoke, though the words were directed at all of them.
“I’ll be back soon.” And then he turned and ran back into the building.
Rika's eyes softened when she assessed the situation. There was so much damage around, and the sirens of the firefighters approaching fast, was not the soothing lullaby she was hoping for. She watched as they set to work, trying to control the fire, and glared at the flames. There was no doubt in the back of her mind that this was not an accident. Though she didn't know exactly what the cause of it was either. It could have been a number of things ranging from something small as a leak and a careless Firebender, or something else. She didn't know, and a part of her didn't want to know. Her friends had been put in harm's way, and she didn't like that.
She was brought back from her stupor when Fang spoke, and she found her voice escaping her. She tried to reach out for him, to keep him from going, because she didn't know where he was going. When she realized what was going on, she released a soft sigh and shook her head. "Be careful, Fang," she called out after him. There wasn't much she could do; she was only an earthbender, and earthbending wouldn't help the firefighters any. If she knew how to sandbend, she could probably help douse the flames that way, but then again, she wasn't exactly trained to do something like that. She was better off trying to help direct people away from the fire, since some seemed lost.
Haki, however, sighed softly at Kiara's statement. There were a lot of people, but by the looks of it now, there were only a few people now. As cruel and selfish a thought as it may be, he was just glad that she was okay. No one else mattered, and his arms tightened a little more around her, keeping her as steady as he could. She was exhausted from the fumes, that much he could tell. If she didn't get looked after soon, she might suffer from the inhalation of the smoke. He glanced towards Rika, scooping Kiara up in his arms by placing one arm around her shoulders, and the other behind her knees.
"We are going to take care of you first while you're out. Fang and Rika can stay behind to help the others. You are no no position to help, and I know you want to, but," he began speaking. He knew she would want to stay and help, because that was the type of person she was. But doing so would only hinder herself and she would be no help to anyone then. "You need to be looked after first. They can handle it," he continued, offering her a reassuring smile, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her, or himself.
Kiara’s only answer was a small noise of protest before the toll of her nearly fifteen minutes in the smoke-filled building took a hold of her, and her eyes fell half-lidded and drowsy, her mind fuzzing over at the edges. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, and she leaned the side of her head against his shoulder. “Want to help…” she murmured, but she gave him a sleepy smile. “Not going… anywhere. Wouldn’t want to… leave you.” It was, in a way, an answer to his worry, as expressed earlier, but from the way her words were slurring, she probably wouldn’t remember saying it, later, and as things were, she slipped into unconsciousness thereafter, her body working to repair the damage that had been inflicted upon it.
Perhaps ten minutes later, Fang emerged a second time from the wreckage, covered in soot but otherwise seemingly fine, a small child over either shoulder and several older people following behind. He’d found everyone he could reach without risking collapsing sections of the building—the rest really would have to be the work of the experts. Airbending or not, he was starting to feel a bit lightheaded himself, and as soon as he’d passed the kids off to their frantic parents, he half-sat, half fell over in a crosslegged position, leaning his back up against a nearby market cart. Blinking over at Rika, he allowed a faint hint of his fatigue to enter his eyes only, before it disappeared entirely, ceding way to his usual impassivity.
“This was not what I expected when I woke up this morning,” he conceded with a touch of wryness. Perhaps it was a bit inappropriate for the situation, but he was not the type for lamentation. Not anymore, anyway.
"Don't worry, I won't let you go anywhere," Haki replied, the faint smile returning to his lips as he shook his head. She would be fine, for the most part. He would make sure of it. He glanced over towards Rika and gave her a nod of his head before taking Kiara away from the burning building. He would need to get her to the nearest healer just to take a look at her to make sure she would be. Rika and Fang would be able to find him when they came looking for their waterbender friend. Rika responded with a nod of her own as she continued to make sure people were going the right way. A few moments later, Fang resurfaced with a few people, and Rika breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was okay too. She, however, frowned at his statement, making her way so that she stood a few feet in front of him.
"Well, it's not everyday your apartment complex blows up," she replied, though the humor in the statement was dry. She sighed heavily, glancing towards the building, now being brought under control by the firefighters. She didn't believe anyone expected it, however; perhaps they did, in their own subtle ways. It could be the reason why they were still alive, though the others might not have been so fortunate. She shook the morbid thoughts from her head and glanced back at Fang. "I think we should go check on Kiara, and perhaps discuss a temporary living situation for you two," she stated. Their home was gone, and they would need a place to stay until they could accommodate themselves in a new home.
A few weeks passed since the explosion, and Rika managed to convince Kiara to stay with her, and Fang with Haki. She felt a little bad for Fang. She didn't believe anyone could live with the firebender, however; he would most likely not be around or was capable of handling his own. She could have housed both of them, but Haki was insistant on sharing his abode as well. She, of course, had immediately said no when he suggested Kiara stay with him, and for obvious reasons. Well, that and she didn't trust him, even after knowing him for so long. Perhaps that was why. She shifted in her spot, a tea pot in one hand, and a cup in the other.
She poured the tea slowly, watching as the steam rose from the cup and placed it down on the table. She needed to go to the market for a few groceries. She'd forgotten what it was like having more than just herself to feed, and though she was more than happy to have Kiara along, she needed to remind herself that she did have another person to feed. And two fire ferrets, who were currently missing. She shook her head faintly and smiled. Jiao and San were probably with Kiara, as they'd taken to curling around the girl when she was around, and hardly left her side. The soft mewling, however, caught her attention as Jiao appeared, swishing her tail slightly before climbing Rika's shoulder.
"Good morning to you too," she stated, scratching the fireferret's chin before making her way to the living room, blinking slightly as she spotted Kiara. "And good morning to you," she stated, handing the extra cup in her hand over to Kiara. She offered her friend a smile and sipped at her tea. "I need to go into town in a bit, do you want to come?" she asked, figuring she would invite Kiara along. If she agreed, they could probably do other tidbits of shopping. She knew she could use a new shirt, the one she was wearing was already sporting a hole in it.
Kiara grinned and accepted the tea gratefully. She’d been happy to pitch in for groceries where she could, but there was no mistaking that they ran out faster with the both of them eating most of their meals here. Thankfully, they could split cooking duties, so in a way, that made up for the inconvenience of it. Actually, it was really nice, living with another person again. Kiara could get by just fine on her own, but she did like being around other people in her daily life, especially those she’d come to trust, and Rika was certainly in that number. Sipping at the tea, she used her free hand to gently pet the fire ferret in her lap, who was currently snoozing quite comfortably there. She’d managed to retrieve her fish from the pond, and they currently occupied a small tank on the windowsill, swimming happily, or so it seemed, through their new environment.
Given that the fire had consumed most of what little she owned, she was in serious need of both clothes and other miscellaneous supplies. All she’d really managed to save besides the fish were a few vital keepsakes from childhood, her Midwinter gifts from the others, and a spare change of clothes, all of which had either been in her satchel already or were easily reached and shoved inside. The fire had claimed everything else, and replacements were in order. Thankfully, she had just enough money saved that she should be able to purchase replacements for everything if she was frugal about it.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” she replied brightly, her smile softening to something more moderate, but still cheerful. She was taking the loss of most of her worldly possessions quite well, really, especially once she’d found out that the majority of the apartment’s occupants, including her former landlord, had survived the incident, due to the efforts of the firefighters, along with a bit of help from Fang. Not everyone, but… most everyone, and that was something to be grateful for, she supposed. Not an hour after the whole thing had happened, a video had taken over all the public screens in the city, showing the masked figure of Amon, the enigmatic Equalist leader, and he’d claimed credit for the attack, asserting that it was a demonstration of power. Perhaps he’d succeeded; the Council was certainly paying much more attention to the Equalists now. On some level, Kiara even understood them—but there was no excusing the methods they were using to make themselves heard.
Shaking the thoughts off, she finished her tea and stood, placing San gently back on the sofa cushion and taking Rika’s empty cup as well, washing and drying both with a simple application of bending and then dusting her hands off on each other. “Well,” she offered brightly, “shall we?”
Rika smiled brightly, and finished off the rest of her tea. She pulled Jiao from her shoulder, much to the ferret's chagrin, and placed her next to San, watching as the two cuddled next to each other. She shook her head at the two before glancing back at Kiara. She was glad that the fire had not taken a heavy toll on her friend, something she suspected had actually taken a larger toll on everyone else. Even after the video from this Amon, she was a little angry about it. She knew about the Equalists, if only very vaguely, however; with the attack, she had tried to gather as much information as she could about them. All she was able to gather was that the Equalists were seeking equality amongst the world of benders.
It didn't make any sense to Rika, though. It wasn't as if all benders were trying to be tyrannical with their bending. Granted the Triad and other gangs didn't help the cause for benders, she still couldn't understand where they were coming from. Not everyone was born a bender, but wasn't that a good thing? She often wondered what it would be like if she couldn't earthbend, but the thought itself almost frightened her. It wasn't that she was afraid of not being able to bend, but more-so the fear of not being able to help because she couldn't bend. Suddenly, some of it made a little sense to her.
That still did not excuse the Equalists for going about it the way they did. She was brought out of her thoughts when Kiara returned and spoke to her. "Whenever you are!" she replied back, grabbing her bag and keys. She made her way out the door, and locked it behind her once Kiara was out. Shuffling her bag over her shoulder, she locked her arm with Kiara's and grinned. "Let's go see what we can find!" she stated, dragging Kiara a long as they headed towards the market. She stopped here and there to glance at the different objects each store had, and only stopped when something caught her attention. She did not purchase anything, even though there were a few items she saw that she wanted.
Kiara perused the market stalls with purpose. Thankfully, her upbringing had taught her a little about bartering and how to work a market, and though she got by more on her smiles and general pleasantness more than a sharklike instinct for bargaining like her mother had, she could still get things for a fair price, and that was the important part. For the most part, she kept her purchases basic, sticking to the more utilitarian, practical clothing that made sense in the hotter weather of Republic City. Well, hot by her standards, anyhow. She’d been very uncomfortable with the amount of bare skin most of the people in the place seemed comfortable with showing when she first arrived, but she’d more or less gotten used to it now, though she still preferred modesty where possible. It was just… ingrained in her.
Once the boring purchases were made, though, she found herself inside a tailor shop, fingering a green silk dress with gold embroidery. She hadn’t thought of herself when she saw it, but rather her friend. Her best friend, in all honesty. Smiling slightly to herself, she turned and waved Rika over, smiling a bit slyly. “What do you think, Rika? I think it’d be perfect on you, really.” The garment was a cheongsam in traditional Earth Kingdom style, but the leg slit was a little on the daring side, and the gold embroidery was patterned after a beautiful bird, wings outstretched over the fabric and glinting in the light as the fabric moved.
“You want to try it on?”
Rika blinked at the dress, tilting her head slightly as she inspected it. The material seemed beautiful, and the way the gold glimmered against the green, almost gave her a feeling of being homesick. It had been a while since she last heard from her family, and she was contemplating whether or not she should go visit them. She had decided against it due to the fact that she was part of the probending games, but now... she could probably spare them a visit. She shook her head, a smile spreading across her lips as she pulled the dress from its spot. She couldn't say no, even if she really didn't want to, and glanced around.
"If I have to try this one on, you have to," she began, rummaging through the dresses until she found one. "Try this one on," she stated, shoving the dress in Kiara's direction. The color itself was red, perhaps a little too red, but it would help contrast against Kiara's hair and highlight the russet in her hair. Plus, it looked like it would bring out the color of Kiara's eyes a little more. She snickered to herself, though, when she realized just who the red reminded her of and shook her head. Like the dress she held in her hands, the red one sported gold embroidery. The stitching on the back was of a dragon, cascading downwards with the mouth open where the leg split.
"I'm not going to be the only one trying on clothes," she continued, smirking at her friend as she disappeared to try the dress on.
Kiara looked down at the dress in her hands, smiling faintly and shaking her head to herself. But turnabout was fair play, and she would certainly try the thing on, as payment for Rika doing the same. Inside the little booth set up for trying on such garments, the dress slid over her like a second skin, and as she surveyed the result in the mirror, she wondered what her parents would think if they could see her now. Her mother would probably make a disparaging remark about resembling a fire Nation hussy or something, but then her mother tended to think that people going around with their arms uncovered was indecent, so really her opinion was hard to trust. Her dad would probably just shake his head and she could picture her older brother’s supportive thumbs-up as if he were right in front of her.
Because it really did look nice, she supposed. Definitely less modest than she was used to, but she felt strangely… powerful in it. Maybe it was the red. Red was a strong color, really, and it lay nicely against the tone of her skin, she thought. It seemed about as logical as any other thought, but really she didn’t know why she was considering it at all—it wasn’t like she could afford two garments of such quality, and she was pretty set on buying Rika one of the things in this store, because she wanted to thank her for just letting Kiara move in while the apartment complex was rebuilt or until she could find a new one, whichever came first… and within her budget.
She knocked politely on the door of the dressing room next to her before barging in anyway, shutting the door behind her and leaning back against it. “Oh…” she breathed in some surprise, “that looks amazing on you, Rika!” It wasn’t that she was surprised that her friend looked absolutely lovely in the thing, just that she hadn’t exactly expected such a fancy thing to suit her practical teammate so well. But it really, really did. Rika made the dress look better, and that was really saying something. Mentally, Kiara calculated how far she’d have to talk down the store owner to purchase the thing within her budget. She could definitely make it work.
Rika stared at herself in the reflection. It was a little odd, and a little unnerving, to say the least, the way the dress fitted. It was form-fitting, and felt like a glove. It was nice, and she had to admit, if she were ever one to wear dresses, this would probably be her first one. She contemplated whether or not if she should actually purchase it. She did have a little money to spare on something, however; she wanted to purchase something for her friend too. She wanted to help Kiara with whatever she needed since she still had her job at the tea shop. She had a little more income than Kiara, and where she could spare it, she wanted to do so for her friend.
She let out a startled yelp when the door to her dressing room opened, and her face turned a light shade of pink, however; it receeded when she realized it was Kiara. She pursed her lips together and blinked when Kiara spoke. Her face turned another shade of pink at her statement, further causing her lips to purse together in an embarrassed pout. She didn't receive compliments very often, and she never really considered herself even remotely pretty, but she shoved the thoughts from her mind. Instead, she focused on the dress Kiara was wearing, and the blush faded from her face, only to have a faint smirk pull at her lips.
"You're one to talk, look at you," she replied, circling her friend like a hawk circles its prey. "It looks really lovely on you, Kiara, you should get it! Then you and I can go winebending again," she stated, though she was joking about the last part. She had no intentions of ever getting that drunk again. She could barely remember what happened that night, and she was sure she and Kiara did something embarrassing, though she tried asking Haki about it. He never told her, only that it was adorable.
It was Kiara’s turn to pout then, and she sniffed as if offended, though she assuredly was not. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?” she asked with a mock sigh, but nevertheless smiling at the compliment. It would seem they both had good eyes for this sort of thing—when it came not to themselves, but each other. “But you know… I’m totally buying you that dress. You deserve it, for letting me crash on your couch for the foreseeable future.” Before any protest could be leveled, Kiara had waltzed out of the room and found the store owner, proceeding to do just that, and then head back into her changing room.
When she reemerged, it was only to discover that Rika had bought her dress as well, and she could only grin so hard she felt her face might crack. It really was nice, having a friend like this.
She poured the tea slowly, watching as the steam rose from the cup and placed it down on the table. She needed to go to the market for a few groceries. She'd forgotten what it was like having more than just herself to feed, and though she was more than happy to have Kiara along, she needed to remind herself that she did have another person to feed. And two fire ferrets, who were currently missing. She shook her head faintly and smiled. Jiao and San were probably with Kiara, as they'd taken to curling around the girl when she was around, and hardly left her side. The soft mewling, however, caught her attention as Jiao appeared, swishing her tail slightly before climbing Rika's shoulder.
"Good morning to you too," she stated, scratching the fireferret's chin before making her way to the living room, blinking slightly as she spotted Kiara. "And good morning to you," she stated, handing the extra cup in her hand over to Kiara. She offered her friend a smile and sipped at her tea. "I need to go into town in a bit, do you want to come?" she asked, figuring she would invite Kiara along. If she agreed, they could probably do other tidbits of shopping. She knew she could use a new shirt, the one she was wearing was already sporting a hole in it.
Kiara grinned and accepted the tea gratefully. She’d been happy to pitch in for groceries where she could, but there was no mistaking that they ran out faster with the both of them eating most of their meals here. Thankfully, they could split cooking duties, so in a way, that made up for the inconvenience of it. Actually, it was really nice, living with another person again. Kiara could get by just fine on her own, but she did like being around other people in her daily life, especially those she’d come to trust, and Rika was certainly in that number. Sipping at the tea, she used her free hand to gently pet the fire ferret in her lap, who was currently snoozing quite comfortably there. She’d managed to retrieve her fish from the pond, and they currently occupied a small tank on the windowsill, swimming happily, or so it seemed, through their new environment.
Given that the fire had consumed most of what little she owned, she was in serious need of both clothes and other miscellaneous supplies. All she’d really managed to save besides the fish were a few vital keepsakes from childhood, her Midwinter gifts from the others, and a spare change of clothes, all of which had either been in her satchel already or were easily reached and shoved inside. The fire had claimed everything else, and replacements were in order. Thankfully, she had just enough money saved that she should be able to purchase replacements for everything if she was frugal about it.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” she replied brightly, her smile softening to something more moderate, but still cheerful. She was taking the loss of most of her worldly possessions quite well, really, especially once she’d found out that the majority of the apartment’s occupants, including her former landlord, had survived the incident, due to the efforts of the firefighters, along with a bit of help from Fang. Not everyone, but… most everyone, and that was something to be grateful for, she supposed. Not an hour after the whole thing had happened, a video had taken over all the public screens in the city, showing the masked figure of Amon, the enigmatic Equalist leader, and he’d claimed credit for the attack, asserting that it was a demonstration of power. Perhaps he’d succeeded; the Council was certainly paying much more attention to the Equalists now. On some level, Kiara even understood them—but there was no excusing the methods they were using to make themselves heard.
Shaking the thoughts off, she finished her tea and stood, placing San gently back on the sofa cushion and taking Rika’s empty cup as well, washing and drying both with a simple application of bending and then dusting her hands off on each other. “Well,” she offered brightly, “shall we?”
Rika smiled brightly, and finished off the rest of her tea. She pulled Jiao from her shoulder, much to the ferret's chagrin, and placed her next to San, watching as the two cuddled next to each other. She shook her head at the two before glancing back at Kiara. She was glad that the fire had not taken a heavy toll on her friend, something she suspected had actually taken a larger toll on everyone else. Even after the video from this Amon, she was a little angry about it. She knew about the Equalists, if only very vaguely, however; with the attack, she had tried to gather as much information as she could about them. All she was able to gather was that the Equalists were seeking equality amongst the world of benders.
It didn't make any sense to Rika, though. It wasn't as if all benders were trying to be tyrannical with their bending. Granted the Triad and other gangs didn't help the cause for benders, she still couldn't understand where they were coming from. Not everyone was born a bender, but wasn't that a good thing? She often wondered what it would be like if she couldn't earthbend, but the thought itself almost frightened her. It wasn't that she was afraid of not being able to bend, but more-so the fear of not being able to help because she couldn't bend. Suddenly, some of it made a little sense to her.
That still did not excuse the Equalists for going about it the way they did. She was brought out of her thoughts when Kiara returned and spoke to her. "Whenever you are!" she replied back, grabbing her bag and keys. She made her way out the door, and locked it behind her once Kiara was out. Shuffling her bag over her shoulder, she locked her arm with Kiara's and grinned. "Let's go see what we can find!" she stated, dragging Kiara a long as they headed towards the market. She stopped here and there to glance at the different objects each store had, and only stopped when something caught her attention. She did not purchase anything, even though there were a few items she saw that she wanted.
Kiara perused the market stalls with purpose. Thankfully, her upbringing had taught her a little about bartering and how to work a market, and though she got by more on her smiles and general pleasantness more than a sharklike instinct for bargaining like her mother had, she could still get things for a fair price, and that was the important part. For the most part, she kept her purchases basic, sticking to the more utilitarian, practical clothing that made sense in the hotter weather of Republic City. Well, hot by her standards, anyhow. She’d been very uncomfortable with the amount of bare skin most of the people in the place seemed comfortable with showing when she first arrived, but she’d more or less gotten used to it now, though she still preferred modesty where possible. It was just… ingrained in her.
Once the boring purchases were made, though, she found herself inside a tailor shop, fingering a green silk dress with gold embroidery. She hadn’t thought of herself when she saw it, but rather her friend. Her best friend, in all honesty. Smiling slightly to herself, she turned and waved Rika over, smiling a bit slyly. “What do you think, Rika? I think it’d be perfect on you, really.” The garment was a cheongsam in traditional Earth Kingdom style, but the leg slit was a little on the daring side, and the gold embroidery was patterned after a beautiful bird, wings outstretched over the fabric and glinting in the light as the fabric moved.
“You want to try it on?”
Rika blinked at the dress, tilting her head slightly as she inspected it. The material seemed beautiful, and the way the gold glimmered against the green, almost gave her a feeling of being homesick. It had been a while since she last heard from her family, and she was contemplating whether or not she should go visit them. She had decided against it due to the fact that she was part of the probending games, but now... she could probably spare them a visit. She shook her head, a smile spreading across her lips as she pulled the dress from its spot. She couldn't say no, even if she really didn't want to, and glanced around.
"If I have to try this one on, you have to," she began, rummaging through the dresses until she found one. "Try this one on," she stated, shoving the dress in Kiara's direction. The color itself was red, perhaps a little too red, but it would help contrast against Kiara's hair and highlight the russet in her hair. Plus, it looked like it would bring out the color of Kiara's eyes a little more. She snickered to herself, though, when she realized just who the red reminded her of and shook her head. Like the dress she held in her hands, the red one sported gold embroidery. The stitching on the back was of a dragon, cascading downwards with the mouth open where the leg split.
"I'm not going to be the only one trying on clothes," she continued, smirking at her friend as she disappeared to try the dress on.
Kiara looked down at the dress in her hands, smiling faintly and shaking her head to herself. But turnabout was fair play, and she would certainly try the thing on, as payment for Rika doing the same. Inside the little booth set up for trying on such garments, the dress slid over her like a second skin, and as she surveyed the result in the mirror, she wondered what her parents would think if they could see her now. Her mother would probably make a disparaging remark about resembling a fire Nation hussy or something, but then her mother tended to think that people going around with their arms uncovered was indecent, so really her opinion was hard to trust. Her dad would probably just shake his head and she could picture her older brother’s supportive thumbs-up as if he were right in front of her.
Because it really did look nice, she supposed. Definitely less modest than she was used to, but she felt strangely… powerful in it. Maybe it was the red. Red was a strong color, really, and it lay nicely against the tone of her skin, she thought. It seemed about as logical as any other thought, but really she didn’t know why she was considering it at all—it wasn’t like she could afford two garments of such quality, and she was pretty set on buying Rika one of the things in this store, because she wanted to thank her for just letting Kiara move in while the apartment complex was rebuilt or until she could find a new one, whichever came first… and within her budget.
She knocked politely on the door of the dressing room next to her before barging in anyway, shutting the door behind her and leaning back against it. “Oh…” she breathed in some surprise, “that looks amazing on you, Rika!” It wasn’t that she was surprised that her friend looked absolutely lovely in the thing, just that she hadn’t exactly expected such a fancy thing to suit her practical teammate so well. But it really, really did. Rika made the dress look better, and that was really saying something. Mentally, Kiara calculated how far she’d have to talk down the store owner to purchase the thing within her budget. She could definitely make it work.
Rika stared at herself in the reflection. It was a little odd, and a little unnerving, to say the least, the way the dress fitted. It was form-fitting, and felt like a glove. It was nice, and she had to admit, if she were ever one to wear dresses, this would probably be her first one. She contemplated whether or not if she should actually purchase it. She did have a little money to spare on something, however; she wanted to purchase something for her friend too. She wanted to help Kiara with whatever she needed since she still had her job at the tea shop. She had a little more income than Kiara, and where she could spare it, she wanted to do so for her friend.
She let out a startled yelp when the door to her dressing room opened, and her face turned a light shade of pink, however; it receeded when she realized it was Kiara. She pursed her lips together and blinked when Kiara spoke. Her face turned another shade of pink at her statement, further causing her lips to purse together in an embarrassed pout. She didn't receive compliments very often, and she never really considered herself even remotely pretty, but she shoved the thoughts from her mind. Instead, she focused on the dress Kiara was wearing, and the blush faded from her face, only to have a faint smirk pull at her lips.
"You're one to talk, look at you," she replied, circling her friend like a hawk circles its prey. "It looks really lovely on you, Kiara, you should get it! Then you and I can go winebending again," she stated, though she was joking about the last part. She had no intentions of ever getting that drunk again. She could barely remember what happened that night, and she was sure she and Kiara did something embarrassing, though she tried asking Haki about it. He never told her, only that it was adorable.
It was Kiara’s turn to pout then, and she sniffed as if offended, though she assuredly was not. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?” she asked with a mock sigh, but nevertheless smiling at the compliment. It would seem they both had good eyes for this sort of thing—when it came not to themselves, but each other. “But you know… I’m totally buying you that dress. You deserve it, for letting me crash on your couch for the foreseeable future.” Before any protest could be leveled, Kiara had waltzed out of the room and found the store owner, proceeding to do just that, and then head back into her changing room.
When she reemerged, it was only to discover that Rika had bought her dress as well, and she could only grin so hard she felt her face might crack. It really was nice, having a friend like this.
Haki sighed, shifting in his spot as he stared outside his window. He hadn't seen Lotus or Turtle-Duck in the last few days, and he missed them. That, and he needed entertainment somehow. Fang, he'd learned, was rather straight-faced and hardly moved a muscle in his face. He was also hardly around, but not that he said anything about it. His home was open to the man in anyway possible. It was a little... odd to Haki, having another person in his home. He'd always been an only child, and having the home to himself had been something he was accustomed to. It was a little unnerving at first, but he supposed he'd settle into it. And he did, albeit slowly. He was still unused to someone opening his door without knocking. He'd given Fang a spare key to the place. Shaking his head, he placed the tea cup down and released a slow breath.
"Rika makes better tea than I do," he commented truthfully to himself. It was the only reason, really, he'd met her in the first place. He had stumbled upon the, then small, tea shop. He almost passed it up, deciding it was a little bland for him, however; he was glad that he didn't. If it wasn't for that, he would have never met Kiara, or Fang. Perhaps he would have met them eventually, but not in the way he knew them now. Funny how fate worked like that. "Maybe I should go get some more tea leaves," he stated to himself. He was running a little low, and the leaves he usually got weren't the best quality. Not that he needed high quality leaves, maybe that would be the difference. Standing from the seat, he walked from his patio back inside of his apartment home, making his way towards the living room.
He blinked surprised when he spotted Fang. "I... was not expecting you to be here so soon," he stated a little hesitantly. He raised a curious brow before allowing it to settle down. "I am not sure if it suits you, but I am heading into town," he continued, pausing momentarily to let out a yawn. "Tea leaves need a little replenishing," he explained, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the empty jars. Usually they were all filled, but as of late, he'd been neglecting them. Probending and harassing his teammates was taking up a lot of his time.
Fang cracked an eyelid to regard his temporary roommate with a catlike eye. He’d had both of them closed, sitting upright on the floor, in a meditative posture. His inquiries into the matter of the exploding apartment building had not yielded promising results thus far, and so he had intended to rest this afternoon before he paid a visit to Amon that night. One way or another, he would have his answers. He would know why his friend, not to mention himself and a number of very innocent people, had been put at risk for the simple purpose of making a point. But that was tonight, and this was now.
The second eye followed the first, and he blinked both at Haki. Truthfully, they had not interacted much since Fang had moved in, largely because he went out a lot, and sometimes slept during the morning to make up for the fact that he worked at night. He didn’t mind living with another person, but he was not as sociable as he once had been, before her. He’d been many things then that he was not now—like innocent, in a way. Of course, relatives of royalty were never really allowed to be children, but he hadn’t been a killer, back then. She’d changed so many things about him, and he’d let her. He still paid the price for that. Perhaps, though, it would not be so bad to make an effort at having ordinary relationships again. At least… as far as he could, being what he was.
“I used to grow the leaves,” he admitted, glancing askance at the empty jars through the doorway and flowing into a standing motion. He was back to wearing sleeves, of course, the majority of his clothing very loose. His hair was tied high on his head. He shook it slightly, and the earrings chimed softly. “The plants burned with the building, unfortunately.” It was his way of saying he would go, though not in the exact words. Still, he expected that Haki would understand, and it seemed he did, because the two of them were on their way out the door not five minutes later.
The marketplace was bustling, and the gossip on everyone’s lips was not hard to predict: it was all about the Equalist attack, Amon’s video, and the kidnappings of more benders. Fang knew firsthand that they were mostly taking Triad members now, something he didn’t feel all that guilty about, considering the things the bending gangs had done to the city. That kind of vigilante work was why he’d been drawn into the Equalist movement in the first place: it was a way to stop all the crime and innocent death without killing anyone. What wasn’t to like about that? But the movement had become so much more than that, and he no longer recognized it from the time it had been a few of his friends and a few more, working under cover of the dark to halt corruption in the most harmless way possible. Some of them had even known what he was, who he was, and they’d believed in him anyway. Now… he dare not tell anyone.
There were a few Equalists on boxes along the market rows also, proclaiming the virtues of Amon and talking about the corruption of the Council and the injustice that came of allowing benders to rule everything. Listening to the words, he wondered where that sense of justice had gone. This wasn’t the same, not by a long shot. The cause had never been about the people before; the leaders had needed no recognition. They’d just done the work, and let everyone else think what they would. His eyes fixed on one of the speakers for a long moment, then she sighed slightly, ducking his head and continuing onwards. The nearest tea vender was down a few more blocks.
The walk was relatively quiet between the two of them. Haki did not find a reason to disturb that, and remained as quiet as he could be without it seeming too unlike him. Instead, he let his mind wander to the conversations that were circulating through the market, and it seemd to be all of the same thing. Amon, Equalists, benders, non-bender rights, and the like. It caused a frown to appear on his face as he kept walking. He could not understand, not even an ounce, why someone would do such a thing. He could understand the segregation they felt, however; it did not justify their actions. It was one thing to feel inferior, but it was another to take life because of that inferiority. Were he a non-bender, perhaps he might have had more sympathy for their cause, but even as a bender, he could not.
No one was perfect, and everyone had a corruption in them. The council members were no different. He would agree with them there. But, they weren't perfect either. Power had a tendency to obscure people's views, and even those in charge of the Equalists would fall to that addiction. Once they've had a taste, they will always want more. And the more could never be fully satisfied. Shaking his thoughts free, his ears caught the voice of one of the speakers, and his frown only deepened. When she no longer spoke, he continued walking, the silence between him and Fang feeling suddenly, uncomfortable. And he was always about comfort.
"Do you think their cause is just?" he suddenly found himself asking. He had never seen Fang bend, and could only assume the male was a non-bender. He didn't know what he was capable of, and perhaps, if he wanted to better understand the Equalist, it was best to ask the question of a non-bender. "I've never seen you bend," he stated, trying to explain himself without giving a winded speech. Plus, he didn't want to offend the man, if there was any to be had.
Fang glanced at the other man from the corner of his eye. He’d been expecting the question, eventually. As far as his friends knew, he couldn’t bend at all, and that as quite intentional on his part. He liked them, but he found it very difficult to trust anyone, after what had happened the last time he had. So he had no intention of revealing his secret, and perhaps he never would again, as long as he lived. It was a bit of a lonely thought, but he’d been lonely for a long time, now, even before he’d lost her. He still took a moment to consider his answer, because it was complex, and, in the end, something he had mixed feelings about, even now. On the one hand, he was an Equalist, and without arrogance he could say that he was one of the most valuable people they had. But… he hadn’t really believed in them in a very long time. All that bound him to them was his word and a love that left a cold feeling in his chest.
“I believe that whether people bend or do not bend has no effect on their worth as human beings,” he said at last, softly. “I believe that the ability to bend can be dangerous and cause harm to people. But I also believe that the ability to use a sword can be the same. I know that benders are much more often in positions of power than those who can’t, and I know that systems of government are inherently biased towards those who have that power, over those that do not.” He paused slightly. “But I do not believe that the answer to any of these problems is to kill the innocent. I believe that ultimately, the Equalists will defeat themselves, because they will at last do something that even those who think they agree with the cause will not be able to abide by. I hope they are stopped before then, but I doubt they will be.”
He knew they wouldn’t be. They were too well-hidden, and the Council still refused to treat the matter with the seriousness it demanded.
Haki listened for the moment, lending his ears to Fang as he spoke his answer. In some ways, he could agree with Fang. Being able to bend or not did not mandate a certain life upon people. It only meant that those who were born as benders would be a little more privileged than those who were not. He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "Perhaps, perhaps not," was his simple reply. There was a chance that the Equalists could be stopped, but then again, there was also a chance that they would not. He was not going to bite his tongue and just roll over about it though. They had attacked his friends, and he wasn't going to forgive them for that. Bender or not, it was not something Haki liked to think about.
His friends were in danger, and the thing that had frightened him the most, besides the fact that he almost lost her, was the fact that he couldn't have done anything about it. He had never felt so terrified before as he did that moment. He shook his head faintly, letting his thoughts disappear. "I guess, we'll know when the time comes," he continued before falling silent. He took a soft breath, allowing the air to fill his lungs and gently sooth his inner fire. It was a soothing motion, and it managed to clear his mind of the rest of his thoughts. They did not need to be there to begin with, anyway.
"So, tell me, what's your favorite tea?" he decided to change the subject. Talking about events that came to past were not worthwhile, but tea apparently seemed like a really good topic.
"Rika makes better tea than I do," he commented truthfully to himself. It was the only reason, really, he'd met her in the first place. He had stumbled upon the, then small, tea shop. He almost passed it up, deciding it was a little bland for him, however; he was glad that he didn't. If it wasn't for that, he would have never met Kiara, or Fang. Perhaps he would have met them eventually, but not in the way he knew them now. Funny how fate worked like that. "Maybe I should go get some more tea leaves," he stated to himself. He was running a little low, and the leaves he usually got weren't the best quality. Not that he needed high quality leaves, maybe that would be the difference. Standing from the seat, he walked from his patio back inside of his apartment home, making his way towards the living room.
He blinked surprised when he spotted Fang. "I... was not expecting you to be here so soon," he stated a little hesitantly. He raised a curious brow before allowing it to settle down. "I am not sure if it suits you, but I am heading into town," he continued, pausing momentarily to let out a yawn. "Tea leaves need a little replenishing," he explained, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the empty jars. Usually they were all filled, but as of late, he'd been neglecting them. Probending and harassing his teammates was taking up a lot of his time.
Fang cracked an eyelid to regard his temporary roommate with a catlike eye. He’d had both of them closed, sitting upright on the floor, in a meditative posture. His inquiries into the matter of the exploding apartment building had not yielded promising results thus far, and so he had intended to rest this afternoon before he paid a visit to Amon that night. One way or another, he would have his answers. He would know why his friend, not to mention himself and a number of very innocent people, had been put at risk for the simple purpose of making a point. But that was tonight, and this was now.
The second eye followed the first, and he blinked both at Haki. Truthfully, they had not interacted much since Fang had moved in, largely because he went out a lot, and sometimes slept during the morning to make up for the fact that he worked at night. He didn’t mind living with another person, but he was not as sociable as he once had been, before her. He’d been many things then that he was not now—like innocent, in a way. Of course, relatives of royalty were never really allowed to be children, but he hadn’t been a killer, back then. She’d changed so many things about him, and he’d let her. He still paid the price for that. Perhaps, though, it would not be so bad to make an effort at having ordinary relationships again. At least… as far as he could, being what he was.
“I used to grow the leaves,” he admitted, glancing askance at the empty jars through the doorway and flowing into a standing motion. He was back to wearing sleeves, of course, the majority of his clothing very loose. His hair was tied high on his head. He shook it slightly, and the earrings chimed softly. “The plants burned with the building, unfortunately.” It was his way of saying he would go, though not in the exact words. Still, he expected that Haki would understand, and it seemed he did, because the two of them were on their way out the door not five minutes later.
The marketplace was bustling, and the gossip on everyone’s lips was not hard to predict: it was all about the Equalist attack, Amon’s video, and the kidnappings of more benders. Fang knew firsthand that they were mostly taking Triad members now, something he didn’t feel all that guilty about, considering the things the bending gangs had done to the city. That kind of vigilante work was why he’d been drawn into the Equalist movement in the first place: it was a way to stop all the crime and innocent death without killing anyone. What wasn’t to like about that? But the movement had become so much more than that, and he no longer recognized it from the time it had been a few of his friends and a few more, working under cover of the dark to halt corruption in the most harmless way possible. Some of them had even known what he was, who he was, and they’d believed in him anyway. Now… he dare not tell anyone.
There were a few Equalists on boxes along the market rows also, proclaiming the virtues of Amon and talking about the corruption of the Council and the injustice that came of allowing benders to rule everything. Listening to the words, he wondered where that sense of justice had gone. This wasn’t the same, not by a long shot. The cause had never been about the people before; the leaders had needed no recognition. They’d just done the work, and let everyone else think what they would. His eyes fixed on one of the speakers for a long moment, then she sighed slightly, ducking his head and continuing onwards. The nearest tea vender was down a few more blocks.
The walk was relatively quiet between the two of them. Haki did not find a reason to disturb that, and remained as quiet as he could be without it seeming too unlike him. Instead, he let his mind wander to the conversations that were circulating through the market, and it seemd to be all of the same thing. Amon, Equalists, benders, non-bender rights, and the like. It caused a frown to appear on his face as he kept walking. He could not understand, not even an ounce, why someone would do such a thing. He could understand the segregation they felt, however; it did not justify their actions. It was one thing to feel inferior, but it was another to take life because of that inferiority. Were he a non-bender, perhaps he might have had more sympathy for their cause, but even as a bender, he could not.
No one was perfect, and everyone had a corruption in them. The council members were no different. He would agree with them there. But, they weren't perfect either. Power had a tendency to obscure people's views, and even those in charge of the Equalists would fall to that addiction. Once they've had a taste, they will always want more. And the more could never be fully satisfied. Shaking his thoughts free, his ears caught the voice of one of the speakers, and his frown only deepened. When she no longer spoke, he continued walking, the silence between him and Fang feeling suddenly, uncomfortable. And he was always about comfort.
"Do you think their cause is just?" he suddenly found himself asking. He had never seen Fang bend, and could only assume the male was a non-bender. He didn't know what he was capable of, and perhaps, if he wanted to better understand the Equalist, it was best to ask the question of a non-bender. "I've never seen you bend," he stated, trying to explain himself without giving a winded speech. Plus, he didn't want to offend the man, if there was any to be had.
Fang glanced at the other man from the corner of his eye. He’d been expecting the question, eventually. As far as his friends knew, he couldn’t bend at all, and that as quite intentional on his part. He liked them, but he found it very difficult to trust anyone, after what had happened the last time he had. So he had no intention of revealing his secret, and perhaps he never would again, as long as he lived. It was a bit of a lonely thought, but he’d been lonely for a long time, now, even before he’d lost her. He still took a moment to consider his answer, because it was complex, and, in the end, something he had mixed feelings about, even now. On the one hand, he was an Equalist, and without arrogance he could say that he was one of the most valuable people they had. But… he hadn’t really believed in them in a very long time. All that bound him to them was his word and a love that left a cold feeling in his chest.
“I believe that whether people bend or do not bend has no effect on their worth as human beings,” he said at last, softly. “I believe that the ability to bend can be dangerous and cause harm to people. But I also believe that the ability to use a sword can be the same. I know that benders are much more often in positions of power than those who can’t, and I know that systems of government are inherently biased towards those who have that power, over those that do not.” He paused slightly. “But I do not believe that the answer to any of these problems is to kill the innocent. I believe that ultimately, the Equalists will defeat themselves, because they will at last do something that even those who think they agree with the cause will not be able to abide by. I hope they are stopped before then, but I doubt they will be.”
He knew they wouldn’t be. They were too well-hidden, and the Council still refused to treat the matter with the seriousness it demanded.
Haki listened for the moment, lending his ears to Fang as he spoke his answer. In some ways, he could agree with Fang. Being able to bend or not did not mandate a certain life upon people. It only meant that those who were born as benders would be a little more privileged than those who were not. He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "Perhaps, perhaps not," was his simple reply. There was a chance that the Equalists could be stopped, but then again, there was also a chance that they would not. He was not going to bite his tongue and just roll over about it though. They had attacked his friends, and he wasn't going to forgive them for that. Bender or not, it was not something Haki liked to think about.
His friends were in danger, and the thing that had frightened him the most, besides the fact that he almost lost her, was the fact that he couldn't have done anything about it. He had never felt so terrified before as he did that moment. He shook his head faintly, letting his thoughts disappear. "I guess, we'll know when the time comes," he continued before falling silent. He took a soft breath, allowing the air to fill his lungs and gently sooth his inner fire. It was a soothing motion, and it managed to clear his mind of the rest of his thoughts. They did not need to be there to begin with, anyway.
"So, tell me, what's your favorite tea?" he decided to change the subject. Talking about events that came to past were not worthwhile, but tea apparently seemed like a really good topic.
Amon rolled his shoulders, flexing his fingers to circulate the blood once more to his fingers. Funny, how what he was before slid so easily into this persona, this name, this identity. Whatever he had been before was irrelevant as soon as the suit was donned, the mask pulled down over a face with heavily-weighted eyes. Whatever, whomever, was underneath was only Amon in these moments, and Amon was only the Equalists given form, a voice for everyone too afraid of their oppressors to speak. Amon wasn’t even really a person, just a symbol, and many managed to forget that underneath him, there was a human being, flesh and blood like the rest. He wanted them to forget. Sometimes, he supposed he wanted to forget it himself.
But some people, he supposed, never quite managed to be as he wanted them to. Some people would inevitably remember. It was imperative to keep those people the closest of all, under his watch and his scrutiny, their leashes short so that they could be controlled, rendered predictable by proximity. It was a strategy that he employed with all of his most trusted lieutenants, because Amon trusted no one in truth. The job he did was a delicate thing, and the angles had to be played perfectly, the factors weighed and balanced and kept in their neat little lines, else the whole thing could tip over. Blow away, like a house of cards. In the wind.
The common person looked at a revolution and saw chaos. Amon saw an order so strictly enforced it only looked like chaos. There were few threats to it now—things had been put in motion, money had changed hands, the population had been incited, and with the destruction of that building, the first domino in his line had been toppled, crashing into the next one with an execution so perfect it was almost poetry. Everything would be as he had designed it to be—as long as he continued to play things properly.
The whisper of sound that met his ears then was no doubt a courtesy. He knew that his Phantom, his Ghost, was perfectly capable of moving without even that much. The rain that pattered on his window could have been the only thing he heard before the assassin’s knife was drawn cleanly over his throat, but he knew such a thing would never happen. Because the most entopic factor in his whole operation, the one that appeared to be the wildest, least predictable, the gale in the china shop, was in fact the most tightly-leashed of them all, bound here and to servitude by his own words and a stubborn sense of duty and persistent love that would destroy him before it let him go.
Just as Amon would.
“It is awfully late for a visit, Ghost,” he said, his voice obscured as always by the mask and a small device in it, appearing to give him a distorted tonality, but also one that would magnify with just a small adjustment. Amon never had to yell, but he was always heard.
The man in question was at present clothed all in black, only his eyes, that dreadful chilled gold that they were, visible from the zukin over his head. Well, that and the long tail that trailed from the nape of his neck. His swords lay crossed over his back, his arms likewise arranged over the breadth of his chest. It was not so different from the way he usually looked, but Amon could sense the subtle differences. Amon knew how to read this man like nobody else did—it was a vital skill to have, after all, especially when it came to people like him, who gave nothing away on their own.
”The explosion.” With two words, he somehow managed to convey a question, a conclusion, and a judgement, and Amon frowned under the mask. What right did this one have to judge anything? What right did his tools have to question him. What right, some part of him asked, did those cold eyes have to look at him and pierce so? What he had done was excusable, necessary in the service of the common good. Death was a needed cost of freedom. Amon didn’t make the rules—he just played the game better than anyone else.
“A needed punctuation mark. The Council must not be able to ignore us. And when their retaliation is no doubt poorly-calculated, it will be obvious to everyone in the city how little their government cares for those of them who cannot bend the elements to their will.” This was basic, really. Amon would dangle the bait, the foolish members of the Council would seize what they saw as an opportunity to end the threat he presented, regardless of what it cost them in lives. Lives would be lost, the bait revealed as fake, and the Council left destabilized. Child’s play, when one’s opponents were too used to winning, to crushing all resistance with their element-encased fists. As though that power would solve their every problem.
The golden eyes narrowed, and Amon sighed, adopting the tone one uses when trying to speak to a child, though it was only slightly conveyed through the technological obscurity. “You have not argued before. How many lives have you taken in my service, Fang?” He sat back slightly in his desk chair, watching the fractional widening of the eyes that indicated the point had been unexpected. Likely, Fang had already had this argument with himself dozens of times—he was prone to that kind of second-guessing. It was why he needed to be nudged back onto the right path occasionally.
Amon was surprised when he actually answered. “Seven. I have assassinated seven people for the Equalists.” The tone was as deadpan as ever, but Amon did not miss the incredibly subtle emphasis on the difference in their terms. Foolish boy. Dear, foolish child. Everything he did was for Amon; he simply did not know it yet. Amon had been watching him, knew of his association with a team of Probenders, knew perhaps more than he did of the way he looked at them and saw something different than he had come to believe possible. Amon knew even if the Ghost did not that he looked to them for solace, for the companionship that he had missed, for something new to love.
And he was having none of that.
His old love, his promises, bound him to this cause, this moment, Amon. And he would allow his little pet no opportunity to think otherwise. “You would do well to remember your oaths, Ghost. You belong to the cause. You are the cause. You have killed seven times, and if I deem it necessary, you will kill dozens more, because that is what it will take to free this city from them. To create a world she would have wanted to live in.” The mention of the man’s dead lover had the desired effect—a stricken look briefly chilled the eyes further, and then disappeared, leaving only emptiness behind. They had no great hold on him yet, it seemed. Not as great as she did, even after her death.
“Do not forget who you are and what you are, Fang. They know only the barest fraction of you, and you allow them to see the lies and believe. You think they would be so amenable if they knew? They’re benders—and they would never understand. Don’t get attached.” Something shifted in the Ghosts body language, something that Amon had never quite seen before and couldn’t get a sense of, but then it too disappeared, and Fang bowed his head.
“I will keep you appraised of further operations, so that you are not surprised again. I knew you would face no issues escaping, and besides… nobody will ever associate you with us now.” That being Amon’s final word on the subject, he waved a hand in dismissal and, ever obedient, the leashed hound took his leave.
In the silence that followed, the leader of the Equalists listened to the rain on his window, folding his hands together and leaning forward to place his chin upon them. That Fang had even questioned him to begin with signaled a troubling shift in the man’s attitude. The reminder had brought him back into line, as he’d known it would, but even so… it was time to put people on watching those three benders. Amon wanted to know absolutely everything there was to know about them—and then he would decide what needed to be done with them.
But some people, he supposed, never quite managed to be as he wanted them to. Some people would inevitably remember. It was imperative to keep those people the closest of all, under his watch and his scrutiny, their leashes short so that they could be controlled, rendered predictable by proximity. It was a strategy that he employed with all of his most trusted lieutenants, because Amon trusted no one in truth. The job he did was a delicate thing, and the angles had to be played perfectly, the factors weighed and balanced and kept in their neat little lines, else the whole thing could tip over. Blow away, like a house of cards. In the wind.
The common person looked at a revolution and saw chaos. Amon saw an order so strictly enforced it only looked like chaos. There were few threats to it now—things had been put in motion, money had changed hands, the population had been incited, and with the destruction of that building, the first domino in his line had been toppled, crashing into the next one with an execution so perfect it was almost poetry. Everything would be as he had designed it to be—as long as he continued to play things properly.
The whisper of sound that met his ears then was no doubt a courtesy. He knew that his Phantom, his Ghost, was perfectly capable of moving without even that much. The rain that pattered on his window could have been the only thing he heard before the assassin’s knife was drawn cleanly over his throat, but he knew such a thing would never happen. Because the most entopic factor in his whole operation, the one that appeared to be the wildest, least predictable, the gale in the china shop, was in fact the most tightly-leashed of them all, bound here and to servitude by his own words and a stubborn sense of duty and persistent love that would destroy him before it let him go.
Just as Amon would.
“It is awfully late for a visit, Ghost,” he said, his voice obscured as always by the mask and a small device in it, appearing to give him a distorted tonality, but also one that would magnify with just a small adjustment. Amon never had to yell, but he was always heard.
The man in question was at present clothed all in black, only his eyes, that dreadful chilled gold that they were, visible from the zukin over his head. Well, that and the long tail that trailed from the nape of his neck. His swords lay crossed over his back, his arms likewise arranged over the breadth of his chest. It was not so different from the way he usually looked, but Amon could sense the subtle differences. Amon knew how to read this man like nobody else did—it was a vital skill to have, after all, especially when it came to people like him, who gave nothing away on their own.
”The explosion.” With two words, he somehow managed to convey a question, a conclusion, and a judgement, and Amon frowned under the mask. What right did this one have to judge anything? What right did his tools have to question him. What right, some part of him asked, did those cold eyes have to look at him and pierce so? What he had done was excusable, necessary in the service of the common good. Death was a needed cost of freedom. Amon didn’t make the rules—he just played the game better than anyone else.
“A needed punctuation mark. The Council must not be able to ignore us. And when their retaliation is no doubt poorly-calculated, it will be obvious to everyone in the city how little their government cares for those of them who cannot bend the elements to their will.” This was basic, really. Amon would dangle the bait, the foolish members of the Council would seize what they saw as an opportunity to end the threat he presented, regardless of what it cost them in lives. Lives would be lost, the bait revealed as fake, and the Council left destabilized. Child’s play, when one’s opponents were too used to winning, to crushing all resistance with their element-encased fists. As though that power would solve their every problem.
The golden eyes narrowed, and Amon sighed, adopting the tone one uses when trying to speak to a child, though it was only slightly conveyed through the technological obscurity. “You have not argued before. How many lives have you taken in my service, Fang?” He sat back slightly in his desk chair, watching the fractional widening of the eyes that indicated the point had been unexpected. Likely, Fang had already had this argument with himself dozens of times—he was prone to that kind of second-guessing. It was why he needed to be nudged back onto the right path occasionally.
Amon was surprised when he actually answered. “Seven. I have assassinated seven people for the Equalists.” The tone was as deadpan as ever, but Amon did not miss the incredibly subtle emphasis on the difference in their terms. Foolish boy. Dear, foolish child. Everything he did was for Amon; he simply did not know it yet. Amon had been watching him, knew of his association with a team of Probenders, knew perhaps more than he did of the way he looked at them and saw something different than he had come to believe possible. Amon knew even if the Ghost did not that he looked to them for solace, for the companionship that he had missed, for something new to love.
And he was having none of that.
His old love, his promises, bound him to this cause, this moment, Amon. And he would allow his little pet no opportunity to think otherwise. “You would do well to remember your oaths, Ghost. You belong to the cause. You are the cause. You have killed seven times, and if I deem it necessary, you will kill dozens more, because that is what it will take to free this city from them. To create a world she would have wanted to live in.” The mention of the man’s dead lover had the desired effect—a stricken look briefly chilled the eyes further, and then disappeared, leaving only emptiness behind. They had no great hold on him yet, it seemed. Not as great as she did, even after her death.
“Do not forget who you are and what you are, Fang. They know only the barest fraction of you, and you allow them to see the lies and believe. You think they would be so amenable if they knew? They’re benders—and they would never understand. Don’t get attached.” Something shifted in the Ghosts body language, something that Amon had never quite seen before and couldn’t get a sense of, but then it too disappeared, and Fang bowed his head.
“I will keep you appraised of further operations, so that you are not surprised again. I knew you would face no issues escaping, and besides… nobody will ever associate you with us now.” That being Amon’s final word on the subject, he waved a hand in dismissal and, ever obedient, the leashed hound took his leave.
In the silence that followed, the leader of the Equalists listened to the rain on his window, folding his hands together and leaning forward to place his chin upon them. That Fang had even questioned him to begin with signaled a troubling shift in the man’s attitude. The reminder had brought him back into line, as he’d known it would, but even so… it was time to put people on watching those three benders. Amon wanted to know absolutely everything there was to know about them—and then he would decide what needed to be done with them.
Rika sighed, a frown marring her face as she walked through the streets. She couldn't think of a single thing to do today, and it was a special day. At least, it was special for her. A few weeks had passed since the incident with Kiara and Fang's apartment. They had yet to find a place of their own, and it wasn't as though it bothered Rika, because it didn't. If she wanted to, Kiara could stay for as long as she wanted to. Her home was open to her friend for as long as she liked, even if that meant they ended up staying together for a few years. It was nice not being alone, having someone to talk with, and occasionally, shop with. It was nice.
And that was what made today so special for Rika. It marked the first year since she met them. She wanted to do something special for her friends, but nothing extraordinary came to mind. She kept her gaze on the ground, her focus intent on her thoughts, that she did not pay attention to where she was walking. She felt something stop her in her tracks, and she blinked with mild surprise. Blue eyes stared with slight amusement, a smirk pulling up on the lips she knew so well. Her frown deepened. Of all people to walk into, it had to be him, however; staring at him, it gave her an idea. The frown was replaced by a large grin as Rika hugged Haki.
"Thank you Haki!" she stated, hugging the firebender who let out a startled short breath. "In about an hour, see if you can convince Fang to come down with you to the lake!" she stated happily as she removed herself from him, turning and leaving a surprised Haki. He blinked slowly, unsure of what had just happened, but he shrugged. Why did she want to go down to the lake? And why had she willingly invited him along? They were friends, yes, but Rika hardly did things like that, especially when it concerned him. Haki would usually just invite himself along, invitation or no invitation.
"Strange little Lotus," he spoke, shaking his head as he continued on his way to his apartment. He chuckled to himself, but he would do as she asked. It wouldn't be easy, he knew that much, however; if he had to (and he would), he'd drag Fang down with him. Besides, he had a strange little feeling he knew why she wanted to go down to the lake. He wasn't ignorant, he knew what today was. He had kept track of the days because he felt it was important, perhaps not as important as, say, a wedding anniversary or a birthday, but to him it was. Friends were something nice to have, and they had all known each other for about a year now. It had proven to be a rocky start, but after all they had endured together... Haki only smiled.
Fang, perhaps as anyone who knew him would expect, was well aware of the significance of the date. His mind was not of the sort that would fail to notice details of this kind, but he was also lacking in the sense of why he was dragged down to the lake, failing to connect the two events as they were intended to be. He hadn’t dressed any way in particular, though the heat of summer meant that his loose shirt was white rather than dark, his extraordinary length of hair tailed high on his head. He hadn’t cut it in a while, and so it descended to the level of his knees even thus contained, the ink black a sharp contrast against his ever-fair complexion.
When the two arrived, it was to find that Rika and Kiara were already present, the latter having tied her hair back in a similar fashion, the sun bringing out the rusty-red hints in the copper-brown of it. She was attired for the heat as well, shorts and a sleeveless garment of a light green, blue sash tied around her waist. She looked puzzled by the sudden appearance of the other two, though not at all upset to see the, and indeed, Fang soon found himself enveloped in a hug, to which his reaction was to blink slowly and awkwardly pat her shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind, stepping back and also hugging Haki next.
“It’s good to see you guys.” And it really was. They hadn’t had much opportunity to be all together since the explosion, as even probending practice had been called off for a couple weeks following the incident, probably to give her time to recover. Nobody had said that was the reason, but she appreciated the thought anyway. Fang had also been very busy, though with what, she had no idea. That wasn’t unusual, so she didn’t think much of it. “Though… I’m not exactly sure why we’re all here?” She glanced back and forth between the others as though seeking the answer.
Haki returned Kiara's embrace with a small one of his own, glancing between Fang and Kiara. He could see the confusion on Kiara's face, even before she had asked the question, and he smirked. He shook his head faintly, and glanced towards Rika. She had an unusual bright smile on her face, her face morphed like a child holding a secret. He found it amusing, however; he would let her tell them why they were all here. Besides, it was her idea, and he had a feeling she wanted to be the one to tell them. Rika held her hands behind her back, though, fingers rolling around the three objects she held in her hand. They were a matching set, and she was already wearing hers.
"Because today is the day that we all became friends," she finally stated, unable to contain the excitement. Haki muffled a laugh as he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as she rocked on her heels. "I figured it would be nice for the four of us to celebrate our one year anniversary as friends," she continued, her smile growing brighter. She wasn't usually so jovial about things like this, but for some odd reason, it felt... right. It felt natural to be here, with the four of them. She couldn't explain it, but the feeling had grown to the point where she had adopted it as a family thing. Maybe she missed hers?
"I take it that's not all, Lotus," Haki stated, his amusement still laced upon his face as he watched her furrow her brows. He was right though, she still had one more thing to tell them. Or rather, a few things to give them. What she had was nothing special, however; they meant a great deal to her. And Haki could see that, whatever she had behind her back, they would be meaningful to her. "Do we have to close our eyes?" he jested, causing her to shake her head and roll her eyes. He chuckled as she smacked his arm, however; she brought her hands out in front of her.
"I... know it's not much," she began, fumbling nervously with her hands before opening them. There, in her palms, lay three bracelets. Each one was colored a different color, and they matched the one she was wearing. "I figured they would symbolize our friendship, and I hope it'll remain as it is," she continued, laughing nervously to herself. She didn't know how to word it properly, and she felt a little nervous about it. Haki, however, blinked and stared at the friendship bracelets. He took the red one, assuming it was meant for him, and glanced at it. The other two were black and blue, colors he assumed were coordinating to their bending element, as Rika was wearing a green one.
"My, my, my, I did not know Lotus could be so... sentimental."
"Shut up, Haki."
Was it really that day? Kiara hadn’t even realized, not because she’d forgotten what date marked the anniversary, but because she wasn’t usually sure exactly what date it was at any given time. When Rika pulled the bracelets out from behind her back, Kiara grinned broadly and made a sort of contained squeaking noise that conveyed quite effectively her enthusiasm for the idea, eagerly taking up the blue bracelet and attempting to tie it around her own wrist with only one hand. She was not very successful, but her failure did not stop her from glancing back up to Rika and beaming. “These are perfect, Rika, thank you so much!” She looked a bit like she wanted to hug the other girl, but as she still hadn’t quite managed to tie the thing on, it would have to wait.
Fang’s face, of course, did not seem to change, but privately, he would admit that he was feeling a certain amount of guilt. These people still knew so little of who he really was, after all they’d been through, and he could admit to himself after his meeting with Amon that it was eating him. He’d felt pulled in two directions for a long time, but not nearly as much as he did now until he’d met them. His promise to her had always seemed like the most important thing in his life, because he believed that, even after she was gone, and even after the two and a half years since he’d lost her, she was still the most important thing in his life. His love for her was still the only feeling that could move him, anymore. Everything else was just pale necessity, the color leeched from his existence when she had died.
But now… he wasn’t so sure. He thought of her less often. He had been almost surprised when Amon mentioned her, because he hadn’t lost himself in the memories for weeks, at least, and that when he had grown used to such reminiscences every day. But when he was with them… the past seemed to fade into itself a little, and he swore he could see little flickers of color in his world again, reds and blues and… greens. Swallowing past a sudden lump in his throat, he gently took the black bracelet from Rika’s outstretched hand, the calluses on his fingertips ghosting over her palm. Unlike Kiara, he had little difficulty tying the object around his wrist—he was used to doing small things like this for himself. She’d left him two and a half years ago, but he’d been alone long before that.
“Thank you,” he said softly, to Rika. Though what exactly he was thanking her for was unclear. He seemed to be saying it a bit too seriously to be referring to the bracelet alone.
Haki glanced at Kiara, noticing her struggling with her bracelet, and sighed softly, though a smile ghosting on his lips. He took Kiara's bracelet and gently grabbed her wrist, turning it so that he could fasten the bracelet properly on her wrist. Once it was tied, his hand lingered just a moment longer before he allowed it to drop his side. He turned to glance at Rika, a small blush covering her face as she seemed to fidget nervously in her spot. She didn't think they would like them like that, but it was a nice feeling, and she grinned once more. She blinked, though, at Fang. He didn't have to thank her, none of them did. She did this because she wanted to. They were her friends, and she wanted to celebrate that feeling with them. She shook her head softly, smiling still and was about to say something in return, however; she felt herself being lifted from her spot.
By the time she realized something was happening, she was already being slung over Haki's shoulder. "Haki, put me down!" she stated, frowning as she struggled to get out of his grasp. He only smirked, glancing over behind his shoulder at the other two, before his smirk turned into a mischievous grin. He continued his path, and as the other two grew further away, Rika's face paled. He wasn't thinking about it... was he? She glanced over her shoulder, however; it wasn't enough time to save her, and she immediately went sailing through the air. The only question on her mind, however, was where did he get that strength from? She felt her body collide with the water, and puffed her cheeks in an attempt to be mad.
She crossed her arms over her chest, sinking further down the water and remained at the bottom for a moment, before she smirked. Two could play at that game. Haki stood on the shore, laughing as he watched Rika sink, glancing behind him at the other two. "We did come here with the intention of celebrating, did we not?" he stated, folding his arms over his chest, however; the sudden shift in movement beneath him had him blinking. "Well, it appears I'll be joining the fun in three... two," he stated, counting down before he was catapulted into the water, a piece of earth sticking out from where he once stood.
They were both soon washed over by a rather large wave, which of course was not normal for a lake of this size. “Who has a water fight without inviting the waterbender?” Kiara demanded with mock anger. Then, of course, she dove right in, jetting through the water like she’d lived in it all her life. It was pleasantly warm, and less salty than the ocean—it was a rather simple matter to open her eyes beneath the surface and get a look at everything beneath it. The bottom was mostly sandy, with the occasional burst of green vegetation. Small fish flitted this way and that, and Kiara followed a few for a while, not surfacing for an extended period of time.
When she finally did, it was to observe Fang standing at the shore of the lake. His shoes were gone, but that seemed to be the only concession he’d made to the occasion, as he stood with his arms crossed, one eyebrow slightly raised, and she thought that maybe he was amused by the fight still happening between Haki and Rika, from the fact that he was focused quite intently on what they were doing. She was hardly going to let him escape this dry, however, and she was somehow unsurprised that he stood stoically even when she utterly drenched him in a wave, plastering his shirt to his person and flattening his long tail of hair. He turned his head towards her, and the eyebrow inched higher, a challenge if ever she’d seen him make one.
He glanced between the other three, making up his mind and entering the lake properly, wading in to his waist and letting his hand skim the surface, sending a wide arc of water such as to hit Haki square in the face. She had to admit, his angling was perfect. The battle lines were drawn, now, too, and Kiara came to Haki’s defense, choosing not to use her bending for the moment and instead rolling onto her back in the water and kicking a steady stream of lakewater in Rika’s general direction.
Rika had managed to surface long enough to be drowned once more by a large wave. Haki, however, blinked in mild surprise when Kiara joined the battle and allowed a smirk to cover his face. He was about to return the favor, however; Fang entered the water as well, surprising even Haki for a moment. It was all he needed, apparently, as Fang sent a wave of water towards him, and he made to brace for the impact. He was drenched once again, his lips pursing into a fine line. He glanced towards Kiara, briefly, to notice the waterbender was attacking Rika. That meant Fang would be his opponent. He blinked slowly, glancing around him as he let his hand glide over the water. He wasn't a waterbender like Kiara, or his mother, and he didn't exactly have the technique Fang displayed. His lips rolled into a smirk though. That wasn't going to stop him.
He pushed, with as much force as he could, a large wave of water towards the other male, taking the opportunity to quickly dive away and reappear beside Kiara, doubling her wave of water towards Rika with kicks of his own. "Hey, that's not fair!" she stated between stutters of water, though the smile on her face did not fade. She tried pushing water back at her assailants, managing short bursts of little waves compared to theirs. "And it wouldn't be a fair fight if the waterbender used her bending, now would it?" she replied to Kiara's first statement. And the fact that she wasn't expecting to be thrown into the lake so soon had a lot to do with it.
"Who ever said we played fair?" Haki retorted. True, no one ever played fair, but this was friends just doing what they do. They were having fun, and by the end of the day, Rika was sure she wasn't going to be able to feel her face from all the smiling she was currently doing. Even if she was getting water in her mouth for doing so.
And that was what made today so special for Rika. It marked the first year since she met them. She wanted to do something special for her friends, but nothing extraordinary came to mind. She kept her gaze on the ground, her focus intent on her thoughts, that she did not pay attention to where she was walking. She felt something stop her in her tracks, and she blinked with mild surprise. Blue eyes stared with slight amusement, a smirk pulling up on the lips she knew so well. Her frown deepened. Of all people to walk into, it had to be him, however; staring at him, it gave her an idea. The frown was replaced by a large grin as Rika hugged Haki.
"Thank you Haki!" she stated, hugging the firebender who let out a startled short breath. "In about an hour, see if you can convince Fang to come down with you to the lake!" she stated happily as she removed herself from him, turning and leaving a surprised Haki. He blinked slowly, unsure of what had just happened, but he shrugged. Why did she want to go down to the lake? And why had she willingly invited him along? They were friends, yes, but Rika hardly did things like that, especially when it concerned him. Haki would usually just invite himself along, invitation or no invitation.
"Strange little Lotus," he spoke, shaking his head as he continued on his way to his apartment. He chuckled to himself, but he would do as she asked. It wouldn't be easy, he knew that much, however; if he had to (and he would), he'd drag Fang down with him. Besides, he had a strange little feeling he knew why she wanted to go down to the lake. He wasn't ignorant, he knew what today was. He had kept track of the days because he felt it was important, perhaps not as important as, say, a wedding anniversary or a birthday, but to him it was. Friends were something nice to have, and they had all known each other for about a year now. It had proven to be a rocky start, but after all they had endured together... Haki only smiled.
Fang, perhaps as anyone who knew him would expect, was well aware of the significance of the date. His mind was not of the sort that would fail to notice details of this kind, but he was also lacking in the sense of why he was dragged down to the lake, failing to connect the two events as they were intended to be. He hadn’t dressed any way in particular, though the heat of summer meant that his loose shirt was white rather than dark, his extraordinary length of hair tailed high on his head. He hadn’t cut it in a while, and so it descended to the level of his knees even thus contained, the ink black a sharp contrast against his ever-fair complexion.
When the two arrived, it was to find that Rika and Kiara were already present, the latter having tied her hair back in a similar fashion, the sun bringing out the rusty-red hints in the copper-brown of it. She was attired for the heat as well, shorts and a sleeveless garment of a light green, blue sash tied around her waist. She looked puzzled by the sudden appearance of the other two, though not at all upset to see the, and indeed, Fang soon found himself enveloped in a hug, to which his reaction was to blink slowly and awkwardly pat her shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind, stepping back and also hugging Haki next.
“It’s good to see you guys.” And it really was. They hadn’t had much opportunity to be all together since the explosion, as even probending practice had been called off for a couple weeks following the incident, probably to give her time to recover. Nobody had said that was the reason, but she appreciated the thought anyway. Fang had also been very busy, though with what, she had no idea. That wasn’t unusual, so she didn’t think much of it. “Though… I’m not exactly sure why we’re all here?” She glanced back and forth between the others as though seeking the answer.
Haki returned Kiara's embrace with a small one of his own, glancing between Fang and Kiara. He could see the confusion on Kiara's face, even before she had asked the question, and he smirked. He shook his head faintly, and glanced towards Rika. She had an unusual bright smile on her face, her face morphed like a child holding a secret. He found it amusing, however; he would let her tell them why they were all here. Besides, it was her idea, and he had a feeling she wanted to be the one to tell them. Rika held her hands behind her back, though, fingers rolling around the three objects she held in her hand. They were a matching set, and she was already wearing hers.
"Because today is the day that we all became friends," she finally stated, unable to contain the excitement. Haki muffled a laugh as he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as she rocked on her heels. "I figured it would be nice for the four of us to celebrate our one year anniversary as friends," she continued, her smile growing brighter. She wasn't usually so jovial about things like this, but for some odd reason, it felt... right. It felt natural to be here, with the four of them. She couldn't explain it, but the feeling had grown to the point where she had adopted it as a family thing. Maybe she missed hers?
"I take it that's not all, Lotus," Haki stated, his amusement still laced upon his face as he watched her furrow her brows. He was right though, she still had one more thing to tell them. Or rather, a few things to give them. What she had was nothing special, however; they meant a great deal to her. And Haki could see that, whatever she had behind her back, they would be meaningful to her. "Do we have to close our eyes?" he jested, causing her to shake her head and roll her eyes. He chuckled as she smacked his arm, however; she brought her hands out in front of her.
"I... know it's not much," she began, fumbling nervously with her hands before opening them. There, in her palms, lay three bracelets. Each one was colored a different color, and they matched the one she was wearing. "I figured they would symbolize our friendship, and I hope it'll remain as it is," she continued, laughing nervously to herself. She didn't know how to word it properly, and she felt a little nervous about it. Haki, however, blinked and stared at the friendship bracelets. He took the red one, assuming it was meant for him, and glanced at it. The other two were black and blue, colors he assumed were coordinating to their bending element, as Rika was wearing a green one.
"My, my, my, I did not know Lotus could be so... sentimental."
"Shut up, Haki."
Was it really that day? Kiara hadn’t even realized, not because she’d forgotten what date marked the anniversary, but because she wasn’t usually sure exactly what date it was at any given time. When Rika pulled the bracelets out from behind her back, Kiara grinned broadly and made a sort of contained squeaking noise that conveyed quite effectively her enthusiasm for the idea, eagerly taking up the blue bracelet and attempting to tie it around her own wrist with only one hand. She was not very successful, but her failure did not stop her from glancing back up to Rika and beaming. “These are perfect, Rika, thank you so much!” She looked a bit like she wanted to hug the other girl, but as she still hadn’t quite managed to tie the thing on, it would have to wait.
Fang’s face, of course, did not seem to change, but privately, he would admit that he was feeling a certain amount of guilt. These people still knew so little of who he really was, after all they’d been through, and he could admit to himself after his meeting with Amon that it was eating him. He’d felt pulled in two directions for a long time, but not nearly as much as he did now until he’d met them. His promise to her had always seemed like the most important thing in his life, because he believed that, even after she was gone, and even after the two and a half years since he’d lost her, she was still the most important thing in his life. His love for her was still the only feeling that could move him, anymore. Everything else was just pale necessity, the color leeched from his existence when she had died.
But now… he wasn’t so sure. He thought of her less often. He had been almost surprised when Amon mentioned her, because he hadn’t lost himself in the memories for weeks, at least, and that when he had grown used to such reminiscences every day. But when he was with them… the past seemed to fade into itself a little, and he swore he could see little flickers of color in his world again, reds and blues and… greens. Swallowing past a sudden lump in his throat, he gently took the black bracelet from Rika’s outstretched hand, the calluses on his fingertips ghosting over her palm. Unlike Kiara, he had little difficulty tying the object around his wrist—he was used to doing small things like this for himself. She’d left him two and a half years ago, but he’d been alone long before that.
“Thank you,” he said softly, to Rika. Though what exactly he was thanking her for was unclear. He seemed to be saying it a bit too seriously to be referring to the bracelet alone.
Haki glanced at Kiara, noticing her struggling with her bracelet, and sighed softly, though a smile ghosting on his lips. He took Kiara's bracelet and gently grabbed her wrist, turning it so that he could fasten the bracelet properly on her wrist. Once it was tied, his hand lingered just a moment longer before he allowed it to drop his side. He turned to glance at Rika, a small blush covering her face as she seemed to fidget nervously in her spot. She didn't think they would like them like that, but it was a nice feeling, and she grinned once more. She blinked, though, at Fang. He didn't have to thank her, none of them did. She did this because she wanted to. They were her friends, and she wanted to celebrate that feeling with them. She shook her head softly, smiling still and was about to say something in return, however; she felt herself being lifted from her spot.
By the time she realized something was happening, she was already being slung over Haki's shoulder. "Haki, put me down!" she stated, frowning as she struggled to get out of his grasp. He only smirked, glancing over behind his shoulder at the other two, before his smirk turned into a mischievous grin. He continued his path, and as the other two grew further away, Rika's face paled. He wasn't thinking about it... was he? She glanced over her shoulder, however; it wasn't enough time to save her, and she immediately went sailing through the air. The only question on her mind, however, was where did he get that strength from? She felt her body collide with the water, and puffed her cheeks in an attempt to be mad.
She crossed her arms over her chest, sinking further down the water and remained at the bottom for a moment, before she smirked. Two could play at that game. Haki stood on the shore, laughing as he watched Rika sink, glancing behind him at the other two. "We did come here with the intention of celebrating, did we not?" he stated, folding his arms over his chest, however; the sudden shift in movement beneath him had him blinking. "Well, it appears I'll be joining the fun in three... two," he stated, counting down before he was catapulted into the water, a piece of earth sticking out from where he once stood.
They were both soon washed over by a rather large wave, which of course was not normal for a lake of this size. “Who has a water fight without inviting the waterbender?” Kiara demanded with mock anger. Then, of course, she dove right in, jetting through the water like she’d lived in it all her life. It was pleasantly warm, and less salty than the ocean—it was a rather simple matter to open her eyes beneath the surface and get a look at everything beneath it. The bottom was mostly sandy, with the occasional burst of green vegetation. Small fish flitted this way and that, and Kiara followed a few for a while, not surfacing for an extended period of time.
When she finally did, it was to observe Fang standing at the shore of the lake. His shoes were gone, but that seemed to be the only concession he’d made to the occasion, as he stood with his arms crossed, one eyebrow slightly raised, and she thought that maybe he was amused by the fight still happening between Haki and Rika, from the fact that he was focused quite intently on what they were doing. She was hardly going to let him escape this dry, however, and she was somehow unsurprised that he stood stoically even when she utterly drenched him in a wave, plastering his shirt to his person and flattening his long tail of hair. He turned his head towards her, and the eyebrow inched higher, a challenge if ever she’d seen him make one.
He glanced between the other three, making up his mind and entering the lake properly, wading in to his waist and letting his hand skim the surface, sending a wide arc of water such as to hit Haki square in the face. She had to admit, his angling was perfect. The battle lines were drawn, now, too, and Kiara came to Haki’s defense, choosing not to use her bending for the moment and instead rolling onto her back in the water and kicking a steady stream of lakewater in Rika’s general direction.
Rika had managed to surface long enough to be drowned once more by a large wave. Haki, however, blinked in mild surprise when Kiara joined the battle and allowed a smirk to cover his face. He was about to return the favor, however; Fang entered the water as well, surprising even Haki for a moment. It was all he needed, apparently, as Fang sent a wave of water towards him, and he made to brace for the impact. He was drenched once again, his lips pursing into a fine line. He glanced towards Kiara, briefly, to notice the waterbender was attacking Rika. That meant Fang would be his opponent. He blinked slowly, glancing around him as he let his hand glide over the water. He wasn't a waterbender like Kiara, or his mother, and he didn't exactly have the technique Fang displayed. His lips rolled into a smirk though. That wasn't going to stop him.
He pushed, with as much force as he could, a large wave of water towards the other male, taking the opportunity to quickly dive away and reappear beside Kiara, doubling her wave of water towards Rika with kicks of his own. "Hey, that's not fair!" she stated between stutters of water, though the smile on her face did not fade. She tried pushing water back at her assailants, managing short bursts of little waves compared to theirs. "And it wouldn't be a fair fight if the waterbender used her bending, now would it?" she replied to Kiara's first statement. And the fact that she wasn't expecting to be thrown into the lake so soon had a lot to do with it.
"Who ever said we played fair?" Haki retorted. True, no one ever played fair, but this was friends just doing what they do. They were having fun, and by the end of the day, Rika was sure she wasn't going to be able to feel her face from all the smiling she was currently doing. Even if she was getting water in her mouth for doing so.
Rika grumbled to herself, the incoherent words leaving the confines of her lips. The shop never got this busy, and she was having a difficult time keeping up with the orders. She walked with purpose down the streets, searching for Haki's home apartment. She had left the shop for only a moment so that she could find help. She would have asked Kiara, but the waterbender was busy doing something else, and Rika did not want to bother her friend. Haki usually didn't do anything on days like this, so he was the next logical choice. As much as it bothered her to have to ask him for help, her shop needed an extra set of hands. So, she opted to swallow her pride and went to the firebender's residence.
"I hope he's home," she muttered to herself. It would be a waste of time if he wasn't, and she would be out of luck. She glanced down, smiling when she spotted her bracelet still in its place on her wrist. That day on the lake had proven to be one of the best days she'd ever had, especially since she was able to enjoy it with her friends. After living here for so long, she never imagined she'd have the people in her life that she did now, and somehow, she couldn't imagine being without them. They had slowly become her new family, and it was something she found she had missed. She wanted to go visit her family back in the Earth Kingdom, or invite them to one of her matches.
Perhaps the next match they had, if they ever returned back to probending, she would invite her family. It would be nice to have them here, and introduce them to her friends. Though, she wished her father could be here as well. She shook her head of the thought and found herself staring at Haki's apartment building. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and preparing herself for whatever the firebender would throw her way. Knowing him, he'd get excited that she was actually asking for his help. He was an odd one, that Haki. She knocked on his door and waited for him to answer.
As it happened, Haki too was out at the moment, though his present roommate was not. Fang, who had been folded on the living room floor, deep in meditation, was immediately stirred from his relaxed mental state by the knock at the door, and briefly considered not answering it. It wasn’t exactly his home, after all, even if Haki had made him aware that he could use it for as long as he liked. Still, it could be something important—or it could be that Haki had forgotten his key. Again. Fang wasn’t sure how he got in when he didn’t have anyone to open the door for him; perhaps he had his landlord use a spare or something. Whatever the case, it seemed best to answer, and so he stood smoothly, padding over to the door in bare feet and pulling it open. It tended to stick a bit if one did not apply a decent amount of force.
Expecting to see someone of approximately his roommate’s height, he had to adjust to look down when it turned out to be Rika, and he blinked slowly at her. She had not come by here before to his knowledge, though that hardly meant anything. She could well be here all the time, as he was usually out and could easily miss her with regularity. “Haki is out,” he informed her mildly, tilting his head faintly to the side. Shifting his weight slightly, he found himself dissatisfied with that answer alone, and amended. “Is it something I can help with?” If it was just a leisure visit, he likely wouldn’t be of any assistance, but if by chance she needed something, he might be able to provide it.
"Oh, Fang," she stated in mild surprise. She wasn't expecting him to answer the door, however; he provided the answer to her inward question. She pursed her lips together, frowning slightly. Of course he wouldn't be home. The one time she needed his help, and he wasn't here. Instead, she sighed softly, slumping her shoulders before shaking her head. "Well," she began, pausing momentarily. She didn't want to bother Fang for something like this. From what Haki spoke, Fang was always gone, even during the night time, so she was probably intruding on his sleep. Though he didn't look like he just woke up... not that she would know what he would look like, like that. She shifted in her spot and sighed in defeat.
"We are a little short handed at the shop today, and I came by to see if Haki could help out. But, seeing as he's not here," she began, glancing back up at Fang. "If it's not too much trouble to you, the help would be appreciated," she finally asked. "But it's understandable if you are tired. I... don't know what you do for a living and I don't want to impose anything on you that might make it... hard?" she stated, inflicting the last statement as a question. She didn't know how to properly ask him and she didn't want to intrude. She really was bad at asking people for things.
Fang tilted his head slightly to the side, then shook it, throwing a few strands of hair into his eyes. “It is not an imposition. I would be glad to help.” And it was true; he felt as though she and the others had done a great deal for him, without really realizing it. He felt… indebted wasn’t quite the right word, but it was close. He felt like he wanted to do things for their sake, to help them in whatever small ways he could. “If you will give me just a moment, I will be back.” He shut the door gently, as he needed to change somewhat, and though he didn’t generally seem to think about such things, he did have some sense of politeness, at least.
A fresh shirt and some shoes later, he’d pulled his hair into a tail. His ears were oddly bereft of the usual ornaments, though there was nothing in the holes to replace them. “I apologize for the wait,” he said. “Please lead the way.” He knew the way to the tea shop from here, of course, but she was standing right in the doorway, after all.
Fang untied the apron strings from around his waist, hanging the garment on a hook protruding from the back wall of the kitchen. Wei had indicated that he and Rika had no need to stay any longer, and had offered some tea for their efforts, something which Fang had accepted. He took a seat in the front of the store, folding his legs underneath him in the manner to which he was accustomed. He’d been put in charge of taking orders, which was honestly perhaps not the best kind of work for him to undertake, considering his difficulty with expression, but his excellent memory more than made up for it, as he remembered every order he took without needing to write them down, cutting down on the time it took to complete the service.
He was also able to make some small talk with a few of the customers, and his knowledge of tea was very expansive, especially for someone who was only decent at actually brewing it, so he was able to make recommendations based on general flavor preferences expressed by the guests. All in all, it had not been terrible, perhaps. He might have even enjoyed himself a little, though of course he still hadn’t smiled.
Things seemed to flow a little smoother with Fang's help, something Rika was extremely grateful for. She had managed to fill every order without having to backtrack herself and it was a little nice. She had contemplated, for a moment, on asking Wei and his wife if they would consider hiring Fang if he needed the job, however; she thought against it. He had a job already, and it was probably a good one. She didn't want to just pry into someone's life like that, it would be a little rude of her. When Wei dismissed her and Fang, she sighed happily and removed her apron and hat. Why she had opted to wear the hat, was beyond her. She just liked the article and it made her feel more at sync with preparing the tea.
She laughed lightly to herself at the silly thought and placed her apron up, grabbing her things before making her way back to the front. She poured herself a cup of tea before going, and blinked when she spotted Fang sitting at the front. She made her way over towards him, and took a seat at his opposite. "Thank you, Fang, for helping out today," she stated, inclining her head lightly in his direction. "I don't think Haki would have been able to do as good of a job as you did," she continued, shaking her head lightly at the thought. She could just see the disaster that was the firebender, and it would not have been pretty.
She blinked, though, having recalled seeing something from behind the counter, and it brought a small smile to her lips. "You know, I think that woman was trying to flirt with you earlier," she stated casually, sipping at her tea. She had seen Fang speaking with the woman, and she had been a rather pretty thing. Rika wouldn't know too particularly about beauty, she never really considered herself along those lines. But she could see from the subtle movements and the batting of the woman's eyelashes, that she was trying hard to get Fang to make another expression other than the stoic neutral one he always seemed to carry. For a brief moment, she wondered what he would look like if he did smile.
Perhaps contrary to popular assumption, Fang was far from unschooled on matters of flirtation and sensuality. Quite the opposite, actually—the only woman he had ever loved had been a professional courtesan, doomed as it sounded to put it that way. Suffice it to say that he’d learned quite a lot, and he hadn’t gone into that knowing nothing, either, because court politics were often geared in that direction, and he wasn’t nobody in the political games of his home nation, to be sure. It had been rather obvious that the woman was flirting with him; the simple truth of the matter was that he had no interest in reciprocating. He’d found that most such inclinations had died with her, and while perhaps that was not quite true, it was the lie he told himself. It would do him little good to become attached in such a way again. One loss of the kind had nearly broken him. A second would shatter him entirely.
He took a sip of his tea, meeting eyes with Rika over the rim of the cup. “She was being rather obvious about it,” he pointed out in a monotone, the faintest glimmer of amusement passing over the gold of his irises. “I fear that the effectiveness of subtlety is lost on most people.” The corner of one of his brows inched up, as if to acknowledge that there was a little bit of a joke in there, perhaps. Not much of one, because I was still true, but he wasn’t as serious about it as the deadpan would indicate. “An occupational hazard of service employment, is it not?” Surely she had experienced similar things from time to time, hadn’t she?
Rika chuckled lightly at his statement. Perhaps she was being a little obvious about it. The woman had laughed a little too loud for one, and Rika was sure that there was nothing funny about the statement Fang had made to her. She blinked slowly, though, when he made his last statement. An occupational hazard? Perhaps it was, for other people, but not for her. She had seen customers flirt with her then-employee's, and they would reciprocate it, if only to make better tips. Maybe it was because she was the owner at the time, but even now, she never had anyone flirt with her. Thinking about it was a little awkward, really. She didn't blame the other people, she wasn't exactly a diamond. She knew her appearance wasn't one of loveliness as most of the people here, and she had accepted that a long time ago. Though it stung just a bit, she never really thought much else for it.
"Perhaps, only for you," she stated truthfully, though there was a hint of melancholy behind her tone. "You're a handsome man, and it is natural that people will want to flirt with you," she stated, rubbing her thumb over her cup, her eyes widening slightly when she realized exactly what she had just stated. "I mean..." she quickly stated, pausing and laughing nervously to herself. That wasn't what she quite had meant to say, and she took a deep breath and released it slowly. She should word her statements a little more carefully. She didn't want to embarrass herself or make things a little awkward with her friend.
"I just meant it's only the attractive people who have to worry about that," she stated, frowing still as the words came out. She pursed her lips together, laying her head against the table and groaning. "I'm not terribly good with words, I'm afraid. Sorry," she muttered, her forehead still resting against the table. It was a good thing too, because she could feel the heat upon her cheeks. She didn't want him to see her making more of a fool of herself.
That got something more of a reaction out of Fang than most things did; his brows knitted together and he actually frowned. It was slight, but definitely present. It might have been somewhat difficult to tell, but it was an expression of confusion, not offense, and he rested his chin on a hand, leaning forward and seeming to scrutinize her face for a moment. The silence held for a few seconds, and then he sipped his tea again. That she had referred to him as such didn’t particularly faze him—he was aware that he was considered attractive, without really being arrogant about it or caring at all. It was simply a fact, in the same way she might have said his hair was black or he was tall. “I’m not offended,” he said with a shrug. “You are mostly correct—I do not doubt that attractive people deal with such behaviors more often than others do.”
He continued, perfectly frankly: “I am unsure why you seem to believe that this would explain your lack of such a problem, however. You are a strikingly-beautiful woman, particularly when you smile.” It was quite a simple observation, really, one he had made a long time ago but hadn’t had any cause to voice until this point. He had assumed that she knew, and that therefore to say any such thing would be redundant, words without much of a point. If he was indeed informing her of something new, however, that was a little different.
If she could have, Rika would have melded with the table, becoming it if only to get away from the uncomfortable feeling that blossomed upon her face. She wasn't expecting that, least of all from him, and it caused her face to turn a lovely shade of red. She was grateful that her face was already mashed on the table, though he would undoubtedly be able to see the color sporting on her ears. It wasn't necessarily a problem, and she was quite honestly unsure of how to respond to that. It was a little embarrassing to be told something like that, and she wasn't quite sure how to take it. Perhaps this was the reason why flirtation always eluded her. She just didn't know how to handle it. Or at least in this case, a compliment.
"It's not a problem, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that, really. It's... a little uncomfortable," she finally managed to muffle between the table and herself. "And I am not," she stated, frowning slightly. He was just being nice, or at least that was what she was telling herself. Friends do that, and in a way, they were like parents. They would tell their children what they were because they were their parents, and that was what they believed them to be. Hearing it from someone who wasn't a family member, or a friend, was a little different. She sighed, though, drawing a slow breath before lifting her head.
The color faded from her face, returning it to its normal shade of peach, and she offered Fang a small smile. "But thank you," she continued. She didn't believe him, and she would have a hard time believing him, but she could at least appreciate the small gesture behind it.
Fang sighed slightly through his nose, shaking his head a little. “I suppose you are not required to believe me, but I did not say it to make you feel better.” Perhaps mercifully, however, he let the subject drop, finishing his tea in relative peace and quiet, mostly watching the people go by outside the window. It had been an interesting day; he would give it that.
"I hope he's home," she muttered to herself. It would be a waste of time if he wasn't, and she would be out of luck. She glanced down, smiling when she spotted her bracelet still in its place on her wrist. That day on the lake had proven to be one of the best days she'd ever had, especially since she was able to enjoy it with her friends. After living here for so long, she never imagined she'd have the people in her life that she did now, and somehow, she couldn't imagine being without them. They had slowly become her new family, and it was something she found she had missed. She wanted to go visit her family back in the Earth Kingdom, or invite them to one of her matches.
Perhaps the next match they had, if they ever returned back to probending, she would invite her family. It would be nice to have them here, and introduce them to her friends. Though, she wished her father could be here as well. She shook her head of the thought and found herself staring at Haki's apartment building. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and preparing herself for whatever the firebender would throw her way. Knowing him, he'd get excited that she was actually asking for his help. He was an odd one, that Haki. She knocked on his door and waited for him to answer.
As it happened, Haki too was out at the moment, though his present roommate was not. Fang, who had been folded on the living room floor, deep in meditation, was immediately stirred from his relaxed mental state by the knock at the door, and briefly considered not answering it. It wasn’t exactly his home, after all, even if Haki had made him aware that he could use it for as long as he liked. Still, it could be something important—or it could be that Haki had forgotten his key. Again. Fang wasn’t sure how he got in when he didn’t have anyone to open the door for him; perhaps he had his landlord use a spare or something. Whatever the case, it seemed best to answer, and so he stood smoothly, padding over to the door in bare feet and pulling it open. It tended to stick a bit if one did not apply a decent amount of force.
Expecting to see someone of approximately his roommate’s height, he had to adjust to look down when it turned out to be Rika, and he blinked slowly at her. She had not come by here before to his knowledge, though that hardly meant anything. She could well be here all the time, as he was usually out and could easily miss her with regularity. “Haki is out,” he informed her mildly, tilting his head faintly to the side. Shifting his weight slightly, he found himself dissatisfied with that answer alone, and amended. “Is it something I can help with?” If it was just a leisure visit, he likely wouldn’t be of any assistance, but if by chance she needed something, he might be able to provide it.
"Oh, Fang," she stated in mild surprise. She wasn't expecting him to answer the door, however; he provided the answer to her inward question. She pursed her lips together, frowning slightly. Of course he wouldn't be home. The one time she needed his help, and he wasn't here. Instead, she sighed softly, slumping her shoulders before shaking her head. "Well," she began, pausing momentarily. She didn't want to bother Fang for something like this. From what Haki spoke, Fang was always gone, even during the night time, so she was probably intruding on his sleep. Though he didn't look like he just woke up... not that she would know what he would look like, like that. She shifted in her spot and sighed in defeat.
"We are a little short handed at the shop today, and I came by to see if Haki could help out. But, seeing as he's not here," she began, glancing back up at Fang. "If it's not too much trouble to you, the help would be appreciated," she finally asked. "But it's understandable if you are tired. I... don't know what you do for a living and I don't want to impose anything on you that might make it... hard?" she stated, inflicting the last statement as a question. She didn't know how to properly ask him and she didn't want to intrude. She really was bad at asking people for things.
Fang tilted his head slightly to the side, then shook it, throwing a few strands of hair into his eyes. “It is not an imposition. I would be glad to help.” And it was true; he felt as though she and the others had done a great deal for him, without really realizing it. He felt… indebted wasn’t quite the right word, but it was close. He felt like he wanted to do things for their sake, to help them in whatever small ways he could. “If you will give me just a moment, I will be back.” He shut the door gently, as he needed to change somewhat, and though he didn’t generally seem to think about such things, he did have some sense of politeness, at least.
A fresh shirt and some shoes later, he’d pulled his hair into a tail. His ears were oddly bereft of the usual ornaments, though there was nothing in the holes to replace them. “I apologize for the wait,” he said. “Please lead the way.” He knew the way to the tea shop from here, of course, but she was standing right in the doorway, after all.
Fang untied the apron strings from around his waist, hanging the garment on a hook protruding from the back wall of the kitchen. Wei had indicated that he and Rika had no need to stay any longer, and had offered some tea for their efforts, something which Fang had accepted. He took a seat in the front of the store, folding his legs underneath him in the manner to which he was accustomed. He’d been put in charge of taking orders, which was honestly perhaps not the best kind of work for him to undertake, considering his difficulty with expression, but his excellent memory more than made up for it, as he remembered every order he took without needing to write them down, cutting down on the time it took to complete the service.
He was also able to make some small talk with a few of the customers, and his knowledge of tea was very expansive, especially for someone who was only decent at actually brewing it, so he was able to make recommendations based on general flavor preferences expressed by the guests. All in all, it had not been terrible, perhaps. He might have even enjoyed himself a little, though of course he still hadn’t smiled.
Things seemed to flow a little smoother with Fang's help, something Rika was extremely grateful for. She had managed to fill every order without having to backtrack herself and it was a little nice. She had contemplated, for a moment, on asking Wei and his wife if they would consider hiring Fang if he needed the job, however; she thought against it. He had a job already, and it was probably a good one. She didn't want to just pry into someone's life like that, it would be a little rude of her. When Wei dismissed her and Fang, she sighed happily and removed her apron and hat. Why she had opted to wear the hat, was beyond her. She just liked the article and it made her feel more at sync with preparing the tea.
She laughed lightly to herself at the silly thought and placed her apron up, grabbing her things before making her way back to the front. She poured herself a cup of tea before going, and blinked when she spotted Fang sitting at the front. She made her way over towards him, and took a seat at his opposite. "Thank you, Fang, for helping out today," she stated, inclining her head lightly in his direction. "I don't think Haki would have been able to do as good of a job as you did," she continued, shaking her head lightly at the thought. She could just see the disaster that was the firebender, and it would not have been pretty.
She blinked, though, having recalled seeing something from behind the counter, and it brought a small smile to her lips. "You know, I think that woman was trying to flirt with you earlier," she stated casually, sipping at her tea. She had seen Fang speaking with the woman, and she had been a rather pretty thing. Rika wouldn't know too particularly about beauty, she never really considered herself along those lines. But she could see from the subtle movements and the batting of the woman's eyelashes, that she was trying hard to get Fang to make another expression other than the stoic neutral one he always seemed to carry. For a brief moment, she wondered what he would look like if he did smile.
Perhaps contrary to popular assumption, Fang was far from unschooled on matters of flirtation and sensuality. Quite the opposite, actually—the only woman he had ever loved had been a professional courtesan, doomed as it sounded to put it that way. Suffice it to say that he’d learned quite a lot, and he hadn’t gone into that knowing nothing, either, because court politics were often geared in that direction, and he wasn’t nobody in the political games of his home nation, to be sure. It had been rather obvious that the woman was flirting with him; the simple truth of the matter was that he had no interest in reciprocating. He’d found that most such inclinations had died with her, and while perhaps that was not quite true, it was the lie he told himself. It would do him little good to become attached in such a way again. One loss of the kind had nearly broken him. A second would shatter him entirely.
He took a sip of his tea, meeting eyes with Rika over the rim of the cup. “She was being rather obvious about it,” he pointed out in a monotone, the faintest glimmer of amusement passing over the gold of his irises. “I fear that the effectiveness of subtlety is lost on most people.” The corner of one of his brows inched up, as if to acknowledge that there was a little bit of a joke in there, perhaps. Not much of one, because I was still true, but he wasn’t as serious about it as the deadpan would indicate. “An occupational hazard of service employment, is it not?” Surely she had experienced similar things from time to time, hadn’t she?
Rika chuckled lightly at his statement. Perhaps she was being a little obvious about it. The woman had laughed a little too loud for one, and Rika was sure that there was nothing funny about the statement Fang had made to her. She blinked slowly, though, when he made his last statement. An occupational hazard? Perhaps it was, for other people, but not for her. She had seen customers flirt with her then-employee's, and they would reciprocate it, if only to make better tips. Maybe it was because she was the owner at the time, but even now, she never had anyone flirt with her. Thinking about it was a little awkward, really. She didn't blame the other people, she wasn't exactly a diamond. She knew her appearance wasn't one of loveliness as most of the people here, and she had accepted that a long time ago. Though it stung just a bit, she never really thought much else for it.
"Perhaps, only for you," she stated truthfully, though there was a hint of melancholy behind her tone. "You're a handsome man, and it is natural that people will want to flirt with you," she stated, rubbing her thumb over her cup, her eyes widening slightly when she realized exactly what she had just stated. "I mean..." she quickly stated, pausing and laughing nervously to herself. That wasn't what she quite had meant to say, and she took a deep breath and released it slowly. She should word her statements a little more carefully. She didn't want to embarrass herself or make things a little awkward with her friend.
"I just meant it's only the attractive people who have to worry about that," she stated, frowing still as the words came out. She pursed her lips together, laying her head against the table and groaning. "I'm not terribly good with words, I'm afraid. Sorry," she muttered, her forehead still resting against the table. It was a good thing too, because she could feel the heat upon her cheeks. She didn't want him to see her making more of a fool of herself.
That got something more of a reaction out of Fang than most things did; his brows knitted together and he actually frowned. It was slight, but definitely present. It might have been somewhat difficult to tell, but it was an expression of confusion, not offense, and he rested his chin on a hand, leaning forward and seeming to scrutinize her face for a moment. The silence held for a few seconds, and then he sipped his tea again. That she had referred to him as such didn’t particularly faze him—he was aware that he was considered attractive, without really being arrogant about it or caring at all. It was simply a fact, in the same way she might have said his hair was black or he was tall. “I’m not offended,” he said with a shrug. “You are mostly correct—I do not doubt that attractive people deal with such behaviors more often than others do.”
He continued, perfectly frankly: “I am unsure why you seem to believe that this would explain your lack of such a problem, however. You are a strikingly-beautiful woman, particularly when you smile.” It was quite a simple observation, really, one he had made a long time ago but hadn’t had any cause to voice until this point. He had assumed that she knew, and that therefore to say any such thing would be redundant, words without much of a point. If he was indeed informing her of something new, however, that was a little different.
If she could have, Rika would have melded with the table, becoming it if only to get away from the uncomfortable feeling that blossomed upon her face. She wasn't expecting that, least of all from him, and it caused her face to turn a lovely shade of red. She was grateful that her face was already mashed on the table, though he would undoubtedly be able to see the color sporting on her ears. It wasn't necessarily a problem, and she was quite honestly unsure of how to respond to that. It was a little embarrassing to be told something like that, and she wasn't quite sure how to take it. Perhaps this was the reason why flirtation always eluded her. She just didn't know how to handle it. Or at least in this case, a compliment.
"It's not a problem, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that, really. It's... a little uncomfortable," she finally managed to muffle between the table and herself. "And I am not," she stated, frowning slightly. He was just being nice, or at least that was what she was telling herself. Friends do that, and in a way, they were like parents. They would tell their children what they were because they were their parents, and that was what they believed them to be. Hearing it from someone who wasn't a family member, or a friend, was a little different. She sighed, though, drawing a slow breath before lifting her head.
The color faded from her face, returning it to its normal shade of peach, and she offered Fang a small smile. "But thank you," she continued. She didn't believe him, and she would have a hard time believing him, but she could at least appreciate the small gesture behind it.
Fang sighed slightly through his nose, shaking his head a little. “I suppose you are not required to believe me, but I did not say it to make you feel better.” Perhaps mercifully, however, he let the subject drop, finishing his tea in relative peace and quiet, mostly watching the people go by outside the window. It had been an interesting day; he would give it that.
Kiara hummed to herself as she went through the stands of supplies in the marketplace. The team was running low on a few basic things, and other equipment needed replacing, so she and Haki were out looking for the right gear. They weren’t really wealthy enough as a team to get the fancy stuff, so they had to settle for the amateur gear they could buy out here. Some of it wasn’t bad, though, and so they had blocked out an afternoon to spend looking. The clay disks on sale here claimed to be regulation weight and size, and as far as she could tell, they looked the same, but she wasn’t an earthbender, and so she couldn’t tell exactly. Maybe they should wait for Rika before purchasing any of those, or maybe just take one for her friend’s approval, at which point they could order more? She debated the possibilities for a few seconds before moving on regardless. It wasn’t like they had to decide right now, after all.
Her attention was caught temporarily by a vendor selling souvenir stuff with various team colors and logos on it, and she could have sworn that at least a few things were light blue. Getting closer, she observed that indeed, there was a shirt for sale that bore the Otter Penguins’ logo. How neat! “Hey Haki! Come take a look at—” She took a half-step backwards, about to turn around to locate her teammate, when she stepped into something quite solid, or rather someone. They’d been standing all together too close in her opinion, but it was a marketplace, and things like that happened sometimes.
Twisting to avoid falling right into the person and possibly knocking them over, she wound up landing on her rear, scraping her palms on the paved ground and stopping in a bit of an ungainly sprawl. Awkward, when she was usually relatively graceful. “Ow,” she muttered, then glanced up, her expression contrite. “I’m so sorry,” she said, regaining her feet and hiding her slightly-bleeding hands behind her back. She bowed, knowing she could fix them as soon as she found a decent water source. “I didn’t see you there; please forgive me.” Manners were, after all, a rather crucial part of her upbringing.
It wasn't often that Haki was able to go out shopping for supplies, least of all for his team, however; today had been a little different. He was out with Kiara, having been dragged along to help pick out the necessities. He had managed to separate from his team mate, but he wasn't too worried about it. They were, after all, trying to get supplies. He would be able to pick her out of the crowd fairly easily if they strayed too far from the crowd. It was something that he had found he was quite capable of doing rather easily. It was a little unnerving at first, but he grew to understand it a bit. He blinked, however, when he heard his name being called, and turned in time to see Kiara twist and turn to avoid colliding with someone. Haki pursed his lips together. That man looked oddly familiar.
"Oh no," he mumbled to himself. The man sported the same black sheen of hair Haki possessed, however; the only differences between the two, besides age, was the color of the man's eyes. Where Haki sported the crystalline blue of his mother, the man in question sported the molten gold of the fire nation. He could have passed for an older Haki. "There is no need to apologize, Kiara," he spoke, moving so that he stood next to the waterbender. A woman appeared beside the man, obviously of water tribe heritage, and smiled brightly at the two of them. Her crystalline eyes matched Haki's almost perfectly, if not for being a shade lighter.
"Haki, you never told us you had a girlfriend!" the woman exclaimed happily. She clasped the man's hand in hers as she continued to smile brightly at Kiara. "I bet Haki doesn't even talk about us, does he?" she continued, glancing at Haki with a set of narrowed eyes before returning her attention back to Kiara. She stared at the waterbender, almost as if she was assessing the girl, before nodding in satisfaction. She glanced up at the man beside her and tugged on his sleeve, causing him to lean down as she whispered something into his ear, causing Haki to let out an irritated sigh. He really wasn't expecting to run into his parents, least of all at a place like this. It was, a market, though, so he shouldn't be too surprised about it.
"It seems our son lacks in the proper mannerisms you display," the man finally stated, his voice as monotonous as possible. His eyes flickered towards Haki for a moment before readjusting upon Kiara's face. "I am Zinan Soen, and this is my wife, Hana. Haki, is our son, and you are?" he stated, introducing himself and the woman to Kiara. Haki opened his mouth to answer for Kiara, however; a look caused the firebender to immediately shut his mouth, pursing his lips together in a fine line.
It was honestly too much for her to answer everything, and she was temporarily torn between denying that she was in fact Haki’s girlfriend and being polite enough to introduce herself. Seeing as how she’d been raised to always be respectful of her elders, however, she settled on the latter, figuring that if things didn’t clear up on their own, she could always circle back around to that later. “Ah, it’s lovely to meet you,” she said honestly, smiling brightly at the both of them. She could definitely see where Haki got his looks from, but as he’d once told her, he really did have his mother’s eyes. “My name is Kiara Kita. Formerly of the Northern Water Tribe.” Actually, she probably still qualified, assuming her parents hadn’t actually disowned her when she ran away. Her father would have been against it, but her mother… it was harder to tell, really.
“Actually,” she said, finding it easier to address everything but the awkward implication made by his mother, “he’s been very kind to me. Haki was one of the first people I met in the City; I don’t know where I’d be without him. And the two of you were one of the first things we talked about,” she answered his mother’s words with a glint of amusement in her lake-blue eyes. “He’s quite fond of both of you.” She shot him an amused glance, her smile turning the faintest bit sly. With as much trouble as he tended to give her, she wondered if she might not be able to repay him by embarrassing him in front of his parents, just a little.
Everything she said was true, though. He was one of the first people she’d really gotten to know here, and he, Rika, and Fang were really the only ones she knew all that well. Plus, without them, she’d never have become a probender, and who knew what she’d be doing if not that? She hadn’t exactly come to the city with a lot of working skills—she was a trained bender and really good at house chores, but those weren’t useful in that many professions. She dreaded to think of becoming a cook; it would have sucked all the fun right out of making food.
Haki glanced down at Kiara, a curious brow raised. She either didn't hear his mother mention her being his girlfriend, or she was going to say something about it soon. Either way, it caused a light smile to flutter over his lips, shaking his head softly as he turned his attention back to his parents. He could see a certain spark lighting behind his mother's eyes, and his father gave him a look he knew all too well. He frowned and spoke nothing until it became relevant for him to do so. His frown deepened when Kiara continued talking to his parents, mentioning to them that he had spoken to her about them when they first met. He wasn't going to lie, he had, and he was fond of his parents. Perhaps his mother more-so than his father, but he had his reasons. None of them logical, but they were there nonetheless.
"Did he now?" Hana replied, glancing towards her son with an amused smile. "Well, I assure you, whatever he said of us is most likely true. He is, after all, our only child and a bit of a trouble maker, so do watch yourself. He can be a bit much to handle," she continued, causing Haki to actually turn a light shade of pink. "It is good to know that he takes after his father, though. I do hope you take care of him. He can be a little childish at times, but he's a good boy," she continued, further causing the pink on Haki's face to turn a hue darker with each word. Really, his mother could be a little embarrassing at times. He was just glad his father had not said anything.
"Formerly?" Zinan questioned, raising a brow in a questioning motion. Usually, waterbenders who were formerly of one of the water tribes, would say as such because of a disownment, or if they left voluntarily to settle somewhere else. It was something he had learned, having lived in the Southern Water Tribe for a bit with his wife. He glanced towards Haki, giving him a questiong glance as the firebender raised his hands in defense. "Was it his doing?" he stated, his eyes narrowing slightly at Haki.
"You give me too much credit, father," Haki replied, shaking his head in the process. Leave it to his father to jump to a conclusion like that. He didn't blame him, really. Haki wasn't exactly the easiest child to raise when he was growing up, and his disdain for his father's order was enough for them to be at odd ends for the rest of their lives. "And as much as it might be to your glee, mother, Kiara is just a friend," he cleared up. His mother frowned, the disappointment evident in her eyes, and Haki sighed heavily. He didn't like disappointing her, but he also did not like lying to her and having her believe something that wasn't true.
Kiara’s smile turned a little confused. Why would it be Haki’s fault that she left the tribe? She hadn’t even known him when she did, though then again, they had know way to know that. “Oh, I left before I knew anyone here,” she said truthfully. “I wanted… well, it’s not really that important. I just wanted a different life. And now I have one.” The smile brightened back up, and she suppressed a laugh at Haki’s reddening face. Somehow, parents were uniquely capable of embarrassing even the most steady of people. He might have been unflappable when it came to anyone else’s efforts to tease him, but his mom and dad would probably always be able to do it.
She felt a flutter of something when he said she wasn’t his girlfriend, but she didn’t really have the time to consider it much. “He’s been an invaluable friend, really,” she said honestly, a little more seriously this time. Then she bumped his bicep with her shoulder, and the gravity of the moment lightened. “We have a few things to get still, but would you like to have lunch together? If you’re not too busy, that is.”
"Interesting," was the only word Zinan stated, causing Hana to tap her husband's shoulder lightly. The movement startled Zinan from whatever thoughts currently plagued his mind, and he smiled softly at his wife, inclining his head towards Kiara's direction. "That, sounds acceptable," he responded. Haki glanced down at Kiara, pursing his lips together slightly. Lunch, with his parents? Did she realize how awkward that was going to be? He could already see it now, his mother asking questions about her personal life, things that did not concern them on that level.
"Kiara," Haki began, however, he was silenced by the spark in his mother's eyes, and he knew then he could not say no. Saying heavily, he slumped his shoulders in defeat. There was no getting past this, he might as well get it over with. "And I can make lunch," he added. His mother nodded her head in Kiara's direction. "As she said, we still have a few things to get, but it might be time we caught up," he stated, smiling a little softer than he usually did. Zinan raised a brow at the notion, his own lips tilting into a sly smirk in a knowing way. It seems the apple did not fall far from the tree, after all.
Kiara wasn’t nearly as awkward at lunch as Haki had suspected; she was sort of used to being asked prying questions, and answered them largely honestly, if also discreetly where necessary. It was actually quite pleasant, and it turned out that he hadn’t been bragging when he said he could make a good sea prune. They saw his parents off thereafter, but Kiara stayed to help with the cleanup, mostly the dishes, as cleaning them was a snap for a waterbender.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she said, smiling slightly and elbowing him in the ribs where he stood beside her. Drying, he’d said, though she really could just bend all the water off the dishes. Oh well; if he wanted to be helpful, she wasn’t going to say no. “I think your parents are really cute together. Your dad’s like a grumpier version of you. He kind of reminds me of my waterbending teacher, actually.” She had clearly really enjoyed lunch, and getting to know his family a little. Perhaps it was because she missed hers so much, but the opportunity was something she was really glad to have. Maybe it was also because she felt like she was getting to know him a little more, too.
She handed him another plate to dry, looking back down at the water and smiling to herself, a little thing that made her look as though she was keeping some kind of secret. In truth, she was just remembering. She wondered what her life would have been like if she’d grown up with parents who loved each other like that, rather than a couple who had been joined for political reasons. Well, it wasn’t like her life had been bad or anything, just… different. “I think they’re really wonderful, you know.” she glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, her face coloring just slightly under the dark complexion she’d had since birth.
“Just like you,” she mumbled quietly.
"Speak for yourself," Haki replied, though the tone was light and a bit jovial. It was a little embarrassing, to say the least, when his mother asked the questions he knew she was. But it was a little interesting to learn more about Kiara's life. He hadn't known much about her, but he felt that he didn't need to know all of her. It was a little nice to get to know a person on their own terms, without being rushed into giving a life story all at once on first meetings. He blinked a bit, glancing down at her from the corners of his eyes when she mentioned his father, raising an amused brow.
"Are you saying I'm grumpy?" he stated, feigning a hurt look as he pursed his lips together. He tried to make a grumpy face, but his cheeks would have none of it, and instead, he chuckled lightly. He, however, blinked in mild surprise when he heard her next statement, mumbled as it was. "They are good people," he stated, his voice a little lower than it usually was. His parents loved each other, though it might not always seem so. They were just a little subtle in their ways, and perhaps, that was what he wanted to believe he could have one day. He glanced once more towards the waterbender.
"You're not so bad yourself, you know," he responded, bumping her arm lightly with his own. That was and understatement though, and he knew it was. "Though, I do have to say, Turtle-Duck, that shade of red on your face makes it a little more lovely," he continued, commenting the light shade dusting her cheeks, contrasting just barely against her dark complexion. His face twisted into an amused smirk as he continued to keep her gaze.
The comment, unexpected as it was, deepened the color slightly, and Kiara cleared her throat. “Mhm… you say that to all the girls,” she teased in return, flashing a grin. He was rather prone to complimenting people, she had noticed, so she naturally failed to read much of anything into it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t a little embarrassing, though.
Finishing the last of the dishes, she wicked the water away from her hands and his with her bending, leaving them both dry. Folding hers behind her back, she found herself suddenly a bit tongue-tied. “Well…” she said, smiling shyly, “I should probably be getting back home. Rika’s going to want to see all the new gear. Thanks for lunch, Haki; I’ll cook next time, okay?” If she realized how much that sounded like it had been something other than a meal between friends and family, she certainly didn’t seem like it. Knowing Kiara, she hadn’t the faintest clue.
"Perhaps," he replied to her first statement. He wouldn't say anything more on it, though. He knew she wouldn't think nothing of the compliment he gave her, and it was not something that, he learned, bothered him much. Maybe one day, he could get underneath her skin as she does his, but that would be for another day, and perhaps another time. "I'll be holding you to that, Turtle-Duck," he stated, the grin on his face softening to a smile. He pursed his lips together, though, and gave her a sturdy gaze. "Be careful on your way back," he stated, laying a hand on her shoulder before allowing it to drop to his side. He was worried about his friend walking by herself home. Though it was bright as day, that did not mean anything. He would always worry.
Her attention was caught temporarily by a vendor selling souvenir stuff with various team colors and logos on it, and she could have sworn that at least a few things were light blue. Getting closer, she observed that indeed, there was a shirt for sale that bore the Otter Penguins’ logo. How neat! “Hey Haki! Come take a look at—” She took a half-step backwards, about to turn around to locate her teammate, when she stepped into something quite solid, or rather someone. They’d been standing all together too close in her opinion, but it was a marketplace, and things like that happened sometimes.
Twisting to avoid falling right into the person and possibly knocking them over, she wound up landing on her rear, scraping her palms on the paved ground and stopping in a bit of an ungainly sprawl. Awkward, when she was usually relatively graceful. “Ow,” she muttered, then glanced up, her expression contrite. “I’m so sorry,” she said, regaining her feet and hiding her slightly-bleeding hands behind her back. She bowed, knowing she could fix them as soon as she found a decent water source. “I didn’t see you there; please forgive me.” Manners were, after all, a rather crucial part of her upbringing.
It wasn't often that Haki was able to go out shopping for supplies, least of all for his team, however; today had been a little different. He was out with Kiara, having been dragged along to help pick out the necessities. He had managed to separate from his team mate, but he wasn't too worried about it. They were, after all, trying to get supplies. He would be able to pick her out of the crowd fairly easily if they strayed too far from the crowd. It was something that he had found he was quite capable of doing rather easily. It was a little unnerving at first, but he grew to understand it a bit. He blinked, however, when he heard his name being called, and turned in time to see Kiara twist and turn to avoid colliding with someone. Haki pursed his lips together. That man looked oddly familiar.
"Oh no," he mumbled to himself. The man sported the same black sheen of hair Haki possessed, however; the only differences between the two, besides age, was the color of the man's eyes. Where Haki sported the crystalline blue of his mother, the man in question sported the molten gold of the fire nation. He could have passed for an older Haki. "There is no need to apologize, Kiara," he spoke, moving so that he stood next to the waterbender. A woman appeared beside the man, obviously of water tribe heritage, and smiled brightly at the two of them. Her crystalline eyes matched Haki's almost perfectly, if not for being a shade lighter.
"Haki, you never told us you had a girlfriend!" the woman exclaimed happily. She clasped the man's hand in hers as she continued to smile brightly at Kiara. "I bet Haki doesn't even talk about us, does he?" she continued, glancing at Haki with a set of narrowed eyes before returning her attention back to Kiara. She stared at the waterbender, almost as if she was assessing the girl, before nodding in satisfaction. She glanced up at the man beside her and tugged on his sleeve, causing him to lean down as she whispered something into his ear, causing Haki to let out an irritated sigh. He really wasn't expecting to run into his parents, least of all at a place like this. It was, a market, though, so he shouldn't be too surprised about it.
"It seems our son lacks in the proper mannerisms you display," the man finally stated, his voice as monotonous as possible. His eyes flickered towards Haki for a moment before readjusting upon Kiara's face. "I am Zinan Soen, and this is my wife, Hana. Haki, is our son, and you are?" he stated, introducing himself and the woman to Kiara. Haki opened his mouth to answer for Kiara, however; a look caused the firebender to immediately shut his mouth, pursing his lips together in a fine line.
It was honestly too much for her to answer everything, and she was temporarily torn between denying that she was in fact Haki’s girlfriend and being polite enough to introduce herself. Seeing as how she’d been raised to always be respectful of her elders, however, she settled on the latter, figuring that if things didn’t clear up on their own, she could always circle back around to that later. “Ah, it’s lovely to meet you,” she said honestly, smiling brightly at the both of them. She could definitely see where Haki got his looks from, but as he’d once told her, he really did have his mother’s eyes. “My name is Kiara Kita. Formerly of the Northern Water Tribe.” Actually, she probably still qualified, assuming her parents hadn’t actually disowned her when she ran away. Her father would have been against it, but her mother… it was harder to tell, really.
“Actually,” she said, finding it easier to address everything but the awkward implication made by his mother, “he’s been very kind to me. Haki was one of the first people I met in the City; I don’t know where I’d be without him. And the two of you were one of the first things we talked about,” she answered his mother’s words with a glint of amusement in her lake-blue eyes. “He’s quite fond of both of you.” She shot him an amused glance, her smile turning the faintest bit sly. With as much trouble as he tended to give her, she wondered if she might not be able to repay him by embarrassing him in front of his parents, just a little.
Everything she said was true, though. He was one of the first people she’d really gotten to know here, and he, Rika, and Fang were really the only ones she knew all that well. Plus, without them, she’d never have become a probender, and who knew what she’d be doing if not that? She hadn’t exactly come to the city with a lot of working skills—she was a trained bender and really good at house chores, but those weren’t useful in that many professions. She dreaded to think of becoming a cook; it would have sucked all the fun right out of making food.
Haki glanced down at Kiara, a curious brow raised. She either didn't hear his mother mention her being his girlfriend, or she was going to say something about it soon. Either way, it caused a light smile to flutter over his lips, shaking his head softly as he turned his attention back to his parents. He could see a certain spark lighting behind his mother's eyes, and his father gave him a look he knew all too well. He frowned and spoke nothing until it became relevant for him to do so. His frown deepened when Kiara continued talking to his parents, mentioning to them that he had spoken to her about them when they first met. He wasn't going to lie, he had, and he was fond of his parents. Perhaps his mother more-so than his father, but he had his reasons. None of them logical, but they were there nonetheless.
"Did he now?" Hana replied, glancing towards her son with an amused smile. "Well, I assure you, whatever he said of us is most likely true. He is, after all, our only child and a bit of a trouble maker, so do watch yourself. He can be a bit much to handle," she continued, causing Haki to actually turn a light shade of pink. "It is good to know that he takes after his father, though. I do hope you take care of him. He can be a little childish at times, but he's a good boy," she continued, further causing the pink on Haki's face to turn a hue darker with each word. Really, his mother could be a little embarrassing at times. He was just glad his father had not said anything.
"Formerly?" Zinan questioned, raising a brow in a questioning motion. Usually, waterbenders who were formerly of one of the water tribes, would say as such because of a disownment, or if they left voluntarily to settle somewhere else. It was something he had learned, having lived in the Southern Water Tribe for a bit with his wife. He glanced towards Haki, giving him a questiong glance as the firebender raised his hands in defense. "Was it his doing?" he stated, his eyes narrowing slightly at Haki.
"You give me too much credit, father," Haki replied, shaking his head in the process. Leave it to his father to jump to a conclusion like that. He didn't blame him, really. Haki wasn't exactly the easiest child to raise when he was growing up, and his disdain for his father's order was enough for them to be at odd ends for the rest of their lives. "And as much as it might be to your glee, mother, Kiara is just a friend," he cleared up. His mother frowned, the disappointment evident in her eyes, and Haki sighed heavily. He didn't like disappointing her, but he also did not like lying to her and having her believe something that wasn't true.
Kiara’s smile turned a little confused. Why would it be Haki’s fault that she left the tribe? She hadn’t even known him when she did, though then again, they had know way to know that. “Oh, I left before I knew anyone here,” she said truthfully. “I wanted… well, it’s not really that important. I just wanted a different life. And now I have one.” The smile brightened back up, and she suppressed a laugh at Haki’s reddening face. Somehow, parents were uniquely capable of embarrassing even the most steady of people. He might have been unflappable when it came to anyone else’s efforts to tease him, but his mom and dad would probably always be able to do it.
She felt a flutter of something when he said she wasn’t his girlfriend, but she didn’t really have the time to consider it much. “He’s been an invaluable friend, really,” she said honestly, a little more seriously this time. Then she bumped his bicep with her shoulder, and the gravity of the moment lightened. “We have a few things to get still, but would you like to have lunch together? If you’re not too busy, that is.”
"Interesting," was the only word Zinan stated, causing Hana to tap her husband's shoulder lightly. The movement startled Zinan from whatever thoughts currently plagued his mind, and he smiled softly at his wife, inclining his head towards Kiara's direction. "That, sounds acceptable," he responded. Haki glanced down at Kiara, pursing his lips together slightly. Lunch, with his parents? Did she realize how awkward that was going to be? He could already see it now, his mother asking questions about her personal life, things that did not concern them on that level.
"Kiara," Haki began, however, he was silenced by the spark in his mother's eyes, and he knew then he could not say no. Saying heavily, he slumped his shoulders in defeat. There was no getting past this, he might as well get it over with. "And I can make lunch," he added. His mother nodded her head in Kiara's direction. "As she said, we still have a few things to get, but it might be time we caught up," he stated, smiling a little softer than he usually did. Zinan raised a brow at the notion, his own lips tilting into a sly smirk in a knowing way. It seems the apple did not fall far from the tree, after all.
Kiara wasn’t nearly as awkward at lunch as Haki had suspected; she was sort of used to being asked prying questions, and answered them largely honestly, if also discreetly where necessary. It was actually quite pleasant, and it turned out that he hadn’t been bragging when he said he could make a good sea prune. They saw his parents off thereafter, but Kiara stayed to help with the cleanup, mostly the dishes, as cleaning them was a snap for a waterbender.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she said, smiling slightly and elbowing him in the ribs where he stood beside her. Drying, he’d said, though she really could just bend all the water off the dishes. Oh well; if he wanted to be helpful, she wasn’t going to say no. “I think your parents are really cute together. Your dad’s like a grumpier version of you. He kind of reminds me of my waterbending teacher, actually.” She had clearly really enjoyed lunch, and getting to know his family a little. Perhaps it was because she missed hers so much, but the opportunity was something she was really glad to have. Maybe it was also because she felt like she was getting to know him a little more, too.
She handed him another plate to dry, looking back down at the water and smiling to herself, a little thing that made her look as though she was keeping some kind of secret. In truth, she was just remembering. She wondered what her life would have been like if she’d grown up with parents who loved each other like that, rather than a couple who had been joined for political reasons. Well, it wasn’t like her life had been bad or anything, just… different. “I think they’re really wonderful, you know.” she glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, her face coloring just slightly under the dark complexion she’d had since birth.
“Just like you,” she mumbled quietly.
"Speak for yourself," Haki replied, though the tone was light and a bit jovial. It was a little embarrassing, to say the least, when his mother asked the questions he knew she was. But it was a little interesting to learn more about Kiara's life. He hadn't known much about her, but he felt that he didn't need to know all of her. It was a little nice to get to know a person on their own terms, without being rushed into giving a life story all at once on first meetings. He blinked a bit, glancing down at her from the corners of his eyes when she mentioned his father, raising an amused brow.
"Are you saying I'm grumpy?" he stated, feigning a hurt look as he pursed his lips together. He tried to make a grumpy face, but his cheeks would have none of it, and instead, he chuckled lightly. He, however, blinked in mild surprise when he heard her next statement, mumbled as it was. "They are good people," he stated, his voice a little lower than it usually was. His parents loved each other, though it might not always seem so. They were just a little subtle in their ways, and perhaps, that was what he wanted to believe he could have one day. He glanced once more towards the waterbender.
"You're not so bad yourself, you know," he responded, bumping her arm lightly with his own. That was and understatement though, and he knew it was. "Though, I do have to say, Turtle-Duck, that shade of red on your face makes it a little more lovely," he continued, commenting the light shade dusting her cheeks, contrasting just barely against her dark complexion. His face twisted into an amused smirk as he continued to keep her gaze.
The comment, unexpected as it was, deepened the color slightly, and Kiara cleared her throat. “Mhm… you say that to all the girls,” she teased in return, flashing a grin. He was rather prone to complimenting people, she had noticed, so she naturally failed to read much of anything into it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t a little embarrassing, though.
Finishing the last of the dishes, she wicked the water away from her hands and his with her bending, leaving them both dry. Folding hers behind her back, she found herself suddenly a bit tongue-tied. “Well…” she said, smiling shyly, “I should probably be getting back home. Rika’s going to want to see all the new gear. Thanks for lunch, Haki; I’ll cook next time, okay?” If she realized how much that sounded like it had been something other than a meal between friends and family, she certainly didn’t seem like it. Knowing Kiara, she hadn’t the faintest clue.
"Perhaps," he replied to her first statement. He wouldn't say anything more on it, though. He knew she wouldn't think nothing of the compliment he gave her, and it was not something that, he learned, bothered him much. Maybe one day, he could get underneath her skin as she does his, but that would be for another day, and perhaps another time. "I'll be holding you to that, Turtle-Duck," he stated, the grin on his face softening to a smile. He pursed his lips together, though, and gave her a sturdy gaze. "Be careful on your way back," he stated, laying a hand on her shoulder before allowing it to drop to his side. He was worried about his friend walking by herself home. Though it was bright as day, that did not mean anything. He would always worry.
It had been three months now since summer had passed, and late fall put the Otter Penguins right back in the middle of probending season. The Pygmy Pumas had won the finals of the year before, of course, but that was something they’d all resolved to put behind them. Kiara was actually kind of happy for them, because though the defeat her team suffered had been a bad blow to morale, they had come back stronger for it. Besides, the Pumas were one of the teams she and her friends knew the best, and so she’d even gone to see the match where they won, and cheered for them. It seemed like the right thing to do, and getting to watch a match from the audience had been a new experience. A new season was a new start, however, and so far, the Otter Penguins were on fire.
Granted, they hadn’t been matched up with any of the top teams, and part of her was still afraid that they’d blown their one chance at that, but they were winning all of their matches, some of those against teams who did occasionally play in the pro leagues. That was something, and it was helping to bolster their confidence. She and Fang had both found new places to live, though she was kind of sad that they weren’t next-door neighbors anymore. Still, he lived less than a block away, and both of them were now closer to Haki and Rika than they’d been before, which made get-togethers significantly easier.
And there had been many of those over the last three months. A year of friendship had only strengthened their bonds, and Kiara found that it was almost like having a family again, and the pangs of homesickness found her less frequently now. Their lives just seemed to mesh together harmoniously, and even Fang had been pulled deeper into the circle, serving now as something like their coach, what with his ability to watch bending and analyze it down to its smallest parts. If he was a waterbender, she almost could have sworn he’d be a better one than she was, given the amount of things he knew and his ability to replicate the motions of each bending style with such natural ease. Occasionally, she wondered if he wasn’t one, but then, somehow she never seemed to find the right way to ask.
Today, though… today she wasn’t feeling nearly so at ease as she normally did. Today, Fang had informed them, they had a meeting with a man who ran one of the biggest banks in Republic City—and that meant that if they managed to do this right, they might have a sponsor at the end of the day. She had no idea if it was Haki’s old bank connections, some tea-shop relation of Rika’s, or perhaps one of Fang’s clientele that had gotten them the meeting. Maybe, she dared to think, it was just that this person saw something in them, but whatever the case, they had a meeting. She’d dressed as well as she could, considering that she didn’t own many nice clothes and the dress Rika had bought her would be way overboard. So it was a simple pair of khaki pants tucked into her boots, and a loose, green shirt cast off her shoulders. Apparently, the businessman, whomever he was, wanted to take them to lunch at one of the fancier restaurants in town, and so the team plus Fang had agreed to meet beforehand a couple blocks away to show up together.
She was the first there, and stood rocking back and forth on her heels before Fang arrived, so silently she wouldn’t have known he was there save for the fact that he cleared his throat behind her. She swung round to face him and gave a thin smile. He certainly looked the part, draped in deep blue and black. From one of his ears dangled a star sapphire drop, but the other was unadorned. It really brought out the gold color of his eyes. He also appeared no different from usual in terms of attitude, as though big meetings with important people were something he did every day. She really should feel more prepared, too, but Republic City important people really weren’t like North Pole important people, and she had no idea if the right manners would be the same.
Lonely was, perhaps, not the proper term Rika would use to explain how she felt. Three months ago, Kiara and Fang moved in with her and Haki, and those three months had been nothing less than a blast for Rika. She enjoyed having her friend with her and the constant late nights just drinking tea and talking to each other. It was almost like Yumi was here with her, and she didn't feel so far from her family. Though perhaps, it wasn't that she felt far from them, because Kiara and Haki had become her family over the months, and the year that they had known each other. Even Fang, though he was around more often than he used to be.
Probending had once again started for the Otter Penguins, and surprisingly, or not so much, they were winning. Rika had nearly been estatic to the point she almost passed out during one of the matches. The rush was just a bit too much for her, and had Haki not laughed at her, she just might have passed out on the arena floor. It was an interesting season, one that kept them all on their toes, and one that had earned them their reputation again, though not as fluent as they once were. The Pygmy Pumas were at the top, as always, and Rika had often found herself accompanying Kiara to their matches, whenever she had the time.
She would cheer right alongside her friend for them, especially since she knew Daichi a little more intimately. They were friends, and that was something Rika had valued about him. He was always encouraging her, trying to help her when he could if his job as one of the metalbenders police force didn't get in his way, or training with his own team. She would then use this to her advantage to help out her own team, and she wasn't sure if it was working or not. Currently, though, it appeared that their success had managed to get them a meeting with a rather well-known banker.
She wasn't sure if he was an old acquaintence of Haki's, or if it was something else, but regardless, she was nervous. She walked alongside Haki, who seemed to still hold his head high, a faint smirk pulling at his lips as her own were pursed into a fine line. How could he be so confident about something like this? They were going to meet a potential sponsor, or so it seemed, shouldn't he be nervous? Haki, however, was not nervous. He was used to meeting people like this, well-known or barely scraping out of the alleyways. He was, after all, a banker at one time, and he was required to interact with people of all lineages.
He glanced down at Rika, his smirk widening even more as he noticed the small shivers rolling through her. He, as the others had, been told to dress a little formal, and he was. He wore a white Mandarin jacket, sleeves loose and a little wide towards the cuffs. The black pants he wore only helped compliment the rest of his outfit. Rika had dressed in a pastel green cheongsam, colored in pink sakura blossoms. It wasn't too formal, but it would be enough to pass for it should she have been required to dress more formally. He was about to comment when her eyes lit up, following her gaze towards their two comrades.
"Well, it appears you and I are the last ones to arrive," he stated, glancing down at Rika as she pursed her lips together, shaking her head. "It is Lotus's fault we are late. She couldn't decide what she wanted to wear, but here we are, dressed and awaiting further instructions," he stated, earning an elbow to his side as he chuckled.
Kiara’s left eye twitched, just a little. She was the least-well-dressed out of everyone here. Her mother would have killed her. Oh well—at least she didn’t look like someone they’d dragged off the street. That had to count for something, really. She had no idea what to even do, and so when Haki asked for instructions, she looked at him blankly, then switched her eyes from Rika to Fang, hoping someone else had some idea what was going on. Fang seemed to, fortunately, for he spoke in response.
“The restaurant is this way.” Leading the other three down the street a ways, he turned left and treaded down a smaller street, though it definitely still wasn’t an alley. This was the really nice district of Republic City, where there were no triads or poor people or crowds. It made her feel a little uncomfortable. She didn’t much care for the triads, of course, but she was pretty poor herself, these days, and the crowds were something she’d just… gotten used to, she supposed. She chewed her lip as they approached the building, placed on a lovely little streetcorner and lit with wrought-iron lanterns, or it would be at night, anyway. In the middle of the day like this, it just looked nice, along with the neatly-trimmed plants in window-boxes.
The four of them entered, and when Fang gave a name she didn’t recognize, they were led back to a private dining room. Two people were currently present, both male. One was an older gentleman, a bit on the portly side, but with a friendly face and neatly-trimmed grey moustache. The second was a much more svelte fellow, dressed in a crisp suit, his hair blonde. There was some similarity between their faces that suggested they might be related, perhaps a father and son. The older man was the first to greet them, smiling cheerfully when they entered and standing from his seat to go meet them. “Ah, here they are! You must be the Otter Penguins, and in person! Lovely to meet you!” He took Fang’s hand first, shaking it with enthusiasm, and Kiara marveled that her friend could remain so utterly serene when the man’s smile was so catching. She herself was already smiling in response.
“I’m Lu Tong, owner of Tong Enterprises, and this is my nephew, Zhao.” He gestured to the younger man, who also smiled pleasantly and inclined his head, but chose not to leave his seat.
“Fang Xun,” Fang replied, and Kiara was struck that she’d never actually known his last name until right then. She, standing right next to him, was apparently next in line, and it was more that Mr. Tong shook her whole arm rather than her hand. She couldn’t help but giggle a bit. He was so much more… open, than she’d expected.
“Kiara Kita,” She said with a bow. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Tong.”
With a broad smile, he waved a hand in front of his face. “Please,” he said dismissively, “just call me Lu. It makes things much more comfortable, doesn’t it?” She couldn’t disagree. He shook Rika’s and Haki’s hands afterwards, and once everyone was introduced, he retook his seat at the table, gesturing for them to be seated. “Now… why don’t you tell me a little about yourselves and your team, hm? I’ve been watching your matches, of course—I follow Probending to the point of habit, I fear, but that can only tell a person so much.”
The man was rather... jovial. It was a little unnerving, however; Rika swallowed and took a deep breath. Haki raised an eyebrow with mild amusement before he introduced himself to the man, and it was a name he knew all too well. Once they were seated, the man began with a question, and Haki took a glance towards Rika. He wondered, for a moment, if she was going to answer, however; the nervous fidgeting in her chair might have stated otherwise. It was a bit adorable, to see her so nervous. The usual rambunctious tea shop owner was being reduced to a fidgeting, blushing mess. Had this not been a formal meeting, he would have taken advantage of it.
"Well," Rika finally found her voice, still a little soft and meek, but it was there nonetheless. She cleared her throat, laughing a bit nervously before taking another deep breath. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom, originally. I moved to Republic City about seven years ago, when I was seventeen," she began, starting with just the basics of what he needed to know. Besides, it wasn't like she had anything interesting to say, she didn't lead an interesting life. "Ah, the team, well, we've only been together for a little over a year. I didn't think I would have been able to form my own team without them really," she stated, her voice going soft as she smiled at her friends.
"What Lotus means to say, is that she brought us together. The Otter Penguins would not be the Otter Penguins if it were not for Lotus trying to achieve her dream," Haki stated, a grin littering his lips. Rika pursed her lips together and shook her head at Haki. He, however, chuckled lightly before clearing his own throat and glancing straight at Mr. Tong. "Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, until I was about seven. I've lived here in Republic since then," he responded. Odd, Rika had never known he was raised in the Souther Water Tribe. He was a firebender though, and she had never thought to ask him about that.
"My father was a firebender, my mother a waterbender," that explained it. "As for our team," he continued, cocking a brow towards Rika and Kiara, "I believe Lotus has already answered that much," he stated, earning a light hissing sound from Rika. Didn't he have any manners? This was a potential sponsor they were talking to!
If anything, the elder Tong seemed to be amused by the way they told their stories, and his eyes swung expectantly to Kiara when the other two were done, who was by now feeling a little more at ease. This was actually much simpler than trying to talk to some of the elders of her tribe, really. “Oh, I was born in the Northern Water Tribe; I didn’t even leave until about a year and a half ago. These three were some of the first people I met when I came to the city, actually. I guess I just got really lucky.” She beamed at Lu, who by this point was smiling a little wider himself.
“Wonderful, wonderful! A team from diverse backgrounds, coming together for friendship and sport! It warms the heart, doesn’t it, Zhao?” His nephew looked at him slightly askance and shot the four of them an apologetic look laced with a bit of sheepishness.
“Erm… it sounds very nice, uncle. Perhaps, however, we should tell them about why we invited them here in the first place?” By this time, their food had arrived, and it was clear that Mr. Tong had spared no expense, ordering what looked like one of everything on the menu. Kiara’s eyes were so wide they might have bugged out of her head, at least until she remembered herself and reverted back to her manners. Fang looked as unperturbed as ever, of course.
“Oh, very well, Zhao. Truth be told, you four, I’ve been looking to break into probending for a while now. It’s a very lucrative business venture if done properly, but more than that, I just love the sport. I wanted to add my sponsorship and backing to a younger team, one still fresh and as fond of the game as I am. I’m an earthbender myself, you know; but far too old and fat for that sort of thing now.” He chuckled at himself, not seeming to be at all bothered by his age or size. Indeed, there was a merry twinkle in his eye as he helped himself to the noodles on the table. “But when it came time to actually pick one, I confess I was at something of a loss. There are so many teams, but none of them were quite what I thought I was looking for, you see?” He paused, then sighed and shook his head.
“Too much business, not enough fun. But you know… after seeing the three of you bend, I just had to go practice mine again. Nearly blew out my back, and I’m sure I looked very silly, but I really enjoyed myself. And that’s what I wanted. I want people to remember that bending is not just about what you can do with it, but also about the joy that comes of being one with your element. The Otter Penguins reminded me of that, in one of your very first matches. You—” he said, nodding to Kiara—“were smiling the entire time, and you—” he nodded at Rika, “had such a look of concentration on your face I thought something might explode!” He was still grinning ear-to-ear. “And of course, I’m betting you always enjoy bending.” The last was directed at Haki.
“I knew right then and there what team I wanted to sponsor. Never mind whether you win or lose, as long as you promise me you’ll never stop loving your bending, I’ll keep you funded for as long as you’re in the sport. It helps that you ladies are so pretty, or so Zhao tells me, right Zhao?”
Zhao turned so red he might have been slightly purple, and stammered something about “good for business,” which Lu waved off with a grin. “And there you have it. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in, Otter Penguins?”
Rika stared at Lu, glanced towards her friends, and then back at Lu. Was he serious? This... this didn't seem right. There felt something off about it. There was no way this could be true. No one would sponsor a team just for them to have fun. Sponsors were looking for teams that were capable of going further, taking their company names with them. They weren't interested in the team itself unless they were good at what they did. This man, this Lu Tong, he didn't seem to be lying about any of what he said. Could he possibly be speaking the truth? She glanced towards Haki, who was sitting on her right.
"Haki... pinch me, please," she stated, her tone set in all seriousness. Haki raised an eyebrow at the statement. Surely she wasn't serious, however; the look in her eyes said that she was. Haki obliged, pulling at the skin on her arm slightly, and chuckled at the hissing sound she made. "Not that hard, you idiot!" she whispered a little too loudly, and turned towards Lu and his nephew. At the mention, Rika found her face turning a bright scarlet color. Really, she'd never get used to someone saying things like that about her, even if they were meant in a harmless way. She tried to answer Lu's question, but found herself stumbling over her words.
"What Lotus is trying to say, is that she, and I do believe I speak for us as a team, would be interested indeed," Haki stated, folding his hands in front of him and regarding Lu with a grin. It wasn't a typical smile that he was used to wearing, however; it was certainly cause to wear a smile. They were finally going to get a sponsor. It meant that they would be able to participate in more games, afford better equipment, and possibly gain a little more recognition than what they already had. Though, that also entailed some rather interesting details that came along with having a sponsor. Not that they needed to know that now, but Haki would not say anything if Lu decided to state the conditions.
Granted, they hadn’t been matched up with any of the top teams, and part of her was still afraid that they’d blown their one chance at that, but they were winning all of their matches, some of those against teams who did occasionally play in the pro leagues. That was something, and it was helping to bolster their confidence. She and Fang had both found new places to live, though she was kind of sad that they weren’t next-door neighbors anymore. Still, he lived less than a block away, and both of them were now closer to Haki and Rika than they’d been before, which made get-togethers significantly easier.
And there had been many of those over the last three months. A year of friendship had only strengthened their bonds, and Kiara found that it was almost like having a family again, and the pangs of homesickness found her less frequently now. Their lives just seemed to mesh together harmoniously, and even Fang had been pulled deeper into the circle, serving now as something like their coach, what with his ability to watch bending and analyze it down to its smallest parts. If he was a waterbender, she almost could have sworn he’d be a better one than she was, given the amount of things he knew and his ability to replicate the motions of each bending style with such natural ease. Occasionally, she wondered if he wasn’t one, but then, somehow she never seemed to find the right way to ask.
Today, though… today she wasn’t feeling nearly so at ease as she normally did. Today, Fang had informed them, they had a meeting with a man who ran one of the biggest banks in Republic City—and that meant that if they managed to do this right, they might have a sponsor at the end of the day. She had no idea if it was Haki’s old bank connections, some tea-shop relation of Rika’s, or perhaps one of Fang’s clientele that had gotten them the meeting. Maybe, she dared to think, it was just that this person saw something in them, but whatever the case, they had a meeting. She’d dressed as well as she could, considering that she didn’t own many nice clothes and the dress Rika had bought her would be way overboard. So it was a simple pair of khaki pants tucked into her boots, and a loose, green shirt cast off her shoulders. Apparently, the businessman, whomever he was, wanted to take them to lunch at one of the fancier restaurants in town, and so the team plus Fang had agreed to meet beforehand a couple blocks away to show up together.
She was the first there, and stood rocking back and forth on her heels before Fang arrived, so silently she wouldn’t have known he was there save for the fact that he cleared his throat behind her. She swung round to face him and gave a thin smile. He certainly looked the part, draped in deep blue and black. From one of his ears dangled a star sapphire drop, but the other was unadorned. It really brought out the gold color of his eyes. He also appeared no different from usual in terms of attitude, as though big meetings with important people were something he did every day. She really should feel more prepared, too, but Republic City important people really weren’t like North Pole important people, and she had no idea if the right manners would be the same.
Lonely was, perhaps, not the proper term Rika would use to explain how she felt. Three months ago, Kiara and Fang moved in with her and Haki, and those three months had been nothing less than a blast for Rika. She enjoyed having her friend with her and the constant late nights just drinking tea and talking to each other. It was almost like Yumi was here with her, and she didn't feel so far from her family. Though perhaps, it wasn't that she felt far from them, because Kiara and Haki had become her family over the months, and the year that they had known each other. Even Fang, though he was around more often than he used to be.
Probending had once again started for the Otter Penguins, and surprisingly, or not so much, they were winning. Rika had nearly been estatic to the point she almost passed out during one of the matches. The rush was just a bit too much for her, and had Haki not laughed at her, she just might have passed out on the arena floor. It was an interesting season, one that kept them all on their toes, and one that had earned them their reputation again, though not as fluent as they once were. The Pygmy Pumas were at the top, as always, and Rika had often found herself accompanying Kiara to their matches, whenever she had the time.
She would cheer right alongside her friend for them, especially since she knew Daichi a little more intimately. They were friends, and that was something Rika had valued about him. He was always encouraging her, trying to help her when he could if his job as one of the metalbenders police force didn't get in his way, or training with his own team. She would then use this to her advantage to help out her own team, and she wasn't sure if it was working or not. Currently, though, it appeared that their success had managed to get them a meeting with a rather well-known banker.
She wasn't sure if he was an old acquaintence of Haki's, or if it was something else, but regardless, she was nervous. She walked alongside Haki, who seemed to still hold his head high, a faint smirk pulling at his lips as her own were pursed into a fine line. How could he be so confident about something like this? They were going to meet a potential sponsor, or so it seemed, shouldn't he be nervous? Haki, however, was not nervous. He was used to meeting people like this, well-known or barely scraping out of the alleyways. He was, after all, a banker at one time, and he was required to interact with people of all lineages.
He glanced down at Rika, his smirk widening even more as he noticed the small shivers rolling through her. He, as the others had, been told to dress a little formal, and he was. He wore a white Mandarin jacket, sleeves loose and a little wide towards the cuffs. The black pants he wore only helped compliment the rest of his outfit. Rika had dressed in a pastel green cheongsam, colored in pink sakura blossoms. It wasn't too formal, but it would be enough to pass for it should she have been required to dress more formally. He was about to comment when her eyes lit up, following her gaze towards their two comrades.
"Well, it appears you and I are the last ones to arrive," he stated, glancing down at Rika as she pursed her lips together, shaking her head. "It is Lotus's fault we are late. She couldn't decide what she wanted to wear, but here we are, dressed and awaiting further instructions," he stated, earning an elbow to his side as he chuckled.
Kiara’s left eye twitched, just a little. She was the least-well-dressed out of everyone here. Her mother would have killed her. Oh well—at least she didn’t look like someone they’d dragged off the street. That had to count for something, really. She had no idea what to even do, and so when Haki asked for instructions, she looked at him blankly, then switched her eyes from Rika to Fang, hoping someone else had some idea what was going on. Fang seemed to, fortunately, for he spoke in response.
“The restaurant is this way.” Leading the other three down the street a ways, he turned left and treaded down a smaller street, though it definitely still wasn’t an alley. This was the really nice district of Republic City, where there were no triads or poor people or crowds. It made her feel a little uncomfortable. She didn’t much care for the triads, of course, but she was pretty poor herself, these days, and the crowds were something she’d just… gotten used to, she supposed. She chewed her lip as they approached the building, placed on a lovely little streetcorner and lit with wrought-iron lanterns, or it would be at night, anyway. In the middle of the day like this, it just looked nice, along with the neatly-trimmed plants in window-boxes.
The four of them entered, and when Fang gave a name she didn’t recognize, they were led back to a private dining room. Two people were currently present, both male. One was an older gentleman, a bit on the portly side, but with a friendly face and neatly-trimmed grey moustache. The second was a much more svelte fellow, dressed in a crisp suit, his hair blonde. There was some similarity between their faces that suggested they might be related, perhaps a father and son. The older man was the first to greet them, smiling cheerfully when they entered and standing from his seat to go meet them. “Ah, here they are! You must be the Otter Penguins, and in person! Lovely to meet you!” He took Fang’s hand first, shaking it with enthusiasm, and Kiara marveled that her friend could remain so utterly serene when the man’s smile was so catching. She herself was already smiling in response.
“I’m Lu Tong, owner of Tong Enterprises, and this is my nephew, Zhao.” He gestured to the younger man, who also smiled pleasantly and inclined his head, but chose not to leave his seat.
“Fang Xun,” Fang replied, and Kiara was struck that she’d never actually known his last name until right then. She, standing right next to him, was apparently next in line, and it was more that Mr. Tong shook her whole arm rather than her hand. She couldn’t help but giggle a bit. He was so much more… open, than she’d expected.
“Kiara Kita,” She said with a bow. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Tong.”
With a broad smile, he waved a hand in front of his face. “Please,” he said dismissively, “just call me Lu. It makes things much more comfortable, doesn’t it?” She couldn’t disagree. He shook Rika’s and Haki’s hands afterwards, and once everyone was introduced, he retook his seat at the table, gesturing for them to be seated. “Now… why don’t you tell me a little about yourselves and your team, hm? I’ve been watching your matches, of course—I follow Probending to the point of habit, I fear, but that can only tell a person so much.”
The man was rather... jovial. It was a little unnerving, however; Rika swallowed and took a deep breath. Haki raised an eyebrow with mild amusement before he introduced himself to the man, and it was a name he knew all too well. Once they were seated, the man began with a question, and Haki took a glance towards Rika. He wondered, for a moment, if she was going to answer, however; the nervous fidgeting in her chair might have stated otherwise. It was a bit adorable, to see her so nervous. The usual rambunctious tea shop owner was being reduced to a fidgeting, blushing mess. Had this not been a formal meeting, he would have taken advantage of it.
"Well," Rika finally found her voice, still a little soft and meek, but it was there nonetheless. She cleared her throat, laughing a bit nervously before taking another deep breath. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom, originally. I moved to Republic City about seven years ago, when I was seventeen," she began, starting with just the basics of what he needed to know. Besides, it wasn't like she had anything interesting to say, she didn't lead an interesting life. "Ah, the team, well, we've only been together for a little over a year. I didn't think I would have been able to form my own team without them really," she stated, her voice going soft as she smiled at her friends.
"What Lotus means to say, is that she brought us together. The Otter Penguins would not be the Otter Penguins if it were not for Lotus trying to achieve her dream," Haki stated, a grin littering his lips. Rika pursed her lips together and shook her head at Haki. He, however, chuckled lightly before clearing his own throat and glancing straight at Mr. Tong. "Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, until I was about seven. I've lived here in Republic since then," he responded. Odd, Rika had never known he was raised in the Souther Water Tribe. He was a firebender though, and she had never thought to ask him about that.
"My father was a firebender, my mother a waterbender," that explained it. "As for our team," he continued, cocking a brow towards Rika and Kiara, "I believe Lotus has already answered that much," he stated, earning a light hissing sound from Rika. Didn't he have any manners? This was a potential sponsor they were talking to!
If anything, the elder Tong seemed to be amused by the way they told their stories, and his eyes swung expectantly to Kiara when the other two were done, who was by now feeling a little more at ease. This was actually much simpler than trying to talk to some of the elders of her tribe, really. “Oh, I was born in the Northern Water Tribe; I didn’t even leave until about a year and a half ago. These three were some of the first people I met when I came to the city, actually. I guess I just got really lucky.” She beamed at Lu, who by this point was smiling a little wider himself.
“Wonderful, wonderful! A team from diverse backgrounds, coming together for friendship and sport! It warms the heart, doesn’t it, Zhao?” His nephew looked at him slightly askance and shot the four of them an apologetic look laced with a bit of sheepishness.
“Erm… it sounds very nice, uncle. Perhaps, however, we should tell them about why we invited them here in the first place?” By this time, their food had arrived, and it was clear that Mr. Tong had spared no expense, ordering what looked like one of everything on the menu. Kiara’s eyes were so wide they might have bugged out of her head, at least until she remembered herself and reverted back to her manners. Fang looked as unperturbed as ever, of course.
“Oh, very well, Zhao. Truth be told, you four, I’ve been looking to break into probending for a while now. It’s a very lucrative business venture if done properly, but more than that, I just love the sport. I wanted to add my sponsorship and backing to a younger team, one still fresh and as fond of the game as I am. I’m an earthbender myself, you know; but far too old and fat for that sort of thing now.” He chuckled at himself, not seeming to be at all bothered by his age or size. Indeed, there was a merry twinkle in his eye as he helped himself to the noodles on the table. “But when it came time to actually pick one, I confess I was at something of a loss. There are so many teams, but none of them were quite what I thought I was looking for, you see?” He paused, then sighed and shook his head.
“Too much business, not enough fun. But you know… after seeing the three of you bend, I just had to go practice mine again. Nearly blew out my back, and I’m sure I looked very silly, but I really enjoyed myself. And that’s what I wanted. I want people to remember that bending is not just about what you can do with it, but also about the joy that comes of being one with your element. The Otter Penguins reminded me of that, in one of your very first matches. You—” he said, nodding to Kiara—“were smiling the entire time, and you—” he nodded at Rika, “had such a look of concentration on your face I thought something might explode!” He was still grinning ear-to-ear. “And of course, I’m betting you always enjoy bending.” The last was directed at Haki.
“I knew right then and there what team I wanted to sponsor. Never mind whether you win or lose, as long as you promise me you’ll never stop loving your bending, I’ll keep you funded for as long as you’re in the sport. It helps that you ladies are so pretty, or so Zhao tells me, right Zhao?”
Zhao turned so red he might have been slightly purple, and stammered something about “good for business,” which Lu waved off with a grin. “And there you have it. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in, Otter Penguins?”
Rika stared at Lu, glanced towards her friends, and then back at Lu. Was he serious? This... this didn't seem right. There felt something off about it. There was no way this could be true. No one would sponsor a team just for them to have fun. Sponsors were looking for teams that were capable of going further, taking their company names with them. They weren't interested in the team itself unless they were good at what they did. This man, this Lu Tong, he didn't seem to be lying about any of what he said. Could he possibly be speaking the truth? She glanced towards Haki, who was sitting on her right.
"Haki... pinch me, please," she stated, her tone set in all seriousness. Haki raised an eyebrow at the statement. Surely she wasn't serious, however; the look in her eyes said that she was. Haki obliged, pulling at the skin on her arm slightly, and chuckled at the hissing sound she made. "Not that hard, you idiot!" she whispered a little too loudly, and turned towards Lu and his nephew. At the mention, Rika found her face turning a bright scarlet color. Really, she'd never get used to someone saying things like that about her, even if they were meant in a harmless way. She tried to answer Lu's question, but found herself stumbling over her words.
"What Lotus is trying to say, is that she, and I do believe I speak for us as a team, would be interested indeed," Haki stated, folding his hands in front of him and regarding Lu with a grin. It wasn't a typical smile that he was used to wearing, however; it was certainly cause to wear a smile. They were finally going to get a sponsor. It meant that they would be able to participate in more games, afford better equipment, and possibly gain a little more recognition than what they already had. Though, that also entailed some rather interesting details that came along with having a sponsor. Not that they needed to know that now, but Haki would not say anything if Lu decided to state the conditions.
With the new sponsorship under their belts from Tong Industries, the Otter Penguins were doing quite well for themselves. They finally had professional-grade equipment, with only one relatively unobtrusive Tong logo on the right sleeve, and they were getting many more matches. In fact, at first their new schedule had been quite tiring, with a new match every week as the season picked up, but they’d risen to the challenge, and though there were some close calls, they were still winning their way up the hierarchy of probenders. Their sponsor showed up to every match, enthusiastically informing everyone who cared to listen that his favorite team was looking so good they may well have another shot at the professional brackets before the year was up.
The events they had to go to in exchange for their sponsorship had actually been fun, actually. Mr. Tong was basically exactly the kind of person he said he was, and so there were a lot of trips to various bending schools across the city, and sometimes the three were volunteered to teach clinics for benders who couldn’t afford the top-notch classes. Most of these were children or young adults, and Kiara really loved that part. She’d lost track of the number of pieces of Otter-Penguin gear she’d signed; it would seem that as the weeks wore on into months and winter crept once more over the city, her team was becoming quite popular.
Of course, not all the events they had to go to were clinics for kids or things like that. Some of them were actually a little bit more… awkward than that, so suffice it to say that when the team was informed that they would be in the annual Midwinter Parade that year, she was a little flabbergasted. Usually, that honor only went to the top teams, but apparently, the Otters just barely qualified for it, and were popular enough that their inclusion was warranted, despite technically still being a team in the amateur division of the sport. At least they didn’t have to dress up much—they’d be wearing a slightly-nicer version of their uniforms sans helmet, and that was all that was required. Probably for recognition, since probenders were not often seen without the uniforms. Or rather, they were not always recognized without them.
Even better, they’d be riding on the same parade float with the Pygmy Pumas and a few other teams. It was a bit of a promotion for them, honestly, but Kiara liked the Pumas, even if Rika had told her that one time that Ying was giving her the evil eye. She hadn’t seen it personally, but she trusted her friend. Perhaps the firebender had just been having a bad day or something—everyone was a bit grumpy sometimes, after all. Fang wasn’t riding with them, but he’d mentioned he had something to do that day anyway, and she assumed it was related to the security job he had or something. Whatever the case, the rest of them had been told to be at the parade grounds quite early in the morning, and Kiara was still trying to wake herself up when she got there, blinking blearily at the morning sun. She preferred to sleep at this time, honestly, probably something to do with her attachment to the moon, which was no longer anywhere in sight.
She bet Haki never had this problem.
Rika rolled in her bed, ignoring the wails of the morning sun, peeking through her window. She knew she should have closed those shades last night, but she had been so tired. The recent jump in competitions they had gave their team little to no room for rest. It was either practice, events, or matches. It was wearing her out, but she would endure and bear it. She was an earthbender! She could do this! With that in mind, Rika found herself rolling out of her bed, not quite awake enough to catch herself as she fell. Her back met the floor with a soft thud, and she groaned. The shockwave of pain wasn't quite enough to paralyze her, but she remained on the floor, staring up at the ceiling regardless.
She sighed, pushing herself up and quietly made her way towards her bathroom. Today was a special day. They were going to the annual Midwinter Parade. It should have been enough to make her excited about it. She'd only ever watched from the sidelines, staring in awe at the floats and the other teams. This year, however, she and her team would be in that parade. She could feel a light shiver go down her back. She wasn't exactly used to being looked at, and she prefered to be the one looking. Though, she knew her team would all be looked at, not just her. That alleviated the nervousness, but only by a fraction.
Haki, however, had been up before dawn, his eyes wide awake, belying his true state of mind. He was tired as well, if the dark circles forming under his eyes said anything about it, however; he did not let this on to his teammates. He didn't need to give them cause for worry. He glanced out over his balcony, watching as the sun rose steadily over the horizon. He sighed softly, pushing himself from the rail and made his way out of his apartment. He was dressed in his uniform, as they were required to be, though he wore a coat over his. It was still rather cold outside, even if he was able to keep himself warmer than the others.
He walked slowly down the street, greeting people here and there, and made his way towards Rika's home. He knew she was probably going to run a little late, as she always did, and he thought it best to walk with her. Or at least for his own sanity. He didn't know what to make of the recent looks Ying had sent him, and honestly... it was a little intimidating. He shook his head free of those thoughts. Perhaps he was reading too much into it. Once he reached the door, he raised his hand to knock, however; just as his head reached the door, it swung open to reveal a flustered earthbender. He cocked his brow, mild amusement crossing his features.
"Not a word Haki! We're going to be late! Let's move!" she stated, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her. He didn't have time to retort to her statement as she literally dragged him behind her. He chuckled all the way to the meeting spot, and was still laughing when they approached their waterbender. "We made it!" she stated, bending over and placing her hands on her knees. She was trying to catch her breath, and grinned up at Kiara. Haki cleared his throat behind Rika, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You're still holding my hand, Lotus."
"Shut up..." Haki only laughed as she released his hand, or rather, threw his hand.
Kiara smiled at them, finding her energy level lifted a little just by their company, and snorted when Rika chucked Haki’s hand away from herself. She knew them well enough by now to know exactly how that scenario had played out, and the mental image was kind of hilarious. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, gesturing with a hand over to where the finishing touches were being put on the probending floats. “It looks like they’re just about ready to put us on.” She had elected not to wear a coat, considering the relatively mild weather here compared to home. It wasn’t even cold enough to snow, unlike last Midwinter. The memory of that brought warmth to her, even as they made their way over to the floats.
She grinned a little wider when she observed that the Pumas were already there, Ying looking bored while Zian messed around, apparently trying to wake himself up a little more. She bet he had the same morning problem she did, really. Daichi seemed calm as ever, and she raised her hand to wave at the three of them, unsurprised when Zian waved back with some enthusiasm. He was a very vivacious person that way, where his teammates were a little more reserved.
The six of them, plus the Badger Moles, another top probending team, would be occupying this particular float, and from the way the organizers were gesturing, it was time to get everyone on board. Accepting a hand up from Zian, she turned to offer one to Rika behind her, looking around at the float itself. It was pulled along by a motor vehicle not unlike the front of a train, only smaller, and was itself a mostly flat surface, raised in the middle and showcasing a mix of all three probending elements: a flame burned in the middle of a sphere of crystal-clear ice, probably kept cold enough to retain its shape for quite some time, all in a frame of decoratively-carved stone. The ice bore the probending league logo on it, and the flame shifted different colors from inside. It was actually really neat-looking.
“So… what are we supposed to do, anyway? Just wave at people?” Kiara had heard of parades before, but only in the vaguest terms. She’d never actually seen one, much less been in one.
Rika shook her head as she followed behind Kiara, glancing behind her to glare at Haki once, and continued on her way. Haki chuckled lightly, shaking his own head as he followed his teammates to the float they were going to be sharing. Unsurpsingly, they were sharing a float with the Pygmy Pumas, and when Kiara waved at Zian, earning an enthusiastic wave in return, Haki couldn't stop his lips from pursing together in a fine line. He sighed softly, lifting himself up with ease and stood off to the side of the float. He could already hear the people's anxious murmurs, and he himself felt a little excited. He'd never been in the parade, as it seemed with the rest of his teammates, and this was the first time he'd actually be in it.
He blinked at Kiara's statement as he stared down at her. "Well, that's what they did last year, and the year before. I am sure it is no different this year, Turtle-Duck," he replied, though a slow smirk pulled at his lips. "But if you'd like," he began, sliding his hand into hers, the feeling of a harsh glare directed towards him on his back, "We could wave at them together," he stated, glancing over his shoulder towards Zian, giving the Puma waterbender a sly smirk. Rika rolled her eyes at Haki, and shoved her way into the middle of the two. She grabbed onto Kiara's arm and pulled her hand out of Haki's, lacing it with her own instead.
"If anyone is going to be waving together, it's going to be Kiara and myself," she stated, grinning at the disappointed look on Haki's face. "Besides, I'm sure someone else might be interested in holding your hand to wave, Haki," she stated, the slyness in her tone only matched by the light narrowing of her eyes. She was teasing the firebender, that much he knew, however; the reference sent a cold chill down his spine. He visibly shuddered at the thought and tried not to give much thought about it. That woman, if who Rika was refering to was in fact that same woman, still set of alarms throughout his body. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to that feeling.
"Why must you be so cruel, Lotus?"
Kiara, entirely oblivious to what any of them were talking about, placed her free hand on her hip. “I don’t get it. Shouldn’t we stick with our teams or something?” A thought occurred to her then, and she smiled. “Oh, I get it! You mean we should mingle a little, so that everyone in the crowd can see at least part of every team. That’s a really good idea!” She beamed at her teammates, then squeaked in surprise when she was suddenly tugged backwards.
Apparently, Ying also thought it was a great idea, and proceeded to move into the spot she and Rika had been in a moment before. Perhaps the idea was that they should separate by bending type? That could be fun; if they did that, they would be able to do little demonstrations as the float moved. There was little time to consider it, though, because the parade was moving, and somehow—she had no idea how—she found herself standing on the left side of the float, near Zian. Rika and Daichi weren’t too far away, but Haki and Ying must be on the other side of the sculpture with the Badger Moles, because they were out of her line of sight.
“I guess you’re probably used to this sort of thing by now, aren’t you?” The question she directed at Zian. He was, after all, a member of one of the most popular probending teams since the inception of the sport, and they were undefeated besides. They probably had sponsors fighting over them. Not that Kiara minded or anything—she was happy they did so well. They seemed like such good people to her.
On the other side of the float, Ying looked slightly sideways at Haki, something very sly in the tilt of her mouth. “Your teammates are just full of good ideas, aren’t they?”
"Hey now!" Rika managed to state as she found herself, along with Kiara, whisked away from Haki's side. Haki blinked in mild surprise when Ying was standing next to him, no longer in the presence of his teammates. That... wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He sighed, slumping his shoulders slightly before readjusting himself so that he stood up straight once more. He couldn't see Kiara or Rika; they were probably on the other side of the float. He raised a questioning brow at her statement, inwardly shivering at the tilt of her lips, and pursed his lips together.
"In all technicality, the idea was mine," he began turning his attention away, looking anywhere and everywhere but at her. "Not exactly what I had in mind," he continued, and it wasn't. He wanted to spend his time with his teammates, not the others on the float. His lips tilted downwards when he thought about it. Zian, however, was having the time of his life. He was waving towards the crowd, winking at those he past by, and tilted his head to regard Kiara. He smirked in her direction, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner in answer to her question.
"It'll get easier in time," he replied, shifting so that he was fully facing her. "Though I'll never be used to these early mornings. Even with the sponsors and events, mornings have never been my cup of tea," he continued. He glanced off towards the edge of the float, blowing a kiss towards his adoring fans. "So tell me, what are your plans after the parade?" he questioned, curious brows raised. Rika snorted at the statement, having heard the conversation from where she was currently standing, and crossed her arms over her chest. Her lips were pursed together as she frowned. She did not appreciate being pulled back the way she had, especially by her.
"You seem displeased, Rika. Are you not enjoying yourself?" Daichi questioned, glancing down at his friend. Rika blinked slowly up at him, before laughing nervously. She didn't mean to frown in public, and was probably showing bad sportsmanship. She shook her head in response. "You seem in better spirits since the last time I spoke with you, how is your shop doing?" he asked, smiling softly in response. Rika couldn't help but smile back, a light pink dusting her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, Chan and Wei own the shop now, you know that," she replied, lightly tapping his arm with her elbow. "It's just... things seem, what's the word," she stated, tapping her chin in a thoughtful manner as she tried to word her sentence properly. "Things are a little more vibrant I guess. I never thought my team and I would ever get this far," she continued, her eyes softening just a moment as she smiled. And she really hadn't. She thought they would do okay in their first match, but to have reached this far... it was an amazing feeling. Daichi only chuckled, laying a hand on her shoulder in the process.
The events they had to go to in exchange for their sponsorship had actually been fun, actually. Mr. Tong was basically exactly the kind of person he said he was, and so there were a lot of trips to various bending schools across the city, and sometimes the three were volunteered to teach clinics for benders who couldn’t afford the top-notch classes. Most of these were children or young adults, and Kiara really loved that part. She’d lost track of the number of pieces of Otter-Penguin gear she’d signed; it would seem that as the weeks wore on into months and winter crept once more over the city, her team was becoming quite popular.
Of course, not all the events they had to go to were clinics for kids or things like that. Some of them were actually a little bit more… awkward than that, so suffice it to say that when the team was informed that they would be in the annual Midwinter Parade that year, she was a little flabbergasted. Usually, that honor only went to the top teams, but apparently, the Otters just barely qualified for it, and were popular enough that their inclusion was warranted, despite technically still being a team in the amateur division of the sport. At least they didn’t have to dress up much—they’d be wearing a slightly-nicer version of their uniforms sans helmet, and that was all that was required. Probably for recognition, since probenders were not often seen without the uniforms. Or rather, they were not always recognized without them.
Even better, they’d be riding on the same parade float with the Pygmy Pumas and a few other teams. It was a bit of a promotion for them, honestly, but Kiara liked the Pumas, even if Rika had told her that one time that Ying was giving her the evil eye. She hadn’t seen it personally, but she trusted her friend. Perhaps the firebender had just been having a bad day or something—everyone was a bit grumpy sometimes, after all. Fang wasn’t riding with them, but he’d mentioned he had something to do that day anyway, and she assumed it was related to the security job he had or something. Whatever the case, the rest of them had been told to be at the parade grounds quite early in the morning, and Kiara was still trying to wake herself up when she got there, blinking blearily at the morning sun. She preferred to sleep at this time, honestly, probably something to do with her attachment to the moon, which was no longer anywhere in sight.
She bet Haki never had this problem.
Rika rolled in her bed, ignoring the wails of the morning sun, peeking through her window. She knew she should have closed those shades last night, but she had been so tired. The recent jump in competitions they had gave their team little to no room for rest. It was either practice, events, or matches. It was wearing her out, but she would endure and bear it. She was an earthbender! She could do this! With that in mind, Rika found herself rolling out of her bed, not quite awake enough to catch herself as she fell. Her back met the floor with a soft thud, and she groaned. The shockwave of pain wasn't quite enough to paralyze her, but she remained on the floor, staring up at the ceiling regardless.
She sighed, pushing herself up and quietly made her way towards her bathroom. Today was a special day. They were going to the annual Midwinter Parade. It should have been enough to make her excited about it. She'd only ever watched from the sidelines, staring in awe at the floats and the other teams. This year, however, she and her team would be in that parade. She could feel a light shiver go down her back. She wasn't exactly used to being looked at, and she prefered to be the one looking. Though, she knew her team would all be looked at, not just her. That alleviated the nervousness, but only by a fraction.
Haki, however, had been up before dawn, his eyes wide awake, belying his true state of mind. He was tired as well, if the dark circles forming under his eyes said anything about it, however; he did not let this on to his teammates. He didn't need to give them cause for worry. He glanced out over his balcony, watching as the sun rose steadily over the horizon. He sighed softly, pushing himself from the rail and made his way out of his apartment. He was dressed in his uniform, as they were required to be, though he wore a coat over his. It was still rather cold outside, even if he was able to keep himself warmer than the others.
He walked slowly down the street, greeting people here and there, and made his way towards Rika's home. He knew she was probably going to run a little late, as she always did, and he thought it best to walk with her. Or at least for his own sanity. He didn't know what to make of the recent looks Ying had sent him, and honestly... it was a little intimidating. He shook his head free of those thoughts. Perhaps he was reading too much into it. Once he reached the door, he raised his hand to knock, however; just as his head reached the door, it swung open to reveal a flustered earthbender. He cocked his brow, mild amusement crossing his features.
"Not a word Haki! We're going to be late! Let's move!" she stated, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her. He didn't have time to retort to her statement as she literally dragged him behind her. He chuckled all the way to the meeting spot, and was still laughing when they approached their waterbender. "We made it!" she stated, bending over and placing her hands on her knees. She was trying to catch her breath, and grinned up at Kiara. Haki cleared his throat behind Rika, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You're still holding my hand, Lotus."
"Shut up..." Haki only laughed as she released his hand, or rather, threw his hand.
Kiara smiled at them, finding her energy level lifted a little just by their company, and snorted when Rika chucked Haki’s hand away from herself. She knew them well enough by now to know exactly how that scenario had played out, and the mental image was kind of hilarious. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, gesturing with a hand over to where the finishing touches were being put on the probending floats. “It looks like they’re just about ready to put us on.” She had elected not to wear a coat, considering the relatively mild weather here compared to home. It wasn’t even cold enough to snow, unlike last Midwinter. The memory of that brought warmth to her, even as they made their way over to the floats.
She grinned a little wider when she observed that the Pumas were already there, Ying looking bored while Zian messed around, apparently trying to wake himself up a little more. She bet he had the same morning problem she did, really. Daichi seemed calm as ever, and she raised her hand to wave at the three of them, unsurprised when Zian waved back with some enthusiasm. He was a very vivacious person that way, where his teammates were a little more reserved.
The six of them, plus the Badger Moles, another top probending team, would be occupying this particular float, and from the way the organizers were gesturing, it was time to get everyone on board. Accepting a hand up from Zian, she turned to offer one to Rika behind her, looking around at the float itself. It was pulled along by a motor vehicle not unlike the front of a train, only smaller, and was itself a mostly flat surface, raised in the middle and showcasing a mix of all three probending elements: a flame burned in the middle of a sphere of crystal-clear ice, probably kept cold enough to retain its shape for quite some time, all in a frame of decoratively-carved stone. The ice bore the probending league logo on it, and the flame shifted different colors from inside. It was actually really neat-looking.
“So… what are we supposed to do, anyway? Just wave at people?” Kiara had heard of parades before, but only in the vaguest terms. She’d never actually seen one, much less been in one.
Rika shook her head as she followed behind Kiara, glancing behind her to glare at Haki once, and continued on her way. Haki chuckled lightly, shaking his own head as he followed his teammates to the float they were going to be sharing. Unsurpsingly, they were sharing a float with the Pygmy Pumas, and when Kiara waved at Zian, earning an enthusiastic wave in return, Haki couldn't stop his lips from pursing together in a fine line. He sighed softly, lifting himself up with ease and stood off to the side of the float. He could already hear the people's anxious murmurs, and he himself felt a little excited. He'd never been in the parade, as it seemed with the rest of his teammates, and this was the first time he'd actually be in it.
He blinked at Kiara's statement as he stared down at her. "Well, that's what they did last year, and the year before. I am sure it is no different this year, Turtle-Duck," he replied, though a slow smirk pulled at his lips. "But if you'd like," he began, sliding his hand into hers, the feeling of a harsh glare directed towards him on his back, "We could wave at them together," he stated, glancing over his shoulder towards Zian, giving the Puma waterbender a sly smirk. Rika rolled her eyes at Haki, and shoved her way into the middle of the two. She grabbed onto Kiara's arm and pulled her hand out of Haki's, lacing it with her own instead.
"If anyone is going to be waving together, it's going to be Kiara and myself," she stated, grinning at the disappointed look on Haki's face. "Besides, I'm sure someone else might be interested in holding your hand to wave, Haki," she stated, the slyness in her tone only matched by the light narrowing of her eyes. She was teasing the firebender, that much he knew, however; the reference sent a cold chill down his spine. He visibly shuddered at the thought and tried not to give much thought about it. That woman, if who Rika was refering to was in fact that same woman, still set of alarms throughout his body. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to that feeling.
"Why must you be so cruel, Lotus?"
Kiara, entirely oblivious to what any of them were talking about, placed her free hand on her hip. “I don’t get it. Shouldn’t we stick with our teams or something?” A thought occurred to her then, and she smiled. “Oh, I get it! You mean we should mingle a little, so that everyone in the crowd can see at least part of every team. That’s a really good idea!” She beamed at her teammates, then squeaked in surprise when she was suddenly tugged backwards.
Apparently, Ying also thought it was a great idea, and proceeded to move into the spot she and Rika had been in a moment before. Perhaps the idea was that they should separate by bending type? That could be fun; if they did that, they would be able to do little demonstrations as the float moved. There was little time to consider it, though, because the parade was moving, and somehow—she had no idea how—she found herself standing on the left side of the float, near Zian. Rika and Daichi weren’t too far away, but Haki and Ying must be on the other side of the sculpture with the Badger Moles, because they were out of her line of sight.
“I guess you’re probably used to this sort of thing by now, aren’t you?” The question she directed at Zian. He was, after all, a member of one of the most popular probending teams since the inception of the sport, and they were undefeated besides. They probably had sponsors fighting over them. Not that Kiara minded or anything—she was happy they did so well. They seemed like such good people to her.
On the other side of the float, Ying looked slightly sideways at Haki, something very sly in the tilt of her mouth. “Your teammates are just full of good ideas, aren’t they?”
"Hey now!" Rika managed to state as she found herself, along with Kiara, whisked away from Haki's side. Haki blinked in mild surprise when Ying was standing next to him, no longer in the presence of his teammates. That... wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He sighed, slumping his shoulders slightly before readjusting himself so that he stood up straight once more. He couldn't see Kiara or Rika; they were probably on the other side of the float. He raised a questioning brow at her statement, inwardly shivering at the tilt of her lips, and pursed his lips together.
"In all technicality, the idea was mine," he began turning his attention away, looking anywhere and everywhere but at her. "Not exactly what I had in mind," he continued, and it wasn't. He wanted to spend his time with his teammates, not the others on the float. His lips tilted downwards when he thought about it. Zian, however, was having the time of his life. He was waving towards the crowd, winking at those he past by, and tilted his head to regard Kiara. He smirked in her direction, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner in answer to her question.
"It'll get easier in time," he replied, shifting so that he was fully facing her. "Though I'll never be used to these early mornings. Even with the sponsors and events, mornings have never been my cup of tea," he continued. He glanced off towards the edge of the float, blowing a kiss towards his adoring fans. "So tell me, what are your plans after the parade?" he questioned, curious brows raised. Rika snorted at the statement, having heard the conversation from where she was currently standing, and crossed her arms over her chest. Her lips were pursed together as she frowned. She did not appreciate being pulled back the way she had, especially by her.
"You seem displeased, Rika. Are you not enjoying yourself?" Daichi questioned, glancing down at his friend. Rika blinked slowly up at him, before laughing nervously. She didn't mean to frown in public, and was probably showing bad sportsmanship. She shook her head in response. "You seem in better spirits since the last time I spoke with you, how is your shop doing?" he asked, smiling softly in response. Rika couldn't help but smile back, a light pink dusting her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, Chan and Wei own the shop now, you know that," she replied, lightly tapping his arm with her elbow. "It's just... things seem, what's the word," she stated, tapping her chin in a thoughtful manner as she tried to word her sentence properly. "Things are a little more vibrant I guess. I never thought my team and I would ever get this far," she continued, her eyes softening just a moment as she smiled. And she really hadn't. She thought they would do okay in their first match, but to have reached this far... it was an amazing feeling. Daichi only chuckled, laying a hand on her shoulder in the process.
Plans? For after the parade? Was she supposed to have made some? Perhaps there was another event she hadn’t heard about or something. “Uh… I hadn’t planned anything, really,” she confessed, taking his example and waving out at the crowd, a broad smile on her face when several people waved back. Well, maybe they were waving at Zian—it was kind of hard to tell from up here. Still, she was almost certain that she recognized at least a few of the kids from the bending clinic she’d been to earlier that week, and bounced up and down excitedly in her spot. She was so glad they’d made it!
It seemed a bit of a waste to be doing nothing but waving, though, and an idea came to her quite suddenly, curling her lips in a smile. “Hey Wen!” she said, calling to the waterbender of the Badgermoles, a lanky man of about thirty. He lacked the darkened complexion of a tribesman, giving away the fact that his family was actually several generations integrated into the Earth Kingdom. She waved him over and grabbed Zian by his elbow, forming a rough circle. “Why don’t we make this a little more exciting, huh? People don’t like us because we smile and wave; they like to watch us bend. So let’s bend! Did either of you ever play Floater?”
She referred to a game played among waterbending children in the tribes, but Wen nodded, apparently familiar anyway, thumbing his short, dark goatee. “You might be onto something there, Kiara. I’m in.” Smiling brightly at him, Kiara nodded, bending the ice away from the centerpiece of the float—she could always put it back later—leaving the flame and the earth to stay where they were, at least for now. Melting it down, she formed it into several perfect spheres of water and tossed one to Wen, who lengthened it into a coil of water and whipped it around his waist before putting it back into the ball and tossing it further on to Zian.
The point of the game of Floater was essentially to keep all the water in the air and moving back and forth between benders, while manipulating them as stylishly as possible. You could also use them to disrupt the other players, but only to the end of making things look cooler, such as when Kiara lashed a water whip at Wen’s knees, forcing him to jump over it. For extra style points, he landed in a handstand and bent the next two spheres over to Zian with his feet. Fortunately, the float was rather large, and all three waterbenders were very skilled with their craft—usually, kids who played the game got soaked, but the three of them just kept moving, and it looked like they’d coordinated the whole thing from the beginning. The laughter and pointing from the audience was a sure indication that the change was a popular one with the parade-goers, with children climbing onto the shoulders of their parents to get a better look.
In between juggling water spheres, Kiara managed to look down the side of the float at Rika. “Come on, you guys; I bet earthbenders can do something like this too, right? Have a little fun!”
Rika had been too occupied watching the waterbenders work their magic, that she almost didn't catch what Kiara had stated to her. She blinked, glancing towards Daichi as he raised a brow, a slow smile spreading across his lips. Well, the Earth Kingdom didn't really have games they played. If they did, it was something along the lines of earth soccer or sliding through the tunnels of Ba Sing Se. Daichi, however, seemed to have something in mind, and took some of the earth from nearby. He compressed it into a ball, hovering it in front of him and smiled towards Rika. She grinned in response and nodded her head, motioning for the Badger's earthbender, Yaozu, over towards them.
"You do realize that it's a little different, right?" he stated, but both Daichi and Rika nodded their heads in agreement and Yaozu grinned along. "Count me in, then," he stated. It wasn't quite earth soccer, but the motions were the same. They would kick the earth ball to each other, keeping it from touching the floor, however; Rika stepped towards the side, heading towards Haki and Ying. She grabbed Haki by his arm, glancing towards Ying and smirked in her direction.
"Sorry, but I have to borrow this," she stated, causing Haki to blink owlishly at her wording and was pulled along towards the group of earthbenders. "Let's make it a little interesting, shall we?" she stated, causing the three males to give her a questioning glance. "Haki, light these on fire," she stated, bending a column of earth to her into the shape of rings. They were large enough to fit over the three of them, and Rika lowered them so that they caged the three of them. "A little game of Ring of Fire should be a little interesting," she stated. Haki shook his head. He was a little familiar with the game, and so he obliged, lighting the rings on fire.
"Don't burn yourself, Lotus," he spoke, stepping back as the Earthbenders began their little game. Rika started first, holding the ball out in front of her and levitating it. She smiled and kicked threw the ball at Daichi, watching as he lowered himself to his hands, using only his feet to bend the ball in a circular motion as the hovering rings of fire came down towards him. He smirked, pushing the ball through the ring, watching as it became a small ball off fire, and aimed it towards Yaozu, who only smiled wider. Haki shook his head with a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he watched the others perform. Perhaps the fire trio could do something similar, however; he glanced towards Ying, and shuddered once more.
Ying watched with a bit of exasperation as Haki was dragged away. Attempting to make conversation with him while also participating at least a little in the parade was proving to be difficult. She didn’t really understand his reticence, because he never had the problem of saying too little when around his teammates, she had noticed. She suppressed the little flare of jealousy in her stomach—it didn’t matter how things were now, only how they came to be, and challenge or not, she wasn’t going to lose this one to some two-bit waterbender from the sticks.
That was a bit mean of her, maybe, but she could find the time to make friends with the other two when she’d gotten what she wanted, and the idea that he could be simply uninterested didn’t really register, because she’d never had to deal with it before. Even Daichi, neutral and unruffled as he usually was, had been interested, and Zian was interested in pretty much anything with a feminine figure. Not that she reciprocated, of course. Men had always been rather simple for her, but this one was getting complicated, and she had to admit, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to her. Well, if nothing else, she was persistent.
“Well, I think we ought not be shown up by our own teammates,” she pointed out, gesturing Shun, the Badgermoles’ firebender over with a crooking of one finger. He was a youth of perhaps nineteen or twenty, considerably younger than most of the rest of those on the float. But then, he’d been bending in the arena style since he was old enough to conjure a flame; his parents were both from the first generation of probenders. Beckoning to the flame left at the middle of the float, Ying was surprised when it continued to change colors—probably an artistic bender had created it. Dividing it evenly into three, she passed the other two thirds to the others, then with a few gestures, shaped hers into a birdlike form, sweeping it around to take flight over the float.
Shun made his into a fire ferret, and sent it scampering after the bird, shifting colors at the same time. Ying smirked and flew her bird around behind it, scattering harmless colored sparks everywhere. They passed the waterbenders on the other side, and Kiara grinned, spreading her next sphere into a disk, catching Shun’s eye. He nodded, and ran his ferret right into it, creating a massive jet of colored steam, which they bent together into the logo that represented probending to the entire city. There was much applause, and Kiara looked out over those assembled with a huge grin on her face, only to meet a pair of very familiar eyes. Her own went wide, and she did a double take, dropping all the water she was currently bending.
It couldn’t be… but it was.
Her lips parted, but she was interrupted by a shout from the very same person. “Kiara!” The voice, at once familiar and long left behind, belonged to a tall, well-built man obviously of one of the Tribes, for he still wore their traditional dress, blue and white, mostly. She shook her head rapidly, but he was already pushing through the crowd, trying to approach the float.
“Kohaku? What on earth are you doing here?”
She obviously didn't sound as pleased to see him as he expected, because he flinched slightly, but pressed on, trailing after the float. Not now, she thought, please not now. “Why else would I be here, Kiara? I’m here for you!”
“Well you shouldn’t be!” she replied, looking around desperately for someone working security. If she didn’t get him away from here, it was going to cause a problem, and she didn’t want that. Not when it could affect her team. Thankfully, who of all people should appear in that moment but Fang, dressed in the all blacks the parade security were wearing, physically blocking Kohaku from getting any closer. Her old friend was broader, but her new one was taller. “Fang, get him out of here. You can tell him where I live, just… he can’t be here now.”
The golden-eyed man nodded, pulling Kohaku back into the crowd. Kiara, however, had lost all desire to be in the parade, a hard knot of dread forming in the pit of her stomach. Kohaku was here—and he’d come for her.
Rika laughed as she watched the fire ferret chase after the bird. She glanced towards Haki, watching as he contemplated for a moment what to do with his flame, and a contemplative thought crossed his mind. He molded his flame into a Turtle Duck, and sent it scurrying after the waterbenders. Zian spotted this and frowned, moving his water so as to attempt to drown Haki's display. Before he had the chance, though, Kiara dropped her water, causing Haki to glance at her with a worried glance. She seemed to be startled, and his eyes searched the crowd for the source. He couldn't see anything, but he did notice Fang pulling a water tribe man away. Did Kiara know him? He made to go towards Kiara, however; he was stopped by a passing flame, the bird Ying had created, and he turned towards the firebender.
Rika, however, stopped what she was doing, dismantling the column of earth and replacing it where she got it from. She stood beside Kiara, placing a hand on the waterbenders shoulder and gave her a worried glance. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, concern laced in her voice. Daichi stood off to the side, glancing out into the crowd, nodding to one of his comrades from the department. Security would be tightened a little. The crowd was getting a little rowdy, something they were used to dealing with by now, however; they were a little more energetic this time. He glanced towards Ying and Zian, motioning for them to return back to their group as Haki stood next to Kiara and Rika.
"Do you need to sit down, Kiara," Haki spoke, all seriousness becoming his tone. He detached all amusement, all sarcasm he held, and regarded his friend. It looked like she'd seen a ghost, and had he known just who she saw, perhaps it would have been an understatement. Regardless, he wasn't going anywhere, not while his friend was in a momentary state of what seemed to be shock. "The parade is almost over, do you want Rika or myself to accompany you home?" he spoke. Though he was sure she'd probably prefer Rika to take her home, he wasn't going to let her go by herself.
“No,” Kiara said quickly, and perhaps a little too panicked to come across as truthful. Shaking her head slightly, she gathered what water she could back to her and replaced it in the sculpture. “No, I… I’ll be fine, really, thank you. I just… hadn’t ever expected to see him again, is all.” She felt a little bad for sending him away like that, actually, but she couldn’t bear to cause any more of a scene than she already had, and he would only have made things worse. Reforming the water the way it had been, she froze it in place around the flame, which someone had already put back. She smiled up at her teammates, but anything further she could have said was stopped by the sound of a commotion from ahead of them in the parade.
“What was that?” she asked, furrowing her brows and moving to the front of the float. It looked like… a cloud of smoke, billowing from further up the line, where the Council members and their bodyguards were. There had been nothing that sounded like a fire or an explosion, so the smoke cloud was hard to explain. She could definitely hear people screaming, though it sounded more panicked than pained.
Swallowing hard, she wondered if maybe today wasn’t all of her luck running out. The universe had given her a life and friends she loved, and now karma was coming back around to make everything go wrong. Well, not if she had anything to say about it. The parade float had come to a stop, but Kiara was hardly satisfied with that, and hopped over the bars keeping the benders on it secure, taking off in the direction of the smoke. If it was a Triad attack or something, then the people were going to need help, even considering the police force.
Haki frowned at the quickness of her response. He wasn't going to press the matter further. It was clear enough that whatever was bothering her, was doing so greatly. He didn't want to add to that, however; he also didn't want her to go alone. He shook his head softly, letting a sigh escape him as Rika raised a brow in his direction. She gave him a questioning stare, but before she could say anything, both her's and Haki's attention was taken by a commotion. Haki frowned, his brows furrowing deeply. Was it another attack? He glanced over the float, trying to get a better view of what was going on, however; Kiara was already over the rails, Rika not far behind her.
"Daichi," was the only word Haki needed to state. Daichi understood full well and jumped off the side of the float as well, going into the crowd to help keep people from stampeding. Haki followed after his teammates, his eyes fixed in front of him. He wasn't sure if it was another Equalist attack, or perhaps a Triad attack. He was certain, though, if it had been an Equalist attack, it wouldn't be this subtle. They were going for the grand theatrics now, and this was too small for something of their caliber. Whatever it was, they were going to be needed to help. The firefighters and police force could only do so much, and at least they had a bit of experience dealing with the Triads, if it were indeed them.
Rika followed behind Kiara, trying to keep up with the waterbender, however; she was pulled back by a few of the panicking people. She growled between her teeth, trying to avoid the people, but every time she took one step forward, she was pushed a few steps back. She glanced towards her side, noticing Haki passing her, avoiding people as fluidly as if he were an airbender instead. She pursed her lips together as she tried to mimic his motions, and to her surprise, she was able to avoid a few people. Still, she wasn't getting anywhere fast enough, and she cursed herself. Haki was already by Kiara's side the moment Rika arrived, and her eyes widened slightly.
"What's going on?"
“They’re taking people,” Kiara replied, pointing to where several figures, disguised as additional security for the event, were in fact apparently disabling people and then throwing them over their shoulders and disappearing fast into alleyways and shadows, where none but the most experienced eyes would be able to follow. She cursed herself for making Fang deal with Kohaku—he would have known what to do here, and she did not.
“We have to protect the Council.” It was true that it was sometimes hard to tell if the members of the Council were more concerned about the city or their own power, but even so, there was no mistaking that if something happened to them here, the entire city would fall apart. Without another word, she took off again, her teammates hot on her heels, hopping up onto the Council’s float, where several members of that group were already trying to fend off more masked attackers. It was strange, though—she knew that every last one of them was a bender, but only a few seemed to be using that as a method to defend themselves.
It hit her at about the same time as she saw one of the masked figures get in close to the Council’s firebender, striking with a series of quick jabs at the man’s arms. They fell limp, and he staggered backwards. “Chi blockers!” she warned the others, grabbing some water from the air itself and lashing it right into the face of the firebender’s assailant, who was making as if to grab the councilman. Another came at her, but she spun past him, encasing his feet in the ice she made from her water, then pulling more from the air. It was tiring to get access to her element that way, but she had no other way to do it—there wasn’t any other water around right now.
She lost half of what she’d gained when another chi blocker hit her arm. His aim wasn’t perfect, but she felt the disruption and knew that arm was all but useless for bending now. Lifting a foot, she kicked him square in the chest and sent him off the float. There was more than one way to do his job, after all, though she wouldn’t like her chances will all her bending gone, that was for sure.
Haki frowned, his eyes hardening slightly. Why would they want to attack the council members? Were they trying to prove a point? Perhaps, but it was not a thought he had time to linger on. He needed to act as quickly as he could, dispatching a few attackers before he heard Kiara's shout. He cursed beneath his breath, sending a ball of flames towards a Chi blocker heading for Kiara's back. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, when he spotted a chi blocker attacking Kiara. He spun around, catching his attacker in the back of the head, kicking him away.
"Rika," he called out, watching as she ducked away from a chi blocker as well, however; she seemed to be struggling a bit. Closer inspection caused Haki to frown. She'd been hit by the chi blockers, and her bending was temporarily gone. She was relying on her bending style to keep herself safe and protecting the council members at the same time. This wasn't good, not one bit. He gritted his teeth together, running towards the members as they continued fending off their own attackers. He managed to get in the way of a chi blocker, going for the Council's earthbender, and in doing so, was hit with a quick session of jabs to his arms.
"Haki," Rika stated, watching as her friend defended himself as best as he could. This wasn't good. They needed more help than what they could give. She frowned, furrowing her brows together. There would be no one else coming, and at the moment, she and her friends were the only ones capable of helping. With her bending gone, all she had to do was fight a little longer before she could bend again. Chi blocking was only temporary, however; the removal of one's bending completely, was permanent. She fought her way towards Kiara first, shoving into one of the chi blockers and tossing them both off of the float. At least Kiara could still bend... in a way, and Haki could at least keep fighting with her on the float.
She could try and take care of the blockers on the ground level, keep them from going up, at least. She felt something cold, and hard hit the back of her head, causing her to fall to her hands and knees with a painful hiss escaping her. She tried to roll out of the way, but felt something hard against her ribs, and she cried out in pain. The boots the blockers were wearing might as well have been laced with metal, because the stinging of her ribs notified her that they were either broken, or at least sprained. She was going to bet on sprained, but she didn't have time to linger on the thought. She was on her side, sprawled on the ground, bending useless, and her attacker was using this to their advantage.
After getting Kiara’s friend to a safer location, Fang was back into the fray. Truthfully, he was supposed to have been there all along—he and several other Equalists, mostly chi blockers, had infiltrated the ranks of hired security for the parade, with the intent of making off with as many Council members as possible. The idea was to remove their bending in a later underground display, as Amon had been doing with less-important benders for years now. But they’d been complicated from the very beginning, it seemed, and now as he came upon the scene, still dressed in his security uniform, he saw that his friends had become involved.
Fang stopped, now suddenly uncertain about what to do. They were in the parade—he had known that from the very beginning, but somehow he had not been expecting them to make it this far. He’d rather hoped that they would stay out of it all together. Apparently, that hope had been in vain, and watching them now, he supposed he really should have known. They were not cowards, empty husks like him. They were the stuff of which heroes were made, and it did look quite heroic, standing with the Council and the few police forces that were still up and moving. He wasn’t like that, like them, and he wondered if this was it, the moment when he would finally be forced to face them down and reveal himself for the unworthy wretch he was. Even after all this time.
But then he saw an Equalist standing over Rika, his friend, and the man’s intent was clearly not to knock her out. His blade was aimed to kill—Fang of all people would know what that looked like. He acted before he thought, throwing his hand outwards, a sharp gust of air knocking the other man off his feet, carrying him forward into his own sprawl. Fang followed at a sprint, leaping over several unconscious people and drawing his swords. Before more than a few moments had passed, his left-hand blade flashed downwards, removing the man’s hand from his arm. “I thought,” he said flatly, “that Equalists were once committed to nonfatal means.” They once had been. And then the only killer had been him.
But now they were the people who blew up buildings and killed innocent benders that stood in their way. That… he could not let that take place in front of him. Not to them. Not to her. The man’s eyes went wide, and he clutched at his stump, bleeding sluggishly and in great amounts. “You!” Clearly, he recognized Fang, but at least he hadn’t said how. And he wouldn’t, for the flat of Fang’s sword caught him hard across the temple, and he fell unconscious.
The rest of the Equalists, having expected much less resistance than they were in fact getting, beat a hasty retreat, a few of them still carrying hostages. None of the Council members had been taken, however, and Fang picked his way back over to Rika, sheathing his swords at his back and crouching beside her. “You are hurt,” he said, a note of concern creeping subtly into his usual monotone. He held a hand out to help her up, deciding that the implications of what he’d just done could be puzzled through later. Much later.
Rika stared wide-eyed up at the Equalist. His sword was raised, the strike inevitable, and she couldn't do anything to defend herself. This was it for her, and she had never felt such fear course through her body in her entire life. She almost wanted to laugh at herself for comparing it to the moment she began fearing the giant rhinoceros beetle. As he readied the fatal blow, Rika felt a strong gust of air seemingly coming out of nowhere, and cast the man to the side. She blinked in surprise, trying to comprehend what had happened, and finally spotted Fang. She let out a choked cry of relief, one falling on deaf ears to the other sounds in the area.
She tried sitting up, grabbing her ribs as a sharp pain shot through her. She closed her eyes together, taking short breaths to regulate her breathing again. "I'm fine," she tried to speak, and forced a smile upon her face. She winced at the sudden pain coursing through her side again, and sighed. "Thank you, Fang. I... I don't know how I can repay you for this," she muttered softly. It might not have seemed like much, but he just saved her life. Literally. She could feel her shoulders shaking, trying to keep her tears at bay. This fear, this feeling, it was something that she couldn't fully grasp, and instead, she took his offered hand.
She didn't let go, and instead pulled herself forward, wrapping her arms around him. She could feel her tears spilling through her eyes now, soaking his security shirt, and she tried to stop. Maybe she was over reacting, or maybe she had never had her life threatened before, and it was something she couldn't understand. The sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention, and she pulled away from Fang, wiping her eyes dry as she glanced towards Haki. He did not know what was going on, but he could only presume to guess. "Lotus, Fang, are you both alright?" he questioned. He, himself, managed to escape unscathed.
"Haki," she began, hearing her own voice crack at just the mention of his name, and she shook her head. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks to Fang," she continued, her voice lower than normal. "I... I am not sure what happened, but," she paused, trying to word this statement carefully. "There was... there was a really strong wind that passed through, right before Fang showed up. I do not know if it was just a coincidence, or what, but," she continued, glancing towards Fang before returning her attention to Haki. "I think... I think there might have been an airbender here," she concluded. She sighed and shook her head, wincing slightly as she pressed her hands against her ribs.
"Are you sure you're alright, Rika? The airbenders are still on Air Temple Island. I doubt one of them heard the commotion and came to help."
“Not all of them,” Kiara put in, hopping down from the float and clutching her side, where her uniform was now being stained with her blood. There wasn’t any water around to heal the cut immediately, but it looked worse than it was. She’d been careless, and a sword had cut her in the side. “But whatever the case, I’m glad you’re all okay.” she smiled wanly, shaking her head. This might just have been the worst day she’d ever had, and it had started so well.
“I don’t know about you guys, but… I really just want to go home.”
It seemed a bit of a waste to be doing nothing but waving, though, and an idea came to her quite suddenly, curling her lips in a smile. “Hey Wen!” she said, calling to the waterbender of the Badgermoles, a lanky man of about thirty. He lacked the darkened complexion of a tribesman, giving away the fact that his family was actually several generations integrated into the Earth Kingdom. She waved him over and grabbed Zian by his elbow, forming a rough circle. “Why don’t we make this a little more exciting, huh? People don’t like us because we smile and wave; they like to watch us bend. So let’s bend! Did either of you ever play Floater?”
She referred to a game played among waterbending children in the tribes, but Wen nodded, apparently familiar anyway, thumbing his short, dark goatee. “You might be onto something there, Kiara. I’m in.” Smiling brightly at him, Kiara nodded, bending the ice away from the centerpiece of the float—she could always put it back later—leaving the flame and the earth to stay where they were, at least for now. Melting it down, she formed it into several perfect spheres of water and tossed one to Wen, who lengthened it into a coil of water and whipped it around his waist before putting it back into the ball and tossing it further on to Zian.
The point of the game of Floater was essentially to keep all the water in the air and moving back and forth between benders, while manipulating them as stylishly as possible. You could also use them to disrupt the other players, but only to the end of making things look cooler, such as when Kiara lashed a water whip at Wen’s knees, forcing him to jump over it. For extra style points, he landed in a handstand and bent the next two spheres over to Zian with his feet. Fortunately, the float was rather large, and all three waterbenders were very skilled with their craft—usually, kids who played the game got soaked, but the three of them just kept moving, and it looked like they’d coordinated the whole thing from the beginning. The laughter and pointing from the audience was a sure indication that the change was a popular one with the parade-goers, with children climbing onto the shoulders of their parents to get a better look.
In between juggling water spheres, Kiara managed to look down the side of the float at Rika. “Come on, you guys; I bet earthbenders can do something like this too, right? Have a little fun!”
Rika had been too occupied watching the waterbenders work their magic, that she almost didn't catch what Kiara had stated to her. She blinked, glancing towards Daichi as he raised a brow, a slow smile spreading across his lips. Well, the Earth Kingdom didn't really have games they played. If they did, it was something along the lines of earth soccer or sliding through the tunnels of Ba Sing Se. Daichi, however, seemed to have something in mind, and took some of the earth from nearby. He compressed it into a ball, hovering it in front of him and smiled towards Rika. She grinned in response and nodded her head, motioning for the Badger's earthbender, Yaozu, over towards them.
"You do realize that it's a little different, right?" he stated, but both Daichi and Rika nodded their heads in agreement and Yaozu grinned along. "Count me in, then," he stated. It wasn't quite earth soccer, but the motions were the same. They would kick the earth ball to each other, keeping it from touching the floor, however; Rika stepped towards the side, heading towards Haki and Ying. She grabbed Haki by his arm, glancing towards Ying and smirked in her direction.
"Sorry, but I have to borrow this," she stated, causing Haki to blink owlishly at her wording and was pulled along towards the group of earthbenders. "Let's make it a little interesting, shall we?" she stated, causing the three males to give her a questioning glance. "Haki, light these on fire," she stated, bending a column of earth to her into the shape of rings. They were large enough to fit over the three of them, and Rika lowered them so that they caged the three of them. "A little game of Ring of Fire should be a little interesting," she stated. Haki shook his head. He was a little familiar with the game, and so he obliged, lighting the rings on fire.
"Don't burn yourself, Lotus," he spoke, stepping back as the Earthbenders began their little game. Rika started first, holding the ball out in front of her and levitating it. She smiled and kicked threw the ball at Daichi, watching as he lowered himself to his hands, using only his feet to bend the ball in a circular motion as the hovering rings of fire came down towards him. He smirked, pushing the ball through the ring, watching as it became a small ball off fire, and aimed it towards Yaozu, who only smiled wider. Haki shook his head with a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he watched the others perform. Perhaps the fire trio could do something similar, however; he glanced towards Ying, and shuddered once more.
Ying watched with a bit of exasperation as Haki was dragged away. Attempting to make conversation with him while also participating at least a little in the parade was proving to be difficult. She didn’t really understand his reticence, because he never had the problem of saying too little when around his teammates, she had noticed. She suppressed the little flare of jealousy in her stomach—it didn’t matter how things were now, only how they came to be, and challenge or not, she wasn’t going to lose this one to some two-bit waterbender from the sticks.
That was a bit mean of her, maybe, but she could find the time to make friends with the other two when she’d gotten what she wanted, and the idea that he could be simply uninterested didn’t really register, because she’d never had to deal with it before. Even Daichi, neutral and unruffled as he usually was, had been interested, and Zian was interested in pretty much anything with a feminine figure. Not that she reciprocated, of course. Men had always been rather simple for her, but this one was getting complicated, and she had to admit, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to her. Well, if nothing else, she was persistent.
“Well, I think we ought not be shown up by our own teammates,” she pointed out, gesturing Shun, the Badgermoles’ firebender over with a crooking of one finger. He was a youth of perhaps nineteen or twenty, considerably younger than most of the rest of those on the float. But then, he’d been bending in the arena style since he was old enough to conjure a flame; his parents were both from the first generation of probenders. Beckoning to the flame left at the middle of the float, Ying was surprised when it continued to change colors—probably an artistic bender had created it. Dividing it evenly into three, she passed the other two thirds to the others, then with a few gestures, shaped hers into a birdlike form, sweeping it around to take flight over the float.
Shun made his into a fire ferret, and sent it scampering after the bird, shifting colors at the same time. Ying smirked and flew her bird around behind it, scattering harmless colored sparks everywhere. They passed the waterbenders on the other side, and Kiara grinned, spreading her next sphere into a disk, catching Shun’s eye. He nodded, and ran his ferret right into it, creating a massive jet of colored steam, which they bent together into the logo that represented probending to the entire city. There was much applause, and Kiara looked out over those assembled with a huge grin on her face, only to meet a pair of very familiar eyes. Her own went wide, and she did a double take, dropping all the water she was currently bending.
It couldn’t be… but it was.
Her lips parted, but she was interrupted by a shout from the very same person. “Kiara!” The voice, at once familiar and long left behind, belonged to a tall, well-built man obviously of one of the Tribes, for he still wore their traditional dress, blue and white, mostly. She shook her head rapidly, but he was already pushing through the crowd, trying to approach the float.
“Kohaku? What on earth are you doing here?”
She obviously didn't sound as pleased to see him as he expected, because he flinched slightly, but pressed on, trailing after the float. Not now, she thought, please not now. “Why else would I be here, Kiara? I’m here for you!”
“Well you shouldn’t be!” she replied, looking around desperately for someone working security. If she didn’t get him away from here, it was going to cause a problem, and she didn’t want that. Not when it could affect her team. Thankfully, who of all people should appear in that moment but Fang, dressed in the all blacks the parade security were wearing, physically blocking Kohaku from getting any closer. Her old friend was broader, but her new one was taller. “Fang, get him out of here. You can tell him where I live, just… he can’t be here now.”
The golden-eyed man nodded, pulling Kohaku back into the crowd. Kiara, however, had lost all desire to be in the parade, a hard knot of dread forming in the pit of her stomach. Kohaku was here—and he’d come for her.
Rika laughed as she watched the fire ferret chase after the bird. She glanced towards Haki, watching as he contemplated for a moment what to do with his flame, and a contemplative thought crossed his mind. He molded his flame into a Turtle Duck, and sent it scurrying after the waterbenders. Zian spotted this and frowned, moving his water so as to attempt to drown Haki's display. Before he had the chance, though, Kiara dropped her water, causing Haki to glance at her with a worried glance. She seemed to be startled, and his eyes searched the crowd for the source. He couldn't see anything, but he did notice Fang pulling a water tribe man away. Did Kiara know him? He made to go towards Kiara, however; he was stopped by a passing flame, the bird Ying had created, and he turned towards the firebender.
Rika, however, stopped what she was doing, dismantling the column of earth and replacing it where she got it from. She stood beside Kiara, placing a hand on the waterbenders shoulder and gave her a worried glance. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, concern laced in her voice. Daichi stood off to the side, glancing out into the crowd, nodding to one of his comrades from the department. Security would be tightened a little. The crowd was getting a little rowdy, something they were used to dealing with by now, however; they were a little more energetic this time. He glanced towards Ying and Zian, motioning for them to return back to their group as Haki stood next to Kiara and Rika.
"Do you need to sit down, Kiara," Haki spoke, all seriousness becoming his tone. He detached all amusement, all sarcasm he held, and regarded his friend. It looked like she'd seen a ghost, and had he known just who she saw, perhaps it would have been an understatement. Regardless, he wasn't going anywhere, not while his friend was in a momentary state of what seemed to be shock. "The parade is almost over, do you want Rika or myself to accompany you home?" he spoke. Though he was sure she'd probably prefer Rika to take her home, he wasn't going to let her go by herself.
“No,” Kiara said quickly, and perhaps a little too panicked to come across as truthful. Shaking her head slightly, she gathered what water she could back to her and replaced it in the sculpture. “No, I… I’ll be fine, really, thank you. I just… hadn’t ever expected to see him again, is all.” She felt a little bad for sending him away like that, actually, but she couldn’t bear to cause any more of a scene than she already had, and he would only have made things worse. Reforming the water the way it had been, she froze it in place around the flame, which someone had already put back. She smiled up at her teammates, but anything further she could have said was stopped by the sound of a commotion from ahead of them in the parade.
“What was that?” she asked, furrowing her brows and moving to the front of the float. It looked like… a cloud of smoke, billowing from further up the line, where the Council members and their bodyguards were. There had been nothing that sounded like a fire or an explosion, so the smoke cloud was hard to explain. She could definitely hear people screaming, though it sounded more panicked than pained.
Swallowing hard, she wondered if maybe today wasn’t all of her luck running out. The universe had given her a life and friends she loved, and now karma was coming back around to make everything go wrong. Well, not if she had anything to say about it. The parade float had come to a stop, but Kiara was hardly satisfied with that, and hopped over the bars keeping the benders on it secure, taking off in the direction of the smoke. If it was a Triad attack or something, then the people were going to need help, even considering the police force.
Haki frowned at the quickness of her response. He wasn't going to press the matter further. It was clear enough that whatever was bothering her, was doing so greatly. He didn't want to add to that, however; he also didn't want her to go alone. He shook his head softly, letting a sigh escape him as Rika raised a brow in his direction. She gave him a questioning stare, but before she could say anything, both her's and Haki's attention was taken by a commotion. Haki frowned, his brows furrowing deeply. Was it another attack? He glanced over the float, trying to get a better view of what was going on, however; Kiara was already over the rails, Rika not far behind her.
"Daichi," was the only word Haki needed to state. Daichi understood full well and jumped off the side of the float as well, going into the crowd to help keep people from stampeding. Haki followed after his teammates, his eyes fixed in front of him. He wasn't sure if it was another Equalist attack, or perhaps a Triad attack. He was certain, though, if it had been an Equalist attack, it wouldn't be this subtle. They were going for the grand theatrics now, and this was too small for something of their caliber. Whatever it was, they were going to be needed to help. The firefighters and police force could only do so much, and at least they had a bit of experience dealing with the Triads, if it were indeed them.
Rika followed behind Kiara, trying to keep up with the waterbender, however; she was pulled back by a few of the panicking people. She growled between her teeth, trying to avoid the people, but every time she took one step forward, she was pushed a few steps back. She glanced towards her side, noticing Haki passing her, avoiding people as fluidly as if he were an airbender instead. She pursed her lips together as she tried to mimic his motions, and to her surprise, she was able to avoid a few people. Still, she wasn't getting anywhere fast enough, and she cursed herself. Haki was already by Kiara's side the moment Rika arrived, and her eyes widened slightly.
"What's going on?"
“They’re taking people,” Kiara replied, pointing to where several figures, disguised as additional security for the event, were in fact apparently disabling people and then throwing them over their shoulders and disappearing fast into alleyways and shadows, where none but the most experienced eyes would be able to follow. She cursed herself for making Fang deal with Kohaku—he would have known what to do here, and she did not.
“We have to protect the Council.” It was true that it was sometimes hard to tell if the members of the Council were more concerned about the city or their own power, but even so, there was no mistaking that if something happened to them here, the entire city would fall apart. Without another word, she took off again, her teammates hot on her heels, hopping up onto the Council’s float, where several members of that group were already trying to fend off more masked attackers. It was strange, though—she knew that every last one of them was a bender, but only a few seemed to be using that as a method to defend themselves.
It hit her at about the same time as she saw one of the masked figures get in close to the Council’s firebender, striking with a series of quick jabs at the man’s arms. They fell limp, and he staggered backwards. “Chi blockers!” she warned the others, grabbing some water from the air itself and lashing it right into the face of the firebender’s assailant, who was making as if to grab the councilman. Another came at her, but she spun past him, encasing his feet in the ice she made from her water, then pulling more from the air. It was tiring to get access to her element that way, but she had no other way to do it—there wasn’t any other water around right now.
She lost half of what she’d gained when another chi blocker hit her arm. His aim wasn’t perfect, but she felt the disruption and knew that arm was all but useless for bending now. Lifting a foot, she kicked him square in the chest and sent him off the float. There was more than one way to do his job, after all, though she wouldn’t like her chances will all her bending gone, that was for sure.
Haki frowned, his eyes hardening slightly. Why would they want to attack the council members? Were they trying to prove a point? Perhaps, but it was not a thought he had time to linger on. He needed to act as quickly as he could, dispatching a few attackers before he heard Kiara's shout. He cursed beneath his breath, sending a ball of flames towards a Chi blocker heading for Kiara's back. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, when he spotted a chi blocker attacking Kiara. He spun around, catching his attacker in the back of the head, kicking him away.
"Rika," he called out, watching as she ducked away from a chi blocker as well, however; she seemed to be struggling a bit. Closer inspection caused Haki to frown. She'd been hit by the chi blockers, and her bending was temporarily gone. She was relying on her bending style to keep herself safe and protecting the council members at the same time. This wasn't good, not one bit. He gritted his teeth together, running towards the members as they continued fending off their own attackers. He managed to get in the way of a chi blocker, going for the Council's earthbender, and in doing so, was hit with a quick session of jabs to his arms.
"Haki," Rika stated, watching as her friend defended himself as best as he could. This wasn't good. They needed more help than what they could give. She frowned, furrowing her brows together. There would be no one else coming, and at the moment, she and her friends were the only ones capable of helping. With her bending gone, all she had to do was fight a little longer before she could bend again. Chi blocking was only temporary, however; the removal of one's bending completely, was permanent. She fought her way towards Kiara first, shoving into one of the chi blockers and tossing them both off of the float. At least Kiara could still bend... in a way, and Haki could at least keep fighting with her on the float.
She could try and take care of the blockers on the ground level, keep them from going up, at least. She felt something cold, and hard hit the back of her head, causing her to fall to her hands and knees with a painful hiss escaping her. She tried to roll out of the way, but felt something hard against her ribs, and she cried out in pain. The boots the blockers were wearing might as well have been laced with metal, because the stinging of her ribs notified her that they were either broken, or at least sprained. She was going to bet on sprained, but she didn't have time to linger on the thought. She was on her side, sprawled on the ground, bending useless, and her attacker was using this to their advantage.
After getting Kiara’s friend to a safer location, Fang was back into the fray. Truthfully, he was supposed to have been there all along—he and several other Equalists, mostly chi blockers, had infiltrated the ranks of hired security for the parade, with the intent of making off with as many Council members as possible. The idea was to remove their bending in a later underground display, as Amon had been doing with less-important benders for years now. But they’d been complicated from the very beginning, it seemed, and now as he came upon the scene, still dressed in his security uniform, he saw that his friends had become involved.
Fang stopped, now suddenly uncertain about what to do. They were in the parade—he had known that from the very beginning, but somehow he had not been expecting them to make it this far. He’d rather hoped that they would stay out of it all together. Apparently, that hope had been in vain, and watching them now, he supposed he really should have known. They were not cowards, empty husks like him. They were the stuff of which heroes were made, and it did look quite heroic, standing with the Council and the few police forces that were still up and moving. He wasn’t like that, like them, and he wondered if this was it, the moment when he would finally be forced to face them down and reveal himself for the unworthy wretch he was. Even after all this time.
But then he saw an Equalist standing over Rika, his friend, and the man’s intent was clearly not to knock her out. His blade was aimed to kill—Fang of all people would know what that looked like. He acted before he thought, throwing his hand outwards, a sharp gust of air knocking the other man off his feet, carrying him forward into his own sprawl. Fang followed at a sprint, leaping over several unconscious people and drawing his swords. Before more than a few moments had passed, his left-hand blade flashed downwards, removing the man’s hand from his arm. “I thought,” he said flatly, “that Equalists were once committed to nonfatal means.” They once had been. And then the only killer had been him.
But now they were the people who blew up buildings and killed innocent benders that stood in their way. That… he could not let that take place in front of him. Not to them. Not to her. The man’s eyes went wide, and he clutched at his stump, bleeding sluggishly and in great amounts. “You!” Clearly, he recognized Fang, but at least he hadn’t said how. And he wouldn’t, for the flat of Fang’s sword caught him hard across the temple, and he fell unconscious.
The rest of the Equalists, having expected much less resistance than they were in fact getting, beat a hasty retreat, a few of them still carrying hostages. None of the Council members had been taken, however, and Fang picked his way back over to Rika, sheathing his swords at his back and crouching beside her. “You are hurt,” he said, a note of concern creeping subtly into his usual monotone. He held a hand out to help her up, deciding that the implications of what he’d just done could be puzzled through later. Much later.
Rika stared wide-eyed up at the Equalist. His sword was raised, the strike inevitable, and she couldn't do anything to defend herself. This was it for her, and she had never felt such fear course through her body in her entire life. She almost wanted to laugh at herself for comparing it to the moment she began fearing the giant rhinoceros beetle. As he readied the fatal blow, Rika felt a strong gust of air seemingly coming out of nowhere, and cast the man to the side. She blinked in surprise, trying to comprehend what had happened, and finally spotted Fang. She let out a choked cry of relief, one falling on deaf ears to the other sounds in the area.
She tried sitting up, grabbing her ribs as a sharp pain shot through her. She closed her eyes together, taking short breaths to regulate her breathing again. "I'm fine," she tried to speak, and forced a smile upon her face. She winced at the sudden pain coursing through her side again, and sighed. "Thank you, Fang. I... I don't know how I can repay you for this," she muttered softly. It might not have seemed like much, but he just saved her life. Literally. She could feel her shoulders shaking, trying to keep her tears at bay. This fear, this feeling, it was something that she couldn't fully grasp, and instead, she took his offered hand.
She didn't let go, and instead pulled herself forward, wrapping her arms around him. She could feel her tears spilling through her eyes now, soaking his security shirt, and she tried to stop. Maybe she was over reacting, or maybe she had never had her life threatened before, and it was something she couldn't understand. The sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention, and she pulled away from Fang, wiping her eyes dry as she glanced towards Haki. He did not know what was going on, but he could only presume to guess. "Lotus, Fang, are you both alright?" he questioned. He, himself, managed to escape unscathed.
"Haki," she began, hearing her own voice crack at just the mention of his name, and she shook her head. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks to Fang," she continued, her voice lower than normal. "I... I am not sure what happened, but," she paused, trying to word this statement carefully. "There was... there was a really strong wind that passed through, right before Fang showed up. I do not know if it was just a coincidence, or what, but," she continued, glancing towards Fang before returning her attention to Haki. "I think... I think there might have been an airbender here," she concluded. She sighed and shook her head, wincing slightly as she pressed her hands against her ribs.
"Are you sure you're alright, Rika? The airbenders are still on Air Temple Island. I doubt one of them heard the commotion and came to help."
“Not all of them,” Kiara put in, hopping down from the float and clutching her side, where her uniform was now being stained with her blood. There wasn’t any water around to heal the cut immediately, but it looked worse than it was. She’d been careless, and a sword had cut her in the side. “But whatever the case, I’m glad you’re all okay.” she smiled wanly, shaking her head. This might just have been the worst day she’d ever had, and it had started so well.
“I don’t know about you guys, but… I really just want to go home.”
Kiara glanced down at the medal around her neck, feeling not for the first time a little awkward about the whole thing. It would seem that her reckless running into danger and dragging her friends along had resulted in an official, and very public, commendation from the Council. After the big public ceremony and the crazy cheering, the three of them had been led back inside for a more relaxed meeting, apparently, though she wasn’t feeling all that relaxed, to be honest.
It was only two days ago that everything had happened, and she was still feeling anxious about it. All those benders the Equalists had taken had yet to be found, and also… Kohaku was still in town. She’d been putting him off successfully so far, but she felt bad. Whatever else might be true, he was her friend, and though she knew on some level why he was here, it was not a conversation she wanted to have. Thus far, he’d been kind enough to accept her reasons, given everything that had happened, but she was running out of excuses not to talk to him, and his patience, while considerable, was not infinite. That talk was coming soon, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.
There were refreshments provided in the meeting room, and she kept well away from the chilled wine, picking absently at the fruit table. Currently, three of the six Council members remained, as well as some other random guests, and there had been a few speeches about bravery and service, none of which Kiara really felt she deserved. She’d just… acted, without really thinking about what she’d been doing. It didn’t seem brave to her, especially not when so many of the other benders in the parade had been kidnapped. Her lips pursed together, and she sighed through her nose.
“Did the grapes offend you?” The voice, wizened but with some humor to it, belonged to one of the Council members, an elderly woman named Kalla. She was half-Water Tribe and half-Earth Kingdom, from her tanned complexion and green eyes. She was also a waterbender, though the occupation had always been secondary to her life in politics, apparently. Her hair was snow-white by this point in her life, but her face was relatively smooth for one so aged.
“Oh, um… no. Sorry, was I looking upset?” Kiara wasn’t sure what the expression on her face had been, though apparently it wasn’t the most pleasant.
Kalla chuckled, then shook her head. “You looked like you were deep in thought about something that made you unhappy.” Kiara blinked. Was she really that easy to read? She searched for some way to deny it—she felt terrible thinking that Kohaku made her unhappy—but the truth was, the direction of her thoughts was making her a little miserable.
“I just… well, it’s just a personal problem, is all. It’s been… a hectic couple of days.”
Haki sat quietly, glancing around the room they currently occupied. He played with his medal absentmindedly, taking in a slow breath before closing his eyes. The whole grandeur of the ceremony had been a little much. He didn't believe that such a thing was required or necessary. They did what was necessary, and for them to be honored for it, Haki could only sigh. He glanced towards Rika, watching as she fidgeted nervously. He had to crack a small smile at that. After all the time they've all been together, all the matches they've had, he would have thought she'd be used to such publicity by now.
She only frowned as he smiled, shifting her attention towards Kiara. She was by the fruit table, picking at it and seemed to be in thought. She couldn't blame her friend, really. She didn't know the source of her troubles, but if Kiara wanted to talk about them, she hoped that the waterbender knew she could at least speak to her about it. Haki probably wouldn't make things better, and she doubted if she could make things better, however; that didn't mean she wasn't going to be willing to lend an ear to her friend when she seemed to need it. Shaking her head, she returned her attention back to Haki.
"Stop doing that," she whispered to him, unsure of why she was even whispering. Haki blinked down at her, tilting his head to the side as he gave her a questioning stare. "You keep sighing and you look like you're lost," she clarified, raising a brow as if it were the most obvious thing. Haki blinked, his lips pulling into a grin as he shook his head. Perhaps it was because he was getting lost in his thoughts, a dangerous thing to do.
"Does it make you nervous, Lotus?" he questioned, leaning on his hand. She rolled her eyes at him and glanced away, causing him to chuckle lightly. Truth was, he was nervous too. He wasn't completely aware of what the Council wanted with them, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to find out. All they did was save their lives, but they couldn't save the other benders. Not that one life was more valuable than the next, because they all were, it just seemed a little odd for him. He stood from his spot and made his way towards the fruit table Kiara currently occupied, bumping her shoulder lightly with his and offered her a small smile.
"Is Turtle-Duck as nervous as Lotus?" he questioned, taking a moon peach, and taking a bite out of it.
It may have only been a light bump, but it nearly sent Kiara into the table all the same—she wasn’t exactly feeling on-balance at the moment. Rather the opposite unfortunately. Kalla raised a white eyebrow at the two of them, but then politely excused herself to go talk to Shun, the firebending Council member.
Kiara looked a little puzzled by the question, having very little context for it, and when she glanced around him to observe Rika’s state, she noticed that the other girl had been approached by Shao, a green-robed Council member. She presumed that meant he was an earthbender—they’d kind of color-coded themselves. Kiara only infrequently wore blue, but her tribal heritage was obvious anyway. “Nervous?” she asked, blinking blue eyes up at her friend. “Not… particularly.” No, it wasn’t really nerves that were the issue. She was just prepared for an unpleasant conversation, and was dreading its arrival.
“She should get better, though—Councilman Shao is a known follower of probending. He’ll probably talk to her about strategy or something.” It would at least be less awkward than trying to express your reasons for an uncomfortable expression to someone you hardly knew. Still—the event didn’t have much longer to go. She could probably suffer through the last half hour without too much trouble.
Haki blinked in mild surprise when Kiara almost fell over, and made to help her regain her balance, however; he stopped when she seemed to do it on her own, and shook his head. He should be a little more mindful of his teammates body language. Kiara said she wasn't nervous, but there was something laced in her voice that said otherwise. Maybe he was reading too much into it? He did not press further, and instead focused on the moon peach he was currently consuming. He glanced towards Rika, and spotted Shao, the earthbending Council member, approach Rika. He smiled softly as the nervous body language seemed to disappear from her and turned his attention back to Kiara.
"Then what is on Turtle-Duck's mind, if she isn't nervous?" he questioned. Though she did not have to answer him, it would be a bit of help to know what was occupying her thoughts the last few days. Neither team member had seemed to get the events out of their head, and perhaps it was just a bit overwhelming with everything going on, but they could at least share some of the burden... if that is what it was to begin with. "You do not have to say anything, just," he paused, glancing at her through the corners of his eyes.
He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was worried about her. He would always be worried about her even if he couldn't tell her why. He sighed softly, dismissing the thoughts before they could go any further. "Moon peach?" he stated, offering her one of the moon peaches on the tables. They were really sweet, oddly.
Kiara sighed softly, but accepted the fruit, slicing into it with a small paring knife, then taking a bite from the resulting wedge. She was doing it more to buy herself time to think about how she wanted to respond than anything, because she wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone else to become involved in this… issue of hers. In the end, though, she decided she was probably being selfish, keeping it from them. They were just a little concerned because she was acting unlike herself, and she didn’t want it to turn into worrying on her behalf. She stared down at the peach, slicing another thin wedge with the knife before she spoke.
“I, um…” It wasn’t like her to be hesitant with her words, but then, this was kind of a big deal. “I didn’t want to tell you guys because there was already so much to think about, what with the attack and all this.” She gestured around to encompass the ceremony and all that was involved with that. “I was also kind of hoping it would go away. It seems like such a small problem, compared to everything else, but…” she chewed her lower lip, pulling it between her teeth and shaking her head.
“I don’t know if you saw that man, the one who tried to talk to me during the parade. His name is Kohaku; he’s from my tribe. We were close friends when we were younger, and… well, technically he’s my betrothed.”
Haki blinked, unsure of he heard her correctly. He knew, because she had told him not too long ago, that she was engaged. But she had run away, left the Northern Water Tribe to strike out on her own. If that man, the one she called Kohaku, was here and her betrothed, it didn't bode well for Haki. It meant one of two things. He was either here to collect her, to try and take her back, or he was here to follow after her. Both reasons were enough to set Haki's eyes into a narrow glare. He closed his fists tightly, glancing anywhere but at Kiara.
"Then why does it bother you so? If he is here for you, do you not have a say in your life? What goes on and what you can do with it?" he spoke, his voice a little dryer than normal. "Tradition is not so easily broken, I understand that, but you live here now. You don't have to abide by those rules any longer," he continued. He wasn't sure what he was trying to say, to convince her of, but he wasn't going to allow someone to come back into her life and cause her unnecessary stress. Granted, he did that occasionally, but he did that to all of his friends. He sighed deeply, taking another moon peach from the table.
"I cannot tell you how to go about these things, and childhood friends or not, betrothed or not, do not forget that it is your life, Kiara. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. No one can make you do something you do not wish to do," he stated, sighing heavily as he took an extra moon peach to Rika, greeting the Council member and offered the peach to his other teammate.
Kiara sighed, looking after her leaving friend with sorrow in her expression. He was right… but only so far. Her life might be hers, but it was also her family’s, to some extent, and her tribe’s. She had fled that, but it had followed her, and she understood now that it would never stop following her. She didn’t love Kohaku, but she liked him, quite a lot. It wasn’t so simple a decision as what she wanted to do with her life. Not considering who they were. But that was part of this that her friends didn’t know. It had never seemed important—she’d given up her status when she’d left. Now… now it was coming back to bite her, and she wasn’t exactly sure what to do about it.
It was only two days ago that everything had happened, and she was still feeling anxious about it. All those benders the Equalists had taken had yet to be found, and also… Kohaku was still in town. She’d been putting him off successfully so far, but she felt bad. Whatever else might be true, he was her friend, and though she knew on some level why he was here, it was not a conversation she wanted to have. Thus far, he’d been kind enough to accept her reasons, given everything that had happened, but she was running out of excuses not to talk to him, and his patience, while considerable, was not infinite. That talk was coming soon, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.
There were refreshments provided in the meeting room, and she kept well away from the chilled wine, picking absently at the fruit table. Currently, three of the six Council members remained, as well as some other random guests, and there had been a few speeches about bravery and service, none of which Kiara really felt she deserved. She’d just… acted, without really thinking about what she’d been doing. It didn’t seem brave to her, especially not when so many of the other benders in the parade had been kidnapped. Her lips pursed together, and she sighed through her nose.
“Did the grapes offend you?” The voice, wizened but with some humor to it, belonged to one of the Council members, an elderly woman named Kalla. She was half-Water Tribe and half-Earth Kingdom, from her tanned complexion and green eyes. She was also a waterbender, though the occupation had always been secondary to her life in politics, apparently. Her hair was snow-white by this point in her life, but her face was relatively smooth for one so aged.
“Oh, um… no. Sorry, was I looking upset?” Kiara wasn’t sure what the expression on her face had been, though apparently it wasn’t the most pleasant.
Kalla chuckled, then shook her head. “You looked like you were deep in thought about something that made you unhappy.” Kiara blinked. Was she really that easy to read? She searched for some way to deny it—she felt terrible thinking that Kohaku made her unhappy—but the truth was, the direction of her thoughts was making her a little miserable.
“I just… well, it’s just a personal problem, is all. It’s been… a hectic couple of days.”
Haki sat quietly, glancing around the room they currently occupied. He played with his medal absentmindedly, taking in a slow breath before closing his eyes. The whole grandeur of the ceremony had been a little much. He didn't believe that such a thing was required or necessary. They did what was necessary, and for them to be honored for it, Haki could only sigh. He glanced towards Rika, watching as she fidgeted nervously. He had to crack a small smile at that. After all the time they've all been together, all the matches they've had, he would have thought she'd be used to such publicity by now.
She only frowned as he smiled, shifting her attention towards Kiara. She was by the fruit table, picking at it and seemed to be in thought. She couldn't blame her friend, really. She didn't know the source of her troubles, but if Kiara wanted to talk about them, she hoped that the waterbender knew she could at least speak to her about it. Haki probably wouldn't make things better, and she doubted if she could make things better, however; that didn't mean she wasn't going to be willing to lend an ear to her friend when she seemed to need it. Shaking her head, she returned her attention back to Haki.
"Stop doing that," she whispered to him, unsure of why she was even whispering. Haki blinked down at her, tilting his head to the side as he gave her a questioning stare. "You keep sighing and you look like you're lost," she clarified, raising a brow as if it were the most obvious thing. Haki blinked, his lips pulling into a grin as he shook his head. Perhaps it was because he was getting lost in his thoughts, a dangerous thing to do.
"Does it make you nervous, Lotus?" he questioned, leaning on his hand. She rolled her eyes at him and glanced away, causing him to chuckle lightly. Truth was, he was nervous too. He wasn't completely aware of what the Council wanted with them, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to find out. All they did was save their lives, but they couldn't save the other benders. Not that one life was more valuable than the next, because they all were, it just seemed a little odd for him. He stood from his spot and made his way towards the fruit table Kiara currently occupied, bumping her shoulder lightly with his and offered her a small smile.
"Is Turtle-Duck as nervous as Lotus?" he questioned, taking a moon peach, and taking a bite out of it.
It may have only been a light bump, but it nearly sent Kiara into the table all the same—she wasn’t exactly feeling on-balance at the moment. Rather the opposite unfortunately. Kalla raised a white eyebrow at the two of them, but then politely excused herself to go talk to Shun, the firebending Council member.
Kiara looked a little puzzled by the question, having very little context for it, and when she glanced around him to observe Rika’s state, she noticed that the other girl had been approached by Shao, a green-robed Council member. She presumed that meant he was an earthbender—they’d kind of color-coded themselves. Kiara only infrequently wore blue, but her tribal heritage was obvious anyway. “Nervous?” she asked, blinking blue eyes up at her friend. “Not… particularly.” No, it wasn’t really nerves that were the issue. She was just prepared for an unpleasant conversation, and was dreading its arrival.
“She should get better, though—Councilman Shao is a known follower of probending. He’ll probably talk to her about strategy or something.” It would at least be less awkward than trying to express your reasons for an uncomfortable expression to someone you hardly knew. Still—the event didn’t have much longer to go. She could probably suffer through the last half hour without too much trouble.
Haki blinked in mild surprise when Kiara almost fell over, and made to help her regain her balance, however; he stopped when she seemed to do it on her own, and shook his head. He should be a little more mindful of his teammates body language. Kiara said she wasn't nervous, but there was something laced in her voice that said otherwise. Maybe he was reading too much into it? He did not press further, and instead focused on the moon peach he was currently consuming. He glanced towards Rika, and spotted Shao, the earthbending Council member, approach Rika. He smiled softly as the nervous body language seemed to disappear from her and turned his attention back to Kiara.
"Then what is on Turtle-Duck's mind, if she isn't nervous?" he questioned. Though she did not have to answer him, it would be a bit of help to know what was occupying her thoughts the last few days. Neither team member had seemed to get the events out of their head, and perhaps it was just a bit overwhelming with everything going on, but they could at least share some of the burden... if that is what it was to begin with. "You do not have to say anything, just," he paused, glancing at her through the corners of his eyes.
He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was worried about her. He would always be worried about her even if he couldn't tell her why. He sighed softly, dismissing the thoughts before they could go any further. "Moon peach?" he stated, offering her one of the moon peaches on the tables. They were really sweet, oddly.
Kiara sighed softly, but accepted the fruit, slicing into it with a small paring knife, then taking a bite from the resulting wedge. She was doing it more to buy herself time to think about how she wanted to respond than anything, because she wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone else to become involved in this… issue of hers. In the end, though, she decided she was probably being selfish, keeping it from them. They were just a little concerned because she was acting unlike herself, and she didn’t want it to turn into worrying on her behalf. She stared down at the peach, slicing another thin wedge with the knife before she spoke.
“I, um…” It wasn’t like her to be hesitant with her words, but then, this was kind of a big deal. “I didn’t want to tell you guys because there was already so much to think about, what with the attack and all this.” She gestured around to encompass the ceremony and all that was involved with that. “I was also kind of hoping it would go away. It seems like such a small problem, compared to everything else, but…” she chewed her lower lip, pulling it between her teeth and shaking her head.
“I don’t know if you saw that man, the one who tried to talk to me during the parade. His name is Kohaku; he’s from my tribe. We were close friends when we were younger, and… well, technically he’s my betrothed.”
Haki blinked, unsure of he heard her correctly. He knew, because she had told him not too long ago, that she was engaged. But she had run away, left the Northern Water Tribe to strike out on her own. If that man, the one she called Kohaku, was here and her betrothed, it didn't bode well for Haki. It meant one of two things. He was either here to collect her, to try and take her back, or he was here to follow after her. Both reasons were enough to set Haki's eyes into a narrow glare. He closed his fists tightly, glancing anywhere but at Kiara.
"Then why does it bother you so? If he is here for you, do you not have a say in your life? What goes on and what you can do with it?" he spoke, his voice a little dryer than normal. "Tradition is not so easily broken, I understand that, but you live here now. You don't have to abide by those rules any longer," he continued. He wasn't sure what he was trying to say, to convince her of, but he wasn't going to allow someone to come back into her life and cause her unnecessary stress. Granted, he did that occasionally, but he did that to all of his friends. He sighed deeply, taking another moon peach from the table.
"I cannot tell you how to go about these things, and childhood friends or not, betrothed or not, do not forget that it is your life, Kiara. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. No one can make you do something you do not wish to do," he stated, sighing heavily as he took an extra moon peach to Rika, greeting the Council member and offered the peach to his other teammate.
Kiara sighed, looking after her leaving friend with sorrow in her expression. He was right… but only so far. Her life might be hers, but it was also her family’s, to some extent, and her tribe’s. She had fled that, but it had followed her, and she understood now that it would never stop following her. She didn’t love Kohaku, but she liked him, quite a lot. It wasn’t so simple a decision as what she wanted to do with her life. Not considering who they were. But that was part of this that her friends didn’t know. It had never seemed important—she’d given up her status when she’d left. Now… now it was coming back to bite her, and she wasn’t exactly sure what to do about it.
Shun gathered that the waterbender of the group had already left, and it seemed that the earthbender was about to follow. Fortunately, it was to the third member of the team that he would rather speak. Given the opening presented by the young’s women’s departures, he found it a rather simple matter to approach the youth. “Mr. Soen, if I may?” he inquired, politely but with a certain kind of firmness to his tone found only in those comfortable with their authority. “There is something I would like to discuss with you, though if not is an inconvenient time, I would understand.”
Observant as he was, the man had not missed the hushed conversation between Haki and Kiara, and old as he was, aged perhaps in line with Haki’s own father, he understood the implications of it perhaps better than either of them did. This ws something he could and would use to his advantage, which was part of the reason why he’d chosen the firebender and not one of the other two for this particular discussion. That, and he felt that his demeanor was best suited to the task at hand. Shun was a little more ambitious than most of his Council counterparts, though not all of them, to be sure.
Haki sighed, watching his two teammates leave. He made to join after them, however; he was stopped by Shun, the firebender of the council. He stared at the older man, turning so that he was fully facing the older man. He would rather be with his teammates, since Kiara still seemed a bit upset about the whole ordeal, however; he supposed Rika would handle it from here. Though he wasn't quite so sure she was capable of doing such a thing, given that she didn't know what was going on as he did. But perhaps, if she was persistent enough, Kiara would tell her. They were friends as well. With that in mind, he cleared his thoughts and gave Shun his full attention.
"Time is no friend to convenience. We either take it, or it takes us," he replied, offering the older man a light bow of respect. "Apologies," he stated. His tongue was a little looser than normal, and he should be a little more mindful of the things he says, especially to someone of Shun's status. But he was somewhat right. Time wasn't exactly a friend to convenience. It kept going, it didn't stop to let one catch up. You either did what needed to be done, then and there, or you didn't.
"Now is a better time than any," he finally conceded. "How can I be of service to Councilman Shun?" he questioned, his posture straightening out as did the rest of his appearance. Proper posture, perhaps the one good thing he learned from his father.
Shun arched a dark eyebrow, but in the end, Haki’s loose tongue didn’t seem to bother him at all. “This is a discussion best held elsewhere. If you would be so kind as to follow me?” He led the way down several corridors to his office, a rather spacious affair a bit luxurious in taste, but not overly so for one of Shun’s station. Offering Haki a seat, he took one himself behind a large desk, his paperwork neatly piled in one corner. Everything, in fact, seemed to be meticulously organized—this was clearly not a man who approved of chaos. He studied Haki for a moment, folding his hands together on the desk, and then spoke again at last.
“It is not lost on you, I hope, that Republic City is currently undergoing a process of considerable turmoil. The attack which yourself and your friends helped to fend off is only one in a large string of recent examples. Bender kidnappings, exploding residence buildings, increased Triad presence in broad daylight—certainly not the bastion of peace and order it was built to be by the Avatar and his allies.” Shun paused, letting that much at least sink in, one of his hands moving up reflexively to his short beard. His eyes were a honeyed brown color, indicative perhaps of someone whose family lineage had once been of some esteem in the Fire Nation—one could trace such things fairly accurately by how close to gold in it pure form someone’s irises were.
Whatever they had been, he considered himself a citizen of this city now. “The Council wishes to act against these mounting concerns, but it is very difficult to agree upon how that should be done. There is a dearth of information on these Equalists—we really only know what their leader chooses to reveal to us in his video calling cards, as it were. He is quite meticulous about not giving much away, and I’m sure you understand how the Council members themselves could encounter difficulty in obtaining information of this kind. We are far too conspicuous, and far from universally liked.” Another pause, and then he smiled slightly.
“Rather unlike the Otter Penguins, as I understand it.”
Haki followed, quietly, behind Shun, letting the older man lead him to where he thought was more appropriate. He sat in the chair opposite of Shun, and folded his hands together, leaning back as he crossed one leg over the other. He listened as Shun spoke, taking in what the man was saying, and trying to piece together why he wanted to speak to him. Shouldn't he have spoken to all of them? He took a slow breath when he ended his statement. Haki was aware of what was going on between the Equalists and the benders and non benders alike. He saw it almost every day with his teammates, experienced a few of the raids by the Triads, and had almost lost it when Kiara and Fang's building blew up.
"There is no right way to act upon this. You'll either make things worse for those who cannot bend, causing them to defer to the Equalists' cause, or the benders will see to it themselves to act out, making them vigilantes with a cause," he began. But Shun was right, the council wasn't exactly liked. They, however, managed to do that on their own. There had been opportunities before that they could have taken, however; they chose not to interfere. The end of his statement, however, was what caught Haki's attention. He furrowed his brows together as he stared at Shun, trying to read what exactly it was the man had in store.
"Are you implying that the Otter Penguins are the answers to your problem?" he inquired, raising a curious brow. The Otter Penguins were liked, yes, but that was because they were probenders. Though there were those who were not fans of the sport, they still knew who the Otter Penguins were, and the Pygmy Pumas. They were names that were recognizable, perhaps that is what the councilman meant. "I fail to see how we can help you obtain more information about the Equalists."
“Occasionally, when one fails to see, it is a sign that there is nothing to be seen,”” Shun admitted readily enough, inclining his head a bit. “But other times, we do not see because we have never learned how. You don't see how you might help me—I suppose that is fair enough. You are not a man of politics, at least not yet, hm?” He smiled slightly, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. That was in fact the main reason he had selected Haki for this rather than one of the other two; he thought the young man had the greatest natural inclination towards matters of state. That and he had the most leverage over him as of this moment. But that was for a later part of this discussion.
“I wouldn’t be asking you to do much, in truth. It is only that people will say things to people they like that they would never say around people they don’t. All you would have to do is listen, and if anything strikes you as important, report it to me. You are right that the Council is at least partially at fault for the mess this has become, but we are slow to act without information. Some of us know we must act soon, but are not sure of which way would be best, for exactly the reasons you describe. The only solution to our conundrum is information.” He sighed through his nose. “And what we are getting through the usual sources is not enough. This is a long shot, I understand, and it may be that you never hear anything worth telling. If so, then that is as it will be. But there is a chance you will, because the belovedness of yourself and your companions makes trusting you rather easy for the average person, yes? And who knows what the average person hears that he will not tell to me?”
He shrugged; the question was entirely rhetorical, of course, but he trusted that it got his point across. “Should you choose to accept, I would not force you to offer your services for nothing, Mr. Soen. I do believe there is something quite important that I could do for you, and I would be willing to assume the risk of doing so if you would assume these risks. It would be a fairly even exchange, I believe.”
Haki pursed his lips together, rolling the information over in his mind. "You are correct, politics were never a concern for me. My father was a General in the Fire Nation before he married my mother. You understand how those types of fathers are. If politics interested me, I might have chosen the life he had," he spoke, though in reality, he wouldn't have. Politics and military were too closely associated with one another, that he didn't want anything to do with it, however; what Shun was asking for was to keep his ears open. He frowned at that thought. Yes, people were willing to say things they normally didn't to people they liked, however; to people they trusted, they'd say a lot more.
He wasn't sure if people would go so far as to trust him to tell him anything, but... he supposed it couldn't hurt. Besides, the Equalists were getting out of hand, and the more people they hurt, the more of a chance there would be that those people they hurt, would be someone Haki cared about. He wasn't willing to risk that. Perhaps that was his downfall. He cared too much for his friends and his family. He raised a questioning brow at the last statement. What could there possibly be that was important that Shun could do for him? He would admit, his curiosity was peaked.
"If I accept, what is this important thing that you could do for me, Mr. Shun? Last I recalled, there was nothing that needed to be done that was important," he spoke. He was a bit confused, he would admit, but that did not mean he would jump into this eagerly. There were risks, but they were risking a lot just by being who they were. Benders, probenders, they were at risk to the Equalists as any other bender, and for Rika, her tea shop was at risk for the Triads. Though they hadn't bothered the place in a while, there were still risks.
Shun answered the question at first rather indirectly. “A few days ago, the Council was approached by a very important dignitary from another nation. This dignitary is, in fact, equivalent to a prince of his people. He had come to Republic City seeking someone. By the laws of his people, archaic as they are, his betrothed, his princess, if you like, has a status not too far above his property.” Shun stood, folding his arms behind his back and pacing out from behind the desk.
“Now, he wasn’t going so far as to say that it would be a matter of some diplomatic tension if she wasn’t returned to him, because he seemed to believe that she would return on her own. Nonetheless, he made us aware of his presence and his intentions, and we are people of politics, Mr. Soen. It wasn’t hard to imply the rest. It is likely that, if she does refuse to abide by his wishes, he will apply to us for dispensation—he will ask us, as a show of good diplomatic faith to the Water Tribes, to force her out of our city and back to them.” He frowned, his lips thinning into a fine line.
“I happen to find the notion distasteful at best. Republic City is a place for anyone who wishes to be here—we do not exile those who have done nothing wrong. It is a place of fresh starts for those who need them, regardless of where they are from. Were it not, my parents would never have been allowed to stay themselves. I hold this ideal very dear, Mr. Soen, but to refuse this man if he appealed to us would be quite a risk. I would need a reason with which to convince my fellow Council members that the risk of refusing him is one we should take. If it happened to be the price by which your service was won to us, I believe this would satisfy them, and we could refuse him as a united body, and remind him that in this city, people are free to choose their own futures, wherever they hail from.”
He raised an eyebrow at Haki. “I trust I do not have to name these people for you to understand my meaning?”
Haki felt a knot in his stomach. He knew exactly who Shun was talking about, and he did not like the notion at all. Kiara wasn't someone's property, and she wasn't some bargaining chip. She was Kiara. A little unique, but still the same waterbender he'd... He sighed softly, slumping his shoulders. Why did it feel like he was being blackmailed into this? That... wouldn't be right, though. Shun was taking a big risk (an understatement really) for him as well. It was one thing to deny a person, but it was another to deny a Prince of the Water Tribe. That would be grounds for a possible war. That was the last thing they needed.
"There is a reason she did not want to be there," he spoke, his voice low and mild. There was a bit of melancholy to it as well, and something... else. He couldn't let that happen. Kiara... she came here to get away from that life. It was hers, just as he told her, to do with what she wanted to. No one could force her to do anything she didn't want to do, and she had a right to make that choice. "I will not be the one who let her go back against her will," he continued. He wouldn't be, and he wouldn't let her. If he could keep her here, he would do what the Council asked of him.
"Alright, Mr. Shun. I will do it," if only for her, he would do it.
Observant as he was, the man had not missed the hushed conversation between Haki and Kiara, and old as he was, aged perhaps in line with Haki’s own father, he understood the implications of it perhaps better than either of them did. This ws something he could and would use to his advantage, which was part of the reason why he’d chosen the firebender and not one of the other two for this particular discussion. That, and he felt that his demeanor was best suited to the task at hand. Shun was a little more ambitious than most of his Council counterparts, though not all of them, to be sure.
Haki sighed, watching his two teammates leave. He made to join after them, however; he was stopped by Shun, the firebender of the council. He stared at the older man, turning so that he was fully facing the older man. He would rather be with his teammates, since Kiara still seemed a bit upset about the whole ordeal, however; he supposed Rika would handle it from here. Though he wasn't quite so sure she was capable of doing such a thing, given that she didn't know what was going on as he did. But perhaps, if she was persistent enough, Kiara would tell her. They were friends as well. With that in mind, he cleared his thoughts and gave Shun his full attention.
"Time is no friend to convenience. We either take it, or it takes us," he replied, offering the older man a light bow of respect. "Apologies," he stated. His tongue was a little looser than normal, and he should be a little more mindful of the things he says, especially to someone of Shun's status. But he was somewhat right. Time wasn't exactly a friend to convenience. It kept going, it didn't stop to let one catch up. You either did what needed to be done, then and there, or you didn't.
"Now is a better time than any," he finally conceded. "How can I be of service to Councilman Shun?" he questioned, his posture straightening out as did the rest of his appearance. Proper posture, perhaps the one good thing he learned from his father.
Shun arched a dark eyebrow, but in the end, Haki’s loose tongue didn’t seem to bother him at all. “This is a discussion best held elsewhere. If you would be so kind as to follow me?” He led the way down several corridors to his office, a rather spacious affair a bit luxurious in taste, but not overly so for one of Shun’s station. Offering Haki a seat, he took one himself behind a large desk, his paperwork neatly piled in one corner. Everything, in fact, seemed to be meticulously organized—this was clearly not a man who approved of chaos. He studied Haki for a moment, folding his hands together on the desk, and then spoke again at last.
“It is not lost on you, I hope, that Republic City is currently undergoing a process of considerable turmoil. The attack which yourself and your friends helped to fend off is only one in a large string of recent examples. Bender kidnappings, exploding residence buildings, increased Triad presence in broad daylight—certainly not the bastion of peace and order it was built to be by the Avatar and his allies.” Shun paused, letting that much at least sink in, one of his hands moving up reflexively to his short beard. His eyes were a honeyed brown color, indicative perhaps of someone whose family lineage had once been of some esteem in the Fire Nation—one could trace such things fairly accurately by how close to gold in it pure form someone’s irises were.
Whatever they had been, he considered himself a citizen of this city now. “The Council wishes to act against these mounting concerns, but it is very difficult to agree upon how that should be done. There is a dearth of information on these Equalists—we really only know what their leader chooses to reveal to us in his video calling cards, as it were. He is quite meticulous about not giving much away, and I’m sure you understand how the Council members themselves could encounter difficulty in obtaining information of this kind. We are far too conspicuous, and far from universally liked.” Another pause, and then he smiled slightly.
“Rather unlike the Otter Penguins, as I understand it.”
Haki followed, quietly, behind Shun, letting the older man lead him to where he thought was more appropriate. He sat in the chair opposite of Shun, and folded his hands together, leaning back as he crossed one leg over the other. He listened as Shun spoke, taking in what the man was saying, and trying to piece together why he wanted to speak to him. Shouldn't he have spoken to all of them? He took a slow breath when he ended his statement. Haki was aware of what was going on between the Equalists and the benders and non benders alike. He saw it almost every day with his teammates, experienced a few of the raids by the Triads, and had almost lost it when Kiara and Fang's building blew up.
"There is no right way to act upon this. You'll either make things worse for those who cannot bend, causing them to defer to the Equalists' cause, or the benders will see to it themselves to act out, making them vigilantes with a cause," he began. But Shun was right, the council wasn't exactly liked. They, however, managed to do that on their own. There had been opportunities before that they could have taken, however; they chose not to interfere. The end of his statement, however, was what caught Haki's attention. He furrowed his brows together as he stared at Shun, trying to read what exactly it was the man had in store.
"Are you implying that the Otter Penguins are the answers to your problem?" he inquired, raising a curious brow. The Otter Penguins were liked, yes, but that was because they were probenders. Though there were those who were not fans of the sport, they still knew who the Otter Penguins were, and the Pygmy Pumas. They were names that were recognizable, perhaps that is what the councilman meant. "I fail to see how we can help you obtain more information about the Equalists."
“Occasionally, when one fails to see, it is a sign that there is nothing to be seen,”” Shun admitted readily enough, inclining his head a bit. “But other times, we do not see because we have never learned how. You don't see how you might help me—I suppose that is fair enough. You are not a man of politics, at least not yet, hm?” He smiled slightly, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. That was in fact the main reason he had selected Haki for this rather than one of the other two; he thought the young man had the greatest natural inclination towards matters of state. That and he had the most leverage over him as of this moment. But that was for a later part of this discussion.
“I wouldn’t be asking you to do much, in truth. It is only that people will say things to people they like that they would never say around people they don’t. All you would have to do is listen, and if anything strikes you as important, report it to me. You are right that the Council is at least partially at fault for the mess this has become, but we are slow to act without information. Some of us know we must act soon, but are not sure of which way would be best, for exactly the reasons you describe. The only solution to our conundrum is information.” He sighed through his nose. “And what we are getting through the usual sources is not enough. This is a long shot, I understand, and it may be that you never hear anything worth telling. If so, then that is as it will be. But there is a chance you will, because the belovedness of yourself and your companions makes trusting you rather easy for the average person, yes? And who knows what the average person hears that he will not tell to me?”
He shrugged; the question was entirely rhetorical, of course, but he trusted that it got his point across. “Should you choose to accept, I would not force you to offer your services for nothing, Mr. Soen. I do believe there is something quite important that I could do for you, and I would be willing to assume the risk of doing so if you would assume these risks. It would be a fairly even exchange, I believe.”
Haki pursed his lips together, rolling the information over in his mind. "You are correct, politics were never a concern for me. My father was a General in the Fire Nation before he married my mother. You understand how those types of fathers are. If politics interested me, I might have chosen the life he had," he spoke, though in reality, he wouldn't have. Politics and military were too closely associated with one another, that he didn't want anything to do with it, however; what Shun was asking for was to keep his ears open. He frowned at that thought. Yes, people were willing to say things they normally didn't to people they liked, however; to people they trusted, they'd say a lot more.
He wasn't sure if people would go so far as to trust him to tell him anything, but... he supposed it couldn't hurt. Besides, the Equalists were getting out of hand, and the more people they hurt, the more of a chance there would be that those people they hurt, would be someone Haki cared about. He wasn't willing to risk that. Perhaps that was his downfall. He cared too much for his friends and his family. He raised a questioning brow at the last statement. What could there possibly be that was important that Shun could do for him? He would admit, his curiosity was peaked.
"If I accept, what is this important thing that you could do for me, Mr. Shun? Last I recalled, there was nothing that needed to be done that was important," he spoke. He was a bit confused, he would admit, but that did not mean he would jump into this eagerly. There were risks, but they were risking a lot just by being who they were. Benders, probenders, they were at risk to the Equalists as any other bender, and for Rika, her tea shop was at risk for the Triads. Though they hadn't bothered the place in a while, there were still risks.
Shun answered the question at first rather indirectly. “A few days ago, the Council was approached by a very important dignitary from another nation. This dignitary is, in fact, equivalent to a prince of his people. He had come to Republic City seeking someone. By the laws of his people, archaic as they are, his betrothed, his princess, if you like, has a status not too far above his property.” Shun stood, folding his arms behind his back and pacing out from behind the desk.
“Now, he wasn’t going so far as to say that it would be a matter of some diplomatic tension if she wasn’t returned to him, because he seemed to believe that she would return on her own. Nonetheless, he made us aware of his presence and his intentions, and we are people of politics, Mr. Soen. It wasn’t hard to imply the rest. It is likely that, if she does refuse to abide by his wishes, he will apply to us for dispensation—he will ask us, as a show of good diplomatic faith to the Water Tribes, to force her out of our city and back to them.” He frowned, his lips thinning into a fine line.
“I happen to find the notion distasteful at best. Republic City is a place for anyone who wishes to be here—we do not exile those who have done nothing wrong. It is a place of fresh starts for those who need them, regardless of where they are from. Were it not, my parents would never have been allowed to stay themselves. I hold this ideal very dear, Mr. Soen, but to refuse this man if he appealed to us would be quite a risk. I would need a reason with which to convince my fellow Council members that the risk of refusing him is one we should take. If it happened to be the price by which your service was won to us, I believe this would satisfy them, and we could refuse him as a united body, and remind him that in this city, people are free to choose their own futures, wherever they hail from.”
He raised an eyebrow at Haki. “I trust I do not have to name these people for you to understand my meaning?”
Haki felt a knot in his stomach. He knew exactly who Shun was talking about, and he did not like the notion at all. Kiara wasn't someone's property, and she wasn't some bargaining chip. She was Kiara. A little unique, but still the same waterbender he'd... He sighed softly, slumping his shoulders. Why did it feel like he was being blackmailed into this? That... wouldn't be right, though. Shun was taking a big risk (an understatement really) for him as well. It was one thing to deny a person, but it was another to deny a Prince of the Water Tribe. That would be grounds for a possible war. That was the last thing they needed.
"There is a reason she did not want to be there," he spoke, his voice low and mild. There was a bit of melancholy to it as well, and something... else. He couldn't let that happen. Kiara... she came here to get away from that life. It was hers, just as he told her, to do with what she wanted to. No one could force her to do anything she didn't want to do, and she had a right to make that choice. "I will not be the one who let her go back against her will," he continued. He wouldn't be, and he wouldn't let her. If he could keep her here, he would do what the Council asked of him.
"Alright, Mr. Shun. I will do it," if only for her, he would do it.
She shouldn’t have been surprised when there came a point when he simply refused to leave. She shouldn’t have been, and really she wasn’t. She was just hoping it would have been a little further down the line, maybe, because there was a chance that way that she might have been ready. Though she knew in her heart that really wouldn’t have made a difference, it made things no easier at the moment, after he’d shouldered his way into her apartment and was looking down at her like he wasn’t exactly sure what to do now. Kiara wondered if a year and a half in Republic City had really changed her so much, or if maybe something else made him hesitate. Kohaku was not a timid person, by any means.
Resigned that the discussion would be now, whether she liked it or not, Kiara dropped her eyes to the floor and moved to her kitchen to make tea and something to eat, at least. Kohaku followed, settling himself on one of the stools against the counter, and she wasn’t surprised when he initiated the conversation, though his method of approaching it was a little unexpected. “You’ve been avoiding me, Kiara,” he said, and it was funny, she thought, how he could sound exactly like her memories, as though somehow her time here hadn’t managed to change anything at all. Maybe, to him, it hadn’t. He’d come here after her, after all.
She made no attempt to deny it. “If it were you who left, wouldn’t you?” Then again, asking such a question was very silly in a way. Kohaku would never have thought to leave the Tribe, not in a million years. He was too bound to it, by blood and duty and station, things that should have bound her just as surely but somehow had not. She’d been selfish to leave, and she knew it, but she could not bear the thought of her future there.
“Please, Kiara,” he said, and the tone of his voice alone forced her to stop what she was doing and turn to look at her. He was such a dear friend, and had been so to her since they were children. He had to know how much this whole conversation was going to hurt her, so why did he insist on having it. “You’ve had a year and a half away from us. Won’t you come back now?”
She understood then why he thought this would work—he was convinced of something that wasn’t true. “You think this is some kind of phase, don’t you? Something that will go away once I realize how much better it was at the North Pole?” The look on his face told her all she needed to know, and she could feel her frustration mounting. “Well, it’s not, you know? I like it here. I have a lot of friends, and I’m part of things I really love doing, and—”
“And you left your family behind to do it, Kiara. You left me behind. Just how exactly did you expect me to take that?” He was looking at her with an expression of hurt that made her feel guilty, the feeling settling in the pit of her stomach and roiling around uncomfortably. She knew it would have made his life harder, that the person who was supposed to marry him had just up and left. And she knew they were friends, and that she’d probably hurt him by leaving so suddenly. Honestly, she would have taken him with her if there was any chance he would have gone along with it instead of trying to stop her, but that he was here and telling her these things was proof enough that she’d been right about that.
“I had to, Kohaku. Don’t you see? I was suffocating, there. I would have made a terrible chief’s wife, you know that.” She was one of those people who couldn’t take the pure domesticity that would entail, and besides that, she was silly enough to be one of those people who believed that everyone should marry for love, the two of them included. Friends, they had been. Lovers, they were not.
The stricken look hardened into something else, and he stood, moving past the counter and into the part of the kitchen she was occupying, just taking the tea off the oven’s flame. “How do you know that, Kiara? Did you ever even think to try, or did you just assume that before giving it a chance? Not everyone thinks that being the chief’s wife is a bunch of housework, you know.” He was moving into her personal space now, and something about it was a little different than she remembered. She didn’t really have many boundaries with her friends—she as always hugging them and swatting them and linking arms with them, and Kohaku had been no exception, once. But this felt… strange.
Kiara was not short, but Kohaku was exceedingly tall, and so when he stood so close, he seemed to loom, and she backed up until she hit the counter on the other side of the kitchen, but he just followed, placing an arm on either side of the counter and caging her in. Her brows furrowed—why was he being weird like this? “What are you talking about?” she inquired with a frown.
“I know what your mother wanted you to think it would be like,” he explained, ducking slightly so as to be closer to eye level. Their noses were only inches apart. “But what if I thought differently? What if I thought that you would be my equal in the relationship? With just as much say in how to run the Tribe as any of those old men on the Council? What if I didn’t just want you to be my wife, but my partner?” His voice was low, his eyes half-lidded, and slowly, understanding began to dawn on her.
“Kohaku—”
He cut her off. Not very partner-like of him, but she might mention that later. “For seven years, Kiara.” The sentence didn’t make a lot of sense, but she didn't have a lot of time to think about it, because before she could draw the breath needed to reply, he was kissing her, his mouth slanting over hers in a motion neither smooth nor practiced, but born of something she could not quite understand, a hint of desperation to it, slow though it was. She squeaked, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue along hers, though she was far too shocked to even consider responding.
He pulled back, searching her face for something. “For seven years I’ve loved you, and then one night, you just disappear to find your way somewhere else. Do you have any idea how I felt, knowing you left me behind without so much as a word? Because of this idea you had that isn’t even true about what you’d be forced to do and become? Kiara, you’re beautiful, and brilliant, and so damn bright I wonder how anyone can stand to look at you sometimes. I don’t want to put you in a cage—I’ve never wanted that.”
Kiara swallowed, placing her hands against his chest, more to enforce the distance than anything else. She understood, now, and it hurt. Because as much as she wanted to, she did not and could not give him what he did want, and to hurt a friend that way was breaking her heart. Never once, in a lifetime of friendship, had she ever felt anything but affection and platonic love for him, and she knew now that she never would. Maybe, there might have been a chance if she’d never come here, but… she’d seen too much and changed too much to ever be satisfied back at the North Pole. Even if what he said was true. “Kohaku, I… I’m sorry. I can’t… I don’t…” she didn’t even know how to say it the right way, to make him understand.
“I’ll always love you, I will, just not…” Her eyes were teary when she looked up at him, willing him to understand what she could not express.
“Just not the way I love you,” he finished, and she nodded slowly. He stepped back slightly, and she sighed, able to breathe a little more easily without him standing so close. She brought her arms up across her chest, as if to stave off the cold. He looked anywhere but at her for a while, until the silence had grown long enough to more than qualify as awkward. In the end, he cleared his throat, then looked her in the eye again. His own were a deep blue, almost ultramarine, a striking color, and quite a contrast to her own, which were much more like ice and sky.
“I won’t give up on you, Kiara. I can’t. I can’t make myself stop loving you any more than you can force yourself to start loving me. Maybe, in time, one of us will change our minds, maybe we never will. But I won’t give up.”
“I know,” she said softly, and he blinked in surprise, causing her to crack the tiniest of smiles. “You’ve never once given up in your life Kohaku. I hardly expect you to start now.” They’d always been butting heads when they were younger, each determined to outdo the other… at least until she’d turned fifteen. About when he’d realized his feelings, if his timing was correct. “Just… if the opportunity comes, for you to learn to love someone else, someone who will love you back, don’t… don’t let it go by, okay? I want you to be happy.”
Just not with her.
He sighed through his nose and nodded. “I suppose I should go now. Just… I don't know if there’s someone else for you, Kiara, and I suppose I really don’t care. I’d fight for you anyway, but… if there ever is, make sure he deserves you. Or I will, and I can’t promise I’ll be nice about it.” He smirked, and she remembered the expression well, returning it tentatively. Nodding again, he took his leave, and she sank back against the counter, touching her mouth as soon as the door clicked shut.
When had her life become such a mess?
Resigned that the discussion would be now, whether she liked it or not, Kiara dropped her eyes to the floor and moved to her kitchen to make tea and something to eat, at least. Kohaku followed, settling himself on one of the stools against the counter, and she wasn’t surprised when he initiated the conversation, though his method of approaching it was a little unexpected. “You’ve been avoiding me, Kiara,” he said, and it was funny, she thought, how he could sound exactly like her memories, as though somehow her time here hadn’t managed to change anything at all. Maybe, to him, it hadn’t. He’d come here after her, after all.
She made no attempt to deny it. “If it were you who left, wouldn’t you?” Then again, asking such a question was very silly in a way. Kohaku would never have thought to leave the Tribe, not in a million years. He was too bound to it, by blood and duty and station, things that should have bound her just as surely but somehow had not. She’d been selfish to leave, and she knew it, but she could not bear the thought of her future there.
“Please, Kiara,” he said, and the tone of his voice alone forced her to stop what she was doing and turn to look at her. He was such a dear friend, and had been so to her since they were children. He had to know how much this whole conversation was going to hurt her, so why did he insist on having it. “You’ve had a year and a half away from us. Won’t you come back now?”
She understood then why he thought this would work—he was convinced of something that wasn’t true. “You think this is some kind of phase, don’t you? Something that will go away once I realize how much better it was at the North Pole?” The look on his face told her all she needed to know, and she could feel her frustration mounting. “Well, it’s not, you know? I like it here. I have a lot of friends, and I’m part of things I really love doing, and—”
“And you left your family behind to do it, Kiara. You left me behind. Just how exactly did you expect me to take that?” He was looking at her with an expression of hurt that made her feel guilty, the feeling settling in the pit of her stomach and roiling around uncomfortably. She knew it would have made his life harder, that the person who was supposed to marry him had just up and left. And she knew they were friends, and that she’d probably hurt him by leaving so suddenly. Honestly, she would have taken him with her if there was any chance he would have gone along with it instead of trying to stop her, but that he was here and telling her these things was proof enough that she’d been right about that.
“I had to, Kohaku. Don’t you see? I was suffocating, there. I would have made a terrible chief’s wife, you know that.” She was one of those people who couldn’t take the pure domesticity that would entail, and besides that, she was silly enough to be one of those people who believed that everyone should marry for love, the two of them included. Friends, they had been. Lovers, they were not.
The stricken look hardened into something else, and he stood, moving past the counter and into the part of the kitchen she was occupying, just taking the tea off the oven’s flame. “How do you know that, Kiara? Did you ever even think to try, or did you just assume that before giving it a chance? Not everyone thinks that being the chief’s wife is a bunch of housework, you know.” He was moving into her personal space now, and something about it was a little different than she remembered. She didn’t really have many boundaries with her friends—she as always hugging them and swatting them and linking arms with them, and Kohaku had been no exception, once. But this felt… strange.
Kiara was not short, but Kohaku was exceedingly tall, and so when he stood so close, he seemed to loom, and she backed up until she hit the counter on the other side of the kitchen, but he just followed, placing an arm on either side of the counter and caging her in. Her brows furrowed—why was he being weird like this? “What are you talking about?” she inquired with a frown.
“I know what your mother wanted you to think it would be like,” he explained, ducking slightly so as to be closer to eye level. Their noses were only inches apart. “But what if I thought differently? What if I thought that you would be my equal in the relationship? With just as much say in how to run the Tribe as any of those old men on the Council? What if I didn’t just want you to be my wife, but my partner?” His voice was low, his eyes half-lidded, and slowly, understanding began to dawn on her.
“Kohaku—”
He cut her off. Not very partner-like of him, but she might mention that later. “For seven years, Kiara.” The sentence didn’t make a lot of sense, but she didn't have a lot of time to think about it, because before she could draw the breath needed to reply, he was kissing her, his mouth slanting over hers in a motion neither smooth nor practiced, but born of something she could not quite understand, a hint of desperation to it, slow though it was. She squeaked, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue along hers, though she was far too shocked to even consider responding.
He pulled back, searching her face for something. “For seven years I’ve loved you, and then one night, you just disappear to find your way somewhere else. Do you have any idea how I felt, knowing you left me behind without so much as a word? Because of this idea you had that isn’t even true about what you’d be forced to do and become? Kiara, you’re beautiful, and brilliant, and so damn bright I wonder how anyone can stand to look at you sometimes. I don’t want to put you in a cage—I’ve never wanted that.”
Kiara swallowed, placing her hands against his chest, more to enforce the distance than anything else. She understood, now, and it hurt. Because as much as she wanted to, she did not and could not give him what he did want, and to hurt a friend that way was breaking her heart. Never once, in a lifetime of friendship, had she ever felt anything but affection and platonic love for him, and she knew now that she never would. Maybe, there might have been a chance if she’d never come here, but… she’d seen too much and changed too much to ever be satisfied back at the North Pole. Even if what he said was true. “Kohaku, I… I’m sorry. I can’t… I don’t…” she didn’t even know how to say it the right way, to make him understand.
“I’ll always love you, I will, just not…” Her eyes were teary when she looked up at him, willing him to understand what she could not express.
“Just not the way I love you,” he finished, and she nodded slowly. He stepped back slightly, and she sighed, able to breathe a little more easily without him standing so close. She brought her arms up across her chest, as if to stave off the cold. He looked anywhere but at her for a while, until the silence had grown long enough to more than qualify as awkward. In the end, he cleared his throat, then looked her in the eye again. His own were a deep blue, almost ultramarine, a striking color, and quite a contrast to her own, which were much more like ice and sky.
“I won’t give up on you, Kiara. I can’t. I can’t make myself stop loving you any more than you can force yourself to start loving me. Maybe, in time, one of us will change our minds, maybe we never will. But I won’t give up.”
“I know,” she said softly, and he blinked in surprise, causing her to crack the tiniest of smiles. “You’ve never once given up in your life Kohaku. I hardly expect you to start now.” They’d always been butting heads when they were younger, each determined to outdo the other… at least until she’d turned fifteen. About when he’d realized his feelings, if his timing was correct. “Just… if the opportunity comes, for you to learn to love someone else, someone who will love you back, don’t… don’t let it go by, okay? I want you to be happy.”
Just not with her.
He sighed through his nose and nodded. “I suppose I should go now. Just… I don't know if there’s someone else for you, Kiara, and I suppose I really don’t care. I’d fight for you anyway, but… if there ever is, make sure he deserves you. Or I will, and I can’t promise I’ll be nice about it.” He smirked, and she remembered the expression well, returning it tentatively. Nodding again, he took his leave, and she sank back against the counter, touching her mouth as soon as the door clicked shut.
When had her life become such a mess?
Fang wasn’t sure he’d ever had to do anything this difficult in his entire life.
And he was a man who’d mastered a nearly-dead bending art and learned to wield a sword from the most demanding of Fire Nation tutors. Somehow, however, the difficulty of those things seemed to pale in comparison to trying to teach his friends how to dance. It wasn’t that they were ungraceful, exactly—though perhaps Rika’s way of moving did leave a few things to be desired from the perspective of elegance, but rather that they were so overwhelmed with all the things they had to learn that they weren’t really learning any of them well. He was trying to slow things down, and just get them by on the very basics, but even this was proving to be challenging.
It would seem that some of the fiercest benders he knew quailed in the face of social gatherings. Particularly the formal ones. About three days ago, Mr. Tong had come to the team and informed them that their presence was requested at a gala being held for the wealthy elite of Republic City, a charity dinner for victims of Equalist and Triad attacks. They were hardly in a position to refuse, but it was clear that certain social niceties were expected, among these dancing and some sense of comportment. Fang, who had grown up royalty in one of the most traditional nations in the world, had offered to teach them as much, without revealing how he knew it. Haki, as it turned out, already had most of the basics, which was good, because all Kiara was familiar with were Water Tribe dances and customs, which were not very helpful here, and Rika was a commoner born and bred.
There was nothing wrong with that, of course, but it meant they were both starting behind the curve in terms of passing for young women of distinction. Fang thought the value of being able to be have as such was debatable, but regardless, they didn’t want to accidentally offend someone and cause trouble for Mr. Tong, so there was no other choice. Even probending practice had been put on hold for this, and he’d in fact cleared the usual gym, instructing everyone to bring shoes like what they’d wear to the gala and dress reasonably nicely—all the dancing lessons in the world would be useless if they couldn’t do it in a dress and heels or slippers, after all. Presently, he was waiting for the three of them to show up—Haki had been appointed assistant instructor, mostly because he couldn’t be two dance partners at once, and they didn’t have the time to waste.
He still wasn’t sure they’d manage it in time, but he’d resolved to try as best he could.
Rika had stated once, that she could not dance. It was evident that night when she and Kiara were drunk, and they tried dancing together, but they ended up tripping over each other, and she was sure she landed in someone's lap. Maybe, or something of the sort, she couldn't really remember that night. Learning how to dance from Fang was proving difficult. It wasn't that he was a bad teacher or anything, but Rika had been born a commoner. She wasn't nobility, though the pallor of her skin might have said otherwise. She was just... she couldn't dance. No matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't learn. But she wanted to learn, if only so that she wouldn't offend someone Mr. Tong knew.
Perhaps, it was why, when after the lessons from Fang ended, she would ask Haki to help her out. He knew more than she did, but perhaps less than Fang did. That was okay, because if he could help her out with the basics, she wouldn't disappoint Fang as much, though she couldn't really recall why that exactly mattered. Perhaps because he had agreed to teach them how to dance, and she knew it was no easy task to teach someone (especially her) who had two left feet. She sighed softly, pulling at the Cheongsam she currently wore. It was nothing like the one Kiara had bought her, and in fact was just simple. The color was an emerald green, though perhaps more on the pastel side, and she wore her slippers with it. She wouldn't even attempt a dance in heels.
If she did, Haki would have a field day, Kiara would be mending a sprained ankle, and she was sure Fang would just stand idly by, shake his head ever so subtly (odd how she noticed that), and perhaps sigh. Haki, on the other hand, was having a blast. He had never laughed so much at his teammates before, and he was starting to enjoy this little problem of theirs. He knew how to dance, only very basically, because it was required of him. His father would take him to small gala's of their own, and he was required to dance a few times with some of the guests that had attended. Not that he minded really, it was a valuable skill to have in one's arsenal. He dressed in a simple red tangzhuang, accompanied by a pair of black silk pants. It didn't seem too informal, but perhaps he was dressed a little too formally.
It wasn't required, of course, but they were to dress somewhat formally. At least, that's what Fang had told them to do, and he wasn't going to say no, exactly. He met Rika at the corner where she lived, and the two of them accompanied each other to the gym where they practiced. The walk was relatively quiet, something that caused Rika to leer at him for, only causing him to smile in a malicious way. A silent Haki was never a good Haki, and she was wary of him. He simply brushed off the look she was sending him, and held the door open for her to enter the stadium. She immediately walked as far away from him as possible, and waited for their missing friend to arrive. Why did she have a bad feeling in her gut about this? Haki was up to something, she just knew it.
Kiara had elected to attempt wearing shoes with a heel, though she felt a little ridiculous in them. She wasn’t precisely an unskilled dancer, it was just that the ones she knew were not the same as the ones other people knew. In the Water Tribes, dancing was a much more vigorous, lively activity than this sort of formal thing other nations seemed to do, and only seldom required a partner, especially a partner of the opposite sex. Still, she was doing her best to learn this new way of doing it, and if that meant learning to traipse around in these ridiculous shoes, so be it. She had no intention of letting down Mr. Tong, or her teammates, either.
The whole mess with Kohaku was far from resolved, and he was apparently planning on staying in the city for a while, something that part of her was not looking forward to. The other part, though, hoped that doing so would let him see what about it kept her here. Maybe, if he could understand where she was coming from, he’d go back and be able to convince her family to leave her be, maybe even come and visit for pleasure only, and not to convince her to return. Whatever the case, she wasn’t going back. She’d decided that much.
She arrived, draped in a light purple cheongsam, since earth kingdom clothes were much easier to get around here than anything else, and slid into the stupid shoes, adding another four inches to her height, which put her just a hair under Haki’s six feet even. By the time she got there, everyone else had already arrived, and only then did she notice that Fang was holding a pair of large books in his hand. When she looked at him curiously, he shrugged nonchalantly and placed them both on his head. She didn’t understand why until he moved forward, balancing the both of them upon the crown of his head. He made it look easy, even when he started to spin and the like, mocking the dance steps he’d been teaching them. The books hardly wobbled, and never once did they look like they were going to fall.
After a short demonstration, he placed on Rika’s head, and the second on Kiara’s. “I won’t make you dance like this yet, but you do need to learn to walk properly. It should help.” One of the problems with their dancing was their movement—they treated it too much like bending. Kiara bent and swayed too much and wound up unable to let someone else lead. Rika… was a disaster for a few reason, but chief among them was that she was jerky and abrupt when she should be smooth and light. “Walk from one end of the room to the other, and do not use your hands to keep the book in place.” The exercise should make them aware of things about their bodies and their movements that he and presumably Haki could already see, but that were hard to simply tell.
Rika smiled and waved at Kiara when she arrived. She hadn't really noticed Fang until Kiara gave him a questioning glance, and she followed it to the large books he was holding. She pursed her lips together, Haki trying not to laugh at the horrified expression on her face. It wasn't fair, really, for Fang to be able to dance like that, with the books a top his head and without one of them making a movement to fall. Once he was finished with the demonstration, he placed one of the books on her head and the other on Kiara's. Rika could feel her heartbeat rising. She couldn't balance a book on her head. It would fall the moment she tried to walk.
"This is so not fair," she mumbled beneath her breath, causing Haki to chuckle lightly. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel the book on her head before she took the first step. She blinked in mild surprise when the book remained in its spot, and she could feel her lips twitch up slightly. She could do this. All she had to do was keep repeating the words in her mind, and she could pull this off, however; the moment she took a second step, the book began to wobble. "Oh no you don't," she grumbled, stopping to keep the book from falling. She crossed her eyes in an attempt to look up to make sure it was still there.
"You can't take baby steps, Lotus," Haki spoke, keeping a chuckle in as she turned with her whole body to glare at him. "It defeats the purpose. You have to walk, not tip-toe," he continued, crossing his arms against his chest as he smirked at her. Easier said than done, why didn't he have to do it? She stuck her tongue out at him childishly before turning back around, slowly. He was right though, she wasn't going to learn anything by tip-toeing. She let out a defeated sigh and straightened her back out once more.
"Yeah, well I need baby steps, jerk face," she retorted rolling her eyes away from Haki. She could hear him snort in another attempt to keep from laughing, however; she tried to ignore him. Gathering what little courage she had, she began to walk at a leisurely pace, smiling when the book remained on her head, however; when she reached the middle of the room, the book began to shake. Rika found herself moving with the book in an attempt to keep it from falling, but it did not do much good for her. She let out a startled yelp when it fell, jumping back slightly so that it barely missed her foot. "Hopeless," was the only word she could muster out.
Kiara, meanwhile, was walking perhaps a bit too slowly but mostly okay down the room, trying to use the book on her head to learn things about the way her muscles were working, things that had been second nature and never thought about. It was actually very interesting, though her book wobbled quite a bit, she was making some progress. She actually thought she was going to make it, too, until the loud bang of Rika’s book hitting the ground broke her concentration and she jumped, startled, her own landing on her toe.
“Ow!” She exclaimed, instinctively lifting the foot in question to examine the injury. Unfortunately, she’d rather managed to forget she was wearing heels, and the subsequent movement dislodged her, rolling her ankle sideways and sending her spilling onto the ground. Luckily, she avoided any major injury by tucking and rolling, coming back up on her feet and settling back onto the damn shoes. “Um… ta-da?”
She could have sworn she heard Fang sigh.
If indeed he was frustrated by them, however, his face did not betray it, and it was in the same voice as ever that he spoke, stooping to pick up her book and place it back on her head. “Nothing worthwhile is achieved without diligence. Try again.” Kiara’s fundamental problem was not in understanding, but in execution. With enough practice, she would master the things he was endeavoring to teach. Rika, on the other hand… he was fairly certain what he was trying to say was not making it through the same way. Perhaps a different approach was called for.
Thus far, he’d simply had them taking turns dancing with Haki, considering that the other man was happy to help. Unsurprisingly. At the moment, however, he felt that without more direct instruction, Rika would accidentally embarrass herself at the party, and he didn’t want her to have to suffer through that. Which was why he picked her up by the waist and sat her on his shoulders, with apparent ease. “Hold on, and focus on how it feels to move this way.” Were earthbenders not in tune with the way things moved from the ground up? Perhaps, if she could understand the ways in which he connected and disconnected from the earth beneath his feet, she would have a greater understanding of how to replicate it.
At first, he simply walked, in the same manner he had as when the books were on his head. His footsteps, even burdened with the weight of another person, were light, but they felt directed and purposeful, the muscles and ligaments on his frame coordinating in a certain kind of balanced harmony that allowed him to choose how he tread, slave neither to gravity nor one set course. His feet did not seek the ground below, as hers did, but they didn’t skitter away from it, either, as they had once done in his own childhood. His upper body was not rigid, either, but relaxed, without being loose, and in this way, his balance was flawless. It needed to be, considering he spent much of his time running over rooftops and bounding through the city.
Smoothly as if he had been born to it, he flowed into the steps of the waltz they were learning, and the similarity was obvious. The difference was only in the tempo and direction he chose—he was just as much in control of this as he was of the simple act of walking, and yet it felt more like floating than anything else. “Do you understand what I am trying to show you?” he asked. He knew of no more effective way to communicate it than this. "You are not hopeless. Only untutored."
Rika turned towards Kiara when she heard the other girl yelp, and felt her muscles twitch to go help her, however; Kiara seemed to recover quickly and she heard a light chuckle coming from Haki. At least Kiara had more balance than she did, which was odd all things considered. She was an earthbender, she should have that same balance, however; it seemed that she was lacking it. She sighed softly to herself and blinked in mild surprise when Fang was standing in front of her. She blinked up at him confusedly, tilting her head to the side, opening her mouth to say something, however; she found herself lifted and situated on his shoulders.
Had Haki been paying attention, he would have never let her live down the shade of red her face took on, but it quickly subsided when Fang spoke. She calmed the rapid beating of her heart and did as she was told, focusing on everything else besides the fact that she was currently sitting on Fang's shoulders. She could feel the way he moved, fluid and graceful, almost harmonic in a way. She pursed her lips together taking a slow breath and releasing it just as slowly. He spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts as she peered down at him.
"Y-yes, a little," she answered truthfully. She could understand what he was trying to teach her, but it was a little more difficult to execute it. He made it seem so easy, so effortless, and Rika only frowned deeper. "Same difference," she muttered, though not entirely true. He was right, she was untutored and she doubted she'd be able to learn in time just the basics of a dance. He was a good teacher, he really was, but it just seemed a little impossible for Rika to learn the steps properly. But she could do this, she had to.
Haki, however, stood next to Kiara and raised an amused brow. "Having fun there, Turtle-Duck?" he stated, his tone amused and slightly playful. He chuckled at her as he peered at the book a top her head, and sighed softly, the smile never really leaving his lips. Instead, he placed a hand on her back, and the other around her abdomen. Pressing against her back, he shifted her posture a little so that she stood up straight, and removed his hand from her abdomen and placed it underneath her chin. He tilted her head back slightly, and straightened it out.
"Your posture is a little rigid. Focus your attention here," he spoke, pointing to the middle of her collar bone, "and here," he continued, placing both his hands around her mid center, one on her back and the other on her stomach. "Also, you're straining your shoulders, relax them a bit and keep your chin tucked in," he stated, placing both hands on her shoulders and forcing them down, before placing his hand back on her chin and readjusting her head. "There, now try. I'll be behind you, acting as your chauffeur."
“U-uh, right,” Kiara replied, trying to fight down her own blush. It was weird—it wasn’t like anything he was doing should cause that. His hands didn’t linger anywhere they shouldn’t and he was only trying to help, really, so… she almost shook her head at herself, but then remembered the book still balanced on her head and sighed instead. Really, she was of a mind to tell him to try balancing in these shoes, but that was silly. She could do this, and there was no need to be grumpy with someone who was helping. Even if she did feel all weird about it now.
The book still wobbled a little, but she managed to cross down and back the gym floor without it dropping, and she could sort of understand what they were talking about, when they said things about muscle tension and stiffness. Fortunately, she was used to being anything but stiff, and that helped with this bit. When she reached the end of the gym, she took the book off her head and grinned brightly, spinning to face Haki. “Ha! I did it!”
Fang, on the other hand, placed his hands over Rika’s knees, an unconscious gesture, his fingers tracing idle circles over her skin as he spoke. “I think,” he said, “that perhaps what you lack is not the skill, but the belief that you have the skill.” He turned his head slightly to the side, so that he could look up at her from the corner of his eye. “I will come by your home this evening. Perhaps practice without an audience will help.”
Haki smiled, clapping softly at Kiara's success. "Well done, Turtle-Duck. It seems you have a better grasp at this than Lotus does," he spoke, shooting Rika a side glance and raising a questioning brow. He said nothing and returned his attention back to Kiara. He took one of her hands in his own, and bowed slightly, brushing his lips against her knuckles. "A little more practice, and I think you might be good on your own, Turtle-Duck," he stated, grinning up at her in the process. He'd help her, of course, but it seemed that she would catch on a lot quicker than her other counter part.
Rika, on the other hand, had to fight a deep blush on her face, and was failing miserably, when Fang spoke to her. Really, she should have known better about the implication of it all, however; with Haki as a friend, she couldn't really help it. She stammered and looked away from him, focusing on Kiara and Haki in the corner, the latter who seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much, and she pursed her lips together. It wasn't so much as an audience that unnerved her, and she really doubted Kiara and Haki could be considered an audience, really. They were her friends, and besides, they'd seen her drunk dancing before.
"Ah, sure, yeah, okay," were the only words she managed to speak, trying to ignore the circular motion on her knees. Why did it feel like her heart rate increased all of a sudden?
And he was a man who’d mastered a nearly-dead bending art and learned to wield a sword from the most demanding of Fire Nation tutors. Somehow, however, the difficulty of those things seemed to pale in comparison to trying to teach his friends how to dance. It wasn’t that they were ungraceful, exactly—though perhaps Rika’s way of moving did leave a few things to be desired from the perspective of elegance, but rather that they were so overwhelmed with all the things they had to learn that they weren’t really learning any of them well. He was trying to slow things down, and just get them by on the very basics, but even this was proving to be challenging.
It would seem that some of the fiercest benders he knew quailed in the face of social gatherings. Particularly the formal ones. About three days ago, Mr. Tong had come to the team and informed them that their presence was requested at a gala being held for the wealthy elite of Republic City, a charity dinner for victims of Equalist and Triad attacks. They were hardly in a position to refuse, but it was clear that certain social niceties were expected, among these dancing and some sense of comportment. Fang, who had grown up royalty in one of the most traditional nations in the world, had offered to teach them as much, without revealing how he knew it. Haki, as it turned out, already had most of the basics, which was good, because all Kiara was familiar with were Water Tribe dances and customs, which were not very helpful here, and Rika was a commoner born and bred.
There was nothing wrong with that, of course, but it meant they were both starting behind the curve in terms of passing for young women of distinction. Fang thought the value of being able to be have as such was debatable, but regardless, they didn’t want to accidentally offend someone and cause trouble for Mr. Tong, so there was no other choice. Even probending practice had been put on hold for this, and he’d in fact cleared the usual gym, instructing everyone to bring shoes like what they’d wear to the gala and dress reasonably nicely—all the dancing lessons in the world would be useless if they couldn’t do it in a dress and heels or slippers, after all. Presently, he was waiting for the three of them to show up—Haki had been appointed assistant instructor, mostly because he couldn’t be two dance partners at once, and they didn’t have the time to waste.
He still wasn’t sure they’d manage it in time, but he’d resolved to try as best he could.
Rika had stated once, that she could not dance. It was evident that night when she and Kiara were drunk, and they tried dancing together, but they ended up tripping over each other, and she was sure she landed in someone's lap. Maybe, or something of the sort, she couldn't really remember that night. Learning how to dance from Fang was proving difficult. It wasn't that he was a bad teacher or anything, but Rika had been born a commoner. She wasn't nobility, though the pallor of her skin might have said otherwise. She was just... she couldn't dance. No matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't learn. But she wanted to learn, if only so that she wouldn't offend someone Mr. Tong knew.
Perhaps, it was why, when after the lessons from Fang ended, she would ask Haki to help her out. He knew more than she did, but perhaps less than Fang did. That was okay, because if he could help her out with the basics, she wouldn't disappoint Fang as much, though she couldn't really recall why that exactly mattered. Perhaps because he had agreed to teach them how to dance, and she knew it was no easy task to teach someone (especially her) who had two left feet. She sighed softly, pulling at the Cheongsam she currently wore. It was nothing like the one Kiara had bought her, and in fact was just simple. The color was an emerald green, though perhaps more on the pastel side, and she wore her slippers with it. She wouldn't even attempt a dance in heels.
If she did, Haki would have a field day, Kiara would be mending a sprained ankle, and she was sure Fang would just stand idly by, shake his head ever so subtly (odd how she noticed that), and perhaps sigh. Haki, on the other hand, was having a blast. He had never laughed so much at his teammates before, and he was starting to enjoy this little problem of theirs. He knew how to dance, only very basically, because it was required of him. His father would take him to small gala's of their own, and he was required to dance a few times with some of the guests that had attended. Not that he minded really, it was a valuable skill to have in one's arsenal. He dressed in a simple red tangzhuang, accompanied by a pair of black silk pants. It didn't seem too informal, but perhaps he was dressed a little too formally.
It wasn't required, of course, but they were to dress somewhat formally. At least, that's what Fang had told them to do, and he wasn't going to say no, exactly. He met Rika at the corner where she lived, and the two of them accompanied each other to the gym where they practiced. The walk was relatively quiet, something that caused Rika to leer at him for, only causing him to smile in a malicious way. A silent Haki was never a good Haki, and she was wary of him. He simply brushed off the look she was sending him, and held the door open for her to enter the stadium. She immediately walked as far away from him as possible, and waited for their missing friend to arrive. Why did she have a bad feeling in her gut about this? Haki was up to something, she just knew it.
Kiara had elected to attempt wearing shoes with a heel, though she felt a little ridiculous in them. She wasn’t precisely an unskilled dancer, it was just that the ones she knew were not the same as the ones other people knew. In the Water Tribes, dancing was a much more vigorous, lively activity than this sort of formal thing other nations seemed to do, and only seldom required a partner, especially a partner of the opposite sex. Still, she was doing her best to learn this new way of doing it, and if that meant learning to traipse around in these ridiculous shoes, so be it. She had no intention of letting down Mr. Tong, or her teammates, either.
The whole mess with Kohaku was far from resolved, and he was apparently planning on staying in the city for a while, something that part of her was not looking forward to. The other part, though, hoped that doing so would let him see what about it kept her here. Maybe, if he could understand where she was coming from, he’d go back and be able to convince her family to leave her be, maybe even come and visit for pleasure only, and not to convince her to return. Whatever the case, she wasn’t going back. She’d decided that much.
She arrived, draped in a light purple cheongsam, since earth kingdom clothes were much easier to get around here than anything else, and slid into the stupid shoes, adding another four inches to her height, which put her just a hair under Haki’s six feet even. By the time she got there, everyone else had already arrived, and only then did she notice that Fang was holding a pair of large books in his hand. When she looked at him curiously, he shrugged nonchalantly and placed them both on his head. She didn’t understand why until he moved forward, balancing the both of them upon the crown of his head. He made it look easy, even when he started to spin and the like, mocking the dance steps he’d been teaching them. The books hardly wobbled, and never once did they look like they were going to fall.
After a short demonstration, he placed on Rika’s head, and the second on Kiara’s. “I won’t make you dance like this yet, but you do need to learn to walk properly. It should help.” One of the problems with their dancing was their movement—they treated it too much like bending. Kiara bent and swayed too much and wound up unable to let someone else lead. Rika… was a disaster for a few reason, but chief among them was that she was jerky and abrupt when she should be smooth and light. “Walk from one end of the room to the other, and do not use your hands to keep the book in place.” The exercise should make them aware of things about their bodies and their movements that he and presumably Haki could already see, but that were hard to simply tell.
Rika smiled and waved at Kiara when she arrived. She hadn't really noticed Fang until Kiara gave him a questioning glance, and she followed it to the large books he was holding. She pursed her lips together, Haki trying not to laugh at the horrified expression on her face. It wasn't fair, really, for Fang to be able to dance like that, with the books a top his head and without one of them making a movement to fall. Once he was finished with the demonstration, he placed one of the books on her head and the other on Kiara's. Rika could feel her heartbeat rising. She couldn't balance a book on her head. It would fall the moment she tried to walk.
"This is so not fair," she mumbled beneath her breath, causing Haki to chuckle lightly. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel the book on her head before she took the first step. She blinked in mild surprise when the book remained in its spot, and she could feel her lips twitch up slightly. She could do this. All she had to do was keep repeating the words in her mind, and she could pull this off, however; the moment she took a second step, the book began to wobble. "Oh no you don't," she grumbled, stopping to keep the book from falling. She crossed her eyes in an attempt to look up to make sure it was still there.
"You can't take baby steps, Lotus," Haki spoke, keeping a chuckle in as she turned with her whole body to glare at him. "It defeats the purpose. You have to walk, not tip-toe," he continued, crossing his arms against his chest as he smirked at her. Easier said than done, why didn't he have to do it? She stuck her tongue out at him childishly before turning back around, slowly. He was right though, she wasn't going to learn anything by tip-toeing. She let out a defeated sigh and straightened her back out once more.
"Yeah, well I need baby steps, jerk face," she retorted rolling her eyes away from Haki. She could hear him snort in another attempt to keep from laughing, however; she tried to ignore him. Gathering what little courage she had, she began to walk at a leisurely pace, smiling when the book remained on her head, however; when she reached the middle of the room, the book began to shake. Rika found herself moving with the book in an attempt to keep it from falling, but it did not do much good for her. She let out a startled yelp when it fell, jumping back slightly so that it barely missed her foot. "Hopeless," was the only word she could muster out.
Kiara, meanwhile, was walking perhaps a bit too slowly but mostly okay down the room, trying to use the book on her head to learn things about the way her muscles were working, things that had been second nature and never thought about. It was actually very interesting, though her book wobbled quite a bit, she was making some progress. She actually thought she was going to make it, too, until the loud bang of Rika’s book hitting the ground broke her concentration and she jumped, startled, her own landing on her toe.
“Ow!” She exclaimed, instinctively lifting the foot in question to examine the injury. Unfortunately, she’d rather managed to forget she was wearing heels, and the subsequent movement dislodged her, rolling her ankle sideways and sending her spilling onto the ground. Luckily, she avoided any major injury by tucking and rolling, coming back up on her feet and settling back onto the damn shoes. “Um… ta-da?”
She could have sworn she heard Fang sigh.
If indeed he was frustrated by them, however, his face did not betray it, and it was in the same voice as ever that he spoke, stooping to pick up her book and place it back on her head. “Nothing worthwhile is achieved without diligence. Try again.” Kiara’s fundamental problem was not in understanding, but in execution. With enough practice, she would master the things he was endeavoring to teach. Rika, on the other hand… he was fairly certain what he was trying to say was not making it through the same way. Perhaps a different approach was called for.
Thus far, he’d simply had them taking turns dancing with Haki, considering that the other man was happy to help. Unsurprisingly. At the moment, however, he felt that without more direct instruction, Rika would accidentally embarrass herself at the party, and he didn’t want her to have to suffer through that. Which was why he picked her up by the waist and sat her on his shoulders, with apparent ease. “Hold on, and focus on how it feels to move this way.” Were earthbenders not in tune with the way things moved from the ground up? Perhaps, if she could understand the ways in which he connected and disconnected from the earth beneath his feet, she would have a greater understanding of how to replicate it.
At first, he simply walked, in the same manner he had as when the books were on his head. His footsteps, even burdened with the weight of another person, were light, but they felt directed and purposeful, the muscles and ligaments on his frame coordinating in a certain kind of balanced harmony that allowed him to choose how he tread, slave neither to gravity nor one set course. His feet did not seek the ground below, as hers did, but they didn’t skitter away from it, either, as they had once done in his own childhood. His upper body was not rigid, either, but relaxed, without being loose, and in this way, his balance was flawless. It needed to be, considering he spent much of his time running over rooftops and bounding through the city.
Smoothly as if he had been born to it, he flowed into the steps of the waltz they were learning, and the similarity was obvious. The difference was only in the tempo and direction he chose—he was just as much in control of this as he was of the simple act of walking, and yet it felt more like floating than anything else. “Do you understand what I am trying to show you?” he asked. He knew of no more effective way to communicate it than this. "You are not hopeless. Only untutored."
Rika turned towards Kiara when she heard the other girl yelp, and felt her muscles twitch to go help her, however; Kiara seemed to recover quickly and she heard a light chuckle coming from Haki. At least Kiara had more balance than she did, which was odd all things considered. She was an earthbender, she should have that same balance, however; it seemed that she was lacking it. She sighed softly to herself and blinked in mild surprise when Fang was standing in front of her. She blinked up at him confusedly, tilting her head to the side, opening her mouth to say something, however; she found herself lifted and situated on his shoulders.
Had Haki been paying attention, he would have never let her live down the shade of red her face took on, but it quickly subsided when Fang spoke. She calmed the rapid beating of her heart and did as she was told, focusing on everything else besides the fact that she was currently sitting on Fang's shoulders. She could feel the way he moved, fluid and graceful, almost harmonic in a way. She pursed her lips together taking a slow breath and releasing it just as slowly. He spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts as she peered down at him.
"Y-yes, a little," she answered truthfully. She could understand what he was trying to teach her, but it was a little more difficult to execute it. He made it seem so easy, so effortless, and Rika only frowned deeper. "Same difference," she muttered, though not entirely true. He was right, she was untutored and she doubted she'd be able to learn in time just the basics of a dance. He was a good teacher, he really was, but it just seemed a little impossible for Rika to learn the steps properly. But she could do this, she had to.
Haki, however, stood next to Kiara and raised an amused brow. "Having fun there, Turtle-Duck?" he stated, his tone amused and slightly playful. He chuckled at her as he peered at the book a top her head, and sighed softly, the smile never really leaving his lips. Instead, he placed a hand on her back, and the other around her abdomen. Pressing against her back, he shifted her posture a little so that she stood up straight, and removed his hand from her abdomen and placed it underneath her chin. He tilted her head back slightly, and straightened it out.
"Your posture is a little rigid. Focus your attention here," he spoke, pointing to the middle of her collar bone, "and here," he continued, placing both his hands around her mid center, one on her back and the other on her stomach. "Also, you're straining your shoulders, relax them a bit and keep your chin tucked in," he stated, placing both hands on her shoulders and forcing them down, before placing his hand back on her chin and readjusting her head. "There, now try. I'll be behind you, acting as your chauffeur."
“U-uh, right,” Kiara replied, trying to fight down her own blush. It was weird—it wasn’t like anything he was doing should cause that. His hands didn’t linger anywhere they shouldn’t and he was only trying to help, really, so… she almost shook her head at herself, but then remembered the book still balanced on her head and sighed instead. Really, she was of a mind to tell him to try balancing in these shoes, but that was silly. She could do this, and there was no need to be grumpy with someone who was helping. Even if she did feel all weird about it now.
The book still wobbled a little, but she managed to cross down and back the gym floor without it dropping, and she could sort of understand what they were talking about, when they said things about muscle tension and stiffness. Fortunately, she was used to being anything but stiff, and that helped with this bit. When she reached the end of the gym, she took the book off her head and grinned brightly, spinning to face Haki. “Ha! I did it!”
Fang, on the other hand, placed his hands over Rika’s knees, an unconscious gesture, his fingers tracing idle circles over her skin as he spoke. “I think,” he said, “that perhaps what you lack is not the skill, but the belief that you have the skill.” He turned his head slightly to the side, so that he could look up at her from the corner of his eye. “I will come by your home this evening. Perhaps practice without an audience will help.”
Haki smiled, clapping softly at Kiara's success. "Well done, Turtle-Duck. It seems you have a better grasp at this than Lotus does," he spoke, shooting Rika a side glance and raising a questioning brow. He said nothing and returned his attention back to Kiara. He took one of her hands in his own, and bowed slightly, brushing his lips against her knuckles. "A little more practice, and I think you might be good on your own, Turtle-Duck," he stated, grinning up at her in the process. He'd help her, of course, but it seemed that she would catch on a lot quicker than her other counter part.
Rika, on the other hand, had to fight a deep blush on her face, and was failing miserably, when Fang spoke to her. Really, she should have known better about the implication of it all, however; with Haki as a friend, she couldn't really help it. She stammered and looked away from him, focusing on Kiara and Haki in the corner, the latter who seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much, and she pursed her lips together. It wasn't so much as an audience that unnerved her, and she really doubted Kiara and Haki could be considered an audience, really. They were her friends, and besides, they'd seen her drunk dancing before.
"Ah, sure, yeah, okay," were the only words she managed to speak, trying to ignore the circular motion on her knees. Why did it feel like her heart rate increased all of a sudden?
Evening fell over the city, the night before the gala was scheduled. As he had every night for the last week and a half, Fang made his way to Rika’s apartment, the route long familiar to him though he’d never been invited prior. He didn’t go to his friends’ places of residence, but he’d made a point of knowing where all of them were, in case of emergency. He’d let her give him directions the first day, though; it was perhaps not strictly necessary for them to know that he had this information. He didn’t think it would be taken badly, but there was always a chance that his intentions would be misinterpreted, and he did not relish the thought of having to explain. How could he tell them that he knew where they lived so that he would know when to make sure they were not in their homes in case the Equalists he worked for decided to strike nearby? There weren’t really any right words for that.
He’d come from a job directly this time, having to hurry the end of it a bit so he wouldn’t be late, which meant he was clothed entirely in black at present, but with a few adjustments, he was at least street-presentable, and wouldn’t draw much attention, anyway, as his usual travel route was over roofs rather than upon the streets themselves. Sliding down a sturdy drainpipe, he swung into an open window, landing lightly on the carpeted floor of her hallway and padding over to her door, whereupon he knocked softly and took a step back.
Rika sighed, flipping the page to a book for what seemed the umpteenth time. She wasn't reading the contents of the book, or even what the book was about, and sighed softly when San nudged her with his snout. She glanced down at the fire ferret, smiling in response as she picked him up. He dangled from her hands as she stared at him, he staring right back and let out a soft mewling noise. Rika rolled her eyes at him and touched his nose briefly with her own, setting him back down as Jiao made her way over towards the two. Rika learned that, where San was a little more relaxed, Jiao liked to stir up a bit of trouble, going so far as to sneak out of the window at night, scaring the life out of Rika when she returned knocking on the door.
It was precisely at that moment, that Rika heard a knock coming from her door, and she blinked. Was she expecting company? She glanced up at the clock and almost smacked her forehead with the book. For the past few nights, Fang had come over, as he promised, to help her on her dancing. She had really appreciated the gesture, and felt she was learning a bit more than she had when she was with the others. Perhaps he was right, perhaps the audience had unnerved her a bit. But she would have to move past that if she wanted to dance properly at the gala, which was tomorrow night if she remembered correctly. She opened the door, Jiao hanging from one shoulder, and San hanging from the other.
"Good evening, Fang," she greeted, opening the door to let him in. She raised a questioning brow at his appearance, but thought nothing of it. Perhaps he was coming back from one of his security jobs. He had those, that much she recalled. Or jobs in general, really. "I can make some tea if you'd like some first," she offered. She could at least provide that much for him. He was, after all, taking time from his time to help her out.
He tilted his head slightly to the side, slipping inside when she stepped back from the door, respectfully removing his boots before he made it any further in. The first few nights had bruised his toes because of that, but she was at least at the point where she wasn’t stepping on them anymore, and that was really all that was strictly necessary. Which made him wonder why he was still coming, really. He didn’t dare spend too much time considering the possibilities. At the offer, he shook his head slightly. “Perhaps afterwards, if you would not mind.” For now, though, he thought it was probably better to begin.
Shedding his outermost layer left him in a shirt without sleeves and simple loose pants, both still black, a sharp contrast against the pallor of his skin. Most times, he played music on the record machine in one corner of the room, something he’d brought over for her use. This time, however, he didn’t—there came a point where one should be able to do this even without the music to guide oneself, and he would like to see how she did at this. Bowing properly in front of Rika, he took one of her hands in his, enfolding it in his sword-callused palm, and circled the other above her waist, splaying his fingers over the middle of her back carefully.
“Ready?”
Rika nodded at his statement, removing the fire ferrets from her shoulders and placed them on the floor. Jiao scampered off towards Rika's bedroom, and San made himself comfortable on the counter, turning to watch Rika and Fang. Rika frowned at San, who seemed to smile at her in a very familiar way that it almost frightened her. She ignored the shiver rolling down her back and turned to focus on Fang. After the last few nights, she should be used to this by now, but she could never seem to stop the increase of her heartbeat every time they had a lesson. She honestly hoped it wouldn't be this bad during the gala, or she'd never be able to dance properly with anyone.
"When am I ever?" she muttered beneath her breath, placing her free hand over his shoulder. She blinked slightly in confusion, barely noticing that there was no music, and she felt a light chill roll down her spine. They were going to do this, without music? She swallowed thickly, feeling a bit silly and tried to calm herself down. The last thing she wanted to do was leave his hands sweaty due to her own. She repeated a silent mantra in her head, trying to remember the music and how it sounded like. If she could do that much, perhaps dancing without music wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would.
"Ah... thanks Fang, for helping me with this. I guess I never told you that," she stated, glancing intently into his shoulder. Why was conversation so much harder than it should be?
Fang blinked, as though surprised. “There is no need for that,” he said, leading them into the first turn. The improvement she was showing really was something. He added nothing further for a few minutes, though, letting them settle into a rhythm, though he could tell she was still thinking about it more than she was feeling it. “Stop thinking,” he told her, raising one eyebrow just slightly, as though the faintest fraction amused. “It’s so loud I can almost hear you.”
Using the hand at her back, he brought them half a step closer together. He supposed part of this might be his own fault—he’d been teaching this as though it were something that she only needed to master. What he may have failed to convey was equally as important, and perhaps he knew why. “Don’t worry about what the music is doing, or where the furniture or your feet are. I will take care of that—all you have to do is trust me. Can you do that?” They were close enough that he could smell her—tea, unsurprisingly, and something floral as well. It was a variation on the scent of her dwelling, but there was something much more personal about it, more warm, when it was wafted from her skin and hair.
Rika snorted at Fang's comment. "Sorry, I forgot to mention my thoughts tend to leak out into the air," she replied, a faint hint of amusement lacing her tone. She rolled her eyes softly, but smiled nonetheless. She could feel herself relaxing, if only just a fraction, until he brought them closer, causing her to tense again. That was one way to get her to stop thinking. She closed her eyes before opening them quickly and swallowed past the lump that grew in her throat. He asked her to trust him, let him lead if she could stop thinking. Her mind felt like it was racing, no one thought jumbled with another. It was confusing, and she almost felt dizzy. She pursed her lips together, and glanced up at him.
"That's easier said than done," she replied. "It's not that... it's not that I don't trust you. I just don't trust myself. What if I step on someone's toes, like I did yours? What if I accidentally step wrong and I make them fall?" she began, her eyes widening slightly. All the progress she was making almost seemed to fly out of the window, and her thoughts were truly running rampant in her mind. She didn't want to mess this up, least of all since Fang had taken so much time to teach her. She could feel a slight panic rising up in her being, and she felt her heart constrict softly.
"I just..." she tried once more, and frowned. She just what?
“What if you don’t?” Fang replied simply. “What if everything goes fine? What if the gala is cancelled tomorrow? There’s little use in wondering about those things, Rika.” How many times had he needed to tell himself the same thing? He’d always used to wonder—what if she were still alive? What if he’d never met her? What if he’d stayed in the Fire Nation? What if he died tomorrow, on one of Amon’s dangerous missions? But there simply wasn’t any use in it. All he could do, all anyone could do, was prepare as well as possible and put forth the best they had to offer. “Just for now, trust me, please. Close your eyes, and stop thinking.” He placed a little emphasis on the last two words, and waited until she complied before he picked up the steps again.
It was a little jerky at first, because she was still worried about stepping on his feet, he presumed, or hitting something, but he was true to his words, and never once did they collide with anything. She also didn’t step on his feet, and in fact, moved precisely as he asked her to, though he wasn’t using words to do it. They moved through all the dances he’d been teaching them, and though she wasn’t perfect, he didn’t expect her to be, and overall, what she did was very good. He didn’t even notice that he’d adjusted for a much closer proximity, either, the tips of his fingers moving until they had gone from the middle of her back to the lower portion, his fingers lacing with hers where their hands were clasped. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, even as he glided them to a stop.
“Not hopeless at all,” he murmured quietly, lowering their hands and using his to brush the pad of his thumb along the line of her jaw. “You’re incredible.” It struck him, then, how easy it would be to just lean down and… the realization came at him like a freight car, and Fang froze. No, no, he shouldn’t. It was impossible, and more than that, she did not deserve it. Such an act would only hurt her in the end, and he would not do that. He knew too well how it felt to be hurt to wish it upon anyone else, ever. Least of all her.
His other hand came away. “You’ll do fine.” He made his tone as monotonous as possible, nodded his head slightly, and then he was gone.
It was still easier said than done, but she supposed he had a point. She could feel herself relaxing a bit more, and allowed him to take the lead. She did as she was told, closing her eyes and tried to stop thinking. She managed, for the most part, and finally was able to get the dance steps down. She smiled, her eyes still closed until she felt them glide to a stop. She opened them, grinned up at him, however; it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Not hopeless? Incredible? What was he talking about? She didn't even realize the thumb tracing her jawline until she glanced up at him, green meeting gold, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, but just like that, he was gone. She slumped down, thankfully, into her couch, as San jumped into her lap.
"What... was that all about," she questioned to herself, the pale pallor of her face coloring deeply. Her heart was racing against her chest, and she could have sworn she heard San snicker. "Shut it, Haki Jr." San merely swished his tail.
He’d come from a job directly this time, having to hurry the end of it a bit so he wouldn’t be late, which meant he was clothed entirely in black at present, but with a few adjustments, he was at least street-presentable, and wouldn’t draw much attention, anyway, as his usual travel route was over roofs rather than upon the streets themselves. Sliding down a sturdy drainpipe, he swung into an open window, landing lightly on the carpeted floor of her hallway and padding over to her door, whereupon he knocked softly and took a step back.
Rika sighed, flipping the page to a book for what seemed the umpteenth time. She wasn't reading the contents of the book, or even what the book was about, and sighed softly when San nudged her with his snout. She glanced down at the fire ferret, smiling in response as she picked him up. He dangled from her hands as she stared at him, he staring right back and let out a soft mewling noise. Rika rolled her eyes at him and touched his nose briefly with her own, setting him back down as Jiao made her way over towards the two. Rika learned that, where San was a little more relaxed, Jiao liked to stir up a bit of trouble, going so far as to sneak out of the window at night, scaring the life out of Rika when she returned knocking on the door.
It was precisely at that moment, that Rika heard a knock coming from her door, and she blinked. Was she expecting company? She glanced up at the clock and almost smacked her forehead with the book. For the past few nights, Fang had come over, as he promised, to help her on her dancing. She had really appreciated the gesture, and felt she was learning a bit more than she had when she was with the others. Perhaps he was right, perhaps the audience had unnerved her a bit. But she would have to move past that if she wanted to dance properly at the gala, which was tomorrow night if she remembered correctly. She opened the door, Jiao hanging from one shoulder, and San hanging from the other.
"Good evening, Fang," she greeted, opening the door to let him in. She raised a questioning brow at his appearance, but thought nothing of it. Perhaps he was coming back from one of his security jobs. He had those, that much she recalled. Or jobs in general, really. "I can make some tea if you'd like some first," she offered. She could at least provide that much for him. He was, after all, taking time from his time to help her out.
He tilted his head slightly to the side, slipping inside when she stepped back from the door, respectfully removing his boots before he made it any further in. The first few nights had bruised his toes because of that, but she was at least at the point where she wasn’t stepping on them anymore, and that was really all that was strictly necessary. Which made him wonder why he was still coming, really. He didn’t dare spend too much time considering the possibilities. At the offer, he shook his head slightly. “Perhaps afterwards, if you would not mind.” For now, though, he thought it was probably better to begin.
Shedding his outermost layer left him in a shirt without sleeves and simple loose pants, both still black, a sharp contrast against the pallor of his skin. Most times, he played music on the record machine in one corner of the room, something he’d brought over for her use. This time, however, he didn’t—there came a point where one should be able to do this even without the music to guide oneself, and he would like to see how she did at this. Bowing properly in front of Rika, he took one of her hands in his, enfolding it in his sword-callused palm, and circled the other above her waist, splaying his fingers over the middle of her back carefully.
“Ready?”
Rika nodded at his statement, removing the fire ferrets from her shoulders and placed them on the floor. Jiao scampered off towards Rika's bedroom, and San made himself comfortable on the counter, turning to watch Rika and Fang. Rika frowned at San, who seemed to smile at her in a very familiar way that it almost frightened her. She ignored the shiver rolling down her back and turned to focus on Fang. After the last few nights, she should be used to this by now, but she could never seem to stop the increase of her heartbeat every time they had a lesson. She honestly hoped it wouldn't be this bad during the gala, or she'd never be able to dance properly with anyone.
"When am I ever?" she muttered beneath her breath, placing her free hand over his shoulder. She blinked slightly in confusion, barely noticing that there was no music, and she felt a light chill roll down her spine. They were going to do this, without music? She swallowed thickly, feeling a bit silly and tried to calm herself down. The last thing she wanted to do was leave his hands sweaty due to her own. She repeated a silent mantra in her head, trying to remember the music and how it sounded like. If she could do that much, perhaps dancing without music wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would.
"Ah... thanks Fang, for helping me with this. I guess I never told you that," she stated, glancing intently into his shoulder. Why was conversation so much harder than it should be?
Fang blinked, as though surprised. “There is no need for that,” he said, leading them into the first turn. The improvement she was showing really was something. He added nothing further for a few minutes, though, letting them settle into a rhythm, though he could tell she was still thinking about it more than she was feeling it. “Stop thinking,” he told her, raising one eyebrow just slightly, as though the faintest fraction amused. “It’s so loud I can almost hear you.”
Using the hand at her back, he brought them half a step closer together. He supposed part of this might be his own fault—he’d been teaching this as though it were something that she only needed to master. What he may have failed to convey was equally as important, and perhaps he knew why. “Don’t worry about what the music is doing, or where the furniture or your feet are. I will take care of that—all you have to do is trust me. Can you do that?” They were close enough that he could smell her—tea, unsurprisingly, and something floral as well. It was a variation on the scent of her dwelling, but there was something much more personal about it, more warm, when it was wafted from her skin and hair.
Rika snorted at Fang's comment. "Sorry, I forgot to mention my thoughts tend to leak out into the air," she replied, a faint hint of amusement lacing her tone. She rolled her eyes softly, but smiled nonetheless. She could feel herself relaxing, if only just a fraction, until he brought them closer, causing her to tense again. That was one way to get her to stop thinking. She closed her eyes before opening them quickly and swallowed past the lump that grew in her throat. He asked her to trust him, let him lead if she could stop thinking. Her mind felt like it was racing, no one thought jumbled with another. It was confusing, and she almost felt dizzy. She pursed her lips together, and glanced up at him.
"That's easier said than done," she replied. "It's not that... it's not that I don't trust you. I just don't trust myself. What if I step on someone's toes, like I did yours? What if I accidentally step wrong and I make them fall?" she began, her eyes widening slightly. All the progress she was making almost seemed to fly out of the window, and her thoughts were truly running rampant in her mind. She didn't want to mess this up, least of all since Fang had taken so much time to teach her. She could feel a slight panic rising up in her being, and she felt her heart constrict softly.
"I just..." she tried once more, and frowned. She just what?
“What if you don’t?” Fang replied simply. “What if everything goes fine? What if the gala is cancelled tomorrow? There’s little use in wondering about those things, Rika.” How many times had he needed to tell himself the same thing? He’d always used to wonder—what if she were still alive? What if he’d never met her? What if he’d stayed in the Fire Nation? What if he died tomorrow, on one of Amon’s dangerous missions? But there simply wasn’t any use in it. All he could do, all anyone could do, was prepare as well as possible and put forth the best they had to offer. “Just for now, trust me, please. Close your eyes, and stop thinking.” He placed a little emphasis on the last two words, and waited until she complied before he picked up the steps again.
It was a little jerky at first, because she was still worried about stepping on his feet, he presumed, or hitting something, but he was true to his words, and never once did they collide with anything. She also didn’t step on his feet, and in fact, moved precisely as he asked her to, though he wasn’t using words to do it. They moved through all the dances he’d been teaching them, and though she wasn’t perfect, he didn’t expect her to be, and overall, what she did was very good. He didn’t even notice that he’d adjusted for a much closer proximity, either, the tips of his fingers moving until they had gone from the middle of her back to the lower portion, his fingers lacing with hers where their hands were clasped. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, even as he glided them to a stop.
“Not hopeless at all,” he murmured quietly, lowering their hands and using his to brush the pad of his thumb along the line of her jaw. “You’re incredible.” It struck him, then, how easy it would be to just lean down and… the realization came at him like a freight car, and Fang froze. No, no, he shouldn’t. It was impossible, and more than that, she did not deserve it. Such an act would only hurt her in the end, and he would not do that. He knew too well how it felt to be hurt to wish it upon anyone else, ever. Least of all her.
His other hand came away. “You’ll do fine.” He made his tone as monotonous as possible, nodded his head slightly, and then he was gone.
It was still easier said than done, but she supposed he had a point. She could feel herself relaxing a bit more, and allowed him to take the lead. She did as she was told, closing her eyes and tried to stop thinking. She managed, for the most part, and finally was able to get the dance steps down. She smiled, her eyes still closed until she felt them glide to a stop. She opened them, grinned up at him, however; it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Not hopeless? Incredible? What was he talking about? She didn't even realize the thumb tracing her jawline until she glanced up at him, green meeting gold, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, but just like that, he was gone. She slumped down, thankfully, into her couch, as San jumped into her lap.
"What... was that all about," she questioned to herself, the pale pallor of her face coloring deeply. Her heart was racing against her chest, and she could have sworn she heard San snicker. "Shut it, Haki Jr." San merely swished his tail.
So far, she hadn’t screwed anything up.
Granted, the gala had only just started, and the dancing hadn’t even begun yet, but considering the ridiculous height of these shoes and the fanciness of this cheongsam—she finally had a use for the one Rika had bought her—making it even this far was a positive sign. Kiara had arrived alone, though Mr. Tong had insisted upon sending a car to take her here, which was nice, but personally a little silly in her opinion. She was situated in a bit of a corner, though she wasn’t exactly hiding. Still, she’d be a lot more comfortable once her teammates got here. For now, she focused on staying away from the wine. It turned out that the Pygmy Pumas were here, too, but from the looks of things, they were all quite occupied talking to various business owners. She supposed they were the most famous probending team in all of Republic City, so she wasn’t surprised they had fans even among the wealthiest of the citizens.
Fang was around somewhere; she’d seen him earlier. She wasn’t honestly sure if he was working security for the event or here as their coach. The security staff was dressed so well he probably would have worn the same thing anyway—and she had to admit he looked rather sharp. Black was a really good color on him, even if the monochrome might have been too harsh on someone else. She supposed at least the gold embroidery helped soften things a bit. At any rate, she hadn’t seen him again since, though she could only assume he was around somewhere.
Sighing, she bit into the strawberry she’d plucked from she snack table, trying not to be nervous. It wasn’t that people intimidated her as such, but such obvious displays of wealth were a little irregular for her. Even in the tribes, the richer families didn’t really flaunt it, out of respect for the hard work that everyone shared, and the fact that they were all one tribe in the end. This was… very different from that, and for a moment, she wondered if maybe Kohaku was right—that she didn’t really belong in a place like this.
She'd been lucky thus far. Every dance she had been invited to, Rika managed to not step on anyone's toes, and managed to keep in a rather pleasant rhythm. She wouldn't have known what to do without all the tutelage, and for that, she would be forever grateful. The cheongsam Kiara had bought her, finally had a use, and she wore it, though... she had second guesses about it now. It was a little daring, as one way to put it, with the way it slit up her leg, and she had never felt the urge to hide every time someone would just look at her. She wasn't used to this sort of attention. She had managed to style her hair, short as it was, in light curls.
They curved in to the left side of her face, and had placed a silver phoenix hairpin to keep the rest of her hair from falling out. She shook her head slightly, declining a dance with another person and quickly made her way towards Kiara. She'd spotted her moments ago, and was trying to find her way towards the waterbender. She'd arrived earlier, and Rika had wanted to greet Kiara, however; she'd been thwarted in her plans multiple times. Even now, as she made her way towards Kiara, she could see Haki moving in, and groaned inwardly at herself. She really had terrible luck tonight, and almost tripped over her own feet. She managed to catch herself, and glanced around her to see if anyone else had seen her little mishap. Satisfied that no one had, she continued walking as if nothing happened.
Haki, however, had just arrived, dressed in a white tangzhuang, and a black pair of rather slick, silk pants. He was dressed rather formally, and even his hair seemed to be styled as such. Rather than the loose bed head he usually adorned, his hair had been parted down the right side of his face, allowing some pieces to wing out from his eyes. The blue embroidery in his tangzhuang helped bring out his pale pallor, and, had Rika really looked, he almost looked like a ghost. He managed to spot Kiara, and a smirk pulled at his lips, approaching her just as she bit into the strawberry.
"Turtle-Duck," he greeted, placing his right hand over his stomach, and bowed. He straightened himself back out, and glanced over his shoulder, spotting Rika making her way over towards the two. He grinned at her and turned his attention back to Kiara. He held his hand out and offered Kiara a small smile. "Care to dance?" he questioned, his tone laced with slight amusement. "I promise not to step on your toes."
If Kiara had been able to spot Rika in the crowd, she probably would have declined due to the distress her friend was obviously under. It would have been a small relief not to dance for a while, and just stay relatively safe in one another’s company and conversation, but as it was, she didn’t see their third teammate making a beeline for them through the crowd, and so she had no real reason to decline, though she did frown at Haki. “Implying that you would step on someone else’s feet? That’s mean, Haki.” The frown melted into a smile though, and she placed her hand in his. There was something very funny about him using all the polite manners while still referring to her as Turlte-Duck. She was pretty sure only Haki would ever be quite so silly as that, but it had a certain way of putting her at ease, a reminder that for all the obvious wealth and ceremony around them, they were still the same people as saw one another sweaty and exhausted in the practice room every weekday.
It was a nice reminder.
They slid out onto the dance floor, and it was immediately obvious that Fang’s lessons had paid off. Kiara had always been graceful, but now she also knew how to dance in the styles used in Republic City—which was to say mostly the stately Earth Nation waltzes. She’d never say so, but she’d also practiced a few less subdued Fire Nation ones, because they were more similar to the way people danced in the tribes, and she was intrigued by the resemblance. Regardless, he wasn’t the only one not stepping on toes.
By the time Rika reached the place the other two had been before, the only person there was Fang. He looked the slightest bit uncomfortable for a second, but then his face smoothed over. He’d decided shortly after the incident that the best thing for everyone involved would be to behave as though it had never happened, and he figured that probably started now. “You’ve been doing well,” he said simply, referring to the fact that she had danced several times with various people and comported herself appropriately. It was impossible to tell that three weeks before, she’d not known the first thing about dancing or the manners expected at events like this one. He was quite proud of them both, actually.
"Actually, yes, I am implying that I would," he replied to her statement. And he actually did step on someone's toes on purpose, once. The woman was a horrid dancer, and he wasn't even sure how he managed that one in the first place. Chuckling lightly, he slid his hand closed over hers, and led them out to the dance floor. The moment they began, he could already see the improvement she had made over the last three weeks. His toes were safe and they glided with a natural rhythm, that caused Haki to frown. He quickly replaced it with a light smile, glancing down at Kiara.
"Not bad, Turtle-Duck, not bad," he stated, his smile turning into a smirk. "It seems that my feet have no fear of you stepping on them," he playfully joked, spinning her lightly when it was time. He took a deep breath, his eyes glazing over slightly as he glanced over her shoulder. Why did it have to feel this way, so natural, so... right? He'd known his two friends a little over a year now, and he knew exactly what it was, but did not know why it was so. He parted his lips to speak once more, however; he closed them just as quickly, and laughed at his own hesitance. Now was not the time to say something like that, even if it were laced as a joke. Maybe because he was a little afraid of hearing the answer. He almost laughed at himself.
Of all the things Haki Soen was afraid of, it was that from her.
By the time Rika reached Haki and Kiara, both of them were gone, and swaying on the dance floor. She pursed her lips together and groaned out loud, covering her mouth when she realized what she did. She blinked owlishly at Fang. When did he get there? She shook the thought from her mind. It didn't matter, and for a moment, she offered him a smile. At least she didn't have to be alone quite yet. And then it hit her, what happened the prior night. She offered him a nervous laugh, and tried to focus on his statement. She waved a hand in front of her face, trying to stave off a blush from forming. She'd been doing well only because she'd been taught the last three weeks.
"I suppose it's because I had a good teacher. Haki doesn't count as one," she stated, her face immediately going flat at the mention of Haki. She turned to glance over her shoulder and shot him a glare before turning back towards Fang. "And I suppose I have you to thank for that, too," she continued, glancing up at him. Why did he have to be so... tall? She pursed her lips together and sighed. "But I don't think they are quite over just yet... and I am bad at saying no," her frown deepened. She'd been referring to the dances, though. She'd dance if she had to, and really, she had a hard time saying no to people. Maybe it was just the waitress in her that couldn't say no to a customer?
It was hard to suppress the unladylike snort that threatened when he confessed to stepping on someone’s toes on purpose, and in the end, she didn’t quite manage it, ending up snickering a bit as she was spun around. Maybe it was just because he’d been her practice partner, but dancing with Haki was a lot easier than dancing with most people. She was just a fraction shorter than he was when she wore heels, and the matched height made everything smoother, perhaps. There was also just the fact that she was more comfortable with him than a total stranger, for sure.
“And what do you know, you’re not stepping on mine either. I must have done something right,” she ribbed back, smiling and shaking her head. Catching sight of something over his shoulder, she ducked herself down into it in order to keep from giggling. “Also, don’t look now,” she murmured against the fabric of his shirt, “but I think Ying is having a bit of trouble.” Indeed, Ying was dancing with Zian, but both of them seemed to want to lead, their movement pattern slightly irregular. If she’d continued watching, she would have noted that the pair seemed to be attempting to get closer to them, though she wouldn’t have understood it.
Fang folded his arms behind his back, blinking down at Rika with some curiosity. Difficulty saying no? He supposed he’d noticed that tendency, though it was passing strange in someone who was otherwise quite strong-willed. “The best way to overcome that is to make sure nobody asks in the first place, then,” he told her. He would not have advised wearing those clothes if that was what she wanted, but he refrained from saying this. “Perhaps you could locate yourself next to the refreshment table? Or engage someone important in conversation so nobody will interrupt. Or simply choose your own dance partners, I suppose.” He lifted his shoulders faintly, then nodded over at the dance floor.
“I do believe Ying is attempting to firebend with only her eyes.” And Kiara was the apparent target of a truly obvious jealous stare.
Haki blinked in mild surprise at Kiara and turned them so that he was facing the direction she had been, and his face paled considerably. She was right, Ying and Zian seemed to be having a bit of difficulty, however; he did not miss the way they stepped and waltzed a little closer to them. Glancing from side to side, Haki began moving them away from the duo, trying to keep as much distance between him and them. He had a feeling he knew what was going to happen once he separated from Kiara, and he had no intentions of sharing her with him. And he definitely had no intentions with dancing with the firebender who, for some reason, terrified him. Maybe he'd been lying to himself. There were two things Haki Soen was afraid of.
"Let's see how long we can dance and blend in with the crowd, hm?" he suggested, tugging her to follow along with him. He turned once more towards Zian, catching the waterbender's eye, and smirked in his direction. It was a game of cat and mouse, though he wasn't exactly quite sure who was the cat, and who was the mouse. "And you don't need to do anything for me to not step on your toes. Your toes are too..." he paused, drawing out the sentence, trying to find the right word. "I'm afraid you might try to drown me with punch if I stepped on your toes," he finally stated. Or she'd just drown him in general with something.
"That is easier said than done," Rika replied, sighing softly and slumping her shoulders. She quickly picked them back up, however, and raised a questioning brow at Fang. "Are you saying that you're not important?" she questioned, her eyes going a little wide at the realization of what she had just said. She laughed nervously and rolled her eyes at herself. "I mean... that's not," she tried to correct herself. She hadn't meant to say it like that. She managed to calm herself and blinked, turning to stare at Ying, and closed a hand over her mouth. She was trying not to laugh, but it appeared that Ying was staring intently at Kiara and Haki.
"It's because she's jealous of their, ah, friendship," she stated, snorting softly. She didn't like Ying much, if only because of the way she had treated Kiara. Rika could forgive someone for shoving her harshly out of the way, however; she had shoved both her and Kiara out of the way during the parade. She pursed her lips together and shook her head slowly. "I guess most people just can't help it," she muttered a bit lowly, her voice taking on a solemn tone. She turned to glance back up at Fang, and opened her mouth to say something, however; the sound of someone clearing their throat caused Rika to turn towards the source, and smiled brightly.
"Rika, Fang," Daichi stated, bowing slightly in front of Rika and offering a nod in Fang's direction. "Care to join me, Rika? If you are not already dancing with Fang, that is," he asked, offering his hand out to Rika. She blinked owlishly at Daichi, glancing towards Fang as if seeking silent permission. Realizing what she was doing, she shook her head and laughed softly at herself. She slid her hand into Daichi's, and took one last glance over her shoulder.
"Thanks, Fang."
Unfortunately, Ying did eventually corner Haki into a dance, and Kiara turned a Fire Nation tango with Zian, who apparently knew the steps very well. It was rather fun, actually, and the night as a whole didn’t go nearly so badly as she’d been dreading. By the time it was wrapped up, she’d socialized with a number of the most important people in the city, spent time with her friends, danced a round each with Fang and Daichi as well, and generally enjoyed herself. Kiara considered it a success of a night, really, and as she entered her apartment at too late that night for most people, she found herself in the strangest mood.
She went to sleep, and dreamed that night of the smell of a warm fire and fresh air, and waltzing across an empty floor in the sky.
Granted, the gala had only just started, and the dancing hadn’t even begun yet, but considering the ridiculous height of these shoes and the fanciness of this cheongsam—she finally had a use for the one Rika had bought her—making it even this far was a positive sign. Kiara had arrived alone, though Mr. Tong had insisted upon sending a car to take her here, which was nice, but personally a little silly in her opinion. She was situated in a bit of a corner, though she wasn’t exactly hiding. Still, she’d be a lot more comfortable once her teammates got here. For now, she focused on staying away from the wine. It turned out that the Pygmy Pumas were here, too, but from the looks of things, they were all quite occupied talking to various business owners. She supposed they were the most famous probending team in all of Republic City, so she wasn’t surprised they had fans even among the wealthiest of the citizens.
Fang was around somewhere; she’d seen him earlier. She wasn’t honestly sure if he was working security for the event or here as their coach. The security staff was dressed so well he probably would have worn the same thing anyway—and she had to admit he looked rather sharp. Black was a really good color on him, even if the monochrome might have been too harsh on someone else. She supposed at least the gold embroidery helped soften things a bit. At any rate, she hadn’t seen him again since, though she could only assume he was around somewhere.
Sighing, she bit into the strawberry she’d plucked from she snack table, trying not to be nervous. It wasn’t that people intimidated her as such, but such obvious displays of wealth were a little irregular for her. Even in the tribes, the richer families didn’t really flaunt it, out of respect for the hard work that everyone shared, and the fact that they were all one tribe in the end. This was… very different from that, and for a moment, she wondered if maybe Kohaku was right—that she didn’t really belong in a place like this.
She'd been lucky thus far. Every dance she had been invited to, Rika managed to not step on anyone's toes, and managed to keep in a rather pleasant rhythm. She wouldn't have known what to do without all the tutelage, and for that, she would be forever grateful. The cheongsam Kiara had bought her, finally had a use, and she wore it, though... she had second guesses about it now. It was a little daring, as one way to put it, with the way it slit up her leg, and she had never felt the urge to hide every time someone would just look at her. She wasn't used to this sort of attention. She had managed to style her hair, short as it was, in light curls.
They curved in to the left side of her face, and had placed a silver phoenix hairpin to keep the rest of her hair from falling out. She shook her head slightly, declining a dance with another person and quickly made her way towards Kiara. She'd spotted her moments ago, and was trying to find her way towards the waterbender. She'd arrived earlier, and Rika had wanted to greet Kiara, however; she'd been thwarted in her plans multiple times. Even now, as she made her way towards Kiara, she could see Haki moving in, and groaned inwardly at herself. She really had terrible luck tonight, and almost tripped over her own feet. She managed to catch herself, and glanced around her to see if anyone else had seen her little mishap. Satisfied that no one had, she continued walking as if nothing happened.
Haki, however, had just arrived, dressed in a white tangzhuang, and a black pair of rather slick, silk pants. He was dressed rather formally, and even his hair seemed to be styled as such. Rather than the loose bed head he usually adorned, his hair had been parted down the right side of his face, allowing some pieces to wing out from his eyes. The blue embroidery in his tangzhuang helped bring out his pale pallor, and, had Rika really looked, he almost looked like a ghost. He managed to spot Kiara, and a smirk pulled at his lips, approaching her just as she bit into the strawberry.
"Turtle-Duck," he greeted, placing his right hand over his stomach, and bowed. He straightened himself back out, and glanced over his shoulder, spotting Rika making her way over towards the two. He grinned at her and turned his attention back to Kiara. He held his hand out and offered Kiara a small smile. "Care to dance?" he questioned, his tone laced with slight amusement. "I promise not to step on your toes."
If Kiara had been able to spot Rika in the crowd, she probably would have declined due to the distress her friend was obviously under. It would have been a small relief not to dance for a while, and just stay relatively safe in one another’s company and conversation, but as it was, she didn’t see their third teammate making a beeline for them through the crowd, and so she had no real reason to decline, though she did frown at Haki. “Implying that you would step on someone else’s feet? That’s mean, Haki.” The frown melted into a smile though, and she placed her hand in his. There was something very funny about him using all the polite manners while still referring to her as Turlte-Duck. She was pretty sure only Haki would ever be quite so silly as that, but it had a certain way of putting her at ease, a reminder that for all the obvious wealth and ceremony around them, they were still the same people as saw one another sweaty and exhausted in the practice room every weekday.
It was a nice reminder.
They slid out onto the dance floor, and it was immediately obvious that Fang’s lessons had paid off. Kiara had always been graceful, but now she also knew how to dance in the styles used in Republic City—which was to say mostly the stately Earth Nation waltzes. She’d never say so, but she’d also practiced a few less subdued Fire Nation ones, because they were more similar to the way people danced in the tribes, and she was intrigued by the resemblance. Regardless, he wasn’t the only one not stepping on toes.
By the time Rika reached the place the other two had been before, the only person there was Fang. He looked the slightest bit uncomfortable for a second, but then his face smoothed over. He’d decided shortly after the incident that the best thing for everyone involved would be to behave as though it had never happened, and he figured that probably started now. “You’ve been doing well,” he said simply, referring to the fact that she had danced several times with various people and comported herself appropriately. It was impossible to tell that three weeks before, she’d not known the first thing about dancing or the manners expected at events like this one. He was quite proud of them both, actually.
"Actually, yes, I am implying that I would," he replied to her statement. And he actually did step on someone's toes on purpose, once. The woman was a horrid dancer, and he wasn't even sure how he managed that one in the first place. Chuckling lightly, he slid his hand closed over hers, and led them out to the dance floor. The moment they began, he could already see the improvement she had made over the last three weeks. His toes were safe and they glided with a natural rhythm, that caused Haki to frown. He quickly replaced it with a light smile, glancing down at Kiara.
"Not bad, Turtle-Duck, not bad," he stated, his smile turning into a smirk. "It seems that my feet have no fear of you stepping on them," he playfully joked, spinning her lightly when it was time. He took a deep breath, his eyes glazing over slightly as he glanced over her shoulder. Why did it have to feel this way, so natural, so... right? He'd known his two friends a little over a year now, and he knew exactly what it was, but did not know why it was so. He parted his lips to speak once more, however; he closed them just as quickly, and laughed at his own hesitance. Now was not the time to say something like that, even if it were laced as a joke. Maybe because he was a little afraid of hearing the answer. He almost laughed at himself.
Of all the things Haki Soen was afraid of, it was that from her.
By the time Rika reached Haki and Kiara, both of them were gone, and swaying on the dance floor. She pursed her lips together and groaned out loud, covering her mouth when she realized what she did. She blinked owlishly at Fang. When did he get there? She shook the thought from her mind. It didn't matter, and for a moment, she offered him a smile. At least she didn't have to be alone quite yet. And then it hit her, what happened the prior night. She offered him a nervous laugh, and tried to focus on his statement. She waved a hand in front of her face, trying to stave off a blush from forming. She'd been doing well only because she'd been taught the last three weeks.
"I suppose it's because I had a good teacher. Haki doesn't count as one," she stated, her face immediately going flat at the mention of Haki. She turned to glance over her shoulder and shot him a glare before turning back towards Fang. "And I suppose I have you to thank for that, too," she continued, glancing up at him. Why did he have to be so... tall? She pursed her lips together and sighed. "But I don't think they are quite over just yet... and I am bad at saying no," her frown deepened. She'd been referring to the dances, though. She'd dance if she had to, and really, she had a hard time saying no to people. Maybe it was just the waitress in her that couldn't say no to a customer?
It was hard to suppress the unladylike snort that threatened when he confessed to stepping on someone’s toes on purpose, and in the end, she didn’t quite manage it, ending up snickering a bit as she was spun around. Maybe it was just because he’d been her practice partner, but dancing with Haki was a lot easier than dancing with most people. She was just a fraction shorter than he was when she wore heels, and the matched height made everything smoother, perhaps. There was also just the fact that she was more comfortable with him than a total stranger, for sure.
“And what do you know, you’re not stepping on mine either. I must have done something right,” she ribbed back, smiling and shaking her head. Catching sight of something over his shoulder, she ducked herself down into it in order to keep from giggling. “Also, don’t look now,” she murmured against the fabric of his shirt, “but I think Ying is having a bit of trouble.” Indeed, Ying was dancing with Zian, but both of them seemed to want to lead, their movement pattern slightly irregular. If she’d continued watching, she would have noted that the pair seemed to be attempting to get closer to them, though she wouldn’t have understood it.
Fang folded his arms behind his back, blinking down at Rika with some curiosity. Difficulty saying no? He supposed he’d noticed that tendency, though it was passing strange in someone who was otherwise quite strong-willed. “The best way to overcome that is to make sure nobody asks in the first place, then,” he told her. He would not have advised wearing those clothes if that was what she wanted, but he refrained from saying this. “Perhaps you could locate yourself next to the refreshment table? Or engage someone important in conversation so nobody will interrupt. Or simply choose your own dance partners, I suppose.” He lifted his shoulders faintly, then nodded over at the dance floor.
“I do believe Ying is attempting to firebend with only her eyes.” And Kiara was the apparent target of a truly obvious jealous stare.
Haki blinked in mild surprise at Kiara and turned them so that he was facing the direction she had been, and his face paled considerably. She was right, Ying and Zian seemed to be having a bit of difficulty, however; he did not miss the way they stepped and waltzed a little closer to them. Glancing from side to side, Haki began moving them away from the duo, trying to keep as much distance between him and them. He had a feeling he knew what was going to happen once he separated from Kiara, and he had no intentions of sharing her with him. And he definitely had no intentions with dancing with the firebender who, for some reason, terrified him. Maybe he'd been lying to himself. There were two things Haki Soen was afraid of.
"Let's see how long we can dance and blend in with the crowd, hm?" he suggested, tugging her to follow along with him. He turned once more towards Zian, catching the waterbender's eye, and smirked in his direction. It was a game of cat and mouse, though he wasn't exactly quite sure who was the cat, and who was the mouse. "And you don't need to do anything for me to not step on your toes. Your toes are too..." he paused, drawing out the sentence, trying to find the right word. "I'm afraid you might try to drown me with punch if I stepped on your toes," he finally stated. Or she'd just drown him in general with something.
"That is easier said than done," Rika replied, sighing softly and slumping her shoulders. She quickly picked them back up, however, and raised a questioning brow at Fang. "Are you saying that you're not important?" she questioned, her eyes going a little wide at the realization of what she had just said. She laughed nervously and rolled her eyes at herself. "I mean... that's not," she tried to correct herself. She hadn't meant to say it like that. She managed to calm herself and blinked, turning to stare at Ying, and closed a hand over her mouth. She was trying not to laugh, but it appeared that Ying was staring intently at Kiara and Haki.
"It's because she's jealous of their, ah, friendship," she stated, snorting softly. She didn't like Ying much, if only because of the way she had treated Kiara. Rika could forgive someone for shoving her harshly out of the way, however; she had shoved both her and Kiara out of the way during the parade. She pursed her lips together and shook her head slowly. "I guess most people just can't help it," she muttered a bit lowly, her voice taking on a solemn tone. She turned to glance back up at Fang, and opened her mouth to say something, however; the sound of someone clearing their throat caused Rika to turn towards the source, and smiled brightly.
"Rika, Fang," Daichi stated, bowing slightly in front of Rika and offering a nod in Fang's direction. "Care to join me, Rika? If you are not already dancing with Fang, that is," he asked, offering his hand out to Rika. She blinked owlishly at Daichi, glancing towards Fang as if seeking silent permission. Realizing what she was doing, she shook her head and laughed softly at herself. She slid her hand into Daichi's, and took one last glance over her shoulder.
"Thanks, Fang."
Unfortunately, Ying did eventually corner Haki into a dance, and Kiara turned a Fire Nation tango with Zian, who apparently knew the steps very well. It was rather fun, actually, and the night as a whole didn’t go nearly so badly as she’d been dreading. By the time it was wrapped up, she’d socialized with a number of the most important people in the city, spent time with her friends, danced a round each with Fang and Daichi as well, and generally enjoyed herself. Kiara considered it a success of a night, really, and as she entered her apartment at too late that night for most people, she found herself in the strangest mood.
She went to sleep, and dreamed that night of the smell of a warm fire and fresh air, and waltzing across an empty floor in the sky.
It was about a week after the gala that Kiara decided she really needed to spend some time with her best friend, because apparently wishing your former best friend and would-be husband away did not make it so.
It wasn’t like Kohaku was being that pushy, he was just… everywhere. She seemed to run into him all over the place, and he always wanted to be around, and while she would not have minded this before, she couldn’t get over the feeling that it was all incredibly awkward now. Basically probending practice was the only place she was safe, because Fang enforced a pretty strict no-spectators policy while the Otter Penguins were formulating new strategies and running teamwork drills. They were doing really well in their matches lately—some of the fans were beginning to call for a rematch with the Pygmy Pumas. Kiara wasn’t so sure about that, but it was encouraging that other people thought they could do it.
Whatever the case, she wanted to spend a day with Rika, and so that’s what they’d decided they were going to do. Privately, Kiara thought that Rika might need it even more than she did—the waterbender wasn’t sure if something was wrong with the tea shop or what, but Rika had seemed perpetually uncomfortable lately, even during practice. She wondered if Haki had said something terrible to her, but that seemed like a problem more solved by swatting him than moping around. Whatever it was, Kiara intended to get to the bottom of it, and so she’d brought ice cream and a bunch of handmade beads and ribbons, with which to do hair, naturally, and decided they really ought to let themselves enjoy the girly things for a day. Just because she didn’t want to be anyone’s trophy wife didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy being a bit feminine, after all.
They were long past formalities like knocking, so when Kiara arrived, she simply walked into Rika’s apartment, shoving the frozen desert into the icebox—though she supposed she could keep it from melting with her bending if she remembered to—and parked herself on the sofa in the living room. “Rika,” she called. “I’m here!”
Uncomfortable wasn't the right word to use to describe Rika's predicament. While at the gala, she seemed to keep her cool, however; just even talking to him had made her incredibly nervous. She didn't know exactly why, because what had happened the night before was just an accident. At least, that was what she was telling herself. There was no way someone like him could even think about someone like her in that way. She wasn't, as she had told him before, exactly beautiful. Maybe she was reading to much into it, and should let it pass over as just a phase, however; it had bothered her. Even now, as she laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with both fire ferrets laying across her stomach, it bothered her. She removed her arm from her eyes, and blinked at the hallway leading to her living room.
"Ah, coming!" she shouted, rolling the two fire ferrets off of her and landed on the floor with a soft thud. She laughed nervously at herself. She hadn't exactly expected to fall out of her own bed, but she picked herself up quickly and made her way towards Kiara. She had forgotten that Kiara was coming by today. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she'd forgot all of the plans they had made, and blinked when she spotted Kiara. "I forgot you were coming," she stated nervously, rubbing her forearm softly. She offered Kiara an apologetic smile before sitting next to her friend. For the first few minutes, everything seemed quiet. Rika had not made any inclination to start the conversation, and part of her was a little glad.
She could enjoy this moment of silence, but it wasn't meant to last. Jiao hopped into Kiara's lap as San curled around Rika's shoulders. "I swear, this one is becoming Haki Jr. He laughed at me the other day... and ever since then he seems to be giving me those looks. You know, the ones Haki always gives you when he knows something you don't. It's a little unnerving," she spoke, rubbing San's nose with her index finger.
Kiara snorted, raising an eyebrow and looking over at the fire ferret in question, while she scratched a line down Jiao’s spine. If ferrets could purr, she was pretty sure that one would be. “I know exactly what look you’re talking about. It would be pretty terrifying if there were two of them.” One Haki was trouble, in a very specific sense of the word. Two would be a disaster. She shuddered to think of it.
“Do you want ice cream? I’m going to get us some ice cream.” Kiara stood from the sofa, adjusting Jiao so that she was draped over her shoulder, and returned a few minutes later with two bowls of the stuff—chocolate, of course. It was delicious, but unfortunately it also reminded her of the reason she’d bought it, before she’d ever thought up the idea of sharing it with Rika. She stared down into it and sighed. “He kissed me, you know.” It struck her a few seconds later how that would sound, and she backpedaled abruptly. “Er, not Haki!” Somehow the very thought of that was a bit worse, though she didn’t know exactly why. She almost ran through the scenario and replaced one with the other, but that was a road she was not going to go down.
“Kohaku did. Just like… shows up at my house, starts telling me how he would never have wanted me to be some housewife, and then does that. He told me he’d love me for seven freaking years! What am I supposed to say to that? I never even had a clue!” Almost angrily, she took another bite of ice cream, wincing when it hit her soft palate and stung. She wasn’t exactly sure what she expected Rika to say to that, but she had to tell someone. It was eating at her.
A slow smile crept across Rika's lips when Kiara spoke. They'd both known Haki long enough to know those looks, and she laughed softly. At the mention of ice cream, Rika agreed, and took the bowl with a thanks, and took a bite of the chocolate. It slid down the back of her throat, giving her a cooling sensation, and she chuckled. She always loved ice cream, and eating it brought back fond memories of her family. She wondered how they were doing. It seemed like forever since she last spoke to them, when in reality, it'd only been a little less than a year. She was brought out of her thoughts, however, when Kiara spoke, saying that someone had kissed her. She blinked owlishly at her friend, and the first person to pop into her mind was the one they were currently speaking of. She covered her mouth, but could not stop the snort from escaping her.
"Kohaku?" she asked a bit puzzled. She made an 'ah' sound as it clicked into place. She recalled Kiara telling her about the waterbender, and how he was her fiancé, however; Kiara seemed to want nothing to do with a life like that. Rika laughed softly, glancing into her bowl of ice cream, watching as it melted. Her eyes hazed over for a second as she recalled the night before the gala, and a slow blush crept up her cheeks. She poked at her ice cream, trying to force it down, but it kept growing. She groaned lightly, sinking into her chair as she pursed her lips together. "That is a long time to love someone," she spoke, taking her mind away from her own thoughts. Seven years was a long time to love someone, and never know if they loved you back.
Love in a marriage was different, she supposed. "But, do you love him?" she suddenly found herself asking, a hint of curiosity lacing her voice. "It's... I suppose it's different if you love him back, but if you don't, did you tell him, at least?" she continued, sinking further into her couch. "Because if you don't love him back, being in a marriage like that wouldn't be meaningful. It'd be empty, without the mutual love between two people. And it's different to learn to love someone, because even then, it's not love," she spoke, muttering the last few words. She really didn't know what to say to her friend, but if Kiara didn't love Kohaku as he loved her, the only thing she could say was to at least let him know. He deserved that much, right? She really didn't know this Kohaku person so she couldn't say for sure.
“No,” Kiara confessed. “I don't love him. I mean, don't get me wrong. I do in one sense, but… the guy’s like my second brother. Only an older one this time. I used to think I could put up with being married to him because he was like family to me, but… really, I think you’re right. After I finally decided I couldn’t take it and came here—there’s no going back for me anymore. She rested her head back against the couch, closing her eyes and bringing her legs up underneath her. “I did tell him that, but… he seems pretty determined to try anyway. I hardly go a day without seeing him anymore, and I feel bad just telling his to go away. I mean, he’s still my friend.” She didn’t know how she could be any clearer than she had been—what she’d said had basically amounted to I don't love you that way and I’m never going back.
She sighed heavily, cracking her eyes open and going for another spoonful of ice cream. “It would be so much easier, if I did. I mean, we’re still betrothed, and I can’t really do anything about that. He can’t either, actually—it’s an agreement our families made before I was even born. Neither of us can rescind it. But I don’t want to leave, and he can’t stay forever. It feels like everything’s just… stuck, in this really awkward place. I hate it.” She watched her ice cream start to melt, flash-freezing it again with a flick of her fingers.
“But I guess I just deal, and hope they can’t force me to go back somehow. I don’t know if he would try or not… but I know my mother sure would.” The thought made her cringe, and she shook her head faintly, finishing off her ice cream. “Well, looks like I griped at you quite a bit,” she said, her smile apologetic. Still,, it had helped, even just to be able to vent to someone else. “Anything you need to get off your chest? I figure I owe you.”
Rika pursed her lips together as Kiara spoke. So, she told him, and he was still pursuing her? "Doesn't... that seem almost obsessive? If he's here for you, telling you this and still pursuing you... that seems more like obsession than it does love right now," Rika admitted, glancing side to side as if the waterbender would appear out of nowhere and prove her point. She laughed nervously at herself, and placed her empty bowl on the table in front of her. She wasn't even aware of she'd eaten her ice cream. Must have been a subconscious thing. She blinked when Kiara asked her if there was anything she wanted to get off of her chest, and it caused Rika to chuckle in a nervous tone.
"Well, I mean," she began, stuttering in the process. She leaned back into the couch, pulling her knees to her chest as she was cradled by the cushions. "It's nothing really," she continued, burying her face in her knees as she heard him snickering. She groaned out loud as she turned to stare at San. He was staring at her as if silently telling her to say something, and Rika caved. "The night before the gala, Fang came over, you know, to help me," she stated, pulling her face from her knees to glance towards Kiara. She regarded the other woman, almost as if silently pondering if she should continue or not. But Kiara was her friend, her best friend... she could tell her anything, right?
"It was harmless, just a lesson, but, Kiara," she continued, feeling the embarrassment washing over her face. "Kiara, he almost kissed me. I... I don't know what to do about that," she finished, pursing her lips into a fine lip in a pout.
Well, that was an unexpected admission. Kiara’s eyes went wide. Fang had almost kissed her? That didn’t even make sense! That guy was like… so inexpressive he made statues look dynamic. But then… maybe that kind of made sense. Who knew what he was thinking under there? Presumably, he still had feelings and a heart under there somewhere, and he was just bad at letting it show through. Slowly, a number of small cues she’d picked up in his mannerisms began to come together in a more coherent picture, and with this in the equation, a lot more suddenly made sense. It was in the way his gaze softened just a little when he was looking at Rika. And the way he seemed to be looking at her more often than anyone else.
“That’s… uh. I mean, wow. I would not have expected that.” She paused, her brows drawing together thoughtfully as she successfully suppressed the urge to squeal with some sort of weird, by-proxy excitement. Because really, wouldn’t they be just adorable? She was halfway to mentally arranging the features of a batch of dark-haired children before she shook herself. Slow down, Kiara. Vital facts first. “Did… did you want him to? Kiss you, I mean.”
Rika's eyes nearly popped out of her head at Kiara's statement. She really wasn't expecting a reply to that, and she found herself lost for words. She opened her mouth in multiple attempts to say something, but just couldn't properly formulate her words. Had she wanted him to kiss her? She'd... never really thought about it that way. Did she even like him that way? She pursed her lips together, feeling a strange flutter in her chest the more she thought about it. Perhaps, somewhere along the way, from the practice matches, to the days they all spent together, she'd slowly found herself seeking him. Maybe it was just some selfish part of her that had wanted something, that she had sought him. She sighed softly, her eyes molding into one of focus. She laid her chin on her knees and smiled gently at Kiara, though her eyes were still facing forward.
"I, honestly, don't know. I don't know," she repeated the words. "Fang, he's... a good guy, he really is, but... I just, I don't," she continued, falling over her words as she tried to say what she wanted to. It was difficult, sorting her own emotions out. Kiara was lucky, Kohaku had at least told her that he had loved her. She didn't want anything so grand as that, but for him to have at least mentioned that he had liked her... she sighed softly again. "I don't think he could really see me that way. I know I'm not the most amazing person there is, and in fact, I think I am quite boring," she continued, her eyes glazing over slightly. She didn't need to put herself down that much.
"I just don't see how someone like him could see anything in someone like me. I know I shouldn't say things like that, but I can't help it. He's my friend, just like you and Haki are, and I want him to be happy. I just don't think it can be me to make him so, though," she groaned, sliding her hands down her face. She really shouldn't be saying things like that, but she felt she could say that much to her friend. She didn't expect an answer to all of the questions she had, or the statements she made. She just needed to get it off her chest. She wouldn't lie and say she didn't want something like that, because that would be a lie. She did want something like that. "I think I need a drink now."
“Rika…” Kiara started, feeling an automatic pang of sympathy for her friend. “You’re not boring, and I doubt anyone could ever see Fang as interested in them—the guy doesn’t exactly telegraph his emotions, you know.” Still, Kiara was a bit less skeptical, if somewhat surprised even so. The suggestion for a drink caught her by surprise, but it was not at all a bad idea, and considering they weren’t in public, if the winebender so happened to make an appearance, well… nobody but them would have to know about it.
“I think we should have three.”
It wasn’t like Kohaku was being that pushy, he was just… everywhere. She seemed to run into him all over the place, and he always wanted to be around, and while she would not have minded this before, she couldn’t get over the feeling that it was all incredibly awkward now. Basically probending practice was the only place she was safe, because Fang enforced a pretty strict no-spectators policy while the Otter Penguins were formulating new strategies and running teamwork drills. They were doing really well in their matches lately—some of the fans were beginning to call for a rematch with the Pygmy Pumas. Kiara wasn’t so sure about that, but it was encouraging that other people thought they could do it.
Whatever the case, she wanted to spend a day with Rika, and so that’s what they’d decided they were going to do. Privately, Kiara thought that Rika might need it even more than she did—the waterbender wasn’t sure if something was wrong with the tea shop or what, but Rika had seemed perpetually uncomfortable lately, even during practice. She wondered if Haki had said something terrible to her, but that seemed like a problem more solved by swatting him than moping around. Whatever it was, Kiara intended to get to the bottom of it, and so she’d brought ice cream and a bunch of handmade beads and ribbons, with which to do hair, naturally, and decided they really ought to let themselves enjoy the girly things for a day. Just because she didn’t want to be anyone’s trophy wife didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy being a bit feminine, after all.
They were long past formalities like knocking, so when Kiara arrived, she simply walked into Rika’s apartment, shoving the frozen desert into the icebox—though she supposed she could keep it from melting with her bending if she remembered to—and parked herself on the sofa in the living room. “Rika,” she called. “I’m here!”
Uncomfortable wasn't the right word to use to describe Rika's predicament. While at the gala, she seemed to keep her cool, however; just even talking to him had made her incredibly nervous. She didn't know exactly why, because what had happened the night before was just an accident. At least, that was what she was telling herself. There was no way someone like him could even think about someone like her in that way. She wasn't, as she had told him before, exactly beautiful. Maybe she was reading to much into it, and should let it pass over as just a phase, however; it had bothered her. Even now, as she laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with both fire ferrets laying across her stomach, it bothered her. She removed her arm from her eyes, and blinked at the hallway leading to her living room.
"Ah, coming!" she shouted, rolling the two fire ferrets off of her and landed on the floor with a soft thud. She laughed nervously at herself. She hadn't exactly expected to fall out of her own bed, but she picked herself up quickly and made her way towards Kiara. She had forgotten that Kiara was coming by today. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she'd forgot all of the plans they had made, and blinked when she spotted Kiara. "I forgot you were coming," she stated nervously, rubbing her forearm softly. She offered Kiara an apologetic smile before sitting next to her friend. For the first few minutes, everything seemed quiet. Rika had not made any inclination to start the conversation, and part of her was a little glad.
She could enjoy this moment of silence, but it wasn't meant to last. Jiao hopped into Kiara's lap as San curled around Rika's shoulders. "I swear, this one is becoming Haki Jr. He laughed at me the other day... and ever since then he seems to be giving me those looks. You know, the ones Haki always gives you when he knows something you don't. It's a little unnerving," she spoke, rubbing San's nose with her index finger.
Kiara snorted, raising an eyebrow and looking over at the fire ferret in question, while she scratched a line down Jiao’s spine. If ferrets could purr, she was pretty sure that one would be. “I know exactly what look you’re talking about. It would be pretty terrifying if there were two of them.” One Haki was trouble, in a very specific sense of the word. Two would be a disaster. She shuddered to think of it.
“Do you want ice cream? I’m going to get us some ice cream.” Kiara stood from the sofa, adjusting Jiao so that she was draped over her shoulder, and returned a few minutes later with two bowls of the stuff—chocolate, of course. It was delicious, but unfortunately it also reminded her of the reason she’d bought it, before she’d ever thought up the idea of sharing it with Rika. She stared down into it and sighed. “He kissed me, you know.” It struck her a few seconds later how that would sound, and she backpedaled abruptly. “Er, not Haki!” Somehow the very thought of that was a bit worse, though she didn’t know exactly why. She almost ran through the scenario and replaced one with the other, but that was a road she was not going to go down.
“Kohaku did. Just like… shows up at my house, starts telling me how he would never have wanted me to be some housewife, and then does that. He told me he’d love me for seven freaking years! What am I supposed to say to that? I never even had a clue!” Almost angrily, she took another bite of ice cream, wincing when it hit her soft palate and stung. She wasn’t exactly sure what she expected Rika to say to that, but she had to tell someone. It was eating at her.
A slow smile crept across Rika's lips when Kiara spoke. They'd both known Haki long enough to know those looks, and she laughed softly. At the mention of ice cream, Rika agreed, and took the bowl with a thanks, and took a bite of the chocolate. It slid down the back of her throat, giving her a cooling sensation, and she chuckled. She always loved ice cream, and eating it brought back fond memories of her family. She wondered how they were doing. It seemed like forever since she last spoke to them, when in reality, it'd only been a little less than a year. She was brought out of her thoughts, however, when Kiara spoke, saying that someone had kissed her. She blinked owlishly at her friend, and the first person to pop into her mind was the one they were currently speaking of. She covered her mouth, but could not stop the snort from escaping her.
"Kohaku?" she asked a bit puzzled. She made an 'ah' sound as it clicked into place. She recalled Kiara telling her about the waterbender, and how he was her fiancé, however; Kiara seemed to want nothing to do with a life like that. Rika laughed softly, glancing into her bowl of ice cream, watching as it melted. Her eyes hazed over for a second as she recalled the night before the gala, and a slow blush crept up her cheeks. She poked at her ice cream, trying to force it down, but it kept growing. She groaned lightly, sinking into her chair as she pursed her lips together. "That is a long time to love someone," she spoke, taking her mind away from her own thoughts. Seven years was a long time to love someone, and never know if they loved you back.
Love in a marriage was different, she supposed. "But, do you love him?" she suddenly found herself asking, a hint of curiosity lacing her voice. "It's... I suppose it's different if you love him back, but if you don't, did you tell him, at least?" she continued, sinking further into her couch. "Because if you don't love him back, being in a marriage like that wouldn't be meaningful. It'd be empty, without the mutual love between two people. And it's different to learn to love someone, because even then, it's not love," she spoke, muttering the last few words. She really didn't know what to say to her friend, but if Kiara didn't love Kohaku as he loved her, the only thing she could say was to at least let him know. He deserved that much, right? She really didn't know this Kohaku person so she couldn't say for sure.
“No,” Kiara confessed. “I don't love him. I mean, don't get me wrong. I do in one sense, but… the guy’s like my second brother. Only an older one this time. I used to think I could put up with being married to him because he was like family to me, but… really, I think you’re right. After I finally decided I couldn’t take it and came here—there’s no going back for me anymore. She rested her head back against the couch, closing her eyes and bringing her legs up underneath her. “I did tell him that, but… he seems pretty determined to try anyway. I hardly go a day without seeing him anymore, and I feel bad just telling his to go away. I mean, he’s still my friend.” She didn’t know how she could be any clearer than she had been—what she’d said had basically amounted to I don't love you that way and I’m never going back.
She sighed heavily, cracking her eyes open and going for another spoonful of ice cream. “It would be so much easier, if I did. I mean, we’re still betrothed, and I can’t really do anything about that. He can’t either, actually—it’s an agreement our families made before I was even born. Neither of us can rescind it. But I don’t want to leave, and he can’t stay forever. It feels like everything’s just… stuck, in this really awkward place. I hate it.” She watched her ice cream start to melt, flash-freezing it again with a flick of her fingers.
“But I guess I just deal, and hope they can’t force me to go back somehow. I don’t know if he would try or not… but I know my mother sure would.” The thought made her cringe, and she shook her head faintly, finishing off her ice cream. “Well, looks like I griped at you quite a bit,” she said, her smile apologetic. Still,, it had helped, even just to be able to vent to someone else. “Anything you need to get off your chest? I figure I owe you.”
Rika pursed her lips together as Kiara spoke. So, she told him, and he was still pursuing her? "Doesn't... that seem almost obsessive? If he's here for you, telling you this and still pursuing you... that seems more like obsession than it does love right now," Rika admitted, glancing side to side as if the waterbender would appear out of nowhere and prove her point. She laughed nervously at herself, and placed her empty bowl on the table in front of her. She wasn't even aware of she'd eaten her ice cream. Must have been a subconscious thing. She blinked when Kiara asked her if there was anything she wanted to get off of her chest, and it caused Rika to chuckle in a nervous tone.
"Well, I mean," she began, stuttering in the process. She leaned back into the couch, pulling her knees to her chest as she was cradled by the cushions. "It's nothing really," she continued, burying her face in her knees as she heard him snickering. She groaned out loud as she turned to stare at San. He was staring at her as if silently telling her to say something, and Rika caved. "The night before the gala, Fang came over, you know, to help me," she stated, pulling her face from her knees to glance towards Kiara. She regarded the other woman, almost as if silently pondering if she should continue or not. But Kiara was her friend, her best friend... she could tell her anything, right?
"It was harmless, just a lesson, but, Kiara," she continued, feeling the embarrassment washing over her face. "Kiara, he almost kissed me. I... I don't know what to do about that," she finished, pursing her lips into a fine lip in a pout.
Well, that was an unexpected admission. Kiara’s eyes went wide. Fang had almost kissed her? That didn’t even make sense! That guy was like… so inexpressive he made statues look dynamic. But then… maybe that kind of made sense. Who knew what he was thinking under there? Presumably, he still had feelings and a heart under there somewhere, and he was just bad at letting it show through. Slowly, a number of small cues she’d picked up in his mannerisms began to come together in a more coherent picture, and with this in the equation, a lot more suddenly made sense. It was in the way his gaze softened just a little when he was looking at Rika. And the way he seemed to be looking at her more often than anyone else.
“That’s… uh. I mean, wow. I would not have expected that.” She paused, her brows drawing together thoughtfully as she successfully suppressed the urge to squeal with some sort of weird, by-proxy excitement. Because really, wouldn’t they be just adorable? She was halfway to mentally arranging the features of a batch of dark-haired children before she shook herself. Slow down, Kiara. Vital facts first. “Did… did you want him to? Kiss you, I mean.”
Rika's eyes nearly popped out of her head at Kiara's statement. She really wasn't expecting a reply to that, and she found herself lost for words. She opened her mouth in multiple attempts to say something, but just couldn't properly formulate her words. Had she wanted him to kiss her? She'd... never really thought about it that way. Did she even like him that way? She pursed her lips together, feeling a strange flutter in her chest the more she thought about it. Perhaps, somewhere along the way, from the practice matches, to the days they all spent together, she'd slowly found herself seeking him. Maybe it was just some selfish part of her that had wanted something, that she had sought him. She sighed softly, her eyes molding into one of focus. She laid her chin on her knees and smiled gently at Kiara, though her eyes were still facing forward.
"I, honestly, don't know. I don't know," she repeated the words. "Fang, he's... a good guy, he really is, but... I just, I don't," she continued, falling over her words as she tried to say what she wanted to. It was difficult, sorting her own emotions out. Kiara was lucky, Kohaku had at least told her that he had loved her. She didn't want anything so grand as that, but for him to have at least mentioned that he had liked her... she sighed softly again. "I don't think he could really see me that way. I know I'm not the most amazing person there is, and in fact, I think I am quite boring," she continued, her eyes glazing over slightly. She didn't need to put herself down that much.
"I just don't see how someone like him could see anything in someone like me. I know I shouldn't say things like that, but I can't help it. He's my friend, just like you and Haki are, and I want him to be happy. I just don't think it can be me to make him so, though," she groaned, sliding her hands down her face. She really shouldn't be saying things like that, but she felt she could say that much to her friend. She didn't expect an answer to all of the questions she had, or the statements she made. She just needed to get it off her chest. She wouldn't lie and say she didn't want something like that, because that would be a lie. She did want something like that. "I think I need a drink now."
“Rika…” Kiara started, feeling an automatic pang of sympathy for her friend. “You’re not boring, and I doubt anyone could ever see Fang as interested in them—the guy doesn’t exactly telegraph his emotions, you know.” Still, Kiara was a bit less skeptical, if somewhat surprised even so. The suggestion for a drink caught her by surprise, but it was not at all a bad idea, and considering they weren’t in public, if the winebender so happened to make an appearance, well… nobody but them would have to know about it.
“I think we should have three.”
Kiara sighed through her nose, taking a backward glance at the city as Kohaku’s canoe pushed out into the harbor, aided by his bending. She’d take over the task in a couple of hours, so they could make better time back to the North Pole. “You definitely told them, right?” she asked for the third time. Over the past couple of weeks, she’d been struggling to come to terms with what she was going to do to get herself—and Kohaku—out of her situation. She’d decided that she had to go back to the North Pole, just long enough to convince her parents, mostly her mother, to call off the engagement. Kohaku had grudgingly agreed to put his support behind her in this, but he’d made it explicit that he wasn’t taking this as a finishing blow to their chances for a life together. She really wished he would, but at least with this tie cut, he could feel free to try and find someone else, even if he insisted he didn’t want to.
But there was a storm coming in over the harbor—they could both feel it, and they had to get out before it came in or they could be delayed for another week or more. She’d wanted to go tell her friends, but he insisted that he could do it, and that she needed to prepare and pack for their journey. He promised he’d tell them when and where they were casting off, so that her friends could come say goodbye. It shouldn’t be more than a moth or two before she came back, one way or another, but she was still sort of expecting them to show up to say goodbye. When they didn’t… it hurt a little, even if it was silly to think so.
“For the last time, yes. I told them.” He was feeling irritable, and she supposed she couldn’t exactly blame him, considering. With another sigh, she decided she’d just have to accept it. Maybe Rika got caught up at the tea shop. Fang had all kinds of work, so really she was a bit surprised Kohaku had even been able to locate him. Haki… well, she didn’t really know why he wasn’t there. She’d thought—but now she was being silly. There was a good reason, she was sure. She just… she was going to miss them, even for only a month or two. Fortunately, probending was in the offseason again, so she didn’t have to worry about that. It was the best time to get this all cleared up, and clear it up she would.
No more running away—Kiara was ready to face this problem, head on and like the independent person she knew she could be.
It was Fang that first noticed she was missing. They had a standing arrangement for dinners on Thursdays, the same day Kiara left. It was a remnant of their time as neighbors, and she’d seen no reason to discontinue it. Considering the free food and companionship he got out of the deal, he wasn’t inclined to cancel either, and still supplied the tealeaves. But when he had shown up, right at the usual time, Kiara was nowhere to be found. She’d never missed a dinner, not in the two-and-some years he’d known her, and this was cause enough for concern.
He spent about an hour checking the places she frequented, but nobody seemed to have seen her. In the end, he went to the tea shop, hoping to locate Rika and Haki. When he did, he slid quietly into the booth Haki occupied and motioned Rika over. When he was certain that he had their attention, he spoke, keeping his voice carefully low. “Have either of you seen Kiara today? She wasn’t at home for our dinner.” The two of them knew about the standing tradition by now, and were indeed present as well when their schedules allowed, but Fang was always the first to arrive.
With the offseason settling in, Rika had decided to go back to her tea shop, to help Chan and Wei run it. The two were getting on in years, and were not necessarily able to keep up with it as they once had. She understood the necessity, and with no children of their own, Rika couldn't exactly pass the shop onto just anyone. It had been difficult, readjusting into the role of owner again, but she'd managed, oddly, with the help of Haki. He had helped out at the shop here and there when he wasn't listening for the Council. So far, he hadn't picked up on anything useful for them, but he suspected it had a lot to do with the fact that people were just scared. Fear tended to put a lot of people into a position they didn't want to be in, and he couldn't blame them for that.
They had reason to fear. He blinked mildly when Fang showed up, pursing his lips together softly. Wasn't he usually with Kiara at this time? It was Thursday, they usually had dinners together. He and Rika would attend from time to time when they could, but seeing as they were both currently working, they were not able to today. He was on a temporary break when Fang slipped into his booth, motioning for Rika to come over. She blinked owlishly before realizing that Fang had wanted her to join him and Haki at the table, and removed the apron from her waist, shifting through the people before making it to the booth. Haki felt his lips pull into a deep frown when Fang spoke.
"I have not seen her at all today, I thought she was at home," he confessed. The last time he'd seen her was the day before, and that was because he had nothing better to do than to harass her and Rika at Rika's apartment. "Was she down in the market place? Maybe she's running behind?" he chimed in, but somehow, even he doubted that was the case. A slight dread coated his eyes as he thought of the possibilities, but he stopped himself shortly. Just because she wasn't home didn't mean something bad had happened to her. She might have been caught up with Zian (which he didn't like the thought of), or she was helping out somewhere and lost track of the time.
"I haven't seen her either. She didn't pass by the shop or my apartment today," Rika added. She would see Kiara a few hours before her job at the tea shop, or just whenever Kiara felt the need to come over. Honestly, it was as if they had lived together again with as much time as they'd spent in each other's homes. Not that she had minded, it was nice to have the company. It was different, though, when Haki appeared. She almost frowned at the memory, but chose not to linger on it, and shook her head softly. "You... don't think something's happened to her, do you?" she stated, her eyes growing a little wide. Had something bad happened to Kiara?
Fang pursed his lips. “I checked everywhere I could think of. Nobody seems to have seen her at all today.” He paused, shaking his head. “Wait here. I’ve got a few people I can check with. I’ll be back by the end of your shift.” Sliding back out of the booth, he decided he’d lean on his contact at port first. Then maybe a few former triad members—there were just too many things that could go wrong in a city this size.
As promised, he returned at the end of their shift that evening, arms crossed over his chest, mouth set into a grim line. Waiting until they could all speak in the privacy of the empty shop, he chose a wall to lean against and tried to decide how to break the news to them. In the end, he could only settle on the blunt truth, because there was no easy way to say it. “Two members of the Water Tribe were seen leaving port in a canoe today,” he said quietly. “One of them had reddish hair, and the other was very tall.” Considering Kohaku was taller than Fang himself, it was not at all difficult to imagine who they might be.
The only thing they could do was nod their head in unison when Fang spoke. He would check with a few people he knew, and he would tell them. Somehow, the rest of that evening seemed dull. Rika had been distracted by the thought of something happening to her friend, that she had neglected a few of the teas, burning the leaves and the drinks in the process. She'd probably wasted more tea than she sold, and that was not good. Haki had lost a peculiar light to his eyes, one that was very vibrant. He seemed a little lost as if he were trying to believe anything else but that. Rika did not realize the impact it left on him until Fang returned, just as he said he would. And suddenly, it hit the both of them like an earthbender's clay disk, only harder.
"She's... she's gone?" it still didn't sound believable as she spoke the words. Rika sank into one of the chairs, staring out in front of her in no particular direction. Haki, however, allowed nothing to pass over his face. She was gone... and with him. He felt something flare inside of him, and his grip tightened against the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Did Councilman Shun have anything to do with this? Was he going back on his word? The thought alone caused a bout of anger to flash through Haki. He trusted the man to keep his word, to keep her here where she could build a life she wanted. He would have to speak to the Councilman about it... at a later time.
"It seems it wasn't enough," where the only words he spoke. Rika did not know of his involvement with the Council, however; he glanced towards Fang. Fang always had a way of finding information on people, and he would no doubt it if the male had that particular set on him. He sighed softly, resting a hand on Rika's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, Lotus. She'll be back," he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or Rika. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself, though. He wasn't even sure if she would be back. For all he knew, Kohaku would keep a tight chain on Kiara. And that, was not an idea Haki was okay with.
“Many of her things are still in her apartment,” Fang pointed out. It seemed strange that she would leave without clearing the place out… unless she either hadn’t had a choice or intended to come back. One of those options seemed infinitely better, but unfortunately, it also seemed less likely. He hoped that it was his cynicism tainting his opinion, and not in fact the truth of the matter. Whatever the case, it was getting late, and they would have to wait until tomorrow for any more answers than they already had. Maybe Fang could speak to Kiara’s landlord, see how far her rent was paid up. That might tell them something. Whatever the others knew or could do, he knew they would.
The whole thing left a feeling of disquiet in his stomach, and he was reminded of another time he’d lost someone dear. Not in the same way, of course, but… it felt just as uncomfortable. He wondered how long it would take him to adjust to the empty spaces in his life where his friend had once been.
But there was a storm coming in over the harbor—they could both feel it, and they had to get out before it came in or they could be delayed for another week or more. She’d wanted to go tell her friends, but he insisted that he could do it, and that she needed to prepare and pack for their journey. He promised he’d tell them when and where they were casting off, so that her friends could come say goodbye. It shouldn’t be more than a moth or two before she came back, one way or another, but she was still sort of expecting them to show up to say goodbye. When they didn’t… it hurt a little, even if it was silly to think so.
“For the last time, yes. I told them.” He was feeling irritable, and she supposed she couldn’t exactly blame him, considering. With another sigh, she decided she’d just have to accept it. Maybe Rika got caught up at the tea shop. Fang had all kinds of work, so really she was a bit surprised Kohaku had even been able to locate him. Haki… well, she didn’t really know why he wasn’t there. She’d thought—but now she was being silly. There was a good reason, she was sure. She just… she was going to miss them, even for only a month or two. Fortunately, probending was in the offseason again, so she didn’t have to worry about that. It was the best time to get this all cleared up, and clear it up she would.
No more running away—Kiara was ready to face this problem, head on and like the independent person she knew she could be.
It was Fang that first noticed she was missing. They had a standing arrangement for dinners on Thursdays, the same day Kiara left. It was a remnant of their time as neighbors, and she’d seen no reason to discontinue it. Considering the free food and companionship he got out of the deal, he wasn’t inclined to cancel either, and still supplied the tealeaves. But when he had shown up, right at the usual time, Kiara was nowhere to be found. She’d never missed a dinner, not in the two-and-some years he’d known her, and this was cause enough for concern.
He spent about an hour checking the places she frequented, but nobody seemed to have seen her. In the end, he went to the tea shop, hoping to locate Rika and Haki. When he did, he slid quietly into the booth Haki occupied and motioned Rika over. When he was certain that he had their attention, he spoke, keeping his voice carefully low. “Have either of you seen Kiara today? She wasn’t at home for our dinner.” The two of them knew about the standing tradition by now, and were indeed present as well when their schedules allowed, but Fang was always the first to arrive.
With the offseason settling in, Rika had decided to go back to her tea shop, to help Chan and Wei run it. The two were getting on in years, and were not necessarily able to keep up with it as they once had. She understood the necessity, and with no children of their own, Rika couldn't exactly pass the shop onto just anyone. It had been difficult, readjusting into the role of owner again, but she'd managed, oddly, with the help of Haki. He had helped out at the shop here and there when he wasn't listening for the Council. So far, he hadn't picked up on anything useful for them, but he suspected it had a lot to do with the fact that people were just scared. Fear tended to put a lot of people into a position they didn't want to be in, and he couldn't blame them for that.
They had reason to fear. He blinked mildly when Fang showed up, pursing his lips together softly. Wasn't he usually with Kiara at this time? It was Thursday, they usually had dinners together. He and Rika would attend from time to time when they could, but seeing as they were both currently working, they were not able to today. He was on a temporary break when Fang slipped into his booth, motioning for Rika to come over. She blinked owlishly before realizing that Fang had wanted her to join him and Haki at the table, and removed the apron from her waist, shifting through the people before making it to the booth. Haki felt his lips pull into a deep frown when Fang spoke.
"I have not seen her at all today, I thought she was at home," he confessed. The last time he'd seen her was the day before, and that was because he had nothing better to do than to harass her and Rika at Rika's apartment. "Was she down in the market place? Maybe she's running behind?" he chimed in, but somehow, even he doubted that was the case. A slight dread coated his eyes as he thought of the possibilities, but he stopped himself shortly. Just because she wasn't home didn't mean something bad had happened to her. She might have been caught up with Zian (which he didn't like the thought of), or she was helping out somewhere and lost track of the time.
"I haven't seen her either. She didn't pass by the shop or my apartment today," Rika added. She would see Kiara a few hours before her job at the tea shop, or just whenever Kiara felt the need to come over. Honestly, it was as if they had lived together again with as much time as they'd spent in each other's homes. Not that she had minded, it was nice to have the company. It was different, though, when Haki appeared. She almost frowned at the memory, but chose not to linger on it, and shook her head softly. "You... don't think something's happened to her, do you?" she stated, her eyes growing a little wide. Had something bad happened to Kiara?
Fang pursed his lips. “I checked everywhere I could think of. Nobody seems to have seen her at all today.” He paused, shaking his head. “Wait here. I’ve got a few people I can check with. I’ll be back by the end of your shift.” Sliding back out of the booth, he decided he’d lean on his contact at port first. Then maybe a few former triad members—there were just too many things that could go wrong in a city this size.
As promised, he returned at the end of their shift that evening, arms crossed over his chest, mouth set into a grim line. Waiting until they could all speak in the privacy of the empty shop, he chose a wall to lean against and tried to decide how to break the news to them. In the end, he could only settle on the blunt truth, because there was no easy way to say it. “Two members of the Water Tribe were seen leaving port in a canoe today,” he said quietly. “One of them had reddish hair, and the other was very tall.” Considering Kohaku was taller than Fang himself, it was not at all difficult to imagine who they might be.
The only thing they could do was nod their head in unison when Fang spoke. He would check with a few people he knew, and he would tell them. Somehow, the rest of that evening seemed dull. Rika had been distracted by the thought of something happening to her friend, that she had neglected a few of the teas, burning the leaves and the drinks in the process. She'd probably wasted more tea than she sold, and that was not good. Haki had lost a peculiar light to his eyes, one that was very vibrant. He seemed a little lost as if he were trying to believe anything else but that. Rika did not realize the impact it left on him until Fang returned, just as he said he would. And suddenly, it hit the both of them like an earthbender's clay disk, only harder.
"She's... she's gone?" it still didn't sound believable as she spoke the words. Rika sank into one of the chairs, staring out in front of her in no particular direction. Haki, however, allowed nothing to pass over his face. She was gone... and with him. He felt something flare inside of him, and his grip tightened against the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Did Councilman Shun have anything to do with this? Was he going back on his word? The thought alone caused a bout of anger to flash through Haki. He trusted the man to keep his word, to keep her here where she could build a life she wanted. He would have to speak to the Councilman about it... at a later time.
"It seems it wasn't enough," where the only words he spoke. Rika did not know of his involvement with the Council, however; he glanced towards Fang. Fang always had a way of finding information on people, and he would no doubt it if the male had that particular set on him. He sighed softly, resting a hand on Rika's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, Lotus. She'll be back," he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or Rika. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself, though. He wasn't even sure if she would be back. For all he knew, Kohaku would keep a tight chain on Kiara. And that, was not an idea Haki was okay with.
“Many of her things are still in her apartment,” Fang pointed out. It seemed strange that she would leave without clearing the place out… unless she either hadn’t had a choice or intended to come back. One of those options seemed infinitely better, but unfortunately, it also seemed less likely. He hoped that it was his cynicism tainting his opinion, and not in fact the truth of the matter. Whatever the case, it was getting late, and they would have to wait until tomorrow for any more answers than they already had. Maybe Fang could speak to Kiara’s landlord, see how far her rent was paid up. That might tell them something. Whatever the others knew or could do, he knew they would.
The whole thing left a feeling of disquiet in his stomach, and he was reminded of another time he’d lost someone dear. Not in the same way, of course, but… it felt just as uncomfortable. He wondered how long it would take him to adjust to the empty spaces in his life where his friend had once been.
Fang sat quietly in the booth of the tea shop, a place he’d been spending a large chunk of his off hours as of late. Not that there were many of those, now. Amon had been tightening his leash rather quickly, and he now spent too much of his time doing things like leading squads to kidnap benders. It was getting to the point where his guilt was becoming overwhelming, and by and large the largest part of him just wanted to stop, to quit to be someone, anyone else, but what redemption was there for him now? He was too far in, and not even his friends could keep him from sinking deeper into that well of terrible dark water. Perhaps because there were only two of them, now. He had no probending team to coach, more dirty work to do, and he had this feeling he’d never be clean again. Amon’s timely reminders of her proved to be enough to make him do the next thing.
Without anywhere else to go in his downtime and wanting to be anywhere but alone with his thoughts, Fang frequently found himself in the tea shop, often while Rika and Haki were working, or, as now, after they’d both just finished a shift. They would sit together at such times, sometimes speaking and sometimes silent, but there was no mistaking that, a month and a half later, they all missed her. He knew he would, but it had been rather worse than he expected, especially when Haki had reported that no action had been officially taken by the Tribes to retrieve her, meaning that either Kohaku had kidnapped her, which was unlikely given how the witness described them leaving, or she’d gone voluntarily, without so much as a word to any of them. A storm had battered the harbor for several days after her departure, and so for a while he’d entertained the idea that it would have been impossible for her to both prepare and tell them, but that she would somehow be back.
Fifty days later, however, he was quite aware that it was a poor hope. He couldn’t help but feel that something strange was going on—it was just so utterly unlike Kiara to do something so drastic without informing any of them. He would have at the very least suspected her to leave a note, if it were an emergency, but he’d combed her apartment and found no such thing. According to her landlord, her rent was paid up through next month, because he took three months’ rent at a time, but beyond that… Fang knew the time when she could be reasonably expected to return was drawing to a close. It wasn’t easy on any of them.
But he could not help thinking it was hardest on Haki.
He hadn't known what to believe, or think, or even do. She was gone, and the only thing that had come to mind was that Kohaku had taken her, and that Councilman Shun went back on his word. So when he confronted the Councilman about it, he was rather surprised at the accusation. He had told Haki that no such claims were made, and that the only logical thing was that she had gone back willingly. If she did so, then there was nothing they could do about it now. There was nothing he could do, and that had left an empty feeling inside of him. Though he had taken to working with Lotus, he could not seem to find a way to fill that empty space. He missed her, just as he knew he would, and it hurt. Rika had seem to take it a little better than the two other males.
When Haki had told her the knews, of what Shun had told him, she was upset, however; there was nothing she could do about it. It was a decision Kiara made, and if she chose to go back to the water tribe with Kohaku, there was nothing any of them could do about it. That didn't mean it didn't hurt though. Kiara had just left without so much as a word, she thought they were friends. Don't friends usually do that? Tell each other if they were leaving for a little while... or for good? She sighed softly, glancing towards Haki, watching as the depression had taken a hold of him. She had never seen the light in his eyes so dull before. It was a little unnerving.
He'd stopped calling her nicknames, stopped teasing altogether. She had tried to console him as best as she could, even inviting him over to her home a few times, however; it just wasn't enough for him. He had half a mind to go to the Northern Water Tribe, see if she was there, and bring her back. But he couldn't do such a thing. It would inevitably start a war, and that was not something Haki wanted to be responsible for... even if he was tempted to do so. Rika laid a hand on his shoulder, offering him a small smile as she brushed the bangs from his eyes. His hair had grown a little longer, reaching a bit past the nape of his neck. He'd neglected it during the month and a half she was gone.
"You can go for the day, Haki. I'll cover the rest of your shift," she told him, offering him a knowing smile before he nodded his thanks. He spotted Fang in one of the booths, and walked over towards him. Fang had spent most of his days here at the shop, or whenever he had the free time it seemed. He was gone a lot more than usual, and Haki had no idea if it had anything to do with his jobs, or if it had something to do with Kiara as well. He wanted to say it was both. Perhaps he had taken more shifts to take his mind off of the disappearance of their friend.
"Fang," he greeted, seating himself across from Fang and stared at his own hands.
“Haki,” Fang returned, absent much feeling. Then again, he’d been like that for as long as they’d known him. Longer, even, though not always. He’d once been more expressive, more emotional, and at the very least not the toneless, faceless sort of person he sometimes seemed. Before the last month and a half, he’d felt himself…changing, too, a little less reluctant to part with slivers of emotions, of things he felt. Now, he couldn’t. He’d shut them down again, caught them before they escaped, and they became duller. He was closer to who he’d been when they first met now, and while it was not entirely or even perhaps mostly Kiara’s fault, he would admit that her leaving had reminded him quite powerfully of something he’d been letting himself forget—the people he cared about never did stay.
He’d almost written his first letter home in years, but he’d stopped halfway through and shredded it. He couldn’t burden his family with what he’d become. It was better that they thought he was dead, better that they didn’t know what had become of him, than that they had even the faintest hint of the shame he brought them now. He carefully closed his genuine emotions to the others as well, though he could not bring himself to part from their company entirely, not even when he knew, somehow, that one day he would be forced to make a choice, between his friendship with these benders and his loyalty to a cause he’d not believed in in a long time.
But he’d still choose it, because he was still bound by his word.
A small gust of an exhale passed through his nose, and he took up the tea he’d ordered, pouring a second cup for Haki, unsure of what else he could or should say. Fang wasn’t really much of a conversationalist anymore, and it was in these moments that he was acutely remembered of Kiara’s tendency to drive the conversations between them, aided of course by Haki’s prodding and Rika’s reactions to that, but without her, Haki wasn’t teasing and Rika wasn’t getting amusingly upset as a result, and so all of them were forced into a dynamic that none of them really understood or felt natural about.
The second year since their meeting was approaching—Fang still wore his bracelet, beneath his flowing sleeves. He had not found Kiara’s in her home, suggesting it was one of the few items she’d taken with her when she left, including her Midwinter gifts from both years. It was a strange piece of sentiment, from someone who had not said a word of farewell, and it was one of those things that led him to believe something was going on that they did not understand. Blowing the steam away from his own cup, he took a quiet sip. “How fares business?” They couldn’t talk about probending anymore, or the upcoming anniversary, or really any of the other things they had in common, because those were all irrevocably associated with memories of her, and the loss was still too fresh for fond nostalgia. So he asked the most innocuous question he could instead.
Haki picked up the cup Fang poured him, and stared blankly into it. He could see his own reflection amongst the dark brew, and he could see how the features of his face, once fine and smooth, now more defined and hardened. He allowed a sigh to pass through his lips in the guise of him blowing the steam away. He glanced back at Fang when he spoke, placing the cup down back on the table. He raised an eyebrow, but allowed it to fall. Business? Which business? The one he had with the Councilman, or the tea shop? Haki knew which Fang referred to, but did not stop the thoughts from running through his mind.
"It's... thriving," he finally answered, swirling the tea in his cup. "With Rika back as the owner, she's been able to devote more of her time to the brews, and it has brought more customers in," he continued, glancing over towards Lotus. She was attending to one of his tables, and seemed to be at least smiling. He shook his head faintly before turning back to Fang, his eyes not quite meeting the other male's. "It keeps me occupied, otherwise," he ended on a dull note. He refrained from speaking anything further. Their second year anniversary was coming up soon, and he knew Rika had wanted to plan something, but she just couldn't seem to figure out what.
"And you? How have your jobs fared? You have been gone more frequently as of late," he questioned. It had actually bothered Rika a bit, that her remaining friends were growing a bit distant from each other. Of course, he wouldn't say that, but he had noticed it too. It just wasn't the same without her and they had all felt the effects of her disappearance. It had come to the point that Haki almost wished he had not cared so much to begin with. He wished he could treat it as something else, as if they had just been acquaintences, not friends.
“There are… more of them,” Fang admitted. “Equalist and Triad activity has been picking up—nobody feels secure.” Of course, he was a lot of the Equalist activity, but it had had the side effect of ratcheting up the number of private security contracts he was hired for as well, and he’d had more than one nasty run-in with members of one Triad or another, as their activity increased almost in defiance of the Equalists’ growing power. Amon was hijacking television broadcasts almost weekly now, sometimes showing the faces of people who were about to get their bending taken away—and no few staffers for the Council were now among the number that had been inflicted upon. Another stab of guilt caught in his chest, but Fang was used to then by now, and they were dull. Even without him, Amon would still do the same thing. At least Fang didn’t kill the benders who wouldn’t be taken alive. Many of his fellows were not so discerning anymore.
“The city is slowly falling apart.” It seemed somehow to matter less to him than the fact that his group of friends was doing the same.
"It seems that there is a lot falling apart," he spoke, glancing back at his tea. If it wasn't the city, it was all of their friendship. Who knew that one single person could affect a handful of others in such a way? He wondered, for a moment, if the Triads would try attacking establishments again. For now, they were mainly focused on the Equalists and their movements, however; who was to say they wouldn't go back to attacking buildings, like Rika's tea shop, again? "I suppose, it will be enough for now, to have what is left," he spoke, his words riddled, though he meant what little friendship was between him, Rika, and Fang. They would have to look out for each other more now than they did before.
Without anywhere else to go in his downtime and wanting to be anywhere but alone with his thoughts, Fang frequently found himself in the tea shop, often while Rika and Haki were working, or, as now, after they’d both just finished a shift. They would sit together at such times, sometimes speaking and sometimes silent, but there was no mistaking that, a month and a half later, they all missed her. He knew he would, but it had been rather worse than he expected, especially when Haki had reported that no action had been officially taken by the Tribes to retrieve her, meaning that either Kohaku had kidnapped her, which was unlikely given how the witness described them leaving, or she’d gone voluntarily, without so much as a word to any of them. A storm had battered the harbor for several days after her departure, and so for a while he’d entertained the idea that it would have been impossible for her to both prepare and tell them, but that she would somehow be back.
Fifty days later, however, he was quite aware that it was a poor hope. He couldn’t help but feel that something strange was going on—it was just so utterly unlike Kiara to do something so drastic without informing any of them. He would have at the very least suspected her to leave a note, if it were an emergency, but he’d combed her apartment and found no such thing. According to her landlord, her rent was paid up through next month, because he took three months’ rent at a time, but beyond that… Fang knew the time when she could be reasonably expected to return was drawing to a close. It wasn’t easy on any of them.
But he could not help thinking it was hardest on Haki.
He hadn't known what to believe, or think, or even do. She was gone, and the only thing that had come to mind was that Kohaku had taken her, and that Councilman Shun went back on his word. So when he confronted the Councilman about it, he was rather surprised at the accusation. He had told Haki that no such claims were made, and that the only logical thing was that she had gone back willingly. If she did so, then there was nothing they could do about it now. There was nothing he could do, and that had left an empty feeling inside of him. Though he had taken to working with Lotus, he could not seem to find a way to fill that empty space. He missed her, just as he knew he would, and it hurt. Rika had seem to take it a little better than the two other males.
When Haki had told her the knews, of what Shun had told him, she was upset, however; there was nothing she could do about it. It was a decision Kiara made, and if she chose to go back to the water tribe with Kohaku, there was nothing any of them could do about it. That didn't mean it didn't hurt though. Kiara had just left without so much as a word, she thought they were friends. Don't friends usually do that? Tell each other if they were leaving for a little while... or for good? She sighed softly, glancing towards Haki, watching as the depression had taken a hold of him. She had never seen the light in his eyes so dull before. It was a little unnerving.
He'd stopped calling her nicknames, stopped teasing altogether. She had tried to console him as best as she could, even inviting him over to her home a few times, however; it just wasn't enough for him. He had half a mind to go to the Northern Water Tribe, see if she was there, and bring her back. But he couldn't do such a thing. It would inevitably start a war, and that was not something Haki wanted to be responsible for... even if he was tempted to do so. Rika laid a hand on his shoulder, offering him a small smile as she brushed the bangs from his eyes. His hair had grown a little longer, reaching a bit past the nape of his neck. He'd neglected it during the month and a half she was gone.
"You can go for the day, Haki. I'll cover the rest of your shift," she told him, offering him a knowing smile before he nodded his thanks. He spotted Fang in one of the booths, and walked over towards him. Fang had spent most of his days here at the shop, or whenever he had the free time it seemed. He was gone a lot more than usual, and Haki had no idea if it had anything to do with his jobs, or if it had something to do with Kiara as well. He wanted to say it was both. Perhaps he had taken more shifts to take his mind off of the disappearance of their friend.
"Fang," he greeted, seating himself across from Fang and stared at his own hands.
“Haki,” Fang returned, absent much feeling. Then again, he’d been like that for as long as they’d known him. Longer, even, though not always. He’d once been more expressive, more emotional, and at the very least not the toneless, faceless sort of person he sometimes seemed. Before the last month and a half, he’d felt himself…changing, too, a little less reluctant to part with slivers of emotions, of things he felt. Now, he couldn’t. He’d shut them down again, caught them before they escaped, and they became duller. He was closer to who he’d been when they first met now, and while it was not entirely or even perhaps mostly Kiara’s fault, he would admit that her leaving had reminded him quite powerfully of something he’d been letting himself forget—the people he cared about never did stay.
He’d almost written his first letter home in years, but he’d stopped halfway through and shredded it. He couldn’t burden his family with what he’d become. It was better that they thought he was dead, better that they didn’t know what had become of him, than that they had even the faintest hint of the shame he brought them now. He carefully closed his genuine emotions to the others as well, though he could not bring himself to part from their company entirely, not even when he knew, somehow, that one day he would be forced to make a choice, between his friendship with these benders and his loyalty to a cause he’d not believed in in a long time.
But he’d still choose it, because he was still bound by his word.
A small gust of an exhale passed through his nose, and he took up the tea he’d ordered, pouring a second cup for Haki, unsure of what else he could or should say. Fang wasn’t really much of a conversationalist anymore, and it was in these moments that he was acutely remembered of Kiara’s tendency to drive the conversations between them, aided of course by Haki’s prodding and Rika’s reactions to that, but without her, Haki wasn’t teasing and Rika wasn’t getting amusingly upset as a result, and so all of them were forced into a dynamic that none of them really understood or felt natural about.
The second year since their meeting was approaching—Fang still wore his bracelet, beneath his flowing sleeves. He had not found Kiara’s in her home, suggesting it was one of the few items she’d taken with her when she left, including her Midwinter gifts from both years. It was a strange piece of sentiment, from someone who had not said a word of farewell, and it was one of those things that led him to believe something was going on that they did not understand. Blowing the steam away from his own cup, he took a quiet sip. “How fares business?” They couldn’t talk about probending anymore, or the upcoming anniversary, or really any of the other things they had in common, because those were all irrevocably associated with memories of her, and the loss was still too fresh for fond nostalgia. So he asked the most innocuous question he could instead.
Haki picked up the cup Fang poured him, and stared blankly into it. He could see his own reflection amongst the dark brew, and he could see how the features of his face, once fine and smooth, now more defined and hardened. He allowed a sigh to pass through his lips in the guise of him blowing the steam away. He glanced back at Fang when he spoke, placing the cup down back on the table. He raised an eyebrow, but allowed it to fall. Business? Which business? The one he had with the Councilman, or the tea shop? Haki knew which Fang referred to, but did not stop the thoughts from running through his mind.
"It's... thriving," he finally answered, swirling the tea in his cup. "With Rika back as the owner, she's been able to devote more of her time to the brews, and it has brought more customers in," he continued, glancing over towards Lotus. She was attending to one of his tables, and seemed to be at least smiling. He shook his head faintly before turning back to Fang, his eyes not quite meeting the other male's. "It keeps me occupied, otherwise," he ended on a dull note. He refrained from speaking anything further. Their second year anniversary was coming up soon, and he knew Rika had wanted to plan something, but she just couldn't seem to figure out what.
"And you? How have your jobs fared? You have been gone more frequently as of late," he questioned. It had actually bothered Rika a bit, that her remaining friends were growing a bit distant from each other. Of course, he wouldn't say that, but he had noticed it too. It just wasn't the same without her and they had all felt the effects of her disappearance. It had come to the point that Haki almost wished he had not cared so much to begin with. He wished he could treat it as something else, as if they had just been acquaintences, not friends.
“There are… more of them,” Fang admitted. “Equalist and Triad activity has been picking up—nobody feels secure.” Of course, he was a lot of the Equalist activity, but it had had the side effect of ratcheting up the number of private security contracts he was hired for as well, and he’d had more than one nasty run-in with members of one Triad or another, as their activity increased almost in defiance of the Equalists’ growing power. Amon was hijacking television broadcasts almost weekly now, sometimes showing the faces of people who were about to get their bending taken away—and no few staffers for the Council were now among the number that had been inflicted upon. Another stab of guilt caught in his chest, but Fang was used to then by now, and they were dull. Even without him, Amon would still do the same thing. At least Fang didn’t kill the benders who wouldn’t be taken alive. Many of his fellows were not so discerning anymore.
“The city is slowly falling apart.” It seemed somehow to matter less to him than the fact that his group of friends was doing the same.
"It seems that there is a lot falling apart," he spoke, glancing back at his tea. If it wasn't the city, it was all of their friendship. Who knew that one single person could affect a handful of others in such a way? He wondered, for a moment, if the Triads would try attacking establishments again. For now, they were mainly focused on the Equalists and their movements, however; who was to say they wouldn't go back to attacking buildings, like Rika's tea shop, again? "I suppose, it will be enough for now, to have what is left," he spoke, his words riddled, though he meant what little friendship was between him, Rika, and Fang. They would have to look out for each other more now than they did before.
Two months and a week after her departure, Kiara returned to Republic City, a bright smile on her face dimmed only slightly by the fact that Kohaku had insisted on escorting her until she found someone she knew. Word had reached the Northern Water Tribe of the increasing instability in Republic City, and her parents were pretty insistent that she at least have an escort back. Considering the fact that she’d managed to convince them to break off her engagement to Kohaku, she was willing enough to cede that point. Convincing them to let her go back to the city had been a separate battle, but after a while and several threats to run away again, she’d also managed to get their blessing on that.
Seeing them again had been… nice. Both because she loved them and because she’d been reassured that her choice was the right one. She didn’t belong there on a long-term basis anymore; that was just the truth about who she was and who they were. But though her mother had given her an incredibly hard time about everything, they had at least reached some degree of reconciliation when the woman had finally confessed that she’d actually been worried about her the whole time. There were tears involved, but things were on the mend now. Her dad and brother had dealt with it all the way they always had—by taking her icefishing and spending time together.
But it was good to be returning. Kiara could barely contain her excitement as she and Kohaku disembarked their boat, landing them once more on the shores of the place that, to her, now, was home. Since he wasn’t going to leave until they found her friends for some reason, they stopped quickly at her apartment, dropping off her few belongings and striking out for the best place she could think of to start a search—the tea shop.
As it happened, Fang was in there again that afternoon, reading of all things a Republic City newspaper, the headline regarding the recent kidnapping of the Council member Shao. As of yet, he had not resurfaced, either with or without his bending, but Fang knew that was because Amon likely intended to make a large spectacle of the whole thing. It wasn’t every day one managed to capture an actual member of the Council, and this incident had the capacity to escalate violence a great deal. People would start dying in great numbers, if something was not done to stop the progression of things. Considering the authorities couldn’t even find the Equalists most of the time, that seemed unlikely at best.
As it was, however, all of these thoughts flew abruptly from his head when he looked up as the bell on the door chimed, informing him that someone new had walked into the room. Two months and a bit, and there she was, right as rain, looking rather happy to see him. It was immediately incongruous, and Fang’s brows furrowed as he rose from his seat, unsure what he wanted to say. It didn’t seem to matter, however, because Kiara smiled all the aider and hugged him around the back, squeezing in a companionable manner before tilting her head to the side.
“Sorry I’m back a little late,” she said apologetically, though not on the level she would have if she’d just up and left them for two months. “Things got complicated back home. It’s all worked out now, though.” Not the least bit unnerved by his silence, as it was rather usual for him, she glanced around. “Are Rika and Haki here too, by chance, or do I have to go track them down?” Her nose crinkled with faint amusement at her own statement, and she looked expectantly up at him for an answer.
Fang, however, was currently staring at Kohaku, whose body language bordered on hostile. Something was very wrong here. “I am not certain that is the best idea,” he intoned flatly, causing a confused look to flash over Kiara’s face. She seemed oblivious to the palpable tension in the air, or at least to the fact that much of it was caused by her shadow.
“Why not?”
As it were, Haki and Rika were both in the back, brewing a new batch of tea. Rika had accidentally burned the first one, odd really, but she and Haki managed to make a new set. They were still not completely healed from Kiara's departure, but the last two weeks had seen a bit of improvement in their demeanors. Haki was becoming a bit more Haki, teasing Rika here and there when he could, and Rika was scolding him again. Things were becoming better. Rika took her leave of the back, Haki remaining to finish the brew himself, as she made her way out to the front. She nearly dropped the plate she was holding. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to see if it was an illusion, or if she was really back. It couldn't be... could it?
"Ki..ara?" she spoke, a hint of hesitance to her voice. She furrowed her brows, her eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded her friend. She placed the plate down, walked up to Kiara, and just stared at her. Her hand reached out to touch Kiara's face, however; her eyes set into a narrow glare and her hand fell to her side. "Why?" she began, her voice cracking slightly. She could feel a bit of warmth behind her eyes, blinking back the tears to keep them from falling. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were leaving?! We were all so worried that something happened to you! We found out that you'd just left... with him!" she began, pointing an accusing finger in Kohaku's direction. She glared at the male before turning back on Kiara.
Haki, however, had not missed the name that was spoken, and had completely stopped what he was doing. He just seemed to hover for a bit, his face unreadable. Part of him wanted to go see for himself if it was true, that she was back, but another part of him didn't want to. What if she was just here to officially say good bye to them? He wasn't sure if he could handle that quite yet, and to make matters worse, Kohaku was here. He could feel his fire burning through him, but he had to keep a tight lid on it. He couldn't lose control and accidentally burn down Rika's shop. She wouldn't forgive him for that, however; none of that seemed to matter. She was back. And he wasn't going to move from his spot... not yet.
To say Kiara was taken aback was quite the understatement, though curiously enough, Kohaku did not look shocked in the slightest, something Fang did not fail to notice. Indeed, his eyes only narrowed at Rika, his arms crossing over his broad chest. Kiara blinked a few times, long enough for Fang to push a light sigh through his nose and say “That’s why” before things got a little messier. Fortunately, there wasn’t really anyone else in the shop at the moment, as it was getting somewhat late in the evening, and most of the typical clientele had gone home by now. The few that remained were openly staring.
“W-what?” Kiara stammered, genuinely flabbergasted by Rika’s reaction at first. “B-but the storm! None of you came to the pier to say goodbye—I thought you were too busy to see me!” Something about the explanation didn’t quite sit right with Fang. There had been a storm that would have delayed her departure by some days just after she’d left, but none of them had known it was coming. Sure, Fang had been able to sense the atmospheric disturbance coming in, but he’d never known she was leaving, preventing him from putting the facts together at the time.
“How could we have met you there, when we knew nothing of your intent to leave?” he inquired, though his tone was absent the anger in Rika’s. He had a feeling he knew what the answer was, but he had to hear it from her to be sure.
“What do you mean you didn’t know? Kohaku went and told you—he said—” The realization dawned on them at the same time, and both sets of eyes swung towards the man, who shrugged, his eyes still narrowed.
“I lied.”
Rika blinked, confused by Kiara's statement. The pier? Her brows furrowed in confusion as her glare hardened towards Kohaku. He had said nothing of the sort, and the confusion only continued to make Rika angry. Kohaku was supposed to tell them that they were leaving for a few weeks, or months? And he had lied to Kiara about it? Something just didn't sit right, and Rika could feel the anger bubbling in her veins. She knew she didn't like this waterbender. She knew there was reason to be cautious with him, however; she didn't think he'd be that low of a person to do such a thing. What had they ever done to him to deserve that? They never wronged him, hell, they didn't even know him.
"You..." Rika began, her eyes set on Kohaku. "You asshole! What the hell did we ever do to you!?" she stated, her anger seething through every part of her body. She was shaking, on the verge of tears and anger waiting to just burst. She stepped so that she was almost in front of the other waterbender, and raised her hand. Had another hand not intervened, Rika would have slapped Kohaku, however; as it were, Haki had been standing behind her just in time to hear the last few words Kohaku had spoke. He gently lowered Rika's hand as she turned to regard him over her shoulder, her eyes wide in confusion.
"That is no way to treat your guests, Rika," he spoke, his voice dangerously calm, causing Rika to shiver slightly. He never used her name. Not unless he was worried... or angry. She'd never seen him angry before, however; she could feel the rage, the animosity radiating from Haki. His face, however, betrayed it all, as he just smiled. "You should have offered them tea," he continued, the smile still on his face, but he refused to spare Kiara a glance. It wasn't her fault, he tried telling himself that, but he still couldn't bring himself to acknowledge her. He pulled Rika back, providing enough distance between her and the waterbender as he turned back towards them.
"But she does have a point..." he began, his eyes losing the mirth and were replaced by something fierce. "That was a low blow, Kohaku, not something I would have expected of a Prince, of the Northern Water Tribe. An animal, perhaps," he continued. Perhaps it was the absence of the setting sun, or the lack of light in the tea shop, however; there was no denying that Haki's eyes and facial expression darkened considerably.
Kohaku’s darkened to match. “Consider it vengeance, then, for the blow you have dealt me.” His lip curled, and he shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with them. How could she choose these people over her home? Over him? It would never make sense. At Rika, he smirked, the expression brittle and hard as ice chips. “Done nothing? No, you have done far too much. I let you suffer for a few months because that is exactly the kind of suffering I will endure for the rest of my life. I wanted to make sure you knew what you were putting me through, her family through. The pain of losing her.” His eyes flickered from Fang to Rika to Haki, lingering on the last one longest. He wasn’t satisfied with what he’d done, but he didn’t regret it in the slightest.
At least not until Kiara found her voice.
“Get. Out.” She turned her head so she was glaring from the corner of her eye at Kohaku. She didn’t blame Rika for wanting to punch him, not in the slightest. She was so mad at him she could hardly see straight, for allowing her friends to believe she’d just abandoned them. She was also kind of mad at them for believing she would ever do that, but not nearly as mad as she was at Kohaku. He parted his lips to speak, his expression melting into one of surprise, concerned and a bit of defensiveness, but she wasn’t going to give him a chance.
“I said get out, before I make you. Leave, and don’t you dare come back.” Her posture radiated hostility, her hands clenching into fists at her side. It hurt, that betrayal of her trust, what he’d done, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to repair the damage on this end, either. But she was determined to try. He, on the other hand, needed to leave her life this very instant. She did not take being manipulated very well at all. It had always been her deepest fear, being hurt by someone she held dear—it was why it was so difficult to trust anybody in the first place.
“Kiara—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Kohaku. These are my friends, and you hurt them. You let me think they didn’t even care enough to see me off, but what you did to them was worse. I could forgive you for that, but not for this. Not ever. Leave, now, and go home. Just don’t expect to see me again.” She shoved him in the chest, not enough to knock him over, of course, but enough that he got the point. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the look on her face cowed him, and he simply left.
By the time she turned back to her friends, there were unshed tears shining in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Rika and Haki watched the scene unfold, and a flicker of surprise washed over Haki's face. He'd done it for vengeance? The reasons Kohaku listed off were ones that Haki could not put together. It wasn't as if Kiara was leaving forever. She still had the choice to go visit when she could, but she was a woman now. He could understand, the pain it caused parents to see their children go off, but everyone eventually did. Family was irreplaceable, but this... this was just something else. The reasons were just stupid to Haki. There were no other words to describe it. So, it was a bit surprising to see Kiara ordering him out of her life. Had it been any other day, any other situation, Haki might have smirked at Kohaku. But he didn't. In fact, he felt a little bad for him. He'd just lost one of the most wonderful... his train of thoughts stopped there.
"Kiara," Rika spoke, causing Haki to return his attention to the two in front of him. Rika walked up to Kiara, laced her hand with hers, and pulled her friend into a hug. She could feel her shoulders shaking softly as she tried to hold back her own tears. "It's not your fault, Kiara. It's not," she spoke softly, trying desperately to hold back her tears, but she could feel them sliding down her cheeks. It was all his fault. Kiara had no reason to apologize to them. Kohaku was an awful person for what he did, but Kiara was not to blame. Even though a small part of her did blame Kiara for leaving, she would never truly blame her.
"We would never hurt you, Kiara... never," she continued, unable to hold her tears back, and allowed them to fall. A strangled cry tore through her lips, and she wept on Kiara's shoulder. "But don't you dare leave us again."
Seeing them again had been… nice. Both because she loved them and because she’d been reassured that her choice was the right one. She didn’t belong there on a long-term basis anymore; that was just the truth about who she was and who they were. But though her mother had given her an incredibly hard time about everything, they had at least reached some degree of reconciliation when the woman had finally confessed that she’d actually been worried about her the whole time. There were tears involved, but things were on the mend now. Her dad and brother had dealt with it all the way they always had—by taking her icefishing and spending time together.
But it was good to be returning. Kiara could barely contain her excitement as she and Kohaku disembarked their boat, landing them once more on the shores of the place that, to her, now, was home. Since he wasn’t going to leave until they found her friends for some reason, they stopped quickly at her apartment, dropping off her few belongings and striking out for the best place she could think of to start a search—the tea shop.
As it happened, Fang was in there again that afternoon, reading of all things a Republic City newspaper, the headline regarding the recent kidnapping of the Council member Shao. As of yet, he had not resurfaced, either with or without his bending, but Fang knew that was because Amon likely intended to make a large spectacle of the whole thing. It wasn’t every day one managed to capture an actual member of the Council, and this incident had the capacity to escalate violence a great deal. People would start dying in great numbers, if something was not done to stop the progression of things. Considering the authorities couldn’t even find the Equalists most of the time, that seemed unlikely at best.
As it was, however, all of these thoughts flew abruptly from his head when he looked up as the bell on the door chimed, informing him that someone new had walked into the room. Two months and a bit, and there she was, right as rain, looking rather happy to see him. It was immediately incongruous, and Fang’s brows furrowed as he rose from his seat, unsure what he wanted to say. It didn’t seem to matter, however, because Kiara smiled all the aider and hugged him around the back, squeezing in a companionable manner before tilting her head to the side.
“Sorry I’m back a little late,” she said apologetically, though not on the level she would have if she’d just up and left them for two months. “Things got complicated back home. It’s all worked out now, though.” Not the least bit unnerved by his silence, as it was rather usual for him, she glanced around. “Are Rika and Haki here too, by chance, or do I have to go track them down?” Her nose crinkled with faint amusement at her own statement, and she looked expectantly up at him for an answer.
Fang, however, was currently staring at Kohaku, whose body language bordered on hostile. Something was very wrong here. “I am not certain that is the best idea,” he intoned flatly, causing a confused look to flash over Kiara’s face. She seemed oblivious to the palpable tension in the air, or at least to the fact that much of it was caused by her shadow.
“Why not?”
As it were, Haki and Rika were both in the back, brewing a new batch of tea. Rika had accidentally burned the first one, odd really, but she and Haki managed to make a new set. They were still not completely healed from Kiara's departure, but the last two weeks had seen a bit of improvement in their demeanors. Haki was becoming a bit more Haki, teasing Rika here and there when he could, and Rika was scolding him again. Things were becoming better. Rika took her leave of the back, Haki remaining to finish the brew himself, as she made her way out to the front. She nearly dropped the plate she was holding. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to see if it was an illusion, or if she was really back. It couldn't be... could it?
"Ki..ara?" she spoke, a hint of hesitance to her voice. She furrowed her brows, her eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded her friend. She placed the plate down, walked up to Kiara, and just stared at her. Her hand reached out to touch Kiara's face, however; her eyes set into a narrow glare and her hand fell to her side. "Why?" she began, her voice cracking slightly. She could feel a bit of warmth behind her eyes, blinking back the tears to keep them from falling. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were leaving?! We were all so worried that something happened to you! We found out that you'd just left... with him!" she began, pointing an accusing finger in Kohaku's direction. She glared at the male before turning back on Kiara.
Haki, however, had not missed the name that was spoken, and had completely stopped what he was doing. He just seemed to hover for a bit, his face unreadable. Part of him wanted to go see for himself if it was true, that she was back, but another part of him didn't want to. What if she was just here to officially say good bye to them? He wasn't sure if he could handle that quite yet, and to make matters worse, Kohaku was here. He could feel his fire burning through him, but he had to keep a tight lid on it. He couldn't lose control and accidentally burn down Rika's shop. She wouldn't forgive him for that, however; none of that seemed to matter. She was back. And he wasn't going to move from his spot... not yet.
To say Kiara was taken aback was quite the understatement, though curiously enough, Kohaku did not look shocked in the slightest, something Fang did not fail to notice. Indeed, his eyes only narrowed at Rika, his arms crossing over his broad chest. Kiara blinked a few times, long enough for Fang to push a light sigh through his nose and say “That’s why” before things got a little messier. Fortunately, there wasn’t really anyone else in the shop at the moment, as it was getting somewhat late in the evening, and most of the typical clientele had gone home by now. The few that remained were openly staring.
“W-what?” Kiara stammered, genuinely flabbergasted by Rika’s reaction at first. “B-but the storm! None of you came to the pier to say goodbye—I thought you were too busy to see me!” Something about the explanation didn’t quite sit right with Fang. There had been a storm that would have delayed her departure by some days just after she’d left, but none of them had known it was coming. Sure, Fang had been able to sense the atmospheric disturbance coming in, but he’d never known she was leaving, preventing him from putting the facts together at the time.
“How could we have met you there, when we knew nothing of your intent to leave?” he inquired, though his tone was absent the anger in Rika’s. He had a feeling he knew what the answer was, but he had to hear it from her to be sure.
“What do you mean you didn’t know? Kohaku went and told you—he said—” The realization dawned on them at the same time, and both sets of eyes swung towards the man, who shrugged, his eyes still narrowed.
“I lied.”
Rika blinked, confused by Kiara's statement. The pier? Her brows furrowed in confusion as her glare hardened towards Kohaku. He had said nothing of the sort, and the confusion only continued to make Rika angry. Kohaku was supposed to tell them that they were leaving for a few weeks, or months? And he had lied to Kiara about it? Something just didn't sit right, and Rika could feel the anger bubbling in her veins. She knew she didn't like this waterbender. She knew there was reason to be cautious with him, however; she didn't think he'd be that low of a person to do such a thing. What had they ever done to him to deserve that? They never wronged him, hell, they didn't even know him.
"You..." Rika began, her eyes set on Kohaku. "You asshole! What the hell did we ever do to you!?" she stated, her anger seething through every part of her body. She was shaking, on the verge of tears and anger waiting to just burst. She stepped so that she was almost in front of the other waterbender, and raised her hand. Had another hand not intervened, Rika would have slapped Kohaku, however; as it were, Haki had been standing behind her just in time to hear the last few words Kohaku had spoke. He gently lowered Rika's hand as she turned to regard him over her shoulder, her eyes wide in confusion.
"That is no way to treat your guests, Rika," he spoke, his voice dangerously calm, causing Rika to shiver slightly. He never used her name. Not unless he was worried... or angry. She'd never seen him angry before, however; she could feel the rage, the animosity radiating from Haki. His face, however, betrayed it all, as he just smiled. "You should have offered them tea," he continued, the smile still on his face, but he refused to spare Kiara a glance. It wasn't her fault, he tried telling himself that, but he still couldn't bring himself to acknowledge her. He pulled Rika back, providing enough distance between her and the waterbender as he turned back towards them.
"But she does have a point..." he began, his eyes losing the mirth and were replaced by something fierce. "That was a low blow, Kohaku, not something I would have expected of a Prince, of the Northern Water Tribe. An animal, perhaps," he continued. Perhaps it was the absence of the setting sun, or the lack of light in the tea shop, however; there was no denying that Haki's eyes and facial expression darkened considerably.
Kohaku’s darkened to match. “Consider it vengeance, then, for the blow you have dealt me.” His lip curled, and he shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with them. How could she choose these people over her home? Over him? It would never make sense. At Rika, he smirked, the expression brittle and hard as ice chips. “Done nothing? No, you have done far too much. I let you suffer for a few months because that is exactly the kind of suffering I will endure for the rest of my life. I wanted to make sure you knew what you were putting me through, her family through. The pain of losing her.” His eyes flickered from Fang to Rika to Haki, lingering on the last one longest. He wasn’t satisfied with what he’d done, but he didn’t regret it in the slightest.
At least not until Kiara found her voice.
“Get. Out.” She turned her head so she was glaring from the corner of her eye at Kohaku. She didn’t blame Rika for wanting to punch him, not in the slightest. She was so mad at him she could hardly see straight, for allowing her friends to believe she’d just abandoned them. She was also kind of mad at them for believing she would ever do that, but not nearly as mad as she was at Kohaku. He parted his lips to speak, his expression melting into one of surprise, concerned and a bit of defensiveness, but she wasn’t going to give him a chance.
“I said get out, before I make you. Leave, and don’t you dare come back.” Her posture radiated hostility, her hands clenching into fists at her side. It hurt, that betrayal of her trust, what he’d done, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to repair the damage on this end, either. But she was determined to try. He, on the other hand, needed to leave her life this very instant. She did not take being manipulated very well at all. It had always been her deepest fear, being hurt by someone she held dear—it was why it was so difficult to trust anybody in the first place.
“Kiara—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Kohaku. These are my friends, and you hurt them. You let me think they didn’t even care enough to see me off, but what you did to them was worse. I could forgive you for that, but not for this. Not ever. Leave, now, and go home. Just don’t expect to see me again.” She shoved him in the chest, not enough to knock him over, of course, but enough that he got the point. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the look on her face cowed him, and he simply left.
By the time she turned back to her friends, there were unshed tears shining in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Rika and Haki watched the scene unfold, and a flicker of surprise washed over Haki's face. He'd done it for vengeance? The reasons Kohaku listed off were ones that Haki could not put together. It wasn't as if Kiara was leaving forever. She still had the choice to go visit when she could, but she was a woman now. He could understand, the pain it caused parents to see their children go off, but everyone eventually did. Family was irreplaceable, but this... this was just something else. The reasons were just stupid to Haki. There were no other words to describe it. So, it was a bit surprising to see Kiara ordering him out of her life. Had it been any other day, any other situation, Haki might have smirked at Kohaku. But he didn't. In fact, he felt a little bad for him. He'd just lost one of the most wonderful... his train of thoughts stopped there.
"Kiara," Rika spoke, causing Haki to return his attention to the two in front of him. Rika walked up to Kiara, laced her hand with hers, and pulled her friend into a hug. She could feel her shoulders shaking softly as she tried to hold back her own tears. "It's not your fault, Kiara. It's not," she spoke softly, trying desperately to hold back her tears, but she could feel them sliding down her cheeks. It was all his fault. Kiara had no reason to apologize to them. Kohaku was an awful person for what he did, but Kiara was not to blame. Even though a small part of her did blame Kiara for leaving, she would never truly blame her.
"We would never hurt you, Kiara... never," she continued, unable to hold her tears back, and allowed them to fall. A strangled cry tore through her lips, and she wept on Kiara's shoulder. "But don't you dare leave us again."
A week.
It was an entire week since Kiara had returned, and Haki had spent that entire week avoiding her. It wasn't intentional, however; he just couldn't bring himself to be around her. He was finally adjusting to life without her, and now... she'd returned out of the blue. It wasn't her fault, he knew that. If Kohaku, or even herself, would have told them that they would be back, that they were even leaving... it might not have been so bad. Even though he knew it wasn't her fault, he just couldn't bring himself to see her, not quite yet. Rika had yelled at him the fourth day he had ignored Kiara, and still that did not change him. Now, he found himself staring at a pond, watching (ironically) a school of Turtle-Ducks swim by.
"I suppose even the spirits are taunting me," he spoke, a soft sigh escaping him. He kneeled down so that he sat on the grass, and let his feet touch the water's surface briefly. One of the ducklings swam up to him, stared and tilted its head. Haki mimicked the movements and leaned in to touch it with his forefinger. As he neared it, the Turtle-Duck snapped at him, nipping his finger in the process. "And I suppose they are trying to tell me something too," he continued, pulling his hand away to inspect the damage. It was nothing, the skin was still intact, and there was no blood drawn. He supposed he deserved that.
Kiara was pretty sure a week of being ignored was just about all her heart could take. Rika and Fang had been a bit cautious around her at first, and that she could understand, but things were more or less back to normal between them now. Haki, on the other hand, had not spoken a word to her in all this time, and seemed to never be around the others at the same time she was. It had taken her a couple of days to catch on, but when she had reached the realization that he was in fact avoiding her, it had stung. She’d understood, really, but that hadn’t stopped It from hurting, and while she was resolved to let him have his space, she found that resolve wavering as a week closed in. Today, she’d woken up knowing she couldn’t let it continue without at least trying to get something out of him.
So it was with a strange, hollow ache in her chest that she tracked him down, only to find him beside a pond, talking to the Turtle-Ducks. She couldn’t hear what was said, and so she moved closer. Chewing on her bottom lip, she stopped beside him, sinking down into a crouch, arms hugged tightly around her knees. She stole a sideways glance at him, feeling shyer than she could honestly recall ever being. Kiara hadn’t necessarily ever trusted easily, but she was quite sociable, on a certain surface level. Deep down, though… with the people she cared about, in a delicate situation like this, she was discovering that she lost that easy ability to just speak Her tongue felt tied, useless in her mouth. What did you say to a friend who thought they’d lost you forever? There was no simple comparison to anything else.
“I don’t know what to say,” she confessed softly. “I don't—I don’t know how to make this right, to make it better. I never meant…” Kiara turned her head to look out at the pond. Oh, what they must have thought of her. That she’d just walked out on them, that she’d abandoned them to go back to her tribe, without so much as a word? She was torn between sadness and anger, and so all she felt was miserable. “How could you believe I would ever do that to you?” Her voice was barely even a whisper. “Believe that I would just leave you? I love you three—you’re my best friends in the whole world, and I…” she pressed her forehead into her knees. She wasn’t sure she knew how to properly finish that sentence.
“I’ve never had many friends, you know? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now, to fix what I did. I just want you to talk to me again…”
For a long moment, Haki said nothing as she spoke. He listened to her words, and he felt something pull tightly in his chest. He released a sigh through his nose, listening to the silence that followed after. He didn't know what to say to her. What could he say? He was still having a hard time adjusting to her reappearance. He was so close to just accepting that she wasn't coming back, and had she not returned, he might have moved on. As painful as it was to believe that, it was true. But she had come back, and there was no denying that it made things more difficult than they had been. He turned, facing her and regarded her for a silent minute.
"It's not your fault, Kiara. I've told you once before, that your life was yours, and no one else's," he stated, his voice unusually calm. "I cannot tell you what to do, nor can I tell you what you should do, but," he continued, pausing momentarily to glance away from her. It still hurt to see her, and it was even more so now that she seemed upset. She had hurt them, but he knew he was hurting her. It wasn't that he meant to, he never meant to hurt his friends, and would try from doing so. He heaved his shoulders, releasing another sigh as he picked up a Turtle-Duck from the pond. It merely curled into his hands and he allowed it to stay there. The silence was becoming thick, and he could feel it suffocating him. What more could he say?
"I didn't believe you would leave us, Kiara. I know how you feel about this place, how you wanted to stay, but what I couldn't believe," he continued, replacing the Turtle-Duck back into the pond. "Is that you would leave without telling us. Friends... they will hurt you, each other, and you cannot fully rely on them to do things for you. It's like having a family. As thick in blood as they may be, family still can't be trusted to do things for each other, even if they wanted to help each other," he continued, unsure of why he was even saying something like this. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he stood from his spot.
"You may not have had the intentions to hurt us, as I have no intentions of hurting you, but the fact remains that you did. You can't fix something like that," he spoke, glancing over his shoulder towards her. He cast his gaze away from her, made to take a step away from her, but found himself turning towards her. Gently, he grabbed her arm, and forced her to stand. His arms encircled her and he found his head laying gently on top of hers. "You could have sent a Messenger Hawk, or something to let us know that you were gone. A letter to let us know how things were going. I thought," he paused.
"I thought I'd lost you," and it was the most frightening thing he had ever experienced.
Couldn’t… be trusted to do things for each other? Is that how he really saw things? Did he really believe he couldn’t trust them, trust her? It felt like she was being stabbed in the chest, and the pain of that did not subside even when he pulled her in for a hug. She knew, she knew she’d messed this up, but she’d never… she closed her eyes, leaning into his shoulder and trying not to cry. He didn’t trust her, and somehow, she wanted him to. More than she could remember wanting anything else. But she’d gone and messed it up so badly—and there was no way she could fix it, or so he said. Her fingers clenched in the back of his shirt, and she sniffled quietly. Avoiding those tears might be harder than she had thought.
“If—if you think I should, I’ll go,” she said, though it broke her heart to speak the words. “I don’t want to hurt you again, and if I can’t fix what I did, if you can’t trust me, then… then I probably will, on accident.” She didn’t know how she would do it, but if he wanted her out of his life for her mistake, she would leave. She would stop going anywhere he ended up, she would stop trying to talk to him. It would kill some unknown portion of her, but she would do it. Rika and Fang would still be there for her, and maybe in time she could heal from that, and he could heal from what she did to hurt him, and they could both just… exist separately.
“I just want you to be happy.” And if she had to be miserable for that to happen, then… she probably deserved it anyway. Fang had told her it was an honest mistake, but she knew she’d hurt him too, and Rika. Maybe they would prefer it if she left, too. She’d have to ask, but… but she didn’t know if she’d be able to handle it, honestly. Still, she owed them all this much. She’d gone there in the first place so she could be free to live her life in their company, instead of having to be worried about getting dragged back to the tribe someday. She’d faced down all the elders and her disappointed mother and him just to protect what she had here, with them.
And doing that might just have been the worst decision she’d ever made.
"And lose you again?" he stated, a spark of fear coursing through him. He didn't want her to leave again. That would kill whatever part of him that had felt anything to begin with. He couldn't have that, not again. His arms tightened around her almost instinctively and his eyes narrowed. "I wasn't happy when you left, Kiara. You were the one who made me so, and still do. I can't... I refuse to lose you again," he whispered in a soft voice. He couldn't lose her again. And he wouldn't. He wouldn't push her away anymore. If that was what she thought, he wouldn't push her away again. Speaking to her would be difficult, but he could at least try.
"Just because something can't be fixed, doesn't mean we stop trying to. I've never known Turtle-Duck to stop trying something, she was too stubborn for things like that, like Lotus," he spoke, his tone evening out into something gentler. A small smile crept upon his face as he released a content sigh. "I can't be happy without you, Turtle-Duck. You should know this," he continued, finally pulling away from her, his hand lingering on her shoulder a bit longer. He glanced down at her, his own blue eyes searching hers. He could see the tears brightening them, and he brushed his thumb under her eye, wiping away the tears. He never meant to make her cry, he just... he couldn't handle her sudden disappearance, and then reappearance.
"I love you too, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, all seriousness void of his tone. Though, she would not know how true those words rang for him. "Forgive me?" he questioned, a small smirk crossing his features. It was, after all, his fault that she was crying. He could handle her hurting him, but he couldn't forgive himself for hurting her.
She smiled up at him, nodding her head. “Only if you’ll forgive me,” she replied. He was right—maybe she never would be able to fix what she’d done, but she could try making up for it in other ways, and maybe all she needed to do was keep trying. She blinked her tears away, leaning slightly into his touch, then rose up on her toes to brush her lips against his cheek. It was only a brief contact, light and delicate like the touch of a feather, and she pinked slightly under her tan, but her smile grew.
“Thank you, Haki. I promise not to leave again without telling you. I can promise that now, you know. The whole reason I went home was to break my engagement. I… want to live here, with you and Fang and Rika, and I couldn’t let anything stand in the way of that anymore.” That had been the good news she’d been coming to deliver before she’d discovered Kohaku’s deception, and her own foolishness in trusting him.
"You drive a hard bargain, Turtle-Duck," he responded, his usual smirk returning to his face. He blinked slightly when she touched his cheek, faintly, and shook his head. He blinked in surprise though, when she told him the reason why she had left. "You... broke your engagement?" He stated, almost disbelieving her. She'd... gone to do that? And her family agreed? That must have taken a lot of effort and a lot of courage to have done such a thing. But... it also meant that she was free, and he could not stop the large grin that spread across his lips. He placed his hands around her waist and lifted her. He swung her around before placing her back on the ground.
"That's great, Kiara. You actually did it," he stated, his hands still on her waist. He stared at her, the smile fading softly from his face as he hovered over her. He inched his face closer to hers, he could smell her, and placed a kiss on her forehead. He almost made a mistake, one that might have cost him more than he was willing to pay. "We should go tell Lotus, I'm sure she'll want to make some celebratory tea... or worse," his face almost paled. She'd probably throw some kind of party... and make him suffer for it.
It was an entire week since Kiara had returned, and Haki had spent that entire week avoiding her. It wasn't intentional, however; he just couldn't bring himself to be around her. He was finally adjusting to life without her, and now... she'd returned out of the blue. It wasn't her fault, he knew that. If Kohaku, or even herself, would have told them that they would be back, that they were even leaving... it might not have been so bad. Even though he knew it wasn't her fault, he just couldn't bring himself to see her, not quite yet. Rika had yelled at him the fourth day he had ignored Kiara, and still that did not change him. Now, he found himself staring at a pond, watching (ironically) a school of Turtle-Ducks swim by.
"I suppose even the spirits are taunting me," he spoke, a soft sigh escaping him. He kneeled down so that he sat on the grass, and let his feet touch the water's surface briefly. One of the ducklings swam up to him, stared and tilted its head. Haki mimicked the movements and leaned in to touch it with his forefinger. As he neared it, the Turtle-Duck snapped at him, nipping his finger in the process. "And I suppose they are trying to tell me something too," he continued, pulling his hand away to inspect the damage. It was nothing, the skin was still intact, and there was no blood drawn. He supposed he deserved that.
Kiara was pretty sure a week of being ignored was just about all her heart could take. Rika and Fang had been a bit cautious around her at first, and that she could understand, but things were more or less back to normal between them now. Haki, on the other hand, had not spoken a word to her in all this time, and seemed to never be around the others at the same time she was. It had taken her a couple of days to catch on, but when she had reached the realization that he was in fact avoiding her, it had stung. She’d understood, really, but that hadn’t stopped It from hurting, and while she was resolved to let him have his space, she found that resolve wavering as a week closed in. Today, she’d woken up knowing she couldn’t let it continue without at least trying to get something out of him.
So it was with a strange, hollow ache in her chest that she tracked him down, only to find him beside a pond, talking to the Turtle-Ducks. She couldn’t hear what was said, and so she moved closer. Chewing on her bottom lip, she stopped beside him, sinking down into a crouch, arms hugged tightly around her knees. She stole a sideways glance at him, feeling shyer than she could honestly recall ever being. Kiara hadn’t necessarily ever trusted easily, but she was quite sociable, on a certain surface level. Deep down, though… with the people she cared about, in a delicate situation like this, she was discovering that she lost that easy ability to just speak Her tongue felt tied, useless in her mouth. What did you say to a friend who thought they’d lost you forever? There was no simple comparison to anything else.
“I don’t know what to say,” she confessed softly. “I don't—I don’t know how to make this right, to make it better. I never meant…” Kiara turned her head to look out at the pond. Oh, what they must have thought of her. That she’d just walked out on them, that she’d abandoned them to go back to her tribe, without so much as a word? She was torn between sadness and anger, and so all she felt was miserable. “How could you believe I would ever do that to you?” Her voice was barely even a whisper. “Believe that I would just leave you? I love you three—you’re my best friends in the whole world, and I…” she pressed her forehead into her knees. She wasn’t sure she knew how to properly finish that sentence.
“I’ve never had many friends, you know? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now, to fix what I did. I just want you to talk to me again…”
For a long moment, Haki said nothing as she spoke. He listened to her words, and he felt something pull tightly in his chest. He released a sigh through his nose, listening to the silence that followed after. He didn't know what to say to her. What could he say? He was still having a hard time adjusting to her reappearance. He was so close to just accepting that she wasn't coming back, and had she not returned, he might have moved on. As painful as it was to believe that, it was true. But she had come back, and there was no denying that it made things more difficult than they had been. He turned, facing her and regarded her for a silent minute.
"It's not your fault, Kiara. I've told you once before, that your life was yours, and no one else's," he stated, his voice unusually calm. "I cannot tell you what to do, nor can I tell you what you should do, but," he continued, pausing momentarily to glance away from her. It still hurt to see her, and it was even more so now that she seemed upset. She had hurt them, but he knew he was hurting her. It wasn't that he meant to, he never meant to hurt his friends, and would try from doing so. He heaved his shoulders, releasing another sigh as he picked up a Turtle-Duck from the pond. It merely curled into his hands and he allowed it to stay there. The silence was becoming thick, and he could feel it suffocating him. What more could he say?
"I didn't believe you would leave us, Kiara. I know how you feel about this place, how you wanted to stay, but what I couldn't believe," he continued, replacing the Turtle-Duck back into the pond. "Is that you would leave without telling us. Friends... they will hurt you, each other, and you cannot fully rely on them to do things for you. It's like having a family. As thick in blood as they may be, family still can't be trusted to do things for each other, even if they wanted to help each other," he continued, unsure of why he was even saying something like this. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he stood from his spot.
"You may not have had the intentions to hurt us, as I have no intentions of hurting you, but the fact remains that you did. You can't fix something like that," he spoke, glancing over his shoulder towards her. He cast his gaze away from her, made to take a step away from her, but found himself turning towards her. Gently, he grabbed her arm, and forced her to stand. His arms encircled her and he found his head laying gently on top of hers. "You could have sent a Messenger Hawk, or something to let us know that you were gone. A letter to let us know how things were going. I thought," he paused.
"I thought I'd lost you," and it was the most frightening thing he had ever experienced.
Couldn’t… be trusted to do things for each other? Is that how he really saw things? Did he really believe he couldn’t trust them, trust her? It felt like she was being stabbed in the chest, and the pain of that did not subside even when he pulled her in for a hug. She knew, she knew she’d messed this up, but she’d never… she closed her eyes, leaning into his shoulder and trying not to cry. He didn’t trust her, and somehow, she wanted him to. More than she could remember wanting anything else. But she’d gone and messed it up so badly—and there was no way she could fix it, or so he said. Her fingers clenched in the back of his shirt, and she sniffled quietly. Avoiding those tears might be harder than she had thought.
“If—if you think I should, I’ll go,” she said, though it broke her heart to speak the words. “I don’t want to hurt you again, and if I can’t fix what I did, if you can’t trust me, then… then I probably will, on accident.” She didn’t know how she would do it, but if he wanted her out of his life for her mistake, she would leave. She would stop going anywhere he ended up, she would stop trying to talk to him. It would kill some unknown portion of her, but she would do it. Rika and Fang would still be there for her, and maybe in time she could heal from that, and he could heal from what she did to hurt him, and they could both just… exist separately.
“I just want you to be happy.” And if she had to be miserable for that to happen, then… she probably deserved it anyway. Fang had told her it was an honest mistake, but she knew she’d hurt him too, and Rika. Maybe they would prefer it if she left, too. She’d have to ask, but… but she didn’t know if she’d be able to handle it, honestly. Still, she owed them all this much. She’d gone there in the first place so she could be free to live her life in their company, instead of having to be worried about getting dragged back to the tribe someday. She’d faced down all the elders and her disappointed mother and him just to protect what she had here, with them.
And doing that might just have been the worst decision she’d ever made.
"And lose you again?" he stated, a spark of fear coursing through him. He didn't want her to leave again. That would kill whatever part of him that had felt anything to begin with. He couldn't have that, not again. His arms tightened around her almost instinctively and his eyes narrowed. "I wasn't happy when you left, Kiara. You were the one who made me so, and still do. I can't... I refuse to lose you again," he whispered in a soft voice. He couldn't lose her again. And he wouldn't. He wouldn't push her away anymore. If that was what she thought, he wouldn't push her away again. Speaking to her would be difficult, but he could at least try.
"Just because something can't be fixed, doesn't mean we stop trying to. I've never known Turtle-Duck to stop trying something, she was too stubborn for things like that, like Lotus," he spoke, his tone evening out into something gentler. A small smile crept upon his face as he released a content sigh. "I can't be happy without you, Turtle-Duck. You should know this," he continued, finally pulling away from her, his hand lingering on her shoulder a bit longer. He glanced down at her, his own blue eyes searching hers. He could see the tears brightening them, and he brushed his thumb under her eye, wiping away the tears. He never meant to make her cry, he just... he couldn't handle her sudden disappearance, and then reappearance.
"I love you too, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, all seriousness void of his tone. Though, she would not know how true those words rang for him. "Forgive me?" he questioned, a small smirk crossing his features. It was, after all, his fault that she was crying. He could handle her hurting him, but he couldn't forgive himself for hurting her.
She smiled up at him, nodding her head. “Only if you’ll forgive me,” she replied. He was right—maybe she never would be able to fix what she’d done, but she could try making up for it in other ways, and maybe all she needed to do was keep trying. She blinked her tears away, leaning slightly into his touch, then rose up on her toes to brush her lips against his cheek. It was only a brief contact, light and delicate like the touch of a feather, and she pinked slightly under her tan, but her smile grew.
“Thank you, Haki. I promise not to leave again without telling you. I can promise that now, you know. The whole reason I went home was to break my engagement. I… want to live here, with you and Fang and Rika, and I couldn’t let anything stand in the way of that anymore.” That had been the good news she’d been coming to deliver before she’d discovered Kohaku’s deception, and her own foolishness in trusting him.
"You drive a hard bargain, Turtle-Duck," he responded, his usual smirk returning to his face. He blinked slightly when she touched his cheek, faintly, and shook his head. He blinked in surprise though, when she told him the reason why she had left. "You... broke your engagement?" He stated, almost disbelieving her. She'd... gone to do that? And her family agreed? That must have taken a lot of effort and a lot of courage to have done such a thing. But... it also meant that she was free, and he could not stop the large grin that spread across his lips. He placed his hands around her waist and lifted her. He swung her around before placing her back on the ground.
"That's great, Kiara. You actually did it," he stated, his hands still on her waist. He stared at her, the smile fading softly from his face as he hovered over her. He inched his face closer to hers, he could smell her, and placed a kiss on her forehead. He almost made a mistake, one that might have cost him more than he was willing to pay. "We should go tell Lotus, I'm sure she'll want to make some celebratory tea... or worse," his face almost paled. She'd probably throw some kind of party... and make him suffer for it.
Two months after Kiara’s return, and the probending season was back in full swing. The Otter Penguins, to borrow the phrase from many a sport tabloid headline, were on fire, and not just Haki Soen, either. It seemed that in the aftermath of the disappearance of one of their members, the team had resolved to come back stronger and tighter than ever, and their coach was working them like a military taskmaster, pushing them to their limits in every practice session, giving input when they devised team strategies for every possible arena configuration, and watching carefully as they learned each other and themselves better than they’d ever had cause to know other people before. They were gaining a lot of attention due to their flamboyant sponsor, too, and it seemed that they climbed a little further to the precipice of stardom with every arena victory.
For the most part, Kiara had remained very humble about it, and her reputation among interviewers was for maintaining the attitude that there was always more work to be done. Nobody, however, was more willing than her to extol the talents of her teammates and opponents alike. Each member of the team, as it was, had a very distinctive personality, and the heap of fans to match. It could be said that they almost had as many as the Pygmy Pumas did, these days, and for a team not even officially in the most professional bracket of the league, that was an incredible accomplishment, one that Kiara suspected Lu Tong had a lot to do with. She was regularly recognized on the street now, much to her embarrassment, and her former landlord was often to be heard bragging that he always knew her team would go far.
It was equal parts amazing and overwhelming, and she was definitely glad she was doing it beside her friends. Less great was the fact that their personal lives were now the subject of gossip magazine speculation, and she frowned down at the paper on the bench in front of her. Apparently, someone had decided she was involved with Zian, and that the match tonight would pit one of this imaginary couple against the other. She rolled her eyes and pulled her uniform shirt down over her torso, sliding her hands into her gloves. It was pretty much a given that everything in these magazines was totally fake, but she still hadn’t quite gotten used to them. The picture was real enough—it was one of them having a conversation at a recent event for the waterbending school she sometimes helped out at. They’d been asked to give a clinic on ice techniques together, and of course afterwards they’d posed with several of the children. Zian had his arm thrown casually over her shoulder, and both were grinning at something one of the kids had said. It was perfectly innocent, but… taken out of context, she supposed it could pass for something else. The jerk had even cropped the kids out of the photo.
Well, whatever. She had other things to think about, and she left the magazine on the bench where she’d found it and fixed her headgear, pulling her long ponytail through the other side before going to join her teammates. A rematch with the Pumas had been pretty inevitable by this point, but tonight was the night. They were going to do this tonight. They were going to win. She knew the Pumas were still a great team, of course—they’d been improving as they trained too. But now, when she watched them bend, she didn’t feel the same kind of awe she used to. Thanks to Fang, she could analyze everything they did and know why they did it and how it was done. Their strategies were readable, and if they were readable, then they could be countered.
Smiling at her teammates and their informal coach, she took Rika’s hand in one of hers and Haki’s in the other, giving each an excited squeeze. “Tonight’s the night, you guys.” She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach, but refused to let it cow her. They could do this. They’d been training for this moment since they lost the first time, and they were ready for it.
No words could describe how Rika was feeling. She wasn't quite sure, though given all their training, she was ready for a rematch with the Pygmy Puma's. Two months after Kiara's disappearance had proven to be somewhat beneficial to the team. They had trained harder, were coordinated to each other, and seemed almost unstoppable. They had won match after match when probending season had picked back up, and Rika wasn't quite adjusting to all the fame. Haki was bathing in it, as he naturally would. Though, he never let it go to his head, he was a bit of a jerk about it sometimes, pushing rumors that were starting to circulate throughout the probending world. There was one rumor, however, that he did not like. And that was the one about Zian and Kiara.
He knew they were not involved with each other, but just like him, Zian found no need to not encourage it. Besides, Haki had his own problem with Ying. Someone had thought that the two firebenders were quite the topic. There had been quite a few pictures of Ying grabbing Haki's arm, smiling up at him, jerking him here and there. He had tried avoiding her once, going so far as to make a stake out at Fang's apartment, however; the man eventually tired of Haki and Ying's attempts at finding him, and kicked him out. Well, more like politely asked Haki to leave. He didn't blame Fang, though, he'd get tired of that too. Rika was, perhaps, the fortunate one of the group. Daichi and her had more of a sibling dynamic, and most of the fans actually thought they were long lost siblings.
Not that Rika had minded that, it was amusing to see her friends struggling with the gossip. It was fun on her end to poke fun of Haki for a change. She still hasn't let him live that one incident down either. She'd found it quite amusing to see Ying being a bit bold with Haki, going so far as to try and kiss him, however; Rika felt a bit sorry for Haki, and, literally, drove a wedge between her and him. Needless to say, Ying still hasn't exactly been as friendly with Rika because of that. But now, they were all under one roof again. They were getting their rematch with the Pygmy Puma's, and Rika couldn't stop the butterflies floating around in her stomach. She almost felt a bit sick. It, however, disappeared the moment Kiara took her hand and Haki's.
"It's all just... it's exciting," Rika found herself stating, allowing a shiver to crawl through her spine. Haki nodded in agreement, his trademark smirk covering his features. He pulled on Kiara's arm, turning her and Rika around and enveloped each one of them in an arm. Rika, for once, grinned at them as they all huddled together. "Let's go out there and make this a night they'll never forget, okay?" she stated, unable to contain the excitement and found herself shifting on both legs in a sort of hop dance. Haki chuckled as he shook his head.
"Let's go show them the new and improved Penguins, then."
The warm feeling that enveloped Kiara at the presence of her friends made her feel a little invincible. She was not silly enough to think that they could just walk in there and steamroll the Pumas, of course, but they had more than a fighting chance, and it was time to make the best of that chance. They were ready. Fang led them out into the arena, taking up a side position reserved for the occasional coach. The Pumas had one, too, an older woman who had apparently been in the first generation of probenders. Looking up, Kiara could see that there was security at the event—unsurprising, considering the fact that the Equalists tended to raid any major bending events these days as they gained more power and membership. Some very poor decisions by the majority of the Council had let to growing popular support for the Equalists, mostly because Amon did the public service of using his men to keep the Triads weaker than the Council had ever managed. There was fighting in the streets most days, but the Triads were losing benders fast.
She wondered if they ever would target the probenders, but then shook her head. Now was not the time to ponder that. They had work to do. They lined up in front of the Pygmy Pumas, and Kiara smiled to see that nearly half the crowd was decked out in the light blue of the Otter Penguins this time, though the majority still wore the Pumas’ burnt orange. The announcer bid them take their positions, and Kiara shored up her feet, glancing one out of the corner of her eye towards Haki and Rika on his other side, a smile flickering across her face before she faced forward again, locking eyes for a moment with Zian, who smirked at her in his usual cocky fashion. She found him kind of funny, in a specific way, but that sure wasn’t going to stop her from trying to kick his ass at probending.
The horn signaled the start of the match, and as they’d planned with Fang, the Otters immediately went all out offensive, bullushing the Pumas with a barrage of aggressive attacks as soon as they were allowed to move. They couldn’t let the match fall into one of the more comfortable rhythms for the other team, or they might lose, but if they could keep them reeling and unsure what was going to happen next, they could definitely win. She bent away one of Zian’s retaliatory attacks, joining a jet of water to Rika’s hit on Daichi, sending him back into the second ring no more then ten seconds after the match had started. She caught a clay disc to her hip for the trouble, but she spun instead of stepping backwards, building momentum with the water in her other hand and shooting it right for Ying, who struggled to bring up a wall of fire in time to block. Now it was time to drop back into a defensive stance for a while—the next part of their strategy focused on she and Rika supporting Haki as he tried to force Ying back.
Haki couldn't shake the fear of Ying from him, even as he stared her down on the arena. He'd never get used to her and her ways, he was sure of it. Shaking himself free, he took his spot on the arena, glancing towards his teammates and offered them a grin. Today would be the day, that the Otter Penguins took down the Pygmy Pumas. They owed them that much. It wasn't for future fame or of some weird act of redemption. It was to prove that, even those who were at the top, could be brought down. It didn't matter if you were the best, there was always going to be someone better, stronger, and today... the Otter Penguins would prove it.
At the sound of the horn, they spared no mercy to the Pumas, going all-out offensive. They managed to drive Daichi back to the second ring within the first few seconds of the match, and Haki could not keep the grin off of his face. He dodged a clay disk thrown from Daichi as Rika managed to catapult a fireball aimed at him, away from him. She took a defensive stance, digging her feet as much as she could into the arena, and waited for Haki to begin his assault. The moment Kiara took her defensive stance as well, Haki began to work, using his momentum to throw a fireball towards Ying, followed by another shot from his feet. He'd throw everything all at once towards her, to push her back and force her to defend rather than retaliate.
Rika managed to keep Zian busy, throwing her clay disks at him when she had the chance, and using the disks as shields for Kiara when she could. It wasn't easy, but somehow, they were managing. She took a clay disk to the shoulder, catching her in such an angle that had her spinning towards the second ring, and Rika frowned. She was pushed back, however; Kiara and Haki were still at the front. She'd have to work a bit harder now to protect them while they continued the offense, but it wasn't as if she were not prepared for such a thing. Thanks to practice, she'd be able to still bend her disks without so much effort put into them as it normally would. It was a bit of a challenge, learning how to do that, but she was glad she did.
Haki spared no mercy towards Ying, though, a bright grin spreading across his face as he continued assaulting her. He caught a clay disk in his side, however; he managed to remain rooted to his spot, pushed back just slightly, but not enough to force him into the second ring. He frowned slightly, wincing a bit. He took a deep breath, releasing it at the same time he loosed a fireball in Ying's direction, catching her on her head. It was enough to bend her backwards and force her into the second ring along with Daichi, and Haki's grin only grew. He turned towards Kiara, summoning a flame to avoid Ying's.
"Your turn, Turtle-Duck."
“Yes it is,” Kiara agreed with a grin, and with Haki and Rika there to support her and defend her from most of the hits from Ying and Daichi, she was free to go all-out against Zian. The narrow set of her eyes and the half-smile on her face had a notable effect on the other waterbender, who’d faced down that expression before and lost, and he was immediately on the attack, trying to take her back a ring before she could do the same thing to him. Half of victory is having the mental advantage over your opponent, Fang had said, and he was right. Each of the Pumas was now focused on mostly separate goals—Ying heavily focused on attacking Kiara, Daichi trying to prevent his teammates’ overzealousness from costing them and therefore playing defense for three people, and Zian just trying to beat Kiara before she beat him.
By comparison, all of the Otters knew exactly what they were doing, and they were doing it as part of a coordinated strategy. Kiara, for her part, met offense with the same, aggressively stepping forward and throwing every one of Zian’s attacks back at him, not even all that concerned with how they landed. Another few interrupted Ying, but mostly, she just focused on hitting Zian as hard and fast as she could. Fang had made her do reflex and speed drills until she was pretty sure she could sprint faster than a fair number of professional runners, but it was paying off in the sheer number of attacks she could deliver. Her feet seemed to leave the floor just as often as they were rooted to it—a lot of their coach’s athletic suggestions seemed to involve adding jumps and twists to their motions, something that made their bending much harder to predict.
Zian held his own impressively, though, and it was only when Rika sent a clay disk his way, interrupting his deflection, that she was able to hit him square in the chest with a jet of water, sending him staggering backwards and across the line. “Rika!” she called. For fear of falling into a pattern, they switched things up here—Kiara using her position in the front to play an aggressive defense and allowing both Rika and Haki to gang up on Zian again, so that he’d hopefully be pushed back another level.
For the most part, Kiara had remained very humble about it, and her reputation among interviewers was for maintaining the attitude that there was always more work to be done. Nobody, however, was more willing than her to extol the talents of her teammates and opponents alike. Each member of the team, as it was, had a very distinctive personality, and the heap of fans to match. It could be said that they almost had as many as the Pygmy Pumas did, these days, and for a team not even officially in the most professional bracket of the league, that was an incredible accomplishment, one that Kiara suspected Lu Tong had a lot to do with. She was regularly recognized on the street now, much to her embarrassment, and her former landlord was often to be heard bragging that he always knew her team would go far.
It was equal parts amazing and overwhelming, and she was definitely glad she was doing it beside her friends. Less great was the fact that their personal lives were now the subject of gossip magazine speculation, and she frowned down at the paper on the bench in front of her. Apparently, someone had decided she was involved with Zian, and that the match tonight would pit one of this imaginary couple against the other. She rolled her eyes and pulled her uniform shirt down over her torso, sliding her hands into her gloves. It was pretty much a given that everything in these magazines was totally fake, but she still hadn’t quite gotten used to them. The picture was real enough—it was one of them having a conversation at a recent event for the waterbending school she sometimes helped out at. They’d been asked to give a clinic on ice techniques together, and of course afterwards they’d posed with several of the children. Zian had his arm thrown casually over her shoulder, and both were grinning at something one of the kids had said. It was perfectly innocent, but… taken out of context, she supposed it could pass for something else. The jerk had even cropped the kids out of the photo.
Well, whatever. She had other things to think about, and she left the magazine on the bench where she’d found it and fixed her headgear, pulling her long ponytail through the other side before going to join her teammates. A rematch with the Pumas had been pretty inevitable by this point, but tonight was the night. They were going to do this tonight. They were going to win. She knew the Pumas were still a great team, of course—they’d been improving as they trained too. But now, when she watched them bend, she didn’t feel the same kind of awe she used to. Thanks to Fang, she could analyze everything they did and know why they did it and how it was done. Their strategies were readable, and if they were readable, then they could be countered.
Smiling at her teammates and their informal coach, she took Rika’s hand in one of hers and Haki’s in the other, giving each an excited squeeze. “Tonight’s the night, you guys.” She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach, but refused to let it cow her. They could do this. They’d been training for this moment since they lost the first time, and they were ready for it.
No words could describe how Rika was feeling. She wasn't quite sure, though given all their training, she was ready for a rematch with the Pygmy Puma's. Two months after Kiara's disappearance had proven to be somewhat beneficial to the team. They had trained harder, were coordinated to each other, and seemed almost unstoppable. They had won match after match when probending season had picked back up, and Rika wasn't quite adjusting to all the fame. Haki was bathing in it, as he naturally would. Though, he never let it go to his head, he was a bit of a jerk about it sometimes, pushing rumors that were starting to circulate throughout the probending world. There was one rumor, however, that he did not like. And that was the one about Zian and Kiara.
He knew they were not involved with each other, but just like him, Zian found no need to not encourage it. Besides, Haki had his own problem with Ying. Someone had thought that the two firebenders were quite the topic. There had been quite a few pictures of Ying grabbing Haki's arm, smiling up at him, jerking him here and there. He had tried avoiding her once, going so far as to make a stake out at Fang's apartment, however; the man eventually tired of Haki and Ying's attempts at finding him, and kicked him out. Well, more like politely asked Haki to leave. He didn't blame Fang, though, he'd get tired of that too. Rika was, perhaps, the fortunate one of the group. Daichi and her had more of a sibling dynamic, and most of the fans actually thought they were long lost siblings.
Not that Rika had minded that, it was amusing to see her friends struggling with the gossip. It was fun on her end to poke fun of Haki for a change. She still hasn't let him live that one incident down either. She'd found it quite amusing to see Ying being a bit bold with Haki, going so far as to try and kiss him, however; Rika felt a bit sorry for Haki, and, literally, drove a wedge between her and him. Needless to say, Ying still hasn't exactly been as friendly with Rika because of that. But now, they were all under one roof again. They were getting their rematch with the Pygmy Puma's, and Rika couldn't stop the butterflies floating around in her stomach. She almost felt a bit sick. It, however, disappeared the moment Kiara took her hand and Haki's.
"It's all just... it's exciting," Rika found herself stating, allowing a shiver to crawl through her spine. Haki nodded in agreement, his trademark smirk covering his features. He pulled on Kiara's arm, turning her and Rika around and enveloped each one of them in an arm. Rika, for once, grinned at them as they all huddled together. "Let's go out there and make this a night they'll never forget, okay?" she stated, unable to contain the excitement and found herself shifting on both legs in a sort of hop dance. Haki chuckled as he shook his head.
"Let's go show them the new and improved Penguins, then."
The warm feeling that enveloped Kiara at the presence of her friends made her feel a little invincible. She was not silly enough to think that they could just walk in there and steamroll the Pumas, of course, but they had more than a fighting chance, and it was time to make the best of that chance. They were ready. Fang led them out into the arena, taking up a side position reserved for the occasional coach. The Pumas had one, too, an older woman who had apparently been in the first generation of probenders. Looking up, Kiara could see that there was security at the event—unsurprising, considering the fact that the Equalists tended to raid any major bending events these days as they gained more power and membership. Some very poor decisions by the majority of the Council had let to growing popular support for the Equalists, mostly because Amon did the public service of using his men to keep the Triads weaker than the Council had ever managed. There was fighting in the streets most days, but the Triads were losing benders fast.
She wondered if they ever would target the probenders, but then shook her head. Now was not the time to ponder that. They had work to do. They lined up in front of the Pygmy Pumas, and Kiara smiled to see that nearly half the crowd was decked out in the light blue of the Otter Penguins this time, though the majority still wore the Pumas’ burnt orange. The announcer bid them take their positions, and Kiara shored up her feet, glancing one out of the corner of her eye towards Haki and Rika on his other side, a smile flickering across her face before she faced forward again, locking eyes for a moment with Zian, who smirked at her in his usual cocky fashion. She found him kind of funny, in a specific way, but that sure wasn’t going to stop her from trying to kick his ass at probending.
The horn signaled the start of the match, and as they’d planned with Fang, the Otters immediately went all out offensive, bullushing the Pumas with a barrage of aggressive attacks as soon as they were allowed to move. They couldn’t let the match fall into one of the more comfortable rhythms for the other team, or they might lose, but if they could keep them reeling and unsure what was going to happen next, they could definitely win. She bent away one of Zian’s retaliatory attacks, joining a jet of water to Rika’s hit on Daichi, sending him back into the second ring no more then ten seconds after the match had started. She caught a clay disc to her hip for the trouble, but she spun instead of stepping backwards, building momentum with the water in her other hand and shooting it right for Ying, who struggled to bring up a wall of fire in time to block. Now it was time to drop back into a defensive stance for a while—the next part of their strategy focused on she and Rika supporting Haki as he tried to force Ying back.
Haki couldn't shake the fear of Ying from him, even as he stared her down on the arena. He'd never get used to her and her ways, he was sure of it. Shaking himself free, he took his spot on the arena, glancing towards his teammates and offered them a grin. Today would be the day, that the Otter Penguins took down the Pygmy Pumas. They owed them that much. It wasn't for future fame or of some weird act of redemption. It was to prove that, even those who were at the top, could be brought down. It didn't matter if you were the best, there was always going to be someone better, stronger, and today... the Otter Penguins would prove it.
At the sound of the horn, they spared no mercy to the Pumas, going all-out offensive. They managed to drive Daichi back to the second ring within the first few seconds of the match, and Haki could not keep the grin off of his face. He dodged a clay disk thrown from Daichi as Rika managed to catapult a fireball aimed at him, away from him. She took a defensive stance, digging her feet as much as she could into the arena, and waited for Haki to begin his assault. The moment Kiara took her defensive stance as well, Haki began to work, using his momentum to throw a fireball towards Ying, followed by another shot from his feet. He'd throw everything all at once towards her, to push her back and force her to defend rather than retaliate.
Rika managed to keep Zian busy, throwing her clay disks at him when she had the chance, and using the disks as shields for Kiara when she could. It wasn't easy, but somehow, they were managing. She took a clay disk to the shoulder, catching her in such an angle that had her spinning towards the second ring, and Rika frowned. She was pushed back, however; Kiara and Haki were still at the front. She'd have to work a bit harder now to protect them while they continued the offense, but it wasn't as if she were not prepared for such a thing. Thanks to practice, she'd be able to still bend her disks without so much effort put into them as it normally would. It was a bit of a challenge, learning how to do that, but she was glad she did.
Haki spared no mercy towards Ying, though, a bright grin spreading across his face as he continued assaulting her. He caught a clay disk in his side, however; he managed to remain rooted to his spot, pushed back just slightly, but not enough to force him into the second ring. He frowned slightly, wincing a bit. He took a deep breath, releasing it at the same time he loosed a fireball in Ying's direction, catching her on her head. It was enough to bend her backwards and force her into the second ring along with Daichi, and Haki's grin only grew. He turned towards Kiara, summoning a flame to avoid Ying's.
"Your turn, Turtle-Duck."
“Yes it is,” Kiara agreed with a grin, and with Haki and Rika there to support her and defend her from most of the hits from Ying and Daichi, she was free to go all-out against Zian. The narrow set of her eyes and the half-smile on her face had a notable effect on the other waterbender, who’d faced down that expression before and lost, and he was immediately on the attack, trying to take her back a ring before she could do the same thing to him. Half of victory is having the mental advantage over your opponent, Fang had said, and he was right. Each of the Pumas was now focused on mostly separate goals—Ying heavily focused on attacking Kiara, Daichi trying to prevent his teammates’ overzealousness from costing them and therefore playing defense for three people, and Zian just trying to beat Kiara before she beat him.
By comparison, all of the Otters knew exactly what they were doing, and they were doing it as part of a coordinated strategy. Kiara, for her part, met offense with the same, aggressively stepping forward and throwing every one of Zian’s attacks back at him, not even all that concerned with how they landed. Another few interrupted Ying, but mostly, she just focused on hitting Zian as hard and fast as she could. Fang had made her do reflex and speed drills until she was pretty sure she could sprint faster than a fair number of professional runners, but it was paying off in the sheer number of attacks she could deliver. Her feet seemed to leave the floor just as often as they were rooted to it—a lot of their coach’s athletic suggestions seemed to involve adding jumps and twists to their motions, something that made their bending much harder to predict.
Zian held his own impressively, though, and it was only when Rika sent a clay disk his way, interrupting his deflection, that she was able to hit him square in the chest with a jet of water, sending him staggering backwards and across the line. “Rika!” she called. For fear of falling into a pattern, they switched things up here—Kiara using her position in the front to play an aggressive defense and allowing both Rika and Haki to gang up on Zian again, so that he’d hopefully be pushed back another level.
"Right!" Rika replied, a smirk adorning her face. If Haki could see it, he would have been proud. Rika glanced towards Haki and nodded her head. Immediately, she summoned four disks to her, sending the first set towards Zian, watching as he blocked them, however; Haki followed up with a ball of flames, hiding a disk behind it. As Zian blocked the fireball, it wasn't quite enough to miss the clay disk, and it chipped him on the shoulder. He glared towards the two, sending a whip towards Rika. She managed to avoid being hit by it, and sent another round of disks, hard and fast, at him. One of the disks as knocked down by Daichi, who was hit by a fireball from Haki. It sent him barely scraping against the third line, but not enough to force him behind it.
"Lotus," Haki spoke, causing Rika to twist out of the way of a whip. She managed to duck, sending another round of disks towards Zian, however; they were all spread out, aiming for different parts of his body. He wouldn't be able to dodge those. He'd be able to knock a few of them out, however; he wouldn't be able to get all of them. And that was what Rika was counting on. Out of the five sent towards him, three hit their mark. One caught his shoulder, one his left leg, and the last on his stomach. It sent him spiraling up, but before he could hit the floor, Haki managed a rather large fireball towards him, sending him back to the last line. It was almost enough to send him over the edge, however; he managed to latch onto the arena before falling completely off.
"Let's finish this!" Rika shouted, a large grin spreading across her features. They were actually doing it. They were pushing the Pygmy Pumas back, and the roar of the crowd only caused the anticipation to grow. Rika knew not to get in over her head, however; the small bout of excitement was causing her to lose her focus a bit. It wasn't until a disk from Daichi hit her in the forehead, that she snapped back to reality. "Ow," she muttered, reaching up to block another disk as it hit her forearms. She could hear Haki chuckling at her, and she almost swore it sounded like the snicker she'd heard from San.
"Now's not the time to lose focus, Lotus. We haven't won yet," he stated as he sent another wave of fire towards Daichi, keeping his disks from flying any further. Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Haki merely smirked. At least she was still in the second ring... for now. The match was intensifying with every passing second, and Haki was focusing most of his attacks on Daichi now. He was the anchor for the Pumas, and if they could get rid of him next, Ying wouldn't be much of a challenge on her own. She was used to having Zian and Daichi as her backups, and without them, she was more likely to go all out offensive, something Haki was counting on.
Zian had managed to climb his way back up, but all the way back in the third ring by himself, his efficacy was reduced. Ying was beginning to panic a little, but her teammates were still there, they could still do this, and so she refocused her fire on Kiara, who had been playing defense for the Otters. Daichi got the hint and did the same, though the attacks he was taking from the other two limited his ability to help her, and when Kiara threw some water his way in retaliation, he was finally forced into the third ring. Unfortunately, Kiara miscalculated, and the move left her off-balance, allowing a jet of Ying’s fire to force her backwards as well, into the second ring. Ying smirked, but Kiara wouldn’t let herself be goaded into going after the firebender. The plan was to knock Daichi out first, and that was what they were going to do.
Refocusing, she and Rika let Haki take his turn at defense for a while, keeping themselves unpredictable but also making sure that they all got a little rest from the all-out assaulting every once in a while, so they didn’t tire too quickly. A barrage of clay disks managed to throw Daichi a bit off-balance, and Kiara used a flick of her wrist to turn her water whip into a fine spray of mist at the last second, blinding him as it reflected the lights of the arena and allowing the last clay disk to knock him off. Ying looked like someone had put a rhinoceros beetle in her birthday cake, and this time, Kiara smirked back, sending two simultaneous water whips with her feet instead of her arms, supporting herself on the floor with one hand and using the other to sneak a third whip in with the others, that one sufficient to put Ying in the back ring.
It was now or never. Flipping onto her feet again, Kiara took a deep breath. This was when the Pumas would be the most dangerous, but also the most reckless. They could finish this—they had to finish it.
It was now or never. With Daichi out of the way, the Otter Penguins had the advantage. Daichi was their main defense, something everyone already knew, and with him gone, Zian and Ying would be put on the offense. Haki focused his attention on Zian, throwing everything he had at the waterbender. He was the furthest out, and would be easier to knock off, but because he was the furthest out, hitting him would be more difficult. Rika didn't stand quite so much a chance at that, as she was in the second ring, having been pushed back to the third ring by Ying. She had focused her attention on the firebender, however, and threw everything she had towards Ying, counting on Kiara to be her backup.
It wasn't until Rika glanced towards Haki, that she realized what she had to do, and merely called out to Haki. He did not need to glance at her to understand what she wanted, and smirked, focusing temporarily on Ying, having used his fireball aimed towards Zian, to aim it towards Ying. She looked slightly taken back by the sudden direction it took, and Zian used his water to shove the fire away from Ying. He wasn't, however, prepared for the clay disks that appeared behind the fire, and was clipped in the knee and shoulder, forcing him out of the arena and onto the platforms below. Rika squealed slightly, however; an angry fireball managed to catch her in her shoulder and abdomen, sending her off the platform as well.
That, however, had left Ying wide open, and Haki glanced towards Kiara. "Let's do this, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, his smirk spreading into a grin. With everything directed towards Ying, she had a bit of difficulty keeping up her offense and defense. A well placed water whip and fireball had the firebender standing in the final ring, and Haki smiled. The arena was quiet for a moment, even as the platforms raised, the entire stadium was silent. It appeared that everyone blinked in unison, and Haki walked up to Kiara's hand, grabbing it and raising it along with his. Rika made it back onto the arena, and ran towards her friends, encircling her arms around them.
"You guys did it! We did it!" she shouted happily, her voice the only sound resonating in the stadium. Haki chuckled lightly as he placed a hand on the top of her crown, ruffling her hair before removing his own helmet. At that moment, the stadium erupted into cheers, startling Rika a bit as she tripped over her feet. Haki balanced her back as she continued hugging her friends. They'd won. They beat the Pumas.
Unfortunately, the cheering was soon brought to a halt by a resounding boom, replaced by panicked shouting as massive pieces of shrapnel stated to fall from the ceiling. Seeing them coming, Kiara grabbed both of her friends by the hands and put them all where they’d be safest—right in the water, diving off the side of the arena floor. Several chunks of the roof fell in around them, creating waves in the water, but she bent them away, encasing her head and each of the other two’s in protective air bubbles, allowing them to breathe beneath the surface. Moving to one of the sides, she pulled them up with her, even as a large number of ziplines descended from the hole blown in the ceiling above them.
People dressed in black began to descend from these, several engaging in fights with the members of the metalbending police force that were present while others seemed intent on other goals. Ying was the first bender to get grabbed, a man seizing her by the waist and tugging at his zipline, causing it to rush upwards, he and his captive in tow. Daichi yelled after her, launching a few projectiles, but the ziplines weren’t made of metal, and it was clear that Ying had been chi-blocked before she was grabbed, for all she could do was struggle ineffectually. Daichi’s distraction made him an easy second target, though it still took two people to bring him under control. Zian, like Kiara, had taken a dive, too far away from his comrades to save them, and was now attacking the masked people with a vengeance, trying to drown them if Kiara had her guess.
Immediately, she jumped into action, too, noting that the Pumas were not the only ones being targeted. A wall of water slammed into the first lot of masked people making for she and her friends, and Fang appeared beside them. He hadn’t been allowed to bring his swords into the arena, but from the way he punched one of them directly in the nose, he wouldn’t necessarily need them. But the place was becoming overrun with Equalists, even as the crowd tried to run away, no small number among them benders, either. It was utter chaos. The Otters’ best hope was to stay together, and do their best to get the Pumas back.
Haki narrowed his eyes when they attacked. Their victory, short lived as it was, would have to wait for another day. They had all taken a dive to prevent being crushed by the falling debris and to prevent the Equalists from catching them off guard. Haki immediately began his work, summoning his flames to help where he could. He kicked one of the chi-blockers, catching him in the head and sending him over the platform while Rika summoned the clay disks up. There wasn't enough earth to use, so she'd have to make do with these. Her eyes widened slightly when they took Ying and Daichi. She might not have liked the firebender, but that didn't mean she'd wish something like that upon her, however; her eyes grew more fearful for Daichi.
"Daichi!" she shouted, sending one of the clay disks towards the men who had him. They were too far up for her disks to reach, and Rika found herself chasing after one of the zip lines. She couldn't do much, it wasn't made of metal, however; she could at least attempt to do something. The sound of someone calling her name, however, caused her to turn around. Haki had managed to get himself surrounded, and she was torn. She had to help her friend, but there was nothing more that could be done to help Daichi. Her eyes welled with warmth before she turned away. "I'm sorry, Dai," she spoke as she made her way towards Haki.
He ducked from a chi blockers swing and twisted his body upwards, catching the chi blocker in the chin with his heel and sending another one away from him. As much as he wanted to help Daichi and Ying, they had to help the others in the stadium get out. The equalists were only taking benders, and some of the fans in the stadium were not capable of bending. They were more at risk, and needed to be helped as well. But he couldn't help them if he couldn't help himself. He let out a frustrated sigh as a clay disk connected with one of the Equalist's head, sending him forward unconscious. He thanked Rika as she went to Kiara's side.
"Not exactly how I pictured our victory to go," he chided, blocking another chi blocker, however; the blocker managed to hit Haki's arm, temporarily losing that arm's function. Rika pursed her lips, ducking the attack of another. She pulled her legs from underneath her, sweeping them across, and forcing the chi blocker on her back. She managed to push the chi blocker over the edge of the arena and glanced towards the panicking people. This... was chaos.
Kiara could only grimace her agreement, closing ranks with her friends. From the corner of her eye, she spotted an Equalist trying to grab Zian and shot an ice dagger at him, knocking him off his course long enough for the other waterbender to notice him. “Zian, over here! Fight with us!” He seemed to hesitate for a moment, shooting a look at the ceiling where his friends had disappeared, but in the end he grimaced and joined their circle. That many famous benders in one place was a very appealing target for the Equalists, and most of the attention diverted to them thereafter. Kiara lost the use of both legs for bending, reducing her only to her arms, and Zian only had one of those, even.
It was looking especially grim when another set of Equalists rappelled in, headed right for them. One was within five feet of Rika when Fang actually frowned, his eyes narrowing to golden slits. In a nearly freakishly-agile move, he ran and jumped, twisting into a flip in midair, jets of air lashing from his feet and knocking the ziplines all of course, temporarily plastering them to the far wall, where the police force caught them.
Given that he’d already been very obviously seen airbending, Fang dropped the pretense of fighting with his hands only and continued to use the air, far too quickly for any of the Equalists present to have a hope of hitting him with a chi block. It was probably, thought Kiara, the thing that turned the tide, and along with everyone else, it forced the Equalists into a retreat. The metalbenders gave chase up through the hole in the roof, but there was no way to know for sure if they would catch the ones that had already left. Ying and Daichi had been among the first taken after all. Kiara swallowed thickly and looked at Zian, the expression of utter defeat and helplessness on his face utterly unlike him. Reaching for his hand, she gave it a comforting squeeze, and he managed only a fractional smile in response before he left—likely to seek out the police and see if they had caught up with his friends.
Kiara sagged against the wall, her legs still numb from the chi block, and exhausted from the match first, and then the frantic fight against the invaders. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea what. She felt horrible about what had just happened, but also relieved that they hadn’t taken her teammates. Did that make her terrible?
The tide had been turned, and had Rika enough sense to understand why, she might have laughed. All this time, he was an airbender, and he'd never told them? It stung a little, to know that he might not have trusted them with that information, but it was something Rika didn't want to linger on. He might have had his reasons, and she wasn't going to say anything about it. Haki, on the other hand, just stared incredulously at Fang before the expression on his face smoothed out. That... explained a lot, he thought, and shook his head faintly. The Equalists were gone, they could at least tend to each other now. He made his way to Kiara's side when Zian left. He had not missed the look in the waterbender's eyes, and Haki couldn't imagine anything like it.
He knew, slightly, what it felt like to lose a friend, but it was nothing like this. Kohaku was not an Equalist who took Kiara. She had left to fix something, and came back. Most of the benders the Equalists took didn't. He slid next to Kiara, sitting so that he leaned his head to rest against hers. At least he still had his friends. "Are you alright?" he questioned, closing his eyes momentarily. Rika shook her head softly as she glanced at Haki and Kiara, smiling softly, knowing that her friends were okay. She was glad, but she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of something missing. Daichi had been her friend, was her friend. And now he was gone. She wrapped her arms around herself, finding her own spot to sit in, away from everyone else.
She didn't want to be around anyone at the moment, instead choosing to come to terms that there was a chance that she wouldn't see Daichi, or Ying again. She buried her head into her knees and allowed the tears to finally fall. Too much had been revealed all at once, and she wasn't so sure she wanted to take it all in. Fang was an airbender, Daichi and Ying were gone, and there was nothing more she could have done to help them, but... at least she had her friends still. They were alright, they were still here with her. She should be happy about that... and she was, but that did not stop her from feeling the way she did.
"Lotus," Haki spoke, causing Rika to twist out of the way of a whip. She managed to duck, sending another round of disks towards Zian, however; they were all spread out, aiming for different parts of his body. He wouldn't be able to dodge those. He'd be able to knock a few of them out, however; he wouldn't be able to get all of them. And that was what Rika was counting on. Out of the five sent towards him, three hit their mark. One caught his shoulder, one his left leg, and the last on his stomach. It sent him spiraling up, but before he could hit the floor, Haki managed a rather large fireball towards him, sending him back to the last line. It was almost enough to send him over the edge, however; he managed to latch onto the arena before falling completely off.
"Let's finish this!" Rika shouted, a large grin spreading across her features. They were actually doing it. They were pushing the Pygmy Pumas back, and the roar of the crowd only caused the anticipation to grow. Rika knew not to get in over her head, however; the small bout of excitement was causing her to lose her focus a bit. It wasn't until a disk from Daichi hit her in the forehead, that she snapped back to reality. "Ow," she muttered, reaching up to block another disk as it hit her forearms. She could hear Haki chuckling at her, and she almost swore it sounded like the snicker she'd heard from San.
"Now's not the time to lose focus, Lotus. We haven't won yet," he stated as he sent another wave of fire towards Daichi, keeping his disks from flying any further. Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Haki merely smirked. At least she was still in the second ring... for now. The match was intensifying with every passing second, and Haki was focusing most of his attacks on Daichi now. He was the anchor for the Pumas, and if they could get rid of him next, Ying wouldn't be much of a challenge on her own. She was used to having Zian and Daichi as her backups, and without them, she was more likely to go all out offensive, something Haki was counting on.
Zian had managed to climb his way back up, but all the way back in the third ring by himself, his efficacy was reduced. Ying was beginning to panic a little, but her teammates were still there, they could still do this, and so she refocused her fire on Kiara, who had been playing defense for the Otters. Daichi got the hint and did the same, though the attacks he was taking from the other two limited his ability to help her, and when Kiara threw some water his way in retaliation, he was finally forced into the third ring. Unfortunately, Kiara miscalculated, and the move left her off-balance, allowing a jet of Ying’s fire to force her backwards as well, into the second ring. Ying smirked, but Kiara wouldn’t let herself be goaded into going after the firebender. The plan was to knock Daichi out first, and that was what they were going to do.
Refocusing, she and Rika let Haki take his turn at defense for a while, keeping themselves unpredictable but also making sure that they all got a little rest from the all-out assaulting every once in a while, so they didn’t tire too quickly. A barrage of clay disks managed to throw Daichi a bit off-balance, and Kiara used a flick of her wrist to turn her water whip into a fine spray of mist at the last second, blinding him as it reflected the lights of the arena and allowing the last clay disk to knock him off. Ying looked like someone had put a rhinoceros beetle in her birthday cake, and this time, Kiara smirked back, sending two simultaneous water whips with her feet instead of her arms, supporting herself on the floor with one hand and using the other to sneak a third whip in with the others, that one sufficient to put Ying in the back ring.
It was now or never. Flipping onto her feet again, Kiara took a deep breath. This was when the Pumas would be the most dangerous, but also the most reckless. They could finish this—they had to finish it.
It was now or never. With Daichi out of the way, the Otter Penguins had the advantage. Daichi was their main defense, something everyone already knew, and with him gone, Zian and Ying would be put on the offense. Haki focused his attention on Zian, throwing everything he had at the waterbender. He was the furthest out, and would be easier to knock off, but because he was the furthest out, hitting him would be more difficult. Rika didn't stand quite so much a chance at that, as she was in the second ring, having been pushed back to the third ring by Ying. She had focused her attention on the firebender, however, and threw everything she had towards Ying, counting on Kiara to be her backup.
It wasn't until Rika glanced towards Haki, that she realized what she had to do, and merely called out to Haki. He did not need to glance at her to understand what she wanted, and smirked, focusing temporarily on Ying, having used his fireball aimed towards Zian, to aim it towards Ying. She looked slightly taken back by the sudden direction it took, and Zian used his water to shove the fire away from Ying. He wasn't, however, prepared for the clay disks that appeared behind the fire, and was clipped in the knee and shoulder, forcing him out of the arena and onto the platforms below. Rika squealed slightly, however; an angry fireball managed to catch her in her shoulder and abdomen, sending her off the platform as well.
That, however, had left Ying wide open, and Haki glanced towards Kiara. "Let's do this, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, his smirk spreading into a grin. With everything directed towards Ying, she had a bit of difficulty keeping up her offense and defense. A well placed water whip and fireball had the firebender standing in the final ring, and Haki smiled. The arena was quiet for a moment, even as the platforms raised, the entire stadium was silent. It appeared that everyone blinked in unison, and Haki walked up to Kiara's hand, grabbing it and raising it along with his. Rika made it back onto the arena, and ran towards her friends, encircling her arms around them.
"You guys did it! We did it!" she shouted happily, her voice the only sound resonating in the stadium. Haki chuckled lightly as he placed a hand on the top of her crown, ruffling her hair before removing his own helmet. At that moment, the stadium erupted into cheers, startling Rika a bit as she tripped over her feet. Haki balanced her back as she continued hugging her friends. They'd won. They beat the Pumas.
Unfortunately, the cheering was soon brought to a halt by a resounding boom, replaced by panicked shouting as massive pieces of shrapnel stated to fall from the ceiling. Seeing them coming, Kiara grabbed both of her friends by the hands and put them all where they’d be safest—right in the water, diving off the side of the arena floor. Several chunks of the roof fell in around them, creating waves in the water, but she bent them away, encasing her head and each of the other two’s in protective air bubbles, allowing them to breathe beneath the surface. Moving to one of the sides, she pulled them up with her, even as a large number of ziplines descended from the hole blown in the ceiling above them.
People dressed in black began to descend from these, several engaging in fights with the members of the metalbending police force that were present while others seemed intent on other goals. Ying was the first bender to get grabbed, a man seizing her by the waist and tugging at his zipline, causing it to rush upwards, he and his captive in tow. Daichi yelled after her, launching a few projectiles, but the ziplines weren’t made of metal, and it was clear that Ying had been chi-blocked before she was grabbed, for all she could do was struggle ineffectually. Daichi’s distraction made him an easy second target, though it still took two people to bring him under control. Zian, like Kiara, had taken a dive, too far away from his comrades to save them, and was now attacking the masked people with a vengeance, trying to drown them if Kiara had her guess.
Immediately, she jumped into action, too, noting that the Pumas were not the only ones being targeted. A wall of water slammed into the first lot of masked people making for she and her friends, and Fang appeared beside them. He hadn’t been allowed to bring his swords into the arena, but from the way he punched one of them directly in the nose, he wouldn’t necessarily need them. But the place was becoming overrun with Equalists, even as the crowd tried to run away, no small number among them benders, either. It was utter chaos. The Otters’ best hope was to stay together, and do their best to get the Pumas back.
Haki narrowed his eyes when they attacked. Their victory, short lived as it was, would have to wait for another day. They had all taken a dive to prevent being crushed by the falling debris and to prevent the Equalists from catching them off guard. Haki immediately began his work, summoning his flames to help where he could. He kicked one of the chi-blockers, catching him in the head and sending him over the platform while Rika summoned the clay disks up. There wasn't enough earth to use, so she'd have to make do with these. Her eyes widened slightly when they took Ying and Daichi. She might not have liked the firebender, but that didn't mean she'd wish something like that upon her, however; her eyes grew more fearful for Daichi.
"Daichi!" she shouted, sending one of the clay disks towards the men who had him. They were too far up for her disks to reach, and Rika found herself chasing after one of the zip lines. She couldn't do much, it wasn't made of metal, however; she could at least attempt to do something. The sound of someone calling her name, however, caused her to turn around. Haki had managed to get himself surrounded, and she was torn. She had to help her friend, but there was nothing more that could be done to help Daichi. Her eyes welled with warmth before she turned away. "I'm sorry, Dai," she spoke as she made her way towards Haki.
He ducked from a chi blockers swing and twisted his body upwards, catching the chi blocker in the chin with his heel and sending another one away from him. As much as he wanted to help Daichi and Ying, they had to help the others in the stadium get out. The equalists were only taking benders, and some of the fans in the stadium were not capable of bending. They were more at risk, and needed to be helped as well. But he couldn't help them if he couldn't help himself. He let out a frustrated sigh as a clay disk connected with one of the Equalist's head, sending him forward unconscious. He thanked Rika as she went to Kiara's side.
"Not exactly how I pictured our victory to go," he chided, blocking another chi blocker, however; the blocker managed to hit Haki's arm, temporarily losing that arm's function. Rika pursed her lips, ducking the attack of another. She pulled her legs from underneath her, sweeping them across, and forcing the chi blocker on her back. She managed to push the chi blocker over the edge of the arena and glanced towards the panicking people. This... was chaos.
Kiara could only grimace her agreement, closing ranks with her friends. From the corner of her eye, she spotted an Equalist trying to grab Zian and shot an ice dagger at him, knocking him off his course long enough for the other waterbender to notice him. “Zian, over here! Fight with us!” He seemed to hesitate for a moment, shooting a look at the ceiling where his friends had disappeared, but in the end he grimaced and joined their circle. That many famous benders in one place was a very appealing target for the Equalists, and most of the attention diverted to them thereafter. Kiara lost the use of both legs for bending, reducing her only to her arms, and Zian only had one of those, even.
It was looking especially grim when another set of Equalists rappelled in, headed right for them. One was within five feet of Rika when Fang actually frowned, his eyes narrowing to golden slits. In a nearly freakishly-agile move, he ran and jumped, twisting into a flip in midair, jets of air lashing from his feet and knocking the ziplines all of course, temporarily plastering them to the far wall, where the police force caught them.
Given that he’d already been very obviously seen airbending, Fang dropped the pretense of fighting with his hands only and continued to use the air, far too quickly for any of the Equalists present to have a hope of hitting him with a chi block. It was probably, thought Kiara, the thing that turned the tide, and along with everyone else, it forced the Equalists into a retreat. The metalbenders gave chase up through the hole in the roof, but there was no way to know for sure if they would catch the ones that had already left. Ying and Daichi had been among the first taken after all. Kiara swallowed thickly and looked at Zian, the expression of utter defeat and helplessness on his face utterly unlike him. Reaching for his hand, she gave it a comforting squeeze, and he managed only a fractional smile in response before he left—likely to seek out the police and see if they had caught up with his friends.
Kiara sagged against the wall, her legs still numb from the chi block, and exhausted from the match first, and then the frantic fight against the invaders. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea what. She felt horrible about what had just happened, but also relieved that they hadn’t taken her teammates. Did that make her terrible?
The tide had been turned, and had Rika enough sense to understand why, she might have laughed. All this time, he was an airbender, and he'd never told them? It stung a little, to know that he might not have trusted them with that information, but it was something Rika didn't want to linger on. He might have had his reasons, and she wasn't going to say anything about it. Haki, on the other hand, just stared incredulously at Fang before the expression on his face smoothed out. That... explained a lot, he thought, and shook his head faintly. The Equalists were gone, they could at least tend to each other now. He made his way to Kiara's side when Zian left. He had not missed the look in the waterbender's eyes, and Haki couldn't imagine anything like it.
He knew, slightly, what it felt like to lose a friend, but it was nothing like this. Kohaku was not an Equalist who took Kiara. She had left to fix something, and came back. Most of the benders the Equalists took didn't. He slid next to Kiara, sitting so that he leaned his head to rest against hers. At least he still had his friends. "Are you alright?" he questioned, closing his eyes momentarily. Rika shook her head softly as she glanced at Haki and Kiara, smiling softly, knowing that her friends were okay. She was glad, but she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of something missing. Daichi had been her friend, was her friend. And now he was gone. She wrapped her arms around herself, finding her own spot to sit in, away from everyone else.
She didn't want to be around anyone at the moment, instead choosing to come to terms that there was a chance that she wouldn't see Daichi, or Ying again. She buried her head into her knees and allowed the tears to finally fall. Too much had been revealed all at once, and she wasn't so sure she wanted to take it all in. Fang was an airbender, Daichi and Ying were gone, and there was nothing more she could have done to help them, but... at least she had her friends still. They were alright, they were still here with her. She should be happy about that... and she was, but that did not stop her from feeling the way she did.
It was three days after Ying and Daichi were taken that formerly-kidnapped benders started to resurface in Republic City—without their bending. At first, it was though to be some kind of trick, perhaps a temporary block of the kind the Equalists were known for, but as the hours wore on and the tests continued, it proved to be the case that the benders remained without their trademark ability. Still, most of the most prominent kidnap victims of the last year were still nowhere to be found, though the survivors spoke of holding cells they knew-not-where, being kept by the Equalists in prisons of wood or metal as befit their former abilities. Many of them proved to be disoriented without their bending, something that had once defined a major part of their identities.
Fang knew what was happening to them—he was only surprised that Amon had at last perfected the ability to such a degree as to make it truly permanent. It was worrisome on the one hand, but on the other… surely it would eliminate the need for killing. He found that he told it to himself repeatedly even though he couldn’t believe it, anything to assuage his continuing guilt. Regardless, he knew also that this meant that Amon would scale up this kind of activity, and he had no doubt the Equalist leader would plan something special for Shao, the Council member, and two of the three parts of the city’s most popular probending team.
He didn’t like thinking about it. So instead, he checked the plants in his apartment, including the dried ones hanging from the ceiling in places, and gathered up several of them, placing them into small cloth bags, which he tucked under his arm in preparation for a trip partway across the city. As usual, Fang traveled by rooftop, but for once, he allowed himself free use of his airbending when he did, exhilarating in the rush of quite nearly flying over the industrial architecture of the metropolis. In truth, he wasn’t sure if she would really want to see him, considering everything, but… he had the desire to bring her some small gift anyway, if only to lift her mood for a moment. It was a curious thought, really, that he could so acutely miss the smile of someone who was not dead. But he missed it all the same.
Taking his usual window in, he proceeded to Rika’s door, adjusting the packages under his elbow and raising his other hand to knock.
Rika had moped around her apartment for the last three days. They were gone, and she couldn't have done anything to stop their capture. As much as Ying grated her nerves, she knew that even the Firebender did not deserve being kidnapped. She felt bad about it, however; the painful ache in her chest for Daichi was on a different level. He was her friend, one of the first people she had met when she'd moved to Republic City. He and Ying had been a couple at the time, barely starting their own Probending team, and it was something Rika had enjoyed seeing them do. They had always been good, and now, they were one of the best teams. She had to think that attributed to their practice sessions. Of course, it had been a few years before they'd actually became the Pygmy Pumas, but nonetheless, his departure had felt like a crippling blow to her.
Then, there was the revelation that Fang was an airbender. He had spoken nothing of it, and she knew she shouldn't blame him for anything, because it was his decision to tell them what he was, however; it did not stop the small part of her feeling hurt about it. Was there something wrong, did he not trust them enough to tell them even that? Were they not friends? The hurt was a dull ache at first, but the more she thought about it, and the more she thought about Daichi, it had increased to a steady rhythm. She had cried herself to sleep that night, overwhelmed by everything, and the next morning she had refused to leave her apartment. Haki had tried to coax her out, but she shoved him out and refused to see him. She didn't even give Kiara a chance to speak with her, and had locked all her windows and doors so that they wouldn't try.
She just needed to deal, and with them around, she couldn't. But now, it was the third day and San glanced up at his owner in a worried glance. Rika offered a half smile and hooked her index finger around his ear, scratching behind it softly. Jiao and San had been the only comfort she had those three days, and she was grateful for that. Odd, that she would find comfort in her fireferrets than her friends, but she thought nothing more of it. She pursed her lips together at the sound of knocking at the door, and tilted her head. She wasn't expecting company, and knew that Haki was looking after the shop for her right now. It might have been Kiara, and Rika's frown deepened. She owed her friend an apology at least, and it was with that in mind that she made her way to the door.
"Ah, Fang," she stated in mild surprise. That... wasn't exactly who she was planning on seeing at her door, but nonetheless opened it for him to step through. "Come in," she offered, her voice still light and soft. She wasn't exactly in a talking mood, and he was the last person she expected to see. "I... can make some tea if you'd like. I wasn't expecting anyone today," she mused, closing the door behind him and making her way towards the living room.
Fang shook his head slightly. “Today,” he said quietly, “I will make tea for you.” The emphasis on the word was only slight, but he headed to the kitchen, taking the teapot down from the cupboard and setting it on the burner. Funny, that he had once despaired of never being able to light it with bending. He had been a disappointment to his family, and he knew that. He’d never even begun to imagine that he could possibly be attuned instead to one of the other elements. As it happened, the plants he grew best were tea leaves, and he grew them very well indeed. The flavor of these was exotic and spicy, a Fire Nation plant that colored the water a deep gold, with just the faintest hint of cinnamon-brown. It smelled like home to him, like his mother and their sitting room. Like summer and the sound of cicadas outside the window, if indeed a sound could be associated with a smell in such a way.
Oftentimes, she would accidentally burn tea, when he lost focus thinking about something else, but this time he didn’t let himself, putting the rest of his thoughts from his mind until it was done, transferred into the pot it would sit in, and two cups of it poured. Balancing the tea tray as well as he did books on his head, he brought it into the living room and set it down on the low table in front of her sofa.
Steam rose from his cup and hers both, and with a little flick of his fingers, he shaped it into little whirling cloud-shapes, his a model of the cityscape that spread and faded slowly, hers a likeness of one of the ferrets that sat with her, running around her head once before it dispersed. If Kiara had been there, they would have been able to hold it together, since steam was air and water together, but by himself, he only had that much control for a little while.
“I know I should have told you,” he said, his voice still muted but somehow not very monotone at all. He sounded almost sad. “But this isn’t like other kinds of bending, anymore. It doesn’t just occasionally show up in a family, with nobody giving a second thought to it.” If anyone thought about it enough, they would have to know that he was closely and directly related to the Avatar, now a very old man living out the rest of his days peacefully on a mountainside somewhere. It wasn’t exactly the kind of notoriety he wanted. “I suppose I was just… afraid. I am a person with many secrets, all of them connected, and I… the only time someone ever knew them all ended very poorly for me.” He sipped his tea, staring intently into the middle distance.
"Oh, no you don't..." she began but couldn't say anything further. He was already in the kitchen and setting the teapot on the burner. She sighed softly, pursing her lips out. He didn't have to, and she would have made it regardless, but there was little point in pushing the subject when he was already making the tea. Instead, she took a seat on her couch and waited for the tea. Once it was finished, the steam ferret circled her head, and she did not stop her eyes from softening slightly, the smile still not quite reaching her. She took her cup and thanked him, taking a sip before setting the cup down. She wasn't expecting him to say anything, and really, she wouldn't blame him for not saying anything, but when he did, it only further caused the frown to deepen.
"You didn't have to say anything," she responded, glancing down at the cup in her hands. And he surely didn't owe her any explanation. "Your secrets are your own, and..." she paused, fidgeting the cup in her hands. She wanted to look up at him as she spoke, but she couldn't quite find the courage to do so. He didn't have to tell her anything, and she didn't expect him to. But there was a small part of her that wanted him to. They were friends, right? And that's what friends did, they shared secrets with each other, but only if they trusted each other enough. She sighed softly, sinking into her couch, allowing it to swallow her slightly.
"I didn't know Fang could be afraid of anything," she almost scoffed at herself, but it was enough to bring a small, barely noticeable, smile to her. "I've never seen Fang afraid of anything, though I couldn't say the same about myself... or even Haki," she continued, the smile growing only to falter. Haki was terrified of Ying, but now, she was gone. "But, doesn't keeping secrets... doesn't it hurt in the long run? When you have no one to tell them to? You... you don't owe anyone an explanation, least of all me," she continued, frowning as she tried to finish her sentences properly. "But... you're still my friend, right? I'd... be willing, if you'd let me, to listen," she finished, suddenly finding the comfort of the couch cushions a little more tolerable.
Fang snorted softly. He didn’t seem to be afraid of anything? He supposed that was true enough—there was little left in life that he truly feared. Because, as he had discovered, fear required attachment, and for what seemed like a long time, he’d had nothing of the sort. But now… he was learning to be afraid again, because he was learning how to care about people again. With that came a whole host of things—guilt, shame, and also a sort of profound loneliness. Well, more like… he was finally noticing how lonely he’d been the whole time, ever since he’d left his family. Even she hadn’t chased that away, though she’d had him convinced that she could.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he settled them on her face, surprised by how much easier it was to speak, when he knew it was her listening. “I’m the Avatar’s great-grandson,” he said quietly. “That alone doesn’t say much—he has about twenty of them. I’m related to him through his first daughter; she married one of the fire lord’s sons, and their only child was my mother. My father was Fire Nation as well.” It explained why he looked so much like that country’s nobility—more than most firebenders ever did. Certainly more than Haki did, given the color of the other man’s eyes.
“For most of my childhood, it was believed that I wasn’t a bender at all. So my mother taught me of swords and other weapons, as she had learned from Fire Lord Zuko, her grandfather. It wasn’t until I was fifteen or so that we finally understood why the flames would not do my bidding.” It was because the air was his to command instead. “They sent me here, to my great-uncle, Tenzin, so I could learn to use it.” He took another sip of his tea, sighing just barely audibly.
“I… wasn’t a particularly obedient teenager, and I fell in with… a bad crowd, you could say.” Whatever else he was going to tell her, he couldn’t confess to being an Equalist. Not while he still felt so… uncertain about it all himself. “I never told any of them who I was. When you spend long enough in that world, you begin to suspect that everyone only wants to use you.” As it turned out, that was just as true of Equalists as nobility, but he didn’t say that, not quite yet.
“I met her then. The one who would eventually know all my secrets.” He closed his eyes against the strength of the memory. She’d just been so beautiful, in a way he’d never really seen before. A way that radiated confidence and sensuality and poise. It was the elegance and grace he’d always been taught to appreciate combined with something heady and raw, like the overwhelming scent of violets and wine. “Her name was Saki. She was… I loved her, perhaps.” He didn’t know what the word really was for it. He’d heard love used to describe pure things, but for Fang, nothing in his life had ever been pure, and so perhaps his love was always meant to be just the same, tainted with darker edges, lined with flickering shadows. Corrupt. The tea rolled over his tongue, and he eased the line of his shoulders and cracked his eyes open again, their color catching the light in an uncanny glimmer.
“But she… well, I suppose she might have cared about me, in her own way. In the end though, what she wanted out of me was use. She knew I had never counted myself worth much, and so she let me believe that to her, I was worth something. To this day, I am not sure if she was being truthful or dissembling.” Maybe he had mattered, a little, but not the way she had mattered to him. He didn’t carry that same fascination as she did to him. She would not have changed who she really was just for him. She would not have devoted herself to a cause she no longer believed in long after his death, just because she’d promised him.
“And then… she died. It was an Earthbending Triad attack. Suddenly I realized I’d built my entire world around her and without her there to hold it up… it came crashing down around me.” He’d stopped expressing himself emotionally, stopped giving out his secrets and his trust to anyone at all. Until them. Until her.
She did as she said she would, she listened. And with each word he spoke, Rika couldn't help but feel something stabbing at her. It hurt, the way he spoke, perhaps not at first, but then he mentioned her. The pain, it was odd, because it didn't feel like the pain she was feeling with Daichi and Ying missing. It wasn't the pain she had felt when Kiara had left. It was different, and confusing all the same. How could words hurt like this? How could his words hurt like this? Rika couldn't say she knew how he felt, because she didn't. She had never really loved anyone more than a family member. Her shop demanded most of her attention, and before that, her father needed her. Her siblings had all worked to provide the best care for him, and she had remained home to ensure he had his daily doses of tea and medicine. But it wasn't enought to save him, and he had passed.
The love that he was speaking of must have been strong, to have him still in such a grasp. She could see it, even if she didn't want to, how it affected him, and it was that, perhaps, that caused the ache in her heart. Loving someone like that, so deeply... she wondered what that would be like. From the way he had talked about her, he had loved her, even if he might have meant otherwise. And that hurt even more when he spoke of her not caring about him in the same way. Even if she might have cared about him in some way, she had only wanted him for something, and Rika found herself standing from her chair, silent tears rolling down her face. It hurt just a little too much for her, but she did not regret a single word she had spoken. He had trusted her this much to tell her what he did, and she would not regret hearing it.
"Fang," she began, his name coming out as a cracked whisper. She hadn't even realized she was standing in front of him until her arms encircled his neck, burying her head into his shoulder as she wept. "I'm sorry," she spoke. Sorry for the things he had to endure, the things he had spoken of, she did not know entirely what she was apologizing for. She just felt the need to apologize, for everything that went wrong for him. "I'm so sorry," she continued. He had not believed he was worth much, and she had him believe that he was. "You are... you are worth something. You're my friend, and..." she paused, pulling back to regard him. Her eyes were red, and slightly puffy, however; there was a new spark behind them.
They glistened with a new resolve, and slowly, she blinked. She didn't realize how close to his face she was, and softly, she raised her head until it was leveled with his. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest, and before she could stop herself, she pressed herself forward. Realization dawned on her, and she tumbled backwards, falling from her spot and backing away. She hadn't meant to do that. It was a complete accident, and the sudden sadness was replaced by a large wave of guilt and embarrassment. She stuttered an apology and stood quickly from her spot, backing away until she was near her front door. She almost could have sworn Haki Jr. was dying of laughter at her, and it only caused her face to brighten more.
"I'm sorry Fang, I'm so, so, so, sorry. I... should go," she spoke, and in her stupor, she'd forgotten she was in her own home, and found herself out the front door with her back pressed against it. What did she do? It was innocent... and an accident. She kept repeating those words in her head.
He didn’t offer any resistance when she hugged him, though he kept himself from returning it. He was too… something. He wasn’t sure exactly what the word was; all he really knew was that he couldn’t let himself touch her, because he was on some sort of precipice, one he’d never really stood on before. He figured he might have just blindly stumbled off of it last time, and he didn’t want to repeat the mistake. He knew also that it would be very easy to do so—and that perhaps, in some ways at least, he already had. But even if so… she didn’t deserve that. His hands were not clean, and they never would be again. There was no coming back from eight murders and a lifetime of lies.
He swallowed thickly—the temptation to take the comfort offered was great, and he did not take any pleasure form the fact that he’d made her cry. He could distinctly remember coming here with the opposite intention, in fact, which was perhaps as good a sign as any of how well things generally went according to plan in his life. She pulled back a little, and he just barely kept himself from reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, instead freezing in place when she stopped not that far at all from his face.
The brush of her lips on his sent a jolt through his system—mostly because he hadn’t been expecting it at all. The contact was entirely chaste, and quite brief. Fang’s reflexes, usually viper-quick, were quite slow to catch up with events, and she was gone before he could so much as get a word in edgewise. Leaning his head back against the back of the chair he was in, he closed his eyes and grit his teeth. This wasn’t supposed to be happening—he’d never meant for it to. And yet… he could not deny the effect even such a simple gesture had had on him, and he would not try.
It was rather odd that she’d fled her own home, but he supposed she would eventually recognize that she had, and so he stood, moving to lean against the wall in the short entranceway of the apartment. This wasn’t something he would just let go without some kind of explanation—he’d made that error once already, and things had been intolerably awkward afterwards. Whatever else happened or did not happen, he didn’t want to repeat that experience.
Rika sighed harshly through her nose, pushing herself away from the door. What did she do? Why did she do that? She shouldn't have done that, but she couldn't stop herself. She didn't mean to do that, after all that he had said, she shouldn't have done something like that. Why couldn't she have just stayed in his shoulder, or on the couch, away from him? Why did she have to hug him? To kiss him? The confusion read clearly across her face as she made her way out the building. She passed by people who greeted her, some with concern as her eyes were still slightly red. She knew most of the people who lived in her apartment building, however; it hadn't fully dawned on her that she was at her apartment until she heard a familiar mewling. She glanced up and spotted Jiao and San staring out a window, confusion laced on their faces.
"And... I was home," she muttered to herself. She could see Jiao's tail swaying back and forth, a light kind of smile (if they could smile) playing on her lips. Rika took a deep breath and made her way back into her apartment complex, suddenly feeling a bit childish for having ran away. It was just an accident, she hadn't meant to do that, and she could only assume that he was upset with her. Why wouldn't he be? She kissed him after he told her things, about her, and that was how she repaid him. She groaned out loud, pulling her hand down her face in the process. She only hoped he had left, she wasn't entirely sure what she would tell him about that. She could almost hear Haki having the time of his life right now. To her surprise (or perhaps not), she opened her door to spot Fang leaning in the hallway, and she sighed, closing the door behind her.
"I... forgot I was already home," she spoke, avoiding eye contact with him. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't... I shouldn't have and I'm sorry," she spoke, rubbing her forearm as she kept her gaze everywhere but him. She didn't know what else to say, what else she could say.
“Are you?” Fang asked quietly. Though she wouldn’t look at him, his eyes were keenly fixed on her. It wasn’t quite the same, the fascination—it didn’t feel at all coerced or artificial. He didn’t feel like some kind of insect, drawn into the web of a knowing spider. He felt… he wasn’t sure exactly, because it was similar and yet so very different from anything he’d really felt before. He thought of her at extraordinarily odd moments of the day, when his mind was supposed to be focused on something else. He took succor in her mere presence. He thought he’d forgotten how to properly feel anything anymore—but she made him want to remember. She was waking him up, slowly, as though he’d been in some kind of slumber for years.
Without much warning, he was right in front of her, his index finger crooked under her chin and tilting her head upwards. “I’m not.”
Slowly, he lowered himself so that he was but a hairsbreath of distance from her mouth. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I am not sorry for it.” Tilting his head slightly to the side, he brushed her nose with his, his breath ghosting over her face like something clean and sweet, spiced faintly with the tea they’d been drinking. The hand at her chin moved to cradle her face, gently caressing the line of her jaw with callused fingers. Her skin was smooth against them, and his other found the lock of her hair he’d noted before, twisting it around a digit and tucking it behind her ear. For as close as he was, though, he did not close the distance. That was her decision to make—whether what she’d done was really a mistake she wanted to apologize for and let go, or something she meant to do and desired to repeat.
He would make no complaint either way.
She was sure Haki would have died by now. The color of her face would have matched the cheongsam Kiara had worn the day of the gala, a scarlet red. She felt a sudden hitch in her breath, and it was hard to breathe. At the close proximity, her heart was pounding against her chest in a loud, drum-like, rhythm. When did he get so close? She tried to take a breath, drown out the drumming in her ears, but she couldn't take a proper breath. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but she was afraid that she would not speak any words, and just repeat what she had done moments ago. She wasn't ignorant to her own feelings, but she had denied them for the sake of saving them. Why, why did he have to say those words? It didn't make any sense. He could have whomever he wanted, and he was telling her this.
"Fang... I," she managed to state, the hesitance still laced in her voice. She pursed her lips together as she stared at him. "It's not fair," she spoke, a hint of child-like tendency hidden beneath her voice. It wasn't fair because she didn't want to feel this way about him, and it wasn't fair that she made him feel something. But, she couldn't deny it any longer, and she wouldn't. It didn't mean she had to just accept it though. She was stubborn like that, but she could at least admit it. She pursed her lips a little further, however; the close proximity of both of their lips had hers brushing against his softly, and she closed her eyes.
"You... are an idiot," she spoke, mainly referring to herself, because she was. She was allowing herself something she wasn't sure she'd ever have. And that had been something she had been okay with, at first. She was okay with not having anyone, her shop and the others being her current life, but now... it was different. And he was making it so. "I really don't like you," she started, winding her arms around his torso, pulling away to lean her head against his chest, "for this," she concluded, the smile she had been lacking, returning to her face.
Unseen to Rika, a very tiny smile curved Fang’s mouth as well, his eyes growing soft. He placed a hand atop her head, moving his fingers through her hair with surprising tenderness. He’d almost managed to forget that she was not particularly experienced in such matters, and thus lacked the boldness of a more worldly woman. He didn’t hold it against her—his first romance had been too fast in all honesty, and he was interested to see what things would be like if allowed to come about more slowly. There was a flutter of guilt in his chest, but he suppressed it. That would be a concern for another time. For now, he was going to let this moment be no more and no less than it was.
The guilt could wait until tomorrow.
Fang knew what was happening to them—he was only surprised that Amon had at last perfected the ability to such a degree as to make it truly permanent. It was worrisome on the one hand, but on the other… surely it would eliminate the need for killing. He found that he told it to himself repeatedly even though he couldn’t believe it, anything to assuage his continuing guilt. Regardless, he knew also that this meant that Amon would scale up this kind of activity, and he had no doubt the Equalist leader would plan something special for Shao, the Council member, and two of the three parts of the city’s most popular probending team.
He didn’t like thinking about it. So instead, he checked the plants in his apartment, including the dried ones hanging from the ceiling in places, and gathered up several of them, placing them into small cloth bags, which he tucked under his arm in preparation for a trip partway across the city. As usual, Fang traveled by rooftop, but for once, he allowed himself free use of his airbending when he did, exhilarating in the rush of quite nearly flying over the industrial architecture of the metropolis. In truth, he wasn’t sure if she would really want to see him, considering everything, but… he had the desire to bring her some small gift anyway, if only to lift her mood for a moment. It was a curious thought, really, that he could so acutely miss the smile of someone who was not dead. But he missed it all the same.
Taking his usual window in, he proceeded to Rika’s door, adjusting the packages under his elbow and raising his other hand to knock.
Rika had moped around her apartment for the last three days. They were gone, and she couldn't have done anything to stop their capture. As much as Ying grated her nerves, she knew that even the Firebender did not deserve being kidnapped. She felt bad about it, however; the painful ache in her chest for Daichi was on a different level. He was her friend, one of the first people she had met when she'd moved to Republic City. He and Ying had been a couple at the time, barely starting their own Probending team, and it was something Rika had enjoyed seeing them do. They had always been good, and now, they were one of the best teams. She had to think that attributed to their practice sessions. Of course, it had been a few years before they'd actually became the Pygmy Pumas, but nonetheless, his departure had felt like a crippling blow to her.
Then, there was the revelation that Fang was an airbender. He had spoken nothing of it, and she knew she shouldn't blame him for anything, because it was his decision to tell them what he was, however; it did not stop the small part of her feeling hurt about it. Was there something wrong, did he not trust them enough to tell them even that? Were they not friends? The hurt was a dull ache at first, but the more she thought about it, and the more she thought about Daichi, it had increased to a steady rhythm. She had cried herself to sleep that night, overwhelmed by everything, and the next morning she had refused to leave her apartment. Haki had tried to coax her out, but she shoved him out and refused to see him. She didn't even give Kiara a chance to speak with her, and had locked all her windows and doors so that they wouldn't try.
She just needed to deal, and with them around, she couldn't. But now, it was the third day and San glanced up at his owner in a worried glance. Rika offered a half smile and hooked her index finger around his ear, scratching behind it softly. Jiao and San had been the only comfort she had those three days, and she was grateful for that. Odd, that she would find comfort in her fireferrets than her friends, but she thought nothing more of it. She pursed her lips together at the sound of knocking at the door, and tilted her head. She wasn't expecting company, and knew that Haki was looking after the shop for her right now. It might have been Kiara, and Rika's frown deepened. She owed her friend an apology at least, and it was with that in mind that she made her way to the door.
"Ah, Fang," she stated in mild surprise. That... wasn't exactly who she was planning on seeing at her door, but nonetheless opened it for him to step through. "Come in," she offered, her voice still light and soft. She wasn't exactly in a talking mood, and he was the last person she expected to see. "I... can make some tea if you'd like. I wasn't expecting anyone today," she mused, closing the door behind him and making her way towards the living room.
Fang shook his head slightly. “Today,” he said quietly, “I will make tea for you.” The emphasis on the word was only slight, but he headed to the kitchen, taking the teapot down from the cupboard and setting it on the burner. Funny, that he had once despaired of never being able to light it with bending. He had been a disappointment to his family, and he knew that. He’d never even begun to imagine that he could possibly be attuned instead to one of the other elements. As it happened, the plants he grew best were tea leaves, and he grew them very well indeed. The flavor of these was exotic and spicy, a Fire Nation plant that colored the water a deep gold, with just the faintest hint of cinnamon-brown. It smelled like home to him, like his mother and their sitting room. Like summer and the sound of cicadas outside the window, if indeed a sound could be associated with a smell in such a way.
Oftentimes, she would accidentally burn tea, when he lost focus thinking about something else, but this time he didn’t let himself, putting the rest of his thoughts from his mind until it was done, transferred into the pot it would sit in, and two cups of it poured. Balancing the tea tray as well as he did books on his head, he brought it into the living room and set it down on the low table in front of her sofa.
Steam rose from his cup and hers both, and with a little flick of his fingers, he shaped it into little whirling cloud-shapes, his a model of the cityscape that spread and faded slowly, hers a likeness of one of the ferrets that sat with her, running around her head once before it dispersed. If Kiara had been there, they would have been able to hold it together, since steam was air and water together, but by himself, he only had that much control for a little while.
“I know I should have told you,” he said, his voice still muted but somehow not very monotone at all. He sounded almost sad. “But this isn’t like other kinds of bending, anymore. It doesn’t just occasionally show up in a family, with nobody giving a second thought to it.” If anyone thought about it enough, they would have to know that he was closely and directly related to the Avatar, now a very old man living out the rest of his days peacefully on a mountainside somewhere. It wasn’t exactly the kind of notoriety he wanted. “I suppose I was just… afraid. I am a person with many secrets, all of them connected, and I… the only time someone ever knew them all ended very poorly for me.” He sipped his tea, staring intently into the middle distance.
"Oh, no you don't..." she began but couldn't say anything further. He was already in the kitchen and setting the teapot on the burner. She sighed softly, pursing her lips out. He didn't have to, and she would have made it regardless, but there was little point in pushing the subject when he was already making the tea. Instead, she took a seat on her couch and waited for the tea. Once it was finished, the steam ferret circled her head, and she did not stop her eyes from softening slightly, the smile still not quite reaching her. She took her cup and thanked him, taking a sip before setting the cup down. She wasn't expecting him to say anything, and really, she wouldn't blame him for not saying anything, but when he did, it only further caused the frown to deepen.
"You didn't have to say anything," she responded, glancing down at the cup in her hands. And he surely didn't owe her any explanation. "Your secrets are your own, and..." she paused, fidgeting the cup in her hands. She wanted to look up at him as she spoke, but she couldn't quite find the courage to do so. He didn't have to tell her anything, and she didn't expect him to. But there was a small part of her that wanted him to. They were friends, right? And that's what friends did, they shared secrets with each other, but only if they trusted each other enough. She sighed softly, sinking into her couch, allowing it to swallow her slightly.
"I didn't know Fang could be afraid of anything," she almost scoffed at herself, but it was enough to bring a small, barely noticeable, smile to her. "I've never seen Fang afraid of anything, though I couldn't say the same about myself... or even Haki," she continued, the smile growing only to falter. Haki was terrified of Ying, but now, she was gone. "But, doesn't keeping secrets... doesn't it hurt in the long run? When you have no one to tell them to? You... you don't owe anyone an explanation, least of all me," she continued, frowning as she tried to finish her sentences properly. "But... you're still my friend, right? I'd... be willing, if you'd let me, to listen," she finished, suddenly finding the comfort of the couch cushions a little more tolerable.
Fang snorted softly. He didn’t seem to be afraid of anything? He supposed that was true enough—there was little left in life that he truly feared. Because, as he had discovered, fear required attachment, and for what seemed like a long time, he’d had nothing of the sort. But now… he was learning to be afraid again, because he was learning how to care about people again. With that came a whole host of things—guilt, shame, and also a sort of profound loneliness. Well, more like… he was finally noticing how lonely he’d been the whole time, ever since he’d left his family. Even she hadn’t chased that away, though she’d had him convinced that she could.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he settled them on her face, surprised by how much easier it was to speak, when he knew it was her listening. “I’m the Avatar’s great-grandson,” he said quietly. “That alone doesn’t say much—he has about twenty of them. I’m related to him through his first daughter; she married one of the fire lord’s sons, and their only child was my mother. My father was Fire Nation as well.” It explained why he looked so much like that country’s nobility—more than most firebenders ever did. Certainly more than Haki did, given the color of the other man’s eyes.
“For most of my childhood, it was believed that I wasn’t a bender at all. So my mother taught me of swords and other weapons, as she had learned from Fire Lord Zuko, her grandfather. It wasn’t until I was fifteen or so that we finally understood why the flames would not do my bidding.” It was because the air was his to command instead. “They sent me here, to my great-uncle, Tenzin, so I could learn to use it.” He took another sip of his tea, sighing just barely audibly.
“I… wasn’t a particularly obedient teenager, and I fell in with… a bad crowd, you could say.” Whatever else he was going to tell her, he couldn’t confess to being an Equalist. Not while he still felt so… uncertain about it all himself. “I never told any of them who I was. When you spend long enough in that world, you begin to suspect that everyone only wants to use you.” As it turned out, that was just as true of Equalists as nobility, but he didn’t say that, not quite yet.
“I met her then. The one who would eventually know all my secrets.” He closed his eyes against the strength of the memory. She’d just been so beautiful, in a way he’d never really seen before. A way that radiated confidence and sensuality and poise. It was the elegance and grace he’d always been taught to appreciate combined with something heady and raw, like the overwhelming scent of violets and wine. “Her name was Saki. She was… I loved her, perhaps.” He didn’t know what the word really was for it. He’d heard love used to describe pure things, but for Fang, nothing in his life had ever been pure, and so perhaps his love was always meant to be just the same, tainted with darker edges, lined with flickering shadows. Corrupt. The tea rolled over his tongue, and he eased the line of his shoulders and cracked his eyes open again, their color catching the light in an uncanny glimmer.
“But she… well, I suppose she might have cared about me, in her own way. In the end though, what she wanted out of me was use. She knew I had never counted myself worth much, and so she let me believe that to her, I was worth something. To this day, I am not sure if she was being truthful or dissembling.” Maybe he had mattered, a little, but not the way she had mattered to him. He didn’t carry that same fascination as she did to him. She would not have changed who she really was just for him. She would not have devoted herself to a cause she no longer believed in long after his death, just because she’d promised him.
“And then… she died. It was an Earthbending Triad attack. Suddenly I realized I’d built my entire world around her and without her there to hold it up… it came crashing down around me.” He’d stopped expressing himself emotionally, stopped giving out his secrets and his trust to anyone at all. Until them. Until her.
She did as she said she would, she listened. And with each word he spoke, Rika couldn't help but feel something stabbing at her. It hurt, the way he spoke, perhaps not at first, but then he mentioned her. The pain, it was odd, because it didn't feel like the pain she was feeling with Daichi and Ying missing. It wasn't the pain she had felt when Kiara had left. It was different, and confusing all the same. How could words hurt like this? How could his words hurt like this? Rika couldn't say she knew how he felt, because she didn't. She had never really loved anyone more than a family member. Her shop demanded most of her attention, and before that, her father needed her. Her siblings had all worked to provide the best care for him, and she had remained home to ensure he had his daily doses of tea and medicine. But it wasn't enought to save him, and he had passed.
The love that he was speaking of must have been strong, to have him still in such a grasp. She could see it, even if she didn't want to, how it affected him, and it was that, perhaps, that caused the ache in her heart. Loving someone like that, so deeply... she wondered what that would be like. From the way he had talked about her, he had loved her, even if he might have meant otherwise. And that hurt even more when he spoke of her not caring about him in the same way. Even if she might have cared about him in some way, she had only wanted him for something, and Rika found herself standing from her chair, silent tears rolling down her face. It hurt just a little too much for her, but she did not regret a single word she had spoken. He had trusted her this much to tell her what he did, and she would not regret hearing it.
"Fang," she began, his name coming out as a cracked whisper. She hadn't even realized she was standing in front of him until her arms encircled his neck, burying her head into his shoulder as she wept. "I'm sorry," she spoke. Sorry for the things he had to endure, the things he had spoken of, she did not know entirely what she was apologizing for. She just felt the need to apologize, for everything that went wrong for him. "I'm so sorry," she continued. He had not believed he was worth much, and she had him believe that he was. "You are... you are worth something. You're my friend, and..." she paused, pulling back to regard him. Her eyes were red, and slightly puffy, however; there was a new spark behind them.
They glistened with a new resolve, and slowly, she blinked. She didn't realize how close to his face she was, and softly, she raised her head until it was leveled with his. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest, and before she could stop herself, she pressed herself forward. Realization dawned on her, and she tumbled backwards, falling from her spot and backing away. She hadn't meant to do that. It was a complete accident, and the sudden sadness was replaced by a large wave of guilt and embarrassment. She stuttered an apology and stood quickly from her spot, backing away until she was near her front door. She almost could have sworn Haki Jr. was dying of laughter at her, and it only caused her face to brighten more.
"I'm sorry Fang, I'm so, so, so, sorry. I... should go," she spoke, and in her stupor, she'd forgotten she was in her own home, and found herself out the front door with her back pressed against it. What did she do? It was innocent... and an accident. She kept repeating those words in her head.
He didn’t offer any resistance when she hugged him, though he kept himself from returning it. He was too… something. He wasn’t sure exactly what the word was; all he really knew was that he couldn’t let himself touch her, because he was on some sort of precipice, one he’d never really stood on before. He figured he might have just blindly stumbled off of it last time, and he didn’t want to repeat the mistake. He knew also that it would be very easy to do so—and that perhaps, in some ways at least, he already had. But even if so… she didn’t deserve that. His hands were not clean, and they never would be again. There was no coming back from eight murders and a lifetime of lies.
He swallowed thickly—the temptation to take the comfort offered was great, and he did not take any pleasure form the fact that he’d made her cry. He could distinctly remember coming here with the opposite intention, in fact, which was perhaps as good a sign as any of how well things generally went according to plan in his life. She pulled back a little, and he just barely kept himself from reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, instead freezing in place when she stopped not that far at all from his face.
The brush of her lips on his sent a jolt through his system—mostly because he hadn’t been expecting it at all. The contact was entirely chaste, and quite brief. Fang’s reflexes, usually viper-quick, were quite slow to catch up with events, and she was gone before he could so much as get a word in edgewise. Leaning his head back against the back of the chair he was in, he closed his eyes and grit his teeth. This wasn’t supposed to be happening—he’d never meant for it to. And yet… he could not deny the effect even such a simple gesture had had on him, and he would not try.
It was rather odd that she’d fled her own home, but he supposed she would eventually recognize that she had, and so he stood, moving to lean against the wall in the short entranceway of the apartment. This wasn’t something he would just let go without some kind of explanation—he’d made that error once already, and things had been intolerably awkward afterwards. Whatever else happened or did not happen, he didn’t want to repeat that experience.
Rika sighed harshly through her nose, pushing herself away from the door. What did she do? Why did she do that? She shouldn't have done that, but she couldn't stop herself. She didn't mean to do that, after all that he had said, she shouldn't have done something like that. Why couldn't she have just stayed in his shoulder, or on the couch, away from him? Why did she have to hug him? To kiss him? The confusion read clearly across her face as she made her way out the building. She passed by people who greeted her, some with concern as her eyes were still slightly red. She knew most of the people who lived in her apartment building, however; it hadn't fully dawned on her that she was at her apartment until she heard a familiar mewling. She glanced up and spotted Jiao and San staring out a window, confusion laced on their faces.
"And... I was home," she muttered to herself. She could see Jiao's tail swaying back and forth, a light kind of smile (if they could smile) playing on her lips. Rika took a deep breath and made her way back into her apartment complex, suddenly feeling a bit childish for having ran away. It was just an accident, she hadn't meant to do that, and she could only assume that he was upset with her. Why wouldn't he be? She kissed him after he told her things, about her, and that was how she repaid him. She groaned out loud, pulling her hand down her face in the process. She only hoped he had left, she wasn't entirely sure what she would tell him about that. She could almost hear Haki having the time of his life right now. To her surprise (or perhaps not), she opened her door to spot Fang leaning in the hallway, and she sighed, closing the door behind her.
"I... forgot I was already home," she spoke, avoiding eye contact with him. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't... I shouldn't have and I'm sorry," she spoke, rubbing her forearm as she kept her gaze everywhere but him. She didn't know what else to say, what else she could say.
“Are you?” Fang asked quietly. Though she wouldn’t look at him, his eyes were keenly fixed on her. It wasn’t quite the same, the fascination—it didn’t feel at all coerced or artificial. He didn’t feel like some kind of insect, drawn into the web of a knowing spider. He felt… he wasn’t sure exactly, because it was similar and yet so very different from anything he’d really felt before. He thought of her at extraordinarily odd moments of the day, when his mind was supposed to be focused on something else. He took succor in her mere presence. He thought he’d forgotten how to properly feel anything anymore—but she made him want to remember. She was waking him up, slowly, as though he’d been in some kind of slumber for years.
Without much warning, he was right in front of her, his index finger crooked under her chin and tilting her head upwards. “I’m not.”
Slowly, he lowered himself so that he was but a hairsbreath of distance from her mouth. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I am not sorry for it.” Tilting his head slightly to the side, he brushed her nose with his, his breath ghosting over her face like something clean and sweet, spiced faintly with the tea they’d been drinking. The hand at her chin moved to cradle her face, gently caressing the line of her jaw with callused fingers. Her skin was smooth against them, and his other found the lock of her hair he’d noted before, twisting it around a digit and tucking it behind her ear. For as close as he was, though, he did not close the distance. That was her decision to make—whether what she’d done was really a mistake she wanted to apologize for and let go, or something she meant to do and desired to repeat.
He would make no complaint either way.
She was sure Haki would have died by now. The color of her face would have matched the cheongsam Kiara had worn the day of the gala, a scarlet red. She felt a sudden hitch in her breath, and it was hard to breathe. At the close proximity, her heart was pounding against her chest in a loud, drum-like, rhythm. When did he get so close? She tried to take a breath, drown out the drumming in her ears, but she couldn't take a proper breath. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but she was afraid that she would not speak any words, and just repeat what she had done moments ago. She wasn't ignorant to her own feelings, but she had denied them for the sake of saving them. Why, why did he have to say those words? It didn't make any sense. He could have whomever he wanted, and he was telling her this.
"Fang... I," she managed to state, the hesitance still laced in her voice. She pursed her lips together as she stared at him. "It's not fair," she spoke, a hint of child-like tendency hidden beneath her voice. It wasn't fair because she didn't want to feel this way about him, and it wasn't fair that she made him feel something. But, she couldn't deny it any longer, and she wouldn't. It didn't mean she had to just accept it though. She was stubborn like that, but she could at least admit it. She pursed her lips a little further, however; the close proximity of both of their lips had hers brushing against his softly, and she closed her eyes.
"You... are an idiot," she spoke, mainly referring to herself, because she was. She was allowing herself something she wasn't sure she'd ever have. And that had been something she had been okay with, at first. She was okay with not having anyone, her shop and the others being her current life, but now... it was different. And he was making it so. "I really don't like you," she started, winding her arms around his torso, pulling away to lean her head against his chest, "for this," she concluded, the smile she had been lacking, returning to her face.
Unseen to Rika, a very tiny smile curved Fang’s mouth as well, his eyes growing soft. He placed a hand atop her head, moving his fingers through her hair with surprising tenderness. He’d almost managed to forget that she was not particularly experienced in such matters, and thus lacked the boldness of a more worldly woman. He didn’t hold it against her—his first romance had been too fast in all honesty, and he was interested to see what things would be like if allowed to come about more slowly. There was a flutter of guilt in his chest, but he suppressed it. That would be a concern for another time. For now, he was going to let this moment be no more and no less than it was.
The guilt could wait until tomorrow.
There was a slow drip coming from somewhere—she could hear it hitting the floor. If Zian were here, he might have been able to do something with it, but he wasn’t. It was just her, Daichi, and a bunch of people they didn’t know. Each of them was kept in a separate cell, but hers was right next to Daichi’s, a fact Ying had never really expected she would be grateful for but at this moment definitely was. He was so much more… stable than she was, and she really needed some of that stability right now. The other prisoners had told her what was going to happen to them—they were going to have their bending taken away, forever. For the first two days or so, she’d tried everything she could think of to get out of her cage—bending, brute strength, even the lockpicking basics she’d picked up on her flight from the Fire Nation, when she’d had to learn how to do that and also pick pockets to survive, something she hadn’t ever told anyone because it shamed her.
But nothing worked. All the cells were made of wood, which should have lit up like a tinderbox in summer with the amount of fire she’d applied to it. Unfortunately, it had all been coated with some kind of flame-redardant sealant, which also prevented waterbenders from extracting any water out of it. Apparently none of them were near the leak, either, or they probably would have used it by now. Exhausted from her efforts, Ying now sat in a corner of her cell, which was barred as the front was, allowing her to see into Daichi’s cell next to her. For the moment, though, she wasn’t looking, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. That probending match against the Otters felt like it had happened a year ago, not a mere three days or so. The only thing that proved otherwise was the fact that she was still in the burnt-orange-and-tan uniform of the Pygmy Pumas.
If she lost her bending, she’d never be able to wear it again. She’d never be able to start a fire in winter, or heat her gas stove without a match, or… it wasn’t even that which concerned her most, though. Most of all, she worried that she was going to lose a part of herself. The fire was part of her, bound up in her soul or her essence or whatever they wanted to call it. Without it… she would only be half a person. Not that she thought nonbenders were half-people, it was just… they must be born with something else where the fire was, something just as much a part of them. Only whatever it was couldn’t be taken away, not like this. Not like the other prisoners told her was going to happen to her.
Quietly, because she was embarrassed and ashamed of her weakness, Ying sniffed, and buried her face in her knees, hiding the first of the tears.
Daichi sat in the back of his cell, glancing up to stare at the ceiling. Three days had passed since they had taken him and Ying, and the others. He had remained as he always did, calm and assessed the situation. The cells they were held in were made of wood, that much he could tell. Most of the benders who could still bend were locked in similar cells, he assumed, because they would just be able to bend their way out of it. If they were metalbenders like he was, that is. He allowed himself a chance glance towards Ying, and allowed a frown to cover his face. They were told that their bending would be stripped from them, permanently. He wasn't so sure how he felt about that. If they took his bending from him, he would no longer be a part of the Pygmy Pumas... he'd no longer be on the police force.
That caused a dull ache to pull in his chest. He was frightened of losing his bending, losing his job, himself. His bending was a part of him as much as the oxygen was to his lungs. He breathed his bending, as odd as it may sound, and he had taken pride in it. He was one of the best at what he did, but now... he would be nothing. He could live with that, losing that part of him, but he couldn't live with the fact that he'd be losing his bending. Time went on, and what if he had children of his own, one day? Earthbenders like him? How was he going to train them to control it, without showing them? He wouldn't be able to, and he felt he would be the disappointment to the family. His gaze softened, though, when he spotted Ying pulling her legs closer to her.
"Ying," he called out softly, standing from his spot and walking over to her side. He looped his arms through the gaps of the cells, and peered down at her. He didn't have to be deaf to know what she was feeling. He'd known her for most of his life here, in Republic, and he had grown to know and see the subtle tendencies that she had, that she still had. He had found it amusing, once, the way her nose would crinkle at something she didn't like, or how her eyes would sparkle just a bit when she saw something she liked, or at something he said. He had missed those days, but she had left him, and he had let her.
"It's okay, we'll get out of this," he spoke, but he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. Sure, he could say that, and mean it, however; it didn't make it true. There might not be a way out of this, and there was the chance that they would have their bending taken away from them. It was a cold fact he was going to have to accept, but he could accept it. No matter how much he didn't want to, it was something he had to. But that didn't mean she had to. He needed to try something, anything to make her feel better, to take her mind off of what would inevitably happen.
Ying lifted her head, looking over at him with watery eyes. Her lower lip trembled—she knew him well enough to know when he was just trying to make her feel better. He was a good person like that, Daichi—much too good for someone like her. And a terrible liar where she was a damn good one. She sniffled again and shook her head. “No it’s not,” she said miserably, resting her chin on her knees and staring without really seeing anything just ahead. Despite the bars, he was close enough that she could hear him breathe, the steady sound quite different from her own seeming inability to calm herself. She tried to match her own to it, shaking slightly and gripping her knees hard to try and stop it. “They’re going to take away what we are.”
Firebending had been the best thing she had going for her for about as long as she could remember. Her family had only ever been minor nobility in the Fire Nation, honestly not even that noble or wealthy or anything. She’d been thoroughly average at basically everything that went with managing their estates or learning history or etiquette; passable, but not extraordinary. But her firebending—she’d been good at that. She’d always been good at that. And she could stand the thought of the one thing that made her her being taken away. “What am I going to be without it?” she asked hoarsely, in a raw whisper, turning her eyes to his as though to beg him for some answer she could live with.
"What you have always been, Ying," Daichi answered, his eyes softening. "You are an amazing bender, and an even more amazing person. You don't need your bending to show everyone that. You just need who you are. And who you are is the most amazing person I have ever met, bender or not," he spoke, allowing a sad smile to cover his face. Because to him, she would always be amazing. She didn't need her bending for him to know that, and she didn't have to prove anything to him nor anyone else. Her bending did not make her the person she is today, she did that all on her own, and if he had the chance, he would show it to her... again. He sighed softly, the smile never faltering from his face.
"I am not just saying that as your friend, either. I mean it. When people see you out on the streets, they see Ying, the Pygmy Puma, and recognize her. They do not see Ying, the firebender," he continued, though in a way, the two were not so different. She was a Pygmy Puma, but they did not associate her with her bending. They had seen her, but he had seen her. He slid his hands along the bars, gripping at them as he continued to stare at her, holding her gaze for what seemed like hours. Even now, he could still feel so lost in her eyes. Nothing around them seemed to matter, so long as he still had her.
"And what you would be, is the same person I had fallen for, and still love," because he did, and he would no longer pretend that he didn't. If their bending was taken, he could live with that, as long as he still had her. Friendship or otherwise. Because she was all that mattered to him... not his bending.
“Stupid,” she called him as if in response. Though honestly it had more to do with the fact that she was now crying harder than anything else. In the end, they were both stupid. Somewhere in this whole mess, everything had become too mixed-up to bear anymore. “You couldn’t just go find yourself someone else, could you?” It wouldn’t have been hard. She knew better than anyone else just how simple it would have been, for him to be loved by somebody else. He was the kind of person who made it seem so easy. It had been easy. So much so that it scared her.
She’d never had something so perfect in her whole life as his companionship and his love, and of course that could really only mean that something was wrong. It had taken her a while, but she’d figured out that the wrong part was her. She just didn’t fit into his life the right way. She’d have to be more generous, less selfish, nobler somehow. So she’d cut those ties between them and started chasing other men around, or letting them come to her, hoping all the while that she’d eventually stop remembering that none of them was anywhere near as good as he was. The only one who might have come close wasn’t even remotely interested, and she deserved that, maybe. For breaking his heart.
But it was better in the long run for both of them. Before they’d met, he’d been a police officer and she nothing more than a petty criminal. A runaway, someone without a home or any sort of skills she could use to make a better life for herself. The probending team had been her idea, and now she wondered if maybe this whole thing would never have happened to him if they’d never met. Never started the Pumas. “You shouldn’t love me—it’s my fault you’re here. It’s my fault they’re going to take away your bending.” New words, same thought, one she’d kept close to her heart and as far away from him as she could.
I’m not good enough for you.
Daichi shook his head and sighed. "No, Ying. None of this is your fault. It's not any of our fault. We... just, we were captured Ying. If anything, it is my fault that you are here. I should... I should have protected you," he spoke, his eyes narrowing slightly as his grip tightened around the bars. He was an officer, he should have protected everyone, her, and he had failed to do that. She should be blaming him for that mistake, not herself. And maybe she was right. Maybe he shouldn't love her, but it didn't change the fact that he did. If he were being honest, he had tried. He had tried loving someone else, but he couldn't. No one seemed to compare to Ying, and he had found it difficult. He thought, once, that he could love someone, but she just turned out to be like a sister to him. He couldn't see her as he saw Ying, and part of him had been glad that he couldn't.
"I've tried, Ying," he confessed, his voice a solemn whisper. "I've tried loving another person, but... they couldn't compare to you, because they were not you," he continued, sighing softly through his nose. If they took away his bending, he could live with that, but if they took her away, he wasn't so sure he could. "If that is what it took to save you, I would let them take it. They can have my bending if that is what it takes to save you, Ying. My bending does not make me who I am. It's you, it's always been you," he finished, allowing his hands to slide away from the bars.
"We'll get out of this, I promise, Ying. Will you trust me on that?" he would try everything he could to get them out of here. He needed her to trust him on that. He would try to get them out of here, bending intact, if only hers. He would.
She hiccuped softly, unable to manage much in the way of speech at the moment, but her left hand snaked through the bars keeping them apart, finding his and holding it like she might die if they let go. She couldn’t look at him, but she couldn’t exactly keep herself away from him, either. Lacing their fingers together, she nodded softly against her knees. She would trust him.
Always.
But nothing worked. All the cells were made of wood, which should have lit up like a tinderbox in summer with the amount of fire she’d applied to it. Unfortunately, it had all been coated with some kind of flame-redardant sealant, which also prevented waterbenders from extracting any water out of it. Apparently none of them were near the leak, either, or they probably would have used it by now. Exhausted from her efforts, Ying now sat in a corner of her cell, which was barred as the front was, allowing her to see into Daichi’s cell next to her. For the moment, though, she wasn’t looking, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. That probending match against the Otters felt like it had happened a year ago, not a mere three days or so. The only thing that proved otherwise was the fact that she was still in the burnt-orange-and-tan uniform of the Pygmy Pumas.
If she lost her bending, she’d never be able to wear it again. She’d never be able to start a fire in winter, or heat her gas stove without a match, or… it wasn’t even that which concerned her most, though. Most of all, she worried that she was going to lose a part of herself. The fire was part of her, bound up in her soul or her essence or whatever they wanted to call it. Without it… she would only be half a person. Not that she thought nonbenders were half-people, it was just… they must be born with something else where the fire was, something just as much a part of them. Only whatever it was couldn’t be taken away, not like this. Not like the other prisoners told her was going to happen to her.
Quietly, because she was embarrassed and ashamed of her weakness, Ying sniffed, and buried her face in her knees, hiding the first of the tears.
Daichi sat in the back of his cell, glancing up to stare at the ceiling. Three days had passed since they had taken him and Ying, and the others. He had remained as he always did, calm and assessed the situation. The cells they were held in were made of wood, that much he could tell. Most of the benders who could still bend were locked in similar cells, he assumed, because they would just be able to bend their way out of it. If they were metalbenders like he was, that is. He allowed himself a chance glance towards Ying, and allowed a frown to cover his face. They were told that their bending would be stripped from them, permanently. He wasn't so sure how he felt about that. If they took his bending from him, he would no longer be a part of the Pygmy Pumas... he'd no longer be on the police force.
That caused a dull ache to pull in his chest. He was frightened of losing his bending, losing his job, himself. His bending was a part of him as much as the oxygen was to his lungs. He breathed his bending, as odd as it may sound, and he had taken pride in it. He was one of the best at what he did, but now... he would be nothing. He could live with that, losing that part of him, but he couldn't live with the fact that he'd be losing his bending. Time went on, and what if he had children of his own, one day? Earthbenders like him? How was he going to train them to control it, without showing them? He wouldn't be able to, and he felt he would be the disappointment to the family. His gaze softened, though, when he spotted Ying pulling her legs closer to her.
"Ying," he called out softly, standing from his spot and walking over to her side. He looped his arms through the gaps of the cells, and peered down at her. He didn't have to be deaf to know what she was feeling. He'd known her for most of his life here, in Republic, and he had grown to know and see the subtle tendencies that she had, that she still had. He had found it amusing, once, the way her nose would crinkle at something she didn't like, or how her eyes would sparkle just a bit when she saw something she liked, or at something he said. He had missed those days, but she had left him, and he had let her.
"It's okay, we'll get out of this," he spoke, but he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. Sure, he could say that, and mean it, however; it didn't make it true. There might not be a way out of this, and there was the chance that they would have their bending taken away from them. It was a cold fact he was going to have to accept, but he could accept it. No matter how much he didn't want to, it was something he had to. But that didn't mean she had to. He needed to try something, anything to make her feel better, to take her mind off of what would inevitably happen.
Ying lifted her head, looking over at him with watery eyes. Her lower lip trembled—she knew him well enough to know when he was just trying to make her feel better. He was a good person like that, Daichi—much too good for someone like her. And a terrible liar where she was a damn good one. She sniffled again and shook her head. “No it’s not,” she said miserably, resting her chin on her knees and staring without really seeing anything just ahead. Despite the bars, he was close enough that she could hear him breathe, the steady sound quite different from her own seeming inability to calm herself. She tried to match her own to it, shaking slightly and gripping her knees hard to try and stop it. “They’re going to take away what we are.”
Firebending had been the best thing she had going for her for about as long as she could remember. Her family had only ever been minor nobility in the Fire Nation, honestly not even that noble or wealthy or anything. She’d been thoroughly average at basically everything that went with managing their estates or learning history or etiquette; passable, but not extraordinary. But her firebending—she’d been good at that. She’d always been good at that. And she could stand the thought of the one thing that made her her being taken away. “What am I going to be without it?” she asked hoarsely, in a raw whisper, turning her eyes to his as though to beg him for some answer she could live with.
"What you have always been, Ying," Daichi answered, his eyes softening. "You are an amazing bender, and an even more amazing person. You don't need your bending to show everyone that. You just need who you are. And who you are is the most amazing person I have ever met, bender or not," he spoke, allowing a sad smile to cover his face. Because to him, she would always be amazing. She didn't need her bending for him to know that, and she didn't have to prove anything to him nor anyone else. Her bending did not make her the person she is today, she did that all on her own, and if he had the chance, he would show it to her... again. He sighed softly, the smile never faltering from his face.
"I am not just saying that as your friend, either. I mean it. When people see you out on the streets, they see Ying, the Pygmy Puma, and recognize her. They do not see Ying, the firebender," he continued, though in a way, the two were not so different. She was a Pygmy Puma, but they did not associate her with her bending. They had seen her, but he had seen her. He slid his hands along the bars, gripping at them as he continued to stare at her, holding her gaze for what seemed like hours. Even now, he could still feel so lost in her eyes. Nothing around them seemed to matter, so long as he still had her.
"And what you would be, is the same person I had fallen for, and still love," because he did, and he would no longer pretend that he didn't. If their bending was taken, he could live with that, as long as he still had her. Friendship or otherwise. Because she was all that mattered to him... not his bending.
“Stupid,” she called him as if in response. Though honestly it had more to do with the fact that she was now crying harder than anything else. In the end, they were both stupid. Somewhere in this whole mess, everything had become too mixed-up to bear anymore. “You couldn’t just go find yourself someone else, could you?” It wouldn’t have been hard. She knew better than anyone else just how simple it would have been, for him to be loved by somebody else. He was the kind of person who made it seem so easy. It had been easy. So much so that it scared her.
She’d never had something so perfect in her whole life as his companionship and his love, and of course that could really only mean that something was wrong. It had taken her a while, but she’d figured out that the wrong part was her. She just didn’t fit into his life the right way. She’d have to be more generous, less selfish, nobler somehow. So she’d cut those ties between them and started chasing other men around, or letting them come to her, hoping all the while that she’d eventually stop remembering that none of them was anywhere near as good as he was. The only one who might have come close wasn’t even remotely interested, and she deserved that, maybe. For breaking his heart.
But it was better in the long run for both of them. Before they’d met, he’d been a police officer and she nothing more than a petty criminal. A runaway, someone without a home or any sort of skills she could use to make a better life for herself. The probending team had been her idea, and now she wondered if maybe this whole thing would never have happened to him if they’d never met. Never started the Pumas. “You shouldn’t love me—it’s my fault you’re here. It’s my fault they’re going to take away your bending.” New words, same thought, one she’d kept close to her heart and as far away from him as she could.
I’m not good enough for you.
Daichi shook his head and sighed. "No, Ying. None of this is your fault. It's not any of our fault. We... just, we were captured Ying. If anything, it is my fault that you are here. I should... I should have protected you," he spoke, his eyes narrowing slightly as his grip tightened around the bars. He was an officer, he should have protected everyone, her, and he had failed to do that. She should be blaming him for that mistake, not herself. And maybe she was right. Maybe he shouldn't love her, but it didn't change the fact that he did. If he were being honest, he had tried. He had tried loving someone else, but he couldn't. No one seemed to compare to Ying, and he had found it difficult. He thought, once, that he could love someone, but she just turned out to be like a sister to him. He couldn't see her as he saw Ying, and part of him had been glad that he couldn't.
"I've tried, Ying," he confessed, his voice a solemn whisper. "I've tried loving another person, but... they couldn't compare to you, because they were not you," he continued, sighing softly through his nose. If they took away his bending, he could live with that, but if they took her away, he wasn't so sure he could. "If that is what it took to save you, I would let them take it. They can have my bending if that is what it takes to save you, Ying. My bending does not make me who I am. It's you, it's always been you," he finished, allowing his hands to slide away from the bars.
"We'll get out of this, I promise, Ying. Will you trust me on that?" he would try everything he could to get them out of here. He needed her to trust him on that. He would try to get them out of here, bending intact, if only hers. He would.
She hiccuped softly, unable to manage much in the way of speech at the moment, but her left hand snaked through the bars keeping them apart, finding his and holding it like she might die if they let go. She couldn’t look at him, but she couldn’t exactly keep herself away from him, either. Lacing their fingers together, she nodded softly against her knees. She would trust him.
Always.
Haki grinned down at Rika, a frown marring her face. Today, they were all with Fang, learning how to be a little more invisible to people. He had the talent and knack for it, and if they wanted to get the others back, they had to be just as talented at it as Fang was. So far, Haki had proven to be somewhat able, having had a bit of training from his father, though perhaps not to be stealthy. He just needed to learn to be light on his feet, and so far, it was paying off, however; for someone who was used to being grounded, Rika wasn't faring so well. Haki offered her a hand up, as she had tripped over her own feet, and she smacked it away, a defiant frown marring her face. He merely chuckled in response.
"You know Lotus, I thought you were supposed to be in tuned with the ground? Isn't that how earthbenders see?" he chimed, humming a light tune in the process. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he chuckled lightly at her. "Or is it that you are distracted?" he noted, his smirk inching up just slightly. At the mere mention of something so innocent, Rika's face flared just slightly before it receded. She pursed her lips at him and chucked a small piece of earth in his direction, nicking him in the back of the head when he turned around.
"It's not the same thing, Haki," she spat back, picking herself up from the floor. She decided not to acknowledge his other statement, instead, going back to the session she was currently trying to master. "Besides, being stealthy means not being noticed, not whether your feet touch the ground or not," though that wasn't exactly true. Being stealthy meant making as little noise as possible without being seen. And so far, she was failing. Haki laughed at her statement and shook his head.
"I still think you're distracted," he barely ducked in time to avoid a rather large rock aiming for his temple.
“You’re terrible,” Kiara told him matter-of-factly, smacking him in the arm to punctuate the statement. “Besides, you don’t get to make fun of anyone else until you’re as good as Fang is.” And they were all still far from that. Kiara herself wasn’t bad at the stealth thing, at least not in the sense that she had a heavy tread or trouble with her balance—it was actually not that different from dancing. But she occasionally scuffed something or failed to notice when someone’s line of sight changed, and thus she wasn’t exactly invisible, even if she was mostly inaudible.
Strangely, Fang had been able to predict these problems almost down to a T. When the others had come to him, expressing their desire to learn to move quietly so they could join the search for Ying and Daichi, he had known that the choice was growing closer—the moment when he would have to decide what mattered more to him—his freedom and his promise, or doing the thing he knew was right and giving them the truth. He was not deluded—he knew that confessing to his crimes would see him put in prison, possibly for the rest of his life. It would mean that he lost not only his ability to live as he chose, but also quite likely their friendship… and whatever it was that he might one day have with Rika. It made the choice an unattractive one, but more than anything, his conscience was pulling at him. More and more benders were reappearing from capture, and they were telling stories of imprisonment that he had not even known to be true.
He was learning that Amon’s depravity had sunk much lower than he had ever believed, and it was loosening the hold the Equalist leader had over him, loosening the hold she had over him. Because while he knew she might not have minded most of what he’d had to do already, the occasional death of a corrupt politician or businessman, he had to believe she would not have wanted the innocent to be hurt. And they continued to be hurt, in raids, in collateral damage from fights with the triads, and in the occasional statement, like the explosion at his old apartment building. It wasn’t right, and Fang was finding that some part of him still cared about that after all.
He knew it would have remained dormant without them, and so it was to them he owed everything—the truth most of all. But first, he would give them what they needed to get by without him, if this was the course they chose. He had done terrible things, and he would pay for that, one way or another, in the end. Whether he died for the Equalists or went to prison having double-crossed them, he would get his dues. But he wanted—needed—to know that he had done everything he could for them first. And that started here.
“Try again,” he told them all. “I’ll close my eyes this time.” Right now, he was working on how much notice they made, getting them to sneak as close to him as they could without giving themselves away. He shot jets of air at them when he found them, which thus far had not been hard to do.
"Never said I wasn't," he responded, a light smirk crossing his features. Haki had to resist the urge to laugh at his friends before sighing. "That's a little harsh, Turtle-Duck. I don't think anyone could be as good as Fang," mainly because Fang had the advantage of being an airbender. They could, perhaps, reach a certain level, but they could never be as good as Fang. Even he could admit that. Instead, he chose to turn his attention back to Fang, and tried his hand again, managing to get a smidge closer before he was hit with a gust of air. Rika snickered behind her hands, however; that had caused her to be hit as well. She blinked, stared up at the sky, and shook her head.
"Not so easy is it, Lotus?" Haki spoke. She threw her hand at him, allowing it to hit the ground and pushed herself up. Perhaps, if they started treating this as something important, and not something of a game. Their friends lives were at stake, and they were playing. The thought caused Haki's eyes to soften slightly. He still felt bad for what happened to Ying and Daichi. As much as the woman frightened him, with her persistence, he didn't wish that upon anyone. Perhaps, he would try to make amends with Ying when they got her back. Not the way she may have wanted, but perhaps start new. Who knows, maybe they could be friends, if everything played out well.
"Shut up Haki," Rika retorted, causing him to chuckle lightly. He knew Rika wasn't taking it well, still, and had been the most determined one to learn. Though she was horrible at it so far, she was stubborn and persistent enough to keep trying where most would have given up already. And he admired that about his Lotus. Turtle-Duck, on the other hand, was proving to be slightly better than Lotus, and himself if had anything to say really, and he shook his head. They could keep trying, but unfortunately, they did not have the luxury of time. The longer they sat around, the less time they had to find and rescue the others.
Rika stood up, dusting off her training clothes before taking a deep breath. This should be easier for her. She was supposed to be able to be one with the earth, moving as it did, and though she could see if she had to, but it wasn't quite the same thing. Perhaps, if she applied that to her training, it might actually help. If she knew where her enemies were, she could at least learn to bypass them. Though, in this scenario, it wasn't quite the same either. She could actually see Fang, still. It would be a little more difficult, but she had to try. She owed it to Daichi, if no one else. He was, as she had thought of him on plenty of occasions, her brother. She would try again, as many times as it took until she had at least somewhat perfected it.
With renewed determination, the three of them plowed onwards. Well, that was the wrong word for it, really, considering how hard they were trying not to make any noise. Fang kept them at this exercise and various others for several hours, until everyone was exhausted, and then they parted ways, agreeing to meet again tomorrow at the same time for the same reason. They didn’t have long before Daichi and Ying were in real trouble, and though their skills would be far from perfect by then, Fang knew they would be adequate. And then he’d be able to tell them everything he knew, and let them go.
Just a few more days.
"You know Lotus, I thought you were supposed to be in tuned with the ground? Isn't that how earthbenders see?" he chimed, humming a light tune in the process. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he chuckled lightly at her. "Or is it that you are distracted?" he noted, his smirk inching up just slightly. At the mere mention of something so innocent, Rika's face flared just slightly before it receded. She pursed her lips at him and chucked a small piece of earth in his direction, nicking him in the back of the head when he turned around.
"It's not the same thing, Haki," she spat back, picking herself up from the floor. She decided not to acknowledge his other statement, instead, going back to the session she was currently trying to master. "Besides, being stealthy means not being noticed, not whether your feet touch the ground or not," though that wasn't exactly true. Being stealthy meant making as little noise as possible without being seen. And so far, she was failing. Haki laughed at her statement and shook his head.
"I still think you're distracted," he barely ducked in time to avoid a rather large rock aiming for his temple.
“You’re terrible,” Kiara told him matter-of-factly, smacking him in the arm to punctuate the statement. “Besides, you don’t get to make fun of anyone else until you’re as good as Fang is.” And they were all still far from that. Kiara herself wasn’t bad at the stealth thing, at least not in the sense that she had a heavy tread or trouble with her balance—it was actually not that different from dancing. But she occasionally scuffed something or failed to notice when someone’s line of sight changed, and thus she wasn’t exactly invisible, even if she was mostly inaudible.
Strangely, Fang had been able to predict these problems almost down to a T. When the others had come to him, expressing their desire to learn to move quietly so they could join the search for Ying and Daichi, he had known that the choice was growing closer—the moment when he would have to decide what mattered more to him—his freedom and his promise, or doing the thing he knew was right and giving them the truth. He was not deluded—he knew that confessing to his crimes would see him put in prison, possibly for the rest of his life. It would mean that he lost not only his ability to live as he chose, but also quite likely their friendship… and whatever it was that he might one day have with Rika. It made the choice an unattractive one, but more than anything, his conscience was pulling at him. More and more benders were reappearing from capture, and they were telling stories of imprisonment that he had not even known to be true.
He was learning that Amon’s depravity had sunk much lower than he had ever believed, and it was loosening the hold the Equalist leader had over him, loosening the hold she had over him. Because while he knew she might not have minded most of what he’d had to do already, the occasional death of a corrupt politician or businessman, he had to believe she would not have wanted the innocent to be hurt. And they continued to be hurt, in raids, in collateral damage from fights with the triads, and in the occasional statement, like the explosion at his old apartment building. It wasn’t right, and Fang was finding that some part of him still cared about that after all.
He knew it would have remained dormant without them, and so it was to them he owed everything—the truth most of all. But first, he would give them what they needed to get by without him, if this was the course they chose. He had done terrible things, and he would pay for that, one way or another, in the end. Whether he died for the Equalists or went to prison having double-crossed them, he would get his dues. But he wanted—needed—to know that he had done everything he could for them first. And that started here.
“Try again,” he told them all. “I’ll close my eyes this time.” Right now, he was working on how much notice they made, getting them to sneak as close to him as they could without giving themselves away. He shot jets of air at them when he found them, which thus far had not been hard to do.
"Never said I wasn't," he responded, a light smirk crossing his features. Haki had to resist the urge to laugh at his friends before sighing. "That's a little harsh, Turtle-Duck. I don't think anyone could be as good as Fang," mainly because Fang had the advantage of being an airbender. They could, perhaps, reach a certain level, but they could never be as good as Fang. Even he could admit that. Instead, he chose to turn his attention back to Fang, and tried his hand again, managing to get a smidge closer before he was hit with a gust of air. Rika snickered behind her hands, however; that had caused her to be hit as well. She blinked, stared up at the sky, and shook her head.
"Not so easy is it, Lotus?" Haki spoke. She threw her hand at him, allowing it to hit the ground and pushed herself up. Perhaps, if they started treating this as something important, and not something of a game. Their friends lives were at stake, and they were playing. The thought caused Haki's eyes to soften slightly. He still felt bad for what happened to Ying and Daichi. As much as the woman frightened him, with her persistence, he didn't wish that upon anyone. Perhaps, he would try to make amends with Ying when they got her back. Not the way she may have wanted, but perhaps start new. Who knows, maybe they could be friends, if everything played out well.
"Shut up Haki," Rika retorted, causing him to chuckle lightly. He knew Rika wasn't taking it well, still, and had been the most determined one to learn. Though she was horrible at it so far, she was stubborn and persistent enough to keep trying where most would have given up already. And he admired that about his Lotus. Turtle-Duck, on the other hand, was proving to be slightly better than Lotus, and himself if had anything to say really, and he shook his head. They could keep trying, but unfortunately, they did not have the luxury of time. The longer they sat around, the less time they had to find and rescue the others.
Rika stood up, dusting off her training clothes before taking a deep breath. This should be easier for her. She was supposed to be able to be one with the earth, moving as it did, and though she could see if she had to, but it wasn't quite the same thing. Perhaps, if she applied that to her training, it might actually help. If she knew where her enemies were, she could at least learn to bypass them. Though, in this scenario, it wasn't quite the same either. She could actually see Fang, still. It would be a little more difficult, but she had to try. She owed it to Daichi, if no one else. He was, as she had thought of him on plenty of occasions, her brother. She would try again, as many times as it took until she had at least somewhat perfected it.
With renewed determination, the three of them plowed onwards. Well, that was the wrong word for it, really, considering how hard they were trying not to make any noise. Fang kept them at this exercise and various others for several hours, until everyone was exhausted, and then they parted ways, agreeing to meet again tomorrow at the same time for the same reason. They didn’t have long before Daichi and Ying were in real trouble, and though their skills would be far from perfect by then, Fang knew they would be adequate. And then he’d be able to tell them everything he knew, and let them go.
Just a few more days.
It was time.
They were not especially adept at stealth, but any further progress would take them longer than they had to prepare themselves anyway. Fang knew that the day when Amon took away the bending of the Councilman and the two members of the Pygmy Pumas drew near. They would not be held indefinitely, and it was therefore important that his friends had all the information they could get… and some of that information could only come from him.
Which explained what he was currently doing outside of Haki’s residence. He knew that his friend had a connection on the Council, and Fang would need that connection now, for anyone to have any chance of doing something before time ran out. If he took his information directly to the police, it would take far too long to ascend the channels—Republic City law enforcement was not known for the quickest action, and if they were to have a hope of rescuing Daichi and Ying, they would need to be quick. So first, this, and then perhaps a repeat before a Councilman. He was not looking forward to facing the consequences of his actions, but he had decided that he deserved to, and he would. For their sake, if no one else’s. Because he cared enough about them to do the right thing. Because he cared enough in general to do the right thing, even if it meant breaking a promise he had faithfully kept for so long it had made him more machine than man. For them, for the world they deserved, he would face his crimes, and endure their punishment, whatever it may be.
Fang raised his knuckles, and knocked on Haki’s door.
Haki lay on his couch, arm draped over his eyes as half of his upper body dangled from the furniture. The last few days had taken an exceptional toll upon him. Between balancing his connection with Shun, and training with Fang and the others, it was starting to wear on him a little. If the dark circles underneath his eyes were anything to go by, then the way his hair, usually pristine and well kept, was a little coarse and shaggy. He breathed a heavy sigh, resting his free arm across his abdomen and allowed the steady rhythm of the wind chimes outside, lull him into a light slumber. It was, however, disturbed the moment a knock echoed through his apartment.
"Coming," he half groaned out, swinging his legs around before picking himself up. Slowly, almost begrudgingly, he dragged his feet along the floor, reaching the door and laid a hand against the frame. He was taking a temporary guess at who it could possibly be, and with a face in mind, he opened the door. "And I was wrong, I thought you were Lotus," he spoke, blinking in a confused manner as he glanced at Fang. He moved to the side, allowing the slightly taller man inside of his home. Once he was in, Haki shut the door behind him, closing his eyes momentarily and turning to properly greet the male.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he questioned, quirking his brow up in slight confusion. They were not going after Ying and Daichi quite yet. Today had been one of the rare off days, and he knew Fang was not here to chat. He wasn't the sort.
The question managed to compress Fang’s lips into a thin line, and he nodded towards the living room. It was… quite a long story, so perhaps it would be best if they were seated for it. Once he’d settled himself on the floor, his back up against an armchair, Fang looked down at this hands for a moment. They were nicked and scarred in several places from weapons practice, especially when he was a child. The pads of them were not soft, but roughened over and callused, the product of many years of using them on the hilts of swords and elements of architecture, to pull himself up and around, climb buildings, and suchlike. Would they go soft if he was never able to do any of those things again? The thought sat ill with him. But then, if this had been an easy thing to do, he’d have done it a long time ago.
Putting the words together the way he wanted them, he sighed through his nose and turned to look over at Haki. “I have some information for you, information that I suspect your Council contact will want to hear. Specifically, I can point out on a map ten different Equalist hideouts, as well as the most likely date and time for when Amon plans to take away the bending of Councilman Shao, Daichi, and Ying. If I give it to you, can you guarantee me it will reach the Shun directly and as soon as possible?”
Haki was at a loss of words. What was going on? Why would Fang have information like that to begin with? He gave his friend a confused look, and contemplated on what he was saying. Why would he want the information given to Shun quickly? He took a deep breath, sitting in his couch and placing his head in his hands. He couldn't exactly promise something like that, getting the information to Shun quickly, but he could at least try. Besides, he was scheduled to meet the councilman later today, maybe that would be the best time, assuming Fang told him the rest.
"Fang, what have you gotten yourself into?" he questioned, glancing over towards the airbender. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were pulled down into a deep frown. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Never mind that, I plan on meeting with the councilman later today," he stated, turning his attention outside the window for a moment. "Would that be quick enough for you?" he asked, glancing back towards Fang. It would be as good as any promise, and it was perfect timing, perhaps.
Fang nodded. He was certain that would be adequate. “Nothing I wasn’t involved with long before I met any of you,” Fang admitted quietly. “The reason I know so much about the Equalists is really rather simple: I am one. Or was. I suppose I will no longer be one when I am in prison or hanged.” Execution for his crimes was not the most likely option, but it was certainly a possibility, one he would accept like any of the others. He did not want to die, but he was willing to do so if it meant atonement. “I intend to turn myself in to the police this afternoon, but if I waited until then to say everything that I know, it would be too late to be useful. The Equalists move bases often, so that they are not found.”
“I believe that I know where they are keeping their prisoners currently, though I cannot say with absolute certainty. It was not… required knowledge, for what I do, and if I had asked, I suspect Amon would have become suspicious.” And tried to pull him back into the fold, no doubt… but not before having the prisoners moved. None of those were chances he could afford to take. He described the location to Haki briefly, along with when and where he expected the process of removing their bending would take place. “Amon tends to draw a crowd—it should not be too difficult to infiltrate, but stopping one in progress would put you against more Equalists than the three of you could handle. If the Council can arrange something, it is feasible… but otherwise, you are best off attempting to gain access to the prison without being seen, and break them out that way.”
He had thus far studiously avoided the topic of his own involvement with the Equalists, wanted to get all the necessary information out first, but now that he was done with the essentials, he fully expected questions, and resolved that, at least this once, he would answer anything he was asked as truthfully as he was able. He had been lying by omission for so very long that it was a habit by this point, but it was one he would not indulge right now. Not here, not to his friend.
Not anymore.
That was a bit of a revelation. Fang... was an Equalist? "That explains your answer to my question," Haki spoke casually, referring to the day the two of them went out for tea leaves. When Fang had lost his apartment and was still living with Haki at the time, and he shifted in his spot. Haki cringed slightly when Fang spoke of his potential punishments. He would be put in a cell, that was a given since he was an Equalist, but depending on the severity of his crimes, he wouldn't be hanged. He listened to Fang speak, telling him about the locations, a bit of what Amon did, but nothing of who Amon was. He also did not speak of his involvement with the Equalists, which Haki found a trifle odd. If he was an Equalist, surely he must have done some things.
"What exactly was your job?" he found himself inquiring. He didn't know why, but he felt that the more information he had, at least about Fang, the more he could help with Fang's sentencing. Perhaps not so much as he would like to have, like getting his crimes dismissed since he was, after all, helping them find the kidnapped benders, and councilman Shao. If they could save them before Amon stripped them of their bending, then maybe he could get the sentences dismissed, though not without help from Shun, of course. Haki was never one for using his position to help out with things of that nature, however; Fang was his friend. He could see why some people used their connections.
"Does anyone even know who Amon is?" he inquired further. He wasn't sure what that information would have a relevance to, however; if they knew who he was, perhaps it could help them dig into Amon's history to find out why he chose to do what he was doing. Perhaps... he had family they could use to try and persuade him to release the benders, and to put an end to this madness. He highly doubted it would work.
“I killed people, Haki,” was Fang’s muted reply. He looked dead into the other man’s eyes for a moment, then shook his head slightly. “Corrupt politicians, yes, human traffickers, yes, but people all the same.” He pushed a breath through his nose, then shook his head slightly. “Nobody knows who Amon is, not even I. He is masked even in our presence, his disguise never removed. Truthfully, I only say he because it saves needing to mention every time that I am unsure of the correct pronoun.” There was certainly a chance that Amon was female; Fang had never dismissed that possibility, but the Amon persona and name were both masculine in some sense, anyway. But who knew?
“Do not make any attempt to help me. I have done terrible things; it is time I paid for that.” He stood smoothly, rising to his feet fluidly and without hitch. His time as a free person was measured now not even in hours. For a moment, he contemplated going to see the other two… or to see her specifically, but that would be unfair of him. Unfair to her, and perhaps even a little bit unfair to himself. Punishment he deserved, but that would be a little like torture. “It is also time that other people stopped paying in my place. I have done what I am able—you have everything you need to get them back, if Councilman Shun will hear you.”
He paused for a moment, almost lost in thought, but he shook himself out of it. “This is, I expect, farewell. Please… look after them.” He knew they were not the kind of women who generally required looking after, and in truth, they probably took better care of himself and Haki than the other way around, but there was a silent request underneath the voiced one. Please tell them of me, so that they do not hear from someone else first. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough.
Haki was, once again, at a loss of words. Fang killed people. There was no question about it. It was a fact, one that was going to cost Fang dearly when he turned himself in. He made to speak to Fang, however; the statement the man provided caused Haki to close his mouth, a frown etching upon his features. He released a heavy breath, standing in response to Fang, and glanced at the airbender. He did not want his help, and he didn't want him to make that attempt. But Haki was not going to let his friend rot away in a cell. He might have done unforgivable things, and for a moment, he wondered how the other two would take the news. He was certain that Rika would not handle the news well... at all.
To know that she felt something for someone who had blood on his hands, it would probably devastate her. And knowing her, she would try everything she could to help him. It almost brought a sad smile to his face. He couldn't say for sure how Kiara would react. Perhaps she would feel hurt, or betrayed somehow, or perhaps she would take it as Rika probably would. He could not say for either of them, and his eyes softened. "Turtle-Duck and Lotus... I do not know how they will react to it, and I cannot guarantee it will be anything pleasant," he spoke, pausing momentarily to gather the rest of his thoughts.
"But I assure you, it will be they who will be looking after us," he replied, a small smile appearing on his face, and yet, it did not fully reach him. How could he smile knowing his friend was going to put himself on death row?
Fang disagreed, but nodded slightly anyway. There would be nobody looking after him anymore, and that was the way things needed to be. “Whatever their reactions are, let them have them.” He did not need defending—there was nothing to defend. The stark fact of the matter was that he had killed eight people in the service of the Equalists. Perhaps, if history saw him kindly, it would see him as a soldier rather than a murderer. Deaths in war tended to be forgiven, at least to a point. Fang, though, didn’t feel that there was much of a difference, even if his cause was much like a war. Even if it was just, in a way. Whether he was redeemable or unforgiveable was not for him to decide. Nor even, indeed, for them, though their opinions were perhaps the only ones that mattered to him anymore.
He wished that they would remember him for whatever worth he’d had as a friend, rather than the rest of it. But he did not deserve to hope for such a thing, and so he did not. Turning, he departed Haki’s home and made his way over the roofs of Republic City until he stood in front of the police building. With a long inhale, he took in his last breath of fresh air for what might be forever, and strode into the headquarters.
They were not especially adept at stealth, but any further progress would take them longer than they had to prepare themselves anyway. Fang knew that the day when Amon took away the bending of the Councilman and the two members of the Pygmy Pumas drew near. They would not be held indefinitely, and it was therefore important that his friends had all the information they could get… and some of that information could only come from him.
Which explained what he was currently doing outside of Haki’s residence. He knew that his friend had a connection on the Council, and Fang would need that connection now, for anyone to have any chance of doing something before time ran out. If he took his information directly to the police, it would take far too long to ascend the channels—Republic City law enforcement was not known for the quickest action, and if they were to have a hope of rescuing Daichi and Ying, they would need to be quick. So first, this, and then perhaps a repeat before a Councilman. He was not looking forward to facing the consequences of his actions, but he had decided that he deserved to, and he would. For their sake, if no one else’s. Because he cared enough about them to do the right thing. Because he cared enough in general to do the right thing, even if it meant breaking a promise he had faithfully kept for so long it had made him more machine than man. For them, for the world they deserved, he would face his crimes, and endure their punishment, whatever it may be.
Fang raised his knuckles, and knocked on Haki’s door.
Haki lay on his couch, arm draped over his eyes as half of his upper body dangled from the furniture. The last few days had taken an exceptional toll upon him. Between balancing his connection with Shun, and training with Fang and the others, it was starting to wear on him a little. If the dark circles underneath his eyes were anything to go by, then the way his hair, usually pristine and well kept, was a little coarse and shaggy. He breathed a heavy sigh, resting his free arm across his abdomen and allowed the steady rhythm of the wind chimes outside, lull him into a light slumber. It was, however, disturbed the moment a knock echoed through his apartment.
"Coming," he half groaned out, swinging his legs around before picking himself up. Slowly, almost begrudgingly, he dragged his feet along the floor, reaching the door and laid a hand against the frame. He was taking a temporary guess at who it could possibly be, and with a face in mind, he opened the door. "And I was wrong, I thought you were Lotus," he spoke, blinking in a confused manner as he glanced at Fang. He moved to the side, allowing the slightly taller man inside of his home. Once he was in, Haki shut the door behind him, closing his eyes momentarily and turning to properly greet the male.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he questioned, quirking his brow up in slight confusion. They were not going after Ying and Daichi quite yet. Today had been one of the rare off days, and he knew Fang was not here to chat. He wasn't the sort.
The question managed to compress Fang’s lips into a thin line, and he nodded towards the living room. It was… quite a long story, so perhaps it would be best if they were seated for it. Once he’d settled himself on the floor, his back up against an armchair, Fang looked down at this hands for a moment. They were nicked and scarred in several places from weapons practice, especially when he was a child. The pads of them were not soft, but roughened over and callused, the product of many years of using them on the hilts of swords and elements of architecture, to pull himself up and around, climb buildings, and suchlike. Would they go soft if he was never able to do any of those things again? The thought sat ill with him. But then, if this had been an easy thing to do, he’d have done it a long time ago.
Putting the words together the way he wanted them, he sighed through his nose and turned to look over at Haki. “I have some information for you, information that I suspect your Council contact will want to hear. Specifically, I can point out on a map ten different Equalist hideouts, as well as the most likely date and time for when Amon plans to take away the bending of Councilman Shao, Daichi, and Ying. If I give it to you, can you guarantee me it will reach the Shun directly and as soon as possible?”
Haki was at a loss of words. What was going on? Why would Fang have information like that to begin with? He gave his friend a confused look, and contemplated on what he was saying. Why would he want the information given to Shun quickly? He took a deep breath, sitting in his couch and placing his head in his hands. He couldn't exactly promise something like that, getting the information to Shun quickly, but he could at least try. Besides, he was scheduled to meet the councilman later today, maybe that would be the best time, assuming Fang told him the rest.
"Fang, what have you gotten yourself into?" he questioned, glancing over towards the airbender. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were pulled down into a deep frown. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Never mind that, I plan on meeting with the councilman later today," he stated, turning his attention outside the window for a moment. "Would that be quick enough for you?" he asked, glancing back towards Fang. It would be as good as any promise, and it was perfect timing, perhaps.
Fang nodded. He was certain that would be adequate. “Nothing I wasn’t involved with long before I met any of you,” Fang admitted quietly. “The reason I know so much about the Equalists is really rather simple: I am one. Or was. I suppose I will no longer be one when I am in prison or hanged.” Execution for his crimes was not the most likely option, but it was certainly a possibility, one he would accept like any of the others. He did not want to die, but he was willing to do so if it meant atonement. “I intend to turn myself in to the police this afternoon, but if I waited until then to say everything that I know, it would be too late to be useful. The Equalists move bases often, so that they are not found.”
“I believe that I know where they are keeping their prisoners currently, though I cannot say with absolute certainty. It was not… required knowledge, for what I do, and if I had asked, I suspect Amon would have become suspicious.” And tried to pull him back into the fold, no doubt… but not before having the prisoners moved. None of those were chances he could afford to take. He described the location to Haki briefly, along with when and where he expected the process of removing their bending would take place. “Amon tends to draw a crowd—it should not be too difficult to infiltrate, but stopping one in progress would put you against more Equalists than the three of you could handle. If the Council can arrange something, it is feasible… but otherwise, you are best off attempting to gain access to the prison without being seen, and break them out that way.”
He had thus far studiously avoided the topic of his own involvement with the Equalists, wanted to get all the necessary information out first, but now that he was done with the essentials, he fully expected questions, and resolved that, at least this once, he would answer anything he was asked as truthfully as he was able. He had been lying by omission for so very long that it was a habit by this point, but it was one he would not indulge right now. Not here, not to his friend.
Not anymore.
That was a bit of a revelation. Fang... was an Equalist? "That explains your answer to my question," Haki spoke casually, referring to the day the two of them went out for tea leaves. When Fang had lost his apartment and was still living with Haki at the time, and he shifted in his spot. Haki cringed slightly when Fang spoke of his potential punishments. He would be put in a cell, that was a given since he was an Equalist, but depending on the severity of his crimes, he wouldn't be hanged. He listened to Fang speak, telling him about the locations, a bit of what Amon did, but nothing of who Amon was. He also did not speak of his involvement with the Equalists, which Haki found a trifle odd. If he was an Equalist, surely he must have done some things.
"What exactly was your job?" he found himself inquiring. He didn't know why, but he felt that the more information he had, at least about Fang, the more he could help with Fang's sentencing. Perhaps not so much as he would like to have, like getting his crimes dismissed since he was, after all, helping them find the kidnapped benders, and councilman Shao. If they could save them before Amon stripped them of their bending, then maybe he could get the sentences dismissed, though not without help from Shun, of course. Haki was never one for using his position to help out with things of that nature, however; Fang was his friend. He could see why some people used their connections.
"Does anyone even know who Amon is?" he inquired further. He wasn't sure what that information would have a relevance to, however; if they knew who he was, perhaps it could help them dig into Amon's history to find out why he chose to do what he was doing. Perhaps... he had family they could use to try and persuade him to release the benders, and to put an end to this madness. He highly doubted it would work.
“I killed people, Haki,” was Fang’s muted reply. He looked dead into the other man’s eyes for a moment, then shook his head slightly. “Corrupt politicians, yes, human traffickers, yes, but people all the same.” He pushed a breath through his nose, then shook his head slightly. “Nobody knows who Amon is, not even I. He is masked even in our presence, his disguise never removed. Truthfully, I only say he because it saves needing to mention every time that I am unsure of the correct pronoun.” There was certainly a chance that Amon was female; Fang had never dismissed that possibility, but the Amon persona and name were both masculine in some sense, anyway. But who knew?
“Do not make any attempt to help me. I have done terrible things; it is time I paid for that.” He stood smoothly, rising to his feet fluidly and without hitch. His time as a free person was measured now not even in hours. For a moment, he contemplated going to see the other two… or to see her specifically, but that would be unfair of him. Unfair to her, and perhaps even a little bit unfair to himself. Punishment he deserved, but that would be a little like torture. “It is also time that other people stopped paying in my place. I have done what I am able—you have everything you need to get them back, if Councilman Shun will hear you.”
He paused for a moment, almost lost in thought, but he shook himself out of it. “This is, I expect, farewell. Please… look after them.” He knew they were not the kind of women who generally required looking after, and in truth, they probably took better care of himself and Haki than the other way around, but there was a silent request underneath the voiced one. Please tell them of me, so that they do not hear from someone else first. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough.
Haki was, once again, at a loss of words. Fang killed people. There was no question about it. It was a fact, one that was going to cost Fang dearly when he turned himself in. He made to speak to Fang, however; the statement the man provided caused Haki to close his mouth, a frown etching upon his features. He released a heavy breath, standing in response to Fang, and glanced at the airbender. He did not want his help, and he didn't want him to make that attempt. But Haki was not going to let his friend rot away in a cell. He might have done unforgivable things, and for a moment, he wondered how the other two would take the news. He was certain that Rika would not handle the news well... at all.
To know that she felt something for someone who had blood on his hands, it would probably devastate her. And knowing her, she would try everything she could to help him. It almost brought a sad smile to his face. He couldn't say for sure how Kiara would react. Perhaps she would feel hurt, or betrayed somehow, or perhaps she would take it as Rika probably would. He could not say for either of them, and his eyes softened. "Turtle-Duck and Lotus... I do not know how they will react to it, and I cannot guarantee it will be anything pleasant," he spoke, pausing momentarily to gather the rest of his thoughts.
"But I assure you, it will be they who will be looking after us," he replied, a small smile appearing on his face, and yet, it did not fully reach him. How could he smile knowing his friend was going to put himself on death row?
Fang disagreed, but nodded slightly anyway. There would be nobody looking after him anymore, and that was the way things needed to be. “Whatever their reactions are, let them have them.” He did not need defending—there was nothing to defend. The stark fact of the matter was that he had killed eight people in the service of the Equalists. Perhaps, if history saw him kindly, it would see him as a soldier rather than a murderer. Deaths in war tended to be forgiven, at least to a point. Fang, though, didn’t feel that there was much of a difference, even if his cause was much like a war. Even if it was just, in a way. Whether he was redeemable or unforgiveable was not for him to decide. Nor even, indeed, for them, though their opinions were perhaps the only ones that mattered to him anymore.
He wished that they would remember him for whatever worth he’d had as a friend, rather than the rest of it. But he did not deserve to hope for such a thing, and so he did not. Turning, he departed Haki’s home and made his way over the roofs of Republic City until he stood in front of the police building. With a long inhale, he took in his last breath of fresh air for what might be forever, and strode into the headquarters.
Kiara, most unusually for being around her friends, was speechless. Haki had called them all together, she had assumed just for some additional stealth practice or maybe even probending—though they hadn’t been doing much of that lately with everything else going on—but when they’d arrived, he’d instead proceeded to tell them everything about Fang and the Equalists, and now, she found that she simply didn’t know what to say. Apparently, he’d turned himself in the day before and now sat in prison, awaiting trial. The death sentence was a very real possibility, and she felt a slow chill creeping up her spine.
She might not have been the most perceptive person, but she had the feeling that, somehow, he had done this for them, because of them. Kiara wrung her hands together, shifting uncomfortably in her seat before pulling her legs up underneath her. Her fingers clenched tightly over her ankles. He’d killed people. Fang was an assassin for the Equalists. She knew that was bad, in the abstract. She knew it was something he should not have done, no matter what kind of people they were. But… didn’t soldiers do the very same thing in wars? Wasn’t this conflict basically the same as a war? Why should he be arrested for fighting a war when probably the Council would have had Equalist leaders killed just the same way if they knew how to find them? It wasn’t that she thought he was justified, she just… didn’t really think it was about him.
More than that… she thought that, whatever he had done, he was a good person. He was her friend, and maybe that biased her, but she could not shake the thought that the one thing that bothered her most was that he might die for choosing to do the right thing, after having chosen to do the wrong thing before. How was that fair? If he’d kept his secret, he wouldn’t be in prison. That had to count for something…
It was all very confusing, and more than anything, she just wanted it to not be true. She wanted him to walk in the door, still wearing that blank face of his, and declare it had all been some kind of elaborate ruse. She wanted her friend back. “What—” her voice failed, and she licked her lips before she tried again. “What should we do?”
Rika stared in no particular direction. Her eyes were glazed over, all thought completely void and gone from her. Haki had called them, her and Kiara, to discuss something. At first, she didn't know what to believe, thinking he was playing a hoax on her and trying to bait them. But then again, Fang never really joked around. He wasn't a serious person, but she didn't believe he was capable of joking around like Haki was. He... killed people, for the Equalists. He was an Equalist. Why didn't he tell her? Perhaps, because something like that couldn't just be said, and some part of her knew that, however; it did not stop a dull ache from beating in her chest. He... was gone. He was in prison, perhaps on his way to death row for the blood that stained his hand, and Rika wasn't entirely sure what to feel.
She was angry with him, yes, but also scared. She was scared that she was going to lose him, and perhaps it was this thought that had blinded her. That, or she just didn't want to see the truth. For the first time in her life, she had felt something for someone, and she had been terrified of it at first. Terrified because she didn't know how to respond to it. She had never been in love before. Love? Where did that word come from? What did she know about being in love to begin with? Was it love that was blinding her to seeing the truth, and accepting it, or was love just blinding her? She was hurt, and she could feel tears threatening to fall, but she couldn't let them. She wouldn't. It wouldn't do her any good, nor would it stop the pain in her chest from continuing to drum against her ribcage.
The one thing, she realized, that hurt the most, was that she didn't even get a chance to tell him, or even say goodbye. He didn't come to her, to tell her, and that is what hurt her the most. Hearing it from someone else was just... it wasn't the same, and perhaps, a little voice in the back of her head was still trying to convince her that it wasn't true. She sighed into her knees, having sat on the floor instead, and tried not to let her tears loose. He could have told her, came to say goodbye, something. She would still be so angry with him, but at least it was he who had told her, not Haki. She needed to hear it from him, but now she may never get that chance. She wanted to go to the station, demand to see him and ask him herself if it was all true, but it would have been pointless.
"I... don't think there is anything we can do, Kiara," Rika finally spoke, her voice low and unusually solemn. "It was his decision to turn himself in, and for his crimes," she continued, choking back a sob as she tried to keep her resolve. "I don't think we can do anything for him now. We... we have to go after the people who were kidnapped, and if Fang gave Haki the information to their whereabouts, we... should use that to our advantage," she continued, however; even thinking about that finally caused the tears to fall, and she buried her head into her knees. Haki sighed softly and sat himself next to Rika.
"Come now, Lotus, you shouldn't say such things. There is a possibility they won't give him the death penalty. It's been a long time since they used it, and if anything, his confession might lighten the sentence," he spoke, rubbing his hand along her back in a soothing gesture. It only caused her to shake her shoulders harder. "I hate to say I agree with Lotus, but I don't think we have much choice. Fang chose to turn himself in, and as much as we would like our friend back, we have to find the benders first. Perhaps with their safe return, they might give him a few years," he had to, after all, try to stay optimistic about it, even if a heavy feeling was settling in his chest. He was only trying to fool himself.
Kiara swallowed thickly, biting down on her lip hard enough that she might well have bruised it, and nodded slowly. “I think… he must have done it for us, at least in part. Did it so that we would know where they were, and be able to rescue them. It would be wrong of us not to use the chance he’s given us.” As she said it, she knew that she believed it. In some way, at least partly, Fang had done what he did for them. He’d turned himself in perhaps to try and make things right, but before that, he’d tracked down where the thought Ying and Daichi were being held, and he’d taught them what they would need to know to break them out. She for one wasn’t about to waste that opportunity.
“Maybe if we’re lucky, Councilman Shun will be able to send some other people to help us, but if not… then we need to find some way into that crowd.” She couldn’t stand to sit around and do nothing, but she also knew that to allow herself to be overwhelmed, to try and do too many things at once, would be just as bad. She’d never succeed at any of them. So… save Ying and Daichi and Shao first, and then figure out what to do about Fang after that. At the very least, they were all in agreement that their friends needed to be rescued, and so they made plans to meet that night and get into one of the Equalist rallies…
Because they might be recognized without any form of disguise, the three of them dressed down for the event, and Kiara at least needed a hooded cloak. There weren’t too many Water Tribe members in Republic City still, and if anyone who knew probending looked closely enough at her, she would likely be recognized. She also wore a red scarf over her nose and mouth, and since a lot of the Equalists tended to conceal their faces, this didn't look too suspicious. They all entered separately, meeting up once inside. Pushing through to the front of the crowd, they were able to see Ying, Daichi, Shun, and a few other people tied to chairs on something like a stage. They were heavily guarded, each with no fewer than three Equalists standing around them, so trying to rescue them right away was out of the question.
They would have to wait until Amon took the stage. At her sides, Kiara’s hands curled into fists, and she spoke in a low voice to the other two beside her. “We’re going to need a really big distraction.” If they could make it look like there were many more benders trying to rescue the captives than there really were, they might be able to grab the prisoners and slip out in the chaos. The room they were in was an old factory, and there were copper pipes running along the walls and ceiling. She could feel that they were carrying water, and it gave her an idea.
“I can do that, but you guys are going to have to sneak over there and grab them before Amon gets to them.” They would need everything Fang taught them about being sneaky and unnoticeable and she… she was going to need a tremendous amount of luck.
Rika remained quiet when Kiara spoke, only nodding her head. Even if he did it for them, it didn't matter to her. If he wanted to do it for them, then he would have told just them. Why did he have to turn himself in? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, refusing to allow them to surface. She would hurt for his decision, but perhaps that was what came when she decided to be with him. They all had their secrets, perhaps some worse than others, but... isn't that what someone who loved you did? Didn't they forgive you, and accept you for that? She sighed, forcing a smile and shook her head. She would sort everything out when it was all over... if she got the chance to.
That night, Haki, Rika, and Kiara all met at the promised location, and stared at the large stage in front of them. Haki sighed softly, glancing at the benders tied to the chairs. He could see Ying's face, and a part of him still felt a little guilty for treating her the way he had. He would try to mend that once they were safely returned, however; his main priority was rescuing them. He glanced towards Kiara, nodding his head in agreement. He would leave the distraction to Kiara, and he spoke in a low voice. "Be careful, Kiara. If it becomes too much, do not try anything and just get out of here, alright? The same goes for you Lotus. We are here to try and help, not add more benders to the list of those kidnapped and taken," he spoke, nodding his head once before taking off to the right.
Rika sighed dejectedly, but nodded her head in compliance. She glanced towards Kiara, lacing her hand with the waterbender's and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, Kiara. We'll get everyone safe and sound... everyone," she spoke before releasing Kiara's hand. She made her way to the left side. It seemed that a majority of the Equalists were on this side, perhaps where Amon would show up, and she inhaled a long breath. Everything they had learned over the last few weeks, she would need. Slowly, she removed her shoes, and placed her feet firmly on the ground. She'd be able to see better this way, and she would less likely make unwanted noises. She positioned herself in a corner, glancing to where Kiara was and waited for the waterbender's signal.
Kiara nodded firmly, blinking at Haki’s use of her actual first name. He never did that, really—but she brushed the thought aside. The situation was serious; he’d probably just forgotten at first. Clasping Rika’s hand, she gave a smile full of false confidence. The truth was, she was worried about what was going to happen, but she had faith in them. They’d pulled off a lot of things they shouldn’t have been able to already—and so she had to believe they’d be able to do this as well. Blending into the crowd, Kiara disappeared from sight, slowly flowing through the crowd to stand closer to the opposite end of the stage, where there were no hostages, but closer to the pipes.
It was only a few minutes later that Amon himself entered. Fang was right—he was covered from head to tow in clothing, and wore a mask. When he spoke, his voice was amplified by something, but came out oddly distorted, mechanical, almost. She assumed it was some kind of disguise as well. He stalked out into the middle of the stage, with a sort of catlike grace that reminded her, of all people, of Fang himself. Amon was shorter though, and more slender. Still probably taller than Kiara was, though.
“Concerned citizens, I welcome you.” Though distorted, the voice was impossible to misunderstand. Amon tilted his head slightly to the side, clasping his hands behind his back, as though contemplating the audience before him. “Your numbers increase, as more and more of you are pressed to seek you own justice where the benders would give you none. Your city is ruled by benders, policed by benders. The cult of celebrity worships those benders who can turn their abilities to mere sport, and forgets that it is you, it’s everyday, working citizens, upon whom each and every one of those entitled benders relies.”
There were general murmurs of assent, and Kiara recognized that this was her best chance to get in position. If she could avoid being noticed by Amon or the Equalist guards, she would be in good shape, because the crowd was totally enraptured by his speech. Slowly, she started to creep towards the stairs on the far side of the stage, eyeing the pipes in between glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being watched. “Their every comfort and every success is built upon your labor, your work, and your industry, and yet not one of you is ever thanked. Your money pays for their schools, the sweat of your brow furnishes their luxuries, but never are you given the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor yourselves! And for what difference? An accident of birth?” Amon shook his head—Kiara was ducking own behind the side of the stage now.
“No. Not anymore. Not when such accidents can be erased. The way he said the words, low and menacing, sent a shiver up her spine. “And that is why you are here. Before you are symbols of everything the benders have done to you—taken your power—” he jerked Shao’s head up by his hair. “Your authority—” here he did the same thing to Daichi, before letting him go to slump back against the chair. “…and the luxury of fame and fortune.” Ying hissed in something between pain and anger when her face, too, was exposed to the crowd, most of whom recognized all of them without difficulty.
“No more.” Amon concluded in that same, dangerous voice. “No more will they have the thing that they claim makes them superior to you. Because even a gift from the gods can be taken away.”
“No!” The voice, easily recognizable to her friends, belonged to Kiara, and at the same time she shouted, the pipes around her burst, spraying water and steam onto the stage from behind her like the angry breath of some leviathan. “Whatever you think they’ve done, they don’t deserved to be kidnapped! They don’t deserve to live in fear of people like you, who won’t even show your face!” She prayed that Haki and Rika were already on the move, because the steam was already beginning to settle. She had a lot of water to work with, but the guards were already looking around for her, and she didn’t like her chances against so many.
“An interesting sentiment, when we cannot even see you,” Amon countered smoothly, and Kiara had to give him that much. Her disguise wasn’t of much use to her anyway. Dropping her hood, she pulled down the scarf that concealed the lower half of her face, the steam receding to the level of her knees.
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” she said, her voice clear and steady. She was drawing on basically everything her mother had ever taught her about maintaining her grace and dignity just to hide the fact that she was afraid. “What matters is that what you’re doing is only going to make things worse. You can’t hope to take away all the bending in the world, and for as long as you keep trying, you’re only hurting everyone else as well.” With a sweeping gesture, she picked up two large water whips and hovered them at her sides.
“Let them go.”
“See how they struggle to keep their power,” Amon spat, “as though being without it makes them lesser. As though we are lesser.” He motioned the guards forward, and they rushed Kiara, who swung the first water whip to keep them from getting too close. Hurry, guys…
She might not have been the most perceptive person, but she had the feeling that, somehow, he had done this for them, because of them. Kiara wrung her hands together, shifting uncomfortably in her seat before pulling her legs up underneath her. Her fingers clenched tightly over her ankles. He’d killed people. Fang was an assassin for the Equalists. She knew that was bad, in the abstract. She knew it was something he should not have done, no matter what kind of people they were. But… didn’t soldiers do the very same thing in wars? Wasn’t this conflict basically the same as a war? Why should he be arrested for fighting a war when probably the Council would have had Equalist leaders killed just the same way if they knew how to find them? It wasn’t that she thought he was justified, she just… didn’t really think it was about him.
More than that… she thought that, whatever he had done, he was a good person. He was her friend, and maybe that biased her, but she could not shake the thought that the one thing that bothered her most was that he might die for choosing to do the right thing, after having chosen to do the wrong thing before. How was that fair? If he’d kept his secret, he wouldn’t be in prison. That had to count for something…
It was all very confusing, and more than anything, she just wanted it to not be true. She wanted him to walk in the door, still wearing that blank face of his, and declare it had all been some kind of elaborate ruse. She wanted her friend back. “What—” her voice failed, and she licked her lips before she tried again. “What should we do?”
Rika stared in no particular direction. Her eyes were glazed over, all thought completely void and gone from her. Haki had called them, her and Kiara, to discuss something. At first, she didn't know what to believe, thinking he was playing a hoax on her and trying to bait them. But then again, Fang never really joked around. He wasn't a serious person, but she didn't believe he was capable of joking around like Haki was. He... killed people, for the Equalists. He was an Equalist. Why didn't he tell her? Perhaps, because something like that couldn't just be said, and some part of her knew that, however; it did not stop a dull ache from beating in her chest. He... was gone. He was in prison, perhaps on his way to death row for the blood that stained his hand, and Rika wasn't entirely sure what to feel.
She was angry with him, yes, but also scared. She was scared that she was going to lose him, and perhaps it was this thought that had blinded her. That, or she just didn't want to see the truth. For the first time in her life, she had felt something for someone, and she had been terrified of it at first. Terrified because she didn't know how to respond to it. She had never been in love before. Love? Where did that word come from? What did she know about being in love to begin with? Was it love that was blinding her to seeing the truth, and accepting it, or was love just blinding her? She was hurt, and she could feel tears threatening to fall, but she couldn't let them. She wouldn't. It wouldn't do her any good, nor would it stop the pain in her chest from continuing to drum against her ribcage.
The one thing, she realized, that hurt the most, was that she didn't even get a chance to tell him, or even say goodbye. He didn't come to her, to tell her, and that is what hurt her the most. Hearing it from someone else was just... it wasn't the same, and perhaps, a little voice in the back of her head was still trying to convince her that it wasn't true. She sighed into her knees, having sat on the floor instead, and tried not to let her tears loose. He could have told her, came to say goodbye, something. She would still be so angry with him, but at least it was he who had told her, not Haki. She needed to hear it from him, but now she may never get that chance. She wanted to go to the station, demand to see him and ask him herself if it was all true, but it would have been pointless.
"I... don't think there is anything we can do, Kiara," Rika finally spoke, her voice low and unusually solemn. "It was his decision to turn himself in, and for his crimes," she continued, choking back a sob as she tried to keep her resolve. "I don't think we can do anything for him now. We... we have to go after the people who were kidnapped, and if Fang gave Haki the information to their whereabouts, we... should use that to our advantage," she continued, however; even thinking about that finally caused the tears to fall, and she buried her head into her knees. Haki sighed softly and sat himself next to Rika.
"Come now, Lotus, you shouldn't say such things. There is a possibility they won't give him the death penalty. It's been a long time since they used it, and if anything, his confession might lighten the sentence," he spoke, rubbing his hand along her back in a soothing gesture. It only caused her to shake her shoulders harder. "I hate to say I agree with Lotus, but I don't think we have much choice. Fang chose to turn himself in, and as much as we would like our friend back, we have to find the benders first. Perhaps with their safe return, they might give him a few years," he had to, after all, try to stay optimistic about it, even if a heavy feeling was settling in his chest. He was only trying to fool himself.
Kiara swallowed thickly, biting down on her lip hard enough that she might well have bruised it, and nodded slowly. “I think… he must have done it for us, at least in part. Did it so that we would know where they were, and be able to rescue them. It would be wrong of us not to use the chance he’s given us.” As she said it, she knew that she believed it. In some way, at least partly, Fang had done what he did for them. He’d turned himself in perhaps to try and make things right, but before that, he’d tracked down where the thought Ying and Daichi were being held, and he’d taught them what they would need to know to break them out. She for one wasn’t about to waste that opportunity.
“Maybe if we’re lucky, Councilman Shun will be able to send some other people to help us, but if not… then we need to find some way into that crowd.” She couldn’t stand to sit around and do nothing, but she also knew that to allow herself to be overwhelmed, to try and do too many things at once, would be just as bad. She’d never succeed at any of them. So… save Ying and Daichi and Shao first, and then figure out what to do about Fang after that. At the very least, they were all in agreement that their friends needed to be rescued, and so they made plans to meet that night and get into one of the Equalist rallies…
Because they might be recognized without any form of disguise, the three of them dressed down for the event, and Kiara at least needed a hooded cloak. There weren’t too many Water Tribe members in Republic City still, and if anyone who knew probending looked closely enough at her, she would likely be recognized. She also wore a red scarf over her nose and mouth, and since a lot of the Equalists tended to conceal their faces, this didn't look too suspicious. They all entered separately, meeting up once inside. Pushing through to the front of the crowd, they were able to see Ying, Daichi, Shun, and a few other people tied to chairs on something like a stage. They were heavily guarded, each with no fewer than three Equalists standing around them, so trying to rescue them right away was out of the question.
They would have to wait until Amon took the stage. At her sides, Kiara’s hands curled into fists, and she spoke in a low voice to the other two beside her. “We’re going to need a really big distraction.” If they could make it look like there were many more benders trying to rescue the captives than there really were, they might be able to grab the prisoners and slip out in the chaos. The room they were in was an old factory, and there were copper pipes running along the walls and ceiling. She could feel that they were carrying water, and it gave her an idea.
“I can do that, but you guys are going to have to sneak over there and grab them before Amon gets to them.” They would need everything Fang taught them about being sneaky and unnoticeable and she… she was going to need a tremendous amount of luck.
Rika remained quiet when Kiara spoke, only nodding her head. Even if he did it for them, it didn't matter to her. If he wanted to do it for them, then he would have told just them. Why did he have to turn himself in? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, refusing to allow them to surface. She would hurt for his decision, but perhaps that was what came when she decided to be with him. They all had their secrets, perhaps some worse than others, but... isn't that what someone who loved you did? Didn't they forgive you, and accept you for that? She sighed, forcing a smile and shook her head. She would sort everything out when it was all over... if she got the chance to.
That night, Haki, Rika, and Kiara all met at the promised location, and stared at the large stage in front of them. Haki sighed softly, glancing at the benders tied to the chairs. He could see Ying's face, and a part of him still felt a little guilty for treating her the way he had. He would try to mend that once they were safely returned, however; his main priority was rescuing them. He glanced towards Kiara, nodding his head in agreement. He would leave the distraction to Kiara, and he spoke in a low voice. "Be careful, Kiara. If it becomes too much, do not try anything and just get out of here, alright? The same goes for you Lotus. We are here to try and help, not add more benders to the list of those kidnapped and taken," he spoke, nodding his head once before taking off to the right.
Rika sighed dejectedly, but nodded her head in compliance. She glanced towards Kiara, lacing her hand with the waterbender's and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, Kiara. We'll get everyone safe and sound... everyone," she spoke before releasing Kiara's hand. She made her way to the left side. It seemed that a majority of the Equalists were on this side, perhaps where Amon would show up, and she inhaled a long breath. Everything they had learned over the last few weeks, she would need. Slowly, she removed her shoes, and placed her feet firmly on the ground. She'd be able to see better this way, and she would less likely make unwanted noises. She positioned herself in a corner, glancing to where Kiara was and waited for the waterbender's signal.
Kiara nodded firmly, blinking at Haki’s use of her actual first name. He never did that, really—but she brushed the thought aside. The situation was serious; he’d probably just forgotten at first. Clasping Rika’s hand, she gave a smile full of false confidence. The truth was, she was worried about what was going to happen, but she had faith in them. They’d pulled off a lot of things they shouldn’t have been able to already—and so she had to believe they’d be able to do this as well. Blending into the crowd, Kiara disappeared from sight, slowly flowing through the crowd to stand closer to the opposite end of the stage, where there were no hostages, but closer to the pipes.
It was only a few minutes later that Amon himself entered. Fang was right—he was covered from head to tow in clothing, and wore a mask. When he spoke, his voice was amplified by something, but came out oddly distorted, mechanical, almost. She assumed it was some kind of disguise as well. He stalked out into the middle of the stage, with a sort of catlike grace that reminded her, of all people, of Fang himself. Amon was shorter though, and more slender. Still probably taller than Kiara was, though.
“Concerned citizens, I welcome you.” Though distorted, the voice was impossible to misunderstand. Amon tilted his head slightly to the side, clasping his hands behind his back, as though contemplating the audience before him. “Your numbers increase, as more and more of you are pressed to seek you own justice where the benders would give you none. Your city is ruled by benders, policed by benders. The cult of celebrity worships those benders who can turn their abilities to mere sport, and forgets that it is you, it’s everyday, working citizens, upon whom each and every one of those entitled benders relies.”
There were general murmurs of assent, and Kiara recognized that this was her best chance to get in position. If she could avoid being noticed by Amon or the Equalist guards, she would be in good shape, because the crowd was totally enraptured by his speech. Slowly, she started to creep towards the stairs on the far side of the stage, eyeing the pipes in between glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being watched. “Their every comfort and every success is built upon your labor, your work, and your industry, and yet not one of you is ever thanked. Your money pays for their schools, the sweat of your brow furnishes their luxuries, but never are you given the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor yourselves! And for what difference? An accident of birth?” Amon shook his head—Kiara was ducking own behind the side of the stage now.
“No. Not anymore. Not when such accidents can be erased. The way he said the words, low and menacing, sent a shiver up her spine. “And that is why you are here. Before you are symbols of everything the benders have done to you—taken your power—” he jerked Shao’s head up by his hair. “Your authority—” here he did the same thing to Daichi, before letting him go to slump back against the chair. “…and the luxury of fame and fortune.” Ying hissed in something between pain and anger when her face, too, was exposed to the crowd, most of whom recognized all of them without difficulty.
“No more.” Amon concluded in that same, dangerous voice. “No more will they have the thing that they claim makes them superior to you. Because even a gift from the gods can be taken away.”
“No!” The voice, easily recognizable to her friends, belonged to Kiara, and at the same time she shouted, the pipes around her burst, spraying water and steam onto the stage from behind her like the angry breath of some leviathan. “Whatever you think they’ve done, they don’t deserved to be kidnapped! They don’t deserve to live in fear of people like you, who won’t even show your face!” She prayed that Haki and Rika were already on the move, because the steam was already beginning to settle. She had a lot of water to work with, but the guards were already looking around for her, and she didn’t like her chances against so many.
“An interesting sentiment, when we cannot even see you,” Amon countered smoothly, and Kiara had to give him that much. Her disguise wasn’t of much use to her anyway. Dropping her hood, she pulled down the scarf that concealed the lower half of her face, the steam receding to the level of her knees.
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” she said, her voice clear and steady. She was drawing on basically everything her mother had ever taught her about maintaining her grace and dignity just to hide the fact that she was afraid. “What matters is that what you’re doing is only going to make things worse. You can’t hope to take away all the bending in the world, and for as long as you keep trying, you’re only hurting everyone else as well.” With a sweeping gesture, she picked up two large water whips and hovered them at her sides.
“Let them go.”
“See how they struggle to keep their power,” Amon spat, “as though being without it makes them lesser. As though we are lesser.” He motioned the guards forward, and they rushed Kiara, who swung the first water whip to keep them from getting too close. Hurry, guys…
Rika could feel her eyes narrowing with each word Amon spoke. It did not make sense to her. Not all who were benders had that authority. Though it was rare, there was the occasionaly non-bender on the police force who contributed to the cause, the occasional non-bender on the council to voice for those who could not. Benders did not choose to be born with their gift, and she was sure there were non-benders who wished they had. If they could find a way to swap, perhaps none of this would have happened. As it were, Amon was hurting people, innocent people, to prove a point, and Rika could feel her fists shaking.
Haki stood on the far right side, his own fists clenched and shaking with every word that was spoken. He couldn't agree with something like this. For years, everyone had managed to live in peace, benders and non-benders alike. Why make a big deal of it now? What purpose was Amon trying to prove? He could see Kiara ducking behind the stage and grimaced. They only had once chance at this, he couldn't allow Amon's words to distract him now. And when they were given that chance, Haki moved, making his way towards the stage. He managed to reach it first, heading straight for the Councilman first, and tried to burn his ropes away, however; a foot caught him in the head, and he winced, falling a few feet away.
"That's going to leave a bruise," he muttered, climbing to his feet as quickly as he could. He ducked once more, avoiding an electrified kali stick. He shuddered at the thought of being hit with one of those, and threw a fireball at his attacker, ducking his head to miss another kick to the head. "Hey now, I kind of need to keep my head intact," he spoke, turning to face the second Equalist. This wasn't good, they were gaining more and more with each passing second. His eyes, however, momentarily snapped towards where Kiara was, and they narrowed. They were going after her, and he wasn't going to allow that. "Sorry guys, this was fun, but I have to go now," he spoke, a half-smile worming its way onto his lips before he summoned a large wall of fire, dividing himself and the equalists. He had to make it to Kiara on time.
Rika, however, was busy trying to get to the stage. Her anger at Amon's words had not subsided, and before she could get to the three on the stage, she was intercepted by Equalists. She cursed her luck, and took a fighting stance. She needed to get to them while Kiara and Haki had the others' attention. She moved quickly, dodging an electrified kali stick, and a pair of electrified gloves. She couldn't be hit by one of those, unless she wanted to be added to the list of captured benders. She tried to summon a column of earth, however; most of the things were made of wood or some other material she could not bend. She was without her bending for the moment. But she could still rely on her fighting.
"You're wrong!" Rika shouted to Amon, having made her way towards the stage, and forgetting temporarily what her objective was. Her hands were closed into tight fists at her sides as she shook gently. "Being without bending doesn't make anyone lesser, not being able to bend doesn't make anyone less of a person than who they really are. Many non-benders are still part of the society who help regulate between benders, who are part of our council and help keep the peace," she continued, her eyes flooding with anger.
"Who are you to take someone's bending away!? To take a gift they were born with and strip it from them!? We don't get to choose how we are born, what we are born with! We can only choose to learn how to make use of it, and how to better ourselves, bender or not," she stated, not before her legs were kicked from underneath her, and she toppled forward. She hissed, and rolled to the side, glancing in the direction of where Haki and Kiara now were. Haki glanced towards Rika, and narrowed his eyes. He told them to not do anything foolish. They were not going to be able to rescue Ying, Daichi, and Shao if they continued this up.
"Lotus! Focus!" he shouted, catching a block to his arm. He cursed beneath his breath as he brought a roundhouse kick to an Equalist before glancing towards Kiara. "We need to conceal ourselves and the stage, Kiara. We need more steam," he spoke, bringing a wall of flames around him. If he could mash his fire with her water, it would produce more steam for them to hide behind, and they could perhaps all take different corners to make it appear as if they were coming from each direction.
Well, her friends were a little less stealthy than she’d been hoping. It would have been better if they could release the prisoners before drawing attention to themselves, but now that they were here, they had to make due with what they had. At Haki’s implied suggestion, Kiara lifted a wall of water with one of her hands, sending it in his direction so he could meet it with a wall of fire. The resulting collision hissed and crackled, the steam spreading everywhere quite quickly. While it did help shroud them, it also shrouded the Equalists, and a shrill scream broke even over the sounds of the panicking crowd and the fighting.
It was Ying.
Upon realizing that he was being attacked from more than one front, Amon had decided that the best thing to do was what he had originally planned. He was going to take away these peoples’ bending. The firebender girl was the nearest, and he got to her first. Applying his unique brand of chi blocking to a stationary target was a simple matter, and a few quick hits later, he knew with certainty that her bending was gone. Ying, for her part, wailed like she was dying, perhaps because it felt a little bit like she was. She could feel her chi pathways close up, until they were simply gone. Her fire was gone, and she felt that she might as well be dead.
Amon turned to the next, but paused at the sound of thundering footsteps over the stage. Kiara had entirely abandoned stealth, having heard the cry and knowing what it meant. Lowering her shoulder, she recklessly bull-rushed the Equalist leader, knocking both of them down onto the stage. From there, it was a tangle of limbs—they were far too close to use anything against each other but muscle mass and body parts, and in that primal mess, it was nothing more sophisticated than two people rolling around on the stage, trying to pin one another. Kiara managed to get an elbow into Amon’s relatively unprotected neck, and he issued a sound like a cough from behind the mask.
“How dare you!” she shouted hoarsely. “How dare you do that to her!” Her anger—such a rare emotion from her, was in full force now, and though there was no water to aid her, she didn’t even feel she needed it right now. She was the water, and Amon was going under if she had anything to say about it. She reared back to punch the Equalist leader’s mask, but Amon used the pause to get his knee up and hit her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and rolling them so that he was in the advantageous position. She could feel his knee pressing into her back, and had a moment of blind panic. He was going to do to her what he’d done to Ying—he was going to take away her bending!
In that moment, when panic blinded her, she reached out instinctively with her bending, and felt something respond. Something like water, but not quite. She didn’t know what it was and she didn’t have time to think—she just bent using every muscle that wasn’t pinned to the floor, and Amon jerked bodily backwards, slamming back into the nearest wall. For a moment, Kiara thought that someone else must have thrown him, but she saw no one else that could have done something like that. Without time to think, she pushed herself to her feet, bruised and bleeding from a cut on her temple but otherwise okay, and glanced around, frantically trying to find her friends.
Haki felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach at the wail, knowing full well what it meant. He cursed beneath his breath, catching an Equalist in the head with his arm before twisting to kick another one. Both were rendered unconcious, and he could feel his flames burning wildly beneath his skin. He had failed, he could not do so again. With as much as he could, he summoned a large wall of fire, engulfing half of the surrounding area, and pushed it way from him, causing it to expand around him and in the midst of it, could hear a few of the Equalists writhing in pain. He hadn't applied enough with the intent to kill, though perhaps he should have, he simply put enough of his fire to burn. He felt something collide with his back, shoving him down to the ground, and he grimaced.
Rika, however, managed to evade her attackers, and made her way towards Daichi. She quickly fumbled with his ties to try and loosen them up. The more help they had, the better chance they had at escaping. She glanced towards him, the worry present in his eyes as he searched for Ying. "Dai, help Shao, I'll find Ying," she told him, laying a hand on his shoulder before pushing him away. He nodded in compliance, however; he hesitated for a moment. He wanted to find Ying, but he would rely on Rika to do so. Instead, he made his way towards the Councilman, fending off Equalists in the process. Once he found the Councilman, he managed to undo the ties and helped the man to his feet.
"Rika!" Haki shouted, watching as she tried to help Ying stand, only to push the firebender out of the way of an incoming electrical attack. She screamed, falling limp into one of the Equalists's arms, as he dragged her away. Daichi's eyes widened at the scene, however; there was nothing they could do at the moment. They had the councilman, and they needed to get out of there, now. He grabbed hold of Haki's shoulder, forcing the firebender to his feet.
"You can't do anything for her right now, Haki. Go get Kiara and Ying, and let's get out of here," as much as it hurt him to say that, there really wasn't much they could do for her. Haki gritted his teeth together, fending off another attack before he tore his eyes from his friend's retreating form. Daichi's eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry, Rika," he muttered beneath his breath as he slung the councilman's arm around his shoulders. Haki managed to fight his way towards Kiara, and grabbed her by the arm, as gently as he could.
"Kiara, we have to go, now!" he shouted, neglecting to tell her about Rika. He could see Daichi in the distance lifting Ying up, forcing her to stand and muttering something to her. Whatever he spoke seemed to get through, if barely, as she followed after him. "Daichi has Ying and the councilman, let's go," he spoke, pulling gently on her arm to get her going.
“What?” Kiara had heard rather than seen Rika get hit by the attack, but it wasn’t too hard to guess what was going on. “No! No, we can’t leave Rika, we can’t!” She struggled against his hold, but it tightened, and she was not anticipating having her person more or less thrown over his shoulder. “Rika. Rika!” She beat her fists rather uselessly against Haki’s back, squirming in his hold, but she didn’t really want to hurt him, so she couldn't fight him like she would an enemy. That would decrease his chances of making it out safely, something she could not bear to do.
By the time they were back out in the open street, she was sobbing harshly, slack over his shoulder and completely spent. The revelation about Fang, the fight against Amon, and the harsh reality that they’d had to leave Rika behind, that they hadn’t been able to save Ying… it weighed on her like something leaden, something physical, until she almost choked on it. First Fang was in prison, now Rika was a hostage… what were they going to do? Her entire life was falling apart at the seams.
“Put me down,” she murmured brokenly, as soon as they were far enough away that she wouldn’t be able to make a break for it. Her feet touched the ground, but for a long moment, she didn’t let go, her hands fisted tightly in Haki’s shirt. It was too much—she didn’t know how to handle this. She wasn’t equipped for it. Kiara held few people truly close to her heart, but Fang, but Rika… even Daichi and Ying were there, and after everything that had happened to all of them, she…
“Don’t go,” she only just managed to form the words, her forehead pressed into his chest. “Don’t leave me behind.” He was the only one left, and if he went away too, she…
"I'm not going anywhere, Kiara, I promise," Hakio replied, wrapping his arms around Kiara in an embrace. "I won't leave you behind, not now, not ever," he spoke, his voice coarse and harsh. He lost his best friend, his sister, to the Equalists. He could only imagine how Kiara was feeling at the moment. He had not wanted to leave Rika behind, he wanted to go after her, but he couldn't. They all knew the risks, and were planning to avoid those risks, however; they had not planned on things taking the turn that they had. Now, they had her, and there was very little they could do. He sighed softly, loosening his hold on her, but kept his arms still encircling her form.
"I won't leave you, Kiara. I love you too much to do that," he spoke, not caring how he stated the words this time, because if he had lost her too, he wouldn't know what to do. She was too important to him to lose. Rika was important to him as his sister, but Kiara meant the world to him. He never knew he could feel that way about someone, and he wondered, if this was how his father had felt when he met his mother. He couldn't think of such things now. They had to do something, but what could they do? He didn't know where they would take her, and who else would know where they were hiding?
"Kiara, we have to go tell Fang," he spoke in a soft voice, peeling himself away so that he could glance down at her. He brushed his thumb over her eyes, smiling as softly as he could. The smile, though, was broken, and one full of heartache. Heartache because his sister was gone, and heartache because she was hurting for it. The only thing he could do was comfort the one who was hurting now, but he wasn't so sure he could do so. "He... might know where they would take her. I have to talk to Councilmen Shun and Shao as well... we're going to need Fang's help one way or another," he continued, his eyes narrowing softly.
Haki stood on the far right side, his own fists clenched and shaking with every word that was spoken. He couldn't agree with something like this. For years, everyone had managed to live in peace, benders and non-benders alike. Why make a big deal of it now? What purpose was Amon trying to prove? He could see Kiara ducking behind the stage and grimaced. They only had once chance at this, he couldn't allow Amon's words to distract him now. And when they were given that chance, Haki moved, making his way towards the stage. He managed to reach it first, heading straight for the Councilman first, and tried to burn his ropes away, however; a foot caught him in the head, and he winced, falling a few feet away.
"That's going to leave a bruise," he muttered, climbing to his feet as quickly as he could. He ducked once more, avoiding an electrified kali stick. He shuddered at the thought of being hit with one of those, and threw a fireball at his attacker, ducking his head to miss another kick to the head. "Hey now, I kind of need to keep my head intact," he spoke, turning to face the second Equalist. This wasn't good, they were gaining more and more with each passing second. His eyes, however, momentarily snapped towards where Kiara was, and they narrowed. They were going after her, and he wasn't going to allow that. "Sorry guys, this was fun, but I have to go now," he spoke, a half-smile worming its way onto his lips before he summoned a large wall of fire, dividing himself and the equalists. He had to make it to Kiara on time.
Rika, however, was busy trying to get to the stage. Her anger at Amon's words had not subsided, and before she could get to the three on the stage, she was intercepted by Equalists. She cursed her luck, and took a fighting stance. She needed to get to them while Kiara and Haki had the others' attention. She moved quickly, dodging an electrified kali stick, and a pair of electrified gloves. She couldn't be hit by one of those, unless she wanted to be added to the list of captured benders. She tried to summon a column of earth, however; most of the things were made of wood or some other material she could not bend. She was without her bending for the moment. But she could still rely on her fighting.
"You're wrong!" Rika shouted to Amon, having made her way towards the stage, and forgetting temporarily what her objective was. Her hands were closed into tight fists at her sides as she shook gently. "Being without bending doesn't make anyone lesser, not being able to bend doesn't make anyone less of a person than who they really are. Many non-benders are still part of the society who help regulate between benders, who are part of our council and help keep the peace," she continued, her eyes flooding with anger.
"Who are you to take someone's bending away!? To take a gift they were born with and strip it from them!? We don't get to choose how we are born, what we are born with! We can only choose to learn how to make use of it, and how to better ourselves, bender or not," she stated, not before her legs were kicked from underneath her, and she toppled forward. She hissed, and rolled to the side, glancing in the direction of where Haki and Kiara now were. Haki glanced towards Rika, and narrowed his eyes. He told them to not do anything foolish. They were not going to be able to rescue Ying, Daichi, and Shao if they continued this up.
"Lotus! Focus!" he shouted, catching a block to his arm. He cursed beneath his breath as he brought a roundhouse kick to an Equalist before glancing towards Kiara. "We need to conceal ourselves and the stage, Kiara. We need more steam," he spoke, bringing a wall of flames around him. If he could mash his fire with her water, it would produce more steam for them to hide behind, and they could perhaps all take different corners to make it appear as if they were coming from each direction.
Well, her friends were a little less stealthy than she’d been hoping. It would have been better if they could release the prisoners before drawing attention to themselves, but now that they were here, they had to make due with what they had. At Haki’s implied suggestion, Kiara lifted a wall of water with one of her hands, sending it in his direction so he could meet it with a wall of fire. The resulting collision hissed and crackled, the steam spreading everywhere quite quickly. While it did help shroud them, it also shrouded the Equalists, and a shrill scream broke even over the sounds of the panicking crowd and the fighting.
It was Ying.
Upon realizing that he was being attacked from more than one front, Amon had decided that the best thing to do was what he had originally planned. He was going to take away these peoples’ bending. The firebender girl was the nearest, and he got to her first. Applying his unique brand of chi blocking to a stationary target was a simple matter, and a few quick hits later, he knew with certainty that her bending was gone. Ying, for her part, wailed like she was dying, perhaps because it felt a little bit like she was. She could feel her chi pathways close up, until they were simply gone. Her fire was gone, and she felt that she might as well be dead.
Amon turned to the next, but paused at the sound of thundering footsteps over the stage. Kiara had entirely abandoned stealth, having heard the cry and knowing what it meant. Lowering her shoulder, she recklessly bull-rushed the Equalist leader, knocking both of them down onto the stage. From there, it was a tangle of limbs—they were far too close to use anything against each other but muscle mass and body parts, and in that primal mess, it was nothing more sophisticated than two people rolling around on the stage, trying to pin one another. Kiara managed to get an elbow into Amon’s relatively unprotected neck, and he issued a sound like a cough from behind the mask.
“How dare you!” she shouted hoarsely. “How dare you do that to her!” Her anger—such a rare emotion from her, was in full force now, and though there was no water to aid her, she didn’t even feel she needed it right now. She was the water, and Amon was going under if she had anything to say about it. She reared back to punch the Equalist leader’s mask, but Amon used the pause to get his knee up and hit her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and rolling them so that he was in the advantageous position. She could feel his knee pressing into her back, and had a moment of blind panic. He was going to do to her what he’d done to Ying—he was going to take away her bending!
In that moment, when panic blinded her, she reached out instinctively with her bending, and felt something respond. Something like water, but not quite. She didn’t know what it was and she didn’t have time to think—she just bent using every muscle that wasn’t pinned to the floor, and Amon jerked bodily backwards, slamming back into the nearest wall. For a moment, Kiara thought that someone else must have thrown him, but she saw no one else that could have done something like that. Without time to think, she pushed herself to her feet, bruised and bleeding from a cut on her temple but otherwise okay, and glanced around, frantically trying to find her friends.
Haki felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach at the wail, knowing full well what it meant. He cursed beneath his breath, catching an Equalist in the head with his arm before twisting to kick another one. Both were rendered unconcious, and he could feel his flames burning wildly beneath his skin. He had failed, he could not do so again. With as much as he could, he summoned a large wall of fire, engulfing half of the surrounding area, and pushed it way from him, causing it to expand around him and in the midst of it, could hear a few of the Equalists writhing in pain. He hadn't applied enough with the intent to kill, though perhaps he should have, he simply put enough of his fire to burn. He felt something collide with his back, shoving him down to the ground, and he grimaced.
Rika, however, managed to evade her attackers, and made her way towards Daichi. She quickly fumbled with his ties to try and loosen them up. The more help they had, the better chance they had at escaping. She glanced towards him, the worry present in his eyes as he searched for Ying. "Dai, help Shao, I'll find Ying," she told him, laying a hand on his shoulder before pushing him away. He nodded in compliance, however; he hesitated for a moment. He wanted to find Ying, but he would rely on Rika to do so. Instead, he made his way towards the Councilman, fending off Equalists in the process. Once he found the Councilman, he managed to undo the ties and helped the man to his feet.
"Rika!" Haki shouted, watching as she tried to help Ying stand, only to push the firebender out of the way of an incoming electrical attack. She screamed, falling limp into one of the Equalists's arms, as he dragged her away. Daichi's eyes widened at the scene, however; there was nothing they could do at the moment. They had the councilman, and they needed to get out of there, now. He grabbed hold of Haki's shoulder, forcing the firebender to his feet.
"You can't do anything for her right now, Haki. Go get Kiara and Ying, and let's get out of here," as much as it hurt him to say that, there really wasn't much they could do for her. Haki gritted his teeth together, fending off another attack before he tore his eyes from his friend's retreating form. Daichi's eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry, Rika," he muttered beneath his breath as he slung the councilman's arm around his shoulders. Haki managed to fight his way towards Kiara, and grabbed her by the arm, as gently as he could.
"Kiara, we have to go, now!" he shouted, neglecting to tell her about Rika. He could see Daichi in the distance lifting Ying up, forcing her to stand and muttering something to her. Whatever he spoke seemed to get through, if barely, as she followed after him. "Daichi has Ying and the councilman, let's go," he spoke, pulling gently on her arm to get her going.
“What?” Kiara had heard rather than seen Rika get hit by the attack, but it wasn’t too hard to guess what was going on. “No! No, we can’t leave Rika, we can’t!” She struggled against his hold, but it tightened, and she was not anticipating having her person more or less thrown over his shoulder. “Rika. Rika!” She beat her fists rather uselessly against Haki’s back, squirming in his hold, but she didn’t really want to hurt him, so she couldn't fight him like she would an enemy. That would decrease his chances of making it out safely, something she could not bear to do.
By the time they were back out in the open street, she was sobbing harshly, slack over his shoulder and completely spent. The revelation about Fang, the fight against Amon, and the harsh reality that they’d had to leave Rika behind, that they hadn’t been able to save Ying… it weighed on her like something leaden, something physical, until she almost choked on it. First Fang was in prison, now Rika was a hostage… what were they going to do? Her entire life was falling apart at the seams.
“Put me down,” she murmured brokenly, as soon as they were far enough away that she wouldn’t be able to make a break for it. Her feet touched the ground, but for a long moment, she didn’t let go, her hands fisted tightly in Haki’s shirt. It was too much—she didn’t know how to handle this. She wasn’t equipped for it. Kiara held few people truly close to her heart, but Fang, but Rika… even Daichi and Ying were there, and after everything that had happened to all of them, she…
“Don’t go,” she only just managed to form the words, her forehead pressed into his chest. “Don’t leave me behind.” He was the only one left, and if he went away too, she…
"I'm not going anywhere, Kiara, I promise," Hakio replied, wrapping his arms around Kiara in an embrace. "I won't leave you behind, not now, not ever," he spoke, his voice coarse and harsh. He lost his best friend, his sister, to the Equalists. He could only imagine how Kiara was feeling at the moment. He had not wanted to leave Rika behind, he wanted to go after her, but he couldn't. They all knew the risks, and were planning to avoid those risks, however; they had not planned on things taking the turn that they had. Now, they had her, and there was very little they could do. He sighed softly, loosening his hold on her, but kept his arms still encircling her form.
"I won't leave you, Kiara. I love you too much to do that," he spoke, not caring how he stated the words this time, because if he had lost her too, he wouldn't know what to do. She was too important to him to lose. Rika was important to him as his sister, but Kiara meant the world to him. He never knew he could feel that way about someone, and he wondered, if this was how his father had felt when he met his mother. He couldn't think of such things now. They had to do something, but what could they do? He didn't know where they would take her, and who else would know where they were hiding?
"Kiara, we have to go tell Fang," he spoke in a soft voice, peeling himself away so that he could glance down at her. He brushed his thumb over her eyes, smiling as softly as he could. The smile, though, was broken, and one full of heartache. Heartache because his sister was gone, and heartache because she was hurting for it. The only thing he could do was comfort the one who was hurting now, but he wasn't so sure he could do so. "He... might know where they would take her. I have to talk to Councilmen Shun and Shao as well... we're going to need Fang's help one way or another," he continued, his eyes narrowing softly.
Haki wasn't sure what he was going to tell Fang. He didn't even know where to start. He had stayed with Kiara, to make sure she would be okay after the events that took place, and partly because he was afraid to leave her by herself. He had notified Chan and Wei about Rika, and they had looked almost stricken about the ordeal, and agreed to watch over Kiara while he went to speak with Fang. He stood outside of the building, staring at it, as he glanced to his side. Daichi had accompanied him so that he could at least get in and get an audience with his friend. Given the situation, and what Fang had done, it wasn't going to be an easy conversation. It also wasn't easy persuading Shao and Shun, but this needed to be done. They had been reluctant, but they had ceded and agreed.
They would do what they could so long as Fang agreed to do it. There was no doubt in Haki's mind that Fang would do it, given his and Rika's current closeness. He couldn't exactly say it was a relationship, not quite yet, but it was obvious to Haki how much they had seemed to care for each other. Sighing softly, he allowed Daichi to lead him in, waiting as he dealt with the front desk, and proceeded to the back of the prison. They had apparently put him in a different cell, just for being what he was: an Equalist. Haki sighed a little harshly, shaking his head but continued to follow silently behind. Once they reached the room, Daichi nodded his head and ushered Haki through, and speaking that he would be behind the door when they were through.
Haki thanked Daichi and walked inside, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. He could make out a figure, one he presumed was Fang, and stood outside the barred cage. He glanced at his friend, trying to offer him a smile, but it would not form properly. Instead, he exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "There is no easy way to say this, Fang. And there is no way to properly put this into words," he began, because it was true. How do you tell someone that the person they cared about, was taken hostage and perhaps stripped of their bending? He wasn't so sure Amon had taken it quite yet, but he did not doubt that he would do so soon. He glanced towards Fang, and held his gaze.
"They have her, Fang. They took Rika."
The cell was filthy, not due to its current resident, but because it was never cleaned in the first place. It smelled faintly of rotting things, and Fang did not doubt that the mattress in the corner was covered in mites and fleas, which was perhaps why he chose to sleep standing up, a talent he had developed mostly because he could passively bend the air to support him if he began to tip too far in one direction. He didn’t make a show of bending anything, though, because he really didn’t want anyone connecting him with his family at this point. He was almost assuredly dead to them now and would rather remain so. He also did not particularly want to see how they attempted to sop him from using his bending when what he manipulated was everywhere.
Presently, he stood in the middle of it, deep in meditation, mostly so as to stop himself from worrying too much over what had become of his friends. He had faith in them, something he had not had in someone in a long time, and that would be enough for the moment.
Or it would have been, had the expression on Haki’s face not been so obvious when he walked up to the bars of his cell. Something had happened, presumably to one of the others, because neither was present. He hoped for a moment that they were only absent because they could not stand to be near him anymore. Even that would be better than the alternative. But Haki’s words shattered that delusion, and Fang choked on his next inhale. It was like someone had punched him right in the gut—worse, because he might not have reacted overmuch to that.
But right now, his face betrayed as much emotion as anyone else’s. His eyes were wide, his lips parted, his visage frozen in horrified shock. Rika… they took Rika. And there was nothing he could do about it. He’d stepped into this cell, this future where he would not be alive much longer, to give them a chance, to protect them the only way he knew how. If he was here, he could never be turned against them, not with any amount of manipulative words from Amon. But now… now what he needed to be was out of here, and that was the one thing he could never be again.
Swallowing thickly, he shook his head a little, letting his expression settle as well as he could, but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes for anything but fear even so. “I… there are several places he could have taken her.” He assumed Haki must have come for more information, since it was the only thing he had to give at the moment. “But… she might not be in any of them. It’s as I said… the Equalists move often… especially if they have reason to believe their secrecy has been compromised.” And an attack on one of the underground meetings would surely give away as much. He could only imagine the position the city was in right now. Rika was a powerful symbol of everything it was built upon—the ability of anyone with the right dedication to achieve success. She was not born wealthy or prominent, but she had worked hard, owning a successful and popular business. Beyond that, she was very famous as one of the best benders in the entire metropolis, and a popular figure among fans. If Amon successfully kidnapped her and stole her bending… it would be a massive blow to the government. For if they could not protect someone like that, how were they supposed to protect anyone else? Faith in the Council would destabilize, and Amon would have an excellent opportunity to advance the Equalist position.
More than any of the political implications that his mind presented to him so quickly, however, he was just afraid. Afraid of what might happen to her. And guilty, for he could not help but believe it was somehow his fault. Was it not he who’d set then on this path, after all, wherein they attempted a near-suicidal rescue of others? Was he not to blame for the actions that led to this state of affairs? Truly, as an Equalist, he’d never had much to do with the bender kidnappings, but he cold not help but blame himself anyway.
Haki shook his head softly. He wasn't here for information on where they could possibly be. He knew they would take her somewhere they would never be able to find Rika until it was too late. Instead, he inhaled slowly, keeping himself as calm as he possibly could. "That isn't the reason why I am here, Fang. It... took a lot of convincing, however; the Council has agreed to release you," he spoke, and it was true. The Council had been very hesitant to release him, the former murderer and Equalist conspirator, however; Haki had managed to convince them that Fang was their only option. He would be able to return to them under the guise of escaping, perhaps, and they might believe him of it. Fang was a talented individual, capable of just about anything.
"They have agreed to release you so that you may dive back into the Equalists, and find out where they took her, and the ones we were not able to save. Should you be able to do this, they will acquit you of all charges. To them, it is a life for a life. Even if you have taken eight, if you can save the handful of ones that were taken, including Rika, you will be forgiven, Fang. It... is your decision whether or not you wish to take the offer," he spoke. It was something to be thought over, Haki knew that. The chance of freedom was a great one, but Fang knew what he was doing when he chose to turn himself in. Whether it was because of them, or for them, Fang had chosen to turn himself in, to give up that freedom. He did not want his friend making a hasty decision.
"Should you choose to accept, we will provide you with the cover you need to have proof of your escape. Daichi has already spoken to the other members of the squad, and they have all agreed to make it look like your attempt at freedom is real, by making it real. They will not hold back, and neither must you. Your choice Fang," he concluded. If Fang decided to do this, then he would do whatever he could to make everything right. "We just want our friends back," he added, putting an emphasis on the word friends.
Fang’s lips thinned; something in his expression darkened. He would have left to help even if there was only a hangman’s noose waiting for him when he was done. This offer… it seemed like too much. Some part of him desperately wanted to be punished for what he had done. To get what he deserved for the first time in his life. Admittedly, he’d run into a lot of bad luck, and in some senses at least things never went his way, but these were crimes he’d chosen to commit, duress or no. Still, though it was presented to him as a choice, there was none at all. Leave and help rescue Rika before she lost her bending or stay and hope the others could manage it on their own, with little information and less experience? No, that wasn’t a choice.
“Very well,” he said grimly, meeting Haki’s eyes. His own flashed with something hard to name, and for just a moment, it was not hard to imagine that he was Fire nation nobility after all—he certainly looked the part right now, quietly angry and resolved to do what he must. “Get what people you can prepared. I’ll leave tonight, and get back to you within another two, once I’ve found her.” Of course, if the opportunity came up to rescue her himself, he would, but he felt that this went without saying. Likely, Amon wouldn't let him near prisoners anyway…. Not while his story was getting checked out.
"I will let Daichi know then, of your answer," he spoke, allowing his face to soften in relief. He knew it wasn't fair, really. He knew Fang would take the offer, but to have presented it this way, as if he had a choice, was a bit cruel. Perhaps, Fang did have a choice, and he chose the one that made the most sense. Whatever it was, Haki shook his head and turned to leave, glancing one last time over his shoulder. "Bring her back, Fang," he spoke, as if there was not a single doubt that he would bring her back. Haki did not doubt his friend. He knew he would bring her back. What was there to doubt?
They would do what they could so long as Fang agreed to do it. There was no doubt in Haki's mind that Fang would do it, given his and Rika's current closeness. He couldn't exactly say it was a relationship, not quite yet, but it was obvious to Haki how much they had seemed to care for each other. Sighing softly, he allowed Daichi to lead him in, waiting as he dealt with the front desk, and proceeded to the back of the prison. They had apparently put him in a different cell, just for being what he was: an Equalist. Haki sighed a little harshly, shaking his head but continued to follow silently behind. Once they reached the room, Daichi nodded his head and ushered Haki through, and speaking that he would be behind the door when they were through.
Haki thanked Daichi and walked inside, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. He could make out a figure, one he presumed was Fang, and stood outside the barred cage. He glanced at his friend, trying to offer him a smile, but it would not form properly. Instead, he exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "There is no easy way to say this, Fang. And there is no way to properly put this into words," he began, because it was true. How do you tell someone that the person they cared about, was taken hostage and perhaps stripped of their bending? He wasn't so sure Amon had taken it quite yet, but he did not doubt that he would do so soon. He glanced towards Fang, and held his gaze.
"They have her, Fang. They took Rika."
The cell was filthy, not due to its current resident, but because it was never cleaned in the first place. It smelled faintly of rotting things, and Fang did not doubt that the mattress in the corner was covered in mites and fleas, which was perhaps why he chose to sleep standing up, a talent he had developed mostly because he could passively bend the air to support him if he began to tip too far in one direction. He didn’t make a show of bending anything, though, because he really didn’t want anyone connecting him with his family at this point. He was almost assuredly dead to them now and would rather remain so. He also did not particularly want to see how they attempted to sop him from using his bending when what he manipulated was everywhere.
Presently, he stood in the middle of it, deep in meditation, mostly so as to stop himself from worrying too much over what had become of his friends. He had faith in them, something he had not had in someone in a long time, and that would be enough for the moment.
Or it would have been, had the expression on Haki’s face not been so obvious when he walked up to the bars of his cell. Something had happened, presumably to one of the others, because neither was present. He hoped for a moment that they were only absent because they could not stand to be near him anymore. Even that would be better than the alternative. But Haki’s words shattered that delusion, and Fang choked on his next inhale. It was like someone had punched him right in the gut—worse, because he might not have reacted overmuch to that.
But right now, his face betrayed as much emotion as anyone else’s. His eyes were wide, his lips parted, his visage frozen in horrified shock. Rika… they took Rika. And there was nothing he could do about it. He’d stepped into this cell, this future where he would not be alive much longer, to give them a chance, to protect them the only way he knew how. If he was here, he could never be turned against them, not with any amount of manipulative words from Amon. But now… now what he needed to be was out of here, and that was the one thing he could never be again.
Swallowing thickly, he shook his head a little, letting his expression settle as well as he could, but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes for anything but fear even so. “I… there are several places he could have taken her.” He assumed Haki must have come for more information, since it was the only thing he had to give at the moment. “But… she might not be in any of them. It’s as I said… the Equalists move often… especially if they have reason to believe their secrecy has been compromised.” And an attack on one of the underground meetings would surely give away as much. He could only imagine the position the city was in right now. Rika was a powerful symbol of everything it was built upon—the ability of anyone with the right dedication to achieve success. She was not born wealthy or prominent, but she had worked hard, owning a successful and popular business. Beyond that, she was very famous as one of the best benders in the entire metropolis, and a popular figure among fans. If Amon successfully kidnapped her and stole her bending… it would be a massive blow to the government. For if they could not protect someone like that, how were they supposed to protect anyone else? Faith in the Council would destabilize, and Amon would have an excellent opportunity to advance the Equalist position.
More than any of the political implications that his mind presented to him so quickly, however, he was just afraid. Afraid of what might happen to her. And guilty, for he could not help but believe it was somehow his fault. Was it not he who’d set then on this path, after all, wherein they attempted a near-suicidal rescue of others? Was he not to blame for the actions that led to this state of affairs? Truly, as an Equalist, he’d never had much to do with the bender kidnappings, but he cold not help but blame himself anyway.
Haki shook his head softly. He wasn't here for information on where they could possibly be. He knew they would take her somewhere they would never be able to find Rika until it was too late. Instead, he inhaled slowly, keeping himself as calm as he possibly could. "That isn't the reason why I am here, Fang. It... took a lot of convincing, however; the Council has agreed to release you," he spoke, and it was true. The Council had been very hesitant to release him, the former murderer and Equalist conspirator, however; Haki had managed to convince them that Fang was their only option. He would be able to return to them under the guise of escaping, perhaps, and they might believe him of it. Fang was a talented individual, capable of just about anything.
"They have agreed to release you so that you may dive back into the Equalists, and find out where they took her, and the ones we were not able to save. Should you be able to do this, they will acquit you of all charges. To them, it is a life for a life. Even if you have taken eight, if you can save the handful of ones that were taken, including Rika, you will be forgiven, Fang. It... is your decision whether or not you wish to take the offer," he spoke. It was something to be thought over, Haki knew that. The chance of freedom was a great one, but Fang knew what he was doing when he chose to turn himself in. Whether it was because of them, or for them, Fang had chosen to turn himself in, to give up that freedom. He did not want his friend making a hasty decision.
"Should you choose to accept, we will provide you with the cover you need to have proof of your escape. Daichi has already spoken to the other members of the squad, and they have all agreed to make it look like your attempt at freedom is real, by making it real. They will not hold back, and neither must you. Your choice Fang," he concluded. If Fang decided to do this, then he would do whatever he could to make everything right. "We just want our friends back," he added, putting an emphasis on the word friends.
Fang’s lips thinned; something in his expression darkened. He would have left to help even if there was only a hangman’s noose waiting for him when he was done. This offer… it seemed like too much. Some part of him desperately wanted to be punished for what he had done. To get what he deserved for the first time in his life. Admittedly, he’d run into a lot of bad luck, and in some senses at least things never went his way, but these were crimes he’d chosen to commit, duress or no. Still, though it was presented to him as a choice, there was none at all. Leave and help rescue Rika before she lost her bending or stay and hope the others could manage it on their own, with little information and less experience? No, that wasn’t a choice.
“Very well,” he said grimly, meeting Haki’s eyes. His own flashed with something hard to name, and for just a moment, it was not hard to imagine that he was Fire nation nobility after all—he certainly looked the part right now, quietly angry and resolved to do what he must. “Get what people you can prepared. I’ll leave tonight, and get back to you within another two, once I’ve found her.” Of course, if the opportunity came up to rescue her himself, he would, but he felt that this went without saying. Likely, Amon wouldn't let him near prisoners anyway…. Not while his story was getting checked out.
"I will let Daichi know then, of your answer," he spoke, allowing his face to soften in relief. He knew it wasn't fair, really. He knew Fang would take the offer, but to have presented it this way, as if he had a choice, was a bit cruel. Perhaps, Fang did have a choice, and he chose the one that made the most sense. Whatever it was, Haki shook his head and turned to leave, glancing one last time over his shoulder. "Bring her back, Fang," he spoke, as if there was not a single doubt that he would bring her back. Haki did not doubt his friend. He knew he would bring her back. What was there to doubt?
As had been advised, Fang had left prison under the guise of an escape. It brought him little joy to knock out so many members of the police force, but he did it, and disappeared into the night. Getting back into the Equalist fold was easier than he expected—indeed, Amon seemed distracted, and cared not how he’d been caught, only that he was free again. This, he found strange—the leader had shown no particular attachment to any individual subordinate, as far as he knew, but he put it down to a certain kind of desperation. The success, however limited, of the rescue effort had certainly gone quite a way to shaking confidence in him. Fang could only hope that this rescue would be enough to pull the floor out from under his feet. It was true that he still sympathized with the initial reason why the Equalists were created, but he was done with the organization as it was. Done with the whole conflict, if he were being honest. It had asked too much of him, and taken too much from him.
This, he decided, would be the last involvement he had with it, come what may.
It had not been easy to divine Rika’s exact location, but he knew where she was now. He also knew that there was a limited amount of time until she was moved again, certainly not enough time to gather the forces the Council had put at their disposal. But there was enough time to fetch Haki and Kiara, and so the three of them now made their way down a darkened back alley, Fang in the lead, until they reached a specific manhole cover, which he lifted and placed to the side. “The area is underground. It will be dark, but don’t produce light if you can avoid it.” They would need every advantage they could get. Fang had already memorized the layout, and nodded when Kiara chose to grasp the back of his shirt with one hand and Haki’s fingers with the other. That should keep anyone from getting lost without the need to speak.
They had to break formation for a moment to actually get down the manhole, but he waited until there were fingers in the fabric of his shirt again before he started forward, treading lightly over the smooth stone ground. He’d not seen the cell they were using to hold Rika, but he knew it would have been carefully constructed of wood, seamless and floor-to-ceiling. It would have to be, if they had any hope of holding an Earthbender underground.
Kiara following behind felt a little less sure of her treads, but Fang thankfully moved slowly enough that she could muffle her footsteps for the most part. Her relief to see her friend again had been understandably dulled by the fact that the reason he was there was that Rika was missing, but she had not been so distracted that she’d failed to notice the change in him. Fang looked… anxious. Worried. Afraid, even, and she could discern the feelings easily just by looking at his eyes. It was strange, to see that in him, and she supposed all of this must have affected him more than she’d imagined, for him to be so readable like that. Somehow, all the hurt she’d felt at his sudden disappearance had ebbed away then, and she’d just hugged him. He was back, they were going to rescue Rika… everything was going to be okay. She had to believe that.
Haki nodded his head when Fang spoke. It would be wise to keep his fire from being used unless they absolutely needed it. He trusted Fang to lead them where they needed to be, and closed his hand over Kiara's when she slipped her hand into his. He let them lead, stopping when they stopped moving, and moving when they picked back up. It was strange, moving about underground searching for Rika. In all the years he's lived in Republic City, sneaking underground, going against Equalists was not something he would have put down as something he would have been a part of. It was, in a sense, insane. They were three benders going against well-armed and well trained Chi Blockers, trained Equalists.
What could they possibly hope to do against something like that? They were an army, however; they were with cause. That had to mean something. Perhaps, in a way, they were like the Equalists. They were fighting for a cause they believed in, and perhaps it is that belief that was giving them the strength they needed to rescue Rika and the others. Though, even that felt a little odd. The others were not his main priority. Rika was. She was the reason why they were here in the first place, and the reason why they were able to get Fang back. He shook his head softly, pushing all thoughts to the back of his head. He didn't need to be distracted. He needed to remain focused on the task at hand.
"We may have to split up once we get inside," Haki spoke, his voice loud enough to be heard, but low enough so that no one else could hear him should there be others around.
“Yes,” Fang replied softly, still creeping along the pathway. “I do not know exactly where she is being held. The path will split as soon as we reach the base—it should not have too many guards, but more than usual.” She would be considered an important prisoner, after all. Still, they shouldn’t have any more than a dozen guards to deal with, if they were careful. “When that happens, you two go left. Don’t separate; you’re more vulnerable alone. I’ll go right.” He didn’t say it, but it would be better for him to assume more risk. Even without his bending, Fang was more than formidable. It was doubtful most of them would even attempt to chi block him anyway, making it much safer for him to be alone than they would be.
Besides… if someone had to assume more risk for this, he wanted it to be him. It would not make up for everything he had done, but it would be something, and for now, that something was all he could give. But the time approached for silence—they could see light filtering in from ahead, where the Equalists had located this base. His voice dropped to a mere breath. “If you find her, don’t worry about me. Just get out. I can handle myself if it comes to that.” He had some protection given his membership in the organization, and if it came to it… he would prefer more blood on his own hands than any on theirs. That much, he could do for them, too.
They approached slowly, Kiara releasing Fang’s shirt as they crept closer. There wasn't’ a door as such, more like a sheet draped over a doorway. She could see the light from a fire flickering behind it, and assumed that the front room must be some kind of rest area for the guards. Fang looked back at the both of them over his shoulder, raising a finger to his lips, then drew his swords from his back silently. Slipping in under the sheet, he emerged on the other side. There was a brief cry of alarm, but it was quickly silenced. Kiara released Haki’s hand so he’d have both free, then darted in after Fang.
It looked like there had been two guards in the front room, but they were both out cold now, Fang dragging their bodies to a corner and covering them with another blanket. Hopefully they’d just look like they had passed out drunk or something. Not that she knew whether the Equalists drank on duty, but guarding prisoners had to be boring. As Fang had said he would, he slipped through the doorway to the right, leaving she and Haki to take the left. “Okay, let’s go.”
Haki gave Fang one last glance before nodding his head and following after Kiara. They went through the door on the left, tip-toeing quietly to make their way through the base. He stopped a few times, summoning a small bout of flame to see through the doors they came across. All of the ones they had stumbled upon, were empty rooms, or rooms that had previously been occupied. The ones that had previously been occupied were obvious with the half empty drinks and half eaten snacks. They might be coming back, and that thought alone caused Haki to press forward, crushing the light in his hands momentarily. He continued down the hallway and stopped at a corner. He motioned for Kiara to stop, and peered around the corner.
"There are five guards up ahead, Kiara. We have to take them by surprise if we want to keep going without sounding the alarm," he spoke in a hushed voice. He leaned back against the wall and glanced towards Kiara. "I'll go first, and then I want you to follow up quickly behind me," he continued, glancing at her and holding his hand up before slipping around the corner. He stalked slowly towards the Equalists, stopping to lean up against the wall when one of them turned in his direction. He let a slow breath escape him before continuing his way towards the Equalists.
He managed to get behind two of them, and managed to take the two of them out. The three that were left, however; managed to turn into three more. He miscalculated, and Haki cursed beneath his breath. They hadn't seen Kiara yet, so she had a better chance at sneaking up and taking them on by surprise. Instead, he chose to take a defensive stance, and kept from using his bending. He didn't need them taking it away from him quite yet if they didn't know he was a firebender. The less they knew, the greater chances they had at making it out together.
Of course, the problem was that these people were all capable of raising the alarm, and Kiara couldn’t let them summon reinforcements. So she did the only thing she could do—she bent. From the container at her waist, the drew for the her water, separating it into enough parts for each of the men, and gagged them with it, freezing the water to keep it banded in place around their heads. They could still breathe through their noses, but at least they couldn’t shout. At the sudden attack from behind, though, the six split into threes, half of them going after her and the other half heading for Haki.
Knowing that these were most likely chi blockers, Kiara did her best to avoid being hit, but they were fighting in tight quarters. A quick offensive took out one of them, but she was out of water, and she wasn’t sure she could afford to pull it from the air right now, not when there could still be more ahead of them. Rolling to the side to avoid another hit, Kiara came up in a sweep, knocking another Equalist’s feet out from underneath him. He wasn’t down for the count yet, though, and the other one was swinging for her too soon to allow her to knock him out on a more permanent basis. He caught her on the arm, rendering that one useless for bending, and she grunted, trying to escape. His assault was relentless, but she managed to catch a break when she punched him square in the nose, surprising him more than anything.
That was, unfortunately, when he activated the shocking gauntlet on his wrist, and caught her in the shoulder. Trying her best not to scream, Kiara bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood and collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Haki waited on bated breath as the Equalist took charge, running at him with one of the electrified kali sticks. He really hated those things, and had he not been able to summon and control his own lightning, he might have fallen unconscious the first time he was hit. Luckily, he had shocked himself a few times, enough so that he could tolerate the simple jolt coursing through him now. He twisted the man's hand, turning the kali stick on the man and watching as he fell limp. He could hear the struggle on Kiara's end and furrowed his brows. He managed to throw the kali stick at one of his assailants, watching as the man writhed in pain before knocking him out.
"Kiara," he muttered, making his way towards her. He bulldozed the man to the ground, twisting the man's hand behind his back and ripping the gauntlet off of his hand. He still had the other glove on and he managed to twist the other arm behind him, grabbing Haki's hand and using the momentum to shock him. He gritted his teeth together and managed to separate from the hand. He released a strangled grunt and sighed harshly through his nose. As he stood from his spot, he felt something connecting with the back of his head, and he released a strangled cry. He fell to his hands and knees, and tried to roll out of the way, however; he felt a foot connect with his side, and he fell on his stomach.
"Damn it," he muttered, whipping a trail of blood forming at his lips. "Kiara, get out of here," he spoke, feeling another leg connect with him. This was not how it was supposed to go down, and she needed to leave. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. If she could get out, then at least she could find Fang and they could come back later... but first, he wanted them to find Rika and get out of here. "I'll take care of these guys," he managed to mutter, though really, he wasn't going to be dealing with anyone in his current condition.
Kiara groaned from her spot on the floor, sucking in her breaths through her teeth and fighting her way to her hands and knees. “N-no,” she ground out, still feeling the aftershock of being hit with the electricity. It was causing her muscles to twitch involuntarily, and her chances of pulling off any acrobatic maneuvers were basically null. But… but Haki was in danger, and there was something she could do to help, something that tugged at the edges of her mind. An anger festered there. These people—these people had taken one of her friends from her, and in a sense, they’d taken Fang, too. They would not take Haki. Not ever.
“Don’t. Touch. Him.” Kiara coughed, her fingers curling into fists against the wood floors. One of them still worked for bending, and even as one of the Equalists raised his foot to kick at Haki’s side again, she hooked her fingers into claws and yanked backwards, slamming the man back against the wall before his foot could reach. With a hiss of pained breath, she did the same with the other, tossing him into a cell and watching with a strange disconnection as he fell unconscious, his head cracking back against the iron bars.
The effort left her breathing heavily, but she was able to crawl over to Haki. His condition was no better than hers, and she was strongly tempted to just collapse on the floor there, alongside him, and sleep off her exhaustion. Unfortunately, though, they didn’t have that option. Laying a hand along the side of his face, she gave him a tired, crooked smile. “Didn’t I say it? If you don’t get to leave me… then I don’t leave you either.” Slowly, painfully, they made their way to their feet. Their job wasn’t done yet, after all.
Fang had a bit of an easier time than his friends did, considering his swords, and though he had to dispatch about five Equalists along the way, he encountered no more than two at a time, making it relatively simple to do so. He was also the one who ran across the wooden cells first, and he picked up speed until he was running full-tilt, stealth abandoned in the effort to find Rika as quickly as possible. When he did, he stopped dead in front of the bars, two quick strokes of his blade cutting through the wood with precision.
For a moment, words failed him, but then he dropped the hood covering his head and swallowed thickly.
“Rika.”
Haki sighed softly, rolling over to face Kiara and smiled. "Alright, you win," he spoke quietly, lifting himself up as he tried to stable himself. His side ached, but he supposed that was what happened when one is kicked with boots. Steel-toed boots it seemed, but nonetheless, he pressed forward. They still had a job to do, and they had people to rescue. He suppressed a groan as he pressed forward. "Hold on, we're coming," were the only thoughts in his mind as he continued to run with Kiara.
Rika sat in the corner, head buried between her legs. She couldn't see much, the illumination in the cell wasn't all too bright to begin with, and she could feel the wetness of her sleeve digging into her skin. She had stopped crying a day ago, feeling unable to shed any more tears than she already had. What more could she do? They had her, her bending was useless, and she couldn't escape a wooden cell. It had surprised her, slightly, that Amon had not taken her bending from her yet. Sure, he might have been one for grand gestures and displays, but she wasn't anyone important. Why wait to take her bending? She inched closer to the wall, feeling the cold crawl up her spine, and tried to dig her head deeper.
It was as if she were trying to hide, trying to make herself disappear. She didn't care if they took her bending, all she wanted was to go back to her friends. Did her family even know she was gone? She could feel something like a strangled cry, building up in her throat, but she bit her lower lip to keep it from escaping. Did he know? The thought alone sent a shudder up her spine as she tried not to think about it. Would Haki tell him what happened? Some part of her hoped he did, and some darker part of her hoped he hadn't. He was in prison, and there would be nothing he could do from there. Still... all she wanted was to be able to say goodbye, at least just once. Who was to say that Amon would not go the extra step and just kill her for interfering the way she and the others had?
She could feel her chest constrict at the thought, and it did not stop the strangled cry from escaping her lips. All she wanted was a chance to see him... just one more time, to say something, anything to him, but she wouldn't be able to. She did not know what Amon had in store for her, but she would take it. She would endure it a thousand times over just to have said something to him. The sound of someone calling her name, caused Rika to press deeper into the wall, her heart beat picking up in a rapid pace. She did not recognize the voice at first, and she could feel herself trying to adjust her eyes to see who it was. Her eyes widened at the sight before her, and she felt her voice leave her.
"Fang?" she called out, her voice cracking, betraying everything she was feeling. She felt lost, broken, and afraid. Feelings she had never imagined would be amplified as they had in this place, without them. "Is that you?" she continued, her voice just a mere whisper to keep herself from completely breaking.
The gloomy light caught his eyes, and for a moment, they flashed the color of molten gold, before he shifted them just slightly and they receded back into the dim cast of his shadowed face. “Yes,” he replied, his voice subdued, almost tentative. Flat he may have been, even subtle, once, but he was never timid. Not until this moment, anyway. “Yes, it’s me.” In a smooth motion, Fang drew his swords from his back, and in a swift motion, sliced through the bars, catching the three wooden poles on their way down and laying them carefully aside so they would not clatter, the blades already back in their sheaths. “We have to move quickly—I don’t know how much time we have. Haki and Kiara should meet us on the way out.”
If they didn’t, he knew he’d go back in for them, but only once he knew she was out, and safe. That was simply his first priority right now. Ducking into the cell through the gap he’d created, he padded quietly over to her, crouching beside where she sat. He reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, but withdrew it before it actually made contact. He had no right. Not after what he’d done. Instead, he swallowed slightly and shook his head. “Have they… hurt you at all? Can you run?”
Something warm filled the back of her eyes, and Rika couldn't tell if they were falling or not, but she could feel something against the sides of her cheeks. She could see him so vividly now, as he crouched in front of her. She could barely register what he said, however; before she could reply, her arms acted on their own, and wrapped tightly around him. She brought herself closer to him, holding him as tightly as she could as she wept into his shoulder. He was here. It was the only thought that ran through her mind as she continued to weep. She could feel herself shivering, but none of it mattered. He was here.
"Fang," she whispered his name softly as she finally let go. "No... no I'm fine," she managed to choke out, a small smile covering her face as one hand laid gently against his. "I... I can run, I'm not hurt. They didn't hurt me, I was just..." so scared. She couldn't bring herself to say that. Hesitantly, she lifted herself off the ground and stood on shaky legs. She could still run, she had to. She took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly. "Fang... don't leave me... not again," she spoke lowly as she grabbed his hand. She wasn't so sure she could handle it a second time. Shaking her head, she glanced back up at him, holding his gaze.
"Let's go."
Initially, her embrace only caused him to stiffen, his muscles locking in place involuntarily. She shouldn’t be… but she was afraid. She didn’t have to say it—he knew. Because he had been just as afraid. So for the moment, it wasn’t about what he had the right to do. It wasn’t about him at all; she was the only thing that mattered. So he wrapped his long arms around her and held her tightly to him, if only for a moment. This was not the place for such things, after all. “I won’t,” he said, almost too quietly to hear. It was a promise he did not know he would be able to keep, considering that his fate was no longer in his own hands, but… everything he could do, he would, to keep it.
Holding tightly to her hand, Fang drew a sword with his other and led the way out of the cell, looking both ways before exiting—and bringing the sword down hard on several projectiles aimed right for Rika. Not he. His eyes snapped to the spot, and, as though he had been there the entire time, Amon himself melted out of the shadows, a knife spinning casually in one hand, the other fist planted on his hip. That body language… something about it was very familiar, but he’d never seen Amon use it before.
“How touching.” Though his voice was mechanically altered, the sneer in it seemed to come through incredibly clearly. “I wondered why you took so long to break out of prison, Fang. It was because you went in voluntarily, isn’t it? And only came out again to rescue your little friend.” Fang’s jaw tightened; he shifted positions so that he was mostly blocking Rika from Amon’s view, his sword leveled out in front of him. His hand, however, did not relinquish its grip on hers.
Amon’s head tipped to the side, and for a few moments, there was silence. When it was clear that Fang wasn’t going to dignify that with a verbal response, Amon sighed. “A traitor until the end of your days. You gave up your family and your morals for love, and then your love for your damned conscience. Just what, I wonder, will make you betray this one? Does she have to die, too?” A muscle in Fang’s jaw jumped, his eyes narrowing. It was the angriest Amon had ever seen him look. “I thought you were so good at holding onto things. Has she taken what once belonged to the other? Have you given her up so easily, now, after you promised?”
“Stop it.” Fang drew himself up to his full height, making it very obvious that he was looking down on Amon. “There is no point in being tethered to something like that promise. All it has done is made me into a person I hate.” In truth, that was all she had done. Saki. His heart still constricted at the mention of her, but he could not be leashed by her memory any longer. His friends, without ever once realizing it, had cut that tether. They had taught him to live again. He’d been a Ghost, and only now was he again a human being.
Amon’s chuckle was dark, malicious. “A tether?” The knife stopped spinning, caught expertly in a practiced hand. “No, Fang, she didn’t tether you. It was nothing so weak as that. She had you chained, and you liked that about her.” There was a pause, and it was not difficult to imagine Amon smiling behind the mask.
“I’ll prove it to you.”
Somehow, he knew. The instant before Amon reached up and took of his mask, pulled down his hood, he knew what face he was going to see. And, sure enough, the man behind the mask was no man at all. Her face was fair and smooth as the day she’d supposedly died, her eyes an exotic shade of violet. The hair that tumbled from beneath the hood was sleek, glossy, and fell nearly to her knees in pin-straight strands.
“Saki.”
The one word carried years’ worth of emotions, and the woman’s cherry-red lips twisted into a coy smile to hear it. “It’s been a long time since I heard that name,” she said lowly, her voice half a purr, half a silken glide. As though it were the smoothest, most natural thing in the world, she slid over the remaining distance between herself and Fang, standing on her toes to place her nose in the crook of his neck. He went stock-still as she simply breathed him in, placing a lingering kiss on the juncture of his neck and throat. “I’ve… missed it.” She blinked in dull surprise when his reply was to lay the blade of his dao sword at the side of her neck, in precisely the spot where she’d just kissed him.
Saki sighed as though disappointed, then shot a sly smile at where Rika was standing. “I must confess to a degree of disappointment, Fang. If you were going to try and replace me, you could have tried to find someone who would compete.” Fang’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t you dare.” The hand holding his sword trembled, though whether with suppressed anger or something else, it was impossible to tell. “Rika is a better person than either of us ever will be. There is no competition at all.” For some reason, that only seemed to amuse Saki, whose smile widened slightly.
“That doesn’t mean you love her more than you love me still. But if I’m really such old news, kill me,” she said offhandedly, and Fang sucked in an uncomfortable breath. “We both know you could, if you wanted. Right now. You could just move that blade, slice my flesh, and then the blight on your city would be excised forever. I might be able to get your bending beforehand, or I might not. But you don’t care that much about it anyway. A small sacrifice, no? So why won’t you do it?”
Rika wasn't sure what to feel the moment Amon appeared, and she could feel herself stop breathing. Her eyes were slightly wide but there was no doubt the fear that shined behind them. She gripped tightly against Fang's hand as Amon spoke, causing her to frown in confusion. It wasn't until Amon took of her mask, the name Fang spoke, what Saki said and did, that Rika finally understood. Something in her heart broke as she watched the exchanges between Saki and Fang, and it only caused her gaze to falter and darken. She could feel herself shivering, an untold rage building inside of her, but she wasn't angry because of what Saki had said about her. She was angry because of what she was doing to Fang.
"No, Fang, she's right," she spoke out, laying her free hand against his back and pressing her forehead into the middle of it. "I am nothing compared to her, but," she spoke, her voice finding its volume as she pulled back from him. "I am glad that you chose me, even knowing that you had loved someone as beautiful as she is," she stated, her eyes glancing towards Saki, and it was true. She was glad that he could love her as he had loved Saki. Perhaps he didn't love her as completely as he had loved Saki, but she took what he gave, because he mattered to her in ways that she could never understand. And maybe that's what love did for her.
"But you're also wrong, Saki. Fang still loves you, yes," it hurt to say that, but she had to. "If he didn't, he wouldn't... he wouldn't have killed those people for you. He wouldn't have done anything that has made him hate himself so, if he didn't love you. Perhaps he can never love me as he loves you, but that's... that's okay," she spoke, her voice on the verge of cracking. "I'll wait until he can... even if my bending has to be taken away, even if it may never be in this lifetime," she stated, shaking her head in the process. "I will wait," she repeated. This woman was making her angry, but she was also trying to egg them on, to make them do something they, he would regret. And she couldn't let that happen.
"Don't do it, Fang, don't let her ruin you anymore," she pleaded silently, moving so that she was positioned in front of him, between his blade. "Please, do not permanently stain your hands for her," she stated, bringing their clasped hands together so she could wrap her other hand around it. "I love you. I love you, Fang. After everything you've done, continued to do, I still love you, and I will always love you. It may never be enough, and perhaps they may call me foolish for this, since it is my first love," she stated, reaching up to gingerly touch his face.
"And I know you still love her. No one ever stops loving their first," she stated, a weak smile playing at her lips as her eyes watered slightly. She wasn't as pretty as Saki, not even remotely close to being as beautiful as the woman in front of them, but Fang did not choose to be with her because of that. She did not choose to be with Fang because of what he was, or how he was. She chose him because of who he made her want to be when she was with him. He made her want to be something more, and even now she was trying to be. By not letting her anger get the better of her. "Just...," she paused, turning to face Saki.
"This has to stop. Why can't you let him go?"
Fang wasn’t so sure as Rika was about what she was saying—mostly because his feelings, such as they were, constituted a jumbled mess of things that he did not have the time to make sense of at the moment. He shook his head to clear it, some of the haze fading from in front of his eyes, and his grip tightened on his sword. Saki was right—it would be easy to do this, to end her life. Physically, anyway, the task was simple. It was already half-done, considering the position that he was in. Would it stain his hands? Not in any fashion that had not been done already. But… he didn’t want to do it, or could not, and the reasons why were unclear. Perhaps he loved her still, as they both seemed to think. Perhaps it was Rika’s plea that stayed his hand—he did not know.
Saki knew it the moment he stopped wavering and came to a decision. Pursing her lips into a moue of disappointment, she tilted her head sideways at him, a silky strand of hair falling over her shoulder. Whatever she might have said, though was interrupted by Rika’s last question, and the smile broke over her face again. For the first time, she spoke directly to the earthbender. “Let him go?” She echoed, almost as if faintly surprised. Indeed, her eyebrows both ascended her forehead. “Little girl, would you let him go, if you had the option?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “If you would, you might as well do it now.”
“Enough.” Fang found his voice after what seemed too long. “If you don’t plan to stop us, we’re leaving.”
Saki giggled. “Oh, I plan to stop you. Which one of you would like to lose your bending first, hm?” She took a few steps back, from under the blade of Fang’s sword, and dropped into a practiced martial arts stance. For the first time in the whole confrontation, Fang let go of Rika’s hand. He knew what Saki wanted, and he’d give it to her, because it meant he could breathe a little more easily.
“Run,” he told her softly, placing the free hand on her shoulder. “I’ll keep her back, but you need to find the others and get out of here. Please.” He was willing to risk his bending, but not hers. It was a part of her, deep and important, and he would not allow it to be taken. Not while he was there to stand in the way.
“So willing to risk that you’ll return to me, darling?” Saki teased slyly, and Fang’s jaw tightened.
“That won’t happen.” To Rika, he continued softly. “It won’t. I promised, so please trust me. Go.”
"If I had to, yes," she responded almost immediately. "I would let him go if I had to. Holding onto someone that doesn't want to be chained to you shouldn't have to be chained. They should be allowed to come and go freely until they were ready to be a part of you," she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her breath hitched in her throat, though, at Saki's statement. She glanced at Fang as the woman took a defensive stance, and he told her to run. She didn't want to. She wanted to stay, here with him. But his last words caused her to let out something of a strangled cry. It was low, but not so low that he wouldn't be able to hear it. She hesitantly reached out to him, to make him go with her, but she couldn't do that. He told her to trust him... and as he had trusted her that day, she would trust him.
"Fang, I trust you," she stated, tearing her eyes from him. She squeezed them tightly before she ran, not before echoing a few words. "Please be safe," and she was gone. She had to find Haki and Kiara. Once she did, she would wait for him... because he promised.
And she trusted him.
This, he decided, would be the last involvement he had with it, come what may.
It had not been easy to divine Rika’s exact location, but he knew where she was now. He also knew that there was a limited amount of time until she was moved again, certainly not enough time to gather the forces the Council had put at their disposal. But there was enough time to fetch Haki and Kiara, and so the three of them now made their way down a darkened back alley, Fang in the lead, until they reached a specific manhole cover, which he lifted and placed to the side. “The area is underground. It will be dark, but don’t produce light if you can avoid it.” They would need every advantage they could get. Fang had already memorized the layout, and nodded when Kiara chose to grasp the back of his shirt with one hand and Haki’s fingers with the other. That should keep anyone from getting lost without the need to speak.
They had to break formation for a moment to actually get down the manhole, but he waited until there were fingers in the fabric of his shirt again before he started forward, treading lightly over the smooth stone ground. He’d not seen the cell they were using to hold Rika, but he knew it would have been carefully constructed of wood, seamless and floor-to-ceiling. It would have to be, if they had any hope of holding an Earthbender underground.
Kiara following behind felt a little less sure of her treads, but Fang thankfully moved slowly enough that she could muffle her footsteps for the most part. Her relief to see her friend again had been understandably dulled by the fact that the reason he was there was that Rika was missing, but she had not been so distracted that she’d failed to notice the change in him. Fang looked… anxious. Worried. Afraid, even, and she could discern the feelings easily just by looking at his eyes. It was strange, to see that in him, and she supposed all of this must have affected him more than she’d imagined, for him to be so readable like that. Somehow, all the hurt she’d felt at his sudden disappearance had ebbed away then, and she’d just hugged him. He was back, they were going to rescue Rika… everything was going to be okay. She had to believe that.
Haki nodded his head when Fang spoke. It would be wise to keep his fire from being used unless they absolutely needed it. He trusted Fang to lead them where they needed to be, and closed his hand over Kiara's when she slipped her hand into his. He let them lead, stopping when they stopped moving, and moving when they picked back up. It was strange, moving about underground searching for Rika. In all the years he's lived in Republic City, sneaking underground, going against Equalists was not something he would have put down as something he would have been a part of. It was, in a sense, insane. They were three benders going against well-armed and well trained Chi Blockers, trained Equalists.
What could they possibly hope to do against something like that? They were an army, however; they were with cause. That had to mean something. Perhaps, in a way, they were like the Equalists. They were fighting for a cause they believed in, and perhaps it is that belief that was giving them the strength they needed to rescue Rika and the others. Though, even that felt a little odd. The others were not his main priority. Rika was. She was the reason why they were here in the first place, and the reason why they were able to get Fang back. He shook his head softly, pushing all thoughts to the back of his head. He didn't need to be distracted. He needed to remain focused on the task at hand.
"We may have to split up once we get inside," Haki spoke, his voice loud enough to be heard, but low enough so that no one else could hear him should there be others around.
“Yes,” Fang replied softly, still creeping along the pathway. “I do not know exactly where she is being held. The path will split as soon as we reach the base—it should not have too many guards, but more than usual.” She would be considered an important prisoner, after all. Still, they shouldn’t have any more than a dozen guards to deal with, if they were careful. “When that happens, you two go left. Don’t separate; you’re more vulnerable alone. I’ll go right.” He didn’t say it, but it would be better for him to assume more risk. Even without his bending, Fang was more than formidable. It was doubtful most of them would even attempt to chi block him anyway, making it much safer for him to be alone than they would be.
Besides… if someone had to assume more risk for this, he wanted it to be him. It would not make up for everything he had done, but it would be something, and for now, that something was all he could give. But the time approached for silence—they could see light filtering in from ahead, where the Equalists had located this base. His voice dropped to a mere breath. “If you find her, don’t worry about me. Just get out. I can handle myself if it comes to that.” He had some protection given his membership in the organization, and if it came to it… he would prefer more blood on his own hands than any on theirs. That much, he could do for them, too.
They approached slowly, Kiara releasing Fang’s shirt as they crept closer. There wasn't’ a door as such, more like a sheet draped over a doorway. She could see the light from a fire flickering behind it, and assumed that the front room must be some kind of rest area for the guards. Fang looked back at the both of them over his shoulder, raising a finger to his lips, then drew his swords from his back silently. Slipping in under the sheet, he emerged on the other side. There was a brief cry of alarm, but it was quickly silenced. Kiara released Haki’s hand so he’d have both free, then darted in after Fang.
It looked like there had been two guards in the front room, but they were both out cold now, Fang dragging their bodies to a corner and covering them with another blanket. Hopefully they’d just look like they had passed out drunk or something. Not that she knew whether the Equalists drank on duty, but guarding prisoners had to be boring. As Fang had said he would, he slipped through the doorway to the right, leaving she and Haki to take the left. “Okay, let’s go.”
Haki gave Fang one last glance before nodding his head and following after Kiara. They went through the door on the left, tip-toeing quietly to make their way through the base. He stopped a few times, summoning a small bout of flame to see through the doors they came across. All of the ones they had stumbled upon, were empty rooms, or rooms that had previously been occupied. The ones that had previously been occupied were obvious with the half empty drinks and half eaten snacks. They might be coming back, and that thought alone caused Haki to press forward, crushing the light in his hands momentarily. He continued down the hallway and stopped at a corner. He motioned for Kiara to stop, and peered around the corner.
"There are five guards up ahead, Kiara. We have to take them by surprise if we want to keep going without sounding the alarm," he spoke in a hushed voice. He leaned back against the wall and glanced towards Kiara. "I'll go first, and then I want you to follow up quickly behind me," he continued, glancing at her and holding his hand up before slipping around the corner. He stalked slowly towards the Equalists, stopping to lean up against the wall when one of them turned in his direction. He let a slow breath escape him before continuing his way towards the Equalists.
He managed to get behind two of them, and managed to take the two of them out. The three that were left, however; managed to turn into three more. He miscalculated, and Haki cursed beneath his breath. They hadn't seen Kiara yet, so she had a better chance at sneaking up and taking them on by surprise. Instead, he chose to take a defensive stance, and kept from using his bending. He didn't need them taking it away from him quite yet if they didn't know he was a firebender. The less they knew, the greater chances they had at making it out together.
Of course, the problem was that these people were all capable of raising the alarm, and Kiara couldn’t let them summon reinforcements. So she did the only thing she could do—she bent. From the container at her waist, the drew for the her water, separating it into enough parts for each of the men, and gagged them with it, freezing the water to keep it banded in place around their heads. They could still breathe through their noses, but at least they couldn’t shout. At the sudden attack from behind, though, the six split into threes, half of them going after her and the other half heading for Haki.
Knowing that these were most likely chi blockers, Kiara did her best to avoid being hit, but they were fighting in tight quarters. A quick offensive took out one of them, but she was out of water, and she wasn’t sure she could afford to pull it from the air right now, not when there could still be more ahead of them. Rolling to the side to avoid another hit, Kiara came up in a sweep, knocking another Equalist’s feet out from underneath him. He wasn’t down for the count yet, though, and the other one was swinging for her too soon to allow her to knock him out on a more permanent basis. He caught her on the arm, rendering that one useless for bending, and she grunted, trying to escape. His assault was relentless, but she managed to catch a break when she punched him square in the nose, surprising him more than anything.
That was, unfortunately, when he activated the shocking gauntlet on his wrist, and caught her in the shoulder. Trying her best not to scream, Kiara bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood and collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Haki waited on bated breath as the Equalist took charge, running at him with one of the electrified kali sticks. He really hated those things, and had he not been able to summon and control his own lightning, he might have fallen unconscious the first time he was hit. Luckily, he had shocked himself a few times, enough so that he could tolerate the simple jolt coursing through him now. He twisted the man's hand, turning the kali stick on the man and watching as he fell limp. He could hear the struggle on Kiara's end and furrowed his brows. He managed to throw the kali stick at one of his assailants, watching as the man writhed in pain before knocking him out.
"Kiara," he muttered, making his way towards her. He bulldozed the man to the ground, twisting the man's hand behind his back and ripping the gauntlet off of his hand. He still had the other glove on and he managed to twist the other arm behind him, grabbing Haki's hand and using the momentum to shock him. He gritted his teeth together and managed to separate from the hand. He released a strangled grunt and sighed harshly through his nose. As he stood from his spot, he felt something connecting with the back of his head, and he released a strangled cry. He fell to his hands and knees, and tried to roll out of the way, however; he felt a foot connect with his side, and he fell on his stomach.
"Damn it," he muttered, whipping a trail of blood forming at his lips. "Kiara, get out of here," he spoke, feeling another leg connect with him. This was not how it was supposed to go down, and she needed to leave. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. If she could get out, then at least she could find Fang and they could come back later... but first, he wanted them to find Rika and get out of here. "I'll take care of these guys," he managed to mutter, though really, he wasn't going to be dealing with anyone in his current condition.
Kiara groaned from her spot on the floor, sucking in her breaths through her teeth and fighting her way to her hands and knees. “N-no,” she ground out, still feeling the aftershock of being hit with the electricity. It was causing her muscles to twitch involuntarily, and her chances of pulling off any acrobatic maneuvers were basically null. But… but Haki was in danger, and there was something she could do to help, something that tugged at the edges of her mind. An anger festered there. These people—these people had taken one of her friends from her, and in a sense, they’d taken Fang, too. They would not take Haki. Not ever.
“Don’t. Touch. Him.” Kiara coughed, her fingers curling into fists against the wood floors. One of them still worked for bending, and even as one of the Equalists raised his foot to kick at Haki’s side again, she hooked her fingers into claws and yanked backwards, slamming the man back against the wall before his foot could reach. With a hiss of pained breath, she did the same with the other, tossing him into a cell and watching with a strange disconnection as he fell unconscious, his head cracking back against the iron bars.
The effort left her breathing heavily, but she was able to crawl over to Haki. His condition was no better than hers, and she was strongly tempted to just collapse on the floor there, alongside him, and sleep off her exhaustion. Unfortunately, though, they didn’t have that option. Laying a hand along the side of his face, she gave him a tired, crooked smile. “Didn’t I say it? If you don’t get to leave me… then I don’t leave you either.” Slowly, painfully, they made their way to their feet. Their job wasn’t done yet, after all.
Fang had a bit of an easier time than his friends did, considering his swords, and though he had to dispatch about five Equalists along the way, he encountered no more than two at a time, making it relatively simple to do so. He was also the one who ran across the wooden cells first, and he picked up speed until he was running full-tilt, stealth abandoned in the effort to find Rika as quickly as possible. When he did, he stopped dead in front of the bars, two quick strokes of his blade cutting through the wood with precision.
For a moment, words failed him, but then he dropped the hood covering his head and swallowed thickly.
“Rika.”
Haki sighed softly, rolling over to face Kiara and smiled. "Alright, you win," he spoke quietly, lifting himself up as he tried to stable himself. His side ached, but he supposed that was what happened when one is kicked with boots. Steel-toed boots it seemed, but nonetheless, he pressed forward. They still had a job to do, and they had people to rescue. He suppressed a groan as he pressed forward. "Hold on, we're coming," were the only thoughts in his mind as he continued to run with Kiara.
Rika sat in the corner, head buried between her legs. She couldn't see much, the illumination in the cell wasn't all too bright to begin with, and she could feel the wetness of her sleeve digging into her skin. She had stopped crying a day ago, feeling unable to shed any more tears than she already had. What more could she do? They had her, her bending was useless, and she couldn't escape a wooden cell. It had surprised her, slightly, that Amon had not taken her bending from her yet. Sure, he might have been one for grand gestures and displays, but she wasn't anyone important. Why wait to take her bending? She inched closer to the wall, feeling the cold crawl up her spine, and tried to dig her head deeper.
It was as if she were trying to hide, trying to make herself disappear. She didn't care if they took her bending, all she wanted was to go back to her friends. Did her family even know she was gone? She could feel something like a strangled cry, building up in her throat, but she bit her lower lip to keep it from escaping. Did he know? The thought alone sent a shudder up her spine as she tried not to think about it. Would Haki tell him what happened? Some part of her hoped he did, and some darker part of her hoped he hadn't. He was in prison, and there would be nothing he could do from there. Still... all she wanted was to be able to say goodbye, at least just once. Who was to say that Amon would not go the extra step and just kill her for interfering the way she and the others had?
She could feel her chest constrict at the thought, and it did not stop the strangled cry from escaping her lips. All she wanted was a chance to see him... just one more time, to say something, anything to him, but she wouldn't be able to. She did not know what Amon had in store for her, but she would take it. She would endure it a thousand times over just to have said something to him. The sound of someone calling her name, caused Rika to press deeper into the wall, her heart beat picking up in a rapid pace. She did not recognize the voice at first, and she could feel herself trying to adjust her eyes to see who it was. Her eyes widened at the sight before her, and she felt her voice leave her.
"Fang?" she called out, her voice cracking, betraying everything she was feeling. She felt lost, broken, and afraid. Feelings she had never imagined would be amplified as they had in this place, without them. "Is that you?" she continued, her voice just a mere whisper to keep herself from completely breaking.
The gloomy light caught his eyes, and for a moment, they flashed the color of molten gold, before he shifted them just slightly and they receded back into the dim cast of his shadowed face. “Yes,” he replied, his voice subdued, almost tentative. Flat he may have been, even subtle, once, but he was never timid. Not until this moment, anyway. “Yes, it’s me.” In a smooth motion, Fang drew his swords from his back, and in a swift motion, sliced through the bars, catching the three wooden poles on their way down and laying them carefully aside so they would not clatter, the blades already back in their sheaths. “We have to move quickly—I don’t know how much time we have. Haki and Kiara should meet us on the way out.”
If they didn’t, he knew he’d go back in for them, but only once he knew she was out, and safe. That was simply his first priority right now. Ducking into the cell through the gap he’d created, he padded quietly over to her, crouching beside where she sat. He reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, but withdrew it before it actually made contact. He had no right. Not after what he’d done. Instead, he swallowed slightly and shook his head. “Have they… hurt you at all? Can you run?”
Something warm filled the back of her eyes, and Rika couldn't tell if they were falling or not, but she could feel something against the sides of her cheeks. She could see him so vividly now, as he crouched in front of her. She could barely register what he said, however; before she could reply, her arms acted on their own, and wrapped tightly around him. She brought herself closer to him, holding him as tightly as she could as she wept into his shoulder. He was here. It was the only thought that ran through her mind as she continued to weep. She could feel herself shivering, but none of it mattered. He was here.
"Fang," she whispered his name softly as she finally let go. "No... no I'm fine," she managed to choke out, a small smile covering her face as one hand laid gently against his. "I... I can run, I'm not hurt. They didn't hurt me, I was just..." so scared. She couldn't bring herself to say that. Hesitantly, she lifted herself off the ground and stood on shaky legs. She could still run, she had to. She took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly. "Fang... don't leave me... not again," she spoke lowly as she grabbed his hand. She wasn't so sure she could handle it a second time. Shaking her head, she glanced back up at him, holding his gaze.
"Let's go."
Initially, her embrace only caused him to stiffen, his muscles locking in place involuntarily. She shouldn’t be… but she was afraid. She didn’t have to say it—he knew. Because he had been just as afraid. So for the moment, it wasn’t about what he had the right to do. It wasn’t about him at all; she was the only thing that mattered. So he wrapped his long arms around her and held her tightly to him, if only for a moment. This was not the place for such things, after all. “I won’t,” he said, almost too quietly to hear. It was a promise he did not know he would be able to keep, considering that his fate was no longer in his own hands, but… everything he could do, he would, to keep it.
Holding tightly to her hand, Fang drew a sword with his other and led the way out of the cell, looking both ways before exiting—and bringing the sword down hard on several projectiles aimed right for Rika. Not he. His eyes snapped to the spot, and, as though he had been there the entire time, Amon himself melted out of the shadows, a knife spinning casually in one hand, the other fist planted on his hip. That body language… something about it was very familiar, but he’d never seen Amon use it before.
“How touching.” Though his voice was mechanically altered, the sneer in it seemed to come through incredibly clearly. “I wondered why you took so long to break out of prison, Fang. It was because you went in voluntarily, isn’t it? And only came out again to rescue your little friend.” Fang’s jaw tightened; he shifted positions so that he was mostly blocking Rika from Amon’s view, his sword leveled out in front of him. His hand, however, did not relinquish its grip on hers.
Amon’s head tipped to the side, and for a few moments, there was silence. When it was clear that Fang wasn’t going to dignify that with a verbal response, Amon sighed. “A traitor until the end of your days. You gave up your family and your morals for love, and then your love for your damned conscience. Just what, I wonder, will make you betray this one? Does she have to die, too?” A muscle in Fang’s jaw jumped, his eyes narrowing. It was the angriest Amon had ever seen him look. “I thought you were so good at holding onto things. Has she taken what once belonged to the other? Have you given her up so easily, now, after you promised?”
“Stop it.” Fang drew himself up to his full height, making it very obvious that he was looking down on Amon. “There is no point in being tethered to something like that promise. All it has done is made me into a person I hate.” In truth, that was all she had done. Saki. His heart still constricted at the mention of her, but he could not be leashed by her memory any longer. His friends, without ever once realizing it, had cut that tether. They had taught him to live again. He’d been a Ghost, and only now was he again a human being.
Amon’s chuckle was dark, malicious. “A tether?” The knife stopped spinning, caught expertly in a practiced hand. “No, Fang, she didn’t tether you. It was nothing so weak as that. She had you chained, and you liked that about her.” There was a pause, and it was not difficult to imagine Amon smiling behind the mask.
“I’ll prove it to you.”
Somehow, he knew. The instant before Amon reached up and took of his mask, pulled down his hood, he knew what face he was going to see. And, sure enough, the man behind the mask was no man at all. Her face was fair and smooth as the day she’d supposedly died, her eyes an exotic shade of violet. The hair that tumbled from beneath the hood was sleek, glossy, and fell nearly to her knees in pin-straight strands.
“Saki.”
The one word carried years’ worth of emotions, and the woman’s cherry-red lips twisted into a coy smile to hear it. “It’s been a long time since I heard that name,” she said lowly, her voice half a purr, half a silken glide. As though it were the smoothest, most natural thing in the world, she slid over the remaining distance between herself and Fang, standing on her toes to place her nose in the crook of his neck. He went stock-still as she simply breathed him in, placing a lingering kiss on the juncture of his neck and throat. “I’ve… missed it.” She blinked in dull surprise when his reply was to lay the blade of his dao sword at the side of her neck, in precisely the spot where she’d just kissed him.
Saki sighed as though disappointed, then shot a sly smile at where Rika was standing. “I must confess to a degree of disappointment, Fang. If you were going to try and replace me, you could have tried to find someone who would compete.” Fang’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t you dare.” The hand holding his sword trembled, though whether with suppressed anger or something else, it was impossible to tell. “Rika is a better person than either of us ever will be. There is no competition at all.” For some reason, that only seemed to amuse Saki, whose smile widened slightly.
“That doesn’t mean you love her more than you love me still. But if I’m really such old news, kill me,” she said offhandedly, and Fang sucked in an uncomfortable breath. “We both know you could, if you wanted. Right now. You could just move that blade, slice my flesh, and then the blight on your city would be excised forever. I might be able to get your bending beforehand, or I might not. But you don’t care that much about it anyway. A small sacrifice, no? So why won’t you do it?”
Rika wasn't sure what to feel the moment Amon appeared, and she could feel herself stop breathing. Her eyes were slightly wide but there was no doubt the fear that shined behind them. She gripped tightly against Fang's hand as Amon spoke, causing her to frown in confusion. It wasn't until Amon took of her mask, the name Fang spoke, what Saki said and did, that Rika finally understood. Something in her heart broke as she watched the exchanges between Saki and Fang, and it only caused her gaze to falter and darken. She could feel herself shivering, an untold rage building inside of her, but she wasn't angry because of what Saki had said about her. She was angry because of what she was doing to Fang.
"No, Fang, she's right," she spoke out, laying her free hand against his back and pressing her forehead into the middle of it. "I am nothing compared to her, but," she spoke, her voice finding its volume as she pulled back from him. "I am glad that you chose me, even knowing that you had loved someone as beautiful as she is," she stated, her eyes glancing towards Saki, and it was true. She was glad that he could love her as he had loved Saki. Perhaps he didn't love her as completely as he had loved Saki, but she took what he gave, because he mattered to her in ways that she could never understand. And maybe that's what love did for her.
"But you're also wrong, Saki. Fang still loves you, yes," it hurt to say that, but she had to. "If he didn't, he wouldn't... he wouldn't have killed those people for you. He wouldn't have done anything that has made him hate himself so, if he didn't love you. Perhaps he can never love me as he loves you, but that's... that's okay," she spoke, her voice on the verge of cracking. "I'll wait until he can... even if my bending has to be taken away, even if it may never be in this lifetime," she stated, shaking her head in the process. "I will wait," she repeated. This woman was making her angry, but she was also trying to egg them on, to make them do something they, he would regret. And she couldn't let that happen.
"Don't do it, Fang, don't let her ruin you anymore," she pleaded silently, moving so that she was positioned in front of him, between his blade. "Please, do not permanently stain your hands for her," she stated, bringing their clasped hands together so she could wrap her other hand around it. "I love you. I love you, Fang. After everything you've done, continued to do, I still love you, and I will always love you. It may never be enough, and perhaps they may call me foolish for this, since it is my first love," she stated, reaching up to gingerly touch his face.
"And I know you still love her. No one ever stops loving their first," she stated, a weak smile playing at her lips as her eyes watered slightly. She wasn't as pretty as Saki, not even remotely close to being as beautiful as the woman in front of them, but Fang did not choose to be with her because of that. She did not choose to be with Fang because of what he was, or how he was. She chose him because of who he made her want to be when she was with him. He made her want to be something more, and even now she was trying to be. By not letting her anger get the better of her. "Just...," she paused, turning to face Saki.
"This has to stop. Why can't you let him go?"
Fang wasn’t so sure as Rika was about what she was saying—mostly because his feelings, such as they were, constituted a jumbled mess of things that he did not have the time to make sense of at the moment. He shook his head to clear it, some of the haze fading from in front of his eyes, and his grip tightened on his sword. Saki was right—it would be easy to do this, to end her life. Physically, anyway, the task was simple. It was already half-done, considering the position that he was in. Would it stain his hands? Not in any fashion that had not been done already. But… he didn’t want to do it, or could not, and the reasons why were unclear. Perhaps he loved her still, as they both seemed to think. Perhaps it was Rika’s plea that stayed his hand—he did not know.
Saki knew it the moment he stopped wavering and came to a decision. Pursing her lips into a moue of disappointment, she tilted her head sideways at him, a silky strand of hair falling over her shoulder. Whatever she might have said, though was interrupted by Rika’s last question, and the smile broke over her face again. For the first time, she spoke directly to the earthbender. “Let him go?” She echoed, almost as if faintly surprised. Indeed, her eyebrows both ascended her forehead. “Little girl, would you let him go, if you had the option?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “If you would, you might as well do it now.”
“Enough.” Fang found his voice after what seemed too long. “If you don’t plan to stop us, we’re leaving.”
Saki giggled. “Oh, I plan to stop you. Which one of you would like to lose your bending first, hm?” She took a few steps back, from under the blade of Fang’s sword, and dropped into a practiced martial arts stance. For the first time in the whole confrontation, Fang let go of Rika’s hand. He knew what Saki wanted, and he’d give it to her, because it meant he could breathe a little more easily.
“Run,” he told her softly, placing the free hand on her shoulder. “I’ll keep her back, but you need to find the others and get out of here. Please.” He was willing to risk his bending, but not hers. It was a part of her, deep and important, and he would not allow it to be taken. Not while he was there to stand in the way.
“So willing to risk that you’ll return to me, darling?” Saki teased slyly, and Fang’s jaw tightened.
“That won’t happen.” To Rika, he continued softly. “It won’t. I promised, so please trust me. Go.”
"If I had to, yes," she responded almost immediately. "I would let him go if I had to. Holding onto someone that doesn't want to be chained to you shouldn't have to be chained. They should be allowed to come and go freely until they were ready to be a part of you," she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her breath hitched in her throat, though, at Saki's statement. She glanced at Fang as the woman took a defensive stance, and he told her to run. She didn't want to. She wanted to stay, here with him. But his last words caused her to let out something of a strangled cry. It was low, but not so low that he wouldn't be able to hear it. She hesitantly reached out to him, to make him go with her, but she couldn't do that. He told her to trust him... and as he had trusted her that day, she would trust him.
"Fang, I trust you," she stated, tearing her eyes from him. She squeezed them tightly before she ran, not before echoing a few words. "Please be safe," and she was gone. She had to find Haki and Kiara. Once she did, she would wait for him... because he promised.
And she trusted him.
By the time they got out of the Equalist base, Kiara was nearly dead on her feet, and had to half-lean-on, half-support Haki all the way back to her house. When they reached the door, she could barely get her key to work, her hands were shaking so bad. She took one look at him and shook her head. “You’re not walking all the way home like that. Just stay here for the night. You can too, if you want, Rika.” Disengaging herself from where she was basically attached to Haki’s hip, she grasped him by the wrist and led him inside, leaving the door ajar for Rika to follow if she wanted to.
Steering him over to an armchair, she made sure he was sitting in it before she headed to her kitchen, fishing a first-aid kit out of the cupboard under the sink. She wasn’t sure she had the energy left to heal anything with her bending just yet. “Let me see your injuries,” she said softly, her tone making it more a request than a demand. She could feel the places her own body ached from hits taken, and she was still sluggishly bleeding from a wound she’d caught to the side of her abdomen on their way out, but it wasn’t terrible, and he’d been injured worse than she had, besides. Kneeling beside the chair, Kiara placed the box of supplies next to her and flipped open the lid, sorting through the items she owned and trying to pick out the ones she’d likely need, for both herself and him.
Haki sighed, letting Kiara lead him inside her home as Rika closed the door behind her. She slumped in the nearest thing she could find, and wrapped herself with a blanket she found on the couch. Haki glanced over towards her and gave her a reassuring smile, one she couldn't find the strength to return. He shook his head softly as he turned to Kiara. They were both injured, and she was probably hurt more than he was. They had run into a few Equalists along the way, and Haki wasn't sure he could keep count of how many times he'd been kicked and shocked. He lost count around fifteen, or was it thirty? He gave Kiara a flat look before shaking his head once more.
"Heal yourself first, Kiara. I can wait," he stated, sinking further into the chair. Maybe he was hurt a little more than she was, but he wasn't concerned with his health. He was concerned with hers. He had almost burned her during the fray, and that had been on accident. He was trying to keep one of the Equalists from catching her from behind. He couldn't allow that, and he had barely managed to redirect the flames before they had hit her. "Besides, I'm resilient," he stated, cracking a light grin as if to prove the point, however; he cringed lightly.
Kiara sighed, frowning in irritation, but in the end, it wasn’t worth the fight. She’d be able to patch herself up easily enough after all. “Have it your way,” she muttered, wincing as she stood back up to plant herself on the arm of the couch Rika was currently using. Inside the first-aid kit was a pair of scissors, and without hesitation, she sliced right through the front of the loose shirt she was wearing, sliding it off with a grunt of discomfort. There was just no way she’d have been able to lift it off—her arms wouldn’t go above her head without pulling at an injury at this point. The left side of her abdomen was slowly becoming one enormous bruise, the color a mottled dark purple against the brown of her complexion. She prodded with a couple of fingers, checking for anything broken, and flinched uncomfortably at the pain that produced.
“Probably just bruised…” she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. The cut on the other side was bleeding freely down her skin now with nothing to absorb it, and for a moment, the sight of the red fluid caused her to freeze in place. She lifted a hand to the wound, coming away with blood on her hand. Her face twisted with something unnamable an she rubbed it between her fingers, and she shuddered, snapping herself out of the reverie and reaching into the box for some disinfectant and a gauze pad.
“Say Rika… um… what happened?” It wasn’t the most comfortable topic of conversation, probably, but Kiara was worried about Fang, and how he hadn’t come out with the rest of them. She supposed Rika must know, and that he’d been the one to find her. But… what had happened after that? Was he injured somewhere, right now?
Rika flinched visibly when Kiara spoke, and only pulled the covers tighter around her. How was she going to answer that? She wasn't even sure what happened. One moment she was sitting in a cell, the next Fang was there, and then she was gone. She had been so scared, that everything that had happened in between, had been but a blur. Haki, his eyes closed, could feel the flinch and sighed softly through his nose. It wasn't an easy explanation, he knew that, but he too wanted to know what became of Fang. And if he was still in trouble, they would need to go in after him. He would have done the same for them, it was only natural that they do the same for him.
"I... I don't know. It all happened so fast I," she paused, trying to sort through the jumbled mess in her head. She could feel her eyes watering slightly before wiping them away with the blanket, and tried as hard as she could to wrap it even tighter around her. "Fang found me... he got me out of the cell and then... she appeared," she finally managed to state. At that, Haki opened one of his eyes and lifted his brow. Rika glanced at the two of them and sighed. "Saki," she explained. She wasn't sure if they knew who she was exactly to Fang, but she shook her head lightly. She inhaled slowly, still feeling the way her skin crawled when Saki had looked at her, the words she had spoken.
"Saki, she was Fang's former lover. She was the reason why he did all of those things he did, but," she stated, pausing only for a moment to catch her breath. "Fang said she had died in a Triad attack," she continued, hugging her knees closely to her. "It must have been just a ruse, to get Fang to do those things for her, but... she wasn't dead. She's been... she's been," she repeated the words, trying to get the right words out, but found her voice still cracking slightly. She hated what Saki did to Fang, what she was still doing to him. But she hated herself even more for leaving him behind.
She trusted him, still trusts him. "She's the one responsible for taking away a person's ability to bend. She's Amon," she concluded, burying her head in between her knees and the sheets. "And Fang... he stayed behind," so that she could get away. She could feel something warm sliding down her cheeks, but she would not let her friends see her this way. Better they think she would not look up than to know she was weeping again. Haki, however, pursed his lips together and sighed gently.
"Then we have to go back for him," he spoke. If Fang was still there, they should go back for him.
Kiara had frozen in the act of wrapping bandages snugly around her torso. It wasn’t easy to do by herself, but she wasn’t complaining. Still… a story like that… it was almost too much to believe. And yet, she could somehow sense the truth in it. It explained a lot of things about Fang, and about Rika’s current state. She managed to get herself back to wrapping the bandages when Haki spoke, and then shook her head slightly, tying them off with a knot and lowering the rest back into her kit.
Reaching up as well as she could, she tugged down the band holding her hair in a ponytail, letting it fall down around her shoulders. It had been starting to give her a headache, honestly. Bending some water over, she cleaned her hands of excess blood and dirt and disinfectant, then bent that all back down the sink in the next room. “I want to go after him, too,” she confessed quietly, standing from her position on the couch’s arm and moving back down to where she’d been by Haki. She tapped him on the shoulder to alert him to where she was, since she’d now treated her own wounds, and continued. “But… what could we do, in shape like this? I won’t be able to heal any more injuries before I’ve slept, and we can't run in there with bruised ribs and bleeding cuts. We don’t even know if he’s still there—at this point, going back would be more likely to hurt him than help him.”
She glanced down at her first aid kit and sighed again. It hurt to know that this was the extent of her usefulness, but she didn’t want to be a burden to him. “I mean, if anyone knows what to do in a situation like that, it’s Fang. I think… we just have to believe in him, and wait for him to come back to us.” It wasn’t an easy thing to say, given how much she preferred to act rather than wait, but she was also pretty good at listening to the things her body was telling her, and right now, there was just no way she’d be any help at all. Resilient or not, Haki was the same, and Rika couldn’t go by herself. That was just asking to be thrown into a cell again.
Haki sighed, knowing she was right. What more could they do? All they would succeed in doing was either getting caught themselves, or they would end up killing themselves. It would have defeated the purpose of going back for him. He glanced towards Kiara and pursed his lips together, reaching out to take her hand gently and rubbed his thumb over the back of it. He would not put her at risk, not when they could barely even stand without wincing in pain. Even if she could heal them all, her healing could only do so much. It would take away the soreness, but it wouldn't exactly take away the actual injury. He glanced towards Rika and something crossed his eyes.
"Kiara's right," she spoke before he could. "We have to have faith in him, that he will come back to us safely. It would not be logical to go back. Fang... he... he can take care of himself and," she paused, glancing up from her knees to her friends. "He promised he would come back," and she believed he would keep his promise. She sighed softly as she glanced at Haki and Kiara, a small smile finding its way to her lips. Haki returned it before he stood, Kiara's hand still in his own. He pulled her along gently before sitting next to Rika, grabbing the blanket from her and wrapping the three of them in it.
"This will have to do for now," he stated, releasing a small sigh of contentment. He was injured still, but he could be healed tomorrow. Kiara needed her rest, as did Rika. "You can heal me in the morning, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, a small smirk covering his face as his eyes hovered half way between being closed, and trying to keep them open.
She couldn’t say she was all that pleased by the refusal to submit to her ministrations, but she was incredibly tired. Leaning gingerly sideways into his arm, she did her best to disturb neither his wounds nor her own. “First… thing,” she replied blearily, but then sleep took her.
Steering him over to an armchair, she made sure he was sitting in it before she headed to her kitchen, fishing a first-aid kit out of the cupboard under the sink. She wasn’t sure she had the energy left to heal anything with her bending just yet. “Let me see your injuries,” she said softly, her tone making it more a request than a demand. She could feel the places her own body ached from hits taken, and she was still sluggishly bleeding from a wound she’d caught to the side of her abdomen on their way out, but it wasn’t terrible, and he’d been injured worse than she had, besides. Kneeling beside the chair, Kiara placed the box of supplies next to her and flipped open the lid, sorting through the items she owned and trying to pick out the ones she’d likely need, for both herself and him.
Haki sighed, letting Kiara lead him inside her home as Rika closed the door behind her. She slumped in the nearest thing she could find, and wrapped herself with a blanket she found on the couch. Haki glanced over towards her and gave her a reassuring smile, one she couldn't find the strength to return. He shook his head softly as he turned to Kiara. They were both injured, and she was probably hurt more than he was. They had run into a few Equalists along the way, and Haki wasn't sure he could keep count of how many times he'd been kicked and shocked. He lost count around fifteen, or was it thirty? He gave Kiara a flat look before shaking his head once more.
"Heal yourself first, Kiara. I can wait," he stated, sinking further into the chair. Maybe he was hurt a little more than she was, but he wasn't concerned with his health. He was concerned with hers. He had almost burned her during the fray, and that had been on accident. He was trying to keep one of the Equalists from catching her from behind. He couldn't allow that, and he had barely managed to redirect the flames before they had hit her. "Besides, I'm resilient," he stated, cracking a light grin as if to prove the point, however; he cringed lightly.
Kiara sighed, frowning in irritation, but in the end, it wasn’t worth the fight. She’d be able to patch herself up easily enough after all. “Have it your way,” she muttered, wincing as she stood back up to plant herself on the arm of the couch Rika was currently using. Inside the first-aid kit was a pair of scissors, and without hesitation, she sliced right through the front of the loose shirt she was wearing, sliding it off with a grunt of discomfort. There was just no way she’d have been able to lift it off—her arms wouldn’t go above her head without pulling at an injury at this point. The left side of her abdomen was slowly becoming one enormous bruise, the color a mottled dark purple against the brown of her complexion. She prodded with a couple of fingers, checking for anything broken, and flinched uncomfortably at the pain that produced.
“Probably just bruised…” she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. The cut on the other side was bleeding freely down her skin now with nothing to absorb it, and for a moment, the sight of the red fluid caused her to freeze in place. She lifted a hand to the wound, coming away with blood on her hand. Her face twisted with something unnamable an she rubbed it between her fingers, and she shuddered, snapping herself out of the reverie and reaching into the box for some disinfectant and a gauze pad.
“Say Rika… um… what happened?” It wasn’t the most comfortable topic of conversation, probably, but Kiara was worried about Fang, and how he hadn’t come out with the rest of them. She supposed Rika must know, and that he’d been the one to find her. But… what had happened after that? Was he injured somewhere, right now?
Rika flinched visibly when Kiara spoke, and only pulled the covers tighter around her. How was she going to answer that? She wasn't even sure what happened. One moment she was sitting in a cell, the next Fang was there, and then she was gone. She had been so scared, that everything that had happened in between, had been but a blur. Haki, his eyes closed, could feel the flinch and sighed softly through his nose. It wasn't an easy explanation, he knew that, but he too wanted to know what became of Fang. And if he was still in trouble, they would need to go in after him. He would have done the same for them, it was only natural that they do the same for him.
"I... I don't know. It all happened so fast I," she paused, trying to sort through the jumbled mess in her head. She could feel her eyes watering slightly before wiping them away with the blanket, and tried as hard as she could to wrap it even tighter around her. "Fang found me... he got me out of the cell and then... she appeared," she finally managed to state. At that, Haki opened one of his eyes and lifted his brow. Rika glanced at the two of them and sighed. "Saki," she explained. She wasn't sure if they knew who she was exactly to Fang, but she shook her head lightly. She inhaled slowly, still feeling the way her skin crawled when Saki had looked at her, the words she had spoken.
"Saki, she was Fang's former lover. She was the reason why he did all of those things he did, but," she stated, pausing only for a moment to catch her breath. "Fang said she had died in a Triad attack," she continued, hugging her knees closely to her. "It must have been just a ruse, to get Fang to do those things for her, but... she wasn't dead. She's been... she's been," she repeated the words, trying to get the right words out, but found her voice still cracking slightly. She hated what Saki did to Fang, what she was still doing to him. But she hated herself even more for leaving him behind.
She trusted him, still trusts him. "She's the one responsible for taking away a person's ability to bend. She's Amon," she concluded, burying her head in between her knees and the sheets. "And Fang... he stayed behind," so that she could get away. She could feel something warm sliding down her cheeks, but she would not let her friends see her this way. Better they think she would not look up than to know she was weeping again. Haki, however, pursed his lips together and sighed gently.
"Then we have to go back for him," he spoke. If Fang was still there, they should go back for him.
Kiara had frozen in the act of wrapping bandages snugly around her torso. It wasn’t easy to do by herself, but she wasn’t complaining. Still… a story like that… it was almost too much to believe. And yet, she could somehow sense the truth in it. It explained a lot of things about Fang, and about Rika’s current state. She managed to get herself back to wrapping the bandages when Haki spoke, and then shook her head slightly, tying them off with a knot and lowering the rest back into her kit.
Reaching up as well as she could, she tugged down the band holding her hair in a ponytail, letting it fall down around her shoulders. It had been starting to give her a headache, honestly. Bending some water over, she cleaned her hands of excess blood and dirt and disinfectant, then bent that all back down the sink in the next room. “I want to go after him, too,” she confessed quietly, standing from her position on the couch’s arm and moving back down to where she’d been by Haki. She tapped him on the shoulder to alert him to where she was, since she’d now treated her own wounds, and continued. “But… what could we do, in shape like this? I won’t be able to heal any more injuries before I’ve slept, and we can't run in there with bruised ribs and bleeding cuts. We don’t even know if he’s still there—at this point, going back would be more likely to hurt him than help him.”
She glanced down at her first aid kit and sighed again. It hurt to know that this was the extent of her usefulness, but she didn’t want to be a burden to him. “I mean, if anyone knows what to do in a situation like that, it’s Fang. I think… we just have to believe in him, and wait for him to come back to us.” It wasn’t an easy thing to say, given how much she preferred to act rather than wait, but she was also pretty good at listening to the things her body was telling her, and right now, there was just no way she’d be any help at all. Resilient or not, Haki was the same, and Rika couldn’t go by herself. That was just asking to be thrown into a cell again.
Haki sighed, knowing she was right. What more could they do? All they would succeed in doing was either getting caught themselves, or they would end up killing themselves. It would have defeated the purpose of going back for him. He glanced towards Kiara and pursed his lips together, reaching out to take her hand gently and rubbed his thumb over the back of it. He would not put her at risk, not when they could barely even stand without wincing in pain. Even if she could heal them all, her healing could only do so much. It would take away the soreness, but it wouldn't exactly take away the actual injury. He glanced towards Rika and something crossed his eyes.
"Kiara's right," she spoke before he could. "We have to have faith in him, that he will come back to us safely. It would not be logical to go back. Fang... he... he can take care of himself and," she paused, glancing up from her knees to her friends. "He promised he would come back," and she believed he would keep his promise. She sighed softly as she glanced at Haki and Kiara, a small smile finding its way to her lips. Haki returned it before he stood, Kiara's hand still in his own. He pulled her along gently before sitting next to Rika, grabbing the blanket from her and wrapping the three of them in it.
"This will have to do for now," he stated, releasing a small sigh of contentment. He was injured still, but he could be healed tomorrow. Kiara needed her rest, as did Rika. "You can heal me in the morning, Turtle-Duck," he spoke, a small smirk covering his face as his eyes hovered half way between being closed, and trying to keep them open.
She couldn’t say she was all that pleased by the refusal to submit to her ministrations, but she was incredibly tired. Leaning gingerly sideways into his arm, she did her best to disturb neither his wounds nor her own. “First… thing,” she replied blearily, but then sleep took her.
It was still night when Fang staggered out of what had once been the Equalist prison, bleeding profusely from several wounds along his arms and legs and torso. The most troubling was the one at his shoulder, which he held with his opposite hand, trying to stem the flow of his blood. It was not easy making his way through the streets, his mind blurred and his vision swimming in and out of clarity, but he navigated mostly by instinct. The only thought he could distinctly form was the animal one to go where it was safe, and so his body guided him by muscle memory, the result of repetition and habit more than any conscious thought. Given his state, he had no option to just climb in a window, and so he pulled himself up the stairs, leaving the occasional blood smear on the wall where he had to stop to slump against it and rest.
It took what seemed like years, but eventually he reached the door to Rika’s apartment, hissing a weak sound from between his teeth when it proved to be locked. From a pocket, he withdrew a length of wire, his normally-graceful hands shaking and fumbling when he tried to pick the locking mechanism. It took several minutes, but at last the door clicked open, and Fang just barely managed to close it behind him, tripping over the threshold and landing sprawled on his stomach, his cheek pressed into the tatami mat. He was awake just long enough to feel a sense of relief, followed by a wash of guilt. He might not last the night, and it would seem that Rika was not present. Perhaps by the time she saw him next, he’d be little more than a corpse and some bloodstains on her floor. He was unsure if that was fulfilling his promise or not.
There was no time left to contemplate it, however—oblivion took him thereafter, and the only thing he could hold onto was a dream.
Rika was the first to wake, stretching her limbs as she stared at the sight before her. A small smile formed on her lips as she adjusted the blanket laid across Haki and Kiara, shaking her head as she tried not to laugh. Her smile, however, faded as she glanced out the window, watching as the sun tried, but failed, to pierce through the misty clouds. Shaking her head, she glanced one last time at Kiara and Haki, and left her friends home. She had been gone for what felt like a few days, she wondered how Jiao and San were holding up. She was worried about her fire ferrets, trying to keep her mind off of him. He would be fine, he would come back like he promised. With that in mind, Rika made her way to her apartment. Once she made it there, she pursed her lips together, ascending the stairs as she stared at the wall.
Why was there blood smears? They weren't profund, but it appeared that someone had either struggled, or was bleeding and trying to get back home. She paid no more attention to it, and reached her door. Pulling the key from her pocket, she inserted it into the hole, however; it was already opened. Did Haki go inside and forget to lock it? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and opened the door, only to drop the key and fall to her hands and knees beside Fang. He was pale, and the cuts and wounds over him seemed to still be bleeding, though not as much as they were last night. He lost a lot of blood, it seemed.
"Fang," she whispered, pulling at one of his arms and tried with as much strength as she could muster, to lift him up. She barely managed to, and carried him over to her couch. Once he was settled, she immediately ran to her bathroom to search for towels, a bowl of water, and alcohol. She needed to clean his wounds first to make sure they didn't get infected. They weren't exactly in the cleanest of places that night. She made her way back to Fang, and immediately set to cleaning him up. She would have to go get Kiara once she was finished. "Fang," she continued whispering his name.
Fang wasn’t sure how long he slept, only that something was tugging him back into wakefulness. Something small, but important, or so he thought, though he wouldn’t be able to explain why. His limbs felt heavy, sluggish, but his back was against something soft, and that was unfamiliar. His instincts rebelled against the thought that he was somewhere different now, and the sense of safety he’d felt earlier faded. He had no idea where he was now—and that meant he had to force himself to get up and move. Back to somewhere secure. His eyes snapped open, and he forced himself to move when he felt something close by, his vision still blurry but his hearing working well enough. Reflexively, his hand snapped up, closing around whatever was moving towards one of his injuries. It turned out to be a person’s wrist.
“Nnh.” The sudden movement had pulled at one of his wounds, causing it to start bleeding afresh, though the pain thankfully cleared the fog from his eyes. “…Rika?” It took him several seconds to figure out what she could be doing here, but then he finally understood. The night before… it had been her apartment he wound up in, somehow. She must have returned home and found him here, which explained how he’d made it to the living room, when he distinctly remembered being on a floor. He loosened his grip and fell back against the sofa with a soft grunt, allowing himself to relax a bit.
“You’re safe.” It was a massive relief. “The others?”
Rika's eyes widened slightly, and she made to move a little closer to him, however; his hand gripped around her wrist, and she furrowed her brows slightly. "You shouldn't move," she stated, her voice laced with concern, however; the frown on her face stated otherwise. She took a slow breath and retrieved a clean towel, dabbing it in the water before applying it to the wound he re-opened. She shook her head faintly before returning her attention back to him, setting the cloth back into the bowl.
"Kiara and Haki are fine. They are injured, but otherwise, they made it out okay. Kiara healed herself last night as much as she could," she answered his question, sitting back on her legs as she stared at him. She wanted to hug him, thank whatever spirits were around for bringing him back to her, but to do so, would only hurt him. Instead, she sighed heavily, allowing a small smile to grace her lips instead. "I'm glad you are okay, Fang... even though you're still kind of bleeding on my couch," she stated, a hint of amusement lacing her voice.
The words were slow to process through Fang’s mind—he was undeniably still bleary from the powder Saki had blown into his face the previous night, but eventually he got the gist of things, and nodded slightly. Now that he was no longer in immediate danger, the drug was having the effect of relaxing him a great deal, and he could feel his tension slackening. Likely, he’d have to wait for it to work its way through his system. Actually, the fact that it had slowed him down so much was probably the only reason he was still alive. It had made his heartbeat shallow and slow, and that had probably stopped him from bleeding out.
“Sorry,” he said, referring mostly to the fact that he was indeed bleeding still, and some of it had no doubt sunk into the furniture by now. His eyes were still half-glazed though, the usual clear, sharp gold filmed over and cloudy. Without a thought that he could recall as such, the hand that was dangling off the end of the couch moved, the tips of his fingers brushing over her cheek.
“She lied,” he whispered, the sound little more than a slight shape to his exhaled breath. His thumb moved, tracing the contour of her lower lip, soft beneath the callused pad of his thumb. “She lied, and you were wrong.” He blinked slowly, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. He shook his head just a fraction. “And for all that, the biggest fool is me.”
"I was kidding, Fang," Rika replied pursing her lips when he apologized. His blood could be taken out of the couch, or she could just get a new one. She should get a new one, this one was already old. She blinked slowly when his fingers touched the side of her cheek, leaning in to them as she grabbed his hand with her own. She held it against her cheek and shook her head as he spoke. She was confused. What did she lie about, what was she wrong about? He wasn't making any sense to her. Maybe the blood loss was making him a bit delirious. She inhaled a slow breath, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it.
"You are not a fool, Fang. You never were," she stated, shaking her head lightly as she lowered her hand, still laced with his, and rubbed her thumb over his fingers. "You just... you fell in with the wrong crowd, like you said," she stated. She wasn't entirely sure what to say, and she didn't want to say anything stupid. But, then again, she probably was saying something stupid. She wasn't exactly good with words, and she wasn't good at comforting people. At least, that is what it felt like.
"Besides," she continued, moving so that she was facing him fully, leaning against the couch with his hand clapsed in both of hers. "Kiara, Haki... me, we are you're family now. We are your friends, for as long as you want us to be. You don't need them. We would never ask anything of you unless you wanted to do it," she started, her eyes hardening for just a moment. "I would never ask anything of you, not like that," and she never would.
She misunderstood what he meant, this time. Well, that was all right. He wasn’t so sure he was ready for her to understand him so well just yet. She already knew more about him than he’d ever bothered to tell anyone else; this last secret was something he’d keep to himself for a little while longer. “I know,” he answered, sliding his hand around to the nape of her neck and bringing her towards him gently. He kissed the crown of her head, then sighed through his nose. “I know you wouldn’t.” He moved his hand to stroke through the strands of her hair, unmindful of his injuries in his current half-aware state. He knew that he needed to be treated still, and that she needed to go for Kiara or he might die yet, but he was strangely detached from that concern at the moment, as though it were inconsequential in the scheme of things.
“Just a few minutes,” he murmured. “Stay just a little longer.” Gradually, the hand stroking her hair slowed, and then dropped back to his side, his body succumbing to the lingering effects of Saki’s drug. He would sleep the rest of it off, now, much more peacefully than the last time.
She smiled softly when he kissed her head. "Alright, I won't go anywhere. Not yet at least," she replied, shifting from her spot and crawling into the couch next to him. She moved him so that his head lay in her lap, and her fingers curled in his hair, repeating the gesture he was doing moments before. She'd go get Kiara in a few minutes. Or she could send Haki Jr. and Jiao out for the mission. She'd used Haki Jr. before as a messenger. "I'm here," were the only words she spoke as she continued combing through his hair.
It took what seemed like years, but eventually he reached the door to Rika’s apartment, hissing a weak sound from between his teeth when it proved to be locked. From a pocket, he withdrew a length of wire, his normally-graceful hands shaking and fumbling when he tried to pick the locking mechanism. It took several minutes, but at last the door clicked open, and Fang just barely managed to close it behind him, tripping over the threshold and landing sprawled on his stomach, his cheek pressed into the tatami mat. He was awake just long enough to feel a sense of relief, followed by a wash of guilt. He might not last the night, and it would seem that Rika was not present. Perhaps by the time she saw him next, he’d be little more than a corpse and some bloodstains on her floor. He was unsure if that was fulfilling his promise or not.
There was no time left to contemplate it, however—oblivion took him thereafter, and the only thing he could hold onto was a dream.
Rika was the first to wake, stretching her limbs as she stared at the sight before her. A small smile formed on her lips as she adjusted the blanket laid across Haki and Kiara, shaking her head as she tried not to laugh. Her smile, however, faded as she glanced out the window, watching as the sun tried, but failed, to pierce through the misty clouds. Shaking her head, she glanced one last time at Kiara and Haki, and left her friends home. She had been gone for what felt like a few days, she wondered how Jiao and San were holding up. She was worried about her fire ferrets, trying to keep her mind off of him. He would be fine, he would come back like he promised. With that in mind, Rika made her way to her apartment. Once she made it there, she pursed her lips together, ascending the stairs as she stared at the wall.
Why was there blood smears? They weren't profund, but it appeared that someone had either struggled, or was bleeding and trying to get back home. She paid no more attention to it, and reached her door. Pulling the key from her pocket, she inserted it into the hole, however; it was already opened. Did Haki go inside and forget to lock it? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and opened the door, only to drop the key and fall to her hands and knees beside Fang. He was pale, and the cuts and wounds over him seemed to still be bleeding, though not as much as they were last night. He lost a lot of blood, it seemed.
"Fang," she whispered, pulling at one of his arms and tried with as much strength as she could muster, to lift him up. She barely managed to, and carried him over to her couch. Once he was settled, she immediately ran to her bathroom to search for towels, a bowl of water, and alcohol. She needed to clean his wounds first to make sure they didn't get infected. They weren't exactly in the cleanest of places that night. She made her way back to Fang, and immediately set to cleaning him up. She would have to go get Kiara once she was finished. "Fang," she continued whispering his name.
Fang wasn’t sure how long he slept, only that something was tugging him back into wakefulness. Something small, but important, or so he thought, though he wouldn’t be able to explain why. His limbs felt heavy, sluggish, but his back was against something soft, and that was unfamiliar. His instincts rebelled against the thought that he was somewhere different now, and the sense of safety he’d felt earlier faded. He had no idea where he was now—and that meant he had to force himself to get up and move. Back to somewhere secure. His eyes snapped open, and he forced himself to move when he felt something close by, his vision still blurry but his hearing working well enough. Reflexively, his hand snapped up, closing around whatever was moving towards one of his injuries. It turned out to be a person’s wrist.
“Nnh.” The sudden movement had pulled at one of his wounds, causing it to start bleeding afresh, though the pain thankfully cleared the fog from his eyes. “…Rika?” It took him several seconds to figure out what she could be doing here, but then he finally understood. The night before… it had been her apartment he wound up in, somehow. She must have returned home and found him here, which explained how he’d made it to the living room, when he distinctly remembered being on a floor. He loosened his grip and fell back against the sofa with a soft grunt, allowing himself to relax a bit.
“You’re safe.” It was a massive relief. “The others?”
Rika's eyes widened slightly, and she made to move a little closer to him, however; his hand gripped around her wrist, and she furrowed her brows slightly. "You shouldn't move," she stated, her voice laced with concern, however; the frown on her face stated otherwise. She took a slow breath and retrieved a clean towel, dabbing it in the water before applying it to the wound he re-opened. She shook her head faintly before returning her attention back to him, setting the cloth back into the bowl.
"Kiara and Haki are fine. They are injured, but otherwise, they made it out okay. Kiara healed herself last night as much as she could," she answered his question, sitting back on her legs as she stared at him. She wanted to hug him, thank whatever spirits were around for bringing him back to her, but to do so, would only hurt him. Instead, she sighed heavily, allowing a small smile to grace her lips instead. "I'm glad you are okay, Fang... even though you're still kind of bleeding on my couch," she stated, a hint of amusement lacing her voice.
The words were slow to process through Fang’s mind—he was undeniably still bleary from the powder Saki had blown into his face the previous night, but eventually he got the gist of things, and nodded slightly. Now that he was no longer in immediate danger, the drug was having the effect of relaxing him a great deal, and he could feel his tension slackening. Likely, he’d have to wait for it to work its way through his system. Actually, the fact that it had slowed him down so much was probably the only reason he was still alive. It had made his heartbeat shallow and slow, and that had probably stopped him from bleeding out.
“Sorry,” he said, referring mostly to the fact that he was indeed bleeding still, and some of it had no doubt sunk into the furniture by now. His eyes were still half-glazed though, the usual clear, sharp gold filmed over and cloudy. Without a thought that he could recall as such, the hand that was dangling off the end of the couch moved, the tips of his fingers brushing over her cheek.
“She lied,” he whispered, the sound little more than a slight shape to his exhaled breath. His thumb moved, tracing the contour of her lower lip, soft beneath the callused pad of his thumb. “She lied, and you were wrong.” He blinked slowly, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. He shook his head just a fraction. “And for all that, the biggest fool is me.”
"I was kidding, Fang," Rika replied pursing her lips when he apologized. His blood could be taken out of the couch, or she could just get a new one. She should get a new one, this one was already old. She blinked slowly when his fingers touched the side of her cheek, leaning in to them as she grabbed his hand with her own. She held it against her cheek and shook her head as he spoke. She was confused. What did she lie about, what was she wrong about? He wasn't making any sense to her. Maybe the blood loss was making him a bit delirious. She inhaled a slow breath, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it.
"You are not a fool, Fang. You never were," she stated, shaking her head lightly as she lowered her hand, still laced with his, and rubbed her thumb over his fingers. "You just... you fell in with the wrong crowd, like you said," she stated. She wasn't entirely sure what to say, and she didn't want to say anything stupid. But, then again, she probably was saying something stupid. She wasn't exactly good with words, and she wasn't good at comforting people. At least, that is what it felt like.
"Besides," she continued, moving so that she was facing him fully, leaning against the couch with his hand clapsed in both of hers. "Kiara, Haki... me, we are you're family now. We are your friends, for as long as you want us to be. You don't need them. We would never ask anything of you unless you wanted to do it," she started, her eyes hardening for just a moment. "I would never ask anything of you, not like that," and she never would.
She misunderstood what he meant, this time. Well, that was all right. He wasn’t so sure he was ready for her to understand him so well just yet. She already knew more about him than he’d ever bothered to tell anyone else; this last secret was something he’d keep to himself for a little while longer. “I know,” he answered, sliding his hand around to the nape of her neck and bringing her towards him gently. He kissed the crown of her head, then sighed through his nose. “I know you wouldn’t.” He moved his hand to stroke through the strands of her hair, unmindful of his injuries in his current half-aware state. He knew that he needed to be treated still, and that she needed to go for Kiara or he might die yet, but he was strangely detached from that concern at the moment, as though it were inconsequential in the scheme of things.
“Just a few minutes,” he murmured. “Stay just a little longer.” Gradually, the hand stroking her hair slowed, and then dropped back to his side, his body succumbing to the lingering effects of Saki’s drug. He would sleep the rest of it off, now, much more peacefully than the last time.
She smiled softly when he kissed her head. "Alright, I won't go anywhere. Not yet at least," she replied, shifting from her spot and crawling into the couch next to him. She moved him so that his head lay in her lap, and her fingers curled in his hair, repeating the gesture he was doing moments before. She'd go get Kiara in a few minutes. Or she could send Haki Jr. and Jiao out for the mission. She'd used Haki Jr. before as a messenger. "I'm here," were the only words she spoke as she continued combing through his hair.
Haki stirred in his sleep, cracking his eyes open slowly to allow the natural lighting fill his senses. His vision was still bleary from the previous night, and his body was sore, however; he could feel warmth against him that was not his own doing. Slowly, he glanced down, blinking the sleep from his eyes as they adjusted. A slow smirk pulled at his lips, leaning forward slightly to rest his head against Kiara's, pulling his arms around her. The smirk faded from his lips as a slow realization dawned on him. He could feel flesh upon his arms and hands, and the bandages wrapped around her. He held back a snort, trying hard to contain the laugh that bubbled beneath his chest. Really, were they both that tired that they had fallen asleep against each other this way? He released a slow sigh, trying not to disturb her when he finally notice that Rika was gone. A bout of worry coursed through him, however; he relaxed slightly. She probably left back home, though he wasn't so sure that was a wise idea.
She could have at least waited for the both of them to wake up so they could all walk together. Amon was probably still at large, and the Equalists would not hesitate to take a person who was still physically exhausted. He had no doubt in his mind that she was mentally exhausted as well. He shook his head softly, sighing through his nose as he lifted his arm from around Kiara. He winced at the motion, holding a grunt back as he shifted himself and removed himself from the couch. Not a preferred place to sleep, however; one wasn't exactly obliged to choose where they slept when they were incapable of moving any further. Standing from his spot, he recovered Kiara with the blanket and set towards his kitchen. The least he could do was make breakfast and get something inside the both of them. All the healing, running, and fighting had taken a lot of energy. It was time to replenish it.
"Kiara, hey," he called out, setting the food on the small table in front of the couch. Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. "Turtle-Duck, you've got a cabbage slug on your face," he stated, poking her cheek in the process to see if that would wake her up. Perhaps not the brightest idea to have, however; he could deal with the consequences.
Kiara did not part from the warm comfort of sleep especially easily on the best of days, and today was far from that. She was tired, sore in places she hadn’t thought it possible to be sore, and more than anything, she just wanted to sleep away the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, it did not seem that this would be possible, as something was poking her face, and someone was talking to her. Someone she knew very well, but did not usually see this early in the day? Why did something seem strange about this situation. She groaned, turning her head away from the irritation, then cracked clear blue eyes open. Despite the appearance of the color, she was in fact quite bleary at the moment, and so it took her a moment to register things properly.
“Good for the slug,” she mumbled, only half-coherently, and tried to turn the other way to go back to sleep, but this only ended up rolling her into the back of her couch. Her couch? Why was she sleeping on her couch? And why did rolling like that give her a scratchy feeling on her stomach? She didn’t wear scratchy shirts to—
Everything came rushing back then, and she sat up sharply. “It’s morning? When did I…?” She didn’t exactly remember falling asleep, only that she’d been having a halfhearted argument with Haki about healing him, and then given up. Rika had been there, too, but upon inspection of the room, she could see her best friend nowhere. “Wait… why are you up? You still haven’t been healed!” There was too much to consider right at the moment, and so she settled on the most pressing matter that she could actually deal with, which was apparently scolding Haki.
Haki resisted the urge to snort when she spoke of the slug, only barely managing to keep his eyes from rolling as well. Really, if there had been a cabbage slug on her face, it'd feel a little more moist. A strange thought entered his mind as the smirk spread into a grin once more, reaching to both sides of his ears as he leaned down, however; she sat up quickly. He barely had enough time to pull back to avoid a head collision with her, and tilted his head when she began speaking. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he rested a hand on her shoulder. He raised an amused brow and tried to keep a laugh from escaping him.
"Well, if you want me to answer all of your questions, you should sit down first, and eat," he stated, ushering her back into a sitting position. He set the plate in front of her before taking a seat to the other side of her. "For starters, you fell asleep last night. You were tired, Turtle-Duck. And the reason why I am up is simple," he stated, smiling all the same. He picked at his breakfast, pushing past the eggs and swirling them. "I made breakfast," he replied simply, shaking his head as if he had made the most obvious statement. As for being healed, he didn't necessarily need it, though he could tell that his ribs were a little sore. They were probably broken from when the Equalist had kicked him.
"If you really want to heal me, though, wouldn't it be easier and better if you were properly clothed?" he stated, his lips tilting up in slight amusement as he pointed towards her with his spoon. Granted, he'd usually glance away, however; it was amusing to see that she had yet to notice that she wasn't exactly wearing a shirt. Covered, perhaps, but it wasn't a shirt nor anything that could be properly considered. "Not that I don't mind the view, but don't you think people would get the wrong idea?" he continued, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner before wincing. He shouldn't have done that, his side was starting to throb.
Kiara had been halfway through her plate already by the time what he was saying properly registered with her, and she looked down at herself, presently in her bindings and the pants she’d been wearing the night previous. She remembered that she’d needed to cut off her shirt to give herself proper medical attention… and then had completely forgotten to get another one. In an emergency situation like then, that was fine. She wasn’t one to put modesty over practicality. But right now, eating breakfast with the blankets falling down to her waist…
With false calm belied by the impressive shade of carmine red her face was turning, Kiara set aside her plate, placing her fork down on top of it and stood, clearing her throat awkwardly and walking—not running, though it was a near thing—back to her room. She was so embarrassed! Especially because it was Haki, and, well… that seemed especially bad for some reason. Something she would think about later, when she wasn’t quite so mortified as she was right now.
She returned to the living room a couple of minutes later, a quick wash and some new clothes going a long way towards cooling her down, but she was still definitely a bit pink under her dark complexion. Setting her plate back on her lap, she finished the breakfast he’d been kind enough to make, then washed the dishes quickly, turning back to him with her hands on her hips. By no coincidence, the tunic she currently wore was the most shapeless one she had, and her pants were baggy enough that she stepped on the ends of them with her heels when she walked around. She cleared her throat again, and was pleased when her voice came out steady. “I am not letting you leave with injuries like that,” she informed him archly, scraping for the last of her dignity to hold up in front of her like a shield against his teasing.
She gentled her voice after that, though. “I know what happened to you in there, Haki. I saw most of it. Please, I… I couldn’t stop it then, at least… let me fix it now.” She looked down and to the side, either unwilling or unable to meet his eyes. She couldn’t get it out of her head now that she had time to really think about it, the image of those people hurting him like that.
Haki had to keep himself from laughing at the shade of red her face turned. Really, it was just so easy to do that to her, and he found himself enjoying it often. Plus, he really did like that shade of red on her face. He watched as she calmly left the room and came back, dressed this time, properly. He leaned forward on his hand, propping his elbow up on the arm of the chair, and gave her a rather sly look, the smirk never once leaving his face. That is, until she spoke. He frowned for a fraction of a second, before sighing heavily. There was no way of getting around this. He didn't want her wasting her healing on him when she still needed rest. It would drain too much out of her. He could heal fine on his own, though perhaps a little slower, but he'd heal nonetheless. Instead, he merely shook his head, closing his eyes temporarily.
"I know... I know that you saw that, and I am sorry you had to witness that, however; you cannot tell me right now, that what I need is healing. You are not even back to full strength yet," he finally spoke, keeping his eyes closed still. "I know you want to heal me, Turtle-Duck, but you are not in the position to heal me at all right now. You still need to rest. I promise you, I'll be fine as long as I don't move too much. Just... trust me on that, okay?" he knew she wouldn't, or she would continue to insist on healing him, however; he would rather wait it out until she was at full strength again. He wasn't in such dire condition that he needed to be healed, if having a few broken ribs wasn't considered dire. At least to him, it wasn't.
"And I promise I won't leave... not yet, until you've healed me, deal?" he stated, opening his eyes to stare straight at her. She wouldn't look at him, but that was okay. He didn't need her to. He needed her to trust him, and to believe him. "Besides, even if I wanted to leave, Turtle-Duck would just drown me instead," he spoke, the smile returning to his lips. He wasn't smirking, and it wasn't a half smile. He offered her a genuine smile, one he had not worn in a very... very long time.
“Stupid.” It was the first word out of her, and though she was a little surprised that she’d said it, that was not to say she did not mean it, exactly. “I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’d have healed someone with my own injuries.” Besides, they weren’t even that bad anymore. She’d had a full night’s rest, and something to eat—she was far from a hundred percent, but then, that could take days. And she wasn’t going to leave him that long.
Her eyes were still downcast when she reached out for his sleeve, holding it loosely in her fingers and hesitating for just a moment before she stepped into his personal space and wrapped her arms loosely around him, careful not to put pressure on his injuries. “Would it kill you to just let me help you?” Her tone carried a sort of pout in it, and she felt a little pathetic about that, but there wasn’t any taking it back now. He was being an idiot, though—didn’t he understand that she wouldn’t be able to rest properly knowing that a friend was still hurting? It wasn’t in her nature, just as, apparently, letting people help him when they wanted to wasn’t much in his.
She pressed her cheek to his chest, and more words tumbled out of her into the silence. “I… I used bloodbending.” The admission made her flinch, and she pressed her lips together before continuing. “Not… not on purpose, but I… I was just so… desperate, when I knew they were hurting you. I thought… I thought they were going to kill you, and it just happened.” She felt dirty, having done something like that. Bloodbending was wicked, evil, even, and she had never before felt the desire or the need to use it. But the situation had just pulled it out of her, and she still wasn’t sure she could bring herself to regret it. Not if it had spared him even a bit more pain.
Haki allowed his arms to encircle her when she pressed against him, sighing against the crown of her head as she spoke. No, perhaps it wouldn't kill him if he let her help, and even if she healed someone before, injured, he would not be the one to make her do so again. Even if it took days for her to recover, he wanted to make sure she was okay first. He smiled, though, at the tone of her voice, however; it disappeared as soon as she continued speaking. His eyes narrowed slightly, when she spoke of using bloodbending. He could feel her flinch when she spoke the words, and he only sighed heavily. He lifted himself up, pulling her away and holding her at arms length, forcing her to stare at him.
"I want you to listen to me, Kiara," he spoke, his tone set in a way he had never used before. It was serious, all trace of amusement gone. "I am sorry, for making you do that, even if it was to help me, I am sorry," he stated, his eyes never leaving hers. He could sense the way it made her feel, and he regretted it. Why? Because it was partially his fault. "But do not think for a moment, that it makes you a bad person. Bloodbending is not necessarily a bad thing. It is only so when those who use it, use it for impure purposes and intentions. You... saved my life, Kiara. If you had not, I would not be alive right now," and that was partially true. If the Equalist had managed to kick him another time, it would have truly fractured his rib, and pierced his lung.
He would have drowned to death on his own blood. He sighed softly through his nose, relaxing his arms as he did so. "So thank you, Turtle-Duck. If you are still so insistent on healing me," he began, a familiar light returning to his eyes as he stared at her. "I want a kiss first," he spoke, the smirk belying the fact that he was serious.
Of course. Of course it wasn’t that she was automatically a terrible person for using bloodbending. Of course he was right—but that didn’t chase away the feeling of guilt at the pit of her stomach, like a child that knows she has pushed the rules just a little too far and got someone hurt in the process. It was just such a taboo matter in the tribes; she had difficulty seeing past the way she’d been raised, but she tried to, because she didn’t want to seem like she regretted helping him. Because she didn’t, not one bit. She’d do it over again, as many times as she had to, if it saved him. She knew that like she knew nothing else, and the realization centered her a little, allowing her to nod slightly, as if to say that she understood, that she was okay. But nothing was really okay anymore, was it? Not when there were still people out there trying and succeeding in hurting so many. Her breath hitched at how close they had come to being just more casualties of this conflict, but his next words brought an abrupt halt to her thoughts.
“A-a w-what?” She was immediately caught off-guard, but then studied his facial expression. He was smirking at her, the bastard! Here she was, caught up in thoughts about terrible things, and he’d already moved back into joking with her. Kiara compressed her lips into a thin line, narrowing her eyes with disapproval. Well, she wasn’t in much of a mood to deal with his antics right now.
“You better hold to your word, Haki Soen, or I’m telling everyone you’re a rotten liar.” She raised an eyebrow at him, cocking her head to the side and relaxing her facial expression into something more neutral. She was interested to see what he’d do, honestly, though why she was so curious was not something she could explain to herself just yet. The palm of one hand reached up and cupped the side of his face, and slowly, Kiara raised herself onto her toes, watching keenly for any sort of reaction. She made it to an inch from his mouth, her breath fanning over his jaw such that they breathed the very same air, and hovered for just a moment before she diverted as intended, brushing her lips with the lightest of feathered touches over his cheekbone, then landing back on her heels and putting both hands on her hips.
“Now sit down.” She wasn’t sure why her heart was thundering so loudly in her ears, but she didn’t have time to worry about it right now.
Haki blinked, his breathing a little more labored than he could recall it. His eyes were slightly glazed, and her words barely registered in his head when she spoke, telling him to sit. He, at first, did not oblige, instead, remaining in his spot. He blinked down at her, studying her for a moment before the very same smirk grew across his lips. He took a step forward, hooking an arm around her waist, and the other snaking to the back of her neck, his index finger curling around a strand of her hair. He pulled her closer, the grin never leaving his face as he lowered himself closer to hers. He remained there, lips just a hairsbreadth apart, for what seemed like hours, however; it was mere minutes. Slowly, he covered the remaining distance, and placed a chaste kiss upon her lips. He lingered for a moment, before pulling away, a look of triumph crossing his eyes.
"That, Turtle-Duck, is a kiss. This," he spoke, brushing his lips as lightly as she had, across her own cheekbone, "is not." He released her, hands falling back to his side as he finally did as he was told, sitting and making himself comfortable on her couch. Lifting his gaze to her, he patted the spot next to him for her to join him. "You wanted to heal me, remember?" he spoke, the grin never leaving his face.
Kiara stood in dumbfounded silence for exactly three seconds before her open palm cracked across his cheek. Her face was flushed, her breathing hitched and irregular, but her eyes registered a mixture of upset, hurt, and mostly confusion. She felt bad for hitting an injured person, terrible for hitting him in general, but it had been her first instinct, probably in part because of the Kohaku incident that she’d only ever told Rika about. She was kind of sick of being kissed without her consent. At least Kohaku had meant something by it. This… this was somehow so much worse than that. “Stop it,” she said, and there was no anger in her voice, just a sort of resigned, melancholy calm. Because something had clicked into place for her with that kiss, and it was not something she was ready to deal with right now. “Please.” Her fingers curled loosely into her palm. Kiara licked her lips, mostly out of habit, finding that she was still able to taste spice on them. They tingled where his had touched them, a lingering echo of what he’d done.
But what he’d just done to her emotional well-being would last even longer than that.
She searched his face for something, unsure she’d know it even if she found it, but then she shook her head. He never took anything all that seriously. It made him a lot of fun to be around, in most cases. She liked it about him, even. But this… this was too far. Kiara knew that she couldn’t let him play around with her like this, because if he did, there would be no turning back for her. She needed to be taken seriously, and that just wasn’t him. At least not any part of him that she’d ever seen shown to another person.
The waterbender swallowed. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have done that. It’s… it’s been a long few days.” Her apology was genuine, and she bent some water from her faucet and took the seat beside him, keeping about a foot of distance. Any further, and she wouldn’t be able to do this properly. “If you don’t mind…” she made a vague gesture with her hands indicating that he should show her where he was in pain.
To say anything of what he was currently feeling, Haki was doing a pretty damn good job at hiding it. She had slapped him, and he supposed he deserved that, however; the tone in her voice, the shakiness, the way it sounded. It caused something inside of him to freeze, to stop. If he were not breathing, he'd have believed it to be his heart that had stopped. But he could still breath and taste the air, so his heart was still working. Perhaps, it had something to do with the irregular thump that was now present, and the way it squeezed against his chest. It didn't hurt, but the tightening feeling felt suffocating. Something flashed across his eyes, however; he was grateful, for once, that he was not looking at her. If he was, she would be able to read the broken look that had crossed him.
"My apologies, Kiara," he spoke, his voice low and solemn. Perhaps, it was his own fault for doing that. He knew what could happen if he pushed too far, and from the reaction she had, it seemed he went a little further than he should have. "I will," he continued, his voice dropping in volume as he spoke. "You do not have to be sorry for that, you were not in the wrong. I should not have done that," he added before showing her the bruised spot on his ribs. Luckily, it wasn't too high, and he only needed to lift his shirt half way up, allowing her access to the wounds for her to heal them. He glanced towards her, opening his mouth to say something, however; a knock at the door, followed by it opening, caused him to close his mouth.
"Guys?" Rika called out as she peered through the hallway, spotting Kiara and Haki. She pursed her lips together before glancing towards Kiara. "Kiara, I need your help," she spoke, taking a deep breath as she did. "It's Fang, I found him in my apartment this morning and he's in bad shape. If he doesn't get help soon...," she trailed off, her bottom lip quivering for a moment. She did not need to say anything further to imply what would happen if he wasn't helped soon. The only reason she didn't arrive sooner was because he had wanted her to stay. Haki, however, welcomed the moment, pulling away as he stared at the two.
"Fang needs your help. You should go to him," were the only words he spoke. Rika gave him a questioning glance, but shook her head.
Fortunately, by that time she was done with Haki’s injuries anyway, and was able to stand without stumbling, though her knees still didn’t feel all that stable. There was an unmistakable tension in the air now, one that had not been there before. It was almost a relief to be interrupted, and she nodded shortly to both of them. “Okay. I’ll… yes. Can you describe his injuries while we walk?” She’d be able to give quicker treatment that way.
At the doorway, she paused for a moment and threw a glance over her shoulder, but she felt that she’d probably said too much already. Returning her eyes to the ground in front of her, she slipped out of her home behind Rika.
She could have at least waited for the both of them to wake up so they could all walk together. Amon was probably still at large, and the Equalists would not hesitate to take a person who was still physically exhausted. He had no doubt in his mind that she was mentally exhausted as well. He shook his head softly, sighing through his nose as he lifted his arm from around Kiara. He winced at the motion, holding a grunt back as he shifted himself and removed himself from the couch. Not a preferred place to sleep, however; one wasn't exactly obliged to choose where they slept when they were incapable of moving any further. Standing from his spot, he recovered Kiara with the blanket and set towards his kitchen. The least he could do was make breakfast and get something inside the both of them. All the healing, running, and fighting had taken a lot of energy. It was time to replenish it.
"Kiara, hey," he called out, setting the food on the small table in front of the couch. Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. "Turtle-Duck, you've got a cabbage slug on your face," he stated, poking her cheek in the process to see if that would wake her up. Perhaps not the brightest idea to have, however; he could deal with the consequences.
Kiara did not part from the warm comfort of sleep especially easily on the best of days, and today was far from that. She was tired, sore in places she hadn’t thought it possible to be sore, and more than anything, she just wanted to sleep away the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, it did not seem that this would be possible, as something was poking her face, and someone was talking to her. Someone she knew very well, but did not usually see this early in the day? Why did something seem strange about this situation. She groaned, turning her head away from the irritation, then cracked clear blue eyes open. Despite the appearance of the color, she was in fact quite bleary at the moment, and so it took her a moment to register things properly.
“Good for the slug,” she mumbled, only half-coherently, and tried to turn the other way to go back to sleep, but this only ended up rolling her into the back of her couch. Her couch? Why was she sleeping on her couch? And why did rolling like that give her a scratchy feeling on her stomach? She didn’t wear scratchy shirts to—
Everything came rushing back then, and she sat up sharply. “It’s morning? When did I…?” She didn’t exactly remember falling asleep, only that she’d been having a halfhearted argument with Haki about healing him, and then given up. Rika had been there, too, but upon inspection of the room, she could see her best friend nowhere. “Wait… why are you up? You still haven’t been healed!” There was too much to consider right at the moment, and so she settled on the most pressing matter that she could actually deal with, which was apparently scolding Haki.
Haki resisted the urge to snort when she spoke of the slug, only barely managing to keep his eyes from rolling as well. Really, if there had been a cabbage slug on her face, it'd feel a little more moist. A strange thought entered his mind as the smirk spread into a grin once more, reaching to both sides of his ears as he leaned down, however; she sat up quickly. He barely had enough time to pull back to avoid a head collision with her, and tilted his head when she began speaking. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he rested a hand on her shoulder. He raised an amused brow and tried to keep a laugh from escaping him.
"Well, if you want me to answer all of your questions, you should sit down first, and eat," he stated, ushering her back into a sitting position. He set the plate in front of her before taking a seat to the other side of her. "For starters, you fell asleep last night. You were tired, Turtle-Duck. And the reason why I am up is simple," he stated, smiling all the same. He picked at his breakfast, pushing past the eggs and swirling them. "I made breakfast," he replied simply, shaking his head as if he had made the most obvious statement. As for being healed, he didn't necessarily need it, though he could tell that his ribs were a little sore. They were probably broken from when the Equalist had kicked him.
"If you really want to heal me, though, wouldn't it be easier and better if you were properly clothed?" he stated, his lips tilting up in slight amusement as he pointed towards her with his spoon. Granted, he'd usually glance away, however; it was amusing to see that she had yet to notice that she wasn't exactly wearing a shirt. Covered, perhaps, but it wasn't a shirt nor anything that could be properly considered. "Not that I don't mind the view, but don't you think people would get the wrong idea?" he continued, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner before wincing. He shouldn't have done that, his side was starting to throb.
Kiara had been halfway through her plate already by the time what he was saying properly registered with her, and she looked down at herself, presently in her bindings and the pants she’d been wearing the night previous. She remembered that she’d needed to cut off her shirt to give herself proper medical attention… and then had completely forgotten to get another one. In an emergency situation like then, that was fine. She wasn’t one to put modesty over practicality. But right now, eating breakfast with the blankets falling down to her waist…
With false calm belied by the impressive shade of carmine red her face was turning, Kiara set aside her plate, placing her fork down on top of it and stood, clearing her throat awkwardly and walking—not running, though it was a near thing—back to her room. She was so embarrassed! Especially because it was Haki, and, well… that seemed especially bad for some reason. Something she would think about later, when she wasn’t quite so mortified as she was right now.
She returned to the living room a couple of minutes later, a quick wash and some new clothes going a long way towards cooling her down, but she was still definitely a bit pink under her dark complexion. Setting her plate back on her lap, she finished the breakfast he’d been kind enough to make, then washed the dishes quickly, turning back to him with her hands on her hips. By no coincidence, the tunic she currently wore was the most shapeless one she had, and her pants were baggy enough that she stepped on the ends of them with her heels when she walked around. She cleared her throat again, and was pleased when her voice came out steady. “I am not letting you leave with injuries like that,” she informed him archly, scraping for the last of her dignity to hold up in front of her like a shield against his teasing.
She gentled her voice after that, though. “I know what happened to you in there, Haki. I saw most of it. Please, I… I couldn’t stop it then, at least… let me fix it now.” She looked down and to the side, either unwilling or unable to meet his eyes. She couldn’t get it out of her head now that she had time to really think about it, the image of those people hurting him like that.
Haki had to keep himself from laughing at the shade of red her face turned. Really, it was just so easy to do that to her, and he found himself enjoying it often. Plus, he really did like that shade of red on her face. He watched as she calmly left the room and came back, dressed this time, properly. He leaned forward on his hand, propping his elbow up on the arm of the chair, and gave her a rather sly look, the smirk never once leaving his face. That is, until she spoke. He frowned for a fraction of a second, before sighing heavily. There was no way of getting around this. He didn't want her wasting her healing on him when she still needed rest. It would drain too much out of her. He could heal fine on his own, though perhaps a little slower, but he'd heal nonetheless. Instead, he merely shook his head, closing his eyes temporarily.
"I know... I know that you saw that, and I am sorry you had to witness that, however; you cannot tell me right now, that what I need is healing. You are not even back to full strength yet," he finally spoke, keeping his eyes closed still. "I know you want to heal me, Turtle-Duck, but you are not in the position to heal me at all right now. You still need to rest. I promise you, I'll be fine as long as I don't move too much. Just... trust me on that, okay?" he knew she wouldn't, or she would continue to insist on healing him, however; he would rather wait it out until she was at full strength again. He wasn't in such dire condition that he needed to be healed, if having a few broken ribs wasn't considered dire. At least to him, it wasn't.
"And I promise I won't leave... not yet, until you've healed me, deal?" he stated, opening his eyes to stare straight at her. She wouldn't look at him, but that was okay. He didn't need her to. He needed her to trust him, and to believe him. "Besides, even if I wanted to leave, Turtle-Duck would just drown me instead," he spoke, the smile returning to his lips. He wasn't smirking, and it wasn't a half smile. He offered her a genuine smile, one he had not worn in a very... very long time.
“Stupid.” It was the first word out of her, and though she was a little surprised that she’d said it, that was not to say she did not mean it, exactly. “I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’d have healed someone with my own injuries.” Besides, they weren’t even that bad anymore. She’d had a full night’s rest, and something to eat—she was far from a hundred percent, but then, that could take days. And she wasn’t going to leave him that long.
Her eyes were still downcast when she reached out for his sleeve, holding it loosely in her fingers and hesitating for just a moment before she stepped into his personal space and wrapped her arms loosely around him, careful not to put pressure on his injuries. “Would it kill you to just let me help you?” Her tone carried a sort of pout in it, and she felt a little pathetic about that, but there wasn’t any taking it back now. He was being an idiot, though—didn’t he understand that she wouldn’t be able to rest properly knowing that a friend was still hurting? It wasn’t in her nature, just as, apparently, letting people help him when they wanted to wasn’t much in his.
She pressed her cheek to his chest, and more words tumbled out of her into the silence. “I… I used bloodbending.” The admission made her flinch, and she pressed her lips together before continuing. “Not… not on purpose, but I… I was just so… desperate, when I knew they were hurting you. I thought… I thought they were going to kill you, and it just happened.” She felt dirty, having done something like that. Bloodbending was wicked, evil, even, and she had never before felt the desire or the need to use it. But the situation had just pulled it out of her, and she still wasn’t sure she could bring herself to regret it. Not if it had spared him even a bit more pain.
Haki allowed his arms to encircle her when she pressed against him, sighing against the crown of her head as she spoke. No, perhaps it wouldn't kill him if he let her help, and even if she healed someone before, injured, he would not be the one to make her do so again. Even if it took days for her to recover, he wanted to make sure she was okay first. He smiled, though, at the tone of her voice, however; it disappeared as soon as she continued speaking. His eyes narrowed slightly, when she spoke of using bloodbending. He could feel her flinch when she spoke the words, and he only sighed heavily. He lifted himself up, pulling her away and holding her at arms length, forcing her to stare at him.
"I want you to listen to me, Kiara," he spoke, his tone set in a way he had never used before. It was serious, all trace of amusement gone. "I am sorry, for making you do that, even if it was to help me, I am sorry," he stated, his eyes never leaving hers. He could sense the way it made her feel, and he regretted it. Why? Because it was partially his fault. "But do not think for a moment, that it makes you a bad person. Bloodbending is not necessarily a bad thing. It is only so when those who use it, use it for impure purposes and intentions. You... saved my life, Kiara. If you had not, I would not be alive right now," and that was partially true. If the Equalist had managed to kick him another time, it would have truly fractured his rib, and pierced his lung.
He would have drowned to death on his own blood. He sighed softly through his nose, relaxing his arms as he did so. "So thank you, Turtle-Duck. If you are still so insistent on healing me," he began, a familiar light returning to his eyes as he stared at her. "I want a kiss first," he spoke, the smirk belying the fact that he was serious.
Of course. Of course it wasn’t that she was automatically a terrible person for using bloodbending. Of course he was right—but that didn’t chase away the feeling of guilt at the pit of her stomach, like a child that knows she has pushed the rules just a little too far and got someone hurt in the process. It was just such a taboo matter in the tribes; she had difficulty seeing past the way she’d been raised, but she tried to, because she didn’t want to seem like she regretted helping him. Because she didn’t, not one bit. She’d do it over again, as many times as she had to, if it saved him. She knew that like she knew nothing else, and the realization centered her a little, allowing her to nod slightly, as if to say that she understood, that she was okay. But nothing was really okay anymore, was it? Not when there were still people out there trying and succeeding in hurting so many. Her breath hitched at how close they had come to being just more casualties of this conflict, but his next words brought an abrupt halt to her thoughts.
“A-a w-what?” She was immediately caught off-guard, but then studied his facial expression. He was smirking at her, the bastard! Here she was, caught up in thoughts about terrible things, and he’d already moved back into joking with her. Kiara compressed her lips into a thin line, narrowing her eyes with disapproval. Well, she wasn’t in much of a mood to deal with his antics right now.
“You better hold to your word, Haki Soen, or I’m telling everyone you’re a rotten liar.” She raised an eyebrow at him, cocking her head to the side and relaxing her facial expression into something more neutral. She was interested to see what he’d do, honestly, though why she was so curious was not something she could explain to herself just yet. The palm of one hand reached up and cupped the side of his face, and slowly, Kiara raised herself onto her toes, watching keenly for any sort of reaction. She made it to an inch from his mouth, her breath fanning over his jaw such that they breathed the very same air, and hovered for just a moment before she diverted as intended, brushing her lips with the lightest of feathered touches over his cheekbone, then landing back on her heels and putting both hands on her hips.
“Now sit down.” She wasn’t sure why her heart was thundering so loudly in her ears, but she didn’t have time to worry about it right now.
Haki blinked, his breathing a little more labored than he could recall it. His eyes were slightly glazed, and her words barely registered in his head when she spoke, telling him to sit. He, at first, did not oblige, instead, remaining in his spot. He blinked down at her, studying her for a moment before the very same smirk grew across his lips. He took a step forward, hooking an arm around her waist, and the other snaking to the back of her neck, his index finger curling around a strand of her hair. He pulled her closer, the grin never leaving his face as he lowered himself closer to hers. He remained there, lips just a hairsbreadth apart, for what seemed like hours, however; it was mere minutes. Slowly, he covered the remaining distance, and placed a chaste kiss upon her lips. He lingered for a moment, before pulling away, a look of triumph crossing his eyes.
"That, Turtle-Duck, is a kiss. This," he spoke, brushing his lips as lightly as she had, across her own cheekbone, "is not." He released her, hands falling back to his side as he finally did as he was told, sitting and making himself comfortable on her couch. Lifting his gaze to her, he patted the spot next to him for her to join him. "You wanted to heal me, remember?" he spoke, the grin never leaving his face.
Kiara stood in dumbfounded silence for exactly three seconds before her open palm cracked across his cheek. Her face was flushed, her breathing hitched and irregular, but her eyes registered a mixture of upset, hurt, and mostly confusion. She felt bad for hitting an injured person, terrible for hitting him in general, but it had been her first instinct, probably in part because of the Kohaku incident that she’d only ever told Rika about. She was kind of sick of being kissed without her consent. At least Kohaku had meant something by it. This… this was somehow so much worse than that. “Stop it,” she said, and there was no anger in her voice, just a sort of resigned, melancholy calm. Because something had clicked into place for her with that kiss, and it was not something she was ready to deal with right now. “Please.” Her fingers curled loosely into her palm. Kiara licked her lips, mostly out of habit, finding that she was still able to taste spice on them. They tingled where his had touched them, a lingering echo of what he’d done.
But what he’d just done to her emotional well-being would last even longer than that.
She searched his face for something, unsure she’d know it even if she found it, but then she shook her head. He never took anything all that seriously. It made him a lot of fun to be around, in most cases. She liked it about him, even. But this… this was too far. Kiara knew that she couldn’t let him play around with her like this, because if he did, there would be no turning back for her. She needed to be taken seriously, and that just wasn’t him. At least not any part of him that she’d ever seen shown to another person.
The waterbender swallowed. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have done that. It’s… it’s been a long few days.” Her apology was genuine, and she bent some water from her faucet and took the seat beside him, keeping about a foot of distance. Any further, and she wouldn’t be able to do this properly. “If you don’t mind…” she made a vague gesture with her hands indicating that he should show her where he was in pain.
To say anything of what he was currently feeling, Haki was doing a pretty damn good job at hiding it. She had slapped him, and he supposed he deserved that, however; the tone in her voice, the shakiness, the way it sounded. It caused something inside of him to freeze, to stop. If he were not breathing, he'd have believed it to be his heart that had stopped. But he could still breath and taste the air, so his heart was still working. Perhaps, it had something to do with the irregular thump that was now present, and the way it squeezed against his chest. It didn't hurt, but the tightening feeling felt suffocating. Something flashed across his eyes, however; he was grateful, for once, that he was not looking at her. If he was, she would be able to read the broken look that had crossed him.
"My apologies, Kiara," he spoke, his voice low and solemn. Perhaps, it was his own fault for doing that. He knew what could happen if he pushed too far, and from the reaction she had, it seemed he went a little further than he should have. "I will," he continued, his voice dropping in volume as he spoke. "You do not have to be sorry for that, you were not in the wrong. I should not have done that," he added before showing her the bruised spot on his ribs. Luckily, it wasn't too high, and he only needed to lift his shirt half way up, allowing her access to the wounds for her to heal them. He glanced towards her, opening his mouth to say something, however; a knock at the door, followed by it opening, caused him to close his mouth.
"Guys?" Rika called out as she peered through the hallway, spotting Kiara and Haki. She pursed her lips together before glancing towards Kiara. "Kiara, I need your help," she spoke, taking a deep breath as she did. "It's Fang, I found him in my apartment this morning and he's in bad shape. If he doesn't get help soon...," she trailed off, her bottom lip quivering for a moment. She did not need to say anything further to imply what would happen if he wasn't helped soon. The only reason she didn't arrive sooner was because he had wanted her to stay. Haki, however, welcomed the moment, pulling away as he stared at the two.
"Fang needs your help. You should go to him," were the only words he spoke. Rika gave him a questioning glance, but shook her head.
Fortunately, by that time she was done with Haki’s injuries anyway, and was able to stand without stumbling, though her knees still didn’t feel all that stable. There was an unmistakable tension in the air now, one that had not been there before. It was almost a relief to be interrupted, and she nodded shortly to both of them. “Okay. I’ll… yes. Can you describe his injuries while we walk?” She’d be able to give quicker treatment that way.
At the doorway, she paused for a moment and threw a glance over her shoulder, but she felt that she’d probably said too much already. Returning her eyes to the ground in front of her, she slipped out of her home behind Rika.
It was almost easy to lose track of time, these days. Fang found himself making frequent trips to see the Council, mostly to continue to divulge years’ worth of information on the Equalists, how they had come to be, how their internal structure had changed… the identity of their leader. He neglected to mention his former relationship with Saki, explaining only that she had been a colleague he believed deceased, who had then taken up the mantle of Amon, and inadvertently revealed herself to him during the rescue of Rika. He knew not where she dwelled now, but he would certainly recognize her if he ever saw her, disguise or no. There were some things one could never forget, no matter how much he might desire to.
The information was considered far more valuable than putting him in prison, and so he was not forced to go back. His name, they said, would remain unconnected to his crimes, and also unconnected to the insider information. In this way, everything would be forgotten by the official documentation, and as far as the government cared, he’d never had anything to do with any of it at all. The murders that were his crimes would be attributed to the one who had ordered them, and their method would simply remain unsolved. It was, as Shun pointed out, quite close to the truth anyway. Why punish the weapon when you could follow it to the hand that wielded it?
Fang thought he was getting off too easy, but he was not going to insist otherwise. Perhaps he might have, once, but he had something else to live for now, and as ironic as it was, it was in these dark times that he was learning again to see the light. He couldn’t bring himself to give that up. Perhaps the years he’d spent torturing himself were punishment enough—perhaps the spirits were forgiving. He had yet to contact any members of his family, and perhaps he never would. He certainly was not ready yet to make the attempt. Such processes as the one he now underwent were slow by their nature, and he had to find himself again before he could find them, stand before them.
But at least he had someplace to start, people to hold onto when it seemed he would be carried way again by the same old storm. Tonight was given to that sort of nostalgic thinking, because for the first time in two years, he and the others were attending the Red Festival. Perhaps, they would even be staying for the later part this time, though that was something he would let Rika decide, at least for his part. And so, just as before, he went dressed as a spirit, as was custom, though this time, he arrayed himself in the jade and emerald and gold of an Earth Kingdom Guardian, said to watch over the noble lineages of that nation, and to safeguard children in the night. Beside him walked Kiara, her hair for once loosed of the tie that so often held it, spilling over her shoulders and to her waist. She was resplendent in silver and white, her eyelids dusted with glitter, as she was supposed to be a particular trickster spirit of the Water Tribes, one that hid in the snow to lure unwary travelers.
In contrast to Fang, who while still by and large neutral-looking, was actually doing quite well at the moment, she was troubled behind her smile. He could sense it, and indeed he even knew why, she supposed, but he was merciful enough not to speak of it. After the Incident (and it certainly deserved the capital letter), she had thought long and hard about why she’d reacted the way she had, and though it brought her no joy to reach her conclusion, she had realized that what she felt for Haki extended beyond the bounds of platonic friendship. In a way, the knowledge relieved her, because it meant that she understood why she was so distracted and troubled by him, but… in all other ways, it was a frightening realization.
She had no experience with which to ground herself in such matters, no way to know if she was handling things well or poorly—though she definitely suspected the latter. Things had only become even more unbearably awkward in the wake of the Incident: she didn’t touch him, not even in the same casual way she touched Fang or Rika, and he called her only by her name, and his words were careful. It was, in a word, awful. But perhaps even that was better than the alternative, the one where she was the only one who would be hurt when the fun was over and the joke had been played out. She couldn’t bear to open her heart and have it stolen, so she closed it off instead, and their friendship, their easy camaraderie, suffered for it.
She sighed, shaking her head slightly when Fang sent her a questioning look, as though inviting her to talk about it. She didn’t want to… not now. Maybe not ever. Not while she still had the hope that her crush would go away on its own and everything could go back to normal someday. Perhaps he’d even laugh with her about it, if she ever got up the guts to ell him what had caused their temporary rift. Of course, the thought of such a thing now was incredibly painful, but maybe, with time, it wouldn’t be anymore.
It wasn't an easy thing to do, finding all of the material she would need in order to fill out her outfit for the evening. The Red Festival was, once again, upon the City of Republic, and Rika was a little more excited for it this year. There were several reasons why, however; it was obvious enough what the major reason was. It was also the first year she was going to dress up. Though perhaps not a spirit, who she was dressing as would, in all technicality be a spirit. She didn't have the exact outfit to properly be dressed as the spirit she had in mind, however; she did have enough material and color schemes to make something similar. And she had. Dressed in dark green, the yukata fell to the floor, a little longer than most, and was trimmed with pastel yellow. She pulled most of her hair back, allowing it to be held in place by a smaller version of the metal headdress Avatar Kyoshi wore.
She painted her eyes red, smearing it out a little further, however; she did not paint it all the way up to her brows. She kept it on her eyelids and passed up the extra white paint. Sure, it was a spirit thing, but her complexion was pale enough that she didn't necessarily need to make herself look paler. She fixed the fan in her sleeve, and nodded in satisfaction. She walked, a large smile on her face as she left to meet her friends by their designated meeting area. She, however, was not expecting to run into Haki along the way, and frowned when she noticed his attire. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and a pair of black slacks. He wasn't dressing up this year? Odd, he always wore something, even if it was just something. She pursed her lips together as she stared at him. Haki, however, waved it off and offered her a smile in return.
To say he was happy, though, would have been an overstatement. Haki Soen was many things, happy, however, was not one of them at the current moment. His mind had plagued him night and day after the Incident, and he could not shake the feeling that it was entirely his own fault. And perhaps it was all his fault. He shouldn't have pushed as he did. They were in no position to begin with. The night before, they had infiltrated an Equalist base, and nearly died. Something crossed his face, realization as to why he had pushed. He had been afraid. He could have lost her, and she would have never known, however; even then, he had approached the situation wrong. He sighed softly, trying to shake the feeling from him, but it was of no use. He couldn't, but he could not say he regretted his decision.
She may have taken it as she had, but he would not regret his decision of what he did. Though, he did not call her Turtle-Duck any longer. Kiara was just that, for now. He would find a way to fix this, however; he couldn't exactly fix something that wasn't exactly broken. A misunderstanding? No, not even that seemed right. Rika touched his shoulder lightly, giving him a look, and he simply stared at her. He could see the faint furrowing of her brows, and the way her eyes seemed to just darken slightly. She may not have verbally said it, but she was saying it nonetheless. He simply shook his head, tucking back a loose strand of her hair and pulled at her shoulders. He situated her in front of him, and simply pushed her along. He would speak later about it, but she was not the one he needed to speak with. Once they arrived, the frown on Rika's face immediately vanished as she waved enthusiastically towards Fang and Kiara.
Fang noticed them first, raising his hand in return greeting and tapping Kiara’s shoulder gently to indicate which way to turn. She did. And a smile slid onto her face, brought on by Rika’s obvious enthusiasm, and the fact that she’d dressed up this time. It faltered just slightly when she spotted the look on Haki’s face, as well as his lack of festivity, but she forced it back into place, and raised her hand to wave as well. The groups joined, and Kiara crinkled her nose at Rika in a half-teasing manner. “Look at you, all dressed up this time. Are you Avatar Kiyoshi?” That was what the costume called to mind for her, but she wasn’t exactly certain that there wasn’t some kind of spirit that looked similar in Earth Kingdom lore. It wasn't a topic she had a lot of familiarity with, though Fang had explained the concept of a Guardian to her when she’d asked.
She thought it was really cute that they were both dressed in the same colors—while on most days, to look at them was to see a bit of an odd fit, they could clearly really go together when they wanted to. She would not have put it past Fang to choose an Earth Kingdom spirit on purpose for exactly this reason. As a matter of fact, he had, though whether he’d ever admit it was another matter.
“You look lovely,” he said simply, taking up one of Rika’s hands. The small smile on his face and the glimmer in his eye said more than most men would if they started reciting poetry. Kiara might have melted a little bit to see it, but then of course she was poignantly reminded of her own situation, and felt slightly ill, something she masked quite effectively. “Perhaps now would be the best time to partake of the food, before it runs out?”
Food was a notion Kiara could get behind too, and so the four of them made their way to the tables that had once again been set up, selecting one for themselves. Not too far away, they could see the Pygmy Pumas, or rather, Ying, Daichi, and Zian. They weren’t a probending team anymore, considering that Ying had lost her bending. Still, they waved back when Kiara offered one, Zian grinning brightly and the other two smiling as well, if with a little more reserve. They seemed… happy, and that was the important thing. She noted that Ying and Daichi sat close enough together that their shoulders were touching, and clearly not on accident. Good for them.
As for her, well… if things didn’t get more comfortable soon, the Winebender might be making another appearance. Not how she would usually choose to deal with her feelings, but given her proximity to their object… it might be necessary, just this once.
Rika stuck her tongue out at Kiara in a childish manner, trying to keep back a laugh, but failing. "You say it like you've never seen me dress up before," she replied back, the smile plastering itself on her lips. It, however, disappeared when Fang spoke, and instead, was replaced by a light pink dusting her cheeks. It slowly deepened when she met his eyes, and stammered out incoherent words, trying her best to regain her posture. She couldn't even form the words to tell him how he looked, and Haki allowed a brisk smile to pierce through. He shook his head lightly, raising a brow, but said nothing. He glanced towards Kiara, however, and nodded in her direction. Even when they left to approach the food, he did nothing, said nothing as Kiara waved towards the Puma's. He did not miss the enthusiastic wave Zian sent her, but he did not spare even a glance to the male waterbender. Not even to glare at him as he always had.
Rika waved as well, smiling softly when she spotted Daichi and Ying. Even though they were close to each other, she could almost see an irritated vein on Ying. It appeared Daichi was talking to her, probably saying something he shouldn't have, and was going to suffer a great deal of consequences from it. She made her way towards the food area, grabbing various things (not really even paying attention to what) and made her way back to the table. She sat with her plate, and had Haki sit to her left. She almost blinked when she noticed he didn't go get a plate of his own, and nearly frowned. This was supposed to be a day (and night) of having fun. Why did this atmosphere seem like it was suffocating? Did he do something?
"Alright, what is on the agenda for tonight?" she decided to state. The tension was so thick in the air, she could have sworn it was enough to strangle someone with it. Haki stared at her, glancing between his friends before shrugging his shoulders. Last year, they had all went their separate ways. Well, not entirely. Rika and Fang delivered a lost boy back to his parents, and he and Kiara went fishing. He wasn't so sure what they could all do as a group besides play a few games or attend a few of the plays. Either one didn't sound so bad, however; he was sure it would be a little uncomfortable for everyone around. The Red Festival was meant for couples during the evening hours, and he was certain Rika would want to attend with Fang. Or perhaps she'd suggest something else since most of what they were was still new grounds for her.
"Well, there is a play about the previous Avatar performing tonight. Then there is one about Oma and Shu. There are also games," he chimed in, shrugging his shoulders lightly. He wasn't really in the mood to suggest anything else. It would be taken the wrong way, and he did not want to make matters worse than what they already were. He needed it to heal a bit before he started picking at it again.
Fang might have contributed that there was also dancing and fireworks as there had been before, but he was perceptive enough to understand that this was not especially well-suited to the mood of the conversation. Kiara was occupying herself with trying to act as though the awkwardness wasn’t there, which in practice was only making it worse, in his opinion, but Fang was not one to push other people beyond the bounds of their comfort, and so he gracefully did not mention it. “I understand that the troupe performing the first play this year is quite well-known and respected. It might be worth seeing.” It would also be something for which only a minimum of speech was necessary, which seemed to be for the best at the moment.
Eventually, it was decided that that was at least where they would start, and so after those who were planning on eating had eaten, they found seats in the audience. Despite the subject matter, the play was mostly a comedy, largely focused around the antics of the Avatar’s friends rather than their conflict with the Fire Nation of the time. It was always interesting seeing such things portrayed, for Fang—he had met the Avatar, his great-grandfather, several times before he retired to solitude in the mountains, and so many of these stories, he’d heard from Aang himself. He could not help but compare the scenes onstage to those in his imagination, though he found no particular fault in either, in the end.
When the play was over, they were left at the same uncomfortable impasse as before, and the airbender pursed his lips. The evening was drawing to a close—night would begin in earnest very soon now. He was saved from trying to think of anything to say by Kiara, who, while slightly tipsy, did not in fact approach winebender status at the moment. “I think… it’s probably time for me to head home,” she said quietly, smiling softly at all of them. Fang was about to offer to walk her there when she held up a hand. “I can manage by myself. I live much closer than I used to, after all.” He still wasn’t exactly enthused about it, but if it was what she wanted… he knew she could take better care of herself than most people, so he wouldn’t argue.
Haki had been silently grateful that they had decided to watch the play, and had chose a seat above his friends. He would have normally sat with them, however; he had decided against it. He could still be with them, though he'd be a seat higher than they were. He watched the play with mild interest, snorting softly to himself when a particular scene (or two) had managed to capture his thoughts away long enough for him to pay attention. It wasn't long before his thoughts were back, though, on that night and his mistake. But... a part of him couldn't accept it as that. It wasn't a mistake, and it would never be a mistake to him. He sighed, perhaps a little too hard, and clapped along with the audience when the show was over. Standing from his spot, he followed his friends outside quietly, and traveled a little further behind.
Rika, however, pursed her lips together when Kiara mentioned going home. There were still so many things they could do. They could still go dancing, watch the fireworks, play one of the games and try to win a fire ferret again, or just enjoy walking around. The night may have been designated for couples, but it just didn't quite feel the same if they were not there as friends. She, however, said nothing and nodded, wishing her friend a goodnight. Haki arrived within earshot, though, and sighed. Even if she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, it was still too dangerous for her to be walking on her own. She lived in the same direction he did, and it wouldn't be going out of his way to just accompany her that far, however; he knew she would be against it as well.
"Perhaps it is wise that I do the same, then," he spoke, forcing a smile upon his lips before glancing towards Fang. A not-so-quite smirk adorned his lips as he glanced at the airbender. "Make sure she gets home by midnight," he joked. "Or your home, whichever happens first," he continued, barely dodging a small rock aimed for his head. He could see the scarlet painting Rika's cheeks as he allowed a brighter smile to cover his face. She mumbled another set of incoherent words and frowned. Shaking his head lightly, he held up his hands in defeat and glanced towards Kiara, making eye contact before tearing his gaze away.
"You do not have to see it as me walking you home," he spoke, shrugging his shoulders in the process. Let her think they were just going in the same direction if she wished.
“No,” Kiara said hastily, blanching slightly when she decided she had no idea what that sounded like. “I mean… it’s fine if you do. I mean… if you want to, that is.” She closed one of her eyes, wearing a look of vague consternation, and smoothed the silver-white of her kimono, mostly to give herself something to do with her hands. Shaking herself a bit, she took in a deep breath and turned to the others.
“You two enjoy yourselves, really. It’s been too long since any of us had a real break. I’ll see you soon, I’m sure.” Ducking in quickly, she gave each of them a brief hug, then turned, nodding to Haki. She might feel unbearably awkward right now, and he probably thought she was stupid for getting so worked up over a joke, but… she needed to fix this as much as she could. She needed to keep this friendship. Because even if… even if it would never ben anything more than that, she held it too dear to lose it. These people were her best friends, and he… she couldn’t bear the loss of that, plain and simple.
The information was considered far more valuable than putting him in prison, and so he was not forced to go back. His name, they said, would remain unconnected to his crimes, and also unconnected to the insider information. In this way, everything would be forgotten by the official documentation, and as far as the government cared, he’d never had anything to do with any of it at all. The murders that were his crimes would be attributed to the one who had ordered them, and their method would simply remain unsolved. It was, as Shun pointed out, quite close to the truth anyway. Why punish the weapon when you could follow it to the hand that wielded it?
Fang thought he was getting off too easy, but he was not going to insist otherwise. Perhaps he might have, once, but he had something else to live for now, and as ironic as it was, it was in these dark times that he was learning again to see the light. He couldn’t bring himself to give that up. Perhaps the years he’d spent torturing himself were punishment enough—perhaps the spirits were forgiving. He had yet to contact any members of his family, and perhaps he never would. He certainly was not ready yet to make the attempt. Such processes as the one he now underwent were slow by their nature, and he had to find himself again before he could find them, stand before them.
But at least he had someplace to start, people to hold onto when it seemed he would be carried way again by the same old storm. Tonight was given to that sort of nostalgic thinking, because for the first time in two years, he and the others were attending the Red Festival. Perhaps, they would even be staying for the later part this time, though that was something he would let Rika decide, at least for his part. And so, just as before, he went dressed as a spirit, as was custom, though this time, he arrayed himself in the jade and emerald and gold of an Earth Kingdom Guardian, said to watch over the noble lineages of that nation, and to safeguard children in the night. Beside him walked Kiara, her hair for once loosed of the tie that so often held it, spilling over her shoulders and to her waist. She was resplendent in silver and white, her eyelids dusted with glitter, as she was supposed to be a particular trickster spirit of the Water Tribes, one that hid in the snow to lure unwary travelers.
In contrast to Fang, who while still by and large neutral-looking, was actually doing quite well at the moment, she was troubled behind her smile. He could sense it, and indeed he even knew why, she supposed, but he was merciful enough not to speak of it. After the Incident (and it certainly deserved the capital letter), she had thought long and hard about why she’d reacted the way she had, and though it brought her no joy to reach her conclusion, she had realized that what she felt for Haki extended beyond the bounds of platonic friendship. In a way, the knowledge relieved her, because it meant that she understood why she was so distracted and troubled by him, but… in all other ways, it was a frightening realization.
She had no experience with which to ground herself in such matters, no way to know if she was handling things well or poorly—though she definitely suspected the latter. Things had only become even more unbearably awkward in the wake of the Incident: she didn’t touch him, not even in the same casual way she touched Fang or Rika, and he called her only by her name, and his words were careful. It was, in a word, awful. But perhaps even that was better than the alternative, the one where she was the only one who would be hurt when the fun was over and the joke had been played out. She couldn’t bear to open her heart and have it stolen, so she closed it off instead, and their friendship, their easy camaraderie, suffered for it.
She sighed, shaking her head slightly when Fang sent her a questioning look, as though inviting her to talk about it. She didn’t want to… not now. Maybe not ever. Not while she still had the hope that her crush would go away on its own and everything could go back to normal someday. Perhaps he’d even laugh with her about it, if she ever got up the guts to ell him what had caused their temporary rift. Of course, the thought of such a thing now was incredibly painful, but maybe, with time, it wouldn’t be anymore.
It wasn't an easy thing to do, finding all of the material she would need in order to fill out her outfit for the evening. The Red Festival was, once again, upon the City of Republic, and Rika was a little more excited for it this year. There were several reasons why, however; it was obvious enough what the major reason was. It was also the first year she was going to dress up. Though perhaps not a spirit, who she was dressing as would, in all technicality be a spirit. She didn't have the exact outfit to properly be dressed as the spirit she had in mind, however; she did have enough material and color schemes to make something similar. And she had. Dressed in dark green, the yukata fell to the floor, a little longer than most, and was trimmed with pastel yellow. She pulled most of her hair back, allowing it to be held in place by a smaller version of the metal headdress Avatar Kyoshi wore.
She painted her eyes red, smearing it out a little further, however; she did not paint it all the way up to her brows. She kept it on her eyelids and passed up the extra white paint. Sure, it was a spirit thing, but her complexion was pale enough that she didn't necessarily need to make herself look paler. She fixed the fan in her sleeve, and nodded in satisfaction. She walked, a large smile on her face as she left to meet her friends by their designated meeting area. She, however, was not expecting to run into Haki along the way, and frowned when she noticed his attire. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and a pair of black slacks. He wasn't dressing up this year? Odd, he always wore something, even if it was just something. She pursed her lips together as she stared at him. Haki, however, waved it off and offered her a smile in return.
To say he was happy, though, would have been an overstatement. Haki Soen was many things, happy, however, was not one of them at the current moment. His mind had plagued him night and day after the Incident, and he could not shake the feeling that it was entirely his own fault. And perhaps it was all his fault. He shouldn't have pushed as he did. They were in no position to begin with. The night before, they had infiltrated an Equalist base, and nearly died. Something crossed his face, realization as to why he had pushed. He had been afraid. He could have lost her, and she would have never known, however; even then, he had approached the situation wrong. He sighed softly, trying to shake the feeling from him, but it was of no use. He couldn't, but he could not say he regretted his decision.
She may have taken it as she had, but he would not regret his decision of what he did. Though, he did not call her Turtle-Duck any longer. Kiara was just that, for now. He would find a way to fix this, however; he couldn't exactly fix something that wasn't exactly broken. A misunderstanding? No, not even that seemed right. Rika touched his shoulder lightly, giving him a look, and he simply stared at her. He could see the faint furrowing of her brows, and the way her eyes seemed to just darken slightly. She may not have verbally said it, but she was saying it nonetheless. He simply shook his head, tucking back a loose strand of her hair and pulled at her shoulders. He situated her in front of him, and simply pushed her along. He would speak later about it, but she was not the one he needed to speak with. Once they arrived, the frown on Rika's face immediately vanished as she waved enthusiastically towards Fang and Kiara.
Fang noticed them first, raising his hand in return greeting and tapping Kiara’s shoulder gently to indicate which way to turn. She did. And a smile slid onto her face, brought on by Rika’s obvious enthusiasm, and the fact that she’d dressed up this time. It faltered just slightly when she spotted the look on Haki’s face, as well as his lack of festivity, but she forced it back into place, and raised her hand to wave as well. The groups joined, and Kiara crinkled her nose at Rika in a half-teasing manner. “Look at you, all dressed up this time. Are you Avatar Kiyoshi?” That was what the costume called to mind for her, but she wasn’t exactly certain that there wasn’t some kind of spirit that looked similar in Earth Kingdom lore. It wasn't a topic she had a lot of familiarity with, though Fang had explained the concept of a Guardian to her when she’d asked.
She thought it was really cute that they were both dressed in the same colors—while on most days, to look at them was to see a bit of an odd fit, they could clearly really go together when they wanted to. She would not have put it past Fang to choose an Earth Kingdom spirit on purpose for exactly this reason. As a matter of fact, he had, though whether he’d ever admit it was another matter.
“You look lovely,” he said simply, taking up one of Rika’s hands. The small smile on his face and the glimmer in his eye said more than most men would if they started reciting poetry. Kiara might have melted a little bit to see it, but then of course she was poignantly reminded of her own situation, and felt slightly ill, something she masked quite effectively. “Perhaps now would be the best time to partake of the food, before it runs out?”
Food was a notion Kiara could get behind too, and so the four of them made their way to the tables that had once again been set up, selecting one for themselves. Not too far away, they could see the Pygmy Pumas, or rather, Ying, Daichi, and Zian. They weren’t a probending team anymore, considering that Ying had lost her bending. Still, they waved back when Kiara offered one, Zian grinning brightly and the other two smiling as well, if with a little more reserve. They seemed… happy, and that was the important thing. She noted that Ying and Daichi sat close enough together that their shoulders were touching, and clearly not on accident. Good for them.
As for her, well… if things didn’t get more comfortable soon, the Winebender might be making another appearance. Not how she would usually choose to deal with her feelings, but given her proximity to their object… it might be necessary, just this once.
Rika stuck her tongue out at Kiara in a childish manner, trying to keep back a laugh, but failing. "You say it like you've never seen me dress up before," she replied back, the smile plastering itself on her lips. It, however, disappeared when Fang spoke, and instead, was replaced by a light pink dusting her cheeks. It slowly deepened when she met his eyes, and stammered out incoherent words, trying her best to regain her posture. She couldn't even form the words to tell him how he looked, and Haki allowed a brisk smile to pierce through. He shook his head lightly, raising a brow, but said nothing. He glanced towards Kiara, however, and nodded in her direction. Even when they left to approach the food, he did nothing, said nothing as Kiara waved towards the Puma's. He did not miss the enthusiastic wave Zian sent her, but he did not spare even a glance to the male waterbender. Not even to glare at him as he always had.
Rika waved as well, smiling softly when she spotted Daichi and Ying. Even though they were close to each other, she could almost see an irritated vein on Ying. It appeared Daichi was talking to her, probably saying something he shouldn't have, and was going to suffer a great deal of consequences from it. She made her way towards the food area, grabbing various things (not really even paying attention to what) and made her way back to the table. She sat with her plate, and had Haki sit to her left. She almost blinked when she noticed he didn't go get a plate of his own, and nearly frowned. This was supposed to be a day (and night) of having fun. Why did this atmosphere seem like it was suffocating? Did he do something?
"Alright, what is on the agenda for tonight?" she decided to state. The tension was so thick in the air, she could have sworn it was enough to strangle someone with it. Haki stared at her, glancing between his friends before shrugging his shoulders. Last year, they had all went their separate ways. Well, not entirely. Rika and Fang delivered a lost boy back to his parents, and he and Kiara went fishing. He wasn't so sure what they could all do as a group besides play a few games or attend a few of the plays. Either one didn't sound so bad, however; he was sure it would be a little uncomfortable for everyone around. The Red Festival was meant for couples during the evening hours, and he was certain Rika would want to attend with Fang. Or perhaps she'd suggest something else since most of what they were was still new grounds for her.
"Well, there is a play about the previous Avatar performing tonight. Then there is one about Oma and Shu. There are also games," he chimed in, shrugging his shoulders lightly. He wasn't really in the mood to suggest anything else. It would be taken the wrong way, and he did not want to make matters worse than what they already were. He needed it to heal a bit before he started picking at it again.
Fang might have contributed that there was also dancing and fireworks as there had been before, but he was perceptive enough to understand that this was not especially well-suited to the mood of the conversation. Kiara was occupying herself with trying to act as though the awkwardness wasn’t there, which in practice was only making it worse, in his opinion, but Fang was not one to push other people beyond the bounds of their comfort, and so he gracefully did not mention it. “I understand that the troupe performing the first play this year is quite well-known and respected. It might be worth seeing.” It would also be something for which only a minimum of speech was necessary, which seemed to be for the best at the moment.
Eventually, it was decided that that was at least where they would start, and so after those who were planning on eating had eaten, they found seats in the audience. Despite the subject matter, the play was mostly a comedy, largely focused around the antics of the Avatar’s friends rather than their conflict with the Fire Nation of the time. It was always interesting seeing such things portrayed, for Fang—he had met the Avatar, his great-grandfather, several times before he retired to solitude in the mountains, and so many of these stories, he’d heard from Aang himself. He could not help but compare the scenes onstage to those in his imagination, though he found no particular fault in either, in the end.
When the play was over, they were left at the same uncomfortable impasse as before, and the airbender pursed his lips. The evening was drawing to a close—night would begin in earnest very soon now. He was saved from trying to think of anything to say by Kiara, who, while slightly tipsy, did not in fact approach winebender status at the moment. “I think… it’s probably time for me to head home,” she said quietly, smiling softly at all of them. Fang was about to offer to walk her there when she held up a hand. “I can manage by myself. I live much closer than I used to, after all.” He still wasn’t exactly enthused about it, but if it was what she wanted… he knew she could take better care of herself than most people, so he wouldn’t argue.
Haki had been silently grateful that they had decided to watch the play, and had chose a seat above his friends. He would have normally sat with them, however; he had decided against it. He could still be with them, though he'd be a seat higher than they were. He watched the play with mild interest, snorting softly to himself when a particular scene (or two) had managed to capture his thoughts away long enough for him to pay attention. It wasn't long before his thoughts were back, though, on that night and his mistake. But... a part of him couldn't accept it as that. It wasn't a mistake, and it would never be a mistake to him. He sighed, perhaps a little too hard, and clapped along with the audience when the show was over. Standing from his spot, he followed his friends outside quietly, and traveled a little further behind.
Rika, however, pursed her lips together when Kiara mentioned going home. There were still so many things they could do. They could still go dancing, watch the fireworks, play one of the games and try to win a fire ferret again, or just enjoy walking around. The night may have been designated for couples, but it just didn't quite feel the same if they were not there as friends. She, however, said nothing and nodded, wishing her friend a goodnight. Haki arrived within earshot, though, and sighed. Even if she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, it was still too dangerous for her to be walking on her own. She lived in the same direction he did, and it wouldn't be going out of his way to just accompany her that far, however; he knew she would be against it as well.
"Perhaps it is wise that I do the same, then," he spoke, forcing a smile upon his lips before glancing towards Fang. A not-so-quite smirk adorned his lips as he glanced at the airbender. "Make sure she gets home by midnight," he joked. "Or your home, whichever happens first," he continued, barely dodging a small rock aimed for his head. He could see the scarlet painting Rika's cheeks as he allowed a brighter smile to cover his face. She mumbled another set of incoherent words and frowned. Shaking his head lightly, he held up his hands in defeat and glanced towards Kiara, making eye contact before tearing his gaze away.
"You do not have to see it as me walking you home," he spoke, shrugging his shoulders in the process. Let her think they were just going in the same direction if she wished.
“No,” Kiara said hastily, blanching slightly when she decided she had no idea what that sounded like. “I mean… it’s fine if you do. I mean… if you want to, that is.” She closed one of her eyes, wearing a look of vague consternation, and smoothed the silver-white of her kimono, mostly to give herself something to do with her hands. Shaking herself a bit, she took in a deep breath and turned to the others.
“You two enjoy yourselves, really. It’s been too long since any of us had a real break. I’ll see you soon, I’m sure.” Ducking in quickly, she gave each of them a brief hug, then turned, nodding to Haki. She might feel unbearably awkward right now, and he probably thought she was stupid for getting so worked up over a joke, but… she needed to fix this as much as she could. She needed to keep this friendship. Because even if… even if it would never ben anything more than that, she held it too dear to lose it. These people were her best friends, and he… she couldn’t bear the loss of that, plain and simple.
Fang watched his friends depart with a fair dose of trepidation. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he had a fair guess. The results were simply worse than he’d expected. Still, he thought that with time, it should straighten itself out. It would not entirely stop him from being concerned in the meantime, but he was not given to excessive prying, and tried not to interfere in the lives of others unless asked to do so. Shaking his head faintly, he glanced down at Rika.
“Would you prefer to go, or stay?” He knew she was likewise concerned, and he wanted to do whatever she felt more comfortable with at the moment. The festival wasn’t important, in the long run, even if it might be enjoyable. He wasn’t exactly sure he was especially pleasant company for such things, either, outside of the context of a group of people. It was only in the past couple of years that he’d remembered how to enjoy himself at all, and it was no exaggeration to say that it was entirely their doing.
He shifted his hand over hers, lacing their fingers together slightly and smiling softly down at her. Such a strange feeling—that no matter where he was, everything was right with the world as long as she was there, too. It had come upon him at once slowly and suddenly… or perhaps it was only his recognition of it that had been sudden. He’d never felt that way before. With Saki, there had always been the sense that something else was needed, or required of him, and he was unable to rest easy in her company alone. Here, he felt none of it. Everything was simply the way it was supposed to be, because she was present.
It was a little baffling, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.
Rika sighed, but nonetheless hugged her friend back before she and Haki took off. Something was not right between the two of them. She knew that much. He wasn't calling her Turtle-Duck, for one thing, and he had become a little more solemn in his appearance. She wondered, for a moment, what could have possibly happened, but she did not know. She didn't even have the slightest clue, but she pushed it out of her mind. They could figure it out, and if she knew Haki (and she did, unfortunately), he could rectify it. Or he would attempt to and just make everything worse. She frowned at that thought. Sighing softly, she blinked owlishly when her hand was taken, and she turned to stare up at Fang. She smiled brightly before it disappeared slightly. She tilted her head to the side and tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner.
"Well, we could stay and enjoy the festivities," she began. She pursed her lips together and furrowed her brows slightly. That, or they could go elsewhere. She knew Fang wasn't exactly the type to enjoy crowds, but he wasn't exactly against blending in either if he had to. She could either subject him to that, or they could go enjoy the festival someplace else, someplace more private. She almost scoffed at herself for that thought, as innocent as it was, and shook her head. "Or we can just go enjoy them somewhere else. I am going to let you decide. What does Fang want to do?" she stated, a slight quirk of her lips hinting at the jesting gesture of her tone.
Whatever he wanted to do, she would follow along. She would do whatever he wanted to do. "Besides, you have more... uh, knowledge?" she questioned, "about this part of the fesitval anyway." She didn't exactly quite know how to put that statement, really. She also didn't know much about this part of the festival either, considering the last time she attended, they only saw the fireworks and nothing more.
Fang cleared his throat softly. That sounded… well, Rika wouldn’t know it, but putting things that way in this context sounded an awful lot like a proposition. He found it a bit difficult to look at her face when she said it, and his cheekbones turned just the faintest shade of pink. Now there was something that hadn’t happened in a long time, to be sure. He knew what she said had been meant completely innocently, of course, but something about that just made matters worse.
It did appear, however, that she was leaving the evening’s events to his discretion, and he frowned slightly, out of thoughtfulness rather than displeasure, giving the matter some thought. He supposed… yes, that would work quite well. “Your pardon,” he said, something in his voice, just the faintest touch of amusement, indicating that he wasn’t really all that concerned about getting it. Just like that, he bent, sweeping Rika up into his arms and departing the main grounds of the festival at a brisk jog, one which was surprisingly smooth. “Hold on,” he warned, just before kicking off the ground in a massive jump, propelled by his airbending, and landing lightly on the first of what turned out to be a succession of roofs. In this, his typical fashion of city navigation, they traveled for perhaps ten minutes, alighting at last atop the probending arena itself.
The roof was circular and largely flat, but the best part of it was that the view of the bay was completely unobstructed by any other buildings. The light from the moon and stars and other buildings glimmered off the surface of the water as full dark overtook Republic City. “This should do,” he murmured, but he didn’t relinquish his hold on her, rather smoothly flowing into a seated position at the very edge of the roof, his feet dangling off into empty air. He was the furthest thing from concerned about that, being as he was, but he knew the same might not be true of her, so he kept both arms wrapped around her waist even as he sat her between his legs, his chest pressed against her back and his chin resting on the crown of her head.
“Do you remember the fireworks, from last time?” That faint note of teasing was there again—she had, after all, passed out from intoxication part of the way through them.
"What? No... I didn't, I mean," Rika stammered when Fang spoke, however; she pursed her lips together in the form of a pout. She shook her head faintly, but smiled nonetheless. It disappeared just as quickly, though, when she was suddenly lifted. "Fang!" she nearly shouted, but muffled it against his chest as he ascended into the air. She clutched tightly to his shirt until he stopped, unwilling to look up from it even as he sat down. It wasn't until his chest was against her back, and his head laying on her own, that she finally opened her eyes. She could see out across the city, and her eyes sparkled just lightly enough with wonder. She was brought back from her wonder, though, when Fang spoke. She choked back a nervous chuckle.
"No, not exactly. I was drunk," she murmured nervously. She recalled Haki issuing the challenge of drinks, and she and Kiara took it. "I do recall losing that challenge, though," and dancing with Kiara, but she wasn't going to say that. She remembered it had been horrible and she stepped on a few people's poor toes that night. "I think I fell asleep too," she added. She had fallen asleep before they could even begin, if she remembered correctly. She also distinctly remembered latching on to something. Kiara had fallen asleep next to her, maybe she latched onto her as well? "Also," she stated, turning her head slightly so she could gaze up at him. She pursed her lips together as her hands tightened against his.
"Don't you do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack!" she murmured, pursing her lips out in the process. Not that she had anything against being off the ground, it was just the process of how she left the ground that had startled her. "You know," she started, turning her attention back to the sky, waiting fo the fireworks to start. "I'm... I'm glad that you're here, Fang. I thought you should know that," she stated, a small smile plaguing her lips. It was true though, she was glad that he was here. Even if he had been there just as her friend, she was glad. He had become an important part to her, and even now, she could feel the steady beat of her heart rising.
The smile returned to his face, and he leaned down just a little, so that his next words were murmured into her ear. “You’ve become much better at dancing since then.” He, after all, had not forgotten any of the details of that particular evening, given his own tolerance for alcohol. He backed off a little when she turned herself partway around, blinking down at her lazily, looking as impassive as he usually did, save that there was a bit more relaxation to it, like the neutrality was edged with something comfortable, languid, even. Her pout tempted him to kiss it away, reminding him quite effectively of the feel her lips had against his, but he refrained.
Then again, when she said things like that… it got a little harder to remind himself that he was attempting to do this slowly. It had been such a long time since he was comfortable investing this much emotion into one other person—it was only over the last two years that he’d even allowed himself to have friends again. This… for him at least, this was something quite different from that, and infinitely more terrifying because of it. Still—she trusted him, he could see it. He wanted to trust her as well.
“Hm,” he half-breathed, half-hummed. One of his arms released her waist and moved upwards, his fingers carding gently through her hair, sweeping it back behind her ear and toying absently with the ends. It was an indulgence he’d seldom allowed himself, but he was, in the end, a rather tactile person. It had just been more important not to form attachments to people of such a nature before. Now that he was willing to let that go, as much as he could, anyway, the whim to touch was returning with considerable strength. Leaning down, he brushed his nose over the curve of her neck, inhaling the earthy scent that rose from her skin. He rested there for a moment, until the first flash of bright color lit the sky.
“And I am glad to be here, Rika,” he said against her skin, brushing his lips just barely against the spot right underneath her ear on his way back up, before settling his chin atop her head again.
She shuddered lightly, holding back a startled laugh when his lips touched the spot behind her ear. As light as it was, she could still feel it, but the way she felt it. She wasn't exactly ticklish, but it did tickle slightly. She shifted in her spot, gently, so as to not disturb him, however; a small smirk appeared on her lips. Even as the light of the fireworks appeared, she turned her full attention to him, twisting out of his grip and making her way behind him to stand on the roof. She leaned behind him, her lips barely brushing against the shell of his ear as she spoke.
"Hm, I'm not so sure about that," she spoke, her voice coming out low and teasing. "I think I may have forgotten a few steps," she continued, pulling back and placing a hand on her hip. She smirked at him and raised an amused eyebrow. "Care to show me how to dance again?" she questioned. She tried to stifle a laugh, and so far she was succeeding, but she could feel it in the smile as it broadened across her face. Something about this night was bringing out a side of her that she didn't know was quite there. Or maybe, it had always been there, and she was just realizing it now. Still, she shook her head softly and crinkled her nose at him.
"Or we can just..." she paused, blinking slowly as she tried to think of the proper words. "do something else? Fireworks are not nearly as interesting as being with you is," she stated and folded her hands behind her back, leaning forwards slightly.
Fang’s answer was to gather his feet underneath him, pushing into a stand and taking the hand she rested on her hip to place upon his shoulder. The one not occupied taking her other, he used to replace that one, settling it where the curve of her waist flared outwards, his long fingers reaching nearly to her spine. It was not scandalously low, but significantly moreso than it ever had been in their previous instances of dancing. “Far be it from me to allow you to forget,” he said dryly, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. “A poor instructor I would make in such an event.”
Slowly at first, and then sliding them into a steadier rhythm, he guided her along the roof in a languid waltz, their feet moving in synchronization as well as if they’d been practicing for years, not two weeks some months ago now. Fang looked at nothing but Rika’s face, for once not concerned with what might be around a corner or hidden, only with what was right in front of him.
"And a poor instructor you have been, for letting me forget," she replied, grinning up at him as he lead her into a slow waltz. She kept his gaze, steadying it with her own as she pursed her lips together. Perhaps this wasn't exactly the first time she realized it, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help the small flutter of butterflies that flew in her stomach, the way it caused her to feel light as air. Ironic, perhaps, but it was true nonetheless. She sighed softly, laying one of her arms across her chest and holding her forearm when they stopped dancing. She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it slowly.
"I... it probably wasn't the best way to say it, but," she paused, glancing away from him suddenly. His eyes felt like they could pierce right through her sometimes, and they were something she was growing to love about him. She loved him, she knew that, but perhaps the way she had expressed it, said it was not the time nor place to have done so. She sighed, adjusting her gaze back up to him in the process. "But, I meant it. I meant every word," she stated, reaching out to grab his hand, and folding her other hand ontop of it. Perhaps she was being sentimental about it, or perhaps a little childish about it. She had never really loved anyone like she did him. It was new, and it was frightening at first. But now, it wasn't all that confusing as it had once been.
"I meant it when I said I loved you."
Fang tilted his head slightly to the side, reaching up to brush the knuckles of his fingers over one of her cheekbones. He wore a contemplative look on his face for just a moment. “There is no better way to have said it that I can think of,” he told her, his tone conveying complete seriousness. “You saved me then. From becoming something even I could not have stood to be.” It was true that he had done terrible things, but he had done them at the very least for reasons that had nothing to do with his own anger or hatred. He had not killed selfishly, and whether there was really a line there or not, it had felt like one he was about to cross, tempted to kill Saki to ease the ache of the betrayal he felt. Perhaps he would have, had Rika not been there to tell him otherwise. To remind him that there were things he cared about more, now. People who needed him to be a better person than he was.
“You make it very difficult to go slowly,” he informed her. Something about the openness of her expression, the way he could read what she really meant from her expressions and her words, the fact that she was completely without artifice—honest. Whatever it was, he was drawn to it, dangerously so. Fang traced an index finger along her jawline, using it to tip her chin upwards, and then slowly, achingly slowly, he lowered his mouth to meet hers. The kiss was slow, tender, and lingering, like a humid evening spent outdoors, utterly relaxed and content. She tasted like spiced tea, with just a hint of something sweet—perhaps a festival candy of some kind.
He drew back just as slowly as he’d advanced, their breaths comingling. The fireworks lit up her face in a variety of hues, giving a multicolored sheen to her irises. He’d always like the green the best, though. She owned the color in his mind, not because of her bending, but because of her eyes. “The second part of the Red Festival,” he said, his voice mild but carrying some strange undercurrent, “derives from a very old Fire Nation tradition of midsummer revelry. It was believed to be the best night of the year for fertility.” Which made the preferred activity of that part of the celebration rather obvious. He wondered if she’d understand what she’d been saying, now.
Rika leaned into the kiss, and almost pouted when he pulled back, however; it quickly disappeared as a shade of red slowly crept across her face. Was that really what the Red Festival was about? She choked a bit, coughing into her hand as she glanced away from Fang, the red becoming vibrant enough to mix with the red painted against her eyes. If one didn't know, they would have thought her whole face was painted red. She tried to form coherent words, but kept stumbling over them. Parts of her suggestions finally caught up with her, and she wasn't sure her face could have turned a deeper shade. She felt a bit lightheaded, and took a step forward when she had fully intended to take one back. She felt something stirring in her, something a little more bold. Odd, she didn't recall having a single drink that night, unlike her friend had. She drew from this, and took another step closer to him so that she was only a few centimeters from him. She reached up to cradle his face in both of her hands and fixed his head so that she could keep her own focused on her.
"And what if I said that I didn't want you to, anymore? To go slow?" she stated, swallowing thickly in the process. She could still feel the burning of her cheeks, the flare going down her neck now, as she continued to stare at him. It was a bold statement, and one she knew well could be taken in many directions, however; at the moment, it didn't matter. She meant it. "What if I didn't want you to go slow anymore?" she stated, pulling his face down to hers, her eyes still glued to his. "I... I just, I don't want to lose you again," she stated. She kept her lips parted, breathing in his air, exchanging breaths before pulling his face fully to hers. Just as he had, her kiss was slow, though not as chaste as it once was. There was more to it than that, and it was conveyed as she slipped her arms around his neck. After what had happened, she wasn't so sure it would really matter in the end. Going slow, even if she had appreciated it at first, was not something she wanted to do anymore.
She had almost lost him, and that had frightened her more than being prisoner to the Equalists had. If she had lost him, she wouldn't have known what to do. And that was something she did not wish to repeat. Not now, not ever. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her, and she wanted him to know that she was afraid of losing him. Perhaps it wasn't either of those, though, that currently drove her. She wasn't quite certain, herself, but she did know that all she would ever want, was him. To be with her, to be in her life, and not only because she loved him, but because she needed him. She needed him because she loved him. Was that such a bad thing?
Fang was actually surprised at that, though it was evinced only by a slight widening of his eyes and a parting of his lips, which in all fairness just made it easier to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue languorously over hers and feeling a familiar heat building under his skin. He shook his head slightly, though, and pulled back. “The most precious things are worth waiting for,” he replied evenly. He could see where this was coming from—she was worried about what might happen to him, to them. And while that was fair enough, it was not a good reason to rush anything.
“Besides… I recall making you a promise. You will not lose me, Rika. That, I swear to you.” He dropped a much more chaste kiss on the crown of her head. The fireworks had ended, and it was getting late. While he wasn’t taking Haki’s joking curfew seriously, he did think it likely best to end things at a decent hour. Though today had been a welcome respite from their work, there would be more of it waiting for them tomorrow. “May I walk you home?” He’d even take the mundane way, walking along the actual streets, if she wanted to, though he’d always prefer flying over the rooftops.
"And you better keep that promise," she stated, tapping his shoulder gently with her fist. Her smile, soft as it was, fluttered across her face as she grabbed his arm. "Well, while walking would be nice," she started, grinning up at him. "I think flying would be a little more fun, no? Just... don't, I swear to the spirits that if you drop me I will hurt you," she stated. Seriously, she would hurt him if he even pretended to drop her.
“Would you prefer to go, or stay?” He knew she was likewise concerned, and he wanted to do whatever she felt more comfortable with at the moment. The festival wasn’t important, in the long run, even if it might be enjoyable. He wasn’t exactly sure he was especially pleasant company for such things, either, outside of the context of a group of people. It was only in the past couple of years that he’d remembered how to enjoy himself at all, and it was no exaggeration to say that it was entirely their doing.
He shifted his hand over hers, lacing their fingers together slightly and smiling softly down at her. Such a strange feeling—that no matter where he was, everything was right with the world as long as she was there, too. It had come upon him at once slowly and suddenly… or perhaps it was only his recognition of it that had been sudden. He’d never felt that way before. With Saki, there had always been the sense that something else was needed, or required of him, and he was unable to rest easy in her company alone. Here, he felt none of it. Everything was simply the way it was supposed to be, because she was present.
It was a little baffling, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.
Rika sighed, but nonetheless hugged her friend back before she and Haki took off. Something was not right between the two of them. She knew that much. He wasn't calling her Turtle-Duck, for one thing, and he had become a little more solemn in his appearance. She wondered, for a moment, what could have possibly happened, but she did not know. She didn't even have the slightest clue, but she pushed it out of her mind. They could figure it out, and if she knew Haki (and she did, unfortunately), he could rectify it. Or he would attempt to and just make everything worse. She frowned at that thought. Sighing softly, she blinked owlishly when her hand was taken, and she turned to stare up at Fang. She smiled brightly before it disappeared slightly. She tilted her head to the side and tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner.
"Well, we could stay and enjoy the festivities," she began. She pursed her lips together and furrowed her brows slightly. That, or they could go elsewhere. She knew Fang wasn't exactly the type to enjoy crowds, but he wasn't exactly against blending in either if he had to. She could either subject him to that, or they could go enjoy the festival someplace else, someplace more private. She almost scoffed at herself for that thought, as innocent as it was, and shook her head. "Or we can just go enjoy them somewhere else. I am going to let you decide. What does Fang want to do?" she stated, a slight quirk of her lips hinting at the jesting gesture of her tone.
Whatever he wanted to do, she would follow along. She would do whatever he wanted to do. "Besides, you have more... uh, knowledge?" she questioned, "about this part of the fesitval anyway." She didn't exactly quite know how to put that statement, really. She also didn't know much about this part of the festival either, considering the last time she attended, they only saw the fireworks and nothing more.
Fang cleared his throat softly. That sounded… well, Rika wouldn’t know it, but putting things that way in this context sounded an awful lot like a proposition. He found it a bit difficult to look at her face when she said it, and his cheekbones turned just the faintest shade of pink. Now there was something that hadn’t happened in a long time, to be sure. He knew what she said had been meant completely innocently, of course, but something about that just made matters worse.
It did appear, however, that she was leaving the evening’s events to his discretion, and he frowned slightly, out of thoughtfulness rather than displeasure, giving the matter some thought. He supposed… yes, that would work quite well. “Your pardon,” he said, something in his voice, just the faintest touch of amusement, indicating that he wasn’t really all that concerned about getting it. Just like that, he bent, sweeping Rika up into his arms and departing the main grounds of the festival at a brisk jog, one which was surprisingly smooth. “Hold on,” he warned, just before kicking off the ground in a massive jump, propelled by his airbending, and landing lightly on the first of what turned out to be a succession of roofs. In this, his typical fashion of city navigation, they traveled for perhaps ten minutes, alighting at last atop the probending arena itself.
The roof was circular and largely flat, but the best part of it was that the view of the bay was completely unobstructed by any other buildings. The light from the moon and stars and other buildings glimmered off the surface of the water as full dark overtook Republic City. “This should do,” he murmured, but he didn’t relinquish his hold on her, rather smoothly flowing into a seated position at the very edge of the roof, his feet dangling off into empty air. He was the furthest thing from concerned about that, being as he was, but he knew the same might not be true of her, so he kept both arms wrapped around her waist even as he sat her between his legs, his chest pressed against her back and his chin resting on the crown of her head.
“Do you remember the fireworks, from last time?” That faint note of teasing was there again—she had, after all, passed out from intoxication part of the way through them.
"What? No... I didn't, I mean," Rika stammered when Fang spoke, however; she pursed her lips together in the form of a pout. She shook her head faintly, but smiled nonetheless. It disappeared just as quickly, though, when she was suddenly lifted. "Fang!" she nearly shouted, but muffled it against his chest as he ascended into the air. She clutched tightly to his shirt until he stopped, unwilling to look up from it even as he sat down. It wasn't until his chest was against her back, and his head laying on her own, that she finally opened her eyes. She could see out across the city, and her eyes sparkled just lightly enough with wonder. She was brought back from her wonder, though, when Fang spoke. She choked back a nervous chuckle.
"No, not exactly. I was drunk," she murmured nervously. She recalled Haki issuing the challenge of drinks, and she and Kiara took it. "I do recall losing that challenge, though," and dancing with Kiara, but she wasn't going to say that. She remembered it had been horrible and she stepped on a few people's poor toes that night. "I think I fell asleep too," she added. She had fallen asleep before they could even begin, if she remembered correctly. She also distinctly remembered latching on to something. Kiara had fallen asleep next to her, maybe she latched onto her as well? "Also," she stated, turning her head slightly so she could gaze up at him. She pursed her lips together as her hands tightened against his.
"Don't you do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack!" she murmured, pursing her lips out in the process. Not that she had anything against being off the ground, it was just the process of how she left the ground that had startled her. "You know," she started, turning her attention back to the sky, waiting fo the fireworks to start. "I'm... I'm glad that you're here, Fang. I thought you should know that," she stated, a small smile plaguing her lips. It was true though, she was glad that he was here. Even if he had been there just as her friend, she was glad. He had become an important part to her, and even now, she could feel the steady beat of her heart rising.
The smile returned to his face, and he leaned down just a little, so that his next words were murmured into her ear. “You’ve become much better at dancing since then.” He, after all, had not forgotten any of the details of that particular evening, given his own tolerance for alcohol. He backed off a little when she turned herself partway around, blinking down at her lazily, looking as impassive as he usually did, save that there was a bit more relaxation to it, like the neutrality was edged with something comfortable, languid, even. Her pout tempted him to kiss it away, reminding him quite effectively of the feel her lips had against his, but he refrained.
Then again, when she said things like that… it got a little harder to remind himself that he was attempting to do this slowly. It had been such a long time since he was comfortable investing this much emotion into one other person—it was only over the last two years that he’d even allowed himself to have friends again. This… for him at least, this was something quite different from that, and infinitely more terrifying because of it. Still—she trusted him, he could see it. He wanted to trust her as well.
“Hm,” he half-breathed, half-hummed. One of his arms released her waist and moved upwards, his fingers carding gently through her hair, sweeping it back behind her ear and toying absently with the ends. It was an indulgence he’d seldom allowed himself, but he was, in the end, a rather tactile person. It had just been more important not to form attachments to people of such a nature before. Now that he was willing to let that go, as much as he could, anyway, the whim to touch was returning with considerable strength. Leaning down, he brushed his nose over the curve of her neck, inhaling the earthy scent that rose from her skin. He rested there for a moment, until the first flash of bright color lit the sky.
“And I am glad to be here, Rika,” he said against her skin, brushing his lips just barely against the spot right underneath her ear on his way back up, before settling his chin atop her head again.
She shuddered lightly, holding back a startled laugh when his lips touched the spot behind her ear. As light as it was, she could still feel it, but the way she felt it. She wasn't exactly ticklish, but it did tickle slightly. She shifted in her spot, gently, so as to not disturb him, however; a small smirk appeared on her lips. Even as the light of the fireworks appeared, she turned her full attention to him, twisting out of his grip and making her way behind him to stand on the roof. She leaned behind him, her lips barely brushing against the shell of his ear as she spoke.
"Hm, I'm not so sure about that," she spoke, her voice coming out low and teasing. "I think I may have forgotten a few steps," she continued, pulling back and placing a hand on her hip. She smirked at him and raised an amused eyebrow. "Care to show me how to dance again?" she questioned. She tried to stifle a laugh, and so far she was succeeding, but she could feel it in the smile as it broadened across her face. Something about this night was bringing out a side of her that she didn't know was quite there. Or maybe, it had always been there, and she was just realizing it now. Still, she shook her head softly and crinkled her nose at him.
"Or we can just..." she paused, blinking slowly as she tried to think of the proper words. "do something else? Fireworks are not nearly as interesting as being with you is," she stated and folded her hands behind her back, leaning forwards slightly.
Fang’s answer was to gather his feet underneath him, pushing into a stand and taking the hand she rested on her hip to place upon his shoulder. The one not occupied taking her other, he used to replace that one, settling it where the curve of her waist flared outwards, his long fingers reaching nearly to her spine. It was not scandalously low, but significantly moreso than it ever had been in their previous instances of dancing. “Far be it from me to allow you to forget,” he said dryly, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. “A poor instructor I would make in such an event.”
Slowly at first, and then sliding them into a steadier rhythm, he guided her along the roof in a languid waltz, their feet moving in synchronization as well as if they’d been practicing for years, not two weeks some months ago now. Fang looked at nothing but Rika’s face, for once not concerned with what might be around a corner or hidden, only with what was right in front of him.
"And a poor instructor you have been, for letting me forget," she replied, grinning up at him as he lead her into a slow waltz. She kept his gaze, steadying it with her own as she pursed her lips together. Perhaps this wasn't exactly the first time she realized it, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help the small flutter of butterflies that flew in her stomach, the way it caused her to feel light as air. Ironic, perhaps, but it was true nonetheless. She sighed softly, laying one of her arms across her chest and holding her forearm when they stopped dancing. She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it slowly.
"I... it probably wasn't the best way to say it, but," she paused, glancing away from him suddenly. His eyes felt like they could pierce right through her sometimes, and they were something she was growing to love about him. She loved him, she knew that, but perhaps the way she had expressed it, said it was not the time nor place to have done so. She sighed, adjusting her gaze back up to him in the process. "But, I meant it. I meant every word," she stated, reaching out to grab his hand, and folding her other hand ontop of it. Perhaps she was being sentimental about it, or perhaps a little childish about it. She had never really loved anyone like she did him. It was new, and it was frightening at first. But now, it wasn't all that confusing as it had once been.
"I meant it when I said I loved you."
Fang tilted his head slightly to the side, reaching up to brush the knuckles of his fingers over one of her cheekbones. He wore a contemplative look on his face for just a moment. “There is no better way to have said it that I can think of,” he told her, his tone conveying complete seriousness. “You saved me then. From becoming something even I could not have stood to be.” It was true that he had done terrible things, but he had done them at the very least for reasons that had nothing to do with his own anger or hatred. He had not killed selfishly, and whether there was really a line there or not, it had felt like one he was about to cross, tempted to kill Saki to ease the ache of the betrayal he felt. Perhaps he would have, had Rika not been there to tell him otherwise. To remind him that there were things he cared about more, now. People who needed him to be a better person than he was.
“You make it very difficult to go slowly,” he informed her. Something about the openness of her expression, the way he could read what she really meant from her expressions and her words, the fact that she was completely without artifice—honest. Whatever it was, he was drawn to it, dangerously so. Fang traced an index finger along her jawline, using it to tip her chin upwards, and then slowly, achingly slowly, he lowered his mouth to meet hers. The kiss was slow, tender, and lingering, like a humid evening spent outdoors, utterly relaxed and content. She tasted like spiced tea, with just a hint of something sweet—perhaps a festival candy of some kind.
He drew back just as slowly as he’d advanced, their breaths comingling. The fireworks lit up her face in a variety of hues, giving a multicolored sheen to her irises. He’d always like the green the best, though. She owned the color in his mind, not because of her bending, but because of her eyes. “The second part of the Red Festival,” he said, his voice mild but carrying some strange undercurrent, “derives from a very old Fire Nation tradition of midsummer revelry. It was believed to be the best night of the year for fertility.” Which made the preferred activity of that part of the celebration rather obvious. He wondered if she’d understand what she’d been saying, now.
Rika leaned into the kiss, and almost pouted when he pulled back, however; it quickly disappeared as a shade of red slowly crept across her face. Was that really what the Red Festival was about? She choked a bit, coughing into her hand as she glanced away from Fang, the red becoming vibrant enough to mix with the red painted against her eyes. If one didn't know, they would have thought her whole face was painted red. She tried to form coherent words, but kept stumbling over them. Parts of her suggestions finally caught up with her, and she wasn't sure her face could have turned a deeper shade. She felt a bit lightheaded, and took a step forward when she had fully intended to take one back. She felt something stirring in her, something a little more bold. Odd, she didn't recall having a single drink that night, unlike her friend had. She drew from this, and took another step closer to him so that she was only a few centimeters from him. She reached up to cradle his face in both of her hands and fixed his head so that she could keep her own focused on her.
"And what if I said that I didn't want you to, anymore? To go slow?" she stated, swallowing thickly in the process. She could still feel the burning of her cheeks, the flare going down her neck now, as she continued to stare at him. It was a bold statement, and one she knew well could be taken in many directions, however; at the moment, it didn't matter. She meant it. "What if I didn't want you to go slow anymore?" she stated, pulling his face down to hers, her eyes still glued to his. "I... I just, I don't want to lose you again," she stated. She kept her lips parted, breathing in his air, exchanging breaths before pulling his face fully to hers. Just as he had, her kiss was slow, though not as chaste as it once was. There was more to it than that, and it was conveyed as she slipped her arms around his neck. After what had happened, she wasn't so sure it would really matter in the end. Going slow, even if she had appreciated it at first, was not something she wanted to do anymore.
She had almost lost him, and that had frightened her more than being prisoner to the Equalists had. If she had lost him, she wouldn't have known what to do. And that was something she did not wish to repeat. Not now, not ever. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her, and she wanted him to know that she was afraid of losing him. Perhaps it wasn't either of those, though, that currently drove her. She wasn't quite certain, herself, but she did know that all she would ever want, was him. To be with her, to be in her life, and not only because she loved him, but because she needed him. She needed him because she loved him. Was that such a bad thing?
Fang was actually surprised at that, though it was evinced only by a slight widening of his eyes and a parting of his lips, which in all fairness just made it easier to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue languorously over hers and feeling a familiar heat building under his skin. He shook his head slightly, though, and pulled back. “The most precious things are worth waiting for,” he replied evenly. He could see where this was coming from—she was worried about what might happen to him, to them. And while that was fair enough, it was not a good reason to rush anything.
“Besides… I recall making you a promise. You will not lose me, Rika. That, I swear to you.” He dropped a much more chaste kiss on the crown of her head. The fireworks had ended, and it was getting late. While he wasn’t taking Haki’s joking curfew seriously, he did think it likely best to end things at a decent hour. Though today had been a welcome respite from their work, there would be more of it waiting for them tomorrow. “May I walk you home?” He’d even take the mundane way, walking along the actual streets, if she wanted to, though he’d always prefer flying over the rooftops.
"And you better keep that promise," she stated, tapping his shoulder gently with her fist. Her smile, soft as it was, fluttered across her face as she grabbed his arm. "Well, while walking would be nice," she started, grinning up at him. "I think flying would be a little more fun, no? Just... don't, I swear to the spirits that if you drop me I will hurt you," she stated. Seriously, she would hurt him if he even pretended to drop her.
The revelry of the festival slowly faded away as Haki and Kiara walked further towards her home. She wasn’t honestly sure how she felt about his insistence on walking her home—because whatever terms he’d put it in, that was what he was really aiming to do. On the one hand, her rebellious heart was fluttering madly, because it wasn’t that hard to get from this situation to thoughts of what had happened last time they were by themselves, and her stupid little crush was not as against a repeat as the rest of her was, to put it one way. On the other hand, though… the air between them was thick and heavy and silent, and it just felt awkward. Painfully so.
Whatever her other feelings might be, whatever mistakes or misinformed judgements had been made last time, he was still her friend. She still cared for him, more deeply than she was willing to admit to herself, even. And because of that, this enforced, uncomfortable silence, entirely bereft of the light joking and laughter that had become typical of her time with him, hurt. It was like she’d lost something precious, something she hadn’t even realized she needed. But… the way something crawled beneath her skin now, making her uncommonly anxious and jumpy, well… she could no longer deny how much it just plain sucked to be in these circumstances.
And she realized it was all too damn ridiculous. Haki was her best friend, the best one she’d ever had, and she wasn’t going to lose him to some kind of misunderstanding. She loved Rika and Fang more dearly than her own life, but if someone would ask her, directly and honestly, who the most important person in her life was, the one she’d really, truly, never be able to stand losing, then she wouldn’t hesitate. It was him.
Always him.
The realization gave her courage enough to loosen her tongue. “Haki, stop.” She reached out from her position walking slightly behind him and caught the fabric of his shirt in her hand. He hadn’t even come dressed to the damn festival—and he was usually the first one to go all out for something silly and fun like that. It was part of the reason she liked him so much, why she… Kiara shook her head, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She had to fix this somehow, make it right again, go back to the way things used to be. She couldn’t let it go on like this, where they barely talked to each other and he used her actual name instead of the ridiculous moniker. She had to make it right—but she wasn’t sure how.
“I’m sorry.”
Silence he could do. The uncomfortable tension between them, he couldn't. It was getting a little annoying if he had to put a proper word on it. It made him angry. Angry at her, himself, and all the little things in between. He was, more importantly, broken. He knew better, and yet, he couldn't hold himself back. He had come so close to losing her, and on more than one occasion. Could he really fault himself for doing that? Perhaps, if he had done so without laughing about it afterwards. He knew the risks of what would happen, if she didn't take it well, and that had scared him the most. Now that he knew how she felt, he wasn't so sure he could go back to the way things were. He called her by her name, now, and even then it still felt odd.
He shifted in his spot, stopped only when the sound of her voice entered his ears, and he turned to regard her with a flat gaze. He didn't mean to give her that look, however; he was lost in his own thoughts at the moment. The words finally managed to settle, and he pursed his lips into a fine line. Sorry? She was sorry? What did she have to be sorry for? For slapping him? What reason did she have to apologize? He could not think of one. He shook his head, sighing softly through his nose as he continued to regard her. He remained silent for a few minutes, allowing what he wanted to say to digest a little longer in his mind. He couldn't afford to be loose with his words, not now.
"Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong, Kiara. You just made things clear, that was all," he spoke, his voice losing most of the edge it once had. It was monotonous, almost, and his eyes were half lidded. "You should not apologize when you did nothing wrong. Not everything is always your fault, you know," he continued. She seemed, to him, to do that a lot, and he didn't like it. She should apologize only when she wronged someone, not when she did absolutely nothing wrong.
She could detect some kind of irritation in his voice, and while ordinarily it might prompt the same in her, right now it just made her more miserable. Because it only confirmed that there was a reason for her to apologize. Something about the way she’d handled things had hurt him, and though she wasn’t sure exactly what the problem was, especially since he seemed to insist there were no problems with her actions, she knew she’d somehow caused this attitude change of his. Maybe he thought she was oversensitive now, unable to handle a joke between friends, and was disappointed or just cautious about her now? Whatever the case, she didn’t want it.
“But I did,” she replied softly. “I know I did something wrong. Because if I hadn’t, then things wouldn’t be this way. You wouldn’t be calling me Kiara and giving me the silent treatment. I’m not… I’m not saying you shouldn’t be, because I don’t know. I don't know what I did, but I’m still sorry for it.” She forced herself to look up at him, even though the expression on her face was wounded and vulnerable and not at all the reasonable, rational thing she’d been hoping on using to get through this conversation like a mature adult. “Aren’t I allowed to be sorry, when I’m losing my best friend?” She hated the way her voice shook, the way she almost couldn't force out the words, but it had been weeks since they’d been able to so much as look at each other without discomfort.
She released a shuddering breath in a sigh, then shook her head. “But maybe I’m the only one who ever felt that way to begin with.” She’d thought he considered her his friend too, in fact, she would have said it was obvious, from the way he’d acted. But Kiara knew also that she wasn’t very good at reading people, and she may have missed some indications that she was wrong. What those could be, she had no idea, but… if he kept looking like that, speaking like that, like he didn’t care… then she might have consider the possibility after all. Slowly, she released her grip on his shirt, letting her hand fall back to her side.
Could a person feel their own heart breaking? She was beginning to suspect she could.
Part of this was his fault, that much he knew. He sighed, perhaps little too hard than he should have, and closed his eyes for a moment. "No, Kiara, you did not. It was my fault. After what you went through with Kohaku, I should have known better. You shouldn't be sorry for something I did," he spoke, however; he flinched when she continued and he only sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry if you see it that way, because I have never seen it that way. You... I don't know what to consider you anymore," he spoke, pulling at his own words when he realized how that could sound to her. But it was true, he didn't know what to consider her any longer. He had, for so long, considered her a friend, and when that started to change, when considered her more, he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that he did, and he couldn't go back to just being her friend any longer.
"You don't realize, and perhaps that was my fault to begin with, but you mean more to me than that. You have always meant more to me than just a friend. When Kohaku took you, when you had left," he spoke, stepping closer so that they were just a few inches apart. He glanced down at her, searching her face for something before he continued. "I nearly lost it. I didn't know if you had actually gone to marry him, or if you would ever come back. I wasn't the same without you. Everything felt empty, like everything had lost meaning without you," he continued, raising his hand to trail a finger down her cheek, however; he paused in his motion and put his hand back to his side. Perhaps she would take that gesture wrongly too, and he could not afford to break more than what he already had.
"I thought I had lost you, forever. When you came back, everything felt whole again. Do you know what that feels like, to care for someone so much as to feel empty without them there? To feel as if everything has lost meaning unless they are with you?" he continued. It wasn't the right time to be telling her this, he knew that. But she had to understand why it is that he was doing what he was doing. Everything was being balanced on fragile, cracked, glass. The wrong movement could shatter it completely, and he couldn't, wouldn't have that. He sighed, taking a much needed step back as he shook his head.
Kiara was trying to get a handle on the cocktail of emotions working their way through her system right now. She had been utterly crushed when he said she wasn’t his friend. She’d rebounded a little when he continued, but his uncertainty amplified her own, and in the end, she hoped he meant one thing but couldn’t say for certain that he did. Even then… was she ready for something like that? She was afraid, that much was certain. In her entire life, Kiara had made very few truly deep connections with people. Of those, perhaps only five were with people not related to her somehow. One of those had ended in a death, another in a betrayal. The ones that remained were the ones she had now, and she was so very afraid of losing them that her mind refused to put together what he was saying in the way she wanted to—because if she were somehow wrong, if she told him everything and it turned out she’d misunderstood, everything she valued between them would crumble to dust.
And she just couldn’t risk that.
But she also couldn’t lie to him. Maybe he could see right through her anyway, because with the way her heart was thundering in her chest at his proximity, he surely had to be able to hear it, too. Had to know just how close she was to taking the risk anyway, staking everything she had on the words in her heart and the warmth in her chest. But then she saw the way he hesitated to touch her, and she knew she couldn’t. Not here, not now. Maybe not ever. But… but she could say something else.
“I do,” she murmured softly, swallowing as he stepped away. “I do know what that feels like.” It was what she felt like right now, actually, but that much at least, she couldn’t seem to make herself say. Instead, she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and worried it, shaking her head with a sigh. It was clear that, whatever was going on here, she would need more time. One day, she vowed silently, to him or herself, she knew not. I will say how I feel. Everything. But first, she needed to figure out exactly what that was.
It was clear, however, that for tonight at least, the conversation was over, and the rest of the walk to her home passed in silence, until she bid him goodnight at the door and let herself in. As it shut behind her, she leaned up against it and slid to the floor, wishing she were just a little more brave.
Whatever her other feelings might be, whatever mistakes or misinformed judgements had been made last time, he was still her friend. She still cared for him, more deeply than she was willing to admit to herself, even. And because of that, this enforced, uncomfortable silence, entirely bereft of the light joking and laughter that had become typical of her time with him, hurt. It was like she’d lost something precious, something she hadn’t even realized she needed. But… the way something crawled beneath her skin now, making her uncommonly anxious and jumpy, well… she could no longer deny how much it just plain sucked to be in these circumstances.
And she realized it was all too damn ridiculous. Haki was her best friend, the best one she’d ever had, and she wasn’t going to lose him to some kind of misunderstanding. She loved Rika and Fang more dearly than her own life, but if someone would ask her, directly and honestly, who the most important person in her life was, the one she’d really, truly, never be able to stand losing, then she wouldn’t hesitate. It was him.
Always him.
The realization gave her courage enough to loosen her tongue. “Haki, stop.” She reached out from her position walking slightly behind him and caught the fabric of his shirt in her hand. He hadn’t even come dressed to the damn festival—and he was usually the first one to go all out for something silly and fun like that. It was part of the reason she liked him so much, why she… Kiara shook her head, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She had to fix this somehow, make it right again, go back to the way things used to be. She couldn’t let it go on like this, where they barely talked to each other and he used her actual name instead of the ridiculous moniker. She had to make it right—but she wasn’t sure how.
“I’m sorry.”
Silence he could do. The uncomfortable tension between them, he couldn't. It was getting a little annoying if he had to put a proper word on it. It made him angry. Angry at her, himself, and all the little things in between. He was, more importantly, broken. He knew better, and yet, he couldn't hold himself back. He had come so close to losing her, and on more than one occasion. Could he really fault himself for doing that? Perhaps, if he had done so without laughing about it afterwards. He knew the risks of what would happen, if she didn't take it well, and that had scared him the most. Now that he knew how she felt, he wasn't so sure he could go back to the way things were. He called her by her name, now, and even then it still felt odd.
He shifted in his spot, stopped only when the sound of her voice entered his ears, and he turned to regard her with a flat gaze. He didn't mean to give her that look, however; he was lost in his own thoughts at the moment. The words finally managed to settle, and he pursed his lips into a fine line. Sorry? She was sorry? What did she have to be sorry for? For slapping him? What reason did she have to apologize? He could not think of one. He shook his head, sighing softly through his nose as he continued to regard her. He remained silent for a few minutes, allowing what he wanted to say to digest a little longer in his mind. He couldn't afford to be loose with his words, not now.
"Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong, Kiara. You just made things clear, that was all," he spoke, his voice losing most of the edge it once had. It was monotonous, almost, and his eyes were half lidded. "You should not apologize when you did nothing wrong. Not everything is always your fault, you know," he continued. She seemed, to him, to do that a lot, and he didn't like it. She should apologize only when she wronged someone, not when she did absolutely nothing wrong.
She could detect some kind of irritation in his voice, and while ordinarily it might prompt the same in her, right now it just made her more miserable. Because it only confirmed that there was a reason for her to apologize. Something about the way she’d handled things had hurt him, and though she wasn’t sure exactly what the problem was, especially since he seemed to insist there were no problems with her actions, she knew she’d somehow caused this attitude change of his. Maybe he thought she was oversensitive now, unable to handle a joke between friends, and was disappointed or just cautious about her now? Whatever the case, she didn’t want it.
“But I did,” she replied softly. “I know I did something wrong. Because if I hadn’t, then things wouldn’t be this way. You wouldn’t be calling me Kiara and giving me the silent treatment. I’m not… I’m not saying you shouldn’t be, because I don’t know. I don't know what I did, but I’m still sorry for it.” She forced herself to look up at him, even though the expression on her face was wounded and vulnerable and not at all the reasonable, rational thing she’d been hoping on using to get through this conversation like a mature adult. “Aren’t I allowed to be sorry, when I’m losing my best friend?” She hated the way her voice shook, the way she almost couldn't force out the words, but it had been weeks since they’d been able to so much as look at each other without discomfort.
She released a shuddering breath in a sigh, then shook her head. “But maybe I’m the only one who ever felt that way to begin with.” She’d thought he considered her his friend too, in fact, she would have said it was obvious, from the way he’d acted. But Kiara knew also that she wasn’t very good at reading people, and she may have missed some indications that she was wrong. What those could be, she had no idea, but… if he kept looking like that, speaking like that, like he didn’t care… then she might have consider the possibility after all. Slowly, she released her grip on his shirt, letting her hand fall back to her side.
Could a person feel their own heart breaking? She was beginning to suspect she could.
Part of this was his fault, that much he knew. He sighed, perhaps little too hard than he should have, and closed his eyes for a moment. "No, Kiara, you did not. It was my fault. After what you went through with Kohaku, I should have known better. You shouldn't be sorry for something I did," he spoke, however; he flinched when she continued and he only sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry if you see it that way, because I have never seen it that way. You... I don't know what to consider you anymore," he spoke, pulling at his own words when he realized how that could sound to her. But it was true, he didn't know what to consider her any longer. He had, for so long, considered her a friend, and when that started to change, when considered her more, he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that he did, and he couldn't go back to just being her friend any longer.
"You don't realize, and perhaps that was my fault to begin with, but you mean more to me than that. You have always meant more to me than just a friend. When Kohaku took you, when you had left," he spoke, stepping closer so that they were just a few inches apart. He glanced down at her, searching her face for something before he continued. "I nearly lost it. I didn't know if you had actually gone to marry him, or if you would ever come back. I wasn't the same without you. Everything felt empty, like everything had lost meaning without you," he continued, raising his hand to trail a finger down her cheek, however; he paused in his motion and put his hand back to his side. Perhaps she would take that gesture wrongly too, and he could not afford to break more than what he already had.
"I thought I had lost you, forever. When you came back, everything felt whole again. Do you know what that feels like, to care for someone so much as to feel empty without them there? To feel as if everything has lost meaning unless they are with you?" he continued. It wasn't the right time to be telling her this, he knew that. But she had to understand why it is that he was doing what he was doing. Everything was being balanced on fragile, cracked, glass. The wrong movement could shatter it completely, and he couldn't, wouldn't have that. He sighed, taking a much needed step back as he shook his head.
Kiara was trying to get a handle on the cocktail of emotions working their way through her system right now. She had been utterly crushed when he said she wasn’t his friend. She’d rebounded a little when he continued, but his uncertainty amplified her own, and in the end, she hoped he meant one thing but couldn’t say for certain that he did. Even then… was she ready for something like that? She was afraid, that much was certain. In her entire life, Kiara had made very few truly deep connections with people. Of those, perhaps only five were with people not related to her somehow. One of those had ended in a death, another in a betrayal. The ones that remained were the ones she had now, and she was so very afraid of losing them that her mind refused to put together what he was saying in the way she wanted to—because if she were somehow wrong, if she told him everything and it turned out she’d misunderstood, everything she valued between them would crumble to dust.
And she just couldn’t risk that.
But she also couldn’t lie to him. Maybe he could see right through her anyway, because with the way her heart was thundering in her chest at his proximity, he surely had to be able to hear it, too. Had to know just how close she was to taking the risk anyway, staking everything she had on the words in her heart and the warmth in her chest. But then she saw the way he hesitated to touch her, and she knew she couldn’t. Not here, not now. Maybe not ever. But… but she could say something else.
“I do,” she murmured softly, swallowing as he stepped away. “I do know what that feels like.” It was what she felt like right now, actually, but that much at least, she couldn’t seem to make herself say. Instead, she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and worried it, shaking her head with a sigh. It was clear that, whatever was going on here, she would need more time. One day, she vowed silently, to him or herself, she knew not. I will say how I feel. Everything. But first, she needed to figure out exactly what that was.
It was clear, however, that for tonight at least, the conversation was over, and the rest of the walk to her home passed in silence, until she bid him goodnight at the door and let herself in. As it shut behind her, she leaned up against it and slid to the floor, wishing she were just a little more brave.
He angered them. Somehow, someway, he must have angered the spirits. He, and about five hundred other people were currently suffering from a mild sickness. But even then, that was putting it lightly. After the Red Festival, things had become a little less tense between him and Kiara. The tension was still there, however; it wasn't as thick. One could still cut through it like a hot knife through butter, however; he was aware that he wouldn't be making it any better if he continued trying to explain it to her. She said she had understood, but Haki wasn't so sure she did. Perhaps this was his punishment, for doing what he did to her? He wasn't entirely sure, but he hoped it would not last. The sound of blowing his nose constantly was starting to irritate him, and he'd never been one for staying inside, however; all of Republic City's denizens had been warned to stay indoors.
With a heavy sigh, Haki sank into the cushion of his couch, placing one arm over his abdomen, and the other over his eyes. Of all people to choose from, it had to pick him. Why couldn't either of his friends get it? Not that he would really wish that upon them, or maybe he did. Anything was better than this feeling, and if it meant they had to have it instead of him, he was going to be a little selfish and choose himself. He could almost hear Rika scolding him for that, and it brought a small tilt of his lips up. He coughed lightly into his hand, trying to keep it from escalating any further, however; he was unsuccessful as his body was racked with a series of harsh coughs. For a moment, he could have sworn he coughed up a lung. Was he hallucinating things now?
"Come on Haki, keep it together."
Kiara sighed. Given the general advisory to remain inside, most of the streets were near-empty, even in the middle of the day. She was not like most people, though, in that she had training as a healer. She’d spent most of her morning at a volunteer hospital station, treating symptoms as well as she could, but not even a waterbender could banish disease, only mitigate pain. Thankfully, by the time symptoms presented, the disease was no longer contagious, so she wasn’t in any more danger of caching it than she was interacting with people who seemed healthy. Of course, afterwards, she’d stopped by Fang’s place, only to find that he was down with symptoms, too. She’d given him some herbs for the worst of it, but he’d insisted that he was fine. She hoped so—but she hoped he took them as well.
They’d make him a little delirious and sleepy for a while, but they would help speed his recovery too. That in mind, she decided to check on her other friends. If Fang had been carrying recently, he might have caught it from one of them… or passed it. Either way, it warranted an effort on her part to make sure. Haki’s apartment was closer, so while things were still… uncomfortable between them, she resolved that making sure he was okay was more important.
She had reached his door and was about to knock when she heard several wracking coughs from within, and something in her heart clenched painfully. He was suffering, she could hear it. Pursing her lips together, Kiara raised her hand and knocked several times. “Haki? It’s… it’s me. I’m coming in.” She decided not to give him a choice in the matter, in case he wanted to refuse. She wasn’t sure her heart could take any more abuse, even if he wasn’t doing it intentionally. And how could he be? He had no idea. Even so, she was going to be selfish this one time and make the decision to be near him without his input. To take care of him in this small way, because it was what she wanted.
So thinking, she pushed the door open, finding it unlocked and stepped into the room. He was laid out on his sofa, and she cautiously approached, her steps tentative, but nevertheless carrying her forward until she could kneel next to the couch. “You too, huh?” she said with sympathy, raising the palm of her hand to his forehead to check for fever. Yes, he definitely had it. “Fang’s down with the same. I’m not sure about Rika yet.”
Haki groaned when he heard Kiara's voice. He rolled his arm over his eyes when he heard the door open and close. He knew he should have locked it. Why didn't he lock it? Too late now, though. She was in the apartment, and he forced himself to remove his hand from his eyes and rolled his head so that it hung lightly to the left. He watched as she walked towards him, kneeling down in front of him. He almost flinched away from her touch, however; he couldn't muster enough strength to even do that. Instead, he simply continued to stare at her, his brows furrowed and his lips pursed together. Fang had it too? For a moment, he almost laughed at the idea. Rika wasn't exactly the best at taking care of people, he knew that from experience. Waitressing, yes, but nursing, he felt a little bad for Fang at the moment if she was indeed taking care of him.
"Rika's too stubborn to get sick. I'm sure she's attempting to take care of Fang," he replied, his voice a little dry. The sickness, whatever it was, felt like it was giving him cotton mouth. Or maybe that was because she was here? Whatever the reason, he tore his gaze from her and removed her hand from his head, however; he did not immediately release it. Instead, he held it for a moment, just a moment longer before he released it. It wasn't long enough to be deemed improper, but it was longer than it should have been. He sighed, instead, eyes still focused on the sheen of his couch. Taking a deep breath, he slowly closed his eyes, still not looking at her.
"You shouldn't be here, Kiara. You'll get sick too if you stay," he stated, though whether it was worry in his voice that sounded, or the fact that he just didn't want her to be here wrapping around his tone. He was going to say it was the former.
“I won’t,” she replied, and though it hurt to hear him say it in such a tone, she kept her own soft and gentle. Partly it was out of consideration for his illness and partly… she didn't have it in her to be upset anymore. Not at him. Now she was just… depressed. But she tried gamely not to make a big deal of it. “If you’re showing symptoms already, you’re not contagious anymore.” She thought to add that even if she was wrong, she’d surely have caught it by now, anyway, but she didn’t bother. It didn’t seem important.
Her hand felt like it was burning where he had held it, and a lump formed in the back of her throat. Swallowing thickly past it, Kiara got up for a moment to go to his sink and run the water, collecting it and bending it into his kettle for tea. She lit the burner with a match—hers, not his, since she doubted he’d own any—and added the leaves once the water came to a boil. Carefully pouring a cup, she set the pot down on a tray as well and balanced it gracefully on one hand, bringing it into the living room and setting it on the low coffee table. “It seemed to help the symptoms, when I made it at the hospital tent,” she explained, sitting back on her legs. Kiara chewed her lip over thoughtfully, casting her eyes to where her hands were placed on her knees.
She wanted to say something, and there was a time when the conversation would have been so easy she wouldn’t have had to think about it. Now, she was rendered silent by all the things she wanted to say, but could not. It was, she observed for what seemed the thousandth time, extremely uncomfortable.
Haki sighed heavily, forcing himself to sit up as Kiara spoke. The tea would do him good, he supposed, since it was warm. Whatever illness he had, was making him cold with shivers and it wasn't just a typical cold. That much he knew. He'd been sick with colds plenty of times before, and they had never made him feel like this. He felt slimy, like he'd been running for days, and he'd just forgotten to take a shower those few days. It felt uncomfortable, and he didn't want her here to see him like this. He inwardly groaned at himself, rolling his eyes (unconsciously) at himself before taking the cup. He placed it to his lips, pausing just for a moment to exhale. He glanced over towards Kiara, watching as she kept her gaze on her hands, and slumped his shoulders.
"You don't have to be here if it makes you that uncomfortable. I know we are not on good terms, not right now at least," he spoke slowly, the burning in the back of his throat intensifying as he spoke. He took a sip of the tea and allowed it to sooth the burn, despite the tea itself being warm. "And you shouldn't have to be here if that is the case. I will... I'll be fine," he spoke, setting the cup back on the table. He wanted to reach out to her, to run his fingers through her hair, to just touch her again, but he couldn't do it. He slumped back into the chair, moving slighly, however, and opened a spot for her next to him.
"You can sit down here if you want. The floor isn't all that comfortable anyways," he spoke tenderly, trying to defuse the quiet ache in his chest.
She wasn’t sure what it was about the words that utterly broke her resistance, but perhaps it was just that she really couldn’t imagine this being any worse than it already was, no matter what she did. Kiara was tired of feeling so uncomfortable every time she was around him, tired of the fact that she could somehow put that miserable look on his face, and tired of holding it all in. The worst that could happen was that things would be even more awkward, but at least she wouldn’t be hiding anything anymore. At least she would know whether it was possible to mend their fences.
When she looked back up at him, there were unshed tears in her eyes. “No,” she said softly, and then shook her head. “I’m not… I’m not going to leave, or do anything else, until you hear me out.” She was sorry to spring this on him when he was sick, but… that was part of the reason. If they’d gotten to the point where she couldn’t even help heal him without discomfort, than all of this had really gone too far. Whether she would be able to pull it back any remained to be seen, but… if she couldn’t, then at the very least she could walk out of here knowing that there wasn’t any hope, instead of nurturing the small, flickering flame in her heart even against all the odds their friendship seemed to be facing right now. She could let it go out at last.
Taking a deep breath, Kiara blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry,” she said at last, then raised a hand to cut off the anticipated protest. “I know you think I say that too much, but I really mean it. I am sorry, because I think… I think I did something I shouldn’t have. I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but… I did.” Her hands clenched uncomfortably on her lap, and she tried to find the courage, the trust to do this. Kiara didn’t trust easily, and every new level of it was something that took a long time to grow. But… if there was anyone in the world she could trust enough for this, she wanted to believe it was he. She had to believe it. And wasn’t that the same as the trusting itself?
“I just…. It was an accident. You’re so kind, and funny, and, um… handsome,” she said the last word especially quietly, the pink of her cheeks visible even over her dark skin. “And I was just with you so much and I really enjoyed it. I mean, I enjoyed being with Rika and Fang too—I still do. But not the same way. And then when Kohaku kissed me, I knew—that I didn’t want him to do that, but I… I might not mind if it was you, you know? And then it happened, and I was just so afraid, because I didn’t understand how I felt and I thought it couldn’t possibly mean so much to you as I wanted it to mean to me, because you’re always saying things and doing things in that way you have… like life’s a joke or a game, and you’re laughing at it because you're clever and you see it.” She paused, still staring down at her hands, her knuckles white.
“And I couldn’t stand the thought of it being another joke to you. Another funny thing that didn’t matter. And it made me realize that I… all this time, I…” She swallowed, and made herself look up at him, almost dreading what she’d see.
“I’ve been falling in love with you, Haki.”
She smiled, but it was a sad thing, not a happy one. “And I want you to know that. I don’t… I don’t expect anything from you, and if it was a joke that I just took badly, that’s… that’s okay. I’ll… I can live with it. But I can’t just keep carrying this around anymore without saying anything. So I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m falling in love with you when you could have someone so much better than me. When you deserve someone better. I’m sorry this might ruin the fact that you’re my best friend. And I’m sorry… that I wasn’t more honest with you sooner.” She expelled a breath, out of words. She didn’t know what to do now, and just watched him for some sign of what she should do, still kneeling on the floor. This was the moment. He could break her heart right here if he wanted to, and she knew she would never recover. But she didn’t tell him that, because she didn’t want him to lie to save her feelings.
There she was apologizing again. He sighed a little heavily, however; he did not say anything. He let her speak since it seemed that is what she wanted to do. Did something she shouldn't have? How many times did he have to tell her that it wasn't her fault, that it was his? He had acted out partly because he had been so afraid, and partly because he felt that if he hadn't, he would never know where he stood. As much as he had feared rejection, not knowing had scared him even more. He had seen the progression between Lotus and Fang, and some part of him had been jealous of that. Jealous because he couldn't, and wouldn't, have something like that. Not that he wanted that exactly, but the fact that there was someone he cared about with him.
Wait, did she just?
He blinked slowly at her, his brows furrowing into a tight knot. She thought... perhaps it truly was his fault. The way he acted, the way he did and said things. Of course it would only be natural that she would assume such things about him. Maybe, before all that had happened, she might have been right. It could have been a joke to him, like none of it even mattered what he was doing. But it wasn't, and he couldn't. He didn't even know exactly when he had fallen so deep, but there was no way he could come back from it. Not now, not ever. Even if she had slapped him, he had understood where he stood with her. And though he might have been okay with that, everything she was saying was causing everything he had accepted, to fall and crumble.
"Kiara," he spoke her name softly, tenderly almost, as he reached up to touch her face from where she sat. "Do you know why I kept in contact with Mr. Shun? Why I chose to give him information I found on the Equalists?" he spoke, his tone hardening slightly. "Do you remember the first time I told you that I loved you? When you came back and I told you that I was afraid I lost you?" he continued, the heat of the illness taking over him. He shook his head to clear his mind before returning his attention back to Kiara. "I told you that because I loved you, and I had meant it. I still love you, and I will always love you. I do not know when it happened, but when you left, a part of me had died. I thought you had left to marry Kohaku, to start a life with someone who you did not love," he paused.
"You were never a joke, Kiara. You were the only thing that was real," he spoke, moving his hand so that it cradled her face. His eyes were glossy still from the sickness, however; her face was the only thing he could see so clearly. If Haki had ever been serious in his entire life, it was the moments when he was with her, and when he had told her constantly that she was important to him, or when he spoke of how he had loved her. He had told her constantly, because it was true for him. "You are the only thing that I take seriously. It is not I who deserves better, Kiara, it is you," because he didn't deserve someone as funny, as beautiful as she was. He didn't.
"You deserve more than I could ever give, but I'm selfish that way, and I don't plan on giving you up," he stated, lifting her face up so that he was staring eye to eye with her. "Didn't you know? Once Haki Soen gives his all to someone, he doesn't take it back. It is theirs to do what they will with it, and Kiara," he spoke, leaning close to her face so that they were just inches apart. He didn't want to get too close to her. He was sick, after all, and even if he wasn't contagious any longer, he wasn't going to take that chance. He smiled softly, though, and rubbed his thumb over her cheek bone.
"You have always had my heart. It was always yours to do what you would with it, even if you nearly broke the damn thing a few times," he stated, a slow grin spreading over his lips.
It was everything she’d been hoping for and more than that. All the little things, all the things she’d misunderstood, or put down to a mere expression of his personality, a frivolous play on words… all of it meant more than she ever would have guessed. All this time…? She swallowed thickly, her own hands coming up to tentatively lay over the backs of the ones cradling her face. She felt… the way he held her, it was like he held something precious, something important, and even if his words had not convinced her, perhaps that alone would have done it. Kiara had never felt that important to anyone. Nobody had ever been especially careful with her, and she had never really wanted them to. All her life, she’d been a tomboy and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but this… it wasn’t losing that. It was just gaining something else.
He almost didn’t get to finish, but she had the sense not to move until he’d said everything he needed to say. It was letting things go unsaid for so long that had brought them so much trouble, after all. Exhaling in something like relief, Kiara actually smiled, then surged up onto her knees, catching his mouth with hers. Perhaps not the best of ideas, considering his condition, but she didn’t really care. And she wasn’t going to apologize for it, either.
Because she was sorry for absolutely nothing about it.
With a heavy sigh, Haki sank into the cushion of his couch, placing one arm over his abdomen, and the other over his eyes. Of all people to choose from, it had to pick him. Why couldn't either of his friends get it? Not that he would really wish that upon them, or maybe he did. Anything was better than this feeling, and if it meant they had to have it instead of him, he was going to be a little selfish and choose himself. He could almost hear Rika scolding him for that, and it brought a small tilt of his lips up. He coughed lightly into his hand, trying to keep it from escalating any further, however; he was unsuccessful as his body was racked with a series of harsh coughs. For a moment, he could have sworn he coughed up a lung. Was he hallucinating things now?
"Come on Haki, keep it together."
Kiara sighed. Given the general advisory to remain inside, most of the streets were near-empty, even in the middle of the day. She was not like most people, though, in that she had training as a healer. She’d spent most of her morning at a volunteer hospital station, treating symptoms as well as she could, but not even a waterbender could banish disease, only mitigate pain. Thankfully, by the time symptoms presented, the disease was no longer contagious, so she wasn’t in any more danger of caching it than she was interacting with people who seemed healthy. Of course, afterwards, she’d stopped by Fang’s place, only to find that he was down with symptoms, too. She’d given him some herbs for the worst of it, but he’d insisted that he was fine. She hoped so—but she hoped he took them as well.
They’d make him a little delirious and sleepy for a while, but they would help speed his recovery too. That in mind, she decided to check on her other friends. If Fang had been carrying recently, he might have caught it from one of them… or passed it. Either way, it warranted an effort on her part to make sure. Haki’s apartment was closer, so while things were still… uncomfortable between them, she resolved that making sure he was okay was more important.
She had reached his door and was about to knock when she heard several wracking coughs from within, and something in her heart clenched painfully. He was suffering, she could hear it. Pursing her lips together, Kiara raised her hand and knocked several times. “Haki? It’s… it’s me. I’m coming in.” She decided not to give him a choice in the matter, in case he wanted to refuse. She wasn’t sure her heart could take any more abuse, even if he wasn’t doing it intentionally. And how could he be? He had no idea. Even so, she was going to be selfish this one time and make the decision to be near him without his input. To take care of him in this small way, because it was what she wanted.
So thinking, she pushed the door open, finding it unlocked and stepped into the room. He was laid out on his sofa, and she cautiously approached, her steps tentative, but nevertheless carrying her forward until she could kneel next to the couch. “You too, huh?” she said with sympathy, raising the palm of her hand to his forehead to check for fever. Yes, he definitely had it. “Fang’s down with the same. I’m not sure about Rika yet.”
Haki groaned when he heard Kiara's voice. He rolled his arm over his eyes when he heard the door open and close. He knew he should have locked it. Why didn't he lock it? Too late now, though. She was in the apartment, and he forced himself to remove his hand from his eyes and rolled his head so that it hung lightly to the left. He watched as she walked towards him, kneeling down in front of him. He almost flinched away from her touch, however; he couldn't muster enough strength to even do that. Instead, he simply continued to stare at her, his brows furrowed and his lips pursed together. Fang had it too? For a moment, he almost laughed at the idea. Rika wasn't exactly the best at taking care of people, he knew that from experience. Waitressing, yes, but nursing, he felt a little bad for Fang at the moment if she was indeed taking care of him.
"Rika's too stubborn to get sick. I'm sure she's attempting to take care of Fang," he replied, his voice a little dry. The sickness, whatever it was, felt like it was giving him cotton mouth. Or maybe that was because she was here? Whatever the reason, he tore his gaze from her and removed her hand from his head, however; he did not immediately release it. Instead, he held it for a moment, just a moment longer before he released it. It wasn't long enough to be deemed improper, but it was longer than it should have been. He sighed, instead, eyes still focused on the sheen of his couch. Taking a deep breath, he slowly closed his eyes, still not looking at her.
"You shouldn't be here, Kiara. You'll get sick too if you stay," he stated, though whether it was worry in his voice that sounded, or the fact that he just didn't want her to be here wrapping around his tone. He was going to say it was the former.
“I won’t,” she replied, and though it hurt to hear him say it in such a tone, she kept her own soft and gentle. Partly it was out of consideration for his illness and partly… she didn't have it in her to be upset anymore. Not at him. Now she was just… depressed. But she tried gamely not to make a big deal of it. “If you’re showing symptoms already, you’re not contagious anymore.” She thought to add that even if she was wrong, she’d surely have caught it by now, anyway, but she didn’t bother. It didn’t seem important.
Her hand felt like it was burning where he had held it, and a lump formed in the back of her throat. Swallowing thickly past it, Kiara got up for a moment to go to his sink and run the water, collecting it and bending it into his kettle for tea. She lit the burner with a match—hers, not his, since she doubted he’d own any—and added the leaves once the water came to a boil. Carefully pouring a cup, she set the pot down on a tray as well and balanced it gracefully on one hand, bringing it into the living room and setting it on the low coffee table. “It seemed to help the symptoms, when I made it at the hospital tent,” she explained, sitting back on her legs. Kiara chewed her lip over thoughtfully, casting her eyes to where her hands were placed on her knees.
She wanted to say something, and there was a time when the conversation would have been so easy she wouldn’t have had to think about it. Now, she was rendered silent by all the things she wanted to say, but could not. It was, she observed for what seemed the thousandth time, extremely uncomfortable.
Haki sighed heavily, forcing himself to sit up as Kiara spoke. The tea would do him good, he supposed, since it was warm. Whatever illness he had, was making him cold with shivers and it wasn't just a typical cold. That much he knew. He'd been sick with colds plenty of times before, and they had never made him feel like this. He felt slimy, like he'd been running for days, and he'd just forgotten to take a shower those few days. It felt uncomfortable, and he didn't want her here to see him like this. He inwardly groaned at himself, rolling his eyes (unconsciously) at himself before taking the cup. He placed it to his lips, pausing just for a moment to exhale. He glanced over towards Kiara, watching as she kept her gaze on her hands, and slumped his shoulders.
"You don't have to be here if it makes you that uncomfortable. I know we are not on good terms, not right now at least," he spoke slowly, the burning in the back of his throat intensifying as he spoke. He took a sip of the tea and allowed it to sooth the burn, despite the tea itself being warm. "And you shouldn't have to be here if that is the case. I will... I'll be fine," he spoke, setting the cup back on the table. He wanted to reach out to her, to run his fingers through her hair, to just touch her again, but he couldn't do it. He slumped back into the chair, moving slighly, however, and opened a spot for her next to him.
"You can sit down here if you want. The floor isn't all that comfortable anyways," he spoke tenderly, trying to defuse the quiet ache in his chest.
She wasn’t sure what it was about the words that utterly broke her resistance, but perhaps it was just that she really couldn’t imagine this being any worse than it already was, no matter what she did. Kiara was tired of feeling so uncomfortable every time she was around him, tired of the fact that she could somehow put that miserable look on his face, and tired of holding it all in. The worst that could happen was that things would be even more awkward, but at least she wouldn’t be hiding anything anymore. At least she would know whether it was possible to mend their fences.
When she looked back up at him, there were unshed tears in her eyes. “No,” she said softly, and then shook her head. “I’m not… I’m not going to leave, or do anything else, until you hear me out.” She was sorry to spring this on him when he was sick, but… that was part of the reason. If they’d gotten to the point where she couldn’t even help heal him without discomfort, than all of this had really gone too far. Whether she would be able to pull it back any remained to be seen, but… if she couldn’t, then at the very least she could walk out of here knowing that there wasn’t any hope, instead of nurturing the small, flickering flame in her heart even against all the odds their friendship seemed to be facing right now. She could let it go out at last.
Taking a deep breath, Kiara blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry,” she said at last, then raised a hand to cut off the anticipated protest. “I know you think I say that too much, but I really mean it. I am sorry, because I think… I think I did something I shouldn’t have. I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but… I did.” Her hands clenched uncomfortably on her lap, and she tried to find the courage, the trust to do this. Kiara didn’t trust easily, and every new level of it was something that took a long time to grow. But… if there was anyone in the world she could trust enough for this, she wanted to believe it was he. She had to believe it. And wasn’t that the same as the trusting itself?
“I just…. It was an accident. You’re so kind, and funny, and, um… handsome,” she said the last word especially quietly, the pink of her cheeks visible even over her dark skin. “And I was just with you so much and I really enjoyed it. I mean, I enjoyed being with Rika and Fang too—I still do. But not the same way. And then when Kohaku kissed me, I knew—that I didn’t want him to do that, but I… I might not mind if it was you, you know? And then it happened, and I was just so afraid, because I didn’t understand how I felt and I thought it couldn’t possibly mean so much to you as I wanted it to mean to me, because you’re always saying things and doing things in that way you have… like life’s a joke or a game, and you’re laughing at it because you're clever and you see it.” She paused, still staring down at her hands, her knuckles white.
“And I couldn’t stand the thought of it being another joke to you. Another funny thing that didn’t matter. And it made me realize that I… all this time, I…” She swallowed, and made herself look up at him, almost dreading what she’d see.
“I’ve been falling in love with you, Haki.”
She smiled, but it was a sad thing, not a happy one. “And I want you to know that. I don’t… I don’t expect anything from you, and if it was a joke that I just took badly, that’s… that’s okay. I’ll… I can live with it. But I can’t just keep carrying this around anymore without saying anything. So I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m falling in love with you when you could have someone so much better than me. When you deserve someone better. I’m sorry this might ruin the fact that you’re my best friend. And I’m sorry… that I wasn’t more honest with you sooner.” She expelled a breath, out of words. She didn’t know what to do now, and just watched him for some sign of what she should do, still kneeling on the floor. This was the moment. He could break her heart right here if he wanted to, and she knew she would never recover. But she didn’t tell him that, because she didn’t want him to lie to save her feelings.
There she was apologizing again. He sighed a little heavily, however; he did not say anything. He let her speak since it seemed that is what she wanted to do. Did something she shouldn't have? How many times did he have to tell her that it wasn't her fault, that it was his? He had acted out partly because he had been so afraid, and partly because he felt that if he hadn't, he would never know where he stood. As much as he had feared rejection, not knowing had scared him even more. He had seen the progression between Lotus and Fang, and some part of him had been jealous of that. Jealous because he couldn't, and wouldn't, have something like that. Not that he wanted that exactly, but the fact that there was someone he cared about with him.
Wait, did she just?
He blinked slowly at her, his brows furrowing into a tight knot. She thought... perhaps it truly was his fault. The way he acted, the way he did and said things. Of course it would only be natural that she would assume such things about him. Maybe, before all that had happened, she might have been right. It could have been a joke to him, like none of it even mattered what he was doing. But it wasn't, and he couldn't. He didn't even know exactly when he had fallen so deep, but there was no way he could come back from it. Not now, not ever. Even if she had slapped him, he had understood where he stood with her. And though he might have been okay with that, everything she was saying was causing everything he had accepted, to fall and crumble.
"Kiara," he spoke her name softly, tenderly almost, as he reached up to touch her face from where she sat. "Do you know why I kept in contact with Mr. Shun? Why I chose to give him information I found on the Equalists?" he spoke, his tone hardening slightly. "Do you remember the first time I told you that I loved you? When you came back and I told you that I was afraid I lost you?" he continued, the heat of the illness taking over him. He shook his head to clear his mind before returning his attention back to Kiara. "I told you that because I loved you, and I had meant it. I still love you, and I will always love you. I do not know when it happened, but when you left, a part of me had died. I thought you had left to marry Kohaku, to start a life with someone who you did not love," he paused.
"You were never a joke, Kiara. You were the only thing that was real," he spoke, moving his hand so that it cradled her face. His eyes were glossy still from the sickness, however; her face was the only thing he could see so clearly. If Haki had ever been serious in his entire life, it was the moments when he was with her, and when he had told her constantly that she was important to him, or when he spoke of how he had loved her. He had told her constantly, because it was true for him. "You are the only thing that I take seriously. It is not I who deserves better, Kiara, it is you," because he didn't deserve someone as funny, as beautiful as she was. He didn't.
"You deserve more than I could ever give, but I'm selfish that way, and I don't plan on giving you up," he stated, lifting her face up so that he was staring eye to eye with her. "Didn't you know? Once Haki Soen gives his all to someone, he doesn't take it back. It is theirs to do what they will with it, and Kiara," he spoke, leaning close to her face so that they were just inches apart. He didn't want to get too close to her. He was sick, after all, and even if he wasn't contagious any longer, he wasn't going to take that chance. He smiled softly, though, and rubbed his thumb over her cheek bone.
"You have always had my heart. It was always yours to do what you would with it, even if you nearly broke the damn thing a few times," he stated, a slow grin spreading over his lips.
It was everything she’d been hoping for and more than that. All the little things, all the things she’d misunderstood, or put down to a mere expression of his personality, a frivolous play on words… all of it meant more than she ever would have guessed. All this time…? She swallowed thickly, her own hands coming up to tentatively lay over the backs of the ones cradling her face. She felt… the way he held her, it was like he held something precious, something important, and even if his words had not convinced her, perhaps that alone would have done it. Kiara had never felt that important to anyone. Nobody had ever been especially careful with her, and she had never really wanted them to. All her life, she’d been a tomboy and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but this… it wasn’t losing that. It was just gaining something else.
He almost didn’t get to finish, but she had the sense not to move until he’d said everything he needed to say. It was letting things go unsaid for so long that had brought them so much trouble, after all. Exhaling in something like relief, Kiara actually smiled, then surged up onto her knees, catching his mouth with hers. Perhaps not the best of ideas, considering his condition, but she didn’t really care. And she wasn’t going to apologize for it, either.
Because she was sorry for absolutely nothing about it.
Fang, meanwhile, was trying to make himself comfortable as the medicinal tea Kiara had given him took effect. He’d come down with an especially virulent strain of the disease, it seemed, but he had youth and health on his side, as well as a talented healer, which he admit couldn’t hurt. Still, even considering that this was the case, he was feverish, his fair complexion dusted with a band of reddish pink and his cheeks mottled a lighter shade of the same. His breathing took a fair amount of effort, though the herbs in the tea were starting to relax him, opening up his passageways a little better.
He was currently sprawled over his rather large futon, all the covers pushed down to his feet. Far too warm for anything else, he wore only a loose pair of pants, though his hair was for once loose, as this morning he had been far too weak to lift his hands long enough to tame it. He might try that now, actually—he detested feeling useless like this. Sitting up, he brought one of his palms to his forehead, but it was impossible to tell if his fever was going down—his hands were almost as hot as his head. Dragging the hand down his face, he exhaled through his nose.
He hated being sick.
Rika wasn't too sure if she should be happy that the strain hadn't affected her or Kiara, or if she should be a little upset at the fact that it hit two of her friends in the way it had. Haki, from her understanding, hadn't been hit so hard, but he had still suffered from a majority of the side-effects. She had almost laughed and said he deserved it, however; she couldn't quite bring herself to be that mean. She sighed softly through her nose, shifting the bag she held in her hands to the left side. The sun was high, but it wasn't unbearable in the sky. It felt cool, the breeze soft against her face, and the clamor of Republic City was down to a mere whisper. A lot of people were suffering from the illness it seems. Shaking her head lightly, she made her way towards Fang's apartment. She wanted to see how he was doing.
Kiara had told her he had come down with a nastier version of the virus, and so far, he hadn't recovered yet from it. Once she reached the apartment, she pulled at the bottom of her lip before opening the door, setting the bag aside and blinking slowly. She rolled her eyes and made her way through the apartment, searching for him every where but his room. Giving up, she made her way to his room and knocked gently on his door. "Fang, are you in there? I'm coming in," she stated, pushing the door open softly to peek her head through. She blinked owlishly as she saw him, sitting up in his bed with his hand on his face. She snorted softly and pushed the door open wider to enter. She walked towards him and took a seat in front of him.
"You know, a hand on your face isn't going to make the sickness go away, Fang," she stated, a light grin on her face. "But if it makes you feel better," she continued, shrugging her shoulders and sitting back on her knees. "Oh, I brought you more tea too. It's not the medicinal stuff Kiara has, but it's supposed to help bring down your fever," she stated, reaching over to place the back of her hand against his forehead. He was still warm, enough to tell her he still, in fact, had a fever.
The hand fell away, and Fang tilted his head to blink blearily over at Rika. Why was she here… he didn’t want to make her sick. Not when this disease was killing some people. Usually not the young, but—why take the chance? He frowned, the cogs in his mind turning much more slowly than usual, and he remembered that Kiara had told him that he wasn’t contagious anymore. Sighing, something between relief and resignation, he decided that, while he was glad to see her, he was not especially fond of this happening in his current state. The medicine in the tea was making him drowsy and languid, and he just had this feeling that he was going to end up saying something he didn’t want to. Maybe because he’d already almost done so.
But even that was eventually subsumed underneath the fuzzy languor of drowsiness, and so he smiled lazily, shrugging at the offer of tea. Usually he would have been quite glad to partake of the kinds she brewed, as she was especially talented at the craft. But it seemed that little at all was enough to penetrate the foggy haze that settled over him, and his half-lidded eyes were somewhat clouded when he tilted his head to the side and looked at her. “Mm,” he hummed, though what he was assenting to was unclear. The room was spinning just slightly—he suspected he’d sat up too fast, actually.
Well, the solution to that much was obvious—lay back down for a while. So without giving it the amount of thought he usually would have, Fang leaned slightly sideways, winding a hand around Rika’s waist, then leaned back the other way, pulling her down on top of him as he laid on his back. The tips of the fingers on his other hand traced her cheekbone, and the mysterious sleepy smile returned. “This is better,” he murmured.
Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, but the smile never left her face. She opened her mouth to say something, however; he made a slight sound of his own, and she tilted her head in confusion. She frowned slightly pursed her lips together. Was he okay? She leaned forward to check again, however; it seemed that Fang had other things in mind, and she soon found herself laying on top of him, her face turning a rather brilliant shade of red. She stuttered, stammering to find the right words to say but found she was lacking the capacity to form coherent words. Really, as much as she loved him, she hated when he did that to her.
"You know, if you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was ask," she stated finally, however; she paused and let the words sink in to exactly what she just said. She blamed Haki for that one, but it didn't stop her face from turning a darker shade of red. "I meant snuggle," she quickly corrected herself, moving herself so that she could place herself at a better angle. She shivered lightly when his fingertips traced her cheekbones, and she continued to purse her lips together. In a way, it almost tickled, but she wasn't going to say that. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned against his chest.
"It would be better if you'd stop smiling like that. Seriously, it's kind of creepy," she retorted, though she wasn't being serious. She actually enjoyed his smiles, and wanted to see them more often. She brought her hand up to his own face, tracing a circle on his cheek in the process. "I don't mind a little creepy every now and then. Only if it's you, though," she continued, a sly grin forming on her lips.
Fang turned his head in response, brushing a butterfly kiss over the tip of her finger. Creepy? He hoped he wasn’t creepy. Of course, as Rika spoke further, he took her actual meaning well enough, and shook his head. “You would have to be so strange, to see anything in me,” he said softly, and the fog in his eyes seemed to be clearing just a little bit. He rotated the both of them slightly, so that they were both laying on their sides, facing each other. His hand moved up through her hair, carding the short, dark strands and weaving them betwixt his long digits with an air of faint reverence.
“Did you know what I meant?” He asked, his voice still scarcely more than a raspy murmur. “When I said that she lied, and you were wrong?” He’d called himself a fool, then, and though she disputed that part of the claim, he believed it still. Even so… now at least, being a fool wasn’t so bad, or so he could believe, right now when his worries were secondary to the languid pleasantness infusing his muscles and mind in euql measure.
"You're talking to someone who's friends with Haki," she snorted softly, but closed her eyes in a content smile when his fingers combed through her hair. She moved a little closer to him, enjoying the warmth he radiated even if it was due to him being sick. His next statement, however, caught her a little off guard. Knew what he meant? Honestly, she hadn't. She didn't have the faintest clue as to what he meant, and she wasn't going to lie about it either. She released a slow breath before opening her eyes, and pursing her lips together. She laced her hand with his loose one and traced her thumb over his.
"Honestly, I didn't. I mean, I still don't know what you meant by that, but," she started, stammering over her words in the process. She frowned slightly and rolled her eyes at herself. She closed her eyes, allowing the warmth to cradle her a little longer before she glanced up to meet his gaze. "What... what did you mean by that?" she finally found herself asking, folding her hand against his chest. If he was wearing a shirt, she would have been clutching to that instead.
Fang exhaled softly, his breath fanning over the top of her head. Perhaps, had he been in his usual frame of mind, he would have declined to ask or explain, but right now, it seemed… like something he wanted to do. He had the feeling it would make her smile—and that was something he wanted to cause. He wanted to be the reason she was happy, why she smiled, and he wanted it so badly he didn’t quite understand it. “She said… that I didn’t love you as much as I still loved her. And you said that nobody ever stops loving their first.” he paused, then raised his hands to cradle her face, savoring the feel of his rough calluses over the smooth skin there. Tilting her head upwards, he met her eyes with his own, and held them, gold to green. That green that would never belong to anyone else in his mind.
“She lied, and you were wrong. I love you, Rika. Only you. Of all the people I have ever known, it is you I could never do without. It… it took me a long time to see that, and longer still to accept it. I’m sorry that I kept you waiting.” For she had said it, but he never had, never let those three words pass over his tongue, and in doing so, he knew he had been unfair to her, whose generosity and bravery of spirit had allowed her to say what she felt. But he was more coward than she, and in truth, he was still afraid. Afraid that she would wake up someday and realize that for her, it was not the same. That she could get along just fine without him. Better, even. It was this fear that would have stayed his tongue save for his fever and the medicine loosening it. Because admitting it made it all that much more real. “That was what I meant, even then.”
She listened intently to every word he spoke, her gaze never leaving his eyes. She didn't even blink to clear her vision. She was pinned in place by the molten color of his eyes, the beautiful sheen they held, and even as his words settled, all she could see was him. She could feel something form in her throat. A lump, or maybe a word that wouldn't come out. She couldn't decipher it and remained quiet. She remembered when she said that. It was the day he came for her, the day he saved her. How could she ever forget that. The next set of words, however, caught her completely off guard, and her mouth moved. She spoke no words, instead, her lips moving like a fish in an attempt to find the words to say. He had never told her that, and though she knew, in some way, that he had loved her, to actually hear the words...
"Fang," she spoke, her lips pursed into a fine line. She reached up with both of her hands, cradling his face as she kept their gazes locked. "Don't you dare apologize for that. I would have waited as long as it took, because I love you. Even if it took you until our next life, I would have waited," she continued, her voice taking on a bit of edge to it. She was speaking the truth. For however long it took him, she would wait for him, because she loved him and she always would. "So don't apologize for that. I would have waited for you, Fang. Even though it might not seem like it, you will always be worth the wait. You've... you've done a lot for me, for all of us, and I don't think I would be where I am today without you. You've been a light in my life that I thought wouldn't be there," and it was true.
After her father had died, even with her personality, things still felt amiss, as if she were still floating around trying to cope. Having met him, Kiara, and even Haki, she felt grounded. It was as if she had a new purpose, and she would do everything in her power to stay useful. "And I meant it, and will always mean it, when I say I love you," she stated, pulling his face forward, however; she tilted his head to place a chaste kiss on his forehead.
Fang’s eyes slid closed, and he exhaled a deep, held breath from his nose, the remaining tension in his muscled relaxing. Both his arms twined around her waist, and he pulled her closer to him, to that their bodies were flush. Fever or no, he didn't much care. He was not relinquishing this warmth if he could avoid it. Fatigue weighed heavily on him at last, and he tipped his head down to rest his chin atop the crown of her head.
“Stay,” he whispered, and then his breathing fell even, his exhausted body succumbing at last to its need for rest and recovery.
He was currently sprawled over his rather large futon, all the covers pushed down to his feet. Far too warm for anything else, he wore only a loose pair of pants, though his hair was for once loose, as this morning he had been far too weak to lift his hands long enough to tame it. He might try that now, actually—he detested feeling useless like this. Sitting up, he brought one of his palms to his forehead, but it was impossible to tell if his fever was going down—his hands were almost as hot as his head. Dragging the hand down his face, he exhaled through his nose.
He hated being sick.
Rika wasn't too sure if she should be happy that the strain hadn't affected her or Kiara, or if she should be a little upset at the fact that it hit two of her friends in the way it had. Haki, from her understanding, hadn't been hit so hard, but he had still suffered from a majority of the side-effects. She had almost laughed and said he deserved it, however; she couldn't quite bring herself to be that mean. She sighed softly through her nose, shifting the bag she held in her hands to the left side. The sun was high, but it wasn't unbearable in the sky. It felt cool, the breeze soft against her face, and the clamor of Republic City was down to a mere whisper. A lot of people were suffering from the illness it seems. Shaking her head lightly, she made her way towards Fang's apartment. She wanted to see how he was doing.
Kiara had told her he had come down with a nastier version of the virus, and so far, he hadn't recovered yet from it. Once she reached the apartment, she pulled at the bottom of her lip before opening the door, setting the bag aside and blinking slowly. She rolled her eyes and made her way through the apartment, searching for him every where but his room. Giving up, she made her way to his room and knocked gently on his door. "Fang, are you in there? I'm coming in," she stated, pushing the door open softly to peek her head through. She blinked owlishly as she saw him, sitting up in his bed with his hand on his face. She snorted softly and pushed the door open wider to enter. She walked towards him and took a seat in front of him.
"You know, a hand on your face isn't going to make the sickness go away, Fang," she stated, a light grin on her face. "But if it makes you feel better," she continued, shrugging her shoulders and sitting back on her knees. "Oh, I brought you more tea too. It's not the medicinal stuff Kiara has, but it's supposed to help bring down your fever," she stated, reaching over to place the back of her hand against his forehead. He was still warm, enough to tell her he still, in fact, had a fever.
The hand fell away, and Fang tilted his head to blink blearily over at Rika. Why was she here… he didn’t want to make her sick. Not when this disease was killing some people. Usually not the young, but—why take the chance? He frowned, the cogs in his mind turning much more slowly than usual, and he remembered that Kiara had told him that he wasn’t contagious anymore. Sighing, something between relief and resignation, he decided that, while he was glad to see her, he was not especially fond of this happening in his current state. The medicine in the tea was making him drowsy and languid, and he just had this feeling that he was going to end up saying something he didn’t want to. Maybe because he’d already almost done so.
But even that was eventually subsumed underneath the fuzzy languor of drowsiness, and so he smiled lazily, shrugging at the offer of tea. Usually he would have been quite glad to partake of the kinds she brewed, as she was especially talented at the craft. But it seemed that little at all was enough to penetrate the foggy haze that settled over him, and his half-lidded eyes were somewhat clouded when he tilted his head to the side and looked at her. “Mm,” he hummed, though what he was assenting to was unclear. The room was spinning just slightly—he suspected he’d sat up too fast, actually.
Well, the solution to that much was obvious—lay back down for a while. So without giving it the amount of thought he usually would have, Fang leaned slightly sideways, winding a hand around Rika’s waist, then leaned back the other way, pulling her down on top of him as he laid on his back. The tips of the fingers on his other hand traced her cheekbone, and the mysterious sleepy smile returned. “This is better,” he murmured.
Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, but the smile never left her face. She opened her mouth to say something, however; he made a slight sound of his own, and she tilted her head in confusion. She frowned slightly pursed her lips together. Was he okay? She leaned forward to check again, however; it seemed that Fang had other things in mind, and she soon found herself laying on top of him, her face turning a rather brilliant shade of red. She stuttered, stammering to find the right words to say but found she was lacking the capacity to form coherent words. Really, as much as she loved him, she hated when he did that to her.
"You know, if you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was ask," she stated finally, however; she paused and let the words sink in to exactly what she just said. She blamed Haki for that one, but it didn't stop her face from turning a darker shade of red. "I meant snuggle," she quickly corrected herself, moving herself so that she could place herself at a better angle. She shivered lightly when his fingertips traced her cheekbones, and she continued to purse her lips together. In a way, it almost tickled, but she wasn't going to say that. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned against his chest.
"It would be better if you'd stop smiling like that. Seriously, it's kind of creepy," she retorted, though she wasn't being serious. She actually enjoyed his smiles, and wanted to see them more often. She brought her hand up to his own face, tracing a circle on his cheek in the process. "I don't mind a little creepy every now and then. Only if it's you, though," she continued, a sly grin forming on her lips.
Fang turned his head in response, brushing a butterfly kiss over the tip of her finger. Creepy? He hoped he wasn’t creepy. Of course, as Rika spoke further, he took her actual meaning well enough, and shook his head. “You would have to be so strange, to see anything in me,” he said softly, and the fog in his eyes seemed to be clearing just a little bit. He rotated the both of them slightly, so that they were both laying on their sides, facing each other. His hand moved up through her hair, carding the short, dark strands and weaving them betwixt his long digits with an air of faint reverence.
“Did you know what I meant?” He asked, his voice still scarcely more than a raspy murmur. “When I said that she lied, and you were wrong?” He’d called himself a fool, then, and though she disputed that part of the claim, he believed it still. Even so… now at least, being a fool wasn’t so bad, or so he could believe, right now when his worries were secondary to the languid pleasantness infusing his muscles and mind in euql measure.
"You're talking to someone who's friends with Haki," she snorted softly, but closed her eyes in a content smile when his fingers combed through her hair. She moved a little closer to him, enjoying the warmth he radiated even if it was due to him being sick. His next statement, however, caught her a little off guard. Knew what he meant? Honestly, she hadn't. She didn't have the faintest clue as to what he meant, and she wasn't going to lie about it either. She released a slow breath before opening her eyes, and pursing her lips together. She laced her hand with his loose one and traced her thumb over his.
"Honestly, I didn't. I mean, I still don't know what you meant by that, but," she started, stammering over her words in the process. She frowned slightly and rolled her eyes at herself. She closed her eyes, allowing the warmth to cradle her a little longer before she glanced up to meet his gaze. "What... what did you mean by that?" she finally found herself asking, folding her hand against his chest. If he was wearing a shirt, she would have been clutching to that instead.
Fang exhaled softly, his breath fanning over the top of her head. Perhaps, had he been in his usual frame of mind, he would have declined to ask or explain, but right now, it seemed… like something he wanted to do. He had the feeling it would make her smile—and that was something he wanted to cause. He wanted to be the reason she was happy, why she smiled, and he wanted it so badly he didn’t quite understand it. “She said… that I didn’t love you as much as I still loved her. And you said that nobody ever stops loving their first.” he paused, then raised his hands to cradle her face, savoring the feel of his rough calluses over the smooth skin there. Tilting her head upwards, he met her eyes with his own, and held them, gold to green. That green that would never belong to anyone else in his mind.
“She lied, and you were wrong. I love you, Rika. Only you. Of all the people I have ever known, it is you I could never do without. It… it took me a long time to see that, and longer still to accept it. I’m sorry that I kept you waiting.” For she had said it, but he never had, never let those three words pass over his tongue, and in doing so, he knew he had been unfair to her, whose generosity and bravery of spirit had allowed her to say what she felt. But he was more coward than she, and in truth, he was still afraid. Afraid that she would wake up someday and realize that for her, it was not the same. That she could get along just fine without him. Better, even. It was this fear that would have stayed his tongue save for his fever and the medicine loosening it. Because admitting it made it all that much more real. “That was what I meant, even then.”
She listened intently to every word he spoke, her gaze never leaving his eyes. She didn't even blink to clear her vision. She was pinned in place by the molten color of his eyes, the beautiful sheen they held, and even as his words settled, all she could see was him. She could feel something form in her throat. A lump, or maybe a word that wouldn't come out. She couldn't decipher it and remained quiet. She remembered when she said that. It was the day he came for her, the day he saved her. How could she ever forget that. The next set of words, however, caught her completely off guard, and her mouth moved. She spoke no words, instead, her lips moving like a fish in an attempt to find the words to say. He had never told her that, and though she knew, in some way, that he had loved her, to actually hear the words...
"Fang," she spoke, her lips pursed into a fine line. She reached up with both of her hands, cradling his face as she kept their gazes locked. "Don't you dare apologize for that. I would have waited as long as it took, because I love you. Even if it took you until our next life, I would have waited," she continued, her voice taking on a bit of edge to it. She was speaking the truth. For however long it took him, she would wait for him, because she loved him and she always would. "So don't apologize for that. I would have waited for you, Fang. Even though it might not seem like it, you will always be worth the wait. You've... you've done a lot for me, for all of us, and I don't think I would be where I am today without you. You've been a light in my life that I thought wouldn't be there," and it was true.
After her father had died, even with her personality, things still felt amiss, as if she were still floating around trying to cope. Having met him, Kiara, and even Haki, she felt grounded. It was as if she had a new purpose, and she would do everything in her power to stay useful. "And I meant it, and will always mean it, when I say I love you," she stated, pulling his face forward, however; she tilted his head to place a chaste kiss on his forehead.
Fang’s eyes slid closed, and he exhaled a deep, held breath from his nose, the remaining tension in his muscled relaxing. Both his arms twined around her waist, and he pulled her closer to him, to that their bodies were flush. Fever or no, he didn't much care. He was not relinquishing this warmth if he could avoid it. Fatigue weighed heavily on him at last, and he tipped his head down to rest his chin atop the crown of her head.
“Stay,” he whispered, and then his breathing fell even, his exhausted body succumbing at last to its need for rest and recovery.
It would seem that the sickness that had swept the city had left at least one small positive thing in its wake. For a while afterwards, the Equalists were quiet, and there was no fighting on the streets, at least not as much as there had been. Perhaps it was simply because not everyone had recovered yet, and things were still slower than they had been. Perhaps it was for the funerals—the disease had killed few healthy young people, but the elderly, sickly, and children had suffered much more, and many of them had not made it through their convalescence.
Kiara, who had spent most of the last week volunteering at outdoor hospital tents, trying to heal what she could, was really looking for a way to forget it. So, she’d invited the rest of her friends to come with her to the shore of the ocean for the day, and was making her way there now, a full basket packed with food and other essentials. Of course, she had one stop to make on the way as well—because while it had been advertised as a gathering for friends… that really made it a double-date, too, nowadays. Well, kind of. She supposed that she and Haki had never made anything official about it, and he’d been sick that last time she saw him. Since then, she’d been working nonstop, and so hadn’t seen him at all until she tracked him down to invite him to this.
Reaching his place, she knocked tentatively on the door, feeling her face heat up already. It was a distinctively different type of discomfort from the previous kind, and infinitely preferable, but she was feeling nervous now, and smoothed her light blue sundress down with her free hand while she waited for him to answer, shifting the basket in one of her arms and changing her weight nervously from foot to foot. Funny, how a few sentences (or a ramble, in her case), could change her perspective on something so much that what had once been the easiest thing in the world—going somewhere with her best friend—was now the cause of so much jittery anxiety. It wasn’t bad, exactly, just… not something she’d ever felt before.
He would have thought by now, that the formalities would be forgotten. But then again, this was Kiara, and things were sometimes lost. He grinned to himself, shaking his head as he remained where he was, seated on his couch. It took quite a lot of effort for him to get up, but he did so and made his way towards his door. He was still a little sore, but not so much that he couldn't be ready for what today was. It wasn't a special day, per se, but it was one they had not had in a while. A moment to themselves to just be together, as friends, without worry of the Equalists. As morbid a thought as it was to him, he was glad that the sickness had not only affected him, but them as well. If indeed that is what kept them at bay. Sighing softly, he opened the door and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms against his chest as he glanced down at Kiara with one brow raised in mild amusement.
"You know, Turtle-Duck, I thought we were past this? You know where the spare key is, and you know I hardly lock my door when I know you are coming by," he stated, duly noting the color her face was flushed. He leaned down close enough so that he was a few centimeters away from her face and smirked. "Or is it that Turtle-Duck is simply tired of me already? Then woe is me if that is true," he stated, pulling back with a feigned hurt look. He couldn't hold it for long, and simply laughed, opening the door wide enough to let her pass.
"You should wear that color more often, it brings out your eyes," he spoke, a broad smirk crossing his face. He wasn't referring to the color of her dress.
She frowned at him, but only flushed harder. Still, there was something about the reminder that was comforting. Prior to all of these… changes, she had felt comfortable entering and leaving his house basically whenever, since that was just the kind of friends they’d been. “It’s just…” she sighed in frustration and looked at the floor, shaking her head and causing her long ponytail to swish about in all directions. “I don’t know how different it’s supposed to be, now.” She cleared her throat, looking back up at him—he was still too close for her peace of mind, and her heart was thudding away in her chest.
“Anyway,” she made an attempt to change the conversation. “You’re here now, so… let’s go find the other two down at the beach, shall we?” She smiled brightly, unsure if she as succeeding in concealing her nervousness and pretty sure she wasn’t, taking a step back from him and turning right around on her heel to head out towards the street.
"Different?" he questioned, his voice holding a slight tremor behind it. He was trying not to laugh at her, and it waas taking a great deal of restraint. He didn't want to offend her, but the way she said it, and the way she was reacting was a little too much for him. "Has anything changed much with the way Rika and Fang interact?" he stated, holding a hand over his mouth. He took a deep breath and managed to get most of the giggles out of his system before truly laughing at her, and made his way to her side. He slid his hand around her arm, and pulled her back to him, wrapping his arm under hers so he held it like a linked arm instead.
"Nothing has to change, Turtle-Duck. We can still be friends, can we not?" he questioned. "Besides," he stated, leaning closely so that his lips brushed the shell of her ear. "I can do this now," he stated, nipping the tip of her ear before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. He pulled away, and it truly took everything he had to not laugh right then and there at her reaction. He released their linked arms and made a dash out the front door. He didn't run, more like jogged as he grinned wickedly at her.
"Make it there before you," he challenged, the grin never leaving his face.
Had he not noticed? Pretty much everything had changed with the way Fang and Rika interacted. Still, she supposed she understood the underlying point, and so she was halfway through a nod when his arm wrapped around her from behind, pulling her back to his side. She shivered when his breath ghosted over her ear, the flush on her face spreading down to her neck when he nipped it and pressed his lips to her cheek. It was criminally unfair, that he could do things like this and she had no recourse at all. Her mouth dropped into a scowl.
“You get back here right now, Haki Soen!” she called after him, picking up into a run of her own, basket or no.
It was Fang who spotted them first, himself and Rika having made it to the beach a considerable amount of time ago. Still, they hadn’t been waiting for too long, and all was forgiven when food was provided. Fang was especially fond of Kiara’s cooking, this back from the days when they’d lived next door to each other and had eaten a meal together once a week. They still did, though with his illness and her volunteer hours they’d not been able to for almost a month now, all things taken together. So he was quite looking forward to this.
A slightly-breathless Kiara set the basket down in the sand, and Fang removed a medium-sized ball of some kind before the blanket, which he spread over the sand for all of them to sit on. He himself had brought a couple of parasols for shade, which he staked into the sand and opened while Kiara unpacked her culinary contributions. “Oh, and you guys might want some of this stuff, too,” she ventured, removing a small tube of sunscreen. She wasn’t especially in need of it herself—while she could sunburn, she usually didn’t. They, however, were all quite fair-skinned, and so she was a little worried about them turning red and being stuck with a sore burn for a few days after. “Can firebenders even get sunburn?” she asked aloud, glancing over at Haki.
Rika had only shook her head when she spotted Haki and Kiara, the latter sporting a bright, amused smirk on his face. She waved towards Kiara when she appeared, slightly winded which she put as something to do with Haki, and brought out her own things she brought. Where Kiara supplied the food, and Fang the parasols, she had brought the drinks. Tea, to be exact, and it was one of her favorite brews. She glanced at the bottle of sunscreen Kiara produced, and smiled. She shook her head, though, and straightened out her posture.
"Ah, well I don't burn, really. I mean, most people in the Earth Kingdom tend to tan but I never could," she stated. Which, in a way was true all things considered. Most people in the Earth Kingdom were a bit darker, perhaps not as dark as water tribe members, but they did have a more tanned appearance. Rika, however, couldn't tan even if she wanted to. Though tanning and burning were two different things, she'd never really burned either. "Plus, Fang brought shade anyway!" she continued, laughing nervously. Haki, however, chuckled.
"Well, considering my mother was from the Water Tribe, I cannot tell you for sure if we firebenders burn or not. My dad never did, though," he replied, pursing his lips at the last statement though. His dad didn't burn, but Haki on the other hand, did on occasion. "You take care of me too well, Turtle-Duck," he replied, taking the bottle of sunscreen and brushing the tips of his fingers against her hand on purpose. Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"You should have drowned him when you had the chance."
Fang seated himself gingerly on the blanket, his legs crossed underneath him, one of his knees just touching one of Rika’s, and nodded thoughtfully. “I have met many firebenders who get sunburn,” he said. And many of them were in his family, which meant he would probably be needing some of the sunscreen as well, though really only for his face and neck since the rest of him was covered in loose, breathable fabric. The meal was apportioned out with a minimum of fuss, though Kiara did stick her tongue out at Haki and agree enthusiastically with Rika’s commentary on drowning him, and Fang let a little smile take up residence on his face. It didn’t seem so unusual any longer, to be smiling. It was unexpected, and extremely pleasant.
The food and tea were also excellent, and after they were done eating and the dishes were stowed, Kiara flopped back on the blanket, folding her hands under her head and enjoying the shade. “It’s been too long since we’ve all had a day like this,” she said, wiggling her toes, which were still in the sun, in contrast to her upper half, which was enjoying a respite in the shade. The day was quite warm, and she still wasn’t quite so used to that. “Remind me that we need to do this more often.”
Fang absently used a gesture to bend the breeze off the ocean their way, and it brought with it the smell of salt air, stirring their hair and cooling the touch of sun on their faces. “You are not wrong,” he mused thoughtfully. The chance to take things at a slower pace for a day was quite welcome, considering everything they’d all been through recently—and would probably go through in the near future.
Rika nodded in agreement, glancing towards Haki and Fang before making her way towards Kiara. She laid next to the waterbender, however; she laid the other way so that her head was resting against Kiara's stomach instead. She stuck her tongue out at Haki, who merely pursed his lips together, and closed her eyes, enjoying the soft breeze that came from the ocean. Haki merely shook his head, glanced towards Fang, and then back towards the two girls. He released a dejected sigh and folded his hands against the back of his head, falling on his back to stare at the sky.
"It looks like they would rather cuddle with each other than us, Fang," he stated, a hint of hurt laced in his tone, but nonetheless amused. He sighed and rolled so that he was sitting back up, a mischievous smirk placed on his face. "There is a way to rectify that, though," he spoke, and Rika frowned in his direction, one eye cracked open at him. She knew that smirk, and it was one that could only mean trouble. As tempted as she was to sit back up, she was also slightly comfortable, so she settled with a light glare.
"Don't you dare, Haki Soen," she warned, a hint of something serious behind her tone, however; Haki ignored it and only allowed the smirk to grow. Within seconds, he moved so that he was now laying his head on Rika's stomach, using most of his weight to keep the two of them pinned down and laced his hands behind his head. "You have three seconds to get off Haki. You're heavy!" Rika stated, though she could only imagine how Kiara was feeling at the moment.
It wasn’t the most comfortable situation with Haki included, and Kiara squirmed a bit under Rika, not trying to get out as might initially be guessed, but for an entirely different reason, one that became clear when her foot connected with Haki’s side. “Do you ever stop being a stupid jerk?” she asked him, but there was a smile on her face and laughter in her voice, which eventually just devolved into general laughter, mostly at the expression on his face. Kiara’s eyes were bright with mirth, and she decided he was going to have to be taught another lesson.
“Honestly by now you should have learned not to mess with a waterbender right next to the ocean, stupid,” she said, but that was all the warning he got before he was hit full in the chest by a water whip and soaked. The blanket under him was also a casualty, but she could bend that dry in no time. She completely avoided dampening Fang or Rika though. “You look like a caught fish,” she teased, still as relaxed as could be.
As soon as Haki was kicked off, Rika made a roll to the side and quickly landed on her feet, moving towards Fang and took a seat behind him. She pursed her lips together, holding a hand to her mouth at the events that unfolded next. Haki, however, blinked slowly, the water dripping down from his face and soaking into his clothes. He lifted both arms, as if to inspect the damage and turned back to Kiara, indeed, a look of a caught fish plaguing his features. A smirk, however, slowly spread across his face as his eyes shined with a hint of mischief. He walked, stalked, towards Kiara and laced an arm around her waist, placing his index finger under her chin and tilted it up.
"Well, then that means you're the bait," he stated, leaning down close to her face, their lips just centimeters apart. "And I'm afraid I cannot stop being a stupid jerk," he stated abruptly, pulling away as quickly as he'd approached, the smirk never leaving his face. Rika merely rolled her eyes and sighed. At least he was being truthful. He couldn't stop being a stupid jerk, but at least he was their stupid jerk, and they had to love him, though Rika was starting to have second thoughts about that. Kiara really should have drowned him when she had the chance.
Fang only shook his head at the antics of his friends—that was a very telling shade of red Kiara was turning, and her scowl when Haki pulled away let on that she knew very well just how effectively she’d been teased. Rika’s decision to hide behind him, he didn't seem to mind, though he made no particular effort to assist her in concealing herself, either. Instead, he blinked up at Haki. “I’m not sure your inability is something to be proud of,” he commented neutrally.
“Definitely not,” Kiara replied with a huff, but it was soon replaced with a smile as she noted the rubber ball that had been laid aside earlier. “More importantly, who wants to play Benderball?” This was a sport usually only played in the water tribes, a elaborate version of keep-away that involved trying to score goals against the other team while moving the ball only with bending or any body part that wasn’t a hand. The ball itself was flame resistant, heavy enough to have some heft to it, and filled with water, so that really, any sort of bender should be able to so something with it in addition to hitting or kicking.
The thing about Benderball was, you couldn’t use bending or physical strikes against your opponents, just your wit, agility, and whatever bending you could use on the ball and environment. That made it as much a game about strategy as anything.
Haki snorted softly at Kiara and Fang, shaking his head gently. "My inability to stop being a stupid jerk is something to be proud of. If I stopped, then what other way would I be able to amuse myself?" he stated, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Rika resisted the small scratch at the back of her hand to throw something at him. Haki knew, though, that he could entertain himself other ways, but this was simply something he could not resist. It made them flustered, and on occasion, it made them laugh. That was all that mattered to him. To see his friends laugh, with the exception of Fang. He had never seen the other man smile (at least he hadn't), nor heard him laugh before. He wondered, briefly, if Rika had. That was a thought to entertain later, though.
"Benderball?" Rika inquired. She'd heard of it before, but only through her customers who had played it and had spoken of it. It wasn't a sport like Pro-Bending was, but it had seemed interesting. She'd never really played it herself as it was mainly a water tribe thing. It sounded fun, and interesting, and she glanced towards Kiara for an explanation, however; it was Haki who had spoken first. He explained it to her, causing her to raise a brow in slight confusion, but nonetheless nodded her head. "It sounds like fun! I want to give it a shot," she stated, standing from her spot behind Fang. Haki nodded his head, indicating he wanted to join as well.
"Remember Lotus, no hands," he reminded, causing Rika to roll her eyes. She was certain she could get the hang of this game. Assuming, of course, if she wasn't whacked in the head with the ball first. Somehow, the smile on Haki's face didn't seem so inviting.
Kiara, who had spent most of the last week volunteering at outdoor hospital tents, trying to heal what she could, was really looking for a way to forget it. So, she’d invited the rest of her friends to come with her to the shore of the ocean for the day, and was making her way there now, a full basket packed with food and other essentials. Of course, she had one stop to make on the way as well—because while it had been advertised as a gathering for friends… that really made it a double-date, too, nowadays. Well, kind of. She supposed that she and Haki had never made anything official about it, and he’d been sick that last time she saw him. Since then, she’d been working nonstop, and so hadn’t seen him at all until she tracked him down to invite him to this.
Reaching his place, she knocked tentatively on the door, feeling her face heat up already. It was a distinctively different type of discomfort from the previous kind, and infinitely preferable, but she was feeling nervous now, and smoothed her light blue sundress down with her free hand while she waited for him to answer, shifting the basket in one of her arms and changing her weight nervously from foot to foot. Funny, how a few sentences (or a ramble, in her case), could change her perspective on something so much that what had once been the easiest thing in the world—going somewhere with her best friend—was now the cause of so much jittery anxiety. It wasn’t bad, exactly, just… not something she’d ever felt before.
He would have thought by now, that the formalities would be forgotten. But then again, this was Kiara, and things were sometimes lost. He grinned to himself, shaking his head as he remained where he was, seated on his couch. It took quite a lot of effort for him to get up, but he did so and made his way towards his door. He was still a little sore, but not so much that he couldn't be ready for what today was. It wasn't a special day, per se, but it was one they had not had in a while. A moment to themselves to just be together, as friends, without worry of the Equalists. As morbid a thought as it was to him, he was glad that the sickness had not only affected him, but them as well. If indeed that is what kept them at bay. Sighing softly, he opened the door and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms against his chest as he glanced down at Kiara with one brow raised in mild amusement.
"You know, Turtle-Duck, I thought we were past this? You know where the spare key is, and you know I hardly lock my door when I know you are coming by," he stated, duly noting the color her face was flushed. He leaned down close enough so that he was a few centimeters away from her face and smirked. "Or is it that Turtle-Duck is simply tired of me already? Then woe is me if that is true," he stated, pulling back with a feigned hurt look. He couldn't hold it for long, and simply laughed, opening the door wide enough to let her pass.
"You should wear that color more often, it brings out your eyes," he spoke, a broad smirk crossing his face. He wasn't referring to the color of her dress.
She frowned at him, but only flushed harder. Still, there was something about the reminder that was comforting. Prior to all of these… changes, she had felt comfortable entering and leaving his house basically whenever, since that was just the kind of friends they’d been. “It’s just…” she sighed in frustration and looked at the floor, shaking her head and causing her long ponytail to swish about in all directions. “I don’t know how different it’s supposed to be, now.” She cleared her throat, looking back up at him—he was still too close for her peace of mind, and her heart was thudding away in her chest.
“Anyway,” she made an attempt to change the conversation. “You’re here now, so… let’s go find the other two down at the beach, shall we?” She smiled brightly, unsure if she as succeeding in concealing her nervousness and pretty sure she wasn’t, taking a step back from him and turning right around on her heel to head out towards the street.
"Different?" he questioned, his voice holding a slight tremor behind it. He was trying not to laugh at her, and it waas taking a great deal of restraint. He didn't want to offend her, but the way she said it, and the way she was reacting was a little too much for him. "Has anything changed much with the way Rika and Fang interact?" he stated, holding a hand over his mouth. He took a deep breath and managed to get most of the giggles out of his system before truly laughing at her, and made his way to her side. He slid his hand around her arm, and pulled her back to him, wrapping his arm under hers so he held it like a linked arm instead.
"Nothing has to change, Turtle-Duck. We can still be friends, can we not?" he questioned. "Besides," he stated, leaning closely so that his lips brushed the shell of her ear. "I can do this now," he stated, nipping the tip of her ear before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. He pulled away, and it truly took everything he had to not laugh right then and there at her reaction. He released their linked arms and made a dash out the front door. He didn't run, more like jogged as he grinned wickedly at her.
"Make it there before you," he challenged, the grin never leaving his face.
Had he not noticed? Pretty much everything had changed with the way Fang and Rika interacted. Still, she supposed she understood the underlying point, and so she was halfway through a nod when his arm wrapped around her from behind, pulling her back to his side. She shivered when his breath ghosted over her ear, the flush on her face spreading down to her neck when he nipped it and pressed his lips to her cheek. It was criminally unfair, that he could do things like this and she had no recourse at all. Her mouth dropped into a scowl.
“You get back here right now, Haki Soen!” she called after him, picking up into a run of her own, basket or no.
It was Fang who spotted them first, himself and Rika having made it to the beach a considerable amount of time ago. Still, they hadn’t been waiting for too long, and all was forgiven when food was provided. Fang was especially fond of Kiara’s cooking, this back from the days when they’d lived next door to each other and had eaten a meal together once a week. They still did, though with his illness and her volunteer hours they’d not been able to for almost a month now, all things taken together. So he was quite looking forward to this.
A slightly-breathless Kiara set the basket down in the sand, and Fang removed a medium-sized ball of some kind before the blanket, which he spread over the sand for all of them to sit on. He himself had brought a couple of parasols for shade, which he staked into the sand and opened while Kiara unpacked her culinary contributions. “Oh, and you guys might want some of this stuff, too,” she ventured, removing a small tube of sunscreen. She wasn’t especially in need of it herself—while she could sunburn, she usually didn’t. They, however, were all quite fair-skinned, and so she was a little worried about them turning red and being stuck with a sore burn for a few days after. “Can firebenders even get sunburn?” she asked aloud, glancing over at Haki.
Rika had only shook her head when she spotted Haki and Kiara, the latter sporting a bright, amused smirk on his face. She waved towards Kiara when she appeared, slightly winded which she put as something to do with Haki, and brought out her own things she brought. Where Kiara supplied the food, and Fang the parasols, she had brought the drinks. Tea, to be exact, and it was one of her favorite brews. She glanced at the bottle of sunscreen Kiara produced, and smiled. She shook her head, though, and straightened out her posture.
"Ah, well I don't burn, really. I mean, most people in the Earth Kingdom tend to tan but I never could," she stated. Which, in a way was true all things considered. Most people in the Earth Kingdom were a bit darker, perhaps not as dark as water tribe members, but they did have a more tanned appearance. Rika, however, couldn't tan even if she wanted to. Though tanning and burning were two different things, she'd never really burned either. "Plus, Fang brought shade anyway!" she continued, laughing nervously. Haki, however, chuckled.
"Well, considering my mother was from the Water Tribe, I cannot tell you for sure if we firebenders burn or not. My dad never did, though," he replied, pursing his lips at the last statement though. His dad didn't burn, but Haki on the other hand, did on occasion. "You take care of me too well, Turtle-Duck," he replied, taking the bottle of sunscreen and brushing the tips of his fingers against her hand on purpose. Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"You should have drowned him when you had the chance."
Fang seated himself gingerly on the blanket, his legs crossed underneath him, one of his knees just touching one of Rika’s, and nodded thoughtfully. “I have met many firebenders who get sunburn,” he said. And many of them were in his family, which meant he would probably be needing some of the sunscreen as well, though really only for his face and neck since the rest of him was covered in loose, breathable fabric. The meal was apportioned out with a minimum of fuss, though Kiara did stick her tongue out at Haki and agree enthusiastically with Rika’s commentary on drowning him, and Fang let a little smile take up residence on his face. It didn’t seem so unusual any longer, to be smiling. It was unexpected, and extremely pleasant.
The food and tea were also excellent, and after they were done eating and the dishes were stowed, Kiara flopped back on the blanket, folding her hands under her head and enjoying the shade. “It’s been too long since we’ve all had a day like this,” she said, wiggling her toes, which were still in the sun, in contrast to her upper half, which was enjoying a respite in the shade. The day was quite warm, and she still wasn’t quite so used to that. “Remind me that we need to do this more often.”
Fang absently used a gesture to bend the breeze off the ocean their way, and it brought with it the smell of salt air, stirring their hair and cooling the touch of sun on their faces. “You are not wrong,” he mused thoughtfully. The chance to take things at a slower pace for a day was quite welcome, considering everything they’d all been through recently—and would probably go through in the near future.
Rika nodded in agreement, glancing towards Haki and Fang before making her way towards Kiara. She laid next to the waterbender, however; she laid the other way so that her head was resting against Kiara's stomach instead. She stuck her tongue out at Haki, who merely pursed his lips together, and closed her eyes, enjoying the soft breeze that came from the ocean. Haki merely shook his head, glanced towards Fang, and then back towards the two girls. He released a dejected sigh and folded his hands against the back of his head, falling on his back to stare at the sky.
"It looks like they would rather cuddle with each other than us, Fang," he stated, a hint of hurt laced in his tone, but nonetheless amused. He sighed and rolled so that he was sitting back up, a mischievous smirk placed on his face. "There is a way to rectify that, though," he spoke, and Rika frowned in his direction, one eye cracked open at him. She knew that smirk, and it was one that could only mean trouble. As tempted as she was to sit back up, she was also slightly comfortable, so she settled with a light glare.
"Don't you dare, Haki Soen," she warned, a hint of something serious behind her tone, however; Haki ignored it and only allowed the smirk to grow. Within seconds, he moved so that he was now laying his head on Rika's stomach, using most of his weight to keep the two of them pinned down and laced his hands behind his head. "You have three seconds to get off Haki. You're heavy!" Rika stated, though she could only imagine how Kiara was feeling at the moment.
It wasn’t the most comfortable situation with Haki included, and Kiara squirmed a bit under Rika, not trying to get out as might initially be guessed, but for an entirely different reason, one that became clear when her foot connected with Haki’s side. “Do you ever stop being a stupid jerk?” she asked him, but there was a smile on her face and laughter in her voice, which eventually just devolved into general laughter, mostly at the expression on his face. Kiara’s eyes were bright with mirth, and she decided he was going to have to be taught another lesson.
“Honestly by now you should have learned not to mess with a waterbender right next to the ocean, stupid,” she said, but that was all the warning he got before he was hit full in the chest by a water whip and soaked. The blanket under him was also a casualty, but she could bend that dry in no time. She completely avoided dampening Fang or Rika though. “You look like a caught fish,” she teased, still as relaxed as could be.
As soon as Haki was kicked off, Rika made a roll to the side and quickly landed on her feet, moving towards Fang and took a seat behind him. She pursed her lips together, holding a hand to her mouth at the events that unfolded next. Haki, however, blinked slowly, the water dripping down from his face and soaking into his clothes. He lifted both arms, as if to inspect the damage and turned back to Kiara, indeed, a look of a caught fish plaguing his features. A smirk, however, slowly spread across his face as his eyes shined with a hint of mischief. He walked, stalked, towards Kiara and laced an arm around her waist, placing his index finger under her chin and tilted it up.
"Well, then that means you're the bait," he stated, leaning down close to her face, their lips just centimeters apart. "And I'm afraid I cannot stop being a stupid jerk," he stated abruptly, pulling away as quickly as he'd approached, the smirk never leaving his face. Rika merely rolled her eyes and sighed. At least he was being truthful. He couldn't stop being a stupid jerk, but at least he was their stupid jerk, and they had to love him, though Rika was starting to have second thoughts about that. Kiara really should have drowned him when she had the chance.
Fang only shook his head at the antics of his friends—that was a very telling shade of red Kiara was turning, and her scowl when Haki pulled away let on that she knew very well just how effectively she’d been teased. Rika’s decision to hide behind him, he didn't seem to mind, though he made no particular effort to assist her in concealing herself, either. Instead, he blinked up at Haki. “I’m not sure your inability is something to be proud of,” he commented neutrally.
“Definitely not,” Kiara replied with a huff, but it was soon replaced with a smile as she noted the rubber ball that had been laid aside earlier. “More importantly, who wants to play Benderball?” This was a sport usually only played in the water tribes, a elaborate version of keep-away that involved trying to score goals against the other team while moving the ball only with bending or any body part that wasn’t a hand. The ball itself was flame resistant, heavy enough to have some heft to it, and filled with water, so that really, any sort of bender should be able to so something with it in addition to hitting or kicking.
The thing about Benderball was, you couldn’t use bending or physical strikes against your opponents, just your wit, agility, and whatever bending you could use on the ball and environment. That made it as much a game about strategy as anything.
Haki snorted softly at Kiara and Fang, shaking his head gently. "My inability to stop being a stupid jerk is something to be proud of. If I stopped, then what other way would I be able to amuse myself?" he stated, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Rika resisted the small scratch at the back of her hand to throw something at him. Haki knew, though, that he could entertain himself other ways, but this was simply something he could not resist. It made them flustered, and on occasion, it made them laugh. That was all that mattered to him. To see his friends laugh, with the exception of Fang. He had never seen the other man smile (at least he hadn't), nor heard him laugh before. He wondered, briefly, if Rika had. That was a thought to entertain later, though.
"Benderball?" Rika inquired. She'd heard of it before, but only through her customers who had played it and had spoken of it. It wasn't a sport like Pro-Bending was, but it had seemed interesting. She'd never really played it herself as it was mainly a water tribe thing. It sounded fun, and interesting, and she glanced towards Kiara for an explanation, however; it was Haki who had spoken first. He explained it to her, causing her to raise a brow in slight confusion, but nonetheless nodded her head. "It sounds like fun! I want to give it a shot," she stated, standing from her spot behind Fang. Haki nodded his head, indicating he wanted to join as well.
"Remember Lotus, no hands," he reminded, causing Rika to roll her eyes. She was certain she could get the hang of this game. Assuming, of course, if she wasn't whacked in the head with the ball first. Somehow, the smile on Haki's face didn't seem so inviting.
It would be a mistake to say that their trials were over. A world in chaos still opened before them, with the Equalists—now led openly by the woman one of their number had once called beloved—weakened but not defeated. Still the conflict between those who could bend and those who could not simmered, festering and growing toxic. Still the people called for justice, in law and government, and better representation for those without the elements at their beck and call. Still, Republic City had its problems, reflective of those in the world at large.
But it was not purely a landscape of despair. Hope existed. There were those from both sides who wished more than anything for a peaceful solution, a way to bring both sides into true equality, without killing or harming the innocent. And it was, perhaps, the courageous actions of one small group of people that reminded others that it could be done, it could be fought for, against both those who would crush the non-benders into submission and those who would take innocent life to break them free of that same oppression. There was a middle way, and as is often but not always the case, that middle way seemed most promising to many.
It was a time of great change and upheaval, but in the lives of Rika, Fang, Haki, and Kiara, the change was personal as well as civil. Brought together as four distinct individuals, each with secrets, flaws, and shortcomings, they banded together with solid ties of friendship and love, and became more together than any of them could ever be alone. The world was moving forward at a frantic pace, but, hand-in-hand, they found that they were able to match it, to walk at the very vanguard of that change. None of them were perfect, none of them had all the answers, but they found that they didn’t need to be, and didn’t need to have them.
Because they had each other.
But it was not purely a landscape of despair. Hope existed. There were those from both sides who wished more than anything for a peaceful solution, a way to bring both sides into true equality, without killing or harming the innocent. And it was, perhaps, the courageous actions of one small group of people that reminded others that it could be done, it could be fought for, against both those who would crush the non-benders into submission and those who would take innocent life to break them free of that same oppression. There was a middle way, and as is often but not always the case, that middle way seemed most promising to many.
It was a time of great change and upheaval, but in the lives of Rika, Fang, Haki, and Kiara, the change was personal as well as civil. Brought together as four distinct individuals, each with secrets, flaws, and shortcomings, they banded together with solid ties of friendship and love, and became more together than any of them could ever be alone. The world was moving forward at a frantic pace, but, hand-in-hand, they found that they were able to match it, to walk at the very vanguard of that change. None of them were perfect, none of them had all the answers, but they found that they didn’t need to be, and didn’t need to have them.
Because they had each other.