Jun's eyebrows furrowed in response but he leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his free drink. Well, it couldn't get any worse.

"I'm the best damn swordsman this side of the Earth Kingdom," he muttered angrily, barely audible enough so that the men could hear him. "And I'm not half bad at taking out benders with it. That enough for you?"

He crossed his legs, the corner of his lips twitching upwards. "I didn't think you had enough folk on your side to be able to turn a 'boy' like me away."

---

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Suyin said, clipping up her hair into a loose warrior's bun. She seemed utterly unconcerned about a possible life-or-death situation, which facing pirates always was. "Fire Nation fortress... Most of our old places have contingency plans – and a lot of them. You think there's a back door?" She knew their manor at home had at least three: one leading from the parlour behind a cupboard, another beneath the cellars and a final back entrance leading from her own room into the hot caverns deep beneath the island. She wouldn't at all be surprised if her suspicions were correct. "If they do... sounds like a perfect way for a two-man strike team to get in and out."

It just wasn't fun when their soldiers got to do all of the work. She knew Father wouldn't have done that; he instead preferred to go out on his own and conquer.

Suyin skipped over to the corner of the room and picked up her ornate bow, plucking at the string and frowning imperceptibly. She'd need to do some maintenance on it later. "We need to be prepared for flanking attacks, too. The pirates aren't known for their honorable tactics.

''Small groups don't become big by accepting burdens'' The man said ''We aren't talking about sending you away but you will need to provide a demonstration before we can accept you as a full member'' He patted himself on the armor ''Let me show you the way to the nearest fire nation base tomorrow, you will get one day to prepare and then we shall see what you make of it''

''So join Magrus at dawn'' The man in the white coat said, apparently that being the name of trident beard ''....after you are done speaking with that boy at least'' the journey through the woods had not gone unnoticed.

---

Ran shook his head ''Sister, I know you desire to prove yourself and...eh have fun but please consider this'' he said, trying to reign her in somewhat ''Should the two of us be captured then the enemy will have acquired valuable hostages, the whole mission would fail if we did'' Part of Ran's reasoning was logical but he also wanted to protect his sister from the dangers of going into pirate territory with only him by his side ''I am more then willing to accept your plan to raid the base through those passages but I insist a battalion or at least a squad accompanies us''

Jun nodded slowly, rising from his chair with intentions of going towards the bartender to see about renting a room. After a moment of hesitation, however, he asked, "Can we take the kid with us?" The swordsman fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "If he was trained, he would be... useful."

As he wandered back to the bar, taking out another few coins (reluctantly, as he'd already spent more than he bargained for) to pay for his room, Jun kept a careful eye on Magrus, wondering whether or not he should tell him about the earthbender.

No. He had to keep some things up his sleeve for later, just in case he was found out for being a firebender. It was enough reason for them to lynch him, he knew.

---

Suyin pouted half-heartedly, knowing that her brother was right. "I suppose so... when you put it that way, I must agree." She opened the door, peering at the troops outside briefly. "But. We'll take a squad of four." Hastily, she added, "Four excluding us. So six. More people attracts more attention, and if they make a chokepoint in the passages..." She shrugged.

Really, Suyin didn't know why Ran preferred cautious tactics over aggressive ones -- risky ones. Sometimes (most of the time, as General Zhang's children) it payed off. Plus, there was something exciting about the prospect of being held hostage and having to escape. Solo. It was like one of the fantasy tales her carers had taught her as a child; it could be made into a tapestry!

Stepping outside, she called, "I'll assemble a squad. Can you take care of ordering the rest and meet me when we're about to disembark?" Quickly, she spotted the female First Officer who she definitely wanted in the tunnels with them and chased after her.

''Very well but we shall hold no responsibility for his fate'' And with that the men dismissed Jun and continued to whisper to each other.

''Mister, hey mister Chu!'' As soon as the sun had risen the next morning Ran could be found pestering the bartender ''Did that man upstairs drink a lot? He did? Great! in that case I'l just take this bucket of water!'' Ran was to fast to even hear whether Yun really would be suffering from a hangover but he didn't care. The jerks....wet awakening was meant more as payback for making Ran his mule anyway.

''Hey mister! Time to wake uuuuuuup!'' The young archer sang happily as he poured the bucked of water over Jun's bed.

---

''O-of course sister'' Ran made a bow of courtesy in the hope it would hide his nerves. Ran never liked to be the one giving the orders, it felt wrong or to be more accurate, he suspected the soldiers would consider it wrong to take orders from a stranger. As the thinker of the due Ran would much rather instruct his sister on the strategy and have her announce it to the troops.

Despite his reservations Ran made his way to the command balcony ''Right then.....'' First he started taking deep breath's and going over the plan again in his head, then translate it to the orders he needed to give his soldiers.
''M-men of the Jia family! The battle is upon us!'' The young commander yelled down from the balcony ''Bender squadron 45, 53, 66 and 90! assemble yourself below deck! board our smaller vessels and sail out to the enemy ships! the majority of them are made of wood so this shan't be hard!'' The soldiers obeyed, they always obeyed Ran's orders and yet it always as a slight surprise ''Bender squadron 5, 19, 28 and 100! mount the canon's on the ship and fire on both Roku island and the enemy ships! Infantry divisions! prepare yourself to fight your way forward once our ship has reached the beach! The boar riders shall be kept in reserve until the right time!''

Once each group had their orders the soldiers all walked to their positions with treat efficiency. Barely five minutes after Ran's speech the ships canon's unleashed enormous fireballs and smaller boat's left the ship to clash with the enemy.

The officer Suyin had in mind looked as if she was about 19 years old and carried a lighter version of the standard fire nation armor, with one noticeable exception being the lighting bolt on her helmet. Her dark blue hair was tied in a long ponytail. The girls face would have been pretty if not for the large scar running from the right side of her chin all the way up to her hair, an eyepatch was placed over her eye.
''Lady Suyin!'' The girl saluted ''I see you have need of me, another rush to the commander I take it?''

"Gaaagh-- what in the name of Agni-- KID!"

Jun threw himself out of bed, water dripping from his hair as his shoulders shook from the cold and the shock of such a rude awakening. "I swear, I can and will stab you," he threatened, reaching for his blade only to realise it was resting to the side of his bed. It certainly lessened the affect as he had to lurch over and grab it protectively. Why had he promised to teach the brat again?

Oh, yeah. Earthbender.

The swordsman glared at the kid, drying his hair on the bed sheets and thanking all the spirits he knew that it didn't soak his vest too much. "Y'know, I did get you into the rebellion. Best thing for you to do is some hands-on danger. It's how I learned." He grinned evilly.

---

"Absolutely! I need the best of the best..." Suyin twirled a finger around her hair as she contemplated which soldiers she would need. The lady officer was the best when it came to fighting -- a prodigy -- but she needed others. "Can you find Sen, Lee and someone else of your choosing?" The general's daughter knew the first two as her most loyal soldiers, young enough to not get in her way. Sen was a chi-blocker, if a little flighty, and Lee was a general good-guy sell-sword who had pledged his life in his father's service.

Suyin listened out to her brother, the water bender giving out orders with an inkling of pride that chimed in her heart. The soldiers would listen to her but who wanted mindless drones? A strike team like the one she was preparing was not only much easier to control but safer, too. Fewer traitors.

Turning towards the female officer again (whose name she admittedly forgot), Suyin barked once more, "At once! We're going to be at the beach very soon!"

''You got me into the rebel army!?'' Jin's eyes widened in glee ''Really! Oh thanks mister thats....uh...I mean, we'l see what my big sis thinks of that''' Jin had his reservations about joining....that changed little about Jim REALLY wanting to join up with the rebels and chase out the ''bad guys''. The only two problems were that it would not only place him in danger but his sister as well.

''But first things first'' The boy proudly showed his bow ''I think someone owes me some combat training before we head out to do rebel things! So what did you have in mind for me? Lethal, forbidden marshal arts techniques that can bash the skulls of opponents with a single move?''

Jin sure was enthusiastic to be trained...so much it was probably annoying.

---

When Ran came down from the balcony his sister had already gathered Sen, Lee and Genji for her elite strike team. The final member arrived shortly after. It was a man covered in dark red robes and an equally dark hood which left the only thing of him to be recognized his silver goatee and hawk like eyes. On his shoulders rested two falcons. The robed man was more of an mercenary or an assassin rather then a soldier in the army. He wished to keep his identity hidden so he rarely let others hear his voice, preferring to have his birds screech to show he understood his orders, his appearance and even his name were unknown as well. For this job at least he replied to the name of Falco.

''Ah, I see that everyone is present'' Ran bowed to each of the four upon his arrival 'Please see to it that my sister and me are properly protected on this mission' The glory of slaying the captain could either go to all five of them or just to his sister as far as he was concerned.

The Jia sheep was a pure juggernaut, easily reaching the beach despite the massive amount of canonfire being shot at it. When the ship landed the infantry stormed out, supported by bender fire. The chaotic battlefield on the beach was enough to make sure no one noticed the small team going for the passages.

Jun pinched the bridge of his nose at the volume of the boy -- were all kids so loud when they got excited? -- but smiled despite himself at his enthusiasm. He remembered what it was like to be that age, when fighting was the only good thing in the world to look forward to. He never really grew out of it, though. Spirits, if he was even half as bad as the kid, how did his uncle put up with him?

"Yeah, something like that," he said, heading towards the door and the open clearing behind the inn, surrounded by trees. He'd seen it through a window the previous night and thought, half-drunkenly, that it would be a good place to 'share his knowledge'. As they reached it, Jun inhaled deeply.

"Right, so! Show me what you can make with that bending of yours," he continued cheerily, clapping his hands.

---

Suyin silently signalled for her teammates to follow her as she snuck off the boat, looking left and right then ducking behind the flames created by the infantry. It was one thing to be a non-bender from the Fire Nation, but he father would never allow her to shy away from fire. The tunnels were close -- very close -- if they followed the traditional layout of an old fort. Around the back, past the stone outer wall and--
Pirates, eight of them, stood around the tight cavernous entrance to the backdoor of the fortress. They didn't look particularly important, mere cannon fodder; the useless put on guard duty just in case someone did try and sneak in. Well, this was going to be fun, she thought, looking towards Sen and Lee.

''Oh, you wanna see what I can do?'' The smile on Jin's face became even bigger now the prospect of showing off came up ''Hehehe...if you insist''

With a stamp on the ground a good number of arrows made from earth rose from the ground which disappeared in Jin's arrow quiver 'And a one! hit! and a two! hit! and a three!'' Arrow after arrow narrowly missed Yun's ears again and impaled themselves in the tree behind him.

''And a twelve'' Jin swirled his arrow around before placing it on his bow ''Hit! But what if a nasty gets up close? well then I'l crush them using these!'' The remaining arrows were turned into a small hammer for Jin to use in close combat ''Time to ROCK!'' And it turned to be a ranged weapon as well. Jin could make rocks emerge from the ground by stamping on it just as any earth bender but if he shot them forward with hist fist he generally ended up breaking his fingers. This was where the hammer came in which Jin used to smash the rocks away at great speed.

---

''This doesn't look like it will trouble us to much'' Ran noted ''Genji, if you would be so kind to aid me we can eliminate at least four of them in one swoop'' There was one particular combo that could extend Genji's deadly strike from one to multiple persons.

''The usual it is then sir? Yes that can be done, allow me a few moments to compose myself'' Genji's single eye closed as the girl shut the rest of the world out. Ignoring the battle going on besides them and suppressing any emotion. When her single eye opened again it was filled with utter coldness ''Now then...'' Genji's fingers moved across the air in a manner similar to Jia zang's favorite technique.

The great amount of snow on the island worked in the favor of the pirates who employed a number of water benders....but also to the fire nation who had Ran among their ranks. swirling his arms around the snow turned into water and covered four pirates in a small dome of water.

''Goodbye'' Genji said with an uncanny calmness. Lightning left his finger and entered the dome, shocking everyone inside rather then the one person her bolt could hit without when firing on a person. When the lightning had left her fingers warmth entered her eye again.

Jun nodded in consideration. "Not half bad, kid," he said. "I reckon you're ready for a bit of rebel action as you are." That didn't mean he knew what to do in a proper fight as his meagre attempt at pickpocketing sure showed. However, the swordsman saw a problem already, or at least thought he did. A hammer made out of rock? Sure, for ranged attacks it would be fine, but real deadly melee?

"Come at me with the hammer," he ordered, sliding his sword only slightly out of its sheath so that the hilt could be pulled out swiftly. He cracked his knuckles, half-heartedly readying himself to either knock the hammer out of the thirteen year old's hands or break the handle of it off completely. Hastily created rock couldn't be that stable, could it? "You're about to get an impromptu lesson on how to deal with someone bigger than you. There's a lot of people like that."

He grinned, "I promise not to cut you, too."

---

Suyin was already on the ball just as Ran and Genji were completing a tandem water-and-lightning move to electrocute their enemies. Those out of range were left to the non-bender members of the squad. The general's daughter rushed to draw her bow and readied one of her barbed arrows, pausing for a deep, steadying breath. Already the farthest away, her target, had noticed her, shouted for one of his allies to charge her. She didn't pay them any mind. As the closest pirate's sword threatened to come down on her right side, she released her arrow and it flew straight into his stomach. He wouldn't be able to remove it, not without surgery.

Lee was there to intercept the other pirate's blade, ruthlessly crooked grin on his face. Contrary to popular belief, the snow didn't hamper his movements. Suyin knew he was from one of the Fire Nation's most northern islands, one where icy weather was more common than sunshine. "Don't play with your prey, Lee!" Suyin shouted cheerily. He saluted mockingly. As commanded, the swordsman quickly dispatched his own opponent, but not before disarming him, jabbing him with the hilt of his blade in a particularly dishonourable place and finally slicing upwards.

On first glance, Sen was nowhere to be found. Ordinarily a commander might expect desertion; however, she was too fast. Her own quarry was a earthbender, Suyin knew, though not a strong one. The girl was younger than she was and yet twice as agile, as flexible, as stealthy. Sen slipped around the back and nabbed him in the chi points to block them without so much as a noise.

The final one was running. Well now, Suyin thought wickedly. That's not allowed. A barbed arrow hooked itself into the man's leg to stop him from running, but not from crying out in pain. She turned to her brother who was already finished – he had no taste for blood sports. "Ran, time to head into the tunnels. Nice work, you and Genji both."

''There's a lot of people like that'' Jin mimicked, following it up by sticking his tongue towards that smug ''grown up'', if he was trying to bait Jin into hitting him with his hammer, preferable straight on the head then it was certainly working.

''Coming at you?'' Yet another devilish smirk appeared on the boy's face ''Hehehe sure, here I come!''

A thought had just occurred to Jin. He remembered a time from his childhood where he and the other village children engaged in these ''mudraces'' where they slided through streams of mud towards the finish. As an earthbender Jim imagined he could pull off something quite like that.

Before the boy charged with his hammer he seemed to bow to Jun, getting on his knees and letting his hands touch the ground. The path before Jin suddenly turned very muddy as if it had heavily rained on just that area.

''Coming!'' With his hammer raised Jin charged, letting himself slide over the mud to get a greater speed then someone would expect from a boy wielding a hammer.

---

''It was nothing out of the ordinary my lady'' Genji said in an attempt to come off as stoic but the lighting that had left her fingers clearly left the girl exhilarated.

''Hold'' Was the only word that came out of the mouth of a man wearing red robes. He walked past the siblings wasting no further looks or words to either of them ''Go'' the man said to the two birds that rested on his shoulders.

''Y-your going to scout the entrances for us aren't you Falco?'' Ran gulped, not quite knowing whether he should commend the idea or scold the man for addressing his sister, the leader of this operation with a mere ''hold''. A scolding certainly had to wait until those Falcons had entered the passages for they violently attacked anyone addressing their master in a way not to their liking.

As Suyin had already stated pirates were not the honorable sorts so the Falcons didn't take long to spot their next prey. A couple of pirates had hidden in the passages, no doubt to grab one of the squadmates from behind to use as hostages.

Ran nervously closed his eyes, only not holding his hands before his ears because it was undignified to do so. They all could clearly hear the sounds that, at best were those of men suddenly separated from they eyes by means of talons and beaks.

''Go'' Falco said, this time to his human companions.

Hmm, the speed's not so bad, Jun thought as his sort-of student transformed the earth into some sort of mudslide. It would throw off a Fire Nation soldier for sure, one who'd only been taught on metal floors and coastal sands. A guerilla fighting technique his uncle had taught him was, 'use the environment' and true enough, the kid did so, even if he had to manipulate it.

Still, the swordsman had fought earthbenders and firebenders and (on one, very drunken occasion) a waterbender before. He was no pushover, and he certainly wouldn't lose or worse draw his sword against the kid. A vein throbbed in his temple in irritation as he remembered that he had wanted the brat to come at him with the hammer, not his earthbending abilities.

Oh, well. He'd let it slide (literally). Jun sidestepped the muddy path and stuck a foot out.

---

Suyin's eyes sparkled as she watched Falco. Whoa, that was impressive. Even she had stopped to listen to his command. General Zhang -- Daddy -- would approve, especially if his daughter did. The strong, silent type made her want to giggle like a thirteen year old. With a nod and a brief half-smile in the falconer's direction, she headed into the narrow tunnels barely big enough for one person.

A few seconds later, she stowed her bow behind her back to save room in the chokepoint, drawing her throwing knives instead. Caves were no place for arrows flying around. Sen and Lee followed her first, fighting in hushed tones for who got to guard Suyin's back directly, then the others moved in. At more than one point they had to step over a corpse left by the birds, but true enough there were no enemies left as they approached the rickety wooden doorway presumably leading to the lowest dungeons of the fortress.

She shuddered to think of what pirates could use it for as she pushed open the door into a quiet, too quiet stone room without any furniture or chains whatsoever. Suyin beckoned the others in after her.

''Ha! what's the matter? Scared to meet me head o-aaaaaaaah! ouch! shaaarp!'' The cocky boy tripped over his opponents foot and flew through the air, landing right in someone's rose bushes ''Sorry miss Chen Ghen!'' He called through the window of the nearby house.

Jin rose up, spitting out a rose pellet that had landed in his mouth and removing some sharp thorns from his skin ''Y-you suck! What was that for! I thought you would teach me something there!'' The boy complained loudly ''Those things were sharp and I'm pretty sure those roses are be repaid with my allowance!''

Was this guy really out to teach him something or just to toss him into stuff as revenge for the failed theft ''That wasn't a combat move you just did there!'' He crossed his arms and pouted...which looked strangely endearing.

---

Ran shuddered. Did he just imagine that?....he DEFINITELY! just imagined that! His sister wouldn't fall for that bloodthirsty mute!

The caves were unfortunately largely devoid of snow so Ran would have to make due with two flasks of water. Inside interiors waterbenders often had to rely on the quality of their bending rather then the quantity of water near them. On his own that may have been a problem but now at least he had six people to fall back on, one of them being his beloved sister. Ran would be fine.

''Empty'' Genki noted ''This does not seem like a command cabin...is this a trap?''

''Near'' was all Falco said. The bird on his shoulder roared the way it normally did when an enemy was nearby.

''Okay, we have to be careful here'' Ran took a deep breath ''Sister, you and Sen should stay behind us, Genki, and Lee will take the front'' Suyin was an archer and Sen a lightweight meaning their best place was behind a good defensive line while Lee and Genki could be trusted to take the role of heavy hitters. Ran and Falco took place in the middle of the formation to assist Lee and Genki while also close enough the girls to step in should an enemy come to close.

Jun crossed his arms, letting the hilt of his sword fall back into place. He hadn't even needed it. "So dodging an attack isn't a combat move?" he asked rhetorically. "Imagine it wasn't a foot but a fist there, or worse a blade. What do you think would happen then?"

After surveying the still muddy patch of ground, he continued, "It might've worked – a strong emphasis on the might – if you make the ground under your opponent's muddy too. At least they won't be able to dodge as easily." In all honesty, it was the same style of complicated move he'd been prone to trying in his youth, the only difference being his uncle had been there to tell him if it was bad or not. "Now come at me again, no mudslides. I want to see how you use that hammer of yours close up."

"Or was I wrong in asking you to come take down the Fire Nation?" Maybe a little bit of bait would help smooth things over.

---

Suyin nodded, rubbing her gloved hands together to spark some warmth in them before moving to the back of the group. Sen was already waiting, twisting her pigtails around her fingers. "Sen! In and out tactics, you hear me? Benders only." The girl smiled cheerily in response. She wasn't completely upset about being placed in the back – that was where she belonged, after all – but she was worried about her brother being so close to the front. And Lee being there too... it made her nervous. She didn't like those she considered hers being placed into danger.

Falco would be fine though. Definitely.

"Onwards," she said quietly, gesturing to the nearest door that Lee opened fearlessly. The room was dark, incredibly so, and she found that she could only barely make out the shapes of old clothes and blankets that proved the pirates had been living there recently. "Watch your footing – we've encountered claw traps before as well as–" Lee let out a yell in alarm as he stumbled over a cracked bottle and Suyin's heart nearly stopped in panic. A few seconds later, she remembered where she was going and continued shakily, "Tripwires. Don't shout like that!"

She could hear the sound of murmuring coming from somewhere nearby when she realised they were closing in on the other edge of the room. "Nearly there..."

Jin still pouted. Could he still swap teachers somewhere done the line?

For some reason Jun's words irritated Jin. Sure he was young but he had seen the average fire nation grunt fight....it wasn't very well! It might be youthful arrogance but Jin considered himself good enough should it ever come down to it.

''Fine...as you wish'' Jin didn't even knew why he even tried, it was obvious he would have his blow deflected now that his ''very clever'' idea had been foiled. The boy raised his hammer and charged with a loud roar. No earth, no mudslides, just a simply charge like Yun asked.

---

The squad members could not see it but on the ceilings and upper part of the walls were small eye-holes for the pirates to look down on the intruders. It did not escape them the lighter members of the squad were placed on the back. If outnumbered those would be easier to take down then their more heavy comrades. The pirates considered it the wisest course of action to take them out one at a time, first the girls, then Ran and finally the physically toughest members.

The group was so focused on the tripwires below them that their attention to the other part of the surroundings suffered as a result. None of them noticed a two parts of the stone wall sliding open.
The pirates emerging from those two entrances moved quickly. One of them grabbed Suyin from behind and pulled her into the hole they had emerged from, covering her mouth to prevent her from warning her comrades. Another pirate did the same with Sen.

Once behind the other side of the wall the girls were confronted by three pirates in a closer range they were comfortable with.

"Wrong," Jun said as he grabbed the boy's wrist in a lightning-fast move and twisted with uncharacteristic gentleness, just enough to loosen his grip on the hammer. "Aim lower, you're reaching too far." A sly smirk spread across his face. "Knowing you, you might as well go for the kneecaps."

Plucking the hammer from the kid's hands, he continued. "Not bad though. Very fast -- probably enough so to take down a Fire Nation soldier, if they weren't expecting it. I'd teach you how to use a sword if you were interested in it -- and promised not to stab me." And introduced me to your sister, he added silently.

Carefully Jun inspected the earth-made weapon. "Hey... this isn't half-bad. You could make a mint selling these to the rebellion. Agni knows that arms are hard to come by--" The back of his neck began to prickle as he heard someone approaching, crunching rough gravel beneath their feet. Beardy (whose name Jun had forgot) was watching them.

---

Suyin was unable to call out as she was dragged backwards through the darkness, the leering faces of pirates above both her and Sen, who she could see was standing perfectly still. "General Zhang's daughter," one of them said, devolving into quiet muttering so she couldn't hear the rest of it. Sweat trickled down her forehead from the stifling heat of the underground room and she eventually could take no more.

She never had been a damsel in distress. She'd die a warrior.

Biting down on her captor's hand and elbowing him in the ribs mere seconds later, she managed to free her hands enough to pick one of her throwing knives out of her pocket and hold it to the man's throat threateningly. "You let us go, now, or I take your buddy's life," she said, voice cracking and betraying her nervousness. Sen's arms were bound tightly behind her back -- presumably they knew she was a chi-blocker and couldn't do anything while pinned down -- and Suyin knew they were not in a good position, even with their new hostage.

One of the pirates stared her down for a heartbeat, brow arched in a gesture that read 'oh, really?' before a wicked grin curled across his face. "Sound the alert. Let them begin the ambush. As for you two... I suspect your friends out there would do anything to save you." Soon, Suyin was back to being a captive, forced through a black maze into what she suspected was the Captain's Quarters. But who was the captain?

Outside in the stone room where the others were still unknowing of Suyin and Sen's kidnapping, the door they had been about to pass through opened, streams of light revealing their missing companions; however, there were more pressing matters to deal with. A group of five pirates, all looking as strong as a Fire Nation lieutenant, that waited out of sight for them to cross the threshold.

The gentleness was not lost on Jin who, had he been able to reach so high would have placed his hand on Jun's forehead to see if he didn't have a fever ''Okay, lower hits...and another comment about me being short...got it'' Jin nodded. When advise was sound, relatively nice and did not come with a beating Jin listened.

''I can't say I'm very interested in swords'' Jin shook his head and couldn't help but shudder. The thought of just running through a man didn't sit well with him, with a blunt object it was at least...cleaner, or that was what he hopped. Arrows certainly were to easiest because he would not have to look as an enemy died.

The fright of holding a sword was quickly replaced by gold coins emerging in Jins eyes ''Did you just say sell?'' He asked curious ''Do tell! I'm sure you ca....'' He stiffened, feeling a presence as well.

''So, the boy is an earthbender huh? And when were you planning on...argh'' Poor Magrus grabbed his old ears in pain when Jin's ''EPIC BEARD ALERT!'' filled the air.

''Argh...t-thank you lady'' The old man grumbled ''I would say your bending is more...whatever you just said my beard was, nice moves to...should you get experienced enough to properly use them''

---

Before being taken into the quarter Suyin and Sen where bound tightly to prevent them from lashing out to the captain.

Judging from his dark skin and green clothing the captain was a resident of the earth kingdom but that wasn't the first impression one would have of the man. The first observation one would make was that the captain was gigantic! Both his size and the shape of his face made him resemble a gorilla crosdressing as a person. His wrinkled face and reading glasses which looked ridiculous one a man his size gave him somewhat grandfatherly appearance should his size not intimidate you. Suyin of course did not know this but the captain's hair knot resembled that of a certain boy living in the earth kingdom.

''General Jia Zang's daughter, a pleasure to make meet you'' The captain said and not even as if he was mocking her ''Quite the pretty little ladies you brought me'' He smiled at the men dragging them in ''...touch them and lose your hand'' he warned coldly. He had the girls at his mercy but being being a monster about it served little use, being a pirate didn't make mistreating prisoners any more rewarding then more legitimate soldiers. This captain had his code and followed it faithfully.

A bit of sympathy could be seen behind the captain's glasses ''Quite the warrior girl you are...I suppose that must make this somewhat humiliating but rest assured, your not here because you are a woman, we took you two simply because you were out of your companion's sight....don't let anyone tell you this would be a reason you don't belong in the warrior world my girl''

''But....'' Two other pirates in the room walked towards the girls with cloth's in their hands to gag them ''You shall serve as our bait and...should your friends oppose me our hostages. I do apologize but it is not me who brought war to this island'' The pirates tied the cloths around the girls mouths ''Put them in sight and hide your presence'' he told his five strongest soldiers.

---

Ran did hear two muffled yelps but when he realized what they meant it was already to late, when Ran looked around his sister and Sen were gone
''Sister! S-suyin!'' Immediately the adopted heir started to panic. How could he lead without Suyin? His sister wasn't only his source of strength and confidence but also his legitimacy as a commander. Who would follow a waterbender? an enemy.
Genji looked sadly at the frantic boy. They all were more loyal to him that he gave himself credit for. It was annoying and in opposition to protocol but Genji took over the command of the squad. She was an experienced and tactical soldier so if anyone had to lead it may as well be her.
Long did the group walk, evading the traps and fighting to occasional pirate until they reached a metal door and when it opened Ran just froze.

On the other side sat his sister bound and gagged ''SISTER!''
Ran of course noticed and worried for Sen, who had always been kind to him as well but his sister had the priority. He had to keep her safe from harm, he had to free her before something happened to her.
Ran possessed full knowledge this was a trap but his body acted on his own. He ran toward his endangered sister as fast as he could.

Jun laughed heartily at the bearded man, wincing slightly himself with the brat's extremely loud voice. As it was, he wasn't particularly sorry about the big reveal of his new trainee's abilities. It was even more anticlimactic than his own had been! At least there was no throwing knives or swords or screamed obscenities about the Fire Nation monsters.

"Maybe a staff, then? Ooh, or a spear," he murmured in low tones to the kid, continuing their earlier discussion. Weapons were only fun when a live edge was involved. "And yeah, I can see it now -- Earthbender Arms -- finest wares in the land..."

Finally turning towards Magrus, he grinned. "I told you he'd be worthwhile, right? So long as you don't get him killed on his first mission out there. It can be rough." Really the whole ominous thing was unnecessary; however, Jun just liked to tease and scare. "Where are we heading to anyway, boss? An' what are we doing? A hit? Sabotage? Arson?"

---

Suyin listened to the captain -- bound and gagged as she was she had few other choices -- but was preoccupied with worry for the fate of her brother. Oh, how she wished she had been born a firebender. All she would have to do is flame up the ropes and there she would be, done. It would be up to Ran's team to get them out since her own was strictly weapons only, no fire or water or earth involved.

"SISTER!"

The loud exclamation prompted her to look up from glaring a hole in the tile floor with wide-eyed surprise. A muffled sound of horror was all she could let out as she tried her best to signal, 'no, no you idiot, it's a trap' with her eyes alone. It was not enough. Two of the five pirates hidden from plain view seized Ran by the arms and pulled him into the side, leaving her to see only Genji, Lee and Falco. They surely couldn't beat the pirates by themselves.

It was Lee who first sheathed his sword, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. He seemed to hiss something to Genji that sounded like, "We have no choice." Suyin had never seen him looked so stressed. To the pirates in the room, now that everyone was painfully aware of their presence, he said, "Hey... look, we can still walk away from this. You give us ours and we -- don't take out any more of yours, I don't know..."

Ah, Lee. His attempt at diplomacy would have been funny if it wasn't so life-threatening. Suyin almost let out a panicked bark of laughter.

''Take out! Sabotage! not so fond of arson because...you know fire nation but COOL!'' Jin happily chaired, jumping up and down like the exited kid he was ''And don't worry! I won't die! I'm the good guy after all! with a sister worth fighting for!''

The Trident bearded commander looked at Jun in despair....deafness would come early it seemed ''Um...yes sabotage...in a way that will blow the entire place up'' Two red pieces of armor were tossed before the two.

''Eeeeew! Y-you can't me to dress in that!'' Jin said disgusted ''Those are fire nation uniforms!''

''If you know any other way to enter the fire nation fort and blow it up then do share'' He simply shrugged ''I trades some....services to aquire the devices needed to blow up the fortress from the inside...its getting them there that's the problem'' The man stroke his beard ''I spend a lot of time pondering, I could do it myself but I'l blow my cover...but now that you are here, the enemy does not know your face...unlike my overeager comrades and the boy...well the fire nation likes their soldiers very young'' As long as they died for him Azulon wasn't picky about his soldiers.

---

Ran hated seeing his poor sister like this. She was the though one, the one that had always taken care of him...if anything she was HIS knight in shiny armor. Ran would have given a lot to swap places with his sister, as long as she was out of danger he didn't care how he fared ''Please don't fear Suyin, I'm going to get you out of here'' Ran knelt down to work on her ropes ''I-i wo-ah!'' suddenly the water bender felt himself grabbed by his arms...his arms! If he couldn't move those he couldn't bend. And now the pirates had three captives.

''I don't know?'' The captain repeated somewhat amused ''But I do...lay down your arms and the girls go free...once we have our ransom for those two. Jia Zang will pay quite the amount for his daughter''

For a moment Ran stopped desperately trying to reach his sister ''....I'm male'' Another day another man sincerely believing Ran was a girl.

''I don't know?'' Genji was rather less amused ''Fortunately I know...FALCO!''

''Unhand...'' Falco looked across the room. The falcon's would need time freeing the girls from their restraints while freeing Ran was merely a mater of unleashing his friends on the men holding him ''The boy''

As soon as the Falcon's clawed those restraining his hands Ran shot the water he held in his drinking bottles with such speed it blew both of them against the wall. The pirates standing behind the girls to strike should the group not surrender were baffled about the birds sudden attack which made them miss the two lightning bolts hitting them. For now Ran was free to rejoin the battle and the girls at least weren't in close range of the pirates weapons anymore....but there would still needed to be fought.

"That's the spirit, kid," said Jun proudly, a sly smile on his face -- or at least, it was on his face before the set of Fire Nation armor landed near his feet. His reaction strangely mirrored Jin's with a childish, "Ew."

He'd only had to wear a Fire Nation uniform once before and that was to sneak in on the firebending lessons in the military base; he swore never to again. It was too clunky, inflexible, and trying to swing a sword in it was horrible. Jun sighed, knowing he had no choice in the matter, ruffling the kid's hair with a, "Sorry, guess we have to wear them."

"Where are we going and where are we placing the charges?" he asked Beardy. "And considering we're taking Kid along, we can't really complain about the Fire Nation liking their baby soldiers."

---

Sensing an opportunity, Suyin rocked her chair towards the wall, hitting her head against it with a bit more force than intended; however, it did get the job done, displacing her heir's crown from her ponytail and sliding it down her back into her bound hands. Father's survival training was useful for something, then. she thought, sawing through the ropes with the sharp edge of the fire emblem. Almost... almost...

There! In one swift move her bindings loosened and she pulled her spare throwing knife out of her boot from where she had been using it to scratch an itch. Cutting through Sen's was easier than expected and the chi blocker leapt into action, pigtails a-twirling in irritation. If there was one thing Suyin knew Sen to hate it was being trapped.

Around the same time, her faithful soldier and part-time bodyguard Lee charged to the girls' defense, blocking a flurry of attacks from the pirate almost ready to turn and recapture them. The swordsman bought them enough time to get back on their feet and Sen slipped behind him with a few well-placed jabs to the kidneys. All three -- Suyin, Sen and Lee -- backed up closer to the single exit from the room defensively as the archer grabbed her bow. "Tactical retreat!" she shouted.

As good as her squad was, they couldn't take out a team of equally -- if not better -- skilled pirates on their home turf; especially when they had long range and destructive soldiers on their side -- a small room like the one they were trapped in would be a nightmare.

The hair ruffling was not lost on Jin...was this a new thing? The boy hadn't expected a gesture of affection from his mentor

''Just follow me and pretend I'm your senior officer'' Magrus told the two. With his own fire nation uniform he had easy access to most forts in the surrounding area.

''Which you are right? He is your boss right Jun?'' Jin asked ''Which would make him my boss when I officially join....if the pay is nice''

''I shall say this to the both of you'' Magrus said ''We are not in it for the money but to see justice prevail....but rest assured that any debt collected would....vanish should they bother one of our members''

''Well that just sounds like justice'' Jin giggled. He didn't mind at all if those mean people pestering his sister disappeared....just as long as they did not die ''In any case we should chance behind these bushes....me first!''

''What a cheery lad'' Magrus smiled ''Your not manipulating the boy are you...boy?'' the bearded man asked Jun ''I would have...in the past'' a somewhat saddened look appeared om Magrus face ''So trust me when I say in aint worth it, tell the lad of the dangers and then give him the choice once more''

---

Ran sighed in relief, his stress ebbing away and his confidence returning. Now that was his sister, always finding ways to solve though situations. He shot her a grateful look before retreating with her. To aid in their escape Ran used his signature bending, controlling the water in his flask into making them hot to the boiling point and fire them any pirate daring to come closer.

''Tactical you say? Strategic I'd say'' The captain said calmly. The idea of them being able to retreat had been planned for and the tactical retreat would be answered with a strategic chase ''Haaaaargh!'' The gigantic man slammed his equally gigantic fists on the ground to send a wave of stalagmites and crumbling floor towards the squad. Once that attack had crushed them the pirates could easily move in to seize them all.

''O-oh no! Everyone! stay back!'' Genki moved her hands around in various poses, any warmth disappeared from her eyes ''This fortress is old....please be old enough'' A lighting bolt was shot at the ceiling which caused it to crumble before her, not only shielding them all from the attack but preventing the pirates from giving chase as well...until the earth bending captain destroyed the rocks in his way.