“Oof!” Avani grunted as she was hit by something moving fast and thrown on her back. She searched for Ryuu, fearing that he may already be a lost cause, but her best friend was still standing on his own two legs, having returned to fighting the goo. Mio was rushing to pull him out of there as well. Avani smiled slyly when she realized what had hit her. “I just knew you were a top, Kasai.” She said to the firebender currently on top of her. It was no time for jokes, and yet the loss of blood she was suffering made her feel dizzy and more at ease than she should be. “I do like this position, but this is not really the moment I would pick.” Avani ran a couple of fingers along Kasai’s arm. “Unless you have given up and want this to be your last experience in life, in which case, I am surprisingly cool with that.” She was about to brush Kasai’s hair out of her face, when the firebender got back up on her feet and pulled Avani with her. “Oh good, I thought it was a bit too early to surrender.” She noticed that her own coat had been undone as a bad temporary bandage from her arm, and it hadn’t stopped the bleeding. “I feel like I may pass out soon.” Ryuu knew he had suffered a significant wound by the black spear that had gone through his stomach, but he kept on fighting, thinking that if he could not defeat the black tar then he could at least give the others a chance to retreat to a safe distance. His main concern was not for himself, but for Mio who tried to break through the blackness and reach him. “Fall back with the others, Mio…” He shouted and clenched his teeth as he felt a pain flare through his body. “I can’t just leave you to…” Mio didn’t want to say it, but she knew they were both thinking it. “Do it!” He ordered her as another spear went through him. “I will burn this demon away.” The firebender channelled more fire than he’d ever done before, knowing it would have most likely put his own life in danger back then. Now he kind of suspected he had nothing left to lose. It wasn’t long before his arms and his body appeared as if they were on fire. He plunged into the midst of the black spirit, forcing it to actually retreat and recoil in pain. There was a bright light filling the area in his wake, and it was the last thing anyone was able to see of him. Mio finally gave in, shot herself backwards quickly with her airbending and came to a halt a distance away from where the tar was. She didn’t bother moving any more than that. What was the point? Avani watched her childhood friend die, sacrificing himself to stop her mistake from defeating them all. If she hadn’t been a goof… She felt as if one of those spears had pierced her heart and torn it out of her body. She wasn’t one to cry normally, but she didn’t hide the tears streaming down her face at that moment. At first it seemed as if Ryuu had managed to kill it, but soon enough what was left of it began to bubble as if boiling, then split into a number of smaller spirits with wings. Mio was one of the first to be assaulted by them, and did her best to fight them. She was knocked out when one of them dove into her head, making her go limp and falling into a pile on the ground. Two of the flying spirits picked up her unconscious form and carried it off in the direction of the corrupted skies. Avani’s tears were clouding her eyes, so when one of the winged spirits swooped for her she wasn’t able to see it. It also meant she wasn’t able to see the slope in front of her which she had been stumbling towards. Instead of getting hit by the winged spirit, she tripped and rolled down the slope. When she came to a stop at the bottom she let out a weak groan of pain, mostly because of her damaged arm, as the real pain she felt was emotional and unaffected by the state of her body.

"You have definitely lost too much blood." Kasai's face was flushed, not expecting the caress that Avani had provided before they rose again. She shook her head and pushed the lump in her throat away, focusing next on how to make it out of this horrid situation. She kept one arm on Avani as she noticed that the young woman was not too steady on her feet at all. In fact, she was afraid she might drop dead right there. "Whoa now, crazy pants, take it easy." Kasai's eyes hastily scanned the area to make sure there were no more spears of black headed their way at the moment. She looked around, trying to locate her friends in the mess of black. Kieron was slowly stepping back, taking one step back after each sheet of rock he would send flying at the tentacles. She spotted Barron further into the liquid, he had turned the water from his pouch into sharp ice appendages on his arms, slicing through the waves of tar. She turned her attention when she heard Ryuu shout out, and soon she saw a bright flash of light from where he had been. It was unlike anything she'd seen before, a mighty combustion that he used as his last attack on the monster. Kieron had retreated to stand at Kasai's side, but Barron was nowhere to be seen. After the last light faded from the burning glow, he could be spotted with his head down and shoulders heaving heavily. "Barron! Are you crazy? We need to get out of here!" Kieron shouted, and took a step forward to retrieve his friend. But as soon as his foot hit the ground, the monster began to come to life again, a mixture this time of bubbling tar and winged creatures that had emerged from the bulbous center. Kieron stopped and gaped, then looked back to Barron. "Get them out of here, Kieron!" Barron shouted over his shoulder. He drew in a deep breath and then wasted no time in sprinting forwards towards the center of the tar monster. He stopped a few feet away and concentrated his bending with all of the strength he had left in him, using his waterbending to move the goo monster as if he were blood bending it. The bulging center quaked as he restricted it and controlled it with his entire being. Flying spirits still escaped the top of the sac, but the tar recessed into a large blob, shaking as it fought against Barron. He grit his teeth and screamed as he held it back. The whole thing appeared to be working until Barron's arms and legs began to quiver under the strain. Slowly, slivers of black tar slipped out from the blob, until all at once, the entire entity came cascading towards Barron, swallowing him up without a trace. Kasai let out a scream, falling to her knees as she watched her friend and colleague disappear into a sea of black. Kieron blinked away hot tears, but remained on his feet. He quickly glanced around, watching the small air bender being taken away as winged spirits began to swarm the sky. "Kas, get up. We have to get out of here." He pulled her up, but she was stumbling forwards. Kieron's eyes searched for Avani, and he caught a glimpse of her as she disappeared over the hill. He grunted as he picked Kasai up and ran over and down the ledge, with flying spirits swooping at them every few seconds. When he was close enough, he tossed Kasai towards Avani and used his last remaining seconds to build a thick wall of stone all around the two girls, forming a protective tent from the flying creatures. Just as he placed the last wall up, he held his hand out towards Kasai and waved to her, his face holding back the fear that he felt as a spirit swooped down and grabbed him, dragging him off into the distance. Kasai cried out again. Everyone she knew and cared about was now dead or as good as it. The sound of wings batting against the rock wall could be heard from within the dark tent, and Kasai realized Avani was lying next to her on the ground, her arm was still bleeding heavily. "Shit," she crawled over and rolled Avani on her back, looking at her arm. "Don't you dare quit on me now kid, we have unfinished business." She looked around, hoping one of them had been holding onto their packs, but there was no such luck. She searched her coat and trouser pockets, finding only a hand full of gauze from a blister earlier in the day. "This'll have to do then..." She unraveled the crumpled fabric and carefully wrapped it around Avani's arm, making just enough for one layer around her forearm. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to stop the bleeding, but everything that she had witnessed was too much for her to keep bottled up inside this time. She kept pressure on Avani's arm, knowing that it must be hurting quite a bit. "Please, don't punch me..." she said, her voice cracking. The sounds of spirits hitting their shelter was soon drowned out by Avani's suffering as Kasai heated flame in her hand and applied it to Avani's arm, where the bandages did not cover the most severe wounds. She was careful to only apply the small torch-like flame to the gashes in her flesh, cauterizing the wound and stopping the profuse bleeding, but it was difficult with the amount of pain Avani must be enduring. Cautiously, she finished and breathed out in relief that the worst part was over.

Avani was barely aware that something rolled into her, and that the earth shifted around where she lay. She recognized Kasai’s voice, but said nothing in response. Maybe if they hadn’t been so focused on each other Ryuu would still be here. That just made her wonder where Mio was. Had she failed so badly at protecting her own team that the only one left was the damn sergeant…? When Kasai begged her to not punch her, and began to see to Avani’s arm she considered crushing them both within the rock shelter. She heard something crashing repeatedly into the walls of their shelter, and figured it was the spirit that had killed her friends. She’d kill that first. Avani moved so that her feet were touching the earth, which made her able to feel the immediate area around them. She only had strength to make some improvements to their shelter though, so she added more earth on top of them, turning it into long spikes, which impaled the spirits trying to break in, and a few holes only large enough to let in air. As she felt the fire burn the flesh of her right arm, she grabbed Kasai’s shoulder with her left hand and squeezed it. Avani was angered and confused by this woman. She was partly the reason the others were dead. It would be easier to blame her entirely, but then she’d be nothing but a coward and a weakling herself. On the other hand, just a moment ago she’d confessed to wanting to do things with her that she’d rarely considered doing with other women. Part of her still did. Kasai’s personality was quite bewitching. Most would have been threatened by Avani’s larger stature, physical demeanour, or her criminal background. Kasai hadn’t even left the mission to her, even when she’d used a few dirty tricks to get her to do so. Avani let go of the smaller woman’s shoulder, fearing she may break it just by trying to endure the pain she was burning into her wounded arm. She hoped that if they got out of this situation, she’d be able to control herself better and that Kasai wouldn’t mention what she had said to her earlier. Yet she had to close her eyes, bite her lower lip and grab onto a rock to keep herself from lashing out at Kasai every time she put the flame on her arm. Eventually, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to punch her like she’d suggested or bite on the other woman’s lips instead of her own, in a rather violent kiss. Her gaze bore into Kasai’s face as the thoughts passed through her head. She passed from conscious state into a disturbed sleep when Kasai let up on inflicting pain on her. No pain would hopefully disturb her, but at least she seemed to be healing. She muttered a lot of incoherent words loudly, but those one would be able to make out included the names of her lost friends and Kasai. Her voice was fierce and powerful at times, and then weak and grieving. In the moments she was awake, she remembered past moments with her friends and how this had started out as any normal day, but now Ryuu was dead and Mio was who knew where. After an amount of time that felt like hours, but could be shorter, she regained some kind of semblance of sanity. Avani found Kasai still next to her, not like the firebender had much choice when they were trapped in a shelter made of earth. She checked her arm and found that it had stopped bleeding. It looked awful, scarred and singed, but at least she could still move it a little. She doubted she’d be able to use it for anything any time soon. Well, if she was going to brag about how good she was with her feet she should start living up to it. “Thanks.” She said to Kasai, keeping it short lest she say something else she’d regret. Avani used her feet to check the area for any nearby spirits or humans, but found nothing. She decided to open up their shelter so that they at least had an exit if they wanted to leave, but remained lying on her back, staring at the rocks above her.

As Kasai sat next to Avani in the small shelter that had been built around them, she could not help but let her mind wander. As the woman next to her tossed and turned in her sporadic sleep, Kasai watched her. Part of her wanted to comfort her, but for what reason, she didn't know. Avani had been nothing but a thorn in her foot since the mission began, and yet Kasai found her oddly intriguing. Instead, she let her be as she were, twitching and grumbling as she drifted in and out of a lucid state. Kasai looked down at her foot, which she just remembered was injured. Funny how the brain can forget physical pain in the presence of emotional agony. Her foot was gnarled and torn from where the goo monster had stolen her boot right from her leg. She cringed as she picked pieces of dirt and debris from it in an effort to clean it up a bit. The rest of the time, her mind traveled. The scene of Barron being swallowed by a sea of black replayed in her mind, preventing her from resting at all. When she wasn't thinking about that, she thought about how Kieron had sacrificed himself to make sure she was safe. If only she could have reached out and pulled him into the rock tent with them... Hot tears ran down her face, and she sniffled. She wiped her face with what was left of her mangled sleeve and rested her head and arms on her knees. After about an hour, she had allowed herself to close her eyes and rest. She dreamed of memories from days long past. A movie of her life with her friends played out in her mind, beginning when she was a young teenager training at the pro-bending gym where she met Kieron. From there, they grew very close and ended up forming their own team together, fighting side by side for many years, until Kasai decided to join the police. That was where Barron entered her life, he was one year her senior, and was going through the officer training program with her. They became friends only after they had been competitors, each fighting to be the best in their class and earn the top spot. But this drew them together instead of apart, and they were soon comrades at the PD, where they worked together and made sure they were on the same assignments. Kasai's short rest was disrupted when Avani yelled out, causing her to jerk her head up from where it rested on her knees and look around frantically. When she realized it was only words from an unconscious woman, she let out a sigh of relief. Rubbing her eyes, she stared at the rock wall that lay before her. The calmness was almost ironic. After a few hours, Avani returned to consciousness. She stirred for a moment and then thanked Kasai with a brief utterance of the word. Kasai nodded once and looked at her arm, "You're welcome." She began to think again of Barron, how he was a waterbender and waterbenders could heal people with their bending. If only he were here... tears welled up in her eyes again, but she clinched her jaw and refused to let them fall. As a wall came down from their shelter, she looked out to see it was significantly later in the afternoon. Well, what would be afternoon, if time worked the same as it did in the physical world. Kasai stood and walked towards it, turning her head over her shoulder. "I'll be right back." She walked out of the tent and up the small hill to where the battleground was. Whatever that monster was, it was now gone. Only streaks of black remained as a ghost of what had been there only hours before. Kasai scanned the area, and thanked the spirits when she saw a pack lying on the ground. She grabbed it and returned to the rock shelter, sitting down beside Avani again. "Here, you need this. In more ways than one." She handed her a canteen full of water that she had retrieved from the bag and gave a half smile. "Might help your arm out a little, as well as dehydration." She motioned towards her singed arm and then continued looking through the pack, checking what supplies they would have to survive on for now.

“I’ll be fine without you.” She scoffed, but caught herself watching Kasai’s behind as the woman left their shelter. Avani thought about leaving Kasai to fend for herself when she could not hear her anymore. It was no more than she deserved, but when she came back with water for her she felt a tinge of guilt for thinking that way. Besides, Avani would be no better off alone at this point than Kasai. When she moved to take the canteen from Kasai their hands touched, but Avani forced herself to ignore the warmth she felt and hoped Kasai wouldn’t notice it on her face. “Thanks.” She muttered again. Avani drank some of the water, then poured a fair bit onto her arm. She groaned in a mixture of pleasure and pain as the cool water hit her damaged arm, and quickly put her left hand over her mouth to cover up the involuntarily noise she’d made. The silent atmosphere between them was already inspiring these kind of thoughts and actions, she didn’t need to contribute to it herself. She rose to a sitting position and leaned her back against the rock wall. She sat like that for a long moment, considering what her next course of action should be. She knew Ryuu was dead now, but could Mio be saved from whatever danger she had ended up in? Avani wanted to believe there was a chance she could rescue Mio, but she was weak at the moment and for every hour that passed it would be less likely that Mio was found alive if the spirits were this hostile to humans. They hadn’t finished the mission either. She honestly didn’t care whether they did or not. Avani would let Republic City burn if she could get Ryuu back. Such thoughts were meaningless, but it made her feel a little better about their complete and utter failure. Avani poked at her singed and scarred right arm with the fingers of her left hand. If she did get out of this world alive, back through the portal to Republic City, then she figured she would get a tattoo to cover up the horrible damage. She’d never wanted a tattoo before, but she’d had no reason to ruin her beautiful skin and body. Now it would be a work of art to cover up something worse, something she’d be reminded of every time she looked at it. They could probably make it look like a dragon wrapped around her arm – a dragon devouring a pig. She glared at Kasai as the last thought passed through her head. “I guess this is the result you get when you refuse to listen to your betters, right Kasai?” Avani whispered through clenched teeth, feeling the anger building within her. She’d sworn to control her anger and emotions better though, so instead of saying anything more she stood up by supporting herself against the wall and walked out of the shelter. Avani couldn’t see or sense any more of the corrupted spirits. She sighed in relief. She kind of wanted to turn around and apologize for what she’d just blurted out in anger, but too proud to do that she kept walking. She didn’t get far before she felt the light-headedness return, and staggered, reaching out for something to grab onto but failing to find something she created a rock pillar to balance herself on.

Kasai merely nodded as Avani thanked her again, realizing that it was more of a minor recognition than an actually expression of gratitude. Kasai sighed and rummaged through the pack she found. There were several food items, which meant this must have been one of the other team's bags. She found a few bandages and gauze, as well as two more canteens of water and a map of the forest they were in before entering the portal. Kasai took some of the gauze and tended to her foot, covering up the worst parts in more of an effort to keep the wounds clean more than anything. She contemplated removing her other boot, but decided to leave it on. One banged up foot was enough, she didn't need the other one getting torn up by underbrush and thorns too. Kasai looked up when Avani groaned, but soon ignored it, knowing the cool water must be quite a relief on her wounds. She turned her attention back to the supplies and realized they were now without a radio. Even if they could get back to the spirit portal and back to the physical world, they would have a ways to go before they could find help if they needed it. She grumbled and closed her eyes to try and cease the stress that was building, her mind wandering again to her last image of Kieron. He was dragged off by the spirits, not killed. Or at least, not that she had seen. Kasai made a silent commitment then to look for her friend before attempting to leave the spirit world. The mission no longer mattered. What mattered was finding her lifelong friend. She opened her eyes when she heard Avani whispering, and her brow furrowed as her expression grew to disgust when the hateful comment left Avani's lips. Kasai watched as she stood and walked out of the shelter, not bothering to pay her any more attention. Her focus was instead aimed at not tearing his girl's, who she just saved, head off. Kasai sat there brooding, but with each passing moment the comment gnawed at her. Finally, she stood up and went after Avani. Kasai found her several yards away, and as she approached her she noticed that she had to build herself a rock to keep herself from falling over. This time, instead of checking to make sure she wasn't going to pass out again, Kasai walked up behind her and grabbed her good arm. She pulled her backwards and spun her around so that she could look her in the eye when she spoke, no more over the shoulder comments. "You know what? Blame me. Blame me for it all if you want." Kasai stared into Avani's eyes with a fiery essence in her own. "But don't be so naive to think that I'm the enemy here. I could've let you bleed out, or I could've let you suffer the same fate as your friend did. But I didn't." She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out before looking back at Avani, "I saved you."

She could feel Kasai approaching from behind, but waited to see what the woman was going to do before reacting. Avani was spun around and came face to face with Kasai. Too close. Kasai was too damn close to Avani now. She could even smell her at this distance. She was spellbound by the fire in her eyes as she spoke. It didn’t come as any surprise to Avani what her reaction was to Kasai’s invasion of her personal space, and frankly she didn’t care what the little cop would think of it. With her left hand, she grabbed a hold of the back of Kasai’s head and hair, pulled her closer to her and kissed her on the lips. Avani closed her own eyes, enjoyed the forceful kiss and tried to slip her tongue past Kasai’s lips into her mouth. “I know” Avani said, once she’d stopped, but she didn’t let go off Kasai’s head. “I don’t have any medal to give you, Lady Sergeant.” She’d quite enjoyed the feel of Kasai’s lips and the expression on her face after she’d kissed her once, so naturally she did it twice. This time she got her tongue past her lips though, greeted Kasai’s tongue with her own and lingered like that for longer than the initial kiss had lasted. Avani let go off her hold on Kasai afterwards and turned her back towards her. “I doubt many would consider saving my life a good deed either, so I guess you lucked out this time. No promotion or reward for you.” “I’m going to find and save Mio, if there’s even a slim chance she’s alive. You may actually receive a reward for saving her. You know, since she’s a rare airbender.” Avani laughed mockingly, then began to move again. She walked slowly, both to let Kasai get the supplies and catch up if she planned on doing so, but also because she felt unsteady on her feet. Avani picked up a long branch she found on the ground, removing any smaller branches and leaves on it to turn it into a walking stick. She realized she did not know if the direction she had been heading was the one they had come from, or if her friend was likely to be that way. The corrupted sky could not be seen through the foliage of the forest. Avani had to admit her mistake to herself, but could at least blame it on the loss of blood making it harder to think rationally. She returned to their shelter, now able to move a bit faster thanks to the walking stick she had created. “So I guess I do not know which way we came from, laugh all you want.” She said to Kasai when she had returned to the shelter. “I suppose…” She swallowed what she’d been about to say, but what choice did she have? “I suppose… Um, maybe it would be for the best if we put our differences aside and worked together to find Mio…?” That had been a lot harder to ask than she had imagined it would be. It occurred to her then that maybe Mio wasn’t the only one that may have survived. What about the two guys on Kasai’s team? Well, now she’d already asked for her help, and there was no way to pretend like she hadn’t without looking like a tool herself.

Kasai had started to open her mouth to say more to Avani about how she needed to stop acting childish and quit being so bipolar with her actions, but before she could even finish the thought process, she felt Avani grab the back of her head and pull her the short distance forward until their lips pressed together in a powerful motion. Kasai's eyes grew wide and she stood there, stiffened and in shock at what was taking place. Yet still, she did not move away. There was something about it that was as electrifying as it was terrifying. But Kasai didn't know how to react other than to stand there awkwardly as she tried to snap out of her phase. At the last second, she allowed her body to relax, letting the tension drain away. When Avani pulled away, Kasai was left with a dumbfounded expression on her face, but she looked up at her with the same fire in her eyes that had been there before. However, this time it was there for a different reason. "I, uh, I didn't, uh-" she was lost for words, and her face felt hot with embarrassment. Her misery was soon terminated when she was kissed again, but her reaction was calmer this time. She didn't stiffen at Avani's touch, but instead she felt herself press closer. Thoughts raced through her head though. Five minutes ago this woman was sassing Kasai and blaming her for the death of her friends, but then what prompted this? And why did it excite Kasai instead of repulse her? She had never thought of such actions with a woman before, but now she was embracing it. Avani pulled away and turned her back, rambling on again about Kasai's status as a cop. "I didn't do it for a reward, that's not why I'm here." Though still, she figured they had a better chance of finding the airbender, as well as Kieron, if they traveled together. Not to mention the unfamiliarity of the spirit world and the fact that they were the last remaining members of two teams on this task force. Kasai returned to the shelter to grab the supplies that she managed to scavenge from the battle area and put everything back into the bag she found as well. Avani soon approached, walking stick in hand. Kasai looked up and slung the bag over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at her and donning a perplexed expression. "So you're telling me, that you think we should put our differences aside and work together." She laughed to herself a little. "You're telling me this after shoving your tongue down my throat?" She laughed again because the situation was funny to her. She found it amusing how they had had that moment and then Avani was back to acting like they were competitors again. "Are you bipolar? I think you might be bipolar." She grinned and pulled the map out of the bag and opened it up, calculating where they were and the estimated direction they should take. "Alright, let's put our differences aside then. Looks like we need to head west." She pointed to a place on the map and made a mental note. "I think my friend might be there too. Or at least, I can hope..." She put the map up and then walked out of the shelter, making sure to walk slow enough so that Avani could move effectively. She felt like they should probably talk about what happened, other than making a joke at it like she had a few moments ago, but she kept quiet and tried to navigate through the forest towards their destination.

Avani smirked and rolled her eyes as Kasai laughed and made her funny comments about what had transpired, and what Avani had done. This was the reason she had been so hesitant about even suggesting she needed Kasai in the first place. Apparently she couldn’t have her body react one way while her mind thought something else. “Well, Well. Who is the naïve one now?” Avani scoffed. “Just because I find your body attractive doesn’t mean I have to like you or anything. You invaded my personal space.” That was not entirely true either, but she would prefer it if that was what Kasai thought. She had her reasons for hating and despising Kasai, for one she was a little cop. Secondly, she’d been a distraction since they began this mission. Lastly she had refused to listen to Avani when she had told her to return home. She did find her physically attractive though, and she admired her stubbornness and refusal to be pushed around. “No, I’m not freaking bipolar.” Avani muttered, and then went on to mutter something else about typical straight girls below her breath. If she’d said it louder, they may have started to fight again. That would have been a bit of a shame when at least Avani had put her pride aside so they could find their friends faster, even if Kasai hadn’t and had instead mocked her for it. She was surprised when Kasai pulled out a map and pointed at a spot on it, saying they should head west. “Wait, where did you get a map of the spirit world from?” Avani supposed it wasn’t impossible that someone had come here before them to survey the area and create a map, but she hadn’t heard anything about it. She decided she’d steal it from Kasai once they had returned to Republic City. She wasn’t sure why she had assumed they were the first to enter this particular part of the spirit world. Avani followed Kasai in silence. She was happy that the firebender had finally gone silent. She liked resting her eyes on Kasai’s behind, and while she may have made it less obvious that she was admiring her before she didn’t try to hide it now, almost hoping that Kasai would catch her in the act of staring. “You know, even if I did shove my tongue down your throat as you say, you were certainly very welcoming to it.” She said after they had walked in silence for a long time, then she coughed and grinned. “Do you think I missed how you pressed yourself against me the second time? I guess I can’t blame you for wanting to knock me over, as you’re aware that I have problems standing and walking at the moment. This may be the only time you’d get to experiment without anyone else ever finding out about it, right?” Avani laughed loudly and heartily. “Tell you what, Lady Sergeant. If we ever get back to Republic city, give me a couple days to heal up and then you can come for a special visit. I swear on the spirits that I won’t tell a soul about how hungrily you’d eye me with that fire in your eyes or that we would have spent the whole day in bed. Actually, if I’ve regained my strength by then I could hold you up.” She laughed so hard that she had to pause in her tracks and catch her breath. “Trust me, just like you wouldn’t want anyone to find out you were into me, I wouldn’t want anyone to find out I was attracted to someone like you.” That last part was a lie, or it was a lie now that Ryuu was dead. He was the only one whose opinion she’d cared for. She wanted to protect herself though, from the pain and mockery that she feared Kasai had in store for her if they got too involved with each other. Straight girls could be a horrible temptation in a way. Look but don’t touch, or you will get your heart stomped on.

Kasai had a smug look on her face while Avani attempted to defend herself, all the while walking carefully through the forest and attempting to catch a glimpse of the sky, hoping that she could garner any indication that they were in fact heading the right way. Avani was right about the map, it was a surprise when she found it. But, Kasai trusted that the local government had done so much as to at least preview the spirit world during the time it was peaceful and open to exploration. Surely they wouldn't send them in here blindly? Well, they had this time. She continued leading the pair until they came to a small clearing, where she pulled the map back out to make sure they were still on course. It was difficult to navigate in this world, traditional methods of direction weren't as trustworthy. She looked over her shoulder and caught Avani's stare rising from a lower target to meet her eyes. Kasai rolled her eyes and folded the map back up. When Avani finally spoke up again, Kasai's face turned hot again. She didn't turn around, for fear of showing her embarrassment to someone who would use it against her in every way possible. She had never considered such things with a woman before, but as she thought about it again it didn't make her regret anything. That is, other than the fact that the person it was with would never let her live it down. Ever. "You know," she said after calming down a bit and easing her mind on the subject, "who says I care about anyone finding out? Beauty comes in different forms, right?" She immediately regretted her words as she realized she may have inadvertently called Avani beautiful, even with the sass in her tone, so she quickly thought of something else to tack on to her statement, "That is, if there is a brain to accompany it." Kasai swallowed and continued walking, the sun, or suns rather, were beginning to set there in the spirit realm, and the light was beginning to fade. Kasai waited until a suitable spot was found to stop so that they could assess their options on whether to press forward or not. She rolled her eyes again and sighed in annoyance as Avani had to pause to release the laughter that was erupting after her self-humoring monologue. "Don't you think maybe you should buy me dinner first?" She smirked and pulled the map from the pack, opening it up and laying it on a stump so that she could use her hands for reference points. She pointed to approximately where they were, and then where they needed to be. "We've still got a ways to go. If you need to take a break from hobbling then we can rest here for the night. Or, if you want to press on..." She snapped her fingers and a flame appeared, lighting up the space between them, "We have light." Kasai grinned but then flattened her expression when she remembered the last comment thrown at her, which stung her pride a bit, even if it did come from Avani. "Anyways, bottom line: rest or keep moving?" The red flame caught her eye and melded perfectly with her expression and complexion. Funny how the fire burned both on the inside, and the outside.

Avani felt warm when Kasai implied that she thought she was beautiful, but then the little cop had to ruin the feeling by speaking more words. Of course she had to find some reason to put herself above Avani. She turned her eyes away from Kasai, thinking she need not bother with the woman if she was going to be like that. It wasn’t like it was the first time someone had told her she was stupid though. Just because her interests were of a more physical nature, didn’t mean she was without a brain. “Come to think of it, weren’t you supposed to buy me dinner? I remember you mentioning this morning how you couldn’t wait to put your hands on me. I mean, I did think you meant it as a threat but now I can see I was mistaken in that assumption.” Avani smiled, having run out of laughter, and feeling no need to further mock Kasai. Right then anyway. Avani wanted to continue moving, to save Mio as soon as possible, but she couldn’t deny that her body was tired even if they hadn’t walked particularly far. She should be able to press herself some more without suffering injuries or worse. She turned to look at Kasai when she pointed out the obvious that they had light. Did she really think Avani was that dumb? Still, she couldn’t deny that the light lit up Kasai’s feature in a striking fashion which reminded her of why she found her appealing to the senses. Well, other than the ears, having to listen to her was getting on Avani’s nerves. Avani stepped closer to Kasai, invading her personal space this time. “Yes, a small spark.” She put her hand around the flame. “If nurtured, who knows, perhaps it could create a fire that lasts longer than anyone would have expected.” Avani looked into Kasai’s eyes while speaking, and moved her hand to brush a couple of strands of hair out of the sergeant’s face. “Earth could be used around it, to stop the fire from growing into a wildfire that would only cause harm to those seeking heat.” She slid her hand slowly down Kasai’s cheek, neck and left it resting on the hole she had accidentally created before. “I think we’ve suffered enough today to seek the heat, and forget our irreplaceable losses for a second.” She spoke the words into Kasai’s mouth, as she’d leaned that close and shut her eyes for a third kiss. “Wow…!” Avani heard Mio shout, and when she noticed a see-through projection of Mio in the clearing as well she pushed Kasai away from her and straightened her posture. “She came on to me!” Avani pointed at Kasai, trying to defend herself. Mio had almost lost concentration when she had found those they had been worried for, in the act of starting god knows what, but she regained it and kept her voice monotone and deadpan instead of filled with the rage she had to suppress. “I was worried sick about you, Avani, but it seems you’d rather, how did you put it? “seek the heat and forget the others”!?” Mio felt her projection fading, but she concentrated as much as she could to prevent it from doing so. "I guess you saw your chance and took it as soon as you two got a moment together. Were we just in the way for you all along?" “Of course not, Mio. We’ve been walking for hours trying to find you! She said we should stop and was all like pretty in the light and stuff…” Avani facepalmed herself. She didn’t need anyone else to tell her how awful that sounded. “I don’t have time for this.” Mio said in her deadpan tone, while shaking her head disapprovingly. “I think we’re at some kind of lake. I can see water. We’re pretty high up too, maybe in some kind of nest for these odd winged spirits? I’m not sure.” “That’s not much to go on.” Avani said, but the projection faded and disappeared as she spoke. So she was left alone again with Kasai, who she had now actually tried to seduce instead of simply kiss. She wished that Mio would return, but she didn’t.¨ “I don’t know which is best. I’d say we keep moving for a few hours more. I’m used to pushing pressure on my body. You don’t need to worry about me.”

One minute they were bickering, and the next they were standing close enough that Kasai could see Avani's pulse beating on her neck. The flame in her hand lit up the space between them and cast an orange glow over their faces and contributed to the ambiance, which Kasai tried to her damnedest to ignore. She swallowed the lump in her throat whenever Avani's hand touched her face, brushing her hair away while their eyes remained locked in a gaze. What was it about this girl? Kasai didn't know why she allowed her to get so close to her, to touch her and hold her within a breath's distance. She was annoying and childish and immature, and yet Kasai found her intriguing and tempting. She followed Avani's hand with her gaze as it moved from cheek to neck to chest. Goosebumps ran down her spine and she looked back at Avani as the woman's face grew ever closer to hers. She ignored the part of her brain that told her to move away and instead gave in to the part that told her to press closer, for whatever reason. She closed her eyes and met Avani's lips. That is, until a strange and alarming voice was heard from the side. Kasai's eyes opened wide and she moved her head back and turned it around looking for the source of the voice. When her head was turned, Avani pushed Kasai and sent her stumbling backwards a few steps. When Avani pointed at her, she threw her hands up in innocence, just like all those suspect had when she had yelled at them to put their hands up. "I, uh..." Kasai clenched her jaw and stood there awkward and stiff, left again in an uncomfortable position as Avani spoke to the transparent image of her airbender friend. She looked on and listened while they spoke, then blushed when Mio accused them and Avani called Kasai pretty in the light. She cleared her throat looked at her feet. Then the airbender started to describe where she was and the surrounding area, and Kasai looked up with eager eyes at the sound of the word "we". She took a step forward from where she had been standing and raised a hand to try and catch the fleeting image of Mio. "Wait, 'we'? Is Kieron there with you? Is he-" the projection of the young woman faded away and Kasai was left without answers. She had to assume the best, that he was there and alive and that he could be saved. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't know his fate until they got to where they were going. Kasai put the map up and grabbed the pack again, slinging it over her shoulder. She walked up next to Avani and nodded, "I think we should move on too. The closer we get, the better chance we have of saving them." She tried to smile, but she could tell it was halfhearted. So instead, she bit her bottom lip and looked down at the ground as they started to walk again. "So uh..." she rubbed the back of her neck and laughed a bit out of nervousness, she didn't really know how to respond or react to the events that were occurring between them, or even if she should. "I came on to you, huh?" she laughed a bit again and then cleared her throat, "Looked to me like you came towards me." Kasai smiled a bit but she was still unsure if Avani was going to rebuttal with a smart ass, rude comment or with some sarcastic joke. "Tell ya what, if we ever do get back to Republic City, we have us a little wager or contest, and loser buys the other dinner?" They kept walking for a few more hours, but even Kasai was growing weaker at this point. She stopped and dropped the bag to the ground. "I think now we should probably rest. We won't be any good to them if we can't even defend ourselves, let alone get them out of there. There's just a few hours now until daybreak, at least I think." She realized the spirit world was something totally different from their own. "We can get a move on again at dawn."

“Agreed then.” Avani said, and sat down for a second to rest her legs. She had been interrupted at the worst possible moment. Kasai had definitely kissed her back, and she even thought she had shivered under her touch. Avani giggled when Kasai brought up who had come on to whom. It was different from her loud mocking laughter, and quite feminine. “Yeah, I doubt she fell for that. Maybe if she hadn’t heard me trying to seduce you it would have been easier to shift the blame.” She stood up and followed Kasai through the forest once more, but now it became harder to see where she was putting her feet. She focused her eyes on the flame Kasai carried. “I wonder how long she watched us before she said anything…” Avani whispered mostly to herself. “Suuure, Lady Sergeant. I bet you earn more money than me though.” She said with a snarky tone when Kasai suggested they decide who buy dinner for who with a competition, but then changed her mind about being snarky and coughed. “Not that it matters since you’re going down either way.” Avani grinned cockily. “I always win. Besides, I think you’d have a problem with where I’d get the dough from to wine and dine such a fine lady.” It was an honest concern for her, even if she did have a legitimate job it didn’t pay nearly well enough to take out someone like Kasai for dinner. She didn’t mind doing some less legal work on the side for quick cash, but Kasai was a policewoman. “Heh, I suppose that could help with securing a second date if the first one goes bad.” Avani giggled again. “Oh, I’m sure you’d love the chance to put someone like me in handcuffs and do with as you please...” Avani blushed at her own comment after thinking about it, and went silent after that. As they kept walking in silence, it was what occupied Avani’s thoughts. She wondered if Kasai actually did have her own set of handcuffs for private use, but mostly she thought about what that could result in. When they stopped, Avani yawned. She felt exhausted at that point. “Yeah, Mio will be pissed though, probably thinks we just resumed where we left off.” Avani moved her feet to create another shelter like the one before. It was smaller, but should still allow them to sleep in. She got down on her knees in front of the opening to it, crawled halfway in and remembered that she had only made one. She blushed and backed outside on all fours, then used her feet to create a second one for Kasai on the other side of the clearing. “I almost forgot, sorry.” She said while yawning. “I’ll close it up securely after you. Oh, and I am sure your friend is fine. Mio wouldn’t say we for no reason. I don’t think she’s gotten that well acquainted with the spirits.” Avani just smiled with a tired expression across her face. After walking those last hours with questionable thoughts filling her mind, part of her kind of wanted Kasai to pounce her or enter her shelter, but she also knew she was too tired to take any advantage of such a situation. She needed to recuperate her energy to be able to rescue their friends too as Kasai had pointed out. She supposed it would be nice to sleep next to someone for the first time in a few months at least. Well, not counting passing out from pain and blood loss earlier.

Kasai nodded and shrugged, "I doubt that, she cares about you. I'm sure she knows you care about her too. She'll get over it when we get them out of there." She watched while Avani used her bending to create another shelter from the earth. As she crawled into the shelter, Kasai moved to go in after her, but stepped back when Avani crawled back out and created another shelter of her own. "Right, thanks." She started to walk over to the other shelter, but she stopped short and turned back around. "Hang on," She moved back over to Avani's shelter and stood for a moment, trying to get a feel for the temperature outside. They were surely both warm because of their time spend walking, the blood pumping fast enough to keep them warm. However, Kasai figured as soon as they stopped moving the chilly air would move in and cause some shivers. "Here, this might help with the cold." Flames dance from her hands towards the shelter, heating the rock enough so that the residual heat would radiate and keep the inside of the shelter warm. "Though, sleeping with a firebender would keep you warmer." She smiled shortly and then walked over to her own shelter, doing the same to it before making her way inside. She cleared the small space of any sticks or stray rocks that would jab her, and then she lay down. Her body was exhausted, but her mind had not quite caught up with her physical tiredness. She stared up through one of the small holes in the shelter at the trees and pieces of the spirit sky that she could see. Swirling shades of purple melded with the deep blue of the night sky, and several moons could be seen as they slowly made their orbit. Kasai sighed and thought about all that had happened in that short day. She had been given a mission, excited to take it on with her two best friends. But now, one of them was gone. And the other... well at least there was hope for him. Her eyes finally fluttered shut and sleep met her weary mind. The rising sun peeked through the holes of the shelter and for the first time since they arrived in the spirit world, the sounds of rustling spirits filled the air of the forest. Kasai groggily opened her eyes and then stretched, looking around to remember where she was. She sat up and yawned, but realized she couldn't leave her shelter because, well... she was not an earthbender. Instead, she allowed herself to wake up, rummaging through her bag and finding enough food to serve up for breakfast. She used her bending to heat it up, and hoped that the smell of cooked meat would wake Avani so that she could exit the shelter.

As Kasai told her to hang on and came over to her shelter once more, Avani expected her hopes of them sharing a bed coming to fruition, but she was let down with a teasing remark about how it would have been warmer to sleep with a firebender than in a warmed shelter. She stretched out her tongue at Kasai when the woman turned her back towards her. Avani closed up Kasai’s shelter after she had entered it, and then she crawled into her own, closing it up as well. She shifted the earth beneath her body, turning it soft like sand. She grinned knowing that Kasai couldn’t possibly do anything to get something as comfortable to sleep on, not when she had decided to sleep alone. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the earth. It had been a tiresome day for her. She’d rather not think about all that had happened since this morning, and she had tried her best to push any thoughts of her dead friend away by focusing on Kasai instead. His death came back to haunt her during the few hours’ sleep she would have gotten. She dreamed nightmares about how he accused her for his death, how he came back for revenge and how Mio helped him with a smile on her face. Avani tossed and turned, not getting much sleep at all, and when her nose registered the smell of cooked meat her dreams turned it into another nightmare about how it was Avani’s body being burnt, not just her arm this time. She woke up in a cold sweat, still smelling the meat being prepared. Avani rolled around in her own shelter in a panic, looking for the source of the smell while her breathing grew ragged. She came to the conclusion that the smell was coming from outside and calmed down. She kind of felt like murdering Kasai for providing her mind with such nightmare fuel though. Avani kicked the wall free from her shelter to get out, and then she walked over to Kasai’s shelter with a cold expression on her face. She leaned against it, and looked through one of the air holes at Kasai. “Well, well, look what I caught in a trap for my breakfast.” Avani grinned mischievously. “So, what should I do with the Lady Sergeant now that I have her at my mercy, hmm?” She yawned, scratched her head. She didn’t want to imagine what her appearance was like with so little sleep. Death itself may very well look better than she did, for all she knew. Avani was glad that she didn’t have any mirror. “How about I make you beg me to release you?” Avani laughed. “Oh, but Lady Avani I’ll do anything to get out from this devilishly clever trap you caught me in.” She went on, now mimicking Kasai’s voice as a response to what she had just said herself. “Anything, you say?” Avani went back to mimicking Kasai, gasping as if shocked, and put a hand in front of her mouth while keeping her eyes wide open. “No… Not that. I’m far to upstanding and full of myself to consider the thought of doing something like that with another woman, but…” She removed one of the walls to Kasai’s shelter, and crawled inside with a grin across her face. “But?” Avani stopped for a moment and looked at the cooked meat with a frown. “That gave me nightmares, you know. Maybe you should consider that I just smelled my own flesh burning yesterday when you make breakfast in the future.” She blushed briefly. “Not that we’ll ever have breakfast together after today.” She cleared her throat with a cough.

The sound of earth moving caught Kasai's ears, and she thought she heard Avani, or something at least, headed towards her shelter. She jumped a little when Avani's voice was produced above her at one of the air holes. Looking up, she had little to no time for speaking before Avani opened her own mouth and of course began the morning with mockery and jest. Kasai opened her mouth several times to interject, but was cut off at each brief pause when Avani again would begin speaking. She held the conversation with herself, then finally a door to Kasai's shelter was opened and Avani was quick to crawl inside. She donned a devilish grin and Kasai was left sitting there with a strange expression on her face, partly because of the strange nature of Avani's commentary. "But... I made breakfast. And you know what they say, the way to a person's heart is through their stomach. Isn't that what you wanted, a woman who can cook a mean canned spam?" She laughed briefly before the next comment made her shut up. Kasai looked down at the canned meat that she had heated up and frowned as well, sniffing for a moment and realizing it very well may have sent a bad signal to Avani's brain while she slept. She scratched her head but then shrugged, "Well I would hope for your sake that in the future you won't have to smell your own flesh burning." She smirked and then grabbed a plastic fork, sticking it in one of the cans of food and handing it to Avani before grabbing her own. There were a few slices of bread in the bag, so she got out a piece and split it in half, rationing their food because spirits know how much longer they'll be trapped in here. She took a bite, weary at first of the canned and seemingly untrustworthy meat. However, the flavor wasn't as bad as she had expected, and she managed to get it down pretty easily. She knew the calories and energy contained within the meal would be crucial for their journey for the rest of the day, so she ate as much as she could and finished off with her bread, which she toasted with her firebending. She looked at Avani and licked her lips of any remaining saltiness that the food had left, and then looked out the wall of the shelter. It was plenty light outside now, should be very easy to navigate. The map sat folded in the backpack, so Kasai grabbed it and unfolded it in between them. "We should be pretty close now. Not that far to go before we should be right on top of them, at least I hope." She shook her head and stared at the map for a moment more before looking again outside of the small rock space that they were both in. They both sat just inches from each other due to the small parameter of the shelter, and Kasai looked at Avani while she ate. "See, my survival cooking skills are clearly perfectly honed." She grinned and then started cleaning up the area, placing items back in her bag before getting out a canteen of water and taking a drink, then handing it to Avani. "Now just imagine what I can do with some quality ingredients, I should have been a chef instead." She laughed and finished cleaning up. "We should get a move on pretty quick. Don't need to waste any daylight," She grabbed the bag and began to crawl out of the shelter, dragging it behind her as she made her way forward on all-fours.

Avani took the can of food and the bread that was handed to her, eating with a sly smile across her face, eyeing Kasai whenever she was not busy putting it in her mouth. They were looking at each other, but not saying much before they had finished eating. Avani kept the sly smile on her lips all along. The food did taste pretty good considering what it was and who had provided them with the ingredients. It was unlikely that Republic city would care much for what they made their people eat when they were on missions, other than that it should have a lot of nutrition. She watched Kasai unfold the map, and looked at it herself. There seemed to be a body of water not too far from where they may be, if she was reading the map correctly, so what Kasai told her was hopefully true. She wanted to get out of the spirit world already, but at the same time she wished she could have entered it under different circumstances or return when it had been healed from the evil inside. “Yeah, you’re good enough.” Avani said teasingly with a wink. “I wouldn’t know if you could be a chef before I tasted something better than military rations though. I’d certainly be more interested in someone who is a chef though.” Avani finished her food, and handed the dishes to Kasai for her to put back into the only bag they had now. She gratefully took the canteen of water and drank as much as she dared without leaving them with nothing to drink later. “After you.” Avani grinned. “Wouldn’t want to miss the spectacular views that the daylight provides either, now would I.” Kasai was forced to crawl over and past Avani who was seated near the entrance. She quite enjoyed seeing her on all fours when she was this close, so Avani didn’t feel the need to move or make it easier for Kasai to get outside. She did crawl outside after her once the firebender had gotten outside and stood up on her feet. Avani regained the sly smile she had donned earlier, and looked at Kasai. “So, it would be wrong for me to attempt to seduce you without a dinner, but it’s totally cool for you to try to romance me, huh?” Her smile widened. “Or as you said yourself, the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach? I suppose that breakfast could count as a dinner if you want it too. I don’t mind either way. I’m just surprised you seemed to imply that you wanted to be a woman that I would want.” Avani laughed, patted Kasai on the back and destroyed their shelters. She figured it was unlikely anyone would be following them, but if they were there was no one reason she had to make it easy to find them. She didn’t think anyone who may want to assist them knew how bad their situation had gotten yet. “After you, Kasai. You are the one with the map after all.” Avani said, and followed Kasai. They walked for a while before Avani decided to bring it up again, letting a short laugh ring out previous to her voice. “No one’s ever said they wanted to romance me before, to be honest, so it’s kind of flattering, Lady Sergeant. But what if I enjoy the single life too much, hmm? Maybe I got ladies throwing themselves on me all the time at home, or maybe I’m already engaged. Did you think about that?” Avani couldn’t help but laugh loudly after making fun of Kasai again.

Raising an eyebrow, Kasai looked to Avani with watchful eyes. She had a mischievous grin plastered to her face for the last passing minutes in the shelter and replaced it after they had both exited the rock enclosure. It was a bit concerning, considering that Kasai had learned in the past 24 hours that Avani enjoyed trickery and jest as if it were first nature to her. However, she seemed to be avoiding any harsh consequences to continue her punishment of Kasai that had began the morning before, so Kasai relaxed a bit and enjoyed the fact that the two were actually getting along. Quite a transformation from just a day ago, when they were at each other's throats over a chest of food. There were always those stories about how a traumatic experience can change people, form unlikely bonds, and bring enemies together. Perhaps those stories had a hint of truth about them. "Romancing may be pushing it a bit..." a smirk grew across her lips and then she shrugged, "But, at least I had food to fit the occasion. Ya know, other than the whole giving you nightmares stuff..." She scratched her arm nervously, "Yeah, uh, sorry about that." Kasai watched as the shelters were destroyed and returned to their previous state, then she nodded and turned around, heading in the direction of where she hoped they would find Kieron and Mio. Traveling in silence, Kasai thought about seeing her friend again, it made her smile for a moment as she trekked forwards. A laugh came from behind and Kasai looked over her shoulder at Avani, who was up to something sarcastic again. Kasai was used to it now, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. She figured returning the teasing would be better than the alternative of hurt pride and hateful words. "Hm, so you're flattered and yet, here you are giving me enough cover stories to turn me off of ever cooking you canned meat again." Kasai laughed shortly and heartily, but then regained herself and continued walking, all the while glancing back at Avani while she spoke. "Well, to be honest I hadn't considered. But then again, I hadn't considered being within a ten foot radius of you yesterday morning unless it was for the purpose of strangling you." She shrugged again, her tone wasn't too negative or cross as she was just imitating the way in which Avani spoke. "Seems like that went out the window though. Did you ever consider that I'm a police officer though?" She smirked and turned around to face Avani while she spoke this time, pausing their forward movement. "I'm a detective," a cunning grinned played across her face as she took a step towards Avani now, "Which means I know how to take information I'm given, and sort through all the bull. I know how to find things out, get down to the real truth." She stepped closer again, keeping her eye contact steady. "So, if anything you said before was true, you would have some explaining to do to people other than myself. That must not be the case then, because you don't seem like one to have any commitments at the moment." She smile grew wider on her face as she took another step. "And if you're living it up in some bachelorette pad somewhere then you have got it made, let me tell ya. But I have this feeling..." the last gap between them was closed when she took the final step, "That that also isn't true. I have this feeling that you're guilty of seducing an officer of the law and assaulting her with intent." She looked down at the hole in her coat and then back at Avani, "So, how do you plead?"

Avani grinned as Kasai began to play along, then she stopped walking when she turned around and began to take steps towards her while talking. She listened curiously, but the grin grew less and less confident with each sentence Kasai spoke. Finally, she was right in front of Avani again, looking down at the hole in her coat, then into her eyes and wondering how she wanted to plead. Avani’s eyes followed Kasai’s gaze, but lingered a bit longer on the hole in her coat.

Avani gulped. It was a natural reaction to being accused of a crime by someone of the law enforcement more than anything. She wasn’t afraid of Kasai using any of what had happened between them against her, mostly because she assumed she was an on-duty cop and if it got out what she had been doing on the job… well, it wouldn’t go so well for her, Avani imagined.

“Um, surely those aren’t crimes are they…?” She didn’t honestly know, but it sounded ridiculous. “You can’t get a fine for seducing an officer of the law?” Nah, she figured Kasai had to be playing with her. “Besides, I couldn’t seduce an officer unless she was willing to be seduced. I believe that’s called sexual harassment or worse, no?”

She looked past Kasai for a moment, wondering if the sergeant was really suggesting what she thought she was suggesting, or if it was her dirty mind that made it sound that way. Wasn’t she worried about finding their friends already? They would likely be in even worse shape now than they had been yesterday, unless one of them had gotten a bag with them as well. Maybe they had.

She turned her attention back to Kasai who was way too close to her now, and she was certain the woman knew it too. “That was unintentional.”
Avani pointed at the hole in Kasai’s coat, sticking to her story.

“However, speaking hypothetically if I were to assault an officer with intent I would make sure to corner them so they had nowhere to run.” Avani put her good arm against Kasai’s shoulder and pushed her carefully in front of her, while walking, until she had pushed her back up against one of the nearby trees. “After making sure they were cornered, I would go to town on them with my superior strength or earthbending.”

She put her hand on the skin that was visible through the hole, caressing it gently and then grabbing the coat around the hole, ripping an even larger hole. Avani slid her arm inside of the coat, not just her hand. She let her hand slide down along Kasai’s torso slowly after getting it in through the hole.

“I guess it’s not so unintentional anymore.” She leaned into Kasai and whispered in her ear. “You caught me red handed, Lady Sergeant.” Avani nibbled on her ear before breathing into it as seductively as she knew how. She moved down to kiss her on the neck, sucking, and leaving a rather visible hickey.

She could eventually feel that her hand had nowhere to continue, at least nowhere that was part of Kasai’s torso. Now she had reached the belt these cops wore. She tugged at it once, finding it as tightly fastened as she had expected.

“Of course, this is speaking hypothetically.” Avani said with a teasing grin, removing her hand from inside of Kasai’s coat. “It’s not like I would ever tell an officer how I planned on assaulting her.” She took a step back from Kasai, held her hands together and stretched them out towards her. “I guess I plead guilty on the first charge, so you better cuff me before I run away.”

Avani batted her eyelashes at Kasai, then laughed.

"Seriously though, we better find our friends already." She said, realizing that if she kept teasing Kasai they would end up on the forest floor together, when they really should be looking for Mio and Kieron. Avani gestured for Kasai to lead the way, curious which option the woman wanted to get to first here.

It was amusing how Avani seemed to be concerned that the charges brought against her were real. But the amusement was over after she caught on to the false accusations. Kasai smirked when she held on to her story that the hole in the coat was unintentional, though Kasai thought otherwise.

She was taken aback when Avani gently pushed her backwards. Backpedaling until she was pressed up against a wall, she kept her eyes on Avani while she spoke. A lump grew in her throat when Avani twiddled her fingers in the hole of the coat, and she swallowed hard whenever Avani ripped the hole larger and sent her hand down against her abdomen.

Her eyes followed Avani as she leaned in and pressed against Kasai. The regular pattern of her breathing caught a hitch when Avani kissed her neck. She exhaled and cleared her throat whenever Avani stepped away, looking down at her feet before looking back at Avani.

Kasai straightened herself up when Avani stepped back, looking at the now widened tear in her coat. "I guess I should hope that if anything attacks me, it won't try to aim at the fleshy bits." She muttered. Avani's hands appeared in front of her and her eyebrows raised in questioning. She half smiled and shook her head.

"I think if you were going to run off you would've done it already. Consider yourself lucky I left my cuffs at home this time." She laughed a bit and then pushed away from the tree, picking a leaf out of her hair.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. We need to get them and then get the hell out of here." She turned around and started walking again, clenching her jaw after she turned. She rubbed a hand over the mark on her neck that Avani left, and she bit her lip for a moment before blinking away the thoughts that had been interjected into her mind.

Instead, she focused on the task at hand. Finding the two who were lost was the most important thing right now, and they didn't need to waste anymore time in getting to them. She walked forward, flustered, but with the right mindset.

After about a half hour longer of walking, the forest began to grow less dense. Space spread out between the trees and it was easier to navigate as they moved forward. Soon enough, they were met by a water's edge. Kasai stopped and looked around. A large body of water expanded in front of them, and in the center of the lake was some sort of... tower?

It appeared to be one extremely large tree, stretching far above the canopy of the other trees that surrounded the lake. It seemed that there was an area near the top, which Kasai assumed was where Mio seemed to be reporting to them from.

"Whoa..." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked at Avani. "That must be it," She looked back towards the towering spire and shook her head.

"Hope you aren't afraid of heights."