Katsu really didn't want to make that proclamation, but he could tell Siku wouldn't leave him alone otherwise. Who knows what kind of response he'd get out of the girl either, whether she'd buy into it or completely call him crazy; plenty of people had made the claim of being Avatar over the years, he even knew some of those people, so it wasn't anything new. As he had pretty much expected she began laughing at him pretty soon thereafter, obviously not buying into what he'd said. Hey, if she didn't believe him then that was fine, he didn't much care. Or he wouldn't have if she didn't start taking jabs at him, feeling himself growing defensive over what she was saying. Closing his eyes his eyebrow twitched in irritation, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose before staring back at the Water Bender. If he said anything he'd likely still be doubted, so he'd have to show her.

"I don't exactly... Know many styles," Katsu admitted, his face blushing a bit as he folded his arms with a huff, "It's not all fun and games, you know! And it's not exactly a cushy life that I left either. Everyone thinks the White Lotus dotes on the Avatar, but they were hardly even nice to me. It's just a job to them, I'm just some brat they were supposed to train, they didn't want anything to do with me really. So why would I want to hang around for that when I can be out here, doing what I want to do? Here I actually have people I like being around, and I do things that I enjoy doing. So yeah, I escaped and came here to Republic City, why is that so hard to believe? You have no problem with the fact that I'm leader of a gang at such a young age, but have you ever stopped to wonder how that happened? How I was able to do something like that?" It was because of his training that he'd risen through the ranks, and why people didn't mess with him even now. When you could knock down the leader of a gang at 14 years of age people learned pretty quick not to mess with you; much as Katsu was opposed to violence he could fight, and when he did he did it damn well, as the White Lotus members earlier could attest.

Hmph, him, bad at lying? Well okay, maybe he was, but then he wasn't lying here. It wasn't his fault that Siku refused to accept the truth, whether out of disbelief or denial. He had laid himself out for her to see and whether she bought into it or not wasn't his concern, he'd sleep just fine if she never believed him. Actually it was best she didn't, then maybe things would get back to normal and he could get working again. Just as she had begun to question him again a man's voice echoed in the tunnels, drawing both Katsu's and Siku's focus down to the opposite end. Wonderful, all of this fricken chatting had let those morons catch up, now he had to work on getting away. Cussing under his breath he debated on turning to run, though glanced at Siku preparing to fight and let out a low groan. Damn it, he couldn't just bail on her and leave her to fend for herself, not against three White Lotus.

Their first concern was the slab of rock barreling towards them, taking up most of the walkway in the sewer. When it got close enough to them Katsu jumped into the air, placing his hands on the top and using the stone itself to vault himself over, easily avoiding getting pancaked as it went past and slammed into the walls. A small flurry of fire blasts came their way next, which he answered in turn with a flurry of his own; flames smashed into flames, the hissing of fire filling the otherwise silent tunnel as they engulfed one another and burst into a flash of embers before ultimately vanishing from view. Right, so now there was just the water bender, right? Oh great, it was a water bender, why did it have to be another water bender? Looking across at the man, Katsu frowned and readied fire to attack, having to rethink his strategy when the shards came flying at him and Siku. With not a lot of room to move he instinctively crouched down, grabbing the ground after driving his hands through it and pulling up a slab, easily blocking the ice as it shattered against the stone. Pushing it back down then he kicked the ground, driving up a pillar across the way and catching the man in the chin, knocking him out easily.

Looking to the remaining two men, the young thief engulfed both of his hands with flame, leaving Siku to wade in the sewage as he began to run at them. Ducking under a few blasts of fire he increased the flame on his right hand, driving forward a straight jab and releasing some energy to blast through another slab of rock, sending shard scattering all over the place. When he had gotten into striking distance he again ducked under a swinging fist, driving his own hand into the man's gut and letting loose fire, blasting him back and into the water some few yards away. Lifting the same arm at a ninety degree angle he caught a roundhouse kick with his forearm, immediately grabbing the man's leg and with a grunt of effort pulling him off balance, swinging him around and sending him flying across the waterway onto the opposite side. Slamming his foot against the ground again he used stone to bind each of his limbs, leaving him pinned for now.

What a mess this was turning into, he should have been long gone by now. Siku had really soiled his escape plan, and now he probably had to come up with something else. Glancing back over at the Water Bender he smiled tightly, moving to rejoin her and give her some help. "If you wanted to go swimming so badly you could have gone in the ocean, you know," Katsu teased, grabbing her arms and helping her out of the water, "So, Miss Snooty Pants, can I go or are you going to interrogate me more?" There was an uncanny feeling of being watched, something the thief hadn't noticed in the middle of his fighting. Frowning in confusion he turned around and expected to see more White Lotus, surprised when instead he saw Asha and Hiresh further down the tunnel. Oh great... It was a regular party down here now!

She was ready to take that guy down... a flurry of shards as well as a large body of sewage rose and formed into two rings which began to rotate with vigor around her, forming a gimbal, just as she had earlier to spar with her father. The feat was rather impressive, but it was more for show if you didn't know how to properly use it. While Katsu moved forward to intercept the other two, Siku was on the other side of the waterway, firing ice discs from the gimbal. Her opponent bobbed and weaved, struggling to match her pace for a moment, until his motive was clear. The discs froze behind and in front of him, shattered, and were fired once more as ice shards. The water bending girl grunted and twisted to intercept them easily in return until Katsu leapt across the hall, vaulting a stone, and raised his own shield in defense. The spinning rings, no longer being focused on, continued with their momentum for a moment before splashing to the ground, dowsing both of them in sewage... AGAIN.

She frowned and stared at the shield for only a moment before the Avatar ripped the ground at their feet and knocked the adversary in the chin. As the floor rumbled, Siku had to step to the side to watch her footing. Having lost concentration at his earth bending, the boy before her claiming to be the Avatar was ironically taking away her balance. She slipped and fell into the water... A. FREAKING. GAIN!

He reached down to pull her out, but Siku just pulled herself up with as much dignity as she could muster, using the disgusting liquid around her to launch lightly into the air and set herself back on the floor. All of the water on, or around her was swept away in one fluid, circular motion before being fed back into the flowing waterway. Only Katsu remained wet and she stared at him blankly for a moment.

"... You just..." She eyed the water, how quickly could she make a blade of ice for herself to lop his head off..? No, better not, she decided, looking to him again. "You earth bended... But... You're a fire... bender..." She muttered, looking to the three unconscious men, then to him, "You're not going any-"

-----

Reaching a manhole after following Asha's strange but accurate intuition, Hiresh planted his feet and raised the manhole cover... Or he tried. It didn't budge... Siku... He cursed silently, shifting his stance and punching downward. There was a lot of cracking and grinding as the cover shattered the ice, which was already beginning to melt, and drove itself to the bottom of the hole. "We'll fix that later," He said with a shrug, letting Asha hop down the hole herself. Just like an airbender to remain graceful and float down; Hiresh, however, had to slide down the ladder. Just as they were arriving, Siku was clearing the floor of the water and the walls of the tunnel looked like they had seen better days. Hiresh sighed and saw the three men, unconscious on the ground. Doing his due diligence, each one was bound with the slips of metal in his uniform used for just such an occasion.

He heard Katsu asked to leave and he stared daggers at the boy, "No. I don't know what's going on, but you're not going anywhere kid. Not all of those guys were actually White Lotus," He said, deducing quickly. "Something happened up there and about half of the squad, if not more, turned on the rest of them, we took as many as we could down, but I had to get out and make sure you guys were okay. The hell's going on?"

Siku pointed a finger childishly at Katsu, "He's the Avatar and didn't tell me!" She exclaimed, stomping her foot in agitation. Hiresh, just as she had, laughed.

"That's funny. No, seriou-"

"He earth bended. And fire bended."

"Oh..." The Metal bender rubbed the back of his neck, "Then you're not really safe, we have to get you to the station, or somewhere safe. Where can you go, Katsu?" Suddenly, Hiresh's attitude had changed from a patronizing ass to a concerned officer - when he was on-duty and not preventing children like Katsu from bogarting badges, the man was a damned good cop.

This was just supposed to be a fun dinner evening out with a friend and now it had turned into a very weird chase after a young boy whom she didn't even fully know yet. Asha almost felt like this was way too much excitement for someone who had lived a life more or less in solitude. Although the young brunette wasn't quite sure how she could feel where the two they were looking for were at, but Hiresh decided to believe in her, so they went towards the entrance of the sewers.

Apparently this was the right way, since when Hiresh attempted to take off the manhole cover, he discovered it was frozen tight; Asha had a pretty darn good guess of who was responsible for that, and her suspicions were correct when Hiresh muttered Siku's name in irritation. She waited patiently while the older of the two pried open the cover, allowing her to jump down first. It was an extremely easy task for her, but she waited for Hiresh to slide down the latter so that they could continue their search together.

Finally, they found two forms in the sewer, along with a few unconscious bodies. Asha sighed in relief at the sight of both of her friends (yeah she more or less decided that Katsu was a friend) and ran up to them, the sewage water sticking to her shoes. "Oh thank goodness, you guys are okay!" she exclaimed, almost wanting to give Siku a hug, but was afraid that it wasn't the time for such affections.

After seeing that the two were more or less alright, she glanced down at the men who were laying in the nasty water, watching as Hiresh cuffed them up. She had some guesses as to why these men were after Katsu, but didn't want to assume anything before hearing from the boy first.

Well, it appeared that Siku was willing to tell them just what was going on, as she had exclaimed that Katsu was the Avatar. Asha cocked her head to the side, staring at the boy with calculating eyes. It was odd that she had not heard of who exactly was the Avatar, seeing as there was always one around.

Asha was honestly a bit surprised when Hiresh turned into super cop mode, wanting to get Katsu to safety as soon as possible. She smiled at the older boy with respect, seeing as how he could put aside his own dislikes when it came to someone's well being.

"We could always go to Air Temple Island...no one really patrols that area and not many people can come and go as they please. Well, not without the whole island knowing," She said, the smile still on her face. She knew the other air benders on the island would welcome the Avatar.

"I can glide there, but there is a ferry waiting for me to get back. Captain Jin won't leave until I show up...So what do you guys say?"

She supposed right now she was grateful to have people looking after her to get back to the island safely...this way everyone could get onto the island without so much as anyone batting an eye; Gliding and carrying one person at a time would look a bit suspicious and weird.

The combination of Siku messing up his escape, these creeps attacking him and being covered in sewage had Katsu all kinds of agitated right now. All he had wanted to do was go home after today, sell his latest steal and have some dinner with the guys. Instead he was down here in the sewers, crawling around like a rat and fighting with the White Lotus. Honestly, he'd just as soon have taken off if he wasn't sure they would attack Siku too, damn him for having a conscience. The fight between himself and the cronies of the White Lotus didn't last long, and within moments all three men were laying out unconscious from their duel; Katsu reeked of sewage, was hungry still, and now he had a bumbling Water Bender to contend with as well.

"Oh, NOW you believe me?" Katsu asked, his annoyance plain in his tone as he looked at Siku, "Yeah, I Earth Bended, and I'm a Fire Bender. Come on Siku, you're smart, what does that mean, hm?" He'd only just made the big reveal moments before, now it kind of felt lackluster. He couldn't even enjoy having shown the girl up either, he was much too annoyed to. Glancing down at himself he scowled, giving his arms and legs a shake fruitlessly to try and get some of the nasty water off. Damn Water Benders, he'd never had a pleasant interaction with them; back when he was training they were always his least favorite, always soaking him and ruining his clothes! "Hey, how's about you make it up to me and dry me off? I'm kind of dripping who knows what over here."

Just when things seemed to be calming down some another pair of people decided to joint he party. Katsu very nearly got ready to begin fighting again until he saw who it was, both relieved and annoyed at who he saw. Asha was fine, though he really wished she didn't see him down here, covered in someone else's filth. Having that annoying cop down here though was really just another thorn in his side, he was sure Hiresh wouldn't make this any easier. Sure enough the Metal Bender began questioning him about what went on. I don't have to tell him anything... Just lie, say we were attacked and leave it at that, he told himself, forcing a smile as he got ready to start lying to Hiresh's face. Before he could even get a word out edgewise though Siku started up again, telling the others exactly what he'd wanted to keep from them. "Siku! Really?!"

"You might as well go plaster that on a billboard at this point! Or better yet, go ahead and tell your father so the whole world can find out! Hell, we can even go get one of those megaphones, get in the back of a car and go around Republic City screaming 'Hey look, we found the Avatar! Anyone who wants to capture him or kill him come over here!' Jeez!" He just couldn't win today could he? Just one thing after another, and all he'd done was steal a stinking little badge. Seriously, was this all karma for that little theft? Out of annoyance he dug into his pocket and removed said item, reeling back and giving it a toss into the sewers, hearing it clunk off the wall before dropping into the water. "Oh what, you're going to help me now, chief?" Katsu asked incredulously, "Come on, you hate me, why should I expect help from you? Just because I'm the Avatar suddenly I'm not such a bad guy, is that it?" This was exactly why he avoided people finding out, he hated this! He just wanted to be Katsu the thief, not Katsu the runaway Avatar.

In the middle of all the discussion he had kind of forgotten that Asha was present, looking over at the Air Bender surprised when she spoke out. "Air Temple Island? You mean where you guys live as monks or whatever? No way, not happening," Katsu replied, shaking his head, "I'm going back to my hideout, relaxing and waiting for this mess to blow over. You all can go home too, do whatever, just... Don't go telling people who I am, got it?" Giving himself one last shake the thief groaned in annoyance, turning and trying to leave. Now he didn't even have his loot for the day, having thrown it in his fit. They didn't exactly need the money anyways, but it felt like a big waste to just throw it away like that.

Siku crossed her arms, "Make it up to yourself, ass. I've known you for years!" She exclaimed, "You think I'd go tell my dad on you? Please, I could have had the Avatar as my friend all this time - could've taught you waterbending myself!" She pointed out in agitation, "But no, that ship sailed! Goodbye, best teacher ever. Hello pain-in-the-ass-friend-you-like-to-lie-to-about-your-entire-life-as-she-knows-it!" The girl took a deep inhale, clearly running out of breath mid-sentence. As she spoke and the next plan was discussed, the girl lifted an orb of water from the sewer line and it began to bubble in the air, giving off a lot of wretched smelling steam. However, it quickly turned to a perfect, clear complexion and formed into a long, curved shape before flashing to ice in the form of a blade which she artfully caught and hooked through the belt of her dress. It didn't look quite so ceremonious as her real one, but it would hold up well and, as she had no waterskin, made a nice substitute for carrying the water.

She turned to Katsu, "You're not going anywhere without guard. How do you know who you can trust apart from the ones that fought with you - whose lives you already put in danger, I might add, without them even knowing who you were." Her arms crossed once more in irritation as she stared daggers at him. She brushed a hand through her hair, fruitlessly shaking it out. Still damp... Ironic how water could make life so much harder than it needed to be, but so much easier.

While Siku was making her blade, Hiresh shook his head at Katsu, "You're a VIP now, at least... while Siku vouches for who you are." The metal bender clearly didn't like it any more than Katsu did, "No, it doesn't make you some perfect guy. It makes you some dude who needs to be protected while he's still a little pipsqueak weakling who can bend on what looked like barely a beginner's level up in the restaurant... So yes, I'm going to work toward helping you, but no, I don't like it. You don't want my help? Too bad, it's my job. You don't want to go to the station? Fine, I can't make you anyway, but until this is sorted out, you're life is my responsibility, Avatar Katsu," He almost physically shuddered at the boy's new title, "I don't work for you, I'm just here to make sure nobody gets the better of you." The man didn't care about the badge that was thrown away anymore either. "You want to risk going back to your hideout? Fine, but I'm going too," He said with absolute certainty.

Siku looked at the small airbender and nodded, "She's not wrong, that'd be a pretty good place to go... Or just outside the city... I don't see how going to a hideout of thieves is going to be a very good idea..." She shrugged and stared at him, "Wherever you wanna go, Bridge Boy." Finally, she turned to her shorter friend with a look of concern, "Asha, are you sure you're okay? Can't believe this night turned into such a disaster..."

Asha just listened to everyone else after her suggestion of going to Air Temple Island. It was predictable that Katsu was not thrilled with the idea, but what better place to be than out of the city's limits? Well, she knew that Air Temple Island was technically still in Republic City, but it was cut off from everyone else, making it a nice secluded spot.

Siku seemed to like her idea of going to her home and she was happy that her friend put such trust in her. Sure, they knew each other for quite a while, but they never really got to become really close friends; this made it feel like their relationship was beginning to become more of a real one, which made the brunette pleased. "I am not trying to control your life, Katsu...I am just worried about you. Can you really trust anyone in the city anymore?" she asked, wondering just how many people underground were already aware of Katsu's title in just the short amount of time it was revealed. No doubt the word was spreading from how many people were in the restaurant, and the obviousness of the White Lotus gang.

The brunette raised an eyebrow at Hiresh, amused by how much of a trooper he was being at wanting to protect the Avatar, as it was his duty. She was impressed as much as she was amused. Siku and Hiresh were good people, and she was glad to have met them.

Asha was startled out of her thoughts when she heard Siku address her concern. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine...thanks for asking. Just never had so much excitement in my life, and only in one day." The girl smiled and clasped her hands behind her back, waiting for the three of them to make their decision on what to do; if one thing seemed clear, it was that they were going to be a group for a little while.

"The whole reason I ran away was to get as far from that life as I could! Why would I go through all that only to go and tell you who I was?" Katsu retorted, throwing his hands up in exasperation, "And like you would have believed me! The only reason you bought my story just now is because I bended! I never would have shown you that if I didn't have to, so you'd never have trained me. I'd just be some thief that ran into you now and again, that's all." No way was he going to be the one to blame here, he had tried to keep all of this from happening. If he had his way then he wouldn't have even gone to that restaurant, he'd be home right now and the White Lotus would be none the wiser. Once more trying to rid himself of the water on him, Katsu brought out a little bit of fire, using it to try and evaporate the liquids.

"Didn't you just see me fight them? I know what I'm doing, I don't need a guard," Katsu snapped back, "And don't go blaming me for what happened, I tried to keep you out of it. I tried bringing them down here to fight, but you chased me. How is it my fault that you couldn't stay out of my business?" Seriously, just what was Siku on about? And why did she care so damn much? Just because he was the Avatar? Earlier she wouldn't have given him the time of day, but now because he was someone special she suddenly started giving a darn? This was why he hated being who he was, people just cared about what he was, not him personally.

For people who were saying they wanted to help these three sure weren't making his life any easier. He had places he could go, namely his own hideout and the several safe houses all over the city. He had planned for this sort of thing, and if he could only get a move on then he could get his plans underway. Instead of being allowed some peace and quiet however now he was being told where he was going, not having any of it. Looking over at Hiresh he frowned, letting out a scoff as he supported the Air Temple idea. "VIP eh? Oh I'm soooo honored," he said sarcastically, then when insulted his face reddened and he stomped his foot, pointing up at the taller boy angrily. "Hey! I know how to bend perfectly fine, and I can fight well enough to beat these creeps! I am not your responsibility, and don't call me the Avatar!" Ugh, they were already starting with it! Though he loathed when Hiresh scrutinized his every move he almost missed that right now, preferring being looked down upon as a thief over this. Hearing the officer make the claim he'd tag along all the thief could do was groan, scuffing his shoe on the pavement angrily.

Of all the people present right now Asha was not the best person to be trying to talk to him. They had only just met not an hour ago and she still hardly knew a thing about him, so what right did she have? Annoyed as he wanted to be with her she was rather nice, almost overbearingly so, and he couldn't find it in himself to snap at her as he had the others. "I don't know... You don't exact trust a ton of people in my line of work to begin with," Katsu responded, sighing as he folded his arms over his chest, "I've got a few people who I know would never stab me in the back though, and that's all I need. I can make due with only a handful." There were about four members of his gang who he trusted irrevocably, and he could head to one of the safe houses with them until this mess blew over.

"Excitement? Right... This is an absolute blast," Katsu grumbled, frowning as he looked over at Siku. This was all her doing, everything would be totally fine if he'd just not been stopped earlier by her. "So then, princess, what are we doing? I'd make the decision but evidently I lost all my autonomy when I ran into you." He was going to try getting to the hideout regardless of what they decided here, just to let those few know what was going on. He wouldn't say he was the Avatar of course, but he'd let them know he was going into hiding for a bit. "And look, I have to go to my hideout, I've got to let everyone know and grab some stuff. Come if you have to, but we're going there."

"Then don't call me a guard. I'm not losing you, whether you want this or not, until everything is straightened out, I have to be there for it," Hiresh said without budging even a little bit. Siku stared daggers at him.

"Hiresh. You're a private. Get off your fucking horse - you've been a cop for barely a couple of years and all you do is complain about how little they let you do. Well I'm your assignment. Katsu's free to do as he pleases unless "Being the Avatar" is against the law," She stated venomously, "So you're going to be watching me." Flicking her hair back, she watched his reaction with only half interest, "As I go with him." Her guns turned on Katsu once more, "God, could you be more thick?" She spat angrily, her fists visibly shaking at her sides, "Like I would let that happen - you could have been killed! But no, you're too high on your horse... You don't know you're better than everybody else, even if you think it, and you can't do everything alone. I know we're not exactly... close... to you, but..." She clammed up, holding her lips shut tightly as she looked away, her voice lowering to a near whisper, "I... don't really have many friends... So yeah, I'm going to be interested in the few that I can be, alright? And I'm going to be hurt when those few keep things from me because they think I'm going to tell my father, like I'm some amazing, perfect, star citizen."

Her mind couldn't help but wander again to where she was initially planning to spend her evening. There was a match at the arena tonight, between the Wolves and the Platypus Bears but her team found a new water bender, they didn't even tell her until a few days ago. So yeah, she wanted to have as many people at dinner tonight as possible, to keep her mind off of things, and here was Katsu: bringing it up again. Asha was the only one who 'had time' to go. So she dragged Hiresh and, from the moment she knew his schedule was available, Katsu. The back of her fist rubbed her eye slightly. She wasn't crying, an eyelash wouldn't get the hell out... That was all.

'... Lost all my autonomy when I ran into you.' She couldn't control herself as her hand wheeled back and met his cheek with a surprising amount of force, leaving a big, red mark on his face. "How dare you. Don't ever call me that... If my life is soooo great, then why did you run away? You could have had it, and then some. But you ran away... Except you didn't have the brains that Aang did, did you? You could have disappeared for a few years for real and people would have thought you were actually gone. You didn't. You stuck around, you wanted to be caught, because you want the attention," She accused, holding his gaze through eyes that fought tears through years of practice. "Don't accuse me of being spoiled, I didn't choose this life, and you didn't choose yours; the difference is that I'm not the coward who ran away from it. You wanna make the stupid decision to go back to your little hideout? That's fine, but until that's cleared as legitimately safe, I'm going with you. And you're not getting away. You may be faster than me, but I've got something you don't," She smirked, "An Airbender."

She glanced to Asha, her smirk turning to a slgiht smile, "I'm glad you're okay, Asha. You gonna be okay tagging along for a bit longer? I'll make sure you get back safely."

If Asha had cat ears, they would have flattened onto her head with all of the yelling and fighting that was going on. She hated hearing people fight and argue over things, she was definitely not trained or well versed in the art of verbal warfare. She waited silently, wanting to let everyone make their decisions on their own.

She nodded in understanding when she heard Katsu tell her that you don't exactly trust many people in his line of work. There was honor among some thieves, but not all. Through out all the fighting, she started to hear Siku choke a bit on her words, as if she was trying desperately to hold back tears; she was really quite good at this, as Asha seen that no tears had fallen from her eyes. Her heart fell when she heard Siku tell them that she didn't have many friends, so she was hurt when Katsu didn't care to tell her things. It was sweet that Siku thought of Katsu as a friend, even if they didn't really know each other all that well.

The brunette perked up a bit when Katsu seemed to finally give in to them being a little group for the time being and smiled warmly at Siku when she told her she was glad she was okay. Out of impulse, she went up to Siku and gave her a big hug. "I am glad to have you as a friend, Siku. I think I can safely say you are one of my closest." Asha wasn't just saying that, either. Even though she spent most of her time watching Siku's sister, she felt a close bond with the water bender, feeling as if friendship for them was something that was meant to happen.

"I am fine with tagging along, no worries," Asha said, reassuring her friend that all would be well.

Katsu really felt like he was being cornered here, being given no choice in what his own fate was to be. All three people here were trying to tell him where to go and what to do, he hated that! It was exactly why he left the White Lotus before and why he'd been actively avoiding them all these years, he wasn't someone's damn pawn to use. If he wanted to live life as a thief then he would, and if he wanted to play his role as Avatar then maybe he would too, someday. But for now that wasn't him, he wanted to avoid that aspect of himself completely and just carry on with life; the trio before him wouldn't allow him any such luxury, it seemed. Good intentions or not they were just making his life worse right now, why couldn't they just realize that and leave him be? Why did Hiresh suddenly have to be a good guy, or Siku act like she care? And Asha... Why was she trying to help? They had no reason to help him, none at all, unless they were all doing it just because he was the fricken Avatar.

Hearing the confession come from Siku made him a little surprised, and though he knew it was incredibly rude he almost laughed at her. Wow, so the rich girl, the famous Water Bender, she had almost no friends? Huh, funny how that worked out. Here he was, a lowly thief, and yet he could count everyone in his gang as a friend. Then there were people in other groups he worked with, folks he randomly met in the city, he figured he had loads of friends. Yet somehow the girl who had it all had none, how interesting. "I never said I can do it all alone, but I have what I need to get around. I'm not new to this kind of thing Siku, I know how to handle it," the Avatar explained, frowning at the Water Bender, "The fact is... I don't need any of your help, I've got this covered. All the three of you are doing right now is complicating things, that's it. Hell... I lost all of my autonomy when I ran into you!"

Katsu knew he was fighting with fire, but when that hand smacked his cheek and nearly caused him to topple over he was taken quite by surprise. Stumbling a bit his eyes widened in shock, looking back at Siku as he covered his cheek defensively. And here she was, asking why he had run away again. Should he even tell her? About how some of the White Lotus borderline abused him? How he was forced to train for hours on end, spend the entire day exhausted only to repeat that, day in and day out? Sure, there were luxuries with it all, but when you were so out of it all the time it was hard to appreciate anything. The life of a thief wasn't exactly all cushy, but at least here he was happy. Here he could do what he wanted, live how he wanted, and ultimately that's the only thing he desired in life. She couldn't possibly understand, no way did she live a life like he had, none of them did. Even on her worst days it would have seemed like a vacation to Katsu.

"You say all that like you think you know me... Like you think you know what I ran away from," Katsu replied, frowning as he looked away. The wind had definitely been taken out of his sails, but he still wasn't ready to just back down. A small part of him kept hoping that if he maintained this stance then these three would get fed up and leave, letting him get back to his life as he wanted. "Maybe if you actually knew a single thing about me you wouldn't be so quick to judge, Siku. But then why learn when it's easier to make assumptions about the lowly thief?" Cowardly, shirking duty, he sure did all of that, or had he? He still had duty, now it was just to his gang and the people he ran with. He had stood and fought those who tried to stop him today, even hanging back to make sure Siku got out alright. He wasn't a coward, he just had changed what it was he fought for, that was all. Watching the display between Siku and Asha for a moment Katsu scoffed, giving himself one last shake before letting out a sigh.

"Fine... I guess you're all coming with me then, whatever. I could use a hand carrying some stuff I suppose." And then what? Off to Air Temple Island? He really loathed to have to run away like this, but after having calmed down a little he could see it really was his only option. Unless he could be absolutely certain his hiding spots were safe, which he couldn't be, he was best off leaving Republic City, even if only for a little. Shooting Siku one last annoyed glance he began walking down the tunnels again, moving much slower than before as he practically dragged his feet. "Come on... It's a few blocks until we surface again, so better get moving."

"Oh, you wanna talk about assumptions, Katsu?" She asked, interested once again in the argument. "How about 'princess?' Hmm? How about the fact that you still believe my life is so great, like I don't spend hours a day training, honing my craft, learning everything my father wants to teach me. Sure, I enjoy it, but that's because I'm not afraid to be pushed, to ask for help and learn something that I might not be an expert on from somebody else. I didn't realize that the Avatar could bend the secret fifth element of hypocrisy too," She sneered. Hiresh couldn't help but need to stifle his chuckle in the background, turning away. The argument was over, though, and Siku just stared at her feet, "Fine. I don't know you. My name's Siku," She said, wiping her entire attitude to a blank slate. "Alright, let's go."

Hiresh returned to a professional demeanour as well, "Few blocks is good anyway, if they can't keep following down here, then we'll be pretty safe popping up a good distance away."

Siku walked beside Asha with Hiresh taking up the rear, allowing Katsu to lead. His head was so freaking massive she could barely see around it... Okay, so it was normal sized, but it still felt like it was taking up the entire tunnel. Didn't he ever get a haircut either? That big mop of white was just so... loud! How did he live like that? It couldn't be that hard to get one of his amazing friends to just chop a bit off, could it? And ugh! That Fire Nation temper...

"Carrying? Oh, no, we're defense team Alpha," She taunted, looking to Asha with a small grin, gradually returning to her normal self. Siku never stayed angry for long with anybody, but her temper flared brighter than a dragon's breath. "First order by Commandant Tsukiko is..." The girl flicked her wrist, "Dry off the package!" Oh god, did I just say that? I sound like a damned idiot!

Asha smiled happily to herself when she heard Katsu said they could come along. Of course he didn't sound too happy about it, but the brunette was grateful that they would all be traveling together, making sure that Katsu was safe. Even if he wasn't the Avatar, Asha would have wanted to make sure those men didn't get a hold of him; who knows what they were going to do to him. The White Lotus was supposed to be a good organization, but every group had their baddies.

The brunette didn't feel the need to voice her excitement that they were hanging around for a little bit longer, seeing as how everyone seemed to be on the same page with everything now. Hiresh seemed business as usual, which made Asha's lips curl into a smile. It was funny how he could go into cop mode so easily, he obviously chose the right occupation.

As they walked through the tunnel, Asha walked side by side with Siku, while Katsu took the lead and Hiresh was the caboose. She giggled when Siku snapped her fingers and demanded that the 'package' be dried off. For a second she wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but then Asha snapped to attention and blew air on Katsu to dry him off.

"Yes m'am!" Asha replied, saluting. "The package has been successfully dried!" The brunette hoped Katsu wasn't too mad at her for blowing air on him to dry him off...dry or wet, being in sewer water was just gross.

Finally they arrived at a manhole that was far from where they were originally. She looked up and could hear some of the street noise from above, hoping they wouldn't get run over by one of those weird cars.

Tch... Siku did have a good life, she just didn't realize it. Whatever "problems" she had were insignificant by comparison, Katsu would have killed to have a life as simple as hers. She could do what she wanted, when she wanted, and never got in trouble because of who her parents were; back in the Fire Nation his parents, who regular workers, were hardly going to have enough weight to their names to free him from trouble, that wasn't something he could rely on. When the only complaint she gave him was about being trained he almost laughed, turning away and starting on down the tunnels. Right, because that was so hard to do, at least she was home and training. Katsu never had a choice really, he was taken from his home and supposed to be trained by complete strangers, strangers who were hardly the kindest of people. If she knew even a fraction of what he'd gone through then maybe she'd not be so much of a jerk.

So this was going to be it huh? He was going to leave yet another home, more friends behind and a life he wanted to live all because of the White Lotus. Actually, this time around he didn't completely blame them, he should have avoided them altogether if Siku hadn't forced him along. Now that he was actually trying to make them do things too they refused, or rather, the Water Bender refused. Honestly was she just here to make his life more difficult? Demanding that she come along and then do nothing but harass and complicate things, real great companion to have. Glancing back at the trio behind him, Katsu frowned and stuffed his hands into his pockets, wondering what the chances were of ditching them. Maybe once they were on the island...

"Wait... What are you planning?" the Avatar asked, frowning as he overheard the conversation. Glancing back once more his eyes widened seeing Asha aiming at him, gasping and turning around as he held his hands out defensively. "Wait wait wait, don't you even dare!" Either the Air Bender hadn't heard him or didn't care, because she went right on ahead and let loose a powerful gust of wind straight at him. Gritting his teeth as he fought to keep his feet planted Katsu found his body leaning backwards, having to bend some earth in order to stop from flying away. When the gust had finally subsided his hair was all pushed up and sticking everywhere, his clothes crumpled and disheveled. Was he dry? Oh most definitely, there wasn't a drop left on him, but he looked like he'd just jumped out of the sky or something. Growling in annoyance the Fire Bender fought to get his hair back down, sorting out his clothes before huffing and continuing on ahead.

Their manhole of choice was some dozen blocks away ultimately, which should be plenty of distance for them to lose the White Lotus. Glancing up the ladder Katsu frowned to himself, deliberating once more whether he could ditch these three here and now. Siku had her little emotional display earlier so he doubted she'd let it go, and Hiresh suddenly had this mindset that he was the Avatar's keeper or some crap. Asha... Heck, he didn't even know what the Air Bender was thinking, mostly just assuming she was coming along since she was being told. Frowning, Katsu rubbed at his head before finally making peace with the fact he had an entourage now, going ahead and climbing up the ladder first. Listening closely to make sure no vehicles were coming he pushed the slab of steel away with some effort, poking his head out for good measure before finally leaving the sewers. Keeping watch at the manhole itself he glanced around the area, satisfied that he couldn't see anyone around that might try causing them harm. "Coast's clear you guys, get up here..."

Despite herself, Siku had to laugh once more at Katsu's flustered attitude when Asha blasted him. She shrugged, "I was going to bend it off of him, but I like the way you think, Asha." The girl took a sniff of the air, "At least you smell better now, Katsu," She teased, giving him a thumbs-up. This was taking forever, though... How far did they really have to go down here? What felt like ages later, Katsu was calling them up the ladder and Siku was the first one on it, fully aware of how nasty her clothes were growing by the second. "Finally, geeze..." She muttered, pulling herself onto the street and stretching out her back, "That was disgusting..."

Hiresh was the final one on his way up and he planted his feet before bending the manhole cover back into place. He looked around and wiped his hands off of each other to get the grime from the ladder off of them. They started on their way for Katsu's place, albeit moving more clandestinely than they had to in the sewers. With Katsu in the lead, Hiresh kept eyes on their rear again, making sure they still weren't being followed. No, chief, why in the world would he need a damned radio? He was only guarding an ambassador's daughter. Not only that, but Ambassador Tsukiko was the frontrunner for the North Pole's seat as councilman as soon as it opened. There would be no reason for him to have some way to contact HQ in a pinch. Of course, Siku would have had a fit had he brought one anyway. God dammit, why did he need them? He was more than qualified for this. He could get Katsu to Air Temple Island and then they'd have more than enough resources to figure what came next.

The quartet wove through the streets and into the Panther Lily district. Siku looked around... She tried not to walk through this part of the city often and now she was really regretting the clothing she'd picked for the evening now. Finally, they made it to what looked like a completely abandoned apartment complex. After Future Industries brought the automobile and power to Republic City, these things were thrown up everywhere. Avatar Korra's opening of the Spirit Portal made some areas of the city more difficult to traverse and some places lost all accommodation as living quarters. Property values in the Panther Lily District were very low and driving was difficult, to say the least, so a lot of the land was deemed unusable and many of the apartments abandoned. This structure was one that nobody paid to live in, so it seemed some had chosen to steal itself in.

The streets weren't so full of people, but it was apparent that they were there. Just most of them were inside at this hour and anybody who was outside was slightly more... undesirable. Siku made sure to keep the group close together. She couldn't let Asha wander off. "Katsu... Y-you live in there...?" She asked with a little bit of a dumbfounded tone. She didn't mean for it to sound rude, but it likely did sound a bit more pretentious than intended. Hiresh maintained a ready stance, but Katsu's aloofness made it hard to feel the necessity of staying alert as they approached the large structure. Was this really Katsu's own little hovel?

There was a small group of people out front. Each one was wearing some kind of worn or tattered clothing, but they didn't wear it like it was all they had, it was worn with a type of pride. The worst part was that most of them didn't seem more than a couple of years older or younger than Siku herself. If she thought that she attracted a lot of looks, Hiresh was being stared down like nobody's business. He didn't need a uniform to look like an officer, especially with his cables still equipped. No doubt there were more like these kids inside, too... But how many, Siku wondered?

A voice called from the small group, "Oi! Katsu, what's with bringin' the fuzz in here?"

Hiresh pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course he lives with a bunch of delinquents... This was going to be a real pain in the ass. Siku snickered at his clear irritation, "Wow, he called you out awfully quick there, Hiresh," She teased.

Asha blushed a little in embarrassment when Siku said that wasn't exactly what she had meant, but liked how she blasted air on Katsu to dry him off. "Heh...sorry, Katsu. I thought she was talking to me," she said, hoping that Katsu could find it in himself to forgive her; it was kinda funny how the boy's eyes widened when he seen her aiming at him.

Once they reached the manhole, the brunette flew up to the surface, grateful to be breathing in fresh air. "Ah...nothing like nice, fresh, air..." Asha mumbled to herself as she took in her surroundings. This part of town certainly seemed different than the part that they had dinner in. Everything seemed a bit more worn down, not taken care of. As they all walked as a group, they were getting the stink eye from many other pedestrians on the block, making Asha feel a bit uncomfortable.

They got to an area that for Katsu, was more or less home, and a person he knew instantly called out Hiresh for being a...fuzz? "Hiresh...you aren't that fuzzy...I would say you are one of the least hairy boys I ever met," Asha said, nodding her head in confidence; she hoped that Hiresh wouldn't take into consideration what those guys said to him, he looked just fine! So what if people were a bit hairier than others?

A few strangers gave her funny looks and started to chuckle, which made Asha cock her head to the side. What did she say that was so funny? She was trying to cheer up her comrade! She narrowed her eyebrows in what she thought was a real stern expression, but it just made her look like a flustered polarpup.

Though he was more than used to traversing the sewers Katsu couldn't say he enjoyed being in them. Normally if he was going to take the route he'd bring a face mask with him, something to lessen the noxious fumes of the waters below. Since it had been an impromptu trip however he had nothing with him, and he swore his nose hairs were burning by the time they got out. Taking a deep breath of clean, fresh air he gave his clothing another brushing off, figuring they had to be actually cleaned still. It had been a bit of a walk, but now they were back in the Panther Lily district, the place in which he called home. It was far from the upper echelon of living quarters, in fact having been quite rundown since Harmonic Convergence, and a decent portion of the population had up and left for less... Green areas. For people of his trade however this place was a haven, as the officers rarely came out here and there were plenty of places to hide and set up operations.

Katsu glanced back at Siku curiously when she asked about where he lived, frowning and turning to face her confused. "Yeah? What about it? Not to your liking princess?" he asked, smirking slightly as he prodded at her, "I know it's not your usual mansion, but we make due with it. Once you get to see the place it's actually really nice." If you took it for face value then yeah, it was a dump; trees grew out of the streets and even some buildings, former homes and stores were run down and probably should be demolished, and abandoned vehicles lined the streets, wrapped in thick vines and long since dead. There was a certain beauty in it for Katsu, as it was the most natural place in the entire Republic City. There was the possibility of his Avatar-aspect influencing that some, but he'd never given it any thought. "You did say you were coming along, didn't you? So no complaining if you don't like it."

Finding his home wasn't overly difficult, thanks in part due to the welcome committee waiting outside. They must have started to get curious when he was gone for so long, especially since his job of nabbing a badge was hardly a difficult one. Not having expected to be seen, and kind of wishing they weren't going to spot him with these three, the Avatar could only smile meekly and wave as he was called out. "Him? Long story, don't worry about it, he's an idiot," Katsu responded, grinning as he waved a hand dismissively. They were in his neck of the woods now, far from any jurisdiction that Hiresh might try to impose. Besides, he had even said he was here to help, so there was no need to worry about him going all cop-mode and busting everyone.

"Never mind that though, I've got some stuff to do today so we're just picking up a few things before we go again." He didn't want anyone going and throwing a fit he was running off, he had enough issues right now. Waving past the members gathered outside he hurried up the steps to the apartment, hands tucked away in his pockets as he shouldered the door open, slipping on inside. No sooner had he stepped foor indoors did a small yelping noise signal his arrival, making the Avatar break out into a grin as he looked down the hallway. Bounding around the corner of the staircase was a young Sabre Fox, hardly up to his knee while standing upright. Tails swishing excitably the furry critter bounded up to its owner, squeaking as it jumped up and into his arms, licking at his face excitably.

"Hey there Koinu!" Katsu said, beaming as he hugged the young fox against his chest, burying his face in its fur. It was always so nice to be greeted by his pet whenever he came home, and for a second he was able to forget what they were here for and break a smile. When he realized there were a few sets of eyes staring at him he glanced back at the others, his face flushing slightly as he cleared his throat and turned around, trying to play off his affection. "So uh... My room is on the second floor, front of the building. Just follow me up and we'll grab a few things, then we can leave. Would hate to make you stay here much longer, Siku," he added, turning back around and heading up the steps, lifting up Koinu and rubbing his nose to the fox's as he went. Eh, screw if they saw him doing it, he loved the pup and he wasn't ashamed to show it!

Hiresh laughed and shook his head, looking to Asha, "No, Asha, they mean I'm a cop." He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, adding, "And they'd be right." Of course, Katsu had to belittle him... otherwise what kind of Avatar would he be? The metal bender shrugged and rolled his eyes, deciding it best to keep his proud mouth shut for now.

Siku shook her head, putting up her hands, "Oh, no no, it's... Uh, it's great! Really, I just... Didn't expect it is all. I'm not one to judge people for where they call home - you like it after all," She said hastily, worried that she actually sounded condescending. "Plus I'm not really used to a place that's anything like it." She flushed, clenching her fists, "I'm not a princess, ugh...! Papa's far from next in line for chief anyway... I hate the North Pole's hierarchy sometimes." The girl crossed her arms and found focus on the ground in front of her as they entered the building. How much would Katsu really need to grab, anyway?

Hiresh instantly entered a battle-ready stance as a yelping sounded from nearby. Siku, on the other hand, grinned and started to look around. It didn't take long to find the source, making Hiresh sigh in slight annoyance. Meanwhile, the water bender jumped excitedly, "Oh. My. Gosh. Is that a Sabre Fox? How did you even find one? Let alone with such a nice white coat... You can't find these little guys anywhere!" She didn't even care that Katsu was showing a little vulnerability because she was absolutely gushing at the adorable animal. "Papa never let me get a pet... The North Pole doesn't have many friendly animals and once we got here he wanted me to focus on other things; if I had time for a pet, I had time to do something better with my time. But look at this little guy! I would spend hours staring into windows of shelters and stores when I was little... I never ever ever saw anything like him!"

She ogled the small fox brightly, reaching out to pet its head. Katsu's comment about getting out quickly for her was completely ignored as she finally pulled back and calmed down for a moment. Hiresh stared at her, dumbfounded. "Seriously? All this time and I get 'Hiresh is just a private, completely forget about him and his cop-ness' but the moment this kid pulls out a fluffy animal, you go all sweet and excitable? What's that about?!" He wasn't really offended, just a little jealous.

Siku blushed slightly, clearly debating her next question. It was the most important question she'd ever had or ever would have for Katsu: "C-can I... Uh... Hold him?" She tried not to make eye contact, feeling humiliated that she had to ask him for something that she wanted. Suddenly, he actually had something that gave him a position of control with her. Something he'd not had since the beginning of the night.

Asha blushed in embarrassment when she realized it was slang for 'cop.' She scratched the back of her head and continued walking with the group, getting to an apartment building. They followed Katsu up some steps and when they entered the complex they heard a squeak and excited running. Next thing they saw was a fox who was obviously excited to see Katsu. The brunette smiled brightly when she seen the boy show such affection for his pet and giggled when Siku was entranced by the small animal, and Hiresh? Well, Hiresh seemed a bit put off by how much attention the fox was getting from Siku.

She wanted to pet the fox too, but figured all of the attention it was receiving would make it either irritable or anxious and she didn't want to do that; she would instead wait for her turn. They walked up more stairs and into the apartment that Katsu called his home. She looked around, taking in everything that there was. It was a modest home and Asha decided that she liked it; necessities was all anyone really needed in a home. Even in her place at the Island, she didn't have all that much, just anything that was needed for living. She did have a few books...if one considered those anything with value.

Asha put a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggle when Siku had asked if she could hold the fox, her face showing her embarrassment. It was fun to see how affected people became by animals they found cute. Of course she was distracted by the animal as well, but not as bad as the others...she just hoped she would get some time to give the fox a little pet.

"So what all do you need, Katsu?" She asked as they wandered through the apartment as he searched for the items he was going to grab. Asha felt bad that Katsu had to temporarily leave his home while those people were after him; it just wasn't safe to stay in the same place when someone was after you.

Katsu wasn't going to waste much more of his time arguing with Siku, hardly in the mood for it right now. That aside, getting to see Koinu had managed as always to brighten his spirits, a wide smile spreading across the thief's face as he caught his pet and lifted it up. No one could stay upset or angry when holding this little creature, it was just too darn adorable and friendly for that. Chuckling as his nose was licked he hugged the Sabre Fox to his chest, scratching behind one of his pet's ears as they ascended the staircase. Koinu would of course be one of the few things he'd be taking along with them, he would never dream of leaving behind his furry companion. They had traveled all the way from the Fire Nation together, and Katsu would be damned if this mess was what separated them. The others here could just as well go back to their homes, if he only had Koinu at his side then he'd be perfectly content.

Raising an eyebrow in surprise hearing Siku gushing over his pet, Katsu looked back at the trio with him and smiled slightly, surprised to find the Water Bender actually had a soul. "I would guess you never did see anything like him, he's from the Fire Nation," the Avatar pointed out, looking back at his pet and rubbing his nose to Koinu's, "I brought him from home with me, he's one of the few things I have from there. He's a good boy, always waiting for me to come back home whenever I go out." In a way, Koinu was his absolute closest friend in this world, closer than any of his fellow thieves or any of the three here with him.

"You... Want to hold him?" Katsu asked, furrowing his brow as he looked at Siku confused. Where the heck had this side of her come from then? Looking at Siku as she began to blush he looked down at Koinu, his own cheeks heating up a bit as he debated the request. Well, he couldn't see any harm in allowing it, and goodness knows it was just easier to give her what she wanted rather than deny her and listen to her later. Closing his eyes and letting out a silent sigh he nodded his head, offering over his pet with a small smile. "Sure... Just be gentle? And don't tug on his ears or tail, he doesn't like that." Feeling slightly nervous having handed over his companion, Katsu turned to Asha when she asked about grabbing things, not having really thought about it too much.

"Well... I want to bring one of Koinu's toys for him to play with, and probably a change of clothes or two. Plus there's a few personal things I want to grab, which means I've gotta find my bag." There was a worn backpack that Katsu had stored his smaller items in when he'd initially left home, and with luck it was still holding up well enough to be used again. Smiling to himself he went down the hallway to the final room on the left, reaching into his shirt and pulling out a key on a small string before using it to unlock his room, pushing the door open for the others. It wasn't a very flashy room, with just a bed, dresser, bookshelf with various items strewn across it and a closet with a sealed door.

Koinu squirmed a little bit as he was handed away to a stranger, making a soft whimpering noise as he tried to remain in Katsu's arms. When it became obvious he was being handed off, the young Sabre Fox turned to the new person holding him, a little wary considering he'd never met them before. Glancing up he got onto his hind legs, placing his front paws on Siku's chest to stabilize himself before sniffing at her curiously. Her scent was a bit... Noxious, almost like a toilet, yet there were parts of her that were nice too. What an odd clash of scents, had she not washed in a while? Tilting his head to the side curiously, Koinu looked up into Siku's eyes before giving a playful help, beginning to lick at her cheek to try and help wash her off. If she was going to be around his master then she had to smell nice, not like a potty!

While Asha actually helped Katsu, Siku was occupied by the pup that the boy handed over with a little reluctance. She beamed with excitement, softly stroking the animal's pure white fur. 'Koinu' began to lick her cheek and she scratched under his chin, laughing, "He's so adorable! And that's a side I've never seen of you, Katsu; the one that brings his little fox over from his home because he wuuuvs him." Somewhere in the sentence, Siku had stopped speaking to Katsu and was now addressing the pet in her arms. "Huh, Koinu? Does mister Katsu treat you well?" She cooed, already aware that he wouldn't reply.

"He's so well-behaved for being so young," She observed, still laughing as he continued to lick her cheek. She knew it would be rude to not help, so she made sure to cradle the fox with one arm as she used the other to help put things in bags or boxes or whatever was asked of her. Meanwhile, she just kept talking adoring nonsense to the puppy in her arm, "We'll protect you, buddy. Nothing bad'll happen while we're around, that's for sure. You're in the hands of one of Republic City's best benders and swordswomen," She teased, exaggerating the truth quite significantly. She was directed to his toys and she set the small fox on the ground, joining him on her knees as they looked over all of the options. "Which ones are your favorites, Koinu?" She asked playfully, waiting for him to drag one out. At fist, it was fun as he showed her a few of the little ones from the stash. However, she grew a little bit crestfallen as she realized taht the entire pile was moved from a few feet away to directly in front of her, an expectant Koinu staring excitedly up at her. She looked down again and thought for a moment, "I'll grab as many as I can, promise, even if daddy can't get them all."

"There's no way we can play with all of these at once, Koinu..." She pointed out sadly, "I wish we could, but you can only pick a few..." Oh, god, she couldn't take that face... It wanted all of the toys. "K-Katsu, are you sure we can't take a few more of the toys? He doesn't want to leave them behind!"

Hiresh was actually getting some of the work done. He checked for the items Katsu mentioned, but couldn't find the backpack. He started digging around a bit more, making sure to put anything back the way he found it. One might think he was combing a crime scene, but in reality he was really just trying to find the bag by checking thoroughly. Finally, he opened a closet and pulled a few items out of the way, victoriously lifting a worn bag into the air. "This one, Katsu?" He asked, holding it out. It was a little beaten and he wondered how much weight it could carry before the bottom would completely give out. The metal bender didn't open to search the inside as he passed it over, figuring Katsu would have to take care of picking out his clothes and packing the bag himself.

He leaned against the wall by the window, watching Asha for a moment before shaking his head, "So, little Air Bender, you're a little different from the typical acolyte... Or nomad, whatever you guys go by nowadays. Usually, even at your age, they're pretty uptight and obsessively clean. They're usually pacifists too, you don't seem too allergic to fighting or things like walking in the sewers. Did you grow up around here?"