Yun Song, Chief of Security of His Excellency the Prime Minister of the United Earthen States, was scrubbing between her toes diligently, dressed only in her bathrobe, fuming at the lack of competent hygienists in the Four Seasons. Yun was always fuming at something or the other these days - the Prime Minister, the Avatar and the President of Republic City being the main subjects of her ire. Lee Beifong, the Prime Minister of UES, was increasingly becoming an irrational man, demanding her to accomplish everything from rounding up the Earth Liberation Front to 'securing' the Avatar. The President of Republic City, on the other hand, was an adamant woman, incapable of sensing anything beyond the borders of her own tiny city. The Avatar, however, was proving to be more difficult to locate than what she had assumed at first.

All because of the White Lotus, she thought with surprising vehemence, accidentally stubbing her toe against the chair leg. She swore quite loudly, picking up the upturned vase, and taking a deep breath to calm herself. The White Lotus always got her blood boiling. As a young woman, she had always wanted to be a part of the secretive, elite organization. She knew they were always watching with their vast network of spies and informants, many of whom had no idea who they were spying for. She had heard of fake Paisho games that the Lotus members used to recruit or communicate. She also knew they would reveal themselves to any prospective applicant. But Yun never was graced with a visit from them. She refused to admit that the White Lotus did not consider her worthy of a membership. They can stuff their exclusive Self-help Group into their own glorified pie holes, she thought.

And that brought her to the reason for her visit to this cesspool of a city. She shrugged out of her bathrobe and momentarily appraised her taut frame in the full-length mirror. Her muscles still rippled and stood firm and her face seemed chiseled of stone. The metallic left arm caught the neon light from outside and shone, reminding her of the things she had lost to get to where she was. She had long passed the age where men would consider her beautiful. Now, they only saw an Enforcer - and that's just what she wanted. Especially when dealing with some truly hard-assed men.

Like the Chief of Police, Kobashi Nakamura, for instance. A fire-bender and one of the youngest men to assume the post, Kobashi was a tough negotiator who did not readily divulge sensitive informant information. And Yun desperately needed him to, if she had any hopes of sniffing out the nonexistent trail of the White Lotus. In an earlier time, when she still was a young woman with undeniably good looks, she would have tried to seduce the Police Chief. But while her body was still good enough to fight, its flirting days were over. Besides, she had heard rumours that Kobashi preferred men. And moreover, she did not really expect the tough-as-nails Kobashi to just fall for the oldest tricks in the book.

She would have to do this the hard way, she thought as she got dressed for her meeting with the Chief. She would have to bring to bear the full weight of her authority and the authority of her boss. She would have to dominate the conversation somehow - find some leverage she could use against Chief Nakamura.

She put on her pale-yellow blouse and a dark-green formal jacket that brought out the green in her eyes. She checked her belt to make sure the metal string was in there - for emergencies. As an added precaution, she also carried a handful of dirt in her elegant leather purse. Her heels clipped and clopped as she made her way across the plush hotel lobby, not bothering to return the receptionist's friendly nod. Barka, her large and mute bodyguard/assistant, folded the newspaper he was reading and got up from his seat in the lobby, wordlessly falling in step with her. His subtle nod, she returned.

As she stepped out of the hotel, the breeze whipped at her collar and she squinted her eyes against the bright glare of the lamps as the sun set over Republic City. She felt dwarfed as monstrous skyscrapers towered over her like admonishing giants. Here and there, among the endless throng of people, she could see shining glimmers of spirits going about their lives as well. Republic City - truly the nexus of the worlds.

She refused to ride in the city's taxis. Those were filthy things with the seats full of Raava knows what! To her assistant Barka's questioning look, she said, "The hotel is giving us a Futuron limousine." Barka smiled. He hated walking. And like his mistress, he too loved the comforts of life. As a long and sleek limousine pulled up outside right on cue, he quickly ran to sit in the front seat while Yun eased herself into the back. Despite her cool exterior, she was beginning to feel the nerves. This was supposed to be a routine negotiation with a policeman. Then why did she feel as if she was just about jump headlong into a mysterious abyss? With her anxieties circling her, the limousine peeled off the hotel entrance and made its way to the Police Headquarters.

The time was sunset, and the place was an old Tunnel-Train Station. As the name implied, Tunnel-Trains were trains that ran through underground networks to provide a form of mass transit. Republic City was not the first place to utilize such a form of transportation, it having originated in Ba Sing Se as a form of train that, in the time of Aang, were powered by Earthbenders. Trains in Republic City, however, ran on their own power. That power was originally steam, but in more recent years that changed to electricity. As the Tunnel-Train Network expanded, some of its lines were shut down and the stations no longer in service. These stations often made for ideal hideouts, usually for street gangs or the like. All except one. One of the largest stations, one that used to be the Grand Central Station until a new one was built elsewhere in the city. This particular station had recently been given new life as the home of Battle Club.

As much as celebrities like Bolin had revitalized Probending, there were those who felt like it wasn't providing them enough action. They craved something different, something more... bloody and bone-crunching. Thus, the Battle Club was started. Anyone from any background were allowed to participate as often as they liked. They would be pit against each other in violent cage matches where the only rule was no outside weapons or assistance was allowed. Benders and Non-Benders alike clashed in the Cage, with wealthy viewers taking a liking to betting on the matches and hopefully coming away richer thanks to the tenacity of whatever fighter they bet on. Fights were held almost every night, from sundown until sunrise, in this old station that was now lit by torches and other such non-electric sources. This night was absolutely no different. The spectators were filling the seats as the Club Manager counted the bets.

Meanwhile, in another part of the station, there was a locker room of sorts. Through here was where fighters entered the Club from. This room was for them change out of street clothes and into whatever fighting outfit they had devised for themselves. There was a narrow corridor, at the end of which was a heavy door leading out on the walkway that fighters would take to enter the Cage. The walls of this pathway were smeared red, almost certainly by blood. Victorious fighters made a tradition out of smearing the blood they drew from their opponents on the walls to "decorate" it. This eventually led to the this area being affectionately named "The Red Room". Within this Red Room, various men and women were adjusting their clothes. Some stretched, some did some warm up training. One sat on a bench having already changed and was simply awaiting their turn. They appeared deep in thought, their eyes staring forward in an intense glare.

"Yang!" someone's voice barked in a raised tone that could be heard throughout the Red Room. At this, the silent fighter stood from his bench and walked his way over to where the Red Room's master waited. He didn't have a name, or least didn't share his real name anyway. Instead he insisted on only ever being addressed as Master, because he managed the Red Room and was the "master" of everyone and everything within it, "You're the opening match, so get the hell out there and spill some blood!"

Shu Yang, the fighter, didn't offer much of a response. He just made a quick a nod and then made his way down the bloodied corridor that would take him to the Cage. When he opened the door, he could hear the sheer noise of the crowds that had built up in the audience seats. But he also heard something else. An enthusiastic and familiar voice that spoke up on a loudspeaker. He was the Battle Club announcer and chief commentator, "Good evening, Republic City! Welcome to tonight's... BATTLE CLUB! As always, I am Zhou!" he called himself Zhou, no one knew if that was actually his name or not. Most likely it was just a handle of some kind in order to protect his identity. That was common in Battle Club. Fights like this were very illegal, and so basically everyone including the spectators used assumed names while here, "Your first fight of the night is a real treat, folks. We've got the Battle Club's newest rising star, the Beast of the Cage himself... Xun!" that was Shu's assumed name for the Battle Club. Here he was known as Xun, the Beast of the Cage. Zhou continued, "And from parts unknown, we have the Masked Tengu! So who will it be? The Beast or the Tengu?"

As Zhou talked, Shu made his way into the Cage. His opponent was waiting for him, a cloaked person wearing a wooden Tengu mask. It seemed like they not only wanted to hide their name, but their face as well. The cloak they wore also made it impossible to tell if they were a Bender of some kind or something else entirely. Even the Tengu's gender was impossible to tell due to the loose cloak hiding their figure and the mask hiding their facial features. Well, Shu wasn't afraid to let himself be seen. He reached up and practically tore off his own cloak as he tossed it aside. He revealed his lithe form, dressed only in a pair of tight black shorts, his hands and bare feet wrapped tightly in bandages. Shu glared coldly at his opponent, and they did the same. Sometimes fighters would trash talk each other before the fight actually started to really put on a show. But not these two it seemed.

"Ouch, you just feel the edge and tension in the air between these two! Like two chained dogs just waiting for the order to kill! Let's give them that order, shall we?" From somewhere in the Club, a large gong was rung to signal the start of the fight. Immediately the two combatants lunged for each other, each one intending to be the only one walking out of the Cage as the victor.

They traded blows, the Tengu either unable or unwilling to do any bending, while Shu did the same. Why go straight for the big finishers when it was usually more sensible for opponents to size each other up first? Shu swung with strength and force, while the Tengu seemed to move with a bit more agility. One could almost swear it was like watching an Airbender in action, but there was no bending in the Cage right now. Just two fighters who were both very good at what they did. After a few more moments of trading blows, Shu decided to escalate things a bit. He stomped the ground in order to kick-launch a spike of earth at his opponent. The Tengu pivoted aside to dodge the attack and seemed to decide to fight more earnestly as well.

With speed and precision that they hadn't yet displayed, the Tengu managed a few quick and seemingly weak strikes against Shu's right arm. There was deception in the strikes though, as the Earthbender found it more difficult to move his arm and, more importantly, Earthbend with it. Chi-Blocker! Shu clutched his arm and barely managed to avoid having his other arm suffer the same fate. Shu pressed his back against the Cage, even kneeling a bit as if he were cornered. When the Tengu lunged for a finishing blow, an unexpected smirk appeared on Shu's face as he sprung his trap. Whilst kneeling, he had subtly dipped his left hand into the Earth below him. When his opponent lunged Shu dodged out of the way and Earthbent a clump of earth in his left hand around his fist to slam it into the back of the Tengu's head.

The Tengu, surprised by this, was dazed by the blow to the head. Shu acted quickly, using that same clump of earth and using it to bind the Tengu's wrists and neck against the bars of the Cage. Then he did something even more unexpected. Shu used his free hand to strike himself, specifically some of the points the Tengu had hit earlier before making his once-paralyzed arm move again, "I'm sorry, did you were the first Chi-Blocker to ever step into this cage?" asked Shu when the Tengu even from behind their mask, showed obvious shock and surprise at Shu's apparent ability to fix his own arm. Shu was no Chi-Blocker by any means, but he had fought a few of them and had since learned at least a handful of tricks for getting around their shenanigans. Shu acted again, this time quickly and ruthlessly. He began striking the Tengu's back with his fists, even going for repeated kidney shots against his otherwise helpless opponent as if they were little more than a human punching back. After a bit, he showed some mercy and slammed his elbow into the side of their head, undoing his Earthbent shackles and letting their unconscious form hit the floor of the Cage.

The crowd roared, and Zhou's voice could be heard once again, "Not even a Chi-Blocker can stop the Beast once he's on a rampage! The victor is Xun!"

War. Any meaningful change in the world hardly happens without it. Shao, of the Jin-Hwan Family, knew that by abandoning his life in the Fire Nation, boarding a ship, travelling across the sea, and arriving in Republic City...that he had started one. The salty air cleared out his nostrils as he breathed in, taking the first step on his warpath to freedom armed with nothing but his bending, some currency, and a pack of personal belongings. His eyes, a deeper blue than the clearest ocean, absorbed the sight of the free city with extreme interest. If he were more expressive, he no doubt would have smiled at the sight. No wishing to waste any more time simply admiring the city from the port, he gradually began walking further in-land leaning on nothing but the desire to decide his own fate. The sooner he could entrench himself in Republic City, the sooner he could begin to hide from those that would pursue him. A prodigal son and soldier, Shao was fully aware he would not get the luxury of simply walking away. That made the list of people he could afford to trust slim, but at least he was free to choose.

A strong hunger gripped him as he made his way through the streets of the harbor district so when he picked up the first scent of something else besides salt, his senses pulled fiercely towards it. The rich aroma of beef was impossible to ignore on an empty stomach, so Shao found himself taking a seat at a food stand where the smell originated. There was only one other customer sitting there and they seemed to happily enjoying their meal already. He took a small moment to look over the stand's small menu before deciding "The beef kebab, please." His tone was clear, sharp, and neither polite nor rude. After paying, he watched as the fresh vegetables and beef were laid on the grill. The sizzling of the beef and the delicious smell ruthlessly teased Shao until at last he was given his kebab. He wasted no time and sank his teeth into a bit of grilled tomato and beef, the searing heat not swaying his hunger. Every taste bud in his mouth reacted with joy, this was his first meal as a free man and it couldn't be any better. Shao bid farewell to the chef after consuming his kebab and continued his journey.

The truth was he was a lost dog in a city he didn't know with no path to follow. Without knowing where else to go, Shao decided to head for the police headquarters in the city. He was young but was well-educated, physically strong, and versed in military theory. It was doubtful that they would hire him but he could at least ask what the requirement were, so that he may have a goal to work towards. He managed to find his way there after asking quite a few people for directions, Shao never felt so out of his element. Anxiety bubbled in his stomach, a feeling he had not felt since his first day in boot camp. A deep breath only managed to curb this feeling slightly as he opened the front door, a woman with a well-worn expression on her face sitting at a desk greeted him. Shao stepped confidently up to the sleek, dark wooden counter-top "Do you happen to be hiring?" He was never the tactful one, preferring direct approaches to conversation. Shao disregarding anyone else in the room, only focused on his conversation.

Inhale... Exhale... Eska breathed calmly, her eyes closed as she sat criss-crossed in her studio apartment. In front of her was a window from the floor to the ceiling, looking out over the city. The sunset glimmered off of the distant water and the buildings that stood between her home and the Yue Bay. A bowl sat in front of her that once possessed a small amount of water. That water now floated above it, moving in and out of it's three states. She took one final, deep breath; enough to fill her lungs. After doing so, she slowly exhaled. The water before her froze into a ball of ice, then slowly melted. Finally it began to shimmer in the light of the sunset as it began to steam, seemingly dissipating into the air around her. Her brows furrowed lightly as she took another deep breath, attempting to gather the water molecules she'd just released into the air back into it's liquid state. While she managed to gather a small drop or two of water, she did not gather as much as before.

Eska opened her eyes to look upon what she'd gathered, and subsequently let out a sigh. The water fell from the air, landing with a pitiful splash that barely touched the rims of the bowl. While she may have known plenty of ways to bend water, from steam to icicles to mini-tsunami waves, she'd taken up the task of learning to draw water from the air around her. Surely she would need to learn the technique if she was to become a master water bender. She pushed her hair back from her face and rested her elbow on her knee, staring down at the tiny pool of water. She couldn't wait to live in the Southern Water Tribe. There, she would finally have a master that could focus on her lessons. Here in the city, it seemed that everyone was dying to master their element.

The light of the sunset soon faded, and the moon shone much brighter than the lights of the city. Eska bathed in it's light for a few minutes before getting the urge to bend more than just a handful of water. She stood and grabbed her gym bag and keys, locking the door on her way out. Soon she was stepping out onto the street, breathing in the air of the city. She turned to the right and headed towards the gym where she worked, simultaneously putting her hair up into a thick bun. During the day, it was bustling with young prospective benders. There were lessons for every type of bender, ranging from a beginners level to a moderate level. Eska taught a basic water bending lesson to young water benders, and also taught a short class on the importance of being in balance with the spirits once a week. While it wasn't what Eska wanted to do for the rest of her life, it paid enough to live on and provided her with a free gym. Also, every now and then she sparred with other benders. Some of them training to be pro-benders. The job had plenty of perks.

Eska headed to an entrance that led straight into the gym. She'd been gifted a personal key by the owner, whom she knew only gave them out to special employees. She slipped quietly inside and flipped a switch next to the door. The lights flickered on, illuminating the decently sized room. It was similar to that of a pro-bending gym, with equipment for each type of bender to use. Mirrors lined wall on the far side of the room so that benders could see their form and adjust it themselves. The room itself was invisibly divided into five sections. Four sections with equipment for each element and one extra section for sparring. The gym sometimes had non-bending fighting lessons, and that section was usually meant for them to practice. The water bending equipment laid in the far right corner of the gym, and Eska set her bag down as she looked upon the section. It was nothing like the water bending gyms in the water tribes, but at night when the gym was closed Eska freely moved throughout the entire gym.

After a brief warm-up, Eska began to train. She pulled water from two buckets sitting in front of the mirrors, watching herself in the mirror as she gracefully moved throughout the gym. She practiced many techniques, at one point attempting higher level attacks on a target dummy. Within two hours, she'd worked up a sweat and worked through her urge to practice. She stepped towards her gym bag and pulled out a water bottle. As she chugged the water down, she swiped her hand across her forehead. The droplets of sweat clinging to her body were slowly pulled from her, shortly being deposited in a sweat towel nearby. After finishing the bottle of water, she sat down on a bench to catch her breath. She didn't feel tired yet, but she knew that she needed to pace herself in order to continue. Only a few more months until I'm a master, she thought, feeling determined and excited for what was to come.

Beneath those happy feelings, though, Eska really had no clue what to do with her life. Would she continue to train benders, or would she try to get a job in the government like her father? She wouldn't mind being an advocate for either of the water tribes. From the way her father was beginning to talk, it seemed as if she wouldn't need to pick between the tribes after all. Could the two really merge, despite the issues that separated them during Avatar Korra's time? After all, the Southern Water Tribe had been independent from the North for years now. Her grandmother was a child during the Water Tribe's Civil War. Eska had listened to her stories countless times, thrilled yet terrified by the eyewitness accounts told by her nana. The avatar had been strongly against a unison Water Tribe, but the spirit portals connected the two now. Would a union of the two tribes really be all that bad in this age?

“Hee hee hee—so nice, Mista-Cop, treat Jun-He to nice lunch!”

His cheeks were stuffed as a swollen purse with Republic City’s cheapest cafeteria fare, sauce dribbling from the corner of his mouth. The sandwich had been a surprisingly easy bribe for a such hard man to find in the urban metropolis. The grubby teen could be quite a difficult person to actually pin down when you wanted to find him. At least he wasn’t difficult to catch—once food was promised, he’d practically led the way back to the police station. It wasn’t the first time he’d been taken there to report a situation he’d witnessed, and it wouldn’t be the last.

With each half-masticated bite, the part-timer’s muddy eyes never left the police officer. “So nice… oh, but Jun-He know what you up to, Mista-Cop.”

Surprise registered on the officer’s face for only a moment before he leaned forward. “Do you now? And what’s that?”

The boy kicked back in the chair, resting his boots on the edge of the table as his broad grin expanded to take up his whole face. He wiggled his toes through the holes in the tips to punctuate his theory. “You try soften Jun-He up, make him feel good!”

“Is that so?”

“Uh-huh. Then you make Jun-He like you, he trust you. You count on Jun-He, he count on you too. Get close, see more often. Talk more.”

“All right, go on. You’re smarter than I gave you credit for, Jun-He.”

“Yes! Very-smart, Jun-He—oho, you give good food, but you no trick him! Jun-He know all.” Far from offended by what could have been taken as an insult, Jun-He’s chest swelled with pride. He popped the last bite in his mouth and gestured grandly, waving both his arms in the air. “He see all! He hear all! You, Mista-Cop, you have question?”

The scrawny boy’s words hung in the air in a moment of silence before his fork slipped off his empty plate and clattered to the ground. “Ah. I’ll get it, one moment.” The police officer bent down to retrieve it, fingers groping blindly along the ground. He hadn’t expected the informant to be so blunt, to cut to the point so quickly. He’d been planning a smoother transition into the next stage of the investigation, but—

“Is OK, Mista-Cop. Jun-He know what you want know.”

“Jun-He, I—” The policeman bumped his head on the bottom of the table and winced. “It’s somewhat of a delicate matter, legally, can we conduct this conversation somewhere more… private—”

“NO!” The vehemence of the reply took the officer aback, but there was far more. Jun-He crossed his arms. “Hah! He save you trouble. Jun-He know what Mista-Cops like you want, and he say—NO! Cannot marry Mista-Cop, what you thinking?!”

A pause. Shock. Dawning disbelief.

The grubby teen’s face split again in an exaggerated smirk and a tittery giggle escaped him. He covered his mouth with one hand and flapped the other at his speechless “date”, suddenly very coy. “Waah, you no look at Jun-He like that! Make him think, ‘oh, maybe-ok, maybe Mista-Cop be good wife for Jun-He afta all… bring home good-check, keep Jun-He safe…' but NO, cannot be! No-no-no! He too young, too potential, too…” He patted his own grimy cheeks, “Too beauty for being bride! Jun-He no that kind of girl!”

Normally, the expression on the face of a person’s conversation partner would clue them in when there had been a misunderstanding, but Jun-He should have gone to an eye doctor and gotten a heavy prescription ten years ago and facial nuances almost always escaped him. He ignored the officer’s horrified expression and prattled on instead, shrill tones getting louder and louder as the desperate policeman looked around himself, at a loss for what to do. “Oh, you no first to offer to Jun-He—giving foods, giving moneys, wear ugly mask...he say NO!”

Amidst his horror, the policeman recognized the key piece of information he’d been looking for. “Wait, wearing masks? And these people offered you money to... were there other people your age there too?”

Jun-He threw his arms up in the air. “Wah! Yes! But no-worry, Jun-He eat one and they only fake coin, metal taste all wrong.” He chomped on the end of the dirty fork to demonstrate and then waved it in the air to punctuate his next complaint. “Hah, he think they make out of melting-can, tasting like soap! Anyway, Jun-He go home after-that, have dinner with Po—Po is friend, Jun-He have dinner with him every day always-always—eat tasty stew, full of fish. Hey, why you wanna know what Jun-He have for dinner Mista-Cop?!” He stopped, squinting suspiciously at the officer desperately taking notes.

“By Raava, Jun-He...this might be the key to exactly what we were looking for.” The policeman stood up, face flushed with excitement at the new intel. The masks, the trafficking, the coinage…it was too soon for someone like him to go making assumptions, but if they acted quickly they might just put a stop to something big before it could even begin. “You can go home now, that’s everything we needed. Thank you again!”

Alone again, the street rat pouted and folded his arms. “They always love and leave Jun-He… waah…”

He wandered off to try and find a bathroom.

Having just walked through the slums looking out to make sure people in Republic City's lowest point were not having too many issues, that he could help solve, Gao had taken himself out of the slums, and back into 'proper' society...if you could call the normal hard working individuals of this city proper. Gao had no true distaste for the every man, nor did he have any real like for them either. They had their lives, and they worked hard to maintain them. Be it sports, manufacturing, or food each person struggled, and pushed for their end goal. Peace...was hard to come by in Republic City. To much chaos...too much disorder, and crime. The police, and air nation did what they could but they were held back by bureaucratic red tape, and corrupt politicians who, even on the lower levels helped for a handful of coin they didn't need.

Gao was a traveler, and he was a lone traveler normally. He didn't mind company but he preferred quite places where he could listen to the wind, and hear the earth around him live. This place of machinery burst with its own form of life though. Artificial as it was, and superficial at best. Just a few hours ago Gao had managed to help a young girl overcome a fever with some help from a local doctor. He had also helped a man construct a shack. Both of the cases overlooked by society as a whole. An evil in its own doing. Not everyone could survive. And death was a natural part of the world. But why should they be looked down upon for simply being alive with less coin? He was no doctor, nor was he a man of influence. So he did what he could how he would if it would help. Though Gao was not entirely sold on his own creed. He understood sometimes it would be best to let some suffer because at times it was impossible for them to stop their suffering and it would only end soon in such causes like plague, and old age they had to work through their own issues.

Gao was not a hero for justice. He didn't preach his morals to anyone who asked. He talked, walked, and acted when he viewed it was necessary. Some would call him...cold, or distant but that was not true. He enjoyed hearing people talk when they actually had something meaningful to say. More often than not the average person had as much to say truly about themselves, or the world less than they did complaints about the weather being too cold, or them knocking over a pot and getting a rug dirty.

Having grown up in a small rural village in the Earth Sphere had allowed Gao to understand that wealth was something to be used sparingly, and while he was not rich per say he had saved much of the wealth people had given to him as a reward for his services. Gao didn't refuse, or ask for a reward usually but sometimes people offered too much in kindness he took what he deserved, or needed to keep going. As such he found himself spending lightly. He sat down in a noodle shop this day his staff tied to his back, and his somewhat dirty peasant clothes being pushed gently by the breeze. He ordered a bowl of ramen before sitting down next to an elderly man who nodded at him, and he did so in return. "Busy work day young man?" the man asked looking over Gao. He looked over himself and chuckled. "I suppose...but it is a day of work well spent." Gao said simply in return to the old man smiling gently as the old man told him he was a good man for having a respect for a good day of hard work, unlike his grandchildren, and went back to eating his own food. Gao was happy for once he was in a quiet shop with few people...and he could forget about the stupid politics he tried to avoid but inevitably always came back to as the world could be put aside for some rest.

After being directed by the secretary to a room further into the station, Shao entered the room stone-faced with his posture perfectly upright and his hands behind his back. Whenever he had to report to a superior officer, this was the stance expected of him. It would be a hard habit for him to crack "Sir, I was told I needed to speak with you about a possible position here." His voice projected through the room clearly, his words carefully articulated so there would he would not be misheard. As much as it was not in his best interest not to do so, he was not concealing his identity as a soldier at all.

He did however look at the detective in the eyes, his expression not giving off many tells. Inside, Shao could feel the pace of his heartbeat increase. Family and the military were the only constants in his life, and he had cast them aside. This feeling of uncertainty was both exciting and terrifying. It was a gamble to be here in the first place but Shao had to go somewhere. If he was given a chance, Shao would show he was be useful and a valuable asset. Shao patiently waited for the detective while watching his movements out of pure habit.

Thirty minutes passed as Eska rested, bathing in the moonlight that illuminated the room. She liked training under it's natural glow. She always felt a better connection to water at night. It was common knowledge that the moonlight made water benders stronger.

As soon as she felt fully recharged, she stood and got back to it. She'd just begun her second set of training when an audible cough filled the room. She looked in the mirror to see Old Man Wu stepping into the room, his broom in tow like always.

"Isn't it way too late to work up a sweat?"

Eska smiled, slowly lowering the orb of water as she turned to face him. She held the water at her side, her hand hovering above it as she rested the other hand on her hip. "I always train better at night," she responded, her voice revealing her fondness of the old man. He was a kind soul, and a hard worker. He'd been the only constant in the gym during the few years that she'd worked there, aside from it's owner. While he was an A+ janitor he also carried a certain aura of knowledge about him. Not only did Wu have a knack for probending trivia, he also had a perfect memory of the history of Republic City. Most of her coworkers thought he was a wacky old kook. Eska was one of the few that loved to listen to his stories.

"How is your night going? Any new probending stories to tell me?" She asked, waving her hand to deposit the water into a bucket nearby. Her tone was almost eager, but never liked to force stories out of him. The best ones always came when she least expected it. She remembered one day she was about to train another class of younglings, but was ten minutes late because Wu spiraled off on a tale about the best fight ever recorded at the probending arena. She'd been scolded for listening to the man's rants and raves about probending, but Wu had been the most animated she'd ever seen him that day. It was amazing how such a quiet man could act that way when he talked about his passion.

@Leah As he began to eat his food that had just been served up to him, a rather pretty woman walked up to him. He saw she was laying on the charm. A woman in southern Omashu had told him to beware of women like these after he had saved her from a group of bandits being one of them herself. Still he made an effort not to judge people on their first initiation to him. She after all was a stranger, as she was to him. He smiled at her, not flirty at all a simple kind one that one could expect of any well mannered gentleman in this day, and age.

"Was it my clothes that gave it away I guess? Hm well it is no great secret, I am indeed new to this city. I have never had the business, nor the intention to journey to republic city before today." returned Gao with a gentle tone as he took a bite of his food. It was flavorful, but it wasn't mind blowing. He proceeded to sip up some more broth quickly before returning his attention to the woman. "As for my acts of kindness today...they were simple things. Nothing I would not do back in my home village. Those who help others have many friends. If you know that I have done that you must know that I didn't ask for pay from those people. Simple acts of kindness. Ripples that can effect many others as one act of kindness, though it can sometimes spread cruelty, also sets an example to others. I live by that prospect. That if I can help another in some small way I can encourage others to do so. I am no grand dreamer I simply do what I can because others are too short sighted to see those just underneath their reach." Gao stated calmly to the woman as he explained why he did what he did exactly.

Though he was not one to preach he figured he would quickly supplement any further questions on why he did what he did today. It was a simple act of looking out for his fellow man. Nothing more. He was no hero of justice, and he had no intentions of becoming one. He acted on his conviction that hose in power wouldn't help those who needed help the most, and did so in what small ways he could. He hoped he had not come off as preachy, or as some sort of bleeding heart. Gao wanted to help others because no one else would that's why he did it. That's why he refuted the Air Nomads in their current state. Police, governed by a group that looked around at the land from too far above never getting into the gritty details when you flew closer to the ground.

The young man in the cage took deep breaths as he drowned out the cheering crowd. Most contenders made a show of their victories, waving or egging the crowd on, or other such theatrics. But Shu wasn't here for theatrics. He wasn't here for the audience's sake, in fact he might even insist that he wasn't here for the glory either. He was here for the fight itself. Something about it was just... therapeutic to him. Being able to beat an opponent senseless, unleash all his pent up rage and frustration with the world and putting it all into strikes against poor unsuspecting opponents. His sharp, angry glare never left Shu's face even as he Earthbent a short pillar in front of himself.

The usual rules of the Cage was to fight until you drop, a sort of King-of-the-Hill competition where the Cage was the "hill" and whoever was left standing was it's current king. Right now, that meant Shu, and so he waited for whoever was going to come out next. He passed the time in his usual way, by striking at the pillar of earth he had erected for himself, using it as a training dummy. There was something to be said for someone who would, without hesitation, repeatedly punch rock and stone with their otherwise bare fists. And these were regular strikes. too, no Earthbending involved. That of course meant his knuckles, forearms, and legs were impacting the pillar no differently than those of a non-bender. Suddenly he heard someone calling him, and whatever trance-like state Shu had been in was broken. He stopped striking the pillar of rock and turned to the source of the voice.

"Some nutcase rookie wants to challenge you, offered good money for a chance to fight you on the spot. It's not our usual rules, but we can't ignore the money. It's your choice, but the boss has authorized me to offer you a cut of the bet if you make the rookie run home screaming. So what say you?"

The Master... he rarely left his post in the Red Room. So this had to be a pretty unusual circumstance. His words didn't mean much to Shu. The money would surely go to good use of course, but he also made it no secret that he didn't really do this for the money. He also wasn't as stupid as most people took him for either. Most arena fighters were thought to be brainless muscle, unable to figure out when something was suspicious. Well, Shu was far from that image. Whoever this challenger was he obviously had some other agenda. As for what that actually was, well, Shu would just have to ask him... using his fists of course.

"You should know me by now, Master." Shu responded, his tone even and without hesitation, "I'm here to fight, don't much care against who. If he wants to get hurt so bad, then let him. No skin off my back." he didn't say anything else, instead returning his focus to the pillar he had erected earlier. The Master must have walked away to inform the officials, because within moments the voice of Zhou thundered on the loudspeaker.

"Stop the presses, folks! Some newbie thinks he can conquer our beloved Beast!" the crowd seemed to be split on this, half of them cheering and the other half booing and hissing, "So let's bring him out see if he can walk the walk or if he's all bark!"

The more he waited, the more furiously Shu struck at his stone pillar. By the time his challenger would enter the Cage, Shu's pillar was starting to form cracks on it until he finally gave it one last mighty blow to shatter the pillar into pebbles and gravel. Then Shu's angry eyes, filled with rage and fury, shot a threatening glare at his next opponent.

@Double @Exit

"Kid wants to fight," the Master replied as he walked back from the Cage. "Don't know if that's good news or bad."

"It is good news for you," Shiban replied, checking the makeshift cloth bandage he had wrapped around his left forearm to hide his tattoo while he had waited. There was no point flaunting his allegiance in front of a large crowd. He then made a move towards the entrance to the cage, but stopped as the Master laid his hand on him. He turned irritably.

"Now, look here Mister whatever your name is," the Master began, his features hardening. "I don't know why you are doing this crazy thing. It's your life. But if you try anything funny in there, I will stop you. Provided the Beast doesn't finish you off first."

Shiban raised an eyebrow in amusement. This old Master threatening him was the funniest thing he had heard in recent times.

"So what do we call you anyway?" the Master continued. "The Destroyer or something?"

Shiban grinned. Something nudged his memory, and he remembered a name from long ago. Why not, he thought. He controlled his manic laughter as he said, "Call me Sparky Sparky Boom Man."

His shoulders were still shaking with mirth as he entered the cage, while the Master scratched his head in bewilderment.

Shiban stepped into the glare of the cage. He couldn't see few feet beyond the cage as the floodlights momentarily flashed in his eyes. He pulled his probending cap lower on his forehead and approached the lone fighter standing there, having just smashed a block of rock to pieces.

"And here he is, folks!" the announcer was screaming. "The craaaazy fighter who wants to take on the Beast! My, look at the size of him! Well, as they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But let's not count our pig-chickens just yet. He might still pack a mean punch."

Shiban stared at Xun, the Beast. He was just a young man. But in the cage, he seemed much larger. Shiban nodded to himself. The prophecy seemed to be true. But he needed to test this kid to know his true mettle.

"Greetings, Beast," he called out from where he was standing. His legs were spread to imitate a solid stance. But he was light on his feet, ready to pounce away the moment the earth shifted under him. "It will be my honor to fight you."

He never broke eye contact with Xun as he stood his ground. Somewhere in the arena, a bell rang. It was time to fight.

"The moon is brightest at night. And so are you," Wu said with a chuckle afterwards.

Eska's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, shaking her head at the old man's musings. She never took his flirts in a literal way. After all, she was the same age as his granddaughter.

"And don't you get me in trouble again, young lady," he continued, and Eska looked to see that he was waving his finger at her. "Last time I told you probending stories, the boss man wanted to fire me for wasting your time. Hmph!"

Eska laughed softly. "This place would be a pig sty without you, Wu," she mused. "I promise not to get you in trouble again." She watched as the old man mopped the floor, sensing a change in his demeanor. Something was bothering him, but it seemed like a different problem than the usual old memories giving him heartache.

"But... I do have something to tell. Eska, I don't know why I want to tell it to you. But... it will help me if you listen." Wu said, as if he was reluctant to share what was on his mind. He motioned towards the chairs by the windows. "Perhaps we could sit down and chat?"

Eska furrowed her brows lightly, nodding in concern. She moved towards the chairs, bringing her water bottle with her. "I'm off the clock anyways," she said with a small smile as she hoped to lighten the situation. She took a seat in one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other. "What's wrong, Wu?"