[color=777777][sub][table= //////= POST DESIGN v1=\\\\\\][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/PwO5T8n.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/sZJu4bl.png[/img][/sup]

[color=2e2c2c]_______________________________[sub]........[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][color=white][center][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/DHKvx27.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][center][color=2e2c2c]The Thirsty Cactus   ·   A TLA Collaboration[/color]The Thirsty Cactus   ·   A TLA Collaboration[/center][/sub][/center][/color][quote][color=2e2c2c]____________________________________________________________________________.[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
The Thirsty Cactus. It wasn’t the only drinking hole in Tu Zin, but it was the most popular. Situated near the center of Tu Zin at the edge of one of the squares, it saw patronage at nearly all hours of the day and was frequently packed with locals and those who traveled the road. The drinks were hard and the food was great, or great as far as food was concerned in the Wild. The main floor was the bar and dining area which saw several hands helping to serve those patrons seeking shelter and food inside. The two floors above were additional rooms that could be paid for and used per night, all of which was managed by the proprietor, Linus. Typically, The Thirsty Cactus was always booked, what with Tu Zin being the largest known settlement beyond the walls and the inn being one of the more favorable stops. In fact, so popular was it that even after having been previously vacated in anticipation of housing Benders from the city, the rooms that were not rented out to the handful of survivors were already being claimed.

Feyi didn’t get it. The air inside was often thick and sticky and warm. There was a fireplace in the corner that helped to push warm air into the colder corners of the dining area, but it also drew out the alcohol that had long soaked into the wood and the floors. It coated the mouth on every breath and painted the tongue on every word until you could get drunk on conversation alone. Then there was the dust that was dragged in from the outside and smudged into every crack and crevice and surface. Feyi could feel it scratching at her fingers and elbows and would often find it in her drink and food. It was impossible to escape, even when inside. Even more difficult to escape were the people that thrived under it. Under the dust and the last bits of sand from the desert, every inhabitant of Tu Zin made their home, and while some were welcoming of the new faces, not everyone shared in their celebrations. Feyi had learned early on when she arrived that there was safety, yes, but some of that safety she had to earn. Even beyond the walls of the city did danger lurk in the shadows.

Because of this, and also because she could, Feyi had picked out a table in the loft area that overlooked the rest of the bar and provided some amount of privacy. Despite the warmer air collecting up there, and the smell, it was much preferred. With clear line of sight to the front door, she could easily wave over the others as they arrived and see any and all who intended to join them, friend or otherwise. She was seated next to Reman and in front of a pitcher of clean water, something she insisted was not easy to procure.

[color=white]”I’m so good.”[/color] Feyi said, throwing Reman a wink. [color=white]”What would you do without me?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f5cbcc]Theyra   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=yellow]”Right now Feyi I do not know really.”[/color] Reman let out a small laugh and took a sip of water.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Don’t drink it all before the others arrive.”[/color] 
[sub][sub][u][b][color=d5a6bd]canaryrose   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Tu Zin was a place that took some getting used to. Chu was not quite there yet. She had spent most of the day exploring the town and resting up a bit (doctor’s orders, fuck you Vasra), and the dust felt like it had coated her lungs already. Every breath was irritating. But she was [i]safe[/i], and that was the important part. Now, though, she had to meet Tu Zin’s leader. Benders were important here, apparently. 

Chu Hua found herself opening the door to The Thirsty Cactus and immediately being hit with a strong odor of alcohol. The dust was slightly better here, although not by much. Her eyes skimmed the large, crowded room, searching for familiar faces, and they landed on Reman and Feyi. They sat on the balcony, conversing easily. Chu made a beeline towards them. She knew little about either, but from what she had gathered about them, they confused her- Reman especially. He wasn’t a bender, but he was here anyway. Never mind he had helped Jin Wei- how had he known about this place? [i]Why[/i]? She recognized the name Xuoshi, which further confused her. Feyi was less of a mystery, Chu understood what she had done for her sister. She would’ve done the same for hers.

Thinking of Daiyu and Jie made her heart ache. Just more people she had left behind. 

[color=firebrick]“Yo,”[/color] she said, reaching the table, and plopping down next to Reman. She eyed the jug of water. [color=firebrick]“What’s on tap here?”[/color] she asked Feyi, placing her elbows on the table.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Stronger stuff than they have in the city.”[/color] Feyi raised her brow, flashed both of them a knowing smirk, and then got up from the table. [color=white]”Wait right here.”[/color] Before either of them could comment or protest, she’d run off and disappeared down the steps to the bar.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f5cbcc]Theyra   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Reman took the time to look around and he had to admit that he liked it here. Bearing that the Thirsty Cactus’s aroma is overwhelming alcoholic and it kinda reminds him of a place back at the city.

The city a place he thought he would never leave. He did wonder how his family was doing now that he left. Probably concerned about him and only Ms.Moon knows the truth and he doubts that she will say anything. Still, something to think about and Kaye will probably be angry at him if she knew the truth. If he ever returns to the city that is. 

Either way time to wait and meet with Tu Zin’s leader since Reman has some questions that he needs answers to. If he can provide them that is and so Reman was content to stay silent unless Chu starts talking to him directly..
[sub][sub][u][b][color=02ffff]Abstract Proxy   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Vasra arrived at the Thirty Cactus escorted by an old lady bristling with energy despite the cane that she walked with. A cup of tea had led to a slow, ambling conversation that Vasra found pleasant. Tu Zin was not what she had expected. It was not just surviving in the desert, but growing. It was not what she had been taught at the university. It was not what the researchers in Ba Sing Se predicted. Lies. So many lies. So many lies that Vasra felt a heavy weight bearing down on her. There was a rot, she suspected, a lingering disease eating away at Ba Sing Se…and she wasn’t sure she could cure it.

[color=02ffff]“You know, Mrs. Guō, I could have found my way  here on my own,”[/color] Vasra muttered, a flush of red on her cheeks as the elderly lady led her closer to the table where some of the others sat.

[color=white]“Nonsense, you’re not like the others, you’re no ruffian like that stickball player, what would Unye say if something happened to you.”[/color]

[color=02ffff]“You judge her too harshly,”[/color] Vasra replied.

[color=white]“Pah, stickball is a brutish game for violent thugs, now penguin sledding, that is a civilized sport.”[/color]

[color=02ffff]“I’m sorry, what?”[/color] Vasra meekly managed.

[color=white]“The Doctor Dermok,”[/color] Mrs. Guō announced, patting Vasra motherly on the hand before turning and disappearing in a swish of fabric. Vasra offered a shrug and then smiled at her companions, [color=02ffff]“Forgive me for my lateness, I was briefly [i]detained[/i] by the kindness of widow Guō. However, do not despair, for I bring some of her famous saffron buns.”[/color]

Depositing the bag of fresh pastries on the table, Vasra sat down. The others looked good, better at least. She felt better. A bath had helped. She had slept. She had slept well for the first time since before they had fled Ban Sing Se. She needed to speak more with the settlement doctor, Sarah. She doubted Chu had been following her medical instructions.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=c9daf8]vietmyke   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=steelblue]”Ooh, that looks good.”[/color] Jin commented as he quickly swiped up one of the aforementioned saffron buns placed on the table. Jin was quick to plop himself down on a seat next to the others, Sumire not far behind. Somehow, Jin looked just as dirty as when they had arrived, except instead of sand and blood, he was covered in a film of mechanical oil and grease. Only his face appeared fresh and undirtied. His nose crinkled a bit at the wafting smell of alcohol permeating the room

[color=steelblue]”Its crazy just how [i]functional[/i] this town is, despite being so far out of the way.”[/color] Jin remarked, [color=steelblue]”Somehow I expected something more… low tech, out in the wastes.”[/color]

All things considered, the town was a veritable hub, compared to what Jin had expected. He’d expected something closer along the lines of a tribal village, but Tu Zin had practically everything they needed to survive- except for the one thing Jin was so desperately searching for: Synergy.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Life finds a way…”[/color] Feyi commented, returning to the table with two full pitchers of a mystery, bubbling and frothy liquid and enough glass mugs for everyone. [color=white]”...to make good booze where none should exist.”[/color] Then her eyes snapped to the bag on the table and the veritable treasure half hidden inside. [color=white]”Are those Mrs. Guō’s saffron buns?! Who-...”[/color] She immediately claimed one and placed the end into her mouth.

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As the drinks were poured and passed out and Mrs. Guō’s buns were mostly unevenly distributed, thanks in part to Feyi, the group settled in and spent the time before their meeting discussing the past events and the day before. The explosion had upended all of their lives, tossing them wildly into the unknown and it was a miracle they had landed where they did. Where most of those who tried to escape didn’t make it past the desert, they somehow survived and not just survived but found refuge. They were alive. Still, much had been lost and there were some who had lost more than others. It was hard to consider oneself lucky when the cost to survive was so high. For now, however, they had each other and they had a glimmer of hope.

Tu Zin was safe and the people here for the most part accepting. Even better, Unye, leader of the settlement was supposably a Bender himself. The potential for a new life outside the protective walls of the city was more real now than any of them would have believed only a few days ago. However, there were still some walls standing between them and the peace they so desperately wanted.

A little more than half an hour at the table passed before…
[/quote]
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[table=bordered][row][sub]Prompt:[/sub][/row][row][cell][color=777777][color=white]Jin:[/color] For a half a second, a deep well of dread opens in your gut. Like something dark and heavy and very unsettling. You feel sick but just as quickly as you're overwhelmed by this, the feeling passes over you. Suddenly, all is like it was before and you're almost not sure you felt anything at all. But in the haze of your confusion, you know you did. What you felt was real.

[color=white]Everyone:[/color] The bar doors open and a near impossibly large man enters, drawing the eyes of everyone in the bar. He stands over six feet and looks to weigh easily over 200 pounds, non of which is obviously fat. Despite its best effort, his clothing cannot hide this. He is wearing Light gray pants with a black undershirt tucked into the waistband. A dark gray and thick poncho that seems [i]very[/i] resistant to the sea of sand outside is draped over his shoulders and opened in the front. Peaking out from under this poncho is the grip to what seems like a very large handgun. The hood down reveals a rough and scarred face like that of obsidian sanded against the elements and braids that come down to his shoulders. One of his eyes is glossed over. There is no emotion on his face. Just a seriousness that remains unchanged as his eyes scan the bar. Eventually, he finds and focuses on the group and just... watches all of you.

The second man to enter is much smaller by comparison. Under six feet and although not thin, when standing next to the first man, he seems to have the thickness of a paperclip. Short black hair that is only slightly messy. A face, that although touched by the sun, is free of cuts and blemishes and could be described as fair. Unlike his partner, he is not dressed for the elements and is instead in something that seems far more relaxed. His khaki's are tucked into black boots and a light, long sleeve shirt is tucked into the pants. The first few buttons on this shirt are undone.

Before Feyi can say anything, the others in the bar begin to cheer and shout his name in congratulations. This man is Unye and so far, his hunt is still the largest to have been brought back.

Ignoring the cheers, the silent warden next to Unye continues to leer.
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