Business was starting to pick up in Shizue's tea shop. An old man finished sipping his tea just before the evening crowd started to line up, as he often did. He had been a regular customer at her shop for about a month now, and came in almost every day at around the same time. One would assume that this was how he kept some semblance of a schedule now that he was, ostensibly, retired. He had always been cordial and friendly in the time he'd been a customer here, appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary but good-natured man. He stood up and approached the counter even though he had already paid and slid Shizue a white envelope. "Just a little something extra for you." he said. Before Shizue could object, he was already through the door. Not only was he surprisingly sprightly for a retiree, but he seemed to suddenly have a purpose that wasn't there before. It was as if he expected someone to begin pursuing him as soon as he left Shizue's shop.
Tikaani had always had a special connection with the spirit world, but it had never manifested itself quite like this. This may or may not have been the first time she had ever come to Republic City to visit the spirit forests located there, but this was the first time they had ever called to her like this. As soon as she came near the forest, she was sure felt something beckoning her further in, toward a point that was almost untread by other humans. A note fell out of the air for her to catch.
Kavi had recently returned from his travels, as he often did, to the Northern Air Temple. A friendly welcome awaited him there, as it always did. While the Air Nation had come a long way in the past decades, the Northern Air Temple was still the most populated and was regarded as being the most 'open' of the air temples, considering its history with outsiders. An envoy from the Order of the White Lotus was speaking with a monk near the entrance. This wasn't a terribly uncommon sight, and this member of the order had been here a few times before. They both noticed Kavi come in. "And you're sure he's the one you want to ask? There are masters here who would-" the monk said. "And I appreciate their offers," the envoy interjected, "but I have my reasons for not wanting them to put themselves on the line. Yes, I'm quite positive he's the person for the job." The envoy approached Kavi and said rather gravely, "Kavi of the air nomads, the Order of the White Lotus needs your help."
Republic city was still rife with crime, and while this was a problem many had come to accept, it meant opportunity for the likes of Virra Lin. He was responding to a bounty he'd pulled down from a wall, which instructed the reader to go to a local park near one of the spirit forests, of all places, for more information. When he arrived at the spot mentioned in the bounty notice, he met a man in sunglasses and a formal suit, rather strange for this type of meeting. When Lin told him why he was there, the man merely looked over him and said "You seem trustworthy enough. Take this, if you'd please." The man handed him a white envelope and then, in an almost ghost-like fashion, disappeared into the forest.
It had been an average day at Kieran's restaurant. The last of the lunch crowd had just cleared out, and things would be fairly slow for an hour before the dinner rush had him in the kitchen again. Kieran had been sent on an ingredient run as the restaurant was shorter on a few things than they had expected. As he went to put on his coat and head out the door, he could feel something in one of the pockets that hadn't been there before. Inside of his coat, there was an envelope.
Jalika had dealt with many different customers over the years since moving to the mothberry grove, so having someone approach her in her home wasn't terribly was strange. What was unusual was what this individual was wearing, a robe that, if it was real, would have marked him as a member of the Order of the White Lotus. He approached her and said "Jalika of the Air Nomads, the White Lotus needs you."
Sanrock had had a fairly normal day, and was practicing his shooting in a makeshift target range he'd set up in the wilderness outside the town where he lived. He was given pause when out of nowhere, someone hit a perfect bullseye on one of the targets he'd put up. He turned around to see an individual approach him. "Sanrock, the Order of the White Lotus and your people need your help."
Zayric had answered a personal ad he'd seen in the newspaper for parts he could use for his mechsuit, something fairly rare in and of itself but even moreso considering how cheap the prices being offered were. The person he'd met sold him the parts as promised, and when Zayric got home he noticed that an envelope had been neatly folded and placed inside one of the joints.
The bounty hunter known to most only as Stalker was sitting in a local bar which was frequented by his type. A rough looking black-haired woman with prominent facial scars took an adjoining bar stool and addressed him without turning her head in his direction. "If you want money, take this and do what it says." She spoke firmly but quickly. She got up and walked out of the bar, leaving an envelope next to the bounty hunter.
In the basement of the same bar, which if you asked about, the bartender would insist was only used to store supplies, a lone thief leaned against a wall after having been tipped that someone who had work for him wanted to meet him here. The same man who had been in Shizue's tea shop wordlessly entered the bar and handed the bartender an envelope, hidden between several large bills. The bartender casually said "Say no more, I'll be right back." He walked into the cellar where the thief was staying and handed him the envelope and some of the money, then grabbed a bottle which used to be filled with very expensive alcohol. He walked back upstairs and said "Clearly you're a man of discerning taste, this is the best stuff we've got." The old man took the bottle and left.
Inside each of the envelopes was a letter which was individually addressed to the respective recipient. Each letter read:
"We are contacting you in regards to a matter of the utmost urgency. We have witnessed your unique talents and are reaching out to you specifically in the hopes that you will respond to us in our most dire hour of need. Should you choose to aid us, we will pay you any price you ask to the greatest extent of our abilities, be it your weight in gold, a specific favor, or the knowledge that our organization is forever in your debt. If you have chosen to accept our request for help, come to the address listed below by midnight tonight. A representative from our organization will be in the basement of the building."
Each of these letters bore the symbol of the Order of the White Lotus.
The address was of an abandoned temple in a slum on the outskirts of the city.
Tikaani had always had a special connection with the spirit world, but it had never manifested itself quite like this. This may or may not have been the first time she had ever come to Republic City to visit the spirit forests located there, but this was the first time they had ever called to her like this. As soon as she came near the forest, she was sure felt something beckoning her further in, toward a point that was almost untread by other humans. A note fell out of the air for her to catch.
Kavi had recently returned from his travels, as he often did, to the Northern Air Temple. A friendly welcome awaited him there, as it always did. While the Air Nation had come a long way in the past decades, the Northern Air Temple was still the most populated and was regarded as being the most 'open' of the air temples, considering its history with outsiders. An envoy from the Order of the White Lotus was speaking with a monk near the entrance. This wasn't a terribly uncommon sight, and this member of the order had been here a few times before. They both noticed Kavi come in. "And you're sure he's the one you want to ask? There are masters here who would-" the monk said. "And I appreciate their offers," the envoy interjected, "but I have my reasons for not wanting them to put themselves on the line. Yes, I'm quite positive he's the person for the job." The envoy approached Kavi and said rather gravely, "Kavi of the air nomads, the Order of the White Lotus needs your help."
Republic city was still rife with crime, and while this was a problem many had come to accept, it meant opportunity for the likes of Virra Lin. He was responding to a bounty he'd pulled down from a wall, which instructed the reader to go to a local park near one of the spirit forests, of all places, for more information. When he arrived at the spot mentioned in the bounty notice, he met a man in sunglasses and a formal suit, rather strange for this type of meeting. When Lin told him why he was there, the man merely looked over him and said "You seem trustworthy enough. Take this, if you'd please." The man handed him a white envelope and then, in an almost ghost-like fashion, disappeared into the forest.
It had been an average day at Kieran's restaurant. The last of the lunch crowd had just cleared out, and things would be fairly slow for an hour before the dinner rush had him in the kitchen again. Kieran had been sent on an ingredient run as the restaurant was shorter on a few things than they had expected. As he went to put on his coat and head out the door, he could feel something in one of the pockets that hadn't been there before. Inside of his coat, there was an envelope.
Jalika had dealt with many different customers over the years since moving to the mothberry grove, so having someone approach her in her home wasn't terribly was strange. What was unusual was what this individual was wearing, a robe that, if it was real, would have marked him as a member of the Order of the White Lotus. He approached her and said "Jalika of the Air Nomads, the White Lotus needs you."
Sanrock had had a fairly normal day, and was practicing his shooting in a makeshift target range he'd set up in the wilderness outside the town where he lived. He was given pause when out of nowhere, someone hit a perfect bullseye on one of the targets he'd put up. He turned around to see an individual approach him. "Sanrock, the Order of the White Lotus and your people need your help."
Zayric had answered a personal ad he'd seen in the newspaper for parts he could use for his mechsuit, something fairly rare in and of itself but even moreso considering how cheap the prices being offered were. The person he'd met sold him the parts as promised, and when Zayric got home he noticed that an envelope had been neatly folded and placed inside one of the joints.
The bounty hunter known to most only as Stalker was sitting in a local bar which was frequented by his type. A rough looking black-haired woman with prominent facial scars took an adjoining bar stool and addressed him without turning her head in his direction. "If you want money, take this and do what it says." She spoke firmly but quickly. She got up and walked out of the bar, leaving an envelope next to the bounty hunter.
In the basement of the same bar, which if you asked about, the bartender would insist was only used to store supplies, a lone thief leaned against a wall after having been tipped that someone who had work for him wanted to meet him here. The same man who had been in Shizue's tea shop wordlessly entered the bar and handed the bartender an envelope, hidden between several large bills. The bartender casually said "Say no more, I'll be right back." He walked into the cellar where the thief was staying and handed him the envelope and some of the money, then grabbed a bottle which used to be filled with very expensive alcohol. He walked back upstairs and said "Clearly you're a man of discerning taste, this is the best stuff we've got." The old man took the bottle and left.
Inside each of the envelopes was a letter which was individually addressed to the respective recipient. Each letter read:
"We are contacting you in regards to a matter of the utmost urgency. We have witnessed your unique talents and are reaching out to you specifically in the hopes that you will respond to us in our most dire hour of need. Should you choose to aid us, we will pay you any price you ask to the greatest extent of our abilities, be it your weight in gold, a specific favor, or the knowledge that our organization is forever in your debt. If you have chosen to accept our request for help, come to the address listed below by midnight tonight. A representative from our organization will be in the basement of the building."
Each of these letters bore the symbol of the Order of the White Lotus.
The address was of an abandoned temple in a slum on the outskirts of the city.
