Exit

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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Morning · A TLA CollaborationMorning · A TLA Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    ”Hello again, Reman. I have found a source to quench your thirst.” Theyra    ”Ahhh, Mova.” Reman turned around quickly to the unexpected drone. ”Mova, you are back.and that is nice to hear. I am betting it is water but, as you can see we are busy with a sandworm.” Reman taking a moment to watch how the others were faring against the sandworm and saw that while they seemed to have the upper hand. It was still touch and go. Turning back and speaking to Mova again. ”Right now, I need you to stay safe and away from the worm. So just keep your distance and stay out of its way, okay Mova?” Exit    ”I have brought the source here.” Mova responded. ”Does that thing have a gun?!” Sumire asked, taking aim at the worm again. canaryrose    Sand filled Chu’s mouth as the worm slammed her into the ground, attempting to bury her. In that moment of sheer terror, all she could think of doing was to just keep holding on. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to breathe, although her ribs were screaming in pain. … Maybe this had been a bad idea. Just as Chu thought she was for sure going to suffocate, the worm suddenly brought its tail up once more, bringing her with it. Her fingernails were dug so firmly into the carapace that they were starting to hurt more than they already did. Chu screamed, this time in terror rather than exhilaration. “SOMEONE FUCKING KILL IT!” It was rather reductive, but it was all she could think to say while being swung around. The worm fell onto its back with a bang, nearly throwing Chu off of it. She saw her opportunity then. “Weiyuan! Don’t let it get up!” she yelled, and, from the tail, vaulted off, landing on the worm’s exposed stomach. She had lit the stadium on fire earlier, right? Chu lit herself up much like she had done then, closing her eyes and forcing the fire out of her in a spherical space. Then, she directed a blast of flame at the exposed skin on its neck. Exit    The sphere of fire created around Chu was small and dissipated quickly, but was enough to light some of the weaker plates on its belly on fire. However, as a poor source of fuel, the fire here too quickly died. The blast of fire directed toward its weak point under its neck easily charred the exposed flesh, burning it away and further damaging the tissue underneath. It screamed again, thrashing about wildly with Chu on its belly and its legs flailing about. The plating around the opening began to crack further as pressure from the heat caused the boiling material underneath to expand. In retaliation, it curved its tail into itself as it tried to position its pinchers around Chu. KillamriX88    Weiyuan could hardly stand to watch. All he had was sand to deal with a giant worm that… lived in the sand. If he was better at bending, that might not have been a problem, but as things stood he couldn’t hurt it and he could barely slow it down. Meanwhile, watching Chu try to physically wrangle the beast at point blank range was putting his blood pressure through the roof. That said, it seemed they might have actually gained the upper hand. The worm was taking more and more damage and becoming more and more frantic. This was not necessarily a good thing for Chu who was still on top of the worm. The worm that probably hated her more than anything else right now. As it flailed, she was bound to lose her balance at any moment… so Weiyuan decided it might as well be sooner than later, while she was still free of its pincers. With the worm on its back and her on its belly, it wasn’t a long fall, so he gathered up a ball of sand and took Chu’s legs out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground where he turned the sand into a makeshift conveyer belt, dragging her away from it. Once clear, he would help her to feet, but kept a firm grip on her wrist even once she was standing… not that he would have a say in the matter if someone like her insisted on making him let go. It was times like this he cursed his inability to speak properly. All he could do was try to get across to her that they needed to get to the solid rock where everyone else was. The worm, presumably, couldn’t tunnel through rock to chase them… and, if it tried anyway… he might have a way to deal with it then. It and maybe whatever else he felt coming, but he didn’t have time to pantomime that information as well. canaryrose    Chu briefly panicked as she was forcefully pulled off of the worm and towards Weiyuan. She hadn’t seen the sand ball coming and hadn’t had much time to react, so by the time Weiyuan pulled her up, she was sputtering, incensed. “Kid, what the actual fuck-” she started, but then noticed his frantic gesturing and piped down, trying to figure out what he was trying to get her to do. Her heart was still pounding and she was breathing heavily. She didn’t try pulling away, instead letting her wrist hang limp. Her lips pursed- she was clearly upset. He wanted them to… go to the rock? Exit    From the rock, Sumire fired off another round at the worm. The bullet missed the already created hole but managed to crack another portion of the same plate. After some thrashing about from the still upturned creature, that section too fell away exposing more flesh. One of its legs managed to find purchase in the sand and it began to roll back over in the direction of Chu and Weiyuan. vietmyke    ”Oh no you don’t!” Jin barked as he saw the worm’s legs connect with the stand and start to flip itself over. Continuing his general strategy of blasting the creature with bursts of air, Jin changed up his strategy a bit as it seemed the creature was too large to be adversely affected by something as simple as wind. Sprinting a bit closer to the creature’s side, Jin skidded to a stop as he exhaled and sent an intense blast of air at the leg that had just connected with the ground. With any luck he’d knock it off balance and send it back onto its back where the others could do more damage to it. He saw Weiyuan more or less pull Chu off of the creature, and saw the young man’s face turn towards the rock formation. Jin nodded to himself in affirmation, it seemed the two were on the same page. He called out to the two benders, hoping that he was getting across what the mute boy was trying to convey. It can’t burrow through solid stone!” Jin yelled as he loosed another blast of air. The rocks probably go deeper than what they show, we can use the rocks for cover while we keep hammering its weak points!” Sending one last blast of air at the worm’s ‘face’, Jin began bounding back for the rock outcroppings, where Sumire, Reman and Vasra remained. There was still the issue of getting the worm to reveal its weak spots to them while they were on the rocks, but it beat getting dragged under- not to mention it would be easier for them to move off of the loose and giving nature of sand. canaryrose    Jin Wei confirmed it and explained the decision. It made sense. Chu wished she had come up with it. She nodded and started to dash towards the rock, following close behind Jin. Running in loose sand was difficult, but she managed. KillamriX88    It was only the nature of the sand that allowed Weiyuan to actually keep up with them while running. On more solid ground, he’d have been left in the dust. As they ran toward what was hopefully safety, he was glad Jin had been able to translate his idea to Chu Hua, or at least that the man had been of a similar mind. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far of a run and the worm was still reorienting itself. Once at the base of the rock, he once more grabbed Chu Hua, her shoulder this time, and forced her to look at him. They didn’t have time for him to be more polite. He hadn’t had the time for him to try and articulate why they needed to run to the rock, but now he could at least squeeze out two or three words that they all needed to know. “Something else… coming…” he wheezed the words out of his dry throat. He then looked to Jin nearby, hoping Chu would get the idea to spread the word. He couldn’t make himself loud enough to do it himself. Maybe if they lived through this he could teach them sign language… then again, who was to say they’d be sticking together much longer? Well it wouldn’t matter one way or the other if the worm ate them, so he returned his attention to that. Just because it could swim through the sand didn’t mean it was trapped beneath it, clearly. It could still just walk over the surface to get them. That said, as big as it was, it was still just an animal. Would it really press the attack after taking this much damage? Or was it so frenzied that it would risk further injury? If it was the latter… he figured he had one shot to stop it if it charged them… if he could even do it. Abstract Proxy    Uncertain of the value of hurling more rocks from her rapidly dwindling supply, Vasra hurled a final medium sized rock at the worm, before moving to the edge of rock formation. Shifting low, she leaned slightly over the edge, keeping her weight centered, and hold out an arm for any of the others still trying to reach the safety of the rocks. Exit    Air erupted around the worm in dust and sand as Jin blasted it with air powerful enough to push it away from him and once again pin it on its back. However, the rock that Vasra threw did fall short as when the others began to retreat to the rock, the worm retreated as well, carrying its new momentum forward into a roll. It recovered as everyone began to clamber onto the rock and as it reared into the sky once more, it let out another ear-splitting screech. However, this time, the sound was cut short. As the sands surrounding it began to vibrate, the damaged portion of its throat suddenly erupted. The weaker plates broke open and steaming flesh and sinew spewed from the gaping hole and piled onto the ground. The worm collapsed.

_Prompt:

Despite damaged sustained, the worm is still very much alive but is currently only writhing in pain. It seems to be trying to gather its legs under it so it can stand back up. Across from the worm atop a rolling sand dune, a silhouette appears. Its features are somewhat obscured as it stands in front of a still rising sun. A high pitched whistle that cuts through the still air follows its arrival, and four more silhouettes join the first on the ridge.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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Evening · An LSF CollaborationEvening · An LSF Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    ”Why thank you.” Vyska said to the boy as she took a small crumb cake from the plate, thankful for the distraction and the interruption. Although she’d secretly hoped both men beat each other into the ground, she knew the commotion wasn’t going to have a good effect on the rest of the attendees. Tensions were already high. She didn’t need someone else escalating things and further muddying the water she was treading. After taking the cake, she turned to Lana and flashed her a greeting smile. ”And it is nice to see you, Lana.” ”Quite. Ever the ray of sunshine you are.” Lani commented. There was minimal effort to hide the disdain, however, when the boy offered her the plate, she smiled and took one of the sweets. ”And you, Xu. Here to ruin my fun as always?” Kaye took one as well and thanked them both. Katakuri    When the young boy approached him and offered a small dessert plate to him, Soran offered a faint smile, "I appreciate the offer, but I have to kindly reject," he ruffled the young boy’s hair. Glancing over to Tao Xu, Director of the Republic Security Force – what an entrance… he thought in the slight remembrance of the director using such an authoritative voice. He let his eyes wander over to the other figure, Miss Cheng, who was dressed beautifully. Most people that were attending this event were dressed pleasantly. Some more than others. Soran did not let his eyes stay on the woman or the Director too long, since he was not extremely interested in tonight's whole ordeal. He didn’t know exactly what was going down tonight, he had a slight idea, but he was realizing things kept getting more and more interesting. It was odd that An Tamura was still in such a high ranking position in the Moon company. Tensions were already high. He tried to talk himself out of coming, but he knew that the LSF would chew him out. Soran barely realized that he grabbed the full glass of champagne as a waitress walked by with a full platter of beautiful crystal glasses. Taking a sip was the realization that he had himself another drink. Sighing into the rim of the cup, "I hope this night starts to speed up," whispering as he took a sip before sitting down. He wondered if there was anything to read around here to keep him busy, a gazeta or something. Fiber    When it came to fighting, Xiaoxu’s mind went to what he knew best: the law. He had figured out his legal strategy before he had even made his first threat, his mind was firing off dates and cases like a machine gun, checking everything to make sure he couldn’t be charged for assault for the acting of kicking Kata’s ass. The doctrine of mutual combat, which holds that combat between two consenting adults and causes no collateral damage is not a crime and thus not triable as assault, dates back to earth kingdom customary law but was formally codified during the era of Yangchen when the Earth Kingdom moved to adopt a legal system inspired by the Fire Nation’s Code of Szeto, which also had statutes that recognize mutual combat. This remained on the books for several centuries, and was implicitly part of the law during the founding of the United Republic of Nations in Republic Year 1, but ambiguities remained particularly due overlap with a Fire Nation colonial statute that was also in place, until Mushi v. Korra was decided by Republic Superior court in Republic Year 60. The framework of the three part test involving mutuality, intentionality, and avoidance of collateral harm has been upheld through numerous cases over the years and was formally included in law during the criminal code reform of Republic Year 137 that followed the restoration of the monarchy and constitutional reforms; subsequent statues have carved out exceptions for scenarios involving pre-arranged fights, commercial or criminal enterprise, demonstration or use of techniques banned for national security purposes, but none of those would apply in this case. After all of that, it occurred to Xiaoxu that he should actually think about how to fight. The only thing he could call on were the fight scenes from Nuktuk: Blood on the Ice, the blockbuster mover that revived an old franchise with a darker edge and a storyline approved by the government. His violent fantasies ended abruptly when Tao Xu entered the scene and shut down their would-be fight, after that the only thing that raced into Xiaoxu’s head were the RSF’s incredibly broad powers to detain and punish individual deemed to be damaging to state affairs; he’d even helped write some of those statutes that Tao could employ. Xiaoxu took a deep breath, and changed his tone of voice. He really did hate Kata, but now wasn’t the time to show, he had to put on an act like he was listening. There was still a chance for him to get a snipe in at An. He gave a full, formal bow and said “I apologize, Commander Xu. I don’t know what got into me. I’d truly hate for there to be another criminal at the table, I think having Miss Tamura is enough for us. If she objects, I’m sure she’ll have a good explanation for why she shot a RSF security bot while running from officers, or where exactly Chu went when authorities lost track of her just as she was running on a route that could take her to An’s apartment, or why exactly An’s access card was used in the tunnels during that very eventful afternoon. Don’t take my word for it, you all can look it up, case number 1529519, request the recor-“ Zhen interrupted him. “That’s enough. Is this really why we came here? I hope we can have some more productive discussions, I’m sorry about this, Commander Xu. I’m happy to see you here, Mrs. Cheng, I think we can all learn from your example and how you never stop finding ways to help the people of the city.” She had slipped back quietly, around the time Tao Xu had restored order. She didn’t know the exact events that had transpired in her absence, but even thinking about them made her embarrassed. Zhen Xiaoxu returned to their seats, both looking like they wished they could turn invisible. Exit    That man knew a lot. Way more than he should and it was obvious now why. Vyska hadn’t taken the time to check to see who An’s case was being passed to. It’d only been a day and her and An had a lot more to discuss than something she still figured could be easily handled. Now, it was clear that Xiaoxu had gotten the case and suddenly she was having a headache. This absurdity of his obnoxious ranting was driving her up a wall and the poise of calm and strength her family had hammered into her was waning. ”No please, don’t stop now. The man has already ruined one bit of fun for me. I’m not about to pass up on a good story. And trust, An. Believe me when I tell you that I too would like to shoot one of his roobutts. Complete buzzkills the lot of them.” She glanced up at Tao. ”Did it feel good?” ”She will not be discussing the details of the case… at the palace.” Vyska glanced from Lani to Xiaoxu. Lani rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. ”Incase everyone has gotten lost, we are not at a hearing and in case you’ve forgotten, Professor Zhang... innocent until proven guilty. Or did you misplace your law degree on the way here along with your last name? Perhaps we’re a professor short, tonight. I apologize, Zhang.” ”Wouldn’t be the first criminal in this room.” Another man suddenly appeared standing awfully close to An. He smiled down at her and winked from behind a pair of dark shades. Of course she couldn’t see it but his cheek did move a little. He wore a very clean, tailored black jacket suit that was open at the front, black dress pants and shoes, black gloves and a white button up with the top two buttons undone. Like the suit that looked as if it had been meticulously put together, his hair too had been carefully sculpted and was glistening in the low light of the room. It also didn’t seem to move much at all. ”But the real crime tonight is having to be seated so far away from a beauty like you… Miss Tamura.” One hand found the back of her seat and the other flourished in front of him as he introduced himself. ”Yuri Zolta at your… humble service.” ”Yuri. Please don’t touch her chair.” canaryrose    While Vyska was embarrassed and a bit frustrated, An was shaking with rage and mortification. Her face turned a mottled red, a vein bulging in her neck. She bit her lip to keep herself from screaming. How dare he? How did he even know this? It hadn’t been reported, it wasn’t known. Her embarrassment didn’t need to be screamed to the world. She felt the gazes of everyone at the table, looking at her like she was either a rabid animal or an amusing curiosity, and wanted to punch someone in the face. She didn’t comment, instead letting Vyska talk as she looked away, her anger and indignancy turning to tears welling up in her eyes. She was pretty sure that if she opened her mouth, she'd either start sobbing or screaming obscenities. Do NOT cry. For perhaps the billionth time that night, she wished Chu was sitting next to her. If only so she could have a hand to hold or a stalwart defender other than an ultra-rich blonde 8 years her junior. But Chu was the whole reason everyone was looking at her like this. She was the reason An was a criminal. Then, a man entered her space from behind. She turned in her chair to face him, still looking upset. Yuri Zolta. A mobster, about as greasy as they came, and he was right in her space, his hand hovering just millimeters from her back. He smelled strongly of cologne. She felt trapped. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. An stood from her seat suddenly, shaking. “You’re not even remotely my type. I’m also nothing like you. Excuse me.” She made to squeeze past him, visibly distressed. He grabbed her hand suddenly, bringing it to his lips. And then, just like that, An shoved him about as hard as she could muster, putting both hands on his chest and pushing him away from her. “Keep your hands off of me!” she practically shouted, shrilly, and then realized what she had done. She blushed a deep red and made to leave… but not before grabbing her wine glass and upending it over Xiaoxu’s head as she walked away. It dripped onto his white suit, staining it red. “Whoops. Go fuck yourself.” She left the table. Katakuri    Katakuri Soran would be lying if he said he didn’t feel for An, she was the center of attention at her table. Zhen’s husband was spewing nonsense – maybe not nonsense – Xiaoxu was barfing words to make everyones else leave him and onto something else. He was good at making such scenes, why does anyone invite him to these things? Glancing over to Zhen, he could read the embarrassment on her face. Rolling his eyes, he decided the best option was to stay out of it or try to. If he kept throwing the hook over to Xiaoxu, they would definitely get into a physical arrangement. Everyone at the Moon, Tamura, Lun, and others at the table seemed to be odd with tension. Everything that happened tonight was building up more and more tension. A pin seemed to be stabbed into the sore of tonight's conversations, Yuri Zolta was trying his best to compli– flirt? Flirt with An Tamura, and Katakuri couldn’t tell if the man was flat out stupid or never heard of the famous stickball player, Chu Hua Yuan. Maybe Soran had a very small, very annoying 4-year old that would tell him all about the stickball players, especially her favorite ones. If a 4-year old can catch on that An and Chu Hua swing a certain way…through a television screen. Does this man live under a rock? He never noticed before, but he was starting to consider that most people who attend these events have no common sense or life outside of themselves. Taking another sip of the champagne, he hated the taste of it, but it was his only drink. Looking over his shoulder, he was trying to mind his own business, though he was too interested in what was happening around him. Nothing else was interesting. He looked right in time for An’s small, yet very understandable outburst towards the mobster. Chuckling at the scene unfolding, he covered his mouth and looked away, attempting to hide the laugh that was trying to escape his body from seeing Xiaoxu drenched in wine. dreamingflowers    Lana exchanged pleasantries when she was addressed , remaining aware of the lingering tension. Things seemed to come to a head when a glass of wine was promptly emptied on one of the guests. An Tamura, the woman she knew only by name and reputation stormed off. While Lana did not in any way support what Xiaoxu claimed, nor thought this to be the right time and place, she handed him one of the silk napkins as a sign of good will. Chey watched the events unfold with wide eyes, all the while stuffing his face with snacks like he was watching his favorite cartoon. He spotted Tao Xu and tapped on Lana’s shoulder. “Is that the police? Are they going to be arrested?” Lana smiled and shook her head. “Not exactly. I’ll explain it to you later.” Exit    ”Although they should be arrested.” Varrick swung around the second table, completely avoiding the first and sat down near Lana leaving a seat between them empty. ”Mrs. Cheng. Mr. Katakuri.” He said to the others already seated, giving them both a simple nod in greeting. ”And who might this be?” He smiled at the child in Lana’s lap. The ambient song came to an end in soft, scattered applause and Jie was ushered off the stage. Another person took their place, walking up to the mic and tapping it gently to get everyone’s attention once more. ”If we can have everyone please take their seats.” Vyska stood, gave Xiaoxu another look of disapproval and left the table as well, following after An. Yuri, who had nearly fallen on his ass, recovered quickly with a sheepish smile playing under his shades. He fixed his jacket and dusted himself off. ”Looks like I’m a little rusty. I’ve never had two women storm off on me before.” He pausd. ”Actually, that’s a lie.” He then flashed another smile at the table and when his eyes found Tao, he finger-gunned him. ”Don’t worry, officer. I’ll be on my best behavior from here on out.” He said before moving to the other table and taking a seat next to Varrick. ”Maybe this table isn’t so bad.” Lani commented. ”Everyone is usually so tightly wound up like a spring. It’s nice to see people let loose once in a while.” Katakuri    Giving the other man a faint smile, "Mr.Varrick" he politely greeted the other in the same way. Varrick was usually a pleasant individual or someone that he could withstand. Most people in the Gala were not people that Soran could personally stand or professionally tolerate — there were a few he could not tolerate in any situation, Xiaoxu. That man was annoying… This second man was as annoying, in a different way, and he sighed. Rolling his eyes at Yuri Zolta’s comment. "Yuri Zolta, I have met a box of rocks smarter than you…" Soran’s tone was half-heartedly said with an underlying tone of coldness. Was this man serious? He found a second person that he couldn’t tolerate in most situations. He wondered if Xiaoxu and Yuri would become best friends, they were made for each other. Katakuri glanced at Lani when she commented about the second table being better. Shrugging his shoulders, he truly did not have an answer for her, "Everything is subjective at this point." Soran chuckled at his comment while taking another sip from his champagne glass. Exit    ”I’d very much like to meet those rocks.” Yuri flashed Kata a smile and waved down one of the servers. ”How’s the Soran family business these days?” Katakuri    The eldest children of the Soran looked at Yuri, trying to figure out if he was jokingly saying his words or if he was being serious – he hoped the man wasn’t being serious. His brows furrowed at the thought, I am surrounded by idiots…, and he let his gaze fall to the table with that thought. Yuri pulled him out of the thought and mid-life crisis that he began to have under the realization that he had to be here all night long. All night. With people. With people who were like Xiaoxu… people like Yuri Zolta… those people. Shifting out of his thoughts and having a neutral expression, he sighed, "The Soran family business is currently doing very well. Our stocks increased by 5% annually and our SEO and marketing strategies have given a roadway to install a handful of more institutes in the middle ring. Along with those advancements, we have been able to improve modernization and automation for the majority of the middle ring." taking a breather for a moment. He remembered what his younger sister has been doing, "Aisonu Soran has been improving our growth by investing in paid search marketing and creating a banking app with crypto currency markers to effectively create a mobile presence in the banking world. The Soran family company has been going through a lot of advancements that are benefiting everyone," he informed the other man, doubting that he would understand any of this. FunnyGuy    Despite the attention Commander Xu received, he kept his replies subtle. Tao hadn't even taken a seat, choosing to stand for now with arms crossed at his chest. He gave a head nod here, a smirk there. Zuri Zolta had naturally earned a scowl of course. Tao wouldn't voice it but he was much more concerned with what Gala had to offer than playing enforcer for these types. That, and he was being pinged on his comms headgear. Before he took the transmission, his eyes found Lana. Another bout between us. As always when it comes to advising the king. He touched his head piece and walked away from the table. “Commander Xu. Report.” His face remained neutral as he listened in until his eyes widened and reflexively looked at Katakuri. “Well, I have Katakuri Soran here with me at the Gala as I speak. I will deliver the news to him. Out.” Tao nodded to himself a few times. He and I both needed this news… He strode over to Katakuri, giving him a single nod before discreetly pointing over to a space where others could not easily pry. “Mr. Soran. There is something I must share with you. It is both sensitive and pressing. Please.”

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Evening · Washroom · |@canaryrose]Evening · Washroom · @canaryrose ____________________________________________________________________________. Vyska followed after An, out of the main room and down one of the side paths leading away from the dining hall. With the sound of voices, platters and laughter muted behind several layers of walls, she found the halls much more peaceful. The only sound here was that of her boots padding along carpeted floors and the slight hum of electricity from sconced lights. The people were fewer too and less talkative. A simple greeting nod was enough as she passed them to the washroom ahead. Immediately on the other side of the door, she found An, sitting by herself on one of the couches. Vyska shut the door behind her… and locked it. ”I could have Jack murder everyone at that table for you.”

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Evening · |@Katakuri] & |@FunnyGuy]Evening · @Katakuri & @FunnyGuy ____________________________________________________________________________. Katakuri    In between his smart-ass comments and all the tension between everyone, he noticed the signaling from the commander. Raising a brow, did I go too far with that last comment? Soran thought he might get told to stop his comments since someone would be bound to react badly to them, so he slowly stood up. Walking over to where the commander politely asked him to go without vocalization. Standing there, he slipped a hand in his pocket as he looked over to the commander – only a foot or two away from the other man. "I thought I was coming over here to get scolded about my commetering" Katakuri’s voice was playful, since he was trying to keep himself in a good mood, but he understand that important things could come up at tonight's Gala. He didn’t think that the commander knew about the LSF or knew that he was in it, so he was confused about what sensitive and pressing information that the man needed to tell him. "If I am not being scolded for being an idiot. What is happening that needs you to pull me aside?" Katakuri was trying to think of other things. What could be wrong or important to pull him aside? Neither of his younger sisters were having children or medical issues at this time. Most didn’t know about Chosah. His parents were fine when he left the house. Did someone steal the family car he was using? Is that broken? Money could fix that. His mind was going through all the checkboxes, nothing popped out to him. FunnyGuy    There was a slight drop in Tao's shoulders as he got ready to deliver the news. One was never prepared for something of this matter, especially someone thing like this. Who would be, unless they were involved in some way? This will crush him, and now of all times is…. It's almost poetic. He glanced around to again make sure their conversation was private. “There's no way to sugarcoat this, so I'll just say it plainly.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Katakuri Soran, your father has been murdered…” He let his words sink in before delivering the killing blow. “...and your mother has been taken into custody as a prime suspect. The RSF is doing everything in our power to find out the direct cause and the motive.” He stopped there. Beating the man over the head with legal terms while he received the shocker of his life wasn't Tao's intention. He was there to inform, to perform his duty. The effect, however, now that was just something extra. The maliciousness wasn't personal. It was quite simply, convenient.

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Evening · Dining HallEvening · Dining Hall ____________________________________________________________________________. ”Everyone. We will begin momentarily. Please take your seats.” The murmur of the crowd began to die down as everyone found their place in the room. Despite a few recently vacated seats and late arrivals, the entire floor of the dining hall was filled. A full display of the most powerful faces and families in Ba Sing Se. After a few silent moments, the man on stage stepped to the side allowing the King to take the microphone. The sixth of his name, Wu was an elderly man in his forties with hair just starting to grey and a face that seemed far more weary than it should have been. His darker eyes held the slightest tinge of uncertainty as he looked into the crowd. On him was a long white gown embroidered along the edges with gold and along the front and back with swirling patterns that seemed like branches on a tree. As he walked toward the center of the stage, there was no further announcement or fanfare on his part, although those at the tables did begin to applaud him. He quickly held up his hand. ”Please.” He said softly, although his voice remained strangely commanding. Once everyone had finished settling in and were looking up at him, he continued. ”I want to thank everyone for being here today during such trying times. I know how disappointing it was to some that the Gala had to be rescheduled but it is truly a joy to see everyone here today. Truly… a joy.” He looked over the crowd, his weary dark eyes illuminated by the spot of light trained on him. ”Just a few days ago, our city suffered a loss unlike any in centuries. The sudden appearance of Benders across every ring of Ba Sing Se introduced chaos, fear… death on a scale unseen since the war. Since then, we’ve worked tirelessly to restore order and recover from the damage inflicted but even as we do and our lives continue moving forward, important questions remain unanswered.” “Why?” He paused, looking over the room as if he were asking them directly. “Who are we to blame?” His eyes glanced toward the empty seat that was Vyska’s. At her table, a few faces already looked quite disappointed with the recent turn of events, one of which had a very prominent red stain covering his white clothes. ”Some might say it was SynEn, the very power company whose synergy facility was the center of the explosion. Some might say it was the work of terrorists or gangs unhappy with the living conditions in the Lower Ring enacting the first step in their plan. Some might say it was the work of Benders finally rising up and coming out of the shadows in an attempt to take over the city. And while these answers sound… right, they’re not the real answer. They’re ignoring a glaring truth. A truth about the day all of this occurred on.” ”One hundred years ago, we brought an end to the great war. A war that saw the Bending race extinguished. A war that promised a future of peace where we could live without fear of the next great threat to man. And for a hundred years we’ve told you that the world is improving. That there is peace. That we are healing. That is what my forebears promised you and what I have promised in the past. That we are better because of what we did.” ”But that’s not the truth. The truth is, the Lower Ring drowns in its poverty. A third of the population of my city dies in the streets and no one cares. The truth is, our system of power, economy, justice, all hang by a thread that is undone by a single accident. The truth is that my city continues to tear itself apart from disparity. From a rift created by our actions a century ago and that the world outside its walls is dying. That there has not been peace since the war. Not real peace, and if we want real peace, if we want to be safe again and heal from the scars of the past, we must make a change. I must make a change. What we're doing now is only hurting ourselves. We cannot control the destiny of the world and in trying to do so, we only condemn ourselves, our friends and our families. Because of a change that took them that they had no choice in, they have become that which we feared. No longer. I will not stand by and let Ba Sing Se continue to drown itself in ignorance only for it to fall to ruin. I will not follow in the footsteps of my father or his father before him. I won’t allow myself to be controlled as they were only to watch the people I love suffer." ”Tonight, I make changes to law, starting with those persecuting Benders.”

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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Morning · A TLA CollaborationMorning · A TLA Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. vietmyke    With little difficulty, Jin plucked the small flower out of the ground. It appeared that a small patch of rocky soil was responsible for a small amount of plant growth in the area, allowing for small but hardy plants. The desert flower itself was a hardy plant as well- a thick stem, with small but large, bright red petals around a yellow core. Jin hadn’t seen many flowers in the desert- nor had he seen much in the lower rings of the city either, but it was pretty, he had to admit. ”Here.” Jin said plainly- but not unkindly, as he returned to Sumire, securing the flower in one of the loops on her harness. The shorter girl pulled her helmet off and shook her head, beaming a broad smile at him. Behind his polarized faceplate, Jin couldn’t help but allow a small smile on his face as well. Looking up, Jin spotted Weiyuan running towards them, his feet kicking up small bits of sand. Jin didn’t know much about the fellow, easily the youngest in their group- a quiet one. Weiyuan hadn’t made much effort to talk to Jin, though he hadn’t made much of an effort either. Sumire had said hi to him the night previously, but only to make sure he had enough food and water for the night. The man was pointing and mouthing and waving at them- obviously panicked about something, but what? Jin cocked his head at the man, confused and not quite able to read what his lips were saying. Following the man’s finger, he was seemingly pointing at them, or rather at their feet. It was around then that Jin started to feel it, the ground trembling beneath them. Looking down, he saw the sand starting to shift under Sumire’s feet. Now sand shifting beneath their feet was normal- if there was a breeze, but the air had been mostly still this morning, and the shifting seemed to be centered on Sumire, as opposed to all around them. ”Uh… Mir…” Jin started cautiously, as he reached out for her. Sumire looked at him confused, but also reached out with both arms. ”Weird, you’ve never been much of a hugger-” ”No, Mir! There’s something in the ground!” Jin interrupted, quickly grabbing the girl and leaping back away from the shifting sands, a burst of air from his feet launching them back a few yards. Exit    The sand where Sumire had been standing suddenly bubbled, folded into itself and exploded, spraying bits of dust and sand in all directions. Emerging from within this dense cloud of dirt was a massive worm-like beast. It appeared out of the debris head first, mouth spewing sand and mandibles pinching angrily at the empty air having been robbed of its meal. It was a massive creature painted like the desert with a thick carapace covering its back and lighter plates on its belly. It was lined on either side with a distinct orange marker from which three pairs of legs ending in long talons protruded. They clambered together under the beast as it climbed out of the tunnel it had bore through, and as the creature reared to its fullest height, it began screeching at the sky. The noise was ear-splitting and the sand around it seemed to tremble from the vibrations of the sound alone. Granules shifted all the way out to past where the Kyoshi was parked. Suddenly, the screeching stopped and the creature’s head turned violently toward Jin and Sumire. Its mouth opened and its tongue lashed out in their direction, the barbed tip falling short of Sumire’s back by only a few feet. Directly behind it, sand began to shift where its tail was still buried. This shifting sand began to move toward Weiyuan as if something small was moving toward him. canaryrose    A scream tore its way out of Chu Hua’s throat as the massive worm emerged from the sand. “Holy SHIT!” Although already far away, she backed away, heart beating like a rabbit’s in her chest. What was that thing? It seemed like she had been asking that way too much lately, but it was a good question. What kind of monsters lived in this desert? She stared slack-jawed in horror at Jin and Sumire as it seemed to look their way, doing… whatever it was doing with its tongue. Did it want to eat them? Come on, Chu, think. They needed to kill it before it killed them. It was big, so she couldn’t wrestle it. Guns? No, she didn’t have any. Running it over? No, they wouldn’t get away in time. ...But she had fire. Chu realized it with a jolt, and then a rising feeling of… was that excitement? Her first smile in days crossed her face, and Chu squared her feet in her sand. “Guys! Out of the way!” she screamed, and then tried something. She reached down into that place inside her where the fire came from, where that ember had always been. It was a burning well inside of her, one that she had always ignored or had tried to smother. She had never used it consciously before to this extent, but she had always felt it. Did it scare her? Thrill her? Maybe both could coexist. Surprisingly, it was easy to summon it, and even easier to send it out around her, expanding towards the beast. The flame expanded into a circle around her, and she shot out her hands, trying to direct it. KillamriX88    Weiyuan felt a surge of hope. It seemed Chu Hua might have actually had some ability to bend at will after all! He wasn’t the only one who- canaryrose    … But it didn’t work. Why the fuck hadn’t that worked? The flame fizzled out as soon as it had started, and Chu stared at the ground with the face of someone who hadn’t gotten what she wanted. Huh? Wait. “Can you not light sand on fire?!” she yelled, before trying something different. KillamriX88    And then it just sort’ve fizzled out and his jaw dropped as she asked one of the most asinine questions he’d ever heard. Of course sand wasn’t flammable! It was just crushed rock! Did she think rocks might be flammable too!? canaryrose    Okay. Okay, this time it would work. Chu Hua brought her hands to her side, trying to do the same thing she had just done. Reaching deep into that long-buried place of hers again, she pulled at the flame, summoning it to her hands as a large ball of rippling heat. She felt the heat on her hands, but it was pleasant. In control. Copying a move she had seen from those tapes, Chu punched at the air as though she had a real opponent, directing a blast of flame directly at the worm’s face. Exit    The fireball erupted around the creature’s still open maw, wrapping flames and heat around its face and tongue burning the weaker exposed flesh. It screamed again, this time in pain, as it reared back and then shoved its head into the sand to extinguish the flame. canaryrose    Chu Hua could not believe that had worked. She stared in awe for a moment at what she had done with her power, and then briefly cheered. It clearly hated the fire, so maybe she should hit it with a few more of those. But before Chu got to create a stream of flame, it dug its head into the ground, extinguishing the fire. She glanced at the others. “Someone fucking sh- AGH!” The tail of the worm burst out of the sand and whipped at her face, Chu had only a split second to think- but she always did. KillamriX88    Weiyuan was left slack-jawed and so dumbstruck, he almost forgot about the second tremor that had been approaching him. Fortunately, Chu Hua got her act together enough to unleash a more competent display of firebending and distracted the worm. The worm now attacked her instead and- canaryrose    In a moment, she made a decision and ran and jumped at the tail, holding on for dear life. Chu let out a crazed laugh as she summoned the fire, digging her fingernails into a chink in its armor. KillamriX88    Again, Weiyuan was stunned by Chu Hua’s thought process. She decided to attack the worm physically, like it was some sort of insane rodeo. Someone needed to do something before she was killed. . . . . . . . . . Oh. He was going to have to be that someone, wasn’t he? No doubt Chu Hua’s attack was making the worm terribly upset, and it was either going to smash her against the ground, or retreat back under the sands, possibly taking her with it. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for Chu Hua, recent events had forced him to dust off his Sandbending skills, so he had an idea. With the worm distracted, he hurried over as close as he dared, and then dug his feet into the sand before using his bending to tighten the sand around the worm’s tail, hopefully slowing its thrashing. Exit    As the midsection of the tail landed back in the sand following the swing, it becomes entombed by Weiyuan who hardened the earth around it, heavily restricting its movement. For now at least, it was no longer able to attack with its tail, nor could it move although already there are cracks appearing in the impromptu shackle. Chu, who managed to successfully jump onto and cling to the end of the tail, began to heat up the carapace from the outside. The impact of the tail against her was hard but not hard enough to break any bones. Once again, desert sands began to vibrate as the creature’s head erupted from the ground, throwing more dust and rock in all directions. It turned toward Chu, opening its mouth to reveal smoldering flesh from where she had struck it. The barb tipped tongue was hanging slightly slack between its teeth. ”EW!” Sumire screamed from behind Jin. She threw a rock at its head where it bounced harmlessly off its armor plating doing little more than drawing its attention. vietmyke    Jin stared blankly at Sumire. She returned a sheepish smile. ”If you’re going to get its attention, use something that’ll actually hurt it.” Jin scolded his smaller companion as he grabbed her and bounded again, a burst of air sending them flying over to the top of the rock formation they had rested by the night before- something most likely a lot bigger underneath the sand than it was above the sand. If his thought process was correct, on top of the massive rock, Sumire should be invisible from the creature- unless it detected heartbeats or something too. ”Reman! Vas!” Jin called to the engineer and waterbender, though loud enough for everyone else to hear as well, Up over here! It doesn’t have any eyes, I think it detects motion in the sand!” Unslinging his rifle from his shoulder, he pressed the weapon into Sumire’s hands. ”You still know how to shoot right?” the bunny ear flopped up and down. ”Wait for an opening- and don’t hit us or I swear to the spirits…” Jin left the threat hanging as he bounded back into the sand, towards the worm, his bounds crossing twice the usual distance- plumes of sand billowing out as his feet contacted the ground. He had only spent a small amount of time experimenting with his airbending- out in the safety and relative privacy of the desert- so long as no one spotted him, Jin was safe to practice his airbending as much as he wanted. He didn’t have any formal teachers or training, not that he knew where he’d get any in this day and age- asking around might’ve gotten him arrested Skidding to a stop in the relative front of the worm-beast-thing, a few yards back Jin took a deep breath, cool air filling his lungs as he squared himself in front of the monster. As the beast’s head drew itself out of the sand Jin threw his fist out in a hook, a compressed blast of air arcing from Jin’s fist and towards the monster. Jin didn’t wait to see the effect on the creature, he threw a pair of jabs in rapid succession before following up with another hook. The thing was large and armored, they might able to kill it if they were lucky, but at the very least they could rough it up enough to the point it had second thoughts about whether or not it still wanted to eat them. canaryrose    Chu wasn’t watching the others with any particular focus- she was too focused on keeping her grip on the carapace of the worm, desperately keeping herself from slipping. She did, however, hear Jin shouting and she noticed the sand around the tail hardening, keeping the worm from flinging her onto the ground. She would have given Weiyuan a thumbs up, but she was a bit busy. She yelped as the worm raised its head once again, looking right at her, opening its mouth, and roaring. Using a significant amount of arm strength, Chu hauled her upper body upwards, almost as if she was doing a pull-up. She pointed her feet straight out, facing the worm’s mouth, and then summoned the flame. It came even easier this time, and she directed it downwards. It shot out of her feet with a loud whoosh, shooting right into the worm’s open mouth. Distantly, Chu noticed herself sweating from the heat, but she was grinning with exhilaration. She had just needed to get closer to pull this off- and it had worked! Now she just needed to think about how to get off… Chu glanced at Jin Wei below, formulating a plan. “If I jump, catch me!” she screamed. She hoped he understood that she meant with air, not his arms. For now, though, she’d cling on. Abstract Proxy    Finding fresh purpose, Vasra ran towards the rock formation that Jin had indicated. She hoped the worm wouldn’t notice as she lept upwards, fingers smashing against the rock blindly as she scampered upwards. She had no weapons. The two vials of spirit water she had were too important to waste, besides she wasn’t sure what they would do to the giant…desert worm thing. Hunkering down next to Sumire, she nodded at the flailing worm, “Aim for the head! And not Chu. We need to distract it even more!” Picking up a modest rock between both her hands, no larger than an eggplant, but far denser, Vasra hurled it at the head of the worm with an effortful grunt and a twirl that almost sent her stumbling onto the ground. It hadn’t worked for Sumire, but she had to do something. Theyra    Reman ran fast to the rock with Vasra and Sumire after Jin ordered them to. Watching from afar the fight with the sandworm and when Vasra throw a rock at the sandworm to distract but they needed more then a rock to attract its attention. Drawing his pistol and offering Vasra his second that he took from that man back at the outpost. ”I do not have a lot of ammo for both so make it count.” So with his free hand he shot at the sandworm’s head, maybe this will distract it.

_Prompt:

The creature screams as flames erupt in its mouth a second time. However, instead of diving into the sand, it immediately shuts its maw. The rest of the flames roll harmlessly off its scales. In retaliation, it stiffens its tail and strikes the sand with Chu still clinging to it, knocking the air out of her lungs and burying her in the dirt. It intends to keep her there, but as it starts to grind its tail along the ground, air blasts from Jin distract the beast causing it to rear up once more and pull Chu back up. Although harmless, the balls of compressed air are strong enough to visibly knock the creature's head back and it is unable to concentrate on what it wanted to do. At the same time, bullets begin striking the armor plating covering its face. From the rock, Reman continues putting rounds into the creature as Sumire shoulders the rifle and aims for the now much more exposed plates under its neck. She pulls the trigger eliciting a bark and a kick from the gun which she handles almost surprisingly well. The first bullet cracks the plate. A second bullet tears away a sizable chunk exposing pale flesh underneath. The rock Vasra throws falls short of the body of the creature but does manage to land on one of its outstretched legs, pinning it as it is being pummeled from all sides. It begins to fall on its back just as the earthen shackle around its tail finally shatters. Weiyuan: You feel a second tremor coming from the Southeast. Reman: You suddenly hear something directly behind you.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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..Palace · An LSF CollaborationPalace · An LSF Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Fiber    Taiichi Sato was staring across the table, looking as Kata walked into the distance, trying to process what just happened. He said “I wanted to say something but I didn’t think he’d react like that.” Zhen said “Kata hides it, but he is prone to bouts of burning emotion. He tries to keep it under control, I don’t hold these outbursts against him.” After that Xiaoxu began to speak, doing his best to sound gracious, but coming off in a tone that had a layer of artifice to it “Truly regrettable. He may have some strong feelings but that doesn’t entitle him to blow up like that. I’m sure he’s not the only one going through a difficult time right now, Miss Tamura. Talking about difficult subjects and relationships is always a better approach than bottling it up, lest we become like Mr Soran. I hope Miss Tamura and everyone else at the table knows that I’m always willing to lend an ear and help people through trying times.” canaryrose    An paused for a moment, trying to process what Xiaoxu had said. What? Why on Earth was he saying her name so damn much? “... Erm. Thank you?” She side-eyed him. What was this guy’s deal? Again, she tried to ignore Lani. “Well, that’s tragic. I hope he gets over his… issues.” Her eyes flicked towards the balcony, where she had seen him go. Really, she did hate men like that. Entitled. Intimidating. They thought they could get respect because they were larger, physically imposing. Fiber    Xiaoxu felt he had been doing well so far, so he continued on, saying “Some people get over their issues, but it takes honesty. When someone hides too much it takes a toll, they can have trouble forming healthy relationships. Even if one partner is trying to make it work, even going so far to make sure none of the problems reach the public eye, the unstable foundation will show its cracks eventually.” Zhen was able to maintain a straight face through all of this only through years of practice. canaryrose    Oh, An knew exactly what Xiaoxu was hinting at. He had been trying to hint at it the entire time, but he was so bad at this that it made her almost want to laugh. Implying that her and Chu had an unhealthy relationship? It was laughable. “I’m sorry… what? I think Mr. Soran’s a widower, unless I’m mistaken and his dead wife is very much alive.” She chuckled at her own joke. Fiber    Xiaoxu felt there was no more time to beat around the bush. He continued on ignoring An’s joke and said. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about Mr. Soran, though I see how someone could be confused. I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking this but, no matter how good it looked at first, and well, I’m not usually as blunt as some at the table, but Chu was” he whispered the next two words ”A firebender. That’s public knowledge now, but it doesn’t have to be the whole story. Anything else, anything that you’ve been keeping, you can share now, even if it hurts to say. It’s alright; we’re all here for you.” canaryrose    Ah. Here it was- the “big reveal”. Lani had technically already said it, but Soran’s freakout had distracted everyone from the truth. She found a deep blush coming over her cheeks as she received several stares. Flustered, she immediately took a long drink of her wine. She needed to stay sober, but it was convenient for pauses. Vyska and her had discussed this. Her official directive was to seem like she hated Chu as much as possible. She hated that, because it wasn’t true. Her fiancee was gentle and kind, the sort of woman who never would’ve willingly hurt another. The sort of woman who never would’ve even made an unkind comment to the woman she loved without immediately apologizing. An felt that ache of missing her intensify as a dark look grew across her face. Quickly, she schooled herself into a look of neutrality again. She needed to keep her composure. This man sure was fucking annoying. “Lani already said that,” An pointed out, almost petulantly. “It’s… true, yes. Mortifying and upsetting, but true. I was supposed to get married to her next week. Before… well. I’ll spare everyone the rest and I don’t want to talk about it. It’s still a fresh wound. Thank you for bringing very fresh, very painful memories to the forefront, Mr. Zhang, even if it was already quite obvious. I really appreciate it.” This was said venomously, angrily. An looked away, anywhere except the people around her. Her eyes found a painting on the wall. Despite herself, she looked quite upset. She just couldn’t do it. She was a gifted liar, it was true, but she couldn’t lie about Chu. Not about that. It was too much. To go through with their plan… it made her stomach flip. Maybe if her life was on the line. Fiber    There was silence and a round of uncomfortable stares. Zhen was the first to break it. She said “I am truly sorry for all that you’ve been through and I think we all owe it to you to allow you some peace and privacy. Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” As she got up she shot a nasty look towards Xiaoxu and headed in the direction of the restrooms, which also happened to be close to where Kata had stepped out to take a smoke. Before she had left table, Xiaoxu started talking again, rapidly this time, clearly a hint of nervousness in his voice. No, listen, I’ve got this, I just need them to listen to me. “Well, uhhh, I’m sorry to bring that up. Well, I didn’t want to force you to talk about anything painful, but just, y’know I was thinking logically, are you gonna fault me for that? I’m sorry, it’s just the way my brain works, I’m based on logic, and I’ve read a lot about these things, you know a lot of my most cited papers are about issues like the link between bending and crime. I mean, have any of you seen the statistics? Especially for Firebenders, they’re sky high, and I’m told some psychologists have found some parts of their brains develop differently, like they’re evolved for aggression. That’s why there are animals like that one who killed Kata’s wife around, their brains are built that way. Look, if you do the research like I did you’d know. And y’know, you don’t even have to read the stats, just look at the history, what benders did, even stuff about Benders and how they view non-benders in relationships. Anyone remember the stories about Korra and Asami? Taiichi’s sitting right here, I’m sure he can tell them.” Taiichi, who had been silently staring, said “What are you saying about my Great, Great, Great Grandmothers?” “Just the standard stuff, doesn’t everyone know about it? How Korra was abusive, controlling, she saw herself as inherently better, how Asami suffered for years but never got out?” Taiichi grew insistent “The situation is much, much more complicated than you’re making it sound and I don’t appreciate you dredging up my family history to score some points after making an ass of yourself.” “Oh I’m sorry, guess I forgot which branch of the Sato family you’re from, sorry I don’t know every little detail of your family saga.” “Are the ideas of owning up to your mistakes or saying anything that isn’t part of ‘winning’ the conversation alien to you? Of course, you’re a guy who thinks someone who wrote a symbolic logic textbook can’t put two and two together about the purpose of all your trips that somehow end at the monorail stop outside the Drunken Honeybee.” Exit    ”What’s the Drunken Honeybee?” Vyska asked. canaryrose    “A brothel in the Lower Ring. Popular among elite men who like to have sex with prostitutes rather than their own wives. You wouldn’t know anything about it, Vyska, and only I know because it was popular among some of my least favorite classmates. I suppose healthy relationships are difficult to come by at this table?” Exit    ”I wonder if that is where my brother is right now. The Drunken Honeybee.” Kaye finally said after having sat in silence. The laugh she gave felt half forced. ”I could almost be happy about that.” Fiber    Xiaoxu was fuming now, no one was spared. He said “I can’t help it. Some people at this table have a habit of spreading false rumors about my marriage in between their passions of getting divorced again and firing their own kids from jobs with the team they own. Maybe if they spent more time working on theirs they wouldn’t feel the need to tear down everyone else.” Exit    Lani’s eyes snapped to Xiaoxu. ”Nobody in this life gets a free pass, dear. Not my kids, not my ex husbands, not even you. If they couldn’t cut it then they weren’t where they belonged. It’s a sad truth but it’s why there is only one seat to my name… and why your seat says ‘Lun’.” Vyska’s eyes widened, the edges of her lip quivering as she struggled to stifle her laugh. canaryrose    An couldn’t help it. She laughed, a real laugh, grinning. Her blood was boiling, but God did this asshole deserve it.

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Palace Balcony · |@Katakuri]Palace Balcony · @Katakuri ____________________________________________________________________________. Soran could not spot a functioning bar or a waiter with an alcohol tray within arms reach of him, so he decided to travel down one of the many halls of the building and he went to find himself a balcony or some sort of access to fresh air. He needed fresh air and he wasn’t going back to the Gala any time soon. He hated these events… he hated most upper ring events. They only reminded him of his suffering and he took out a smoke from the inside of his coat pocket. There was that one person each and every time: sorry she passed. How are you doing? If you need anything… all bullshit. Lifting the stick up to his mouth, he hit it hard and only began this bad habit after Eko left this world. The balcony doors were slightly left open to the balcony, so he could have a bit more light outside. Going over to the edge of the balcony and resting on the railing, as he allowed the cigarillo to rest weakly between his fingers. Glancing up to the skies, he was trying to cool off from getting so hyped up. Beginning to whisper to himself, he was picking out the astrological signs from the darkness overhead and the other important figures. The cooling air felt great on his overheated skin, it was relaxing. This meant he was hot to the touch, so he needed to cool down before going back to the party. Soran noticed the cigarillo died quickly, it was practically gone, and he felt like he wasn’t out there that long. Dabbing it out on the stone railing. This sucked… as he flicked the butt of the smoke off of the balcony. He knew that he had to go back into the Gala, so he glanced over his shoulder at the faint light coming from the windows and cracks in the doors that he came from. "You could always smoke another." he was trying to talk himself into staying on the balcony longer, but he decided to stand up instead. Walking over to the exit of the balcony and making his way down the hall. After his cooling off session, his expression was blank as he reentered the main area of the gala with all of the people. His table seemed to be practically empty when it came to guests, people must be socializing. Then his eyes roamed over to where Moon, Tamura, Lun, and others were. Everyone at that table had some type of negative expression and it looked like Zhen’s husband was not going to stop talking any time soon. Katakuri was considering going back out on the balcony for another smoke to ignore whatever was happening. Taking a look back to where outside was. He was really considering it. Sighing and running a hand through his short hair, he went over to his chair and dragged it out. Taking a seat and trying to mind his own business. A waiter came back with a tray of food, little appetizers, so he grabbed a few to snack on, in the meantime. Only consuming alcohol and nicotine was probably not going to be good by the end of the night. They were hamrolls and they tasted pretty good.

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..Palace · An LSF CollaborationPalace · An LSF Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Fiber    Taiichi grinned at Kata as he returned to the table. He said “Welcome back Kata you missed… a lot. Professor Zhang here has been teaching a masterclass on socializing, though I think we might be learning a different lesson from what he’s intending to teach. “ “I was just trying to help An. I don’t know why everyone is blaming me, I wasn’t the one who set her off in the first place.” Xiaoxu said, clearly looking towards Kata. Katakuri    Only noticing the grinning face of Taiichi when they referred to him, he wanted to make himself smaller. He was having second thoughts on not taking out another smoke and coming back inside. Listening to the other, he sighed, "Why am I not surprised?" this was a rhetorical question from Soran. Glancing around for a moment, he noticed there was not a tray of alcohol within a comfortable range, so he sat up in his chair and listened to Xiaoxu. His expression was blank when the married man was spewing whatever he was thinking out of his mouth. This man was like a nuclear bomb, ready to go off, and was his own weapon of mass destruction… to himself… canaryrose    “Can you not shut up?” she finally snapped. “I already made my feelings clear on this topic, I don’t want your help or your opinions. It would be respectful of you to get off of the subject before you manage to anger everyone at the table.” Exit    Vyska couldn't understand it. Some interest was expected, but the man was targeted with his questions, almost worse than Katakuri had been. This was the second time he'd referred to the woman when addressing someone else. "Why are we so interested in how she is feeling right now?" Katakuri    Soran thought about what Xiaoxu said. Him being the one to set An off, and he stared at the other man. Exhaling sharply, "You really love to hear yourself talk don’t you?" he wasn’t really wanting an answer from Xiaoxu, but he might have wanted to drive the man up the wall, so he continued, "I don’t know how anyone can truly listen to you, especially your wife. She is so intelligent and then…” he trailed off with a smirk, “...and you just don’t have the mind to understand anything." Katakuri sat there staring. He wasn’t breaking his eyes from Xiaoxu until a waitress came by. Offering more hamrolls, he took a few with a pleasant smile, "Thank you," he stopped paying attention to the older man. Putting one in his mouth and enjoying it. Fiber    An’s and Vyska's words were completely ignored by Xiaoxu, he was only focused on Kata. Now bristling with rage and forcing every word out of his mouth, he said “Keep my wife out of this, if you’ve got a problem with me then you settle it with me, like a real man does, that’s how it works, in case you forgot. It’s real funny hearing you talk about understanding, talk about intelligence when you look at how you got where you are. Zhen and I worked for what we got, I’d fall asleep at the cram school, walk to class in shoes that were worn through because I needed the money for textbooks, stay up working so many nights I started to hallucinate, but what about you? Everything you ever got in life has been given to you, everything you’ve ever accomplished in life is worth less than what your name has given to you for free. The Soran name is worth billions and billions, but your life literally is as valuable as a summer ant. Your life is nothing, you serve zero purpose. If you want to settle this like men, I’ll be seeing you outside. Unless the thought having to do something with your hands makes you cower in fear, rich boy.” Katakuri    Soran relaxed back in his chair and listened to Xiaoxu spit out the words, attempting to insult him, and his smirk grew into a smile. That smile grew into a grin before he managed to force his expression down to a blank one. He wanted to laugh at the man’s words. This is exactly what Katakuri wanted from Xiaoxu."I would agree with you on your words, but we both would be wrong if I did that." After being requested to go outside with Xiaoxu, he stood up without any hesitation, "In the land of the witless you would be king, so lead the way your majesty." gesturing towards the front doors. He was eager to see if Xiaoxu would be willing to actually go outside with him. Fiber    XIaoxu shot up out his chair and slammed it back in, the table, then pointed abruptly to the door to the balcony without a word. He was ready to go. canaryrose    An simply stared in disbelief for a moment before laughing. They couldn’t seriously intend to fight! But they were standing, fury on their faces, and she realized that these two men really were going to fight. At the royal palace. At an official function. She gaped, and then smirked. “You two are making fools of yourselves,” she said. “And here I thought law professors and bankers were supposed to be sensible. Not aggressive.” She couldn’t help herself from insulting them- she felt vindicated. And maybe a little tipsy. Men. FunnyGuy    “I'd say that's enough!” The deep authoritative boom of a voice Tao Xu, Director of the Republic Security Force shot out toward Xiaoxu and Katakuri. His entrance pulled the attention in the room toward himself, something he hadn't wanted from so many. Just to those who needed to be reminded of the order that would be enforced when he desired it. The stern expression he gave them was enough of a warning but Director Xu couldn't always be certain with these types. There was a slight upturn upon his lips and his hardened expression soften just a tinge. “As entertaining as it might be to watch you two flail on the balcony,” and just as easily, his face became serious again. “It would be a shame for the ‘Commander’ of the RSF to have to arrest two men of your stature for disorderly conduct. The gala has barely started. We can control ourselves and behave, yes? Right?” He was now addressing everyone in the room, his eyes scanning across both familiar and unfamiliar faces. He didn't expect an answer, knowing it was in everyone's best interest to de-escalate whatever tension was building, even if that meant forcing that de-escalation. As present as the tension still was, Director Xu would ensure that tension was all it would ever be. Then the nice lady can come in. Yin and Yang. dreamingflowers    "Miss Cheng...can we go get some snacks before we sit?" Lana looked down at the boy who tried his best not to step on her dress while they maneuvered themselves through the spacious hall. She squeezed his hand softly. "Of course, Chey." He visibly cheered when Lana agreed to his plan. This was the first time he'd been to a party like this, or any party really. He'd been dreaming about it for almost two weeks, after Lana asked him to accompany her. The preparations were a lot of fun. They went to a tailor who made him the most beautiful set of clothes he'd ever owned. He wore them with pride. They got to one of the decadent banquet tables. They browsed for a while. The spread of sweet to savory was incredible. There were things Chey had never seen before, let alone tasted. Lana was carrying him and he was holding a precious china plate. He clutched it tightly in his hands. Eventually they got a selection together. Lana made sure they brought some for the guests they'd be joining at their shared table. Lana sensed tention as they approached and her mood shifted. Chey was still chattering away oblivious. She shushed him. She tried to get a read on the situation. "Good evening everyone." The banker's wife attempted to diffuse to tension by having Chey cheerfully offer everyone a refreshment. They seated themselves at the table, Lana sitting Chey on her lap.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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..Palace · An LSF Collaboration · Part OnePalace · An LSF Collaboration · Part One ____________________________________________________________________________. Fiber    Both Zhen and XIaoxu took their time upon entering the gala. The slow pace allowed them to be seen in public, noticed by the important and also to absorb the information about who was sitting where. Each of them were dressed to the nines, Zhen in a slender black dress paired with a white coat and a smattering of jewelry, and Xiaoxu in a sharp white suit, clean and impeccably tailored. Finding their seat reminded Xiaoxu of the unfortunate error on the seating chart, listing him as merely Zhen’s plus one rather than granting him own seat. The conversation had already started when they sat down, and they came just as they heard Kaye refer to “Professor Lun and her husband”. Internally, Xiaoxu wanted to shout at her. Both of them were full professors, and he was not just any professor, but the 11th most cited legal scholar of all time. While he was distracted and fuming, Zhen started a conversation. “Kaye, so nice to see you! I’m sorry to hear about your brother, I can only hope he will be found safe soon, moments like these remind us how the incident at the storage facility has taken a toll on all of us. I hope you’ve managing to recover well, I wanted to tell you about a monumental project that involved collaboration with some researchers from your R&D Department that my colleagues and I have just finished. The preprint of the paper was just published, the title is Pleasure and Pain Quantified: Population-scale Hedonic Calculus via Brain Computer Interface and Deep Reinforcement Learning. It was a true interdisciplinary effort. I worked with the best of the Neuroscience and Computer Science departments at the university, along with some researchers outside the academic world. The Ethics board was annoyingly persistent in their efforts to hamstring this research, but I think this will be the cornerstone of some truly great things in the future. I also must thank the Sato and Moon families for their generous grants, those also aided this greatly.” Exit    ”I appreciate it, Doctor Lin.” Kaye said. ”My family is holding out hope that he’ll turn up soon. I’m optimistic…” The blue in her eyes seemed to dull a bit. ”My brother is known to be quite resourceful, although I fear at times his thirst for knowledge and passion for what he does sometimes drowns out his reason. He can be very hands-on if given the opportunity. Putting himself in unnecessarily risky situations.” Her eyes flashed to Vyska. ”It’s true that the explosion has affected us all but I am glad we can still find moments like this.” She gestured back to Zhen. ”Such as helping each other continue to make discoveries like this. I’m thoroughly looking forward to reading the paper.” Fiber    “Sorry if I was grim earlier, I have no doubt you brother is quite capable. I think it might be because the university has seen too many lost too young this past week. I remember one, Huanyan. She was only in her first year and already showing remarkable potential, I was looking forward to mentoring her until she met a tragic end. It saddens me to see and I’m going to personally petition the department to award her posthumous degree, it’s a simple gesture but I feel anything we can do in this trying time will help.” Exit    ”That’s very kind of you.” Kaye said. ”I like to think it’s those gestures that make the difference. Money can only get one so far if the heart isn’t in the right place. It’s why we’re only too happy to fund your research. Advances like the ones you and the Xuoshi’s have discovered are necessary for a better tomorrow.” Vyska added. ”But besides all of that, It’s a pleasure to see you again. I know last time we met I was little more than a girl in my father’s shadow but he’s shown me much and taught me more. He’s been a huge fan of you and I look to continue as he did, funding your work in the future.” Fiber    “I am honored to hear that, Vyska. Your father is a true giant, a man of character whose donations have the whole city owing him a debt of gratitude. I don’t know if the Doing What We Can Foundation would exist without him, and it certainly wouldn’t have raised billions without people like the Moons. I have no doubt you’ll continue his legacy and improve countless lives.” Exit    Vyska turned to An. ”Doctor Lun, the woman seated next to me is none other than An Tamura. Director of Operations at SynEn. An, Doctor Lun here is a professor at the University of Ba Sing Se. You might know her? And this is Professor Zhang. The man next to him is Taiichi Sato.” Fiber    During the conversation, Taiichi Sato was listening, not entirely comfortable enough to chime in. It didn’t help that he was watching his phone, trying to see if the energy shortage would interrupt the production line or not. Whoever worked in operations at Future Industries always had to be ready to drop everything and get to work solving production problems, even if they were a C-level executive and at the royal gala like Taiichi was. Not being willing to get your hands dirty wasn’t the Sato way. He looked up briefly to say “Nice to meet you, An. Welcome to the Gala, I promise it’s more boring than the tabloids make it seem.” canaryrose    “Very pleased to meet you,” An said to them both, smoothly extending her hand with a smile. Privately, she wanted to roll her eyes at how Vyska had introduced her, but she kept it to herself. What was this girl doing? She turned to Zhen. “You look too young to have taught me when I was there, but I graduated from the University of Ba Sing Se… six years ago, now? Your paper sounds intriguing. If I ever have the time, I might read it- but I have to admit I’m a bit more of a… paper-pushing girl these days. You’re a professor of… philosophy? And you, Dr. Zhang? I’m sorry to say I’m not very familiar with the faculty these days, but your name, Dr. Lun, has at least reached me. In the news and such.” Fiber    “I believe I was at the university when you were there, although my teaching load was sporadic at times. The research projects I was part of consumed a lot of energy, as did launching the foundation. I only got a more regular teaching schedule when I became a tenured professor, that was seven years ago. Of course, if your expertise is in Synergy that is a subject somewhat removed from philosophy, I know several professors from the hard sciences who never even set foot in the Philosophy department’s building, treating it as though it were haunted ground.” canaryrose    An chuckled good-naturedly at Zhen’s comment and took a sip of her wine. “Don’t worry, I’m no scientist, even though Vyska likes to talk me up. I was actually a mathematics major, which is… probably not much better in your eyes, if I think about it. I mostly learned about synergy through my work, and I do know quite a bit about it but I also have many actual scientists under my employ who know more. Like I said, I’m a pencil-pusher and a manager, among other things. I won’t bore the whole table with the technical details.” Fiber    When she was done, Xiaoxu saw an opening. He tried to sound casual, almost a little folksy when he spoke. “Oh Miss Tamura, you can call me Xiaoxu, I’m a law professor, we don’t do that doctor stuff. I’m just a kid from the middle ring who studied way too much and wrote some law journal articles people thought were pretty nice, somehow I ended up the eleventh most cited legal scholar of all time. Can’t complain, I’m just happy to be here with all of these incredible people and married to such a beautiful and intelligent woman. I heard about what’s happened this week, it’s hard not to, but I couldn’t help but think about how you’re been feeling, An. With all that’s been going on I’m sure it hasn’t been easy to talk about your experiences.” canaryrose    She blinked at Xiaoxu’s comments, a bit confused… and then nervous. Damnit. He was hinting at knowing about hera dn Chu. It wasn’t exactly a very well-kept secret, but… she simply looked at him for a moment, before smoothly saying, “Well, it’s been a difficult few days for everyone. I’m not sure what you’re talking about, I’ve definitely been under a lot of pressure at work, but it doesn’t compare at all to what Vyska and especially Kaye went through during the explosion. So many people are dead or missing, chaos is still reigning with over half the city without power, and we still don’t know the cause of why all this happened. Excluding the obvious. I, for one, would like to find out why. I know a lot of people are working on it, but I’m anxious to find out. Aren’t you?” Exit    Kaye chimed in next. ”I think what we really want to know is how long we have until we run out of power? You’ve diverted energy to our production facilities, as I’m sure you have to Sato…” She gestured toward him. “But eventually, it will not be enough. Not until the pipe is repaired. I imagine balancing power distribution with the ramifications of cutting power to others is no easy task.” ”If it eases some concern, reports from our plant say that they were not similarly affected the way we were here. No loss of life. No appearance of… Benders. All hands are available and repairs are happening apace. Completion is projected within the next few days. Repairs to the pipe will take a little longer. A week at the least, but we have reserve energy for exactly these type of emergency situations.” canaryrose    “If you’d like to know more about the power situation in the city,” An chimed in after Vyska, leaning forward to face Kaye, “you should schedule a meeting with Vyska and me. I can tell you all about my distribution methodology. We’re trying to prioritize right now. It’s certainly not easy, but rest assured that we won’t run out of power any time soon if we use it wisely. We have other supplemental power sources and plenty of reserves.” Exit    "I think I might do that. There are a few things I'd like to talk to you both about actually." Kaye was once again staring at Vyska. Katakuri    At the designated table, Katakuri Soran glanced when he heard his name called out by a familiar voice in the room. First glance, he recognized who it was: Lani. Another prominent figure of the upper ring, and he put on a slight smile instantly within making eye contact. ”Why would I bring a plus one when I know I was going to surely see you here?” This question was more of a statement, but he purposefully let it linger in case she wanted to fire anything back. Deciding to close the space in between them, he approached her, and noticed the wine glass which was hugged to her chest. Bowing in respect, ”I didn’t recognize you at first. I was almost disappointed when I thought you sent your daughter in your place tonight. Are you already enjoying yourself?” Katakuri’s words were spoken with a silver tongue. A waiter walked by, giving Soran a chance to snag a glass for himself. Taking a sip, he gestured to Lani. Exit    ”As best as one can surrounded by present company…” Lani began with no regard to those around her. Kaye rolled her eyes. ”...although the night is improving by the minute.” Lani looked Katakuri up and down momentarily before she gestured with a hand toward An. ”Have you met a Tamura?” Katakuri    Katakuri couldn’t help the small laugh slip from his lips, ”I know what you mean,” his words were soft and maybe lower in volume than usual. There was one reason he was at the gala tonight, and that was to keep his only child safe. The LSF requested that he be here which meant his father wouldn’t be, and his father would have complained till he left the house in his place. Watching the other’s eyes trace his figure, he smirked, and allowed his eyes to follow the older woman’s hand to a smaller figure. A woman with long raven black hair and dark eyes, his fading away from emotion. Approaching, slowly and gently, ”I do not think I haven,” he knew this face. The face of a significant other of a famous athlete that recently set themselves and a whole stadium on fire. He wouldn’t have been able to do it better himself, but he was keeping shady comments to himself tonight. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Tamura. I’m Katakuri Soran.” his words leaked with mystery along with a sudden change of tone. A tone that was professional and impersonal. One that said, I do not care to get to know you, but I will be nice anyways. His eyes focused on hers, as if he was trying to read her or was he looking right through her? Dark eyes traveled to meet who she was near, Miss Moon. Then he lost interest and took a sip of his drink. canaryrose    “Nice to meet you, Mr. Soran. I’m An Tamura. I’m the Director of Operations at Syn-En.” An met his cool, disdainful stare with one of her own, one that was almost meaner. I dare you, it said. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. The man in front of her felt threatening, almost analyzing, but An was sure it was because of his height and the way he looked at her like she was simply dirt on his shoe. Katakuri    Katakuri Soran took note of An introducing herself with such a title: Director of Operations at Syn-En. Raising a brow at the thought, why would someone like the Moons keep this individual under their employment? Didn’t her fiance almost burn down a whole stadium with handfuls of people in it. canaryrose    As for Lani… An simply let the comment slide off of her like water. She didn’t even look at Lani, didn’t indicate she had heard her. Frankly, she didn’t give a shit what Lani Butakha thought of her family. It made her a bit annoyed, sure, but it didn’t anger her. They had been ignored for years. Honestly, An took a sort of delight in the fact that her mother and father had fallen so far in society. She didn’t care. Plus, An pettily thought being ignored completely would spite the woman more than responding. She took a sip of her own wine and wished she could take shots in respectable company. “I assume you’ve met Vyska, Mr. Soran?” She gestured to her boss, resting a hand on her shoulder. Katakuri    ”I do not think I have met Vyska Moon before,” he bowed his head in respect to both of the women. ”I’m Katakuri Soran. It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Miss Moon.” Taking the last sip of his drink and setting it down on a server tray that was gliding by, he had to ask, ”I have to ask. How does a family like yours keep someone linked to such a devastating occurrence under their employment?” his voice was filled with curiosity while he glanced over to An. This look that An got from him was not the harsh one upon meeting, it was gentle, almost connected to a feeling of pity. It was the opposite of what he was asking her boss. His words might have been accusing, but he couldn’t help showing how he actually felt in his eyes: he felt bad for everyone that burst into flames or uncontrollable conditions because of the explosion. It was saddening that so many lives were ruined Exit    ”Miss Tamura is the only one keeping the devastation spreading to the other rings by keeping the power on…” Vyska stood again. ”...and the fuel in your car. And keeping your house warm at night for… guests. She understands the grid better than anyone in the city and without her, well… frankly, Benders would be the least of our problems. That is why she is here tonight, Mr. Soran. Why we’re lucky to have her at SynEn. So we can gather like this and enjoy conversation with such pleasant company.” Vyska extended a hand at the man. ”It’s nice to finally meet. My father has told me much about the Soran family… and about what happened. It’s good to see you were able to move on.” She then turned to An. ”As I understand it, Katakuri is the COO of Soran Enterprises. The life blood of the city’s economy dealing in finance and automatic banking.” ”That’s riiight…” Came Lani, finally peeling her focus away from Katakuri and turning to An with sudden interest. There was some light in her eyes as if a fog had been lifted off her ignorance. ”The Hua girl was… you were engaged to be married to that Firebender!” Although her voice was raised, it was not quite loud enough to reach the other tables. ...Oh you fucking bitch... Katakuri    Katakuri titled his head and chuckled at how Vyska took him, ”I think you understood me all wrong, do not get defensive, because I do appreciate your associate.” shrugging his shoulders. He was only curious as to why An Tamura was in such a place and he had to guess, she didn’t like attention on how she pushed him off onto her boss. ”I think your and my definition of enjoyment are different, Miss Moon. I do not care to dress up all prettily for people to look at me like a doll.” He seemed to completely change when his deceased fiance was brought up, anyone could tell he lost his cool when Vyska’s comment about him moving on was vocalized. His eyes lost all light and emotion. He was chewing on his cheek and he was projecting a dark atmosphere around him now. ”It’s not moving on when your significant other is brutally killed by a fire bender, Miss Moon. Maybe you should learn how to think before you talk, not the brightest moon out there, are you?” Katakuri was staring at Vyska. He was clearly pissed off. Everyone that knew Katakuri, knew that he was extremely sensitive about Eko being brought up. With this, he decided it was better if he found better company or a bar. A bar would be so much better. canaryrose    An took a long sip of her wine. Then another. And another. Pretty soon, she had finished her first glass and had moved onto her second. She was trying to avoid talking about Chu for as long as possible- and drinking had allowed her to let Katakuri go on a long, glorious rant, drawing the attention off of her. A thick blush had settled on her cheeks and a rage had grown in her chest. What a fucking dumpster fire. Everyone looked mad and was either staring at Katakuri or her. “How dare you call her stupid?” An snapped, drawing up a false indignancy. She stood. “You know nothing about her, Mr. Soran, and I’d advise you to watch your tone. She’s… what, 7 years your junior and has earned the equivalent of your position in that time? I’m sorry about your late wife, I really am, but you shouldn’t be so rude.” Exit    Vyska continued to smile as Katakuri's poise collapsed and he began to berate her. It took some effort but she refused to show any emotional change during the short exchange, instead opting to keep to the professional outward appearance she’d been trained to hold. However, when she did break, it wasn’t because of what he was saying or how he was saying it, it was An. She’d stood up and defended her honor and out of surprise, her smile dropped and she turned to the other woman. With the way they were seated, An couldn’t see her and when An stood, she’d inadvertently placed herself between Vyska and Katakuri. Vyska’s surprise was visible only to a few and only grew more obvious when An refused to give the man any ground as he leaned into her space. It was impressive to say the least, especially when considering it was her first time surrounded by people very clearly more powerful than she was. Katakuri was physically taller, more intimidating looking given his sharper features and was also very rich. Enough money could back any threats given, spoken or otherwise. What she felt in that moment was fleeting, but she suddenly understood why An was supposed to be married to a world class Stickball player. There hadn’t even been a question in the air and yet she found the answer. Then she saw the empty wine glass in her hand. Katakuri    Stopping in his tracks, he listened to Miss Tamura get defensive about her boss. Don’t fucking say a thing. Kata. Don’t… he started repeating those words or similar in his head. “Don’t fucking do it,” he whispered to hismelf, probably where no one else could hear. Katakuri Soran could not help himself, An Tamura kept talking, and he turned right around. Dead stare. He was thinking about what he should and shouldn’t say, he was trying his best to not explode. Walking up to An, he got close, so close that he bent down with a few inches in between their faces. ”Don’t tell me false apologies, Miss Tamura. I know you and her, do not care,” he was staring An dead in the eyes, he was trying to keep his cool and not explode on An. An wasn’t the one that brought up Eko and he knew that she didn’t know him at all. ”There is something you need to know about me, Miss Tamura. When I have someone being rude to me. I do not give a fuck how I am back to them,” Katakuri stepped away from An, and he glared over at Vyska. Instantly, his behavior changed, ”Good day ladies. It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintances. I hope you have a wonderful time at the Gala,” he didn’t care if they began to talk to him again. He stopped listening and walked as far away as he possibly could. He was going to go find a bar or at least another waiter who was carrying around alcohol. He was going to need it to get through this Gala tonight. canaryrose    An stared at him dead back, not cowed or cowering. She glowered. When he walked away, though, An had to take a moment to compose herself. For a moment, her hands shook, and her eyes widened with fear. He truly looked like he had been about to kill her. “Well,” she commented as he walked away, “Someone has anger issues. Perhaps a therapist is in order? I’m… very sorry you had to see that, Vyska. Some people just can’t hold their alcohol.” Exit    ”It’s fine.” Vyska had said after Katakuri left the table. ”He’s right. I touched on a sore subject and I shouldn’t have.” She shook her head. ”My father was always better at this stuff than I was.” She watched as Katakuri wandered to the bar. ”I should apologize to the man. It wouldn’t do to sour relations with the Soran house because…” She turned to An and threw her a playful wink. ”... because I don’t like him.” The last bit was almost whispered but she was sure the other probably overheard, not that it mattered. ”I think I like him more.” Lani muttered. ”Thank you, by the way.” She said before gesturing to the empty glass. ”Should… I get you another?” Before An could answer, she was waving down one of the servers wandering the tables canaryrose    “No, no, you don’t have to. Please.” An waved over the server herself, getting another glass.

_{Seating Chart}

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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Evening · |@Exit] & |@Mistress Dizzy] CollaborationEvening · @Exit & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    There would be no guards, signs or warnings to tip off wanderers that they were entering the Underground. Just the understanding that the world beyond the steps cared little about who you were or where you came from. The law in the sewers was survival and those who called this maze of place home knew exactly how to do just that. Nelu himself had a taste of the life but knew there was a difference between visiting and having been born into it. Having to carve for yourself a space in a world that was already too crowded to begin with. Having to find for yourself a name that others could remember in a sea of unimportant faces. While he could put on an act, he would be relying on the former ‘Flying Frog’ to get him in and out of there in one piece. The bottom of the stairs fed immediately into a large market, crowded and well lit. The bleak silence and colorless streets they had just escaped was suddenly replaced by the white noise of a lively crowd and lights dragged down here from the surface. Burning incandescents and blinking fluorescent neon colored the world in direct defiance of the darkness that tried to encroach. The shadows were pushed back by ambient hues that tainted the walls and stained the air. The people too were similarly distinctly vivid. Much like the world around them held together by chewed up wire, metal sheets and rotting wood, they too were dressed patchwork attire. Entire looks fashioned from parts and pieces of discarded and well worn clothing that no longer looked like trash but something new and unique. And it didn’t stop there. The Underground was the place to get anything in the Lower Ring. From Zen and sex to spirit water and body modifications. Despite the danger inherent from some of the available services, the business that handled them still boomed and it was obvious that many ignored the warnings and took advantage. There were signs everywhere. Glowing hair and teeth and eyes. People using in the open. Flyers and ads as stickers covering every available surface. Merchants were less than patient with thieves and so it was not uncommon to see in their employ muscle, some of whom were also augmented or carrying odd weapons. And because they were not the only ones who were armed, the RSF knew that entering here, despite the obvious rampant crime, was dangerous. Nelu ignored the danger, the stares and the people in his way as he pulled Jin into the crowd. Although dense, he knew it would not be enough to obscure their movement and they would have to deal with their pursuers directly. Mistress Dizzy    As the two entered the Underground proper, the pair were quickly swallowed by the chaotic neon sea, contrasting shadows, and press of bodies. Any other night, Jin would have inhaled it deep and drunk it down. After the militant rigidity of the LSF environment, and the bleak nature of the Lower Ring, the Underground felt realer than anything else. The blue light show on Jin’s dress suddenly made sense. In the Lower Ring, they stuck out like a shiny new credit card. But down here? That brilliance blended with the crowd. If they hadn’t been followed in, no one would have been the wiser. Unfortunately, they were being tailed, and were outnumbered at that. Nelu wanted to lead, and Jin was happy to let him, for now. As the pair pushed through the market, old instincts rose to the surface and dusted themselves off. Perhaps the LSF had Jin Takashi chipped and leashed. But the Flying Frog would never die. Exit    Quickly looking around, he spotted a path to the left of the market that led away into a more secluded area. Letting go of Jin’s hand, he parted the crowd slightly creating for himself and them a path to easily thread themselves through and led them both out and to an exit. Mistress Dizzy    With a deft pair of hands, Jin plucked a few items from the open market stalls, and the nearby members of the thick crowd. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time or pocket space for more than three. They returned their full attention in time to see Nelu leading them into an alleyway. There wasn’t enough time to warn him, and even less to turn around. When they hit a dead end, Jin was less than surprised. The Underground was a natural maze even without the people and pop up shops. Exit    The alley they entered was dirty, dark and damp but out of sight. Puddles of unknown liquid were collecting in corners. Elephant rats, bigger than the ones on the surface, didn't even bother to scamper away, welcoming the sudden intrusion and the possibility of another meal. There was a body in the corner didn’t move and, of course beyond that, there was a deadend. In the dark, the wall ahead of them was nothing more than a pile of long forgotten and rotting trash. Nelu was sure there was probably a door on the other side that lead out but there was no way they were going to reach it. Not to mention the smell was already horrible. He didn’t want to know what other fumes the trash wall was sealing. He shook his head, looking at the filth around them both. ”...This doesn’t count. I can do better than this for a first d-” ”Oops…” Behind them at the entrance, a man flanked by three others entered the smaller space. Just like everything else in the Underground, they too looked hurriedly cobbled together. A band of misfits forced together in order to survive… or maybe to simply share in the thrill of what they were doing. The lead man was carrying a pipe in his metal grasp, not surprising considering where they were now. The machine work disappeared into the sleeve of his jacket and it was impossible to tell how much work he’d gotten done. Mistress Dizzy    Jin recognized the tone in Nelu’s voice as they both turned to face the quartet of idiots that had tracked them in. He was playing the Upper Ring hustle, and they’d have to give him props - it seemed to be working. Jin would just have to up the ante. Exit    ”Got a little lost did ya?” He chuckled. ”Ya’ll ain’t from ‘round here, huh? Dressin’ all fancy like. You too…” The man eyed Nelu before looking again at Jin. “Don’t worry… We ain’t gonna hurt ya.” He pointed at Jin with the pole in his hand. The others behind him spread out as best they could considering the limited space. They were similarly armed and now blocking the only way out. ”Just give us the girl.” ...Shit… Nelu smacked his face, shook his head and sighed. ”Nope. They’re not a girl.” Mistress Dizzy    “Please…” Jin stepped forward, subtly leaving Nelu space to maneuver around. “Let us go.” Their voice was high and sweet, and hopefully the proper tone for the Upper Ring idiot girl Jin was dressed as. Jin’s hands were clasped in front of their chest. Only Nelu was at the proper angle to see their fingers moving rapidly on something hidden in their hands. “I’ll give you anything you want.” Exit    Nelu kept his eyes forward, not wanting to give away what Jin was doing in his periphery with a warning glance. The sudden shift in her tone of voice caught him off guard, however, as for a brief moment, he’d forgotten who he was standing behind. It seemed Jin had slipped right back into her old habits as the flying frog, disappearing completely into the woman she was pretending to be. It was flawless. Believable. More than enough to lure the men forward in a false sense of triumph and claim their prize. They each took a step toward the two, and were now only a few yards away. The metal pipe in the lead man’s hand hovered nearly within arms reach of Jin. ”Listen. I have money, okay? You can have whatever, ju-” The pipe moved to point at Nelu. ”Yeah. We’ll take the money off ya hands after we’re done with her…” The man said, taking another step forward. Keeping the pipe on Nelu, he began to reach for the soft edge that was Jin’s cheek. Mistress Dizzy    Jin had long buried the reflexive urge to smile at a successful con. Still, the old rush came back, sharpening their senses. It was a high far better than any street drug. There were certain unwritten rules that frequenters of the Underground learned quick. Don’t get caught stealing. Don’t go down an alley you ain’t been down before. Don’t bite a Glowworm and light up a cig. They’d already broken at least two rules in 5 minutes. Jin might as well break another. As the first guy fell for the ploy like a Luna moth to a bug zapper, reaching out, Jin actually leaned forward, inhaling slow, as if to accept the touch like a charmed maiden. Spreading their hands from their clasped position, Jin revealed two objects. A plastic open tube of Glowworm, used to create a neon effect on teeth and eyes. And a small, silver lighter. Three things happened in rapid succession. Jin flicked the lighter, and a teeny orange flame came to life. They exhaled their held breath, lips pursed and directed toward the fire. The flame hit the glowing liquid, and like an old circus trick, it caught, combusted, and followed the path of oxygen- Directly into their opponent’s face. Exit    The man reared back as soon as he saw Jin put the lighter to their lips, but he was too close and too slow. Flames erupted in the small space between himself and them, engulfing him in fire that wrapped around his entire body. His screams were swallowed by the sound of fire eating at the air and then further obscured by the screaming of those behind him. Mistress Dizzy    “Move!” Exit    Two of the man's cohorts were equally burned. The last, however, reacted quick enough to shield himself from the attack by stepping behind one of the others. ”Fuck!” He screamed as both Jin and Nelu pushed by him, throwing him to the ground. Nelu, still suffering from the earlier shock Jin had put him through, was reminded again why they had once been a prominent figure in the Lower Ring. He shouldn’t have been impressed, but he was. How they’d managed to pull that off was beyond him. He still wasn’t sure if they’d been carrying those items in their dress or had picked them off someone in the crowd. It was impossible to know and yet that was the law of the land down here. Moving in the shadows and in secret and using both as a shield and a weapon. This was Jin’s world and in their hands, Nelu remained but a passenger. His experience paled in comparison to theirs. Without looking behind him, he could confirm that they were still being followed, this time by the one man who managed to survive the initial fire blast. ”Got one more.” Like them, their pursuer was slipping through the crowd with ease as if he’d done this his entire life. Mistress Dizzy    “Yep.” Jin said simply. They had dropped the plastic tube of Glowworm before it decided to melt to their palm. As their legs pumped and half the dress flared, they made the lighter vanish into the dress. “The answer you’re looking for is-” They twisted gracefully around a zenned out woman dancing in the midst of the market, barely breaking stride. “The glowy shit on people’s hair and teeth? Highly fuckin’ flammable.” A beat. “Inflammable?” They shook their head. “Whichever, it lights up fast.” The night was just beginning, and the market crowd was just getting started. The final pursuer seemed to have the most brains of the bunch. Between having sense and ruthlessness enough to use his cohorts as a shield, he clearly knew his way around the area. Nelu was out of his depth, Jin was out of practice. The pursuer was gaining ground, and fast. Something had to be done. Jin’s eyes flickered across the area, trying to solve an equation with no numbers at all. “Don’t look back!” Jin instructed Nelu, then pivoted sideways toward one of the market tables. It seemed to be selling credit cards. From the hastily printed sign on the wall, it was quite clear they were all very much stolen. With a level of skill they hadn’t gotten to display since their training days, Jin tucked and rolled, vanishing under the black tablecloth. “Hey! What the fu-” The vendor scowled, reaching out to move the table aside. He never got the chance. The table burst upward into the air, and the cards went with it, scattering absolutely everywhere. Everything was still for a split second. Then Jin shouted, that sweet, fake femme voice carrying surprisingly far. “Free yuans!” It was like dropping a slice of meat in a cage of hungry rats. By the time Jin got to their feet, the crowd was pressing in. They squeezed through, yanking the end of their dress from under someone’s foot. Already, a fight was breaking out. Exit    Nelu did as instructed and kept running forward, resisting the urge to look at the chaos he could hear unfolding behind him. Jin, who had left his side for only a moment was already back on his heel, he could feel, nearly pushing him forward through the surf of people pushing in the opposite direction. Already, the excited crowd had become so dense trying to clamber for the scattered cards that they were effectively now an impenetrable wall. Their pursuer had no hope of following. The two of them continued through the market toward the other end where the crowd was already thinning. With Nelu still in front and some instruction from Jin, he made a left up ahead and then another right where the corridor led to a more open and mostly abandoned space. It looked to be a service tunnel for what must have been the subfloors of a building half buried in the streets and forgotten. There was a door that most likely led back to the surface; one of a myriad of entrances and exits to the Underground. He yanked it open and led Jin inside. On the other side of the door was a single fluorescent bulb screwed into a socket that was surprisingly still on and working. A broken metal staircase would have led to a trapdoor in the ceiling. It looked like it hadn’t been open in ages. ”The Flying Frog’s still got it.” Nelu said half out of breath. Down here, stretches of the world beneath the city suffered from poor airflow which heavily affected air quality, especially considering what fell down here from the upper rings and reamined. Breathing was often difficult but also meant that similar corridors were less likely to be occupied. A quick glance before they’d entered the room ensured that there were no prying eyes or ears to witness their flight. A second glance found Jin, her dress and hair and allure still intact despite the way she’d been moving. She didn’t even seem all that affected by the atmosphere. He gestured toward them and nodded. ”That’s uh… effective.” He frowned, not liking the taste of the word or his lack of a better one. ”Doc Li?” Mistress Dizzy    Once it was clear they had gotten away clean, Jin leaned over and started to laugh. Soft, half-oxygenated, but absolutely pleased. "Still got it? Ain’t never lost it to start with." They peeked sideways at him, their pride obvious. With Nelu’s impression of their getup, Jin shrugged. "I mean, yeah? Everything she makes is effective." They straightened up, fiddling with a silver clasp at the neck of the dress. "Though at first I thought she'd lost her fuckin mind when she showed me the kit. Guess I owe her an apology. And 50 yuans." Exit    ”50 yuans, huh…?” The amount sounded vaguely like a bet. He could hazard a guess about what. Mistress Dizzy    Jin nodded. "Yeah. She said, 'this disguise is so perfect, you could walk by your best friend and not get caught.'." Their head turned aside, watching in the direction of the door. "And by the way you looked at me back there, it was pretty obvious she won." Exit    ...Yeah… It was hard to admit but the accusation stuck. He had looked. He knew it. Far longer than he should have, and maybe it had only been for a couple of seconds but it was long enough for Jin to notice and that’s what mattered. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep the facade up and if they kept surprising him like they had, it wouldn’t be long before he had to make a decision. The breath he took was laced with tainted oxygen and embarrassment. He snorted. ”Guess I was being really obvious.” He looked at them again, this time with less surprise and more intent. A curious, appreciative gaze. It wasn’t invasive or harsh, but soft. He tried not to let his eyes linger for too long but again, it was difficult. Sylara’s work was impeccable as always, a testament to her skill and an even bigger statement to her confidence in the bet they’d apparently made. It was no surprise really what a fool of him she’d made, and he’d promised he’d have words with her later… or at least he knew he’d hear about it later. ”So besides making me look like a complete idiot, I know Doctor Li always goes the extra mile with her work. What else can it do?” Mistress Dizzy    Jin snickered faintly. ”Like I said, I coulda shot you. And that was before I stepped out.” One hand was still in motion, the silver charm catching what little light there was. “I know this is… not the best time. But.” They turned, finally, meeting his eyes, their worry obvious. “Are you… okay, Cap? I mean, no way in hell would any disguise fool you, usually..." Exit    ”Hey… Jin...” Nelu tried to interrupt. However, the first attempt fell on distracted ears as they continued down a hole they didn’t need to go down. Was Nelu alright? Far from it and although he would never admit it, Jin had been spot on with the assessment. A disguise shouldn’t have worked and yet it did. But his inability to pick Jin out of the crowd paled to the situation Jin had just pulled them out of, at least to him. Nelu was still alive and well in a place he knew very little about, and whether Jin was aware of it or not in that moment, it was only because of them. Sure he would have been fine in a scrap, but then he’d also still be lost in this endless maze. The brilliant blue in Jin’s eyes were fixed on him, but he could tell they were looking through him to some answer they couldn’t see. Their fingers were still fidgeting with the silver clasp that rested over where the sharp edge of their collarbone curved down toward their chest. That small spot of skin below their neck. The small spot of skin teasing at him from above their dress. Mistress Dizzy    "...And I know if I feel like shit from not sleepin’, you probably feel worse cause you have to do all the fuckin’ papers and-” Exit    Their fingers continued to play with the small piece of metal, the physical tell of a person who was musing their worries. He reached for it and gently pressed his hand against theirs, interrupting the fidgeting and hoping his touch was enough to pull them from their thoughts and focus on the reassurance in his voice. ”Jin.” He tried again, this time choosing to say what he knew would calm them down. Unfortunately for him, his brain and his lips couldn’t agree on what that actually was and instead, the truth came out. ”You look beautiful.”

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Prisk I'm convinced your Avatar is just a really slow moving gif cycling through avatars.

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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Si Wong Desert · Night · A TLA CollabSi Wong Desert · Night · A TLA Collab ____________________________________________________________________________. canaryrose    Chu stretched out in the sand against her duffel bag, a few yards from Sumire. She yawned. She had spent the better part of the last few hours napping in the truck, finally letting exhaustion take a hold of her, but she was still so tired. At this point, she didn’t know if it was emotional or physical exhaustion plaguing her. After she had buried Kanna with Vasra’s help, she had crawled in the back seat of the truck and fell into a fitful sleep. If she slept any deeper, she feared she’d have nightmares. But her eyes were heavy, and she couldn’t keep them open for long. The cold had never bothered Chu. Whether she liked it or not, her latent abilities made it so that she’d always had warmth to spare. Even during the dead of winter, she had often eschewed puffy coats for light jackets. So the desert cold wasn’t too much of a burden. She found that, now, she could bend a bit more consciously. A satisfying heat spread from her core throughout her body, making it so she had little need for additional warmth. Seemingly in opposition to the cold, she shrugged off her jacket, once again revealing the dirty tank top underneath. “Shouldn’t you know that, passenger princess?” Chu Hua joked, keeping her voice as light as she could muster. She had already started off on a bad foot with these people- better to be nice now. “I thought you were the navigator. ” “My… friend said there was a settlement out here. Where benders could be safe. I don’t know its name or where it is, but I assumed that was where we were going, unless I’m wrong?” vietmyke    There was a small snort as Jin Wei plopped himself against the rock next to Sumire, leaning more against her than the rock itself- much to the small woman’s chagrin. His hair was matted down with sweat, and cradled in the nook of his arm was his helmet- set with a bullet impact and cracks across its face plate. Joints popped and cracked as Jin stretched himself out in the desert sand. Sure, he was used to driving for hours a day, but a bit of a breather was always needed. ”Funny. Sure doesn’t act like a princess.” Jin quipped as he pulled a canteen from his belt. He only afforded himself a small sip of water- enough to keep himself going. They weren’t exactly short on supplies at the moment, but Jin definitely didn’t pack enough for a whole car full, and several of the people with them looked like they had barely brought anything along with them. More than likely, they’d have to share. Sumire scoffed as she elbowed him off of her. Jin rolled his eyes as he gestured towards Chu and tossed her the canteen. ”Drink.” Jin looked up at the clear skies and stars above them. Admittedly a regular sight for him, but tonight their view felt more… earned. For the first time in what felt like days Jin had the luxury to calm down and think about what they were doing, and not run on nothing but adrenaline and instinct. ”Well, we can’t use the GPS,” Jin interjected, ”They’ll know where we are in no time if we do, so we’re sorta just driving blind right now. I think we’re heading to where you think we’re heading- I think.” canaryrose    Chu caught the canteen in one hand deftly, barely having to look at it. She raised it to her mouth and took a small sip, just to wet her lips, and capped it and tossed it back to Jin. “Thanks, man.” She was slightly surprised he was being so kind now- he had threatened to leave her behind earlier, and that had left her with a bad impression of the man before her. Out of everyone here besides Reman, he was the one she knew least about. “You don’t know where we’re going?” A minute bit of panic entered Chu’s voice, but then she laughed abruptly. Were they really just driving around the desert blind? It was just her luck. “Guess if I had to die anywhere, I’d pick the desert over whatever the Republic had in store for us. And if we get there… well. We’ll see, right?” vietmyke    ”Sure I do,” Jin quipped as he caught the canteen. ”We're going through the desert.” He took another sip before passing it to Sumire- who very quickly took several large gulps, leaning her back against Jin- much to his chagrin. The white haired girl held the canteen above her head for the next person to grab. Jin glanced over at the Kyoshi, a slight haze steamed from the hood of his car. The engine wasn't shot- yet, but it definitely wasn't designed for the punishment it just went through. Or well, it was, at least until Sumire set off the street booster she had apparently installed in his car. They still needed to talk about that. He hoped they wouldn't have to push the Kyoshi like that again, or they might have bigger problems. ”Reman knows where we're going.” Jin clarified. ”Said he knew of a settlement or something of the sort in this direction, Tu Shin or something like that.” Theyra    “Tu Zin,” Reman’s voice spoke up. He was leaning against the Kyoshi with his arms crossed and his steelcase was on the ground next to him. The two bullet holes in it was on display and the first time in hours he was not holding the thing. “Tu Zin is where we are heading and I have a general idea of where it is.” Reman made a small smile, “I know where we are going so do not worry about that.” Reman though was hiding the fact that he was still a bit jumpy from the what has happened. He has calmed down but only mostly. Looking down at his steel case and if it were not for the fact that it caught the bullets meant for him. Or if they were not able to escape. Reman is trying to not think about that and focus on the now. Then he looked up at the night sky and was amazed at the sight. It was so clear compared to back at the city. All of that light pollution and what not. So looking back at Chu after calming down a bit. “We will get there so how about we just relax a bit?” Abstract Proxy    Turning her attention from the quiet stars to her companions, Vasra felt oddly at ease. They were being chased. They were being hunted. They were enemies of the state, and yet, with the cold desert wind gently sifting sand against her, she felt content. She had loved the people of Ba Sing Se, she had loved the city, but the wrongness was inescapable. The inequality and suffering was unavoidable. And to Vasra, it had been unbearable. The choice had been made for her, by who or what, she didn’t know, but was it really so different from what she would have chosen? Nelu would have understood, she thought. He would understand when she told him. Doing the right was never easy. It promised no rewards and no kindness. But it didn’t matter. It never did. Maybe it had been a mistake all along? To think that Ba Sing Se could be saved. To think that the system could be changed, could be guided to be better…kinder. She’d rather be a cast out in the desert, hunted by villains, than be complicit to the crimes of twisted minds, intent only on preserving their own rule. Offering a smile, Vasra nodded at Reman, ”It is hard not to enjoy a view like this. The desert is a beautiful place, for all the perils it contains. Wherever this Tu Zin is, I am sure we will find it.” canaryrose    Chu laid onto her back, taking a moment to stare at the starry sky above. She had never seen it like this before- all the lights in Ba Sing Se had washed out all but the brightest stars, and she had never dared to leave the bounds of the city. It was beautiful. She wished An could’ve been here to see it. Or even Kanna. She thought it with a kind of numb distance, but still felt the noose of her sorrow tighten around her heart. She spoke to escape it. “How can you be so calm?” she asked, speaking to Reman and Vasra. “You just lost everything. How are you not angry?” Her voice simmered. “It’s not like we’ll get there when we get there or some shit. We need food. Water. How are we meant to survive?” vietmyke    "She's right," Jin chimed in quietly, "We're not exactly flush with supplies at the moment." Jin took a mental stock of their current supplies- the Kyoshi had enough supplies for a bit over a week or two for himself, Sumire and Reman. Unfortunately, the others didn't seem to carry as many in as significant quantities- the remaining athlete seemingly the only ones with any amount of food and water, so they'd likely have to share. They'd be fine splitting food, traveling in a car wasn't a process that required large amounts of calories, but water would run short fast between the six of them. "We'll be fine with fuel for a while, but we'll need to find some way of resupplying eventually. Even if we find the settlement, that doesn't mean we'll be able to sustain ourselves… Unless anyone knows how to farm." Abstract Proxy    “They didn’t teach us much about farming in medical school,” Vasra said. “Still, I suppose there’s always a first time for everything, maybe being a farmer would be nice…” “I’ve been angry for a long time,” Vasra mused, finding herself drawn back to Chu’s questions. “How could I not be? Ba Sing Se is dying.People are suffering. Many of them are dying. And no one cares. Oh, some will pretend, they’ll offer kind words, a handful of coins, but they don’t care, not really, not in a way that matters. You know, it’s funny, more than once I thought about burning down the royal palace. That would have shown them! But…I couldn’t, my anger worked differently. My clinic was my rebellion and well..now it’s rubble. And I’m a fugitive…being chased by the Avatar knows what and who…” She coughed, rubbing the back of her neck wearily, “Sorry…We’ll need water first, we can survive for some time without food, but water will be a problem, and soon .” canaryrose    Chu made a little snort- almost out of derision. Who didn’t think the city was fucked up? She had known since she was a little girl things were unfair. But things were always unfair. It was the way things were. “I’m sure burning down the royal palace would’ve been productive,” she said, trying not to snap in annoyance. Their supply situation concerned her more than Vasra being a bit of a dreamer. “I guess we’ll just have to hope we get there in time, then. That, or find some place in between.” Her voice was weary. Chu hated leaving things up to hope. “You’re a pipe runner, right? Is there a map or some shit? You too, briefcase boy. Any maps?” Chu said to Reman and Jin. vietmyke    "A map?" Jin asked quizzically. "Of what? The super secret mystery settlement that will be our supposed salvation?" Jin chuckled to himself, "I’d hope such a map doesn’t exist- If such a map did exist, that would just mean there’s another way of finding us." canaryrose    “Not of the settlement- of some place where we can get water. I’m not stupid.” vietmyke    "I don't expect maps will show us any watering holes. If we're lucky the settlement might have a well." Jin responded, "These parts of the desert aren't very well explored anyhow." Theyra    ”I have might have a solution to the water problem,” Reman chimed in, Kneeling down and he put up his case and placed it in front of him. He was a bit nervous opening it since he has yet to see the damage by those two bullets but, seeing how now Mova can be useful. He opened it and was partly relieved. Mova was intact but it looked like a bullet has clipped the control tablet. Reman sighed it needed to be repaired but, it was barely a setback, he can still use command Mova without it. So, Reman spoke, ”Mova start voice command 1.” With that the drone started its start up sequence and made some sounds. Before fully activating and soon enough hovering in front of Reman’s face. “Mova fully operational and what is your command Reman?” Then she looked around a bit, “I see we are in the desert and where is the pipeline?” “Uhhhh….”, that is right she does not know about what has happened. “Well, Mova there has been a change in plans and right now I need you to scan for possible water sources in the area. Do the widest search perimeter as possible and come back once you are done.” Mova made a responding chirp,“It will be done Reman.” So Mova went up slightly into the sky and went off. Reman got up and spoke to the group. “Okay so it will take her time to find a possible water source and before you ask. No, she can not be tracked by anyone in the city. I made sure to that when I built her and since it will take time for her to finishing scanning and come back. Seeing how it is night, how about we all sleep and see what Mova has found in the morning?” ... The cold night passed without incident as the group rested. Eventually, the lights in the sky shuffled over to make room for the coming dawn as violets and reds began to push the dark away. At such an early hour, first light was a blessing. A kiss of warmth on cold skin or a heat that cut through cold dry air like a hot knife and pierced to the bone. In the distance, the sun finished cresting the horizon and set the world around the group ablaze in bright orange hues. For anyone besides Jin, like the night before, it was a display of color and beaty like nothing witnessed before from within the city. For jin, it was just another morning in a place all too familiar to him. Everything and everyone was right where they were the night before... for the most part. Sumire found herself standing a little ways away from where the group was resting, standing curiously over a small desert flower that had sprouted from the sand. "Good morning!" She said to it. "Jin! Look!"

_Prompt:

Weiyuan, regardless of how rested you are, you suddenly wake up to vibrations that are coming from the ground, the source of which is hard to pinpoint but you can make out a vague direction: Past you toward someone else. These tremors are still too weak to be detected by the others. Mova has not yet returned it seems.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

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_{DAY 1 《》 STEELWATER [RD-PRS] 《》 After Noon 《》 @Salsa Verde @Aeolian @Krash}

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Christina scratched her nose and then raised her hand. "Hi..." She tapped her chest. "I am the Christina person. You can call me Thena. I don't have uh... whatever group chat you're all plugged into so I didn't get the homework. I'll just have to take your word for it, doc. I'm also letting you all know that I'm tagging along. Your friend..." She looked at everyone else in the room. "Wiped out my team and if what you're saying is true, that probably means they're not... where I left them." Christina scratched at the back of her head as her emotions began to fight each other for control. There wasn't just the possibility of her facing her own team again and the sick twisted hand of fate she was being dealt, there was the more pressing worry of her own exposure. "I probably need to get myself checked out..." She muttered under her breath. "... Anyways, I'm not leaving my dirt around for you all to clean up yourselves. If it comes to it, I'll put them down myself. What I really want to know is this: if Benjamin's blood is tainted with this new strain, could he simply be infected too and not actually the source? Because if the answer is yes, then Aeon's can turn and I think we have a bigger problem on our hands. And not just in general, but for the task you're giving us." She turned to the man who had entered the room last and noticed he had put on his helmet. "I think I'm going to need one of those. You wouldn't happen to have another, would you?" She asked. Science was not Christina's forte but the curiosity instilled in her at birth by an overbearing father never left. It was especially potent now considering her life and the lives of those in the room were at stake. The mission was dangerous. She understood this better than most after having run into the target already. Any kind opportunity she could find to give them an advantage she had to take. Not to mention, she didn't know anyone on the team and wouldn't be given any time to jell with them. She found the idea of them putting a bullet in the back of her head with little to no sympathy after discovering she was infected, upsetting. What was even more upsetting was the thought that the bodies of her brothers would not be allowed to rest. All of them were here for a reason, herself included. They believed in what they were doing despite being surrounded by ill intention and the allure of money in a dying world. Now, they were dead off a case of bad intel and a monster the UDF could not or would not control. That sad end should have been the conclusion to their story. Christina could have lived with that. Could have spun a tale for their families preserving some version of the truth and their heroism. But they couldn't rest, so neither could she.

Summary

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Christina listens to the brief and considers a question of her own. Meanwhile, she ruminates on the state of her fallen teammates, considering the new information she's been given, and wonders if she too is in danger of becoming infected.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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..Palace · |@Exit] & |@canaryrose] Collaboration · |@Katakuri] & |@Fiber]Palace · @Exit & @canaryrose Collaboration · @Katakuri & @Fiber ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    The ride to the palace saw Vyska acting as An’s chauffeur, mostly as an excuse to allow her some time with her Aerosato; the blacked out and sleek cruiser that had been parked outside her house. Because Jack was always driving her around, she never really got the chance to drive herself and so, whenever the chance to take her car out for a spin arose, she took it. It wasn’t often, and not just because of her shadow. Her life had been nothing but business even before she’d graduated from school. But every now and then, business and pleasure happened to align. A trip with her and one other in a two seater on their way to a gala was exactly what that looked like. ”I’ll eject you from my car if you throw up in here.” Vyska had said calmly when they’d gotten in. Both of them were greeted by comfortable leather seats, room to stretch their legs and an interior that sounded as if they’d stepped into a vacuum. As Vyska put them into the air, the world around them soundlessly began to fall away. So isolated were they from the outside that even the typical vibrations felt in other aerosatos were undetectable. Once they’d cleared take off height, A number of digital displays of information began to populate the air around them, telling the driver some small amount of information concerning their vehicle, their surroundings and the path ahead. However, even to the untrained eye, the information given seemed minimal. When Vyska touched the wheel, the display suddenly changed. ‘Manual’ appeared in the top right space of the windshield along with additional numbers measuring elevation, speed and fuel. She took note of what she’d been given, flashed An a quick smile, and then pushed on the wheel throwing them forward. While short, the ride there saw a rare moment of Vyska being herself. In the safety of that space thousands of feet in the sky, she allowed herself to be the young adult she was still growing into. A person who didn’t have to pretend to know what she was doing, because she didn’t. However, the Moon family demanded it. Her father demanded it. She was to be taking his place at the Gala. --- Vyska and An arrived somewhat early, thanks in part to Vyska’s unrestrained flying. It was obvious to them as they were stepping out that the crowd was still sparse. It also meant fewer eyes for the woman which was both good and bad in their case. Good because at least they wouldn’t have to address any rumors immediately upon arrival. Bad because they’d dressed up and if nothing else, Vyska did like to look good while she worked. She wore a loose black top that was tied off around her neck and traveled to above her thighs. Slits were cut into the sides that flirted with the edge of her lower hip. The mid section was crimped, tied about her waist by a sash that hung down to her heels and flowed loosely behind her. There was a gradient in the interior that was black fading to an almost green color. The edges of her were etched in gold to accentuate curves and draw peoples eyes too and around them. Hanging around her neck and slipping through the high cut over her chest was a green jewel that hung in the center of a golden circle. To finish off her look for the night, she had on a pair of black gloves and a black boater hat. An was in a white top and a wide black dress that swept across the ground as she stepped. The large folds seemed to billow on their own, carrying on winds that found only her, and while the dress moved, the top remained confined to An’s shape. It seemed as if she were gliding along the ground. The both of them entered the hall ahead of their assigned attendant and into the ballroom where it didn’t take long to find their seats. As they approached, the two women who were already sat looked up at them both. The younger one stood and gave a respectful nod in Vyska’s direction. ”Ms. Moon. I don’t know if you remember me. I-” ”Kaye Xuoshi. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Vyska quickly responded, eliciting a smile from the other woman. She then turned and gave a curt nod to the other who was still seated. ”Lani.” ”Vyska. Where’s Mynwa?” ”Personally overseeing repairs and improvements to our synergy plant. Ladies… I’d like to introduce An of the Tamura family. Recently promoted to Director of Operations of SynEn.” She turned to An. ”An, this is Kaye Xuoshi, heir to Xuoshi Enterprises, and the woman seated next to her is Lani Butakha. Director of the National Stickball League and owner of the Wolfbats.” canaryrose    “Kaye, Lani. Very nice to meet you both.” An offered a handshake to both women, smiling genially. Exit    ”It’s nice to meet you as well.” Kaye replied. canaryrose    An inclined her head as shook their hands. She knew who both were, of course, even if they didn’t know her. Kaye Xuoshi was a prominent public figure, and Chu Hua had been complaining about Lani Butakha being up her ass with offers for years. Unsurprisingly, she had come out as one of the staunchest condemners of her fiancee in the last few days. An searched both of their faces, realizing they both truly didn’t recognize her. Huh. She had always tried to preserve a certain degree of anonymity for her own comfort, but it had apparently worked to her advantage. Thanks to Vyska, she knew that her arrest had not been reported in the news, lost in the chaos, but she still felt nervous as she looked to Vyska for the cue to sit. Her scandals, unfortunately, had not been limited to becoming a violent criminal. She carried no hope that she wouldn’t be recognized as Chu Hua’s fiancee by some discerning or nosy person, and things would likely unravel from there. She had taken off her engagement ring, a reality that made her deeply uncomfortable, but it was inevitable that someone would know of their engagement, ring or no. It would just be a matter of convincing them she hated Chu. She thought that that was maybe the hardest thing she’d ever have to do. Probably not, though, given all the treasonous bullshit Vyska was saddling her with. She had been shocked when Vyska had told her she would be coming. She had thought Vyska would want to hide her, not trot her out for all to see. It had made more sense when she had explained her true purpose, but An still did not entirely get it nor feel confident in their goals here. Still, she kept a face of stone, a fake smile flitting across her lips. Exit    ”Hm… the Tamuras haven’t had a seat at the gala in years…” Lani took another sip of her wine glass. canaryrose    “Ha. You sound just like my mother,” she told Lani, a jesting tone in her voice. “Fortunately, I’m not here as a representative for my family. I’m attending at Vyska’s behest as her friend and colleague. She was kind enough to extend me an invitation.” Exit    "One earned, which can be said for few in this place." Vyska added. "Yes. That's rather cute." Lani waved them off as they all took their seats, already having forgotten the pair when she noticed another arrival just walking in. "Quite like the tall and handsome Soran over there." Her eyes glinted when she noticed him taking a seat near their table. "No 'plus one' for you tonight, Katakuri?" Lani was now leaned back in her seat, cradling her glass against her chest. "And there is Professor Lun and her husband, Xiaoxu." Kaye was looking at the entrance.