The air had an odd aroma of humidity and heat as the evening continued to cool off. A gentle breeze pulled the humid air like an angry mother dragging her child through the marketplace, a forlorn force acting on a resistant and reluctant object. Although it was warm now, it wouldn't be for long. The sun was setting in the southern Earth Kingdom swamplands, and with it was the only warmth the entire region knew. The entire region, with its thick canopy, was known for being dark and dank, but at night it was only exemplified by a dense fog caused by the condensation of the miserably humid atmopshere. The swamplands at night, with its darkness, thick fog and chilled air, was miserable at night. So miserable that only the desperate would travel there.
And, it was for that reason that the Rising choose it specifically as a meeting grounds for some of its more questionable, potential members. Those that sought out the Rising weren't always the most upstanding, some of them actual criminals attempting to achieve amnesty for their crimes through assisting the rebellion, or worse, by turning them in whenever the chance would arrive. For that reason and dozens more, the Rising had to sift through its less-than-desirable applicants. It was their duty to give anyone that wanted an opportunity a fair chance to have one. Anyone from any walk of life, any style of bending, any practice or skill, any story or dream. Anyone whom sincerely wanted to join the Rising, but had no one to vouch for them... had to be desperate to travel to a swamp a place like this.
Time passed, the night grew more chilled, the dense fog rose from the ground and made walking feel like swimming as one could feel the wetness on their skin and had to trek thought mud and muck merely walking. The moon moved swiftly through the air, full on this autumn night. It would have done well to illuminate the clearings and pathways if not for the thick capopy and thicker fog. Krane never minded the swamplands. He could jump from tree to tree, avoiding the muck. He could clear the fog away from him and create a decently insulated bubble. He could even sense those around him through the fog as it moved, as long as he focused. What most hated about the swamps, Krane used to his advantage.
Just one girl, he thought, was all he was supposed to meet. A whole month and just one little girl from this specific area wanted to meet the Rising, for whatever reason. At times, there were upwards of fifty people looking to ask questions or take in a traitor, but this month, there was but one. It was an oddity, if anything, but of course not many people even lived in this area to begin with. A fairly large clearing in swamp, with notably less fog, was the meeting spot chosen by Krane, whom told those that assisted the Rising in the local towns and village to direct anyone looking for him here. A simple clearing that Krane could observe from a distance. It made all the difference.
All the girl wanted was a few answers. It was as simple as that. She asked, and they told, but of course, everything had to be way more complicated than usual. If she wanted answers, she would have to travel to one of the dirtiest, well muck and dirt wise, places in the four nations. If one could even call them that. Tanvi contemplated not going. Her curiosity about some rebel group could have easily been deterred by something equally interesting...Too bad there was nothing equally interesting. So, after some time doing southbound travel, Tanvi was stepping through the swampy marshes in order to find this 'particular spot'.
Throughout the trip, she wondered if it was really worth it. And there was also the possibility that the entire thing could just be a scam, or worse, a trap. "Maybe I should have came earlier...when it wasn't so dark." Following the light of the moon was a lot more difficult when a series of obstacles like roots and holes were in the way. A chittering sound came from her sleeve, and as if it was a coherent language, Anvi retorted. "I could've stayed back at the Earth Kingdom, but you and I both know that there was nothing else to do there." The girl continued walking, occasionally glancing up at the tree bramches. Too bad they weren't low enough. If they were, she could have climbed those instead of having to walk. Those circus skills did come in handy.
From her sleeve to the neck of her shirt, shifting occured until a small furry head appeared. "Ssh, unless you want us both to get caught." Both had spotted a figure a little ways off just sitting there. "He coul he dead...Never know. Then again, could be a trap." Risk it all, or go back to the city? Well, for some odd reason, Anvi was feeling a bit daredevil-ish. She walked forward, only clearing her throat to be acknowledged. Fei, the fire ferret, decided it was best that she stayed in hiding amongst Anvi's clothing. 'Well, he's not dead...And I didn't see anyone as I walked up.' Her perceptive eye had done a quick scan of her surroundings as she decided to take the risk. No one around. Just...some kid.
Krane noticed the girl, the only person he was told would be visiting him this go around, far before she reached the clearing. The fog moved around her and Krane could feel its unnatural movements. He could feel almost every create around him, as long as he laid still on the branch he did. This was one of the only real applications of meditation he had from his days with the Air Temple, but it was notably quite effective. He could tell who was coming, who was around them. He could even tell that the girl had stumbled as she walked through and overlooked the designated clearing quite a few times before reaching it. Simple techniques provided a significant amount of useful information.
As he seen she finally made it to the clearing, it was time to actually begin the initiation. Breaking his concentration, he leaned up and began to swirl his hand, cascading his fingers back and forth in a fluid, clircular motion as if spinning a ball in his hand. As he did, the fog that was once thin in the clearing began to swirl around the girl as she stood there, thickening as it did due to the nature of humidity, and incircling her in a wall of thick, dense fog. As it spun around her, a vaporous whirlpool if anything, he changed his gestures to a simple variation of a come hither sign, making the fog react by thickening in front of her. Simple techniques. Simple diversions.
Instead of being greeted in some type of formality, he merely began playing around. Her hair swayed with the small gusts of wind, but Tanvi herself stayed still. With a raised brow, the girl watched the little show he put on for her. If this was how he was greeting her, she could only imagine how long it would take for her to get solid information. "How troublesome..." Anvi murmured and crossed her arms. She noticed the cloud thicken until she couldn't see behind it. That's when she focused a little more, despite the yawn afterward. "I honestly am not looking for any type of fight. So if that was your intention, you can so kindly just cuff me or something. I'll go willingly." It was a lie, but the monotonous voice she had made it hard to tell.
"You're rather dull," said a voice that came from somewhere behind the girl. The whirling fog disrupted it thoroughly enough to make directly finding its source impossible. Krane was somewhat unethused by this youth. She acted so serious and calm, far more than some of the people he was in normal company with. Far more than himself, and he was only two years senior. What purpose was there in being so serious? It made Krane less than enthralled by her immediately. He saw nor felt passion within her. "Cuffing you would be dull, too," he added, "and, I hardly know you, so there's no way to make it interesting."
All at once, the fog cleared. A surpringly potent gust of wind pushed the fog out of the area, creating a thick dome around them, but leaving the entire area as clear as the arid deserts far north of the swamplands. This happened near the end of the last sentence spoken by Krane, allowing the girl to actually identify his position. He was just barely a foot away from her, behind her. The entire area was perfect for a stealthy airbender, and he made good use of it. He finally said, "but, that is the problem. I know nothing about you."
"Dull, eh?" Tanvi gave a soft laugh before shrugging. She had heard worse from old women biting her head off just to get her to stop being so 'lazy'. Anvi thought of it as conserving energy. His voice was behind her, but she only turned her head slightly. Any sudden movements made would probably lead into some falsely accused reason to attack. And she was serious about not wanting to fight. "Well at least that let's me know you aren't any type of official." If she wasn't going to prison now, he couldn't have been any authority figure. Her brow raised again towards the last part about her being cuffed, but it was soon shrugged off.
When the fog was gone, Tanvi faced Krane. "You know nothing about me? I would think that's a good thing for me...What- more rather, why do you need to know me?" She paused and shook her head. "Don't answer that. Obviously, you're trying to find out backgrounds and connections. To keep this little gang of rebels from being ratted out." Tanvi crossed her arms, ignoring the slightest shift in movement in her loose fitted top. "Well, if it eases your troubles, I am no one important. Just a wander- no, traveller of the four nations. But of course, it'll probably take more than that for you to believe me."
"You talk a lot, but say so little," Krane told her. He was still so unenthused by her. She was so direct, so dull in how she talked. She had no secrets, no depth. As she spoke, Krane even went as far as recreating the cascading fingers that he used to create the whirlwind earlier, but this time just creating a little ball of air to play with in his hand. He had to have smoe form of entertainment when dealing with such a dull girl. He didn't care if she found it rude, either; his place wasn't to impress those looking for a spot in the Rising. After she finished her rant, he simple said, "Let's start simple."
"Why are you here?" he asked.
That was new. Tanvi wasn't known for talking a lot, but once again, she merely shrugged the comment off. She watched the male in front of her, entertain himself with his airbending tricks. The next comment he made Tanvi outwardly laugh. It was short and not very loud, but in the silence of the swamp it was very noticeable. "If you say so. I prefer to call it, being calm and centered...even when I was told to walk through the swamp." She wondered what his deal was. Was it part of being thorough? Question every little detail just to find the one mistake?
Tanvi let out a soft sigh and looked up at the sky before returning her gaze to Krane. "Simple it is. Believe it or not, I don't really care. But, I'm just curious about the rumors I've heard. Something so insane like taking down the Phoenix King," Her voice got noticeably softer as she spoke of them. "It peeked my curiosity. What were a few...twenty maybe one hundred people running into suicide for?" Tanvi simply nodded and gestured for him to speak again. So far, the two were beginning at a zero when it came to how useful the other was.
She spoke so directly. So bluntly, even. This entire evening would have been miserably dull if not for the fireballs launching through the thick wall of fog. Krane quickly tossed down the little ball of air, then through out his hands in a quick motion, causing it to expand and block a majority of the fireballs being launched. Not only were they caught conspiring, but this dull and somewhat dense girl just alerted an entire enemy squadron that most likely tailed her here at a distance far enough away that Krane couldn't sense them. They even had confirmation due to her wording.
"Oh behalf of Phoenix King Ozai, you are to be arrested and detained for crimes against the crown. You have been caught in the act of tre-" were the unfinished words of what on the Pheonix Kingdom Police Force. He was the squadron leader, but he didn't last long. Krane took an orthodox airbending stance, then outstretched his leg and cycled his arms down, moving quicker and quicker as he did. Near the final stage of his tecnique, he curled his wrist over three times, his entire arm moving with it fluidly. With movements so swift the police couldn't finish his sentence, a little ball appear at the tip of Krane's two fingers as he extended them, then launched a torrent of pressures wind that ripped through the platnig on the policemen, then drug over to one adjacent frmo him and slashed through him as well.
The police saw this and were somewhat astonished. An airbender... that just killed? Airbenders held all life sacred. Of all people, they made the worst soldiers and combatants. One rarely ever fought an airbender to the death, instead just played a game of cat and mouse. After their astonishment, however, the firebenders unleashed a torrent of fireballs onto the two. Krane responded by deflecting a majority of them via a leap in front of Tanvi, which resulted in his heel bringing down a wall of wind. While it spawned, he made the same movements as before and cut down two more police with vicious airslashes.
The four remaining police took open stances and breathed in deeply before stomping forward and thrusting up their hands to create a large wall of fire. It was actually a technique taken from Earthbending, but was potent in the stance that it was a literal 12 foot tall wall of fire. Krane looked back to Tanvi with a smirk despite the wall's advancement. He took a similar stance from before, but squatted down and lengthened his body. He centered one of his hands, which was creating what seemed to be his signature cascasding fingers while his other arm was making large, circular motions as he outstretched himself along his extended leg.
Then, Krane launched out his centered hand, creating a large gust around him, but that was only an after-effect. The ball created in front of his index fingers this time launched a powerful, visible jetstream of air that merged with the fog around it, creating an even more visible stream that slashed through trees, then cut through the fire. In a mere few seconds, Krane leveled an area with a quick, horizontal slash, then canceled the ability by withdrawing his hand. In a few moments, the wall of fire fell and so did four guards that were almost completely cut through, armor and all.
After he was done, Krane rolled his neck and stood up from his squatting position. He turned back to Anvi with a smirk on his face, as if he enjoyed showing off his less-conventional airbending style. Fact was, he did. As the police bled out, Krane asked Tanvi, "What was your last question?"
Everything happened in the matter of moments. Sure, it was possibly longer, but watching Krane as he fought made everything seem like it was a snap. First the police appeared, and right before Tanvi could make a snarky or witty retort, they were firing at them. Unlike some who would panic and freak out, she merely sighed. Guess their conversation would have to wait, wouldn't it? As the flames were shot towards her, she was more than prepared to snake right through them with ease. But that moment never came.
In fact, all attacks on her end, ended up being dispelled or blocked. "How courteous." Tavi crossed her arms and smirked. He was fighting all the men for her. Wasn't he just a gentleman. Tanvi laughed a little at the thoughts, but she kept a keen eye on Kane's work. This was not the type of airbending that was typical. It even looked a bit like a style one may have learned as a fire bender. "Interesting." She had been a little too wrapped up in the new style that she had noticed the wall of fire being erected. The heat of it did manage to turn her attention though.
And in an instant, that was gone too, along with the police. "Well then..." She looked at Krane as he returned to their conversation. Anvi forgot what that question was, but she decided against trying to think about. Instead, she replied with, "You couldn't have found a better place to go searching for illegals?"
Krane simply shook his head. He wasn't for sure if the girl didn't realize she was tailed or if she was actually cracking the first joke since he met her. She wasn't exactly known for her sense of humor at this point. In any case, Krane replied, "Chances are, they found this place by finding you. I'd assume you asked around, and asked the wrong person. Sound about right?" Although he ended his sentence in a question, there was no need for an answer.
"We can't all be perfect. Speaking of such," Tanvi gestured to the dead guys behind them. "Those weren't airbending techniques. I may not have gotten to the Air Temples yet, but I'm well aware of the style." As she recalled, airbenders 'defended to attack'. Their style- no, there culture never consisted of bloodshed like what she just witnessed. This was something new. A mixture of different techniques. "I'll admit. It was pretty impressive. And," Tanvi nodded slightly. "Thank you. You know, for the 'saving' me and the likes." She wasn't going to complain about how she could have taken care of herself. She could have, but Tanvi had the feeling he would expect her to prove it.
With eight of the nation's police for down and out, suspicions would soon rise. But Tanvi could guess that Krane was well aware of all of that. She could make her escape out of the swamp just as well as he could, so that was the least of her worries. The main focus now was just to prove herself of being given information. Or was it rove herself that she wasn't a conspirator? Either way, Tanvi thought she had given him the message. Though in giving that message, it didn't seem like Krane and Anvi were making a good first impression with each other. 'Hope that doesn't shorten my chances.'
Before she could say anything else about the fiasco or about what she came for, the ferret poked her head out of Tanvi's shirt before perching on her shoulder. Fei only stared at the stranger in front of them. She sensed the threat he possessed, but because he wasn't attacking Tanvi, there was no need to be too alarmed, or hidden amongst clothes. "Travelling companion. Fei. Now, back to your questioning?"
"You're still quite dull," he told her before cascading his fingers once again, creating yet another ball of air in his hand. As the ball swirled round and round, Krane added, "but, they attacked you. If you were an informant, they wouldn't have been so quick to attack us." Krane then clenched his hand, an act that rarely happened in airbending. The ball shrank down, then Krane aimed it at the muddy ground in front of them and launched it. The ball flew forward and into the mud where it exploded, making mud rain down everywhere - covering the bodies. Meanwhile, Krane gently waved his hand in a short, circular motion, creating a barrier around them to keep mud from ruining their clothing anymore than it already had.
"Besides, you're cute," he told her as an after thought. It might have just dawned on her now, but he had all intentions on allowing her to ask her questions or at least delve deeper into the situation. As the mud finally stopped falling, he returning to his cascading motion. It seemed he never liked his hands to be empty. Krane then looked back at her, making deliberate eye contact for essentially the first time. Who are you, miss, and what do you want to know?" he asked.
Tanvi initially pouted, albeit playfully, towards being called dull again. "Well now that that is settled and clear-" For the first time in her meeting with Krane she showed another expression besides blatant boredom. She was a little surprised by the sudden declaration, but the moment passed seconds later. It did ease her thoughts on whether or not she would get information she wanted. An annoyed sound came from the animal on her shoulder when mud was splattered around. Tanvi would have been upset too, but he was kind enough to prevent their clothes from getting even more stained.
"The name is Tanvi Anil. I'm the daughter of a man who serves under the Fire Nation Army. I left home about a year or two ago to start my journey as a traveler. Staying in one place is rather dull so I chose to leave. I have no significant history if that's what you were trying to find out. I'm just a person trying to learn something new in each nation. Well, used to be four nations." In her brief monologue, Tanvi didn't mention anything about her own skills or that she was once in a circus. It wasn't anything embarrassing or something to hide, it was one of those pieces of information that was only given when asked. "Do I get to know your name, or is that top secret? As for what I wanted to know,"
The girl paused and thought it over. "I honestly just wanted to know if these rumors were true. And if they are..what makes a gang of rebels so confident when the Pheonix King has control of everything?" What was their secret? They must have had a major plan to take someone so powerful down.
Krane chuckled at the girl. She wanted to know if there were people in the world that could actually take down the Phoenix King. She masked it was curiosity, but it came off as hope. She hoped that there was an answer. Krane could read it between her words. This little girl, a girl whom might have just been killed for her actions, came here in hopes of being told that someone in the world might just be able to take down the King that rules it. That's all he saw in this girl: Hope.
"My name is Krane Elba. Former secretary-in-training of the Fire Lord regent. I trained alongside Azula and Zuko, and developed this style using Firebending stances and mimicing Lightning Bending. It's unlike any other," he told her. His story was meant to be a bit more enthralling. He also turned around and began walking in what seemed like a random direction. "When you're fighting an enemy like the Phoenix King, you can't worry about the lives of a few pawns. My duty is to show the whole world what the Phoenix Kingdom is really diong, not to maintain a few age-old airbending principles," he explained. Albeit, the tone he explained it in made it sound like he was convincing himself more than anyone.
So he was some fugitive of the law. That was to be expected. There probably weren't too many regular citizens like her that joined the group. He spoke of his talent, leaving her with a curious expression. Now why did that sound so familiar? Not a familiarity that she had come into contact with such a talent, but it was as if she had seen it once before. That's when it hit her. Ty Lee had often gone to visit her friend Azula and it seemed like she was forever training. One faithful day, Tanvi had to retrieve the bubbly show girl from the Fire Nation palace and that's where she had witnessed it. "I have seen you before. Maybe once or twice when I was younger." She wasn't necessarily speaking to him anymore, it was for her own realization.
She noticed him walking off and started to take steps forward, only to pause again. "I see... " This Rising had good intentions. Crazy, but good. "What's your title in this group? To be doing something so official, you must be high in rank. How many people are in this so far?"
Krane was quite curious as to how she had seen him. Almost no one had seen him. He worked for the highest Fire Nation royal family, only ever going through the channels for his secretary work, and even then he had a myriad of third persons to give him reports and information. Moreover, she began asking questions. Ranks? Positions? They didn't exist within the Rising, at least not like she thought. Krane continued his trek until he reached the end of the clearing, then jumped onto branches using airbending. He had a natural advtange on her, and agility that was nearly as impressive.
"I have no rank. There are no titles. We have leaders, but aside from that, we are all equally fighting alongside each other. Whether it is front lines as you just saw, or hiding fugitives, passing them off as civilians. We all fight," he explained to her. He waited for her to trek. He doubted she had any way of climbing the trees, and guessed she would need to walk. Like normal airbenders his feet were rarely on the ground. "I trained alongside Princess Azula, even beat her in duels. When did you see me?" he asked, as if far more curious about this than he was the Rising.
She watched him leave, only starting to follow when he paused to wait. Finding out that they had no systems besides the leaders that rallied them together made her nod. "Good. Less likely for the group to become corrupt. The moonlight aided her in seeing that the path only got muddier from where she stood. She heard his question, but her focus turned towards two trees that were a decent amount of space apart. Tanvi refused to walk through more mud. She put one foot against the tree and looked up to see the closest branch. "Hold on Fei." She mumbled before pushing off of one tree trunk with her foot and then to the other. She reached out and grabbed the branch, easily lifting herself up to a standing position. She had unnatural balance as she casually walked along the branch she was on, before jumping to the next.
"I've seen you fighting Azula. It was a while ago when I was younger, but I remember having to fetch Ty Lee and she was hanging around while you and Azula trained." Tanvi gave a simple shrug and had once again balanced onto another branch, walking along it as it were easy.
"Ty Lee?" he said. He had only met her a few times. The girl was oblivious to her charm, but she was far from hopeless. She had the unique ability to chi block and could easily take down both Krane and Azula in the same fight if she wanted. She had no real destructive abilities, but she didn't need them. Azula often brought her in to train in agility, and the differences in Azula were noticeable after a week with Ty Lee. Then it dawned on Krane.
"You ran away to the circus, didn't you?" Krane said, as if poking fun at her. Krane found the idea humorous. This serious little girl a circus performer. It made sense. She was odd to begin with, but her freedom, boldness and apparent agility on the branches they walked on led Krane to believe she had spent plenty time working on the techniques.
"I didn't run away to the circus. I walked up and joined, thank you." There was a hint of playfulness in her voice if he paid close enough attention. It was true though. She lived with her neighbor who was an elderly woman. She was scolded for doing nothing, so why not join the circus? "I had nothing else to do so I joined and learned alongside Ty Lee." Tanvi had successfully made it to the branch behind him, before adding on. "Yes, the bubbly girl that helped you two, or at least watched you two train. That Ty Lee." She stood on her toes and grabbed the branch above her to be higher up as they journeyed to where ever Krane was taking them.
Krane kicked himself up through the branches, gliding through a few of them with a simplistic grace. He rolled into a flip, landing in front of Tanvi. With the same smirk as before across his face, he asked, "And, what skills did you pick up from miss Ty Lee? I recall one of them that might actually be of use..."
The girl watched him show off before landing right in front him. "Oh, it's easy when you have an element." She said with a light tease before jumping to the next branch. Instead of telling him, she decided to show him the skills she picked up. Tanvi leapt through the branches, executing flips and tricks normal people wouldn't dare do without safety. Having an element to would have been a mere bonus for her. Tanvi made every move fluid and seem like the easiest thing in the world. When she finally stopped, she was lifting herself on a branch with one hand before swinging to sit on the branch right under.
"There's that...Oh, and there's the Chi Blocking. Can't forget about that." Tanvi spoke of it as if it were no big deal at all. "We had the same teacher. We learned the same thing. And we're both good at what we do."
Krane gently placed his hand on the hilt of his sword before he started to smirk. Trained by the same mentor as Ty Lee, huh? Ty Lee, the girl capable of dueling him and Azula, and often winning. The girl with a fighting style so dangerous that Lu Ten tried to enlist her and Iroh gave some silly quote about how the most unlikely people can have the most useful skills. If this girl was another Ty Lee, things might get interesting.
"I fought Ty Lee a few times," he said, tightening his grip. "She knows about all four bending styles, how to counter them. How to stop us. To beat her, I had to pick up something she didn't expect a bender to use, and show her something she hadn't seen," Krane explained. His tone had picked up. So did his body. With a quick slash from his sword, he launched a wave of air sharpened by the edge of the blade itself.
Krane then kicked off the branches and into the air, swirling at a rate only an airbender could achieve with the assistance of his bending style. Air currents flowed all around him, releasing seemingly hapazard slashes of this razor wind that cut inches deep into the trees and even stones around him. Albeit, all were intended to miss Tanvi. As he flipped through the air, it was unlike before. It wasn't concentrated or isolated. It was fluid. Fluid like her. Fluid like Ty Lee. This fighting style returned to the basics of airbending in the sense of was meant to be lighter than air, but this one had one new addition. It used agility to become as precise as a swordsman, and that Krane was thanks to Master Piandao.
As Krane landed, there was a trail of destruction all around him, but it followed a pattern. His flips and turns through the air were guided. They were intentional. Every graceful movement he made was intended to distract the eye from where the blade of wind would go and when he gently landed on a protruding rock, sheathing his sword, it was as if a distrurbing display of destruction had been performed by a masterful artist from the circus Tanvi once attended. Krane had his eyes closed as he said, "Even Ty Lee could not dodge every slash and she couldn't get close enough to stop me. If you share her skills, you should share her... disdain of a technique like this."
Tanvi carefully watched his performance. What he said about the girl that was once her partner in performances was all true about herself as well. One major difference though, was that Tanvi had decided to do more than just learn about the bending styles, Tanvi decided to learn them as well. If she could mimic the styles of a bender and incorporate her own skill into such techniques, she would be..well, she'd feel more than proud. Ty Lee knew of the elements and how to counter them, but she didn't know how to fight like them. Tanvi herself was still learning, but she had accomplished learning fire bending techniques thanks to her father.
This skill he displayed, she watched intently. Tanvi didn't move from her spot, trusting him enough to know that she wouldn't hurt. Fei on the other hand trusted him less and hid away again. Her brow furrowed as watched him. There was no way to weaken his defenses or land a numbing blow. "Hm..Well I'm not Ty Lee. I'll figure out a way." Tanvi gave a determined nod before looking around at all the destruction. "Eventually I'll figure it out." That is, if laziness didn't get to her.
With a sigh, she leaned against the trunk of the tree. "So, what's next? You're just going to let me have information and then just go my way?"
"I would assume," he told her after opening his eyes, "that you would be coming with me. It would make you so much less dull if you did." Krane then kicked off of the rock, tumbling through the air to plant himself not too far off from Tanvi. He rolled his neck as if using the technique was some kind of burden, then added, "you've got a useful skill in chi blocking, that little ferret of yours might be useful and you've learned a bit too much to just let you go. Besides, you're pretty cute. It'd be a waste if I just let you go."
She listened, trying to hide the surprised expression once more. "Well, Fei and I don't have any plans. And I suppose I could do without being as dull." She patted the ferret's head as she once again peered out at Krane. Tanvi hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed when he found out that putting her through a certain amount of work would end up with her being...just a lazy aabout it- unless it was extremely urgent of course. Well, he'd figure it out. "I'll take you up on that offer. Lead the way Krane."
And so, Krane did. It was a short trek to the safehouse Krane had setup for the night. It looked like an abandoned hut from the outside, but on the inside it made it appear far more safe. Plenty of these types of huts had sprung up across the countryside; Earthbenders made them quickly, then debri or run-down housing materials were blotted to make it less conspicuous. This was only the beginning, too. The two made a two day trek North, once staying in an inn along the road and the next night eventually ending up in the great city of Omashu.
They didn't take the marbled path leading to it, however. A fugitive would never make it through the great wall of Omashu with all of the Phoenix Kingdom guards. Instead, they took a more shadowy route through a cave several miles away from Omashu. The cave itself led underground and inetegrated into the sewers, using their networking to get into Omashu unseen. However, it was what the secret underground of Omashi hid that was important. After hours of trekking through this underground passage, going over several doors and tunnels, Krane noted, "that's it up ahead," then curled his fingers through the halls, making a gust of wind blow the torchlights to enlighten a large, dark-stained door.
"You're going to have to start carrying me or something." Tanvi said probably more than once on their trip. She didn't ask questions. She figured the answers would come in no time at all. Especially like how they were suppose to get through Omashu. "Not through...under." She could definitely admit to the fascination it brought. It may not have shown on her face, but it was there.
Fei had jumped from Tanvi to Krane's shoulder and sat there, looking around defensively. The girl on the other hand had already began her trek towards the door. Her fingers ran across the handle before she pushed it open. Fei bristled a little before crawling off Krane to follow Tanvi. "If there is anymore walking I have to do, you're going to carry me."
Krane listened to the girl complain the entire trip. She was from a circus. Weren't they vagabonds? Traveling performers? Did she literally ride in a wagon the entire time? Of course, most of the time, he quelled her complaining with a quick-witted remark, which mot of the time left her more frustrated than flattered. This case was no different.
"If I carried you, miss Tanvi, you'd never want to leave my arms," he replied to her in the most sarcastic tone he could. The dark-stained door was obviously new. There were no cracks nor rust on the iron that bound it together. This entire hall, actually, looked surprisingly new, and it was. These halls were made recently by Earthbenders and Underground Omashu was made into one of the main headquarters of the Rising. There was a whole world below the complex mail-delivery system above it.
"Besides, it's right here," he told her. It was just a brisk few steps between them and the door, the torchlight itself mostly just a marker. Krane knocked on it a few times before boldly saying, "Damnit, Rayah, open the door or I swear to the spirits I will cut it down." Krane looked back to Tanvi and shrugged before offering a quick explanation, "No one knows this is here, so no one pays attention to when someone shows up."
"Charming." That was a hard bargain he pulled. Walk or get stuck in his arms? Maybe she'd rather walk. And as he said, they were already there. Where ever there was. He cursed at no one in particular, so Tanvi waited for something interesting to happen. Fei had once again returned to Krane's shoulder and tilted her left and right as if trying to figure out who he was yelling at.
"Well, it's pretty secure that's the case."
Krane walked through the door after it opened, not really motioning her to follow, just assuming she would. Inside, it was essentially the same as any of the huts they used as quick havens, albeit it was larger with more unique furniture. The area they walked in was just a foyer, however, with dark-skinned, red-headed girl standing behind the door holding a large latch. The entire room itself was really just a gateway as another gate, this one being opened by Krane, was behind it.
Through this gate was an entirely different story. It was as if a few city blocks from the surface had been moved straight underground and integrated into the walls. This place was its own little world. It was illuminated by series of lamp posts all burning, but above them were large chambers that ventilated the entire area. The very top of this huge chamber, no less than thirty-foot tall, was covered in mirrors and glass that resmembled a complex chandlier that reflected large bonfires that swayed in the drafts created by the warm and cool air.
Krane guided her through the streets and as he did so, he explained, "We have some incredible engineers. People that help out with unique skills just like yours." He then gestured all around them, walking through the streets that were cobbled all the same as the surface. "They designed all of this. The lights reflect back that huge fire, but the heat warms the air. The roof above that is designed like a cone and a series of vents force the hot air out for cool air through chambers above. The drafts keep the air circulated, which lets the fire stay alive and lets us have this entire place underground without no one even knowing. The engineers got the idea from the sewer systems, but... well, it's a lot cleaner. We do have working bathes, tho," he explained as they walked through the streets.
Although dim, one could see. One could see far better than on the foggy night the two first met. The steps in front of them, the detail that was in every building, the fact that this place, this underground Omashu, was designed to mimic the real thing. Krane didn't have much more time to explain as they arrived in front of a tall building carved into one of the sides of the area. He opened its door and within were several others all sitting around a table, most drinking or eating. Most of them greeted him quickly, while others, such as Shila and Kalani, didn't mind his visit whatsoever.
Krane guided her through this building, even, taking her through a clothed doorway to a backroom with slightly more cushioned seats. Krane sat down comfortably, then explained, "This is my room. If you've been here long enough, you get your own. Once our boss gets here, he'll assess all of the new recruits more thoroughly. Make yourself at home, miss Tanvi."
As they walked through the underground city, Tanvi looked around amazed by all of the creations. "Who would have known." She'd remark, pausing like a tourist to curiously look at something, only having to hurry and catch up. Her marvelling was short lived and she couldn't roam the place like she would want, but the tall building in front of them looked pretty interesting as well. She walked in, half waving towards everyone that greeted her so kindly. Fei nearly jumped off Krane to nab some of the food, but decided to wait for a better opportunity. It wouldn't have been a good idea to wander away from Tanvi and get lost.
The girl continued following him until they came to a rather plush room. At least, it looked comfortable enough. "This place is amazing." She marveled, taking a seat in one of the cushioned chairs. "The city, not your room." She added, and then got comfortable deciding to lay down with her feet propped up. She was courteous not get any dirt anywhere- just in case.
"We didn't really need this city," Krane explained. Soon enough, a few people brought them in some water and a simple meal of spiced bread and some stew. Krane took a quick drink before explaining, "Our leader wanted to make a statement. He wanted to tell every person that is part of us... that they are worth something. You don't need to be in an army or a bender. Every skill, every action - everything you can do means something. That is why he insisted this be built. It started just a few years ago. A handful of enraged engineers kicked out of Omashu for their loyalty to the old ways. They were more than happy to help us. You can even access Omashu from the sewers, but it's kept separate and clean." Krane then rolled his neck and leaned back to relax. He pushed his bread over to the ferret he saw curious about it before, then said, "And, this is just one."
