Fandom Avatar: The Exiled Chronicles

[. D O V E]

XIAN ZHAO & XIURONG BEIFONG
Collab with Xanto ​

A cold sensation washed over the lower half of Xiurong’s face a moment before the door slammed shut. She could taste the tea from the corner of her lips- the usually dewy and sweet flavor turning repugnantly bitter. The chill quickly spread all over her left torso as the liquid trickled further down her skin and got soaked into her already tattered clothing. Blood, sweat, tea- never a comfortable mixture.

The Avatar’s expression grew darker by the second. Soon, steam began oozing out of her skin before flames ultimately bursted all over her arms. However, the raging fire was extinguished as quickly as it came into existence. The reason behind this was a particular airbender’s voice permeating the room from behind the front door.

Xiurong felt herself tense up as a single bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Xian was here. Until now, she has no idea if the airbender was really mad at her or whatsoever. Would he blame her for Igoo’s capture? Moreover, what would he think once he laid his eyes upon the wrecked interior of his home? Of course Xiurong was still convinced that none of these were her fault, but recent experiences taught her people barely care about what she thought.

She instantly furrowed her brow when the door flew open and revealed the said man. His eyes immediately began wandering all over the room until it evidently settled on one thing- Maizen. Xiurong forgot about her own anger as she watched Xian’s grow and consume him, blasting the Tosuda heir straight onto a wall with a strong wind. She slightly gaped at the sudden fold of events. She has known Xian for almost five years now yet it was only then did she ever see him this angry.

If she wasn’t watching so intently then she would’ve wondered if she was the one who sent the hurtful gust.

“Xian…,” she mumbled his name but it seemed like he couldn’t even see her. He briskly walked past her and closed himself inside his room. It made Xiurong feel… things. Unpleasant things. She hated being ignored. With a deep breath, she clenched her teeth and balled her shaking fists. First Yara had the nerve to disrespect her then Xian proceeded to treat her like she didn’t even exist. They were angry at her. Definitely.

The Avatar frustratedly clicked her tongue before walking off to the back of the apartment. She glanced at the bathroom on her way, recalling how much she needed to fix her messed up appearance but easily decided against the thought. She was far too angry to fix anything. So, instead, she waltzed to Xian’s door and gave it a single kick.

“I’m leaving. Don’t worry, I’m returning Igoo to you.”

Surprisingly enough, his door gradually swung ajar. All that could be seen though was an endeavoring airbender furrowing his features as he struggled to meditate. It was rough trying to find peace within himself after undergoing a wild ride of an afternoon. Anger, peace, anger, peace tugged back and forth.

Although Xiurong probably didn’t meditate as much as he did, it may have been evident that Xian pressed his fists hard enough till they trembled. " . . Don't leave," He gruffly muttered, the powerful words flowing out of his mouth.

A clear look of surprise crossed the Avatar’s face although it quickly leveled back to its routinely irked form. She pushed the door wider before crossing the threshold, shutting the door behind her, and leaning against the airbender’s doorframe. “Oh, so I exist now.” She remarked with folded arms.

"What?" He responded in confusion, finally opening his eyes as he navigated his gaze to meet her's, "You've always existed."

That's when realization hit him. Xiurong was by his side, but only now did he notice the bruise on her forehead. Xian’s eyes briefly wandered. It trailed the liquid slowly running down her neck before lingering on her sleeveless arm. Bruises and was that . . tea, spilled on the lower half of her face down to-

"What happened?" The airbender asked, suddenly standing from his bed. For a moment, everything else seemed to fade out. Anger simply dwindled in the background. Did she get in a tussle during the short span of time he left her unattended?

Xian made his way toward Xiurong, smoothly pulling a shirt from his closet on the way over. "Who did this to you?" He asked, pausing in front of her as he held the cotton fabric forward.

“Which one? You have to be more specific. Each was carefully designed by different individuals.” Xiurong donned a sarcastically triumphant expression as she rolled her shoulders into a shrug.

Her fingers then traced the smudges of blood on her tattered royal garment. “This one is from the joyful encounter at the docks. I believe the owner’s name was Taki or something, whatever.” They then pointed at the glaring red mark on her forehead and a few bruises on the exposed skin of her left arm. “This one is from your crazy firebending cousin.” And finally, she pulled on her wet collar and felt chills running down her body as her soaked skin got exposed to the wind. “This one is from my lovely healer, of course.”

Xian protectively tugged Xiurong's collar back in its place to cover her exposure. "Change into this," He simply replied, turning away from her as his arm outstretched in her direction.

Unbelievable. Jade and Xiu really had a smackdown. The guy roughly moved a hand through his hair before glancing at the ground. That probably explained the broken furniture. Yet, why'd they have a duel in the first place?

Xiurong hummed in agreement as she took the fresh clothing from his hands. She unfurled each fabric under her scrutinizing gaze, arching a curious brow as she did so. The outfit looked… very Xian. It was a stark contrast from her trademarked gold-plated, green robes which radiated nothing but regality and hundreds of Yuans. No, this outfit offered to her was a simple casual wear. A gray cotton t-shirt and a pair of pants- a set she’d often see donned by Republic City’s average citizens.

The exiled princess glanced at Xian’s back before subtly huffing. It was either this or her tarnished robe; her choice was obvious. A zipping sound permeated the room as Xiurong hastily discarded the soaked material. She cringed a little with disgust as she looked at her wet bindings. She should tell Xian to start stocking up on fresh bindings or undergarments for her.

After a few more shuffles here and there, she was finally in her new and significantly more comfortable get-up. The cotton fabric felt so soft and gentle against her skin, despite their less than optimal condition. Regardless, the female failed to show the appreciation on either her face or voice as she beckoned for Xian to turn around.

“Okay. Done.” She stretched her arms to the side. “I officially look less shabby.” She then proceeded to pick up her used clothing and bunched it in her arms.

Xian turned around. His gaze merely landing on Xiurong for a few seconds till a small smile cracked his serious features, “ . . Not bad.” He’d only ever seen her in royal clothing. Maybe in airbender threads once or twice, but Xiurong in Republic City garb was . . different. Well, first time for everything.

The crease on Xiurong’s brow deepened. “It’s definitely bad.” She pointed out as a matter-of-factly upon noticing Xian’s smile. Was he mocking her? Regardless, she was far too exhausted to have another argument, and his earlier action implied the feeling was mutual.

So, the Avatar simply brushed the thought before her eyes trailed around his room. It wasn’t her first time, but the untouched furniture only reminded her of the broken ones next door. She walked to the side of his wardrobe, pausing in front of the trashcan. She then used her right foot to step on the small lever which opened the container’s lid.

“You were right,” she suddenly said as she held her old garments over the can’s mouth, “we should have just walked.” The stench of smoke pervaded the four-corners as red flames slowly devoured the material. Xiurong let go, watching the verdant cloth turn into ashes a moment before the fire completely died out.

“You weren’t wrong,” Xian replied, adjusting his sleeve as he sat back onto his bed, "Just wanted to take Igoo out for a spin." Then, he paused. His face slightly twisted in deep thought. It was obvious they couldn't go back now. All they could do was find the flying bison. A few moments of silence passed till he finally brought his gaze to Xiurong, "Any word on Igoo?"

Xiurong glanced at him as soon as her foot abandoned the pedal and the lid came down with a small clank. “My self-proclaimed uncle visited.” Xian was decently informed when it came to the gullible hulk. Captain Beifong would often contact him regarding the Avatar’s whereabouts and the likes since he was one of the few people whom Xiurong has an actual relationship with. Add to the fact that he was essentially Xiurong’s Bed and Breakfast whenever she would wind up in Republic City.

Of course this didn’t imply that she has beens silent regarding her strong dislike for the local cop when around Xian. “He negotiated with me. They’ll give Igoo back if I place the Bone Crushers back in their jails.”

Xian remained silent, his hands folded behind his head and legs bent onto his bed as if he relaxed in his signature hammock. You’d think he would’ve jumped for joy at the sudden news. Yet instead, the airbender remained in deep thought. “ . . you ever heard of insanity?” He suddenly questioned, while keeping his gaze focused on the scenery beyond his window, “Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.”

Any more repetitions, and Xiu would be playing a game of cat and mouse with the Bone Crushers. She’d capture them, they’d get freed. Soon enough it’d be a never ending cycle. “We gotta arrest their contact,” Xian stated with determination, his brows now furrowing a bit at the idea. Now that he thought about it, no bit of this would’ve ever happened if it weren’t for the gang.

“Insanity, huh? It sounds awfully a lot like the Avatar cycle.” She commented with an empty smirk before her gaze fell to her feet. She idly dug her left heel to the floor as she paused to ponder. Saving the world over and over again… At first she thought highly of the idea. To be destined to do something so big and great that the whole world would be in your debt- it all sounded so wonderful. Alas, some things only sounded wonderful.

The fleeting dejection left her shortly after she raised her eyes to Xian’s direction. “I was informed they have a bigwig backing them up in the shadows. The Chief wants me to find a lead.” She shared. “Once I get that I’ll let the ever-capable police department do the rest.” She has no time for those pigs. She has more pressing matters at hand. Her father was still missing. If she wouldn’t search for him then nobody would.

“Skullboss,” Xian suddenly mumbled. His gaze focused on the ceiling as he recalled the brief discussion he had with a goon earlier that day. While Xiurong was busy beating the rest of the gang up, Xian managed to grab a detail from her least attended suspect.

“That’s what they call him,” He simply concluded before looking at the avatar. Perhaps she heard the name get thrown around.

Xiurong visibly cringed. “Can they get any more disgusting?” She slightly threw her hands in the air out of exasperation. “That’s definitely their leader. If I remember correctly, I threw that guy in jail along with the rest of them. Then some big fish bailed him and a few others out. Whoever got them out must be worryingly influential.”

“Makes sense,” Xian coolly nodded, attempting to mask the true thought process in mind. Yes, covering the fact that his previously abusive step-mother upheld a massive company named Cabbage Corp -was the first thing to cross his mind as a hand slowly moved through his hair. It paused at the idea though.

If only. The airbender thought to himself, unintentionally making a fist. It didn’t take a minute to notice how loosely he gripped the hair on top of his head. “So we investigate,” Xian mentioned prior to releasing his hold, “We’ll start with the five most influential people in the world. To make it easier, the Republic City’s top two.”

The Avatar raised an amused brow. “That’d be Mr. Sato and your stepmother.” Xiurong pointed out before inching closer and sitting on the edge of his bed. Her legs were getting sore from standing, and it didn’t help that today has been action-packed. She crossed her legs and leaned backwards, although she pressed both hands against the mattress to prop herself up. “The Future Industries and Cabbage Corp are easily the richest companies in the city. Do you think they can be involved?” She wondered if Xian would accuse his own stepmother of such wrongdoings. Then again she barely knew anything about the airbender in regards to his personal matters.

“Yes,” He replied rather bluntly before bringing his gaze to meet her’s, “Anyone can be involved.” Concise, yet reasonable. Xian sat up from his seat, resting an arm on his bent knee as he neared Xiurong, “Especially people of high standing within corporations.”

“Huh, so even you can doubt your own family.” She absentmindedly murmured, seemingly oblivious to their closing distance. Her mind was busy wandering back to her twin. She knew Xu has always been out to get her ever since that day.

A bold statement for someone frequently doubted by his own father. “Your criteria was ‘worryingly influential’. The CEO of Cabbage Corp and Future Industries just happen to fall under it,” Xian briefly explained, turning his head to the side in deep thought about the concept.

He’d be lying if he said an odd feeling didn’t dwell in him. For a second, Xian hoped he was wrong about Su and the gang. Imagine the challenges it would open up for his family. Even worse, the end to his sliver of belief that Su had truly changed for the better.

Xiurong rolled her eyes in response before finally letting herself fall on the soft mattress. She released a sigh upon relishing in its comfort. She missed her bed in the palace. It made her wonder if she could ever return.

“Whatever. You can come with me tomorrow to the police station if you so please.” She then closed her eyes and allowed the darkness to fill her vision.

Xian’s gaze followed Xiurong as she fell back onto his bed. It was no secret the day tired them both out. So much so that he rubbed his eyes till he caught a glimpse of her face. Somehow, her peaceful appearance managed to bring him back down. The anger that he had felt was once again a thing of the past. . . Xiu did it.

“Pardon me,” Xian stretched, lightly nudging her arm in the process, “You’re taking up quite some space.”

Xiurong snapped her eyes open and shot Xian a glare. There was a scowl on her face before it morphed into a Cheshire smirk. Instead of moving away, the Avatar only rolled closer to the center and spread her limbs in all directions, lightly hitting Xian in the process. “Is this better?”

A gentle swack to the face. Nothing like random playfulness to get them back on track. Xian casually raised a brow at Xiu’s starfish pose. Was the avatar challenging him? She couldn’t possibly be trying to oust him from his own territory.

Challenge accepted.

“Perfect,” Xian smirked before swiftly rolling onto one knee then scooping her up bridal style. Xiu wouldn’t win this one. Not on his watch.

The airbender slowly inched his way toward the edge of his bed, using his knees to step . . shift away from its center. Now time for an easy drop off.

“Oh no you won’t!” Determination blazed within Xiurong’s dark orbs before she firmly pressed her palms on Xian’s shoulders. A surge of force shortly left her as she unceremoniously pushed the two of them forward, back into the bed.

“W-!,” Xian plummeted rearward into the mattress with Xiurong still in his arms, feeling her literally take his breath away when he broke her fall, “Guh.” “ . . This isn’t over,” He declared just before slightly raising himself upward, and locking his equally determined gaze onto her’s.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, air boy?” Her voice was low and a corner of her lips was curled into a challenge. It was the nickname she used to address Xian the first time they met five years ago. However, it no longer held the same overflowing volume of contempt as it did all those years ago.

Xian unexpectedly paused at the sudden change in tone. Though it didn’t take long for him to resume with a mischievous glint in his eye. “You’ll see,” He deeply muttered with a smirk as his hand gradually moved to hold her waist. Soon his entire arm found its way around her, bringing her close before carefully flipping them over.

Dark locks splayed all over the mushy surface as Xiurong was abruptly squeezed beneath Xian. She immediately pushed him away so she could fix him with an unfazed look. Now that he was only a few inches apart, she could clearly see just how much he changed within the years. He looked like a bean sprout before.

“I’m glad you finally have the guts to challenge me.” She haughtily commented as her free arm grabbed for something. Then suddenly, a pillow was making its way for Xian’s face.

Xian caught motion from the side of his eye before ducking down in immediate reflex. The avatar used to be persistent in trying to challenge him. He didn’t know it continued to this day.

“You talk too much,” Xian commented, turning his head toward her till he realized just how close they’ve gotten. That’s when it happened. For some reason, his gaze became immovable. Incapable of shifting away from her’s. “ . . But it’s okay,” He reassured, the words uncontrollably rolling out.

“Of course it’s okay. I have a mouth for a reason.” She huffed, completely oblivious to the airbender’s stupor as she tried to wriggle out of his grips. “Are you going to get off me or must I launch you to the ceiling?”

Xian’s face twisted in confusion. He didn’t understand exactly how they ended up there. Neither did he verbally reply to her question. Instead, the airbender merely pushed himself away from Xiu then stood up from his bed.

He was at a loss for words, confusion being his only mood at that point. Xian rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with the avatar. “I should . . talk to Jade,” He finally said as he opened his bedroom door.

Xiurong sat up as soon as Xian’s frame left her and began fixing her bangs which stuck up thanks to their little ruckus. “Go on then. I’ll stay over here and celebrate my triumph until my inevitable exile. Again.” Snarky as always, Xiurong plopped back on the bed in the same starfish position.

She stared at the ceiling for a short while before once again closing her eyes. Being surrounded by both darkness and silence made her think: didn’t she plan on leaving? Hilarious. Xian made her stay.

 

[Fletchawk]

Admiral Jing’s Arrival
Crown Prince Xu - AI10100 | Dai Li Serving Girl - Colorless Spectrum | Auntie Jing - Fletchawk
Eighteenth day of the Seventh month
Si Wong Rock - Xu's Airship​

It's been hours since Bao and his group had gone inside. No communication, no disturbance - Xu could imagine that they were still doing well. The intricate maze known as a buzzard hive would take an entire day to navigate, maybe even more. This one was already large due to how long it had been there.

Every now and then, he spotted a buzzard or two flying out of the hive before entering it again, likely keeping an eye out for them and their proximity. As long as they kept themselves at a certain distance, it wouldn't alert the hive.

They had made multiple rounds and Xu was confident that he had made an accurate sketch of the entire lower half of the hive. While he'd love to see the top as well, it would just agitate the buzzards. Along the sketches were multiple notes of what he could observe, but other than that, there wasn't much else to do. The sun was beating down on them mercilessly and the time only made it worse. Xu sighed and closed his book and placed it back in his pocket. He moved to a container and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Jia." He called out to his retainer and once she had turned, he threw her a bottle of water before handing another to the other sandbender. "We could stop for now. It shouldn't be long until the regent comes back or the admiral comes."

Jia huffed out a sigh as she stopped bending, catching the water bottle and gave Xu a quiet thanks. One of the things she was glad about from being part of the Dai Li is the uniform, it gave her the much needed protection from the harsh rays of the sun. Doesn't make it any less hotter that she started missing the cool that the night brought.

She drank her bottle until it was half empty, but it wasn't enough to battle the heat. She looked to stare at the sky, the shade of her hat doesn't seem to do so much but it was good enough. From the distance she could see several planes accompanying a large airship that Jia could only guess as Admiral Jing's steed. "She's here."

​

"So it seems." Xu hummed out as he turned towards where Jia was looking, idly watching as the planes began sped forward. He crossed his arms and squinted to battle the sun's glare. He held his hand up to cover his eyes before turning back to Jia and the other sandbender. "Move us back. The buzzards will throw a fit if something that big comes near."

Jia nodded to Xu and looked to the other sandbender, "Let's go." She said before summoning once again a sand spout to send them back and away from the hive. It didn't take too long. They were in position to greet the Admiral, all they needed to do now was wait.

The air was hot, dry, and threatened to evaporate the sweat building up on her brow as Admiral watched her planes course over the pales sands of Si Wong towards the desert’s only recognizable landmark. She could hear nothing but the wind warping around the balcony that ran along outside the bridge, but she could see everything unabated as she planned how to tackle the obstacle that had been put in her way. As the two reconnaissance planes began to circle back, she too headed back inside to hear their preliminary report before barking her orders.

​

The "De Long" was a massive beast. Measuring a little over 300 meters long, many considered it a modern marvel, even if the Admiral that commanded her considered her design to be little more than a flying brick. However, what the De Long lacked in aerodynamics and aesthetics, she made up for in the two helicopter bays attached to her underbelly along with her signature internal flight deck.

Even though the behemoth wasn’t difficult to see due to its size, it was still a few dozen miles away and would take nearly an hour for it to take up overwatch position, make contact with those on the ground, and a single helicopter to finally depart from the new deity of the surrounding desert.

Touching down a few hundred feet from the Prince’s airship, three individuals made their way past the swirling sand being kicked up. The one leading the group was clad in white while those beside the Admiral wore Imperial colors. Not being one for formality, the Admiral bowed only slightly before addressing the Crown Prince.

​

“As ordered by that pig-headed twerp of a Lord Regent, the De Long has taken up overwatch of Si Wong Rock. Now shall we get out of this infernal heat and have someone actually inform me of what’s going on?” she spoke in a loud voice as the sound from the helicopter’s rotors slowly died, her eyes taking in everyone and eventually towards the large landmark. “Speaking of which, where is Captain Rongye?”

“A pleasure to see you too, Admiral.” Xu said first after Admiral Jing had already let out her string of questions. For a moment, his eyes were drawn to the helicopter she had arrived in, silently wishing that he had brought one along with him. “The lord regent is currently scouting inside the buzzard hive. Ah, he hasn’t come out yet.” He gestured behind him and towards the huge nest.

Jia watched the massive airship come into view, the loud choppers grating her ears as the wind blew on the ground. The Admiral an oddity amongst the green color, clad in white and horribly unceremonious. But she was someone of high position nonetheless, such a position is to be shown with respect, "Greetings, Admiral Jing." The Dai Li bowed at the older woman before Xu answered the Admiral's question.

"A scouting mission. Right..." She said, acknowledging with Jia a curt nod.

“Due to the incident with the Avatar, the Sand Queen had asked for… compensation for the damages done to her kingdom. Aside from financial aid for the buildings that were destroyed during the incident, she wanted to take Si Wong Rock… and we were tasked to clear it out.” A short and concise explanation for what had happened. Unless she really needed the specifics of what happened with Xiurong, then it should be enough.

The Admiral’s face retreated behind the palm of her hand at the Prince’s words, “By the spirits…”, Jing said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, “He still let that bitch take you for a sucker despite removing your sister from the table as a bargaining chip. Good thing, too. All it took was tempting our Lord Regent with a bit of blood sport and he rolled over like a trained ferret.”

After a disgusted noise, she turned towards one of the men that joined her and barked out orders, “Lieutenant, tell the De Long that this is no longer a potential invasion, but I want full recon on that rock and its inhabitants, and have the Mark 3s prepped for drop. Although I’m sure the Lord Regent is more than capable of extracting himself should things go wrong.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once the man made his way back to the aircraft they left, the Admiral continued on towards Xu’s airship. “You know, I always wanted to take a look at your creation. Thinking of getting myself one after I retire. If I retire I mean, because at this rate I’ll be babysitting your sister once you take the throne, or if your father returns.” The last few words were lightly laced with venom, but the Admiral’s face remained stoic.

“I’d rather not deal with a potential war on top of my father’s disappearance and my own sister’s exile.” Xu sighed. The problems seemed to like to stack up on top of each other - but thankfully, some of them could be sold with a couple of help. By that, he really meant the rest of the empire’s council and their army.

He took out a small watch as the Admiral regarded her lieutenant. The longer he waited, the further away Xiurong probably was. For all he knew, she was already halfway across the continent. Xu didn’t even know why he was so adamant in following her. He wanted to find their father as much as she did - for more reasons than just family - but there were so many things that had to be done at home.

He perked up as the admiral’s attention turned back to him, or more accurately, his airship. “It’s quite an airship - meant more for travel than warfare. Just cruising the skies, stress free.” Xu found it an ideal way to spend his twilight years. Above all of the problems created by whoever on the ground. He let out a huff of amusement. “Maybe when I take the throne, you wouldn’t have to babysit Xiurong… though that’s an optimistic thought.”

“An amusing one would be to confer that privilege to the Lord Regent when he steps down from his current perch. I’m sure he’d relish being chosen for the opportunity!” The Admiral said with the passing smile of a dastard.

He reached forward to open one of the doors and gestured for her to take the lead. “With how I’ve designed this ship, it was for luxury. Smaller airship for a faster speed and the rooms are personalized resting areas for whoever I bring with me.”

It certainly didn’t hold a candle to any of the army’s airships when it came to defense, but maneuverability and speed was his priority when he was making it.

He led her down the stables and the bay doors. While he didn’t have cars before, Xu had always been planning on making one and learning how to drive one effectively. “Stables were a last minute addition.” He said, looking towards the crudely made structures. “You know, Xiurong’s griffin and all.” Having metalbenders around made it easy to make such modifications.

He led her up one flight of stairs and before them was a hallway for the residents. “I’ve added quite a lot, but some of them are used as storages.” He shrugged before taking her to the opposite side and gently nudging the door open.

The inside of the boiler room was practically a sauna with how hot it was. “Boiler room. With Jia’s ability, we’ve managed to keep it so that we won’t have to keep refueling. Designing it so that it didn’t melt through everything was difficult, but it’s worth it. Of course, in the event of Jia not being with me, well, I have some alternatives.”

There was so much that they needed to do, this operation and Si Wong Rock had already taken a big chunk of their time that was supposed to be for following Xiurong, and now Admiral Jing wanted a tour of the airship. Well, Jia didn't mind that. Touring the airship won't take long anyway.

Of course, she followed. Wherever they went, she went. At the mention of her, she proceeded to speak rather shortly, "Lavabending." She looked at the admiral and continued, "Would you like some tea, Admiral?" It was only hospitable to ask, and they might have to wait too.

“No, thank you. While I’m sure the Prince and I could go at length on the topic,” She said, gesturing to the vehicle they were roaming, “I must return to my duties, which may entail packing the Lord Regent into a box and sending him back to Ba Sing Se. And what of the Prince?” Pausing as her attention flitted from the Dai Li serving girl to Xu. “Do you intend to stick around and watch? I do enjoy an audience! Or perhaps you’ll continue looking for your father, hmmm?”

Xu couldn’t help but smile that came to his face at the thought of the Admiral dragging Bao back to Ba Sing Se. “Well, I wish you luck on this mission, Admiral. Though with your skills, I’m sure this is nothing.” He shifted his weight, looking back down at his watch. “As much as I would love to see you in action, I’ll go back to looking for my father. Even if Xiurong has been… exiled, I’d love to give as much aid as I can.”

“Perhaps we can talk about the airship in another time, Admiral Jing?”

“Perhaps. When this mess is packed away to be swept under the rug. Perhaps we’ll swap schematics, and have tea then. However, I do suggest you leave notice where you intend to go. The last thing we need is a missing Crown Prince and reason for Captain Rongye to start kicking over rocks,” Admiral Jing turned her gaze towards a window facing the landmark outside, the annoyance showing on her face briefly before it receded, “The stubborn brat.”

“I look forward to it.” Xu hummed before nodding and taking out his notebook. He began writing on it - something simple and short. Bao already knew that he had every intention to join his sister again to look for their father and that he would be able to maneuver himself out of the heat of some other political trouble if he ever finds himself in one. He ripped the page from his notebook and folded it. He handed the note to the Admiral. “I trust you to be able to give this message to him as soon as he emerges… if he emerges.”

Jing’s features softened a bit at the Prince’s last few words, “Given that he’s truly in his element, I have little doubt that he will.”

“After all this, it would be great to talk with you again. And maybe we can talk about that retirement of yours once I get the crown.” He jokingly suggested.

"I hope this mission will be swift and no other problem wouldn't delay it further." Jia said to the Admiral as Xu handed a piece of paper, "We will be moving on to Republic City to reunite with Avatar Xiurong."

Tucking the slip of paper into her ivory uniform, “Already planning to retire your most able Admiral as soon as you take the throne?“ She chastised teasingly as she led her men for the exit, ”Perhaps you should worry about more pressing issues before thinking that far ahead, little Prince.”

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

A MOMENT'S REST

"Jia." He called out to his retainer as he leaned back from the steering wheel of the airship. So far, there hadn't been any disturbances between their leaving of Si Wong Rock and their current position halfway to Republic City. The weather was good for some practice piloting, the skies were clear of any flying animal or other human carriers, so overall he could say that it was even more ideal than where he practiced at back in the Earth Empire.

"You said you wanted to learn how to pilot this? Now's a good time as any." The prince stepped to the side so that she can take the position in the center. He reached over to flip a few switches to make it easier for her to fly.

"I'm going to teach you the basics first. In more… ah, unfavorable weather, it becomes a bit more difficult but I'll handle the airship in those circumstances." Xu waved his hand dismissively. "In any case, for this one, it isn't going to be hard at all. It's very simple." He assured her and waited for her to take the wheel. "Keep your hands on the wheel."

Jia was leaning back against the cool metal wall of the hull, Barnaby had decided then and there to make her a perching post. She looked to the prince, wondering what he wanted.

"I did." She answered, walking over to the wheel as Barnaby flew to her head instead. Her pet was rather heavy but she paid it no mind. She observed Xu flipped some switches, taking a mental note to ask what it is for later.

She raised one brow in question and placed her hands on the wheel. "Don't tell me you're giving me training wheels for this?" She quipped, although there wasn't any amusement apparent on her face aside from her eyes that gave off the rare hint of mirth.

"It's called safety precautions. I know you're good, but you don't even know how to drive." Xu responded with a roll of his eyes. "Or would you rather get the full experience of a crash?" He continued, his tone light and joking.

She merely shrugged as an answer to the question, knowing well that the conversation was part lesson and part joke between the two of them. Jia followed the prince's instructions, watching the vast scene in front of her.

"I bet you don't." He continued before settling his attention onto the wheel. She had seen him pilot enough times that it seemed like she had instinctively mimicked his hold on it. "Hands on the side Jia." He said, leaning over and tapping the proper handles. "Once you get used to it though, you can hold it however you want." Xu paused once more, his face scrunching up in a familiar manner whenever he goes into thought. He's gotten rid of it over the years but he slips from time to time. "Are you sure you can see over the wheel?" He asked with a small snicker.

The Dai Li was quick to give her liege a well-angered glare. She knew it was a joke but her height is a bit of a touchy subject to her. She couldn't help but remember when she announced that she was going to be as tall as Avatar Kyoshi one day and ended up as a mere midget. "Very funny, Prince Xu." She said rather bitterly than she intended to.

Her eyes flitted back to the switches that Xu flipped. "So, what do those do?" She motioned at the switches, seeing as there weren't any labels. She bet that Xu doesn't even remember which is which.

He brushed off the bitter comment but took note of it. Xu hadn't really touched upon the topic in a long while. The reaction was already telling enough. But even so, he powered through the interaction as he turned his attention to the switches. He narrowed his eyes at them.

"It's to regulate the airship. Most of what you'll worry about is the wheel and the levers beside it." The prince pointed out, avoiding the topic of the switches as part of his mind went on overdrive to remember which switch was which. He never thought he'd have to explain any of them before. "Wheel is to steer left and right, as you know, and that lever over there regulates the speed at which you go." He pointed to the first lever to the right. "The two silver levers on either side is to make turning a lot easier and sharper. Useful when you're up against something that's about to crash to you."

"One of the things you have to worry about is getting blown off course, which is why we have a compass right here, so you know if the airship is changing orientation." He tapped at a screen that was releasing pings of the area. "Radar. To see whether or not there's anything around us before we can see it. Just like your seismic sense."

"Understand?"

Oh, she understood well what each and everything does, except for the switches. If Xu thought that he was getting out of that one easy, he thought wrong. Nevertheless, she nodded, her hands on the wheel were steady and she was a quick learner.

"I do. But you still haven't told me what the switches do." She said rather placidly, her eyes never taking off the ship. "It would be nice to know what they do... Unless you want me flipping them to find out by myself." She looked at him from the corner of her eye, as if she was telling him that she'll actually do it. Her real goal in asking was to be able to label it for future reference, not for her but for Xu.

He clicked his tongue as he was forced to elaborate on the other switches. As someone who had them all memorized through muscle memory, there was a bit of trouble when it came to certain switches which he barely used. "Fine. This one is for when we need to land." He started. "That's for the regulation of temperature and release. The other one is for the bay doors. The other for the alarm." Xu tapped his finger on each switch but suddenly paused.

"Most of the ones on this row are just perpetually turned on while the airship is active." He continued as he waved at one row. What each specifically does was something he had to remember. “And those are the only important ones.”

Jia snorted in victory, her posture relaxed ever so slightly after it all. She looked at Xu, her eyes roamed his features. Her attention being taken by his overall demeanor. Nothing new on his lethargic energy, but the past days must have taken a toll on him. "Is there anything more that I have to know?"

“Aside from a few warning lights up there-” He gestured towards the unlit lights that were scattered along the top of the dashboard. Unlike the switches, these had proper labels. “There isn’t anything I should teach you for now. If any of those lights up, just call me. I can probably fix it.” He said with a nonchalant shrug. He’s spent too many hours maintaining the airship to not know every single nook and cranny of it.

"Good," Jia said rather flatly, although short, she enjoyed their conversation even with the play on her height. She gave him the tiniest of a smile and continued. "There's chamomile tea by the kitchen, you should drink that and get some sleep. I'll handle things here in the meantime." Her eyes gave him a resolute stare, that she wouldn't take anything less than a good few hours of sleep from the prince.

Barnaby then stood up and flew to Xu's arms, seeing it as an attempt to sleep next to someone and gave him a charming hoot.

“And how about yourself?” Xu questioned even as Barnaby had flown to his arms. He held it out and let the catowl perch onto him before urging him to go on his shoulder. He reached out to pet its head as he continued. “You’d need to be in top condition, and that requires sleep.” He pointed out. Xu was well aware of the hypocrisy in his statement, but sometimes, he couldn’t help it. Sleep just wouldn’t come to him no matter what he did. So he just kept using that time for more productive activities.

"And I am in top condition." She said to him, "Unlike you, I've been keeping track of my sleep and I've had plenty." She lied through her teeth. Yes, she'd have her fair share of sleep, as well as nightmares that kept her awake some nights. "Worry about yourself first, because if anything, it seems as if you might pass out of exhaustion any time soon." She remarked on his well being.

"I made the tea to help you sleep, and Barnaby is a good sleeping companion, he might help you sleep better." She let out a sigh, Xu has always been quite stubborn. "Please? Not just for yourself but for your father and your sister that we have to find."

“It wouldn’t be the first time, now wouldn’t it?” They were rare and oftentimes a product of something else adding on top of the lack of sleep and rest. Sometimes, it was his experiments, or sometimes it was the fumes that came with engineering. A couple of times where he just didn’t remember what had happened and had found himself in his room the next minute. Thankfully, Jia was always the one who found him instead of anyone else. It would have been unbecoming of him, after all.

“But fine.” He said, knowing that even with his own stubborn streak, his retainer was worse. “I’ll try.” He emphasized the word. He could never promise a good sleep, not even to himself. But Xu continued down to the kitchen to grab said tea before walking back to the deck and hurried off to a small, sectioned off area where there were a sheet and two pillows.

“Just tell me when we’re close to Republic City. Maybe we can find information on Xiurong there.” He let out a small sigh as he huddled down and began to calmly sip on his tea.

"I will." She assured as she stood by the center of the wheel. She was glad that Xu would give her suggestion a chance, now she only hopes that he actually does fall asleep while she mans the ship. She rested her forehead by the tip upper tip of the wheel, sighing to herself as her eyes stared once again at the bulky shape at her wrist.

A finger traced the outline rather sentimentally, her eyes momentarily soften at the sight. This one ride at the airship certainly brought out quite a few feelings she normally wouldn't show, even on a usual day at the palace. "I wonder how life would be if things had been different…" She whispered to herself quietly. Flinching as she felt her jaw ache slightly from speaking so much. She pressed her lips into a line as she felt her jaw tire from the conversation, placing her eyes at the front and finding the scenery before her quite calming.

Jia let the hum of the engine take over the silence of their conversation, thinking that maybe, the rumble would act as a lullaby for Xu.

mention: || interaction: Xu Beifong AI10100

 

[The Prophet]

Maizen Tosuda
interactions: Taka and Yara​

Maizen went through the motions of a shrug upon their responses to his offering. "I assure you that you two wouldn't impose or anything of the sort, I'm far too used to the presence of two people being around me. But alright, it was but an offer given the… situation. Though I'll keep the offer on the table should you two change your mind or the situation proves more dire. Though you're likely right; those two just need a cooldown period." He figured, straightening out his coat. He couldn't imagine having any wish to stay in the presence of those people in their current disposition, but maybe they were a little more….. attuned to such personality than Maizen was.

"I don't mind any type of food as long as it isn't prone to making a mess, I'm not fat enough dirty hands, or even worse, dirty clothing." He answered Taka, passing by the two to make his way to his motorcycle as Yara went to likely clear her departure. "A city like this is likely to have somewhere that is considered a must, correct? Why not try our luck down that path? I'll follow you on my bike, and we can find somewhere with some traffic."

Sliding a leg over the side of his motorcycle, Maizen turned the keys and once again listened to the quiet purr of the bike as it woke up from her nap. Rasping his fingers in the handlebars, Maizen looked back at the two. "Well then, I'd imagine that you both would like to, 'get a move on'... If you will. I'm not letting on to the extent, but I would very much like to depart for something appetizing soon, now that everything is calming down, I am currently being made aware of an ever growing absence in my stomach." Now that the whole fiasco with the key animal in the two angry individuals was mostly over, which he had previously thought of as a mild hunger has seemingly revealed itself to be a much more intense feeling of hunger. Did he eat on the boat? Actually now that he thought about it, the last time he ate was quite a while ago. He could only imagine the fret his mother would have if she found out; she'd probably pay someone to make absolute sure that he ate adequately and often until he came home. Maizen sighed inwardly, stretching in his seat. Guess it wouldn't hurt to call his mother later tonight and tell her about his first day in Republic City, obviously omitting some choice events.

At least he knew some people here now.

 

[Flutterby]

Yara inhaled slowly, and drew the door open. She was surprised to find only Jade in sight- she had assumed Xiurong would be right on the other side of the door, if she was honest with herself. She could hear voices coming from beyond the living room, and had to assume Xiurong and Xian were out of sight. Probably quelling each other's tempers, which was fine by here.

"Oh. Hi, uh, Professor. I'm going to get dinner with Maizen and Taka. And then I'll probably be back. So. Just need to.. you know, so she doesn't hurt anyone again.." Yara gave a soft clearing of her throat, and then shouted from the door.

"XIURONG! I'M GOING TO GET FOOD WITH THE TWO BOYS YOU BEAT UP! BE BACK LATER!" And then she quickly closed the door behind her, and skipped down the steps to Taka's car. She hopped in like it was the most natural thing to do, and listened to them chatter back and forth about where they would be eating.

"There's a main drag that I could get us to, with plenty to chose from. There wasn't a lot of time to enjoy the city last time I was here, but I do remember how to get to that area." She turned in the seat to look at Maizen, already ready on his bike.
"I might reconsider your offer after dinner, but for now it's pretty quiet in there. Maybe it will stay that way," She gave a shrug, as if she hadn't just been in a rage over it only a few minutes ago, and then looked at Taka.

"So when you pull out, you'll want to go to the right, away from the docks, and then.."
Even though her two new companions were the obvious evidence, it was almost like the afternoon hadn't happened. With food on her mind and the Dragon Prism tucked into her pocket, its weight occasionally bumping against her skin, it felt like she might be able to let it go.
Interactions: The Prophet Entity.Eclypse // Mentions: . D O V E Xanto

 

[Xanto]

Xian Zhao and Jade Hayashi​

Jade was busy listening to the duo conversing a few rooms down. What? There was nothing better to do other than clean up the mess. Besides, with the silence in her part of the house she had to listen to their voices as background noise.

The professor sighed, while she continued to sweep up the debris. That's when the front door drew open. "Hello again," Jade smiled, nodding as Yara informed her about their outing. It was a short discussion briefly cut off by Yara screaming at the top of her lungs, and making Jade jump from her stance. She didn't have time to further react before the waterbender quickly shut the door.

"What was that?" A tired voice groaned from behind, prompting Jade to turn around. Xian walked into the living room, rubbing the back of his neck in utter confusion. Her volume nearly blew the roof off. "One of Xiu's friends-," Jade momentarily paused, eyeing her cousin as he emerged from the darker edge of the hallway. Slightly wrinkled clothing, messed up hair, the sound of regular discussion, mumbling, then silence. Her eyes widened as Xian's brows furrowed in more confusion at the expression. "Did you fight her too?!" She inquired, adjusting her handle on the broom. "Never," Xian countered as Jade completely stopped sweeping in the middle of their mess. She raised a brow, another hint of an idea coming to her curious mind, "Then . . . did you-." Whoosh. A heavy gust of wind blew across the professor's face, whirling a wide tornado around her. Inside the circular draft were broken pieces of furniture circulating till they were simply redirected into a trashcan.

Silence. Pure silence was all she emitted, while her face sported a subtly annoyed look nearly hidden by whirled up hair, "Why didn't you tell me you could just do that?" Xian smirked in return. Meanwhile, the older of the two set her broom aside before folding her arms, "Rude." She complemented the stance with a pout too as if in a tantrum. "So, you wanted to see me?" He asked, leaning against his counter with equally folded arms. "Just wanted to see how you were doing," Jade professionally reasoned out. "Well," Xian gestured around the place in typical host fashion.

"Okay enough," Jade broke her posture, pointing right at Xian, "Look mister, I heard you lost Igoo so let's cut to the chase!" "Huh-?" He jolted back at her sudden point. "Skull bone gang, whatever they're called. I'm aware of their criminal activity especially at the heart of this city, but there was a raid earlier at one of Cabbage Corp's warehouses," She reported with some form of haste. "Really?" Xian raised a brow, slightly taken back by the news. "They tried to call you, but you wouldn't pick up!" "You can see why." The cousin pair borderline bickered till Jade brought the conversation back down, "I definitely see why, but now it goes in full circle. If the Cabbage Corp was targeted, that could only mean one thing." "Future Industries," Xian remarked, slightly furrowing his brows at the realization. "You're so smart!" Jade proudly replied with a hint of . . duh. The airbender silently moved a hand through his hair. "Leading a gang as wide as that takes power and monetary influence. Xiu wasn't wrong about Sato and Su," The professor admitted upon catching her cousin's gaze, "It's not eavesdropping if I had no choice but to listen."

"So what do you suggest . . professor," Xian finally inquired, offering Jade the moment she'd been waiting for. "Glad you asked, average student," She replied, watching him glance off to the side unimpressed by her comment. Slight laughter sounded from her lips before she continued."The police department's criminal analyst should be able to pull up a better pattern of criminal activity around the area. Through that we can detect targets, predict future victims, and even get a hint of the boss's motive. . . Oh! And better, draw out who the boss is," The firebender explained in full seriousness. Perhaps it all sounded too good to be true, but it was a start. Xian nodded, "Time to reconnect with Captain Beifong."

Flutterby

 

[. D O V E]

AVATAR: THE EXILED CHRONICLES - ARC 1

Episode 3 - The Infiltration

Republic City
7 /18/ 264 AG
9:11pm​

Cities, like cats, will reveal themselves at night.

Within the secured walls of Republic City's Police Headquarters, in its conference hall to be more exact, particular individuals convened around a long, wooden table. Scattered on the surface were tens of documents, a couple of pictures, and a large map of the city pinned at the center. A glaringly red X marked a spot nearby the Southeast corner of the map, merely two inches away from the border separating the free city and the Earth Empire. Xiurong felt a heavy weight drop at the pits of her stomach when her eyes trekked to the country she once called home.

"I frankly hate being in this garbage city, so let's keep this short. This marks the Bone Crusher's alleged factory, correct?" The exiled princess asked as her index finger landed on the marked location, her eyes moving towards the person sitting at the head of the table.

It was a woman- who looked as though she was in her late fifties with her short graying hair, wrinkling skin, and seemingly perpetual scowl. She pried her unamused gaze from the Avatar and towards the insignia over her right breast. It was the symbol of the Police Chief. "Watch your tongue, Avatar. I don't appreciate you insulting my city in front of my face."

"Oh, forgive me for being so insenstive, Chief Watanabe." Xiurong sarcastically rolled her eyes. "Please, go on and tell me how I can help rescue this beloved, beautiful city of yours for the nth time. Don't spare any details."

"Still as ill-mannered as usual, and here I thought your banishment taught you something." A triumphant smirk briefly pulled on the older woman's lips before she readjusted herself on her seat. Like a cat who bit its own tongue, Xiurong instantly frowned and shut up.

Satisfied, the Chief soldiered on. "The marked area is mostly forestry but according to my scouts and these aged documents, Future Industries built a warehouse in its clearing roughly two decades ago. However, it was quickly abandoned after four years of usage due to ecological concerns- or so the paper says. The department began tracking unusual traffic towards the location shortly after a few Bone Crushers were granted freedom. If the gang is really back on business, then this place would be the perfect spot for their illegal productions."

"If that's the case then why can't you just send your own troops. Why am I needed?"

"Aside from the fact that you damaged parts of the city and this is the only form of reimbursement you can currently offer, we have reasons to believe that they're developing something else aside from their usual guns and mechs. A number of tire tracks were spotted in the Earth Empire's swamp and they matched the tracks of the prototype vehicle the Bone Crushers were working on when you busted them three months ago. Suffice to say, it'd be better for the Avatar to deal with things related to the swamp. The last time it happened, we got an interdimensional portal at the heart of the city. Just ask your Great Uniter."

"Hmph. So what exactly do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find out just what exactly they're developing and put a stop to it. Furthermore, I think Captain Beifong already told you but there's someone out there pulling the strings for the Bone Crushers. We need a conclusive lead."

Xiurong's mind wandered to the conversation she had with Xian. She narrowed her eyes at nobody in particular before furrowing her brow. "Very well. But afterwards, I want the city's aid for my father's search."

"You're not exactly in the position to negotiate and we're already freeing the Bison in return, but we'll mull it over."

10:02pm​

The Chief and her police goons left after the debriefing, leaving Xiurong and her team by themselves in the conference hall. Almost instantly, the Avatar whipped her head towards Xian then to Yara. "I get why the two of you are here, but why in the world are they here?!" She growled as she sharply gestured towards Maizen and Taka. She leaned back on her seat and crossed her arms, her frown growing deeper by the second.

Xian's presence was welcomed since she was the one who invited him to come along. Yara's presence was tolerable since she was her personal healer- even after she rudely drenched her with tea. "What? Did you three suddenly became joined by the hips after grabbing dinner together?" She asked with a scoff after she recalled Yara screaming at the top of her lungs.

Xanto Entity.Eclypse Flutterby The Prophet


Meanwhile, outside the headquarters, Captain Beifong could be seen standing by the front. He appeared to be waiting for somebody's arrival, with his back against a concrete pillar and his arms folded over his chest.

Colorless Spectrum AI10100

 

[Flutterby]

As the officers vacated the room, Yara wandered over to the table and picked up one of the photos. It showed a truck, what she was lead to assume were members of the offending gang, somewhere dark. With the muted colors and grainy quality, it could've been anyone at all. But the police seemed sure, and they were adamant this was their way to get Igoo back.

She reached her hand out to place the picture back on the table and pick up one of the newspapers- something detailing the decision to abandon the factory, if she could find it in the pile of papers- when Xiurong finally turned to look at them.
And demanded an explanation for the presence of the other two people.

"Mm.. yeah, we're dating now. All three of us, at the same time. They're my new soulmates. We can't possibly be separated for a moment, lest my heart break," She deadpanned, as she stifled a yawn.
Dinner had been delicious and filling, and had lifted her spirits greatly. She had expected to go to bed soon. Instead, they had ended up in this little brainstorming session with the police to start on their next mission.

She looked back up at Xiurong, her face softening only slightly. "Come on, Xiurong, so what if they want to tag along? It can't hurt to have a few extra hands. It might make this go faster so we can get Igoo back and focus on finding your father again. They won't bother you anymore than I already do."
Interaction: . D O V E Xanto The Prophet Entity.Eclypse

 

[AI10100]

It was easy to forget how far Republic City was from them - even with a relatively faster airship like what Xu had. His would have counted as one of the faster airships they had due to its relatively more compact size than the bulkier royal airships. Despite that, it still took hours to get to the city.

The prince had woken up half an hour before they arrived and his immediate reaction was to look at the dashboard to see that there were no flashing lights indicating that something went horribly wrong when he was asleep. He reached over to pet Barnaby who was roused for its sleep.

"I'm gonna go use the shower for a bit." Xu called out as he grabbed a handle to help him stand up and dusted himself off. Despite how the makeshift resting area looked like, it was undeniably very comfortable. "Then let me take over so we can dock the airship properly." They had to get permission too but that was easy enough. They just needed identification after all.

He made his way down to his room to take a proper shower and to collect his thoughts for a proper plan of action.

The problem was, he had no fucking idea where his sister went.

For all he knew, she could have left Republic City while they were out there scouting for buzzards and that Captain Beifong would just tell him the next location, like it was some wild goose chase. And besides that, he could already imagine how well she'd take what happened and he could see the entire discussion going up in flames with her. Not after what had happened on the airship a few days ago. He had no doubts that Xiurong had taken what had happened in a completely different way than he did, and that was the root of the problem. This was just a complete disaster in all senses of the word.

After he had dressed, he walked back to the bridge while tying his hair back. "You should change out of your uniform too." Xu alerted Jia. "Better to look like we're citizens than royalty. It'll just attract the wrong attention." He finished before putting on a cap.

Jia left the wheel for Xu without another word, Barnaby soon flew to her head as she walked back to her room. Her pet gave an affectionate hoot, sliding to her shoulder and putting a paw to her cheek. "Did you have a good sleep?" She asked, to which Barnaby answered with a happy hoot and flew to his bed.

She headed for the shower and peeled off her clothes. The sight of her shoulder never fails to make her remember the first time they unbandaged it when she woke up from the hospital bed. Molten and disgusting. She could feel herself start to boil in anger, she wanted to hate her childhood. But it was also the happiest time of her life. Her feelings toward it were mixed at best.

She let out a sigh and let herself cool over in the shower. Afterwards, she placed on herself a simple light green t-shirt and a vest of a darker shade, wrapping a thin scarf over her neck to hide the remainder of the flame that crept to it on that fateful day. She hated how bumpy and glossy the scar was in contrast to her skin and it never failed to remind her of a lot of things.

"Barnaby, let's go." She called for her little companion who immediately perched to her shoulder, excited to get out in the field.

Upon reaching the hull she could see the view of the sky slowly shifting to the skyscrapers of Republic City. From the glass, one would see the busy streets and hear the various machinery that seem to be just about everywhere even during the night. The ship landed with a loud thud, “You have everything you need with you?” She asked, inspecting her cloth wrapped wrist.

Xu began to flick a couple of switches and the engine’s rumble slowly disappeared. He looked up at the sky and he mumbled a curse to himself - nothing like arriving in Republic City in the night. He tilted his head slightly as Jia came into the room. “Uh, yeah.” He reached out to grab his bow and quiver. He reached into the vest of his clothing to check if all of his knives were present and accounted for - and they were.

“Captain Beifong called in earlier.” Xu said as he led them down to their exit port. “He said Xiurong had gotten into a certain… incident while she was here. They’re currently fixing that problem.” He continued. There wasn’t much detail included in his uncle’s report. “And as you can imagine, word of Xiurong’s exile has spread quite fast.”

There was no way that it would be kept a secret for long. They needed to cut their ties with her as fast as possible, or else the Sand Queen would have just locked them up then and there. He shook his head. “He accepted the regent’s response to us. He’s a good man."

He opened the door that led outside and he took a deep breath. In a moment, his entire demeanor changed. He assumed proper posture but had pulled down his cap, as if trying to desperately hide his face. He made sure to lock the airship behind him and then nodded at Jia.

“Ah, Republic City.” He said. “Have you ever been here out of duty, Jia?” Xu questioned as they delved into the city of mixed culture. Here, there was no separation between the benders, between the nations, between the nonbenders - everything just worked like a well-oiled machine.

“Have you ever been off duty?” He looked over to her, silently gesturing for her to keep to his side instead of behind to make the walk more natural.

She wasn't shocked that Xiurong got into another incident after being exiled. With the Avatar's personality she didn't find it surprising at all. Problems just kept growing on top of one another and she hated it.

Upon being questioned she gave Xu a look that asked him if he was being serious. She had hardly been off duty since she became part of the Dai Li, but she has. "Once, when I was a kid." That was all she said as she walked beside him. For once she didn't walk in such a stern posture. She let herself slouch a bit as to not exude the aura of a trained agent, but her face remained the same. Dead of emotion.

"We should find a tavern, good establishment for gathering information." She suggested as Barnaby flew to Xu's shoulders for a higher vantage.

“Simpler times, wasn’t it?” The prince claimed. “I remember when I was younger, I used to escape the palace too. Could never seem to take Xiurong with me - she was too noticeable.” Some part of him regretted not bringing her along. The trips were short, and he barely stayed long enough to do anything. The escape was what was exhilarating, not the outside.

He snapped back to the present. “Ah, yes. We can spend our time there until… until we can actually contact my sister again or Captain Beifong calls for us.” Jia only gave a nod and a thoughtful hum.

There weren’t many open establishments anymore. Bars, mostly, but that wasn’t quite the place they were looking for. It was up until he had spotted from a distance, a mellow name for a tavern - Leaves from the Vine. “Seems like a good place to start as any.” He said as he slowly opened the door to survey what was inside before heading to the bartender.

“Good evening.” He greeted as he slid into the seat.

“Hey there!” Raiko warmly announced, keeping himself momentarily focused on flipping a few bottles for a set of customers. Two tosses. One behind the back, and another over his head . . simultaneously. The guy managed to steal a glance at the duo finding their places in between tricks though, “New faces.” After a final toss, a pop of a cork, and a smooth pour, the bartender casually set his tools down to focus on the pair.

“What can I get for ya?” He asked, coolly leaning onto the counter with his hands, “Bet I can make anything you’ve ever dreamt of.” A mischievous icy glint settled in his eye before flashing a smile at the two, “Usually a beverage for starters.”

“Yeah, we’re visiting.” Xu responded with a small shrug but his interest was obviously taken with the bartender’s ability. His gaze trailed back to him as he put the bottles down. “Thought the best first place to go to was… a tavern. A lot can be said about a place through one.” He looked around for a moment, There weren’t many people around, despite the time. He guessed the amount of patrons would just increase from here.

“Well you came to the right place,” Raiko reassured, calmly waiting for their request while still welcoming small talk, “Anyone here can learn the latest news, and taste the rarest flavors.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Surprise me.” Xu paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Just not poison, yeah?” He joked. He looked over to his retainer. “How about you?”

“Ha,” Raiko smiled at the guy’s simple order, “One surprise coming up!”

Jia was unfazed by the fancy trick with the bottles the bartender did the moment they came in. Despite the rather impish aura that the man gave off, he seemed like the type to know people and keeps himself updated on the happenings around republic city. Places like these are one of the best places for information gathering after all.

Chartreuse eyes looked up to blue ones with a placid expression, "Tea with milk. I also prefer mine to be sweet." She said, sliding to a chair and resting her elbows at the counter.

"Tea with milk," Raiko paused, tilting his head at the thought. An interesting combination. "Sweet, huh?" He repeated, bringing his gaze back to the woman. "Hm," His hand gave a rub of his chin, “Alright, I got just the thing for ya.” Without further ado, the bartender turned around and got to work.

Xu tapped his fingers against the counter. As the bartender turned his back, Xu made a glance around once again. He narrowed his eyes before turning back. No one would be able to overhear them, if he was careful. Not that he was going to exchange vital information with the bartender, but he’d rather not reveal what he was here for to the populace.

“So, I have one question.” His tapping stopped as he brought his other hand up, leaning his head on his open palm. “I’ve heard the Avatar came to Republic City. Do you have any news of her?”

Jia slowly let her eyes wander around the tavern, her focus on Xu's words as he questioned the bartender. There didn't seem to be anyone worth nothing, no one within reach that would be able to hear them.

She let her elbow lean on the counter, bringing her eyes to her liege and spoke. "Any information about the Avatar would be helpful." She said as casually as she could, but her tone and expression proved otherwise.

Raiko reached out for a metal cup and thick bottle before turning forward to face his guests. “Interested in the celebrity of the century, huh?” He placed the cup down on the counter then began pouring the bottle of pineapple rum into it. “I personally haven’t interacted with her in a while, but my cousin was in on her most recent public stunt,” His hand abruptly lifted the bottle and twisted its cap. “Not saying which cousin,” He smiled before grabbing a couple of colorful bottles of citrus juices, and tossing them up in the air. “Seems like you both nearly arrived though,” The bartender smoothly spun around, grabbing a bottle behind his back then turning in time to catch another in front. What followed next was the usual pop off the top and pour. “So I’ll fill you in,” He placed the open bottle down, repeating the process with his opposite hand. “Look. You’ll hear many variations of the dang story, but don’t believe ‘em. I’ll tell ya what I know of . . the truth,” He placed the bottle down, grabbing a few more and popping their tops as well. “Whatever she did ended with my cousin’s flying bison getting imprisoned. And according to my other cousin, it has something to do with pursuing a local gang,” Raiko randomly capped the cup with a metal lid from out of nowhere before suddenly tossing it over his shoulder. “-Ey but don’t worry about it,” He commented, effortlessly catching the cup with his back hand. “She’s locked them up before. Bet she can do it again,” Raiko shook the cocktail shaker with both hands, nodding at the customers starting to trickle in, “What are you both . . fans of the avatar?”

“She… what?” Xu could feel the call of the headache that was usually present when it came to dealing with his own sister. It wasn’t like there was much to unpack - aside from the fact that this bartender seemed to have one too many cousins in Republic City - but he needed a moment to process it. “Pause there for a second, how does pursuing a criminal gang lead to the imprisonment of your cousin’s bison? Weren’t they… working with the law here?” Captain Beifong did mention something about her sister making amends about something she had done. As much as he admired his uncle, a bit more information would have been nice.

“Fans…” He repeated the statement. “Not quite. I am looking for her though. We have… ah, unfinished business, you could say.” Xu decided to share. There was no harm in telling him the vague details of such, just in case there were some unwanted followers after them.

Jia could only wonder on how the bartender came to such a conclusion. In any case, the information they got was good. "Fan is a bit too much for us. Either way, we're here to help her." She shifted in her seat, albeit slightly.

This talk of a criminal organization piqued her interest. What Raiko said made her think more of the gang than it did the imprisonment of a bison. "So this… gang, what do they call themselves? And what does the bison have to do with all of this?"

“Depends on who I’m talking to,” Raiko simply smiled at the two visitors before twisting the metal lid off and pouring a bottle of spiced rum into it. He didn’t want to disclose further information unless there was proof of the exact business they needed to settle with Xiurong. Another further detail would be gold in reporters’ eyes.

The bartender closed the lid once more, and rapidly shook the cocktail shaker with one hand. Meanwhile, his free hand pulled out a glass jar. Tea, milk, and some form of sweetener. Raiko set the glass jar down, twisting the knob of a nearby stove to prep Jia’s tea.

“Curious, aren’t we?” Xu responded, not breaking his gaze from the bartender. It seems like the man was as cautious as he was - understandably so, an Avatar had enemies. Many of them. “Well, what kind of information would you give for a friend?” He drawled, the engagement in his voice leaving as he grew seemingly more uninterested. “An ally?”

He finally broke his gaze as he began to drum his fingers against the table once again. He looked down at them before sighing. He reached into his pocket and slid his identification onto the counter and towards the bartender. “And for her brother?”

Raiko placed the shaker down and peered at the presented ID. Hm, seemed legit. His hand raised the card up to the light, checking for signs of fraud.

Jia watched the bartender start preparing what is needed for making tea. She found it a good quality to be cautious, for all he knew they might just as well be lying. She didn't blame Xu for revealing himself, revealing the truth is also a way of obtaining information.

"Surely, you'll tell us what we need to know?" Jia asked, her eyes looking straight at Raiko's icy blue ones. Tapping her feet lightly on the floor while Barnaby then moved and sat on her lap.

The bartender placed Xu’s card down before glancing at Jia. Their eyes nearly locked as he moved to pour small leaves into the boiling pot of water. “This’ll make quite the story,” He started, moving his gaze to a peach he pulled onto the counter, “An honor to serve you both.” Raiko pulled out a knife from the drawer, and flipped it with a finger. He then proceeded to skin the peach then dice it.

Xu let out a small chuckle. “Please, I’m trying to lay low here. The last thing I want is another political scandal.”

“The Bone Crushers,” Raiko mentioned, leaning against the rear counter as he skinned the fruit, “That’s the name of the gang Xiu’s after. Apparently, she arrived a few days ago, pursued the gang, then accidentally beat up a bunch of look-alikes.” He placed the peach down, rapidly dicing it before their eyes. “A bystander framed my cousin’s flying bison for ‘going wild.’ Then, it got captured by animal control,” He continued, momentarily glancing at the duo before pouring the peaches into the now dark brown boiling tea, “Then your cousin makes his way into the picture, and asks Xiurong if she could hunt down the gang. She made him promise to return the bison afterward.”

Once the peaches were thoroughly mixed in, Raiko lifted the pot with one hand and poured it into a filter above the glass jar. Out came the peach tea. “Raiko by the way. Owner of this tavern, descendant of someone who you may have heard of,” He introduced himself prior to placing the pot down, “ . . Aang.”

A moment later, Xu’s hand was already rubbing his temples. “She may like picking fights, but she knows how to be more careful than that…” He muttered. How was she getting in more trouble in a few days since they escaped the Sand Kingdom? He was aware that rumors had already spread far and wide about Xiurong’s actions from before. This wasn’t exactly a golden moment to get into trouble again. “At least she’s making up for it. Captain Beifong huh? I should talk to him about it…”

He gave the bartender a warm smile. “Avatar Aang. Looks to me that we’re all related to someone famous out here nowadays.” Xu let out a chuckle. “A pleasure to meet you, Raiko.”

“Only two lifetimes ago!” Raiko resounded as he poured some milk into the peach tea. He then looked around for some sugar before pausing. Milk, tea, and sugar . . what a predictable last ingredient! She wanted sweet, huh? There had to be some other random piece to complete the beverage. Raiko’s icy eyes shifted to the hot dessert waiting to be served. Tapioca balls. Excellent. The man took a spoonful of the final ingredient, and dropped it into the beverage. Yet something else was missing. This beverage was all about contrast with surprising complements. A light liquid cooling would do the trick against the tapioca’s heat. Raiko turned his palm upward, slowly raising his hand till the glass’s outer layer began to form cool water droplets.

Finally, he placed Jia’s beverage onto the counter after a quick mix, “Sweetness served.” A peach tea with milk and tapioca balls. More of an unheard mixture than Xu’s pineapple and spiced rum combination with various citrus juices paired, and a blast of passion fruit . . or not. Raiko picked up the cocktail shaker, and gave it a good mix once more before popping its lid then pouring it into a glass cup. “Surprise,” Raiko smirked, placing the glass down in front of Xu.

Jia raised her eyebrows, she certainly hasn't had any sort of cold tea before. She took the glass of cold milk tea with her hand, obtaining a curiosity of how it would taste. "Jia." She introduced herself to the waterbender neutrally, eyeing her drink. She'd never had any peaches at all.

The Dai Li took a sip, a sudden lightness in the atmosphere around her. The taste of the pesches was stronger than the tea but it gave her a rather refreshing and nostalgic feeling. "It tastes good." She commented, Barnaby suddenly looking up to her as he noticed the slight change of tone in her voice, and gave a happy hoot. Jia loved sweets after all, that never changed even if she is the type of person to eat anything so long as it is edible. She continued to drink more of it, tasting the sweet and chewiness of the tapioca balls.

Raiko smiled at Jia’s expression. He was glad to put a slight crack in her serious tone. Plus, the bartender had to admit putting all those ingredients together was a huge risk. But the reward was worth it. Now that Jia complemented it, he was bound to try the combination soon afterward.

Xu watched as Jia took a sip of her wine and nodded at the fact that Jia was content with her other. He knew her as one of the best tea makers out there so he was pleasantly surprised to see that she was enjoying one that came from the tavern. Raiko must have been a very skilled bartender - to know mixes of both the alcoholic variety and the tea variety.

"Thank you." He grabbed the cup and took a sip, a smile curling up to his face. "I've been missing out. Everything my father ever gave me was wine." Xu admitted as he took another sip of the rum infused drink. The young prince was confident enough in his tolerance that he wasn't worried after one cup. He placed it back down on the counter. "How much do we owe you, Raiko?"

“It’s on the house!” The bartender replied with a carefree tone. In truth, anyone could’ve swindled royalty for a good month’s pay. Raiko was stern with his own values though. “As long as you spread the news about this tavern,” He added, smirking in his usual expression. All was well with covering for the cost of their beverages anyway. Just the other day the man received a bonus from healing Igoo’s victim. Money, it goes around.

Being part of the Dai Li, Jia had acquired the habit of eating fast. Less time wasted, as her father would say. The drink was finished in no time, she was quite content with how it tasted, it had been a while since she enjoyed something like this.

"Thank you." Jia said quietly, her hand stroking Barnaby's back. She then turned to Xu, "We should contact Captain Beifong, he has a better idea on her whereabouts and information on the gang if he is willing to share."

“That is appreciated, Raiko.” Xu downed his drink in one go, closing his eyes for a moment and then nodding. Jia’s comment made him quirk an eyebrow. “Oh, knowing my uncle-” He turned towards the entrance to the tavern. One of the Republic City police officers scanned the patrons of the tavern. “He’s already sent someone to look for us.”

The police officer walked over to the two of them. “Captain Beifong has requested your presence in the headquarters.”

“Thank you.” Xu told the police officer. He nodded at Raiko. “Hopefully I’ll be able to aid with your business for travellers coming from the Earth Empire. Goodbye.” He gave the bartender a small bow of his head before gesturing for Jia to follow.

The police officer gave them no other details as he led the duo towards the headquarters. Soon enough, they came into view of the Captain. Xu couldn’t help the smile that was growing on his face. After all, Captain Beifong had been the one to train with him when he was older. The man wasn’t the brightest bulb out there, but he was kind and skilled.

“So, Captain, what do you have for us?”

Colorless Spectrum Xanto . D O V E

 

[Entity.Eclypse]

Taka
Mentions/Interactions: . D O V E Xanto Flutterby The Prophet ​

Having filled his stomach not too long ago, Taka thought that he would be done with the conflict for one day. It didn't take long before he realized how sadly mistaken he was. Now he was sat in a room, listening to a police debriefing on some well-known gang within republic city. His eyes wandered over a few of the images, one, in particular, displaying a group of men cornering a young lady against a wall. Given the appearance of a bladed instrument, he could only assume that they were threatening her life over something. His eyes once more wandered to another document, a police report of some kind. It appeared to be detailing an encounter of a civilian with one of the goons from these 'Bone Crushers', and from the looks of it, they didn't come out of it unscathed.

By the time the officers had vacated the room, he was still standing by the table and looking over the evidence. 'Developing a new vehicle? If a gang like this is working on something like that... then they have to have some sort of sponsor. But why hire them?' He was pulled from his thoughts as Xiu popped a question on them, one that was equally as hostile as he'd expected from her. Though the snappy response from Yara caused him to look up slightly from the paper, attempting to judge Xiu's response to it. He couldn't help but let loose a little smirk, the idea in itself was humorous and completely impossible, and yet it still wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen today.

"Whether I found myself in this room or not, I'm sure we'd cross paths again at some point." He stated as he carefully sifted through a few of the documents on the table, taking care not to damage or deface anything currently present. After moving a few articles to the side he glanced back to a few pictures presenting the appearance of the tracks. "And it's better we met here, saves us a bit of time in explaining all this. Besides, it's better to have three guys who are pretty good with vehicles when dealing with something like this... right?" He stated as he lifted the picture from the table and moved it to the center of the table.

Given the size of the track, he assumed it to be a larger vehicle- but he wasn't sure as to what kind it might be, but it had left quite the impression on the earth. He looked towards Xian and Maizen for a moment before looking back to the picture once more. "I know the whole 'punch first, questions later' approach usually does the trick for you. But did you notice anything specific about the prototype when you last saw it?" He posed the question to Xiu, though he didn't look up from the documents as he spoke, instead choosing to sift through a few more. Perhaps the officers had brought out things they'd confiscated in the last raid, if that were the case then he may have been able to find blueprints or notes on the prototype.

As he moved about, he began to subtly hum to himself. The sound was nearly inaudible, though he would make it a point to hush it further when the others spoke,

 

[. D O V E]

Captain Guiren Beifong, Prince Xu Beifong & Jia Xiaodan
Written by: my cat, AI10100 and Colorless Spectrum ​

The twinkles in the night sky paled in comparison to the Captain's eyes when he saw his nephew. After giving a two-finger salute to the officer who escorted the royalty, Guiren opened his arms and engulfed Xu into a tight, bear hug once he was within distance. "Prince Xu! It's been so long!" Gleeful laughter was leaking out of his lips as he patted the younger male's back before finally withdrawing. "Oh hey, you've grown tall." He pointed out, although he could easily make anyone feel like a dwarf with his nearly seven-feet stature.

"Hi uncle…" Xu muttered from the embrace, nearly losing his breath from the strength of the chief. Once he was released from the tight hug, he took a step back to regain his composure. "You're still taller." He responded, though he doesn't bear any ill will with the statement. He raised his arm to measure his uncle's height and pulled a face. "You're like… a foot taller than me." He grumbled as he returned his arm to his side.

It was then when Guiren peeked behind him and noticed an even shorter and feminine figure. He rubbed his cheek, slightly confused. "Where are the rest of your Dai Li?" He moved his eyes to the towering buildings around them, figuring they might be watching from afar in the shadows. Eventually, it clicked to him that the crown prince didn't bring any. He snapped his finger, "Oh! You didn't bring anybody else aside from her. So that's why you're packed to the brim with knives." A knowing grin crossed his features, wiggling his fingers to indicate he knew what was underneath his clothes. He was one of his mentors, after all. Spirits know how many tricks he taught the young man.

Afterwards, he stepped towards Jia and flashed her a beam. "Greetings, tiny lady. The name's Captain Guiren Beifong of the Republic City Police Department. In case you didn't know, I'm this guy's uncle and former teacher. All his awesomeness? It originated from me. Rubbed off him and stuff." He sounded rather proud, especially with his puffed chest. "Thanks for keeping my nephew alive."

Jia watched the scenario unfold in front of her, Xu was already tall but now she had to crank her head to a higher angle just to see the man's face. To be honest, she was kind of jealous. She wished she had a family member like such… but the only person she could think of was already gone years ago.

Her attention shifted back to Captain Beifong as he called her "tiny lady" a nickname which is not appreciated despite how true it actually is, earning a twitch of her brow. If you compare the three of them together she was but a mere dwarf. "Jia Xiaodan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Beifong." She said with a hint of bitterness. His expression being a contrast to Jia's blank one, "Protecting the Crown Prince is my job after all."

Once that was all said and done, the Captain ushered for them to enter the headquarters. He led them inside, through the lobby and a corridor before stopping in an anteroom. He neared a long counter with sets of pure alloy lockers behind, manned by a few officers. They all gave salutes at the newly arrived group. "Sorry I can't give you guys any special treatment. The headquarters has a policy which requires visitors to surrender their weapons until departure." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

One of the officers then gave Jia a clipboard with a few sheets of paper clipped; they appeared to be lists of visitors. Xiurong and Yara's names could be seen in the most recent list, followed by three others who arrived at the same time as them.

"Just write your names there and leave the weapons. Don't worry, this is the most guarded place in the entire city. You'll be safe in here." He assured them with a thumbs-up. "I have an Avatar in store for you, a few doors down. They should be done with the debriefing now."

"That's a tall order." Xu muttered as he took off his bow and his quiver and placed it on the table. One of the officers took the bow and placed it inside the locker and looked content before Xu took off two bandoliers filled with knives and laid it down. He raised another finger before reaching down and grabbing two daggers from his boots. He reached around his waist and unclipped another belt that contained four more knives. "I think that's it…" He looked at the contents on the table and nodded. "Yeah, that's all." The officer looked at him oddly before bringing all of it into the locker.

"Bet you a hundred yuan Xiurong isn't going to be happy to see us." Xu said as he walked back to Jia and the clipboard, scanning the names. "Ah, at least Yara is there." He said, adjusting the cuff of his sleeves with a small look of displeasure. He was completely out of weapons now. He knew it wouldn't last, but he hasn't been this stripped of weapons - concealed or otherwise - since he was fourteen.

While Xu was conversing with his uncle and passed his weapons to another officer, Jia took note of the additional names that came with their two former companions. In less than a week, the pair gained three more people. It made her wonder what had transpired within the past few days to join in on this operation.

She wrote her name neatly and the time they arrived. Handing the clipboard to Xu the moment he finished, she pulled out her metal fans and handed it to the same officer the Prince did and kept their weapons inside the locker. ‘When did she like seeing us?’ She thought to herself.

Jia noticed the Prince's displeasure after his weapons were taken from him. She reached for his shoulder and gave it a pat, before she adjusted her scarf to better hide the exposed part of the scar on her neck. She let out a quiet sigh once she was done.

“She was pretty unhappy when I saw her yesterday.” The captain furrowed his brow as he accepted the card from the stationed officer. He then tossed it to Xu, “don’t misplace it unless you really want to lose a hundred yuann.” It was essentially their ticket to retrieve their belongings. He then gestured for the two to continue following him before venturing down another hallway.

“Anyways, we all know your sister has a very abrasive personality. I did notice she’s especially snappy these days though. Your father’s disappearance must’ve affected her more than we think.” Guiren mused, looking a tad bit guilty. “I’m sorry I can’t help you guys search for him.” He didn’t know if the prince was aware Xiurong asked the Republic for help, nor would the latter like it if he shared it with the former.

"After everything that happened, I'm not surprised." Xu admitted with a shrug. He wrote down his name, noting the three unknown names before Jia. He handed it to the officer with a small nod and caught the card his uncle had thrown at him. He slid it into his vest pocket. "She's a lot more brash than usual. I know she wants to find our father as fast as possible but it's worrying. A lot of things can go wrong… as you can clearly see from recent events."

"It can't be helped. Your duties are here and I doubt anyone in the Republic's government is willing to get involved." Their father was the emperor, so one can easily assume that whoever kidnapped him had a political agenda. Getting in between that might not be the best course of action for another nation… no matter how frustrated they may get for not being aided by their allies. "But back to the main matter at hand, you're planning something against this gang? The Bone Crushers?"

The captain nodded his head. “Affirmative. Avatar Xiurong placed them in jail three months prior, but a number of their members recently bailed out. We have no solid idea where they got the money, but the Chief is very convinced one of Republic City’s hotshots is sponsoring the gang.” He shared before immediately jolting and slapping a hand over his mouth. “Reports suggest they’re back on operation and that they might be developing something dangerous. Enough to warrant the Avatar’s attention… and yours.”

A more serious expression darkened the captain’s face. “We’ve tracked Bone Crusher movements in the Southern part of your empire- specifically the Swamp.”

"I'm not surprised. Gangs provide a lot of protection, whether we'd like to admit it or not." There were likely a lot of bigwigs in Republic City that had dealings in the underground, and you'd need a group to protect you and your company. He suppressed a sigh, bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose and pinching it. "Maybe I should have ordered one more drink…" Xu muttered to himself before shaking his head.

"How recent was this? It's worrying that a gang has been operating right under our noses. Provided no one really goes to the swamp but still, the Lord Regent is much too gung-ho about justice that he wouldn't have allowed this to slide." It was certainly one problem after another isn't it?

“Large tracks were found in the area about a week ago. It matched a distinct Bone Crusher vehicle.” Guiren shared as they continued passing doors. “I know it’s more of the Empire’s concern, but the Republic checked the Swamp for apparent damage and we didn’t see any. In the end, we don’t know what they were there for.” He lightly shook his head.

"It would have been nice to get a heads up, but that's why we're here isn't it?" Xu shrugged. But it was worrying - no one uses the Swamp aside from that one tribe… if the Bone Crushers were seeking an isolated area for a new base, then the Swamp really wouldn't have been ideal. The Foggy Swamp Tribe are protective over it. One misstep from the gang would incur penalties. It could be possible that they weren't aware that someone else is living there…

"Seems to me that you're sending us on a recon quest." He remarked for elaboration.

“Oh, we’re not sending you. We’re sending your sister.” Guiren responded with a light chuckle. “We wanted to inform you a few days earlier but we were told you were busy with other matters.” Finally, he stopped in front of a certain door. The words ‘conference hall’ were inscribed on the metallic plate hanging by its surface. “I brought you here because you were looking for her.”

"Bold of you to assume I wouldn't go anyway." Xu raised an eyebrow at his uncle - the familiar tone of a challenge clear in his voice from when he was younger. The prince matched his sister's stubbornness ever since they were kids, he was just much better at hiding it. "Which other matters? My father, my sister or the sand kingdom?" He let out the rhetorical question. For once, he wanted a problem to be solved before another one reared its ugly head.

"And I appreciate that uncle." Without him, Xu would probably just be left with the information that Xiurong and her friends got involved in some gang and he'd likely spend a night just gathering information from Raiko. He looked at the doors then back at the captain. "Now let's see how much my sister will appreciate the action after what had happened."

“You absolutely must not go, Prince Xu!” Captain Beifong exclaimed with wide eyes, placing his left hand on the door knob. “The department will surely receive backlash from the empire if they find out we sent the crown prince into a dangerous mission. We will get sued!” It wasn’t that he didn’t have enough confidence in Xu's skills- he would know best just how capable his former student was. It was just that Xu’s title came with a tremendously heavy weight.

“Please promise me you won’t go.” His hulking frame was blocking the way inside, and it was clear that there was only one way for him to step aside.

"It's my kingdom uncle. What I do in it is my business… and I suppose the Lord Regent's but he's busy." He gave him another shrug. "You're not the one sending me on this mission, I'm making sure the Earth Empire is safe from an outside source." Xu started at him, for a moment mildly annoyed that he had to crane his neck upwards just to do it. Captain Beifong remained unmoved, his eyes squinting at the prince. A few seconds came to pass when Xu sighed. Perhaps stubbornness did run in the family.

"Fine, I won't go." Xu conceded. "But your best bet to get to the Swamp fast is through my airship. I'll drop them off there."

Guiren wagged his finger in front of Xu and clicked his tongue. “Ha! Unfortunately for you they’re not heading to the swamp. The Chief pointed them to the gang’s headquarter itself, near the Empire and Republic’s border.” He finally took a step to the side and placed his hands on his hips, looking satisfied.

"Wow, how dare you." Xu flatly said, letting out a chuckle as he aimed a kick right at the captain's shins. "You're an ass." He continued jokingly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Jia stepped forward and looked at Guiren in the eyes. "Don't worry, Captain Beifong. I'll keep the Prince out of trouble." She said earnestly, looking at Xu with a hint of a glare. She knew that Xu won't actually stop at this, she didn't like lying to such a sweet man but if the Prince wanted to follow his sister so be it. She'll keep him safe either way, she is his retainer after all.

"Well there you have it uncle. My own retainer's word." The prince wasn't too bothered by Jia's glare. He got used to it after a while, and he was sure that Jia wouldn't say anything against him if he did decide to follow the group. "Now…" He faced the door before looking back at Guiren. "Maybe you should open it, captain."

Captain Beifong only stuck his tongue out at Xu, unfazed by his playful kick. “As you wish, your highness.” He retorted before pulling the door open- straight to the lion’s den.

. D O V E Xanto Flutterby Entity.Eclypse The Prophet

 

[Xanto]

Xian Zhao​

Xian's gaze never left the map. All they had to do was find what the Bone Crushers were developing, put a stop to it, and get a lead on the gang's big fish. Why not start now? He leaned against the table in a chill manner, blurring out the miscellaneous topics the rest of the group spoke about. Their time frame was small. That meant no disguising as gang members to undergo the whole process then earn their trust. Eh, but that didn't mean temporary disguise was out of the picture. Besides, they already had two people looking like Bone Crushers. Taka and Maizen could pretend to have gotten out of jail. Perhaps they'd each have to wrap some gauze around parts of their face since only imbeciles wouldn't recognize their own brothers. That and adequate reasoning could revolve around the beating a good number of them got earlier from Xiu.

No doubt they'd have to infiltrate the quarters. Add that they had to assume gang members were patrolling. Throwing a punch was easy, but the team also had to find out how to put a stop to the gang's developments. Xian moved a hand through his hair. That meant punching the right people, and capturing the right person. Additionally, they would probably get a lead on the big fish from there. Typically, the boss of a gang would be the only one knowledgeable about their primary investor anyway.

Two new strangers soon joined the group's conversation, an occurrence Xian hadn't quite noticed with an occupied mind.

At this point, clandestine operations were the way to go. "We fight. They run. Everyone does it over again," Xian finally said before lifting his gaze from the map, "But if we take their present leader, different story." He didn't care if people were listening or not. In all honesty, he'd pull through even on his own just to get Igoo back. Any added team member was a bonus.

"We need to infiltrate warehouse grounds, observe their production, and capture their standing leader. So we could put a stop to their production and get our lead," He pulled a picture up center of the Future Industries's current warehouse, "These places generally have the same layout." Xian gestured across the table accordingly, "Production unit, supply wing, engineering sector, break room, office, general operations floor." Naturally, the map would vary due to the geographical difference. Yet having a rough layout was still better than nothing. "We'll need to cover our tracks. Taka and Maizen go in as decoys of our captives from earlier today. Find out who the current standing leader is, and potentially their supplier. Relay to Yara," Xian placed the suspects' case files in front of them, casually brushing off the anger he previously felt toward Maizen. His nerves for the most part were chilled by then. Instead, the airbender was naturally forward-looking. It helped Maizen's case that he was with them in the first place. "Yara, watch their backs. You're dating them after all," Xian dryly noted, "It's a swamp so there's enough water around to assist should things go wrong. I'll send a contact for support. You'll be the glue making sure we're all on the same page." And last but not least . . "Xiu and I will infiltrate to observe the product, find out what it runs on, and operationally stop production." It was known that the two of them had been on their own roller coasters recently. Call it a strategic placement not pairing Xiu with her tea throwing suspect or one of the "strangers." Xian concluded, "The only thing that will officially stop production is tracking their standing leader. So Taka and Maizen, your parts are highly crucial."

"Any better ideas?" He paused, finally noticing the two newcomers somewhere along his side. The airbender's dark gray gaze momentarily shifted from the man before staying on his friend's chartreuse eyes, " . . How's it going?" Xian coolly nodded.

. D O V E AI10100 Colorless Spectrum Flutterby The Prophet Entity.Eclypse

 

[The Prophet]

Maizen Tosuda
interactions: Team Avatar​

Point to note: Remember your father.

After a surprisingly good meal with an unexpected duo, Maizen was admittedly excited to write his mother on the day's events. While his mother was happy he'd managed to make something good out of something so worrisome, his father had other ideas as he inevitably learned about it; likely from the letter the youth sent his mother. He'd gotten a separate message from his father, informing him of a large boost in his allowance and a 'request' to continue tagging along such an eccentric group for the inevitable…opportunity that this could give rise to given the potential behind it. While it left a slightly sour taste in his mouth, he was hardly in a position to refuse his father of all people. And so here he stood, gathered with the people he'd become acquaintanced with over the last 24 hours.

This operation seemed simple on the surface, however expectedly he faced some pushback from the avatar. Humor on their acquaintanceship aside, Maizen responded calmly, if not a little devoid of interest. "Jokes aside, for the mistake on my own part yesterday, I would like to offer my aid in rectifying it. I assure you, I won't be a hindrance. " He quite obviously spoke nothing of his other goals, and found Xiurong's own goals interesting in turn. It seemed that there were quite a bit of things he would have to learn about the Earth Kingdom, beginning with its politics. Thinking over the plan of action in his head once more, he turned to the map provided and did his own study. He certainly wasn't used to hanging around criminals and he wasn't a fan of playing long established roles, but it shouldn't be difficult. As long as he didn't slip up, he could be in and out. "Alright, I believe I can play the role of a criminal. Though obviously it would be best we did this as quickly as possible. I'd hate for-" at that moment he looked over his shoulder at the door just as it opened to reveal two strangers and the familiar Captain. For a moment pale orbs watched the two newcomers for an indication of their identity or status, before turning to give the captain a slight bow. "Ah, Captain. A pleasure." He offered pleasantly, deciding to play it safe and start with who he knew. If these two were here, it meant they were involved with one or more of the party and he was likely to get an inkling as to who in a few short moments.

 

[. D O V E]

XIURONG BEIFONG
7 /18/ 264 AG
​

Xiurong narrowed her eyes at Yara upon hearing her response, clearly displeased at the healer's flat, sarcastic response. "Wonderful news," she cracked a sardonic smile, "I knew you'd look lovely with a few burnt hair. Let's count how many more lovers you'd get if I burn them all." A small fire flared at the tip of her right, index finger before she snuffed it out with her breathe. "Just kidding." Once that was said and done, the Avatar moved her attention to the man who first ruined her royal outfit with his blood.

"Taki, wasn't it? You're quite presumptuous, aren't you?" Xiurong regarded the man with a raised brow and a mild smirk; she looked genuinely amused. She didn't what gave the man the idea that he was relevant enough for their paths to cross. Did Igoo hit his head that hard? Regardless, her eyes followed his movement and she soon found herself staring at the photo of the alleged tracks. A question quickly followed the sight, one that urged her to glance at the ceiling in thought. "Vehicle prototype...," she murmured as her eyes squinted as though the blandly grey surface held the answer. There was barely anything worth remembering from the events three months ago. All she could recall was punching both stuff and people as they came her way. "Oh," her face brightened up with an idea as she lowered her gaze back to Taka, "there was this half-baked, weird contraption I destroyed in their old hideout three months ago. It was rather sizeable, about the size of two or so tanks. The lower half looked finished, and they were working on the upper part when I arrived. They were attaching this large, long tube onto its front which honestly looked like a camelelephant's trunk. I never knew what it was for, perhaps to crush and suck the bones out of people?"

Afterwards, Xian began unfurling his plan and Xiurong quieted down to hear him out. Despite her abrasive nature, the Avatar was actually capable of listening. In moments like this, when people were laying out the battlefield, Xiurong's role has always been clear. She was a piece, never a player. Usually, she'd be silently seething, but Xian was the one speaking so she could stomach the ordeal. The discussion smoothly went by, with Xian explaining each of their parts before Maizen piped up for his addendum, although she immediately got distracted by the slight tremors of approaching footsteps and hushed voices from the other side of the room. It was in moments like this when Xiurong felt ungrateful for her seismic sense and sensory trainings.

The Avatar sat still like a statue when the door was eventually pushed open and the rest of the occupants moved their gazes to the new arrivals. It was only after everyone was done addressing the newcomers did she slowly crane her neck to look at them over her shoulder. If looks could kill then Xiurong would be celebrating becoming an only-child right that instance.

"Xu," she hissed with such venom; it was almost tangible. Her ire-filled gaze then found its way to the short figure by his side, as expected. Unlike the prince, however, Xiurong didn't even acknowledge Jia's presence. The mere sight of the duo reminded her of everything which led to these circumstances. These disgraceful cowards had the audacity to show their faces to her after everything. "What are they doing here, Guiren?"

"Captain Beifong." The named man corrected, causing Xiurong to stand up from her seat and approach the hulking captain with slow, menacing steps. She stopped when she was but a step from him, expression darker than usual, before she pressed her index finger against his chest.

"You're neither of those."

Silence overcame the officer as a single bead of sweat rolled from his temple. The start of a flush tinted his cheeks as he creased his brow and looked at everywhere but the occupants. A resigned look eventually settled on his face and he brushed off the female's hand before turning and walking off towards her brother. He placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'll be outside if you need me." He weakly murmured, completely devoid of his earlier cheeriness. "The department prepared outfits and equipment for everyone. Just proceed to the changing room once you're done discussing." He added, directed to everyone, before exiting with a gentle click of the door.

A triumphant smirk etched on Xiurong's features afterwards. The encounter made her feel powerful. No, it reminded her that she was powerful. She could only hope it did the same for her twin and everyone in the room. "What a joke," came her dry remark as her feet brought her back to her seat. She swiveled it so that she was now facing the prince and the Dai Li.

"Intriguing. If I remember correctly, you loathed seeing me so much you banished me from our lands." She crossed her legs and feigned interest on what was going on underneath her fingernails. Suddenly, her face brightened up just like before when an idea hit her, "Oh, wait, that wasn't you. You don't have the guts for that... or for nearly anything, really." She clicked her tongue. "You even brought your little babysitter."

"Are you here to beg for my return? Or did you simply miss your sister?" Xiurong innocently smiled, fluttering her lashes twice.

AI10100 Colorless Spectrum Xanto Flutterby Entity.Eclypse The Prophet

 

[AI10100]

B E I F O N G , X U
Interacting with: Colorless Spectrum . D O V E Xanto Flutterby Entity.Eclypse The Prophet
Location: Police Department HQ, Republic City​

Xu watched as they spoke about the plan. He counted the people inside - so the three names were with them after all. He leaned on the doorframe as he waited, closing his eyes for a moment. His hands were behind his back once again as his mind whirled with what he was supposed to say. Tell her about the Sand Kingdom and how they're still waiting on her? The fact that the Sand Kingdom wasn't going to go into war with the Earth Empire because of their little mistake? Or that Bao was now off exterminating a bunch of bugs for the Sand Kingdom - happy that he would be able to fight something after so long. A position such as a regent would have certainly been enticing to anyone who wasn't as battle hungry as their current one.

He opened his eyes when they finished, pushing himself off the door frame. He already had a couple of things to say and to not invoke any antagonism towards his sister... however impossible of a task that may seem. It was just something about her demeanor, her choice of words, that just seemed to strike Xu just enough to forget whatever speech he had created and it just falls to them fighting again.

Her reaction to their uncle seemed to strike another chord in Xu. A pang of anger. But he made no move as Xiurong got closer to their uncle. "Goodbye uncle." He gave him a tight-lipped smile. Xu owed many things to Guiren and seeing him disrespected in such a way was something he normally didn't want to let slide. But now wasn't the time to fight his sister again.

He had to bite down his tongue as Xiurong spoke. It was impossible with this girl. Instead, his mouth spread into a serene smile. "Oh of course I miss you. This is the longest we've been together in such a long time that it felt so lonely without you." The words slipped out of his mouth and he took back nothing. "Though, I am also here to continue to aid you in the search for our father. Again, you're not the only one who is worried about him."

He raised his hands to clap them together, the smile not going away. "Oh and I bring great news from the Sand Kingdom. Their request was to merely have another city - which the Lord Regent is currently doing. Si Wong Rock would soon be part of the Sand Kingdom, at the expense of our own soldiers." Even with his smile, there was no joy in his voice. He did not doubt the ability of the Earthbenders of his empire, but the buzzards were deadly. There was a reason it was left alone for so long. But it was a small price to pay for the pardon.

He turned to Yara. "If everything goes well, you will be pardoned." It was a shame they couldn't just pull her out from the blame, but her lack of presence during the meeting certainly didn't help with her case.

"Ah, but my dear sister, you're still on her radar. But we weren't sent after you. Technically we are, but we're not contractually obligated to bring you back. Technically." His tone certainly wasn't that of a threat, more like a nonchalant comment. "In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if she sends after a couple of people to retrieve you. But, ah, well I'm sure that will be no problem for you, hm?"

"It does seem that you have more problems than that though. But my airship is still in your service." He scanned the others in the room, giving them a small bow of his head. He wondered which name goes to which. He also wondered if Raiko's cousin was among these people - the owner of the bison and all.

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

Jia Xiaodan

Upon coming inside, the first thing she laid her eyes to was Xiurong. The woman didn't even acknowledge her when they finally noticed them, but Jia was used to it but that didn't make her immune to being angry. Oh, how she stared at the Avatar with an almost-equally spleen stare. She quickly flitted her gaze over to Yara, bowing her head in the waterbender's direction in greeting, but really she didn't want pent up feeling to flare inside her chest.

She took note of the other three people in the room, just about their age, and taking note of their faces while she listened to Xiurong spoke harshly to Guiren. Everything that came out of Xiurong's mouth is grating to her ears, irritating to hear. He doesn't deserve being told such things, but she kept her lips sealed. She knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of the Avatar's toxic words and even if someone came to her aid it would just make matters worse.

The Prince had said his piece to his sister and gave a small bow of his head to the others so did she, her mind tried to compare the three male figures in the room, wondering if Raiko's cousin as there and which of them is the owner of the bison. The plan mentioned earlier seemed sound, if things went well once it's executed. Her chartreuse eyes looked to Xian, answering his question as it never was by Xu. She shrugged and said uninterestingly, "It's been fine, thank you." She stated as placidly as always, her face didn't break the dullness she wore since she got here.

mention: Xu AI10100 Xiurong . D O V E Yara Flutterby Maizen The Prophet Taka Entity.Eclypse || interaction: Xian Xanto

 

[Flutterby]

Yara only glanced up from looking for the newspaper for about half a heartbeat to see Xiu lighting her hand on fire again and "jokingly" threatening her hair again.
"Don't threaten allies, Xiurong- it makes you seem incompetent in a social setting." She murmured, as she turned her gaze back to the table and picked up what she was looking for. She forced her tone into one she remembered from her childhood- that of her father's patient reminders.

She expected an irate response from the exiled princess, but instead the attention in the room shifted as the door opened. To her surprise, Xu and Jia entered with the captain. Less surprising was Xiurong's reaction to it.
The corner of Yara's nose twitched as she watched Captain Beifong leave, completely deflated. She couldn't help but wonder how one statement had been so effective. Clearly, there was even more family history she was unaware of.
Honestly, the White Lotus really should beef up their dossier if they want this to go better.

Yara quickly returned Jia's nod in greeting, given the Dai Li a small raise of the eyebrows as well.
Look where we ended up, Jia, in the same kind of mess we were running from. Surprise, surprise, right?

When Xu spoke, she couldn't help but offer a small smile. It would've been bigger, but she was still actively stuffing down feelings to remain in Xiurong's presence. It was still full of warmth, though, and so was her voice when she thanked him.
"I appreciate your consideration of me in the negotiations, as will my family."
And then, realizing that the room now included strangers for both parties, she took a moment and glanced back at Maizen and Taka.

"Um. This is Prince Xu of the Earth Kingdom, and his retainer, Jia." She looked indicated Maizen and Taka in turn, saying, "This is Taka, an old acquaintance of mine, and Maizen Tosuda. They're lending a hand with this."
She pressed her lips together and pulled the corners back into an uncertain smile. The details of their presence weren't necessary, so she could only hope they wouldn't ask.

"So.. should we get a move on or..?" Yara turned her gaze to Xiurong and Xian, making an attempt at cheerful but falling to neutral, as the tension in the room started to make her spine prickle.
Interactions: . D O V E Colorless Spectrum AI10100 The Prophet Xanto Entity.Eclypse

 

[Xanto]

Xian Zhao​

So this was the trio Xiu was part of. Xian rubbed the back of his neck as he raised a brow at the little scene. In less than a minute, they managed to run down the avatar's stressful to-do list: Sand Kingdom, gang mission, and father search. None of which could be taken lightly, all of which were relayed through forms of passive aggression. He could almost feel her nerves rising from where he stood- "One step at a time, Xiu," His voice calmly resounded as he placed a file down onto the table. Xian then shifted his gaze to the two newcomers. "Your highness," The guy respectively acknowledged both with formal salutes, "Ma'am." No mistake the man was Xiu's brother after they called each other siblings. Meanwhile, the other acquaintance conducted herself very much as Xiu portrayed her Dai Li acquaintance.

"If you need to be somewhere else, we can take it from here," Xian stated, glancing at Xiu before returning his gaze to Xu and Jia, "Though if you two are willing to join us, an airship ride near the swamp would be appreciated." The location wasn't too far by air to be honest. A gentle angle of the map upon the table was enough for them to see that it would only take 20 minutes at most to arrive at the closest airship dock. Xian accordingly twisted the map in their direction. Easy task, no strings attached.

That's when Yara took care of introductions . . well, most of them. Xian caught her gaze, recognizing her attempt to lighten the mood. A for effort. Though, it'd take more than that to divert whatever tension was up in the air. "Cap mentioned the department has equipment for us. We'll head to the changing rooms first, then get started," Xian replied to Yara before redirecting his attention back to the two. "Xian, by the way," He mentioned, hovering his attention over Xu until it paused at Jia. Her face despite its seriousness, somehow earned a warm vibe from the guy. So much so that he didn't notice a corner of his lip curve into a slight smile, "Pleasure to meet you two."

. D O V E AI10100 Colorless Spectrum Flutterby The Prophet Entity.Eclypse

 

[Entity.Eclypse]

Taka
Mentions/Interactions: . D O V E AI10100 Colorless Spectrum Flutterby Xanto The Prophet ​

At the avatar's failed attempt to say his name, Taka glanced up from the documents and looked to her with a small smile of his own. At the description of the prototype, his humming went entirely silent, leaning forwards slightly if only to better hear the description. 'To crush and suck the bones out of people? Are they cannibals or something?' He couldn't help but raise a brow in concern for the idea, if this group had eaten people then they were a bigger threat than he'd believed beforehand. But if that had been the case, there was no way that the city would allow them out of the prisons- let alone allow them back into the city. It hadn't taken much longer for the haze of criminal thoughts to be pulled away, and instead, a more logical topic came to air.

While Taka had been listening intently to Xian's plan of action, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the matter baring down on the room. He felt as though he were trapped within a pot, the lid being forced down far more than he could care to struggle against it. Yet at the same time, it was a big responsibility that they were all taking on and if even one person messed up the entire plan would go to ruin. After briefly glancing at the building schematics, he made haste in looking into the files on their prime suspects. The more they knew about these 'big shots' the better chance they'd have at taking them down or at least seizing their means of production. After a moment the sound of the doors shifting upon their hinges drew his attention from the file, delicately he placed the file back beside the map once again. Three figures had found their way into the room, and almost immediately Taka could feel as his proverbial pot rose to a boil.

In mere seconds the captain of the police was steamed and left the room, the other two remained though they seemed more resolute to hold their station within the room. "That seemed unnecessary..." He muttered quietly, though any noise he made was soon swallowed up by the bickering of the royal siblings contesting one another. Yara took the liberty of handling the introductions, as her statement came to a close he would bow to the bold prince and his stone-faced retainer. "An honor to meet both of you." His gaze lingered on each of them for a moment, the mention of an airship had immediately lit the spark of curiosity in his chest. But that played second fiddle to the overwhelming tension that filled the room as of the current moment.

Shortly after Yara and Xian were once more trying to lift the lid off, relieving whatever pressure they could from the room. It was honestly bizarre to think that they were already trying to break up the group after being around one another for less than ten minutes. Whatever bad blood was spilled between this group seemed to drown even the seriousness of the situation at hand- in their minds at least. "Given that time is of the essence, and the department is offering us equipment for this escapade, I hate to agree that we may need to cut the reunions short." He offered the suggestion with an uncertain expression before moving back from the seat once more. "I'm off to see what we're working with." this statement came across with less volume, he had no need to really pull focus to himself for that. Cautiously he moved towards the door, offering one more nod of his head to the two newcomers before leaving the room in its entirety.

As he went off in search of the changing rooms he could feel as beads of sweat began to trail down his neck, 'Spirits protect whoever gets stuck in that room.' Even in the case that he got horrendously lost and had to get assistance from the officers, it was far better than getting his head bit off from sticking in that room too long. Sometimes taking a risk and sticking around was good, this did not feel like one of those times.

 

[The Prophet]

Maizen Tosuda​

Ah, there it was. Family.

Watching the newly introduced Jia and Xu interact with the resident Avatar wasn't something he expected, not due to the meeting itself but the relationship they seemed to share. Watching the back and forth, not to mention Xiu's interaction with the captain gave a peculiar impression of their family, though he hoped this wasnt the norm. It would be much too stressful if so. It was…. interesting if anythingto watch them bicker, and by way of Yara's introduction he gave a slight bow. Might as well greet the duo since they were present.

"It is as Yara said, though allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Maizen Tosuda, though feel free to call me however you'd like. It's good to meet you both." He opened, leaving a faint smile to play on his lips whilst he rose back to his full height. "We were just going over how we'd handle this, and I couldn't really object if you wanted to offer your aid. I'm just an actor in this play, after all." Maizen added, flashing yet another small smile before motioning to the materials thrown about the table. "Take a look if you'd like, though I believe we're getting ready to move." Referencing the talk of the changing rooms as Taka made his exit, the pale youth smoothly slid past the two newcomers and paused in the door frame. "I think we're in a hurry, so we'll have to chat after we've dealt with the rabble. Shall we?"

With his words of departure, Maizen shut the door and saved himself from the mess that was their family drama. Taking slow movements away from the door to give any tagalongs time to catch up, Maizen also made his way to the dressing rooms devoid of the smile from earlier and sighing at the siblings relationship. "Here's hoping no tea is thrown this time, or the station would be in embers."

At least the brother and his guard seemed pleasant in of themselves.

 

[. D O V E]

XIURONG BEIFONG​

Every word coming out of Xu's mouth were like the screeches of nails on a chalkboard. She hated her brother so much. Every single inch of him was appalling to her. So, when he told her he missed her, she didn't even try to hide the disgust in her face. "Really now? Last time I checked you didn't really care when I got exiled." Her eyes darted to Jia afterwards. She could still recall when the Dai Li averted her gaze downwards. The anger she felt blocked everything the rest of the occupants had said- even Xian's assuring words.

"Ah, yes, Zhaodan, you're too small I almost didn't notice you standing there." The grin which formed on her lips was laced with pure malice. "I'm sure you're itching to know how wonderful being actually exiled is." The short earthbender almost faced the same fate as her when they were way younger. The only difference was that Xiurong had the spine to stand up for Jia. A big part of the Avatar wished she never did.

"And please, dear brother, do us all a favor and stop lying. You don't care for father. If you did, then he wouldn't have had disappeared right under your nose. Besides, why would you care for someone who never cared for you? You were nothing but a defunct and shoddy spare button to him." She threw her hands up in the air. "I mean just look at you! You helped our father's abductor become more powerful. You surrendered Si Wong Rock and used our own resource to make it more pretty for the devil queen." She aggressively gestured at the large map on the table. "Look! The Earth Empire and our allies surround the Desert Kingdom. Do you really think she's in the position to wage war? And even if she's dumb enough to, our more advanced military arsenals would have obliterated her forces-"

Suddenly, Xiurong stopped in her track like a deer caught in the headlights as realization dawned upon her. She, the Avatar, was suggesting destruction. It was against everything she was taught of.

"I'm-," the world's worst Avatar. "I'm not scared of Queen Rasha, or anyone. I don't care who she sends after me. Her assassins, the regent, or you," she laughed at the nonexistent prospect of Xu capturing her, "none of you can defeat me. You should know, you tried it before. I would advise against it though, because this time?" She stood up from her seat and drew closer, "this time mother's not here to save you." She smirked. "Leave, Xu. I don't need dead weights in my team."

"Everyone else! Get yourselves ready, we're leaving in ten." And with that, the Ughvatar exited and made her way for the changing room.

AI10100 Colorless Spectrum Xanto Flutterby

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

Jia Xiaodan

Of course, she wouldn't accept the offer of help. Jia didn't find that surprising. After the other two people left and pleasantries were said, Jia could only see Xian as someone who couldn't read the thickness of the tension there was in that very room, whilst Yara seemed to want to avoid any sort of confrontation. But that was impossible, there will always be some form of confrontation with the three of them together.

When Xiurong's attention fixed on the Dai Li, she met it with her own chartreuse-colored eyes. Inside Jia wished that the exiled Princess continued to ignore her because nothing good came out of the taller woman's mouth. And she was right. Zhaodan, on being called a name that wasn't her own was infuriating in it itself but she had to add salt on how it felt to be exiled.

Every word laced with spite, it made Jia angry. Especially when the Avatar had started spouting nonsense about her brother once again. She tried to remain calm, but she could feel her shoulders shudder with emotion that she was barely containing anymore. Why was she bottling up her feelings again? Besides, Xiurong was right, the prospect of being exiled... It did seem wonderful, if only she knew that back then when she was a child.

Just before the Avatar completely left the room, Jia found the gall to reach for the other's wrist. Her bright-colored eyes seemed darker than before, her grip was tight, and her voice held a distance like never before. "Exiled..." She said almost like a whisper before she grabbed the other's shirt so that their faces were in close proximity.

"I wish... You hadn't stood up for me that day." Her voice was so steady that even she couldn't believe it herself. "I wish you looked away like the way I did when you were exiled. You must be thinking, I have no spine but that isn't the case. I just simply don't care anymore, our friendship ended on your twelfth birthday after all."

All these words were the result of the anger that was ignored for so long. It didn't feel good letting it out because she knew that half, if not less, of what she was saying was a lie. It hurt, and in some way she wanted Xiurong to hurt too, she wished that it would work. "I regret talking to you, I regret becoming your friend, I regret how much I adored you when we were young, I regret that I still care afterward."

Jia let go, her eyes had now become glossy with tears that threatened to leave. One last look, one of pure anger and disgust. "I hate you, Xiurong Beifong." She said to the Avatar, but to her, it was a reminder of what she should be feeling. "I'll be waiting outside, Prince Xu." Without another word she left, asking for her metal fans then headed straight for outside, if someone called for her she didn't hear it, tuning everything out completely.

There was no in-between, burying her emotions was tiring and so was letting it out. She formed her fist tighter, lamenting that she let her agitation get the best of her. Tears rolled down her cheeks, if only she could stop it. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and removed the scarf that was wrapped around her neck. A part of her did wish that the things she said were true, while a part of her didn't.

"She was the one that said goodbye, not me." Her words were whimpered but heavy with sadness as she looked down at the concrete with gravity on her face.

mention: Xu AI10100 Yara Flutterby Xian Xanto Taka Entity.Eclypse Maizen The Prophet || interaction: Xiurong . D O V E

 

[Flutterby]

Yara caught Xian's gaze, and wondered if he was aware of how.. volatile the room had just become. Because to her, they were all teetering on the edge of death again- the hairs at the nape of her neck were standing on end, and her hand had come up to rest in the crook of her water skin, not on the stopper but close. She gave him a small nod, almost an apology for not realizing he didn't know the other two already, but the effect was ruined by the tension forming in her shoulders.
That tension only lessened slightly as Taka and Maizen left the room, to go get changed, out of harm's way at least a little. She turned to follow, expecting they would all being doing so, when Xiurong's voice began again.
Yara's jaw clenched, and she stopped, waiting for her charge to be done pushing people's buttons.

After the first few sentences, Yara was somewhere between annoyed and disappointed. It wasn't until Xiurong honed in on Queen Rasha, and how easy it would be to wipe the Sand Kingdom off the map.. Yara's eyes widened slightly, and her free hand clenched into a fist. Had Xiurong only been the princess of the Earth Kingdom, Yara wouldn't have batted an eye at such talk. But as the Avatar, to express so clearly her desire to simply obliterate the Sand Kingdom's forces.. well, that definitely wasn't in the White Lotus's curriculum for the Avatar.

And then it happened. Jia broke. Yara didn't know what she had expected of that moment, the moment when Xiurong had pushed the Dai Li too far, but it wasn't that. The amount of venom, of anger, took Yara aback. Especially to see it expressed by someone whose patience, resolve, and resilience she had come to respect.
Not that she had any room to judge- she had tossed cold tea at the Avatar just hours ago.

As Jia left the room, Yara shook her head slowly. She let her own disgust, tinged with disappointment instead of anger, show on her face. How the White Lotus had deemed Xiurong ready to serve the world, she would never understand.
"Socially incompetent." She muttered to herself, and took a few steps toward the door. She couldn't fix the past the trio shared, but she could fix the mistakes that had been made that day. That was all she could hope to do, for now.
Interaction: Colorless Spectrum . D O V E Xanto AI10100

 

[AI10100]

B E I F O N G , X U
Interacting with: Colorless Spectrum . D O V E Xanto Flutterby Entity.Eclypse The Prophet
Location: Police Department HQ, Republic City​

Xu gave a small nod of acknowledgment to those that were introduced, a bit pleased to place a face on the names they had read.

But his attention was quickly snatched back by his sister - every single one of their formalities and snide remarks melting away for more direct approaches. But he stood there, staring at her and while the rapid beating of his heart, the thoughts that raced a mile a second betrayed the calm facade he chose to don as he took remark after remark. He bit his tongue at the directed attack at his retainer - her first friend - and only flashed a sidewards look to her. But Xiurong had not stopped there. She steamrolled through the entire conversation.

One of the downsides of growing up with someone as close as he did with Xiurong was that she knew exactly what buttons to push, she knew exactly where the chinks of his armor was, she knew the sore spots that would elicit a reaction from him. And Xiurong was right - not once had he felt any sort of parental love from their father as the man opted to focus more on Xiurong than him, sometimes flat out ignoring him most of the time. He would have been a blind fool to think otherwise. It was a fact he had accepted so long ago - it didn't mean that it still didn't hurt when reminded of it.

It was Xiurong's blunder, however, that really caused a shift in Xu. He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. War? The Avatar - embodiment of peace - suggesting that war would have been a better option than peace? Was she aware of what she was saying? All the innocents who would be swept up in a war that could be resolved without bloodshed. Something that could have been quickly stopped if they didn't rush into pointing fingers. "Sometimes, I wonder what would befall our kingdom if you were in my position." He muttered, low enough that it could have been barely heard by the people around him.

Xu wasn't even aware that his hands were behind his back, feeling idiotic of leaving behind his arsenal - every single one of his weapons given up to the department. He stared at Xiurong and his guarded expression fell - a flash of fear running through him as he felt like he was a kid again. That he was faced with the cold, unfeeling stare Xiurong had given him. He opened his mouth to respond, to say something against it - but Jia had spoken first - surged towards Xiurong to grab her. He hadn't seen this much emotion from her since they were children, still wide-eyed and unbothered.

The anger she felt was palpable as she spat word after word towards Xiurong. Somewhere deep inside Xu, he knew he was proud that Jia had finally let go of the words she had been biting back all these years. Once she had said her piece, she left without giving Xiurong or anyone a chance to respond.

"My airship is your best bet to getting closer without being recognized as being sent by Republic City and is something that can ensure you a faster escape. I'm not telling you I'll participate in your infiltration, but I still have something of better use by the docks. And you're right, I'm not looking for our father because he's our father. I'm looking for him because he's our emperor. I recognize that he would do an infinitely better job than I or our lord regent will ever do so the faster we get him back, the faster the Earth Kingdom can settle back to how it has always been." He looked like he wanted to add something but shook his head and left the room. He eyed Yara who had stayed for the entire exchange and gave her a tight-lipped smile as he collected his weapons from the counter and leaving to find Jia.

 

[. D O V E]

Republic City Outskirt
7 /18/ 264 AG
11:58pm
​

Midnight was slowly closing upon the group when they finally arrived. The night's veil, the towering trees, and their dark silhouettes provided ample discretion for the prince's ship and his sister's griffin as both descended onto an open patch amidst the forestry. It was no surprise that the Avatar refused to ride in the vehicle. She has repeatedly expressed her hatred for her brother's presence after all, and things only worsened after his Dai Li's outburst. Once Xiurong realized Xu was adamant on poking his nose into this ordeal, she didn't shy away from approaching him with a deal:

"Fine. Since you're so keen on pretending to be useful, I'll let you take the group to the location. But promise me one thing: we're cutting ties after this operation."

Xiurong believed it was for the good of everyone. She knew he and Jia didn't want to see her much more than she wanted to see them. The mere sight of them boiled her blood; she didn't know how long she'd be able to keep herself from losing her patience completely. The last thing she needed right now was more proof of her being the so-called Worst Avatar.

A sigh escaped her lips as she hopped off Nightwing and gave his chin a few scratches. It was only after the griffin released a pleased sound did her gaze wandered around their surroundings.

The place didn't look much different from the photographs the department had provided. There were tall trees everywhere while foliage and mud stained their boots. Gentle hoots and chirps could be heard from a distance while the moon gleamed above them. Beyond a row of thick shrubs to the East, however, was a perceivable structure. It was a sizeable building made of aging, grey bricks with mosses and vines creeping all over its sides.

"There's the Bone Crusher's headquarters. Strange, I don't see any vehicles parked in the area." She didn't see any while she was scouting on air either. Regardless, it should be of no issue. If anything, it probably meant there were less people inside the abandoned warehouse right now.

She drew away from the shrub and faced the rest, hands on her hips as her typical frown descended on her features. "Quick review of everyone's roles: Taki and Snowflake over there will be posing as Bone Crusher members," she eyed the two men who were wearing the disguise prepared by the department, "Xian, Yara, and I will be entering through the vents on the roof. Yara will remain in the vents to watch over her boyfriends and relay information while Xian and I will destroy whatever they're concocting in there." Finally, her attention went to Jia and Xu. "The two of you can keep Nightwing entertained." She ordered with a deadpan.

Xiurong then fished something out of her pocket. "Use the transceivers for communication. Alert me if anything goes wrong. But please, for Spirit's sake, try not to mess up. I don't want to jeopardize the mission's success just to save any of your hides."

Flutterby The Prophet Entity.Eclypse AI10100 Xanto Colorless Spectrum