Four years have passed in relative, tentative peace between all nations. Benders and non-benders alike have begun the slow process of be building their homes and lives. The war is over, but there are tensions between those that remain. The earth kingdom has become a key piece in the rebuilding, while the fire nation has retreated from all others to settle matters within it's own borders. The water nation has all but vanished, and the Avatar remains within the earth kingdom. Within the walled city of Ba Sing Se, it has become something of a common notion for those seeking work to come here. It is no different now as a new wave of arrivals come in by the trains and fresh faces seek to find their place.

Filtering out of the train that had just entered Ba Sing Se, were the latest wave of arrivals. Among them was an fresh faced young woman who gazed out at the city in wonder, and was dressed in the traditional blue and black with a bit of white of the water nation's people. She had wide eyes as she looked out to the city, with dark brow hair but clutched her bag tightly and her attire was adapted a bit for the warmer temperatures of the city. Her black sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and smiled as she ventured down into the streets, with her papers tucked into the bag around her shoulders. "Now to find work.." Nearby, a deep, dark red - haired boy walked out of the train after her. Bumping into her as he passed by without a word. He gave her a small look then continued walking by. She looked up at him. "Hey! -She started to walk over towards him.

Two men rushed out of the train looking around and growling. "Grr. Where did that kid go? He stole our money!"

She hurried to jog up to him, and tried to tap the boy on the shoulder. "Sorry to ask, but those two aren't looking for you, right?" She pointed to the men back by the train.

He blinked and shoved her back then quickly rushed into the crowd as the two men followed. "Thief! Capture him quickly." He looked as two earth benders moved in sync and stepped on the ground causing earth pillars to rise up and encircle him. But, he quickly evaded the attack by jumping off the rock pillars and stood on a roof, smirking a bit. Then he hopped over the other side.

She stared at him in wonder after regaining her balance, but darted down a side alley, trying to get to the other side to see where he had gone. She circled round one of the buildings and came out on the street on the other side. He blinked, noticing her and dashed off through a crowd of people slipping through them quickly. Only to bump directly into two earth-bender guards. "Drat!" They moved to grab him but he back-flipped into the crowd landing on a person's shoulder and went hopping shoulder to shoulder till he made it to a rooftop. He huffed, looking down at them. The guards shoved the crowd trying to get through but were muddled by the people. He smirked and hid behind the roof wall, sure that no one would have seen him.

She blinked, but noticed an empty cart propped up nearby. Getting a running start in the confusion of the guards, she ran up it onto one of the walls that connected the buildings together. She was trying to get a better view from higher up. She held her arms out and ran along the line of it towards the other roof carefully, before grabbing onto one of the tiles and pulling herself the rest of the way up. Crouching down, she hopped back down onto the street on the other side, unsure of where he had gone. "Ha..Guess he got away after all." She looked to the buildings around as an expression of confusion passed across her face. "Ah! Great.. just great." She grumbled loudly. "Now I have no idea where I am."

An earth bender guard walked over to her. "You there! Traveler!"

She blinked, looking over to him. "Yes?"

He smiled. "You seem to be lost. Do you need assistance? Where is your destination?"

She nodded. "I'm looking for an earth-bender named Toph. I'm supposed to pass on a message to her from the water tribes in the earth kingdom to pass on to a friend of hers. I heard she was visiting this city, so I came here."

He blinked. "Ah, the lady Toph is it? Currently, she is in a meeting with the King of earth-benders. As the king is a bit.. relaxed. His meetings would possibly take at least a few hours to end. I would advise taking this time to rest yourself from your trip till the meeting is done." He pointed to a large building far in the back of the streets. "The king is currently in his castle, but as I said, he may not be through with Lady Toph for some time. Also, be aware that there is a thief running around."

She nodded and bowed to him politely. "Thank you very much. I'll head that way then, so at the least maybe I could catch her when she's finished with the meeting." She gave a small wave and started to walk in that direction. She was discouraged, how ever, to not only find herself locked out of the castle grounds, but to find all her attempts to persuade the guards of about the sincerity of her message fruitless. They were hardened against her entry, having heard too many similar, false accusations in the past. Eventually, she settled down to sit with her back against the wall that lay across from one of the entrances. Sighing a bit, she scratched the side of her head lightly. "Well now what do I do..?"

The wall shook a bit as kids used earth-bending to pull panels of the wall and climb up on them. They changed each panel as a challenge to see who could make it to the top without falling. She was thrown off balance a bit by the shaking, but jumped to her feet and dusted herself off. "Geez, this city sure is big and active too.." Shaking her head, she stepped away from the wall, but watched the kids at moment curiously.

Whistles started to blow as the kids blinked and the guards left their post to chase them off. "Hey, you kids stop that! What do you think you're doing?"

She smiled, noticing this, and started to move towards the castle at a run, once having walked past them, while the guards were distracted. She slipped within the grounds, ducking behind one of the columns while more guards ran past towards the gates to help the others, and she slipped inside. She looked around, ducking and weaving as she tried to look for where Toph might be. She didn't plan to interrupt their meeting, only wait till Toph had left it outside once she found them. At least, that was her thought. After several tries on empty rooms, she pulled open a fourth door and peered in. A servant peered over at her. "Sorry, Miss, but the king is in a meeting right now. No visitors."

She smiled. "I have a message I need to deliver to Miss Toph.. Could you pass it on to her?"

The servant nodded. "Certainly miss." She handed it to him, and he took it, then promptly closed the door in her face.

She looked to the door in surprise for a moment, making several gestures with her hands in complaint, before she threw up her hands in defeat. The sound of breaking glass could be heard as a guard's scream rang out from the meeting room. "There's an intruder in the king's meeting room! They are attacking lady Toph!"

"W- What?!" She blinked, but yanked open the door, this time hurrying inside.

The man from before squared off with two guards who stood in front of Toph. They moved to strike sending small pieces of rock at him. But, he seemed to read their attacks and dodged them, then struck their pressure points. This caused them to freeze up and fall to the ground. He blinked, looking to her, then focused on Toph. "You are Lady Toph, the one who traveled with the avatar and defeated the Fire Nation, are you not? Prepare to die."

Toph gave a slight stomp of her foot on the ground. "Don't call me Lady! And, who are you? A chi blocker, that is noted. A revenge seeker? Maybe you're an old loyalist."

He shook his head and pulled back his arms. "Neither of them. I am a person who you never did anything to." He then rose his arms, sending a wave of flame towards her.

Toph stomped the ground quickly, forming a wall of earth between them, as she rose her arms up. She then carefully aimed parts of it part at him in a counter attack with earth-bending. "Then what is your problem? Why do you want me dead?"

He jumped up, barely dodging her attack and thrust his fist in a rapid motion, sending flames out of them at her. Then he gripped the top of the roof with his feet hanging on like a monkey. "I want to see how mad the avatar would be if I killed you all one by one."

Toph rapidly moved to pull earth around herself in a dome, blocking out the flames just barely in time, but glared. "So you just want to see if he'd get mad? How childish. What kind of crazy idea is that? Come down Monkey boy and face me" She then waved her arms, breaking off the part of the roof he clung to as it was made of earth.

He smirked and fell as she brought the part of the roof down, then aimed his hands down. "It is too bad you can't see my expression with your face being you have such smelly feet. But, maybe I can give you a hot foot!" He then sent a wave of flame down from his fists as it spread along the floor and burned sending waves outward in all direction.

The girl smirked, and shot up a rim of earth around herself to curve the flames away from herself. And then with a firm kick and help from her bending sent earth up in his direction, before breaking it apart into pieces so it was smaller boulders aimed at him. "Nice trick, but you're not the first fire bender I've faced." She took a burn along the side of her leg with a hiss, however, from doing so.

He blinked dodging most of the smaller boulders but one passed and cut his cheek. He growled, pulling away with his back at the window the held his cut and smiled. "You're every bit strong as I thought... and you are very cute when your mad. I'll rethink my plan and return later. Here is a goodbye present." He aimed his hand at her, then formed a fist. But, he suddenly pointed his two fingers out and aimed at the girl, sending a bolt of blue lightning out at her. Falling out the window as he did.

Toph blinked, but send a blast of earth towards the lightning, as she jumped out of the way of it, despite her burn. "Ow..! Damn it.."

The other girl turned back and hurried out through the doors, after seeing she was alright and went outside to try to see where he'd fallen. "Where did he go..?" Two guards were paralyzed as a figure leaped over the wall. Guards voices could be heard as they were both knocked out. She blinked. "How did he get away so fast..?"

He was seen far down the road, huffing out of breath and growled, looking as he was stuck at a dead end. "Grr... I'd have used the serums, if I knew she was that strong.. wow.. and what a girl.. impressive.. gnn.. my fingers.." He looked to them groaning. She hurried past the fallen guards as she took off down the road after him at a run. The girl blinked, but tried to creep towards him quietly once she started closing the distance a bit. He turned, looking to her and pulled back to the wall of the dead end. "You.."

She shook her head and held up her hands. "I'm not here to fight you.. are you alright? And I'm sorry for the trouble with the guys before, I didn't know they were really after you."

He growled. "What do you want?.."

She sighed. "Look, if I wanted to do anything, do you really think I would have chased you alone? I saw you fall out the window, all I know is, I came to see if you got hurt."

He blinked. "What? Why would you try to help someone who tried to kill you?"

She looked to him in confusion. "Well.. that doesn't matter..Would you really not help someone if they might need it just because of something they did?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Even if that someone was planning on hunting down all the avatars friends and killing them?"

She gave a small nod. "Even then. Though, I really don't get why you would want to do that. I could try to talk you out of it, but I suppose you wouldn't listen if your mind is made up. The best I can do is try to help you with what I can, and ask you why, before you head off. Or maybe try to stop you, but again, I shouldn't have come alone if it was that."

He closed his eyes. " ...I have no choice in the matter. My mother is being held hostage.. I am the best bender in my village.. but I couldn't see everything.."

She looked to him. "But then you are doing it to protect someone you care for..and it's not your fault, because you were forced into it."

He shook his head. "I was in line to be brought to the Fire Nation.. I was that good. In fact after passing the trials and going into being a soldier a general said I could be a Lieutenant in less than a day.. But.. then when my mom was captured, I came back to my village and met the ones who captured them.. a water bender leading them told me if I just did as he said he'd let her go.. so in turn.." He pulled out a small vial of brown water. " I was to be their little test.."

She tilted her head. "A test..? Is that water?"

He shook his head. "Apparently, it is purified bender energy. This one is earth."

She stared at him. "But how did they get purified bender energy..? And what is it for?"

He smirked and proceeded to drink the liquid then sighed and tossed the glass. After a moment of silence he stood up and rose his hand as the gravel around him started to rise. "The bender who gave me the vials was a blood bender. I'm not sure how but they took away the bending essence of all the types of benders. Apparently they were practicing.. at any rate.. I'm their assassin now.. for my mothers sake.."

Watching him in wonder, she nodded. "Blood bending is a forbidden form of water bending. They can force your body to move against your will. If this person can take away the bending essence.. they must be very dangerous as well."

He nodded, looking around. "That's why I can't go against them.. There's no way they will let me speak to the friends of the avatar or anyone for help.. They could already be watching us.. I guess the reason they haven't attacked us or did something about you is because they see you as no threat."

She blinked. "Well... that, or it's obvious I'm out of my element here." She motioned to her water tribe garb.

He turned away from her. "It is better if you don't watch.. and stay away from the area that the avatar's friend will be at." He rose the ground underneath his feet up and shot into the sky bouncing across buildings fleeing into the distance.

She looked to him in confusion, watching him dart off as he fled, but turned to run back down the road the way she'd come down it. She shook her head, heading back towards the palace grounds gates. Two guards approached her and looked around. "Did you find anything? Have you seen the assassin?"

She nodded. "I found him down the road that way but he fled after we spoke."

The two looked to each other, then nodded, walking over to her side by side. The first guard spoke. "You found him, eh..then you know to keep your mouth shut, right? Or else."

The other Guard grinned and nodded. "We'll be watching you.. you better not talk!"

She looked to them in surprise. "You.. You're a part of it?"

The first guard nodded. "We were sent here to see if the kid would fulfill his part. Looks like he maimed her but not enough. Next time he better do it."

The other guard glared to her. "..and you better not say a word, stranger."

She looked to them. "What happens if he can't?"

They laughed and walked off. "Then I guess he didn't care enough about his family."