This is a story in the universe of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and is meant to be a sequel to Book 3: Fire in the storyline in the television show. The first story (The Green Standard) is meant to act like one of the episodes in the show, with each chapter representing a specific scene or series of scenes. If all goes well, I hope to have a whole "book" finished in the Air series.
The brim of the tall man's hat hid his eyes from the passersby on the street. He held it down, and walked briskly to the Smoldering Dragon, the disregarded tea shop in the inner wall of Ba Sing Se. The shop was darkly lit, now harboring the more unfortunate cases. Appearances usually didn't help the tea shop's business, as travelers would often mistake the shop for a sake joint, and would prominently leave upon learning otherwise.
The business was further hindered by the fact that the signature tea, named Boiling Serpent, was revolting. There were a number of instances when the waiter had to dodge out of the way of the tea being spewed out of a customer's mouth. But the Boiling Serpent tea was exactly what the stranger with the large-brimmed hat planned to drink.
The man entered the shop and took a step towards the Pai Sho table, which was occupied by another man. The stranger noticed the sitting man had a wide face, a wide nose that almost looked as if he could shoot steam from out of them, thin wispy hair, and a long goatee that almost reached down to his stomach.
The stranger motioned to the chair in front of him. "May I have a game?"
The man with the goatee smiled. "I would be honored," he said as the stranger in the large brimmed hat sat down. "Master Komodo."
Komodo smiled, "Well, I guess money doesn't buy the amount of anonymity it once did."
The other man smiled back, "No, you need much more of it in peacetime." He withdrew a Pai Sho tile from his sleeve and put it onto cross-section of the table that intersected with the direct middle of the surface. The small circular piece had a picture of a faded green orb on it.
Komodo then drew out the White Lotus tile and placed it cattycornered next to the Green Orb tile. In one quick movement, the man with the goatee slid the Green Orb tile, knocked the White Lotus tile off the table, and caught it on the other end with blinding speed. He then took the tile in his hand and crumbled it with his fingers.
"Who knocks at the garden gate?" asked Komodo.
"One who has tasted the fruit and renounced the flower which clings to it."
"Welcome brother of the Green Standard. Down with the White Lotus."