Title: Gabannome
Rating: M
Summary: It's not easy living in Republic City. If you wanna live here, you got to be fast. You got to be bold, daring even. You got to be willing to take risks. Because if you can't catch up with Republic City, you'll just get eaten alive.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or the Legend of Korra characters. The original characters, however, are my own.
Gabannome: Intersection on a Go Board
Where All the Players are Introduced and the Story Begins
It's not easy living in Republic City. The poor pretty much stay poor, the gangs run the city, there's some sort of anti-bender revolution brewing, and if you aren't careful enough you could easily end up floating in the Yue Bay one morning. It's a description like that that makes one question why so many people would even bother living in a place like Republic City. But the answer is easy: it's a city that never sleeps, a city that's always on the go. The way the city lights up at night is like nothing you've ever seen before. The nightclubs that are open until 3 in the morning filled to the brim with people who are just looking for a good time. The theaters that play the moving pictures for just five yuans. The stands of food that hail from every nation, one right next to the other. The latest fashion trends. The characters. One could go on and on when describing what this city's got to offer.
But you got to be fast if you want to fully experience it. You got to be bold, daring even. You got to be willing to take risks. Because if you can't catch up with Republic City, you'll just get eaten alive.
There's currently a girl who's got no sense of how this city works. How it manages to function day to day. Clearly F.O.B. Maybe she'll learn. Maybe she won't. She better learn fast though because the feds are already on her tail.
Her polar bear-dog is causing a ruckus as she plows through anything and anyone that stands in her way. If you thought dodging a satomobile in the middle of a chase was difficult, you clearly haven't tried to dodge a polar bear-dog. At least the satomobiles stay on the road. For the most part.
A young woman exclaims something incoherently as the polar bear-dog nearly takes out the man she's walking with. Luckily, he manages to get out of the way before the massive paw completely takes him out. Unfortunately, the paper boy the polar bear-dog will run into next isn't so lucky. Not that he dies, mind you, but his papers go flying all over the place. And that's his livelihood gone for the day. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. That's what this city will do to you.
"Sorry!" the girl manages to say as she continues to destroy the city around her. An older gentlemen and his partner watch from afar as the girl nearly crashes into a satomobile. They look at her in surprise and yet there's also a hint of shame. You never really want to run into someone that's making a complete fool of themselves especially when they're from the same nation as you.
"Was that a polar bear-dog?" the younger of the two asks as they watch the girl try to pull a fast one by making a sharp turn.
"I swear, Water Tribe immigrants are the worse," the older one replies.
Then of course there are the feds. She's managed to elude a few of them but they're still hot on her trail. Two in particular seem rather persistent in tracking her down. As if their futures depend on it. However, that sudden sharp turn throws one of them off and the other slows down to check on her partner.
"Shit," she says as she realizes they've lost a lot of ground on the girl. She should have just kept going, shouldn't have looked back. But he's family so she's really got no choice. He's perfectly fine though and she really should have more faith in him. When you're a pair like that, you got to trust the other one or you're done.
So the girl on the polar bear-dog continues to run. She won't get much further before the feds finally catch up to her and take her downtown. But that's for another story…
OoOoO
"Airi my dear, this calls for a celebration!" Kenji exclaimed as they walked down the streets of Republic City side by side. His hair was unusually more messy than usual as if he had been pulling at his hair in excitement shortly before.
"Uh-huh," Airi replied just as excitedly. Her faded yellow hat bobbed up and down as she walked along with her dark brown hair. The long brown coat she was wearing and faded pink dress was swaying with each step.
"To think we'll be playing the infamous bank robbers Roba and Kiri! It's the role of a lifetime, the role that could single handedly launch our careers." With each sentence, Kenji became more and more excited. And, as the excitement rose within him, his hands moved fluently as he described their amazing fortune. "Just think of it: we'll be just like Shin-Shin. People will recognize us on the street, saying 'hey, isn't that Airi and Kenji?' And then they'll beg us for our autographs. We'll be just as famous as the pro-benders."
"That sounds amazing!"
"It does, doesn't it?" Suddenly Kenji stopped walking and, turning to Airi, he grabbed her so she was now leaning back. She held onto the sleeve of his shirt for support with one hand while her other hand was wrapped in his own. His light grey eyes were looking intently into her dark brown ones. "Airi, with our careers about to take a huge turn for the better, will you marry me?"
"No, Kenji," she replied but her voice was just as chipper and high pitched as it had been before, as if she hadn't just completely refused a proposal. In fact, she was even smiling a little as she looked at him.
"Well, one of these days you will," Kenji remarked, clearly un-phased by her refusal. He then lifted her up and the two continued walking. "Now, we've got to take these roles seriously Airi." He held up a finger as he said this as though he were reprimanding her. "No playing around."
"No playing around," Airi repeated.
"We've got to really get in character. Really get inside their shoes."
"I hope we're the same shoe size," Airi said thoughtfully.
"We're definitely the same shoe size. We were born to play these two."
"It's our calling." There was a bit of shouting coming from behind them but the two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't seem to take much notice in it. Besides, people were always shouting in Republic City which made it easy to ignore.
"That's right! Now—" However, before Kenji could continue, someone bumped into them as they tried to get out of the way of something. The two turned as a giant polar bear-dog came running past them. One of its massive paws was just inches away from Kenji, nearly about to come down upon him.
"Kenji!" Airi shouted as he managed to fall back away from the creature and fell on the ground. Airi bent down beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Kenji replied but he continued to remain on the ground as he recovered from the fall. "But did you see that amazing polar bear-dog?"
"That polar bear-dog almost trampled you!"
"Yes, but it was an amazing sight!" The two then started to get up together as people were clearly now getting annoyed that they were blocking the sidewalk. Once they were up, Kenji brushed his dark brown shirt before they continued along their way only as they continued their arms were interlocked with one another.
OoOoO
"Was that a polar bear-dog?" Taho asked as he saw the strange creature running down the street, nearly taking out a pedestrian in the process. Although he had Water Tribe blood in him, he had never been to the North or South Pole before.
"Water Tribe immigrants are the worse," his partner, Capac replied gruffly. "Come on, let's get out of here." If there was a crazy immigrant wreaking havoc then the feds would be nearby. With that, the two slipped away from the crowd through a nearby alley.
"Hey Capac, you ever seen a polar bear-dog?" Taho asked. He knew Capac had been an immigrant back in the day but that had been when he was very young and before Taho was even born.
"Yeah, I've seen one. Tore a man's hand clean off before my dad gut the son of a bitch." The alley led to another street where their blue satomobile was parked. It was just an average blue one that could easily be mass produced and blend with all the rest. Because that's how the Red Monsoons worked: they weren't as flashy as the Triple Threats, they preferred to stay as under the radar as possible. Although, that didn't stop them from wearing blue fedoras: Taho's was light blue while Capac's was a much darker shade to the point where it could be almost considered black.
Taho and Capac climbed into the vehicle, slamming the doors behind them. Capac took a minute to get himself settled before starting the car and driving off.
"Now remember, tonight the deal's goin' down with Lightning Bolt Zolt's gang at 8 p.m. sharp," Capac was saying. "We get in, we make the exchange, and we leave."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Taho replied nonchalantly, the toothpick in his mouth hanging loosely from the edge of his lips as he lay back in his seat. "Hey, whatta ya say we catch a couple of pro-bending matches after the exchange?"
"If you want to waste your time on some god damn matches then be my guest Taho."
"Hey, you bet on some of them matches too!" Taho replied defensively. He hated it when Capac patronized him; like he was some goddamn messiah.
"Yeah but not right when we're working on a deal. Man, that place is goin' to be crawling with those mother fuckin' feds. And I ain't sticking around for that shit." Capac turned off the main road and onto a side street. "But like I said: if you want to go and do that shit, fine. But you're walking home." He made another turn towards another side street.
"Yeah, that's fine," Taho said, thinking it was best to leave the conversation alone despite the fact he was still pissed.
The satomobile came to a halt as they had reached their destination.
"I'll pick you up at 7:30. Don't be late," Capac said as Taho got out of the car. Without saying another word, Taho shut the door and Capac was off.
OoOoO
"Ugh, I can't believe this!" Lei groaned as she pulled her helmet off. "We could have had her!"
"Relax sis, it's no big deal. Not like we were the only ones having trouble," Kato replied, also removing his helmet. The two stood on the ledge of the large police airship, looking down at the city below them. Even from way up there, it still looked so big and magnificent. The people looked as though they were ants, completely insignificant as they frantically searched through an endless maze. Just below them the girl they had been pursuing was safely tied along with her polar bear-dog. She had been trying to wiggle herself free but had by this point realized it was completely futile.
"Still, it would have looked good if we had gotten her," Lei added before they walked back inside the massive airship.
"Yeah, I'm sure it would have but like I said, it's no big deal. Stop worrying about it," Kato said. Although his tone didn't suggest it, he was reprimanding her now. She gave him a look but obeyed and kept silent. "To be honest though, I'm a little surprised you actually stopped to check up on me. You must really care," he added and now it was clear he was teasing her.
"Shut up."
There was nothing spectacular about the ride back to the station. It was just like any other ride. Just before they exited the airship, Lei and Kato placed their helmets back on. However, what they weren't expecting was Lieutenant Sho waiting for them to return.
"Lieutenant Sho, fancy meeting you here," Kato said immediately upon seeing him. He didn't look too pleased at the informality but this was probably mostly due to the fact that he just didn't like Kato.
"You're wanted in the debriefing room for a special assignment," Lieutenant Sho said sternly before leaving. Lei and Kato exchanged a quick look at one another before smiling.
"Special assignment!" Kato exclaimed. "You know what that means?"
"That promotion is as good as ours," Lei replied.
"See? I told you not to worry so much."
"Alright, listen up," Lieutenant Sho began once all the officers had entered the debriefing room. A board with various photographs and a map of the pro-bending arena was displayed behind him. "We have reason to believe that an exchange will be occurring between the Triple Threats and the Red Monsoons during the pro-bending matches this evening. You are all to go under cover and bust the exchange." He then pointed to the various photographs. "These men are said to be involved tonight so be on the lookout for them." Lei studied their faces and which gang they were a part of, attempting to memorize as many distinguishable features as possible.
"Our inside man is under the impression that the exchange will take place up here." Sho pointed to a particular section of the arena. "I want Squad One to be in this area. Squad Two through Five will be situated here, here, here, and here respectively. The rest of you will be guarding the exits." The room was silent as everyone listened intently to the directions. "It is important that you allow the exchange to happen before pursuing the intended targets."
Here, the Lieutenant took a breath and looked as though he was rather reluctant to say what he was about to say. "I will be in charge of what goes on in the arena. Officers Lei and Kato will be in charge of the perimeter."
Kato and Lei immediately exchanged a small glance. But it was one that went unnoticeable by the rest of the officers. It was their small glance of victory.
OoOoO
The papers were flying everywhere. Just like that, he had lost all the papers. As soon as the polar bear-dog had left, Shiki immediately ran into the street, desperately trying to pick up whatever papers he could. But it was useless: most of them were no good. Still, he took whatever papers he could and acted as though nothing was wrong.
"This just in! Hideki's found guilty!" Shiki shouted at the top of his lungs as he tried to draw in whatever customers he could. But most were too frazzled by the recent events to notice the paper boy. Still, he tried to keep his positive attitude because no one would buy the papers otherwise. But deep down, he was dying inside.
Author's Note: I know I said I didn't want to post my OC-related fanfictions on here because I believed no one would read them. But, I figured 'why the hell not?'. So I posted this. While the plot of Korra is obviously going to be important in some ways, I really wanted to focus on these other characters that I've had in my head since about the summer. Because the 1920s is just one of my favorite time periods and gangster/noir is one of the my favorite genres (I'm perfectly aware that most noir is 1930s-40s during prohibition) so I couldn't help creating characters that would fit in the Avatar Universe. And I couldn't help but to combine elements from my favorite genres. So hopefully, people will enjoy this story regardless of the lack of main characters (though main characters will obviously make brief appearances). I also plan on having a lot of intertextuality with other works related to this genre so be on the look out for that.
