This story is a sequel to Actually Amon, I would advise reading that prior to reading this story.
Thank you.
An old woman was wearing a mask that covered the top half of her face, down to past her nose. The mask was blue and white, with a huge smile and big fangs. The mask was obviously masterfully crafted. She had long grey hair which reached down to her shoulders, and piercing blue eyes that shone in the eye holes of her mask. She was wearing a simple yellow robe that matched her mask. She stood in the crowd of Amon's rally, listening to every word Amon had to say. She had figured out that the man, Lee, was the one who killed Amon's family. She was still devastated to hear it. She could tell Amon was very different from the timid boy she had once met in the Fire Nation. When Lee was brought onto the stage, she was afraid that Amon's emotions would get the better of him and that he'd kill him. However, there was nothing she could really do about it, as she was surrounded by his supporters. She just decided to watch and hope that Amon would show mercy to a man who clearly deserved death.
Lee yelled out to the crowd, questioning Amon's courage, causing Amon to respond with, "Nonsense mister Lee, you're going to be untied and have ample opportunity to fight back and keep what is most precious to you, but if you can't, I will take what is more precious to you, just like you did to me." The old woman's worst fears were seemingly confirmed. She looked around to see all of Amon's supporters cheering and jumping like animals. She was very out of place as she looked very grave. When Lee was untied he took a cheap shot, shooting a fireball at Amon, she gasped, afraid he would be hurt. She was finally fitting in with the others around her, as they all took a collective gasp.
Amon shocked her when he skillfully dodged Lee's attack and before she could even think to worry, Amon was behind Lee. Amon kicked Lee's feet out from under him and had turned his head to the ceiling, placing his thumb on his forehead. Amon let go of Lee and he fell on his face, Amon simply said, "You've been equalized." Everyone was cheering like mad, but the woman was unsure what Amon actually did to him. She saw Lee get up and try to throw what she thought was a punch. He then yelled, "Wh- What have you done to me?!" he had a look of crushing defeat on his face. Amon replied, "I have taken your bending away." She didn't think she understood what he said, how was that possible? She actually jumped at the eruption of the crowd, which confirmed what she thought was impossible. She had only known of one other person with this ability, and he had been gone for years now. Then, in a terrifying statement, Amon said, "But, this was not done in revenge. My goal is to do to every bender, of air, water, earth and fire, what we all just witnessed done to Lee, then and only then will everyone truly be... Equal." The woman gasped, the mere thought that the legacy of bending could come to an end terrified her.
As she thought about it, however, she wondered if what Amon wanted to do would be so bad. Bending, while fixing many issues, is the cause of much misery and suffering as well. Such as the genocide of almost all the airbenders. Perhaps, just perhaps, Amon's plan was not so bad. The crowd was beginning to disperse at this point, so she had no choice but to get carried away with the crowd. She decided that she had to see Amon, and talk to him about his movement and his plans. If for nothing else, she wanted to see Amon again. Her only worry was, that Amon seemed like a changed man. She hoped that he would still remember a kind old woman who took him in years ago.
-POV Change-
After Amon's on stage encounter with Lee (as described in the previous story), Amon walked off the stage, "Get his pathetic ass off my stage," he said. A couple of equalists were quick to heed Amon's command. They grabbed Lee by the arms, who showed no resistance, as he was carried outside of the building, thrown in the alley like, and with the useless maggots. Amon walked out of the exit which they equalists just threw Lee out of. There was a late night drizzle and the ground was slightly damp, adding to the insult that Lee was already facing. Amon saw him as he exited and was satisfied with how humiliated the man appeared, and to make things even worse, when Amon's car pulled up is splashed water onto him. Amon shook his head and entered the back of the vehicle which then began driving off.
During the ride to Amon's mystery location he remembered the look on Lee's face when he attacked, which then faded to the defeated look he saw in him after he took away his bending. He hoped that this was a much crueler fate to Lee than death. These thoughts didn't linger in his head long, he quickly started focusing on the next move he and his followers would make to put them closer to their goal of equality. He was heading now to meet up with his closest and most trusted ally, known only as Lieutenant. Lieutenant was the only person Amon knew believed in equalization as much as he did, and certainly the only other person willing to go to the lengths Amon was to achieve it. For these reasons it was an easy choice to make him Amon's right hand man.
-POV Change-
The old woman had finally broken off from the rest of the crowd and was trying to get back inside the building to meet Amon when she saw him exit from the back. His car had just pulled up, splashing Lee with dirty water, adding insult to injury. She tried to catch up before he pulled off, but failed, now she'd have to try to follow him. With surprising quickness for a woman of her age, she briskly walked through an adjacent alley. She was able see Amon's car even through the drizzle and follow it with her eyes. She started going through alleys, always making sure to keep her eyes on Amon's vehicle. Luckily, Amon's car wasn't driving too fast and the shortcuts turned out to be sufficient. Though after a while, she was starting to breathe heavy, and feeling a pain in the stitch of her side. Just as she was starting to think she wouldn't be able to keep up any longer, Amon's car pulled up to a stop on the curb of a seemingly random street. She sighed in relief and took a moment to catch her breath, holding the stitch in her side. She thought to herself Well...I've still got it.
Amon exited the vehicle and went into the alley, the woman wondered what he was doing entering some alley. She decided she would get a closer look, but she didn't want Amon to see her just yet. She feared he may not be too keen on her following him. She thought about it for a moment, before deciding the best way to overhear unseen would be the rooftop. She saw a fire escape ladder and started to make her way to it. As she started the long ascent up the ladder, she started breathing heavy again, wondering what in the world she was getting herself into. She was starting to think better of spying on Amon, and wondering if she should just stay out of matters that didn't concern her, but in the end her curiosity and nosey nature got the better of her. She remembered the boy she took in, and wanted to try to keep an eye on him, and help him if she could. Finally, she reached the top of the ladder. I'm getting too old for this… she thought bitterly, cursing her old age. She moved to the side of the building Amon was on, and looked down into the alley. He was with someone she didn't know, and judging by the lowered voices, this must have been important. Luckily their voices carried up to her, and she was able to hear their conversation clearly. So there she sat, and listened.