The Republic City prison was an imposing, intimidating building. Its looks fit its purpose as the main correctional facility in one of the world's biggest cities – that also had to deal with all three types of bending. The walls were patrolled by guards at all times. The building used metal and wood in its construction as much as it could, so that earthbenders couldn't just stroll out of it. Firebenders and waterbenders were less easily contained, and so the prison had the air of constant vigilance. At least they did not have airbenders to deal with.
On a cold spring afternoon, a lone man approached the imposing building on foot. Civilian traffic was restricted in the immediate vicinity of the prison. The man was of average height but heavy-set. His skin was pale and his black hair was showing silver streaks. He wore modest, but obviously expensive and well-made clothing as well as a pair of glasses. The few people around the building recognized him, and some of them turned around to look at him.
"Mr. Sato," said one of the guards at the entrance. Her tone was uncertain.
"Good morning," said Hiroshi Sato. He produced a sheet of paper from a satchel he was holding and showed it to the policewoman. "I am here to pay the bail for Xu Tang."
The guard hesitated, but took the paper and examined it. She looked it over a few times, but couldn't find anything out of order.
"Open the door," she said into her radio. The heavy metal door on the side of the prison gate swung open.
"You're doing good work, Mr. Sato," said the other guard, who had been silent until that point. His companion silenced him with a withering glare, but Hiroshi allowed himself a small smile as he stepped into the cold, uninviting interior of the prison complex.
The administrative wing of the prison was located some distance from the cell blocks, and as such was silent. Hiroshi's steps echoed through the corridors and he only passed by a guard every once in a while. None of them stopped him. He exuded the air of a man who had every right to be there.
The silence was broken when he ascended the stairs to the prison warden's office, however. He heard raised voices coming from the floor above him. One of them sounded like it belonged to Lin Beifong, the chief of police. The other he couldn't recognize. One way or the other, it appeared the formalities he was there to attend to might not go as smoothly as he thought. That, at least, was not his problem.
He strode into the office with confidence, and saw more people there than he'd expected. One was the prison warden, sitting behind the desk with the countenance of a man who was not paid enough for any of this. The other was indeed Lin Beifong. The third occupant of the room was a short, curvy young woman with pale skin and short, black hair tied into a bun. She was dressed in a sharp dark blue suit and held a notepad. After seeing her, Hiroshi thought he did recognize her – a journalist from one of the nation's largest newspapers.
"That's a larger welcoming committee than I expected," he said in a conversational tone upon entering. He knew it would aggravate Lin Beifong, and he wasn't disappointed.
"Mister Sato," said the reporter before the Chief could get a word in. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Nari, from United Republic Courier."
"Charmed," Hiroshi responded. His tone was cold and his eyes narrowed upon hearing the name of the newspaper.
"You've made yourself a figurehead in the national debate around non-bending weapons. Your visit here is another step in that direction. How much of it is a political statement?" Nari asked, getting straight to the point.
"I am here to help an employee of mine who got on the wrong side of the law I'd frequently protested." Hiroshi's answer was slow and deliberate.
"And sending a message that if Hiroshi Sato doesn't like the law you broke, you needn't worry," Lin Beifong interjected. "Because he'll come to bail you out."
Hiroshi glanced at her. Why had she even allowed the reporter into the office? He felt like he had a good guess about that.
"That's a fair point, Mr. Sato Does your presence here mean you'll be taking steps to bail out other Future Industries employees, should they use the illegal weaponry against someone? Or only against benders?"
"I don't want to get ahead of myself and make promises," the man responded curtly.
"A bit too late for that," came another interjection from Beifong. Nari's expression changed almost imperceptibly. Hiroshi could swear she forced herself not to roll her eyes.
"You are, in a way, setting a precedent," she pointed out.
"I'm doing what I think is right in this situation, Miss Nari," Hiroshi said, trying to keep his voice level. "I will let people judge it as they see fit."
"Hopefully most of them will judge it for what it is." Chief Beifong seemed determined to make her feelings on the subject known.
"Nonetheless, your statement seems clear. You consider your inventions and the non-benders' right to use them a higher priority than the United Republic's cultural heritage."
There was a moment of silence as Hiroshi struggled not to voice the first few responses that came to his mind.
"I do, indeed, place practical concerns of self-defence over abstract and subjective ideas," he finally said.
Nari looked up from her notepad, judging his intentions. She must have decided that the interview was over, because she tucked her pencil into the notepad and put it into her purse.
"I believe I've taken enough of your time. Thank you for your cooperation. You too, Mr. Sato. Have a nice day," she said, before walking out through the door. The look Lin shot after her made it clear that her "cooperation" had been anything but willing.
Hiroshi turned back to Lin, smiling pleasantly. Being polite and amiable towards people was an acquired skill. He could be perfectly pleasant to individuals he thoroughly despised, whereas Chief Beifong he merely disliked.
"Well, then. I propose that we make it quick, Chief Beifong. I can't imagine you want to be here anymore than I do."
"You've made my job hard enough already, so yes."
She said nothing more while Hiroshi delivered the documents and signed where necessary. Soon enough, the prisoner was delivered to him, carrying his belongings with him. He was a small, unassuming man of Earth Kingdom descent, with receding hair and spectacles. All in all, not someone one would suspect of breaking up a fight between benders using a shock-glove. And yet, that was what he'd done.
Both men were silent as they left the prison. Xu turned to glance at Hiroshi, but it appeared he understood he shouldn't say anything. The businessman led his way in a different direction than the one he'd arrived from, weaving his way through the streets surrounding the prison complex. Finally, they reached a small fountain placed between two houses. Someone was waiting for them there – a woman of average height, with tanned skin and piercing green eyes. She wore the clothing of a common housewife, but it hid a muscular, taut warrior's frame. She had been sitting on the fountain with a bored expression, but got up when she saw the two approach.
"Way to go, brother!" she said, patting Xu on the back with enough force to make him almost drop his glasses. "That took some guts, taking down those waterbenders like that."
Xu laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Someone had to do something. They would've torn up the entire street before the police ever got there."
"Damn straight. You showed them. They'll think twice next time."
They both looked at Hiroshi, who didn't appear to share their enthusiasm.
"It was... impressive. But careless. We can't afford to use our weapons publicly like that. It'll only turn more people against us. Not to mention I can't keep bailing our members out."
The woman put her hands on her hips.
"Come on, Mr. Hiroshi. Are you telling us we're supposed to buckle down to the trumped-up laws against non-bending weapons?"
"I don't like them anymore than you do, Zia. And I'm going to continue supporting the Equalists with them. But we can't use them openly. And we need to pick our targets."
"Pick our targets?" Zia huffed. "Didn't you hear what he said? Didn't you hear what happened? Those waterbenders were out of control."
"Yes, yes. But it still got him arrested. We can't afford that. Our fight won't be served by escalation. We need to focus on the worst threats. The Triads, criminals, bullies. We no longer have the option of going against every bender that causes trouble."
"What do you mean, escalation? The benders have never been concerned about that. They've already got a leg up on that. Are we supposed to handicap ourselves even further?"
"It's not about... benders against non-benders," Hiroshi replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The politicians are trying to spin it this way. Create an 'us against them' mentality. We can't let it happen. If we do, they'll crush us."
"That sounds suspiciously like giving up," Zia said sourly. Xu was looking between his two leaders. He could see that their discussion was merely another step in a long, drawn-out argument.
"I wouldn't have built my company, or the Equalist movement, to be what they are if I didn't know how to step back and give ground sometimes," Hiroshi said sharply. "If you forget how to do it, you end up like Chin the Conqueror."
That particular simile seemed to get across to Zia. At least enough to make her drop the issue.
"Well, never mind. I'll get Xu to safety. You should wait here and then take a different way back."
Hiroshi nodded. Never too careful.
He was still a little distracted when he drove home. That might have been why he accidentally drove into a road he'd avoided for ten years.
There were small trees lining it now. To cut it off from the grassy area to both sides of it, maybe? Ten years had been enough time for them to grow a fair bit. He almost wouldn't have recognized the place thanks to them, but it did still stick in his memory. They also seem to have built a small park off to the right side. People would sit there on the grass before. Sit, drink and drunkenly earthbend.
Ten years had also been enough time to patch up the road. Hiroshi wasn't sure why he thought the hole in the road and pavement would still be there. He slowed down, subconsciously trying to make sure his car doesn't fall in again. Nothing happened, of course. The road took him straight ahead this time. But unlike last time, alone.
It was dark by the time Hiroshi returned home, but the lights were on. He drove into the garage and entered the house. He passed by some of his housekeepers, but his daughter was nowhere to be seen. Hiroshi decided to just make himself some tea in the kitchen. It might have seemed strange for a man of his wealth to do it himself, but Hiroshi prided himself on remembering his roots. When he was a simple mechanic, toiling away in a small, grimy workshop, he made his own food and drink.
When he approached, however, it became clear someone else was in the kitchen already. The smell of jasmine-scented green tea reached him. His heart lurched. It had been Yasuko's favourite tea. He hadn't smelled it for years. How did it end up back in his house? He never bought it, and instructed the house staff to do the same when shopping.
His question as answered when he opened the kitchen door and went through. His daughter, Asami, was pouring boiling water into a small teacup. There was a notebook filled with meticulous writing on the table next to her. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Hey, dad. I didn't expect you to be back yet."
Questions passed Hiroshi's mind, but he didn't voice them.
"Nor did I expect to see you here at this time. I thought you'd be away."
"Well, I was going to, but... I'm studying. And I came down here to make myself some tea and have a break. Jasmine tea relaxes me."
The scent had the opposite effect on Hiroshi. But if it worked for Asami, who was he to argue. He sat down at the table and glanced at the notebook.
"Water Tribe history?"
"Yeah." Asami sighed. "I've had my nose in it all day. Don't get me wrong, it's interesting. But I can't... remember it well enough to be tested on it."
Hiroshi smiled. She was so much like him this way.
"Staying home all day studying isn't something most teenagers would do. Even if they had trouble with the material," he said light-heartedly.
Asami glanced at him, not sure how serious he was.
"I take my future more seriously than most teenagers. Culture and history may not be what I want to focus on, but I need good grades all around, don't I?"
"Are you still set on a technical school, then?"
"I am. Engineering is the future, dad. I don't need to tell you that, of all people." Asami laughed. She then paused, and said uncertainly: "Did you... want some of that tea?"
Hiroshi sighed quietly.
"Thank you, Asami, but no. I'll make some for myself later. Will you be studying for the rest of the evening?"
"I think so. I have something I wanted to try out in the workshop, but that can work until tomorrow."
Her father got up, and stood for a moment, uncertain. Then he took a few steps towards his daughter.
"Asami... I'm proud of how diligent you are and how seriously you take your education. But future isn't just engineering. Future is also young people like you. And I really think you should spend more time with others of your age. So you can enjoy the future that I build, and you will one day build."
"I know, dad," Asami responded with a sigh. "I try. I'm just not very good at it. And there aren't that many people my age I can hang out with. You know how it is."
Hiroshi nodded. He did know that.
"Besides, there's something about the Water Tribe history I find really interesting," Asami said, suddenly. "How the Southern Water Tribe pulled itself upwards after the war. They did have help from the North, but... only so much it could do. And they weren't all that welcoming of it... they thought it was patronizing and put them in a subservient position. So they had to do a lot themselves. And they didn't have any waterbenders of their own, except for Katara."
"That's true," Hiroshi said, stroking his chin. "I'd never thought about it this way."
"In a way, they were just like you, dad. Building what they have from nothing."
It didn't stop the Southern Water Tribe councillor from pushing pro-bender agenda just like the rest of them, Hiroshi thought. The newest chief of the tribe was a waterbender as well, from what he'd heard. But he didn't share those thoughts with Asami.
They kept on talking about day-to-day matters for a while, before Asami went back to studying, leaving Hiroshi with his thoughts. Things weren't going great, he thought, but he still had a lot to be thankful for. He hoped he was doing what he should to preserve it.