Part 2

"You gonna let me in tonight?" June said. The doorman nodded and looked at Nerio. "He's with me. We needed a private place to talk." She glared at Nerio's glove. "Hide that thing!" she hissed.

Nerio slipped the glove under his sleeve. If it'd been charged, it wouldn't have mattered if he hid it. "Hello there, yes, I'm with her. Um, down with Amon?" There was probably no password but he had to gain their trust. Who better to gain peoples' trust than a fool? Better a fool than monster.

The man laughed. "Welcome, friend," he said to the boy. "Of course you're always welcomed here June, not many here tonight. I think some went to live with that crazy hobo. Good place though."

June shrugged. "As long as I get my corner table I'm good." They walked down the first flight of stairs and she knocked twice. The door opened and they were allowed in just as the door scraped closed on Nerio's heel. She headed for her favorite table, turned on the light, and sat down.

Nerio gazed around the room. There was a homely feel to it, but he knew that June brought him here for business. His eyes finally fixed on hers. "So, June, what would you like to know?"

"Stranger, Nerio, you caught me on a night where I just needed to breathe. Look at me, look into my eyes." She moved her hair away from her face. Her emerald eye caught the ceiling lamp light. "If you want to be on my side, I don't want you holding me back. So are you a bender, Blue Eyes?"

Nerio sighed. She just wants to know some basics, he chided, nodding at the waitress who placed a glass of water in front of him. "It's not every day I get to show off." He placed a hand over the glass and flicked his wrist up. The small stream of water levitated, danced, and then returned to the glass. Nerio took a tentative sip. It was water, not poison. "I'm a bender, a waterbender."

"Fine by me." She taps her fingers. "We'll have the upper hand when and if we run into trouble."

"We may be fine on our own, but we're better off with the Avatar. They say she's in town but occupied with pro-bending. A waste of the gift, I'd say. Bending is meant for survival; when you're stranded or surrounded by enemies, you do what you must to survive." He saw the dreadful look on June's face. "So... you're old lady's Chief BeiFong. Must be great being her daughter. Whole city recognizes you and respects you, even if you hadn't exactly earned that respect."

"Sure whatever," she said, being more of a downer than him. "I don't care, I'm never there, can't be her weakness. I don't want that respect." She lifted her hand. "Come on, you got something for me to eat or what!" Someone tossed her another fruit, an apple like before. "Oh come on it's not that late for a meal, dude!"

"Eat at home, BeiFong!" the man yelled from the other side. The room was large enough to hold a bar for the older gentlemen, benders and nonbenders sitting around booth-like tables and some at normal ones, talking. All these people of different elements and beliefs sat around because they didn't want to be involved with Amon or any danger Republic City would put itself in.

She looked back at Nerio. "So what about the Avatar being in town? Pro-bending, I agree. But, I don't know, was my mother part of that when she was a kid?" She rolled her eyes again. "If you think you can try that hun, you forget I can sense everything around me," she said to the girl with a pitcher of water above her head. A single icy drop fell to June's napkin, missing her hair.

Nerio bent the icy water, aiming ice needles at the girl, who lowered the pitcher and turned away. Nerio refilled his glass and stared into June's eyes. They were so unique, so washed out, a faded brown. Then it hit him. It took so long, his grandmother would be disappointed.

"You're blind! You sensed me in the dark with your feet. I didn't know anyone but the first Chief of Police, Toph, could do this." Nerio shook his hair. "Anyway, I hear Avatar Korra needs to learn airbending with Tenzin. Maybe we can visit them on the island. I can bend us across shrouded in a mist, unnoticed. I totally get your hunger. I already burned through that fruit while running. Ow!" He placed a hand over his stomach. "Never eat and run, June." He covered his hand with some water and rubbed his stomach, relieving the pain like his great aunt Katara taught him.

"Half blind right now, but thank you." She smiled, chuckling at his displeasure. "I'm not big on water travel." She shrugged. After a moment, June's eyes lit up, then dimmed a bit. "Fine, we go tomorrow afternoon." She leaned back, flicked her leg, elongating her seat, and killed the light. "Sleep well Nerio." She flicked his seat as someone tossed them pillows. The hideaway became dark as those who stayed went to bed. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.

Nerio closed his eyes, but didn't fall asleep so soon, shocked that people could be this nice to him. What would they think when they finally know the truth, his heritage? No one can know anything.

His drowsy mind took a detour in dreamland, plunging into the abyss of nightmares. A light flicked on as he was presented on a stage. Walking toward him was a masked man. "Traitor," he said, his fingers extended. "I'll take care of this before you think of a way to use it against me." The man grabbed Nerio by the neck and placed his thumb on his forehead. Nerio struggled and screamed, feeling his energy draining, hiding in deep crevices in his body, and sealing away.