"It's almost a shame to take the bending of one so talented. Almost."
- Amon.
Having excuses himself to go answer nature's call, Bolin was trying to find the others when he stumbled upon yet another familiar face. Or rather, it stumbled across him.
"Bolin! Bolin is that you?! How are you, you old rascal?!"
There was only one person who could possibly address him in such a way. Bolin smiled as he turned around, arms open wide. "Varrick!"
It was indeed the eccentric inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He cut a snazzy figure in his arctic blue business suit. The two men drew close enough to exchange a brief hug, slapping each other's backs. Zhu Li followed behind her much more enthusiastic husband, quiet as an elephant mouse, but even she gave a grateful smile and a polite tip of her head to show she was glad to see Bolin again as well.
"What've you been up to, you old weasel-snake?" teased Bolin.
"Ha! Funny you should ask! We're here for the New Arts Showcase!" Varrick replied.
"Really? What're you showcasing?" Bolin asked.
"Well to be honest we're mostly here for ideas," the mustachioed businessman replied. "Never know where inspiration can and will hit you square in the chestnuts. But we also brought a showcase of our own: my new line of Varri-dye! We've got more colors than most people can count!"
Throwing up his arms to indicate the nearby table, Varrick showed Bolin its contents, which included a whole lot of jars labelled in a wide variety of colors. A virtual rainbow of variety was laid out, along with a few pictures of famous celebrities or beautiful people who were already making use of the new colors. They were rapidly growing in both popularity and availability in the world. As evidenced by both Fumiko and Koko making use of such for highlights and stripes, respectively.
"Hmmm," Bolin mused thoughtfully, eyeing a jar of 'Sea Breeze Blue' dye. He generally preferred the natural look, but some of the pictures did leave you thinking. If not for him, then maybe some of his friends could use a bit of color in their lives.
"Oh and uh, something else that may interest you," Varrick said in a slyer tone. With a deft gesture, he reached behind his back, pulling a book seemingly out of thin air, and presented it to Bolin. Puzzled, the young earthbender eyed the cover, which had a man and woman with interlocking arms and an interesting title.
"The... Varrick Zhu Li?" he asked with a raised brow.
"It's kinda like a users manual," Varrick explained, as Bolin opened up the book... and immediately felt his jaw drop and his eyes bulge out of his head at the images and words contained therein. "For a very special kind of bending, if you take my meaning," Varrick went on, nudging Bolin's shoulder meaningfully.
Zhu Li lowered her gaze shyly and sported a faint blush as Bolin leafed through a few pages.
"We've already sold a dozen copies," the merchant proudly proclaimed. "People love this thing, it's really given couples great ideas."
Bolin felt his face grow hot at the idea of trying some of these things with Opal. Then, abruptly realizing how he must have looked, quickly slammed the book shut. "It's uh... uh... wow..." was all he managed to stammer out.
"I know it's a lot to take in at once. Took us nearly a week to pen it down. Kept getting distracted, but never you mind that!" Bolin started to return the book, but the eccentric businessman waved it away. "Keep it! Free copy, for our best friend in the whole wide world," Varrick said, clapping Bolin one final time on the shoulder.
Glancing left and right, Bolin unbuttoned his jacket and slipped the book inside for safekeeping. "Gosh, thanks Varrick. You're the best."
"You're darn tootin'!"
Finally arriving at the gates of Omashu, Temuji politely bowed to the guards as they lowered the stone curtain and allowed him access to the city. He could hear the showcase going on even from this far from the palace, and still gazed in marvel as every so often fireworks lit up the skies.
While he wanted nothing more than to find an inn and a place to sleep for the night, but curiousity compelled him, drawing him towards the showcase.
Little did he know, high up on a nearby rooftop, a shadowy figure was watching him. One with a familiar silhouette of a dark hood and a long, beaked mask...
Curious to learn more about the contents of the 'Varrick Zhu Li,' Bolin slipped away into the palace, finding his way to just outside the room he and his brother shared. Unsure yet if Mako had turned in for the night, and not anxious to share his find, Bolin leaned against the corridor wall, cast a furtive glance left and right, and then cracked open the covers of the book, mindful to keep the contents obscured as he examined another chapter.
Within minutes the contents had brought a heated blush to his cheeks.
"Good grief... I didn't think a body could bend like that..."
"Bend like what? Is that a book on new bending techniques?" asked Opal.
Light on her feet as a proper airbender, she'd stepped up to him without his noticing. Being engrossed in his reading hadn't helped much either. Bolin whipped the book behind his back so fast it was practically a blur. "No! Uhm, it's uh... uhm... boring! That's it, it's just an old manuscript of political nonsense and history and... lots of other boring stuff!"
"Bolin, I enjoy history and politics, they're some of my favorite subjects," Opal said, confused by his actions. "Why are you acting so weird?"
"You're weird!" he blurted out, unable to think up a clever retort or comeback. Honestly, at this point he was in full flight mode, looking for the best possible way to escape this awkward situation without making things worse.
She tried to stand on her tiptoes to try and peer over Bolin's shoulder, and he tried harder than ever to hide the book. Finally, curiosity got the better of her, and she blew out a concentrated gust of wind, pushing a hanging tapestry nearby so it fluttered in front of Bolin's eyes, obscuring his vision. Thus distracted, she yanked the book out of his hands.
"Now, what have we... here... oh my...!" Her cheeks were instantly just as red as Bolin's, and the two shared a very embarrassed look before averting their gaze from each other awkwardly.
"Bolin did you... where did you get this?" she asked. Not accusingly, just curiously.
"Uh, well, funny story actually," he said, rubbing his forefingers together as he always did when he was nervous. "Eheh-heh. See I bumped into Varrick and Zhu Li here, and turns out this is their latest little pet project."
He shifted the book in her hands so she could read the cover.
"The... Varrick Zhu Li?" she asked, puzzled. Then, spotting the subtitle, blushed again. "Oh..."
"Uh, yeah..." Bolin said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
Curious, Opal flipped a few pages, settling onto something that by comparison seemed reasonably tame and straight-forward. In a way, the content did look educational and useful.
"Uhm... when you're done with this... do you think I could borrow it?" she asked shyly, unable to quite meet his gaze.
Outside, fireworks continued to erupt overhead, dazzling the crowds of gathered people. Vendors had begun to pitch their wares in earnest, selling fire flakes and a new delicacy called popped corn, offering up cheap trinkets and masks. The latter was found to be highly popular, and even Asami had bought a pair for herself and Korra, strapping the latter over the Avatar's unsuspecting head. They shared a giggle as others watched them go past. They were wearing replicas of the Dragon Emperor and Empress from Love Amongst the Dragons.
Mako shook his head idly as he watched them go, wondering if they had any idea about the history behind their new apparel.
Returning to his task at hand, he turned his gaze, trying to find his partner. Eventually he spotted Tahno arguing with a woman who was trying to sell him some Seaweed Noodles from a café stand. The waitress trying to serve him was also wearing a mask, tilted sideways on her head so her face was visible. A pretty white dove mask.
The face of a bird...
Mako paused, a thought occurring to him. His golden gaze slid left, then right. More masks. Some bright and shiny, sparkling all colors of the rainbow, others dark and solemn, sinister even. His mind recalled the last mask he'd seen before the festival. The long beak of the plague doctor bending thief.
"Oh no..." he realized.
He looked again to find Korra and Asami, but they'd vanished into the crowd. Not good. Swiftly, the dark-haired man went back to his partner, catching him at a table with a bowlful of noodles. He was just taking a big first bite when Mako grabbed his shoulder.
"Tahno. Quit stuffing your face, we've got a problem. I think that bending thief is here."
His partner's eyes widened, but he took the time to slurp up his remaining noodles first, clearing his airway before talking. "What? What're you talking about?"
"Don't you get it? If you want to hide a gem you hide it in a treasure trove. If you want to hide a tree you hide it in the forest."
Evidently he didn't quite get it. "Mako, what're you talking about?"
The firebender detective resisted the urge to strike his forehead. "So, where would you hide a masked man?"
His accompanying, sweeping gesture of the plaza answered the question neatly for Tahno, who adopted a similar expression of dawning realization as he saw all the masked revelers drifting to and fro.
"Oh no..."
"Exactly. I'm going to find Korra and warn her, keep on your toes."
Grumbling, the waterbender slapped down some yuans and shoveled as much food into his mouth as he could comfortably hold, taking his time chewing it as he walked away from the rest. Such a waste, he lamented. His gaze swept over the revelers. Never been one with the keenest eye for details, Tahno none the less considered himself an expert on reading people and their stances. He picked out several benders amongst the artists just by the way they moved, and also easily spotted warriors and soldiers, where they were in uniform or not. Hopefully, the same talent could be used to identify their mysterious bending thief.
Identify only thought. Tahno wasn't stupid. He'd get back-up before taking the bending thief on, or it could easily end up as bad as things had gone against the Equalists. Not a pleasant experience he cared to repeat.
Something dark and shadowy slipped past his field of vision...
Pausing, Tahno glanced again at the shadowy alleyway. It practically screamed trouble, but with the water running in the sewer grates beneath, he felt reasonably safe taking a closer look.
Swallowing the remainder of his noodles with a loud gulp, he took another at the alleyway, checking the intersection for signs of recent activity or occupation. "Someone there?" he called out softly, easing his way down the alleyway.
Maybe it was just some young lovers hoping to find some alone time to gaze into each other's eyes or something else hopelessly romantic. Tahno certainly hoped so. Starlight was his own light the further and further he got from the Arts Showcase, the moon was nowhere to be seen. The sounds of laughing and frivolity fading away like they were muffled by an invisible cloak. A chill ran down his spine as he heard footfalls, tensing in a defensive stance.
"Hello?" he called out, half-dreading the possibility someone would answer him. Okay, this was bad, he thought. He eased himself back slowly, turning to retreat.
Then something moved, a blur of darkness, and Tahno lashed out blindly with a water whip. It crashed against a wall harmlessly as something emerged from the blackness of the night. Out of the shadows, a mask appeared. A mask with a long, beak-like nose and hellish glass eyes. Tahno turned just in time to see it coming right for him, along with a pair of gloved hands.
"Oh not again," Tahno breathed out, unable to believe his bad fortune as a hand descended onto his forehead.
Then his eyes rolled back into his head as he felt an uncomfortably familiar sensation. Only this time, it felt worse.
"Korra!"
Panting softly for breath, Mako came to a halt in front of Korra and Asami. The two ladies lifted up their masks, setting them atop of their heads as they saw the obvious concern on their friends face.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" asked Asami.
Mako was about to reply in the negative, but that he'd come to a chilling theory. Unfortunately, before he could speak, a scream cut through the air. A horrified yell of anguish. All activity instantly ceased at the showcase as concerned, confused, and conflicted artists and revelers turned towards the source of the terrible sound.
Which came from the same way Tahno had gone...
"Oh no," said Mako, not even bothering to explain as he took off in a dead run. He needn't have bothered, Korra and Asami were right behind him in a moment's notice, hiking up their fancy dresses to enable them to move more quickly. The three of them arrived at the alleyway just as Temuji was blasted out of it, throwing up his arms to dissipate a blast of fire heading his way. The flames dissipated harmlessly, but the sheer force of it knocked him to the ground.
"Temuji, what're you doing here?!" asked Asami.
The dark-haired heiress dropped down to his side to make sure Temuji was alright while Korra and Mako skidded to a halt at the entrance to the alleyway. A familiar cloaked, hooded, and masked figure stood before them. At their feet lay Tahno, withered and drained.
"You again!"
Mako lashed out with a flaming kick, which the shadowy figure sidestepped, turning to flee. Korra threw up a wall of stone behind them, trying to box them into the alleyway, but without a second thought the masked individual threw themselves at the wall, splitting it in two as they dove between the halves.
"Get back here!" Korra shouted, using her airbending to take to the rooftops again, wanting to keep the height advantage.
"Asami, Temuji, go low! We'll go high!" instructed Mako.
Maybe this time they could cut off the mysterious bending thief before they got too far. A gust of wind aided her in hopping up onto the rooftops, as Korra hoped the billowing length of her dress prevented any unfortunate looks up it at her undergarments. Stubbornly ignoring the rising heat on her cheeks, she took off running. Mako wasn't far behind, and soon overtook her. Temuji and Asami followed on the ground level.
Splitting up as they had before, Korra and Mako took different paths as the masked figure darted across the rooftops and into back alleys. Once, Korra almost had them cornered in a dead end way, but almost immediately the masked figure threw up a barrier of earth and blocked her path. By the time she'd smashed through it, they'd already brought down another wall and escaped through an abandoned building.
A jet of fire in the distance indicated Mako or Temuji might've been having better luck, and Korra cut across an alleyway to block any possible escape and provide back-up. Asami quickly caught up with her. Unarmed, she could do little more than run interference, but it was enough. They'd hoped to catch the bending thief unaware from behind as they turned the next corner. Instead, they found Temuji, flat on his back, soaking wet. The ground around him was stained with liquid as well. He must've been hit by a waterbending attack. Mako reached the scene moments later, angrily smacked his fist into the nearby wall, nearly hard enough to crack it.
"Damnit, we lost them!"
"I'm sorry," Temuji said with a grunt, accepting Korra's hand up. "He was too fast... struck me from behind."
"At least they hit you with water," Asami said, not liking the thought of what condition the healer would be in if he'd been hit by a rock, or worse, a fireball.
He agreed, rubbing his neck, taking in a deep breath and exhaling, his body growing warm and helping him to dry off. "I lost them... I'm so very sorry, Avatar Korra."
"It's not your fault... it could've happened to any of us..."
The pale healer sighed but reluctantly agreed, leaning against Korra for support. "Is anyone hurt?"
Glancing quickly over her comrades, Korra was relieved to note none of them had been harmed in the ensuing chase. "We were lucky," Korra said.
"Tahno wasn't," Mako replied. "We should get back to him. The thief is obviously long gone."
Reluctantly agreeing, the four friends turned to go, Asami only pausing as she kicked something along the ground. It must have been dropped during the scuffle with the bending thief and Temuji. Curious, she knelt down to pick it up, waving the others to go on ahead of her as she lifted up the object to the light and examined it more closely.
It was a pai sho tile, and a familiar one at that. A White Lotus piece.
The only thing was, it was so covered in soot and ash all the white parts had become black.
A Black Lotus.
Asami made sure to pocket the pai sho tile as the four of them made their way back to where Tahno had fallen. Between Mako and Korra, they managed to carry the unconscious waterbender between them, and Asami supported Temuji despite his insistence he was fine.
"Big bro!"
Temuji barely had time to let go of Asami and brace himself before the black-and-pink haired girl flung herself at his chest, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back gently as Fumiko babbled a mile a minute.
"It's so good to see you! I was so worried! Where did you go? Did you meet any interesting people? It's so good to see you again, big bro!"
"You said that already," he said calmly, keeping up with her as he gently patted her back. "And it's so good to see you again too. Have you been behaving for Avatar Korra and her friends?"
"Mostly!" she replied with a grin and a giggle.
He gave a long-suffering sigh but smiled anyway. "I suppose that's the best I can hope for," Temuji said, rubbing the top of her head and ruffling her pink and black locks of hair. "Listen I have to go help the Avatar for a little while, can you keep out of trouble for a bit?"
"I can check out the metal sculptures again. Anything but check out that boring old library," she said.
The ivory-haired young man nodded. "Alright. I'll come find you later."
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Hurry back big bro. Missed you."
"Missed you too, little sis," Temuji said as he returned the hug.
Princess Koko swiftly made her way towards them as they reached the palace, and Mako and Korra gratefully transferred their unconscious comrade to the court healers as Korra explained the situation to the Princess, filling her in on what had transpired.
All traces of childish and silly behavior vanished as Princess Koko turned to address her armed escorts. "Lock down the gates and search the entire city." Now she seemed every inch the ruler she truly was, and Korra was impressed. There was definitely more to her than meet the eye. "If this troublemaker is still within Omashu we'll find him."
Spotting Fumiko and Temuji, the Princess paused in confusion, not recognizing them. "Who are you? Are you friends of Princess Korra?" asked Koko.
"Princess?" Temuji asked, puzzled by the title.
Korra shook her head, out of view behind Koko, and mouthed "Don't ask." Aloud, she said, "Yes, these two are friends."
"Then we'll see to it they're set up somewhere suitable," Princess Koko said, issuing orders to another of her escorts. "Please find them a room?"
"At once, Princess."
Koko nodded. "And then someone please find Minister Xiang? I think we need to close the showcase for the time being and get everyone home. Then I need to lie down... I think I've been dancing too much... and maybe drinking too much... that cider may not have been just cider after all..."
Following her orders, the guards and servants scattered to aid them as Princess Koko rubbed her forehead, feeling woozy. It had certainly been an interesting night, and one to remember, but she hoped it would be ultimately be remembered for the beauty of the New Arts Showcase, not the attack of some bending maniac.
Tahno was treated with as much dignity as possible as he was carried to the palace healers and cared for, but it still wasn't a pretty sight. Korra and Temuji did their best to offer their assistance to the healers as Mako gathered up everyone in their little group, ushering them all together. Opal choked back a strangled sob at the sight of Tahno in the same state as her own brother, covering her mouth as she felt sick. But she swallowed hard and steeled her resolve, refusing to allow Bolin to escort her out of the room. She was a part of this as well. The others exchanged worried looks.
"How is he?" Mako asked, turning to Temuji and Korra as they examined him, hands full of blazing fire and glowing water.
"Not good," Temuji said, extinguishing the fire. "His condition is almost identical to the Beifong brother I examined in Gaoling."
Korra was forced to nod in agreement. "I tried to restore him with energybending but it's the same absence as before. This thief isn't just stealing their life... he's definitely stealing their bending. There's no more doubt."
"So he can earthbend and waterbend now? At the same time?"
"Firebend as well," Temuji added. "Unless that was just some clever pyrotechnics. He must've stolen that first. Or started with it."
"Fire, Earth, Water... wait a minute... that's almost like the Avatar Cycle," Korra said in realization. As well as the three element's she'd begun manifesting when she was almost five.
Mako had a sudden disquieting thought. "No... that's the Avatar cycle in reverse."
"That means air is next," Tenzin realized. "Any one of our airbenders could be in danger."
"Unless they've already been stolen from..." That wasn't a pleasant thought.
"It is possible," the master admitted. "With all the confusion following Harmonic Convergence we could've missed any number of them sprouting up. We shouldn't take any chances though. I'll pass along warnings to all the Air Temples."
"Most of those should be safe enough havens," agreed Opal. "They're not easy to reach. But even so, we still don't know what this thief looks like or who they are."
"We'll have to be hopeful for the best," Tenzin replied, wishing they could do more.
"In the meantime, we have to assume this thief is trying to re-create the Avatar Cycle somehow. But why?"
"And how? It shouldn't be possible," Korra said. "Only the Avatar can master all four elements, and that's because of Raava's influence as much as anything."
"Then looks like we need a new playbook," replied Mako tersely. "Someone's definitely playing by a new set of rules."
"And we still don't know what their endgame is," Opal added. "What if they're trying to become a new Avatar?"
"Then the first thing they'll do at that point is probably try and take me out," Korra surmised. "Out with the old, in with the new?"
"Hey, I happen to like our current Avatar very much," Bolin insisted, hugging Korra's shoulders. "We're not interested in trading in for a new model!"
Trying not to find it too hilarious Bolin was referring to her like she was the family satomobile, Korra smiled at the praise he really was trying to convey. The others nodded in agreement, and it was a comfort to Korra that no matter what her enemy was going to throw at her, she'd have her friends to back her up.
She had a feeling she was going to need them.
Authors Notes:
Please review if enjoyed.
Special thanks to DKStudios05 who produced artwork of the masked Korra and Asami, found on their deviantart page.