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The last of the children moved past them, forming a loose line by the back of the truck, with a few of them having already clambered into it's cavernous hold, most likely to stay close to the crate of food Tai and Sensha had just recently liberated for them. The two teens stood nearby, watching with bemusement at the display. Skoochy walked up to them, his customary conductor hat in his hand. He had a strange expression on his face, one that Tai thought had never had a place on him before. Before he could make anymore observations, Skoochy cut him off.
"Uh. Thanks.", the street urchin, no, the twelve year old kid, had his eyes glued to the ground, no doubt trying to avoid their judging looks. Sensha, bent down to his level, placing a hand on his shoulder, recognising the gesture, he looked up, and she gave him a warm smile. "It's okay, Skoochy. There's no need to-"
"Yeah. There is."
She blinked twice, although her smile was still there. The boy looked at her, and a tear rolled down his tanned cheek. "I-if you hadn't found us when you had, we-", he gasped, as he found himself wrapped in her comforting arms, her lips near his ear. "You don't need to think about that." they moved. She broke off the hug, and stood back up, her hand still gripping his.
Tai was careful in his wording. "Skoochy, we've helped you and your gang, but we'll be needing to help someone else very soon." he bent down to his level. "Which way did Tarrlok go to leave the city?", he noticed the tear had dried up, and the kid was looking at him with a sense of understanding. "I was hanging down at Central Station yesterday, and I saw him pull up in a truck. He was angry about something, and the Earth Kingdom guy he was seeing caught all of it." he shrugged. "To be honest, I'd seen this thing all the time, but than the back of the truck started moving and banging around. When he was done with his friend, he left, heading down the road that led to the Koi Ranges."
Tai nodded, and straightened to his full height, his gaze thoughtful and determined. "Skoochy, thank you. I think we're on to something." Sensha nodded as well, agreeing with his observation. Skoochy looked at the both of them, and than back towards the truck. A kid's voice carried to them, and he grimaced. "I'm needed with them. See ya' around.
"Be safe Skoochy!" Sensha called, the young street urchin waved the suggestion off dismissively, although he allowed himself a small smile, before walking off towards the waiting truck behind him, it's engine rumbling with anticipation. He climbed into the drivers seat and closed the door, and to the surprise of Tai, guided the vehicle smoothly onto the main street, soon disappearing around a corner.
"I really shouldn't be surprised he knows how to drive." Tai stated. Sensha smirked as she crossed her arms, shaking her head sadly. "I hope the directions you gave him are good.", he chuckled. "Luzon will be surprised, that's for sure.", he glanced at Sensha, noticing the absence of a reply.
"You were great in there, Sensha.", she whipped her head up at his words. "I know-" she began to fidget though, striking a hard contrast with her words. "-But let's be honest here, you saved our butts back there." she gave him a smile.
He frowned, genuinely confused at her statement. "You really think that? I wrecked the plan, we were going to follow those two to the base, and look what happened, I didn't go easy on them."
"You did make up for it by beating up ten fire benders. And keeping the flames from burning us alive, you don't give yourself enough credit sometimes."
"Still doesn't hide the fact that I nearly, genuinely, killed two men." he didn't meet her gaze, too afraid of luring that judging look from before.
"No. It doesn't." she agreed quietly. She walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "All you can do is move on, learn from it, and make sure you don't repeat your mistakes. Or you could just join the circus or something." she grinned at him, a amused light dancing in her eyes.
He was still working out that last part. "Eh - what?" he scratched his head, very much confused. She chuckled at how lost he was, "My grandma had a few problems when she was a child, so, she ran away to join a circus."
"Right..." Tai folded his arms, putting the strange thought away as he smirked. "You're a weird one, Sensha."
The sound of a motorcycle engine stopped them, and they both looked towards the alley leading back to the street, seeing the black carapace of Boto's motorcycle pull around the corner towards them, his wolf helm grinning savagely at them. It coasted to a halt, and it's rider stepped away from it, taking the helmet into the crook of his arm.
"So, how'd it go?" he asked. Sensha and Tai glanced at each other, she mouthed something to him, and he rolled his eyes, Boto crossed his arms at their display.
"We had to deliver a crate of food to Skoochy that the Agni Kai's took from him in exchange for the lead." Sensha took over from here. "When we got back the Agni Kai's had kidnapped him and his gang, so we trailed them to their headquarters to rescue them." she said, Tai glanced at her, noticing a slight shiver going over her as she recounted the night's events.
He stopped her with a apologetic glance. "Skoochy gave us a lead. He saw Tarrlok down at Central Station, laying into a Earth Kingdom guy about something-" he tilted his head. "I'm betting it's to do with where he took Korra."
The young man nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Central Station is a hub for any major routes out of the city, and that does confirm the lead I chased up last night." he noticed the other's curious expressions. "I visited a old family friend of mine, he helped raise me in the south pole, and looked out for me when I was...traveling.", he saw them both giving him strange looks, but he ignored them, not wanting to reveal anything more at this time. "He's working for the Earth Kingdom now, and he noticed that one of the diplomats who worked under him, Gujong, was acting suspiciously, he tried to question him about it but he ran off, and-" he held up his index finger,"-was last seen at Republic City's own Central Station.", he waited for the impressed reaction from the two of them.
"Not bad." Sensha said.
Tai glanced at her, smirking. "Although attacking a Agni Kai base does seem a bit more involved than that. Still good hustle.", he laughed as Boto's shoulders drooped, and he hung there loosely for a second, feeling useless. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up. "Seriously, good job, we have a solid lead." he sighed as Tai retracted his hand, and walked to the side of the motorcycle, fishing for his discarded helmet.
Sensha gave him an apologetic smile, and stood near the motocycle's seat, waiting for Boto. He shook his head and walked to her, his expression covered by his smiling wolf helm. He mounted the seat, and his hands gripped the handlebars tightly, he nodded that he was ready, and Sensha sat behind him, looping her hands around his waist for support and balance. He glanced down at Tai, his face unreadable behind the black visor. The seventeen year old gave him a thumbs up, and he nodded. He gunned the engine, and the bike coasted forwards and around the corner, guided by his experienced hand.
They turned out into the street, leaving the grinning bull-crocodile sign behind as they took the road left, the buildings in their immediate surroundings were small and squat, but as they got closer to the inner -and consequently richer- edge of the district, their view was staunched by elaborate and ever taller apartment complexes and business offices, as they turned another corner, leaving this road and going down one of the city's main arteries, each building that surrounded them was almost tall enough to blot out any remaining light the sun could throw at them as it began to recede into the horizon.
With nothing to do, Tai watched the scenery flash by. Even though he had been here for almost a month now, he still loved how the city gleamed when the sun threw it's last kisses at them, just before it made way for the moon to sparkle and shine. He found himself looking at Sensha, and quietly marvelling at how the light caught her brilliant amber eyes, and seemed to reflect the whole world from them. He shook his head, briefly wondering what had gotten into him.
Maybe that landing was more painful than it looked-suddenly her short raven locks called to him, and he gazed at the tufts that neatly poked out from underneath the simple grey helmet she wore. She glanced at him, and he reddened, keeping an eye on the road ahead. Unbeknownst to him, Sensha sighed and rolled her eyes behind her helmet.
Boto twisted the handlebars to the right, overtaking a gaudy red dragster on the outside, it's owner shook his fist at them, Boto didn't reciprocate, merely focusing on the road ahead. It terminated at the edge of a large open square. A large structure, that spanned the entire breadth of the plaza, loomed over the people passing through, yet, for a building so vast and so integral to the city's transportation, it absolutely failed to eclipse the statue of the fire bending man in front of it. The man held a serious look in his eyes, made even more piercing by the flame shaped burn around his left eye.
"Woah, Fire Lord Zuko..." Staring up at the statue of possibly the most famous, or infamous depending on who you talked to, man in the world apart from Avatar Aang, he remembered the many stories and tales his father read to him about the former Fire Lord. Even if that was just his statue, it still held some of the fire that fueled the man himself.
Watching him Boto and Sensha shared a amused look. "Quite a statue, huh?"
"Yeah." He was shaken from his reverie with a sudden halt of motion. They were parked near the main doors of the station, Boto managed to get them a spot that wouldn't disturb the constant traffic of people moving through the doors, while still getting them easy access. Sensha dismounted first, stretching a little as she watched the people enter.
"So how do we find this Gujong guy?" she asked.
Boto regarded her with a smirk, although only his chin was visible to her. "The old fashioned way. Eyes and ears."
Tai took of his helmet, placing it in the side car seat. "I'm up for some sleuthing."
Sensha rolled her eyes. "We'd better get in there then."
Central Terminal, Republic City.
Although Tai still held onto that earlier excitement, it was severely beaten now, and most likely crying in a dark cellar's corner.
His eyes were getting increasingly strained, and his patience was about to annihilated. The station was massive, and at least five hundred people passed through it's main floor at any time. He was sick of the jostling, tired of the random insults thrown by drunks, and irritated by a sore spot on the ball of his right foot that just would not go away.
But most of all. He was pissed off. Every hour they wasted wandering the stations confines, every hour that madman would gain towards his plans being completed, he shuddered when he thought of his friend, alone and most likely scared witless, in a dark place. His minds eye painted it as a pitch black arena, overlooked on each side by observation windows, and in the middle sat a cold steel coffin, and she was there, utterly and completely terrified of what lay around her.
Suddenly, he hated his minds eye.
Still, he wasn't alone in his search. Sensha was poking around the upper platforms of the station, checking every possible place a councilman would be. More than likely she was getting increasingly desperate, just like he was, and he was sure that Boto felt exactly the same. To be honest, it was a no win scenario, they were looking for one man, in a station that could hold thousands, and admitted hundreds of crowds each hour, he care for the odds though, only for the result.
As the overhead windows let the starlight begin to shine it's best and brightest through, he sighed, and rounded a thick square column, coming face to face with a brown skinned man, standing over a smaller man dressed in dark green robes, his fingers were splayed out at odd angles, and they waved through the air in abrupt, jerky, movements. The man's eyes flashed towards him, dangerous and feral. He grinned that shark like expression.
"Oh how good of you to join us young man." he stated in a sing song voice. The man below him writhed and screamed wordlessly, his pale green eyes were looking into Tai's, and they said only two words.
Help me.
As if on command, Tai's hand reached towards the black handle of his sword, and the steel whispered to the leather as he began to drag it out, the gleaming metal caught the light nearby, shining and brilliant.
"Let him go.", Tai struggled to keep his voice level and neutral, and didn't dare to blink in his presence.
"Why should I follow the word of a vagrant?" the man showed those horrible white teeth again, as he intensified the movements his fingers traced. The man underneath him cried out as his spine twisted in unnatural ways. Fear had overtaken him, and Tai had to act quickly.
"You know. Ever since I carried you out of that burning warehouse, you have been nothing but ungrateful to me."
Tai's hands balled into fists unknowingly. "You're forgetting someone.", the man barked cruelly, his gaze turning down to the cowering and pain-wracked man at his feet.
"Yes I suppose I am! How can I forget the Avatar's assistance?"
"WHERE IS SHE!", the boy was seething now, and Tarrlok knew it. He had a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "Well, you won't get anything with shouting young man." the man below screamed again, as he stabbed his fingers forwards a bit, causing the man's arms to wrench above his shoulders in blinding and impossible motion.
"Stop playing games. Where is Korra!", Tai let more of the blade slide upwards, as he advanced menacingly towards the weasel-snake. His eyes were focused on the man's slimy, smiling visage, and he didn't noticed that Tarrlok's free hand began moving towards him.
"You really think I'd tell-" he extended a palm towards Tai, and instantly, his body locked up, and he couldn't move at all. He snapped his fingers, and Tai cried out in pain as his hand was wrenched painfully upwards, and his arm bent the wrong way."-, just like that?"
Seething pain coursed through his body, but he didn't relent, and fought bravely to keep his vision from slipping into blackness. His voice was shaky, and halting as he addressed the blood bender. "I-urgh- do -argh!- actually."
Even though his very blood fought against him, he managed a small taunting smirk. Impossibly, he moved his right foot forwards a step, and Tarrlok's eyes widened in surprise. His left foot followed that single step, and slowly, he resumed his advance against the depraved councilman. Tarrlok moved a step back, and in desperation, relinquished his hold on the man on the floor, bringing all of his power towards the boy with the sword on his back.
There was a definite growl in his voice. "I should have killed you when I first saw you."
"Keep. Trying. Creep.", incredibly, the boy had regained the confident edge, and laughed fully. Tarrlok roared, and his fingers danced jarringly in the air, Tai shouted out involuntarily as he was lifted off his feet, and yelled in pain as he felt his blood rise inside of him. His vision dimmed dangerously, and he felt his mind slipping away. He didn't register the impact his body had against the wall nearby, or the waving pale blue coat tails as the councilman ran through a door nearby, labelled employees only.
He groaned as his insides began to recover from the effects of the forbidden technique, from his position on the floor, he saw the man that Tarrlok was torturing, but couldn't see his chest rising or falling. His hand flailed about as he willed it to clamp down onto the floor, after a while, it finally complied, and he managed to raise himself up a little. He registered footsteps coming around the corner, as Boto and Sensha came running into view. She skidded to a halt in front of him, kneeling to better examine his injuries. He gasped a little as she touched a sensitive patch on his side, and he grimly remembered that what was what hit the ground first after being beaten by Tarrin.
"Tai! Where's he gone?", he screwed his eyes shut as he shifted his body, and the pain from the movement overwhelmed him. He nodded at the open door nearby.
"In there."
Boto was over by the other man, his hands covered by glowing globules of water as he ran them over the unconscious man. Grimacing he stood up, and went over to Tai, Sensha shifted wordlessly out of his way, as the southern tribesman put his healing skills to work. Relief coursed through him as the pain dulled, and he could finally move without his body warring against him. He went to stand up, and Sensha quickly helped him.
"We've got to move now, there's no telling where he's running to." he stated. The others nodded, and Boto went in first, being the fastest and uninjured. He clung onto Sensha, as she guided him through the door. The room was dark, and almost devoid of furniture or machinery, only playing host to a small rickety desk with a untrustworthy lamp, and a staircase that dropped into the a steamy expanse below.
He glanced at Sensha. "Must be a access to the lower levels."
She smirked and chuckled. "What told you that one genius?", while her voice held amusement and cheer, her eyes were filled with concern, mainly for his well being. As she took him down the steps, one at a time, she kept a worried eye on him. "How much is it hurting?"
"Blood bending can go hang."
"You should recover shortly, than we can catch the bastard."
"And find Korra."
Oddly enough, Sensha seemed to hesitate a little. "Y-yeah."
He didn't pursue the reason, merely nodding. As they delved into the steam covered entryway, he felt the air around him grow heavy and moisture laden. That was bad news for his fire bending than, and Sensha probably knew hers would be less effective as well.
Boto was in a bad position, and he knew it.
Steam clouded him everywhere he looked, and the dark, claustrophobic tunnels were not helping him. But he'd been waiting a long time to do this, and he wouldn't let a little maze stop him.
His boots made clanging sounds against the grated flooring, as he ran through tunnel after tunnel, hoping to catch a glimpse of those pale blue coat tails that marked his foe.
His feet found that same corner, and he whirled around it, coming face to face with the ever present cloud of steam that pervaded the tunnels. A chuckling laugh carried to him, gaining a tinny tone after it hit the metal walls and pipes that made up the tunnel. Underneath his wolf helm, he growled, and continued his hunt, he slowed down near intersections, where the mad man could attack from any direction. He ran down what he thought was a tunnel he'd been down before, damning the fact that they all looked the same.
Suddenly he heard a whisper of crystalline noise around him, and a group of sharp icicles hard materialised into being, their sharp tips aimed at head level. He swore as the first one slammed into him, before he could react, luckily his helmet was tough, and took the impact, although it shook him around a bit. The rest of them followed, and he ducked and swerved at the onslaught, dodging the deadly spikes as best as he could.
He made a flowing, smooth arc with his arm, and the rest of the icicles melted instantly, dripping down through the grated flooring. He was breathing hard, as he regained his senses, and kept his eyes open for any blurry shapes coming towards him through the cloud. Another laugh this time, much closer, and he advanced cautiously down a tunnel to his right. He came to another intersection, and like a shadow, a madly grinning face appeared in front of him.
"Hello, Boto."
Boto went for a right hook, but was thrown back, as Tarrlok had encased his hand in a thick block of ice, and slammed it into his stomach. He landed hard, and coughed and sputtered. He got up as fast as he could, running back to where he was, but the councilman had disappeared again, chuckling as the steam cloud swallowed him up once more.
He winced as his stomach flared in pain, and he covered a hand over it, and cautiously resumed his search.
"So how's the city been treating you?", he whirled, gathering a stream of water out of the steam cloud, ready to slam him across the face, only to see no one there. "So sad you had to leave the south.", he whipped around again, and caught a glimpse of a mad blue eye disappearing into the cloud. He was on edge, and he felt the adrenaline pumping through his system. "You'll pay for what you've done, murderer."
He heard a yell to his right, and he whirled to meet the advancing maniac, his right hand encased in a block of ice. Tarrlok ducked under the heavy blow, and summoned a water whip out of the steam, and wrapped it around his ankle. It squeezed, and he gritted his teeth as the pressure increased.
"Murderer? You shouldn't call your uncle such names."
"All of that bloodbending's gone to your head."
Boto was answered by a scathing laugh. Tarrlok pushed his face in close. "Oh, but I am. Blood you see-" the water whip continued to tighten, and he made jerky, abrupt movements with his other hand, the effect on the young man was sudden and pain filled, as his life fluid rebelled against him, and he felt a rib give way, and he cried out in pain, he would have fallen to the floor, but the councilman had control over his movements, and kept him standing straight, a angry fire in his eyes. "-Is thicker than water. See you around Boto."
He saw, rather than felt, the impact into the steam pipe nearby. His forehead made bloody contact with it, and he slumped to the floor, his vision quickly blackening as he watched the pale coat tails walk off into the cloud again, ready to ambush his friends.
The cloud enveloped the two of them, as they came face to face with the first of many identical tunnels. The pipes that covered the walls hissed, and a few loose valves along their length were releasing large amounts of steam, making the atmosphere very hot, and very humid. Instantly, Sensha found her palms were covered in a moist sheen, and she had difficulty keeping a hold on the injured boy.
"Careful, floor's slippery."
"Don't worry, I'll see it coming. If you fall first I'll be dragged down with you.", he winced as she lightly slapped him on the shoulder. "Right, I deserved that."
She sighed, and they kept going, steadily making their way into the tunnels. "I hope Boto's alright."
"He's tough, he'll probably have caught Tarrlok by now.", he coughed, as he felt his breath catch in his throat, no doubt due to the high humidity. Sensha glanced at him worryingly. She guided them around a corner, walking into another expanse of steam. It was constant, and always there, hanging at head height, and projecting moist, uncomfortable air below itself.
They continued rounding corner after corner, as they searched for Boto. Suddenly a whisper of air caught the attention of Tai's ear. The steam around him whirled and solidified into a grey lash of water that whipped towards his head. He pushed Sensha out of the way, swaying unsteadily as he slashed a slice of air towards the whip. It slammed through it, cutting it in half and letting the droplets splash back into the floor grates. He grabbed onto a thick pipe nearby for balance, his hand slipping slightly as it tried to gain a purchase on the slick surface. He heard a yelp, and he looked down the tunnel to his right, where Sensha should have been.
She was gone. And there he was, alone, and stuck in a steam filled mess with a psychopathic blood bender. He sighed, things just keep getting better.
He held onto the pipe, and walked down it, quietly panicking about where the bastard had taken her to. He kept moving forward, eyes swinging to the left and right whenever he passed another intersection of tunnels. The stretch he was in came to an end, going into a tunnel that ran left and right, marking it as a border of the steam filled labyrinth.
He advanced carefully down this stretch of tunnel, keeping to it's outside wall as much as he could, cautious of the multiple tunnels that branched off of this one, and led deeper into the steam works. Gradually he found he could walk a bit more steadily, and let go of the pipe, swaying a bit as he moved forwards without the support of the pipe. He found another corner, and poked his head around it, spying for anyone down there. Ever cautious of the steam, he went down the tunnel, heard a scream that carried from the inner twisting of tunnels.
He advanced cautiously along one of the tunnels that branched away, and came to a intersection, turning left, he saw Sensha's face, contorted in painful agony, and behind her was Tarrlok, grinning savagely as he manipulated her very body to do what he wants. She was floating in the air, centimeters above the grated floor, and her hair was limpid and drooping. Her eyes were wide, and afraid. He reached a hand to the handle protruding above his back, letting the metal slide out smoothly. He whirled his free hand, and slowly, the steam crowded to the walls of the tunnel, and he could see his friend being held by the madman. "So sorry, Sensha."
He watched Tarrlok smile that shark like visage again, and suddenly Sensha cried out as her limbs were stretched to their breaking points. His fists shook with the idea of letting him continue his torture. He took a step forwards, but her pained shouts grew louder and more frenzied as her blood rebelled against her. A dark look was settling on Tai, and he was thinking of letting it stay.
Tarrlok threw her into the wall nearby, and ran towards Tai, his fingertips gleaming as sharp pinions of ice grew over them. He slashed them towards the boy, who responded by dancing back, stumbling as he felt a sore muscle complain. He twisted around Tarrlok and blasted a gust of air, point blank, into his back, it slammed into the wall, but he shook it off, and jumped back, his fingers extended in strange, jerky positions at him.
His blood was taken over again, and Tai struggled as best he could. He felt like iron clamps were placed all over him, and he couldn't move at all. Gritting his teeth, he tried to break through the control, and was repulsed several times, each more painful than the last. He tried once more, and finally his hand rose up, with an open palm. He called the heavy air to gather into a ultra dense ball of pressure, and Tarrlok frowned. He sent it flying forwards, smacking into the councilman's stomach like a sledgehammer, he was carried down the tunnel by the overpressured orb, and the steam swallowed him up, leaving Tai to hold onto the pipe for support, breathing heavily.
He looked down, and saw Sensha slumped against the wall, unconscious. He grimaced as his ribs began another complaining sessions, he went over to her, and knelt in front of her. He heard a voice behind him, and he whipped around, seeing Boto, who had a hand clamped onto his stomach.
"Tai! You alright?"
"Barely, but Sensha's out cold."
"Damn it!"
"There's no point chasing after him, he's probably long gone now.", he looked over at Boto, who sighed in frustration. "Alright...are you injured?"
"Nothing I can't handle, but we need to get her out of here.", Boto nodded and walked towards her unconscious form, and slung her over his shoulder. Boto pointed down the tunnel, indicating the direction he was going, Tai nodded, and limped after him, glad to be leaving the steam cloud behind.
Eventually they found the stairs again, and took them slowly, on account of their injuries proving too great for anything faster than a limp. They found themselves in the dark little room again, and saw the Earth Kingdom guy standing nearby, with a worried look on his face. He went to speak, but Boto held up a hand to silence him, he found the only chair in the room, and placed Sensha down on it, making sure she was upright before turning back to the old man.
"Are you alright, sir?" he asked.
The old man's eyes almost boggled out of their sockets. "Am I alright? How about you three? Tarrlok's a dangerous man!", he shook himself, and calmed down. "Sorry, my name is Gujong, diplomatic envoy for the Earth Kingdom."
He stuck out a hand, and Boto took it gingerly, wincing slightly as the small movement pained him a little. "Lieutenant Boto, hold on-" he took of his wolf helmet, showing a sheepish smile. "-That's better, I'm Lieutenant Boto, Republic City police force."
Tai took the pause as a chance to introduce himself as well. "My name is Tai," he paused, searching for the right title. "Airbending pupil."
Gujong nodded. "My regards to Master Tenzin."
Tai arched an eyebrow. "You know Tenzin?"
The diplomat chuckled. "Indeed I do, he's an old friend of mine."He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "I'm glad you found me when you did.",
Boto stepped forward. "What was Tarrlok threatening you with?"
Gujong hung his head, staring mournfully at the floor. "He has my family, and he wanted me to give him access into the Kingdom's borders. I couldn't get it though, and it made him angry."
"Is he planning a trip?" Tai asked.
Gujong glanced at him, nodding somberly. "He wanted to head back to the Northern Water Tribe, and the only way he could do that, is if he gained access to a port on the northern coast. Kuei harbour was going to be his way off the mainland."
Boto crossed his arms, giving Gujong a suspicious look. "What would going to the Northern Water Tribe accomplish for him?"
The diplomat shrugged. "I have no idea. Chief Unalaq abhors bloodbending."
"Is your family safe?" Boto asked.
Gujong shook his head sadly. "I don't know, I haven't seen them for a week now.".
"Sir. If I may interrupt?", Boto and the diplomat both looked at Tai "Are there any places on Koi mountain which may provide shelter, that you know of?"
Boto rubbed his chin, beginning to arrive at the same conclusion while Gujong nodded. "All I can think of is a old cabin on the eastern slope. I have a map, I can mark it for you."
Tai blinked twice, hardly believing his good luck. "That's...fantastic!"
Boto was grinning as well. "Thank you Gujong. This might be what we're looking for."
Gujong chuckled, and inclined his head towards the both of them. "It is no problem my friends, I hope you find your companion. And if you ever find yourselves in the Earth Kingdom, you'll be welcome in my home." He bowed to them and hobbled away, putting on a sage green bowler hat as he left the room. Boto and Tai stood there, not a sound coming from them.
Sensha stirred, and looked at the both of them, her movements weak and languid. "What happened?", she went to get up, only to struggle to even grip the chair to support herself.
Tai walked over to her, and looped an arm around her, lifting her gently to her feet. "Good to see you on your feet."
She glanced at him, a weak smile on her features. "You're right, blood bending can go hang."
He laughed softly. "I'm glad we can agree on something."
Boto walked over to the two of them, drawing a stream of water out of a sealskin pouch slung onto his back. "Careful Sen. You won't be able to move completely for a few minutes, where does it hurt?"
Even in her tired state, she managed to roll her eyes. "Everywhere.", he smirked as he formed the stream into a healing glob, and ran it over her body. Her eyes visibly brightened as the pain was dulled and drawn out of her, and her blood began to return to a normal flow. She breathed out a huge breath, and her smile was much stronger this time. "Thanks, Boto.", she drew away from Tai, and he relented, letting her stand on her own two feet, although still swaying a bit unsteadily. "So where to next?"
Boto grabbed his helmet, nestling it in the crook of his arm. "To find Korra."
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