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On to the chapter!
The following day of their first recruitment, a few members of the expedition gather to watch Bumi and Kai do a bit of sparring.
"Light on your feet, Uncle Bumi. Remember, you want to be quick and evasive."
"Don't worry about me, little lady. I've been in a scrap or two, you know. Oh, you're just a youngster, so I'm going to go easy on you. Wouldn't want to hurt a kid-" Bumi says, only to have his legs swept out from under him, courtesy of Airbending from Kai.
"Uncle Bumi, you've got to work on your stance changes." Jinora states as she and Kai help him up to his feet. She then addresses Kai and says, "Kai, that was just...really good."
"Thanks, Jinora. You're a great teacher." He replies.
Jinora walks away with her uncle a few feet before he realizes something.
"Hmm. Did I drop my wallet?"
In the background, Kai fans himself with said wallet, which Bumi quickly realizes.
"Give me that, you little thief!"
Bumi then chases after the boy.
From the railing, Korra and Tenzin are observing the event.
"It's so exciting to be on a diplomatic mission to Ba Sing Se. What's the Earth Queen like?" Korra asks Tenzin.
"I've never met her, but I've heard she can be quite...demanding."
"That doesn't sound good." Akira says, walking up to stand beside Korra.
They're soon joined by Bolin, who's seems very excited.
"This is it, Mako! We made it! This is where Dad grew up! Come here, look! Look!"
Said brother shows up immediately and says, "Okay, calm down. I'm looking."
As the airship gets closer to the wall Korra speculates, "I wonder how many Airbenders are down there." As they get above the Lower Ring, the group is hit with the stench. "Ugh. The Lower Ring looks terrible."
"Yeah, I can smell it from here. No wonder Dad left." Bolin remarks.
A moment later and the airship is now over the Middle Ring.
"Hello, Middle Ring!" Bolin shouts.
The last spot they fly over is the Upper Ring as Asami lands the airship on the Palace Grounds. After unloading the group is greeted by the Grand Secretariat. "Avatar Korra, Master Tenzin, it is a pleasure to welcome you and your party to the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. I'm Grand Secretariat Gun." He says with a bow.
Korra does the same, thanking the man.
Bolin then walks up a bit and takes in a nice whiff of air. "Ahh, it's got that Upper Ring smell."
Gun looks a bit alarmed, telling Bolin, "Oh, no. The Queen hates animals. We've got to get them out of sight."
"Well, I can just stash Pabu in my shirt." Bolin says, holding his hands out for Pabu to climb onto. "These two are gonna be a little tougher." He adds, talking about Naga and Oogi.
"Come with me, hurry. I'll take you to your quarters." Gun continues, leading the entourage to their temporary living space.
As the group is walking Gun goes over important talking points. "Now, when you meet the Queen, make sure you bow low enough. That's very important. And don't look her in the eye, she can't stand that. If any food is served, don't eat before she eats. Oh, actually, I have to taste her food first, then she eats, then you can eat. Better yet, just don't eat."
"Seems like an awful lot of rules." Korra remarks.
"Oh, you have no idea, and I'm the one who gets in trouble when people don't follow them. So please, please, for my sake, just try not to upset Her Majesty."
A little while later they arrive at the temporary lodging, a fancy looking building. "Here we are." States Gun.
"Ooh, very swanky." Bolin comments.
"Now, go in and make yourselves comfortable," Gun says, pointing to Bolin sternly, "And keep those animals out of sight in the backyard! Avatar Korra, if you'd follow me, we don't want to keep Her Majesty waiting."
As Korra leaves to see the Earth Queen, Akira finds their room and takes a look. It's pretty standard, with a bed, desk, and dresser. Even a bathroom with all the fixings.
A knocking at the door draws his attention. He opens it to reveal Tamayo, who steps in immediately.
"Guess all the rooms look the same." She remarks.
"Huh. That seems…cost efficient?"
"Probably didn't want to spend too much money on this place, although it's still very expensive. I thought we could spend some time together while Korra's busy."
"This is feeling more and more like a drama with how you're coming to see me after my girlfriend has gone away for business."
"Well, I'm not trying to steal you away from Korra, for starters. I just want a taste of affection." Tamayo saunters over to Akira, letting her shirt rest upon her elbows, revealing a covered chest.
"And you couldn't get this taste from your clients or even Kasem?"
"No." She respond, standing in front of him. Akira gently rubs his knuckles along her cheek, causing her to smirk. "There it is. Affection. Love. Not lust."
"You make it difficult not to go straight to lust, you know."
"I know. It's my profession after all."
The two share a gentle kiss before moving to the bed. They decide not to test the sound proof capabilities of this room, opting to have Akira give Tamayo a massage while she reads a small book she brought along. Oh, and she's completely topless as well.
A few minutes later and someone is knocking on the door. Tamayo hides in the bathroom while Akira answers it, revealing Tenzin.
"I just wanted to let you know that Mako and Bolin are going to look for Kai."
"Thanks, Tenzin."
The Master gives Akira a small nod before walking away, letting Akira shut the door.
"Apparently, Kai's missing. Mako and Bolin are out looking for him." He tells Tamayo, who flops onto the bed.
She lets out a sigh and closes her book with a smack.
"Alright. I'm going to help the brothers find the little twerp."
"Want me to come along?"
"Nah, the three of us should be able to handle it. Thanks for the offer though."
Tamayo pecks Akira on the cheek before getting dressed and leaving.
She soon finds Mako and Bolin still on the search for their little Airbender Thief.
"Kai! Did you go fishing? You under the bridge?" Bolin asks to the air.
Tamayo looks amused while Bolin's brother does not.
Mako then sees Kai stealing money from a man and calls him out. Kai gives him a salute before sliding away. "Get back here!" Mako exclaims as the three give chase.
"Kai, it's us! Mako, Bolin, and Tamayo! Your new family!" Bolin shouts.
The three chase the runaway before corning him in a train.
"What are you doing running around robbing people?" Mako demands.
"I was just practicing my Airbending." Kai says as an excuse.
"Right, you little shit." Tamayo states. "Come on. You're in big trouble."
As Tamayo and Mako move to grab Kai by the shoulder, he Airbends the two and blasts them away. This gives him just enough time to run out of the train and leave the pursuers trapped.
"I can just break this." Tamayo offers, holding a flame covered fist.
Mako quickly pushes it down saying, "No. Let's not destroy public property."
Tamayo shrugs, extinguishing the flames.
Mako then turns to his brother and sarcastically says, "Your little brother, huh?"
"Yeah, just lovable little scamp, isn't he?"
"Reminds me of my little brother."
The Conductor then announces, "This is the express line to the Lower Ring. Next stop, Po Kong Station."
Tamayo lets out a breath of air and finds a seat, trying to get comfortable. After one mediocre ride later the three get off.
"All right, let's see if we can catch a train back to the Upper Ring." Mako says.
The three approach said train, only to be stopped.
The guard asks for, "Passports and tickets."
"We can pay, hold on. Where's my money?" The siblings and friend share a look. "No. Kai wouldn't…aw, man!"
"All right, beat it you three, before things get ugly." The guard orders, gesturing towards the nearby Dai Li Agents.
"My great-grandmother was Tsuyoi, the Stone Banshee. Just let us in, we're with the Avatar." Tamayo tries.
"Yeah right. Stop wasting my time and beat it."
Before Tamayo can beat the crap out of the guard and cause a scene, Mako and Bolin pull her away. Soon the three find themselves walking the streets of the Lower Ring.
"The bad news is, we're stuck here. The good news is, you can go the bathroom wherever you want." Bolin states.
"Wonderful." Tamayo intones.
Ok. We just need money and then we can get back to the Upper Ring. Ugh, I don't want to think about the kinds of diseases these people have, but now's not the time to be prideful.
"How much would you say we'd need total for tickets back to the Upper Ring?"
Mako replies, "One ticket is around two-hundred yuan, so we'd need six-hundred total."
"Ok. I can get us the money…just try not to think too low of me, ok?"
"What do you mean?" Bolin naively asks.
"My sister, Tamako, and I own a bar and brothel, called the Burning Heart. You can imagine what we had to do to get the place operational during its inception."
Mako narrows his eyes and says, "No. You don't need to degrade yourself in order to get us money. We'll find another way."
"And how long will that take? Too long. I'm by no means a moral woman, so I can do this. I'll try to find you tomorrow."
Tamayo takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. After letting out the breath she walks past the brothers and enters a random street, deciding to explore the new territory.
An hour into her exploration, Tamayo finds the Red Light District and enters one of the brothels. By the end of the day she manages to get 500 yuan and a room to sleep in for the night.
The next morning, Tamayo is searching the streets and finds the two brothers with two other men, next to a rotten fruit stand.
"Who are these guys?" She asks.
"They're family!" Bolin exclaims.
The two are introduced as Tu and Chow. Cousin and Uncle respectively.
Mako then asks Tamayo, "So, did you…"
"I got five-hundred. Now that I'm the owner of my business, I can definitely say those building are not up to code."
Mako gives her a nod and supportive pat on the shoulder.
The three friends then follow the family members to their home.
"Your father sent us a letter years ago with your names," Chow says, "but that was the last we heard from him. Then we saw your pictures in the sports pages with your bending team, and Bolin, we love those Nuktuk movers. They're hilarious."
"Yeah, they're not really comedies, but, uh-" Bolin trails.
"Yeah, I could probably be a pro-bender, or an actor, or something if I lived in a mansion in Republic City like you guys. You don't know what it's like here on the streets. You gotta be tough." Tu states, flexing.
"Oh, Mako and I grew up on the streets. We were homeless, then we were kind of in a gang, then we lived in a gym." Bolin lists before getting pushed with Mako through the door, putting them right in front of their family. Their massive family.
"Hey, everybody! Look who's here! San's kids, Mako and Bolin!" Chow announces.
Tamayo stands to the side as Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins greet the two relatives.
A moment later an elderly woman approaches.
"Is it true? After all these years?"
"Boys, this is your grandmother, Yin." Chow introduces.
"Oh, it is so wonderful to finally meet my long-lost grandchildren." She greets, giving them both a hug. They return the affection by embracing her as well. Yin leaves the embrace to ask, "Where is San and your mother?"
The brothers share a look before Bolin asks, "Wait, you mean you don't know?"
"I'm sorry. They were killed when we were little."
Yin looks saddened by the news, as expected.
A while later, the three guests sit down at the table to eat a nicely prepared meal.
Bolin stops eating to say, "This is so great. We've never had a family before. Now we've got...one, two, five, eleven...a big family! Yeah!"
Mako then asks Yin, "So why did Dad leave Ba Sing Se?"
Chow answers, "Oh, he always had big dreams. Your grandfather thought it was ridiculous. He wanted San to stay home and work the fruit stand, but San was determined to leave and they had a huge fight. And that was the last time they ever spoke. Oh, um, sorry, Mom."
"Come with me." Yin says to Mako and Bolin, standing up. "I have something to show you."
Tamayo shoves more food in her mouth as she watches the brothers leave.
Once they're gone, one of the relatives asks, "So, are you a girlfriend?"
"Nope. Just a friend. Mako does have a girlfriend though, but Bolin does not." Tamayo responds, taking a bite out of a piece of bread.
"What business do you run? I remember you mentioning that to Mako earlier." Chow asks.
"Bar and Brothel."
"Oh." He responds, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
One of the female relatives asks, "How long have you been pregnant?"
"Well…just a few weeks. I'd appreciate it if no one mentioned that to Mako and Bolin. It's personal business."
A few family members nod their heads and agree not to tell Mako and Bolin.
As the hours pass, the brothers share stories of their adventures.
"You know, San would have been so proud of you guys. Traveling the World with the Avatar, he would have loved that."
Mako then says, "We actually need to get back to the Avatar in the Upper Ring. We're supposed to be helping her find Airbenders in Ba Sing Se."
Everyone seems to gasp at the mention of Airbenders.
"What? What happened?" Bolin asks.
"One of our neighbors started Airbending about a week ago. A couple days later, two Dai Li agents come out of nowhere and snatch him up. No one's seen him since." Chow answers.
"They say the Earth Queen's locking all the Airbenders up somewhere and using them for experiments." Tu interjects.
"Tu!" Yin exclaims, standing up. "Don't talk like that about Her Majesty." She then blows a kiss to the painting nearby, bowing as well in prayer. "Long may she reign."
"We have to get back to the Upper Ring and tell Korra." Mako states.
Tamayo nods her head in agreement.
"I hope Kai is okay." Bolin mutters.
The three are then shown to their rooms. Tamayo gets one to herself with another lady around her age. Both are laying on their beds when she asks, "So, who's the lucky man?"
"That's a secret."
"Oh come on, it's just us two girls. I'm Tami, by the way."
"Tamayo."
"It's not Mako or Bolin's, right?"
"Nope."
"Is the father from Republic City?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to tell me who the father is?"
"Nope."
"Aw. You're no fun."
"I'm very fun. I just want to get back to the Avatar."
The two then quiet down and fall asleep.
[Dream]
Tamayo opens her eyes to see Akira standing in front of her.
"So, I guess your feelings weren't genuine. As soon as I'm far enough away, you go off fucking other men."
"What? No, it's not like that."
"Oh please, I shouldn't expect anything else from you. You run a brothel for Agni sake."
"I was just trying to get money. I didn't even enjoy it."
"How can I be with you if I can't trust you."
"You can!"
Akira begins walking away, and Tamayo tries to run after him. He seems to be too fast though, and Tamayo falls to the ground, exhausted.
The ground around her begins to grow black and suck her in.
She fights it, but it soon swiftly sucked into the black void.
[Present]
Tamayo jumps up from the bed, sitting upwards. She looks around, breathing frantically and seeing Tami still asleep.
What was that nightmare? I…I don't know how I'm going to tell Akira. I could just not tell him…no, he would notice something being off. Fuck.
Tamayo curls herself up and leans against the wall pressed against the bedframe.
She whispers, "It's ok," repeatedly, trying to calm herself.
Eventually, she manages to fall asleep once more. This time, there are no dreams, but the anxiety is still there.
Before Tu goes off to grab the passports, Tamayo gives him the yuan she was able to get.
A few hours later he bursts in and announces, "I got them. These passports should get you into the Upper Ring."
"Awesome! Tu, you're the best cousin a guy could have!" The other family members around Bolin feel a bit disheartened. Noticing the mistake, Bolin adds in, "And my other cousins as well. Yeah. Yeah, you're all the best."
"Thanks. I know this wasn't easy." Mako says, taking the three fake passports.
Yin walks up to her grandchildren and says, "It's such a shame you two must leave so soon."
"I wish we could stay. But if it's true the Earth Queen is forcing Airbenders into her army, we have to do something about it." Mako declares.
"I love you both. Come visit again." Yin says, giving Mako a hug. Bolin joins in, as well as Tu, hugging Mako from behind.
"We will, grandma." Everyone else joins in on the family hug as well, even Tamayo.
"I love you too, grandma. And Chow. And Tu. And Meng Meng. And Chow Junior and there he is, Big Ti and Little-Little Ti and Medium Yu and...and-and what was your name again?" Bolin says.
With the passports getting them on the train, the three eagerly await to be back in the Upper Ring.
And there's out little Lower Ring adventure. Done and dusted. Next up is the retrieval of Kai, escape, and travel
Reviews would be appreciated
Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter
