Authors Note: Hello from Banyan Books. Disclaimer: While this story contains many of my OCs I do not own or claim to distribute any of the characters mentioned from within the Avatar universe. Thank you and please enjoy.
The Lion Turtle
Chapter 1
"Republic City's a pile of shit that no president or avatar is ever gonna clean it up. Might as well find a shovel and start scooping."
Gen has a bad habit of smoking the herbs Smiling Bison's been giving him right before long assignments. That meant listening to all the ridiculous stuff that would come out of his mouth for the next hour or two. It was just another thing I got accustomed to dealing when working for this triad group. Of course, the Smiley Brothers got to sit indoors with their posh leather couches and fur coats and gold chains, all of which I'd be seeing none of until our guests arrived. Gen and I were on security detail, even though I mainly used my bending for survival purposes like keeping warm and cooking scraps. I hadn't practiced fire bending for combat, let alone burned someone in a long time, and it showed. I'd seen Gen waterbend too and he wasn't much better. The sad thing was I needed this job, quite desperately in fact. Gone were the days that any rat could be swept off the street to become a pro bender or even a mover star. The avatar wasn't hanging out in public city to make a difference for people like us anymore. She had more important things to do like save the rest of the Earth Kingdom from itself. The president herself, while better than that clown Raiko, still wasn't enough. In a way, Gen was sort of right.
"I mean sure she saves our butts from some worldly crises every now and then, but we ain't going nowhere and neither are us urchins. You know, if I didn't have to do this job I'd wanna be a teacher. Not a bending one though, just a normal school teacher with books and paper planes and stuff. Could you image that Kang? Could you see me being a school teacher, huh?"
Gen's head swings in my direction, his beady eyes searching me up and down for an answer to his seemingly important question. We had never attended bending academies let alone normal schools to begin with, but even if we had, I couldn't imagine Gen playing the part. His suave black hair and barely visible mustache, his aloof attitude, and his seemingly endless thirst for gin even though he wasn't even of age, were all factors as to why I just couldn't see it. Plus schools like that don't like hats or head coverings. It was a rare occasion when Gen didn't wear a hat with his dark blue suit.
"Sure. Yeah you can be anything you want someday," I reply with a small smile. It's anything but genuine, but Gen's too out of it to notice.
"Why thanks best bud. We're gonna go places man, just you wait! Once this is all over we'll be-"
Gen shuts up at the roar of an approaching red and gold modded satomobile followed by two smaller black ones, all appearing out of the dark.
"We'll they're here early." I mutter. Somethings obviously up. Gen and I exchange looks.
The cars halt in the middle of the alley as two men from either side scurry around to open the passenger door. Outsteps Shady Shin followed by Mushi and Two Toed Ping, all of which flaunt their promotions after Zolt and Viper met their demises. They were the new faces of the Triples Threats even after their whole little turf war ended with most of them behind bars. Obviously that didn't keep them down for long. From what I've read in the papers, Chief Beifong's retirement did a number of the cops. Better for us I guess.
I pull out my walkie talkie. "This is Kang. They're here."
"What? But it's so early...we're not ready," another guard responds on the other end.
"Then get ready!" I say with a little edge. I'm not about to lose my position. Climbing the ranks of a triad is hard enough as is.
"Please kids, no need to fret," says Shady Shin. "We're just..a little ahead of schedule." Shin fluffs his oversized coat and winks flipping a gold yuan coin to one of the drivers behind him.
"Of course, Mr. Shin. This way," I open the heavy door we stand in front of exposing a small dingy room of tea boxes and the faint jazz music from within the front of the tea shop. However that's not where we'd be going. Another guard earthbends a door shaped rock revealing a gilded stairwell to the basement level. Gen and I do a small bow as the Triple Threats stroll on in.
"Mr. Shin," Shady Shin repeats. "I like that, kid."
As far as I know my job is over. Now all I need to do is stand and look tough. Of course that would be hard to do in front of the Triple Threats. Even Two Toed Ping looked more intimidating than usual, his old ratty clothes replaced by swank black and red suit and a white scarf dared to be touched by anyone in the room. As for Shady Shin, he looked about the same as he did before he was sentenced, always high profile. The only notable difference was his hair, much longer reaching his shoulders, as well as little patches of gray near the roots.
"Ah, the Smiley Brothers. From somewhere in the sprint world, Viper sends his regards," says Shady Shin with a chuckle. The Smiling Brothers are having none of it. Each sits in a large throne-like chair at the other end of the room, Smiling Bison on the left, Smiling Otter on the right, and the eldest, Smiling Dragon, in the middle. They were a fairly new triad that rose to power shortly after the Triple Threats and Creeping Crystals went under for a while. Known for all three of the brothers bending a different element, Smiling Bison's air bending being a result of the Avatar's conflict, they were pretty special. Initially short on members, a lot of the displaced Triple Threat lackeys went to them for work, and a few others got recruited, Gen and I being two of them.
"We invite you onto our turf and the first thing you do is interrupt our dinner and make jokes. Classy," Smiling Otter sternly remarks. He wears a blue changshan and black pants. Though underneath it isn't difficult to tell he's quite scrawny. Along with the only hair on his head consisting of a small black goatee, he's seeming to age faster than his other two brothers.
"We should honestly dismantle what's left of the Triple Threats. It wouldn't be too difficult for us to kick the rest of you out of your own turf," Smiling Bison chimes in. Being known for his quick temper, Smiling Bison was easily the most well-built and hostile of the three brothers, wearing a large white suit and a gold watch. His hair was cut short exposing a small air nation tattoo on the side of his neck. It was almost comical how he was basically the opposite of everything the air nation and its growing population of new airbenders generally stood for.
Smiling Dragon raises his hand and the other brothers sit back in their chairs. His calm demeanor somehow makes him seem like the most threatening of the three. He wears a red and gold tangzhuang on top of a white shirt, pointy red shoes, and a gold necklace with a jade dragon pendant at its end. His calm face and droopy eyelids contrast his focused amber eyes.
"What is it that you want Shin? I'm not in the mood this," Smiling Dragon's deep voice pierces the air. Shin shakes it off.
"You see Dragon, neither am I. We know what you stole from us, and we want it back," Shin's playful smile changes to an expression of annoyance.
"To what are you referring? All we sell here is tea," Smiling Dragon gestures to the air encouraging a look around the large ornate enclosure. Burgundy shelves of various rare herbs, rare teas, gold pots and kettles, as well as several well kept bonsai trees take up a large portion of the room's wall space. Other than that, the polished hardwood floor is clean enough to eat off of and the small wooden table in the center of the room contains nothing but slowly burning incense.
"Look Dragon, we all know you have it, and I'm not leaving until I get what I want," Shin puts his hands in his pockets. "So we can either do this diplomatically or I can have Mushi here start your intimate relationship with the dirt," he shrugs.
I have no idea what he could possibly be talking about, but before I can even start to think of what Shin is after, Smiling Bison erupts from his seat and blasts a gust of air in Shady Shin's direction. Mushi and Ping instinctively get into stances ready to battle.
"You pompous shit! Know your place!" he spits. Shin doges the blast with ease, his hands still in his pockets. For someone with no bending at his disposal, he seems quite calm. The blast travels past him knocking over and shattering a china teacup that was previously on display in one of the shelves.
"I got it!" Gen says a little too loud as he rushes to clean the mess. I continue to stand still.
"Bison, sit down!" Smiling Dragon's voice booms as he stands up to quell his brother. Smiling Bison clenches his teeth before grunting and taking a seat, clearly embarrassed at his failure to control his emotions. Smiling Otter continues to just sit there looking bored and tired.
"I must apologize for his behavior, but mere insults and threats will get you nowhere Shin. Now what can we do for you?" Smiling Dragon asks, though it sounds more like a command than a question.
"I guess you're gonna make me say it. Fine I'll straight up ask you. Where are you hiding the blue jade bush?" Shady Shin's voice rises in anger.
I'd heard of red jade vines and the poisonous white jade bush flowers that often got confused for white dragon tea ones but I hadn't heard of such a plant.
Smiling Dragon chuckles to himself. "You must be denser than I thought if you think we'd chase such a fantasy, let alone keep in here." he turns his back to sit back down.
"See that's the thing Dragon. It's not a fantasy anymore."
Shady Shin quickly removes his hands from his pockets releasing ice cubes that quickly melt into a small stream of water. The water makes contact with the back of Smiling Dragon's head forcing it into the seat of chair before Shin freezes it place. Before the other brothers can react Moshi shoots cuffs made of rocks at them restraining the to their chairs, similar to an old technique used by the ancient police force in Ba Sing Se. Meanwhile, Ping creates a small explosive blast as more Triple Threat members flood the room and take out the other guards. Before I can even attempt to firebend in defense, Ping grabs my shirt and throws me against a shelf causing me to yelp in pain. He lights a dagger made of fire and inches it towards my back.
"Don't move kid, or you'll get hurt," he snickers. I comply, my eyes darting around looking for Gen. He's nowhere in sight.
"Impossible!" Smiling Otter suddenly shouts still tied down. "Only the avatar can restore bending and there is no way she took the time to give yours back!"
"Shady, huh?," Shin quips. "The truth is you're half right. The avatar would never care about little old me, so after my escape from the can, I decided to do a little soul searching. Pretty easy with a spirit portal smack dab in the middle of town. While I was there, I came across a few pretty blue flowers, a nice old man, and a life changing pot of tea. Next thing I know I can bend again, well at least temporarily. Thing is I need more to keep my chi paths open, but the bush I took home seemed to have vanished. I was hoping you could tell me where it went."
"That doesn't explain how you got into the spirit world in the first place! The Air Nation controls the land around the portal. There's no way you-"
Shady Shin bends another ice cube from his jacket freezing Otter's mouth shut. "Accept that a man has his ways."
"Look, this is the first I'm hearing about this plant. I swear!" Bison says in shock. Otter nods in agreement. Smiling Dragon, his head still frozen on the seat of his chair and his butt facing outward, stays completely still knowing better to struggle while such a vital part of his body is encased in ice.
"Well we're gonna search the place to be sure," Shady Shin gestures and the Triple Threat lackeys not currently pinning the guards down begin searching the room.
Suddenly, the ice covering Smiling Dragon's head and Otters mouth miraculously melts and Dragon kicks an explosion sending all of us flying back. I cover my head as I land facing the ceiling. Looking up I spot Gen's face through a small vent. His waterbending was the cause. I smile at him but it quickly turns to a grimace when Smiling Dragon picks himself up, lighting trailing behind his fingers.
"I will not be destroyed in my own home!" he bellows. That's all it takes for battle cries to erupt and hell to break lose as Smiling Dragon fires a bolt of electricity at Shady Shin. Elements of all types begin flying around the room as both triad groups begin battle. Ping, being bombarded by another waterbender is too busy to keep an eye on me. It's my way out. Unleashing a couple of flames as a shield I stand and dash towards the exit dodging rocks, water, and blasts of fire. Gen jumps down from the vent using a Triple Threat lackey as a cushion and sprints after me.
"Where do you think you're going?" Mushi blocks the stairwell, a boulder floating at his side. I don't stop running towards him. Instead raise my hands putting my index and middle fingers together and pointing them at him. They start to heat up as little sparks begin to burst from my fingertips. I yell slamming them into Mushi's stomach causing him to yelp and jolt around before falling to the ground, unconscious.
"You tased him!" Gen exclaims.
"I wasn't even sure that would work," I say, my hands shaking from generating energy. I'd only thought to try out lightingbending after watching Smiling Dragon do it so often. Turns out I could do it in small bursts, but only at extremely close distance. It was my first time ever using it on someone though.
"Well we don't have time to celebrate. We gotta move!" Gen cries. We bolt up the stairs, back out into the tea box room and burst through the back door back into the alley. The surrounding businesses must've heard the commotion even from underground. Sirens sound as police airships hover above. Metalbenders descend using their wires to reach the concrete gently. It's too late. We put up hands up at the sight of them.
"This is no place for kids, scram you two!" says one of the officers. The others pay us no attention and dash directly towards the tea shop door.
"We got triads downstairs, Smileys and Triple Threats, over," another officer yells into a device.
Are they stupid? I think. Considering Gen and I are both dressed like pimps, it should be a dead giveaway that we're associates, but I guess the cops without Beifong's rigorous training are too thick in the head to notice. Or perhaps only being sixteen has its perks. Either way, it's a free pass. Gen and I head past the raining cops and out onto the sidewalk.
End of Chapter 1
Next chapter will be up soon. In the meantime let me know your thoughts!