Ch.2
Bite the Bullet
Avatar the Last Airbender is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me
"I don't understand why we have to go," Katara huffed while glaring at the open ocean as if it had wronged her as her father dismissed one of the crewmembers and approached her where he put a firm, yet gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I don't like it anymore than you do, but the Water Tribe can't beat the Earth Imperium and the Water Confederacy by itself which is why we need to go to this party," Chief Hakoda reasoned, but all this did was cause Katara to snarl and glare at him with red, teary eyes.
"And I would be okay with that if it weren't being hosted by Prince Ozai! You know, the man who lied to Fire Lord Azulon and said our village was part of the Water Confederacy!? The man who's partially responsible for killing Gran Gran!?" Katara roared while tightly grasping the necklace Kanna gave her causing Hakoda to say nothing as his son approached them with his arms folded.
"Let's not forget that they never apologized; all they did was send us a messenger hawk and say they made a mistake. Dad, are these really people you want to be working with?" Sokka inquired causing the chief to sigh heavily and stare at his two children with a sad, solemn look which was similar to the one he had at his mother's funeral.
"No one said this was going to be easy-"
"I mean, how do we know they aren't going to turn on us once we win the war? Maybe we should just-"
"That's enough, Sokka. Teaming up with the Earth Imperium and the Water Confederacy may seem like a good idea, but let's not forget they're the ones who instigated this war and that they treat their citizens with Fire Nation descent terribly," Hakoda calmly, but sternly rebuked his first born causing the fire in Sokka's eyes to ebb prompting the chief to take a deep breathe in before letting it out.
"No one said this was going to be easy, and I don't want to work with either of them as much as you two do, but sometimes we have to work with people we don't like," Hakoda pointed out causing Katara to grumble and look down at the floorboards while Sokka scoffed and balled his hands into fists.
"But Dad, a few good people doesn't make the Royal Family good as a whole. What's going to happen if Ozai is named Fire Lord instead of-"
"Ozai isn't going to succeed-"
"It doesn't matter if he does or not! We shouldn't be working with them in the-"
"That's quite enough out of both of you! Stop harassing your father and go get dressed!" Kya ordered as she emerged from the bottom deck wearing formal Water Tribe attire causing the teenagers to immediately shut up and gulp nervously before scurrying below deck.
"The children sure like to gang up on you," Kya pointed out which made her husband sigh heavily and pinch the bridge of his nose while tilting his head back as Kya grasped his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
"They're just...trying to understand what we're doing is all," Hakoda surmised causing his wife to stare at him as if he grew a second head before releasing a breathe.
"To be perfectly honest, I kind of agree with them. Kanna was such a nice woman and she died because of someone's petty ambition for the throne. Now, we have to make nice with the prince who orchestrated it and the Fire Lord who ordered it," Kya explained causing her husband to grunt as he leaned into her touch and propped his forearm against the wooden guardrail.
"Don't tell me you're turning on me too," Hakoda remarked causing Kya to laugh light-heartedly which brought a grin to the chief's face.
"Of course not, it's like you tell our boy; being a man is about knowing where you're needed the most and right now, you're needed here so you can gather more support for our men fighting the war," Kya assured him while flashing him a smile causing the chief to lightly kiss Kya's forehead.
"What would I do without you?" Hakoda asked while embracing his wife making Kya grin as she melted into his arms.
"Get your ear nagged off by Katara and Sokka," Kya joked causing her husband to chuckle as they both watched the water illuminated by the bright moonlight gently thrash about.
"Where is that reprobate?" Ozai snarled as the first wave of guests handpicked by members of the Royal Family began to arrive at the palace where they all formally bowed to them. Prince Iroh, Prince Princess Ursa, and Prince Zuko all made sure to return the gesture while Prince Ozai and Princess Azula snubbed their noses at them despite being the hosts. Fire Lord Azulon, for his part, indifferently glanced at the guest whenever they bowed to him while sipping a cup of tea on his palanquin.
"Whomever do you mean?" Ursa inquired causing the mad prince to glare at her over his shoulder, but due to being used to this, the princess just calmly stared back at him making Ozai snort.
"Lee, he should have been the first one here, but he's not. I swear he and his family will suffer the consequences if he doesn't show himself soon," Ozai growled which made his young son nervously scratch the back of his head causing his mother to put a hand on his shoulder while Iroh attempted to ease the tension.
"The party has just begun, Ozai. Just be patient, I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later," Iroh assured his brother who narrowed his eyes at him, but the Dragon of the West took this in stride.
"Of course you would give him a pass for his tardiness, I bet you're even looking forward to seeing his failure of a daughter perform her pitiful excuse of firebending," Ozai snapped causing Azula chuckle while Iroh just sighed before staring at his brother with a calm, stern gaze.
"Yumi is merely a late bloomer and her performances are most enjoyable even though she can't produce fire on a large scale," Iroh coolly retorted causing his brother to sneer as the Dragon of the West politely bowed to more arriving guests while Ozai didn't give them the time of day.
"I didn't know you were one to celebrate weakness, brother," Ozai spat with Azula glaring at Iroh in support of her father which made the Dragon of the West resist the urge to roll his eyes.
"I'm not condoning it, I just find it admirable that she's able to make due with what she has which is similar to Zuko in a way," Iroh replied while narrowing his eyes ever so slightly causing the mad prince's brow to scrunch and his lips to curl into a frown.
"Whatever it is you're trying to say, just say it," Ozai stated with a cool, razor sharp edge to his tone of voice, but Iroh was unperturbed as he merely folded his arms in the sleeves of his garments.
"I'm just saying that what Zuko lacks in raw skill and natural talent, he more than makes up for with creativity and the drive to improve himself. As his father, these are traits you should be fostering, but instead you foolishly disregard them," Iroh admonished causing the mad prince to glower at him and if their father wasn't nearby, he would have challenged Iroh to an Agni Kai right then and there.
"Don't lecture me on how to rear my chil-"
"Iroh is right, Ozai. Perhaps if you had properly tutored your first born, he wouldn't be as weak as he is now," Azulon sharply cut off while taking another sip from his tea causing the mad prince to grunt as he turned to face his father while Zuko grumbled and rubbed his arm.
"Love you too, grandfather," Zuko quietly muttered causing Ursa to gently elbow her son as Ozai scowled at the Fire Lord, but Azulon merely frowned and took another drink from his tea cup.
"I am faultless regarding Zuko's weak-"
"You are, but you want to deny that to save face. The truth of the matter is that unlike your brother, you didn't properly manage your resources," Azulon bluntly cut off, not caring whether the guests heard this familial dispute or not, causing the people arriving at the party to awkwardly bow to the Royal Family while trying not to maintain eye contact. Growling under his breathe, Ozai turned his back on Azulon without saying a word as to everyone's shock, Lee finally got to the party with various bruises, slashes, and scrape marks marring his body. Respectfully bowing to Ozai and then to the rest of the Royal Family, Lee prostrated himself before the mad prince with his gada laying down in front of him while dipping his head.
"Prince Ozai, please forgive me for-"
"I don't want your apology, I want to know why you're looking like that and if you were followed," Ozai spat causing Lee to sigh deeply and reluctantly lift his head up so he could stare at the mad prince dead in the eye.
"Of course, sir. On our way to the Royal Palace, my family and I were ambushed by assassins who intended to take me out and though my wife and I managed to fight them off, they are now missing. I can, however, say that I wasn't followed as most of the assassins could barely walk after our skirmish and the handful who could fled to the docks," Lee answered as quickly and methodically as he could causing Ozai to snort while Iroh, Ursa, and Zuko gave the clearly worried, exhausted man a sympathetic look.
"Lee, I admire your dedication to your job, but you should be out there looking for your daughter, not here. After all, this only a party, and if more pressing matters take precedence, then we'll all understand why you need to leave" Iroh sagely advised the warrior who said nothing as he briefly stared at the Dragon of the West before hesitantly looking at Ozai who shifted his gaze between his brother and then his father. With a derisive scowl, Ozai dismissed Lee off with a wave of his hands causing the warrior to widen his eyes while Iroh grumbled, but said nothing as Lee picked up his gada.
"I...t-thank you, thank you very much, Prince Ozai," Lee gratefully told the mad prince before bowing to him causing Ozai and Azula to snort as the giant walked out of the palace as fast as his legs could carry him. Waiting until his warrior left, Ozai glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye to see something, anything that would indicate he approved of what he did. However, instead of getting a quick nod of approval like Iroh usually got, the mad prince just got a contemptuous, annoyed gaze which made Ozai scowl ever so slightly.
"Is Yumi going to be okay?" Zuko concernedly asked his mother causing his sister to roll her eyes as Ursa put a consoling hand on his shoulder and brought him in for a hug.
"Yumi may be the weakest, scratch that, is the weakest firebender I know which is saying something as she has you to contend with, but if nothing else, she's resourceful. She'll turn up and if she doesn't, she'll at least take some of the assassins down with her," Azula stated both to belittle and to attempt to console her older brother, but all this accomplished was causing her mother to shoot her a disapproving glance and Iroh to narrow his eyes. Before anyone could respond, however, a member of the Royal Procession entered the palace and bowed to the Royal Family before speaking to the mad prince.
"Prince Ozai, the Water Tribe Delegation has arrived," the elite firebender informed the prince causing Ozai to snort and dismiss the bodyguard who bowed before walking away as Iroh smiled widely upon hearing this.
"Chief Hakoda and his family are here? Excellent, perhaps they'll be up for some tea and a sporting game of Pai Sho?" Iroh mused while rubbing his chin which broke some of the tension as Zuko couldn't help but chuckle while Ursa let a grin tug at the corner of her lips, but as usual Ozai just scowled at his brother's antics.
"And since Prince Zuko is nearly an adult, perhaps he could get better acquainted with the Chief's daughter?" Iroh suggested with a mischievous grin while playfully nudging the young prince with his elbow making Zuko blush heavily and rub the back of his head while Ozai pursed his lips; that wasn't a bad idea.
"Uncle, please, she's just a friend," the young prince replied which made Azula laugh mockingly while Ozai was mentally preparing as to how to go about getting his son and the snow savage's daughter together
"Go drink and make merry all you want, brother. I, along with Azula, will be doing actual work," Ozai remarked, but to his annoyance Iroh ignored the insult as he bowed to Chief Hakoda and his family who were more than happy to return the gesture to the Dragon of the West.
"I should tie a boulder to that one guy's leg and see if he stays in place when I drop him in the middle of the ocean!" Samsara growled as Zhen Liu opened the door to her home with her hips and set the young girl down on the couch. From there, she knelt down next to the young firebender and placed her hand on the young girl's forehead.
"Ugh, she's burning up which means she probably got an infection. Could you get my medical supplies on the top drawer above the counter?" Zhen Liu requested prompting the spirit to nod as she jogged over to the counter and retrieved the medical bag while the blind woman was cleaning the young girl's wounds by slowly bending water from a nearby gourd over the injuries.
"This kind of like when you were nurse?" Samsara inquired while handing the bag to her friend who opened it and thanks to already being familiar with its layout, was able to retrieve the gauze and bandages from their pouches nigh instantaneously.
"No, I dealt more with limbs that got blown off or arrows that went through bone so this is a nice change of pace," Zhen Liu quipped as she bent the bloodied water into a nearby bowl and then repeating the process where she bent the next set of bloodied water into the same bowl. Unfurling the gauze and ripping off a few pieces of it, Zhen Liu put water onto the dressings and froze it before placing the first one on the gash on the girl's forehead and the next one on her swollen eye. Grabbing the bandages, the waterbender wrapped some of them around the dressing on the young girl's forehead while Samsara bound some of them around the dressing on the kid's eye. Thanking the spirit, Zhen Liu took a deep breathe in and let it back out before touching the girl's broken arm where she grimaced upon feeling the terrible state the limb was in.
"Okay, let's get on with the hard stuff," Zhen Liu murmured as she gently grabbed the girl's broken arm causing the kid to whimper like a hurt wolf pup while Samsara reached into her friend's bag and handed her two metal pipes the length of a forearm. Gratefully nodding, Zhen Liu put the girl's broken arm atop her chest and placed the metal pipes around the limb where she carefully began wrapping bandages around the appendage, the pipes, and over her shoulder. Tying two bandages around the girl's bicep and then around her waist to immobilize the limb, the young girl's arm was wrapped in a rigid, yet comfortable splint which still allowed her to grip things with her hand. Suddenly, the young girl began to stir which made Samsara raise a brow while Zhen Liu blankly watched on as the young girl's eyes fluttered open. Groaning, the girl sat up while clutching her head where she jolted and scooted to the edge of the couch upon seeing the spirit and the waterbender.
"Where am I and who are you!? Are you with those assassins who attacked my family?" the young girl shrieked as she conjured a fire dagger in her trembling hand which, to Samsara's great amusement, had a primarily yellowish tint to it.
"We're not assassins, Panda Lily. My name is Zhen Liu and this is my friend, Samsara; we found you floating around in the storm drain and brought you back to my home on the docks," Zhen Liu explained and to abate the doubts in the girl's mind, opened the door of which revealed Fire Nation cruisers in port and soldiers on leave making merry with one another. Shifting her gaze from Zhen Liu and Samsara, the girl dissipated her fire dagger and laid back down on the couch where she touched her broken nose making her grimace and tears to form at the corner of her eyes.
"Here, Panda Lily. Blow as much blood into this as you can," Zhen Liu ordered while handing the young girl a strip of bandage causing the kid to grab the cloth and hold it up to her nose before blowing into it.
"My name is Yumi, ma'am," the young girl politely stated as she placed the bloodied bandage on the table while Zhen Liu bent some water over Yumi's upper lip and cheek to clean any excess blood that happened to still be there before bending the substance into the bowl. In an instant, the previous tension that had disappeared came back with a vengeance as Yumi eyes went as wide as saucers along with feeling a cold chill go up her spine upon seeing Zhen Liu's waterbending where she scrambled away from the couch.
"Y-you're a waterbender! You were trying to goad me in a false sense of security so you could drown me in my sleep, huh!? Well, it's not going to happen!" Yumi yelled as she resummoned her fire dagger and fearfully brandished it at the two women while backing herself up against the wall where her breathing came out in terrified, frantic sputters.
"Watch your mouth! We could have left your ass in the storm drain, but we didn't so show some fucking gratitude!" Samsara spat which made Yumi recoil like a scared, wounded puppy and brandish her fire dagger at the spirit while Zhen Liu immediately glowered at her friend with gnashed teeth. Noticing Yumi's and Zhen Liu's reaction to her outburst, Samsara released a breathe before backing off as Zhen Liu slowly approached Yumi with her hands up by following her scent, the sound of her frantic breathing, and the heat emanating from her fire dagger.
"It's okay, Yumi. It's alright, we're not going to hurt you," Zhen Liu assured the young girl in a calm, soothing voice causing Yumi to uncertainly point her fire dagger at the blind woman making Samsara grit her teeth.
"Be careful, Zhen Liu!" the spirit cried out causing the waterbender to nod while continuing her cautious approach causing Yumi to frantically look for an escape, but her body refused to move as Zhen Liu was now just a few feet away.
"We just want to help, Yumi," Zhen Liu promised while keeping her tone low and serene as she reached her hands out and where one of them gently, yet firmly grasped Yumi's wrist while the other clasped her shoulder so she couldn't move and aggravate her wounds.
"Stop, okay? If we wanted to kill you, we would have left you in the storm drain, finished you off while you were unconscious, or drowned in your sleep as you feared. Now please sit down so I can finish tending to you," Zhen Liu calmly requested as Yumi uncertainly looked up at her, but after a moment sighed softly and dissipated her fire dagger.
"Yes, ma'am, sorry, ma'am," Yumi replied while dipping her head as she walked over to the couch and sat down with her back straight where Zhen Liu knelt down and placed her thumbs on both sides of her nose making the noble wince.
"Keep your head still, Panda Lily," the waterbender ordered causing Yumi to nod before tightly shutting her eyes as Samsara grunted and pursed her lips before sitting down next to the noble.
"You can squeeze my hand if it hurts," Samsara grumbled while extending her hand to Yumi causing the girl to look at the spirit confusedly before thanking her and tightly gripping her hand. Counting to three, Zhen Liu began contorting Yumi's nose in the right direction making the girl whimper with tears falling down her face while grasping Samsara's hand with a grip that could turn coal into diamonds, but Samsara hardly felt it. Stopping to let Yumi catch her breathe, the waterbender counted to three once more before twisting Yumi's nose causing the girl to screech as she dug her nails into the spirit's hand, but Samsara's blank expression didn't waver as the noble's nose popped back into place with a loud crack.
"I know that must have really hurt, Panda Lily, but you can relax now," Zhen Liu assured the noble while affixing gauze to her nose and then using sticky strips to hold the dressing in place just as Yumi's stomach grumbled making the young girl blush lightly.
"I'll go get you something to eat," the blind woman told the girl with a slight chuckle causing the noble to nod gratefully as the waterbender maneuvered toward the kitchen and removed two bowls from the upper shelf. Placing the bowls on the counter, the blind woman bent some of her leftover soup into the containers and heated it up by using her bending. Picking up the bowls, Zhen Liu seamlessly moved back toward the living room and placed the containers onto the table where Yumi thanked the blind woman and placed her bowl of soup on her lap. Inspecting the contents of the meal, Yumi was surprised to see that the soup was a mishmash of noodles, many pieces of rice, sorghum, kale, and tofu scattered about, a myriad of potato chunks, and a copious amount of pickled seaweed.
"What do you call this dish, Mrs. Zhen Liu?" Yumi wondered while taking a swallowing some of the soup making her face scrunch, but after a moment the initial, nasty taste subsided causing the noble to lift the spoon up to her mouth again.
"I call it food; eat it," the blind woman replied lightheartedly causing Yumi to grunt as she didn't want to be rude and swallowed another mouthful before glancing at the blind woman.
"Mrs. Zhen Liu, I appreciate what you did for me, but if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to go home now, please," Yumi requested causing the waterbender to nod understandably as she set her bowl of soup on the table and clasped her hands together.
"And I'd like to take you home, but the assassins who attacked you are probably waiting for you there or are looking for you as we speak. It would probably be best if you stayed here for the night so at least some of the heat dies down. It is night, right?" Zhen Liu asked no one in particular causing both Yumi and Samsara to glance out the window where they saw the stars shining in the sky and the distant rays of the sun reflecting off of the moon.
"Yep, it's dark as shit," Samsara crudely responded causing Yumi to narrow her eyes at the spirit while the waterbender sat up and walked over to the closet where she retrieved a sleeping mat and two heavy blankets.
"You can sleep on the couch, Panda Lily," Zhen Liu offered while handing Samsara a sleeping mat where the spirit, after taking the bedding without protest, saw Yumi looking at them with her eyes downcast.
"Mrs. Samsara...could you and Mrs. Zhen Liu sleep here with me? I'm scared that the assassins will come after me," Yumi asked causing the spirit to say nothing as she moved the table and set her sleeping mat down next to the couch while the waterbender picked up a chair and set it down in front of the couch.
"Eat your dinner and then get some sleep, Panda Lily," Zhen Liu told the noble while handing her the container of soup causing Yumi to smile warmly as she worfed down the last of the broth before laying her head down and closing her eyes. Letting a grin tug at the corner of her lips, the waterbender placed the blanket over the girl while blowing out the candles leaving the house in relative darkness save for the light of the moon. Bidding good night to Samsara, Zhen Liu leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes while the spirit, just as a precaution, set up an intricate web of wooden vines and roots around the house before sitting down on the sleeping mat and crossing her legs. Interlocking her hands, Samsara closed her eyes and began to meditate which was her version of sleep all while keeping a lookout for anything that happened to go bump in the night. It was fortunate she did as a small figure obscured by the darkness of the night silently scurried away from the roof of Zhen Liu's house and rendezvoused with their cohorts below the dock.
"Yumi is there along with a blind woman and her friend; they're both waterbenders so we should be careful," the figure advised causing Jet, who was leaning against a boulder and mindlessly fiddling with the piece of straw in his mouth, to nod slowly before gazing at the figure.
"Anything else we should know?" Jet inquired causing the figure to grunt as they put a hand on their hip.
"The blind woman's name is Zhen Liu; she's single, works as a...belly dancer at a teashop, adopted by an old couple with one serving overseas in a firebending unit while the other served in the Home Guard, and not particularly beloved by her neighbors. I couldn't find anything on her friend though, not even her name; all I managed to gather is that whenever she shows up, trouble follows," the figure elaborated causing Jet to smirk as a plan was already forming in his head where he fondly patted the figure on the shoulder.
"Good job, Smellerbee," Jet congratulated his fellow Freedom Fighter causing Smellerbee to smile bashfully as Pipsqueak met up with them carrying Yumi's mother, who was bound and gagged, over his shoulder.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in. Tie her up over there; I want to get a good look at this monster," Jet ordered causing Pipsqueak to dutifully nod and tie a length of taut chain around her neck and then wrap the other end around a wooden support beam leaving the Fire Nation noble leashed like an animal.
"So you're Lian, huh? I hope you know that you're married to a monster, but considering you killed some of my and my partner's people, it's only fitting you two are together," Jet remarked while smirking smugly at Lian who glared at him and growled which was muffled by her gag which brought no end of amusement to the Freedom Fighter.
"You're probably thinking that you were just defending yourself and your family, that you don't have anything to do with the war crimes Lee committed, but the fact of the matter is that by loving him, you're enabling his behavior so you and your daughter are just as guilty as him," Jet explained while narrowing his eyes upon recalling the memory of his village being burnt down causing Lian to snarl like an armadillo lion.
"That's why since we can't beat your husband in a direct fight, we're going to capture your daughter, make you watch as we kill her so you understand some semblance of the pain we went through, kill her, and then deliver your corpses to Lee's house to break his spirit," Jet informed Lian who widened her eyes and went still for a moment before her eyes dilated to the size of coins as she let out a furious roar and tried to wrap her hands around his neck only for her collar to pull her back.
"Now you're probably thinking we can't possibly know where she is, but we do and since I'm a nice guy, I'll let you two have some final words with each other," Jet continued causing Lian to redouble her efforts to break free while paying no mind as the flesh on her neck was being torn off causing a fountain of blood to pour down onto her dress.
"Jet, shouldn't we tell Suki and Akane about this? I mean, they're our partners, right?" the Duke pointed out causing Jet to sigh as he knelt down and put both his hands on the Duke's shoulders.
"What they don't know won't hurt them and besides, we'll report that the police aren't on our trail just like we promised," Jet assured the youngest member of his group causing the Duke to uncertainly stare at the hook sword wielder before nodding reluctantly which made Jet pat him on the shoulder before staring at all of his gathered Freedom Fighters.
"Pipsqueak, the Duke, you two watch our prisoner. Longshot, Smellerbee, Wolftail, and Bootstrap, let's go get some payback," Jet stated with a slightly crazed grin which made his Freedom Fighters nod as they followed their leader onto the boardwalk where they rounded the corner into an empty alley before climbing onto the roof a building. Silently building hopping until they were right on top of Zhen Liu's house, Jet gestured for Smellerbee to stand on watch while motioning for Longshot to take out Yumi if he had a clear shot or shoot her if she tried to flee. Landing behind the blind woman's house without a sound along with Bootstrap and Wolftail, he crept up to a window and picked the lock where he carefully pushed it open and was about to step in when he noticed the wooden vines littering the area like tripwire.
"Wolftail, you take care of the blind woman and Bootstrap, you handle her friend. I'll get the girl," Jet whispered causing his two subordinates to nod as they cautiously stepped over the roots scattered around the home while taking out their weapons. Suddenly, they stopped dead in their tracks when Zhen Liu suddenly stood up, released a breathe, and began to walk toward the chamber pot before she sniffed the air and looked in their direction causing Jet to mentally curse.
"W-who's there?" Zhen Liu asked while raising her voice to near shouting levels which made Samsara wake up from her stupor and place a tired Yumi behind her while Wolftail discreetly gestured for Jet and Boostrap to hide. Nodding, Jet to hid in a bedroom while Bootstrap took cover in a hallway.
"I'm really sorry ma'am; I got drunk and I woke up here so I'll just leave, okay?" Wolftail told Zhen Liu in a calm, friendly voice, but all this did was make the waterbender narrow her grayed out eyes.
"I don't smell any alcohol on your clothes or in your breathe and if you were drunk, your speech would be tired and pained since you'd be having a hangover," Zhen Liu mercilessly ripped apart Wolftail's alibi causing the Freedom Fighter to to growl as he took out his whale tooth scimitar and jawbone blade.
"Clever, aren't you? Give me the girl and you and your friend won't get hurt," Wolftail snarled while brandishing his weapons at the waterbender as Yumi recoiled when she saw the Freedom Fighter and tightly wrapped her arm around Samsara's hips.
"That's one of the people who attacked my family and I!" Yumi shrieked causing Samsara to spare a quick glance at her before slowly walking toward the door while making sure to shield Yumi with her body.
"That's right, we are, and we're going to finish what we started," Jet cut in as he emerged from cover with his hook swords at the ready causing Bootstrap to sigh and slap a palm to his face before following suit.
"There's three of them; Samsara put wooden vines around the floor and there's two rice wine bottles on a shelf in the kitchen I can use, but I need to get a better read of their positions first," Zhen Liu strategized as she protectively stepped in front of Samsara and Yumi with her hands out in front where, to the Freedom Fighter's surprise, she took off her hanfu leaving her upper body completely exposed save for her chest wraps.
"Look lady, we're not going to spare her because or even if you offer us your body," Bootstrap said while taking a threatening step toward the blind woman who felt the vibrations of the footstep traveling along the ground which allowed her to get a better read of the situation.
"One of them is across from me, one of them is stepping over the couch, and the other is trying to sneak past the guy I'm facing off with. I need to take out the two on the side and then keep the guy in front of me away from Samsara and Yumi as best as I can," Zhen Liu planned as she clenched her fist causing the bottles of rice wine to go flying from the shelf and roughly impact the back of Jet and Boostrap's head making them cry out and fall to the ground with shards of glass in their scalps. Widening his eyes for a split second, Wolftail charged at Zhen Liu who sweated profusely like it was a hot summer day and just when the Freedom Fighter swung his whale tooth scimitar at the crown of her skull, Zhen Liu stopped the blade in its tracks with thick, sturdy gauntlets of sweat. Taken aback, Wolftail thrust his jawbone blade at the blind woman's gut, but the blade only penetrated mere inches into a cuirass of solidified sweat. Gritting her teeth, Zhen Liu clamped a gigantic hand of semi-tactile sweat around Wolftail's wrist and squeezed causing a sickening crack to echo throughout the house as Wolftail howled in absolute agony when his wrist bone shattered like glass which forced him to drop his dagger.
"Samsara, take Yumi and go!" Zhen Liu roared as she ducked underneath a swipe at her neck and then dipped to the side to avoid a downward blow at her skull.
"Don't need to tell me twice...or at all actually," Samsara replied as she picked up Yumi bridal style and sprinted out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her.
"They're getting away!" Jet shouted as he regained his bearings and charged after them causing Zhen Liu to launch a hailstorm of sweaty spikes at him, but the Freedom Fighter seamlessly weaved, rolled, spun, and flipped around them before running out the door. Mentally chastising herself, the waterbender focused on the enemies in front of her as she stepped to the side to avoid what she thought was a downward strike at her skull, but suddenly ate a hard, stiff punch across her face. Hissing, Zhen Liu hit the cold, unforgiving floor where she tasted blood and felt that Bootstrap was about to get up causing her to shape her hand into a claw which made Bootstrap shriek as a myriad of tiny, needle like spikes of rice wine penetrated deep into his hands, fingers, and arms. Suddenly feeling the air shift, the blind woman raised her forearms in front of her face and grimaced when Wolftail's scimitar grazed the side of her head which scraped off some of her flesh and caused blood to splatter onto her table like paint. While Zhen Liu was focused on the pain, Wolftail brought his blade back for and swung his scimitar at her skull like an axe causing Zhen Liu to twist her body to the side and push it past her guard only to hiss as the Freedom Fighter slammed his forehead against her skull.
Feeling lighter than air, Zhen Liu lied in a daze causing Wolftail to stab downward at her head, but the waterbender suddenly grasped his forearm with one of her gauntlets and while jamming her thumb into his eye with the other. Applying pressure, Wolftail screamed bloody murder as his forearm snapped like a twig while his eye burst apart like a grape with a wet, gut wrenching squelch causing a copious amount of blood to pour onto Zhen Liu's body, but the blind woman paid it no mind. With Wolftail no longer forcing his weight down on her, the blind woman threw him off to the side and released a deep, heavy breathe before wincing as something poked her gut. Facing the direction of her new attacker whom she realized was Bootstrap holding Wolftail's jawbone dagger, Zhen Liu ducked under the swipe at her neck and then stepped back to avoid the backhand swing where her back hit the wall.
Keeping calm, the waterbender ducked underneath the thrust at her throat and wrapped one arm around Bootstrap's waist while the other tightly grasped his wrist where she shoved him aside by using her hips and stomping in the direction she wanted to throw him in. Gasping, Bootstrap uncontrollably staggered back where he tripped over Samsara's wooden vines and roughly hit the floor on the back of his head causing him to groan and unconsciously release his grip on Wolftail's jawbone blade. Before he could catch his breathe, Bootstrap gagged violently as a stream of sweat forced its way down his throat where part of the current turned into a giant hand and wrapped itself around his entire head. Wincing as he was roughly slammed against the wall, tears streamed down Bootstrap's eye as he desperately tried to get some air, any air into his system, but it was for naught as Zhen Liu reached out and pulled the jawbone dagger to her with an outstretched hand of sweat.
Plunging the blade deep into his heart, the blind woman felt him writhe and squirm along with hearing him let out a muffled screech before she felt him go completely still causing her to unceremoniously drop him to the ground like a sack of potatoes while letting the sweat constructs fall to the ground like raindrops. Releasing a deep, labored breathe, Zhen Liu draped her robe over her shoulder and walked over to the couch where she sniffed it in order to get Yumi's scent before putting her hanfu back on. Ignoring the bystander's various comments about her injuries, she followed the Yumi's scent trail only to tilt her head when she picked up a similar, but different one coming from beneath the docks which made her put a hand on her chin. Steeling herself, Zhen Liu shrugged off the grip of a drunken sailor offering her a good time and followed the trail wafting beneath the docks all while hoping that Samsara and Yumi got to safety.