Ch. 3
Bent, but not Broken
Avatar the Last Airbender is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me
"Move it, people!" Samsara shouted more out of annoyance than any actual fear on her part as she barreled through the crowd and knocked some unfortunate sods on their backsides, making them yell a whole slew of curses at her.
"Just have to go somewhere where there will be no witnesses and then I can kill these guys," the spirit strategized as she furrowed her brow when one of Longshot's arrows impacted her head, making the projectile burst into a spray of wooden dust and splinters. Seeing an alleyway coming up with no one around, Samsara smirked and blocked an arrow with her forearm which was hurtling toward Yumi's head, reducing the projectile into nothing but wooden mist. Turning on a dime, Samsara sprinted into the alley where she placed Yumi behind her and shielded her with her body where she noticed Longshot take position on a rooftop while Jet tightened his grip on his hookswords.
"I don't know how you survived getting hit by arrows, but you have nowhere to go. Give us the girl and we'll let you live," Jet stated while brandishing her blades at the duo, causing Yumi to unconsciously summon a fire dagger in hand, but all Samsara did was chuckle under her breathe and brush her crimson hair over her shoulder.
"Neither me or the little shit are dying here, but you're more than welcome to test that theory," Samsara responded while giving a fanged grin, much to Yumi's shock.
"What you are doing!? Don't provoke them!" Yumi yelled at Samsara in a voice barely above a whisper causing the spirit to snort and ruffle the young girl's hair, making Yumi grumble.
"I'm not kidding; if killing you is what it takes to complete the mission, then I'll do it," Jet threatened while stalking toward the duo making Yumi nervously stutter and tightly grasp Samsara's leg, but all the spirit did was scoff.
"If you think you have what it takes, then by all means, strike me down," Samsara challenged with a cocky sneer and thumped her chest twice to emphasize her challenge making Jet raise a brow before narrowing his eyes.
"As you wish," Jet retorted as he sprinted toward the spirit who let a wild, fanged grin form on her face as she discreetly transformed her hand into dark, demonic blue one with razor sharp, claw like fingernails. Just as Samsara was about to plunge her claws through Jet's throat, a sai embedded itself into the ground between them, making Jet leap back while Samsara merely looked in the direction the weapon was thrown. Raising a brow when she saw a woman wearing clothes similar to Avatar Kyoshi barring the metallic face mask resembling the Unagi, iron plating covering her shoulders, and segmented, metal plates protecting her chest standing atop a nearby building, Samsara merely watched as the woman jumped down from her perch and glowered at Jet with a look that could kill many times over.
"You were supposed to tell us if the authorities were on our trail, not gain their attention," the woman growled as she yanked her sai out of the ground with a quick flick of her wrist causing the weapon to be reeled back to her hand by the chain it was attached to.
"And you were supposed to lie low until the report came in," Jet retorted making the woman snort as she grabbed Jet by his shirt collar and pinned him against the wall.
"Don't use misdirection on me; it may work on your followers, but it doesn't work on me. Now come along; my allies neutralized the policemen pursuing you, but more are undoubtedly on the way," the woman demanded while releasing her grip on Jet who grumbled before glancing at Samsara and Yumi with the former tapping her chin twice with her knuckles while Yumi continued to nervously tremble.
"It's dangerous to let her live; not only is she going to end up just like her father, but she's a firebender to boot. Imagine the destruction she's capable of causing," Jet argued while standing toe to toe with the woman, but the Kyoshi Warrior didn't back down and unflinchingly glared into his eyes.
"Contrary to what you believe, no one is evil or good solely because of the element they wield," the woman shot back before they heard the sound of whistles and a chorus of footsteps nearing them making the Kyoshi Warrior snarl.
"Let's split up and meet back at camp. And Jet, it's best we don't talk to each other for a while," the warrior commented as she jumped onto the roof of a building while Jet smirked and leaped onto the opposite building where he motioned for Longshot to make his escape.
"I'm shaking in my boots, Akane," Jet taunted, making the Kyoshi Warrior grunt, as she hopped from building to building at such speed than she soon disappeared into the night along with Jet, leaving Samsara and Yumi alone in the alley.
"You okay?" Samsara asked Yumi who jolted before looking up at the spirit where it looked like Yumi was going to keep quiet, but Samsara saw the young firebender's lips quiver before she exploded like a volcano.
"No, I'm not okay! What were you thinking goading them like that!? We could have been killed!" Yumi roared at the spirit with puffs of searing hot smoke unconsciously flowing out of her mouth, making Samsara hold up her hands in a placating gesture.
"Nah, we would have been fine. Don't worry," Samsara responded with a shrug, making Yumi tightly ball her hand into a fist and punch the air with a war cry, sending a powerful salvo of fire flying through the air which collided with a wall and made a giant, smoldering hole in it.
"Okay, I'll tell you everything when we get back-"
"No, you tell me right now!" Yumi screeched, making Samsara sigh and rub the back of her head, as the military police rounded the corner. The leader proceeded to ordered some of his subordinates to pick up the terrorist's trail while commanding the rest to check up on Samsara and Yumi.
"Look, I can't, but I promise I'll you when this shit gets sorted out," Samsara promised, making the young girl grunt, before staring directly into the spirit's eyes and despite her injuries, stood up with her back straight.
"You swear?" Yumi huffed, causing a plume of smoke to expel from her nostrils akin to a dragon when it felt like it had been slighted, making an ever so slight grin tug at the corner of Samsara's lips.
"I give you my solemn vow," Samsara responded with a slight chuckle while formally bowing to the noble girl who returned the gesture despite her misgivings about the spirit as the members of the military police neared them.
"Are you two...ugh, it's you," one military policewoman groaned upon seeing Samsara, making the spirit sneer, put a hand on her hip, and raise an amused brow as the policewoman took off her cloak and draped it around Yumi's shoulders.
"Good to see you too, Ming. You're looking constipated and grouchy as usual," Samsara remarked while flashing a fanged grin, making Ming's brow twitch as she and one of her comrades looked over Yumi's wounds.
"Working one job as a prison guard, and working another as law enforcement, and interacting with you tends to bring out those feelings in me," Ming retorted making the spirit feign offense before laughing under her breathe, making the sentry snort as she motioned for the duo to follow her.
"Where's Zhen Liu?" Ming asked making Samsara resist the urge to make comment like "Why, you want to see her shake her belly and butt for you?" and instead just helped Yumi walk who was moving with a noticeable limp.
"I don't know; she stayed behind to hold them off while the little shit and I escaped," Samsara answered, making Ming grumble at the spirit's choice of words regarding Yumi, but bit her tongue when she saw Samsara gently pick Yumi up and place her on her ally's komodo rhino.
"We'll go look for her once we get you two back to the station," Ming stated as to her dismay, Samsara mounted her komodo rhino and wrapped her arms around her waist, causing the sentry to resist the great, overwhelming urge to groan.
"Captain, we're going to take these two back to base and then we're going to look for my friend if that's okay?" Ming requested, causing her commanding officer to nod and motion for them to proceed. Nodding back, Ming internally sighed in relief before leading her allies back to base all while hoping that Zhen Liu was alive.
"Okay, getting close," Zhen Liu whispered, both to assure herself and to break the silence that was near deafening to her. Sniffing the air, Zhen Liu discerned the scent she was following from the salty odors of the sea, causing her to move forward and gained a better mental picture of the area as a result. Taking cover behind a wooden pillar, she made out what she thought was Yumi's scent, but smelled two other odors with her causing her to put a hand on her chin.
"Should I engage? No, they might kill her if they see me and I don't have good enough picture of the battlefield to throw out projectiles without potentially hitting Yumi. The ocean water is too far away to bend as well and my gauntlets doesn't have enough range to hit them either," Zhen Liu mused as she clenched her fist and grit her teeth as a reckless, suicidal idea came to mind which she knew Ming would admonish her for.
"I'm going to have to charge them, accept some collateral damage, and hope for the best," Zhen Liu mentally stated as she wrapped her hanfu around her hand to form a makeshift fist-load and conjured a volatile orb of sweat in her hands which seemed ready to burst. Steeling herself, Zhen Liu was about to burst out of cover to chuck the sphere in order to create a smokescreen only for a new scent to arrive on the battlefield, causing Zhen Liu to curse and duck back into cover.
"Pipsqueak, The Duke, what is this?" the newcomer asked incredulously which Zhen Liu managed to discern that she was talking about whom she assumed to be Yumi.
"It's nothing, Suki. Jet just wanted us to watch over the prisoner while he and a couple of our guys went to finish off the girl," Pipsqueak answered which made Suki, garbed in clothing Fire Nation commoners would wear, fight the urge to yell every conceivable curse she could think of at them for going off mission.
"Neither she or her mother were our targets! We were just supposed to take out Lee and then head back home," Suki shot back as she marched past them, checked over Lian's wounds, and narrowed her eyes when she saw the abrasions on her neck from tugging at the chains.
"Listen, Suki. Jet's a great leader; we follow what he says and things always turn out okay," Pipsqueak retorted which made the Kyoshi Warrior shake her head, take out one of her fans, and level it at him.
"You won't think that once he brings the military police down on us," Suki remarked as she released a breathe and considered what to do with Lian while Zhen Liu advanced and took cover behind another wooden pillar when their gaze was elsewhere.
"So it's Yumi's mother they got hostage. In either case, I'll set her free and take her to the military police," Zhen Liu thought to herself as she emerged from cover and threw the orb of sweat at their feet, kicking up a putrid smelling smokescreen and causing Suki, the Duke, Pipsqueak, and Lian to dry heave at the awful smell. Seizing the opportunity, Zhen Liu burst from cover and knelt down next to Lian while holding up her hands in a placating gesture to put the noblewoman at ease.
"I don't have time to explain other than I'm here to help; please guide my hands to where your restraints are so I can remove them," Zhen Liu requested while pointing at her grayed out eyes just in case Lian didn't notice she was blind, causing Lian to grasp her hands and guide them to the chain around her neck. Acting quickly, Zhen Liu flash froze the restraints and shattered them causing Lian to guide her hands to the next pair of restraints binding her wrists. Firmly grasping them, Zhen Liu froze them and broke them like twigs making Lian resist the urge to rub her wrists. Just as she was about to guide Zhen Liu's hands to the restraints on her ankles, she suddenly pushed the belly dancer aside, making Zhen Liu gasp. Grimacing as she hit the ground, Zhen Liu didn't bother to ask why did Lian that as she felt something swinging in the air towards her.
Ducking underneath the blow, Zhen Liu wrapped an arm around her adversary's thick waist and pummeled their kidney with a series of rapid, sledgehammer like blows with her improvised fist-load. Retching, Pipsqueak dropped the log he was carrying and collapsed on his knees as he felt like he was going to puke up his insides. Not letting up, Zhen Liu thrust her knee up into his chin with a sickening crack causing Pipsqueak to howl in pain as he felt as if his teeth were going to get stab the roof of his mouth. With an earthshaking thud, Pipsqueak crashed to the ground where he tightly clutched his bloodied mouth causing Zhen Liu to turn toward Suki who was still trying to regain her bearings before she felt someone leap onto her shoulders like they were going for a piggyback ride.
"Leave him alone!" Zhen Liu heard a voice shout which she discerned was coming from a child as said child then dug their fingers into her eyes, making the belly dancer hiss and erratically stagger about. Gritting her teeth, Zhen Liu grasped The Duke's forearm while simultaneously stepping back to avoid a swipe at her chest from Suki's war fan and used the momentum to toss the Duke off of her shoulders. Letting out a pained cry as he was harshly slammed into the ground, The Duke tightly grasped his now broken arm and curled up into a fetal position as Zhen Liu bashed away a thrust at her face from Suki's war fan with her fist-load. Acting fast, Zhen Liu struck the Kyoshi Warrior's nose with a stiff palm heel strike right on her nose, making Suki hiss and feel a sharp wave of pain travel throughout her head before falling on her backside. Taking a moment to catch her breathe, Zhen Liu advanced on The Duke who tried to crawl away from her, but Zhen Liu grabbed him, forced him onto his belly, grabbed the back of his neck, and forced her weight down on him in order to keep him pinned.
"Should have stayed out of it, kid," Zhen Liu told The Duke before bashing the back of his head with a powerful, yet restrained punch eliciting a a pained yelp from the Freedom Fighter before he went limp, causing the belly dancer to sadly shake her head before getting off of him. As she got up, Zhen Liu received a powerful, earth shattering blow right on her cheek making her cry out hobble around like a drunkard before falling onto her side. Rubbing her cheek, she wondered what hit her before shaking the thought aside as she rolled to her feet and brought her fists up. Snorting, Suki followed in kind as her fan was completely unfurled into a stout, daunting shield.
Deciding to take the offensive, Suki feinted with a jab and to her surprise, Zhen Liu completely committed to blocking the strike as if it were the real thing, but didn't get to mull over it for long as Zhen Liu spat a glob of blood onto her face. Yelping, Suki instinctively raised her hands to her face and violently wheezed as she received a devastating knee to her unprotected gut. Forcing down the pain, the Kyoshi Warrior ducked underneath the follow up cross and threw out a restrained jab at Zhen Liu's face causing the belly dancer to cover up as if she was going to get hit by the knockout blow. Taking full advantage of this, Suki swiftly followed up with a shield enhanced punch to Zhen Liu's ribs, making her foe curse and cough up some blood, but didn't fall down.
"I see; she doesn't know which blows are feints and which ones are the real thing," Suki noted as she passed a punch from Zhen Liu past her guard and counter attacked with a stiff blow from her shield right on the belly dancer's face. Screaming as she felt as if her face was going to get caved in, Zhen Liu stumbled backwards as Suki threw a halfhearted jab at her enemy's face causing Zhen Liu to try and grasp her wrist only for Suki to reel it back. Grabbing nothing but empty air, Zhen Liu received a powerful cross right on the cheek causing blood to fly from her mouth and spray onto the sand. Not letting up Suki, pummeled Zhen Liu with a palm heel to her chin making her enemy's head snap back and a shield enhanced punch on Zhen Liu's armpit rendering the belly dancer's arm inert. Finishing her combo with a merciless knee to her gut, Zhen Liu's pupils constricted to the size of dots and vomited a mixture of blood and saliva, but in spite of all this, Zhen Liu remained standing which understandably concerned Suki. Spitting up blood onto the sand, Zhen Liu encased her body in reinforced sweat and glowered at the Kyoshi Warrior with fierce, murderous gaze and gritted, blood caked teeth.
"She's knows I can't tell which one of her attacks are real or not. I'm going to have to take a some hits if I'm going to land some of my own," Zhen Liu thought as Suki tried to fake her out with a kick which Zhen Liu committed to blocking and tensed up her body when the predicted counterattack followed through. Wincing, Zhen Liu acted quickly and latched onto the offending arm before viciously headbutting Suki making the Kyoshi Warrior grimace before she broke the grapple by kicking Zhen Liu's thigh, making the belly dancer nearly fall over. Attacking more carefully this time, Suki threw out two jabs and feinted a kick all of which Zhen Liu did her best to block with one arm before Suki kneed the inside of her thigh, causing the belly dancer to hiss.
However, Zhen Liu managed to firmly wrap her arm around the limb and yanked Suki's leg back while simultaneously driving her shoulders into her foe's abdomen, causing Suki to fall onto her back. Crying out when Zhen Liu simultaneously twisted the limb and applied pressure which made her leg snap like a twig, Suki thrust her foot into Zhen Liu's gut, making her adversary finally topple over where both women greedily gulped down breathes of air. Releasing a pained breathe, Suki touched her leg and cried out when it felt like it had been run over by a stampeded of ostrich horses. Just as Zhen Liu and a now freed Lian advanced on her, members of Suki's warrior band arrived on the battlefield where they formed a defensive circle around their wounded allies.
"You okay?" Yuki, one of Suki's warriors, asked while wrapping an arm around Suki's waist and helped her leader to her feet. Meanwhile some of their allies cautiously left the circle while never taking their eyes off of their enemies and picked up The Duke and Pipsqueak.
"I'll be fine," Suki assured her friend before sparing a glance at Zhen Liu and Lian who were prepared to fight, but everyone could see the reluctance on their face of having to take on so many adversaries especially while not fully recovered.
"Guys, we should move," Suzuki, another of Suki's warriors, advised as she pointed at the lanterns of the military police getting closer to their position.
"Right," Suki stated as she nodded at her allies who returned the gesture before throwing down smoke bombs, causing a thick, gray fog to blanket the area. Grimacing, Lian shielded her eyes with her forearm while Zhen Liu simply glared as the smoke interfered with her ability to pick up their scents. Letting out a snarl when she saw her adversaries no longer in sight when the smokescreen cleared, Lian released a breathe and turned to her savior whose legs looked like they were going to give out at any moment.
"Thank you for your help miss..." Lian trailed off causing Zhen Liu to nod and hold up a hand, indicating to give her a moment to deal with the pain flooding her system now that the adrenaline had worn off.
"Zhen Liu; I'm assuming you're Yumi's mother?" the belly dancer inquired causing Lian's eyes to widen and grasp Zhen Liu's shoulders, making the belly dancer jolt as she felt Lian's face mere inches from hers.
"Yes, yes I am! I-is Yumi safe!? Is she alright?" Lian asked in a rapid, hurried tone, making Zhen Liu sigh and shake her shoulders much to Lian's dismay.
"I don't know; my friend ran off with her while I stayed behind to hold them off when they broke into my house," Zhen Liu answered, causing Lian to do her best not to shed any tears at the prospect of death or worse befalling her daughter, as Ming and her allies rode down the wooden ramp leading to the beach.
"Are you two okay?" Ming asked as she approached the duo and dismounted her komodo rhino while gesturing her for her cohorts to sweep the area and see if they can discern any clues to the whereabouts of the kidnappers.
"We'll live; thanks for showing up when you did," Zhen Liu gratefully told Ming who nodded...before lightly punching her friend's shoulder, making the belly dancer wince as Ming narrowed her eyes.
"Next time tell us where the kidnappers are instead of running of on your own," Ming admonished her friend who sighed and nodded as her two allies walked back to her where the policewoman gave them an expectant look.
"We found some tracks, but they don't go very far," one of Ming's allies informed her making the sentry pinch the bridge of her nose before motioning for them to mount up where Ming helped Zhen Liu get atop her komodo rhino.
"The one with the hookswords likes to unnecessary risks so we'll pick up their trail soon enough," Ming assured her cohort who nodded as he assisted Lian onto his mount where Ming clicked her tongue, causing her komodo rhino to trudge forward. For a while, they rode in silence before Lian, deeply concerned about the well being of Yumi, decided to break it.
"Officer, I don't suppose you've seen a little girl-"
"I assume you mean Yumi, right? She's back at base getting some rest in the barracks and unfortunately, Samsara is there too, Zhen Liu," Ming told the two women causing both of them to release a collective sigh of relief.
"Take us to them, please," Zhen Liu requested causing Ming to nod and flick on the reins causing her komodo rhino to pick up its pace back to the station.
"Of course and Lian, I'll send out a messenger hawk to your husband as soon as we get there," Ming informed the noblewoman who graciously thanked the sentry and felt a giant weight leave her shoulders.
Releasing a breathe, an overweight woman with dark brown hair, garbed in a divine crimson dress which would make any noblewoman in the Fire Nation jealous, entered her carriage. Taking out a mirror, the noblewoman meticulously looked herself over, nodded in approval, and discreetly coating the interior of the carriage in obsidian which muffled any sound coming from the interior.
"Mistress, you can show yourself now," the noblewoman said to seemingly no one as a heavenly white apparition of a woman with nine fox tails that took the form of serpents and amber, dragon like eyes appeared in the seat across from her.
"Greetings, Himiko. The driver can't hear us, right?" the apparition asked causing her faithful servant to nod.
"Good, I trust all goes well then?" the shade inquired which made the shaman nod as she absentmindedly formed an orb of lightning in her palm, gave it a little flourish, and crushed it causing tiny sparks to faintly illuminate the interior before ebbing away.
"Yes, mistress. I nearly have enough chi to revive you and the Fire Nation Royal Family is none the wiser," Himiko answered causing both women to share a chuckle before the apparition looked at Himiko dead in the eye, making the shaman think she was facing down a dragon, but was unafraid.
"Is there a chance the Avatar-"
"No, mistress. The current Avatar, an air nomad, hasn't been sighted in over a century on account of the Fire Nation...purging them," Himiko reluctantly informed her mistress, making the shade's eyes widen to the size of saucers. Taking a moment to process what she just heard, the projection shook her head and cleared her throat.
"Who ordered this appalling genocide?" the apparition demanded calmly, but firmly as searing hot, divine white flames encompassed her being with some of the fire taking the shape of wings. Despite this show of force, the carriage wasn't burnt in the slightest.
"Sozin; he lost the right to be called Prince or Fire Lord in my eyes because of this," Himiko answered with a slight growl, causing the phantom to nod slowly as she took a deep breathe in and let it back out, making the white flames surrounding her ebb away.
"The Air Nomads were my enemies...but they didn't deserve such a fate. Is there anyone in Sozin's bloodline-"
"Yes, mistress. Ozai, Sozin's grandson, and Azula, Sozin's great-granddaughter, show the same propensity to repeat his actions. However Prince Iroh, Sozin's more worthy grandson, and Prince Zuko, Sozin's shining great-grandson, don't have the capacity for such cruelty. I believe that they can be persuaded to help build your world of light," Himiko interrupted, making the phantom nod, as she recalled how the Air Nomads along with one of the Avatars fought her with such grit and ferocity that in her eyes, one determined Air Nomad was easily worth 100 warriors from any other nation.
"If you can convince them, then that will be a great advantage to us. If not, then we'll manage like we always do," the phantom responded as she was glad to have an agent filling her in to the happenings of the outside world while she was stuck in her prison courtesy of that damned Avatar Kanna. Grunting, the shade sat up and asked her partner "Are there any other atrocities I should be made aware of?" to which the shaman nodded.
"Sozin authorized the hunt of dragons for sport all for the silly title of Dragon which, in effect, was another genocide as dragons are now most likely extinct," Himiko cut off, making the presence pop out her claws as she remembered not only how to firebend from them, but also playing with them without a care in the world during her youth.
"In addition, Azulon ordered the purge of waterbenders in anyway, shape, or form which led to the extinction of waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe as far as I know," Himiko grimly informed her mistress, causing the apparition to grit her teeth as she recalled battling Avatar Amaruq and how the woman, despite not being formally trained in waterbending thanks to growing up in the Northern Water Tribe, fought her with everything she had alongside her companions despite not having the first clue on how to earthbend or firebend. A significantly small part of the phantom was a bit disappointed that Himiko's plans forced Amaruq to face them before she even became adept at waterbending and airbending, but was glad to get an obstacle to her world of light out of the way. Still, while Amaruq's waterbending was just intuitive, adaptive, yet amateurish brawling and her airbending was basic, crude, and rigid at best, but she still put up a surprisingly good fight. So good that after she plunged her fist through Amaruq's sternum and crushed her heart into bloody mush, she honored her fallen opponent by tending to her corpse according to Water Tribe customs.
"Give any fallen air nomads, dragons, flying bison, lemurs, and waterbenders you come across a proper burial," the apparition commanded causing Himiko to ball her hand into a fist and pound her palm with it before dutifully bowing her head.
"Of course, mistress," Himiko loyally responded as the presence of disappeared causing the shaman to manifest an obsidian necklace which she studied intently. Manipulating the stones so they shined a bit more in the moonlight, the shaman nodded in approval and put the necklace on where she suddenly felt the carriage slow down.
"Here we are, ma'am," the driver stated, causing Himiko to look down at her dress and loosened the belt a bit so more of her belly could hang out, before exiting the carriage where she turned to the driver and grinned.
"Thanks for always taking me where I need to go, Ping. Here, go treat yourself and your wife before picking me up," Himiko genially replied while handing her driver a couple of gold ingots, making Ping's eyes widen and do a double take before nodding vigorously and taking the offered gold bars.
"Yes, ma'am! Thank you, ma'am!" Ping gratefully exclaimed to which Himiko nodded as the driver flicked the reins and drove off, causing the shaman to approach the royal palace with her head held high. Fortunately for her, there wasn't a line of guests she had to wait behind and was able to get to the front gates where she was stopped by the guards whom she could tell were annoyed by her presence even with their masks on.
"You're late," one of the guards stated while extending his hand, causing the shaman to resist the urge to roll her eyes and instead just handed her invitation over to the sentry who looked it over before motioning for her to go inside.
"It's a party, not a war meeting," Himiko retorted, making the guard snort, as the shaman took her invitation back, put her hands into her sleeves, and went into the royal palace where she immediately saw it was filled to the brim with guests. Making sure her dark brown hair was in order, Himiko scanned the room and didn't bat an eye upon seeing the Water Tribe delegation while groaning when she saw Zhao and other military blowhards in attendance. However, she did raise a brow when she saw that Ozai's greatest warrior, Lee, was absent as was his family, but figured he was granted a leave of absence.
Scanning the area, she saw Azulon sitting down and looking mean on his throne while surrounded by his guards as usual while the Royal Family was busy talking to the Water Tribe delegation. Sighing, Himiko decided to greet the Royal Family even if the only ones she had any actual respect for were Prince Iroh, Princess Ursa, Prince Zuko, and the deceased Prince Lu Ten. However, before she could reach them, Zhao intercepted her, causing Himiko to internally groan and force a fake smile onto her face.
"Captain Zhao-"
"It's commander, now," Zhao interrupted as he gently grasped Himiko's hand and gave it a quick kiss, making the shaman want vomit at the thought of being...intimate with someone like him.
"Ah, of course. Forgive me, I'm out of the loop concerning the details in our nation's military," Himiko responded with fake cheerfulness, causing Zhao to smirk which made the shaman want nothing more than to turn him into a pincushion with a flurry of obsidian blades.
"No harm done; so, have you heard of my victory over the Earth Imperium Navy at the Mo Ce Sea? It was a spectacular showing of my...the Fire Nation's might if I do say so myself. It is, after all, the reason why Prince Ozai requested Fire Lord Azulon to promote me," Zhao boasted while grabbing two drinks off of a waiter's tray without even bothering to check if they were meant for someone else and offered one of them to Himiko. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, the shaman accepted the drink while maintaining her false grin all while internally mocking him for letting one victory go to his head.
"I have not, but I'm sure you don't want to bore me with the specifics," Himiko responded while taking a sip from her drink, hoping that Zhao would take the hint that she wanted the conversation to end, but the commander was as dense as a steel wall.
"Oh, come now. It will be worth your time, I promise," Zhao assured her as he gestured at an empty table off to the side with his head, but the shaman simply snorted in response while staring at the commander dead in the eye.
"I don't doubt it, but I must go greet our hosts. It is disrespectful to not pay homage to them after all," Himiko calmly, but firmly asserted herself while turning on her back foot and walking away, leaving Zhao in the dust who could only look at the shaman while at a loss for words.
"Ugh, why does Zhao of all people have to take an interest in me? At least I have other, less deplorable people seeking my hand in marriage," Himiko thought to herself as she approached the table the Royal Family was sitting at and formally bowed to each of them, though she did put in more effort when greeting Prince Iroh, Princess Ursa, and Prince Zuko.
"Prince Iroh, thank you and your family for inviting me. I apologize for being late; I had other matters that I had to attend to," Himiko explained while keeping her head dipped as the other matters in question were extensively practicing her version of the four elements, putting herself through intense physical and mental training, building up her chi reserves through meditation, and weakening the prison her mistress was trapped in with said chi reserves.
"It's no trouble at all; I'm sure whatever it was you were doing was important. Have you met Chief Hakoda and his family? They've come here seeking to make new friends to help the war effort," Iroh inquired gesturing at the chieftain with a motion of his hand causing Himiko to gaze upon Hakoda, Kya, Sokka, and Katara and size them up.
"I have not had the pleasure; greetings Chief Hakoda, my name is Kosuke. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," the shaman cordially greeted the chieftain by using her cover name while respectfully bowing to him after discerning he was a decent person due to reading his aura.
"The pleasure is all mine; this is my wife, Kya, and these are my children Sokka and Katara," Hakoda replied while gesturing at his family members causing the shaman to politely bow to each of them and noted that they were all good people as well.
"It's nice to meet you all; if you wouldn't mind, could you please go into more detail on what you mean about finding more friends to help the war effort?" Himiko tactfully asked, causing Hakoda to nod as he gestured at a nearby table which the shaman and Prince Iroh sat down at. Upon doing so, however, Hakoda noticed the scowl Ozai sent Iroh's way, something the chieftain tried to ignore.
"Not at all; as you may know, refugees from the Water Confederacy were granted asylum in the Fire Nation so long as they helped the Fire Navy in defending their waters. Unfortunately, were low on manpower and while the backing of Prince Iroh and Prince Ozai has helped bolster our numbers, it's still not enough," Hakoda elaborated causing Himiko to nod slowly as she could practically see the stress from the situation rolling off of him in waves without even having to read his aura.
"That's not all, is it? I'm guessing your people aren't exactly enthused about being thrown at the same people they were trying to flee from in the first place," Himiko posited, making Hakoda sigh softly and nod.
"Yes, which is why getting more people to support us is critical. While many have fled the Water Confederacy, many have not and I don't know how much longer we can subsist on volunteers and refugees alone," the chieftain responded as Himiko couldn't help but be impressed by the fact that despite falling apart at the seams, Hakoda still had the willpower to soldier on despite his people's precarious situation.
"I see; while Fire Lord Azulon granted your people asylum, it's contingent on the fact that your people aid the Fire Navy, but you simply don't have enough volunteers or reinforcements to do just that. While I obviously can't give you extra manpower, you can count on my financial backing," Himiko stated, causing Hakoda's and Kya's eyes to widen, before the chieftain gave an enthused nod and extended his hand.
"Thank you, Kosuke," Hakoda gratefully told the shaman who grinned and clasped his hand and gave it a firm shake.
"It's no trouble, Chief Hakoda. I'm more than happy to pool my vast wealth toward a good cause," Himiko replied with a warm, reassuring grin on her face as her offer was nothing but sincere, something Iroh was relieved by as his friend was getting the assistance he needed. The Dragon of the West couldn't celebrate for long, however, when he saw his family and, unfortunately, his brother and niece approaching the table.
"I see you're stealing my guests from me, brother," Ozai commented while sitting down at the table and scowling at Iroh as Azula sat down beside him while Ursa and Zuko took whatever seats were available to them.
"I'm just entertaining them is all, Ozai. Besides, I'd say the party is going magnificently; the guests are enjoying themselves and Chief Hakoda has made many new friends such as Kosuke who promised to help him and his people," Iroh informed the mad prince who spared a quick, pointed glance at Himiko who maintained her smile and politely bowed to Ozai though she would have liked not to.
"What's more, even Father is enjoying himself. I haven't seen him so happy in quite some time," Iroh pointed out causing Zuko, Azula, Sokka, and Katara to look over their shoulders at the wizened Fire Lord who was wearing the same, bored scowl he did ever since the party started.
"Yeah, he's clearly having the time of his life," Sokka remarked under his breathe causing Katara to nudge him with her elbow and give him a brief, pointed gaze as Himiko laughed silently, having heard the comment.
"Perhaps you should throw parties more often, Ozai. In these trying times, a little humor here and there keeps people's hope alive," Iroh sagely advised his brother who scowled and looked at Iroh with a gaze that could kill many times over, but the Dragon of the West just calmly stared back at him.
"Playing the fool is your domain and this party is meant to raise awareness of Hakoda's plight. Speaking of which, how have you got on? This better not have been a waste of time," Ozai tersely asked Hakoda who jolted a bit before regaining his composure and clearing his throat.
"It's going well, Prince Ozai. My family and I befriended the royal family of the Kimun People and they pledged to send some of their warriors so long as they have joint command," Hakoda responded while motioning at the royal family where they were garbed in pelts of the animals they had killed and were refashioned to look more appropriate at formal settings.
"It figures you would get along with them. Who invited those savages anyway?" Ozai asked no one in particular with a gruff snort, causing Zuko to awkwardly rub the back of his head before sucking in a breathe.
"I did, Father," Zuko meekly answered which made everyone in his family stare at him with Iroh and Ursa being just surprised while Ozai and Azula just looked upon him with scorn.
"Why would you do that, Zuzu?" Azula asked with a sickeningly sweet smirk causing the prince to fluster ever so slightly before narrowing his eyes at his sister.
"Because we aren't making any headway against the Earth Imperium or the Water Confederacy, we're just...delaying the inevitable. If we want to push them back, we're going to need more help," Zuko retorted, but Azula still wasn't convinced and neither was Ozai, but before he could shout his son down, Ursa glanced at him with a stare that seemed to say "Give him a chance."
Huffing, the mad prince glared at his son and said "Very well, I'll humor him. Who else did you have in mind, boy?" to which Zuko, despite wanting to melt in his chair, remained as calm as he could and spoke.
"Well, we should also consider bringing back Admiral Jeong Jeong. We need his military expertise and strategic mind now more than ever," Zuko pointed out to which Ozai scoffed and retorted with "Zhao is doing a better job than that coward ever did and where would you even consider we start looking for him, boy?"
"I might have an idea of where to look for Jeong Jeong, but convincing him to return is going to be no easy feat on account that he became disillusioned with how we were waging war," Iroh interjected causing Ozai to scrunch his brow and want to shake his head at such foolishness displayed by his elder sibling, but contented himself to just glowering at Iroh.
"Our enemies show us no quarter and we must respond in kind, brother. You used to understand this," Ozai spat causing Iroh, without any sort of hesitation and with a look of shame on his face, to nod as he recounted his many victories at both land and sea, but at what cost?
"Once, when I was a...different man, but now I see things differently. We can still win battles without losing our humanity, but I digress," Iroh calmly replied as he clasped Zuko's shoulder and gave him a supportive gaze.
"I will speak to Father about bringing Jeong Jeong back, but no promises. We all know he doesn't look kindly upon desertion," Iroh informed his nephew who nodded, knowing that what he was suggesting was not something that was going to over well with everyone.
"Thank you, Uncle," Zuko thanked Iroh while bowing to him and though it was only for a brief moment, Himiko saw that the young prince still had more to say, but kept his mouth which the shaman chocked up to reluctance.
"Speak your mind, Prince Zuko," Iroh encouraged his nephew who spared a glance at his uncle and, feeling invigorated after his earlier success, sat up straight, sucked in a breathe, and told everyone what he wanted to say.
"...We need to find the Avatar," Zuko proclaimed eliciting a collective groan from Ozai and Azula which was a sentiment Ursa shared, but nevertheless she forced a kind, supportive smile on her face for her son's sake.
"Zuko, your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all tried to find them and failed. It's been over a century and no one has heard so much of a trace of the Avatar's whereabouts so trying to do so now would be a fool's errand," Iroh gently admonished Zuko whose reassured expression deflated, bringing no end of joy to his younger sister as she mercilessly decided to capitalize on this moment to taunt her brother.
"There's also the fact that even if the Avatar did show themselves, they would be more inclined to join the Earth Imperium and the Water Confederacy so all you would really accomplish is making a powerful enemy even more powerful," Azula pointed out, making Zuko avert his gaze downward much to her delight, causing Katara to sigh softly and speak up for the prince.
"Well, if there's a chance the Avatar is out there, then we should take it no matter how small it is. Like Zuko, I haven't given up hope that they're out there and neither should all of you," Katara passionately stated making Azula scoff and glower at her with a gaze that could kill many times over, but Katara stood her ground.
"Well, I guess the task of finding the Avatar is made for you two considering you both want to waste resources chasing after a fairy tail," Azula venomously shot back with a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, making Katara narrow her eyes, but somehow found the restraint to not shout a scathing curse which might jeopardize the alliance her father set up.
"Hey, just because we're allies doesn't mean you get to talk to my sister that way. Look, I believe looking for some guy with crazy magical powers is just as pointless as you do, but you didn't have to go out of your way to insult Katara or Zuko," Sokka pointed out which made the princess grunt as she thought of course it was necessary to insult them; if a plan was stupid, why not let the recipients know that?
"You should learn to control your children, Hakoda," Ozai commented causing the chieftain to sigh softly as he while he normally would have retorted with a quip of his own, he bit his tongue, but Kya wasn't having any of it.
"We don't control them through fear if that's why you're saying, Prince Ozai. Ours is a relationship built on trust," Kya replied which made Ozai break out into a fit of mocking laughter which finally broke through Hakoda's calm expression as he narrowed his eyes at the mad prince and clenched his fists ever so slightly.
"Trust is for fools, fear is the only thing you can rely on," Ozai retorted while never losing the smug grin on his face causing Kya to grunt while Himiko took a sip of her drink, wiped her lips with her napkin, and stared at the mad prince dead in the eye.
"There's no better force multiplier, Prince Ozai. It's why Prince Iroh's troops were so dedicated to him and why they followed his orders to retreat from Omashu despite their doubts," Himiko defended Kya, causing the Water Tribe matriarch to cast a grateful nod at the shaman who returned the gesture, but the mad prince was unconvinced.
"I'm supposed to take lessons from a woman whose never set foot on a battlefield?" Ozai remarked, making a smile tug at the corner of Himiko's lips as she was very, very eager to show him why yes, he should be doing just that, but the time to assert her dominance would come and she was more than willing to wait.
"Not at all, Prince Ozai. It's just that in my experience, one's workers tend to work harder and show more devotion should they feel that their work and they themselves are being appreciated. Granted, my only servant is my carriage driver, Ping, but the point still stands," Himiko coolly replied while taking another sip from her drink causing the mad prince to snort, but otherwise say nothing as he stood up from his chair.
"How you became so wealthy with your manner of thinking is beyond me; come Azula, we have other guests we need to speak to," Ozai commanded to which Azula dutifully stood up and followed him, but not before shooting a smug glance at Zuko and Katara who glared back at her.
"I should take my leave as well; I too need to speak to other guests," Himiko informed her acquaintances while sitting up from her chair and respectfully bowing to them, but just as she was about to walk away Katara called out to her.
"Thank your for supporting us, Kosuke," Katara told the shaman who grinned and nodded at the waterbender as she couldn't help but compare her to Yumi; one had untapped potential that could be honed with a proper teacher while the other had the skill to fight other benders, just not the power.
"Of course; it's like I said, I have no problem sharing my wealth with a good cause," Himiko responded with the genial smile never leaving her face as Sokka sized her up now that they didn't have Ozai and Azula breathing down their necks.
"Like what you see, pretty boy?" the shaman playfully teased the warrior and slowly traced her finger over her belly for emphasis causing Sokka to sputter and avert his gaze before regaining his composure.
"N-no, I mean yes, I mean...never mind. It's just that I'm wondering what it is you do that got you invited to this place full of hot headed jerks and snobs. Uh, not you Prince Iroh; you, Princess Ursa, and Zuko are great," Sokka blubbered in an attempt to save face and thankfully all the wizened general did was raise a brow while Kya narrowed her eyes at her eldest child.
"Heh heh, why indeed. I'll tell you, but I fear the reason would be lost on you and your father. However, I think your sister and your mother would understand," Himiko responded as she took a sip from her drink and set it down on the table.
"Now then, look carefully at the clothing the guests are wearing, especially the ones the Kimun delegation are wearing, and see how they all look like royalty," Himiko urged everyone at the table while making a grandiose, sweeping motion with her arm, causing Katara to do so and was in awe at how extravagant the noble's garments looked.
"Okay, they look fancy and shiny, what's your point?" Sokka flatly inquired, forcing Katara to resist the urge to slap a palm to her forehead, while Kya just rolled her eyes and shook her head as Himiko smirked at the warrior.
"Who do you think made the clothing that made them look fancy and shiny?" the shaman responded causing Sokka to tilt his head and purse his lips before his eyes lit up in realization.
"Oh, I get it! Well, if you can get rich doing that, then Katara, maybe you and mom should do it too since you know, women are-"
"Sokka, watch what you say," Hakoda interrupted his first born while casting a disapproving gaze at him causing the warrior to deflate and shut his mouth as Himiko propped her forearm against the table and leaned her face closer to Sokka's.
"You were going to say because women are better at sewing than men are, weren't you? I advise you to change that viewpoint as soon as possible as your people are in a precarious situation and espousing such beliefs will earn you few friends," Himiko calmly, told the warrior with an ever so slight edge to her voice causing Sokka to lean as far back in his chair as possible until the shaman retracted her face, put her hands back in her sleeves, and released a breathe.
"Forgive me for that uncivilized turn of events, Chief Hakoda. I just dislike people assuming something of me or lack thereof because of what I happen to be," Himiko explained, causing the chieftain to mentally sigh in relief that the shaman was still very much on board with helping his people and that Sokka hadn't chased her off with his statements.
"I understand and I apologize for any offense that my son's words may have caused," Hakoda apologized while casting a quick glare at Sokka who sheepishly looked away causing Himiko to graciously nod.
"Little offense taken, but nothing that won't stop me from giving your people financial support. Enjoy the party," Himiko replied while respectfully bowing to the Water Tribe Delegation and Prince Iroh who all returned the gesture as the shaman departed from the group and went over everything that had just transpired. She surmised that Hakoda, his family, and their people could possibly be allies, but if they refused then that was fine. She and Ying Mei were coping and just getting room and board for a short time would suffice when their mistress's tasks inevitably forced them to travel from nation to nation.
"Mei Ling, I'm going on my break!" a dark skinned woman with blue eyes, black hair, and a heavyset build shouted over her shoulder while exiting the "massage" parlor she was employed at. Making her way to the roof of the building, the woman leaned against the railing and stared off into the distance before taking her gourd off of her belt and taking a large sip from it. Letting out a cathartic breathe upon feeling the alcoholic beverage rejuvenate her, she suddenly felt a presence behind her, causing her to look over her shoulder, and merrily hold up her gourd as if she were going to clink a glass with it.
"Long day?" an apparition, the very same one that had contacted Himiko, inquired, causing the woman to chuckle softly as the phantom leaned against the railing as well while absentmindedly swishing her tails.
"Yeah, one of the customers turned out to be an undercover cop so you know, being interrogated for three hours was fun. We managed to make him go away after giving him a bribe," the woman explained as she took another long swig from her gourd where she felt the stress she accumulated from the predicament fade away.
"How much money did you guys give him?" the phantom asked, making the woman cock her brow and shoot her a wide grin.
"Who said anything about giving him money?" the woman retorted making the spirit and her agent share a chuckle with one another before looking out in the distance where they saw another group of refugees enter the city.
"It's weird, you know? Everyone complains about Ba Sing Se, but there are still folk fighting tooth and nail to get in," the woman pointed out which made the apparition nod slowly as she meticulously looked over the group of refugees. Upon doing so, she felt nothing but pity upon seeing that while they were relieved that they were in the city, they still clearly mourned their lost homes or those they lost along the way.
"We will rectify this situation in my world of light. Himiko has told me she nearly has enough chi to free me from my confinement so I need you to meet up with her as soon as possible and help speed this process along," the apparition ordered to which the woman nodded slowly and uncertainly pursed her lips causing the phantom to raise a brow and fold her arms.
"Speak your mind, Ying Mei," the spirit ordered, causing Ying Mei to sigh heavily as she looked down at the ground as if it help her say what she wanted to tell the apparition before lifting her head and staring into the phantom's eyes.
"It's just that...my whole life is here and I know it ain't perfect, but I'm making a good run of it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that...I don't want to leave it all behind," Ying Mei answered causing the apparition to nod understandingly before taking a step toward her agent and placing a firm, assuring hand on her shoulder.
"I understand; if you want to back out, I'm sure Himiko can handle-"
"It's fine, I'll go, I just...wanted you to know my feelings on the matter. I'll head home after my shift and grab my gear," Ying Mei dutifully stated to which the apparition nodded and cordially bid her farewell with a polite, respectful bow causing Ying Mei to return the gesture as the phantom ebbed away. Taking another swig from her gourd, Ying Mei wiped her lips with her forearm, headed back inside, and politely greeted any of her coworkers she came across while heading to the front counter. Once there, she saw her manager, Mei Ling, arguing with a woman who looked like she tried to make herself look like she came from the slums, but the proper hair style that was disheveled and the scent of ornate perfume made it clear that the woman was from the upper ring.
"I told you no woman here is going to want to serve you! You're just going to have to wait until one of our men is available!" Mei Ling said in a tone that clearly indicated that she was near her breaking point with this woman, but was trying to remain at least somewhat calm for the sake of professionalism and satisfying the customer.
"And I told you that I don't a man to serve me! I want a woman!" the patron retorted causing Mei Ling to scrunch her brow and tightly shut her eyes as it was the only thing preventing her from exploding like a volcano.
"Something wrong, boss?" Ying Mei inquired while politely bowing to the patron who was taken aback from the gesture considering the treatment Mei Ling had given her before returning the gesture.
"Ying Mei, thank goodness you're here! This valued customer is being particularly belligerent in that one of our masseurs would be happy to serve her, but she wants a masseuse for some strange reason!" Mei Ling explained while shooting the patron a quick, blink and you'll miss it stink eye which the patron caught as she narrowed her eyes at the manager, making Ying Mei nod slowly and regard the patron with a blank stare.
"How much time did you pay for, darling?" Ying Mei questioned the patron who internally sighed in relief that someone was finally listening to her.
"One hour and thirty minutes," the patron answered to which Ying Mei nodded and gestured for the customer to follow her upstairs where, after a moment of surprise, did so though both of them saw Mei Ling's expression darken.
"I didn't realize you were one of those people," Mei Ling stated with her now harsh voice being barely above a whisper, but all Ying Mei did was sigh heavily and stare at her boss without any sort of malice in her eyes.
"What I is is your loyal employee who's trying to satisfy the customer and keep your business running. Still, if you don't want me here, that's fine. This is going to be my last shift anyhow," Ying Mei responded while beckoning the patron to follow her where Mei Ling, after a moment of stunned silence trying to process what she said, opened her mouth to say something only to close it and stalk away.
"I can come back some other time; I don't want you to get fired," the patron told Ying Mei who waved off her concern and opened the door to a dimly lit room with the only light being some glowing crystals.
"Like I said, this is going to be my last shift because I need to take care of some business in the Fire Nation," Ying Mei replied which made the patron's eyes go as wide as saucers before placing her hands on Ying Mei's shoulder.
"The F-Fire Nation!? Why would you want to go there!?" the patron yelled incredulously causing Ying Mei to put a finger to her lip, causing the customer to nervously rub the back of her head and apologize to the people in the adjacent rooms.
"Why do you want to go to the Fire Nation!? Remember what they did to the Air Nomads? They could have done the same thing to us if we didn't attack first!" the patron loudly whispered both out of frustration and genuine concern for Ying Mei even though she just met her causing the masseuse to gently remove her hands from her shoulders.
"Look, it's fine. I have a friend...well...yeah...a friend there who needs help with something so I'm going to go help her," Ying Mei assured the patron who still didn't seem entirely convinced, but didn't argue the point further.
"I hope you know what you're doing; speaking of which, how do we get started?" the patron inquired causing Ying Mei to gesture to the clothing rack hanging on the wall with her head while walking toward the door.
"First, I leave the room while you undress, hang your clothes, and lay face down on the bed. Then I'll knock after a moment has passed and you tell me whether or not I can come in," Ying Mei informed the patron who blushed slightly at having to undress before nodding as Ying Mei exited the room and gently shut the door.
"Okay Himiko, where is you? I don't want to look all over the land of pyromaniacs," Ying Mei mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes and intensely concentrated on the chi signatures within Ba Sing Se before honing in on the chi signatures beyond the impenetrable city. While it took a massive amount of focus and nearly all of her energy, she managed to extend her senses to the Fire Nation, despite it being halfway across the world, and managed to hone in on Himiko's chi signature. Concentrating further, she saw a mental picture of the shaman at a party of some sort which made the masseuse laugh lightheartedly.
"No surprise you're a high society gal, now I just need to find where you live," Ying Mei quietly said to herself as she focused on residual traces of Himiko's chi and saw an image of a small, humble, but regal looking house in the capital of the Fire Nation.
"Quaint," Ying Mei quipped before hearing the patron call out to her, causing Ying Mei to be knocked her out of her stupor and take a drink from her gourd which immediately restored all of her lost stamina.
"Coming," Ying Mei said as she brushed some of her hair over her shoulder and entered the room where she found her half naked client laying face down on the bed.
"Alright, anywhere specific you want me to focus on?" the masseuse asked as she cracked her knuckles with a loud pop eliciting a nervous yelp from the patron.
"Not in particular," the client responded causing Ying Mei to nod, suck in a breathe, and let it back out before digging her fingers and the base of her hand onto the pressure points in her patron's upper back.
"Just remember this don't have to get...intimate if you don't want it to. If it does, you can tell me to stop anytime you want," the agent of the apparition assured her client who could only groan as she simultaneously felt in a state of bliss and slight pain because of Ying Mei's strong fingers.
"O-okay," the client managed to get out as she felt a tremor of pain and euphoria travel up her spine when Ying Mei firmly pressed her thumbs onto another set of pressure points.
"So, what's your name?" Ying Mei inquired as she moved onto the lower back and repeated what she did on the upper back making her client moan as she was now thinking that it was the best money she ever spent.
"Jin," the client responded before grunting as Ying Mei pressed the base of her palm into her sides making release a short breathe.
"That's a nice name; so, what's a girl all the way from the upper ring doing in the slums? Surely there are more reputable places of business you could have gone to," Ying Mei pointed out making Jin flush and sigh heavily as now more than ever, she wanted to just disappear.
"Was I that obvious?" Jin asked sheepishly as it seemed going through all that effort to make it look like she was just like anyone else in the lower ring was for naught.
"You did a good job hiding yourself, it's just that I've learned how to tell who's an elephant rat and who's a poodle monkey due to living in this...well...shithole for so long. Kinda had to if I wanted to see another day," Ying Mei remarked and although she meant it as a comedic jab at her circumstance in order to break the ice, Jin pursed her lips as she thought she may have offended the masseuse.
"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to-"
"You didn't say anything wrong, darling. I was just joking about my life is all; a laugh there or there can keep you out of that dark place, you know?" Ying Mei lightly interrupted making Jin purse her lips and narrow her eyes as she glared at the inside of the bed as if it had wronged her in some way.
"Honestly, I don't know if I have it in me to laugh right now. I'm supposed to marry the son of some wealthy merchant in a few days and he's a nice man from what I've seen, it's just that...I don't love him. My parents say I will in time and I'm not opposed to loving him, but who knows how long that's going to take? I...I don't want to live the rest of my life with a complete stranger," Jin admitted with a weary, exasperated sigh making Ying Mei sympathetically stare down at her client and reassuringly patted her shoulder before resuming the massage.
"That's a rough deal, darling. Have you told your folks how you feel?" Ying Mei inquired making Jin groan miserably and released a long, labored breathe which the masseuse took as a yes.
"Ugh, my parents said that I would be selfish to not go through with this and to think about how the marriage will benefit our family," Jin answered while a few unseen tears fell from her eyes, causing Ying Mei to suddenly be very grateful that she was single and quite honestly, wanted to remain one if the cost of being married was being turned into a servant without freewill.
"Sure, it'd be selfish to not go through with it, but that's ain't necessarily a bad thing. I mean, what's the worse that's going to happen if you don't marry this feller? Sure, you and your folks might lose out on some perks, but you'd still be better off than most folks," Ying Mei pointed out making Jin snarl lowly as while she understood that the masseuse was just trying to help, what Ying Mei just said made her want to flip out.
"I wish I had that choice, but unfortunately I don't. Not only would I bring shame upon the family for not going through with it, but their treatment of me would...worsen after the fact," Jin replied gruffly, making Ying Mei raise a brow in the sudden change of tone, and decided to tread more carefully from here on out.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tick you off. I was just trying to offer some advice on your situation is all," Ying Mei assured Jin who mentally chastised herself for overreacting and nearly ruining the one moment of relaxation she had in a while.
"It's fine, I'm sorry for getting catty. I know you were just trying to help," Jin replied in a much lighter, friendlier tone of voice which made Ying Mei grin slightly as now she decided to test the waters a bit.
"Is this okay?" Ying Mei asked as she grasped Jin's butt and squeezed it all making Jin squeak and blush lightly.
"Yes, that's fine," Jin replied making Ying Mei nod as she cracked her knuckles, rolled her wrists, and dug her fingers and the base of her palm onto the pressure points making the noblewoman spasm and moan.
"How about this?" Ying Mei asked as she got onto the bed and rested her behind atop of Jin's head while being very careful not to force her full weight down on client's head, making Jin stutter and flush red like a tomato.
"Y-yes," Jin managed to get out in a voice barely above a whisper, making Ying Mei chuckle in amusement as thus far, Jin was proving to be one of her favorite clients.
"You know, I'm starting to think your problem with the arranged marriage ain't just because of the reasons you've told me," Ying Mei remarked with a grin as she dug her fingers into Jin's anus, eliciting a loud yelp from her client who twitched and felt like she had melted into the bed, as she felt a sense of warmth flow over her.
"Okay, well, it's blatantly obvious I'm attracted to girls as well as guys and my parents are hoping that by getting married, my feelings for them will go away," Jin explained, making Ying Mei nod slowly as she got off of her client who confusedly looked at her only to see Ying Mei walking back to the bed with a bottle of oil in hand.
"No offense darling, but your folks sound like assholes," Ying Mei replied as she got back into her original position atop Jin and after asking permission, pulled down her undergarments and rubbed some of the oil on her hands.
"Well, there's one other thing..." Jin trailed off as she made a waving motion with her hand, causing some of the earthen material that the floor was made of to break down into sand and then move like a gentle tide at the beach before going inert.
"You're a sandbender? Not many folks know how to do that 'cept for the fellas in the desert," the masseuse noted as she proceeded rub and dig her fingers into Jin's anus making the noblewoman tense up and her breathing to come out in quick, labored spurts.
"Not a good one, but yeah, I am. I want to get better at it, but my parents keep telling me to stop as they think my fiance will be driven off because...because-"
"Because it'll show that a pretty little thing like you is tougher than your man," Ying Mei lightly cut off as the masseuse requested that Jin turn over onto her back which the noblewoman did.
"Yeah, but it's not fair. I mean, I have these abilities so shouldn't I try to improve them?" Jin asked with a soft sigh, making Ying Mei remain silent as she took off her robe and tunic, leaving her in nothing but her undergarments, and set her clothing down on a nearby chair.
"I ain't a bender so I wouldn't know too much about that, but I think you should try to get better at it anyhow. Not just so you can defend yourself, but also to get the satisfaction from doing something you like even if other folk don't look too kindly on it," Ying Mei advised her client as she massaged the pressure points in Jin's legs making the noblewoman feel as if her limbs turned into jelly.
"I'll try, thank you," Jin gratefully told Ying Mei who smiled warmly and nodded as she finished up tending to her client's legs and proceeded to sit on Jin's upper chest where she gently grabbed one of Jin's arms.
"So, you come to the lower ring often?" Ying Mei questioned as she pressed her digits onto the pressure points in the limb making Jin grunt as she placed her hand on Ying Mei's thigh which the masseuse didn't mind.
"Yeah, I go to this tea shop owned by a man called Pao. The tea is okay, but I go there because I can be myself rather than the obedient doll my family wants me to be," Jin replied, making Ying Mei nod as she set down Jin's arm and grasped the other before repeating the process as the noblewoman looked up at Ying Mei.
"Do you have a family?" Jin asked and almost immediately, she regretted asking as Ying Mei's expression darkened. While Ying Mei didn't mean for it to look that way, it seemed as if she was glowering at Jin.
"Ma died when I was young and pa...let's leave it at some people weren't meant to be parents," was Ying Mei's evasive answer, causing Jin to wisely decided not to ask further about the subject, as Ying Mei groped her breasts and asked her permission to proceed which the noblewoman granted.
"Sorry," Jin told the masseuse who waved her off and kneaded the noblewoman's breasts causing Jin to groan and lean her head back.
"It's fine, you couldn't have known," Ying Mei replied while flashing her a slight grin to show that there was no hard feelings and after a few minutes had passed, stopped and turned around where she grabbed Jin's crotch.
"Is this okay?" Ying Mei inquired all while Jin flushed heavily and while for a moment she considered saying no, she ultimately relented.
"Y-yes," Jin replied causing Ying Mei to nod and started off slow making Jin tense up and throw her head back as he breathing became more hurried. Picking up the pace, Jin balled her hands into a fist where she unconsciously caused some parts of the floor to turn into hardened sand, making Ying Mei raise a brow, before plunging her fingers into her client's crotch. Gasping, Jin grasped Ying Mei's arm, which the masseuse didn't mind, as after a few minutes, Jin was limply lying in the bed completely covered in sweat with her legs erratically twitching and white fluid leaking out of her crotch. Wiping her hands, Ying Mei walked over to the counter, retrieved a towel, and helped dry off her exhausted client who was still trying to catch her breathe.
"I'll see you off at the front desk. I'll ask one of my friends to tend to you if you decide to come back," Ying Mei told her client who shot her a haggard grin and tiredly nodded. Smiling and nodding back, the agent of the shade washed her hands, picked up her clothes, made herself decent, and exited the room where she made her way to the front desk and, by sheer luck, ran into her friend.
"Mayumi, the female client I had just now, Jin, prefers to be treated by a woman so maybe you could-"
"If she comes back, tell her to ask for me," Ying Mei's coworker responded, causing Ying Mei to sigh in relief, as they both saw Jin making her way down the stairs and towards the front desk.
"Here, this is for you,"Jin said as she handed Ying Mei ten gold piece,s making both Ying Mei and Mayumi's eyes go as wide as saucers, before Ying Mei took the very generous tip.
"Oh, okay. Thank you, that's mighty kind," Ying Mei responded while bowing to Jin who returned the gesture before exiting the establishment, causing the masseuse to already feel homesick. Noticing this, Mayumi offered her friend a cup of water which Ying Mei graciously accepted.
"It's that time, huh?" Mayumi whispered, making Ying Mei nod slowly as she tossed the now empty water cup into the trash, and leaned back against the counter while staring up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, my mistress needs me to meet up with one of her other servants and against my better judgement, a friend of mine to get the ball rolling on her plans," Ying Mei mumbled, causing Mayumi to nod slowly as she turned to her friend and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Look, I don't quite understand what you got yourself into, but be careful and since the authorities are going to repossess your house in your absence, you and your friends are welcome to stay at my place if you find yourselves in this corner of the world," Mayumi assured her friend who let a smile tug at the corner of her lips and pulled Song in for a quick embrace which her coworker returned before they broke the hold.
"Thank you," Ying Mei replied as she, just before she exited the establishment, she and her manager made eye contact. For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them before the agent of the apparition thanked her boss for employing her for so long before exiting the establishment and making her way back home. After a few minutes, however, she got the feeling that she was being watched and that whoever was doing so was getting closer. Snorting, Ying Mei discreetly removed the thick, taught hemp rope around her robe she was using as a belt and tightly looped both ends around her hands. Just as she turned the corner onto the street she usually took when going home, she felt the air shift behind her. Sprawling to the ground, Ying Mei saw a myriad of stone hands go flying over her head causing her to turn on a dime and dance, weave, and duck under the next volley of projectiles. However, she let out a surprised yelp when she suddenly was catapulted forward by an unseen force coming from the ground and was struck full force by a stone fist, making her taste blood and feel as if the weight of the world came crashing down onto her skull.
"I can't dodge them forever," Ying Mei thought to herself as while the dimly lit street and the dead of night made it hard to see, she still was able to discern where at least some of her attackers was coming from judging from where the projectiles were being launched. Sprinting toward them while skillfully maneuvering around any earthen pillars that suddenly jut from the ground, dodging any other stone projectiles headed her way, and jumping over the wall of rock that abruptly came in front of her, Ying Mei managed to close the distance between herself and her attackers. Now that she was up close, she could see that her attackers were Dai Lee agents which didn't surprise her as they ambushed other people for less serious offenses. However, a thought occurred to her as she seamlessly dipped to the side to avoid an earthen pillar suddenly shooting from the ground and slugged an agent across the face causing blood to fly from his mouth and several teeth along with it.
"If they were listening to me, then that means...oh no," Ying Mei realized as she wrapped the length of rope around the agent's neck and placed him in front of her as an unwilling meat shield where he received a stone fist to the gut. Wheezing and coughing up blood, the Dai Lee agent doubled over where Ying Mei quickly finished him off by simultaneously wrenching his neck back while pushing down on his spine with her knee. Due to knowing how to use her bulk to its fullest, she was able to break his neck with such force that it shut down all of his lower body functions, killing him instantly.
Swiftly removing the length of rope around his neck, Ying Mei rolled over his body to avoid a storm of stone fingers launched from the Dai Lee agent's gloves while removing the spike on the hat from the agent she just killed. Feeling the ground underneath her shift, Ying Mei leaped back just as they were trying to sink her into the ground, but now could only brace herself for the stone the size of a melon hurtling toward her. Grimacing as the rock impacted her with the force of a meteor and left a nasty bruise on her abdomen, the agent of the apparition forced down the pain as she landed on her feet and charged toward the agents. Jumping toward them when they liquefied the ground in front of her, Ying Mei tackled one of them to the ground and wasted no time in plunging the spike right through his throat with a sickening squelch.
Ignoring his gargling as he choked on his own blood, Ying Mei removed the spike and flung it at the other agent who bashed it away with his off hand which gave Ying Mei enough time to roll towards him. Just as she stood up next to him, she had to lean her head to the side to avoid the stone fist flying at head which passed mere inches from her face and scraped off some of her flesh causing blood to pour down her scalp. Hissing, she ignored the pain as best she could and tightly wrapped the length of rope around the Dai Lee agent's wrist which trapped the limb, but the agent responded by stomping on her foot with his stone boot. Howling in pain as she felt every bone in her foot crack like glass, Ying Mei yanked him towards her and viciously thrust her head forward like a spear against his face, causing his nose to shatter and made him feel lighter than air. Growling, Ying Mei roughly twisted his wrist in the wrong direction making the agent cry out as he was forced onto his belly with Ying Mei sitting on top of him.
"I already know why you attacked me so I ain't even going to bother to ask, but I will ask did you fellers kidnap Jin!?" Ying Mei roared while tightening the loop around the agent's wrist and roughly kneeing the back of his head, causing the agent to curse and spit up some blood. In spite of this, all he did was turn his face and smirk at her with blood caked teeth.
"You're not going to get any answers from me," the Dai Lee agent sneered, making Ying Mei scowl as she reared her foot back and bashed her knee against the back of his head, completely caving it in and sent bits of bone, blood, and flesh flying across the area. Releasing a breathe, Ying Mei got up while favoring her uninjured leg and hopped over to her gourd which had fallen during the skirmish. Reaching down, Ying Mei grasped it and took a long drink from it which healed her broken foot and caused the bruise on her abdomen to fade away. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, Ying Mei focused on Jin's chi signature and to her dismay, her fear was confirmed when she sensed that Jin was away from the city and saw a mental picture of her being forcibly led to a lake.
"'Course of all days I chose to be careless it had to be the day when my mistress recalled me," Ying Mei mentally criticized herself as she picked up the spike she used to impale one of the Dai Lee agents and rushed home as fast as she could. Upon arriving, she meticulously scanned the area for anymore threats by using both of her chi sense and her instincts and found none. However, she did not lower her guard as she entered the domicile and did a careful double check just in case she overlooked something, but again no threats were around.
Relieved, but still on guard, she barged into her room and knelt down next to her bed where she reached underneath it and pulled out a case. Opening it, Ying Mei retrieved a long, thick bladed dagger, a modified repeating crossbow, a myriad of throwing knives which could easily double as close combat weapons if needed, and whole belts full of explosives in cast iron shells. Hiding the knives and crossbow in her robe, slinging the crossbow over her shoulder, and tying the belts full of explosives around her waist and over her other shoulder, Ying Mei honed in on Jin's chi.
"Hang on, Jin. I'm coming for you," Ying Mei stated with fire in her eyes as she did a long, close scan of the outside before exiting her house and running as fast as her legs could carry her.