Chapter 12: Cold Case

"This was your idea," Whistler grumbled.

"Yes, it was, and we were all having a great time until something that was entirely not my fault happened," Ariak shot back.

Sen and all his friends were sitting in the atrium of the North Pole's finest museum. It had been Ariak's idea for them all to take an afternoon off to try and relax. He had realized recently that he had been acting more like a soldier than a friend to Sen and his team. He wanted the chance to bond with them as equals.

It had been a good idea, but the plan had gone a bit south; the priceless Stone of the Moon, the centerpiece of Princess Yue's betrothal necklace, had been stolen the very same day. The entire museum was now on lockdown, and Sen and his friends were trapped inside. The investigating Shorewatchers had already cleared them of suspicion, but they were still barred from exit. Nobody would leave the museum until the stone had been recovered.

"They could at least get us food," Suda moaned. They'd been planning to stop for lunch after the museum visit, but now it was nearly dinner time.

"Or at least let us look at the exhibits," Ada said. They were all sitting around in the atrium doing nothing. Ada had never been that enthusiastic about going to the museum, but even looking at old paintings was better than doing nothing.

"Now we're going to need a day off from our day off," Ariak said. This had been meant to be relaxing.

"Next time we're just doing movie night," Whistler said.

"Oh yes, because nothing bad has ever happened to us at Yakkul's," Ariak shot back, casually referencing his own kidnapping. Whistler shrugged.

"Well we need to do something," Sen said. "What about penguin sledding? You guys liked the sound of that before we decided on the museum."

"We'd have to go a long way to do that," Suda said. "Might not be worth the trouble."

"We can spare the time," Sen assured them. "Really. If you guys want to do anything, I'd be all for it."

From a far wall of the atrium, one of the museum's phones rang. An employee answered it, and then looked around the room, confused. The confused employee's eyes eventually locked on Sen and he proceeded towards the Avatar.

"Phone call for you, sir," The museum attendant said.

"For me?"

He had no idea who would be calling, especially here. Everyone who knew he was at the museum was with him now.

"You are Sen, yes?"

"Yes I am," Sen said hesitantly. This was getting more and more curious. Ada had left her swords at home, for obvious reasons, but her hands still flitted to her waist. This was not a situation to be taken lightly.

"Then yes, it's for you," The employee said. He led Sen back to the phone, and Sen hesitantly raised it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Sen, it's nice to speak to you," an unfamiliar voice said. "In the interests of starting this conversation out on the right foot, could you please ask your friend Ariak about Detective Zas."

"Zas?"

"My parents had odd choice in names," The mystery voice, apparently Zas, said. "Go ask. And do it quietly. People will be listening."

Putting the phone down on the countertop, Sen awkwardly walked back to his waiting friends and turned to Ariak.

"Have you ever heard of someone named Zas?"

"Of course I have," Ariak said. "He's the best detective in the world. The Shorewatchers work with him all the time."

Sen nodded and returned to the phone. Ariak had one last comment to make.

"Ask him what he was doing when I was kidnapped," Ariak demanded.

Picking up the phone again, Sen prepared himself for whatever Zas had to say.

"Alright, Ariak says he knows you," Sen said. "Now what?"

"Well, I just wanted to clarify that we were on the same side before I said this: It is a true pleasure to speak with you, Avatar Sen."

"How did you-"

"Detective," Zas said matter-of-factly. "I figure things out. Much like you do. I've spoken to Kyros. He spoke very highly of your crime solving ability when it came to rescuing your friend. You're a very impressive mind."

"Do you need my help with something?"

"Absolutely not and absolutely yes," Zas said. "If you're wondering about the Stone of the Moon, I already know where it is. What I need is for you to take credit for finding it."

Sen stared blankly forward for a moment.

"I don't get it," He said quietly.

"Answers come later," Zas said. "For now, all you need to know is where the Stone is."

For the next few minutes Sen sat with his ear to the phone, nodding and saying "uh-huh" repeatedly. On one occasion he had to write down a note. After several minutes of those proceedings, Sen finally returned to his waiting friends.

"What was that about?"

"I have absolutely no clue," Sen said. "Ariak, do you know any of the Shorewatchers here?"

"Yes, a few," Ariak said.

"Could I talk to one of them?"

Ariak didn't bother questioning. He'd worked with Zas before. The detective did not exactly adhere to conventional methods. All that mattered was that he got results. Ariak led the way to one of his acquaintances in the Shorewatchers. Sen introduced himself politely, and then pointed towards one of the museum employees, a young man with a black beard.

"He did it," Sen said.

Two Shorewatchers closed in on the bearded employee, but they did not grab him quite yet. The young man was visibly nervous now, however.

"Do you have proof to back that claim up?"

"The Stone of the Moon is hidden in his coat, sewn into a secret compartment just below his left pocket. His whole outfit is padded to disguise it, so you'll have to cut it open, not just pat him down."

One of the Shorewatchers immediately grabbed a hunting knife from his belt and sliced open the coat the employee wore, tearing open a hole in his garment. Sure enough, the Stone of the Moon slipped free from its hiding place, nearly falling to the floor before a desperate Shorewatcher dove to grab it. The thief was immediately taken into custody, and a less criminally-inclined museum employee quickly ferried the Stone back to a secure vault.

"How did you know?" The Shorewatchers interrogated and searched the employees a hundred times over, and missed the thief every time. Sen shrugged.

"His mistake was trying to wear a fake uniform," Sen said, repeating what Zas had told him to say. "Not only was his coat thicker, it was stitched using a lap seam instead of the superimposed seam the rest of the employees wore. Once I realized that, it was easy to watch his behavior and notice that he had a nervous tick of readjusting his lapel, always grabbing it from the left side."

"Very clever," The Shorewatcher said, clearly impressed but also somewhat disturbed by Sen's attention to detail. "You'd make a good detective."

"So I've been told," Sen sighed.

With the mystery solved, the lockdown was ended, and they were all allowed to return home. As they walked back to Yakkul's, Ariak was the first to ask the question on all their minds.

"What was that about?"

"I have no clue," Sen said. "The Detective solved the whole thing, he just didn't want to take credit for it. He said 'answers come later'."

"Well I hope they come soon," Ada said. "I'm going to be up all night wondering how he solved that without even being in the room."

"Agh, I didn't even think about that," Whistler groaned. "Now I'm going to be wondering too!"

Sen put a hand on his forehead. This was going to get worse before it got better.

As they approached Yakkul's home, Sen was surprised to see a very large, furry body wandering around the courtyard. Gun almost never came above ground in this cold climate. As they got even closer, however, it became apparent that Gun had been drawn out by the sound of music. Somebody was quite frantically playing a saxophone.

Sen quickly went to investigate his animal guide's new musician friend. A middle-aged man in a long tweed coat was playing the saxophone, and the redness in his face said he had been at it quite a while. Sen commanded Gun to go back below ground, and the badgermole reluctantly agreed. With Gun out of sight, the man in the coat finally stopped playing and took a breath.

"Thank you," he gasped. He put his brass instrument down on the ground and leaned against a wall. "I had to play to get him to let me in, and then he growled at me whenever I tried to stop."

"He's never attacked anyone visiting Yakkul's before," Sen said awkwardly.

"Oh no, I didn't walk in," The saxophone player said. "I used the music to get him to tunnel me in. I can't just walk around town, you know. I have people watching me. They must not see us talking together."

"Zas?" Now that the detective had caught his breath, Sen recognized the voice he'd heard on the phone. He was a short man, and clearly getting up there in years, but he was also very fit. It was not obvious to the eye, but Zas was hiding an impressive physique beneath his grey coat.

"Detective Zas," Zas replied. "I didn't prevent the kidnapping of Princess Mika to be called just Zas."

"Detective Zas," Sen said, correcting himself. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to give you your answers," Detective Zas said. "I am, after all, about to ask you for your help again, and it would be quite rude of me to not explain myself first. Please, join me inside."

Sen followed the detective through the door to Yakkul's home and sat down in the common area. They were quickly joined by Sen's curious friends.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why all the secrecy," Zas said. Sen nodded, and Zas nodded in kind. "Allow me to explain."

Zas gestured to Ariak to start off, surprising him slightly.

"The rise of the Shorewatchers may have driven out a large portion of the criminals in the North, but that sudden void created a great deal of opportunity for criminals smart enough to avoid the Shorewatchers attention," Zas said. "There is a criminal mastermind working in the shadows, an abominable man, and my person rival."

Zas stood up and glared intensely out the window, towards the city.

"His true name is a closely guarded secret, but his close followers all call him-" Zas paused dramatically. "-Doctor Crime."

Sen blinked twice.

"Doctor Crime?"

"I know, no one else takes it seriously either," Zas said with a sigh. "A deliberate effort on his part! A foolish name disguises his sinister nature!"

Zas wiggled his finger intensely while he spoke. Sen raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Crime's influence is to be found in nearly every crime that occurs in the North," Zas explained. "I have no doubt that he was involved in the theft of the Stone of the Moon, just as he stole the Empyrean Ruby last month!"

The Empyrean Ruby was a massive gem that had been unearthed during Kuvira's strip-mining of the eastern Earth Empire. Although it had originally been meant to be a monument to her imperial power, the Empyrean Ruby had been reduced to a museum piece after the sudden fall of Kuvira. Until it had been stolen, at least. Zas was still on the Ruby's trail.

"Alright, so we have a criminal mastermind," Sen said. "Why am I involved? If he's your rival, why not thwart him yourself?"

"I'm quite interested in pursuing Doctor Crime, but I'm afraid the good Doctor doesn't reciprocate my interest," Zas said. "We had our conflicts in the past, I've even met him face to face, but now he's avoiding me. He watches my steps, makes sure to always be just a little bit ahead of me."

Zas looked to Sen and nodded firmly.

"But you, Sen, you're new, you're an unknown factor, a challenge," Zas explained. "Doctor Crime may have lost interest in squaring off with me, but if you thwart enough of his sinister schemes, he'll come looking for you."

"Now I get it," Sen said, a smile crossing his face. "I lure him out so you can pick up his trail."

"Precisely," Zas said emphatically. "He and I have unfinished business, and you're going to see it finished."

"Well, the only question now is when do we start?"

"I have no idea," Zas said. Despite that, he still had a smile on his face. Sen gave him a look.

"What? It's not as if I can just make complex crimes happen on a whim," Zas said. "We'll have to wait for him to make a move."

Zas sat back down and placed his palms together. Sen looked around. He supposed it made sense. What were the odds of two high-profile heists happening on the same day?

"So…movie night?"

"Ooh yes, I'm quite fond of horror films myself," Zas said excitedly.

"We've got romance, action, and a bunch of documentaries," Whistler said. Zas sighed.

Though it didn't happen quickly, there was eventually a case that warranted "Detective" Sen's attention. Zas was quick to consult him on how to act, and how to dress.

"If you want to attract Doctor Crime's attention, you must be poised, dignified, and above all, snobbish," Zas advised. "You have to act like you're the smartest person in the room. If you challenge his ego, he'll come running."

"I already am the smartest person in the room," Sen said, buttoning his cuff links. He had to look the part of the gentleman detective as well. He and Zas had strategized the perfect wardrobe: black trousers with thoroughly-shined shoes, and a red long-coat over a collared white shirt. It was the first time in his life Sen had worn fine clothing. He liked the feeling, especially the long coat. It suited him well.

"That's the spirit," Zas said. The detective walked around and straightened Sen's collar. "Go out there and knock 'em dead. Literally, if you like. A homicide case would get you all kinds of attention."

And with that, Sen was off to the scene of the crime. The Shorewatchers were expecting him, after all. Zas had called in a few of his favors to get Sen access to the site of the investigation. Sen was escorted past the barricade that surrounded the bank vault and led inside, where the situation was explained to him.

"The contents of seventeen safety deposit boxes vanished overnight," The Shorewatcher explained. "All of them containing gemstones, no currency or personal effects."

"So whoever did this knew exactly what was in which case," Sen said.

"Precisely. We've held everyone with access to the records for interrogation."

"Good man. I'll get to them in a moment," Sen said. "I'll be examining the vault."

Sen stepped into the steel-lined vault. There were no signs of forced entry, or any sign of somebody having rummaged through the lockboxes. That confirmed his theory that whoever had done this knew exactly what they were looking for.

There had been no record of anyone leaving or entering the bank between the times that the gems had been last seen and the time they'd been reported missing, so this was not a conventional theft. They'd either been removed from the vault through strange measures, or they were hidden somewhere inside it. Sen poked around for a bit to give them impression that he was doing a thorough analysis, but really, his method of searching would be rather simple.

He rapped his knuckles against the metal, sending shockwaves through the steel. Though Sen could not metalbend, he could still sense vibrations through the metal. The contents of every safety deposit box was revealed to him; mostly cash, jewelry, and occasional personal effects. Behind the seventeen empty deposit boxes, however, he could feel piles of gems. The stolen gemstones had never been removed from the vault at all, merely hidden away within the walls of the vault itself.

Sen strutted out of the vault and called one of the Shorewathers who had been watching him.

"Find me the contractor who built this vault, and take me to the employees you've detained."

The spear-wielding agent immediately complied, running off to find the records of who had built the vault. Sen was taken to a locked and heavily guarded room where fifteen people were being watched carefully by Shorewatchers.

Sen carefully circled the bank employees, watching every one of them carefully. It was a pointless exercise; he already knew very well who'd done it. His chi-reading told him very quickly that only one person in this room was a metalbender. After doing a few cursory examinations of the room just for show, Sen stopped in front of the metalbender.

"What's your name?"

"Kudu," The employee stammered quickly. He was not handling pressure well.

"Mm-hmm," Sen hummed. "Could I have Kudu's records, please?"

The Shorewatchers had been keeping all the employees personnel files close on hand, and Kudu's was quickly handed over. Sen flipped to the third page, where he found Kudu's bending status.

"It says here you're a non-bender, Kudu," Sen said. "Now, why would a talented metalbender like yourself hide your gifts?"

Kudu was clearly not a professional criminal, because he buckled almost immediately under pressure.

"I didn't want to! They threatened me, told me I had to-"

Sen leaned against a desk as Shorewatchers took Kudu for further questioning. Sen doubted they would get much out of him. If the so-called Doctor Crime really was behind this, he wouldn't have left an obvious trail. Sen turned to the Shorewatcher in charge of the investigation.

"The real culprit here is the contractor," Sen said. "Bank vaults are supposed to be impervious to metalbending. Nobody would make a mistake like that on accident."

"Are you implying some kind of conspiracy?"

"I'm not implying it at all, I'm explicitly stating it," Sen said. The Shorewatcher assistant arrived with documentation on the vault's contractor. Sen cracked open the folder and examined its contents.

"I believe I should have a discussion with Chick-Sparrow Architectural," He said, snapping the folder closed.

Sen went in the company of Shorewatchers this time. They already had a strong case against Chick-Sparrow Architecture; investigation into the company had linked their vaults to several other mysterious heists over the past three decades. Always spaced far enough apart to avoid suspicion, of course, but it was a definite pattern, even if it was difficult to notice.

That alone was not enough for a conviction, however. They needed hard evidence, and it was up to Sen to find it. The CEO of the company had taken up the defense of his business personally, and he was being surprisingly forthcoming.

"We assure you, the accusations are completely baseless," The CEO said, lying through his teeth. The CEO was an accomplished liar; even a truth-seer might have a hard time seeing past his steady heartbeat. There was no fooling a chi-reader though; a soul could not lie. Sen could sense a sharp coldness in the CEO's Sound chakra.

"We'll cooperate fully with your investigation, of course," The CEO said. "Though we do of course have the caveat that you don't go to the media. False accusations could hurt our business, you know."

"I'm going to need your financial records for the past thirty years, and a few blank sheets of paper," Sen said. He paused for a moment. "And a good pen."

The CEO stared blankly at Sen for a moment before removing a gold lined pen from his pocket and handing it over to Sen.

"Thank you."

There was a brief moment before the financial records were retrieved, along with a blank notebook for Sen to write in. Sen cracked open both books and nearly set his pen to paper before hesitating slightly.

"Oh, and you may as well have the head of your accounting department come along."

The CEO made the call while Sen got to work. He flipped through thirty years of financial paperwork with one hand, and with the other, he scrawled an infinitely complex mathematical equation, unraveling the entirety of Chick-Sparrow Architecture's business history.

The Head of Accounting walked through the door of the office, took one look at Sen's handiwork, and began to sweat visibly. The CEO of the company turned as stiff as a board.

Sen filled the first page of the notebook with a solid wall of mathematics and then flipped to the next, continuing right where he'd left off. The only sound in the room was Sen's pen scratching against paper at astounding speed. The Accountant, in between thoughts of his own doom, was impressed by Sen's speed.

Slamming the financial book closed, Sen scrawled the last few marks on his notebook and wrote the most dramatic few numbers in recent history. After finishing up his decisive pen scrawlings, Sen leaned back in his chair and adjusted his glasses.

"Your numbers don't add up," Sen said, tapping his pen against paper idly. "Very cleverly hidden, mind you, but there's roughly eighty-thousand yuan missing each year."

The Accountant's face was covered in a thick layer of sweat now, and his glasses shook slightly on his face to betray his slight tremble. The CEO was shooting the Accountant a murderous glare, daring him to say something.

"That makes you at least guilty of fraud, quite possibly embezzlement," Sen said. He spun the pen in his fingers. "And most importantly, it gives us a good reason to examine your business dealings very, very closely. To see the things you don't want to show us."

Sen closed his notebook and handed it over to a Shorewatcher. It would be needed as evidence later anyway. Anyone could replicate his math and come to the same conclusion. And Alrok said all those math lessons were pointless.

"Now," Sen said. "Both of you are going to lose your jobs and face criminal charges already. The only question is how hard you make it on yourself."

"It was his idea," The accountant shouted, slamming his palms down on the desk. "He said we could cook the books and split the difference sixty-forty."

"You ingrate, I'm going to-" The CEO's attempted threats were interrupted by a Shorewatcher taking hold of him by the arm. The CEO's vitriol was then redirected to the Shorewatcher. "Don't you dare touch me, you pig."

The CEO tried to pull his arm away, which, in a Shorewatchers books, counted as resisting arrest. The Shorewatcher took hold of the CEO by the neck and slammed him face down into the desk. Disoriented and wounded, the CEO looked up to see a gold lined pen being waved in his face.

"Would you like your pen back?"

Sen had rarely seen a glare more hateful than the one the CEO shot him at that moment. As the Accountant and the CEO were both dragged away, Sen tucked the pen into his coat pocket. It was a nice pen, after all.

Zas had said he would avoid meeting Sen except under extreme circumstances, but there were apparently extreme circumstances afoot, because Zas had once again saxophone his way into Yakkul's home. Gun was waiting patiently while Zas serenaded him with brass music. Sen sent the badgermole off and conferred with his detective mentor.

"Detective Zas, good to see you."

"Detective Sen, good to see you as well," Zas said. He sounded very proud. "You've been exceeding expectation. Finding out Chick-Sparrow Architecture was a massive step forward."

"Well I am cheating a bit," Sen said. "Most people don't have a seismic sense or chi-reading to back them up, much less both."

"There is no cheating in the game of shadows," Zas advised. "Doctor Crime is ruthless, and we should use every tool at our disposal to fight him."

Zas crossed his arms and stared intensely forward. The thought of being back on the trail of his nemesis filled him with determination. He returned his attention to Sen quickly.

"Losing a major business like that will surely attract the Doctor's attention," Zas said. "Now you need to make it personal. You need to go after something he cares about."

"I wouldn't know where to start," Sen said. "Though I get the feeling you do."

"Oh, exactly," Zas said. "I've been following the Doctor for a very long time. He and I have unfinished business."

"It's interesting, having a nemesis, isn't it?"

Sen saw a lot of himself in Zas. Just like Sen and Sarin were always fighting, so were Zas and the Doctor. Everyone had their own battles to fight, but few people had enduring enemies that would pursue them across years.

"Interesting, yes, but I don't like it," Zas said. "I don't face off with Doctor Crime because I enjoy it, I fight him because I intend to win. I should hope the same principle applies to you and that Sarin fellow."

"I agree," Sen said. "And I'm getting there, I assure you. But we should finish up with the Doctor first."

"Oh, of course," Zas agreed. "I know exactly what we need to do."

"I have no doubt," Sen said with a smile.

Doctor Crime was an exceptional man; brilliant, ruthless, ingenious, and wily beyond all measure. He had established a massive criminal empire right under the nose of one of the most efficient law enforcement systems in history, and he'd even beat out the world's greatest detective on more than one occasion. Despite his impressive history, there was one thing the doctor could never win: card games

Sen strolled across the floor of the casino dressed in all his finest. According to Zas this casino was one of the Doctor's holdings, and quite an important one at that. He kept a very careful eye on everything that happened on the casino floor.

Picking out one of Zas' recommended card games, Sen sat down at a table and had himself dealt a hand. Doctor Crime considered card games to be a gentleman's pastime, and thus it chafed him that he was absolutely untalented at them. Anyone who was skilled at cards was an automatic enemy of the Doctor.

Sen had been barely briefed on the rules of this particular card game, but extraneous details like that were hardly important. The real trick to any card game is bluffing, and Sen could not be bluffed. He purposefully played a few losing rounds so as not to appear to be cheating, but he made sure to keep himself on a heavy winning streak.

Sen swapped games a few times, making sure to acquaint himself with the rules of each game as he went. He made sure to play up his ignorant appearance; making Doctor Crime believe he was an amateur would only enrage the crime lord even further. A blatant attack on his ego could not go so easily unanswered.

Sen found himself headed for a table with only two open seats. He made a beeline for the seat on the right and sat down, joining the game in progress. He soon found himself with company on his left.

"You've made quite a showing of yourself," The new arrival said. Sen glanced casually at his conversation partner, careful not to look too long. He was a very gaunt man, with exceptionally dark skin and high cheekbones. Two very cold grey eyes peered out at his playing cards from beneath narrow eyebrows. There was no doubt about who it could be.

"I must have, to impress you so much, Doctor," Sen said.

Sen felt a subtle shift in the man sitting next to him. Not quite happiness, but something close to it. Excitement, perhaps, to have a rival again.

The round of cards ended, with Sen the clear victor and Doctor Crime the opposite. His indignation was obvious, but he remained dealt in for another round.

"It's been a while since I've played a decent game," Doctor Crime said. He nodded to the dealer, and with a word, the other players were removed from the table, leaving Sen and the Doctor alone. Sen unbuttoned the cuff link on his left sleeve.

"You've been playing for quite a while," Sen said. "You've just been ignoring your partner."

Signaled by Sen's unbuttoned cuff link, Detective Zas stripped off his disguise and sat down on the opposite side of Doctor Crime. The Doctor seemed pleasantly surprised to see his old nemesis back again.

"Detective," He said with a smile on his face. "You old dog. I should have seen your style at work."

"Oh, don't feel so down, the boy was mostly working on his own," Zas said. "He's quite clever, you know."

Sen nodded slightly to the Doctor. Doctor Crime kept his eyes on Zas, however.

"Even so, I've underestimated you," He said. "I thought you'd run out of tricks, but here we are. Clearly we gave up on our little game too early."

"You gave up, Doctor, but I never did," Zas said, losing his amicable façade. He was not in the mood for games. "You know something I need to know."

"We both know how this ends, Zas," Doctor Crime chuckled.

"Not quite. My companion is more than bait, Doctor," Zas said. "You may be a calm enough liar to fool truth-seers, but the boy possesses some very unique talents. You can't lie to him."

Sen nodded. Doctor Crime seemed unimpressed. Even though the card game had come to a grinding halt, he still examined his hand.

"This is my casino, Zas, do you really believe you can interrogate me in my own establishment?"

"You respect the game, Doctor," Zas said. "I have the upper hand. You owe me a few questions."

The frantic energy of the casino burned on around them, surrounding them in light and activity. Sen noticed a few suspicious movements in the crowd, but they all came to a halt when Doctor Crime raised his hand.

"Very well," He said. "You have two questions before my men intervene."

Zas wasted no time debating him to get more questions. Two was more than he needed.

"What is your real name?"

"Arvo White," He replied.

"He's lying," Sen said. Doctor Crime gave him a concerned look, but quickly looked back to Zas.

"I have enough pseudonyms to last all night, you know," He said.

"I don't care what your real name is," Zas said. "I just wanted to show you that you can't lie to me now."

"But now you are down to one question," The Doctor said mockingly.

"It's all I need."

Sen could sense a sudden intensity in Zas' heart. The Detective leaned forward and looked his nemesis closely in the eye.

"Seven years ago, the beginning of winter. Snow that should have been white was red. A young woman, Erja, face down in an alleyway. Who did it?"

Doctor Crime raised a narrow eyebrow. Sen felt much the same way. He'd been expecting something about the Empyrean Ruby, or some important facet of the Doctor's criminal empire.

"All this trouble for a cold case, Detective?"

"Answer the question," Zas said intensely.

"What makes you think I even know," Doctor Crime asked, feigning ignorance. Sen could tell that he knew. "Why would I have any interest in such a petty crime?"

"We both know that nobody so much as jaywalks in this city without you knowing," Zas said. "Answer the question."

Doctor Crime examined the playing cards in his hand once more, before slowly setting them down onto the table, face up.

"The man you're looking for is Eschal Bron."

Zas looked around Doctor Crime to Sen. Sen nodded in affirmation. The Doctor was telling the truth. Zas sighed loudly.

The Doctor waved his hand, and several large, imposing figures began to move towards Sen and Zas. Doctor Crime stood up, straightened his coat, and turned his back on the table.

"It was an enjoyable game, Detectives," He said. "I look forward to the next round."

Doctor Crime suddenly vanished in a crowd of bouncers and bodyguards that set upon Sen and Zas. Sen was quick to roll backwards across the table, giving himself room to attack. Zas was more pragmatic than acrobatic, so he simply grabbed his chair and swung it heavily into the gut of the nearest thug. The chair legs broke, and Zas swung the broken chair at the head of the next closest thug.

Sen kept ahead of his pursuers, leading them on a chase away from the game area. He couldn't do anything with wood and chairs. The North Pole was still under the impression that Sen was an ordinary waterbender, and there was little water to be had in the middle of a building. Luckily, Doctor Crime's casino kept a well-stocked bar.

Rolling over the bar top, and frightening the bartender, Sen found himself just what he was looking for: an ice bin. Ice cubes meant to be served among refreshments soon found themselves repurposed as ammunition for Sen's self-defense. The ice bucket was rapidly emptied as Sen unleashed a hailstorm on Doctor Crime's thugs.

"Excellent use of resources, Sen," Zas shouted. He was currently engaged in fisticuffs with an especially muscular brute. Zas had none of Sen's bending ability, but he had been through this routine before. The detective got into bar brawls as easily as most people got into bed. The trick was to remain calm, watch your back, and above all, fight dirty. Zas jammed his thumbs into the brutes eyes and then slammed his knee into the brutes chin.

"I'd appreciate it," Sen shouted, dodging a hastily thrown chair. "If we could take this outside."

"Oh we've already ruined the casino's evening," Zas shouted back. He bent suddenly at the waist, causing a punch aimed at his head to fly too far and hit another thug in the face. "We might as well keep it here."

"Yes, but I really prefer-" Sen dodged a punch and slammed in ice block down on the attackers head. "I prefer-" A hammer slammed down on the ground just to Sen's left. They had hammers now. "I prefer-" Sen took the hammer and hit a few people with it before tossing it aside. "I prefer having a little more room!"

"Not a problem," Zas said. "I think your backup just got here."

Sen's friends fought their way through the crowd of people fleeing the casino, and then fought their way through the Doctor's thugs. They had been waiting for the panic to start before springing into action, but now they wasted very little time. Ada, Whistler, Suda, and Ariak joined the fray, turning Zas' and Sen's battle against the casino security into a quite one-sided beat down.

This building lacked any usable metal or earth, but Suda's muscles alone were more than a match for the Doctor's hired thugs. He grabbed one of thugs by the waist and hefted him off the ground, leaning backwards to slam the brute face down into the floor.

Although the impact wasn't quite enough to put the thug down permanently, he was disabled entirely when a large amount of ice froze around his head, locking him to the ground. Still lacking his spear, Ariak had armed himself for the brawl with some old Shorewatcher tools, specifically fragile containers holding small amounts of water that could be thrown. They were effective, even if they were little more than glorified water balloons.

"You wanted us to do something together," Suda joked. He caught the fist of one of the Doctor's thugs and punched his opponent across the jaw, knocking him out.

"This is much better than any idea I had, I will admit," Ariak said. He chucked another of his combat water balloons at the feet of a brute, freezing him to the ground as the ice bubble burst. Their brief dialogue over, the two went back to the brawl. Ada was making short work of all her opponents, and soon there wouldn't be anyone left to fight.

With Whistler shattering the last of the chairs in the building –not even hitting anyone with it, just breaking it for no particular reason – the chaos in the casino came to a close. Ada put her swords away, quite satisfied for the first time in months.

"Now that beats movie night," She said, smiling broadly. One of the unconscious thugs groaned slightly, and she kicked him in the head. They were quiet after that.

"Quite so," Zas said. "I really should work with a team more often. That could have taken an hour on my own."

"It works pretty well," Sen said. He looked over his team. As good as they were, it would be even better to have Miyani and Hanjo back. That was something to look forward to.

Zas looked over the ruined casino. This would certainly put a dent in Doctor Crime's operation, and leave a very clear trail for Zas to follow. He was back on the hunt. Yet one of the things he'd been hunting for had finally been found. Zas turned to Sen.

"Let's have a detective to detective chat," Zas said, leading Sen away. Whistler watched them walk off, out of the casino.

"So we, what, clean up?"

She never got an answer. Zas and Sen stepped outside, trading the chaos for the cold air. It was almost a peaceful night, if you ignored what had just happened in the casino. Zas took a deep breath and looked down the alley.

"Thank you for all your help, Sen," Zas said. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"It was my pleasure," Sen said. He leaned against the alleyway wall. "I think if I wasn't the Avatar, being a detective might suit me."

"It would," Zas said. He looked over his temporary protégé. "You certainly look good in the long coat. Though I think you might try brown instead of red."

Sen looked over his coat. Brown did seem like it was more his color. He resolved to give it a shot when he could. He might as well look good while he was saving the world. With that examination done, there was a moment of silence in the cold. There was a curiosity burning inside Sen, though.

"Who was Erja?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask," Zas sighed.

"Was she someone you cared about? A friend, or family?"

"I never met her," Zas admitted. "Not while she was alive, at least."

Sen paused. Zas shook his head slowly. He had spent seven years chasing dead end leads and false hopes. It felt supremely satisfying to finally have the case closed.

"You went to all that trouble for someone you never met?"

"Yes," Zas said. "She wasn't my friend, but she was someone's friend. She was not my family, but she was someone's family. She was…someone, and she deserved justice."

Zas let out a deep sigh, releasing a cloud of steam into the cold air. He turned to Sen.

"No one can blame you for looking at the big picture. You're the Avatar, after all. But every now and then, Sen, remember that every one of us is a life. Everyone you see has a story, has a dream. No one is no one."

Zas put a firm hand on Sen's shoulder. Sen nodded slightly. Zas had a wide smile on his face.

"You're an astounding young man, Sen," Zas said.

"And you are an astounding old man, Zas," Sen said right back. Zas laughed loudly. "Try not to get too caught up in crime solving. Maybe next time you can help me face my nemesis."

"Oh, I'll be more help than even you know," Zas said, with a sly smile on his face. "We'll meet again."

Zas' coat twirled slightly as he turned and walked away, down the alleyway. Doctor Crime was still out there, after all. There was still a game to be played. Sen's friendly smile drifted away as the Detective vanished down the alleyway.

He had a nemesis of his own to attend to, a conflict he'd been avoiding for far too long. Maybe it was time for him to get to work.