Chapter 10: Suiting Up

Nowadays it was rare that all seven of them found themselves in one room. The demands of the war split their focus across numerous battlefields and missions. The company of Suda was especially uncommon; he still claimed to be recovering from the injuries he'd suffered at Temujin's hands. It was odd that Sen would call for the presence of someone injured.

The Avatar himself was still absent, dealing with Kim and Cujo just a few rooms away, but he had assured them he would be joining them soon.

"So what do you think we got on our plate here?" Whistler asked. Anything that demanded the full attention of the seven of them was no doubt monumentally important.

"The only thing I can think of is that he finally made some progress in the Earth Kingdom," Ada theorized. Over the past few weeks it had become apparent that the Energybender had all but abandoned the Earth Kingdom. They had been following trails to long-abandoned outposts for weeks. While the Coalition had had some success tracking down spies, smuggling, and other clandestine operations, the bulk of the Energybenders activities were out of their reach.

"I don't know, didn't Minister Raisu give a speech just last week about how he still doesn't like the Avatar?"

"That doesn't rule out anything," Ada said. The north-eastern provinces were still decidedly against the Avatar, and the Coalition he commanded. Sen couldn't hunt the Energybender in those provinces without risking a disastrous war.

Their brief attempt at speculation ended as the Avatar strode into the room, with his arm extended and a tailor at the end of it, measuring his wrist size with a roll of measuring tape. Sen seemed slightly annoyed by the presence of the tailor. Detective Zas was walking in time with the proceedings, examining the tailor's work.

"Hey Sen," Whistler grunted. "What's with the guy?"

"I'm getting measured for a suit," Sen said.

"I thought you didn't want to wear armor?" Hanjo said.

"Not that kind of suit," Sen said. "A suit suit. With lapels and cuff-links and that kind of thing."

"Yes, I'm thinking angora with a herringbone stitch," Zas said contemplatively. "Brown, like your usual overcoat, but a bit darker in shade to fit the eveningwear look."

"For what conceivable purpose could you need a suit?" Ariak said, dumbfounded.

"Well, we're going to be attending a gala event, so," Sen said, his voice trailing off slightly as he spoke. He could see a look of confusion spreading across the faces of his friends.

"We're going to a ball?"

"It's not technically a ball," Sen said. "It's just a…formal event, for all the higher ups of the Coalition. We're going to hand out some medals, talk about what we've done. Build a little support and public image. All our financiers will be there."

Since the Coalition was an extra-national body, and thus didn't have a group of taxpayers to support it, all funding to the Coalition was technically in the form of donations. Most was supplied by the member nations who had contributed forces to the Coalition, but a significant portion was also supplied by companies like Future Industries and Cabbage Corp, as well as rich individuals like the Uehara's.

"You expect us to spend our time running around on red carpets when there's a war on?" Ariak grumbled. He seemed actively offended by this idea. "We should be on a battlefield!"

"Men win battles, but money wins wars," Sen countered. "This is important to the war effort too. Besides, we don't have any battlefields left to fight on. All Sarin's men retreated into the northeast."

Ariak shrank slightly as Sen's logic pushed his indignation aside. Sen held out his leg in a rather comical fashion as the tailor stooped to measure it.

"Which brings me to my next point," Sen said. "We've sent invitations to all the world's major dignitaries. Including Minister Raisu."

That caught Ariak's attention in a more positive fashion.

"And he accepted?"

"He did," Sen said. "The Minister will be attending our banquet. Not happily, perhaps, but he'll be there."

"Then this is our opportunity to convince him that we're-"

"Well-intentioned, but also understanding, to the point where we're not going to bother him about anything to do with the war," Sen interrupted. "Raisu is…prickly. Trying to force the issue will just make him reject us even more. He already knows we're interested, all we have to do is show him we're willing to play the way he wants us to."

It had been a rollercoaster of frustration for Ariak in the past few sentences, and it seemed like it was going to continue.

"In other words, our orders are to behave like any other debutantes at this charade of a ball," Ariak huffed.

"Pretty much," Sen said. He sounded calm, but there was a strange tic to his voice, a subtle note that all was not as it seemed. "Wear some nice clothes, dance a little, eat some fancy snacks. Think of it as a break."

The last thing Ariak wanted was a break. The prospect of an evening off was more appealing to some people than others.

"So, if this is more of a break than a mission," Ada said, trying to seem casual. "What's the policy on bringing a date?"

"Well I couldn't exactly stop you, seeing as I'm bringing one," Sen said.

The entire room snapped to attention so quickly Sen could hear their necks pop. There was a small chorus of "What?" and "Who?" from the gathered members of his team. Sen held up his hand defensively.

"Relax, it's nothing serious," Sen said dismissively. "I'm escorting Fire Lord Goto's daughter, Princess Mika. It's for political appearances."

"Somehow I find that worse than you spending time on actual romance," Ariak said.

"Are you going to be like this the entire time?" Sen asked. "You can just stay home, you know, like Whistler."

"I haven't even said anything," Whistler protested.

"We both know you aren't going to come," Sen shot back. Whistler shrugged.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you get to say it for me," Whistler said. "It's creepy, Sen."

Sen paused briefly as the tailor grabbed at his waist and pulled his arms up to measure his waistline. The man's measuring tape scoured several angles of Sen's body for the proper fit. Zas nodded approvingly as the process continued. Once he could stand normally again, Sen continued speaking.

"Any other questions from the peanut gallery?"

"Just one," Suda said, holding up his hand like a school kid. "When is this thing going to happen?"

In exactly a week, the thing happened. The full moon shone overhead as the evening went on, but the normally fearsome sight was diminished somewhat. Since Sen's spies had found no evidence of any targets Sarin's bloodbenders would be attacking, they had decided to gather up all their important personnel in a single room, guarded by the Avatar and some of the mightiest warriors in the world. It would be near-impossible to attack.

Assuming, of course, that they bothered trying at all. Sen was not expecting any action tonight. Only a fool would attack an Avatar.

Sen straightened the lapels of his coat, looking over himself in the mirror. His ordeal with the tailor had been worthwhile, at least. He looked better than he ever had before. A well-tailored outfit could work miracles. They'd even made him a custom pair of glasses just for tonight.

Looking almost, but not quite as good, was Hanjo, who had been preparing for the night alongside Sen. The Avatar had taken to high fashion a bit more easily than his friend. Hanjo's cuffs would be entirely un-linked had Sen not been on hand to deal with the tiny clasps on his sleeves. Most of all, it helped to have a friend on hand to defuse the stress of the evening.

"I'm going to assume you have some kind of plan," Hanjo said. "You always seem to have a plan."

"The only thing that worries me tonight is that someone will eat all the good hors d'oeuvres before I get to have a crack at them," Sen said. "But yes, I do have a plan for that. I signed an autograph for one of the caterers, and she's making sure I get taken care of."

"That is a good plan," Hanjo admitted. "But I was thinking more along the lines of 'what if somebody decides to start trouble'? We've got a lot of important people in a very small area, Sen. It's a tempting target."

"As if," Sen scoffed. "I've got my entire team, every member of the White Lotus, and a good chunk of the Coalition military on hand. This is the single safest place on earth, Hanjo."

"Well, yeah, but the bad guys are kind of dumb," Hanjo said. "On the off-chance that they do try something-"

"We'll stop them," Sen assured Hanjo. He put a hand on Hanjo's shoulder, just for that extra touch of reassurance. "Now act casual, the princess is coming."

Sen turned his back to the door and tried to pretend like he had no idea Mika was coming. Hanjo joined in on the act, although it ultimately proved pointless as Mika couldn't care less whether they were expecting her or not. She would have burst through the door no matter the circumstances.

She was in nearly every way her father's daughter, with sharp, angular features framing her piercing amber eyes. Her face, however, seemed slightly less imposing, as it was not marked by a permanent frown. She was far softer around the edges than her father, though not, as many would attest, by much.

"The guests from the Earth Kingdom have finally arrived," Mika said. She did not have any illusions about the nature of her evening with Sen. It was a purely political pursuit.

"Then I believe it's time we made our appearance," Sen said. "Give me a minute to put on my cravat."

Mika nodded and excused herself. Sen tied the strip of fabric around his neck while Hanjo leaned against the dresser.

"She seems younger than I was expecting," Hanjo observed.

"Goto married late," Sen said. "And she's older than she looks. Makeup can work miracles."

"Maybe I should give it a try some time," Hanjo said.

"Don't start fishing for compliments, it doesn't suit you," Sen countered. "If you want someone to tell you that you look good, go ask Lahn."

"Wait, how did you-"

"When are you guys going to accept the fact that I know everything?"

Sen opened the door with a smug smile on his face. Hanjo quickly followed him out and down the hall towards the ballroom, feeling slightly paranoid all the while. In so far as he knew, Lahn was the only who knew they were going to this ball together. He quickly figured that if Sen had a problem with it, he would have mentioned something by now. That meant Hanjo was in the clear.

The princess was waiting for them in the halls, and Hanjo hung back so the two could enter the main chamber together. The Avatar was naturally the focus of the evening: there would be a large spotlight on him when he entered the room. Just before they walked into the room together, Mika grabbed on to Sen's arm and sidled in close to his shoulder.

There was a brief storm of camera flashes as Sen entered the room. He tried his best to smile for the cameras and push his way through the furious flashing until the initial wave of shutterbuggery had passed. Once the paparazzi brigade had settled, Sen looked to his partner for the evening. The Princess was still clinging to his arm, feigning affection.

"You're surprisingly affectionate," He observed.

"Appearances, love," Mika said. "The people are watching, and I want to get the right message across."

"And what message is that?"

"The message that you and I are closer than we actually are," Mika said. "Naturally I'd like for us to become good friends, Avatar, but you're a busy man and I need to build a bit of a reputation for myself very quickly."

"This has something to do with the anti-monarchists, doesn't it?"

The Fire Nation was one of only two true monarchies left in the world, along with the Northern Water Tribe. With the United Republic, Earth Kingdom, and Southern Tribe adopting more democratic models, there was mounting pressure for the complete end of monarchal governments. Atana was a very moderate leader who followed the whims of her people, which made for little pressure on her part, but Goto was a very different story. He made liberal use of his power as the Fire Lord, often completely ignoring the desires of his citizens. He was an effective leader, but his rampant use of executive authority made him unpopular.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Mika asked. "Yes, of course. I'd like to make myself seem…powerful, and connected. I don't have quite the same reputation my father does."

"That might be a good thing," Sen noted. Mika shook her head.

"My father's only real flaw is his abrasive personality. Most every action he's taken as Fire Lord has been to the benefit of his people," Mika said. "And to the world. If he bowed to the demands of his lessers as President Dahaka does, your Coalition would be half as powerful."

The United Republics contributions to the Coalition were significant, but were often hamstrung by voters. Dahaka, on the other hand, could order his troops around with impunity.

"I don't deny that democracy has its benefits, dear," Mika continued. "But there must be someone in the world willing to take charge."

While Sen and the Princess began a severe debate on the ethics of absolute power, the night carried on around them. Music was playing, food was being served, and wealthy elites bumped elbows and joked about how much better they were than everyone else. In the midst of the gilded affair of dancing couples, a few people found themselves quite startlingly alone.

Ada sat on the outskirts of the ballroom, occupying a lonesome table and sulking all by herself. She was wearing jewelry and a fine dress, but nothing about her seemed shine. It was not long before some of her friends took notice. Ariak and Miyani sat at either side of her on the table.

"What's wrong, Ada?" Miyani said, wrapping a long arm around the much smaller girls shoulders.

"Nothing, really," Ada moped. "It's silly, but Canto couldn't come, and…"

She trailed off. Ariak and Miyani shared a look.

"I get it," Miyani said. "But you'll get through it. I mean, how do you think he felt when you were out wandering with Sen?"

Ada's head only drooped lower. Ariak shook his head while Miyani was left wondering what she'd said. She had still not quite mastered social graces.

"He has 'important business in Zaofu' I understand that," Ada said. "But it feels a bit bad to be without a date when I have to watch that."

Ada pointed at the dance floor. Amidst the twirling bodies spinning in time to the music, the gargantuan form of Suda was clearly evident. He had Yoki in his arms and the two were dancing with surprising grace, with a look in their eyes that said they were completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Their worlds were both literally and figuratively revolving around each other.

"He's surprisingly agile for a guy who's been grievously injured," Ariak noted.

"Hey, cheer up Ada," Miyani said, determined to comfort her the right way this time. "Me and Ariak don't have dates either."

"I might not be a good example," Ariak said, bowing out of this attempt at comfort. He had adamantly refused to have a date to this ball. This entire endeavor was annoying him more and more with every passing minute. The full moon was tonight. The bloodbenders would be active. Sen had claimed that, given their lack of intelligence, gathering all their VIP's in one room was the best way to protect them, but something still didn't sit right with Ariak.

"Well, I still count," Miyani said. "Come on. Have you had anything to eat yet? I don't even know what half these snacks are, but they taste pretty good."

Miyani tried to pull her away from Suda and Yoki's lovestruck dance and towards the food. Ada resisted, suddenly aware that she had somewhere else to be.

"I need to go do…something," Ada said blankly. Miyani sighed as Ada walked away. On her way across the room she passed Mika and Sen, and though they attempted to say hello, the two leaders were far too deep into their conversation.

"I wouldn't even consider stepping outside of the Coalitions boundaries," Sen said.

"It wouldn't necessarily be breaking a rule," Mika said. She was walking as she talked, leading Sen across the room. "Think of it as creating a new rule, or rewriting an old one."

"If we can redefine the rules whenever we want, we might as well not have any," Sen said. "Korra and the first Coalition set up their rules of conduct for a reason."

"And those rules of conduct are allowing your greatest enemy to thrive," Mika said. "The Energybender is hiding in the Earth Kingdom, we all know it, and your Coalition can do nothing about it."

"It's an obstacle, yes, but not one we can't overcome," Sen said. "And we can overcome without using excessive force. Diplomacy and logic are the tools we use here, not bending and weapons."

"And what if you become aware of an immediate threat?" Mika asked. "One you could only prevent by invading the Earth Kingdom?"

"There's no such thing as a no-win situation," Sen said. "If I have that kind of advance warning, I could find a way to prevent it without crossing the United Earth Kingdom's borders."

"So you're saying there's absolutely no circumstance in which you'd move your forces into the UEK's territory?"

"Only by the invitation of the countries leaders," Sen said firmly.

A satisfied smile crossed Mika's face, and she crossed her arms. The princess of the Fire Nation leaned slightly to the side, looking at something past Sen.

"I presume you heard that," She said to her unseen spectator. Sen turned around. With the crowd of people around them, it had been difficult to tell exactly who Mika was leading him to.

Draped in green finery and with a severe look on his face, Minister Raisu turned to survey the two. He seemed somewhat offended by their presence.

"I heard every word of your theatrics, Princess," Raisu said harshly. "I shall spare us both any further trouble and excuse myself. This evening was nothing more than part of your charade, it seems."

Sen turned to Mika with venom in his eyes. She quickly moved to correct herself.

"Minister, wait," She protested. "Yes, that exchange was staged, but only by me. Sen had no idea what was happening."

"That means absolutely nothing coming from you," Sen said. "You've already proven you're willing to manipulate people."

Mika bowed her head in shame. The exchange did bring Raisu some pause. He stood in place and folded his hands together. He observed the Avatar in silence for only a moment.

"I'm sorry about this, Minister," Sen apologized. He bowed shallowly and then attempted to drag Mika away by her wrist. She refused to move, although she did not protest verbally. Minister Raisu stroked his narrow beard with a long, calloused finger.

"You are a hard man to understand, Avatar," Raisu finally said. "Though I think it is time I made the effort. Not here, though, not on your terms."

Raisu turned and looked around at the room, and his eyes briefly focused on Ada, the agent of Zaofu. Sen stood his ground expectantly.

"If you want to talk, Raisu, I'm willing to-"

From a distant wall of the room, a quiet but sharp noise began to travel across the room. Like a crack of lightning, Sen's eyes suddenly flared and then calmed in an instant. His hand shot out to the air behind Raisu's head and quickly grasped at the empty air. Minister Raisu, ever suspicious and caught off guard by the sudden burst of power and motion, jumped back from the Avatar, his bodyguards quickly preparing to defend him.

"Wait!" Sen shouted. His tense muscles relaxed and he pulled his partially-clenched fist back. Hovering in the air just a few centimeters short of where Raisu's neck had once been was a narrow disk of metal, still spinning slightly from its flight. Sen pulled the disk back and placed it in his hands.

"Somebody was trying to kill you," Mika observed. Though the disk was small, its razor sharp edge was visible. At high speeds, even such a small blade could have been lethal.

"Or you've staged yet another incident to try and win my gratitude," Minister Raisu protested loudly. "If this is how you're going to conduct yourselves, then perhaps Hua-Long has the right idea."

"If you're threatening war, Raisu," Mika said. "Then say it-"

"Enough!" Sen shouted, holding Mika back. "Whatever you think the intention of this attack was, Minister Raisu, it clearly failed. Don't throw lives away over your suspicions. This should not end in war."

The argument between the two leaders was brought to a sudden halt. Raisu seemed legitimately surprised that Sen had not leveraged this attack to try and force him to side with the Coalition. Raisu's eyes flitted once again to Ada. She was standing on the outskirts of the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of Sen. The entire assassination attempt had occurred in less than a second, and it had taken a moment for the rest of the room to catch up to the sudden motion.

"Very well," Raisu said, regaining his calm demeanor. "I will be leaving, Avatar."

"It may not be safe," Sen cautioned. "I can have some of my men escort you-"

"Not a chance," Raisu said. He was still not fully convinced of Sen's innocence in this matter.

"As you wish. Stay safe, Minister."

Raisu nodded severely and followed his guards out of the room and away from the ball. While the Minister beat a hasty retreat, word began to spread of the assassination attempt. Luckily most of the people here were military, so it remained fairly orderly, but some of the wealthy patrons were less battle-hardened, and began to panic.

The metal disc gleamed brightly in Sen's hands. He looked over it, examining it for any evidence or clues to its origins, and found none. He scowled at his own reflection in the bright disk.

Sen stood in the corner of the room, near the assumed source of the metal disk, surrounded by his team, minus Whistler, and a motley assortment of other allies. Some of them had taken a moment to change out of their impractical evening wear into more action-ready military uniforms. Sen himself had never wasted the time to change out of his suit. He was busy focusing on examining the area, trying to find any trace of their culprit. While he was otherwise occupied, his allies began to postulate other theories.

"One has to wonder about the exact motive of our would-be Assassin," Detective Zas said. "He must have known that his attempt was doomed to fail from the start. Sen and Minister Raisu had been talking for a while."

"Even an idiot would have guessed that Sen is strong enough to stop a metal disk," Hanjo said.

"And the full moon is out," Ariak said, pointing to the window. "Why would Sarin use metalbenders when he could use bloodbenders?"

With a quick, sudden movement, Sen snapped to attention and pointed directly at Colonel Kim.

"Colonel! Get to our field base. Colonel Cujo should still be in the field. Tell him to put everything on high alert," He commanded loudly, before turning his finger towards Lahn. "Lahn, find the nearest radio and pay attention to all Coalition communications."

The two saluted quickly, if a bit confusedly, and set about their duties. Hanjo sighed slightly as his date for the evening ran off. Sen was quick to explain his rather hasty actions.

"We have to consider the possibility that this is actually a distraction," Sen said. "We get so caught up in investigating our assassin that we don't respond in time to a bigger threat."

"That makes sense," Ada agreed. "But what if this actually was just an assassination attempt? The Grey-Faces have tried distraction gambits before and it didn't work out. Maybe they wouldn't try again."

"I think it's better to be on alert," Sen said. "An investigation into a lone assassin will only take a few people, but a major military strike is another matter."

Sen turned his attention to the members of the White Lotus who had rallied to his command.

"My team will take care of the investigation here. Zas, you're with me. Yakkul, you stay in the ballroom and help guard the VIP's in case our assassin hasn't finished his work. The rest of you, fan out to key targets. The docks, the capital, our base in Xian –anything that might make a tempting target for Sarin's men."

"Understood, General," Yakkul said with a sharp salute. He rounded the VIP's who hadn't already fled into a defensible position. Coalition escorts were ready to guide some of them to their homes and families, but most felt safer under the watchful guard of Yakkul and the soldiers under his command.

"Follow me," Sen said, gesturing to his investigation team. "I think I know how our culprit got inside."

The remaining members of his team, and Zas, set out, save for one notable absence. Suda stayed patiently by Yoki's side as the others departed. Sen looked over his shoulder briefly.

"Are you coming, Suda?"

"Yeah, about that, I just-" Suda hesitated. "I'm not very useful for investigating to start with, and with me being injured…I think I'm better off on guard duty with Yakkul."

"Suda, I could use you," Sen said. He held up the metal disk. "We're most likely dealing with a metalbender."

"You can kind of metalbend," Suda said. "Kind of" was an accurate term in this case. Sen himself could not metalbend, but Korra could. When and only when he was in the Avatar State, Sen was capable of metalbending.

"I still want you with us," Sen said. Ada gave Suda a longing look. Suda had been recovering for months, and he had barely spent any time with his friends. Ada missed him the most, perhaps, but they all wanted to be a team again. Suda bit his lip as he turned away from Ada's stare.

"I would," Suda said. "But I still need time to get back on my feet. Sorry, Sen."

Suda clutched the site of his injury as if it pained him. Sen gave Suda's abdomen a critical glare, and then grunted harshly.

"Fine," Sen said. "We'll handle it."

"I'll come with you," Princess Mika interjected. "You could use an extra body."

Sen nodded. Mika left the crowd of scared nobles and followed Sen. Goto waved goodbye to his daughter with a cheery smile on his face.

"Stay safe, dear," he said. "And remember, you have diplomatic immunity. The courts can't convict you for using lethal force!"

Mika smiled and waved back at her father as Sen led them out of the main chamber. They walked the quiet halls of the large building for a while, moving towards an unknown destination. Sen's face was marked with a scowl all the while.

"Ah, Sen, where exactly are we going?" Detective Zas finally asked. Sen snapped out of his frustration and turned back to his friends.

"Right. Nobody in the room showed any signs of being a traitor, so I figure it had to come from outside the room," Sen began. He rounded a corner and gestured to the wall. "Here we are. The far side of the ballroom wall."

It took only a seconds observation for Detective Zas to notice an oddity.

"Somebody used earthbending on that portion of the wall," He said, gesturing upwards. "And tried to hastily cover their tracks. See it all the time with earthbender criminals."

Sen examined the piece of wall in question. The patch of wall that had been displaced was not particularly large.

"At this height and that size, it'd be impossible for someone to have taken aim in such a crowded room."

"Unless they had senses like yours," Miyani added.

"Precisely," Sen said. "So we're dealing with someone who has seismic senses."

"That's a very rare ability," Detective Zas said. "The only way I know to acquire it is by training extensively with badgermoles, or a training school in Zaofu."

"It's been a long time, and the Beifongs have trained a lot of people," Ada suggested. "It's not impossible our academy trained someone who went on to join the Energybender."

"They already did," Sen said. "I remember reading about that school in our reports on the Zu-Shin incident. The reports on Temujin."

Ada grit her teeth at the mere mention of the name. Sen's fist clenched as well. When Temujin had broken Suda's ribs, he had put himself very high on Team Avatar's list of enemies, right up there with the likes of Kida and Dei Sensheng.

"That guy's either real brave or real stupid getting this close to us after he hurt Suda."

The scowl briefly returned to Sen's face, though it was quickly dispelled as he focused on the investigation.

"I can't say for sure it was Temujin just yet. Let's split up and search for any entrances the intruder might have used," Sen said. Several hallways branched off in multiple directions. Any assassin could have used one of any dozens of entrances into the building. As his team split up, some pairing off and others going alone, Sen found himself partnered with Mika once again. She had a look on her face that made it clear she had something to say.

"Suda's not actually injured, is he?"

Suda grit his teeth and tried to look at hallway around him, searching for clues.

"You may be impossible to fool, but you're easy to read," Mika said.

"He was injured, severely," Sen insisted. "But that was months ago. He's fine now."

It was easy for Sen, versed in the arts of chi reading and healing, to tell that Suda had made a complete recovery. It was apparently harder for others to see the same, even Suda himself. Sen could see through any lie, and Suda had not been lying when he'd said he was injured. He truly believed he was still unfit to fight. Or he wanted to believe it, anyway.

"Then why don't you say something?"

"It's not my place to tell him what to do," Sen said.

"Yes it is," Mika said. "He agreed to that when he served under you in the Coalition."

"It's different with Suda, he's my friend," Sen said.

"And next to Miyani, he's possibly the most powerful bender in your army," Mika said. "The kind of fighter who can change the tide of battles. Why do you let him sit on the sidelines?"

"Because it's what he wants," Sen said. If Suda would rather sit out the battles and stay with Yoki, that was his decision.

"We all have things we want," Mika said angrily. "I want to be in the main hall dancing to swing music and eating tiny sandwiches off a silver platter. But that can't happen, because an Assassin tried to kill a major world leader."

Sen said nothing. Mika did not want a response anyway. All she wanted was for Sen to listen.

"Suda can't stand at your side and pretend he's a member of your team if all he's going to do is waste time with his girlfriend," Mika said derisively. "He needs to make a decision. And so do you."

"It's not my place," Sen said. He was quiet and restrained even now, though Mika would soon learn that his restraint was running very thin.

"Why do you hold yourself back, Sen? From Suda, from the Earth Kingdom- You're too afraid of the short term consequences. Maybe some people will be angry in the long term, but history will prove you right."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a bad influence?"

Sen tried to play off Mika's aggressive goading, but it was starting to wear him down.

"Sometimes everyone needs a push in the right direction," Mika said, trying to sound playful.

"And some people don't need any pushes at all."

"Come on, Avatar," Mika said. "You know I'm right."

"Of course you're right," Sen said, his patience finally running out. He turned to Mika with fire in his eyes. "Do you honestly think I want to sit around watching fat nobles dance and applaud themselves for chucking around fistfuls of money? Don't you think I'd rather be chasing Sarin?"

Sen had been carrying himself with a certain restrained dignity the entire evening, but that vanished in a flash. His fists were clenched into tight fists and a dark scowl marked his face, and those shades of anger only got darker as he spoke Sarin's name.

"If I thought I could get away with it I'd storm across that border and crush Sarin's entire army like an insect beneath my heel," Sen thundered. There was a tense edge to his voice. "But I can't do that."

Mika took a step back. The hallways were dark, but in this moment they seemed to get even darker. The shadows accumulated around Sen, clinging to him like a blackened cloak.

"There are consequences to my actions, Princess," Sen said. "There are lines I cannot and should not cross, no matter how much I want to. And I promise you, I really, really want to."

Mika was silent for a moment. Her father surrounded himself with militants and warriors, and yet never in her life has she seen the kind of hatred that burned in Sen's every feature. It faded as the Avatar took a deep breath and restrained himself, but Mika would never forget that look of hatred.

"Sen!"

They were both glad to have the distraction of a call for attention. Ada's voice echoed through the halls, beckoning the Avatar. He quickly followed her voice to the source, finding Ada crouched alongside a door that showed clear signs of being forced open. It was in a back hallway, far from view, the perfect entrance for anyone trying to sneak in or out of the building. The green grass of the yard stretched out before them, with the expanse of Republic City just a fence away.

In any other location, the culprit might have left no trace of their actions, but they were at a ballroom. The owners of the venue had been so pre-occupied with their appearance that even the grass had been perfectly manicured and groomed. As such, there was a clear trail of footprints where someone had trampled the carefully tended lawn.

"Looks like we have a trail," Sen said. "Good work finding this."

Ada shrugged. It had been a hunch. Something about this door had seemed oddly familiar.

"A difficult one to follow," Hanjo said. "Once they're off the lawn they're back on concrete. No footprints to follow there."

"You forget we have a predator on our team," Sen said.

"Even I couldn't follow a trail like that," Ariak said.

Sen tapped his heel, and the delicately maintained lawn burst into clods of dirt and sod. Gun's heavy claws burst out of the soil, tearing apart the immaculately trimmed grass as the badgermole's gargantuan frame burst out of the lawn. Somewhere, a landscaper started to weep.

"Wasn't talking about you," Sen explained. Ariak nodded and took a step back. Miyani likewise retreated a step. Gun still didn't like her very much.

Following inaudible commands from Sen, Gun began to sniff at the ground, picking up the scent of their escaped suspect. While Badgermoles primarily relied on their seismic senses to compensate for their blindness, their sense of smell was also considerably developed. Gun's nose could never compare to the likes of a Shirshu, but the scent was fresh and the trail was clear. His sense of smell could guide them well enough.

Gun grunted loudly when he caught the scent, and Sen took a flying leap onto the badgermoles back. At Sen's insistence, Hanjo began an awkward climb up Gun's tree-trunk sized foreleg. The badgermole eagerly welcomed the two earthbenders to his back, and then growled in Miyani's direction. Like most animals, Gun was not fond of the combustion bender. She shrugged off his anger.

"We'll chase them down," Sen said as Hanjo took a seat on Gun's broad shoulders. "The rest of you go back to the main hall."

With that command spoken, Gun barreled across the yard, over the fence, and into the streets of Republic City, dragging his nose across the concrete floor all the while. Sen set his eyes on the horizon ahead, while Hanjo found himself more preoccupied with the Satomobiles and pedestrians that were swerving and diving out of the way to avoid Gun's massive body.

"Sorry! Very important!" He shouted at the confused citizens. "Serious Avatar business! Fate of the world!"

The police eventually arrived on the scene, sirens blaring, but as they realized that their target was the Avatar, they quickly came to the conclusion that it was probably better to help him than try to stop him. The police cars trailed a short distance behind Gun's whip-like tail, their flashing lights and sirens warning any bystanders that they should get out of the way. With their escort, Gun's charge through the city went ever faster.

As he rounded a corner, Gun suddenly planted his feet and came to a halt, clawing large marks in the pavement as his claws dragged down. His blind eyes darted across the street corner as his nose traced out a familiar scent. The police escort came to a halt behind them, the officers stepping out to back up the Avatar. Eventually Gun's claws began to tap the ground anxiously as he communicated with Sen. Sen nodded and gave Gun a few short scratches behind the ear. At his masters command, Gun took a few steps towards the nearest building.

"Hold on," Sen said to Hanjo. He immediately grabbed two handfuls of fur.

Gun suddenly stood on his hind legs, and then leaned forwards, pressing his front paws against the wall of the nearby building for support. A few cries of confusion and surprise could be heard from the interior apartments. Sen calmly walked up to Gun's head, finding himself just in front of a third story window.

With a wave of Sen's hands, the wall of the building bent open like a sheet, exposing the room within. A mere moment after the wall opened, a swarm of flying metal discs cut through the air, flying towards Sen.

Sen didn't even dignify the stupidity of that idea with a clever remark. His eyes glowed, and the swarm of discs halted in mid-air, and fell to the ground. One lone disc drifted idly through the air, landing in Sen's right palm. In his left, he held an identical metal disc, the same one from the attempt on Minister Raisu's life. Suitably incriminating evidence, even disregarding the fact that this man had tried to kill the Avatar.

"I wouldn't try to deny what you did," Sen advised.

"I don't," the would-be assassin said. He was a young man, dark haired and square-jawed. A surprising sight in Sarin's ranks. The usual Grey-Face was older, and more brutish. "And I don't regret it either!"

"I would regret it, considering it failed spectacularly," Sen said. He turned his still-glowing eyes to regard the criminal. "I know this is a longshot, but do you remember who gave you these orders?"

"I don't," The attempted assassin said stubbornly. Sen's burning eyes narrowed. Hanjo climbed up Gun's back and stepped into the room.

"Well, that's typical," He said sarcastically. Nobody in Sarin's ranks ever remembered anything useful.

"It's not," Sen said. He was well-acquainted with the memory-stealing of the Hssk: this was not it. "It's different."

Sen had spent a great deal of time working with captured Grey-Face soldiers, examining their chi to learn the ways of the unseen Hssk. When the Hssk stole someone's memories, there was simply a void: where the victim was concerned, the event might as well have never even happened. Their assassin had something else affecting his head.

"Different how?" Hanjo asked.

"Usually they just don't remember," Sen said. Confusion was evident on his face. "This one…There's something else in his head. It's holding the memories back."

Sen had never seen or heard of anything like this before. When the assassin tried to think of his past, something else in his soul rebelled, restraining the thoughts. Some other will had been impressed upon him. Sen stepped forward.

"Why did you do this?"

"For the Energybender," The assassin said. He was telling the truth, or so he thought. Sen saw something else in his mind, similar to the force that oppressed his memories. Whatever was affecting him was not only capable of restraining his memories, but implanting fake ones.

"What's your name?"

Another question, another attempt to remember, and another strange flare in his mind. The Assassin started to sweat.

"I don't- I don't remember," He said hesitantly. Sen pressed forward. The Hssk never took this many memories. Something was wrong.

"Where are you from?"

That triggered a particularly violent reaction in the assassins soul. Whatever was controlling his thoughts did not want to be tracked. Sen relaxed, letting the power of the Avatar State drift away. There was a good chance that this young metalbender was being manipulated against his will.

"Tell me everything you do remember," Sen said gently. The stress of his mental suppression was clearly weighing on the strange assassin. He was staring at the floor, disoriented and confused.

"I remember other people," He said. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he turned his eyes back to Sen. "And a bomb."

Gun's paws were back on the ground in a flash, and the police escort was left in the dust as Sen made a swift charge back to the ballroom.

"It's always the help," Goto grumbled.

The remaining members of Team Avatar were in a tense standoff with a few members of the catering staff, with the ball guests between them. The leader of the infiltrators had his thumb planted firmly on the trigger of a detonator.

"We only need a few select hostages, and everyone else gets to walk free," the ringleader said.

"I don't negotiate," Miyani growled. She towered over the others, her red third eye staring down the man with the detonator. A stare down was the only action any of them dared to take. Ada, Ariak, and Miyani all stood frozen, terrified that the hostage takers might actually use their detonator.

"Go ahead and try to stop me," The ringleader taunted. "You'd just set off a chain reaction and do my job for me. Now, if you would, we'll talk about who we want to take."

In the midst of the crowd, Yoki Uehara cowered in the arms of Suda. For the first time all night, Suda took his eyes off of her for more than a minute. He was staring intently at the detonator, his eyes twitching slightly. He remembered the platinum-coated stones Sen had once used. A bendable material inside an unbendable one. The plastic was impossible to use, but there had to be metal wiring somewhere inside the detonator.

"I'll go," Goto said. He started to step forward confidently. He was quite sure the Grey-Faces would do something stupid and allow him to escape anyway.

"Not you," The ringleader said, holding his detonator threateningly. Goto backed down. "Your daughter."

Princess Mika, still standing alongside the likes of Ada and Miyani, looked at her father. Goto nodded, and Mika nodded back. The Fire Lord was very confident in his daughters ability to break out and inflict grievous bodily harm on every single one of her captors. Mika stepped forward towards the hostage takers. She glanced at Zas quickly.

"Any clever plans this time, Detective?"

Zas had once saved Mika from a kidnapping attempt when she was just a young girl, using an elaborate plan involving several decoys and a hastily constructed tunnel. The aged detective shook his head, though there was still confidence, and confusion, on his face.

"Not my show tonight, princess," Detective Zas stated. He knew quite well that one of the Avatar's allies would manage something, so he focused his mind on other things. This hostage scheme seemed remarkably ill-conceived. These Grey-Face captors had some of their most important and powerful enemies all standing on top of a bomb. Removing Miyani alone would have been worth a hundred hostages.

Zas rubbed his chin. Something was very wrong about this entire night.

The captors asked for another hostage, the daughter of an important Republic City senator. They had several targets in mind, mostly the young, helpless loved ones of more important figures. Which made it only a matter of time before they asked for a certain someone.

"Give us Yoki Uehara," The ringleader said.

There was a slight fizzling sound as every wire in the detonator snapped simultaneously.

From the center of the crowd of huddled VIP's, Suda rose like a monolith. He stepped forward, pushing past a cowering captive towards the front of the crowd, taking a steady march towards the detonator. The ringleader warned him once, then twice. Suda did not hesitate for even a step, moving implacably towards his foe.

The ringleader pressed his thumb down, and nothing happened. He looked down at his detonator in confusion for only a brief second before he heard a heavy footfall in front of him. When the captor looked up, the only thing he saw before him was the gargantuan frame of Suda.

The ballroom had been built to have absolutely astounding acoustics, and the sound of cracking bone echoing throughout the hall attested to that fact. Suda's fist impacted the ringleaders ribs with such force to knock him off the ground and backwards through the air. His cohorts briefly watched their leader fly though the air. Then Suda got his hands on the first of them.

What followed was a swift and brutal affair. Suda never even bothered with his bending: his bare hands were more than enough. The room trembled under the weights of his blows as he worked through the would-be hostage takers. Mika freed herself from her captors grip and attempted to join the fight, but found she was not fast enough. Before the princess had even prepared her first strike, Suda had already grabbed him.

The last of the infiltrators slammed to the ground hard enough to splinter the wooden floors, and Suda's rampage finally ended. His back straightened, his tense muscles relaxed, and the single-minded glare in his eyes faded. He took deep, exhausted breaths and looked around. Now that the danger had been quite decisively defeated, the cowering crowd had scattered across the room, trying to run home or otherwise get to safety. Only a few people remained near the sight of Suda's battle. Ada was the first to step forward.

"Suda, I can't believe-"

Suda looked at her for only a moment before stepping past Ada and into Yoki's waiting arms. She was on the verge of crying, and Suda was quickly there to comfort her. Yoki quickly relaxed as soon as Suda wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Don't worry," Suda gently assured her. "You know I'd never let anyone take you."

Ada didn't know what to feel looking at a scene like that. She watched Suda in silence before she felt a certain eminent presence at her side. Sen had arrived on the scene just in time to catch the tail end of Suda's fights –and his moment with Yoki. Princess Mika shot him a glance as she departed with her father, one which Sen deliberately ignored.

"Bring Suda to the main office," He said to Ada. His voice was cold. "We need to talk."

Suda had quite reluctantly followed Ada away from Yoki and into the darkened office. Sen had turned on only one desk lamp, leaving the room with only a dim source of light. The Avatar leaned against the edge of the large desk in the center of the room, and cast a low glare at Suda as he walked in. Though some anger was visible on his face, the Avatar mostly looked conflicted. Ada stepped to the side and leaned against the wall as the two earthbenders faced off.

"You fight pretty well for someone in your condition," Sen said quietly.

"I had a moment," Suda said. "Adrenaline, mostly."

Sen raised a critical eyebrow as Suda offered his excuse. Suda was not used to confrontation with his friends, and he withered quickly.

"What do you think this is, Sen? You think I'm faking being hurt?"

"No," Sen said quickly. "You're not faking. You just want to believe you're hurt because it means you get to stay with Yoki."

Sen stopped leaning on the desk, standing up straight with his arms crossed across his chests. Suda gingerly placed a hand at the site of his injury as if to explore it. The confusion was evident in his eyes.

"You need a reason," Sen said. "An excuse. Because you don't want to fight."

"Of course I want to fight," Suda said defensively. "You're my friends, I couldn't just leave you alone-"

"So then come back," Sen interrupted. He took a step towards Suda. "Go for a physical if you need more evidence. Any doctor would tell you you've made a miraculous recovery. You could be back in the field by tomorrow."

Suda hesitated, doing nothing but staring Sen in the eyes. Ada tried desperately to vanish into the shadows as Sen and Suda stared each other down. After a minute of this staring contest, Sen backed down, rubbing his temples slightly. This was not the kind of thing he wanted to do.

"Sorry. I shouldn't," Sen said. "It's just…I want to be able to count on you, Suda. You're my friend. What you're doing…It's not fair to me. Or to her."

Sen looked back up at Suda, but this time his gaze was less accusatory and more leading.

"It's not just us waiting for you to come back," Sen said, gesturing to himself and Ada. "Yoki is wondering when you're going to leave."

Suda's eyes drifted downwards. Sen stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Love and war don't go hand in hand," Sen said. "You need to make a decision."

It was hard on Sen that he could not rely on Suda, and it was unfair to Yoki that she was constantly waiting for him to leave. Some things in life demanded a commitment, love and war being chief among them. Suda knew deep inside that Sen was right.

"I'll be okay with whatever choice you make," Sen said hesitantly. "You just need to make the choice."

Sen said that as if there was any question of what Suda would choose. He could see Suda's heart, and he already knew what his answer would be. Suda straightened his back and prepared to speak.

The door knob clicked loudly and spun in place as someone outside desperately tried to open it. After a frantic second of spinning the knob finally clicked into place, and the wooden door slammed open, pounding against the wall loudly. Suda took a step back and Ada stepped away from the wall as a breathless Lahn forced his way through the open door.

"Avatar! The message on the radio, the Energybender's attacking, they need our help!"

Sen spared only a brief glance at Suda before stepping forward. Their personal problems could wait until later.

"Where's the attack, Lahn? Who needs our help?"

Lahn took a deep breath and stood up straight, turning to look at Ada.

"Zaofu."

Sen and Suda turned as one to look at Ada as her heart froze.