Republic City, the towering, glass encased buildings scrape the skies with a sleek sophistication, while the warm tones of taupe and burnt sienna offset the overtly modern style of the city through traditional architecture and historical landmarks, crafting a truly culturally blended city. Although, not to be only hailed as an industrial beast, Republic City is built on the seaside with dazzling islands encompassing the mainland, and to the north of the city lies a ring of picturesque mountains. The city bustled with its citizens, each making their way to their respective jobs in hopes of getting through another day of hard work. Aromas of fried goods and fruit pies wafted on the warm city air, inviting all its guests to enter each tightly packed shop for the latest sweet treats, and Jake Peralta was no different.
"I'll take two guava ones, a strawberry one, and a coffee, thanks Bolin," Jake hollered at the gentle eyed shopkeeper, quickly tossing down a handful of yuans and in one fell swoop, snagged his sweet treats, and ran out the door. Jake, true to form, was as late as ever, but much more on time for him at least.
Jake waved at the passing citizens who were used to his laissez-faire attitude and were already well aware of how behind he was on his schedule. He was, after all, a self proclaimed man child who was still easily excited by his favorite childhood cartoons, and the always popular Flaming Fire Flakes.
"Peralta, it's not very Avatar like to be late like this," hollered Hank, the bartender at his favorite cop bar, Shaw's. Shaw's was a true Republic City staple in the cop community along with Hank. Hank, much like the smoked stained walls of the bar itself held all the secrets people offered up.
"Being the Avatar doesn't mean that I am required to stick to a schedule. If anything, it means I'm less likely to be on time because of my "Avatar duties". And besides, the spirit world doesn't abide by our clocks anyways, so why should I," Jake retorted instantaneously without missing a step. Being the Avatar didn't mean that he wasn't going to lead every conversation with sass and charm.
"Fair enough, Peralta! I'll see you and the rest of the Nine-Nine tonight," Hank shouted back just as the younger brunette haired man ran out of sight. "Ah, what a crazy kid," Hank shook his head, and proceeded to unlock the infamous bar.
A soft smile graced his face, Jake relished in the sunshine knowing full well he was about to be cooped up in the office all day. Hailing from the Fire Nation by birth meant that being absolutely soaked in sunshine was his favorite pastime.
Running across the city as he weaved and bobbed through the crowd, Jake raced hasilty through City Centre. City Centre is the enchanting epicenter of Republic City, and it would be a crime against humanity to not soak in the magic just a little. Being at the most captivating part of his commute by far, Jake welcomed the feeling of being completely enveloped in the oasis of sage and emerald trees that hung delicately over the pathways. The canopy of foliage reminded him of home back on Ember Island. Traces of the urban jungle seeped into the forest, and promptly transitioned back into the bohemyth city. With a few shallow breaths and beads of sweat threatening to drip from his forehead, the young Avatar finally reached his destination, Republic City Police Headquarters. With an impulsive check of his watch, and grin plastered on his face, Jake hurried towards the looming building. The ornate, dark stone palace stood high and dignified, but in conjunction to the bright, white marble courtyard that surrounded the monolith. Jake ran headfirst through the front doors and straight into the open elevator doors, jabbing the 4th floor button more times than necessary,and stumbled right through the bullpen's gate.
"Good morning Nine-Nine," he announced boisterously with a slick smirk and more enthusiasm than one should carry, especially considering he was fifteen minutes late to his desk.
"Peralta, thank you so much for gracing us with your presence. To what do we do we owe the honor," a particularly muscular man stated politely, but with a firm tone from across the bullpen. This clearly wasn't his first time tending to Jake's tardiness., and he knew it wouldn't be his last. The giant's muscles and demeanor could easily shake a man to their core, well at least an average man, but Jake was no ordinary man when it came to authority.
"Sergeant! Good morning, thanks so much for having me, sorry for being fashionably late," Jake sang in a sprightly tone, trying to get on the good side of the man whose fist was like a hammer that could crush Jake's pea like head.
"Jake, how many times have I told you? You have got to get here by 9am, no exceptions," the muscular man scolded Jake while watching him sling his severely worn leather jacket over the back of his equally worn rolly chair, and add to the stack of files on his disorganized desk. "Now, if you don't mind taking some time out of your busy morning, and join the rest of the squad in the briefing room."
"No problem, Serg," Jake smiled, handing his favorite sergeant one of the fruit pies from this morning. "Sorry for being late. I'll work on it, but I figured if I was going to be late, I might as well grab you something too."
The sergeant's stoic face slipped up with a gentle smirk and shoulder shrug to match. "Thanks, Jake. Now get to your seat, we have a busy day ahead of us."
Jake quickly did as instructed, and ran into the dismal briefing room. Adorned with nothing but drab blinds for the windows and posters begging for youth to snitch on their friends, being in the briefing room was a bit more comparable to being in a sunnier jail cell. At least, this jail cell came with friends and comrades alike.
Securing his space in the briefing room, Jake slid past his coworker, who were rolling their eyes and giggling at his behavior, and Jake slipped into his rightful seat next to his partner and best friend, Detective Charles Boyle. The brunette haired man, although not particularly gifted as a smooth operator, is a kind hearted soul and a strong detective nonetheless. However, his best skill comes from his overwhelming capacity to care about his friends to a fault. Charles Boyle, despite being a bit eccentric for most and had a questionable obsession with beige on beige, was the perfect best friend that anyone could ask for.
"Jakey, welcome," Charles chipped excitedly. Jake slid a guava fruit pie across the metal table and the cup of coffee. Charles' face beamed brightly from the kind gesture, and immediately launched into a strange Charles-eque story about a Boyle clan vacation to the Southern Water tribe and partaking in a feast of stewed sea prunes. As Charles continued to embark down his rabbit hole, Jake tuned his friend out after the first mention of sea prunes, and turned his attention to his favorite tease, and secret crush, Amy Santiago.
Amy Santiago is one of the most brilliant detectives in the RCPD and to make her even more charming, she is the top waterbender in her class at the academy and continues to hold that title unmatched. Adding to the signature Santiago charm was the bonus of growing up with seven brothers. Her ferocity and competitive spirit was steeped in trying to prove that she was the best among them, and to no one's shock, that made her completely obsessive about work. Despite all the high strung tendencies that seemed to pour from every inch of Amy, Jake found his best conversation and silliest moments always seemed to happen when he was with her.
Before even a simple "morning Santiago" could leave his lips, Jake was snapped to attention by an authoritative voice halting all morning conversations.
"Good morning detectives - Peralta thanks for joining us. The sergeant already informed me you were tardy. Maybe you could try perhaps not stopping for your customary sweet treats each morning," the man stated as he entered the dull briefing room.
"Sorry Captain. Next time I'll remember one for you too. We all know how much you love your sweet treats," Jake retorted, his voice dripping in syrupy sarcasm.
"I would soon rather drink flavored seltzer water if that gives you any indication of my distaste for your dessert disguised as breakfast. Now, if I may turn everyone's attention to the threat at hand," the Captain directed the detectives to the tv screen next to him and started clicking through a handful of gruesome photos. "These are the photos from the latest string of break ins, robberies, and violent crimes that have been committed in our precinct. We have identified all of these as the work of the Triple Threat Triad. The gang members have been terrorizing our neighborhoods in droves, and we need to bring them to justice. This all being said, we believe their next area to hit is going to be right here," the screen flashed to the next photo, and an audible breath was slipped from Amy's lips. "the Great monument of the Northern and Southern Water Tribe."
The photo documented a white and black marbled statue of important figures from the Water Nation's history including Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, as well as former princess Yue, and the moon spirit.
"We believe that the Triple Threat Triad is being hired to push an anti-semetic agenda against the Water Tribe. Each crime shown previously can all be linked back to the Water Tribe. This being said, we are going to break out into teams of two to increase patrols around the monument to protect the sacred landmark to the Water Tribe as well as maintain peace between the other nations. Street chatter has been cited amongst civilians that people are becoming wary of their Water Tribe neighbors because of these latest attacks, and we do not want to further instigate that wariness. This is a matter of maintaining the delicate balance of Republic City, and we have no room for error here." Holt ended his speech on a more serious note than anyone in the room was ready for this early in the morning.
Jake shuffled in his chair slightly as the Captain started assigning partners for patrols. His eyes drifted over to Amy who was deep in thought over this case, but was still trying to maintain a half-hearted conversation with Rosa. She clearly was trying to put on the signature Amy Santiago 'I've got it together' persona, but Jake could see right through it.
"Santiago and Peralta," the Captain raised his voice amongst the chatter that filled the room. "You two will take sector seven, and patrol the monument site. You two, be alert at all times and be prepared for a fight. The Triad's leader, Viper, is not known for his kind hearted nature."
Jake and Amy nodded in tandem, understanding that now was not the time for any witty retorts. Jake looked down at the crumpled paper bag in his hand, and with a sigh held the brown sack to eye level.
"Here, take this," Jake spoke gently, handing Amy the bag. "It's a guava fruit pie, and you look like you need something that will put a smile on your face." Amy's eyes lit up slightly, and she took the pastry.
"Thanks, Jake. That's really nice of you," Amy smiled with a mouthful of pastry, only to stop mid bite, "wait, why are you being nice to me? What's in it for you? Is this a trick? I'm not in the mood for tricks." Amy's chocolate eyes ignited with a curious look, and her lips twisted into an inquisitive smirk. Her long brown locks were pulled back in a tight, sleek bun which made that signature intimidating eye contact ever more present. Suddenly the room felt fifty degrees hotter than he remembered, and Jake really started to wonder if the long sleeve plaid was a good choice.
Rolling his sleeves up and steadying his breathing, Jake composed himself. "No, Amy," he said in a mocking, but joking tone, "believe it or not, I have nice bones in my body. If this was a trick, it would be so much more elaborate than this. Give me some credit, Santiago."
"Fine, fine. I should expect more from you and your pranks," Amy dug into another bite of her newly acquired fruit pie, and Jake's smirk dropped into a genuine smile as he heard a quiet "mmmm" betray Amy's sealed lips. This was the best part, knowing he could bring some lightness to her day, despite the difficult mission that was on its way. Amy had a tendency to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, and needed to relax sometimes. This, of course, was in stark contrast to himself. Jake, being the Avatar and all that could stand to take the Avatar duties a touch more seriously. He tried not to think too heavily about the whole 'maintaining balance' thing, and keep his life somewhat light and breezy, but that didn't always go his way much to his dismay.
At the sound of her coworkers preparing for their own assignments, Amy hurried to her desk to gather the essentials for patrols of the city. Today was going to be much longer than anyone wanted it to be, and it was only going to get longer when Jake spotted the most boring man alive step off of the elevator.
"Hi honey," crooned the man as he hugged Amy from behind. Jake felt the tips of his ears burn red, and he turned away from the otherwise ooey-gooey love scene playing out. Teddy Wells, for all intensive purposes, truly is the most boring man to ever be a part of the force, but he is an undeniably great cop, and to add to the frustrating charm, he is a nice human being and Amy's boyfriend.
"Teddy, you scared me! What have I told you about sneaking up on me," Amy jeered, lightly jabbing Teddy in the ribs. Teddy laughed at the retort, and immediately took Amy's hand and continued whispering jokes to her. Her smile lit up brightly and Teddy continued to feed that smile.
Jake rolled his eyes to what felt like the back of his head and back a dozen times watching the scene before him unfold. With a sigh, he turned away only to have a fireball burst passed his face, heat radiating only centimeters away from him. Jake's attention swiftly flipped to the direction of the fireball, only to be met with a leather jacket, a RCPD coffee mug in one hand, and a knife in the other.
"Rosa, what was that," Jake borderline shrieked in alarm, which he only received a dry chuckle in response to.
"You seemed distracted, so I needed to wake you up a bit. You even missed the part where the Sargent added Teddy and I to your patrol squad. Besides," Rosa leaned in inches away from Jake, her curled dark locks shielding her face from the rest of the bullpen "if you keep pining over Amy openly like this, you're going to get caught."
Jake backed away from the stoic firebender slightly, still attempting to imitate her steely gaze with his eyebrows fully furrowed, but faltered only seconds into the stare off, forcing a grin from both of them.
"Thanks for that subtle wake up call, 're always looking out for me," Jake sneered at his dear friend. "So you're joining us?"
"Yep, Sarg thought we could use the extra manpower, so he is borrowing Teddy from the Eight-Two," Rosa stated dryly, casually shoving the extra knife in her boot for patrols.
"Great," Jake matched her tone, grabbing his own broadswords. The thought of being next to the "bubblegum perfect know-it-all couple" for hours on end already too much for Jake to bear. Suddenly, he was more thankful than ever for Rosa's "no talking unless necessary" policy. That would at least cut some of the ooey gooey love talk out.
"Jake, Rosa, are you two ready to head out," Amy yelled from across the bullpen. Jake's eyes shot to Rosa, who simply shrugged in response. The pair headed to the elevator, and before the double doors could even shut Jake heard the words he was dreading.
"So Jake, you like pilsners?"
It was going to be a long day.