The next several hours passed by Yuan in a blur. The few blows to the head he'd taken had already left him dazed, and the constant rushing around wasn't helping. One second he was outside standing in front of a huge, confused crowd, the next he was being pulled inside the Presidential Palace with Kunchen and Nerrivik. They were taken to a side room, while he was rushed to what he guessed was a healing station. Two middle aged waterbenders began to poke and prod around his body with their water, soothing all the bruises and scrapes he'd accumulated over the past several days. One asked him why so many of bruises were so old, but Yuan casually brushed aside the question. Other than the occasional medical history question, the time passed relatively peacefully. They even managed to partially fix Yuan's nose, which was still a little crooked and sensitive, but at least now it wasn't gushing blood.
After he was mostly cleaned up they ushered him into another room where they began taking several of his measurements. A man, who Yuan guessed was a stylist, began to offer him a series of new clothes. The Avatar stubbornly defended his current clothes, the ones he'd gotten from Zaofu and had actually grown a little attached to. His stylist pouted a little bit, before pushing him back into a chair in front of a mirror. Here he set to work applying little makeup touches to make Yuan's face as presentable as possible given it's current state. He also took a comb and gel to his hair, which had grown a little longer in the past few weeks. After he was finally deemed passable, Yuan was once again brought to a new room, this one containing Kunchen and Nerrivik. The two benders immediately stood up from their chairs and ran over to Yuan as he entered the room.
"What have they been doing with you? It's been an hour since they brought us in?" asked an exasperated Kunchen.
"I don't know. Healing and cleaning me up, I guess. I honestly have no idea why they're doing it," Yuan answered with a shrug.
"Ok that's so far down on my list of questions," chimed in Nerrivik. "Where have you been? Why did you leave? Why were you there to save the President?"
Yuan scratched the back of his head nervously. "It's… a really long story, and here is definitely not the place to get into it. If we go somewhere quieter I can explain everything."
"Well we can't leave this room," said a still very overwhelmed Kunchen. "We've already tried. This is the Presidential Palace, Yuan. Literally the last place we wanted to end up when we came to the city."
"Well… there are worse places. Seriously if they wanted to do something to us, we wouldn't be anywhere near here," Yuan explained, thinking back to Phen. "I have no idea why they brought us in, but we have to be careful. President Goro's not someone we want to piss off."
"Well then what can we do?" Kunchen continued to prod
"I don't know," Yuan said in a distressed voice. "I didn't exactly plan for this. I'm just trying…"
He was interrupted as the double wide doors on the other side of the room opened. From behind them emerged President Goro, two fresh guards in tow. The man walked towards them with a stately stride, his chest puffed forward trying to compensate for his shorter stature. It would have seemed like posturing if it wasn't for the smile he wore. It was a perfect politicians smile, straddling the line between invitingly genuine and eerily forced. Yuan found himself lost in thought trying to read the expression, that he barely noticed the actual man walk up to him.
"Hello there Mr. Avatar, it's a pleasure to meet you in a more formal setting," he said extending his hand.
A slightly befuddled Yuan hesitated for a second before quickly jerking his own hand forward to meet the president's. "Oh, um, thank you Mr. President. It's nice to finally meet you too."
Goro gave him a quick nod before turning to the two benders beside Yuan. "And you two must be the Avatar's companions. I hope that the facilities have been acceptable while you waited. We wanted to have your friend cleaned up a little."
Kunchen quickly began thanking the president and praising the Presidential Palace, while snapping into a bow. Nerrivik followed his lead, albeit at a more relaxed pace. Seeing his two other guests we're verbally satisfied, the President returned his attention to Yuan, "I don't mean to seem pushy, Mr. Avatar, but would you mind a private talk in the next room over? We obviously have much to discuss."
"Yeah sure. I mean, yes of course sir," Yuan corrected himself as the older man gestured for the Avatar to follow him into the next room. He looked back to see Kunchen and Nerrivik retaking their seats, giving him a nervous look. He gritted his teeth for them and gave a terrified shrug in response.
As him and Goro entered the room the two guards pulled the doors closed behind them, before standing at attention. The room was smaller than Yuan expected, with a surprisingly cozy feel to it. The walls were lined with bookshelves and paintings of well dressed men and women. At the head of the room, in front of several large windows just barely cracked to let in the breeze, stood President Goro's desk. The man sat behind it in a large, cushy chair before motioning for Yuan towards a simpler chair in front of the desk.
As the Avatar sat down, Goro placed his elbows on the desk and brought his knuckles in front of his mouth. "So, Yuan I believe your name was, this has been a rather unexpected day for me, as I'm sure it's been for you. Now this is an awkward topic to bring up, so I believe it's best to just dive right into it. One of my Justice Department aids recognized your face from a wanted poster we put out." Yuan's eyes bulged and all of his muscles instantly tensed as the President continued, " We were doubtful until she managed to dig up the poster to confirm, but it appears that she was correct. It appears that there are some pretty serious charges attached to you."
"Wait," Yuan began to defend himself, "I know how bad this looks, but the poster doesn't say anything about what actually happened! There was a lot of confusion and a lot of fighting and they were about to…"
"Settle down," Goro interrupted with a friendly smile and quick hand wave. "I contacted Field Commander Ryu for more information. He was the one that originally filed the charges. Now, he has been a trusted Field Commander for The United Republic for several years, but after hearing his report, I believe he was being a little overzealous."
"Wait, you do?" an absolutely bewildered Yuan asked.
The President's smile grew slightly bigger at this, "Oh absolutely. You've more than proven your character with your actions today, and I see no reason not to give you a full pardon."
"Seriously? Well that's actually great, I can't thank you enough," Yuan began to thank him before his mind drifted back to shadow of a man that was once Phen. "What about everyone else that was charged. Two of the other people involved were in the same situation as me. Will you be able to give them a pardon as well?"
Goro's lips pursed as his brow furrowed, "Hmmmm…. I didn't ask about them specifically. I'll have to contact Ryu again and get more information. Until then we have other things to discuss. Now what brought you to Republic City? Somehow I feel like it might not have been your first choice."
"Surprisingly no," Yuan said with a nervous laugh. "I've been trying to find a White Lotus Temple, and this was the last place I looked."
Goro winced a little, "Oof, that must have been a rough one to hear. They disbanded years ago. Air Temple Island's been abandoned for over a decade."
Yuan's jaw clenched a little at this. "It's not abandoned and you know it," he thought to himself. Even as he thought it, however, doubts began to sink in. Goro's demeanor was nothing but polite and friendly. And the man seemed completely unassuming. Was he really the monster Sang had described? And if it wasn't him then who was pulling the strings?
"Yeah, it was pretty disappointing," Yuan replied, realizing he hadn't responded. "Good thing I was in the city though, right?"
Goro chuckled at this. "Really lucky for me at the very least. You did more then just save mine and Vice President Huifeng's lives, however. You managed to defeat one of the most wanted men in the world, and help us put him behind bars. Quite a way to introduce yourself to the populace."
"Oh man, that's right," Yuan blurted out, suddenly realizing that he had pretty much outed himself to the entire world. "How exactly are things in Republic City? I mean Avatar-wise."
"I understand your fears. Avatar Korra was a controversial figure around the world, and The Church's knee-jerk reaction to her and Ms. Sato didn't help matters. But despite resistance elsewhere, her life time of service has made her an enduringly popular figure in The United Republic. I can assure you, that you'll be met with nothing but open arms in Republic City," Goro explained, putting on his most affable face by the end.
Yuan let out a relieved breath. "That's actually a pretty big relief. People in the Earth States don't exactly have the most favorable opinions of the Avatar."
"This is actually one of the reasons I brought you in," Goro started, leaning forward slightly. "You're a completely new figure in the public's eye, a very important one at that. I believe it's best that we properly introduce you to everyone, to let them know that they can trust their new Avatar."
"Introduce me?" Yuan asked suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"
"A small press conference. We already have all the reporters outside, so this is the perfect opportunity to put your face out there. Really show the people who you are and that you're here to help," Goro continued, still very upbeat about the idea.
Well, I mean, that sounds like a good idea, but I don't know if I'm really the public speaking type," Yuan replied nervously.
Goro waved the concerns away with a quick gesture. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Listen I'll level with you here, Yuan. Everyone in The United Republic just learned that there's a new Avatar. Imagine you're one of them, freaked out, scared, unsure about who this new person is or how they'll end up affecting your life. It's your duty as the Avatar to put their fears to rest, and assure everyone that you're here to help."
"Well I have always wondered what my Avatar duties were," Yuan thought to himself. "Ok, I'll do it. Just don't expect too much, I've never really dealt with crowds before."
"I'm sure you'll do great. Here I'll show you to the steps, we've already got a microphone set up," Goro spoke, as he rose from his desk and walked towards a door in the back of his office.
"Wait what?" Yuan asked, rising to follow the President. "You mean like right now? I have no idea what to say!"
"Just speak truthfully and from your heart and I'm sure you'll be fine," Goro reassured, neither looking back or breaking stride.
Yuan gulped a little, but decided to remain silent while he and the guards followed the President through a maze of hallways. "Ok, well I wasn't quite expecting this. It'll be alright, if Goro wanted to do anything he'd have already had me locked up and thrown in jail. I just need to seem friendly for a few minutes and I'm sure I'll be able to leave. Where's Sang anyways, I really need to check on her. I'm sure if I ask they'll..."
His thoughts were cut off as the group emerged from their foyer they were walking through and onto the massive front steps in front of the Presidential Palace. Before them stood a group of what Yuan guessed to be at least 300 reporters and news crews. Camera's began to flash in a barrage of blinding light, causing Yuan to reel a little and blink rapidly. Goro gave him a quick pat on the back, both to give confidence and to push the Avatar towards the microphone in front of them.
As Yuan stepped forward he scanned the crowd several times. "Wow that is a lot of people," he thought to himself. "Well I guess here goes nothing."
"Hello everyone, my name is Yuan and I'm your new Avatar," he said as he leaned into the mic. An awkward moment of silence passed before he decided to add, "Ummmm… I will now be taking any questions."
Everyone's hands immediately sprang up as all the reporters began asking their questions over each other. Unsure how these things were supposed to go, Yuan randomly pointed towards one person hoping they would speak up over everyone else. The gamble paid off as the woman he pointed to stood up and began to speak, "Avatar Yuan, where exactly are you from?"
"Oh, I'm from a small village called Urumqi. It's in the the southeast Earth States," Yuan answered, happy to have gotten an easy question.
"Ok, then would that make you a fan of the Tu Zin Tigermonkeys?" she continued.
"Oh wait, that's right the Pro-bending Republic City Classic is starting soon!" thought Yuan. He'd been a Pro-bending fanatic ever since he was a kid, always making sure to listen to matches on the radio and see highlights in the newspaper. Him, Teng, and Phen had even started making plans to throw a listening party for the tournament in The Sleeping Badgermole. This all seemed like ages ago to Yuan, as he continued to stare awkwardly over the crowd before realizing he'd been asked a question. "Oh wait, what? I mean, yeah of course I love the the Tigermonkeys. How'd they do at the qualifiers? I haven't gotten the chance to check on them in a few weeks."
"They got a lower seed, but they qualified," the reporter answered.
"Well is Nanook still injured?"
"Yes, it's looking like he'll be out for the entire tournament."
"Of course," Yuan replied in a sarcastic tone. "How did the Badgerfrogs do?"
"Top seed."
"Oh yeah, they're definitely going all the way then," Yuan continued. "Oh uh... next question, I guess. Yeah you there"
This time it was a younger man, not much older than Yuan, who stood up in the back row. "Hello Mr. Avatar, I'm with the United Republic Gossiper and our question is, what do you think will win best mover at this years Varrick Mover Awards?"
"Ummm… I haven't really seen any new movers recently. Any other questions?" Yuan replied tentatively. "I thought they were going to be asking me stuff about being the Avatar," he thought to himself silently, as he tried his best to field questions ranging from celebrity gossip to the conditions of Republic City's roads.
The interview continued for about a half an hour before Goro stepped up to the microphone and told the disappointed crowd that that was all for today. He gestured for Yuan to follow as he walked back into the Palace and took a path down several small corridors. Eventually they arrived in what Yuan guessed was a well concealed alley where Kunchen, Nerrivik, and a cab were waiting.
"I hope we didn't keep the two of you waiting too long," Goro said apologetically as he opened the back door of the cab and ushered the three into the back.
"Oh no sir, we were perfectly fine. Thank you so much for making these living arrangements for us, it's greatly appreciated," spoke Kunchen in a grating sycophantic voice.
Yuan would have rolled his eyes along with Nerrivik if he wasn't curious about what they were talking about. "Living arrangements?"
"Oh yes," Goro spoke with a little pride in his voice. "While we were cleaning you up I also arranged a suite for you and your associates to stay during your time here in Republic City. It's a cozy little place we typically reserve for diplomats and foreign dignitaries. We felt that the Avatar more than deserved the honor of staying there for as long as he needs. We've already had your luggage moved from Varrick Estates, so moving in should be a breeze."
"Oh um, thank you very much President Goro. That's more than generous," Yuan said, still in disbelief over how genuinely nice Goro was.
"The least we could do. I'll send one of my aides by the house in the morning, we still have much to discuss. Until then, goodnight Avatar Yuan," Goro gave one last small smile before turning back to the door.
"Goodnight to you too President Goro," Yuan returned as the cab began to drive away. He turned towards his two friends and made a quick shaking motion with his head, putting off any conversation until they were truly alone. The sun descended quickly over the city, the skyscrapers casting huge shadows over the streets as they drove through the downtown area. Just as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, all of the streets lit up with streetlights and spirits. Yuan gazed absently out the window for almost the entire trip, only occasionally looking across to his companions.
Eventually the cab came to a stop outside of a pointed metal fence. The three got out of the car and all sized up their new living arrangements. The house was bigger than any Yuan had ever stayed in with a yard that just seemed extravagant with it's two trees and flower patches. Kunchen unlocked the front gate and all three passed through the yard and garden out front, entering through the front door. The first floor was an open plan with kitchen, dining room, living room, and foyer all merging into one large room. To the left was a set of stairs that lead to the second floor, which overlooked the first behind a railing. In the middle of the first floor was all of their belongings, stacked neatly into piles. After a quick decision, all three agreed to unpack into their rooms and prepare a dinner before sitting down to talk. They each got their own room, much to their relief, and were soon downstairs cooking from their fully stocked kitchen. Yuan, who hadn't actually eaten all day, made ample use of the food, downing plate after plate of food to the growing admiration of Kunchen and Nerrivik.
As he began to slow down, Nerrivik decided this was the most opportune time to speak up. "Ok, I'm sick of waiting. Yuan, we really need to know why you ran." Her voice was serious, but rose slightly when she mentioned him leaving. The hurt was plain, and enough to make Yuan feel all sorts of terrible.
"I didn't run, I really want to make that clear," he said in a voice that hinted there was something to come. "That was like the only thing I didn't do. It's a really long story."
Kunchen folded his arms at this, his posture reflecting his indignant mood. "We've got nothing but time now."
"Sigh... Alright," Yuan said finally. He proceeded into a grand retelling of all he'd been through in the past several days, from the Scorpion, to Phen, to Sang, to Korra, and finally to Goro. His friends shot him various looks of bewilderment, disbelief, frustration, and sympathy through his epic tale. When it came to an end the three sat in silence briefly until Kunchen spoke up.
"Wow… I mean, that was really something. I don't even know where to begin with that," the airbender said as he stared at his hands on the table.
"So Goro pardoned you, but he doesn't know about you and the Scorpion?" Nerrivik asked.
"Nope. I don't think the Scorpion will speak up either. As much as he probably hates me now, he hates the United Republic even more," Yuan said. He had worried about his former partner speaking out during torture or interrogation, but had figured his pride would be too big for something like that.
"So then, what now?" Nerrivik continued to ask. "It looks like they want to make you a public figure now. Are they going to train you? Do they want you to do anything political? What about Phen?"
Yuan heaved a huge sigh at this, "I honestly don't know. I figured Goro will probably tell me more about what he has planned tomorrow and I'll just go from there."
"Well while we're waiting for that, what about Korra?," Kunchen interjected. "This is like your biggest breakthrough with being the Avatar. Did she talk about anything other than metalbending and poison? Like how to talk to her, how you should be training yourself, anything?"
Yuan raised his hands in an empty shrug, "Nothing. I didn't even realize it was her until after the connection was broken."
"Hmmmm… I know Korra broke connection with all the previous Avatars, so my grandpa never had stories about her talking to them. Tell you what, I can probably go to the library tomorrow and try to look up some information for you," Kunchen suggested helpfully.
"That might work," Yuan said with a little hope in his voice.
"Awesome. Before we do that, I'm gonna need you to go into greater detail about your dreams and what happened with Korra. Any little bit might help when I'm looking," Kunchen's voice was getting giddy at the thought of research.
"Well if you to are just going to talk Avatar powers, I'm going to bed," Nerrivik said letting out a large yawn. Truth be told all three were tired at this point, and it was only hitting them now that they had sat down.
"That's fine, goodnight Nerrivik," Yuan responded.
"Goodnight you guys. And Yuan, I'm glad you're back," she said with one last smile. Yuan returned it before she turned around to walk up the stairs. She slowly sauntered up the steps, her leisurely pace reflecting just how tired she was. Her short braid swung to and fro with each step, occasionally bouncing off of her back. Her hips bounced with each step in an almost rhythmic…
"Yuan? Yuan? Yuan, is something up?" Kunchen asked, waving to get his friends attention.
"Huh, oh what?" the Avatar's head snapped back up and focused back on the airbender. "Wait what were we just talking about?"
Kunchen quickly looked back to make sure Nerrivik was completely up the stairs before looking back with an amused look on his face. "Were you just staring at Nerrivik?"
"What? No!" Yuan defended himself immediately, but it made little difference. Kunchen was already trying to stifle laughter, pounding the table slightly.
"Holy crap, you were actually staring at her as she walked up the stairs. Come on, Yuan, I mean seriously."
"Hey I wasn't staring I was just…" Yuan trailed off, unable to form an excuse.
"You were staring, it's ok to admit. Wait, do you two have thing going on?" Kunchen's face swung from hysterics to curiosity in a blink.
"No!"
"Ok, ok, ok calm down. It's nothing to be too ashamed of. I mean it's a little embarrassing but…"
Yuan cut him off, "Look can we just focus, please."
Kunchen paused for a moment before responding, "Ok, you'd think you'd never had a crush on a girl before. I mean, you have haven't you?"
"There weren't really any girls around my age in Urumqi so…." Yuan trailed off.
"Oh wow, sorry to hear that. Well if it's any consolation I wasn't always…"
"I don't care. Are we gonna talk Avatar business or what?" Yuan cut him off once again.
"Ok, fine. When did all the dreams start happening?" Kunchen managed to change moods instantly.
"I think the first night we were in the city, when we were all meditating," Yuan said, having reached the conclusion himself earlier that day.
"Alright that makes sense," Kunchen cupped his chin and stared down as he continued. "Meditating probably brought you closer to Raava and Avatar Korra's spirit. They must be trying to reach out to you."
"Wait what's Raava?" Yuan asked, puzzled.
"Oh wow I haven't told you about that one? Well Raava is the spirit of light, that connects all the Avatar's. She inhabits your bodies and moves on to the next Avatar each time one of you guys die. She's what gives you the ability to bend all the elements. There's also a spirit of darkness called Vaatu, but my grandpa said Korra defeated him when they were teenagers," Kunchen quickly rattled off all the facts he could think about.
Yuan nodded along as this was all explained. "So Raava is the spirit that bonds all Avatar's together? Ok then I just need to reach out to her and I should be able to reconnect with Korra."
Kunchen gave a small shrug. "I guess. I really only have the descriptive stuff, not the mechanics of how it works."
A yawn escaped from Yuan's throat before any words could come out, "I think I'll try in the morning, it's been a long enough day as is."
"Yeah good idea. Goodnight Yuan, we are glad to have you back."
"Goodnight to you too Kunchen. It's good to be back."
Yuan pulled back from the crowd, and slipped into a side hallway. He slowly worked his way back until he stumbled upon the kitchen. The staff working inside didn't even look up to acknowledge him, being too engrossed in their own work to care about anything else. Yuan was silently grateful for this as he scanned the walls. After a moment he found what he was looking for. On the left wall, below some cupboards was a phone that the Avatar picked up and punched a number into. He was connected to an operator who quickly transferred his call to the diplomatic house he was currently living in.
"Hello?" Nerrivik's voice answered after a few rings.
"Hey Nerrivik, it's me," Yuan began.
"Yuan? Where are you? You just left this morning!" Nerrivik quickly launched into list of questions, as she was wont to do more and more recently.
"I'm back at The Presidential Palace. It's been a pretty weird day for me. After that old guy picked me up, he drove me all through town. I met some mover stars and had my picture taken with them. Then we went to the park where I had my picture taken with a bunch of kids who'd been picking up trash for the past week. Then I had lunch with Goro at this really nice restaurant and had some more pictures taken…" Yuan explained every detail of his day so far.
"I think I get the picture," Nerrivik interrupted, chuckling at her own pun.
"Well anyways I'm at this party thing right now, where I'm meeting even more famous people," Yuan quickly summarized. "I just wanted to call and let you know I'd be out late. How's Kunchen doing? Tell him I'm sorry for not getting to do our meditation thing this morning."
"Oh he's fine," the waterbender reassured. "He went straight to the library after you left and came back with like 50 books about the Avatar. He says that - Yes I'm telling him right now. No I'm the one using the phone right now you can wait your turn - Sorry about that, anyways he hasn't found anything quite yet, but he's got a few books about Korra's life that you might want to check out."
"Sounds awesome. What did Kunchen want to say?" Yuan asked, laughing a little.
"Just what I said. He went back to go pout into his books though. We might go to bed before you're back, but we'll leave a light on for you."
"Thanks, I'll see you guys later," Yuan said. He hung up after Nerrivik said her goodbyes, and quickly slipped his way back into the party. It was a small function, only around 40 or so people in total. Goro had explained that it was mostly politicians, with a few business people and academics to round things out. The only two people that Yuan could recognize were Goro and Sang, so it made little difference to him either way.
As if on cue, the President broke away from the crowd and walked his way over to Yuan. "Ah good to see you Avatar Yuan. I hope this all hasn't been too overwhelming to you, but you've done a lot to reassure the public in the past two days."
"Oh it's no problem," Yuan replied with a small chuckle. "The food alone has been worth it."
The president laughed a little at this. "I'm glad you like it, I think I actually spend more on my cooking staff then my security detail."
"Well I don't want to cast any stones, but after the past few days…"
The two shared another laugh at this. "Don't worry it's already being addressed. Anyways one thing I didn't get to mention over lunch was that I have a box seat at the Pro-Bending Arena. I would love if you could join me during the upcoming tournament."
Yuan's eyes lit up at this. "I would be honored! I've always wanted to see an actual match in person! My friends would be-" he stopped himself halfway through the thought. His mind suddenly slipped back to Phen wasting away in his cell. "Say did you make any progress on my friends that were imprisoned."
"Now that you mention it, yes actually. One of the men accused, Teng, is currently staying with Commander Ryu, serving as a liason of sorts and advising on local matters," Goro quickly rattled off the information.
"What about my other friend, Phen?" Yuan asked a little nervously.
The President bit his lip a little at this, "We were told about him, but we haven't been able to find his arrest papers as of yet. We're still looking into it though, and you will be the first person to know if we find anything."
"Thank you for your reassurances," Yuan gave a small bow to the President before the two went their separate ways. The Avatar walked through the crowd a bit more grabbing at various appetizers and drinks being served from trays. Eventually he stumbled upon Sang, whom was hanging back in a corner of the room.
"Hey there Sang, how's it going, I haven't seen you since… well…" Yuan began to greet her.
"Vice President Huifeng, Yuan. I'm still a public official, despite how President Goro might treat me," her reply was cold and snide.
"Oh sorry," the smile immediately fled Yuan's face. "Still how are you, it looks like the Scorpion didn't do anything too drastic to you?"
Huifeng's expression softened slightly at the concern, "I'm fine. My wrists are still a little sore, but that's about it. How are you? That was quite a beating you took."
"Yeah it was pretty rough. President Goro had some medics take care of me though, so I got patched up really good," Yuan's grin faded and his tone became more serious to match Sang's.
"That's good to hear. And I see he's placed you on quite the publicity tour so far."
"Yeah it's been something. He's been really accommodating so far. I can see why he's so popular," Yuan scanned the room and spotted the President talking to some other guests.
"He can really appear that way can't he," Sang's words snapped the Avatar's head back. "You can't let him trick you like this. You're just as much a pawn to him as anyone else."
"I'm not sure about that. He's been more than kind to me. He even granted me a pardon. I honestly don't think he knows about Air Temple Island," Yuan's strained his voice to remain neutral, but a hint of defensiveness crept in.
VP Huifeng snorted slightly at this, "You think Goro's the oblivious one? Look at yourself Yuan, what has he been having you do for the past two days?"
"Well I had that press conference, I met a bunch of local celebrities, he even invited me to the Republic City Invitational in a few…"
"Exactly," Sang interrupted him. "He's been shifting you around and having you smile and wave to the public. Tell me, what did you talk about at the press conference? And what kinds of celebrities did you meet?"
"Well we talked about Pro-Bending, movers, and other stuff like that. The people I met today were mostly mover stars, but I think one of them was a singer," he scratched his head trying to think of everything.
"So not a word about the Earth States, Terrorism, any politics in general?" she asked already knowing the answer.
"Well...no," Yuan admitted, slowly realizing how menial everything he'd been doing so far had been.
"He's using you, Yuan. The public doesn't see you as someone that can talk about complex foreign policy, they see you as the affable young hero that saved the President and loves Pro-Bending. He's completely neutralized any opinions you might have, and all the while has been raking in the public's good will. It even looks like he's made an ally out of you," Sang carefully explained what was happening, as if she were talking to a 5 year old.
Yuan stood silently lost in thought for a moment. "Why would he do this though? All I've done is save him and Sang so far, why doesn't he think I can be trusted? Wait he saw my record before he even met with me, meaning…"
"He doesn't want the Avatar, who he knows disagrees with him, speaking out against what's happening in the Earth States," he concluded aloud.
"Bingo," Sang congratulated him. "He looked up all the information he could on you, and decided he didn't want to deal with another political enemy. Judging from the Pro-Bending invite, he may have even been trying to make an ally out of you."
"So what now? Phen's still locked up. Do I go to the press or something?" Yuan desperately began asking questions.
"No!" she answered forcefully. "That's the last thing we need. People have been called nutjobs for even suggesting the idea of secret prisons. No one's going to take the opinion of a 16 year old kid that hangs out with mover stars all day seriously, even if you are the Avatar. What we need to do now is formulate an attack plan and leverage your position as best we can. Sometime soon you need to schedule a meeting with the Quorom. We can talk there and put together a course of action."
"And until then?" Yuan continued expectantly.
"Just play along with Goro. Don't do anything drastic, we can all act when we're ready." she answered, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder before moving back into the crowd. Yuan turned and stared into the crowd looking for Goro. Eventually he saw him talking and laughing along with some other party guests over drinks. He still had his trademark smile, but slightly more sinister than it seemed a moment ago.
"We've got no other option."
"You've got one other option which is not to do it. This also so happens to be the right choice."
Ryu sighed and leaned back in his chair. They'd been having this conversation for the past several hours and had made no progress. Teng and himself had been sitting alone in his tent going over a course of action. One of the United Republic's scout teams had been ambushed by Rising Earth militants, and suffered major casualties. From reports it was clear that the militants had fled to a nearby village to lie low. United Republic Forces quickly moved into the area, and were currently waiting for orders. Ryu's initial instinct was for a full sweep of the village to quickly clear out the insurgents, but Teng resisted.
"I brought you on as an advisor, not a tactician. I understand your concern, but I can't risk these people escaping. There's no telling what damage they could do," Ryu said. He had felt confident in his choice to keep Teng around as a local advisor and up until now it had been paying off. The man wasn't a radical, despite who he associated with, and had actually helped guide The Peacekeepers through several difficult situations. It kept Teng out of prison and helped both United Republic Forces and earth citizens alike, making it a winning situation all around. Until tonight, however.
"There's not even a guarantee that it will work. If the civilians are already shielding them, then they'll probably find a way to hide them from your sweep. We all know how cornering them turns out," Ryu shot a quick look across the table, but Teng continued unperturbed. "All this act will do is foster ill will towards your forces and make new Rising Earth recruits. It's a breach of trust to everyone in the village."
"They're already harboring a pack of murderers, I think there's little trust to be lost," Ryu pointed out.
"Then there's no reason to exacerbate the situation. You go through with this and all you're going to get is bloodshed and mistrust sewn through the area," Teng's voice kept its' dignity, but dipped into a more desperate tone.
Ryu chewed on all the information for a little bit before speaking, "Ok, how about a compromise. We don't go through with the sweep, but we do establish a perimeter around the village and offer a hefty reward for anyone willing to turn them over. The village is poor, right? We just have to make them a deal they can't pass up."
Teng scratched his chin and mulled over the plan. "This could work. So long as nobody's privacy is invaded we should be able to retain good relations in the area."
This time Ryu sighed with relief. "Excellent. This does increase the chances that they escape, however, and if they do it's all on you Teng. Until then you're dismissed."
Teng quickly bowed and made his way out of the tent. Ryu radioed his orders to his field officers before taking a seat back at the table. Kicking his feet up, he became lost in thought. Doubts about the plan swirled in his head, with each possible scenario playing out in excruciating detail. All these thoughts eventually lead back to one central question however. How dangerous were the insurgents, after they so easily decimated his scout team?
Coming Soon: Chapter 12 - City Daze
Thank you to everyone who was so patient in waiting for this chapter. This is the start of the second half of the book, and now that finals are over, I hope to really up my writing pace for you guys. As always if you have any feedback or suggestions feel free to leave them, anything helps.