Hey guys! Yes, I know it's been a week and a half since the last update and I'm sorry about that; however, I wanted to try and get back to my Sunday update schedule, so I waited a bit longer. Besides, I wound up making this chapter twice as long as normal, so hey, it works out right? Right.
But for once I'm going to cut the beginning Author's Note early, but there'll be more to discuss by the end of the chapter. So enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except this pair of sneakers that were dropped on my head while I was walking under a bridge. Off to Camp Green Lake!
. . .
Sokka and Toph were standing around the lobby, chatting with Mrs. Fink and Tiguh, as they waited for the others to show up for the tenant meeting. Ever since the Dragon attack two days ago, Fuin had been antsy to get everyone together and talk it out—which Sokka took to mean to reassure them that the Dragon couldn't get to them in their homes and kill them while they were sleeping—at least, not until rent has been taken; Sokka may like the man, but that didn't mean he had any illusions as to what his number one priority was.
Yet, despite the landlord's best efforts, at least one of the tenants was considering moving out. Gin had had his stuff packed and ready to go an hour after the attack, but Tiguh had managed to talk him into waiting a few more days, at least to give Mr. Fuin a chance to explain what was being done about the Dragon threat. Granted, there wasn't much of a plan besides already hiring the greatest detectives he knew (clearly he didn't know a lot of people), but the other tenants didn't have to know that. Instead, Sokka had convinced him that another strategy was in order.
As he had explained, there were only two things that seemed to draw the Dragon out of hiding: his hatred of the Fire Nation and protecting Hina; there had to be some kind of way to combine the two. Sokka had managed to cobble together an idea, but he sort of thought that it sucked, but there wasn't much he could do: they needed to deal with the Dragon and quickly, so he decided to take a lesson from Zuko's book and start playing it by ear. It worked well last time, didn't it? Winging it led to him rescuing his dad and Suki from the Boiling Rock—why shouldn't it catch a Dragon too?
Yeah, there's that optimistic spirit that pisses Toph off so, he thought. He was actually tempted to say as much to her, but she just punched him in the arm before he could say anything. How the hell did she . . . oh. There they were—just the people he wanted to see.
Kahn and Ti were just walking in with Hina—she was laughing at something Kahn had said, though Sokka couldn't imagine what it was; from his brief exposure to the man during the last meeting, it had seemed he had had the wit of a rock . . . or Suki, he mentally conceded—he may love the girl to death, but she couldn't come up with a comeback to save her life. Lord of the guys who don't win? Please. Next time he saw her, he would have to try and give her more pointers about nicknames . . . and he was distracted again. He shook his head to clear it and renewed his meaningful glare in their direction.
It all seemed to fit. The Water Tribe warrior could remember the last tenant meeting—the second Gin had insulted Hina, Kahn had reacted to it—he had tried to defend her and assure her that all men weren't like Gin. Sokka knew what friendship looked like and that Kahn seemed to take any offense to Hina a bit too personally to just be her friend . . . well, maybe she thought they were just close friends, but there was clearly something there—at least, a bond so close that he could misinterpret it; for all he knew, they could've just been screwing with him.
Confusing misreadings of relationships aside, Kahn was at least overprotective of Hina and if he had caught wind of that they had been beginning to stalk her, he definitely would have something to say about it and he didn't seem to have a level head—which would mean that it wouldn't be out of character for Kahn to do something drastic on the spur of the moment, like, say, destroying someone else's apartment and crashing their party.
Most damning of all, though, was the fact that his brother was a waterbender.
While Kahn seemed paler than the average Water Tribesman, Ti's tanner skin and waterbending pretty much cinched Kahn's potential waterbending ability as far as Sokka was concerned. It all fit; granted, the mask Kahn had left behind was actually rather sophisticated as far as craftsmanship went—Sokka, after he had recovered enough to satisfy Toph, had been amazed that it even had contained some of those electric lights that were going around. It appeared to run on something that could store energy for brief periods of time—if Sokka had to guess, he figured that the item could be charged with using water to crank a handle? Paddle? If only he had had more time with it, but they needed to get this over with before someone else got hurt.
Granted, he didn't seem like he would be all that connected to Bu, who Toph swore was the earthbender they were looking for—he wasn't even at the tenant meeting because he didn't live there. Still, he trusted Toph's judgment enough to follow her lead, even if it was stupid . . .
His train of thought was interrupted by Toph slamming her elbow into his side. He tried to keep his wheezing quiet, but it was a close thing. With his recently-healed ribs aching, he began to focus on what Fuin was saying.
". . . and let that be a lesson to the rest of you: if you have to pee and you've lost your key, go to the window at the end of the hall and send your business out onto the street, because that's what it is: your business. Not mine, and thus it's not mine to clean up. Thank you Gin for your inspiring story; clearly we can all learn a thing or two." He gave an approving nod to the light haired man standing only a few feet away from his desk.
"I know you're just sucking up to me because I threatened to leave, you bastard." Gin replied. "Besides, I got arrested for that."
"Moving on," Fuin said as he ignored Gin. "It has come to my attention that the Dragon has struck again and this time claimed more than Mrs. Fink's ankle . . ."
"It was my whole leg," she moaned from her place next to Toph. She waved her cane to add to the effect, only to stumble a little.
"Right, the Dragon claimed more than Mrs. Fink's ankle . . ." He ignored her protest. "Anyway, it is to my understanding that he attacked Omai and Sou's party and did quite a bit of damage; however, before anyone was hurt, Sou used his head and got everyone to safety and confronted the Dragon himself! He clearly got wounded—I mean, if the bandages didn't give it away—but he managed to force the Dragon away." There some applause and Sokka had the decency not to look to smug with himself while Toph was more than willing to keep his ego in check; she stomped on his foot. Why does she keep doing that? "Unfortunately, that means the Dragon's attacks have begun to escalate and I have no choice . . . we are going to have to involve the police."
Sokka and Toph gapped—this was certainly not part of the plan; what the hell was Mr. Fuin thinking? Fortunately, it seems that they weren't the only ones surprised, for Fuin quickly raised his hands to pacify the crowd. "I know most of you have been reluctant for police involvement thus far, but with this escalation, I cannot allow anyone else to be put at risk. If you still feel the need to move out, I request that you at least wait until after the police have done their initial questioning."
"When do you think they'll get here?"
Fuin shrugged, "I'm not sure, honestly; they don't seem to be that organized—or they're just busy with other cases. Right now, my best guess is that they'll be here tomorrow afternoon. Make of that what you will." Everyone else nodded reluctantly while Sokka and Toph glanced at each other.
"He's not lying." She whispered. Damn. They would have to do the plan sooner than expected.
"Anyway, sit tight in your rooms for the rest of the day—try not to leave the building for another day or two, until the police arrive. If you have any questions, please let me know now." As Mrs. Fink approached the landlord to ask him about foodstuffs and whatever else, Sokka looked around and made eye contact with Hina, who nodded. He then looked around for Ao, one of the Fire Nation colonials that lived on their floor. It didn't take long—all he had to do was look for a bunch of people he didn't recognize.
Indeed, there they were in the corner of the room, away from everyone else. The brothers seemed to be of equal height—only slightly shorter than Sokka. They all had slightly paler skin, but it wasn't nearly as noticeable as Zuko's; if Sokka wasn't looking for Fire Nation characteristics, he wouldn't have noticed them. Ao met his gaze and nodded, his goggles obscuring much of his face—the uniforms for the power plant employees creeped Sokka out, if he were honest; they reminded him too much of the Fire Nation engineers. Still, at least it seemed the eldest Fire Nation colonial and he were on the same page—it must have been their mutual big brotherness (it was totally a real thing, no matter what Toph said).
By now, most of the others had gone; Sokka gently squeezed Toph's shoulder and she reluctantly nodded. As to not cast suspicion, she was going to head back to the room and chat with Tiguh and Mrs. Fink—at least it would distract them while he got Fuin, Ao, and Hina caught up with the plan. "Mrs. Fink? I was wondering if you'd help me make some tea—I never got the knack for it after my mother ran off with some circus guy when I was young . . ." That's my Toph. Gossip eel-hound Fink wouldn't be able to resist potential childhood trauma like that.
Sure enough, her leg must have miraculously healed, if the speed of her waddle was any indication—by the time Sokka blinked, she and Toph were down the hall and almost out of earshot. He waited a few seconds and then approached Fuin's desk, where Ao—who had removed his goggles to reveal golden eyes—and Hina were already chatting.
"What the hell is this about the police?" He demanded.
Fuin just crossed his arms and tried not to look intimidated. "It's as I said: the Dragon has hurt my tenants—if this idea of yours doesn't draw him out, I'm getting the police involved and letting the dice fall where they may." His gaze softened. "I'm sorry I got you involved; I didn't think you'd be so injured in the process."
"Forget my injuries!" Sokka smacked the desk and gestured to Hina. "She healed me up! I'm good as new!" He winced a little at the soreness of his chest, but shrugged it off. Then he actually began to think about what involving the police could do to the plan and began to smile. "Anyway, fine; we'll do this tonight—you did good by involving the police, Mr. Fuin."
Fuin looked confused. "How so? Just two seconds ago, you slammed your hands on my desk at the idea."
"Now we're not the only ones with a deadline . . . don't worry about that. All I can say is that the Dragon will strike tonight; probably by going after your records, so you may want to swap those out with fakes as soon as we're done here."
The landlord's eyes widened, but he reluctantly nodded. "Fine, I shall do that later. Now, tell us what you have figured out in that stupid investigation of yours."
"Investigation?" Sokka glanced at Hina out of the corner of his eye and sighed.
"Okay, you may as well know: Omai and I are not actually fiancé lovers or whatever; we're detectives that Mr. Fuin hired to try and look into this Dragon thing."
Hina gapped, but quickly regained her composure. "You lied to us?"
Sokka winced, "'lied' is such an ugly word, but yeah, I guess you could say that. We were going to tell you, of course!" He hastily added. "But we were just waiting for the right time, preferably after we caught this guy since we're sure he lives in the building . . ."
"Enough with the hints; just tell us already so we can get this guy dealt with." Ao scowled. "I have the early shift tomorrow, so if we could get a move on . . ."
The Water Tribe warrior all but visibly sighed; no one had respect for the dramatic buildup anymore. "I know you may not like to hear this, but we've figured out who the two people behind the Dragon are, but we're still not sure what they're after . . ." He then told them about Kahn and Bu, about how they were causing the smoke and got to make the mask. Fuin looked dismayed while Ao just raised an eyebrow. Hina, on the other hand, had a more complicated look on her face: she seemed shocked, but at the same time, she seemed almost . . . happy?
Ao noticed this and his golden eyes narrowed. "What do you seem so pleased about? You just found out that your best friend is out hurting people."
She shook her head, "I know, I know—it's just that . . ."
"You've been secretly in love with him forever but just couldn't get him to see you in a romantic light but now you just found out that he loves you back? Yeah, heard it before." Sokka sighed. "And that's great for you—maybe it'll go somewhere when you visit him in prison." Hina crossed her arms, but didn't disagree. Sokka felt bad for her—he couldn't imagine how he'd take it if it was Suki who was guilty of something—but he needed her help to catch him and she knew it. She reluctantly nodded and he moved on.
"Okay guys, here's what the basic plan is going to be: Kahn seems to hate two things, them being the Fire Nation—no offense, Owie . . ."
"It's just 'Ao,' thank you very much."
It has come to my attention that Toph may not be best influence on my memory, Sokka thought, but he pretended he didn't hear the firebender while he promised himself to have a talk with Toph about her nicknames for people. "I meant 'Ao,' of course; I was testing to see if you were listening is all." Nice cover; that'll fool him for sure. "ANYWAY; as we were saying, Kahn hates the Fire Nation and seeing Hina being involved with/stalked by other guys, so we need to get him to sleep up. Once we nail him, he should lead us to Bu, if only because we have boobs on our side."
"And how do you propose to do that again?" Fuin asked, twirling his mustache in thought.
"Funny you should use the word 'propose' . . ." Sokka smiled, thinking back to his mishap with Toph. "I'm going to leak it to Kahn that Owchie—Ao—will be proposing to Hina tonight; that they were secretly dating and she had kept it a secret from him because she didn't want things to get complicated."
Ao and Hina looked dismayed, "That's insane and wrong!" Hina protested while Ao nodded.
"Your boyfriend broke both of my ankles and screwed over my ribs—I'm sorry, but at this point, he's fair game as far as deception goes; he has this coming." Sokka scowled. "Anyway, while we do that—probably on the roof or some other romantic place in the building—Omai will be on the lookout for Bu." He glanced at Fuin, who nodded—he understood that she'd be waiting in the secret room for Bu to show up and let Kahn down to get the gear. The second the earthbender showed up though . . . Sokka shuddered; spirits have mercy on his soul. "Is everyone okay with the plan?"
Ao and Hina glanced at each other. "But I don't even know her that well." Ao said.
Sokka could have ripped his own stubble off his face in frustration. "You two aren't actually getting engaged or anything—we just need you to act like it until Kahn comes, at least for ten minutes or so."
Reluctantly, the new couple nodded, even if they were still grimacing. "Can I wear my work goggles?" Ao asked.
"Fine, if you think it adds to the romantic atmosphere, go for it; I really don't give a damn." Sokka nodded. "Okay then, you two will head up to the roof at sunset, and with any luck, Kahn should be out there a few minutes after that. So that gives us roughly three hours to prepare and let Kahn stew for a while. Let's roll."
. . .
Sokka tried to act innocent as he made his way over to Kahn's room. With a slight pause outside the wooden door, he glanced over his shoulder, half expecting the Dragon to leap out at him from the darkness of the hallway. When nothing leapt out him, he sighed, and then straightened up. Be confident; all he did was try to kill you—no biggie. After all, you talked to Zuko and he chased you around the world; how hard could this be? He knocked on the door. Fortunately, he didn't have long to wait.
"What's up?" Kahn asked as he opened the door a crack.
"Hey Kahn, is Hina around?"
The pale man's eyes narrowed. "No, she isn't. Why are you asking? She owe you money or something?"
Is that a common problem with everyone around here? "No, no, nothing like that! It's just I was talking with Ao earlier and he mentioned that he was hoping to ask her to marry him tonight and I was thinking we could organize a party or something . . . something wrong?" Sokka paused and pretended not to feel slightly guilty for the horrified look on Kahn's face—the man did break his ribs, after all.
"WHAT?" Kahn yelled.
Sokka shushed him and quickly looked around. "What are you thinking? She could've heard that from halfway across the city, dumbass!" He took a quick look at Kahn's face and tried to look sympathetic. "You didn't know they were dating."
"N-no I didn't. . .," Kahn trailed off. His fists were clenched and he seemed to be trembling. He was silent for a few seconds, as if he were thinking about something; Sokka didn't say anything. Finally, Kahn seemed to come to a decision. "Do you know where it's going to be?"
The Water Tribe warrior blinked and tried to look surprised—he hoped he was convincing, "Er, I think he said something about going to the roof at sunset—isn't that the most romantic spot in the building? Makes sense, if you think about it. Nice view, a ways from everyone else but it's still a convenient location . . . did I mention a nice view? Actually, it doesn't seem that original at all, now that I stop and think about it. Take the woman on a date first, the cheap bastard. Am I right?"
"Yeah, you're right." With that, Kahn slammed the door on Sokka's face. The Water Tribe warrior smiled slightly and, with a slight spring in his step, he turned and walked towards the stairs—things were actually going to according to plan for once.
. . .
Why was nothing going to plan for once? Sokka slammed his forehead into the wall he was hiding against. Rubbing his now-sore forehead, he glanced around the dim roof. It was pretty spacious, that much was true: there was a water tower positioned right in the center of the roof (That could be trouble, Sokka thought), and surrounding the surprisingly large area was a small, stone barrier—though in Sokka's opinion, it would more than likely trip a person over the edge than it would stop them, but hey, maybe if they were shuffling, it would do something. Outside of the water tower, there was a small, doorway-sized box that contained the stairs to go down to the third floor; frankly, with the way the wind was howling, Sokka didn't even want to think about the third floor—it was far too tempting. Granted, he was used to the cold, but wind chill would always be a bitch to put up with, and if it bothered him, he could only imagine how Ao and Hina were feeling. "You're doing great! Just keep that pose!" He called over to the "couple," who mutually flipped him off.
Ao was on his knees and was holding a ring while Hina tried to stay in a surprised-but-pleased position, though Sokka could barely make out her facial expression in the fading light—he hoped that the electric lantern hanging off the side of the door would kick in soon.
He sighed and returned to kneeling down at the side of the box, his bone knife stuck into the wall. He rested his ear right next to it and closed his eyes. As he had explained to Jet that long time ago, he tried to focus on the vibrations that the third floor gave off. Thus far, he hadn't gotten much, but there seemed to be an abnormal amount of "noise" coming from Mrs. Fink's room—what exactly that could've been, Sokka didn't bother thinking about; he didn't need to repress anymore memories than he had already, especially after that one time he had walked in on Aang and—he shuddered. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, he coached himself. Though he was sure that Toph would've been able to figure out these vibrations right away, he decided it was better for them to split up again. Granted, she hadn't been thrilled with the idea, but he had managed to make her see sense—that, and she was going to get to beat someone up, which always seemed to bring a smile to her face.
Sokka had to admit though, that he really did appreciate her concern. It was funny; when they had first met the blind earthbender, she acted like she didn't care if he lived or died—at least, for the first week or two. Fortunately, his natural charisma and good looks (er, not that Toph would appreciate those, he quickly thought) paid off and they had become at least some kind of friends. It certainly hadn't hurt that Aang and Katara were always drawn together, so frankly, Sokka and Toph were just happy not to be forced into the third wheel position from that point on. Still, to think they had become close enough that she could get that worked up about his safety . . . it was nice.
Before his thoughts could drift too far off on that topic though, he noticed something: someone was walking up the stairs with a slow, deliberate pace. This is it. He gestured to Ao and Hina, who nodded. Ao took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Oh Hina, my beloved, I know we have only been dating two years . . ." Sokka mentally face palmed himself. "Two years?" I told him: the script said six months! Amateurs. ". . .but you have made me happier than I've been in a long time."
"You too . . . dearie." Emote! Emote! Sokka mentally yelled. I've heard rocks with more emotional range! That was it; after this little adventure, these people were getting acting lessons. Still, forced delivery or no, it seemed to do the trick.
"Then, Hina, would you—"
The steel door slammed open; had Sokka not been expecting it, he would've fallen on his butt. Still, he quickly sheathed the knife and quietly drew his sword, ready to pounce out from his hiding place, only to stumble when he heard Hina say "Kahn?" What the hell? Why isn't he in costume?
The Water Tribe warrior peaked out from behind the corner and indeed, there was Kahn, just standing there with a determined stance, wearing his street clothes—no fancy mask.
"Yes, Hina, it's me, and I'm sorry to interrupt this moment between you and your . . . boyfriend . . ." The amount of disgust Kahn managed to get into that one word was impressive. Had Sokka not been pissed that Kahn wasn't playing along like a good villain, he would've clapped. "But before you say yes to him, I just need to say something. As your best friend, I think I have that right." Scratch that—had Sokka not known better, he would've gagged.
"What are you doing here?" Ao asked overdramatically, determined to stick to his guns.
"I'm here to try and stop the woman I love from making the mistake of her life!" Kahn snapped. "Besides, if you're about to ask someone to marry you, you should at least take off your damn goggles first. Moron." Yep, there went Sokka's stomach—it wasn't just comebacks Kahn sucked at; he wasn't too handy with the art of the dramatic speech either. On the bright side, at least Hina looked happy. "Sou told me the whole thing, and I knew that I just couldn't allow this to happen."
"Oh Kahn . . .," Hina approached him and cupped his cheek. "You fool . . . how could you be so stupid?"
Clearly, that wasn't the reaction Kahn had been expecting. "What?"
"I mean, I've been waiting for you to say something for six months now . . ."
"R-really?" If Sokka wasn't too busy keeping his lunch down, he would've been touched by the hope in Kahn's voice.
Hina reluctantly lowered her hand and turned her gaze towards the street. "But you didn't have to start hurting people."
"What are you talking about?" Kahn asked as he tried to put a hand on her shoulder. She angrily shook him off.
"What the hell do you think I'm talking about?" She snapped as she whirled around to face him. "I'm talking about this Dragon business! We've figured it out that it was you in the mask. Why are you hurting people? Do you have any idea how badly you hurt Sou? Had I not been here . . ."
Sokka crept around enough to be able to get a decent look at Kahn's face and swore under his breath. The sheer look of shock and hurt that crossed his pale features confirmed it—Sokka didn't need Toph to tell him that Kahn had been caught off guard and was confused by what Hina accused him of.
"What are you talking about? I'm not the Dragon thing! How could you think it was me! You know me better than that."
"Apparently I don't. Think about it: you're always coming to my defense, and acting stupid about it! At the party, the Dragon charged in, demanding people to leave me alone—what the hell am I supposed to think?"
"Look, I understand how that may look, but how could I have destroyed those walls? I'm not an earthbender!" A fair question, Sokka conceded. However, he felt that this had gone on long enough—chances are, Bu would be out destroying Fuin's records of his tenants, and Sokka didn't want to force Toph to do everything. He stepped out of the shadows and slowly approached Kahn, sword in hand.
"Look Kahn, we know about your partner—he's the earthbender who helps you make your surprise appearances while you bend the water from the pipes to help with the smokescreen. A neat trick, but it's not going to you much good up here." Please, please don't notice the water tower thing. Granted, the Universe had never listened to his requests before, why should it start now?
Yet, his luck surprisingly held, but not in the way he hoped. From the conflicted look on his face, Kahn was clearly hiding something, but he was weighing his options. Finally, he glanced at Hina and sighed. "Okay, I can understand how'd that would look suspicious—I mean, Ti's a waterbender and all, but the truth is I am a bender . . . just not a waterbender."
"What?" Sokka demanded. "Dude, that doesn't make any sense! Your brother's a waterbender and when you attacked me, you bent water. Ergo, you're a waterbender." Kahn just shook his head and held out his palm. Sokka instinctively raised his sword and shifted into his starting stance, sword held poised at eye level.
With a quick flick of his wrist, a flame appeared in Kahn's palm. Hina looked shocked; Sokka couldn't see Ao's facial expression, but he thought he heard a slight gasp. Aw shit. ". . . are there any odds that you're faking right now?" Kahn glared at him. "Fair enough." Sokka took a deep breath and calmly walked over to the doorway and kicked it. "Fuck!" He yelped while he rubbed his now-injured foot. He took another few breaths, then he turned back to Kahn.
"Okay then, so you aren't the guy we're looking for—but you're brother's a waterbender, right? Could he . . . ?"
"Be guilty? That's very clever of you, dumbass." Came a voice from the doorway. Sokka almost dropped his sword in surprise, but he managed to make it look like a stumble. His pride intact, he whirled around and saw Ti standing in the doorway, arms crossed and looking a combination between smug and pissed. "Now step back from my brother—all of you!"
"Ti?" Kahn looked shocked—Sokka felt bad; after being afraid of losing the girl of his dreams, then getting the girl of his dreams, and then finding out that his brother was hurting people, it wouldn't be a surprise if he just shut down for a while. "What are you talking about? It's just Hina . . . oh! And guess what? She just told me she loved me! Well, not in those words, but you get what I mean! And you said it would never happen."
"It won't happen." Ti said and a chill was sent down Sokka's spine. He shifted into a battle ready stance and narrowed his eyes. "Don't you get it? You can't trust these people, Kahn—I'm only trying to protect you."
"How are you protecting me, exactly?" Kahn asked quietly. "It looks more like threatening my friends and my . . . girlfriend?" Hina nodded and Kahn smiled.
Ti shook his head with frustration, "Kahn, why do you have to be so trusting? I've told you a thousand times: you can't trust these benders." He took a firm step forward out onto the roof.
"But Ti, we're benders." Kahn said as he stepped between Ti and Hina.
"Exactly! And do you have any idea what I can do?" Ti yelled. Fortunately, the wind had come to a stop, but Sokka didn't have the focus to spare to appreciate the warmth. "If that moon was full, I could bend your blood. I could freeze you in your tracks—hell, I could freeze your blood and make you explode with a few swipes of my hands! Do you even appreciate just how deadly bending can be?" Ti snapped.
"I do, but I know that you won't." Kahn said quietly as he looked his brother in the eye. "Just like I know that Hina won't. I trust you."
"It's not just me!" Ti exclaimed, desperate. "It's everyone that can bend! Do you think they're all good people? That won't cross a line when they think they need to? Or hell, for the fun of it?" Sokka shivered again, this time, he thought of Hama. "Humans are not meant for this kind of power and I will not let you get hurt by it." Well, at least we have motive now.
Kahn was silent for a few seconds. "That's too bad, Ti, because I'm not going to just let you hurt Hina, just because you have trust issues." He bent his knees and shifted to a battle-ready stance, his left wrist extended palm up towards Ti. Sokka gingerly tiptoed behind the waterbender and kept his stance.
"Kahn, I don't want to hurt you." Sokka glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that Ao had taken a similar stance to Kahn's, while Hina had unknowingly gone with one of Katara's stances.
"Then don't; drop this nonsense and we can talk to the police . . . ."
Ti tensed. "No, I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Then I'll just have to beat you up and then we're going to the police together." The two brothers exchanged glances and it was then that everyone knew: the time for talking was over.
A second later, the fight began.
. . .
Toph tensed. She could distantly sense the scuffling going on up on the roof; the vibrations were faint, but it still seemed like negotiations had broken down. Then again, this is Snoozles we're talking about; since when couldn't he get himself out of trouble? She quickly remembered just how many times she had had to save him over the course of the past few years, and quickly did not feel any better. She swallowed and clenched her fists. He can take care of himself, he can take care of himself.
It still didn't help.
She shook her head and instead focused on the vibrations of the first floor. At the moment, she was hiding underneath the floor of Bu's old room. Since he had lived across the hall from Fuin, she figured that it'd be last place he would look. Besides, even if he was going to the wooden room under Ed's room, there was no way in hell he'd be able to get there without triggering a vibration and then she'd nab him. Though she wasn't sure which he'd go for first: would he get into costume first or would he just go after the records?
She "stared" into the darkness and scowled; she had always hated these waiting games and worse yet, she didn't have Sokka around to relieve her boredom. Though she supposed she'd rather feel bored versus worried about how Sokka was doing. The earthbender still hadn't forgiven him for almost getting himself killed like the stubborn idiot he was. She fingered her necklace and scowled—as long as she was around, no one was going to hurt him again.
Suddenly, she began to sense something: footsteps. There shouldn't be anyone here—Fuin evacuated the building. Sokka had managed to convince Fuin that tonight would be a good night to treat the tenants to a meal. She smirked. There's the bastard. The closer he got, the more she began to recognize his heartbeat. Satisfied, she did not leap into action right away. Instead, she waited a bit. Bu was standing in the lobby, probably looking for Fuin's filing cabinet thing. Unfortunately for him, Sokka had planned for that—he had had Fuin replace all the records with fakes. She inched towards the lobby as subtly as she could. When she was only a few inches beneath the stone floor and she could hear Bu begin to swear, she made her move. With a quick twist of her wrist and motion of her foot, she managed to force open the floor beneath where he was standing.
"What the hell?" A deep voice yelped and she smirked. Got him.
Instead of just popping up in the lobby, she quickly dug her way to the hallway and quietly let herself onto the cool stone floor. After closing the hole, she took her time walking to the lobby. Sure enough, her senses were accurate: Bu was still struggling to free himself from his earth prison in the floor. Try all you like, bastard; Sokka couldn't even get out of crevice like that. "Oh hey, Bu, didn't see you there . . .," she chuckle quietly at her own joke; not that Bu would get it, but what did she care about his sense of humor? "Having a rough night?"
She felt him stop struggling and he was likely just gapping in her direction—yeah, she was that awesome. However, she tensed: his heartbeat hadn't gone up at all. The bastard wasn't even nervous. He wasn't speaking, apparently not one for banter; he was definitely acting different than he had at the party. At least he can't—ah, fuck. With a quick twist of his body, Bu forced himself out of the hole. Of course he's stronger than Sokka; what the hell was I thinking? She didn't give herself time to regret it much. Instead, she shifted to an offensive stance and leaned to and fro to dodge the incoming projectiles.
Sokka . . . your plans suck.
. . .
And that's it: the villains are out in the open and the action may finally be starting. *Gasp* How shocking! Well, it wouldn't be if some of you picked up on author's notes. See, until chapter 7 or so, I used to have a list of who the tenants were and such, and initially I decided to include clues as to who the bad guys actually were but I threw in a detail or two that made it seem inaccurate—but no one got it or at least mentioned it, so I took those away. Hopefully this was still something of a surprise for those of you who noticed! If not, then how about that dialogue, huh? *sweat, sweat*.
Anyway, with the revelation of the villains, we have the honorary oneshot award to give out: throughout the story arc, I've asked readers to guess who the bad guys were and whoever got it right would win a Legend of Korra or Avatar oneshot from me. In this case though, we only had two participants, and therefore, I'm going to go the generous route and declare them both winners: feliipsun and Jac Bandit, congratulations! You get to request a oneshot (however, it can't be lemon, yaoi, or yuri—you wouldn't even want me to try to write those. Sorry!) So think about what you'd like and either review or message me with the request. Thanks for playing and I hope you enjoyed it.
Next time, there'll be more action! Hopefully, it'll be even more awesome than two chapters ago!
Read and review please!