AN: chapter one, finally lol

On This Side of Oblivion

Chapter One

The Jade Lotus

One Month Earlier…

The Jade Lotus was an eclectic club in the heart of Republic City.

Which if one thought about it, wasn't too strange, given that Republic City itself was an eclectic sort of place. People from all walks of life found themselves drawn to this ritzy, modern city, benders and non-benders alike. You didn't have to look far to see the pull the city had, people from every corner of the world all standing in the same mile radius.

Perhaps what made the Jade Lotus stand out the most was the tongue-in-cheek reference to times long gone, a jazz-era that most patrons in the club hadn't been alive to experience, but reveled in all the same.

Smoking lounges held plush chairs with elegant wooden end tables beside them. The people occupying the chairs were just as elegant, clearly of money and good fortune. Sparkling chandeliers hung above them, providing just the right amount of lighting, pulling in deep shadows and scattering brilliant highlights across the area. The bar not far from the lounging area kept drinks flowing with young, well-practiced bartenders ensuring no one went without.

The live music was a rare but welcome sight, each night ranging from fun, quick-paced jazz to haunting piano ballads. There was never a night where some form of music wasn't being played with equal parts passion and equal parts fun.

The Jade Lotus was a place for most to forget their troubles and maybe even create new ones, all in the name of good memories.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the Jade Lotus lineup was the young Water Tribe girl.

Whenever she was on stage, people couldn't help but stop their conversations, eating, drinking, and dancing. It was like a spell was cast each time she set foot on the stage and the lights changed, signaling her arrival.

The Water Tribe girl danced with a grace that was damn near preternatural. Her lithe body moved across the stage, cloaked in the softest hues of blues and silver, the stage lighting making her look as though she was limned in moonlight.

Katara had never been much for attention. In fact, ever since she was a little girl long ago having borne witness to her mother being cleaved in two by the Southern Raiders, Katara had done everything in her power to remain hidden, unnoticed.

Being noticed got her mother killed.

And it almost got her killed too.

But there was something else to be said about being able to hide in plain sight. When she was here at the Jade Lotus, she felt like she wasn't Katara anymore - she was just a Water Tribe girl who could commune with the rhythm of the music and let her body get swept up, almost like she was a fish riding a current.

Here, on the stage, she could be reborn.

And when the music stopped, the audience cheering for more, Katara would sweep into low curtsy, staring demurely down at the floor beneath her, and let the walls she had built up around her snap back in place.

Because as much as Katara loved letting this part of her soul be bared to the world, it wasn't the primary reason she was the resident dancer of the Jade Lotus. There was a bigger purpose at hand, one designed to ensure that Republic City, while still barely holding onto sovereignty, would not collapse to the rule of Fire Lord Ozai.

The Jade Lotus, in all its eclecticism, had the advantage of pulling in all sorts of higher up officials. And when you mixed endlessly flowing booze, pretty cocktail waitresses, and other engaging activities such as gambling, well…it became pretty easy to glean all sorts of new, exciting information.

Like which Republic City officials the Fire Nation had in their pocket and which ones were next on the list.

It wasn't exactly a secret that the Fire Nation was steadily growing its influence in Republic City and keeping tabs on the ongoings of its denizens.

But there were some things that the Fire Nation didn't know, including the slowly rising rebellion that was making moves quietly below the surface.

And the biggest news yet was that the Avatar had been potentially found.

Katara made it to her private dressing room and began to scrub at the makeup on her face. Normally she would mingle and interact with the crowd, because everyone loved to talk to the entertainers and it was an easy way to gather more intelligence, all under the guise of a charming, curious woman who just wanted to fluff up some egos.

But tonight, she had other business to tend to.

The patrols throughout the city had slowly been ramping up, and most knew that it was really a sign of the shift in power. Fire Lord Ozai seemed to have been quite close with the Republic City Police, and as the Fire Lord's suspicions and paranoia ebbed and flowed, so did the increase in restrictions.

Katara was sure that had the Jade Lotus not been a favorite among Republic City officials and Fire Nation loyalists alike, she would've been arrested many times for being out late after the club closed.

With a practiced speed and perfunctory strokes, Katara powdered her face a ghostly white and applied carefully-placed red strokes in swirling patterns. The final touch was her bright red lips and the yellow crescent moon she added to the center of her forehead.

And just like that, Katara was transformed into the Painted Lady.

She had been a figure in her mother's collection of fairy tales and folklore she shared with her when Katara had been a little girl. And it was now a way for Katara to continue hiding in plain sight, under a different mask and identity. And also a tie to her mother, whose stories felt like the last thing she could grasp of her, besides the blue pendant she wore around her neck.

Tonight, the Painted Lady was going to help get several people awaiting passage outside of Republic City get to the docks undetected. Strict patrols also meant strict security around the comings and goings of Republic City. She had done this before, and while always heart pounding, Katara found some exhilaration in the task. There was something about evading the patrols, both in the city proper and out on the docks that made Katara feel invincible.

Katara donned her long cloak and tugged the hood up to further conceal her face before she exited the back entrance of the club. She secured the concealed knife around her thigh, knowing that even though she relied on her waterbending first and foremost, it was better to draw less attention to her abilities. That, and her older brother Sokka had desperately pleaded with her to have some other form of defense. He had even spent hours teaching her how to use it effectively and how to avoid having her own weapon turned against her.

Pulling in a steady lungful of air, Katara pushed the heavy metal door open and stepped out into the alleyway, letting the overcast night allow for additional cover.

And without a trace of notice, another figure began to slink after her.

There was no one in the world who could've hoped to hate the Jade Lotus more than Zuko hated the Jade Lotus.

There was something about the endless cacophony of sound - the high-pitched laughter and shrieking after a funny joke, the brass music reaching a fever pitch, bartenders yelling out drinks - that set Zuko's teeth on edge. He could already feel his jaw muscles tightening, signaling another headache to come.

If Zuko could've turned tail and left, he would've been out the door sooner than a person could ask, "Is that Zuko?!"

But the embarrassing truth was, he was currently sitting at the lowest rank in his father's inner circle. And everyone knew it. And worse yet was that even though everyone knew it, most people weren't quite sure how to address him. On the one hand, his father, Fire Lord Ozai, had publicly and cruelly deemed him a deficient heir and that his only daughter Azula was more fit to inherit the family name and empire, and then on the other hand…he was still Fire Lord Ozai's son.

And so came the bevy of awkward, polite nods and half-smiles that made Zuko's skin crawl and temper flare.

Since he was already in his father's bad graces, he couldn't exactly throw a fistful of fire at anyone.

And that was how Zuko found himself lounging in one of the plush red velvet chairs, a cigarette already lit and hanging loosely between his index and middle finger. It was a bad habit, one his uncle had chided him on, but Zuko found that if it was either this or burning down the club in a fit of annoyance, he'd have to let his lungs take one for the team.

As he settled into the rhythm of dragging from his cigarette and blowing out smoke, Zuko finally allowed himself to begin studying the patrons of the club. His eyes cut across each section of the club with efficiency borne of having already known most of the people in attendance.

Right now, his main goal was to locate a man by the name of Jet.

A dumb name, Zuko thought, but the one he had to work off of nonetheless.

He had been rising in the ranks when it came to wealth, having started a profitable distillery that most other businesses were clamoring to secure deals with. He was the quintessential new money type of man who managed to scrabble and claw his way to the top while still portraying the image of an everyday man. Zuko noted that he wore muted clothing that wasn't necessarily of poor quality but nothing flashy either, save for the few rings adorning his fingers that were in fact quite flashy. An odd juxtaposition, and honestly? A little fucking tacky.

But Zuko wasn't here to review Jet's lifestyle and aesthetics.

Word had it, from one of the Fire Nation informants planted in the Jade Lotus, that Jet's distillery had been putting on a smoke and mirrors show for the general public. While most people assumed that he was merely exporting batches upon batches of liquor across the globe, Zuko's father had reason to believe it was a front for something else, namely transporting arms and funneling money to Ba Sing Se, where uprisings were rumored to be growing. Ba Sing Se had always been a little more agreeable and persuaded to Fire Lord Ozai, and to suddenly lose his foothold there was an unwelcome thought.

Jet must've felt Zuko's gaze on him, because he suddenly made eye contact with the man across the club. Zuko lifted his glass of gin in mock salute to the self-made man, a wolfish grin slowly spreading across his features. Jet arched a brow in response, but Zuko could see he was slightly perturbed.

Good.

And then suddenly, the loud music ground to a halt and the dim lights from the chandeliers above them were cut, instead replaced by the soft, hazy blue lights aimed at the stage further in the back of the club.

The emcee walked onto the stage as the crowd began to cheer and whistle. He was young and boyish, clearly hamming up to the crowd and pumping them up like any good host.

Hollering into the mic, the emcee announced, "And without further ado…ladies, gentlemen, degenerates! I present to you, the lovely, the alluring, the incomparable…Cerulean Lily!"

And just like that, the crowd fell into a murmured hush, and everyone's eyes appeared to pull to the stage, as though magnetically attracted to whatever was about to be revealed before them.

The heavy crimson curtains pulled back, and a lithe Water Tribe girl stood alone on the stage. She was young, with a heart-shaped face and startlingly large blue eyes. She moved with the grace of a spirit, and her long, wavy brown hair shined like silk. It was evident that she was a favored entertainer, and while everyone else allowed themselves to get lost in her dance, Zuko paid attention to the crowd.

He saw the way Jet talked amongst the other men at his table, hand gripped firmly around his tumbler of alcohol, and he also saw the way his eyes never really left the stage. Which wasn't necessarily relevant information, given that most people seemed to be awestruck by the girl on stage with her slinky dress and effortless movement.

But then Zuko chanced a glance and saw that the girl on stage seemed to be zeroing in on Jet. Something appeared to pass between them, and Zuko could've sworn he saw the smallest of nods from Jet. His eyes narrowed as he began to pay more attention to both him and the Water Tribe dancer, but the more time that passed, the more Zuko began to question what he saw and if it was even of import.

But still, he couldn't shake the fact that Jet was already in the crosshairs. And it wouldn't be the strangest thing for a Water Tribe girl to also have some grudge to bear against the Fire Nation. Most of them did, and good riddance was all Zuko had to say on the topic.

Either way, Zuko suddenly had a gut feeling there was more to this Water Tribe girl.

The crowd burst into cheers and whoops, crying for an encore, and Zuko realized that her performance had ended. He saw her sweep into a low curtsy before rising back up and whirling away, just in time as the curtains fell.

Downing the last few sips of his gin, Zuko set the glass back on the end table with a firm clink! and stubbed his cigarette out in the ceramic ashtray before rising from his seat. The group he had come into the club with hardly seemed to notice his departure, save for the one person he felt like he had the most grounds to call a friend. Acquaintance, more like.

The acquaintance in question, Kai, arched a brow in silent question. Are you making a move? Zuko glanced back over toward Jet. Kai gave a short nod of understanding and resumed nursing his drink, smoothly rejoining the conversation around them.

Kai never really seemed to take his post seriously as being one of the Fire Lord's most trusted of his inner circle. He always seemed like a careless boy, more interested in boozing and flirting with women. But his beguiling nature was a mask for the darker side of him he kept buried. Zuko had seen him interrogate traitors, go after hits and rumored rebels. He was a proficient firebender, but even more adept with a knife. Truthfully, Zuko found him odd, but he also wasn't exactly brimming with close allies, nor was he a friendly soul himself.

Zuko drew up to the coat check, swapping the ticket for his peacoat, before shrugging it on and vanishing out into the streets of Republic City.

Flashing lights and blinking signs created a canopy above him as he felt the chill from the humid air settle into his bones. Zuko reached into the deep pocket of his coat, producing a garish-looking blue demon-like mask.

An ugly mask for an ugly man, he thought, unconsciously tracing at the scar around his left eye. He remembered years ago the look of scorn his father had sent him in the hazy aftermath of everything and the humorless smirk on Azula's face.

Without wasting another second, Zuko pulled at the elastic and let it snap into place around his head, instantly feeling relief flow through him. The bitterness and tension that coiled in his body, keeping his muscles pulled taut, seemed to vanish and was instead replaced by a sort of calmness that came from the rote behavior of focusing on a single-minded goal, letting all other distractions fall to the side.

He hated his father, but Zuko also knew that until he regained his honor and his respect, he would let his hands get bloodied if it meant finally being recognized as worthy. As a son.

And he had a feeling that this little Water Tribe girl could be a key player in ensuring it happened.

Shutting off every other thought, Zuko took off down the alleyway where he had seen the girl absconder into the night.

AN: before anyone asks, Kai is NOT the one from TLoK, he's just an OC for this story. I could've changed his name, but oh well. The heart wants what the heart wants.