I do not own Legend of Korra or any aforementioned literary articles.
Chapter 4:
Third person pov:
One year has passed since his seventeenth birthday, and he has opened many more businesses throughout the city since then.
The most well-known of these businesses were the Emerald Badgermole, Azure Dragon, White Tigerdillo, Black Lionturtle, and the Vermillion Phoenix.
Soon after the incident with Chief Beifong, she soon became a regular at the Emerald Badgermole.
Today she was sitting at a booth in the back drinking tea, while Lao was sitting in a nearby booth playing pai sho with Tia, just as an older man and young lady walked in and took a table near Lao's booth.
Soon a waiter walked up to their table, "Have you been here before?" He asked with a pair of menus under his arm.
The man and woman both looked up to the waiter.
"I haven't but he has." The woman said, motioning to the man across form her.
"Yes, I have but I would still like to go over the menu." He said, holding his hand out to the waiter.
The waiter handed him the menus, and walked away.
Soon the waiter returns a couple minutes later, "What will you be having?" He asked with a pen and paper at the ready.
"I'll have the jasmine tea and the artic-hen soup." The woman says, laying the menu on the table.
The waiter writes it down and looks to the man.
"I'll have the hog steak with an oolong tea." The man says, placing his menu on top of the other.
He picked up the menus, "Your orders will be ready in a few." The waiter said, walking away.
Later the waiter returned with their meals, "Here you go." He said, placing the food on the table.
"Do you need anything else?" He asked, waiting patiently.
"No, we're good for now." The man responded, digging into his food.
He left their table and moved to the booth that chief Beifong was seating in.
"Would you like a refill?" He asked
"No, but I will have a cup of coffee." She said, looking up from her newspaper.
He then moved over to Lao's booth, "Sir, would you like anything?" He asked
"I'll have the same as the chief." Lao said, not looking up from his game.
The waiter walked away and soon returned with their coffee's.
Lao pov:
"Lao, why did I let you talk me into playing for money?" Tia asked, handing me another Yuan.
For the last hour Tia and I have been playing pai sho for money, whoever loses pays the winner one yuan.
"I didn't talk you into it, you wanted to make it more interesting by gambling." I clarified, taking the money from him.
"I don't think it happened like that, another game?" He asked, moving pieces back into place for another game.
"Ya, sure." I said, while counting my winnings.
As time went by, I started to listen to the new arrival's conversation.
"Dad how did you find your watch, I thought you had lost it years ago?" She asked, sipping from her tea.
"A street merchant had it among his wears, and I didn't lose it was stolen by some pickpockets two years ago, Asami." He said, while cutting into his steak.
Wait a minute this sound familiar, and the man looks familiar with his round spectacles and horseshoe moustache.
So, the woman was Hiroshi Sato's daughter, and they are about to discuss my best theft when I was picking pockets.
I should say I feel terrible for ease dropping on his telling of the missing watch, and the subsequent theft of said watch but I feel wonderful.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I tried to focus back onto the game with Tia.
"He said it fell off a truck and he found it." He said, taking a sip from his tea.
"After the police questioned the merchant and a short investigation, they said my watch passed through too many hands." He said, annoyance evident in his voice.
"So, they don't know who stole it originally?" Asami asked
"I think criminals have short term memory when it comes to things that can get them in trouble with the law, and it was two years ago, I am just happy to have it back." He said, pulling out a silver pocket watch from his jacket pocket.
"You have many watches, what is so special about this one dad?" She asked, curiousty in her voice.
"This was a gift from your mother." He said, smiling down at the watch.
The slam of a door brought me out of my ease dropping.
Looking up from the pai sho board I see the chief's second in command Saikhan standing in the doorway.
He walks over to her table, "Chief, there is a problem you need to see at the station." He said, urgently
Standing up from her booth, "Waiter, check please," pulling out some yuans from her bag.
"Don't worry chief, I'll put it on your tab." I said, holding up my hand to stop her from arguing.
Placing her cash back in her bag, "Thank you Lao and Lao please do call me Lin." She said, giving a small smile.
"I will remember to do that Lin." I said, returning her smile with a smile.
She walks out the front door with Saikhan closely following behind her, but he stops in the doorway to give me the stink eye.
Giving him the middle finger, "Have a nice day officer Saikhan."
He just glared at me even harder before he turned and left.
"Why does Saikhan hate you so much?" Tia asked
Looking up from the board, "He thinks I'm a criminal." I said, finishing off my coffee.
"Tia, have Lee to bring the satomobile around the front, I have some business to attended too, and we will continue this conversation in it." I said, standing up.
"But before you do that," I moved my final tile into place on the board.
Winning another game of Pai sho.
Glaring at the board, "Come on, you could have ended the game without winning right." He said, sighing exasperated.
He placed another yuan on the table before leaving out the back.
Taking the yuan I handed it to the waiter cleaning Lin's booth.
Flash forward:
Standing out in front of the Emerald Badgermole, Lee soon pulled up in the satomobile, Tia got out of the passenger seat, and opened the door for me.
Stepping in, "Thank you Tia." I said, sitting down in the back.
Closing the door, "Your welcome Lao." He said, getting back in the front passenger seat.
Lee looked at me through the rear-view mirror, "Lao, where do you want to go?" He asked, pulling away from the curb.
Opening my pocket watch, checking the time, "Head to Tahno's place first, then Ming's, and so forth," closing my watch with a click.
"Where were we?" I asked, checking the inside of my coat for my vials of metal dust.
Tia turned around in the passenger seat, "You were saying Saikhan thinks you're a criminal, but Lao, are you not technically a criminal?"
"You are only a criminal if you're caught." I said, smirking at him.
"Boss, why are we going to see the Wolfbats?" Lee asked, while fiddling with the radio nobs.
"I have something to discuss with those idiots, fucking show ponies." I said, frowning
The wolfbats have been using dirty tactics in the ring and whispers of this have started to spread amongst the city.
Staring out the window, I watched as we passed buildings, and people by to pass the time.
Soon we arrived at Tahno's apartment.
"Tia, please do escort Tahno here?" I asked, looking up at the lights of Tahno's place.
Tia gets out of the Satomobile and slams the door behind him.
"Damn it, Tia don't slam the doors." Lee yelled, leaning out the window.
Tia turns back around, "I didn't slam the door, I closed the door normally!" He yelled, giving Lee the middle finger.
"Hey, remember who owns the mobile." I said, smiling at their repeated argument about the satomobile.
Lee turned to look at me, "Lao, you can't even drive." He said, frowning grumpily.
Holding my hands up in surrender, "You got me there, Lee."
He smirks at his victory before turning back around.
Rolling the window down, and I stuck my head out.
"Hey Tia, if he is with someone, please bring them along!" I yelled, rolling the window back up.
Tia did not say anything, he just held a thumbs up in the air as he walked forward.
Couple minutes later, Tia returned with a ruffled Tahno.
Tia pushed Tahno into the back, dragging him into the seat across from me, and then took a seat next to me.
"I'm surprised Tahno you didn't have someone in bed with you." I said, giving a little chuckle.
"You could've called at meeting." He said, sounding annoyed.
I smiled with a mouth full of teeth, "I need to get a point across, you greased haired fucker, and your fellow simpletons."
Leaving Tahno's place, we soon arrived at Ming's place.
"You know the drill Tia but if he is stubborn, please do give his bell a good ringing," Knowing there will be a fight.
A few minutes later he returned with an unconscious Ming, Tia placed him on the floor before returning to his seat next to me.
Staring at the unconscious idiot on the ground, "I'm not really surprised that he fought, like most earth benders we don't back down."
"But unlike him and them I don't have rocks for brains." I said, looking to Tahno.
Flash forward:
Once we had gotten all three of them, Lee parked the mobile in an alleyway.
The three wolfbats were sitting across from Tia and I.
I leaned back into my seat, and just stared at them silently for the longest time before speaking.
Clearing my throat with a cough, "I heard a rumor that the wolfbats bribed a ref and if that is true, I will be forced to burn you before you burn me," My voice rising steadly.
Calming down I grinned, running a hand through my hair.
"But I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but if hear a whisper, a word, a peep of bribing, cheating, and or sabotage again, I - will - ruin - you." Glaring at them as I chewing out each final word.
"Do you understand?" I asked, waiting for their answer.
They nod their heads furiously.
Relaxing back into my seat, "Lee, head to my house, we're done for tonight."
After sometime later we arrived at the front gate of my house on the outskirts of the city, stepping out of satomobile.
I unlock the nearby wicket gate next to the main entrance, and turned around to look back to Lee and Tia.
"Tia, Lee please escort them home, I would not want anything to happen to the team." I said, stepping through the wicket gate.