Avatar: Tale of Tae, Book 1: Shock

by alexr416

Following the demise of Avatar Korra; the Earth Nation seeks out the newest successor to the Avatar spirit Raava. A young earth-bender named Tae is thrilled to discover that she would take up the mantle of bringing balance to the world. In order to protect those dear to her, she decides to embark on her journey to discover what it means to be the Avatar to better ensure harmony.

6. Episode 6

Chapter 11: Televised

The city below the towering apartments bustles with the charming expeditious townsfolk hurriedly navigating the intuitive orientation of the urban streets. Sato-mobiles of all makes and models cruise along the extravagantly paved roadways, honking excessively in hopes to expedite their arrival time to their respective destinations. Shina hustles alongside the current of city dwellers, gripping her acquired resources tightly to not have them get accidentally knocked to the trash-coated sidewalks. She quickly spots a widened corner where she could take a breather in order to cross the intersection back towards where she and the gang parted ways. The weapon-wielding girl steps aside to allow tailgaters to pass her by, taking the time to adjust her hold on the acquired supplies.

Shina props herself up and manages to catch a glimpse of a bulletin board standing near the walling of the adjoining buildings. She investigates further by moving in for a closer look. The stationary contains multiple papers and pamphlets containing a variety of useless pieces of information. It details things like restaurant menus, associations for assorted crowds, advertisements for different organizations, and many other daily topics. One sections managed to draw Shina's eyes in like a black hole to a piece of space debris. A bolded quadrant of the board highlighted the cities most wanted criminals; displaying them openly for the public eye. Their mug shots lined the area with their names and list of crimes, ranging from larceny, to battered entry, to even aggravated assault. It was a worrisome thought seeing the countless people in the city that were capable and willing of terrible wrongdoing. However, it wasn't the fear of encountering one of the cataloged fiends that caused Shina's heart to pound. Her mind races with a bundle of sizzling emotions searing the inside of her soul. She gazes at the different faces and has a quiet internal meltdown feeling as if she herself belonged on that wall.

Shina smacks herself on her cheeks and turns herself away from the communiqué forcibly. She hurriedly dashes across the street to remove herself from the sight of the Gale City criminals. Ultimately, Shina manages to meet up with Ling who was also returning to the outskirts of Rohan's place of employment. They converge towards a girthy segment of walkway and compare their hulls.

"Did ya get the foodstuffs from the stands around 'ere, love?" Shina asks, carefully conducting an inspection of his loaded arms.

"Yep!" Ling answers quickly before she can really assess what he bought. "I got some more water, some bags of potato crisps, some bundles of vegetables, and these nifty wraps for my hands for when I do some heavy boxing." Shina gives the boy a disgruntled look in response to the concluding article on his list of 'necessities'.

"I send ya to get food and essentials and ya come back with a roll of cloth?"

"Hey, it can help wrap up injuries as well; that could prove essential!" Shina ponders the defensive claim and shrugs wordlessly.

"Hm…alright that's fair I 'spose." Shina points her head up at the formidable structure housing the other teammates as they consult Rohan for advice. Shina squints her eyes from the sun's overpowering presence, trying to observe past the window's glare to see the skyscraper's insides. She purses her lips and redirects her gaze back to her hearty companion. "I hope this doesn't take too long…I wanna get talkin' about our next move."

"Didn't we already kinda plan that jazz out?" Ling inquires, preparing to mimic the dictation of the other male cohort currently absent from the conversation. "I believe Banto said we were going to 'plot a course' for Ba Sing Se. That dude sure knows how to make lying about on a traveling badger-mole's fur sound enthralling." Shina crosses her arms and gets distracted by her own thoughts. She accidentally mutters something at an audible volume.

"Yeah…I just wish he didn't decide the destination points without askin' first…" Ling tilts his head with bountiful nosiness.

"Why's that? Get a problem with bandana boy's travel plans?" Shina doesn't answer, knowing full well that a response will charter a new string of queries to dismount from the boy's mouth like a detective in an interrogation room. The silence lingers sufficiently to rouse suspicion within the contiguous boy, but Shina thinks on her feet to once again dart the flow of conversation elsewhere.

"Now when ya say boxin', do you mean like the fightin' style those pro-benders always whip out during their tourneys?" Ling's eyes illuminate vibrantly like something within him ignited. He hops back on his heels and starts bouncing back and forth with his fists tucked close to his face.

"Yeah!" he exclaims excitedly. "I'm a huge pro-bending fan. I always try to listen to the radio when teams are competing. A couple skillful fighters from my town actually formed their own team and are currently in the preliminary matches for the next big tournament!" Shina watches the boy with a snide giggle; gawking at his passionate movements attempting to mirror the fighting formations of a pro-bender. Banto skips around in the middle of sidewalk unleashing a fury of punches and kicks as if he were actually manipulating the elements. His disruptive frolicking leads him to accidently knock into a person attempting to sneak around him. The stranger trips over Ling's extended foot and bumps their whole body into Ling, causing him to tense up and catch them. "Whoa, sorry there! Didn't mean to knock you off your feet like that." A heavenly sweet voice replies back.

"Oh, no! My apologies, I was not looking where I was going…" The voice was evidently an angelic female's voice. The young girl was wearing a strange hooded shirt with baggy pants: clothes that did not match adequately with the face Ling eventually gets a peek of. When the girl responds kindly to Ling's words, she pokes her head out briefly from under her hood revealing an astoundingly beautiful teenage girl beneath the unflattering apparel. Ling's jaws drops with a complete lack of grace as the girl stumbles back to her feet. She pulls the hood further past her face to smother her appearance in dark shadows. She nods to Ling and swiftly hustles away in the direction she was moving. Ling was almost at a loss for words.

"Wow…" he exhales, staring at the girl as she jogs away. Shina follows the girl with her eyes as well; maintaining visual acuity as she gets held up at a juncture with a mob of people. Ling proceeds with his lustful commentary. "Shina, did you see that girl? She was absolutely enchanting…"

"She was absolutely suspicious more like…" Shin retorts, watching the girl elevate herself on her toes peering over the crowd clearly hoping for a way through. However, her politeness prevents her from pushing through the impenetrable barricade of humans so she instead remains gated behind them. Ling scoffs at Shina's overly judgmental perception of the random encounter.

"Nahhh, she was probably just in a rush for work or something…" Ling scans her once more and notices her constantly looking around her like a burglar would as they're making off with some riches. She would subtly bend her head around and keep watch of nearby folks as she achingly moves herself along the street's border. Ling rubs his chin with increased intrigue. "Hm…though she does seem to be in some sort of trouble…maybe it would be best to tail her a bit and make sure everything is okay with her."

"You just wanna follow her cause ya got a big ol' crush on her, dontcha love?" Shina mocks without diverting her gaze from the snooping gal. Ling produces a loud gasp; completely aghast by the brazen allegation.

"Heavens no my horridly confused companion! I simply want to make sure a lady such as herself gets safely to her destination." Shina shakes her head, not buying anything the young lad was selling. Either way, Shina wanted to chase after her anyway.

"Come along now." Shina plops her purchased goods in her satchel with Ling following along with his own backpack. The duo then sprint forwards to close the distance between them and the mysterious heroine. The mystifying lass yanks the lip of her hood further outwards to keep her face sufficiently unidentifiable. She manages to reach another block down on 18th St. before breaking left and vanishing down a tight alleyway. Shina and Ling notice the escape route and increase their pace.

The girl shuffles her way through the musty hall of discarded disposables and muddied cardboard. The two pursuers keep their distance to not rouse suspicion from their madam of mystery. The hunted beauty continues to weave through a couple of narrow passageways heading parallel to the main street but then eventually arrives at a wider portion of the passage. The tiny apartments to the side were condensed enough to allow such a sizeable yard to exist away from the eyes of the public. Alas, the trio of sneaks was not the only residents to know of the hidden backdoor playground.

The girl halts her movement center of the clearing when a bunch of hoodlums pop out from the shadows and ambush her. They close in surprisingly quickly and grab her by the arms to keep her from fleeing away. She motions to let out a cry for help but is quickly silenced by a golem of a man who clasps her mouth with his enormous hand. The gal expels a couple of muffled noises into the thug's palm while attempting to squirm away; unsuccessfully. Ling clenches his fists in enragement; he could not fathom why they would have the audacity to commit such a sinful act as preying on a girl. He lunges to break free from the corner he was peeing from, but Shina toughly grasps his shoulder to prevent his intervention. He whips around to snippily aggress his stealthy compatriot but she holds a finger to her lips with a stern gaze. She points to a supplementary man who was now approaching the unknown female.

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?" the man commences creepily, eyeing the girl all around like she were a library book. The man was about equal in height to the admittedly lofty dame with a scary-looking grin that could frighten off even the most menacing of predators. His build was muscular yet lean with a bunch of angular tattoos along his arms and upper section of his neck. He leans in close to the flinching girl and takes a quick gander at her covered face. "Hm…seems like this lamb got lost in the big city, boys." A couple of the surroundings hounds cackle at the dubious comments. Shina and Ling remain silent as they wait for an opportune moment to strike. Shina scans the area counting six men in the band of ruffians. She spends a second to study their faces; curious if any of them were on the billboard as wanted crooks. Since the list was relatively extensive, Shina couldn't scrutinize adequately from their position unfortunately so she focuses back on their words instead. The unidentified girl pipes up suddenly with a ferociously refined attitude.

"How could you all be so needlessly cruel!? Ambushing me on my way to work like this is completely indecorous!" The leader of the boorish squad slopes his head in confusion at the girl's word choice. He shakes it off shortly thereafter and inches closer instead.

"Maybe you shouldn't have stepped foot on our territory, doll face," the man spits back with his mouth angled in a sneer. He hovers his grueling mug centimeters away from the girl's, taking a closer gander at her appearance. He jolts his head back upon recognition. "Hang on a second here…" He snags the tip of the captured dame's hood and pulls it back roughly revealing a hefty bushel of luscious caramel brown hair stretching down the backside of her hood. The girl lets out a miniscule pip as her stunning face is displayed for all to see. Ling nearly topples over upon realizing who exactly the mysterious girl was. He was not the only one however.

"Well…would you look at that?" the astounded boss chuckles with his hand on his hips. "Boys, it looks like we have a very important guest in our premises today." He puts his grubby hand underneath her fair chin and continues his comments. "We've been graced with the famous mover star, Lati and her blinding beauty! Who could've imagined?" Ling mentally substantiates his previous thought; it was in fact the girl he thought it was. Lati's formerly damsel-like expression alters into a feistier and more annoyed outlook.

"Why can't you all just leave me be?" she appeals with bothered displeasure. The tattooed individual straightens his back and exhales from his nose.

"With a dime like you? We aren't letting you go anywhere." With that, the man snaps and his cronies begin moving her to a different location. Lati cries out for assistance but is shortly silenced once more as to not summon outsiders to the scene. Ling frantically turns to Shina who simply holds up her hand. She then starts lowering her fingers one by one in a countdown order. Once her pointer finger makes contact with the curvature of her thumb, the dynamic duo engages with swift determination.

Shina and Ling sprint out from their hidden location, causing a few of the criminals to bob their heads towards the strident footsteps. Shina's speed allows her first pick. She dashes towards one of the gentlemen holding onto Lati and she acrobatically leaps into the air over the man's head. As she sails along, she spreads her legs so that they wrap snugly around the man's upper body. Once she locks her legs to the man's neck and shoulders, she flips down onto her hands and uses the strength of her legs to fling the man behind her. The entire motion takes only a couple seconds and completely launches the man across the contaminated expanse. Ling handles the situation more directly and but with less pizzazz. He lowers his body into a more compact form and full-body tackles the other man holding onto Lati. He pushes him over with ease and manages to drag him multiple yards forwards until he slams the unsuspecting victim into the concrete wall ahead, instantly knocking him out. Lati, upon being freed, shuffles away to the edge of the area to observe the oncoming match. The man in charge starts to panic over the astonishing attack and starts barking orders to the remaining three men.

"What the…? Boys, what are you standing around for? Take them out!" One of the shorter and leaner men pulls out a knife and makes a break for Shina. She notices the drawing of his weapon and break out her own long knife. The two close in to one another and make their first strikes. The blades clang together causing a hailstorm of sparks to gush from the deadly slashes. With the weapons halted on each other, both combatants leap backwards. But, they then reengage almost instantly with multiple fury attacks. To the untrained eye, it appeared that they were perfectly in sync with each other's hacks. In reality, the skinny gent was rapidly and unscrupulously swinging his knife wildly without thought. Shina was calculatingly matching each swipe to ensure that she deflected the slices away from her body. The metal tips collided furiously for a few minutes until Shina decided that it was high time to stop messing around. With a final lacerating slice forwards, Shina takes hold of the man's arm with precise accuracy. She then cracks his wrist to cause him to drop his weapon. With the man disarmed, Shina yanks the man inwards and elbows him in the stomach. The thug keels over, clutching his battered tummy in agony. Now that his head was lowered to the ground, Shina spins around and kicks him square in the face for a finishing blow. The thin mugger slams onto the pavement with a sickening smashing sound.

Meanwhile, Ling was face to face with a massive, burly man with bicep muscles the size of a grown human head. The hulking fiend plants his fist into his opposite palm and cracks his knuckles with a roaring snap. Ling sees the man empty-handed and assumes that he fights using standard hand-to-hand approaches. With that assumption, the boy smirks and holds up his fists to his face; a position mirroring one recently demonstrated for Shina. The adversary grunts and sluggishly stomps over towards the battle-ready teenager. Lacking in warning, the meathead commences with a succession of speedy punches towards his face. Ling easily ducks and formats his neck and back muscles to evade each devastating thrust. After a couple of unhelpful assails from the hooligan, Ling launches a speedy right-hook right into the man's face. He stumbles back a bit but recovers quickly; which was perfectly acceptable judging by the young man's sneer. He moves to the offensive and changes his stance from a boxing style to a more taekwondo approach. He quickly positions himself in front of the dazed mammoth and throws out a couple of side-kicks from both sides. The hard hits did extensive damage but were not enough to fully incapacitate the man. As a last resort, the man lifts up his hand to capture the following kick which was already in motion. This was Ling's plan, however. As his foot neared the man's arm, he drops the upwards trajectory and plants his foot back on the ground. He follows up by using the added support to jump into the air with a fast spiraling twirl. With the added momentum, he fires out a potent aerial spin-kick to the man's other side; landing it perfectly with a prominent thud. The bruised criminal collapses to the floor like a scantily structured igloo. The leader growls with palpable fury.

"You kids think you can play hero, huh? Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson…" He throws out a lethal blast of fire from his fist. Ling and Shina react promptly and throw themselves out of the way of the attack. He irately continues to blast more singing projectiles at the teenagers, while his final companion closes in to Lati as she's distracted by the stage show of violence. Lati notices the approaching man and orients her body into a defensive pose. As the mangy stranger moves to recapture the girl, she crosses her arms in front of her chest. This manifests a sizeable sphere of blustering air, rotating around in a whirlwind. The gusty shield pushes the assailant backwards in a forceful nudge.

"I don't think so, love," Shina announces. She skillfully equips a small throwing knife and tosses it aggressively at the man, causing him to leap away from the incoming blade; in turn separating him from Lati. The man grumbles and then suddenly water-bends a stream of gutter water from a nearby puddle towards the two heroes. Shina ducks under the first whip of water and then kick flips off the ground to hop over the follow-up tentacle smash. With the water dispersed, she rushes the aquatic manipulator. The guy's eyes widen to the size of walnuts and he protectively summons the water puddle in front of him into a bulky ice barrier. Shina equips her staff and uses the elongated frame to pole-vault herself over the wall. Once within range, she ducks down and relinquishes her metal rod in favor of jabbing the man repeatedly in specific points on his body. The undetectable thrusts completely abolish his bending ability, leaving Shina to snicker as the man tries to retaliate with no longer existent elemental capabilities. She finishes him for good by kicking her staff back to her hands and knocking the man across the skull.

The final match remained; Ling and the main ruffian boss of the alleys. The tattooed brute grits his teeth in aggravation of the prowess the teenagers expressed. It didn't matter though; if he surrendered he knew it'd be prison for him. He fires another meteor towards Ling, who sidesteps it and gallops over towards some abandoned trash cans. He quickly lifts up the receptacle lid with racketing clatter and prepares for the next discharge. He also nabs a small rag which he swiftly wraps around the lid's disjointed handle. The fire-bender puts his fists side-by-side and thrusts a steady stream of fire at Ling. He hoists the metallic shield upwards by the handle and blocks the attack with the bottom of the cover. He wields the protective blockade to form a battery ram; using it resourcefully to shorten the distance between the two of them. The embers ricochet off the circular defense and dissipate into thin air. With the fire smothered, he thrusts the lid forwards and knocks the foe right in the face. The mugger bounces back and coats his hand in flame for a sly fire fist technique. Ling pushes the enhanced arm away sending the energized blow elsewhere. He utilizes the opening to get a couple of punches in, using his bulging muscles to make each strike land with gusto. The man's mind begins to fade, but he was not ready to give in just yet. As a last stand, he extends his fingers to fire a conclusive inferno burst towards the boy. Ling hops back and reacquires his steel discus. With swift tenacity, he hurls the lid like a Power Disc causing it to skim along the airwaves as graceful as a dragon glides among the clouds. With a thunderous clap, the lid pushes the weak embers aside and whacks the man right in the forehead; a lasting blow. The man topples over and slams to the ground like a chopped tree.

The adversaries lay crumbled in unconscious bundles throughout the dim alley, unmoving from their embarrassing defeat at the hands of two non-bending teenagers. Shina recovers her weapons and sheaths them accordingly, while Ling carefully wraps his hands with the medical tape he had just bought a couple minutes ago. He waves his bandaged mandibles playfully demonstrating that his purchase was, indeed, a necessity.

"See? I told you I only buy the absolute essentials." Shina rolls her eyes and approaches the boy.

"Well I got to say, ya managed to impress me. I guess ya do got some combat skills residin' somewhere in that thick noggin of yours." Ling poses proudly as if the backhanded compliment was unequivocally grand praise.

"Yeah some call me the hero of Gale City…" he lies outright. "I just hope Lati got to see me in action, maybe she'd ask me to be in a mover. Or best case scenario, invite me out to dinner." Shina scrunches her face, depicting her stance on the doubtful likelihood of those possibilities. Ling turns away from the disapproving expression and takes note of the long-haired mover star making strides towards their private conversation. "Oh my gosh, speak of the gorgeous devil she's coming over here right now! Alright, alright, play it cool Shina, don't freak out." Shina remains unsure about the authenticity of the boy's brain being present within his skull. Lati strolls over to the two with eyes glistening of hope and compassion. She bows downwards, making her hair drape downwards like an entanglement of jungle vines.

"I'm so very grateful for both of you coming to my rescue! I'm not sure what would have happened had you two not stepped in when you did!" the adorable politeness leaves Ling blushing like a bumbling fool.

"Oh yeah, no. Don't worry about it! It was easy-peasy. Walk in the park for us…" Shina steps in to provide more coherent dialogue.

"So why exactly were ya sneakin' around the city in this baggy get-up anyway?" The unembellished forwardness leaves the maiden somewhat mystified, but her composure returns momentarily. Lati elegantly cups her hands together to explain her suspicious actions. She allows her eyes to drift around the scenery as she narrates.

"I imagine you know who I am…most people tend to, unfortunately. Whenever I try to roam around the city I always get stopped by adoring fans or paparazzi…really anyone who wants my attention." She exhales in an exhaustive breath. She plays with her hair a bit as she speaks. "It gets awfully tiring at times always smiling and waving to anyone looking to get a picture or ask me tons of personal question and whatnot. I sometimes wear disguises like this so that I can get some peaceful time to myself." Shina nods, accepting the logical answer. She too, would not be able to handle attention constantly on herself; alone time is essential to keeping a healthy and diligent mind. Ling breaks the silence to formally introduce the two rogues to the infamous beauty.

"By the way, my name is Ling and this here is Shina. I know you just vented about fans always chatting you up but I just wanted to say that I do enjoy your work!" Lati's drained disposition immediately 180s into a heartwarming smile. She claps her hands together excitedly and gives a little hop of pleasure at the kind words.

"Oh, thank you so much! You both rescued me; I have no authority to sidestep your kindness. Truly, I am in your debt." She gives another minor bow to the two, clearly too polite for her own good. Ling smiles like a buffoon turning pink once more while Shina just nods and gives a casual thumbs-up. Shina inquires further about the girl's life.

"I noticed ya did some air-bendin' back there. Are ya pretty skilled at fightin' with those powers of yours?" Lati shakes her head in an overly dramatic fashion. She waves her hands in front of her body like she was rapidly swatting a swarm of aggravating flies.

"Oh heavens no!" she assures overtly. "I wouldn't want to use my powers to hurt people. There's enough violence in the world already, I don't want to continue it." Shina considers those words deeply. On one end, she agrees that lots of people experience pain everyday due to the lack of empathy in others. On the other however, Shina acknowledges that learning to fight is essential to keep yourself safe. Ling quickly moves to defend Lati's abilities like a knight in not-so-shiny armor.

"Her air-bending is amazing though! Directors always have her use her bending to make action sequences more intense. She even does her own stunts where she throws herself around with her wind power." Lati giggles cutely at the boy's analysis; she could tell he was an avid fan.

"You've done your research I see." Ling reverts back his crimson hue. Shina shakes her head at the useless boy, then turns to compliment the actress.

"Well that bubble shield ya made was mighty powerful. The thug couldn't even get close to it due to the high wind speeds." Lati modestly smiles and scratches her head. She sticks out her tongue a little bit as she replies.

"Even though I work as a model and actress, I do like to practice a lot of defensive air-bending skills. They come in handy now and then, even when being nabbed by a bunch of criminals it seems." Just as she mentions the fallen foes, some of them start to stir. Groaning sounds ring out from the swollen mouths of the beaten goons. Ling and Shina look to each other completely forgetting that they were still a threat.

"Oh man, they're getting up again! What should we do?" Lati walks over gracefully and places a tender hand on Ling's shoulder. She smiles warmly once more and provides a suitable alternative to violence.

"Do not fret; I have an easy way to handle this, if I may." Shina and Ling shrug to one another and give the air-bender a nod of approval. With a cutesy twirl of her body, she grabs hold of Shina and Ling's hands and pulls them out towards the streets. The two nearly trip over their feet at the sudden dragging of their personage. As they navigate the somewhat intricate framework, Lati reapplies her shawl around her head to go incognito once more.

Once they reach the glowing sunlight of the outside world, Lati's entire body morphs into something nowhere akin to how it was in the shadowy corridor. Her previously upright and elegant frame now became a miserable, quivering mess. She sniffles loudly as tears begin to well under her eyelashes and she whimpers audibly as she scans the streets. Eventually, she pinpoints the location of a sophisticated gentleman in uniform just down the block. She sprints ahead with Ling and Shina tailing closely behind.

"Officer!" she cries in a wallowing, shaking voice. The policeman's head turns instantly and he immediately moves to cheer the girl up by listening intently to her words. "Some big scary men attacked us in the alleys over there! My friends managed to fight them off but I don't know what would've happened if they didn't show up! Please, can you help us officer?" The aggressive acting of the model worked flawlessly. She wipes away a couple of forced tears from her eyes and gazes up at the officer with hopefulness. The man stands himself upright and grabs the rim of his hat; pulling it down somewhat to obscure his rosy cheeks.

"Don't worry ma'am, I'll bring them to justice immediately!" Lati thanks the man profusely and shakes his hand with lady-like properness. He then calls for back-up through his radio communicator and makes his way to the alleyway. Shina and Ling watch as the man, without question or suspicion, rushes headfirst into the passageway. Lati turns around and somehow her tears were utterly dry as she smiles candidly to the two teens. Shina and Ling stare, completely impressed.

"That was incredible!" Ling exclaims. "That guy didn't even hesitate to believe you. He bought your phony sobbing like a complete sucker!" Lati giggles at the boy's exuberant personality and then reverts back to her proper, well-mannered persona.

"Yes, it's one of the many tricks to my trade. It's always been pretty easy for me to get others to do what I want. All it takes is a little emotional manipulation; works every time!" Ling gapes at the girl's confidence and stunning beauty. Shina too, had to give the girl credit for her powers of persuasion. Shortly after, Lati notices the crowds of people who were drawn to her boisterous acting. She grabs the two by the hands once more saying:

"Come with me, I'll try to get us away from the unwanted attention." They hastily retreat towards the next street over, avoiding the wandering eyes of those that whisk by. They hustle onwards until they reach a familiar locale, protruding profligately to the heavens. They cease their jogging upon awareness of their current position.

"Hey…." Ling instigates softly. "This is the building that that Rohan guy works at, right?" The sudden name drop alerts Lati. She flicks her bountiful hair aside as she addresses Ling's comment.

"Pardon me, what did you just say?" she inquires. Before Ling gets a chance to answer, the entry doors to the building fly open. From the depths inside, three figures step out into the sunlight walking in a tiny linear formation. It was Banto, Rio and Rohan exiting the facility having finished their business meeting on the top floor. Banto notices his two teammates and waves them to come introduce themselves to the man. The duo, along with Lati, sprint over to meet the well dressed prestigious director.

"Sir, these are a couple of our other companions, Shina and Ling," Banto explains gesturing to his two associates. He then pauses at the sight of an unfamiliar face. "Oh and who might you be?" Rohan scans the new arrivals once over before locking eyes with the hooded maiden. He steps down the front stoop for a closer look before uttering boldly.

"Lati? Is that you, sweetie?" The girl unmasks her façade temporarily and smiles cheekily at the man's discerning of her identity. She then cloaks her identity once more to not awaken an army of townspeople to come surround them. Ling hangs his jaw low and jolts his pupils between the businessman and the mover star with bulging intensity.

"Excuse me, what?" he exclaims without reserve. "You know this dapper gentleman?" The girl motions to extrapolate their introductions; however Tae was prepared to enlighten the teen first.

"You didn't know!?" she gasps, nearly letting her voice crack from forcing her phony deep voice. "Lati is a famous actress and model that works under Rohan's production company. Not only are they business partners but she's also one of his daughters!" She catches her breath before turning to the astonished beauty. Tae realizes that she may have gone overboard with her excitement, but she was meeting one of her all time favorite mover stars in the flesh. She stalls her panting in order to calmly collect herself and explain. "I've been a fan of hers ever since I was younger. You were great in 'The Hurricane's Call'." Lati bows elegantly to the masked girl's fangirling.

"I appreciate your support!" she claims delightfully. "Since we're doing introductions, who might you both be?" She directs the question to the curious looking duo guarding Rohan's sides. The man takes it upon himself to answer for in their stead. He pushes their backs lightly to nudge them closer to his daughter so they can speak at a more confidential volume.

"This lad is Banto; he's the son of Mr. Juro. You remember right? He's visited us a few times to discuss business and catch up with me." Lati bobs her head with confirmation, then turns and gives a modest bow to the headbanded boy. He returns with an equally as formal lowering of his head, letting his ponytail dangle in front of him for a moment. Rohan continues with the most vital piece of information. "This costumed girl here is an incredibly renowned individual. This here is Rio, she's the Avatar." Lati's face turns to wondrous surprise; a common occurrence that the group has grown accustomed to. Once she fully processes the portion of news, she drops herself down in a backbreaking obeisance.

"Avatar Rio, it's an absolute honor to meet you!" Tae gets understandably frazzled by the girl's prostrating and shakes her head madly at the girl's behavior.

"Oh no, please, there's no need for all of that!" Rio guarantees strongly. "I can't believe I'm meeting a famous mover star! I think we're both thankful for our get-together." Tae smiles beneath the overhang of her mask. Lati raises her head in surprise and then smiles quickly back, comprehending the arrangement of casual respect they have for one another. Banto interrupts the friendly amusement to direct the mood back to business.

"We had a lengthy conversation with your father. We had hoped to convince him to help teach Rio here air-bending skills. We didn't realize how underused his abilities were unfortunately…" Lati listens attentively and responds with subtle head shakes as the boy illuminates her on the situation. Rohan makes a slightly sullen face, likely feeling disappointed in himself that he is unable to properly assist the Avatar in her training. All of a sudden, Tae's hidden eyes light up from within the mask's confines.

"Wait I know! Lati, why don't you teach me air-bending!?" The out of nowhere offer makes the starlet step back in reply. The suggestion was one that she never could have imagined being made in her presence. Tae was not finished however, she really wanted to illustrate to everyone why she wants Lati. "I've seen all of the talks about your work in the movers. Professionals say that you are super talented at using air-bending throughout your filming. Your precision is said to be excellent when manipulating props and other actors on set. That's the kind of aptitude that would be excellent for me to start learning the basics of the bending form!" Lati places a hand on her chest, still in shock at the sudden turn of events. However, she takes a moment and thinks about the opportunity that the offer would provide. Truth be told, a change of pace from her occupation was exactly the kind of life change she has needed for a while. As she deliberates with herself about the job, her father steps in to interject with his opinion.

"You want my daughter to be your air-bending instructor?" he asks, entirely taken aback. "No, no she couldn't do that. Her calling is here; being in the movers has been her dream since she was little, she wouldn't want to cast that aside…" Lati takes the words of her father heavily. Everything he said was completely true, and yet there was something missing inside of her that Rio's proposition ignited; a voice beckoning from someplace unreachable. However, the last thing she wants to do is disappoint her father, so she remains silent and gazes off to the side. Rohan was no idiot however, he could see from a mile away that Lati felt differently on the topic. He leans in to examine her daughter's translucent blue eyes before inquiring tenderly. "…Would you want to cast that aside, sweetie?" Lati finally builds up the courage to display her feelings on the subject. Her heart pounds as she respectfully raises her voice.

"Of course I don't want to abandon my job as a mover star and model, daddy!" she squeaks, walking over to hold her father's hands. The way she spoke made it evident to Rohan that she was not finished talking yet. She briefly reinforces her thoughts and continues timidly. "But… truth be told I would not mind a break from the camera for a little while. It would be nice to try something new. Plus, the Avatar learning air-bending is exceedingly important so if I'm able to assist in anyway…then I think I should do it!" Rohan stares deeply into his daughter's eyes, remaining silent as he handpicks a dignified response. Lati takes the lack of verbalization as his disapproval and immediately tries to fix the nonexistent issue. "I'm sorry; I don't want to disappoint you! If it's an issue then I have no quarrels with staying here…" The girl sounds as if she was going to wholly backtrack on every feeling she just brought to light. Her father stalls her rambling to provide a decent answer.

"No sweetie, it's okay!" he reassures with fatherly kindness. "I had no idea that this would be something you'd want to do. I guess I'm a pretty brainless parent to not know what my own daughter wants in life." Lati instantly jumps to his defense.

"Oh daddy, don't speak like that! I haven't been very honest with my feelings…but I really do enjoy working with you on movers! I just…also might want to see what other opportunities are out there for me, especially one as special as this one." Rohan chuckles quietly at the girl's open expression. He places a hand on her shoulder, exuding a wonderfully compassionate atmosphere from around his body.

"I guess I shouldn't keep you from your dreams, even if it means having to let go of my favorite actress to work with. If traveling with this dubious bunch sounds like something you deem worthwhile, then you have my support." The magnanimous retort makes Lati's eyes water; this time with genuine tears. She smiles with quivering lips before jumping headfirst into her father's arms. She thanks him repeatedly and ensures the man that she's going to do great things. The two share an incredibly touching moment together, before returning back to their poised personas upon noticing the eyes of the afflicted teenagers staring them down. Lati clears her throat to bring the conversation back to the table of heroes.

"So, where are you all heading next, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Our next destination is for Ba Sing Se. We have some important knowledge that we need to share with the executives there; we can fill you in on that information when we hit the road. Unfortunately, Rio has not openly revealed herself to the public as being the Avatar as of yet. We'll need to somehow disclose to the upper ring that she's the spiritual successor so that we can properly discuss our findings…" Shina crosses her arms and gives some additional ideas.

"Or, we could always travel directly to the North Pole. We're gonna need a water-bender for Rio to learn from as well, yeah? Plus, that's where we'll eventually be headin' anyhow." Ling scratches his head and provides a third voice into the discussion circle.

"Ugh, if only we weren't nobodies! If people actually knew who Rio was then we could probably make so many of these options happen more simply." Lati's previously unfazed temperament abruptly changes into a more geared up version upon hearing Ling's words. She snappily flips her hair along the breezy air and smugly constructs a winnable scenario.

"If I may," she interjects calmly. "If we want Rio to become more well-known, why don't we just make her television famous?" The idea sparks a variety of reflexive responses from the cluster of characters. Many wrack their heads for an obvious problem with the suggestion, but none were able to fabricate one. Television came about in the recent decade, transitioning from simple productions displayed in cinemas to systematically broadcasted programs that anyone owning a telebox could enjoy from home. The updates motion picture format was invented by none other than Iknik Verrick; another groundbreaking development that raised himself a hefty fortune. He, along with his wife and other loyal associates, built the first television stations to transmit radio waves that any telebox within range could receive. It became the biggest form of entertainment and made way for many new career opportunities. Lati herself has been on a few television programs but mostly just interviews and commercials; she primarily works as a mover actress and magazine model. As the lengthy dame concocts a brilliant scheme, Rohan steps forward to clarify the idea Lati is crafting. He also aims to make explicitly clear whether or not the plan is the right move at the current time.

"You want Rio to publically disclose her identity on television?" the man questions with hints of concern dipping in the sound of his voice. He can tell from his daughter's surety that the statement was in no way shape of form a jest. To be safe, he adds an extra concerned clarifier. "Do you really think that's the best idea right now?" Lati places her hands firmly in front of her pelvis with a primly erect back exemplifying her seriousness on the subject. She speaks in an openly honest manner, never once losing that well-bred attitude.

"Daddy, if I learned one important thing from being a mover star, it's that creating a public presence is essential in forging a path towards greatness. Rio needs to be a name and identity that people can look to as a source of strength and compassion. In doing so, it will raise awareness for her noble path and spread her notoriety throughout the different nations." She rotates her gaze over to the masked female, in awe at the inspiring words of the actress. She finishes her point with a grand finale. "If we want people to take you seriously and treat your name with respect, we first need to make people aware that you actually exist and that you're here to help. I think it's high time citizens learn that their Avatar is back." With the rousing speech finished Rio nods powerfully at the girl's fierce tongue; making every effort to not go completely bonkers over her new teammate's talent with convincing others of her cause. The rest of the crew all look to each other without any arguments or complaints about the plan change, leading them to turn their attention to Rohan who was still deep in thought. After a moment to weight the options, he lifts his head up and taps his glasses in towards his nose.

"Well Rio," Rohan bellows. "I think the world is ready for your debut on television."

The ostentatious huddle files into the previously visited lobby, being fronted by the executive director as he confidently struts along the regal carpet. The employees at the front desk were busy goofing around in their chairs when the group first breached the doorway. However, the sight of their boss meandering towards the back wall makes them briskly discontinue their lollygagging and resume their uninteresting work instead. Rohan does not even consider getting permission as he steps past the desk; he waltzes straight up to the entryway along the back wall and swipes a keycard to gain access through the corridor. The workers behind them let their grating curiosity linger out of fear of being chided by their supervisor. Rohan wastes no time giving the distinguished guests a passionate tour while they cruise down the empty hallway.

"Typically, all of the filming for my movers takes place at my classified studios stationed near the edge of the city. However, I have a couple of smaller recording booths installed in this central office building to document different interviews or conduct general readings for voice actors who don't need to waste time going all the way to one of the hectic major studios." The assortment of teenagers and the single older gentleman collectively step foot into an average sized room overflowing with filming equipment. A green screen coats the back corner with high tech audio equipment surrounding the zone. A bunch of cameras, stage lights, and other indispensable trinkets needed for production embellish the room as well. The clan of heroes funnels into the tight media room and examine the various tools. Lati wastes no time and cuts quickly to the chase.

"So, what do you suppose would be the best way to go about your big announcement, Rio?" The costumed lass dives into the neural passageways of her mind to see what possible methods she could find.

"I have a suggestion," Banto interjects before Tae could even generate one option. Banto turns to Rohan for his advice, seeing as he'll be overseeing the whole affair. "If we are to make an impression on the public, I think this production needs to be recorded in real time." The added condition sprouts worry between the folks in the crowded room. Rohan nods his head and articulates the young boy's thoughts.

"You believe that a live showing will demonstrate to people that the information is unedited and truthful, right? That's a clever thought, Banto." Tae begins getting nervous about the showing; she never imagined that it would become this in depth. She looks away and starts touching one of the nearby pieces of equipment as the rest of the people in the room discuss the finer details.

"How would ya even make that happen?" Shina asks with some doubt. "Wouldn't ya need to broadcast it on a specific channel so people actually tune in to check it out? If we just fling it on a random number, no folks are gonna view it." Rohan takes the roadblock with a smug smile and explains to the feisty girl how they can make it happen. He tosses a glance over to his daughter who was equally astute to the solution. She gives her father a fruitful smile sharing her compliance with the strategy.

"Actually you see…" Rohan begins, glancing at a clock on the wall. "…My daughter here was already coming to my office today to for an interview about her modeling career. The timeslot is set for about an hour or so. I can get in contact with the interviewer and tell him that the special consultation is cancelled until further notice so that we can hijack the channel's broadcast vacancy. It's a popular midday entertainment network so lots of people tune in daily; it's sure to garner a wealth of attention." The group giddily hype themselves over the simple solution. Ling pipes up once more to make sure they get the job done.

"Well it's all on you Rio," he directs. "What kind of ridiculous scheme do you got brewing behind that monstrous mask of yours?" The avatar persists in picking at some wires along one of the camera setups, considering the many ways she could handle the situation. Tae ceases her fiddling with the nearby contraption and recalibrates her brain to offer a suggestion. She mulls over a great number of possibilities; a commercial where she heroically rescues citizens in peril, a dramatic speech where she swoops in to deliver some awe-inspiring quips, a musical number where she sings about the role of the Avatar in the modern era, et cetera. However, one piece of the puzzle remained absent; some quintessential factor that would convince everyone that her revelation would be taken seriously without fail. With the adaptation of special effects and video trickery, it's difficult for people to take things they see on the telebox or on mover screens 100% seriously. As such, Tae needed someone suitable to assist her.

"I have an idea," Rio begins with a deep, powerful utterance. "But in order to do it well, I'll need you to be in it too, Lati." The girl's eyebrows jitter with perplexity.

"You need me? What exactly for, if I may be so brazen?"

"You are arguably one of the most famous mover stars out there. People can easily recognize you from posters, books, magazines, movers and television. As you said, notoriety is a powerful thing. If you can help sell to the people the truthfulness of my presentation, people would be more inclined to trust me since they know you through association with your work. Plus, it'll make good publicity for you too!" The compelling argument impresses Banto, who feels as though Tae is slowly but surely becoming more and more fit to bare the title of Avatar; especially the part about helping Lati's career in the process. It doesn't take long after for Lati to make up her mind about the whole thing; she clasps her palms together and smiles gingerly.

"Of course I can assist you! We'll make people across the Earth Nation understand who you are." Tae nods and then with severe determination, says to Lati.

"Here's what we'll do..."

Roughly a half hour zips by and the crew was already setting up to film their thoroughly discussed project. The first job was to delegate the tasks so that the operation can run as smooth as a monk's shaved head. Ling was tasked with holding the boom microphone as his durable frame could handle the muscle strain. Banto was walked through a brief crash course on operating the buttons on the central terminal pad which activates the sound and light systems to ensure that everything would be on at the right times. Shina uses her steady hands to man the camera to keep the subjects center frame and looking fabulous. Rohan sits back in the director's chair and triple checks to make certain that everything is fully prepared to engage. With the okay signals from the film crew, Rohan calls out to the stars to ascertain their readiness. Lati stands center stage in front of the green screen, donning a beautiful dress that shows off her stunning figure and confident stance. She nods with a grin to display her eagerness. Tae was waiting offstage in the wings for her moment to enter, however her assurance was not as striking. The Avatar had never been a part of any sort of theater production of any kind and she was starting to get a little stage fright. She cups her hands together to still their chaotic shaking as she takes some heavy breaths before the filming begins. Tae gets lost in the preoccupations of her uncertainty, but is called to by a voice from behind the blinding theater lamps. Banto's shadowy figure waves wildly behind the control center as he whispers loudly to her.

"You'll be fine! Just speak your true feelings." The hushed aid helps Tae cool down a smidge. She backpedals to her original marked position in preparation for her unveiling. Lati glances over at her and provides her with additional assistance.

"Let's give them a show!" she mutters; the reassuring words easing the tense atmosphere instantly. Rio smiles beneath her iconic wardrobe and finally holds up her thumb to signal for the show to begin. Rohan notices the gesture and gives the final countdown. Tensions immediately build back up among every human being in the room as each number descends lower and lower like a bomb ready to burst. They were all dutifully aware that they had one shot in making this appearance stick. All they could hope is that their few, brief practice sessions would be enough to knock the performance out of the park. With the dropping of the sole remaining finger, the countdown was complete and the show was officially live.

"Good afternoon everyone!" Lati opens with her bubbly persona instantly stealing the show. A small catchy tune plays in the background courtesy of Banto's sound controls; providing a little extra flare to the opening segment. Lati proceeds, strutting around the condensed space to make her dialogue more approachable and casual. "Those of you tuning in may or may not be aware that I was scheduled for a little chat about my recent modeling performances. However…I have something a little more special to discuss today." The dramatic pause between her speech's segments had such a natural way of increasing the audience's excitement levels; the girl is definitely a professional. Tae, being the amateur she is, was severely nervous and uncomfortable for her upcoming introduction. Even though Lati was treating the situation like it's all in good fun, Tae knew just how much was riding on her making a lasting impression for the world. She quickly grabs her chest, feeling the angry tantrum of her heart beating on the inner cavities of her torso. Her breath was growing more and more uneasy and stagnated and her mind was running rampant.

Then, all of a sudden her brain regains its composure; her thoughts conjoin to a central memory that she recalled. Tae thinks back to her time in Ran-Wei, how everything she did was met with scolding or recommendations for improving. Her whole early life was a string of people promising that 'you'll get better someday'; an opinion that weighed on her each passing day. That's when it dawned on her. Like a student finally solving a daunting mathematical equation, her thoughts started to run clear and strong. Being the Avatar was her dream since day one; it's the one thing in her heart that she believed she was meant to do. Even if she's not perfect, Tae knows that she wants to do whatever it takes to make herself the hero she knows she can be. That motivation nudges her in the right direction, commanding her nerves to calm themselves. The Avatar is someone who does not back down from a fight. The Avatar is someone who does whatever it takes to protect the people of the world. This hurdle was one she needed to pass, no matter how intimidating it may be.

"I have a special guest with me in the studio today!" Lati continues, slowly raising her voice to build-up the grand reveal. She then stalls her increasing energy levels as she remembers that she's not the star this time. She shouldn't be the one to steal the Avatar's thunder. "…But, I think I should let her do the talking. Please welcome, Rio!" Banto smacks a button on top of an audio device to play a recorded sample of the gang all applauding; a little tool they prepared for their television shooting. The sound of the clapping hands, calls to Tae that it's her turn to shine. With her head pointed high and her body strong and formidable, she marches out into the camera's gaze and takes center stage. Lati scoots to the side as she herself gives the girl a quaint welcoming ovation. Tae faces forwards and lets her mind settle into the bizarre situation; one that the girl would never have seen herself being in. The mask helps keep the blinding rays from her eyes, which proves very beneficial given how unadjusted her eyesight was with spotlights. The Avatar stands her ground center stage right where the taped marker on the floor dictated her to position herself. All eyes focused on her, awaiting her to deliver the promptly prepared speech. Banto covers his mouth with his hand, anxious on behalf of his companion. Ling and Shina focus on their tasks but all equally share the same worrying sentiments. Tae was no longer scared though; she knew what needed to be done. Plus, most importantly, she was ready to have fun with it.

"Greetings citizens of all walks of life," she begins, magnifying her pretend voice to a new level of confidence and authority. "You may be asking yourself; who is this strange girl in the mildly fashionable stage show getup? Well, it's no exaggeration to say that I'm someone the world has been searching for, for a while now." The gang all listen to the girl as she boldly lets loose in front of the camera. Rohan and Banto look to the script and realize that Tae had completely abandoned the prepared speech. Yet, they couldn't help but be much more captivated by the words she was spouting instead. Lati smiles at the girl warmly just off camera; absolutely pleased by the girl's performance. Tae continues with extreme showmanship. "For you see people of the world. My name is Rio…I'm your new avatar." Even though everyone was secluded in the compact space with no eyes to the outside world, everyone could feel the effect those simple words had on the rest of the nation. They all listen in as Tae eloquently conveys the will she hopes to share with the rest of the planet.

"I know it's difficult to believe. People have been searching for me the minute Avatar Korra's unfortunate departure from this world became known. Understandably, I suppose I'll have to prove it for you all live on camera…" Tae gives an encore demonstration from the one she gave previously in Rohan's office. She spins her hand around and allows a tiny dancing ember bounce along the tips of her fingers. She then twists her hand to allow the fire to disperse in a gorgeous ring of fire. Tae then hold her hand up, clearly seeming like she was waiting for something. Shina was the first to catch on. With quick wit, she grabs one of her throwing knives and lobs it over to the girl. Tae reaches out to grab it smoothly, but unfortunately her klutzy disposition takes over. The blade bounces off of her hand and she scrambles to catch it out of the air. It juggles around for a little bit and the rest of the people in the room panic momentarily at the jumping weapon. The quirky girl recovers though; she swipes it out of the air eventually and begins levitating the knife above her hand. She even wipes her other hand around the circumference of the tool to display that there were no string involved; she was actually metal-bending it into a magical hover. With her magnificent recovery, she cockily utters a quip to the camera.

"As you can see; no strings attached; a simple combination of fire and earth-bending." She allows the blade to land snuggly into the palm of her hand. She flicks the blade over to her companion who catches it with incredible precision given that her face was still imbedded into the camera's optical end. Tae resumes her preaching with unfazed competency.

"Now, you may be wondering why I'm wearing this here mask. Honestly, I have a few reasons for doing so. But, the one I feel is most imperative is that it's to make a point that my identity is of no importance." Rio playfully tugs at the hood plastered to her head, reinforcing that she was not going to expose her true form; though also teasing the reveal somewhat for a little taunt to the audience. "As the Avatar, I of course want the world to be full of peace and compassion for humans, animals and spirits alike. But to do that, it's going to take more than just one central figure taking charge to make it happen. For me to be successful, I need everyone to be involved. Whenever you can, step in to do the right thing, behave in a way befitting a hero; play your part in surrounding the globe with nothing but peaceful bliss. This is why I don this mask; people need to understand that there isn't this one identifiable person out there with the key to our realm's issues. As the Avatar, I'm hoping we can all unify and work together to maintain balance in the world." The final exemplary point lands with stunned silence from the crowd. A moment hangs mercilessly as the inspiring words of the girl leave so much to think about. With her speech finished, Rio bows to the camera. "Thank you for your time, I look forward to serving you." With the conclusive finisher, she struts passionately offstage towards the wings. Lati drags herself away from the enlightening words and steps center stage to finalize the special broadcast.

"Thank you ever so much for being here with us Rio, I hope everyone out there listened carefully to those important words." Tae spins around and smiles to Lati who was gleefully beaming right back at her. The model then returns to address the camera for the ending message. "That's all we have time for unfortunately! I wish you all good fortune in making the world a better place. As a side-note, I'm going to do my part in bettering the world myself so sadly I will be away from the film industry for a little while. Fear not though! I will return once I feel that my contribution is fulfilled and I deem my efforts satisfactory. I hope to see you all out and about making strides towards greatness! Farewell for now!" With the sign-off from the famous figure, Banto cuts the camera footage and everyone plops their devices to the side. Almost on cue, everyone sprints over and surrounds Avatar Rio with nothing but immense praise and excitement.

"You completely killed it out there, Rio!" Ling compliments with a fist soaring high in the sky. "I don't know where you pulled that speech from but I nearly hurled that mic out of my hands from the sheer inspiration of your words!" Shina steps forward with a pleased head nod; producing her own brand of compliments.

"Gotta admit, I did not think ya had it in ya. That right there was one heck of a speech, love." Tae blushes from behind her mask at the kind words. However they were not done, Banto enters to convey his opinion.

"That surely will get people talking about you. That was very well done, Rio." The girl basks in the approval of her companion, she was so accustomed to him giving her advice in self-improvement that it was somewhat unnatural seeing him be so upfront with his praise without supplementary tips and tricks. Lati and Rohan inch inwards to deliver the final set of positive reinforcement.

"Oh my gosh, Rio! That was amazing! I don't even think I could adlib a whole rallying speech like that even if I was paid to do it!" the girl shakes Rio's hands excitedly, making Tae's entire body bounces around in place. The two giggle at each other for a job well done before Rohan brings the focus onto something different.

"So Avatar, it appears you may very well be the talk of the city for a little while. What are you going to do now?" Tae considers for a moment; it's true that she has essentially placed a massive target on her back now. Even with understanding the severity of that idea, she morphs her character voice into one of begging plea.

"Well…honestly, we don't seem to have any place to stay for the night…I don't suppose there's anyway you could find us a spot to lay our heads this evening?" She flicks her unobservable eyelashes in a childishly spoiled manner. Rohan gets a little caught off guard with the request; he raises a singular eyebrow so that it peeks just atop the rims of his spectacles. Lati steps in to add some extra support in the suppliant front.

"Oh daddy, we must let them spend the night at our place! We can't begin our journey all tired and exhausted, right?" The sweet talking of the girl wins the man over, along with some flutters of her eyelashes and noticeably quivering lips. He grumbles slightly about the unwelcomed addition of four teenagers spending the night at his house. However he digresses, and scratches his head as he submissively complies.

"Alright, I suppose you all can stay one night at our house, but just ONE alright?" The teenagers all leap about excitedly and dance around the room with kid-like exhilaration. Rohan chuckles lightly; realizing how soft he's gotten over the years. It's hard enough to say no to her kids, but refusing the Avatar along with a bunch of new friends for Lati is near impossible. He eventually holds a hand up to depart from the teenagers for now. "I have some business to finish up in my office. I'll get that sorted then be back at home to help get you all situated. I assume you'll meet back there later, sweetie?"

"Of course, daddy!" Lati replies happily. "Thank you again for being so understanding!" he smiles and exits the small media room. The band all gather close and enjoy the serene moment of accomplishing a big deed today while also getting a new teammate to boot. After a casual celebration, Ling speaks up.

"Oh! We should introduce Lati to our furry companion outside the city; feels like they should get acquainted before we depart. Plus, he's probably lonely; the big softy." Rio agrees with the notion but Banto notices one contingency.

"That's smart, but now with our broadcast, people will know who Rio is. We're not going to be able to sneak her out easily without people recognizing her." The ironic roadblock was laughably fitting given how stoked they were about the revelation. Tae's fingers trace along the mask's rounded edge, the detailing in the texture slithering betwixt her finger's pathway. Tae wonders if maybe she should have thought her position through more thoroughly before committing. Lati finally provides her input on the issue in lieu of the prolonged silence.

"Well if it's possible, can't she remove the mask briefly so we can move around undetected?" Banto turns to Tae who mentally considers alternative options. A minute or so garnered nothing so Tae decides that she should just accept going along with the flow for the time being. She doesn't stay mute for long and instead complies with the model's suggestion.

"Eh, we've been through a lot together already; I suppose it's only fair that you get to see my true self…" She carefully peels back the weighted layer from her face revealing her charming face, somewhat clammy from being locked under a shell for so long. Her faded freckles catch the light and nicely speckle her cheeks. Her pure heart is etched nicely in her endearing smile; her wavy hair tickling the corners of her mouth. She then formally reintroduces herself to the famed beauty. "My name is Tae, I feel like I've said this a lot already but please don't let others know about my identity; your father including if at all possible." The thought of keeping a secret from her own family was something that stung within Lati. As deceptively keen-minded as she is, lying to those she cares about is something difficult for her to swallow. Nonetheless, she understands that it's Tae's wishes and as such, she would never dare to act against those terms. She bows in her characteristically respectful manner.

"Of course, Tae!" she says agreeably. "That's a lovely name by the way. I wish I…" she hesitates to finish her own sentence. The bizarre stutter is very unlike Lati, so the others look at her with confusion. The actress thinks cryptically for a second before clocking back in to the strange expressions surrounding her. She laughs it off and swiftly changes the subject. "You know what, never mind. Let's meet this furry companion of yours! Just so you know I'm hoping it's a lemur." The gang chuckles at the completely incorrect guess.

"He's a tad heavier than a lemur…" Banto follows up. The group exits the tight enclosure with an extra spring in their steps. The assembly heads off outside the facility to check in on their badger—mole, assuming he isn't running around doing his own thing. As the doors shut behind them to the outside world, Rohan elevates up to his esteemed office, tucked away at the back end of the hall. He enters inside and quickly shuts the door behind him, allowing himself the privacy of his work space. He sits himself at his desk and lets out a loud sigh; unwinding from the unforeseen craziness that the day provided him. Once he relaxes a bit, he gazes over at his telephone, perched on a side table to right of his desk. He eyes it for a moment, considering deeply whether or not he wants to pick it up. A final gust of wind exits his nose as he picks himself up from his chair and snags the device from its receiver. He swiftly punches in a specific code and awaits an answer from the other line. Within seconds, a man's voice speaks from the phone's top speaker. Rohan taps his finger on the table as he provides vital knowledge to the disembodied voice.

"Hey Rotoru," the businessman softly converses into the communicator. "There's something I need to tell you. It's about your son; today he came to visit me…and he wasn't alone. He's currently traveling with the Avatar…"

Chapter 12: Shina's Story

The night after the team's broadcast went live; Lati drags everyone exuberantly to her comfy, picturesque residency. As per the accord, the gang was all compiled welcomingly into Rohan's admittedly average-sized household. The city domicile contained four bedrooms total; one for Rohan and Lati, a guest room, and a vacant bedroom seemingly uninhabited for some time. Even though the room itself was drained of any personal belongings, there were still posters and individualized furniture littering the area; notably feminine ones at that. Lati and Rohan naturally got their respite from their own rooms while the others had to squander the evening unloading their things and making themselves comfortable. Tae and Shina shared the unclaimed room for themselves; despite Shina's obvious distaste for the girly décor. Meanwhile, Banto and Ling would have to snuggle up in the guest room when bedtime rolls around.

The group all rejoiced in their triumphant performance with a grand feast for dinner, courtesy of Rohan's paycheck. Thankfully, the pantry and fridge were chock full of delectable treats that the gang wasted no time diving into. Even though Rohan's household didn't personify the typical air-bender monk image, all of the food was still vegetarian. Whether this was due to them wanting to cling to some remnants of their culture or just them preferring non-animal based cuisine was up to Team Avatar's imagination. The energetic teenagers gobble the grub up; leaving barely any opportunities for lofty discussions at the dinner table. After some soothing herbal tea, it took under an hour before everyone was ready to clock out under the moonlight. It was one of the few calming evenings the gang had since their initial departure. They all relished the moments where they could unwind from the endless trials awaiting them beyond the city limits. The squad cherishes the temporary peace; sadly it would prove to be a rarity continuing onwards.

The following morning drapes its ugly head above the slumbering heroes; a common source of turmoil that Tae especially needed to grow accustomed to. Luckily, they were all slowly adjusting to the timely rising of the sun and were up and ready to go at a decent hour. Banto was up earliest, jotting some more details of the adventure in his journal. Being in the home of a different loving family left him considering how he had left things with his own. His father practically shamed him out of the city, not even allowing him the decency to see his mother return from her networking excursion. Banto spent the early day replaying the difficult recollection on loop; the thorny feelings never quelling with each recurring countenance. Sooner or later, Ling finally snorts himself awake; his body rising up like a puppet yanked upwards by a marionette. Banto closes the notebook and turns to his shirtless companion staring out of the room clearly perplexed by the city streets wailing about outside. The symphony outside their current homestead was likely vastly different from what Ling was used to in his humble village.

"Rise and shine, buddy," Banto announces without a smidge of exhaustion in his voice. "Let's get a move on; we have a job to do." Ling scratches his back, barely peering past the minimal space between his eyelids.

"Ugh dude, no normal person should be this okay with being up at the crack of dawn..." Banto glances down at the device strapped to his wrist.

"It's mid-morning my friend," he bluntly informs. "Now come on, get some clothes on." He tosses a shirt to Ling who just groans and rolls himself to the floor like a tangled insect in a spider's web. As the boy's finally get to preparing for the morning adventure, the girls face a similar conundrum. Shina was sufficiently organized for the oncoming journey; ready and well-rested. Adversely, her companion known as the Avatar continues to shamelessly snore the daylight away. Shina was staring at a mirror for most of the morning, letting the black Varri-dye set in her hair to give it a fresh coat of shine. The bottle of hair color was one of the cans pilfered from the paint distribution center from her first encounter with Tae. The girl rests in a wooden chair, gazing at the bitter reflection in whispering irritation. The veins in her forehead pop as Shina thinks about their upcoming travel plan, clenching her muscles to an intense tightness. Once her hair was just about dried, Tae squirms out from underneath the covers to greet her prompt partner.

"Good morning, Shina!" the Avatar expresses warmly; trying hard to not let her voice crack from the morning's grip. "Ready to head to the capital city of the Earth Nation?" Shina makes an indiscriminate sound from her mouth resembling some semblance of a yes. The hazy answer was not suitable for Tae's bleary ears, so she presses the issue further. "Sorry, what was that? I'm still waking up so I'm practically deaf until I'm actually moving…" Tae proceeds to go on a tangent about mornings and the burden of not being an early bird. The continual rambling begins to aggravate Shina; for somebody claiming to not work well in the morning she was sure able to run her mouth. Shina rotates around and accidentally allows some of her emotions release.

"Yeah, Tae! Everythin' is just flawless, hon…" The answer was clearly a sarcastic cry for help, and one that the sleepy maiden did not require being fully awake to sense. She rises upwards and leans her back on the banister of the bed, looking curiously at her dark-haired associate.

"Shina, what's wrong? You're being incredibly grouchy. Did you sleep poorly? I dunno how you could, these mattresses are exquisite!" Shina sighs longwindedly and grabs her satchel from atop the desk in the room. She bitterly storms out of the room but takes an opportunity to add a bit of clarity to her conduct.

"I just don't wanna waste time loungin' around. Let's get this mission over with…" She then opens the door out of the room and closes it toughly behind her. Tae blinks with momentary confusion, letting the slam echo along the bedroom furnishings. She knows that Shina usually has a tough attitude, but the way she was acting now was unacceptable. It was a shift in personality that Tae was not a fan of. It's one thing to be crabby in the morning; it's another to be downright bad-tempered and unapproachable. Alas, the jade-eyed girl decides to place those thoughts on the backburner in favor of preparing for the trip. Even if Shina was somewhat rude, she was right that they needed to get moving.

All of the teenagers congregate to the cozy living room, including Tae who was once again masked in her Rio manifestation. They all make sure that they have their bags and acquired goods from the city's market and shops. With everything in place, they all graciously thank Rohan for his hospitality. He shrugs it off saying that they rarely get visitors so it was a delightful change of pace. With the agreeable mentality, the group all wave him goodbye and exit the dwelling. The front door closes sensually behind them; providing a suitable moment for Tae to take some strides away so she could remove her mask and hood. She noticed that Rohan began working with some business documents as they leaved, meaning he likely wouldn't leave closely behind them and learn about Rio true identity. Even still, the Avatar couldn't very well be seen casually sneaking around the city either; she needed to practice extreme caution.

Speaking of which, the band of younglings listen closely to the babble of passerby's as they head for the city limits. To their surprise, tons of folk were already talking about the peculiar broadcast from the day before. The five heroes listen closely as the jibber jabber about Rio's remarkable debut was discussed thoroughly throughout the streets.

"Did you see that bizarre television special yesterday? What in blazes was that all about?"

"The Avatar is really back? I thought for sure that there wasn't going to be another after Korra given what happened…"

"Who do you think she is? She would have to be a little less than 20 years of age, right?"

"A mysterious teenager donning a mask…it really sounds like something from a mover! I wonder if it's really just some publicity stunt by Lati's producers to foreshadow one of her upcoming films."

The comments spiral around everyone's head like a swarm of locusts. Each sliver of banter illustrates just how divisive their television product made the townspeople. It seemed like nobody had a clear understanding of the scenario, and many others tried to debunk it or rationalize it as a hoax by the film industry. Even after their hard work, creating believers out of everyone in the nation wouldn't be a casual stroll through the park. Thankfully though, since the nearby onlookers were so preoccupied by the impromptu video recording, Team Avatar could easily slip Lati out of the city undetected with the additional assistance of her hooded outfit.

Once the gang breached the outer limits of Gale City, they all mosey over to the spot where they had left Bentley to his own musings. Scarily, the beast was nowhere in sight, leading the group to worry if something terrible had happened to him. Tae did not panic right away, instead she loudly belts a melodic tune; turning her body to propel the sound in all directions. Within a minute or two, the ground rumbles vigorously and a massive brown animal unearths from the grassy hill. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief; they wouldn't have been able to manage losing their primary source of transportation.

With the worries dispersed, the group hit the road in no time flat. Everyone stows their luggage in one pile, tied down by one of the chains circling the creature's torso. Fortunately, badger-moles have sturdily flat back allowing for their goods to stay in place with negligible need to holster it down. Plus, it makes the ride easier by not having to constantly squeeze Bentley's sides to remain onboard. Everyone topside focuses their time on doing their own things for a little while. Shina was sharpening her blades once more, still maintaining her scowl from the morning's spat. Tae was also keeping to herself for once, reading one of her books from her library back home. It was an informative textbook providing an overview of Ba Sing Se's history along with describing the current culture and customs of the city. Ling was lying around just taking in the relaxing sway of the ride along the craggy terrain. Lati was filing her nails, every so often peeking upwards and taking in the splendor of the environment. Finally, Banto was spending his time tinkering with his handheld time keeper. He was using some of the spare parts he pocketed with him to fiddle with the inner mechanisms of the tool. All of a sudden, he blurts out:

"Finished!" The group all turns their ears to the boy with Tae breaking from her studying to scoot over to Banto's sitting area. She makes sure not to folly; wouldn't want to accidentally kick some of the small nuts and bolts littered around his workspace.

"What did you finish, Banto? Finally created a device to give you a less ridiculous hairstyle?" Banto shoves the girl forcibly, nearly sending her barreling off of the Bentley's side. Lati giggles at their playful tomfoolery before the fire-bender grants the actual purpose of his enthrallment.

"I finally made the finishing touches to my handheld timekeeper! I managed to program a timer in its interface that can dictate how much time passes once this little knob here is prodded." He gestures to his contraption proudly, pinpointing the aforementioned knob placed snuggly on the watch's circular border. Tae nods intrigued, but Banto was not satisfied with his explanation so he proceeds further. "You see, when I click this button the device will make a ticking sound for each second, and then once I'm inclined, I push it again and these tiny bulbs with illuminate to tell me how much time passed. It's pretty amazing huh!?" The boy's thrill knew no bounds. Tae agrees with the boy and grabs his wrist to examine all of the little machinery in the compact frame. Lati slides over elegantly to take a peek as well, smiling widely at the incredible feat.

"Wow, Banto, this is incredible! I didn't know you were an inventor!" Banto scratches his head with rosy cheeks and elaborates.

"Well, I wouldn't say that…handheld clocks and timers are already existent in the current database of technology. However, combining them into a miniscule device such as this has not been done before; not to this extent anyway." He ganders fondly at his precious apparatus, letting the sun bounce off of the copper casing. After his soulful appreciation, he speaks further. "Though, one day I do hope to make something entirely new. A monumental breakthrough that's never been invented before! I'm not sure what I'll be able to accomplish but I already have some blueprints in my satchel for further ideas. Here's hoping I can successfully develop something unique and inspiring!" Lati pumps her fists to match the boy's evident passion about his hobby. Tae kindly smiles, enjoying the childish glow Banto gets whenever he's talking about the things he finds fascinating. It's an innocent type of glee that is relatively rare to find nowadays so the young girl always appreciates seeing it spread across her friend's face. Tae peeks over at Shina who had resumed fortifying her weapons once the boy ceased his gratuitous explanation. Tae frowns, feeling that Shina doesn't care about things of no interest to herself.

Nonetheless, Bentley marches onwards with everyone continuing to do miscellaneous activities separately from each other. Banto switches over to scribbling in his journal having finalized his mechanical accessory. Tae was currently letting Lati take the head seat atop Bentley, which greatly excited the model. She repeatedly adulates how good of a boy Bentley is and gives him light strokes along the base of his forehead. The creature unleashes a couple of softly pleased grunts in response. Tae's inner theory is that Bentley is enamored with Lati seeing how uncharacteristically vocal he is whenever she speaks to him. Either that or her melodic, sweet-sounding voice is just pleasant for his ears; not sure which. Shina was now lying down and resting her eyes for a little while, letting her body actually relax for once. Ling himself was resting for a big portion of the journey westward but now he rises to his knees with an extravagant stretch of his arms. He leans over and picks up his circle flute from the bundle of luggage piled next to him. He licks his lips to moisten their fronts and proceeds to blow delicately into the central hole of the device.

Ling carefully plays a calmingly pleasing melody; a beautiful song that he had learned when he was young. He lightly fingers the orifices surrounding the ringed instrument, skillfully transitioning between each resonating note. The rest of the team members; excluding Shina, all turn away from their random tasks and gaze at the boy's incredible playing. Even Bentley bounces his head to the enjoyable tune of the spontaneous symphony. As the musically inclined lad produces a follow-up song, Shina restlessly tosses and turns in the patch of fur she was lying prone in. Her agitation creeps along her insides until eventually the nagging itch releases itself out of the blue.

"Hey, bard boy!" she hisses uncouthly. "Would ya mind playin' your little concert another time? Some folk wanna actually get some rest to not be a bleary mess when walkin' around the capital." She rolls back over, facing away from everyone. Ling lowers his instrument, completely deflated. The rest of the group fall silent and decide not to prod the sleeping beast anymore; except, of course, for one characteristically tenacious girl. Tae leaps up from attentive sitting pose and brashly nears the tetchy swordswoman.

"Hey, what the heck is your deal!?" she snaps angrily, waving her arms around like an airline marshaller reeling a cargo plane homeward. Shina stirs slightly and responds passively, attempting to quash the conversation quickly. She doesn't even face the girl as she retorts.

"What do ya mean hon?" she questions bitterly. "I just wanted some peace and quiet to sleep some. Didn't need Spikey hair over there whistlin' in my ears all mornin'." Tae's fury grows with each snarky comeback; her fists clench as she forces the next words through her gritted teeth. Lati and Banto remain silent as the bickering exponentially rises in intensity.

"Not that! You've been moody and rude for a while now and every time I try to ask about it, you avoid the topic or say it's none of my business. Well guess what; the way you're acting is making it my business!" Shina listens carefully to the girl's words and her mouth starts to shake a bit. She had never heard the typically bubbly girl get so furious; it was actually quite frightening. Tae lets her upsetting attitude simmer a bit before she continues. "I know you've been against going to Ba Sing Se for a while now… It's not hard to tell that this trip is bothering you. That's why we need you to tell us what's happening. No more avoiding the topic Shina; what is wrong?"

The black haired girl's horizontal figure moves nary an inch initially. She wracks her head in a pitiful attempt to figure out some way out of disclosing her past. Unfortunately, it was clear that Tae was out for blood; she couldn't wiggle her way out of this one. With maximum reluctance, Shina unearths slowly from her shallow grave. She stares emotionlessly off the side of their transporter for a couple minutes, processing every moment of her life like a coiled roll of film being rapidly unwound. Her breath shakes in a completely pitiable way; her display of weakness being a sight rarely seen by the naked eye. With harsh contemplation, the girl recounts every instance of her horrible life starting from when she was a child.

Within the inner ring of the capital city resides a sizeable storefront, at least in comparison to the other shambled hovels nearby. The muggy atmosphere of the neighborhood was near inhospitable, especially with the overpopulation plaguing the grimy streets. During the daytime, many Earth Nation children frolic around the vicinity partaking in simple diversions with the other poverty-stricken families around. To a lot of kids, the bearable circumstances were the only concept of normal they had; most assumed the lowly environment was all they would ever see.

When daylight hours were in operation, the aforementioned shop functioned as a metalwork facility. The cabinets and display units proudly showcase an array of different iron tools, basic silverware and other metallic ornaments and trinkets. The building was not very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it was a useful locale for obtaining refined equipment. With the popularization of metal-bending over the decades, most non-bending metalworkers went out of business since lots of people took advantage of their bending abilities to conduct every-day labor. Because of that, merchandise encompassing standard equipment like the examples described became very cheap; meaning most private businesses got abysmal compensation from their products. Because of this, the proprietors of this specific establishment formulated a new method for making ends meet.

A gangly looking couple relaxes at the front desk of their store. The man, named Hulon, has a thick mustache coating his upper lip with a polo shirt and khaki pants. The articles themselves were incredibly affordable, allowing the owner to let grease, soot and other questionable debris all over the front of his outfit without worry. The man also has a lit cigar hanging from his mouth like a candy bar, which he frequently relights with a small steel lighter that he keeps on hand at all times. The woman, called Jaymalin, is a frightening dame with dark-brown hair swirling down the sides of her face laced with sweat. She dons a simple dress that has become discolored from years of service in their merchant's quarters. She scrubs the countertop with a dreadfully tattered rag, hoping to scoop up any remaining filth from its surface. Not a single other soul exists within the splintering hide of the structure, allowing the mercantile owner to speak openly.

"We should be expectin' a big pay tonight, hon," the burly chap mentions in a gruff, unfriendly tone. The woman briefly steadies her arm to receive further information.

"Is that true, love?" the woman inquires. "Are we finally gonna get rid of those antique doodads takin' up space in the attic?" The man grunts, taking his cigar and tapping the ashes out on the floor behind the vending stand.

"Yeah, they arranged to meet a little ways south. Said they're not gonna travel all the way here for some fraudulent weaponry…" The man rises to his feet inelegantly and lets out a strained groan as he straightens his back. He points his stubby thumb to a door centered in the far corner of the store. "I'm gonna go check on the girl. If anyone's lookin' to haggle, wait until I come back downstairs, yeah?" The woman waves him off, signaling that they've done this many times before and she knows the drill. The man's feet pound against the spruce floor as he waddles over to the forbidden staircase tucked away behind a grody doorway. The man begins ascending the creaking incline, stomping loudly enough for the whole neighborhood to notice.

The second floor of the building was a room of vital importance to the business. While the downstairs houses common equipment and accessories, the upstairs was overflowing with something far more nefarious. Boxed and shelved throughout the musty loft were countless types of weaponry ranging from ancient relics to modern sabers still utilized today. There was no style of weaponry unaccounted for; it had its swords, spears, and mallets along with its bows, knives and staffs. To top it off, many crates of rolled up parchment filled the farthest wall, all inked with calligraphy and instructional drawings for proper use of the described artifacts.

While the day hours were for standard, legal labor tools and knick-knacks, the night was when the older couple covertly sells the dangerous supplies that they hide in their attic. Most citizens only know about their daytime stock where they can flat-out purchase their goods or even trade with the owners. More ornately decorated weaponry was fairly common for this as the couple had a good eye for discerning price points and always found a way to make a profit from trades. Dai Li guards patrol most areas but the lower ring is so crowded and dense that lots of prohibited transactions can occur without fret. The acquired weapons would be refined by the shop owners or metal-bent back into good condition using Hulon's abilities for redistribution in their shop. At night, the pair would load their questionable products into their vehicle and drive it to an undisclosed area where they arrange to barter the items for a hefty price. Typically, they haul it off to different known entryways in the underground labyrinth beneath the city; a combination of sewer systems, crystal catacombs, and imprisonment chambers from the old Queen Hou Ting's air-bending army. The complex series of tunnels along with Hulon's earth-bending made secretly navigating the abandoned locals easy, giving them sneaky access outside the city without alerting the patrol towers along the outer wall. It was, however, tiring work, but the couple needed the money and they enjoyed the thrill of the frowned upon profession.

Within their treasure room of dubious products sits a feeble girl with very lengthy, auburn hair draping past her shoulders. The girl's frame was rigid and unhealthy, her skin as pale as Kyoshi warrior's face paint. She sits on the cold, uncomfortable floor with one of the knives from the shelves in her hand. It was one of the rare ornate blades with a handle encrusted with expensive gemstones and polished carvings. She holds the sharp cutlery to the dim light bulb above her head admiring the radiant color from the petite jewels. She gets so captivated by their shimmer that she neglects to hear the shopkeeper's footsteps until it was already too late.

He uses the key tethered around his belt to quickly unlock the door, jiggling the rusty doorknob to forcibly shove the worn-out door wide open. Shina jumps at the sudden entry and manically scrambles to hide the expensive weapon. However, the man already detected her hoarding and angrily glares at the frail child.

"What are ya doin' there girl?" he interrogates with a creepily hollow voice. Shina stares at the floor with all of her attention, shaking uncontrollably as the man stomps over and hovers over her tiny body. He harshly takes hold of the child's wrist and yanks the hand out in front to reveal the knife she attempted to stow away. She lets out a small squeak as her limb cracks from her joint popping. He rips the cutting edge form her puny hands and shakes it wildly in front of him. "I told ya, never take anything from this room ya hear?" The man raises his voice to a volume that sends Shina into a shivering panic. She nods to the man's orders without looking up from the floorboards. The man puts the weapon on a high shelf and rabidly trudges back to the first floor. The girl remains in her place, unwilling to act, unable to traverse the small space she calls home, completely unnerved to the point of tears.

The relationship between the girl and her 'guardians' was like this ever since she was brought into the world. Her mother and father, Hulon and Jaymalin, were both shrewd adults who only really cared about themselves. They lived in the abominable horror that is the lower ring their whole life. Due to the hazardous environment it made them very cold and distant from those around; all they had to look forward to each day was making money to spend on the little enjoyments in life. Typically, that consisted of cigars for Hulon and little collectibles, clothing or jewelry for Jaymalin. At some point, they were blessed with a non-bending young girl as their child; Shina. Originally, they planned on having a child to help around the store and assist in their deliveries around Ba Sing Se. But, when they received a feeble, scrawny girl without any special abilities to make the labor easier; they quickly shifted their view and started seeing her as an unhelpful burden. As she aged, the parents seemed to only be nastier and nastier to her, refusing to let her go out if there were still chores to accomplish. Whenever it became nightfall, they would lock her in her 'bedroom' so she didn't run away, leaving her alone with the metallic instruments to be her only companions under the moon's glow. The relationship made her childhood an inescapable trap that she was unable to break herself out of.

One day, a particularly distinguished guest came into the store. A relatively wealthy man from the middle ring found himself in their domain and needed a couple of tools to fix his Sato-mobile, which was broken down a little ways from the store. The couple's usual grouchy and uninterested demeanor flipped in a second's glance. They became incredibly friendly and conversational, showing the man around the story and highlighting the antiques for sale and demonstrating the competency of the tools in their establishment. Shina listened to them bustle around from her room, hearing how strangely uppity they were being with the gentleman. It's unclear what came over her that day, but Shina's curiosity took hold of her and she wanted to see what was happening on the first floor.

Unprompted, she creaks the door open slowly and tip-toes down the stairwell with a cautionary gaze at the door. Once in earshot, she carefully pushes the mangled exit inwards and examines the surroundings. She saw her usually depressive and unruly parents acting in an uncharacteristically serviceable way. Shina couldn't believe their behavior; the sight was so alien to her that she kept watching.

"Sir, if you come right over here, you can see we have a lovely assortment of ratchets and wrenches," Jaymalin rattles off, her hands caressing each mantelpiece as if they were constructed of fragile glass. "If you need smaller parts, we have supply closets and purchasable toolboxes that should have what you…" The woman trails off upon noticing the girl peeking out from behind the attic's doorway. While the man was busy examining the merchandise that Jaymalin was showing off, the alarmed woman sends a gesture to her husband who was just walking around the corner from one of the other aisles. She forces his gaze over towards the stairwell, silently conveying that there was an issue. Hulon darts his head at the door just as it was closing from Shina trying to escape back to her room. The man immediately gets furious; his insolent daughter was once again disobeying him. The reason the situation was so dire is because the couple couldn't afford to have a man, especially one with clout, go exploring their upper floor to see all of their contraband stashed in their loft bedroom. He quickly patches a presentable falsity to his facial expression with a spurious smile as he shortly addresses the notable customer.

"Pardon me for a minute, good sir. I'm going to search through our excess storage upstairs for any additional tools for your convenience." The man nods as he continues to check around the tool boxes along a distant sill. Hulon then makes his exit and sprint back up the stairs to the attic. When he busts the door in, he sees Shina lying on her cot pretending to read one of her very few children's stories her parents had bought her. She couldn't contain her suspicious behavior unfortunately; she continuously folds the cover to the side to witness her father as he storms over to her. He grabs her unapologetically by the ear, nabbing a handful of hair strands in the process. He tugs her upright and begins berating her quietly as she squirms in pain.

"What is your problem, Shina!?" the man barks, dumfounded by her despicable actions. "I give ya a few simple rules to follow and you can't even manage those. Ya really shouldn't be this stupid, Shina; this is why ya always wind up getting' hurt…" He shakes his head and throws her down onto her sleeping mat. The girl looks up with tears forming in her eyes as the man finishes his thoughts out loud. "Honestly, you're not even worth my time. Ya don't got the strength to even handle a little tough love without weepin'. Pathetic…" He shrugs nonchalantly and strolls off towards the stairs like nothing of importance occurs. Before closing the exit door, he turns and utters one final phrase. "Do what your best at; sit quietly and be of no significance."

The outlet slams with a muffled screech and the room once again only holds the young girl and her dangerous toys. She perches stilly on her concrete-like pillows and stares aimlessly at an empty spot in the room. The hurt captive's body acted as a statue for what seemed like an hour at least; every physical section tensed to the point of paralysis. Her mind rushes with too many thoughts and opinions that her that it gets overwhelmed; her contemplation fizzles out before anything of value could form. She switches gears; she begins to think about something that's vital to every person's development. She looks deep inside and for once asks herself about who she really is.

Ever since she was a toddler she just listened to her parents, not knowing better. She rarely spoke, rarely acted; simply experienced the thing around her without any feedback. One day, she would try to take small liberties around the residency or throughout the storefront and was met with scolds and physical punishment. The terrible way of living became so normal that she never bothered to question its reason for being so awful. Finally, she decided to consider an alternative.

When watching her parents try so desperately to impress the wealthier gent with their smooth talking and persuasive sales pitch showed her that countless people do things in their life against who they are in reality. They pretend to be someone else for the eyes of people that they deem influential enough that it's necessary.

"Well what about me?" the girl wonders. "Am I pretending to be someone that I don't have to be?" With that possibility etched in her mind she thinks back to the monstrous insults chucked at her prior. Everyone constantly chides her claiming she's weak, pitiable, and unable to do anything; just a massive burden brought to life to have no power in the world. Well, maybe those opinions are unfounded. Shina mulls over the notion that she doesn't have to be the brittle girl that they claim she's only capable of being.

With the newfound motivation and self-referential guidance, the girl finally in the first time in her life takes a stand for herself. She stands up on her two scrawny legs and examines her room with acquired persistence. She realizes that her chamber is the perfect quadrant for her to take action. With the instructional scrolls and the countless types of weapons available, she had everything she needed to prove her strength to the world.

From there, the girl spent every night studying and memorizing the different techniques and methodologies outlines in the paper tablets. She would read and reread each document making sure she fully grasped the words scribbled cryptically along its body. Since she was busy with frivolous errands during the sunshine, she was only able to do her training while her folks were out making their trades in the dead of night. With each slamming of the front door to the house, she would await the quiet sound of their car's engine drift away before getting to work.

Once the reading portion of the practicum was covered, she then directed her focus on actual physical training with the weapons themselves. It didn't matter what type, how big or how small, Shina spent every hour she was home alone to train and master each deadly weapon until she was confident enough in her skills with them. The whole routine became second-nature; even though it took months to learn each weapon's inimitable skill set, it made her feel something for once; something new. The way each tool felt in her grip, the weight of their frames hoisted in the air, every aspect of them was something that filled her with fascination and passion. It seemed for a while, that she finally was living a life; she was finally being significant. Then one night, a massive wrench was thrown in her furtive arrangement.

One particularly rainy evening, Shina was furthering her regiment uninterrupted as usual. About a week before, she transitioned away from weaponry and focused on basic martial art combat. This was around the time she also tried her hand at mastering chi-blocking, a useful technique for one much physically weaker than a lot of others. She was amidst her artifacts, practicing landing potent strikes on a leather suit of armor that she mounted on a chair to act as an opponent. Due to her being approximately 11 years of age, her tenacity and durability were still lacking so within a few stinging jabs she would need to rest her hands. Even so, she proceeded to pass the night honing her self-taught battle performances without a day of rest; any strain she got from the training was nothing compared to what she had already endured.

That night, her parents were supposed to be out to meet another trade offer; this one farther outside the city's limits. Realistically, they would have been out for a couple of hours rendezvousing with the client. However, after they drove off to one of the tunneled mazes, their vehicle got hydroplaned by the tumultuous weather. Their vehicle spun out and got smashed in the fender, knocking something loose making it out of commission. Hulon and Jaymalin were fuming from the damages; they were just getting by with the little money they had and now they would need to pay for repairs and new parts. Before they could truly worry about all of that though, they primarily needed to get their black market weaponry out of their car and back to the home, lest a Dai Li agent or security officer catch wind of their crash to come investigate. With great haste, they grab the bulky metallic swords and wrap them in a blanket to carry them back to their store.

Before long, they make it back to the house; damp, bitter and sore from lugging the pronged blades across the alley streets. They briefly spill the tools out on the table with a sigh and catch their breath for a second. But, during that intermission, they hear what sounds like grunts and banging noises coming from the second floor. The soaking wet couple stares at each other with confusion, then unanimously decide to inspect the reasoning for the unnatural noises. With controlled anger, they quietly patrol the staircase before reaching their daughter's massive room.

They ease the door open and witness a sight that substantially incensed them far beyond what their minor car collision procured. With a weapon and hand, a sprawled scroll on the side table and a practice dummy in use; it was all too evident what was happening. Out of the many rules the parents gave their child, taking advantage of their absence to play pretend with the dangerous items was one that need not been said. The forbidden action should be so obviously unacceptable that she wouldn't even consider doing it. Yet, Shina surprised them both by brazenly swinging a notable metallic staff around with excellent precision.

"What the heck do ya think your doin'!?" the father screams, completely throwing the girl off guard. She whirls around and bulges her eyes at the unpredictable sight of her infuriated family members eyeing her like a Shirshu ready to incapacitate its weakened prey. Normally, Shina would hone in to the sound of her guardians' arriving vehicle to signal her completion of her training session. However, since they returned home on foot, Shina was woefully unaware of them entering the homestead. She tenses her body as she figures out the proper words to exclaim, but every memory of them abusing her flashed in her mind to quash any lingering confidence she had. She remains still, trying desperately to formulate a potential solution to the current problem but nothing was appearing before her. Before long, the mother stepped forward to reprimand her.

"So… this is what you've been up to…" Jaymalin hisses, approaching her daughter with cold, unhinged calmness. Shina retreats back with each advancing step. "We go out to make money so we put food on the table, and our own daughter decides to betray our kindness by playin' around with our merchandise, creating the potentiality of damagin' the goods. How dissapointin'…" Hulon approaches next with his hands balled with fury.

"We made it absolutely clear, Shina…" he begins, raising his voice an octave higher than typical. "You are not to touch anything that's not yours! You are to finish your chores and then stay out of our business, do you understand?" The words felt like a burn from a fire-bender, each outburst like a singe to her flesh. The man stomps towards the girl and grabs hold of her arm like usual. "You're going to be severely punished for disobeyin' our instructions…" It had been a while since she got disciplined; she had been so focused on her self-betterment that she was able to be more agreeable with chores and listening well. Now, she was once again being physically overpowered, just so she could be belittled once more. Well, that's not going to stand anymore.

Shina brings her grabbed arm inwards and pushes strongly back against the hand wielding her wrist. The man's grip strength diminishes and Shina was freed as a result. The man gapes in shock before turning red with anger once more. For the first time in her life, Shina speaks back against her parents and freely showcasing her true feelings.

"No, pops!" she shouts back with her own raging fury building within her. "I'm not gonna sit back and let ya treat me like a tool to smack around whenever ya please!" She stands her ground and keeps her body upright. She tightens her grasp on her staff and glares at her antagonistic family members. The mother steps forward from the other end of the room and cries out.

"You horrid, disobedient girl! You are supposed to sit quietly and do as you're told!" The father chimes in with his own interpretation.

"Do ya really think you're strong enough to go against our will, daughter?" the man furrowed brow lifts up temporarily to create space for his gaping grin. "You are nothin'. This tantrum of yours is just gonna get ya hurt. Now simmer down and let go of the weapon, now." The girl's mind races with branching paths for her to traverse. She considers the obvious threat befalling her, knowing what's to come if she doesn't comply. But, she also realizes that if she does nothing now, she will be stuck living a life of silent agony and critical sadness. Besides, all of her training was meant to be for her; why not put it to use for once?

Without missing a beat, the girl smacks the staff to the side, just skimming the man's nose as he leans back to evade the attack. The man curls his fist and beckons one of the metallic weapons into his hand using his elemental abilities. He grabs a long sword and moves on the offensive; Shina's resentment peaks seeing her father rushing her with a weapon meant to maim. He takes a couple of frantic, unpolished swings which Shina easily evades or blocks with her platinum weapon. The two have a back and forth exchange of swinging attacks, all being blocked or dodged with frightening closeness. The mother watches from the side, unsure how to handle the unfixable situation. Eventually, the girl uses her small height to slide underneath one of the man's stronger swipes, and smashes the lower section of his back with the staff sending him to the ground in pain. The main groans and clutches his spine; a tear peeks out from beneath his lashes. The mother sees her husband's pain and reacts instinctively and protectively.

"You mangy rodent!" she shrieks, whipping her hands in the air. With the contorting limbs, the water on her and her husband's body all melds together into a moderately sized liquid glob that levitates in the air. She turns it into a crescent shape, preparing for a follow-up attack to punish the girl's violent misbehavior. "You've always been nothing but trouble!"

Jaymalin slides her hands through the air, causing the water to flow into a moist cord shape. With a calculated thrust, the stream pierces the dusty space towards the girl. She rolls to the side and leaps onto her chair. She uses her knowledge of the equipment's organization to swiftly locate some throwing knives on a high shelf. She turns and throws them at the woman who easily swats them away with her water. Jaymalin acts accordingly and shoots a second tentacle of water which manages to snag Shina's ankle. She bends the extremity and tosses the girl into a pile of boxes off to the side causing a loud thud. The woman pants; she clutches her jeweled necklace in hopes that she was down for the count. Shina was not out of the running however; the combat only heightened her moxie.

"I'm not gonna let ya keep me here to be your servant!" Shina leaps into the air with her staff and throws it like a javelin at the woman. She ducks with feverish panic, letting the pole smack into the back wall with a resonant bang. She turns back towards the girl to see she'd already escaped the cubicle wreckage and was already closing in. She throws out an aerial kick; only nicking the woman's fleeing shoulder. The skimming hit does throw her off balance, which gives Shina her golden opportunity. She rushes her mother and with remorse, hams her knuckles all over the water-bender's body. The powerful jabs make her yelp in pain as she collapses to the ground, fully unable to move.

Shina takes deep breaths as she examines her mother's debilitated form resting on the wooded expanse. The woman struggles and punches the air, aiming to fire a final spout of water at the girl. Alas, no malleable geysers of water form; Shina's chi-blocking was a success. She looks down at her disarmed foe, the first victory she'd ever felt. The blinding relief distracts the girl for a second, just moments before her keen instincts click back in. She senses movement behind her and attempts to bend her back forwards to evade an incoming attack. Hulon had recovered from his aching back pain and used one of the knives Shina had thrown to scratch the child's back, leaving a painful gash slitting across the base of her spine. She wallows loudly at the scaring slice, making her drop briefly to her knees. Her staff shrinks down in front of her while she uses her newly freed hands to pad the wound. The man makes use of the interlude by rising to his feet and grabbing his back with pain. He stumbles forwards and looks down on the girl, her shirt intensely cut through and her back bleeding from his attack.

"I told ya before Shina," he mutters, out of breath. "You are weak. You are nothing." The girl's feeling of suffering immediately vanishes like it hadn't existed before. The injury's disabling bind no longer had an effect as Shina turns around on the floor to face her father. She grits her teeth with a low growl and proudly announces.

"No I am not!" With that, she snags the staff and extends it quickly directly into the underside of the man's chin. His legs jiggle around as he falls over onto his back; a bellowing slam wiggles a few nearby storage boxes. He lets out a groan from his previous back injury and looks up at his daughter standing overhead. His eyes were no longer pulsating with anger or seething animosity, they now only displayed fear. The girl did not care; she lifts the rod overhead and brings it down on the man's cranium. The loud clanging noise was insufficient; the girl had a lot of pain to return from the years of punishment. She takes multiple whacks at different parts of his body, creating an intricate pattern of bruises all along his arms and legs. Each smack echoes across the silent house, ringing past the confines of their wooden barricades. After a while, Shina finally ceases her aggravated assault, letting the staff drop to her feet as she breathes heavily. She recovers and glances over at her mom; face full of terror and disgust.

"You are a monster…" she barely whispers out, viewing the battered remains of her husband who was thoroughly knocked unconscious from the onslaught of blows. Jaymalin eyes her beaten partner and turns back to her daughter who was equally shaken by the consequences of her attack. Shina's harrowing face nearly shatters from the sight of her father in shambles on her bedroom floor. Shina's mother utters the conclusive warning; the last words she could muster from the evening's events. "You will pay for what you've done. I will let every section of security know of this attack today. They will lock you up for good." Shina's eyes vibrate wildly from the words of her mother; the thought of being captured once again to live in captivity was something Shina could not let happen. Without thinking, Shina relies on her reflexes to command what she needed to do. She picks up the staff, along with a couple of other weapons and rushes to her bedside. She snags her satchel which was typically filled with tools for her chores, and sprints past her victimized guardians writhing on the floor. Shina never looks back; she simply snags a couple of essential items from the shop and escapes into the downpour from the heavens. The door slams shut one final time as the water droplets pour down the hinges.