Niu slurped up more noodles and tofu and steamed vegetables as he listened. A car honked faintly from the distance; he wondered what provoked that. He nodded at the man's compliment. "I can't deny it, there's a lot of violence working in the force. But it isn't why I became an officer. Though I admit when I was a kid, the shiny armor and jumping out of airships was a bit selling point." Niu couldn't help but laugh, knowing well children's amazement at the floating blimps. They always seemed to look to the sky at the wondrous ships.

"I joined mainly because I was tired of just chasing crooks off. I wanted to lock them away where they wouldn't be given the chance to just try again another day." Niu nodded and sipped his tea. "That's very noble of you," he stated. He ate the rest of the noodles in the bowl, noodles slipping in large sheets into his mouth, and then set it aside to bring forward the third and final. He also requested his tea refilled.

The officer continued on about bodyguard work. Niu had little to say about it. It was part of the past now, and as Niu liked to say, Time passes. Still, Lei asked a question. "So what got you into doing bodyguard work anyway, before you decided to go all factory worker and all?"

It wasn't a question Niu liked to answer, but it always seemed to come up. He stole a few moments by taking a drink of his now-full, steaming cup, and set it down gently. The solemn lines of his face were distinct, but he smiled nonetheless. "I was a ward of an earthbending school in the city," he said, not untruthfully. "One day there was a request for a bodyguard, and they picked me as the most able. They said it was because I had sharp eyes."

There the truth was bent, but Niu hunched over his noodles and took another bite. He swallowed and continued. "I don't know about that," he said with a chuckle, "but that's how it was. I was there for fifteen years before they found someone younger, stronger, and cheaper." He leaned over his bowl again, hiding his frown with noodles.

Ryoku was in the heart of Republic City, downtown midst the the hustle and bustle of shopkeepers, entertainers, visitors, homeless, and the wealthy. There was no stop to it. This... closeness made him feel out of place, as though he shouldn't belong. And he didn't. He came here searching for his sister, as always, hoping to gain any information he could from the locals.

Cars flew down the streets, some dangerously fast. And across the way, down about a block he spotted a small shop, The Lotus Cafe. Ryoku decided that was the place he would start asking questions. The sun was falling quickly, and before long it would be nightfall. Ryoku had to hurry before the shop closed for the night. He hustled on across the street, narrowly dodging a car that honked as he flew past him. This place is crazy, Ryoku thought.

Ryoku opened the door to the shop and was greeted pleasantly by the aroma of the most wonderful substance on earth, tea leaves. He smiled and walked in. The shop was a well lit place, and was very earthy in tone and feel. Lining the shelves behind the counter were jars of all different kinds of tea, labeled and organized. Ryoku's eyes widened in excitement and he almost did not notice the short girl behind the counter, watching his every move.

Ryoku regained his composure and strode forward.

"Hello there, my name is Ryoku, from the Earth Kingdom. This is a very pleasant place. Are you the shop owner?". Ryoku tried his best to sound polite and courteous.

As luck would have it, Jin Ho found the next week to be extremely busy. Between Hoshi's own disastrous date and extra shifts from work, he had a lot on his plate to deal with. Sweeper had been lethargic and quiet all week, too, which caused him no little worry. Jin Ho knew the dog was old and had no illusions about what such things could mean.

Well, almost no illusions. While he knew in his head that Sweeper was old, in his heart he couldn't accept that the dog might be dying. When he came home from work a week after his date with Mizu to find Sweeper lying on his bed unmoving and cold, he felt like his heart had been ripped out.

It was unusual that he didn't call someone — Hoshi, his parents, perhaps — but he didn't. Jin Ho wrapped the dog in his blanket, carrying him gently outside. He was an Earthbender, and the burial didn't take long. The young policeman realized he was crying halfway through, but it wasn't making any sound. Everything felt so silent.

He went back inside and washed his hands before taking his jacket and leaving. He couldn't really afford it, but Jin Ho felt that just this once he really needed to be drunk. He could go to sleep then without feeling so guilty. The guilt for keep for tomorrow... he hoped.

Without thinking about it, his feet led him to The Serpent's Head, where he came in looking completely emotionless and flat. It was very unlike his normal bright smile. Jin Ho sat at the bar and asked for "whiskey, neat", saying nothing else.

Mizu could only imagine that the week could only have been more arduous and agony-filled had he been dying of some mysterious wasting disease. In the moments where he wasn't sleeping, ejecting unruly patrons from the bar, or cleaning up vomit, he was thinking about Jin Ho, every minute passing since their date only serving as a reminder of how long he'd gone without seeing the cop. He'd tried to keep himself busy, sure; he'd even gone to the library and found several books on Fire Nation cuisine. The words on those pages had effectively distracted him, until he remembered why he wanted to get the tomes in the first place.

Finally, seven days had passed since their date at Narook's, and he could do nothing but think of the other man. He managed to do his job as well as he usually did, but he found himself losing more whiskey to the bar's counter than usual. Mr. Chien wouldn't be happy.

As he was wiping some errant alcohol off of the bar, he looked up just in time to see Jin Ho walk into the bar, but...

...something was wrong.

Had he been able to see auras, the bright, shining ethereal coating he might have been able to see before was gone. Even without aura sight, he could tell that the other man was somehow more...dingy...than usual. He stopped what he was doing as the cop walked up to the bar and sat down.

Whiskey, neat.

Mouth slightly agape, he pulled a shot glass and a bottle out from under the bar, then poured some whiskey into the glass.

"Hey." He had absolutely no idea what to say.

The Serpent's Head Bar

[/center]

Jin Ho, so caught up in his thoughts, didn't even notice Mizu's staring. Instead, he took the shot glass and tossed it back, emptying it instantly. Unusual. Everything about this was unusual. He never slammed a drink, always sipping slowly to really taste it. This time he put the glass back down, finally lifting his eyes.

Mizu. Oh, right. Because he worked here. Perfect! This could not possibly get any worse. He had hit rock bottom.

"Hi," he said, and then pushed the glass towards the Waterbender once more. "Again."

Poor Sweeper. He hadn't even been home. His best friend in the whole world just... died alone, like that. Jin Ho should have taken him to the animal healer when he started acting odd. Maybe if he had done that, Sweeper would still be alive.

In rapid succession Jin Ho went through two more shots before he had to stop because his throat was burning. Be careful.

He sighed. "I'm sorry," he said to Mizu. "I... I'm having a really, really bad day." The worst day ever.

Worst. Day. EVER.

Toying idly with the end of his braid, Jin Ho looked around. Thank goodness he'd had the sense to change out of his uniform before coming. It would be totally inappropriate to drink like this with the Republic City Police uniform on... but he was in civilian clothes, so maybe no one had to know. He felt awful.

Jin Ho had left a mark on the Waterbender because of what he was doing in the bar. It meant that he had downs as well as ups (aside from the strife in his life, no thanks to his parents), and he wasn't above dealing with them like Mizu dealt with his problems.

Hi. Again. Mizu swallowed a lump in his throat and poured out two more shots. His gaze shot under the bar and he noted that there was another bottle of whiskey, and he put the bottle he'd been serving Jin Ho out of under the bar for a moment; in that moment, he deftly removed the stopper and bent a stream of water from the sink under the bar's faucet into the bottle before corking it again. If Jin Ho wanted more alcohol, Mizu sure as hell wouldn't let him get as drunk as the regulars. It wouldn't be...right.

"Sorry for what? We'd only have a problem if you were bringing the other patrons down." A weak chuckle escaped his lips; it wasn't like the regulars could go any lower. "And, hey. Bartenders are supposed to lend people a sympathetic ear, so I'll be back here 'til we close." He poured the alcohol-water mix into Jin Ho's glass and went back to serving like normal.

What could have happened to bring the police officer down like that? It was almost like somebody died...

His breath caught in his chest. By Yue, he knew what could have happened to cause such a deep, palpable sadness, and if it had...

He had to take a second to compose himself before pouring another shot of a popular herb liqueur into a regular's glass; no matter what, he couldn't let his familiar demeanor disintegrate. It would be the last thing he needed.

The Serpent's Head Bar

[/center]

Maybe it was because it was Mizu serving the whiskey, but getting drunk suddenly didn't seem like the best way to deal, either. Not that he had any other bright ideas. Jin Ho had never lost anyone before — oh, his grandparents, but he had been very, very young when they died. But Sweeper was his best friend. Even more than Hoshi, Sweeper had always been there for him. If he was crying the dog came to him, he slept at the foot of the bed at night, he was a cheerful face to come home to...

And the pain of losing him was almost unbearable.

Sorry for what?

Jin Ho wasn't upset about the other patron at all... "I don't like for you to see me this way," he said. "I should have gone elsewhere. I just don't ever drink that much, so —" So he didn't have any other bar that he went to regularly. And he probably couldn't afford to stay at this one long. He didn't want to outright ask for the total right then, but he knew that he should stop. Instead, he asked for another, which the other man poured for him.

Mizu went to pour someone else's drink and Jin Ho took the last shot. It was mixed with water, he could tell, and for some reason, that made him smile. He held up the shot glass, looking at it for a moment. Mizu was looking out for him, quietly. When the bartender came back, the policeman grabbed his hand. "Thank you," he said. Jin Ho knew he should tell Mizu what had happened, but he hadn't told anyone yet. He wasn't sure he could find words. He felt a bit... numb.

Well, numb was better than unbearably painful, right?

Ryoku took his seat and picked up the menu handed to him, he quickly scanned it and found many of his favorite teas. However, coming to a place like this is a special occasion. He decided he wanted something different.

"Why don't you give me your special for the day." He responded. It was a kind he had never heard of before, probably from another kingdom. "And one of the cakes there." He said, following with one of his awkward half smiles. She probably got the creeps from that.

The girl was not bad looking, she had a broad stocky form that was not unnatural, and something he actually found attractive. Ryoku could feel a little bit of passion rise up in him, but as always he quickly quenched it out. He had to figure out what he was going to say to this girl when she came back.

The same spiel as always. He would use his cover up of a writer and ask about local criminals, gangs and the like; if she had seen any suspicious activity.
It should go smoothly, but you never really know.

WOW, that tea smells good. He thought to himself. He was looking more forward to the tea and cake than the information.

Mizu raised an eyebrow; Jin Ho was more concerned with how he looked? It made sense, given that he put his parents' hang-ups on himself, but that didn't make it okay.

He made his way back to Jin Ho, but he stopped in his tracks when the police officer grabbed his hand.

Thank you.

The Waterbender squeezed his hand and nodded. "It's also a bartender's job to look after the people who come in." He poured a half-shot. "It's on the house. Your money's no good here."

"EH! ANOTHER ROUND!"

Mizu rolled his eyes as the call came from across the room; some meaningless politican had stumbled in here with his entourage. He hadn't seen this many people in the Serpent's Head for a while, but this was starting to turn into another money flaunting session.

You came to the wrong place, buddy. He laughed at his own thought and reached under the bar for a bottle of red liquid. He'd never heard of it before working for Mr. Chien, but apparently, it was some sort of rare fruit wine from the Fire Nation. He knew that his employer was at least 85 and a Firebender, and before Republic City, he'd lived in a small rural town in the Fire Nation whose claim to fame was Fire Berry Wine. They didn't know what it was really called, but that hadn't stopped them from figuring out that a Firebending Master could heat it to exactly the right temperature to simmer the berries and release juice to ferment.

"BRING ME TWO BOTTLES!"

Mizu let out a sigh and grabbed the requested items, walking over to the table. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, so to speak, and carried on quite loudly.

"Here you are, sir." He bowed, and the bigwig, named Watanabe, roared with laughter.

"And here YOU are!" The man dropped a large stack of paper bills from his hand, and the Waterbender managed to catch most of them and put them in his pocket.

"Thank you." As he turned to go back to the bar, he stopped when Watanabe spoke up.

"Hey, you."

He turned around. "Yes?"

'We're taking these bottles to go." The politician chuckled.

"You know you can't do that."

"Says who? A nobody bartender in a nowhere bar?"

"That's it. I'm cutting you off." Mizu stepped forward to the table and reached for the two bottles on the table.

"You ain't doing that, boy." The other man grabbed the bartender's forearm. Mizu yanked it away and the man produced fire from his hands.

"You just made a big msitake." Mizu narrowed his eyes and made a motion with his hands at Watanabe, sending water from the sink under the bar flying forward. The liquid put out the flames and he flicked his wrist, calling the bottle he'd been serving Jin Ho from to his hand. Unstoppered, it doused the man.

"I wouldn't light any fires if I were you. That whiskey's flammable." Thank Yue that it smelled enough like alcohol to get his point across.

"Get out of here. We're closed."

Watanabe glared daggers at the Waterbender and snapped his fingers; he and his entourage swarmed out the door. Gritting his teeth, Mizu rushed to the door and locked it.

Ryari paced outside the herbalist shop at the time that had been agreed upon. She had gotten a bit of an advance from her boss to cover expenses until she received her actual pay. She had been given the rest of the day off, having no more deliveries. After a brisk, and brief, run through the streets to keep herself limber she had looked up at a nearby clock.

The release of a simple, albeit loud, startled shout had caused several people to look at her quizzically. She took off at a sprint to make it to the shop on time and had arrived puffing. She hadn't thought to ask the waterbender where he would like to eat, or whether he had any dietary restrictions. Foot in mouth, brain not in head. She kept watch up and down the street as she leaned up against the wall next to the door of the shop.

If she had to wait too long she'd simply go in, but she hoped it wasn't necessary. What if he had forgotten though? She poked her head around the threshold and opened her mouth to call out. What was his name, had he given it? Did she forget? No, she was usually good with names. Her teeth clicked as she shut her mouth.

"Great..." she muttered and drew her hand down her face with an exasperated sigh. "...You could have at least asked him what his name was."

The Serpent's Head

— for Mizu[/center]

"It's also a bartender's job to look after the people who come in."

Of course. Mizu was working, and Jin Ho shouldn't expect his sole attention. Really, the young policeman knew that he ought to go home. He could just... take a long shower, or call Hoshi and see what she was doing. Jin Ho knew if he told her that Sweeper had died, the girl would come over immediately. She was a good friend.

Mizu went off to do his job with some particularly loud customers. Jin Ho was too caught up in his own emotions and thoughts to pay any attention to what was happening around him. He was off-duty and had been drinking, anyway. Even if he had fully noticed a fight, he wouldn't have allowed himself to get involved. As it was, he drank his last shot and put it back on the bar, folding money to pay for his drinks underneath it.

"I should go," he said, as Mizu shut the door. "I'm really not in the mood to spend time in public, anyhow. I should've had more sense than to come out. Whiskey isn't really good for anything, is it?" He would still go home to an empty flat with no happy friend waiting, and he would still be sleeping alone tonight, the foot of the bed cold and vacant. No amount of alcohol would change the facts.

"Since you're closing," Jin Ho said, getting up and going to the door, "I'll go home, too." He smiled just a little. "Next time I see you, I'll be better company." He wanted to add 'I promise', but didn't. He couldn't promise.


———————————————-



Shtiya had, of course, not forgotten his agreement to meet the one-armed woman for lunch. He was regretting it a little, though. After washing all the linens and bandages in the clinic, he was tired. Re-wrapping his arms carefully, he came out from the back of the shop.

The woman was standing outside, he could see her through the window. Gritting his teeth a little, he finished wrapping up his arms. Leaving the wide, deep scars uncovered only brought about uncomfortable questions. It was the kind of thing he didn't like to talk about with someone he barely knew.

Had he asked her name? It was very rude if he hadn't... but he honestly couldn't recall. He did, however, recall the measuring look she'd given him, and her pity. Letting out a sigh, he squared his shoulders. He had already agreed to go. He could not back out now. It was just a meal.

With such bolstering thoughts still racing through his mind, Shtiya put on his best gentle smile and stepped outside. "H-hello," he said. "I h-h-hope I didn't keep you w-—--aiting long?" He wondered if he looked as nervous as he felt.

Unbelievable. Unbelievable! This was why the bartender hated politicians. In speaking to other bartenders around the city, they all seemed to be loud dunces who wanted nothing more than to show off their yuans. Who did they think they were? He pulled the money out of his pocket and counted it; the total was a few yuan more than he expected, and he he shrugged as he walked back to the bar.

His shoulders dropped when Jin Ho comfirmed that he'd quietly decided to go home. Mind blank, he slid the money across the bar and into his pocket; if the officer put money down, he wasn't above taking it, especially since the younger man was probably one of those people who was insulted when their money was returned to them, even when the payee insisted that it was no good, as he'd done.

"Look, I know we barely know each other and...I like you, but I'm worried about you. You shouldn't be alone tonight, even if it's just with someone to hold you. I can't--" He stopped to swallow a lump in his throat. "I can't in good conscience let that happen. Please?" His gaze drifted to the two bottles of Fire Berry Wine sitting on the table formerly occupied by a crowd of rowdy drunks. "If you really need more to drink, that wine's been paid for. You can take it slow with that if you're still set on getting drunk."

The Serpent's Head Bar

[/center]

Mizu hadn't asked what was wrong. It was kind of him, really. Very kind. But Jin Ho felt like he owed him an explanation, at least a little. "I know you didn't ask," he said softly, "and I appreciate that sensitivity. But... it seems you might have guessed. Sweeper died today." His best friend.

"Look, I know we barely know each other and...I like you, but I'm worried about you. You shouldn't be alone tonight, even if it's just with someone to hold you.

Jin Ho was... stunned. Was that an offer? Because at that moment, it was unbelievably tempting. He held up a hand. First, the facts. Jin Ho hardly ever drank, and so the three and a half, counting the water, shots he had had was quite a lot for him. While he certainly wasn't drunk, he also knew that he wasn't exactly sober either, and he might not be making great decisions. Not making great decisions could be... problematic.

"Is that — are you offering to come home with me?" he asked, voice a little rough. "Because I'm going to honest, that's... that's a very tempting idea. But I can't say that I trust myself to be a complete gentleman." He was actually admitting quite a bit more than he realized. Not only was he admitting that he'd immediately jumped to such a conclusion, but he was admitting that he had very serious attraction to the other man, enough so that the thought of being alone garnered a warning.

As for the wine, well, he'd hardly be a gentleman if he took that, would he? And no doubt his head wouldn't thank him in the morning, either. Jin Ho just stared at it. "I —" he swallowed. "I don't know if that would actually help. It's strange. When I came here, I thought for sure that getting drunk would help. But I don't feel any better at all."

So it was true. Jin Ho's dog was dead, and that struck a chord in him, more than it probably should have. He remembered their brief encounters, and how the dog had warmed up to him so quickly. Now that he was gone...well, it almost felt like he'd lost the dog, too.

Then came the response to his offer.

I can't say that I trust myself to be a complete gentleman.

Forget being a gentleman, this was...well, he didn't know what, but this was more than base urges. This was compassion for another human being, and it was being reduced to nothing more than physical attraction. Pity.

I don't feel any better at all.

Of course he didn't feel better; unless you were in a mindset that would allow you to be alone, you wouldn't feel any better by drinking. It seemed a lot of people didn't know that, which was probably why they drank themselves into oblivion pursuing "feeling better." It was sad, but an unfortunate truth of life.

He sighed, licked his lips, and nodded. Without a word, he went behind the bar and locked up all but a handful of the money from his pocket into the register, then grabbed the two bottles of wine; hell, if Watanabe wasn't going to drink them, he would, and he would enjoy it.

"Well, since you turned me down, alcohol is all I have to offer, and that's not helping any. I guess...I guess, just have a good night. I'm sorry about Sweeper." He made his way to the door and unlocked it, holding it open so that Jin Ho could get home and probably wallow in sadness, probably doing one of a handful of things Mizu could think of. That was his prerogative, though, and if he didn't want the Waterbender's company, Mizu sure as hell wouldn't press the issue.

The Serpent's Head Bar

[/center]

The longer he stood there the more tired, yet nervous, he became. The bar seemed very hot and uncomfortable. And then, of course, Mizu's next words didn't help at all.

"Well, since you turned me down, alcohol is all I have to offer, and that's not helping any. I guess...I guess, just have a good night. I'm sorry about Sweeper."

What, really? Maybe Mizu wasn't great at picking up hints. Standing in front of the other man, the metalbender tilted his head. "Don't misunderstand me," said Jin Ho, softly. "I didn't turn you down at all. That was sort of... me telling you how I feel and think about you." They didn't understand each other very well, did they?

"Obviously by your standards, I haven't had much to drink at all, but I don't really do this very often, so I'm sure that my judgement isn't just.. stellar... at the moment." Jin Ho sighed, looking out into the street. Now, on top of being sad, he was also embarrassed. Perfect.

The night just kept getting worse, didn't it?

"Forget it," he murmured. "I'm... I'd like you to come, if you want. But I don't want you to feel like you have to. I'm sure I'll be okay." He sighed and mustered a smile. Jin Ho hadn't really cried yet, but he could feel it building. "Thank you for tonight," he said. Always be polite.

The only thing to do now was get the heck out of there. His eyes were burning and the young man dragged the back of his hand across them as he stepped through the door. Honestly, what had he expected? For Mizu to be kind and to reach out to him, well beyond what their acquaintance called for? Thinking about it, maybe that had been what he was hoping for all along. How stupid he was.

Lei finished his own bowl of noodles and downed the last of his tea as he listened to the answer of his question. Rolling his fingers around the sides of the cup. The story made sense. "Sounds like you've got a long history in that line of work." He nodded as he talked. then set down the cup and payed for his meal.

"But I can see how things are, over time they see an older guard as weaker." Shrugging he added, "It'll happen to me one day too, working on the force won't last forever either... My grandfather always told me though, no matter the path, everything is a learning experience, take with you from each what you can, and it will serve you in the future." With that he stood up, stretching his arms back an audible popping coming from his shoulders, it was late, and he was tired. The warm meal now resting in his belly making him even more so.

"I don't know how much that applies to the work you did before, but, eh I never did understand everything the old man said." He chuckled and clamped his hand on the older mans back. "Enjoy your meal, I've got to get going, early day tomorrow."