[/u]
tag: OPEN[/center]

Amon's announcement over the radio had lifted Katsutoshi's spirits, which was a hard thing to do nowadays. The bar had been quite full at the time, playing some jazzy swing that he didn't dislike, when an interruption rang out. The music had been blasted high to compensate for the noise, and so the Voice that night was clear and bold. "Good evening, my fellow Equalists," it had said, and Katsutoshi had struggled to contain his surprise. The bar had fallen silent, making the Voice's message ever more clear.

"You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear..."

The broadcast had caused an uproar in the majority of the patrons. Amid the panicked clamor, Katsutoshi had smirked to himself over his warm sake, listening to the benders and bender sympathizers squabble, screech, cry out in anguish. It was exactly what Amon had wanted... And it was what Katsutoshi desired. No doubt the Voice had spoken all over the city, interrupting the homes of the complacent no matter what they were listening to, empowering the spirits of his followers.

So here he sat, enjoying the cool morning at one of his more liked cafes. It was extremely early - the shop had just opened, and there were no other customers save him. Still, he preferred the open space of the outdoors, even if it meant more people were likely to pass. As such, the businessman watched a street urchin hobble past, her hair so unkempt and spoiled, her clothing worn and dirty. There was something wrong with her little foot, and Katsutoshi's lip curled at the sight. He was pleased to see the poor girl hurry on her way. Probably off to snitch something, he sneered. Disgusting thing.

He turned his attention to the steaming cup on the table, its aromatic scent wafting up to him like a friend. Jasmine tea... How could he be expected to work without his morning cup? With spindly fingertips, he raised the glass and sipped, relishing the almost scalding temperature and hint of sweetness. It lingered after he swallowed, clearing his sinuses and cleansing the palate. As he reclined in the chair, he knew he probably looked old; it was a fact that he'd long grown to accept. He wasn't even thirty, but felt twice that. He was weak and tired and felt too airy to eat, even after a long day.

Still, his mind turned to business. They were expecting a package today, spurned by the radio announcement, and as far as he knew, they were simply flyers to be passed on to eager heralds. But his not knowing was a usual feeling, and, as usual, meant that "flyers" was just the tip of the iceberg. The submerged gold mine could be anything from masks to technology.

He sighed and sipped his tea again, nodding to a too-friendly passerby who greeted him.

Niko was starting to get frightened that they were going to be told off for laughing so much. He had no idea how funny Airi was! Jokes are always funnier if they come from somewhere you weren't expecting, and the urge to burst out was ten times worse because he knew it would be inappropriate to laugh as loud as he wanted to. And finally, the last thing that made him want to laugh until he lost his voice was all the turmoil raging outside. Beyond the little bakery, there was something changing in the city. One week ago Niko would’ve said it was mostly political, but in light of recent events, it felt more like genocide. Something was dying, and to be in a warm place with friends, laughing and joking was enough to keep it off his mind for the morning.

There was a queer sadness that had seeped into his mind, overshadowing all the laughter. Niko cleared his head of those thoughts as Airi moved to wash her hands. He stepped out of the way and balled the rag in his hands pondering what she had said. What would she’ve used the money for? What would he himself use the money for? Well, most of it would go to the essentials, like rent and food, but what about what was left? He had never worked for money before and had no idea what to do with his share. He followed behind her to the oven and peered over her head into the blazing interior, which unleashed a blast of heat. Each perfect loaf sat right in a row like little rounded lumps of fluff and the smell was heavenly. All too soon the door was shut, and it was back to business. Little dots of perspiration had formed on the end of his nose and he wiped them away impatiently with the back of his hand. Sweat had also appeared on his forehead and the hair that stuck to it made the room feel even more stifling. Niko tried to push his hair back like he’d seen the Republic City elites do on the front cover of the papers, but he only succeeded in making the dark locks stick up like a boarcupine. On top of all that, he now had a streak of white flour going up his face and turning his hair powdery gray. If not for his straight back and vivacious face, he would’ve looked like an old man.

And it was in this state of utter and oblivious disarray that Niko leaned casually onto the counter. “Yeah, yeah, it’s pretty…uh--“ he searched for a word to describe it and came up with, “happening. It’s certainly happening….whatever that means.” The city vernacular was still a bit of a mystery, but the more he used it the more confident Niko was that it didn’t mean anything. The whole place was an enigma, albeit a very exciting and thrilling enigma. A sudden thought made him think back to her earlier comment and he asked nonchalantly, “Say, what would you’ve done with the money? You know, if you were my age, with the whole town to explore. What’s the first thing you woulda done?”

The Lotus Cafe
tag: OPEN

Xiulan made her way down the street, headed towards her favourite little cafe for her morning cup of tea. Normally she'd just have the tea her mother brewed at the crack of dawn before she went downstairs to open up the bakery. This particular morning, however, the shop was opening at noon. Xiulan wanted to kill as much time as possible before heading back to work, and quite frankly the jasmine tea here was much better than her mother's would ever be.

As she reached the door of the cafe, she was surprised to see someone else sitting there so early. She eyed him discreetly yet curiously before slipping inside to order a cup of jasmine tea and a little sesame seed ball with a bright smile, despite the rather early hour. She examined the man as she waited by the counter for her tea. He seemed a fair bit older than her- not that that was a hard thing to do- and was clearly lost in very deep thought. Whatever he was pondering was likely important, judging by the look on his face, and she was wary of sitting near him. She eventually built up the courage just as her tea was ready, and grabbed the cup and sat near him, though not at the same table.

As she looked over at him again, she was overcome with curiosity. Xiulan came to the conclusion that the prospect of heading back early to work outweighed mild shyness. She sat there, bringing the cup to her lips and inhaling while mulling over what she would say for a couple moments before finally looking over at him again and speaking. "What're you drinking?"

Food Stalls
Tag: Lykka

Rong's stomach growled once more as he neared the front of the line. Recapping his waterskin he tied it back onto his belt and reached into his pocket. His hands were chalky and rough and callused, he felt particularly unclean at the moment and the feeling of the inside of his now dry pocket was less than pleasant. He withdrew his money and counted it. It looked like he had plenty. There was now only one person separating him from his delicious komodo-chicken kabobs and the young man was fixated.

Just then he heard an enthusiastic greeting that shook him from his thoughts. Looking down he spotted a girl, no more than a child, holding a meal. She looked like earth kingdom people from what the powerfully built man could tell. It looked like she had mistaken him for someone else. Rong looked down at her, he'd often been told that he could come off as intense, even aggressive at times and was almost always consciously making an effort to lessen this perception. "Quite alright young lady." He said with a nod and a warm smile. The man in front of him had received his order and moved on. Rong stepped up to the vendor. "I'll have... four, of those kabobs please." He said enthusiastically with raised eyebrows. The merchant chuckled and muttered something under his breath. Four of those kabobs was a lot of food but Rong had to hit macros for the day. Can't get big if you don't eat a lot of meat. The scruffy young man didn't let the vendor's muttering get to him though, someone was always making a comment about his body or his eating, training, or other related habits. He'd developed a thick skin.

The kabobs came to him wrapped in paper. They smelled wonderful and the juices that had dripped down the side of the package made Rong very happy. Taking only two steps away from the stall he stood there and began eating his first one.

[ooc: just as a note, I totally misread one of your first sentences. omg my bad. Don't worry, though, I got it. Also, I pmed you, so if you take issue with him sorta recognizing her, let me know and I can edit as needed.]



The energizing Jasmine blend that the owner, Mrs. Jeon, was famous for was living up to its reputation. He felt himself start to wake up more and his mind kicked into gear, thinking forward to the day. His not-so-old bones stopped aching, and he finally got the strength to sit up in his chair. His posture was immaculate during the day, mostly thanks to this specific blend. (Though he occasionally liked to indulge in lemon-ginger or even bergamot rind tea.)

His keen eyes followed a couple walking in the opposite direction. Neither poor nor wealthy, as far as he could tell. They seemed well-off for their old age, and he inclined his head in satisfaction, letting the aroma of the tea clear his mind. The steam bathed his face and almost made him feel his age.

A glance caught a young woman walking his way, and he did his best to show her that the rest of the quiet city was far more interesting than she. Even in his peripheral he knew she was watching him. Still, he wasn't bothered and turned his gaze to the sky as he sipped his tea. She was a pretty girl, but young. Still a child, in some peoples' eyes. Perhaps of Earth-Kingdom descent, given her hair and what he supposed were green (or were they gray?) eyes. Very attractive, though. Like a girl that comes in a dream...

He was absurdly thinking about that when said girl came outside once again. His first thought was that she was going to make off with such nice china - Just like a peasant would... - but she sat down at the adjacent table, and was clearly paying close attention to him. That was annoying. She could have sat anywhere - hell, she could have stayed inside! But no, she had to come sit out here and ogle the older man... Katsutoshi didn't even consider himself attractive, unless one liked the businessman look.

Finally, after he decided she was just an obnoxious teenager and began thinking of the Equalists again, the girl spoke. "What're you drinking?" she said in a tone that was neither conversational nor shy.

He looked directly at her and a moment of clarity came to him. Katsutoshi... knew her? The wavy hair, the pale eyes... It took only a split second to frantically keep down any rising surprise as he realized this girl was an Equalist. So, with a careful mask on his face that revealed only indifference, he inhaled through his nose and spoke. "Jasmine tea with a bit of sweet flag and cinnamon. It helps me wake up for the day."

The herbs were blended well enough into the tea that their flavors simply enhanced the aroma of the jasmine. Once again, such excellent work from the Jeons. Katsutoshi wasn't much for small talk, but if this girl was, in fact, a trainee, there was no reason not to bring up the broadcast. "Did you listen to the radio the other night? There was a special broadcast..."

He purposefully kept his words vague, on the off chance that he was wrong.

(He wasn't wrong.)

Hitomi Bread and Goods
tags: niko

Airi smiled politely when Niko managed to describe the city as "happening". She didn't really get that term either, though she guessed it could be considered short for "stuff is happening at the moment" or something like that. What happened around, she had little idea about. Clubs, street performers, industry, probending and gang activity. At least, that's all she knew that happened around here seeing as the only time she ran around town was for errands, seeing the few friends she had or heading to probending practice. Could she consider those things happening?

Pushing off that odd thought to the recess of her mind when Niko asked her a question. She puffed her cheeks and looked up at the ceiling, letting out the air when she thought of an answer. "Now that I think of it, I don't know what I would do with it if I was in your position. Perhaps I'd buy candy or go to a probending match... orrrrr I'd look for random stuff. You know, trinkets and whatnot, but then again, I'm a girl. I'd probably buy some fabric, too, to make some clothes. I'm not quite sure what people wear outside of the city, but I bet it'd be different so a change of clothes would be nice." She rambled on, forming her freshly made dough into oblong shapes on a wide pan, going to let it rise.

"Does your mom not want you to help her?" she asked (only after the words left her mouth did she think the question could be invasive) though not able to spare him a glancing look at she shaped the last of the dough.

Ooc; sorry it's small Dx

Liu Zhon acknowledged the various greetings and introductions with smooth words of thanks and appreciation, topaz eyes alert to those around him. It was a given that there likely some resonant lack of welcome to be found in Ren'ai's family, an understandable revelation given the nature of his abrupt and very much unconventional meeting. The fact of it was that Liu Zhon had not gone through the traditionally expected manner of requesting permission to court the firebending woman, instead simply going for it with the new-age mindset many of his generation had embraced with such tenacity.

Indeed, sinking into his chair to become comfortable and looking to those others seated around him, he could not help but notice the disparity in their varied appearances. Some wealthy, some not, some unbothered by their presentation. It was a veritable myriad of personalities and collectives, joined together in singular harmony under a shared directive: To celebrate the Dragon Hawks' recent victory.

Reaching out calmly, he took for himself an appetizer, white teeth penetrating the outer flesh to bite down into the inner meat. The seafood was delicious, filling his mouth with a succulent, distantly salty flavour that he could very easily come to love. As he swallowed down the morsel of food, he became aware of a question directed at him from what appeared to be one of Ren'ai's siblings. Turning to the boy, Liu Zhon arched a brow in curiosity. When he concluded, the duelist flicked his sunset gaze to his girlfriend, as if seeing if she would field the answer.

Finding her holding a tight-lipped silence, Liu Zhon opted to tell him. "We met in the park," he confessed with a wry smile, "and I suppose my sheer hotness took her feet out from under her." The truth of their meeting veiled in the words, the older man smiled slyly at his partner, leaning over to plant a small kiss on her cheek.

"I'm a very, very lucky man, my little friend." He said seriously to the younger boy. "Your sister is an amazing woman, in many different ways." Liu Zhon finished seriously, respect in his eyes as he uttered the words. Ren'ai's firebending had taken his breath away the first time he had seen it, and it had only increased its capacity to amaze him in the days following.

Shifting his attention from his girlfriend, Liu Zhon peered over at Tadashi. "Tadashi, was it? You're an Air Acolyte, correct?" His voice retained the velvet caress as always, though now with a hint of intrigue. "Would you be willing to tell me a little about the kind of life that entails?"

[OOC: I would like to apologize for the staggering amount of time it took to reply. My life exploded, but has since calmed down. Replies should be far swifter now.]

The scent of the tea called to Xiulan, and she took another sip just as Katsutoshi responded to her query. "Jasmine tea with a bit of sweet flag and cinnamon. It helps me wake up for the day. She swallowed the tea with a sigh and turned her head to face the man. "Another Jasmine fan, I see," Xiulan noted with a grin. " I thought I recognized the smell of cinnamon." At least we have some common ground now. She thought to herself, grabbing the seat of her chair and pushing herself around so she was seated looking at him. She figured this would last a little longer than polite banter and she might as well find a spot that wouldn't make her neck seize up from looking over her shoulder.

"So did you listen to the radio the other night? There was a special broadcast..." He asked. She brightened a bit at that, wracking her brain trying to figure out what broadcast he was talking about. There was a really interesting report on Anthropology she heard a couple days ago, and just last night there was info leaked on Hiroshi Sato's newest Satomobile model.

Xiulan blanched at his words as soon as she took in their full meaning. The broadcast. The broadcast telling the general populace of the revolutionary movement who's leader inspired a special elite taskforce solely to stop him. And Xiulan just so happened to be a part of that revolutionary movement. Sure, he could just be curious, wanting to make conversation about Amon's radio hijacking, but most of the benders and bending sympathizers avoid the whole Equalist subject all together, they're so afraid of him.

What if he knows? Her breathing picked up speed. Dear God, she wasn't ready for this. Not even six months training with the Equalists and she was about to go to prison? That was really the only logical explanation. Obviously he was a Republic City undercover cop, come to take her down to headquarters and lock her up and throw away the key. Well, maybe not; but it couldn't hurt to be too careful. She had looked far too interested when he asked about the radio,

"Oh, I don't really listen to the radio," She said with a nervous chuckle, eyes trained on the table like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Boring, boring stuff..." She trailed off, her face growing more pale- if that was even possible- as she realized how stupid she sounded. At a loss for how handle the situation, she popped the entire sesame ball into her mouth and focused on chewing, praying she would just evaporate. When that didn't work, she decided to change the subject, clearing her throat and swallowing the last of the treat, tasting nothing. "So... How about that last pro bending match, huh?" Xiulan offered a weak smile. Why couldn't she mystically develop social skills?

Illustrioso
[tag: Ren'ai, Yuri, Kamil, Liu Zhon]

Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu. Sabbe sattā abyapajjha hontu. Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu. Sabbe sattā abyapajjha hontu. Sabbe-—

With a shock like lightning, Tadashi came out of his self-induced stupor at the sound of his name spoken by an unfamiliar voice. His head snapped up a little quicker than it should have, causing a painful but subdued pulse right on his neck vertebra. Half a second later he realised that it was Ren'ai's boyfriend, Liu, who was speaking to him; another half second and he registered the question that was being asked of him. The temptation to take another drink of water to calm his nerves was almost undeniable, but a peripheral glance showed that his glass was empty. Apparently he'd been, somewhat mechanically, drinking it while he'd been reciting his mantras.

Tadashi cleared his throat to answer, but just then the wait staff came and took away his appetizer — untouched. Inwardly he cringed a little bit, even though they were pot stickers and he didn't care to eat them; Tasukete had spent quite a bit of money and time putting this together for Ren'ai and her friends and he felt bad about not eating anything. Fortunately he knew he was getting a vegetarian main course, because Ren'ai had asked him about it; he just hadn't known about the appetizers. How often did he get to eat in a swank place like this?

"Um," he said to Liu as the wait staff walked away with his untouched food. Brilliant start, Tadashi, he mocked himself. "It depends on what you want to know. I'm not really a full-time Acolyte. I don't live on Air Temple Island with Councilman Tenzin; I guess I'm what you'd call a 'day student.' I live with my grandmother," he indicated Sora, who promptly stopped staring at Tadashi and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep again. "But we're divided into classes based on our primary areas of interest, with the younger Acolytes such as myself taking more shorter classes so we are exposed to many areas of study, and the older Acolytes taking fewer, longer classes or sometimes just working in one aspect of the monastery for the whole day if they have received a specialisation. One of the elders, sometimes even Councilman Tenzin, speaks to us at the beginning of the day and we meditate on whatever facet of old Air Nomad culture we are studying that day. In fact we meditate between each class, the better to retain the knowledge we have learned and simultaneously clear our minds for the next subject to be presented to us."

In a way Tadashi was grateful to the young man for introducing a topic about which he could actually speak (i.e. babble), since otherwise there was going to be all sorts of awkward. Tadashi was already doing all he could to keep at bay the comparisons he kept wanting to make between Liu and himself; projecting barriers between his mind and the unhealthy "invading" thoughts as his instructor, Narayan, had taught him, he found that focusing on the conversation rather than the other participant in the conversation made his life easier.

And yet. As much for Ren'ai's sake as for his own — that was his story and he was sticking to it — he analysed certain things about this man, trying to see if there were any chinks in his armor, flaws in his facade. He couldn't find any, yet, which was just about unbearable. He'd never admit it to Ren'ai (he could hardly admit it to himself), but he was simultaneously jealous of Liu and attracted to him. And disgusted at himself for being attracted. And angry at himself for being jealous. And guilty because of all of it.

Shrugging nonchalantly, his face ignoring all his thoughts, he went on, "It's enlightening, and I know that sounds very cliched but it really is. I find myself very happy and peaceful when I'm practising the Nomads' old ways. I think that if they didn't have the pattern down right, they were awfully close to getting it." He grinned — and it was only slightly forced — and then asked, "What about you, Liu? What's your life entail? Besides Ren'ai, of course." Maybe he could get comfortable talking to this guy yet. As he waited, the wait staff returned and set a wonderfully aromatic dish in front of him — asparagus rice pilaf and a bowl of sambar. FINALLY. REAL food!

Illustrioso

A part of Yuri was glad that Kira was doing most of the talking for her. But was it asking for too much for him not to embarrass her so much? But what really got her was that Kamil was actually complementing her. She had tried her best to just be calm and not to blush anymore. She of course had no way of knowing what the blue eyed man would say next. The girl in question was just taking a sip of water when he started to say that she had some good traits. Her instincts told her that it was best to tell him to stop because it was getting a little bit embarrassing for her. And besides she did not want for his date to get mad at her and demand that Kamil quit the Dragon Hawks. But in her shock she had swallowed the water the wrong way when he had said that she was pretty. Quickly she covered her mouth with her napkin as her body tried to get rid of the water that had went into her lungs.


Kira was glad that the Waterbender seemed like he enjoyed talking to him and Yuri. The younger man had a shocked look on his face when Kamil said that his sister was pretty and had to beat guys off with a stick. He was about to say something when he looked over at his older sibling. It seemed like she was having trouble. Without a second thought he slapped her hard on the back. Opps he had hit her maybe a little too hard. Or at least it had sounded loud to him. Relief washed over him as his sister stopped coughing and started to breathe normally.

“Don’t make me worry about you, brat. Who knows maybe that was a good example of why you should stay away from water.” Kira told Yuri in a soft whisper, before turning to the guy that was responsible for his sister’s state. “Wow how many times did my sis hit you in the head during practice? By accident of course, I don’t think she would want to be mean and ruin your looks.”


A hard slap on the back jolted her, but it did the trick. Her eyes had watered a little bit but she blinked a couple of times and she was fine. Clear green eyes met her brother’s dark brown orbs. A light smile touched her lips, although her back was smarting from the slap but it had a dual purpose. The pain helped her focus her train of thought. Kamil must have been joking, she had just been lucky in their last match. True she was decent at holding her own, but she did get knocked into the drink. But come on she was not pretty, he must just be being nice. But it was Kira’s words that made her pipe up.

“Low blow there Kira, insinuating that I would be wasting my time practicing illegal moves that I cannot use during a match.” She told her younger brother before turning her gaze upon the man that was to blame for mixing up her emotions. She was still blushing a little from his words. “Please ignore Kira, he was just being a pain. And thank you, but I’m not really…”

Yuri was not able to finish talking before a delicious piece of meat with red pepper sauce was shoved into her mouth. Hot and spicy just the way she liked it of course she had to wipe off a little bad of sauce that was on her lip with her napkin before placing it back on her lap. She shot a glare at the person that just did that. As she slowly chewed the food enjoying the taste, she was ready to become an only child.


Kira just laughed at his sister’s words. But hearing her talk so much to this guy that they both did not know very well was just well irritating. So he did what he had to just to shut her up. With his shop sticks he picked a piece of meat from the plate in front of Yuri. Quickly he slathered it in the spicy sauce and shoved it into her mouth. Oh the look she gave him was great. If he had been anyone else he would be running from his life. “It’s good to go ahead and eat while the food is nice and hot.” He told the man that was getting under his skin.

Rong used a scrap of the wrapper to wipe the grease from his mouth. It was all that he had hoped it to be. The meat was juicy and tender, the vegetables were firm and crunchy on their fire toasted outsides and soft and flavorful on their insides. Finished with the first one he placed it's skewer underneath the other three and gave a small, satisfied sigh.

Suddenly he heard a little voice speaking to him. Derailing his nourishment train the bearded earth bender looked down at the girl that stood behind him. She was a dark skinned, feather haired girl. Judging by her clothes she was fairly tomboyish and at least wasn't wealthy. A normal little one from what he could tell. Clearly of Earth Kingdom descent, he immediately wondered if she could earth bend. "They're komodo chicken kabobs." He said enthusiastically. He squatted down to her level and held them out so she could see. The muscular man was again attempting to come off as friendly as possible. He was a big man and people sometimes judged his personality based solely on the fact. He tried very hard to avoid such inferences. "Would you like a piece? You can't get this stuff in most of the Earth Kingdom, but it's delicious. A little spicy though." He said offering it to her with a little shake of the bundle.

Rong was in no hurry, the weather was nice, it was still early in the day, and he really had nothing to do except maybe bathe. It suddenly struck him that the girl seemed to be alone. She wasn't terribly young so it didn't immediately concern him, but it did spark his curiosity. Still, no need to say anything. He didn't want to be rude.

Illustrioso

"I knew there was something about you I liked, Liu!" Sora interrupted triumphantly, making her grandson jump. "My mother was also from the Southern Water Tribe, and my father was part of the Fire Nation Army — for a few weeks, anyway." She chuckled a bit, primarily because of an inside joke that nobody, not even Tadashi, would get. "And dueling is an honourable tradition. You should be very proud of your heritage and your decisions, Liu Zhon." She took her glass of water and raised in toast, first to Liu, then also to Ren'ai. Tadashi hurriedly joined it, raising his own just-refilled glass with a look that spoke simultaneously of amusement and utter confusion, and then taking a long sip. As Sora pulled her own glass toward her lips she added, "And I would be honoured to duel you sometime." Tadashi nearly spat out his drink but managed to regain his composure quickly.

"Ah, that's better. Now where was I? Yes! Now my grandson here, he used to be a real troublemaker, Sora went on, setting her glass down, as Tadashi turned an incredulous look on her. "He didn't have the same interests as his brother, and his brother had such an unusual drive for his preferred way of life, that he decided he had to find something else to be good at. Right now he's a taxi driver. And he's a good boy. For his own life, he has made good decisions and is proud of his heritage, just as I suggest you be. Why, if you just look at him--" Sora cut herself off, and gave her grandson a scrutinizing look for several long seconds, before saying, "Whoops, nope, this one's Tadashi. Forget everything I just said. My goodness where's the restroom?!?" With some slight assistance from Tadashi's shoulder, she got herself up and made her way cautiously toward the reception area of the restaurant, cursing once again her decision to leave her canes at home just for appearances.

Tadashi turned a rather sheepish grin to Ren'ai and Liu Zhon, trying his best to ignore everyone else for the time being. I'll deal with their reactions later, he decided, wanting desperately to slam his forehead into the table but knowing better than to do so. "Sorry about that. Everything my grandmother said was true — even the dueling part — up until she tried describing me. That's my twin brother Katashi."

He stirred a spoon through his sambar, waiting for it to cool further, while he granted Liu the best answer that he could. "Hmm. Well, I have to say that the Air Temple is a great deal like all of us here, in a way," he gestured expansively with his other arm at the room in general. "Since the Nomads are no longer with us, the values and traditions of their culture are carried on by people from different parts of the rest of the world. That's another reason why it was always so appealing to me. My grandmother and her parents spent almost their entire lives working toward cooperation between the Three Nations, and they moved here the moment that Fire Lord Ozai and Avatar Aang announced the establishment of Republic City. I've been here my whole life and I've seen how a dream of peace and brotherhood shared by so many people can be fulfilled, but to me it's even stronger to see it in the metaphorical bringing back to life of the Nomads' teachings." Tadashi suddenly realised that he was babbling again, and almost apologised again, but Liu's face expressed such genuine interest that it forestalled his apology.

The Acolyte took a bite of sambar and considered it, swallowed as quietly as he could, and then went on, "We also try to maintain an open mind in regards to the spirits, as the Air Nomads were a monastic order and revered the spirit world. I know that probably sounds silly in a day and age like ours, but I can't help but think that if the spirits hadn't protected us in the past, we wouldn't have survived to build ourselves up to what you see today. Grandma says that before she was born, her tribe used to worship a whole family of spirits. Nowadays she says the politicians all worship themselves. Whatever that means." He grinned and took another bite of his stew.