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Plot Update 10 March 2021

A year has passed since Fire Lord Zuko ascended the throne, and it seems like trouble is brewing between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom once more. The Fire Lord and the Avatar began the Harmony Restoration Movement to restore the Fire Nation Colonies to their pre-war state by bringing any Fire Nation nationals back home, but for many of the citizens — of mixed Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom … Read more ›

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The Punching Bag

Anonymous
Jan 18, 2017 12:10:59 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 12:10:59 GMT -6

This was the year of the rooster; it was his sister’s year.

The more superstitious (read: “old”) among his peers would say that the year of one’s birth sign is unlucky, that one must always be wary and unsurprised if things tended to go wrong. Yuji wasn’t so sure himself. Every twelfth year is one of bad luck for every person alive, and the other eleven years are always business as usual? No, no, that was the rationale of those who believed that one should sleep with their mouth open so spirits can eat the bad dreams, or that objects with faces should never be turned towards a wall.

Then again, perhaps there was something to that. Mei Ling’s year must be off to a rough start, what with her top boss being murdered in the middle of the night. He wondered vaguely if the department would make her and her coworkers come in to work, or if they got a bit of a break. Or perhaps she’d never met the man.

Regardless, the sun had risen to a cold, dreary day in Republic City and Yuji Song had risen with it.

Though he took no issue serving that morning at the Monks of Koh shelter he normally attended, something had been nagging at him, rather like a song getting stuck in his head. Only after he had finished breakfast and reviewed the paper did he recall why. There, at the bottom of the page, was the request to donate… to the Monks. Though benders generally weren’t outright opposed to donating to the charity, many of them expressed concern that they were funding some terrorist cell or cult or something. Maybe he was taking it a step too far, but Yuji found the request deeply unusual and somewhat disturbing.

He took time after the breakfast service to head to a secluded courtyard around the corner from the soup kitchen. Someone had set up a trio of straw-stuffed training dummies, long enough ago that the burlap had begun to fray and an odd punch might reward you with a splinter of straw in your knuckle. Still, Yuji like to work out there sometimes, practicing his punches, open palms, elbow and knee strikes, or just enjoying the solitude to stretch and relax. Maybe, at one time, someone had set up these dummies for probending training; maybe they had been used by undercover Equalists. Regardless, it seemed as if few really knew the little cove existed at all, or at least no one who came at the same time he did.

It gave him time to ponder the mysterious message he’d found in his pocket, written on a scrap of paper: Your help was invaluable. The Monks have recognized your work.

Yuji took a solid stance, body angled so he could keep an eye on the entrance to the alley, and began to jab at his dummy. One, two, with quick exhales, quick inhales, right, left. He had found the note just recently, but couldn’t recall what it referred to. The weather had turned cold, and he had begun to use the pockets of his heavier coats to store items instead of his pants pockets. But one day he rummaged through one and found the note, and since then was trying to recall what exactly he had done to earn such recognition. He almost wanted to ask around, see who else might have received a similar message… but the idea of discussing it with anyone else put a pit in his stomach. What if he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone?

The Monks were almost unerringly kind and peaceful, but Yuji wasn’t willing to see what they would do if he were to step out of line.

So instead, he kept it to himself. The note he had hidden in his cap, tucked up and concealed inside its flat brim. It wasn’t like any Monk had approached him about it, but Yuji kept it just in case. The rumors of the Galgori Six were running stronger than ever, and the words of the interim police chief had done nothing but throw fuel on the fire. The young man’s breath fogged in the air and he took a measured step to one side, trying to keep his thoughts calm and collected, trying not to linger on the face of his sister, the words written on a secretive note, an ominous description of a lightning bolt…

He punched the dummy again. And again. And again.
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Last edit by Deleted: Feb 19, 2017 17:47:33 GMT -6

Post by Charumati on Jan 21, 2017 12:47:13 GMT -6

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Charumati took a deep breath as she stepped onto Temple land. The Monks of Koh were milling about as usual, silent and eerie despite the hustle and bustle of their volunteers and their activities.

She wanted to see if the training area here was still in good repair. With the current climate, she wasn't sure about whisking Nirav away to an underground location formerly used to hide Equalists. While it was unlikely that there would be a raid at that location, she couldn't risk it.

A Monk passed her and nodded briefly. Charu nodded back, but couldn't suppress the chill that came over her when the eyeless mask turned her way. While she was not a particularly spiritual person herself, she could understand why the Monks were revered and respected by her people in generations gone by. Regardless of whether or not Koh himself gave a lemur's tail about the affairs of the mortal realm, the Monks exuded an aura of otherworldliness simply by existing. The blank, empty faces were almost like noh masks, without the eyes. Despite the lack of vision, you could always tell if a Monk turned their full attention on you.

When she arrived in the room with the training dummies, Charumati frowned. For whatever reason, she had expected the area to have been kept in better repair; instead, it was in the same state as much of the other things the Monks provided — second hand, visibly worn.

A young man was sparring with a nearby dummy, though to Charumati's trained eye looked less to be honing skills than beating the pulp out of the poor figure.

She picked another dummy a few paces away to conduct her tests. Running her hands over the figure, gauging its internal stuffing, she figured it could withstand a majority of the basic moves she'd be teaching her new charge. But still.... a practical test was always best.

The woman smoothed out her outfit. She was dressed in traditional clothes for martial arts practice: loose black pants, and a loose button up top with a high collar; the long sleeves had been folded back just a little to change their length. On her feet were soft, pliable black slip-on shoes.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Charumati closed her eyes and slipped into her horse stance with all the grace and fluidity of a fighter with decades of experience. When she exhaled, she moved forward in a flash: a quick right-handed jab to the dummy's head, followed immediately by a left-handed strike to its abdomen. Following the momentum of her punch she whirled away to the left, ducking low and wheeling her right leg up to kick the dummy in the head.

Unfortunately, the dummy was a little less sturdy than Charumati anticipated. The head flew off, spinning comically in the air a few times before landing with a dull thud on the floor and rolling towards the boy.

"Oops."
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Anonymous
Jan 23, 2017 8:37:25 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 8:37:25 GMT -6

The sound of his fists and palms hitting the dummy masked the footsteps of the approaching visitor. Only after she had stopped near another dummy did the young man notice the woman. Knuckles still flush against the dummy’s chest, Yuji froze. She was an older woman, dark of hair and skin, almost as tall as he was. She hardly seemed to notice him, but as he stared, he gave another halfhearted punch – essentially doing no more damage than a gentle nudge would.

She was dressed like a professional compared to Yuji; he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious with his somewhat tattered coat and worn boots. She was dressed like a sensei, one that was particularly well-paid. Then she slipped into a stance, and for a bizarre moment Yuji was reminded of his brother. The horse stance was so familiar to his eyes, it was like he’d fallen into a trance. How many times had big brother positioned himself in that exact form before chucking rocks at Yuji and beating the snot out of him?

She didn’t wear Earth Kingdom colors, but she sure looked like an earthbender to Yuji.

His mood sunk (more than it was already, at least) and he found it hard to concentrate. What was an earthbender doing on Monks of Koh grounds? Surely they weren’t fooled by her outfit, right? They’d obviously deny her entry if they thought she would bend on their premises… right? But with her first jab, no rocks came shooting up from the ground, the earth didn’t shift, and Yuji started to feel like a fool. Of course she wasn’t a bender… why would he even assume that?

But then he watched her slam the dummy’s head and knock it clean off its shoulders. It soared in the air before plopping pitifully near his feet. The X-shaped eyes were more appropriate than ever as they stared up at him lifelessly.

“Oops,” said the woman softly.

Yuji lifted the dummy head in his hands, and his gaze found the woman’s eyes. Dark like coal. No, it was silly of him to assume she was a bender on Monk territory, but he didn’t feel quite so foolish. Even her outfit was of Earth Kingdom style, even if the colors were wrong. On the street, anyone might mistake her as an earthbender. (At least, that’s what the young nonbender told himself.) Still, something about her commanded respect; perhaps it was the strength, hidden so well one must see it with their own eyes.

Yuji bowed, just deeply enough that his hat didn’t slip off his head, and took a few steps towards the woman. “You seem to have dropped this,” he said gently, jokingly, and offered the sad, flimsy orb to the dark woman, “though I’m not sure how much good it will do.” Unless she happened to have a needle and thread, the head was unlikely to stay on its shoulders, even without being battered about.

A thought occurred to him, and he decided to take the risk of an unsolicited question by inclining his head in another small bow. “If I may ask, where did you learn those techniques?” Though his parents had tried to teach Yuji fire- and earthbending stances when he was younger, they always seemed so much more disappointed when the movements were not followed by the appropriate element. The form seemed so much stronger when this older woman did it. Perhaps because she was actually showing strength instead of flailing against empty air or trying to fight off boulders and fire with bare skin.
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Post by Charumati on Jan 28, 2017 19:15:23 GMT -6

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She accepted the head with a small inclination of her own. She held it aloft dramatically. "Alas, poor dummy," she intoned gravely. "I knew him well." She chuckled at the reference.

And alas indeed, as she lacked the skills to repair the dummy. Carefully, she set it aside on a nearby shelf full of towels. She'd have to let a Monk know about it so they could fix her error.


“If I may ask, where did you learn those techniques?”


The question was unsurprising; while the horse stance was shared across different forms of martial arts — including bending forms — the Galgori way of fighting was still unique, a combination of revered fighting styles from centuries past, and an assimilation from local customs wherever the Galgori settled.

"Perhaps it would be more accurate to ask from whom, rather than where," she said, not unkindly, "as I have lived in Republic City all my life. My grandparents taught me, as their parents taught them." While Charumati assumed that the young man was a nonbender, it was hard to drop her guard even on temple grounds. She made no mention of her Galgori heritage or the rigorous training she underwent. It had been impossible to take the Trials, of course, but her grandparents had made sure to pass on as much as they collectively knew.

She offered the boy a small smile. "Over the years I've also picked up a few new moves, from teachers and students alike." Charumati neglected to be more specific. "A flaw, I think," she added softly, "of some, to not learn and incorporate from other styles."

"Tell me," she asked, genuinely curious. "Did it remind you of something?" She wondered if her grandparents' time in the Earth Kingdom had affected their lessons.
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Anonymous
Jan 30, 2017 19:53:25 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2017 19:53:25 GMT -6

The dark woman accepted the dummy head from him, and made some sort of joke. Yuji personally didn’t find it terribly funny and didn’t join her chuckles. He lifted an eyebrow as she moved to set the broken head down. At least she wasn’t one of the rude ones. Some of the people who came to visit the Monks were downright intolerable, as if they were a step above the people who served them, who worked to better their goals, who championed them in their time of need.

"Perhaps it would be more accurate to ask from whom, rather than where," she said softly, and mentioned she’d lived in the city her whole life. Still, from how she spoke, Yuji figured she probably wasn’t a bender. For one, she wouldn’t be here, in a decidedly nonbender-supporting establishment; for another, she didn’t mention it. Benders were notorious for bragging about their “gifts” and how important their teachers were to them. They went to this earthbending school or had that waterbending master or their parents were benders…

But she did mention learning from a variety of sources. It sounded almost like his sister. She was always reading about different groups of people and attempting bending forms that were totally foreign to her. A firebender really had no business learning airbender forms, but it certainly didn’t stop her from trying. Yuji himself just didn’t see the point. It wasn't like it would stop him from getting bruises.

"Tell me," said the woman just as he was about to turn away and resume pummeling his own dummy, "did it remind you of something?"

Funny how his question was phrased as a request, and hers as a demand. Typical. Lady was probably filthy rich. But, for whatever reason, there was something awfully familiar about the woman, and it wasn't her martial art. Perhaps it was her tone of voice? He couldn't be sure.

The young man shrugged. "Sure," he said simply, "hard not to, with all the earthbending gangs and probenders and cops."

It wasn't exactly an uncommon stance. In fact, he mirrored it, though he felt silly and flimsy settling into his own unpracticed stance. "You can't really ignore," he began and swung his back leg wide around to stomp the ground, "all their stamping all the time," he finished with a jab, palm forward. Of course it was crude and basic - any beginner earthbender would have kicked up a rock and sent it shooting forward.

But this was Yuji, and his chi did not move the earth. He relaxed and stood upright again, turning to face the woman. "Just didn't know if you were a bender," he said coolly. For a brief moment, he wished his fighting skill was anything better than mediocre. But he didn't have the money to take lessons, and in a bender-run city, it was unusual to find a trainer for nonbenders who wasn't on some sort of list. "Though I suppose the Monks would have turned you away if you were. Probably wouldn't let you train in here."

He shrugged again, and his thoughts turned to the note in his cap.
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Post by Charumati on Feb 2, 2017 18:21:52 GMT -6

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The older woman nodded, her suspicions confirmed. "It is unsurprising that this resembles earthbending," she admitted. "My grandparents' parents settled in a village in the Earth Kingdom at the start of the Hundred Years War. They weren't benders themselves, but there were benders in the village at the time. Or so I was told."

Far from being affronted at the young man's suggestion that she might have been a bender, Charumati inclined her head respectfully. "A prudent precaution," she confirmed. "Always, but now especially."

The young man had potential; she saw it in his stance, as unpolished as it was. He had the drive to learn, but a ship with no one at the helm goes nowhere. An idea started to form in her head, one that both intrigued her and set of warning bells in her head. A once-weekly meeting to train nonbenders how to fight; it could be advertised as meditative martial arts classes. There certainly were no shortage of these types of classes around, but they were all oriented towards benders, or incredibly old people who had no risk of mobilising as a trained force.

And therein was the problem: the police would overlook a handful of nonbending people meeting to meditate, even if they were being taught martial arts. But what if it gained traction? Attention? The political climate was too uneasy for the general populace to be comfortable with the thought of training nonbenders, especially if such trainings were to occur.  Not to mention the risk such an endeavour would pose to her job; even if she remained anonymous, her editor might sack her if he found out she was doing more than just penning a column with anti-establishment sentiment. She stared at the dismembered dummy head, searching for answers in its x-stitched eyes.

She remembered the underground training when the Equalists were still a viable force. How many young men and women were eager to learn not just to defend themselves, but to defend others and demolish the idea that only benders could fight against benders. How the young people had been so eager, so starved to finally be given a chance at equal footing.

But Amon's betrayal and death, and the subsequent disbanding of the Equalists as a group, had put a halt to all meetings. The bases that weren't raided were abandoned.

Turning her attention back to the training room to evaluate its usefulness for training Nirav, Charumati found herself studying the young man's face. He looked somewhat familiar, but in that way where the moment you think you've figured it out, it slips away from you like water through a sieve.

"Pardon me," she said, approaching the young man once more. "Sorry to interrupt you again, but ... have we met before...?" Charu half expected the answer to be an emphatic certainly not! ; indeed, she was herself hard pressed to remember a scenario in which she had met a young boy.
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Anonymous
Feb 5, 2017 18:25:07 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2017 18:25:07 GMT -6

The older woman nodded, and referred to the Earth Kingdom. "They weren't benders themselves," she said, "but there were benders in the village at that time. Or so I was told."

For a moment the words rang false to Yuji, and he watched the stranger with a mistrustful curiosity. He didn't think she was lying - not at all. Her answer just seemed particularly odd to him, as if she was answering a question he hadn't actually asked. It would be more surprising to have an entirely bender-free village in the Earth Kingdom. He couldn't help but wonder why she mentioned it.

And again, her response to his suspicion that she might be a bender also sparked his curious nature. It gave him the impression that she was somewhat more like him than he'd first assumed. Sure she looked right at home in the heart of the Earth Kingdom, as if she were a bender. Sure her professional-looking clothing implied wealth earned from status in a higher class, such as a bender in a society ruled by bending.

But her being here in the territory of the Monks, speaking of benders as if they were other, as if they should be treated with caution.... Yuji suddenly realized that his mistrust wasn't necessarily unjustified, but it was unreasonably directed. No, this lady was just one of the lucky ones. She grew up in a similar environment as he, with similar challenges, but she made it. He just... hadn't. Not yet, at least.

Yuji pondered it for a moment, gazing absentmindedly into the dummy's burlap. He wondered why she seemed familiar... and whether his suspicions were true. Apparently he'd waited just long enough for the woman to address him again. "...have we met before...?" she asked.

The young man looked back up into her dark face, just slightly tilting his head to the side. He thought for a moment, and then another, taking his time. "Sure, maybe," he finally concluded, though he wouldn't have been able to place her face if someone paid him. He gestured his head in the direction of the main building. "I work here most days, so you might have seen me, I guess." He shrugged and appraised her outfit frankly. "Though I figure you don't need much help. You seem pretty well off."

He adjusted the brim of his cap and shifted his weight to his other leg. "Though I've done some odd jobs here and there. Painting or construction or whatever. Have you hired me at some point?" The question was somewhat rhetorical - Yuji was almost certain she hadn't. His hands were starting to feel cold, so he crossed his arms and tucked his fingers under them. Still, for some reason he figured this lady might be right... But it wasn't as if they actually knew each other. Maybe he saw her on the street at some point...?
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Post by Charumati on Feb 13, 2017 2:47:49 GMT -6

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The older woman bowed her head in acquiescence. "It is true that I am rarely in need of the Monks' assistance," she agreed, "and my volunteering days are limited to the ends of the week, late at night."

She looked at him a while longer, squinting her eyes and tilting her head as if a fresh perspective would make that lightning bolt of recognition strike. After a few moments, she shook her head. "No, I do believe we've never met. How odd it is, to feel as if we are connected somehow." Charumati frowned; was this an effect of the temple? The thought was dismissed as quickly as it came. No; she couldn't believe that Koh would deign to manipulate chance encounters.

"Perhaps it will come to me later."

She glanced around the room; she'd have a talk with the Monks about using a stronger fabric on the training dummies. There was an old contact from her Equalist days who supplied their secret training rooms with equipment, and he had an interesting fabric that held up much better to repeated assaults.

"Does this training room see much use, in your experience? My nephew has started staying with me lately and I've found that his self defence skills are quite lacking. He's rather anti-social, however, and doesn't speak much of the common tongue — his parents settled in a remote province outside of the city and never bothered to teach him." She sighed and rolled her eyes, as if she had long endured this hardship. "He gets skittish around large groups of people he can't understand, so I'm looking for a place I can teach him."

Sharp brown eyes watched the young man's reaction peripherally as she spoke again.

"It doesn't have to be completely devoid of occupants, of course, just perhaps one or two others any given time."
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Anonymous
Feb 19, 2017 18:50:45 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 18:50:45 GMT -6

[[ooc: sorry about the late reply! Work has just picked up again, so I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.]]

The woman replied that no, of course she didn't need the Monks' help. But Yuji did find it interesting that she volunteered as well. He typically assumed that those who helped weren't all that well off; the people who were could just spend their money having housing built or donating, right? Or they simply didn't do anything at all, and just sat in their homes always warm and happy. Still, the young man was biased. He'd never considered himself remotely wealthy, and he had to admit that the better off were... distant. Different. As different as benders and nonbenders. But this dusky woman wasn't so bad...

"Ah," he replied, somewhat dully. "I work breakfasts." Just saying the words aloud reminded him of the itch at the edge of his eyelashes. By habit, he rose early, and rarely missed a breakfast service. It didn't mean he slept easily or well; "sleeping in" wasn't really in his vocabulary, especially with the recent events in the city, the note slipped in the coat of his pocket, like a spider-roach waiting for darkness to emerge.

But she admitted she didn't recognize him. He didn't mind her scrutiny - after all, he had regarded her in almost the same way. "How odd it is, to feel as if we are connected somehow." Strange how he had just been thinking the same thing. "Perhaps it will come to me later."

Yuji nodded. He wouldn't pretend to know her thoughts, but it seemed as if they were similar, in a way. Yes, she was potentially in the upper class of the wealthy; yes, he was a young man and she (by all appearances, at least) was a woman twice his age. But still...

"Does this training room see much use, in your experience?" the woman asked. She went on to explain her situation - her nephew, a bit of a nuisance if Yuji understood correctly, was in need of a secluded place to learn some training. The story was a bit too personal for Yuji's taste. Maybe it was a city thing: first there was Miss Angry from a few weeks back, spilling her guts about her probending past and her mean old mom; now Dusky Woman with her nephew's parents apparently foisting the guy on her; plus all the regulars at the soup kitchen talking about this, that, and the other... He let out a quiet sigh through his nose.

Yuji shook his head, lifting his cap for a moment to muss his hair. He was just recently getting used to its length, but the hat hair was horrendous. "Not really. I've been coming in for a little while - at least before the new year." He shrugged. "You're the first person I've seen. If one or two people are okay, he should be fine..."

He glanced idly at the dummy nearest him, rolling a pinch of the burlap between two fingers. Dusky Woman's dark gaze was a bit unnerving, like the blank gaze of the masks worn by the Monks.

A thought struck him. "I mean, as long as he doesn't mind the Monks. They can be a little creepy, you know?"

He instinctively looked at the entryway, then back at the dummy. "Has one of them ever talked to you before?" he asked, not noticing that his voice had become quiet. "It's like they're almost not really... human..."
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Post by Charumati on Feb 20, 2017 2:03:26 GMT -6

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OOC: Don't worry about it! You know how we feel about life coming first (:


Charumati noted his lack of interest. Ah, well. Perhaps for the best.

She gave the training room a little glance. Nirav's reluctance at breakfast to step foot where spirits would be honoured stuck in her mind. She would have to make sure that the allure of the facilities and her skills were more enticing than Koh was scary.

But then the young man mentioned the Monks. Charumati stopped her examination of the room, blinking. The Monks had long been part of her life, and she had never really considered them as something to... well, particularly think about the effect they had on other people.

The young man continued to speak, his eyes averted as he spoke about the creepiness of the Monks.

Charumati was quiet for a few moments before answering. "I don't really think I've ever thought about it," she said, just as softly. "They do have a peculiar way about them, that makes the little hairs on your neck stand up." She shifted her weight, slightly uncomfortable. She'd never spoken about the Monks behind their backs like this.

But she did frequently speak to the Monks. From the time she had decided to follow her heritage at the tender age of ten, to when the Equalists first formed, to now... the Monks had been ever-present in her life for many decades.

All that said, they were definitely creepy.

"I don't think it's something you ever get used to," she murmured. "My grandparents once told me that those who are initiated into Monkhood are touched by Koh itself." Involuntarily, she shuddered. "I don't know if that's true, but it might explain a few things if it were."
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Anonymous
Feb 28, 2017 15:03:28 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2017 15:03:28 GMT -6

Dusky Woman, as intimidating as she was herself, at least seemed to also feel the effects of the Monks. "I don't think I've ever really thought about it," she replied, very softly. Yuji wasn't sure he believed it, but he didn't interrupt. "They do have a particular way about them..."

The young man wouldn't have use the word "peculiar", but she was right in any case. He recalled the way they had approached him that day, as if they had materialized from the shadows. In fact, it had been such a bizarre event that Yuji was concerned that he had forgotten something important. It was like the day had begun to melt in with the rest of his usual routine the moment he went back indoors. Like it had never happened... except it had.

"My grandparents once told me that those who are initiated into Monkhood are touched by Koh itself," Dusky Woman continued. The mention brought Yuji's attention back up to her face. It sounded exactly like something his sister would say... She was always into the whole "spirit" thing. In fact, it was like the old people, too, those who figured that every 12 years you were destined to have bad luck. Were the Monks weird, creepy, even otherwordly? Absolutely! Did Yuji think they had a face-to-face with their guardian deity? Almost definitely not.

...But those were his opinions, not Dusky Woman's, and he was entitled to them. "At least they're helping people," he muttered. "Probably more than any bender has." It occurred to him that he had no idea whether the Monks were benders or not. Given the way they supported Yuji when he was confronted by two at once, he figured it was highly unlikely. In any case, he kept the thought to himself.

He then recalled that this was not the first time Dusky Woman had discussed her grandparents... First, that they lived in the Earth Kingdom, around benders. Second, that they taught her to fight as a nonbender. Now they discussed the Monks of Koh... Yuji's grandparents never mentioned a thing about Koh, and they certainly didn't teach him to fight... but, then again, they were benders...

Perhaps it was just a passing feeling, and not actually a coincidence?

Yuji continued. "Sounds like you learned a lot from your grandparents," he said coolly, pretending that he wasn't the least bit curious. "Maybe you're more comfortable around Monks because they were."

He didn't know his history well - again, where Mei Ling trumped him - so he wasn't about to make an assumption about whether the Monks were even around 100 years ago. Still, "The first time I even heard about them was here in the city, so I guess I have a lot of catching up to do, huh?" Yuji wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. It wasn't that he minded working around the Monks... but the idea of being on their bad side made his skin crawl. It was like working with a platypus bear. Keep your distance, do what you're asked, you're fine. But bring something they don't like or want into the room? Thankfully, any intruder Yuji had seen high-tailed it before they actually crossed a line.
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Post by Charumati on Mar 3, 2017 10:53:37 GMT -6

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He was quick on the uptake, she'd give him that. The woman shrugged nonchalantly but her eyes were alert and her gaze sharp. "My grandparents raised me," she answered, intentionally silent as to why. "But there were a lot of rumours about the Monks of Koh back when they were young, spanning all over the Earth Kingdom, and not all of them flattering."

Charumati bit her lip. "But perhaps to speak ill of our hosts — even past stories — is ill advised," she murmured.

An unnatural shiver travelled down her spine and she stiffened, turning her head, almost certain that a Monk had crept up behind her.

But no, the room was still empty save the young man and herself. She shook her head, the tight bun atop it wobbling. 'More comfortable' was relative. She was more comfortable than the average citizen not just because of her heritage but her age and time spent in the city and within various temple grounds specifically, but there was a difference between 'more comfortable' and 'right at home'.

And she was definitely, definitely not the latter, even though the Monks had always been good to her.

"They disappeared sometime after the war I'm told; when the allied forces wrested control of Fire Nation-occupied lands, they just... seemed to fade from existence. They're... very good at leaving without fanfare. And reappearing just as quietly."

Charumati glanced at the young man briefly; as a volunteer, she was certain he knew what she meant.
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Anonymous
Mar 8, 2017 18:28:20 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 18:28:20 GMT -6

Yuji wasn't too surprised when Dusky Woman noted that she'd been raised by her grandparents. It was pretty obvious - otherwise she would have been saying "parents" the whole time, right? But the young man wasn't about to ask. It probably wasn't something she opened up to often. He found that city folk were much more open to telling strangers about their personal lives. If she had wanted to tell him, she would have... Maybe it's just me, he thought idly. Still, Dusky Woman's gaze was sharp. Perhaps she didn't take too kindly to the comment.

Then again, Yuji didn't know if he exactly felt bad for her. Better to have loving grandparents than detached parents with nothing in common with you, nothing but shame felt.

Her next sentence caught his attention, though. "But perhaps to speak ill of our hosts - even past stories - is ill advised," she said quietly. Almost as if the room had gone cold, Yuji felt the hair on his neck stand up. (Stupid, he thought, rather irritated, if my hair wasn't so short...) Dusky Woman glanced behind her, seeming quite wary.

"I bet they hear people saying they're weird all the time." The man had to wonder what she meant. Strange. It was almost as if he was trying to reassure her. He gave a shrug to hide the movement of his hands trying to rub the chill from his arms. "They're probably pretty used to it. They do enough good it probably doesn't bother them. Sticks and stones, right?"

Sure, there was probably the whole "Koh steals their faces" or "They spirit away bending babies and eat them," but those sounded to Yuji like what a bender might say, fat and happy in their mansion or garden. Creepy was one thing, but the fact that their eeriness extended across the world... It was getting harder every day to think of the Monks as purely benevolent, generous, anonymous people.

But still... he wasn't about to jump on board with the idea that they really were servants of Koh.

"They disappeared sometime after the war I'm told," Dusky Woman continued. "They just... seemed to fade from existence. They're very good at leaving without fanfare."

Yuji suddenly laughed, surprising himself. "No kidding. I can't tell you how many times I've been snuck up on by one. Or four." A smile lingered on his lips, almost uncomfortable in it sincerity. Rare was it lately that Yuji did more than scowl. At best, the edges of his lips might turn upward sarcastically, to sneer or joke. It wasn't a bad feeling... but real happiness seemed to come few times and far between nowadays.

He decided he kind of liked Dusky Woman.

"I guess it makes sense I never heard of them, though," he admitted with a shrug. "I think having bending parents... I mean, they talked more about the Avatar taking your bending away or the Galgori coming to get you if you're bad or something."

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you were a little bender kid, it would be scary, but for a nonbender? Not so much. Probably wasn't really a reason to make, like, nonbending philanthropists into something scary, you know?" He looked up at Dusky Woman...

And promptly realized that he hadn't introduced himself. "Oh - please forgive me - my name is Yuji Song." He bowed formally, but did not exaggerate. "It's good to meet you."
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Post by Charumati on Mar 10, 2017 18:11:34 GMT -6

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Charumati offered a slight smile at the young man's laughter, then again when he bowed. She returned it, never having been of the mindset that young people were any less deserving of respect than those who were older than they.

"It's a pleasure," she murmured. "Would you prefer 'Yuji', or 'Song'?" As the surname slipped past her lips, she couldn't help but remember the young girl she had met at the news stand a few weeks prior. She said nothing, however; Song was not exactly an uncommon last name. One of her coworkers in the entertainment department of the paper frequently wrote about a local celebrity, a diva named Hana Song. If every 'Song' in Republic City was related, she'd eat her shoe.

"My name is Charumati," she added with a small, but genuine smile. "And is that really what benders tell their children about the Galgori?" The older woman laughed, a sort of light, musical-sounding laugh that people always told her sounded bizarre coming from a woman her age. "What utter nonsense. Why would an entire group of people go after small children for being privately disobedient?" She laughed again. It was truly preposterous. "And as if the Avatar did not have larger fish to fry."

"In any case, I do think that it's most unlikely that the Monks did anything particularly heinous. Perhaps in the eyes of benders during the War, but..." her tone turned hard, "... they would be ones to talk."    
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Last edit by Charumati: Mar 10, 2017 18:14:17 GMT -6
Anonymous
Mar 22, 2017 10:45:17 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2017 10:45:17 GMT -6

"'Yuji' is fine," he replied as she bowed in return; Charumati introduced herself in return, which was nice, since he didn't want to have to keep referring to her as the Dusky Woman. He was almost surprised that she greeted him so kindly. Most adults, even those his age, tended to treat him as lesser, as if he was still a kid. Maybe it was his resting grouch face, maybe it was because he wasn't all that tall of a man.

Or was it because he was a nonbender? It certainly didn't help...

"...is that really what benders tell their children about the Galgori?" Charumati continued with a laugh. It was a bright sound, at odds to her dark demeanor. His head tilted, just slightly to the side, as if by reflex. "What utter nonsense." Despite watching her fight with a strong stance and imposing figure wearing androgynous clothing, he had a strange impulse that Charumati had a distinctly feminine side, one that he wasn't seeing. He began to wonder if she was a mother before realizing how rude it sounded. Yuji shoved his thoughts down and tried to forget.

"I mean, yeah," he nodded, giving a blithe shrug. "We all grew out of it, but you know little kids. Like, chasing each other around, with one side being the Galgori, trying to catch the Avatar... It's all fun and games, but they'd still crawl into mom and dad's bed at night after having a nightmare about them."

Yuji recalled Mei Ling crying one night in the dark, terrified that she'd done something to bring the wrath of the Six upon her head. He remembered trying to comfort her. Hearing her say there was nothing he could do to help, not understanding why she said, "they're not after you," until later, when he realized they were only "after" benders.

It was one of the few solaces he found as a child.

He thought about her words regarding Monks and the War. His grandmother had infrequently discussed the Galgori, and only to rant about how "dangerous" they were, and how you always have to "watch out" for them, even after the War ended. It certainly didn't help his siblings with their fear of them, but it made her come off as a bit of a nut. She was from the Fire Nation, after all, and probably felt bitter that they quashed its chances of becoming a Fire Empire. She hadn't mentioned the Monks, though, which was good, since it wasn't like they did anything during the war.

"Yeah, I hear benders hating on the Monks since I've lived here than any time before." Creepy, being "touched by Koh", or "only helping nonbenders" was in itself one thing - but believing they're capable of heinous crimes? Not even in the same arena. "I don't know why. It's not like they've actually hurt anybody, you know?"

Yuji wasn't necessarily a fan of the Monks himself, but talking with Charumati was convincing him that they weren't dangerous. Misunderstood, maybe, but not the object of revulsion so many benders made them out to be. The way she discussed them made him start to think that the eerie sensations he felt about them were ingrained by the talk of benders, like hearing them say it enough made him believe it...

It gave him a strange sort of courage. "Um..." he began, and took his hat off. It wasn't a motion of respect or anything: he stuck his fingers in the brim and withdrew the folded scrap of paper hidden within. He wasn't used to requesting something like this, and raked his hair a few times before replacing his hat. He offered the still-folded note to Charumati, clenched between two fingers. "I think the Monks gave this to me a few days ago. Do you know what it might mean?"
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Post by Charumati on Mar 27, 2017 9:09:25 GMT -6

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Charumati was still giggling. Honestly, the bizarre notions that benders had about the Galgori were too much. Never, in all of her years, had she even considered using the abilities she had forged through the harsh climes of the Earth Kingdom against a rowdy youngster, bender or no.

"I'm sure, " she said softly, her voice still ringing with mirth, "that benders view the existence of the Monks as some kind of harm, for prioritising nonbenders."

She sighed after a moment though, brushing a disobedient wisp of hair away from her face. "Our hosts are odd, I'll give you that. And, admittedly, not many benders would likely agree with the veneration of Koh, or with their self-defence training, or their soup kitchens. And who knows, perhaps the Monks have enabled violence before. It wouldn't be the first time a group of subjugated people used violence to preserve their well-being. It's only when it's done by nonbenders that anyone has a problem with violence, have you noticed? The entire sport of probending — " here, she waved her hand in the vague direction of the arena, " — is built on the premise that each bender attack the other in order to throw them off, essentially, a cliff."

Yuji did something very odd, as if he hadn't been listening. He took off his cap, and fished out a small scrap of paper. He seemed to hesitate briefly before he offered it to her, stating that the Monks may have given it to him.

Charumati's attitude immediately became somber to match the mood as she took the proffered note. Unfolding it carefully — clearly, it had been opened and re-folded many times — her brown eyes scanned the paper, the words all too familiar.

She folded it again, just as carefully, and handed the note back to Yuji.

"I think," she said slowly, all traces of laughter gone from her voice, "that you are correct." She looked around for a bench to sit on; finding one nearby, she parked her rear on the cool wood and crossed her legs at the ankle in a very demure fashion, hands clasped in her lap. "I think, Yuji, that your support of the Monks has not gone unnoticed."

She paused briefly, wondering what the Monks wanted with so young a boy. But... then again, had she been all that different?

Yes! a voice inside her insisted. She'd cut her teeth on the steel of a blade, and Yuji had no such benefit. She grew up knowing the stories of her people, while Yuji was raised in a bending-capable family that clearly did not appreciate his lack of bending ability.

"The Monks like to reward behaviour they deem pleasant," she said, and for the first time a bit of age creeped into her words. "And had this been for a child raised by nonbenders, I would tell you it is an honour they have noticed your existence. The Monks do not bestow their favour lightly, and while I do not believe them to be a malevolent entity — at least, now, as one cannot say for certain whether the rumours of a hundred years past have any credibility — I caution you to tread carefully."

She looked at him critically. Her stare was not unkind, but appraising, as if she were hoping to find something when she looked at him. Whether or not she found it, she kept it to herself.

"Tell me, Yuji. What happened prior to your discovery of the note? Did anything unusual occur during the day, or during the course of your duties here?"
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Last edit by Charumati: Mar 27, 2017 9:09:52 GMT -6
Anonymous
Apr 3, 2017 19:50:37 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2017 19:50:37 GMT -6

Prioritizing nonbenders, was Charumati's phrase, and Yuji found he quite liked it. Though he had to admit that it still wasn't really the same. Perhaps one prioritized an expectant mother or elder on the train or bench. Perhaps the ill and feeble were prioritized in clinics and pharmacies. But... only in these temples were nonbenders prioritized. And it didn't feel prioritizing at all. It felt wrong.

It only made it so much more important to help where one could. And even that never seemed to be enough...

"Our hosts are odd, I'll give you that," she continued. Even as she wondered whether the Monks had once been violent, though, Yuji started to doubt it. If Charumati, having more knowledge of the Monks than just about everyone else Yuji had ever met combined, did not recall stories of violent Monks, then he would have to believe her.

He watched her stoically as she read the note, folded and returned it to him, then found a seat on a bench. Despite her somewhat closed-style body language, she somehow looked no less small than she did in her horse stance. The scrap of paper felt hot clenched in the palm of his hand. "I think, Yuji, that your support of the Monks has not gone unnoticed."

He didn't know what to say. It would sound stupid if he argued, but he really didn't know what his "support" was supposed to be. He lowered his gaze. Serving soup...? he wondered.

But her tone seemed to change, and he glanced up. It was her voice, for sure... but as if there was a different person hiding behind Charumati's dark eyes. He didn't have time to think about it. She told him that it was an honor, and his face grew hot. He hated that, how pink his cheeks always grew, as if he'd dusted them with powder. Yuji looked away again, flustered, as she finished, "I caution you to tread carefully."

He couldn't help himself. "It's not like I do anything special," he muttered. "I'm not even a manager..." He felt a bit like a reprimanded school boy, standing before a teacher.

But Charumati requested some more information. He wasn't sure how much he could tell her, but focusing on remembering helped to ease the strange mix of guilt and embarrassment he felt. "It must have been..." he mused, trailing off and thinking hard for a long moment. That was it, there was no other explanation... He nodded, almost absentminded. "Must have been when that shipment came in. I couldn't find the order sheet, and nobody was..."

Again, unable to think and speak at the same time, he went quiet now for a briefer time, and rubbed an arm idly, as if to warm it up. "None of the Monks or supervisors were around," he nodded again, thoughts more clear. It had been cold. The smell of hot bread and rice drifting in on hot eddies through the cracked open door had reminded him that his last meal had been almost a full day before. "So I went out to help Miss Angry. She was not happy to be there, I tell you what. I guess her parents felt bad for us poor old nonbenders."

He realized Charumati didn't need his commentary, and swallowed sheepishly before looking back up into her dark, dark eyes. "But, they wouldn't..."

And then he realized that he'd entirely forgotten. Miss Bangs. "Oh," Yuji exclaimed. "Some detective? I guess? asked me if I had seen some bender or something... Hono, maybe? And then all these Monks appeared..." He recalled the way they materialized, sudden as a flash flood, helping at his command, asking what he needed. Yuji relayed this to Charumati, then continued. "But I think I just told her no and she left. One of the Monks told me not to let her back in, but I didn't see her again. I told everyone else, but I only really work mornings..."

He looked back up at Charumati, and his head turned just to the side. "Do you think that could be it?" He held the folded note in a fist at the side, wondering. Why him?
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Post by Charumati on Apr 6, 2017 21:47:23 GMT -6

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Charumati listened to Yuji's explanation with a great deal of interest. While the Monks never exactly turned away benders, Temple grounds were simply not a very inviting place for them. For a bender — a detective, even — to cross the threshold was a bold move indeed. The Monks were notoriously closed lipped (so to speak) about any individuals who sought refuge in their numbers.

"In all likelihood," she confirmed. The older woman studied the young boy and saw him brimming with potential. She did too, for that matter, and it was likely precisely this that the Monks were drawn to.

A sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes, trying to sort out the jumble of ideas that crossed her brain. The Monks were not collectively ridiculous, she knew; they would never send an untrained, unbloodied child to do any dirty work. Even in the stories from her grandparents' childhoods, she knew that children were always properly vetted even after their Trials and nothing as grisly as kidnappings or assassinations were ever issued until the child had proven themselves repeatedly. And even now she had her doubts about the rumour that the Monks were behind the Chief's assassination; the mark the paper reported was in no public accounting of Galgori history, and neither had her grandparents mentioned such a mark in all her life.

Finally she opened her eyes and looked at Yuji again. "I would exercise caution, Yuji," she said, her voice soft but firm. "The Monks have adjusted to the new way of things, as far as we know. But the Galgori as a people were once very skilled and adept warriors and rogues, and the Monks were once their spiritual leaders. That much is true." She leaned back, resting her weight against the wall. "But there is so much about the Monks that no one knows. There are always rumours, of course, but nothing certain."

She brushed a stray lock of hair away. "But I would hold on to this, young man. The favour of the Monks of Koh is never bestowed lightly. You may expect them to approach you in the future. I would not know when, but being in their favour means a great deal."

Her voice was filled with emotion. She truly believed it was an honour to be personally approached by the Monks. She still remembered the day when she had been summoned to this very Temple, more than twenty years prior. Her grandparents were still alive then, and while Charu never held much stock to the stories that the Monks were touched by Koh himself, she understood the significance of the Monks in Galgori life and was truly, deeply honoured to be acknowledged.

"Yuji," the woman said, tilting her head to one side. "Have you ever considered taking a self-defence course?"
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Apr 10, 2017 12:20:33 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 12:20:33 GMT -6

Charumati seemed to think that it was the detective, but she sighed as if conflicted. Yuji's lips twisted to one side and his brow furrowed, and he nodded. It didn't exactly explain much, but he was starting to feel a bit relieved that he had been able to tell someone... Maybe it wasn't as big of a deal as he'd thought? The young man let her think in silence, not knowing what exactly to say.

She finally looked back up at him in a way that wasn't encouraging. She told him once again to be careful, and he couldn't help but wonder why. Didn't he do a good thing? Why should he be "cautious" for something that wasn't his fault? But as Charumati explained, he began to understand why benders might be wary of them, aside from their generally creepy demeanor. He'd never heard that the Monks were actually considered spiritual beyond their obsession of Koh.

"But I would hold onto this, young man," she continued. "You may expect them to approach you in the future." Her voice seemed odd and gave him the same impression he'd had just a moment ago. He looked down, away, at his fist with the note crumpled within. "Sure," he said softly, wary. It wasn't exactly the best feeling knowing that the Monks had their eyes on him. But still, he carefully straightened the note out again, folding it as it had been.

Then she asked if he'd ever thought about taking a self-defense course, and he scoffed. "Me?" he asked, almost unsure he'd heard her right. "Sure, I've considered it. You'd be dumb not to, if you're a nonbender at least."

He folded his arms again, and his teeth clenched for a moment to distract from the sinking of his stomach. He looked at her clothing again, in such fine condition compared to his. His coat slowly becoming threadbare, his feet growing colder by the day inside each thinning boot. Who was he to start to think he was on equal footing to this woman? This woman who was wealthy enough to wear what she wanted, who was lucky enough to be trained by a family that accepted her as she was. As if she would ever talk to a street rat like him, a boy barely of age whose main source of food was the soup kitchen he worked at, if she could avoid it at least.

"Can't exactly afford it, though," he said coolly, shrugging. "And it's not like they're easy to find. Get a bunch of nonbenders together, the cops swoop in, and all of a sudden you're in jail like everyone else. And with benders..."

He rolled his eyes. "It's like all their 'free self-defense training' turns into 'learn how to beat up on nonbenders.'" But his face began to fall. It was hard to sound tough when talking about how you can't help yourself. "I mean, I would go, just... I don't know..." Yuji trailed off again and averted his gaze, eyes focusing on the nearest dummy. How beat up and sad it looked.
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Post by Charumati on Apr 11, 2017 14:41:30 GMT -6

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Charumati nodded gravely. Poverty was no laughing matter; she had been blessed to land a stable job in her younger years, but as more and more people moved to the capital there were fewer jobs and a greater distance between the very wealthy and the downright poor. She had already noticed the worn state of Yuji's clothing, but quite honestly it was nothing shocking. There were plenty of people, including children, with threadbare clothing — or worse, rags.

She felt the old fires of anger deep in her belly. This is what moved her to act in the first place; no young person should be forced into wearing clothes till they disintegrated. No one should. But it affected nonbenders so disproportionately because the city — the world for the most part! — was built around the assumption that bending abilities were the driving force of everything. Even with technological advances such as electricity, everyone still relied on firebenders to supply the power. The Equalists had proved it wasn't necessary, but had the technology, when Equalists were ever captured, been dismantled and studied? Of course not! They had been destroyed.

The older woman stood, her eyes flashing. "If you want self defence training, I will teach you alongside my nephew," she said, an edge in her voice. It was clear that the sudden shift in tone was not about the young man she spoke to. Charu held up a hand to ward off any protests about not being a charity case. "You are welcome to work for the education. I work at the Times during the day and my nephew needs instruction in learning to read and speak the common tongue, as his parents never taught him. He has made considerable progress, but he is still far from being able to navigate this city without a chaperone, and I would like to change that so I'm not constantly worried about him being unable to make his intentions clear."
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