((Back-to-work-itis is hitting us all hard I see....))

Kyozuki watched the scene unfold from where she sat, hands clasped beneath her chin while her index fingers rested against her bottom lip. The others seemed seemed to have things in hand - having Kyozuki there would only crowd him. Kyozuki gave a resigned sigh and looked out at the rest of the inn. One of these days, she said to herself, I'll add something to this outfit other than bandaging wounds. I just need the right opportunity.... Sitting back in her chair, Kyozuki lightly drummed her fingers against the table, at a loose end while the others did the talking.

Liang didn't have to wait long for the bartender and his friend to notice him and the pad he held in his had, "I'll pay for whatever he eats," the other patron said then turned back to his companion to resume his conversation. The one-eyed child blinked with surprise. It wasn't often he came across people who would so generously offer him food, but in spite of that he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He had a few coins left in his satchel, enough for bread, water, and perhaps a lump of cheese. Liang didn't plead for generosity, but, he would take what ever came to him gratefully, after all it was a common thing for him to be misunderstood. The adolescent boy climbed on the nearest empty stool and rested his pad under his left hand. The bartender offered him a hunk of bread, which he took with both hands and a slight tilt of his head, offering his thanks.

As Liang munched quickly on the soft, but lukewarm bread, a large man took a seat next to the child. The weary brown eye glanced over to him for a second, but then returned it's focus to the bread, which was soon finished off, leaving him longing for more. A bowl suddenly slid towards him...ah, sizzle crisps. But the adolescent kept his hands to himself, unsure if that was also being given to him. Suddenly the man beside him asked, "Hey. You ever kill anyone?"

Another surprise tonight, and it left Liang thinking. He never check if that man he slashed in the gut was dead or not, or if that sickening crunching noise was the sound of neck bones breaking, nor did he want to. He did what ever he had to do to get through the night and sedate the hunger devouring his stomach. The child turned his head to get a better look at the man beside him. He smelled of bitter alcohol, he might of been drunk but his words flowed smoothly off of his tongue, as if he were amidst a normal conversation. Liang turned back around and licked the crumbs off his fingers, getting more filth than actual food. The bowl of snacks moved more toward the child. His left hand twitched as it reached for the bowl, when it was not slapped away he took one and munched away, still ravenous. Then, the man spoke again, "I'll put it this way. Would you like to?"

Liang looked up, at the man who was questioning him, then at the pad of paper. As soon as the sizzle crisp disappeared down his throat, he began to write, I wouldn't mind.[/color] Then he took another sizzle crisp.

When Kuma noticed the teenaged boy was writing rather than speaking he felt a nauseating moment of sympathy for the kid. Missing any eye didn't seem like a big deal, and Kuma had seen men get along well without arms or legs, but not having a voice...to an actor that seemed like a impairment worthy of suicide.
"So, what happened? Take a staff to the throat? Smoke damage? Or did you just see too much unspeakable stuff on the battlefield?"

While he was curious just what made someone go mute Kuma didn't press. Prying wasn't manly. He leaned his head in the direction of his allies Kyozuki and Kai. "Those two...they're Water Tribe, but they're okay. We're....hell, I don't know what to call us. We're just here to cause trouble for the Fire Nation. Join up. We can't pay you but we can feed you and put a roof over you, oh, and it's an excuse to fight."

Kuma leaned closer to Liang. "Since I've already told you about us if you say no I'll have to drag you and the back and quietly strangle you." After waiting a long moment Kuma began chuckling.

After a pause in his stifled, maniacal laughter the former soldier of the Earth Kingdom finally took a good look at his recruit.
"How good a fighter are you? You don't look that tough. If I'm going to have to bend a grave for you the first time we're attacked I'd just soon forget the whole thing."

For a moment he pondered picking a fight with the two Fire Nation soldiers, but thought about the water benders and how annoying their reaction would be.
"Forget it. Skill isn't as important as the propensity to kill."
Kuma held back a wince at using a word like "propensity". It was flowery word. A stage word. It probably snuck in from one of the plays that were permenant fixtures in his memory.
It seemed like a good time to distract from anything that might allude to his background in theater.
"Don't worry. By the time I'm done with you you'll be a souless killing machine."

He signalled the bartender for two glasses of water. Any further alcohol would be dangerous and loosen his tongue even further. Still, it was a tradition to toast a newly gained ally.
"Welcome to the futile struggle, little killer."
He drank his water in one gulp and favored Liang with an inquisitive look.
"Kuma. Kuma Takeda. You?

((Finally! Kai's unfrozen from his perpetual limbo!))

Kai raised an eyebrow as he watched Kuma with interest. He'd managed to recruit the mute boy, which meant that they now had two more allies in their fight against the Fire Nation, but would their little group be enough to defeat the Fire Nation and reclaim Omashu for the Earth Kingdom? If they succeeded, they would be hailed as heroes. If they didn't...well, he preferred not to think about what would happen to them if they failed. He walked over to the bar, where Shen was serving Kuma and the mute some water.

"I think we've exhausted our recruitment options here," he said in a low voice to Kyo and the earthbender, placing both hands on the bar.

"Here, yes. I do know of a couple of other people who might be willing to help," Shen interjected, a sly smile on his face.

"Two of my best customers have been coming in here every day since the Fire Nation took over, complaining about how they want things the way they were," he added, cleaning some water off the bar with a towel.

"Really? Who are they?" Kai asked with interest.

"Well, they're twins; Aki and Yaki. They're both excellent Earthbenders, and I think they'd be happy to join the cause. In fact, they should be here later today, so I'll let them know the situation," Shen replied.

"Great," Kai said with a smile.

"Now what?" he asked his partners.

"Now what?"

Kyozuki stood up, feeling quite good about life in general. Things were really working out. This resistance might succeed yet. Day one, and they'd increased their ranks by a half. "Well, we've made good headway, I think - two definites and two maybes? That's not a bad start. I say we head back to base and wait for the others, see how their little escapades went." Kyozuki stretched her thin arms, tilting her head from side to side as she loosened up. "Although if I may, I'd like to detour past a little tea shop I saw on the way here - I swear, I smelled Jasmine Tea as I went past." Kyozuki began to amble slowly in the direction of the door, looking over at the others to see whether they wanted to continue on.

It was late, the sun had set and his long day of work was coming to an end… The waterbender sighed as he lazily walked through the streets of this depressing city, his icy blue eye scanning the various shops that lined the sides of the street. Most of the shops had signs hanging from the window that read ‘Closed’; there were no lights in those buildings, nor people who stirred about, just those small signs hanging from the window. He passed them by, continuing his search for a place to relax.

Every now and then he would pass by a tavern or bar, a nice cup of rice wine might help him unwind, but then he would be surrounded by loud drunks and shady characters… the fact that he had a patch over his missing eye, a water skin, and a sword didn’t do much to help him avoid attention. It would probably be best to avoid those places for the time being. So he continued his little trek through the city. It was a bit longer before he spotted something that caught his attention. It was called “The Blue Crane Teahouse” it looked nice enough, well lit, and some attractive vines growing along its walls, yes tea sounded like the perfect thing to help him calm down.

He entered the shop; a young waitress greeted him before telling him that he was free to choose his own seat, and that she would be with him soon. He looked around before proceeding to find a table spotting a few fire nation soldiers chatting it up by the Pai sho table, one of them looked up and shot the waterbender a dirty look, but his friend caught his attention with his next move on the table.

Kazanko simply smirked before walking to his seat and sitting down at the small wooden table. He wouldn’t give that guard too much thought, and hopefully the guard would leave him alone. He did work for them but he didn’t want to go announcing that to everyone… a traitorous waterbener was never very popular amongst the people of the Earth Kingdom.

The waitress made her way over to the dark haired man and asked what it was he would like… they had a small menu of appetizers as well as a long list of teas. So many choices to choose from, he could get a sweet peach flavored green tea, or a sweet-sour black tea with a hint of cherry… or his favorite, Jasmine tea with a touch of honey, yes that would do nicely. He motioned to the young waitress signaling that he was ready to order… He would have a pot of jasmine tea, along with a few pot stickers to help rid himself of the annoying grumbles that came from his stomach.

The single light brown eye darted over to the burly man, and Liang decided it was best to continue eating. He didn’t know exactly how he lost his voice and the story surrounding it was long-winded and a pretty common one for an orphan in these war-filled times. The man beside him didn’t seem to mind that the adolescent had refrained from answering and went on to introduce the two others that had walked in with him, "Those two...they're Water Tribe, but they're okay. We're....hell, I don't know what to call us. We're just here to cause trouble for the Fire Nation. Join up. We can't pay you but we can feed you and put a roof over you, oh, and it's an excuse to fight." Liang nodded, food and shelter was good enough reason to fight, and it usually what he bought with what ever money he had anyway. Well, that and a new sketch pad when the current one ran through. There was no need for threats, and Liang had full confidence in joining. The half-drunk man beside him had hooked him thoroughly.

The man turned to look him over, "How good a fighter are you? You don't look that tough. If I'm going to have to bend a grave for you the first time we're attacked I'd just soon forget the whole thing." Liang winced as the earth bender spoke, the adolescent rarely got any sort of credit for looking tough, thus he rarely got any credit for being tough. The boy nervously scratched the back of his head, he had confidence in his survival skills, but it lacked in his ability to fight against other humans, who thought and planned unlike animals. "Forget it. Skill isn't as important as the propensity to kill." And Liang breathed a short sigh of relief, then stopped and straightened up, not wanting his new employer to think him weak, "Don't worry. By the time I'm done with you you'll be a souless killing machine. " Formal training? Well, probably as formal as it would get for the poor mercenary. At least he didn’t have to teach himself anymore, and actually learn from someone else’s mistakes instead of getting another scar to learn from his own. The bear of a man signaled to the bar tender for water, thus making Liang very happy. As the sizzle crisps were beginning to burn his throat and the fact that the teenager couldn’t hold any amount of liquor. When Kuma formally introduced himself, Liang took a minute to remember his name, more precisely how to spell it. Liang Yi Fai.

((Gonna timeskip and assume suigestu et. al head back to base and let Kyozuki part ways at the tea house.))

Kyozuki waved goodbye as she entered the tea house, looking round for a place to sit. Her face froze momentarily as she saw a fire nation guard sitting at one end of the tea house - however she was beginning to get used to it. Not much - her spine still crawled every time she saw those red and black uniforms - but she was able to control herself now. Still, she didn't wan't to sit too close to them. And preferably, she'd want someone sitting between them and her...

Kyozuki's eye was caught by a man sitting at a small wooden table. His attire wasn't especially unique - he had the look of a fighter, but that wasn't what caught her attention. Her attention was instead held by the waterskin at his hip. Kyozuki glanced down at her own waterskin. Could it be?... There wasn't any other reason for someone to carry around a waterskin, and if he was a waterbender... he'd join the resistance in a shot. There was no way he wouldn't want to - hey, he might even be involved in another resistance movement himself. In any case, this was an opportunity too good to pass up - just as long as she made sure the fellow really was water tribe.

Suppresing her excitement, Kyozuki strolled casually over to the man's table. "Hello" she said, smiling sweetly. She drummed her finger lightly on her waterskin to draw attention to it, before she sat down. "Oh, Jasmine Tea! My favorite!" she leant her elbows on the table, clasping her slender fingers underneath her chin. "Say" she said in a quiet conversational tone, "did I see you up North? There was this little place... run by a guy called Pakku? You know him?" That would leave a waterbender in no doubt as to her intentions, while leaving it vague enough that if he wasn't a waterbender, she could retreat behind a case of mistaken identity.

Great. Now what?"

Kuma gave Kai a perplexed look for a moment. He was used to taking orders, not being in on any sort of decision. He once more reminded himself that he, and perhaps Ji, were the only ones with a military background. He didn't know whether to take charge or just play the dutiful killing machine as he always had before.
Then again, he was an actor and there was no reason he couldn't play the role of that of a member of a team.
Kuma tried his best to think like an officer and not a lower-level soldier. He wasn't sure he liked it.
"Best to just leave...unless you want to start a bar fight and test out Liang here." He shrugged. "I think it's pointless looking for anyone who'll join us. Just look at these people. You can tell how beaten they are just by looking at them. No sense in looking for komodo-rhinos amoung koala-sheep.

Kuma surprised himself by getting riled by his own comment. It bothered him that two Fire Nation soldiers could sit in a bar in one of the Earth Nation's greatest cities and not be carried out in several bloody sacks. His childhood was spent amoung earth-bending miners who went about working until their lungs finally ceased or they were crushed in a cave-in. His teens and early twenties were spent with a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers who reveled in their fanaticism and bloodlust. Given these influences, he thought that maybe his view of the people in the bar was skewed.

After a moment he abandoned that line of thought and decided they were just weak and pathetic. He rubbed his temples in frustration with those around him. How did one instill a backbone into beaten people? After further though it was decided that his military training had nothing to offer him. Then he thought about his training as an actor, which began not too much longer after his other training.
Crowds could be moved by the right words or the right song. A grin crossed his face when he thought about standong atop the bar and reciting from the play based on Chin The Conqueror who was a childhood hero. That play was a favorite of his due to his mother telling him stories of the great general of the Earth Kingdom.
But that would be far too bold...not to mention bloody. He imagined he'd have to kill anyone who snickered or even looked like they would question his masculinity. He needed something more subtle that he could plausibly deny. He doubted it would do much good, but a good fight song could do wonders.

Without a word, the earthbender walked to the bathroom in the corner of the bar. Bathrooms usually had nice acoustics and the stone walls of the stalls assured his anonymity. He began by loudly humming and tapping his obsidian sandals to the beat. He was sure people just assumed he was a jolly drunk. He projected his humming so that it not only filled the bathroom, but penetrated the walls and into the hall. When the song reached it's chorus, words that almost every citizen of the kingdom knew Kuma Takeda put lyrics to his humming.
"As their nation pushed us westward to live our lowly lives, some of us have deemed to fight from rocky mountains high. Kingdom men with wills of iron who are not afraid to die, who fight with earthen honor held on high. A curse upon you, Fire Lord Sozin ,who raped our motherland, I hope you're rotting down in hell for the horrors that you sent to our misfortunate forefathers whom you robbed of their birthright..."

To the large man's joy two of the bathroom's patrons left singing and picked up where he had stopped. It was just a couple of singing drunks, but those slurred words made Kuma feel more at ease and happy since the death of his old lover Dan-Li. He had meant to leave once he got a couple of people singing, but instead the actor and soldier remained singing, confident that the noise the other singing drunks drowned him out.
Causing an outburst of singing from somone who heard him a joy equal to coming through a seemingly impossible battle alive and relatively unharmed. There was a slight pang when he thought about acting again. It had been a while, but it would have to wait until his work with the resistance was over.
He doubted the others would live long. Rebels rarely lasted, but he trusted his survival skills enough to think about signing on with that troupe of Fire Nation actors once he had buried his comrades.

The sounds of drunks singing about their hatred for Fire Lord Sozin made Kuma smile as he exited the bathroom. When he saw a third drunk join them and the uncomfortable looks of the two Fire Nation solders within earshot he almost laughed. It wasn't the bar-wide song and dance routine from his fantasies, but it elevated his mood.
He even smiled at Kai and Liang.
"Waterbender, little killer...are you ready to go?"

OOC: I'm assuming the fight didn't happen in this time line. If it did, I can edit accordingly.

Masato was bored. He'd been separated from Ji, and had been wandering around the city for a while. He didn't feel like returning to the "base," so his only other option was to wander. But that was not a very good long-term strategy. So, Masato decided to enter the next open building he saw and attempt to enjoy himself there.

As luck would have it, the next open building was a friendly-looking teahouse. Expressing silent gratitude to whatever supernatural force saw fit to place the teahouse there, Masto stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed was a couple of Fire Nation soldiers lurking in a corner. His hand twitched, and automatically began to inch toward one of his knives, but he quickly stopped himself. He couldn't cause a scene.

Then, Masato saw something very interesting. Kyozuki was seated at a table with a shady-looking man. Masato was tempted to join her, but figured it'd be best if he remained apart. So, he took a seat a couple tables away from Kyozuki and the man. He was close enough to help her if she needed it, but was still far enough away not to interfere with whatever she was doing.

When the waitress came up to him, Masato ordered some peach-flavored green tea. Then, he settled back, keeping an eye on his fellow Resistor and company.

-Tea Shop-

The one eyed mercenary couldn’t help but smile as he watched the waitress make her way back to him with pot in hand. His eye could see the small trails of steam dancing around with each other as she continued to move towards him. She carefully placed the porcelain pot on the table, along with a single white cup. She then poured some tea into the cup before leaving him once again. His hand quickly reached out for the cup, and once his fingers had wrapped around its smooth surface he could feel the tea’s warmth seep through to his hand.

As he lifted the cup to his lips a young woman began to approach him, a warm smile spread across her lips as she greeted him. He noticed her finger’s tapping on her water skin, it was without a doubt an attempt to establish her nationality, but the one eyed waterbender had come to that conclusion when he first laid eye on her “Oh, Jasmine Tea! My favorite!" He would have offered her some, but she continued, "Say...did I see you up North? There was this little place... run by a guy called Pakku? You know him?" Pakku… Yes he knew that name very well.

Without letting his emotions bubble up to the surface the water bender took a sip of his hot tea before answering the inquisitive young Northerner. “I knew Pakku” He answered in a calm and even voice as he lowered his cup to the table. It was then that the waitress returned with his plate of pot-stickers, and placed an extra cup on the table before leaving. Kazanko motioned towards the pot-stickers with a welcoming gesture, “Feel free to have as much as you want…” He then poured the young lady a cup of tea before continuing.

“I was a student of his some eight years ago…” But it was probably best to end the story of his relationship with that old gasbag. It would be rude if he didn’t give her his name… she was after all a member of the Northern Water Tribe and would expect him to do so, but Kazanko Tomo was about a northern name as Rock Lee. “My name is Kado… Kado Goru…”

The Waterbender turned his attention to the drunken Earthbender.

"I'm ready," he said, nodding. He turned around when someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Shen stood there.

"Come back at sundown. Aki and Yaki will be here, and you can talk to them about joining," the older man said, and Kai bowed.

"Thank you," he said, earning a chuckle from the bartender.

Kai gave a wave as he walked out of the bar, then turned to Kuma.

"Hey, I'm going to go walk around for a while. I'll meet you back at base before the sun goes down, then we can go back to the bar," he said, nodding to the pair before turning around and walking away before they could object. He needed to clear his head and prepare himself for what was to come.

As the rest of his the group discussed what to do Liang continued to slowly deplete the stock of food in front of him, drinking the water as he went, content. The big man examined the bar, and said, "I think it's pointless looking for anyone who'll join us. Just look at these people. You can tell how beaten they are just by looking at them. No sense in looking for komodo-rhinos among koala-sheep.", at that Liang flinched. Just a moment ago he was counted among the bleating lambs- happy to do as the firenation told him, so long as they left him in peace. He turned away from the group as Kyozuki left the bar. The teenager actually managed to stop eating for a while, and stared at the food filled bowl, his appetite fading him. But after a few seconds from losing his appetite, hunger took his actions over once again.

Liang took another handful of sizzle crisps and began a steady pattern of eating and drinking until most of the bowl was gone. After Kuma left for the bathroom he stopped eating, leaving a couple crisps left in the bottom of the dish and turned to he sketch pad, flipping to a blank page. He paused thinking, but as a drunken sinning drifted from the bathroom, the adolescent began to draw. It really was just a rough sketch, but it was well enough to pass for images of Kuma and the two waterbenders. He left alot of room on the white page, expecting there to be more companions to come. Liang touched up on Kuma's features and wrote the big man's name to the side of the figure. Planning to continue later, the adolescent closed his sketch book, sliding the pencil into his pouch and tucking the book under his arm as the big man stepped from the bathroom, smiling. The teenager slid from his stool and stared at Kai's back as he walked out the door. Then, his eyes swung back to meet Kuma's expecting him to lead the way.

((So, just giving Kazanko an opportunity to react to Kyozuki and form an opinion - also leaving an opening for Koji to start coming closer, since my next post will be the fire nations guards crashing the tea party. And yes, I've finally given Kyo a last name >_>))

“My name is Kado… Kado Goru…”

"Kyozuki" Kyozuki replied. "Kyozuki Kihira" Pouring herself a cup of Jasmine, she continued with renewed excitement. "Of course, I wouldn't know you personally - I'd have only been eleven back then, and I only left last year..." Kyozuki trailed off as she remembered why she'd left. She stood by her reasons, but deep down she was still guilty about the way she'd treated her parents - and as for this man... well, she wouldn't expect a man of the water tribe to understand the thirst for waterbending that was stifled in so many women: the need for more than just the life of a healer. Best to just leave that area untouched.

"Anyway" Kyozuki continued, having only missed a few beats. "That aside, there's something I want to ask you, as one member of the water tribe to another; a proposition of sorts. Interested?" A former student of Pakku... what a formidable addition to the resistance he'd make.

-Kazanko-

"Kyozuki Kihira" The young waterbender said as she poured herself a cup of hot tea before she went on "Of course, I wouldn't know you personally - I'd have only been eleven back then, and I only left last year..." She was only a few years younger than his sister, it was strange but she reminded him a great deal about her, maybe she knew her? Maybe she could tell him how she was doing, or how is mother and father were! But then again the Northern city was very large, and the odds of her knowing his family were slim.

Then a different question popped into his head, why was such a young girl out in the middle of the Earth Kingdom? Normally a girl her age would be engaged or at home helping their parents. It was no secret that leaving the Northern Water Tribe was looked down upon, especially if it is a young woman who is leaving. So why was she here in of all places? The newly named city of Oma Shu was definitely not a safe place for a member of the Water Tribe. Had she run away from home? Was she pursuing someone, or was she the one being pursued? The waterbender laughed a bit inside his head letting only a slim smile show through to his face. He was over thinking things again.

The young girl went on to introduce some sort of proposition… A job for the mercenary perhaps? Well truth be told, he could never ask for payment from someone who looked so much like Chiyiko. Well, a little charity was good for his soul, and if it meant helping a young woman of the Water Tribe, then he would simply drop his current employer, its not like they would really care if a waterbender left their ranks…

He took another sip of his tea as he thought about what might be waiting for him once he answered. “Well Miss Kihira...you’ve caught my attention, what is this proposition of yours?”

-Koji -

What was this feeling he had? He hadn’t felt like this since he was a child, this unstoppable trembling and sensation of cold ice running down his spine as he sat there in the alleyway, alone and uncomfortable. They knew… they knew that they weren’t Fire Nation, but how? There was no failed password, no checkpoint, just a violent explosion of movements and the two were surrounded by guards. He did his best, by the spirits he did his damnedest to keep them at bay, but that wasn’t enough to stop them from taking her away. They just kept coming, more and more seemed to simply pour out of the walls creating a large wave of red that could not be split by a lone bolt of lightning.

So how was it that he was here? The last he remembered he was ramming his bloodied knuckles into some soldier’s face, and then his body went limp as his surroundings faded into black. When he woke up he was in this alley, his stolen uniform still on his person, which from the throbbing pain, he knew was covered in bruises. His face felt rather swollen, no doubt a product of the beating he took while unable to fight back, and his entire body felt as heavy as a sack of bricks, but that wasn’t what made him feel this way. Rumi was gone… and he didn’t know where she was, weather she was even alive or dead, all he knew was that he had failed.

His arms wrapped around his knees as he continued to sit there. What was it he said when he agreed to this? It sounded like a nice challenge? Was he really that foolish? well Ji knew, and that is why he had refused. ‘Now look at me…’ the boxer thought to himself ‘ I haven’t felt this useless since I was a little kid… And… And I actually feel scared. What if they would have killed me? No… What if they killed Rumi' The more he thought about it the angrier he grew at himself. It was their first mission as the resistance and he had failed…

“I’m still too weak!!!” the boxer shouted as he slammed his bloody right fist into the ground. He ignored the pain that shot up from his knuckles and into his arm and continued to simply sit there. “I haven’t grown at all…” he said as he wrapped his arms around his knees once again. It was true… at least in his mind it was true. He was still that useless little boy who longed for attention. That is why he fought after all.

‘So what is your move Lightning Knuckle? Are you just going to leave the others? Let them get taken away by the Fire Nation as well?’ Right… the others, they were still in this. ‘Forget the others! You have no obligation to them! Two days together and you think they care what happens to you?! They probably won’t even notice if you leave! Hahaha no one notices you outside the ring kid! FACE IT!’ No one noticed him outside the ring… the only reason anyone ever wanted him around was for his punch, Ji made a pretty penny because of it, and the resistance only wanted him for it… ‘You can’t just leave them Koji… It doesn’t matter if you’ve only known them for a few days… a strong man doesn’t abandon his comrades.’

The battered and beaten boxer rose to his feet as he tried his best to simply ignore the pain that covered his entire body. “I need something to drink…” He said as he started to walk around aimlessly… “Something hot…”

"Wonderful!" Kyozuki said excitedly, "Now then, as you don't need me telling you, the Fire Nation has a real stranglehold here - people can barely walk out the door without a permit of some kind." Kyozuki looked vaguely past Kado out the open door of the tea shop. "Honestly, every time I see one of those ugly iron scaffoldings on top of what used to be an earth kingdom house..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Anyway," she continued, looking at Kado again, "I also don't need to tell you that not everyone in Omashu - sorry, I refuse to call it New Ozai - is willing to take this lying down. Some want to give some back. Some..." Kyozuki leaned closer, voice lowered as she finished, "...have formed a resistance." She leaned back, not waiting to hear Kado's affirmation - he was water tribe, it was a forgone conclusion. "We're not a large group." She continued. "But the people we do have are skilled; there's an ex-earth nation soldier, another two waterbenders, this earthbending pit fighter... We're not planning on starting a militia, clearly, buy every bit counts - it's groups like this, all over the earth kingdom, that'll weaken the fire nation's infrastructure - reduce their ability to hold position when the tide turns. Because Avatar or no, I don't think these firebenders will be willing to turn over their stolen territory..."

* * * * *

The fire nation guard hadn't been resting on his laurels - he'd seen the earth kingdom girl come in and go straight over to the waterbender's table. That in itself was strange behaviour - the man wasn't exactly the sort to make one feel secure - but when she started talking to him like an old friend, his suspicions were roused fully.

"Hello, what's this?" he mused out loud as the girl started talking in an animated, but secretive fashion.

"What's what?" his cohort asked.

"Shush!" he replied, holding up a hand as he strained his ears to listen.

"...not everyone in Omashu - sorry, I refuse to call it New Ozai..."

Well, that was an arrest-worthy offence right there. However, the guard waited - if this was going where he thought it was going...

"...it's groups like this, all over the earth kingdom, that'll weaken the fire nation's infrastructure..."

And there it was. The girl was part of some ill-conceived resistance movement. And by the looks of her, she'd break easily under interrogation; the threat of fire quickly convinced most people to see sense...

"Come on" he said to his lackeys. "We've got a rebel to catch."

"...Avatar or no, I don't think these firebenders will be willing to turn over their stolen territory..." the girl was saying as he came up behind her and grabbed her roughly by the wrist.

"It's not stealing if you're at war, sugar - it's conquest." Pulling Kyozuki up off her seat, he looked over at the bounty hunter. "Good work Kazanko - I always said you water tribe mercenaries were no good, but you've proven me wrong - feel honoured. The information we get out of this wench" he indicated the now ashen-pale Kyozuki with a jerk of his head, "will probably go a long way to quelling those little pockets of resistance we keep getting all over the place. I'll be sure to put a good word in for you."

Taking Kyozuki by the shoulder, oblivious to the despairing whimper of fear she gave, he began to move towards the door.

Kyozuki's conversation seemed to be going well, as far as Masato could see. Well, she hadn't left yet, at least. And the man she was talking to seemed interested in what she had to say. Masato let calm flood through him. Everything was fine.

However, he was alerted when he saw one of the Fire Nation creeps looking at Kyozuki intently, focusing exclusively on her. His tea forgotten, Masato stood up, reaching for a knife. He was ready for whatever came next.

It turned out that going for a knife was the right choice after all. Masato watched as the Fire Nation soldier grabbed Kyozuki and praised the man she'd been talking to. It must have been a setup of some kind. Hot anger coursed through him. He'd deal with the man later, though. He had to rescue Kyozuki first.

He pulled a knife out and hurled it. It flew right past the soldier's face, embedding itself in the wall of the teahouse. Letting that serve as a warning, he held up another knife and said, "Let the girl go. Now."

Immediately upon exiting the tavern Kuma stepped out of his obsidian sandals which decreased his height by nearly two inches, but he made a point to glare at anyone who would smirk at his sudden loss of height. After all, he was still taller than just about everyone else. As an earthbender, wearing shoes felt unnatural. Some benders claimed to feel a connection to the earth through their feet, but for him it was all about comfort, plus it didn't hurt that it made him look tougher being bare-footed.
No one met his eyes as he walked down the street and into what now passed as the shopping district. Most of the shops were acting as quarters for Fire Nation soldiers, and those that weren't were either abandoned or barely scraping by. A certain shop caught his eye. The earthen layer of the building that housed the shop looked shoddily bended and poorly maintained. The poor construction brought with it a sense of nostalgia from his army days. He and his division were only taught the combat aspects of earth bending and therefore the temporary dwellings they made paled in comparison to the professionally bended buildings. He wondered if the creator of these shops was a grunt like himself.

The proprietor of the shop answered his question through her existence alone. A wildly gray-haired woman who seemed to look through everyone and everything with her one remaining eye. While recuperating for months after his hands were burned Kuma had seen that look many times. It was the look of someone who had seen enough war and death that nothing could faze them. More interesting were the used and abused Earth Kingdom military stock she sold. Naturally, nothing that could be used as a weapons was sold. Even items which once held the emblem of the Earth Kingdom were now bare except for a few stitches which could not be completely removed.
A pair of badger-mole skin gloves caught Kuma's eye. They could cover his charred hands and draw less attention to the stone gloves he wore which advertised the fact he was an earthbender. They were only one piece of silver in cost, but that was one more piece of silver than he had.
For the first time in his life Kuma wished he had learned something about the artistic side of earthbending. Then again, earthbended art was cheap unless it was done by a master. Barter via bending was out.
"Do you need a bodyguard?"
The shop-owner favored him with a look that insulted his intelligence without a word. A hulking bodyguard would only draw unwanted attention.
He turned his head to see if anyone was around he could possibly intimidate out of money and noticed Liang.
"You're broke too, aren't you?"

The fact that the gloves were so easily purchased yet still far out of his price range was frustrating. It made him want them even more. For a moment he wondered if he could buy her off with a song. A stirring rendition of the Earth Kingdom anthem or an old military fight song was surely worth a piece of silver.
Kuma wished he'd stayed with the acting troupe instead of hooking up with the Omashu resistance. The pay would be better. The pittance actors made was a king's ransom compared to the pay of a freedom fighter.
The most pathetic thing was that the owner was likely giving him a discount for being a fellow soldier. Even if she had offered to give them to him Kuma would not have accepted. His pride required that some sort of price be paid.
He stared at the beaten gloves if tanned badger-mole hide the size of which seemed almost perfect for his large hands.
As much as he wanted to sound threatening Kuma could not summon any intimidation in his voice.
"Do not sell my gloves." To his ears he just sounded weak and pathetic.
With a frustrated sigh Kuma left the shop and seemingly burned through the good-will he felt after leaving the tavern.