(OOC: I believe Joo Dee was put in charge, Shio, yeah.)

Lower Ring - Underground HQ

After that outburst, the soldier leaned against a nearby wall, several of the newly recruited members of the Underground watching him and waiting for anything else he might have to add. There was a moment's pause, and everyone became convinced he was going to stay silent for now. They turned their attention back to Long Feng. Suki still watched the soldier for another moment, her expression blank while her eyes betrayed the grief brought back back to the surface.

When her friends had needed her, she hadn't been there. They had all even been in the same city! While she wasted time trying to figure out what was wrong with Ba Sing Se (and the answer now was all too obvious), she could have been looking for them. She could have helped...made a difference.

Now this, the Underground, was the only difference she could make. There was no way to undo what had been done, or erase the regret and guilt she felt but maybe...maybe this would set things right. It could give her some measure of peace.

Still, in that moment, her heart ached for her friends. Losing Sokka became a fresh wound all over again.

"I...had heard the Avatar and his friends had died, too. We're really all the Earth Kingdom has now," Suki said, her voice soft. She cleared her throat and turned her gaze back to Long Feng before she spoke again. "We will need a lot of training to take down the Dai Li, but it has to be done. Knowing the layout of their base will give us great advantage in being able to take them down...but it'll take quite some time training before we're ready to tackle that, I think."

The Kyoshi Warrior paused for a moment, thinking back on how the city had been before the takeover. Pervading silence, broken by hushed whispers. Desperate poverty in the Lower Ring, willful ignorance in the Middle and Upper Rings. Every step haunted by shadows following, and scared stares of a secret no one was willing to speak. The word war had been unheard of in Ba Sing Se. A house in the Middle Ring had been ready for her when she had arrived; a city where news undoubtedly traveled fast. Suki frowned as her mind sorted these memories out. Did Long Feng know how difficult it had been for her to seek aid when she arrived? That pleas for help were being followed or hushed? She could only assume that given the Dai Li had turned traitors, he did not.

"Long Feng, did you know that the Dai Li were doing more than eliminating threats to the monarchy? I came here to seek aid for the war effort and found no one even aware a war existed. At best people just looked at me as if they were afraid of something. I was no threat to the monarchy," said Suki.

((Hey, Joychi. It’s a new page so don’t forget to put your location in your post.))

Lower Ring—Underground HQ

Part of him wanted to smile at that bit of insight, he was dead. It wasn’t that he enjoyed the idea of a child’s murder, but it was so unbelievable. To think that the Avatar had failed the world, not just once, but twice was so incomprehensible. With that boy’s death, the Fire Nation had won the war, and from the grim expressions pasted on the people’s faces; they knew it to be true.

Once more, his lustrous orbs glanced around the crowd gathered there. A few people, much like him, hadn’t heard the news prior to this explanation. One woman, particular, clenched her chest and held her hand to her mouth, she looked like she was close to fainting; and a bit from her right, a man just grimly starred at the ground. Their hope was gone, even with the small outburst by that lieutenant. Maybe, that was why they stayed; this was a new hope. Their only hope

Then she asked the question he had been preparing for since the calm after the escape. Of course he knew; he made the legislation. That singular decree, to protect the peace, was his finest work. It alone guaranteed him his position for years to come. That one act solidified his power over the city. That was when the peace and order began.

However, he knew what would come if he ever discussed his actual position in the government, and his actual role in the city. As far as anyone knew, he was just Long Feng Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, and head of the Dai Li. In the eyes of the masses, they were puppet positions; the people erroneously believed that he was just the king’s adviser; the reliable reagent from when his majesty was a child. In this city, the truth was always more absurd than the lies.

The former administrator then turned his steely gaze to the young warrior. His words had to come out in a certain way, because if they were misunderstood, then he was culpable.

“Yes. I knew what the Dai Li were doing, as my titles dictate, I knew what was going on. That is not to say that I agreed with it. Remember, I was the Grand Secretariat, not the king. And while I may have been the head of the Dai Li, that was merely a puppet position. All I did was assure the Earth King that the Dai Li were doing as they were told. However, look at it through their eyes. You asked why they watched over you, and why their silenced talk about the war. And while I agree with you that talk is not a danger to the king; panic is.”

“Think back to Chin’s conquest, after he was killed by Avatar Kyoshi, there was a peasant uprising in the city. Through a very inadequate administration, and through terrible information, all people in Ba Sing Se heard about was how Chin was left with two targets to conquer. Ba Sing Se, and the Avatar.”

“While the peasants did revolt because of his majesty’s atrocious rule, they also panicked over the possibility of Chin attacking and ransacking them, and they worried that the king would do little for them. This fueled their rage and eventually they revolted. Why? Because they were panicking over a war.”

“A global war, an absent Avatar, and a city taking in thousands of refugees; sound familiar doesn’t it? That is why they silenced talk, and that was why the king agreed to such measures. He didn’t want the same instability as his great, great grandfather; and so rather than improve the dispersal of information, he silenced all talk of the war altogether. As he put it, ‘this guaranteed the people of Ba Sing Se order, stability and happiness.’”

He could have stopped there, but he needed to change gears. The less they thought about it, the easier it would be to accept it as fact. And thusly, he switched to something that very closely mirrored his past discussion.

“Speaking about government; does anyone know how the city is being run, and by whom, in particular? Is it through a council or a single authoritative figure, much like before it?”

Slender and acrobatic, it was clear to most watching idly from the sidelines that young Rei Ben, the ward of Wang, was … interested in the short musician. Of course, that would make sense in light of the rumours that circulated through Ba Sing Se of Wang and his ward and their potentially illegal relationship. Nothing could be proven, of course, but everyone had their suspicions. The words “clandestine” and “affair” often followed the names in sentences.

“I noticed you performing alone. What happened the woman and, what was his name? Takeshiro?” The young man raised a dark brow. “Are you going to be meeting back up with them now, or are you free for a moment?” He leaned on the wall with one arm, giving Suigetsu a charming smile. “The grounds are lovely, you know.”

—

While Suigetsu was busy being flirted with by an attractive young man in bright clothing, Han was skulking the grounds looking for clues. The little things are infinitely the most important, she reminded herself, noticing long hallways that were beautifully decorated. It seemed to be a path that was meant to lead to something very striking.

Given what she knew of Wang, which was that he was very rich, very public, given to taking young male wards, and not seen after dark… she could only conclude that he knew the importance of a public face. A man like that would, ostensibly, not shy away from showing such a thing as the mask in public. In fact, its presence in public might be just the thing he needed to keep it hidden. Pursing her lips, Han tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A man in a guard’s uniform was headed down the decorated hallway. Suspiciously, he looked to her to walk with the same stride as she had observed in someone else, earlier. Raising an eyebrow, Han took stock of the rest of his frame. His skeleton matched, to her eyes, that of the man who had introduced himself as Burushi Wang.

Smiling, she stole out of the corner in which she had gone over her evidence and followed the man down the hall. He was stopped in front of a case containing the mask, hand on a locking mechanism. Han cleared her throat, and he jerked in surprised as he turned.
“Mr. Wang. I’ll be needing your mask, if you don’t mind.”
“Who are you? How did you get in here?” the man avoided answering yes or no to his own name, but Han knew it was him.
"I followed you."
"But I didn’t see anyone,” he protested, eyes taking in the form of Han Ye Seul. “I saw nothing!”
She smiled, sweetly. "Yes,” said Han, “that is precisely what you may expect to see when I follow you."

(OOC: Here's the timeskip to the next day, gang. Sorry it isn't longer, I wasn't full of inspiration this time.)

Lower Ring - Underground HQ

It was apparent that exhaustion had overtaken everyone and it had been time to call it a night. They had done the impossible, escaping the prison, and had a basic outline of their next step. The rest could wait until everyone had a few hours of good rest.

Try as she might, Suki couldn't quite manage good rest that night. Despite having a bed to sleep in, which was always a step up from bedrolls in the middle of nowhere, there was a restlessness that kept the young warrior from dipping into restful unconsciousness. The headquarters still felt unfamiliar, no matter how long she had spent hiding out there before the Underground had become official. She thought that perhaps it was being cramped in the place, surrounded by new allies and...Suki rolled onto her side, staring at the darkness of the wall next to her small bed. Talk of what had happened to Aang, to all of them, brought it all up again. She missed them, especially Sokka. She felt her heart ache for him.

It was a sense of isolation that bothered her. She was surrounded by these people, people she had rescued, recruited, who had joined her and her cause and now...their cause was running away with them. It was becoming bigger and more involved, and with someone as technical as Long Feng it was becoming more political more...revolutionary. All Suki had wanted was to restore the Earth Kingdom as it had been, and now she didn't know what that was. It had been a lie, hadn't it. A lie that everyone had found more comforting than the truth of a monarch who would turn a blind eye to his subjects in need, who would put his creature comforts ahead of everything else. Now saving the Earth Kingdom meant remaking it and...was she up to that?

Sleep eventually came, fitful and dreamless, but hours did pass without Suki feeling as they had. Light soon filtered in through the drawn curtains. It was dim, and the dust particles danced in the thin beams of light. Suki rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, running a hand through her auburn hair.

After a moment she pushed the sheet aside and got out of bed, stretching and feeling some satisfaction in the popping noise her bones made in her shoulders. It was going to be a long day, no two ways about that.

Might as well find something good to eat. Who knows when I'll be able to later.

((Thanks Ai Lin. And now for The Good Earth to provide us with an easy meal plan. I hope you guys don’t mind it. Oh and Ai Lin, please don’t mind my following actions, but it would be best to not wait for every little thing, so feel free to carry my character as I carry yours.))

Lower Ring

Morning came, soon enough. Unfortunately, this man had spent a great part of the night worrying about being captured or worse. As he rubbed the crusty bits out from his eyes, he tried his best to focus on the imagery around him. But alas, his eyes ached and only found comfort in being closed. His pale, gaunt hands then moved to his shins and the former secretariat then began to rub his sore legs. Everything was aching. Not as bad as the night before, but still everything ached. While his right hand reached back to rub his neck, he felt his beard with his left hand. There wasn’t any stubble; it was almost thick enough to start a small beard. Well, maybe, that was a hyperbole, but it was long, and most unruly. To add more insult, his queue was no longer as lustrous as it once was. The hair that had once been shaved was growing back, and from its long growth his hairline was finally seen after an entire lifetime. This was unacceptable, but in the long run it better served his purpose. He was different this way, and if it was required; hair could be shaved off.

Pushing past the pain, Long Feng then began to roll up his sleeping mat. Never had he been forced to undergo such a horrible night’s sleep. Even as a child, he had a bed, sure he had to share it, but it was a comfy bed no less. Here, this, the now; it was dreadful, he should have just slept on the floor! It would’ve been the same.

Slyly, his emerald eyes scanned the room’s inhabitants. Most were talking amongst themselves, and from the belly rubbing it wasn’t too difficult to note their hunger. A few of them already knew where to get something to eat, as did he. It was a tradition for the rich to win themselves fortune by providing food to the needy. And, in a city as grand as this; it was easier to maintain order when the people’s bellies were full. As such, if the Fire Nation had half a brain, they would continue to the charity that was a tradition in large cities. For less than a bronze piece, a man could fill himself with rice gruel until he burst. Even though the mere thought of eating as they did really hurt his ego; he had to survive, he needed energy, and to feed a group this size by any other means would be too costly. Sure, they wouldn’t like it, but it really was the only option to ensure that everyone would be taken care of.

A few people were already well aware of that. Silently, Long Feng listened to a small group discuss that option. Knowing well what needed to be done, he searched out their young leader. He spotted her amongst the throngs of people and then headed her way. His poise was proper, and his posture was perfect, were it not for his dirty and messy clothing one could easily imagine him back in the halls of the palace or in her surrounding gardens.

“Suki, as you can plainly see our group is in need of sustenance. Now, I know that feeding a group this large would require substantial resources, but as you’ve probably heard, there is a gruel kitchen nearby that could easily provide us all with food. It won’t be the most nutritious meal nor will it be the most delicious, but we are all guaranteed to eat until we burst. I, personally, don’t know where it is, but a few people here do,” spoke Long Feng as he pointed out groups that were leaving the decaying building.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to speak to you about certain actions that are paramount to our continued success and survival. So please follow me,” that last bit was spoken with a very courteous tone, and a hand gesture that was probably only found in the Upper Ring of the City. He had to play it up. He needed her, maybe a little less than she needed him, but he needed her. There weren’t any other options available; there was only this or death, and since he wouldn’t give up without a fight; this was all he had. That being said, his speech and motions were sincere. They were used so much in the Upper Ring that they were second nature; in fact, he had to force himself to slouch so as to not be spotted among their crowd.

Always being second chair, Long Feng knew how to walk beside a person, and how to whisper so as to ensure that only they would hear. It was, after all, all he did with the Earth King. Strange how he was using those crafts all over again.

“From your time here, I know you know that this city is massive,” whispered Long Feng as he passed the through the door and into the bright, noisy clutter of the Lower Ring. “What we are attempting to do has never succeeded in this city, but I can assure you we will not repeat the mistakes of those before us,” added the secretariat as they passed, with the rest of the Underground, into the busy streets of the city. All around, the sights and sounds were foreign to this man, and yet it didn’t bother him. This was only temporary, and while it was a present that would last some time, he would get through it. After all, he had conquered this city once. “For starters, we know what needs to be done. The Dai Li, the people; they are goals not real objectives we can accomplish yet. I can help you get there, but you just need to trust me,” his inflection was perfect, just as it was many many years ago. The former head of the Dai Li continued to speak as the Underground made its way into the more poverty stricken part of their district. From the looks of the people, they were getting close. “What we also need is a map to the city, and I can get the best map of this city in the world. All I need is the opportunity to go it alone for a few days, and to see how well guarded my private study is. I will need help, and that is where I hope you can assist me. What I intend to do is to go back to the Upper Ring, alone, and get to the know the flow of things. I’ll return back, and hopefully, you will accompany me there and we will procure the Underground resources like it has never seen.” The gaunt man reeled his head around as the group was now in line to pay for their meals. He couldn’t spend too much time with her now, he looked like a mad man, and she was young, and youth gifted her with looks; it would be too suspicious. “I’ll see back at the ramshackle,” joked Long Feng as he slowly stepped backwards.

It was like a sea, and the people bumped into him and he tossed and turned about until he was quite a distance away from the young leader. Luckily, to his side was a member of the Underground, he was just as gritty as he was, and thankfully, the man handed him the money to pay and a beggar’s bowl; lucky him.

The meal was as expected, lousy, distasteful, but most importantly of all it was something that shut his hunger pangs up. His stomach was full, and near bursting. Somehow, he had managed to fit seven helpings of that sh*t into his body. That being said, it wasn’t that hard, hunger helped to season the meal, and his body desperately craved the calories. It was literally the most nutritious meal he had eaten in a long time. In addition, his mind had crafted the most ingenious plan to make it to the Upper Ring. All he needed to do now was to wait for Suki’s reply, and if he had her blessing for nightfall.

With a heavy moan, the skeletor managed to heave himself to his feet, and out the area set aside for the paupers. This was likely going to be his only meal of the day, hopefully it would last. He wished he could take some out, but as evidence of others showed, it was not permitted. With good reason, the nobles were losing money with this bit, the poor could easily take advantage of their generosity and use these “free” meals to feed their livestock or worse to sell it to others. The only thing they were allowed to take out was what was in their stomach, or stuck to their bowl. In his hand was very little, and in his belly was quite a lot.

With trouble, he trotted, like a penguin, back to the ramshackle and to what would hopefully be good news. He walked in, sat himself by an open window, and watched the sunlight on the floor before him.

Lower Ring

Farmgirl and apothecary made their way back to their street in silence, the slow scritch-scritch of sandals and bare feet against the ground the only sounds to penetrate the darkness. Yulan paid marginal attention to her surroundings. The bulk of her thoughts were still stuck hours earlier at the Fire Nation prison, surrounded by smoke and screams. Stupid of her, she knew. They were two people wandering about an enemy-occupied city at an hour when only people who were up to no good were still awake. If they were sighted by the hothead patrol, or worse, the Dai Li, they'd wind up right back where Yulan had sacrificed most of her sanity to escape from. As much as she cursed the truth of it, she could do nothing for those prisoners now. She had to keep her thoughts in the present, focused on the objectives that would need accomplishing come tomorrow.

Her heart knew that. Her mind and body didn't want to listen. They had ideas of their own that spoke louder. Tired. Sleep. Forget.

Spirits pitied them enough not to send trouble their way, so at the corner of the street, Yulan bid Mahone a wordless farewell before trudging several houses down to Bawen and Chufang's pottery shop. The windows were dark and silent. For the first time in what felt like forever, she dared to hope. Hope that she could slip into bed undetected and finally embrace the slumber she so desperately craved. Questions could wait until morning. She could handle any disbelief, any anger, any disapproval from her guardians as long as it all waited until morning.

Yulan entered the house and almost walked into Chufang. Immediately she found herself caught in a fierce hug by the woman, too tight for her to wriggle out of and run away.

"Yulan! You're safe! Oh, thank the spirits! I just about jumped out of my skin when Liu told me she saw you being arrested by the- Are you wearing prison clothes?"

Chufang pushed her back, hands firm on Yulan's shoulders. Even in the darkness she could see that Chufang's eyes were puffy, red-rimmed, clouded by fear and bewilderment.

That did it; Yulan slumped in the woman's grasp, despair almost forcing tears to the surface again. Deep down, Yulan had always known eventually she would have to tell her caretakers the truth about what she'd been up to, how she'd defied their wishes and signed up with a rebel group to take out the national enemy, among other traitorous things. She'd known that. She just wanted to delay the confrontation for a few precious hours. But now it seems she wasn't even allowed that little reprieve. How much more of this emotional storm would Yulan have to sit through until she was allowed to finally rest?

"Where's Bawen?" she asked, the words watery and weak.

"He... I told him to go on to bed. Why? What happened to you- where have you been?"

Yulan asked her to wake Bawen and bring him downstairs. Chufang did, and once they were both seated and anxiously listening, she confessed all of it. All her lies, her deceptions, her overall shocking disrespect for the great kindness that this couple had shown toward a dusty teenager who'd arrived in the Lower Ring lost and without a place to stay. Yulan purged herself of everything.

Lower Ring

Mahone couldn't sleep. Not for lack of trying. The implications of their post-mission talk at the hideout filled her head with so many thoughts flying in every direction she simply couldn't relax. Numbers and diagrams scribbled without end against the backdrop of her mind, scenarios playing out against the insides of her closed eyelids. A Ba Sing Se University classroom couldn't have been more alive with hypercritical analysis.

After lying in bed a while, the apothecary extracted herself from the covers and did what she always did when sleep was not an option. She worked.

The Underground would be very busy in the days to come, and Mahone wanted to be there for as much of the scheming and revenge-taking as possible. If Long Feng or the Little Commander asked for any of her concoctions, they would have them, and they would have them immediately, because Mahone was not going to waste time sitting in her lab brewing them up while the rest of the Underground was off ruining the Fire Nation's day without her. No, she was going to anticipate what the leaders might want and have her creations ready to go at the first request. Poisons to take out a patrol relaxing at their favorite pub? Fine. Inhibition-blockers for interrogating a captured soldier? Done. Her talents were at the Underground's service, any way they needed.

Among the busy thoughts that denied her sleep were memories of her time in Omashu. Mahone's exodus had been swift; many people she hadn't been able to say a proper goodbye to. When the city fell, she convinced herself she had nothing to do with those people anymore, their fates were in the spirits' hands now. It was so easy to hate a foreign nation for the loss of her other home, for any periphery misfortunes. But to be told that one's own king was guilty of an almost-as-resonating crime... That was more difficult to brush off.

Now questions Mahone wasn't certain she wanted answered bounced endlessly around in her skull. If the Earth King had mobilized his forces to take back the city, would her friends have joined the resistance? If the Earth King had been more vigilant, would Omashu have been taken in the first place? If the Earth King had only done his damn job, would neither of their Kingdom's greatest cities be under Fire Nation rule, and would Mahone be content in the subconscious knowledge that the ones she'd left behind were still safe?

The Earth Kingdom government was one big lie. The Fire Nation's declarations of prosperity for all the world, another big lie. Lies of such grand scale force-fed to the people, trampling on their humble beliefs and fragile hopes. There was only one answer to these kinds of self-serving regimes. They had to be toppled.

Just like the one that had killed her mentor.

She worked all through the night and into morning. No one could say Mahone's work ethic lacked on the motivation front.

———

After breakfast, the apothecary made her way to the Underground's hideout, meeting Yulan just in front of the door. The girl looked slightly ill; Mahone would wager Yulan had enjoyed as much sleep as she did. The teen held the door open for her and she entered.

Long Feng was already present, among others. Back in her usual attire, wooden bead bracelets generating a perpetual soft clacking rhythm around her wrists - the prison uniform had been happily abandoned in a dumpster several streets away - Mahone walked up to bid him a "good morning." The apothecary then took up her post by the wall with arms crossed, expression closed in contemplative silence.

Yulan helped herself to a chair, eyes on the floor, fiddling distractedly with a few strands of hair.[/color]

((All we need now is background music.))

Lower Ring – Underground HQ

Although he may have seemed asleep, Long Feng was deep in thought. In his mind, his thoughts were moving faster than flung stone, and they were all tied to his current predicament. Deep down, part of him was afraid of the truth; there really wasn’t any way of returning to his old power. The old regime was gone, and despite how much the new one mimicked her, she would never return. There was a bit of fear in his heart when it came to that sad fact. The odds were that he would die helping this group. Too much of what they had to do was soaked in danger. For starters, the Dai Li; he struggled enough with just one agent, but he had plans to sink them all, and at once. If they were careful, they would choke with that bit. Then to top it all off, they would eventually have to retake the city; the spirits only knew how demanding that bit of work was, and the effort it required. Thankfully, if there was one thing this city had, it was broken spirits looking for hope, and if they played their cards right, that would be their image. It would be hope; hope enough to entice the people.

As more people began to enter, he was quickly brought out of his stupor by a hello from one of the trio that had rescued him, it was Mahone, if he remembered correctly, and that he always did. Although she wasn’t who he wanted to see, she would be of assistance in the time to come. Truth be told he was sort of looking for that lieutenant, Joychi. With a sigh, he then took to find his dark skin among the myriad of faces in this dank building. The only real skin color that got near his was that of the waterbender’s. If he recalled correctly, the one girl with the puppy was Shuai or was that the name of the other one entertaining it by bending water around the small creature. Great, now his memory was failing him, what joy.

Oh well, he might as well get things going. With trouble, he got to his feet and approached the vindictive apothecary.

“Good morning.” He began with a colorful, inviting smile which was a wonderful contrast to his grimy appearance. When he was beside her, he began his courteous tone and proper, somewhat pomp, inflection, “As I recall from the previous night’s introductions, you are an apothecary. Am I not correct?”

“Now, I hoping you were willing to procure me with a particular concoction known to the surgeons as chloroform? An anesthetic, if I do so recall correctly. Also, on a less urgent note, I was wondering if you knew the method of crafting blasting jelly? Before you answer, be mindful that we will require a lot of it. So please think about time constraints before you respond.”

(OOC: Sorry for the wait, guys! My mind's still stuck in exams mode.)

Lower Ring - Underground HQ

Movement in her periphery vision brought Mahone's eyes onto the former Grand Secretariat as he neared. His words carried firm and clear, betraying none of the fatigue she sensed in him still. Respect was warranted for that.

And he needed her services already. Excellent. Instinctively straightening, Mahone uncrossed her arms and gave a slow nod. "An anesthetic, yes. Also toxic... Fatal in fact, if applied in a strong enough dose." A hint of a curious smile curved onto her lips. "I keep a stock in my shop. How much do you need? I'll be happy to deliver it to you today."

The apothecary was somewhat more reluctant to speak on the matter of blasting jelly. She did know the recipe, had prepared it a few times before in much smaller quantities than Long Feng hinted at. But would your average apothecary know that, have any reason to know how to make something that was largely used to blow things up? While she was willing to offer her services to the Undergound any way they needed, it wouldn't do to demonstrate knowledge in too deviant an area, or they might get suspicious. Mahone would help them gladly, but she didn't need to display the entirely of her past nor all her secrets to get the Underground's job done.

Especially not to a man she didn't fully trust. Wasn't certain if she could trust.

"If the Underground has need of it, they will have it," she boldly declared, tone briefly mimicking his pomp. "I'll check in with my suppliers... all of them. We can, of course, adjust for the grade of explosiveness you want. That will change how much of the ingredients I'll need to procure. Will the jelly be for distraction purposes... or outright destruction?"[/color]

Sturdy, strong footsteps drew quiet groans from the floor and Yulan glanced over her shoulder to see the dark-skinned soldier from yesterday stroll into the room. Despite the Underground's collective exhaustion, he at least looked ready as ever to fight for king and country - well, maybe not so much the former now, but it was still more than could be said for Yulan.

A faint memory sparked in the back of her mind, familiarity rising at last from the haze of smoke and screaming. The teenager spoke up, her voice hoarse at first but gaining strength with every syllable. "Hi... You were the one on the platform yesterday, right?" The one they were going to execute. "General... can I ask you something?" Her shoulders drooped, attention swinging languidly from one end of the dark room to the other. She hugged a knee to her chest, curling herself protectively against it. "How... do you deal with this?"

Yulan didn't think she needed to elaborate on what 'this' was: the sorry state of their ragtag group of beaten and bewildered allies, the prospect of going up against not one but two of the greatest regimes on the face of the planet, of circumstances all around being bleaker than bleak. Soldier or not, where did anyone find the strength to keep his or her head up high?

((I keep forgetting that I got out before most people, sorry about that, Yulan ))

Lower Ring – Underground HQ

Good. The last thing he needed was to lower himself to thievery in order to enact his escapade. That being said, he still hadn’t received the okay from their group’s leader. Either way, his mission was vital, and she would be unwise to say no; sure there were many other ways of procuring a map, but none would be as accurate as his own, and none would map out the Dai Li’s underwater base or the place wherein their namesake came from, whether or not that coincidence was intended.

“Yes,” agreed Long Feng with a chuckle at Mahone’s correct assumption, but she needn’t worry. “It can, and since you’ve correctly guessed my motives; I’ll need enough for a man of my height, but about one and a half my weight, and some sort of cloth to soak in the chemical in order to administrate it. I’ll need it by tonight, hopefully.” Beside the jovial chuckle, the rest of his order was direct and once more proper in tone. Thankfully, he would have that one fulfilled.

Hopefully, the same could be said for the next order.

Now Mahone raised the question that he was glad to hear. Obviously, she knew how to craft the jelly, but more importantly she seemed to know that there existed variety of the jelly crafted, and while this information was utterly useless for the task at hand, when a distraction was needed, later on that knowledge would prove vital for success.

“Outright disaster. But more importantly, enough to create an extremely, structurally dangerous, fissure in something with, oh say on the league of our great walls,” stated Long Feng with a gently roll of his eyes. The task at hand was certainly incredibly close to near impossible, but with enough force, anything could be done. Hopefully, this wouldn’t dissuade the apothecary, if it did, however, there was always the black market, and surely the Fire Nation was not exempt from having crooked men. In fact, that would be the only legitimate way of supplying The Underground with weapons. If they stole them, then there would be suspicion because who beside an anarchist cell needed weapons when war was over. To be honest, such dealings were the only way to assure them buyer’s discretion. Sure, the weapons would be overpriced, but they would have them, and at military level.

“Now, don’t worry, we won’t be attacking the walls. No, no, but…” he looked around, nobody was paying them heed; they were still discussing daily affairs to one another, strange considering how most of them were once in a prison. What on earth could they possibly discuss?

“The explosives are for the Dai Li’s hidden base, it’s underwater, in fact. All we need to do is blast through the roof, with enough force, so that the water from Lake Laogai comes flooding in and thus drown any agents left inside. I know we could use some sort of dissolving agent in lieu of explosives, but we need immediate results, and not the kind that requires waiting around for something to work.”

“So, do you believe you could acquire us some or must we find some shady individual from which to do business?”

While he awaited her response, his emerald eyes caught the man that he was going to discuss affairs with next, Joychi. Unfortunately, at the moment he was then involved in what appeared to be a discussion with some young woman. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be hurt by their parting.

Suigetsu didn't understand why any time he shared a bed with one of his fellow earth bending students they always insisted sharing the same bed. Needing a place to sleep kept him from complaining. He wished he were like Han and able to find places to sleep simply by being attractive.
The feminine arm of his fellow student and sleep aficionado flopped on top of him, making him slightly uncomfortable.
When he tried to move it the young woman beside him let out a disgusted noise and mumbled something about rumors and being a tease.
He didn't understand why but it wasn't the first time he'd spent the night at someone's house and been called a tease the next morning.

Sleeping next to someone reminded the eighteen-year-old water bender too much of having to do so chained to a large man named Auka during his time in prison.
"You see...there was this thing that happened in prison and..."
Like a lot of people the pretty young woman let out an "Ooooohhhh...." of sudden realization.

The look of pity present on her face turned to horror when she heard someone enter. It made sense to Suigetsu that someone might get the wrong idea even though he could have absolutely no sexual thought about any woman not in her late twenties or older. Women like the one who had entered and looked rather nice slumped over a sink doing dishes.

As he had just spent the night in her house Suigetsu decided that helping with the dishes would be polite and flirting with the aunt or mother of his fellow student would be fun.
It didn't occur to him until later that a strange young man clad only in his underwear and a long, blue winter coat caressing the hand of the dwelling's owner as she did dishes might startle that person. It not only startled her, but also her daughter. They exchanged shocked and horrified looks for a moment until one of them, Suigetsu didn't see which, had broken a bowl over his head.
He decided that in retrospect sneaking up and touching women while half naked was not the best of moves.

It only took a moment to gather his clothes and run out the door. He had gotten some practice as of late. Even people kind enough to give a homeless immigrant a place to sleep drew the line at having that same person flirt with their mother, aunt. Really any sexy older woman in his immediate area would suffice.
He had to meet one of those sexy older women anyway. Meeting Han was always a mood elevator, though it tended to also be a mood killer at times.

On his way to the outdoor tea house he was to meet his friend he saw what he considered the cutest couple ever...at least until he and Han got together. He loved the idea of a lowly waiter getting together with a rich kid from the Upper Ring. Chow and Rei Ben. The fact that getting them together was an accident and that Suigetsu was ignorant of their sexuality was a constant source of humor.

Chow made a joke about Suigetsu getting kicked out of yet another bed which caused Suigetsu to ask if Chow's mother has space in hers. The waiter's attractive mother coupled with Suigetsu's attraction to older women was a source of humor as well.
Suigetsu comically shooed the two men away when he reached his destination.
"If Han sees us together she might get the wrong idea."
The two friends were nice enough to hold their laughter until out of the water bender's earshot.

He cooled his hot tea with a breath and waited for his sifu and subject of infatuation underneath a bright pink umbrella.

Teaching Suigetsu had proved challenging. Han had started him on basics, things like stretching and learning to understand the movement of the body. She felt he lacked a strong foundation in basics as well as the proper temperament for learning the art of the staff, and therefore the basics were where she forced him to begin. He had not seemed to appreciate her methods, but she had not agreed to teach him things he liked. Rather she had agreed to teach him to the best of her ability.

Han lived in a charming little house in the Middle Ring. She spent some of her days teaching at the university, as she had done previously without informing the two men (boys?) where she spent her time. Han was not without money to support herself, nor was she without intellectual pursuits.

She had noticed, of course, that her student seemed without focus. He had not even managed to find a job or a place to rent. Han had been giving him time to adjust, but it seemed that she needed to take matters into her own hands. To that effect, she had spent the early part of the morning moving things around in her study, creating a partition with her bookshelves. She meant for Suigetsu to stay with her for a time, at least until he could be properly motivated.

Striding up to the teahouse, she was as usual clad in emerald green. Han had her hair down that day, an unusual sight. She beckoned her student to walk with her after buying a cup of Silver Needle tea. “Suigetsu,” she said, noticing his rushed appearance, “it has come to my attention that you still lack proper lodging and suitable employment. Therefore I am forced to make certain accommodations for you.” She paused and sipped her tea before turning a corner. “I have spoken with some of the university staff and they have agreed to take you on as a night janitor.” They were headed to her house.

Reaching her doorway, Han slipped off her shoes and stepped inside, motioning her student in. Today he would be working on breathing. “I have prepared for you an area of my study, also,” she said, somewhat delicately considering who it came from, “in which you may stay for now, provided you keep the area tidy and take an equal share of household chores until such time as proper lodging can be found for you. If you excel in your employment, you may pay rent to me.” Having her student available more readily would also allow her to keep a closer eye on him, which would hopefully force him to be more mindful of her teachings.

Naturally, the words "Night Janitor" conjured up a fantasy of Han sitting at a desk with her hair in a bun grading papers and pausing to look at him and make sexual innuendo involving his janitorial duties.

Even in his fantasies that was as far as Suigetsu could get with Han. It felt...disrepectful. He also felt it would put him in the same category as those men Han selected for her one-night stands.
"Big zygomatic and clavicle sporting bastards!" he muttered to himself as he thought of those men he loathed down to their smallest atom.

There was an explosion of different thoughts in the young bender's head when Han told him of where he would be living. They started with 'huh?' and ended with 'She doesn't see me as a man at all.' The only pleasant thought of the idea of sharing a living space was the chance at seeing Han in various stages of undress and even that had a tragic tint to it.

"I..." he began to decline but then thought better of it. He heaved a heavy sigh as if taking on a great burden...or letting one go.
"Thank you. I-I'll try to make you proud of me."

He was now living and learning with a strong and beautiful woman whom he respected and felt anattraction. It was learning water bending from his first sifu again only in a warmer climate. The hormone level was relatively the same even though he was in the throes of puberty at the time.

The only belongings Suigetsu didn't carry in his coat pockets was the wooden staff he used for practice and his collection of crystal glasses, some thoughtfully given to him by Rei Ben.
It felt a little strange leaving his posessions to sit in one place with the idea of being able to retrieve them later.

There were only a few instances in his life when Suigetsu could lay down his posessions and feel like he belonged. He wasn't feeling that at the moment, but he felt he was with the right person to feel that way eventually.
"What do we do first, Sifu?"

The Adventure of the Second Suitor

- Middle Ring -[/center]
”What do we do first, sifu?”

Han raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?” she said, voice strict. “I believe you are aware of your daily routines when training with me. First you will meditate, then we will begin more balance work.” She herself had paperwork to look over while her student meditated. Working at the university was keeping her busy, though not fully satisfied. From time to time, Han felt restless. She attributed this to needing a challenge, something for which Suigetsu came in rather handy.

Han felt that Suigetsu’s meditation and focus left much to be desired. Because of this she was forcing him to do the same things time and time again until he learned to appreciate them – or at least do them well. She remembered her own teachers being very strict about this manner, requiring her to do menial tasks with improper tools or other hard things in order to establish patience and perseverance. The slender woman hoped to impart the same attributes to her student.

That day passed as any other, with Suigetsu’s lessons and then Han accompanying him to the university to meet with the man who had agreed to hire him. That done, she retired to her home for a relaxing bath and pot of tea whilst reading some of her favourite material.

Suigetsu’s staying in Han’s home was going as well as could be expected. The woman did her best to maintain her routine and ignore his presence most of the time. She felt it would help his lessons for her to do so.

Han hadn’t counted on a fellow professor’s romantic attentions being as well received by herself as they turned out to be, however. Keichi was a nice young man with a quick wit, one who found himself interested in Han’s beauty as well as her mind. He was a tall and dark man, complete with spectacles and an academic’s pallor. They had been lunching together and, as a matter of course, Han invited him to her home for dinner. She had not taken Suigetsu’s presence into account, of course, when doing so.

Keichi showed up right on time, flowers in hand to give to Han. She accepted them and remarked on the rare genus, to which he nodded and said something that gave away his position as a professor of botany. Han asked him to come in and he did so, removing his shoes. She had cooked some easy, simple thing, something that would allow her to converse more with him about intellectual manners than the food. He looked quite gratified to be there at all, though he knew full well that he could hold his own against the woman's wit. The two were soon engaged in an anthropological discussion of the Three Rings and their inhabitants.