The floor at his feet vibrated with the sound of an upright bass from the jazz club Lemurland beneath his apartment. It felt strange beneath his new green, rubber and metal-soled boots. It was something he wanted to try out before getting Ren a pair of boots that would allow them to skate across the cables strewn through the city together. He assumed that both pairs of boots would pay for themselves after the first time Ren took hold of him in fear and he could whisper something reassuring and sexy while he held her tight.

The reverie regarding his Air Acolyte was crushed by a small box in a plain brown wrapper.
That damn package sat in front of Hangetsu Tsukishima's door once again on his way to Tae-yeon's office. For a run down area there was an appalling lack of petty theft as far as the police officer was concerned. Sending the thing back and forth had almost become a joke between his sister Izumi and himself. A joke if one appreciated dark humor as it was a constant subject of contention between the two. As always the same cop who barely had two yuans to rub together would send it back at his expense only to see it again like a boomerang that struck him in the heart with every return.

A less grim tradition stretching back nearly seven days dictated that Hangetsu bring fresh coffee beans. They rested in the pocket of the white overcoat he wore over his white suit and green tie. It seemed that his new partner, or boss or whatever position that woman held was more palatable when she was drinking the coffee he made. Hangetsu assumed because if something entered Tae-yon Choi's mouth criticisms and condescension could not come out.

Before he knew it Hangetsu had stepped upon the street with the two bakeries. Baker street. The street where Tae-yon resided and he assumed where she worked tirelessly at thinking up ways to torture him.
He put his key into the door and hoped for something to keep his partner...superior...irritant, whatever busy.
Please, Gods...let there be a murder, he thought.

"So, Fleshbender. Spill. You've clearly got a racing heart full of forsaken emotion. Do tell. Been on a hot date lately?"
"Sorry...can't speak and make coffee at the same time. It's that limited cop brain capacity."

He ground the freshly roasted beans and placed them in the filter and then the water in the machine. While the dark brown liquid began it's slow dripping process Hangetsu went about steaming milk to add to the strong coffee.
Two large identical coffee cups sat on a tray until Hangetsu streamed the milk into them and creating a leaf with the steamed milk. He shook a bit of cinnamon into one cup marking it as his before laying it upon Tae-yeon's desk.
He hoped that she had forgotten about asking about his personal life earlier.
"You look...less manic than usual. Did you get a case?"

The Office of Choi Tae-yeon, Private Eye

[/center]

"New boots?" asked Tae-yeon, not deterred in the slightest. "Trying to impress your new gal, Hangetsu? How's that working out for you?" For once, she ignored the coffee the man made — not that he wasn't great at making coffee, but because she had something else on her mind. Between the gleeful past-time that would surely be makng fun of Hangetsu romantic pursuits and the new mystery at hand, Tae-yeon hardly had time to think of the coffee.

"You look...less manic than usual. Did you get a case?"

Putting her booted feet down, Tae-yeon leaned forward on one elbow. Her brown eyes were bright, but would never be described as warm. "Han-get-su," she said slowly, enunciating clearly. "Don't try to deny your romantic pursuits. Your cologne and scuffless footwear precedes you. Who is she?"

The case could wait. She wanted to savour this moment for as long as she could. Hangetsu was late, no doubt thanks to his mindless daydreaming about a faceless woman. While Tae-yeon would dearly love to see the copper out on a date, she just as dearly loved watching him squirm under her derision. It was a little cold-hearted, but it was too fun to ignore. Truthfully, Tae-yeon liked Hangetsu well enough.


((Sorry for the short, but I don't want to god-mod you and she's just loving this.))

Animals stuck in traps would sometimes chew off their own feet in order to escape. Hangetsu wished he had that option. Tae-yeon was the kind of trap that would take hold of his last foot after he had chewed off the other.
Worst of all, he knew that not only could not avoid any questions but he couldn't lie. It was like being a kid again and dealing with his grandmother. It was annoying, but a comfortable sort of annoying.
"She's an air acolyte and new to the city so I thought I'd show her around. That's the excuse I'm using to see her again, anyway. Let's see...she's a good measure taller and bigger than I am but honestly that just makes me feel more like I man when she's being dainty and feminine."

Hangetsu placed his package on his small, cheap, metal desk he had put in Tae-yeon's office. Other than an old typewriter for writing reports it also carried spare spools of cable and lubricant just in case of trouble.
He rolled his chair over to his boss/partner/whatever Tae-yeon was and placed his elbows on her desk then his head upon his hands.
"What about you, Miss Choi? Is there someone special in your life or are your nights just filled with cheap booze and cheaper one-night-stands? Surely some man has walked through the door who you knew was trouble but couldn't resist."

It hadn't been long since Hangetsu Tsukishima walked through Tae-yeon's door requesting her aide in his internal affairs work as well as helping him become a better detective. Trust was still something of an issue, but they had swiftly grown into a pattern of good-natured ribbing. It was something that he couldn't do at his time at the police station. Ribbing from an Internal Affairs officer was sometimes met with violent threats.
He didn't want to tell the detective that he preferred working with her over his real job.

No amount of money was set for payment to Tae-yeon for her services so it was with a great deal of humility that he handed her a small pulp novel he produced from his overcoat pocket with a twenty yuan bill inside. It was so meager it was humiliating.
"Izumi insisted I give this to you. It was her first foray into detective fiction but never got serialized." He assumed that his sister had signed it with something embarrassing about taking care of her little brother.
An old book nobody seemed to care for and just enough yuans for lunch at a place that wasn't a greasy spoon. He almost felt like supplementing his payment with an apology.

"I assume 'Lucky' was just an ironic nickname then. Like when people refer to me as healer."
"perhaps," Raeya chuckled, "although sometimes he lives up to it... just not often against people who know how to easily outsmart the poor fool. Given the amount of idiots you can run into in a single night though... the number of people who fit that bill are surprisingly low."

She chuckled to herself as Iluak continued healing her, and then he spoke again.
"What's your story, Raeya? Have you known the Yao sisters long?"

"it was just another night at the bar," she chuckled, "after a day's work, I slipped in for a few drinks, ran into some less-than-savory people, and had a little... 'philosophical discussion'. I won a few, lost a few, then took a step outside for some air. I ran into them there, and they invited me to come with them you your clinic. Thus... here I am."

That was really all there was to the story. Raeya was not one to keep secrets, but didn't feel like the healer had to know every detail of what she was going. some business that went on at The Golden Fan... stayed in The Golden Fan. But, from the fights onto the time when she ran into Ling and the others... that was more or less how it went as Raeya remembered it.

~Raeya~

[/u]
[tag: Iluak, Mei-zhen, Raeya, Katsumi][/center]

OOC: Tenshio, Ai Lin, you may want to look at this RP thread for some info about where I'm going with this plot, as it takes place the morning after our RP here.

Ling winked and gave Katsumi a thumbs up. "Perfect, sugar," she said gleefully. It was almost a cackle, but she managed to retain some sense of decorum. "I am so excited." And she was. She and Mei had worked hard for this moment, ever since that disaster with her gang just a little under a year ago. Mei especially; Ling enjoyed working the Fan, and didn't mind the manual labour from odd jobs at all. Mei, on the other hand, had been subjected to this awful clinic (not that Ling was against healing or anything, but there was no denying it wasn't the most state-of-the-art location) as well as having to deal with grubby, stupid people demanding her to serve them. She would hate that sort of job, herself; would probably get fired for telling multiple customers to sod off and get out.

Her eyes wandered to the still-closed door, waiting for Raeya to come out. She just had to know more about that woman! Ling just couldn't believe how beautiful she was, not to mention their apparently similar tastes in past times. It was definitely a crush: it would have to be explored.

When Raeya stubbornly remained with Iluak, Ling sighed just a little, turning her attention back to the matter at hand. "We're going to need a name, you know," she said, her voice contemplative. "And we need to decide on office décor." The young woman was imagining a minimalistic office, with snazzy wooden desks and a book shelf and some odds and ends. Maybe a phonograph, she thought, eyeing her sister. "As far as names, though, what about ... er ...." Ling trailed off, at a loss. "Ugh, this is going to be hard. I don't want something plain, it's got to be something that's descriptive and memorable.

Raeya's almost bland description of the events leading up to the bar fight made Iluak think of the owner of his clinic and his banal attitude concerning violence. The casual acceptance of non-Iluak inflicted violence never ceased to shock him.
Another reason he wasn't particularly fond of Republic City at times.

"You're good..." he grinned at Raeya. "Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. You are physically better off than you were when you walked through my door."

Iluak opened the heavy door separating the lobby and his examination room as Ling spoke of her new career.
"As far as names, though, what about ... er ....Ugh, this is going to be hard. I don't want something plain, it's got to be something that's descriptive and memorable."
"How about 'The Annoyed Healer's Steady Customers'? If trashy detective novels are to be believed I predict you lot coming in often."
A second comment about the stereotypical detective and dangerous alcohol consumption came to mind but hit far too close to home to every say out loud.

He rolled his eyes at the future detectives littering his lobby and heaved a fake sigh.
"If you insist upon this pulp novel fantasy be sure to visit. I wouldn't count on going to another healer and waking up with both of your kidneys..." He looked at Mei and suddenly remembered that his wide circle of medical contempt had to shrink somewhat. "But keep Mei around at all times and you'll be fine."

In the ensuing trouble of the night Iluak wondered if Mei remembered their plans for the next night. Casually bringing things up was not a skill Iluak Chu had acquired in all of his days. He was a blunt siege weapon of words.
"I'll see you at nightfall tomorrow then, Mei?"
The other healers he held in contempt had tact. He wished he did as well. They probably had dates all the time.

Before Tsubaki knew it Bao Yu had dragged her upstairs to a quiet, more relaxed atmosphere. It was funny. Usually she was the one dragging people places. It was a relief. She didn't want the others to see her worried. If the perky one who always smiled was tense the mood of the room went downhill fast.

Tsubaki sat down at a small table by the window and looked outside at the city. She wished she had her trumpet. She felt like playing something to soothe her nerves but the mellow jazz from the radio was enough.
"Soda, please."

She rested her chin on her hands and stared out the window. For a moment it seemed as if she could feel every bender in the city coming for her and they all had critical opinions of her trumpet playing.
"I'm just being silly worrying like this. They wouldn't give us a shot if they didn't think we could do it, right?" The thought that they might just be weeding out the weak popped into her head but she kept that one inside.

They were near the southwest side of the city. She could tell from the familiar signs lit up. On the edge of her vision was a small light that caused her to raise her head. Raise her head and then press her face against the window. She wondered if she was seeing that properly.
Had Iluak raised the red lantern? It was just a red dot on the edge of her vision and it could be anything but the thought alone of such an event made Tsubaki forget her troubles.
"Would you mind stopping by some place after we leave?" A giddy smile appeared. "There is something HAVE to check out."

Tsubaki looked into her bottle of soda and determined that she would be the most bubbly thing at the table.
"I think love is in the air tonight. Warm, squishy, cute love. Love like baby sky bisons frolicking with platypus bear cubs. Pwecious wuv." She almost coughed up her soda giggling while thinking of two of her friends exploring the depths of love.
"I think I was fifteen when I first fell in love. Maybe fourteen. Weirdly enough, I don't remember much about him, just that he made my heart flutter. What about you? Who was the first man to send you into a hormonal rage?"

The Office of Choi Tae-yeon, Private Eye

[/center]

How she loved to see him squirm. Tae-yeon was almost disappointed when Hangetsu chose to just come clean instead of beating around the bush. It seemed he was too sharp to fall into the trap of lying to her. A shame, really. It would've been so fun.

"She sounds just lovely," said Tae-yeon. When Hangetsu rolled over to her desk and propped his head up on her desk, she raised a brow.

"What about you, Miss Choi? Is there someone special in your life or are your nights just filled with cheap booze and cheaper one-night-stands? Surely some man has walked through the door who you knew was trouble but couldn't resist."

"Interesting," said Tae-yeon, "that you assume I'd have to pay for coitus." The very idea was laughable. No, Choi Tae-yeon did not have to pay for her booze or her one-night-stands, if she chose to have them. Truthfully, detective work was her lover, and she had yet to be really interested in pursuing anything else. There were a few men she'd enjoyed the company of — and they hers — but the attraction always had to begin at the intellectual level first if the relationship was to last more than a night. One-night-stands were for aesthetically pleasing but perilously stupid young men, mostly gangsters, and usually tattooed.

She already knew, of course, that he preferred working with her over his real job. Tae-yeon couldn't really blame the man, either! Her own treatment at the hands of the police had been less than satisfactory, and she was sure that it wasn't much better for Hangetsu. No wonder he'd needed outside brains.

"Izumi insisted I give this to you. It was her first foray into detective fiction but never got serialized."

That was quite a nice offer! Taking the book, Tae-yeon flipped a page or two. "Brilliant," she said. "I do like your sister, though we haven't met. Hopefully we will" Setting the book aside, she steepled her fingers. "All right. This has all gone on long enough. As titillating as your limpid love life must be Hangetsu, I happen to have had a most interesting visitor this morning." Brown eyes twinkled as she shifted, leaning back in her chair and resting her chin on her hand in an almost bored posture.

"Do you know of the work of Professor Lee Chang Min and his associate, Dr. Kang? The archaeologist team? Professor Lee came by expressing displeasure at the failure of the police department to locate his partner, who has by now been missing a month or more. Heard anything about it before I go on?"

as dull as her tale sounded, there really wasn't much she could add to it. Sure, there were times when a good story was embellished, but trying to embellish day-to-day life and treat the seemingly extraordinary event like it was something she regularly did... didn't have the kind of credibility Raeya liked.

"You're good..." he grinned at Raeya. "Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. You are physically better off than you were when you walked through my door."
The curly-haired woman laughed at the remark. This man had a certain style to his speech that Raeya liked. It wasn't likely a "like"-like, but she approved of it nonetheless.
"Classy," she replied, "and you have my thanks."

after stepping back out of the doors, she lingered around, mostly to see what the conversation was about. She heard things about detectives, and pulp fantasy novels and other silly fancies like that.

"and what be all this about?" she asked with a tone of curiosity, "detective work... searching for those lousy do-no-gooders?"
It was a cute idea in Raeya's mind, but definitely not her line of work in the slightest. Much too lawful. For all she knew she might be one of the shady figures that they ended up hunting sooner or later. it wasn't a thought that scared her--just a little musing.

"Either way," she turned to Ling, smiling, "it's nice that we can finally see each other when we're both not covered in blood 'n bruises, if I say so myself."

~Raeya~

"Nights like this I wish the Equalists had airships. Think how this city must look from above. Think how we'd look zipping down on lines while we attack from above. Imagine the look of terror on benders' faces."
Tsubaki sipped her lychee soda.
"Ever wonder what we're going to do with ourselves if we win? Do we become the new police force? Get cushy political jobs?" She snorted as she laughed. "Can you imagine some of us wearing suits and worrying about budgets and sanitation. Councilman Rapidly Descending Eel or Bo Shi driving a taxi? Ya know...I think I'll actually be a little sad if we accomplish our goals."

Once again Tsubaki felt herself drifting into melancholy. That tended to happen when she was tired and worried. Thinking of Bao Yu and her girlhood crush were a delightful distraction.
"I bet you were a serious little girl. I can you as see a cute little girl going up to strangers and talking about the effect benders have on society." Tsubaki batted her eyelashes and cleared her throat. "Pwease fwink about what bwenders do to our job mawket." She snickered.

Tsubaki tilted her head back and shook the last few drops of lychee soda from her can.
Very few people had seen Tsubaki Ito discouraged and tired and Bao Yu was one of those few. Tsubaki found herself not minding so much.
"Hell of a day, huh, Bao Yu? I think you might be some sort of fun magnet. Hey, you think those Monsoons are still around out there? I bet they're aaaannnngrrrrry. I bet that one guy misses his cool little decapitator already."


OOC: Sorry about the length.

The very thought of Tae-yeon and his sister Izumi meeting sent a chill down Hangetsu's spine. He was sure they would get along famously, if for no other reason than they both enjoyed tormenting him so. One big sister was enough without a second who provoked the odd sensation of being attracted while at the same time reminding him of his grandmother.
More than anything he wished one of those thoughts would die.

Hangetsu let out a sound of disgust when his detective mentor and partner described his love life. Most of all he hated the idea of the word "limpid" being used when there were still secrets about Ren he wanted to keep. He knew that if anyone could figure out his relationship via obscure clues it was Tae-yeon.
Luckily, the detective got down to business.

He didn't know of this archeogist or his partner but feel he should have. Hangetsu's newly acquired social life had eaten into his off-hours research. He wondered how Tae balanced the two but was too afraid to ask.
When she asked if he had heard about the disappearance Hangestu was afraid of the look she would give him. It was hard not to feel stupid next to someone brilliant.
"No, but when it comes to missing persons we give up after less than a week. A week passes and we tell people to check the morgue."

It dawned on him, not for the first time, how cold that must have sounded. According to most he wasn't even a "real cop" and therefore shouldn't be that cynical since all he did was sit in an office and read reports.
Never was he foolish enough that those reports were about the paragons of virtue the police force abusing their power. He would just nod and go back to his office.
More than ever he was glad to have someone to balance out the darker parts of his life.

"What makes this Professor think his friend is still alive? Maybe he just skipped town with a coed or owed money to the wrong people."
When it came to missing persons Hangetsu's grandmother and partial namesake Han taught him to ask the obvious questions first. Debts and lovers seemed to be the most common causes, though he was sure Tae-yeon asked those questions but in a more blunt manner.

Part of the deal between the two was along with Tae's assistance with his police cases she was to help him sharpen his detective skills. Hangetsu soon found that unless questions were asked there would be no explanations and therefore no learning.

There was a familiar gleam in Tae-yeon's eyes. One he'd seen in his grandmother while posed with a problem or his grandfather just before launching into a debate about authority.
Hangetsu took it as a spiritual reminder that some people were born to the do a certain thing. That comforted him at times when he felt his faith in the spirits lacking.
He looked at Tae and tried to prepare his mind to absorb anything and everything he could about how her mind worked.

It wasn't in Tsubaki Ito's nature to stay down long and Bao-yu helped immensely at making it an even shorter time. She tossed her empty lychee soda can into the trash can at a distance and raised an arm in triumph.
"I didn't even use my hidden bending skill." She chuckled to herself. One day someone would laugh at that joke.

She wore a lopsided grin when he looked at her friend Bao-yu.
"You know what you are, Bao-yu?" She asked with more than a little sentiment in her voice.
"It!" She punched her friend in the shoulder and proceeded to jump down the stairs laughing.
"If you don't catch me before I reach the dressing room you have to sing next time I land a gig. Deal?" As far as Tsubaki was concerned saying "Deal?" meant that a pact was formed regardless of consent of the second party.

The Equalist snort-laughed as she jumped over the stair rails and skipped steps down to the basement where her fellow revolutionaries practiced. Laughing, running and jumping, it turned out, did not mix well with lychee soda. Instead of running, Tsubaki found herself trudging toward the dressing room.
Still, she found it within herself to mock her opponent.
"....Slower than...a...snail sloth..."
The agni kai special she ate nearly came back for revenge and threatened to cover the feet of the nearest Equalist. For a moment she thought it would be funny if Amon chose that moment to visit his troops.
Fortunately, both leader and lunch stayed put.