Almost as if the universe sensed that the night was lacking in aggravation and cosmic irony, it seemed to have sent the last person in the world the man standing behind the bar wanted to see.

As the officer approached the bar, Mizu noticed a blaring contrast in the man's demeanor and appearance. Would it really make a difference, the man in the guise of possibly his worst enemy? He drew his shoulders back and regarded the man with a calm, clear face.

"Of course, officer." He lowered his head for a brief second as a gesture of diplomacy to the cop. "It's been pretty slow for the end of the work week. I think everyone's down at the Golden Fan tonight."

He almost didn't know how to react. Were they actually having a civil conversation after what had happened the night prior? The universe had a way of mystifying him; then again, he was only in his mid-20's.

"Uh, officer? I'd like to speak to you in the back. I've been seeing things around the bar; I think it might be one of the Triads." His tone was collected, but his eyes were blazing. One of the men at the bar lifted his head from his glass.

"You a nark now, Katashi?"

Mizu glared daggers at the man and flicked his wrist, sending the alcohol flying into the man's face.

"Shut up and drink your whiskey." His words were as sharp as the proverbial daggers. The man muttered a curse under his breath.

"Officer?"

The Serpent's Den

[/center]

Mizu seemed to take the cue from Jin Ho to be polite and professional... for that the young man was glad. He didn't really know what kind of person the Waterbender was, after all. He hadn't known what to expect. This was fine. He could do this.

It was totally fine.

"Uh, officer? I'd like to speak to you in the back. I've been seeing things around the bar; I think it might be one of the Triads."

Now that seemed a little unlikely. Jin Ho might not have known everything about Mizu, but he highly doubted the young man actually wanted to report gang activity. It was hard enough to drag details about gang activity out of people who had been promised huge deals or threatened with great punishment — why on Earth would Mizu just offer information? But, maybe it was just a cover for what he actually wanted to talk about.

Frankly, Jin Ho wasn't sure if he would rather be in danger and talk about gangs or deal with romantic talk again. Romance seemed like the worse of the two evils to him, right about then.

He raised an eyebrow as Mizu flicked alcohol in the muttering patron's eyes. "Um," said Jin Ho, "maybe that's why you don't have more patrons..."
The man with his whiskey laughed into the glass and Jin Ho walked around behind him. He'd talk to Mizu in the back. But he'd keep his distance. Be responsible.

And he would definitely not say whatever came into his head — he would absolutely not do that.

Shooting a glare at the man when he laughed, Mizu turned around and started leading the way to the storeroom; as if on a cue, Mr. Chien opened his door at the top of the stairs and made his way down to the bar, excusing himself as he passed. Mizu wasn't sure, but he had an ongoing theory that Jiro had some way of listening to the bar below his apartment. There seemed to be no other way the elderly man knew the things he did.

Heart racing, he opened the storeroom door and waited until the officer was inside the room before closing the door behind them. What was he going to say? What could he say after last night? He licked his lips before looking up at the cop.

"I...I'm sorry for what happened at The Den. It's just...the conversation we were having..."

What, made me realize that I never think about love? That I've never loved anyone before? What?

Just like the first time they met, Mizu sounded like a stuttering, stammering idiot. Wonderful. This was exactly the impression he needed to be giving Jin Ho: that of someone who couldn't keep themselves together, who turned into a puddle when faced with a romantic interest, who didn't know how to act around the police. What a wonderful combination.

The Serpent's Head

[/center]

Jin Ho followed Mizu to the storeroom with a feeling of impending doom. He didn't know what to expect but he was sure it couldn't be good. After all, he'd basically talked at the other man for some time and had made him intensely uncomfortable — that much had been easy to figure out. Even now, Mizu looked nervous. He stood at professional, not intimate, distance from the Waterbender and waited.

What came next was a complete surprise.

"I...I'm sorry for what happened at The Den. It's just...the conversation we were having..."

Wait, what? Why was Mizu apologizing for what had been, without a doubt, Jin Ho's mistake? If he hadn't been so personal with the other man — hadn't immediately jumped into an intimate topic — surely things would have gone differently. He stared at Mizu for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. Once again, the blue-eyed man had trailed off without finishing his sentence. How hard he must find it to talk to Jin Ho! It never even occurred to the policeman that Mizu could possibly still be interested in him after everything he'd said.

He held up a hand to stave off any further talking by the obviously uncomfortable and very nervous Mizu. "Please," said Jin Ho. "Don't. It's okay. It's entirely my fault. I don't blame you at all. I should've had better sense than to talk at you that way. I'm sorry I made you so uncomfortable. Please don't worry about it any more — if I had any sense at all I wouldn't have put you in such a position. I'm the one who should apologize."

It was Jin Ho's failing, after all, that caused the problem. His hesitance to ever try dating before meant he had no idea what to do and ended up making a mess out of things. He had it all figured out, and he could prevent it ever happening again. Truthfully, the young Metalbender felt bad that Mizu felt the need to apologize for Jin Ho's stupidity.

"Really," the policeman said again, "please don't worry about it."

Wait, what? Exactly whose fault was last night?

It was then that the Waterbender realized that, no matter how hard he tried, Jin Ho would and would continue to blame himself for Mizu walking out. It was a tad ridiculous, but if accepting an unnecessary apology was what it would take to make things okay between them, then so be it. It might be a good thing to have a friend on the police force anyway.

"Thank you. I feel horrible that things went so badly between us; I've just never met a man that I was actually interested in." Blushing, he let out a nervous chuckle.

Wait, what?

Had he actually just admitted that he liked Jin Ho? Had he gone there? Yes, and there was no going back.

"You know what? Let's forget about that whole mess. I don't think it would be good for either of us if we kept worrying about it. Listen, did you want to try again? Maybe see if we could have a better evening?"

As soon as he said that, his heart started pounding like a jackhammer. He would love nothing more than to have dinner, conversation, and...

Wait, what? What was he expecting out of the other man? The same thing he hadn't had to try very hard to get in the past? The same thing that hadn't meant anything to him before? He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"So, what do you say?"

The Serpent's Den

[/center]

Mizu was... interested in him? Jin Ho felt more than slightly confused. How could that be? And if that was the case, why had the Waterbender felt it so necessary to hurt his feelings the night before? His green eyes betrayed how confused he felt and he had no idea what to say.

"You know what? Let's forget about that whole mess. I don't think it would be good for either of us if we kept worrying about it. Listen, did you want to try again? Maybe see if we could have a better evening?"

Was the man actually asking him out? Again? It seemed so contradictory. Was it the case that Mizu actually liked him, but not when he was speaking honestly about his true feelings? If that were the case, Jin Ho had no desire to pursue a relationship with the admittedly extremely attractive young man. But if it were something else — the Waterbender did say that he had never met someone he actually liked before. Jin Ho was not naive enough to think that the man meant he had no experience with men, of course (unlike the Metalbender himself), but he wondered if that meant that Mizu was just as nervous as he was.

And if that were the case, it might be much more worth both their time. Taking a breath, the policeman removed his headgear. He had to figure something out: whether or not it would be worth having his feelings hurt all over again. And he could only think of one way to test that...

"So, what do you say?"

Stepping closer to the blue-eyed man, Jin Ho put a hand out to pull him closer, hooking him around the waist. Only one way to test it, right? Either there would be fireworks, or there wouldn't. And then they'd both know if they should be trying again. Gently, Jin Ho pressed their lips together, and hoped for the best.

Of course Mizu was as nervous as Jin Ho. The realization that he'd never actually fallen in love with anyone coupled with his growing attraction to the police officer would be enough to make anyone nervous.

It must have sounded odd, asking the cop out on a date, again, but when Jin Ho removed his helmet, his breath caught in his chest. Given how things had gone between them, it wasn't particularly surprising that Mizu hadn't taken the time to study his interest in great detail, but something about seeing the cop without his helmet made his heart race.

Before he knew it, he and Jin Ho were only inches apart, the officer's hand was on the small of his back, and then...

His eyes seemed to know what to do, and fireworks exploded from behind his eyelids when their lips touched. All he could feel was the pressure of the other man's hand on his back and the gentle touch of their lips. He found his hand reaching up and resting on Jin Ho's back and, after an amount of time he'd never hope to be able to measure, they pulled apart.

As if he'd been running, Mizu was gasping lightly for breath and his eyes opened, finally seeing the other man again.

"So, what do you say?" His words were that of someone who had possibly seen something nobody else ever could, and they floated gently and softly through the small space between them.

The Serpent's Head Bar

[/center]

To say that there were fireworks was, for Jin Ho, an understatement. As he felt Mizu draw closer as opposed to drawling away, the gentle push of his hand on the man's lower back became more insistent, pulling them closer together. The man's mouth was soft, gentle. Though the kiss was relatively short and chaste — no groping, no indecency here — his pulse was racing and when he pulled back, he was breathless. A tendril of his hair curled into his face, escaping the braid, and he pushed it back with one hand.

So, what do you say?

Mizu's pupils seemed impossibly dark in the dim light of the storeroom, deep wells in the blue of his eyes. Jin Ho smiled a little, curling his fingers around the Waterbender's wrist a little, touching the pulse point. It felt more real to him somehow to feel the man's heartbeat, if only for a moment. "Dinner?" he suggested lightly, still unsure of himself.

He had never done anything like this before. This was entirely new territory for Jin Ho — the few dates he'd been on with Hoshi had never aroused this much emotion in him. He loved her like a sister, which was nothing like what he was currently feeling for Mizu. Green eyes darkened a little, the thoughts flowing across Jin Ho's face. His attraction for and fascination with the other man was apparent. The officer was both excited by and a little scared of his emotions.

"We can go out somewhere, if you want. In public." Would Mizu know what he meant? He hoped so.

And he desperately hoped he wouldn't regret it.

His eyes are green.

As they stared at each other, he felt his lips curling into an expression of how he was feeling. In the moments that their lips made contact, he'd forgotten about everything that usually plagued his mind. There was only the two of them, and he was almost sorry that they had to stop.

Dinner?

"Dinner sounds nice." His words were lazy, almost as if in a dream. First the kiss, now this? How could be possibly have gotten so lucky, and with a cop, at that? It almost seemed too good to be true...

His eyes flickered for a moment as he entertained that possibility. Could it be that the police were setting him up? As he looked at Jin Ho, the thoughts evaporated. The police would have to be sick, depraved individuals to set him up like that, so unless Jin Ho gave him reason to believe otherwise, he wouldn't be paranoid about this.

We can go somewhere, if you want. In public.

"Narook's. Tomorrow night." Still breathless, he bridged the minute gap between them and pressed his lips to Jin Ho's for a brief moment.

((GAH. Another shortie. I swear I'll do better!))

The Serpent's Den

[/center]

If the police had wanted to set Mizu up, they would have chosen someone other than Jin Ho for the job. The metalbender was a horrible liar — his emotions showed too clearly on his face. Jin Ho was too much of an honest man for any sort of undercover work whatsoever... that was why he was a regular cop with little to no power who worked normal beats. People like Jin Ho were good for those kinds of jobs. Jin Ho was excellent for beats in gang territory especially, because the higher ups all knew he'd never be anything less than upright and honest. No one would ever suspect him of corruption. The very idea was laughable.

Mizu suggested Narook's and Jin Ho smiled, the happiness lighting up his face. Not only was he actually going on a date, but he loved Narook's Seaweed Noodlery! He didn't eat there often, but it was really enjoyable. Of course, it was also really public, so he'd need to decide what to do about his parents and gossip...

But he'd have to worry about that later. As it was, he was working, and he really couldn't afford to spend a lot of time not doing his job. It wasn't fair to the taxpayers! "Okay," he said softly, "then I'll see you tomorrow —"

The Waterbender closed the distance between them and kissed him again and Jin Ho caught his breath, pulling back before he allowed himself to get any more caught up than he already was. He desperately wanted to wind his fingers into Mizu's hair, but that was the kind of thing it was far, far too early for. In Jin Ho's family's culture and tradition, the touching of hair was a very... intimate thing. The only person who touched his father's hair was his mother, and no one ever touched Jin Ho's hair.

Not that he didn't dream about someone running their hands through it some time....

Pulling away as a blush heated his face, Jin Ho smiled. "I should go," he said, "I — um, I'll see you tomorrow." He quickly left the store room, waiting until he got out the front door before doing a small victory dance and putting his headgear back on. He had hoped no one saw but a woman across the street was already laughing.

Mizu's cheeks reddened upon the second kiss. He'd put his toe over a line he hadn't realized was there, and he mumbled an apology when Jin Ho pulled back.

"Msrry."

His blush evaporated when the police officer accepted his offer for dinner at Narook's, and he looked down.

"See you then." He smiled as the cop walked out of the storeroom, and he waited a minute before following his path toward the bar. Mr. Chien turned from pouring someone a glass of whiskey to regard his employee with a knowing glance. Mizu exhaled through his nose; this was something he didn't particularly want the closest thing that he had to a father figure in his life to know. He didn't like to mix business and pleasure.

"Could I have tomorrow night off?" Mizu approached his boss and declined his head.

"If you open the bar, yes."

As the Waterbender resumed his bartending duties, he didn't feel the need to accept the shots his regulars bought him on a regular basis. He was feeling a different kind of altered consciousness, and he liked it. The talk couldn't have gone better if he'd wanted it to, and he wished that there was a way to speed up time so he could get to dinner the next day.

((Continued at Narook's))

On the streets of down town, late at night, a food stall remained open. Though not the only stall open late at night, it was this particular stall that Lei had chosen for his dinner. Of the six stools placed out in front of the covered stand, four were empty. He pushed the simple drapes separating the stall from the open street aside granting him view and his nose the scent of the food within.

Taking a seat on the far left, Lei was quickly waited on by the stall keeper. An older gentleman by the name of Ko, he had owned the shop for years and while it didn't bring in much more money than any other it was still none the less an enjoyable life serving the dishes available. The stall was named, "The Salty Broth", a noodle stand that prided itself in its quality noodles in some of the tastiest broth this side of Republic City.

"What'll it be?"
"Hey Ko, hows business? I'll have tonight's special."
"Good good, business has been fine, haven't had any trouble of late. Give me a few and I'll have it ready."
"I'll just have some tea as well then."

The back and fourth didn't last long, and as some fresh noodles fell into broth to cook Ko would turn to serve up some tea. The steam wafted off of the cup into the cool night air as Lei lifted it and gave a gentle blow to cool it before taking a drink. His grandfather's love of tea had been passed down to him. Or perhaps trained into to him would have been a better term.

[/u][/center]

The day had been very nice. Work at the factory and the docks had been little today. With all the time he had, Niu walked to the park at a nice, calm pace. With Meowmeow with him, he had spend the day lounging in the warmth, watching the clouds drift by. It had been a nice day, but by the time he got back to his apartment, it was dark and his stomach was rumbling. Time for dinner, really. Time passes, he thought to himself with a smile, as he grabbed a coat and walked out.

Tonight, he chose not to enter any of the large restaurants nearby. Instead, he spent a half hour or so in the streets and alleyways off the map, following his nose. Something oily and savory turned his head. Despite the frown of dissatisfaction on his face, his heart stirred at the prospect of a good bowl of noodles. He wasn't sure what it was called, exactly, but was definitely his choice. His hard expression melted away as he pushed back the curtains. Golden-orange light bathed him, as did a fantastic wave of smells.

There a couple sitting on the stools to his right, and a lone man sitting to the far left. The stand owner was just returning from the kitchen with a wonderfully steamy bowl of soup to give to the one on the left. Niu's stomach rumbled loudly and he chuckled. He glanced at the menu for only a moment, staring at the pictures intently. "You serve spicy tofu, correct? I'll have that tonight. Three bowls, if you kindly would. And a cup of green tea with honey." The owner seemed nice, and as he moved away, Niu turned to the man on the left.

He was young, maybe even a decade younger than Niu, but looked lean and fit, and nearly as tall as Niu. "Mind if I sit here? I always enjoy a good talk over delicious food." The man looked nice enough, so Niu sat, ever friendly. His hair was shaggy, but he had a strong-looking face with a scar between his eyes. "Have you been here before? This is my first time, but if the food tastes half as good as it smells, I won't be disappointed!"

He grinned at the prospect of filling his belly. He hadn't had a good bowl of hot noodles in a few weeks.

The voice of a newly arrived patron greeted his ears and he perked up a bit, turning his attention from the small clay cup to the man who spoke. He was much broader than Lei himself but Not much taller if at all. He looked up to the man and after a second smiled, the scar over his face taking a shadow in the orange glow of the light. Turning on the stool and setting the tea down he motioned that it was indeed fine to take the seat beside him."Evening, go ahead have a seat. This is a good place to get a meal after a long day."

With the large man seated beside him he would turn back a bit picking up his tea, he held it below his nose a moment taking in the scent before taking another drink. The smell of food overwhelmed the softer aroma of the tea so this was about the only way to really get a good sniff. "The food here is good, and to be honest I'd rather eat here than in some of those fancier places, I think you spend more on the 'atmosphere' than you do on the food." At more or less eye level Lei could take in the sight of the man more easily.

"The name's Lei." The introduction was simple and coupled with an offered hand.

The young man was very nice, offering the seat and a bit of praise for the noodle stall. Niu didn't watch him sip his tea. He thought someone once said it was rude to watch a person eat or drink unless you were doing the same. He politely averted his eyes. But the man turned back to him soon enough, offering an answer to his question. "The food here is good, and to be honest I'd rather eat here than in some of those fancier places," he said. "I think you spend more on atmosphere than you do on food."

Niu laughed. "I'll agree with that!" he said happily. "When you're on the same pay as me, you don't need fancy lanterns and expensive rugs to dine happy." He spread his thick arm out to the street beyond the curtain. "The city's all the atmosphere I need." He returned his gaze with a grin as his tea was set down. It had a nice, dull, sweet smell, very different from the sharp spices and fragrant herbs used in the noodles.

His stomach rumbled again and he took a sip of the steaming tea quickly. After a moment he felt its heat warm his belly, and he looked back at his dining partner. "The name's Lei," the man said, offering a hand to shake. The Ox took it amiably and with a firm grip shook twice. "Nice to meet you, Lei. I'm Niu, Niu the Ox."

The nickname had stuck over the years, and despite its bad beginnings, he was starting to wear its skin proudly. An ox might be stubborn and dull, but it was gentle, obedient, and hard-working as well. Niu liked to think the latter three were traits he portrayed well. The stand keeper had dropped his noodles into the broth, but nothing was ready yet. "So tell me, Lei. You look like a strong young man. What keeps you out on the streets so late?" He figured the boy just worked long hours, but he wasn't going to assume anything. He took another sip of the earthy-sweet tea.

Lei took in the question and nodded a little as he formulated an answer, in the end it was best to just say things in truth. "Eh, nothing in particular, figured was a more appetizing idea to get food out for a change. And well, I tend to work late. The Avatar may be in the city now, but she's young and things aren't just going to fall into peace with her arrival. I work as a member of the Police force here." The final statement rolling off his tongue with a level of pride. As much as some of the work was tedium and not as exciting as the job can sound to outsiders, he still took a lot of pride in the position that he worked for.

"How about you?" He turned the question back to his new dining companion, as he did his own bowl of noodles would arrive, steam billowing off its surface carrying with it a mix of smells that could truly watered the mouth. The broth was a rich dark color and swam with many noodles and neatly cut vegetables. Layered atop of them were several thin cuts of a slightly reddish meat. Cooked just right. The bowl it was serve in was a simple Fired clay much like the tea cup that sat in his hand. A simple presentation, allowing little to distract from the food. "What keeps you out here so late? Keeping out of trouble I hope?" The last part just a slight jest. He could hardly see the man before him causing any real trouble. Just didn't give off that kind of vibe.

Niu gave him his time to respond. Not all things in the world needed to be rushed. He knew that: driving cars around was just a recipe for disaster. Though younger people might disagree, faster was not always better. Lei shrugged, and stated that he just wanted to eat. "Can't disagree with that," Niu chuckled, rubbing his stomach in appreciation. He let the man go on.

"The Avatar may be in the city now, but she's young and things aren't just going to fall into peace with her arrival. I work as a member of the Police force here." Niu nodded, noting how happy Lei was about it. It was good to see: not many people were happy with their line of work these days. "I remember that day," he commented. "I was there helping repair the street she tore up." Niu grinned and let out a hearty chuckle. "For some reason the guys there weren't having an easy time. It probably didn't help that they weren't benders."

He wondered if this man had been part of the blimp squad that spotted her. Probably not. The officer would have said something. "How about you?" he asked as his noodles were brought. They smelled great, and the steam rising off of the dish was even more reassuring. Niu took another tiny sip to keep his stomach from rumbling again. The quiet whispers of the couple to his right was nice, a comfortable companion to the hisses and sloshes and clangs of the kitchen. Laughing people echoed outside, and the sounds of cars passing were muted by the heavy night air. A noodle stand symphony. "What keeps you out here so late? Keeping out of trouble, I hope?"

Niu grinned, having never run into police troubles. "Not at all, officer. I just stayed at the park too long and forgot some dinner." At this point, even his neighbor's noodles set his mouth a-watering. Finally, the owner returned with three piping bowls of the bright red soup. Stained chunks of tofu floated atop beds of vegetables and slices of hot peppers. An egg smiled up at him from each. "Fantastic! Thank you much, sir!"

He grabbed his chopsticks and with those lifted a hearty bite of noodles. "By all means, please dig in," he said to his companion, gesturing briefly with the chopsticks before chowing down himself. The noodles were too hot, but he didn't care. He pulled the rest of the strands into his mouth and chewed rapidly before swallowing. A sigh of contentment spilled from his mouth, past his pleasantly tingling tongue. "Ahh, now that's the stuff."

And then to Lei, "I work at Future Industries, heavy lifting and the like. When they don't have work, I look other places. I'd find a lot more to do if I knew how to metalbend. Maybe I should join the force, huh?" he joked, throwing in a smile. "But besides, I don't even know how it works. Seems to me metal isn't a something you can just up and bend."

Lei took a moment and centered the bowl of fresh noodles in front of him before thoroughly digging in, pushing the meat slices down amidst the broth before drawing up a large group of noodles, and promptly eating them. It was as good as ever, never disappointed with this stalls food.

"Future Industries huh? I did some part time work there as a kid. Mostly just small deliveries. I was a lot scrawnier then." He chuckled sipping his tea. The big man worked for a big company, even if it was just the grunt work it was still a stable job for the most part. The company was in a state of growth with all the work they did. "Yea I can guess a bit of metal bending would help anyone find a job in certain places. But you're right, it isn't something you can just up and bend." He smirked a bit with this. "Think of it this way, if you have to be unmoving to move the earth..." he paused drawing up the words that would best describe it. "You would have to be even more firm with an iron will to boot."

The explanation probably wasn't the best out there but it was about how it felt for him when he was first learning the key bending skills that would get him a chance to be on the force. "That's about how I saw it at least."