Fire Nation Capital

[Zanisha]

“My name is of no concern,” “But, if you must know. My name is Wei-Wu,”

"He didn't lie." she thought, letting nothing faze her perfect mask this time. Biting her tounge to hold herself back, the realization his her, "He didn't lie because he knows that I know his name. If he lied, then he'd know that I know that he lied. Interesting. Then why hasn't he made a move. If he knows who I am, what is he waiting for?" It took the rebel a second to figure out her own question. "Unless..." she began. "He doesn't know that I know that he knows who I am. That must be it. He's falling for my charade. This is good." Pulling herself out of thought she finally replied to the man.

"Wei-Wu, it is nice to meet ya."

“I wasn’t ignoring you, if you believed that. It’s just that you seem to enjoy your own voice and it’s best not get between what someone and what they want.”

Zana picked up immediately on the attitude. "Come on..." she said, a smirk playing with the corner of her mouth. "I'm not that self-centered."

“Zarin is a pretty name by the way. So why are you here?”

"But, complements are always nice to hear. Thank ya." Zana let out a small giggle at her comment, keeping up with the charade. Of course, the real Zana rarely giggles. But then again, that was why they called it acting. Now, she had to come up with something to answer Wei-Wu's question. Thankfully, the firebender was a quick thinker. "Just home-sick I guess." she replied, shrugging. "I had been doing a lot of traveling since the end of the war, and havn't been back here for a couple years. I was starting to miss the place, ya know?" Once again, there was some truth slipped in here. It was always good to slip truth in your lies. It made them more believable. Her home had once been the Fire Nation. However, in no way did she miss it. "What about you?" The burnett asked. "Have you done any traveling lately?"

The firebender was playing along perfectly. It was a delicate situation. She was walking along the razor's edge, so to speak. One slip and she could end up in a fight. But if she played the game perfectly, then she could walk home with one less bounty hunter to worry about. Suddenly, a familair thought came to her, "It's all about how you play the game..."

[Aang]

((Sorry about the delay, Life))

Wei-Wu watched the girl as she asked about his life. But beforehand, she was very quick to interrupt his speech, with almost every pause he took. She spat out a sentence lightening fast. He ignored her, but it was still a little irritating, and it proved one thing: If she knew who he was, she wouldn’t be so fast to open her mouth.

“Yes, compliments are very appreciated, Zarin” Wei-Wu said with no inflection or anything. Wei-Wu was doing his best to play the part of the man who didn’t know that the girl knew that the man didn’t know about the…it doesn’t really matter.

Wei-Wu looked back at his art supplies, he could roll them down. Then he looked back at the girl before replying. “I am well aware that many people are traveling a lot. It would seem that the past generations have been making up for the lack of travel before them. I too am no exception.” Wei-Wu paused before he began, there was no need to lie; after all, she was blind.

“As you should be able to tell, this dark skin, and these cloths aren’t native to this land. I come from the Earth Kingdom, and during the war I was removed from my home. I lost everything, but my skin. And now, I travel and make art to better my life, and the world.” By leaving out an important aspect of his life, Wei-Wu’s life sounded very dramatic, and sounded like something out of legend.

[Zanisha]

((no problem.))

“I am well aware that many people are traveling a lot. It would seem that the past generations have been making up for the lack of travel before them. I too am no exception.”

Zana nodded her head at the man's statement, pretending to listen. However, she was honestly only paying half attention to him. The firebender was too busy trying to figure out what she was going to do next in the situation. "So," she began, trying to organize her thoughts, "I guess I could take him down when he turns his back. But, being the hunter he is he would be expecting that. Except he's not rxpecting anything right now. Actually, he's probably trying to fiure out what he is going to do with me. After all, what kind of bounty hunter would pass up an opportunity like this?" The girl's train of thought was suddenly interupted by the hunter yet again as he went on about himself.

“As you should be able to tell, this dark skin, and these cloths aren’t native to this land. I come from the Earth Kingdom, and during the war I was removed from my home. I lost everything, but my skin. And now, I travel and make art to better my life, and the world.”

"He's still telling the truth." The firebender noted, seeing the honesty in his dark brown eyes. The fake interested still shinning in her own dark brown orbs, Zana replied, "Ohh. Yeah, sames man. The Earth Kingdom really isn't as bad as all these firebedners say around here. It was surprising, I had expected a lot worse when I left the Fire Nation after the war." Pausing a moment, Zana slouched to the side, her weight on her right foot as she lefted her right hand to twirl a stand of her black hair around. For once her dark locks were loose, free of the elastic that usually held them back. Then, the rebel went on. "It must be amazing being an atrist, being able to capture so many scenes and people like that. Being able to get it al down on paper for other to see. It's like telling someone a story, except they have to use their eyes to see it instead of their ears to hear it." The co-captain looked relaxed, despite the fact she was ready to react the instant the hunter made a move. If, that is, that was what he was planning to do any time soon. For the moment, everything was well, but even Zana knew that it wouldn't last long.

"He must be getting axious." she thought, pondering the idea, "I have been talking to te man for at least a good 45 minuets, at some point you'd think he'd do something interesting. But no, he has to be all... boring." Pausing a moment, the firebender got a little irritated, keeping the emotion inside of course. Letting is pass, Zana continued, "I just thought that he would have done something by now. I guess I was wrong."

[Aang]

The air changed, and Wei-Wu was fully aware that the girl was beginning to change her train of thoughts. She must know who he is by now because the way that the air felt, the tension in every gust of wind was foretelling Wei-Wu of the girl’s feelings. She must be planning something because or else she still wouldn’t be there. That is unless she still wasn’t aware. No, no she knew who he was; Wei-Wu could feel it. Yes, if he wanted to get her he would have to make his move, but how, and more importantly when. These two had been chatting for nearly an hour, and still nothing has happened. As far as Wei-Wu knew it, this would go on for quite sometime, even until sundown. Perhaps that would be the way. The more Wei-Wu thought about it the more it made sense. He would keep up this charade and let the girl feel a little less tense. Then as she made her way away from him he would strike her down, and then go and collect his reward. It was so simple, and so effective.

“Yes it is quite the gift to be able to translate emotion onto the page, and then to be able to convey it to other people really makes it worthwhile.” Wei-Wu wanted to laugh at this, he painted because he needed to fund his job, and because he was blessed with this spirit like prowess with art.

“And about the Earth Kingdom, it isn’t as bad as the Fire Nation people think it to be. We aren’t barbarians who have lost their way; we are a proud and fiercely steady people. Though we live divided we acknowledge our equality through the bending discipline that sprouts from generation to generation.” Wei-Wu then looked at Zarin-who he knew to be a so-called Zanisha-she was playing with her hair, and then he continued, “It’s strange that the world is divided solely because of bending. Makes one wonder how better of we’d be without it?”

[Zanisha]

“Yes it is quite the gift to be able to translate emotion onto the page, and then to be able to convey it to other people really makes it worthwhile.”

The second the hunter found out she knew, the firebender knew too. "Damn." she cursed in her head. "Hmm, I was hoping I could keep this up a bit longer... oh well. I guess it's better that I fight him during the day anyways. This way, I'll be stronger than if I fight him at night." Immediately shifting her weight to both feet, Zana took her hand out of her hair, and pulled it up into a high ponytail using the elastic she kept on her wrist while the hunter carried on.

“And about the Earth Kingdom, it isn’t as bad as the Fire Nation people think it to be. We aren’t barbarians who have lost their way; we are a proud and fiercely steady people. Though we live divided we acknowledge our equality through the bending discipline that sprouts from generation to generation.” “It’s strange that the world is divided solely because of bending. Makes one wonder how better of we’d be without it?”

"Well," she began, slowly allowing her mask to fade, "for one thing, it would be a lot less fun."

When Zana paused, Wei-wu would be able to now see the mixed emotions of anger, irritation, interest, and danger in her deep brown eyes. Her features were more etched now that her dark locks were out of the way. "So," the rebel continued, holding her ground. Her voice was suddenly threatening, more like a warning. The previous fear that had shadowed her before was gone. Now, a much more confident, stronger person stood before the bounty hunter. "I see you finally put together who I really am. Why don't you tell me what my name is hunter. Then, you can tell me how much that little shit Azula wants me for so I can shove it in her face when I kill you. Or, maybe its not Azula. Maybe it's the Earth Kingdom, or the Fire Nation. Take your pick, you've got options." As odd as it may be, the firebender likes the fact that she was wanted by more than one simple group of people. It showed how lethal she truly was.

[Aang]

((Now Zanisha, I do have an ending planned, but I’ll have to see if it can play out. I was gone yesterday because I got a strange sick feeling.))

Wei-Wu wanted to lash out and strike the young wily girl down, but he couldn’t. No, now was not the time to do it. He would have to wait a little while longer; however, the girl’s need to fight had proven to be the one variable that he hadn’t counted on, and she knew that he knew. It was obvious; he couldn’t feign his ignorance any longer. A shame really, that such a young person that a person who would be able to get fairly powerful must be put out of the picture. It was a loss to the world.

Wei-Wu didn’t rise to the threat that Zanisha posed, if she was indeed a great bender her bounty would have been great, but judging by the money placed on her head, she must have been above the average person of her age. That is, unless of course, the posters were merely advertising her for the cheapest price; this was not unheard off. Wei-Wu didn’t head straight for an attack, he in fact still carried an air of annoyance, although he was annoyed that she had figured him out, he had wanted to fight her whilst she was leaving. He was hoping that he would be able to spring a small trap on her to quickly take her out. Having fought many firebenders, Wei-Wu knew of the risks that these hot heads posed. They usually lacked control, and often torched everything with little remorse, they were nothing but barbarians.

“Well,” began Wei-Wu as he kicked his supplies off of the rock, and he watched them roll down into the city. He would have to go and get the once he was done. He then turned back to Zanisha, “What gave me away?”

[Zanisha]

((bummer man, hope ur feelin better.))

“Well,” “What gave me away?”

"Oh come'on," Zana responded, a playful edge lingering in her voice now. "If I told you what gave you away," the girl continued, "then i wouldn't be able to spot your kind as easily next time now would I?" Pausing a moment, the co-captain stopped, taking a step to her left. The moment meant nothing, simply to keep the situation under her control. The young bender had been in control of the situation since she walked up to the man. She was the one who discovered him. She was the one who had gotten what she needed to know from him first. And, she was the one who believed she had the upper hand at the moment. But, then again, Zana always thought that she had the upper hand.

However, in one aspect she was true. Wei-Wu, being the bounty hunter he was, was probably used to fighting firebenders. What he wasn't used to was fighting firebenders like Zanisha. The dark haired girl fought much different from the other benders of her element. Unlike the usual aggressive, rash, and barbarous firebending style, Zana waited and stuck quick with deadly accuracy. The reason for her different style is because of the rebel's training in the Earth Kingdom alongside many earthbenders. It was only natural she picked up certain fighting skills and techniques from them. Little did he know, the bounty hunter was in for a surprise. In fact, the girl didn't even have intentions on making the first move.

"So," she began talking again when her feet stood ground again. "Are you going to keep playing 20 questions or are you going to try and take me in? You know, you people really are disgusting; killing for money. And not just killing, but destroying all hope in a just cause. The Earthen Syndicate is simply trying to finish what should have been finished five years ago. It's everyone else who is too stuborn to understand. All they want is peace, but that simply can't happen with any of those goddamn firebenders around. Even those loyalist non-benders. Ugh"

[Aang]

“Killing for money,” Wei-Wu wanted to scoff at those words. He wasn’t the typical loser who just found random people and had his way with them. No, he was better; he often chose his targets based on money alone. There was no such thing as a random target.

“Let me tell you one thing, I haven’t killed anyone for money…” Wei-Wu turned to look at Zanisha. She was a firebender alright, he could feel it. It wasn’t that he knew who or what she was it was just that he knew what she did. It was almost like a feeling, and it was hard to describe, then again, it was something that he felt from his gut. Back on subject, his statement wasn’t a lie; he had never killed for money. True he often took assassination work, but he never killed because of the money. The people he had killed spoke about how they knew what he was there for, and it annoyed him. They were the ones that had brought death on themselves not him. They had done their part to seem all-knowing and amazing; Wei-Wu merely helped them into a life that would give them those gifts.

“I’ve killed yes, but it could hardly be said that it was for money,” continued Wei-Wu still not assuming a fighting stance. There was no need for one anyhow. Zanisha would fall easily, and he would then take her to the highest bidder. It was as simple as that.

“I do not wish to create chaos, this world is already chaotic enough. And don’t play the victim here, as you have said it yourself. It’s them that cannot have peace. You know, everyone that fights for peace always uses that battle cry, ‘We want peace, but they won’t give it to us.’ If you have studied any history you would see that the fools who don’t allow the peace are the one who have to stir up the water. If your ‘Earthen Syndicate’ merely let the daily minutia of national treaties play out then this peace would be reached.”

Wei-Wu then looked her in the eye with a slight arrogance that wafted from his cold pupils, “Now then, who is the one that doesn’t allow peace to reign? The man that is making his way in the world or the girl from the Syndicate advocating genocide; I say it’s the girl that is the root of all evil.”

[Zanisha]

“Let me tell you one thing, I haven’t killed anyone for money…”

Zana internally scoffed at the man's immediate responce. The enraged co-captain could feel her anger-fueled adrenaline try and force her fire through her. The feeling was not one of comfort. The whole time the poor girl had been working against it, fighting back the natural instinct to attack. Fortunately, the dark haired girl was used to fighting this firebender's curse. The curse of such irresistible rage that could drive a person mad. Counting to ten in her head, the firebender centered herself again with another deep breath. "Ok." she thought, feeling her temper's influence die down. "Keep it under control. That's what its all about. You have to keep control or your as good as dead. Keep control, keep control." The words repeated themselves like a chant over and over again within the girl's mind. Her deep empty eyes not giving away her inner instability, Zana listened on while the bounty hunter spoke.

“I’ve killed yes, but it could hardly be said that it was for money,” “I do not wish to create chaos, this world is already chaotic enough. And don’t play the victim here, as you have said it yourself. It’s them that cannot have peace. You know, everyone that fights for peace always uses that battle cry, ‘We want peace, but they won’t give it to us.’ If you have studied any history you would see that the fools who don’t allow the peace are the one who have to stir up the water. If your ‘Earthen Syndicate’ merely let the daily minutia of national treaties play out then this peace would be reached.”


Zana's deep eyes drifted to the nearly identically colored ones of Wei-Wu. She saw the arrogance, anger, and self-importance within him. His brown eyes were giving him away while her own acted as a shield. Lightning intently to the reminder ringing in the background of her mind, the firebender kept a cool head. "Is that so?" She asked, the previous anger completely gone from her current tone. Taking her right index finger, the rest of her bandaged hand closed into a fist while the single finger pointed to her chest. Questioning him again. "Me? I am an root of all evil?" Then with her next statement, sarcasm swirled about her tone, mixing in with the preexisting one. "Oh yeah, the mere 21 year old is the cause of a 100- year war that brought devastation to the entire world. It's definitely not the power obsessed nation who led the 100 year war and were the first persons to even consider committing genocide to another nation." Pausing again, the girl folded her arms in front of her chest, her brown eyes letting the sarcasm fill them. "Yes, you must be right."

Letting out another slightly bored sigh, the firebender could tell that she was getting no where with this guy. "So," she continued, letting her arms down relaxed at her side. When one had their arms folded in front of them it was body language that translated to the idea that they needed to guard themselves, as if to protect themselves from whomever was in front of them. Now, because Zana had developed a distrusting personality, she felt more comfortable with her arms crossed in front of her. However, the firebender let them down now to show Wei-Wu that she wasn't afraid of him in any way. Also, that she did not feel the immediate need to protect herself from him. After all, Zana still had no intentions of attacking first. That was the mindset the rebel had come in with and it still hadn't changed.

"Lemme get something strait..." the sarcasm left from her voice for the moment. Now was just the empty yet interogating curiosity that she had come into the conversation with, minus the playful friendliness of course. "You don't want to create chaos, yet you take on a job that involves tracking others down despite the cost it takes on the person and those whom they associate with. Do you know what happens after you..." Now the firebender added emphasis on her next words, raising her eyebrows when she spoke them. "do your job? You kill someone, take them away, whatever, and then that whole person's life, everyone they associate with is enraged. Now simply because of how this is humans are; someone is going to want revenge. Whether it be a sister, a mother, a brother, a father, a friend, or even a long lost cousin... it doesn't matter. They go out try and find you, develop a hate for bounty hunters and your entire kind, goes out and eventually ends up killing random people on the street. Now I don't know about you but that sounds like chaos to me. Not to mention, you say you don't kill for money..." Zana paused, raising her eyebrows as if for clarification. "So why do you take it? Then why do you kill? Are you honestly that self-righteous that you decided to take it upon yourself to go out and stop all us so called "criminals"? What would happen if I went with you to wherever it is you plan to take me? Whoever is bidding the most I assume. I would go, you would get paid, I would probably not have to much fun wherever I went seeing as how I know more about the Syndicate than just about anyone else you would find..." Zana internally shuddered at the thought. The girl had been imprisoned once in her life. If she was going to be imprisoned again and there was no way around it and no way out, then the firebender had made a promise that she would take her own life first.

"Eh, then you would piss off the Syndicate and they would come looking. And, not only for me but for you too. And well, the rest all depends on multiple variables, but you get the idea. So, seeing as there isn't a chance in hell of all the damaged, unhappy, and furious people in the world disappearing, wouldn't it be much better of all the people like you, hunting them, to be dissapear? I think so... and I'm not the only one. You honestly think that highly of yourself to be called a hunter? Havn't you ever thought that maybe it's the hunter that is the one being hunted?" Now the firebender came to a final stop. She let her words sink in. All her accusations and all her questions, especially the questions. Although they sounded rhetorical, the rebel wished that Wei-Wu would answer them. It would be a nice change from his arrogant bantering.

[Aang]

((Oo, this is fun))

She was losing control of her emotions, but at the same time, she was earning Wei-Wu’s respect. She was doing things that normal firebenders rarely did, she was controlling her emotions. The fuel for her firebending would be one that involved inner peace, but what? Wei-Wu had never fought an emotionally controlled firebender; this was a little strange.

Coming back into the world, Wei-Wu thought about the girl’s assertions, and her questions. She was still so flawed in her thinking. She was looking to blame others for the cause of the chaos, unaware of what Wei-Wu had meant in his words. She, like many others, wanted change, and these people who had wanted change tended to do radical things to get it. And, in this quest for justice they tended to do things that were in essence evil.

But enough about that, he had some questions to answer. Wei-Wu arrogantly spoke to Zanisha with, “Considering the lack of time you gave me to speak, I shall answer your questions in the order in which they were presented.” Wei-Wu lifted his chin and held it high as his pompous exterior began to shine anew. He could answer her questions because he had asked them to himself before. Finally, those days of contemplation would pay off. “I was not blaming you for the cause of the world, but blaming your kind’s ideology for the strife we now face. The war is over with, the world one, the man responsible is dead, and the man in charge is taking care of business. I am blaming your kind for not allowing the peace to follow through. The Earth Kingdom is suffering many rebellions because a small minority group feels that things aren’t going fast enough; they want to heal the scars of a hundred years in about a month. But the problem is not the intent, but the means; rather than passively seeking to heal, they believe that starting a new war, and getting control will help them in their endeavor. They start up political squabbles over ideas and cause the deaths of hundreds in the process. Is that not evil, but no to you fighting for you ideology is all that matters. Who cares about the innocent that had to suffer; so long as your plan, and your vision are complete then their strife will be rewarded. Yes, of course because it’s obvious that a fringe minority knows what is best for the world.”

“When it comes to someone wanting me dead for m work; I will handle it when the time comes. The death was caused by my actions; as such I will face the problem when it arises. So, don’t consider me the coward that I may come off as being. As for you, I will take you to whoever offers the most, it may be the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation, and if you get lucky it’ll be a pirate looking to get more merchandise for the human market. After all, you’d make a nice slave.”

“Then we come to your proposal of wiping people like me off of the planet, and that will never happen. The path of evil is paved with good intentions. You may not know that the Fire Nation’s original goal was to spread their prosperity, and look at what happened. Even your Syndicate will eventually hurt someone, and from that action you will breed someone like me. That is, if you live long enough.” Wei-Wu gave a very small smile at the thought. Her logic was still not as thought out as his. His time on the road had given him a lot of time to think about his life. From that, he had answers for everything.

[Zanisha]

(haha yeah, way 2 piss Zana off btw.)


“Considering the lack of time you gave me to speak, I shall answer your questions in the order in which they were presented.”

"Huh." Zana let out a small huff of annoyance once she heard the tone of his voice. "He better get his shit strait. If he were talking down to Luxa like that then he would've gotten her sword shoved down his throat by now." Her mind once again drifting back to her best friend, safe back in Omashu, the firebender had a realization. A small smile spread the corners of her lips at the thought, "Its funny... I'm the firebender but Luxa's more of a hot head than I am." It was only the sound of Wei-wu's voice that brought her back. Snapping back to attention, the smile disappeared the second her dark brown eyes met his. The girl heard his words, but she wasn't listening. Her simple minded hate for the Fire Nation had blinded her beyond any hope of reasoning. Sure, Zana could play along with the hunters debate... but she would never change. However there was something that Wei-Wu said that rung in the dark haired girl's earls like a bell. This part, she heard very clear.

"As for you, I will take you to whoever offers the most, it may be the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation, and if you get lucky it’ll be a pirate looking to get more merchandise for the human market. After all, you’d make a nice slave.”

Zana's hand curled into fists as her muscles tensed where she stood. "Slave...??" The girl spit the word out like poison. Within the word something had clicked inside her. The hunter had hit her trigger. Jets of angry red flames burst from her clenched fists. Breathing hard to regain her normally tightly maintained control, it took a moment to calm herself down. Slowly, but steadily the fire retreaded back within her. Her heart slowed to a normal pace, and the burning emotions of hate and danger died away back into the shadows of her glaring eyes. With one final staggered breath, she let it go enough to reply. "I am never going to be locked up again." Her voice was as sharp as the daggers concealed in her boots. Venom lined their edges and the lashed out at the man before her like an angry rattle snake. The small fire display had been her warning. Her burning orbs narrowed into slits, Zana continued. "So, don't even try."

Her fists were still clenched to the point where you could see white where her knuckles were. "That f.ucking b.asterd." she thought, cursing repeatedly in her mind. The hate Zana felt for the man standing mere feet away was so strong that she was sure he could feel the emotion leaking from her very core. But, Zana knew her hate was clouding her. Also, she knew that the hunter now knew her trigger and that could be dangerous in a fight. Unlike most firebenders, the co captain's bending was based on control. If the rebel didn't have complete self control, well then her bending would be dangerous to not only others, but herself as well.