[Han & Open] Scent of Night

[Karura Kotoko]

Her eyes were somewhat wide in the absence of shock or terror, instead betraying some form of dull curiosity as well as a certain lack of sanity, at least in way that defined normal people, but not without reason and caution. Karura cared very much about not making the wrong decision, and had the firebender not touched upon some of her latent compassion she would have been long gone from this scene by now. The man before her was clearly not a bender, thus by default actually welcome to know of her business, if only he didn’t appear so unpredictably hostile. Since he didn’t attack after her minuscule probe, she decided he wasn’t completely absent of reason. He didn’t know her and he didn’t seem to have had extensive dealings with the men he had attacked for not answering a question in the night, so she would definitely not be lowering her guard around him.

As she lightly tapped a small cylinder that was in her palm, she considered his words, unamused, just as absurdly watchful as before. He spoke of impure souls and she had to wonder about his definition of impurity. She was clearly no innocent flower, by her definition a target. His smile crumpled with the ease of fakeness and he peered at her. The intensity of his stare bumped against the great emptiness she stared back with.

“All of what? Having a conversation with a random person you meet in the night before attempting to down them for no reason?” Her tone was simple but she was walking a fine line and she knew it. People who spoke of fate and souls and purity always had the strangest motivations and acted on them with an absurd sense of righteousness.

“Their reason is their own. All I can do is guess.” She had no hope of appearing innocent and she didn’t even wish to. “If you want to know what I do that could attract attention, I couldn’t share it here. The streets may have ears.” She wasn’t going to risk the safety of her new group even if he killed her. Karura did not betray people whom had not earned the backstab. “Nor would I share it any other place if you don’t explain to me what you refer to by “impure souls” and what you plan on doing to them.” She was demanding with her questions, but she wasn’t the one threatening him, so he earned the discourtesy by default. “If your response doesn’t include me, then you may get some answers. Judging by an aspect of your previous targets, you could even like them.” She also reserved room for withholding her business if his motives sounded demented, but there was no reason to say that.

Her heart was pounding in an extra beat, as it always did when she was in a dangerous situation.

[Chen Han Wei]

Suddenly and spasmodically, Han's right arm flew up and over his back, flawlessly sheathing it. With the same quick, jerky, almost hostile movements, both of Han's arms and hands reached and folded behind his head -a sign of boredom within human behavior. Again he smiled at her answer, admiring her wittiness and thought pattern. As expected, she motioned towards her privacy, demanding that they moved to a place more suitable for their endeavors. With his smile seemingly everlasting, he sighed yet again and gave his response thereafter.

"Impure souls? Well, it means exactly what it sounds like. Impure - something unclean, immoral and obscene; A physical and maybe even a genetic 'blemish' if you will. Also, you want to know what I have planned for them right? Well, I hope you have time because it will take some time. "

Speaking with a smug tone Han stepped towards and stood over the felled earth bender, looking down upon his half conscious face while reveling in his victory. The iron clad warrior bent down, reached down, grabbed the benders limp wrist, and pulled it straight up, fully extending it. Having nearly mastered the art of Chi-blocking, an extensive knowledge of the human anatomy came with the art, yet, opened doors to an infinite amount of possibilities. With a swift play of his fingers, Han bent the man's wrist inwardly with ample pressure, enough so that it generated a level of pain that momentarily awakened the earth-bender.

"these benders, they are impure, a stain in humanity. People have foolishly been led to believe that they are beginning the next 'human evolution' when they will, in truth, act as the devolution to our race simply because we are not ready to control it. As a human race, we're not yet responsible enough harness such a power, including me. For this reason alone, I've taken up the task of 'quarantining' this city. Fortunately, this stop is just one of many."

Still holding the man's wrist, Han's free hand rose above his head.

"My goal is not kill them, but seize and control, channeling their powers into the greater good while showing them exactly why they do not deserve such power. Unfortunately, I've only met one pure soul that actually deserves it - my brother. "

Not even a second after he finished speaking had that same free hand came crashing into the man's elbow with a vicious chop, breaking said bone at a 90^o angle. Letting his arm go, Han returned to a full stand as his hand motioned towards the removal of their presence of the area.

"So, shall we? move to a more, secure area that is."

[Karura Kotoko]

Reacting on impulse of perceived motion that didn’t especially have its place in the context present, Karura swiftly danced to the side, her cloak fluttering after her, out of the way of anything that could have been thrown at her through the arm’s jerky raising motion. In the dark she could be sure of what was or wasn’t in his hands. Her icy eyes returned on him with a slight edge, disapproving of his carelessness, glad she hadn’t reacted by throwing what was in her hand. You didn’t make hasty movements with such tension in the air. It had been so singularly off that she considered the possibility of being tested.

Arms firm by her sides and gaze slightly lowered, she listened to what he had to say. “What’s immoral and obscene to one may not be so to another,” she commented, “I don’t require tutoring in general definitions.” Her tone had lost its pleasant edge, in contrast to his sustained charm. She nodded when he proposed to expand.

Casually, the man turned his attention to the earthbender he had fought. Karura watched, evaluating, not only his words but his actions also. He chose to twist the man’s wrist, making him pierce the night with a scream of pain as he awoke unwilling. Karura’s eyes darted right and left, at the windows, at the curtains, careful to at least know of any possible witnesses. After, as he spoke, she resumed her very careful walk, that broke none of the distance between them, not in the sense of breaching closer or increasing it, but heading back on the arch she had started. Depending on what he did to the earthbender, she was half ready to protect the firebender, which in itself, made her laugh on the inside.

Suddenly, she had a better idea. Mirroring his pose, and taking comfort in the thought the firebender had gotten a blow that was sure to anesthetize him from the pain, she applied the same treatment to his wrist. As Han spoke, she found she did not disagree with his thoughts, although she would have worded concepts differently. Observing him, she tilted her head minimally at his arm movement and direction. The earthbender’s arm was snapped at the elbow, a horrible wound that made him blackout from pain. "You're rather cruel," she observed, without investing her tone with emotion.

Dong the same to the firebender, she rose up moments after Han. That would keep the firebender out of gangs and with his job as a journalist. As she had savaged his left hand, writing columns should still be accessible to him. He would get himself killed involving himself with whatever foolishness had made him stalk after her tonight.

“You don’t make much sense,” she expressed simply, stepping over the firebender after finishing her part of joints ripping. “You say you know you are human and thus not evolved enough to know how to harness such power and afterwards you presume to control those who possess it and direct it.” She chose not to touch upon his bias for his brother for she didn’t know him, although she thought he must be as fallible as any other of their species. There were no exceptions in her book. Everyone needed to be on the same page, regardless of their outstanding merit.

She started walking, slowly breaching half the distance between them and afterwards continuing down the street. “We can have this discussion in the Dragon’s Maw. Everyone that’s there at this hour is either horribly drunk or private and thus respectful of others’ privacy.” As they walked, she watched him from the corner of a sharp eye, the fingers of her left glove passing decorously over her other until it reached the elbow and tugged the glove higher onto the elbow-length tight sleeve it joined. “What may I call you?”

[Chen Han Wei]

Han's smugness and smile faded as the woman began to voice her thoughts and opinions. As he watched her walk around in an arc and soon continue down the street, he turned around, looking upon her back as she walked away. Going back on her suggestion, she motioned towards the Dragon's Maw, a place where she must've felt safe and secure, free of any prying ears and eyes. He shrugged nonchalantly where he followed suit thereafter, trailing behind the woman about 3 meters. She asked what she may call him, which, caused Han to momentarily think just what exactly he wanted to be referred to by the woman. Having not known her prior to their little encounter, there had been nothing outlandish about him not wanting to trust the woman just yet , at least not well enough to provide his actual name.

"Well, since you've brought it up, you may call me Yip. "

As his words spilled one by one from his parted lips, he noticed the suspicious look that oozed out from her gaze and smiled yet again, finding her attentiveness and suspicions rather amusing and attractive. Tightening the ebony gloves around both of his hands, he spoke out to the woman, inquiring about her name-be it fake or not-among other things

"So, in answering your question, I, naturally, have my own. what should I call you, hm? Doesn't necessarily need to be real, I just don't like not having a relationship with some nameless person or thing, just doesn't seem right. Aside from all of that, judging from that wrist action earlier, I'm gonna take a wild swing and assume you aren't a bender. Hit or miss? "

[Karura Kotoko]

From the very beginning she had not asked for his actual name, but she had to huff in amusement at his chosen go by. “Very well, Yip.” She knew nothing about him yet she couldn’t think of a word that could describe him less. Maybe she was in for a gargantuan surprise.

She eyed him with suspicion and he graced her with another smile so she painted him manipulative. He inspired terror but wrapped it into something that looked interesting. Karura continued watching him and gave a thought to his questions. “Blue,” she answered his first, thinking it quite fitting. Her eyes smiled for his second, giving it some silence first. If she were a bender, did he think she would tell him after what she had just heard and witnessed?

“I’m not a bender.” Walking on until they reached their destination, she paused at the door, pulling her mask down and pushing her hood away before drawing it open, holding it for him to catch as she paced inside. She passed by the set of guards that stood like ancient sentries at the entrance and took in the familiar scent of the place, a mixture of old wood and spicy beverages.

The moment she crossed the threshold she felt relieved of his presence. And that, folks, is how you withheld information and still got to pass without incident, she thought, quiet words to benders with broken arms. Even if it did cross her mind to decide their fortuitous encounter had reached its end, she wasn’t completely convinced she wished to drop his company. This certain bar was almost non-bender specific. Benefitting from dim lighting, with tables spread out nicely and even a section where privacy was stressed by added curtains you could literally cocoon your table in, Karura found the place quite cozy.

She gave a charming smile to one of the men running the bar, her eyes shining, and then proceeded to a distant table in the corner, undoing the clasp on her cloak as she went, and dropping it lazily onto the left side of the corner-couch that she nested on, legs crossing with some elegance. Karura liked sitting in corners, that way nothing could surprise her from behind. Now that she was all unveiled, he could see she wore clothes of water tribe style, a traditional betrothal choker tightly around her neck, all dark blues and blacks.

She invited him to take a seat where he pleased with a flourish of her gloved hand. “So, you wished to know my business tonight. Suffice to say you’re not the only one who thinks benders have powers they should not possess.” She leaned in slightly to plant her elbows on the table, hands coming together before her nose, eyes studying him with their trademark sharpness, breezing over aspects of his face.

“There are groups forming under the surface, groups that are trying to come up with a solution to the tragedy non-benders face in society.”

[Chen Han Wei]

[OOC: Sorry for the wait, had work and family business.]

Blue? cute, at least Han thought it was considering her gender. Within the same moments that she revealed her alias, she made it known that she had not been capable of bending. Although Han presumed this to have already been factual information, he found it reassuring that she herself confirmed it. Don't fret, Han still had his suspicions as he had no room to usher in certainty that she was a non-bender because lets face it, there is always room inside of ones own soul to lie. Continuing to trail behind her, he stopped once she did after arriving at what appeared to be the target destination. Before entering, she removed every piece of clothing that concealed her face, but even then, while from behind, Han had still been unable to fully see what she looked like. Stepping into the area, Han's eyes darted back and forth, observing and absorbing every detail he himself deemed noteworthy.

All the while, he followed Blue to the corner of said bar as she removed most of her outer layers of clothing that kept her true appearance hidden from plain view. As she sat down and eloquently crossed her legs, Han would've been labeled a liar if he claimed that it hadn't aroused him in some way. Invited to take a seat, he humbly accepted and sat across from Blue, leaving his ebony armour intact unlike Blue who partially undressed herself. Upon sitting, Han leaned forward while supporting his upper-body with his forearms against their respective knees. Cutting the woman a cunning smirk, he spoke in response to her statements.

"Its painfully obvious that there are other like minded gents and gals, however, unlike those who hide in the shadows with their so-called 'forming', I'm out in the open, active. I appreciate the number of people who support the movement, but unfortunately, not many have the capableness nor resolve to go through with it or do anything at all. . ."

All but for a moment, the smirk across Han's face swapped presence with that of sadness, unconsciously showing an emotion he bottled up for so long.

". . .My methods may lie in the morally gray area, but it's kept my brother and I from becoming victimized again as well many others."

[Karura Kotoko]

She watched him for some time, like a porcelain statue with judging eyes taking in his position, coloration, wear and gestures, trying to fully decide on an impression. Torn between conflicting suggestions she considered his words, a touch of amusement brightening her eyes as she gave him a wolfish smile over her fingers. It was because of that very “in the open” attitude that she had almost left him at the entrance.

Her smile dropped when glimpsing the brief show of nostalgia or sorrow that flashed through his features. When his trail of words ended she leant back in her plush seat, letting her hands drop together onto the table’s surface. She was wary of everything she thought he was – a hunter, a skilled fighter, a smooth talker, and perhaps a convincing actor, all subject to possibility and consideration.

“There’s reason we hide in the shadows. We embark on missions that are best kept out of rumor. If not for our legal safety, for prevention of alerting inconvenient ears.” She drew herself into a straighter position, her head tilting a fraction to the side, eyes impossibly clear. “And you are right, we are still working on methods to tackle this situation. As practical as it would be to simply start a quest of eliminating all benders to give new chance of equality to a fresh generation in the distant future, such an endeavor is both immoral and the realm of fantasy.”

Her eyes drifted from him then to set on nothing in particular but scan the general locale. There were people she knew here, people that for their greater reasons didn’t supposed to know her without her mask. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the governing body and police system is formed of benders exclusively.” Her cold colored eyes returned to him. “They seem impressively inept at dealing with the bender gangs that terrorize the citizens, but whenever there is a case of non-bender, legally classified as “criminal”, activity, they are quick to react.”

Her chin lifted just slightly. “Depending on methods of dealing with the “situation”, I would not like my face to become greatly known as involved with the brewing motion.” She smiled then, a gradual lift performed by the corners of her lips. “There are advantages of being seen by few and known by even less.” The very fact that she was sharing all of this with him was a breach of her own protocol. Her eyes widened a little, internally questioning herself for it.

“Shadows rumor that a prophet of our times may be lurking within them,” she shared, her tone filled with the mystery of her words as she watched him from under lowered lashes. “If you believe in tales and legends.” Under the table she bumped her knee against his and then swept her gaze towards the bar. “Would you be kind enough to get us some drinks?” A cryptic smile was on her face again.

[OOC: It's okay. I don't mind waiting and it's not like you poofed for weeks. ;)]