Avatar: A Legend Reborn

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Suna and his band of thieves paced forth towards their destination wearily, as if the Spirit of the Canyons had taken from them their energy and the will to fight upon its departure. Traumatic was a word that could not even come close to describing what the Sandbender and his two other friends had felt within themselves. It was ironic, therefore, that the one whose bravado, gung ho attitude, and toughness gave life and laughs to the group, became the one whose silence is most deafening. It was almost unpleasant to see Suna, the most lively in spite of his ability to irk those he cares most about, shut his mouth for the remainder of their travels. He pulled the noose of their carriages like one who has died within. Taking what had happened to them three days ago into consideration, it might as well be.

Even Dhune, who played the role of guiding voice and pseudo-leader, was saturated in his own silence. The silence, much unlike the emotionally driven one that Suna and the rest of the gang had felt, was due to his possession by the Spirit of his home. Suna could only imagine what it would be like having another's will imposed on his body, bending feats that no normal bender can do. It was tiring, indeed. In a nutshell, the group had undergone a miniature falling out of sorts - minding one's own businesses and whatnot. Dhune even went so far as disappearing ahead of the group without saying a word, to scout on ahead in order to see if Suna had been going the right direction unlike before.

Atop a boulder, Suna looked up to see their brother and mentor shielding his eyes from the sun's rays. Peering forth into the distance, Dhune jokingly assured Suna of their safe journey, having followed the right way, after all this time. Hearing his brother's banter was as a great relief - it was the small symbol he needed to point him to a better future with Rae-Lee, Naomi, and Dhune. Their mentor was anew, and his acted that was as well. He had gone back to his previous self, and is now, hopefully normal. Stopping the carriage, Suna Earthbent his way to the boulder and landed beside Dhune. "That's the man we've been dying to see!" Suna said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he punched Dhune's shoulder painfully albeit one of reassurance, acceptance, and brotherly love, before going back down to the caravans and unfolding his map yet again. Suna appeared normal and sounded normal too, but the words of the Spirit resonated within him. Even if it didn't look like it, Suna was a changed man.​
 
Watching Zarina closely, it occurred to Krane that her fire... was not fire. It was raw heat. Something else. Something that only needed air to be created, but not maintained. He could feel her flame in the air, but he could not starve it. Krane had only the time to notice a few of these traits, but of what he did see, he was perplexed, impressed and intrigued all at once. To fight this type of firebending, it would require a whole new strategy. Regular firebenders, even more advanced ones, had to abide by certain laws of their bending, certain principles of fire that could not be changed. Zarina found a way to change them. She was not Azula. If Azula could use a technique like this, Krane feared he might not have won as often as he did. Krane had no idea what this was, either, but he knew it wasn't the lightning he dueled against daily. When she tore through his windwall, he was astonished. Firebenders could rarely muster a blast that would even dent his windwalls, but she carved through it with raw heat. Disrupting his windwall caused him to go unbalanced, partially from the disruption of his own delicate energies and partially out of the astonishment of the situation.

It only took a moment for him to recuperate, though. Using the air to glide downward, Krane landed near Zarina while she was gasping for breath. He extended his hands into their L-shape again and in a single fluid motion created little spheres of air at the tip of each of his fingers. He finally pulled in his thumb, akin to cocking a trigger, and in doing so the little spheres turned into miniature torrents of air. While she was standing carefully, Krane was off to her side at nearly point blank range. His second hand, however, was pointed at a boulder near the entrance of the cave, and he released the little windsphere, resulting in a quick blast that shattered off the face of that boulder. "Surrender, Zarina," Krane told her. He was close to her, his ability ready to be released at any time. If she was a fire nation soldier, he wouldn't have wasted time being frivolous with a display. He could have tried to carve right through her as she gasped for breath.
 
She was utterly exhausted, she could tell by the way her arms trembled. Zarina watched the face of her opponent with some pride and satisfaction. Too soon, was it that Krane celebrated, that he didn't even seem to feel the changes in the surrounding air. She could feel the air heating and changing as a result of her last attack. She wouldn't need to exhaust herself with making more plasma...she had all that she needed to pass this last test.

"If you believed for a second that I would surrender in the face of death, you never would have recruited me." She said to Krane. She made a quick pulling motion with her hand and arm as she violently dissipated the last of her plasma spikes. They seemed to explode and disappear all at once, but the air seemed like it suffered the attack. A suffocating heat surrounded them both as she heated up the plasma in the air surrounding the two of them. Trace amounts of plasma bled into even Krane's air on his fingers, before infecting it like a sickness with its blistering heat. "You have your trap...and I have mine."
 
"Your technique," Krane replied, "is much like one of mine." Krane stood still, allowing his fingertips to be slightly singed. His face snarled and the air around his windsphere picked up, increasing its size and velocity. He added in extra air, acting as an insulator for the raw heat of the plasma. Krane used the friction of air to ionize it so greatly he could direct lightning. Now he was using the heat she generated with her plasma to fuel his air. Hot air swirled and as she increased its heat with her infectious plasma, he bound it to his will. After a moment, it became a contest of their willpower. Krane bent the hot air made by the plasma and Zarina maintained the plasma itself. Krane kept it trapped inside his suffocating sphere while both of them were trapped in the dry heat around them. Aside from the sphere before his reddened fingers, the entire air was still around them.

Krane lifted his chin as his eyes fell on Zarina. He trapped the plasma she bled into his air, but the fact was, it was still present. "I can redirect lightning... and I can trap your green flame. But, I still have one technique I am absolutely sure you are not prepared for," Krane said with a sadistic smirk. Krane released his sphere all at once, and like a game of tug and pull, he had full intention on the sudden change to throw off Zarina. Krane grabbed his sword with his now freed hand and used the other to grab at Zarina, pulling her to him from her shirt. His entire tactic was to surprise her, and he refused to fall short. Pulling her close to him, he did not stab her. He kissed her. The hottest part of the air between them was their lips, and Krane used this moment to align his sword under her ribs in the direction of her heart. There, despite his minor burns, he held her still. Krane didn't need his bending.
 
It wasn't the sphere that surprised her. She could still feel her plasma, and could influence the hot air enough to where she barely felt it. She was long used to her own plasma's heat, as it matched the heat of her own passion and inner self. Spirits, not even the unsheathing of the sword surprised her. A weapon was a logical fall back and it also meant that both of his hands were now occupied.

No, it was the damned kiss. A kiss out if nowhere, smack dab on the lips. Her eyes widened moreso at the utter heat of her cheeks rather than at the sword point. Then...righteous indignation fell into her eyes.

This...this asshole just stole her first kiss during a spar as a plot! She couldn't help it...injury, bloodied cut, sliced shirt, and exhaustion be damned.

She decked him right in the face with her free, unguarded, leather reinforced fist.
 
Krane had no intention to end her. If he had wanted to, he had plenty of opportunities throughout the fight. Impaling her torso was a possibility at this point, but then he could have blasted her with her own confined plasma using the same compressed air technique used to shatter the face of that boulder. Krane was actually withholding his most destructive techniques. The entire point of this sparring match was to test Zarina, to learn what she could do, and now Krane did. So, he took her fist. He felt it hit his jaw, and he moved with it, literally flipping through the air to disengage himself from the situation and lessen the impact. Sure, she decked him, but he didn't take the full force of it. More importantly, he put distance between the two of them. When he landed on his feet, he faced her and sheathed his sword.

"Azula did that to me once," Krane said. "She said, 'in combat, your enemy will try anything to take you by surprise. Now neither of us have to ever worry about that.' She was right. If I wanted to plunge a dagger in your back, you wouldn't have even considered reacting until it was too late," he explained. Krane smiled at her, even chuckling a little at just how flustered she got because of this. "You're gonna have to learn to fight dirty, Zarina, because the only way beat someone who does is to be more creative. Anything can be a weapon. Anything can be a technique used to kill. Including a kiss. That does remind me... what do you call your bending?"
 
What restraints Tenten used were no longer necessary. All was removed from the prisoner, then she turned to the path they were meant to take. The relief she felt was indescribable. They could finally put this madness behind them and get back to civilization. Her group certainly earned it. After all they'd gone through, she would see to it they had a comfortable stay.

Makki's eagerness to leave made her chuckle. She couldn't agree more, though. There was no reason to keep standing around. It would benefit their safety, too. Those bandits could show up at any time and ruin their day. Somewhere along the way, Lee found her way back to her owner. Tenten huffed as the amphibious, yet fuzzy critter made a leap into her thick hair, seeking rest in the side of her neck. "Lee, can't you see that I'm running for my life!?" the grouchy woman snapped quietly.

Purposely, she moved slower so she could bring up the rear of the group. It was habit. She wanted to be ready for any surprises. "Is everyone doing okay?" she then felt the need to ask, the concern quite clear in her voice. She remembered Makki had been hurt, not to mention there was some drama earlier. There wasn't time for the mother hen to worry properly, until now.
 
Back and forth the firebender and airbender went. Tanvi's eyes never left the match, save for when Fei jumped on her head, joining in to watch the display. A few times, Tanvi winced when someone was hit. If she didn't know any better, the two were going for blood. But, she knew that was just how Krane sparred. If they were to get better they would have to actually fight as if their lives were at stake. As challenging as things were, it looked like Zarina had the upper hand at times. The new style of bending she was doing looked hard to come across. It was something different, and it was something Tanvi would have to learn in order to survive. The last thing she needed was coming in contact with someone able to use that same bending and she wasn't prepared. "They're good." For once her attention turned over to her sparring partner next to her. She remembered that Tao had sparred- well, fought Zarina as well meaning Tanvi was the only one who hadn't as of yet. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think those two were trying to kill each other."

The chi blocker shook her head and sighed. She was about to mention something else, however everything stopped rather dramatically in the fight. The flames, the gusts of winds, all ceased and in its place was Krane kissing Zarina. Tanvi blinked and a moment after, she had leaned back in laughter. "What a fight! I knew those two had some tension going on." When she leaned back, Fei had slipped off her. Zarina was flustered and Tanvi made matters worse by whistling. "Very nice display. Very nice." Despite the 'surprise attack' purpose, it was still humorous to see Zarina so flustered and confused. It would be even more funny the day she enacted her revenge on his little tactic.

She stretched and stood on her makeshift chair before giving a look curious look as well. She too wanted to know the name of the technique. "I've lived amongst many firebenders and I've seen none of them do something like that." Tanvi also wondered if her and Tao's spar was next, or if Zarina planned on continuing the spar out of anger...or embarrassment.
 
"You...You jerk!" She thanked the spirits for her darker skin complexion, but she was sure the blush was still visible. "That was my first kiss!" Her blush darkened at Tanvi's whistle. "You're not helping!!" She ran her fingers through her hair in embarrassment and frustration.

"My first kiss came in a damn fight. Are ALL of my firsts gonna happen during a fight?!" She headed towards Tao and Tanvi then sat down in the dirt. "Nope, I don't kiss and tell." She pointed at Krane with an annoyed expression. "And stop comparing me to Azula. I'm not her, I don't wanna be her, and I care little about what she said, did, or screwed. You took my first kiss, I'll be collecting reparations for that later."

She huffed and put her chin in her hand. She didn't feel nearly as exhausted, but that was probably the irritation. She listened to Tanvi then hummed, "Well, out of all of the firebenders I've fought, soldiers or otherwise, as well as the masters that I've learned from, there is no documentation for my ability. Whether it's unique or not, I'm not sure, but it's a low chance you'll face another firebender that can do what I do." She stared at her hand then curled her fingers. Bright red plasma rose from her palm to cover her hand. She then put her hand on the cut and winced as she manipulated the substance carefully. When she removed her hand, the small cut was healed, though there was some early signs of a scar.

"As you could see, Tanvi, it is difficult to adjust to my style. We can talk about it later, just in case." She offered with a smile. "It's a great style against almost every element, but obviously a little weaker against air. I'll beat firebenders all day long, as well as waterbenders and airbenders as long as I am aiming to kill or distract. Green fire is not meant for mercy...neither is the Red Fire. But the Red Fire, if controlled correctly, can be used for healing. Some good can come of it...but I have to be very careful. The Red Fire is much more dangerous than the Green Fire. It moves differently, but it's touch harms from within..."
 
There was no telling who had the upper hand. It was a close match, and by far one of the most intense fights Tao had ever seen. Having fought Zarina before hand, she couldn't help but feel a little special considering she had been the first of her team to face the fire bender. While they didn't get to far into their fight, Tao had been able to get a good look at Zarina's fighting style -- however the blue fire was definitely a surprise. As Krane maneuvered around Zarina, and the vortex whipped around her, Tao raised a hand to shield her eyes from the flurry of dirt being picked up by the wind. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think those two were trying to kill each other."

Shrugging, Tao laughed as she watched her teammates continue their assault, "What's a good match without a little blood?"

She was obviously joking, but with Krane and Zarina going at it with all their might she wouldn't have been surprised if someone ended up with a nice scar at the end of the round. It wasn't long before the sparring match came to an end, and rather abruptly. The dramatic silence that followed the battle made it all the more comical as Zarina and Krane were left standing in the center kissing. Snorting loudly, Tao grinned as a final punch was delivered to Krane's jaw. Following Tanvi's laughter as the other two walked towards the sidelines, Tao crossed her arms and chuckled, "Nice trick, Krane. I think I'll have to give that a try sometime."

With tension settled and anticipation coursing through her veins, Tao slowly made her way to the center of the field as everyone else spoke. After sitting around and watching Zarina and Krane go at it, the earth benders nerves were on edge and she was more then ready to get in on the action. Thinking back to the kiss and what Krane said about fighting dirty, Tao knew he was right. She was going to have to ditch any traditional styles from now on and start fighting dirty.

"So," She finally said once Zarina and Tanvi were finished talking, "I guess it's our turn now, right?" Rolling her shoulders, and stretching her legs in quick lunges, the earth bender loosened up her muscles as she readied herself to spar. "Don't worry, Tanvi," She said, throwing a wink at the other girl, "I promise not to kiss you during our match."
 
The night where Duhne had been taken over by a spirit had left her in unease, the time it took them to reach their destination had been done in stiff silence and orders. It was quite sad to see the energetic and lively Suna reduced to silence. She couldn't find the words to lighten the mood as it hung over them. Rae-Lee kept to herself mostly as she didn't exactly trust Duhne and Naomi didn't really like her anyways. The one she was most comfortable with was dealing with something she couldn't help with. Leaving the white haired Air-Bender to amuse herself in other ways besides joking with Suna.

Looking up to find Duhne amiss and looking to Suna as he said nothing made her wonder when this dreadful silence would end. Her question was answered by both Suna and Duhne as the peace keepers banter was heard. Hearing that the man they were searching for was near she gladly perked up and looked around more attentively to see who was around. "You see him? Really?" Rae-Lee asked, much like an excited child.
 
Tanvi took note of what Zarina informed them of. It wasn't much, but it was still interesting enough. She was right however, despite following her movements during the spar, she couldn't quite pinpoint a style. "It's something to talk about later, most definitely." Tanvi stretched her arms over her head and stepped off the makeshift seat. Her eyes went to Tao and she gave a nod, before scoffing at her remark. "Thank heavens I dodged that bullet." Tanvi retorted and chuckled. As Krane and Zarina sat down, the two stood on the now charred and cut land. "Wait, hold on." Tanvi's hand went up as Tao got ready. She shook her shirt and Fei tumbled out. "Go on." Fei yawned but scurried over to the other two sitting down.

With a nod, she rocked on her toes ever so slightly, ready for Tao's attack. She gave no stance and she made no sound. Tanvi didn't plan to wait for Tao's preparation or okay to go to attack. In Tanvi's defense, she had a pet to get rid of before starting. There would never be a moment the enemy would tell them they were ready to attack. So, Tanvi leapt forward. She was rather quick, keeping light on her toes just in case Tao decided to try and still her. It only took seconds for her to get close to Tao in order to attack. However instead of facing the earthbender head on, Tanvi dipped and weaved to the side right as she was about to attack, changing motions rather fluidly. Hopefully, with how fast she managed to move, she was able to hit Tao's arm and numb it. Luckily, she knew how to undo the chi blocking. Whether the hit made contact or not, Tanvi was still ready to dodge and maneuver behind Tao, much like a typical airbender's defensive fighting style.

She hadn't actually planned to attack Tao. In fact, Tanvi was almost positive she could get away with simply letting Tao tire herself out. Despite that being the plan, she knew that could change depending on just how Tao fought back.
 
In the days that had passed since everything that had happened, Naomi had chosen silence in order to meditate over what had been experienced. This was not uncommon for the young water bender as silence and meditation appeared to be something she used in order to quell the anger which bore deep into her mortal core, however her recent silence was more due to the understanding that everyone might have needed space after everything that'd happened. She walked beside the carriage alone for the time being, occasionally pulling water from the air in order to keep her mind focused on something, though whether it was to manage boredom or for other deeper reasons only she would truly know. At the sounds of hearing Suna speak of the person they were looking for she looked over, exhaling a small breath as she gave a soft smile. 'Finally' she thought to herself before she'd walk around to the front of the carriage in hopes of sighting it for herself.
 
There he was. Standing before the group, which hardly felt like a group in their time apart, was Duhne. Or, to be more specific, leaning against a large boulder. It was a bit unnatural, but a lot of stones were. The debris of Taku were scattered all throughout this path, including tons of stones thrown in the midst of battle by fervent earthbenders. Duhne stood there smirking as the entire group seemed almost overjoyed to see him again. He wasn't sure if they would. What he became last time... or who he became... he wasn't sure. He was never sure if the spirits completely took him over or if they merely unlocked his inner self. It always felt like they only did what he wanted to, but could never bring himself to do. Yet, at the same time, they did things that he would never. In their days apart, he was riddled to the core with questions that he truly didn't have the answers to. But now? This moment. This moment had none of those questions. This moment was an answer.

"Suna, now that's not how we do it!" Duhne replied to him when he punched his shoulder. Duhne grabbed Suna's forearm and pulled him in, embracing the man he nearly killed a few days earlier. There was a difference now. Not just in the two, of course. They both shared the markings of the Canyon Spirit, but it was more than they. They had both shared the same visions. Suna was given a glimpse of a world that before this only Duhne had seen. Well, Duhne and a few others. But, Duhne never got a chance to discuss it with the others. Much like Suna was then, they were all shaken to their core, and nearly dead of hunger and exhaustion. Duhne quickly gave up the embrace, however, to turn to Lilly and Naomi. "Really, really, ladies, I'm back," he told them, although he didn't leave Suna specifically. "You'd never get into New Taku without me, anyway," he added. This much would be true. New Taku wasn't like the Underground City. New Taku was a secret city led by Ukoda, a militant head. Only his best were sent there to help build it and keep it a secret surrounded by sometimes fickle colonists and spies from the ones loyal to the Phoenix Kingdom. Getting in and out was more difficult, even if less tedious, than navigating the underground tunnels of the Underground City.
 
This was going to be one hell of a sparring match. From what little Tao knew of Tanvi after spending such a short while with her and the rest of the group, the chi-blocker was skilled in a number of bending styles--which only made her own fighting style as unpredictable and dangerous. The key to winning this fighting would be distance, however. It almost felt as if she were going into this blind, but then again, they were all going in blind. This wasn't a regular spar, this was a test to see if she was ready for anything, and she knew that.

From here on out she was to expect the unexpected, and this match was no different. However, as a close range fighter, if Tao wanted to come out of this on top she'd need to stay out of Tanvi's reach and avoid getting hit. That was obvious, though. Every bender understood the danger a chi-blocker posed, but with little knowledge of her fighting style Tao was going to have to keep a careful eye on her. Watching the little fire ferret scamper away after he was dropped out of Tanvi's clothes, Tao forgot her own advice and found herself momentarily distracted by the it's adorable creature and before she could consider any other plans Tanvi rushed forward. "Shit!--"

Evading Tanvi's strike with a quick step back, the earth bender didn't waste another second to counter. Digging the heel of her right foot into ground, her knees bent and the dirt shifted beneath her as a slanted brick shoved out of the ground. The force threw Tao to the left as she attempted to gain some distance between her and the chi-blocker.

Fighting Tanvi close range was not her ideal situation, so thanks to the throw, a ten foot gap between the was made. Left leg extended, Tao skidded back as she landed. Picking up a small dust cloud as she finally came to a halt. Deep breath in and out, her muscles flexed and her legs tensed and she rushed forward. With three strong steps, her body hopped in the air and stomped, feet digging into the ground as she pulled her fists high. A wave of earth rolled quickly towards Tanvi, raising the terrain as it threatened to rush over her.
 
She had managed to move right behind Tao and just as she could have ended the match rather quickly, the earthbender flung herself a good distance away. "Huh." Was the only sound Tanvi made as she faced her opponent once more. She had no idea what the earthbender planned to do, but once agains she rocked gently, prepared to rush forward again. That plan was decimated when she was staring face to face with a literal wave of earth. Well, at least Tao was creative. However, a simple wave wasn't going to stop Tanvi. She took a running start and with a few helpful climbs, she was over the wave before it could roll over her. "That would have hurt." Her comment was spoken aloud, but she didn't direct it towards anyone. Most of the time, attacks of that size normally had simultaneous ones to follow, but with the gap in attacks it gave Tanvi enough time to rush forward again.

Fooling her opponents was always the simplest thing to do, especially when many didn't know the skills she had. It may have been a little less simple considering Tao already knew she was a chi blocker. She was going to have to evaluate her attack strategies eventually. Tanvi was positive that continuously running towards Tao would get rather obvious and albeit, very boring. Tanvi's fluid movement, in an effort to dodge Tao's attacks, suddenly changed into a more aggressive attack. Instead of using her chi blocking, she lifted her leg, sending a swift, whirling kick into Tao's side. One of her many throwing knives slid from her loose sleeve, and she tossed it at Tao. Of course, instead of stabbing her, it simply pinned part of her clothing to the ground. "I'm perfectly fine with calling it an end now. Saves plenty of time." She teased lightly, only to give Tao the easiest opportunity to strike at her by simply...waiting. It was a bold move, but what more could one expect from such an unpredictable fighter?
 
As the tidal wave of earth rushed at Tanvi's position, Tao kept her form and waited for the chi-blocker to dodge her attack. She knew the other girl was too quick to be taken out so easily, and her thoughts were affirmed once Tanvi scaled the wave and avoided her attack. Raising her leg to make a following move, a soft grunt slipped from her lips as her leg was pulled back to the ground. Thrown off balance, Tao staggered to the right before fixing her stance and glaring at the knife pinning her clothes. "Hey," She shouted, "These were new pants!" Done with playing defense and ready to show off some skill, a steady breath ran through the earth benders chest as her core churned with energy and confidence.

Grunting in annoyance, the knife tore through the fabric of her pants as she tugged her leg forward and kicked the heel of her foot into the ground. Arms raising before her face, a dense column of earth protruded from the ground as she began her attack. Pinching her thumb, index, and middle finger together on her left hand, the rest of her fingers curled into a beaked fist as she concentrated her chi into her arms and hands. Calves flexing as she held a solid stance, her left arm curled into her chest before quickly striking. Knocking the tip of the column with the back of her hand, a solid chunk was sent hurling towards Tanvi's positions once her knuckles made contact.

Not wasting a second and leaving an opening like she had last time, her combo continued seamlessly. Twisting her palm in as her arm swept to the side, Tao swung her arm at the rock as the back of hand hit the column with another blow from her knuckles. Curving in from the right, as the first stone came in from the left, the earth bender raised her leg and kicked the half-sized column forward towards Tanvi. Panting softly as she hopped a few steps back from her kick, a playful smirk spread across her face, 'Try dodging that.' Truthfully, Tao was having more fun with the match more then she should have. She understood this exercise wasn't for shits and giggles, and she could almost feel Kranes critical gaze watching her, but with the lack of actual danger Tao couldn't help but enjoy herself.
 
"Trust me deary, you should be happy it was just your pants." Tanvi teased and watched as Tao prepared herself again. There were a few openings that she spotted, but Tanvi waited, more so because she was curious of what Tao could really do. Her eyes flicked over to the knife on the ground, her brain processing just how she planned to retrieve it back because it was never good to waste a knife. Tanvi's eyes followed the firm stance Tao created, mentally mimicking it to store into her memory. Soon after, there was a large rock headed in her direction. It would be easy to dodge the first. All she had to do was duck under it. Another assessment, and she counted three rocks now hurdling towards her. Two on either side and one coming straight for her. "Ah, someone's gotten a little dangerous I see." Tanvi stepped one foot backwards and gave a playful pout. "Not very fair you know. Non bender against earth bender? Not fair at all."

Though as she spoke, Tanvi flipped backwards as the rocks collided. It was way too dangerous trying to go through the rocks, or to maneuver through them. The distance lost would have to be recovered. Fortunately for her, it caused a large dust cloud which she planned to take full advantage of. Silent on her feet, she ran through the cloud, pinpointing the figure on the other side. She knew that an attack like that could have and probably would have killed her, but she also knew that this was just a simple spar. It didn't mean she couldn't take the time to prove herself to her new comrades. To do that, she had to be able to dodge attacks like that.

Tanvi picked up the lone knife that was still snug in the ground, never slowing down her run. Only when she neared the edge of the dust cloud did Tanvi slide and use the back of the knife to poke at a pressure point in both her legs. "You've got to be faster than that." Tanvi hopped up again, taking another easy poke at her arms. "Could've gotten your arms too." She hopped back and shrugged. "Rule of thumb, if you're going to be offensive, don't give your opponent the slightest bit of chance. Buuut, what would I know, I just performed in a circus." As if to prove a point, Tanvi cartwheeled onto her hands and walked around. It could have been considered a taunt, as if she was saying the spar was over.
 
The City of New Taku was a cyst in the blanket of evergreen that stretched out into the distance. It was a site of freedom, as the city before it, the old ruined Taku north of Gaipan, once bustled with lives and destinies now held none at all. New Taku was its redemption. The city of New Taku itself attempted to hide itself from the world, reluctantly perhaps, to be seen by Suna and his crew. However, the outpost of the Rising was still connected to the earth, giving both Suna and Dhune its position. There they were, two miles from the hidden metropolis, with only hours to spare. The sky was flustered with a mishmash of light oranges, whilst the blues began to fade - the day had waned, and time was of the essence. After his mentor had given the Sandbender a brotherly embrace and turned towards the ladies, Suna took a few steps to the fore. He was still on the large boulder, but he was now concerned with the time. His job as a contraband dealer and information broker was still very serious in spite of his impetuous personality. It was much more serious due to the traumatic albeit meaningful happenings that had transpired. A few days past, and the Sandbender concluded that the informant must've gone his or her way by now. Still, Suna wanted to be sure. He had never gone to that part of the Rising's map and was excited to see what joys awaited him - perhaps some cactus juice, or some Si Wong treats to remind him of home.

While Dhune talked to their female companions, Suna slid down the boulder and readied the Dragon Moose and pulling out the creased map from within his pockets. After checking it a few times and nodding his head, he concluded that they were in the right path. "Alright, so I've heard a lot about this place from S.B.," Suna spoke with leadership in his tone, in spite of his very casual way of speaking. He called simply referred to Smellerbee as S.B., as they were close friends in the village within the trees. "The big man, Ukoda, heads the place. It's also the–" Suna flips the map, reading a couple of scribbled notes on the back. "–trading and shipping capital of the Rising." He stopped briefly, motioning his hand towards the boulder and waving his hands to invite Dhune to their short briefing and meeting. "Smellerbee told me that getting in and out would be a problem even for members of the Rising, mainly due to the fact that it's a super-secret place headed by Ukoda himself, so get ready for some heavily systematised stuff. Rae Lee, keep all our weapons in one caravan and unload them all since we'll be showing what we've got. Dhune, I assume you have some proof that we're Rising?" He asked.
 
Suna had definitely embraced his role in the few days Duhne was gone. Maybe the spirits had more of a profound effect on him than Duhne had anticipated. Or, maybe, the harsh reality of the situation had finally settled in. Regardless, Duhne was impressed. Suna had even the forethought to consider a few sentences only briefly mentioned by Smellerbee. Suna was right, though, in that security around New Taku was strict. What he failed to consider is that it would likely be even worse now that they had been significantly derailed and thus late from there original deadline. Duhne smirked at the inquiry of proof, though. He broke from his moment of relief and admiration for the development in Suna to reply. With a quick stomp of his foot, Duhne forced an Earth golem to launch itself from the ground and take form. "Suna, I'm the only man in the world that can bend an earth golem. I'm living proof of who we are," Duhne answered him. It was oddly true. There wasn't another bender alive that could create earth golems, not like Duhne. Even if Suna practiced and practiced, he might be able to make an image of one, but he could not recreate the lifelike movements that Duhne created without even moving his body.

After a second, the earth golem folded in on itself to become another lackluster boulder. It was essentially how Duhne dismissed the golems. After Duhne dismissed his golem, he added, "the actual issue is that we are late. New Taku doesn't have the privilege of being secluded underground. I can almost assure you that they know we're here right now. Their scouts are a lot better than the Police Force. They hide in trees, above the ground and camouflaged so well that trained eyes can't see them, my seismic sense can't feel them and even airbenders can't sense the disturbances in the breeze. Last I was here, their Lieutenants were telling me that they train nonbenders as scouts. There is no reason to have a bender be a scout, and by eliminating their reliance on bending, they become better soldiers." Duhne then looked off, realizing he went on a short tangent about New Taku. With a quick sigh and a moment to recollect himself, he stated, "put simply, they're unlike anyone you've met yet."

As for the notion of getting Rae-Lee to move their wares, Duhne just nodded her on. It wouldn't matter. Once they passed through the checkpoint, they've forced to give up their caravans and have them searched—regardless of who they were. Still, it served no purpose in correcting Suna. Duhne felt it best to at least support some of his decisions. "Either way, we have to meet up with our informant, then you can explore New Taku... if they let you," Duhne told them. At this point, Duhne was reluctant as he was fairly sure he and Suna would be remanded for their tardiness. Like he said to them, New Taku was unlike anything they had ever seen. It was militaristic, not just secretive. Most importantly, it was ran by Ukoda. Ukoda was far different than his younger brother and an entirely different person from Jet. Under different circumstances, Jet and Ukoda might have been at odds. It was a common enemy that brought them together as allies.
 
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