Avatar Rose: Dusk

Ch.66: Nathan

It's been 5 days since we left the house. With three waterbenders, an earthbender, an airbendender, a battle-hammer wielder and an Avatar, we have a pretty strong party. Should any bounty hunters attack us we would suffer only minor injuries. And that is crucial. That was the last long break our group takes, and I'll see to that. We have a world to save. I'm not letting laziness prevent us from doing so.

Evan's been out gathering intelligence from bars and stuff. Although he drinks his heart out and gives us hell to pay, it's been worth it. We've learned that the Fire Nation is preventing anyone from coming or going into the their country. They've set up this big barricade, and don't even let citizens through.

Liesel thinks this is because their getting ploughed by disease. "It's the only logical explanation," she says, "they got contaminated and don't want to wipe out the entire world."

Evan speaks up, putting his hand awkwardly on Liesel's shoulder. "Liesel," he says, "I'm afraid to break it to you, but even if they got contaminated, the Fire Nation would want to take the rest of the world down with it. The Fire Lord is merciless. He's evil incarnated," he says with a puff on his cigarette. "No offense to Rose."

"None taken," Rose replies, "I can agree with you on that," she finishes with a smirk.

"Gwen, Xander, Rowan, any thoughts on why the Fire Nation's been closing their borders?"

Gwen speaks up a couple of seconds later. "Internal conflict."

Rowan immediately nods. "Exactly what I was thinking."

She continues, "Maybe some of the generals are revolting. It would cause an uproar." She pauses. "The most ideal situation is that the Fire Lord's been assassinated or somehow died. Fire would want to cover that up, but-" she shakes her head, "wishful thinking is all it is."

Rose puts another log in the center of the earth-tipi and gives it a fire punch. The tipi swarns with warmth.

Evan fans out his shirt. "Rose, stop I'm sweating," he says.

From the opposite side of the tipi, Gwen grabs water from her satchel and tosses it over to Evan. As it streams from her hand to his lap, it freezes into a little cube. "Use this," she offers.

"Sure. Thanks."

Xander has fallen asleep on Liesel's shoulder, and he snores very quietly, some walki-takis that he's been working on clutched fast into his hand. Evan crushes the cigarette under his heel. Rose leans back against the tipi, the flyaways from her side braid magnetized to the tipi. For a minute, all is very quiet and peaceful.

Wait a second...

Gwendolyn's on top of things. She makes a quick hand sign to the group. It seems she noticed it too. The waterfield we set up has stopped trickling.

We're under attack.

Rowan cracks the tipi down the middle, and we all jump out, our backs to each other. The smashed tipi sits under our feet, being caressed by Rose's Fire. The night is cold and dark, but the full moon shines down like a pearl, illuminating the faces of our enemies.

Theres 8 of them standing in a circle around us. I hear Evan take a sharp intake of breath. "Mirai? What-what are you..."

"Mirai is gone. My name is Crimson Shower now, Puppet Killer," a woman with long black hair stated, locking eyes with my brother. "Or are you not the Puppet Killer anymore, Evan?"

My brother chuckles half-heartedly. "Shower? That's pathetic, then again your hair is as greasy as always. You should really think about taking one, a shower that is."

"Puppet Killer, you know how I fight. I suppose I'll take a shower in your blood today, if you insist, tha-"

A bang erupts from my brother's hand.

The bounty hunters swarm in on us.