Spirited Nights (Open)

[Kenji]

October 13th
8pm

It was by no means his finest plan,hell it wasn't even close. it was quick , it was dirty and there was more than a small chance that he may not come out of this still breathing free air.

But that was the risks he took hen he took this job about a month. It had started out simple, a neighborhood being shook down with nowhere to turn. They had come to him as a last resort, because the police where to busy still cleaning up after some big spirit debacle and helping out a neighborhood was the last thing on their list. Kenji had tried to steer clear of this job, because it smelled rotten from the get go. However the second time they came to him, they had scraped together a nice chunk of yuans, probably their life savings based on the way they were treating it. So Kenji took their money and the case.

....he was still wishing he hadn't.

Turns out the people shaking down this neighborhood were the Triple Threat Triad. While they didn't have quite the power that they did back in the days before Amon, they were still a force to be reckoned with. Now while he didn't exactly respect the Triple Threats (to be honest he didn't respect any of the triads) he was aware that tangling with an organization like that was hazardous for his health. So instead he focused on the trio that was running the neighborhood shakedown, trailing them and their various habits.

Siku: Waterbender and the face of the operation.He was the one that showed up in the local shops,all slick suits and fake smiles coercing those in the neighborhood that hadn’t hadn’t given in to join up for their own protections.
Ratna: The resident earthbender and muscle of the crew, when folks didn’t pay up, it was his earthbending that busted up their stores and smashed their store front either with his bare hands or with some very sizable boulders.
Akai: The collector, he made is rounds each day and collected the “donations” from the locals and he had more than enough “firepower” to deal with anyone that tried to put up a fight when he made his rounds,rumor had it he had even put a couple of people in the hospital with some rather serious burns when they refused.

While they weren't the smartest or even the strongest crew out there, they had vision and ambition, which was a dangerous combination. Kenji could read behind the lines. This neighborhood is where a lot of new families got displaced to after the spirit vines swallowed up other neighborhoods. If they kept their hold on the neighborhood, soon the kids were going to figure that the only way to get ahead was to join the gang, and these three could make a nice little army out of the future teen soldiers they could get in the gang.

For the past several days Kenji had been slowly skimming off their take, a few brush passes and pick pocketing bumps here and there. It was enough to get them suspicious but not enough to get him noticed. However it had all been leading up to tonight, as he watched the building that was their hideout from a nearby perch as he was in full gear. The modified metal suit underneath dark clothes and a black longcoat. Taking a deep breath, the then exhaled and slid his mask over his face,

Time to go to work.

He came in through the skylight that was shockingly easy to pry open and then lowered himself down on a metal line his feet lightly hitting the ground. Once on the ground and secured he got moving. Some time and a pathetically easy to crack safe later he was in the lower sections of the building in a three car garage that house the Trio's Satomobiles and closing the trunk down, getting in the car. He had just got in when suddenly there was click and he was bathed in light.

"Well ,well what do we have here?" Kenji turned around and saw Siku walking down the stairs form the floor above. He then saw the doors below open as the other two joined him slowly closing in around him.'

"So your this Ghost, we've heard about? You know they say you can walk through walls, walk on ceilings, that you leave no finger prints or boot marks. The triad members I've heard talk about you make it as if your some sort of spirit out to balance out our wicked deeds." Siku laughed at that " what a bunch of superstitious nonsense. i suspect your just as human as the rest of us just with an extra set of brass ones for trying to rob us while we're all here."

There was a flash of light as Akaj suddenly had a flame in his hand as Siku continued " Tell you what? You, you got moxy, so give us back our money and we'll only give you a minor beating and some burns, should heal by the winter solstice. I think that's being more than generous what do you say?"

There was silence for a bit before Kenji tilted his head " I say probably shouldn't have let me get in the car before you made the big threatening speech." With that he flicked his hand revving up the engine with the key he had formed from a coin as he then trust his hand out and the metal garage door flew off the hinges, as he took the wheel ducking his head to dodge the bolts of flame that shot at him as he peeled out of the garage and down the alley, before he came roaring out into the streets in the bright red Saitomobile. The tires squealed as he made the turn and shot down the street.

Cruising down the street occasionally swerving past other vehicles as he kept a brisk pace. It was then that he saw a flash in the rearview mirror and just barely managed to once again swerve as a bolt of lightening shot past him. He turned around and saw the three gangsters following him in another Saitomobile, this one cool blue. He saw the firebender that shot the bolt of lightening in the back as Akaj then threw his arms back and jets of flame shot out trailing behind as the vehicle suddenly picked up speed.

"Oh that's not good for me...." Kenji muttered as his foot smashed the pedal picking up even more speed to try evade.He didn't have too much farther to go. However his thoughts were derailed as he saw Siku gesture from the passenger seat and suddenly a jet of water shot past him, freezing over the intersection that was coming up ahead, cutting off his planned route.

"Also not good for me." he said as as he cut the wheel hard and felt the car lift on its side for a moment as he took the turn on two wheels before they hit pavement again. However there was no time to slow down they were still on his trail, and with his route cut off....well now he would have to improvise.

The traffic picked up now that they were starting to get into the heart of downtown and he continued to evade and weave in the traffic just fine, until he took another turn and soon found he was speeding right towards a crowd of people. He honked the horn but it was too late for them to get out the way. So he hit the break and cut the wheel as he felt the car sliding and skidding until it came to a halt, merely inches from the crowd as Kenji exhaled.He looked around and saw the cause for the crowd as it looked like the theater was premiering a new mover tonight. Though by the fact that the crowd now had their eyes on the car and the masked figure that was him,it was safe to say he had inadvertently become the new attraction.

However he didn't have much time to dwell on that has he saw the lights and heard to other car approaching. He groaned a little and got out of the car as he cracked his knuckles as he stepped into the streets and walked towards the car as it slowed and from it emerged the three triad members ready for a rumble. Kenji stood firm, waiting as the three began to approach as he got into a fighting stance.

..it was going to be a long night.

[Zuka]

Movers were a wonderful invention; it was amazing to see stories acted out on a large screen and for it to reach so many people. Zuka had always been a fan of plays, she loved sitting and watching the actors on stage and whenever her family made the trip to Ember Island they always went to see the Ember Island Players. They were not the best theater troupe ..not by far but they were a Fire Nation tradition and we all know how Feena was when it came to tradition. From the young age Zuka learned to appreciate the theater and that appreciation continued with her into adulthood. Only, now plays and other productions were hard to come by and they would run the same tired old tale over and over again. But, with movers she could see a different story every week and that was ok by her.

Zuka had become a regular at the theater, whenever she would get a free moment she would go see the latest mover and be lost for a bit and she enjoyed them all. Yes, even the political ones that had come out with the Avatars friend playing some Water Tribe hero back during the height of the civil war. Comedy, action, romance…especially the romance movers. Zuka was such a sucker for the romantic tales (she may have seen a few of them more than once..) She had spent so much time at the theater that she had started to grow a reputation there with its workers and owner.

Back when he was not a wanted war criminal Zuka had known Varrick, he would frequent the Blue Dragon and lay some hefty bets in the casino underneath. He may be eccentric and odd but his pockets were deep and he was a loyal high roller. The two eventually formed a working relationship, she would provide him with whatever request he asked for while he was spending his money at her tables and he would in turn provide her with tickets to the mover premiers and box seats for the mover itself. It worked out well and even after he had gone to (and escaped from) prison the passes kept coming.

Now a day’s Zuka found herself too busy to attend every premier and usually she would pass the tickets off to Lina or Rei or one of the other girls in her gang but every once in awhile a good mover would come up and she would take a night off to enjoy it.

This was one such night.

A rendition of "Love amongst the Dragons" was playing and Zuka was not going to pass up the chance to see one of her favorite stories on a silver screen. When it began getting close to the premier time Zuka got herself ready at her home. Dressing for the occasion in a long blue dress and other other silver and blue accents, braiding all of her hair and pinning it around her head and topping the look off with a lighter blue shawl. Once 7 rolled around Zuka left her apartment where her small entourage of her Rei and Lina were waiting and loaded herself into the back of her satomobile and took off for downtown.

As soon as she arrived it was a whirlwind of lights and cameras as the other who's who's of the rich and powerful made their way into Varri Theater. The three girls made their way into the theater and mingled with the other premier goers for the night. Politicians, former council members, pro bending athletes all kinds of movers and shakers. The Dolls quickly found themselves chatting with aquaitneces and enjoying a few cocktails in the lounge before the mover started. Time seemed to fly by and before she knew it it was already a little after 8. The mover was set to start at 9 and some people were starting to make their way into the seating area.

By now Zuka had lost her friends, they had all scattered around the room talking to various people. Zuka herself was caught up in conversation with a visiting Earth Kingdom nobleman when she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard Rei whisper into her ear

"There is commotion going on outside"

Zuka excused herself from the earth noble and passed off her drink to Rei while she went to go see just what kind of trouble was being had. This was not her area and so she had no oblijation to protect the theater or to stop any kind of Triad business but...that didn't mean she wasn't curious. The leader exited the theater and made her way back toward the street where a crowd had gathered, Zuka had just stepped outside in time to hear tires sequel to a stop and she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Wanting to see what the commotion was all about.

What she saw thou gave her a bit of a shock.

She had heard the rumors about the Republic City Ghost and up until now that was all she thought it was: Rumors. He was said to be able to walk through walls and get into even the highest of security safes. The Ghost caused quite a bit of trouble for many people and it seemed that he had gotten himself into a bit of a pinch tonight. Another satomoblie pulled up and three men exited and Zuka recognized them to be part of the Triple Threats. A bit of a pinch indeed but...that didn't seem to stop The Ghost, he didn't look like he was running but instead looked ready to fight.

Interesting.

This man had never been seen before out in public like this and now here he was about to give a show to all the people in front of the theater. Zuka moved herself to the front of the semi circle that had formed around the men now, creating a makeshift fighting ring and she stood there and crossed her arms while she waited to watch the show. Boy was she glad she came tonight because she was certain that this right here would blow any mover out of the water...even a mover like "Love amongst the Dragons"

[Kenji]

As the crowd gathered outside and the Triads came out of their, Kenji kept up his guard as the three spread out. He took a few steps backward not letting any of them take up a position behind him. There was a brief pause as they all stood there, none of them making a move, the calm before the storm.

Kenji  smirked underneath his mask and said " So are we just going to stand here all night or," he never got to finish his sentence as suddenly as Akai stepped in fro the center and launched jets of flame at him and he had to move quick to avoid them taking wide steps back and occasionally ducking down to avoid the flames from striking his head. However as he came up from another dodge, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, he turned and saw Ratna raising up a peice of the street and with a quick punch forward sent it sailing at him, he tried to move ,when he found his foot stuck. He looked down and saw that it was  held there by a chuck of ice, and looked to his left and saw Siku smiling the water rising from his hip flask.

Kenji softly cursed "Oh you cheating sons of..." once again he was unable to finish a sentence as the street-boulder hit him square in the chest sending him reeling backward and slamming into the Saitomobile. Kenji groaned, as they pressed froward toward him luckily the armor hidden underneath his clothes had prevented that rock from breaking some bones, but it still knocked the wind out of him.

C'mon get your head in the game, he thought to himself, did really think they were going to attack you one at a time? The trio closed in on him as he continued to think, You want to live to see how this plan of yours ends your going to need to start getting creative or your going to get dead real quick.

He looked up and saw Akai breathe in as he knew what was coming next, time to get back to it.

He moved his right hand and with it the Saitomobile door came with as it moved it front of him forming a shield just in time as the firebender breathed a out stream of fire right at him He turned  to the left to  avoid the heat that was now radiating form the metal protecting him, and he saw Siku about a shoot a stream of icicles at him he then  moved his left hand and shot a metal line around Siku's wrist and jerked it to right as the stream went wide hitting Akai.

"Aah!" the firebenders shock at ice hitting him, cause him to stop breathing fire which let Kenji move an get up as he then tossed the heated car door at the earthbender, who instinctively caught it only to to be burned by the still heated metal as he dropped it Kenji closed his fist causing the metal of the car to wrap around Ratna's legs the momentum bringing him down.

Left with two still there and his back to the car, Kenji then used the metal line already wrapped around Siku''s wrist to keep throwing off the waterbenders aim and as the firebender rejoined, Kenji shot a metal line the wrapped around his hands keeping the boound together. He continued to move and pull them all the while biding his time and waiting. Finally he saw the lightbulb dawn in thier heads as Siku shot the water onto the line itself and it began to move up the line and freeze, while Akai toooka breath and shot lightening down the other line as they both travled toward Kenji. Moving quickly kenji  moved his hands in and wraped the around once tying a crude knot as he then shaped the gauntlets around his arms ino a blade and cut himself free of the circuit he made.

The ice and lighting continued along the path as he firebender suddenly fond his hands frozen to the line unable to move and the waterbender suddenly receiving a nasty shock to the system form the lightening. As Siku fell Kenji moved quickly towards the last remaining gangster with his hand cocked back, lifting the street slightly to give him a small boost he the flew up and at Akai as he let his hand fly out delivering a nasty right hook knocking the firebender flat, much to the excitement of the crowd.

Now out of the corner  turned back around to them as he  called out " Is that the best you've got?" However despite the comeback and his bravado he knew that the were down but not out, not for long. Yet he still didn't run, he couldn't....not yet.

[Zuka]

It looked like the show was about to start as the Triple Threats began to close in and start their attacks. A few of the spectators had fled back into the theater, not wanting to be caught up in Triad business but most people stayed and they formed a tighter circle now as the fight began. There were a few shocked screams from some of the more waspier women that were watching, but most people were enthralled with the happenings.

Zuka herself was rather interested. Not only was this a chance to let her see how this little part of the Threats fought but it was a rare chance to see how the Ghost handled himself. She liked knowing how others would fight, it helped her own battles if she ever found herself going toe to toe with them and so far she was rather impressed. The trio was one thing, every group fought closely the same, each would stick to their strengths and try to take out a target in succession, one attack right after the other in tandem. It was a nice system and she, Lina and Rei had their own routine down.

But, watching the Ghost was something else.

He was entertaining, creative and rather cocky. Even after he had taken some hits he was trying to egg the others on to attack more. The crowd around her quickly parted and scattered as a stray boulder came flying at them and some others ran back to the safety of the theater once again thinning out their circle but Zuka stayed, she wanted to see how this fight was going to end.

[Kenji]

He could hear it coming. He could tell no one else could though,but to fair he was the only one listening for it. However he was snapped back to reality as he saw that the firebender had finally melted through the ice and was coming at him hot...literally. Waves of fire shot out as Kenji was forced back towards the other car. As another plume flame came out Kenji backflipped, and as his hands hit pavement he willed it to come  up a little giving him enough lift to flip and over the red saitomobile as he landed on the other side of it.

He wasn't out of the woods yet as he saw a flash out the corner of his eye, and turned quickly  jerking hands up as the hood of the car popped up getting in the way of the lighting blasts that had just been shot at him. The firebender kept up the pressure as Kenji dodged another few blasts and then Akai flicked his hands back and two jets of flame shot out as he propelled himself over the car and into the air. Kenji swore as closed down the hood down and slid across as Akai used his aerial vantage point to breathe down fire from above.

Kenji could feel the heat behind him as the flames licked at his heels as he slid over to the other side, and casually smoothing down his collar as if it had been ruffled by a breeze, not dodging flames as he dodged once again to the left as Akai came down in another swoop of flame.

"I seem to recall that a beating was promised to me a little bit ago?" Kenji said tilting his head "So tell me,hows that working out for you?"

However when he saw Aaki's smile he glanced in the side mirror of the Saitomobile to see a boulder hurtling his way. He pressed himself closer to the car as it hurtled by busting the side mirror in it's path.

Fantastic, looks like Ratna had found a way to free his legs, Kenji glanced to the side as he saw the earthbending gangster flinging projectiles at him. Kenji grimaced underneath the mask and then pulled open the door and jumped in clearing himself out of the projectiles path. As he hit the seats though Akai was ready with another bolt of lighting as Kenji was forced to lay flat on the back seat to avoid it.

"Hmm, that's high quality leather." he marveled as he lay flat on the seats and waited a minute and then coiled his legs closer to him as he waited for a moment or two, as the firebender came to his side of the car. He then pushed up  as he landed in a crouch postion and used his momentum to lauch a right hook right to the firebenders face, bringing him down. As the firebender fell, he made his way out of the car as he heard the breaking of windshield glass from the projectiles coming at him. Focusing his attention at the Earthbender he moved fast, not eve bothering to dodge the next ones instead juts smashing straight through them and using the debris to wrap around his hands as they formed larger and larger earth gauntlets as finally he closed enough distance to strike out. However as he moved to strike suddenly his arm was hampered. he looked and saw a water tentacle  holing the gauntlet. he tried to move the other arm but it too was being held. Suddenly he was pulled back and suddenly found himself suspended in the middle of the street.

Fantastic...looked like Siku was awake....he had really been hoping a little lighting would have put this guy out for the count. However as the Akai and Ratna surrounded on either side of him there was only thing he could do.

"ha.ha.hahahahahahahaha." Kenji laughed aloud

"You seem pretty chipper for someone who's about to die." Siku said,his voice a hard edge.

"Oh come on guys....surely by now you hear it." Kenji said

One by one the triple threats paused as suddenly through the din of the crowd they heard what Kenji had heard a few minutes ago.

Sirens....and they were getting louder.

"Well now it looks like you fellas are in a real dilemma. The coppers are closing in fast and it'll be a little hard to explain this. So do you stay and teach me that lesson you were promising or just hightail it out of here? Decisions, decisions."

"Who says we have to choose, wise guy? We got you boxed." Siku said as the tentacles froze into ice and he moved toward the other three as they stood in front of the suspended Kenji.

"Well if that's what you think, then give it your best shot." he said with a cocky tone as the sirens got louder and the seconds ticked away.

Siku nodded and said " Finish it."

Akai backed up as flame roared from his fists and  he threw out a fireball that lit up the night all its own as it flashed out in light. Once the light died down  everyone turned to look at the no doubt smoldering corpse, but instead they found...nothing. It was as if The Ghost had never been there to start with. Not even a scrap of singed clothing.

"No....no that's impossible." Siku said muttering to himself but he didnt much time to dwell on it as the sirens persisted so he and the other two made their way back to their slightly mangled car. As Ratna turned the key, the car  rumbled but never turned over. again and again he tried but the car would not start. It wa starting to dawn on all of them, but Siku got it first as his anger built

"no,no,no NO! How, how did this happen? " he yelled as the crowd parted and the cops cruisers pulled up on either side of the  stranded gangsters.

*****
 That was indeed the million yuan question, as Kenji heard the gangster swear  as he chuckled, beneath the streets. He was currently in the tunnels beneath the city taking  moment to breathe. He had cut that last one close.

Earlier...
As the triads listened to the sirens, kenji looked down and saw the manhole cover below him and then he had the idea. He had to time it right though as he began to slowly hollowing out the inside of the larger gauntlets as he kept a grip to keep himself in it.

"Who says we have to choose, wise guy? We got you boxed." Siku said as the tentacles froze into ice and he moved toward the other three as they stood in front of him as he finished his own preparations. He had to time this just right. If he did it too soon, they catch on, and if he did it too late, well....

" Finish it."

Kenji saw the firebal barelling toward him as he waited a breath then closed his eyes and unclenched his hand sliding out of the gauntlets and hitting the man hole cover as the force and little bending caused it fall with him as the fire sizzled over head. He landed hard and knew that his feet were going to be hurting in the morning. However he pushed past that and with  upward gesture sent the manhole cover clicking back into place as he the fire died down.

Now Kenji  continued on his way on the tunnels, smirking at how during the time he was ducking and dodging the fire earlier he had also used his metal bending to throw the proverbial wrench in the engine preventing the car from escaping. Soon though he got to another cover and opened it as he came out  in an alley off to the side of the theater. He then put his earthen gloves to the wall of the theater as he began to climb up.

He had managed to come this far....but the show wasn't over yet.

[Zuka]

The heat from the fire was enough to make her turn her face away as the Threats shot their attacks at The Ghost. Well, if he had wanted to piss them off it seemed like he had done a good job of that as the attacks were coming stronger now and Akai was really laying it on thick. Taking a step or two back so the heat wouldn’t be so severe Zuka looked back at the spectacle and watched as the fire bender and earthbender played a game of chase. This Ghost guy was good at deflecting, he liked to ump around to wear out the others, goad them into attacking first and using all their strength while he conserved his. It was smart but it was also dangerous.

Something he would be finding out soon enough

The crowd had thinned out to nothing but a small handful of people but no one made a sound as they watched Ratna get free and come at the Ghost with his own attack. That was the thing about Republic City, every man for himself. The Ghost seemed to dodge it thouh and tired to run but he was stopped by Siku. Well well well, looked like the fabled Ghost had reached the end of the line.

Things were not looking good for the Ghost as he was stuck there suspended in the air and surrounded by three very pissed off Triad members but..that didn’t seem to bother him in fact he was laughing and she had a idea as to why. Zuka had heard the sirens through the breaks in the fighting but that didn’t mean he was saved, she knew for a fact that the three would rather kill the guy and risk capture than to let him go after all of that which..seemed that was exactly what they were going to do.

Well, that was a pity. He had had a good run she supposed and at least she got to see him in action before he met his end. When Siku gave the order many turned away and Zuka only followed suit by the force of the fireball that had hurlded toward the suspended man but as soon as the flashed cleared she quickly turned to look back to see the final outcome only….

Shocked gasped came from the mover goers that had stuck around till the end and even Zuka was a little caught off guard but a quick scan of the area gave her the answer to the question on everyones mind. The manhole cover was missing and with the empty glove stuck in the ice it wasn’t hard to figure out. Well wasn’t he clever and this just got a whole lot more amusing.

Realizing that their man was gone the Threats all hurried back to their car and tried to make their getaway but nothing happened. The car tried to turn over but never did and Zuka couldn’t help it the chuckle she gave at the whole thing just came out. Oh this was perfect, it wasn’t every day that she got such a show and got to see Vipers men get shown up on such a level. She really needed to thank this guy.

[Kenji]

Reaching the top of the theater Kenji moved onto the rooftop and looked down at the scene in front of him. As the police stepped out of their cars, Siku stepped out of their disabled car, as a oily smile came on his face as he says " Officer, can I help you? As you can see me and my friends are just having a little car trouble." He continued to spin the lie as the stern glances form his two friends seemed to keep the crowd from speaking up.

It was a tale as old as time. Police show up and the Triads manage to skate by because their was no evidence to a crime and the average citizen knew better than to get mixed up in Triad business. At best they got hauled in for a few hours before they got released,at worst they didn't even get a slap on the wrist and walked right then and there.

However Kenji still had one last card to play or in this case, a tile. He pulled out a Pi Sho tile from his coat,it had a hole bored int he center of it, which Kenji had filled with a little bit of metal, enough for him to control. With that he tossed the tile in the air, and with a flick of his wrist sent it flying as  it soared toward the red car, before clanging against the trunk of the car, as the trunk popped open and crates fell out of the back causing everyone to look at what had fallen out.

Packets of Red Ash
Boxes of Blackfin Needles
Bundles of Căo

However while that was indeed a problem, the real problem was that the drugs that had spilled out had stamps signifying that they belonged to the Agni Kai's,The Red Monsoons, and the Terra Triad. After all it didn't matter in the criminal underworld if you stole from a rival gang. What mattered was not getting caught, and these three had just been caught big time.

"Officers,that's not what it looks like..." Siku began

Earlier.....

Some time and a pathetically easy to crack safe later he was in the lower sections of the building in a three car garage that housed the Trio's Satomobiles. He then opened up the red cars trunk lightly and pulled out some crates from the bag he brought in with him. He then pulled out the crates each marked by a different Triad. He had been spending the past month that he been on this job, stealing from other Triads shipments, getting out clean, but making it known that someone had stolen their property. The Triads had since been searching high and low for the people responsible...and now he was going them a responsible party. He finished loading the crates and gently closed the trunk as he waited for them to hear the noise.

...and waited

..and waited

He sighed and then  flicked his hand up and caused one of the tools to fall to the ground

"What was that?" came a voice upstairs.

"Finally!" Kenji whispered as he went to the blue cars open trunk and began to make a show of loading  it up.

Despite Siku's best efforts to claim that it wasn't theirs, the police clearly weren't buying it. Faced with a literal mountain of evidence against them, they did the only thing they could do. They tried to fight thier way out. However, the polcie quickly put them down and the Triad members were soon handcuffed and being put in the back of paddy wagons. As Siku was grudgingly dragged toward the the back, Kenji saw him look up. For a breif moment the locked eyes  as Kenji waved goodbye and realization dawned on Siku.

"No! No!" was all he could say as he was tossed in like the others as Kenji couldn't help but chuckle.

Then someone looked up....

"Look it's The Ghost!"

Suddenly the crowd of civilians were looking up at him, as the spotlights around the theater whirled around and he was suddenly silhouetted. A shadow in the light. While it no doubt looked cool, Kenji couldn't help but silently swear as he turned and walked out of the spotlight and to the end of the roof. Shooting out a metal line to the next building over.

It was time to go...

[Zuka]

When the cops finally arrived it seemed like the fun was over. It had been nice while it lasted and it gave Zuka great entertainment to see some of the Threats taken down a peg or two but, now that The Ghost had taken his leave it looked like that was it for the night. Zuka stayed back a little as the cops started figuring out the scene, she didn’t need to get mixed up in their questioning or anything like that or to have them think she had something to do with this. She was just an innocent bystander in this after all but that didn’t mean the police would see it that way.

Making her way away from the crowd Zuka moved closer to the building when she heard it. The sound of something hitting against metal and she looked back out to the scene that was unfolding, she wasn’t too far away that she couldn’t make out what was going on and seeing the packets of drugs fall out of the back of the car was not looking good. The Triple Threats were known to deal in all sorts of things whereas the other Triads like to stake claim to one good and keep it that way. It wasn’t always the most profitable way but it allowed them to rule over that one item with a iron fist..or, at least that had been the idea. It was rare that a Triad stuck to only peddling one drug, Zuka herself may have dabbled in it a little but she found it to be too messy. Too many things went wrong, too many variables and too much competition kept her away from that end of the business. Someone was always after your stash.

That was why she preferred gambling, she made a profit regardless as to what was going on around her. There were always people willing to throw away their money for the rush of a game of chance.

As the contents of the trunk spilled out all over the street and the cops made quick work of carting the Triad off Zuka was more curious about just where that flying whatever had come from. Her eyes followed the path the thing had to have taken and it lead to the roof of the theater. He was fast if he managed to make it up there in the time since he had escaped from the ice. Just who was this guy?

Now her curiosity was peaked more than ever and she had to at least get a better look at him. She couldn’t really give a reason why or what good it would do but this man was a Republic City myth and he was so close, was she really going to let a opportunity like this slip through her fingers?

No, no she was not.

Others must have caught on to where he was because she heard people call out ‘It’s the Ghost!” as everyone turned and looked up at the roof of the building. It was now or never, she had to get up there before he was gone.

Disappearing into the alleyway Zuka made her way to just under the fire escape, the ladder was still slightly above her so she knelt down to get a better take off before jumping up. Her hands closed around the bottom rung of the ladder and she started to pull herself up, hands climbing up the ladder rungs until she was far enough to bring a leg up and over to the small metal landing. As soon as she was up Zuka made her way up the narrow steps, nearly tripping every now and then. She was not dressed in the most ideal way for something like this, moving was hard and not the most graceful but she still managed to make her way to the top quietly.

As she reached the end of the line Zuka peered over the ledge of the building and saw the back of the man as he shot something across to the next roof. It was now or never. Pulling herself over Zuka placed her feet on the stone of the rooftop and waited a moment. She had a feeling she was going to end up giving chase to him really soon, staying up here when so many people knew where you were wasn’t the best idea after the police and everyone else had just seen what happened down below and the guy already looked to be ready to take off. ”That was quite the impressive show you put on down there.” She spoke finally.

[Kenji]

”That was quite the impressive show you put on down there.”

He recognized the voice instantly

Kenji had done many things in his short time  in the world. Many of those things were in a moral grey area at best, but there was nothing, nothing that warranted him having such ridiculous turn of  luck.

...okay so maybe there were one or two  things he had done, but that was still besides the point.

As he turned and saw Zuka standing there on the roof. He resisted the urge to say anything, as behind his mask his eyes darted as he his mind raced.

Well now this is just bad luck. he thought despite the doubt that began to creep up in his mind. Yeah has to be bad luck. No way she knows, no way. I've been to careful, to many layers of deception. Granted she's pretty sharp, I should know I've trained her up, but I'm better. There's no way she knows.

His confidence returned there was still the small matter of  her still  standing there. More importantly that despite the performance down below being over, his plan was not yet done. He had other appointments tonight and didn't need a tagalong. So, he needed to lose her. Giving a quick tug on his metal line to make sure it was secure he then faced her and bowed for a moment like a performer bowing for a clapping audience.

Then he jumped off the roof.

For a moment he felt the exhilarating drop for a few seconds before he retracted the metal line as it took him with him a zipped to the lower altitude rooftops by the theater and hit the roof as the metal line retracted back under his sleeve. He  didn't stay stationary for long as he took off running along the roof. Luckily his route took him through mostly older commercial districts, so the roofs from here on out that he could make the leaps without his lines, but that also meant if Zuka gave chase she would not be as hindered. Of course first she would have to make the jump to the lower roofs just like he did.

Of course,  the real problem was that  Zuka was...stubborn to put in the least. Like a pygmy panther holding onto a scrap of meat. If he was lucky she would just go back to whatever she was doing here in the first place. However,he wasn't going to gamble on a simple thing like a drop and gap to stop her, so he took the head start .

[Zuka]

As he took his bow Zuka knew what was coming and even if she knew he would more unlikely run a part of her had been holding out on not. Now the question: Did she follow him or did she go back to the mover? The sensible thing would be to just go back down and enjoy the night she had planned and try to forget about all of this. She had seen the fabled Ghost and that should be enough..but, Zuka was never a very sensible person. There was no way she was just going to let this go, the chances of this happening again were pretty much non existent and her own curiosity had gotten the best of her before she even made the decision to come up here. There was no turning back now.

When the man in front of her jumped to the next building Zuka went over to the side of the roof he had just been standing at and looked down. That was quite a jump..not impossible but one misstep then it would not end good for her. Second thoughts started to creep into her mind and returning down to the event downstairs was starting to sound better that was until she saw him running for the other rooftops. Determination set in and Zuka bent down a little and gathered the bottom part of her dress. Once she had a bit in her hand she began to pull at the fabric until she heard a rip. Using the bit she had taken Zuka pulled some more and tore her bottom of her dress off at the knees. At least now moving would be easier and now that she had the freedom of movement she began to take a few steps back.

As she began to back up Zuka noticed a bit of water puddled on the roof from a rain they had had the other day not far from her. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing and would help in the suicidal act she was about to do. When she had deemed her running distance good enough Zuka took off toward the ledge. Just as she stepped onto the ledge she bent the water that was in the puddle and it came toward her foot and helped to push her off some more to give her a better distance.

The free fall feeling was intense and she had a split second to enjoy the sudden drop feeling until she had to act. Bringing the small amount of water with her Zuka used it to help ease the impact of her fall and as she touched down onto the roof below she tucked and rolled before getting back up to her feet and giving chase, coiling the water around her right arm for safe keeping. She was probably going to feel that and then some tomorrow but thankfully the adrenaline was taking over for the time being. Hopping to the next roof Zuka continued on in the path she had seen the man take. She would have to catch up to him sooner or later, he didn't get that good a head start on her.

[Kenji]

He raced across the roofs, leaping off the edge of one, landing on the other without breaking his stride. There were those that might have held fear in those moments where, there was nothing beneath their feat, but to him it was old hat. As he hit another landing he took a look back. As he did he saw a familiar shape coming up behind him. He silently swore.

He was never lucky enough for people to just stop chasing him was he?

Luckily he was smart, or else this might be more of a problem fro him.

His mind raced as he leapt to another rooftop, thinking, thinking, thinking. Until he stopped in his tracks

Oh, that'll work. he thought as he changed directions taking a left and heading west. He continued that direction until he came upon his destination. It was going to be a new high rise apartment building, however right now it was just a maze of concrete,metal, of the unfurnished and half finished apartments to be. It was perfect, with one minor exception of the windows, however he had to work through that, literallly. Knowing he only had minutes before she caught up again, he Braced himself and took a step back as he then got a running start and took of from the ledge, gritting his teeth as he plunged right into the full length window. The glass shattered, as he rolled him. His suit , mask,and coat, protected him from most of the damage, but he knew he was going to have more than his share of scrapes and bruises come the morning.

However he had no time to think about that as he coughed a little bit, to add some raspiness to his voice as he made his way into the shadows, to cover his movements. There he stood silent and still in the darkness until he heard footsteps crunch in the glass. He lowered his voice a little bit to cover his voice some more as from the shadows he spoke in his altered voice " I don't know why your following me, but I'm not exactly the autograph giving type."

[Zuka]

This guy was light on his feet, Zuka watched as he hopped along the rooftops as she continued her chase. He was obviously someone that had a lot of training, most people didn't just go after a Triad gang and scale rooftops for the fun of it. Whoever this guy was had a agenda and she wanted to know what it was, know more about him in case it came down to her girls vs The Ghost. The Triple Treats weren't prepared and Zuka did not want to make that same mistake if and when that time came. Zuka wasn't fool enough to think that just because her Triad did things differently that they wouldn't be targeted by others like The Ghost, The Dolls weren't as bad as some of the others but they weren't innocent either.

When he changed his direction Zuka followed, almost skidding to halt as she turned where she saw him turn. The sound of shattering glass not far in front made her swear, this was shaping up to be a night in which she was going to need a healer in the morning. Finally Zuka reached the unfinished highrise and she stopped her running, looking across at the broken window and trying to find a easier way in. She couldn't look too long thou because the longer she took the more chance it was for him to get away. After a careful look around Zuka figured that her best bet to enter this without having to take a trip to the hospital later was to use the water she had with her to latch onto the broken window ledge and swing herself across so she could make it through without cutting herself or landing on the glass on the floor.

Doing just that, Zuka shot the water around her arm out and it latched around the window ledge. Holding the other end still firmly in her hand Zuka gave it a slight tug to make sure it would hold before she stepped off the roof she was on and swung slightly to the other. Pulling herself up until she had a firm grip on the window Zuka climbed through, her shoes crunching on the glass under her feet, bringing the water back she put it back to where it had been for safe keeping and quietly ventured a little more into the maze of metal. She didn't make it too far until she heard a voice speak out causing her to stop where she was and scan the area around her. It was no use however, it was far too dark and with the building as it was she couldn't excatly pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

"What can I say, you caught my interest" Zuka answered back to him, maybe if she got him talking she could figure out where he was. "It's not every day you see someone go up against a Triad like you did. Viper isn't going to let that slide you know? You humiliated his name and lost him money...I'm curious to know; whats your agenda or, do you just have a death wish?" What was his plan, no one in this city save the Avatar and her friends had ever stepped up to the Triads before, at least on that level and if he caused enough trouble he would be taken out. Zuka wanted to know why, who was he working for? What did he get out of this?

[Kenji]

Kenji slowly made his way into the rafters as she talked and he prepared. As she finished he let a low chuckle escape him. " Oh I don't think I'm going to have that much of a problem. You see for the past couple of weeks, the Terra's, Red Monsoons, and Agni Kai's have all had their shipments come up light. Seems someone's been stealing their drugs." He paused as he slowly shifted in his position standing up and making his way across the beam and continued " Now the Triple Threats haven't been hit, and that's a little suspicious, but Vipers' been swearing up and down that he's had nothing to do with it, and so it's been being blamed on well....a Ghost."

Kenji silently descended now in a different corner of the room as he continued " and now it turns out that it hasn't been this Ghost, instead its been some ambitious members of his organization being a little to ambitious it seems. Soon the cops will confirm that the drugs all have the other Triads brands on them, Viper's guys on the force will know soon after. I think he'd be thanking me to alerting him to some internal problems in his organization."

"Of course, he might be a little busy, because by the time the sun comes up the other Triads will know exactly who stole their drugs, and then he'll have much bigger problems. Triads are too weak to survive an all out war, so he'll do the smart thing....and feed those three to the wolfbats."

Kenji marveled how the plans seemed far more clever than when he'd initially came up with it. Of course the plan wasn't done, and if he didn't lose his tail, this was all going to fall apart.  Time to knock her off her game a little

"Which brings us back to you Miss Ou-Yong" he said before lapsing back into silence, let's see how she reacted to being made.

[Zuka]

Zuka listened as he explained his reasoning and plan. He was going to start a war but maybe that was the plan. Get the Triads fighting with each other and move in and take everything right out from under them while they were too busy with each other. The voice around her kept moving, never staying in the same spot for too long making it almost impossible for her to pin point where it was coming from, the only thing she knew for sure was that it was somewhere above her.

As the Ghost went on about how the Triads couldn’t survive a full out war and that Viper would sooner turn over those men than to try to fight it out Zuka thought that he was banking on something too much. Sure, Viper was no where neared as feared as Zolt had been and his grasp on the Triple Threats was shaky at best. He could be easily replaced but at the same time with having so much to prove Viper might make the stupid decision and try something. ”You seem to have this all figured out” she spoke while walking around slightly and looking up into the darkness above her but before she could look too long he said something that caught her off guard a little.

The mention of her name was a little unexpected and made her stop her walking and she stopped in the center of the room. If this guy had done his homework on the other triads then it was safe to assume that she had been part of that as well, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that he knew who she was. ”Does it now?” Zuka wondered how she fit into this little plan ”I don’t know if I should be flattered or concerned that you know who I am” she was leanging a little more toward the concerned part

[Kenji]

”Does it now? I don’t know if I should be flattered or concerned that you know who I am”

"Well that's dealers choice, if you'll pardon the pun." Kenji said as he finished his final preparations, and just in time as he knew what was coming " See tonight  was all about ambition. Those three had it, and in turn they squeezed and broke a neighborhood just to feed it." Steel slipped int Kenji's voice as despite his best efforts he could feel a bit of anger tinge his words. " It's the reason why their in cuffs tonight and it's the reason Viper will leave them to the Triads own....internal Justice, after all why let a potential rival go free when you can let him hang instead?"

"However he can't just let the territory go without somebody holding on to it and any of the other of the elemental Triads would be to risky. So most likely he's going to give it to the most unambitious Triad, which would be your Dolls." He briefly attached the metal line to the hole in the ceiling he he slowly silently made and  then started to move again in the rafters " No offense but it's just how it is, so if he gifts it to you it's the zero-sum move, no gain but no loss."

He got in place as he began to wrap up " Now you have two options Miss Ou-Yong. Continue to remain unambitious and just let the territory go and let the people go back to their lives, maybe if your feeling generous, open up another one of your floating casinos and give people a chance to earn a yuan." he paused as he began to lower himself down slowly and quietly as he continued "Or you can try and pick up where those three left and in which case I'll be forced to turn my attentions on you."

"The choice is yours, just remember...." he then went silent again his feet hit the floor silently. He was now behind her as he leaned in on her right and whispered into her ear

" I'll be watching."

Before she could turn around he retracted the line as it sent him up into the rafters again and through the hole in the cieling that he made, pulling him up one floor, he then pulled himself up and dashed a few feet to another hole he had made as he fell down it to the previous floor, and then continued to fall as he had made one final hole where he started all of this and fell this time one floor below.

As he hit the ground he could hear it

Tick Tick Tick

He waited for a minute as the it got closer

TickTickTick

Then he moved, using the earthen boots to slide along the surface moving faster and faster as he headed toward the opposite end of the building

ticktickticktick.

Republic city had many faults, however to did have any things in its favor, one of which he was taking advantage of now as he used his momentum and  broke through the glass on the other side and into open air as below him he saw a line of rushing metal. He then shot out a line out and hooked into it as he came down into a roll on top of the carriage

At least the trains ran on time.

With that he stood up and  exhaled as the train sped away from downtown.