The Rising
May 19, 2018 13:20:45 GMT -5
Post by Zula on May 19, 2018 13:20:45 GMT -5
Every day, Zula worked to piece together the life she wanted.
She decided that she didn’t want to give up her position as an ambassador, and so she kept it. The injuries she’d acquired in her underground escapades healed with help from Neva, who also assisted her in getting back to her feet. It was a process, but Zula started to care for herself again; brushing up her appearance, her manners, everything she’d let go lax she put back together. By the time her next scheduled appearance came around, Zula was ready. Looking in the mirror she resembled her old self; she looked young and refreshed, a picture of nobility that she needed her political allies and colleagues to see. It was scarily easy to fall back into the role, but Zula was no longer that same girl underneath it all.
But she was able to do her job, and with her new understandings of the city and the world she found it helped her to do better, to participate in conversation and really see where the politics were going. All the corruption became much more apparent, and though Zula didn’t act on it every time, she filed it away for later. At least she was more aware, and though people didn’t believe she was, it would come in handy when the time was right.
In the time she was free she spent much of it with Neva, who somehow always managed to make time for her no matter how busy her own schedule. Zula hadn’t had anyone outside of Zuka that she trusted before, and Neva gave her a sense of her sister back. They traded stories they had with her twin back and forth, laughing at some of them and feeling wistful afterwards. Zula found Neva to be a good friend as time wore on, not just a friend of Zuka’s. That was what she needed after all this time; a friend to get her through.
She also asked Neva to teach her about the Water Tribe culture, and began asking questions about it. Neva was happy to tell her everything about her home, and Zula interested to learn. She told herself it wasn’t too late for her to get to know her father’s roots, and in time maybe she’d go to the North Pole and immerse herself in it more. She believed she’d always see herself more Fire Nation, that it would be impossible to really break that, but at least she’d know the other half of her family tree that she’d been resistant to for far too long.
It was the knock on her door one afternoon that disrupted everything. Zula had been in the middle of writing a letter when the interruption came, and it caused her to frown. It wasn’t often that she had people come to her door, and she knew that Neva wouldn’t have gotten off work so early. She got up and moved to the door, opening in curiously. Immediately she regretted it, and her expression soured. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought you’d forgotten about me,” Han said, leaning in the doorway. He looked relaxed, but Zula was not fooled by that. She hadn’t returned to the Kais since the night of the Terra attack, and the same night she’d ended up meeting Neva. It had been the end of her time with the Kais, and she didn’t regret stepping out of that. Han, however, couldn’t be too happy about her bailing on the triad.
“I did until right this moment,” Zula replied, gripping the door tightly. She’d hoped that Han would never find out where she lived, but she should have known he’d catch onto her trail eventually. Even if she lived in the Golden Phoenix District, which was outside his territory, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t walk the city how he pleased. She was sure he had someone looking for her if he hadn’t done it himself. “And now I’d like you to leave so I can continue to do so.”
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Han said, his eyes flashing. “You’re one of the Kais, which means you work for me. And my Kais don’t just go running out on the triad.”
“I was never truly one of you. I think we both know that,” Zula said, though she couldn’t be sure. She’d played it up that she’d enjoyed being with the Kais, and although Han wasn’t exactly dumb she knew his pride had gotten to him when he thought he’d converted her. “Our agreement was that I would run with your triad for some time, not forever. You showed me the city, and so there is nothing more to it. We’re done here.”
Zula tried to shut the door, but Han grabbed a hold of it and pushed his way inside. He stepped closer to her, his voice low, “You aren’t finished with us until I let you go.”
“You don’t own me,” Zula replied, her eyes narrowing and she turned her back to him and walked further into her house. “I am not your captive, either.”
Han shoved her desk out of his way, the papers falling to the floor as he approached her. “Do you want me to expose you to all your favorite politicians? I’ll let them know exactly who you’ve been dealing with, and just who you’ve gotten mixed up with lately.”
“Who are you going to expose, Zara?” She turned to him again, and her eyes were cold, the calculating part of her finally showing to him. All traces of the broken girl he’d approached at the Full Moon Bar had evaporated, and in her place was the Zula who had thought this out from the start. “Tell me, what are the similarities between Zara and the ambassador? Who has ever even suspected the ambassador of anything, when she’s never missed a meeting? When her work is always done? When no one, not even in the underground, has any inkling of a noblewoman trekking beyond her boundaries?”
She kept her voice calm, watching him carefully as she spoke, making sure every word stuck. “You have no proof. You have nothing but a street name that many people may know, but isn’t important enough to raise an alarm. My record is clean and perfectly intact, and the differences between Zara and I are so striking that even my own mother wouldn’t recognize me. There is nothing you can do that will convince anyone we are the same person.”
Frustration and rage fought over his features, but she wasn’t finished yet. Slyness entered her tone, and while she still was calm, there was an edge of warning to her voice now. “But I know your triad. I know how you operate, and I know all your favorite places and all the dealings that you’ve done. If you do choose to come after me, I can easily cause a problem. I can bring the entire system to the ground and then you’ll have nothing, and I’ll have everything. How does that sound, losing your entire triad to one girl?”
It had finally been enough. Han’s expression turned murderous, and she wasn’t sure if it was from her threats or the fact that she’d completely manipulated him without his realization. With a rage-filled cry he lashed out, send a large plume of fire at her. Zula deflected it quickly, took one glance at the flammable items in her home, and dove at him. That caught Han off guard, and it worked to her advantage as she rushed him, kicking and punching out until she forced him backwards. He caught her arm, but Zula brought her leg up and kneed him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over and release her. In the next moment she sent the hardest kick she could manage, and Han, already off balance, flew backwards and crashed through the window.
Zula did not hesitate and jumped out the now gaping hole of her house and into the street, landing in a crouch. Han stumbled to his feet, broken glass stuck to his clothes, crunching under his boots. He fixed his eyes on her, and flame exploded from his closed fists. “You will pay for all the disrespect you’ve caused me.”
Zula rose to her feet and slid into her stance, her eyes glinting dangerously. “Then by all means, allow me to return the favor.”
There was no pause after her words, and Han unleashed a powerful rush of fire her way. Zula brought her hands up, spinning the flame in a circle before she dispersed it. She then threw out her own flames, long arcs of fire that Han deflected, and then gathered his energy and sent a powerful blast her way. Zula did the same, their twin blasts fighting against one another, and her feet slid against the ground as she fought to hold him back.
He was able to outdo her, and his blast swallowed her own and sent her reeling, falling to the ground. Han leapt above her, bringing down a fiery fist, and she quickly rolled to the side, the attack hitting the asphalt instead. Zula pushed herself up and spun to face him, and then deflected each burst of flame that came at her, until she dropped low and sent a stream of fire his way.
Han just managed to step out of its path, and put his hands together, a wall of orange and yellow crawling quickly towards her. Zula threw herself out of the way, flipping and landing on the roof of a parked satomobile. Her feet hit hard enough to dent the metal, and she fought for balance as Han stood among the flickering flames that were quickly dying out. Impatience flared across his face, his arrogance that he could take her down easily catching up with him, and it only seemed to fuel him further that she was still standing.
Zula jumped off the satomobile, and while midair she kicked out her foot, fire rushing down on him and forcing Han to dive out of the way. Once her feet touched the ground she sent plume after plume of fire in his direction. Han dodged them, blocking the last one, and then ran to her, fire from his closed fist lacing up his arm as he drew it behind him.
She didn't try to move out of the way. She gathered fire into her hands, letting the sphere grow bigger and bigger, and as Han’s flaming fist came towards her she met it with her own fire, which exploded on impact. It sent him flying into the street and rolling to a painful stop, while Zula fell back into a building and quickly pushed herself off of it. She heard yelling and turned her head, seeing some girls appear from around the corner, though they were still a few blocks away.
Dolls, or at least those that she recognized from being at Zuka’s side. But this wasn't between them, this had everything to do with Zula and Han. She turned away from them, and heard her opponent growl as he pulled himself from the asphalt.
“I should have taught you a lesson the first night I met you,” Han spat as he got to his feet. When he looked to her, there was wildness in his eyes that she had never seen before: the true eyes of a predator. “I’ll make sure everyone knows who you are.”
Lightning crackled from his fingers as it generated, and Zula felt a surge of resistance and anger go through her. The memory of her sister flashed through her mind, the old wound that she’d tried so hard to hide. No, he may have gotten Zuka, he may have been able to scar her sister, but it would not happen twice. He would not mark her and gain a victory again.
Zula planted her feet, bringing up her hands just as the lightning burst from Han’s fingers, shooting towards her. The moment it reached her she captured it within her grasp, drawing it down, through her stomach, the electricity sparking through her. Her eyes locked on Han, and she saw how his own eyes widened and the smugness in his expression fell. In the next second she struck her hand out, the lightning redirecting its path and coursing through her back to its conjurer.
Han tried to move, but it was too late. The lightning struck his right arm, spiraling all the way up and out his shoulder. The rest of the lightning struck the ground, the earth at his feet exploding. A cloud of dirt sprayed into the air, and Han flew backwards with a cry and rolled to a stop in the street. Lightning crackled over his body, and then dissipated until he was nothing more than a crumpled figure groaning in pain.
Zula walked over, and Han stared up with her, the pain in his eyes having sucked out all the strength that he needed to fight back. She hadn’t killed him, but that hadn’t really been her intention. No, that would have been too easy. Murdering his pride and all the arrogance he possessed, returning the pain he caused her own family, that was what she wanted. Zula stood over him, but there was no victory in her eyes, just coldness. “You lose, Han. You lost the moment you underestimated me. Now, you’ll never forget it.”
The girls were closing in, but Zula was finished. She stepped back, casting one last look to Han, and caught the rage and defeat in his eyes. It was what she’d been looking for: him to know he’d been beaten. Zula turned and fled, all the while her blood running and mind racing: the look in Han’s eyes, the power she felt, the ability that she had to impose her will upon even the most resistant. All the while an idea took root in her mind, and she let it grow and take form.
I can do this.
I can do more.
“No, absolutely not.”
“Why?” Zula asked, looking to her friend. “I don’t see why you’re so opposed to it.”
Neva shook her head as she went over to the sink to occupy herself with the dishes. She had a rare day off, and Zula had jumped at the chance to talk with her. Safe inside Neva’s home, it was the perfect place for her to say what had been on her mind without anyone listening. “Fighting Han wasn’t enough? I think you’ve proved yourself time after time.”
It had only been a few days ago that she had taken him down, but since then Zula hadn’t been able to let go of the idea it had given her. She didn’t want in the triads, she certainly didn’t want to fight alongside them, but fighting had opened a new door for her that she didn’t want to close. “This isn’t about proving myself. I need to help this city somehow, and there is only so much I can do as an ambassador. And only so much I can do peacefully.”
“Peace isn’t a bad thing,” Neva answered, looking back at Zula over her shoulder.
“I would prefer peace,” Zula said. “But when the politics here are so corrupt and I can do nothing to change them in my position, I need another way to persuade those in power to do as I wish.”
“By trying to scare them into it?” Neva turned back around to face her. The young woman’s expression was incredulous, like she couldn’t quite believe what Zula was suggesting. The ambassador couldn’t blame her; not too long ago she wouldn’t have believed it either. “Zula, you can’t really want to put on a mask.”
“I do,” Zula said firmly. “I can’t give up the fight now. If it can get me what I need, then I’ll do it. But I cannot figure this out all on my own, and I need your help.”
“Zuka would kill me.”
“She would have killed me ten times over by now,” Zula replied simply. It was nice to finally have all her emotions back in place. It was easy for her to put the emotional mask back on now, with everything out of her system. “Once you start to realize that, it’s easier to do what you want.”
“She’d want me to keep you out of trouble, not get involved in it. I owe her that much.” Neva leaned back against the counter, absently bending water from the sink into a nearby plant. Zula had to give it to the girl and her loyalty. She must have been someone Zuka trusted, as even after her death, Neva remained dedicated to doing what her sister wanted.
“I won’t do it every day,” Zula answered calmly, refusing to back down. “But if I can scare a few politicians into changing their minds now and again, it would be worth it. Influencing them in order to try and clean up this city seems like a fair start.”
For a long moment Neva stared at her, and then bit her lip and sighed. “I swore I wouldn’t ever speak of this, but I think I have to tell you. There’s something you don’t know about Zuka.”
“I’m sure there is a lot I don’t know about her,” Zula answered. Her twin had been adamant that Zula remained separate from the life she led in Republic City. While that hadn’t exactly worked out, Zula was confident that her sister had managed to keep her secrets, and there were many that Zula would never know. She’d come to terms with that, even while Zuka was still alive.
Neva did not look deterred. She continued, “I told you that Zuka gave me a lot of healing practice. But it wasn’t from the life she led on her own. It was when she was out being The Talon.”
Zula’s eyes flashed, her gaze narrowing. “Zuka? Zuka was The Talon, all this time?”
The waterbender gave a nod, and there was a brief flash of guilt in her eyes before it disappeared, and her resolve hardened again. “Putting on a mask was her choice, and I’m not going to say whether it was a good one or not. But it brought her a lot of hardship, and a lot of pain. She wouldn’t want that for you, to have to go through it too.”
“I already have,” Zula responded. The news did not make her want to back down, it only fueled her inner desire to put on a mask herself. She couldn’t be angry with Neva when she’d been the one to help keep Zuka alive, and Zuka wasn’t here for her to voice her anger. It was pointless to fight when everything was already over and done, but Zula was only beginning. “I’ve gone through pain worse than I could ever have imagined, and I survived it. Zuka is not the only one who could make this choice, and it’s the one I want to make. It’s what is right for me.”
Neva sighed, putting her hands on her hips. She looked down at the floor for a moment and then lifted her eyes, setting her gaze on Zula. “There is no talking you out of this, is there?”
“Not likely, no,” Zula admitted. “I cannot force you to help me, and I wouldn’t want to do that either. I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for my sake so far. If you are uncomfortable with this and do not wish to be involved, then I will not ask you to put me before my sister.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you run off and try to do this on your own. I may not know everything that goes into this, but I’ve been around it enough to have learned a few things.” Neva said, pushing off the counter.
Zula raised her eyebrows, “So you are willing to help me?”
“If I can’t convince you to not do it, then I’ll have to make sure you do it right.” Neva smiled, and it was one of confidence. “Alright. Let’s get this started.”
It took some time to gather everything she needed. Neva described the different parts of Zuka’s old suit, and they discussed what had worked, what didn’t, and what would work better for Zula. In her case, she wanted to use her bending more than her sister had wanted. Now that she’d gotten a taste of using it, Zula couldn’t think about not using her bending again. Neva assured her that she had someone who could help them in putting all of this together, and make sure it was done right. Zula wasn’t sure who Neva had help from, but she decided not to question it.
After a tedious process, everything was ready.
There was nothing quite like appearing for the first time in her mask, its fox-like design streaked with red against the dark night. The look on the politician’s face when she appeared in his window was just as priceless. And the next day, when he pulled the support he’d initially had for a program that would only steal from the citizens of Republic City, her success was proven. It gave her assurance that she could keep up the act, now that she could see right into the corruption.
Now, she had a way of dealing with it.
Maybe she’d lost a lot in a short span of time, maybe she’d made all the wrong decisions in the past. All that she’d gone through had taught her a lesson, and given her the sense of reality that she’d never had growing up. No matter how much it had taken away, now matter how hot the fire burned, it hadn’t destroyed everything.
It had left behind The Cinder.
She decided that she didn’t want to give up her position as an ambassador, and so she kept it. The injuries she’d acquired in her underground escapades healed with help from Neva, who also assisted her in getting back to her feet. It was a process, but Zula started to care for herself again; brushing up her appearance, her manners, everything she’d let go lax she put back together. By the time her next scheduled appearance came around, Zula was ready. Looking in the mirror she resembled her old self; she looked young and refreshed, a picture of nobility that she needed her political allies and colleagues to see. It was scarily easy to fall back into the role, but Zula was no longer that same girl underneath it all.
But she was able to do her job, and with her new understandings of the city and the world she found it helped her to do better, to participate in conversation and really see where the politics were going. All the corruption became much more apparent, and though Zula didn’t act on it every time, she filed it away for later. At least she was more aware, and though people didn’t believe she was, it would come in handy when the time was right.
In the time she was free she spent much of it with Neva, who somehow always managed to make time for her no matter how busy her own schedule. Zula hadn’t had anyone outside of Zuka that she trusted before, and Neva gave her a sense of her sister back. They traded stories they had with her twin back and forth, laughing at some of them and feeling wistful afterwards. Zula found Neva to be a good friend as time wore on, not just a friend of Zuka’s. That was what she needed after all this time; a friend to get her through.
She also asked Neva to teach her about the Water Tribe culture, and began asking questions about it. Neva was happy to tell her everything about her home, and Zula interested to learn. She told herself it wasn’t too late for her to get to know her father’s roots, and in time maybe she’d go to the North Pole and immerse herself in it more. She believed she’d always see herself more Fire Nation, that it would be impossible to really break that, but at least she’d know the other half of her family tree that she’d been resistant to for far too long.
It was the knock on her door one afternoon that disrupted everything. Zula had been in the middle of writing a letter when the interruption came, and it caused her to frown. It wasn’t often that she had people come to her door, and she knew that Neva wouldn’t have gotten off work so early. She got up and moved to the door, opening in curiously. Immediately she regretted it, and her expression soured. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought you’d forgotten about me,” Han said, leaning in the doorway. He looked relaxed, but Zula was not fooled by that. She hadn’t returned to the Kais since the night of the Terra attack, and the same night she’d ended up meeting Neva. It had been the end of her time with the Kais, and she didn’t regret stepping out of that. Han, however, couldn’t be too happy about her bailing on the triad.
“I did until right this moment,” Zula replied, gripping the door tightly. She’d hoped that Han would never find out where she lived, but she should have known he’d catch onto her trail eventually. Even if she lived in the Golden Phoenix District, which was outside his territory, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t walk the city how he pleased. She was sure he had someone looking for her if he hadn’t done it himself. “And now I’d like you to leave so I can continue to do so.”
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Han said, his eyes flashing. “You’re one of the Kais, which means you work for me. And my Kais don’t just go running out on the triad.”
“I was never truly one of you. I think we both know that,” Zula said, though she couldn’t be sure. She’d played it up that she’d enjoyed being with the Kais, and although Han wasn’t exactly dumb she knew his pride had gotten to him when he thought he’d converted her. “Our agreement was that I would run with your triad for some time, not forever. You showed me the city, and so there is nothing more to it. We’re done here.”
Zula tried to shut the door, but Han grabbed a hold of it and pushed his way inside. He stepped closer to her, his voice low, “You aren’t finished with us until I let you go.”
“You don’t own me,” Zula replied, her eyes narrowing and she turned her back to him and walked further into her house. “I am not your captive, either.”
Han shoved her desk out of his way, the papers falling to the floor as he approached her. “Do you want me to expose you to all your favorite politicians? I’ll let them know exactly who you’ve been dealing with, and just who you’ve gotten mixed up with lately.”
“Who are you going to expose, Zara?” She turned to him again, and her eyes were cold, the calculating part of her finally showing to him. All traces of the broken girl he’d approached at the Full Moon Bar had evaporated, and in her place was the Zula who had thought this out from the start. “Tell me, what are the similarities between Zara and the ambassador? Who has ever even suspected the ambassador of anything, when she’s never missed a meeting? When her work is always done? When no one, not even in the underground, has any inkling of a noblewoman trekking beyond her boundaries?”
She kept her voice calm, watching him carefully as she spoke, making sure every word stuck. “You have no proof. You have nothing but a street name that many people may know, but isn’t important enough to raise an alarm. My record is clean and perfectly intact, and the differences between Zara and I are so striking that even my own mother wouldn’t recognize me. There is nothing you can do that will convince anyone we are the same person.”
Frustration and rage fought over his features, but she wasn’t finished yet. Slyness entered her tone, and while she still was calm, there was an edge of warning to her voice now. “But I know your triad. I know how you operate, and I know all your favorite places and all the dealings that you’ve done. If you do choose to come after me, I can easily cause a problem. I can bring the entire system to the ground and then you’ll have nothing, and I’ll have everything. How does that sound, losing your entire triad to one girl?”
It had finally been enough. Han’s expression turned murderous, and she wasn’t sure if it was from her threats or the fact that she’d completely manipulated him without his realization. With a rage-filled cry he lashed out, send a large plume of fire at her. Zula deflected it quickly, took one glance at the flammable items in her home, and dove at him. That caught Han off guard, and it worked to her advantage as she rushed him, kicking and punching out until she forced him backwards. He caught her arm, but Zula brought her leg up and kneed him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over and release her. In the next moment she sent the hardest kick she could manage, and Han, already off balance, flew backwards and crashed through the window.
Zula did not hesitate and jumped out the now gaping hole of her house and into the street, landing in a crouch. Han stumbled to his feet, broken glass stuck to his clothes, crunching under his boots. He fixed his eyes on her, and flame exploded from his closed fists. “You will pay for all the disrespect you’ve caused me.”
Zula rose to her feet and slid into her stance, her eyes glinting dangerously. “Then by all means, allow me to return the favor.”
There was no pause after her words, and Han unleashed a powerful rush of fire her way. Zula brought her hands up, spinning the flame in a circle before she dispersed it. She then threw out her own flames, long arcs of fire that Han deflected, and then gathered his energy and sent a powerful blast her way. Zula did the same, their twin blasts fighting against one another, and her feet slid against the ground as she fought to hold him back.
He was able to outdo her, and his blast swallowed her own and sent her reeling, falling to the ground. Han leapt above her, bringing down a fiery fist, and she quickly rolled to the side, the attack hitting the asphalt instead. Zula pushed herself up and spun to face him, and then deflected each burst of flame that came at her, until she dropped low and sent a stream of fire his way.
Han just managed to step out of its path, and put his hands together, a wall of orange and yellow crawling quickly towards her. Zula threw herself out of the way, flipping and landing on the roof of a parked satomobile. Her feet hit hard enough to dent the metal, and she fought for balance as Han stood among the flickering flames that were quickly dying out. Impatience flared across his face, his arrogance that he could take her down easily catching up with him, and it only seemed to fuel him further that she was still standing.
Zula jumped off the satomobile, and while midair she kicked out her foot, fire rushing down on him and forcing Han to dive out of the way. Once her feet touched the ground she sent plume after plume of fire in his direction. Han dodged them, blocking the last one, and then ran to her, fire from his closed fist lacing up his arm as he drew it behind him.
She didn't try to move out of the way. She gathered fire into her hands, letting the sphere grow bigger and bigger, and as Han’s flaming fist came towards her she met it with her own fire, which exploded on impact. It sent him flying into the street and rolling to a painful stop, while Zula fell back into a building and quickly pushed herself off of it. She heard yelling and turned her head, seeing some girls appear from around the corner, though they were still a few blocks away.
Dolls, or at least those that she recognized from being at Zuka’s side. But this wasn't between them, this had everything to do with Zula and Han. She turned away from them, and heard her opponent growl as he pulled himself from the asphalt.
“I should have taught you a lesson the first night I met you,” Han spat as he got to his feet. When he looked to her, there was wildness in his eyes that she had never seen before: the true eyes of a predator. “I’ll make sure everyone knows who you are.”
Lightning crackled from his fingers as it generated, and Zula felt a surge of resistance and anger go through her. The memory of her sister flashed through her mind, the old wound that she’d tried so hard to hide. No, he may have gotten Zuka, he may have been able to scar her sister, but it would not happen twice. He would not mark her and gain a victory again.
Zula planted her feet, bringing up her hands just as the lightning burst from Han’s fingers, shooting towards her. The moment it reached her she captured it within her grasp, drawing it down, through her stomach, the electricity sparking through her. Her eyes locked on Han, and she saw how his own eyes widened and the smugness in his expression fell. In the next second she struck her hand out, the lightning redirecting its path and coursing through her back to its conjurer.
Han tried to move, but it was too late. The lightning struck his right arm, spiraling all the way up and out his shoulder. The rest of the lightning struck the ground, the earth at his feet exploding. A cloud of dirt sprayed into the air, and Han flew backwards with a cry and rolled to a stop in the street. Lightning crackled over his body, and then dissipated until he was nothing more than a crumpled figure groaning in pain.
Zula walked over, and Han stared up with her, the pain in his eyes having sucked out all the strength that he needed to fight back. She hadn’t killed him, but that hadn’t really been her intention. No, that would have been too easy. Murdering his pride and all the arrogance he possessed, returning the pain he caused her own family, that was what she wanted. Zula stood over him, but there was no victory in her eyes, just coldness. “You lose, Han. You lost the moment you underestimated me. Now, you’ll never forget it.”
The girls were closing in, but Zula was finished. She stepped back, casting one last look to Han, and caught the rage and defeat in his eyes. It was what she’d been looking for: him to know he’d been beaten. Zula turned and fled, all the while her blood running and mind racing: the look in Han’s eyes, the power she felt, the ability that she had to impose her will upon even the most resistant. All the while an idea took root in her mind, and she let it grow and take form.
I can do this.
I can do more.
~
“No, absolutely not.”
“Why?” Zula asked, looking to her friend. “I don’t see why you’re so opposed to it.”
Neva shook her head as she went over to the sink to occupy herself with the dishes. She had a rare day off, and Zula had jumped at the chance to talk with her. Safe inside Neva’s home, it was the perfect place for her to say what had been on her mind without anyone listening. “Fighting Han wasn’t enough? I think you’ve proved yourself time after time.”
It had only been a few days ago that she had taken him down, but since then Zula hadn’t been able to let go of the idea it had given her. She didn’t want in the triads, she certainly didn’t want to fight alongside them, but fighting had opened a new door for her that she didn’t want to close. “This isn’t about proving myself. I need to help this city somehow, and there is only so much I can do as an ambassador. And only so much I can do peacefully.”
“Peace isn’t a bad thing,” Neva answered, looking back at Zula over her shoulder.
“I would prefer peace,” Zula said. “But when the politics here are so corrupt and I can do nothing to change them in my position, I need another way to persuade those in power to do as I wish.”
“By trying to scare them into it?” Neva turned back around to face her. The young woman’s expression was incredulous, like she couldn’t quite believe what Zula was suggesting. The ambassador couldn’t blame her; not too long ago she wouldn’t have believed it either. “Zula, you can’t really want to put on a mask.”
“I do,” Zula said firmly. “I can’t give up the fight now. If it can get me what I need, then I’ll do it. But I cannot figure this out all on my own, and I need your help.”
“Zuka would kill me.”
“She would have killed me ten times over by now,” Zula replied simply. It was nice to finally have all her emotions back in place. It was easy for her to put the emotional mask back on now, with everything out of her system. “Once you start to realize that, it’s easier to do what you want.”
“She’d want me to keep you out of trouble, not get involved in it. I owe her that much.” Neva leaned back against the counter, absently bending water from the sink into a nearby plant. Zula had to give it to the girl and her loyalty. She must have been someone Zuka trusted, as even after her death, Neva remained dedicated to doing what her sister wanted.
“I won’t do it every day,” Zula answered calmly, refusing to back down. “But if I can scare a few politicians into changing their minds now and again, it would be worth it. Influencing them in order to try and clean up this city seems like a fair start.”
For a long moment Neva stared at her, and then bit her lip and sighed. “I swore I wouldn’t ever speak of this, but I think I have to tell you. There’s something you don’t know about Zuka.”
“I’m sure there is a lot I don’t know about her,” Zula answered. Her twin had been adamant that Zula remained separate from the life she led in Republic City. While that hadn’t exactly worked out, Zula was confident that her sister had managed to keep her secrets, and there were many that Zula would never know. She’d come to terms with that, even while Zuka was still alive.
Neva did not look deterred. She continued, “I told you that Zuka gave me a lot of healing practice. But it wasn’t from the life she led on her own. It was when she was out being The Talon.”
Zula’s eyes flashed, her gaze narrowing. “Zuka? Zuka was The Talon, all this time?”
The waterbender gave a nod, and there was a brief flash of guilt in her eyes before it disappeared, and her resolve hardened again. “Putting on a mask was her choice, and I’m not going to say whether it was a good one or not. But it brought her a lot of hardship, and a lot of pain. She wouldn’t want that for you, to have to go through it too.”
“I already have,” Zula responded. The news did not make her want to back down, it only fueled her inner desire to put on a mask herself. She couldn’t be angry with Neva when she’d been the one to help keep Zuka alive, and Zuka wasn’t here for her to voice her anger. It was pointless to fight when everything was already over and done, but Zula was only beginning. “I’ve gone through pain worse than I could ever have imagined, and I survived it. Zuka is not the only one who could make this choice, and it’s the one I want to make. It’s what is right for me.”
Neva sighed, putting her hands on her hips. She looked down at the floor for a moment and then lifted her eyes, setting her gaze on Zula. “There is no talking you out of this, is there?”
“Not likely, no,” Zula admitted. “I cannot force you to help me, and I wouldn’t want to do that either. I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for my sake so far. If you are uncomfortable with this and do not wish to be involved, then I will not ask you to put me before my sister.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you run off and try to do this on your own. I may not know everything that goes into this, but I’ve been around it enough to have learned a few things.” Neva said, pushing off the counter.
Zula raised her eyebrows, “So you are willing to help me?”
“If I can’t convince you to not do it, then I’ll have to make sure you do it right.” Neva smiled, and it was one of confidence. “Alright. Let’s get this started.”
~
It took some time to gather everything she needed. Neva described the different parts of Zuka’s old suit, and they discussed what had worked, what didn’t, and what would work better for Zula. In her case, she wanted to use her bending more than her sister had wanted. Now that she’d gotten a taste of using it, Zula couldn’t think about not using her bending again. Neva assured her that she had someone who could help them in putting all of this together, and make sure it was done right. Zula wasn’t sure who Neva had help from, but she decided not to question it.
After a tedious process, everything was ready.
There was nothing quite like appearing for the first time in her mask, its fox-like design streaked with red against the dark night. The look on the politician’s face when she appeared in his window was just as priceless. And the next day, when he pulled the support he’d initially had for a program that would only steal from the citizens of Republic City, her success was proven. It gave her assurance that she could keep up the act, now that she could see right into the corruption.
Now, she had a way of dealing with it.
Maybe she’d lost a lot in a short span of time, maybe she’d made all the wrong decisions in the past. All that she’d gone through had taught her a lesson, and given her the sense of reality that she’d never had growing up. No matter how much it had taken away, now matter how hot the fire burned, it hadn’t destroyed everything.
It had left behind The Cinder.