Taking a small breath, Mitsuko twiddled with the small bracelet wrapped around her wrist, it was no secret she was out of her element. The bracelet had long become an item that was more of a comfort than anything, it reminded her of when times weren't so complicated, when things hadn't seemed so dark. She wasn't someone who spent a whole lot of time in the Dragon Flats District, but she was desperate. She had given up sitting at home, staring at a bedroom that was now empty and provided nothing but feelings of regret and pain. It had once been a fire in the darkness, a place to go when she needed someone, a home. But that flame had been extinguished, there one night and gone the next.

Mitsuko hadn't even heard a sound. There were no loud bangs, no broken windows, not even a sign of struggle. The room had been immaculate, nothing moved, except for the broken necklace that lay shattered on the bedroom floor. She didn't think it was real at first, that her brother could have been one of the victims. She sat there, pondering for hours where he had run off to, why the necklace was broken. Mitsuko visited his dojo, friend's houses, saloons, everything. But nothing turned up, he didn't turn up. It took her a long time to come to the realization that her brother, Tariq, was just another bender who vanished without a trace. The only trace he had left was the piece of jewelry Mitsuko always wore. She had heard every story in the book from others; some told her he was dead, others said he probably just ran away but she had looked into every possibility and with everything she had found she knew it to be true: Tariq was one of the vanished.

She had been looking for him ever since, people just didn't disappear into thin air, that's not how things worked. So, Mitsuko decided to find the trail that she knew was out there even if it would be a dangerous path to follow. There was the chance that she could discover something she wouldn't like,but she didn't care. Mitsuko needed to know, she needed closure and she was going to get it. The young Waterbender was hopeful and even with how negative the whole situation was, she forced herself to stay positive.

This determination to find the truth is what brought her to the Golden Fan Saloon and was currently why nerves had flared up inside her. She was too young to be there, she stood out, and ever since she had arrived in Republic City she had been warned to be weary of places such as 'The Fan'. It wasn't exactly known to be the safest of places and not everyone there was someone you could trust. This is exactly why she was here though. If she needed to find someone who had information, this was the best place to start.

Dropping one hand to her side, she used the other to push open the Saloon's doors and was faced with a lively environment she had never quite experienced before. She had no idea where to start but she pushed herself further into the building and quickly began to scan the crowd. Her eyes met a younger man's, he had a darker complexion of an obviously Earth Nation heritage and as badly as Mitsuko felt for judging on appearance, he looked like he fit in. She assumed he was someone who frequented the place often, which meant that he would likely know at least someone she could talk to. Taking another small breath and putting a smile on her face, she forced her way through the crowd and made her way over to the man.

Harish felt her searching gaze before he saw her. After he'd bought a pint of booze from the barkeeper, he'd settled into a table across from the doorway to catch the gentle wind that blew through the swinging doors. Now, as he looked up, he caught the eyes of a waterbender girl who was visibly out of character in a ramshackle place like this. Her eyes were intensely blue, even for a waterbender. Harish promptly felt uncomfortable in her probing gaze and looked down at the table. In front of him, a dated newspaper featuring the headline, "CHIEF OF POLICE FOUND DEAD" sat unfolded, its top right-hand corner held down by his booze. He'd read the article a slew of times before, and as perturbing as he found its contents, he kept coming back to it, musing on just who could have killed him. The Galgori? Surely not. They weren't real. And neither was his terror.

So much for shutting them out of his mind. He took a swig of his stale and uninspired booze, a small burn tickling the back of his throat as the alcohol trickled down his pipes, and wondered why he paid for this garbage. As he did so, his eyes fluttered back up to the girl, who was now approaching his table with an irritating smile playing at her lips. Honey, in this place, smiles are an invitation to be mugged. He said nothing and wiped the booze from his bristly face, meeting the girl's eyes again, this time with a hard, dead gaze. Scaring her out of the saloon was the only practical thing to do now. And it needed to happen soon before any real thugs descried her virtue and innocence, worn like a white flag of surrender on her lips.

Gozu would be sitting at a table by himself a ways away from Harish but he would catch sight of the girl after hearing the doors swing open. He looked to the girl wandering to himself what someone like that would be doing in a place like this, he knew it couldn't be to drink. As he drank his beer he followed the girl with his eyes making sure he didn't lose sight of her "Their must be some pretty interesting reason a girl like this came here." he thought to himself. He caught site of the girl's eye's gazing at Harish and decided to lay low but learn about what this situation may hold so he ran through some plot's in his brain and decided to start making his way over with an empty cup.

Gozu went up to the bartender trying to get closer to Harish and the girl before anything where to occur. he would stay at the counter getting a new drink and side eyeing the two and trying to listen in to anything he can. He would be accustomed to this waiting to hear something that caught his interest before her would hop in to catch their interest. He slowly drink his beer not wanting to have any reason to move while trying to learn as much as he could. He sat their patiently waiting for his moment to come up.

The man's intense gaze froze Mitsuko in her steps for just a moment and made her seriously consider turning around and leaving the place entirely. Whoever this person was, he was giving her a warning and had the situation been different, she likely would have taken it. However, she couldn't afford to do that and a single glance down at the bracelet she wore pushed her forward once more. Her smile never faded and while she knew she was being naive, she found that she didn't care. Her eyes, on the other hand, met his with the same intensity, portraying just how determined she really was.

Mitsuko felt more than one person staring and she looked around before reminding herself that couldn't allow it to distract her; she wasn't going to psyche herself out after already making it this far in. Scanning the saloon once more,she searched for the one thing she could use in the case that things went south: water. There was plenty of it, she could sense it in the air around her but it was a comfort to see mugs filled with the liquid. She hadn't brought her canteen of water with her, walking around the city with it made her stand out as a bender and that was really the last thing she needed.

Re-positioning her gaze back onto the man she felt her fear building up inside her, he looked like he was out for blood. You can do this. You have to be able to do this. Mitsuko took the last few steps and closed the gap between the man's table and herself. After a small glance at the newspaper below them, she felt dread spread throughout her. The police chief's death had impacted her much more than she ever imagined possible and after Tariq, it just made her wonder. What if whoever killed him was the very same group to take her brother? What if at the end of this journey that was all she would find? Just another dead body, another victim to a war that shouldn't have been fought in the first place. The idea made her blood run cold and she pushed the intrusive thoughts from her mind, instead forcing herself to address the person in front of her.

"My name is Mitsuko and I think you can help me. I'm sorry to bother you but you look like a regular and, to be honest, I'm a bit lost. I'm looking for information about touchy subjects and I know that this is the place where the trade of information is most common. I'm sure you'll know something if you'll just allow me a few minutes of your time. Please, it's really really important."

For a fleeting moment, Harish saw his sister in the girl's eyes. She seemed to share that same audacious spirit as Solihn, despite its mainspring of naivete. It may have been foolish, but in the strangest way, it was inspiring. Still, this waterbender girl was way out of her depth, and in spite of his ill humor, Harish couldn't forgive himself if he allowed something to happen to her out of apathy. So, as she approached, she sized her up and struck a fist on his table.

"No," he replied curtly. "Capering into a saloon and asking questions about touchy subjects is what gets you mugged-- or worse. Besides, I come here for a drink and a gamble, not to trade stories with a table of goons. If information is what you're after, you'd be better off asking Iqaluk." He gestured to a shady figure at a gambling table, clearly of Water Tribe heritage. "He knows the ins and outs of Dragon Flats. But if you know what's good for you, you'll leave instead. And--" Harish shook his head in resignation, "--I'll escort you out of Dragon Flats. I should be getting home anyway." Somewhere behind his seat, he could feel the piercing eyes of an inquiring mind and wondered why Dragon Flats harbored such nosy, intrusive characters. 

Gozu Would be drinking his drink when he heard the girl ask the man up front to talk about touchy subjects What was she thinking he thought A blunt upfront approach in a place like this, she has grit for sure. Gozu took a long sip of his drink not wanting to interfere just yet, he knew the more he learned the better he it would be for himself. He started a conversation up with he bar keep to try to seem less suspicious making sure he didn't seem to nosy. He kept the exchanges brief as to not be to distracted to not hear the two speak it was his main priority at the moment.

Gozu continued to listen in for the response of the man still talking now and then with the bar tender. He would think to himself about what he could do after he got the info he needed he would need a reason to join in not wanting to show that he was listening in to early, he decided to stay quite for some time trying to listen more closely. Once he heard that the man was going to lead her out he knew he had to make his move soon he waited for a little bit longer to make sure he knew exactly what he was going to do.


For a split second she felt her hopes fall as the man spoke until she realized she had gained at least something. She had a name, now all she had to do was talk her way out of being practically forced out of the district. Mitsuko didn't think this man would put his hands on her but at the same time, she didn't think he would take no for an answer.

Placing a hand on her hip, she pouted, "Come on, I know it's dangerous but I can handle myself. I mean how bad can the guy really be?" She had hoped acting lighthearted about the situation would have made things better but after the words were out of her mouth, she realized joking about things probably wasn't the best route to take.

Loud shouts erupted from the corner of the room and she looked over to see a small skirmish breaking out. It didn't come as a surprise to her, 'The Fan' was known to have fights in it all the time. Letting out a small sigh she looked back to the man, "Look, I get it. You probably think I'm just some kid waltzing into an area of town that I have no place in and to a certain extent, you're right, I don't. Just look around, half the people here are probably just waiting for the chance to steal from me. But, I need to do this, I need answers to something. I can't just leave here without a second thought. You have no obligation to help me, you've already pointed me in the direction of someone who can and I can't thank you enough for that, but don't make me just walk out on something I've been wanting to learn."

Mitsuko's eyes landed on that dreaded headline once more before they flicked back to the brown ones that had been staring at her moments before. "While I appreciate your offer to walk me out, I can't accept it. Maybe you're right, maybe I don't know what's good for me and I'm going to get myself hurt. I don't know. But I have hope that what I'm searching for is out there somewhere, haven't you ever had that before? Hasn't there ever been something or someone you believed in so much you would risk the world for it?"

She looked up at him and offered a weak smile, her positive attitude returning, "I mean, hey, I've been told I'm pretty persistent. Who's to say I won't just come back in on a different night and find this Iqaluk guy."

Mitsuko had hoped that ending it on a not so serious note would help her case but she really didn't think anything she said would make a difference to him. He didn't appear to be someone who was that empathetic or even sympathetic for that matter, and she predicted she'd be leaving the building in a few minutes. There was one thing she wouldn't miss if that ended up being the case, however, and that was the constant uneasy feeling that she was being watched.

Harish remained mostly silent through her pleads, but at her last question about taking risks, he said, "There are different kinds of risks, girl. Some are practical. Some are just half-witted." He stood up to leave, walking ten feet to the bar to leave his cup on the counter. Then, walking back to his table, he added, "I don't care what you do. But you should know, Iqaluk's information comes with a price. Don't have the money? Then you won't have his time. Good luck finding whatever it is you're looking for." On that note, Harish left the table and crossed the room to the swinging saloon doors. He paused with a hang on one door and looked to his left, where Iqaluk and his goons had just completed a dice rolling gamble. A man walked away from their table with a sour expression on his face. There was going to be another fleece soon, and it would involve a Water Tribe girl. And Harish didn't want to stick around to watch.

Stepping out into the crisp evening air, Harish shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and dawdled across the street, skipping over the rail lines embedded in the middle. In the twilight of late evening, he turned around to reexamine 'The Fan' and its golden swell of light. As much as hated to admit it, he felt responsible for the girl. It was her semblance to Solihn - her spirit, anyway - that made him mildly sympathetic. She possessed that same fervor for knowledge and understanding as his sister-- and having acquiesced to his sister's hazardous investigation, he felt equally liable for this one.

But his rationale was amiss. This was not Solihn, and therefore not his responsibility. Resolved to leave, he turned away from the Golden Fan Saloon and resumed his promenade to the train terminal.

Gozu listened to the girl begging the man "That desperateness is gonna be your downfall" he thought. He sat and drunk as she talked making sure to especially remember parts that he could use later. As he heard her plea he realized just how much she needed this making hims wander what the reason that she was asking around this place. He had to think of how he could use this he had a feeling any second he would have to spring up and stop anything to serious from happening, he knew that he could use that desperation for answers for his own means, and maybe get her a couple answers along the way but he was sure he was gonna get whatever he could out of her first.

As Gozu thought about how he could manipulate the girl the man was about to leave, he realized that having two people to help him out wouldn't be bad so he had to make sure he didn't let him get to far. He thought about how he could rope both of them in, he knew it would be complicated but it didn't matter at the moment his main priority was at the least getting their attention and at the most their trust. This process was gonna be dangerous but it could get him big rewards for his troubles, he knew he had no more time to think once the man left the door and it was finally time for him to make his move.

He swung around in his chair got up and went to the girl "You seem like someone who could use some help, I saw your friend over there leave and you don't seem like your too safe here." He said, he knew exactly how he was gonna get both of them into his plot. "If your get your friend back here I may be able to get the info you need free of cost, I just may need some people to help out." He said. "I'm not telling you that you have to accept but this may be your only chance so I would choose wisely, and quickly."

Mitsuko watched as the man walked out, he appeared as if he hesitated for a second before continuing on and making his leave. She wondered if she had impacted him at least a tiny bit and there was a part of her that wished she had. Not for her own sake, but for perhaps the next person that would cross paths with him in the need of assistance. He had helped her in a way, but now she found herself faced with yet another problem. While Mitsuko had money, even she knew it wasn't enough for the information she did need. The price wouldn't be cheap, especially for what she was looking for. Not to mention, he would probably charge her more because she was young and he would take advantage of her lack of knowledge.

Just as she was working herself up to approaching the intimidating man, she instead was faced by another person who could provide a solution to the problem. After intently listening to his proposal, Mitsuko found herself more torn than anything. She wanted answers but this sounded like the very type of thing she should have avoided. On top of that, she didn't want to involve anyone else in her problems. She didn't know the man at all, she hadn't even gotten his name and she wasn't about to chase him down and get him involved with something she didn't even know about herself.

Mitsuko was skeptical about this new person and she studied him before meeting his eyes.
"I don't mean this in a bad way but I get the feeling you'd want something in return. What would you need our help for?"

As Gozu's eye's met the woman's he made sure to keep a straight face to speak to her in a serious tone "Like yourself I need information, I thought we could help each other, but in this city two people can't do much that's why I thought getting a third would be smart." As he spoke he couldn't help but have a small grin appear on his face, it's been some time since he talked to someone as innocent as the girl in front of him. "People like you don't come around here often, most are too scarred but you have grit and i admire that, so I'm seeing if we can both help each other." As he spoke his eyes trailed around the room keeping an eye on everyone a couple people took some glances at the girl he wasn't the only person willing to take advantage of someone in need of help.

"Listen I'm probably not the worst person you could get help from, and I'll admit I'm not the best but since you came here your obviously didn't come for the people. We both need answers and we can both get them." He went back to looking her dead in the eye still with less of a grin on his face after looking around. "If we are going to help each other we are going to need more help, like from your friend that just left if you can get him I can get you your information, and in return you can help me get mine." He stick his hand out in a gesture of peace "Let's not waste to much time, people here don't have much patience, and they won't hesitate to take advantage of someone like you." Gozu used his most sincere tone hoping to get her on his side.

The guy seemed sincere enough and if he was looking for answer just like she was, she didn't feel it to be fair just to turn someone down who was trying to get the same thing she was. She didn't know him and Mitsuko had always been someone to believe that people were inherently good, that was no different with this man. Maybe this person had experienced struggles similar to her own and they coped in different ways. In a place like Republic City you could never assume who was a bender and who was not just based on appearance so for all she knew, maybe he was trying to discover if the Six were real, just like her.

Mitsuko looked down, "I can try but I can't promise anything. We aren't exactly friends, I sadly never even got his name. But, I'll try my best." She offered a smile to the man in the hopes it would encourage him of her persuasive abilities. Mitsuko didn't really think she could convince him to come back but doing so would at least buy her some time to figure out how to get the information with only two people.

After a small nod to this new person, she made her way from 'The Fan' in the hopes she would find the man once more. She saw him walking slowly in the distance and she pushed her legs forward in a sprint in an attempt to catch up with him. 

Waving an arm, she called out to him, "Wait!" When she caught up to him she took in a deep breath, "I know you are probably sick of me and I'll sorry but there's one last thing I need to ask you."

Harish was relieved to see that the girl had had enough sense to leave, but he didn't show it. With his characteristic scowl, he asked, "What now? Is this about your... investigation? I already told you, I don't have--" He stopped himself just short of finishing this thought, deciding instead to hear her out. Perhaps if he let her ask her question, she'd have the good sense to leave the way she came and not bother with Dragon Flats squatters again.

This was not the first time he'd seen her sort wander into Dragon Flats, but it always perturbed him when he did. This truly was no place for the faint of heart, what with all the Triad activity. He often wondered himself why he chanced coming here. He recalled beginning his evening excursions into Dragon Flats shortly after his father had died. Was there a correlation? Or was it more of a chemical reaction, his coming here in mourning of his father's passing-- a gravitational pull toward the district his father had dreamed of restoring but had never secured the opportunity to do so? The sudden epiphany made him uneasy, so he brushed it aside and readdressed the girl: "What more can I do for you?"

She was escatic by the fact that he was willing to hear her out but she didn't exactly know how to phrase things in such a way that he would actually stay.

"There's someone in there who claims he can get the information I need for free. I know he probably has an ulterior motive especially because he claims he needs both our help. I'm tempted to give it a shot because, to be honest, I'm a bit desperate at this point. I don't exactly have a whole lot of money and it's not enough to buy me really any information that I do need. I don't know why he wants to help me and while I wish it was out of the goodness of his heart, I'm not so sure it is."

Mitsuko lowered her voice in the hopes that if anyone was around they wouldn't here. "I approached you because you seemed different. You appeared to be more approachable than anyone else in that building but you still looked like you knew stuff. I don't know why I'm about to tell you this but I'm a waterbender. I live in the city completely alone because my older brother, a firebender, went missing. He just vanished in the middle of the night. I'm searching for him. That's why I'm doing this and probably making a lot of stupid decisions. But he could be out there and I couldn't live with myself if I never tried to find him."

She wasn't quite sure what it was about this man but she felt she could trust him. She felt like maybe he had gone through something similar. "Maybe he's alive or maybe he's not. I don't know if it was the Equalists, the Triads, or something worse that took him. I don't know if he just maybe left me behind. The only way I can know is if I pursue this."

Mitsuko fidgeted with her hands as her nerves grew, "The guy inside says he needs your help as well as mine and I don't expect you to help, I wouldn't want you risking your life for my problems. It's not fair of me to ask you to do that. Maybe I came out here in the hopes you would volunteer to help but I don't think that's the case. I guess if I vanish in the middle of the night after getting involved with all of this I'm just hoping someone will remember me too. I suppose that's a bit wishful though, isn't it?"

She pointed back to the building and smiled weakly, "I should get back in there. He said we didn't have a lot of time. You're welcome to come along if you've had a change of heart but you have no obligation to. It was nice meeting you and thanks for hearing me out. I am curious of one thing, what's your name? I don't think I ever got it."

Harish's blood ran cold and his expression fossilized at the mention of missing benders. So that's what this is about. Equalists... Triads... missing benders. This is worse than I thought. He wanted to tell her to scram, to vacate any hope she might have of finding her brother and settle into a simpler, quieter existence, one in which her bending, her identity would never become a peril. But he couldn't do that. He knew she would decline his offer to escort her out of Dragon Flats again, and instead fall back on to some shady, unscrupulous character to find the information she was looking for. He knew it because it had already happened. Someone had confronted her with a proposition, and she took it. Now he felt the burden of responsibility for convoying her in her search. Between this headlong Water Tribe girl and this believably duplicitous figure waiting inside for her, there needed to be some kind of arbiter.

With a reluctant groan, he said, "I'm Harish. And this is a sorry situation you've put us both in. But, I'm going to help you, if only to show you that there's nothing to be gleaned from this search. I'll tell you what I tell my sister: You can't find what doesn't want to be found. I'm sure you're familiar with the Wan Shi Tong Library. Here's a bit of trivia for you: Avatar Aang? He was the exception. Not since has the library been found. At least, that's what I was taught in school..." His mind drifted into childhood memories until his point nearly eluded him. "What I'm saying is, don't get your hopes up, Tiger Seal. Whoever took your brother is probably long gone by now... with your brother."

Was what he was prattling off sympathetic in the least? No, but it was sane, and conducive to her survival. She would have better luck going to the police and putting in a Missing Person Notice, but he was tired and unwilling to put up an argument again. This time, he was going to try to be like a waterbender and swim with the current. "Now-- hows'about we go meet this partner-in-crime who approached you?"

Gozu was leaning on the counter having yet another drink as he was scanning the room deep in his own thoughts. "I hope that girl caught up to him, those two could be the gateway to all my hopes and dreams, it's only a matter of time." Gozu startled fiddling with some rick dice he had in his right pocket feeling his left to make sure he still had money left over to spare. As he scanned the room he saw a gambling table full of guys playing dice, some of which could be easily persuaded with the right methods. Gozu had a grin coming across his face as he thought about what might come of his partnership if it pays off, the possibilities where limitless.

Gozu eyed the door waiting for the girl to return "It cant take that long" he thought as he drank. He finished up his last round of booze thinking that he would need the rest of his money for whats to come and decided to stop. He started scanning the room again for any possible liabilities, the guy's that where eyeing the girl where now mumbling eyeing at him "probably wandering about her" he thought "idiots". As he leaned on the counter just waited, he wouldn't wait too long if the girl wasn't coming back he might as well go around town maybe see what information he could dig up but he waited making sure to give the girl some time before he gave up on her.

Her eyes widened and a large grin formed on her face as she listened to the words. Any negative or worried feelings that she previously held now seemed to dissipate with his good news. He may not have put things kindly but he was blunt, and Mitsuko could appreciate his honesty about the situation. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She clapped her hands together after excitedly repeating the phrase.

A new bounce in her step, she started making her way back, glancing back at Harish as she spoke to him. " I guess then I'll just have to prove you wrong. Avatar Aang may have been the exception, but who's to say we can't be too? Anything can be found, even those that don't want to be. You just have to search hard enough."

Mitsuko wished she could have thanked him more than she did. She wasn't sure whether or not Harish realized that what he was doing for her was something that she thought could change her life. Everything had seemed more difficult ever since Tariq and while she didn't think things were about to get any easier, it seemed like she might not be completely alone anymore. There was someone willing to help her, any idea she never thought possible. Mitsuko had nearly always been the one helping others, not the other way around. It was partially her own fault, she never really went to anyone for assistance with her problems. This was different, this she couldn't do on her own.

Upon her re-entrance to 'The Fan', she immediately made her way over to the man with the proposal. She looked up at his eyes as she spoke, hoping she could gauge his reaction and tell whether or not he was lying. "Okay, we're here. How do we start?"

A wide visible grin appeared on Gozu's face as he looked at the two "Good job, you got him to come over here not bad." He got off from leaning on the counter and looked around, people where looking around suspiciously he knew he didn't have much time to talk before someone made a move. He crouched down near them and spoke in a low whisper "You see those guys over their gambling with Iqaluk, well they'll do anything for money so here's my plan." He looked around to make sure no one was close enough to listen. "Okay so I have some trick dice identical to the ones their using, I say we use them get that money and sell it back to them for information." he said. "I need you too, mostly you, for intimidating back up." He said looking at the man. "If this works we may get are first step to getting your information."

He looked at them awaiting their response, not much time it looked as if Iqaluk and his crew where about to leave so if they where gonna do something they better do it quick "So are you in or are you out, last chance to turn back." he said quick and hastily. He showed them the dice and some money he was planning on using to rig the game as he looked up he saw some guys eyeing them down he knew the window of opportunity was closing faster then expected. He rushed the money and dice back at his pocket and looked them both in the eye awaiting a response.