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Normally one for a snappy comeback or a jest, Dav was gravely silent and fixed Baolin with a penetrating stare.

"I don't think you know who you have after you...But this goes beyond any little trade talks you have going. Something happened when I got out that changes things drastically."

As Tsuzuki approached Dav, he felt a pang of guilt for what had happened.

"There's alot I need to tell you and not alot of time. We need to talk in private...and...fast." Dav got out as his strength suddenly left him.

That fight took more out of me than I thought..."Dav thought to himself as he slumped against the wall.

Baolin bristled at Dav's comment. Diplomacy was all well and good, but not when he was being pinned with false accusations.

"Listen, waterboy," he snapped. "I don't know what your problem is with me, or why you feel like pinning the blame on me, but if you're going to live in my house, it has to stop. These people do notice if anything, even mood, is off about a place."

At Vade's words he retreated a few steps and nodded.

"Come in through the back door, two knocks, pause, one knock, and I'll let you in."

Vade stepped out into the fresh air once again. It was refreshing to get out of that stuffy tunnel. He could see now why the water-bender could hold his own. It was the full moon, and all water-benders are at their peek during that period of time.

They made their way to the very same clinic that Vade woke up in when he first arrived in Ba Sing Se.

An elderly lady ran the place. She was the nicest, most caring person Vade had ever met. She insisted that everyone called her Gran. She didn't ask for much, only respect, and enough money to keep her clinic going. She had enough skill to make a living in the nicer parts of the city, but she insisted on helping those who were less fortunate, but best of all she didn't ask very many questions, and that is what this situation called for.

Vade knocked on the door, "Oh, bless you deary, what are you doing out so late! You'll catch a cold. Oh my goodness just look at your friend there! You had best get him inside before he bleeds to death!"

"Gran, I don't know what happened to him, I found him like this. Can you help him?"

Gran gave Vade a stern look and then smiled softly,"Theres no need to lie to me Vade, you know I'll help your friend, but your gonna have to promise that your not up to anything too bad. Without your parents around theres nobody to get you out of trouble, should you get in any."

"Thanks Gran, but you know I can take care of myself. However I am a bit worried about my friend..."

"Oh, theres no need to worry, all he needs now is a bit of rest and he'll be fine."

Vade breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Im gonna go for a little walk Gran, I need a little time to myself..." Vade said as he gave her a hug and walked out the door. He walked out to the farmland and sat down in the field. For three hours he sat and relaxed. He cleared his mind of all his anxieties that had built up from his stressful day. He would need to think clearly tomorrow.

Vade could sense their approach, but he could not sense the environment reacting to them, this was not a bender. He would remain still, not letting his attacker know he was aware of his presence. He started to concentrate on the hard rocks in the loose soil around him. Below the tall bed of grass now lay a spiky bed of rocks. Vade knew he could not stomp or pound on the ground around him, it was too loose, and even if he did bend the earth around him, it was too loosely packed to cause any real damage.

When the intruder grew near Vade sprang to his feet and turned to face him, his eyes once again a deep brown as they had changed when he knocked on the old master's door. His feet dug into the ground as he assumed a deep, strong stance.

Six of the rocks rose with him and started spinning above his head. The intruder was warring all black and his face was covered. Upon detection he broke into a charge, throwing daggers at Vade as he closed the distance.

Vade met his daggers with his rocks, colliding with them in mid-air and deflecting them in other directions. When the assailant finally got close enough to hit Vade he shoulder rolled out of the way and flung a hailstorm of rocks.

Baolin sighed. Yes, he'd gotten that, but Dav was the real mystery. Oh well, he'd already made a decision.

"Come on Tsuzuki," he sighed. "We'd better get home and cleaned up. I'm sure a couple of guys like that will have no trouble getting there safely."

Tsuzuki nodded, tired and a little sad at what the events had come down to. After a brief pause, she followed Baolin back to his house and went straight to her room. She placed her bag by the door as it still hadn't been unpacked and lay down on the mat that she would have used as a bed. She placed her hands over her eyes and sat in her meditative stance. After she lowered her hands and rested them on her knees, she cleared her mind of everything. Then, she began to recall only the things that seemed to be related towards what had just happened.

First, she reviewed the day's events in her mind for what must have been the hundreth time only, this time, slowly. After doing this, she suddenly wasn't sure that they would be able to trust Dav. He was the one that had lead them to where they were. And he obviously was easy to track which wasn't good for their possition at all. There were also problems between him and Baolin which weren't great either. She'd have to at least try to keep the peace between them if they weren't going to end up killing each other.

She winced with pain as she saw the fire nation emblem again in her mind and knew that she couldn't repress it forever. She also knew that, after the war officially started, she would be in a very big delema. Tsuzuki had hated war ever since she was little but since all of the large, new weapons the fire nation created had to be inspected by her father and the people that worked under him, she would probably have to choose between her family and the world.

She turned over. She could hear Shuro and Baolin outside. She dabbed her eyes so the tears that were about to fall would never get the chance and looked in the mirror. Besides a deep sense of sadness in her eyes, she looked how she did previously. She sighed deeply and walked back out to join the present.

Training Post 15, [LB]-6

((I think I may have missed it in my pm box. . . Could you re-send it for me? Sorry sweatdrop ))

Tsuzuki sighed. She had heard most of what they had said and was thinking about what she would do. She shook her head, not believing what she was about to do and slung her pack over her back. "I should go to Amayen with Shuro."

She didn't wait for Baolin to argue as she said, "It'll cause less problems for you politically and me physically. I don't want any blemishes on your reputation and I think it would be much better if I just go. You can finish your buisnesses here and then either wait for Shuro and I to come back or come to Amayen yourself."