The Bedrock
Title: The Bedrock
Rating: PG
Characters: Xin Fu
Word Count: ~850, complete
Summary: Xin Fu gets some surprise visitors when he returns to Gaoling after the war.
Notes: Written for Writing Bingo (Round 3) at atlaland, prompt 'greed.'
The Bedrock
After the Bei Fong girl escaped, Xin Fu and Master Yu quickly went their separate ways. Spending most of a day trapped in a narrow metal box together left them with no desire to see each other ever again. Being in Ba Sing Se Prison had not been as bad, since at least there Xin Fu hadn't had a simpering dolt literally whining in his ear. He was so glad to be finally free that he gave each of the three traveling merchants who broke the box open a gold coin. Of course, he then promptly stole three gold coins from Yu. And another three, for freaking pissing on him.
The snobbish bastard could afford it. Yu made a mint off of that third-rate earth bending school he ran. He was a competent earth bender himself, but the man couldn't teach a rock to roll downhill.
Xin Fu started for Gaoling, but he hadn't gone far on the road south when he heard that Ba Sing Se had fallen to the Fire Nation. He changed his plans. Gaoling certainly wouldn't be able to hold out when the Impenetrable City couldn't, and he doubted the new local authorities would allow the Earth Rumbles to continue, even for a healthy bribe. Fire Nation people were all hung up on fire bending being the only true bending, or some crap like that. Xin Fu didn't care if people bended earth or fire or platypus bears, as long as he made money.
He spent some time traveling around the interior Earth Kingdom, mostly doing business with the sand benders. The Si Wong Desert was one of the few places where the Fire Nation couldn't establish total control, since it was so big, so sparsely populated and so unforgiving. He made good money, met good-looking women, and learned new bending skills.
The Occupation was good to him.
After the war ended, he returned to Gaoling. He was tired of the desert heat, and a sand bender chief got mad because his daughter had a good time with Xin Fu before the girl could be married off to another chief.
A lot had changed in a short time. Most of his colleagues in various shady enterprises were gone, having died or disappeared or just moved on. Freaking Toph Bei Fong, the little blind smartass, was a war hero. So were the Boulder, Hippo, and a bunch of others from his old crew. They'd all gone and invaded the Fire Nation, for which they got medals (which weren't nearly as nice and flashy as the Rumble championship belts, Xin Fu noted). The Boulder had started his own Earth Rumble, run with the town's blessing. Master Yu was proudly advertising that he had taught the Great Toph, and had more students than ever.
Xin Fu had been back in town for two days, and was debating where to go next, since he didn't care to stay. He was sitting in his kitchen, drinking green tea and thinking about visiting Omashu, when the front wall of his house tumbled down.
Before he could react, the rough stone floor around his chair climbed up around his legs and arms. A group of figures in hooded gray cloaks entered.
He roared in protest, and was sharply struck on the head with a rock. Not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to shut him up for a moment.
A man's voice he didn't recognize asked, "Is this the one?"
Another, smaller figure stepped forward. A hand rose up, a finger pointed at Xin Fu, in answer.
The other cloaked figures nodded, murmuring. The first speaker said, in a deep, gravelly voice, "Greetings, Xin Fu. We are the Bedrock."
He growled, "What the hell is the Bedrock?"
"An organization," the man replied, "that serves justice upon those who collaborated with the enemy."
"I'm not a collaborator! I never did a damn thing for the Fire Nation."
The smirk was obvious in the man's tone. "Only because someone else stopped you. You would have sold the Avatar to the Fire Nation for money."
Xin Fu sputtered, almost laughing. "What kind of crazy crap is this? Is this Hong Yan's idea of a joke? Just because I pulled his pants down in the ring…"
"This is not a joke," the man assured him. "We have not been sent by any of your," the distaste in his tone sharpened, "associates. We hunt down and punish those who betrayed the Earth Kingdom." The man started walking in a slow circle around the kitchen. "They offer many reasons for their crimes. They were afraid, they were trying to protect someone they loved, they were secretly double agents." He laughed dryly at the last. "But most of them were, like you, simply greedy."
Xin Fu realized this wasn't a joke. This nut, whoever he was, was serious. He asked, his voice dangerous, "And just what do you plan to try to do to me?"
The man stopped in front of Xin Fu and folded his hands in his long sleeves. "You will see soon enough."
--end
Rating: PG
Characters: Xin Fu
Word Count: ~850, complete
Summary: Xin Fu gets some surprise visitors when he returns to Gaoling after the war.
Notes: Written for Writing Bingo (Round 3) at atlaland, prompt 'greed.'
The Bedrock
After the Bei Fong girl escaped, Xin Fu and Master Yu quickly went their separate ways. Spending most of a day trapped in a narrow metal box together left them with no desire to see each other ever again. Being in Ba Sing Se Prison had not been as bad, since at least there Xin Fu hadn't had a simpering dolt literally whining in his ear. He was so glad to be finally free that he gave each of the three traveling merchants who broke the box open a gold coin. Of course, he then promptly stole three gold coins from Yu. And another three, for freaking pissing on him.
The snobbish bastard could afford it. Yu made a mint off of that third-rate earth bending school he ran. He was a competent earth bender himself, but the man couldn't teach a rock to roll downhill.
Xin Fu started for Gaoling, but he hadn't gone far on the road south when he heard that Ba Sing Se had fallen to the Fire Nation. He changed his plans. Gaoling certainly wouldn't be able to hold out when the Impenetrable City couldn't, and he doubted the new local authorities would allow the Earth Rumbles to continue, even for a healthy bribe. Fire Nation people were all hung up on fire bending being the only true bending, or some crap like that. Xin Fu didn't care if people bended earth or fire or platypus bears, as long as he made money.
He spent some time traveling around the interior Earth Kingdom, mostly doing business with the sand benders. The Si Wong Desert was one of the few places where the Fire Nation couldn't establish total control, since it was so big, so sparsely populated and so unforgiving. He made good money, met good-looking women, and learned new bending skills.
The Occupation was good to him.
After the war ended, he returned to Gaoling. He was tired of the desert heat, and a sand bender chief got mad because his daughter had a good time with Xin Fu before the girl could be married off to another chief.
A lot had changed in a short time. Most of his colleagues in various shady enterprises were gone, having died or disappeared or just moved on. Freaking Toph Bei Fong, the little blind smartass, was a war hero. So were the Boulder, Hippo, and a bunch of others from his old crew. They'd all gone and invaded the Fire Nation, for which they got medals (which weren't nearly as nice and flashy as the Rumble championship belts, Xin Fu noted). The Boulder had started his own Earth Rumble, run with the town's blessing. Master Yu was proudly advertising that he had taught the Great Toph, and had more students than ever.
Xin Fu had been back in town for two days, and was debating where to go next, since he didn't care to stay. He was sitting in his kitchen, drinking green tea and thinking about visiting Omashu, when the front wall of his house tumbled down.
Before he could react, the rough stone floor around his chair climbed up around his legs and arms. A group of figures in hooded gray cloaks entered.
He roared in protest, and was sharply struck on the head with a rock. Not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to shut him up for a moment.
A man's voice he didn't recognize asked, "Is this the one?"
Another, smaller figure stepped forward. A hand rose up, a finger pointed at Xin Fu, in answer.
The other cloaked figures nodded, murmuring. The first speaker said, in a deep, gravelly voice, "Greetings, Xin Fu. We are the Bedrock."
He growled, "What the hell is the Bedrock?"
"An organization," the man replied, "that serves justice upon those who collaborated with the enemy."
"I'm not a collaborator! I never did a damn thing for the Fire Nation."
The smirk was obvious in the man's tone. "Only because someone else stopped you. You would have sold the Avatar to the Fire Nation for money."
Xin Fu sputtered, almost laughing. "What kind of crazy crap is this? Is this Hong Yan's idea of a joke? Just because I pulled his pants down in the ring…"
"This is not a joke," the man assured him. "We have not been sent by any of your," the distaste in his tone sharpened, "associates. We hunt down and punish those who betrayed the Earth Kingdom." The man started walking in a slow circle around the kitchen. "They offer many reasons for their crimes. They were afraid, they were trying to protect someone they loved, they were secretly double agents." He laughed dryly at the last. "But most of them were, like you, simply greedy."
Xin Fu realized this wasn't a joke. This nut, whoever he was, was serious. He asked, his voice dangerous, "And just what do you plan to try to do to me?"
The man stopped in front of Xin Fu and folded his hands in his long sleeves. "You will see soon enough."
--end