Sharing the Vagabond 》Desna x OC x Eska

Chapter Three: Spark

Being a morning person was a necessity for Kaida, even when she hadn't gotten much rest the night before – such as last night. But the dawn of a new day signified a world of new opportunities, and one opportunity Kaida was gunning for was the chance to capture Lau-Zhan. The fact that she didn't locate him on day one irked her, so she was full of determination and spite as fuel for capturing him on the second day.

Kaida was up and heading out of the palace the moment she saw the first signs of life in the city outside her bedroom window. The palace was still mostly dormant, aside from one or two members of the staff, who offered her some fruit – ironically brought in by the same ship that brought Kaida – which she accepted with many thanks to them. After that, she was off, delving into the city of Agna Qel'a in search of this elusive criminal.

It was essentially a scavenger hunt. Kaida identified clue after clue until it led her to the grand prize. A small shop owner hadn't seen Lau-Zhan, but suggested she check with the owner of the local inn, who hadn't seen him but suggested she contact their brother, because he knows every little detail of what goes on in the city. He hadn't seen Lau-Zhan either, but a buddy of his runs a butcher shop across town, and had mentioned seeing a newcomer who fit Lau-Zhan's description. The buddy had indeed encountered Lau-Zhan, and had heard him mention staying in an old friend's apartment for the next few weeks. Kaida searched one of two apartment complexes in the city but had no luck there, and just as she arrived at the last one, she saw the aforementioned grand prize leaving the building, heading to the market.

"Lau-Zhan, you are under arrest for crimes against the Fire Nation. Drop to your knees, place your hands on your head, and surrender now. I won't ask twice," Kaida yelled, her voice firm despite also sounding almost bored, considering she's recited the same line countless times to countless criminals, the only variations being the criminals name and whatever territory they were wanted by.

Lau-Zhan stopped dead in his tracks the second he heard his name, and remained frozen until Kaida had finished. She drew one of her broadswords just as he turned to face his pursuer, eyeing her with a bemused expression.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't everyone's favorite bounty hunter," Lau-Zhan taunted.

"Always nice to meet a fan."

"Hardly," he scoffed. "There's a whole lot of people you've put behind bars. My friends on the inside have told me to end you the second I got a chance. And it looks like today's my lucky day."

"I wouldn't advise trying your luck with me," Kaida said, unbothered. "Think about it. There is a reason that there's so many behind bars because of me. Whether you surrender now or put up a fight, you will be joining them."

Lau-Zhan glowered at her for a few moments, clearly mulling it over before declaring, "I will not be tucking tail and going down without a fight!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess," Kaida responded with a shrug, and before he could make a move, she threw two of the blades strapped to her thigh with pristine accuracy, pinning one of his arms to the wall behind him by his sleeve.

His eyes went wide at first, not knowing what hit him at first, then sent a few balls of fire her way as he tried to free his arm. She dodged each attack as she charged at him, directly in front of him at the exact moment he freed his arm. Lau-Zhan held a fist full of blazing fire as he tried to hit her, but she deflected it and punched him in the jaw. He was then abruptly surrounded in flames, which forced Kaida to retreat backwards a couple of feet, and he took that chance to make a break for it. She wasn't far behind, close enough to pull the whip from its place on her hip and use it to lasso his feet, effectively tripping and trapping him. With a few precise jabs, his arms were temporarily paralyzed.