He didn't like the fact that Kaji wouldn't tell him what happened to her. In truth it infuriated him but if he wouldn't tell there was probably a good reason. He just couldn't think of it. He wasn't surprised that Heather was just as upset about this as he was, but he didn't like the idea of her taking him outside to find out but he nodded at her request because he didn't want to argue with her too.

He paced their room in their absence thinking well more like contemplating, because he had so many thoughts running through his mind at a rapid pace right now. After a few moments the silvery haired bender resigned that he'd save the task of sorting his thoughts out for later. Not much later than that he heard what sounded like a waterfall outside. He figured that Kaji had just been drenched. His theory was confirmed when the two entered the room again.

Heather looked as though she was stunned at what had happened and that put the male on edge. Kaji just looked irritated that he was wet and couldn't dry himself in the usual manner. Filled still with tension, Kiril sat down on a bench and sighed, "So nobody plans to tell me huh?" It was a rhetorical question because he knew they wouldn't tell him. So all he could do was wait.

Kaji shrugged at the question as he closed his eyes that still held the clear sign of irritation that he felt. He wasn't entirely fond of being drenched to the bone without a way to completely dry off and rather quickly. His arms loosely crossed over his chest as he decided to focus on something else. His thoughts soon enough came to the man Altyre. He had known something that he shouldn't have and the fact he did, disturbed him greatly. Once more the fire bender became lost in his own thoughts, though was soon brought back to the present as he suddenly heard the air bender stir.

Heather still held a complete look of shock on her face as her gaze rose at Kiril's question. The green gaze switched between the silver haired water bender and Sylph. "It would be best for her to say...I probably should have waited myself instead of pump Kaji for information...I will say though I always thought you would be the first to make a move...You're now behind in what I think is now going to be a race" the water bender replied, not fully realizing at that point that her words would probably cause more questions and confusion rather than answer anything.

A dream. That's what she was experiencing in the void of darkness right now. She could see herself and Altyre standing beside one another. Another person was there in front of them, however the person's image was blurred so she couldn't recognize them. The only really sharp images were of her and the fire bender. The dark haired male and the unknown figure began conversing about something before her mind jumped. The next thing she knew she felt as if she was drowning in a pool of glistening red and feeling a faint pressure on her lips.

Her dream came to the climax that somehow involved flying blue cats, making her realize this was in fact a dream, causing the air bender to stir. Before too long light blue eyes opened, her vision rather blurred. "Ugh...What...happened? Where..." came her light and confused groan as her vision began to sharpen slowly.

"You fainted Sylph" came Kaji's calmed reply as he hid his irritation and picked up his natural calm once more. Sylph's light eyes drifted towards Kaji as her mind was suddenly bum rushed with images. 'That's right Altyre...he...And Kaji was there...' A deep crimson blush assaulted her face as she slowly sat up. She took a quick glance around, seeing that it wasn't only the fire bender in the room but Kiril and Heather as well. Seeing the silver haired water bender though only increased her flush as she quickly looked away.

Her gaze soon enough drifted back to Kaji, realizing then that he wasn't as...dry as she had remembered him. "Um Kaji?" she quietly asked, causing one of the red eye brows of the male to rise in question. "Why are you all wet?" she finished, choosing to see if she could quickly start up a subject before asked anything herself. She wasn't sure if Kaji told either of them what had happened or not.

The fire bender let out a sigh as he had tried rather hard to ignore the fact he was still dripping wet. "It's best...not to ask..." he replied almost solemnly as a hand passed through his damp hair. "More importantly I believe there's another matter that needs attending to rather then my degree of...dryness...Such as who exactly that man was" he continued with a sigh, though his gaze opened and looked straight at the air bender. "You'll also have a bit of explaining to do for that one there" he said nodding his head towards Kiril.

Sylph could feel the heat of her blush increase, but nevertheless she knew she needed to answer a few things. "Altyre? He's...a friend that my brother and I grew up with back in Birdeit" was all she could manage to squeak out.

"Just a friend? Are you suuuuuure?" the water bender female, who had remained silent and staring at the girl chimed in with a slightly sly smile. Sylph's head immediately and vigorously nodded, after casting a slightly nervous gaze towards the male water bender, whom she was currently feeling hesitant about telling or even looking at, at the moment.

'The first to make a move? Behind in what,' he thought as his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Neither of them had been helpful as he had known would be the case, still something about all of this bothered him and they were both hiding it from him. In all honesty Kiril was ready to leave, he wanted to get out of here and do something. The hallway was quieting down a little bit likely because the crowd had almost completely filtered out by now and Sylph was beginning to stir.

After a short exchange the girl and his brother, the waterbender nearly jumped out of his seat at that new firebender's name, though he restrained himself with an effort. Letting out a large sigh, things were starting to come together in his head, "So you know unpolished wolf that's been roaming around here?" It had just occurred to him that Kaji had run into him to since he'd been with Sylph when he arrived.

He was too tired to be worked up anymore and he used his bending to absorb the moisture off Kaji so he would be less irritated, since Heather obviously didn't care if he was miserable or not, and added it to his canister at his hip. Then he glanced over at Sylph who was flushed all over, "As long as you're okay I won't ask. I have more than enough to deal with as is, and I'd hate to have to fight him."

'Becuase I don't think I can beat him,' he finished mentally. There was a void between them at the moment and it was larger than the gap in power between the siblings. That man has seen many more real battles than he'd ever know and right now, there was little need to bother with him for that reason. He felt like Altyre's eyes were those of a caged animal who when released could really reek havoc. Running a hand through his silvery locks, he sighed heavily. Just one more person I have to catch.

Sylph was rather surprised as Kiril implied that he knew whom they were talking about. A few fingers roamed to her hair, a rather strange habit that she occasionally seemed to take up. "An unpolished wolf? I'll have to say that's a first I've heard someone call him that one. He's just a little...rough around the edges" she said giving a slightly nervous laugh. Somehow she held the feeling that the water bender had encountered Altyre and it wasn't exactly a...peaceful meeting. Of course she knew that the fire bender was simply like that at first with most people, however she was unaware just how much of a degree it was now. From what she could tell with the meeting with Kaji though, she figured it couldn't have gone too badly...right?

She was relieved though as the silver haired male stated he wouldn't ask further on the subject so long as she was alright. "Yes I'm perfectly fine" she assured him happily, as a gentle smile graced her still relatively red face.

Kaji picked up as well that Kira had, had a run in with the fire bender. "I will say he's a rather...interesting fellow to say the least. I've a feeling it'll be interesting during the next meeting...Which speaking of may be best to do sooner rather then later" the fire bender calmly stated as he lightly pushed himself from the door frame. He could feel and see the water being taken off of him by his brother, and he flashed him an appreciative look. He may scold the water bender occasionally on his actions, but the brotherly love and affection he felt for the silver haired bender would never change. He was the older brother and technical guardian so it was really only natural that he would occasionally lecture his brother out of concern for his welfare.

Heather couldn't help but giggle as Kira questioned what it was that he was behind on. The only answer she would give however was a slight nod towards the air bender. She figured she could go a bit more in depth if need be, after all after dealing with the male guards in the imperial guard, Kaji included, she deduced that most, if not all males seemed relatively clueless when it came to the emotions and feelings of women. She would have told the water bender male right then and there rather bluntly what she meant, however with Kaji and Sylph there she found for once she couldn't.

Her gaze flicked back and forth between the three benders as they talked about what appeared to be another bender that she recognized the name of only because of what she had learned from Kaji. "From the sounds of it I think he'll be a good rival for you Kira. Might even 'push' you in the right direction" she said making a slight head gesture towards the air bender, causing the light blue haired woman to gain a rather confused look. Glancing towards Kaji, who had raised an eyebrow in question, caused her to let out a quiet sigh. 'Sometimes I hate being the only one to know what I'm talking about...'

As Kaji then stated something that somewhat gave him an excuse to possibly leave, the woman immediately shot him a fierce look. "Oh no you don't, you sir are going no where right now. Instead I think we should do something together, and possibly hunt down Zeno as well" she stated with a nod. In truth a part of her wanted to give an excuse for her to be around the fire bender as much as possible, even if she had ended up annoying him with water and hadn't bothered to remedy it.

As the short water bender spoke, Sylph couldn't help but glance around with a slight frown. She had already taken note that the earth bender wasn't there, however she figured he had simply stepped out only for a few minutes for perhaps the rest room. From what she gathered though, and the fact a bit of time had seemed to pass, she came to the conclusion that this was not the case. "I'm surprised Zeno isn't here. Did he have somewhere he needed to go?" she asked confused as to why the male wasn't present. "About that...I think he's planning on leaving Einheit. At first I thought he was joking, or that one of you might convince him otherwise, but it's a real possibility he may be heading out now"

Kiril almost shot her a nasty look but decided against it but he couldn't hide the displeasure he felt about her taking up for the man. Then again, there was little he could do about it. They are childhood friends after all. Still, it bothered him that she seemed so close to him. Which only made his mind wonder in places that he didn't want or need it to go.

He nodded without looking when she announced that she was fine and steadily closed his eyes to rest as they spoke. "Kaji, he's a firebender at least on your level. I wouldn't take him lightly." He only said that for the sake of the other two sitting in there with them. Kiril knew full well that his brother was the most cautious person around, and he still didn't like firebenders. Maybe it was because not only was he the opposite and dominant element, but he was weaker than two of them now. One was bad enough. He sighed inwardly at the thought.

The male opened his eyes and mirrored Kaji's expression perfectly when he heard Heather's comment. He didn't even know what she meant. "I don't need another rival. I need more training, and something to eat. I'm starving," he admitted shamelessly.

The conversation took a bitter turn when Sylph brought Zeno back up and Heather said he was leaving. Kira was stunned at the news, the shock openly on his features. Had he gotten that discouraged after the match that he needed to leave? But if that was the case, then he would be leaving to train which meant he needed some time alone. If the two of them had never had anything in common before, they did now. "Then it's for the best. Everyone has to find their own path in life and walk it. This is the path he chose."

It was a bit of a sour sentiment, but it was true. "I wish him the best," he added under his breath. The boy's enthusiasm was annoying, but it would be missed. He was a good kid with a good heart. Maybe when he comes back he'll be a man.

Kaji couldn't help but give a quiet chuckle as Kiril warned him to be cautious. "I'm well aware. My internal fire's been raging since our meeting, it's actually kind of annoying" the fire bender calmly stated, closing his eyes again. In his mind he could practically hear the whisperings of his flames, urging him to go now, meet the other fire bender and pit his flames against him to prove who was stronger. The red haired fire bender's cautious nature however argued back and deftly kept his flames and actions at bay.

Heather shot Kaji and Kira a confused look of her own. "How do you know Kira and what do you mean Kaji?" she asked the two benders curiously. She was never really one to study fire benders, well at least not in the more technical bending way, so she never understood when they talked of their own flames. Perhaps it was because she was a water bender and never experienced anything with her water. However it was strange for someone like Kaji to complain that his flames were annoying.

Kaji let out a calm and patient sigh, as if he had, had numerous and similar conversations in the past before. "Contrary to belief a fire bender's flame is as alive as the fire bender. It's similar to when a person feels they have to prove themselves, a flame is very similar. When it sense another that feel strong it has the urge to pit itself against it to see where stacks up. The stronger flame will usually devour the weaker, however one can never truly know which is the stronger until they're pitted. Until then a fire bender's fire will call out, which can be rather bothersome to a fire bender. It's like having a voice whispering in your ear just it's in your mind since the fire is internal...It's probably one of the many reasons many fire benders eventually lose their minds" the red haired male calmly tried to explain. It probably wasn't his most technical explanations, but he figure it would work.

"So wait if your fire is internal does that mean if you bleed fire?" the air bender asked curiously. She had never thought of where a fire bender's fire came from to be honest. She always assumed that it was similar to air, that the fire was always just there and it was simply something she couldn't see because she wasn't a bender of it."No not exactly. If I'm cut I still bleed the same as any other...let's see..." he calmly stated as he thought of the best way to explain this to the air bender. "A fire bender's fire is usually stemmed from emotions, so think of the fire as a sort of physical representation of what that bender feels. Of course different emotions will yield different results, which could influence the strength of the flames" he continued after a few moments, trying to answer any other question the air bender may have.

"That's why most fire benders are hot heads...with the exception of that one over there of course" Heather stated playfully, as she motioned towards Kaji with her head. She could understand the red haired guard's explanation for the most part, and she could see on Sylph's face that the air bender was getting there herself. Despite it she decided a slight change of subject would be good, and fixed her gaze over on Kiril.

She giggled as the male stated he didn't need another rival. "Oh but I think this one will be good for you. And yes you need training...both you and Kaji need it...desperately...And I think Sylph and I would be the best teachers for you boys" she said with a giggle as she gave a wink. Glancing back and forth between the two male benders, she couldn't help but smirk. "Until then perhaps we should all get something to eat eh?" the water bender stated as she got up from her position on the floor.

The mood took a slightly saddened turn as Kiril commented on his thoughts of Zeno leaving. Kaji had to reluctantly agree that it would perhaps be best for the boy. He recalled his own numerous leavings of Einheit, when his duties forced him to, and in the end felt that, that had served him rather well. "Couldn't have said it better myself. In the end it may prove fruitful for him" the fire bender quietly agreed. He had taught the boy what he could, at least when it came to preparing him against Alkaid, but he knew no matter how hard he would train the boy he would still hold back. It would be better for Zeno to train with others that didn't hold as much sentiment as he had gained with the earth bender.

A clear look of sadness passed through the eyes and expressions of both girls. For Sylph is was like being away from another brother, but she was confident that they would see one another again. After all she had to look at her and Altyre, they hadn't seen each other for seven years and now they were reunited once again. Of course she hoped that it wouldn't be that long before she saw the earth bender again. 'Who knows maybe he'll even run into my brother. I think they would be good for one another since they're both earth benders' she thought, using that sentiment to cheer herself up a bit. "We'll see him again, though I do wish he would have at least come to say goodbye..."

Heather had to quietly nod in agreement, although Zeno had in a sense said goodbye to her. She still wished the earth bender would have carried out her words, but then again if it was better for him to leave, as seemed to be the overall thought, then she doubted that he would have been able to had he gone to everyone, especially Sylph. Letting the room fall to silence for a moment as they thought of the earth bender, the green eyed female immediately attempted to perk up. "So about that food..." she said as she again went to change the subject. "I think you two should decide since I'm sure you're the hungriest eh?" she said with a giggle as she went towards Kaji and immediately seemed to seize one of his crossed arms, causing one of his fine red eyebrows to rise in curiosity. She had never been quite as bold as she was now, but then she figured perhaps that was the main reason he never seemed to look her way. 'Men are dense I must remember that'

Kiril smirked and shrugged. He figured that his brother was as anxious about this meeting as he'd been and he wasn't a firebender. As Heather asked her question and Kaji slid into his reply, Kira waited patiently too add his piece. When he was done he quickly interjected, "All that I can do is sense another person's element and the easier it is to sense the element the stronger the bender usually is, because they have developed their abilities. An untrained bender has no control over their power and are usually weak, so when you sense their element its like trying to feel a short breeze of wind or a light trickle of water. What I felt from Altyre was like an erupting volcano. His power is massive." He glanced at his brother, knowing that it would probably make him a little jittery hearing that.

Kiril snickered slightly at Sylph's question. He knew it was silly and uneducated but he still couldn't contain his laughter completely. As Kaji gave his explanation the waterbender waited patiently with a slight grin on his features. He nodded in agreement with his brother's details and when the firebender was done he threw in, "It's like a second conscience," to dumb things down to laymen's terms for her.

Though when the female waterbender said that the rival would be good for him, Kiril scoffed. And he raised an eyebrow at the comment that he and Kaji needed to be trained with the two women as their teachers. Neither of the women were as strong as either of them, so he wasn't sure what she was talking about. He did perk up when she mentioned food though.

It was a somber thought that the boy was leaving but it was for the best, and he was glad Kaji had agreed. Admittedly Zeno had tremendous upside and would probably be great bender in the future but right now he was young and extremely naive. Sad, but true. Kiril really did hope for the best. Sylph seemed to be pretty upset that he didn't come say goodbye, but the waterbender figured it was probably because he felt like he would return and see them again. Goodbye's were a final farewell, at least in his eyes.

Heather soon changed the subject to food and at that moment, Kiril's stomach let out a loud growl. "I obviously don't care so, Kaji it's on you," he said, tossing the responsibility on his brother.

Heather's gaze turned towards Kira as he explained his elemental sensing ability. It made sense to her although she was a bit shocked to find someone actually used such a technique or even knew it in Einheit. Although she hated to admit it she knew that most in the city were only concerned with their own element rather then even bothering to figure out the element of others. She knew it was even true with most of the imperial guards, with the exception of a few that actually made an effort to find out, such as herself or Kaji. She was even further surprised when she heard his assessment on Altyre's power. Naturally though that made her just a bit curious. "That's quite the ability. So then if your sensing that from this Altyre...what can you sense from our little fire boy here?" she asked, teasing the fire bender with a nickname, and earned her a slight frown from the red head.

Sylph's mind slowly wrapped around Kiril's explanation. It made a fair amount of sense to her, and it was clear from her eyes that she was relatively impressed. She couldn't help but giggle as he then stated what he felt from her childhood friend. "I'm not surprised if he was able to take down my brother" she said with another giggle. She was a bit curious herself as she heard Heather's question. How well would the fire bender's stack up in Kiril's eyes? Then again he had stated that Altyre was at least the same level as Kaji.

As Kira further expanded on Kaji's explanation of his fire and the voices he heard from it she nodded her head in understanding. "I see. So then if it's like a second conscience then shouldn't you be listening to it Kaji?" she asked with a giggle.

Kaji's attention turned to Sylph as she asked about listening to his fire. "No...I can't say it would be a wise idea. It's quite like what you're thinking, it doesn't dictate right from wrong. Rather it's formed mainly from a fire bender's actions from a young age and up. To put it simply if your acts have been...decent and used for...'good' then typically the fire is benevolent and helpful. If the opposite is true though the fire is more malevolent and listening to it generally isn't a good idea..." he calmly explained, using as simple of logic as he could.

Sylph could understand the explanation, after all despite some of her more...uneducated questions. She had blushed when she heard Kira's snicker and directed her gaze down as she then realized how stupid her question must have sounded about fire benders bleeding fire, but then she didn't exactly know many fire benders before hand, and the one she had known she hadn't seen in seven years. "Hmmmm I don't think I could picture your fire as being malevolent...What does it tell you exactly?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

For a moment Kaji remained silent. "It may be best not to know" he quietly stated after a few moments. Of course this seemed to only further the curiosity of the girl and soon even piqued Heather's interest. "Ah come on don't hold out on us Kaji...Please? Tell us!" she pleaded tugging on the arm she had latched onto. Her eyes though made it clear she wouldn't let the subject drop in the least.

Kaji had already learned that there were times it was just better to not argue with the female water bender, and he figured now was not one of those times. With a sigh he closed his eyes and mentally tuned in on the voice inside. "To put it...simply...it's telling me to burn the city to the ground and watch the people burn in agony as the flames eat away at their bodies. It's also asking to burn the other fire bender to a crisp without restraint..." he stated in a sort of eerie calm as his eyes slowly opened. Within the golden gaze it looked almost as if flames themselves danced maliciously in them before disappearing almost as quickly as they appeared. "As I've already said though I've no intention of listening to such a voice. I hear it enough from Alkaid after all. As you can see though the mentality of most of those with power are the same. The only real difference is I choose not to act on such thoughts" His golden eyes could see the shock that seemed painted into the eyes of both females. He had never really revealed what his flames whispered to him to really anyone, even his brother, after all it would mean revealing a bit more of his mind then he was willing to.

Deciding again to change the subject as Kira passed on the decision of food onto him, he quickly acted on it. He wasn't exactly hungry, after all out of all the fighters he had probably used the least amount of energy, despite his few flashes of flames and final lightning strike. From the sound of his brother's stomach though the silver haired male was clearly hungry. "If I'm not mistaken there's a small restaurant nearby a fair variety. The food's pretty decent and it may attract less of a crowd them most other places with so many tourists from other countries around" Kaji calmly suggested. He figured as well that it would also give him some information on Alkaid's condition since he was certain they'd at least run into another guard that possibly knew something and was coming to report to him anyways.

The waterbender glanced at his brother and then back at Heather after she'd asked what he felt from the older firebender. Kaji was strong, exceptionally so, but the feeling he got from his brother wasn't like that of Altyre's. His eyes went to the floor as he took a moment to gather his thoughts and how best to explain them. Once he was sure that he had the best explination he could think of he looked up and met Heather's gaze, "Kaji's power feels more like a wildfire that's spreading rapidly and uncontrollably with nothing to restrict it."

It sort of felt like he didn't do his brother quite enough justice but that was the best he could explain it. Altyre's felt like an overwhelming force, and Kaji's felt like it was engulfing him. It was the one thing he hated when it came to gauging his sibling's current level. Because of the way his power radiated, it was hard to get a good accurate read on him.

As Sylph said Altyre's power shouldn't be surprising because he bested her brother that made the silvery haired bender wonder, "Who did you say your brother was again?" He couldn't remember right now if they had talked about him, but for some reason he felt like if they had, he shouldn't have forgotten.

The two shifted the topic again to Kaji's inner flame and it's nature being more like living conscience than anything else. His head shifted back and forth as the two spoke until Kaji explained what it was his was personally like, revealing that it was more malevolent than benevolent. Kiril shrugged inwardly. He had always known when Kaji was tired and when something weighed heavily on him, and several of the missions he had partaken in during the past had left him scarred. Not physically, but psychologically. And the younger male had taken notice.

There was a brief hint of pity that flashed through his mind but he quickly banished it. His brother had taken up this job to protect him and to give them a life they hadn't had growing up. A life of stability and safety. Warm admiration and a tinge of sadness radiated through the waterbender's pores but he knew which was more prevalent. To feel pity for him would be an insult to his hard work and dedication. His eyes rested on his brother who seemed unfazed on the outside, but he could tell this was a subject he had wholeheartedly wanted to avoid. It was at times like these that he wished Heather was better able to read his sibling, or at least be a little more courteous to his feelings.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kiril said as he got up from his seat. Walking to the door he opened it and extended his free hand outward, "Ladies first."

Heather was both surprised yet not as Kiril explained what he felt when it came gauging Kaji's power. "Well I suppose that it's a good thing he's a part of the guards then rather then anything else" she said with a quick chuckle. It was a bit overwhelming to hear just how powerful he seemed to be, and that the flames he was known for were rather malevolent. It made her more thankful though that his personality didn't reflect his inner thoughts.

As the conversation shifted temporarily to her brother again Sylph couldn't help but smile. "Novarre is his name, although I typically call him Nova for short" she said cheerily, recovering over her embarrassment from her previous questions. She may not have been very knowledgeable when it came to inner fires and sensing elements, but when it came to her brother she could definitely answer questions knowledgeably.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the pair at the door frame to the male water bender nearer to her. She was a bit more perceptive then the female water bender as she thought she saw a pang of something pass through the silver haired male's demeanor. She couldn't tell quite what it was, but she had a feeling that the reasoning had to due with his fire bending brother.

When the subject changed again to food she quietly went along with it. Nodding her head in agreement that the place sounded good that Kaji described, she gently rose from her position on the couch. Slowly she made her way towards the doorway as the water bender opened the door and offered the girls to pass through first. Deciding it would be best to perhaps help Heather exit the room. Lightly she grabbed a hold of the female water bender's other arm and tugged. There were a few things she wished to talk to the shorter woman about anyways. "Thank you" she said happily, before successfully freeing Heather from Kaji's arm and leading her out the door.

Kaji was relatively relieved to have the female removed from his arm. She was acting rather strange, though with everything that had been going on as of late, it was probably the least of his concerns. He waited a few moments, hanging back until the girl's were a bit further out of ear shot before he turned and looked to his brother. "I'm sure I don't need to say this, but I shall anyways. We'll have to be careful around this Altyre, even if he appears to be a friend of Sylph's. He actually knows of our relation and I don't think he found out from Sylph either. I thought I would warn you ahead of time" his tone had took on a clear tinge of seriousness that matched his gaze. In moments though both were gone and the usual calm he usually held returned. "That said shall we?" he calmly added, feeling that holding back his hungry brother from food any longer wasn't necessary.

"Novarre," he said in a ponderous tone. "What does he do?" The name sounded familiar but for some reason he couldn't quite figure out who the man was. Bierdt was a good sized country but it wasn't as big as Einheit, which was the largest country in the world. Lazandus was the next largest, but it's an agriculture country, and doesn't use many electronics. Though there are still strong and famous benders living and from there.

Once the girl were out of the room and far enough not to hear them speak Kaji looked to him with a warning. Immediately Kiril matched his brother's serious gaze and nodded. It was a surprise that Altyre had already known of their relationship though, "I already know how strong he is. The man lifted me off the ground by the throat with one hand, and I'm scared to think that he may be faster than either of us too." He paused for a moment before his eyes narrowed with dire seriousness, "I don't want to speak out of turn on this, but there's a chance that he may be stronger than you. It's hard to say for sure with the way your power feels but I'm sure that he's at least at your level. Easily."

The only reason that this was a big deal was because Kaji could very well be the strongest bender in all the world. If not that, he was certainly the most famous. Or infamous outside Einheit. He worried, that his words would stir up his brother's inner flame even more than it already was. If they somehow ended up fighting, there was no guarantee that Kaji could win. And as far as Kira knew, Kaji had never lost a fight before. It would be unprecedented.

With both of them having said their piece -and added incentive from his stomach- Kiril filed out the door following the ladies out in front after giving his sibling the nod.

-------

The Wolf was a tavern and inn with nothing exceptionally notable about it. The bar was clean and well managed as were all the rooms upstairs where the inn section was located. The only thing out of the ordinary today was two guest. One staying and another visiting.

Rhamira almost never spent any time in this part of town except for when she made visits to the arena for its special events, such as the fight today. Now that she had taken care to see that Alkaid wasn't going to die from his bloodbending injuries, she had come to see the exotic dark skinned male that had some of her little birdies chirping. Not that he was well known outside of certain circles, but she had employed people from his line of business before and right now she needed the most feared assassin in the underworld for a very. . . delicate mission.

Dressed in an exuberant fashion as usual the untrained airbender smugly approached the establishment's owner, "Where can I find your dark-skinned exotic looking patron," she asked in a demanding tone. The ordinary looking man turned to see who it was that had basically demanded the information of him and a look of shock was apparent on his face. Seeing the councilwoman, he scrambled for his room list checking to see which room the firebender was staying in, "He's in room four. It's the second door on the right upstairs." Not bothering to thank the man, she set off.

When she arrived and went to knock at the door, a tall well built male opened it, as he looked down on her.

"Altyre, I take it?"
"Aye."
"We need to talk."

She went to walk in the door but the figure blocking it didn't move.

"You are going to let me in," she demanded.
"I'm not going to do anything until you prove to me that you understand how my business is conducted."

Nodding that she understood, she whipped her large purse that she'd been carrying to the front and opened it, revealing the obscene amount of gold inside.

"Now can I come in?"
"Name."
"You don't know who I am?"

Altyre's eyes were as empty as the void of death and at that moment Rhamiria noticed she in the presence of a true murderer.

"Rhamiria."

Tyr moved aside, and the woman walked in and took a seat at one of the chairs around the coffee table. She heard the door shut behind her and suddenly couldn't shake the immense uneasy feeling she now had. Alkaid was about as brutal as they came and Kaji could even be intimidating but nothing she'd experienced up until now even came close the feeling of danger that she was trapped in right now.

Swallowing hard, now that her throat suddenly went dry she asked, "So what is it that you need a name for?" The firebender smiled grimly, "For several reasons. First, I simply like to know who I'm working for. Second, a name breeds a sense of familiarity. If you give good jobs and pay well I can make recommendations and may even protect you for a fee if you end up on someone else's bad side. Third, it's for my protection. If you set me up and I survive, you won't. And not a soul will have any idea what happened to you."

He paused to take in the look of horror on her face, "So think of it as my insurance policy. I won't work for someone who won't tell me their name. Even if I already know it," he added with a wink.

"What happens to the liars?"
"You wouldn't have any idea that I knew you lied. Now what do you want?"

No matter who he was, nobody talked to Rhamiria that way! She was on the council! The woman swelled up in anger and just as she was about to say something in protest, she caught a glimpse in his eyes that dared her to step out of line, and she calmed herself with an effort.

Sighing loudly, she slumped her shoulders in defeat, "I need someone eliminated. Well actually, two people."
"The names."
"Kiril and Kaji."

A flash of amusement appeared in the firebender's eyes. "And exactly how much are you willing to pay for me to eliminate two of the strongest benders in the world?"

Rhamiria looked at him, a smug self satisfied grin on her lips, "One million vice." Altyre burst out in laughter, "Not enough." She shrugged off his outburst, "Five." No reaction. "Ten," she said realizing she was couldn't bargain with him. It was known to the few individuals who dealt with Tyr that he was an expensive hire, but it also depended on the job she was told. The two of them couldn't be worth much more than that? Unless he knew something about them that she didn't?

Altrye stood up and walked to the door ready to dismiss the woman when she lunged to her feet, "Wait! Wait! I'll give you twenty five million! How does that sound?" The assassin still didn't look all that motivated, but he finally replied after a moment, "I'll consider it. You'll have my answer in a couple of days. If I accept, I want the rest of my down payment at that point, or no deal."

Feeling that she now had something to encourage Alkaid with -possibly- when he awoke from surgery, she accepted that for the moment. The dark skinned bender opened the door and Rhamiria again putting her usual demeanor in place, "I look forward to your favorable reply," she said walking out the door. And when she heard the door shut behind her, she let out a sigh that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in.

(figured I throw in a little twist of my own lol)

Kaji quietly took in his brother's words, feeling his inner fires stoked even further by them. 'Calm yourself...' he mentally chided his fires. Obediently they calmed just enough to where the fire bender wasn't struggling to keep them under control and have a fire accident within the building, but they were still riled up. The meeting with Altyre would definitely be an interesting one. Finding out just how Kiril had discovered the other fire bender's power naturally awoken the usually calm red head's anger, though he kept it hidden from his eyes. He was tolerant of many things, but unprovoked attacks to his kin was perhaps one of the few things that could fuel the anger of the fire bender. Knowing this Kaji was aware that there was a possibly strong chance of a confrontation between the two, be it during the 'interview' that the guard had agreed to, or at a later time. Either way he was certain their fires would clash, and if this Altyre was indeed at his level or possibly even higher it would prove to be a rather destructive clash at that.

'I may even have to remove my limiter once more...' It was a thought that he wasn't entirely pleased with. There were reasons the fire bender chose to where his glasses limiter, other then for sight, and they were reasons he really didn't wish to be reminded of.

He waited a few moments after his brother passed through the door to try and further calm his fires and anger, which were proving somewhat difficult. He kept in mind the prospect that he would soon enough be meeting the dark haired fire bender soon enough ended up helping calm both his rage and fires to a point that he could once more enter a calmer state of mind. Once he felt enough in control he allowed himself to finally leave the room and quietly tag after the trio. In the hallway he could see the clear evidence of Heather's previous bath giving, as water still dripped from the three water veins of the building, especially where he had been forced to weld the breaks. Soon enough they would cease leaking, however that didn't quite help the current puddles that still littered the floor. With a sigh he risked a bit of fire bending to force the water to evaporate, least someone passed down the hall and ended up slipping on them. He was careful to use his lowest red flame, making it hot enough to accomplish the task, but not so much as to set off the fire alarms and sprinklers. He had, had one unexpected bath today and he really didn't want another.

The job only delayed him a few moments, though it did allow him to relieve some of the pressure of his fires from within, quieting the rampaging voices of the malevolent flames though not completely silencing them. He knew the only way to accomplish that would be to use everything he had and tiring out himself and flames to a dangerous point, which he had no intention of doing. After all they were simply an annoying voice he could ignore like Rahmiria's, what harm could they really do?

By the time either of the male's had caught up to either girl, although it wouldn't be too long before they would since they hadn't made it too far ahead, Heather was already giggling and laughing like a maniac while Sylph was once more a red mess of embarrassment. "I'm right aren't I?" the darker haired female teasingly asked, poking the blue haired female in the arm.


"That's...I...I don't know how to answer that...I haven't thought that far...and...and...well does Kaji know you want his babies yet?" the red faced air bender said, as she tried to take to focus of what had been their conversation off of her and onto the water bender, who's own features soon turned a shade of red.

Heather was under a state of speechlessness now as she tried to form her words, though all of them seemed lumped together and stuck in her throat. At that point they had reached the crowds of paparazzi that had been 'patiently' awaiting the remaining two fighters of today's fight. Seeing Heather as a guard though they first jumped to her as to how she felt about her fellow guards losing the match? If she thought the fight was rigged? As to why she thought Kaji didn't stop the fight sooner or intervene more in the water and earth bender's fighting? Millions of questions were thrown at the short woman to the point that she now felt she had an outlet to push pass her embarrassment. "Don't you vulture's have something better to do, like pouncing on some helpless kids or something? Get out of here! Go! Shoo!" she shouted, trying to ensure that her red haired crush and once pupil didn't have to deal with them. When they seemed persistent to stay and started to direct questions at the female air bender, which were a bit more personal, the water bender chose to use force. Choosing to exercise her right as a guard and citizen she quickly 'flushed' away the media stalkers with the water she had collected from her spill site, when she and Sylph passed it, as well as a bit from the outside.

Kaji had caught up enough to witness the seemingly angered female's...'solution'. A mixture of slight relief, as he really wasn't in the mood for playing the Q and A game, and sympathy for the people played in his mind. He had been on the receiving end of the short bender's water before and it definitely wasn't as 'gentle' as she looked, which of course wasn't much. He had come to find quickly during their early days that the water bender was anything but gentle, despite being female. Not that he grouped all females as being perhaps as gentle as Sylph was, but from past experiences he had found them to be slightly less aggressive. The green eyed bender however seemed almost the complete opposite. She wasn't afraid to use force if it was needed, be it with bending or physically. "Was that really...necessary?" he asked with a sigh, his calm mask once more in place. Another sigh soon escaped the male's lips as her reply was simply a determined nod. "Temperamental isn't she?" he said with a quiet chuckle as he chose to remain more near his brother and air bender rather then the 'rampaging' female water bender. His chuckle soon turned to a sigh however as a blast of water soon doused him once more. 'At least I'm closer to the outside this time...'

Kiril fell in behind the girls preferring to keep a slight distance between them when they talked. Somehow Heather always made some comment that he didn't understand and Sylph would turn red in the process. So he'd learned to not to take part in their chats without good reason. Once they reached the exit to the arena things got hectic though.

Since the girls went first, the reporters rushed them and Kiril hid at the entrance of the Colosseum to see how they'd handle it. Heather's first attempts failed as she tried to avoid the questions and disperse the mob. As soon as they realized that they wouldn't get anything out of her they turned to Sylph and the questions changed as well. This apparently angered the female waterbender as she shot them back with a surge of water. Kiril snickered as he walked out of his theatre to take in the spectacle. The faces of all the reporters looked shocked and pissed. It truly was a sight.

It was at that point Kaji arrived. And then got doused again. This time Kiril burst out in laughter having actually witnessed it, "You would think, you'd know when to hold your tongue with her by now," he managed to squeeze out between breaths. When he'd finally finished laughing, he removed the water from his sibling's form again, adding it to his canister on hip, and then set off to for the restaurant. "We've wasted enough time. Let's go and Heather, do play nicely while we eat."

The waterbender weaved his way through the crowd of reporters which was now rapidly dispersing to go dry off. The walk was a short one. Jim's was barely a block away from the arena and was a small establishment but respectable. When they arrived, Kiril picked a table towards the front of the place -suitable for the four of them- and took a seat with his back to the window and picked up the menu. "Now, what to eat?"

Kaji's golden gazed shifted to his silver haired brother as he laughed at his second unexpected shower. "I didn't think she was paying enough attention to hear me to be honest" he said quietly and rather quickly as he gave his brother another look of gratitude. Out of the corner of his eye however he could see his words were once again heard by the female water bender as a surge of water again threatened him. Knowing well now that Heather didn't exactly seem too concern about dousing either Sylph or Kiril at this point, and knowing that he was now clear enough from the building to not risk setting off the sprinkler fire response system, he called forth a small wall of dark blue flames to 'protect' himself from what would have been oncoming water. Their dark color gave a clear clue that they weren't his hottest blue flames, however they were sufficient enough to accomplish warding off the short woman from attempting to once more drench him in water.

"Cheater" the short water bender replied with a pout, crossing her arms as she allowed the 'threatening' water to return to her own holding container that was nestled in a more...unexpected place within her top. Her excuse for it was simply that it was a place people wouldn't expect water to spout from and thus she could catch her opponent, or victim in Kaji's case most of the time, off guard.

With the retreat of the water, Kaji's flames too died down to a small simmer before completely vanishing altogether. Once more the fire bender felt a small pang of sympathy for the paparazzi as many stormed off in their own fits of rage at also receiving a relatively cold shower, however not so much that he would offer to dry them off with his flames. The fire bender was generous enough as he chose not to have small spurts of his flames accompany the 'stalkers'. He had encountered enough of them within the past few days due to the incidences that Alkaid had created with the more 'dissatisfied civilians', as he attempted to phrase it time and again as he didn't agree with the earth bender's coined terrorist terminology, and he had, had quite enough of them.

Sylph couldn't help but giggle at the situation, although she knew that technically she shouldn't be laughing since it was a relatively 'mean' thing to do. Then again they had been trying to pry where they had no business prying so in a sense they did somewhat deserve their unconventional bath. And it wasn't as if any of them had gotten hurt anyways right? She too had thought about the idea of drying them off. Her natural kindness soon overruled the thought of not at least assisting them a little, and soon she called forth a small but warm breeze to at least assist them in drying off a little.

Heather seemed to consider the question as Kiril asked her to behave in the restaurant they had previous chosen. "I will if he does" the auburn haired girl stated, jabbing her thumb in the direction of Kaji. Of course previously the fire bender hadn't really done anything to completely prompt her attack and it was mainly done in play, but then she felt it was one of the only few ways to gain a reaction out of the fire bender, even if it was a somewhat limited one.

One Kaji's fine red eyebrows rose at the female's words. He opened his mouth slightly to reply, but soon decided against it. "Alright...I'll stay quiet then how's that?" the red haired male quietly replied. He could see his answer caused a pout to appear in the female water bender's eyes. He allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips once more before playfully choosing a different surrender. "Alright I'll only speak when needed then" These words brought a relatively pleased and faint smile to her face. That now decided he calmly nodded his head in agreement with his brother and soon enough all four began making their way to the appointed small restaurant called Jim's.

Each made took their seats, as Kiril chose a table towards the front. the fire bender naturally took his seat next to his younger sibling, with Heather on his right side. Sylph was then left to sit between Kira and Heather, although the air bender really didn't mind in the least. She enjoyed being near the water bender, and despite the incident with her childhood friend, she still enjoyed his company, surprisingly as much as she did Altyre's. This of course welled up confusion within the air bender, however a quiet rumbling from her own stomach immediately proved enough of a distraction for her soon enough. "Good question...Any recommendations?" she asked, smiling brightly towards the male water bender beside her, though the question was directed really at anyone at the table.

As Kaji predicted he had managed to indeed run into a rushing guard that at least knew that Alkaid was alive and survived the emergency surgery. The news seemed to lift a small bit of weight off the fire bender's shoulders, and surprisingly the female water bender's, that she had done well to keep hidden, as well. Neither however inquired any further, merely just that he was alive was all they needed to know. And now that, one of the many issues Kaji faced had been solved, he could focus now on the more mundane one at hand, what to eat.

The menu held many options, as the fire bender had stated, however he personally wasn't too hungry. Something light would work for him, although it would need the essential the protein and carbohydrates his body constantly needed and used to keep his fires in check and in control.

Heather was rather pleased to sit by her fire bender crush. Her gaze moved back and forth from the menu towards the fire bender that was currently browsing for his own choice of a meal. As the question of what to eat was posed, her thoughts couldn't help but switch to something other then food. Quickly she tried to find a solution so as not to reveal her hidden thoughts, and soon found one in a tease that she was certain the air bender would catch. "I can think of something, however I doubt it's on the menu, eh Sylph?" she playfully teased with a wink directed towards the air bender. Seeing the girl's face light up in a brilliant red color, making it clear that the blue haired woman had caught her tease. Glancing over towards Kaji, she caught what she thought to be a look of astonishment mixed with the calm in his gaze that had trained itself on her when she spoke. Clearly the tease hadn't been missed by the fire bender either as after a few moments his gaze switched to temporarily towards Slyph and Kiril.

Kiril shook his head at his brother's comment and then again as his sibling defended himself from another attack. It was a funny sight and was a better note to be on than the one they left the locker room on. Heather and Kaji started playing around with one another after he'd asked the woman to behave, and he wondered if his brother realized something so obvious, but he wouldn't bring it up.

As they sat at Jim's -Heather in front of him, Kaji to his left and Sylph to his right- the silvery haired bender was intently looking through the menu. So much so that he didn't even hear anyone else speaking, so he didn't catch Heather's joking tease. Instead, he sat there mouthing over the menu as his stomach tightened from hunger and exhaustion. Bloodbending took extreme concentration for him. He was good, probably good enough to even bend multiple people at once, but people weren't like animals. Taking over a person's will was a great deal harder than the simple beasts that he practiced with.

He'd read in his books that the ultimate form of bloodbending allowed a man to not only control a person's body but their will also. That was his aim. The only thing was, he had no idea how to do that. Sure there were older bloodbenders still alive from the One Hundred Years War or the Great War, but most of them had been on the losing side and were isolated in hiding now. He'd have to probably search the world himself to find one, and even then. He didn't know what sensing a bloodbender was like.

With his mind preoccupied, Kiril didn't even notice the man's presence as he walked in and pulled up a seat between him and Sylph, "What a coincidence meeting you guys here. Mind if I join you?"-asked the dark skinned firebender. He saw the look of surprise and anger in Kiril's eyes when he recognized the islander's voice. Altyre simply smiled and looked as if he didn't even notice. Then he looked over at Heather and smiled, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met. I'm Altyre," he announced with a slight nod of his head and a sly grin.

Placing his hand on Sylph's leg underneath the table, he looked at Kaji then at Kiril before returning his eyes to the first, "So, how long must I wait for the interview sir?"

Kaji's own attention had switched back to deliberating over his own choice of cuisine from the menu, however his attention was taken away slightly sooner, ever before the foreign man unexpectedly joined them at the table. His gaze didn't need to leave the menu to notice the other fire bender's presence, rather his own fires alerted him as they internally seized to a raging inferno, calling out their invisible challenge as they had before. He allowed his gaze to leave the printed words and various prices of the sheet before him when Altyre spoke, out of common courtesy, however along with his fires the flints of his own anger once more sparked though as usual were masked by his calm demeanor. "A coincidence indeed" The red haired fire bender wasn't entirely convinced that happen stance had allowed their paths to cross once more before he sought out the darker skinned bender for their 'interview', which from his brother's previous words he had a feeling wasn't going to be quite what was previously expected.

Heather was a bit preoccupied herself, though what was on her mind was very different then the choice of food as many of the other probably held. Her gaze kept flinging back and forth between her menu and Kaji, who seemed intent on reading his at the time. Occasionally she would cast a slightly sly smile of her own towards the air bender next to her, accompanying it with a wink or giggle. Her reasonings for her constant gazing at the male beside her soon changed however when she noticed a slight increase of heat slowly flaring around the fire bender. A frown appeared in her eyes as she glanced now concernedly towards the male, knowing well what sort of reasonings could spark such a reaction.

She wasn't as much of a stranger when it came to the male's battle reactions or when something seemed a threat. Glancing around she didn't really spot anything that could be considered a threat, just ordinary people. Or at least they seemed ordinary until a rather strangely dressed man suddenly joined their table. From the way he spoke she figured that all the male's had already met, and as he introduced himself she knew that he and Sylph had already met as well. She had been the only one who hadn't known this Altyre who had prompted a fainting spell over the air bender at the arena. Offering a friendly smile she nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you, I'm Heather" she greeted. The short woman would have extended her hand in a formal handshake, however given her arm length, size and vast size of the table in comparison she knew she would have to slip from her seat, run around Sylph and do so that way, but then that was just silly.

Instead she was a bit more concern over the male sitting next to her, and quietly without notice beneath the table slipped her own hand over to the fire bending guard, though she had managed to slip beneath the black guard shirt and lay it lightly on his bare washboard stomach. She had discreetly called forth a bit of water from her chest hidden flask to coat her hand lightly, and turned it a bit chilly to help Kaji 'regulate his heat', so he wasn't under quite as much stress and could concentrate more on conversation or food as the original plan had been. When she had been called in for the 'line of duty' herself on a few of the expeditions and campaigns that led out of Einheit, this had been one of her normal medical duties for fire benders if they managed to either over heat themselves or for whatever reasons were increasing their body temperatures. She didn't typically enjoy doing medical duties, however when her 'patient' was Kaji she certainly didn't mind. And if just Altyre's presence was stirring up Kaji's natural flame reactions this much then the male had to be strong, which could prove a bit of a problem if either one's flames chose to be let loose. Only once did her gaze stray once more to the male beside her, seeking out the golden gaze which soon found hers for a moment, assuring her for the time being he would permit such assistance to her delight.

After permission had been fully given to her silently, she returned her attention towards the new male, although sitting beside Sylph she couldn't help but spy the placed hand on the air bender's leg and couldn't help but mentally giggle. Yes this guy would be an excellent rival for her once pupil in a field she couldn't teach him. Glancing over towards the silver haired bender, she couldn't help but noticed what she thought was anger, however the reasoning for it was probably a bit different then what she imagined it to be.

Getting over the tease of Heather, Sylph had also returned to the dilemma at hand, what to eat...'Hmmm this pasta sounds good...Or maybe this salad...Then again you can never go wrong with a sandwich and this one does sound especially tasty...although it comes with soup and though it sounds good I don't think I'm in a soup mood. Hmmm maybe I could ask for a simple salad with it instead?' Her thoughts continued to argue with one another, even when she thought perhaps she had made a choice, so naturally when her childhood friend suddenly appeared beside her she couldn't help but be surprised. "Altyre!" she greeted happily, as she hadn't quite expected him to show up.

As he asked if they minded if he joined him, she noticed no one really spoke up their objection, though his well muscled form had blocked her view from the emotions in the male water bender's eyes. She was about to speak further when a hand on her leg caused her to lightly jump in surprise. Her features once more took on the beet red color as she glanced down, wondering if she'd even be able to move the hand back to his own lap without causing some form of misunderstanding, especially with the silver haired male that she shared an equal higher feeling of 'friendship' then she seemed to hold with her childhood friend as well. It was another dilemma for the air bender, so in an attempt to try and avoid it she chose to simply leave the hand alone, however she did cast a slight look of subtle warning towards Altyre to not stray too far, especially without her permission. She had been surprised by the earlier kiss and really didn't wish to encounter a repeat reaction.

Kaji couldn't help but notice Sylph's shade of red once more returned to her, though the reasoning was a bit different then he imagined it to be. 'Poor girl, one day she may just turn permanently red...' he thought with a slight shake of his head. He turned his attention then back towards the question that the dark haired fire bender posed towards him and turned the conversation towards a more 'down-to-business' type one. "I was actually planning on seeking you out short after here" the golden eyed bender calmly stated. The slight increase in heat he had been radiating was soon under control and returned to normal, thanks to the help efforts of Heather cooling water on his skin. He had been debating since it was asked, on whether or not he would disclose he was to meet with the man to his brother or not, it seemed now though that choice had been decided for him as it was revealed. "Unless of course there's a better time for you?"

Tyr could feel the Kaji's inner flames lunging at him from where he was, whereas his own were well under control showing no hints of hostility at all. Even though he was an assassin, people would probably find it impossible to believe that his inner flames were benevolent. He smirked and winked at the firebender to let him know he could feel the heat, but he didn't have to even feel that to be able to tell that the male was riled up. He could see it in his eyes, no matter how calm he looked. 'The eyes are the entrance to the soul' or so they say.

He looked to his left and there was no hiding the anger on Kiril's face. He was obviously -and openly- unhappy with the male's presence. The worst part was that he'd told Heather to behave and here he was about to explode with anger. Taking a few deep breaths he managed to calm down and he could feel that Kaji was attempting to do the same. While Kiril had been trying to calm down Altyre's eyes met Sylph's and caught her warning. He shot back a sad playful look but in the end removed his hand discreetly.

His attention returned back to Kaji when the other firebender finally answered his question. Shaking his head he replied, "No, that would be fine with me and probably for the best. I was just curious because it seems work has found me, and I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to take this new job I was offered and end my vacation early or simply enjoy the rest of my time off," he said openly with a shrug. They wouldn't know that he'd spoken to that woman so it didn't matter what he said so long as he didn't give any real clues. He'd never even told Sylph or Nova what his job was so he was safe.

Kiril looked at him, a curious look about him. "So what is it that you do?" -he asked in a sour tone. Tyr looked at him and smiled, "My job is similar to my hobby, but to be blunt I'm not allowed to openly speak of it." He paused briefly before speaking on his hobby, "I like to find interesting people and see what they're capable of and share that with the world. I'm a sort specialized reporter, but not a spy. I don't want you getting the wrong idea," he added quickly when he noticed the raised eyebrow from the silver haired bender.

Then the waitress came to take their drinks. Kiril ordered a water and Atlyre ordered hot tea with cinnamon. After the others had ordered the waitress left after exclaiming she would be back to take their orders shortly.

His attention soon turned to Heather and Sylph, "So this was to be a double date I take it?" -a mischievous grin on his lips. He didn't even have to look at Sylph to know she was going to turn red but he was slightly curious to see miss Heather's reaction. She was well known in the guard for her temper and her abilities. Also because of her stature. He wasn't surprised that his info was so accurate he was just pleased that it was. Maybe the male could have a little fun with the two women?

Kiril never took his eyes off the man now and to be honest, he wasn't very happy about him sitting so close to Sylph. For some reason it seemed to bother him, though he wasn't really sure why. Glancing at his brother he shook his head, as if to say he didn't like this. . .

Kaji didn't miss Altyre's wink, showing that he knew that Kaji wasn't quite as calm internally as the mask he wore. Of course it only stirred his fires more, though soon enough the red head was able to calm his flames, though he knew it would only be temporary. Even the malevolent voices of his flames began to quiet themselves, though he figured it may have had something to do with having no reciprocal flamed hostility in return, either that or his flames didn't feel they would lose. Either way he was just relieved to find a brief moment of inner peace in that respect. His anger though didn't die, rather he simply pushed it aside. Emotions were easy to ignore when he wanted to. "I see. Well Einheit is a rather busy place, I'd be a bit more surprised if one wasn't offered to you from someone within the city. I'm certain my own hands shall end up tied once I've returned to my guard duties tomorrow. It's only a suggestion really, but perhaps before deciding you'll want to take in some sights and sounds of Einheit. Granted to those that live here we feel it doesn't offer much, however I do know those who don't can find this place full of amusement" he calmly suggested.

He could easily see the anger in his siblings eyes and knew it was in regards to their unexpected visitor, and attempted to communicate his own message of 'calm down' through his own golden ones. Kaji figured he would soon enough get enough answers from the foreign fire bender to answer both their questions and then some. Altyre's answer to Kiril's question in terms of what it was the fire bender did for a living had put the guard slightly more on guard. His mind quickly attempted to filter through what possible occupations could match a hobby other then spy. Thanks to his travels from earlier days in the imperial guards, the list had come up rather long, though very few gave promising or reassuring answers. The male's appearance helped clear certain occupations on the list and narrowed it down more to combat or dangerous orientated ones, however no one answer jumped out in particular.

Heather was intrigued to say the least. Between the light conversation and the reactions and emotions playing out on Kiril's features, she was thoroughly amused. She felt she was right in guessing that the silver haired male held some sort of feeling for the air bender, just simply with subtle actions or words he had with the light blue haired female. Naturally she read the anger that he was showing off as a form of jealousy at another male moving in on 'his unofficial girl'.

Soon however the focus shifted to both females and Heather's own face lightly lit up, though not quite as much as Sylph's had. "Ah...no nothing like that. Kaji's a fellow guard and Kiril's a friend and was a short time pupil, while Sylph's a friend of all three of us. I'm sure if Zeno hadn't run off he'd probably have been dragged along as well" the woman replied with a quiet though slightly nervous laugh. How much she wished that it was indeed a double date, but alas that would have required Kaji having feelings for her as she did for him, which she wasn't exactly convinced of, and for the other two to admit they also held feelings for one another. 'Who knows maybe with this Altyre at least one part of that may come true' she thought with a sigh.

Sylph didn't miss the sadness that seemed intermingled with his playful look. She felt bad, but figured later on she would make it up to the fire bender. For the time being though she was relatively relieved he had retracted his hand, though she knew a small portion of her mind was disappointed. It wasn't that she didn't like the dark skinned male's touch, on the contrary it made her feel safe and warm just as Kiril's did whenever he managed it and she was conscious for it, but things were just...a bit confusing for her right now. "I don't think I ever pictured you as the interviewing type. You were more of the...'knight' type I think. Either that or a fireworks dealer for some reason" she said with a playful shrug and tone.

Her skin color had returned slightly to the creamy white she naturally had, though for at least the tenth time that day it was bathed once more in red. This time it was she that opened her mouth to speak, but no voice came along with it. She was thankful however as the short woman beside her gave the answer, even if it didn't sound entirely convincing to the air bender.

She was even further relieved when soon enough their waitress returned with the groups drinks. She had ordered a honeyed green tea, while Heather had chosen a blueberry flavored water drink, and Kaji a simple camomile tea. As everyone received their drinks, she realized she hadn't made a final decision on her meal choice. Luckily it seemed Heather was in the same boat and requested just a little extra time. In truth it didn't really take Sylph much longer to feel satisfied enough with her choice, but it seemed the female water bender was having a bit more trouble from the way her green gaze vigorously scanned over each item for at least the third time. Then again perhaps she was trying to avoid any further questions. "So how long are you planning on staying here in Einheit Altyre? I hope today isn't the only day" she said, deciding to stir up a subject just in case, plus she was genuinely curious to see how much time she would get to spend with the fire bender after so long of not seeing one another. Plus the answer he had given in response to his occupation had her curious. 'Something embarrassing maybe? I might be able to get it out of him...' she thought, thinking perhaps it would give her a teasing edge rather then daring to think it was something extremely dangerous.

"I know. This isn't my first time in Einheit, but my last visit was for work and was a long time ago. The place is interesting, but I have several others I like more," he replied to Kaji with a matching calmness. Then he added with a grin, "I figured it would be best for us to go ahead and get this out of the way as soon as possible since your flames are raging violently and almost uncontrollably with curiosity and interest. You should know I can feel them." His words were only partially true. It took an extremely powerful firebender to read his opponents inner flame, but almost any trained firebender could feel another's flame.

Kiril had a look of surprise and confusion in his eyes as he tried to read Altyre's power again. Now he felt, well honestly, he couldn't feel anything from him at all. It was like he wasn't a firebender now and earlier he was one of the strongest he'd ever felt. It baffled him and bothered him. Something about this guy was different. Not to mention his chair was a little too close to Sylph's. He understood that they were childhood friends but did they have to sit so close? He clenched his fist tightly beneath the table and tensed up a bit, but soon relaxed after calming himself again mentally. Why was he getting so worked up over this anyway? It wasn't like he was dating Sylph or anything. He didn't think. . .

Altyre caught Kiril's moment of tension and simply grinned slightly then scooted his chair a little closer to Sylph before leaning back and placing an arm around her shoulders. In the corner of his eye he could see the anger swell up inside Kiril again. This is amusing. His attention turned to Heather as she turned as almost as red as his childhood friend had and he shook his head, "You know, as an Imperial Guard, I would think you guys would be more honest with yourselves. You're in a harsh line of work that demands that you put yourself in harms way on a regular basis, and although you may not have a high chance of death every time, you could still die. If I were one, I'd never hide the way I felt about someone. Life's too short for those kinds of games. It leaves you with a hole in your heart were you to lose that special someone." When he spoke his voice had been a soft melody as if he were playing a harp. He glanced at Kaji and in that instant knew full well that he had no idea.

Shrugging his shoulders in slight amusement, he wouldn't press the matter but sometimes hearing a harsh truth would push people do things that normally took a lot more time to gather up the courage to do. It was then that the waitress returned with their drinks and Heather asked for a little more time on their orders. Personally he wasn't hungry, he just came here to get to know these people, whom Sylph had taken a liking to, a little better. After all there was a chance that his job could revolve around them.

When Sylph said that he was more of a knight the man burst out in laughter, "Me a knight? No, that would be your brother. He's always been a man who likes to be on the front lines and that sort of thing. I'm not that type of guy anymore. I've changed since back then," he answered in a low tone. "Though I will say. . . I do admire chivalry. Even though I know I couldn't adhere to it personally," he added with his mischievous grin. Him a knight? No, it just didn't suit Altyre.

He paused to think for a minute as she asked when he would be leaving, "Hmm. . . To be honest it's really up to me. I can leave when I get ready. See in my line of work, I can choose when I do or don't want to work, and my clients have to come to me to offer me a job. Usually they take a good deal of preparation and a while to complete. It's great for traveling too, and since I like to travel it's really quite convenient," he said cheerily. Then he met eyes with the airbender and asked, "How long did you plan on staying here?"

Kaji quietly listened as Altyre stated he had been to Einheit before due to a job, and further more when he stated he could feel his raging flames. "I see. Well things have been constantly changing over the years so I'm sure you'll notice at least a few differences in the city here and there. Either way it was simply a suggestion" he replied with another shrug. His golden gazed closed for a few moments. His fires for the most part had simmered down to their natural state for the most part, although they still held a small edge to them. "I would figure as much from another fire bender. I can assure though that other then a bit of heat here and there my flames will remain under control, no matter how much they rampage internally. As you said though it may be best to simply get the interview and demonstration out of the way. I will say though it's not curiosity or interest that drives them. The reasoning isn't as benign as that"

Opening his gaze again and glancing once more towards his brother he couldn't help noticing his flames were the only ones who were raging internally. Kiril seemed rather upset at the closeness that the other fire bender was to Sylph, and even more so when the male placed an arm around her shoulders. In a sense he couldn't help but think that his brother somewhat reminded him of a tom cat who's yet claimed territory was threatened by another tom cat. He wondered how long his brother would be able to remain...'docile' towards the other male and whether or not it would be his flames or the white haired bender that started the first challenge to the foreign male. Kaji knew his brother well enough to know that he did hold affections for the air bender, after all being the one who essentially raised him he could pick up on differences with his younger sibling rather easily. His gaze again returned to Altyre as he switched the conversation towards Heather and himself. "It'd be actually nice if things were truly that simple" he quietly stated as he took a small sip of his tea.

Heather let out a sigh. It wasn't that she wasn't honest with herself, it was mainly that the male beside her was a bit...hard to carouse into a relationship. She had done everything she could think of to express herself and her feelings to the red haired guard, aside from simply coming straight out and telling him, and while he seemed to tolerate her actions she felt there was nothing more. Sure she could get away with things with him that most others probably couldn't. After all who could drench the famously calm yet serious Kaji and get away without so much as a scolding, even when he was on duty? And aside from Kiril, and possibly Sylph and Zeno, who else would he allow within arms range outside of his duties or when there wasn't a fight to break up? Now that she thought of it there were quite a few things she could list out that Kaji 'allowed'. Perhaps he did hold something after all. His words though did dishearten her just a bit. "We are honest...perfectly honest. Hell you can ask any of the other guards and they'll tell you at times I'm brutally honest, and this one here is the only one that hides everything" she said crossing her arms over her chest, as she removed her hand regretfully from Kaji's stomach, though leaned over towards him and poked the red head's arm as if her answer was at least satisfying enough for her.

Sylph's reddened skin only grew in deeper tones as Altyre scooted closer and placed an arm around her shoulders. She raised a slightly inquisitive eyebrow towards him, but didn't saying anything more about it. Instead she decided she would simply enjoy being in the company of all four of her friends, even if two were on a slightly higher plane of affection. 'Definitely have a lot of thinking and sorting to do...' she thought with a mental sigh.

Her mind did a switch however as Altyre busted out laughing at her knight comment. "Well I don't know about that. You're more of a knight who helps damsels in distress I think. You'd be a knight of your own country though I think. You never did beat to the different drum of others, and from what I've heard and can tell that's still true" she stated as she playfully poked one of the dark skinned cheeks of her friend.

Talk again of her brother reminded her of the question Kira had posed to her about him. "Oh yes I believe you wanted to know what Nova did right Kiril? He's actually in the same occupation as Kaji with the only difference being he's the head guard for Birdent" as she leaned slightly forward and flashed him a bright smile. She hadn't forgotten the question really, merely she was distracted from answering it earlier, or so she liked to think.

Her gaze switched again to the dark haired male beside her as he in turn answered her question. She was delighted to find that his job didn't force him to leave immediately so perhaps she would be able to spend some more time with him after all. Although he did mention he had a job offer here, but he hadn't yet accepted it so there was still a relatively good chance she'd get to be around him and hopefully Kiril more. She was unaware of the events that had transpired between the two benders at the arena, and believed the two would probably get along rather well. Besides if Altyre was as strong as Kaji perhaps he would be a good sparring partner in Kira's quest to surpass his brother one day. "I'm glad then. I've actually settled down here in Einheit for the most part. I mainly wanted to get away from Birdent to experience something new a strike out on my own you know? Mother and father had a tendency of being a little too...over protective...And although I do miss them I figured it would be best to settle down in a place that they couldn't drag me away from so easily, so I guess you could say I was planning on staying here for quite some time" she said gently as her light blue eyes met with his drowning red ones. Of course this time she was determined to not get quite so lost in them, especially in front of Kira.

Tyr nodded, "I agree. The city has actually changed quite a bit since I last visited. I may go on a tour later." He turned to his childhood friend and smiled, "You'll give me a tour right?" Turning his attention back to Kaji as he explained his inner flames intentions and the islander simply shrugged, "If you say so good sir." There was no need to go into a deep discussion about anything like this because it was neither entertaining nor would anyone other than them truly understand. So, it was best to leave things as they were.

The younger firebender scoffed slightly at Kaji's response to Heather. He simply didn't understand what it was like to be open about your feelings. His shell was hard and he'd put up all those walls to protect his brother -who didn't need the protection anymore- so there was little to be done about that. He was like a parent refusing to let go in that regard but it wasn't as if Altyre didn't understand. He couldn't empathize but he did understand that family was a bond to be cherished. His was dead and had been for almost as long as he could remember.

His crimson gaze rested on the female waterbender as she began to state her case. Her words only further explained how she felt about the firebender across from himself and Sylph. But it seemed that she hadn't openly stated how she felt which was what he was getting at in the first place. So in reply he nodded and simply replied, "I gotcha. I'm sorry to hear that." In all honesty it seemed to him that she wasn't very happy about it.

Kiril listened to the conversation and was slightly curious himself. He knew his brother but he'd never been able to tell how his brother felt about anyone other than himself. Kaji wore a mask around everyone and he felt guilty about that on some occasions because he'd started wearing it for his sake. He didn't want his sibling to miss out on any of life's pleasures at his expense, it just wasn't fair to the firebender. A slight tinge of sadness flashed through his eyes but his silvery-blue gaze soon returned neutral.

"Damsels in distress huh?" -he questioned. "Well, I do still dance to my own tune. That much is true." Tyr poked her nose in reaction to her poke at his cheek, but for some reason he felt as though a hole was being burned into the back of his head by Kiril but he didn't look that direction to check.

"Ah, so your brother and Kaji hold the same station. Hmm, does that make him the strongest bender in Bierdt?" Altyre smiled at the waterbender and replied, "Currently, yes. Actually he has been for a while now. Well at least within our generation of benders," he replied. "But if you want to know how strong he is, I'd say he's at least on par with Kaji. So that would make him stronger than you," he teased ruthlessly. Kiril simply nodded but there was a warning in his eye that made the firebender smile.

Turning back to Sylph he smiled, "I see. Well I don't fault you there. I understand but I always loved your family. They're great. I don't have one to run away from so you should at least stay in touch. They do love you and they miss you."

Sylph thought about the question of being Altyre's guide. "I can try, though are you sure you're wanting to trust my sense of direction? Maybe since I'm sure Heather and Kaji will be busy with their guard duties Kiril could come with us. If you're up to it and wanting to that is Kiril" she stated smiling as she directed the last part towards the male water bender. Her gaze caught sight of a flash of something in the silver haired male's eyes when she leaned forward, however considering how fast it flashed she wasn't able to pinpoint what it was. Fearing that perhaps he was feeling a bit left out and hoped her offer would at least help.

Heather shrugged with a sigh. "It is what it is" she stated with another shrug, while casting a glance towards the calm fire bender next to her. Perhaps when they were in more private settings she would be able to confront the red head finally about her feelings and possible his. She figured if anyone would be able to understand the guard's experiences it would be her, or at least she hoped that was the case. Either way perhaps there was still a chance that she'd be able to snag the male yet. "Besides I don't give up either..." she said with a wink, while successfully causing the red head beside her to raise an eyebrow in either confusion or curiosity. Which one she personally wasn't sure, but she hoped with time she'd be able to get through his mask and be able to read him as well if not slightly better then the silver haired male seemed to. She wasn't sure how her once pupil could do so, as Kaji hadn't yet revealed to her their blood relation, but she figured it had something to do with their combative spirits, though she wasn't entirely convinced on the idea.

Kaji quietly shrugged his shoulders before glancing towards the menu one last time. His attention was caught again however as Altyre seemed to tease and provoke his younger sibling. As a guard he had intel on other guards in allied cities and countries with Einheit, so he had somewhat heard of this Novarre, though he had never really met the man himself. Ever since his own promotion he hadn't really ventured much out of Einheit, and most of the head guards he had met during his travels had already been replaced. He wasn't too concerned though as he knew eventually something would draw all the guards together for them to meet at some point. Besides as it was right now he had more pressing concerns with his own country and city on the brink of civil war as it was.

Hearing Altyre tease Kiril, Sylph couldn't help but at least try to defend the water bender in some way. "My brother is rather strong, but Kiril's rather strong too you know. He's Einheit's arena champion and did manage to beat the previous champion too who also came from Birdent. Besides as my brother always says a battle is can never be decided until it's fought so there's no telling who would come out on top" Although it was a bit difficult to compare on which fighter would win since one was her brother and the other was one of the male's that held her affections.

As the subject changed again to her family, and feeling she had done her best to defend the water bender, she nodded in agreement. "Mhm I write them fairly frequently to keep in touch, and I know my parents considered you a part of the family, even if not by blood. They liked you enough too to let Nova and I be around you" she said lightly, though giving another playful poke. She hadn't bothered mentioning a particular conversation that she had held with her mother about an engagement when she was younger. She had always thought that her mother was joking around, but now that she was older she wasn't quite as sure. Immediately she shook her head, not wanting to again dye her skin red once more, now that it had returned to its normal creamy color...at least for now.

Not wanting to seem upset or to decline this chance to keep an eye on Altyre, Kiril unwillingly conceded, "I. . . Yeah. I'll go." His eyes rested on the firebender who simply smiled back as if he had no quarrels with it, which only served to piss him off even more. But what was done, was done. Now they had a three way date and he refused to renege on his word after already accepting.

Altyre was merely amused at his friend's gesture. Maybe she had some feelings for silvery haired bender? Either way he had no intention of giving up his woman. He came to Einheit partly because of her, so there was no way he was going to give her away to a stranger whom she'd recently met. Besides, there was no way her feelings were stronger for the waterbender than they were for him. Tyr had known the girl since they were barely toddlers and had practically grown up with her and Nova.

Then the dark skinned firebender turned his attention to the couple at the table that wouldn't openly discuss their feelings. He nodded in response to Heather and only gazed at Kaji for a moment before returning his attention to Sylph who then began to try to clumsily defend the waterbender. Kiril seemed to perk up slightly at this news as he nodded his head, "I agree. There's no way of telling if you can win a battle if you don't fight it," he declared in an almost triumphant manner. But Tyr quickly rebutted his argument, "You're right, partially. I'll say this," and suddenly his demeanor changed dramatically. "Nova isn't a fighter that's in your league and neither is Kaji. If you think for a second that you have a chance at beating or even matching up against either of them right now, you're a fool."

The waterbender clenched his teeth together tightly in rage as his expression reflected his inner thoughts openly, "What did you say!?!" Altyre's eyes went devoid of all emotion momentarily as his voice deepened to it's natural tone, "You're weak. Plain and simple." But in the next moment his expression was back to being a cheery one and his tone was light and nonchalant, "But you'll get stronger. The thing is, you don't know what your rank as a bender is." He paused for a moment as Kiril seemed to go from pure rage to slightly curious. "I figured as much."

Gathering himself for a moment he cracked his neck and his back then locked gazes with his new found rival, "Benders are seperated into ranks based on their current skill level and their potential. C-rank is the lowest rank and it means that you're either a beginner or you're just average. Most benders fall into this category. B-rank means you're above average, there are a large amount of these in the world. A-rank benders are rare. They're the type of benders who only come around once every decade or so. Tremendously talented and skilled. Then the highest rank is the S-rank. These are ultra-rare benders who only come around one a millennium. There are very few of these that come around each generation. Usually only a handful."

After listening to the explanation, Kiril had to admit. He was rather impressed. Altyre was exceptionally knowledgeable even if he acted like an idiot and a lecher most of the time. Then that brought him to his next question, "So where do I fall?" The dreadhead smiled, "I knew you'd ask and to be honest, your an upper echelon B-rank. I know a lot of benders stronger than you, and Alkaid is one of them. Alkaid is an A-rank. The only reason why you beat him was because of your clever tactics. If he fought with a cool head like Kaji there, you'd never beat him and you know that."

Kiril's shoulders slumped. He was right. He knew that his only way of defeating Alkaid during that match was to injure him with bloodbending, but since the green haired monster was so physically strong -and Kiril could only bend a person physically and not mentally- he had to make him lost control to get a grip over him. Suddenly, he started laughing. It started out low before it gradually became an outburst. When he finally calmed down Kira locked eyes with the taller male and asked, "So what is my brother?"

Altyre gave him a look of pity. Somehow he figured that Kiril already knew, "S-rank." With that being said the male turned back to Sylph and gave her a nod that he agreed, "That's true." Then he turned his gaze back to Kiril who didn't look as depressed as he thought he would. Instead he seemed to be in deep thought.

The waitress returned a few moments later and Kiril ordered pot roast while Altyre declined to eat.

Sylph's face lit up in delight as Kiril agreed to go. She figured it would give her time to analyze her feelings about both benders as well as spend time with them both. She would have been lying to herself if she had said she hadn't been worried that she and Kiril wouldn't get to hang around now that the arrange match was over. She knew of course that the male water bender wasn't like that, but it was something she had mildly been worrying about. And now that Zeno had run off she didn't wish for the silver haired male to think either that she wouldn't be interested in being around him, although she had enjoyed the earth bender's company and he reminded her of her brother in certain areas, she had really enjoyed Kiril's company. During the days of training she had really taken to looking forward to her lesson with the male and then watching him as he went through his with Heather, even if it was a bit brutal at times. Of course Heather had also picked up on this and was the main reason she teased the air bender almost viciously at times, although it was all technically in good fun.

Now of course the water bender female perhaps had a bit more fuel to her fires, but Sylph didn't mind too much. She could still tease the girl about Kaji after all. Her thoughts were soon disrupted however as Altyre soon seemed to provoke Kira's anger once more. For a while she feared that a confrontation between the two would soon erupt within the restaurant as various other patrons began turning their attention towards the occupants of the table. Seeing a waiter pause at his table and cast a gaze towards theirs Sylph immediately tried to gesture assurance towards him. 'Everything's fine' she mouthed towards the male as her light blue gaze switched back towards the table. She winced inwardly as the fire bender called the water bending male weak and feared that maybe her assurance wasn't as true as she had hoped it would be. Surprisingly though the situation was soon under control as Altyre continued on and piqued Kiril's interest.

Sighing with relief that the long silver haired male seemed to by pass his anger and give it up to curiosity, she took a slightly shaky sip of her drink. She hadn't realized how nervous she had been about the idea of the two male's fighting until after the risk had passed...for now. Taking another sip she almost choked as Kiril asked about his brother. She took a quick glance towards Heather knowing well the water bender had no clue that Kiril and Kaji were even related or had really known each other outside of the challenge.

Heather was practically standing on her chair, ready to tackle her once pupil and friend if need be. The last thing she wanted was a spectacle that would force her and Kaji to throw either male in jail. Of course even with the added height of the chair, she still knew that it was only temporary and it would probably be a fair ways to the ground for her legs if she vaulted off of it. She'd leave the bigger one to Kaji, mainly since he was also a fire bender and definitely taller then she was. A part of her was rearing to go anyways, however soon the hostilities bottled down to curiosity.

Slowly the woman lowered herself back onto the chair as she listened to Altyre's explanations of rank. She already knew the fundamentals of what was being talked about, what guard didn't after all? Hearing the fire bender's assessment of Kiril's rank she thought for a moment before mentally agreeing with it. Kira was definitely skilled, and although stronger then she was he still had a ways to go. Her own curiosity was piqued though as Kiril suddenly asked about his brother. "You have a brother? Since when? Who is he? Does he live here in Einheit? Did you know he had a brother?" the female asked quickly as her attention split between Kiril and Kaji. Hearing the assessed rank of this 'unknown' brother of the water bender's made both of the auburn colored eyebrows rise to the top. "So if he's that strong then he'd probably give even Kaji a run for his money eh? Looks like you've an unmet rival there firefly" the short woman said with a giggle as she nudged the short haired male beside her.

Kaji's reaction towards Kiril's anger had been fairly calmer then Heathers or even Sylph's. He remained seated and almost relaxed, though he kept careful eye on his sibling beside him. If there was need for him to break up a fight, of course he would and he was prepared for it just in case, but then the physical fight hadn't yet broken out. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Heather preparing for a leap just in case when suddenly Altyre said something that melted away his siblings anger for the time being. He was a bit surprised that Kiril seemed rather curious about ranking as benders go, after all he had never told nor taught his younger sibling about them, mainly so that he wouldn't focus and obsess about ranking as so many others had instead of living their lives.

The red head couldn't really disagree with the other male on terms of where his brother stood. "Regardless of rank or means you still did topple Alkaid, and I wouldn't doubt you'd more then likely be able to do it again. In order to progress one must be able to discover a tactic that works, and you did" he quietly added when he noticed the slump in the light haired male's shoulders, his arms coming up to lightly rest on the table in a crossed position as he spoke. He was a bit surprised however when his brother suddenly busted out in laughter, causing an eyebrow to raise.

His face was unreadable, other then the calm mask he held in place, as Kiril asked about his own ranking. He had somewhat forgotten the fact not everyone at the table knew of his relation to the water bender until Heather suddenly spoke up. 'This...could turn ugly yet...' the fire bender thought with an inward grimace. He hadn't yet decided to trust the female with the secret of his kin and knew with her explosive temper things could get a bit out of hand. He had to carefully think about how to answer the question posed to him. "Now now it's not good to pry into others...familial affairs wouldn't you agree?" he carefully stated and could see a glimmer appearing in the woman's eye which only meant trouble...for him. Acting quickly he decided to change the subject. "Did you really just call me fire fly?"

Heather had been ready to pounce verbally, and possibly literally, on the fire bender when he suddenly called into question her suddenly appointed nickname for him. "Yes, yes I did. Got a problem with it? I could call you Red if you want..." the female suggested as her mind became successfully distracted.

"No...no anything but that. It's bad enough the bumbling brute chooses to call me that, I don't need another...Although I will say there are times when my mind questions what in the world is going on in yours" the male stated with a sigh that was partly in relief. For now a hot issue had been avoided and he would remain dry at least for a little while longer.

Sylph couldn't help but giggle at the two guards. She was certain that very few would ever get away with calling the calm guard something like firefly. Her giggling only turned more into laughter as Heather made a pouted face at the last of Kaji's words. Turning her attention away from the two guards it came to rest once more on the two males of her growing affection.

As the waitress returned each seemed ready with their order. The air bender was a bit surprised that Altyre didn't order anything other then his tea. "You should eat though" she playfully chided before ordering a broccoli and cheese soup for herself. Heather had ended up choosing a burger with everything on it, except the kitchen sink, with a large side of fries, while the fire bender next to her ordered a simple ham melt. She wondered if Heather had ordered so much to have an excuse to share her food with Kaji, and from the look on the fire bender's face and sigh of defeat he gave at her order he had assessed as much as well. She wondered for a moment if perhaps she should have ordered something similar, but then again knowing herself she knew she wouldn't be able to share it with both males without causing a possible commotion between the two or feeling the need to offer some to the other two as well to avoid feeling embarrassed for yet another time today.

Kiril had forgotten that Heather didn't know that he and Kaji were brothers and his mood changed immediately when she spoke up. Thankfully Kaji came to his rescue interjecting smoothly and pulling the focus onto himself with ease. Kiril let out an inward sigh as he thought about the disaster that had just been avoided and he glanced at Altyre who seemed altogether amused by everything that was going on here. For some reason that man knew how to press other people's buttons but still managed to stay away from a real fight. It was an unusual talent to have.

The waterbender nodded to his brother in response to his praise over defeating Alkaid but he didn't really want to hear it. He had known all along that the earthbender was stronger than he was and that his only real chance of winning was to get him worked up and bloodbend him when the opportunity arose. He'd done his research on bloodbending and the very few books over it had said there were two parts to bloodbending. The first was being able to manipulate a person's body. That was the easiest part. Using the blood in a being's system to forcibly take control over their actions was a simple thing. Especially to someone who had extensive training in healing and knew the body well. The second part of bloodbending was what made it truly dangerous. It had to ability to seep into the brain and control a person's will if you were good enough.

Bloodbending the body was the basic part and all that Kiril had mastered. The biggest downfall of it was that it likely wouldn't work on someone who was a stronger bender. Both physical strength and mental strength would allow someone to break away from basic bloodbendin, but if he could learn to bend a person's will. They would no longer be able to resist his techniques and he could turn them on anyone he chose to. Essentially it would make that person his thrall, or at least for as long as the technique held out.

That was the level of mastery he was working towards.

Altyre shook his head to Sylph as she tried to get him to eat, "I already ate before this. I came to enjoy the companionship of you and your friends. That's all." His eyes were soft with affection but his face was neutral. Looking up at the two guards after they'd ordered. He figured that Heather meant to make Kaji eat some of her food from the way he reacted which made his snicker lightly. These seemed to be good people. He had no idea what Rhamiria was up to but he only took out people who deserved what they got. No one else.