#maniitok

"I ‘discovered’ this in Inazuma’s sketchbook a while ago… long before we got signed up to do this drawing thing…

"I… I’m not very good. You can tell it’s her though. Right? Right?”

"United Earth Empire moves to settle Swampland"

The headline of Maniitok's newspaper spelled out the phrase in big, threatening letters, and though his eyes read and reread the article beneath it, not a single word stuck in his mind. He was lost in thought, as he was prone to be these days. He had attained the wealth and respect he had desired for so long since the Elites had been separated after Harmonic Convergence, and was now looking for something... fulfilling.

Though the people of Republic City tended to walk quickly along the sidewalk, foot-traffic slowed to a meander as people jostled past a girl dragging a large footlocker behind her. Wait, it wasn't a girl; it was a young woman. As Maniitok caught sight of her face, the name clicked in his head-- then immediately reverted to his much-maligned nickname for Nyla:

"Pipsqueak? What are you doing?"

Maniitok was being given a tour of the Northern Water Tribe Oasis. His well-earned wealth had given him access to a certain amount of privilege and respect that he had desired ever since he had left the South. The guide had showed him the warm springs from which spirit energy flowed, and the garden that grew around it.

Maniitok had grown weary of the old guide's droning on about the history of princesses and Avatars. He dismissed the doddering old fool and found himself in the center of the Oasis on the edge of a koi pond.

The young man smirked. It was a full moon tonight, just barely visible through the opening at the top of the ice cavern. It was directly overhead.

It was now or never.

In several fluid movements, Maniitok could feel his waterbending qi flowing through him, stronger than he had ever experienced it before, but that was what he was here for. He took in a deep breath and released it slowly.

It was foggy at first, but he could feel it, the water flowing through the grass around his feet, gushing through the veins of the blades themselves. He could feel it in the trunk of the ancient tree behind him, and in the bodies of the circling koi below him.

A perfect time as any to attempt what he had come here to do.

Without movement, except in his eyes, Maniitok focused on the blood in the black koi, flowing from lips to tail from its small heart. He willed the liquid in the blood to rise, to rise up out of the water...

As the black koi struggled against its own freezing musculature, it rose out of the water. It worked! It may have been with all the variables working in his favor, but Maniitok now knew he was capable of mental bloodbending!

The sky had turned blood-red, and suddenly, all of the water Maniitok had been able to sense seemed to disappear. The koi landed hard back into the pond and swam away to the far side of the pond, the white one circling lazily around itself, until it stopped, locking eyes with Maniitok.

The white koi grew larger and larger, its features morphing into that of a young woman... but strangely disfigured.

Something in Maniitok's stomach ordered him to run, but it felt as though he had been bloodbended to the spot, unable to run or cry out, he could only watch this horrific transformation, and wonder what had brought on such horrific things.

lunamatrem

The penthouse was quiet, with the only sound being the trickling water flowing down the sides of the fountain that stood as the centerpiece. Maniitok wandered about in his robe, silhouetted by the light of the full moon streaming through his windows.

He hadn't been sleeping well, lately. Nightmares, bad thoughts, and the like. He put back the last of the fire-nation whiskey in his glass and dropped it carelessly on a nearby table. He wandered out onto his balcony, relishing the cool blast of night wind rising up from the streets of Republic City. It was quite a view from his balcony-- the best money could buy. However, now that he had everything he could want... he still found himself wanting something that he couldn't put his finger on.

After the events of Harmonic Convergence, the Elites were separated as their home was destroyed by Spirit Vines. Unable to find one another, theyd settled into their old habits and have worked hard on finding each other; but to no success.

Inazuma: Inazuma, now 24, wandered the world on her own after Harmonic Convergence, and eventually made her way to the Earth Kingdom, and joined Kuvira's army and now serves as a combat engineer. While her lightning-bending has improved over the last three years, her firebending is still sub-par, with dark red flames being the only type of fire she can muster. While the last three years have been difficult for her, she has retained the small sense of hope and joy that was once her defining attribute.

Maniitok: Maniitok, now 27, quickly fell back into his old habits, working at the dockyards for a short while before being contacted by the Republic City triads to work as a non-affiliated freelancer. He's been able to keep his bloodbending a secret, although he still knows how to do it. The years have been successful but difficult, and Manii-- despite having more money than he knows what to do with-- still feels unfulfilled. Alone, he's become cold and distant to those around him.