Bringing Hope

Nanuq nodded with a sigh, "I can understand that" he replied, "After all. Not many people venture past their comfort zones in fear that something bad will happen. That's why nobody asks questions here nor pays any mind to what its obviously displayed in front of them" he added, taking the last bite of his meal which he enjoyed thoroughly. "Besides. Who would want fame and appraise from the Earth Kingdom for solving the problems here?" Nanuq asked rhetorically as he stood up with a smirk; tossing down a few water tribe coins down onto the table as he did so, "I appreciate your help. Thank you" he said lastly with a bow before turning around and making his way out of the restaurant.

He knew what he was facing if he went about investigating the problems with this city but there was something inside him that drove him to peer his eyes over to the palace to his left as he exited the restaurant. "If you don't think about it..it goes away eventually" One old man said as he passed Nanuq and noticed his attention to the palace building before hobbling away and eventually out of sight into the crowd of the marketplace.

With his meal finished as well, Varick downed the last of his drink as Nanuq gave him some last words to consider. "comfort isn't really hard for me to find, even in poor conditions." Varick said tailing behind Nanuq as they both exited the restaraunt. " Discomfort sometimes helps build a man. Whether it's not being able to see, like my master. Or carving your own path, like I did." He said. "It's partially why I choose to live in the slums of such a city as this." He said. " because despite such discomfort, the people living there -including myself- are able to survive and find something, however big or small, that keeps them going." He said .

'Why am I still around this guy?' Varick thought to himself. 'Maybe I warm up to people when food is involved?' He thought and shrugged, before shaking his head and switching to a different thought. He'd taken up the offer for the meal with a 'what the hell' decision. He had exchanged information for a meal, though information was usually pretty valuable. However this time, he felt that he owed Nanuq a little more than just words and information. "I'm not usually one for returning favors, not that I get or give much to begin with." He started. " But how exactly are you planning to breach this palace?" He asked. He'd thought about trying to break into the palace before as a theoretical challenge, but it had never seemed like a situation that would become real.

Nanuq at first was taken back by the shier fact that Varick was still with him despite the meal being over; it surprised him even more when he spoke to him and asked him a question instead of the other way around. "Well" Nanuq began, "I would approach it based off of my knowledge of the Northern Water Tribe palace. Heavily guarded no matter what was going on and not many weaknesses. When being attacked, they would keep their attention mainly on pockets of interest like where invaders could sneak through. So..i'll do something unexpected. Walk through the front gates". Inside, Nanuq reasoned with himself, mainly not to do what he was thinking but also about the true intentions of his newly acquired "friend" in Varick.

From the way he spoke, he could care less about how Omashu was being run, just as long as there was food he could eat and freedom he could use to his full advantage. Not only was Nanuq going to have to focus on the palace security; but he had a feeling he was going to have to keep an eye on Varick as well.

"Oh,' Varick said with a pause. "that's it?." he said sort of slowing down. "That's kind of boring. and they make walls out of stone not ice here." He pointed out. "I was going to just watch from a distance to see if you crash and burn ." He followed along. " but i guess since you're not going to actually break in, I'll tag along to see what happens on the inside." Varick raised an eyebrow as Nanuq looked at him, then shook his head. "Ya goin? or do i have to find something else to do for entertainment." He said motioning for him to lead the way on this short expedition.

Nanuq sighed with annoyance as his emotions towards Varick began to crack through his facial expression and tone of voice as he replied, "What would you like me to do?" he asked rhetorically with a frown, "Issue a full on invasion of Omashu royal palace just to please your entertainment needs?". Shaking his head, Nanuq pushed onward until he finally reached the sight of the palace of Omashu. It's great gates and long earth made walls that protruded out along it's sides struck Nanuq like a cold wind upon the very sight of it hitting his eyes. He stopped and paused for a moment before reluctantly turning to his unique companion, "Alright. You want entertainment? Well..how about making your own? Go in front of those gates and distract the guards" he began, "While you do that i will sneak past then let you in through the side. It will take me a few minutes to get past the wall so you will need a good long lasting distraction".

'Reactions are priceless' Varick thought to himself as he saw the looks he was getting from Nanuq. Then Nanuq suggested that he get his entertainment from distracting the guards. "Not a problem." He said walking away straightening his posture and walking over to the guards with an air of purpose around him. " What do you two think you're doing?" He said in an official sounding voice. "We sent for backup at least an hour ago! And you two are just standing here staring at your toes!" He said with a tone of anger.
"What are you talking about?" one guard asked.
"What am I talking about!?" Varick said. " We sent a runner here asking for backup and it never came. Now several of the militia are lost thanks to you!"
"Look, we weren't on duty then sir, we didnt-"
"Then let me go find them." Varick said cutting the guard off and walking past them. The guards tried to keep up with him as he walked towards the barracks and guard housing, trying to convince him to go back to the gate and wait for them to bring back the guards. Varick turned around so he was facing the gate and the two guards weren't. He started to ramble about losses, and other things, watching for Nanuq to slip in.

Nanuq watched the master of distraction do his work with a smirk suddenly appearing on his and face. It wasn't hard to slip past the reasonably distracted guards and fall in behind a series of small huts to the side where his cover was seen. Once behind the cover, Nanuq peered out just slightly to catch a glimpse of the guards who were still bickering with Varick, "He will need some distraction of his own" he reasoned with himself outloud. His mind turned like the mechanisms inside of a clock and soon an idea sprung to mind. Picking up a rock that laid beside the hut next to him, Nanuq chucked it passed the gate, creating an echoed almost running type sound. A sound that caught the guards attention with a split second of them hearing it, "Fine" one of the guards said reluctantly as he turned to his side, "Come on we have to check that out. But we will be watching you" he ordered his fellow guardsmen then sent a warning to Varick with the pointing of his index finger. Once him and the other guard were gone, Nanuq quickly made his way over to Varick, "Nicely done" he admitted with a smile as he patted Varick on the shoulder lightly, "Now, will you be staying to see this thing through or do you have some bunburrying to do?".

"I'll see where this goes." Varick said. "Let's get in before they come back." He said turning to walk quickly towards the doors of the palace. The doors were locked by a mechanism within them. Varick pressed his hand against the metal keyhole of the door twisting his hand as he felt the gears in the door turn. After some metal bending he got the door to open. He pulled the door open. "Come on." He whispered to Nanuq, motioning him to hurry up.

Nanuq smirked and proceeded through the large gold plated palace gates as instructed by Varick whom he patted on the shoulder as he passed by him, "Nice to have you still with me" he told him with a nod of the head. The decor of the gargantuan sized halls nearly overwhelmed Nanuq as he entered the lobby of the palace which lead off into three different hallways; the walls paralleled to Nanuq and Varick was painted with doors, each holding their own special title to tell passers what laid behind the door. Scanning over the lobby, Nanuq scratched the back of his head, "Umm...do you know where to go?" he asked Varick without turning around as he moved around one of the several support columns that stood off to the side next to the green and yellow carpet that laid on the marble floor.

The lobby smelt of rock and rightfully so thought Nanuq as he entered and stood in the middle of the lobby, quite honestly surprised they had yet encountered somebody, politicians, generals, counter ladies or even guards. "Why so quiet?" Asked Nanuq curiously as he spun around to get the entire landscape of his surroundings, "No guards in your cities palace? Or security measures? It's worse than i thought".

"You're assuming too quickly that i've been here before and know what it's normally like." Varick said. He walked off the yellow carpet on the ground onto the solid marble floor. Varick closed his eyes and felt for vibrations in the floor. Aside from Nanuq who was right beside him. Aside from maybe one or two servants scurrying about a few of the halls. There really wasn't anybody there.
"There doesn't seem to be much of anyone here." Varick said. "Doesn't make sense. All those guards outside cant be just for show."
Varick looked around at the three doors to different halls. He started to walk towards the door in the middle. The hall way down that way felt like a throne room, which also said "throne" atop the doorway. The sound of his bare feet echoed about the large empty hall. At about ten feet from the middle door. Varick stomped then pushed both his hands forward, bending the doors open. "Let's start here." He said