Ty Lee (chi_blocker) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-05-05 19:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, motoko kusanagi, ty lee |
Who: Motoko and Ty Lee
Where: outside a restaurant
What: Selling out the Yakuza
When: Saturday night, 5/4
Warnings/Rating: PG
Status complete
Ty Lee was a clever girl, Motoko would give her that. But she wasn’t about to give up when her leads were pointing her right at the teenager. There were too many witnesses to her and the daughter of Ozai - now deceased, she’d learned.
It was frustrating. She felt like she’d lost, somehow. But even if the dragon had been beheaded, there was always another to take it’s place. She needed to get to the people that were close to those related to Ozai. Hence Ty Lee, Ozai’s daughter-in-law.
It was after eight, as she waited for Ty Lee to walk out of a restaurant. Motoko could work very discreetly - she learned how to tail someone from some of the best.
Ty Lee’s attention was entirely on dinner, and telling Azula about her day. She was so excited to finally live a normal life like a real person. She could do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, and she had a beautiful, passionate wife to go home to. Her life was pretty damn awesome.
She was walking back home, the restaurant wasn’t too far from where she lived with Azula. She hummed along to a dance song as she went down the street, earbuds blocking the world out.
It made Motoko’s job a lot easier, as she walked along a dozen or so yards behind Ty Lee. she started to walk faster, intent to catch up before Ty Lee got much further. She just needed a specific point where she could pull the woman aside.
She put a hand on Ty Lee’s shoulder.
Ty Lee screamed loudly, because that’s what they taught in self-defense classes, and it would be a good cover for the ass kicking that was about to commence. She didn’t know who was behind her, she just grabbed the hand and jerked it forward, angling her elbow into what she hoped was the stomach of the person who’d touched her.
Motoko twisted around, taking the elbow to the stomach but deflecting most of the blow by twisting her body around. She let go, rolling on the ground and springing back to her feet. She held her hands palm out. “I’m not going to hurt you!”
Ty Lee spun around when Motoko let go, ready to begin the fight in earnest. She stopped when Motoko did, eying the woman suspiciously. “Great. Now we both know that.” She frowned at the other woman. “What do you want?”
She slowly reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her badge. “I want to talk.”
Ty Lee frowned. “Am I legally required to answer you?” She knew that the police had to tell her the truth, but that wasn’t a police badge.
Motoko sighed. “Not Particularly. I’m Interpol, I’m trying to crack a case on a very dangerous gang, but I’ll bring in local law enforcement if I have to.”
Shoot. Now if she argued it would be obvious she was covering for the Yakuza, but she really didn’t want to talk to this woman. Not without Azula. “What do you want to know?”
“Their generalized operations here,” Motoko replied. She was being deliberately vague. She wanted Ty Lee to lead her to her targets. “I’ve closed up many of their works back home. I’m just mopping up shop.”
Maybe she’d start seeing inquiries about the health of the organization back in Japan, which could lead her to Iroh.
Ty Lee shrugged. “I don’t know anything about that.” She didn’t, anymore. Now that she was out she was staying out. Azula and Zuko could handle things without her.
“Even old information could be useful,” Motoko insisted, gently. “Names, dates, anything like that that you can remember. I can promise you immunity when the hammer falls.”
Ty Lee opened her mouth to decline comment. Then an idea hit her. She knew someone she’d happily turn it. It meant risking an encounter with Gin. She liked the assassin, she’d rather avoid getting on his bad side. Of course, if she turned in his boss, he’d answer directly to Azula and Zuko, and Azula wouldn’t raise a hand to save Khamul. “Alright, fine. The guy that was in charge of me, the boss just under Ozai was a man named Khamul. I saw him do a bunch of illegal stuff, and there’s bound to be documentation. I was immunity for my wife and her brother too. Zuko’s been estranged for years, he doesn’t know squat, and Azula was forced into it. Ozai’s death broke the family, it’s been shriveling up since then.”
That was a lot more information than Motoko had been expecting, but she kept her surprise to herself. It jived with what she knew already, and made even more sense the more she thought about it. “I know some people. Catching the big fish will more than make up for letting Ozai’s kids go free. They’re minors anyway, too. You’ve all been exploited.”
Ty Lee nodded. She knew there was only one more person who qualified as a big fish, and she was hesitant to say anything about him. But safety for Azula meant a lot to her. More than her loyalty to anyone else.
“I can tell you a couple of the clubs run by Ozai’s brother. You’ll probably find enough there to make any case you want. But I want this deal in writing first. I won’t say a word unless there’s paperwork saying Zuko and Azula are safe.”
“Is there a place I can meet you in two nights?” She’d have to twist some arms when she got back, and call in a favor or two, but if she had something to show for this, it would be worth it. She didn’t really care if she burned some bridges, if she took the Fire Nation down.
Heh. Burn.
Ty Lee chewed her lower lip. She couldn’t believe she was betraying them. Azula would be pissed. She couldn’t let Azula get hurt. It was hard to square these two ideas with each other. Azula’s safety was more important than anything else, Ty Lee decided. Let her be mad, even if meant they were done as a couple, she had to protect Azula. “Yes. I work again, I’ll be here at the same time.”
“Okay. I’ll try not to freak out you this time.” Motoko gave her a reassuring smile. “I just want people to not be hurt any more.”
“Me too.” Ty Lee said with a nod. She didn’t really care, to be honest, but it sounded better than ‘whatever I have to do to keep Azula safe’. Azula was going to kill her.
She gave Ty Lee a little nod, then turned to go.