John Wick in Avatar the Last Airbender

Amon sipped his tea leisurely, the steam curling upward like a living thing. His silver-rimmed monocle glinted in the dim, shifting light of the mist surrounding them. His expression was unreadable, yet the faint trace of amusement remained as he waited for John to speak.

John set his cup down, fingers tapping lightly against the porcelain. He had been silent for a long moment, carefully considering his words. There was no room for mistakes here.

"I need time… to learn the knowledge I have recently gained," John finally said, his voice steady, "Not just of airbending, but of all bending. Every art, every technique; everything that can be used to strengthen both myself and those I protect."

Amon's eyes twinkled, "How ambitious~"

John didn't react. His face remained impassive. It wasn't ambition; it was necessity.

"More than that," John continued, "I need to know about chi itself. The way it moves, the way it can be manipulated; bent in ways even the benders of today don't know."

Amon tilted his head slightly, the motion almost avian, "A most curious request," he murmured, "You already walk a path that few others dare to. Chi bending is not a simple trick, nor a mere extension of the elements. It is... deeper. And far more dangerous."

"I understand that."

Amon chuckled, "Do you?" His fingers traced the rim of his cup absently, "You seek to surpass the limits set upon this world. To touch upon something far older than even the first benders. Are you prepared for what such knowledge may cost?"

John's expression did not change. He was always prepared for the cost.

Amon studied him for a long moment before he nodded approvingly, "Very well. I shall grant you the knowledge you seek."

John exhaled slightly. That was only the first part, "There's one more thing."

Amon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

John leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table. His voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it, "A safe haven. A place where the air nomads can survive; both the benders and the non-benders. Somewhere they won't be hunted. Somewhere they won't be found."

Amon stilled. The glimmer of amusement in his expression did not fade, but there was something else now. Something heavier.

"How interesting," Amon murmured, "You want to keep them safe. Hide them away from the war that is tearing this world apart."

John didn't answer. There was no need to.

Amon tapped a long, slender finger against the table, "I can do that."

John's fingers clenched slightly. It was what he expected, but... there was always a price.

And sure enough, Amon smiled. A slow, knowing smile, "But," Amon said smoothly, "I will require something in return."

John inhaled quietly. "Name it."

Amon's smile widened, and in that moment, John waited with dread, "The airbenders must go to war."

Silence. John did not react at first. He simply stared, as if waiting for a punchline. But none came. He wanted to find them safety, not war…

Amon continued, his voice as calm as ever, yet laced with something deeper. Something ancient.

"They must rise against the Fire Nation," Amon said, "and wipe out every firebender from the world."

John's breath was slow and controlled. So that was the cost, but it went exactly against what he had asked for. An odd paradox.

Amon's fingers drummed lazily against the table, "Agni has meddled too much," he murmured, almost to himself, "How smug he must have felt, twisting the course of that wretched comet. Bringing it back every hundred years to tip the balance in favour of his chosen people."

His monocle flashed as he sighed, "It is irritating, really."

John finally spoke. His voice was low, even, "What can twenty people do… no, excluding the children too young to fight, and the elderly too old to survive in a battle, we are only 12 people. I am assuming you will take care of those who cannot fight, keeping them safe. But what can we 12 even do against the might of an entire nation?"

Amon smirked. A slow, mischievous smirk that sent a cold sensation down John's spine, "Oh," Amon said, "I will ensure you have the power to wage this war."

John's fingers curled around his cup, his knuckles pale. He had made deals with the devil before. And he had regretted it every time. His past choices; his past mistakes, flashed through his mind.

The blood.

The pain.

The loss.

How many times had he tried to save something, only to lose more in the process? But this time… He had no choice. Nowhere in the world was safe. He had seen it himself, flying over the ruins of battle, over burning cities, over fields of corpses. The Fire Nation would consume everything.

The flames of war would burn away the last remnants of the air nomads, just as it had their temples. He had to protect them. He could not lose them.

Not again.

John exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, there was no hesitation left, "…I agree."

Amon smiled, as if he had known the answer all along, "Excellent."

John's voice was quieter now. "What is the second condition?"