Triads, Try-Outs, & Tours

"Of course," Astarte replied, placing down her book, sliding off of her stool and producing two cold cartons of orange juice from behind the counter. She then stated the price, still allowing a pleasant smile.

*Eve continues to yell at the guy*

Eve:<Even if some Council Delegates have....made some interesting choices, it in no way means all benders are the same way! As I JUST said, you should elect someone based on their ability to do what is required, not bending ability. If a group of benders are most qualified for the job, then they should have it.>
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*Monu goes and sits in front of the nets*

Monu:<Is that best you can do? I guess I can just sit here and be perfectly safe!>

*Roatha hands her the Yuans. His smile falters & he shifts his gaze down, drawing more from his pocket.*

"And could I also have some Red Spark Water?"

OOC: A fictional type of soda.
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*Eve is drowned out by a chorus of boos. A Metalbending Cop approaches from under a tree nearby.*

<What is going on here?>
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*One of the kids jerks his hand. The disc flips over, & breaks in half. The other 2 laugh at him.*

Eve:< I'm trying to debate this gentleman here, but its obviously futile.>
---
Monu:<Like you two are doing any better. Come on, I'm not going to beat you up if you hit me.>

"Of course," Astarte said, feeling a little empathy towards the shy customer. She stepped away from the counter for a moment before returning with a bottle of Red Spark Water. "Just 1 Yuan for that, please."

Protester<You can't silence me!>

*The cop smacks the megaphone out of his hand. It shatters when it hits the ground.*

Cop<Disperse immediately!>

*The carriage-driver takes off, ignoring the protests of the couple inside. The kids also run back to the river. The first people who were attracted there, however, stand their ground.*

<You benders can't treat us this way! We have freedom of speech!>

Cop<That doesn't extend to slander. Or disturbing the peace.>

Protester<Hmph. Nice try, but I'm a law student. That isn't how those laws work. You see-->

*The officer shifts his foot, causing an upheaval of a rock below ground that breaks the soapbox, causing the protester to topple backwards.*

Cop<I suppose you could always argue it with the judge.>

*This finally convinces everyone else to leave, as the protester furiously stands up & dusts himself off.*
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*Roatha hands her the money, like a boss.*

"Thank you. Uhh...will you be open later tonight? Maybe I could come back. After work."
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*The instructor comes back with a mesh sack of polished rocks, which sink slightly into the ground whenever he drops them.*

Instructor<Alright, we're gonna try these instead.>

<But...these are heavier.>

Instructor<Exactly. You can throw or kick them them, and if they go more than a few feet, we'll know you're earthbending them. After that, those discs should be a piece of cake.>

"Sure, we don't close until it is pretty late," Astarte replied. "You would be welcome back any time."

*Eve smirks at the protestor, then wanders deeper into the park*
---
*Monu stands up and shakes off*

Monu:<Even better. Should we have them stand in a single file line, or spread them out so they can all go at once?>

<Might's well let 'em all go at once.>
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"Great, I'll see you--I mean, be back--later today. Thanks."

*After paying, he grabs the juice cartons with the arm he's not using to hold his soda, & makes for the door.*
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*The very center of the park is a small copse of trees & bushes. The area around it is strangely cool, with a thin layer of fog. When she's about 20 feet away, she becomes aware that one of the men from the speech has been following her this whole time.*

"I will look forward to it," Astarte said as Roatha made for the door, before returning to her stool and taking up her book again.

*Eve whirls around*

Eve:<Why are you following me?>
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Monu:<Ok people, spread out, and once you've done that we'll bring you a rock.>

Noct got dressed and headed out the door and to the office.

--

Mortal nods, "Alright. Roatha should be back soon with some juice too."

*Once outside, Roatha leans on the wall for a second, fussing with the juice.*

"She was kind of cute...but I really should have asked for a bag."

*He then sets off.*
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*Speaking of the devil, there comes a knock on their door. Since Euryale is closer, & already up, she opens it.*

R"Oh. I was expecting Mortal."

E"Hate to be such a disappointment."

*She takes the juice cartons from him.*

R"Sorry. How are you? You look...nice."

E"You don't have to hide it, I know I look like I just flopped out of bed. I pretty much did. It was a rough night."

R"What happened? You didn't get hurt, did you?!"

E"No, no, we were just out late, arresting some Agni Kais. Which also meant sitting through the requisite insults like 'dirt-girl' and 'filth-mover.'"

R"I hate Firebenders who act like that. Hello, the Hundred Years War ended almost 70 years ago."
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*The man slides his hands out of his coat sleeves, revealing brass knuckles with small spikes on the knuckles.*

<I thought I'd show you just how "capable" non-benders can be.>
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*They do that. All three of them.*
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*The Agni Kais have called an urgent meeting in an abandoned factory. Dalia is there, along with a few dozen others. Nearly all of them have dark hair and gold eyes, and are hiding behind large, black coats with high collars and caps. One of these people steps out from the shadows, lowering his collar and taking off his hat.*

<Thank you for answering the call, brothers and sisters. Most of you already know about the unwarranted raid that took place on one of our dens the other night. What less of you probably know is that the Beifong boars attacked a group of "Purists" who were fighting some "Triple Threats," but they only went after the Puries. Two raids. One night. I think you know what this means: The cops have it out for us. But not Zolt.>
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*A young woman enters Hector's pharmacy. She has bobbed black hair, a tight blue dress that ends at her knees, high heels, and a matching purse and hat that covers the very crown of her head. She makes it a point to stop and apply a coat of hot red lipstick when she's in full view, before dropping said lipstick back into her purse & zipping it up.*

*Eve sighs*

Eve:<I never said they weren't. What I said was bending ability doesn't affect a person's capability to be a council nominee.>
---
*Monu goes over the bag of rocks and passes one out to each of the boys*

Hector looked up at the woman and spoke once she had applied her lipstick, smiling pleasantly, "How may I help you?"

Dalia remained silent, standing with her arms crossed and her gaze tilted downwards slightly. Though she did not show it, she was discouraged by the path the meeting was taking.

*Syn holds open the door for her teammates with an eager smile.*

Syn: "Then what are we waiting for? I'm starving!"


*Marcus thinks for a moment, trying to recall the events of last night which are coming in a little fuzzy. More importantly, he's not sure how much he should divulge to these two.*

Marcus: "Unusual? Depends what you consider unusual. We got what we were after, that's all that I care about."

<Then maybe I can "persuade" you to believe otherwise.>

*He lunges at her, swinging a fist to her face.*
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*She heads up to the counter & leans over it, smiling at him.*

<I'm afraid I have a bit of a headache. Do you have anything to make it all better?>
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Man in the corner<So...Zolt got tired of being unable to take out the Red Monsoons, & paid the cops to do it for him.>

Woman next to Dalia<AND us! Who does he think he is?! He had no right to go after our gang, we never did anything to him!>

First man<We were going to take over his territory once we had the tunnels anyway.>

Woman next to Dalia<That's not the point!>
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*The large man looks like he's about to say something, but when the door flies open, he's forced to hastily scramble back to avoid being smacked in the face. The Purist Leader steps into the room.*

Leader<We did nothing of the sort. Those boars were on Zolt's payroll, which means that he chased you off. Well, if he wants us to fight boars, then we'll fight boars. We'll run the lot of them out of the Dragon Flats.>

Androgyny<With all due respect, I don't see how that will solve the problem.>

Leader<Of course you don't. You've been watching this basement all night. You didn't think to look up. There will be a solar eclipse at the end of the month. Of course the Monsoons plan to take advantage of it to kill Zolt. So let them do the dirty work for us.>
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*After a few throws, it seems that the rocks go an average of about 4 feet.*

Marcus: "If we find out how the Monsoons will do it, we could ambush them. Take them all out in one swoop."

*Eve dives to the side*

Eve:<Because attacking me is really going to convince me.>
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*Tirea enters the cafe*

Tirea:< Thanks Syn!>
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Monu:<Better. A bit better. Let's try it again.>

*Monu sends the rocks back at the boys*

<You don't seem to get it. I'm in the Purists. I'm gonna beat you til you vote our way. And if that doesn't work, our Leader will come after you. She's got a sword about yay big.>

*He extends his arms about as far as they'll go while still keeping his hands parallel.*

<She's pretty good with it.>
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Leader<They're going to use Bloodbending, of course. Which means we'll just have to take out whoever's left the next day. In the meantime, don't concern yourself with such grand affairs. Just take out any cops you can ambush. Ignore the ones you can't.>
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*The same thing happens.*

Instructor<As long as you just keep throwin' 'em, they won't go any farther. Ya need to use earthbending.>

Eve:<Wait, you hate benders because you think they oppress you, so you'll beat them up till they vote for you? That's very hypocritical.>
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Monu:<He's exactly right. Breath in and out and try to focus. Don't pick up the rock this time, just try and throw it using only earthbending.>

Astarte looked up as more people entered the cafe, quickly putting her book down once again and rising to her feet.

"Ah, I am sure that I have something for you," Hector continued to hide his wariness behind a pleasant smile. He turned to a shelf behind the counter and selected a palm-sized cardboard box marked "P".
Meanwhile, Eduj sat at the back of the shop on a stool, discreetly watching the woman.

Dalia suppressed a cringe as the woman's voice broke in to the meeting. She would be glad when this "meeting" ended, though she expected a violent reaction to be the result.

*Marcus nods his head.*

Marcus: "I can do that."


Syn: "No problem."

*He ignores her, jerking his foot up to kick her in the side of the stomach.*
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<Why, thank you, Darling. So, what's going on in the Dragon Flats lately? I don't make it up here that often. Is it really as dangerous as everyone says?>
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<Well, there's nothing else for it, then. We're gonna have to burn Zolt.>
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Leader<You are still a trainee. So you can't move without direction from a supervisor. Let's say...Ivan.>

*She points to the androgynous one.*
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<Arms or legs, it don't matter. The key is to transfer your movements into the earth itself.>

Marcus: "Fair enough."