Triads, Try-Outs, & Tours

"Can we see the records of where those officers were two days ago a few hours after sundown <or whenever it actually was>?" Mortal asked casually.

--

Gabe dives to the side after erecting a wall of flame to counter the firebender's volley. She then shoots a single blast at the earthbender, simply to give her some time to collect herself after such an offensive strike against her. 'The opposing team seems to be focusing on me, hopefully the others can capitalize on the lack of resistance against them,' she thought quickly.

*The Agni Kais all dive to either side to avoid being hit by a giant-ass rock.*
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<No. I can tell you about who is looking into what, but you would have to see them, or a superior officer, to get the details.>

E"We should be able to look them up. Jo's kind of a slacker. I think Kane is the one who just barely got this job after being discharged from the United Forces for incompetence. Who's Sam, again?"

<He just started a few days ago.>

"Then that means that Lee is probably the head of the squad."

*At this moment, the phone rings. The records-keeper answers it, but then quickly passes it to the pair, looking shocked. Mortal might recognize the voice from some training videos featuring clips of high-level crime lords.*

S"Mortal? Euryale? One of you should really pick up the phone, already. Is this how you treat your witnesses? No wonder the RCPD can never find me."
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*From his downed position, the Waterbender swings a leg, sending an arc of water to try to knock Tirea's feet out from under her. The Earthbender & Firebender dodge to opposite ends & continue firing at Gabe--the Earthbender using hooks & the Firebender using jabs.*
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*As one of the Firebenders sees Heide just running towards her, he blasts a Fireball at her. Meanwhile, the Leader jabs the wrist & elbow of the Firebender who attacked her. When he moved his other arm to attack, she jabbed him in the shoulder, & finally punched him in the throat. A young woman tried to get behind her, but she swung the guy into her. A 3rd Firebender, a young bald kid, tries to shoot a torrent of fire at her back, but is taken out by projectiles from Ivan & Vanessa.*

"We were away from the desk," Mortal said, "Tell me, what exactly are you a witness to?"

--

Since the force of a straight blow would push her backwards, Gabe uses a wall of fire to deflect the fire blasts, and tries the weather to disks being thrown at her in hooks, since those would throw her sideways at worst.

Hector did not relent and formed a dozen small ice spikes out of the rainwater around him, which he hurled down at the grounded Dalia. Dalia cut through the air in front of her with a flat hand and intercepted most of the spikes with fire, but was stabbed in both the shoulder of her right arm and the bicep of her left. Without pausing for her pain, she rocked forward off of her backside and onto her feet, still stooped low, and spun in a circle to release a blast of fire at Hector again.
Eduj stamped down once again and made a pulling motion with his arms, tearing open deep holes where he suspected the Agni Kais would land.

*Syn hooks a pair of discs, one for each of the benders targeting Gabe, and tries to knock them back.*


*While impressed with the Leader's actions, Marcus is itching to join the fight and steps forward his machete drawn and closes in on the nearest bender.*

*Tirea dodges to the side, then sends an arc back at him*

*Gabe does manage to weather the discs without being forced back a zone. Tirea is knocked over, at which point the Waterbender hurls compressed water balls through the fire wall. The sacrificed stability for attacking allows him to be knocked back, but the Firebender just destroys the disc coming towards him, & then retaliates with a blast at Syn.*
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*The Firebenders catch themselves on the edges of the hole, leap up, & shoot volleys of fire at Eduj in the form of kicks & punches.*
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*As luck would have it, the Firebender isn't paying attention, preferring to shoot fireballs at the Leader. As the Leader Chi-Blocks the limbs of another pair of Firebenders attacking to her, Vanessa joins the fight with both machetes drawn, Ivan sinks into the shadows to reload, & Amon dashes forward, dodging fire blasts, to incapacitate one of the Firebenders with a blow to the chest.*
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*When the man shakes the phone in annoyance, Euryale grabs it, & holds it between hers & Mortal's ears.*

<You now know that one of your Metalbenders set you up. Wouldn't you like to know why?>

"Why would you tell us that? What's in it for you?"

<What, you don't believe I'm a good Samaritan? What is this city coming to, when the cops are so suspicious of its law-abiding citizens.>

Heide turns to the side and does backwards falling technique (which includes getting back up) in order to dodge the fireball, then grabs the firebender and knee in the crotch.

*Tirea kicks up to right herself, then shoots a water blast at the Earth Bender*

"Tell us who and why," Mortal said, not really caring where she got the info from.

--

Gabe shoots a double fisted blast at the firebender.

S"I only promised you the why. You want the who, you find out yourselves. Aren't you supposed to be the investigators?"

E"Why don't I get the Chief on the li--"

S"You stay on the line, or I hang up."

*Euryale lets out a defeated sigh.*

E"Please tell us what you know, Mr. Senthose."

S"That is much better. The cops are under the pay roll of "Lightning Bolt" Zolt. He wants them to eliminate his competitors. So you just take care of the problem on your end, and I will do so on mine."

E"You know we can't allow you to kill Mr. Zolt."

S"Then you stand your ground against the tsunami. When it runs its course, provided I have not personally drowned you, then you can tell me what you did or did not 'allow me to do.'"
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*The Waterbender keeps firing large 3 second bursts of water at Tirea to keep her down, blowing her dangerously close to the edge of the final zone. With the clock running out, the Firebender & Earthbender make their final, desperate attempts. The former steps to the side & twists his waist, redirecting Gabe's blasts along with a pair of his own, back at her. The Earthbender draws discs from all over her zone & flings them in a jumbled mess at Syn.*
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*The Firebender grunts, forming a flame dagger in his hand, & attempts to retaliate by "stabbing" it downward into Heide's neck. The Leader sweeps her bola around to take out several Firebenders. One who makes the mistake of grabbing the weapon, she ties her hands, pulls her over, & stomps on her back. With over half of the gang taken out, the roof guard runs down from a staircase in the back, & quickly generates some lightning to shoot at them. Amon ducks, but it strikes the floor near Vanessa, Ivan, & all of the Agni Kais they've beaten down, electrocuting them all & knocking the pair of Purists out cold.*

[I won't fail my team again.]

*Tirea twists to the side, firing many smaller arcs of water in response to the Waterbender's attack*

Hector met Dalia's strike with an equally large attack, successfully stopping it. The two combatants ceased fighting for a moment as Dalia quickly removed the ice spikes from her arm and shoulder and righted her glasses. She managed to complete this task just in time to block a blow to the head from Hector, who had gathered tentacles of water around his arms.
Eduj lifted rocks to block the attacks but received a blow to the left shoulder. He quickly dropped down to one knee and slammed his palm into the ground, which suddenly gave way and dropped him out of sight. The hole sealed and the sound of moving earth could be heard under the surface, heading in Dalia's direction.
Hector understood these actions and began relentlessly showering attacks down on Dalia who was pushed to keep up. She felt the ground beneath her tremor for a moment before pillars of earth slammed diagonally out of the ground and into her, sending her flying down the street. Eduj then re-emerged by Hector's side, who reached out and began healing Eduj with one hand.

Neo Bahamut wrote:

*The Firebender grunts, forming a flame dagger in his hand, & attempts to retaliate by "stabbing" it downward into Heide's neck.

Since the knee to the crotch was just the beginning, Heide twists sideways and deals blows as part of chi-blocking to his arms and then gets around so she stands behind him and deals two more strikes to his arms. If successful, she has now blocked his bending, just narrowly escaping the flame dagger.

Mortal frowned, "Why tell us at all if you planed to 'take care of it' on your end?"

--

Gabe planted herself firmly in the ground before extending her hands in front of her, then taking a wide step sideways before kicking that leg out and around, breaking into a flare, before catching the ground with her foot again, spinning, and redirecting all of the fire at the waterbender with a kick.

*The fire blasts fan out in different directions, only hitting the arena floor at various points. Tirea manages to get out of the Waterbender's attack, basically hanging half over the edge of the ring, but her opponent merely weathers her attacks. Syn is hit by a jumbled mass of earth discs & just goes flying off of the back of the ring. The third of the neon tubes keeping score turns red instead of blue, signifying that the Jackalopes won the round. The fourth tube signals a blue (Dragons) win. Then the announcer returns to the stage.*

<A close final match, but since the Jackalopes were unable to get a complete ring-out, they lose the game. This puts the Dancing Dragons in the Championship Tournament. Their first match will be against the Red Sands Rabaroos. As usual, Shiro Shinobi will be commentating. Spectators, feel free to stick around for the debate.>
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*On cue, a man in a cheap, brown suit comes to escort Noctis to the lift that takes people to the center of the ring.*
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E"He means that he wants us to arrest the corrupt police while he has Zolt killed. Am I right?"

S"You got it, Sugar."
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*The Chi-Blocked Firebender turns around with a flaming kick. A trio of Firebenders surround Amon & try to blast him, but he twists around each shot before Chi-Blocking their arms. When they lash out with a downward flamethrower kick, he simply leaps into the air. The lookout sweeps his arm in a circle, generating a larger charge of lightning at his fingertips. The remaining 4 Agni Kais stand in front of the Leader & prepare to blast her, but then scatter when she draws her sword.*
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*The volunteer Agni Kais both fire flamethrower shots at Eduj & Hector.*

"So..." Astarte turned her gaze to Roatha. "Are you going to stay or leave? I think I might stay."

Hector withdrew his hand from Eduj's shoulder and took a lunging step forward, thrusting both arms towards the oncoming attacks. From his outstretched arms two whips of water were cast forward into the flamethrower shots.
At the same time, Eduj took a rooted stance and then brought his two fists crashing down to the ground, resulting in the ground before him rolling up and surging towards the Agni Kais in a wave (just under the level of the flamethrower attacks).

Further down the street, Dalia was trying to relocated her shoulder against a lamp post. The effort made her eyes tear up, but she successfully popped it back into place. Immediately afterwards she vomited onto the road, before placing her cracked glasses back on her face and beginning to quietly head back to the combat area.

Noct, I'm assuming, knew about this debate, and simply follows after the man.

--

At the signal of the end of the game Gabe rushes to whoever was closest to her, snatches her up in a hug, and spins her. "We won!" She then rushed over to the other teammate and did the same thing, smiling the entire time. It felt good to be back, and it felt good to win.

--

"Do you have any leads, or evidence to support these claims? Not really the killing Zolt one, I believe that on faith, but how do you know the police are in his pocket, and who?" Mortal asked.

OOC: Lolportal

S"I know because my Red Monsoons have brought back reports. Of having evidence planted on them, or crimes they saw where the Triple Threats somehow kept escaping just before the cops showed up. It all pointed to one inevitable conclusion. Then I heard that the pair of you were under investigation. You must have stumbled upon something you weren't supposed to know."

E"But you can't prove our innocence, & you don't know who."

S"The Monsoons in your custody can tell you what they know. I've no control over what you or your chief choose to believe. I know you might think we're enemies, but we're enemies with a common goal: Revenge. You like revenge, right? Everybody likes revenge! Well, let's go get some."
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*Keter, wearing a red dress with blue flames up the skirt, a pair of gold pins in her hair, blue eye liner & blush; an old Waterbender in a Southern Water Tribe coat an old woman in Fire Nation robes; an old man in a green suit; a middle-aged man in a blue military uniform with a handlebar moustache, Tenzin & the Air Acolyte; a younger man in a long light blue suit with dark skin & long brown hair in 3 thick braids; & an Earthbender with a receding hairline & a fu manchu in light green robes are already assembled at the lift when Noctis & the operator step on. Most are standing stiffly, with Keter standing the tallest, & the old people slouching slightly. Only the Air Representatives are talking casually. Tenzin holds his hand out to Noctis.*

<You must be Miss Talea. I don't know whether or not we'll be serving Republic City together in the future, but I am glad to make your acquaintance.>
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*Roatha had been leaning forward & sipping up the rest of his drink when Astarte interrupted him. Afterwards, he sat back & stopped drinking to speak.*

"Oh...yeah, I think I'll stay."
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*The Agni Kais are laid out by a wave of earth. Up above, a series of flashes go off in the building & a few windows are blown out by bursts of fire. Up above, simple orange fireworks go off. They can also hear cars speeding towards them from several roads--cars with sirens.*

Astarte simply offered a small smile and turned her eyes back to the ring.

Dalia paused for a moment, still out of sight, before thrusting her good arm forward and releasing a small snake of flames which hit Eduj in the side of the face. While Eduj was reeling with a hand firmly over his features, Dalia began throwing punches and kicks of fire at Hector while rapidly retreating the way she had come, trying to hold him off of herself and the other Agni Kais.

Noct smiled, and took Tenzin's hand, "The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure." She then looked around at the others, before turning back to Tenzin, "I'm in the company of such esteemed people. I hope to prove I'm on at least equal footing."

--

Mortal shook her head, "This isn't about revenge, it is about what is right. Are we done here, Senthose?"

--

Gabe, assuming a bit of time has passed since her celebration, cleaned herself off, and got dressed in the locker room before heading back to the stadium to see the debate. Figuring she'll watch a bit of it before going home.

Tenzin<I believe that my father would say that anyone who wants what is best for the world has already earned a voice in the Council.>

*As he's speaking, the lift takes them up to the center of the ring. Keter can be seen wrinkling her nose at where she is forced to stand. As the lights focus on them, a much more sharply dressed announcer introduces instructs them to separate based on the positions they are running for. Noctis finds herself next to the old Water Tribe guy.*

Announcer<Would anyone like to begin?>
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S"Maybe if you changed your motivation, the Triads wouldn't be able to use you so easily. I'll be in touch. Feel free to pass all of this information along to Beifong. Especially that last part."
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*Hearing the sirens, they just kind of run into the nearest alley. The cars must now be only a block away.*

Noct waited for the other guy to start.

--

"I'll be sure to do just that," Mortal replied.

Dalia was soon out of Hector's sight and making her way back to the hideout as quickly as she could, while Hector had decided against pursuing and turned his attention to healing the large burn on Eduj's face.

*Instead, the older Northern Water Tribe guy steps forward.*

Franz<I would like to remind the people of Republic City of my unfailing commitment to protecting their rights and interests, in every district.>

*Keter laughs, so he looks over to her.*

Keter<That may be true for Earth, Water, and perhaps even Air, but you have a history of exploiting neighborhoods that are predominantly Fire Nation. My favorite was the time you tried to make Firebending illegal.>

Franz<I simply observed that careless Bending could pose a fire hazard, and-->

*Keter waves him off dismissively.*

Keter<Yes, yes, we pose all of the public safety risk of matches. But I suppose 3 out of 4 isn't bad.>
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*A police car pulls out in front of Dalia.*
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*Senthose hangs up, so Euryale hangs up on her end, & sighs.*

<I don't have any records of the incidents he's claiming.>

"So what do you think? It might be helpful to know who's in charge. But it doesn't mean much if we can't trace it back to the people who carried it out. Assuming we can trust what he said, of course."