Triads, Try-Outs, & Tours

Astarte thanked Tirea and accepted her drink, which she began to sip at.

"Ah, a crime drama film would be interesting," Hector nodded. "And perhaps a more modern, original war story would be nice, too."

"I didn't get any names," Dalia shook her head slightly. "And as I said, they were unremarkable. They were a little sharp tongued, but that in itself doesn't really imply 'suspicious behaviour'. Why do you ask?"

Noct sat there quietly, before saying, "I'm a water bender."

--

Mortal shakes her head, and walks behind Roatha. She presses herself against his back, and takes a hold of his wrists and walks him through the motions, speaking into his ear as she went, "You mustn't be so rigid. Allow it to flow into you, and out."

Aamon<Whatever it is you do! I have no interest in parlor tricks.>
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*Roatha looks down.*

R"Not so rigid...right."

*Euryale looks to be pondering something as she chews. She swallows, & takes a drink.*
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*Beifong sighs.*

Beifong<Never mind.>

*A hidden door opens & the cop from before walks in with an older man in a black coat & tophat. As he walks in, he takes off his hat.*

Cop<Chief, the defense attorney is here.>

Beifong<I see. Thank you, Kane. You may go now.>

*He nods, & heads out, closing the door behind him with a wave of his hand. The attorney nods curtly at Beifong before smiling at Dalia & holding out a hand.*

Lawyer<Chief. And you are Miss Dalia, I presume.>
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Selena<Such as what, a modern adaptation of the invasions of the Water Tribes by the Fire Nation?>

"While this is very enlightening, I'm afraid I don't know what you want me to do about any of this," Noct said.

--

Gabe turned to get a burger for herself.

Astarte continued to sit and drink her tea.

"Hmm, maybe," Hector shrugged. "Perhaps something involving Republic City itself would be nice."

Dalia shook him firmly by the hand, "Yes, pleased to meet you, Mr...?"

<You'll come to regret this insult, all of you! Out of the way!>

*He says the second thing as he turns & rudely shoves the secretary aside as he makes his way out of the door.*

<Mark my words, you have not heard the last of Dr. Aamon Avici!>
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<Lewis, or "Lew." Whichever you'd prefer. Glad to return the sentiment.>
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Selena<Such as the Earth Kingdom trying to reclaim it?>
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*Roatha keeps attempting the maneuver several more times, but gets nothing. He glares at his finger.*

R"I don't get it, I've redirected electricity several times, how can it be so hard to make it from scratch?"

E"Where did you find the electricity?"

R"Huh? Oh, well, you know, around."

E"...You stuck your fingers into a wall outlet, didn't you?"

R"Well...I wouldn't say INTO...."

"Redirection, and generation involve two completely different methods," Mortal explained. "Besides, it isn't really something that can be learned in a day, so don't feel bad for not getting it."

--

After Aamon leaves Noct stands up and asks, "Is everyone alright?"

"Perhaps, I suppose that could be interesting, too," Hector said after a moment of consideration. "I haven't really given it all much thought. I still like your idea for the crime drama film."

"Mr. Lewis," Dalia nodded and smiled slightly.

R"Okay, I won't."

*He doesn't seem like he doesn't.*

E"Well, I'm not Firebending Master, but...maybe you aren't actually doing anything wrong. Maybe it's a spiritual block. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm several times stronger than your average Triple Threat Earthbender. It's because I listen to what the earth is telling me, & don't worry about other things, like money or escape. Maybe this could all be fixed with something as simple as a relaxing breathing exercise?"

R"I do enough breathing in my everyday life, I don't want to do any more."

E"You want to stop breathing?"
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<Yes...I'm sorry security wasn't prepared for that, Miss Talea.>
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Lewis<So, let's get straight to business.>

*He takes a chair beside Dalia.*

Lewis<My client is being charged with conspiring with the Agni Kais, in this specific case, to assassinate "Lightning Bolt" Zolt, is that correct?>

Beifong<Yes, it is.>

Lewis<I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, while we discuss the plea.>

*Beifong sighs with a tone that says she's sick of people wasting her time, & leaves the room. Once the door is closed, Lewis turns to Dalia.*

Lewis<This is really just a formality. Your parents insisted on a Not Guilty plea.>
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*Just then, a blond girl in a white coat enters the pharmacy. Selena immediately turns towards her with a bright smile.*

Selena<Can I help you find anything, young lady?>

*She hands Selena a list. A long one.*

Selena<Umm...what would a girl like you need with...all of this?>

???<I'm putting in an order for a clinic. If you run the name I signed through your database, I'm sure you'll find I'm authorized to write prescriptions. You see, I'm a natural Healer.>

It's a little like Waterbending, Astarte tilted her head, still watching.

Hector observed and waited for Selena to pass the order on to him.

"Naturally," Dalia replied before lowering her eyes to the floor. "Though I'm afraid I may have already made a vague oral confession."

"I think he said he doesn't want to do any more breathing than need be," Gabe replied.

"That aside, Euryale may have a point," Mortal said.

--

"It is quite alright," Noct said, "I'm just happy no one is hurt. Please report that we had this incident to the police. I can only assume he came here because of what was said during the debate. If he came here on that reasoning, he might visit the others, and the police may be able to catch him in the act." Noct sat down and let out a little sigh, "Oh, and I want the trash taken out. The bins are starting to fill up."

Tirea:<This looks really complicated....>

*Tirea sips her drink while watching*

R"With all due respect, I don't think that 'Lightning Bolt' Zolt is exactly Mr. Spiritual, & he has the strongest lightning in Republic City. Hell, it's in his name."
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*Selena does just that, apparently at a loss for words. The name on the slip is "Thiera Psyche."*
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<Yes, Ma'am.>

*The secretary goes off to do all of that.*
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Lewis<That doesn't matter, an oral confession is inadmissible unless it is recorded, & they are obliged to inform you that they are recording. Oral confessions are infrequently used, due to the hassle & expense of the recording. As far as the plea, if you don't confess, they might not even have enough evidence to bring up criminal conspiracy. Of course, if they try, we'll plead Not Guilty. As for assault, we could try to push Not Guilty, but you'll likely get jail time if we fail. It makes more sense to try to enter an Alford Plea--basically means, "I'm guilty, but I didn't do it." And then your family will have to pay a fine, probably between 1-2 thousand Yuans.>

Mortal shrugged, "We're just purposing a theory. Gabe, how do you get your's to work?"

Gabe shrugged, "I can't really put my finger on it. I just kind of do what feels natural."

--

Noct sat down in her chair and let out a yawn, "I'm going to need better security."

*Tirea just kind of sits there, bored by the talk of firebending*

Hector looked over the list and then quickly flicked through a small notebook he had under the counter. After he had verified her signature, he gestured for Eduj to join them.
"Miss Selena, Eduj will help you gather what is on this list from the shelves," Hector instructed as Eduj joined them. "If you can't find what you need on the shelves, or you need more, Eduj will show you to the storage room."

After a moment, Dalia adjusted her glasses and spoke, "Then we should plea Not Guilty to criminal conspiracy and enter an Alford Plea for assault."

Lewis<Yes, that is what I said.>
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*Thiera cleans out several shelves.*

<Um, excuse me, but may I see the storage area now?>

*She fumbles with her arms full of bottles.*

<And maybe have a large box?>
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R"Well...thanks, in any case."

E"Oh, Gabby, speaking of gratitude, I wanted to let you know: We've got a schedule change, so we can go to your game. Chief Beifong wants us working on the day of the True Full Moon."

"That is great news," Gabriel replied with a smile, "I'll make sure to put on a show now that I know you're going to be watching."

Eduj nodded and walked to one of two doors at the back of the store. When opened, it revealed a very small storage room with some crude wooden shelves. Scattered around the edge of the room, on the floor and the shelves, were many boxes with hand written tags. He took an empty box and opened it, placing it in front of Thiera.
"I will gather the rest."

"Okay, then..." Dalia said.

*Tirea looks excited*

<Awesome! When is our next game anyway?>

OOC: Right now, bitches!

*Tirea & Gabe are waiting in the dressing room an hour before the big first game of the tournament, against the Red Sands Rabiroos. Syn has yet to arrive.*
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*Noctis is informed that she has a call from Chief Beifong.*
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*Dalia's trial, which has just concluded, went swimmingly. The court accepted the Alford plea, & at the jury's recommendation, the judge ordered the lowest possible penalty, a thousand Yuan fine. She is told that she can go home, but is expected to pay the fine within the next month.*
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*Over the past month, a group of Purists appeared in the industrial sector, filling the void left by the Agni Kais. They've been pushing against Triple Threat Triad territory ever since, attacking shops suspected to be connected with them. One of the windows of Hector's pharmacy has been canvassed up, as it needs repaired from having a molotov cocktail thrown through it. Fortunately for them, the makeshift firebomb itself was a dud. While the pair are pondering that, Selena enters, her hair a frizzled mess.*

<They killed my hat.>

*Tirea looks really worried*

<What...happens it she doesn't show up?>

*I suppose Eve is working at her station in the Harmony Tower, and Monu is still trying to find a new job*

Astarte left the cafe and began making her way to the Pro-Bending Arena.

"Oh dear, what happened?" Hector turned from the window to Selena, having just convinced Eduj that he didn't need to erect a giant wall around the pharmacy or start attacking passers-by.

Dalia gave Lewis a heartfelt thanks and a firm handshake and then made her way home.

Mortal is presumably in the stands with Euryale, more than likely eating a hot dog, "Are the Rabiroos any good?"

--

Gabe smiled, and shook her head, "Don't worry. I'm sure everything is fine."

--

"Hello, this is Noctis Talea," Noct said in her professional voice, "How may I be of service, Police Chief Beifong?"

<I just told you, the Purists killed my favorite hat.>
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E"Very. They have a distinct style, balancing aggression & speed."

*Roatha is sitting on Euryale's other side, & leans forward to join the conversation.*

R"You aren't saying they're outmatched, are you?"

E"You'd know better than I would, you were at the last game. I don't mean to be rude, but...well, I'm sure Gabby can take them, but her teammates are amateurs. The Rabiroos are not."
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*Dalia runs across Monu on her way back, because why not?*
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Beifong<Actually, I'm calling to inform you about the Avici Investigation. As you know, he went missing soon after your call, but we can now confirm that he went underground. It seems he's been moonlighting with the Purists for some time, but now he's given up his day job. He even bombed his old clinic. You have to be warned, and not just about Aamon. That he's being so bold suggests that the Purist Leader herself likely has plans for the Council of Five.>
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*Astarte arrives at the Arena without incident.*
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*The sun is just starting to set. Polaris, or at least the Avatar World equivalent, can now be seen with the naked eye.*