Triads, Try-Outs, & Tours

*Senthose blocks, but is nonetheless knocked down. He swings his weapon, causing the water around him to fire at Mortal in a razor edged arc. A metal cable smacks into the ground to his right, putting a fist-sized hole in the street. Chief Beifong rises shakily to her feet, lashing out with another cable, which snakes way over his head before crashing uselessly into a lamp post, bending it over. Voland is also waking up.*
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<All right, take care.>

*She hangs up.*
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*She puts her right fist in her left palm & inclines her head slightly.*

"Thank you for your hospitality. Especially if it's a rare gem in the city."

"Wait here," Astarte said firmly as Sidon left the house and returned to the cafe. She went to the kitchen and prepared small, triangular sandwiches and two glasses of water, then returned to the living room and placed these items of the coffee table.
"No tea?"
"No. Eat all of this quickly," She ordered. "It will be easier to heal you if you are lying still."
Hector and Eduj gave murmured thanks and began quickly consuming their food and drink.

Dalia put the telephone down and sighed. Her parents wouldn't like her to work like a common labourer, but she had to try paying them back somehow. It wasn't like a member of the Lao family not to repay a debt.

"The pleasure is mine, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't self serving," Noct said. Gabe kind of raised her eyebrow so Noct added, "She is a part of the team. Since I'm invested, it is good that she be well taken care of."

--

Mortal takes in a deep breath, then exhales a continuous stream of fire into the midsection of the slash, hoping to evaporate that part, rendering it harmless, as well as maybe hit Senthose with it as well.

*Senthose stabs forward into the fire breath, freezing the air around his weapon to cut through the fire without harming himself. Of course, Voland uses Bloodbending to hold Mortal in place.*
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"Well, in that case, I appreciate your selfishness."

"Dammit," Mortal said, not expecting Volund to get up that quickly. She tries to wrestle herself to aim another blast of lightning at him.

--

Noct giggled a bit, "I don't see a reason why you can't appreciate both. Altruism, and selfishness are both important to this city."

"So, what happened to you?" Astarte asked quietly as the two ate. "I'll hear it all again when Dad gets back, so just give me the gist."
"Uh, well, we got shot with arrows by Purists, and then some Bloodbending bitch took us out," Hector said before returning to his sandwich.
Astarte stared at him, then looked at Eduj, who stared at his sandwhich as he ate it.

Dalia reclined in her seat and switched on the radio, hoping to catch some news.

*Beifong tries to step forward, but is caught in Voland's "grip" as well. Mortal moves just enough to avoid being impaled, but this still puts a really bad gash in her cheek. He's hit from the side by a fireball, but rolls back to his feet to see Roatha, one hand outstretched & smoking, the other holding Euryale's arm. Euryale grits her teeth & glares before punching the ground, causing a mass of earth similar to the tidal wave from earlier to roll forward, sprouting large spikes as it goes. Senthose flicks his weapon upward, causing water to slice through the weak points in the rock, flash freeze, & blow them apart. Euryale squeezes her fists & her cables protrude partway & go rigid, like a pair of katars. She lets out a scream & rushes towards him...but is promptly stopped after 5 steps, when Senthose holds up a hand. Roatha is forced to his knees, but Euryale slowly shuffles forward, still snarling.*

Voland<We have to go, the cops are regrouping. Even if we win here, we won't have time to assassinate Zolt.>

Senthose<Agreed. We'll kill them with Bloodbending, so that they can't pursue or share the details of our plan.>

*Senthose squeezes his fist & Roatha clutches his chest. Euryale doesn't change her movements, but her breathing becomes deeper, & more labored.*
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{...Dozens of witness reports coming in, saying that everything from Tenzin to Tarrlok to Keter are fighting the Red Monsoons. Authorities are converging on Zolt's Cuisine. Most of the offenders have escaped, but lookouts confirm that Red Monsoon leader, Senthose, is still in the area. There's a good chance he'll be arrested tohight, folks!}
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*A man wearing baggy black clothes & a sherlock hat rushes into the teahouse.*

<Change the channel!>

Jane<But we always play smooth jazz.>

*Sherlock ignores her & runs to the radio, adjusting the nob. The patrons then hear the report up above.*

"Interesting," Dalia's father walked into the room and sat down near to her, holding a closed book in one hand. "I'm quite glad nothing seems to have happened in these parts. I don't want to be seeing the police again for a while."
Dalia ignored him and continued listening.

Neo Bahamut wrote:

Leader<I am certain that is him down there. He is the only person in the Red Monsoons who stands a decent chance of killing Zolt.>

*She snaps her fingers, & a Purist hands her a pair of binoculars, which she looks through, before handing off to Heide. She can see that a very old Waterbender has been knocked out, & Senthose is fighting 2 Firebenders--a cop & a civilian--using the unconscious metalbenders as puppets. She can also see that he's currently down on his knees. But the Leader is now looking at the sky.*

Leader<Why is that cloud getting closer?>

*Everyone is knocked over as an elephant-sized, six-legged flying white bison with a platypus-like tail makes a heavy landing on the rooftop & lets out a roar. Riding the bison is a pair of bald men & a woman with her bangs shaved away, all dressed in orange robes with a thick belt of white rope, bearing a staff, & a quartet of gold-colored bracelets on each wrist.*

Looking carefully through the binoculars, especially at Senthose and the old Waterbender to try and see what they look like so she can tell another time, she looks up at Leader's strange remark about the cloud. While she is knocked dover by that strange creature - a flying bison? - she clutches the binocular close so they won't be damaged in the fall. When she gets up she sees the people and curses inwards. If that was the Air Acolytes - she had heard somewhere of how they dress and shaves their heads - then why were they here? Weren't they supposed to be monks and nuns living like the air nomads, which had been fairly peaceful, staying in their temples? What if they secretly were a Triad as well? She hoped that this pinch could be gotten out of by talking rather than force, for some reason.

Woman<Please do not move. This is a citizen's arrest.>

*The Leader moves. More specifically, she draws her sword & leaps forward, trying to slash her in half. The woman twists in the direction opposite of her attack, ending up behind her. The leader looks down to find that the acolyte had somehow linked the rings together, handcuffing herself to the Purist Leader's sword arm. Ivan aims his gun, but the Flying Bison just picks him up & smacks him on the ground, knocking him out.*

Woman<Please, just surrender peacefully.>
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{Still, attempts to re-establish contact with Chief Beifong's blockade have all been unsuccessful.}

Knowing bloodbending required strict hand movements, Mortal shoots a steady stream of flame at Senthose's hands. Either he stops, or his hands melt off, at least that is how it worked out in her mind.

--

Noct doesn't seem visibly shaken, but makes no comment about what she is hearing.

Gabe leans back and listens intently.

*Eve nods and does as Keter directed before following her down the alley*
---
*Monu finishes washing the dishes then heads out to the main area of the cafe*

<What's going on?>
---
*Tirea stares at the table, not appearing to be paying attention to the broadcast*

"Nothing too dramatic, I hope," Sidon said, closing the distance between himself and Monu so that he could speak quietly. He looked irritated and sheepish at the same time. "Those two men you may have seen are... unexpected guests and not usually welcome, but they seem to need my help. I hope this doesn't sour your experience of this cafe or myself, but I need you to watch the shop for a little while while I get these guys sorted and on their way. I will be just next door if you need me for any reason."

*Monu nods*

<No, no, it's perfectly fine. I'll do my best!>

"Good man," Sidon was noticeably relieved and gave Monu a firm pat on the shoulder before quickly heading back to the door. "I'll be back!"
Sidon almost jogged from the cafe to his home and found that Hector and Eduj had finished their food and drinks, and now Hector was lying still on the couch as Astarte used water from a bucket to heal his shoulder. Eduj was waiting patiently for his aid.
"So, have you got that explanation?" Sidon asked, leaning against the far wall.
"Sure," Hector replied without moving. "It all started when this beautiful woman turned up at my store. She seemed kind of an airhead to begin with, but she was a total beauty and had these--"
"How relevant is this?"
"Pretty relevant," Hector replied, and then went on to explain his suspicions about Selena, the Purist's attack, Selena's Bloodbending and their trip out into the ocean stuck in a chunk of ice. Sidon began to feel a little sorry for Hector, for once.
"So, when do you expect that you can go back?" Sidon asked. "It sounds damned dangerous, with Purists and Bloodbenders lurking around."
Hector nodded, "That is exactly why we came here. I was hoping that as well as receiving Astarte's wonderful healing service, we could lie low for a day or two and see how things go. I figure it is an imposition to ask to stay, but we really don't have many options here."
Sidon looked at Astarte, and Astarte looked back at him, and then they both shrugged.
"Sure, whatever. At the first sign of trouble you're out, though."
"Thanks, Sid. I'll never forget this."
"Switch places, please," Astarte spoke up, and began healing Eduj as he lay down in Hector's place.

Citizen's arrest? Those damned Air Acolytes, sticking their noses where it's not wanted! They should just have stayed at their island. Heide sneakily put her right hand in the pocket where she kept the scalpel, managed to get it out of its cover without cutting herself and hid it in the sleeve. When that was done she put her left hand in the pocket where she kept the smoke grenades. She hoped that animals got chi lines too because that beast was obviously a threat, given how it had knocked out Ivan. And it was hugh.

*While Heide is sitting there doing nothing, one of the men approaches her, fiddling with one of the bracelets & turning it into a handcuff-like device. The Leader, for her part, ducks low & throws the female acolyte over her shoulder. The other male acolyte undoes his belt & swings it, catching her other arm. The other Purists on top of the roof attempt to throw their bolas over the Sky Bison to capture it, but it literally blows them off of the roof with a breath of air.*
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*Senthose does indeed retract his hand, at which point a pair of sharpened cables come speeding toward him. One sails over his left shoulder, but the other impacts his left arm & shoulder & he falls over. That is when Eve & Keter show up out of the alley way, Keter pointing a pair of fingers crackling with electricity at his face. One of the airships drifts back from the north, & from the south, Tenzin quite literally drops from the sky, pointing a palm at Voland.*

Tenzin<It's over. Don't make this harder on yourselves.>

*Voland reluctantly releases his Bloodbending Grip. Senthose holds his hands to about chest level & drops his weapon. Beifong immediately leaps into action, holding Euryale back from ripping him apart.*
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<They've got him, folks! Senthose has just been surrounded, and surrendered to the authorities! Many injured cops in the area, but Chief Beifong is fine. Other specifics can't be confirmed at the moment.>

*Eve holds her right hand out, preparing to blast Senthose if he tries anything. She remains silent, her eyes fixed on the scene*
---
*Tirea turns to watch the broadcast*

Tirea:<Awesome! They got him!>

"Anyway, those clothes are ruined... the tops at least," Sidon said, walking off to another room. He returned a few minutes later with a pair of long sleeved grey shirts and some bandages. He dumped these things on the end of the couch and walked to the door. "Now, I'm going back to the cafe."
Sidon left and walked back to the cafe, still unsure of his decision to let them stay. Meanwhile, Astarte continued to heal Eduj and Hector started bandaging his shoulder, a dried out cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

*Monu waves at Sidon when he reenters the cafe*

<Welcome back! No disasters happened while you were gone.>

"Thanks, everything was fine on my end, too," Sid replied, joining Monu at the counter. He lowered his voice. "If any more suspicious strangers come in here, just call for me. I'm going to go and clean up the stove top."

Obviously she has been sneaky enough to fool the man approaching that she's been doing nothing. She takes off and ducks low, sides him in such a way that she keep her arms away from him while passing, makes a cut by the back of his knee with the scalpel and then takes a step or two while in one motion releasing the safety-pin on the grenade and roll it with quite some force on the floor to the bison in the hopes to render it more harmless by having it inhale the gas.

*The guy looks at the back of his leg like what. The grenade explodes, releasing a cloud of green gas that rapidly envelopes the bison's head. It gulps it in shock & starts coughing, huge, ragged breaths that sound like someone's sawing down a redwood. After seeing this, the man draws his staff & swings it downward toward Heide's head. Now up against 2 acolytes, the Leader swings her legs upward, wrapping her ankles around the belt securing her left arm. Flinging her weight to the right, she sends the man flying across the roof. Of course she, & the Air Acolyte woman go with him.*

OOC: I'm quite tired, sorry for possible gramatical errors and whatnot. . .

After rolling the grenade to the bison and seeing it setting off, she started something that may have looked like a dance. Unfortunally she started too late so the acolyte hit her in the shoulder which hurt quite a lot. But she continued her movements and got a grasp of the surroundings; The Leader was caught up with two of the acolytes, Ivan still on the ground and she couldn't see any of the other Purists. With her empty hand she brought out the fan and engaged the acolyte who had hit her shoulder which by now was merely throbbing. The Leader's regime had been quite harsh at times.

*The Acolyte flicks the staff & fanlike wings open up. Unlike traditional Air Nomad gliders, this one has more layers of orange fabric, tapering off in strips. He holds it in front of himself like a tower shield, & lashes out at her from behind it with the rope belt. Nearby, the Leader pulls on the belt ensnaring one of her arms, jerking the Acolyte man forward. She jabs him in each elbow when he tries to block, & when those fall limp, she punches him in the throat, knocking him to the ground, twitching & gasping for air, all in nearly one movement. Things become a bit worse as an airship passes overhead.*