Game-Changers & Grudge Matches

"Basically it is a way to force people to do things they said they would," Noct said, "Sometimes it isn't enough to trust someone. Enough people have lied, that there needed to be a system that forced people to be honest." She then took a bite of of the bacon, "Wow, you're a great cook."

--

"Okay," Mortal said with a bit of a shrug.

Gabe was curious, but if Euryale didn't want to talk about it it must have been private, so she left it alone. "Shoulder injuries are serious. They need time to heal."

Astarte looked at the fog but didn't stop walking.

"I suspect that they will go to prison," Hector replied. "Though I have always wondered how well the authorities could keep Bloodbenders locked up."

"To gain a source of income."

"All I did was put it on and take it off."

*When the rest of the bacon is darker & crispier, she puts it on her plate, along with some eggs, and turns the stove down, before sitting down to eat for herself.*
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*She scribbles down some notes.*

<And how would you argue that you're the best person for this position? What Firebending feats do you know? Do you have any references?>
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*As Astarte looks away, she swears she can see a silhouette of a tall man moving in the fog.*
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<I hear they put 'em in special cells during the full moon, and order all of the guards to stay far away from them.>
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"Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I can still fling discs with my good arm. When do I get to meet your new teammate, anyway?"

She tugged on Roatha's arm and pointed into the fog before whispering, "I saw something."

"Interesting," Hector said. "Do you get much trouble from Triads in this line of business?"

"I was privately instructed in Firebending since the age of fourteen and I will work tirelessly to complete my work," Dalia replied. "I am afraid I have no references to offer, besides perhaps my instructor. This would be my first place of employment."

"I am a bad cook, so I've come to appreciate good cooking," Noct said.

--

"Today," Gabe said, "Or maybe tomorrow. There is paperwork to sign, and you're beat up, and even if you were 100%, we rushed over here to see you, so Noctis has no way of contacting us. That is our sponsor by the way. Noctis, like, the councilor, er, candidate. Crazy, huh?"

"Actually, I met Keter yesterday," Mortal said, "She wanted me to go on TV."

"Oh, cool, you should."

*When he looks, there's nothing there.*

"We should just ignore it & keep going."
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"That's what I told her. It'd be great to have that chance."
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<No, I just know a lot about the prison system. It's kind of a hobby.>
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<I see. Could I see a basic torch?>
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"I'm sure you can cook bacon, though I appreciate the compliment."

"Okay... let's hurry," Astarte said before moving ahead at a quickened pace.

"Fair enough," Hector said. He paused, then spoke again. "What do you think of the Purists?"

Dalia pointed two fingers in the air and made a torch.

"I... yes... I'm sure I can cook bacon, I mean, who'd mess up bacon?" Noct took a bite of her bacon again.

--

Mortal rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah, I keep hearing that. Maybe I'll give it a shot after all."

"Thats the spirit," Gabe said with a smile.

"What are they like? Keter, and Noctis?"
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<M-hm. I see.>

*She scribbles down more notes.*

<And what days and hours could you work?>
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*They finally arrive at the channel.*

"So, how are we going to get across?"
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<Well, don't get me wrong, I can see why someone wouldn't like Benders. You've got maniacs like the Red Monsoons running around, breaking the water pipes...but they just make it worse. You can't step outside in Purist Territory without worrying about getting blown up, or hacked to pieces.>
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"I don't know...so, are you the head of a tribe?"

"A raft," Astarte replied, holding her palms out over the water and shifting them around, freezing and shaping the water into a small raft. "It might be a little cold, sorry."

Hector nodded, "They attacked and destroyed my pharmacy because I am a Waterbender. Nothing but common thugs."

"I can work any day of the week, from the hours of nine to six," Dalia replied, lowering her hand and stopping the torch.

<Ms. Noctis seems really nice!>

*Her face darkens*

<Though she had a weird reaction when we heard Senthose had been arrested.>
---
*Monu looks around for Sidon*
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*Eve sighs and keeps walking*

Sidon emerged from his home and hurried over to the cafe, waving in greeting to Monudon before opening the front door. He gestured for him to follow inside, offering a smile, "Good to see you, good to see you. Astarte is visiting at the hospital at the moment, so she won't be taking a shift."

<I see. I hope her friend will be alright.>

*Monu smiles and follows*

Gabe picked up from where Tirea left off, "Yeah, she said something about justice being done." She gave a small shrug before continuing, "Anyway, other than that she was a bit formal, and matter-of-fact, but she was talking mostly about our deal, so I really can't say what she is like in a more relaxed environment."

"Keter was kind of pushy," Mortal said, "But otherwise nice. Kind of full of herself though, I mean, look at the card."

--

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Noct said, trying to think of how to explain the city, "The structure of the city can be loosely described as a big tribe with many smaller sub-tribes. For instance, I run a business, which is basically just a tribe which performs a specific task for the community. As far as the city as a whole, I'm just a regular citizen, but I'm running to become one of a group of chiefs for the whole city. It is called being a councilor."

*Euryale looks at the card again.*

"I'm not sure I see anything wrong. She's just listing her qualifications. Except the part about beauty, but I guess she's proud of that?"

*She looks up.*

"Can you describe Noctis's reaction to Senthose's arrest in more detail?"
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"Ah, yes. I'd guessed by the size of your home. Though none of the chiefs in the Si Wong Desert have anything quite like this."
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<I see. But can you keep your flames up for that long?>
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<Ah. Sorry to hear that. Is it that building over there?>

*He points to a pile of broken, burnt rubble. There are a few pill bottles scattered around the outside.*
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"Not at all! This is the way to travel."

*He jumps onto the raft, & after a moment of flailing around to maintain balance, sits down.*
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*Eve begins to near the restaurant from the previous night. Although it's all cleaned up, & there are no longer airships overhead, there's still half a dozen cop cars in the parking lot, with police occasionally seen moving between alleyways.*
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*The phone in the cafe starts ringing.*

Tirea:<She kind of doubled over and started breathing more heavily.>
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*Monu looks at Sidon*

<Should I answer it?>
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*A slight smile crosses Eve's face as she heads over to the telescope shop*

"When it was said that the day was won she let a few tears slip, and said she was just really happy," Gabe said, "I mean, I thought it was kind of weird myself, but she is a lawyer and running for council, so I just assumed she really did have a hankerin' for justice." Gabe shrugged again, "Why?"

--

"What exactly do they have in Si Wong?" Noct asked.

"Just a little police suspicion. When Senthose was being carted off to jail, he had this pompous grin on his face the whole time. Like it wouldn't even slow him down. I'm thinking we didn't get all of the Monsoon heads."

*She waves her hand in the direction of Gabe & Tirea.*

"But that doesn't mean Noctis is guilty of anything. Just...look after yourselves. If the Monsoons want payback, they might go after our friends."
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*The telescope shop's windows have been replaced, & the area outside cleaned up. When she goes inside, there are water stains over the floor & walls, & an "out of order" sign is hung on the bathroom door. The guy behind the counter is a skinny teenager with circle-rimmed glasses & brown hair in [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] this is.*

<Manager's in the hospital, I'm the assistant. So, what do you need?>
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"Depends. The smaller buildings are built from bricks made of sand & buzzardwasp wax. Any structure that exceeds 3 rooms needs to include wood and canvass. Most homes use both. The homes of the chiefs and their family are usually entirely wood and canvass. Everyone has furniture, but the really nice stuff is imported. Most houses have at least a few appliances, but we don't have electricity, so they all have to be powered by natural sources. As far as entertainment goes, some of us have battery-powered radios & phonographs."

Astarte hopped in after him and once she had found her balance, began to position herself to move the raft, "Sorry I didn't make it bigger, if you aren't comfortable let me know."
She began half leaning on him and slowly waving her arms in circular motions, pushing the raft along the water and across the channel.

"Yes, please." Sidon nodded, heading over to the kitchen.

"Yeah, it is," Hector said after a moment of silence, barely able to hold back his anger.

"Of course I would have to take breaks, but I after some practice I think I could well maintain them," Dalia replied.

"Noct was with us before that whole thing even went down though," Gabe said.

"Could have been tipped off to have an alibi," Mortal said, "But it is like Euryale said, nothing that really points to her guilt. It isn't a crime to be emotional."

"Well, if it is all the same to you, I'd prefer to believe that the lady paying me obscene amounts of money to play a sport isn't a criminal," Gabe said with a chuckle.

--

"What was your house like?" Noct asked, "Did you leave behind a family to come here?"

E"She's running for the council. Believe me, that's the last person I'd want to turn out to be in a Triad. But we have to protect ourselves."

*At this moment, Roatha & Astarte walk in.*

R"Protect yourselves from what?"
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"I had a medium-sized house, but it was getting smaller. We kept having to give things up in bartering. Especially after the accident, where our sand sailor got broken. So I left my family behind to come here, hoping to make a lot of money to send back to them."
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<Alright. The next step is that we do a background check & a drug test. You'll need to see a Healer for that, and we'll call you back whenever we get the results.>
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<Man, that's a shame. I'll let you out here.>

Astarte offered a little wave to everybody in the room from Roatha's side.

"Thanks for the ride," Hector said as he climbed out, followed by Eduj. From there they began walking to Zolt's place.

"Okay," Dalia nodded, turning to head out. "Thank you for your time."

"The triad," Mortal said, "But you apparently need not worry, huh, slugger. You were a real help yesterday. I don't think I got the chance to thank you, so, well, thanks."

Gabe smiled, "Yeah, I heard on the radio that a citizen was helping out, I was stunned it was you. You're like a hero." Gabe also waved back at Astarte, "Good to see you again, by the way, Astarte."

--

"Well, if everything works out well with this Pro-Bending thing, you'll be able to do just that," Noct said, "You must miss them though, being so far away. It was very brave of you to come out here for them."

*Roatha scratches the back of his head, looking at the floor.*

R"Gee, I wasn't trying to...thanks."

Thiera<You fought off the Triad?!>

R"Yeah, about that, let's not let that leave this room. How about you, Euryale? You alright?"

E"I'm fine, thank you for asking."
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V"Thank you."
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<Of course. Nice to meet you, Ms. Lao.>
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*As mentioned previously, there are cops moving all around Zolt's place. None of them are anyone Hector & Eduj recognize. A female officer steps up to them.*

<Getting something to eat, gentlemen?>

At seeing Roatha, Mortal was reminded of what Euryale had said, and was bursting with curiosity, "So, Roatha, how've you been lately?"

--

"You're welcome."